RTHK: Ukraine reveals discovery of mass grave in Izyum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Thursday the discovery of a mass grave in the recently recaptured town of Izyum, likening it to deaths seen in the cities of Bucha and Mariupol, which have become symbols of Russian atrocities.

Hours later, the United States announced another US$600 million in military aid to support Kyiv's two-week-old counteroffensive aimed at dislodging Russian occupiers.

"We want the world to know what the Russian occupation has caused," Zelensky said, without giving details on the number of bodies found or their cause of death.

Presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak accused Russia of murder in a tweet about the mass grave, posting a photo of a forested area dotted with crudely made wooden crosses.

"All bodies will be exhumed and sent for forensic examination," he said. "Expect more information tomorrow."

A regional police official, Sergei Botvinov, told Sky News that a burial site with around 440 graves had been discovered in Izyum, with some of the dead shot and others killed in shelling.

"Also we have information that a lot of bodies have not been identified yet. So the reasons of death will be established during the investigations," he added.

The grim discovery came as the White House on Thursday announced it had approved a new package of up to US$600 million in additional military aid for Ukraine, including equipment and services, as well as training.

Since Russia's military offensive began, the United States has provided more than US$15 billion in military assistance to Kyiv.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen was in Kyiv on Thursday for discussions with Ukraine's leaders about "getting our economies and people closer".

Her trip coincided with a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan, where the men hailed their strategic ties.

"We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making," von der Leyen told reporters during a joint press conference with Zelensky.

"But what we can tell you is that you'll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Deputy PM attends opening of 19th CAEXPO, CABIS

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh delivered a pre-recorded speech at the opening of the 19th ASEAN-China Expo (CAEXPO) and the 19th China-ASEAN Business Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning, the capital city of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on September 16.













Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh addresses the opening of CAEXPO and CABIS. (Photo: VNA)



Hailing the important achievements that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have gained over the years, especially the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development.



ASEAN and China have continued to be each others largest trade partner with two-way trade reaching over 669 billion USD in 2021. China is the biggest investor in many ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, bilateral cooperation in disease control, poverty reduction, culture, people-to-people exchanges have also been strengthened, benefiting people of both sides, according to the Deputy PM.



Minh underlined that amid the complicated and unexpected changes in the regional and global situation, ASEAN countries and China should continue to strengthen cooperation in dealing with challenges and speed up sustainable post-pandemic recovery.



He stressed the need to make full use of opportunities from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), thus bolstering bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner.



The Deputy PM suggested the Chinese Government create favourable conditions for the increased import of goods and high-quality farm produce from Vietnam as well as other ASEAN countries via Vietnam.



He asked for Chinas coordination in maintaining stable supply and production chains as well as smooth customs clearance activities in all circumstances, diversifying goods transportation methods by road, rail, sea and air, promoting partnershipss in the fields of innovation, digital transformation, digital economy, and e-commerce, and strengthening collaboration in the fields of green and sustainable development.



CAEXPO is one of the 10 leading trade fairs of China, which has been held annually since 2004. This year, Vietnam continues to participate in the event at the largest scale with an display area of over 2,000sq.m, along with the online exhibition by 80 enterprises to introduce Vietnamese strong products such as agricultural and aquatic products, processed food, wooden furniture and handicrafts, consumer goods, as well as investment, tourism and trade services./.
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Former Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish K Awasthi has been appointed as the advisor of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government said on Friday. Awasthi served as the ACS to the Uttar Pradesh government. He retired from the post on August 31, and today, 16 days after his retirement, he was again shown faith by the UP CM Awasthi has been an ex-IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre of the 1987 batch. He has served in various posts for the government and CM Yogi has again shown faith in his trusted advisor for help in the state government projects. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will inaugurate an exhibition on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life and leadership at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Similar exhibitions will also be held in other states also. The announcements were made by party general secretary and MP Arun Singh who informed that the party would hold celebrations starting tomorrow till October 2. "There will be exhibitions throughout the country on the life and leadership of PM Modi. Party president JP Nadda will inaugurate the exhibition at BJP headquarter and a similar type of exhibition will be there in other states too," he said while addressing the media. He said that the party will dedicate the Prime Minister's birthday to the welfare of the poor in the form of a 'Seva Pakhwada'. "The celebration will be in three categories. First, Sewa, in which health camps, blood donation camps, vaccinations centres etc. Our workers will be on booths in these camps to help people in getting done their booster dose and health checkups," he said. "PM Modi's vision of TB-free India by 2025 will also be included in this. Our leaders and workers will adopt a patient for a year and keep a routine check on their health and need," Singh added. The party will also carry out a cleanliness drive on the occasion along with planting trees. "Cleanliness drive will be carried out. PM Modi always focuses on cleanliness therefore there will be many cleanliness drives will be taken. Also, we will plant 10 lakh peepal trees at our booths as peepal tree is a great source of oxygen," he said. (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee has suffered a major setback as Vice President of the State Congress Committee, Ram Lal Thakur resigned from his post. Ram Lal Thakur is a senior Congress leader in Bilaspur district and former Minister and MLA from Naina Devi Assembly and currently the Vice President of the State Congress Committee. He announced his resignation at a press conference in Bilaspur on September 16. While announcing their resignation from the post of Vice President, he said that he will remain in the Congress party and be a part of all the work that is done by Congress. Ram Lal Thakur is not in a race to become the Chief Minister. Ramlal Thakur has said, "every third person in the state Congress Committee is running for the post of Chief Minister but he is not in that race". He has clearly declared that he is not in the race for CM at all, nor can he ever think so, he said "he has always been working according to the orders of the State Congress Committee". "I am neither among those who will leave the party or join others, I will remain in the Congress itself. Everyone at the party is functioning in a different manner some are going in one direction others in another. I will remain as Chairman of the Election Management Committee but I don't want to work as Vice President of the HPCC", he added. "I am not asking for any post or to become a member of the committee but the party tickets should be given to those who can win. Leaders are walking in different directions that will damage the party ahead of Assembly Elections," said Ram Lal Thakur. The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee says that matter will be resolved by the higher leadership. The Chief Spokesperson and Chairman of the Media wing of the state Congress Committee, Naresh Chauhan said "Thakur is yet to submit his resignation to the State party in charge State party Chief and high command". He said the party is trying to contact him and the matter would be resolved. (ANI)
The laptop and other electronic devices seized from Alt News Founder Mohd. Zubair has been sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) for recovery of data, Delhi police informed the Delhi High court. A case had been filed against Md. Zubair in 2018 in an objectionable tweet made by him. "The post of Mohd. Zubair containing pictures and words against a particular religious community are highly provocative and done deliberately which are more than sufficient to incite feelings of hatred among people which can be detrimental to the maintenance of public tranquillity in the society", stated by Delhi Police in an affidavit filed on a petition moved by Md. Zubair. The police affidavit has been filed in the High Court in response to a plea filed by Zubair against his arrest and search and seizure exercise. Alt news founder has challenged the legality and propriety of a trial court's June 28 order granting his 4 days of custody to the police. The police opposed the petition saying it should be dismissed as it has become infructuous as the period of police custody remand has already been over. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kuaurav listed the matter on October 31 after the counsel for the petitioner sought time to file a rejoinder to the Delhi police reply. Zubair's counsel while seeking an interim relief has submitted that since the tweet was made by mobile. Therefore, till the petition is decided, the police shall not examine his laptop. The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Mohd. Zubair on July 20. The Delhi Police has said that one laptop, two invoices and a hard disk were recovered from their Bengaluru residence of Zubair during his custody remand. Delhi police said the petitioner may approach the appropriate forum for the release of articles on super dark once the analysis is completed. The peripherals seized during the police custody remand have already been deposited at Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, Delhi. Data is to be recovered from these devices and is to be analysed with respect to the tweet in question and other similar-natured tweets done by accused Mohd Zubair (if retrieved). As such the seized articles and devices are not beyond allegation as mentioned by the petitioner in the prayer of the petition," the affidavit stated. (ANI)
The Metropolitan Magistrate awarded three different sentences under the three different sections of IPC - six months jail under one, Rs 500 fine under another, and Rs 100 fine in the third.

It has stayed the operative part of the order, so Mevani and others can appeal the order before the sessions court.

In 2016, Mevani and others were leading protests demanding to name Gujarat University's Law Department as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan. The protest turned violent and the premises were vandalised. All protestors were arrested and produced before the court.

--IANS har/vd

( 130 Words)

2022-09-16-19:08:02 (IANS)
Assam sent a four-member team to inspect the situation and bring back the elephant after a video of Joymala in a deplorable situation surfaced over the internet.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urged the state governments to look into the elephant's well-being.

But the team which is lodging in Chennai since September 3, accused the Tamil Nadu government officials for not allowing them to see the elephant.

Following that, the Assam government approached the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday.

The state's advocate general, Devojit Saikia informed that the High Court has also issued notice to Tamil Nadu government to reply to the matter within 15 days. Notices were also issued to Tamil Nadu police, Forest Department, and Union Environment Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government, responding to a PIL filed in Madras High Court said that they will not return the elephant Joymala to Assam.

TN government officers said that there were very few negligible incidents of mistreatment of elephants in the temple reported earlier. But there was no necessity to return Joymala.

They further said: "These elephants have now become accustomed to the temple and returning them will hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees."

The PIL was filed by N. Sivaganesan, a field scientist on wildlife conservation.

Earlier, an officer of the four-member delegation claimed that the Tamil Nadu government did not even agree to hold a discussion with the officials from Assam for the custody of Joymala.

--IANS tdr/kvd

( 293 Words)

2022-09-16-19:10:04 (IANS)
In two separate orders, a special CBI court on Friday approved the agency's pleas seeking the custody of former West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, and ex-Chairman of West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, for interrogation pertaining to the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam. Rejecting the respective bail pleas of both Chatterjee and Gangopadhyay, the special court directed the central agency to take the duo into custody till September 21. While Chatterjee is currently in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July-end, Gangopadhyay was arrested by the CBI on Thursday evening. Just before arresting Gangopadhyay, CBI had appealed to the court seeking Chatterjee's custody in the matter. Following the court order, CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra told mediapersons that the WBSSC recruitment scam was a 'huge conspiracy' of which Chatterjee was the mastermind. "CBI needed to take Chatterjee into custody for further interrogation and the court has accepted our arguments on this count," Mishra added. Earlier, while moving Chatterjee's bail plea, his counsel argued that CBI is seeking his custody knowing well that his client might get bail anytime from his current judicial custody. The counsel also argued that although Chatterjee was the former Education Minister, he had no hand in WBSSC recruitments since the commission was an autonomous body. Chatterjee's counsel argued that the ED has so far not been able to furnish any solid evidence that his client had any role to play in the teacher recruitment scam. At one point, Chatterjee himself requested the judge to grant him bail under any condition and cited his medical state, academic background and rich family legacy. However, the court while rejecting the bail plea observed that as a former minister, Chatterjee cannot shy away from his responsibilities in the matter. On the other hand, Gangopadhyay's counsel argued that the WBSSC appointment letters contained scanned signature of his client, which was used without his knowledge. However, the judge, while rejecting his bail plea, observed that as then WBSSC Chairman, Gangopadhyay was the issuing authority of those appointment letters, hence he cannot deny his responsibility. CBI sources said that the agency sleuths will now question Chatterjee and Gangopadhyay together by putting them up face-to face to identify the missing links in the scam. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that the party has no comment to make on the decision of the court. "As regards to Partha Chatterjee, the party leadership has already taken some decisions. As regards to the court order, since it is a judicial matter, the party has nothing to say on it and the law will take its own course," Ghosh said. Hailing the court decision, BJP's national Vice President Dilip Ghosh said circumstantial evidence has proved that both Partha Chatterjee and Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay were the key persons behind the scam. --IANS src/arm ( 485 Words) 2022-09-16-19:18:03 (IANS)
Senior advocate Indira Jaising has written to the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court to begin live streaming of proceedings of matters of public and constitutional importance, and also to keep a permanent record of the arguments by counsel on all sides along with the proceedings of the court. Jaising said a number of matters of national importance, which includes petitions challenging the EWS quota, hijab ban, Citizenship Amendment Act are being heard by the apex court and urged it to allow live streaming of cases as per 2018 judgment, as a part of the fundamental right of every citizen to freedom of information and also the right of access to justice. "There is no substitute for first-hand knowledge, especially in the era of what has come to be known as 'fake news' and hence, there is an urgent need for real time information. Since the judgement was pronounced, I have made repeated requests to the Hon'ble court to commence live streaming cases of national importance," she said. "It is pertinent to note that in accordance with Article 129 of the Constitution of India, the Supreme Court is a court of record. I, therefore, request you to start live streaming these proceedings as also to keep a permanent record of the arguments by counsel on all sides to be part of the record that is preserved along with the proceedings of the court." Jaising said the apex court should have its own channel and, in the meantime, the court can start streaming its proceedings on its own website, as well as on YouTube. She added there is adequate infrastructure and the ceremonial proceedings were live streamed on the date of retirement of former Chief Justice N.V. Ramana. Jaising said: "We are passing through times when issues of great national importance are being discussed, debated, and decided upon in the Supreme Court of India. A few examples will suffice: the Constitutional validity of the 103rd amendment is currently being challenged before the Constitution Bench in Court No 1." She added that the arguments revolve around issues of social and political justice for discriminated castes and whether reservations in public employment and education can be made purely on economic grounds. "Also in the field of reservations are two other cases relating to sub-categorising within castes and the issue of extending reservations to Muslims and Christians," she said in her letter. --IANS ss/vd ( 423 Words) 2022-09-16-19:34:01 (IANS)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday alleged that the opposition and its "friendly" media is painting the state's financial management in poor light and claimed that there is no threat to the state's economy. He told the Assembly that despite Covid-19 and other challenges, the state economy was doing well and in fact, better than many other states and even the national average. Making a power-point presentation about the actual facts and figures regarding the state's economy and finance, he claimed that YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government has been performing better than the previous TDP government. "A concerted effort is being made by (TDP chief) Chandrababu Naidu and his friendly media to show the state in dire straits and comparing it with Sri Lanka, while in reality the growth rate of Andhra Pradesh is very rosy and has been very encouraging," he said. "Braving Covid, we had gone forward balancing welfare and development and state's performance was far better than the previous government and even the national average," he said giving a graphic detail of the comparative figures on GDP, loans taken, government guarantees and other indices to show the financial management is healthy. "The Gang of Four which follows the principle of plunder, stash and devour have started a vicious campaign to defame the government. People of the state need to know the facts that when the budget of the previous and our government is almost the same and the loans we have taken are less than Chandrababu Naidu regime," he said. "Why could Chandrababu Naidu not implement the welfare schemes we are implementing?" he asked. The Chief Minister pointed out that the state's debts increased by 123 per cent under TDP rule (2014-19) while the hike during last three years was only 41 per cent. Earlier, Industries Minister G. Amarnath said that the opposition is trying to spoil the brand image of the state and have been writing letters to stall the industrial growth in the state. K. Parthasarathi, Abbaya Choudhary and other MLAs of the ruling party listed out the failure of Chandrababu Naidu government and the initiatives and incentives being given by the YSRCP government to promote industries. --IANS ms/vd ( 380 Words) 2022-09-16-19:38:02 (IANS)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has exhorted the banking sector to play a lead role in realising the dream of a developed India by 2047. The Finance Minister observed that the next 25 years which the Prime Minister refers to as Amrit Kaal has taken off very well, with the auspicious beginning of India becoming the fifth largest economy of the world. "We have so much and more to do, the banking industry needs to serve the Amrit Kaal, we have to see how best we can lift ourselves to meet the aspirations of a growing India. The Prime Minister has said that we need to be the developed country we deserve to be, by 2047. It is the banking sector which has to make a big contribution towards this." The minister was addressing the 75th Annual General Meeting of Indian Banks' Association in Mumbai on Friday. The Minister said that banks are the biggest catalysts to growth. "Professionalise your decision-making boards, there is no way banks can any longer run with a crony background, our government has ensured that there are no instructions given or interference made in the functioning of the banks. We need to take professionalism at a faster pace. We are conscious of the need to let the banks be, and let them run by professionals, with a purely banking perspective in mind." The Finance Minister exhorted the banks to plan for the next 25 years. "You need to have strategies to meet the aspirations of the youth of India in the next 25 years. You need to make your portfolios so that they are attractive to the young as well and make yourselves accessible to them. Are you communicating to the youth, to women, are you offering products to them?" "Are you comfortable in being a digital institution? How much training goes into this? Do your systems talk to each other? It will be a big missed opportunity if these bridges between banks are not built. IBA should plan to make sure that all systems in all banks, whether private or public, should be talking to each other for the purpose of the customer," she added. The Minister said that such technologies also bring in benefits such as detecting fraud, tracking of wrong money and detecting unusual transactions. (ANI)
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrating his 72nd birthday on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) OBC morcha has planned an extensive programme for a period of 16 days to observe the PM's birthday as Seva Pakhwara (service fortnight). BJP OBC morcha has announced to conduct health camps for its members across the country. Along with that, it will also organise blood donation camps to serve the poor patient and distribute medicine to them. The morcha will also provide books to the children and free rations to the needy. Notably, BJP will celebrate PM Modi's birthday for a period of 16 days starting from Saturday, also known as "Seva Pakhwara" (service fortnight). "Seva Pakhwara" will be celebrated from September 17 till the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, on October 2. Under the "Seva Pakwara", the party will organise exhibitions on PM Narendra Modi at the district level. Along with this, the party is also making a strategy for the promotion of the book " Modi @20 Sapne Hue Sakaar. National President of OBC Morcha and senior BJP leader K. Laxman said, "The Modi government has been making continuous efforts for the welfare of the backward classes. Various schemes of the Modi government have benefited the OBC society." "On September 25, which marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, the Morcha will hold exhibitions from place to place where it will exhibit the welfare schemes of the Modi government," K Laxam further said. "This exhibition will be held in all district centres across the country and on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Ji and Lal Bahadur Shastri on October 2, all the workers of OBC Morcha will buy khadi products in a bid to promote the khadi. It will also boost the morale of the weavers. We will aware people of handlooms through this exhibition," he added. The party will also run a year-long programme to make the country Tuberculosis (TB) free, under which everyone will adopt a TB patient and will take care of him for one year. The BJP national president JP Nadda has also directed the party workers to run a special program on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Under this, the party cadres will talk about the use of "Khadi" and the principles of the Father of the Nation. As part of "Seva Pakwara", BJP will also run a campaign to promote COVID-19 booster dose among common people. A central committee has been constituted for the smooth conduct of "Seva Pakhwara" in the entire country. The party has given the responsibility to National General Secretary Arun Singh, National Vice President Raghubar Das, National Secretary Vijaya Rahatkar, National Secretary Arvind Menon, National President of Yuva Morcha Tejasvi Surya, National President Kisan Morcha Rajkumar Chahar, BJP minority morcha President Jamal Siddiqui for organising "Seva Pakhwara" across the country. (ANI)
The CII is working closely with Central TB Division, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to support the Government's endeavour to eradicate TB from India by 2025 through our "TB Free Workplaces Campaign" initiative.

In this regard, CII signed an MoU with the Central TB Division in 2020, to catalyse private sector participation and involvement in this critical mission. Towards this aspirational challenge, CII has deliberated with the Health Minister and the Health Secretary on the strategic and best way forward.

CII has organized several multi-stakeholders round table discussions with its corporate members; developed a TB Free Workplaces best practices compendium, and a teaching App on TB to sensitize workforces and guide them to their nearest available government TB testing centers while protecting individual identification.

In line with the Prime Minister's vision for the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, CII has catalysed Corporate India to adopt over 35000 TB Patients, providing nutritional support, as part of @TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, committing well over INR 25 crores and counting. (ANI)
After four accused in the Begusarai serial shooting spree, that left one dead and 10 others injured on Tuesday, were arrested, police on Friday said that the crime was executed to create fear in the region. Begusarai's Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar said that two of the arrested are shooters and two others are planners of the incident. He also said that two more shooters are currently absconding and raids are on to nab them. "The main conspirator of the shooting was Keshav Kumar alias Nagwa. He sat at a roadside eatery and coordinated with the shooters during the firing. He was the one who hatched the conspiracy of the shooting incident. The idea was to create fear of his gang in the region," he said. He said that the probe team has scanned 22 CCTV cameras across the route of firing and the first lead came in the form of Youraj, who was caught on one of the CCTV cameras and his identification established. "We immediately arrested Youraj Singh from his house. During interrogation, he confessed the crime. He was driving the bike and pillion rider Sumit Kumar fired on the common people. He also confessed that the T-shirt he was wearing was also kept in the house of Sumit. Following his confession, we have nabbed Sumit and also seized the clothes they were wearing at the time of firing," the SP said. "During the interrogation, the accused revealed the names of two more shooters and the main conspirator Keshav alias Nagwa, and Chunchun. We have also scanned the mobile phones of the accused and established that they were coordinating each other at a time of firing. Keshwav alias Nagwa was the one who was caught on the CCTV camera of an eatery in Begusarai. He was instructing them," he added. He said that Keshav alias Nagwa, Chunchun and Sumit have criminal records, having served jail terms in murder and arms act cases and are on bail currently. "We have the leads of other accused and they will put behind bars very soon," Kumar said. Begusarai SP also said that some more conspirators are involved in the incident. "We have seized the mobile phones of the accused and cyber cell and forensic science officers are scanning them in a bid to establish the identity of other accused." Kumar said that Keshav alias Nagwa, after the incident, tried to escape from the state. "We had already alerted police of adjoining districts. Till then, Keshav alias Nagwa managed to flee from Begusarai and reached Jhajha station in adjoining Jamui district. He sat on the train bound for Ranchi but was arrested." On September 13, four bikers opened fire indiscriminately across the district. Two assailants opened fire at Godhna village under Bachwara police station at 5.30 p.m., injuring a person named Nitish Kumar. Then the attackers went on Begusarai-Muzaffarpur NH 28 and fired at Ayodhya Chowk falling under Teghra police station, where Dipak Kumar, a native of Raghunandpur village, was injured. When the first incident took place at Godhana village, local residents believed that the crime took place due to personnel enmity but when second incident took place quickly, the local residents then realized that the accused might be psycho killers who are intentionally targeting innocent civilians in a 26/11 Mumbai attack style. The accused then reached Adarpur village on NH 28 and shot at finance company employee Vishal Solanki. Then they reached Pipra Malti Chowk under Barauni police station and killed a person named Chandan Kumar. Another person was injured at the same place. After the fourth incident, the attackers left NH 28 and went toward NH 31 connecting Patna, where they opened Bharat Yadav at Barauni Thermal Power Chowk. After travelling some distance, they shot at Prasant Kumar Rajak, Ranjeet Yadav, and Jito Paswan (37). The attackers travelled 30 KM on NH 28 and NH 31 during one hour of carnage and then disappeared. --IANS ajk/vd ( 670 Words) 2022-09-16-21:50:03 (IANS)
This was their first meeting since President Raisi assumed office in 2021 and the two leaders discussed many important issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship, and expressed their desire for strengthening the relationship further.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India-Iran bilateral ties are marked by historic and civilisational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.

The two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of the Shahid Behesti terminal, Chabahar Port and underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of regional connectivity.

The two leaders also discussed international and regional developments including Afghanistan. The Prime Minister reiterated India's priorities of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and the need for a representative and inclusive political dispensation in support of a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan.

President Raisi briefed the Prime Minister on the status of the JCPOA negotiations.

The Prime Minister extended an invitation to President Raisi to visit India at his earliest convenience.

--IANS miz/vd

( 196 Words)

2022-09-16-22:12:05 (IANS)
Union Minister of State for Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar for not providing fertilisers to farmers despite an adequate supply from the Centre. The black-marketing of fertilisers is taking place on a large scale, and this is the main reason why farmers of Bihar are not getting the fertilisers, he said. "We regularly have meetings of states on every Tuesday to discuss the quantity of fertilisers being given to states. Bihar's Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh recently sent a letter to us, demanding an adequate amount of fertilisers. We replied that the fertilisers were released adequately. "The details of what Singh demanded and what the Centre has released every month are in the public domain. Due to the black market, it is not reaching the actual farmers. The Nitish Kumar government has failed to prevent black marketing of fertilisers," Khuba said. "Centre is taking every measure to make the state 'Atma Nirbhar'. Barauni fertiliser factory will be open in the next 2 weeks and PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the facility in the month of October," he added. --IANS ajk/vd ( 199 Words) 2022-09-16-22:20:04 (IANS)
Even as it has approved a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet sustainment programme for Pakistan, the United States still expects Islamabad to "take sustained action against all terrorist groups," local media outlet Dawn reported. With this, it becomes increasingly clear that Pakistan cannot duck the questions posed by the key issue of terrorism under any circumstances. This comes as reversing the decision taken by the previous Donald Trump government, the United States had approved a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet sustainment programme for Pakistan. In 2018, Donald Trump stopped all defence and security assistance to Pakistan alleging that Islamabad was not a partner in its fight against terrorism. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) had said that the Pakistan government had requested support for its F-16 fleet. Over the sustenance package for Pakistan's F-16 fleet by the US, the State Department said that though it views Pakistan as an important counterterrorism partner still the country expects it to take sustained action against terrorist groups, reported Dawn. During a press briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price expressed concerns over the ban on the transmission of Pakistan's local media outlet ARY News. "We continue to be concerned by significant restrictions on media outlets and civil society in Pakistan... We routinely raise our concerns about press freedom to all stakeholders around the world, including to our partners and our counterparts in Pakistan," Price said. He added that Washington was "concerned that media and content restrictions, as well as a lack of accountability for attacks against journalists, undermine the exercise of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association." Underscoring its support to Pakistan amid the devastating floods that has gripped the South Asian Nation, Price said a total of nine US Central Command flights had delivered more than half of the 630 metric tons of relief supplies from USAID's Dubai warehouse as a response, reported Dawn. "In total, CENTCOM will airlift more than 41,000 kitchen sets, 1,500 rolls of plastic sheeting, tens of thousands of plastic tarps, 8,700 shelter fixing kits - all in support of USAID's flood relief." Price added that in this fiscal year alone, the US had provided more than USD 53 million in humanitarian assistance, including urgently needed support for food, nutrition, multipurpose cash, safe drinking water, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, as well as shelter assistance. It is worthy to note that Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed India's concerns related to the American sustenance package for Pakistan's F-16 fleet to US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in a telephonic conversation in which the two leaders discussed the growing convergence of strategic interests and enhanced cooperation. Notably, India is considered the centrepiece of the US President Joe Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and Indian Foreign and Defence Ministers recently held the '2+2' meeting with their American counterparts. India-US bilateral partnership today encompasses a whole host of issues including the response to Covid-19, economic recovery post-pandemic, the climate crisis and sustainable development, critical and emerging technologies, supply chain resilience, education, the diaspora and defence and security. (ANI)
Slamming the Hungarian government for its "deliberate and systemic efforts" to undermine democratic values, European Parliament said that the country can no longer be a "full democracy", but is rather an "electoral autocracy," as per a press release of the EU's law-making body. The situation has deteriorated so much that Hungary has become an "electoral autocracy," it said. "Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) remain concerned about numerous issues relating to democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary. The main areas of concern include the functioning of the constitutional and electoral systems, the independence of the judiciary, corruption and conflicts of interest, and freedom of expression, including media pluralism." "Academic freedom, freedom of religion and association, the right to equal treatment, including the rights of LGBTIQ people, the rights of minorities, as well as those of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, are also problem areas," it added. A large majority in the European Parliament has adopted the report that declares the country as a "hybrid regime electoral autocracy". The text was passed by a wide margin on Thursday -- 433 votes in favour, 123 against and 28 abstentions. The lack of decisive action on the part of the EU has contributed, according to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), to the emergence of a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy", that is, a constitutional system in which elections are held, but which does not respect the rules and democratic standards. The Parliament said that the EU institutions must act and must also be held accountable. It also called on the European Commission to not approve Hungary's recovery plan until the country fully complies with all European Semester recommendations and implements all relevant judgments of the EU Court of Justice and the Court of Human Rights. The EU Parliament also urged to exclude Hungary from funding cohesion programs that contribute to the misuse of EU funds or breaches of the rule of law, and apply the Common Provisions Regulation and the Financial Regulation more rigorously to prevent misuse of Community funds for political reasons. Independence of the judiciary, corruption and fundamental freedoms, were among the main concerns of the European Parliament. (ANI)
Underscoring that the global order must be anchored in International law, Indian envoy at UN Ruchira Kamboj asked Armenia and Azerbaijan border to pursue diplomatic pathways to arrive at a lasting peaceful solution. While speaking at the UNSC emergency briefing over the recent incidents of violence along the Armenia and Azerbaijan border the Indian Permanent Representative at UN Kamboj said, "It has been our consistent submission that such disputes should be settled through diplomacy and dialogue. There cannot be a military or violent solution to any conflict. We encourage both sides to pursue diplomatic pathways to arrive at a lasting peaceful solution." India reiterates that the global order must be anchored in Internation law, the UN charter and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the states, she exhorted. "The UNSC's informal deliberations were a timely beginning for us to seriously consider why the situation in focus in particular at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be tense. The violent hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh in September 2020 are still fresh in our minds. The recent reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border including the targeting of civilian settlements and infrastructure are a matter of deep concern." She called upon the aggressor side to immediately cease hostilities and exercise restraint and noted that these actions pose a serious threat to the peace and stability in the region. The envoy stressed that the UNSC cannot afford to stand by silently and let the situation deteriorate any further. "The November 9 ceasefire brokered by Russia as well as the Peace process mediated by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group in Europe provides useful mechanisms to resolve all outstanding issues." In a recent flare-up, Azerbaijan said that 71 of its troops have been killed this week during border clashes with Armenia, which marked the worst fighting between the rival neighbours since their 2020 war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, reported Al Jazeera. Armenia said 105 of its soldiers died in the violence, which each side blames on the other, the media portal added. Notably, Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan with Armenian support after a bloody post-Soviet conflict in the early 1990s. In 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over the region and Baku successfully won back part of the territory controlled by the separatists. Under the terms of a subsequent ceasefire, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to protect the remainder of the separatist-held territory. Both sides accuse each other of breaches, and in recent days violence has flared. The decades-long conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia escalated in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and left thousands of casualties on both sides. Russia mediated a trilateral ceasefire declaration in November of that year and the sides agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. This caused a political crisis in Armenia, where many view the ceasefire as a defeat in the prolonged conflict and blame Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. (ANI)
Pakistani netizens are expressing fear of state surveillance after the country's telecom authority announced that it would crack down on virtual private networks (VPNs), a means by which personal data remains hidden or encrypted, media reports said. A statement on the website of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) read that using any mode of communication including a VPN is a violation of PTA regulations, reported The Express Tribune. After the announcement of the VPN crackdown, netizens are rattled. The PTA has simplified the process of registration, the notification read adding that now public and private sector organisations, foreign missions and freelancers, who wish to use a VPN for their legitimate purposes, must register it by using an online application by October 31, 2022, to avoid disruption. An application for a VPN registration would only be accepted through the mentioned online link, it read and noted that the applications communicated through any other means shall not be accepted. Reacting to the VPN crackdown, the information communication technology analyst Waqas Ghani Kukaswadia said, "The news of blocking VPNs has caused unrest among netizens and is being viewed as a means to curb freedom of internet users." It is worth noting that many internet users use VPN services while accessing WiFi in public places to ensure privacy and safety. "VPNs are present on Google Play Store and are mostly used to access banned websites or dark webs," cyber security expert and researcher Etizaz Mohsin told The Express Tribune. Human rights activists are raising voices against the move, saying why the government needs to take such steps that might in turn infringe upon the people's basic rights of freedom of thought, freedom of speech, etc. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has earlier expressed concerns over attempts to smother freedom of expression and opinion in the country. Religious and sectarian minorities also suffer systematic discrimination and violence in Pakistan Pakistan is seeing a spike in attacks on the media which has highlighted the looming threat to fundamental freedoms in the country. According to the World Press Freedom Index 2022 report, Pakistan has slipped by 12 points in the index, from a rank of 145th in 2021 to 157th in 2022. (ANI)
US will provide USD 600 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine, the State Department said on Friday (local time). US State Secretary Antony Blinken said, "I am authorizing our twenty-first drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since September 2021. This USD 600 million drawdown includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories." "This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to approximately USD 15.8 billion since the beginning of this Administration." He noted that together with Allies and partners, the US is delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraine's forces are utilizing so effectively as they continue their successful counter-offensive against Russia's invasion. Quoting President Joe Biden, Blinken said that the President has been clear that the US will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. "With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future. The United States is providing Ukraine military assistance alongside our Allies and partners from more than 50 countries to support its defence. The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table when the time is right," he added. Blinken reiterated that the US along with the allies stands United with Ukraine. Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised to help Ukraine with military aid to fight Russia. (ANI)
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday at the SCO Summit in Samarkand. Following the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, reported Chinese state media. The 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) is set to commence on Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting between the two leaders comes in the wake of fading optimism on reviving the Iran nuclear deal with the US, which withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and is yet to get a response from Tehran on Washington's proposal for a probe into traces of undeclared nuclear material. Much of China's game in the Middle East will be successful when Iran remains isolated and continues to singe from sanctions. China is also seeing Iran as a friend who can fulfil its two prominent goals--strategic and energy security, reported Al Arabiya Post. The more Iran's nuclear deal remains unresolved; the more Tehran remains isolated in the international arena-- a perfect condition for China to suck the Middle-East country into its game plan in the Indo-Pacific region. Already brought into the ambit of the China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and waiting to be included in the BRICS, Iran finds in the authoritarian regime of Beijing, an ally who can help it overcome its economic crisis and end international isolation. Chinese authorities must be thankful for the current geopolitical situation(Russia-Ukraine war) in the world as Beijing is able to quickly source cheap oil from Iran and fill its oil reserves. Despite being under sanctions, Iran has been steadily supplying a large amount of crude oil to China. According to Kpler, a Brussels-based data and analytics company, Iran exported more than 700,000 barrels a day of crude oil to China in May and June. Chinese refiners, in view of the competitive price of Iranian oil, have sought more imports from Tehran in subsequent months. China is a lone buyer of sanction-hit Iran globally, accounting for more than 6 per cent of Beijing's total oil imports. Beijing has long opposed the US and the European Union's sanctions on Iran and Russia. Over the years, China has also made investments in Iran's mining and transportation sectors. This has helped Beijing in securing unhindered access to Iran's natural gas and oil reserves. However, since China's interest lies in expanding its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region, Iran is eyed by Beijing for its sharing of approximately 97,860 sq km long coastal line with the Persian Gulf and its strategic positions around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, reported Al Arabiya Post. (ANI)
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) commenced today in Samarkand. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other leaders also posed for a group photograph at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Prime Minister's office tweeted the pictures of Modi meeting the leaders of other SCO member states in Uzbekistan on its official twitter handle. Ahead of the SCO State of Heads summit, the security in the region is beefed up and air patrolling was underway at the congress centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The summit commenced on Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Samarkand on Thursday evening to take part in the SCO Summit. During the summit, the leaders are expected to review the activities of SCO and discuss prospects for future cooperation. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 and India will assume the annual rotational presidency of the SCO at the end of the Samarkand Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit and is likely to have some other bilateral meetings.This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine. From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular. (ANI)
Highlighting the devastation Pakistan had witnessed due to the recent catastrophic floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday described the country as a "sea of water." Addressing the extended format of the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, he said that Pakistan looks like "a sea of water" and called for action against climate change after cataclysmic floods. "I have never before seen this kind of devastation. But (...) these devastating floods in Pakistan are most definitely climate change-induced (...) cloud outburst, unprecedented rains combined with hill torrents, all of this put together made Pakistan look like a sea of water," said the Pakistan PM. Stagnant water is causing a rise in waterborne diseases, such as malaria, he highlighted as he thanked SCO members for extending their support during this time of need. The prime minister said Pakistan would overcome this crisis as he estimated the damages to be "billions of dollars". He also raised the issue of the omission of Afghanistan in the Summit. He said it would be a "big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around", highlighting that peace in both countries was linked, reported Dawn. At the outset of his address, the premier deviated from the text of his speech as he talked about Afghanistan. "As you know Pakistan is a neighbouring country of Afghanistan, and peace in Afghanistan will ensure peace in Pakistan," he said. "In other words, what is good for Afghanistan, is good for Pakistan and vice versa." On the second day of his visit, the prime minister attended the close-format CHS meeting at the Congress Centre where Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed participants. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also in attendance. In a tweet later in the day, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that PM Shehbaz had "very successful" talks with Putin and Xi. "Both of them have officially invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit their countries. The prime minister has accepted both invitations. There will be a visit to China in November 2022," the defence minister confirmed. Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and discussed issues of bilateral interest. The meeting, held on the sidelines of SCO, focused on ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in diverse fields. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on Friday. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the SCO. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit. Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO. "I congratulate India for hosting the SCO next year," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a statement during the summit. Notably, this is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine. From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular. (ANI)
Connectivity is a major issue that can be discussed with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) members as India and Central Asia are not directly connected, said former Indian ambassador to Uzbekistan, S.R Tayal after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that SCO member countries should grant rights to transit and improve connectivity. The Prime Minister raised the issue of "transit rights" of food supplies between the neighbouring nations highlighting that it took many months for India to send supplies to Afghanistan via Pakistan while addressing the extended format of the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) in Uzbekistan's Samarkand. "The major issue is the connectivity as we know that India and the Central Aisa are not connected directly because the land route has Afghanistan as well as Pakistan, and Pakistan does not allow India trucks transport to pass through its territory. So, how to circumvent that issue, India has been pushing the Chabahar Port in Iran and India's trade connectivity towards central Asia could be through this Chabahar port in Iran and directly or either through Afghanistan or directly through Central Asia. This, I think will be discussed with both Uzbekistan's President as well as with other leaders of SCO", said the former ambassador. Highlighting the fact that Uzbekistan has taken a very proactive position in its relationship with Afghanistan, the former envoy said that it would be important to see how India harmonizes its position over Afghanistan. "On bilateral as well as in the discussions in the SCO, Uzbekistan has taken a very proactive position on relationship with Afghanistan. Uzbekistan is also selling electricity in Afghanistan. So, how India harmonizes its position over Afghanistan with other members of SCO, that will be one major concern of India as well as for the members of SCO", Tayal added. Calling India and Uzbekistan's relationship stronger, the former Ambassador said that both the countries have deep and personal relations and the visit will also strengthen the bilateral relations. "India and Uzbekistan are very strong friends and Uzbekistan is the most important country in many ways. The president of Uzbekistan has very deep personal relations with Prime Minister Modi. He officially visited India in 2018 and after that, he also came to Gujarat, so there is a lot of personal chemistry between Prime Minister Modi and the Host President Shavkat Mirziyoyev," said Tayal. "The visit will strengthen both the bilateral relations with Uzbekistan as well as our strong commitment to SCO it is also important that India will be taking over the chairmanship of SCO from Uzbekistan and after this month India will be the chairman for one year and the next SCO summit will be held next year in New Delhi, India", the former Ambassador added. Earlier, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit. India has been working closely with Uzbekistan towards the success of their Chairship. Besides PM Modi, the SCO Summit is being attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. (ANI)
"Visited @indiaeritrea chancery building and interacted with officers and officials of the Embassy," the MoS said in a tweet.

The MoS arrived in Asmara, Eritrea on Thursday to call on President Isaias Afwerki and hold talks with Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Upon his arrival, Osman Ibrahim, the Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eritrea, received him. MoS also interacted with the Indian community in Eritrea during the visit.

Indian Community in Eritrea welcomed him. In his address to the diaspora, the MoS underlined the age-old relations between India and Eritrea and lauded their contributions. He also highlighted the phenomenal transformations happening in India.

India enjoys warm and cordial relations with Eritrea. Since its independence in 1993, India has offered a range of capacity-building assistance in diverse fields to the youth of Eritrea.

A sizeable Indian community is living in Eritrea, mostly Professors and Teachers and those working for companies. The visit is likely to give new momentum to India's relations with Eritrea.

Earlier on Tuesday, the MoS visited the Republic of Kenya where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Kenyan President Dr William Ruto in Nairobi and expressed optimism that the relationship between the two countries would strengthen under his leadership.

MoS handed over the letter of greetings and a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kenyan President Ruto. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is in Samarkand to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, did not respond to ANI's question on Friday related to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar. Shehbaz Sharif was asked whether he would take action against the JeM chief, a UN-designated global terrorist. As the ANI correspondent posed the question to the Pakistan Prime Minister who was going with his delegation, he chose not to respond and went ahead. "Sharif Sahab, please take a small question, will you take a question on Masood Azhar, will you take action against him?" ANI correspondent asked. Sharif's security personnel also sought to dissuade the journalist from asking the question. "I think it's enough, please," one of them was heard as saying. Pakistan has been on (Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list since 2018. Pakistan's record on the flow of funds into terrorist activities has been under sustained scrutiny by FATF. Media reports said that Pakistan had sent a letter to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan days ahead of an inspection by the monitors from FATF seeking the arrest of Masood Azhar. Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in a fresh diplomatic spat over the JeM chief. On Wednesday, Talibani spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied that Azhar was in Afghanistan, and said he is, in fact, in Pakistan, as per Tolo News. "The leader of the Jaesh-e-Mohammad group is not here in Afghanistan. This is an organization which could be in Pakistan. Anyway, he is not in Afghanistan and we have not been asked anything like this. We have heard about it in the news. Our reaction is that this is not true," he said. The FATF-APG delegation visited Pakistan from August 29 to September 2 to verify the country's compliance with a 34-point action plan committed with FATF at the highest level. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the SCO. This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on Friday. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the SCO. Prior to that, President Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit. Earlier, PM Modi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and holds a bilateral meeting. Meanwhile, Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO. "I congratulate India for hosting the SCO next year," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a statement during the summit. Notably, this is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine. From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit here and said "today's era isn't of war" while emphasising the need to find ways to address the problems of food, fuel security and fertilizers. "Today's era isn't of war and I have spoken to you about it on the call. Today we'll get the opportunity to talk about how can we progress on the path of peace. India-Russia has stayed together with each other for several decades," the Prime Minister said. "We spoke on the phone several times about India-Russia bilateral relations and also on various issues. We should find ways to address the problems of food, fuel security and fertilizers. I want to thank Russia & Ukraine for helping us to evacuate our students from Ukraine," he added. In his remarks, the Russian President said that he knows about India's position and concerns regarding the Ukraine conflict. "I know about your position on Ukraine's conflict and your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there," Putin said. Russia had launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February this year. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO. This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on Friday. Earlier, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the SCO. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit. Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO. "I congratulate India for hosting the SCO next year," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a statement during the summit. Notably, this is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine. From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular. (ANI)
They were unanimous in their view that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for terrorist activities

The two leaders touched upon priority areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly trade, economic cooperation and connectivity. They stressed the need to make concerted efforts to diversify the trade basket and enter into long-term arrangements to promote trade and investment.

Connectivity was considered key to unlocking the potential in this regard, including greater usage of the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, an MEA release said.

The two leaders emphasized cooperation in fields like Information Technology, healthcare and higher education based upon India's developmental experience and expertise.

The opening of Indian educational institutions and the partnership between Uzbek and Indian universities was welcomed.

The leaders attached great importance to the outcomes of the First India-Central Asia Summit held in January this year. They acknowledged the progress being made in the implementation of the Summit decisions.

Prime Minister congratulated President Mirziyoyev for excellent organization of the SCO Summit and Uzbekistan's successful chairmanship.

This is a special year for the two countries as it marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The leaders appreciated the overall progress in bilateral relations, including the implementation of decisions of the Virtual Summit in December 2020. (ANI)
The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourist and Cultural Capital for the period 2022-2023, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Samarkand on Friday. The nomination of Varanasi as the first ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital will promote tourism, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and the SCO member Countries. It also underlines India's ancient civilizational links with Member States of SCO, especially the Central Asian Republics, an MEA release said. It said that under the framework of this major cultural outreach programme, a number of events will be hosted in Varanasi during 2022-23, for which guests will be invited to participate from SCO member states. These events are expected to attract Indologists, scholars, authors, musicians and artists, photo journalists, travel bloggers and other invited guests. The regulations for nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital were adopted at the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021 with an objective of promoting cooperation between the SCO Member States in the field of culture and tourism. Varanasi is the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a media interaction on the summit, that the befitting recognition of the historic city of Varanasi opens the door for great culture and people-to-people ties between India and the region. "PM Modi thanked all the members states of the SCO for endorsing Varanasi (Kashi) as the first-ever SCO tourist and cultural capital during the upcoming year 2022-23," Kwatra said. He said that as part of the declaration of Kashi as the SCO tourist and cultural capital for the upcoming year, there would be several events by the government of Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with the Centre, which would be organised in Varanasi to celebrate this recognition. Kwatra said that the SCO also approved another Indian initiative through the setting up of an expert working group on traditional medicine. "India has global leadership capabilities. You would also recall in this context the recent launch of the WHO global centre for traditional medicines," he said. Kwatra further said that the leaders also adopted a statement in response to climate change. The SCO summit in Samarkand was the first in-person meeting of the grouping since the COVID-19 pandemic. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left Samarkand for India as the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit concluded. PM Modi arrived in Samarkand on Thursday evening to attend the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States (SCO-CoHS). He was greeted by the host country Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev upon arrival.On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with several SCO member countries. He met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and discussed wide-ranging bilateral relations with him. The two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of Chabahar Port. They also discussed international and regional developments, including Afghanistan. Prime Minister also held a bilateral meeting with the President of Uzbekistan Mirziyoyev. The two leaders discussed regional, and global issues as well as other issues of mutual interest. Regional issues, including Afghanistan, were also discussed where they stressed that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for terrorist activities. Prior to this, Prime Minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders held a discussion on the Ukraine-Russia conflict where Putin told PM Modi that he was aware of India's position on the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders agreed that India and Russia have had close relations for several decades which are in the nature of a privileged strategic partnership and they continue to develop very rapidly. Earlier in the day, PM Modi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and exchanged views on regional and global developments. The two leaders reviewed the bilateral relations and discussed various ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors. They also appreciated the recent gains in bilateral trade. Before departing for India, PM Modi paid floral tribute to the first President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov in Samarkand. The SCO summit this year was chaired by Uzbekistan. Notably, this is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other leaders also posed for a group photograph. As India will be the next chair of the SCO, Russian President Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi where the two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of the Shahid Behesti terminal, Chabahar Port and underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of regional connectivity. "The two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of the Shahid Behesti terminal, Chabahar Port and underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of regional connectivity," the Ministry of External Affairs press release read. PM Modi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. This was the first meeting between PM Modi and President Raisi since Raisi's assumption of office in 2021. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed many important issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship and expressed their desire for strengthening the relationship further. PM Modi highlighted that India- Iran bilateral ties are marked by historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts. The two leaders also discussed international and regional developments including Afghanistan. PM Modi reiterated India's priorities of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and the need for a representative and inclusive political dispensation in support of a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan. President Raisi briefed the Prime Minister on the status of the JCPOA negotiations. PM Modi extended an invitation to President Raisi to visit India at his earliest convenience. Notably, this was the first in-person SCO Summit after the COVID pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. The SCO currently comprises nine Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine. From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday arrived in New Delhi, India after the successful completion of the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand where he held a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements. PM Modi was greeted by the host country Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev upon his arrival in Samarkand. On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with several SCO member countries. He met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and discussed wide-ranging bilateral relations with him. The two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of Chabahar Port. They also discussed international and regional developments, including Afghanistan. Prime Minister also held a bilateral meeting with the President of Uzbekistan Mirziyoyev. The two leaders discussed regional, and global issues as well as other issues of mutual interest. Regional issues, including Afghanistan, were also discussed where they stressed that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for terrorist activities. Prior to this, Prime Minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders held a discussion on the Ukraine-Russia conflict where Putin told PM Modi that he was aware of India's position on the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders agreed that India and Russia have had close relations for several decades which are in the nature of a privileged strategic partnership and they continue to develop very rapidly. Earlier in the day, PM Modi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and exchanged views on regional and global developments. The two leaders reviewed the bilateral relations and discussed various ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors. They also appreciated the recent gains in bilateral trade. Before departing for India, PM Modi paid floral tribute to the first President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov in Samarkand. The SCO summit this year was chaired by Uzbekistan. Notably, this is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019. Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other leaders also posed for a group photograph. As India will be the next chair of the SCO, Russian President Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO. "I congratulate India for hosting the SCO next year," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a statement during the summit. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. (ANI)
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 12:51

A total of ten torture chambers have been discovered in the liberated territory of Kharkiv Oblast.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine [Kremlin-aligned news agency], referring to statement by Ihor Klymenko, the head of the National Police of Ukraine

Quote from Klymenko: "Today I can talk about the presence of at least ten torture chambers on the territory of settlements (of Kharkiv Oblast). Two torture chambers are in Balakliia."

Details: One of the torture chambers was on the territory of the Balakliia Police Department.

He also reported that over the last week, Ukrainian law enforcement officers opened 204 criminal proceedings related to war crimes that had been committed by the occupiers.

Background:

On 15 September, Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Investigative Department of the National Police in Kharkiv region, reported that a mass grave containing 440 bodies had been found in the liberated city of Izium of Kharkiv Oblast.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the occupation of Izium and Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast, the Russians had behaved the same way they did in Kyiv Oblast early in the war: they tortured residents and destroyed kindergartens and schools, as well as other infrastructure.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The woman seen in a video helping a girl attack an 11-year-old girl near a middle school in Dania Beach has been arrested, the Broward County Sheriffs Office announced Friday.

Sabrina Thomas, 50, of Hollywood was arrested Thursday and is facing charges of child abuse without great bodily harm, battery second subsequent offense and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the sheriff office.

The attack happened shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday outside Olsen Middle School, 330 SE 11th Ter in Dania Beach.

In the video, obtained by WSVN, you can see the sixth grade student grabbed by her hair by another girl. Shes thrown to the ground, dragged across the sidewalk and is struck in the head and face, according to deputies.

At some point, the attackers mother  who deputies say is Thomas  gets involved and also begins hitting the 11-year-old girl and pulling her hair.

The school and District take all matters involving student safety seriously, Broward County Public Schools said in a statement to the Miami Herald earlier this week. The schools leadership is aware of an altercation that took place off campus on Tuesday, September 13. Since this happened within the community, and not at the school, we are deferring to the Broward Sheriffs Office for any additional information.

This article will be updated.
A 15-year-old Fort Worth girl who was accused of being involved in a 2021 Saginaw homicide involving her boyfriend was sentenced on Friday to an indeterminate time at a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility.

In a plea agreement with a prosecutor, the girl was sentenced on a charge of delinquent conduct/burglary of a habitation in the incident that led to the October fatal shooting of Adxel Melgar Caceres, 20, of Fort Worth.

A capital murder charge and another burglary charge were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Judge Alex Kim said Friday that officials at the state facility will decide on the length of the sentence, which could be until the girl is 19 years old.

Its a chance for a new life, Kim told the girl during the Friday morning hearing in Scott D. Moore Juvenile Justice Center in Fort Worth. Dont become a problem.

Kim warned the teen that he could change his decision on the sentence within 30 days if she commits any violations.

The girl, who is not being identified by the Star-Telegram because she is a minor, went to the Saginaw home of her former boyfriend to rob him of money and drugs and rode to the scene with Melgar Caceres and someone who was armed with a rifle, according to testimony at Fridays hearing.

Melgar Caceres and his friend armed with a rifle walked into the Saginaw home while the girl sat in a pickup truck outside. Melgar Caceres was shot to death inside the house by one of the residents, according to testimony. The friend and the girl ran away from the scene.

It was the hardest day of my life, said Mercy Caceres of Fort Worth, Adxels mother, in a statement she made in Spanish during the Friday morning hearing. And it was all over a stupid thing.

The 15-year-old broke into tears when the prosecutor asked if she felt sorry for what had happened.

Yes, sir, the girl said on the witness stand as she fought the tears.

The teens mother also cried.

I knew she wasnt going to get probation, the teens mother said. But its still a shock.

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The girl was 14 in the fall of 2021, and she didnt previously have any criminal problems, family members have told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

She admitted on Friday morning that she had smoked weed and taken acid.

In the summer of 2021, she met two young men from Saginaw who were brothers, and had sex with one of them, which was videotaped, according to court documents and the teens grandmother. The brothers are Daniel Higuita Baquero, 20, and Jony Higuita Baquero, 17, who live in the house where the shooting occurred in Saginaw, according to court records.

The girl ended her relationship with Daniel Baquero when she caught him cheating with another girl, according to testimony.

The teen then met Adxel Melgar Caceres just weeks before the fatal shooting.

On Oct. 26, 2021, the teen, Melgar Caceres, and a 15-year-old friend of his drove to Saginaw to rob the brothers, she said.

The teen testified Friday morning that she tried to talk them out of it.

The girl stayed in the pickup truck as Melgar Caceres and his 15-year-old friend, who wore ski masks, went to the house in the 600 block of Oak Hollow Lane in Saginaw.

Within minutes, the girl testified Friday morning, she heard five shots and saw Melgar Caceres 15-year-old friend ran away from the scene.. She also fled the scene to a nearby store, where a woman gave her a ride home.

Saginaw police said they responded to the 600 block of Oak Hollow Lane on a report of a home burglary.

A man who lives at the residence told 911 dispatchers that someone had forced his way inside, and that he shot the intruder, according to police.

Upon arriving at the home, police said, they found Melgar Caceres dead from multiple gunshot wounds. His body was lying inside the entryway of the home.

Saginaw police initially said that others involved fled the area and that they believed the incident was isolated and targeted.

But police later arrested the two brothers who lived in the home.

Daniel Higuita Baquero and Jony Higuita Baquero were charged in December 2021 with murder in Melgar Caceres death, as well as with delivery of drugs.

The two also were charged with sexual assault of a child on Oct. 24, 2021, related to sex acts performed on the 14-year-old girl, according to police and court records.

Saginaw police also noted that the girl was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting.

In a February detention hearing, Kim ordered the girl detained because he said she was accused of setting up the situation that got Melgar Caceres killed.

Kim issued the order, telling the girl, You set something up, according to video of the hearing.

Im very concerned that you are the one facilitating everything, and it ends up with a dead person, Kim said at the February hearing. This is the gravest concern for me, Kim addressed the girls mother before issuing his order. The fact she and her ex-boyfriend or someone who wanted to be her romantic interest ... But for your daughter, this young man would be alive today.

Kim called the girl the linchpin that held everything together.

For the past few months, family members of the girl had been seeking that she remain in partial hospitalization or released to family members.

She had spent days at the Perimeter Behavioral Hospital in Arlington after she attempted suicide twice and was assaulted by another juvenile, leaving her unconscious., family members said.
RIVIERA BEACH  An 18-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge after an argument involving family members led to a woman's fatal shooting June 28 in Riviera Beach.

A judge has ordered Jahmanuel Barber of Riviera Beach to remain in custody in the death of his aunt, Zequi Poole. Police said they found the 42-year-old woman's body in the driver's seat of a blue Hyundai sedan that had crashed into a tree on the first block of West 24th Street. She was shot multiple times, according to Barber's arrest report.

Barber argued with another relative in the Hyundai prior to the crash and had fired at least one gunshot into the air before entering the vehicle, according to surveillance-camera video from the area.

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Officers found him unconscious in the Hyundai's rear passenger seat, according to his arrest report. Rescue crews took him and the other passenger, a 25-year-old woman identified as his sister, to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.

Circuit Judge Kirk Volker on Wednesday ordered that Barber remain in the Palm Beach County Jail until a court can have a full hearing on whether he can receive bail. The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office represented Barber at the hearing. As a policy, it does not comment on open cases.

The police report does not specify the reasons for the argument and the shooting. A woman related to Poole and Barber told investigators Barber had become angry the night before because Poole and Barber's sister would not give him a ride to another location. On the day of the shooting, Barber was still frustrated, "acting out of character" and talking to himself, the relative told police.

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Surveillance-camera video recorded prior to the afternoon crash showed Barber exit an apartment on Avenue E, stand on a sidewalk and say something with his attention directed toward the Hyundai. Then he raised his right hand and fired a single shot into the air, according to his arrest report.

"You got me out here looking stupid," Barber reportedly said as he approached the Hyundai and entered the vehicle.

Investigators reported that voices could be heard from inside the vehicle as it began to leave the area, and that they detected seven additional gunshots, followed by the sound of a crash, within seconds of the vehicle leaving the video surveillance frame.

Additional surveillance video showed three men firing shots at Barber before he entered the Hyundai. The gunfire from those men did not strike anyone, police said. The report does not detail why the men fired at Barber.

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Investigators found a gun inside the Hyundai that matched the description of the one Barber was seen firing before he entered the vehicle, police said.

Investigators say evidence showed that the gunfire that struck Poole came from inside the vehicle. Barber's sister confirmed that she, her brother and Poole were the only occupants of the vehicle, but denied that she or her brother had any involvement in the shooting.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Man 18, faces murder charge in fatal Riviera Beach shooting
Phoenix police.

A man was arrested following a heated traffic dispute that turned violent on Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix.

Caleb Santillanes, 21, was arrested after police say he exchanged gunfire with another vehicle.

Phoenix police said in a news release that they received a call around 1:50 p.m. about a shooting on 40th Avenue and Camelback Road, where they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound.

Police then found Santillanes, also suffering from a gunshot wound, located further down Camelback Road. Both Santillanes and the female driver were treated for their non-life threatening injuries, Phoenix police said.

An investigation by the Phoenix Police Department found that Santillanes was involved in the shootout with the passenger in the woman's vehicle, police said in the statement. The passenger, an unidentified man, remains at large, according to Phoenix police.

Santillanes was booked into Maricopa County Jail on one count of aggravated assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of discharging a firearm in city limits, Phoenix police said.

Reach breaking news reporter Kye Graves at klgraves@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 1 arrested in Phoenix road rage shooting near 40th Avenue, Camelback Road
A device "unexpectedly detonated" Thursday during the FBI Philadelphia field office's explosives training, leaving five law enforcement officers injured from multiple agencies, officials said.

FBI Philadelphia was holding the training at the State Correctional InstitutionPhoenix in Collegeville, it said in a statement on its Twitter page.

Three bomb technicians with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, a bomb technician with the Pennsylvania State Police and a bomb technician with the FBI Philadelphia were wounded, a spokesperson with the FBI Philadelphia field office said Thursday afternoon.

The bomb technicians were taken to area hospitals for treatment, officials said. Their conditions were not clear Thursday afternoon.

Two officers were flown to a hospital after a prison training mishap Thursday involving law enforcement in Montgomery County, Pa. (NBC Philadelphia)

Montgomery County said in a statement that its injured personnel included a 14-year veteran with the sheriff's office who was airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Also injured were a 13-year veteran and a 12-year veteran with the sheriff's office. They were treated at Paoli Hospital, county officials said.

NBC Philadelphia reported that two officers were flown to hospitals and that others were taken by ambulance.

The station's helicopter showed a white sedan that appeared badly burned on a grassy field.

The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Law enforcement agencies are searching the 800 block of Island Drive in Harbor Town on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, for missing 2-day-old infant Kennedy Hoyle. Kennedy was last seen Tuesday in the area of Sedgewick Drive and Levi Road. An Amber Alert was issued around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Morning, Memphis. It's finally the end of the week. Before we enjoy the sunny weekend ahead, let's recap what happened this week.

Back in February, as you may recall, a patrol officer found Danielle Hoyle's body and noticed she had been shot to death, and her daughter, two-day-old Kennedy Hoyle, was no where to be found. Later, an Amber Alert was issued for Kennedy Hoyle.

Brandon Isabelle, the boyfriend of Danielle Hoyle, allegedly told police he shot Danielle Hoyle, then took Kennedy to Mud Island and threw the newborn into the Mississippi River.

Now, Isabelle, the man accused of killing Danielle and Kennedy Hoyle, was indicted in their deaths, our Micaela Watts reports.

Man connected to killing of Eliza Fletch pleads not guilty in 2021 rape

Cleotha Henderson, the man police say abducted and killed Eliza Fletcher, entered a not guilty plea after he was indicted on charges of aggravated rape and kidnapping connected to a Sept. 21, 2021, incident, our Lucas Finton reports.

The indictment came after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said forensic scientists at the Jackson crime lab pulled a rape kit that was taken in 2021, and tested it June 24. The kit came back August 29 and a national DNA database hit for Henderson found its way back to TBI September 5.

Henderson will not appear in criminal court for the 2021 incident until early November, but will return to general sessions court Monday for the Fletcher case.

File shows new details from Collierville Kroger shooting

A store surveillance image shows children running away from a gunman at the Collierville Kroger store on September 23, 2021. In the foreground, women have lost their balance as they squeeze through a narrow door. The video shows the women getting back up and escaping. The children all escaped safely.

Newly released investigative documents, video and audio offer insight into last year's mass shooting at a Kroger store in Collierville  providing us a full picture of how the shooting happened and why.

Our Daniel Connolly takes us back to that day and breaks down the new material which includes detailed accounts of an argument that preceded the four-minutes of deadly violence, in his story for subscribers.

(Not a subscriber? Check out our latest deals and gain access to all the subscriber-only stories like the ones mentioned in today's 901.)

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MPD, Memphis City Council put pressure on schools, court system after crimes

Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis speaks about the arrest of Justin Johnson in connection with the murder of Young Dolph during a press conference at the Odell Horton Federal Building downtown on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

After a week of deadly crimes that gained national attention, the Memphis Police Department and some on the Memphis City Council are pushing for a broader analysis of the criminal justice system and juvenile crime, our Samuel Hardiman reports.

Comments made signaled further efforts from Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland's administration to shift the focus on the continued crime plaguing the city to other large bureaucracies: the Shelby County Juvenile Court, Memphis-Shelby County Schools and the Shelby County District Attorney General's Office.

"There are a number of problems that dont fall in the realm of the Memphis Police Department. But we are willing to come to the table," MPD Chief C.J. Davis said.

Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony returns

Robert Plant speaks before Priscilla Presley is inducted during the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis.

Booker T. Jones, Priscilla Presley and Mavis Staples were among eight honorees inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame during an awards ceremony Thursday that ended an unhappy two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As if to make up for the gap years, Thursday's ceremony was especially celebratory, but also overlong at three hours, our John Beifuss reports.

Read John's story to hear everything that happened during the ceremony.

2022 Indie Memphis Film Festival announces lineup

Lea Seydoux and Camille Leban Martins star in "One Fine Morning."

Close to 50 feature films and dozens of shorts and music videos from Memphis, the Mid-South and around the world will be screened curing the 25th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, John reports.

John provides us with the full lineup of films, stars and events for the festival, which runs Oct. 19-24.

"Once again, I hope that the films in our line-up represent a collection of some of the best films of the year, said Indie Memphis artistic director Miriam Bale.

Memphis celebrates Latinx community with 2022 Latin Soul Awards

Bomberxs DCora of La Escuelita Bombera de Corazon takes part in the 2022 Latin Soul Awards at Germantown Performing Arts Center on Sept. 10, 2022.

Five Memphis community members were honored during the 2022 Latin Soul Awards, a celebration to recognize members of the Latinx community, as well as their allies, for their achievements, leadership and support.

On Saturday, Garcia won a Future Latinx Leader Award. Crystal Oceja also received a Future Latinx Leader Award. Other award winners included: Angel Estevez, Latinx Business Owner Award; Dr. Scott Morris, Friend of the Latinx Community Award; and Ivan Rivera, Latinx Community Leader Award.

I think that being Latino, being Hispanic, is something that you put pride on yourself, Garcia said. Its like pride on your chest. Its like you feel amazing to be up there representing your community.

The awards kicked off the list of events in Memphis as a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month  presented by Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group. Next on the list of events includes the annual Latin Fest next week at Overton Square.

A Memphis Tiger football love story

Perhaps Jim and Becky Sharpe's love story is the most romantic tailgating story anyone will tell when Memphis and Arkansas State meet again in the Tigers first home game Saturday, our Mark Giannotto writes in his latest column.

Here's an excerpt:

They met on social media, and felt a spark on the phone, even though they probably should have met long before then. They had to. Becky Palmer wouldnt have it any other way during a Memphis football game.

This was last September, the last time the Tigers played Arkansas State in Jonesboro. A tailgating call had gone out on a big Facebook group full of Tiger fans.

Who was going? Who was grilling? Who was bringing what?

Never did anyone consider someone might pop the question ...

How Britney Burse made school history with Whitehaven football

Britney Burse is new to the game of football, and theres a new energy at Whitehaven because of her. Shes the only female football coach on the sidelines at one of the areas top public school teams, and shes likely the only one in all of Shelby County this season, our Wynston Wilcox reports in his story for subscribers.

Burses official title with Whitehaven is running backs coach, a role that also includes agility and skill training.

(Whitehaven coach Rodney Saulsbery) holds me at a standard, Burse said. Hes always feeding into me. He's always giving me different pointers; hes sent me to different camps to get me in front of college coaches.

Hes definitely opening the door for opportunities as well. He's not a person who holds back any information. He pours in and feeds into me and makes me feel as if I belong in the program.

(Want more sports? Sign up for our Memphis Sports newsletter to receive more sports content directly to your inbox.)

Today's 901 was written by Ray Padilla. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Ray_Padilla_.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: Recap, updates on violent crimes and suspects in Memphis
Former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels is speaking out after he was acquitted on all charges on Thursday evening.

Daniels was facing charges stemming from an investigation that began after an encounter between Daniels and his former mistress Cierra Smith in May 2019.

That incident involved Daniels calling deputies to report a suspicious vehicle after Smith followed his truck.

Smith was arrested for stalking Daniels but was released without being booked into jail or formally charged.

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The state accused Daniels of destroying evidence and lying to law enforcement after Smiths arrest to inhibit an Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, but the defense argued Daniels was only trying to hide the details of his affair from his wife.

Daniels released a statement on Friday morning, saying in part that he has had to endure abuse and overreach for the past three years.

Comparing what he went through with the FBIs raid of former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, he said this type of government outreach has to stop.

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Here is Daniels full statement:

I would like to thank the jury for their service and thank all of the people of Florida for their support during this challenging time for me and for my family. The abuse and overreach that I have had to endure over the past three years is an example of what happens when sectors of our government go unchecked. If this abuse of power by government entities can happen to a duly elected sheriff, then it can happen to anyone. I pledge to all Floridians and people from across the country who offered their support during these trying times, that I will continue to fight for them to ensure that we all receive equal justice under the law. This abuse cost me my job that I loved and it cost Clay County their sheriff. Similar to what we are seeing happen to former President Donald Trump and now with the Biden Administration working to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to harass and abuse Americans across the country, this type of government overreach has to stop. I look forward to identifying ways to continue to serve the people and working to ensure that the government works for them and not to persecute them. Darryl Daniels, former Clay County Sheriff

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The Air Force has been quietly investigating potential procurement fraud for nearly two years, service officials revealed Friday.

The Office of Special Investigations opened its probe in January 2021, spokesperson Linda Card told Air Force Times. She declined to provide details on the scope of the case or whether fraudulent products were used in military aircraft.

This investigation is still open and ongoing, Card said. Complex fraud investigations like this one generally take a very long time to conclude.

An F-16 pilot died when his ejection seat failed. Was it counterfeit?

The news comes on the heels of a federal civil lawsuit in South Carolina District Court that argues defense companies Lockheed Martin, Collins Aerospace and Teledyne Technologies may have installed counterfeit electronic components on an ejection seat that malfunctioned during a fatal fighter jet crash in 2020.

First Lt. David Schmitz, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, was killed during a botched nighttime landing in June 2020 when his ejection seat failed to deploy a parachute. He successfully ejected from the cockpit but died on impact with the ground.

Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley said the fraud investigation is separate from the lawsuit brought by Schmitzs widow, Valerie.

Justice Department forces $30 million from Northrop for fraudulent costs

Its unclear whether the OSI inquiry prompted the Air Force to deny a recent Freedom of Information Act request from Valerie Schmitzs legal team. Information they sought on the suspected fake ejection seat parts was expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, the Air Force said in June.

Any responsive documents to your request are not releasable to you at this time.  Your request has been closed, wrote Roxanne Jensen, head of OSIs FOIA branch.

Defense contracting fraud comes in many forms, from overbilling the Pentagon to providing counterfeit components to falsifying military housing paperwork. The Justice Department was publicly handling nearly 80 major defense fraud and bribery cases as of April, five of which involve the Air Force.

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The Pentagon and Justice Department can collaborate on crackdowns of counterfeit aircraft parts. Defense contracting officers can address the issue by telling a company to provide legitimate products and then ending the contract, while DOJ can pursue fines and possible imprisonment.

DoD bought phony military gear made in China, including counter-night vision clothing that didnt work

From 2013 to 2017, the federal government recovered more than $6.6 billion from defense contracting fraud cases, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Last year, a GAO report on shortcomings in the Pentagons efforts to combat fraud noted that the Air Force did not adequately track procurement fraud as required in periodic risk assessments. More than two dozen military organizations, including the Air Force, had not chosen representatives to sit on a newly created fraud-reduction task force, the report added.

In September 2020, the Air Forces policy and contracting-oversight officials told us they were aware of the task force and were looking into how they can contribute, the federal watchdog said. However, in October 2020, these officials told us they were unaware of an Air Force official designated to serve as task force representative.

Military Times editorial fellow Zamone Perez contributed research to this story.
ROMAN PETRENKO  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 14:44

On the afternoon of 16 September, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down three cruise missiles in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Source: Ukrainian Air Force

Details: It is reported that the air defence system of Air Command Skhid (East) of the Ukrainian Air Force shot down three Iskander-K cruise missiles at approximately 14:00.

At the same time, the defenders also shot down one Orlan-10 UAV.

Background:

On Thursday, anti-aircraft gunners from Ukraines Air Force destroyed two aerial targets, including a Russian Ka-52 helicopter.

On Friday, 16 September, Ukraines Air Force shot down a Su-25 ground attack jet.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Hundreds of Boko Haram jihadists have fled a forest enclave in northeast Nigeria, escaping air strikes by the military and floods from torrential rains to seek shelter on Niger's side of Lake Chad, sources told AFP.

Northeast Nigeria is facing a 13-year armed insurgency by jihadist groups which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes.

The violence has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, with the jihadists maintaining camps in the vast Lake Chad region straddling the four countries.

A Nigerian security source said there had an exodus of Boko Haram militants from Sambisa forest since last month due to a sustained bombing campaign on their hideouts.

Nigeria has also recorded a more intensive rainy season, which usually runs from May through September, and floods have occurred in almost every part of the country.

"The exodus of the Boko Haram terrorists has increased in recent days as the bombardments have intensified, coupled with the floodings that have submerged many of their camps," said the security source in the region who asked not to be identified.

On Monday, a convoy of more than 50 trucks carrying Boko Haram fighters and their families passed through villages on a route linking Sambisa with Lake Chad, several residents in the region said.

The fighters are believed to be loyal to Bakura Buduma, a Boko Haram factional leader, the sources said.

The convoy drove through Mafa forest into Jere and Koshobe before crossing between the towns of Gajiram and Gasarwa on the 135-kilometre (85-mile) highway linking the regional capital Maiduguri and the garrison town of Monguno, said the sources.

"They (Boko Haram) crossed the highway in batches of 10 vehicles at a time under the watch of heavily armed fighters," said Laminu Kontoma, a resident of the area.

After crossing the highway, the convoy moved into Gudumbali forest from where they emerged at Gaidam, before traversing a river into Abadam district on the border with Niger, said another resident, Bunami Garga.

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"The Boko Haram convoy is definitely heading to the islands on Lake Chad in the Bosso area of Niger where the group has camps," said a fisherman named Kallah Sani who said he was familiar with Boko Haram movements in the region.

Niger authorities could not immediately confirm the movement.

- Infighting -

Those heading into Niger are Boko Haram fighters who had been holed up in parts of the Sambisa forest that remained under the group's control after it lost ground to a rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016, rising to become a dominant jihadist group focusing more on attacking military bases and ambushing troops rather than civilians.

Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau was killed in May 2021 during the infighting with ISWAP, which also seized most of the group's territory in Sambisa.

Some Boko Haram fighters moved out of Sambisa towards forests in the northwest where they forged alliances with criminal gangs involved in looting and kidnapping for ransom, according to a Nigerian intelligence report.

abu/pma/ri
Four alleged members of a Kansas City street gang, including one identified by authorities as one of its leaders, have been convicted of several drug-related crimes that prosecutors say played a role in other violent crimes in the city.

Following six hours of deliberation, a jury found the four men guilty of felonies that included drug possession, firearm possession, drug distribution and money laundering, federal prosecutors announced Thursday afternoon. The verdict was handed down Thursday in Western District of Missouris downtown Kansas City courthouse in a trial that began Aug. 29.

Prosecutors say the men were members of a local street gang called 246, which had at least one base of operations near 44th Street and Kensington Avenue in the citys Vineyard Northwest neighborhood. The organization was allegedly responsible for trafficking in heroin, cocaine and marijuana, along with prescription medications including oxycodone, between January 2011 through October 2019.

All four were convicted of participating in a conspiracy to possess firearms to further the drug trade among other crimes. They are Ladele D. Smith, 35, an alleged leader; and members David J. Duncan, IV, 33; Roy Franklin, Jr., 31; and Gary O. Toombs, 42.

Each of the four defendants was arrested during law enforcement raids in October 2019. Prosecutors say two were found in their residences with drugs, cash and guns. Law enforcement officers also reported finding two assault rifles and a getaway vehicle that had been used in a drive-by shooting during the execution of a house designated solely for gang activity, according to prosecutors.

In drawing a connection between them and the 246 gang, prosecutors also alleged Smith and Duncan displayed firearms and large amounts of cash in rap videos they posted to YouTube that referenced affiliation with the group.

The conclusion of the jury trial comes as 11 other people have pleaded guilty to crimes stemming from the investigation of the gang, which was led by a local task force focused on organized crime. Most have been issued prison sentences, ranging from 18 months to 10 years, for various roles in the drug conspiracy investigation.
Franziska Barczyk for Insider

Most Americans want to see age caps in Congress, according to an Insider/Morning Consult poll.

Same for term limits in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Three in four respondents think the age of the government is a problem.

Read more from Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" series.

America's government is too old, and most Americans want dramatic changes to address the nation's expanding gerontocracy, according to a new Insider/Morning Consult poll.

Congressional term limits and medical examinations for elected leaders are among the measures garnering overwhelming support among poll respondents. Misgivings about age extend throughout the federal government, from the House of Representatives and Senate, to the presidency and courts, the survey indicated.

Such concerns transcend party politics  both Republicans and Democrats feel similarly  and age. Older respondents favor term limits even more than their younger counterparts. While majorities considered Congress out of touch on the issues as it pertains to their generation, young people felt particularly unrepresented, the poll found.

"There's near consensus among age groups  both the oldest and the youngest voters  and by party on all the political leaders being too old, or that being some problem," said Morning Consult senior reporter Eli Yokley.

Just 5% of the US Congress is under the age of 38, while nearly half the US population is, and a record-high 23% of Congress is over the age of 70, according to findings of Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project, which explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age.

Term limits and age caps

You must be 25 years old to serve in the US House, 30 in the US Senate, but there's no ceiling  lawmakers can serve into their 80s, 90s, or even 100s.

But three in four poll respondents overwhelmingly favored instituting congressional age maximums.

Indeed, respondents were more supportive of age limits for people who steer legislation than they were for people who steer heavy machinery.

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More respondents want to see age caps in Congress  75%  than maximum ages for police officers (73%) and truck drivers (64%).

The greatest support for age maximums is reserved for aircraft pilots, with nearly four in five respondents backing such a limit. (Commercial pilots must retire at age 65, although some members of Congress want to raise that limit to 67.)

There's also substantial demand for term limits.

Presidents may only be elected to a maximum of two four-year terms, which 85% of respondents agree with.

In Congress, where there are no such limits, 84% would like to see term limits in the House of Representatives and 83% in the Senate. Recent congressional efforts to cap the number of terms a member of Congress may serve  either through legislation or a constitutional amendment  have attracted little support.

Another 75% overall want to see Supreme Court term limits, a policy which Democrats support a bit more than Republicans. Supreme Court justices, as well as other federal judges, receive lifetime appointments.

Health screenings

Respondents also support proposals for physical and mental examinations before top federal leaders are allowed to serve: 84% want such an examination for the presidency, 82% for the Supreme Court. 81% for the House and for the Senate, and 80% for the Cabinet.

Insider reported that some of Congress' more aged members have struggled with the demands of their duties, with congressional aides describing harrowing situations involving lawmakers who grow increasingly frail and even die while in office.

President Joe Biden, 79, and former President Donald Trump, 76, have also endured questions about their physical and mental health, and whether they're fully fit to serve. While both have periodically released information about their health, there are no legal requirements or standards for them to do so.

Voters also overwhelmingly prefer candidates that they believe are in touch with the needs of Americans even if they're less seasoned and lack political experience.

When asked to choose between a candidate that "has enough background and experience to serve in political office, even if they aren't as familiar with the needs and wishes of their voters" and a candidate "in touch with the needs and wishes of voters, even if they don't have as much political experience," nearly three in four respondents chose the latter.

Age, in general, is important to voters: seven in 10 said it was at least somewhat important when deciding who to vote for in an election. But age itself is often trumped by competing interests, such as a candidate's stances on issues (92% considered it important), experience (88%), candidate health (81%), and their party affiliation (75%).

"Let's remember what is ultimately most important to voters, is their preferred candidate or party wins. A lot of these other considerations take a backseat to that," said Cameron Easley, managing editor at Morning Consult. "Where we do see these kinds of issues wielded more effectively by younger candidates is in primaries, where it's easier to make the case and you're removing some of that partisanship."

Age is an issue

Broadly, respondents consider the age of government a problem: 41% of respondents called it a major problem, 37% a minor problem, and just 10% don't consider it a problem at all.

The sentiment is remarkably consistent regardless of political affiliation: 81% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 75% of independents think the age of government is at least a minor problem.

Issues of profound importance to the nation's youth and future  technology, civil rights, energy, the environment  are largely in the hands of those whose primes have passed.

Even baby boomers and Gen Z agree: about four in five respondents from each generation also agreed that the government's age is problematic at some level.

Congress is perceived as out of touch across a substantial number of issues, with large majorities saying lawmakers are out of touch on higher education affordability, climate change, health care, Social Security benefits, the economy, and LGBTQ+ issues.

By comparison, the in-touch/out-of-touch figures for the executive branch showed the Biden administration was considered to be slightly more in touch on several issues compared to Congress. However, the same data about the Supreme Court found them to be slightly more out of touch, particularly on the issues of LGBTQ+ rights and access to abortion.

Voters want millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z to get their shot

Americans are well-informed about the age of their government. When asked to estimate the average age of Congress across the House and Senate, the median response was 60 years old  just under the true average of 61 years of age.

There's broad demand for representatives from new generations in the legislature: 35% of respondents said it'd be a good thing if there were more representation of Gen Z in Congress and just 14% thought it would be a bad thing.

The next Congress will almost certainly seat at least one member of Gen Z in Maxwell Frost, a 25-year-old Florida Democrat who's expected to win in November. Republican Karoline Leavitt of New Hampshire, also 25, could join him, with a November win making her the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Overall, over three times as many respondents thought it would be more of a good thing if there were more Gen X people in Congress than thought it would be a bad thing. Respondents also want more millennials: 40% thought it would be good to have more millennials, and just 14% thought it would be bad.

The ages of several specific political figures, including older leaders such as Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell as well as younger political figures such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Secretary Pete Buttigieg, was also polled.

All told, 76% of respondents overall  and 66% of Democrats  said Biden is too old to serve in public office.

Meanwhile, 57% of respondents  and 37% of Republicans  said Trump is too old to serve.

In Congress, 62% said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, is too old to serve  among them, half of Democrats  and 54% think Mitch McConnell, 80, is too old to serve, including 52% of Republicans.

Very few respondents said they believe someone is "too young" to serve in public office; broad majorities across age demographics saw no issues with government officials in their 30s and 40s.

For instance, among Democrats, a mere 8% of respondents think Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is too young to serve at age 32, with 62% saying she's "the right age."

Respondents 65-and-up demographic were some of the more stalwart opponents of the nation's gerontocracy, and had some of the most strident views on policies that would address aged leaders retaining power.

"One way to look at it is a lot of these older people can remember a time when their leaders weren't quite as old as they are now," Easley of Morning Consult said. "It's not how they grew up, that could be at play here."

"Everybody loves their grandchildren," added Yokley.

When asked, "What do you think the ideal age is for someone who is running for public office?" the average response was just under 42 years old.

Such a politician would be younger than 94% of the current members of Congress.

The Insider/Morning Consult was conducted from September 8 through September 10, had 2,210 respondents and a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Vampire Academy star J. August Richards finally gets to show his fangs.

Best known for playing rogue human vampire hunter Gunn on Angel, Richards is on the other side of the table this time, playing a royal vampire, Victor Dashkov, in the Peacock YA series that premiered this week.

In the back of my mind, I always had a feeling that I would return to the genre and so Im so happy to be doing it, the 49-year-old Maryland native told the Daily News.

I was always kind of jealous of what the vampires got to do, so I was always like, if I ever get to do another vampire show, I hope to play a vampire, Richards said. And here I am!

As Dashkov, Richards has the power Gunn always sought, playing the head of one of 12 royal families who is trying to push for equality among the different classes of vampires.

Hes such a political animal. He knows who all the players are, where they are and how to negotiate the bullshit, he said. Im so connected to who this character is because we have so much in common in terms of what we both want out of our societies.

At the center of Dashkovs struggle is the separation of the pure blood Moroi vampires and the half-breed Dhampirs, who serve as their protectors and guardians. In the case of Rose (Sisi Stringer) and Lissa (Daniela Nieves), the best friends at the center of Vampire Academy, they formed a friendship out of their roles, but thats rarely the case.

I am this powerful politician who is fighting for equality, yet I still have a guard, Richards said.

It was really fun for me to think about what its really like to be a person of privilege in a society like this one.


Anne Heche's second memoir, "Call Me Anne," will be dedicated to her two sons, Homer Laffoon and Atlas Tupper, and is set for a Jan. 24 release date. The Emmy Award-winning actress died last month at the age of 53.

The 140-page book, a follow-up to her 2001 tome, "Call Me Crazy," will be circulated through Start Publishing and its imprint, Viva Editions, an independent publisher based in New Jersey.

Publisher Jarred Weisfeld exclusively told Fox News Digital that Heche "dedicated the book to her children."

Heche shared son Homer with ex-husband Coley Laffoon, and had son Atlas with her former partner, James Tupper.

ANNE HECHE'S SON PAYS TRIBUTE AFTER MOTHER'S DEATH: HOPEFULLY MY MOM IS FREE FROM PAIN'

Late actress Anne Heche dedicated her new memoir, "Call Me Anne," to her children, Homer and Atlas. She is pictured on the right with son Homer in 2021. Start Publishing/Getty Images

"She talks about trauma in the book and gives advice on how to cope with it," Weisfeld said. "There are creative prompts at the end of each chapter and she, of course, helped create them."

ANNE HECHE DEAD AT 53

The late actress details personal anecdotes throughout her life in the book, including her "history of childhood sexual abuse, her relationship with God, her journey to love herself, and more."

She had previously discussed the possibilities of a second book being in the works while chatting on an episode of her "Better Together" podcast with co-host Heather Duffy.

Heche signed a deal with the publisher in May and turned in a manuscript shortly before she died, according to The Associated Press.

The author also describes her "rise to fame, how Harrison Ford became her on-set mentor, her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres and her encounter with Harvey Weinstein."

ANNE HECHE'S DEATH RULED AN ACCIDENT: CORONER

Heche crashed her car into a house in Los Angeles, which set the building on fire, on Aug. 5. She was declared brain dead on Aug. 11 and pronounced legally dead on Aug. 12.

She died of "inhalation and thermal injuries," and the manner of death was listed as an "accident" by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. The report also listed a "sternal fracture due to blunt trauma" under "other significant conditions."

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According to the National Library of Medicine , "Sternal fractures are the result of motor vehicle collisions in 60% to 90% of cases."

Heche's remains were cremated and her ashes were placed in a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Michael Bezjian

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Heche suffered a "severe anoxic brain injury" and remained "in a coma" under medical care at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills for the opportunity to donate her organs through the OneLegacy Foundation.

"It has long been her choice to donate her organs , and she's being kept on life support to determine if any are viable," her representative confirmed at the time.

Her remains were cremated, and her ashes were placed in a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The cemetery has in recent years become a cultural hub for film screenings, musical performances and festivals.

In a statement to The Associated Press last month, Homer said he and his brother "are convinced our Mom would love the site we have chosen for her; it's beautiful, serene and she will be among her Hollywood peers."
Like thousands of Colombians, Jose Lopezs seven children have spent more than a decade fighting to hold Chiquita Brands International responsible for financially backing a terrorist organization that ravaged the country during its murderous decade-long reign.

But even though one of the leaders of the group apologized to the grieving family for kidnapping and fatally shooting their father, and a Colombian court agreed he was responsible for Lopezs death, a federal judge ruled that wasnt enough to drag the banana giant into court.

That changed this month when an appeals court, in a stunning reversal, reinstated claims that Chiquita and some of its chief executives violated Colombian law and the U.S. Anti-Torture Act by funneling $1.7 million to the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), which the U.S. government designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals paves the way for thousands of victims of the bloody rule of the AUC, a right-wing paramilitary group, to get their day in court, said West Palm Beach attorneys James Green and Jack Scarola.

Chiquita is facing by any reasonable measure billions of dollars in damages, Scarola said.

Cincinnati attorney Michael Cioffi, who represents the company that has offices near Fort Lauderdale and in North Carolina and Switzerland, declined comment. Company officials couldnt be reached.

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A relative of a person "disappeared" by the Colombian AUC paramilitary guerrillas, wearing a blindfold, demonstrates against the government during a protest in Bogota in July 2008. The protesters requested to be given information about where the bodies of their beloved ones are.

'Funding a terrorist organization can never be treated as a cost of doing business'

More than 7,500 people who lost loved ones during the AUCs gruesome campaign have filed suit against Chiquita. The suits from around the country were consolidated and are being considered by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in West Palm Beach.

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The suits were filed more than a decade ago after Chiquita in 2007 pleaded guilty to a felony charge of doing business with a terrorist organization, admitting it paid the AUC $1.7 million from 1997 to 2004 to protect its banana-growing operations in the war-torn country. It agreed to pay a $25 million fine, the largest ever imposed under global terrorism sanctions regulations.

"Funding a terrorist organization can never be treated as a cost of doing business," Jeffrey Taylor, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said then in announcing the plea deal. "American businesses must take note that payments to terrorists are of a whole different category. They are crimes.

Since then, the complex litigation has consumed attorneys on two continents with U.S. attorneys, including Green, traveling to Colombia to interview those who were victimized by the death squads and members of the group who were convicted in Colombia for their roles in the bloodshed.

To prove their claims against Chiquita, the victims must first prove that AUC was responsible for the deaths.

Noting the complexity of the case, the three appeals court judges applauded Marras ability to sift through thousands of documents. As to his rulings, we conclude that (Marra) got some right and some wrong.

For instance, it said, Marra wrongly ruled that Lopezs children couldnt testify that AUC commander Rendon Herrera confessed to their fathers murder because the family's attorneys hadnt deposed him. The appeals court pointed out that the attorneys twice arranged to interview Herrera in Colombia and he failed to appear.

These two failed depositions show that the plaintiffs employed reasonable means of attempting to procure Mr. Rendon Herreras testimony, the appeals court judges ruled. Therefore, they said, the Lopez children could tell a jury that he confessed to killing their father.

Like many former AUC leaders, Herrera was prosecuted in Colombia. As part of what is known as the Justice and Peace process, those suspected of tens of thousands of murders were encouraged to confess in exchange for lenient sentences. Prosecutors were required to verify the confessions and those who lied faced perjury charges

While Marra refused to allow documents from the Colombia process to be used to back up claims of AUCs involvement in the deaths, the appeals court said some could be used to prove the narco-terrorist group was responsible.

During a protest in July 2008 in Bogota, Colombia, a woman holds a photo of a relative who disappeared during the reign of the AUC paramilitary group, which operated in the country from 1997 to 2006.

AUC targeted, tortured political enemies, banana workers, unionists, analyst says

Further, the appeals judges said, academic and legal experts could testify about the prosecutions and explain the terror the AUC wreaked.

Oliver Kaplan, a University of Denver professor who has spent decades visiting Colombia and studying the country's bloody decades-long civil war, will be allowed to tell a jury that the murders described by family members have all the markings of those perpetuated by AUC members.

They were known to target political enemies, banana workers and unionists, he said in a deposition quoted by the appeals court. Riding high-cylinder motorcycles and white or gray cars, they tormented the rural banana-growing region by grabbing people off buses and torturing and decapitating victims.

Some of the murders were public executions. In many cases, people simply disappeared.

The appeals court ruling affects about a dozen so-called bellwether cases. They were selected from the scores that have been filed to give both sides an idea of their chances of success. The goal is to spur settlement talks.

Both Scarola and Green said it is unclear whether the cases will be settled out of court.

In 2018, Chiquita settled a lawsuit with the families of five Central Florida missionaries and an Alabama geologist who were killed by a left-wing rebel group that terrorized Colombians in the 1990s. Chiquita admitted paying $220,000 to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known by its Spanish acronym FARC. It claimed responsibility for the murders.

So far, Chiquita has defended the AUC cases vigorously in hopes the victims and their lawyers give up, Scarola said.

It may take a few trials for them to realize they arent going to escape paying reasonable compensation for the devastation they financed, Scarola said.

Even if Chiquita wins a few of the cases, dozens more will be waiting in the wings, he said. Its not a class action case where you win or lose and thats it. This is a mass tort. The cases keep coming.

Jane Musgrave covers federal and civil courts and occasionally ventures into criminal trials in state court. Contact her at jmusgrave@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Chiquita can face suits over support of Colombian terrorists, court rules
Watch: Jason Momoa unveils new head tattoo with connection to Hawaiian heritage

Jason Momoa has unveiled a huge new tattoo on his head that honours his Hawaiian roots.

The Aquaman star is known for his long locks but recently shaved off some of his hair to raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by single-use plastic.

And the Hawaii-born actor has now replaced it with an intricate inking that pays tribute to his heritage.

Read more: Jason Momoa's Fast And Furious 10 villain is 'a peacock at the highest level'

Momoa, 43, revealed the new etching in a video on Instagram which saw him boarding a Hawaiian Airlines flight to New Zealand.

Jason Momoa has a new tattoo. (WireImage)

The star told his followers he was "proud to be Hawaiian".

He then said he had "something special" for them and whipped off his hat to show the new tattoo.

The marking runs down the side of the star's head and onto his neck in a triangular pattern.

Momoa also shared snaps on Instagram which appeared to show the tattoo being done.

"Honored to be a part of this, powerful moment in my life," he wrote.

In the images the star is seen on a bed while the pattern was etched onto his head.

The star's team told JustJared.com: He got his head and neck tattooed. Its a huge piece, its related to his Hawaiian roots and culture."

Momoa's fans were blown away by the new tattoo, posting messages on Instagram saying it was "awesome".

"This is so cool and this traditional art of tattooing is so amazing... respect," said another.

The star has changed up his look. (PA)

One posted: "Really cool and very special to be connected with your heritage and ancestors in this amazingly beautiful way!"

Read more: Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet reportedly grew apart 'because of different focuses'

"Love your tattoo," said someone else.
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine seed technology firm Bioceres said on Friday it had agreed to expand its collaboration with Swiss seeds and pesticides maker Syngenta to develop and market its biological seed treatment solutions globally.

The deal between the two firms, which already partner in Argentina, would see Syngenta become the exclusive commercial distributor of these products globally and work on research and development of new products with Bioceres.

Bioceres develops biological products that help improve crop nutrition and cut down the need for nitrogen fertilizers. It also has a range of drought-resistant crops, though they will not be part of the deal.

Syngenta, which is planning a $10 billion initial public offering, was bought in 2017 for $43 billion by ChemChina, which was folded into Sinochem Holdings Corp last year.

Bioceres said the two firms would expand their cooperation in markets such as Brazil and China, as well as other regions around the world.

"Biological products play an important role in offering growers new solutions to increase crop yields while reducing agriculture's environmental footprint," Bioceres Chief Executive Officer Federico Trucco said in a statement.

(Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Leslie Adler)
BRAZIL-GOVERNMENT-BOLSONARO-FLAG DAY

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attends the National Flag Day celebration at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on Nov. 19, 2020 Credit - Evaristo SaAFP via Getty Images

On Sept. 9, a rural worker was fatally stabbed during a political discussion with a supporter of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazils far-right President, in the midwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul. A little over a month ago, in the southern state of Parana, an armed bolsonarista invaded a childrens birthday party and executed the childs father in front of his entire family. The images of the crime, recorded by a security camera, shocked the country.

There are also cases where violence was only avoided by luck, or a lack of opportunity. A few days ago, while campaigning in the street, myself and my colleague Ediane Maria of the Socialism and Liberty Party, were threatened by an armed man who declared himself a Bolsonaro supporter when we passed him a pamphlet from our election campaign. The incident took place in Sao Bernardo do Campo, a city in the state of Sao Paulo, and is already under investigation by the Public Electoral Ministry.

These episodes, scattered across Brazil, are nothing new: they are just the latest in an extensive list of acts of political violence engendered by President Bolsonaro and his aggressive rhetoric toward those who disagree with him.

Long before reaching the presidency, Bolsonaro was already known in Brazil for his right-wing positions and for his ideological alignment with the military dictatorship installed by the 1964 coup that ousted the left-wing Joao Goulart, and which was backed by the U.S. government. Defending the shooting of left-wing opponents on the campaign trail in 2018 and saying in 2014 he wouldnt rape a female colleague because she didnt deserve it are just a couple examples that illustrate the authoritarian personality of Bolsonaro, an ex-soldier.

Aware of this history, Brazils economic elite still chose to back Bolsonaro in the 2018 elections, supporting the fraudulent arrest that year of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that would bar him from the race. In doing so, they cleared the path for the election of a man that they thought they could control over the next four years.

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Read More: Lula Interview on Exile and His Bid for Brazilian Presidency

But since arriving in the Palacio do Planalto, Bolsonaro has only become more brazen in his authoritarian overreach. His aggressive and irresponsible speeches have escalated a climate of violence and encouraged millions of supporters across Brazil to violently confront those who disagree with them. In this climate, Lula, who has since been acquitted of the corruption charges and is Bolsonaros main rival in the upcoming October general elections, recently had to reinforce his security detail with snipers for a campaign rally, after identifying bolsonarista threats.

After four years of attacks on our institutions and values, it doesnt seem surprising that Bolsonaro now threatens Brazilian democracy itself. In this, he is the image of his idol, former U.S. President Donald Trump. More than just an inspiration, Trump is the ideological north star of Bolsonaros political movement. Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the reliability of our internationally praised electronic voting machines, and said that he will only accept the result of the elections if they are clean; in other words, if he wins.

More from TIME

Unlike Trump, however, Bolsonaro commands backing from some sectors of the military, many members of which serve in the Presidents administration. Few people still minimize the risk of a Bolsonaro coup, though some still believe his worrying statements are just a big bluff. I fear that Bolsonaro, once he is defeated at the ballot box as polls expect, will seek to rupture our democracyand resort to violence to do so. The whole question is whether he will have enough support to carry it out. Today, by all indications, he wouldnt. But that should not make us underestimate the risk.

In recent weeks, Bolsonaros allies in the Armed Forces have managed to force the Superior Electoral Court to allow them to do a parallel inspection of the electoral process, opening the door for them to question, within a weakened institutional framework, a vote against the President on Oct 2.

At the same time, Bolsonaro and his sons are doubling down on his strategy. They have intensified their links with criminal militias, according to Brazilian newspapers. (Bolsonaro denies any ties to militia groups.) And they have also called on the Presidents supporters to arm themselves, to unite in the streets and resist defeat in a vote that Bolsonaro has tried to sow doubt over.

Read More: What To Know About Brazils Crucial Election

If that happens, there is one thing that can ensure democracy and prevent violence: social mobilization in the streets. We would have to lead and redouble peaceful protests until Bolsonaro leaves the presidential palace.

The streets are also key, at this moment, to increasing Lulas margin of victory that will make it harder for Bolsonaro to spread lies about the legitimacy of the vote. By talking face to face with undecided voters, we will fight for victoryvictory for a democratic and anti-fascist country, where differences are resolved through dialogue and not with bullets.

Only then will we put Brazil back on a path of democracy and social justice. Only then will the Amazon and our biodiversity be safe from the ravages of deforestation. Only then will Brazil be respected and admired on the international scene again. There are only a couple weeks left for the most important elections in our country yet.
Although Asian Americans are heavily represented in corporate jobs, representation and promotion at high levels in senior management positions are significantly lacking, according to a new study.

There are nearly 20 million Asian Americans who live in the U.S. as citizens, with 8.8 million of them in the workforce. They are reportedly overrepresented in both low-paying occupations, including manicurists and cooks, and in high-paying professions, including technical fields.

Although Asian Americans may hold places in high-wage occupations, a study by management consulting company McKinsey reveals how the racial group, particularly Asian American women, continues to struggle with workplace promotions.

Researchers found an earnings gap that is correlated with underrepresentation at higher manager levels. They found that Asian American women experience a severe drop of 80% at the board of director level.

More from NextShark: Florida man caught on video stealing local sushi restaurant's Buddha statue

Even with high educational attainment and upward economic mobility, Asian Americans are often seen as doers and not leaders, the study reads. Advancement sputters as Asian Americans move up the corporate ladder, where high levels of representation at the entry level do not translate to high levels in senior management positions. The share of Asian Americans decreases with greater seniority, and so does their share of promotions.

The company surveyed more than 400 large organizations in the U.S. in 2021. Data revealed that while Asian Americans account for 9% of senior vice presidents, there are only 5% of promotions from senior vice president to the C-suite or the high-ranking executive titles. Asian American women reportedly make up less than 1% of these promotions.

Based on the research, the share of promotions for Asian women is one for every two Asian men at the senior manager level. However, it significantly drops to one for every six Asian men at the C-suite executive level.

Story continues

More from NextShark: Beauty influencer apologizes for using anti-Asian slur in makeup tutorial video

The model minority stereotype makes it easy to assume Asian Americans are already doing well at work; the myth of the monolith makes it easy to think that targeted support and detailed data about their experiences are not necessary; and the perpetual-foreigner mindset among people who are not Asian American makes it more difficult for Asian Americans to feel included and to advance, the researchers wrote.

The researchers suggested constructive starting points, such as collecting more granular data, addressing inclusion challenges, supporting and creating sponsorship opportunities for Asian American workers and addressing Asian American issues as part of corporate responsibility.

More from NextShark: CEO Dong Mingzhu, one of the richest women in China, may be replaced by her 22-year-old secretary

Featured Image via Mimi Thian

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Ancient China used face-whitening cosmetics before Ancient Greece, study claims
By Pushkala Aripaka and Natalie Grover

LONDON (Reuters) -Europe's medicines regulator has backed using AstraZeneca's preventative COVID-19 therapy as a treatment for the disease and also endorsed another medicine as preventative option for another common virus.

The regulator's recommendations are usually followed by the European Commission when it takes a final decision on drug approvals.

AstraZeneca said on Friday the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had backed Evusheld as a treatment for adults and adolescents with COVID who do not need supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of their disease worsening.

Last month, Japan became the first country to approve the long-acting antibody as a treatment for COVID - making Evusheld the first such therapy authorised for both prevention and treatment of the viral disease.

Evusheld had previously had largely secured global approvals, including in Europe, as a preventative therapy for people with compromised immune systems who see little or no benefit from COVID vaccines.

AstraZeneca is leaning on Evusheld to help offset tepid sales of its COVID vaccine that has rapidly lost ground to mRNA shots in the fight against the rapidly evolving virus.

Evusheld, first launched in December, generated $914 million in the first half of 2022 for the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker.

Separately on Friday, the EMA also endorsed AstraZeneca and partner Sanofi's experimental long-acting therapy Beyfortus for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths globally each year in toddlers and the elderly, but the complex molecular structure of the virus and safety concerns have stymied efforts to develop a vaccine since the virus was first discovered in 1956.

But there is one therapy, Synagis, also developed by AstraZeneca but sold by Swedish Orphan Biovitrum in the United States.

It is designed to prevent lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV in high-risk infants and requires up to five injections to cover a typical RSV season.

Meanwhile, if Beyfortus were approved, it would be the first single-dose preventative RSV therapy for the broad infant population - including those born healthy or are deemed high-risk - during their first RSV season.

(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru and Natalie Grover in London; editing by Mark Potter and Jason Neely)
The man that police charged with being the driver of a speeding car that hit and killed a University of Georgia student a year ago was acquitted of all charges Friday in a jury trial in Clarke County Superior Court.

Donterris Jovan Gresham, 30, of Athens was tried on charges of first-degree vehicular homicide, hit and run, reckless driving, failing to exercise due care to a pedestrian, having an open container of alcohol, and driving without a license.

The jury deliberated approximately two hours on the charges before rendering the verdict to end the five-day trial held before Judge Lawton Stephens.

Gresham, represented by Athens attorney Kim Stephens, did not testify.

Background: Athens-Clarke police identify suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed UGA student

Western Circuit Assistant District Attorneys Kyle Thompson and Tyler Normandia each maintained that the evidence showed that Gresham was the driver who hit the victim and fled the scene before abandoning the car a couple of miles away at a housing complex off North Avenue.

The case stemmed from the Oct. 8, 2021, death of Ariana Zarse, a 20-year-old junior marketing major from Austin, Texas, who was hit at about 12:10 a.m. while crossing East Broad Street near Willow Street. Zarse was a director of social events for her sorority Pi Beta Phi and several of its members attended the trial along with Zarses family members.

Other news: Woman pleads guilty in vehicle death of UGA student from Toccoa

Ariana Zarse was hit by a 2008 Honda Accord

Zarse was hit by a 2008 Honda Accord that Athens-Clarke police officer Dustin Tilley testified he calculated was traveling about 49 mph in the 25 mph zone. Zarse and her friend, Wilson Wade, were crossing the roadway along a rail track adjacent to a pedestrian crosswalk when the crash occurred.

Construction workers were also in the immediate area repairing a gas line leak.

The impact tossed the young womans body 86 feet, where police officer Jaziah Hawkins testified he arrived and attempted CPR, but her injuries were too severe.

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Greshams girlfriend testified in the trial that she was a passenger in the Honda driven by Gresham and that she was sick, sleepy and weak from her chemotherapy treatment that day. She said she heard a thud as they traveled along Broad Street.

I thought he hit a bump, she testified.

Stephens brought out testimony that the girlfriend claimed to have never seen the massive damage to the windshield or the frontend damage to the car. The lawyer also delved into the fact that the aunt of Greshams girlfriend called her daughter in Athens and told her to report the car stolen to police. The car was in the aunt's name.

The aunt, who lives in Covington, testified she wanted the car reported as stolen because she didn't know what happened in Athens.

Stephens made a point of his client's girlfriends testimony in regards to her comments to police when she told police a day later that Gresham was driving her car.

You told them a story that kept you from being charged with vehicular homicide, said Stephens, who attempted to bolster the defendant's defense that the state, through its evidence, had not proved that Gresham was the driver.

The girlfriends mother testified she received a telephone call that night at her home in Conyers from Gresham and that in the background she could hear her daughter screaming and crying. She testified that Gresham told her, I done (expletive) up. I wrecked the car.

In the states effort to show evidence of a similar crime, Oglethorpe County sheriffs Sgt. Colt Young testified that he charged Gresham with reckless driving, DUI, felony fleeing and other charges following a wreck on Aug. 29, 2020. Gresham was clocked on radar traveling 90 mph in a 55 zone, Young testified.

Gresham remained in jail Friday on a hold placed on him by Oglethorpe County.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens man acquitted in pedestrian death of UGA student Ariana Zarse
Sep. 16CHARLESTON  West Virginia's Attorney General is urging Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and American Express Inc. to reconsider their decision to apply a new merchant code to distinguish firearms purchases from other general merchandise sales.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey sent letters to the companies' CEOs.

"This decision appears to be a cave-in to pressures from radical gun control groups and those who are anti Second Amendment," Morrisey said in the letters. "Also, this decision is especially concerning in that it appears to surrender to activist shareholder pressure from certain pension funds. This is another example of unreasonable demands of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda."

Morrisey wrote that the decision made by these companies "displays hostility to your cardholders that choose to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, especially at time when violent crime is on the rise."

Visa, Mastercard and American Express are among the world's largest payment processors. Morrisey said giving gun sales its own category puts an unnecessary red flag on otherwise legitimate purchases. Currently, gun store sales are under "general merchandise" as far as credit card purchases are concerned.

"We will continue to analyze this situation and, based on that analysis and your response, determine how best to proceed," he wrote in the letters. "This office is committed to ensuring that your company is prohibited from any practice that discriminates against or in any way penalizes any business subject to the new merchant code and any individuals impacted by your decision."

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
An Austin school district teacher was arrested Thursday in Round Rock for illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The teacher, Michael Roberts, 40, traveled from the U.S. to Colombia to engage in illegal sexual conduct with minors, according to an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury on Sept. 6 and unsealed on Thursday. He is charged with three counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and faces up to 30 years in prison on each of the three counts. His arraignment is set for Tuesday.

More:How a false tale of police heroism in Uvalde spread and unraveled

A federal judge would determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Lora Makowski, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Texas, declined to comment further on the case.

The Department of Homeland Security, which is investigating the case, notified Austin school district police about the arrest on Thursday morning, according to a letter from Laura Stout, the districts associate superintendent of secondary schools. The letter was sent to the parents of students at the schools where Roberts has worked since he began working at the district at the start of last school year. District police are working with Homeland Security officials in the investigation.

Roberts works at Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy and Garcia Young Men's Leadership Academy, and formerly worked at Navarro Early College High School. He was placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, after the district learned of the arrest. The district did not say whether Roberts continues to be paid and did not respond to a request for comment.

More:5 ways you can help tackle climate change in Austin right now

Roberts cleared the districts background check process in July 2021, according to the district. There have been no allegations that the teacher had any inappropriate contact with students in the district, Stout wrote.

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The safety of all our students is our top priority. We know that many of our students and families will have questions and concerns, Stout said in the letter. Extra counseling support will be available as needed, in addition to our campus counselors and staff.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative combines federal, state and local resources to prosecute people exploiting children online and the rescue of victims.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: AISD teacher arrested, charged with having sex with minors in Colombia
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain has detected its first monkeypox case, the state news agency BNA said on Friday, citing the health ministry.

The ministry said the patient was returning from abroad when his symptoms were suspected and diagnosed, BNA added.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Lina Najem; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Graphic warning: This article contains references to rape that some may find distressing

Robin Jacobs, 39, had anal sex with a woman without her consent in September 2017 after meeting her on Tinder. (Reach)

A barrister who laughed after forcing himself on his Tinder date has been jailed for four years for rape.

Robin Jacobs, 39, angrily shouted "I didnt do it" from the dock after he was found guilty at the Old Bailey.

The court heard that Jacobs and the woman had had consensual sex but he then told her to "hold steady" before unexpectedly initiating anal sex, prompting her to tell him to stop twice and scream "get out".

He eventually stopped after 20 to 30 seconds, then muttered to himself that he "shouldnt laugh" before chuckling.

Jacobs, from South Woodford, east London, disputed the womans account and denied he engaged in the sex act without having a reasonable belief that she consented to it.

Jacobs was found guilty after a retrial at the Old Bailey. (Reach)

The court heard he has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which the jury was told can lead to some people misreading social signals but was not relevant in his understanding of consent.

A jury failed to reach a verdict after an initial trial in August, but Jacobs was found guilty of rape by a majority of 10 to two after a retrial at the Old Bailey.

As he was convicted and jailed, he shouted: "I didnt do it, I didnt do it. I was telling you the truth. I could have lied but I told you the truth. Oh my God."

Read more: Driver, 21, killed girl, 14, racing at 93mph when trying to impress female passenger

The court heard Jacobs and the victim had met through Tinder in the summer of 2017 and went on to have consensual sex at the barrister's house in South Woodford, London.

They exchanged "sexually suggestive" messages, including discussing a threesome, and met again when he helped her move some boxes, but only had a cup of tea.

On their third date on 17 September, 2017, they had pizza and wine for lunch and then went back to Jacobs house, where they initially had consensual vaginal sex.

Jacobs was convicted by a majority after a retrial at the Old Bailey. (Getty)

In a videoed interview played in court, the woman described what happened next, saying he told her to wait a minute before forcing himself on to her.

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"I told him to stop twice and he did not. I screamed get off, then he stopped and he did move away," she said.

"At that point I was just face down. I did not know what to do with myself, in quite a lot of pain.

"He told himself twice that it was not funny, he shouldnt laugh. After the second time, he did laugh."

She went to the bathroom and got dressed while Jacobs appeared astonished that she was upset and bewildered.

She said: He asked me if I was going to report it to the police. He asked me if he would see me again, and then he also offered me paracetamol."

The victim, who said she had been left with "flashbacks" after the incident, added: "There was no discussion, absolutely no warning, there was no touching, foreplay, warning. There was nothing. It was literally he made a decision and thats what he did."

She was examined at a specialist sexual assault clinic and found to have a fresh laceration measuring 2.5cm by 2mm which experts said would have been inflicted with "at least moderate force".

She reported the incident to police but when arrested, Jacobs disputed her version of events.

During his retrial, he told jurors: "It would have been perfectly adequate when I had done it on previous occasions with other partners."

Asked how often he had attempted anal sex with a woman without saying he was going to, he said: "I think its about seven that I can remember. At least four come to my mind", adding that he could not recall how many women had declined.

He also denied the suggestion he failed to stop when asked repeatedly, adding: "Certainly I knew immediately there was a problem. Its like I say, nothing like that had ever happened to me before during sex. It was a shock."

He claimed the woman was "forward" and "bawdy from the get-go" and it was not just him initiating everything in the brief relationship.

Jailing Jacobs for four years, Judge John Hillen KC said he had taken "absolutely no steps" to ensure the woman had consented to anal sex before he started.

He said: "That was not only a failure of courtesy, politeness and care. That failure was a criminal act."

The judge noted Jacobs "exemplary character" and said he took no moral view of his lifestyle.

But he added: "Sexual activity in your case with many partners of both sexes risks the possibility that you might overstep the boundaries and that is what happened.

"Those boundaries as you now realise as an intelligent man are obvious, particularly in respect of penetration of the anus. That is an exceptionally intimate act, you recognised that in your evidence.

"You did not pause to check if (the woman) was one such person who might think it unacceptable."
By Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany aims to strike a deal with other NATO partners about the establishment of a joint missile defence at a meeting in mid-October, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht told Reuters.

"At the next NATO ministers' meeting, we hope to reach agreement regarding a joint air defence," she said in an interview conducted on Wednesday and published on Friday.

NATO defence ministers will next meet in Brussels Oct. 13-14.

Lambrecht said she could not give details on the partners involved as the talks were not completed yet.

She confirmed, however, that she sees Israel's Arrow 3 missile defence system, built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), as a good candidate.

"We already talked with Israel and the United States, and it is no secret that Arrow 3 certainly is a system that could fill the gap in our capabilities," Lambrecht said, adding negotiations were not completed yet.

Arrow 3 interceptors are designed to fly beyond the earth's atmosphere, where their warheads detach to become "kamikaze" satellites, or "kill vehicles", that track and slam into the targets. Such high-altitude shoot-downs are meant to safely destroy incoming nuclear, biological or chemical missiles.

U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin produces a rival system called THAAD.

In April, Germany's Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn said Berlin was considering buying a missile defence system from Israel or the United States to defend against threats such as Russian Iskander missiles deployed to Kaliningrad that can reach almost all of western Europe.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Crypto firms have been eagerly awaiting a series of U.S. government reports they hoped would clarify what the Biden administration and regulators intend to do about digital assets. Most of the documents are out now, but the picture remains murky.

However, one aspect is becoming increasingly clear: the federal government sees a lot of potential risks in crypto, and the various agencies believe stepping up enforcement actions may be an important step.

The reports from the Treasury Department  three of them released Friday  largely recommend the government continue assessing crypto risks, keep up enforcement actions and push forward with work on a digital dollar (without recommending the U.S. should have one).

The White House Office of Science Technology and Policy likewise published a report assessing the technical aspects of a digital dollar, while the Commerce Department's report addressed competitiveness more broadly. The Justice Department said it would launch a "Digital Asset Coordinator Network," a group of 150 federal prosecutors nationwide who would specialize in investigating and prosecuting crypto crimes.

"The reports clearly identify the real challenges and risks from digital assets used for financial services," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters in a briefing. "If these risks are mitigated, digital assets and other emerging technologies could offer significant opportunities."

The reports are a response to President Joe Bidens executive order on digital assets, signed in March, which directed federal agencies to analyze different aspects and issues around the cryptocurrency ecosystem and provide recommendations for how the U.S. can both be a leader in the digital asset sector worldwide, as well as address any monetary stability or consumer protection risks posed by the burgeoning industry. Agencies will publish a total of 21 reports.

Previous reports  one from the Treasury Department, one from the Justice Department and one from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy  were published over the past few months. Treasury published three more reports on Friday, and the White House issued what it described as its first-ever framework for responsible development of digital assets.

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Read more: Biden Issues Long-Awaited US Executive Order on Crypto

In a statement, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the different reports lay out concerns around consumer protections and illicit activities, and suggest how the administration can address these issues.

Together, we are laying the groundwork for a thoughtful, comprehensive approach to mitigating digital assets acute risks and  where proven  harnessing their benefits. We remain committed to working with allies, partners, and the broader digital asset community to shape the future of this ecosystem, the statement said.

After six months of study, the federal agencies made it clear that they're devoting a lot of attention to crypto, but they arent ready to declare a definite course of action. Still unanswered is the single biggest U.S. question in crypto: What makes a token a security, and which ones should be regulated as commodities?

Token issuers and trading platforms are hungry for an answer, and not knowing could bring costly enforcement actions as the industry continues to complain its navigating without a map. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler insists crypto businesses have a clear and simple map that leads through his agencys doors.

Gensler repeatedly asserts that existing federal securities laws apply to the crypto industry, going so far as to tell a U.S. senator on Thursday that the asset-backed securities market took 10 or 11 years where they did these  exemptive orders or relief to individual issuers, implying that a similar process may need to occur in crypto first.

A senior administration official told reporters that the reports recommend regulators issue new rules and guidance to close gaps around how existing financial regulations apply to cryptocurrencies, but noted that the agencies are independent of the executive branch.

The recommendation is for the agencies to review their rules, clarify, coordinate and I think that the view is just saying  they have the necessary authorities  for firms that are not complying, the official said.

Digital dollars

On another titanic question for the industry  whether the U.S. will issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC)  the reports offered some ideas and suggested the Federal Reserve continue its ongoing CBDC research, experimentation and evaluation, but federal officials concluded that no digital dollar should be created unless its found to be in the national interest.

Who decides whats in the national interest? Thats not so clear. The Fed will have a definite say, because the central bank would be responsible for managing it. It may further require a decree from the administration, and Congress may also have to get involved. The answer could be steered by a future legal interpretation from the Justice Department, which is expected to outline the authorities the Federal Reserve needs before it can issue a digital dollar.

A senior administration official told CoinDesk that, in practical terms, the answer is all of the above. The Fed is independent but will collaborate on an answer with lawmakers, the administration and other federal agencies to decide the national interest.

Read more: US Treasury to Recommend Issuing Digital Dollar if in National Interest: Source

For their part, Fed officials including Chair Jerome Powell have said they dont intend to press forward without agreement from both the White House and Congress. Meanwhile, the Treasury will lead a dedicated working group to coordinate the ongoing CBDC work, according to one of the reports.

Yellen, during the press briefing, said, Right now, some aspects of our current payment system are too slow or too expensive. The report encourages us to continue working on innovations to promote a system that is more efficient and inclusive.

One of the recommendations in that report is to advance CBDC policy and technical work, she said, though Yellen did not address how the government might make a decision to actually issue one.

The White House science office, in its own report, said it would form a research and development agenda with the National Science Foundation to further study CBDCs.

Other recommendations

When asked what other practical next steps the reports are suggesting, senior administration officials responded that theyre seeking a redoubling of investigations and enforcement efforts against the industry. Fridays White House document pointed at the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The White House also emphasized that agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission, two federal regulators that have not been as active as the earlier regulators in the crypto sector, should redouble their efforts to monitor consumer complaints and to enforce against unfair, deceptive or abusive practices.

The Treasury will also work on further reports  one to assess risks in decentralized finance (DeFi), due in February, and another looking into non-fungible tokens, due in July. But the next report that could carry significant weight is expected next month, detailing potential finance-stability risks from the crypto industry. While the Biden administration continues to study crypto and pursue aggressive enforcement, several efforts are underway in Congress to establish industry regulations. Many of them focus on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a central watchdog for crypto activity, though none of them are nearing completion as the current legislative session winds to a close at the end of the year. The bill that had the most momentum this year  a narrower effort to regulate stablecoins  has so far been stuck in committee negotiations.

Read more: US Fed Opens Pathway for Crypto Banks to Tap Central Banking System

The White House document suggested Biden could recommend a federal licensing or oversight regime for nonbank payment providers. One of the Treasury reports expanded on this, saying a payments regulatory structure would minimize risks but support these types of companies.

Nonbanks are increasingly providing payment services, including issuing money (or money-like) liabilities and processing payments. On the one hand, participation by nonbank payments companies may contribute to higher levels of competition, inclusion, and innovation. On the other, if these firms are not adequately regulated and supervised, there may be risks to consumers, the financial system, and the broader economy, one Treasury report said.

However, the report did not specify what this structure might look like. The crypto industry has long sought a federal regulatory regime that might allow crypto exchanges to apply for only one license that would allow them to operate nationwide, rather than have to apply for a money transmitter license in each state where they wish to operate.

UPDATE (Sept. 16, 2022, 15:30 UTC): Adds detail.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that fortifies a regulatory committees powers to screen foreign investments in the U.S., many of which included Chinese shares in tech in recent years.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which was established in 1975 under the Ford administration, is now tasked with expanding its areas of review, as well as regularly evaluating its processes, practices and regulations to ensure that they remain responsive to evolving national security threats.

While the order does not explicitly mention China, it names sectors that are fundamental to both U.S. technological leadership and national security, including microelectronics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and biomanufacturing, quantum computing, advanced clean energy and climate adaptation technologies. These happen to be areas of focus in Chinese President Xi Jinpings Made in China 2025 plan, according to The New York Times.

The order also cites cybersecurity as a standalone focus. It instructs the committee to consider whether a foreign investment may facilitate cyber intrusions or other malicious cyber-enabled activity that could pose a risk to national security.

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who chairs CFIUS, welcomed the new executive order in a statement.

President Bidens Executive Order highlights CFIUSs increasing attention to national security risks in several key areas and sharpens the Committees focus on protecting Americas national security while maintaining the U.S. open investment policy, Yellen said.

Strengthening our supply chains and protecting against foreign threats enhances our national security, and this Executive Order highlights CFIUSs important role in that work, Yellen continued. It also reaffirms CFIUSs mission to protect Americas technological leadership and the security of our citizens sensitive data from emerging threats.

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The executive order marks the first time since the establishment of CFIUS that a president has laid out risks that the committee must consider across transactions. Former Treasury official J. Philip Ludvigson, who also worked with CFIUS, suggested that business should be ready.

Businesses should not be surprised if Treasury comes knocking to learn more about investments that may pose a risk to the country, Ludvigson, who is now a partner with King & Spalding LLP, told The Hill. For the first time since CFIUS was established nearly five decades ago, this order directs the committee to consider certain national security factors.

Ahead of the orders announcement, several sources also told Reuters about the Commerce Departments plan to enforce new regulations on semiconductor exports based on restrictions previously communicated to three U.S. companies. These restrictions reportedly prevented them from exporting chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that make advanced semiconductors without a license.

More from NextShark: SF students create a resolution urging the city to apologize for its anti-Chinese past

Featured Image via The White House

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The midterms may be closely approaching. But Joe Bidens focus, for the next week at least, will be firmly on matters overseas.

The president returns to the international stage over the next few days to pay tribute to allies and exhort democracies  amid an audience where he arguably shines brighter than he does at home  before making that shift into a midterm political blitz.

With the success of Ukraines counteroffensive against Russia providing an inspiring backdrop, Biden will take his case to the United Nations next week, urging for the world to rebel against Vladimir Putins unprovoked war. And before that, he heads to the United Kingdom for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He will pay tribute to the long-reigning monarch who, as a teenage princess in World War II, did her own part to stand up to a dictator.



Biden will then largely set aside diplomacy for a six-week barrage of domestic campaigning. But White House aides believe that the pair of consequential gatherings before then, in two world capitals  London and then New York  will provide the president with a welcoming stage.

He will use it, aides said, to push back against autocratic forces threatening the globe.

Some of that will be aimed at Beijing, much of it at Moscow. And with the eyes of the world upon him, Biden will utilize his U.N. speech to urge support for the ragtag group of fighters  reinforced with Western weapons  who are putting up stunning victories against a much larger war machine.

Theres a sense of momentum here by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council. And so what were going to do is continue to support them as best we can.

There will be no overt politicking at what will likely be one of the grandest funerals the world has ever seen.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden were set to board Air Force One on Saturday for the flight to London, two days ahead of the funeral for the queen. Elizabeth, as a princess, worked as a mechanic in the war effort against Adolf Hitlers Germany and, after becoming queen, presided over a nation that has remained a bulwark for democracy.



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The monumental funeral will draw leaders from around the world, many leaving behind their entourages and luxury vehicles for a day to pay their respects. Putin will not be there. But Biden, who met the queen last summer, will be among the mourners. Aides plan for him to have at least some informal time with a number of allies, including Britains new prime minister Liz Truss, who came to power only days before the queens death.

But in London, any conversations about the war a few thousand miles to the east will be whispered. In New York a few days later, it will be center stage.

Bidens address to the U.N. General Assembly was postponed one day due to the funeral, with the president now set to take the stage on Wednesday. Aides have worked for weeks on the speech. They view it as the latest in a series of high-profile opportunities for Biden to place the battle in Ukraine into his larger view that the next century will be defined by the battle between democracies and autocracies.

The first opportunity was at the State of the Union, delivered just days after Russias February invasion. That was followed by a pair of summits in Europe  in Poland in March, Spain in June  in which Biden tried to hold his coalition together. And now this speech at the United Nations  its first full-fledged General Assembly since before the Covid pandemic  comes at a particularly consequential moment in the war.

Bidens support for Ukraine has not wavered even as Russia marked the spring with grinding, but steady progress in the nations east. Now, momentum appears to lie with Ukraine, which improved cooperation and intelligence sharing with the United States in recent weeks to launch a two-pronged counteroffensive that took Moscow by surprise. But U.S. military officials have cautioned that it was too premature to celebrate, warning that Russia was still well fortified in much of the region and could soon regroup.



Moreover, fears have grown of a difficult winter in Europe, which will largely be cut off from Russian energy as temperatures begin to fall. Biden aides have long viewed the upcoming winter as the wars most difficult season, one in which the fighting would largely freeze in place and also test the resolve of Europes support for Ukraine.

Biden aides believe Ukraines recent wins prove it remains worth it for Europe to stand with Kyiv. The president, they previewed, will hammer that point home from the rostrum in Turtle Bay, calling for the continent to stiffen its steadfastness as the United States continues to funnel billions of dollars of weapons and supplies to the Ukrainian resistance.

Biden will also urge nations to further isolate Putin. Aides were still weighing how directly Biden will call out nations that he sees arent doing their part to help  whether it be China for not condemning the war or India, which has yet to commit to participating in a price cap on Russia oil. Biden advisers watched with interest on Thursday as Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed Putin as an old friend at a summit in central Asia. But officials noted there were still no signs that Beijing was violating sanctions by directly aiding Moscow.

Next weeks speech in New York will act, in many ways, as a precursor for what is poised to be one of the most significant multinational gatherings in decades. The G20 will gather in November in Indonesia, where aides are working toward Biden and Xi having their first in-person summit since the president took office.

But the meeting between the two rival superpowers wont even be the headliner in Bali. The Indonesian government has confirmed that Putin will also attend, potentially bringing him face-to-face with Western leaders for the first time since launching his invasion.

Officials have said that Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also considering attending  it would be his first time leaving his country since the war began  which could potentially set up a confrontation with Putin. But officials cautioned that plans were preliminary. Either way, Biden was poised to carry the banner of democracies to the Southeast Asia summit.

I believe the response to the war is so far the most important and successful aspect of his foreign policy, said Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, ahead of the UN speech. It encapsulates his core foreign policy inclination, which is an alliance-based response to tyranny.
ABC News

The National Archives has still not recovered all the presidential records that should have been turned over at the end of the Trump administration, according to a new letter to Congress from the acting archivist. "We do know that we do not have custody of everything we should," Debra Steidel Wall, acting archivist of the United States, said in her letter to Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., suggesting that former officials had still not turned over electronic messages of official business done on personal accounts. Wall's letter was a response to a Sept. 13 request from Maloney seeking an "urgent review" of "whether presidential records remain unaccounted for and potentially in the possession of the former president."
Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Thursday in Worcester County, the second one this week as OC BikeFest and Delmarva Bike Week continue.

At about 4:40 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, troopers from the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack responded to Route 50 at Route 610 in Worcester County for a report of a motor vehicle crash. According to a preliminary investigation, a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling south on Route 610 and tried to cross Route 50 when it was struck by a 2017 Nissan Rogue traveling west on Route 50.

The driver of the motorcycle, Richard Banning, 61, of Virginia, was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for treatment of his injuries. He was declared dead Friday morning at the hospital. The passenger on the motorcycle, a 59-year-old female, was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury for treatment of her injuries. No other injuries were reported as a result of the crash.

The incident remains under investigation.

In a separate incident also in Worcester County, Ocean City Police Department is investigating a motorcycle death.

MORE:Motorcylist dies in Ocean City crash after fleeing police, OCPD says

MORE:Be alert! Ocean City officials warn residents, tourists of pedestrians in roadway

The crash occurred Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.

Ocean City officers responded to a motor vehicle collision near 100th Street and Coastal Highway north at about 5:15 p.m. The victim, Nicholas Ramirez, 32, of Deltona, Fla., was flown by Trooper 4 to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, where he died to his injuries, the Thursday news release states.

Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a motorcycle in the area of 67th Street, police said. The motorcycle fled from officers, at which time the officer did not pursue the motorcycle, the Ocean City police release states. The officer provided a detailed description of the motorcyclist and motorcycle to other officers.

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A short time later, Ocean City Communications dispatched officers to the motor vehicle collision at 100th Street. Ramirez was identified as the motorcyclist who had fled from officers, the release states.

In 2021, there were 74 motorcycle-involved fatalities in Maryland, an increase from 2020 when 68 fatalities occurred in the state, according to a press release from the state's Motor Vehicle Administration.

Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable roadway users, and its up to each and every Marylander to take a second look for motorcyclists while traveling, Chrissy Nizer, MDOT MVA Administrator and Governor Larry Hogans Highway Safety Representative, said in the May release.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Motorcyclist dies in Route 50 Worcester crash during OC BikeFest
Many consider Paris the city of love, and two Black people can attest to this personally.

In 2016, a woman named Andye was in the City of Light for a few days. Little did she know that one fateful trip on the Metro would introduce her to Steven, the man she now happily calls her husband.

She recently shared her story with CNN Travel.

Andye had just finished her degree in Amsterdam and jetted off to Paris for three days. She boarded the Metro to visit her friend and thats when she and Steven first crossed paths. The car was filled with people, and he stood while Andye sat, engrossed in her music.

She told CNN Travel, I got on the Metro to head back to my friends house where Id dropped off my suitcases. And thats where he got on.

After a few stops, passengers cleared out, enabling Steven to sit. He found a seat across from Andye and discreetly kept glancing at her. And she looked at him. Each wrestled with wanting to initiate conversation but didnt know how to go about it. When their gazes locked, sparks flew. It took a while before one of them decided to shoot their shot.

Photo by Anthony Delanoix

Steven started to speak, prompting Andye to pull off her headphones and engage.

CNN Travel reported, in French, Steven was suggesting Andye could move her heavy-looking backpack onto the now vacant seat next to her. Andye, who is fluent in French, replied that it wasnt necessary  the bag wasnt heavy.

They talked about their respective studies before Andye said she needed to transfer. Steven followed, and their conversation continued both on the platform and the next train.

We just kept on talking, Andye told the outlet. Thats when we realized that we actually were doing our Masters in the same field of study. We were both studying sustainable development, and we started talking about that a bit.

Steven offered to disembark with Andye and carry her bag out of the station. After a numbers exchange and a hug goodbye, they went their separate ways.

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But this wasnt the end. They messaged each other, dined in Paris and kept up communication even while Andye was en-route back to Amsterdam.

In March 2017, Andye and Steven reunited in Paris, though they never left Charles de Gaulle airport. In the months and years that followed, Andye did the lions share of the traveling. But because Steven didnt have a visa to visit her when she returned to the U.S., the fate of their relationship was uncertain.

There are often complications when two people try to make long distance romance work. Andye gave Steven an ultimatum. He either would devote himself to her totally, or they would part ways. Look, if youre really serious about this, heres my moms number, she said. You let her know that youre serious about her daughter.'

Steven rose to the challenge and finally, in November 2017, he proposed when they met yet again in Paris. Andye accepted. They hadnt known each other for long, but felt quite comfortable taking their relationship to the level of engagement.

After Steven got a visa to enter the U.S., they had a small wedding at the court house. They wanted to have a larger ceremony in Haiti in the near future, until the pandemic hit and ruined everything. The two kept each other grounded through the difficult period.

Andye looks back at the last few years with wonder. She told CNN Travel she felt like she was living a rom-com with Steven.

You dont often see international love stories with Black women or Black men in them, Andye said.

Follow Andye, her travels and her handmade apparel business on Instagram here.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Over 100 economists and development experts on Friday called for asset manager BlackRock and other holders of Zambian bonds to cancel some of that debt, saying continuing to pay private creditors was "economically inefficient and morally wrong".

Zambia became Africa's first pandemic-era sovereign default nearly two years ago and is seeking $8.4 billion of debt relief from 2022 to 2025 under a new restructuring framework backed by the Group of 20 major economies.

That will be achieved through a mixture of haircuts to loans' original value and maturity extensions, a senior Zambian finance ministry official said earlier this month.

Zambia's official creditors have provisionally agreed to a restructuring plan.

In an open letter released by the campaign group Debt Justice, signatories - including academics Jeffrey Sachs, Jayati Ghosh, Philip Alston, Raj Patel and Cephas Lumina - said it was time for private creditors to step up.

"It is ... imperative that BlackRock and other bondholders agree to fully engage in a large-scale debt restructuring, including significant haircuts, in order to make Zambia's debt sustainable," they wrote.

Eurobondholders held $3 billion of Zambian debt plus $336 million of interest arrears at the end of 2021.

New York-based BlackRock holds around $215 million worth of bonds, the company said.

A company spokesperson said BlackRock had not yet been formally asked to participate in the process but would "approach comprehensive formal sovereign restructuring proceedings constructively and in good faith."

Most of Zambia's bonds were trading between 53-55 cents in the dollar on Friday, just over half their face value, Tradeweb data showed. That is their lowest level since late July.

"It would appear unlikely that the full value of the investments will ever be realised," the BlackRock spokesperson said. "Our clients have already experienced losses with respect to their holdings of private sector sovereign debt of Zambia."

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World Bank President David Malpass said last week that "a deep debt reduction of 45% in net present value (NPV) terms... is essential".

Kevin Daly, head of emerging market debt at abrdn, who chairs a committee of bondholders estimated to hold around 45% of Zambia's international market debt, said on Thursday that a deep haircut would be unacceptable to creditors.

Speaking on Friday, he said the final terms of debt relief must not hinder Zambia's ability to borrow in the future.

"It's important that they reach an agreement with current lenders that is fair for all parties that will help facilitate access to external financing when debt sustainability is restored," he said.

(Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced an additional $600 million in military assistance for Ukraine.

Together with our Allies and partners, we are delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraines forces are utilizing so effectively as they continue their successful counter-offensive against Russias invasion, he wrote in a State Department release.

Blinken authorized the 21st shipment of military munitions from the U.S. to Ukraine since September 2021, which will include arms and other equipment from the Defense Department.

Earlier this week, Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive on the Russian military, attacking from the north after staging a campaign that led Russia to believe that the smaller country would attack from the south.

Blinken said in his statement that President Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes, adding that the total amount of military assistance from the U.S. since President Bidens inauguration will now stand at $15.8 billion.

With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future, wrote the secretary.

The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraines hand at the negotiating table when the time is right.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sunday for more military assistance from Western allies, claiming that the winter would bring a turning point in Ukraines pushback on the Russian attack, which began in February.

If we were a little stronger with weapons, we would de-occupy faster, said the president, who has regularly called for stronger support from allies, including members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  Boeing said it proved in a virtual demonstration this spring that several U.S. Navy aircraft types could task the companys MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone with surveillance missions and receive live imagery in support of their own missions.

BD Gaddis, Boeings director of MQ-25 advanced design, told Defense News the demonstration in the companys mobile manned-unmanned teaming laboratory proved that its waveform-agnostic communications architecture worked, that the MQ-25 would be relevant to the surveillance mission and that operators aboard manned planes could easily task the MQ-25 and monitor its findings.

The demonstration took place in May, though Boeing just announced it in a news release this month. More than 100 customers  mostly from Naval Air Systems Command and the chief of naval operations staff, with some from the U.S. Air Force  visited for a series of briefs and demonstrations over the course of four days, Gaddis said.

The demonstrations included multiple use cases, or potential operational scenarios: the MQ-25 would fly off an aircraft carrier under the command of a ship-based control station; the air vehicle would announce itself as available for tasking; and one of three Navy aircraft types would take command of the drone from the ground station and send the MQ-25 the parameters of an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, including any restrictions or no-fly zones.

Boeing proved its F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III fighter jet and its P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, as well as the Northrop Grumman-made E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command-and-control aircraft, could coordinate with the ground control station and the drone during this operation.

Gaddis said the mobile lab included an actual Super Hornet Block III cockpit  one of the key improvements compared to older versions of the jet  that showed visitors how a pilot could grab command of the drone and then see live imagery it captured.

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He also said the drone paired well with the P-8, which hunts for submarine and surface ship targets from the air. The demonstration showed the two could operate 300 miles apart, covering a huge swath of ocean as the MQ-25 investigated surface target tracks and passed ones of interest to the P-8 to further investigate or engage.

This springs demonstration follows the first-ever MQ-25 manned-unmanned teaming virtual demonstration last year when the MQ-25 was sent on a tanking mission by the ground control station and a Super Hornet or Hawkeye took command of the drone to reroute their rendezvous for a new time and location. Last year, the company also conducted its first-ever live manned-unmanned refueling in the skies over Illinois.

The Navy determined tanking would be the primary mission for MQ-25, with ISR as a secondary mission.

Though the Navy is focused on a formal program of record  with plans to reach initial operational capability as a tanker for the carrier air wing in 2025  Gaddis said Boeing wants to highlight what else the vehicle can do. The company is already making pitches for the 2025 budget plans, he said, meaning its important to demonstrate the maturity of this ISR capability to the Navy and consider future contract actions that will be needed for this manned-unmanned teaming work in the tanking mission, the ISR mission or anything else.

So even while Boeings MQ-25 team is focused on the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program, Gaddis and his group are maturing related future capabilities such as the cybersecurity of the handover from the ground control station to a manned aircraft in the air, developing dynamic mission planning tools, and continuing to mature the communications architecture to ensure total interoperability with the rest of the Navy fleet.

Weve got to think past [engineering and manufacturing development], weve got to go beyond the program of record because its all about the strategic fight in the South China Sea, Gaddis said.
SheKnows

It seems that along with pushing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle down to the lowest level on the official royal family website, they dont want either of them to be considered part of the Fab Four anymore. While Prince William and Kate Princess of Wales continue to hold that title, it seems the other half []
(Reuters) - Drugmakers Bristol Myers Squibb Co and AbbVie Inc told California officials that they plan to cut up to 360 jobs there in unrelated moves, according to notices filed with the state that were made public earlier this week.

Bristol Myers plans to cut up to 261 jobs in two different locations in San Diego, according to the filings. A Bristol Myers spokesperson said the job cuts follow the company's $4.1 billion acquisition of drug developer Turning Point Therapeutics, which closed in August.

"All incoming employees received retention packages tied to continued service to BMS for a period of time and have been encouraged to apply to long-term roles at BMS after their retention period ends," the spokesperson said in an email.

Separately, AbbVie plans to cut up to 99 jobs in Irvine, Calif., the company told the state. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

The job cuts were previously reported by Endpoints News.

(Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(Bloomberg) -- ByteDance Ltd. is offering to buy back as much as $3 billion of its own shares from investors at a valuation of about $300 billion, giving existing backers a way to cash out after plans for an initial public offering stalled.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Beijing-based company, parent of the hit TikTok video app, informed shareholders of the plan Friday via email. The offered price per share of just under $177 gave the company an implied valuation of $300 billion, the company wrote in the memo viewed by Bloomberg News. It also said that it was extending its existing stock incentive plan for another 10 years.

ByteDance has grown into the worlds most valuable startup on the success of apps like TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin, but its been squeezed between Beijings crackdown on internet firms at home and Washingtons suspicions of the services in the US. Just this week, TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas came under withering pressure to seal off US user data from Chinese review during Senate hearings.

TikTok has already been banned by the government of India, following a border dispute in 2020 that soured relations with China. That forced the service out of what had been its largest market by number of users, with 200 million regular viewers.

TikTok Owner Spends Record $2.14 Million on US Lobbying

ByteDance has considered taking TikTok public for years, a move that could both reward investors and ease some political pressure as the company separates from its Chinese parent. It contemplated a separate IPO for Douyin and its China businesses in Hong Kong. But both debuts have been put off repeatedly as Beijing steps up scrutiny of internet giants and, more recently, a sharp decline in tech stocks.

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ByteDances valuation soared to more than $400 billion in private trading, but that figure dropped to below $300 billion, Bloomberg News reported in July. The company told its 110,000 global employees last month that it will lower the price of its stock options by 20%, as a compensation to retain workers during a broader wave of layoffs across the Chinese internet sector.

While the current $300 billion offer is down from ByteDances peak valuation, it still holds out the promise of a remarkable return for early investors in the decade-old company, including Sequoia Capital and Susquehanna International Group. Beijings crackdown has hammered the value of tech companies in China, at one point wiping out more than $1 trillion of value from publicly traded giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

ByteDance is joining bigger rivals Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Ltd. in buying back their own shares, at a time when global investors like Warren Buffett and SoftBank Group Corp. are exiting some of their most lucrative Chinese stock investments.

To offset the general market angst, Tencent has been repurchasing its shares traded in Hong Kong on a near-daily basis in recent weeks, while Alibaba committed $25 billion to a new buyback program.

Read more: Legendary China Bets Unwind as Buffett, SoftBank Sell

ByteDances founder Zhang Yiming stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer last year, one of several billionaires to move out of high-profile positions after the regulatory scrutiny.

During a virtual townhall in August, ByteDance management said the company has no current plan or timetable for a stock market debut, according to attendees. Executives also said the company needed to expand cautiously and focus resources on key growth engines including TikTok, e-commerce, and the Slack-style work app Lark.

Beijings hardline policies led ByteDance to shut down most of its online education operations and disband its venture investment arm over the past year. Meanwhile Washingtons renewed scrutiny over how TikTok safeguards American user data triggered a record $2 million in spending on lobbying by ByteDance during the second quarter.

(Updates with details of tech buybacks from the 8th paragraph)

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BEIJING (Reuters) -ByteDance will spend up to $3 billion to repurchase shares in a deal that values the Chinese unlisted owner of TikTok at around $300 billion, according to a company memo to investors seen by Reuters on Friday.

The exercise is mainly aimed at helping some of its shareholders improve their liquidity positions, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said.

ByteDance had explored conducting an initial public offering in Hong Kong, sources have said, but company said in April last year it had no imminent plans.

The company's board will put the proposal, which values its shares at up to $176.9 apiece, to its shareholders at the end of this month and plans to carry out the buyback in the next two to three months, the person with direct knowledge said.

Recent trades in the private equity secondary market valued the company at $300 billion or lower, the person and a separate source said.

That compares with valuations of between $300 billion and $400 billion it received in the secondary market last year. Even at $300 billion, it is one of the world's most valuable private companies, according to CB Insights.

The sources declined to identified as the information was confidential.

Slower economic growth, much of which is due to COVID curbs, as well as Beijing's regulatory crackdown on the tech sector have crimped earnings prospects for many Chinese internet firms.

The company last month cut the price of stock options granted to employees by 20% from its 2021 plan.

Revenue growth in 2021 also slowed to 70% compared with more than 100% a year earlier.

In addition to TikTok, ByteDance's other hit apps include its Chinese equivalent Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao. In 2021, users spent approximately $2.3 billion in TikTok and the iOS version of Douyin, according to Sensor Tower.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Hes got a new idea.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a federal investigation into immigrant relocation policies from Texas and Florida that have seen thousands of people bused into northern cities.

Clearly, transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal, Newsom wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Newsom, a Democrat, specifically cited Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to fly about 50 people to Marthas Vineyard. The group landed on Wednesday.

Multiple immigrants said they were told the flight was going to Boston.

Accordingly, I strongly urge the (Justice Department) to open an investigation into possible criminal or civil violations of federal law based on this alleged fraudulent scheme, Newsom wrote.

Over the past several months, thousands of people have poured across the U.S.-Mexico border and claimed refugee status. All refugees seeking asylum are allowed to stay in a new country while their case is decided.

But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, another Republican, has tired of taking care of the new arrivals and has begun loading people onto buses and sending them to Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

After two busloads of people arrived outside Kamala Harris house in Washington, Abbott tweeted: Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like D.C. until Biden & Harris do their jobs to secure the border.

In his letter, Newsom suggested that the political ploy by Abbott and DeSantis may amount to a kidnapping scheme and suggested possible RICO charges.

The Justice Department has not publicly responded to Newsoms letter.
NextShark

Letters exchanged between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and former U.S. President Donald Trump between April 2018 and August 2019 have recently been published. I am ready to work with your excellency with all my heart and devotion, Kim said in a letter dated April 1, 2018, nearly six weeks before he first met Trump at the Singapore Summit. On the same day, Trump responded that he was happy to meet Kim to drastically improve relations between their respective governments.
Sep. 16WILLIAMSBURG  Authorities have arrested a Williamsburg man accused of murder.

Martin Allen Canada, 48, was taken into custody early Friday morning by Kentucky State Police in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred Wednesday night on Patrick Hollow Road.

According to a release from KSP Post 11, troopers were dispatched around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday to the scene of a fatal shooting at a Patrick Hollow Road residence in Whitley County.

Preliminary investigation indicated that Whitley County 911 was notified of a physical altercation between Canada and Kyle W. Chadwell, 31, of Williamsburg.

During the investigation, according to the release, it was determined that Canada shot Chadwell during the fight.

Chadwell was taken by Whitley County EMS to Baptist Health of Corbin, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead by Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley and subsequently taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.

Canada was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center at 2:58 a.m. Friday morning on one count of murder. He is currently scheduled to be arraigned in Whitley County District Court next Tuesday morning.

KSP Detective Arron Peace is leading the investigation.
Residents of a home care facility were promised housing, meals and other services, but were instead left without cash and begging for food, according to the Georgia Attorney Generals Office.

Now, an Atlanta woman is headed to prison.

Michelle Oliver was given a 20-year sentence, with the first seven years to be served in prison, after she was convicted Sept. 8 on charges related to the neglect of older, disabled adults living in an unlicensed personal care home she owned, state authorities said.

A Dougherty County jury found her guilty on multiple charges including willful deprivation of an elder person and 51 counts of financial exploitation of a disabled adult, according to a news release.

Investigators said Oliver, who owned the Miracle One Care Center, also pocketed more than $32,000 from residents between December 2016 and September 2017, all while still depriving them of basic needs. An investigation found residents were often left alone in filthy homes with no furniture, air conditioning or access to clean clothes.

Michelle Oliver preyed upon some of our states most vulnerable and in-need citizens, Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. She systematically neglected those she had promised to help, all while taking their money but leaving them with nothing in return.

In December 2016, Oliver moved several residents from the Atlanta area into a series of duplexes nearly 200 miles away in Albany, according to authorities. The Georgia Department of Human Services, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state agencies, launched an investigation after a complaint from a concerned citizen about the Albany facility.

In addition to the dirty conditions, investigators said residents were deprived of food despite Oliver hiring a cook who prepared meals in the morning but left before the lunch hour.

Due to the residents disabilities, they did not have access to their own money and were left to beg neighbors and nearby stores for food on a near daily basis, state authorities said.

Story continues

A financial payee who took residents monthly payments pleaded guilty to charges in the case last year, according to the attorney generals office.

The residents were eventually moved out of the duplexes, many of which the Albany Code Enforcement deemed unfit for human occupation, authorities said.

Albany is about 90 miles southeast of Columbus.

Caretaker seen dragging 91-year-old Alzheimers patient across room, MA officials say

Heartbreakingly evil scam convinced seniors that grandkids were in danger, feds say

Dead woman found in filthy home hadnt had prescriptions filled in years, AL cops say
A leading Chadian rebel flew home on Friday to join talks on the country's political future, after spending nearly two years in jail in Egypt, an AFP reporter saw.

Tom Erdimi, 67, arrived at N'Djamena airport aboard an EgyptAir flight and was greeted by his twin brother, Timan Erdimi, who leads the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR).

The brothers -- nephews of Chad's iron-fisted late president Idriss Deby Itno -- were key figures in the regime in the 1990s before they rebelled against it, co-founding the UFR.

Erdimi was arrested in Egypt in December 2020, a move that the UFR said was the result of Chadian pressure on the Cairo government.

But on Wednesday, the Chadian government announced that he had been pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and would be returning home.

There have been no other details about his release, which had been a condition set by the UFR for joining a forum on charting the military-run country's return to civilian rule.

Erdimi, wearing a traditional white gown, was warmly received by relatives and sympathisers. Two ministers in the junta-appointed government were also present.

He called for "peace and reconciliation, in a democratic system".

He thanked "Chadians who mobilised... for my release", singling out his brother as well as "the president of the transitional military council" -- a reference to junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby.

Deby took the reins of the country after his father was killed during an operation against rebels in April 2021.

He dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, vowing to hold "free and democratic" elections after an 18-month rule.

The elections hinge on the outcome of a so-called inclusive national dialogue, a forum launched by Deby that would seal changes to the constitution and other reforms.

The dialogue began on August 20 after repeated delays, and work is progressing very slowly, hobbled in part by the absence of key political opponents and rebels.

Story continues

The scheduled closure has already been pushed back 10 days to September 30.

Chad, one of the world's poorest countries, has endured repeated uprisings and unrest since independence from France in 1960.

Tom Erdimi was director of former president Debys cabinet in 1991, and in charge of a range of oil-related activities in the central African state.

He and his brother rebelled against the late ruler in 2005, launching several offensives aimed at overthrowing the government, including one that earned them a death sentence in absentia while they were in exile overseas.

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GRAND RAPIDS  One man was shot during a police chase and is accused of stealing a U-Haul during that pursuit, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office  and now he faces multiple charges.

Robert Gallup, a 36-year-old Kentwood man, faces charges of five counts of felonious assault, two counts of third degree fleeing a police officer and two counts of malicious destruction of police property, the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office said Thursday, Sept. 15.

Gallup will also be charged as a habitual offender, fourth offense notice. He's currently lodged in the Kent County Jail and will be arraigned in Ottawa County at a later date.

On Friday, Sept. 9, the Walker Police Department was investigating a stolen motorcycle. Police ended up struggling with the suspect, later identified as Gallup, police say.

Our detective ended up firing rounds at the suspect, Walker Police Chief Keith Mankel said on Sept. 9.

Police say Gallup then drove off and led police on a chase, eventually ditching his car and swimming across the Grand River, ending up in Georgetown Township.

OCSO said he then stole a U-Haul. Deputies spotted him and the pursuit continued. During that chase, Gallup is accused of intentionally hitting multiple cruisers, as well as hitting other vehicles, street signs and mailboxes.

Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

The subject struck numerous sheriffs deputies, one of them, at least, head-on. Theres multiple crashed cruisers back there right now, Capt. Jacob Sparks said on Sept. 9. Thankfully, nobody was hurt more seriously.

Sparks said a deputy shot at the suspect. The U-Haul was eventually stopped when it was disabled by a deputy. Gallup was arrested and brought to the hospital with a gunshot wound.

Its not known if Gallup was hit by the detective in Walker or the deputy in Georgetown Township. He has since been released from the hospital.

Two deputies suffered minor injuries when their cruisers were hit, authorities said.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Charges filed against Kent County man shot during chase with stolen U-Haul
King Charles III and his three siblings stood guard around their mother Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on Friday in solemn vigil honouring Britain's longest-serving monarch.

The new king, Princess Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward mounted the guard in silence around her flag-shrouded casket as members of the public, who had queued for hours, continued to file past.

The "Vigil of the Princes", with the royals all in ceremonial naval uniform, formed an emotionally-charged moment in London's mediaeval Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth's coffin is lying in state ahead of Monday's funeral.

Her children stood with their heads bowed for 12 minutes as other members of the royal family including Queen Consort Camilla watched on and the public paid their own last respects.

King Charles and his siblings mounted a similar vigil at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh before the coffin was flown to London.

The Vigil of the Princes first took place in Westminster Hall in 1936 for king George V. His four sons, including Queen Elizabeth's father, stood guard.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry will lead the queen's grandchildren in a similar vigil on Saturday evening.

Members of the public have been facing waits of up to 24 hours to file past the coffin.

- Speech in Welsh -

Large crowds cheered King Charles and chanted "God Save the King" in the Welsh capital Cardiff earlier on Friday, as the new monarch shook hands with well-wishers following a multi-faith service in Llandaff Cathedral, and at Cardiff Castle.

It was the last of his visits to the United Kingdom's four constituent nations following the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8, at the age of 96.

Charles met in private with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, an avowed republican.

In a speech at the Welsh Parliament, which alternated between English and Welsh, the king vowed to follow the "selfless example" of his mother.

Before ascending to the throne on September 8, Charles, 73, had been the Prince of Wales since 1958, a title bestowed on the heir apparent.

Story continues

He made his eldest child William the new Prince of Wales on September 9.

Sharon Driscoll was in floods of tears after meeting King Charles at Cardiff Castle.

"It was very emotional, very personal, the eye contact meant a lot in view of how long we've waited," the 48-year-old nurse said.

"I shook his hand and said 'I'm really sorry that your mum passed away'. He said 'thank you very much, it means a lot'," she said.

A handful of people used the occasion to protest against Britain's system of constitutional monarchy.

Outside Cardiff Castle, a few demonstrators held up banners declaring "Abolish the monarchy", "Citizen not subject" and "Democracy now".

- Religious vow -

Back at Buckingham Palace in London, King Charles reached out to Britain's various faith communities and pledged to defend freedom of worship under his reign.

On his accession to the throne, Charles became the titular head of the Church of England as its supreme governor, which comes with the title Defender of the Faith.

At his accession, he also pledged on oath to maintain and preserve the Protestant faith in Scotland.

He told assembled faith leaders that he was a "committed Anglican Christian" -- but believed that as sovereign it was his "duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practise".

In 1994, he said he would rather see his future role as a defender of faith, rather than of the faith, but clarified in 2015 that the historic title was compatible with being a protector of freedom to follow other faiths.

- Beckham queues up -

Elizabeth's death has triggered an outpouring of emotion, with tens of thousands from all backgrounds and many nations queueing for hours, often through the night, to pay their respects in Westminster Hall.

The queue was paused for nearly an hour on Friday after a park at the end of the line along the River Thames reached capacity, the government said.

Then officials said just after 1600 GMT that the "expected queuing time is over 24 hours" -- up from 14 hours for those at the end of the queue.

They also warned of cold overnight temperatures and another pause if the line reached capacity.

David Beckham, the former England football captain, queued from 2:00am to pay his last respects.

Beckham, 47, wearing a dark suit and tie, stood with his hands behind his back, bowed his head towards the catafalque, then bit his lip before leaving Westminster Hall.

"It's very emotional, and the silence and the feeling in the room is very hard to explain," he told reporters afterwards.

"We're all there to say thanks to Her Majesty for being kind, for being caring, for being reassuring throughout the years.

"The legacy that she has left is incredible."

- 'Unimaginable void' -

Also in the queue was Peter Stratford, 70, a former firefighter who was one of the first on the scene at a huge fire in 1992 at Windsor Castle, where the queen will be buried on Monday.

"My ankles are killing me, but it's a small sacrifice to make," he told AFP after waiting in line for eight hours.

"I've been tearful, emotional... I wouldn't have missed it."

Mourners marked their moment in front of the coffin in various ways, from bows or curtsies to the sign of the cross or by simply removing their hats, an AFP reporter inside observed Friday.

Some wiped away tears. Others brought infants in pushchairs. Old soldiers stopped and gave one last salute to their former commander-in-chief.

In a statement, the queen's youngest son Edward said her passing had left an "unimaginable void".

"We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us," he said.

"And now, we are there for her, united in grief. Thank you for your support. You have no idea how much it means."

- Row with China -

At Westminster Abbey on Monday, the queen will be honoured with Britain's first state funeral in nearly six decades, with more than 2,000 guests expected.

After the televised service, the coffin will be transferred by royal hearse to Windsor Castle, west of London, for a private burial in which the queen will be laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip, her parents and her sister.

Police are mounting Britain's biggest-ever security operation for the funeral, as global dignitaries jet in.

An official delegation from China has been banned from attending the lying-in-state following an intervention by House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, parliamentary sources said.

It comes after China sanctioned several British lawmakers over their criticism of its human rights record.

"The British side should uphold both diplomatic courtesy and gracious hospitality," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

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Hagerman Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief Chad Hamill welcomed the donation of a 1997 brush truck from Eddy County Fire and Rescue to assist firefighting efforts in the small Chaves County community located one hour north of Carlsbad.

Eddy Countys Board of County Commissioners approved donations of used fire trucks and equipment Sept. 6 to the City of Roswell Fire Department, Hagerman Fire and Emergency Medical Services and Dexter Fire and Rescue from Eddy County Fire and Rescue (ECFR).

Hamill said new fire trucks are costly to small rural communities like Hagerman, which had a population of 919, per data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

More:Eddy County approves fire and emergency medical aid agreements with West Texas County

He said new fire vehicles cost $300,000 or more.

As a municipality, Hamill said Hagerman does not have fire excise tax funds that unincorporated areas of Chaves County have.

Our budget is tight, is a lot tighter. So, we take what we can, he said.

Hamill said Hagerman Fire and Emergency Medical Services would use the 1997 Ford F-350 brush truck as backup to the current unit.

ECFR Chief Joshua Mack said Eddy County often donates to other fire departments in New Mexico once a fire vehicle ends its service with ECFR.

There are many departments that have apparatus in worse shape than what we have replaced, even with issues most times it is cheaper for them to have repairs made to the apparatus we are separating from. It is a great way for ECFR to give back to other communities to enhance their fire protection capabilities, he said.

Mack said ECFR reaches out to other departments in southeast New Mexico and also connects with the State Fire Marshals Office to determine what departments need in terms of used fire apparatus.

More:Eddy County approves nearly $6M in fire funds for new radio system and fire station

Once the department has been identified we work with our Finance Department and then we take the recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. Once approved it takes approximately 30 to 45 days to complete the donation process for Finance to the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (NMDFA), he said.

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ECFRs donations are not limited to small communities like Hagerman. The City of Roswell Fire Department accepted a combination of three brush trucks, a rescue truck and four pickup trucks, read Eddy County records.

The largest community in Chaves County, Roswell had a population of 48,422 according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

The City of Roswell has six fire stations in various quadrants of the city limits, according to the City of Roswell website.

City of Roswell Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Kirkham said the department needed extra staff vehicles and the donation filled that purpose.

Kirkham was not concerned about the life span of the vehicles which range in age from 7 years old to 20 years old.

More:Fireworks shows left to contractors following 2019 explosion in Roswell that killed one firefighter

Eddy County has done a great job taking care of their vehicles. Theyll be a great asset for us, he said.

Kirkham said the eight vehicles would save money and wear and tear for the Roswell Fire Department.

Theyre vehicles we can use that arent costing us, he said.

Mack said ECFR sought replacement for fire trucks purchased over a designated time period.

Many new apparatuses were purchased with these apparatuses identified to be replaced and they remained parked in the stations. So, at this time we feel that we have a good fleet and have identified an apparatus replacement plan that will enhance our capabilities with fewer apparatuses, he said.

Eddy County Fire Services Director Joshua Mack fights a fire south of Carlsbad in November 2019.

Mack said ECFR saved money, minimized the number of fire trucks in stations and reduced maintenance expenses during upgrades.

County commissioners approved the donation of two used brush trucks to Dexter Fire and Rescue.

Comments sought from Dexter Fire and Rescue on the fire truck donations were not returned to the Current-Argus.

Mack said ECFR tried to maintained relationships with fire departments as possible especially those in neighboring counties, other parts of New Mexico and across the nation.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Eddy County donates 11 used vehicles to Chaves County fire departments
Miami Herald

If you live in one of the hurricane-ravaged areas of Southwest Florida like I do, and havent been able to get to your property to survey the damage because of high water, washed-out roads or gaps in bridges, there is help.
Yara Nardi/Reuters

ROMETwo young children died after being swept away in a torrential storm that devastated the Marche region of central Italy overnight. Authorities said at least 10 people were killed when more than 15 inches of rain fell in less than three hours. On Friday, at least four people remained missing.

One of the children died when the car he was in with his mother was swept away in the torrents formed by the rain. The mother was rescued but the child was strapped into a car seat in the back.

#Maltempo #Ancona, 180 #vigilidelfuoco al lavoro: salvate nella notte decine di persone rifugiatesi sui tetti delle abitazioni e sugli alberi.

Piu di 150 gli interventi effettuati, 7 persone decedute e 3 risultano disperse.

Nel filmato il lavoro a #Senigallia (AN) #16settembre pic.twitter.com/9KuzHkkFGr  Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) September 16, 2022

Rescue workers had to use rafts to reach homes and cars inundated by flash floods in the area that had previously made headlines due to an extreme drought and heatwave during one of the hottest summers on record.

"Solidarieta alle popolazioni colpite. E preoccupante l'aumento di fenomeni climatici estremi". Cosi il Presidente CRI @Francescorocca sull'#EmergenzaMarche. @CRIMarche pic.twitter.com/abRHiyHNH2  Croce Rossa Italiana (@crocerossa) September 16, 2022

On Friday, business owners with ground-floor establishments were left to sift through mud and water. Many reported a complete loss of their businesses.

Forecasters had predicted rain showers, but authorities said they did not anticipate such a dramatic storm. We were given a normal alert for rain, Stefano Aguzzi, head of civil protection said Friday. But nobody had expected anything like this.

Authorities say the water bomb was made worse by the dry conditions. As the rain fell, the land was too parched to absorb it, causing flash flooding. The mayor of one of the hardest hit hamlets likened it to other natural disasters. Ludovico Caverni, mayor of Serra SantAbbondio, said the downpour was like an earthquake.

The deadly storm is the latest in extreme weather to sweep Italy. In July a chunk of Italys largest Alpine glacier detached, killing 11 people.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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China lake

Europe and parts of China have experienced extreme temperatures this summer, dry conditions in Africa have put millions at risk of starvation, and the American West continues to see a persistent lack of rainfall.

Scientists say warmer and drier seasons are likely to become the norm, but have these past few months been the driest on record?

How dry is the earth?

One measure of drought conditions used by scientists is based on the level of moisture in the soil as measured by satellite imagery.

We have compared these dry conditions over the past three months to average conditions since the beginning of this century, to build up a picture of how extreme recent weather patterns have been.

Europe drought map

This data is based on both soil conditions and temperature data to create what is known as a soil moisture anomaly map.

We can see that most of Europe has experienced much drier weather this summer than the average for the period 2001 to 2016.

Elsewhere, the west of China has been very dry, with many areas experiencing extreme drought. Parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the US are also experiencing critically dry conditions.

Europe drought 'worst in 500 years'

In Europe, this summer's drought may be the worst the continent has experienced in 500 years, according to the EU's environmental programme Copernicus.

At the peak of the dry spell in late August, almost half of Europe suffered from a "soil moisture deficit".

Scientists say climate change means Europe will continue to experience more frequent and persistent droughts, and the dry conditions this year have affected agriculture, transport and energy generation.

The Rhine, a major river and cargo route, dropped to critically low levels this summer, causing shipping disruption.

River Rhine

The period between June and August was the hottest on record, and a report by the EU in August predicted at least three more months of "warmer and drier" days.

Europe has experienced droughts in the past, but recent years have seen increasingly hot summers with many high temperature records set.

Story continues

"We have now had consecutive droughts for the last five years, and this year is the worst Europe-wide drought in hundreds of years," says Dr Fred Hattermann, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

"It's not just less rain, it's also that it's got much warmer, so the overall soil moisture has decreased."

China's droughts and floods

This summer, China experienced an extended period of high temperatures that lasted more than two months, the longest since records began in the 1960s, according to China's Meteorological Administration.

Line chart showing depth of Yangtze River June-August for different years

Extreme heat and a severe lack of rainfall meant China's biggest river, the Yangtze, shrank. During August, there was 60% less rainfall in the river's drainage area than normal, according to official Chinese data.

Despite large areas in southern China struggling with drought, heavy rains in northern areas led to flooding. The Liao River in northern China recorded its second highest water level since 1961.

And nationwide, rainfall has steadily increased since 2012, China's annual climate change study says.

In July, the Chinese government issued eight drought warnings and more than 13,000 heavy rain warnings. In 2019, there were more than 28 drought warnings and 10,000 heavy rain warnings for the same period.

Seeing both extreme wet and dry conditions is a feature of climate change across the globe.

"When areas of drought grow, like in Siberia and western US, that water falls elsewhere in a smaller area, worsening flooding," Peter Gleick, a water specialist from the US National Academy of Sciences, says.

Famine warnings in Africa

Drought conditions in eastern Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia have led the UN to warn that some 22 million people could be at risk of starvation.

"We are now in the third year of very low rainfall coupled with high temperatures in that part of the continent," according to Oxfam.

In Somalia, the rainfall in the March to May season was the lowest in the last six decades. And large parts of DR Congo and Uganda have also experienced very dry conditions compared with the average.

Africa drought map

But measurements of soil moisture also show how in some countries, such as South Sudan, Mauritania and Senegal, there has been severe flooding.

Many parts of southern Africa have also experienced much higher than normal levels of rainfall.

A World Bank report in 2021 noted that overall "relative to 1970-79, the numbers of droughts and floods were nearly threefold and tenfold respectively, by 2010-19".

Drought conditions in the US

Drought conditions in the western US have become the norm, with the region experiencing years of drier and hotter weather.

In a report published in February, scientists said the last two decades had seen the most extreme drought conditions in 1,200 years in the American west.

And this summer, hot and dry weather led to forest fires in several states and water storage levels dropping.

Satellite map comparison of Lake Powell in the US, in 2017 and 2022

Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the US which straddles Arizona and Utah, is at its lowest level since it was filled in the 1960s, according to Nasa.

Climate models predict that the region will continue to have far less rainfall than average in the coming decades.

Reporting by Tural Ahmedzade, Jake Horton, Peter Mwai and Wanyuan Song

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BEIJING (AP)  China announced sanctions on Friday against the CEOs of American defense contractors Raytheon and Boeing Defense over a major U.S. arms sale to rival Taiwan.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not specify what the sanctions would be against Gregory Hayes, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corp., and Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

It wasn't immediately clear what impact they would have on the executives or their companies, but such sanctions are often mainly symbolic in nature.

The U.S. announced a $1.09 billion arms sale to Taiwan last week, including $355 million for Boeing's Harpoon missiles and $85 million for Raytheon's Sidewinder missiles.

We once again urge the U.S. government and relevant parties to ... stop arms sales to Taiwan and military contact with Taiwan, and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Mao said at a daily briefing.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island of 23 million people off its east coast, as its territory and says it must eventually come under its control. Taiwan and China split in 1949 during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing.

The U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan under its one-China policy but is the island's main supplier of military equipment and is bound by its own laws to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

Mao also expressed China's opposition to an upcoming Taiwan trip by Czech lawmakers. A 14-member delegation is to arrive Sunday for a six-day visit, according to Taiwan media reports.

China is firmly opposed to any form of official contact between Taiwan and countries having diplomatic relations with China, Mao said.

She called on the Czech lawmakers "to refrain from sending the wrong signals to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and to stop undermining ... bilateral relations.

In February, China announced sanctions on Raytheon and Lockheed Martin over a $100 million deal for maintenance of Taiwans missile defense systems by the two companies.

China also protested a bill that was approved by a U.S. Senate committee this week that could significantly increase American military support for Taiwan.
BEIJING  China announced sanctions on Friday against the chief executives of American defense contractors Raytheon and Boeing Defense over a major U.S. arms sale to rival Taiwan.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not specify what the sanctions would be against Gregory Hayes, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Technologies, and Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

It wasnt immediately clear what impact they would have on the executives or their companies, but such sanctions are often mainly symbolic in nature.

The U.S. announced a $1.09 billion arms sale to Taiwan last week, including $355 million for Boeings Harpoon missiles and $85 million for Raytheons Sidewinder missiles.

We once again urge the U.S. government and relevant parties to ... stop arms sales to Taiwan and military contact with Taiwan, and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Mao said at a daily briefing.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island of 23 million people off its east coast, as its territory and says it must eventually come under its control. Taiwan and China split in 1949 during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing.

The U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan under its one-China policy but is the islands main supplier of military equipment and is bound by its own laws to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

Mao also expressed Chinas opposition to an upcoming Taiwan trip by Czech lawmakers. A 14-member delegation is to arrive Sunday for a six-day visit, according to Taiwan media reports.

China is firmly opposed to any form of official contact between Taiwan and countries having diplomatic relations with China, Mao said.

She called on the Czech lawmakers to refrain from sending the wrong signals to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and to stop undermining ... bilateral relations.

In February, China announced sanctions on Raytheon and Lockheed Martin over a $100 million deal for maintenance of Taiwans missile defense systems by the two companies.

China also protested a bill that was approved by a U.S. Senate committee this week that could significantly increase American military support for Taiwan.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend in April. (Photo: Hippolyte Petit via Getty Images)

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend in April. (Photo: Hippolyte Petit via Getty Images)

Chrissy Teigen says the miscarriage she had two years ago was actually an abortion  and the realization surprised her.

In September 2020, Teigen and husband John Legend announced that they had lost an expected child they named Jack due to pregnancy complications. Although Teigen didnt specifically call it a miscarriage, thats what was widely reported.

Teigen said Thursday during a speech at social impact consultant Propper Daleys Day of Unreasonable Conversation that it took her over a year to realize that calling it a miscarriage wasnt accurate.

Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack ... I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions, she said, per The Hollywood Reporter. It became very clear around halfway through [the pregnancy] that he would not survive, and that I wouldnt either without any medical intervention.

As she went on to describe her experience, Teigen stopped herself, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Teigen with her children, Miles and Luna Stephens, at the Grammys in April. (Photo: Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)

Teigen with her children, Miles and Luna Stephens, at the Grammys in April. (Photo: Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)

Lets just call it what it was: It was an abortion, Teigen said. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago.

Teigen said she began to appreciate the situation during a difficult conversation with Legend after the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights earlier this summer. After the courts decision, Teigen said she expressed to Legend that she felt sympathy for those whove struggled with the emotional toll of abortion decisions.

It was then that Legend explained that she was one of those people.

I fell silent, feeling weird that I hadnt made sense of it that way, Teigen shared. I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage, all the headlines said it was a miscarriage. And I became really frustrated that I didnt, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion.

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Teigen arrives at the Emmy Awards earlier this week. (Photo: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)

Teigen arrives at the Emmy Awards earlier this week. (Photo: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)

Teigen shares a daughter, Luna, 6, and son, Miles, 4, with Legend, who she married in 2013.

The model and lifestyle mogul announced in August that she was pregnant again, two years after her last pregnancy.

Teigen noted in an Instagram post announcing her pregnancy that she breathes a sigh of relief every time she hears a heartbeat at medical appointments.

I dont think Ill ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves, Teigen said at the time. But so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and Im feeling hopeful and amazing.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
(Bloomberg) -- This story was originally published on May 18. Today the German government announced its seizing Rosneft PJSCs German unit, including control of a key refinery on the Polish border.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Berlin risks running out of fuel unless German officials can find a way to keep a Cold War relic from falling victim to geopolitics.

A refinery on the Polish border, which supplies the bulk of the jet fuel for the German capitals airport and gasoline for the regions vehicles, is caught up in the European Unions standoff with Moscow over the war in Ukraine. A plan to ban Russian oil imports by the end of the year threatens to choke off supplies to the facility in the small town of Schwedt, which would cripple Berlin and much of eastern Germany in the process.

The PCK refinery is directly connected to a pipeline pumping Russian crude from the other side of the Ural mountains. Because the facility is far from a major port, theres no easy alternative, and the fact that its controlled by the Kremlins oil champion Rosneft PJSC multiplies the complexity.

From Berlin to Germanys Baltic coast and parts of western Poland, virtually every plane, police car, fire truck and ambulance is powered by fuel from Schwedt, said Annekathrin Hoppe, mayor of the town of 34,000 on the Oder river. Closing the refinery would be a disaster.

The facility, which covers an area more than twice the size of New Yorks Central Park, was built in the 1960s to cement former communist East Germanys reliance on the Soviet Union. The struggle to find a solution shows that those links are still strong more than three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Story continues

Read more: Europes Difficult Path to Making a Russian Oil Ban Work

To comply with the EUs planned oil embargo, Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government is weighing some heavy-handed solutions, including taking control of the refinery as it did with Gazprom PJSCs German unit. But a change of ownership wouldnt resolve the main issue: replacing the 12 millions tons of crude pumped to the refinery every year through the Druzhba pipeline, named after the Russian word for friendship.

The refinery is not configured for anything else but Russias high-sulfur crude oil, said Ben Van Beurden, chief executive officer of Shell Plc, which owns a stake in PCK that it had been trying to sell. The refinery declined to comment for this story.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck traveled to Schwedt last week to address concerns over the refinerys future. With hundreds of workers straining to hear, he climbed on a table to better deliver his message on how the government is working to ensure that operations can continue if Russian oil is banned.

We need your production, your work to safeguard Germanys supply, Habeck told PCKs staff, adding that there will likely be disruptions. I dont want to take you for a fool or paint a picture thats too rosy.

German authorities are scrambling for options and have determined that an old pipeline linking Schwedt to the Baltic port of Rostock could be used for crude delivered via tanker. But its relatively small size means it could only cover some 60% of normal volumes. To boost supplies, plans to increase the pump pressure and modernize the infrastructure are under discussion, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Another option would be to have tankers dock in Gdansk in Poland and send crude through a pipeline that connects to the Druzhba. That would require the help of Warsaw, which has its own supply issues to deal with as it phases out Russian energy.

Read more: Germany to Stop Russian Oil Imports Regardless of EU Sanctions

Polish Climate Minister Anna Moskwa said the government, which is already helping to supply another German refinery in Leuna, wants Rosneft out of PCKs ownership. She indicated the country might seek even more in return.

We are working with the German side on a new joint model of managing the refineries so that its optimal both for Polish and German societies, she said. I can assure you that its a business model. Its not charity.

Michael Kellner, a deputy German economy minister, said Wednesday on NDR television that hes optimistic that a solution can be found with the Polish government. If needed, Germany could tap oil reserves to supply Schwedt, he said, adding that the country is prepared for every eventuality given the refinerys massive importance for the region.

Read more: How Polands Plan to Stop Buying Russian Oil Affects Germanys

Locals in Schwedt, which boasts a church dating back to the 13th century, are skeptical that decades-old infrastructure connections can be re-routed successfully in little more than six months.

There have been several crises with Russia since the plant was founded, but those never affected the supply relationship, said Gundolf Schuelke, head of the regional chamber of industry and commerce. This conflict  with its massive scope and sanctions as well as counter-sanctions  is unprecedented.

Berlin already had a taste of what could happen if Russian crude dries up. In 2019, supplies through the Druzhba were found to be contaminated. Within just a few weeks, Berlin was running short and needed to secure emergency deliveries of heating oil, diesel and gasoline from Hamburg.

In that case, the issue was short-lived. Now, a more structural shift is under way, and PCK has done little to prepare for a time without access to cheap Russian crude  or the end of the fossil-fuel era.

Over the longer term, city officials are pushing to transform not just the refinery but also the local economy by creating an innovation campus to attract startups and sustainable industrial firms.

Hamburg-based Bio-Lutions International AG is setting up a plant that will turn straw and tomato stalks into an alternative for plastic packaging. Leipzig-based Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG is already producing biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane at the PCK site and shares its vast pipeline, rail and processing infrastructure.

But those efforts arent an immediate replacement for the refinery, which employs around 1,200 people and sustains at least as many more jobs at local partners. Also, heat generated by the plant keeps 80% of Schwedts homes warm during the winter.

If PCK will stop production, there is no fuel in East Germany and no fuel in Berlin anymore, Claus Sauter, Verbios chief executive officer, said on a conference call last week. A whole region will die.

(This story was originally published on May 18. Today the German government announced its seizing Rosneft PJSCs German unit, including control of a key refinery on the Polish border.)

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A ruling that denied a Justice Department stay in the case of the Mar-a-Lago documents rests on the most basic dereliction of judicial responsibility. (Greg Lovett/ Palm Beach Post via Associated Press )

Thursdays 10-page opinion by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon denying the governments motion for a stay in the Mar-a-Lago documents case is being savaged by commentators in terms normally reserved for grotesque transgressions of justice like the infamous Dred Scott Supreme Court decision.

Respected and generally sober legal analysts have called it an atrocity, legally and practically incoherent, dangerous garbage, and declared Cannon a partisan hack. No honest and competent legal analyst could have ruled as she did, tweeted Harvard Law's Laurence Tribe.

Could the opinion really be that bad?

In a word, yes.

The opinions essential flaws go well beyond straining the law and stretching facts in favor of Donald Trump. The ruling rests on the most basic dereliction of judicial responsibility, and it represents a complete departure from the bedrock principle of separation of powers.

Cannon was actually handed a graceful way back from her also broadly pilloried opinion last week, in which she had determined that a special master was required to review the government documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department asked for a modest stay extending to only 100 pages of classified material found at the beach resort. It is beyond controversy that such documents are off-limits to a private citizen like the former president.

Trumps lawyers did not try to contest that principle. Rather they argued, bizarrely, that just because the government said the documents were classified, it wasnt necessarily so.

That, of course, is spectacular gibberish. The very meaning of classified documents is that the executive branch has made a determination about their content and marked them classified.

But Cannon adopted Trumps Alice-in-Wonderland approach. She concluded that it would not be appropriate  the closest thing to legal reasoning in her opinion  "to accept the governments conclusion on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third-party," that is, a special master.

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Cannon, in essence, is redefining the classification process to be simply a provisional executive branch judgment subject to overruling by individual judges such as herself. Apart from its legal bankruptcy, such a process would wreak bedlam in matters of national intelligence, which turn on the very designations that Cannon set aside.

The Trump teams next gambit, which the judge also adopted, was even more logically and legally threadbare. The former president has argued repeatedly in public that he declassified the documents. But his attorneys have studiously avoided saying that in court papers, where lies are subject to professional and criminal penalties. The Trump filings indicate only that he perhaps had declassified the documents.

The appropriate response for a judge in these circumstances is to put Trump on the stand and ask him, Did you or didnt you? Failing that, perhaps means the matter is not established and the argument loses.

But Cannon either does not know or does not care what judges do in such a situation. It is important to emphasize that she isnt simply leaning in Trumps direction, shes falling all over him.

Judges sit to resolve disputes, on the basis of evidence. Trumps team offered none for his positions, relying instead on only the most speculative arguments. It is elementary to the adversary system of justice that evidence and the law, not speculation, determine outcomes. Nothing in the Trump teams filings justifies freezing a criminal justice investigation and national intelligence review in their tracks.

And thats another screaming flaw in Cannons opinion. The Justice Department submitted an affidavit explaining in concrete terms why a national intelligence review of the Mar-a-Lago documents cant go forward if the criminal investigation is halted. Cannon simply rejected it  again, no countering evidence was produced  and reasserted her notion that the national intelligence review could go forward. That ruling rested on a complete ignorance of executive branch practice and a rank arrogation to herself of the executive power.

Finally, and grotesquely, Cannon declared that her ruling was  inherently impacted by the position formally held by plaintiff. In other words, her pledge to do equal justice under law has an exception for the president who appointed her.

It cannot be clearer that the failings here represent rank departures from the very function of a federal judge  to resolve disputes according to the evidence and to respect the role of coordinate branches.

And that doesnt even touch on the debacle that appointing a special master in this case has spawned, in which executive privilege is to be assessed by the special master notwithstanding firmly established law that says the former president has no such claim to documents he purloined and concealed.

The Justice Department will file an appeal. Many observers have noted that the court above Cannon has a majority of conservative members, and that is true and perilous. Nonetheless, the shortcomings in the opinion go beyond conservative versus liberal judicial philosophy. Only if the appellate judges are willing, as Cannon has been, to abandon their basic role as judicial officers can this incoherent opinion stand.

If that happens  which I do not expect  we would be truly lost.

@HarryLitman





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Comeaux High School student was arrested on terrorizing and resisting-arrest charges Wednesday, the Lafayette Police Department said.

A 17-year-old student was arrested after an anonymous 911 call that said a male student made a threat by telling students not to go to school because he was bringing a gun to shoot up the campus on Thursday, LPD said in a news release.

The complaint was made after school hours. School resource officers found the student at his home and took him into custody, LPD said. The student was booked into the Lafayette Juvenile Detention Home.

Because the student is a juvenile, his name is not being released by police.

The Lafayette Parish School System said it received a report Thursday morning that a threat was made toward the Broussard Middle School campus, but law enforcement determined that no threat had been made.

Both Comeaux High and Broussard Middle are in regular session.

CONSIDER SUBSCRIBING TODAY: Help support journalists like William Taylor Potter

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Comeaux High student arrested in connection with threat to shoot up school
Associated Press

A famed extreme skier from the United States who was killed after falling from one of the world's tallest mountains was on Sunday given a traditional funeral at a Sherpa cremation ground as Buddhist monks officiated over a ceremony attended by family, friends and government officials. Hilaree Nelson, 49, fell off the 8,163-meter (26,775-foot) summit of the worlds eighth-highest mountain. Nelson's body was taken to the Sherpa cremation grounds in Kathmandu from a hospital morgue on the back of a open truck, which was decorated a poster of her and bedecked with garlands of flowers.
OSLO, Norway  Expert witnesses in the ongoing trial between crypto Twitter personality Hodlonaut and Craig Wright  the Australian computer scientist who has long claimed (and failed to prove) he is the inventor of Bitcoin  told the court on Thursday that Wright could have used any number of tricks to fool Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen into believing he was Satoshi during a private signing session in 2016.

Andresen has since all but denounced Wright, saying he had bamboozled him with funky proof on that day in 2016. Andresens faith in Wrights identity as Satoshi has been a cornerstone of Wrights defense in his trial against Hodlonaut (real name Magnus Granath), one of two simultaneous legal battles between the two men over a series of tweets in March 2019 in which Hodlonaut deemed Wright a pretender, and called him a scammer and a fraud.

Hodlonaut sued Wright in Norway to get a judge to rule that his tweets were protected by freedom of speech  and prevent a libel case filed by Wright in the U.K. seeking financial damages in connection to the tweets from moving forward.

During his testimony on Wednesday, Wright told Norwegian District Court Judge Helen Engebrigtsen that he would not be providing any cryptographic proof of his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto, claiming that he not only didnt want to, but that doing so would be incredibly difficult after he destroyed the hard drive containing his private keys to Satoshis wallets after his signing session with Andresen.

Read more: Craig Wright Tells Court He Stomped on the Hard Drive Containing Satoshi Wallet Keys

Instead, his defense has taken a new angle: Proof, Wright says, isnt demonstrating ownership of Satoshis wallet (a move that would silence most of Wrights doubters)  proof is people.

Bamboozling 101

Wright previously told the court that his ability to convince Andresen that he was Satoshi by allegedly using the private keys in front of him in 2016 was enough to prove his identity to others.

Story continues

Attorneys for Hodlonaut brought in three expert witnesses who testified that cryptographic proof  not personal testimony  could alone prove Wrights claims. They also explained how that could be done.

Johan Toras Halseth, the tech director of Norwegian crypto exchange Firi, told the court that it would have been possible for Wright to organize the private signing session with Andresen in a way that made it possible for him to deceive the Bitcoin developer.

Halseth said he first heard about Wright when the Wired magazine article outing him as Satoshi came out.

The alarm went off in me, personally, Halseth said. It appeared to be an unnatural way to come out.  I became very, very skeptical.

He said the private signing session, which he described as a farce, made him even more suspicious of Wrights claims: A technical person would have never proved something that way. A private session doesnt make sense [when] it is easily done publicly.

Halseth explained that if Wright controlled the Wi-Fi used during the signing session  either by gaining control of the hotel Wi-Fi or surreptitiously connecting the new laptop used for the session to an alternative Wi-Fi controlled by Wright  he could have swapped the real Electrum wallet file for a modified version.

Read more: How to Store Your Bitcoin

A modified version of the wallet, Halseth said, could be manipulated to make it able to verify bogus signatures.

The wallet is built from a source code  [T]he person who built the wallet is basically the one who is in control and can do whatever they want with the wallet, he explained. Its really easy to modify the wallet in that sense.

Halseth also went line by line through Wrights controversial Jean-Paul Sartre blog post, in which Wright attempted to publicly prove he was Satoshi (proof which has been widely discredited) and explained its technological failings to the judge.

It doesnt make sense, technically speaking, Halseth said. Had it been technically sound, he would have attached the actual message that was verified. Thats not done here.

Its very clear that he was trying to do something that is very technically simple in a very complicated way, to maybe mislead, Halseth told the judge.

A climate of doubt around Wrights claims

The other witnesses for Hodlonaut, Arcane Crypto CEO Torbjrn Bull Jenssen and Svein lnes, a professor and researcher at the Western Norwegian Research Institute, testified about a climate of doubt surrounding Wrights claims to be Satoshi.

Jenssen recounted for the court his impressions of Wright after his outing as Satoshi by Wired in late 2015.

He said he didnt have any conclusive thoughts  and, at first, thought Wrights claims were plausible  but when a lot of the evidence was revealed to be changed or otherwise manipulated, Jenssen said he became suspicious.

It was fishy, he told the judge.

In his own testimony, lnes expressed similar sentiments.

My first thought was this is so far from the Satoshi that I had imagined, he said.

The general perception is that this person is not Satoshi. I share that perception. The more Ive read and seen, the more clear it becomes to me that its impossible that he is Satoshi  [A]ll the developments weve had in this case, it cannot be the case that he is Satoshi.

In addition to what he saw as phony evidence, both in the private signings and the later Sartre post, Jenssen felt like Wrights breach of character  using his authority to change Bitcoin, trying to get the copyright for the Bitcoin white paper and his string of lawsuits  made him unlikely to be Satoshi.

The use of financial strength to sue and threaten others that have different opinions  thats not in line with a free system, Jenssen said.

KPMG lays out a pattern of fraud and deceit

Two Norwegian experts from the multinational auditing firm KPMG testified on Friday about a highly technical report commissioned by Hodlonauts attorneys showing inconsistencies and manipulation in the evidence submitted by Wright.

The KPMG representatives explained to the judge that there were numerous inconsistencies in the metadata for the evidence Wright submitted that could not be explained, as Wright had previously suggested, by opening documents in different versions of the same software or other normal scenarios.

The experts spent a significant amount of time reviewing discrepancies in fonts in Wrights documents  including the use of fonts that were not released until after the alleged metadata date of several of the documents  to indicate that Wright has a pattern of backdating and otherwise manipulating evidence.

It is not the first time that Wrights alleged document manipulation has come up in court.

Read more: Craig Wright vs. Peter McCormack: Wright Put Forward False Evidence, Will Receive Damages of One British Pound

The experts also went over several emails submitted by Wright in the Kleiman case including emails that purported to be from 2008 but were actually created years later, in 2014, after Wright was allegedly preparing to style himself as Satoshi.

The proof is in the  people?

Wrights side, on the other hand, put forward no new technical evidence today. Instead, his defense leaned heavily on witness testimony from his friends, family and former colleagues who described their relationships with him around the time he was supposedly writing the Bitcoin white paper.

Read more: Craig Wright Wont Give Cryptographic Proof Hes Satoshi, His Lawyers Say at Hodlonaut Trial

Stefan Matthews, a long-time collaborator of Wrights and the current chairman of the board of one of Wrights companies, detailed his nearly 20-year-long relationship with Wright.

Matthews described Wright, who he met when the latter was working as an auditor for Matthews company, as a tech wizard with poor social skills.

Incredibly proficient, knowledgeable, capable  he was held as a clear expert, no doubt about that, Matthews said. Wrights interpersonal skills were a little different.

Matthews testified on Thursday that Wright had begun talking to him in 2007 about a whole raft of ideas he was working on related to digital cash, and gave him an early iteration of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008.

Aside from Matthews, none of Wrights other witnesses ever claimed to see an early draft of the Bitcoin white paper, instead basing their belief in his claims to be Satoshi on their knowledge of Wrights skills and interests.

From my experience in seeing Craig work within the IT systems  it was certainly a high probability that he would be able to do what he was claiming to do with Bitcoin and blockchain technology, Neville Sinclair, a chartered accountant who first met Wright around 2006 when they were both colleagues at BDO, told the court.

But Sinclair added that hed only heard Wright refer directly to the cryptocurrency after Nakamotos invention had hit the mainstream. I think around 2011.  [T]hat was about the first time that I had heard him talk to me about Bitcoin, Sinclair said.

Wrights cousin, Maxwell Lynam, was equally effusive about his claims to have launched the Web3 revolution.

Wed always known that Craig was the chief engineer and person who did Bitcoin and blockchain technology, Lynam told the court, adding that he personally had never read the published white paper. I dont know why everyones upset about him calling himself Satoshi. He could be Bob.

Lynam also said that Wright had also secretly set up a home computer to continuously mine bitcoin, and only revealed this fact after the aging hardware had been sent to a landfill site by his unwitting family. Wright estimated that the computer would have mined about 6,500 BTC by this time, Lynam said  cryptocurrency that at todays prices would be worth around $130 million.

More witnesses will testify on Wrights behalf next week.

Catch up on the trial so far:

Who Can Say Who Is Not Satoshi? Hodlonaut and Wright Go to Trial to Find Out

Crypto Twitter Took Center Stage During the First Day of Hodlonaut vs. Craig Wright

Craig Wright Wont Give Cryptographic Proof Hes Satoshi, His Lawyers Say at Hodlonaut Trial

Craig Wright Tells Court He Stomped on the Hard Drive Containing Satoshi Wallet Keys
(Getty Images for LTA)

Dan Evans gave Britain the perfect start to their must-win Davis Cup clash against the Netherlands in Glasgow with a straight-sets victory over Tallon Griekspoor.

Wednesdays narrow loss to the USA at the Emirates Arena left Leon Smiths side almost certainly needing to win their remaining two group matches to book their place in the last-eight shootout in Malaga in November.

Evans, who lost a high-quality clash with the USs Tommy Paul, was tested by Griekspoor on the very slow hard court but was the stronger in the big moments in a 6-4 6-4 win.

It was an important win for Evans, who has suffered a number of narrow losses in Davis Cup, and he said: Its an amazing atmosphere, I love playing in Britain, especially here in Glasgow. It was an amazing match. Im just pumped to get through for everybody else.

He served incredibly well. Its sometimes frustrating. I thought I did well keeping calm and getting through.

The start to the tie was again a sombre affair, with a minutes silence before the national anthems and a lone piper providing the only background music.

All the British team spoke on Wednesday about how different they had found it from a normal Davis Cup atmosphere despite the efforts of the enthusiastic crowd, who again gave noisy backing.

(PA Wire)

Evans is ranked 23 places above Griekspoor but the Dutchman has climbed into the the top 50 this season on the back of a remarkable unbeaten run of 28 matches at the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022.

Griekspoor used his extra power, particularly on the forehand, to press Evans in a long eighth game but the British number two held firm and then took his opportunity in the next game.

He managed to keep Griekspoor at arms length, saving the only break point he faced in the second game of the second set, before breaking again in the seventh game and taking his third match point.
US$1 million in cash seized at HCM City airport

Police at Tan Son Nhat Airport have seized an estimated US$1 million in cash, which two men had hidden in their baggage and intended to take to Bangkok, Thailand.















Customs found the currency dyed black with chemicals.

After scanning the bag at the Tan Son Nhat Airport on Thursday raised suspicions, customs examined the bags more closely.



Customs discovered their two suitcases had 12 stacks of notes covered with a black chemical. The notes appeared to be US$100 bills. The serial numbers are not visible.



The two passengers are T.C.T., 50 and N.K.V., 46. Both are Vietnamese citizens.



The estimated value of the currency is about $1 million. The two passengers planned to travel on flight VJ803.



Police investigations are continuing.
Emergency workers move a body during the exhumation in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Bodies found at a mass burial site in Ukraine had signs of torture, Ukrainian officials said.

The site is located in Izium, Ukraine, which has been recently retaken from Russian occupation.

Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said the bodies unearthed from the area had "traces of a violent death."

Bodies discovered at a mass burial site in a city in Ukraine that's been newly reclaimed from Russian occupation had clear signs of torture, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine's defense ministry said on Friday that mass graves were found in the area of Izium after it was recaptured from Russian forces amid the Kremlin's nearly seven-month-long war with the eastern European country.

The largest burial site in the region contained 440 unmarked graves, said the defense ministry.

Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said the bodies unearthed from the area had "traces of a violent death, but also of torture  cut off ears, etc.," the Associated Press reported.

Enin called the gruesome discovery "just the beginning."

"All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time," Enin said in an interview with Ukraine's Radio NV, according to the AP.

Oleksandr Filchakov, the head of the prosecutor's office in Kharkiv, where Izium is located, said that some of the first bodies that were exhumed had ropes around their necks, the AP reported.

Some of the bodies had their hands tied behind their backs, Filchakov added.

Ukrainian officials believe that the majority of those found were civilians.

The chief police investigator for the Kharkiv region, Serhii Bolvinov, said that some of the dead Ukrainians were fatally shot or killed from shelling.

"We know that some were killed [shot dead], some died because of artillery fire, so-called mine explosion traumas. Some died because of airstrikes," Bolvinov said, according to Sky News.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said, "Russia leaves death everywhere," after calling out the Ukrainian cities of Bucha and Mariupol, where other mass graves were previously discovered during the war.

Story continues

Russia, Zelenskyy said, "must be held accountable for that."

In recent days, Russia has suffered disastrous defeats in the war as Ukrainian forces reclaimed thousands of square miles of territory from Russian occupation in a stunning and lightning-fast counteroffensive.

Read the original article on Business Insider
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Denmark's state prosecutor said on Friday it had charged the suspended chief of the country's foreign intelligence unit with leaking highly classified information, the latest twist in a security scandal.

Lars Findsen, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, was accused of passing state secrets to six people including two journalists over the course of 16-17 months, the prosecutor's office said.

In January, former defense minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said he has been preliminarily charged under the same section of the law.

Lawmakers later declined to remove Frederiksen's parliamentary immunity and the case against him made no further progress. At the time he said he would never dream of doing anything that could harm Denmark or Denmark's interests.

The precise charges have not been made public, but Frederiksen suggested to local media they were based on public statements https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-security-agency-spied-merkel-other-top-european-officials-through-danish-2021-05-30 made by him about a secret surveillance agreement between Denmark and the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).

On Friday, the prosecutor said Findsen could be sentenced to prison of up to four years under the charges, some of which belong to a section of the penal code which includes treason.

Findsen, who in January called the charges "completely insane", did not immediately comment on Friday and his lawyer only confirmed the charges.

He was arrested and suspended from duty in December last year along with three other current and former employees of the country's two intelligence agencies.

Findsen was released from custody in February. The others had been released earlier.

Most of the hearings linked to the cases have been heard behind closed doors. A court will decide whether that will continue in Findsen's prosecution, the prosecutor's office said.

(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, writing by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Andrew Heavens)
ORLANDO, Fla.  Ron DeSantiss decision to fly dozens of migrants to Marthas Vineyard marked the latest  and one of the most dramatic  efforts by the Florida governor to court conservatives at home and nationally as he positions himself for a 2024 presidential run.

The arrival of two plane loads of migrants  most of whom appear to be from Venezuela  in the elite Massachusetts resort town signaled a drastic escalation of a tactic used by several Republican state officials in recent months to protest the rise in illegal immigration under the Biden administration.

For DeSantis, a rising Republican star, the stunt appeared tailor-made to woo the GOPs conservative base as he seeks a second term in the governors mansion and weighs a potential White House run. But the move could also carry political risks, especially in a state that has long been a destination for migrants fleeing oppressive governments in Latin America.

I do think its a miscalculation. There are a lot of people coming here that are fleeing desperate conditions, whether its Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, said Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee member from Florida.

These Republican politicians are constantly talking about people trying to escape communism in their home countries, but when they come here looking for a better life, theyre treated like this.

While the stunt may play well among conservatives nationally, Kennedy said, it could give Democrats an opening to regain lost ground among Florida Latinos, who have drifted increasingly toward the GOP in recent years.

We are definitely going to do the work to remind these communities that these people dont stand with you, Kennedy said. When it comes to the issue of democracy in Cuba or Venezuela, have these Republicans delivered freedom? Nope.

Still, illegal immigration remains a top issue for Republican voters nationally.

Not only was it one of the issues that helped propel former President Trump to prominence in the 2016 GOP presidential primary, but a recent poll from Pew Research found that roughly 9 in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that increasing security along the U.S. southern border should be an important priority.

Story continues

And while Florida is far from the U.S.-Mexico border, DeSantis has repeatedly shown a willingness to wade into politics beyond his home state. In just the past month alone, hes traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania to stump for Republican candidates, intensifying speculation that hes moving toward a 2024 White House bid.

DeSantis, of course, isnt the only Republican governor to get behind the effort to ship migrants out of red states and into Democratic strongholds. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has led an effort to bus migrants out of Texas to places like New York City and Chicago for more than a month.

DeSantis has floated a similar idea for months; earlier this year, he got the Florida state legislature to set aside $12 million for the effort and has even suggested sending migrants who end up in Florida to Delaware, President Bidens home state. But the arrival of the roughly 50 migrants in Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday marked the first time he has taken credit for such an act.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for DeSantis said that blue states like Massachusetts should have to bear the brunt of the Biden administrations immigration policies.

States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as sanctuary states and support for the Biden Administrations open border policies, said Taryn Fenske, DeSantiss communications director.

But even Republicans have said it is hard to view the move separate from the Florida governors presidential ambitions. He has quickly emerged as an early favorite for the 2024 GOP nomination, with most public polls showing him as the clear runner-up for the nod should Trump forgo another White House bid.

Hes running for president, one Republican donor said. Hes playing for a national audience of Republican primary voters. He wants to be able to get up on the debate stage with any other Republican candidate and say, I stood up against illegal immigration.

Still, the move compounds a line of criticism that has only grown louder since last month when Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, a Cuban American and DeSantiss running mate, suggested in a Spanish-language radio interview that Cuban migrants who were in the state illegally should be bused elsewhere.

Nunez later sought to address the controversy after facing blowback from many in Floridas vast Cuban community, arguing that theres a difference between immigrants who enter the country illegally for economic reasons and those who are fleeing repressive governments.

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo, whos challenging Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) for her Miami-area House seat this year, slammed DeSantis and Nunez on Thursday and described DeSantiss decision to fly migrants to Marthas Vineyard as a misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund a political stunt by a governor who wants to be president.

Its something that the extreme Trumpian base loves, Taddeo told The Hill in a brief interview on Thursday. You cant be talking about anti-communism and be talking about freedom in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and all these other countries if youre going to do this: mistreat people when they come here fleeing oppressive regimes.

Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida and DeSantiss Democratic opponent this year, said that DeSantiss actions were akin to those of a dictator, going as far as to compare the Florida governor to Fidel Castro, the late Cuban dictator whose reign forced a mass exodus of Cubans to Florida over his decades in power.

Hes a political animal. Thats crystal clear, Crist told reporters on Thursday. And unfortunately hes using human beings to try to make political points like hes already a dictator.

DeSantis defended the move on Thursday, saying that his administration was simply stepping up to the plate on illegal immigration because of a lack of action from the White House.

We take whats happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some and unlike the president of the United States who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border and youve had millions and millions of people pouring in illegally, he said.

Nevertheless, Taddeo cast the move as nothing more than an attempt to placate DeSantiss conservative political base and said that it should be a wake-up call for Florida voters  and Latinos, in particular  about his true intentions.

Will this be an issue in this election? Taddeo asked. Absolutely.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew about 50 Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday night, as part of a Republican effort to exposein the words of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)liberal hypocrisy for (supposedly) supporting pro-immigrant border policies but (supposedly) being outraged over the immigrants coming to their communities.

But Sen. Cruz is wrong. Theres no outrage over helping these people.

The outrage is over the fraud used to trick these vulnerable people into the political stunt. A woman presumably hired by the state of Florida reportedly lured the immigrants onto the plane with free food and promises that they would get expedited work papers when they arrived. They were also told ample housing and jobs awaited them on the small island.

This was a crime perpetrated on some of the most vulnerable people in this country.

This Isnt the First Time White Racists Have Sent Migrants North on Buses (Though Using Planes Is New)

This isnt a legal analysis, but kidnapping is really the only word that works to describe it. The state used deception to transport someone to a place they wouldnt otherwise go for the purpose of harming them and depriving them of the ability to move freely (especially to Florida).

Beyond the deception, the intent to injure the immigrants is further confirmed by the fact that though he apparently tipped off Fox News, Gov. DeSantis intentionally gave the little town no advance notice about the flight. Clearly, the plan was to trick the immigrants into leaving their shelter in Texas and strand them on the island homeless, jobless, and starving.

Gov. DeSantis might think he's standing up for America's laws, but he's not.

The immigrants were defrauded and victimized, and when there's a victim, there's a crime, and when there's a crime, there's a criminaland if there is a crime, someone needs to investigate who is responsible. A crime is enough reason to be outraged, but a crime funded by taxpayers is far worse.

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Of course, once the town found out about the situation, volunteers and donations poured in. Contrary to Sen. Cruzs assertion, people welcomed the immigrants into their homes and churches. DeSantis actually claimed he sent the immigrants to Massachusetts because people there want to help immigrants, while his state does not. The governor wants Floridathat more than 4 million immigrants call hometo be far more anti-immigrant than it is.

Yet, the only way he can accomplish this is to use taxpayer dollars to make it happen. Because the reality is that Americans in every single state would step up to help immigrants on their own, without a government mandate, when they are free to do so.

This fact shows the real crisis in immigration law: Americans have the will and desire to make immigration humane and orderly, but there is no legal way for them to do so before immigrants arrive at the border. The result is chaossomething this stunt is making worsebut its a chaos that is ultimately created by Congress and the administrations unwillingness to fix the law.

The Ukrainian crisis has proved that Americans will quickly step up in large numbers to support immigrants in need before they arrive. In just a few months, Americans financially sponsored nearly 125,000 Ukrainiansincluding 8,300 in Floridafor status in the United States. They could then fly legally to the United States without crossing the border illegally. But that option doesnt exist for Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, or anyone else.

Ron DeSantis Isnt a Tough Guy. Hes Just Another Cowardly Bully.

Its not just individuals who would want to sponsor these people. U.S. employers have over 11 million job openingsmostly in jobs not requiring a college degree. They would be happy to sponsor the immigrants, but theres no legal way to hire workers for those types unless they are temporary or seasonal. Permanent jobs at dairies, livestock, poultry processing, trucking, and other industries facing severe shortages cant hire foreign workers legally.

With all the labor demand, Marthas Vineyard certainly wont need to support these immigrants for long. They will make their way off the island, and very soon they will start contributing to this country. They will shake off this attempted sabotage, and most will soon find their way to the American Dreamjust like most of the 100 million immigrants who have come to the United States before them.

Perhaps DeSantis greatest offense would be not appreciating that.

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After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planes of mostly Venezuelan asylum-seekers to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, advertising executive Max Lefeld slammed the move as a political stunt.

Its like me taking my trash out and just driving to different areas where I live and just throwing my trash there," said Lefeld, a Venezuelan American who's a founding member of the Casa Venezuela Dallas foundation, which helps recent refugees.

But in an Instagram post from Miami-based EVTV, focused on Venezuelan news, a video of the migrants getting off the plane in Massachusetts elicited mostly support, with many emojis of clapping hands.

Marthas Vineyard Migrants (Jonathan Wiggs / Boston Globe via Getty Images file)

The shuffling of asylum-seekers from the U.S. border to Democratic states by DeSantis and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, both Republicans, is intensifying debate among U.S. Venezuelans and sharpening their divisions over rising arrivals of people from their country.

The divisions largely fall along political lines, with Venezuelan Republicans defending DeSantis and Democrats blasting the move.

Patricia Andrade, who has been helping recently arrived Venezuelans for over seven years through her nonprofit, Raices Venezolanas, in Miami, said she feels bad for the Venezuelans who were flown to Marthas Vineyard but added DeSantis was trying to bring attention to a problem that the Biden administration does not want to take on.

Andrade said many of the Venezuelans she helps with donations of food and household items say they came with the understanding that the U.S. government would give them food and housing.

But what I am seeing is that many of the Venezuelans who come end up in the streets, she said.

She said the most recent wave of Venezuelans coming to the U.S. have polarized the community, with some believing that some of the migrants are delinquents and are coming to the U.S. as an adventure rather than a planned move.

If the U.S. government is going to allow them in they should screen them for criminal background and have infrastructure in place to offer them shelter and food, she said.

Story continues

'An incredible divide'

In Texas, Lefeld said his foundation's Facebook page has comments from people saying they wont help Venezuelans from the Chavista party  referring to the late Venezuelan socialist president, Hugo Chavez  or that the latest arrivals were part of the current leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

My line of criticism to my fellow countrymen here is that its people that made it, just like them, but they are walking and they dont have luggage and we flew, said Lefeld, the founder of the advertising firm Co.Jones. People kind of forget how they came here.

There is an incredible divide that has permeated from the divide we see in American politics, he said.

Jose Antonio Colina is a former Venezuelan army lieutenant who now heads Veppex, a Venezuelan exile organization in Miami.

Colina does not support what DeSantis did, which is "not consistent with what DeSantis has expressed in the past." He called it a "political stunt."

But, he said that prior to DeSantis' actions, his organization as well as other groups had expressed concerns to the Department of Homeland Security that among those being released in the U.S. were former members of Maduros paramilitary group and former officials in the police force, as well as individuals who had been released from prison.

Its dangerous for those who are seeking political asylum and its a danger for U.S. national security, Colina said.

He said the Venezuelan community is confused and that the real problem is that there is massive migration of Venezuelans through the border and DHS is not capable of controlling it or dealing with it properly.

Since 2014, over 6.8 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled to other countries, causing one of the largest refugee crises in the world. In recent months, migration has increased dramatically after slowing down following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The South American country was once one of Latin Americas most prosperous, with the worlds largest oil reserves. Many Venezuelans used to travel to the U.S. for vacation and shopping.

Everything changed after the late President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999. Poor planning under his socialist government caused the economy to worsen. Under his successor, Nicolas Maduro, the economy went into free fall causing shortages in food and medicine while violence and crime flourished.

With the pandemic lockdowns migration slowed, as travel became more difficult and economic opportunities dried up. Venezuelas government made reforms to slow the economic crisis. Venezuelans began returning to their homeland at the height of the pandemic, but the trend has reversed since.

Venezuelan migrants often cross the perilous Darien Gap in the Colombia-Panama border and then make their way north across Central America.

After they request asylum and are released many make their way to Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S.

Former President Donald Trump courted Venezuelan American voters with his anti-communism message throughout his four years in office. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials made multiple trips to Florida to make policy speeches that involved Venezuela and met with community leaders. A majority of Venezuelan voters cast a ballot for Trump and other Republicans in 2020.

DeSantis has also done his share of outreach to Venezuelans and his anti-socialism messaging has resonated with them. Now many Venezuelans are divided, with Republicans defending DeSantis move to send Venezuelans to Marthas Vineyard and Democrats condemning it.

'Throwing them away'

Carla Montilla, a Venezuelan American graduate student in Washington, D.C., criticized DeSantis, saying he and other Florida politicians always talk about communist countries and say they stand with the people of those countries.

"These are empty political talking points," said Montilla, who's originally from Doral, Florida, where many Venezuelan Americans live. "These victims of communism are here now and they are just throwing them away," she said.

Montilla said she is a Democrat but has family members who are Republicans "who have found this behavior disgusting."

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
An image that appears to show three opposition politicians in the Philippines holding placards in support of mandatory military training has been shared hundreds of times in Facebook and YouTube posts that criticise them for making an apparent U-turn. The claim circulated online after Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said she wanted to reinstate mandatory military service for Filipinos aged 18 years old. The image, however, has been doctored. The pictured lawmakers told AFP they continue to oppose calls to reinstate mandatory military training in the archipelago.

The image was posted on Facebook on August 17. It has been shared more than 190 times.

The post's Tagalog-language caption accuses opposition lawmakers France Castro, Arlene Brosas and Raoul Manuel of allegedly reversing their stance on proposals to revive ROTC -- the country's mandatory military training programme.

The trio appear to be holding cards that state: "YES TO MANDATORY ROTC!", "WOMEN, SUPPORT ROTC!" and "YOUTH, JOIN ROTC!!"

The post also claims the politicians are "tired of supporting the CPP-NPA-NDF" -- referencing allegations they are linked to communist rebels trying to overthrow the government.

The lawmakers' coalition in Congress previously denied this allegation.

The caption translates in part as: "Rep. France Castro, Rep. Arlene Brosas and Rep. Raoul Manuel urged the public to support ROTC after realising this could bring huge help to the country.

"Though they have criticised this before, they are now openly giving their support. They know this will be beneficial not only for the youth but for the whole country."

Screenshot of the false post taken on September 14, 2022

The Philippine government made ROTC optional in 2002 following the death of a student who exposed alleged corruption in his university's military training programme.

Since she was elected in May this year, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has spearheaded calls to reinstate mandatory military service.

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At least four bills supporting the move have been filed to the Philippine Congress in July, as seen here, here, here and here.

But Castro, Brosas and Manuel have said they would oppose the measure.

The same image was shared in Facebook posts here, here and here; and on YouTube here alongside a similar claim.

Comments on the posts suggested some users believed the image is genuine.

"That's just for show so they can get sympathy and votes from the people," one wrote.

"Don't believe them, I think they are just pretending to support ROTC," another commented.

The image shared in the posts, however, has also been doctored.

The three lawmakers told AFP they have not changed their stance on mandatory training.

'Against mandatory training'

"The posts that state we are supporting mandatory ROTC are false. We oppose mandatory ROTC," Brosas from Gabriela Women's Party told AFP on September 14.

On the same day, Manuel from Kabataan Partylist said: "We at Kabataan Partylist are firmly against the mandatory ROTC or mandatory military training and we have never been supportive of such proposals."

Castro from ACT Teachers Party-List said her party "strongly" opposes the measure to reinstate ROTC. She told AFP on September 15: "Photos circulating online saying otherwise are false, altered and spreading disinformation."

Doctored photo

Reverse image and keyword searches found the original photo was published on the official Facebook page for the Gabriela Women's Party on August 1.

The caption states the lawmakers were calling for a probe on a clash between state and rebel forces that local media reported killed a young girl and a man with a mental disability in Batangas province, south of the capital Manila.

In the original photo, the lawmakers are shown holding placards seeking justice for the victims.

The original placards read: "DEFEND SOUTHERN TAGALOG!"; "JUSTICE FOR KYLLENE CASAO!" and "JUSTICE FOR MAXIMO DIGNO!"

Below are screenshot comparisons of the doctored photo in one of the false posts (left) and the original photo (right):
Story at a glance

Dozens of religious organizations on Friday in a letter to senators called for the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage.

Forty faith organizations signed onto the letter, asserting that the right to marry the person of ones choosing is a matter of human dignity.

The legislation was passed by the House in July, but wont come up for a vote in the Senate until after the midterm elections in November.

Dozens of religious organizations are throwing their support behind federal legislation to safeguard the right to same-sex and interracial marriage, calling on Senate lawmakers to back the Respect for Marriage Act in a new letter to Congress.

Across religious traditions, we honor the common tenet that every person has inherent dignity and worth, 40 prominent faith-based organizations including the Interfaith Alliance and Catholics for Choice wrote Friday in the letter. And wherever we call home, we share the desire to care for our families with love and commitment.

Within our communities, we approach matters of marriage, family, and identity differently, the groups wrote. This bill recognizes this diversity of belief while ensuring that same-sex and interracial couples are treated with equal respect within the public sphere.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

House lawmakers in July passed the Respect for Marriage Act  federal legislation that would require all states to legally recognize same-sex and interracial unions and officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)  with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure.

On Thursday, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), one of the lead negotiators on the measure in the Senate, announced that action on the bill would be postponed until after the midterm elections in November. The move is expected to increase support among Senate Republicans who are seeking stronger religious liberty protections.

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We are confident that when our legislation comes to the Senate floor for a vote, we will have the bipartisan support to pass this bill, a bipartisan group of negotiators including Baldwin and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Thursday in a joint statement.

Religious leaders on Friday said the right to marry was a matter of human dignity and urged the Senate to pass the legislation out of their shared religious obligations to care for our neighbors and to pursue justice.

We feel its really important that senators and everyone on the Hill understand that this is a bill that has religious support, Rev. Paul Raushenbush, the president and chief executive of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization championing religious freedom and diversity, told Changing America on Friday.

A March Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll found that majorities of most major religious groups support same-sex marriage, including 83 percent of Jewish Americans, more than 70 percent of Catholics and Protestants and more than half of Muslims.

A poll published earlier this week by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ+ rights group, found that more than two-thirds of likely voters in congressional battleground states support legislation protecting the national right to same-sex marriage, including 55 percent of Christians.

Raushenbush, a gay man and a Baptist clergy person for more than 25 years, said measures like the Respect for Marriage Act would not undermine religious objections to same-sex marriage, as some critics have suggested. What it would do, he said, is protect the ability of religious leaders who affirm those unions to have them be protected under the law.

When Im speaking up about this, its because Im protecting my family, he said. Im also protecting my religious liberty as a religious leader who has married hundreds of people  some of whom are same sex couples  who I feel an obligation to because I performed the wedding and gave it sanctity in the eyes of religion and in the state, he said. And I dont abandon the couples that I marry.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai's attorney general appealed a ruling by a local court this week not to extradite a British man to Denmark, where he faces charges related to an alleged $1.75 billion tax fraud scheme.

Sanjay Shah was arrested earlier this year by Dubai police following a request by Danish authorities to extradite him.

A lower Dubai court on Monday rejected the extradition request.

The Court of Cassation would hear the appeal lodged by Attorney General Essam Issa Al Humaidan, the emirate's state media office said on Twitter. It did not announce a court date.

Danish authorities requested the extradition of Shah, who was arrested in Dubai in June, for prosecution over alleged involvement in a sham trading scheme to make double tax reclaims - known as "cum-ex" trading.

He is suspected of having defrauded the Danish state via a scheme that involved submitting applications to the Danish Treasury on behalf of investors and companies from around the world for dividend tax refunds worth more than 9 billion Danish crowns ($1.23 billion).

Ali Al Zarooni, a lawyer for Shah, told Reuters that Shah continues to deny any wrongdoing and that he would oppose extradition, citing missing "formalities" in the Danish request.

"We will strongly defend the position of Mr. Shah and reject the extradition," he said, adding that Shah remains detained.

A Dubai civil court on Thursday ordered Shah and other suspects to return around 8 billion Danish crowns ($1.1 billion), according to a report by Danish broadcaster DR.

(Writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Kim Coghill)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A British man accused by Denmark of masterminding a $1.7 billion tax fraud has been ordered by a Dubai court to pay Copenhagen's tax authority $1.25 billion, court filings seen Friday show, just days after another Dubai court rejected an extradition order for him.

The order by the Dubai Court of Appeal against Sanjay Shah comes as part of a civil case filed four years ago by Denmark's tax authority, who have been pursuing him as part of their investigation in one of the country's largest-ever tax fraud case.

Shah has maintained his innocence in the case while fighting extradition. A spokesman for Shah, Jack Irvine, said Shah's lawyers planned to appeal the ruling. That appeal would be heard by Dubai's Court of Cassation, the emirate's highest court.

Denmark has accused Shah of masterminding an elaborate tax scheme for three years beginning in 2012 involving foreign businesses pretending to own shares in Danish companies and claiming tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

The Danish tax authority, Skattestyrelsen, filed the civil case in Dubai against Shah in 2018. In its decision Wednesday, the Dubai Court of Appeal said Denmark had sought $1.9 billion from Shah and his alleged accomplices.

Shahs lifestyle on Dubais luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years had sparked outrage in Denmark. After Danish authorities signed an extradition agreement with the UAE, Dubai police arrested Shah in June. Shah is one of several suspects in the tax scheme sought by Danish authorities.

During his time in Dubai, the hedge fund manager ran a center for autistic children that shut down in 2020 as Denmark tried to extradite him. He also oversaw a British-based charity, Autism Rocks, which raised funds through concerts and performances.

On Monday, another Dubai court ruled Shah cannot be extradited to Denmark to face charges. Shah's lawyers told The Associated Press on Thursday prosecutors had appealed that decision. The government's Dubai Media Office confirmed Friday the Court of Cassation also will hear that appeal.

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The extradition case targeting Shah comes as pressure grows on Dubai, the regions financial hub, over its alleged weaknesses in combating illicit finance.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, has long invited the wealthy, including disgraced public figures, to invest in the country without questioning where they made their money. Scrutiny of Dubai has intensified as the flashy city-state becomes a haven for Russian money amid Moscows war on Ukraine.

___

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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Friday that he was optimistic that talks between Britain and the European Union on overhauling Northern Ireland's post-Brexit trading arrangements could resume within weeks.

Under the Northern Ireland protocol, the British-run region effectively remained in the EU's single market for goods as the rest of the United Kingdom departed, necessitating checks on some goods coming from Britain that London now want scrapped.

Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss said this month her preference is to find a negotiated settlement but only if it matched the unilateral action it has begun to scrap some checks.

Brussels offered a package of measures to ease the transit of goods to Northern Ireland a year ago.

Coveney said private conversations he and Prime Minister Micheal Martin have had with Truss' new government team suggest there is an opening beyond Queen Elizabeth's funeral next week for a "new and perhaps more real round of dialogue."

"I have to say I have some cautious optimism that we will see in a few weeks time the opening of an honest effort to try to settle some of these issues that have been outstanding for far too long," Coveney told national broadcaster RTE."

"But we are very clear, both the Irish government and the EU, are very clear that that does requires compromise on the UK side as well as the EU side."

EU Financial Services Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, Ireland's representative on the bloc's executive, also told RTE that her expectation was that both sides would get back around the table in the coming weeks.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, Editing by William Maclean)
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A small Dutch town took Twitter to court on Friday to demand the social media giant takes down all messages relating to a supposed ring of satan-worshipping paedophiles that were alleged to have been active in the town in the 1980s.

Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, a town of around 35,000 inhabitants in the middle of the Netherlands, has been the focus of conspiracy theories on social media since 2020, when three men started spreading unfounded stories about the abuse and murder of children they said took place in the town in the 1980s.

The main instigator of the stories said he had childhood memories of witnessing the abuse by a group of people in Bodegraven.

The stories caused much unrest in Bodegraven, as scores of followers of the men's tweets flocked to the local graveyard to lay flowers and written messages at the graves of seemingly random dead children, who they claimed were victims of the satanic ring.

Twitter's lawyer Jens van den Brink declined to comment before the hearing at The Hague District Court on Friday.

Last year the same court ordered the men to immediately remove all their tweets, threats and other online content relating to the story and to make sure that none of it could ever emerge again.

But despite their conviction, stories about Bodegraven still circulate on social media as others have continued to echo their story, leading the town to take the matter up with Twitter itself.

"If conspiracy theorists don't remove their messages, then the platforms involved need to act," the town of Bodegraven's lawyer Cees van de Zanden was quoted as saying by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant on Friday.

Van de Zanden said that in July the town requested Twitter to actively find and remove all messages relating to the Bodegraven story, not only those posted by the three convicted men, but had so far not received an answer from the U.S. company.

The men behind the Bodegraven story are currently all in jail, as they have been convicted in other court cases for incitement and making death threats to a range of people including Prime Minister Mark Rutte and former health minister Hugo de Jonge.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Susan Fenton)
A 50-year-old East Hartford man was charged with the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl on Wednesday, according to the East Hartford Police Department.

On Nov. 29, 2021, police began investigating the reported sexual assault of an East Hartford girl. During the investigation, police identified William Colon, 50, of East Hartford as the primary suspect, police said.

The victim of the assault became pregnant and later terminated the pregnancy, according to police. DNA analysis from the fetus concluded that Colon was the biological father, police said.

Colon later confessed to the sexual assault, police said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Colon, charging him with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor, according to police.

Colon was located in East Hartford on Wednesday and taken into custody without incident. He was held on a $250,000 court-set bond.
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday the European Parliament's call earlier this week to cut funds to Hungary over democratic backsliding was a "boring joke."

A large majority of European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday to condemn damage to democracy in Hungary under Orban, in power since 2010, stepping up pressure on the bloc to cut funding for the ex-communist country.

"As far as the EU parliament decision is concerned, we think it is in the domain of joke. We are not laughing because it is a boring joke," Orban said through a translator after meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"They (the EU lawmakers) are doing this to amuse themselves. We do not pay attention to it."

Citing corruption risks, the European Commission is expected to recommend later this week suspending billions earmarked for Budapest from the bloc's 1.1 trillion euro ($1.1 trillion) shared budget for 2021-27.

That would be the first such EU move under its new financial sanction dubbed "cash for democracy" and agreed two years ago precisely in response to Orban, as well as his allies in Poland, rowing back on liberal democratic tenets inside the bloc.

Budapest has come under pressure in recent weeks to strike a deal with Brussels and unlock funding for Hungary's economy.

(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Kim Coghill)
The European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. Shutterstock

The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline this week, dealing another blow to the controversial project, which numerous banks and insurers have declined to back.

The pipeline, spearheaded by French oil giant Total, would carry oil harvested from beneath Lake Albert and Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda 900 miles to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The new resolution calls for Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities, as well as the project promoters and stakeholders, to protect the environment and to put an end to the extractive activities in protected and sensitive ecosystems, including the shores of Lake Albert. The resolution also urges TotalEnergies to take one year before launching the project to study the feasibility of an alternative route.

Environmentalists say the pipeline, which would pass near Lake Victoria, threatens to contaminate water supplies and harm wildlife, and they warn the project would displace more than 100,000 people. Oil pumped through pipeline would also yield 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly, more than the total emissions of Uganda and Tanzania put together, critics say.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline will stretch 900 miles from Lake Albert in Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean. MAP: YALE ENVIRONMENT 360 / SOURCE: TOTAL

Twenty banks and 13 insurers  including Allianz Group, Swiss Re, HSBC, and BNP Paribas  have said they would not support the pipeline. But several others  including Santander, BBVA, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs  have yet to voice their opposition, advocates say.



The pressure is growing daily against Total and this project at all levels of society and throughout the world, Clemence Dubois, France team lead at 350.org, said in a statement praising the new resolution. No banks or financers who currently fund Total can ignore their responsibility, and they should be prepared to meet increasing pressure too, until they stop financing climate bombs like this around the world.

Thomas Tayebwa, deputy speaker of Ugandas parliament, condemned the resolution, saying it represents the highest level of neo-colonialism and imperialism against the sovereignty of Uganda and Tanzania.

ALSO ON YALE E360

A Major Oil Pipeline Project Strikes Deep at the Heart of Africa
Former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, seen here testifying at a 2013 Senate hearing, said he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 because of concern over states' rights. Now he supports a bill to guarantee the right to same-sex marriage. (Photo: Chris Maddaloni via Getty Images)

Former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, seen here testifying at a 2013 Senate hearing, said he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 because of concern over states' rights. Now he supports a bill to guarantee the right to same-sex marriage. (Photo: Chris Maddaloni via Getty Images)

A former Republican House member who voted to ban same-sex marriage in 1996 is telling his ex-colleagues to now vote in favor of it as the right thing to do.

Jim Kolbe, who represented Arizona for 11 terms from 1985 to 2007, said hes now a registered independent and has been married to partner Hector Alfonso since 2013.

He told HuffPost in an interview that he wonders what would happen to his own marriage if, like the 49-year-old Roe v. Wade abortion precedent, the Supreme Courts Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage was struck down.

We have had gay marriage for the better part of a decade, and there are many families that have been formed with this and people have had children with this, Kolbe said.

The idea of taking away that right is almost impossible to contemplate. I dont know how youd even go about it. Would you dissolve their marriages or what?

In his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said other precedents like Obergefell should be reexamined, setting off alarms from supporters of marriage equality.

Democrats in the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July to guarantee the right to same-sex marriage. To some surprise, it garnered 47 Republican votes, which gave it momentum as it headed to the Senate.

But the bill has stalled there, unable to gain at least 10 Republican votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Same-sex marriage backers announced Thursday they were putting off seeking a floor vote until after the November midterm elections. Whether that will make it easier to pass by taking it off the midterm political field, as backers claim, remains to be seen.

For Kolbe, his stance is 180 degrees from the one he took in 1996, when he and 223 fellow House Republicans voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned same-sex marriage and was overturned by the courts Obergefell decision. While he cited states rights concerns at the time, its a vote he now regrets and led to his being outed.

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Kolbe had a reputation as a solid conservative, but was hiding his sexual identity. After the vote, the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate informed him it planned a story about his sexual orientation in its next issue, he said. Kolbe, knowing he had a few weeks before publication, said he decided to come out publicly.

Asked if it was a painful experience, Kolbe said, It was, until it happened.

Once he knew about the impending article he said he felt a great sense of calm and an almost physical weight lift from his shoulders.

I said, Thats over  Im never going to have to deal with this again, he recounted.

He gave a lengthy news conference back in Arizona, answered questions and was reelected by nearly the same margin as his pre-disclosure tally. He voted against additional Republican attempts to oppose same-sex marriage, met his now-spouse in 2005 and retired from Congress in 2007.

I obviously feel very passionately about this, that this is something we should do, and its the right thing to do, Kolbe said.

The idea of taking away that right is almost impossible to contemplate. I dont know how youd even go about it. Would you dissolve their marriages or what?Former Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.)

Kolbe said he accepted the judgment by proponents that it may be better to wait until after the election to bring the issue to a Senate vote.

I could make an argument on the other side, that with an election looming, Republicans representing more moderate states and voters dont want to be on the wrong side of another issue after Dobbs, he said. But it is what it is and lets hope it doesnt get lost in the lame duck.

As for what he would tell his former colleagues now, Kolbe would keep it short and personal.

I am married and I now have many friends that are married  that their marriages are successful. Theyre community members, theyre active in the community, theyre forming families. And this is just the right thing to do, he said.

Its a matter of giving individual liberty, of individuals, the right to choose who they want to be with, and to give them the same protections that anybody else has. So that would be the elevator pitch I would give.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
RENO, Nev. (AP)  A former deputy Nevada attorney general who ran for the state Supreme Court and was later affiliated with the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel has been arrested in Reno as a suspect in a 1972 homicide in Hawaii.

Tudor Chirila Jr., 77, was being held Thursday in the Washoe County Jail without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from another state.

In a criminal complaint accusing Chirila of second-degree murder, Honolulu police said DNA evidence linked him to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Nancy Anderson.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser first reported that Chirila was arrested Wednesday  five decades after police say he stabbed the teen more than 60 times and left her body in her Waikiki apartment on Jan. 7, 1972. Anderson had moved to Hawaii in October 1971 and was working at a McDonald's restaurant after graduating from high school the year before in Bay City, Michigan, the newspaper said.

It wasnt immediately clear if Chirila had an attorney or will be appointed one. Jail records dont indicate when hes scheduled to make his initial court appearance.

The criminal complaint filed this week in district court in Hawaii said police had reopened the cold case multiple times since the killing and received a tip in December that Chirila could be a suspect.

In March, police obtained a DNA sample from Chirila's son, John Chirila of Newport Beach, California, that identified him as the biological child of a DNA sample found at the crime scene, according to the criminal complaint.

On Sept. 6, Reno police served a search warrant and collected a DNA sample from Tudor Chirila at his Reno apartment. Two days later he tried to commit suicide, and on Wednesday was booked into the county jail in Reno, the Reno Gazette Journal reported Thursday.

Over the years, police in Hawaii investigated multiple suspects, including door-to-door knife salesmen who were there to to try to sell knives hours earlier, the newspaper said. But the salesmen volunteered fingerprints and passed polygraph tests.

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Other potential suspects questioned over the years included Anderson's former boyfriends and the property manager where she lived.

Chirila, a longtime attorney in Reno, Carson City and the Lake Tahoe area, served as a deputy attorney general in the late 1970s and ran unsuccessfully for the Nevada Supreme Court in 1994.

In a 1998 federal indictment, U.S. prosecutors in Reno identified him as the former president of a company, A.G.E. Corp., that served a front for Nevada brothel boss Joe Conforte.

The indictment accused Conforte and others of being part of an elaborate conspiracy to defraud the government in bankruptcy proceedings when the Mustang Ranch east of Reno was seized by the IRS, sold for back taxes in 1990 and illegally repurchased by Conforte and his cohorts.

The government claimed Conforte hid his assets during bankruptcy proceedings to cheat the government and buy back the legal brothel under hidden ownership, The Associated Press reported at the time.

Testifying as a government witness, Chirila acknowledged he knew the corporation was owned and controlled by Conforte, who had disappeared and was believed to be a fugitive in South America when the case went to trial in 1999.

Chirila filed suit against Conforte in 1998 seeking $14 million in damages, alleging Conforte wrongly fired him for cooperating with federal prosecutors.
Several sources indicate that the target may have been the Appellate Courthouse

The footage shows thick puffs of black smoke rising from behind the building of the Kherson Regional State Administration, which has been used as an administrative center for the Russian occupation authorities.

Read also: Kharkiv Oblast is free, Kherson is next, and Zaporizhzhia NPP completely shuts down

In Kherson, the invaders dont follow the rules for smoking in public places, Bratchuk commented sarcastically.

The laws of Ukraine must be respected, you bastards.

Kremlin propaganda claims that the city was hit by five HIMARS rockets.

According to some reports, the target was an appellate courthouse.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has not yet taken responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army continues its counteroffensive actions across the country, liberating Ukrainian territories in several directions at once.

Read also: Ukraines defense minister explains slowness of advance in Kherson Oblast

Ukrainian forces maintain fire control over the Antonivsky Bridge and other crossings across the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, preventing Russian forces from restoring critically important supply routes  thus preventing reinforcement and resupply for the Russian forces stranded in the oblast.

Earlier, Ukraine successfully conducted a wide-ranging liberation operation in Kharkiv Oblast, freeing over 8,000 square kilometers of occupied territory, along with a number of strategically important settlements, such as Balakliya, Kupyansk and Izyum.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian partisans are continuing to eliminate pro-Kremlin collaborators who voluntarily agreed to work for the Russian invaders.

Following that, the invaders decided to cancel a sham referendum meant to legitimize Russias planned annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Mining pools F2Pool, Poolin and Antpool have launched their ETHW (EthereumPoW) mining pools, according to their respective websites, while a few other large mining pools have also said they would support the mining of the fork token.

See related article: Ethereum says Merge upgrade successfully completed, more to come

Fast facts

F2Pool said on Thursday the remaining hashrate in its ETH pool is redirected to its ETHW mining pool. Antpool, affiliated with Chinese mining rig giant Bitmain, also said it has launched its ETHW mining pool.

Poolin has also made available its mining pool for ETHW, according to its website and a sales manager.

ETHW, whose mainnet launched on Thursday, said on Wednesday in a blog post that at least 23 mining pools will support ETHW mining.

The Ethereum network Merge was completed on Thursday, but some miners have created a fork ETHW to keep running the previous network.

F2Pool is the largest ETHW mining pool by hashrate as of 11 a.m. on Friday Hong Kong time, followed by Woolypooly.com and 2miners.com, data from MiningPoolStats showed.

Over the past year, F2Pool was the second-largest Ethereum mining pool by block share, while Poolin came in ninth, according to data from BTC.com.

See related article: Chandler Guo tells why he is the man who would hard fork Ethereum
As nuclear talks with Iran remain deadlocked, families and advocates of Americans imprisoned in Iran are appealing to the Biden administration to take urgent action to bring their loved ones home.

Neda Sharghi, whose brother Emad Sharghi has been imprisoned in Iran since 2018, told lawmakers on Thursday that the Biden administration and Congress needed to show the courage necessary to win the release of detained Americans.

We all have everyones empathy and sympathy. What we dont have is the moral courage to make the really difficult decisions that have to be made to recover our hostages, Sharghi said at an event on Capitol Hill.

She did not elaborate on what concessions might have to be made, but previous releases of detained Americans in Iran have featured prisoner exchanges or the release of funds blocked by U.S. sanctions.

Speaking at an event organized by House lawmakers to call attention to Americans wrongfully detained abroad, Sharghi said, Please advocate for us, urge our White House to use all tools available to them to secure the freedom of our loved ones.

She also said efforts to win the release of imprisoned Americans should not be complicated by broader geopolitical issues.

Sharghi said the imprisonment of her brother has been a shattering experience for her entire family.

Over four years of his life has been taken away from him simply because he is a proud American citizen, she said.

Emad Shargi. (United for Iran)

Siamak Namazi, who has been held in Iran for seven years  longer than any other Iranian American  issued an emotional public appeal through his lawyer this week, saying the Biden administration should not tie the fate of imprisoned U.S. citizens to the outcome of the nuclear negotiations between world powers and Iran.

Gambling the fate of US hostages in Iran on the success of the nuclear talks is negligent & cruel. We must be freed first, & now! Namazi said in tweets posted by his lawyer Tuesday.

Namazi has been behind bars since 2015 on espionage charges that the U.S. government, the United Nations and human rights groups say are baseless. His elderly father, Baquer Namazi, was imprisoned in 2016 and is now on medical furlough.

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My father Baquer Namazi, an ailing 85-yr-old hostage who urgently requires major surgery, wont survive another long wait, Namazi said in the tweet.

No more empty promises please! Im at the end of my tether after seven years of being caged in Iran, solely for being a US citizen. I implore @POTUS to get involved & show the resolve needed to free ALL US hostages here before its too late.

For the past year and a half, the U.S. and other world powers have been trying to negotiate a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, but the talks appear to have hit a stalemate in recent weeks. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this week that Irans recent proposals made a renewal of the deal less likely.

The accord, known as the JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, calls for restrictions on Irans nuclear program in return for the easing of U.S. economic sanctions. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018.

The nuclear negotiations at times have appeared on the verge of an agreement, raising hopes for the imprisoned Americans and their families only to be dashed as the talks deteriorated. In an op-ed in The New York Times in June, Siamak Namazi wrote of the pain caused by the false hopes fueled by diplomats predicting a breakthrough.

There is no greater agony for a prisoner than being tantalized with the prospect of imminent freedom that never materializes," Namazi wrote. "No greater pain than surrendering to hope, only to have it whisked out of reach."

In a statement, a State Department spokesperson said, The president is deeply committed to ensuring all U.S. citizens who are wrongfully detained overseas return home safely. His heart goes out to their families and loved ones, who suffer every day.

The U.S. has cited four Americans that it says are wrongfully detained: Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz.

The Biden administration says that it places the highest priority on securing the release of imprisoned Americans and that the negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement are separate from talks on securing the release of detained Americans.

We dont want to tie their fates to what could remain an uncertain or even impossible proposition. So we have always treated these on a separate track, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday.

That is why even in the absence of a JCPOA, at least at this moment, were continuing to do everything we can to see the release of these American detainees at the first possible opportunity.

Irans U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran has denied accusations it has arbitrarily imprisoned Americans or other foreigners and says foreigners are tried according to due legal process.

At the event on Capitol Hill, Nizar Zakka, a U.S. citizen and Lebanese national who was imprisoned in Iran from 2015 to 2019, said it was unacceptable that Siamak Namazi had been behind bars for so long, and questioned why the U.S. government had not found a way to use its leverage to bring him home.

Im sure we had opportunities over seven years to get Siamak back, Zakka said. Its painful. Somebody has to do something about it.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The FBI said Thursday that an arrest has been made in connection with a bomb threat against Boston Childrens Hospital last month.

Catherine Leavy of Westfield, Massachusetts, was arrested without incident and charged with one count of making a false bomb threat by telephone, according to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. She faces up to five years in prison.

FBI Special Agent Joseph R. Bonavolonta said at a news conference Thursday that the threat was one of well over a dozen against Boston Childrens Hospital. He said authorities are investigating others.

Boston Childrens Hospital had been subjected to a sustained harassment campaign based on dissemination of information online about trans health care at the hospital, Rachael Rollins, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, said at the news conference.

A caller to the hospital on Aug. 30 is alleged to have said: There is a bomb on the way to the hospital. You better evacuate everybody, you sickos.

Several childrens hospitals, most notably Boston Childrens, have been the targets of a far-right harassment campaign for months, led by anti-trans influencers with millions of collective followers who have spread misinformation about the hospitals gender-affirming treatment for minors. The influencers have similarly waged anti-LGBTQ campaigns against schools and libraries that have been featured on conservative news programs.

Police investigated another threat to Boston Childrens around 11:30 a.m. ET Friday, the second that merited a police response in less than two weeks.

In the last week, some of the same influencers began to express doubt that the bomb threat was real. On Wednesday, one of the primary drivers of the harassment campaign, Chaya Raichik of the influencer account LibsOfTikTok, tweeted an email response from Boston police saying the threat did not come through 911. Many questions remain. Will any journalists investigate? Raichik tweeted to her 1.3 million Twitter followers.

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Raichik did not respond to a request for comment.

Boston Childrens Hospital said that its focus remains on its patients. "We will continue to focus on providing the highest quality care and work with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies  and our security and emergency response teams  to ensure the safety of all across our hospital," hospital officials said in a statement Thursday night. "We stand firmly by our commitment to support transgender patients, their families and the LGBTQ+ community."

The FBI announcement comes a day after a California man pleaded guilty in the same court over threats to the offices of Merriam-Webster.

The dictionary publisher closed its offices in Springfield, Massachusetts, after the man, Jeremy David Hanson, sent the company a threat in October to shoot up and bomb your offices for ying and creating fake definitions in order to pander to the tranny mafia. The threat came shortly after the dictionary made changes to use gender-inclusive definitions of some words.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(Bloomberg) -- Danny Rimer first invested in Figma in 2012, shortly after the company was established and began developing software tools for designers. Rimer, a partner at the venture capital firm Index Ventures, invited Figmas co-founder and chief executive officer, Dylan Field, to dinner and ordered a bottle of wine to celebrate the deal. It was then that the young entrepreneur hesitated. Danny, Im 19, Field said. Rimer went ahead, he recalled, and ordered the Pinot anyway.

Most Read from Bloomberg

On Thursday, Adobe Inc. said it will buy Figma in a deal valued at about $20 billion  the largest exit of a privately held, VC-backed startup in at least 20 years, according to PitchBook data. Field, 30, is now of legal drinking age in the US, and both he and Rimer stand to make a lot of money from the sale.

Index is the biggest outside shareholder in Figma. It holds more than 12%, said a person familiar with the business who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Rimer and Figma declined to comment on the size of Indexs stake. The firms first check and its subsequent investments are now worth about $2.6 billion.

Field had made an early impression on Rimer as an intern at Flipboard, which makes a news aggregation app. Rimer was on the board and watched a young Field give a polished presentation. Field briefly attended college, but dropped out to join a fellowship program funded by Peter Thiel and soon went to work on Figma. At the outset, Field told Rimer he would spend up to three years developing Figmas design tools before releasing them to the public. It wasnt an incremental, small thing, Rimer said.

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Figma amassed a roster of some of the top VC firms as its backers. Greylock Partners got in as the lead investor of a $14 million funding round in 2015, and Kleiner Perkins led a $25 million round in 2018; its stake is nearly 11%, said people familiar with the business. The early backers each ended up with at least $2 billion, said another person, who also asked not to be identified discussing private details.

Sequoia Capital invested in 2019, valuing Figma at $440 million. (The Sequoia partner who did the deal, Andrew Reed, tweeted a photo of Field signing the original paperwork with some of the terms clearly legible.) Sequoia put in $97 million in total and snatched a 6% stake in Figma, said a person familiar with the details. Sequoias stake is now worth $1.3 billion, and the single investment had a return exceeding the total value of the US growth fund it came from, the person said.

Another storied firm, Andreessen Horowitz, invested in Figma in 2020 and its stake is now worth about $500 million, according to a person familiar with the situation.

As for Rimer, hes been thinking a lot about the dinner in 2012. To mark Thursdays news, Rimer said he plans to send Field a case of wine.

(Corrects detail about VC-backed exits in the second paragraph. An earlier version corrected the size of Sequoia's stake.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Ratu Meli Bainimarama (R), pictured in 2006, is the Fiji PM's only son

The son of Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been charged with a string of domestic violence offences in Australia.

Ratu Meli Bainimarama, 36, is facing 17 charges, including stalking, assault, and choking.

He is also accused of damaging property and distributing an intimate image without consent.

Mr Bainimarama has not entered a plea but will "rely on his good character" in any defence, his lawyer said.

The offences allegedly took place in Sydney between February and May, but Mr Bainimarama was arrested last week after a police report was made earlier this month.

The Fijian national's lawyer had successfully applied for a nationwide suppression order on the case over the weekend.

He had argued there was a risk information that wouldn't be allowed in court would be published and prejudice a jury.

But a magistrate lifted the suppression order on Friday morning, saying there was nothing extraordinary about the case that warrants secrecy.

Mr Bainimarama has been granted bail and his matter is due back in court on October 13.

He is the only son of Frank Bainimarama, who has been in power since 2007 after leading a military coup the year before.

The case comes at an awkward time for the politician, who will face another former PM - Sitivena Rabuka - in an election later this year.
Sep. 16Fifty years after the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, the Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy coalition has scheduled a free showing of the film "Dekada'70 " on Sunday to spread awareness of the pivotal period in that nation's history.

Fifty years after the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, the Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy coalition has scheduled a free showing of the film "Dekada'70 " on Sunday to spread awareness of the pivotal period in that nation's history.

The event, to be held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Shidler College of Business, will include time for attendees to share their personal stories, an open forum, a panel discussion, a song performance and a guest speaker.

"We would like people to come away with a different understanding of how martial law was in the Philippines and to start questioning what they see on social media and the things that they hear, " said Divina Robillard, a member of Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy.

Martial law was declared by Marcos on Sept. 21, 1972, and lasted 14 years. He shut down Congress and newspapers, ruling by decree while ordering the arrest of political opponents and activists.

Robillard was 19 at the time and a student at the University of the Philippines, which she described as a "hotbed of activism."

"While I wasn't an activist myself, there were people I knew who were martyred, who were tortured and who went through the whole gamut of detention and long-term imprisonment, " Ro billard said. "The people who lived through martial law, or at least some of us, are aghast that another Marcos (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) has risen to power while we're still alive."

Marcos Jr. won the presidency by a landslide in May, and in a television interview this week, he said it's wrong to describe his late father as a dictator and that his brutal martial law rule in the 1970s was not meant to prolong his grip on powercomments that were immediately rejected by human rights activists.

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The elder Marcos was toppled in the massive "People Power " uprising in 1986 and died in exile in Hawaii three years later.

The award-winning film, "Dekada'70, " that will be screened Sunday is a fictional story based on true events. It follows a family through years of martial law while depicting Filipinos' struggles for peace and justice, according to a news release.

Panelists appearing after the 2 p.m. screening include Belinda Aquino, who wrote a book on the Marcos family's corruption during martial law and worked on the Philippine Commission for Good Governance to recover the stolen wealth. Also participating will be Raymund Liongson, who was incarcerated in the Philippines during the period of martial law.

Guests will be invited to share their own stories during the first hour of the event. Robillard said supporters of the Marcos family and martial law are welcome as well.

"We expect that, " she said. "And what the forum is going to show is that there are people who are very wedded to the idea that martial law was a good thing, and that there are also those among us who say it's not."

Robillard especially hopes that younger generations will attend.

Between those who lived through martial law, those who learned about it secondhand and those who benefited from martial law by befriending the Marcos family, Robillard understands there are many rumors and falsehoods being circulated about that period of Philippine history.

While Robillard said she understands that people will make their own decisions about what to believe, she hopes people will leave Sunday's event with a clearer understanding of what it was like to live through the experience.

The event will take place at 1 p.m. in Room BUSAD A101 at the UH business school and is expected to wrap up between 4 and 5 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.------The Associated Press contributed to this article. Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national serv ice organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under covered issues and communities.
Price Point: Ether falls 7% after the Ethereum blockchain successfully completed its Merge Thursday. Chainlink's LINK and Chiliz's CHZ both make gains on the day following new announcements.

Market Moves: The Merge has made the ether futures market more sensitive to staking yields and could theoretically keep the futures curve in "backwardation."

Chart of the Day: S&P 500 follows 2008 analog in a bad sign for crypto.

This article originally appeared in First Mover, CoinDesks daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context. Subscribe to get it in your inbox every day.

Price Point

Ether was trading down 7% over the last 24 hours after the Merge, a software update where the Ethereum blockchain successfully moved its consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake from proof-of-work. Following the Merge, the cryptocurrency briefly spiked 3% and then resumed its downtrend.

It seems likely that a mix between the still-high correlations and investors looking to 'sell the news' led to ether's severe drop in spite of the milestone accomplished, IntoTheBlock wrote in a research note Friday.

David Scheuermann, a trader at Crypto Finance AGs, said it will take time to see the full effect of the Merge on the price of ether and the consequences should prevail once we are out of this bear market.

Ethereum classic was also trading down 10% on the day, and bitcoin, the worlds largest cryptocurrency, was down by 2%.

Chainlinks LINK token climbed 5% after the project announced it is collaborating with engagement platform, bountyblok. It integrated Chainlink Verifiable Random Function (VRF) into Chainlinks giveaway and distribution tools on Polygons mainnet to replace its previous centralized randomizer service (random.org).

Bountyblok tweeted, This allows for provably fair and tamper-proof distributions and drawing of winners.

Chilliz (CHZ), the token that powers socios.com, a blockchain-based fan and rewards platform, was up 10% after Chilliz tweeted Thursday that it will introduce a fan token made in Brazil on its launchpad.

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In traditional markets, futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.9%. Contracts for the tech-focused Nasdaq 100 were 1% lower.

In the news, Celsius Network, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, has asked for authorization to sell its stablecoin holdings in order to generate liquidity to help fund its operations, according to new court filings.

And exchange giant FTX is in the lead to buy the assets of Voyager Digital, the cryptocurrency lender whose bankruptcy filing deepened this years industry crisis, but higher offers could still come in the days ahead, according to a person familiar with the matter.

CoinDesk Market Index

Biggest Gainers

Biggest Losers

Asset Ticker Returns DACS Sector Render Token RNDR -14.5% Computing Celsius CEL -9.34% Currency Polymath POLY -9.2% DeFi

Sector classifications are provided via the Digital Asset Classification Standard (DACS), developed by CoinDesk Indices to provide a reliable, comprehensive and standardized classification system for digital assets. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) is a broad-based index designed to measure the market capitalization weighted performance of the digital asset market subject to minimum trading and exchange eligibility requirements.

Market Moves

Ethereum Merge Has Tied Ether Futures Activity to Staking Yields, Traders Say

By Omkar Godbole

The Ethereum Merge, which happened on Thursday, has introduced several structural changes to the blockchain, promising to make it more environmentally friendly and reduce the supply of its native token ether (ETH).

According to traders, one consequence of the upgrade is that the activity in the futures market will now be closely tied to staking yields  rewards earned by locking ETH in the network in return for a chance to verify transactions under the proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.

The bigger the reward for staking, the greater the number of stakers and the stronger the demand for shorting or selling futures. That's because staked ether cannot be withdrawn before the next upgrade called Shanghai fork, due in mid-2023, and will earn rewards in ETH, which makes stakers vulnerable to potential ether price slides. Therefore, they will likely hedge their ETH exposure by selling futures contracts tied to ether.

"Stakers have been and will be natural sellers in futures and perpetual futures. That's why open interest [number of open positions] is so high, and it will only grow if staking yields go higher," Zaheer Ebtikar, portfolio manager at crypto hedge fund LedgerPrime, told CoinDesk.

Ethereum's network switched to the PoS system on Thursday after the PoS Beacon Chain launched in December 2020 merged with the Ethereum mainnet that used a proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism whereby miners solved algorithmic problems to validate transactions in return for rewards. In other words, stakers are new validators.

While the Merge has taken away substantial miner selling from the spot market, it could bring more sellers to the futures market and cap the basis or the difference between prices in futures and spot markets or perhaps push futures into backwardation.

Read the full story here.

Chart of The Day

Bitcoin's Mean Net Inflows Surge to a Six-Year High

By Omkar Godbole

This chart shows the S&P 500 following the 2008 analogy (Source: Mott Capital Management, Bloomberg)

Stocks may be heading to new lows, as the chart provided by Mott Capital Management's Michael Kramer shows the S&P 500, Wall Street's benchmark index, is closely tracking the 2008 bear market slide.

Cryptocurrencies tend to move in line with stocks and could challenge June lows if S&P 500 keeps tracking the 2008 analog.

Latest Headlines
Jake Howard of Minnesota with his first-ever summer flounder, a 22-inch fluke caught at Austin Hollow in Jamestown, drifting down the bank in 65 feet of water.

Climate-change impacts on species create winners and losers in the fishing world.

One major climate-related impact we have experienced in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for the past three years is an excellent inshore tuna bite. The bait or forage tuna like to eat, i.e., mackerel, herring, Atlantic menhaden, squid and a host of others, have been in our area in great abundance due in part to warming water. So the bluefin and yellowfin tuna are here dining on these robust bait profiles along with large pods (hundreds) of porpoise and dolphin.

This week, the giant bluefin tuna bite was strong and close to shore.

I fished the giant bluefin bite off Scarborough Beach in Rhode Island Sunday in 100 feet of water," said expert tuna fisherman Richard Pastore. "Set up north of fleet and live-lined squid and mackerel with no luck. Boat just south of me pulls in and immediately hooks up. Twenty-four tuna were caught to the point a hold was put on buying them because there were so many.

On Monday, Jeff Sullivan, an associate at Lucky Bait and Tackle in Warren, fished for giant bluefin off the Sakonnet River with fishing partners and friend Capt. Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters. The foursome caught a 100-inch, 600-pound giant bluefin tuna just five miles off the Sakonnet. We caught the giant bluefin on a live chub mackerel caught earlier," Sullivan said.

Anglers fishing for bluefin tuna need a federal Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit and are required to report their catches. Bluefin tuna fishing is highly regulated. Catch bag limits and regulations often change to prevent overfishing so anglers are urged to check regulations before fishing trips. For information on regulations and how to apply for an HMS permit, visit https://hmspermits.noaa.gov.

International Fly Fishing Film Festival

The Rhode Island chapter of Trout Unlimited will host a screening of the 2022 International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) on Friday, Oct. 14, beginnning at 7 p.m. at the Varnum Armory, 6 Main St., East Greenwich..

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IF4 consists of eight short and feature-length films produced by professional filmmakers from all corners of the globe, showcasing the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly-fishing.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., so you can tour the Varnum Armory, which houses the largest collection of Rhode Island military history on display in the world spanning from the Revolutionary War to the present day.

Food and a cash bar will be available. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at https://www.flyfilmfest.com/2022schedule.

Jeff Sullivan and his fishing partners caught this 100-inch, 600-pound bluefin tuna about five miles off the Sakonnet River.

Wheres the bite?

Striped bass and bluefish. Bluefish continue to be caught in our bays, estuaries and along the coastal shore. We found bluefish on the surface in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay most of the week when transiting the area. Top-water lures worked well out in front of Newport last week, where I caught a 53-pound striped bass," Sullivan said. Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box in Warwick reported: Large bass to 30 pounds are now in the Providence River all the way up to the Hurricane Barrier with large bluefish popping up everywhere. Snapper blues are in most coves and harbors. John Littlefield of Archies Bait & Tackle in Riverside said: The bass bite exploded this weekend in the Providence River. One customer caught 17striped bass, two were slot fish and two above the slot size. The bite was good at Sabin Point, Kettle Point and at Barrington Beach. Declan ODonnell of Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown reported: The salt pond and Breachway continuing to produce some nice-sized fish. Surfcasters have been doing well on Yo-Zuri Mag-Darters and Super Strike Bullets. Fishing live eels in the pond has been producing bass up to around 15 pounds.

Fluke, black sea bass and scup. The summer flounder bite continues to be OK with keeper fish being caught in the lower Bay, out in front from Point Judith to Watch Hill and in the Block Island Wind Farm area. Scup fishing continues to be good, particularly in areas with structure and water movement, i.e., ledges, bridge abutments, jetties, etc. Fluke fishing was a slow pick in the lower Bay south of the bridges but angler Jake Howard of Minnesota caught a 22-inch fluke drifting down the edge at Austin Hollow in Jamestown. Customers are catching fluke to 22 inches at Conimicut Light with a strong scup bite, too," Giddings said. The scup bite remains very strong along the East Providence and Barrington shoreline," Littlefield said.

Tautog fishing is starting to come alive as anglers begin targeting them. The water is still very warm but anglers are hooking up with some nice keepers off Newport and in the lower Bay. Those who have been targeting tautog are doing well with fish in relatively shallow water right now," O'Donnell said.

False albacore and tuna. School and giant bluefin tuna have been close to shore. Fished the giant bluefin bite off Scarborough," tuna expert Richard Pastore said. "The yellow fin bite is still on at the Gully and at Tuna Ridge, which has been joined by some bluefin. O'Donnell reported: False albacore have been pretty thick with some really nice-sized fish being caught from shore at the wall. Tuna fishing continues to produce well for yellowfin and bluefin tuna from areas south of Block Island.

Freshwater fishing has improved greatly now that the water is cooling a bit. Lake Tiogue and Carbuncle Pond in Coventry are producing for customers," Giddings said. "And in Warwick, Gortons Pond and Warwick Lake have been producing with 3.5- to 5-pound largemouth bass taken by customers from Warwick Lake.

Dave Monti holds a captains master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business that focuses on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net or visit noflukefishing.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Fishing Report: Tuna are lining up close to Rhode Island's shores
CANTIANO, Italy (AP)  Flash floods swept through several towns Friday in hilly central Italy after hours of exceptionally heavy rain, leaving 10 people dead and at least four missing. Dozens of survivors scrambled onto rooftops or up into trees to await rescue.

Floods invaded garages and basements and knocked down doors. In one town, the powerful rush of water pushed a car onto a second-story balcony, while elsewhere parked vehicles were crumpled on top of each other in the streets. Some farm fields near the sea were meters (yards) under water.

It wasn't a water bomb, it was a tsunami," Riccardo Pasqualini, the mayor of Barbara, told Italian state radio about the sudden downpour Thursday evening that devastated his town in the Marche region near the Adriatic Sea.

He said the overnight flooding left the town's 1,300 residents without drinking water. A mother and her young daughter were missing after trying to escape the floods, Pasqualini told the Italian news agency ANSA. Elsewhere in town, a boy was swept away from the arms of his mother, who was rescued.

Premier Mario Draghi told a news conference in Rome that 10 people were dead and four were missing in the flash floods. He thanked rescuers for their professionalism, dedication and courage. Officials said some 50 people were treated at hospitals for injuries.

Draghi, who is serving in a caretaker role ahead of Italy's Sept. 25 national election, planned to tour some devastated towns later Friday and his government announced 5 million euros (dollars) in aid to the region.

It was an extreme event, more than an exceptional one, climatologist Massimiliano Fazzini told Italian state TV. He said, based on his calculations, the amount of rain that fell, concentrated over four hours that included an especially heavy 15-minute period, was the most in hundreds of years.

In a space of a few hours, the region was deluged with the amount of rainfall it usually receives in six months, state TV said. A summer of virtually no rain meant hillsides were unusually hard and dry, so the water ran faster down the slopes, increasing its impact.

Story continues

The fire department tweeted that dozens of people trapped in cars or who had climbed up to rooftops or trees to escape rising floodwaters had been rescued. Police in the town of Sassoferrato, unable to reach a man trapped in a car, extending a long tree branch to him and pulled him to safety.

Helicopter crews rescued seven people in remote towns of the Apennine Mountains.

Hundreds of firefighters struggled Friday to remove toppled tree trunks and branches amid thick mud as they searched for people who could have been buried by debris. They waded through waist-high water in flooded streets, while others paddled in rubber dinghies to scoop up survivors.

In the town of Ostra, a father and his adult son were found dead in their building's flooded garage where they had gone to try to get their car out, and another man who tried to remove his motorcycle from a garage also perished, state TV said. Elsewhere, a man was found dead in his car.

As it (the flood) played out, it was far, far worse than forecast, said Civil Protection chief Fabrizio Curcio. A bad weather watch had been issued on Thursday, but not at the highest level.

Hundreds of people fled or were evacuated from their homes until the premises could be checked for safety and mountains of mud cleared away.

Some of the worst flooding hit the town of Senigallia, where the River Misa overflowed its banks. Hamlets in the hills near the Renaissance tourist town of Urbino were also inundated when fast-moving rivers of water, mud and debris rushed through the streets.

In the town of Cantiano, people shoveled mud from stores and homes and an excavating machine was deployed to clear the town square.

I was lucky because I live in a house up on a slope, so basically, the water didnt reach the point of covering it, said Mirco Santarelli, a Cantiano resident. But all around here, with the people living in the valley area, it became a bowl (of water). It was panic."

You could see cars in the middle of the road that drifted away in the flood, debris everywhere, screams. It was chaos, Santarelli told The Associated Press.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
An employee in Florida stopped a man attempting to carjack a woman and her baby in a Chick-fil-A parking lot.

Mykel Gordon has worked at Chick-fil-A for 14 years, and previously helped customers injured in a car.

Social media commenters, the Chick-fil-A operator, and the sheriff's office all praised Gordon for his help.

A Florida Chick-fil-A worker is making headlines for the second time after saving a woman and her baby from an attempted carjacking on September 14.

A man grabbed the victim's keys and threatened her with a stick in the parking lot as she was taking the baby out of the car, the Oscaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post later that day. The Chick-fil-A worker, identified by The Washington Post as Mykel Gordon, ran to her aid. In a video taken by a bystander and shared by the Sheriff's office, Gordon pinned the man to the ground.

William Branch, the other man in the video, was charged with carjacking with a weapon and battery, the Sheriff's Office said.

Mykel Gordon has worked at the Beal Parkway Chick-fil-A for 14 years as an "outstanding," employee, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told Insider.

"We're so relieved that our Guests and Team Members are safe following this alarming incident. I'm grateful for my amazing Team Member, Mykel Gordon, who so selflessly jumped in to intervene and help our Guests. I couldn't be prouder of his incredible act of care," Matthew Sexton, operator of the location, told Insider in a statement. The restaurant also posted a photo on Facebook praising Gordon for his actions, writing 'At Chick-fil-A our mission is to "Serve" and today Mykel took it furtherto "Save'".

Gordon has gone into action to save a customer before. In 2018 when a crane fell onto a car with two passengers inside, he ran from his position taking drive-thru orders to help them. Gordon said he relied on instinct to help the two girls out of the car while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

Posts from Chick-fil-A and the sheriff's office have started to make the rounds online, with customers around the country commenting and praising Gordon. Many of the comments reference Chick-fil-A's reputation for good service and polite workers.

Story continues

"He shouldn't have messed with Chick-Fil-A workers. They have God on their side. Great job by that hero. I hope he gets a raise," one person wrote.

"Of course a Chick-fil-A employee ran to help, they're all amazing. I bet they said 'my pleasure' as a catch phrase," another commenter wrote.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A former Paris police officer was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for engaging in sexually explicit misconduct involving a minor.

Christopher Livingood was sentenced in a federal courtroom in Lexington after accepting a guilty plea agreement on May 31, pleading guilty to one of the seven charges he was indicted on, according to federal court records. The minimum sentence within the statutory guidelines was 15 years. The maximum was 30 years.

Livingood was federally charged after he used a messaging app to have conversations with a woman in Indiana about how he wanted to perform sexual acts on an infant, according to court records. He communicated with the woman for about a year and four months.

During that span, Livingood sent Roe naked images of the infants lower half, according to court documents. Livingood also possessed additional images of child pornography, according to court documents.

Livingood was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.

Upon release, Livingood will be under supervised parole for life. He must also participate in a sex offender program while incarcerated and never have contact with his victim.

Prior to the sentencing, Livingoods lawyer asked Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves for leniency. Livingoods attorney said Livingood had a good track record in life outside of these offenses. Livingood had no previous criminal offenses and had worked as a narcotics detective with the Paris Police Department.

Livingood also spoke to Reeves during Fridays court proceedings and asked him for leniency, saying he wanted a chance to fix his family following the charges and conviction.

The mother of the victim also spoke in court Friday, saying she wanted Livingood to receive the maximum sentence.
GARDNER  Former Gardner Police Chief Edward Cronin co-wrote and self-published his first book, "Just Policing: My Journey To Police Reform," in an effort to introduce people to a different method of policing.

After 35 years on the police force, Cronin reflected on his experiences as the police chief of Fitchburg and Gardner and as an international consultant for the U.S Department of State. Cronin explains that through these experiences, he learned and participated in restorative justice building between policing and marginalized communities.

"I wanted to talk about my experiences because they were different than most conventional police careers," Cronin said.

He said he found out that a lot of thing that he had learned are very relevant today. It was the George Floyd incident that really pushed him to express ideas and opinions about what could be done better in policing work.

Co-author Dayna Kendall said she hopes many people learn from Ed Cronin's experiences.

"Just Policing" is part memoir that displays the events in Cronin's career that influenced his opinions on how the role of the police department should look in today's communities.

"It's part memoir and how I was able to learn to be open to understanding people more," he said. "I wrote it because I did start to think and reflect about what could we do, as the law enforcement, differently?"

More: Speakers tackle poverty problems at MWCC talk

Connecting with the community

During his time as police chief in Fitchburg, Cronin said he meet Sayra Pinto, a Latina ambassador from Mount Wachusett Community College. She was sent from the college via a grant to help curb Fitchburg's declining Latino high school graduation rate.

Cronin and Pinto worked closely to build a bridge between the police department and the Latino youth community.

Cronin said he learned a lot from Pinto on how to connect with a marginalized community as a white person in power. Cronin also stated that the lessons he learned during his five years as Fitchburg police chief are one of the big reasons he wrote his book.

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"When I started as police chief in Fitchburg, we didn't have any communication with that community, but all we had were lawsuits," Cronin said. "I asked Sayra, 'what can we do?' and she said to me 'You got all the power and millions of dollars in your budget. You got all the officers, you got the firearms, what are you doing?'

"I started to reflect on what I can do differently after that conversation," he said.

More: Police implement new regional database to help fight crime

Domestic violence awareness

As the Gardner police chief, Cronin spent his three years of service focusing on bringing awareness to domestic violence in the community.

"The domestic violence issue in Gardner was high when I was police chief," Cronin said. "A study found that the number one reason women would go to Heywood Memorial Hospital was due to a domestic violence injury and that was shocking to me."

Cronin said his department applied for a grant to fund several domestic violence awareness programs. One of the programs focused on training officers along with emergency room nurses to better communicate with each other during domestic violence cases.

"If you've been in policing and if you've ever been an emergency room nurse, the intersection of those two jobs is inevitable," he said. "Creating good partnerships along those lines is just going to enhance the safety for victims when they go to the hospital."

Authors connected during the pandemic

Co-author Dayna Kendall is a restorative practice interventionist at the Ayer-Shirley Regional School District.

Kendall said she met Cronin in 2013 when she was his personal trainer at a gym. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they reconnected and Cronin mentioned he had been working on a few chapters for a book idea he had had in mind for years.

"He was revisiting chapters written years and years ago and I told him that I would love to read and offer any feedback that he was open to and ultimately, it began there," Kendall said.

Cronin left his full-time position with the U.S Department of State in 2020 and in June 2021, Kendall and Cronin officially started to work together to get the book published. Cronin would send chapters to Kendall to edit and give constructive feedback.

Kendall said the relationship they have when they are writing is very symbiotic. Kendall also mentioned that after going through the book publishing process she feels closer to Cronin and to his family then ever. The final draft was finished in December 2021.

Opting for self-publishing

While they were finishing the editing process, Kendall and Cronin crafted a proposal letter to send to a few publishing companies in the attempt to get the book to the public. The duo decided to go through the self-publishing process instead after Cronin got advice from his Florida-based writing group.

Both authors said they hope people in the Central Massachusetts area can learn something about how policing based on restorative justice can benefit their community.

"I would love to see people understand that policing can be done differently and to see that because things have always been done a certain way doesn't mean that's how it has to be forever," Kendall said.

"I just want people to learn from Ed's story and understand that policing is a place where relationships matter so much more than just upholding laws; it can be about uplifting people."

Kendall stated there is potential to write a second book that continues the research-based message of reforming the police.

Digital and hard copies of "Just Policing" are sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on the book's website, justpolicing.org, for $9.99 and $22.97.

The authors will be at the Leominster Barnes & Noble on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m. for a book signing.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Retired Gardner police chief publishes book, advocates for reform
The former president of two New Jersey police unions was indicted on allegations that he pilfered $160,000 from the organizations' coffers to fund his lavish indulgences, the state Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday.

A grand jury upheld a theft charge against Christopher Smith, 48, last week, after authorities accused him of looting the organizations' bank accounts to pay for personal flight accommodations, internet service and meals at plush restaurants in New Jersey, Philadelphia and the storied 21 Club in New York City.

"Smith exploited men and women who work difficult, dangerous jobs to protect our communities, some of whom were his own coworkers who entrusted him with their money and a position of authority," said Thomas Eicher, executive director of the AG's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

The union official headed both the NJ Park Police PBA Local 222, based in his hometown of Hope, and the NJ State Law Enforcement Unit, which serves officers in statewide agencies such as the New Jersey State Police.

LOCAL:Jury to consider indictment against man charged in fatal drunken driving crash in Morristown

The Park Police are overseen by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and provide public safety services in state maintained parks, forests, recreation areas and natural preserves.

A department spokesperson deferred all questions about Smith's case to the attorney general.

As of Thursday evening, the AG's Office did not specify whether Smith was removed from his post at the unions in response to the accusations or if he already had left on his own, nor did they confirm whether Smith collected a salary or stipend for his posts.

The case will be heard in Superior Court in Warren County, said Mary Ann Spoto, a court spokesperson. If convicted, he could serve five to 10 years in prison and face a fine of up to $15,000.

Smith's attorney, Jeffrey Garrigan, did not respond to a request for comment on his client's behalf as of Thursday night.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ex-PBA president indicted on claim he used dues for lavish spending
Editor's note: this story has been updated. The child has been found safe.

Fort Myers police were investigating an armed carjacking and kidnapping that happened early Friday evening.

Shortly after the announcement, officers found the child and pickup truck involved in the alleged carjacking.

The suspect apparently fled the scene after leaving the pickup with the toddler in it behind, said Kristin Capuzzi, spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department.

Fort Myers police are working an armed carjacking and kidnapping. The pickup, with Florida tag IV32YV, was last seen traveling northbound on Prospect Avenue from Palm Beach Boulevard on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.

Police said the child doesn't know the suspect.

Capuzzi told The News-Press they located the pickup and child on Johnson Street, near Palm Beach Boulevard.

The suspect fled the scene. Officials warn he may be armed and dangerous.

Gone to Mexico: Fort Myers police working on warrants for parents who wrongly took sisters from US to Mexico

At your fingertip: One click away: New rollout of Amber Alerts on social media hopes to reach new audiences

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Follow him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers police investigate carjacking, kidnapping; 3-year-old aboard
Dear Texas history buffs,

Think Texas readers rarely let me down.

In a recent column, I asked which Texas dish best honorably stands in for the entire state.

Dozens of readers responded. The range of dishes stretched as wide as Texas.

Among the fresh candidate were pinto beans, Frito pie, barbecue crab and King Ranch chicken casserole.

In today's column, I report on the the delicious advice given by readers.

Please send tips about Texas memory pages to mbarnes@statesman.com.

Miss a column? Go to our column archives.

Miss a newsletter? Go to our newsletter archives.

Sign up: To get the free Think, Texas weekly digital newsletter, go to the American-Statesman newsletter page, or that of your hometown USA Today newspaper in Texas.

THE COLUMN

Tastemakers: Readers share their favorite dishes from the Lone Star State

The ballots have been certified. The votes have been tallied.

The winners?

All Texans who love food.

On Aug. 30, I asked readers which dish best represents the entire state of Texas.

Monica Peters Hardy of Abilene summed up the range of responses best: "Texas is so culturally diverse that picking one favorite dish to represent Texas was difficult for me."

In particular, Hardy wanted to make sure that I didn't forget great German Texan dishes, especially those she craves from Fredericksburg.

About 60 readers wrote to describe their quintessential Texas dish. Yet many correspondents, like Hardy, could not choose just one. Too many mouth-watering options.

King Ranch chicken over tortilla chips.

Some of the culinary candidates took me by surprise.

"I don't know if this can be called a 'dish,' but I nominate the humble pimento cheese on Texas toast for at least an honorable mention," writes Joe Starr, a longtime friend who lives in Houston. "When my family moved from California to Corpus Christi in 1972, I had heard of neither, but I soon became a convert."

Other dishes were new to me.

"We cant possibly leave out BBQ crabs," writes Rima Isam Anabtawi, who resides on the Texas Gulf Coast, "Sartins Seafood Style  originating in Sabine Pass."

Story continues

Then there were the readers who wanted it all.

"Breakfast tacos for breakfast," writes David Rojas, a former Austinite who now lives in New York City. "Brisket for lunch. Enchiladas for dinner."

READ MORE

THE PODCAST

On the latest episode of "Austin Found" podcast, J.B. Hager and I remember Jackie McGee, the first woman to serve as principal of an urban public high school in Texas.

American-Statesman columnist Michael Barnes and Austin360 Radio personality J.B. Hager team up on "Austin Found," a podcast about how Austin became Austin.

HOMETOWN HISTORY

This week's Hometown History theme is food, food and more food

 From Abilene: Dixie Pig restaurant going strong after all these years

 From Amarillo: The Big Texan Steak Ranch celebrates 60 years

 From Austin: What did the early days of Austin's food scene look like?

 From Corpus Christi: Shoop's Grill was popular seafood spot in downtown Corpus Christi

 From Lubbock: Traditional Mexican fare has deep roots in Texas

 From San Angelo: 10 must-see spots to visit in historic San Angelo

 From Wichita Falls: A new buddy gets a taste of a longtime Wichita Falls restaurant

FUN TEXAS FACT

Spanish-language dramatic company attracts large audiences

On Sept. 11, 1891, the Solsona Dramatic Company, a family-operated, Spanish-language, professional dramatic company was reportedly attracting large audiences in San Diego, Texas.

After arriving from Laredo at the end of the previous month, the Compania Dramatica Solsona had first attracted small audiences, but its popularity quickly grew.

By March 1892, the company had apparently moved to San Antonio and performed each Sunday on a regular basis at the Teatro Salon San Fernando, which operated loosely under the auspices of San Fernando Cathedral.

The bill included a full-length drama of a moralistic, instructional nature with religious overtones, followed by a juguete comico, a short comic play with songs. Compania Solsona greatly helped to establish the theater as an important gathering place for the Mexican-American community in San Antonio.

(Texas Day by Day / Texas State Historical Association) READ MORE

TEXAS TITLES

I recommend: "The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the 21st Century" by Peniel E. Joseph

University of Texas professor Peniel E. Joseph, who teaches at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, breaks down three periods of racial reconstruction: one following the Civil War, another during the late 20th-century civil rights movement, and a third age ushered in by Barack Obama's election to the presidency in 2008 and the Black Lives Matter campaign that intensified after Trayvon Martin's killing in 2012.

READ MORE ON TEXAS TITLES

Happy Trails,

Michael Barnes, Columnist

Think, Texas and Austin American-Statesman

Michael Barnes

Email: mbarnes@statesman.com

Twitter: twitter.com/outandabout

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Think Texas newsletter for Sept. 20, 2022
In a failed attempt to be helpful, a social media marketing company, SocialBee, completely missed the mark. The company published a blog providing readers with a list of words that could assist in reaching their desired social audience.

The blog was titled How Can You Write A Better Copy to Appeal to Gen-Z Humor. The blog and social post were removed by SocialBee, but Black Twitter moves fast.

The jokes write themselves at this point. pic.twitter.com/cXFpXqjUhY  Jon Paul, Ed.D. (They/Them/Tired)  (@DoctorJonPaul) September 14, 2022

The jokes write themselves at this point, tweeted user @DoctorJonPaul.

The list included the following words and definitions:

Basic (regular, boring)

Bop (a good song)

Boujee (lavish)

Catch them hands (get in a fight with somebody)

Drip (outfit)

Gucci (all good)

No Cap (seriously)

Swole (buff)

Whip (car)

The list included words that are common in African American Vernacular English and not exclusively owned or created by Gen-Z.

African American Vernacular English, Black English, controversially known as Ebonics, has a rich history that touches on everything that is Black culture. From linguistics to literature to music and the words we speak each and every day. Just as with many things in Black culture, appropriation is real, including our slang terms.

And what made the tweet weirder is knowing that SocialBee is a predominantly white company.

The website isnt any better pic.twitter.com/urlbYdJfHd  Ckie Montague (@AroundTheWayMM) September 15, 2022

In response to @DoctorJonPaul, user @AroundTheWayMM took a deep dive into the companys website and saw a huge lack of diversity.

After the tweet went out, Black Twitter expressed their feelings about the list.

Story continues

Bougee??? They spell it wrong it's BOUGIE and God Dammit that's gotta be one of the OLDEST Black phrases in existence!!! I'm GenX and I've known it my entire life.  The Cocky One (@CockyMF) September 15, 2022

Bougee??? They spell it wrong its BOUGIE and God Dammit thats gotta be one of the OLDEST Black phrases in existence!!! Im GenX and Ive known it my entire life. tweeted user @CockyMF.

C-o-i-n-e-d is a funny way to spell appropriatedpic.twitter.com/skMKBypDKK  MC (@CaptMarz) September 15, 2022

C-o-i-n-e-d is a funny way to spell appropriated tweeted @CaptMarz

After being called out on their disconnect from diversity, SocialBee tweeted an apology for the list.

We are truly sorry for posting the graphic that clearly wasnt properly researched and well-thought-out.

Its on us and we deeply regret this happened; we should have known better.

To prevent its spreading and misuse, well delete the whole article.  SocialBee.io  (@SocialBeeHQ) September 14, 2022

We are truly sorry for posting the graphic that clearly wasnt properly researched and well-thought-out, tweeted @SocialBeeHQ. Its on us and we deeply regret this happened; we should have known better. To prevent its spreading and misuse, well delete the whole article.

The apology fell on deaf ears as the many Twitter users felt the only viable solution would be for the company to hire more Black people.
A Georgia grandmother is revealing why she decided to give back a bag of cash she found in her fast food order.

JoAnn Oliver went to pick up a drive-through sandwich at the KFC on 3rd Street in Jackson on Wednesday. When she got back to work and sat down to enjoy her lunch, she found $543.10 in cash underneath her sandwich.

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

Thats my light bill and some, Oliver told Channel 2s Tom Jones during Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 on Friday.

Instead of keeping the cash, Oliver called police.

I started counting it and when I got to $500, I stopped and just put it back in the envelope, closed the envelope put the sandwich back the way I got it and just slid it to the side until the officer got here, Oliver said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Olivers family could have really used the money. She revealed her husband suffered strokes and is battling cancer. Oliver said they are facing medical bills around $2 million.

For a second. We thought about going shopping said Oliver. I said I should have kept a 20. because Im sitting on E.

Police learned a worker accidentally placed the restaurants daily deposit into the bag.

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If you dont do the right thing its gonna come back on you, Oliver said. I mean It wasnt mine. I didnt need to keep it. Ill get mine in the future.

KFC refunded the money Oliver paid for her lunch and gave her a free meal.

RELATED:
WASHINGTON  Estonian and German forces will train to defend critical infrastructure near the capital of Tallinn next month, a scenario in line with NATOs new concept of strengthened forward defense, according to officials from both countries.

The drill, dubbed Baltic Tiger, will see German Air Force troops of the Friesland regiment exercising with Estonian forces at Amari air base, located some 25 miles southeast from Tallinn, a Luftwaffe spokesman said. According to its website, the formation specializes in defending airfields under combat conditions.

Its a the first time the Luftwaffe is sending such forces for an exercise out of the country, the spokesman said. At the same time, German navy expeditionary infantry forces will train for securing Miinisadam naval base, the military port on the Tallinn Bay. Around 150 German personnel will be involved in the exercise scheduled to run throughout October.

Estonian officials were tight-lipped about details.

Objectives of the drill are related to deepen the relations between participants and give an understanding of tactics, techniques and procedures used for operations in specific areas and how this is related to overall effort of force, because Amari and Miinisadam are real locations, a military spokesperson said. Estonia is gladly using that opportunity to look into valid plans and how to make them more responsive to emerging threats.

Defending the Baltic nations from Russian attack is a key consideration in NATOs operational plans. Details are formalized in the alliances classified Concept for the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area.

At the NATO summit in Madrid in June, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas requested greater focus on denying Russian forces entry into her country in the first place, rather than expecting Estonians to weather an initial ground thrust toward Tallinn while awaiting alliance help under the so-called tripwire posture.

If you compare the size of Ukraine and the Baltic countries, then it would mean a complete destruction of our countries, of our culture, she said, Bloomberg reported at the time. Those of you who have been to Tallinn and know our Old Town and the centuries of history and culture that is here, that would all be wiped off from the map, including our people, our nation.

Story continues

Russia has previously subjected Estonia to hybrid and irregular warfare tactics, including cyber attacks. Mixed with Russian President Vladimir Putins openly colonial aspirations, the Baltic nations feel particularly vulnerable following Moscows full-scale assault on Ukraine that began in in February.

We all know that irregular warfare activities have been part of the Russian playbook forever, Kristjan Prikk, Estonias ambassador in Washington, said at Defense News annual conference this month.

He said Estonians have historically internalized irregular and guerrilla tactics in the expectation of having to defend their small country from an invasion.

We have a concept of, Every quill counts, Prikk said, referring to the natural defenses of hedgehogs and porcupines. And every tree can shoot.
Rosneft is Russia's largest oil company

BNetzA will gain temporary control over Rosneft Deutschland GmbH (RDG) and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH (RNRM) and shares in three refineries: PCK Schwedt (Schwedt), MiRo (Karlsruhe) and Bayernoil (Voburg).

Read also: G-7 to limit Russian oil revenues with price caps

The German government took control of Rosneft's German assets in order to keep the Schwedt refinery operating near the Polish border.

The decision is accompanied by a comprehensive package for the future, which will provide a transformational impetus for the region and support the refinery to ensure the supply of oil through alternative supply routes, the German department noted.

This plant supplies the bulk of aviation fuel for the airport in Berlin and gasoline for cars in the region.

The company relied on the Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia to supply crude products.

Read also: Germany to continue supporting Ukraine in war against Russia as long as necessary, says FM

A month earlier, the Russian state-owned Transneft oil transport company announced that the supply of oil in transit through the territory of Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline had been stopped starting Aug. 4. The money that the company sent to Ukraine to pay for transit was returned to Transneft's accounts "due to the introduction of EU regulations, that is, the seventh package of sanctions."

Consumers of Russian oil took the initiative to assume the obligation to pay for the transit of Russian oil.

Read also: Germany could nationalize part of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

On Aug 11, Ukrtransnafta resumed the transportation of Russian oil through the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba main oil pipeline in the direction of Slovakia and Hungary.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is ready to review reservations with regard to military export rules that affect joint defence projects, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday.

"Some may be surprised but the German government is prepared to do this," he said in Berlin according to the script of a speech.

Scholz was referring to national reservations and rules for the export of jointly produced defence equipment that have hampered cooperation with European and other partners in the past.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Paul Carrel)
By Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German military is scrutinising the actions of Russian forces that recently arrived near its main camp in the Gao area of Mali and is keeping a close eye on the operation of the airport there, Germany's defence minister told Reuters.

Berlin has deployed some 1,000 troops to Mali, most near the northern town of Gao where their main task is to gather reconnaissance for U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, set up in 2013 to back foreign and local troops battling Islamist militants.

The future of the German mission is in doubt, however, after the latest dispute with the ruling military junta in Bamako and the arrival of Russian forces in Gao, which added to Berlin's unease over an increasing Russian military presence in Mali.

"What are the tasks of the Russian troops that have shown up directly next to our camp? Are they only supporting Malian soldiers with equipment and training? Or do the Russians influence the operation of Gao airport?" German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in an interview.

"That would of course be a difficult situation for us, which would then have to be completely reassessed."

So far, the Russian presence has had no concrete impact on the German military operation, according to Lambrecht.

In April, Germany called on the junta to cease working with Russian military contractors if it wanted to fully reactivate the European Union's training of the country's armed forces.

The Russian private military firm Wagner Group began supplying hundreds of fighters last year to support the Malian military and has since been accused by human rights groups and local residents of participating in massacres of civilians - accusations it has not responded to.

The German military suspended its reconnaissance mission for more than three weeks from mid-August after a spat with Mali's junta over flight clearances, and only resumed operations earlier this month.

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Lambrecht said the United Nations had struck deals with the Malian government with regard to the flight clearances and regular exchanges of troops at the camps, and that the procedures were currently working.

"Of course, we are observing very closely what exactly we can do to advance the democratisation and stabilisation of Mali," Lambrecht said.

"We see that, temporarily, there are no clearances for drone flights. But we need these flights because without the surveillance of the drones and the resulting protection, our forces cannot go out of the camp as far (as they normally would go on patrol)."

Lambrecht also signalled that Germany would keep up its military engagement in Niger, which shares a border with Mali and where German troops have been part of a training mission that is supposed to wind up at the end of this year.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh, editing by Mark Heinrich)
An oil subsidiary in Germany previously controlled by a Russian oil giant is now under the control of the German government, it announced Friday.

The German government said it took control of Rosneft Deutschland GmbH and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH, two companies owned up until now by multinational oil and gas company Rosneft. The government said the move would ensure continued oil production as the international community looks to cut its oil dependence on Russia.

Germans Economy Ministry said Friday the companies will be put under the control of the Federal Network Agency. The ministry also said the agency will assume control of the companies shares in three refineries: PCK Schwedt, MiRo and Bayernoil.

The ministry said the acquisition will last for six months.

RUSSIAN TV PUNDITS OPENLY QUESTIONING WAR IN UKRAINE FOLLOWING DEVASTATING COUNTEROFFENSIVE

The Schwedt refinery supplies about 90% of Berlins fuel and Rosneft Deutschland is one of the largest oil processing companies in the country, accounting for 12% of Germanys oil refining capacity, Reuters reported.

The move comes amid a larger package by the German government to seek alternatives to Russian oil, which it intends to announce later Friday. Rosneft previously said it had no intention to stop the import of Russian oil.

UKRAINES MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN BEGINNING STAGES, RUSSIA HAS FAILED SECOND CAMPAIGN ATTEMPT: GEN. MILLEY

A European Union embargo on Russian oil is set to be enacted on Jan 1, 2023.

Russia continues its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Bloomberg) -- Germany is in advanced talks to take over Uniper SE and two other large gas importers in a historic step to avoid a collapse of its energy market, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

State ownership of Uniper, VNG AG and Securing Energy for Europe GmbH, formerly Gazprom Germania GmbH, is the main solution under discussion, the people said. The government is considering buying Fortum Oyjs controlling stake in Uniper for a nominal price and would then inject billions of euros into the company through a capital increase, according to some of the people.

That move would dilute the stakes of Unipers remaining outside shareholders. The exact specifics have yet to be agreed but a conclusion could be reached in the coming days, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

Surging gas prices and Moscows move to squeeze supplies to Europe have already prompted a series of government bailouts and rescue loans. But those measures are increasingly dwarfed by the scale of the crisis and theres a risk that systemic energy providers collapse without more robust government support. A coordinated swoop on the three firms would mark a clear escalation in Europes response to the energy war being waged by Russia.

With Russias main pipeline to Germany cut off, Uniper is having to source alternative supplies and its racking up losses of as much as 100 million euros ($100 million) a day, according to its CEO.

SEFE didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Fortum, Unipers largest shareholder with a 78% stake, said it couldnt comment while negotiations are underway. Spokespeople for the German economy ministry, Uniper and VNG declined to comment.

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The three companies are central pillars of Germanys energy infrastructure, bringing gas from all over the world to fire Europes power stations, run factories and heat homes. Their physical assets help store and transport energy, while their teams of traders buy and sell billions of euros of contracts each year to keep the continents economy afloat and societies stable.

Asked about nationalization plans, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said: Things are complex, we are working it through very carefully.

One of those complications is the Finnish utility Fortum. It has already granted loans to its unit but made clear earlier this year it didnt want to keep extending credit. The government has already agreed to take a 30% stake in Uniper.

VNG, which supplies gas to approximately 400 municipal utilities and industrial operators, submitted an application for state aid last week. The extra cost for it to replace Russian flows to fulfill its own contracts is projected to balloon to 1 billion euros ($1 billion) this year, its parent company EnBW said.

Taking ownership of SEFE is also tricky as theres a risk of channeling funds to Moscow. In July, German officials opened the door to nationalizing SEFE, passing a law that allows the government to take a stake in companies in its trusteeship against the will of their owner.

In SEFEs case, which has been in trusteeship since April, the owner is an unclear Russian entity called Joint Stock Company Palmary, to which Gazprom gave the subsidiary in April. However, the law may require the German government to provide compensation to the former owner.

(Updates with details of potential Uniper deal structure from second paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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RENO, Nev.  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin presents one of his trademark fleece vests to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo during a campaign visit on behalf of the Republican nominee for Nevada governor Thursday at the Nevada Trucking Association in Reno. (Photo: S.V. Date/HuffPost)

RENO, Nev.  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin presents one of his trademark fleece vests to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo during a campaign visit on behalf of the Republican nominee for Nevada governor Thursday at the Nevada Trucking Association in Reno. (Photo: S.V. Date/HuffPost)

RENO, Nev.  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took his Im-not-really-thinking-about-running-for-president tour Thursday to one of the key states for early voting contests in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating process, with a pair of campaign stops for Nevadas Republican nominee for governor.

Virginians had a chance to make a statement last year, and we did. Now, its your chance, Youngkin told a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Nevada Trucking Associations headquarters in a high-ceiling garage decked out with a massive U.S. flag behind the stage. The headwaters of a red wave that we started in Virginia can spread across the entire country.

Earlier in the day, he had spoken to about 300 supporters of Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo at Liberty Baptist. The church is known for its anti-gay and no exceptions anti-abortion stance and is located in a working-class neighborhood of stucco apartment complexes and shopping centers a few miles north of the Las Vegas Strip.

Neither of those topics came up, though, in either Lombardos or Youngkins remarks. Instead, the focus was on the supposed failure of Democratic governors around the country, current Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak among them, in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Youngkin spent a good portion of his speech painting a grim picture of Virginia during 2021, with schools still not reopened and many businesses either shut down or operating at reduced capacities because of progressive, liberal leaders, he claimed.

Does that sound familiar, Nevada? Youngkin said.

That, plus rising violent crime rates and Democrats efforts to teach critical race theory in the public schools led to Virginians coming together to elect him governor, Youngkin told the crowd.

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These are not Republican values. These are American values were talking about, he added.

Lombardo, who according to recent polling is virtually tied with Sisolak, said he was grateful for Youngkins visit, which included a Lake Tahoe fundraiser sandwiched between the two public events.

I believe in his foundation, his platform, and what hes trying to achieve in Virginia is synonymous, is exactly what Im trying to achieve in the state of Nevada, Lombardo said. And thats why hes standing here today.

Political unknown to presidential material

Youngkin spent the bulk of his adult life with the Carlyle Group private equity firm, co-running it his last three years and amassing a nine-figure personal fortune. He decided to leave the firm in 2020 to enter politics.

Many Republicans felt that statewide offices there were out of reach for their party. Virginia had been trending toward Democratic in recent years capped off with a double-digit victory by Joe Biden over then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

But Youngkin focused on parental anger over lasting pandemic-related school closures in the Democratic suburbs of Washington, D.C. He appealed to pro-Trump Republicans by promising to end critical race theory in schools, which many Trump supporters took as a pledge to deemphasize the teaching of slavery and segregation.

As important in the populous northern Virginia suburbs, though, was Youngkins refusal to spread lies about the 2020 election having been stolen from Trump. Youngkin generally avoided talking about Trump at all. While at one point Trump promised to campaign for Youngkin before the election, in the end, he stayed out of the state.

On Election Day, the Trump distancing appeared to have worked. Northern Virginia neighborhoods where Trump had no visible support in 2020 sprouted red with Youngkin for governor signs just a year later. He also benefited from record-high turnout in rural Virginia counties where aggrieved Trump supporters remained angry about the 2020 election result.

The net result: Youngkin managed to eke out a 2-point win statewide, which instantly made him a star among Republican consultants and donors nationally.

Youngkin, who took office in January, originally answered speculation about a potential 2024 presidential run by saying he was focused solely on Virginia. That answer began evolving within a few months, until by June, when he visited New York City to meet with major Republican donors. He had already begun saying he was humbled by the question and that he had not made any decisions yet.

Well see what comes next, he told Fox News on June 27.

Days later, Youngkin visited Nebraska on July 9 to aid Republican candidates. He visited Michigan on Aug. 27 to boost GOP nominee Tudor Dixon in her challenge to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. And earlier this month, he was in Maine for a fundraiser for Paul LePage, the former Republican governor who is now trying to return to that job.

Still to come for Youngkin are trips to Georgia, Kansas and New Mexico to help Republican gubernatorial candidates in those states, as well, with visits to Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin also possible.

On Thursday, he laughed off a question about his visit to an early 2024 state. Youre very kind, he said. This is my most important visit to Nevada to support Joe Lombardo. And I think this is what Republican governors did for me last year.

While some Republicans, including Maryland Gov Larry Hogan, have made a point not to help candidates who have spread Trumps lies about the 2020 election having been stolen from him, Youngkin has not.

Dixon in Michigan, for example, regularly pushed Trumps lies during her primary election campaign, while LePage has never stopped spreading them. Youngkin is also open to a trip to Arizona to help Kari Lake, the GOP candidate for governor who is among the most prolific spreaders of Trumps elections falsehoods among current GOP office-seekers.

While Youngkin during his campaign for the nomination did not claim that the election had been stolen from Trump, he didnt denounce it as a lie. It wasnt until one of the televised debates with Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe that Youngkin finally said that Biden had been legitimately elected in 2020.

Today, Youngkin prefers to avoid the issue entirely. In a July appearance on CBSs Face the Nation, he was asked three times whether Trump should stop lying about the election. And three times he changed the subject and would not answer.

I think what I did last year was I focused on 2021. And we had 5,000 people come and volunteer at elections and that gave everybody confidence in our election process, he said, referring to poll watchers his campaign recruited. They showed up, they voted in record numbers for a governors race, and we won.

On Thursday, Youngkin declined to comment on candidates who continue to push Trumps lies. Instead, he offered the standard answer many mainstream Republicans have settled upon. We have to look forward. Thats what we have to do as Republicans. The reality of course is that we have to work to make people feel more confident about the election process, he said.

Helping his brand while helping others

Lombardo at the Las Vegas and Reno appearances thanked Youngkin for his support in the coming election. But the reality is probably the opposite. Youngkin remains largely unknown among the voting public nationally, and his visit will likely help him lay the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run far more than it will help Lombardo six weeks from now.

Ive heard of him, said Randall Carney, 68, a ministry student and Lombardo supporter shopping at a Walmart grocery store less than a mile from Liberty Baptist. Carney had not heard about the campaign event on the eve of Youngkins visit. However, he also seemed unclear about who he was, asking, His last name is Young?

David Barron, 67 and a retired autoworker from Pennsylvania who now works part-time at Walmart said he was aware of Youngkins win in Virginia. I know he ran on that critical race theory stuff, whatever that is, he said during a cigarette break.

Jean Adams, who is 70 and said she recalls watching the Kennedy-Nixon debate on television as a child, said she knows all about Youngkin. Hes got a future, she said.

As to whether his trip would matter in November is another matter. I dont know if that many people are paying attention, Adams said.

At least one person, however, does appear to be paying close attention to Youngkin and his newfound appeal: Trump.

On Sept. 6, days after a clip of Youngkin awkwardly dancing to Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky in his red vest at Dixons rally made the rounds on social media, Trump tried to take credit for Youngkins 2021 victory on his Truth Social web site.

Helped him get elected  big time, Trump wrote. Press refused to acknowledge, but thats OK  the people know!

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
A Nobel Prize. Illustrated | Getty Images

The winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 7 in Oslo. Since 1901, this honor has been awarded 102 times to 137 Nobel Prize laureates, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former President Jimmy Carter. Here's everything you need to know:

What is the Nobel Peace Prize?

In his will, the Swedish inventor, scientist, and philanthropist Alfred Nobel dictated that most of his wealth be used to establish "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." One of those prizes needed to go to "the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses." Nobel died in 1896, and when his will was made public, his family opposed the establishment of the Nobel Prize. Because of this, the first prizes weren't awarded until 1901.

How does a person get nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Foundation says that for a nomination to be valid, the nominator must fall within a certain category  one example is being a member of a national assembly or government of a sovereign state, or a current head of state. You cannot nominate yourself.

How are the Nobel Peace Prize laureates chosen?

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee chooses the Nobel Peace Prize candidates and laureates. Nominations are due by Jan. 31, and over the next two months, the committee reviews the submissions and puts together a short list of candidates. From March to August, there is an adviser review of the candidates, and the Nobel Peace Prize laureates are then chosen at the beginning of October through a majority vote. "The decision is final and without appeal," the Nobel Foundation says. This year's award ceremony will take place Dec. 10 in Oslo.

Who is nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize?

We don't know  the names and other information about nominees (including their nominators) can't be revealed for 50 years. The Nobel Foundation did share that for 2022, there are 343 candidates: 251 individuals and 92 organizations. This is the second-highest number of candidates ever, with the record of 376 candidates set in 2016.

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Are there any predictions for the winner of this year's prize?

Since the nominees are a closely held secret, there is a lot of speculation until the winner is announced. Looking at the major issues of 2022, this year's award could go to an environmentalist or someone involved in the fight against climate change, such as David Attenborough or Greta Thunberg. An opposition politician or pro-democracy activist, like Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus or Alexei Navalny of Russia, could also be the next laureate.

Every year, the director of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo puts together their own personal shortlist for the Peace Prize, and both Tsikhanouskaya and Navalny made Henrik Urdal's 2022 list. Tsikhanouskaya is a leader of the non-violent movement against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Urdal writes, calling for fair elections and an end to state-sanctioned brutality against protesters. "Both for her concrete role in campaigning for democracy and as a figurehead of the pro-democracy movement in Belarus, Tsikhanouskaya would be a worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize," Urdal said.

In March, dozens of European lawmakers appealed to the Nobel Foundation, asking for the Peace Prize deadline to be extended so Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people could be nominated. In their letter, the politicians from Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, and the Netherlands said they "are aware that this is a break with procedure, [but] we do believe it is justified by the current unprecedented situation."

There was some pushback on Twitter from users who said that even though Ukraine was invaded by Russia, a wartime leader should not receive a prize celebrating peace. Norwegian Nobel Committee director Olav Njlstad told The Independent that "generally speaking, it is not possible for the committee to extend the [Jan. 31] deadline for making nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize," but did note that committee members had the ability to make their own nominations before their first formal meeting on Feb. 28. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24.

Is a Nobel Peace Prize given out every year?

Not always. During World War II, no prize was awarded from 1939 to 1943; in 1944, it was given to Comite international de la Croix-Rouge (International Committee of the Red Cross) for "the great work it has performed during the war on behalf of humanity." Similarly, no awards were given out in 1914, 1915, 1916, and 1918 during World War I.

Who are some recent laureates?

In 2021, the Nobel Peace Prize went to two journalists: Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai received the prize in 2014 "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education," while five years earlier, former President Barack Obama was honored "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Earlier winners include Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1954, Mother Teresa in 1979, Elie Wiesel in 1986, and Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin in 1994.

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Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., downloaded TikTok about two years ago after hearing a lot of buzz about the popular video-sharing app. But he found it disappointing, saying it did not serve him content much more "compelling" than what he would watch on Facebook Reels or Instagram Stories.

I never really developed into much of an active user, he told NBC News. He said that after he learned about ByteDance, the Beijing-based company which owns TikTok, he deactivated his account and removed the app from his phone.

And now, he wants to eliminate it from many more devices.

Last week, Johnson introduced the Block the Tok Act, which would prohibit the installation and use of TikTok on all government devices, as well as personal devices at military installations and a host of federal agencies, including the State Department, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and others in the intelligence-gathering community.

The legislation would also prohibit TikTok from accessing user data of U.S. citizens from within China and direct the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into whether the company has engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

TikTok has been on the receiving end of mounting scrutiny over its parent companys ties to China. Concerned lawmakers and regulators say ByteDance could provide American user data directly to the Chinese government or Beijing might meddle with TikToks algorithm for propaganda purposes.

This summer, a BuzzFeed News investigation indicated that TikTok employees in China had access to American data.

On Wednesday, the company wrote on Twitter that it is making progress toward a final agreement with the U.S. government to further safeguard U.S. user data and address national security interests.

That same day, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee grilled TikToks chief operating officer, Vanessa Pappas, during a hearing alongside other social media executives. Pappas insisted that "in no way, shape or form" does the Chinese government exercise influence over TikTok's behavior or policies and the company did not share data with it.

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We do have employees based in China, she said. We also have very strict access controls around the type of data that they can access and where that data is stored, which is here in the United States. And weve also said under no circumstances would we give that data to China.

Pressed by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on whether TikTok will commit to cutting off all data and metadata flows to China, Pappas said, Our final agreement with the U.S. government will satisfy all national security concerns.

Johnson told NBC News that he thought prospects of his legislation had improved after that hearing.

She talks about how TikTok would never give that data to China, he said. But she avoided saying that ByteDance wouldnt facilitate the movement of that kind of data to China. And I would note, we have heard these kinds of claims from TikTok before and they have been found in error.

A federal judge last month approved a $92 million settlement between TikTok and users of the platform as part of a class-action lawsuit stemming from claims the company improperly gathered data.

Johnson's legislation is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Brian Mast of Florida, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Chris Smith of New Jersey and Jake LaTurner of Kansas. He is working to garner additional support in the next two weeks, before the House adjourns ahead of Election Day.

Restricting TikTok, both because of its parent companys ties to China and its influence with teenagers, has become a popular cause among conservative activists.

TikTok must be banned outright, full-stop without any hesitation, Emily Jashinsky, a culture editor at The Federalist, a right-leaning publication, said during a panel session at the National Conservatism Conference in Miami this week. Its a scourge on our culture.

Johnson said that while most Americans now have a better understanding of how their information is being utilized by social media companies, their response has generally been a shrug. Hes hopeful that many will reconsider when it comes to TikTok, just as he did.

As I learned more and more about the size of this threat, I deleted the app," he said. And I think thats the learning process that we need every federal employee and frankly, every American to really thoughtfully and deliberately engage in.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem faced a Friday deadline to appeal a state ethics board's finding that there was evidence she improperly intervened in her daughter's application for a real estate appraiser license.

The Government Accountability Board voted unanimously last month that there was enough evidence to believe the Republican governor had committed malfeasance and engaged in a conflict of interest.

Noem has maintained she did nothing wrong, but so far the process has been conducted in private. Neither her office nor her reelection campaign answered questions Friday on whether she would proceed to a contested case hearing that would give her a chance to make her case publicly.

The board took unspecified action against the governor, and board member Gene Kean said last month that Friday would be the deadline for Noem to respond.

If there is no public hearing, it's not clear whether the board will release details of the action it took. The board closed the complaint last month but suggested it could be reopened.

A lawyer who has represented the governor before the board also did not respond to questions.

Related video: Ethics board says Gov. Kristi Noem may have 'engaged in misconduct'

The Associated Press first reported that shortly after a state agency moved in July 2020 to deny Noem's daughter, Kassidy Peters, an appraiser license, the governor held a meeting with Peters and key decision-makers in her licensure. Days after the meeting, Peters signed an agreement that gave her another opportunity to meet the licensing requirements. The South Dakota Legislatures audit committee, controlled by Republicans, unanimously approved a report in May that found Noems daughter got preferential treatment.

Noem previously requested the ethics complaint be dismissed without a hearing by arguing that the person who brought it, former Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, was out for revenge after she successfully pushed for his impeachment and removal from office for his conduct in a 2020 fatal car crash.

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In that April motion to the board, Noem's attorneys also said she could counter the accusations against her. Her campaign spokesman, Ian Fury, on Friday referred a reporter to an August statement that branded the board's action as illegal.

But declining to fight the evidence in a contested case hearing would allow the board's action" against her while potentially avoiding further public scrutiny.

The Government Accountability Board, which has never handled such a high-profile case since its inception in 2017, has not publicly said what action it has taken. It has deliberated over the complaints for nearly a year in a series of closed-door meetings, navigating untested laws.

Board member David Gienapp, at the board's August meeting, verbally moved to invoke a statute  SDCL 3-24-7  that states the board shall hold a contested case hearing to afford the accused person the opportunity to respond to the allegation. But the board's draft minutes, posted two days later, make no mention of that statute. Instead, the draft minutes state that the board acted to make an initial determination that the complaint alleges facts that the governor engaged in misconduct.

The board's minutes state that it took appropriate action," but the board has kept that action a secret so far. The board is allowed under state law to issue a private reprimand. But the statute says it may take that action at the conclusion of a contested case hearing and after it has determined, by a majority vote, that there has been misconduct.

Their official actions, whatever they may be, should be a public record, said David Bordewyk, who directs the South Dakota Newspaper Association and advocates for open records and meeting laws.

Given the nature of this board, which is to hold public officials accountable, the public has a right to know what those accountability measures are, regardless of the official.

Board members this week either declined to comment or did not return a request for comment. An attorney hired by the board, Mark Haigh, has previously said it fully complied with all the requirements in the laws governing it.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom answers questions at a news conference in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2022. Richard Vogel, File/Associated Press

Gov. Gavin Newsom placed pro-abortion billboards in seven red states.

Newsom urged residents of the states to seek care through a California website.

He said he placed the billboards in the states that have some of the tightest abortion restrictions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's pro-abortion campaign has transcended beyond California borders as he placed billboards in seven states with restrictive abortion bans to taunt governors and inform residents about a new informational abortion website.

"We want women to know that we have their backs," Newsom told The Washington Post, which first reported on the efforts. "We care, they matter, and we're not going to turn our backs on them because they're from another state."

The billboards, his latest out-of-state advertisement efforts, were rented using his reelection campaign money, per The Post.

The advertisements, which tout California's recently-launched informational website, can be seen in Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.

"I'm doing this because I'm privileged to be able to do it," Newsom told The Washington Post. "I'm doing this because I care. I'm doing it because the people that support my candidacy support this. And when many heard about this, they wanted to support additional efforts like it, to be fully transparent with you."

Newsom posted images of the billboards in a Twitter thread with short messages to the governors of the seven states.

Take a look at the billboards below:

Texas

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@GregAbbott_TX this will be launching in your state today," Newsom tweeted at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday.

Texas' six-week abortion ban rewards private citizens with up to $10,000 for suing abortion providers or those who help others obtain the procedure.

Indiana

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@GovHolcomb the people of Indiana will be seeing these as they drive to work today," Newsom tweeted at Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb Thursday.

Indiana's ban  which was the first to be passed after Roe was revered and goes into effect Thursday  prevents abortions 10 weeks after fertilization except in cases of rape, incest, if the pregnancy threatens the life of the pregnant individual, or if the fetus has a "lethal fetal anomaly." Abortions in the state, since the year 2010, used to be allowed up until 20 weeks post-fertilization.

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Mississippi and Oklahoma

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@tatereeves the people of Mississippi deserve to know they have access to the care you are refusing to provide. This will be launching in your state today," Newsom tweeted at Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.

Mississippi, the state whose case reversed Roe v. Wade, bans abortions after 15 weeks and makes exceptions if the life of the mother is threatened and if rape was reported to the police.

"@GovStitt this will be going up in your state," Newsom tweeted at Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Oklahoma has five contradictory abortion bans  but nearly all abortions are illegal.

Ohio

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@GovMikeDeWine Ohio will be seeing these billboards starting today," Newsom tweeted to Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio.

Ohio bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In Ohio, a 10-year-old rape victim was forced to seek the procedure out of state. The case received national media attention and commentary from politicians.

South Carolina

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@henrymcmaster the people of South Carolina will be seeing these today," Newsom told Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina Thursday.

South Carolina's "heartbeat bill" bans abortions following the detection of a fetal heartbeat. While the law includes exceptions for rape, incest, fetal anomalies, and when the pregnant individual's life is threatened, it also requires providers to perform an ultrasound, let the patient listen to the fetus's heartbeat, and inform the patient of the fetus's development.

South Dakota

Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a pro-choice billboard campaign in anti-abortion states with restrictive laws. Gov. Gavin Newsom/Twitter

"@govkristinoem this will be launching in your state today," Newsom tweeted to Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

South Dakota makes all cases of abortion illegal except if the patient's life is at risk.

Newsom urged abortion-seeking patients to head to California for care

"NEW: Just launched billboards in 7 of the most restrictive anti-abortion states that explain how women can access care--no matter where they live," Newsom tweeted Thursday.

The billboards direct individuals to a new state-run website with information and a list of abortion providers.

"To any woman seeking an abortion in these anti-freedom states: CA will defend your right to make decisions about your own health," he added.

Newsom did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Republican Governor from Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis, touted the $12 million in funding he has for transporting migrants. He recently made headlines by sending 50 Venezuelan migrants unannounced to Marthas Vineyard in a political stunt to criticize the Biden Administrations handling of immigration. The migrants reported that they were lured into boarding the flight to Marthas Vineyard after they were told they were headed to Boston for work opportunities and faster processing times. This stunt by Governor DeSantis is currently being questioned from a legal perspective to see if any laws were broken by his actions.

DESANTIS: I got $12 million for us to use and so we are going to use it and you're going to see more and more, but I'm going to make sure that we exhaust all those funds because I think it's important. I think people want to see that we're actually standing up and trying to protect the state against Biden's really, really reckless policies.
After two planeloads of migrants were flown to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis administration made sure Fox News had the exclusive video Wednesday so conservatives could cheer him on  and liberals would fume.

The day before in Illinois, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an emergency declaration to grapple with nearly 500 immigrants bused to Chicago by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, mobilizing the states National Guard after he stood before the media to call Abbotts actions disgusting.

Not to be outdone, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, entered the fray Wednesday, calling for the Justice Department to investigate DeSantis and Abbott for their actions.

Image: DeSantis migrant flights to Martha's Vineyard (Ray Ewing / Vineyard Gazette via AP)

The way these prominent governors, at opposite ends of the political spectrum, are responding to the countrys immigration crisis has elevated their national profiles in their parties at the same time it's boosting their positioning for potential White House runs in 2024, if everything falls into line.

And with less than two months to go until the midterm elections, the Republican governors have also managed to inject back into the national conversation an issue that mobilizes the party's base at a moment when they're happy to change the subject from abortion rights, a topic that has helped Democrats make gains.

Abbott, DeSantis, Pritzker and Newsom are running for re-election, but insiders in both parties say its clear that the potential of 2024 White House runs is playing out in the background as the immigrant debate rolls to a boil nationally.

Remember, there are two campaigns for DeSantis: president and governor. This was for the presidential campaign, said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a moderate Republican from Miami.

Theres not much to gain for DeSantis gubernatorial campaign, Curbelo said. He probably calculated theres not much to lose.

As DeSantis has shot to national prominence, Newsom and Pritzker have tried to pick fights with him in recent months, with Pritzker going so far as to headline Florida Democrats' annual gala in July, when he won accolades from the party faithful for taking their bete noire to task.

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For Pritzker, the immigrant arrivals is as much a test of how he performs in a politically volatile predicament as it is an opportunity to elevate himself as an antidote to DeSantis and Abbott, whom Democratic voters view as GOP villains.

Image: J.B. Pritzker (John O'Connor / AP file)

"Its these moments that the Democratic primary voters, when it comes to the president, are going to look to see what kind of heart the candidate has, what kind of follow-through the candidate has," said a veteran Democratic strategist, Bill Houlihan, a former aide to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

For any future Pritzker presidential run, he said, "it's a big plus.

Its a story you can talk about in peoples living rooms and small gymnasiums as youre campaigning for president in those early primary states," he said.

In declaring an emergency, Pritzker expedited housing, food and medical assistance for the new arrivals while activating the National Guard. As bus after bus arrived in Chicago, Pritzker repeatedly condemned Abbott, calling him and his office "wholly uncooperative," and accused Republicans of "trying to sow chaos around the country.

The Governor of the state of Texas is choosing not to notify us when he is sending busloads of families  we dont know how many are children or what they need before they arrive, Pritzker wrote in a Twitter thread Wednesday. Here in Illinois, we refuse to stoop to that mans level. We will provide food, shelter, and healthcare for the children, women, and men that need it.

And Newsoms move is just his latest attempt to step into the national spotlight. That includes running ads in Florida and Texas attacking their restrictive abortion laws and celebrating Californians access to abortion.

Image: Gavin Newsom (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call via AP file)

From legislation over race and sexual orientation to Covid policy, DeSantis has built a national political brand picking fights with Democrats designed to outrage them and thrill his base.

DeSantis calibrated the $12 million immigrant relocation program for maximum trolling effect: It used money derived from federal Covid relief funds, and his administration purposely chose as its first destination an island sanctuary city associated with elite Democrats, including former President Barack Obama.

In brief remarks to Florida reporters, DeSantis suggested the immigrants came from Florida (although news reports have suggested that at least some may have come from Texas). And he made it clear who his targets were: President Joe Biden and blue state Democrats who support his policies.

We take whats happening at the southern border very seriously unlike some and unlike the president of the United States, DeSantis said before he shifted his focus to people in Washington, D.C., New York and other sanctuary cities.

The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they all of a sudden go berserk, he said. And theyre so upset that this is happening. And it just shows, you know, their virtue-signaling is a fraud. OK?

Abbott, who is also positioning himself for a potential 2024 bid if former President Donald Trump doesnt run, pioneered the relocation of migrants to blue state sanctuary cities and regions. As with DeSantis, Abbott has said those who support Bidens immigration policies should bear some of the cost, irking Democratic officials in New York and, most recently, Chicago.

A spokeswoman for Abbott, Renae Eze, said his program is purely voluntary: Migrants are given information about potential destination cities, and they have to sign a disclosure form acknowledging they have been informed about the particulars of the bus rides to the Northern cities.

Our office has had conversations with Governor DeSantis and his team about supporting our busing strategy to provide much-needed relief to our overwhelmed and overrun border communities, Eze said in a written statement. Though we were not involved in these initial planes to Marthas Vineyard, we appreciate the support in responding to this national crisis and helping Texans.

According to news reports, most of the migrants flown to the island were from Venezuela, a small but growing bloc of voters in Florida that Republicans and Democrats are fighting for, especially in Miami.

Juan Escalante, a Venezuelan-born immigration rights advocate from Florida, swiped at DeSantis because the same governor that proclaimed a Victims of Communism Day in Florida is the same person who is using Venezuelan asylum-seekers as props to bolster his political image.

In an interview, Illinois Deputy Gov. Sol Flores predicted that if Republicans are out to score political points, it will backfire.

"It's intentionally disorganized. Creating panic and unsafe conditions is what it's doing," Flores said.

The Marthas Vineyard community immediately rallied to help the migrants, pushing back against the Republican notion that it wouldnt welcome the undocumented.

Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia, who represents Chicago in Congress, likewise took issue with Republicans' handling of Venezuelans, who he said make up a large proportion of those arriving in Chicago.

"Republicans for the past three, four years have portrayed themselves as champions of folks that have left Venezuela because of the political strife in that country and the presidency of Maduro," Garcia said, referring to President Nicolas Maduro. "To do this is to do a total about-face and just engage in deception."

But Republican Carolina Amesty, a Republican candidate for the Florida House who would be the first Venezuelan American to serve in the chamber if she is elected, stood by DeSantis.

We must secure our border," she said. "We must protect our state security, and our governor is protecting our state."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A soldier walks among the graves found in the forest

A day after announcing the discovery of hundreds of graves near the recently liberated city of Izyum, on Friday Ukrainian emergency workers began the grim task of exhuming them in order to establish the cause of death of their occupants.

The site, marked by hundreds of wooden crosses, was discovered by advancing Ukrainian forces as they retook territory from Russia in the Kharkiv region.

It is not clear yet what happened to all of the victims, but officials believe there is no doubt war crimes were committed.

"In the first grave, there is a civilian who has a rope over her neck. So we see the traces of torture," Kharkiv regional prosecutor Olexander Ilyenkov told the BBC's Orla Guerin, who visited the site while the exhumations were taking place.

You can read Orla's full report from the scene here.

Putin breaks silence on counter-offensive

Vladimir Putin

The discovery of the graves near Izyum came as Ukrainian troops retook the area from Russian forces, who occupied the city in April.

Ukraine's lightning-fast September counter-offensive brought thousands of square kilometres of territory back under Ukrainian control - a major setback for Russia.

On Friday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin made his first comments on the matter, saying that Russia's plan had not changed.

He said that his forces were still making progress in the eastern Donbas region, which remains the priority.

He also pointed out that Russia had not yet deployed all of its forces - suggesting that more forces could be deployed if necessary.

Read more of Mr Putin's comments here.

Cracks in the Russia-China relationship?

China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose with Mongolia's President during their trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on September 15, 2022.

Mr Putin made a rare trip outside of Russia this week for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan, where the Chinese and Indian leaders were both present.

It's a sign of Russia's need to foster ties with Asia, as the West sidelines Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The relationship with China is of particular importance, and there are many issues on which the two countries' leaders agree.

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But as our Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg points out, a pivot to the east is not that easy, and the relationship between the two is becoming increasingly unequal.

Russia turns to Asia for oil exports

The Zhoushan crude oil terminal in China prepares to receive a tanker

Russia is also turning to Asia to sell its oil.

Exports to the European Union have fallen since the invasion, and member states have said they will ban all seaborne exports from December.

India and China have stepped in to fill the gap, now accounting for almost half of Russia's exports by sea.

Myanmar is also set to begin importing from Russia, while Sri Lanka has taken several shipments.

Read more from BBC Reality Check here.
Mark Bourdillon/Netlix

The baking tent was supposed to be our safe space. Whats going on?

The Great British Baking Show has finally returned to Netflix. After premiering on Britains Channel 4 earlier this week, the competitive-yet-delightful baking throwdown crossed the pond to us today, introducing a whole bakers dozen of new players. Fans are already choosing their favoritesSyabira, youre my girl!but the GBBS hive has also found a black sheep in the delightful group.

Dawn, a 60-year-old IT Manager, has taken the cake for least favorite competitor in just her first week on the program. Sorry, Dawn! Its not youits your career. Folks are furious over the fact that the competitor had a pretty laissez-faire attitude about her old job working for ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After announcing her titlea former project manager for Johnsonhost Matt Lucas visited Dawns baking station to do a little bit about the ex-prime minister. The host prodded Dawn to explain more about her title, though she confessed she wasnt working directly for Johnson. (She did, however, get to meet him.)

His hair was a bit like yours, wasnt it? Lucas teases Dawn, who goes along with the joke. And his face was a bit like mine.

Were like a hybrid, Dawn quips back.

Put us together and you have Boris Johnson, Lucas says.

The baking series has satirized Boris Johnson in the past, staging Matt Lucas as a fake, goofy Prime Minister with a series of weird baking restrictions. Its odd to see them now embrace Johnsons staffers with such warmth, welcoming them into the tent and expecting us to cherish them. Viewers arent so certain.

I try not to judge any bake off contestant too quickly, but it has emerged that one of the contestants (Dawn) is a former campaign manager for Boris Johnson, one viewer shared on Twitter, so Im already hoping that everything she bakes fails until she leaves.

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I try not to judge any bake off contestant too quickly, but it has emerged that one of the contestants (Dawn) is a former campaign manager for Boris Johnson, so Im already hoping that everything she bakes fails until she leaves. #GBBO  David (@hithereitsdavid) September 13, 2022

Someone who worked for Boris Johnson???? in the bake off tent????? On my television????? #GBBO pic.twitter.com/A1C9wqvPIu  Rhys (@rdh____) September 13, 2022

the spirit of the bake off tent hearing they let in a project manager for boris johnson #GBBO pic.twitter.com/wpRS2CisO8  sophie (@poppinapathetic) September 13, 2022

Harsh words for a comfort series! Why is everyone losing it over Boris Johnson? For Stateside folks who may not know, Johnson was the former conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who served from 2019 to 2022. Though Johnson has faced many controversies over the length of his political career, most recently and notably, he was caught at parties that broke his COVID lockdown rules. Just a few months ago, tons of U.K. government officials resigned in protest of Johnsons decision to hire someone with sexual harassment allegations, leading to Johnsons own resignation.

Basically: Theres plenty of reasons why Great British Baking Show viewers, especially those in the U.K., should be livid about the decision to include one of his staffers.

Mark Bourdillon/Netflix

But Great British Baking Show fans are going to have to get used to Dawn, who seems to be sticking around for awhile after her grand entrance in the first episode. Though she wasnt crowned the Star Baker, Dawn was one of the top finishers, thanks to her near-perfect red velvet cake in the technical challenge and apricot genoise showstopper cake.

Nevertheless, a handful of delightful bakers have already earned the goodwill of GBBS fans. Is it getting hot in here? Sandro, a gym bro and nanny, has turned the temperature up in the baking tent. We all want pink-haired Carole to adopt us as her grandchildren. And sweet Syabira is just the cherry on top!

Everyone watching Sandro the gym bunny who can bake and is great with children #gbbo pic.twitter.com/ryOm2DHzqe  BakeOffReactions (@BakeOffReaction) September 13, 2022

Dying at Carole just stood in front of her cake looking like shes questioning what the fuck have I done?  #GBBO #BakeOff pic.twitter.com/8TDLX0Bu0U  Wando (@Wandoful) September 13, 2022

Lets see if they have a chance at beating Januszwhos so good at baking, he could probably take our old pal Jurgen down in a fight.

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George Arison

The popular gay hookup and dating app Grindr Tuesday announced on a new CEO ahead of the company going public.

George Arison has been named as the companys new CEO. The out business executive starts October 19, according to a company news release. Arison founded and served as the CEO of Shift Technologies before now moving to Grindr. Hes been on the companys board of directors since May, when the company made the announcement it was going public.

Last year, Grindr reported about 11 million active users.

Also, Vanna Krantz, who previously served as the chief financial officer of Disney Streaming Services, will step into the role of Grindrs CFO on September 26.

Grindr is an unbelievable business and I am beyond excited to help them navigate through this next part of their journey. Their hard work and a laser focus on delivering great products to a starkly underserved market are inspiring, and deliver incredibly strong business results, Arison said.

He added, Grindrs mission to connect the LGBTQ community with one another and the world is a powerful driver of success, and provides a framework by which we can continue to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come. Our community is deserving of amazing business services, and we intend to meet and exceed their expectations.

The companys board chair, James Lu, said, With his extensive experience building innovative businesses, and successfully leading them into and through the public markets, I believe there is no one more perfectly positioned to accelerate Grindrs already strong growth and profitability. Grindr, with George at the helm, will succeed and grow as a public company at the same time as it deepens its support for the LGBTQ community.

As NBC News notes, Arison takes over as the monkeypox, also known as MPV, outbreak continues. The outbreak has mostly affected men who have sex with men.

Over the years, the app has also received criticism over racism from its users and its toll on mental health. In 2018, a report by BuzzFeed News found that the company had been selling data related to users HIV status and location to two companies.

Due to controversies, the company redid its Help Center and also partnered with another company to assist in cracking down on abusive or exploitative messaging and images, NBC News reports.
Sep. 16Grouse and partridge seasons opened Saturday, Sept. 10, in North Dakota, and they get underway Saturday, Sept. 17, in Minnesota. Here are some notes about hunting seasons and prospects in the two states.

Ruffed grouse hunters in northwest Minnesota have cause for optimism this fall, it seems, based on brood sightings at Red Lake and Thief Lake wildlife management areas, and Beltrami Island State Forest.

Spring drumming counts were up statewide at 1.9 drums per stop, compared with a statewide average of 1.3 drums per stop in 2021, the DNR reported in July. The Northwest region had the highest spring counts, at 2.9 drums per stop  up from 1.1 drums per stop last year  and the Northeast region tallied 2.0 drums per stop, up from 1.4 in 2021.

Drumming counts at Red Lake and Thief Lake saw similar increases.

"I think we are on track for a decent season  or at least I am personally optimistic," said Charlie Tucker, manager of Red Lake Wildlife Management Area at Norris Camp, south of Roosevelt, Minn.

Staff at Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area in Marshall County echoed that optimism in a newsletter posted Friday, Sept. 9. Drumming counts on both of the WMA's two survey routes around Thief Lake and Randen Ridge were up from 2021.

"We had a wet spring, with a record amount of precipitation in May, but we began to dry out and warm up after that," the newsletter indicated. "Staff have been observing broods while working in the field so that is a good sign for this fall."

Barring heavy rains, access conditions should be good.

"We are relatively dry around here, so that bodes well for walking on forest trails," said Tucker, the Red Lake WMA manager. "Folks shouldn't have any extra worries about getting vehicles stuck or anything like that."

Walking trails within Red Lake WMA and adjacent Beltrami Island State Forest should be accessible, but because of staffing issues, maintenance on some of those trails could be "either behind schedule or nonexistent," Tucker said.

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"We got a good start on mowing the trails around Norris Camp, but since then we've had equipment breakdowns and no one around to fix anything," he said in an email. "That's a bummer, but we are hopefully hiring someone soon, so hopefully this will be an aberration and not the new normal."

North Dakota's grouse and partridge seasons have been open a week, and by all accounts, hunting success was mixed on the opening weekend.

"Reports from central North Dakota were positive," both for sharptails and partridge, said RJ Gross, upland game biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck. "Plenty of coveys of both, and lots of young birds in the bags."

Jesse Kolar, upland game management supervisor for Game and Fish in Dickinson, said he hunted in the western Badlands for the opener and didn't see anyone else hunting upland game.

"I saw mainly bow hunters, elk hunters and mountain bikers using the Maah Daah Hey Trail," Kolar said. "So, I felt like we had quite a bit of area to ourselves in the uplands, but we only flushed one covey of grouse.

"The good thing was that it was a covey of 12 birds (possibly one hen and 11 chicks, but by now they sure could be amalgamated broods)," Kolar added. "The bad thing was they didn't stop flying, so we only got one shot!"

Kolar said he only talked to one other hunter who hunted southwest North Dakota, and his report was similar.

"It took a lot of walking, but they flushed a couple nice-sized coveys," Kolar said.

Conditions on the landscape are drier than earlier this summer, and Game and Fish recommends that hunters keep up with the daily rural fire danger index, issued by the National Weather Service, for conditions that may be conducive to accidental starting or spread of fires. As of Tuesday, Sept. 13, large portions of western and north-central North Dakota had burning bans or restrictions in place. Fire danger in most of the state remains low, however, with only Divide, Williams, McKenzie, Mountrail, Slope, Sheridan, Eddy, Foster and Griggs counties listed in the "moderate" fire danger category.

Information on current fire danger indices

is available at ndresponse.gov.

Way back in 2017 about this time, Ted Dick went on record as predicting a banner ruffed grouse season in Minnesota.

Based on spring 2017 drumming counts, which were up a whopping 57% from the spring of 2016, Dick's assessment was reasonable. Unfortunately, drumming counts fell far short of birds in the bag and Dick heard about it.

Five years later, he's still hearing about it, said Dick, forest habitat supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"I'm still taking a little abuse from 2017, when I told people (ruffed grouse hunting) would be great," Dick said. "And I haven't quite gotten over that yet on social media."

Fast forward to spring 2022, when DNR drumming count surveys tallied an unexpected increase in ruffed grouse numbers. Dick attributes the increase to a good winter with ample snow for ruffed grouse to roost, providing protection both from the elements and predators.

Will that translate to a strong ruffed grouse season this fall? Possibly, Dick says.

"There are a lot of things involved, but the (drumming) counts were way up, so I'm optimistic as heck," Dick said. "I took three weeks off in October because I'm grouse hunting every day.

"I'm putting my money where my mouth is  I'm thinking it's going to be pretty good."

While Dick is bullish on Minnesota's fall ruffed grouse hunting prospects, Charlotte Roy is taking a more cautious approach. Grouse research scientist for the DNR in Grand Rapids, Minn., Roy says a wet, cold spring likely affected brood success in many parts of Minnesota's ruffed grouse range.

"Last year, we had drought conditions, we had those warm, dry conditions, and this year we had widespread flooding and heavy rain, cold weather," Roy said. "It was a really late spring."

Because of that, results from an experimental brood count survey the DNR is exploring show ruffed grouse this year nested later because of the cool, wet conditions than they did in 2021, Roy says.

"Rather than seeing that big peak in broods in late June, which is typical, we're seeing it in early July," she said. "So, I think it's likely that the birds started (nesting) just a little bit later, and it's possible we're going to have some younger birds out there this fall than usual because of those kind of marginal nesting conditions this spring."

The challenge, she says, is managing hunters' expectations, given the tricky science of predicting fall grouse numbers.

"If your expectations are high, and you don't get what you're wanting, you're going to be super disappointed," Roy said. "But if your expectations are realistic, then you have a more metered, or measured experience. And overall, I think people are happier when things turn out more closely to the way that they expect them to."

Minnesota grouse and partridge

* Ruffed and spruce grouse: Sept. 17-Jan. 1, 2023; bag limit 5 combined, 10 in possession.

* Hungarian partridge: Sept. 17-Jan. 1; bag limit 5, 10 in possession.

* Sharp-tailed grouse, Northwest Zone: Sept. 17-Nov. 30; bag limit 3, 6 in possession.

* Sharptail, East Central Zone: Closed.

* Woodcock: Sept. 24-Nov. 7; bag limit 3, 9 in possession; HIP certification required.

* More info: mndnr.gov.

North Dakota grouse and partridge

* Sharp-tailed grouse: Sept. 10-Jan. 1; 3 daily, 12 in possession.

* Ruffed grouse: Sept. 10-Jan. 1, limited to hunting units in northeastern and north central North Dakota; limit 3 daily, 12 in possession.

* Hungarian partridge: Sept. 10-Jan. 1; 3 daily, 12 in possession.

* Woodcock: Sept. 24-Nov. 7; 3 daily, 9 in possession; HIP certification required.

* More info: gf.nd.gov.

BISMARCK  The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is encouraging hunters to help in the effort to manage upland game birds in North Dakota by collecting feathers from harvested birds and sending in wing envelopes.

Birds included in the Game and Fish Department's upland game wing survey, which has been in practice for decades, are ring-necked pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, turkeys and ruffed grouse.

Collecting enough pheasant samples is typically never a problem, but securing enough sharptail and partridge feathers can be.

Game and Fish biologists will take as many sharptail and partridge feathers as they can get because the more collected, the better the data. Biologists can determine if the birds are male or female, age ratios, survival, nesting success, hatch dates and overall production.

What biologists learn from samples is vital to helping manage North Dakota's upland game birds.

Instructions for submitting wing data are printed on the envelope.

Hunters can request wing envelopes on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov.
A young gun control activist who accused Marjorie Taylor Greene of kicking her has said she is pursuing possible legal action against the pro-gun congresswoman.

Marianna Pecora was among a group from the advocacy group Voters of Tomorrow who were questioning the Republican about her stance on gun control following a series of mass shootings on Thursday, when she was apparently kicked out of the way by Ms Greene.

While the Republican could be heard shouting excuse me during a video of the confrontation in Washington DC, a member of her staff claimed: Youre blocking a member of Congress. You cant block members of Congress.

Ms Pecorra tweeted afterwards: Marjorie Taylor Greene just kicked me and told Santiago Mayer (the founder of Vote for Tomorrow) to move to another country. She continued: She literally stepped on my heels.

Asked whether or not legal action would be pursued by Voters of Tomorrow, Ms Pecora referred her Twitter followers to a statement by Mr Mayer, who said his legal team had been consulted.

He wrote: To answer the most prevalent question about pressing charges: were talking to our legal team and keeping our options open.

While Ms Greene has not responded to the apparent threat of legal action, the congresswoman said in a series of tweets on Thursday night that the advocacy group members were foolish cowards (who) want the government to take away guns & the rights of parents to defend their children in schools.

You have to be an idiot to think gun control will create a utopian society where criminals disarm themselves and obey the law. Gun-free zones kill people, she added.

These foolish cowards want the government to take away guns & the rights of parents to defend their children in schools.



You have to be an idiot to think gun control will create a utopian society where criminals disarm themselves and obey the law.



Gun-free zones kill people. pic.twitter.com/1T37HH8jEO  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) September 15, 2022

Voters of Tomorrow said in a statement emailed to The Independent on Thursday night: In addition to yelling at our Executive Director, a Mexican immigrant, to go to another country, she (Ms Greene) physically assaulted another young staffer.

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Gen Z is fed up with politicians who continue to put our lives in danger, and this aggression is one of the most visible examples yet of what we are up against, it added.

Ms Greene told the group that Second Amendment  the right to keep and bear arms  could stop gun violence despite a number of horrific mass shootings this year, including in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children were killed.

Democrats and gun control activists have since called for tighter laws although face opposition from many Republicans and pro gun lobbyists.

The Independent has approached Ms Greenes office for comment.
Halle Bailey has spoken about why her new film The Little Mermaid means a great deal to her.

The film, set to be released in 2023, is the live-action remake of Disneys original 1989 musical animation.

It stars Bailey as the mermaid princess Ariel, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.

Bailey told E News in a new interview: I love this movie so much, and Ive treasured it since I was a little girl.

 I did put a bit of pressure on myself just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl.

Bailey added that she gave her all and gave 110 per cent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself.

Soon after Disney released the first teaser trailer of the live-action film earlier this week, parents started posting moving videos of their daughters reacting to it.

I think shes brown, remarks a little girl, in a video that has been liked 800,000 times so far.

Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid' (Disney)

She then sits up and brings her hand to her chest as she watches. Brown Ariel. Brown Ariel is cute, she says.

In another post, a girl remarks that Bailey looks like Rapunzel and Tiana combined, adding: Shes got dreads!

Tiana is the main character 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. She was also the first Black Disney princess.

In a viral post with one million views, a dad shows the trailer to his three daughters. The eldest asks, Shes Black? and then says yay when her dad confirms this. When the trailer ends, she adds, I just want to watch it now.

One young girl is seen wordlessly tearing up while watching the trailer in another post.
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) leads her Republican challenger Don Bolduc by 11 points, according to an Emerson College-WHDH poll released Friday, in the race for one of the seats that could determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years.

The poll found that 51 percent of voters support Hassan while 40 percent support Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general. Six percent of respondents said they were undecided, and 4 percent plan to vote for someone else.

Hassan is also viewed as more likely to win the race, with 6 in 10 saying they expect the incumbent senator to hold her seat.

She holds a significant advantage in favorability rating, with 51 percent of respondents viewing her favorably and 44 percent viewing her unfavorably. Bolduc is viewed favorably by 41 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent, while 20 percent have not heard of him or are unsure.

Bolduc has low name recognition, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity, said Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling.

Sixty percent of undecided voters are unsure of their opinion of Bolduc, while only 27 percent of them say the same of Hassan.

Hassan has a 12-point lead among independents and a 16-point lead among women. She also leads more modestly among men, by 6 points.

Emersons first New Hampshire general election poll of the cycle comes days after Bolduc defeated New Hampshire state Senate President Chuck Morse for the Republican nomination.

Some Republicans have expressed concerns that nominating Bolduc could make their path to winning the seat and retaking the majority in the Senate more difficult.

Bolduc once called the states governor, Chris Sununu (R), a Chinese communist sympathizer and had until recently backed former President Trumps false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Bolduc reversed his position on the 2020 election on Thursday, the day after he clinched the nomination, saying that he concluded after speaking to state residents that the election was not stolen.

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Hassans campaign said Bolduc is desperately trying to run away from his past claims.

The poll also found that the two incumbent Democrats representing the states congressional districts lead their Republican opponents. Rep. Chris Pappas leads Republican nominee Karoline Leavitt, 47 percent to 42 percent, while Rep. Ann Kuster leads Republican Robert Burns, 54 percent to 36 percent.

The poll was conducted among 800 somewhat and very likely voters from Sept. 14 to 15. The margin of error was 3.4 points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Sep. 16Hawaii island police have opened a second-degree murder investigation after a woman's body was found in Puna early today.

Patrol officers initially responded to a report of a burglary at a residence in the 15-300 block of Kahakai Boulevard shortly before 5 a.m. It was reported the home was undergoing renovation and that no one should be on the property, the Hawaii Police Department said.

When officers arrived, they saw numerous shattered glass windows and fresh footprints on the sidewalk of the residence.

Officers located a man hiding behind a stone wall bordering the property and took him into custody on suspicion of trespassing.

Police then saw the woman's body in the yard behind the residence with numerous blunt force trauma to her head and body.

She was taken to Hilo Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 10 :53 a.m. Her identity was not immediately available.

An autopsy is scheduled to be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Police are asking anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Det. John Balberde of the Area I Criminal I Investigation Section at 808-961-2386 or email him at John.Balberde @hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 808-961-8300.
One child was rushed to the hospital and another remains missing after lightning struck while they were rowing a boat on Lake Fairview Thursday evening.

It happened around 5:50 p.m. as evening storms picked up.

Orlando firefighters said the children on board the boat were middle-school aged, but they couldnt confirm whether lightning actually hit the boat. One person had to be taken to Adventhealth Orlando. An Orlando Fire Department dive team launched a rescue mission to find one child who was unaccounted for.

UPDATE: SpaceX delays Falcon 9 rocket launch a third time

Officials said five children were on board when lightning hit the boat or close to the boat.

Details about the two victims are limited, but firefighters said Thursday night they would continue the search for the missing child.

READ: Deputies: Womans SUV hit by 7 bullets during road-rage shooting; man, 18, arrested

Fire rescue, police and divers showing up to North Orlando Rowing. High and Middle school rowing teams were scheduled to be on the water right now. Waiting for information. @WFTV pic.twitter.com/RcsNoA0Stz  Nick Papantonis WFTV (@NPapantonisWFTV) September 15, 2022

READ: Police report provides more details into how Apopka firefighter was killed by trailer while on duty

See a map of the scene below:

Monitor WFTV.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates on this developing story.

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.
BRITAIN-ROYALS-QUEEN-DEATH

Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (front) mount a vigil with siblings around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 16, 2022, ahead of her funeral on Monday. - Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state in Westminster Hall inside the Palace of Westminster, until 0530 GMT on September 19, a few hours before her funeral, with huge queues expected to file past her coffin to pay their respects. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Credit - POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The ten days of public mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II will end on Monday, Sept. 19 with a full day of funeral proceedings, which begin in London and end in Windsor, where she will be laid to rest.

Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral at Westminster Abbey will be attended by world leaders, including President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and representatives from across the Commonwealth of Nationsmost of which were part of the former British Empire.

Guests will convene for the ceremony at 11 a.m. London time, which will culminate in two minutes of silence for the Queen across the U.K. and the playing of God Save the Kinga change after 70 years of God Save the Queen.

Read More: Queen Elizabeth II Is Being Laid to Rest at a State Funeral. Heres What to Know

Processions through the streets of London, and then to the royal residence at Windsor, will also take place until Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest that evening at St. Georges Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Monday is a holiday across the U.K., with many businesses and schools closed so citizens can watch broadcasts of the events, which start at 4 a.m. and extend past 7:30 p.m.

Globally, millions are expected to view the coverage of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, where Elizabeth married Prince Philip and had her coronation. This will be the first funeral for a British monarch to take place at the Abbey since the 18th century, and the first time cameras will be allowed inside any funeral ceremony for a British monarch.

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Here is the schedule for Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral, along with details of what to expect.

You can watch the funeral live on time.com.

Order of events

6:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET): The doors of Westminster Hall at the House of Parliament, where Queen Elizabeth II has been lying in state, close to the public

10:44 a.m. (5:44 a.m. ET): The royal procession leaves from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey. The state gun carriage will carry Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin, accompanied by musicians such as the band of royal marines, and the path will be lined with members of the royal navy and royal marines. Members of the royal family, including King Charles III and Prince William, will follow behind the carriage.

10:52 a.m. (5:52 a.m. ET): Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin arrives at the gates of Westminster Abbey and is carried inside

11 a.m. (6 a.m. ET): The ceremony begins, led by Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, and will include readings and prayers by political and religious leaders including the new U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss.

11:55 a.m. (6:55 a.m. ET): There are two minutes of silence within the Abbey and across the U.K.

Noon (7 a.m. ET): The funeral ends with reveille, the U.K. national anthem (God Save the King), and a lament by the queens piper. The coffin will go on another procession through the streets of London as Big Ben tolls continuously.

1 p.m. (8 a.m. ET): The coffin arrives at Wellington Arch in London, where it is loaded into a hearse. From here, the royal family departs for Windsor Castle, which is about 20 miles west of Buckingham Palace.

3:06 p.m. (10:06 a.m. ET): The state hearse arrives in Windsor, where it will join a procession heading up Albert Road. The King and other members of the royal family will join the path on foot to St. Georges Chapel roughly thirty minutes later.

4 p.m. (11 a.m. ET): The Committal Service begins at St. Georges Chapel, conducted by the Dean of Windsor and ending with a blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

7:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET): Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest in a private ceremony in King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle. She will be buried with her late husband, Prince Philip.

Which members of the royal family will be involved?

Members of the royal family and King Charles IIIs household are scheduled to have roles throughout the day, though not all details of where and how each royal will be involved are public.

In some specific instances, the palace has detailed the moments in which King Charles III, Prince William, Princess Catherine, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle will take part in the proceedings. Viewers can expect to see members of the royal family including King Charles III and Prince William in his role as heir apparent and Duke of Wales immediately following the casket as it sets off from Westminster Hall.

Following the funeral at Westminster Abbey, a group including King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, William, Kate, Harry, Meghan, Princess Sophie and other members of the family will follow the coffin on foot to Wellington Arch. This group will then join the official procession by car to Windsor.

Who will attend?

Westminster Abbey has roughly 2,000 seats to accommodate the extensive list of those who will pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth in person.

The royal family itself has not released a list of attendees, but many heads of state and other dignitaries have voiced their plans to attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony on the 19th. The Bidenssaid they will be there, along with the leaders of Italy, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, and Australia, among others.

Numerous royal family members, including Queen Elizabeth IIs children Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, will also populate the pews of the Abbey. A long list of royals from other European countries will be there, too, including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Harald V of Norway and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Representatives from all parts of the Commonwealth are scheduled to attend, along with people that the Queen included on her annual honors list this past year, which celebrates outstanding citizens and community leaders.

How to Watch

Stateside, several network news and cable news channels will air the funeral ceremony live at 6 a.m. ET, so viewers can tune into their choice of ABC, BBC America, C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, NBC and PBS for the event. In the U.K., BBC One, BBC News and Sky News will all run a full day of coverage.

Time.com will also livestream the event.

The BBC will livestream its coverage for free globally, as will ITV News and Sky News, so those with internet access can view on their sites or on Youtube. News outlets across the world will also broadcast feeds: for example, Canadian viewers can tune in to CBC, and ABC News in Australia will run the program.
King Charles III became the sovereign after Queen Elizabeth II died.

The king serves as head of state for the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth countries.

UK taxpayers pay into the Sovereign Grant, which supports the royal family financially.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, September 8, after celebrating her 70-year reign in June.

Her son, King Charles III, ascended to the throne the moment she died, becoming the United Kingdom's new monarch.

Although most of the world knows the Queen's son is the new monarch, it's not clear to many what exactly the king does, particularly because the United Kingdom has a Parliament.

King Charles will serve as head of state and head of nation in his new role, which consists of both formal and symbolic responsibilities.

King Charles III became Britain's head of state following Queen Elizabeth II's death

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, so King Charles will not make laws in his new role, as that power resides with Parliament, The New York Times reported.

Instead, the king is head of state and head of nation, according to the royal family's website. The titles sound similar, but King Charles will function differently in them.

Head of state refers to the UK monarch's "constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history," as the royal family website states.

The Imperial State Crown. Anwar Hussein Collection / Contributor / Getty Images

As head of state, the sovereign opens each new session of Parliament and approves orders and proclamations via the Privy Council. The monarch also grants Royal Assent, which formally makes bills into law. The sovereign stays neutral on political matters as well, and typically they do not vote or stand during elections, the royal family's website states.

Historically, the monarch has also had a close relationship with the British prime minister as head of state, meeting with the leader regularly. Many prime ministers described their meetings with the Queen as a source of comfort, as they said they could freely speak their minds to her.

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King Charles III has already taken over the duties of head of state, and he had his first formal meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, September 9.

King Charles III and Liz Truss formally met at Buckingham Palace on September 9, 2022. WPA Pool / Pool / Getty Images

The monarch also plays a similar role in the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, according to the royal family's website.

As head of nation, King Charles essentially serves as the face of the United Kingdom. The sovereign embodies the spirit of the monarchy and travels all over the world for engagements on behalf of the Commonwealth.

The senior members of the royal family support the monarch in their duties, as does the institution, which is made up of hundreds of people who make the royal family run, from the heirs to the throne to communications secretaries. As the heir to the throne, the new Prince of Wales will work closely with his father in the years to come.

Taxpayers pay for part of the royal family's yearly income through the Sovereign Grant

The royal family receives a sum of money called the Sovereign Grant each year that is paid for by the United Kingdom's taxpayers through its treasury department, according to the BBC.

It pays for the royal family's official travel, the upkeep of their many homes, and the salaries of royal employees, as stated in the royal family's financial records.

As Insider previously reported, the royal family gets the grant in exchange for surrendering all profits from the Crown Estate  the family's massive portfolio of properties  to the government. Each year, the reigning monarch, who is now King Charles, is given an amount of money equivalent to 25% of the Crown Estate's profits.

King Charles III. Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty Images

The Sovereign Grant core total was 51.8 million for the 2021-2022 financial year, according to the royal family's financial records.

Although the Grant pays for much of the royal family's life, the monarchy also has private income through non-taxpayer avenues.

Indeed, if the monarchy was abolished, King Charles could no longer live in Buckingham Palace because it is part of the Crown Estate, but the royal family has privately-owned properties that would belong to him whether he was monarch or not.

Read the original article on Insider
Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the classified documents former President Donald Trump allegedly hoarded at his home are the kind that required a military escort when she was secretary of state. (Watch the video below.)

Clinton told Late Night host Seth Meyers that when she read top-secret material, an officer would come into my office and would have a handcuff that was attached to a suitcase in order to show me something that was so secret he literally had to have it tied to his hand.

The officer would watch Clinton read it and sign that she had reviewed it, and then he would take it back, she recalled.

The idea that Trump reportedly squirreled away top-secret information on a foreign governments nuclear capabilities and the like at a country club prompted Clinton to say: I dont care what political party you are. ... This is a threat to our national security.

Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, harkened back to his supporters cries to lock her up for using a private email server to conduct government business. Clinton faced accusations that she was trying to conceal wrongdoing. (A State Department investigation of the emails determined in 2019 that There was no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information, The New York Times reported.)

Unlike those guys, Im not saying lock him up, Clinton said of Trump and his supporters. Im saying lets just find the facts and follow the evidence wherever it goes.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
ALBANY, N.Y.  New York is making it easier for public servants to get relief from student loans.

Gov. Hochul signed a bill into law Thursday that expands student debt relief to include more teachers and school faculty and will simplify eligibility rules for a soon-to-expire federal loan forgiveness program.

When you think about people crushed under the weight of student debt, you know, student debt doesnt just defer your dreams, the governor said during a signing ceremony at Borough of Manhattan Community College. It can derail your life if you get caught under this situation where youre trying to be liberated from it.

The new law expands access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a federal program that rewards and incentivizes public service work by allowing non-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after 10 years, or 120 payments.

The measure will streamline certain parts of the application process and clarifies what qualifies as full-time employment to include teachers and faculty who work 30 hours a week.

Weve removed bureaucratic barriers, making it easier for those who selflessly chose careers in public service to apply for relief before the limited PSLF Waiver Program ends in October, sponsor Sen. Kevin Thomas, D-Nassau, said.

Applicants need to apply before the federal program expires on Oct. 31 so New York is ramping up efforts to encourage eligible workers to apply for loan forgiveness before the end of the waiver period.

This legislation maximizes New Yorkers opportunity to benefit from the waiver, and PSLF generally, said Assembly sponsor Harvey Epstein, D-Manhattan. From applying a multiplier to teachers in-class hours so that hours worked outside of class are more accurately reflected, to ensuring that agencies can transmit paperwork on behalf of workers to the federal government, our legislation will help more New Yorkers get their loans forgiven faster.

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According to the governors office, approximately 2.7 million people in New York work in the public or nonprofit sectors. Since 2007, the PSLF program has helped eligible public service workers receive an average of $61,402 in debt relief, but only 10,000 have had their loans canceled through the program.

Hochul also commended President Joe Bidens recent one-time student loan cancellation as a boon for those who borrowed to get through college, noting that $16.3 billion in student debt will be canceled in this state alone, the governor said.

Thats a clean slate, that means New Yorkers can rebuild their lives. Over 2.2 million New Yorkers will see some type of relief and thats life-changing.

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Holtec International, a politically-connected nuclear energy equipment company thats enmeshed in a years-long dispute with the state over hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives, could receive more huge state subsidies under recently-introduced legislation it asked a key lawmaker to introduce.

Last month, Senate Environment and Energy Chair Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) and Sen. Jean Stanfield (R-Burlington) introduced legislation, NJ S2971 (22R), thats tailored to Holtecs plans to expand its Camden plant and build another facility to manufacture small modular reactors the company describes as innovation through simplification and use of entirely passive safety systems.

The reactors are built to be operated by smaller staffs, making them a potential energy source in developing countries, according to the company.

Holtec proposed the idea for the legislation, Smith said in a phone interview. But, he said, the bill will change substantially if it begins advancing through the Legislature.

It is not in any way close to what it should be. Its put in as a placeholder, Smith said. The bill is much too generous in terms of subsidies, but it establishes the placeholder that New Jersey needs to consider more nuclear in its future.

The bill, as currently written, would:

 Allow companies to apply for a corporation business tax credit of up to 15 percent to cover renovation, modernization, or expansion of an already-existing New Jersey facility as well as for building a new facility. Holtec is seeking to expand its Camden plant to build the new reactors and plans to open a new, larger facility at a yet-to-be determined location. The credits could be higher for companies that relocate from other states or are minority or veteran-owned.

 Establish a New Jersey Advanced Nuclear Energy Development Program that would provide $1 million in tax credits for each megawatt of energy produced at a plant that had previously been the site of a decommissioned nuclear facility. Holtec acquired the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in South Jersey in 2019 and is in the process of decommissioning it. Holtec is considering the plant as the site for a small modular reactor.

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 Create a grant program funded by the state Board of Public Utilities that would be required to provide grants of $50 per megawatt hour of power generated. Holtecs planned small modular reactor, the SMR-160, could produce up to 160 megawatts of power per hour running at full capacity. That would mean it would be eligible for up to $70 million in grants per year, though its unlikely the reactor would run at full capacity 24 hours a day all year. The old nuclear plant at Oyster Creek was able to generate several times more energy.

Smith said he wants to revise the bill to create more competitive opportunities for other companies and to make it less generous.

My biggest gripe is they are using a business model where the citizens of New Jersey are fronting all their costs, and that doesnt work for me, Smith said.

Joe Delmar, a spokesperson for Holtec, said the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing the small modular reactor and is looking at a variety of business models. The company says getting a reactor up and running helps the state to meet its clean energy goals, creates jobs and also allows Holtec to expand.

"It opens up a lot of potential for an international market," Delmar said.

He said the project has local support from Lacey Township.

Stanfield, who told POLITICO Holtec did not contact her about the legislation, said she toured the companys manufacturing facility in Camden.

Weve been hearing a lot of testimony about the grid and how we need some redundancy so that if we get to the point where theres a lot of solar, wind and things like that, we know those things can fail at times, said Stanfield, who is a member of Smiths committee. So having a back-up thats still a cleaner option is important.

Smith, who helped craft the states $300 million annual subsidies for three South Jersey nuclear plants, said putting a small modular reactor at Oyster Creek made sense since the site already has been home to a nuclear plant. A small reactor would still take up about five acres.

Any new nuclear facility will inevitably draw opposition, but that opposition might be less intense in a place where one already operated. Also, the Oyster Creek site has existing connections to the electric grid that other sites do not, and creating those connections elsewhere would increase the cost of any new power plant.

To Smith, nuclear power is a key way to deal with the "mind boggling" problems of climate change. He said the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies for PSEG's existing nuclear plants pale in comparison to the billions of dollars in damage extreme storms driven by climate change can and have done to the state.

With regard to energy policy, you have to look at the really big picture, he said.

About 40 percent of the states power comes from nuclear energy, and most of the rest comes from natural gas. Gov. Phil Murphy is looking to dramatically reduce the states reliance on natural gas because of the greenhouse gases that come from burning it.

In 2014, Holtec was awarded a $260 million tax incentive over 10 years to build its Camden campus  one of the largest incentives in state history. That led to some major controversies.

The companys board includes South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross, one of whose brothers, Phil Norcross, helped design the tax incentive program Holtec utilized. Another brother, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) helped push the tax incentive legislation through the Legislature when he was a state senator.

In 2019, as the Murphy administration feuded with Norcross allies over tax incentives, the state Economic Development Authority suspended the $26 million tax incentive payment to Holtec because the company did not disclose on a tax incentive application that it had been temporarily barred from working with the Tennessee Valley Authority because of allegations it bribed a federal official for a contract. Although the company was never charged in that case, it paid a $2 million fine.

Holtec sued to release the funds and won in state Superior Court earlier this year. The EDA is appealing the ruling.

Holtecs CEO, Kris Singh, also faced political blowback after he told a publication about difficulties he said the company had with workers from Camden.

They dont show up to work, Singh told ROI-NJ in 2018. They cant stand getting up in the morning and coming to work every single day. They havent done it, and they didnt see their parents do it. Of course, some of them get into drugs and things. So, its difficult.

More recently, Holtec has faced two fines by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of up to a combined $200,000 over alleged security lapses at Oyster Creek the NRC characterized as significant.

Sue Altman, executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and a major critic of the states tax incentive programs, said she was shocked to hear Smith mention the bill and Holtec at a League of Conservation Voters breakfast on Tuesday.

We already know Holtec likely made fraudulent claims on their original 2013 tax incentive bill in Camden to move their headquarters there. We know the CEO of Holtec made extremely racist remarks about Camden residents, Altman said. We are really sick and tired of giving politically-connected corporations laws that are tailor made for them in the Legislature and allows them to skirt taxation laws. Were allowing major corporations to loot the treasury on behalf of hardworking New Jerseyans.
Warning  Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode four

Viewers were shocked with an incestuous scene in the fourth episode of HBOs blockbuster Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), are seen being intimate with one another in a brothel.

While the pair did not go all the way, the incestuous scene was enough to make some viewers uncomfortable, even though sex within the same family is something Game of Thrones never shied away from.

How similar is House of the Dragons incest scene to the source material?

The two shows are famously based on material from the fantasy author George RR Martin, but, are HBO directors taking creative liberties in order to get a reaction from their audience?

The short answer is: no. Martin never shied away from scenes that would shock readers in his material, drawing inspiration from the brutality of the Middle Ages.

In fact, his version contains even more grim details.

Milly Alcock and Matt Smith in House of the Dragon (Ollie Upton / HBO)

House of the Dragon is based on his 2018 book Fire and Blood, which tells the history of the Targaryen line.

The second half of the book is divided into the accounts of three chroniclers: Septon Eustace, Grand Maester Munkun, and Mushroom the fool.

Eustace recounts that Daemon seduced Rhaenyra and claimed her maidenhood, the discovery of which prompted Viserys to confine the princess to her chambers and banish her uncle from Kings Landing.

However, it is from Mushrooms more salacious account that House of the Dragon took its inspiration from for episode fours unsettling scene.

According to Mushrooms account, Rhaenyra yearned for her knight, Ser Criston Cole, however, being noble, Cole was true to his vows and never made any vows nor reciprocated the princesss affection.

It was through this unrequited love that Daemon convinced Rhaenyra to allow him to teach her how to make him see you as a woman.

Milly Alcock and Fabien Frankel in House of the Dragon (Ollie Upton/HBO)

Daemon taught the girl to disrobe enticingly, Martin wrote, suckled at her teats to make them larger and more sensitive, and flew with her on dragonback to lonely rocks in Blackwater Bay, where they could disport naked all day unobserved, and the princess could practice the art of pleasuring a man with her mouth.

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This differs from the TV adaptation, which shows the sexual tension between Daemon and his niece rising slowly over the episodes, while there is less indication that the princess might be interested in Cole romantically.

Martin writes: At night [Daemon] would smuggle [Rhaenyra] from her rooms dressed as a page boy and take her secretly to brothels on the Street of Silk, where the princess could observe men and women in the act of love and learn more of these womanly arts from the harlots of Kings Landing. It is from this account that the events in House of the Dragon are mirrored exactly, and it is in the brothel where the incestuous scene takes place.

Furthermore, when Rhaenyras father King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine) is told about the encounter, he confronts Daemon who tells him: Give the girl to me to wife. Who else would take her now? This line is lifted almost exactly for the script used in the scene between actors Smith and Considine.

Many of Daenerys ancestors aside from Daemon and Rhaenyra practised incest and polygamy  you can read all about the Targaryen family tree here.

House of the Dragon airs weekly on Sundays in the US, with the UK premiere arriving 2am the following morning on Sky. The episodes are then repeated at 9pm on Mondays, and will be available to stream on Sky and NOW after their initial airing.
Recently, I asked HR workers of the BuzzFeed Community to share tips or anonymous secrets they want employees to know from resumes to benefits. Here they are!

Getty / BuzzFeed

1. "We only care about your top three latest relevant employments to the position we're hiring. No need to put your first job. Just make sure each employment lasts at least two years and your experience matches the one we're looking for, then you'll be shortlisted."

Anonymous

2. "Even if you are a college graduate with no job experience, please do not include 'hobbies and interests' on your CV. Potential employers will instead look at your grades and extracurriculars, so highlight those."

Anonymous

3. "If a cover letter isn't required, don't include one. It will rarely help you get a job, and is just more room to make grammar and editing mistakes. If I don't want to interview someone based on their resume, a cover letter has never convinced me otherwise. But I've seen several candidates that are qualified on their resumes not get an interview because their cover letter was a mess."

Anonymous

Disney+

4. "When you apply for jobs, check your email and answer your phone. More than half of the people I call to schedule an interview with either don't have their voicemail set up or the mailbox is full. When on the phone with me, be polite. You're about the 15th person I've talked to today, I'm just doing my job, and I'm calling because YOU applied for this job. Don't hang up on me. If you don't want the job, simply say 'I don't think this will be a good fit for me, thank you for your time.' I promise my feelings won't be hurt and I'll have more respect for you than if you just hang up on me."

Anonymous

5. "Have professional emails when applying for positions. There is nothing worse than seeing sxxybabe69@whateverservice.com as your contact information."

Anonymous

6. "Make sure your dates are correct and years don't overlap, choose one font, don't add your picture, SPELL CHECK, and make sure acronyms are correct!"

Anonymous

Story continues

Universal Pictures

7. "Some days I can have over 100 resumes to review and determine who to contact for an interview. I only skim a resume for maybe 30 seconds to determine who gets an interview and who doesn't so I can move on to reaching out to the most qualified applicants. If your resume doesn't pop out to me in that 30 seconds, I move on to the next one."

Anonymous

8. "Companies dont look for the same things when hiring so there are no secret rules. I work for the federal government and we want to know every job youve had and course youve taken. Its common to have a 3+ page resume. In other places, that would get your resume thrown out immediately. Take hiring advice with a grain of salt."

Summja

9. "If the job application has screening questions or an assessment attached to it and you don't answer them, I won't even open your application. If you can't take the time to complete three questions, you aren't the candidate for me."

 Anonymous

10. "Recruiter here. I will decline a request to interview if you send me an email with improper grammar."

Anonymous

Warner Bros / The Donner's Company

11. "If you're looking to make a career switch, you need to include some information about why in your job application. It doesn't have to be a whole cover letter, but just a short blurb in the objective about why you're applying for something you don't (on the surface) have the experience or education for. Also, shine some light on your personal experience when applying! I worked for a youth shelter once, and I had a guy who applied who, on paper, had no experience working with at-risk youth. But we found out that he had been through the foster care system with him and his brother. He was a fantastic employee! You have to make these things known and prove that your personal experience can apply to a job."

 turkeyinacan

Getty / BuzzFeed

12. "People who sit up straight, look you in the eye while talking, and have questions for you at the end of the interview are the ones really interested in the position. They almost always get a call back for a second interview or to start the new-hire process."

Anonymous

13. "HR consultant here. Be honest about your weaknesses. Never say, 'I am too much of a perfectionist,' or 'I am too organized.' We can all develop professionally; now is your chance to show how you can grow within the company!"

Anonymous

PBS

14. "Keep a spreadsheet or a notebook of all the jobs you're applying for if you're mass applying. I hate, hate, hate when I call a candidate who I think would be great for the job but who has no idea what company I'm calling from or what position they applied for because they just applied to whatever they could or what appealed to them. It sets a bad precedent if we move forward with an interview or an offer. I'm not saying be fully invested in one company and memorize all their info, but just jot down the job you applied for and what company."

turkeyinacan

Getty / BuzzFeed

15. "USE YOUR BENEFITS! A lot of people don't utilize things like Employee Assistance Programs, and they are free resources that can help you with things that come up in life (child care, elder care, mental illness, financial guidance, etc.)"

"Almost every company has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This is a free resource for every employee. Most offer 36 free sessions a year in areas like counseling, therapy, legal help, financial help, etc. These are virtual or in-person sessions with professionals all over the country. We normally direct people to an EAP if they are struggling with suicide, marriage issues, substance abuse, and so on. Its not talked about enough as a 24/7 free resource."

 Anonymous

16. "I cannot say this enough: If your employer has a 401K match, do what you can to contribute to get the full match. It is FREE MONEY that you are leaving on the table if you dont contribute!"

Anonymous

TriStar Pictures

17. "For the love of god, set an alarm/notification for when you need to have your enrollment for benefits done when you are first hired. It's not your boss's or HR's responsibility to remind you to sign up. Once the deadline passes, there's nothing we can do until open enrollment."

Anonymous

18. "If you have an FSA account and plan to quit, use up your funds before you leave. If you don't have anything specific that you need, use them at the online FSA store. The funds were front-loaded into your account, so the company has already paid for it, even though you haven't, so use them before your last day! The company can't recoup that money from you."

Anonymous

Getty / BuzzFeed

19. "Look at your pay stubs! Almost anything is fixable, and its better to catch errors during the year instead of when you are trying to do your taxes. If there is something wrong, HR or payroll can help fix it."

Anonymous

NBC

20. "There is no perfect employee. If youre getting feedback, theres a good chance (if your manager and/or HR person is any good) the feedback is valid and important. Be honest with yourself and actually listen. Nothing worse than an entitled employee (or manager)!"

Anonymous

21. "Do something great, make it a bullet point, and keep it in a document. You can use those to ask for raises, or create a quick and powerful resume when a recruiter reaches out to you. Most managers I work with could easily be making 20% more if they knew how to best present their professional accomplishments."

Anonymous

22. "Stick to the duties and responsibilities of the job and your job performance when asking for a salary increase, shift change, promotion, or any other change to your current job. Too often, employees miss an opportunity because they focus on personal issues (family, schedule, etc.) or comparisons to other employees."

Anonymous

ABC

23. "A lot of the time, we fully believe that everyone should be compensated better for their time. I find some salaries that I've offered fucking laughable. But HR generalists, managers, and sometimes even directors do not control what we offer employees. We're not just pulling hourly wages out of a hat when we offer. We've been given a certain number or a salary range that we can offer."

turkeyinacan

Getty / BuzzFeed

24. "Sometimes when faced with a really tricky HR question or issue, I have to google it just like everyone else."

Anonymous

25. "Unfortunately, if your manager is a jerk/rude/obnoxious but not breaking any laws....HR won't be able to do much. By the way, we think they're jerks/rude/obnoxious, too. If you like the company though, look for other opportunities that report to different managers."

Anonymous

NBC

26. "Get everything in writing, no matter what. Whether it's from a manager about a raise or schedule change, or your request for FMLA. Not always out of malice, but sometimes people forget to communicate things and if you have even an email confirming it, that can save a lot of trouble."

Anonymous

27. "Everyone thinks that HR is only out to protect the company. While there are some companies' HR departments who act that way, most of us really do try to do what's right for the employees. We have to act in accordance to company policy and the law, but we do want what's best for everyone."

Anonymous

28. "Always be nice to the secretaries or assistants. They usually know what's going on or how to get/do something, so having them on your side always helps when you really need it. And if you are on their bad side, they can make the process drag out or more difficult for you."

Anonymous

HBO

29. Finally, "Its not really a secret but I wish employees understood and believed that I am there for them. People tend to see HR as the position with all the rules and regulations. While we do have a responsibility to function within the legal parameters, we aren't the fun police. We are real people and want to have fun too. But more importantly, we want to help the employee/employer relationship."

Anonymous
If youre thinking of becoming a police officer, you may want to consider what Hurst has to offer: a starting salary of almost $75,000.

In fact, the hiring salary is $74,755.22, and the post-probation salary is $81,848.

Hurst is among the highest-paying cities in Tarrant County for police officers, and officials hope that advertising the starting salaries and other changes such as requiring fewer college hours and allowing officers to show their tattoos as long as they are not offensive will entice more people to join the force.

Other cities including Arlington and Euless are also offering high starting salaries.

Assistant Chief Billy Keadle said in an interview that the high salaries are not new in Hurst, but the department needs to fill several vacant positions because of retirements.

On Saturday, the department is offering a test for prospective candidates.

Keadle said Hurst and other cities are competing for candidates as there are fewer people.

Like everyone else, were struggling to fill our openings, he said.

City Manager Clay Caruthers said Hurst offers a high starting salary, and the city council recently approved a mid career step increase to bring police officers and firefighters in line with total earnings in other cities..

Over their career, salaries for officers in Northeast Tarrant County tend to even out with Hurst officers earning a higher salary at the front-end of their career while neighboring cities tend to pay more on the back-end, he said.

Keadle said Hurst also changed other requirements such as lowering the number of college hours from 60 to 30 and waiving that requirement if someone has prior police or military experience.

Hurst is also allowing officers to show their tattoos when wearing short-sleeved uniform shirts as long as they are not offensive.

Keadle said the department recently allowed visible tattoos because more people have them, and they are becoming more acceptable.

Other cities including North Richland Hills also allow officers to display their tattoos.

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In Arlington, Police Chief Al Jones said in a news release that the city is constantly looking at recruiting to fill vacancies.

The reality is recruiting requires more effort, ingenuity, and willingness to adapt than it ever has before, Jones said.

In Arlington, the starting salary for an officer entering the academy is $68,123, and after five years, it jumps to $86,931.

Arlington also made other changes including offering a 13-week Lateral Transfer Academy for current law enforcement personnel who work at outside agencies, and waiving the four-year college degree requirement under certain conditions, according to the release.

In Euless, Police Chief Mike Brown said the council approved new salaries starting at $70,857. There is a five-year step plan to get officers to top pay at $94,242.

Euless has a very low turnover rate, Brown said, but on Wednesday an officer announced that he is retiring, so the department will have one vacancy.

Our pay is very competitive, and our equipment is the best. We do a good job of bringing people into the organization, and they like it and stick around, he said.

Brown said he doesnt want Euless to be a training ground for officers who leave after five years.

We want to bring in someone for 25, 30 years, he said You bring people in and they feel like they are a value to themselves and to the community.
FIRST ON FOX: Its a scenario that Republicans hope will sway voters in Novembers midterm elections.

A new ad by the GOP Senate nominee in Illinois is capitalizing on the GOPs messaging this summer to warn voters that new Internal Revenue Service funding approved by Democrats will lead to overzealous IRS agents targeting middle class Americans over their taxes.

"We love the new house, but we have a little problem with the agent. All of them," say actors portraying a couple sitting on the couch, as their home is invaded by IRS agents, in the first general election TV commercial by Kathy Salvi.

Taking aim at Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who Salvi is challenging in November, the actors argued that "after Duckworth voted to hire 87,000 IRS agents to audit families, its been a little tense."

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE MIDTERMS

The commercial shows the actors portraying the IRS agents combing through the couples, searching for unreported income, including finding 64 cents under a couch cushion and two dollars in winning lottery tickets.

"At least we have the election to fire Tammy Duckworth," the actors say.

Salvi, an attorney and former Lake County assistant public defender, faces a steep climb in her long shot bid in the blue state of Illinois to upset Duckworth, a first term senator and former congresswoman who lost both of her legs while serving in combat as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Iraq War. Salvis campaign says that the spot, which it shared first with Fox News on Friday, will run statewide in Illinois, and is backed by a high six-figures ad buy.

THESE 11 SENATE RACES WILL DECIDE THE CHAMBER'S MAJORITY

Republicans have been warning this summer that the $80 million boost to the IRS  that was included in the massive tax, climate, and health care package passed by Congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Biden last month  will lead to the targeting of middle-class Americans by what the GOP claims is an "army" of new IRS agents.

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And Salvis spot appears to be one of the first statewide ads to spotlight the Republicans alarms over the IRS funding.

The Republican National Committee last month targeted Democrats for expanding the IRS, charged that the move will harm everyday Americans. And the actors portraying the IRS agents in the Salvi ad break out in laughter after the couple states they "thought they only audited rich people."

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS

The message comes despite the repeated insistence by Democrats that the extra funding is intended to make sure wealthy taxpayers and corporations dont stiff the government.

The Biden administration and congressional Democrats have pushed back on the GOP claims, pointing to a letter from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the IRS stating that audit rates should not rise for households making less than $400,000 annually and that the new resources should not target families or businesses under that threshold.

Republicans counter that no language in the new law specifically prevents an increase of audits of middle-class Americans. And they spotlight that Democrats downed a GOP amendment which called for preventing the new funding from being used to audit lower wage earners.

Republicans have also repeatedly highlighted the figure of 87,000 new IRS agents, and the number is mentioned in the Salvi ad. But many of the new IRS employees will serve as support staff rather than agents and will replace those whove left an agency thats been severely depleted over the past decade due to funding cuts enacted when Republicans controlled Congress.
The New Bern Police Department is joining other county law enforcement, medical and treatment agencies as part of the Craven County Sexual Assault Response Team. The team will work to provide "wraparound services" to better meet the needs of victims.

After several incidents of sexual assault in New Bern last year brought forth a large public interest, the New Bern Police Department is joining together with multiple agencies throughout Craven County to help provide crucial services to victims.

In addition to the New Bern Police Department, the Craven County Sexual Assault Response Team includes the Craven County Sheriffs Office, Craven County District Attorneys Office, CarolinaEast Medical Center, Coastal Women's Shelter, the Department of Social Services, the U.S. Marine Corps and Promise Place, a New Bern nonprofit that specializes in the counseling and treatment for sexual assault victims.

At their September 13 meeting, the New Bern Board of Aldermen approved a memorandum of understanding between the New Bern Police Department and the other agencies which provides guidance for each agency with respect to their responsibilities when handling sexual assault cases.

According to New Bern Police Chief Patrick Gallagher, the MOU is an attempt to harmonize and coordinate the agencies responses to victims of sexual assault and provide wraparound services for those victims.

Gallagher said the memorandum binds the relationships between the agencies at a time when new questions have been raised concerning the treatment of sexual assault victims.

In 2021 there were some incidents that had occurred locally which had a lot of public interest in how sexual assault was managed through law enforcement and other entities, Gallagher commented. Promise Place, through the efforts of their staff was instrumental in trying to bring to the table all of the stakeholders involved in sexual assault in the area and region.

Last September, the owner of Prohibition in New Bern Chris Straight was at the center of a police investigation after an anonymous person filed a report of sexual assault. While Straight and Prohibition were not named in the investigation, the department and district attorney's office announced they would not be pressing charges and cleared the accused at that time.

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The decision brewed a social media storm and two months later, Straight would turn himself in for an alleged sexual assault crime that occurred in 2019. A Craven County Grand Jury indicted Straight on for second-degree forcible sexual offense in 2019.

More:Former New Bern man indicted for alleged 2019 sexual assault offense

More:No charges being pressed after police investigation into downtown New Bern bar

The Sexual Assault Response Teams mission is to provide all available medical, law enforcement and treatment options to allow the victim to make an informed decision on how to proceed, Gallagher explained.

Law enforcement, social services, the prosecutors office and other entities have the ability to say This is what we can do for you. We believe that all victims of sexual assault, regardless of age or gender, deserve to have as many resources as we can provide so that at the end we can bring some resolution that would meet their needs, Gallagher said.

An incredibly personal crime

According to information provided by Gallagher, the New Bern Police Department dealt with a total of 48 sexual assault cases in 2020 and 49 in 2021. So far, the department has responded to 27 sexual assault cases this year.

The statistics show that the majority of cases the department has investigated over the last three years have been forcible fondling crimes. A total of 39 have been forcible rape and 12 have been statutory rape.

From 2020 to 2021, the department saw a decrease of 13% in forcible rape cases and an increase of 10.1% in forcible fondling cases. The instances of statutory rape remained steady over that time period.

Gallagher said although the investigative process is much the same as with other crimes, sexual assault cases are incredibly personal and require a human connection with the victim.

There has to be an understanding that it is different, especially when were dealing with children who have been sexually abused, he explained. It is critically important that we have a forensic interviewer that is trained in how to ask questions of a juvenileWe dont want to ask questions in a way that creates a response that would not be admissible in court.

Gallagher said the MOU does not mean the New Bern Police Department will change its normal investigative procedures in response to sexual assault cases.

We know we need to collect evidence, we know we need to obtain statements, Gallagher said. What might be different is the collaborative communications we have with the other stakeholders within the response team. Because what law enforcement does is different than what Promise Place would do. We have to understand and appreciate that their role and our role, though we want a similar outcome, may be different.

Gallagher said having other agencies involved in the process can give victims access to those outside the sometimes intimidating role of law enforcement. He said relying on male police officers to work with sexual assault victims can be problematic.

Potentially they may be looking at someone who looks like their offender, Gallagher said. They may not feel as free to express themselves to a man. They need to feel free to speak, to ask questions so they can make an informed decision as to what they want to do.

Gallager said his department was thrilled to be part of a solution-based approach to sexual assault cases.

Obviously we are on the investigative law enforcement side, but Ive been involved in the criminal justice system for almost 40 years and I know that the traumatic effects that proceed a sexual assault for the victim are incredibly personal and require more than just a law enforcement response, he commented.

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Craven County Sexual Assault Response Team gives victims 'human connection'
Yoga to the People - Credit: Casey Kelbaugh/Redux

Yoga teacher Francesca Caviglia knew something was off about the studio where she worked when she got scolded for touching the money too much. At the donation-based Yoga to the People on St. Marks Place in New York City, which operated from 2006 to 2020, cash was collected in an empty tissue box at the end of class. After the final corpse pose, the teacher would stand at the back of the studio holding the oddly specific receptacle. As dozens of sweaty students filed out, they could drop in a few crumpled bills, or nothing at all. Whatever you could give that day was what the class cost.

After students left, Caviglia tells Rolling Stone, the teacher was supposed to dig the cash out of the box, put it into an envelope and label it with the class day and time to be stored in a locked area. Thats where Caviglia ran afoul of the rules, which surprised her. My instinct was to take these wadded up bills, unfold them and make a stack of them, because this is cash that someones dealing with eventually, she recalls. I remember being reprimanded once for doing that. What they wanted was for you to just transfer the cash that had been crumpled from peoples sweaty hands into this manila envelope, and there was something shady if I, like, handled it too much. It gave me the impression that it was because it looked like I might have counted it, and that was a problem. A recent criminal complaint alleges that under Gumucios leadership, Yoga to the People teachers were generally forbidden from counting the incoming cash.

More from Rolling Stone

Only recently has the public begun to get an idea of where those donations were really headed. During the pandemic lockdown, the company shuttered permanently amid allegations that surfaced, initially on social media, of abuse, sexual misconduct and worker exploitation against Yoga to the People founder Greg Gumucio. Then, in August 2022, Gumucio and two other company leaders  Haven Soliman and Michael Anderson  were charged with tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the IRS, accused of never filing taxes on more than $20 million in income between 2010 and 2020. (Gumucio has not faced any criminal charges for the alleged abuse or sexual misconduct.) The charges have been met with relief and, in some cases, surprise on the part of those who worked under Gumucio. The teachers who spoke with Rolling Stone saw Gumucio as the head and had not interacted closely, if at all, with his co-defendants. Some of his former staffers have been reexamining the financial practices they witnessed and participated in for the first time.

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For more than a decade, Yoga to the People was a mainstay of affordable movement classes in New York and beyond. Gumucio opened the flagship St. Marks location in 2006, the same year he moved from Portland, Oregon. By that time, Vice first reported in 2020, he had already been convicted of felony forgery and motor vehicle theft and had been accused of rape, although that case was closed after the alleged victim failed to respond to police inquiries regarding the investigation. Over the next decade or so, he opened what authorities estimate to be around 20 affiliated entities, including a total of six New York studios and locations in Arizona, Florida, and the San Francisco Bay Area. All but a few studios that offered hot yoga in New York were donation-based, and they did a brisk business. Cash only please, their web pages said.

Gumucio once estimated that 1,000 people came to Yoga to the People daily, but that seems like an under-count. The St. Marks location alone had four studios inside it, each of which could hold as many as 60 students during eight daily classes on weekdays. Starting in 2009, when I was freshly out of college and new to New York, I attended 6 p.m. classes at St. Marks regularly, rushing over from my low-wage media job and sometimes paying only a handful of change Id dredged guiltily from the bottom of my bag. I also attended high school with Caviglia, as well as Emily Schoen, another former teacher interviewed in this article. They and the other sources who spoke with Rolling Stone are just some of the people who were affected by the crimes alleged in the August 2022 complaint.

In YTTP classes, teachers would often say you only needed the space of your mat to do yoga, and in those pre-Covid times, they meant it. As the rooms filled up, staff would ask you to move closer and closer to your neighbor until sometimes only an inch or two remained between mats. The hour-long vinyasa class was typically a standardized series of standing poses and lunges that put the quads to heavy use, followed by seated stretches. As Caviglia pointed out, the studio claimed to offer yoga for everyone, but the athletic series they taught was most accessible to young, able-bodied people, the likes of which flocked to St. Marks from nearby New York University in such numbers that sometimes a line formed down the block before class. There wasnt a lot of practical, useful, heres how to deal with different situations, she says of the teacher training course she took through the company. It was like, everyone whos gonna walk into the studio is going to be an early twenties, flexible, young, little person, and theyll just do the thing; just tell them to do it. Even so, the pay-what-you-can rate, compared to other yoga classes that could run $20 or more, allowed hundreds of people to take classes who otherwise couldnt afford it.

The Yoga to the People studio on St. Marks Place was known to get packed, like it did this Sunday evening in April 2010. Pictured at the center, in black, is Gumucios co-defendant Haven Soliman, who has identified herself in the past as a co-owner of YTTP.

In 2020, it all fell apart. In early July, as Yoga to the People locations remained shuttered due to the pandemic, former employees began posting allegations of sexual misconduct, racial discrimination, a cult-like environment, manipulative management practices, and more. I cant even count the amount of times I had someone tell me not to eat, comment on my body, comment on my food choice as not a yoga teachers, and even had a manager take food out of my hands before a hot class, said one post from a former teacher, labeled with a body shaming trigger warning. In another, someone claiming to be a former manager said theyd been pressured by higher ups not to file their taxes because it would force YTTP to claim them as an employee. I was bullied into doing something illegal by the company I worked for! the post said. Days after the first posts appeared, Yoga to the People announced it would not reopen. Soon after, exposes from Vice News and The Cut further detailed Gumucios alleged behaviors, including claims he manipulated staffers into sexual relationships with him and demanded total obedience from his staff.

Jill Bayne, who trained at and then worked as a manager for Yoga to the People in New York between 2009 and 2012, and who has been outspoken about Gumucios alleged wrongdoing, says Gumucio used to call her in the middle of the night, just to see if shed pick up. He wanted you to answer the phone every time he called. she says. Three former staffers who spoke with Rolling Stone say they often didnt learn their teaching schedule more than one day ahead of time. Sometimes you found out the night before that youre working a double the next day, Schoen says. The news arrived via text message. It felt very, like, We own your calendar, dont we? Caviglia says. I started giving them less and less availability, because I was like, I cant just hold all of these days. She and Schoen each recall that if you couldnt work a class youd been last-minute scheduled for, you often wouldnt be given another one for about two weeks  punitively, Schoen says.

One of the more notorious accusations lobbed against Gumucio since 2020  albeit absent from the criminal complaint  was that teacher trainees at his company had to participate in a practice called arm-raising, which participants felt was designed to break them down emotionally. Sources say arm-raising involved holding your arms above your head for an hour, an experience that became increasingly painful, while music Cavilgia described as off-brand Enya played. Bayne remembers Celine Dion on the playlist. At a point, participants say they became aware the exercise was supposed to end with them crying. They were trying to make us associate the fatigue we were having with some sort of emotional breakthrough, Caviglia says. One of the semi-senior teachers was participating in this with us, and I think she was the ringleader to be like, Heres your example. Shell just start breaking down in a few minutes and then you can all follow suit. Eventually, sources say, many people did break down and cry. Schoen says the person leading the session did nothing to help the trainees recover from such a vulnerable moment. They left us just splattered on the floor with all those feelings, she says. There was no type of emotional cleanup.

On another occasion, Caviglia and Schoen separately recall being asked to sit in a circle with other trainees and share something traumatic from their past that they hadnt told anyone else. I remember being like, do I have to make up some trauma right now? Caviglia says. It felt like maybe this is an audition for whos prepared to enter this game. Bayne, who also participated in the same activity during her training, recalls the session leader going first. She stood up and said, I was raped, and then she kind of like, curled up into the fetal position on the floor, like, OK, shes setting an example of what were supposed to do, she says.

Bayne believed Gumucio instituted practices of probing peoples pasts to vet them to work for him and, she believed, to groom them for sexual relationships with him. He would pick people that had criminal backgrounds and beautiful women who had trauma, she says. He rarely would have, for lack of a better term, a fat person, and there were not very often people of color. Teachers reportedly did engage in sexual relationships with Gumucio, although none who spoke about it with Rolling Stone. Bayne says when she asked her immediate supervisor about rumors that Gumucio slept with teachers, she got an angry call from Gumucio himself. He is screaming at me, Dont you ever talk about me! Dont you ever talk about me! How dare you? and just literally scared the ever living [out of me], she says.

Meanwhile, students kept coming by the hundreds, and someone had to handle all that cash filling the tissue boxes  where voluntary donations were supplemented by $2 extra if you rented a mat, and $1 for a bottle of water. At St. Marks, according to sources who spoke with Rolling Stone and the criminal complaint, after teachers put the money from their classes in envelopes, managers would transport it across the street to Gumucios apartment, a sprawling exposed-brick loft that didnt look unlike the rooms in the nearby studio, except it was bigger, and had a disco ball suspended from the ceiling. Court documents described it as the companys de facto headquarters. There, according to a former manager who asked to remain anonymous, they and their management colleagues  mainly women  would sort the cash so it could be counted in mandatory twice-weekly sessions known as stacking, a practice also alleged in court documents. All those bills were separated, and then sat on so they would get warm, the manager says. So that our boss could run them through the cash counter. Sources say they do not know exactly why the money had to be warmed by peoples behinds. I didnt know enough about tax fraud to think this [might be] illegal, the manager says. I thought it was just another example of Greg being a manipulative, power-hungry person to like, make us sit on this cash. According to the criminal complaint, the money was then stored in Gumucios guitar case, which authorities allege at times contained between $20,000 and $30,000.

Bayne recalls drinking wine at these stacking sessions, sorting but never counting the money, and being careful not to say anything that could be used against her. Wed be sitting around, and all of us are scared of each other, because we dont know whos closest to Greg, she says. He kept us all so isolated, so we didnt even know what to talk about. It was a very nervous, tense situation.

According to the anonymous former manager, who was trained as a teacher at YTTP and then taught there for multiple years in the mid 2010s, the way money was handled varied by location. At a different YTTP studio in the city, they were expected to store, sort, and count the cash themselves, and eventually deposit it in the bank. Some managers even had their own safes and cash counters, they say. Their direct supervisor at the studio location told them how to handle the money. We always had to deposit below $10,000, and now I know thats because that would be a red flag for the IRS, they say, referring to a federal law that requires banks to report deposits of $10,000 or more in an effort to curb money laundering. But I would be walking along a street in New York with a tote bag full of $9,000. That was anxiety-producing, for sure.

Classes at the YTTP studio on St. Marks were pay-what-you-will, largely attracting people from nearby New York University.

In 2020, former employees claimed YTTP exploited its workers with long hours and low pay. Many one-time students became potential staff through the teacher training courses, which Schoen and Caviglia attended together in 2013. According to the complaint, teacher training was a major source of revenue for the company, costing roughly $2,500 to $3,000, depending on how early you registered. It happened twice a year for regular vinyasa training and once a year for hot yoga. After graduating from the training program, some teachers were invited to lead classes at YTTP, but, according to sources and the criminal complaint, they didnt necessarily get paid right away. Instead, during a period which Schoen and Caviglia describe as indentured servitude, they were asked to teach 25 classes for free and expected to volunteer their spare time to clean studios to prove their dedication to the company. Bayne says she got paid to teach right away, with no explanation. I didnt have to teach any classes for free, she says. I dont know why he gave me special treatment. He started paying me right away.

Schoen, on the other hand, spent months working her way up to leading paid classes. Shed show up a half hour early, and stay at least half an hour late or longer, for the closing shift, cleaning mats, mopping up sweat, and restocking water. It was a total drag, for absolutely no money, she says. At the time, though, I felt like, Im getting scheduled for classes, Im working towards something. Eventually, theyll start paying me. But I remember once I hit that cap, the number of classes I was scheduled for during the week fell drastically. Schoen says she went from teaching as often as six times a week for free to around one class per week. The pay was only $25-$35 per class. Soon after she completed teaching the unpaid classes, she left. In the criminal complaint, authorities allege Gumucio maximized his unreported income by manipulating subordinates into providing free labor (e.g., teaching unpaid classes, stacking cash, cleaning yoga studios, depositing cash into bank accounts, etc.).

The former manager remembers regularly receiving their so-called starting salary of $3,000 a month in one lump sum of cash in a plastic bag from a liquor store. According to the criminal complaint, in 2013, one employee texted Gumucio asking, So should all salaries be cash? and he replied, in part, yup.

The former manager estimates they worked 100 hours weekly, between administrative tasks, managing other teachers, handling money, helping run teacher trainings, and teaching a whopping 20 classes per week. They recall feeling sleep-deprived, hungry, and broke during their time there. None of the former staffers who spoke with Rolling Stone were ever given tax forms. According to the criminal complaint, teachers who requested tax forms were typically denied. When such a request was made, YTTP leadership treated it as a big deal, and it resulted in contentious conversations, the court document says.

Despite prosecutors arguing Gumucio has mob ties and a fugitive mentor he has visited in Acapulco, he and his co-defendants are currently out on bond, on conditions including the surrender of their travel documents and that they do not communicate with any former employees of YTTP. A public defender for Gumucio and lawyers for his co-defendants did not respond to requests for comment. Authorities have asked people with information on the case or who believe they have been the victim of a crime related to YTTP to reach out to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Some people hope the tax evasion case will be just the beginning of accountability for Gumucio and his associates. To Bayne, the financial charges are just a starting point, a way to get at some of the wrongdoing she claims Gumucio put people through. I want them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, she says of the defendants. I want all people to recognize and learn the signs of narcissistic and cult abuse.

Others are thinking of the yoga community, and hoping something else might fill the void left by YTTP. Could a different organization offer donation-based classes for everyone without  crucially  the hideous underbelly of alleged abusive behavior by yet another powerful man apparently abusing his status? I wonder, does that model work if youre not cheating it? says Caviglia, who left the company after leading just a few unpaid classes and began teaching on a freelance basis. Can you have something that is accessible at a similar level that has at least a passable part-time wage for the teachers and doesnt have some elaborate under-the-table scheme going on? Maybe it can be done in a smaller regard. I would hope that model can work, that its not too good to be true.

Best of Rolling Stone

Click here to read the full article.
The City of Jacksonville and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful will host a coastal cleanup on Saturday, September 17, at various times in several locations across the County.

Coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy and supported locally by Keep Jacksonville Beautiful, this cleanup is part of areas annual International Coastal Cleanup. Volunteers will remove litter and debris along the shoreline of Jacksonvilles beaches. Participants must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult. Everyone is requested to wear sturdy footwear and sun protection and carry plenty of drinking water. Advance registration is not required. Site captains will provide bags and gloves at the cleanup locations. For more information, please call (904) 255-8276 or email ddurbec@coj.net .

Described as a way to bring cleanliness and purity to beaches across the globe, International Coastal Cleanup aims to underscore beach pollution along the shorelines that cover 70 percent of Mother Earths oceans. Because of waters cyclical composition, everything dumped into the ocean returns back to the shore lines or remains floating within a short distance. Statistics show that presently 46,000 pieces of plastic debris remains afloat. And because if takes a long time for plastic to decompose, minute particles remain in the water. If this trend continues, the ocean and marine life will face devastating consequences.

International Coastal Cleanup Day was born and bred by Linda Maraniss and Kathy OHara more than 30 years ago. The duo worked at the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental agency that specializes in formulating resolutions and policies at federal and governmental levels. Their idea was simple, clean up beach trash before it was swept into the ocean by water or wind and document the trash collected. Studies were then conducted on the trash for its origin, the length of time it would take to disintegrate and its impact on marine life. Documented findings were sent to the government to initiate lobbying efforts to prevent further dumping and/the manufacture of harmful products and sent to the government to prevent further damage through national and international lobbyng efforts.

To this day, over six-million volunteers in over 90 countries have participated in the day.

7 - 9 a.m. (Oceanfront locations):

8th Avenue North - Ocean

16th Avenue South - Ocean

Atlantic Boulevard - Ocean

Beach Boulevard -Ocean

Seagate/20th Avenue - Ocean

9 a.m. - 11 a.m. (All other locations):

All Wet Sports/Pottsburg Creek - 8550 Beach Blvd. (10  11 a.m.)

Blue Cypress Park - 4012 University Boulevard North (8  10 a.m.)

Boone Park North - 3700 Park St.

Boone Park South - 3725 St. Johns Ave.

Burnett Park - 3740 Burnett Park Rd.

Castaway Island Preserve - 2921 San Pablo Rd. South

Charles Reese Park - 1200 Ken Knight Dr.

Fishweir Park - 3925 Valencia Rd.

Five Points -1028 Park St.

Ft. Caroline Memorial - 12713 Ft. Caroline Rd.

Hollybrook Park - 319 Cherokee St.

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park - 500 Wonderwood Dr. (8  10 a.m.)

Klutho Park - 204 W. 3rd St.

Lonnie Wurn Boat Ramp - 4131 Ferber Rd. (8  10 a.m.)

McCue Park and Boat Ramp - 2510 Second Ave.

Mandarin Park -14780 Mandarin Rd.

Murray Hill - 4208 Kingsbury St.

Reddie Point Preserve - 4499 Yachtsman Way

Riverside Arts Market - 715 Park St.

Riverside Park- 753 Park St.

Riverview Community Center - 9620 W. Water St.

T.K. Stokes Boat Ramp - 2120 Riverview St.

Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park - 7000 Roosevelt Blvd.

Walter Jones Historical Park - 11964 Mandarin Rd.

Willow Branch Park - 2870 Sydney St.








A purported threat at West End High School in Walnut Grove that sent angry parents to social media complaining that they werent sufficiently notified about it was a hoax, authorities said Thursday.

A joint statement from Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton and Etowah County Schools Superintendent Dr. Alan Cosby said screen shots from a Snapchat account that have been shared on social media, containing the threat, were faked.

Investigators following up on leads in an earlier but unrelated case obtained a confession Wednesday from a different juvenile, who they say confessed to making that post, then sharing it with an adult for the promise of money.

The statement said that juvenile is being handled in the juvenile court system. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

West End High School:Etowah sheriff, school system investigating reported threat to West End High School

A verbal threat authorities say was made by another student was reported on Sept 8, and West End faculty alerted an Etowah County deputy who was on duty as a school resource officer. A joint investigation with the sheriffs office Investigation Division and the Board of Education was launched; the suspect was removed from school according to the boards protocols; and a visit was made to the suspects home, which revealed no firearms or access to firearms.

Authorities say that incident was addressed through proper channels.

The statement noted that the dissemination of the subsequent Snapchat post has caused alarm and trust issues with the Etowah County school system and law enforcement, and has resulted in multiple students missing school time.

This is a prime example of believing everything that is shared on social media and continuing to share, and not letting law enforcement and school personnel do their job, and the public not trusting the process, the statement read. These type cases mostly involve juvenile defenders and some information cannot be distributed to the public due to the privacy of juvenile court cases.

The sheriff and superintendent reiterated that there is no known or active threat at West End or any other school in the county system, or at any extracurricular activities, and that the safety and security of students, staff and community as a whole continues to be and will always be the focus.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: West End High School in Walnut Grove reported threat was a hoax
The Islamic Republic of Irans morality police are embroiled in a shocking case of brutality for the alleged murder of a 22-year-old woman arrested for failing to comply with the theocratic states radical law requiring women to cover their hair.

The case of Masha Amini, who died Friday in Tehran, sparked widespread outrage among Iranian-Americans who are urging President Biden to deny a visa to Iran President Ebrahim Raisi to prevent him attending the United Nations General Assembly, where he will address the world body next week.

"Masha was from my hometown, Saqqez. She was a brave Kurdish girl. The agents of the government killed her because brave Iranian women challenge the symbols of the Islamic government wherever they can and refuse to follow the laws of slavery," Sardar Pashaei, the former head of Irans national Greco-Roman wrestling team, told Fox News Digital.

"The people do not consider only a few police officers responsible for Mashas murder, but they directly consider Ali Khamenei [Supreme Leader of Iran], Ebrahim Raisi and Mohammad Khatami [former president of Iran] as partners in this crime."

IRAN REGIME LEADERS ACCUSED OF MASS MURDER IN 2019 PROTESTS

He stressed the Iranian people blame the regime clerics he cited as responsible for Aminis murder because "they call from their podiums to crack down on the opposition and encourage the so-called morality police. People are very angry about this situation, and this anger will one day bring down the mullahs government."

According to eyewitnesses, the Iranian morality police arrested Masha Amini Tuesday in Tehran for failing to properly wear the hijab (headscarf) and was beaten while in a police van. Amini fell into a coma and died Friday.

Mashas brother Kiarash witnessed the seizure of his sister by the "morality patrol" and told the news organization Iran Wire he went to the courthouse in Tehran to file a complaint.

"I will pursue it," he said. "But you know how the system works," a reference to allegations Irans judiciary is corrupt, loyal only to the regime and opaque.

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IRAN SENTENCES TWO WOMEN TO DEATH OVER LGBTQ ACTIVISM AND CHRISTIANITY, HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION SAYS

"I wont allow this to end in silence," Kiarash said. "I will tell everyone in Iran what happened."

Irans police denied that Amini was killed, claiming the young woman "suddenly suffered a heart problem."

The so-called "butcher of Tehran," the president of Iran, Raisi was sanctioned by the Trump administration for his role in the mass murder of 5,000 Iranians in 1988 and an additional 1,500 Iranians in 2019.

"This is yet another horrific, unconscionable crime by the Islamic Republic, the likes of which we never hear about," Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American foreign policy expert, told Fox News Digital. "This latest attack shows the emboldening of the regime, just days before Iran's President Raisi is to fly to New York to participate in the UNGA [United Nations General Assembly].

"Instead of showing 'good behavior' in light of all the opposition to his visit to the U.S., the regime continues flexing its muscles and brutally ended the life of an innocent 22-year-old solely because of the way she was reportedly wearing her headscarf."

Video footage appeared on Friday showing street protests in Iran against the regime for the reported murder of Amini. Demonstrators chanted "Down to the Dictator."

According to the Iranian news Twitter handle @1500tasvir_en, "A group of women in Tehran took the hijab off and blocked the street to protest the murder of Masha Amini by the Hijab Police of the Islamic Republic, chanting ISIS, ISIS."

Robert Malley, the Biden administration's special envoy for Iran, criticized Amini's death, calling it "appalling."

"According to hospital employees at Kasra Hospital in Tehran, last night, the floor where Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's room was, was evacuated, and several medical professionals who none of the hospital staff had ever seen before had been brought in by agents of the Revolutionary Guards," Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American researcher, told Fox News Digital.

"The regime is now claiming that Mahsa suffered a cardiac event while in detention, but it is clear to all that she suffered from serious injuries from the beating she received during arrest where they slammed her head (as seen on the videos) on the car door and later. My question to Western modern women is, is emancipation for thee and not for me?"

Despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments Monday that a new nuclear deal with Iran happening in the short-term seemed unlikely given Iran's latest response, Biden administration critics claim the administration is still intent on securing a nuclear weapons deal with Irans regime that abandons human rights.

"With one grave violation of human rights after another, the regime keeps testing for moral resolve from the free world, and much to its satisfaction, finds none," Mariam Memarsadeghi, a fellow for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute told Fox News Digital.

"The West is intent to appease Khamenei's Islamist cabal, having learned nothing from its failed stance toward Putin. It's a policy that doesn't just put Iranian lives at risk. It is a fundamental threat to global security. Biden's myopic focus on the nuclear file has resulted only in emboldening the regime."

Fox News Digital sent press queries to Iran's foreign ministry and its U.N. Permanent Mission.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Irans president has ordered a probe in the case of a young woman who slipped into a coma while in custody in Tehran and died, state media reported on Friday. The police have said she suffered a heart attack.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, President Ebrahim Raisi asked Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi to investigate the cause of the incident with urgency and special attention.

According to reports on social media, Mahsa Amini, 22, was detained earlier this week by the so-called morality police" after officers apparently found fault with her headscarf, or hijab.

The headscarf has been compulsory for women in Iran since after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and members of the morality police enforce the strict dress code.

Police said on Thursday that Amini, who was arrested on Tuesday, was taken to a hospital after she allegedly had a heart attack while in custody. Pro-reform news websites quoted an uncle of Amini as saying she had no history of heart disease.

On Friday, police said there was no violence toward or physical contact between officers and Amini while she was in custody. Police also showed closed-circuit footage appearing to show Amini inside a police station, with other detainees.

At one point she stands up from a chair, goes to speak to another woman, then holds her head with both hands, stumbles against a chair and collapses. In the next segment of the footage she is being carried away on a stretcher.

The official website of Iran's judiciary, Mizan.news, said that Tehran's chief prosecutor, Ali Salehi, ordered a police team of forensic pathologists to examine the medical aspects of the case.

Iran's morality police has been criticized in recent years over its treatment of people, especially young women, and videos uploaded on social media have shown officers forcing women into police vehicles.

Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has supported a softer attitude toward women who do not comply with the official dress code.

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But hard-liners have called for harsh punishment and even lashes, arguing that allowing women to show their hair leads to moral decay and the disintegration of families. The judiciary has in recent years urged people to inform on women who do not wear the hijab.

Since 2017, after dozens of women publicly took off their headscarves in a wave of protests, the authorities adopted tougher measures.

Amini's case has drawn condemnation from Iranian celebrities, athletes and other public figures.

Former pro-reform President Mohammad Khatami said the behavior of the morality police was a disaster" while outspoken politician and former lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeghi called on Khamenei to speak publicly about Amini's case.

Popular former soccer player, Ali Karimi, tweeted that while children of high-ranking officials are leaving the country, our children are dying.

Hossein Mahini, another former soccer player, said in a tweet, addressing the morality police: We hate you.

The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, tweeted that Amini's death in custody for an improper' hijab is appalling." He added: Those responsible for her death should be held accountable."
Lindsay Lohans forthcoming Netflix film, Irish Wish, has added more stars to its cast.

The rom-com, set for release in 2023, features Lohan in the lead role as a bridesmaid named Maddy who is in love with her best friends husband-to-be.

Though she decides to put her feelings aside to support the couple, days before the wedding in Ireland, she makes a wish for true love and magically wakes up as the bride.

However, she soon realises that her true soulmate is someone that she never expected it to be.

As well as the Mean Girls and Freaky Friday actor, actor Ed Speleers  who played Stephen Bonnet in Outlander and Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey  has also signed up to the project.

Another Outlander alumnus on the cast list is Alexander Vlahos, who plays Allan Christie and was formerly in the BBC drama, Merlin.

Emily in Pariss Elizabeth Tan has also been named as a cast member, as well as chef and wife of NBA player Stephen Curry, Ayesha Curry.

Ed Speleers, Ayesha Curry and Jane Seymour have joined the cast of Irish Wish' (Getty)

Finally, Jane Seymour, who played the title character in the Nineties series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, rounds out the cast list so far.

Irish Wish will be the second project Lohan works on with married writing and producing duo Janeen and Michael Damian, as she is set to star in their festive feature, Falling for Christmas, later this year.

When the film was announced earlier this month, fans were excited to see the former child star primed for a significant film role after stepping back from acting roles around a decade ago.

Irish Wish is expected for release on Netflix in 2023.
Isaiah Washington is opening up about how having a family has affected his acting career.

In an interview with Fox News Digital at a special screening of his film "God's Not Dead: We The People," the 59-year-old actor explained that he is mindful of his wife and three children when choosing his roles in television and movies.

"I always told my wife, since I have the kids and a wife, that I would rather kiss a horse than a woman on screen," Washington said on the red carpet in Century City, California.

He continued, "Because then I have to explain myself to my daughter, like why are you kissing a strange woman?"

THREE MOVIES TO WATCH RIGHT NOW ON FOX NATION

Washington clarified that he was joking but added, "I've said No more than I have said Yes."

Washington continued, "Because I always wanted to be alive to know 20 years later, what my kids would think of me in that particular role."

"For me, being married and having children did change a lot of my trajectory," he said. "That's why I didn't want to get married 25 years ago, but I'm glad I did because the wife and children really make you the best human being that you can be."

The "Romeo Must Die" star married wife Jenisa Garland in 1996. The couple share sons Tyme and Isaiah Washington V, and daughter Iman.

Though Washington told Fox News Digital that his children have "no interest" in following in his footsteps by pursuing acting as a career, he revealed that he recently enlisted their help in creating a greeting video for his directorial debut "Corsicana".

"I pulled my crew together," Washington said. "I found out really well that my daughter is going to be a director, my son is going to be special effects, scripting and story boarder and the other son is going to be a producer."

"And we all came together and we did this video."

Washington said he enlisted his children to create a greeting video for his film "Corsicana." Washington is pictured with his family in 2018. Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images

He went on say that Iman took her role as a director very seriously. "When I got out of line, she said, 'Oh no, no, you gotta do it again. I didn't believe you.' I was like, whoa."

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Washington said that his daughter insisted that he do several takes to ensure that he was coming across as authentic in the video. "I'm like, 'Wait a minute, I'm being me.'"

[And she said,]"'Yeah, but I don't believe you being you. Stop acting.'"

"It was beautiful," he said. "She was giving me direction."

'GREY'S ANATOMY' STAR ISAIAH WASHINGTON REIGNITES FEUD WITH FORMER CO-STAR KATHERINE HEIGL

In addition to directing, Washington  who was known for his role on "Grey's Anatomy" before being fired, an incident he has spoken out about -- also stars in the Western drama "Corsicana." The movie was released in theaters across the United States on Aug. 26.

Washington explained Tom Cruise inspired him to create a pre-film greeting message for "Corsicana" audiences. Cruise recently appeared in a welcome message that played ahead of showings of his blockbuster 2022 film "Top Gun: Maverick," the sequel to his beloved 1986 movie "Top Gun."

The Texas-native said he had a longtime interest in faith-based films. "I've always been curious on how I can engage in these kind of stories, faith-based stories, but I didn't know how," he explained.

Washington told Fox News Digital that he became involved in "God's Not Dead: We The People" after a producer contacted him on Twitter. In the Christian drama, which was released in October 2021, he played Rep. Daryl Smith, a Congressman who helps the main character, Reverend Dave Hill (David R.R. White).

Production on a fifth installment of the "God's Not Dead" franchise is set for later this year. Pictured: Pure Flix founding partner Michael Scott, actress Cory Oliver, actor and Pure Flix founding partner David A.R. White, actor Dean Cain and Washington. Getty Images

"I'm always attracted to stories and characters that either scare me or educate me or have something to say that I also have to say," he said. "You know, so I can say what I want to say through them. And Congressman Daryl Smith is a character that I get to hide behind but kind of say the things that I would never say, so it's kind of like my alter ego."

"God's Not Dead: We The People" also stars Antonio Sabato Jr., Francesca Battistelli, William Forsythe and Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro.

Though Washington didn't work with Pirro during production, he said he thought she was "fantastic" in the film.

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"God's Not Dead: We The People" was the fourth installment of the "God's Not Dead" series of films, which are available to watch now on the Christian streaming platform PureFlix. The special screening was attended by cast members from all four movies including White, Dean Cain, Ray Wise, Cory Oliver and Brad Heller.

At the screening, White announced that a fifth installment of the franchise was in the works. White, Cain, Washington, Wise, Oliver and Heller are all set to reprise their roles in the movie, which will begin production later this year in South Carolina.

"This is a new chapter in the Gods Not Dead franchise and we cant wait to share this with all the fans. Im still humbled, eight years later, that this type of movie and this message resonates with so many people," White said.

"The legacy and impact of Gods Not Dead is undeniable and Im so proud and honored to be a part of this movement."
(Reuters) - A diplomatic tussle intensified on Friday after Chile's president put off accepting the credentials of Israel's new ambassador to Santiago over the killing in the occupied West Bank of a Palestinian teenager.

In response, Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned Chilean ambassador Jorge Carvajal for what it called a reprimand at a meeting where, it said, "Israels response will be made clear.

The dispute began on Thursday when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola informed newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli that Chilean President Gabriel Boric was postponing a meeting to accept his credentials until October.

"Thats because today is a sensitive day because of the death of a minor," a spokesperson from Chile's ministry of foreign affairs said in a text message, referring to the death of the 17-year-old Palestinian boy that day.

Israel assailed the snub on Friday, with its Foreign Ministry labeling it "puzzling and unprecedented behaviour" and adding in its statement: "This seriously harms the relations between the two countries."

On Thursday, Artzyeli, the new ambassador, sought to ease tensions following what he said was an "extensive" meeting where Chilean authorities repeatedly apologized.

"Being an Israeli and a Jew my people have seen worse things in the last 4,000 years," he told reporters in Santiago. "We're going to overcome this incident for the good of Chile, the good of Israel and our bilateral relations."

Separately on Friday, Boric's move drew praise from the Palestinian Authority, as well as the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza.

"We welcome the Chilean president's position, which is in line with international law and resolutions, and we appreciate this position aimed at applying pressure on the Israeli government to stop its ongoing daily crimes against our people," said Ahmad al-Deek, adviser to the Palestinian foreign minister.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces killed the teenager on Thursday during clashes, the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have stoked fears of an escalation.

(Reporting by Alexander Villegas in Santiago, Sarah Morland in Mexico City, Henriette Chacar in Jaffa and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Steven Grattan; Editing by Howard Goller)
ROME (Reuters) - Italy will contribute to the EU's macro-financial assistance (MFA) program for Ukraine with 700 million euros ($697.48 million), a government draft showed on Friday.

The decision is expected to be ratified by a cabinet meeting later in the day.

($1 = 1.0034 euros)

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Maria Pia Quaglia)
A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology on Tuesday has revealed the best way to put a crying baby to sleep.

The study, which was led by researchers from the Riken Research Institute in Japan, analyzed 21 babies aged 7 months or younger.

The participants mothers were recruited in Japan and Italy. The study, which tested the effects of four different actions, examined heart rates and also had the babies mothers carry them while walking, sit while holding them, rock them in a stroller and put them to bed.

Of the participants tested, 46% fell asleep within five minutes when they were carried by their mothers while walking. Another 18% of the infants fell asleep within another few minutes, according to the study.

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However, placing babies into their beds immediately after they fell asleep often led to them waking up. The researchers found that the infants entered a stable state of sleep when they were held for at least eight minutes while sitting down.

The researchers findings suggest that the best way to put crying babies to sleep is by walking with them for at least five minutes with no sudden movements, sitting and holding them for another eight minutes and then placing them gently into bed.

I have raised four children and I performed these experiments, but even I couldnt foresee the key results of this study until the statistical data came up, co-author Kumi Kuroda said.

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Featured Image via Minnie Zhou

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Jason Momoa has debuted his newest tattoo and the special connection it has to Hawaii, where he was born.

On Instagram on Wednesday, the 43-year-old actor shared a video of himself boarding a Hawaiian Airlines flight to New Zealand while expressing his admiration for his background.

Proud to be HawaiianHawaiian, I love you for this, he added, referring to his trip. I got something special for you.

The Aquaman star then removed his hat and showcased his shaved head, where he appeared to have gotten a new tattoo. The video showed the ink, which features a triangle design, extending from the bottom of his neck to the top of his skull.

In the caption, Momoa tagged and thanked traditional Hawaiian tattoo artist Keone Nunes.

It was a true honour 20 years in the making, he wrote about the ink.

In Polynesian culture, the placement of a tattoo can have significant meaning, as a tattoo on the head can relate to ones spirituality and knowledge of their heritage, according to The Diplomat.

At the end of his Instagram video, Momoa, who was born in Honolulu, referenced his upcoming Apple TV+ show, Chief of War.

The limited series, starring, written, and executively produced by the Dune star, follows the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonisation of Hawaii from an indigenous point of view, according to Deadline.

On Instagram on Thursday, Leica Camera, a US-based camera manufacturing company, also shared photos of the Aquaman stars tattoo, which were captured for the brands fourth annual photo essay contest, the Leica Women Foto Project.

As noted in the caption of the post, the images of Momoa getting the tattoo were taken by Hawaiian actor Mainei Kinimaka, who was a guest star on Apple TV+ drama series I See, which features Momoa as the lead.

In the series of images, the actor could be seen lying down as the artist inked the design, while other photos show him standing up with a red cloth around his body to show off the final result of his tattoo.

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Momoa later shared the post to his own Instagram, where he said the photos reflected a powerful moment in [his] life that he got to share with his loved ones.

The actors tattoo artist also posted a picture of Momoa on Instagram and reflected on their years-long friendship in the caption of the post.

I have known Jasons father Joe since high school and started talking to Jason over 20 years ago [and] doing work on him, he wrote.

This isnt the first time that Momoa has opened up about the importance of his culture. During an interview with CNN in 2019, he said that he tries to take visits to Hawaii as often as he can because it benefits his soul.

For my soul I need to be there, he said at the time. If Im not working, Im trying to get over there.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Every American president since has issued the same proclamation. Today, Friday, September, 16, Jacksonville continues that tradition.

As America acknowledges National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Jacksonvilles Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial Inc., will host a POW/MIA Memorial to honor former prisoners of war, those still missing in action, and those whose whereabouts remain a mystery.

The public service, officiated by Chaplain Pat Archuleta, Air Force (Ret.), who serves as the Chaplain for the Memorial Museum, begins on Friday, September 16, at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the High-Speed Pass on 6112 POW-MIA Memorial Parkway.

Many families continue to grieve and anguish over the loss of their loved ones, he said. This is a day of reverance dedicated to families as they remember those they have lost. Remembering our loved ones should remain a part of our history.

Established in 2016, the Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as a historic national memorial noted as a destination site. Located on 26-acres in Northeast Florida at the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Master Jet Base (1941-1999) is currently known as Cecil Commerce Center. The National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum is dedicated to those Naval Aviators that were stationed at NAS Cecil Field during the Vietnam War and Desert Shield and Desert Storm eras.

The Cecil Field POW/MIA organization is honored to host this special service, said Capt. Sam Houston, President of the Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial, Inc. We invite the public to attend this service and share in honoring those who were imprisoned and those who are still missing.

The two-day event also includes a display of the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall presented by American Legion Post 250. The Memorial Wall will remain on display until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 17.

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Also on Saturday, 100 American Legion Riders participating in Jacksonvilles Seven Bridges Ride will complete their journey at the POW/MIA Memorial between Noon and 1:00 p.m. There an additional service - open to the public - will be officiated by Chaplain Archuleta.

Motorcycle riders will culminate their seven bridges ride at the Chapel at Cecil Field with a second memorial, he said. Its an honor for me as a minister of the Gospel and of course, as the Chaplain, to serve at the Memorial. The Chapel is there for Veterans and their families.

In a recent press release, The National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum stated their support in American and foreign governments working together to bring home the more than 82,000 members of the military still Missing in Action and unaccounted for since World War II.

The National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum in Jacksonville allows visitors to honor all former Prisoners of War and to remember and never forget those Missing in Action as well as the families who seek their return, they said.

The National League of Families POW/MIA flag - the POW/MIA flag - was adopted in 1972. The black and white silhouette flag remains the official emblem of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. In 2019, the National POW/MIA Flag Act was signed into law, requiring these POW/MIA flag to be flown on designated federal properties, including the U.S. Capitol Building, on all days that the American flag is flown.
Roger Golubski, a retired homicide detective in Kansas City, Kansas, was arrested by Federal authorities on Thursday. Golubski is charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting two women over 20 years ago.

The 69-year-old former detective appeared in court Thursday. He was charged with sexually assaulting the first victim on multiple occasions between 1998 and 2001 and sexually assaulting the second victim on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2002, a press release from the Department of Justice stated. The charges are six counts related to the rape of a woman from 1998 to 2001 and another from 1999 to 2002. This timeframe was when he was employed by the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.

Golubski worked in law enforcement for 35 years.

Charges against Golubski stem from a years-long grand jury investigation. According to a 2019 civil complaint against him, Golubski was accused of being a dirty cop, CNN reports. He allegedly abused his power and exploited vulnerable Black women, including Black women who worked as prostitutes.

Golubski was the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by a wrongfully convicted man, Lamonte McIntyre. McIntyre and his mother alleged that Golubski framed him for a double homicide in 1994.

Golubski, who retired from the police department in 2010, was also accused of protecting drug dealers and framing innocent people.

The community distress attracted the attention of hip-hop mogul JAY-Z. His social-justice-oriented group, Team Roc, flashed a banner across their social media profiles and took out a full-page ad in The Washington Post last year, calling the alleged police corruption in Kansas City one of the worst examples of abuse of power in U.S. history.

Golubski was arrested at his Wyandotte County home Thursday morning. According to WEVV-TV, authorities reported that Golubski went willingly and cooperated with law enforcement but chose not to comment.

The six-count indictment unsealed Thursday alleges that Golubski assaulted the two women while acting under color of law.

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According to WEVV-TV, the women are referred to by their initials only, and the five-page indictment doesnt offer many details about the alleged sexual assaults and kidnappings.

Editors Note: Graphic details regarding sexual abuse and kidnapping could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.

He is accused of sexually assaulting both women and forcing them to perform oral sex on him several times in his vehicle. Golubskis actions included aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping, the indictment alleges.

CNN previously reported that multiple former police officers were called before the grand jury last year. Terry Zeigler, a former chief and former partner of Golubski, said he did not share information about his personal life.

The dude was very secretive, Zeigler told CNN. I mean he would want you to talk all day about your family, but he would talk very little about his own.

But Zeigler added that he never witnessed the detective do anything wrong.

If Golubski is convicted on any of the counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The Venezuelan migrants who were sent on two chartered planes to Marthas Vineyard may soon be headed to Joint Base Cape Cod in Bourne.

The nearly 50 men, women, and children arrived in Massachusetts on Wednesday as part of a promise from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to drop off undocumented migrants to progressive states.

Governor Charlie Baker said Thursday that his administration is exploring the possibility of a temporary shelter and humanitarian services operation at Joint Base Cape Cod.

The 22,000-acre military base on the mainland straddles Bourne, Sandwich, Mashpee, and Falmouth and is home to five military agencies.

It has been used during past emergency responses including housing Hurricane Katrina evacuees in a community of cottages.

Baker has not provided a timeline for when Joint Base Cape Cod could potentially transform into a makeshift hub for resources and volunteer workers.

The Baker administration said it will share additional information as it becomes available.

More coverage:

State exploring plans to house migrants on Cape Cod after they were flown to Marthas Vineyard

Uphill battle for Marthas Vineyard migrants seeking asylum

Florida Gov. DeSantis flies two planes of migrants to sanctuary of Marthas Vineyard

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Oxygen

An autopsy on Tennessee kindergarten teacher Eliza "Liza" Fletcher has determined that she was killed after she was shot in the back of the head. The report, released this week, states, There are two semicircular defects to the skull consistent with a single gunshot to the head with the bullet traveling in a posterior to anterior (back to front) and right to left direction, the Associated Press reports. The autopsy, completed by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center in Memphis, also note
A judge has barred Fort Worth former Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald from obtaining an internal investigation report involving a whistleblower complaint, which he had sought as part of his long-running lawsuit since he was fired in 2019.

The Dallas County judge heard subpoenaed testimony Friday from City Manager David Cooke and a former city attorney. She ruled that the internal report was protected by attorney-client privilege.

The report details the findings from a city investigation after Kirk Slaughter, the former head of public events, complained that a bid process for a parking management contract was unfair. The contract for Will Rogers Memorial Center was awarded to Trail Drive Management Corp., the nonprofit that ran the city-owned Dickies Arena. Slaughter complained that a former assistant city manager influenced the bid process.

Fitzgerald, who filed his lawsuit in May 2019 shortly after his firing, alleges he was let go after trying to uncover corruption in the citys IT department. City officials say Fitzgerald was dismissed due to poor leadership and a confrontation at a 2019 conference in Washington after he was removed from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.

The Texas Workforce Commission found in July 2019 there was no evidence Fitzgerald had committed misconduct. The city was asked by courts in May 2020 to change Fitzgeralds discharge designation to honorable.

Fitzgerald now works as the police chief in Waterloo, Iowa. His lawsuit against Fort Worth sought reinstatement to his job and damages.

The city has spent $500,000 fighting the case as of May.

In Fridays hearing in downtown Dallas, former Fort Worth city attorney Sarah Fullenwider told the judge that the citys investigation into Slaughters complaint was passed to the city auditors office. That was so that the city attorney could form a legal opinion for Cooke. Investigations into whistleblower complaints had previously not gone through the auditors office, Fullenwider said.

Cooke gave brief testimony to confirm that the investigation went to through the auditors office.

Judge Marciela Moore with the 162nd Judicial District Court said she still had questions about whether the names of the people who were interviewed during the internal investigation is protected information. She asked Fitzgeralds attorney, Stephen Kennedy of Dallas, and Fort Worth city attorneys to come back with more information.
By Jacqueline Thomsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior federal judge with experience handling U.S. national security matters was named on Thursday as an independent arbiter to vet records seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump's Florida estate in an ongoing criminal investigation.

Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, based in Brooklyn, was appointed by Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to serve in a role called a special master in the case. Dearie, 78, is tasked with deciding whether any of the documents are privileged - either due to attorney-client confidentiality or through a legal principle called executive privilege - and should be off limits to federal investigators.

Cannon on Sept. 5 granted a request by Trump's lawyers to name a special master to vet the seized records, and Dearie was one of two candidates for the post that the former president proposed.

Trump is under investigation by the Justice Department for retaining government records - some of which were marked as highly classified including "top secret" - at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach after leaving office in January 2021. FBI agents seized more than 11,000 records including roughly 100 marked as classified.

The department also is looking into possible obstruction of the probe after it found evidence that records may have been removed or concealed from the FBI when it sent agents to the property in June to try to recover all classified documents.

Dearie served as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn before being appointed to the federal bench there by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and was chief judge of that court from 2007 to 2011. He assumed what is called senior status - a sort of semi-retirement with a reduced case load - in 2011, a role he continues to serve.

The Justice Department said in a court filing on Monday that Dearie's experience as a judge qualified him for the special master role, but opposed the other candidate proposed by Trump's team, private attorney Paul Huck. Trump's lawyers opposed the two retired federal judges who the department proposed as special master.

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On the bench, Dearie was one of multiple judges presiding over cases against several men accused in 2009 of plotting to bomb New York City's subway system at the direction of al Qaeda leaders.

Dearie was appointed in 2011 to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews warrant applications from the U.S. government on matters of national security, where he served until 2019.

Dearie in 2017 was one of four federal judges who approved warrants used to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page amid concern about Trump campaign contacts with Russians, according to papers released to media outlets that sued for the records.

The surveillance of Page has been a point of contention for Trump and his allies, who have seized upon it to claim that U.S. intelligence agencies are biased against them.

The Justice Department's inspector general in 2019 faulted the department for its handling of the Page warrant applications but said there appeared to be no bias against Trump in the opening of a federal investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election to boost the businessman-turned-politician's election prospects.

The Justice Department opposed Trump's request for a special master to review the seized documents to see if any should be withheld from investigators as privileged. Attorney-client privilege involves legal advice between Trump and his attorneys. Under executive privilege, certain confidential presidential communications can be shielded from disclosure to lawmakers and the courts.

In ruling in favor of Trump's request for a special master, Cannon rejected Justice Department arguments that the records belong to the government and that because Trump is no longer president he cannot claim executive privilege. Cannon was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020.

The documents probe is one of several federal and state investigations Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business as he considers another run for the presidency in 2024.

(Reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen; Additional reporting by Sarah Lynch in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham and Ross Colvin)
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday rejected a Justice Department demand to let federal prosecutors continue their review of records marked classified that were recovered from former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate.

In her ruling, Cannon refused to accept department officials contention that the records they are trying to review as part of an ongoing criminal investigation remain highly classified or contain extraordinarily sensitive defense information that could damage national security if released.

"The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Governments conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion, Cannon, a Trump appointee, wrote in her 10-page ruling denying the Justice Departments request to essentially exclude about 100 documents marked classified from the special master process.

Cannon instead appointed Raymond Dearie , a senior federal judge in New York, to lead an independent review of the seized materials. He was one of two potential special masters proposed by the Trump team, and prosecutors said they found him acceptable even though he was not one of their initial picks.

In a signed filing released by the court on Thursday night, Dearie accepted the task . Cannon urged him to complete his review by Nov. 30  more than a month after the Oct. 17 deadline the Justice Department had most recently asked Cannon to set.

While Cannons timeline appears to extend Dearies review well past the November midterm elections, she did instruct him to prioritize review of the approximately 100 documents marked as classified (and papers physically attached thereto), meaning its possible prosecutors could regain access to some or all of those materials before they get another look at the other records seized in the FBIs Aug. 8 search of the Trumps Florida estate.

Last week, the Justice Department appealed Cannons order to appoint a special master and indicated it would seek relief from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals if she did not agree to delay aspects of her ruling by Thursday night. .

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The ruling is another setback for federal prosecutors, who have expressed alarm at the extraordinarily sensitive records they found in boxes intermingled with Trumps personal items in his Mar-a-Lago storage room, as well as some recovered from his office. The Justice Department has warned that Cannons Sept. 5 order  which enjoined the department from furthering its criminal review of the documents seized by FBI agents  had also disrupted a parallel risk assessment of those documents by the intelligence community. Though Cannon allowed that review to continue, the Justice Department emphasized that her order had sown confusion within the executive branch.

In one nod to the Justice Department, Cannon ordered Trump to shoulder the full cost of Dearies review, as well as that for any staff or associates he hires.

Cannon also clarified certain steps the department could take to further its criminal investigation even while the documents remained off-limits, such as questioning witnesses and obtaining other information about the movement and storage of seized materials, including documents marked as classified, without discussion of their contents.

She also said the Justice Department was free to brief congressional leaders with intelligence oversight responsibilities on the seized materials.

Cannons ruling denying the Justice Departments stay makes clear she simply did not buy prosecutors argument that an intelligence community review of the national security impact of the presence of the information at Mar-a-Lago could not proceed while the criminal investigation remains temporarily halted.

The Governments submissions, read collectively, do not firmly maintain that the described processes are inextricably intertwined, and instead rely heavily on hypothetical scenarios and generalized explanations that do not establish irreparable injury, she wrote.

However, the judge also emphasized that she was giving Justice Department personnel some leeway to participate in the national security assessment even as she maintains her order blocking the use of any of the documents in the criminal probe.

To the extent that the Security Assessments truly are, in fact, inextricable from criminal investigative use of the seized materials, the Court makes clear that the September 5 Order does not enjoin the Government from taking actions necessary for the Security Assessments, she wrote.

Cannon based her ruling in part on what she said were media leaks describing the seized materials.

While the Justice Department had raised alarms about a delay in its criminal investigation risking the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, the judge suggested that the risk of such was speculative, but that the evidence of ongoing leaks related to the investigation was concrete.

There has been no actual suggestion by the Government of any identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from Plaintiffs allegedly unlawful retention of the seized property, Cannon wrote. Instead, and unfortunately, the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Thursday refused to let the Justice Department immediately resume reviewing classified records seized by the FBI from Donald Trump's Florida estate in an ongoing criminal investigation, siding with the former president.

Federal Judge Aileen Cannon also appointed Senior District Judge Raymond Dearie as a third party to review records seized by the FBI for materials that could be privileged and kept from federal investigators.

The Justice Department has promised to take the case to an appeals court if Cannon ruled against their request. They had also sought to block the independent arbiter, Dearie, from vetting the roughly 100 classified documents included among the 11,000 records gathered in the court-approved Aug. 8 search.

"The court does not find it appropriate to accept the governments conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion," Cannon wrote Thursday.

A Justice Department spokesperson and Trump's attorneys did not immediately return requests for comment.

Cannon's ruling further complicates the Justice Department's investigation. The special master's review could wall off documents from prosecutors as they weigh the possibility of criminal charges.

Cannon on Thursday said she would instruct Dearie to prioritize reviewing the classified records first. She also directed him to complete his review of all the seized materials by Nov. 30.

The Justice Department is investigating Trump for retaining government records - some marked as highly classified, including "top secret" - at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach after leaving office in January 2021.

The department also is looking into possible obstruction of the probe after it found evidence that records may have been removed or concealed from the FBI when it sent agents to Mar-a-Lago in June to try to recover all classified documents through a grand jury subpoena.

Story continues

The documents inquiry is one of several federal and state investigations that Trump is facing as he considers another run for the presidency in 2024.

The Justice Department on Sept. 8 asked the judge to partially lift her prior restriction banning its investigators from reviewing all of the documents seized last month at Mar-a-Lago so they could at least continue scrutinizing the ones marked as classified.

They also asked the judge to exclude those classified records from the scope of the special master's review, vowing to appeal to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals if she did not.

Trump's attorneys opposed both requests, telling the judge in a Monday filing they dispute the government's claim that all the records are classified, and that a special master is needed to help keep prosecutors in check.

Trump's lawyers in Monday's filing disputed the department's claim that the roughly 100 documents at issue are in fact classified, and they reminded Cannon that a president generally has broad powers to declassify records. They stopped short of suggesting that Trump had declassified the documents, a claim he has made on social media but not in court filings.

About two weeks after the search, Trump's attorneys sought the appointment of a special master to review the seized records for materials that could be covered by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege - a legal doctrine that can shield some presidential records from disclosure.

In ruling on Sept. 5 in favor of Trump's request, Cannon rejected Justice Department arguments that the records belong to the government and that because Trump is no longer president he cannot claim executive privilege. Cannon was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Jacqueline Thomsen; Editing by Chris Reese and Christopher Cushing)
DETROIT (AP)  A judge on Friday signed off on a fund for more than 1,000 people who said they were sexually assaulted by a University of Michigan doctor, an order that allows victims to start collecting a portion of a $490 million settlement negotiated with the school.

The University of Michigan offers its heartfelt apology for the abuse perpetrated by the late Robert Anderson. We hope this settlement helps the healing process for survivors, said Paul Brown, chairman of the school's governing board.

Anderson died in 2008 after working at the university for nearly 40 years. He was director of the campus Health Service and a physician for multiple sports teams, including football.

Former athletes, students and others who had no connection to the university  mostly men  said they were molested by Anderson during routine physicals or other visits.

The settlement was announced in January, but the final details took months to wrap up. The university said the deal recently got approval from 98% of claimants.

It's been a long road, said Richard Schulte, a lead negotiator for Anderson's victims. I'm very happy for the survivors and glad I could get it across the finish line.

The university will have no role in how the money is distributed. Six percent, or $30 million, of the settlement will be set aside for people who step forward later with claims.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts approved creation of the fund and appointed Houston-based Archer Systems LLC as the claims administrator.

The process is completely confidential, but were hopeful distribution should take place this fall, Schulte said.

The scandal emerged publicly in 2020, two years after Tad DeLuca, a wrestler in the 1970s, made a complaint that triggered a police investigation, though Anderson was long deceased.

That triggered a wave of men who stepped forward to say they, too, had been assaulted by Anderson; some allegations stretched back decades. Lawsuits followed.

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The university, meanwhile, hired law firm WilmerHale to conduct an investigation. The results were devastating: Anderson harassed, abused and assaulted patients on countless occasions during his 37-year career.

Coaches, trainers and other staff in the athletic department did not question Andersons status, despite complaints, rumors and even jokes among athletes about his behavior, according to the report.

The report said complaints were made to athletic director Don Canham and legendary football coach Bo Schembechler but no action was taken. Both are deceased.

Anderson also was certified by the federal government to give physicals to pilots and air traffic controllers in southeastern Michigan, some of whom count themselves as victims.

We consider this settlement just one of the steps we have taken in a process we began more than two years ago to fully understand what happened, make amends and enact reforms," Brown said. "Our work is not done until U-M is considered the leader in creating a campus environment that is safe for everyone.

Not everyone was satisfied. Richard Goldman, a student broadcaster and Anderson victim in the early 1980s, said Schembechler referred him to Canham but the powerful athletic director didn't intervene.

"Seriously, fake apologies are not accepted," Goldman said of Brown's remarks.

The settlement is one of several by universities following sex abuse scandals. Michigan State University paid $500 million to settle claims from more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by Larry Nassar, a campus sports doctor and a doctor for USA Gymnastics.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
Former President Donald Trump. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

A Florida Judge has selected a special master in the DOJ's probe of White House docs Trump moved.

The judge chose Raymond Dearie, a 78-year-old former judge whom both sides agreed on.

Dearie will review some of the most classified documents that Trump brought to Mar-a-Lago.

A Florida judge has appointed a special master who will help determine the fate of the monumental Justice Department investigation into documents that former President Donald Trump stashed at Mar-a-Lago  and the nominee will review the most classified documents in the trove.

Judge Aileen Cannon denied the department's request for at least 100 classified documents to be turned directly over to investigators instead of the special master, dealing an early blow to federal prosecutors in their inquiry, according to court documents filed Thursday evening.

The review process that experts worried could have dragged on into next year will have to be concluded by the end of November, the filings said.

Cannon appointed Raymond Dearie, a 78-year-old former chief judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, to act as the special master.

"The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government's conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion," Cannon said, referring to the Justice Department's request.

Cannon said Trump's team must cover the costs and the special master would have until November 30 to complete the review of documents that Trump could try to claim executive or attorney-client privilege over.

"Trump's team most likely will try to claim executive privilege over any documents that they believe would potentially compromise confidential White House communications," Mark Rozell, the dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, previously told Insider. "Executive privilege protects the right of the president to receive candid advice without fear of disclosure  the problem is that private citizen Donald Trump's claim to a continuing need for secrecy is difficult to prove."

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Trump's case and the move to appoint a special master opened an unprecedented Pandora's box of concerns for national security experts.

Trump's team had previously rejected all of the Justice Department's picks, and Dearie was the only candidate the two teams could agree on. With the involvement of delicate national security material, experts initially told Insider that the selection and review process for a special master could take months.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and said the department's actions are political.

As it stands, the special master will be tasked with reviewing all the documents that were lugged to Mar-A-Lago, including 11,000 general records and 100 documents marked as classified, with the goal of determining whether any of the documents are protected by attorney-client or executive privilege.

It's unclear if Dearie has, or would need, clearance for top-secret special compartmented information and intelligence, which is the highest level of national security clearance, for the review.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's parliament renamed the Central Asian nation's capital from Nur-Sultan to Astana on Friday, the latest move by government officials and politicians to distance themselves from the former Soviet republic's first president.

The windswept steppe city infamous for its harsh continental climate became the capital in 1997. It was renamed Astana the following year.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's president at the time, said he wanted the capital to be located closer to the geographical centre of the vast nation. The previous capital, Almaty, lies close to its southeastern border.

Billions of petrodollars have since turned the current capital, which was also known as Tselinograd in the Soviet era, into a glitzy metropolis.

In 2019, when Nazarbayev resigned after three decades in power, his successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev renamed Astana to Nur-Sultan in honour of the ex-leader, who retained sweeping powers after his resignation.

Tokayev, however, appeared to have a falling out with Nazarbayev after violent street protests over fuel prices in January. Nazarbayev gave up his remaining positions and many of his relatives lost their public sector jobs.

On Friday, Kazakhstan's parliament voted to revert to the name Astana by changing the country's constitution. It also extended the presidential term to seven years from five and barred incumbents from running for a second term.

The change will not stop Tokayev, elected under an earlier version of the constitution, from running for a second term in an upcoming election, but will extend his second term if he wins the vote.

(Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Paul Simao)
The Air Forces new KC-46A Pegasus tanker recently notched its first refueling mission as part of real-world operations, the service said in a release Thursday.

Its a step toward normalcy for the beleaguered fleet that is working through significant hardware and software defects, four years after the first jet was delivered to the Air Force.

Their first foray into operations came Aug. 29, when the tankers were used to gas up two F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets that were carrying out regular CENTCOM operations. The refuelers were in the region for a multi-week training exercise at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

KC-46 forced to land with refueling boom out, stranding Hill staffers

Four Pegasus tankers altogether participated in the exercise, which ended this month.

Three of the KC-46As focused on completing aerial refueling missions, and a fourth aircraft [was] on alert in the event of a grounded aircraft, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, said in the release.

Air Mobility Command also pushed airmen to fly around-the-clock missions to see how the tankers would fare in an extreme desert climate, the release said.

Airmen gleaned useful information about how long it takes to prepare a KC-46 for missions, its maintenance needs and how its built.

The command uses training to vet ideas for how the jets could be used in future operations worldwide, which is less risky than trying out new concepts in regular combat missions.

Air Force considers removing copilot from Boeing KC-46 tanker crews

For now, Air Mobility Command is trying to make the most of KC-46 program delays by using that time to preemptively certify the Pegasus to refuel as many types of military planes as possible. That way, it will be ready to go when it gets the all-clear to fly everyday tanker missions.

Boeing is replacing the tankers network of cameras and sensors, known as the remote vision system, with an updated version that shows a clearer picture of the fuel boom.

Story continues

RVS woes are the most pressing among a slate of problems that also includes buggy navigation software, water-draining tubes that freeze and crack, malfunctioning cargo restraints and faulty emergency exit door trim.

The Air Force doesnt expect to declare the KC-46 fleet at least partially operational until 2024 at the earliest. It plans to own 179 Pegasus jets by the end of the decade.

Seeing it in action was very impressive, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Nelson said of the KC-46. The onboard systems provide great situational awareness of the surrounding area to the crew, and watching the boom operator accomplish air refueling using the remote vision system was equally impressive.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles will host a reception for faith leaders at Buckingham Palace later on Friday, the palace said in a statement.

Charles is expected to speak at the event before taking part in a silent vigil with his siblings at the coffin of his late mother Queen Elizabeth later in the day.

(Reporting by William James, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)
King Charles III, accompanied by his three siblings  Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward  took part in the vigil of the princes this evening at Westminster Hall.

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall. (Photo: Yui Mok via PA Wire/PA Images)

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall. (Photo: Yui Mok via PA Wire/PA Images)

The 15-minute long ceremony involved Queen Elizabeth IIs four children standing guard around her coffin at Westminster Hall where the queen has been lying in state since Wednesday evening.

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York (right) and the Earl of Wessex (left) arrive to hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London. Picture date: Friday September 16, 2022. (Photo: Hannah McKay via PA Wire/PA Images)

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York (right) and the Earl of Wessex (left) arrive to hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London. Picture date: Friday September 16, 2022. (Photo: Hannah McKay via PA Wire/PA Images)

Notably, all four were in military uniform, including Prince Andrew who reportedly received a special exception to allow him to wear his for the vigil. Earlier in the week, he wore a morning suit while marching behind his mothers coffin, reflecting the fact that he was stripped of all his military titles and royal patronages back in 2019.

King Charles III holds a vigil along with the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London. Picture date: Friday September 16, 2022. (Photo: Hannah McKay via PA Wire/PA Images)

King Charles III holds a vigil along with the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London. Picture date: Friday September 16, 2022. (Photo: Hannah McKay via PA Wire/PA Images)

Prince Harry, who will participate in a vigil with the queens other grandchildren on Saturday evening, will also appear in military uniform after receiving an exception from Buckingham Palace. He too wore a suit earlier in the week while his brother, Prince William, was in military uniform as they accompanied the queens coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Prince Harry lost his military titles in 2020 after giving up his senior royal status and moving to California with his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

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Britain's King Charles III (front R), Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive to mount a vigil around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo: DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Britain's King Charles III (front R), Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive to mount a vigil around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo: DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Queen will remain lying in state until her funeral on Sept. 19, which has been declared a bank holiday. Hundreds of thousands of mourners have been queueing to visit Westminster Hall and see the monarch lying-in-state since Wednesday. The queue itself has spawned rolling coverage and memes, becoming an historic event in its own right.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdoms longest-serving monarch, is being talked about as the end of an era and a moment for grief and heartache.

Britain has entered a national mourning period in which everything from football games, carnivals to even hospital appointments will be canceled in an effort to celebrate the queens legacy, which many considered a symbol of stability, unity and commitment to service.

But what about those who cannot help but see her legacy in a different light, one marked by the brutal horrors of colonialism and the pain of violent British rule?

A history of violent oppression

In 1919, British troops opened fire on a crowd that had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, an open space in India's Punjab region, to celebrate a spring festival. The "Massacre of Amritsar" resulted in the deaths of hundreds and prompted Mahatma Gandhi to commit to the cause of independence.

Speaking ill of the dead?: We can't ignore Queen Elizabeth's complicated legacy

Will Elizabeth be its last?: England has often fared better with queens on the throne

In 1948, an uprising was met with violent repression: British troops shot and mutilated unarmed villagers in Malaysia, by the Batang Kali river, and burned an entire village to the ground. This massacre remains "one of the most contentious (episodes) in British colonial history" because all soldiers involved in the crime and the subsequent cover-up were exonerated.

In Kenya in the 1950s, Britain suppressed the Mau Mau uprising, an anticolonial movement of people demanding their land and their freedom back, in a particularly violent way. An estimated 11,000 Kenyans lost their lives, and about 1.5 million people, including women and children, were put in detention camps and sentenced to forced labor and starvation.

These are not just one-off violent incidents but cogs in a bigger, methodical and bloody system of world domination.

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So, what about the millions of people worldwide for whom the British monarchy remains closely and undeniably associated with centuries of colonial oppression and cultural suppression?

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

There are things we shouldn't be polite about

The British empire was built off the backs of African slaves, and its history remains one written in blood much fresher than wed like to believe. For many, it remains impossible to sever that reality from the image of the queen as a benevolent grandmother, and I believe we shouldnt ask oppressed people to surrender their trauma in order to appear polite as her funeral is underway.

Because what has politeness ever done for society?

My latest exhibit, "Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories," marks the 75th anniversary of the Partition of British India, a crucial event in military history and a watershed event that triggered both a brutal incident of ethnic violence and the largest migration in the history of the world.

'The Forgotten Army' of WWII: D-Day 2022 spurs remembrance of 2.5M vital Allied Indian soldiers

As the Partition split the Indian subcontinent into India and West and East Pakistan, Indian Muslims rushed across the new borders to Pakistan, and Hindus moved to India from villages and towns that were now in Pakistan. Approximately 2 million people died in the violence that erupted at the border, 20 million people were displaced and 300,000 women are estimated to have been raped during the riots.

My exhibit is on show at the South Asia Institute in Chicago: Its an anti-memorial because it goes against the grain of a traditional memorial or monument, in an intentional manner. I create anti-memorials because they highlight a profound disconnect between the memories and countermemories of traumatic geopolitical events like the Partition, or more generally, British rule and colonialism as a whole.

'The burden of memory'

I believe that art does not need to speak for victims but to create an experiential environment where their pain and experience can be acknowledged.

Pritika Chowdhry

I often return to professor James E. Youngs words: "Anti-memorials aim not to console but to provoke, not to remain fixed but to change, not to accept graciously the burden of memory but to drop it at the public's feet."

Its up to artists and activists to denounce these narratives for the falsities they are. But what happens when society itself is the very force trying to censor art, or rewrite history?

Be kind to King Charles III: He will help the monarchy survive Queen Elizabeth's death.

To revisit the history of the British monarchy, right now, is a choice many are uncomfortable with and consider untimely. "Now is not the appropriate time to talk about the negative impact of colonialism," they write.

When is the right time, and will it ever come?

What King Charles III needs to do

Why cant it be now  why couldnt King Charles III take on the burden of his familys errors, as well as the generational privilege he so readily accepts? Its easy to see how the two things are linked  or is that so unbearable, so unspeakable?

King Charles III leads the royal family to walk behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 14, 2022, in London.

I believe King Charles has a historic opportunity to acknowledge the bloody horrors of British colonization and address his familys role in the creation of British wealth to the detriment of oppressed colonized people. Many former colonies, like Barbados and Jamaica, have asked for a formal apology from the royal family and have not received one. Indigenous people in Canada have done the same.

He could even go as far as announcing reparations for brutal actions such as the Partition or agree to the demands of the Barbados governments National Task Force on Reparations explicitly calling for financial reparations, and place his reign in a strikingly new light from the very beginning.

Or, take the Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of the worlds largest cut diamonds: it has been part of the Crown Jewels since 1849, but it doesn't belong to the royal family. India has asked for it back, and so has Pakistan. Could Charles take a different stance, and go as far as returning stolen artifacts, stolen wealth?

Only decisive action and a clear break from the past can illuminate the path to reconciliation. That is not an easy task  but its one for King Charles III now, and one I hope he takes on, that his mother never did.

Pritika Chowdhry is a sociopolitical and activist artist currently exhibiting her artwork, the "Partition Anti-Memorial Project," at the South Asia Institute in Chicago. Follow her on Twitter: @ArtByPritika

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: Queen Elizabeth has a legacy of colonialism. Will King Charles fix it?
King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

King Charles III and his siblings are holding vigil by the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as she lies in state in London.

The new monarch was joined by Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward in standing vigil over their mothers coffin on Friday evening as it lay in Westminster Hall, while the miles-long queue of mourners outside braved waiting times of at least 22 hours to pay their respects.

It is the second such Vigil of the Princes that the late Queens children have held since her death last Thursday at the age of 96, with the first taking place as she lay in state in Edinburghs St Giles Cathedral on Monday evening, where she remained for 24 hours before making her final journey to Buckingham Palace.

After walking behind her coffin as it was carried through London to the Palace of Westminster the following day, her eight grandchildren will now hold their own 15-minute vigil on Saturday night in Westminster Hall, the oldest building on the parliamentary estate.

Charless two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry will both be in uniform, at the Kings request, with the Prince of Wales standing at the head of the coffin and the Duke of Sussex at the foot, royal sources confirmed.

The other grandchildren will be in morning suits and dark formal dresses with decorations. William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, the children of the Princess Royal, while Harry will be with the Duke of Yorks daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Earl of Wessexs children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, will stand near the middle of their grandmothers coffin. The grandchildren, at the Kings invitation, are said to be very keen to pay their respects  just as their parents are doing on Friday evening.

The royal tradition first took place on 28 January 1936, when Elizabeths uncle, King Edward VIII, was joined by his three brothers in standing guard at the coffin of their late father, King George V, in Westminster Hall, while wearing full military uniforms.

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King Charles stands vigil over his mothers coffin at Westminster Hall (REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/Pool)

King Charles flew back from his first visit to Wales as monarch to attend the vigil on Friday, having earlier attended a memorial service for his late mother at Llandaff Cathedral and made a bilingual address to the Senedd.

Speaking after a Motion of Condolence in the Welsh Parliament, Charles said that Wales could not be closer to my mother's heart, adding that he was resolved to honour that same example in the spirit of the words I always try to live my own life: Ich dien  I serve.

But Charles faced the first notable anti-monarchy sentiment visible during his tour of the devolved nations, as booing was heard among the cheers of the crowd waiting as he and the Queen Consort arrived at Cardiff Castle  a visit which fell on the day celebrating Welsh nationalist hero Owain Glyndwr.

During the service at Llandaff, the Archbishop of Wales Andy John said of the late monarch in his address: Her ability to influence, to utilise soft power  no less significant, no less authoritative  illustrates the wise and careful thought she brought to her role.

Prime ministers found that she was a trusted confidante. Her attention to matters of government, her knowledge of world events and the longevity of her reign gave her an unmatched perspective and ability to see the distant scene.

The Earl of Wessex on Friday became the latest of the Queens children to release a statement about their mother, saying that her death had left an unimaginable void in all our lives and his family were now united in grief.

While it has been lovely to have spent time saying our own farewell privately at Balmoral, it is now time to allow others to be able to say their farewell, said Prince Edward, the Queens youngest child.

We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us, he added.
Quang Binh province reviews model for rare primate conservation

A workshop was held in the central province of Quang Binh on September 16 to review a cooperation model for managing and conserving the Hatinh langur, a critically endangered primate, in a special-use forest in Tuyen Hoa district.













There are reportedly more than 150 Hatinh langurs in the karst areas of Tuyen Hoa district at present. (Source: VNA)

The Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus Hatinhensis) is listed as a critically endangered primate in the Vietnam Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.



In Tuyen Hoa district, the species was spotted for the first time in 2012, when there were only 10 individuals living in the Thiet Son karst area. Meanwhile, the 510ha special-use forest for langur conservation in Thach Hoa, Dong Hoa, Thuan Hoa, and Son Hoa commune didnt have sufficient conditions for setting up a reserve management board, making it difficult to protect the animal comprehensively.



Given this, a management and conservation cooperation model was established on a voluntary basis among the nature conservation team, the local forest protection division, and administrations of the four communes.



Nguyen Van Long, head of the Quang Binh forest protection sub-department, said since 2015, the Centre for Highland Natural Resource Governance (CEGORN) has assisted members of the nature conservation team to improve their capacity, knowledge, roles and stature.



In December 2018, the Quang Binh provincial Peoples Committee decided to zone off 509.42ha of special-use forest for Hatinh langur protection. A conservation plan was also developed. As a result, local biodiversity and the areas ecosystem have been well protected and developed, he noted.



Long cited experts and authorities as saying that there are more than 150 Hatinh langurs in the karst areas of Tuyen Hoa district at present.



At the workshop, CEGORN recommended Quang Binh soon issue an official management plan for the special-use forest for langur conservation, allocate funding for management and protection activities, and help residents near the forest switch to farming perennial plants to improve their livelihoods and expand the biotope for the primate.



Participants also proposed other measures to help protect the Hatinh langur./.
BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's border guard service accused Tajik forces of shelling an airport in the town of Batken and adjacent areas with rocket artillery on Friday, a fresh escalation in the former Soviet republic's border conflict.

The two nations, both of which host Russian military bases, accused each other of attacks along the poorly demarcated and disputed border this week, which led to clashes killing at least three people and wounding dozens.

(Reporting by Olga Dzyubenko; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov)
Los Angeles County, whose 10 million people are spread across 88 different cities, will unwind special renter protections created in response to the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, which some believe may add to the regions homelessness crisis.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors decided in a 3-to-2 vote Tuesday to begin an outreach campaign warning renters and landlords that the eviction moratorium will end officially on Dec. 31. The Tuesday vote did noit create the deadline, which was already in place and apparently wont be extended, but will focus on making sure that renters are aware of the resources and financial assistance that will remain available.

"We must be proactive and perform robust outreach and communication to those that are going to be impacted," Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who introduced the motion, said at the hearing. "This provides a plan to prepare both the tenants as well as the landlords."

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger addresses the Los Angeles County Fire Department annual contract aircraft media day at Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, Calif., on Sept. 7. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

California ended a two-year statewide eviction moratorium on June 30, despite protests from tenant advocates that it should continue. They argued that the state hadnt done enough for renters in need of help. In L.A., the nations most populated county, however, the help will remain through the end of 2022, after the Board of Supervisors extended it in January.

Renters should communicate with their landlords and vice versa. Keep an open dialogue. Be open, honest and truthful. Make a payment plan for any past-due rent, David Piotrowski, of the Law Office of David Piotrowski in L.A. County, who represents landlords, told Yahoo News in an email.

The two dissenting supervisors, Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis, opposed the motion to create an outreach campaign, calling it premature and suggesting that the board consider the option of extending some renter protections. "I intend to do everything I can to continue to protect them,'' Kuehl said.

Most parts of the economy and society are open with little to no restrictions, yet landlords are still being burdened by ongoing tenant protections. These restrictions that were put in place in early 2020 need to end now, Piotrowski said.

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A man walks along a street in Los Angeles in July, in a neighborhood of single-family homes. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images).

A national moratorium on evictions was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to subsidize economic damage caused by the virus.

Once that federal safeguard sunset in July of that year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stepped in and issued an order temporarily halting residential evictions.

The CDC continued to extend it until June 2021, and Congress pushed it to July of last year, but it was then left up to the states to decide, after the agency was successfully sued by the Alabama and Georgia Associations of Realtors. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled last July that clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31, affecting millions of Americans.

Many are still unhappy with that decision. Earlier this week, hundreds of protesters gathered at the fall conference for the National Multifamily Housing Council  an organization made up of apartment owners, managers, developers and lenders  in Washington, D.C. They called for "lawmakers stop opposing tenant protections at the behest of real estate groups and developers," according to Business Insider.

Progressive advocacy organizations including Stand Up Nashville, Renters Rising, the Center for Popular Democracy, PowerSwitch Action and the Action Center on Race and the Economy convened at the Intercontinental Hotel at the Wharf to interrupt and protest at the conference.

Protesters blocked roadway on Third Avenue in New York on Jan. 4, demanding a continuation of the moratorium on housing eviction. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In New York, the state Assembly let an eviction and foreclosure moratorium expire in January. Tenant advocates protested the decision outside the New York Public Library a day before it ended, hoping for relief for struggling families to continue.

Congressional Democrats including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kathleen Rice joined the fight, asking New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a letter to extend the state moratorium: An extension of the eviction moratorium would allow for the hundreds of thousands of eligible households to apply for [the Emergency Rental Assistance Program] and receive payments to bring them up to date on their rent while keeping them in their homes, the letter read, in part.

The L.A. County vote from Tuesday will not apply to the city of Los Angeles, which has its own rules that continue to limit evictions and rent hike protections because of COVID-19.

The city of L.A.s Housing Department has proposed that, starting next year, landlords will once again be allowed to evict tenants for not paying their rent even if theyve fallen behind for COVID-19-related circumstances. The plan could also open the door for rent increases.

Protesters surround the Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent an upcoming wave of evictions and call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to pass an eviction moratorium, on Aug. 21, 2020. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo)

Landlords have also been outspoken and called for the end of tenant protections. Many of them believe the country has moved past its worse days of the pandemic, with the economy recovering and most of all, the ability to vaccinate against COVID-19. They want the restrictions to finally dwindle with the virus.

Many landlords have been unable to survive for over two years, with the serious and stringent restrictions preventing landlords from terminating tenancies. Heres just one example: Many landlords simply want to sell their properties because they cannot afford to be a landlord anymore, but selling the property is not grounds for an eviction under the terms of the Los Angeles City/County restrictions. Thus, landlords are forced to either sell their property as a tenant-occupied property, sometimes with a troublesome tenant or one that has not paid rent in months or longer (thus selling the property at a much less value than they could receive if the property was vacant), or wait until eviction restrictions end and then take action against the tenant, Piotrowski said.

Californias COVID Rent Relief program has subsidized landlords who lost monthly rent payments during the pandemic. The program has sent more than $2 billion in compensation to landlords in L.A. County. A joint University of Southern California/UCLA study in 2021 found that the median amount that a L.A. County renter owed their landlord was around $2,800. The researchers say that countywide, tenants owe landlords upward of $3 billion. Those numbers could be much higher a year later.

Housing advocates and tenants gather on Oct. 2, 2021, against eviction of tenants from the 50-unit Tokio Hotel apartments in downtown Los Angeles. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images).

As of today, L.A. Citys eviction moratorium remains in effect, with little to no changes since early 2020," Piotrowski noted, adding that these protections have barred landlords from proceeding with no-fault eviction. The restrictions, he said, also prohibit at-fault evictions for unauthorized occupants, pets or nuisance related to COVID-19. Tenants also cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent if the tenant notifies the landlord (without requiring any proof) that the tenant cannot pay rent due to circumstances related to COVID-19.
Latvia explained such measures as Russian aggression against Ukraine

Read also: Nine EU countries no longer accept Russian visa applications

The diplomat explained such measures by Russian aggression against Ukraine and security considerations.

Russians, dont try to cross the border, were not waiting for you here, stop the war against Ukraine and get out of this beautiful country, Rinkevics tweeted.

Read also: Latvia to offer UAH to EUR cash exchanges to Ukrainian refugees

Several EU members have previously limited tourist visa issuance to Russian citizens, pointing out that visiting Europe is a privilege, not a right.

Read also: Latvia raises over EUR 500,000 in four days to buy Bayraktar drone for Ukraine

The EU agreed to suspend a treaty that simplified and expedited visa issuance to Russian citizens, starting on Sept. 12. From now on, Russians will find that getting a EU visa will be more expensive, take longer, and require more documents for the application.

While the bloc has refused to issue a blanket ban on visas for Russia  chiefly due to German and French objections  Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania said they will take national steps to limit the number of Russian citizens they admit.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
As online outrage mounts and donations pour in for a teenager in Des Moines, Iowa, who was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the family of a man who she said had raped her, her lawyers are considering whether to seek a discretionary review with the Iowa Supreme Court.

Pieper Lewis, a repeat runaway, was 15 when she fatally stabbed Zachary Brooks, 37, more than 30 times in June 2020 in a Des Moines apartment. She pleaded guilty in June 2021 to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury. Polk County District Judge David Porter on Tuesday sentenced Lewis, who had been jailed at the Polk County Juvenile Detention Center for two years, to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered her to pay $150,000 in restitution to Brooks family.

Porter said he had no choice because restitution is mandatory under Iowa law.

At the request of Lewis attorneys, the judge granted a deferred judgment, which means her guilty plea could be expunged if she meets the terms of her probation.

At a sentencing hearing Tuesday, one of Lewis attorneys, Matthew Sheeley, an assistant state public defender, argued that Brooks estate was not entitled to any restitution.

Legally speaking, our position was that the entry of the deferred judgment is not a conviction under the statute and therefore it does not trigger the restitution requirement, Sheeley said in an interview Wednesday. Now, of course, the states argument, I believe, is in any situation where an offender commits an offense and they receive a deferred judgment, theyre always obligated to pay restitution.

Pieper Lewis listens as her attorney Matthew Sheeley questions a witness during a sentencing hearing on Sept. 13, 2022. (Zach Boyden-Holmes / The Register via USA TODAY Network)

Sheeley said the defense also argued Tuesday that the Legislature could not have intended a situation where, as here, the person thats receiving the restitution actually committed a criminal offense.

Based on what Pieper admitted to in her guilty plea, we are confronted with a situation where she is now being ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estate of Zachary Brooks  the very person who she said in her guilty plea had sexually assaulted her, Sheeley said. So the absurdity is apparent: that she was a victim, but the law, as is being applied here, really doesnt recognize that.

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Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said Brooks was most likely asleep at the time he was stabbed and clearly not in a position to defend himself. Prosecutors have argued that Brooks was not an immediate threat to Lewis. Sarcone said that the restitution is required under Iowa law and that she knew it would be imposed when she pleaded guilty.

The court had no discretion but to impose this requirement, Sarcone said.

Sheeley said the judge did what he thought the law required.

I will not fault a judge for doing his job, he said. And our team absolutely respects the judge, even if we may have a legal disagreement.

Robert Rigg, a law professor at Drake University in Des Moines, said he has never heard of a governor in Iowa interceding on behalf of a defendant in a restitution matter, which some people have implored Gov. Kim Reynolds to do. But he said he believes she has the inherent power to do that. Alex Murphy, a spokesman for Reynolds, did not reply to multiple phone and email requests for comment.

Sheeley said Lewis legal team may seek a discretionary review with the Iowa Supreme Court, asking it to address whether she should be required to pay the restitution.

Rigg said that if he were a member of Lewis defense team, he would be sending out feelers to the governors office to see whether it would be willing to commute that part of the sentence.

I certainly think youve got a compelling case to take to the governors office and say, Look, Governor, were not asking you to commute this entire sentence, just that portion where shes going to be required to pay the $150,000, Rigg said.

Rigg, who worked in the public defenders office for 17 years, said what Lewis lawyers accomplished was actually a really good result for their client.

First they knocked a murder one into a voluntary manslaughter, he said. That, in itself, here in Iowa is a big deal. The second part was achieving a deferred judgment on this case, which is an astounding achievement for the defense bar.

In a statement filed as part of her plea agreement, Lewis said she ran away from home three times from January to March 2020 to escape emotional and physical abuse. In early 2020, she had been taken in by various people who turned abusive, the last of whom was Christopher Brown, 28, she said. Attempts to reach Brown for comment at numbers listed for him were unsuccessful.

In the witness statement, she said that she was sleeping in the hallways of a Des Moines apartment building when Brown took her in and that they developed a sexual relationship immediately after she moved into his apartment. She said he told her that she was his girlfriend, signed her up for dating sites and then arranged for her to have sex with men for money.

In May 2020, Lewis said in her statement, Brown arranged for her to stay at Brooks apartment for three days. The two men were acquaintances, she said. While she was there, she alleged in her statement, Brooks forced her to drink alcohol and use marijuana and raped her five times while she was unconscious. Weeks later, Lewis alleged, Brown forced her to return to Brooks apartment, where he intoxicated her and raped her again. When she realized Brooks had raped her, she said, she was overcome with rage, grabbed a knife from his nightstand and began stabbing him.

In court, Lewis attorneys have accused Brown of aiding and abetting sex trafficking. Brown has not been charged.

Sarcone said the human trafficking allegations are under investigation, and we do not comment on investigations.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help pay the $150,000 in restitution to Brooks family has drawn nearly 11,000 donations totaling more than $400,000. Some of the donors have implored the governor to get involved. The GoFundMe campaign is also intended to remove financial barriers for Lewis, according to its organizer.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe said it has seen an outpouring of support for Lewis, especially over the last 48 hours, from donors across the U.S., as well as around the world.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Viktoriia Andrieieva, Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 11:38

Russian occupiers "have restored" the educational process in Mariupol.

However, the lessons are held not in classrooms, but in corridors, the Mariupol City Council reports.

Several classes are studied at the same time. The school boards hung on the walls in the corridor serve as landmarks, and the classroom doors divide the long rooms into "sectors".

"Three different classes of different subjects are being taught at a distance of three metres from each other. Of course, the children do not get any knowledge," the City Council notes.

Screenshot from the video

Representatives of Ukraines official authorities say that the occupiers do not show anyone how the "restored" education process actually takes place.

"It's understandable why parents are not allowed to enter the school premises, and children's phones are taken away. [It is done] so that no one sees the truth. [And] the truth is that due to huge destruction and the lack of whole classrooms, children are taught in the corridors," writes Petro Andriushchenko, the adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol.

He adds that the educational process in Mariupol schools takes place in 3 shifts.

On the eve of the school year, occupiers intimidated parents, using messages in the Viber app. The parents were told that if they refused, the occupiers could deprive them of their parental rights and take away their children.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!


















Chrissy Teigen arrives at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. (Jae C. Hong / Invision / Associated Press)

Chrissy Teigen revealed Thursday that the miscarriage she suffered two years ago was actually an abortion.

While speaking at the A Day of Unreasonable Conversation conference in Beverly Hills, Teigen said she only recently came to the realization. The conference seeks to help TV creators better understand and portray sensitive issues.

Lets just call it what it was: It was an abortion, Teigen said, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago.

Teigen said her husband, John Legend, helped her process the event after they discussed the June decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Teigen had expressed sympathy for those that would have to make a decision about whether to have an abortion, then Legend pointed out that she had been one of those people.

I fell silent, feeling weird that I hadnt made sense of it that way. I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage, all the headlines said it was a miscarriage," the 36-year-old model said. "And I became really frustrated that I didnt, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion.

In September 2020, Teigen took to social media to document the difficulties she endured during that pregnancy.

"We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain weve never felt before, Teigen wrote on Instagram. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasnt enough.

At Thursday's conference, Teigen mentioned how difficult a decision her 2020 procedure was.

Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions," Teigen said. "It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldnt either without any medical intervention.

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Teigen, who shares two children with Legend, announced in August that she is pregnant.

"[T]he last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again, Teigen wrote in an Instagram post. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way.

Teigen also expressed fears about her current pregnancy after her previous traumatic experience.

Every appointment Ive said to myself, ok if its healthy today Ill announce but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide Im just too nervous still, she wrote.

I dont think Ill ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and Im feeling hopeful and amazing."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Liz Truss is to meet US President Joe Biden for the first time since she became Prime Minister on Sunday, No10 has confirmed.

President Biden is coming to London for the Queens state funeral on Monday and is expected to attend a reception for world leaders hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.

But ahead of that event the US President will meet Ms Truss for talks in Downing Street.

Although an outline of the agenda for the meeting was not disclosed, officials said the discussions were likely to be dominated by the Queens passing with world leaders coming to the UK to pay their respects to the late monarch.

President Biden is one of six Presidents and Prime Ministers set to meet Ms Truss for talks over the weekend. These include meetings on Saturday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealands premier Jacinda Ardern at the Foreign Secretarys country residence at Chevening.

The Prime Ministers country residence Chequers is not available to Ms Truss, Downing Street has said, because it is undergoing essential maintenance work.

As well as meeting President Biden on Sunday, Ms Truss will also meet Michael Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, Justin Trudeau, Canadas Prime Minister, and Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, at Downing Street.

Although all the talks are expected to focus on paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth, the meeting with President Biden may cover other topics such as the Wests response to the war in Ukraine and the Brexit stalemate with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

More world leaders such as Frances President Emmanuel Macron may be added to the list of people Ms Truss is meeting over the next two days, Downing Street added.

It is not the first time Ms Truss has met President Biden: the pair met while she was Foreign Secretary in Washington last September and during the Nato summit in Madrid in June.

With huge numbers of world leaders coming to London for the Queens funeral in Westminster Abbey, the UK Government has arranged for special buses to transport them to the capital.

But President Biden is expected to be granted an exemption, allowing him to travel in his own vehicle.
Springfield High School

Springfield High School was among schools across the U.S. Thursday where a caller fraudulently reported a classroom shooting.

Springfield Police received what it later said was a spoof 911 call claiming a shooting at the school at about 1:20 p.m.

Commander Sara Pickford said intelligence received by SPD indicated that other school districts in California received similar calls.

School District 186 administration issued a soft lockdown for SHS, along with Lanphier and Southeast high schools.

Since police officers were already at SHS, information about the soft lockdown did not get relayed to faculty and staff, said Rachel Dyas, a spokeswoman for the district.

During a soft lockdown, teachers lock their doors but continue teaching. There is also limited access to and inside the building.

Springfield MLK Jr Statue:MLK statue at Freedom Corner vandalized; State will assess damage

All three campuses were swept before the lockdowns were ended, Dyas said.

The lockdowns only lasted a matter of minutes, Dyas added.

Pickford said the department was planning to have extra patrols around the high schools at dismissal.

Pickford said it may have been an incident of "swatting," which is a criminal harassment tactic when dispatchers are deceived into sending police or emergency services to a specific location.

In these instances, Pickford said, the caller typically will dial 911 using a spoofed phone number in order to hide the fraudulent caller's real location.

Pickford said the caller told 911 the shooting was in Room 219 with injuries. SHS doesn't have a room with that number, she said.

"The Springfield Police Department takes school threats very seriously and thoroughly investigates these types of incidents," Pickford said.

Pickford said detectives were running the caller's phone number through its systems to make sure it wasn't from a local source.

Law enforcement sources told The Los Angeles Times this week that while investigations are continuing, the FBI had gathered information showing possible links between a dozen false reports at schools across California and Texas in recent days.

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The hoaxes were reported to be similar in that a single person called 911 and made reports of an active shooter and, in some cases, people injured. Those calls led to school lockdowns and evacuations, in some instances.

It is the second time in a little over two weeks that SHS has gone on soft lockdown.

On Aug. 30, a caller reported to Springfield Police seeing a person carrying two firearms in the vicinity of Cook and New streets.

The person later came forward to SPD and said it was a BB gun, which police substantiated.

Earlier in the summer, a 14-year-old SHS student was arrested for disorderly conduct after being accused of threatening a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Sandy Hook was the site of a mass school shooting in 2012 in which a 20-year-old man killed 26 people, including 20 schoolchildren.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Bogus 911 call causes lockdowns at three Springfield high schools
(Stefan Knauer/Bora Aksu)

In light of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and a period of national mourning, the fate of London Fashion Weeks Spring Summer 2022 was an uncertain one last week. Quintessentially British brand Burberry, as well as Raf Simmons, who was due to present his London debut, quickly announced the cancellation of their shows after the news broke. But with the government allowing events to continue, the consensus was that the show must go on. The British Fashion Council announced that shows and presentations of collections can continue, but we are asking that designers respect the mood of the nation, with just non-essential events and parties cancelled, as well as Mondays shows being rescheduled in respect of the funeral. So it was clear that some spectacular last-minute tributes to Elizabeth II were likely to ensue.

Things began on Thursday evening with Daniel W Fletcher, the young designer famed for his transgressive unisex collections. As the fashion pack jostled into The Londoner hotel behind Leicester Square, an unusually somber mood filled the air. Gone were the usual pre-show cocktails Fletcher opened his show with last season; this was a business-only affair, given the British Fashion Councils guidelines about having to cancel all social gatherings during this period of national mourning.

It was fitting, then, that most of the crowd wore black. Before the show began, the crowd observed a minutes silence in honour of Her Majesty the Queen. The lights went down  and everyone, even the influencers  managed to put their phones away for the duration.

Daniel W Fletcher opened LFW with a minutes silence in honour of the Queen (Daniel W Fletcher)

When the lights came up, though, the tribute continued as the first model walked the runway in an all-black morning suit rendered in British wool. Worn with a singular armband as the sounds of British composer Max Richter played, it was an apt way to honour the late monarch.

What followed was an equally solemn palette taking its cues from a rumbling autumnal British day: black, gunmetal grey, and off-white. The collection was a nod to the eclectic characters of London throughout history, with looks modelled on everyone from contemporary city-slickers to the punks of the Kings Road.

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We saw multiple three-piece suits  only waistcoats were reimagined as corsets, even on male models  checked pyjama short sets in postbox reds, and a series of white-tie items. Among them: a particularly eye-catching halter-neck floor-length number. Pleated skirts were worn over trousers on men and women; oversized trench coats with extra-long sleeves, meanwhile, provided a stylish solution to spring outerwear.

The collection concluded with a cavalcade of colour: pops of fuchsia on biker jackets, and an all-sky-blue short set. Standout items included a chocolate brown leather suit (a nod to the burgeoning queer scene of the Nineties), trailing faux fur stoles that offered an aristocratic flair. There was also a floor-length black fitted dress with a keyhole on the torso, proving that the cutout trend will maintain its stronghold over our spring/summer wardrobes next year.

The final look bookended the collection with another all-black look, as a male model walked the runway in leather trousers and a silk corset. On his head? The kind of black netted fascinator well likely see much of at the Queens funeral on Monday.

After a triumphant and colourful close to day one from Harris Reed (see our review here), we began day two by making our way to Westminsters London Scottish House for the Bora Aksu show.

Bora Aksu (Bora Aksu/Stefan Knauer)

Not far from the winding queue to see the Queens procession, the show aptly began with a minutes silence. As a thoughtful touch, bows had also been left on seats for show-goers to wear in tribute.

A drum roll dramatically broke after the 60 seconds, played by the shows first model, who marched the light-filled venue in head-to-toe shades of white and cream. So began what the show notes described as an anarchistic dreamscape exploring the relationship between innocence and perversion.

In a departure from his last two collections in tribute to overlooked women, for spring/summer 2023 Aksu was inspired by artists Henry Darger and Marcel Dzama to explore femininity through an altogether darker lens. However, it wasnt without the Turkish designers signature flounce, flamboyance and pretty colour palette.

Layered lace and silky deconstructed skirts kicked out from 1930s-style tailored military jackets topped by kepi hats, berets and in some cases horns; a nod to tropes from the two artists work.

Broderie anglaise dresses in buttercup yellow were in contrast to co-ord sweater and hot pant sets worn with peekaboo buttoned tights and more revealing lace slips. The latter looks symbolising experience over innocence, presumably. With their playful feel, you can definitely imagine Aksu fans like Zendaya and Elle Fanning debuting some of them on the red carpet.

As with seasons past, repurposed fabrics remained a thread of the show, with damaged and rejected limited quantity materials incorporated into the demi-couture seamlessly.

The two final looks? Puff-sleeve frocks covered in polkadots and a white lace gown confection worn with a bonnet, both of which cemented the wow factor of our first show of the day.

Edward Crutchley (Maja Smiejkowska)

Next up, we headed to central London for British designer Edward Crutchleys latest offering. The show was located three stories deep in a car park, meaning Paul, the driver of our Volvo C40 Charge car, could conveniently park up while we went to find a seat in the flood-light industrial space.

The echoey setting allowed the perfect acoustics for a sudden soundtrack of whale noise and lapping waves. This set the tone for the shows inspiration: Ancient Greeks relationship to the ever-changing sea and philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus notion that everything always flows.

The first models emerged in iridescent dresses and shirts made from cloque: a double fabric with a jacquard effect, developed exclusively for the show.

More examples of Crutchleys mastery of fabric followed in the form of a sheer, form-fitting bodycon dress with fish scale-like embellishment, as well as knits in rainbow shades and wet look trenches.

The English designer has previously rebuked the term gender neutral in reference to his collections, preferring to say simply they are clothes for whoever buys them. The models were dressed with clothes that fitted their form, not gender stereotypes, with muscular male models looking club-ready in bejewelled corsets and thongs, while the tallest wore sculpted, heavily layered iridescent gowns nipped at the waist.

Accessories included an intricate beaded mask worn just across the jaw (bye-bye covid time face coverings), while all of the models teetered across the car park in mega-high holographic platforms. As the show was nearing to a close, the whale sounds and white noise abruptly stopped, giving way to a pumping club beat, which helped to drive home the collection's party credentials.

Temperley (Temperley)

Next, we swapped underground for upscale elegance, heading to the Temperley London presentation in a stunningly palatial Notting Hill house. Tea was served while Alice Temperley worked the room.

All of the signatures youd expect from this whimsical, elegant label, which is now run from Temperleys Somerset atelier, were present.

Intricately embroidered gowns with map motifs, silky shell print kaftans and seersucker dresses lined a rack of clothes that look perfect for holidays and cruises. Halter dresses with sheer panels and floral embroidery, or lame polka dots had an air of boho evening elegance.

Then it was time for Mark Fast, the perfect man to get the party started before a Friday night, 1980s style. As we arrived at 180 The Strand, neon lights and a soundtrack blasting from a huge sound system by the likes of electronic duo Overmono, set the tone for a rave-ready collection.

Aerobics wear, such as bodysuits and ankle warmers, were brought up to date for modern partying with ribbed details, tassels and cutouts. Of course, Fasts signature knitted bodycon dresses were updated in neon with these playful details, too.

More 1980s references were seen in power suiting, rara skirts, graffiti print shirts and stone-washed denim - pieces for those who dont subscribe as heavily to Fasts go bold or go home approach to silhouettes.

The commercial success of Fasts fashion was reflected in just how many tribes were catered for in this collection, which was designed to celebrate physicality, presenting a range centred on acceptance of ones own self and embracement of everybody. The show notes gave mention to the fact that the designer has doubled his number or stores in Asia in the past few years - a huge feat during the pandemic, a time that threatened the death of bricks and mortar shopping.

Finally, it was onto KNWLS, the cult south London-based label loved by Dua Lipa, Julia Fox, and Emma Corrin. Renowned for its sexy, stringy corsets and daring cutout ensembles that are just as sensual as they are impractical, KNWLS has established itself at the vanguard of the disruptive feminine aesthetic weve seen across womenswear in recent seasons.

The brand has made a triumphant return to LFW after missing out on a real-life show last season. It was founded in 2017 by Charlotte Knowles and her partner Alexandre Aresenault; they met as students at Central Saint Martins. Located in The Mills Fabrica, an industrial concrete hall in north London, the show was bigger than most, with a single row snaking around the entire space.

As the lights went down, a thrumming bassline began. Trance music paid homage to the traditional, beat-heavy, fashion show soundtrack we rarely hear nowadays. It was an indication of the nostalgia-fuelled collection that was to come. If you have tired of the Y2K trend, well, youre not going to like this: KNWLS spring/summer 2023 collection was essentially a paean to the era, showing that this Gen-Z favoured aesthetic is going absolutely nowhere.

Comprising a classic KNWLS palette of earthy browns, ochres, dusky pinks, and greys, the collection began by serving up a series of lace-up mesh flares (ties on the thighs) with matching crop tops. Silhouettes became progressively more daring: think low-rise black fitted flares with wide-open corsetry styled over KNWLS signature crossover bralettes.

And then there was denim; so much denim. Taking cues from Britney and Christina in the early Noughties, the flares were uber-low-rise and stone-washed. The shape was reimagined elsewhere with triangular-rise jeans paired with a matching cropped jacket featuring an oversized collar. There were wide-leg styles, too, accessorised with matching denim handbags and giant belt buckles.

We also saw brown leather aplenty: in matching skirt co-ords, in handbags, and, on one occasion, a shearling jacket that looked straight out of Almost Famous. As is the norm for the era, the mini skirts were pleated and very, very mini, in the style of Miu Mius co-ord offering that famously went viral earlier this year. There were bodysuits, too, coming in high-rise styles and with visible thongs in the back.

Finally, there was a dose of girlish charm by way of several flippy pink mini dresses, one of which was styled with a belted leather jacket in the same cheery shade. Frankly, we would wear every single piece of this collection  it might be tapping into a trend thats been around for several seasons now, but hey if it aint broke.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / HBO

TV might be replete with spoiled rich kids, but in Los Espookys, Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres plays the one twerp to rule them all. Has Chuck Bass ever successfully asked the moon to go full so he can recover a lost earring? Because Torres silk-pajama enthusiast Andres has.

The earring, by the way, serves as his totemic reminder to reject any and all accountability for his actions.

After a long hiatus, HBOs most delightfully bizarre comedy returns Friday for a six-episode second season. The series follows a group of horror-loving friends who brand themselves Los Espookys and start a production company. The companys gigs this season include: staging a fake Shakira appearance to save a bad sculpture artist; pulling off a convincing ghostly group resurrection in a graveyard; and helping a politician win an election by any means necessary. (You could call them odd jobs.)

Los Espookys debuted its first season in 2019, but fans will find the wait is well worth it; these new episodes demonstrate that creators Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisens writing has become even more focused. Also improved? The groups ability to find that final turn of the screw that takes a joke one step past its expected punchline. In one scene, we watch a character talking over a movie on his phone while fellow theatergoers look on; eventually, he hangs up on his friends in shock as Mufasa dies. Hes been watching Lion King in theatersfor the first time in his life.

HBO

That off-kilter sensibility sets Los Espookys apart the most. All of these characters seem just a tad askancefrom the witchy Andres, to the warm-hearted goth Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco), to the dead-eyed cynic Ursula (Cassandra Ciangherotti).

Fabrega frequently steals the show as Tati, a childlike weirdo whose self awareness is low enough to allow her to proclaim her cooking prowess to a friend while squirting several bottles of ketchup into a bowl to make gazpacho. (If that grotesque imagery has you thinking of those nasty early-pandemic food mess videos, youre not far off the mark.) Underlying all of these characters strangeness, however, is the intense desire to connect. Whether its Ursulas devotion to affecting political change or Tatis misbegotten efforts to write her own versions of famous novels like Don Quixote, all of these characters are reaching for ways to end a pervading sense of alienation.

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This season picks up several threads from the last while keeping our favorite horror producers busy with a steady stream of gigs. Still, some hallucinatory daydreams and haunting real-life nightmares also break through. The parasitic water demon Andres used to converse with last season has decided to polish up her resume and get an unpaid internship, leaving our favorite entitled man-baby to confide in others, just as his divorce leaves him financially destitute for the first time in his life. (Cue a lot of extremely demanding couch-surfing.) Ursula is on a mission to block an awful presidents re-election, and Renaldo is trying to figure out his sexuality while also being haunted by a slain pageant queen. You know, just your ordinary, everyday problems.

HBO

Perhaps the most delightful aspect of Los Espookys, however, is the degree of surreality the comedy is able to inject into the hum-drum existences of its characters. Beyond Andres connections to otherworldly figures and celestial bodies, Tati is able to parlay her glorified book transcriptions into a successful (if short-lived) writing career, while Ursula lives up to her long-established reputation of mythical incorruptibility. (In a joke bound to amuse Spanish speakers, it turns out we have child-Ursula to thank for the elimination of LL as an official letter from the alphabet.)

With its idiosyncratic comedic voice and unforgettably gonzo visuals, Los Espookys is exactly the kind of series one would hope to see more of in a content-rich streaming environment. Alas, its also exactly the kind of series that seems at risk as a newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery axes distinctive, voice-y series left and right in a bid to court middle America. Then again, maybe that challenge is just another prop monster for this group to defeat.

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Louisiana State University is mourning a student killed in an overnight shooting, news outlets report.

Allison Rice, 21, of Geismar was found fatally shot inside a bullet-riddled car early Friday, Sept. 16, on Government Street near downtown Baton Rouge, WAFB reported, citing police. Five or six shots were fired into the vehicle, according to the news station.

Rice was a senior marketing major at the university, an LSU spokesperson confirmed to McClatchy News.

The LSU community is saddened to hear of senior Allison Rice being killed overnight, the spokesperson said in a statement. Her family and friends are in our thoughts, and we encourage anyone who may have more information about this crime to contact Baton Rouge Police.

Any of her friends and classmates that would like to speak with someone about this or needs help processing this loss can contact the Mental Health Service in the Student Health Center (225-578-8774).

Rice and her car were found near a popular gathering spot frequented by college students and young adults, according to WWL-TV. Investigators said she was there with friends before the fatal shooting, WAFB reported.

Rices aunt remembered her niece as a free spirit who enjoyed singing and dancing, according to The Advocate.

The loss of a child, you can never get over that, Susie Rice Granier told the newspaper. The holidays are coming up. Its going to be sad. Its going to be really sad.

The college senior was an employee at The Shed BBQ Baton Rouge, and co-workers said theyre shocked by the loss.

We are beyond saddened by the tragic and senseless loss of one of our own, a statement posted on the restaurants Facebook page reads. Allie, you will be so missed. May God bring your family and all who knew you comfort in this terrible time. Rest in peace, sweet girl.

The investigation is ongoing as police continue their search for a suspect and motive, local outlets report.

College student waiting for mom at doctors visit is fatally shot, Illinois family says

Roommate kills college student with gun he thought wasnt loaded, Texas officials say

UGA football player accused of shooting strangers with gel pellets, campus police say
By Rafaella Barros

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian presidential frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is considering raising royalties on certain mining projects if elected, a campaign adviser told Reuters, likely affecting iron ore giant Vale SA and other multinationals.

Under the proposal drafted by mining specialists working for Lula's Workers' Party (PT), the government would charge an increased royalty rate - known as a "special stake" - on minerals of particularly high value, whether due to geological characteristics or market demand, according to a party geologist and documents seen by Reuters.

The idea, which has not yet been officially adopted by the Lula campaign, was described to Reuters by Claudio Scliar, a geologist and member of the PT committee in charge of mineral and energy-related matters.

It was unclear how Lula would make a decision on the proposal and whether he would accept it.

Brazil's Congress discussed such a royalty plan during the 2011 to 2016 government of leftist President Dilma Rousseff, but it received strong pushback from industry and was shelved.

The proposal underlines one of the main ideological faultlines of Brazil's presidential campaign.

Lula, a former union leader who governed Brazil from 2003 until 2011, has frequently said the state should play a more robust role in the economy. Many of his proposals, such as new taxes on dividend and interest payments, have been received coldly by the market.

Right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has leaned heavily on Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, viewed as pro-market, even as a recent welfare splurge has dented his credentials.

Lula holds a double-digit lead in most polls, but that gap has narrowed as both candidates gear up for the first round vote on Oct. 2.

The special royalty could hurt mining investment in Brazil while boosting rivals including Canada and Australia, several specialists and market participants said.

"Creating a special mining royalty is going to scare away investors and make our competitors happy, especially the Australians," said Rinaldo Mancin, head of institutional relations at the Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram).

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Brazil is a material exporter of several minerals, including copper, gold and nickel, but iron ore is its largest export by far.

Among the projects that could be affected should Lula win and impose the special royalty rate are a series of Vale-operated iron ore complexes in the Carajas region of northern Brazil.

The ore produced there is exceptionally pure and generally fetches a premium on the international market.

The Rio de Janeiro-based firm declined to comment.

Scliar, the PT-affiliated geologist, pointed out that Brazil has maintained a differentiated royalty regime on oil since 1997, with higher rates charged in some highly prolific production areas. The South American nation is now the world's ninth-largest oil producer and its offshore acreage is some of the most sought after in the industry.

"There are some mineral deposits with exceptional characteristics and that the international market wants a lot," said Scliar. "As the minerals belong to the state, the state should benefit."

(Reporting by Rafaella Barros; Additional reporting by Roberto Samora in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
This screengrab taken from a video provided to AFPTV by an anonymous source on 16 September 2022 shows thick smoke billowing from a skyscraper in Changsha, Hunan (ANONYMOUS/AFP via Getty Images)

A major fire has broken out at a skyscraper in China with social media videos showing a giant plume of smoke emerging from it.

The fire started at the central Chinese city of Changsha on Friday. The 200m-tall building reportedly houses an office of China Telecom, a state-owned telecom company.

Casualties, if any, from the fire are not immediately known.

Thick smoke is spewing from the site, and several dozen floors are burning ferociously, reported state-run broadcaster CCTV.

This afternoon, the building of China Telecom building in Changshacaught fire, no casualties reported yet, stay safe everyone!  pic.twitter.com/QNnezk2Mxk  China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) September 16, 2022

A social media video showed the tall skyscraper engulfed in giant flames with debris falling from it and a large plume of smoke rising high in the sky.

Another video filmed closer to the site showed one side of the building burnt and completely covered in flames.

The fire has been put out, reported Reuters, citing CCTV.
On a sandy street in a northern Malian town, armed guards take turns at a checkpoint next to two unmarked pickup trucks as dusk falls and the sky slowly fills with stars.

The men are not army troops but fighters from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) -- a predominantly Tuareg alliance that fought the state for years before signing a peace deal in 2015.

It has since taken charge of the strategic town of Kidal.

It is this group, rather than the government, that maintains security there, runs the prisons and issues pardons, an AFP correspondent found during a rare visit.

The fact that Kidal is still controlled by the ex-rebels continues to pose a sovereignty issue and remains a source of irritation for Bamako -- including for the current junta.

"In Kidal, armed groups play a more important role" in administration than the state, a panel of UN experts said in August.

- Peace deal -

A former French military post dating back to the early 20th century, Kidal is a mosaic of right-angled streets and flat buildings set in the desert dust.

It lies more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the capital Bamako and hundreds of kilometres from the cities of Gao and Timbuktu.

It is a crucial stopover between Mali and Algeria.

When an insurrection broke out in 2012, the region was one of the first in Mali to fall into the hands of the rebels, both separatists and Salafists.

It was taken over by the CMA in 2013 following military intervention by France, and has remained in their hands despite a 2014 attempt by the Malian army to regain control.

In 2015, the rebels signed the so-called Algiers peace agreement with pro-government armed groups and the state.

Instead of independence, it offered them more local autonomy and the chance to integrate their fighters into a state-run "reconstituted" army that would operate throughout the north and maintain security in Kidal.

But the agreement has only been implemented in fragments.

About 600 "reintegrated" soldiers were redeployed to Kidal in 2020, but they hardly ever leave their camps, according to the UN.

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Today, there is a state governor in Kidal but no national police force or justice system.

- Law and justice -

Ibrahim Ag Moustapha, the commander of the detachment deployed at the crossroads, said his men were there to spot "drunken behaviour," vehicles "without lights" and those "holding military equipment".

The ex-rebels decide whether suspects will be brought to justice -- under Islamic, rather than state, law.

On a recent visit to an Islamic court, judges known as cadis were ruling on a land dispute, with the Koran placed on a low table around which the judges and the defendants sat on mats.

Nearly 130 cases had been heard there over the previous two months, Moulaye Ag Sidi Lola, a member of the council of judges, told AFP.

He said the judgments handed down by the cadis are "independent" of the CMA.

"In the Tuareg environment, people have always had recourse to the cadi," Ag Moustapha, the commander, said.

"Even in colonial times, there was the cadi; the system has never changed."

Convicts are detained in a prison secured by the CMA, with 36 people being held there as of early September.

Some may be pardoned -- again by the ex-rebels -- usually before Eid-al-Adha or Ramadan, Sidi Lola said.

The CMA "did not inherit the previous means of state," said lghabass Ag Intalla, the group's president and a central figure of the former rebellion. "We resorted to our own means".

- 'Uncertain' calm -

In the meantime, regular citizens, who come from the same communities as the CMA, appear committed to the armed group's cause.

The colours of the former rebellion are painted on walls lining the streets of Kidal. A skeletal army tank -- a souvenir of old battles -- serves as a roundabout.

If there are discordant opinions, they are not expressed publicly.

"The patrols are very effective," said Hartata Ag Baye, a pharmacist downtown who says he is happy to be able to stay open late, something that would be impossible in many parts of northern Mali.

The situation is "calm" in Kidal, said Attiyoub Ag Intalla, the head of a civil society group, but it remains "uncertain".

Further south, the areas of Gao and Menaka have for months been plagued by fighting between the army, armed groups and jihadists, with civilians caught in the crossfire.

The violence could "come here", the civil society leader worried. Displaced people are already pouring in, he said.

bur/lal/prc/ri
A man enraged over dictionary definitions of female, girl and woman has pleaded guilty to threatening anti-LGBTQ violence against Merriam-Webster editors.

Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California, faces up to five years imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of interstate threatening communications to commit violence against employees at the Massachusetts-based company, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts said. He also pleaded guilty to another count of the same offense, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, for targeting the University of North Texas president.

Hanson sent messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities on dictionary pages for the definitions of girl and woman in October 2021, prosecutors said. He also commented on Merriam-Websters online definition for female, claiming there was no such thing as gender identity and saying the person who wrote the definition should be hunted down and shot.

Hanson sent further threats to Merriam-Websters contact page using anti-trans slurs and calling for someone to shoot up and bomb its offices.

The threats caused the publishing company to shut down offices in Springfield, Massachusetts, and New York City for roughly five business days, officials said.

Hanson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 5.

Every member of our community has a right to live and exist authentically as themselves without fear, Rachael S. Rollins, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
A California man who threatened violence against Merriam-Webster, Inc. for its gender definitions pleaded guilty in a Massachusetts federal court, the Justice Department said in a press release. Jeremy David Hanson, of Rossmoor, was charged with one count of interstate communication of threatening communications to commit violence.

The 34-year-old sent "various threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities" to Merriam-Webster, Inc., which is based in Springfield, Massachusetts, in early October 2021, according to the DOJ. In addition to sending in threats via the "Contact Us" page, Hanson also allegedly left threatening messages in the comments sections on its pages that corresponded to the word entries for "girl" and "woman."

In a comment on Oct. 2, 2021, Hanson, under the username @anonYmous, wrote: "It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as 'gender identity.' The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot."

Days later, Hanson wrote in the corporation's "Contact Us" page that he was "going to shoot up and bomb" their offices.

Responding to the threats, Merriam-Webster closed its Springfield and New York City offices for five business days, the DOJ said.

Hanson was arrested on April 20, and later indicted by a federal grand jury on May 5.

Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said Hanson's alleged threats "crossed a line."

"Everyone has a right to express their opinion, but repeatedly threatening to kill people, as has been alleged, takes it to a new level," Bonavolonta said in a statement at the time of his arrest. "Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech and they cause real fear in victims."

These were not the only threats he made, according to the DOJ.

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Hanson was also charged with the same crime in the Eastern District of Texas for allegedly targeting the president of the University of North Texas, the DOJ said. While entering his guilty plea in Massachusetts, Hanson admitted in a written statement to threatening other corporations, as well as politicians and individuals, the DOJ said. His targets allegedly included Walt Disney Co., the governor of California, the mayor of New York city, a New York rabbi and professors at Loyola Marymount University.

"Hanson also admitted that he frequently selected the object of his threatening communications because of the gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation of various persons," the DOJ said.

His sentencing his scheduled for Jan. 5, 2023. Hanson faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, the DOJ said.

"Every member of our community has a right to live and exist authentically as themselves without fear," U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement. "Hate motivated threats of violence that infringe upon that right are not tolerated in Massachusetts in any capacity. This conviction represents my office's dedication to protecting targeted communities and bringing accountability and justice when those who aim to endanger act upon their hatred."

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By Tyler Clifford

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday reduced the sentence of a man who pleaded guilty to participating in a foiled plot to kidnap Michigan's governor after his testimony helped convict the ringleaders last month.

Ty Garbin, 26, was resentenced to 30 months in prison, less than half of the 75 months he was given in August 2021. Garbin's testimony helped the U.S. government win convictions last month of two men for leading the plan to abduct Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation home in northern Michigan in 2020.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker in Grand Rapids cut the sentence in light of the "substantial assistance" that Garbin gave federal attorneys, according to the judge's written order.

Garbin's attorney, Mark Satawa, petitioned for the resentencing and prosecutors agreed.

Garbin testified against Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy and other charges in an August retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict in April. Two others were acquitted of federal charges in the first trial.

Prosecutors said Fox and Croft were members of a right-wing militia. They face sentencing later this year and could get life in prison.

Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty to kidnapping conspiracy and testified at the trial, is scheduled to be sentenced for the first time on Oct. 6.

Garbin, who has been in jail for almost two years, was resentenced to a shorter term than the 36 months requested by prosecutors. He has six months remaining before his release, Satawa said.

Garbin, who was arrested in October 2020, was among 13 men charged with state or federal crimes. Seven defendants are facing charges in state court.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in western Michigan could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(Bloomberg) -- Senator Joe Manchin said Thursday he needs as many as 20 Senate Republicans to vote for his plan to streamline the federal approval for energy projects to counter Democratic defections -- further casting doubt on the effort to tie his bill to a must-pass spending bill this month.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Manchin said he was hopeful Republican West Virginia colleague Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who introduced a GOP permitting reform bill that has 46 GOP co-sponsors earlier this week, would be able to convince 15 to 20 Republicans to vote for his bill, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said would be attached to must-pass government funding legislation.

Thats the only way its going to happen, Manchin told reporters. She got 40-plus Republicans to join her. Shes just got to get 20 of them to follow her.

Capito indicated in a statement that she may be unwilling to provide votes for the plan she hasnt seen and didnt negotiate.

Now the onus is on me to provide support for something I had no hand in and still dont know what it is? Capito said. You just cant operate like that.

The legislation, which has yet to be unveiled, could speed the permitting process for both fossil fuel and clean energy projects by putting two-year time limits on project reviews and limiting the power of states in Clean Water Act approvals, changes that could benefit the energy industry but are opposed by environmentalists.

The legislation could also benefit Equitrans Midstream Corp.s stalled $6.6 billion Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline by changing the court venue which has tied up the embattled project.

Manchin said his bill would direct the court system to do the job in a timely fashion but rotate around.

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Weve had the same three judges from the Fourth Circuit 10 times ruling against, Manchin said. All we are asking for is a good shot at this.

Read: Manchin Enlists Oil CEOs to Get GOP Support for Permitting Bill

Senate passage is far from certain. Senator Bernie Sanders said last week hed vote against the stopgap government-funding bill if Democratic leaders added the permitting plan. Manchin told reporters Thursday he expected as many as four Democrats to join Sanders in opposing the bill.

There are major problems in the House as well. House Democratic leaders say they have never agreed to put the Manchin bill on the stopgap spending bill.

There is little chance House Republicans would rush to vote for the stopgap bill and make up for Democratic defections.

House Energy and Commerce ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Wednesday on Twitter that she cannot envision the House GOP supporting any energy bill written by Manchin and Schumer. She said in an interview the changes to permitting would have to be significant and praised the Capito proposal.

Read: Manchin Plan to Fast-Track Energy Projects Headed for Showdown

House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, one of more than 70 Democrats opposing the Manchin effort, said it is still up in the air whether his bill gets attached. She said progressives have a major problem with cutting review periods to 150 days from six years because impacted communities would have too little time to review projects for environmental impact.

If it doesnt get on the continuing resolution, its dead, Manchin said.

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The U.S. Marine Corps is rolling back strict punishments for service members seeking religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine, including ending involuntary terminations and delays of promotions for those refusing the shot.

According to a new "interim guidance," signed Sept. 14 and posted quietly online, the message "amends actions" directed toward unvaccinated Marines whose religious accommodation requests were denied and who appealed the decision.

The memo states that the amended guidance comes after a U.S. Federal District Court in Florida issued a preliminary injunction on Aug. 18 prohibiting the Marines from taking "certain actions" against those seeking religious exemptions.

The guidance says the "Marine Corps will not enforce any order to accept COVID-19 vaccination, administratively separate, or retaliate against Marines in the class for asserting statutory rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)."

NAVY QUIETLY ROLLED BACK PUNISHMENTS FOR SEALS SEEKING RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS TO THE COVID VACCINE

RFRA is the federal law that prohibits the government from "substantially burden[ing] a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability."

"Involuntary administrative separation processing of class members for refusing COVID-19 vaccination is suspended," the memo details.

In addition, it directs commanders to "pause all administrative actions related to the involuntary separation of a class member, regardless of the current status of the separation process (e.g., no orders will be given to receive the vaccine, no counselings will be issued for refusing the vaccine, no administrative separation boards will be conducted, no DD-214s will be issued)."

The memo also states that vaccination status cannot be "considered or referenced" in fitness reports or other performance evaluations for service members.

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The Marine's previous directive required commanders to delay the promotions of "any officer and delay/restrict the promotion of any enlisted member refusing the vaccine," but the updated guidance outlines a series of steps to walk that specific punishment back.

However, if the preliminary injunction by the federal court is terminated, the guidance says Marines may still be subject to separation from the military for refusing to meet the vaccination requirement.

"The Marine Corps is aware of the class-wide preliminary injunction issued by a District Court judge for the Middle District of Florida preventing the Marine Corps from enforcing any order to accept the COVID-19 vaccine or administratively separating Marines who refused to receive the COVID vaccine after their religious accommodation appeal was denied," Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jay Hernandez told Fox News Digital.

"We are working to ensure our current guidance aligns with the injunction and will publish more information when available," he continued.

The Marine Corp's walking back of their strict guidelines comes the day after Fox News Digital reported that the Navy had quietly rolled back punishments for SEALs seeking religious exemptions and additionally that the Pentagon's inspector general said the Department of Defense is in "potential noncompliance" with standards for reviewing and denying religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

According to an internal memo by the Pentagon's Acting Inspector General Sean O'Donnell to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the IG writes that he reviewed "concerning denials of religious liberty accommodation requests from COVID-19 vaccination requirements."

"We found a trend of generalized assessments rather than the individualized assessment that is required by Federal law and DoD and Military Service policies ," the IG said in the report.

PENTAGON IN 'POTENTIAL NONCOMPLIANCE' WITH LAW AFTER DENYING VACCINE RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: IG

In addition, Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a pair of U.S. Army fragmentary orders (FRAGOs) from multiple sources detailing COVID-19 guidance issued on July 8 and 19, 2022, which restricted unvaccinated soldiers from engaging in any official travel without express approval from the upper echelons of the Army.

Fox News' Houston Keene, Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.
Marianna Pecora stumbles after she said Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked her. (Photo: Screen Shot/Twitter/Marjorie Taylor Greene)

Marianna Pecora stumbles after she said Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked her. (Photo: Screen Shot/Twitter/Marjorie Taylor Greene)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was accused of kicking a teen activist outside the Capitol on Thursday.

In a confrontation captured on video that Greene posted on her own Twitter account, the extremist Republican can be seen making physical contact with Marianna Pecora, 18, during a sidewalk argument over gun violence.

Oh my God, says a stunned Pecora, the deputy communications director of the Gen Z group Voters of Tomorrow. She later tweeted: @RepMTG just kicked me.

My name is Marianna Pecora, Im the Deputy Communications Director @VotersTomorrow and @RepMTG just kicked me. pic.twitter.com/xLHAO87C2Z  Marianna Pecora (@MariannaPecora) September 15, 2022

The clash occurred as Pecora and Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, confronted Greene about gun violence following her appearance at a news conference held by members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.

Greene appears to make a motion with her leg, and Pecora, walking in front of Greene, stumbles forward.

You cant block members of Congress, Greenes communications director Nick Dyer told Pecora.

He warned Mayer earlier: Stop approaching members of Congress.

These foolish cowards want the government to take away guns & the rights of parents to defend their children in schools.



You have to be an idiot to think gun control will create a utopian society where criminals disarm themselves and obey the law.



Gun-free zones kill people. pic.twitter.com/1T37HH8jEO  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) September 15, 2022

Pecora later tweeted: Im so sorry but I dont think its unreasonable to expect members of Congress to not kick an 18-year-old citizen.

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Im so sorry but I dont think its unreasonable to expect members of Congress to not kick an 18 year old citizen.



cc: @RepMTG  Marianna Pecora (@MariannaPecora) September 15, 2022

Members of the group hadnt decided whether to pursue legal claims against Greene, Mayer said.

To answer the most prevalent question about pressing charges: Were talking to our legal team and keeping our options open, Mayer wrote on Twitter.

Others on Twitter urged that Greene be held accountable. A lawyer offered to help.

Appreciate all the DMs and text messages, y'all. Slowly working through them.



To answer the most prevalent question about pressing charges: we're talking to our legal team and keeping our options open.



Love y'all.  Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) September 16, 2022

Press charges ASAP  Ms. Mars  (@TheMDesk) September 16, 2022

Marge wants to press charges when someone takes one of her sticky notes off the wall in front of her office. Do it!  Dawn (@dafw333) September 16, 2022

Saw the side view video of MTG making a forward kick move & the front view video of your staffer reacting to being kickedits pretty damn clear what occurred.  Marcy Over-educated #Choice #ChristySmithCA27 (@marcywriter) September 16, 2022

The video shows Greene increasingly infuriated as the activists argued with her. As she walked with staff members, Greene called Mayer a coward, and accused him of abusing children after he said Greene was helping children get shot in school by promoting guns.

She told Mayer he should go back if he doesnt like it here. Mayer was born in Mexico and founded Voters of Tomorrow when he was 17, The Washington Post reported.

Greene did not directly address the accusation that she kicked Pecora.

Just like I said, hes a paid political activist, who just so happens to be blessed to have immigrated to our great country.



He should respect and be grateful for American freedoms, like our 2A, instead of trying to destroy them.



If he doesnt like it, he can go back. https://t.co/avBbGejOaGpic.twitter.com/DY1ReCPJQS  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) September 15, 2022

Pecora, a college freshman, told the Post that her clash with Greene was unlike anything she had experienced in conversations with other lawmakers, who she said took her groups arguments seriously and treated its members with respect.

Its honestly, like, really disheartening to think that a bunch of kids can hold themselves with better composure than a sitting member of Congress, Pecora told the Post.

Weve been sitting in meetings all week with both Democrats and Republicans. Nobody has been anything but respectful, she added. Everybody has been just so incredibly attentive, and taken us seriously and had, like, really productive conversations with us. Except for Marjorie Taylor Greene.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Married at First Sight UK is back for a new series, with a new group of singletons betting on love as they tie the knot with complete strangers.

The dating show returned to E4 at the end of August, showing a new group of contestants as they met their future spouses for the first time on their wedding days.

The couples have now been through their wedding days and honeymoons and are settling into married life.

When the show reaches its conclusion, the married couples must choose whether they will stay together or go separate ways.

Here are the Married at First Sight UK couples...

Chanita and Jordan

Jordan and Chanita (Channel 4)

The first pair to couple up were Chanita, 29, and Jordan, who may be one of the best matched marriages of the series so far.

Jordan told Chanita she looked beautiful in her wedding dress and the pair bonded when Jordan opened up about the death of his grandma.

Fans called the pair the best couple ever as they enjoyed their honeymoon in Mauritius.

Social worker Chanita was in a 10-year relationship until two years ago and hopes to settle down and start a family with her new husband.

Jordan comes from Darlington and owns his own home, is close with his family and a good cook. However, Jordan isnt prepared to settle for the sake of it.

Whitney and Duka

Whitney and Duka (Channel 4)

Whitney, 31, and Duka, 31, met on their wedding day in the first episode and its safe to say it wasnt love at first sight for personal assistant Whitney.

She initially said that she was ready to do a runner, but the couple later connected when Whitney opened up about the recent death of her mother.

She later branded Duka fake and rolled her eyes whenever he spoke.

Whitney previously said that she wanted a man who was perfect and would tick all the right boxes for her.

Recruitment HR co-ordinator Duka, who moved to England from former Yugoslavia aged 10 without speaking any English, said he traditionally gets bored of the women who are attracted to him.

Thomas and Adrian

Thomas and Adrian (Channel 4)

From the moment Thomas, 31, and Adrian, 37, met and Thomas said he hadnt been expecting someone blonde who looked like Clare Balding, it was clear this couple might not be the perfect match.

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Adrians best friend Katie expressed her disapproval with the relationship, saying that she didnt want the digital designer to go on his honeymoon.

On the trip, the couple clashed, with Thomas storming off, saying: Im not f***ing talking to you.

Mental health care assistant Thomas loves being the centre of attention and says being described as nice is his worst nightmare.

Adrian wants a partner who can make him laugh and is adventurous and trustworthy.

April and George

George and April (Channel 4)

After April, 32, and George, 40, got married, they reached an early problem with their relationship as April told father-of-four George that she wasnt sure she wanted children.

Upon learning of his family, she said she would give George a chance. However, George later revealed that hed learnt April had kissed a girl in a hot tub as a dare while on their honeymoon.

Former Miss Great Britain April then broke down in tears after being accused of cheating.

The wedding dress designer said she wanted a partner who allowed her to be independent.

George, who has been divorced, said he was looking for someone to keep him on his toes.

Jess and Pjay

Pjay and Jess (Channel 4)

While Jess, 31, and Pjay initially appeared to have a good start to their relationship on their wedding day, Jess was left unimpressed by Pjays job as a stripper with the Dreamboys. However, Pjay vowed he would quit his job if it made her happy.

On their honeymoon, she admitted that she felt things were more friendly than romantic and rejected his offer of a massage.

However, the pair got closer when Jess broke down in tears as she opened up about an ex-partner cheating on her with a member of her family.

Youre a good person, everyday weve had here, everyday gets better, youre wonderful, Pjay told her.

Pjay had previously admitted that his partners had previously struggled to trust him due to his job.

Jess, who hails from Cambridgeshire, is a dental hygienist and has said that humour is the most important thing to her in a relationship.

Lara and Richie

Lara and Richie (Channel 4)

Lara, 49, and Richie, 52, got off to a not-great start on their wedding day after Richie admitted that hed never had a serious relationship and still lived with his parents.

When Lara told him that shed been married twice and had two sons, Richie said that this wasnt an easy thing to hear.

Canadian waitress Lara has said that she wants a love like her parents, who have been married for 51 years. She has been single for 12 years.

Richie previously worked in the music business as a songwriter before working as a sales advisor.

Kasia and Kwame

Kwame and Kasia (Channel 4)

Kasia, 36, and Kwame, 42, were coupled up by the shows experts and married at a stately home.

Things got off to a bad start after Kwame was accused of fatphobia as he commented that he usually goes for a more petite woman than Kasia.

Kwame then struggled to connect with his new in-laws and told Kasia that he wouldnt have sex with her on their wedding night.

Much to Kasias annoyance, he then joked that she should sleep on the sofa bed.

Kasia left school at 16 to have her first child (both her children are now adults) and she owns a body contouring clinic.

Business consultant and former Mr Ghana Kwame has been married and had kids before, but is now divorced and looking for love.

Zoe and Jenna

Jenna and Zoe (Channel 4)

The final couple to tie the knot were Zoe, 30, and Jenna, 32.

The pair, who make up the first same-sex partnership on the show, met when Jenna walked down the aisle and initially appeared to be attracted to each other.

However, they hit a stumbling block on their honeymoon in Iceland after arguing over Jenna, who runs a zero-waste shop, and her veganism.

Speaking before the series, Blackpool-based Jenna said that she hoped shed find her happily ever after on the show.

Self-proclaimed serial dater Zoe, meanwhile, said that she wanted to find someone to start a family and share her softer side with.
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker said Friday he is deploying up to 125 National Guard members in response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending a group of just 50 illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard.

Our Administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs, the governor said.

The national guardsmen will meet the immigrants at Joint Base Cape Cod on the mainland. Buses retrieved the group of Venezuelans from St. Andrews church in Edgartown on Marthas Vineyard Friday morning, roughly 24 hours after they arrived on the island from San Antonio, Texas.

HAPPENING NOW: Migrants, flown into Marthas Vineyard by Fls governor, are boarding buses. Theyll be heading to Joint Base Cape Cod, according to officials. 125 Mass National Guard members are being activated to assist. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/RLwxNPu8GM  Emilie Ikeda (@EmilieIkedaNBC) September 16, 2022

Baker, a moderate Republican, said transporting the migrants to Cape Cod was necessary because the island communities are not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation, and state officials developed a plan to deliver a comprehensive humanitarian response.

On Thursday, the Chamber of Commerce of Marthas Vineyard said the island was facing a humanitarian crisis.

To our Island community, here is an update on current humanitarian crisis on Martha's Vineyard.we thank people for their continued help. pic.twitter.com/f9YRJSJPow  Visit Martha's Vineyard (@VisitMV) September 15, 2022

To our Island community, here is an update on current humanitarian crisis on Marthas Vineyard.we thank people for their continued help, the group tweeted.

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DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said the migrant flights were part of the states relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.

States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as sanctuary states and support for the Biden administrations open border policies, Fenske said.

Massachusetts state Representative Dylan Fernandes, whose district includes part of Marthas Vineyard, called DeSantiss actions f***ing depraved.

The Governor of one of the biggest states in the nation has been spending time hatching a secret plot to round up & ship people-children, families-lying to them about where theyre going just to gain cheap political points on Tucker Calrson [sic] and MAGA twitter. Its f***ing depraved, Fernandes wrote on Twitter.

House Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee tweeted Friday: If there is a humanitarian crisis in Marthas Vineyard, wouldnt it stand to reason there is a drastically more significant humanitarian crisis at the Southwest border?

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has sent busloads of illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C., and New York City in recent months to draw attention to the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

President Biden blasted Republicans in a speech he delivered at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institutes annual gala on Thursday.

Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props, he said. What theyre doing is simply wrong, its un-American, its reckless.

More from National Review
Sep. 16HAVERHILL  A special task force formed by Mayor James Fiorentini met Sept. 14 to discuss Haverhill's rich Colonial history and consider ideas for recognizing and honoring indigenous peoples who inhabited the city and region long before the arrival of European settlers.

Fiorentini noted the form of such a commemoration  whether it be a statue, trail, display or similar honoring  is still under consideration.

The meeting included Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials, educators, historians and Native American groups, who gathered at downtown's HC Media studio as a follow-up to an August visit to the Hannah Duston statue in Boscawen, New Hampshire, by the mayor's Native American Commemoration Task Force.

Wednesday's roundtable included representatives of the Cowasuck band of the Penacook-Abenaki, scholars, descendants, and Dustin-Duston family members to continue researching and exploring the many issues and interests involving the Hannah Duston story and statues.

"We have many monuments in the city to commemorate various periods of our history, but we are lacking in any commemoration of indigenous people," Fiorentini said in a previous letter announcing his commission and effort.

The most prominent being the statue of Hannah Duston holding a hatchet in her right hand. It has stood in GAR Park near City Hall for generations and has drawn criticism in recent year from a number of residents and Native Americans who consider the story it depicts an offence to Indigenous peoples.

The statue depicts Hannah Duston, a Colonial woman who, according to historical accounts, was kidnapped by Native American Abenaki people in 1697 during a raid on Haverhill and later escaped by killing many of them as they slept.

In April 2021, and after several public meetings to discuss the possibility of moving the Duston statue to a less conspicuous location, the city council voted unanimously to leave it where it is and also voted to provide space for a memorial honoring Indigenous peoples.

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"We're not going to re-litigate the statue of Hannah Duston, we just want to find a way to move forward," said Task Force Chairman Dan Speers, a local poet and indigenous peoples' historian.

Fiorentini said a tribute to Native Americans and their culture is "long overdue" and that he created the Task Force to determine the best way to honor the people who lived on the land now known as Haverhill and make certain their story is told.

Speers said a memorial would serve to inspire this and future generations with the knowledge and confidence that while recognizing the inequities, stresses and sacrifices of the past, the goal is to foster cultural and ethnic unanimity.

He said the group is looking to provide an accurate historical perspective on what transpired and happened to Indigenous peoples following the arrival, disruption, and colonization by Europeans.

Following the roundtable discussion at HC Media, Speers led the group on a tour of the Duston-Dustin Garrison House at 665 Hilldale Ave., the Hannah Dustin Park and Rock site on Monument Street, the Dustin landing marker on River Street (Routes 110/113) at Western Avenue, the Buttonwoods Museum on Water Street and finally the Hannah Dustin statue, erected in 1879 in GAR Park in downtown Haverhill.
UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: Hollywood police said no threat was found on the campus of McArthur High School and that officers will remain on campus during dismissal.

Read the original article below:

McArthur High School and a neighboring elementary school were put on lockdown Friday afternoon as police investigate reports of a possible threat.

Hollywood police are at the high school, 6501 Hollywood Blvd., just west of Floridas Turnpike. Neighboring West Hollywood Elementary School was also put on lockdown.

Officers quickly responded to the school and at this time it appears to be a false call, Hollywood police said in reference to McArthur High. Broward County Public Schools on Twitter said police are investigating a possible emergency incident on campus.

READ NEXT: How to report threats made to South Florida schools  and what happens when you do

Police havent provided any additional details about the investigation. WSVN is reporting that police received a call about a shooting at McArthur, but that officers have searched the school and have not found a gunman or anyone injured.

Our officers are still on scene making sure the students and staff are safe, police said. We are asking that parents and guardians do not respond to the school at this time.
You've gotten to know the seven local chefs competing for the Golden Fork at the 2022 Food Prize, now it's time to find out the celebrity chefs helping them secure the number one spot.

Get to know the seven celebrity chefs below, find out who they will be competing with and what dishes these chefs will have to make while battling it out for the grand prize.

Josh Harmon

Chef Harmon is an Eater Chef of the Year and a Tastemaker rising star who was named one of 17 chefs to look out for in the U.S. by Zagat. Born in Tennessee, raised in Texas and California, Harmon trained in New York restaurants like Townhouse and Le Cirque under David Burkes. Harmon blends together his love and skill for Asian and Southern cooking like they were born for each other and considers himself as much a mad scientist as he is a chef using skills from foraging to fermenting.

Harmon will be teaming up with Chef Megan Chavez to create a fish or seafood dish.

Josh Bonee

Currently based in Dallas, Texas Chef Bonee is a Nashville, Tennessee native with a wildly impressive resume working alongside iconic chefs like Stephan Pyles and Sean Brock. After heading up various kitchens around the country, Bonee went on to create the original food menu for Lucky's Hot Chicken before blending his knowledge of different cuisines together as the Executive Chef at Meddlesome Moth. Bonee is the culinary genius behind the powerhouse BBQ program at 42|BBQ and now he puts a whole new take on Tex-Mex with LimeHoney.

Bonee will be teaming up with Chef Ryan Gillespie to create a beef or pork dish.

Randall Braud

Chef Braud is a nominated 2021 Rising Chef Star of the Year by CultureMaps Tastemaker and a featured Dallas StarChef for StarChefs based in Brooklyn, New York. Braud is currently Executive Chef for a small Spanish restaurant group based out of Connecticut, Barcelona Wine Bar in Dallas, Texas.

"Learning Spanish cuisine has brought be closer to learning so much more about my own country's cuisine," said Braud.

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Braud will be teaming up with Chef Elezar Mondragon to create a beef or pork dish.

More Food Prize News: Get to know the 7 local chefs competing at the 2022 Louisiana Food Prize.

Tristen Epps

Chef Epps is the culinary force behind Bacchanal&Fyah, a combination of casual hot dogs juxtaposed with a refined, modern Afro-Caribbean cuisine that shows the diaspora of Black food around the world. His passion for unique cuisine began at a young age and carried him through a bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales and an apprenticeship at the renowned Greenbrier Hotel. Epps' mentor Chef Marcus Samuelsson called him "the best chef in the competition" on ABC's The Taste. Epps has won nine American Culinary Federation medals and was a Chopped Champion on Food Network.

Epps will be teaming up with Chef John Strand to create the "wildcard" - or anything goes - dish.

Areatha Davis

Chef Davis credits her mother and grandparents for her love of cooking. Before earning her degree in Culinary Arts and Food Management from Texas Woman's University, Davis spent a decade working in the corporate world. Davis has a passion for creating great food experiences and getting anyone excited about making amazing food for family and friends. When not cooking or talking about food, Davis enjoys spending time with her husband, family and friends.

Davis will be teaming up with Chef Niema Longstratt to create a vegetarian dish.

Eppie Connolly

Chef Connolly's culinary passion sparked at 9-years-old listening to the sizzling sounds and smelling the alluring aroma of farm fresh eggs cooked by her grandmother. Connolly knew even then that preparing delicious food was her calling. Now, she currently cooks at the Japanese-inspired cuisine restaurant Adachi in Birmingham, Michigan. Using only the freshest ingredients sourced from around the globe is the key to creating her unique Asian-infused dishes and pastries made from scratch is what keeps local regulars coming back and luring in new clientele.

Connolly will be teaming up with Chef Sean Sullivan to create a fish or seafood dish.

Denise Joseph

Originally from Flushing Queens, New York, Chef Joseph had dreams of being in the WNBA. After moving to Lewisville, Texas in high school her career plans changed when she took an interest in cooking. The next thing she knew, Joseph was enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America and now serves as the sous chef at Uchi Dallas. Joseph is always open to learning more from the great minds around her and ready to touch the souls of the people she meets with her food.

Joseph will be teaming up with Chef Anthony Felan to create a poultry dish.

Prize Fest will take place October 14 - 16 and October 20 - 22, for more information on the festival including how to purchase tickets, visit the Prize Fest website.

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Meet the celebrity chefs helping the Food Prize finalists battle it out
The Honorable Raymond J. Dearie, U.S. District Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

The Department of Justice's investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified material by former President Donald Trump was delayed in early September when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, ruled that the documents seized during an Aug. 8 raid of his Mar-a-Lago residence first must be reviewed by a special master.

The documents seized were alleged to have been taken from the White House to Trump's private residence, a move the DOJ alleges could violate various federal statutes. Cannon granted a request by Trump's legal team that a special master should examine thousands of documents including 103 marked classified before the DOJ could move forward.

The Department of Justice then filed a motion requesting Cannon lift this order. Cannon, a Trump-nominated judge who serves in the Southern District of Florida, formally denied the DOJ request Thursday, instead appointing a special master recommended by the Trump team and agreed upon by the government: Raymond J. Dearie.

Dearie held his first hearing in the case on Tuesday Sept. 21, in which he pressed Trump's legal team on claims the former president had made about declassifying documents that contained highly sensitive national security intelligence which were later found in his Mar-a-Lago residence.

"You can't have your cake and eat it," Dearie chided Trump's lawyers, signaling they would ultimately have to produce evidence indicating these records were in fact declassified.

Judge Dearie's explosive first hearing: Lawyers for Trump, DOJ clash over classified records, access to Mar-a-Lago documents

Not his 'first rodeo': Inside look at some of Raymond Dearie's biggest cases

Here's what you need to know about the man now front and center in the investigation:

Who is Raymond Dearie?

Judge Raymond J. Dearie is a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He was in the position from 1982 to 1986.

After that, he served as a chief judge for that same district from 2007 to 2011. He is now a judge on "senior status," meaning he is semi-retired but still presides from time to time. The Justice Department noted that Dearie continues to hear cases and said the court would need to determine if serving as a special master would run afoul of restrictions on outside employment.

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Read our coverage on the Mar A Lago raid: What we know about handling classified documents

FBI under threat after Mar-A-Lago search: Durbin: Trump, allies bear blame for 'stunning' rise in threats against FBI

How old is Raymond Dearie?

Judge Dearie is 78. He was appointed in 1986 as a federal judge in New York by then President Ronald Reagan. Prior to that he has served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Read the DOJ's affidavit: Takeaways from the Mar-a-Lago search affidavit

Where did Raymond Dearie go to college?

Judge Dearie graduated with a law degree from St. John's University in Queens, New York in 1969.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Where was Raymond Dearie a federal judge?

A native New Yorker himself, Judge Dearie served as a federal judge for the Eastern District of New York which covers parts of New York City and Long Island.

What does Dearie's record look like?

Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor, and a former senior member of former FBI Director Robert Mueller's team told NPR that Dearie had a reputation in the legal community of being fair, describing him as the "platonic ideal of what you want in a judge."

Dearie has a background in matters of national security as well, serving on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for seven years.

He also spent some of the later years of his legal career advocating for sentencing reform. NPR cited a speech he gave to the New York Criminal Bar Association in 2016 in which Dearie said: "If society relies on the jail cell alone to bring relief to the streets of New York or Chicago, or to fight the heroin epidemic that has invaded our communities, little will change."

More on DOJ probe: Justice Department subpoenas dozens of Trump aides in apparent escalation of investigation

What does Dearie's appointment mean for the DOJ's case?

The Department of Justice plans to appeal Judge Cannon's ruling, arguing that though she allowed for the team to continue its investigation into possible crimes, it will be difficult without access to those 103 classified files.

Judge Cannon's ruling was viewed as narrow  a 10-page stay which appointed Dearie and gave him until Nov. 30 to finish reviewing the documents. The cost of Dearie's review will be paid for by Trump and his legal team since he requested a special master.

Classified materials, explained: What are the types of 'classified' government documents? Explaining 'Top Secret' and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Raymond Dearie? Special master holds first hearing in DOJ probe.
It is often said that the best way to solve family troubles is in unity and getting together. Sometimes grief or the sudden loss of a loved one can make people see sense and bury the hatchet so that all can heal and move on.

However, when you look at the fractured royals, more so the gift that keeps on giving in the shape of former actress and activist Meghan Markle, along with her husband Harry, all is not what it seems, and what was actually served was not the ideal meal. Let me explain.

Only two weeks ago, Meghan was in Manchester, England, serving up that well-worn dish to her "favorite" charity, the story about the girl outside of the group. You-know-who wrote to the head of a huge U.S. company about women doing the washing up, then followed by how she had been invited to take a seat at the "table" for her activist work.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle holding hands during services for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Getty Images

SOPHIES CHOICE? HOW MEGHAN WAS LEFT SHAKEN BY THIS CAR RIDE: ROYAL EXPERT

So this latest PR spin, which really focused on the recent royal walkabout in Windsor to meet the public, so they could observe the flowers that the devoted and respectful people of Great Britain had brought in memory of her dear queen, also turned into PR spin with insiders suggesting that Harry & Meghan had threatened the Prince and Princess of Wales about trying to upstage them in the PR stakes. But in reality, William and Catherine know that the true story was that William invited his brother and later suggested the wives, but first it was meant to be the two boys alone.

Never one to miss that headline or photo opportunity, Meghan clutched onto Harry with superglue strength until, as she told a source who reports back, she said, "I feel the media is wrong. The Brits do like me, and I got to witness that personally." Hmmm.

So now, it's claimed this week in the New York Post's gossip column Page Six, there was a reunion dinner to which all royals, including Harry and Meghan, were invited, and all is now forgiven. Sources tell me that's not quite the story. The true story is that it was an informal gathering of a few drinks and snacks with polite conversation, but at no time were the foursome ever breaking bread and laughing together.

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HARRY AND MEGHAN PLAN A FUTURE, KATE KEEPS HER DISTANCE, AND SECURITY CONCERNS RISE OVER FUNERAL: ROYAL EXPERT

Meghan Markle greets a mourner outside of Windsor Castle following Queen Elizabeth II's death. Chris Jackson

After Megs and Harry trashed the late queens family all for exposure, and Meghan, of course, threw back the good will of the British people for that wedding, which she called a "spectacle," now the only dish that Meghan was offered was humble pie, and she refused. You see, simply because while she is preparing to "forgive," her exact word in that recent magazine interview, the deep slice of hurt for William and Catherine in particular cuts deep.

So while they might wish to spin this oh-so non-story into something bigger, the meeting was short-lived, Meghan as ever felt "uncomfortable," and there were certainly no hearts and flowers from the newly appointed Prince and Princess of Wales.

WHY DEATH OF THE QUEEN WON'T REPAIR THE BROKEN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WILLIAM AND HARRY: ROYAL EXPERT

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022, in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and left tributes at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022. Chris Jackson/WPA/Pool/Getty Images

I have on the greatest of sources that Tom Bower's book Revenge was actually read by Catherines most ardent supporter and best friend, her mother, the fragrant Carole Middleton, who adored the queen and treats William like her son. The eye-popping revelations in that book threw new light onto exactly how Markle may have operated during her time as an actress; and naturally, being her daughter's best pal, surely this was duly reported back to Kate.

So, the only dish Meghan has served up is, in fact, her own slice of revenge, but in the case of Catherine and William, will they finally now serve back the Sussexes just deserts when they visit the U.S. later in the year?
Sep. 16ELKHART  Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Women USA will explore issues of diversity, equity and inclusion during the 2022 "Leaders Inspiring Leaders: Women of Faith Conference," Sept. 29 through Oct. 2. The conference will be hosted at the Mennonite Church USA offices and the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary campus, 3003 Benham Ave., Elkhart.

The event is open to women of all religious beliefs.

Participants have the chance to listen to five speakers and take part in two sessions:

MW Sisterhood Master Class  The master class is designed to lead women through conversations about building bridges across racial, cultural and socio-economic divides. It encourages women who are leaders in their churches and communities to seek and build relationships with people who are different from themselves.

MW Sister Care Seminar  Sister Care seminars provide women with tools for ongoing personal healing, recognizing and celebrating God's grace in their lives, and responding more confidently and effectively to the needs of others in their families, congregations, and communities.

"I am extremely happy for women from various (cultural) perspectives to come together as a faith community," said Ann Jacobs, Mission Network's training and resources specialist  urban and African American ministries and one of the event's organizers.

Jacobs said she wants this conference to dispel feelings of "spiritual slump," as well as physical and mental burnout. The conference aims to build women's confidence and offer healing and space to revisit and be restored to God's purpose and worth within themselves.

"I gather inspiration from women," said Cyneatha Millsaps, executive director of Mennonite Women USA and one of the event's organizers. "I am looking forward to the spirit of God that I feel when I am in the presence of women."

THE SPEAKERS

In addition to Jacobs and Millsaps, speakers include Angie Nelson Deuitch, a certified diversity professional; CreAnne Mwale, a gospel music organist, pianist, songwriter, recording artist and director; and Vikki Pruitte-Sorrells, an educational administrator for the Maple Heights City School District in Ohio.

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Dates and times:

Sept. 29 from 3-7 p.m.

Sept. 30 from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Oct. 1 from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Oct. 2 at 9:30 a.m.  worship with Southside Fellowship at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary  Sermon on the Mount chapel.

To register, go online to https://mcusa.formstack.com/forms/leaders_inspiring_leaders_women_of_faith_training_and_resourcing_network. Registration closes this coming Thursday or until when all seats are filled. Cost is $75.
Short of soldiers and facing battlefield setbacks, Russia appears to be turning to convicted criminals to fight in Ukraine.

A private military company is recruiting prisoners to be sent to the front lines in an effort to bolster Russian President Vladimir Putin's faltering invasion, according to Western military analysts and a new video that appears to show the groups recruiting pitch.

Footage emerged this week of what appears to be Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch and the reputed financier of the Wagner mercenaries group. He has previously denied links to the group, whose mercenaries have been fighting in Ukraine and have been deployed by the Kremlin in places such as Syria and Sudan, analysts say.

Image: Turkish President Erdogan Meets President Putin (Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images file)

The video posted to Russian social media sites shows a man with the voice and likeness of Prigozhin addressing a large group of prisoners, all wearing navy-colored uniforms and assembled in what appears to be a concrete yard. He tells them that their sentences would be commuted if they served in Ukraine for six months  but that anyone who changes their mind would be shot as a deserter.

You wont be any different from us, the man in the video tells the prisoners, according to a translation for this article. Im taking you out alive. But dont always return you alive.

NBC News social newsgathering team geolocated the video to a jail in the city of Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of Russias central Mari El Republic, about 500 miles east of Moscow. It is unclear when the footage was filmed. It first surfaced this week in Russian Telegram channels and social media accounts, and was shared by opposition activists.

Video allegedly shows Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin recruiting prisoners to go fight in Ukraine. (Telegram)

Ukraines armed forces have retaken control of huge swaths of land in the past few weeks, as they advanced with the help of precise Western-supplied artillery against what experts said were thin and disorganized Russian lines.

The counteroffensive led to the discovery of an alleged mass burial site near the crucial city of Izyum, one of many areas from which the Russian retreat has left the Kremlin struggling to respond.

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The British Defense Ministry said Friday that Wagner had been offering prisoners sentence reductions or cash incentives to sign up to fight since at least July. The ministry also said that Russian military academies were shortening training courses so cadets could be deployed sooner. The impact of Russias manpower challenge has become increasingly severe, it said.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based military think tank, said in a briefing this week that the video showed Prigozhin is being established as the face of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

A Russian military blogger noted that Prigozhin is introducing a Stalinist method that allows the Kremlin to avoid ordering a general mobilization that could ignite social tensions in Russian society, the institute added, referring to the online community of pro-war activists who have been urging the Kremlin to change its approach in the wake of the Ukrainian advances.

Putin hasnt so far wanted to go for general mobilization, which would be highly unpopular and could have consequences for the stability of the regime, said John Lough, an associate fellow and Russia expert at Chatham House, a think tank in London. He said the prisoner recruitment suggests a level of desperation on behalf of the Kremlin.

Russian soldiers being sent to the front lines are very badly equipped, poorly prepared and lack the motivation to fight, according to Lough.

There are increasing indications that theres a serious morale problem  which is extraordinarily dangerous to the Russians. Some pockets of the forces there have clearly chosen to retreat at high speed, Lough said.

Prigozhins company provides catering to the Kremlin and other Russian state agencies, earning him the nickname of Putins chef. Now a wealthy oligarch, the close Putin ally previously served nine years in prison for robbery in his 20s.

He was banned from entering the United States under Treasury Department sanctions for his alleged involvement in attempts to influence the 2018 election.

Concord Group, Prigozhins company, which is the only apparent way to contact him for comment, appeared to confirm it was him in the video in a gently mocking answer to a journalist from a Russian tabloid on the Russian social media platform VKontakte.

Indeed, we can confirm that the man in the video bears a monstrous resemblance to Yevgeny Viktorovich, it said, using the patronymic version of Prigozhins name.

Addressing criticism of the scheme to hire prisoners as soldiers, a response the company posted on its VKontakte page and said was from Prigozhin himself read, using an acronym for private military companies: Either PMCs and prisoners, or your children  decide for yourself.

In the video, the man who appears to be Prigozhin warned the prisoners about the dangers of indulging in alcohol and drugs on the front lines, and of what he called marauding.

That includes sexual contacts with local women, men, flora, fauna, anyone, he said.

The Wagner Group would be careful, he continued, about recruiting sexual offenders, before adding: But we understand that there can be mistakes.

The man said in the video that he was looking for stormtroopers to join assault missions. He also revealed he had previously used 40 prisoners from the Russian city of St. Petersburg in an assault on a power station in Ukraines Donetsk region in June.

Russia has consistently denied the involvement of the Wagner Group in its official military operations. NBC News has contacted the Kremlin for comment.

NBC News asked the Concord Group whether it was Prigozhin in the video and for clarification of his relationship to Wagner. Gentlemen, you are getting more and more boring, the companys VKontakte page publicly responded, referring to previous media responses and without answering the questions.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
All parents want is safety in these schools so that their children can focus on learning.

Well Clayton County made a change this week thats designed to eliminate fighting while also protecting students from outsiders getting inside the schools.

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Yeah theyll have a second thought about maybe bringing a knife or a gun or something to school, parent Margo Douglas told Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes.

Douglas believes schools can be a dangerous place and the fighting videos weve been showing you all week are disturbing, and something has to be done.

Well violence is getting worse everywhere, not only in schools, she said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Clayton County school administrators had already added more security after the Uvalde Texas school shooting back in May.

Now, theyve added another layer of protection  a group of district administrators who will now rotate to different schools to be present during arrival and dismissal. Theyll stand in cafeteria during lunch and they will be in hallways while students are changing classes.

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This wont cost the district any more money and theyre not making any new hires for this.

Theyre utilizing people already employed by the district to look after students during certain times of the day to make parents and students safer.

Anything we can do within reason to cut down the fighting, cut down the bullying, and cut down anything thats going to make our kids less safe, Im all for it, parent Sho Watson said.

IN OTHER NEWS:




A major change is coming to the Mets organization soon.

On Thursday, the Mets announced that team president Sandy Alderson will step down from his role once the team identifies a successor. No timetable was given for that. Alderson wont be totally disappearing though, as hell transition into a new role as special advisor to owners Steve and Alex Cohen and the clubs senior leadership team.

For me personally and for the organization, its the right time for this transition, Alderson, 74, said in a statement released by the team just an hour before their Thursday night game against the Pirates.

We are having a successful season, we have made several key additions to our senior leadership team and we have built a strong and forward-thinking culture. When the time comes, I am looking forward to continuing to support Steve, Alex and the organization in a new role.

Alderson was originally hired by the Mets as general manager after the 2010 season. He was the teams GM for the 2015 World Series run and remained in that role until being diagnosed with cancer in 2018, causing him to take a leave of absence. When the 2018 season ended, he decided not to return. While Alderson has been cancer-free since then, he did not come back to the Mets until 2020, when the Cohens bought the team and appointed him team president.

When I asked Sandy to come back to the team, it was for a defined period of time and with a specific mandate revive our culture and this iconic franchise for our fans, partners and employees, Steve Cohen said. Sandy has done those very things and more and we have begun a search for his successor.

Whenever that successor is named, they will step into a much better situation than Alderson did in 2010, as former owner Fred Wilpon was tangled up in the Bernie Madoff scandal. Alderson did an admirable job of helping to clean the Wilpon stench off the franchise, which is now in much better hands thanks to his tenure in the front office.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos National Institute of Anthropology and History said Thursday that a prehistoric human skeleton found recently in a flooded cave system along the countrys Caribbean coast was actually registered by the institute in 2019 and would not be threatened by a nearby tourist train project.

Earlier this week, archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the shattered skull and skeleton partly covered by sediment in a cave. They reported it to the institute, which had not publicly spoken of the find until its statement Thursday.

The referenced skeleton corresponds to a 2019 discovery and is fully registered and identified as part of the Holocene Archaeology program, the institute said. It added that scientific analysis had still not been carried out on the remains, but that it was 400 yards (meters) from the path of the governments Maya Train project and was not threatened.

Del Rio, who has worked with the institute in the past but who is not currently affiliated, said Thursday the fact that the discovery was made in 2019, but still had not been analyzed, illustrated how long it takes to explore and investigate the extensive cave systems in the trains path.

This proves the areas archaeological potential for investigation of the first settlers of America, and what there still is to discover, Del Rio said.

He had said the skeleton was about 8 meters (26 feet) underwater, about a half-kilometer (a third of a mile) into the cave system.

Given the distance from the cave entrance, the skeleton couldnt have gotten there without modern diving equipment, so it must be over 8,000 years old, Del Rio had earlier said, referring to the era when rising sea levels flooded the caves.

Some of the oldest human remains in North America have been discovered in the sinkhole caves known as cenotes on Mexicos Caribbean coast, and experts say some of those caves are threatened by the Mexican governments Maya Train tourism project.

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Del Rio feared that even if the train did not pass directly over the site, its construction could damage or contaminate the cave system.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is racing to finish his Maya Train project in the remaining two years of his term over the objections of environmentalists, cave divers and archaeologists. They say his haste will allow little time to study the ancient remains.

Activists say the heavy, high-speed rail project will fragment the coastal jungle and will run often above the fragile limestone caves, which  because they are flooded, twisty and often incredibly narrow  can take decades to explore.

Caves along part of the coast already have been damaged by construction above them, with cement pilings used to support the weight above.

The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites.
For the third time in 10 years, the Miami Heat will hold training camp in the Bahamas.

The Heat previously trained in 2013 and 2016 at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort, this time to hold their camp at the Baha Mar resort complex on the island of New Providence.

The Heat had planned to return to the Bahamas in the interim, with those plans preempted by the COVID pandemic. Instead, the team mostly has held camp at FTX Arena, although there also have been camps in Palm Beach County.

The Heats initial camp in the Bahamas came ahead of the franchises fourth and final season of the Big Three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, after two consecutive NBA championships.

The visit resonated with all three.

It was, Bosh said, the best training camp ever.

Said Wade, It was one of my favorite training camps.

After the Heats most recent camp in the Bahamas, coach Erik Spoelstra said, We spent so much time together and really tried to get to know each other. We spent a lot of time on the court but we spent a lot of time off the court. Thats why I love going away. It gives you a little bit of a start on that.

The Heat have alternated holding their annual camps both at FTX Arena and away venues, including one in 2010 at the Hurlburt Field Air Force installation at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle ahead of the first Big Three season. The team also has trained at Florida Atlantic University several times, as well as several smaller colleges in Palm Beach County

The Heats bond with the Bahamas has transcended the teams marketing partnership, with several players last season traveling to the island for a team bonding session ahead of the playoffs, a trip arranged by point guard Kyle Lowry. In addition, Jimmy Butler is among Heat players who have made the Bahamas a regular getaway.

The Heat will hold their media day on Sept. 26 at FTX Arena before leaving that night for Baha Mar. The Heat then will practice and train there in private sessions through Oct. 1. The exception will be an Oct. 1 practice session open to invited guests and children from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.

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The Heat open their preseason Oct. 4 against Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 4 at FTX Arena. The Heat open their 35th regular season on Oct. 19 against the visiting Chicago Bulls.

The Heat have 19 players under contract for training camp, one below the NBA offseason maximum, and then will be forced to trim by their regular-season opener to a maximum of 15 under standard contract and two players on two-way contract.

Fourteen players are under standard contract to the Heat: Butler, Lowry, Bam Adebayo, Dewayne Dedmon, Udonis Haslem. Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic, Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven.

Under two-way contract are Marcus Garrett and Darius Days.

Invited to training camp off their solid summer-league play for the Heat and then expected to be shifted to the Heat G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, are Jamaree Bouya, Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson.

Haslem is the lone Heat player to make all three camp trips to the Bahamas.

I enjoy the people. I enjoy the culture, the food. Everybodys nice. The weather is great. There are a lot of Miami Heat fans, he said, adding, Its just like being home.
Miami Police Capt. Javier Ortiz, the departments most controversial and abrasive law enforcement officer, with an unmistakable racist bent, is off the force  again.

We hope Ortizs dismissal sticks this time, but we have reason to doubt it.

Thats because Ortiz, a former president of the Fraternal Order of Police, is a master at surviving reprimands and suspensions and calls for his firing. No matter that those calls have come from the public and from chief after chief.

Instead, his apparent political pull helped get him promoted all the way up to captain and won him influential administrative posts. So his firing this week isnt likely the last chapter in his law-enforcement career.

Still, Miami Police Chief Manny Morales says that he means it this time. In an email to the Editorial Board, he wrote:

As of Sept. 13, 2022, Javier Ortiz, an 18-year veteran of the Miami Police Department has been terminated. Any member of the Miami Police Department who does not carry out the departments mission is unworthy of serving the residents and stakeholders they vowed to uphold as a sworn member of the police department. Well said, chief.

Of course, Ortiz is ready to fight. His union attorney, Griska Mena, said he will appeal his firing.Its outrageous, Mena told the Miami Herald, adding Ortizs firing screams political motivation.

Ortiz is not notorious for killing unarmed Black citizens, but hes a dangerous officer for his unapologetic and systematic disrespect for them. Ortiz often left citizens terrorized and traumatized. His department file contained more than 60 citizen complaints, 18 involving the use of force.

In case Ortizs name doesnt ring a bell, hes the officer suspended in 2020 by then-Chief Jorge Colina for claiming he was Black (Ortiz looks for all the world like a white Hispanic) to apply for promotions.

In their article Tuesday, Miami Herald reporters Joey Flechas and Charles Rabin detailed Ortizs inappropriate behavior over the years: how he has mistreated, insulted and battled everyone from Black residents to city commissioners to, even, Beyonce.

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He has blatantly used social media to attack those who dare mess with him. The NAACP found his actions racially charged. For example, he criticized the citys highest-ranking Black Muslim woman for not covering her heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.

In 2016, he got into a tiff with Beyonce and, while representing the union, he threatened to boycott her concert at Hard Rock Stadium. Her crime? He thought she was sympathetic to the Black Panther movement. He later apologized. Ortiz also called 12-year-old Tamir Rice a thug. Tamir was shot and killed by a Cleveland cop as the child played with a toy gun.

Theres more: Ortiz also flew to Ferguson, Missouri, to attend a barbecue with officers there after civil unrest broke out after the police killing of Michael Brown, an African-American teen. Locally, he went after citizens who complained about officers: He tweeted the cellphone number of a woman who had videotaped an officer she said passed her driving at over 100 miles per hour. Citizens have appeared in front of Miamis Civilian Investigative Panel to complain about alleged mistreatment by Ortiz. One woman said Ortiz broke her wrist while her boyfriend was being arrested.

Finally, in April 2021, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI concluded a two-year investigation that found the officers actions over the years represented a pattern of abuse and bias against minorities, particularly African Americans.

But Ortizs Teflon coating protected him. The FDLE chose not to proceed with criminal charges because it said most of the incidents it looked at exceeded the statute of limitations. Ortiz returned to work from a third suspension. In March 2021, then ill-fated Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was unexpectedly hired to head the department and clean house.

Many thought he would get rid of Ortiz, but instead, the two men reportedly became pals. Teflon. Ortizs latest offense stems from the submission of off-duty hours paperwork, possibly cheating taxpayers. Two different police oversight panels under Morales came to different conclusions. One said Ortiz did not commit a firing offense; the other said he did.

But it seems Morales has had enough of Ortiz and fired him. Lets hope it sticks. Ortiz is a menace to society.
American basketball legend Michael Jordan's jersey from game one of the 1998 NBA Finals.

A jersey worn by basketball icon Michael Jordan during the opening game of the 1998 NBA Finals has been sold for a record $10.1m (8.8m).

It is the most a piece of sporting memorabilia worn during play has fetched in history.

Auction house Sotheby's says it drew "palpable excitement" from collectors.

It was reminiscent of a sporting season - chronicled in Netflix documentary The Last Dance - which saw Jordan winning his sixth and final NBA title.

On Thursday, Sotheby's said Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey attracted a total of 20 bids.

Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectables, Brahm Wachter, said bidders were "eager to own a rarefied piece of history".

"Today's record-breaking result... solidifies Michael Jordan as the undisputed G.O.A.T, proving his name and incomparable legacy is just as relevant as it was nearly 25 years ago," Wachter said. G.O.A.T is an acronym for "greatest of all time".

The jersey outstripped a previous record of $9.28m, paid for a shirt worn by football star Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup.

It was auctioned with a June 1998 Sports Illustrated magazine, which features Jordan on the cover.

Jordan is seen by many as the best player in the history of basketball. He spent most of his career with the Chicago Bulls, became a global icon and helped raise the NBA's profile around the world.

Although the Chicago Bulls lost the opening game of the NBA Finals against Utah Jazz, it won the next three games. Then Utah Jazz took the next game by two points.

In the sixth game, Jordan put the Bulls up 87-86 with just 5.2 seconds left on the clock, and secured his final NBA title.

The comeback was cheered by basketball fans around the world.

Jordan had abruptly retired from basketball in October 1993, following the murder of his father in North Carolina. The star had won seven scoring titles and led the Chicago Bulls to three straight championships.

"I have always stressed... that when I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it's time to leave," Jordan said.

Jordan, who is now aged 59, hung up his boots for the final time in 2003.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Racheal Rollins said she plans to speak to the Department of Justice about possible actions regarding the transportation of migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Rollins made the comments Thursday during a press conference. The migrants boarded a bus Friday that departed the liberal island haven and arrived at Joint Base Cape Cod, where Republican Gov. Charlie Baker opened a shelter.

"We are looking into [the Martha's Vineyard] case, and well be speaking with members of the Department of Justice," Rollins said. "Massachusetts isnt the only place where this has happened."

2 MIGRANT BUSES ARRIVE OUTSIDE VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS' NAVAL OBSERVATORY RESIDENCE IN DC

She continued, "We have several other sister communities, whether its D.C., New York, California, where weve seen things like this, and were hoping to get some input from the Department of Justice about what our next steps might be, if any at all."

A handful of migrants are seen outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church Thursday at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Fox News Digital contacted the Department of Justice for comment but did not receive a response Friday.

Florida Gov. DeSantis followed through on his promise to drop off illegal immigrants in progressive states, sending two planes full of migrants to Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday.

RON DESANTIS SENDS TWO PLANES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD

A video provided to Fox News Digital shows the migrants deplaned at Marthas Vineyard Airport in Massachusetts.

"If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place [to settle], our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction," DeSantis told a crowd Thursday afternoon.

"And yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures," he added.

While some Democrats are blasting DeSantis for sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard, a county official said less than a year ago that he would "love" to see the area become a home for immigrants.
2022/08/24: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at a campaign stop on the Keep Florida Free Tour at the Horsepower Ranch in Geneva. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered two planes carrying migrants to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday.

The migrants were picked up from San Antonio, Texas, the governor's office confirmed.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott first began transporting migrants to other states in April.

The migrants who Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to Martha's Vineyard this week were not transported from the state he actually governs, but from Texas.

DeSantis's office confirmed that Florida chartered two planes on Wednesday to pick up about 50 undocumented migrants from San Antonio, Texas, and drop them off on the Massachusetts island, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The migrants were from Venezuela and Colombia.

A spokesperson for DeSantis said the planes were part of Florida's "relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations."

It was the latest example of a tactic being used by Republican lawmakers to draw attention to what they say is the Biden administration's failure to address the border.

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas first began transporting migrants from border towns to cities like Washington, DC, via bus in April. Abbott said he was chartering the buses "to help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration."

Florida, which migrants reach via boat, does not directly border Mexico (a major pathway for migrants on land), perhaps explaining why DeSantis arranged to transport migrants who had arrived in Texas, a state that's hundreds of miles away.

"We will help facilitate that transportation for you to go to greener pastures," DeSantis said of migrants at a press conference Thursday, the Sentinel reported.

One immigration lawyer told the outlet that DeSantis's actions, using state funds to enforce federal laws, may have been illegal.

Martha's Vineyard residents, for their part, welcomed the migrants by quickly coordinating shelter, meals, and healthcare. Massachusetts State Rep. Dylan Fernandes said the migrants were put up in a local church and shared photos of the temporary housing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Venezuelan migrants stand outside St. Andrew's Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts, U.S. September 14, 2022 Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Migrants sent to Martha's Vineyard are now being moved to a military base shelter in Cape Cod.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday that the move would be voluntary.

Migrants will be provided with legal services, healthcare, food, and shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod.

Migrants sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Martha's Vineyard are being moved to a military base shelter in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday.

The approximately 50 migrants who were delivered to Martha's Vineyard earlier this week are now being moved to Joint Base Cape Cod where they will receive "shelter and humanitarian support," according to a statement released by Baker administration alongside Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.

"The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is coordinating efforts among state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter and essential services for these men, women and children," the statement said. "Governor Charlie Baker also plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard as part of this relief effort."

The move to Cape Cod will be voluntary and transportation for those who want to move will be provided, the statement said.

On Wednesday, DeSantis took credit for sending a plane of illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard.

A number of the migrants had said they were told they were getting a free flight to Boston where jobs and shelter would be waiting for them.

Instead, officials on Martha's Vineyard were shocked by the sudden arrival and locals jumped in to help provide them with food and shelter. But the coordinator for the sole homeless shelter on the island told reporters that the upscale enclave does not have the "services to take care of" the 50 migrants who were flown in.

"We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Martha's Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals," Baker said. "Our Administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs."

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Joint Base Cape Cod is already designated by MEMA as an emergency shelter and "its existing infrastructure provides a safe temporary accommodation," the statement from Baker's administration said. "Additionally, the facility can provide dedicated space for access to legal services and other essential services such as basic healthcare."

According to the statement, MEMA is working with local agencies to ensure the migrants being housed there will have legal services, healthcare, food, and any other needs.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JOINT BASE CAPE COD  Shortly after noon Friday, a group of migrants, mostly originating from Venezuela, arrived at their new temporary home on Cape Cod after an unexpected arrival Wednesday on Martha's Vineyard.

Officials have been working to house, feed and support the group of about 50 migrants since they arrived on the wealthy Massachusetts island Wednesday afternoon.

Amid a firestorm of criticism from advocates and political opponents, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took credit for chartering the two flights and vowed to continue the relocation program Friday.

A spokesperson for DeSantis said the migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard as part of the governor's "promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states."

Their arrival comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey criticized the Biden administration's border security and immigration policies and bused migrants to New York City, Chicago and Washington. Nearly 8,000 migrants had been moved on state-sponsored bus trips by late August, straining cities' resources.

Biden on Thursday called the move reckless and un-American. "Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props," Biden said.

DeSantis said Friday he was "perplexed" to hear Biden was planning a federal response: "It's only when you have 50 illegal aliens end up in very wealthy, rich enclave that (Biden) decides to scramble on this," he said.

BACKGROUND: DeSantis says 50 people flown to Martha's Vineyard are 'illegal immigrants'

WHAT'S NEXT? Texas, Arizona bus migrants to U.S. cities, and now Chicago

On Friday, the group was moved to Joint Base Cape Cod, a facility that is home to five military commands, where state and local officials were coordinating food, shelter and essential services with volunteers, the Dukes County Emergency Management Association said in a release.

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Here's what we know:

DeSantis says he'll continue relocating migrants

Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Friday to continue his relocation program and defended using Florida's $12 million relocation program, aimed at transporting unauthorized aliens out of the state, to fly 48 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Florida Gov. DeSantis: 50 people flown to Martha's Vineyard are 'illegal immigrants'

"There's also going to be buses and there will likely be more flights, but I'll tell you this: The Legislature gave me $12 million," he said. "We're going to spend every penny of that to make sure that we're protecting the people of the state of Florida."

DeSantis addressed questions about whether transporting migrants from Texas to Massachusetts met the intent of lawmakers when they included the $12 million in funding last spring.

He said "it's hard" for Florida to identify migrants when they arrive in cars, two or three at a time, so going to Texas to divert them from possibly coming to Florida is justified, he said.

Migrants were lied to again and again, immigration attorney says

The migrants who arrived at Marthas Vineyard were falsely told there would be jobs and housing waiting for them upon arrival, an immigration attorney told journalists Thursday.

Accounts from the migrants who arrived last night make it clear that they were lied to again and again, Rachel Self said.

The migrants were given the offer of jobs, free housing, and $50 gift cards, according to Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Washington-based civil rights group.

He said they were handed red folders with what proved to be fake documents promising jobs and housing, then flown to Martha's Vineyard in private charter planes, stopping at least once along the way.

FOLLOW THE FLIGHT: Florida Gov. DeSantis flew 50 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard

Julio Henriquez, an attorney who met with several migrants, said they had no idea of where they were going or where they were.

Many of the migrants have appointments with ICE Monday morning in Texas, Washington, and D.C., Self said  appointments theyre worried about missing.

U.S. officials told immigration attorneys that required check-ins would be postponed, Henriquez said. Homeland Security officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Everlides Dela Hoz, a mother and grandmother who made the trek from Venezuela with her husband and 25-year-old son, said the group, while grateful for the response they received in Martha's Vineyard, is angry that they were lied to.

When we got on the plane, they told us they would give us jobs, a place to live, everything, she said through a translator. The whole group is pretty upset. But they did take us to a nice place.

Buses, ferry take group to Cape Cod

The group left a church where they had been sheltering Friday and boarded buses bound for the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal. Police and state emergency management officials escorted the group through a crowd of people. As the migrants passed flashing cameras, they stopped to bid farewell to the islanders who welcomed them.

At the ferry terminal, Everlides Dela Hoz said she didnt know where she was headed. Dela Hoz traveled from Venezuela with her husband and 25-year-old son. On Friday, she said she was told there would be beds and that it would be safe and that they were promised help finding work.

WOODS HOLE 09/16/22 State Police motorcycles lead a motorcade with the bus carrying the Venezuelan migrants from Martha's Vineyard to Joint Base Cape Cod at the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal on Friday morning. Steve Heaslip/Cape Cod Times

After a short passage to the mainland, the migrants arrived at the Steamship Authoritys Woods Hole station. Onlookers erupted in applause as their bus, led by a state police escort, left the boat.

State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a Democrat, told reporters at the Steamship Authority dock in Woods Hole that the migrants were given the option to go to the base, but he didnt know the exact number of people who had arrived there Friday.

This is what good government actually looks like, what compassionate government actually looks like, Fernandes said. I couldnt be prouder of the people of Marthas Vineyard and Cape Cod and I couldnt be prouder to have a state team pull this together so quickly. We are a community that sprang together to give them the resources they needed, there was an outpouring of support from everywhere to help out.

More: Cubans, Haitians are fleeing to US in historic numbers. These crises are fueling migration.

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside a church on Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. Local leaders say two plane landings here appear to be carrying Venezuelan nationals sent to Massachusetts by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Shelter, humanitarian support to be provided at Joint Base Cape Cod

Gov. Charlie Baker's office on Friday morning announced plans to provide new shelter and humanitarian support at the base, located on the Upper Cape, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and other officials. The governor said he would activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to assist.

At Joint Base Cape Cod, the migrants will find respite in dormitory-style accommodations. Emergency management officials said there will be spaces both for singles and families, and that families will be kept together. They will be provided with clothing and toiletries kits, and food.

Officials said they will also have access to legal and health care services, as well as mental health and crises counseling services. Interpreters will be on hand to assist with communication.

Joint Base Cape Cod is a 22,000-acre facility and designated emergency shelter in Barnstable County. It's used by the National Guard, Air Force and Coast Guard for training exercises. It is the only Coast Guard Aviation facility in the northeast and keeps watch over waters from New Jersey to the Canadian border.

Biden: Republicans are 'playing politics with human beings'

Some Republicans, including Stephen Miller, a chief architect of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies, celebrated the surprise flights while critics have derided them as inhumane.

Column: Ron DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard stunt cruelly uses migrants as human pawns, helping no one

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused DeSantis and Abbott of abandoning the migrants in Martha's Vineyard and called the incident a "a cruel political stunt" Thursday.

President Joe Biden echoed that sentiment hours later criticizing Republican officials at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala.

"Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props," Biden said. "What theyre doing is simply wrong. Its un-American. Its reckless."

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Rick Jervis and Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY; Bruce Bowman, Pensacola News-Journal; Gwenn Friss, Cape Cod Times; Mark Harper, The Daytona Beach News-Journal; Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Migrants sent to Martha's Vineyard; DeSantis vows to keep going
MARTHA'S VINEYARD  The migrants were approached as they crossed the street to go to McDonald's. Many got their first taste of the United States while staying at a shelter in San Antonio.

An unidentified man and woman walked up to them and offered what sounded too good to be true: well-paying jobs, free housing, transportation. As an added incentive, the migrants were handed $50 gift cards.

The recently arrived migrants  most of them men from Venezuela paroled into the United States until their immigration court hearing  jumped at the chance.

The offer was, in fact, too good to be true. By days end, they had all been flown to Marthas Vineyard, an island off Massachusetts' coast unfamiliar to the migrants. They were abandoned with no jobs, no housing, no explanation.

Its criminal, said Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Washington-based civil rights group, who met and spoke with three of the migrants Friday. The terrible inhumanity of the governor of Florida using human beings with nothing but the clothes on their back as political pinatas.

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Wed. Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration's failed border policies.

More details emerged Friday about the group of about 50 Venezuelan migrants flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard this week aboard two charter flights, trips orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A DeSantis spokesperson said the migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard Wednesday as part of the governor's "promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states." DeSantis had persuaded state lawmakers to allocate $12 million to create a program to transfer migrants out of Florida, but it's unknown whether that money was used for these flights.

DeSantis said in a news conference Friday that Florida officials have been in Texas for months to determine who was trying to go to Florida, and then offering them free transportation to sanctuary jurisdictions. He said there would be more buses and flights with migrants, but he did not detail whether they would be going to Florida or other states.

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The Legislature gave me $12 million. Were going to spend every penny of that to make sure that we're protecting the people of the state of Florida, he said.

The unexpected arrival of the asylum seekers prompted Massachusetts officials to transport them Friday to Joint Base Cape Cod, a military base where they'll be housed until they leave for their final destinations. Some have families and friends in the United States they're trying to reach.

The governors of Texas and Arizona have been directing charter buses to take thousands of migrants out of those states to New York, Washington and Chicago for months. The states have said they're doing it to make a political statement but have insisted the trips are voluntary.

Column: Ron DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard stunt cruelly uses migrants as human pawns, helping no one

Officials from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office said they were not involved with the flight to Martha's Vineyard but had been in contact with DeSantis' staff about transporting migrants.

Texas has transported more than 11,000 migrants from the state on more than 245 chartered buses. The day after the Martha's Vineyard flight, Texas dropped off busloads of immigrants at the Naval Observatory in Washington, where Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff reside.

"Gov. Abbott encourages and welcomes all his fellow governors to engage in this effort to secure the border and focus on the failing and illegal efforts of the Biden-Harris administration to continue these reckless open border policies," Renae Eze, Abbott's press secretary, said in a statement.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attends a media event regarding the 2022 Florida Python Challenge, June 16, 2022, in Miami.

But this week's transport of migrants from Texas to Massachusetts is the first where the migrants may have been overtly deceived into going and involves state officials meddling with migrants in another state, drawing questions of coercion and constitutional violations, said Denise Gilman, head of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.

"This seems to be a government action by the state of Florida to take people without their consent into custody and transport them," she said. "It's an unconstitutional government action."

Garcia said the three Venezuelan men he spoke with had crossed into the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas, and later traveled to San Antonio. They were staying at the Migrant Resource Center there, a city-run respite center, while they finalized travel plans.

One of the men, who did not want his name revealed, said he had been kidnapped by Mexican cartels on his way to the United States and had six teeth pulled as the cartel tried to ransom him for money, Garcia said.

Outside the San Antonio center, they were given the offer of jobs and free housing and the $50 gift cards, he said. They were handed red folders with what proved to be fake documents promising jobs and housing, then flown to Martha's Vineyard in private charter planes, stopping at least once along the way, Garcia said.

None of the men had ever heard of Martha's Vineyard, he said. All of them had wanted to go to Florida.

Garcia said his group is drafting a letter urging the U.S. Justice Department to investigate.

"It's the first time in American history I've heard of any governor using refugees in this matter," he said.

Everlides Dela Hoz, a mother and grandmother who made the trek from Venezuela with her husband and 25-year-old son, said the group, while grateful for the response they received in Martha's Vineyard, is angry that they were lied to.

When we got on the plane, they told us they would give us jobs, a place to live, everything, she said through a translator. The whole group is pretty upset. But they did take us to a nice place.

Venezuelan American leaders in Florida denounced the flights of asylum seekers to Marthas Vineyard, blasting DeSantis.

Venezuelan leaders are rightfully outraged, five Venezuelan American groups said in a joint statement, calling the governors move a blatant disregard for human life and accusing him of lying to Cuban and Venezuelan communities this month when they said he pledged not to sent migrants from either country out of state.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined Friday to say whether the White House was looking into the legality of DeSantis actions and referred questions to the Justice Department.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden criticized Republican governors who have sent migrants out of their states.

What they're doing is simply wrong, it's un-American, it's reckless, he said. We have a process in place to manage migrants at the border. We're working to make sure it's safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts.

It has been common practice recently for migrants such as those from Venezuela to cross between border entries and surrender to U.S. Border Patrol to seek asylum rather than wait in dangerous Mexican border towns for a chance to enter.

Political and economic unrest in Venezuela has spurred many to flee their country. Through July of this fiscal year, 128,556 Venezuelans have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border, a steep increase from last year's total of 48,678 and just 2,787 in 2020.

Migrants and asylum seekers are detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma County, Arizona, near the Cocopah Indian Tribe's reservation on July 28, 2022.

After being processed by Border Patrol agents, Venezuelans are commonly released into the United States to await their next immigration hearing. At respite centers in Eagle Pass or Del Rio in South Texas, they take buses to San Antonio, where they board flights to reunite with relatives in U.S. cities or hop aboard free state-chartered buses.

Gregory Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said his group has attorneys on the ground speaking with migrants who were taken to Martha's Vineyard.

He said some of the migrants were promised various inducements, such as having their cases processed more quickly.

The problem here is that these false pretenses are unethical and will put migrants in jeopardy, Chen said, adding that some of the migrants could miss their court hearings because of the confusion.

Because they have been released by federal agencies, immigration laws don't apply, said Kate Huddleston, a Houston-based staff attorney with the ACLU who focuses on immigrants' rights.

But the fact that the migrants may not have known where they were going is cause for concern, she said.

"This is an incredibly concerning escalation in both Florida and Texas' use of migrants as political pawns," Huddleston said.

Follow Jervis, Hinkle and Morin on Twitter: @MrRJervis, @Hinkle, @RebeccaMorin_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard had been promised jobs
WASHINGTON (AP)  Russia's setbacks and stretched resources in Ukraine show its forces are incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putin's initial aims in invading the country as things stand now, the Pentagon's intelligence chief said Friday.

We're coming to a point right now where I think Putin is going to have to revise what his objectives are for this operation, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told an intelligence and national security conference outside Washington. Because its pretty clear right now that hes ... not going to be able to do what he initially intended to do.

Putin sent troops into neighboring Ukraine in February with what U.S. officials say was the objective of unseating Ukraine's Western-friendly government. Ukrainian forces drove Russian fighters from their positions around Ukraine's capital earlier in the war. And Russia suffered another major setback last week, when a Ukrainian counteroffensive forced its troops back from large swaths of Ukraine's northeast.

The Russians planned for an occupation, not necessarily an invasion, and that has set them back," Berrier said, citing Putin's reluctance so far to fully mobilize Russian forces to get more manpower into the fight.

President Joe Biden and other administration officials have taken care not to call Russia's latest retreat a Ukrainian victory or turning point in the war, and analysts caution it's impossible to assess what may lie ahead.

Hes coming to a decision point," Berrier said of Putin. "What that decision will be we dont know. But that will largely drive how long this conflict lasts.

Berrier spoke at a panel with other senior officials at the intelligence community's Intelligence and National Security Summit at National Harbor in Maryland just outside Washington.

Asked about concerns that Putin could unleash weapons of mass destruction if he's thwarted on the battlefield by U.S. and NATO-backed Ukrainian forces, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said, I don't think we should underestimate Putin's adherence to his original agenda, which was to control Ukraine. I don't think we've seen any reason to believe he has moved off that.

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Nor should the U.S. underestimate Putin's risk appetite, Cohen said. Putin and his officials early in the war made allusions to Russia's nuclear arsenal and to massive retaliation in warning NATO not to get involved in the conflict.

"That being said, we have not seen concrete evidence of planning for the use of WMD,'' Cohen said. The more likely form of any Russian retaliation against the United States would be more attempts at interfering with the U.S. political system, other security and intelligence officials said.

Separately, in a major regional summit in Uzbekistan on Friday, Putin vowed to press the attack on Ukraine and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

The conference included the leaders of China, India, Turkey and several other countries.

Putin said the liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region was Russias main military goal and that he saw no need to revise it.

We arent in a rush, the Russian leader said.
Sep. 16The Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge returns to Albert Lea United Methodist church this Sunday during the 10 a.m. service. This year there will be 25 to 30 members of the women's choir. Every member of the choir has experienced some type of dependency. Every member of the choir made a commitment of at least one year to the program.

"Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge is a faith-based recovery program, treatment program in Minnesota," said David Hunter, the center director in Rochester.

The Adult and Teen Challenge was founded by David Wilkerson back in the 1950s, who at the time had traveled to New York to minister to a group of boys that were in trouble with the law.

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"Their lives were radically turned around, they were freed from their drug addiction and consequently that was the beginning of what is now known as Adult and Teen Challenge."

By doing this, their hope is not only to get clients sober but to help them find freedom and a relationship with God.

"In [Alcoholics Anonymous] for instance, one of the steps is discovering a power greater than ourselves, meaning many  if not most  addicts will discover that trying to get sober in and of themselves and relying on their own strength only lasts so long," he said. "And so the spiritual aspect, they're relying on a creator or higher power, something greater than ourselves allows us to tap into a will power, if you will, that is stronger than us."

He also felt it helped addicts come to the conclusion that they wouldn't have to go through treatment alone.

He said one of the primary ways to share what the organization was about was by going to different churches and sharing what was happening in the lives of clients.

"When people are actually able to look at someone who was trapped in addiction and how they've been set free and the life they're now living, it tends to speak for itself a little bit better," he said.

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Originally called Teen Challenge, the organization changed its name after realizing it was more than teenagers who needed help.

According to John Mitchem, the partnership with Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge started while he was serving in the Twin Cities. Mitchem is pastor at the church and the chaplain for the Albert Lea Police Department and Freeborn County Sheriff's Office.

"We invited them back in 2008 at the church I was serving," he said. "Every church I've served, we invite them every year."

There were two reasons Mitchem wanted them to do this: He said it was important for people recovering to be able to tell their story, and it was important for those who shared to receive care and love.

"When the Minnesota Adult Teen Challenge is here, they not only do some songs for worship, but they tell testimonies."

Hunter said the choir is composed of clients in a 13-month long-term program.

"They will come, and they will just share a few songs and a few testimonies about what is happening in their lives since coming to the program," he said.

Mitchem also felt everybody knew someone who was affected by some type of addiction, and said in his own opinion every problem he saw in Albert Lea was directly related to drug use and abuse.

The organization has been presenting yearly at Albert Lea United Methodist church since he began in 2015. The event is open to the public and everyone is invited to come.

"It's just powerful," he said. "Church services on Sundays are supposed to be powerful and remind people of the grace of God and the mercy of God, and when we hear the testimony we hear God working in their lives."

Hunter described these programs as receiving "wonderful" responses.

"Our choir trips are a way for people who may have never heard of the Teen Challenge to get to know what we're about, what's going on in Teen Challenge, how Teen Challenge originated and basically even offer some opportunities if people want ways to get involved to come alongside us and support us and what we're doing throughout the state of Minnesota."

He admitted that by going to churches and other community events, oftentimes they'll learn about other people who were struggling and how hearing the organization's stories of hope provided them hope.

According to Hunter, the program is the largest faith-based recovery program not just in Minnesota, but with over 1,300 centers is the largest in the world. Including their short-term and long-term programs as well as outpatient and aftercare services, there are 14 locations across Minnesota.

"They all look different but they're serving people who are struggling not only with addiction but other life-controlling issues," he said.

The program is not geared toward a specific denomination, and he said they accept people from all different backgrounds.

"Quite frankly addiction doesn't discriminate," he said.

For anyone interested in joining the program, visit mntc.org or call 612-373-3366.

"If there are people out there who are suffering or who are wrestling with addiction or know someone who is, ... please give us a call," he said. "We're here to help."

Besides the choir trips, there will be a gala at 5:30 p.m. Thursday Oct. 13 at the Rochester International Event Center. For more information or to register for the event visit https://www.mntc.org/event/rochester-gala/.
The Montgomery County Prosecutors Office issued an alert to warn residents on ways to avoid being scammed when hiring a contractor, according to a release from the Prosecutors office.

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This alert is part of an initiative to help people understand what the red flags are in potential contractor fraud, the release said.

The first sign of a potential scam is if the contractor asks for large amounts of money upfront for the cost of materials and equipment. Prosecutors said to be aware that many states have limits on what a contractor is able to charge before work has begun.

Under Ohio Provisions regarding Home Construction Service Suppliers, a home construction service supplier cannot take more than 10% of the total price of the contract before beginning to work, according to the Prosecutors office.

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Another sign of a potential scam is a lack of a contract. Prosecutors say this can lead to the contractor requesting additional money for unforeseen problems.

Include provisions on how these problems will be handled in the initial contract, the release said.

If a door to door contractor approaches you at your house, do not hire them on the spot. Prosecutors suggest looking into the contractors credentials to determine if they are reputable, according to the release.

>>OVI checkpoint to be held in Butler Co. tonight

Prosecutors suggest anyone who feels they may be getting scammed to call the Montgomery County Prosecutors office: 937-225-5757.








david-bowie-2

David Bowie seen in 'Moonage Daydream' Credit - Neon

Its probably impossible to make the definitive documentary about a figure like David Bowie, who was so much larger and grander than life. The beauty of Brett Morgens velvet-and-facepaint collage Moonage Daydream is that it doesnt try to be definitive. Instead, its a glide through Bowies career, hardly complete yet somehow capturing both the spirit and the genius of this most enigmatic and alluring artist. Morgenwhose films include the Kurt Cobain documentary Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Kid Stays in the Picture, about high-flying studio exec Robert Evanshas painted this sprawling mural using only archival material, including clips from television talk-show interviews and lots of concert footage. The effect is a kind of swoony, merry-go-round swirl; there are no current-day talking heads to break us out of this dream.

Morgen seems to recognize that, from the moment Bowie splashed onto the scene in the early 1970shis first two albums, released in 1967 and 1969, were not hitsto the moment he died in 2016, there were almost too many David Bowies to count. Morgen begins with the artists Ziggy Stardust persona, circa the early 70s: he was a slender reed of a man with a choppy strawberry-red haircut, eyes rimmed with stark eyeliner. The concert footage Morgen chooses from this era is electrifying: Bowie is part butterfly, part untouchable glitter god, a creature of splendid beauty whose remoteness is part of his appeal. The crowd of English kids who turn out for his concerts cant get enough. Theres footage of them streaming into one of Bowies shows, dressed in the best version of cool clothes they can musteryou can tell most of them dont have much money, but they already know that swagger counts for a lot. Many have teased their hair and painted their faces with lightning bolts. A girl sitting outside the stage door tearfully explains that shes been waiting for a long time just for a glimpse, but she believes shes missed him.

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Whats fascinating about this early section of the film is how devoted these young people are to a figure who held himself safely away from them, even as he gave his all during performances. Theres a lot of talking in the first section of Moonage Daydream. Some of it is voiceover narration from Bowie himself, culled from various sourcesthe effect is ghostly and touching. Morgen also includes archival clips of Bowie appearing on talk shows both in the States and the U.K., and, in his shy, awkward way, explaining his ideas about gender fluidity, long before there was an accepted term for it. One U.K. talk-show host comments disdainfully on his outfit, a gorgeously tailored suit with extreme shoulders, worn with glitter sox and towering platform sandals. You know right away whos the hero and whos the enemy in this scenario, and its easy to see why, his glorious gifts as a writer and performer aside, Bowies guarded charm would win young people over immediately. He told them, in his appearance and actions as well as actual words, that they didnt have to let anyone else define who they should be, how they should feel about the opposite sex or their own, that they could create a self and inhabit it comfortablyperhaps easier said than done, then as today, but how could you not love a performer who urged you toward that freedom? These early sections of the film are the most affecting, capturing how extraordinary Bowie was for his time. No wonder those kids, in their ragtag finery, adored him.

David Bowie seen in 'Moonage Daydream' Neon

From there, Morgen traces Bowies evolution not just as an artist, but as a person who ultimately grew to feel more comfortable sharing bits of himself with the public. He includes clips from Bowies filmsamong them The Man Who Fell to Earth, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and The Hungeras well as snippets of interviews in which Bowie explains how and why certain albums came about. In the mid-late 1970s, exhausted and in need of recharging, he went to Berlin. There, he tried to make sense of the East-West divide, but couldnt capture his ideas in sound. He called in his friend Brian Eno, resulting in what came to be called the Berlin Trilogy, three albums (Low, Heroes, and Lodger) released between 1977 and 1979, born partly of experimentation with ambient music, freeing something in Bowies work. Shortly thereafter, he spent time traveling the world, which seemed to instill in him a new optimism. The result was the 1983 album Lets Dance, considered a sellout by many critics of the day, though the footage from the era included in Moonage Daydream suggests that this period of exuberance and joy was an important transition for Bowie. The interview clips from this time show him fully at ease with himself, ready to answer any earnest question as honestly as possiblea far cry from the shy, cryptic Bowie of the early 1970s. They also point the way to the Bowie who met and instantly fell in love with the supermodel Iman, to whom he was married until his death. The images Morgen includes hereof the two laughing and wrapped in each others arms on a beach, or dancing together in an unguarded momentare a kind of balm. In the early 1990s, if you wanted true happiness for any rock star, you wanted it for David Bowie.

Though Moonage Daydream is unapologetically a scrapbook rather than a conventional portrait, you still get the feeling that Morgen was trying to pack in as much information as possible. Maybe thats why the movie feels slightly bloated; a little careful trimming wouldnt have hurt. But the point stands: Bowie was too big, and too magnificent, for any of us to fully grasp, and his loss still hurts. If nothing else, Moonage Daydream captures him as wed like to remember him: dazzling, sensitive, full of questionsand in the end, as happy, probably, as a truly brilliant person can ever be.
Sep. 15Following a protest outside of the Howard County Public School System building, around 50 students and community members testified Wednesday night at a public hearing against Superintendent Michael Martirano's proposed redistricting plan.

More than a dozen Mount Hebron High School students, many wearing black-and-gold shirts emblazoned with their class years, urged the board not to reassign them to Howard High School, as the plan proposes.

"It was like a balloon popped when it was recommended that my community should be redistricted," said freshman Safi Rahman, who said he spent the summer training to earn a spot on Mount Hebron's soccer team. "For the past few weeks, my friends and I have been in a haze, wanting to get involved in our current school but not wanting to get too attached because it may no longer be our school soon."

The public hearing was the second held since Martirano presented the Proposed Attendance Area Adjustment Plan on Sept. 1. The hearings are meant to allow for community input on the plan to the Board of Education, which did not respond directly to any testimony Wednesday. The board must adopt boundaries for the 2023-24 school year by Nov. 17.

In anticipation of the opening of the county's 13th public high school in Jessup next fall, Martirano's plan would reassign approximately 2,555 high school students and 46 middle school students in an effort to relieve overcrowding throughout the system and populate the new high school.

Nearly 1,000 students from the Elkridge area would be moved from Long Reach and Howard high schools to the new high school in Jessup and 391 Mount Hebron students would be sent to Howard to relieve overcrowding at Mount Hebron. More than 500 Reservoir High School students would relocate to Hammond High School.

Students spoke about academic, social and mental challenges caused by switching high schools, particularly after their educations already had been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"As we thought our mental health was slowly recovering, and as we finally got situated in the first week of high school, the [superintendent] announced [his] plan of redistricting us to Howard," said Lay Shah, a Mount Hebron ninth grader.

"Interrupting students' high school, especially after the first year, is probably the worst thing one can do. I've already built so many relationships with friends, soccer team, club, orchestra, ensembles, counselors, teachers and many more."

HCPSS Policy 6010, which outlines how school area adjustments occur, exempts only rising 12th graders from reassignment. Mount Hebron students and parents asked that all current high schoolers, or at least rising juniors, be allowed to remain at their current schools. The school board may also consider exemptions for students who have already been reassigned once within the past five years.

In addition to student testimony, a number of Elkridge and Hanover residents spoke, continuing to argue that the proposed plan would break up their communities and lead to a difficult and dangerous commute along Route 1 and Interstate 95 to the new high school in Jessup.

"Our sense of community on Route 1 runs east to west to avoid congested industrial travel, not north to south," said parent Rebecca Vivrette, of Hanover. "The well-being of our neighbors, who are struggling financially or have limited transportation, is so much more important to us than a shiny, new building."

Howard County Council member Liz Walsh, a Democrat representing District 1, which includes Elkridge, testified that the proposal was the result of years of failure by the county officials to address rapid growth in the greater Elkridge area. Walsh is seeking reelection this year.

Under the plan, Walsh said, Elkridge residents would be "sentenced to be bused down a lanes-wide state highway, alongside massive tractor-trailers that travel to and from literal distribution centers every hour of the day, every day of the week."

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Many parents asked the board to consider Figure B-8 from the appendices of the 2022 Feasibility Study as an alternative. B-8 tried to "equally balance all of the criteria studied," and would keep most Elkridge residents at Long Reach and Howard high schools but still reassign more than 5,300 students.

"B-8 is not perfect and would certainly need tweaking," said Hanover resident Leslie Kornreich. "But it is a better starting point than this plan, which puts all of Elkridge at a disadvantage."

Applause filled the board room after each speaker, and parents and students alike stressed the need for continuity, both for their communities and for their high schools.

"Day in and day out, every day, before school, during school and after school, we talk about [Mount Hebron] Viking pride and how that is what resonates between every single student," said Mount Hebron ninth grader Amogh Pawar. "We're stuck in a place where you're constantly being tested and our education is being altered. What will it take for our generation to get a proper, undisturbed education?"

The board has scheduled an additional public hearing for Oct. 19 if there is a public demand for more testimony. Public work sessions, during which the board will discuss the superintendent's proposal and potential modifications, are scheduled for Sept. 21, 28; Oct. 3, 13, 27; Nov. 2 and 14. All begin at 4 p.m.

Community members must register to testify at a public hearing and may also submit written testimony. The public may attend work sessions in person or via livestream, but cannot participate in them.
I moved from the US to South Africa in 2020 and found many differences between the countries' grocery stores. Megan Gieske

When I moved from the US to South Africa, I didn't expect the grocery stores to be so different.

In South Africa, I weigh my own produce before I get to the register and buy unrefrigerated eggs.

I can also buy game meat, like ostrich and impala, in most South African grocery stores.

When I moved from the US to South Africa, I didn't expect there to be so many differences between the countries' grocery stores.

I'd never heard of some of South Africa's most popular foods, like Mrs. Balls Chutney, before I moved. Megan Gieske

Like many Americans from small towns, I've shopped at the same grocery store since I was small enough to sit in my mother's cart. I know the aisles so well that I could probably do my weekly food run blindfolded.

When I moved to Cape Town in 2020, I expected the South African supermarkets to be the same as the stores in New Jersey. However, I learned that a new grocery-shopping routine was one of the many adjustments I had to make after moving to a new country.

Here are some of the most surprising differences between grocery stores in the US and South Africa.

In South Africa, the international sections are smaller and lack a lot of the foods I used to buy in New Jersey.

In my experience, South African grocery stores don't carry ingredients for empanadas, tostones, or arepas. Megan Gieske

When I lived in New Jersey, I loved cooking empanadas and tostones with my friends from Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The ingredients were easy to find in stores like ShopRite and Weis Markets.

That's not the case in South African grocery stores. Ingredients for Latin or Mexican foods occupy just a couple of shelves in the international section. Forget trying to make empanadas, tostones, or arepas. If I'm lucky, I can find half a shelf of stale taco shells.

Because South Africa has one of the largest Indian populations outside of India, its grocery stores have a much larger selection of Indian foods than the stores did in New Jersey. For example, I can buy curries from Durban, a city that's home to South Africa's largest Indian population.

The stores also carry a wide variety of African foods and beverages  such as samp, which are dried corn kernels; mealie pap, a breakfast food made of milled white corn; and Stoney, a spicy ginger ale.

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Signs in South African grocery stores have words in both English and Afrikaans.

The signs in South African grocery stores are in Afrikaans and English. Megan Gieske

In many South African grocery stores, the signs hanging above the aisles are in both English and Afrikaans, one of the country's 11 official languages.

Usually, the side facing the front of the store is in English, and the side facing the back is in Afrikaans.

Eggs aren't refrigerated in South African supermarkets.

South African supermarkets don't keep their eggs in the refrigerator. Megan Gieske

Grocery stores in the US store eggs in the refrigerated section, but supermarkets in South Africa keep them at room temperature, as do many countries in Asia and Europe.

Egg processing in the US  which involves removing the egg's protective layer by washing and drying it  makes the egg more prone to infection from salmonella. So, US food processing regulations require that eggs are refrigerated to avoid infection.

In countries that don't refrigerate eggs, the processes are different, and they have their own methods of avoiding contamination or infection.

The names that South Africans use for fruits and vegetables are very different.

I call citrus fruits tangerines, but my partner calls them naartjies. Megan Gieske

The first time I paged through a South African cookbook, I saw a recipe that called for 250 grams of beetroot and wondered how many beets I needed to buy to get 250 grams of their roots. Little did I know, beetroot is just the term South Africans use for beets.

A lot of the names that South Africans use for fruit and vegetables come from British English and Afrikaans. For example, rocket means arugula, aubergine means eggplant, and courgette means zucchini.

When I first asked my South African partner to define naartjies, he very helpfully told me, "They're naartjies." I later surmised that naartjie is the Afrikaans word for tangerine.

And a South African family I stayed with once asked if I wanted any "spanspek," I had no idea what they were talking about. When they finally showed me the fruit, I shouted: "That's cantaloupe!"

Customers in South African grocery stores weigh their own produce before bringing it to the register.

I have to weigh my produce before checking out in South Africa. Megan Gieske

In South Africa, customers weigh their own produce themselves before checking out.

I was used to cashiers weighing my produce in the US, so the first time I bought fresh fruit and vegetables in South Africa, I confidently arrived to the register without weighing my items ahead of time.

You can imagine the confusion on the cashier's face. After having a good laugh, they sent me back to weigh my produce.

Grocery delivery is cheaper in South Africa than it is in the US.

I usually get my groceries delivered in South Africa instead of going to the store myself. Megan Gieske

Most weeks, I get my groceries delivered to my house in Cape Town instead of practicing my shopping skills.

I order groceries from the Checkers grocery app and they arrive in an hour. The delivery fee only costs 35 rand, or just over $2. For comparison, the fee for one-hour grocery delivery in the US can typically cost between $4.99 and $9.99.

This affordable, convenient option saves me a lot of time and helps me feel more comfortable during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Open-air markets are more common in South Africa.

Many people shop for spices and special ingredients at open-air markets. Megan Gieske

When I lived in my rural New Jersey hometown, I bought a lot of my fresh produce at roadside stalls. I could get sweet corn and Jersey tomatoes that were grown on local farms.

In South Africa, there are similar stalls outside of major cities, like Cape Town and Johannesburg. Plus, there are a lot of open-air markets, which are great places to shop for spices and other specific ingredients.

My partner's parents live in an area with a large Indian community, and they get the ingredients for their Indian recipes at both the local grocery store and the nearby open-air markets.

They prefer to shop for spices and poultry at open-air markets since many of them carry a wider variety of options.

Grocery stores in South Africa sell game meat next to beef, pork, poultry, and lamb.

South African grocery stores sell ostrich meat and venison. Megan Gieske

I could buy ostrich meat in New Jersey, but it was considered to be more of a specialty food item. So I was surprised to find ostrich meat right next to chicken, beef, and pork in the grocery store when I got to South Africa.

The grocery stores here carry a wide range of ostrich meat and venison  game meat including impala, kudu, eland, gemsbok, springbok, blesbok, and wild boar. I can eat like a lion or a leopard just by shopping at my local grocery store.

Many brand names are inspired by the South African bush.

A lot of the brand names are inspired by the country's wildlife. Megan Gieske

One of the most popular chip brands in South Africa is called Simba, and each bag has a photo of a lion on the front.

The brand name and the chip flavors  including Mrs. Balls Chutney, Chakalaka, Chili Biltong, and Braai Wors  are inspired by the bush, or the South African wilderness.

Customers can buy wine at the local South African grocery store, but not beer or liquor.

I can buy wine in South African grocery stores, but not hard liquor or beer. Megan Gieske

In South Africa, shoppers can pick up a bottle of wine at the same time as they buy their food and beverages. However, grocery stores aren't permitted to sell beer or liquor.

In the US, laws on selling alcohol in grocery stores vary by state. Grocery stores in some states sell a wide range of liquor, beer, and wine, but supermarkets in other states don't sell any alcohol at all.

The ShopRite location where I got my groceries in New Jersey didn't carry any alcohol. Many US supermarkets have a separate liquor store next door.

Grocery stores' biltong and braai offerings prove how much South Africans love their meats.

Biltong, or dried meat, is one of the most beloved foods in South Africa. Megan Gieske

Biltong  cured meat that, in my opinion, tastes similar to American jerky  is so popular in South Africa that some grocery stores have entire stations dedicated to it.

At a Pick n Pay near my home, shoppers can select their own biltong. I can't imagine a grocery store in New Jersey having an entire section devoted to jerky.

The grocery stores here also reflect South Africans' love for a braai, which is a feast of barbecued meat cooked over wood. Most supermarkets have pre-packaged meats, such as marinated pork chops or marinated chicken kebabs, prepared specifically for a braai.

Grocery stores in the US sell some barbecue items and marinated meats. However, South Africans takes their meat-cooking more seriously, and it shows in the amount of braai-ready meat their grocery stores sell.

Read the original article on Insider
Anthony Lovat was in the dentistry business for 15 years before launching his own company. Photo: Opro

Former dentist Dr Anthony Lovat founded UK-based Opro in 1997 and is now a leading pioneer in oral protection, the company claiming to be the worlds most technically advanced mouthguard company.

Opros turnover is 6 to 7m while the Hertfordshire-based outfit has around 30 staff and has launched the worlds first instant custom-fit mouthguard.

Dentistry is an unusual environment to learn from someone in a practice as you usually work alone. But Roy Berger was someone I looked up to and learnt from  not that he ever knew it.

I would sometimes eavesdrop outside his surgery and what and how he was saying things to patients. Roy was very clear and people understood what he was saying. Everybody looked up and admired him, and it was from him I learnt about the art of communication.

Coming in as a fresh dentist, the biggest lesson I learnt was not to go out and try to convince someone of something, but just teach them about it. If I had educated someone about having a crown in their tooth, with a bit of bluff I would have soon convinced them. Roys mantra was about educating first.

Read more: My first boss: Anne Boden, CEO and founder of Starling Bank

It was a lesson I took forward in starting Opro. In the beginning, the best thing I could do was not to try and convince people to use our service, it was to educate them on the value of mouthguards and its benefits from a medical and legal perspective. This was where the company really took off, as I listened to the reaction of the teachers I spoke to. The main concerns were whether they would be in line to be sued if something went wrong and what was the best way of protecting themselves by protecting their kids.

When I went to work for Roy, it was my first job after dental school in 1981. He had practices in Harley Street and Crouch End and I was an associate in the latter, with six surgeries. When I later became a partner, my entrepreneurial skills came to the fore when I said we should grow to more than two practices and with 20 dentists working for us. My role was to look after the enterprise.

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Yet, as a dentist I didnt like sitting in a small room hurting people and so it led me to setting up Opro (shorthand for oral protection) in 1997.

Where you are trying to disrupt an existing market, getting a message across and educating underpins everything. The key to success was getting things wrong in the first place. Curiously, this was very helpful. I wrote to hundreds of schools and received a response from one  Roger Uttley at Harrow School. The interest was huge, as 150 boys turned up for impressions.

I immediately decided to use an outside laboratory and there was no other place which could handle the volume.

Several England Hockey players use Opro mouthguards

I knew how mouthguards were made generally, but I wanted to deconstruct and reconstruct as a production line. There were 20 distinct steps and just by teaching someone one step you could then mesh them together without having to educate anyone hugely about what they were doing. They would become very proficient inside a day or two. During busy periods, like September for the start of school terms, we take on a lot of students and give them small steps to master for the month they are with us.

Mouthguards werent worn in schools when Opro started. Nowadays it is largely mandatory. We also now embed electronics in the mouthguard before sending them back to players and athletes, the data being collected appears powerful and is starting to show the way as to what may be the cause of concussion. Thats the holy grail here, being able to pinpoint when a concussion will happen. But we arent there yet.

What a mouthguard offers is the only place on a head which can effectively lock down some immovable chips to give accurate data. We are seeing mouthguards in all sorts of areas outside the main combat sports, the stick sports, rugby and the NFL. We are also seeing an interest from downhill skiers, the diving world  measuring the impact a diver has on water entry  and in F1, with the forces occurred by the drivers.

Read more: My first boss: Ugo Monye, former England rugby star

I think Roy realised my entrepreneurship and desire to deviate from what I was doing was strong. I dont think it came as a huge surprise when he found out I had left dentistry to go off in a different direction.

I had spent five years learning to be a dentist and 15 years practicing. I didnt know I had an entrepreneurial streak until I jumped ship and started Opro. As time went on I began to realise I could be more creative in this environment than I perhaps imagined.

Twenty five years ago, I asked a friend whether I was mad or clever in starting Opro. He told me to ask him in a year. Yes, I rolled the dice and it turned out okay, but not without some bumps in the road. You often learn more from things which fail than with any successes.

Dr Anthony Lovat is the founder of leading mouthguard provider OPRO, who have recently launched the worlds first Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard. For more information visit www.opro.com

Watch: Why do we still have a gender pay gap?
Photo: Contributed

Most of us know how to find the Pole, or North Star.

We find the Dipper and follow the line indicated by the pair of stars opposite the handle. It is the star that does not appear to move, while the rotation of the Earth carries all the other stars in circles around it.

This star is overhead at the North Pole, which is why it is called the Pole Star, or Polaris, which is its "star name". It is also called the North Star, because for anyone in the Northern Hemisphere, not standing at the pole, looking in its direction means we are looking North. In addition, measuring its angle of elevation from the northern horizon tells us our latitude.

A few centuries ago, when we had no accurate way of determining our longitude (our position east-west), we would navigate our way across the oceans by using Polaris. We sailed north or south until we were at the latitude of our destination, and then sailed east or west, depending on where we were going, keeping Polaris at the same angle above the horizon. The Pole, or North Star, has been so fundamental, for so long that it is easy to assume it is a constant thing. It is not.

At some point, we must all have played with spinning tops. If we set them spinning fast enough, they would stay upright, balancing on their tips. We found that it is very hard to set a top spinning exactly upright, and that when we failed to do so, the top would describe slow, circular wobbles, but not fall over. This wobbling process is known as precession and is due to the interplay between the spinning motion and gravity trying to pull that non-upright top over. The Earth is in a similar situation.

Our planet spins on its axis once a day. However, a uniform, fixed spin is made impossible by the Earth not being perfectly spherical. It bulges at the equator, and has the Sun and Moon gravitationally tugging at that bulge. The result is that, like the top, our spinning planet wobbles; it precesses. This means Polaris has not always been the Pole Star and won't remain so into the future.

If we stand at the North Pole and look upwards to the zeniththe point exactly overheadwe will be looking along the line of the Earth's axis of rotation, and see that the axis points very close to Polaris. This means that as the Earth rotates, that star stays where it is, and all the other stars appear to circle around it. As the Earth's rotation precesses, the axis of rotation will describe a circle among the stars.

It takes 26,000 years to complete each lap. Back in the days of the ancient Egyptians, the axis pointed at Thuban, in the constellation of Draco, "The Dragon". Since then it moved until it pointed close to Polaris. Now it is slowly moving away and in the direction of the star Alderamin, in the constellation of Cepheus (a constellation named after the husband of Queen Cassiopeia), so in 7500 AD that will be our North Star.

The constellation of Cepheus looks rather like a house, and none of the stars in it, including Alderamin are very bright.

Around 10,000 AD the pole position will lie in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. In 13,700 AD the North Star will be the bright, bluish star Vega, which at the moment lies almost overhead in the evening. Around 23,000 AD Thuban will be the Pole Star again, and by 27,000 AD Polaris will be back on the job.

One interesting consequence of precession is that the signs of the Zodiac are slowly slipping backwards.

The first sign of the Zodiac is the constellation sitting at the point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator in the spring. That used to be Aries. The first sign is now Pisces. However, in just under 26,000 years, when the Earth starts its next wobble, it will be Aries again.



 On Sept. 23, the Sun will cross the equator, heading south, marking the autumn equinox. It will be in front of the constellation of Virgo.

Saturn and Jupiter are in the sky after sunset. Mars rises three hours later.

 The Moon will be new on the Sept. 25.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
A Hollywood police officer was charged Friday in a July 2021 shooting that left a naked man paralyzed.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Broward County State Attorneys Office investigation found that Officer Henry Andrews was criminally responsible for shooting Michael Ortiz in the back during an incident in which Ortiz called 911 to complain about chest pain and that hed taken drugs.

Andrews attorney Jeremy Kroll said in a statement to the Miami Herald Friday that the shooting was an accident, and that his client meant to use his Taser stun gun, not his pistol, while struggling with an agitated and naked Ortiz.

Henry Andrews has been a dedicated public servant for 20 years. In responding to a difficult and chaotic situation, Officer Andrews intended to deploy his Taser and mistakenly discharged his firearm. He and his family have Mr. Ortiz in their thoughts and prayers, Kroll said.

The Broward County State Attorneys Office charged Andrews with one count of culpable negligence, inflicting actual personal injury, which is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. Andrews was charged by prosecutors, not a grand jury.

He was not arrested. Rather, a summons was delivered to Kroll for his client to appear before a judge to hear the charge on Oct. 1.

Hollywood Police Department spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi said Andrews is still employed on the force and has been assigned to administrative duties. Andrews salary and length if service in the department were not immediately available Friday, Bettineschi said.

The shooting happened on July 3, 2021. Ortiz called 911, telling operators he had chest pain and was taking narcotics.

When police arrived at his apartment at 5200 Hollywood Blvd., Ortiz came outside naked and was combative with paramedics and visibly agitated, officers said in a February news release.

Ortiz told officers he was going to jump from his sixth-floor balcony, according to the statement. An officer was able to restrain Ortiz after shooting him with his stun gun, police said. But, as cops brought him down the apartment buildings stairs, he fought with them.

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One of the officers, Andrews, shot Ortiz in the struggle, hitting him once, police said.Ortizs attorney, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, released a statement in February saying that Ortiz posed no threat to officers when he was shot.

He was handcuffed, naked, on the ground, and posed no threat to the officer when he was shot in the back, resulting in his paralysis, attorneys said in the statement. Michael Ortiz needed help from the Hollywood Police Department, but what they provided instead was a bullet in the back.

Crumps office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday about Andrews being charged.
Eight Namibian cheetahs were on Friday airlifted to India, part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the big cats after they were driven to extinction there decades ago, officials and vets said.

The wild cheetahs were moved by road from a game park north of the Namibian capital Windhoek to board a chartered Boeing 747 dubbed "Cat plane" for an 11-hour flight.

They will be personally welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, his 72nd birthday.

He will swing open the gates of Kuno National Park, a new sanctuary created for the cats, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of Delhi.

The 750-square-kilometre (290-square-mile) protected park was selected as a home because of its abundant prey and grasslands.

The project is the world's first inter-continental translocation of cheetahs, the world's fastest land animal, according to the Indian high commissioner to Namibia, Prashant Agrawal.

"This is historic, global first. Game-changing," he told AFP. "We are all the more excited because it is happening in the 75th year of Indian independence".

Critics have warned that the Namibian cheetahs may struggle to adapt to the Indian habitat and may clash with the significant number of leopards already present.

But organisers are unfazed.

"Cheetahs are very adaptable and (I'm) assuming that they will adapt well into this environment. So I don't have a lot of worries," said Dr Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based charity Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which has been central to the project logistics.

The project has been in the making for more than a decade. Initial discussion started in the 1990s, she told AFP.

India was once home to the Asiatic cheetah but it was declared extinct there by 1952. The critically endangered subspecies, which once roamed across the Middle East, Central Asia and India, are now only found, in very small numbers, in Iran.

New Delhi has since 2020 been working to reintroduce the animals after the Supreme Court announced that African cheetahs, a different subspecies, could be settled in a "carefully chosen location" on an experimental basis.

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The five females and three males, aged between two and five and a half, will each be fitted with a satellite collar.

They are a donation from the government of Namibia, one of a tiny handful of countries in Africa where the magnificent creature survives in the wild.

Negotiations are ongoing for similar translocation from South Africa, a government official told AFP on Friday, with vets suggesting 12 cats could be moved.

Cheetahs became extinct in India primarily because of habitat loss and hunting for their distinctive spotted coats.

An Indian prince, the Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo, is widely believed to have killed the last three recorded cheetahs in India in the late 1940s.

One of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors dating back about 8.5 million years, cheetahs once roamed widely throughout Asia and Africa in great numbers, said CCF.

But today only around 7,000 remain, primarily in the African savannas.

The cheetah is listed globally as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

In North Africa and Asia it is "Critically Endangered".

Their survival is threatened primarily by dwindling natural habitat and loss of prey due to human hunting, the development of land for other purposes and climate change.

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The Naples Philharmonic will open its season with a noticeably new look in leadership.

It will have a new assistant conductor, an acting concertmaster, and new names in the posts of principal tuba, associate principal trumpet and assistant principal clarinet.

Added to that: It's between music directors  Andrey Boreyko left at the end of last season after eight years here  and concertmaster Glenn Basham, who had been with the orchestra 30 years, retired last spring.

"It is a year with more than usual changes, due to a combination of unrelated events including retirement, one-year leaves and musicians winning titled positions with other orchestras," said a statement from Kathleen van Bergen, CEO and President, ArtisNaples, regarding the high numbers.

"An orchestra is an ever-evolving and changing artistic ensemble, and we are grateful to welcome the new musicians to join the many talents of the Naples Philharmonic."

Naples Philharmonic: Andrey Boreyko leaves classical music in Naples better

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Naples Philharmonic gets a third conductor

Alvin Ho, new assistant conductor for the Naples Philharmonic

The orchestra has not only been working hard to bring in replacements, it has added another position: assistant conductor.

Alvin Ho, a native of Hong Kong, has been named to that position. Ho served two seasons as assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and was the first prize winner of the 2022 Princess Astrid International Conducting Competition in Trondheim, Norway.

Ho, 29, served as assistant conductor at the Indiana Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2017 to 2020 and has studied with Arthur Fagen, Riccardo Muti and Bernard Haitink. A doctoral candidate, he holds a masters degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

He will work with Radu Paponiu, associate conductor of the orchestra. The assistant conductor position, according to information from ArtisNaples, is planned as a permanent part of the Naples Philharmonic to:

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Expand the conducting talent available for its programming, which includes performances around the community

Provide conducting support to the Naples Community Orchestra as part of an ArtisNaples partnership with it.

Zachary DePue, former concertmaster for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (2007-2017), has been named acting concertmaster for the Naples Philharmonic. He is a former section violinist for The Philadelphia Orchestra, and has performed around the country as part of the DePue Brothers Band, a family band with an eclectic musical repertoire.

DePue has been here both in his brothers' band, in 2019, and as a member of Time for Three, the string trio he helped found, in 2015.

Zachary DePue, acting concertmaster for the Naples Philharmonic

Previously, Emerson Millar, co-concertmaster of the Philharmonic, served in the concertmaster function for the past year before leaving to become second assistant concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony. She was named to her position here at age 23 in 2018.

I feel extremely fortunate to have spent the last four seasons with ArtisNaples as the co-concertmaster. I am grateful for the generosity and warmth of the Naples community," she said in a written statement on her departure:

Coming season: 'Jurassic' thrills, romantic music fill ArtisNaples schedule

She followed the departure of Basham, who had been concertmaster for 30 years and officially retired last spring after a season on leave during the pandemic.

The orchestra changes looks, too

Aaron Tindall is the new principal tuba of the Naples Philharmonic. He is also the principal tubist of the Sarasota Orchestra and the associate professor of tuba and euphonium at the Frost School of Music-University of Miami. He replaces Aaron McCalla, a 17-year veteran of the orchestra, who has joined the San Diego Symphony as its principal tuba.

Forrest Johnston has joined the Naples Philharmonic as assistant principal trumpet. A native of northern Virginia, Johnston began playing the trumpet at age six, studying with his father. A former student at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, he has won National Trumpet Competition prizes and solo competitions sponsored by the International Trumpet Guild.

He replaces Ansel Norris, who has taken the position of associate principal trumpet with the Florida Orchestra after four years with the Naples Philharmonic. Norris won a singular honor during his time here, earning third place in the inaugural brass division of the international Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia.

Catherine Gatewood has been named assistant principal clarinet. Gatewood, from the Chicago area, plays during summers at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. She has played in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and is on the quadruple Grammy recording by Leonard Slatkin and the University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra. She replaces Ashley Leigh, assistant principal clarinet.

Four new string section musicians were announced as well. According to information requested from the philharmonic, these musicians are not expanding the size of the orchestra, so other players apparently have departed. The new musicians are as follow:

Magdiell Antequera , Askar Salimdjanov and Roman Yearion , violin

Courtney Sedgwick Filner, viola

Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Artis-Naples gets assistant conductor, acting concertmaster
Nasas Johnson Space Center as seen from the air (Nasa)

On 9 July, a loud boom resounded around the Houston Texas area around Johnson Space Center, and Nasa has now released footage of the test that caused the sound.

In a post on the social media network Twitter on Thursday, Johnson Space Center revealed footage of a burst pressure test of an inflatable habitat prototype, an armored membrane that could be inflated in Earth orbit to serve as a space station module, or on the Moon as part of a future Moon base.

When #Artemis astronauts start living on the Moon, inflatable habitats could be their home away from home. @SierraSpaceCo recently conducted a successful burst pressure test at JSC on one of their prototype habitats. Heres a video of the boom! pic.twitter.com/bWZUc4I5lt  NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) September 15, 2022

In a burst pressure test, engineers inflate a pressure vessel to the point where it bursts. This helps them understand both the extreme safety limits of the pressure vessel and may help in the design process.

In this case, the pressure vessel was a prototype of the Large Integrated Flexible Environment, or Life habitat being developed by Colorado-based Sierra Space. Life habitats are constructed of the same tough, Vectran fibers used in the landing airbags for Nasas Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, and at 27-feet in diameter, offer about 984 cubic feet of interior volume, according to the Sierra Space Website.

During the July pressure burst test, a one-third scale Life habit was inflated to an internal pressure of 192 pounds per square inch (PSI), according to a Sierra Space tweet about the test. That exceeded the safety requirement of 182.4 PSI, the company noted.

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Nasas Artemis Moon program aims to return humans to the Moon by 2025 with the Artemis III mission, but later Artemis missions may construct a long-term Moon base on the lunar South Pole. Nasa has contracted with several companies, including Sierra Space, to develop commercial space stations the space agency can lease for low Earth orbit science programs after the International Space Station is retired at the end of the decade.

Although Nasa has not yet contracted with Sierra Space to produce Life habitats, specifically, for any particular mission, the company and space agency did work closely on the pressure burst test.

The pressure test was a great success and was made possible by the teamwork of our dedicated NASA engineers working with the Sierra team, Director of Engineering at NASAs Johnson Space Center, told The Independent by email. We are proud to be supporting the development of habitats that could one day house astronauts on the Moon.
A North Carolina charter school is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider an appeals court ruling that the school violated female students constitutional rights by requiring them to wear skirts.

In June, a majority of the full U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the dress code at Charter Day School in Leland violated female students equal protection rights. The courts majority concluded that since public charter schools receive public funds theyre state actors and subject to the Constitutions equal protection clause.

In its petition, the school asks the Supreme Court to review and reverse the 4th Circuits decision, arguing that its a privately run school that receives public funding through its charter, and therefore its not a government-run entity, The StarNews reported.

ALSO READ: Local charter school sees enrollment jump amid pandemic

School officials said in a news release Monday that the decision threatens the model.

This holding undoes the central feature of charter schools by treating their private operators as the constitutional equivalent of government-run schools, school officials said.

North Carolina state law protects charter schools as independent institutions exempt from rules and regulations applicable to public school districts, the school argued.

School founder Baker Mitchell has said the dress code was intended to create a code of conduct where women are treated, theyre regarded as a fragile vessel that men are supposed to take care of and honor. For now, the dress code has been changed to allow girls to wear pants in line with the court ruling.

(WATCH BELOW: New data shows more NC parents switching to charter schools)
What started as answering telemarketing phone calls turned into becoming a bar owner.

Like many people at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Omar Khouri was stuck at his Winston Salem, North Carolina, home. During that time, he received several telemarketing phone calls and decided to answer them, asking questions to find out who the people and companies behind the calls were.

The process led him to make over $100,000 in settlement money and he's now using that money to open a bar called The Wrong Number.

I didnt really set out to start doing this. It was just, 'Hey, Im sitting at home and this is happening and lets see if something comes of it,' Khouri told TODAY via phone. Originally it was, 'Lets write this letter and then thatll be the only way to get them to stop' because my number is on the Do Not Call list. And even if you ask them to stop calling you, they still keep calling. They just change the caller ID of where theyre calling from.

He added, I kind of got the idea that, well, if I can get them to pay for the call, well then theyre gonna stop calling me because its gonna get too expensive to call.

Khouri is getting ready to open his new bar, The Wrong Number, by mid-October. (Courtesy Kenny Morganelli)

Khouri has owned his own IT company since 2006. He said that business slowed down for him during the pandemic and had free time to follow through with reaching out to the telemarketers who had initially contacted him.

He received his first settlement paycheck a couple months into the pandemic and believes hes had between 30 to 40 settlements since then. Khouri stated that while the process is tedious and you have to be patient, anyone can do it. One must simply check your state laws (on telemarketers), he said.

With the money, Khouri purchased dive bar Bulls Tavern in Winston-Salem, when the owner put it up for sale after 10 years.

Ive never worked in the service industry, but its something Ive wanted to do is have a bar or a restaurant, and this opportunity became available, he said, adding that the paperwork was completed on Sept. 12.

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Khouris plan is to take over the bar, which was known for hosting live music multiple times a week, and turn it into a craft cocktail bar where drinks are named after telemarketing schemes.

Well have a drink thats the Car Warranty, another one thats Debt Relief, one called Student Loans, he said. Whatever the name of the scam is.

At The Wrong Number, tipping will also be optional. Growing up in the Middle East, Khouri didnt grow up with the tipping culture in the U.S and wanted to change the way it is seen with his bar. He said his staff is on board with the decision, as they will get a proper living wage.

Tipping is still going to be available, but it is going to be known that no one is going to be encouraged or forced to tip, he said, adding that he's also working with local bartenders and artists to revamp the space. He hopes to have the bar open by mid-October and fully open by Halloween.

Khouri, meanwhile, stated that reaching out to telemarketing companies is not a side gig or something he puts all his energies into.

My priority is my main business, which is my IT company and taking care of my clients, he said. And if Im busy doing that, Im not gonna answer these calls, or Ill answer and hang up. But if Im sitting at home and watching TV, not really doing anything, Ill still pick up the call and still do what I can with it.

If the call stuff ended tomorrow, Id be happy. Im not missing out on anything, he said. I happen to get a bunch of money from it and Ive used the money for things I needed to do during the pandemic when I wasnt getting paid by my regular clients. That was a big help just to make sure that my bills got paid. But at the same time, I also used that money to help my friends if they needed something.

And buy a bar.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
City Councilmember Nithya Raman, left, and Soma Snakeoil, founder of Sidewalk Project, at a rally held to mark International Overdose Awareness Day outside City Hall on Wednesday. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

In the sweltering heat, activist Soma Snakeoil gripped the microphone and led the crowd outside Los Angeles City Hall in a chant.

"They talk! We die!" the crowd shouted. "They talk! We die!"

It was International Overdose Awareness Day and dozens of people had gathered downtown to mourn and rage, lighting candles, laying down roses and planting purple flags in the City Hall lawn to remember the dead. At the microphone, harm reduction advocates demanded government action and investment in stopping overdose deaths as the annual toll has exceeded 10,000 statewide.

"As far as the governor," West Covina resident Debbie Fracasso said, growing emotional after stepping up to the microphone, "what part of this doesn't he see?"

The rally came the week after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a state bill that would have allowed supervised sites for people to inject drugs to be launched through pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland. The decision disappointed and enraged local activists who argue that such sites are desperately needed to save lives.

But it has not halted their plans, local officials and activists said.

"This is not the end," said community activist Eunisses Hernandez, who supports the idea of safe injection sites and recently won election to the L.A. City Council. "This just gives us more direction on what our next steps are."

In San Francisco, City Atty. David Chiu said he would support a local nonprofit moving forward with such a site. San Francisco Mayor London Breed said that implementing overdose prevention programs is "a key step in our efforts to help people struggling with addiction" and "our efforts must continue."

In Los Angeles, advocates and officials have been strategizing about what happens next.

"We knew that if something didn't happen in Sacramento, we would need to figure something out," said Ricky Rosales, AIDS coordinator for the city of Los Angeles. "It's just a matter of us putting our ducks in a row and pushing this forward."

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Such safe consumption or overdose prevention sites have long been established in other countries as a way to prevent people from dying of overdoses. As deaths from drug overdoses have soared, claiming more than 100,000 lives annually across the country, the idea has started to gain traction in the United States as well.

Rhode Island lawmakers voted to legalize a pilot program. New York City backed the opening of the first authorized sites in the country, which are operated by a nonprofit, and city officials credit them with averting hundreds of overdoses.

Fracasso, who said she had wrenched free from her own addiction to heroin years earlier, argued that the idea of supervised injection sites had proved itself in New York and abroad. If Newsom is "nitpicking on little tiny things  come on," she said of his veto. "Is nitpicking worth a life?"

A purple banner displayed at the rally declared "Every Overdose Death is a Policy Failure."

Opponents of SB57 included a number of law enforcement associations, which argued that the idea put too little emphasis on treatment. The California Narcotic Officers Assn. argued that it "alarmingly concedes the inevitable and immutable nature of drug addiction and abuse.

Newsom, in his veto message, said he was "acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans," warning of "a world of unintended consequences."

Despite his veto, Newsom signaled that he was still open to the idea if local officials returned to the Legislature with comprehensive plans for where they would be sited and how they would operate. The governor said he was directing the state health secretary to convene local officials to discuss standards for safe and sustainable programs.

If Newsom wants them to work with state officials, "I think we're prepared to do that," said Dr. Gary Tsai, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Control division at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Tsai said that "alignment" among community groups, law enforcement and others "is the necessary ingredient for jurisdictions to move forward with something like safe consumption. And that's something that's going to take time."

Shoshanna Scholar, director of the Harm Reduction and Community-Based Diversion division at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, said, "The bottom line is we need a legal pathway to support this overdose prevention program. Because we're drowning."

Spider Davila, from L.A. Community Health Project, describes the usage of a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose at a rally held to mark International Overdose Awareness Day outside City Hall on Wednesday. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Last year, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to more than 900 calls involving overdoses in the skid row area alone, according to data provided by an aide to Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who represents the area. At Wednesday's rally, Renee Arellano-Stanisci told the crowd that she was hoping to save her son before he died.

Arellano-Stanisci, who works for the homelessness outreach and services agency HOPICS, said that before she escaped her own addiction to pills, she had suffered an opioid overdose that was reversed by paramedics using the medication naloxone. Her son, who is living in a riverbed, has overdosed twice  and each time was brought back to life by his friends, she said.

"I just want to be able to save somebody," she said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement that "with a crisis this large, we must examine all effective tools to prevent needless death."

The county supervisor added that although she had hoped SB57 would become law, she was "already in communication with our health departments so we can work with the state on a path forward, including minimum standards and best practices for safe and sustainable overdose prevention programs."

Some advocates argue that Los Angeles could press ahead without the blessing of state officials and authorize such sites. In New York City, "they do not have state or federal authorization" for their overdose prevention centers, said Jeannette Zanipatin, California state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. "We're in the same position now."

Zanipatin said that "there is always the threat of federal intervention." In Philadelphia, a nonprofit that sought to open an overdose prevention site was thwarted last year when a court ruled that such a site would violate a federal statute against opening up a property to others to use drugs.

Yet the U.S. Justice Department said in February that it was "evaluating" the idea of such sites. And so far, "the New York model has been running without any incident. The federal government hasn't gone in and started to cite them," Zanipatin said. "In the Biden administration, we're seeing this opening to potentially have other jurisdictions follow New York's model."

With the federal government taking a hands-off approach, the state protection provided by a bill like SB57 "is nowhere near as obviously needed as it was before 2020," said Peter Davidson, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego.

Rosales said that one possible option that has been discussed is declaring a local emergency over the overdose crisis. Los Angeles city officials made a similar declaration tied to the AIDS epidemic in 1994, directing city agencies "to immediately take all steps permitted by law to allow the availability and operation of responsible needle exchange programs."

At the time, syringe programs could have risked criminal charges under laws targeting drug paraphernalia, Rosales said. Back then, the emergency declaration "provided us more flexibility to talk to LAPD and convince them that this was not something that they should go after us or our providers" for doing, Rosales said. "It was basically giving us cover from LAPD."

"This would simply be the next step," Rosales said of pursuing a new declaration to ease the way for overdose prevention sites.

Whether Los Angeles officials are ready to take that step is unclear.

When asked about whether Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti supported any local action to authorize safe injection sites  including an emergency declaration  spokesperson Harrison Wollman responded with a written statement that Garcetti "looks forward to working with the county, governor, and state legislature on strategies in Los Angeles that can help save lives.

Councilmember Nithya Raman has been looking into the idea of an emergency declaration and what it would mean, her spokesperson Stella Stahl said. Raman, who spoke at the event outside City Hall, argued that there is firm evidence for safe injection sites and "we need to be leaning into exactly these kinds of solutions  not shying away from them for political reasons."

But not everyone on the council is on board with the idea of launching the supervised sites, even though Los Angeles officially backed SB57 and sought to be included among cities that would pilot the programs. The fact [that] we have a hard time protecting neighborhoods from open-air drug dens leads me to believe that we would also have a hard time managing all of the unintended consequences of supervised injection sites, said Councilmember Joe Buscaino, who represents a district that includes Watts and San Pedro.

The upcoming elections have also stirred uncertainty into the political outlook, as voters decide in November who will succeed Garcetti as mayor.

Joanna Swan, from Street Watch LA, at a rally held to mark International Overdose Awareness Day outside City Hall on Wednesday. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

A spokesperson for Rep. Karen Bass, who is running for the seat, did not provide comment on her position on the state bill or whether L.A. should press forward with safe injection sites. Her opponent, real estate developer Rick Caruso, supported Newsom's decision and rationale to veto SB57, campaign spokesperson Peter Ragone said.

Local voters will also choose whether to replace L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. His challenger, retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, said he agreed with Newsom's veto of SB57 and "his explanation of a lack of infrastructure in place to locate and support such sites." Villanueva opposed the state bill, saying the supervised sites would "only enable illegal and destructive drug use."

Yet Scholar, asked about how the Sheriff's Department fits into the ongoing discussions about supervised sites, called the agency "a true partner on overdose response." By making naloxone available to reverse opioid overdoses in the county jails, Scholar said, "they now host the largest overdose prevention program in the world."

Davidson, the UC San Diego professor, said that if local officials hesitate to authorize the sites, community groups may "just go ahead and quietly do it." At least one underground site has been operating for years in the United States, at which Davidson and other researchers found that dozens of overdoses had been reversed with naloxone by trained staff.

At the underground site that Davidson studied, a director told him that "'if we'd waited for official approval, the people we served would be dead,'" he recounted. "They just weren't willing to do that."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Manhattan lawyer is trying to move heaven and earth to represent a pair of conflicting cases going to trial the same day  one against a Colorado businessman accused of stealing from Trump supporters, the other against a Trump company for stealing from New Yorks taxpayers.

Attorney John Meringolo is scheduled to go to federal court with Timothy Shea in the We Build the Wall crowdfunding scam case against him on Oct. 24.

Shea is charged with pocketing donations from supporters of Trumps signature immigration policy to build a wall on the southern border. His case ended in a mistrial on June 7, after a holdout juror refused to convict, alleging a government witch hunt.

The same day Sheas retrial starts, the Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corp. are slated to go on trial across the street in Manhattan Supreme Court on tax fraud charges. In that case, prosecutors say the company engaged in a 15-year tax evasion scheme that hid millions in taxable income from authorities.

Meringolo said lawyers for Trumps family real estate business asked him to help defend the case following the recent guilty plea of chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. The companys veteran bookkeeper has agreed to testify against his former employer for less prison time.

In a flurry of correspondence filed over the past two weeks, Meringolo has tried to bend the courts schedules so he can represent both cases  telling the presiding judges hes the best man for the job.

On Sept. 2, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, presiding over the Trump Organization case, told Meringolo that the answer was no. The judge cited the lawyers conflicting schedule and described his eleventh-hour arrival to the case at a Monday hearing as bizarre.

That motion I received last week, or the notice of appearance, frankly, was almost bizarre, and it was dealt with appropriately, said Merchan. Im repeating, we are not delaying this trial.

Meringolo then turned to federal Judge Analisa Torres, overseeing the We Build the Wall case, and asked her to push its start back by three weeks.

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I have been retained to represent the Trump Payroll Corporation in its criminal trial scheduled to begin on the very same date as Mr. Sheas retrial, Meringolo wrote Torres on Wednesday.

He added that Trumps family company desperately needed his last-minute services as Weisselbergs cooperation drastically changed the scope of the trial.

Torres will rule on Meringolos request.

Two others charged in the federal We Build the Wall crowdfunding scam, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pleaded guilty in April. The fourth person accused, right-wing strategist Steve Bannon, was pardoned by Trump.

The Manhattan district attorney  not bound by the federal pardon  filed new charges against Bannon and We Build the Wall as an entity in a state court indictment on Sept. 8. Merchan is also the judge in that case.
Photo: Contributed Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray

In our lives, we all have those moments when we remember where we were when we first heard about significant events.

I was at the Kelowna International Airport the morning of Sept. 8, having just gone through security, when I noticed a missed call from a member of my team and then a text message to tell me the news: Her Majesty Elizabeth II, our Queen and head of state since 1952, sadly passed away.

As I walked through the airport, I heard whispers as others learned the breaking news.

It was only the day before, on Sept. 7, in Kelowna, that I hosted a Queens Jubilee Pin and Local Recognition Service Medallion Ceremony. The Canadian Platinum Jubilee emblem was created to mark the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth IIs accession to the throne, a historic milestone in the enduring relationship between Canada and the Crown.

At the end of our ceremony, we finished by standing and singing Oh Canada and God Save the Queen. Little did we know then that it would likely be the last time God Save the Queen would be played in our community.

For most in Kelowna-Lake Country, we have never known a Canada without the Queen. The first official rendition of God Save the King after the Queens passing was sung at the end of a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II at St. Pauls Cathedral in London on Sept. 9.

Through seven decades and 12 Canadian prime ministers, she represented an island in the stream of our ever-changing culture and history. She represented the eternal values of dutiful service, quiet strength and genuine kindness. She talked about the importance to her of faith, family and friendship.

I spoke with Bob Hayes, former President of the Kelowna Branch of the Okanagan Historical Society, who was at the event when the Queen came to Kelowna on May 6, 1971.

He recalled how, in Kelownas City Park, there were very large wooden stands which were a regular fixture there at that time, and more were added for the event. Viewers could tell when the Queen arrived, as they could see her cavalcade coming across the Okanagan Lake Bridge into Kelowna.

The Queen made a brief speech to the large crowd and then took time to walk around speaking to people.

In 1983, the Queen landed at the Kelowna International Airport while on another British Columbia visit.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada officially entered a national period of mourning, which lasts for 10 days. Flags are flown at half mast and there are a number of procedures and ceremonies that are to be followed.

The House of Commons is being recalled early so Members of Parliament have the opportunity to present a tribute to the (late) Queen in the House of Commons, and Ill be doing so on behalf of Kelowna-Lake Country.

The federal government announced a National Day of Mourning on Sept. 19, and some provinces have also announced additional measures on this day. I will attend the National Commemorative Ceremony in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Ottawa at Christ Church Cathedral.

God Save the King.

If you need any assistance with programs or have any thoughts to share, feel free to reach out, at 250-470-5075 or at [email protected].

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
STANISLAV POHORILOV  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 17:17

Valentyn Reznichenko, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that Russians attacked Zelenodolsk hromada [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories], killing 2 people in the village of Velyka Kostromka.

Source: Reznichenko on Telegram

Quote: "In the afternoon, Russian occupying forces launched attacks on Zelenodolsk hromada using heavy artillery. They struck the centre of Velyka Kostromka, damaging the village. The scale [of damage] is being ascertained."

Details: Reznichenko reported that as a result of the attacks, 2 residents of the village were killed: two men aged 48 and 52. Another man was hospitalised in moderately serious condition.

Background: In the afternoon on 16 September, the Air Force of Ukraine destroyed two cruise missiles above Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The Womens Med Center in Kettering will begin medical and surgical abortions starting next week.

Earlier this week, a court order temporarily blocked Ohios abortion ban, allowing the center to reopen.

ACLU Ohio is representing the center and other abortion providers in Ohio, and last week the union filed a temporary restraining order in Hamilton County. The judge approved the request and ruled that in Ohio, abortions can continue after doctors detect a fetal heartbeat until September 28.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Womens Health Center in Kettering to end abortion procedures; Clinic to close in October

News Center 7 reached out to the Womens Med Center here in Kettering, and a spokesperson sent a statement saying, the judges decision is a major step in the right direction for the women in Ohio.

We also reached out to Dayton Right to Life, and they say, Its very unprecedented to challenge a law thats already been in place.








A male victim died and two people were injured during three separate shootings on Thursday and Friday in Baltimore, police said.

A man died Friday morning after being shot in the head in the 1100 block of Wilmott Court in Old Town, according to a news release.

Eastern District patrol officers responded about 9:45 a.m. to investigate a reported shooting. Police found the victim with an apparent gunshot to the head. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Police identified him Monday as 37-year-old Delanie McCloud.

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to contact homicide detectives at 410-396-2100.

Eastern District police also responded to a shooting Thursday night in the Oliver neighborhood. Police were dispatched approximately 10:30 p.m. to the 1700 block of Asquith Street for a ShotSpotter alert.

A blood trail led police to a home in the 1700 block of Lamont Avenue, where they found a 51-year-old man with apparent gunshot wounds, according to a news release.

He was taken to a hospital where he was in stable condition. Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call 410-396-2433.

About two hours earlier, Northwest District patrol officers responded to a hospital for a report of a walk-in shooting victim.

A 20-year-old man had apparent gunshot wounds, police said. He was in stable condition. Investigators found a crime scene in the 3200 block of West Belvedere Avenue in Arlington, police said.

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call 410-396-2466. Leave tips anonymous for all shootings through the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Cal State Dominguez Hills is in the top five out of 1,320 four-year institutions when measured by standards that include providing students with an affordable education. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

I didnt go to an Ivy League college. In fact, I never even thought of applying, and you probably didnt either.

This week, U.S. News & World Report decided to demote Columbia University from No. 2 for best university in America to No. 18 after the school was accused of providing false information to boost its ranking. What does it say about the value of such rankings when a supposed measure of quality can slip overnight?

In August, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona bluntly called popular college rankings a joke. Why?

Probably because they celebrate institutions that represent less than 1% of the college-going population. The top 10 best colleges have billions of endowment dollars, are more exclusive than inclusive and reject almost every student who applies. They serve the few and fortunate and do more to reinforce socioeconomic inequality than to mitigate it.

If you happen to be in the 1% of students who apply and eventually enroll in one of those schools, the U.S. News ranking is for you! The children of the top 1% of earners are 77 times more likely to enroll in an Ivy League school than all students whose parents are in the bottom income quintile. But, if youre part of the other 99% of prospective students, youll likely be considering other options.

Luckily for you, there are tons of great colleges  most of which dont make the U.S. News list at all. Yet theyre actually closer to serving the true purpose of higher education.

Heres the question we should be asking about higher education: Do colleges exist mainly to serve the very few and the overwhelmingly wealthy? Or, is their purpose to lift the current generation up, provide its members with the necessary skills to compete in todays workforce and leave them better off than their parents?

If youre a prospective college student, its probably the latter mission that speaks most to you.

To help students and their families make decisions that reflect what they want, we need to evaluate institutions in a different way. This year, I released an Economic Mobility Index on colleges with Third Way, a national think tank.

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It works like this. Rather than giving substantial weight for reputation and selectivity, the EMI gives more weight to an institutions record in enrolling a larger proportion of students from lower- and moderate-income backgrounds in comparison with other schools. The index also evaluates colleges on how well they serve these students. One key measure is the return on investment that the average low-income student gets from attending a particular institution.

To determine this, we looked at the time it takes students to recoup their educational costs based on the earnings boost they obtain by attending the institution  which is the additional income they are making relative to their peers who have obtained a high school diploma but have no college experience. The data show that many colleges provide low-income students (those from families making $30,000 or less) enough of an earnings boost, or premium, that it allows them to pay down their higher education costs within five years or less.

If an institution scores high on the index, that indicates it enrolls a socioeconomically diverse student body, provides the students with an affordable education and produces a strong earnings premium for those who attend.

What happens to those exclusive institutions that top the U.S. News list year after year  such as Harvard, Stanford and Yale  when measured on the Economic Mobility Index? They drop to 847th, 548th and 295th, respectively.

Instead, many Latino-serving institutions rise to the top of the Economic Mobility Index, including many in the California State University system. In fact, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Bakersfield are all in the top five out of 1,320 four-year institutions nationwide. The flagship University of California campuses did worse: UC Berkeley is ranked at 199, UCLA at 115.

In each of these three Cal State schools, more than 60% of the students come from lower-income backgrounds  and each enrolls more lower-income students than Harvard, Stanford and Yale combined. They also cost less than $20,000 for a bachelors degree and provide students an earnings premium of $15,000 to $20,000. This places them above 94% of institutions nationwide in terms of the return on investment they provide for this income group.

Are the U.S. News rankings a joke? I dont know, but they certainly dont prioritize the qualities of institutions that are best at making students better off. Instead, those traditional rankings reinforce the idea of prestige at schools that provide almost no opportunity for economic mobility.

If the purpose of higher education is to lift the next generation up, its the institutions that are providing economic mobility that truly deliver on that promise. And its about time we start recognizing them.

Michael Itzkowitz is a senior fellow at Third Way, a think tank in Washington, D.C. He served as the director of the Department of Educations College Scorecard during the Obama administration.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Butler County OVI Task Force announced an OVI checkpoint will be held tonight in West Chester Township.

The checkpoint will be held on from 8:15 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., according to the Butler Co. OVI Task Force.

>>Springfield man arrested for 7th OVI by Ohio State Highway Patrol

Crews will be located on state Route 747(Princeton-Glendale Road) at Peter Place where the northbound lanes will be checked.

We will update this story once we learn the results of the checkpoint.

The Butler County OVI Task Force is funded by the United States Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
One of the alternative social networks to emerge out of the social media backlash of the Trump era is apparently going to try something new.

Parler announced Friday that it has acquired a cloud company called Dynascale in order to expand its vision beyond offering an (ostensibly) anything-goes social app to provide infrastructure for businesses that run the risk of getting the boot from mainstream providers.

The social app Parler will now operate under a new parent company known as Parlement Technologies, which also announced a fresh round of $16 million for the pivot toward infrastructure. The company didn't name who contributed the new money, but previously received key investment from the deep-pocketed Republican donor Rebekah Mercer.

Parler's CEO George Farmer, who will also lead the new parent company, told The Wall Street Journal that Parlement is "talking to a large range of conservative businesses" that could use its new cloud services. Farmer took over at Parler following the ouster of John Matze, a change of leadership apparently orchestrated by Mercer.

Parler topped App Store charts in early January 2021 after Twitter and Facebook banned President Trump for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol. But that success was short-lived  Apple and Google removed the app from their respective software stores after drawing a line between Parler and the January 6 violence. Amazon also pulled its web hosting, a trifecta of consequences that clearly made an impact on the company, even after it returned to tech giants' good graces.

Apple reinstated Parler in April 2021 after the app promised to moderate additional content on iOS, bringing it into compliance with the company's standards. Google only allowed the app back into the Play Store earlier this month, indicating that Parler adjusted the Android app to meet the company's requirements for "robust" moderation.

Parler returns to a more crowded landscape of platforms catering to conservatives ready to jump ship from mainstream social networks. Trump launched his own app, Truth Social, in February, luring his supporters with the promise of unfiltered tweet-like posts.

Trump remains banned from Twitter for life, but the company's reluctant new owner-to-be previously declared that he would reverse the decision, opening the door for Trump to return to his former platform of choice, likely at the expense of his current one.
A24

Toward the end of Ti Wests World War I-era X prequel, Pearl, Mia Goth sobs her way through a five-minute monologue designed, more than anything, to blow audiences faces off. There are some seriously disturbing confessions, there are tears and snot, and there is catharsisat least, for Goths menacing character. For the horrified person on the other side of the table, not so much.

Goths drawn-out monologue crystallizes just how deluded Pearls titular villain really isa climax that should be haunting and hilarious all at once. All of the ingredients are there; Goths delivery is compelling and frantic, and the camera fixes on her face with impressive intensity. And yet, something is missinga sense of urgency, or substance, or both. The speech, like the film that contains it, starts to drag at a certain point. Theres a mustiness to it.

We first met Pearl, the murderous lady of the hour, earlier this year in Xa slasher set during the 70s grindhouse boom and modeled after the genre classics of the day. In that film, an elderly Pearl and her husband, Howard, terrorize a group of young would-be adult film stars whove rented their barn to shoot a porno. Pearl, premiering Friday, introduces the character as a young woman in 1918. Goth, who starred as both Pearl and the final girl Maxine in X, returns not only as Pearl, but also, this time, behind the camera as a screenwriter.

As we discover in Pearl, Pearls favorite hobbies as a young woman were not too different from those shed embrace in her elder yearsshes apparently been killing animals, at least, since she was a little girl. In 1918, her chief activities include tending to a giant, people-chomping alligator (an obvious X tie-in); fighting with her repressive German immigrant mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright); sneaking in trips to the movies (where she steals sips of her sick fathers morphine); and making out with scarecrows in corn fields as she waits for her husband to come back from war.

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A24

But Pearl also has a larger-than-life dream: She wants to escape her hum-drum life to become a dancer in the movies. So she practices in front of her farm animals, all of whom are named for famous film stars. Theres something classic about Goths wide, tooth grin and starry eyes; her character feels right at home in this gorgeously shot film, which steeps its visuals in classic Americana.

Its hard to overstate the importance of Goths performance in this film, which sees the Suspiria actress tap dancing along a knifes edge; shes traumatized by the ongoing war, her husbands absence, the tremendous responsibilities of caring for her father, and a pandemic thats got everyone in the town square masked and coughing. (Spanish flutime is a flat circle.) At once charismatic and repulsive, Goth captures the trapped-rat feeling of desperation that can set in after prolonged trauma. When Pearl goes wide-eyed and gushes about her dreams of stardom, her desire for an escapeany escapeis practically contagious.

Mia Goth and Ti West Spill on Pearl, the Most Brutally Ambitious Villain of the Year

While X explored the parallels between porn and horrors devotion to voyeurism and spectacle, Pearl widens its gaze to examine Hollywoods place in Americas dreams. Pearl transmutes her anger at her circumstances into a feverish need to become a starand in so doing, she sets herself up for perpetual disappointment. Ruth, whose sacrifices coming to the U.S. were innumerable, is disgusted by her daughters entitlement. Pearl is unable to see that her dreams of becoming a star might not be a divine calling, but instead a sign of deep unhappiness.

Dreams can be both precious and fragile, and more than anything, Pearl seems fascinated with how Hollywood embedded itself in moviegoers minds as a Platonic idealas a gorgeous but highly exclusive escape from the untenable realities of American life.

A24

Much like its predecessor, however, Pearl can, at times, feel like it was likely better in context than in execution. Goths performance, though remarkable, feels like conspicuously fussy window dressing intended to hide a deeper problem: Theres really very little plot here, and not enough ideas at play to run on theme and vibes alone. X was so eager to elaborate on the slasher genre that at times, it failed to actually be a successful slasher; Pearl, meanwhile, simply lacks focus.

As brilliant as the idea mightve been to film these projects back to back (to back, once we include the upcoming X sequel MaXXXine), Pearl underscores what a cynic mightve said from the start: At the end of the day, a prequel is still a prequel no matter how you market itand at the end of the day, you dont often need a prequel.

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Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, was registered to vote in neighbouring New Jersey until he launched his gubernatorial campaign last year, The New Jersey Globe reported.

Mr Mastriano, whom former president Donald Trump endorsed in the gubernatorial primary, reportedly was registered to vote in the state neighbouring Pennsylvania until 2021, when election officials changed his voter status to inactive.

Records show that Mr Mastriano was registered at his familys home in Hightown from 1982 until six months after his mothers death last year, when a sample ballot was returned. Mr Mastriano voted in the GOP primaries from 1982 to 1985 and never voted again in a New Jersey primary, although his ballot was rejected in 2010.

He voted in general elections in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2010, as well as school board elections in 2001 and 2002.

Mr Mastrianos residency will likely draw comparisons to that of Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz, the television host and retired physician, whom Democrats have criticised for living in New Jersey, though neither man voted in both states in the same year.

The Republican nominee for governor has come under intense scrutiny for busing people to Washington on 6 January of last year and being at the Capitol on that day, though hes said he left before the violence began.

Mr Mastriano is running against Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the election.
A pod of Biggs transient killer whales were allegedly harassed and followed by a small vessel in Campbell River for more than 45 minutes.

Dominik Ruegsegger was sitting at FoggDukkers Coffee on Monday evening when he heard word that orcas were coming into Duncan Passage.

Working as a water taxi driver, he knows the area well and recalls it was at about 5:45 p.m. when he spotted a boat leaving the boat launch.

My gut feeling told me they are going to follow the orcas since they were holding a camera already and that's when I took the picture to make sure I have the registration number from the boat, he tells Glacier Media.

Ruegsegger watched as the boat, which has a B.C. registration, headed straight towards the pod of orcas.

[They] came so close that the orcas went for a long dive. They stopped and waited until the orcas came up again. Once they saw the orcas, they started driving towards them again, recalls Ruegsegger.

"They did it several times and the orcas went for a long dive every time they got close because of the distress they were in.

He watched the boat from shore for more than an hour and a half and believes they followed the orcas for roughly 10 kilometres.

"I took the last video of the boat at 7:23 p.m. at Orange Point, which is north of Campbell River," he tells Glacier Media.

He wasnt the only one who witnessed what happened. Dozens of other people watched the encounter and called Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

"[DFO] would like to thank the many members of the public who reported the incident to the Observe, Record, Report line, says a DFO spokesperson.

A cetacean research expert and director of Bay Cetology has positively identified the pod of whales as Bigg's transient killer whales.

"There are two families in this group: the T018/T019s and the T124A4s. There were six whales total, says Jared Towers. "They are commonly seen around Vancouver Island, but are considered threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act."

DFO confirms it is aware of the incident and fishery officers from the whale protection unit are involved.

"As the matter is currently under investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time, says a spokesperson.

Glacier Media interviewed three people who witnessed what happened on Monday and all recounted that the driver was leap-frogging, a term for when a vessel will attempt to motor ahead of a pod several times.

Hong-Suk Oh was fishing on the Discover Pier on Monday when people started to crowd together to see the orcas. He too saw the boat and was concerned about how close it came to the killer whales.

"I thought they were just fishing on the boat or watching orcas from afar, but they moved their boat right in front of orcas whenever they came up to the surface to breathe, says Oh.

"I felt really bad for [the] orcas, even I, who don't know much about the law of marine life, was angry because I could see that was wrong.

Ricky Belanger was working at the Discovery Passage Aquarium on Monday when the orcas started coming through the passage.

It's a fantastic opportunity. And it's really important for people to have that opportunity, he says.

Belanger recalls seeing the small vessel, which he described as a lake boat, motoring in front of the whales.

This behaviour, actually, it was repeating. And so, at a certain point, the orcas, they dove down, and they surfaced a kilometre up the shoreline, some distance away from the Discovery Pier where people were viewing. That signals to me... that it's essentially an instance of gratuitous harassment of wildlife, he says.

Many people on the pier were outraged and disappointed to see what was happening, he says.

"I was quite shocked that someone would engage in these behaviours in such a publicly viewable setting, such as the Discovery Pier, he says. It was very clear that these whales were trying to maintain a great deal of distance from this harassing vessel."

Having it in such a public place did result in many people calling DFO.

"You know, it's not amazing that this actually happened but it is great that it happened in such a setting that it could be documented and seen by the public.

Belanger believes the whales were followed for at least five kilometres over 45 minutes.

"I would say that this vessel was within 50 metres of orcas at several points during the encounter, he says.

How close can you get to a whale in B.C.?

An officer in the whale protection unit couldn't speak to the incident but did explain the whale distancing rules in B.C.

DFO receives about 800 reports of marine mammal incidents per year for the Pacific region and 20 per cent of them are for killer whale and humpback disturbances.

Scotti Griffin says whale disturbances are a large percentage of their investigations and they do respond to every single report they get.

"We review files very extensively, and we follow up with them accordingly. It's all case by case, she says.

All vessels must keep 200 metres away from killer whales in B.C. and the Pacific Ocean and keep 400 metres away from all killer whales in southern B.C. coastal waters between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet.

The federal government levied more than $45,000 in fines in 2021 for violations of whale protection measures.

In all of Canadian waters, people are required to stay at least 200 metres away from all killer whales, Griffin says.

The change of distance above Campbell River is due to the critical habitat for southern resident killer whales, a critically endangered pod.

We see more passion, and people feeling so strongly about protecting the marine mammals that are in our waters, which is really, really great to see, says Griffin.

After investigations, and if there is illegal activity, officers will put together a court brief and recommend charges to Crown counsel.

In August, Canadas largest ever fine for getting too close to killer whales was levied against a B.C. man. The incident happened in April 2020 when scuba diver Thomas Gould interacted with a pod of seven orcas.

DFO said evidence collected by fishery officers established the vessel had attempted to motor ahead of the pod several times.

As a result, Gould was ordered to pay $12,000 for violating Canadas Fisheries Act, Section 7 of the Marine Mammals Regulations.

Noise disturbance dangerous for whales

A B.C. marine educator with Marine Education and Research Society is glad to see so many people upset with the alleged incident in Campbell River.

Jackie Hildering quickly heard about the incident and encouraged everyone to report what they saw to DFO's reporting line.

"In this specific case, around Campbell River, what is so heartening is to note that people know that this was not OK. They know this was not OK, she says.

Shes devoted her life to educating people on whales and says people are starting to really realize the impact humans have on the animals.

"I think, if more people realize this, that the ocean is a sound trap and just how much whales depend on sound for everything from finding food... to mate selection to contact calls, the list goes on and on.

Hildering says the public has a better understanding of the impact noise has on whales.

They absolutely live in a world of sound and we may not hear the full effects of our engine over the surface, but we're putting that underwater and we're layering that on top of all the other sound and all the other stresses for the whales, she says. Sound is magnified up to five times underwater so that when people understand this, it is like, 'Oh, now I get why there are the distance limits, why it's better to go slow.

Anyone who witnessed this incident is asked to contact DFOs Observe, Record and Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or email [email protected].
Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, was reportedly registered to vote in New Jersey until last year, opening himself up to the kind of carpetbagger accusations that have dogged Dr. Mehmet Oz.

The underdog GOP candidate grew up in the Garden State and voted in Jersey for 28 years until 2010, the New Jersey Globe reported.

Mastriano, who claims the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, remained registered and eligible to vote in New Jersey until notifying authorities that he was no longer living there in 2021.

In the meantime, the staunch Trump supporter moved to Pennsylvania where he won a state Senate seat in 2018.

There is no indication that Mastriano, who attended the Jan. 6 rally but says he didnt storm the Capitol, voted or even tried to vote in both states at the same time.

But the revelation comes as a reminder of Mastrianos roots in New Jersey, a less-than-welcome biographical detail for a wannabe Keystone State governor.

Oz, a fellow Republican running for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, is also a longtime New Jersey resident. He moved to Pennsylvania to run for the seat left open by the retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).

The TV doctors opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, has relentlessly needled Oz about his Garden State roots, claiming he doesnt know how to pump his own gas because self-service is banned in New Jersey.

Fetterman also recruited Jersey celebs like Snooki from Jersey Shore and rocker Steve Van Zandt to make mock pleas for Oz to abandon his campaign and come home.

Mastriano may not face similarly fierce attacks because he was serving in the military for most of the years he was registered to vote in New Jersey.

The election denier won a crowded GOP primary. But he faces an uphill fight in the general election against Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Polls show Shapiro leading by about 10% over Mastriano, who has virtually no cash in his campaign war chest.

Fetterman is also leading Oz but by a somewhat smaller margin.
Ilana Lowery is Arizona director for Common Sense Media, a national nonprofit committed to the well-being of children and families in a digital world.

A Phoenix advertising campaign aimed at helping more low-income families access and afford high-speed internet is underway, according to the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media.

The campaign encourages families to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal initiative to help eligible households pay for their internet service and internet-connected devices.

In this day in age, you need to have access to the internet, said Ilana Lowery, Common Sense Media's Arizona director.

The 12-week bilingual campaign focuses on creating a sense of digital belonging for everyone, Lowery said, by increasing awareness of the federal benefits and providing people with the help they need to apply.

The campaign consists of public service announcements on local television and radio stations, digital and outdoor advertisements and grassroots outreach.

Common Sense Media partnered with the Digital Equity Institute and Arizona State University to provide an enrollment support hotline, Lowery said. The hotline number is 833-201-1345. Program information is also available online at getmyinternet.org.

"It was important to us to make sure that we had an avenue for these folks to not only tell them about the program but to also physically help them sign up," Lowery said.

Common Sense Media picked Arizona for this initial campaign because of the state's diversity, Lowery said. The organization is looking to spread the 12-week pilot campaign from Phoenix to other communities.

Indigenous affairs: Gila River Indian Community receives $4.4 million grant to expand broadband connections

Eligibility and benefits

Families with a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for the program. A household of four, for instance, is eligible for the program if its income is $55,500 or below.

Households that already receive certain government benefits, including Medicaid, Pell Grant, SNAP or free and reduced school lunches, are also eligible.

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Eligible households can receive up to $30 per month off their internet service and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a tablet or computer. Households on tribal lands can receive a discount of up to $75 per month for internet service.

One monthly service discount and one device discount are allowed per household. Consumers enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program through companies that offer the discounts.

The application can be completed online, by mail or by calling participating internet service providers.

Bridging the digital divide

In addition to advertising, Common Sense Media is reaching out to educators and school districts so that schools provide students with materials on the Affordable Connectivity Program, Lowery said.

A digital divide exists between students who have high-speed internet and adequate internet-connected devices at home and students who do not. In Arizona, more than 335,000 students and nearly 5,000 teachers lack adequate internet access, according to Common Sense Media. Lowery said internet access should be treated as a utility and not a luxury.

Students who dont have internet access at home can fall behind in school, Lowery said, which compounds inequity.

The cost of internet service is one of the main causes of the digital divide, she said.

The idea of the campaign is to really level the playing field so that those who dont have access to the internet can have an opportunity to have it at least at a reduced cost, Lowery said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Phoenix ad campaign aims to help internet assistance
WASHINGTON (AP)  When a government document mysteriously appeared earlier this week in the highest profile case in the federal court system, it had the hallmarks of another explosive storyline in the Justice Departments investigation into classified records stored at former President Donald Trumps Florida estate.

The document purported to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, claimed that the agency had seized sensitive documents related to last months search at Mar-a-Lago and included a warrant ordering CNN to preserve leaked tax records.

The document remained late Thursday on the court docket, but it is a clear fabrication. A review of dozens of court records and interviews by The Associated Press suggest the document originated with a serial forger behind bars at a federal prison complex in North Carolina.

The incident also suggests that the court clerk was easily tricked into believing it was real, landing the document on the public docket in the Mar-a-Lago search warrant case. It also highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. court system and raises questions about the courts vetting of documents that purport to be official records.

The document first appeared on the courts docket late Monday afternoon and was marked as a MOTION to Intervene by U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The document, sprinkled with spelling and syntax errors, read, The U.S. Department of Treasury through the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service have arrested Seized Federal Securities containing sensitive documents which are subject to the Defendant Sealed Search Warrant by the F.B.I. arrest.

It cited a federal statute for collecting financial records in federal investigations. The document also included the two supposed warrants, one that claimed to be sent to CNN in Atlanta and another to a towing company in Michigan.

Those supposed warrants, though, are identical to paperwork filed in another case in federal court in Georgia brought by an inmate at the prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina. The case was thrown out, as were the array of other frivolous lawsuits the man has filed from his prison cell.

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The man has been in custody for several years since he was found not competent to stand trial after an arrest for planting a fake explosive outside the Guardian Building, a skyscraper in Detroit. Since his incarceration, he has filed a range of lawsuits and has impersonated the Treasury Department, claimed to be a federal trustee and claimed to be a lawyer for the Justice Department, a review of court records shows.

In the Georgia case, the man alleged that Trump and others had acquired millions of un- redacted classified tax returns and other sensitive financial data, bank records and accounts of banking and tax transactions of several million Americans and federal government agencies, court documents say.

The judge in that case called his suit fanatic and delusional, saying there was no way to discern any cognizable claim from the incoherent filings.

The man has repeatedly impersonated federal officials in court records and has placed tax liens on judges using his false paperwork, two people familiar with the matter told the AP. Because of his history as a forger, his mail is supposed to be subjected to additional scrutiny from the Bureau of Prisons.

Its unclear how the documents  the fake motion and the phony warrants  ended up at the court clerks office at the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A photocopy of an envelope, included in the filing, shows it was sent to the court with a printed return address of the Treasury Departments headquarters in Washington. But a postmark shows a Michigan ZIP code, and a tracking number on the envelope shows it was mailed Sept. 9 from Clinton Township, Michigan, the inmates hometown.

The AP is not identifying the inmate by name because he has a documented history of mental illness and has not been charged with a crime related to the filing.

There is simply nothing indicating that he has any authorization to act on behalf of the United States, the judge in the Georgia case wrote.

But despite the clear warning signs  including a stamp noting the Georgia case number on the phony warrants  the filing still made its way onto the docket.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Treasury Department would not comment. They declined to answer on the record when asked if the document was false and why the government had not addressed it.

Representatives in the court clerks office and the magistrate judge overseeing the search warrant case did not respond to requests for comment.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Fatima Hussein in Washington, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.
A Shelby High School student was killed in a shooting Tuesday night, police said.

Officers responded to Logan Street in Shelby after witnesses said they heard gunshots in the area. No one said they saw the shooting though.

ALSO READ: Newly released 911 calls reveal moments after good Samaritan shot, killed in Gaston County

At the scene, police said they found a 17-year-old lying on the ground dead. The victim has not been identified.

Authorities are still working to determine who murdered the teen. Anyone who has information on the case is asked to call 911.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Return to this story for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: Loved ones continue to fight for justice for mother killed in crossfire in north Charlotte)
Federal Way police are investigating after an alleged car thief was shot Thursday night, the police department announced.

According to police, officers were called to a report of a stolen car that had been found by the owner at the Crossings Shopping Center in the 34700 block of Enchanted Parkway South.

The owner confronted the suspect, and shots were fired. The suspect, a man in his 30s, was hit and was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

There are no outstanding suspects.

The owner of the car is being interviewed by FWPD detectives.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the police department at 253-835-2121 or PIOrequest@cityoffederalway.com.

More news from KIRO 7

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An Altamonte Springs police officer is facing child pornography charges following his arrest by cybercrime investigators Friday morning.

Steven Selph, 39, of Sorrento, was arrested by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Lake County Sheriffs Office on 10 counts of possession of sexual performance of a child.

Selph, a school resource officer at Spring Lake Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, shared photos and videos of underage children while chatting on a popular messaging app, agents said.

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

Investigators said between May and September 2022, Selph sent several texts where he talked about wanting to have sex with children.

According to an arrest affidavit, Selph sent several texts while he was on duty at the school and even sent several photos of himself while in uniform.

Read: Police: Altamonte Springs school resource officer subject of child porn investigation

Investigators said between May and September 2022, Selph sent several texts where he talked about wanting to have sex with children.

According to an arrest affidavit, Selph sent several texts while he was on duty at the school and even sent several photos of himself while in uniform.

Read: Winter Park High student, 15, accused of bringing gun, bullets to school in backpack

In a statement announcing Selphs arrest and subsequent firing, Altamonte Springs police said the department was cooperating fully in the investigation.

We will continue cooperating with all of our law enforcement partners to pursue aggressively anyone, no matter what position they hold, who is responsible for this type of behavior, the statement said.

It goes on to express the shocking nature of the charges.

That anyone could view images of this kind shocks the conscience and is abhorrent to all of us, particularly from a person placed in a position of trust, the statement read.

It goes on to express the shocking nature of the charges.

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That anyone could view images of this kind shocks the conscience and is abhorrent to all of us, particularly from a person placed in a position of trust, the statement read.

Read: Longwood boy, 14, charged with felony for social media threat to Lyman High School

On Friday afternoon, the Seminole County School District issued a statement to parents about the arrest:

Today we were notified by Altamonte Springs Police Department that our Spring Lake Elementary School Resource Officer (SRO) is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for possible allegations of child pornography. The officer has been relieved of his duty, and our school is currently being supported by a newly assigned Altamonte Springs Police Department SRO.

District officials went on to say that they did not believe that any students were involved.

Selph was booked into the Lake County Jail on no bond.

See the full statement from the school below:

Good afternoon, Spring Lake families.

Today we were notified by Altamonte Springs Police Department that our Spring Lake Elementary School Resource Officer (SRO) is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for possible allegations of child pornography. The officer has been relieved of his duty, and our school is currently being supported by a newly assigned Altamonte Springs Police Department SRO. At this time, it is not believed that any of our Spring Lake Elementary students are involved in this matter.

We will continue to work with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, and school community. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will provide updates as authorized by FDLE. Thank you for your shared commitment to the safety and education of our students at Spring Lake Elementary.

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.
Pinal County

A woman led deputies from the Pinal County Sheriffs Office on an early morning chase Friday. After the chase ended, deputies discovered two migrants and two children in the car.

According to a news release from the Pinal County Sheriffs Office, a deputy attempted to stop a Dodge Charger driving erratically on Interstate 10 near the North Toltec Road exit in Eloy. While in pursuit, a Hyundai traveling alongside the Charger tried to run the deputy's car off the road twice. A second deputy became involved, and a second chase began.

The Pinal County Sheriffs Office says the pursuit of the Charger was called off to pursue the Hyundai because the driver was actively trying to drive the deputy off the road . However, as deputies were setting up spike strips, the driver of the Hyundai attempted to run them over.

The spike strips were successful, the Sheriff's Office said, and the driver was stopped near 7th Street and Osborn Road in Phoenix. The driver, 19-year-old Alma Rodriguez Dominguez, was taken into custody by deputies.

Deputies found two migrants in the car, the release said, along with a one-year-old and five-month-old baby, uninjured. The Department of Child Safety took custody of the children, and the other two passengers were turned over to ICE. It is unclear what relationship, if any, Rodriguez Dominguez had to the unidentified migrants and children.

The Sheriff's Office believes that Rodriguez Dominguez may be involved in the human smuggling of the two migrants.

These human smuggling attempts are incredibly dangerous for all involved, including law enforcement, the general public, those being trafficked illegally, and unfortunately, in this case, innocent children, Sheriff Mark Lamb said in the release.

Rodriguez Dominguez will be charged on suspicion of aggravated assault, felony flight, endangerment, and child abuse, the release said.

No information about whether the driver of the Charger is being sought, or whether they knew Rodriguez Dominguez, was released.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pinal County police chase ends with arrest, discovery of 2 migrants
Its been two months since Apopka firefighter Austin Duran died after a trailer filled with sand fell on top of him.

Now for the first time, we know how this tragedy played out.

The 12-page Apopka police report includes several witness interviews, including one with the firefighter who was sent to help Duran move the trailer.

Durans father, Mike Duran, said after reading the police report that its clear they didnt know what they were doing, calling it gross negligence and that the details were hard to digest.

READ: He was strong: Firefighter Austin Duran remembered after passing from on-the-job injury

Everybody in that station knew the dangers of that apparatus, his father said.

In the report, an Apopka police officer interviewed the firefighter who was helping Duran move the trailer. He said Duran was instructed to move the trailer from one station to another and asked him to help.

The report said Duran was behind the trailer when the other firefighter lifted the tongue to hook it to the hitch. The 4,500 pound trailer filled with sand flipped over, pinning Duran underneath. The other firefighter got on the radio and called for help.

READ: Parents of Apopka firefighter killed on duty ask the city for more funding to improve safety

Mike Duran said that indicates his son and the other firefighter should not have been using that equipment.

He was not trained on that apparatus, he said.

The firefighter working with Duran said that before that fateful day he had never touched that thing. The firefighter also told police he had worked at the department for over a year and had never worked with the trailer or had any training on it.

READ: Apopka to add 18 more firefighters after family of firefighter killed on duty pushes for changes

There was virtually no maintenance, the vehicle doesnt even have a VIN number on it, Durans father said. For all intents and purposes, it doesnt exist, yet it exists.

The report recommends the department stop using the trailer until procedures are in place, that every firefighter needs to be trained on every piece of equipment, and that all equipment should come with a list of procedures.

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.
UPDATE: @ 5:10 p.m.

One person was flown to the hospital after a shooting in Springfield.

Springfield dispatch confirmed crews were called to respond to the shooting at the Mini Mart on Selma Road. The shooting was reported around 3:30 p.m., according to initial reports.

>> UPDATE: 1 in custody after police pursuit ends with SUV crashing into building

According to dispatch, a male was taken from the scene to an area hospital and then flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital. It was not known how serious his injuries were.

Dispatch was unable to confirm if a suspect had been taken into custody.

We are working to learn more and will continue updating this story.

INITIAL REPORT:

Police are investigating a shooting that happened in Springfield Friday.

Springfield dispatch confirmed crews were called to respond to the shooting at the Mini Mart on Selma Road. The shooting was reported around 3:30 p.m., according to initial reports.

At least one medic has been requested, according to initial emergency scanner traffic.

Dispatch was unable to confirm if anyone has been transported to the hospital or how many people were shot.

We are working to learn more and will continue updating this story.
Photo: The Canadian Press Family members and friends march seeking justice for the missing 43 Ayotzinapa students in Mexico City, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. Six of the 43 college students

Mexican authorities have arrested a retired general and three other members of the army for alleged connection to the disappearance of 43 students in southern Mexico in 2014, the government announced Thursday.

Assistant Public Safety Secretary Ricardo Mejia said that among those arrested was the former officer who commanded the army base in the Guerrero state city of Iguala in September 2014, when the students from a radical teachers college were abducted.

Mejia said a fourth arrest was expected soon, and later a government official with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter confirmed that another member of the army had been arrested.

Mejia did not give names of those arrested, but the commander of the Iguala base at that time was Jose Rodriguez Perez, then a colonel. Barely a year after the students' disappearances and with the missing students' families already raising suspicions about military involvement and demanding access to the base, Rodriguez was promoted to brigadier general.

The government official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that Rodriguez was arrested and said he was being held at a military installation. The source would say about the others arrested only that two were officers and the third was an enlisted soldier.

Last month, a government truth commission re-investigating the case issued a report that named Rodriguez as being allegedly responsible for the disappearance of six of the students.

Interior Undersecretary Alejandro Encinas, who led the commission, said last month that six of the missing students were allegedly kept alive in a warehouse for days then turned over to Rodriguez who ordered them killed.

The report had called the disappearances a state crime, emphasizing that authorities had been closely monitoring the students from the teachers college at Ayotzinapa from the time they left their campus through their abduction by local police in the town of Iguala that night. A soldier who had infiltrated the school was among the abducted students, and Encinas asserted the army did not follow its own protocols and try to rescue him.

There is also information corroborated with emergency 089 telephone calls where allegedly six of the 43 disappeared students were held during several days and alive in what they call the old warehouse and from there were turned over to the colonel, Encinas said. Allegedly the six students were alive for as many as four days after the events and were killed and disappeared on orders of the colonel, allegedly the then Col. Jose Rodriguez Perez.

Numerous government and independent investigations have failed to reach a single conclusive narrative about what happened to the 43 students, but it appears that local police pulled the students off several buses in Iguala that night and turned them over to a drug gang. The motive remains unclear. Their bodies have never been found, though fragments of burned bone have been matched to three of the students.

The role of the army in the students disappearance has long been a source of tension between the families and the government. From the beginning, there were questions about the militarys knowledge of what happened and its possible involvement. The students parents demanded for years that they be allowed to search the army base in Iguala. It was not until 2019 that they were given access along with Encinas and the Truth Commission.
PORTLAND Ind.  A Portland man is accused of seriously injuring a fellow inmate at the Jay County jail during a dispute over a TV remote control.

Daryl Lee Cooper 73, was charged Wednesday in Jay Circuit Court with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.

According to court documents, Cooper on Aug. 24 shoved Lendol E. Reed, 57, into a metal bench in a cellblock at the jail. Reed, of Muncie, allegedly suffered "extreme pain, a collapsed lung, cracked ribs and abrasions."

A Jay County Sheriff's Department report indicated the violence followed a dispute between Cooper and Reed over the TV remove control. Reed had reportedly indicated he intended to change the channel while Cooper was watching a program.

More:Portland mother pleads guilty to cutting child's wrists

Cooper told jail officers that Reed "got up in his face so he pushed and punched him."

Another inmate reported Reed liked to "control the TV for the entire block." During the confrontation, the witness said, Reed told Cooper, "Get out of here, old man."

Cooper told investigators he was "a combat veteran and he doesn't have to take ---- from these younger guys."

He also said he "learned a long time ago to shoot first and you don't have to worry about what comes next."

Reed was taken to IU Health Jay Hospital, and was later transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

The Muncie man was in the Jay County jail awaiting resolution of two charges filed in August  possession of meth and possession of paraphernalia.

Cooper in August was awaiting trial on two charges filed against him last November, invasion of privacy and intimidation. He signed a plea agreement in that Jay Superior Court case this week.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Portland man charged with battering fellow prisoner in jail
For the first time since their loved ones were detained in Russia, the families of American basketball star Brittney Griner and Marine veteran Paul Whelan will have the chance to speak to President Joe Biden in person.

Biden plans to meet with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, at the White House on Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday.

He wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely, Jean-Pierre said.

In late July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the Biden Administration had made a substantial proposal to the Kremlin in hopes of securing the release of Griner and Whelan. The offer reportedly was a swap for notorious Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in an Illinois federal prison for conspiring to kill Americans and provide weapons to terrorists.

While Russia did not accept the offer of a 2-for-1 swap for Bout, the U.S. has continued to try to negotiate. When asked Thursday for an update, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, Why this process is taking so long is a better question for Moscow than it is for us.

I wouldnt characterize this process as stalled, Price continued. It certainly hasnt moved with the speed we would like. The fact that Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan still remain separated from their families in detention in Russia is a testament to that.

Biden had previously spoken at least once by phone with Cherelle Griner and Elizabeth Whelan. During his July phone call with Cherelle, Biden reassured her that his administration is working to secure Griners release and read her a draft of a letter he was having delivered to Brittney in prison.

Brittney Griner is escorted from a court room after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022. President Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday, Sept. 16, with family members of Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Griner was arrested last February when she flew into Moscow with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. During her trial, Griner confessed to inadvertently violating Russian law, telling the Russian judge she packed in a hurry and mistakenly brought the vape cartridges with her.

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The judge largely disregarded Griners pleas for leniency, declaring Griner guilty of drug possession and drug smuggling and handed down a nine-year sentence that was just shy of the maximum 10-year penalty. Griners attorneys appealed the verdict on Aug. 15, but experts in hostage exchange and Russian foreign policy say her appeal is likely to face the same challenges as her initial defense because of the political calculus involved.

The real purpose of Griners trial, according to experts, was to legitimize the Kremlins desire to hold her until it could extract concessions out of the U.S. in exchange for her safe return. A guilty verdict and a long sentence give the Kremlin the most leverage in negotiations with the U.S. and increase the pressure on the Biden administration to cut a deal to bring Griner home.

Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 after being convicted of espionage. Both he and U.S. officials have vehemently denied the charges and denounced his trial as wholly unfair.

While relations between the U.S. and Russia are at a low point, the two former Cold War adversaries did manage to negotiate a prisoner exchange earlier this year. The U.S. secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug smuggling charges.

We made a significant offer a couple of months ago through the same channels we used for Trevor Reed, Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday. We have followed up on that offer repeatedly and will continue to pursue every avenue to bring them home safely.
Sep. 15While Cherokee Bluff and Chestatee are different football teams in a lot of ways, the situation the two teams are in coming into their Region 8-4A clash Friday night at Yonah Field is quite similar.

Both the Bears (1-2, 1-0) and War Eagles (1-2, 1-0) dropped their only two non-region games to start the season, but got off to a good start in region play with a win last week.

That could make Friday's game particularly pivotal, with the winner putting itself into a very strong position as the lengthy region schedule, and the regular season as a whole, inching closer to its midpoint.

"Momentum is a funny thing in this sport as the season progresses," Cherokee Bluff coach Tommy Jones said. "I think both of us have some young players and have some new starters on each side. We're still in the process of figuring out who we are identity-wise. Another big step to evaluating that will be on Friday."

However, one other thing Jones and Chestatee coach Shaun Conley also want their teams to share in common is to not be so focused on what is down the road as to overlook what is immediately in front of them.

"It is a big game," Conley said. "But I tell everyone this, ... and I know it sounds cliche and all of that, but this game is important to Chestatee because it's the next one. There are so many things that can happen in our region with eight games, and certainly, this game has importance. But I don't see it as any more important than (any other).

"If we win, obviously we'll be in good shape. But if we can't win, it's not going to be the end of the season for us. We just approach it (as) the most important game because it's the next one. We can't afford to look past (the next game). There are just so many things that can happen in high school before Friday night."

As Jones mentioned, both teams do come in riding plenty of momentum from last week's wins.

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After taking an early lead on a 2-yard Perry Haynes touchdown run and a 96-yard TD pass from Asher Wilson to Max Eubanks, Cherokee Bluff had to endure a late comeback by Madison County before Wilson hit Carlos Marlow on a 25-yard scoring strike late to secure a 20-19 road win.

The win showed an increasing sense of confidence and maturity from the Bears, and particularly their junior quarterback Wilson, something Jones is very encouraged to see.

"I think our quarterback Asher Wilson continues to play well," Jones said. "I really do. He's got a lot of arm talent. Game-by-game, he seems to be getting a better grasp of managing and running our offense. He's an athlete. He has the ability to extend plays. He's played really well for us."

Meanwhile, Chestatee used a second-half surge behind sophomore quarterback Josh Kermode to pull away from a 44-12 win over East Hall at Lynn Cottrell Stadium.

But as big a factor as Kermode's 250 yards of total offense and three TDs were to that win, Conley was perhaps even more encouraged by the performance of the War Eagles' defense that clamped down and created six turnovers in the second half, including two interceptions from cornerback Christian Vargas, one of which went for a score.

"I don't know that I can single out any player," Conley said. "Maybe a group of players. Our defense really improved last week. They played really well, created a bunch of turnovers and stuff like that.

"Our offense is (also) starting to play well at times. That's our focus on offense, just being consistent and just getting better. We try to take it day by day and game by game."
Prince Harry celebrated his 38th birthday Thursday with little fanfare as he continued mourning Queen Elizabeth II and the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

The Duke of Sussex had his "second saddest birthday" as his day consisted of visiting tributes to the late sovereign, who died Sept. 8 at the age of 96. Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history with more than 70 years on the throne. She also held the title of the second longest-reigning monarch in the world.

"Today is Prince Harrys birthday, and hes been left at Frogmore Cottage with Meghan. Other members are off doing walkabouts and visiting floral displays in honor of the queen," Kinsey Schofield, royal expert and host of the "To Di For" daily podcast, told Fox News Digital.

"Sadly, Harrys birthday comes on the heels of the anniversary of Princess Dianas death and now the queens. People are calling it his second saddest birthday."

QUEEN ELIZABETH: KING CHARLES IN PRVATE REFLECTION, PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE VIEW FLORAL TRIBUTES

Prince Harry (seen Wednesday) had his "second saddest birthday" Thursday as he celebrated turning 38 amid the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the 25th anniversary of the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Getty Images

Princess Diana died Aug. 31, 1997, in a car collision in Paris, France. She was known as "the People's Princess" despite her disdain for the press and life in the spotlight. She divorced Charles in 1996 with paparazzi ultimately chasing her to death.

Harry's birthday wasn't even noticed by the official royal social media pages, including the accounts operated by his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton.

"Harry and Meghan are emotionally spent. The royal family typically wishes Harry a happy birthday on social media. A post had likely already been curated and approved prior to the death of the queen. Royal watchers are debating whether the lack of a post is out of respect for the circumstances or if the palace recognizes the real mix of reactions when it comes to the Sussexes presence in the U.K. right now."

PRINCE HARRY'S TELL-ALL BOOK: WHAT WILL HE REVEAL AND COULD MEMOIR DESTROY RELATIONSHIP WITH ROYAL FAMILY?

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While William and Kate, the newly-appointed Prince and Princess of Wales, were seen meeting with mourners at Sandrigham, King Charles III spent the day reflecting on the loss of his mother.

"King Charles is taking the day off for rest and reflection," Schofield said. "Meghan is going to try to make the day special for Harry with a home-cooked meal and perhaps a sweet treat.

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) with son Prince Harry during a holiday with the Spanish royal family at the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, August 1987. Terry Fincher

"Harry and Meghan are still very close to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. I would not be surprised if the Brooksbank family stopped in to celebrate the kings youngest son. We are also hearing that there are angry debates unfolding behind the scenes around Harry and Meghans childrens titles."

A major point of contention for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remains at hand  if their children, Archie and Lilibet, will receive the "His/Her Royal Highness" titles bestowed on family with immediate royal bloodlines.

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"Harry and Meghan are allegedly campaigning for HRH titles for their children for security purposes. King Charles does not agree as no member of their family is a working royal," Schofield said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with mourners Sept. 10, 2022, after flying into the UK to be with the royal family. REUTERS/Paul Childs

In 2020, they departed from royal duties due to what they described as the British media's intrusion and racist demeanor toward their family. Markle revealed she felt suicidal before they decided to leave England and moved back to her home state of California. And Harry acknowledged there was tension with his father over his decision to not only step away from his royal responsibilities, but also for his marriage to the biracial actress.

It's still unclear which of the children will be involved in the funeral on Monday, with speculation that William's eldest son George may be in attendance if any of the grandkids are.

"I dont believe we will see the Sussex children flown into the U.K. due to the ongoing tug of war over titles," Schofield said. "Harry has got to make his point that he feels his children are not safe there."
Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren - eight in total - will stand vigil for 15 minutes by her coffin at Westminster Hall in London on Saturday evening.

A royal expert tells Fox News that Prince Harry, who served 10 years in the British Royal Army, will wear his military uniform for the event, despite initial speculation that he would no longer be allowed to wear it. William will also be in uniform.

"I am glad the King thought better of it," Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital. "It's the right thing to do. The Queen was immensely proud of Prince Harry's service, as his Granny and as his Commander-in-Chief."

QUEEN ELIZABETH: KING CHARLES IN PRIVATE REFLECTION, PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE VIEW FLORAL TRIBUTES

Prince Harry is set to release a memoir this year. It is unclear if his book will cause a rift in his relationship with the royal family. Victoria Jones

Prince William, who is heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin, while Harry will be at the foot. Also attending will be Princess Anne's children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and the children of Prince Edward, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn. The ceremony will follow a vigil by the queen's four children on Friday evening.

A LOOK AT QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S GREAT GRANDCHILDREN

On Thursday, Prince William spoke to mourners, opening up about just how painful it was walking behind the coffin of his grandmother in the funeral procession.

In video captured by Sky News, the new Prince of Wales talked to the crowd during a walkabout in Sandringham, where he and wife Kate Middleton perused tributes left in Queen Elizabeth's honor.

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Prince Harry and Prince William are set to stand vigil Saturday evening. Karwai Tang/WireImage

"Doing the walk yesterday was challenging," William told the crowd. "It brought back a few memories. It's one of those moments where you kind of think to yourself, 'I've prepared myself for this,' but I'm not that prepared. It's this weird kind of thing...because we knew she was 96."

On Wednesday, William and brother Prince Harry walked the difficult path - nearly 25 years to the day after the funeral procession for their late mother, Princess Diana. Harry was photographed in an emotional moment as he paid his respects to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

When Princess Diana died, William and Harry  then at the ages of 15 and 12, respectively  followed a route that began at Kensington Palace in London, Princess Diana's home, to Westminster Abbey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Prince of Wales has cancelled his upcoming trip to New York City in the wake of Queen Elizabeth IIs death.

Prince William was scheduled to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit on 21 September. However, because the event falls on the extended period of mourning that will occur seven days after the Queens funeral on 19 September, the royal no longer plans to attend. The summit will still go on in Prince Williams absence, according to People.

The 40-year-old royal was set to address guests at the event, including finalists and winners of The Earthshot Prize. This years event, hosted by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, invites people from across the globe to come up with innovative solutions to the worlds most pressing environmental challenges.

Prince William and Sir David Attenbourough launched the Earthshot Prize in 2021 under the leadership of the Royal Foundation, which awards five $1m prizes to winners. The inaugural ceremony was held in London in October 2021, which the Prince and Princess of Wales attended together.

Buckingham Palace announced that a royal mourning period will be observed by members of the royal family and royal household staff for seven days after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, with the period of mourning set to end on 26 September.

Following the death of Her Majesty the Queen, it is His Majesty the Kings wish that a period of royal mourning be observed from now until seven days after the Queens funeral, the palace said.

This extended period of mourning follows the 10 days of national mourning that began the day after the Queens death on Thursday 8 September. In addition, the Queens funeral date will also be a bank holiday as it will be a Day of National Mourning.

In a statement, the government said: Monday 19 September, the date of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIs State Funeral, will be a national bank holiday. This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning.

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This bank holiday will operate in the same way as other bank holidays, and there is no statutory entitlement to time off. Employers may include bank holidays as part of a workers leave entitlement.

The bank holiday will take place across the United Kingdom.

The Queens funeral on 19 September will be held at Westminster Abbey beginning at 11am, followed by a national two-minute silence held at midday.
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 18:53

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reveal what Russia's actions will be in response to the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Source: Putin's communication with journalists at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit

Quote from Putin: "We see activity there, and there (at the front  ed.). Well, the Kyiv authorities announced that they have launched and are conducting an active counteroffensive operation. Well, let's see how it ends."

Details: Putin also said that Russia "responds rather cautiously" to Ukraine.

Quote from Putin: "Up to a certain point. More recently, the Russian Armed Forces have dealt several significant blows. You should assume these are warning strikes."

Background:

Earlier, at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin said that he "will do everything to end the conflict as soon as possible," but he is outraged that Ukraine wants to win by military means.

Journalists fight on their own frontline.

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Signs of frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine are mounting, posing the most serious challenge yet in retaining his firm grip on the Kremlin.

The stunning counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces has forced Russian troops to flee occupied areas, leading to questions about Russias strategy on state television airwaves normally under Putins thumb.

Local lawmakers in Putins hometown of St. Petersburg have called for his removal from office, while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close Putin ally, called Russias retreat this week astounding.

Russian experts say it all leaves Putin at the center of a political quagmire of his own making, which threatens his popularity and, in the longer term, quite possibly his political survival.

The odds of Putin losing power are higher than ever, though still not a very large number, said Timothy Frye, a Columbia University political science professor who wrote Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putins Russia.

Putin risked the most important achievement of his 20 years in power by going to war in Ukraine. And that was a sense of a return to stability, Frye said. And the expectation was the war would be over in a week  this would be seen as an easy victory and that stability would not be put in jeopardy. And now, it clearly has.

Putin, who has refused to label the conflict in Ukraine as a war even after tens of thousands have died, has few attractive choices going forward. That raises the possibility that his special military operation in Ukraine will drag on.

Putin, for all his macho persona, hes not good at making tough decisions, said Mark Galeotti, a London-based lecturer on Russian security and author of the forthcoming book Putins War. When he doesnt see a good answer, he tends to get paralyzed. And at the moment he doesnt really have any good options.

Putin has avoided instituting a draft to shore up Russian forces, for fear it would hurt him domestically. Suing for peace, Galeotti said, would likewise be politically disastrous.

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So hes probably just going to muddle along and basically hope that either Ukraine self-destructs or the West loses interest in supporting it, he said.

Thats been Russias hope and Ukraines dread before, but it seems more unlikely than ever at the moment.

Ukraines gains around Kharkiv have only emboldened Kyiv and Western support for its resistance. Anne Applebaum, a Russian historian and journalist, argued this week in The Atlantic that Ukraines liberation of some 6,000 square kilometers of occupied territory is cause to prepare for Ukraines victory and possibly Putins downfall.

On state TV this week, talking heads were debating why the special military operation was failing  generally placing blame with the military generals advising Putin  while anchors reported solemnly that it was the toughest week of the war so far.

That in itself was kind of revelatory and like, wow, I wasnt expecting that in this kind of make-believe world that they have over there, said Mark Schrad, who directs Russian Area Studies at Villanova Universitys Department of Political Science.

However, Schrad argued in a piece for Foreign Policy this week that predictions of Putins downfall were premature. He noted that Western forecasts of Putins imminent ouster have come and gone throughout his time in office  and that while the Ukraine war posed unprecedented risks, Putin was deploying unprecedented measures to maintain control and silence dissent.

I could be wrong, but I dont think its existential, he said of the challenges that Putin faces if losses continue in Ukraine. I think it would be an embarrassment, you know, certainly. And certainly wouldnt be good for his popularity.

But the idea that, you know, the sort of this exuberance that were seeing, that in the short term it will necessarily translate into sort of immediate political change, thats where I would kind of tap the brakes, you know, to try not to get too far ahead of our skis, he added.

Even if Putin does take a deep and sustained hit to his popularity over the Ukraine war  among the masses or within elite circles  it doesnt necessarily spell doom for him politically, Frye said.

People often conflate leaders becoming weaker in their ability to accomplish their goals with the possibility of them losing office. And those two things are often different. And dissatisfaction among the elites in the masses doesnt necessarily lead to action, Frye said.

I think thats the most likely situation going forward, given the current trajectory of the war, that for the moment, Putins position is not in danger, but his ability to get the public to go along with things he wants to do, and to get elites to sacrifice their own interests in order to serve Putins agenda, thats just going to be much harder.

Instability is increasingly being felt throughout Russias society and economy. Bloomberg reported this month on an internal Kremlin document predicting Russias economy shrinking by up to 10 percent in the coming years, compared to 2021 levels, and potentially only returning to pre-war footing near the end of the decade.

And though there is scant polling of popular opinions toward Putins war, Russians have consistently shown negative attitudes toward sending troops into foreign conflicts, noted Frye.

Yet the most significant threat to Putin is losing support of the elites  in the security services, the private sector and regional power brokers  said Chris Miller, an associate professor at Tufts University who specializes in Russian history. At the moment, Putin is seeking to balance between hawks who want to see him double down in Ukraine, and doves, who would like to see movement toward a peace settlement.

He sees a middle path and I think we should expect elites to give him the benefit of the doubt to pursue for the coming months, Miller said. The war is not going nearly as well as they might have hoped. But its manageable for the next couple of months, and other than those who want escalation there arent many other great ideas coming out of the Russian policymaking process about what to do differently that would produce better outcomes from the perspective of the Russian governments goals in Ukraine.

Putin also benefits from the lack of an obvious successor. And he has proven adept at playing elites against each other, wielding a range of tools to keep rebellious elements under control  from punishing officials who deviate from his policy to real fears among business elites that they may meet a mysterious death, he added.

Miller also noted that views toward the war  both inside and outside Russia  were very different just two months ago, when Russia was steadily gaining territory in Ukraine.

I think the lesson of this war and the lesson of many other wars is that there are many twists and turns, he said. Momentum over the course of seven months has changed multiple times already, and we shouldnt be surprised if it switches again.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo: The Canadian Press Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sept. 3, 2022.

After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows.

On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words The Storm is Coming." In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump's final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television.

As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it.

He's published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn't know much about QAnon, he couldn't disprove its conspiracy theory.

Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, Is that supposed to be a bad thing?

If I can help save the world from problems, Im willing to do it, Trump said.

Trump's recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a q drop, one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Even when his posts haven't referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movement's slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios.

Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled WWG1WGA, an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for Where we go one, we go all.

Online, Q adherents basked in Trump's attention.

Yup, haters! wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. Trump re-truthed Q memes. And hell do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!

Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots, a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.

The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group.

These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal, Bloom told the AP on Thursday. That's why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.

On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has re-truthed them in their bios.

By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they've been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon's use of language and symbols.

It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about the storm" as a particularly frightening example.

The storm is coming' is shorthand for something really dark that he's not saying out loud," McIntosh said. This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability."

Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense.

Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it's a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement.

A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence.

QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election.

Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA.

Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss.

On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter. A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon.

I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet, she told the newspaper.

The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power.

Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. That's forced much of the group's activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump's struggling platform, Truth Social.
(Bloomberg) -- When Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled across the border to Kazakhstan this week, he wrote in a local newspaper that mutual relations were rock solid. Kazakh ties with its traditional Russian ally are not on such a firm footing.

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Kazakhstan, which has a sizable Russian-speaking population, notably declined to endorse President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Alongside its political dissent, Kazakhstan has built alternative economic ties, with the European Union overtaking Russia as Almatys largest trading partner.

Its just one example of the shifting allegiances in Russias backyard of central Asia and the Caucasus, as nations that were once Soviet republics look to lessen their dependence on Moscow. That process of economic and political diversification has been accelerated by Russias war and the international sanctions imposed in response.

Administrations desperate to avoid getting hit by secondary sanctions are actively approaching the German government, the EU and the US for advice, especially in the financial sphere, according to Eduard Kinsbruner, regional director for central Asia with the German Eastern Business Association, who led a trade delegation to Uzbekistan in July.

The regions governments have always had an interest in trading with Europe and Asia, but now theyre seizing their chances to attract more business, Kinsbruner said in an interview in Berlin. Theres huge potential.

It was in Kazakhstan that Xi announced his flagship Belt and Road infrastructure and investment initiative back in 2013. Xi and Putin met in neighboring Uzbekistan on Thursday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

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Yet for all the political symbolism, evidence of a reorientation shows up in trade statistics with Germany, Europes biggest economy and a proxy for the EU as a whole. As business with Russia collapsed, German trade with Kazakhstan was up 80% in the first half of 2022 compared with last year, while Uzbekistan was up 111%. The volumes are still a long way from making up for lost Russia business, but enough for the German group to note the regions growing importance as part of an ongoing reconfiguration of global trade routes.

Kazakhstan  the regions largest economy and dominant country  mostly exports energy, but agricultural products and commodities for high-tech and e-mobility are of growing importance.

Uzbekistan, which is enacting a program of economic reforms and a privatization process, is opening completely, said Kinsbruner. While in Tashkent, his German group ran into business delegations from France and South Korea.

The risk of instability may still weigh on the regions economic potential. The Kazakh president asked Putin to send troops in January to help crush violent protests in which at least 230 people died. At least 18 people were killed in Uzbekistan in rare public protests in July against a proposed constitutional reform. The long-running Caucasus conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains unresolved.

Click here for more on the latest conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Yet the regions oil and gas lend it strategic importance at a time when Europes No. 1 challenge is replacing Russian energy supplies.

In July, the EU reached an agreement to double natural-gas imports from Azerbaijan via the Southern Gas Corridor, a network of pipelines connecting the Caspian Sea with Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Azerbaijan to sign the deal with President Ilham Aliyev, saying that the EU was turning away from Russia toward more reliable, trustworthy suppliers  and Im glad to count Azerbaijan among them.

Part of the motive for central Asian and Caucasus states to look beyond Moscow may be to avoid falling foul of Putin and suffering Ukraines fate. Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made that case on Sept. 7, telling Uzbek journalists that if we lose, then youll be next, according to a report of his remarks in a local Uzbek newspaper.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has moved to build stronger ties with Turkey at the same time as he has distanced himself from Putins invasion. In May, he made his first state visit to Turkey since becoming president in 2019 and signed an enhanced strategic partnership agreement with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two sides signed accords to produce Turkish military reconnaissance and strike drones in Kazakhstan, and to boost cooperation between their intelligence services, as well as simplifying customs controls.

Tokayev has also invigorated relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In a July call with EU Council President Charles Michel, he said that Kazakhstan could help at a time of deepening geopolitical fractures by acting as a buffer market between east and west, south and north.

Putins war on Ukraine has caused Kazakhstan to seriously rethink its strategic and economic security, and to diversify away from Russia where possible, said Kate Mallinson, founder of Prism Political Risk Management in London.

For many in the region, its a case of rebalancing Moscows influence to add other sources of economic growth at a time of shifting global trade routes, not least as a result of Russias war. The flare-up in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia further complicates the picture, thwarting efforts to open long-closed borders and the development of transport links. Ultimately, these would strengthen Turkeys access to central Asia via land routes and the Caspian Sea, allowing states in the region to build ties with Ankara and the EU, bypassing Russia.

Kazakhstan cant just ditch Russia

For now, Russia and China remain key players. Uzbekistan signed a flurry of deals with Chinese entities in late August, including wind power projects and bank loans to supply technology equipment and raw materials from China, according to Janes IntelTrak Belt and Road Monitor.

Armenias trade with the EU jumped by nearly 38% in the first half of 2022, according to the National Statistical Committee, but this was overshadowed by a 50% increase in trade with Russia. While the EU is Kazakhstans largest trading partner, Russia still accounted for 38.5% of Kazakh exports in the first half.

Kazakhstan cant just ditch Russia: its too reliant on it for business, trade routes and  ironically  security, said Chris Tooke, London-based director of political risk at J.S. Held, a global consulting firm. And Moscows made it abundantly clear that it can stir up trouble for Kazakhstan on multiple fronts.

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Queen Camilla is putting her best foot forward  despite nursing a broken toe  during a busy and emotional period following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Camilla, 75, reportedly sustained the injury before the monarch died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, making her husband the King. A day later, the new monarch officially named his wife, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, his Queen Consort.

Since then, it's been a whirlwind of travel and officially duties for the couple as King Charles begins his reign and mourns his mother.

Camilla has been in "quite a lot of pain," according to The Telegraph, which quotes a source who said she is "getting on" and has been "an absolute trouper."

RELATED: Queen Camilla Tells Well-Wishers 'We're Doing Our Best' After Queen Elizabeth's Death

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort attend a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen at Llandaff Cathedral

Frank Augstein - Pool/Getty Images

Back in London, Charles, 73, and Camilla sat for the first time on thrones as king and queen consort during a meeting with 900 members of the legislative body and members of the House of Lords, who offered their condolences at Westminster Hall on September 9.

For more on the Royals, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

A day later, King Charles and Queen Camilla held their first audiences with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Prime Minister and Members of the Cabinet, and Opposition Party Leaders, Buckingham Palace said in a statement September 10.

Camilla Queen Consort arrives at Cardiff Castle

Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

In between ceremonies to honor and mourn Queen Elizabeth and her historic 70-year reign, the new King and Queen have been on a four-nation tour of the United Kingdom, with stops in Scotland, England, Ireland and, on Friday, Wales, a country of particular significance to Charles, who spent most of his life as the Prince of Wales before his son William inherited the title.

King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen at Llandaff Cathedral in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff on Friday. They later received a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd, while the King is set to conduct audiences at Cardiff Castle and attend a reception for local charities with Camilla.

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RELATED: Queen Camilla Wears Brooch Gifted to Her by Queen Elizabeth During Cathedral Service

"We are doing our best," Camilla told a well-wisher Tuesday outside of Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, where she and the king viewed the flowers, notes and other tributes left in honor of the late Queen.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort depart following a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen at Llandaff Cathedral

Matthew Horwood/Getty Images King Charles and Queen Camilla

"I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla," King Charles said in his first address to the nation following the death of his mother. "In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort. I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much."

As hundreds of heads of state, royals and other political luminaries gather in London ahead of Monday's state funeral for Queen Elizabeth, Charles and Camilla will be meeting with many of the world's leaders and other dignitaries for the first time as King and Queen Consort.

A London government source likened to packing "hundreds of state visits" into just a few days, according to The Times.
Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96.

The monarch passed away peacefully in Balmoral Castle on Thursday 8 September. Her death comes almost a year and a half after the Duke of Edinburgh died on 9 April 2021.

Over the course of her reign, the Queen was the most powerful person in Britain, but she was also one of the most inspiring women in the world.

She was the UKs longest-serving monarch, recording 70 years on the throne, and despite hardly ever discussing womens rights, she had a watershed impact on empowering women everywhere throughout her reign.

The Queen was described by many as a feminist icon, including Olivia Colman, who played the monarch in the fourth season of The Crown.

The Oscar winner previously told Radio Times: [The Queen is] the ultimate feminist. Shes the breadwinner. Shes the one on our coins and banknotes.

In remembrance of the Queen, weve rounded up some of her best feminist moments.

When she took Saudi King Abdullah for a spin in her Land Rover

Queen Elizabeth II pictured driving her Range Rover to attend the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 2019 (Getty Images)

In 2003, the Queen famously took Abdullah, who died in 2015, for a drive in her Land Rover when he came to visit her in Balmoral, Scotland.

The story was told in a memoir by British diplomat Sir Sherard Cowper-Cowles, who was Ambassador to Saudi Arabia at the time.

After lunch, the Queen had asked her royal guest whether he would like a tour of the estate, wrote Cowper-Coles.

Prompted by his foreign minister the urbane Prince Saud, an initially hesitant Abdullah had agreed. The royal Land Rovers were drawn up in front of the castle. As instructed, the Crown Prince climbed into the front seat of the front Land Rover, his interpreter in the seat behind.

To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off.

The move was particularly significant considering women were not yet allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and, as Cowper-Coles writes, Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a Queen.

When she quietly oversaw the change in royal rules of succession to allow the eldest woman to accede to the throne

(Getty Images)

In 2011, the Queen oversaw a major change to succession laws as agreed by the leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries that meant sons and daughters of any future British monarch would have equal rights to the throne.

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Up until that point, the laws of succession dictated that the heir to the throne is always the first-born son of the monarch.

But according to the new rules, had the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a daughter first, she would have taken precedence to the throne over her younger brothers. As it so happens, the couple had a boy first, Prince George.

When she became the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services full-time

(Getty Images)

One of the reasons why the Queen was such a keen driver (she was regularly photographed behind the wheel) is because in 1945 during World War II, she drove trucks and learnt how to repair cars in the Womens Auxiliary Territorial Service.

The Queen learnt to drive in 1945 when she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) as a Subaltern #HM90factshttps://t.co/bDQOVtfTIv  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 18, 2016

She was the only living head of state to have served in the Second World War.

When she gave a brilliant speech at the centenary celebrations of the Womens Institute in 2015

(Getty Images)

In June 2015, the Queen opened the 100th annual meeting of the Womens Institute (WI) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The monarch, who became a member of Sandringham WI in 1943, delivered an inspiring speech to more than 5,000 WI members to mark the occasion. In the speech, she highlighted some of the greatest achievements for women in the last 100 years.

There has been significant economic and social change since 1915, she said. Women have been granted the vote, British women have climbed Everest for the first time and the country has elected its first female prime minister.

She added: In the modern world, the opportunities for women to give something of value to society are greater than ever, because, through their own efforts, they now play a much greater part in all areas of public life.

In 2015 it continues to demonstrate that it can make a real difference to the lives of women of all ages and cultural backgrounds, in a spirit of friendship, cooperation and support.

Every time she stepped out with Prince Philip and he had to walk behind her

(Getty Images)

When the Duke of Edinburgh was still alive, you may have noticed that he almost always walked behind the Queen.

This is no coincidence. According to tradition, when the royal family is part of a procession, they enter and are seated in the order of precedence, which is the same as the line of succession to the throne.

This means that the Queen always walked in front, followed by Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and so forth.

After Philips death in April 2021, the order of the procession now starts with the Queen, followed by Prince Charles and Camilla, then Prince William and Kate Middleton, and so on.

It might be out of obligation rather than choice, but its hard not to feel empowered every time we saw the Queen leading the royal family, both symbolically and literally.
Queen Elizabeth IIs great-grandchildren have made their first appearance at Westminster Hall, where the Queens coffin is lying in state until her funeral on Monday.

The Queens four children  King Charles II, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex  honoured their mother on Friday 16 September during the Vigil of the Princes at Westminster Hall.

The King led his siblings, all dressed in military uniform, as they stood guard around the Queens coffin for the 15-minute ceremonial vigil. All four stood silent as mourners in the queue continued to walk past the coffin.

A number of royal family members were spotted watching from above as the ceremony took place. Among them included the Queen Consort and Princess Annes husband, the Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

The Queens grandchildren  James, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor  also attended the vigil with their mother: Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank watched the vigil from above, alongside Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

The Duke of Kent, one of the Queens four living first cousins, attended with his son and daughter-in-law, the Earl and Countess of St Andrews.

Also watching the Vigil of the Princes from above was Princess Annes son Peter Phillips and his two daughters  Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10. Annes daughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall were with their daughters as well  Mia, eight, and Lena, four.

This marks the first time any of Queen Elizabeth IIs great-grandchildren have been seen since the Queens death on 8 September. There has been much speculation over whether any of the Queens 12 great-grandchildren would attend her funeral on Monday, considering they are still young.

(Getty Images)

The last time the young royals were spotted together in public was during the Queens platinum jubilee celebrations in June, and they drew much attention for their shenanigans.

Prince Louis, four, especially made an impression at the Trooping of the Colour parade and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. The youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales stole the show with his expressive faces and his screaming during the Royal Air Force flypast.

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At one moment during the pageant, the Queens great-grandchildren were captured bickering over a bag of candy. Lena pulled out the bag of sweets and offered one to Princess Charlotte. Savannah intercepted the bag, but Lena pulled them away before she could grab a handful. Prince Louis tried stealing the bag, but Lena broke away to offer some to Prince George.

The Queens four children take part in ceremonial vigil at Westminster Hall (Getty Images)

Although its unclear what part the 12 great-grandchildren will play in the funeral, the Queens grandchildren will participate in a vigil at her coffin on Saturday. A royal source said the Prince of Wales will stand at the head of the Queens coffin, while the Duke of Sussex will stand at the foot.

At the Kings request, his sons Prince William and Prince Harry will both be in military uniform. Harry was previously banned from wearing his uniform during the coffins procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, and instead was dressed in a black suit with his military medals pinned to his coat.

Many royal commentators criticised the restriction, considering the prince served ten years in the British Army and completed two tours in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Prince Harry attempted to redirect attention to his grandmothers life rather than his appearance.

[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother, his spokesperson said. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, is moved by procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. (Getty Images)

As the world prepares to pay its final respects to Queen Elizabeth II at the state funeral on Monday, a number of key places are playing crucial roles in the traditions and rituals of the royal mourning period.

Several of London's most historic landmarks are the setting for the important ceremonial procedures, some of which also have key military significance.

Yahoo UK looks at these places and what they mean, and who has been carrying out some of the important tasks in the lead-up to the Queens funeral.

Palace of Westminster

Palace of Westminster. (Getty Images)

The Palace of Westminster includes the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Hall and the Elizabeth Tower, often referred to as Big Ben. It has a long and storied history: burning down in a fire in 1834 and suffering further damage when it was bombed during the Blitz of the Second World War.

One of King Charles III's first acts as monarch was to visit the Palace of Westminster and receive condolences from MPs and Lords.

He will also be back for each state opening of parliament.

Big Ben is actually the name of one of the bells inside, but it is commonly used to refer to the tower too. The bell itself is currently muffled during the mourning period.

It was previously called the clock tower, but was renamed in 2012 to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee.

The other towers are the Victoria Tower and the Central Tower.

The Mall

The Mall during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year. (Getty Images)

The Mall is the road that leads up to Buckingham Palace in central London.

Its usually filled with people during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, the annual parade which marks the monarchs official birthday. Earlier in the year it was packed with well-wishers celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The Queens coffin travelled down the Mall during its procession to Westminster Hall, where the Lying-in-State is currently taking place. Followed by the King and senior members of the royal family, the coffin was carried on a Gun Carriage of the The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

The coffin will also likely go back down the Mall after the funeral.

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Westminster Hall

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth arrives at Westminster Hall for her lying in state. (Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Westminster Hall is in the Palace of Westminster, and is the oldest part of the Parliamentary estate.

Over the course of her reign, the Queen addressed both Houses of Parliament (the Commons and the Lords) in Westminster Hall.

She gave personally written speeches to parliamentarians on her Jubilee in 2002 and in 2012.

But now its where her coffin is located as she lies in state.

Queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. (Photo by Lorena Sopena/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The hall is open to the public for people to visit and pay their respects, as it was in 2002 when the Queen Mother died. People have so far waited up to eleven hours for their chance to see the coffin, in a queue that stretches nearly five miles.

The hall is open for 23 hours a day to accommodate all the well-wishers.

Her four children will also hold a vigil to their mother  with Anne making history by becoming the first woman to do so.

The hall is also where Charles received condolences from members of both Houses of Parliament soon after he became monarch.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey. (Getty Images)

Westminster Abbey is a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament and is the site of the Commonwealth Day service, a day which was very important to the Queen.

Its also where the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is and the Queen paid respects at the tomb over Remembrance Week each year.

The bouquets of royal brides are sent to the tomb after the wedding.

The Abbey is where the Queens funeral will be held, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The funeral will take place on Monday, 19th September and will be attended by heads of state and dignitaries from across the world.

The coffin will be taken by gun carriage from the church, ending up in Windsor, where she will be buried inside the chapel.

Westminster Abbey will also host the coronation in due course.

Horse Guards Parade

Ceremonial troops escort the gun carriage carrying the Queen's coffin across Horse Guards Parade. (Getty Images)

Horse Guards Parade is probably best known as the large open space where much of the procession for the annual Trooping the Colour takes place.

The Trooping the Colour parade is held each year for the monarchs official birthday, which has been marked in June throughout Queen Elizabeth IIs reign.

The parade ground is also the official entrance to Buckingham Palace and St James Palace.

The procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall also partly took place in Horse Guards Parade

St Jamess Palace

St James's Park outside Buckingham Palace. (Getty Images)

St Jamess Palace is in central London, close to Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade.

The palace is where the Accession Council convened as soon as possible after the Queens death.

The council began the process of officially announcing Charles the monarch.

He was proclaimed sovereign at part one of the meeting by the Accession Council, but was not present. In the second part of the council, Charles read a declaration, commemorated the late Queen and took an oath.

For the very first time, this centuries-old ceremony was broadcast on television, and the world watched Charles be proclaimed as monarch.

A proclamation of the new king was also made from the balcony of the palace by the Garter King of Arms.

The monarchs funeral will also have been planned from offices in St James Palace.

Charles I statue and the Royal Exchange

Charles I statue. (Getty Images)

There are two places to start with where declarations of the Queens death and the accession of Charles will be made.

One is the Charles I statue in Trafalgar Square, central London, and the second proclamation was read at the Royal Exchange in the City.

Once the announcements were made there, others took place around the country at town halls and in various capital cities.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace has been the Queen's London home. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Buckingham Palace has been the main residence of the Royal Family and the reigning monarch for some time, so its fitting that the Queens coffin spent one final night there.

The coffin was placed in the Bow Room at the palace before it moved to Westminster Hall to lie in state.

A notice was placed in the grounds of Buckingham Palace with the news of the Queens death, a sombre version of the messages the public has grown more used to seeing of royal births.

St Georges Chapel

St Georges Chapel in Windsor during Prince Philip's funeral. (Photo by Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle has been a place of worship for the Queen for decades.

And its where her body will be laid to rest in a private burial service once the funeral is over in London.

The Queen, who loved Windsor Castle and grew up there during the Second World War, spent dozens of Easters there carrying out the rituals of Maundy Thursday, and saw her youngest son, Prince Edward, get married there.

Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie also married here.

Its fitting the Queen should be laid to rest in the chapel, where her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, her father George VI, her mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and her sister Margaret are all buried.

As well as the major landmarks, here is a breakdown of the key roles involved in the funeral arrangements:

Royal titles

King: Charles has become King Charles III.

Duke of Lancaster: Charles also becomes the Duke of Lancaster, a title relating to the Duchy of Lancaster, the plot of land which is established for the monarch.

Queen consort: Camilla is now the queen consort. This is a title that Queen Elizabeth supported Camilla taking on, saying in a message marking her Platinum Jubilee "it is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her own loyal service."

Prince of Wales: Charles as heir was made the Prince of Wales when he was five years old. Now, his son William, has been made the Prince of Wales. William has also inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, and become the Duke of Cornwall.

Duchess of Cornwall: As her husband stops being the Duke of Cornwall, the title of Duchess of Cornwall will also transfer from Camilla to Kate. William and Kate will retain the Duchy of Cambridge. Kate will be known as Catherine, the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.

Princess of Wales: With William becoming the Prince of Wales, his wife Kate will now be known as the Princess of Wales, a title last held by Diana.

Earl Marshal: The Earl Marshal is the person in charge of organising the monarchs state funeral. The Duke of Norfolk is the Earl Marshal - currently Edward William Fitzalan-Howard. Its a hereditary position. He will work from offices in St Jamess Palace and is the most senior peer in the country.

Garter King of Arms: The Garter King of Arms is the senior King of Arms, and senior officer in the college of arms, the heraldic authority in England, Scotland and Wales. Its currently held by David Vines White. He will read out the proclamation of the new king from St Jamess Palace after the council meets.

Which troops are involved after the Queens death?

There have been several different regiments of the armed forces involved in key parts of the ceremonies following the Queens death.

The 1st Life Guards: The 1st Life Guards are part of the Household Cavalry, who have been the monarchs guardians for 300 years. Created in the 1650s, this cavalry unit merged with The Blues and Royals making up the Household Cavalry. However, both units have maintained their own long held specific traditions.

Coldstream Guards: This regiment is the longest continuously serving regiment in the British Army, they play hugely important roles in many ceremonial duties. When Charles was proclaimed as king, they removed their famous bearskin hats and cheered the new monarch.

Kings Troop Royal House Artillery: This regiment fired one round every minute in Hyde Park as the Queen's coffin left Buckingham Palace and travelled to Westminster Hall. During the sombre procession, around 38 rounds were fired altogether.
Queen Elizabeth's coffin

A Chinese government delegation has been banned from attending the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II, according to parliamentary sources.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is understood to have refused a request for access over Chinese sanctions against five MPs and two peers.

Queen Elizabeth will lie in state in Westminster Hall until she is buried on Monday.

China says it is still considering whether to attend the funeral.

A high-ranking official from Beijing had been expected to be amongst the guests, but a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said earlier on Friday that no decision had been made.

The spokeswoman, Mao Ning, said they had not seen reports about the Westminster Hall ban, which first emerged on the Politico website.

But she added: "As a host, the UK is certainly familiar with diplomatic protocols and proper manners of receiving guests."

Sir Lindsay told the BBC: "It's better I don't comment because everything has security implications. It would be wrong of me to do so."

Downing Street declined to comment, with a spokesperson saying "admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament".

Last year, China imposed travel bans and asset freezes on nine Britons - including seven parliamentarians - for accusing Beijing of mistreating Uyghur Muslims.

That led to China's ambassador to the UK being banned from Parliament - a move which has now been extended to a delegation that wanted to pay their respects at Queen Elizabeth's lying-in-state.

UK-China relations are already strained and this ban is unlikely to help.

The Queen's coffin is currently lying in state in Westminster Hall, part of the parliamentary estate, before Monday's state funeral at nearby Westminster Abbey.

The funeral will be one of the biggest diplomatic events of recent years, with some 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries expected to attend, including US President Joe Biden.

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A Downing Street spokesman said it was a convention that countries with which the UK has diplomatic relations should be invited to state funerals.

Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Russia and Belarus have not been invited - whilst Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua have been asked to only send a senior diplomat.

China's President Xi Jinping is on the guest list but is not thought likely to attend.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is among UK parliamentarians to be sanctioned by China

According to the parliamentary rule book Erskine May, control of Westminster Hall is shared between the Lord Great Chamberlain - who is appointed by the monarch - and the speakers of both the Commons and the Lords.

There is no specific mention regarding control of access for an occasion such as a lying-in-state, but when it comes to "invitations to foreign dignitaries to address both Houses in Westminster Hall" these are "ordinarily" issued by the agreement of all three.

Last September, Sir Lindsay and House of Lords Speaker Lord McFall told China's ambassador to the UK he could not come to Parliament because of Beijing's sanctions.

At the time, that ban was criticised by the Chinese government as "despicable and cowardly".

On Thursday, the group of seven MPs and peers, including former Tory ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton, urged the Foreign Secretary to withdraw an invitation to President Xi of China to attend the Queen's funeral.

In a letter, they said it would be "wholly inappropriate" for the Chinese government to be represented, given its human rights record.

Sir Iain, one of the five MPs placed under Chinese sanctions last year, said he would like to "applaud" the Commons Speaker for banning the Chinese delegation from Parliament.

"He's standing firm, and I think the government should have stood firm as well," he told BBC News.

Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on officials in China following rights abuse allegations against the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority group.

China has detained Uyghurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged.

It has denied the allegations of abuse, claiming the camps are "re-education" facilities used to combat terrorism.
During her Wednesday night appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "Abbott Elementary" star Quinta Brunson interrupted the host's monologue to complete her Emmy's acceptance speech. Kimmel was accused of distracting from Brunson's first Emmy win on Monday when he laid on the floor next to her for the duration of her speech.

"So you know how when you win an Emmy, you only have 45 seconds to do an acceptance speech, which is like not that much time," Brunson asked Kimmel on his show Wednesday night. "And thenyou get less time because someone does a dumb comedy bit that goes on a bit too long?"

"You know I have heard of that happening in previous years," Kimmel responded.

"Well I was wondering, or more demanding, if I could have a couple of extra minutes to thank, you know, a couple of extra people that I didn't get to on Monday night," the actor said.

Kimmel stepped aside, and Brunson thanked several people, fans of "Abbott Elementary," the show's writers, and the internet "for raising" her.

Kimmel faced criticism, including from Brunson's co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph, for laying flat on the ground, supposedly "passed out" from too many skinny margaritas, instead of leaving the stage after Will Arnett announced her win.

He apologized to the actor Wednesday night when the pair sat down to have a more formal conversation on his show.

"That was a dumb comedy bit that we thought would be funny," Kimmel said. "And then, people got upset. They said I stole your moment and maybe I did, and I'm very sorry if I did do that. I'm sorry I did do that, actually."

He added that he did not mean to offend Brunson.

"The last thing I would ever want to do is upset you because I think so much of you," he said. "I think you know that. I hope you know that."

Brunson thanked Kimmel for the apology, explaining that she did not think too much of the joke at the time.

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"I honestly was in such a moment of just having a good time, like I won my first Emmy," she said. "I was wrapped up in the moment and just having a good time."

Monday was Brunson's first appearance at the Emmys, as well as her first win. She received the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series.

"Abbott Elementary" tells the story of an underfunded school in Philadelphia and the teachers who work there. The show's first season won a total of three Emmys.

Kimmel said the Emmy was well-deserved and that he was glad both the show and Brunson were recognized Monday.

"I was so happy to see you win that Emmy, or not see you win that Emmy, either way," Kimmel said, poking fun at his stunt. "I've been a fan of the show since before it came out."

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(Reuters) - The European Union saw 16% more deaths than usual in July as a record-breaking heatwave hit parts of the continent, its highest monthly figure so far this year, official data showed on Friday.

The extreme heat in southern Europe had sparked wildfires in Spain, France and Portugal, and led to thousands of heat-related deaths across Europe, spreading concern over climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather.

Excess mortality amounted to around 53,000 more deaths in July compared with the monthly averages for 2016-2019, EU's statistics office Eurostat said.

It defines excess mortality as the number of deaths from all causes during a crisis above what could be observed in "normal" conditions.

"Based on the available information, some of the mortality increase in July 2022 compared to the same month of the past two years may be due to the heatwaves that have affected parts of Europe during the reference period," Eurostat said.

It added the 16% rate was "an unusually high value" for a July month. The bloc had 3% excess mortality in the same period in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 6% in 2021.

Spain and Cyprus saw the highest numbers of excess deaths in July, more than double the EU's average, with excess mortality rates of 37% and 33% respectively.

Spain in July weathered its earliest heat wave in over 40 years, with temperatures surpassing 40 Celsius degrees (104F) in some southern and central parts of the country.

(Reporting by Diana Mandia in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi)
WASHINGTON  A package of bills that Democrats hope will curb any future Trump-like presidents passed the House Thursday, advancing measures that could stand as a legacy to departing Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

The bills aim to shield the U.S. Census from White House manipulation, protect federal workers who blow the whistle on renegade administrations, and prevent presidents from easily removing career civil service in favor of political appointees.

The Census bill in particular has been a focus for Maloney, whose office raised concerns early in Donald Trumps presidency about how his administration was preparing for the decennial count of Americans. Among other things, Trumps commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, attempted to add a citizenship question to the survey outside of the normal process.

Career Census officials warned that step could cause problems, including causing an over-count of white Americans. The Supreme Court ultimately barred the question over improper process after lower courts ruled it had been sparked by racial animus.

The previous administration took steps that undermined the bipartisan nature of the Census, Maloney said in a debate ahead of the votes, pointing to unprecedented numbers of political appointees Trump named to the Census, as well as the procedural irregularities. Partisan manipulation of the census is simply wrong.

The whistleblower bill would plug a loophole in federal law after a judge ruled in 2020 that agencies are allowed to investigate employees who allege wrongdoing in certain circumstances, rather than the wrongdoing itself.

A third bill, called the Preventing a Patronage System Act, would bar the White House from reclassifying whole classes federal civil servants as eligible to be removed at the whim of a president to be replaced by political appointees.

Blind loyalty and ideological purity tests must never determine who we trust with securing our nations borders, fortifying federal IT systems, caring for seniors and veterans, fighting public health threats, or responding to natural disasters, said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. As one former federal human resource expert said, do we really think a government of political hacks and psychophants is in the best interest of the American people?

Story continues

Although some Republicans supported the bills, most GOP lawmakers ripped the measures as an attempt to entrench federal bureaucrats and a reflection of Democrats obsession with Trump.

Our founding fathers never envisioned a massive unelected, unaccountable federal government with the power to create policies that impact Americans everyday lives, but thats currently the state of todays federal bureaucracy, said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. President Trump sought to take on this bureaucracy and restore power to the people by draining the swamp.

Connolly fired back that a lot had changed since the founders drafted the Constitution.

I remind my friend from Kentucky, neither did they ever envision the state of Kentucky. As a matter of fact, what is now Kentucky was claimed and owned by my home state, Virginia, Connolly said. There are a lot of things that werent envisioned back in the 1780s that we have to deal with in the 21st century, and thats what were doing here today.

The bills fates are uncertain in the Senate. With time running out on this session of Congress, the Senates calendar is already crowded with bills. In order to pass, Maloneys bills would likely have to be attached to a larger one, such as a government funding bill.

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Xi attends sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia, Mongolia

Xinhua) 08:19, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, on Thursday afternoon at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi underscored the strong impetus and resilience of the cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trilateral cooperation has never stopped, and the achievements made should be recognized, he said, adding that the three countries fought the pandemic together, sending medical supplies to each other at the earliest time possible, sharing anti-epidemic experience without reservation, and jointly protecting the life and health of their people.

The three countries, Xi said, had online discussions to keep the momentum of exchanges, and the hearts of their people were brought even closer.

Cooperation on joint COVID-19 prevention and control in the border areas was carried out to keep economic and trade interactions steady and smooth, he said, adding that notable progress was made in the development of international road transportation along the Asian Highway Network connecting the three countries.

Xi put forth a four-point proposal on furthering China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation: First, keep the trilateral cooperation in the right direction. It is important to deepen political mutual trust, increase mutual support, respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs.

Second, upgrade cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly build a platform of cooperation against risks and challenges and a platform of growth that helps unleash the potential of development.

Third, follow through on the common understanding reached on the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, support the neighboring regions in deepening cooperation in economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, tourism and other fields, and continue to build high-quality platforms for the exchanges of business communities of the three countries.

Fourth, work for more outcomes in trilateral cooperation and support the expansion of settlement in local currencies in mutual trade. Russian and Mongolian financial institutions are welcome to join the RMB Cross-border Interbank Payment System to build a strong bulwark of financial security in the region.

Putin said that Russia-China-Mongolia trilateral cooperation has made significant progress, and, with its mutually beneficial nature, adds value to the development of their mutual relations.

As close neighbors, he said, the three countries should give each other understanding and support, and consolidate and promote trilateral cooperation across the board.

The three countries should encourage and support their entrepreneurs to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for more substantial progress in cooperation in areas such as transport, logistics, cross-border transportation, energy, high and new technology, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Khurelsukh said that the development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with China and Russia is a diplomatic priority for Mongolia.

Given the complex international situation, it is all the more important to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Mongolia, China and Russia, he said.

The Mongolian side, he said, is ready to strengthen communication with China and Russia and jointly work for progress in both bilateral and trilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment, energy, railway, tourism and other areas.

The three countries confirmed the extension of the Outline of the Development Plan on Establishing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor by five years, officially launched the feasibility study on the upgrading and development of the central-route railway of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Photo: YouTube

Poland on Friday sealed $3 billion in deals with South Korea for the purchase of 48 Korean FA-50 fighter planes as the central European country takes urgent steps to increase its deterrence and defense capabilities amid Russias war on neighboring Ukraine.

The two deals for the purchase of Fighting Falcon combat and training planes follow contracts signed last month for the acquisition by Poland of $5.8 billion worth of South Korean tanks and howitzers.

Polands President Andrzej Duda, who is the armed forces' supreme commander, and South Korea's Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Eom Dong-hwan, attended the signing ceremony at a military airport in Janow, near the air force base of Minsk Mazowiecki, in central Poland.

The documents were signed by Poland's deputy prime minister who is also the defense minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, who said it was another historic day when new perspectives are opening before Poland's armed forces.

Eom said with the contracts, the cooperation is being raised to a higher level.

Until recently, we were partners. Now we can say that we are allies, he said.

Under one agreement, worth $700 million, the first 12 planes are to be delivered in the second half of next year. The second deal, estimated at $2.3 billion, is for 36 planes to be delivered between 2025 and 2028.

According to Duda, the purchase of the FA-50 fighters will make it possible for us to fully give up the use of the (Soviet-made) MiG-29 and the Su-22  that Poland's armed forces now have, as an inheritance from the times, decades ago, when it belonged to the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact.

Duda said Korea sees the deals as an opening for the Korean fighter planes to the European Union and NATO markets.

The light, two-seater planes are made by Korea Aerospace Industries jointly with U.S. company Lockheed Martin, and are compatible with the U.S.-made F-16 fighters that Poland's air force is equipped with and with the contracted F-35A fighters, according to Poland's Defense Ministry.

The deals include training, logistics and transfer of some service technologies. Warsaw says this is one of Polands biggest and most important defense deals in recent years.

Poland, like other European nations and the United States, has sent military equipment to Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Warsaw is seeking to replace some of that equipment, including with U.S.-made Abrams tanks.
Informal police stations operated by Chinese community groups associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have sprouted in London, a new report claims.

China has reportedly set up 54 overseas police service centers worldwide as part of its growing international network of CCP-backed agencies built in recent years, according to Spain-based nonprofit Safeguard Defenders.

The growing number of such informal police stations has become the center of attention as Beijing faces accusations that it has been harassing political dissidents living abroad.

More from NextShark: Teen Pleads Guilty in Coronavirus-Related Attack on Singaporean Student in London

But while there have been reports of Chinese citizens being forced to return home through blackmail and intimidation, no evidence has emerged that the police stations have been used for such means.

The centers, dubbed the 110 overseas service stations after the countrys police emergency phone number, were originally created by local authorities in China to put a stop to telecom scams operating outside the country.

According to the report, two such service stations have been established in London, one of which is registered as an estate agency while the other is a Chinese restaurant.

Story continues

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Both locations denied any links to the police service centers. The estate agency told The Telegraph that its office is also used by a legal firm which mostly handles issues concerning Chinese immigration.

The 110 overseas service stations provide assistance to Chinese nationals residing abroad in handling paperwork, including Chinese drivers licenses and other official documents.

Chinese state media have indicated in reports that some of these international centers have also performed operations in collaboration with the Chinese police.

More from NextShark: Asian American Studies Center to create free digital resource on AAPI experiences for teachers

In general, these stations have both a good and a bad purpose, Safeguard Defenders Director Peter Dahlin was quoted as saying. They are there to help say Chinese tourists who get into trouble, they can act as a liaison with the local police, they can help out, basically. The problem is they are not properly registered as [agents for the police] in these different countries.

Dahlin also pointed out that the offices operated under the radar of the British police while targeting the Chinese diaspora.

The nonprofit reported that 36 stations have been built in 16 European countries, including France, Spain, Britain and Germany, while the rest can be found in the Americas, Asia and Africa.

The report further highlighted that pursuing a target using its service stations allows China to avoid formal extradition proceedings and sidestep the growing scrutiny of its human rights record.

It leaves legal Chinese residents abroad fully exposed to extra-legal targeting by the Chinese police, with little to none of the protection theoretically ensured under both national and international law, the report stated.

Beijings efforts to target Chinese people abroad have so far been successful as Chinese authorities have reportedly persuaded 230,000 nationals to return to China and face criminal proceedings between April 2021 and July 2022.

Featured Image via QQ
WASHINGTON  Republican leaders who hope to take control of Congress after the November elections would face a growing gap between members of their caucus calling for more robust aid to Ukraine and a contingent skeptical of continuing to shell out billions of dollars to Kyiv as the war with Russia continues.

The schism between the partys establishment Republicans and Trump-style populists raises questions about whether President Joe Biden can rely on lawmakers to continue funding the influx of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine if Democrats lose control of Congress.

The Houses No. 2 and 3 Republican leaders  Minority Whip Steve Scalise and conference chair Elise Stefanik  wouldnt commit to their conference keeping the aid flowing should Republicans take control of the House in January, even though they both cast votes in favor of Ukraine aid in the past.

There are a lot of members that want to see more accountability in the Department of Defense and more of a focus on the threats that are out there, Scalise, of Louisiana, told reporters Wednesday. China is moving very aggressively to build up a naval fleet, and right now our naval fleet is in decline.

The $40 billion Ukraine supplemental split Republicans when it passed Congress in May, and, if Republicans pick up seats in the midterms, its unclear where the new members would land on the issue. In the House, 57 Republicans voted no, while 149 voted with the Democratic majority; in the Senate, 11 voted no, while 39 voted yes with Democrats.

The tally reflects changing views within the party. Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of the influential conservative Heritage Foundation, was among right-leaning groups that have started to lobby Congress against the White Houses recent request to package $13.7 billion in Ukraine aid and funding for COVID-19 relief with a stopgap spending bill.

Ukraine deserves U.S. and European support, but combining it with the continuing resolution would mean ignoring concerns over the glaring lack of fiscal responsibility and questions regarding the appropriateness of the proposed aid, Heritage Action Vice President Garrett Bess told Defense News in a statement.

Story continues

Not all Republicans agree. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee who is due to retire at the end of the year, told reporters on Thursday he wants the Ukraine aid package included in the continuing resolution, even as he hopes to keep other riders on the bill to a minimum.

House GOP Conference Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer, R-Ala., said hes tried to sway skeptics of Ukraine aid within the caucus.

The evidence for how effective our support of Ukraine has been is being played out right in front of us, Palmer said of Ukraines successful counteroffensive. My problem with some people is they have tunnel vision to the degree they cannot see the consequences of inaction. And I think history will judge how we handle this.

Given the GOPs internal differences, its an open question how future support for Ukraine would play into the partys post-election agenda. Several party leaders werent eager to answer and instead voiced their own support for both the aid and oversight measures.

Im not sure of everybodys position; Ive been very supportive of Ukraine, said Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chairman of Senate Republicans campaign arm. We want to make sure the money doesnt get wasted, and we know we have $30 trillion dollars worth of debt, but Ive been very supportive of Ukraine aid.

If passed into law, the new funding would bring the total assistance this year from Congress to Ukraine to more than $67 billion. The last package also required the inspectors general from the Pentagon and State Department to oversee the aid to Kyiv  though it did not create the special inspector general just for Ukraine that Stefanik and others have requested.

We have a lot of [potential] members who have never been here before, and we want to make sure they get all the briefings. I know theres concern, rightfully so, about having oversight over those dollars, Stefanik said. Im not going to get ahead of our members before the election, our newly elected members. Its going to be a conference decision of those new members.

Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-American lawmaker who has supported robust aid to Kyiv despite her criticisms of President Volodymyr Zelenskyys cabinet, argued a Republican majority would actually provide Ukraine with more military capabilities by winning over skeptics with improved oversight.

Well have better efficiency, better oversight, better weapons, said Spartz, of Indiana. Its not just good for the American people, but accountability will be better for the Ukrainian people because well make sure that aid does get to the front line.

Key Democrats also say theyre confident in congressional support, whatever the outcome of midterm elections. Last week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., expressed concerns that public support might wane, but on Wednesday, amid news of Ukraines stunning counteroffensive, he said future aid is not in doubt.

No, I dont think so, because particularly with this latest success, not only are we doing the right thing, the Ukrainians are using our aid effectively, successfully, Reed said. If the Russians prevail, then they wont stop at Ukraine and that raises the possibility of conflict with us and with NATO. I think that perception as well as respect for the Ukrainian people is strong.

Visiting Ukrainian civil society leaders, who were due to meet this week with lawmakers and Biden administration officials, spoke at length about needed anti-corruption measures even as they called for more U.S. weaponry ahead of tough winter fighting. But they said when they sought meetings with Republicans who opposed previous aid, they got no response.

Especially before the midterm election, we wish to see the Ukraine issue unite the Congress and this $11.7 billion, as a new request for Ukraine, be without politicization, adopted in Congress as soon as possible, because this is what we definitely, desperately need in Ukraine to cover our budget needs, to cover our military needs, before the winter season, Hanna Hopko, a former lawmaker in Ukraines Parliament, told reporters at a German Marshall Fund event in Washington on Monday.

Why some are voting no

Among those opponents was Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the chair of the fiscally hawkish Republican Study Committee. The Republican Study Committee issued a memo this week criticizing the White House request for additional spending in the continuing resolution, including the additional Ukraine aid package, with a note that, only $7.2 billion of that package would go toward military aid.

Republicans who voted against the last Ukraine aid supplemental have cited several reasons for their opposition, ranging from arguments that the money is better spent at home to calls for more U.S. attention to the Indo-Pacific to demands for more oversight of the aid.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, voted against the last aid package. He wouldnt rule out further aid for Ukraine, but said the military hardware Washington is sending is depleting the U.S. military and would be of more use on the southern border, defending Americas sovereignty.

We all want to support Ukraine, OK? Theres a point though that others have to step up, Williams said. We cant continue to send all of our assets to Ukraine. A lot of what weve sent to Ukraine should be down at the border.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who voted against the last aid package for Kyiv, arguing the United States should instead increase its military presence in the Pacific, said the ongoing flood of aid is part of the Biden administrations nation-building project in Ukraine.

Hawley noted a Republican majority in the Senate probably wouldnt be able to stop party leaders from shepherding additional assistance to Ukraine based on his colleagues votes on the issue so far. But he said a Republican majority in the House could prove to be an obstacle.

And Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said hes concerned about the lack of accountability in the $40 billion Ukraine aid supplemental.

That is the size of my entire states budget for a year, and it was put together very quickly, said Hagerty. Its always going to be a concern in terms of fiscal responsibility, of course it is. I want to see the Ukrainian people win, and I want us handling our support in the most responsible manner possible.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, noted he opposes previous and additional rounds of Ukraine aid, citing the floods and tornadoes his home state has dealt with this year.

I havent met anybody in Kentucky whos saying, Oh please send my money overseas, said Paul. Were still having trouble with emergency disaster aid.

In a floor speech Wednesday arguing against Democrats retaining unified control of the government, Pauls fellow Kentucky senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the White Houses new Ukraine request was too small.

Hailing Ukraines recent battlefield wins, McConnell said the U.S. must send Kyiv better arms, including the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System  a surface-to-surface missile made by Lockheed Martin with range that allows it to strike inside Russia.

The Ukrainians need more of the weapons weve been giving them. They need to start getting them faster and they also need new capabilities like long-range ATACMS, larger drones and tanks, McConnell said. Not all of these weapons need to come from America. Make no mistake, our allies are looking to us for signals.

Asked afterward whether Congress could continue providing aid to Ukraine if Republicans were to take the House or Senate, McConnell downplayed the rift.

There are a few voices on the right that seem to oppose the war, but the vast majority of us, certainly including myself, think defeating the Russians in Ukraine is high-priority, McConnell told Defense News.
From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Ricardo plc's (LON:RCDO ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Ricardo

Ricardo Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Group CEO & Director Graham Ritchie for UK53k worth of shares, at about UK3.58 per share. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of UK4.20. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership Of Ricardo

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. From what we can see in our data, insiders own only about UK676k worth of Ricardo shares. We might be missing something but that seems like very low insider ownership.

So What Do The Ricardo Insider Transactions Indicate?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Ricardo shares in the last quarter. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Ricardo 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. While conducting our analysis, we found that Ricardo has 2 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore these.

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.

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Wyandotte County Mayor Tyrone Garner on Thursday said he no longer would call for a wide-ranging federal investigation of corruption allegations in the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.

Garner stated the new position hours after FBI agents arrested former police detective Roger Golubski, who had long been accused of corruption and raping vulnerable Black women.

Asked about the position Thursday after a meeting at City Hall, Garner said he would not request that the U.S. Department of Justice look into the police department he worked at for over three decades unless local police or the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office ask him to.

Garner said he came to that position after consulting with leaders at both agencies and the Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office.

If their recommendation is that that needs to be a step that needs to be taken, then I would definitely stand with them, Garner said.

The position marks a 180-degree change from what Garner said publicly throughout his mayoral campaign. In July 2021, speaking about the decades of corruption allegations centering on Golubski, Garner told The Stars Editorial Board that he would take the bold step and go to D.C. and meet and have the Justice Department come in here.

He also accused former Mayor David Alvey of dragging his feet regarding a federal investigation into the police department.

Marcus Winn, a leader with MORE2, a local social justice organization which has repeatedly called for a Department of Justice investigation into the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, asked who Garner thinks is in charge in Wyandotte County.

It sounds like hes still taking orders from the police department, Winn said in a text message.

Garners campaign statements

Golubski, 69, was indicted Wednesday on six federal counts of deprivation of civil rights for allegedly sexually assaulting two women multiple times from 1998 to 2002.

FBI agents arrested him Thursday morning at his home in Edwardsville.

Story continues

Former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski is arrested by federal agents at his home Thursday.

Golubski retired in 2010 from the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department as a captain after 35 years on the force. After leaving KCK, and collecting his pension, he went to the Edwardsville Police Department, where he worked as a detective until 2016.

Egregious accusations against Golubski came to light in the exoneration of Lamonte McIntyre, who was freed in 2017 after serving 23 years for a double homicide he did not commit. A lawsuit he filed accused Golubski of not only using his position to sexually abuse Black women, but of framing innocent people for crimes committed by others, including drug dealers who paid him.

The allegations against Golubski raised questions about corruption in the police department. Golubksis former partner, Terry Ziegler, went on to serve as police chief from 2014 to 2019. Ziegler previously told CNN that even though he was Golubskis partner from 1999 to 2002, which overlaps with the crimes Golubski is accused of, he did not know of the accusations against him.

Garner, who worked from the police department from 1987 to June 2019, retiring as a deputy chief, has repeatedly denied that he knew of the allegations against Golubski.

When Garner spoke to The Stars Editorial Board in July 2021, he said if elected he would fly to Washington, D.C., and personally ask for an investigation.

A Mayor Tyrone Garner, would, he said, go to the Justice Department and say please come in here, were going to give you all the resources, the information and whatever we have to do an investigation.

Tyrone Garner and incumbent Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey debated on Oct. 27.

At an October 2021 debate, Garner accused of Alvey of not acting when it came to calling for an investigation into the police department.

There was a concentrated effort from day one to stop any independent investigations to come into Wyandotte County, Garner said on Oct. 21, 2021 at Memorial Hall. This mayor dragged his feet in that regard.

A new position

Now that Golubski has been indicted, Winn, the MORE2 activist, said it is the perfect time for Garner to fulfill his campaign promise of flying to Washington D.C. and asking for a broader investigation.

Its very clear that there are patterns and practices and many folks continue to feel threatened, he said.

But in the more than nine months Garner has been mayor, he has changed his message. No longer calling specifically for a federal investigation, he has instead said he welcomes any outside investigation.

And then Thursday, Garners message changed again as he deferred to the authority of local law enforcement.

After talking and consulting with the law enforcement community here, if thats something where I need to stand with them in that regard, Im going to follow their lead because theyre the law enforcement professionals, not me, Garner said.

When asked if Golubskis indictment signals that there needs to be a broad federal investigation into the police department, he said, I think that answer already speaks for itself.

How so?

Well, if you look at it and you talk to the law enforcement community, I think they can answer that question a lot more directly than I could, Garner said.

Winn said he was disappointed by Garners answers.

He has the moral responsibility, Winn said. Hes in charge.

At Golubskis first court appearance at a federal courthouse in Topeka Thursday afternoon, he pleaded not guilty.

A detention hearing was set for Monday afternoon. It meant Golubski would remain over the weekend in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
(Reuters) -Russia has barred 41 more Australian nationals from entering the country, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

Among the people added to a previous list were journalists from Australia's Sky News, ABC, 7NEWS and Nine News, as well as weapons industry executives.

They join over 100 Australians that Moscow has barred indefinitely, accusing them of being part of a "Russophobic campaign".

Western countries including Australia have imposed a barrage of sanctions against Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine in late February, with Moscow barring dozens of people from Western countries in response.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Grant McCool)
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 16:51

Members of Russia's State Duma are proposing to impose fines for distributing maps where the occupied regions, including Crimea, are not marked as Russian territory.

Source: Russian RBC media outlet

Details: Members of the Russian Parliament have introduced a bill to the State Duma proposing the recognition of maps, images and other documents that deny the territorial integrity of Russia as extremist materials. A fine or a 15-day confinement may be imposed for the dissemination of such maps. The fine may reach 1 million roubles [approximately US$ 16,500] for legal persons.

Members of the Russian Parliament claim that "maps and other images that deny the territorial affiliation of Crimea and the Kuril Islands are being actively distributed" in Russia as of late.

Background: At the second summit of the international Crimean Platform in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, informed the participants that Ukraine would reclaim occupied Crimea and will become an EU member state.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
ROMAN PETRENKO  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 10:39

On Friday, 16 September, Ukraines Air Force shot down a Su-25 ground attack jet.

Source: Air Force Command

Details: The Armed Forces of Ukraine report that a unit of the Odesa-based Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Air Command Pivden (South) destroyed Russias Su-25 ground attack aircraft in the skies over Kherson Oblast at around 8:30 on 16 September.

Background: Anti-aircraft gunners of Ukraines Air Force destroyed two aerial targets on Thursday, including a Russian Ka-52 helicopter.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
BERLIN (Reuters) - Russia's economy is not likely to return to pre-war levels before the end of this decade as the Ukraine war and stricter sanctions worsen long-standing economic deficiencies, Scope Ratings said in a report seen by Reuters on Friday.

By the end of 2023, gross domestic product (GDP) will be about 8% below where output was in 2021, according to the credit rating watchdog's forecast.

The Russian economy expanded by 4.7% in 2021, according to federal statistics service Rosstat.

After 2023, potential growth will drop to 1.0-1.5% a year from the 1.5-2.0% achieved before the war, the agency said.

"The Russian government, helped by the Bank of Russia, has used windfall export revenues to mitigate the immediate domestic economic impact of the war in Ukraine and sanctions, but the longer-term outlook has worsened," said Scope analyst Levon Kameryan.

Accelerating capital outflows, limited access to Western technology and negative demographic trends will continue to hamper growth and compound the effects of the war and sanctions in the absence of any significant economic restructuring, according to the report.

About four times as much private capital - $64.2 billion - flowed out of Russia in the first quarter of 2022 alone compared with the same quarter last year, said the report.

The Scope report predicts that the private sector will withdraw more capital from Russia this year than the $152 billion pulled out in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea.

(Reporting by Rene Wagner, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More, William Maclean)
A helmet of a soldier is seen after Russian Forces withdrew from Balakliia as the Russia-Ukraine war continues on September 15, 2022. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Izium on September 9 after months of Russian occupation.

In their hasty retreat, Russian soldiers left behind letters and other belongings, per WaPo report.

Letters provide a glimpse of the physical and mental toll the war is placing on Russian soldiers.

About 10 days before the Ukrainian military recaptured the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region on September 9, Russian soldiers wrote at least 10 letters to their superiors, asking to be relieved from active duty due to "moral exhaustion," "worsening" health, and a lack of vacation time to see their families.

"I refuse to complete my duty in the special operation on the territory of Ukraine due to lack of vacation days and moral exhaustion," one person identifying himself as a commander wrote, per a letter obtained by The Washington Post.

The 10 letters, dated August 30, were among many belongings left behind in Izium as Russia's military made a hasty retreat from the region after months of occupation.

Ukrainian soldiers provided original copies of the letters to The Post, which reported on the correspondence. Some of them were also posted on Twitter. The Post, however, made it clear the authenticity of the letters has not been confirmed by independent forensic experts.

One soldier wrote that he hoped to be released from his duties because of "the worsening of my health and not receiving the necessary medical aid." Another wrote he was experiencing "physical and moral exhaustion," The Post reported.

Other letters revealed that Russian soldiers were not receiving vacation time and missed significant family events such as marriages or seeing the birth of a child.

The 10 letters appeared to be written in a similar fashion, The Post reported, suggesting that they were written together.

The contents of the letters also share some of the weary sentiments other Russian soldiers have expressed in recent days as Ukrainian forces reclaim thousands of square miles of land.

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In a call that was intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence, a Russian soldier told his father, "Everything's bad, pop ... We're losing, definitely, on top of that."

The extent of the casualties in the Kharkiv region is slowly coming into a clearer view.

On Thursday, a mass grave site with at least 440 bodies was found in Izium, according to a tweet from Iuliia Mendel, the former spokesperson to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and other reporters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, watch a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride during the Canadian Royal tour in Ottawa, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says five of its members will be leading queen Elizabeth's funeral procession in London, England on Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say five of the force's officers will be leading Queen Elizabeth's funeral procession in London on Monday.

The service says the officers are part of the RCMP musical ride, a troop of riders and their horses, and will participate in a ceremonial capacity.

Sgt. Maj. Scott Williamson, riding master for the RCMP, says the musical ride has had a "very special" and "quite personal" relationship with the queen.

He says the RCMP has provided horses to the monarch and the royal family since 1969, starting with the gift of a horse called Burmese to the queen.

Williamson says the musical ride contingent will be located at the front of the funeral procession.

The queen is due to lie in state at Westminster Hall in Britain's Parliament until Monday morning, when her funeral will be held at nearby Westminster Abbey.

Williamson says being a part of the procession is a great honour.

"Obviously it's incredibly humbling and honouring for us, as members of the force, to be here representing the organization, representing every Canadian that we know would love to be here for this historic moment," Williamson said Friday.

"It is very special, it's not something we're taking at all lightly."

The RCMP say the officers and horses taking part are Cst. Katy Loisel riding George; Cpl. Justine Rogawski riding Elizabeth; Williamson riding Darby; Supt. Kevin Fahey riding Sir John; and Cpl. Derek Quilley assisting the RCMP delegation.
Wreckage of an Iranian drone

Read also: Iran says it refused to supply drones to Russia

The wreckage of a Shahed-136 drone (Russian marking Geran-2) was found after the strike on Sept. 15.

In the photo published by the National Police, a Mado M550 engine can be seen, which usually remains intact after an explosion.

Read also: Iranian Ayatollah parrots Kremlin propaganda

The use of Iranian drones was first reported on Sept. 13, after the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Shahed-136 UAV in Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast.

Earlier, CNN reported that Russia had purchased and received an initial batch of Iranian combat drones. This information was later confirmed by the White House.

Read also: How Putin weaponized the slayer of economies

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, in its Aug. 2 update, reported that Iran could send a batch of drones to Russia for "field tests" and can count on receiving Russian military jet fighters, Su-35s, in exchange. The researchers referred to a U.S. OSINT account on Twitter, which quoted anonymous Iranian sources.

Back in July, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced that Tehran planned to deliver up to several hundred drones, including those capable of carrying weapons, to Russia on an expedited timeline.

Help NV continue reporting on the Russian invasion



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
ALONA MAZURENKO  FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 09:45

At least five people were killed and six injured in the Russian attack in Donetsk Oblast on 15 September. Occupiers killed one person and injured five people in Donetsk Oblast on 16 September.

Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration on Telegram

Quote: "Russians killed five civilians in Donetsk Oblast on 15 September: in the towns of Selydove, Krasnohorivka, Marinka, Soledar, and Bakhmut. Six more people were injured.

At the moment, it is not possible to determine the exact number of casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha cities."

Details: According to Kyrylenko, Russians shelled the settlements near the front line in Porkovske and Bakhmut districts on the night of 15-16 September.

In the middle of the night, Russians struck Selydove with Smerch multiple rocket launchers and S-300 missile systems; one person was killed and five people were injured.

The missiles damaged 32 five-storey residential buildings, a school, a gymnasium and a kindergarten.

The massive shelling of the centre of the town of Avdiivka took place again in the early morning. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.

There were no casualties in the Bakhmut district overnight, but a certain amount of damage was done.

Kyrylenko asked civilians to evacuate.

At the same time, Nova Poshta [a postal operator] is back to work in Sloviansk. At the moment, only one department has been reopened; its 2 department on Yaroslava Mudroho street, 12. It will restore its function from 16 September. People will be able to send and receive parcels weighing up to 30 kilograms. The office will work every day, from 9:00 to 17:00.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






NEW ORLEANS (AP)  New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston patiently entertained a series of questions about the last time he faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Superdome.

As he did, it was apparent Winston wasn't too interested in dwelling on the moment his 2021 season ended with a left knee injury on a tackle by Buccaneers linebacker Devin White.

Hopefully, I dont have to relive that moment again," said Winston, who missed the last nine games of last season while recovering from reconstructive surgery. Im just pressing forward and keeping my eyes focused on this week.

The Buccaneers (1-0) are back in New Orleans (1-0) on Sunday in a game that would give the winner an early lead in the NFC South.

Im just grateful I have this opportunity now, Winston said. Im here now  healthy  and Im ready to rock. Thats it.

Tampa Bay opened its third season with seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady at quarterback by riding running back Leonard Fournette's 127 yards rushing to a comfortable 19-3 victory over Dallas.

The Saints by contrast, needed the largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history to prevail at Atlanta, scoring 17 straight points inside the final 12 minutes to win 27-26.

Now Winston gets his second start against the team that drafted him first overall in 2015, but let him go in 2020 when Brady chose to sign with the Bucs after two decades with New England.

Theyre just another team. Ive got a lot of respect for a lot of those players, some of my old teammates, Winston said. But, at the end of the day, its a division game, going against the best in Tom Brady. But I dont get to go against him. I get to go against Devin White and (linebacker) Lavonte David, and (safety) Antoine Winfield and (defensive tackle) Vita Vea and (edge rusher) Shaq Barrett.

While Brady won a Super Bowl in his first season with Tampa Bay and made the playoffs in his second, the Bucs have gone 0-4 in regular-season games against New Orleans during that span. Brady has thrown eight interceptions in those losses.

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Thats probably the thing that jumps out the most  turnovers," Brady said. "They are a very physical team. I think they beat us up physically. Its a tough, hard-nosed team. Theyre very well coached.

Saints first-year coach Dennis Allen was New Orleans' defensive coordinator for the first three of those games and served as interim coach in a 9-0 victory at Tampa Bay last December, when Sean Payton stayed home because of a positive COVID-19 test.

Allen continues to oversee and call plays for New Orleans' defense.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles hopes his offense has a better plan for Allen's unit this time.

Anytime you lose to a team more than once or twice," Bowles said, "you try to put a finger on what theyre trying to do and what youre doing  and what you can do differently.

NO GRUDGES

Winston said White reached out to him after the injury last year and that there are no hard feelings.

Me and him are great. I can't be mad at somebody for playing football, Winston said. He felt bad for a second, but he's a football player. He's a great football player, so he kept going.

QUIETING THE CROWD

White, who grew up in Louisiana and starred at LSU, said he loves returning to his home state to face the Saints and their rabid fans in the Superdome.

You want to shut that crowd up. Its better than getting your own crowd hyped, the fourth-year pro said. If everybody takes that same approach  make them be quiet and dont give them (anything) to cheer about  it will all play out in our favor.

RECEIVING TRIO

Last season, Saints QBs didn't have the option of throwing to Michael Thomas, who was injured, Jarvis Landry, who was acquired in free agency this offseason, or Chris Olave, the club's top draft pick last spring.

The three combined for 212 yards and two TDs receiving last week at Atlanta.

Its fun. Ive been there before," Winston said, recalling his days in Tampa Bay with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and ex-Buc DeSean Jackson. "When things are in sync and you execute, beautiful things happen. You have those targets and those competitors on the outside, you do your best to get them the ball.

FAMILIAR FACE

Receiver Julio Jones made his debut for the Bucs with three receptions for 69 yards last week. He spent 10 of his first 11 seasons in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons, so he is familiar with the Saints. In 18 career games against New Orleans, Jones has 102 receptions for an average of 15.8 yards per catch and three touchdowns.

YOUNG LINE

Tampa Bay's offensive line lost two starters during training camp, replaced by second-year pro Robert Hainsey at center and rookie Luke Goedeke at left guard. Both made their first NFL starts last week, when the Bucs' effective running game helped minimize Bradys exposure to the Cowboys pass rush.

The more we run the ball, the more it tires them out and we can kind of pound on them a little bit, right tackle Tristan Wirfs said. If were throwing the ball a ton, were just playing into their hands.

___

AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at the America First Policy Institute Agenda Summit in July. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images)

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at the America First Policy Institute Agenda Summit in July. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images)

Sarah Huckabee Sanders revealed Friday that she had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer but that surgery to remove it had been successful.

Doctors were able to spot the cancer after a check-up and a biopsy on an area of concern in her neck earlier this month, she said on social media.

Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free, she wrote, going on to thank her medical providers.

Sanders, who served as a confrontational White House press secretary under President Donald Trump, is currently running for governor in her home state of Arkansas.

I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon, she said. This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, dont lose heart.

Sanders accompanied her announcement with a note from her physician, Dr. John R. Sims of the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute, who said the surgery went extremely well and she should be back on her feet even within the next 24 hours.

The survival rates for papillary thyroid cancer, the type Sanders had, are quite positive, especially if caught early.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday that she underwent a successful surgery to remove her thyroid gland and surrounding lymph nodes after learning earlier this month that she had thyroid cancer.

The Arkansas GOP gubernatorial candidate and former White House press secretary said she is now cancer-free.

I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support. I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon, Sanders said in a statement. This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, dont lose heart. As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state.

Sanders is running against Democrat Chris Jones for the governors mansion. Sanders has significantly outraised her opponent and is expected to sail to victory in the red state come November  POLITICOs election forecast tool rates the state as solid GOP.

Most thyroid cancer patients can be cured with surgery alone. For patients with localized thyroid cancer, when the cancer is only found in the thyroid, the five-year survival rate is almost 100 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. If the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes, as it did in Sanders case, the five-year survival rate is 99 percent.
Saturday Night Live has announced the new cast members joining season 48 of the series. For the first time ever, a non-binary comedian is a part of the cast.

Molly Kearney (they/them) is a relatively new face in Hollywood, having guest starred on Amazon Prime Videos recent TV adaptation of A League of Their Own and the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks. They were also featured on Comedy Centrals Up Next showcase in 2019.

The latter has clearly proven to be true, as Kearney won a coveted spot as a featured player on SNLs 48th season, something they celebrated on social media after the announcement was made on Thursday.

A League of Their Own stars Abbi Jacobsen and DArcy Carden were among those effusively congratulating Kearney in the comments, as were a number of fellow comedians like SNLs very own Sarah Sherman.

Joining Kearney as new cast members on the iconic sketch show this year are Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker.

These additions come after Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney announced their SNL exits following the conclusion of season 47. These new additions were also revealed after the fact that Melissa Villasenor, Alex Moffat, and newcomer Artistotle Athari would not be returning, either.

While McKinnon in particular will certainly be missed by LGBTQ+ fans, its exciting to finally have a non-binary performer on the show. We still have a minute until we see what Kearney will bring to the show  the new season premieres on October 1  but theres nothing wrong with revisiting A League of Their Own in the meantime!

RELATED | Trans Joker Parody Pulled from TIFF Over Warner Bros Claims
A Chesterfield County man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a 2020 Myrtle Beach shooting between rival groups, according to a press release.

Antonio Brown Jr., 22, plead guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, according to Mary-Ellen Walter, senior assistant solicitor who prosecuted the case for the 15th Circuit Solicitors Office.

The Honorable Circuit Court Judge Benjamin H. Culbertson sentenced Brown to 10 years in prison with no parole, meaning Brown will serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department, especially Chris White, the lead investigator, did an outstanding job with this investigation, Walter said in a press release. It is due to their dedication and hard work that we were able to secure guilty pleas from Brown and the other five defendants. We are hopeful that the remaining defendants will accept responsibility for their parts in this senseless act.

On May 17, 2020, two rival groups from Chesterfield County began firing at each other on opposite sides of Ocean Boulevard and across traffic. An employee at a shop around the county was struck on her back, but has since recovered, according to a press release.

A total of eight defendants were arrested, and five have pleaded guilty so far.
Sep. 15A 34-year-old man who drove a school bus in the East Stroudsburg Area School District sent a student sexual messages, the Pike County district attorney's office said Thursday.

Christopher Ludwig, of East Stroudsburg, is charged with dissemination of sexual material to a minor, institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault.

Ludwig had "inappropriate contact" with a student at East Stroudsburg Area North High School, according to a statement. Prosecutors said he sent the child messages regarding sex toys and sexual acts. He also sent the victim money through CashApp.

The crimes took place earlier this month in Lehman Twp., according to court filings.

Ludwig is in the Pike County Correctional Facility in lieu of $350,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 27.

 JOSEPH KOHUT
Less than 30% of teenagers are getting the sleep they need. Mayur Kakade/Moment via Getty Images

With the school year underway around the U.S., parents and caregivers are once again faced with the age-old struggle of wrangling groggy kids out of bed in the morning. For parents of preteens and teenagers, it can be particularly challenging.

Sometimes this gets chalked up to laziness in teens. But the main reason why a healthy person is unable to naturally wake up without an alarm is that they are not getting the sleep their brain and body need.

Thats because studies show that adolescents need more than nine hours of daily sleep to be physically and mentally healthy.

But the likelihood that you know a teenager who gets enough sleep is rather slim. In the U.S., less than 30% of high school students  or those in grades 9 through 12  sleep the recommended amount, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among middle schoolers in grades 6-8, nearly 60% do not get enough sleep at night.

Yet my laboratorys research suggests that a much higher percentage of teens are getting too little sleep.

I am a professor of biology and have been studying sleep and circadian rhythms for more than 30 years. For the past seven years, my laboratory at the University of Washington has been doing research on sleep in Seattle-area teenagers. Our research has found that, just as in other areas of the U.S., high schoolers in Seattle are not getting the amount of sleep they need. Our study objectively measured sleep in 182 high school sophomores and seniors and found only two that slept at least nine hours at night during school days.

Our studies and those of others indicate that three important factors lie behind this lack-of-sleep epidemic: a physiological regulation of sleep that leads to a delayed sleep timing in teens and that is not aligned with early school start times, a lack of morning exposure to daylight and excessive exposure to bright electric light and screens late in the evening.

Teen sleep biology

The time people go to bed, fall asleep and wake up is governed by two main factors in the brain. The first is a so-called wakefulness tracker, a physiological timer that increases our need to sleep the longer we stay awake. This is in part the consequence of the accumulation of chemical signals released by neurons, such as adenosine.

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Adenosine accumulates in the brain when we are awake, leading to increased sleepiness as the day wears on. If, for instance, a person wakes up at 7 a.m., these chemical signals will accumulate throughout the day until the levels are high enough that the person will fall asleep, typically in the late evening.

The second factor that drives the sleep/wake cycle is a 24-hour biological clock that tells our brain what times of the day we should be awake and what times we should be sleeping. This biological clock is located in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. The clock is composed of neurons that coordinate the brain areas regulating sleep and wakefulness to a 24-hour sleep/wake cycle.

These two regulators operate with relative independence from each other. But under typical conditions, they are coordinated so that a person with access to electric-powered light would fall asleep in the late evening  between about 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., and wake up in the early morning, around 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

So why do teenagers often want to go to bed later and wake up later than their parents?

It turns out that during adolescence, both the wakefulness tracker and the biological clock conspire to delay the timing of sleep. First, adolescents can be awake until later hours before their wakefulness tracker makes them feel sleepy enough to fall sleep.

Second, the biological clock of teenagers is delayed because in some cases it appears to run at a slower pace, and because it responds differently to light cues that reset the clock daily. This combination leads to a sleep cycle that operates a couple of hours later than in an older adult  if an older adult feels the signals to fall asleep around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., this wont happen until midnight or later in a teenager.

How school start times contribute

To help find more hours of sleep for teens, one measure that some school districts around the country have taken is to delay the school start time for middle schools and high schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that schools for this age group should not start before 8:30 a.m.. Yet the majority of high schools in the U.S start at 8 a.m. or earlier.

Based on the recommendation of sleep experts, the Seattle school district, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, delayed middle school and high school start times by nearly an hour, from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. In a study our team conducted after the district enacted the plan, we found that students gained 34 minutes of daily sleep  a huge gain by sleep medicine standards. In addition, student attendance and punctuality improved, and median grades went up by 4.5%.

Despite an abundance of research evidence and the advice from virtually all sleep experts in the country, most school districts are still stuck with school start times that promote chronic sleep deprivation in teenagers. The early school starts are further aggravated by daylight saving time  when clocks are set one hour ahead in the springtime. This time shift  one that could become permanent in the U.S. in 2023  exposes teenagers to artificially dark mornings, which exacerbates their naturally delayed sleep timing.

Teaching healthy sleep habits to teens

School start times aside, kids also need to learn the importance of healthy habits that promote sufficient sleep.

Getting bright daylight exposure, particularly during the morning, pushes our biological clock to an earlier time. This, in turn, will promote an earlier bedtime and a natural early morning wake time.

In contrast, light in the evening  including the light emitted by screens  is highly stimulating to the brain. It inhibits the production of natural signals such as melatonin, a hormone that is produced by the brains pineal gland as the night arrives and in response to darkness. But when these cues are inhibited by artificial light in the evening, our biological clocks are delayed, promoting a later bedtime and a later morning wake time. And thus the cycle of having to roust a sleepy, yawning teenager from bed for school begins again.

Yet few schools teach the importance of good daily routines and sleep timing, and parents and teens also do not fully appreciate their importance. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts every physiological process in the body and has been consistently linked to disease, including depression and anxiety, obesity and addictive behavior.

Conversely, sufficient sleep not only helps to reduce physical ailments and improve mental health, but it has also been shown to be fundamental for optimal physical and mental performance.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Horacio de la Iglesia, University of Washington. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

Read more:



Horacio de la Iglesia receives funding from NIH.
Five workers at two scuba diving shops in Georgia stole millions in education benefits by lying to the Department of Veterans Affairs, feds say.

Kenneth Meers, 54; Robert Lanoue, 63; Judith Lanoue, 59; David Anderegg, 42; and Theresa Whitlock, 55, collectively stole more than $4 million in education benefits from the VA, according to a Sept. 15 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Georgia. All five entered guilty pleas.

The defendants worked at Scooba Shack in Savannah and Richmond Hill and Divers Den in St. Marys, the release says. Neither shop immediately responded to McClatchy News request for comment.

Meers attorney, Rober Lanoues attorney, Judith Lanoues attorney and Andereggs attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News request for comment. Whitlocks attorney declined to make generalized comments about our clients cases.

Working together in various capacities, the five made false submissions to the VA using scuba classes that targeted military veterans education benefits, the release says. The defendants are accused of misstating each business compliance with regulations, falsifying dates of students attendance, lying about the hours of instruction and creating a fake scholarship program to make it seems as if a required percentage of non-VA students participated in classes.

Under these false pretenses, the two shops billed the VA up to more than $20,000 per veteran student enrolled in classes, according to the release.

The scope of the fraud uncovered in this investigation is stunning, particularly when you consider the scheme siphoned funds intended for providing legitimate education assistance to former service members, United States Attorney David Estes said in the release. We applaud the work of the VA Office of Inspector General in identifying and halting this fraud.

Between May 2018 and April 2021, Meers worked as a school certifying official and course director at Scooba Shack. He became a consultant at Divers Den in May 2020 and later worked as an instructor from June 2021 until February 2022. Meers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release and significant financial penalties, the release says.

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Both Robert Lanoue and Judith Lanoue pled guilty to false, fictitious and fraudulent claims. Each faces up to five years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release and financial penalties. The husband and wife are owners of Scooba Shack. As part of their plea agreement, they will forfeit $270,893.75 from their bank account, which will go toward restitution.

Anderegg, an instructor, school certifying official and store manager at Scooba Shack, also pleaded guilty to false, fictitious and fraudulent claims. The release does not list Andereggs potential sentence or financial penalties.

Whitlock pleaded guilty to making false statements in her role operating Divers Den and serving as a school certifying official. She faces up to five years in prison and has agreed to forfeit $64,260.30 seized from Divers Dens bank accounts, according to the release.

Richmond Hill is about 20 miles southwest of Savannah, and St. Marys is about 110 miles south of Savannah.

Navy sailors targeted on Tinder by men posing as women in bank fraud scheme, feds say

Man used someone elses identity to reenlist in Army, and kept it 33 years, feds say

Charity golf tournament for wounded veterans was a scam, Arizona police say
Photo: The Canadian Press People walk across The Mall in front of the Victoria monument and Buckingham Palace as visitors from all over the world arrive to pay their respects to the Queen in London, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he joined a queue with hundreds of thousands of people to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth, whose coffin is to lie in state until her funeral. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he joined a queue with hundreds of thousands of people to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth, whose coffin is to lie in state until her funeral.

Kenney posted a photo on Twitter of a sign saying that the wait at his point of the line was more than 14 hours.

The premier says he paid for the trip to London himself, but is in the English capital to pay respects to the late monarch on behalf of Alberta.

He says in his tweet that there is a profound sense of shared grief and affection for the queen in the huge and diverse gathering of people from around the world.

The British government has warned that the waiting time to cover the eight kilometres from the start of the line has climbed to more than 24 hours.

The queens body began lying in state at Westminster Hall on Wednesday and is expected to say there for visitors until Monday morning, the day of her funeral.

"Im doing briefings and work calls from the queue, and will be back in Edmonton on Monday for Albertas memorial service for our late queen, who served as our head of state for well over half of Albertas existence," Kenney wrote on Twitter.
A top Republican proponent of legislation that would codify same-sex marriage protections said Thursday that the Senate wont move on the bill until after the midterm elections.

Senator Rob Portman backed the Respect for Marriage Act alongside GOP lawmaker Susan Collins.

We have listened to our colleagues, and we have made certain changes on the religious-liberty front, which have, I think have been very positive in terms of getting them on board, Portman told Fox News. But colleagues need a little more time to digest it, which is understandable, and some of the language was still being worked on as of this morning.

He said he anticipated that the parties would be more likely to rally around the bill once the dust settles after November. Both Republicans and Democrats have escalated their midterm strategies, with the Biden administration lately beating the drum that MAGA Trump supporters are one of the most dangerous political forces to American democracy.

The possibility of a stronger bipartisan vote after the election seems to me to be likely, he said.

In July, the measure passed the House with every Democrat and 47 Republicans voting in favor. The legislation would formally repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which defines marriage as a union between a man and woman and was overturned by the 2015 Obergefell Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationally.

The chamber is reportedly deliberating an amendment to the bill that would prevent infringements on religious liberties and ensure it would not legalize polygamous marriages. Collins told Fox News that shes confident that this bill is going to pass, suggesting that more GOP support is expected as negotiations continue.

The initiative to enshrine same-sex marriage rights was prompted by a paragraph of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomass opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization that argued that the bench should scrutinize Obergefell and substantive due process in a similar way it did the Roe precedent.

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Other Republicans suggest they dont want to pick the same-sex marriage battle before the midterms, feeling that its a settled matter because of the Obergefell ruling. The court decision stands, Senator Lindsey Graham, who just proposed a federal prohibition on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, told the network. I think this is all politics.

More from National Review
LONDON (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and more than a dozen wounded on Friday, separatist officials said, in attacks on three different areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

Separatists blamed Kyiv for the spate of killings - an alleged bomb blast, missile strike and double murder - and said Ukraine was waging a campaign of terrorism and "bloody crimes" behind the frontlines in territory controlled by Russian and Russian-backed forces.

In the city of Luhansk, a bomb killed the prosecutor-general of the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Sergei Gorenko, and his deputy, Ekaterina Steglenko, at their offices, Russian-appointed LPR administrator Leonid Pasechnik said on the Telegram messaging app.

He blamed Kyiv for the attack and called Ukraine a "terrorist state" under its current leadership.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, tweeted that the deaths of Gorenko and Steglenko were either the result of organised crime or a Russian purge of witnesses to "war crimes" in the area.

Ukraine has previously said it will target "collaborators" who work for or with Russian-installed administrations in towns and regions seized by Russian forces either before or since Moscow's large-scale invasion in February.

In southern Ukraine, Russian-installed officials said two local officials had been killed overnight in a "double murder", which they also blamed on Ukraine.

Oleg Boyko, deputy head of the administration of the port town of Berdiansk, and his wife, Lyudmilla, who headed a commission preparing a referendum on the Zaporizhzhia province joining Russia, were killed in their garage overnight on Friday, the city administration said.

There were no details on the circumstances of the deaths and Reuters was unable to verify the reports.

Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the Russian-installed administration in the occupied parts of Zaporizhzia province, said in a statement addressed to Kyiv that the perpetrators were "vile cowards with the blood of innocent people on your hands".

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A third attack - a missile strike on the local government headquarters in Russian-occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine - destroyed a wing of the building, killing three people and wounding 13, the Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported, citing the local Russian-installed administration.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the Kherson attack or the Berdiansk killings.

Moscow says that what it calls a "special military operation" was necessary to prevent Ukraine being used as a platform for Western aggression, and to defend Russian-speakers. Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss these arguments as baseless pretexts for an imperial-style war of aggression.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Paul Simao and Kevin Liffey)
Shaina Hurley said her courtship with her husband, Christos Lardakis, is dramatic enough to merit a reality TV plot line.

"My mom would keep saying, 'People need to record this.' It was definitely a roller coaster with this one," Hurley, 32, told TODAY in a Zoom call alongside Lardakis, 40.

And she would know: Hurley was a cast member on Season 2 of "Love Is Blind," the Netflix reality show that sees people meeting and getting engaged, sight unseen.

For the "Love Is Blind: After the Altar" special, Hurley introduced audiences to her new relationship, which actually started a year and a half before Hurley became a cast member of the second series in the spring of 2021.

Hurley explained that she and Lardakis met through a phone call with a mutual friend. "I heard her voice. I didn't see a picture," Lardakis said. "Love is blind. Her voice drew me to her and built a connection. I'd never seen her before."

They began seeing each other in 2021, but Lardakis explained he was "very honest" about not being in a place to start a relationship due to a number of life circumstances.

A restauranteur with a chain of Greek-inspired brunch spots in Chicago, Lardakis was struggling with COVID's impact on his business. Then, his father had recently been diagnosed with dementia, and he also learned he was having a child from a "past situation," as he puts it. (Lardakis has a daughter).

"I had just met Shaina, and even though it felt everything felt so right, I knew I had to take care of all my things first and figure out my part. It was hard, but I had to let her go. It was sad," Lardakis said.

Hurley said, at the time, she was "trying to be there for him" but realized she "couldn't keep doing this to herself." So, she set out to find someone who could commit  a decision that landed her on "Love Is Blind."

"I got approached for the show. I'm like, 'What if this is my chance to meet a man who is ready? What if I meet my husband?' Hurley said> "I went on the show and we let each other go."

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Through that process, Hurley got engaged to Kyle Abrams, but broke up shortly after leaving the pods, as they were unable to reconcile their religious differences. (Abrams is now dating cast member Deepti Vempati and opened up about their slow-burn romance in an interview with TODAY).

Calling it a life-changing experience, Hurley said "Love Is Blind" helped clarify what she needed in a partnership. "It helped me become who I am. I've learned to be more forthright and stick with my gut, and be honest in situations," she said.

When she met Lardakis again the summer after "Love Is Blind" came out at a wedding in Greece, she was ready. "One of the first things I asked him was, 'Do you love Jesus?'" she said, laughing, not wanting a repeat of her situation with Abrams, who is an avowed atheist.

Lardakis and Hurley are aligned in terms of religious beliefs. "A lot of our morals and values do align," she said. Lardakis, whose father was involved in weekly services at the local Greek Orthodox church, said, "Even though she isn't Greek, we have the same love for God, and we believe in the same faith."

The second time around, with the timing right, their relationship went fast. "When I saw her in July, I knew at that moment  I'm not ever gonna let her go," Lardakis said.

"It sounds cheesy, but we do have that soul connection where we just understand each other," Hurley said. "Were equal, its easy. He's everything I ever wanted in a man."

They started dating upon their return to the United States, got engaged at Chicago's SoHo House in March 2022 (Hurley said it was the best of her three proposals so far), and married in Greece in July.

Now, they're looking forward to the next chapter. Lardakis said after years of his Greek mom and grandma pestering him to get married, they've started asking about babies.

"I think we're ready (for kids)," Hurley said. Lardakis replied, "We're on the same page. Three to five." Hurley said, "We'll see when we get to one or two."

Hurley, a hair stylist, is also considering getting her real estate license so she can join Lardakis in real estate  he's also a property developer.

For now, they're enjoying life without the cameras, and all its ensuing drama. One example of said drama? Hurley's relationship with Shayne Jansen coming into question during "After the Altar." Jansen's ex-fiance Natalie Lee says that she saw inappropriate texts between Hurley and Jansen, who had connected in the pods.

Hurley denies this exchange ever took place. "It's honestly funny. I laugh now because there's actually absolutely no validity. The timelines don't match up. I think people viewers can tell there's no truth to it. I want to know what the messages are. I hope she moves on because it's kind of pathetic," she said.

Lardakis has watched some of the show: "It's fun to watch it  but the reunion was even more fun."

For Hurley, the special was a way to show her relationship to the world. She said she loved having Ladrakis there. "He was like my bodyguard," she said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Shell faces activist pressure to go green, but oil's days are also numbered - AP Photo/Peter Dejong

Almost a year ago Shell bid Vaarwel to the Netherlands as the oil giant simplified its convoluted dual share structure, shifted its headquarters from the Hague to London, and chose post-Brexit Britain as its true home.

The UK government was understandably cock-a-hoop at the move, the Dutch not so much. That the snub was overseen by one of their own, chief executive Ben van Beurden, made it particularly hard to swallow.

It will be interesting to see if the 64 year-old is welcomed back to his ancestral home as he joins a stream of FTSE bosses heading for the exit, though having banked more than 80m since taking charge, van Beurden is unlikely to have many sleepless nights.

Of much greater importance is what his departure, after a decade at the helm, means for one of the worlds largest energy producers. The appointment of renewables chief Wael Sawan as his successor has understandably raised hopes that Shell is about to put the turbo-boosters under its adoption of green technologies.

Sawan, a dual Lebanese-Canadian national born in Beirut, takes the reins at a pivotal moment both for Shell and the fossil fuel industry more widely. With soaring gas prices delivering a truly magnificent bounty for the company and its big rivals while millions wrestle with increasingly unaffordable bills, scrutiny has never been more intense.

Meanwhile, Shell must work out how to play a part in bolstering Britain's energy security at the same time as facing demands to embrace clean energy more whole-heartedly.

It's not that van Beurden hasnt laid out a path to net zero. On the contrary, Shell declared last year that oil production had peaked and that it would stop drilling for fossil fuels in new markets after 2025, an important milestone on the journey.

It has also pledged to halve emissions from its own operations by 2030 and to hit net zero by the middle of the century, and recently committed to reducing the carbon expelled when customers burn its fuel - known as Scope 3 emissions.

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Van Beurden has rejected the suggestion that Europes scramble for alternative energy supplies to Russian hydrocarbons will prompt a u-turn on those commitments. Instead, Shell is likely to move faster, he told the Financial Times earlier this year.

Yet, he has also, not unreasonably, been criticised for not taking more drastic action. Last year, a Dutch court ordered the oil company to accelerate the pace of change and be more ambitious with its CO2 reduction targets.

Outgoing Shell CEO Ben van Beurden - Chris Ratcliffe /Bloomberg

There will be an obvious temptation however, to head in the other direction and plough billions of pounds into new North Sea oil fields amid a clamour for Britain to attain greater energy independence. The Government is expected to announce dozens of new oil and gas exploration licences in UK waters in the coming weeks, in an effort to boost domestic production.

Sawan must resist this urge, and not allow himself to be brow-beaten by ministerial knee-jerk responses to the energy supply crunch. Thats not to say oil, gas, and even coal cant provide a short-term bridge so that society can move more seamlessly from fossil fuel dependency to renewables, or that the UK hasnt been overly reliant on overseas supplies.

But the idea that salvation lies in the North Sea is a red herring. Ditto that fracking is the magic solution. Ministers are allowing nostalgia and nationalism to get the better of them.

Given that it typically takes between five to 10 years for a new field to start production, a new North Sea licensing round will offer no short-term relief for crippling energy bills. Domestic production is sold on the international markets anyway and the North Sea is essentially a sunset industry.

Sure there may be an uptick in activity as Britain races to reduce its exposure to gas imports, but any revival is likely to be short-lived. After that it will be a familiar story of decline once the world has adjusted to Vladimir Putins energy blackmail, and attention turns away from short-sighted supply-side initiatives such as the Governments price freeze.

The demand side of the equation will ultimately have to be addressed too, through pressure on consumers to turn down the thermostat and better insulate their homes, though not without proper Government support to shoulder the bulk of the costs.

However, the omens arent great. In opting for a continuity candidate, Shell clearly doesnt want to rock the boat.

While Sawan oversaw the clean energy arm, he was also in charge of gas operations, which have been responsible for the bulk of Shells massive profits in 2022. More than 80pc of the record $9.1bn earnings Shell posted in the first three months of the year came from oil and gas.

The idea that Shells transformation away from old energy is happening too quickly, as some have suggested, is plainly absurd. It made just 344m from renewables in the last financial quarter, equivalent to less than 4pc of total earnings.

The courageous thing to do would be to acknowledge the reality, accept it has lost the battle on fossil fuels and lead the charge on going green, or it risks being left behind.

With wind and solar costing just a fraction of fossil fuels, there has never been a better time to invest in renewables. The average tenure of an oil and gas executive is around the ten-year mark, so Sawan may be Shells last chance to truly grasp the nettle.
The Mayo Clinic campus in Mankato, Minnesota. The campus was put on lockdown on Friday following a shooting at a nearby apartment complex (Google Maps)

A Mayo Clinic campus in Mankato, Minnesota has been put on lockdown after a shooting occurred at a nearby apartment complex.

The Mankato Department of Public Safety has issued a shelter in place alert for the area near the campus.

ABC 5 News reports that any patients with appointments scheduled for today will still be granted access to the building, but will have to undergo screening prior to entry.

The Mankato hospital is currently on lockdown due to an isolated shooting at an apartment facility nearby. We are collaborating with Mankato Public Safety, the hospital tweeted. Patients with medical needs  including scheduled appointments  are still able to access the facility via screening.

The Mankato Free Press reports that an emergency alert was issued by police this morning around 9:20am CST. A woman had called 911 to report that someone broke into her friends apartment and shot him at around 8:40am.

Around 10am, the city dispatched a bus to evacuate the residents of Mankato Tower Apartments, where the shooting occurred. The tower is located just northwest of the Mayo Clinic campus in the city.

Police blocked off the area near the towers and patrolled during the investigation. At least two police in tactical gear were seen entering the apartment.

The Mankato clinic is approximately 80 minutes from the Mayo Clinics main campus in Rochester, Minnesota.
(From left) Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright star as Jennifer and June Gibbons in

(From left) Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright star as Jennifer and June Gibbons in "The Silent Twins" film in theaters Sept. 16. (Photo: Lukasz Bak/Focus Features)

The story of June and Jennifer Gibbons remains as confounding as ever  even with multiple on-screen and print iterations.



The identical twins spent most of their lives mirroring each others every move. They only spoke to each other, not even their family, in a language they stitched together on their own (a blend between their native Barbadian patois and English, spoken very quickly). While the sisters went to school, they never participated in class.

June and Jennifer were relentlessly bullied by their white school peers while growing up in England and Wales in the 60s and 70s. In response, teachers medicated them and therapists tried in vain to get the pair to open up to them. At best, the twins looked down at the floor in silence. At worst, one might try to hurt the other if she even considered uttering a sound.

They retreated even farther as they delved into their imaginations, writing novels, essays and poems. Though intensely dependent on each other, the sisters relationship often oscillated between adoring and supportive to contentious and unhealthy.

As the duo entered adulthood, they began wearing wigs and mismatched outfits, experimenting with drugs and sex and committing petty crimes in the early 80s. The latter is what catalyzed their 11-year imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in England where they were overly medicated and further demoralized.

Jennifers death of acute myocarditis, on the day she and her sister were released in 1993, is still a mystery.

From left: Leah Mondesir Simmons and Eva-Arianna Baxter in

From left: Leah Mondesir Simmons and Eva-Arianna Baxter in "The Silent Twins" play June and Jennifer as children. (Photo: Courtesy of Jakub Kijowski/Focus)

These are the details that have been well-documented for years before The Silent Twins, director Agnieszka Smoczynskas new film about the Gibbons sisters starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance in the title roles, and based upon investigative journalist Marjorie Wallaces same-titled 1987 book.

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But the movie doesnt bother to explain the context of these events in the twins lives, which defies how the highly-regarded book has been described. Rather, it retains the complexity of their story in ways that vacillate from baffling and frustrating to fascinating and inventive.

Where it succeeds, though, is in the two compassionate lead performances. The actors implore audiences to further research on their own the crushing true story of two young Black women who try to create their own safe space by receding from the racist, unforgiving world around them, only to end up being held captive by it.

Thats a version of the Gibbons story that even Lawrance didnt realize before the script came her way. She, like many who have followed the case over the last few decades, had a very narrow understanding of the girls due to the dehumanizing way theyve been portrayed in the media.

I remember seeing their photos in a news article, seeing the pictures of them as younger twins, and hearing the name The Silent Twins, Lawrance told HuffPost. Assuming that they were serial killers or something, just because of the way that their pictures are depicted as mugshots.

With their established moniker of The Silent Twins, June and Jennifer became what Lawrance referred to as folklore, characters in a strange narrative of their creation. She said didnt understand the full scope of their ordeal until she delved more deeply into their story as she prepared for the role.

(From left) The sisters (Leah Mondesir Simmons and Eva-Arianna Baxter) watch their family from a distance in their childhood home. (Photo: Courtesy of Jakub Kijowski/Focus)

(From left) The sisters (Leah Mondesir Simmons and Eva-Arianna Baxter) watch their family from a distance in their childhood home. (Photo: Courtesy of Jakub Kijowski/Focus)

Lawrance read additional articles, the twins journal entries and watched the revealing 1994 BBC documentary Silent Twins: Without My Shadow, which features interviews with June following her release from Broadmoor. Its subtitle borrows from words June journaled during one of the many times she and Jennifer were at odds with one another while at the facility:

I say to myself, how can I get rid of my own shadow? Impossible or not impossible? Without my shadow would I die? Without my shadow would I gain life?

The heartbreaking context revealed in the twins journals deepened Lawrances portrayal of Jennifer and helped her to understand the twins co-dependence.

I realized  oh, this story is way deeper and more complex than I realized and has largely been misconstrued, she said. Even some of my friends, when they heard that I got the job, made remarks like, Youre playing those creepy twins or Those murderers or something. Im like, No, no, no, thats not who they are. Totally the opposite.

From Lawrances performance, Jennifer could easily be interpreted as the more dominant, possessive twin who might have even come up with the idea of not speaking. Shes often the one who initiates their fights in the film and is unable to handle Junes success, like when one of her stories gets the green light to be published.

Marjorie Wallace (center), the author of the 1987

Marjorie Wallace (center), the author of the 1987 "The Silent Twins" book, with Jennifer Gibbons (left) and her twin June (right), during a visit to Broadmoor. (Photo: PA Images via Getty Images)

But the actor saw it differently. When I read the book, I really empathized with Jennifer because I feel that she was scapegoated as the bad one, Lawrance explained. I think a lot of the ways in which its reported is very binary  good cop, bad cop and all these things.

She saw more mutuality in that contention. It actually played both ways, she added.

When I read Jennifer, in my notes, I lifted everything she said about herself. She shocked me as someone that was insecure, and insecurity manifests itself in different ways. Some peoples insecurity makes them shrink and some peoples insecurity makes them be domineering.

Wright, who plays June, suggested that the sisters lack of social development and decision to isolate themselves from everyone else also contributed to their often detrimental dynamic.

Their constant need to mimic everything about each other, a synergy the actors perfected through many conversations as well as dialogue and movement coaches, further exacerbated their relationship. When one person gained some success, the other was livid.

Or when one found a boyfriend, the other needed to as well. They either both moved forward or stayed put. There was hardly room for anything in between.

Wright (left), who plays June, suggested that the sisters lack of social development and decision to isolate themselves contributed to their often detrimental dynamic. (Photo: Lukasz Bak/Focus Features)

Wright (left), who plays June, suggested that the sisters lack of social development and decision to isolate themselves contributed to their often detrimental dynamic. (Photo: Lukasz Bak/Focus Features)

I think its like a love-hate relationship in a way, Wright told HuffPost. Because they are each others everything, but also they need different interactions. Because of what they went through in the school system  and not having friends, really  it caused them to just be tied to each other.

Wright went on to say: There is that sense of control. There is a balance as well.

But there is something even more concerning about what happens to June and Jennifer that could use more exposition in the film. The system unjustly handled issues the sisters were barely navigating on their own, such as expectations to adapt to white, racist spaces.

The twins were committed to Broadmoor at 19 years old, making them its youngest-ever patients (before their arrival, the youngest patient was 27). And this is mostly due to their lack of cooperation, essentially choosing to withdraw from an environment that did not serve them. That, plus their speech impediment, branded them despite their best efforts.

For Wright, who sometimes conducted research alongside Lawrance, this truth jumped out at her almost immediately.

We found that theres this huge topic of the adultification of young Black women in the 70s, Wright said. No ones understanding that they were labeled schizophrenic. They actually werent. They were falsely diagnosed.

Anyone else might have gotten a slap on the wrist and a far more lenient penalty, Wright added. But because they were Black, and fell outside of what was considered normal, they received severe punishment.

In

In "The Silent Twins," Jennifer (left) and June Gibbons (Lawrance and Wright) retreated from the world around them, only speaking to each other. (Photo: Courtesy of Jakub Kijowski/Focus)

That is why Wright and Lawrance approached the material with such empathy. They didnt want to perpetuate the narratives about the sisters that had already been well established over the years.

We wanted to normalize their experience and show the outside world as being actually the weird ones, Wright said.

The doctors are weird. The psychologists are weird. But in June and Jennifers minds, theyre literally just trying to exist and theyre going to school and being bullied and dealing with racism at 6 years old. Its like, come on, dude. Of course, youre going to go within.

Its easy to understand why the twins recede from the world around them, but a lingering question the movie never answers is why the sisters didnt speak to their parents. Though, one could discern from this 2000 New Yorker article, for which June was interviewed, that their parents might not have been interested in discussing issues of race.

Their father Aubrey was described as someone who had lost his dream of assimilation. June also pointed out in the interview that even though whiteness had penetrated their family deeply, she dreamed of a Black family of her own.

All my family are married to white people  David, Greta, Rosie, she told the New Yorker. All the kids are mixed race. Kinky blond hair and pale skin. I want Black kids. I want a Rasta man with Rasta hair, like Bob Marley. My mum says, Oh, no, theyre low class  theyre not decent people.

Author and journalist Marjorie Wallace (center) with Jennifer Gibbons (left) and her twin June (right), during a visit to Broadmoor in January 1993. (Photo: PA Images via Getty Images)

Author and journalist Marjorie Wallace (center) with Jennifer Gibbons (left) and her twin June (right), during a visit to Broadmoor in January 1993. (Photo: PA Images via Getty Images)

This sense of feeling ostracized within your Blackness, and for your love of Blackness, is something with which many Black women can relate. Certainly, Lawrance and Wright, who like the real-life people they portrayed, grew up in London and were raised by immigrant parents from predominantly Black countries (Jamaica and Guyana, respectively).

I think as a Black woman telling this story, I have an affinity to what it feels like to be misunderstood or misjudged in a society that in many ways doesnt understand my voice, Lawrance said.

After wrapping the film, she said she had to take a lot of time off to process the entire experience, especially the Broadmoor section, which she described as very disturbing. But one of the many things she appreciated about working on the film was being able to go through it with Wright. The two became each others support network.

Because there were many days in which its like, its hard, Lawrance said. Theres a lot of duty and responsibility in depicting people who have really lived. We wrote a lot of poetry. It was nice to be able to probe the experience and turn it into something that is separate from me.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, in Westminster Hall, London, on 16 September 2022. (PHOTO: Reuters)

SINGAPORE  Singapores President Halimah Yacob and her husband, Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday (19 September) in London, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Friday.

They will be accompanied by officials from the Presidents Office and MFA. During Halimahs absence, Eddie Teo, Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, will exercise the function of the Office of the President, MFA said.

The Queen died at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle, Scotland, on 8 September. With her death, her eldest son King Charles III became the British monarch and the head of the Commonwealth.

On the day of the funeral, state flags at all government buildings in Singapore will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said in a statement last Friday. Parliament observed one minute of silence at the beginning of its sitting on Monday (12 September).

The Prime Minister is deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty was the Head of the Commonwealth, and the very heart and soul of the United Kingdom.

On behalf of all Singaporeans, the Prime Minister expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to His Majesty King Charles III and all members of the Royal family, Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss and the British people, and the peoples of the Commonwealth countries, the PMO said then.

In a post on his Facebook page last Friday, PM Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to the Queen. He said, Her contributions to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and indeed to the world will be recorded in history, and she will always be remembered fondly as a great world leader.

Among the other Singapore leaders and politicians who had paid tribute to the Queen were Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, and the Workers' Party's Sengkang MP He Ting Ru.

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WASHINGTON  The Pentagon expects to complete the transfer of 24 decommissioned Global Hawk drones this month, advancing its plan to use the systems to support hypersonic testing as soon as 2024.

The RQ-4s are part of the SkyRange program, which aims to use unmanned aircraft to track hypersonic systems during flight tests. The U.S. Department of Defense has relied on ships to perform the mission, but it wants to increase the frequency and flexibility of testing, so the Test Resource Management Center is looking to autonomous airborne systems to take over that role.

The Pentagon is investing in hypersonic research and development efforts across the military services with the goal of fielding weapons and air vehicles that can travel and maneuver at speeds above Mach 5. In its fiscal 2023 budget request, DoD requested nearly $5 billion for hypersonic system development, up from just over $4 billion in the previous year. However, the Pentagons infrastructure isnt sufficient to meet the high demand for flight test support, limiting it to about a dozen airborne demos a year.

George Rumford, TRMCs acting director, told C4ISRNET in a recent interview that SkyRange is part of a focused effort within the department to pick up its testing cadence. The goal, based on guidance from Principal Director for Hypersonics Mike White, is to develop infrastructure that can support a drumbeat of one flight test per week.

That is a big challenge to us, Rumford said. To be able to support 50-plus tests a year, you just cant keep doing what youre doing. Youve got to do something different. And SkyRange is doing something different.

The benefit of using autonomous aircraft for test support, Rumford said, is flexibility. Flights arent limited to a fixed range location because the infrastructure is airborne.

The drones will have a central hub in North Dakota  a UAV and aviation business park called Grand Sky  but the plan is for them to travel to forward operating stations near where a test is needed. Rather than require programs wait in line for a ship to be available or have an event delayed because of maintenance on the vessel, SkyRange is designed to adjust to individual program schedules and needs.

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That means if they want to test in the Pacific, we can go test in the Pacific. If they want to test in the Atlantic, we can test in the Atlantic, he said. We can go to where they need to go, which is very different than where it is today. . . . You cant just reposition a bunch of ships from the Pacific over to the Atlantic in a timely fashion.

Rumford added that while it can take a ship 21 days to be positioned and outfitted for a flight test, an autonomous aircraft can be ready to support within hours of the activity. The use of unmanned aircraft also improves testing data because the system can fly closer to the hypersonic flight path.

From Global Hawk to Range Hawk

TRMC has been experimenting with the SkyRange concept  in partnership with the Air Force and NASA  for several years, making investments in the sensor and instrumentation technology that will fly on the aircraft and using older-model Global Hawks to demonstrate feasibility.

The program has three Block 10 RQ-4s, one of which is a pre-production aircraft, retrofitted to what it calls Range Hawks because of their new mission.

Following Congress 2021 approval of the Air Forces plan to retire its Block 20 and 30 Global Hawks, the program arranged to receive those aircraft as well. Last October, TRMC accepted four Block 20 Global Hawks from the Air Force and expects to complete the transfer of 20 Block 30 systems by the end of this month.

Northrop Grumman, which built the Global Hawk, will perform the conversions and TRMC is in the process of negotiating how many aircraft will be delivered in the first batch. The plan is for the initial Range Hawks to be ready to support testing in 2024.

It takes at least several months to retrofit a single aircraft, Rumford said, starting with a full system overhaul to ensure the system is up to date on maintenance. The conversion itself is largely focused on readying the RQ-4 to perform a new mission in which it looks up at the targets it is tracking rather than down, as it was originally designed. This involves repositioning onboard avionics and installing new sensors and instrumentation suites that can track a hypersonic vehicle flying overhead. Rumford noted that TRMC has a separate contract with instrumentation providers to perform those installations.

Beyond the initial Block 20 and 30 Global Hawks, the program is tracking the Air Forces plans to retire its Block 40 RQ-4s in 2027, which could present an opportunity to grow the Range Hawk fleet by nine aircraft. Rumford said TRMC is also looking to take in some retired MQ-9 Reapers, which can carry instrumented pods to provide telemetry and flight safety support. The team is working with General Atomics, the MQ-9 manufacturer, to explore the optimal ways to outfit the Reaper for SkyRange.

Can satellites be used for hypersonic testing?

The program is also in the early phases of studying how satellites could be used to support hypersonic testing, Rumford said. Over the next few years, TRMC and the office of the principal director for hypersonics will work with the Space Development Agency, the Space Force and the Army to prototype the concept, exploring how to better leverage space assets for the SkyRange mission.

That will be a game changer, Rumford said. Well see what the study shows, but the real question is how many systems are we going to have to be able to support testing and whats the density going to be?

Another question is whether the program would have its own dedicated satellite constellation or be dependent on an existing fleet. The answer will need to balance availability concerns with the cost of a standalone system, he said.

Rumford said he expects the team to develop a strategy for satellite support by 2025, with several experiments and prototyping efforts planned between now and then.

Sometimes when people think study, they just think its all a paper exercise, he said. But Ive tasked them to demonstrate that actual hardware can be developed and engineered and proven to help inform this decision.
Authorities say a 41-year-old Slinger man, suspected of sexually assaulting a child, shot and killed himself during a traffic stop. A Wisconsin State Patrol trooper also fired his weapon during the incident.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, two State Patrol troopers pulled over the Slinger man as he left his residence so they could serve a search warrant around 7 a.m. on Friday on Industrial Drive, just south of State Highway 60 in Slinger.

The Slinger man was under investigation for sexually assaulting a child in Cudahy. The investigation was a collaboration of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Cudahy Police Department, the FBI, State Patrol, Washington County Sheriff's Office and Slinger Police.

"Investigators from multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies were preparing to serve the search warrant this morning," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

While attempting to serve the warrant, as troopers approached the man's vehicle, the man allegedly pulled out a handgun from his waistband while seated in the car. One trooper then fired his weapon at the man, striking the car. "It is believed that the trooper's round did not strike the suspect," the statement reads.

Then, the man turned the gun on himself, taking his own life, the sheriff's office said. He was then pronounced dead at the scene by the Washington County Medical Examiners Office. An autopsy will be conducted by the Medical Examiners Office.

"Once the evidence and facts are determined in this case they will be turned over to the Washington County District Attorneys Office," the statement reads.

The sheriff's office said the incident was captured by the squad car camera and on surveillance footage from nearby businesses, but troopers do not have body cameras.

Both troopers were placed on administrative leave, per department policy.

The sheriff's office is leading the investigation into the shooting. Cudahy Police and the FBI are leading the criminal investigation into the events that led up to the shooting.

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Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Slinger man, suspected of sexually assaulting a child, kills himself
A.J. Patton, CEO of 548 Capital, peers out at downtown Chicago from inside his Solar Lofts project at 2556 S. Federal St. in Chicago on Sept. 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Plan Commission approved Thursday a plan to renovate a vacant warehouse building in the Armour Square neighborhood on the South Side into dozens of solar-powered apartments. Developer A.J. Patton said the project will show how renewable energy can help transform old structures, cut residents utility bills and fight climate change.

Known as Solar Lofts, when complete the renovated building at 2556 S. Federal St. will have 47 apartments and include electric vehicle charging stations, rooftop solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and other sustainability features more typically found in high-end new construction, but frequently left out of adaptive reuse projects, according to Patton, CEO of 548 Capital, which purchased the building in February for $3.8 million.

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People look at adaptive reuse projects and feel handcuffed when it comes to sustainability, so we may be missing opportunities, he said. But with Solar Lofts we will go well above and beyond whats called for by the citys building code and set the standard for adaptive reuse projects.

A.J. Patton, CEO of 548 Capital, looks at the building for his Solar Lofts project at 2556 S. Federal St. in Chicago on Sept. 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Karen Weigert, director of the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise & Responsibility at Loyola University and Chicagos former chief sustainability officer, said the city needs more such projects.

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There are opportunities to make new and existing buildings net zero and healthy across the city, she said. If you think about all the buildings Chicago will have by the year 2050, most of them are already built. So, yes, we need adaptive reuse that helps create the decarbonized, decentralized and democratized energy system of the future.

All commission members present supported the plan, which still needs full City Council approval. Commissioners and the local alderman praised the developer for tackling the renovation and ensuring the 90-year-old buildings preservation.

This will take an old, dilapidated building and make it useful, in an area of the city that needs this kind of investment, 3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell told the commissioners.

The site at 2556 S. Federal St. began life as a printing plant for Rapid Roller Co., and in the 1960s was used by the Nation of Islam to publish its newspaper Muhammad Speaks. In addition to the new apartments, Patton plans to add a floor, as well as a rooftop terrace and amenities such as a dog run out back, all designed by Gregory Williams, president of Gregory Ramon Design Studio.

The building at 2556 S. Federal St. began life as a printing plant for Rapid Roller Co. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

There is no more sustainable, greener development than the reuse of existing assets, said commission member and Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development Maurice Cox. Its been a pleasure to watch this project evolve.

Solar Lofts will include 32 affordable units, 28 funded by about $5.2 million from developer Sterling Bay, Patton added. The money helped satisfy Sterling Bays requirement under Chicagos Affordable Requirements Ordinance to provide affordable housing in exchange for securing approval to build the 30-story, 282-unit apartment tower its now developing at 160 N. Morgan St. in Fulton Market.

Developers frequently satisfy the ARO requirement by paying fees into the citys affordable housing fund. But the 2021 reform of Chicagos ARO, which had been criticized by housing advocates for not producing enough units, made the program more flexible, allowing developers to inject funds directly into ready-to-go developments such as Solar Lofts, said commission member and Commissioner of the Department of Housing Marisa Novara.

This project is under the new ARO, and this is what it can do, she said. It is a 68% affordable development with no public subsidy.

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A.J. Patton, CEO of 548 Capital, inside his Solar Lofts project at 2556 S. Federal St. on Sept. 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Solar Lofts will give residents the opportunity to live in an all-electric, efficient building powered by solar panels that cut energy costs, according to Patton, who is finishing up the renovation of a 28-unit mixed-income building at 1372 W. 79th St. in Auburn Gresham, which he also plans to outfit with solar panels.

He founded 548 Capital in 2016, naming it after the unit number of the Terre Haute, Indiana, Section 8 apartment where he grew up watching his mother struggle with out-of-control utility bills.

Providing high-quality units with low utility bills is something Im passionate about, he said.

Patton said he began working on Solar Lofts last year after driving by the structure, just south of the South Loop and Chinatown, and sandwiched between the Dan Ryan Expressway, the Stevenson Expressway, the Metra train line, the Opera Lofts, a condo development, as well as other industrial structures.

It was in this little nook, off the beaten path, but still in a dense part of town, he said. It was clean, in spectacular condition, but it had been vacant for years, and I thought this should be something greater.

brogal@chicagotribune.com
SPCA is investigating an incident where a man was captured on video forcing a lit cigarette into a cats mouth. (SCREENCAPS: adminsgfollowsalll/Instagram)

UPDATE, 23 September: The story has been updated with AVS' response.

SINGAPORE  The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is investigating an incident involving a man who was captured on video forcing a lit cigarette into a cats mouth.

In response to media queries by Yahoo News Singapore, SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar said on Friday (16 September) that the animal welfare group was alerted to the "clear case of abuse" on Tuesday.

"The SPCA is strongly against such acts and highly discourages smoking near your pets. Animals face the risk of blood cancer lymphoma and mouth cancer when they ingest toxic particles from a cigarette," she added.

When exposed to smoke, the soft tissues of animals can become inflamed in their trachea and upper respiratory tract, which causes swelling and blockage in the airway that could lead to suffocation or death, added Aarthi. Trachea refers to the tube that connects the larynx of an animal to its lungs.

Smoke from cigarettes may also trigger asthma flare-ups in cats, causing difficulty in breathing and chronic cough.

The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a unit of the National Parks Board, said on 23 September that it is aware of the video showing the alleged abuse and is looking into the case.

"We have also checked on the community cat and assessed it to be in good condition," said AVS group director Jessica Kwok.

A short clip of the alleged abuse was posted on Sgfollowsall's Instagram page on 11 September. The clip, a repost of an Instagram story by user sudharshanann, shows a man in a red t-shirt with his mask pulled down to his chin approaching a cat resting on a ledge at a void deck.

He put a lit cigarette close to the cat, which responded by sniffing it and moving away. The man held the cat down even as it hissed and tried to force the cigarette into its mouth.

Members of the public with information on the case can contact SPCA at 6287 5355 or at inspector@spca.org.sg, which will be treated in strict confidence.

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They can also report suspected cases of animal cruelty to AVS via www.avs.gov.sg/feedback or its Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

First-time offenders caught abusing an animal may be charged under the Animals and Birds Act, and could be fined up to $15,000, jailed up to 18 months, or both.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
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One of the biggest advantages of Social Security is that its payments get annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). 2022's COLA boosted benefits by 5.9% this year, and early estimates make it likely that the COLA that will take effect in early 2023 will be between 8% and 9%. What's even better news is that, unlike in 2022, many Social Security recipients are more likely to see the full amount of their cost-of-living adjustment actually hit their bank accounts.
The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Thursday that insurance companies will not have to reimburse the state for the two years that the then-broken Bertha boring machine restricted drivers from using the State Route 99 tunnel in Seattle.

Justices unanimously rejected the states argument that delays in the tunnel project constituted a physical loss or damage that triggered insurance coverage.

Residents of Washington state funded the SR 99 tunnel project largely through gas taxes. The ruling has no immediate impact on taxpayers though, since the state won another jury trial where tunnel contractors sought millions of dollars.

The Bertha tunnel drill overheated on Dec. 6, 2013, setting off a repair effort of more than two years. The drill resumed digging in 2016, and the tunnel finally opened to traffic in early February 2019.

The Seattle Tunnel Partners construction team blamed the damage on a vertical steel pipe that had been installed in the ground years earlier. STP, which was under contract for $1.35 billion, filed claims against the state for $600 million in additional pay, but a Thurston County Superior Court jury sided with the state.

Eight different insurance companies have refused to foot the bill, claiming that Berthas rotating cutter head was flawed from the projects outset, which Berthas maker denied.

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According to the insurance policy, damages or losses caused by Berthas own explosion, mechanical or electrical breakdown, failure breakage or derangement, are not covered.

Supreme Court justices ruled that Berthas alleged design defects were an internal cause of damage not covered by insurers.

Justices also denied a claim by the Washington State Department of Transportation that the construction delays counted as insured damage.

According to the ruling, the deprivation, dispossession, or injury must be physical. This means the loss must have a material existence, be tangible, or be perceptible by the senses. Because the tunnel had not yet been finished, it did not qualify for insurance coverage.
A Medina County propane supplier with a history of consumer complaints is being sued by the state for the second time since 2016 for "unfair and deceptive" business practices.

Ohio Attorney General's office announced Thursday that it has filed a complaint in Medina County Common Pleas Court citing six violations of the state's consumer protection act by Thrifty Propane Inc. of 2648 Medina Road in Sharon Center. The state is seeking a $25,000 fine for each violation and an unstated amount of restitution for customers.

In a release, Attorney General Dave Yost said the company has been "cheating" consumers.

"Thriftys broken promises left some people literally out in the cold," Yost said. "Thats not thrifty; its cheating  and were taking them back to court again to hold them accountable."

Thrifty did not return messages seeking comment Thursday.

In its complaint, the state alleges Thrifty advertises and sells propane and propane tanks to customers, while at the same time it failed to deliver gas and tanks to customers in accordance with its agreements with them, including some who had paid thousands of dollars in advance. The complaint also accuses the company of being slow to provide refunds and not being accessible to consumers.

Customers under the company's "pre-buy" program are instructed to order more propane when their tanks are at around 30% capacity. Customers alleged that Thrifty either failed to deliver, or did not deliver enough of the gas they had paid for to supply their needs.

In some cases, pre-paid customers were forced to purchase propane at a higher cost from other suppliers when their tanks ran dry, and some  including elderly and disabled customers  were hard pressed to purchase from other suppliers because they had already paid Thrifty for fuel, the complaint states.

"Numerous consumers complained to the Ohio Attorney General's Office that no matter the amount of propane consumers ordered, during winter and spring 2022, Defendant was only delivering 100-150 gallons of propane," the court filing states.

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One customer's complaint quoted in the court filing states the company failed to deliver propane for about four weeks in February, while at the same time advertising for even more business.

"They say they have supply issues, but I get an email or text almost daily from them asking us to buy more," the customer stated. "If they can't get propane to deliver to people that have already paid, why are they trying to sell more?"

Another customer ordered a propane tank and gas in April 2021. After over a year of trying to get the tank and propane delivered, the customer requested a refund in May, then filed a complaint with the state in June. The customer received a refund in late August, according to the court filing.

Thrifty Propane's history of complaints goes back years

The Ohio Attorney General's Office in 2016 cited similar complaints from consumers when it sued Thrifty in January of that year. The court in August 2016 ordered Thrifty to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and to cease unfair and deceptive business practices.

But the problems returned with cold weather, when the Better Business Bureau of Akron reported a flood of new complaints beginning in December 2017.

Thrift Propane's history:BBB of Akron notes complaints involving Thrifty Propane Inc.

The BBB said the complaints were primarily from consumers who had ordered propane but did not receive it in a timely manner. The consumers also said they received poor customer service when they tried to contact Thrifty Propane, the BBB said.

During the arctic blast, many consumers have unfortunately been left in the cold by Thrifty Propane Inc. once again, the BBB said in a news release.

The state asked the court to find Thrifty in contempt of the 2016 order and in July 2019 Thrifty was fined $75,000 and again ordered to cease committing "unfair, deceptive or unconscionable" business practices. The court also gave the company a specific outline stating how it should conduct business, including time frames for such things as refunds, tank pick-ups in the case of contract cancelations, and communication with customers.

That judgement stated that more than 90% of the propane-related complaints received by the Attorney General's Office in 2019 were against Thrifty.

Multi-state operation, multiple complaints

According to its website, Thrifty serves customers in Delaware, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.

According to the Better Business Bureau, the company has an "F" rating, with more than 300 complaints in the last three years, including at least 140 in the last 12 months. However, the BBB also states the company has responded to 100% of complaints.

Christine Kellamis, director of operations of the BBB of Akron, said the complaints come from multiple states.

The most recent complaint on the BBB website, from a customer who purchased propane Aug. 10 and had not received delivery as of Sept. 8, got a response from the company blaming its suppliers.

"As BBB is well aware, our supplier is behind on our transport loads," the company said. "Unfortunately, we are waiting on gas as well as the customers. We are hoping to have all late deliveries cleared up within the next two weeks.

"Unfortunately, I do not have contact information for deliveries, as drivers route themselves by oldest deliveries first the night before delivery. However, after speaking with the driver this morning, he informed me that you were on the schedule for today. Have a great weekend."

It was not clear whether other states have filed consumer complaints against the company. Information on the company, including complaints, can be found by searching for Thrifty Propane Inc. in Medina, Ohio on the Better Business Bureau's website.

Kellamis said that for those who use propane for heat during the winter, the lack of supply is a big concern.

"When you're dealing with propane, you're dealing with one of the basic needs to heat your home," she said. "It's not just that you don't have heat, it's you don't have heat for sick elderly people, or you don't have heat for children."

In the current court filing, the state is asking that a receiver be appointed to conduct Thriftys business during litigation, arguing that "the company is incapable of both complying with Ohio law and providing products to consumers in a timely manner," according to the Attorney General's office.

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Medina-based Thrifty Propane again faced with consumer complaints
Maya Hawke said that she would love for her "Stranger Things" character to "die with honor."

Hawke joined the show, which has one season left, during its third season as Robin.

She said that since the show's fifth season will be its last, "people are probably going to die."

Maya Hawke said that she would love her "Stranger Things" character, Robin, to "die with honor" in the show's fifth and final season.

Hawke, who joined the "Stranger Things" cast as Robin in its third season, offered her predictions for the final death toll of the popular Netflix series in an interview with Rolling Stone.

"Well, it's the last season, so people are probably going to die," Hawke told the publication. "I would love to die and get my hero's moment. I'd love to die with honor, as any actor would."

"Stranger Things," despite its nonzero body count, has long dodged killing off any of its major characters over its four-season run. It's something that the show's cast has noted: In an interview with The Wrap, both Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, and Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, suggested that the show kill off some characters because the cast had gotten "way too big."

In the same interview, Brown called Matt and Ross Duffer, the "Stranger Things" showrunners, "sensitive Sallies" for their reluctance to kill off characters.

"Stranger Things" cocreators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer have avoided killing off major characters. Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

The brothers defended themselves against Brown's accusations in a July episode of the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, saying that upping the show's body count, and in particular killing off one of its youngest characters, would change its nature.

Hawke told Rolling Stone that the Duffers "fall in love" with the characters and their actors, to the extent that they're reluctant to kill them. Still, she conceded that if she didn't get that hero's death in the show's fifth season, she'd be down for a spinoff series with Joe Keery, whose character Steve shares a close, banter-laden, relationship with Robin.

"Normally I wouldn't really be a proponent of a spinoff, but if I got to do it with Joe Keery, I would do anything," Hawke said. "He's so funny and wonderful and smart, and he's got great boundaries. He's an excellent coworker, and I would do anything with him."

Read the original article on Insider
Court issued injunction allows sale of foie gras in NYC as issue plays out in court

New York, NY --News Direct-- Catskill Foie Gras Collective

New Yorks Sullivan County duck farms, La Belle and Hudson Valley Foie Gras, announced today a victory in their continuing legal battle against Local Law 202, which will ban the sale of foie gras in New York City. The farms filed suit last month to overturn the ban, set to take effect on November 25th, and asked that the law be stayed while being considered by the courts.

Today, the New York State Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the City from enforcing Local Law 202 while the issue plays out in the court. While the legal fight is far from over, for now the farmers and New York City restaurants will be able to continue to sell foie gras past the November 25 ban date.

The farmers believe the ban violates New Yorks Agriculture and Markets Law, which protects farmers against unreasonable regulations. The farmers have also claimed that the City Council exceeded its legislative authority because Local Law 202 effectively regulates farming practices that occur outside the city.

While the States injunction offers a glimmer of hope to the hundreds of people employed by the farms and the community, we are still very much focused on the legal battle ahead of us, says Marcus Henley, Vice President of Hudson Valley Foie Gras.

The two duck farms in Sullivan County employ about 400 workers and are the economic force that drives these rural communities.

While todays outcome is positive, it is not lost on us just how much hangs in the balance, says Sergio Saravia, President of La Belle Farms. We will continue to fight to overturn the ban entirely, but in the meantime, diners can enjoy foie gras through the holidays!

To view a copy of the injunction, click here.

About Catskill Foie Gras Collective:

The Catskill Foie Gras Collective is comprised of Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm, the main producers of foie gras to restaurants and retail food stores. The collective serves as a resource for factual information and independent articles about our farming.

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Contact Details

Lynn Munroe

+1 845-548-1211

lynn@maracaibomedia.com

Company Website

https://foiegrasfacts.org/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/sullivan-county-duck-farms-to-continue-to-sell-foie-gras-in-nyc-per-nys-court-injunction-235851915
A police chase through Dawson and Hall counties earlier this week started with an assault at a Waffle House and ended with a crash at a church.

Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson says that Zackery Miller, 22, hit a man in the head with a machete in the parking lot of a Waffle House on Center Lane in Dawsonville at 10 p.m. on Monday night. The man who was assaulted was not injured.

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Johnson says that after assaulting the man, Miller stole a motorcycle and led deputies who spotted him on a high-speed chase.

The chase ended on Price Road in Hall County when Miller crashed the motorcycle near a church.

When deputies searched Miller after the crash, they found crushed pills they believe to alprazolam and three baggies of methamphetamine that also contained what they suspect was fentanyl.

TRENDING STORIES:

Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.

Miller was taken to the Dawson County Jail and charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, fleeing and eluding a police officer and DUI of drugs.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ending the states requirement that unvaccinated school and day care workers undergo routine testing for COVID-19, removing one of the few remaining mandates Illinois has in place to combat the spread of the disease.

The change is effective Friday, a day before Pritzkers latest 30-day pandemic disaster declaration is set to expire. Its also less than two months before he faces voters in the Nov. 8 general election, where his handling of the pandemic is expected to be a key issue.

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School districts can continue to set their own requirements and following the governors announcement, a Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said the district intends to continue to require weekly testing for unvaccinated staff members.

In July, Pritzker ended similar state requirements for colleges and universities and eased some testing requirements for health care workers, but left the rules in place for staff at elementary and high schools, along with child care centers.

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The governors office said in a statement Thursday that the move to end weekly testing for unvaccinated workers in those settings was made on the advice of medical experts. The administration also noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends routine testing in schools, a change that came a month ago.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a press conference in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The administration bills the change as part of its continuing plan to carefully unwind the executive orders Pritzker has used to manage the pandemic.

Pritzker spokeswoman Olivia Kuncio said in an email that the unspecified medical experts needed time to assess how the beginning of the school year went before recommending changes to the guidelines for schools and day care centers. Kuncio also noted that vaccines for children younger than 5 have now been available for several months.

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement that new tools, such as the pediatric vaccines, new boosters aimed at the latest variants and more effective treatment have improved the ability to manage the virus.

It remains our continued goal to address the health risks of COVID-19, but current conditions of the pandemic are different from those of the last two years, Vohra said.

While testing is no longer required by the state and districts by and large have lifted their own requirements, the state continues to make tests available to schools, the governors office said.

Public health officials recently have focused on promoting the new booster shots, authorized at the end of August for people 12 and older whove previously been vaccinated, as the primary hope for warding off another surge as the weather turns cold and people spend more time indoors.

Pritzker echoed that message Thursday, encouraging people to get vaccinated and stay up to date with boosters.

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Although the current state of the pandemic is very different from it was two years ago, we still need to protect the most vulnerable members of our community as we continue to be responsive to the changing challenges and evolutions of this virus, he said in a statement.

During the week ending Wednesday, there were an average of 1,284 patients in Illinois hospitals per day, down from an average of 1,450 patients per day a month earlier and 2,273 per day at the same time last year.

Hospitalizations reached an all-time high of 7,380 on Jan. 12, the peak of a surge driven by the original omicron variant, before falling to 434 by April 2.

Over the past week, the state has averaged 12 COVID-19 deaths per day. As of Thursday, the statewide death toll stood at 34,875 since the start of the pandemic.

Chicago Tribunes Tracy Swartz contributed

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
Election officials wait for voters at a polling site at Smith Recreation Center on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.

The midterm elections are coming, and there are a few ways to vote in North Carolina from early voting to casting your ballot on Election Day.

But if those dont work for you, voting by mail is an option.

Any registered voter in North Carolina, for any reason, can request an absentee ballot to complete and mail to that voters local board of elections by Election Day.

More:Vote Yes referendum back on Fayetteville ballots after NC Appeals Court order

Here are the details for the mail-in voting process in North Carolina.

How do I request an absentee ballot?

Before you can request a mail-in ballot, you have to register to vote.

A detailed, step-by-step walk-through for voting registration from Carolina Public Press can be found here.

More:A guide to voter rights in North Carolina. What you need to know before you cast a ballot

The deadline for registration in North Carolina is Oct. 14. If youre not registered by then, your only option is same-day registration during the early voting period from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5.

Once youre registered, you can request an absentee ballot either online or on paper, available in English and Spanish.

When requesting an absentee ballot, you must provide your date of birth and either your drivers license number, your official N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles identification card number or the last four digits of your Social Security number to verify your identity.

More:Fayetteville Councilman Mario Benavente accuses judge of misconduct in Vote Yes lawsuit

The request must be signed by the voter, the voters near relative or a legal guardian.

Paper requests can be mailed or submitted in person at your countys board of elections.

Requests must be made by Nov. 1, a week before Election Day on Nov. 8.

If you make a mistake on your absentee ballot, you can contact your local board of elections to request a new one.

You can track your mail-in ballot online through BallotTrax.

How do I fill out my mail-in ballot?

Once you fill out your vote on the mail-in ballot, you must either have two people or one notary public witness you marking your ballot. The witnesses do not need to see how you vote.

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Once filled out, seal your ballot, and nothing else, inside the return envelope provided.

Then sign your name on the back of the envelope. Your witnesses will then sign and print their name, along with their addresses.

Anyone 18 years or older can be a witness unless that person is a candidate. Exceptions include if the candidate is a near relative or guardian or if the voter is a patient with a disability at a hospital, nursing home or some other medical facility requesting help from the candidate due to the disability.

If you received assistance due to a disability, the assistant must also sign and print their name along with their address.

If you need assistance, heres who can help

If you need assistance with your ballot, typically only a near relative or a verified legal guardian can assist you.

If a voter is unable to read or write, and a relative or guardian cant assist, another person can help the voter with the ballot. That assistant, however, must fill out the assistance section on the absentee ballot request form.

If you have a disability, however, anyone that you choose can assist you in filling out the request form.

Patients in a hospital, nursing home or some other medical facility can request a multipartisan assistance team, or MAT, from the countys board of elections to assist them in the mail-in voting process.

If the patient does not have a disability, it is illegal for any owner, manager, director or employee of the facility other than the voters near relative, verifiable legal guardian or member of a MAT to request an absentee ballot on behalf of a voter, according to N.C. State Board of Elections.

If a relative or guardian isnt available or a MAT is unable to assist within a week of a request, anyone not affiliated with the facility or a political party can assist the patient through the voting process.

When should I mail by absentee ballot?

An absentee ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, which is on Nov. 8 this year, and received no later than 5 p.m. Nov. 14.

The N.C. State Board of Elections recommends that voters mail their ballots well before Election Day.

You can also return your absentee ballot in person to your countys board of elections office or to an early voting site during the early voting period.

You can also take it to your board of elections office on Election Day, but you must do so by 5 p.m.

You cannot submit your absentee ballot at a voting site on Election Day.

Only you, a near relative or a legal guardian can mail or submit your ballot in person.

If you have a disability, however, anyone of your choosing can deliver the absentee ballot as long as they sign the voter assistant certification on the back of the sealed envelope.

How do I know my ballot will count?

Every ballot that is properly filled out, returned and postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 8 will be counted.

If an absentee ballot is rejected for some reason, your local board of elections will contact you.

Your ballot can also be tracked online at BallotTrax.

In all North Carolina counties, results from all ballots, those cast by mail and in person, are tabulated and reported on Election Day.

Is mail-in voting secure?

Following the 2020 general election, during which there was a spike in mail-in voting due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation spread about mail-in voting, particularly from former President Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 election to current President Joe Biden.

But there are many safeguards in place to ensure the security of mail-in voting in North Carolina, according to NCSBE.

Voters must be registered to request a mail-in ballot. They must provide their drivers license number and the last four digits of their Social Security number when requesting.

Ballots must be marked in the presence of two witnesses or one notary public.

The voter or a relative or legal guardian are the only ones who can submit the mail-in ballot. The only exception is if the voter has a disability.

Once a ballot is accepted, the voter is marked in the system and will not be able to vote in person if an attempt to do so is made.

NCSBE also has an investigations division that investigates credible allegations of elections fraud and refers cases to prosecutors when warranted by the evidence, according to NCSBE.

NCSBE also audits election results after Election Day several times to ensure there are no inconsistencies.

Carolina Public Press is an independent nonprofit news organization dedicated to nonpartisan, in-depth and investigative public-interest news for North Carolina.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cant vote in person? Heres how to vote by mail in NC
A teacher has been arrested after her 5-year-old nephew died when he was left in a hot car outside an elementary school, according to Texas reports.

Diana Trevino Montelongo, 37, was charged with criminal negligent homicide, according to the Progress Times.

She was released from jail on a $50,000 bond on Thursday, Sept. 15, after being arrested the same day, according to My RGV News.

Multiple outlets, including the Progress Times and KRGV, confirmed she was the childs aunt and is a teacher at the school where he was found.

The boy was found unconscious and not breathing inside the vehicle outside Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary School on Aug. 25, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriffs Office.

He was taken to the campus nurses office, but he was unable to be resuscitated after CPR was administered, McClatchy News reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The temperature on Aug. 25 reached 101 degrees in Mission, KURV reported. Heat asphyxiation was listed as the childs cause of death, according to the radio station.

La Joya Independent School District Police Chief Raul Gonzalez previously said the child was found inside a campus staff members car, McClatchy News reported in August, but the teacher was not identified until Thursday.

In April, Montelongo was named the Campus Teacher of the Year by the La Joya Independent School District. She said it was her eighth year at the school.

The school district placed her on paid administrative leave the day after the incident, My RGV News reported. McClatchy News has reached out to the school district.

Dr. Americo Paredes Elementary, in Mission, is part of the McAllenEdinburgMission metropolitan area along the southern Texas border.

19-year-old dad deliberately left infant in hot car for fatal 5 hours, Ohio police say

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6-month-old dies alone in a hot car, Louisiana police say. Mom is charged with murder
A teacher in Japan has been arrested on suspicion of mixing chlorine bleach into a school lunch at an elementary school.

Ayana Hanzawa, 24, was arrested on Friday by Saitama Prefectural Polices Higashi Iruma Police Station on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business.

Hanzawa allegedly poured bleach into a container of curry served to students at the Mizutani Higashi Elementary School in Fujimi City. The incident reportedly occurred between 11:15 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 15.

A student who was in charge of serving the food noticed the odd odor of the container and reported it to the homeroom teacher. No children reportedly consumed the food.

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Hanzawa reportedly confessed to the charges made against her during the investigation.

I put bleach I had bought at a pharmacy. I was upset because I was not assigned as a homeroom teacher of a class I had been in charge of until March, she was quoted as saying.

Similarly, an employee at a public school in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, was charged with fraudulent obstruction of business in June for mixing human feces into a side dish of the school lunch.

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A man confronted Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on an airplane flight on Thursday about the senator not supporting stricter gun legislation in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers in May.

A video posted on the mans Twitter account shows Cruz getting his belongings after the flight landed in Houston. In the video, the man first jokes, Were in Houston? I thought we were going to Cancun, an apparent reference to Cruz taking a family vacation to the Mexican city while intense winter storms caused many Texas residents to lose power in February.

After Cruz takes off his earbuds, the man tells him, Senator, thank you for everything youve done since Uvalde. All those podcast episodes must have raised a lot of money for you.

Cruz co-hosts a podcast called Verdict in which he discusses major political issues and news.

The mans name on Twitter is listed as Beto For Everyone, referencing Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto ORourke. Cruz narrowly defeated ORourke for his Senate seat in 2018.

Congress passed a bill strengthening federal gun laws after an 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15style rifle opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which President Biden signed in June, enhances background checks for gun buyers ages 18 to 21 and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole in preventing those convicted of a misdemeanor crime involving a current or former romantic partner from obtaining a firearm for at least five years, among other initiatives.

The bill received bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, but Cruz voted against it.

Cruz responded to the man that he tried to pass the most significant school safety bill ever on Wednesday, but that Democrats objected to it.

Cruz sponsored the Securing Our Schools Act, which would have redirected unspent COVID-19 education funding to spend $15 billion on hiring additional school safety personnel and $10 billion to hire 15,000 additional school-based mental health professionals. Democrats blocked the bill from passing with unanimous consent.

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The man asked how Cruz had time to try to pass the legislation when he was working on his podcast episodes.

One bystander tells the man recording Cruz to listen to the man, meaning Cruz, while another says to let him fly in peace.

The man then asked Cruz if he knows the names of any victims of the Uvalde shooting. Cruz said he does but does not give any, telling the man, You dont care about the facts. Youre a partisan, and thats OK.

Cruz reportedly has faced renewed criticism this week after a meeting with the parents of an Uvalde victim where he allegedly looked at a photo of their daughter in a child-sized casket and then refused their request for him to support stricter gun legislation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tennessee offensive lineman Savion Herring was dismissed from the team this week after he was arrested and charged with domestic assault after an incident on Sunday night, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Herring and his girlfriend allegedly got into an argument in a dorm room on Sunday night, per the report, which prompted university police to respond. The woman said Herring grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving and punched her.

Herring denied punching the woman, but he said he grabbed her wrist to stop her from smashing a video game console, per the report.

A team spokesman confirmed that he was then dismissed from the team this week.

Herring, a transfer from Monroe College, had yet to play a game for the Volunteers after joining the program this fall. He is the second Tennessee player to be charged with domestic assault and dismissed from the team so far this season.

Linebacker William Monahan was arrested last month after a woman told police that Monahan was physically and verbally aggressive with her. Monahan allegedly grabbed her by the throat multiple times and initially refused to leave her apartment when asked. The Michigan transfer was suspended from the team and then dismissed earlier this month.

No. 15 Tennessee is set to host Akron on Saturday afternoon. The Volunteers hold a 2-0 record after last weeks 34-27 overtime win against No. 23 Pittsburgh.
A Dallas anesthesiologist has been arrested on allegations of purposely tampering with IV bags, leading to the death of one of his coworkers and injuries to several people, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The Justice Department announced federal criminal charges against Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. for allegedly injecting nerve blocking agents and other drugs into patient IV bags, leading to the death of a co-worker at a surgical center, along with cardiac emergencies for multiple patients, according to a press release from the U.S Attorney's Office.

Ortiz faces federal counts of tampering with a consumer product and intentionally adulterating drugs.

The criminal complaints states that on June 21, one of Ortiz's 55-year-old female coworkers died immediately after using an IV bag taken from the surgical center where she and Ortiz worked. An autopsy found that she died from a lethal dose of a nerve blocking agent often used during the administration of anesthesia, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 24, an 18-year-old male patient experienced a cardiac emergency during surgery and was hospitalized, prosecutors said.

Workers at the surgical center were then able to single out 10 additional instances where patients experienced unexpected cardiac emergencies during "otherwise unremarkable" surgeries between May and August 2022, prosecutors said.

Surveillance video connected Ortiz to several of the incidents, according to the complaint.

In one instance, Ortiz was captured placing a single IV bag inside a stainless-steel bag warmer, scanning the hallway, and quickly walking away. Just one hour later, a 56-year-old woman suffered a cardiac emergency during a cosmetic surgery after a bag from the warmer was used during her procedure, prosecutors said.

In another instance, Ortiz was observed leaving his operating room carrying an IV bag hidden in a paper folder and swapping it for another bag from the warmer. About 30 minutes later, a 54-year-old woman suffered a cardiac emergency during a scheduled cosmetic surgery after a bag from the warmer was used during her procedure, according to the criminal complaint.

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Prosecutors said all of the incidents began two days after Oritz was notified of a disciplinary inquiry for "deviating from the standard of care" during an anesthesia procedure. In addition, all the incidents took place around the time Ortiz was working in the facility, and none took place while he was on vacation. Prosecutors added that Ortiz complained to his co-workers that the center was trying to "crucify" him.

If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton

A Texas judge Friday expanded her injunction against child abuse investigations of transgender-supportive families to include all families who are members of PFLAG.

Travis County Judge Amy Clark Meachum had already granted an injunction blocking investigations of two of the families who sued, identified by pseudonyms as the Roes and the Voes, while their case, PFLAG v. Abbott, is heard. Fridays action also blocks investigations of another family, the Briggles, and any who are in PFLAG, a national organization that has 17 chapters in Texas. Meachum also set a trial date for June 12 of next year.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican, had ordered the investigations in February, going on an opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton, another right-winger. Paxton said allowing children to receive gender-affirming care amounted to child abuse  in an opinion that medical professionals say is based on political bias, not science. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services carries out the investigations.

These injunctions became necessary to protect Texas families after the statewide injunction against the directive issued in an earlier lawsuit, Doe v. Abbott, was put on hold during the States appeal, says a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union. The ruling comes after the plaintiffs notified the court last week that DFPS was continuing intrusive investigations against PFLAG members, including by pulling a student out of class and questioning him at school about his medical history.

The national ACLU, its Texas affiliate, Lambda Legal, and the law firm of Baker Botts LLP are representing PFLAG and the Texas families.

Today, families of transgender kids in Texas who are members of PFLAG National find shelter from Gov. Abbott's unjust order, Brian K. Bond, executive director of PFLAG National, said in the release. PFLAG, our chapters in Texas and around the country are sources of support and safety from government harm because every LGBTQ+ person deserves respect, dignity and the right to access the care they need when they need it.

Again, the court has grasped the magnitude and breadth of the continued harm that Gov. Abbotts directive and Attorney General Paxtons opinion would have caused if DFPS was allowed to pursue its investigations, said Nicholas Guilly Guillory, Tyrone Garner Memorial Law Fellow at Lambda Legal. Families across Texas, since Gov. Abbott issued his directive, have lived in fear of the knock on the door. Even after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Abbott could not compel DFPS to conduct investigations, many families remained under investigation. Parents who love their transgender children and work with healthcare providers to support and affirm their well-being should be celebrated, rather than investigated as criminals as the state sought to do here.

Once again a Texas court has stepped in to say what we knew from the beginning: State leaders have no business interfering with life-saving care essential for transgender youth, added Adri Perez of the ACLU of Texas. We should trust doctors and every major medical association on how to support transgender youth. State leadership continues to attack parents for how they raise their kids  and all our plaintiffs are doing is providing unconditional love and support for children of all gender identities. We will never stop fighting for the rights, safety, and dignity of transgender Texans.
An anonymous tip led to the arrest of three wholesale fentanyl dealers with over 1,000 pills, Wichita police spokesperson Trevor Macy said Friday.

Each pill has the potential to kill.

Macy said the tipster was given a $2,500 reward through Crime Stoppers of Wichita/Sedgwick County. Macy is the departments coordinator of the program. The payout was approved by the Crime Stoppers board on Monday.

The anonymous tip about drugs being sold at a home in the 6100 block of East Boston led to last months arrests of 21-year-old Chandra Marie Bray, 25-year-old Matthew Edward Lewis and 26-year-old Michael Earl Parker, Macy said.

All of them are from Wichita and were arrested on multiple drug charges and a weapons charge, records show. Parkers weapon charge was a felon in possession of a firearm.

During a search at the home, officers found over 1,000 suspected fentanyl pills, powders, drug paraphernalia and several stolen firearms, Macy said.

Crime Stoppers launched a fentanyl arrest campaign that offers up to $2,500 rewards for tips of wholesale fentanyl dealers or anyone in possession of more than 1,000 pills with the intention to sell.

I think it sends a strong message to the community and the dealers that we wont tolerate this happening here in Sedgwick County, Macy said about the reward. Were actively targeting fentanyl dealers in Sedgwick County.

Anyone with information about drug sales or any crime in Sedgwick County can receive an award if they submit a tip to Crime Stoppers by calling 316-267-2111 or online at stopcrime316.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for up to a $2,500 reward.

More than 1,000 pills are a significant bust. Police also seized more than 7,000 fentanyl pills during a traffic stop in March.

In response to a spike in fatal overdoses, the police department and Sedgwick County Sheriffs Office launched a fentanyl awareness campaign earlier this month. Fatal fentanyl overdoses in Sedgwick County went from 98 in 2018 to 242 in 2021. Sheriff Jeff Easter expects the deaths to exceed 300 this year.

More information about overdoses and resources to help with addiction are available at sedgwickcounty.org/drugmisuse.
Tom Cruise reportedly just laughed as the sheep crossed his English scenery. (Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images (left); Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Tom Cruise reportedly just laughed as the sheep crossed his English scenery. (Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images (left); Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Tom Cruise, arguably one of the most famous movie stars on the planet, briefly became a sheepherder Wednesday.

The 60-year-old actor was in the middle of filming a sequence for Mission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning  Part Two in Englands Lake District when a massive flock of sheep invaded the set, according to PageSix. Filming stopped as Cruise laughingly made way for the animals to pass.

Though a release date for Mission: Impossible 8 has yet to be announced, the seventh installment wrapped in September 2021. The first part of Dead Reckoning will hit theaters in July 2023.

Cruise, who jumped directly from one production to the next, has also stopped for tourists in the Lake District.

Adam Wheeler and Lucy Hinch from Barnard Castle were vacationing in the area and walking their dog, Blitz, when they encountered Cruise on High Cragg mountain, according to The Northern Echo. Cruise was about to paraglide from the summit when he took time to pose with his starstruck fans.

He was nice and polite and really humble, Wheeler told the local media outlet. He was making sure everybody who wanted to got their photos with him. We were the last ones to get his picture, and then he just paraglided off the mountain back to his camp next to Buttermere.

He was doing all his own stunts, Wheeler added. He was being flown up by one helicopter and then another would film him paragliding down. We saw him going down several times.

Cruise stars as Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt in the action movie franchise and has been filming scenes for the eighth film since July. Wheeler said hes seen a few of the films but definitely plans to catch up now that hes met the star.

It was a real pleasure meeting one of the most famous Hollywood celebrity actors out there  one of the richest as well, Wheeler told The Northern Echo. It was not what we expected while out walking on the fells.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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(Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. and ICBC Standard Bank Plc are cutting back on financing to Chinas troubled metals trade, adding pressure to a sector already hit hard by a struggling economy.

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At least three Chinese metal trading companies have had credit lines frozen or reduced by either of the banks in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. The lenders have pulled back after a liquidity crisis emerged at top copper trader Maike Metals International Ltd., said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.

Both JPMorgan and ICBC Standard Bank have financing relationships with Maike. Its not clear whether the banks pullback from the Chinese metals market is a temporary freeze while they assess their situation, or a more permanent retreat.

Maikes admission last month that it asked for government help with liquidity issues is further shaking confidence in the industry, coming after the nickel short squeeze that almost bankrupted Tsingshan Holding Group Co. in March, and two recent cases of missing metal used as collateral for financing deals.

Why Metals Keep Going Missing in Commodity Trading: QuickTake

JPMorgan had the largest exposure to Tsingshan of its roughly 10 banks and brokers, and was reviewing its commodities business in the wake of the nickel crisis, Bloomberg reported at the time. ICBC Standard Bank was also among Tsingshans banks and brokers.

Warehousing Deals

Bank financing is the lifeblood of a trade that sees millions of tons of metal flowing into the worlds biggest market every year for use in everything from electric wiring to air-conditioning units. China accounts for about half of global copper consumption -- up from a tenth just a decade and a half ago -- and its demand shifts can swing global prices.

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The recent withdrawals relate principally to so-called repurchase agreements, known as repo deals, under which banks finance metal inventory by purchasing it from traders with an agreement to sell it back at a later date, and which are one of the main sources of credit in Chinese metals markets.

Spokespeople for JPMorgan and ICBC Standard Bank declined to comment.

Maike said this month that its domestic banks had agreed to give it some support, including by extending existing loans. However, many of its lenders and trading counterparties remain cautious. ICBC Standard Bank, for example, moved some copper out of Chinas bonded zone, Bloomberg reported last week.

(Adds background in 6th paragraph)

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Our family loves to pick apples.

Scratch that, two-thirds of us love to pick apples  my son, Boone, 7, and me. My husband doesnt. But he works Sundays, so thats the perfect time for Boone and me to set out on what we call adventures.

During the fall, this means we drive to our favorite apple orchards, and then bring home bags upon bags of locally grown varieties to chop, steam, then mush through a food mill to make applesauce with our neighbors.

[ Apple picking near Chicago: 20 orchards within 100 miles of the city to visit in 2022 ]

This season, however, we decided to switch things up and visit a few apple orchards we have never been to before. Here are our experiences and tips if you decide to head out on your own family apple-picking adventures.

Before you leave home

No matter where you live in the city or suburbs, your drive out to one of the areas apple orchards will probably take at least an hour, if not longer. When Boone and I hit the road, we grab his backpack and stuff a water bottle, snacks, coloring books, markers and a Kindle downloaded with shows and movies inside. Thankfully, this brings fewer shouts of Are we there yet? from the back seat.

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Best place to spend a weekend day: Kuipers Family Farm

Kuipers Family Farm, 1N318 Watson Road in Maple Park, offers dozens of varieties of apples for picking and more for sale in its farm store. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Address: 1N318 Watson Road, Maple Park (view it on a map)

Website: kuipersfamilyfarm.com

When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through October

Cost to pick apples: $10.99 for a -peck bag (age 3 and older) if purchased online. Otherwise, $12.99 per person at the farm. Call 815-827-5200 and choose Ext. 1 to hear which varieties are available for purchase in the farm store and which are ripe for picking.

What to expect: Kuipers grows more than 30 varieties of apples on its 30-acre orchard, so its helpful to know the best way to pick them. And thats what guests learn during a brief presentation before heading out to find the perfect crop.

Before you pick apples, theres this apple expert that you need to listen to, Boone advises. He told us the different types of apples to pick and how you should pick them. He said we should twist the apple until it breaks off from the branch. You can also give the apple a slight tug as you twist it.

Boone Finley carefully twists a Gala apple off a tree at Kuipers Family Farm, 1N318 Watson Road in Maple Park, on Sept. 5, 2022. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Keep in mind: The apple orchard is located next to the parking lot, but depending on which variety you want to pick, there might be a long walk to it. Kuipers does not provide transportation into the orchard.

If you want to pick Gala apples, then you have to walk pretty far down the path, Boone said. But the good news is that you get to eat a yummy apple on your way back to your car.

He also liked the Gala variety because it reminded him of Poke Balls (hes a big Pokemon fan).

Highlights: After you work up a sweat picking apples, Kuipers offers so many reasons to linger. Theres a great train ride ($5 per person; free for children younger than 3) that covers almost a mile and passes by sunflower, soybean and pumpkin fields. Boone thinks it moves a little too quickly: I want to give you the heads-up in case you might be scared about a fast ride.

The bakery offers many delicious options made on-site including caramel apples, pies and fudge. Keep an eye out for the second batch of a special apple cider doughnut beer Obscurity Brewing is working on with Kuipers  it was sold out when we visited. Fresh apple ciders  both with and without alcohol  are ready to take home, as are a variety of wines.

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Best after-school option: Goebberts Farm

Boone Finley waits for a tractor-pulled wagon to arrive in the apple orchard at Goebbert's Farm in Pingree Grove on Sept. 7, 2022. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Address: 42W813 Reinking Road, Pingree Grove (view it on a map)

Website: goebberts.com

When: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily  including Oct. 10, when Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day are celebrated  until Oct. 31.

Cost to pick apples: $10 for a -peck bag in addition to admission fee of $18 per person (age 3 and older) on weekdays; $22 per person on weekends. Tickets can be purchased online. Weekday season passes are available for $50 per person (includes admission to both the Pingree Grove and South Barrington locations).

What to expect: Goebberts is one of a few apple orchards in the Chicago area that is open during the week  and open late enough for an after-school visit. A wagon ride to the orchard is scenic and perfect for taking selfies. If the weather is right and the winds are calm, then you might spot a hot-air balloon or two.

When we were there it was a rare sight  we got to see hot-air balloons inflating, and they were just so cool, Boone says. We had to stop and see them.

Boone Finley cranks a handle to create a souvenir penny that features an image of a pumpkin-eating dinosaur on Sept. 7, 2022, at Goebbert's Farm, 42W813 Reinking Road in Pingree Grove. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Given the variety of activities available, however, you might not even make it out to the apple orchard during your visit. Train rides, slides, a jumping pillow, carousel, pedal karts, playground, tire mountain and haunted house are all included with the price of admission. Two shooting galleries are an extra fee. Paved walkways wind throughout the activities, making it easy to push a stroller or pull a wagon from one to the next.

Keep in mind: We only had an hour to experience Goebberts before it closed for the night, so we had to make a difficult decision  to pick apples or do the activities? We picked apples, but that left Boone disappointed.

Thankfully, we were able to convert our daily passes into weekday passes by paying the difference. So, we plan to go back at least a few more times to see everything the farm offers  including its animal land that features giraffes.

Kaia Prusfalcon, 6, and Dominik Prusfalcon, 9, react to smoke coming out of the dinosaur-eating pumpkin at Goebbert's Farm on Oct. 20, 2021, in Pingree Grove. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Highlights: I realize this story is all about apples, and the picking experience at Goebberts is really enjoyable. But theres one key item that captivates kids at Goebberts like no other. Ill let Boone describe it:

Theres a pumpkin-eating dinosaur and its really cool! When it sneezes, it sneezes smoke out of its nose!

Its so popular the farm store offers T-shirts and books for sale with it. Or, you can crank out a pressed penny for 51 cents with the dinosaurs image on it  the perfect inexpensive souvenir.

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When you dont have time to drive to an orchard: Long Grove Apple Haus

The Long Grove Apple Haus, 145 Old McHenry Road in Long Grove, offers a variety of candy and apple-themed breads and desserts. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Address: 145 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove (view it on a map)

Website: On Facebook

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Closed Mondays.

What to expect: As I mentioned earlier, be prepared to drive at least an hour to get to an apple orchard if you live in or near Chicago. Sometimes you dont have that much time. Or, like me, you make a mom-fail by underestimating Friday afternoon traffic. Thats why Im glad the Long Grove Apple Haus was nearby.

Keep in mind: OK, so youre not gonna head home from this experience with a bag of apples, but there is definitely a variety of sweet treats to choose from, including Long Grove Confectionery Co. chocolates, caramel apples (I recommend the white cinnamon-covered option) and apple breads, doughnuts and pies  baked or take-and-bake options available  in a brown paper bag.

Was Boone disappointed that our plans changed? I dont think so.

It has golden nugget gum! he told me.

My Friday night plans: Waiting for a box truck to get stuck under the Long Grove bridge pic.twitter.com/iFbG2HsF9w  Kori Rumore Finley (@rumormill) September 9, 2022

Highlights: Patting myself on the back for arriving at the store 5 minutes before it closed, we took our snacks and walked a few blocks to eat them next to the historic Long Grove covered bridge. It makes a great photo prop too.

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Best apple orchard to visit during a Chicago Bears game: Kellers Farmstand

Boone Finley shucks sweet corn to take home from Keller's Farmstand, 2500 Johnson Road in Oswego, on Sept. 11, 2022. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Address: 2500 Johnson Road, Oswego (view it on a map)

Website: kellersfarmstand.com

When: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Cost to pick apples: $9 (-peck bag), $18 (-peck bag) or $36 (1-peck bag) per person (age 5 and older).

What to expect: Ever wish you could have an apple orchard all to yourself? Then visit during a Chicago Bears game. Better yet, visit during a Bears game when its raining.

Boone and I arrived at Kellers when it was still misty and a little bit breezy. Its not ideal weather for this popular fall activity, but we had so much fun stomping through puddles and collecting apples with raindrops hitting our faces each time we yanked another one from a tree.

We got to pick apples in the rain, but close to where you enter the apple orchard, he said.

Boones correct  the orchard is located next to the parking lot, so it was fast and easy to make our selections then jump back into our car to dry off. Kellers offers about 20 varieties of apples in its fields. Check its website for whats ready to be picked.

Is your family competitive? Then try out the "Who's Your Apple?" guessing game inside the apple orchard at Keller's Farmstand, 2500 Johnson Road in Oswego. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Keep in mind: The staffers could not have been happier to walk us through the open areas in the orchard, which remains open so long as lightning is not a concern. In these conditions, however, its best to wear a pair of boots and a rain jacket. Maybe save the photo opportunities for another visit, which we are planning for a better weather day.

Highlights: Are you competitive? Then dont miss the Whos Your Apple? guessing game that is located just beyond the orchard entrance. If I were you, I would make the loser buy the winner one of Kellers yummy apple cider doughnuts.

The farm store sells honey, plants, kettle corn and produce including Boones favorite  locally grown sweet corn. He doesnt mind putting in a little work either.

I like shucking corn, he said.

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Best rainy-day option: Stades Farm & Market

Inside the store at Stade's Farm & Market, 3709 Miller Road in McHenry, is a time capsule of the farming family's history, including this John Deere tractor, which was purchased in 1938 and used on its Arlington Heights land. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Address: 3709 Miller Road, McHenry (view it on a map)

Website: stadesfarmandmarket.com

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Cost to pick apples: $10 (-peck bag), $30 (peck bag) or $50 ( bushel) per person (age 3 and older). Or, $1.99 per pound in the farm store.

What to expect: The orchard at Stades is closed on rainy days, but dont let that stop you from visiting. It was really fun for us to explore the store. A farmers market of homemade or homegrown items are for sale here  meats, cheeses, pies, honey, fruits and vegetables, cider and sodas  meaning you might find everything you need to take home and make a great dinner. Many of the items come directly from the farm or its neighbors.

Even when it's raining, it's still possible to pick apples  from a bushel  at Stade's Farm & Market, 3709 Miller Road in McHenry. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Boone still picked his own apples while inside Stades  though this time from bushels instead of trees. And, OK, maybe that wasnt ideal.

It was really fun inside, but it was supposed to be fun outside, he said.

Theres also a collection of cars and tractors  almost like a Stade family museum  with plaques telling visitors when each was purchased. It seems, too, the family has kept every handmade sign ever made for its farm. So many decorate the walls of the store. Dont forget to snap a selfie while sitting in the giant wooden rocking chair. And good luck going home without a T-shirt, beanie, coffee cup or root beer with Stades name on it.

Keep in mind: Since we visited Stades during a rainstorm, most of its special events and attractions were closed. An arts and crafts fair was canceled. So were the ice cream and funnel cake stands. So I really dont have a good sense of all thats offered on-site. Guess Boone and I will have to make a return trip.

Love the smell of apple cider donuts? Bring it home in candle form from Stade's Farm & Market in McHenry. (Kori Rumore/Chicago Tribune)

Highlights: Dont miss the Illinois-grown cantaloupe! It was delicious and so soft it could be scooped with a spoon. Before our Stades visit, I didnt even know cantaloupe could be grown in Illinois. We also enjoyed the Wisconsin stogie smoked string cheese by The Cheesery and hickory smoked beef jerky by Townsend Cattle & Meats. Love the smell of apple cider doughnuts? Stades sells a candle that smells like one.

krumore@chicagotribune.com

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
Tourists and cafe owners along Hanoi's "train street" spoke of their disappointment Friday as the hotspot was closed due to safety concerns, just weeks after reopening following a long Covid-19 closure.

The narrow corridor in the Vietnamese capital drew hordes of tourists before the pandemic, each eager to grab a selfie or watch a train rumble past one of the fashionable eateries set just a metre from the track.

Safety concerns prompted the street's shutdown in 2019 but many businesses quietly opened in recent weeks, keen to cash in on the tourist revival after Vietnam reopened to visitors earlier this year.

Nguyen Thi Thu had begun to see her cafe recover.

"The tourists had come back and we were earning enough to make a living," she told AFP.

Built by colonial rulers, the railway once transported goods and people across French Indochina and is still in use by communist Vietnam's state-run rail company.

The stretch of tracks on "train street", once in an area occupied by drug users and squatters, was transformed after social media users began sharing photos and locals realised the business potential.

On Friday, the kilometre-long line was blocked off by police -- though a nearby section of track remained open.

A local official told state media the businesses along the street were violating railway safety rules.

Jay Arriola, from the UK, told AFP he was miffed that the cafes were closed after being told about the site by his girlfriend.

"It is a bit of a disappointment," he said.

"I wanted to go to a cafe that has a top level... (to have) a perspective on the train going through that trail between the houses," adding that "a top deck might be safer".

Keeping customers safe had been part of cafe owner Thu's daily routine.

"When it was time for the train to pass by, we asked all guests to move in, there was no danger at all."

tmh-aph/dva
A Tri-Cities priest pleaded innocent this week to charges he raped a friend after he invited her to lunch.

Prosecutors charged The Rev. Tomas Vazquez Tellez, 49, with third-degree rape with the aggravating circumstance of abusing his position of trust.

Vazquez Tellez has been released from Benton County jail on a $30,000 bond while he awaits his Nov. 28 trial.

He has turned over his passport, but there were concerns that he might have a second passport, Deputy Prosecutor Anita Petra told a judge on Thursday. And Judge David Petersen ordered him to turn over the possible second passport.

Vazquez Tellez also has resigned from his position at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kennewick, according to the Diocese of Yakima.

The diocese had allowed him to serve in the Diocese of Spokane at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Pasco before leaving on a three-month study program in Jerusalem.

The diocese has since revoked that permission, so hes not practicing in any church. However, the diocese said he will receive pay and benefits while the case in ongoing.

Sexual assault charge

Vazquez Tellez invited the woman to his Kennewick home on Aug. 19 for lunch, according to court documents.

The two had known each other since 2018 and she described him as a father figure and a spiritual leader she could trust.

As they ate lunch, they drank about two bottles of wine. The woman told police she felt the effects of the alcohol, but still was alert.

Then Vazquez Tellez went into the kitchen and returned with what he called a dessert wine. According to court documents, she only drank a portion of the dark-colored liquor and felt very impaired and could not hold her head up. His drink was clear.

He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. She believed he was just going to let her sleep. Instead, he took off her clothes and allegedly sexually assaulted her, according to Kennewick police.

She told him no multiple times, pushed him away, but had trouble holding her head up, according to the affidavit filed by prosecutors.

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She said he would stop when she cried, but would then continue, saying everything would be OK.

When she felt safe to drive in the morning, she went to another priests home and told him what happened. He took her to a local hospital. Hospital officials called police.

Vazquez Tellez allegedly sent her a series of texts over several days apologizing and asking for forgiveness, police said.

In an interview with police Aug. 29, he said he blacked out from the alcohol and didnt remember having sex, but remembered waking up naked with her in bed.

However, when asked if she should be worried about getting pregnant, he said no because he remembered certain actions he took during sex.
Former president Donald Trump has been invited by the British government to a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II in Washington DC after being left out of the guest list for the funeral in London.

An invitation to the event describes it as a Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, reported The Telegraph.

Invitations to Mr Trump and other living ex-presidents, including Barrack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and their spouses, were sent out on Thursday.

The service will take place at Washingtons National Cathedral on Wednesday.

The venue has earlier hosted state funerals for four former US presidents - Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George HW Bush - as well as a number of memorial services.

It can hold around 1,700 people and is expected to be filled to capacity for the event.

The report added that prime minister Liz Truss will be unlikely to be able to attend the Cathedral service in Washington.

Organised by the British embassy in Washington, the service is expected to include dignitaries including senior members of the US Congress as well as all foreign ambassadors.

Earlier this week, president Joe Biden accepted the invitation to the Queens funeral in London.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the invitation was transmitted on Saturday as a diplomatic note from the protocol directorate of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with Mr Biden accepting it a day later.

The invitation was extended to the US government for the President and the First Lady only, she said.

Following the announcement of the Queens death, Mr Trump, who was invited for a state visit to the UK in 2019, took to Truth Social to praise her.

Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief, he wrote.

Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majestys generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she wasthere was nobody like her!
Jones Day began representing Donald Trump ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign. Getty

In a new book, David Enrich takes a deep dive into the 127-year-old law firm Jones Day.

Donald McGahn, a partner at Jones Day, left the firm to serve as Trump's White House counsel.

The following is an excerpt from the book, in which McGahn meets Donald Trump for the first time.

In February 2015, Don McGahn arrived at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. McGahn was a star lawyer in conservative circles; he had spent years representing a who's who of Republican politicians and causes. His crowning achievement had been several years on the Federal Election Commission, where, to the delight of GOP lawmakers, McGahn helped water down campaign-spending regulations and slowed the agency's rulemaking to a crawl.

These days McGahn was a partner at the international law firm Jones Day, part of a new team devoted to helping Republicans win elections and stay out of trouble. Trump, who was preparing to launch a bare-bones presidential campaign, was trying to bolster his credibility among conservative voters.

That was why McGahn was at Trump Tower

The lawyer rode a golden elevator up to the twenty-sixth floor and was led into Trump's office. Trump was sitting behind his cluttered desk. After what seemed like an hour of small talk, Trump got to the point. What do you charge? he asked.

"My hourly rate is $800," McGahn replied.

"No shit," Trump exclaimed. "Good for you."

Later that month, Trump began taking steps to show that his easy-to-dismiss candidacy was for real. To underscore his seriousness, he mentioned that he had hired McGahn. "I'm not doing this for enjoyment," Trump said. "I'm doing this because the country is in serious trouble." (In perhaps a more telling sign of his seriousness, Trump also noted that he was holding off on another season of Celebrity Apprentice, his NBC reality show.)

Harper Collins

One day in the spring of 2015, McGahn took a Jones Day associate over to Trump Tower. The associate was eager to soak up campaign experience, and McGahn figured the fledgling Trump campaign would be an interesting experience for the young lawyer. The associate would get a firsthand glimpse of how some no-frills campaigns functioned. Also, unlike those with professionally run outfits, the Trump folks wouldn't mind a random lawyer showing up. "I can't take you to Rick Perry's campaign, because they're serious," McGahn told his colleague.

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The meeting was with Cory Lewandowski, who was the campaign's manager, and Alan Garten, a longtime Trump Organization executive. After sandwiches at the Trump Grill in the building's lobby, the men moved upstairs to the nerve center of the Trump Organization. They sat in Lewandowski's little office, down the hall from Trump's large one.

The meeting was completely unstructured

Lewandowski showed off the campaign's new letterhead, and he asked for the lawyers' input on their talking points on issues like abortion (Trump had previously been pro-choice).

Toward the end of the meeting, Lewandowski asked about how to account for the campaign's use of Trump's private jet. The campaign would have to reimburse Trump for flights; was it okay if they just guessed how much each trip cost? McGahn patiently informed them that, no, they could not just guess, there were rules about this, and they needed to be followed.

"These guys are morons," McGahn told the associate afterward. (McGahn disputed the quotes attributed to him, in particular the word "moron." "I certainly have some go-to phrases, but that is not one of them," he said. He added that "many of the folks I met in New York were quite sharp and impressive in their chosen fieldsthough many of them had little or no political experience.")

The author, David Enrich. David Enrich

On April 23, 2015, a check for $6,451.38 arrived at Jones Day. It was the first payment from the Trump campaign. McGahn and his colleagues hadn't done much work for Trump yet, but it was time for him to start paying.

Trump's reputation for shortchanging his lawyers (and banks and contractors and customers) was well-known. Trump had tried to wriggle out of what he owed one attorney after another, ranging from solo practitioners to partners at big firms.

Back in the 1990s, a lawyer at a white-shoe firm had done some work for Trump.

The bill came to about $2 million, and Trump refused to pay

After a while, the lawyer lost patience, and he showed up, unannounced, at Trump Tower. Someone sent him up to Trump's office. Trump was initially pleased to see himhe didn't betray any sense of sheepishnessbut the lawyer was steaming. "I'm incredibly disappointed," he scolded Trump. "There's no reason you haven't paid us."

Trump made some apologetic noises. Then he said: "I'm not going to pay your bill. I'm going to give you something more valuable." What on earth is he talking about? the lawyer wondered. "I have a stallion," Trump continued. "It's worth $5 million." Trump rummaged around in a filing cabinet and pulled out what he said was a deed to a horse. He handed it to the lawyer.

"This isn't the 1800s," the lawyer stammered once he regained the capacity for speech. "You can't pay me with a horse." After the lawyer threatened to sue, Trump eventually coughed up at least a portion of what he owed.

Jones Day, too, wanted to be paid with money. So a decision was made that Trump would pay a regular retainer. In addition, there would be a strict schedule for disbursing any other fees or reimbursements. (McGahn said there was not an unusual payment schedule. "The Trump campaign was billed in regular order and paid regularly," he told me.)

Even after that timetable was established, Jones Day lawyersincluding some working for the Trump campaigndoubted it would hold

"We figured he wouldn't pay, and that would be the end of it," one told me. But against all odds, Trump paid and paid again. Within a few months, he'd forked over tens of thousands of dollarsincluding more than $29,000 on June 16.

That same day, McGahn was back at Trump Tower. He stood on the mezzanine level of the lobby as Donald and Melania Trump descended on an escalator to a makeshift, flag-studded stage, where Trump formally launched his candidacy. McGahn watched the small crowd go nuts. Then he listened as his client laced into immigrants and the Beltway establishment. Outside, storm clouds gathered, and a light rain began to fall.

Editor's note: Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, provided this statement: "The media's obsession with amplifying false attacks and fake news against President Trump is embarrassing, yet the reality is President Trump is stronger today than ever before and he will continue to advance his America First agenda through the Midterms and beyond."

Excerpted from the book SERVANTS OF THE DAMNED: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice by David Enrich. Copyright  2022 by David Enrich. From Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

David Enrich is the Business Investigations Editor at The New York Times and the #1 bestselling author of "Dark Towers". His new book "Servants of the Damned" is now on sale.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Donald Trump said Thursday that Americans will not stand for indictments against him regarding top secret documents he took from the White House  and ominously warned that criminal charges could trigger big problems never before seen.

Trump also declared that he issued a standing order to declassify everything he took from the White House. Its a resurrected claim that even his attorneys havent presented in court filings  and one contradicted by several Trump administration officials.

Asked about possible indictments related to the several boxes of White House documents, including classified and even top secret files, stashed at Mar-a-Lago, Trump repeatedly told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on his program that Americans wont stand for it, and that any charges would trigger problems in this country the likes of which perhaps weve never seen before.

When Hewitt asked him to detail what kind of problems, Trump responded: I think theyd have big problems, big problems. I just dont think theyd stand for it, he added, referring to the public. They will not sit still and stand for this ultimate of hoaxes.

When Hewitt pointed out that the comments could be interpreted as an incitement to violence, Trump replied: Thats not inciting. Im just saying what my opinion is. I dont think the people of this country would stand for it.

In any case, even if he is indicted, Trump emphasized it would not stop him from running for the presidency in 2024. If a thing like that happened, I would have no prohibition against running, Trump told Hewitt, though he did not say he will run.

Hewitt also noted that Trump ally and former Pentagon chief of staff Kash Patel said he witnessed Trump giving verbal orders to declassify the papers that ended up at Mar-a-Lago.

Do you remember making those orders? Hewitt asked Trump.

Thats correct, the former president responded. Not only that, I think it was other people also were there. Trump also insisted he has the absolute right to declassify, absolute.

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Though Patel has backed Trumps claim of issuing a standing order to declassify documents the former president took from the White House, it has not been asserted in court documents by Trumps lawyers. Patel appears to be the only one other than Trump who has insisted such an order existed.

CNN spoke last month with 18 White House officials in the Trump administration who all said they never heard of such an order.

Trumps former national security adviser John Bolton and his former White House chief of staff John Kelly also said they never heard of any standing order concerning declassification, though they should have known if it existed.

Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given, Kelly told CNN.

Bolton told The New York Times last month that Trumps claim about declassifying documents is almost certainly a lie.

If he [Trump] were to say something like that, you would have to memorialize that, so that people would know it existed, and it would then be subject to public record requests, he noted.

Trumps attorneys have argued that presidents have the power to declassify documents, and that some files confiscated by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago may no longer be classified. But they havent argued that Trump ordered the documents declassified. The former president seeks to raise questions about the classification status of the records but hasnt asserted to the court  nor provided any evidence  that they were declassified, Justice Department attorneys argued in a court filing this week.

Presidents have the power to declassify information but must follow a process. Two years ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit flatly stated that declassification, even by the President, must follow established procedures.

Declassification cannot be done in secret. Former Obama administration Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called such a concept laughable since part and parcel of any act of declassification is communicating that act to all others who possess the same information.

Declassified documents are treated very differently. For one thing, as Bolton pointed out, theyre subject to the Freedom of Information Act and can be accessed by the public. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti called Trumps declaration Thursday that he declassified documents a big error that could trigger legal trouble for him.

Staking out the position that he declassified everything he brought to Mar-a-Lago may sound like it helps him, but actually it locks him into a story and makes it harder to pivot later if he is charged, he tweeted Thursday.

Big error by Trump. His words could be used against him if he is charged.



Staking out the position that he declassified everything he brought to Mar-a-Lago may sound like it helps him, but actually it locks him into a story and makes it harder to pivot later if he is charged. https://t.co/ryYM1JhVzQ  Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) September 15, 2022

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Donald Trump speaks to media mogul Rupert Murdoch as they walk out of Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, June 25, 2016 (Reuters)

Former president Donald Trump and his aides pushed for AT&T to sell CNN to Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch as the then-president was pushing to block the telecommunications companys merger with Time Warner in the early days of his presidency.

According to a pre-release copy of authors Peter Baker and Susan Glassers book The Divider which The Independent obtained ahead of its 20 September publication date, Mr Murdoch twice offered to buy CNN as a way to smooth the way for the merger by taking over an independent news outlet which Mr Trump viewed as an enemy.

The authors report how Mr Trump summoned AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to his Trump Tower office just after his 2016 election victory and complained about then-CNN boss Jeff Zucker, calling him a bad guy while also bragging that hed got Mr Zucker his position.

Mr Stephenson reportedly left the meeting believing Mr Trump was a threat to the merger, and in the subsequent weeks AT&T would donate to the Trump inauguration fund and hire Mr Trumps then-attorney Michael Cohen as an adviser (the latter of which Mr Stephenson later called a big mistake).

The first call from Mr Murdoch came in May 2017, five months after Mr Trump was sworn in as president.

The Fox founder asked Mr Stephenson: Hows the deal going?

He then said hed be happy to buy CNN from you if doing so would help get the deal done.

Mr Stephenson replied: Rupert, Im not interested in selling. But the Austrailian-born mogul would telephone a second time three months later, on the heels of a White House dinner with Mr Trump, his son-in-law turned adviser Jared Kushner, and then-White House chief of staff John Kelly.

The AT&T CEO again rebuffed Mr Murdochs offer.

Baker and Glasser report that AT&T believed the calls to be an implicit quid-pro-quo in which Mr Trump would not push the government to block the merger if AT&T would divest its news channel to the owner of a competitor whose network was closely allied with the then-president.

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They add that executives viewed it as crude, almost mob-style extortion.

One AT&T executive told them Mr Stephenson was totally beyond pissed over the Murdoch overtures and implied shakedown.

He just felt that this was the most outrageous abuse of power that hed ever seen.

Ultimately, the Justice Department sued to block the merger, but a federal judge threw out the lawsuit.
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's president on Friday decreed a law imposing prison terms for spreading false information or rumours online, a move immediately denounced by the main journalists' union as an assault on freedom of speech.

President Kais Saied had said he would uphold the rights and freedoms won by Tunisians in a 2011 revolution that brought democracy after his moves last summer to seize most powers and shut down the elected parliament.

His new law on Friday, issued as a presidential decree, provided for prison terms of five years for spreading false news, false information or rumours with the aim of attacking others, harming public security or generating terror.

If the target of the false information or rumours is an official, the prison term can be 10 years, his new law said.

"The decree is a new setback for rights and freedoms. The penalties for publishing in any networks are a strong blow to the revolutionary values that granted freedom to all journalists and all Tunisians," said Mahdi Jlassi, the journalists' union head.

Jlassi added that the new law was reminiscent of those used by the late autocratic president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to crack down on dissenting opponents.

Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, its media has become one of the most open of any Arab state, with even the state-owned news agency frequently reporting criticism of the authorities.

Activists on social media sites criticised Saied's decree, describing it as an effort to destroy those hard-won freedoms. Others mocked it, saying they would only publish sports news or art on their social media accounts.

Saied's critics accuse him of having launched a coup last summer when he seized executive authority, moving to one-man rule with a series of decrees that he enshrined in a constitution passed by a referendum in July.

Saied has denied acting unlawfully and says his actions were needed to save Tunisia from years of stagnation and political paralysis.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Handout

Two Chicago cops lied about being shot at before they gunned down an unarmed man in late July, prosecutors announced Friday.

According to State Attorney Kimberly Foxx, a nearby surveillance camera caught the events leading up to 23-year-old Miguel Medina being shot in the back and thigh by cops, leaving him hospitalized.

The victim in this case that I described to you who was shot by the police officers who are being charged today was unarmed and did not fire a weapon, Foxx told reporters at a press conference in Chicago.

What the footage showed, Foxx said, was in direct contradiction to what officers Christopher Liakopoulos and Ruben Reynoso later claimed: that they had been shot at first.

Lawyers for the officers could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to the Cook County States Attorney's Office, Liakopoulos and Reynoso were on their way to a training session on July 22 when they saw several males walking westbound on 18th street near closed businesses.

The officers were in plainclothes and in an unmarked squad car, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times.

After they stopped to check out the scene, Medinaas well as a minor, who was holding onto a gun inside a satchelwalked towards the cops vehicle.

Then, before he reached the car, the boy with the weapon ran away. Medina continued to approach the officers, waving at them with his open hands. (In one hand, he held a cell phone and a wine bottle; the other was empty.)

Thats when things suddenly went sideways.

Both officers pointed their weapons outside the vehicle and began to shoot multiple times at Medina, striking him in the back and leg, after which he fell to the ground, according to court documents presented to a judge on Friday.

After Medina was hit, the armed minor he was with stopped running and turned around to fire at the officers, and they fired shots back. It was then that a third persona pedestrianwas hit in the leg, as well.

The Defendants and the juvenile were not struck by gunfire, said court documents filed by prosecutors on Friday.

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The officers were both charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and official misconduct.

During the interviews with Detectives, the Defendants initially related that they discharged their weapons only after they were fired upon by the juvenile, according to the prosecutors filing.

Later, the document says, officers told investigators they did not know who shot first but indicated that the juvenile pointed the gun at them before any shots were fired.

The officers were relieved of their police powers before they turned themselves in. At a bail hearing on Friday, bond for the two cops was set at $25,000 each.

Julys incident is just the latest in a city with a long legacy of police violenceand alleged cover-ups.

In 2014, the city erupted in protest over the brutal killing of a Black teenager named Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by officers as he was walking away from police. Later, multiple officers were implicated in covering up the shooting; one officer was convicted on murder charges.

But many other instances have also led to public outcry, even as they have not resulted in criminal charges against cops.

Just two months before Medina was shot, The Daily Beast uncovered footage of cops shooting an unarmed 13-year-old in a gas station parking lot. The cop who struck him, Noah Ball, has not been charged with a crime. The teen survived.

At Fridays hearing, lawyers for the officers leaped to the defense of their clients, arguing that the officers were shooting at the boy, who they say had his gun out already.

They also argued that because the surveillance videos angle was from behind the boy who brandished a gun, and because there was no sound, there was no way to know whether they had been shot at first.

Its unclear, judge, said lawyer Brian Sexton, who also defended one of the officers who was at the scene of the McDonald shooting, but in any event, it wouldnt matter because hes pointing the gun at the officer.

Medina also plans to file a lawsuit, according to reporting by Fox32 in Chicago.

The officers shot me for no reason, he told the outlet. Once the video is released, it will show what happened.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the cops requested that the court stop the video from being released by the citys cop watchdog organization, COPAwhich they said they expected could come next week.

The judge said they would hold a hearing to discuss the release of the video in the coming days.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican crime lord Jorge Costilla Sanchez was sentenced to life in prison in a U.S. federal court on Thursday for his involvement in trafficking marijuana and cocaine to the United States, the Justice Department said.

Costilla, also known by his nickname "El Coss," was head of the Gulf Cartel and one of former Mexican President Felipe Calderon's most-wanted criminals during his clampdown on drugs.

He was captured by Mexican forces in 2012 and presented to the media alongside a spectacular display of gold-encrusted guns and jewelry. He was extradited in 2015 to the United States, which at the time offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.

"This was a long, but very important case to the district and especially our partners in Brownsville," said U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. "The life sentence speaks for itself. Justice has now been served," Lowery added.

Costilla, 51, was responsible for moving some 10,000 kilograms of cocaine and 140,000 kilograms of marijuana to the United States, the Justice Department said.

"Costilla-Sanchez brought poison to our communities, and our collaborative efforts with our local and federal partners brought him to prison," said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Houston Division, celebrating the sentence.

"We will continue to aggressively go after any drug trafficking organization wanting to profit from our communities," said Comeaux.

Costilla was a police officer in the Mexican border town of Matamoros before leading the cartel - also known as CDG for its initials in Spanish - after its former boss, Osiel Cardenas, was arrested, according to authorities.

His sentence comes a day after Mexico's lower house voted to extend the policing powers of the country's army until 2028, in a bid to tamp down on rising violence.

Human rights organizations have decried the bill, which still must be passed by the senate, due to fears it could trigger abuses by the state.

(Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
There is often comfort to be had in the familiar.

You can wear that old sweater. Grab a stool at your cozy corner tavern. Order the usual at your favorite restaurant. Call a friend from high school. Or you can pick up a book with the name Scott Turow on the cover.

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You can do that now, as his latest novel is formally released and sits in piles at your neighborhood bookstore. Piles, because Turow has proven himself to be a reliable bestseller. When the piles vanish, more will arrive.

So, get one. You will be able to easily find Suspect (Grand Central Publishing) and across its 440-some pages you will find Turow in fine form. Comforting, yes, but also satisfyingly fresh and creative.

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He has never been a flashy writer. As I have written before, one of the admirable aspects of Turows work is that he is no showoff. As literate and smart as anyone in the writing biz, he is not given to fancy literary flourishes.

But he will make you turn a books pages, so forceful is his plotting, so eye-popping its twists and surprises, and so colorful his characters. The star of this new novel is one we have met before.

Clarice Pinky Granum was in Turows previous novel, the terrific The Last Trial (Grand Central Publishing) in 2020. She was the granddaughter of one of Turows great characters, lawyer Alejandro Sandy Stern, who has been there since that initial blockbuster, 1990s Presumed Innocent, in which Stern defended Rusty Sabich, the prosecutor accused of committing a murder in a case he was overseeing.

"Suspect" by Scott Turow publishes Sept. 27. (Grand Central Publishing)

His books have arrived in a steady stream ever since, with Stern in roles large and small. Turows 11 bestsellers together have sold more than 30 million copies and there are movie versions of The Burden of Proof, Innocent, Presumed Innocent and Reversible Errors.

Turow has also found time and energy  dont ask me how  to have a successful career as a lawyer who not only, as an assistant U.S. attorney, was lead counsel in the Operation Greylord trial but later, in private practice, helped free an innocent man from death row and worked pro bono for years on wrongful convictions and capital punishment reform.

He has also written nonfiction books, served as president of the Authors Guild, occasionally plays music for charity with that band of famous novelists (Stephen King, Amy Tan and others) known as the Rock Bottom Remainders, and contributes op-ed pieces to a variety of publications.

Born in Chicago, raised in the northern suburbs and long living in Evanston, his novel writing success has inspired a generation of attorneys to, so to speak, put pen to paper. Results have varied, with only a few finding Turow-like success and praise (John Grisham and David Ellis come most quickly to mind). As the Wall Street Journal has written, Scott Turow set the gold standard for the modern legal thriller.

In The Last Trial Pinky was, after overcoming a drugged-out youth, working as a paralegal for her grandfathers law firm and a frequently infuriating employee. Sandys love for his granddaughter exceeds his understanding, but he still thinks that she has a solid future as a private investigator.

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In reviewing that fine book, I wrote I hope that Turow has more books to write. I am sure he does, and though it is presumptuous to suggest future work, he could not go wrong by expanding the character of Pinky, who is an appealingly complicated young woman.

I take no credit for prompting her return, but in bringing her back in full color, Turow has created one of contemporary fictions most complicatedly arresting characters, one not easy to adore but one impossible to ignore.

Shes still quite a handful at 33, pierced and inked and working as a licensed private investigator for 52-year-old lawyer Rik Dudek, mostly on nickel-and-dime cases, bar fights and such.

Now, theyve got a big one, handling the troubles for police chief Lucia Gomez-Barrera, who has been accused by three officers of trading sex for promotions.

It would be unfair to give away too many of the turns that this case takes. That is one of Turows great gifts, managing the action in a forceful fashion.

But I will tell you that Gomez-Barrera is a fascinating and finely drawn character and those three officers are a nasty bunch. Adding to this mix is a strange neighbor, mixed sexual signals from old lovers and new ones, scandals, and crimes aplenty.

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One can sense the fun Turow must have had writing this, returning to fictional Kindle County, which bears an unmistakable, welcome resemblance to Chicago and Cook County. He is comfortable there and knows the territory, a place that contains dark sides teeming with secrets and sins.

And it comes as a pleasant surprise to again see Sandy Stern. Hes no longer practicing law and is in assisted living. But he has a lady friend and sees Pinky every week. He loves her and she loves him. As she tells us in Suspect, Im not sure I believe in the afterlife or mediums, but somewhere in my inner fibers Im sure hell be showing up long after hes gone, when I really need him.

Heres hoping.

rkogan@chicagotribune.com
(Reuters) - Countries should do more to prevent revenues and arms from reaching a military in Myanmar that is ruling by repressing and terrorising its people, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup early last year, with the military fighting a pro-democracy resistance movement and arresting thousands of its opponents, while struggling to manage an economy battered by domestic and global upheaval.

The U.N. has accused the junta of mass killings and crimes against humanity. It says it is fighting "terrorists" determined to harm the country.

In Friday's report, the office called for the military to be isolated further and said it had failed to govern the country in a meaningful and sustainable way, or resolve a "profound financial sector crisis".

It recommended U.N. members impose bans on arms sales and targeted sanctions to prevent the military's business network from gaining access to foreign currency.

"The international community should take all steps within its power to support the people of Myanmar and to answer calls for the military's financial isolation," it said.

"Prompt coordinated action should be considered to minimise pre-emptive evasive actions."

The United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union have imposed wide sanctions on Myanmar but trade has continued with its neighbours and several countries have kept supplying defence hardware to the junta.

While China has urged an end to hostilities, Russia has been the generals' closest diplomatic ally and has received the junta chief as its guest on three occasions since the coup.

The report said Russia had supplied fighter jets and armoured vehicles to Myanmar, China had transferred fighter and transport planes, Serbia had provided rockets and artillery shells and India a remote air defence station.

In a separate statement, independent U.N. experts on Myanmar Mary Lawlor and Tom Andrews appealed for support for Myanmar human rights defenders documenting military atrocities, urging an end to what they called "apparent international indifference".

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Davies)
Uber said it's investigating a cybersecurity incident. David Swanson/Reuters

Uber said it is in touch with law enforcement after a hacking incident.

Uber employees received a Slack message from an unknown person saying "I am a hacker," per Bloomberg.

According to the New York Times, the apparent hacker is 18-years-old.

Uber Technologies said late Thursday it was responding to a cybersecurity incident after a hacker sent company employees messages on Slack.

Uber employees received a message from an unknown person on the company Slack that read, "I am a hacker," both Bloomberg and The New York Times reported. The apparent hacker also listed multiple internal databases that they claimed to have accessed, The Times reported.

Uber told Insider it was responding to a "cybersecurity incident" and was in touch with law enforcement.

Uber has taken Slack offline, according to both Bloomberg and The Times.

The hacker's identity remains unknown, but a person claiming to be behind the hack has spoken to The Times as well as some cybersecurity experts.

Sam Curry, a security engineer at Yuga Labs, tweeted that the attacker "is claiming to have completely compromised Uber" and had shared screenshots showing that the person had full admin access on Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.

"This is a total compromise, from what it looks like," Curry told The Times.

The supposed hacker told The Times that he was just 18 and had gotten access to Uber's systems by texting an Uber worker pretending to be a corporate information technology person. He sent The Times images that showed access to lists of Uber emails, cloud storage information, and code.

Uber was also the victim of a huge cyberattack in 2016 that exposed the personal data of 57 million people, including both riders and drivers. The company paid hackers $100,000 to erase the data from their servers. Details of the data breach weren't made public until a year after it happened.

Do you work for Uber? Got a story about the hack? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Andriy Derkach

"Derkach Andriy Leonidovich, born on 19.08.1967, is suspected of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 111, Art. 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the statement reads.

Read also: SBU detains Russian citizen wanted by Interpol in Kyiv

In June, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had exposed an agent net-work of the Russian intelligence service GRU, which included Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach.

According to the investigation, Derkach "oversaw the creation of a number of private security companies to use them to quickly seize Ukraine."

In August 2021, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against MP Derkach.

Read also: Ukrainian investigators explain detention of ex-head of Crimean SBU department

The United States imposed sanctions against Derkach back in September 2020. According to Washington, he maintains close ties with Russian intelligence and has been an active Russian agent for more than a decade.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that a mass burial site has been found in Izyum, a city that Ukrainian forces recaptured from Russian troops during the recent counteroffensive. President Joe Biden announced that the US would give Ukraine as much as $600 million in additional weaponry from Pentagon stockpiles

Most Read from Bloomberg

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan, as Moscow struggles with significant military setbacks in Ukraine. Putin promised a briefing on Chinas concerns, while Xi said the allies could bring stability and positive energy to the world.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Unions executive, arrived in Kyiv for her third visit since Russia invaded Ukraine. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, she called on allies to provide Ukraine all the military aid its asking for.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

US Set to Give Ukraine Another $600 Million in Military Aid

Blinken Taking Part in Effort to End Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict

US Imposes New Sanctions Against Russia as War Drags On

Democrats Imperil White House Plan to Wean Off Russian Uranium

Putin Tells Xi He Understands China Concerns on War in Ukraine

Russian Invasion Knocked Out 14% of Ukraines Grain Storage

On the Ground

Russian forces are strengthening the first line of defense in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraines east and south by moving reserves and deploying remnants of units withdrawn from the Kharkiv axis, Ukraines General Staff said on Facebook. Ukrainian troops repelled several attacks near the eastern city of Bakhmut, according to the statement. In Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiys home town, eight missiles hit the water system Wednesday night, causing flooding and prompting temporary evacuations.

Story continues

(All times CET)

US to Give Ukraine Another $600 Million in Military Aid (4 a.m.)

Biden said the US would give Ukraine as much as $600 million in additional weaponry from Defense Department stockpiles for its fight against Russia. The aid, which Biden announced in a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, would mark the 21st time the administration has drawn down US inventories to send weaponry to Ukraine since September 2021.

The $600 million in assistance includes ammunition for the Himars rocket systems; 1,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery shells; 36,000 105mm shells; as well as mine-clearing equipment, according to a Defense Department press release issued on Thursday evening.

Burial Site Discovered in Izyum, Zelinskiy Says (1:55 a.m.)

Zelenskiy said that a mass burial site has been found in Izyum, a city that Ukrainian forces that Russian troops abandoned last week during the advance by Ukrainian forces. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, did not provide further details, but said more information would be released on Friday. He visited Izyum on Wednesday.

Tomorrow there will be Ukrainian and international journalists in Izyum. We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to, he said, referring to Bucha, a town near Kyiv where evidence of atrocities was uncovered after a Russian retreat. Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for that. The world must hold Russia to real account for this war.

US Imposes New Sanctions Against Russia (8:50 p.m.)

The US announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Russias military intelligence and defense industry, as well as people accused of stealing Ukrainian crops, in a new push to restrict Putins ability to wage war.

The State Department sanctioned 31 defense, technology and electronics entities, while the Treasury Department imposed restrictions on 22 officials, including people who have overseen the seizure or theft of hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Those designated today  from perpetrators of violence to an official facilitating the purposeful removal of children from Ukraine  provide examples of the behavior that has become synonymous with the government of Russias unprovoked war, Blinken said.

Russian Invasion Knocked Out 14% of Ukraines Grain Storage (7:33 p.m.)

Russia has destroyed, damaged or seized control of 14% of Ukraines crop storage facilities since invading in February, jeopardizing the global food supply and threatening future harvests, a US government-backed report found.

Researchers examined satellite images of 344 storage facilities -- out of almost 1,400 nationwide -- and concluded that Ukraines grain storage capacity fell to 49.8 million metric tons, down from a pre-war capacity of 58 million metric tons.

Now, with a lack of storage for Ukraines farmers, it could cause a crisis of availability in terms of Ukraines farmers deciding to skip a planting cycle, because they dont have anywhere to put the grain, Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale School of Public Health, which conducted the research, said in an interview.

EUs von der Leyen Says Ukraine Should Get All Arms It Seeks (7:17 p.m.)

European Commission President von der Leyen called on allies to provide Ukraine all the military aid its asking for to press back Russias invasion, as Kyiv makes gains in a counteroffensive.

Ukraine should get all the military material they need, von der Leyen, the chief of the EUs executive arm, said in an interview in an in Kyiv with Bloomberg Television.

Ukrainian troops have proven that if they have the military capabilities, they do defend themselves, von der Leyen said.

Read the full story here.

European Investment Bank Gives Ukraine 500 Million Euros (6:30 p.m.)

The European Investment Bank disbursed 500 million euros ($500 million) for Ukraine as the first part of its 1.59 billion euro urgent response package, the bank said on its website.

The funds are intended to help the government repair roads, bridges and infrastructure and support state-run railway company Ukrzaliznytsya and road operator Ukravtodor. An earlier 668 million euro support package was given to Ukraine within a month of Russias invasion.

EU Can Disburse 5 Billion Euros for Ukraine in Mid-October: von der Leyen (4:39 p.m.)

The EU parliament approved 5 billion euros in macro financial assistance for Ukraine and the amount can arrive next month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

Ukraine expects more funds under the EU assistance program to be provided this year, Zelenskiy said. Reconstruction of Ukraine will be a topic of a special European congress in Berlin on Oct. 25, where experts from around the world will discuss the best approaches, von der Leyen said.

Ursula von der Leyen pledged the simplest access for Ukraine to the European market, and said shell work as much as possible for that goal.

Germany to Send More Rocket Launchers, Armored Vehicles (3:52 p.m.)

Germany will send Ukraine two more Mars II rocket launchers and 50 Dingo armored transport vehicles, the defense ministry in Berlin said. Ukrainian troops will travel to Germany this month for training.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been under pressure in recent days to supply more heavy weapons to help Kyiv continue its counterattacks against Russia, with some members of his ruling coalition urging the government to send Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Angolan President Calls for Russia to End Conflict (3:26 p.m.)

Joao Lourenco, president of long-time Russian ally Angola, called for Moscow to put an end to the war in Ukraine. We consider it important that the Russian authorities take the initiative to end the conflict, Lourenco said in Angolas capital, Luanda, as he was sworn in for a second term.

A cessation of hostilities could create a new environment for negotiating a new peace architecture for Europe, and opening the way for the much-desired and necessary reform of the United Nations Security Council, said Lourenco, who studied military strategy in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s.

Russian Convicts Offered Freedom for Signing Up to War (2:49 p.m.)

Convicts in Russian prisoners are being offered early release in exchange for signing up for a stint fighting at the front in Ukraine.

The move comes as the Kremlin struggles to fill ranks among widespread combat losses and Ukrainian counterattacks, and President Vladimir Putin resists a politically unpopular mass mobilization.

Read more: Russian Convicts Offered Freedom If They Join War in Ukraine

G-7 Vows to Impede Russian War Machine (2:45 p.m.)

Group of Seven trade ministers pledged to maintain and expand efforts to stop Russia profiting from its invasion of Ukraine and to curtail President Vladimir Putins ability to wage war.

We discussed potential further trade-related steps to aid the Ukrainian economy, the ministers said in a joint statement after a meeting in Neuhardenberg, Germany, attended by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

We will continue to coordinate future trade and investment measures to support Ukraines recovery efforts and call on all partners to join our efforts, and engage with us to help Ukraine to rebuild its future, the ministers added.

Putin Says He Understands Chinas Concerns (1:37 p.m.)

President Vladimir Putin told his counterpart Xi Jinping that he understands Chinas questions and concerns about Russias invasion of Ukraine, as the leaders began their first in-person talks since the war began.

Hailing Chinas balanced position on the Ukraine crisis, Putin offered to explain the situation in detail. In brief televised comments at the start of the meeting, the Russian leader also blasted what he called provocations by the US and its satellites in the Taiwan Strait.

The pair are meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Beijing-led group seen as a counter to US-dominated alliances. Putin is expected to meet there on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Read more: Putin Tells Xi He Understands China Concerns on Ukraine War

Zelenskiys Home Town Targeted by Multiple Cruise Missiles (1:10 p.m.)

Cruise missiles aimed at Kryvyi Rih caused serious destruction at an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rih on Thursday, regional governor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.

The city is still recovering from flooding in the aftermath of eight Russian Kinzhal and Iskander missiles that hit its water system on Wednesday night. People from several municipal districts were evacuated and over 100 buildings were flooded after river levels rose following a missile hit to a major dam. Rescue teams had to demolish two other dams downriver to release excess water.

Russia Says Long-Range Missiles Would Cross Red Line, IFX Reports (12:52 p.m.)

Supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would cross a red line and make the US a part of the conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says, according to Interfax.

The Pentagon has sent Ukraine its most accurate artillery shell, the GPS-guided Excalibur, according to budget documents seen earlier this month.

Read more: Most-Accurate US Artillery Shell Is Added to Ukraines Arms

Ukraine Says Army Liberated 400 Settlements (12:02 p.m.)

Troops have liberated 400 settlements in several days of the counteroffensive, most of them in east Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his daily statement last night.

Around 150,000 people are no longer living under Russian occupation, and are enjoying normal and safe lives, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said 1 million to 1.2 million Ukrainians remain in territories still occupied by Russian troops.

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he had spoken to Nike Inc and thanked the U.S. sportswear maker for making what he called the "right decision" to pull out of Russia.

"This is an example of how business can play a significant role in protecting humanity and freedom," he said in a nightly video address. "If a state chooses the path of terror, it is the duty of every self-respecting company to distance itself from such a state."

The Ukrainian leader provided no further details. Nike officials were not immediately available for comment.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a special operation.

Nike told Reuters on June 23 that it was making a full exit from Russia, after saying in March it would temporarily suspend operations at all its Nike-owned and -operated stores in Russia in response to Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

Nike joined other major brands in confirming its complete departure from the Russian market. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which was the leading supplier of handsets to Russia as of the fourth quarter of 2021, froze shipments in early March citing "current geopolitical developments."

But Izvestia this week quoted a source close to the company as saying sales could resume in October, with supplies of equipment to retailers and a resumption of its official online store. Samsung said nothing had been decided.

(Reporting by Elaine Monaghan; Editing by David Ljunggren and Matthew Lewis)
Ihor Kolomoisky

I officially confirm that today the District Administrative Court of Dnipro revoked Kolomoisky companys right to operate Dnipro International Airport, he said.

According to Filatov, the Dnipro City Council acted as the plaintiff, while NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) acted as a third party.

For more than 10 years, no one has been interested in the fact that Kolomoisky monopolizes the airspace by using the airport of a multimillion city, the mayor said.

Read also: Ukraines anti-graft agency suspects sanctioned MP Derkach of treason

That the residents of Dnipro are simply being openly robbed via exorbitant prices for air tickets. That the state property complex is being used for private interests.

Filatov emphasized neither the Cabinet of Ministers, nor the National Security and Defense Council, nor the State Aviation Service were concerned about these problems.

Yes, our airport has been destroyed, he said.

Yes, the war will continue for a long time. But the time will come when the residents of Dnipro will fly freely to Europe. By low-cost carriers. Without Kolomoisky.

According to data from the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, the Dnipro City Council on Sept. 28, 2021 filed to the District Administrative Court of Dnipro a lawsuit against the State Aviation Service of Ukraine to declare illegal and cancel order No. 1007 of the State Aviation Service dated June 30, 2021, on the issuance of an operation certificate for the Dnipro airfield.

Read also: Supreme Court upholds PrivatBanks nationalization

This certificate was received by Dnipro International Airport LLC, which belongs to Dniproavia company, which in turn belongs to Haltera LLC associated with Ihor Kolomoisky (94.57% of Dniproavia shares were sold to Haltera by the State Property Fund of Ukraine back in 2009).

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian authorities were expected to begin recovering bodies Friday from a newly found mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces, a delicate task that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would help show the world what the Russian occupation has led to.

The burial site, containing hundreds of graves, was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces liberated the northeastern city and other swaths of the Kharkiv region, breaking what was largely becoming a military stalemate in the nearly seven-month war.

To keep the offensive going, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid Thursday for Ukraine, including more of the weaponry that has helped its troops seize momentum.

Associated Press journalists who visited the burial site Thursday counted hundreds of graves amid the trees, marked with simple wooden crosses  most of them numbered, up to 400 and beyond.

There was also at least one mass grave, with a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

In his nightly televised address on Thursday, Zelenskyy said more information  clear, verifiable information about the burial site is expected Friday.

The necessary procedural actions have already begun there, he said. We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to.

A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka via Associated Press)

A mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers and unknown buried civilians was found in the forest of recently recaptured city of Izium. (Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka via Associated Press)

Zelenskyy invoked the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass graves of civilians and evidence of possible war crimes.

Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium, he said. Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it.

Before exhumation work could begin, investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for any hidden explosives.

Story continues

The mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers could contain more than the 17 bodies mentioned on its marker, said Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories.

We havent counted them yet, but I think there are more than 25 or even 30, he said, basing his estimate on video footage of the site that Russian soldiers posted on social media.

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that a mass grave has been found in Izyum after the town was retaken from Russian forces. #UkraineRussiapic.twitter.com/JDoEr4tkXD  euronews (@euronews) September 16, 2022

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building.

He said he pulled some of them out of the rubble with my own hands.

Sergei Bolvinov, a senior investigator for Ukrainian police in the eastern Kharkiv region, told British TV broadcaster Sky News that a pit containing more than 440 bodies was discovered near Izium after Kyivs forces swept in. He described the grave as one of the largest burial sites in any one liberated city.

Some of the people buried in the pit were shot. Others died from artillery fire, mines or airstrikes. Many of the bodies have not been identified yet, Bolvinov said.

Russian forces left Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid the stunningly rapid Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy made a rare trip outside the capital to watch the national flag being raised over Iziums city hall.

Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said Thursday night that other evidence found after Kyivs sweeping advance into the Kharkiv region included multiple torture chambers where both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were detained in completely inhuman conditions.

We have already come across the exhumation of individual bodies, not only with traces of a violent death, but also of torture  cut off ears, etc. This is just the beginning, Enin said in an interview with Ukraines Radio NV.

Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. (Photo: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Oleg Kotenko, the Commissioner for Issues of Missing Persons under Special Circumstances looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 15, 2022 who had been killed by Russian forces near the beginning of the war. (Photo: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time, Enin said, in a reference to a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered following the Russian armys withdrawal from the area in March.

The $600 million in additional U.S. military aid announced Thursday will include more of the same types of ammunition and equipment that have helped the Ukrainian counteroffensive beat back Russian forces in large portions of the east and in the south.

The aid is carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraines hand at the negotiating table when the time is right, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. He praised the admirable grit and determination of Ukrainians defending their homeland and fighting for their future.

The White House said it was the 21st time that the Defense Department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine.

Ukraine is also getting military aid from the European Union. Making her third wartime visit this week to Kyiv, Ukraines capital, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said more aid is absolutely vital and necessary.

Air raid sirens blared twice in Kyiv as von der Leyen met with Zelenskyy, a reminder that Russia has long-range weapons that can reach any location in Ukraine even though the capital has been spared attacks in recent weeks.

___

Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv and Joanna Koslowska in London contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
STORY: The Manhattan eatery Veselka serves up traditional Ukrainian fare such as pierogies and borsch. But the dishes are feeding more than just this lower east side neighborhood.

ANDRES: What you see here is small and bigger businesses, men and women like him that they're doing everything they can to keep supporting Ukrainians back home. And then he's been supporting World Central Kitchen. 

Chef Jose Andres is founder of the food relief organization World Central Kitchen. The group has served more than 158 million meals in war-ravaged Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

On Friday U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, along with Chef Andres, thanked the Veselka restaurant's co-owner Jason Birchard for their contribution.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: This is a war against aggression. It is a war against Russia's unprovoked attack on a smaller neighbor. And it takes every single person to commit to helping Ukraine fight against this, uh, aggression.

Since the start of the war in February, Veselka has been donating all sales of its borsch to Ukrainian relief efforts.

BIRCHARD: We've raised almost a quarter of $1,000,000. I mean, it's a drop in the bucket to what other organizations have, but we're very grateful for the community support.

Andres said Ukraine's fight is everyone's fight.

Everybody right now is one person. Everybody right now is one nation. Fighting for freedom, fighting, fighting for liberty, fighting for democracy, not only on behalf of Ukrainians, but on behalf of all Americans, on behalf of all Europeans, on behalf of all the people of the world.
The Daily Beast

DAVID ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesWelcome to this weeks edition of Royalist, The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Sunday.Page turnerWhat is and what isnt in Prince Harrys memoir, and if and when the book will actually be published, continues to be royal mystery numero uno.What is known so far: there is a memoir, it has apparently been finished, and previous reports have Harry wanting to rewrite sections of it, and p
The documentary, which is really more of a farewell address, is flooded with one man's nostalgia for his own artistic achievements, and where they took him. Eventually Kiarostami travels to the countryside and re-creates the final scene of his own masterwork "Through the Olive Trees," calling out the name ("Tahereh!") of that film's female protagonist. Elsewhere he and fellow Iranian filmmaker Massoud Kimiai appear to be co-directing a project, as a third filmmaker, Jafar Panahi, films the process. At the same time, Samadian is filming Panahi. The hall of mirrors doesn't feel hoked-up or self-conscious.
Any conflict between the U.S. and China would prove costly for both sides and resolve based on a few key points  and not necessarily in Americas favor, defense experts told Fox News Digital.

"If you were to rank them, I would put Taiwan first, South China Sea second, the Senkaku Islands third and then elsewhere in the world," James Anderson, the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the Trump Administration, said, adding that the Sea of Japan could also serve as the flashpoint for conflict with China.

President Biden, in May, reiterated this stance when he told a reporter that defending Taiwan, even militarily, was "the commitment we made."

Fox News Digital spoke with former defense officials and experts.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL WEIGHS ACCUSING CHINA OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

President Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15, 2021. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Proximity to China would provide Beijing a significant advantage, similar to how Russia saw a swing in momentum during its Ukraine invasion once it shortened its supply lines to focus only on the territories just beyond its western border in the Donbas region.

PUTIN, XI TO MEET FACE TO FACE NEXT WEEK IN FIRST MEETING SINCE WAR IN UKRAINE

"The problem is that in the Indo-Pacific Theater, the closer you get to China, the more [China] can concentrate its military assets," Anderson explained. "What is especially concerning to the United States and its allies are ballistic missiles and the fact that China is probably ahead of us with hypersonic weaponry," which could allow China to hit jet carriers and other surface ships hard and fast.

Even with that advantage though, China faces a significant conflict that Dr. John Lee, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior National Security Advisor to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, said would prove "a very bloody affair for both sides."

Members of the Chinese Navy stand on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer Suzhou of the escort taskforce at a military port on May 18, 2022 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province of China. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

"Over the past two decades, the U.S. and allies have been very passive, allowing the Peoples Liberation Army to achieve air and sea dominance in this theater," Lee said. "However, [they] are now becoming serious about developing long-range strike capabilities, hypersonic strike capabilities, asymmetrical capabilities  and the range of non-military measures which would include crippling economic and financial sanctions."

Story continues

"In short, the U.S. and allies have many good and powerful options to ensure the military and strategic balance is in their favor," he added.

SENATE COMMITTEE TO MEET THIS WEEK OVER BIPARTISAN TAIWAN DEFENSE BILL

Anderson also touted the U.S. militarys ability to counter missiles. However, that capability loses impact in the face of "saturation attacks," which effectively aim to blanket a target with missiles and stretch defensive efforts.

The U.S. has, therefore, also focused on trying to strengthen Taiwan through the "porcupine strategy," which would see nations supply the island nation with a large amount of anti-tank and anti-air weaponry to help close the gap in military superiority that China holds.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (R) listens while inspecting reservists training at a military base in Taoyuan on March 12, 2022. Photo by SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images

China holds a manpower advantage over the U.S., with Chinas 2.8 million soldier army outranking the U.S. alone, according to Brookings Institution, but a naval and air combat operation would severely limit that advantage.

"At this stage, China has air and sea dominance over the Taiwan Strait but cannot land troops successfully on Taiwan," Lee said. "If it achieves the capacity to do so, then China will see the military option as a more attractive one."

PUTIN SAYS THE US AND WEST ARE FAILING, CLAIMS FUTURE LIES IN ASIA

Matt McInnis, of the Institute for the Study of War, noted that Chinas goal will largely dictate its coordination and deployment: Any attempt to secure islands in the contested seas and straits would likely choke point the Chinese forces, leaving limited use for troop deployments.

"Depending on your objectives and what they aim to achieve through naval and air forces, you would potentially have some use for Marines to hold certain smaller pieces of territory and some smaller islands," McInnis said, adding that Beijing would only proceed with an invasion once it felt reasonably confident American forces could not deploy quickly enough to the region.

Anderson noted that China has closed the gap in other military domains, but has not yet overtaken the U.S., acknowledging that China has "the largest number of ships in the world today," but that the U.S. still has the advantage in terms of quality, and the same holds true for a "superior" U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. also can rely on regional partners. China, on the other hand, has few allies to turn to, largely looking toward countries like Russia to help it "deflect" economic pressure that the U.S. and its allies, according to McInnis.

PENTAGON PAUSES F-35 DELIVERIES AFTER DISCOVERING JET COMPONENTS CAME FROM CHINA

"There will certainly be economic lines of effort  and I'm quite sure China is looking long-term at how Russia, as well as key energy suppliers like Iran, can help them manage economic fallout from a conflict with the United States," he said. "But I don't think we're at the point in the relationship between countries, certainly including North Korea, where they would necessarily provide operational support or lethal aid directly to China."

Lee believes that Chinas position weakened since it tipped its hand and revealed "broader intentions" to "dominate East Asia," a move that also has emboldened the U.S. and its allies to ensure they counter Chinas ambitions.

"China seeks to prevail by convincing the US and allies that it is not worth it to defend Taiwan, that the cost would be too great," he said. "Chinas problem is that it has revealed its broader intentions, which is to dominate East Asia: Hence, a successful Chinese seizure of Taiwan would embolden China to push further rather than lead to a more satisfied power."
By Bate Felix

DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry cautioned against investing in long-term gas projects in Africa as countries in the region, some hoping to tap recent oil and gas discoveries, wrestle with how to power their development with clean energy.

"We are not saying no gas," Kerry told Reuters on the sidelines of an African environment ministers' conference in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.

"What we are saying is, over the next few years, gas replaces coal or replaces oil," the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate said, adding that gas can be used as a transition to cleaner energy sources.

But after 2030, it will be important to capture the emissions from gas too, Kerry added.

Continued financing of oil and gas projects in Africa has become a key issue for the countries, which they plan to push during a United Nations climate summit in Egypt in November.

Senegal and other countries in the region aim to start producing oil and gas, which they hope will help boost their electricity production, power industries and curb energy poverty.

Over 600 million people, or 43% of Africa's population, lack access to electricity, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Energy Agency.

African countries argue that they need investments to develop their energy resources, including oil and gas, and a pledge by developed nations including the United States last year to curb investments in fossil fuels, was unjust.

Kerry said the question now is how to help the nations, which account for only a small amount of carbon emissions, develop without making mistakes that others made, enabling them to be as green as possible without creating more problems.

He said the viability of long-term gas projects could become a problem beyond 2030, the target date many developed nations have set to move to mostly renewable and curb the need for gas.

Kerry said such long-term projects likely would not recoup their investments within 10 years, adding that some countries are talking of projects with lifespan as long as 40 years, which was not necessary.

Story continues

"We do not have to rush to go backward, we need to be very careful about exactly how much we are going to deploy, how it is going to be paid for, over what period of time and how do you capture the emissions." Kerry said.

He said developed nations need to step up efforts and meet the urgency to help other countries adapt and get over the initial hurdles of developing renewable energy systems.

Kerry said the United States has committed $12 billion for "adaptation and resilience," and was working on a new structure to bring more the big investors with trillions of dollars.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by William Mallard)
The Commerce Department on Friday announced new sanctions limiting the export of fentanyl and other chemicals to Russia and Belarus because of their potential to support military aggression.

In response to the Russian Federations ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Department of Commerce is expanding the existing sanctions against Russia and Belarus by imposing new export controls, the departments Bureau of Industry and Security wrote.

The bureau said it was expanding sanctions to include lower-level items potentially useful for Russias chemical and biological weapons production capabilities.

The new sanctions also include items needed for advanced production and development capabilities and advanced manufacturing across a variety of industries.

The items that this rule adds  may be useful for Russias CBW [chemical and biological weapons] production and development capabilities and therefore may be used in support of its military aggression, the Commerce Department wrote.

The rule specified several chemicals including fentanyl and its derivatives alfentanil, sufentanil, remifentanil and carfentanil.

Other chemicals were banned from being exported to the countries if they were in high concentrations, some 95 percent concentration or above and some 90 percent or above.

The Commerce Department sanctioned exports of chemical precursors to central nervous system acting chemicals as well as some biologics, equipment and quantum computing and advanced manufacturing items.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (Reuters) - Uzbekistan has signed deals worth $16 billion with China and $4.6 billion with Russia during their respective leaders' visits to the Central Asian nation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Deals with China include the construction of a China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, while projects with Russia are in machinery, chemicals, petrochemicals and geology sectors, ministry spokesman Yusuf Kabuljanov said.

Russia and China are major investors in Uzbekistan and the former Soviet republic's key trade partners.

They also lead the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional body which held a meeting this week in the Uzbek Silk Road city of Samarkand.

(Reporting by Mukhammadsharif Mamatkulov; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
A Vancouver woman charged for hurling coffee and racial slurs at an Asian Canadian coffee shop manager last year entered trial on Thursday.

Astrid Maria Secreve, a co-defendant in the mischief case with her ex-husband Michel Jean-Jacque Berthiaume, made headlines this April after being filmed using an anti-Asian slur on her way to a court in Richmond.

At the time, Secreve allegedly lashed out at a CTV News crew that included a camera operator of Asian descent. The video of the encounter shows her using an anti-Chinese slur, flashing her clothed backside and swearing before entering the courthouse.

Secreve and Berthiaume are both charged with mischief under 5,000 Canadian dollars (approximately $3,963) for the attack at Rocanini Coffee Roasters in the Steveston neighborhood, which occurred on March 29, 2021.

More from NextShark: 10-year-old girl who attended Utah school district that ignored racial bullying dies by suicide

The incident began after the pair allegedly ignored the shops COVID-19 guidelines. The manager, identified only as Nikki, asked them to change seats.

However, the duo allegedly refused and retaliated against Nikki. Berthiaume poured his mocha on the floor, while Secreve threw a cup of coffee at the manager, according to reports.

More from NextShark: Bong Joon-ho Was Once Blacklisted in South Korea for His 'Liberal' Films

I was shocked, standing over here, when the lady passed by me [and] she poured the leftover [coffee on] my face and said something like, F*ck you, Chinese, those kinds of things, Nikki said after the attack.

While fleeing the scene, Berthiaume was also allegedly heard saying f*cking Chinese twice and claiming that Nikki was carrying COVID-19.

More from NextShark: 'Someone that looks like them': Underprivileged SF Chinatown children treated to free 'Shang-Chi' screening

Secreve and Berthiaume returned to court on Thursday after the trial was adjourned in April. They have been representing themselves in the case.

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Meanwhile, over a dozen protesters reportedly gathered outside the courthouse. They carried signs that said End Racism, Hate is a Virus and Racism is a Virus.

Ally Wang, a spokesperson of the Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group, also accused Secreve of giving her the finger back in April. When she told police, Secreve allegedly put her hand down at once.

More from NextShark: Mayor-elect Eric Adams appoints NYC's first Asian American deputy mayors as part of 5 all-women team

An Asian reporter from another media outlet told me that Secreve gave her the finger. I couldn't believe it happened in [the courthouse]. I said, 'How is that possible?'" Wang told the Richmond News. But when I went inside after 10 minutes or so, she gave me the finger as well.

Featured Image via Richmond News (left) and CTV News (right)
Senator Murray Speaks Out On Reproductive Rights

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-OR) speaks about reproductive rights during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol August 2, 2022 in Washington, DC. Credit - Drew AngererGetty Images

A new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rule is setting up a major clash between conservative states and the federal government, as Republican lawmakers vow to fight the policy that the VA will provide abortion services even in states that have outlawed the procedure.

Under the new rule, which took effect on Sept. 9, the VA will provide abortion counseling and abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when a pregnancy threatens the patients life to veterans and their eligible family members. This represents a historic change: the VA previously did not provide abortions for veterans under any circumstances and did not allow its providers to counsel patients about the procedure.

The move is a direct result of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade this summer, which set off a wave of abortion bans and restrictions around the country. VA leaders said those restrictions created urgent risks for veterans and forced the agency to act. This expansion is a patient safety decision first and foremost, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA under secretary for health, told members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday. It is important to emphasize that VA is taking these steps with our primary mission in mind: to preserve the lives and health of veterans.

The policy was cheered by Democrats, who have been pressing President Joe Biden to find ways to expand abortion access since the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization eliminated the federal right to abortion. They said they hoped VAs move would have broad appeal, given that the rule only allows for abortions in circumstances that track with other federal policies. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington called the change a common sense policy at a news conference on the topic last week, while Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who lost her legs serving in Iraq, questioned why the government would be comfortable letting her use her body for war but not for her choice of how and when to start a family. When is it that American women have the right to bodily autonomy? she asked.

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Republicans disagree. Many states that have enacted near-total abortion bans do not have exceptions for rape and incest, so conservatives argue the VA is overreaching its authority. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said last week he would enforce his states abortion ban, which outlaws all abortions except in cases that threaten the life of the pregnant person, against any practitioner who violates it. I have no intention of abdicating my duty to enforce the Unborn Life Protection Act against any practitioner who unlawfully conducts abortions in the State of Alabama, he said in a statement. The power of states to protect unborn life is settled. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, whose state abortion ban also only allows for abortions in life-threatening cases, similarly told TIME she would enforce her ban despite the VA policy. I stand ready to challenge the Biden Administration for trying to circumvent Arkansas law, Rutledge said in a statement.

The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding for most abortion-related services, but it allows for similar exceptions to the VAs ruleand it only applies to funds appropriated for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, not the VA. Republicans argue the VAs policy violates other laws, including the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which excluded abortions from the medical care the VA was allowed to provide. Democrats counter that the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 allows the VA secretary to furnish hospital care and medical services determined to be needed, including abortion.

VA officials and legal experts say the agency is is on solid legal footing as it institutes the new policy, particularly due to the legal principle of federal preemption. The federal government gets to make law and states cant say, we dont want to follow that, says David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. So a state that tried to sue to say the VA cant do this would be contravening that fundamental principle of American law.

The outcome of the legal debate could affect thousands of women seeking care. About 260,000 women veterans of reproductive age live in states with severe abortion restrictions, according to Kayla Williams, a RAND Corporation researcher and former director of the VAs Center for Women Veterans, who testified at the hearing. She estimated that about 96,200 VA patients could be affected by the policy change. Elnahal said he initially expects about 1,000 VA-supported abortions to be performed a year, but that could grow in future years as the number of women veterans is increasing rapidly.

Republicans said during Thursdays committee hearing that they would support legal challenges to the policy and threatened to go after the VAs budget if they retake control of Congress in November. This is not only wrong, its illegal, said ranking committee member Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from Illinois. He said he was working with colleagues on the House appropriations committee and in the Senate on potential sanctions. Abortion is not health care, no matter what those on the other side of this issue may feel.

Legal and logistical challenges

Regardless of whether the VA policy is challenged in court, it will be complex to implement, and its unlikely that its providers will be ready right away to provide a range of abortion services.

One of the biggest challenges is the fact that the VA is essentially building infrastructure for the plan in real time. The VA has not said when its facilities will start providing abortions. Elnahal told lawmakers the agency is working to ensure that facilities have proper staffing and training to carry out the policy, making pregnancy testing available at all locations, and conducting a survey of the availability of ultrasound machines. We believe medication abortion will be the first available and most common type of abortion provided, so we are working to ensure providers have access to training as well as the needed medications, he said.

If the VA is not immediately able to provide needed care, Elnahal said veterans and beneficiaries can use community providers or travel to other community or VA facilities, and the VA will cover the cost of that transportation where applicable. But the legal landscape is complicated. For those providers working at VA facilities on federal property, Elnahal said they will be protected under federal supremacy and the full force of the federal government will be there for them should they be challenged on that. But the same legal protections would not necessarily be available for providers working in non-VA facilities in states that have banned abortion, he said.

This could make it difficult to find community providers willing to help in states that have outlawed abortion, especially as many abortion clinics in those states have closed or stopped offering the procedure. As the abortion infrastructure and the infrastructure for care across the country continues to shut down as a result of state level bans, VA is going to have a really hard time implementing this policy, Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America who testified at the hearing on Thursday, told TIME.

The Constitution does provide some protections for people traveling to federal land to conduct federal business, Cohen and other legal experts say. The 14th Amendments privileges or immunities clause could be used to protect patients or providers if states try to go after people for providing abortions at VA facilities. But Rachel Rebouche, dean of Temple Universitys Beasley School of Law and an expert on reproductive health law, says the clause has been interpreted narrowly in the past and its unclear how far the protections would go.

Even if states dont take that legal route, Rebouche says they have the power to make doctors lives difficult if they participate. States could target you in other ways. They could say that its unethical, or they could attack your license. State medical boards have really broad authority to define what is ethical practice, she says.

It really is going to shine a spotlight on tensions between federal and state regulations, Rebouche adds. It really is going to test our fundamental assumptions about federalism, about how states should treat each other, about the role of federal law in the abortion arena.
MMA Junkie

The horror! Dr. Priscilla Chan had one of the best errrr only seats in the house at UFC Fight Night 211  and things got a little intense.
In the regular-season home finale on Dec. 23, 2018, Jordan Hicks started at linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 32-30 win over the Houston Texans. Hicks hasnt taken the field at Lincoln Financial Field since then.

That will change Monday night. Hicks, who played for the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-21 before signing with the Vikings last March, will be in the starting lineup at Philadelphia.

Im very excited, Hicks, a third-round pick by the Eagles in 2018 who played his first four seasons with them, said Thursday. Im excited to see the city, play in that stadium. Im sure it will bring back a lot of memories, but Ill be on the other side and feel what its like being an away team playing there.

Asked about his favorite Eagles memory, Hicks didnt hesitate in saying it was their storybook 41-33 win over New England in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in February 2018.

Hicks actually didnt play in that game, having been lost for the season with an ankle injury in October 2017. But he still cherishes the memories of that championship run.

No matter how disappointed I was (in missing the Super Bowl), I was still a big part of that team, he said.

With that in mind, Hicks said it was a bit emotional when the Vikings had a practice at U.S. Bank Stadium on July 29, his first visit there since that Super Bowl.

Last Sunday, the inside linebacker made his regular-season debut for the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, and it went well. In a 23-7 win over Green Bay, he had a team-high 14 tackles, including forcing a fumble on a sack of Aaron Rodgers in the third quarter that was recovered by defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson.

Solid, Hicks said of his debut. There are always things to clean up. Its never a perfect game, but I felt comfortable out there. The defensive communication was good with (fellow inside linebacker Eric Kendricks) and the rest of the guys.

Minnesota first-year coach Kevin OConnell liked what he saw out of Hicks against the Packers. He was one of four key free agents the Vikings signed during the offseason in the rebuilding of their defense, the others being edge rusher ZaDarius Smith, nose tackle Harrison Phillips and nickel back Chandon Sullivan.

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I expected him to be flying around schematically sound doing his job, working hand-in-hand with (Kendricks), OConnell said. We ask a lot out of those guys in our defense, but I really enjoyed the physicality he played with. He showed up to the ball violently sometimes.

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Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Sony Pictures

Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Gina Prince-Bythewoodwhen you put a handful of powerhouses like these folks together, of course youre going to get a complete tour de force of an action film like The Woman King.

It should come as no surprise that The Woman King is an absolute blast of a cinematic experience (again, just look at those names, watch the trailer, thats all you need to know). But the movie still manages to exceed expectations: The action sequences are choreographed so brilliantly, as if these warriors were members of Cirque du Soleil, but the deeper contextual arcs layered into them make The Woman King worth writing home about. On top of being a whirlwind action film, The Woman King is also a family drama, a historical film, and an underdog story, all with a tinge of romance.

Sony Pictures

We get a Star Wars-inspired scrawl at the start of the film to lay the groundwork, but its fairly easy to pick up on the issues at hand from the start. Its 1823, and the West African Kingdom of Dahomey has been participating in the slave trade to stay afloat; because of this, Dahomey is constantly under siege by the neighboring Oyo Tribe, which also benefits from the trade. But under new leadership of King Ghezo (Boyega), the kingdom hopes to remove itself from the trade and sell its palm oil instead. Still, the Oyo Tribe is relentless, demanding innocent Dahomey citizens to put up for trade or face its wrath. Dahomey is stuck.

Enter the Agojie, a fiery women army led by the wise Nanisca (Davis) and dexterous Izogie (Lynch). Though theyve spent the last few years hunting for prisoners to contribute to the Portuguese slave trade, Nanisca has had enough. Despite ruffling some feathers with the Kings royal circle of wives, she pleads with him to consider stepping away from the trade. With an army as tough as the Agojiethey gouge eyes out with their nails, spin kickflips around massive brutes of men, and can still happily dance together at the end of the daydefeating the Oyo Tribe shouldnt be a major issue.

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On top of the Dahomey vs. Oyo clash, which is high drama in and of itself, we also get a look into the intense training of the Agojie soldiers. Nawi (The Underground Railroads Thuso Mbedu) refuses to lose her fierce independence to a much older, misogynistic husband, so her adoptive father offers her to King Ghezos military. Thats no problem. Nawi, now 19, has dreamed about becoming a member of the Agojie since she was a child.

Sony Pictures

Agojie training is intense, to say the least. Imagine throwing yourself into a tangle of thorns, slicing up your skin, only to then scale a 20-foot-tall wall and fight a hulk on the other side. This is just practice! But its fun to root for plucky Nawi while also pulling for Nanisca, the Agojie, and Dahomeys exit from the slave trade. There are, of course, many exciting payoffs to celebrate along the way.

My theater held back no cheer, no applause, no AH! reaction as they watched the film. Movies like The Woman King make a venture to the theater worth every minute. Seeing Viola Davis slit the throat of greedy men on the big screen? Count me in. Ill clap and cheer the whole time, and even give a standing ovation at the end. (But dont walk out right aftertheres a brief, gorgeous end-credit scene youll want to catch.)

Though this is Viola Davis movie, Lashana Lynch runs away with some of the best scenes. From the opening, in which she shoves her sharpened fingernails into a mans eyeballs, shes the action goddess. Pop out the eyeballs, she explains to Nawi early in the film, and the fight is over. Shell take down a man in seconds and smile the whole time shes executing him. Izogie is an absolute hoot, too, joking that the white mans only positive contribution to society is whiskey. Lynch is clearly the perfect candidate for James Bonds 007 title.

What seals the deal on The Woman King is that the Agojie were a real troupe of warriors (who actually inspired the Dora Milaje warriors in Black Panther) that took down the Oyo Tribe in the 1800s. The Woman King immerses audience in thick layers of history in West Africa, where the issue of the slave trade is too complex to explain without seeing every side of the story. We meet the traders, the Oyo Tribe, the victims being traded away, and as many folks in the Dahomey Kingdom as possible. No stone is left unturned in The Woman King.

Sony Pictures

The best moments by far, though, are any that focus on the tight bond shared between fellow Agojie warriors. They are sisters, brought together by their love of the craft and their passion for protecting each other. It is a pleasure to watch them dance together, perfect their skills together, and enter battle together as one momentous group of powerall held together by Viola Davis, who shines like the legend she is.

Its a true cinematic miracle when films like The Woman King come around: so full of heart, satisfying action, and bold feminist roots, all packed into one tightly woven film. Getting to witness it in theaters too? Thats the Agojies biggest win of all.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Virden, N.M. farmer Bob Williams crosses a muddy field on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022 after severe storms submerged part of his farm and flooded his basement.

VIRDEN  Monsoon rains caused Gila River levels to rise above 30 feet on Aug. 21 near the New Mexico village of Virden, close to the Arizona state line, and rain and heavy winds have continued since then.

On Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, a Democrat from Silver City, inspected damage to infrastructure that befell the community last month, advising Hidalgo County and local ditch association officials on emergency resources available as well as how to approach New Mexico lawmakers with capital investment requests.

A concrete canal built in 1969 to channel runoff from land where Tom Lovett raises Angus cattle, into the Gila lay in pieces, having served well past its 30-year contract life before August storms destroyed it, with similar structures in disrepair alongside an acequia meant to move water west into neighboring Duncan, Arizona.

Water overwhelmed a dike structure and broke through, drowning farms, leaving lost crops and steep mud behind. Storm washes and culverts were overwhelmed with mud and debris as workers from Hidalgo County and Arizona's Greenlee County raced to patch up some of the infrastructure ahead of rains forecast for September as the late monsoon season continues. On Tuesday night alone, another inch and a half of rain fell here, accompanied by severe winds.

Storm runoff from federal land contributed to flooding of some homes along Franklin Road, where berms were clearly eroded and culverts jammed with mud. A system of levees and dikes built in the 1970s is reportedly in poor shape, and Hidalgo County is in negotiation with the Bureau of Land Management to conduct repairs or upgrades.

Water backed up from storm washes filled the basement of farmer Bob Williams' home, where he estimated an inch fell in 20 minutes amid hurricane-force winds.

Morales met with Hidalgo County Manager Tisha Green and commissioners in Lordsburg before County Commissioner Joel Edwards and emergency manager Scott Richins accompanied him to Virden.

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Floods have caused serious damage in 18 counties all over New Mexico at the conclusion of a summer that saw New Mexico's two worst wildfires in its history, and severe floods have not been limited to burn scar areas. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has so far declared states of emergency over flooding in Hidalgo, Catron and Grant counties; in Rio Arriba County after as much as six inches of rain fell there in June; and in the city of Las Vegas over flooding and loss of drinking water following the Hermits Peak fire.

More:New Mexico counties seek aid after August floods wreak havoc

"Something we're seeing all over the state," Morales remarked, "is aging infrastructure."

More declarations may follow. Sierra County is gathering data on flood damage there. Whether the governor declares a statewide flooding emergency remains to be seen.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Virden residents assess flood damage, with more rain on the way
But you know? The thing really moves. Even the grottiest bits have a way of hitting their marks and darting onward, the way they did in "Borat." This apocalyptic lark, an extended bull session among various highly competitive comedians trying to be nice to each other under extreme pressure, barely holds together as a movie. The central joke  Rogen, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, et al., playing pretend versions of themselves, the way Bill Murray did in "Zombieland"  is nothing new. Yet the best of the foul-mouthed byplay sounds improvised on the spot. At one point, James Franco gets into it with Danny McBride, also playing himself, in an escalating dispute regarding the loutish "Your Highness" star's selfish mishandling of a porno magazine, and the taunts are so relentless and stupid, you're initially astonished at how long the scene's allowed to play out. Then it keeps going, and the cutaways and the pacing actually make the effrontery funnier. I predict walkouts across America during "This Is the End," along with a healthy number of satisfied, vaguely guilty-feeling customers who go along for the ride.
Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R - Virginia) was in a meeting Thursday night when she was informed about a shooting in the City of Richmond. The state leader drove to the shooting scene at Milton Street and Maryland Avenue in Richmond's Northside. It was one of four shootings reported in Richmond on Thursday, September 15, three of those shootings resulted in someone being shot. Two of the shooting victims suffered injuries that were considered to be life-threatening.
Ron DeSantis has faced criticism from the Venezuelan community for his decision (AP)

As part of a new and cruel Republican PR strategy, Florida governor Ron DeSantis this week used his states money for a stunt that consisted of flying around 50 majority-Venezuelan asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas to Marthas Vineyard.

States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration, DeSantis said in a statement, justifying the human rights violation as a response to president Bidens alleged open border policy.

Most of the migrants, who arrived at Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday, did not know where they were going. They told the media they had been fooled into getting on a plane destined for an unknown location. Many told NPR they were approached by a woman named Perla outside a San Antonio shelter who offered them a trip to Boston, where they supposedly could get expedited work permits.

Republicans were hoping this would be a huge burn to the wealthy liberals who live in the area. It seemed they had coordinated on the strategy, since Texas governor Greg Abbott at the same time delivered busloads of migrants to Washington DC. But instead, the citizens of DC and Marthas Vineyard showed compassion to their new arrivals and rallied together to find and provide housing and financial support. On Marthas Vineyard, the local high school even released their AP Spanish students so they could help translate.

This isnt the first time Abbott has used desperate migrants as political pawns. Indeed, the governor has made the trafficking of desperate migrants to northern states a staple of his kind of conservatism. Buses filled with migrants  mostly Venezuelans  have been arriving in New York City all summer, with city officials now working to relocate these migrants to the places they actually want to settle in, where they have resources or people who can help them.

Many want to go to places like Florida where the largest community of Venezuelans live, Commissioner Manuel Castro told Fox. Were helping them get to their actual final destination.

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Despite all their talk about combating illegal immigration, Abbott and DeSantis are now serving as de facto coyotes, trafficking vulnerable migrants to places where they have no roots or connections.

Venezuelans now officially represent the largest refugee and migrant crisis in the world, alongside Ukrainians. Unlike those fleeing the Russian invasion in Ukraine, however, Venezuelans are not escaping war, but a brutal leftist dictatorship. As reported by The New York Times, a shocking 6.1 million Venezuelans have fled the struggling nation in recent years. Last month alone, 25,000 crossed the dangerous Darien Gap on their way to the United States.

In response to the forced placement of migrants in random cities, Venezuelan opposition leader Carlos Vecchio asked US officials for solidarity with the Venezuelan people. Behind every Venezuelan migrant, every family seeking refuge, there is a painful story that has the Maduro dictatorship as its victimizer, he said on Twitter.

This unparalleled crisis has brought thousands of Venezuelans to the US-Mexico border over the last few months. Cubans and Nicaraguans escaping similar leftist dictatorships have also been turning up in record numbers at the border.

Republican politicians and pundits love using the Venezuelan tragedy to score political points. They especially love talking on podiums and at rallies about how socialism destroyed what was once Latin Americas wealthiest nation. Yet once Venezuelan asylum seekers come to the US for refuge from that oppressive regime, theyre immediately dehumanized; no longer victims but illegals to be weaponized and rejected wholesale.

To Republicans, the situation in Venezuela is tragic enough to serve as a warning about leftist authoritarianism, but not tragic enough to accept these migrants looking for a better life under democracy.

In contexts where theyre facing off against political opponents, Republicans claim to care about the tragedy in Venezuela. In reality, to them, we Venezuelans are just more illegal immigrants coming to take their voters jobs and money. The actions of DeSantis and Abbott this week couldnt underline that more.
By M. Sriram

MUMBAI (Reuters) - New York-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC is in talks to invest around $150 million in Indian small-business lender Vistaar Finance, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, marking its latest bet in a booming lending market.

Warburg's discussions with Vistaar are for a 30% stake in the shadow lender, the two sources said. Deal talks are at an advanced stage and will value Vistaar at roughly $450 million, said one of the sources.

Businesses like Vistaar in India operate as non-banking financial services companies (NBFC), lending smaller amounts than traditional banks do and targeting mostly customers in towns and villages.

By March 2021, India's NBFC sector had assets worth more than 54 trillion rupees ($680 billion). Its growth in recent years has attracted investors including Sequoia Capital and KKR & Co.

Vistaar is already backed by India's Saama Capital and Westbridge Capital. It and Warburg declined to comment on Reuters queries.

India's Kotak Mahindra Capital is advising Vistaar on the talks for the private equity deal. The investment bank did not respond to a request for comment.

"NBFCs are one of the biggest sectors for PE funds and have a proven track record of performance," the first source added, explaining the rationale of Warburg's interest.

Founded in 2010, Vistaar provides small business loans to shops, mills, hotels and manufacturers. It operates 196 branches in 12 Indian states and has lent more than $300 million so far, according to its website.

It says it typically extends business loans of $1,200 to $60,000 for five to 10 years.

The first source also said that, apart from fresh shares being issued by Vistaar, Warburg may acquire shares held existing investors, though it was not yet clear which of them might exit.

For the fiscal year to March 2022, Vistaar recorded a net profit of $9.3 million, 14.5% more than a year before, according to credit rating firm ICRA. Its total income stood at $54 million in the period.

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Reuters reported last year that Warburg was in talks to raise $16 billion from investors for its latest flagship global private equity fund, its biggest ever.

Over the past two decades, Warburg has invested more than $5 billion in India.

Its recent investments have included startups and consumer brands such as earphones-maker boAt, beauty and makeup firm Good Glamm Group and ride-hailing app Ola. Warburg's NBFC bets in India include education-sector lender Avanse Financial Services and Fusion Microfinance.

(Reporting by M. Sriram; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Bradley Perrett)
Washington State Patrol is seeking the publics help in finding a suspect after a driver was shot at near Spanaway on Wednesday.

According to WSP, around 1:45 p.m., an orange Dodge Charger was stopped northbound on State Route 7 turning left onto Cross-Base Highway South.

The driver of a silver Audi pulled up to the Chargers passenger side and fired multiple shots. The driver of the Charger sped off and turned left onto Cross-Base Highway toward Spanaway Loop Road South.

The driver of the Audi followed and continued shooting at the Charger, hitting the passenger side twice. The Audi driver then continued westbound toward Spanaway Loop Road South.

No one was injured.

WSP said witnesses described the driver of the Audi as a white male with facial scars and dark hair. The front passenger in the Audi was described as a white female with red and yellow hair.

Witnesses did not know the exact model and license plate information, but told troopers that the license plate contained the letter Q.

Anyone with information that can help in finding the shooter and the car is asked to call Detective Travis Calton at 360-918-4032.

More news from KIRO 7

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A Massachusetts firefighter scaled a ladder to rescue a terrified feline that was stuck clinging to the top of a utility pole on Thursday.

Drew Garret of the Springfield Fire Department shared video of the rescue on Facebook.

The firefighter leading the rescue operation gently scooped the kitten off the very top of the pole as his colleagues watched from the ground.

Fire officials say the cat has since been reunited with its family.

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A Waterloo man on Thursday admitted in federal court to embezzling $339,844 from his former employer in St. Louis County.

Ronald Scott Miller, 54, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count of wire fraud and admitted using several schemes between March 27, 2014, and Sept. 29, 2020, to steal the money, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 28. The wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Richard Sindel, the defense attorney for Miller, said he hopes that during the sentencing phase that the judge looks at (Millers) entire life and not just a snapshot.

Miller was the warehouse and labor supervisor for a floor covering business known as S.F.C. in St. Louis County, according to an indictment.

Miller submitted false timesheets for himself, his partner and his son. His partner did not work for the company, but Miller submitted timesheets anyway, then collected the paycheck and forged his partners signature to deposit it in his own account, the news release stated.

Miller falsely inflated the hours worked by his son without his sons knowledge and did the same for himself by claiming he was working on installation projects when he was not, according to the prosecutors statement.

Miller also submitted fraudulent invoices in the name of two fake companies, claiming he had made purchases there, the release states.

While Miller pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, he had been indicted on four counts of the charge and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to court records.

The FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Coloradoan Conversations is the Coloradoan's opinion forum. Each Friday we'll pose conversation-starting questions online at Coloradoan.com/opinion and moderate online discussion through the following Wednesday, recapping the best discussion points online the following Friday and in Sunday's printed edition.

This week's Coloradoan Conversation:

Earlier this week, the town of Wellington's governing board voted to effectively ban future book bans at its public library. The move came weeks after resident Christine Gaiter, the wife of board Trustee Jon Gaiter, protested children's access to a list of books that she classified as "pornography" that should not be available to children without parental consent and offensive to her Christian beliefs.

Trustees voted 5-2 on a resolution that affirms the town library's mission and stipulates the board cannot "censor, suppress, remove, monitor or place age restrictions on ideas or information in our public library."

So, let's talk. In the face of other attempts to restrict access to or ban certain books from libraries across the country, should governing boards of other libraries affirm the right to access to all their materials? And whose responsibility is it to guide children to age-appropriate reading and media?

Read the story here:Wellington Board of Trustees takes action against book bans in the town's public library

Catch up:'Is this how we want to be known?' Wellington residents discuss possible book ban

Click on the "View Comments" box at the top or bottom of this story at Coloradoan.com/opinion to join the conversation. Print readers can participate online or by sending their thoughts to opinion@coloradoan.com.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Should Wellington's ban on book bans be a model for other libraries?
Amid renewed interest inThe Crown following Queen Elizabeth IIs death last week, fans are wondering about the monarchs hidden cousins in season four.

On Thursday (8 September), Buckingham Palace announced that Britains longest-serving ruler had died peacefully at Balmoral, aged 96.

Shortly after the queens death was announced,The Crown showrunners apparently decided that production on the shows sixth and supposedly final season had been suspended as a mark of respect for Elizabeth II.

However, the previously released seasons of the hit Netflix series  which follows the life of Elizabeth II from prior to her coronation  are currently experiencing a surge in popularity in several regions, including the UK, Argentina and Ukraine.

In particular, the fourth season ofThe Crown gives fans of the royal family a detailed look at some of the most significant moments in their public and private lives.

The latest series begins as the 1970s are drawing to a close and takes viewers through to 1990, a period during which the royal family were involved in a number of major scandals, including the illicit relationship between Prince Charles and Camilla.

However, the breakdown of the Prince of Wales marriage was not the most shocking incident the family had to deal with, as in 1987, it was discovered that Queen Elizabeth II had two hidden cousins: Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon.

But, who were they and why were they kept apart from the royal family? Here is everything you need to know.

Who were Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon?

Katherine, born in 1926, and Nerissa, born in 1919, were the daughters of John Herbert Bowes-Lyon  the brother of the Queen Mother  and his wife, Fenella.

The ties to the royal family mean they were first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Crown shares photos of Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon (Netflix/The Crown)

The sisters were born with severe learning difficulties and, following the death of their father in 1930, they were admitted to a mental health institution, the Royal Earlswood Hospital in Redhill, London, in 1941.

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Their cousins Idonea, Etheldreda and Rosemary  the daughters of Fenellas sister, Harriet  also had a similar disability, and were admitted to the state-funded hospital on the same day.

Katherine and Nerissa had been listed in the 1963 edition of Burke's Peerage  a reference book to the nations aristocracy  as having died in 1940, when in fact they were both still alive.

Nerissa Bowes-Lyons gravestone, 1987 (Rex Features)

The condition was thought to have been hereditary and descended from their common maternal grandfather, Charles Trefusis, 21st baron Clifton.

Nerissa died aged 66 in 1986 and was buried in a grave marked only with a name tag and serial number. Katherine stayed in the hospital until 1997, when it closed amid abuse claims, and then lived in another home in Surrey. She later died aged 87 in 2014.

How are they portrayed in The Crown?

Viewers are introduced to the sisters in episode seven of the fourth series.

The episode begins with images of the Queen arriving at the Royal Variety Performance being shown on a TV in a hospital, as Katherine and Nerissa stare at the screen, before standing for the national anthem.

The women, then in their sixties, proudly salute to the monarch, stopping only to take pills handed to them by a nurse.

The Royal Earlswood Hospital, Redhill, (Rex Features)

Their connection to the royal family comes to light in the episode when Princess Margaret, played by Helena Bonham Carter, learns of the sisters existence from a therapist, who asks the royal if she is aware of any relations struggling with mental health issues.

Upon hearing of their struggles, Margaret is later shown confronting the Queen Mother about her knowledge of the sisters.

Locked up and neglected. Theyre your nieces  daughters of your favourite brother, she says.

Its wicked and its cold-hearted and its cruel and its entirely in keeping with the ruthlessness which I myself have experienced in this family.

Why were they kept away from the royal family?

While many members of the royal family knew about Katherine and Nerissa, the majority believed they had died, including Queen Elizabeth II. However, it later transpired that their deaths had been falsified. But, why?

At the time, there were fears that the sisters condition could threaten the social standing of the royal family due the stigma surrounding learning difficulties.

In The Crown, the Queen Mother, played by Marion Bailey, tries to defend the decision to fake their deaths, telling Margaret that her brothers children paid a terrible price as she went from being the wife of the Duke of York to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Katherine Bowes-Lyon at the Royal Earlswood Hospital (Rex Features)

At the same time my family, the Bowes-Lyons, went from being minor Scottish aristocrats to having a direct bloodline to the crown, resulting in the children of my brother paying a terrible price, she says.

Their illness, their imbecility  their professionally diagnosed idiocy and imbecility  would make people question the integrity of the bloodline. Can you imagine the headlines if it were to get out?

The idea that one family alone has the automatic birth right to the crown is already so hard to justify, the gene pool of that family better have 100 per cent purity. There have been enough examples on the Windsor side alone to worry people if you add the Bowes-Lyon illnesses to that, the danger is it becomes untenable.

When did the public learn about Katherine and Nerissa?

The sisters story came to light in 1987, shortly after Nerissas death, when journalists discovered she was buried in a grave marked only by a plastic name tag and serial number.

The hospital confirmed that Katherin and Nerissa were linked to the royal family following a report that appeared in The Sun.

At the time, Buckingham palace said the Queen was aware of the report but added: We have no comment about it at all. It is a matter for the Bowes-Lyon family.

Lady Elizabeth Anson, a niece of the two sisters, also issued a statement to the BBC on behalf of the Bowes-Lyon family saying that there was no attempt at a cover-up and that many family members had visited the sisters.

The story reared its head again in 2011 when a Channel 4 documentary, titled The Queens Hidden Cousins, was made about the five Bowes-Lyon girls. The program meant a new generation of people were outraged by the scandal, as the documentary suggested the cousins had been treated callously by the royal family.

After the documentary aired, a source close to Buckingham Palace branded the claims as utter lies.

The Queen is very, very upset at the thought that this programme is being made which is just not true, the source said. Both Katherine and Nerissa were visited very regularly by their family but neither could speak, and throughout their lives had the thinking age of four years old.

Did the royal family ever visit the sisters?

The Channel 4 documentary claimed that Katherine and Nerissa had very few companions, and there is no evidence to suggest any of the royals ever visited.

Speaking in the program, Dot Penfold, a former ward sister at the hospital where the sisters stayed, spoke of her sadness that they were not visited for years.

The impression I had was that theyd been forgotten, she recalled.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Jim Justice. Scott Halleran/Getty Images

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) on Friday signed into law a bill banning almost all abortions save for instances of rape, incest, or medical necessity, CNN reports.

The ban, approved by the West Virginia Legislature earlier this week, will take effect immediately, with criminal penalties to begin in 90 days, CNN notes.

"I've done exactly what I said I would do  I've signed it," Justice said of the legislation at a news conference Friday morning. He noted that he is "proud that I signed it and I believe wholeheartedly that it does one thing that is absolutely so important  it does protect life."

HB 302 does not define "miscarriages, stillbirths, in vitro fertilization, and medical treatment that results in accidental or unintentional death of a fetus" as abortions, CNN summarizes. It makes exceptions for rape and incest up to eight weeks of pregnancy for adults and 14 weeks of pregnancy for minors, so long as law enforcement is notified 48 hours prior to the procedure. It also permits abortions in the event of a nonviable fetus or embryo, a medical emergency, or an ectopic pregnancy. The law requires that abortions be performed by a physician at a hospital, and threatens those who perform the procedure illegally with up to 10 years in prison, adds The Associated Press.

West Virginia is now the second state to enact a law prohibiting abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) in June.

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that Republican governors have treated migrants sent to blue states "like chattel," an escalation of rhetoric from President Biden's spokesperson.

Jean-Pierre made the statement Friday during a press briefing at the White House, slamming the transport of illegal migrants from Texas, Florida and, Arizona to liberal states as a "political stunt" meant only to cause "chaos and division."

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SEC CALLS REPUBLICAN GOVS SENDING MIGRANTS TO BLUE STATES ILLEGAL STUNT

"While we've been focused on the things that matter to the American people, Republicans have spent this week sowing chaos and division, engaging in cruel political theater and working to roll back rights and benefits that Americans have enjoyed for generations," she said.

Jean-Pierre said of Republican governors, "They used them as political pawns  treated them like chattel in a cruel, premeditated political stunt."

The latest convoy of buses to Washington DC arrived just hours after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his similar promise to drop off illegal immigrants in progressive states, sending two planes full of migrants to Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday.

Those migrants on Friday were bused to Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, arriving at the base escorted by two police motorcycles and a police SUV.

MEDIA ATTACK RON DESANTIS CRUEL AND XENOPHOBIC MIGRANT FLIGHTS, CALL FOR INVESTIGATION

A handful of migrants are seen outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church Thursday on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The press secretary continued, "Why else would Gov. Desantis have spent the time to charter a flight to take migrants out of a different state  not even his state, a different state  and hire a videographer to capture footage of that flight, but not bother to let Massachusetts authorities know migrant children in need of food and shelter were about to land on their doorstep."

"These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo-op?" Jean-Pierre said.

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Fox News Digital reported in April that Floridas budget since approved by the state legislature included $12 million for the Florida Department of Transportation to remove illegal immigrants from the state and relocate them.

"It is not the responsibility of Floridians to subsidize aliens to reside in our state unlawfully; we did not consent to Bidens open-borders agenda," the governors office said at the time.

In November, DeSantis said dozens of migrant flights landed in Florida at the behest of the Biden administration, and he threatened at that time to send them to Delaware on buses.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles while receiving Ignazio Cassis, the president of Switzerland, and his wife, Paola Cassis, during an audience at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on April 28, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britains longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, has died. She was 96. (Dominic Lipinski/Getty-AFP)

LONDON  A surging tide of people  ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham  have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament. The government also warned that overnight temperatures will be cold.

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The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening. A babys cry was the only sound.

Those who came often bowed before the coffin or made a sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals shining in the spotlights, offered sharp salutes. Some people wept. Many hugged one another as they stepped away, proud to have spent hours in line to offer a tribute, even if it lasted only a few moments.

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Beckham was spotted in the line of mourners near Britains Houses of Parliament at lunchtime Friday. Hes believed to have joined the queue at 2 a.m. and to have lined up for more than 10 hours. Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly to the coffin before moving out of Westminster Hall.

We have been lucky as a nation to have had someone who has led us the way her majesty has led us, for the amount of time, with kindness, with caring and always reassurance, Beckham said. I think thats the one thing that we all felt safe and we will continue that with the royal family. But I think her majesty was someone special and will be missed, not just by everyone in our country but everyone around the world.

Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, lying in state on the catafalque, in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, in London, Sept. 16, 2022, ahead of her funeral on Monday. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Helena Larsen, 76, arrived just too late at the park to get into the line.

We have literally got here and they have shut it in front of us, she said, adding that she would likely hang around until the gates were reopened.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said viewing the queens coffin lying in state was an unforgettable experience.

Youre in Westminster Hall in her presence, with a crown on top of her coffin, and its incredibly emotional, he told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Chinese officials reportedly was barred from visiting the historic hall in the Houses of Parliament where the late queens coffin is lying, as geopolitics cast a shadow over the solemn pageantry.

The Chinese ambassador to the U.K. has been banned from Parliament for a year after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year for speaking out against Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority in the far-west Xinjiang region.

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The offices of Prime Minister Liz Truss and of House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle declined to comment Friday on a report by news outlet Politico saying the Chinese delegation would not be allowed into Westminster Hall.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not seen the Politico report but that as host of the queens funeral, the U.K. government should follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests.

A Chinese delegation is expected to attend the queens Monday funeral, which is in Westminster Abbey and not Parliament. Organizers of the funeral have not published a guest list.

After a day out of the public eye, King Charles III flew to Wales on Friday on the final leg of his tour of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.

Charles, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a prayer service in honor of his late mother. After it, he and Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted crowds of wellwishers, including flag-waving schoolchildren, as people chanted God save the king!

A small group protested his visit, with one person holding up a banner saying: King? No thanks.

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The king later traveled to the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, to receive condolences from legislators. He told them that Wales could not have been closer to my mothers heart.

Charles said he felt immense gratitude for the privilege of serving for decades as Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the heir to the throne. His eldest son Prince William now has that title.

Charles returned to London to stand vigil at his mothers coffin in the evening with his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Before the vigil, Edward said the royal family had been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect (for) our dear mama.

On Saturday, all eight of Queen Elizabeth IIs grandchildren are expected to stand vigil beside her coffin.

Charles sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will attend along with Princess Annes children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and the two children of Prince Edward  Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

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William, who after his grandmothers death is now the heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, will be in uniform.

Most senior royals hold honorary military roles and have worn uniforms to commemorate the queen. Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a British army officer, wore civilian clothes during the procession of the queens coffin from Buckingham Palace because he is no longer a working member of the royal family. He and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.

The king, however, has requested that both William and Harry wear their military uniforms at the Westminster Hall vigil.

London police said the queens state funeral on Monday will be the largest single policing event the force has ever handled, surpassing even the 2012 Summer Olympics and the queens Platinum Jubilee in June celebrating her 70 years on the throne.

The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense, said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundyhe.

Renata Brio and Jeffrey Schaeffer in London contributed.
Frequent shuffling is an expected part of life for active duty servicemembers and their families.

Breanna Bragg and Rachel Vidot both moved thousands of miles away from their last homes to Fort Belvoir in Virginia around two years ago.

Bragg and her family moved from California most recently; Vidot and her family came from Nevada.

They are both familiar with relocation due to station changes, but they say they are now displaced for a reason they never expected to encounter on base: mold and infestation in their homes.

Bragg, whose husband is in the Army, is a mother of two kids, ages seven and one.

Vidot, whose husband is in the Air Force, is a mother of five children, ages nine and under.

It started off with a leak, said Bragg. Sewage came down from my ceiling.

Bragg said the problem only got worse from there.

That then turned into me finding mold in the house underneath multiple layers of laminate, said Bragg.

Bragg said an independent inspector even found a disturbing discovery inside the walls.

She found dead animals in my wall bits and cavities, said Bragg. The animals rotted and all the insects that were on the animals came into the house.

For Vidot, mold has been her main concern.

Its literally inside of our HVAC system, so we were breathing this in for only God knows how long, said Vidot. My children have been breathing this in.

Like many military families, they rely on the Basic Housing Allowance (BAH) provided by the military, and they cant afford to move off base.

Its very hard, said Vidot. Its such a hard pill to swallow because its so expensive everywhere we go that we have no choice but to live on base.

Both women and their families are now in temporary housing.

They offered us a house at day 45, said Bragg about getting temporary housing after flagging the problems.

Vidot said mold was even recently discovered in her temporary home as well and showed us a lab report that said fungal spores are found everywhere.

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Both women said they also havent gotten answers about wanting to replace the furniture and other belongings left behind in their original homes that may have been impacted by the mold.

Why is it acceptable for us to live in these situations when my husband has deployed seven times? said Vidot. Hes just given his entire life to the military.

Even though the families live on the military base, their homes are not managed by the military.

The housing is managed by a private company called the Michaels Organization, which has a contract with the military.

Other Fort Belvoir residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Michaels Management Services, LLC. about similar housing complaints including water intrusion, mold, and pest infestation.

The intent behind the privatization of military housing is simple: to provide military families the same quality of life in housing as the civilians they defend, according to the complaint. Unfortunately, as Plaintiffs and their families have learned, the Defendants -- private for-profit companies that own and manage military housing at Fort Belvoir in suburban Washington, D.C.  care more about their profit margins than the servicemembers and families whom they house.

Bragg and Vidot are not listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit but said they are working with the attorney representing the families involved in the case.

The Michaels Organization declined our request for an on-camera interview.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Michaels Organization said: Fort Belvoir Residential Communities provides high quality housing to service members and their families and has implemented and is committed to the Tenant Bill of Rights, which are prominently featured on our community website and provided to each resident upon move-in. In addition, Fort Belvoir Residential Communities and our local management team work diligently to promptly resolve any issues that arise with residents individual homes. This includes, when necessary, providing temporary housing for residents whose homes may be under repair. We have established procedures and protocols in place that include independent and government inspections and oversight to ensure necessary repairs are completed successfully.

Our Washington News Bureau obtained information from Army officials at the Pentagon that painted a different picture.

According to Army spokesperson Elizabeth Chamberlain, a recently released 2022 housing tenant satisfaction survey gave their housing an overall score of 68.8, which is below average.

The Army requires installations with scores below 70 on the tenant satisfaction survey to submit detailed corrective action plans within 30 days of release of survey results, said Chamberlain. Currently, the Army has requested from MMH a specific plan to address the conditions that lead to the below average overall score at Fort Belvoir.

The survey showed the scores were even lower for some individual categories.

Tenants gave the housing 61.9 for responsiveness and follow through, and 67.9 for property satisfaction.

Some categories were scored higher, with quality of leasing services receiving a score of 77.2, and readiness to solve problems getting a score of 71.1.

According to U.S. Army Public Affairs, the results were released on September 1, meaning the corrective action plan would need to be submitted by the end of the month.

A spokesperson for the Michaels Organization confirmed it is working on the corrective action plan saying: Michaels welcomes the opportunity to receive feedback in order to continuously improve the resident experience. Any survey, or means of communication with our residents, allows us to utilize the feedback received to do just that. The CEL survey opportunity in particular asks for an action plan to be submitted and we will comply with those established guidelines.

We asked the Army about what it takes for the military to terminate a contract with a housing company.

Chamberlain acknowledged that the Army is aware of problems that need to be addressed at Fort Belvoir but said there has been no reason shown to terminate the contract at this time.

The Army has the authority to terminate any privatized housing projects property management service provider that fails to provide safe and habitable housing and fails to cure deficiencies to the Armys satisfaction, said Chamberlain. We recognize that there are housing issues that must be resolved at Fort Belvoir and we have notified Michaels accordingly. Provided Michaels continues to demonstrate substantial progress in resolving those issues, the Army will not have any reason to terminate MMH as the Property Manager for Fort Belvoir Residential Communities.

As for the residents, a spokesperson for the Fort Belvoir Public Affairs Office said residents have a 24-hour hotline to report issues and there is a housing advocate to assist them.

In a statement, a spokesperson for USAG Fort Belvoir Public Affairs Office said: We are deeply troubled by recent reports highlighting the conditions in some of our family housing on Fort Belvoir. The Garrisons number one priority and obligation is to take care of our service members and their families. We are fully committed to working with all the parties involved and are in constant contact with the privatized housing provider to ensure they are meeting their obligations to provide safe, quality family housing for those who make Fort Belvoir their home.

Both U.S. Senators from Virginia said they are now working to help the families at Fort Belvoir.

We have heard from families at Ft. Belvoir and are actively working with them and the Michaels Organization to come to a solution that effectively provides for our servicemembers, who have already sacrificed so much in service to our country, said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in a joint statement to our Washington News Bureau. As always, it is our priority to ensure that military families are treated fairly and provided with housing that is safe and suitable, and that any issues are resolved in a timely and appropriate manner, in accordance with Congressional reforms.

The problems reported at Fort Belvoir are not unique.

Members of Congress have been investigating concerns with privatized military housing across the country for several years and have held Congressional hearings about the issue.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a bipartisan report exposing on-going mistreatment of military families living in privatized housing.

It focused a lot on problems reported at Fort Gordon in Georgia which is run by Balfour Beatty Communities, another private company.

I heard stories about maintenance requests that were ignored, said Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) during an April 2022 Senate hearing. Neglect, misconduct and abuse that persisted even after Balfour Beatty plead guilty to a scheme to defraud the United States between 2013 and 2019.

When stationed in U.S. military installations, these men and women should expect to live in conditions that will not damage the health and safety of themselves and their families, said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) during that hearing.

In response to the April Senate report, a spokesperson for Balfour Beatty said: We are disappointed that the PSIs report does not accurately reflect the companys level of commitment to its military residents and their families or acknowledge the significant steps that have been taken to address the small number of complaints that were discussed. The report, which was released before the hearing, includes multiple inaccuracies and mischaracterizations, which the company tried to correct before it was issued and will address again following the hearing. While we continually seek to improve, as an operator of 43,000 residences we are inevitably going to have to deal with challenges. The company remains focused on the safety, health and wellbeing of its residents and on providing quality homes supported by prompt and effective customer service and maintenance support.

But despite military families sounding the alarm to Congress, the military, and the housing companies, Bragg and Vidot argue there still isnt enough oversight of these private companies or enough accountability.

Theres no one really willing right now to make them do the right thing, said Bragg.

Home is supposed to be a safe place, said Vidot. Why arent we safe? Why arent we being taken care of?

They are questions both families say they are still waiting to have answered.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II scheduled to be held in central Londons Westminster Abbey on Monday is set to see dignitaries from across the world travel to the UK this weekend.

Among them, Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who shared a royal friendship with the Queen, is reported to be the most significant foreign guest to be reaching the UK.

The British royal family and our imperial family enjoy a long and close relationship, one that stretches back three generations from the current emperor, to the emperor emeritus (former Emperor Akihito), to Emperor Showa, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said, confirming the imperial couples attendance at the funeral.

The Emperor and Empress will depart on Saturday and return Tuesday, said the chief cabinet secretary.

Naruhito, the Japan royal familys monarch and Emperor, will be taking his first trip abroad by visiting London and paying his tributes to the Queen after being crowned Emperor in 2019 .

According to traditions in the countrys Shinto religion, a Japanese emperor is not supposed to attend a funeral due to a cultural belief which considers death as impure.

But the Japanese king will be visiting London in honour of the close ties his royal family has shared with the British monarchy for three generations.

The Queen had made her first visit to Japan in May 1975, which also happened to be the first visit by any British monarch, along with husband Prince Philip.

During the visit, she met the then Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Naruhitos grandfather who is posthumously known as Emperor Showa.

Imperial emperor Showa had stayed at Buckingham Palace in London four years prior to the Queens visit, in 1971.

Emperor Naruhito had also met the Queen several times during her state visits and had stayed at Scotlands Balmoral Castle as prince while studying at Oxford in the 1980s.

The visits between the British royal family and the Japanese imperial family paused with the onset of Covid pandemic. The imperial couple were invited to visit the UK in 2019 but that trip was postponed.

According to officials, Japan reportedly received two invitations for the funeral but there are currently no plans for government officials, including Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, to attend.

Around 500 heads of state and dignitaries from across the world are reaching central London over the weekend, marking one of the biggest gatherings of royalty and politicians in the country in decades, for the state funeral.
A Silverdale woman accused in April of taking her three children out of state in violation of a court order, leading authorities on a nationwide hunt, was sentenced Friday to eight months in jail and was prohibited from contacting her children for five years.

Dina Patricia Burns, 42, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree custodial interference, felonies.

Burns was required to bring the children back to her ex-husband on April 25 but failed to do so. After the Kitsap County Sheriffs Office publicized the case and the FBI got involved, Burns and the children were found nine days later, on May 4, aboard a Greyhound bus in Connecticut. The childrens father told law enforcement that Burns had asked for their passports.

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I didnt know where they were, I didnt know if they were dead, the childrens father told Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Sally Olsen.

If not for local and federal law enforcement, he said, I don't think I would ever see them again. And no parent should go through something like that.

Burns, originally from Ecuador and using a Spanish interpreter, did not speak at her sentencing except to thank Judge Olsen.

The case came after a contentious divorce and child custody case, in which Judge Olsen turned over primary custody of the three young children to Burns ex husband, which Olsen said Friday she knew upset Burns.

But the court found, and I continue to believe, especially in light of the criminal conduct, she has a long-term emotional  problem that gets in the way of her ability to parent, Olsen said, calling the case tragic.

She desperately, desperately needs mental health treatment, Olsen said, adding to the childrens father: Its a good thing you didnt give her those passports, we may not have seen those kids again.

Deputy Prosecutor Anna Aruiza said whether Burns actions were malicious or delusional, she sentenced her children to a lifetime of trust issues.

Mothers are more than wombs, Aruiza said. They have a responsibility to lead by example, to look after their own health, including mental health, so they can meet the needs of their children.

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Burns had faced second-degree kidnapping charges, which prosecutors walked back, but her attorney, former Bremerton City Prosecutor Gina Buskirk, said the plea agreement did not come with a bargain for a less serious offense in lieu of the kidnapping charges.

Buskirk said the Legislature did not intend for the crime of kidnapping to be used to prosecute Burns conduct.

Further, Buskirk said Burns had not been represented by an attorney for the civil trial that preceded the criminal case and if she had, I think probably that could have made a difference in how things were handled.

Hiring an attorney for divorces and child custody is often left to litigants, and the cost is out of reach for many people who need representation.

Shes felt let down by the system, right or wrong, as a mother, that is her feeling, Buskirk said.

Buskirk said Burns was not trying to leave the country with the children but was only trying to spend time with them.

Though Olsen ordered Burns to have no contact with her children for five years, she said that order could be modified as part of an ongoing custody case.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Silverdale woman who went missing with her three kids gets 8 months
Workers at an environmental lab in Connecticut reported feeling dizzy and unsteady before learning they were exposed to a hazardous chemical, federal officials said.

Now the company must pay roughly $900,000 in fines.

The Phoenix Environmental Laboratories is accused of exposing workers to methylene chloride  a highly hazardous chemical and a workplace carcinogen  at a lab in Manchester, the U.S. Department of Labor said in a Sept. 16 news release.

The company tests soils, water, sludge, solids and air. It did not immediately respond to McClatchy News request for comment as of Friday, Sept. 16.

Workers filed complaints to management for several months that they felt dizzy, light-headed and unsteady while walking, according to the news release, in addition to faulty ventilation systems.

But the company didnt take the effective measures to fix the dangerous work conditions, federal officials said.

Recurring leaks from equipment, poor ventilation and the use of methylene chloride in analyzing environmental samples exposed employees to the chemical, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 17 violations, costing $907,253 in penalties.

A federal investigation by OSHA found the Phoenix Environmental Laboratories failed to ensure workers werent overexposed to methylene chloride, and the lab did not perform initial exposure monitoring.

Investigators also discovered the company failed to provide adequate ventilation for employees working around the chemical, and it didnt have procedures in place to detect, contain or dispose of the leaking chemical, officials said.

Additionally, the company is accused of not providing employees with adequate skin, eye and face protection from the chemical or other solvents, the release says.

And more hazards were discovered in the lab, including exposure to flammable vapors, improper storage, unsafe handling and transfer of flammable chemicals, lack of suitable quick-drenching eye facilities where corrosives were used and several electrical violations.

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The company has 15 days to comply, request an informal conference or contest OSHAs findings before a health review commission.

Phoenix Environmental Laboratories knew of its employees exposure to a highly hazardous and carcinogenic chemical, yet chose to ignore their complaints and failed to take effective corrective action, said OSHA Area Director Dale Varney in Hartford, Connecticut.

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A construction site in Singapore on 29 April, 2021. (Reuters file photo)

SINGAPORE  A higher rate of workplace fatalities was reported in the first half of this year, even as the total number of workplace injuries decreased, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a report on Friday (16 September).

With 28 workplace fatalities reported in the period, the six-month fatality rate per 100,000 workers rose to 0.8 from 0.4 and 0.7 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively.

The top causes of fatalities in the first half of this year were falls from height and vehicular-related incidents, which made up half of the 28 fatalities, according to MOM's latest report on workplace safety and health.

"MOM is concerned with the high rate of fatality," MOM said, adding that it had introduced new and targeted measures, as well as called for a six-month period of heightened safety from 1 September to 28 February next year.

"Should this trend continue, the annualised fatal injury rate for 2022 is expected to be at 1.6 per 100,000 workers, higher than 1.1 for both 2021 and 2019 (pre-COVID)," it noted.

At 28, the number of workplace fatalities over the period was also higher than 14 and 23 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively.

The number of reported dangerous occurrences  incidents which may or may not result in injuries but have the potential to cause serious injury and death  also rose to 13 in the first half of this year, the highest in the past three years. Nine were from collapse or failure of structures and equipment, while the remaining four were from fires and explosions.

The leading occupational disease was work-related musculoskeletal disorders at 163 cases, including back injury cases due to ergonomic risks, followed by noise-induced deafness at 138 cases.

Construction industry remains most deadly

The construction industry accounted for the highest number of fatalities at 10 deaths, and a fatality rate of 2.3 per 100,000 workers in the first half of the year.

It was also the biggest contributor of major injuries, with 84 cases and an injury rate of 19.1 per 100,000 workers over the period.

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The four traditionally higher-risk sectors and industries  construction, transportation & storage, manufacturing & marine  all saw more fatal injuries in the first half of the year, compared with the preceding six months.

Collectively, they contributed to 82 per cent of all fatal injuries in the first half of the year, said MOM.

Vehicular-related fatal accidents  one of the top two causes of workplace fatalities  have been rising over the last one and a half years, MOM noted, calling it a "worrying trend".

As such, the recent mandatory safety time-out from 1 to 15 September targeted companies in high-risk industries with a higher number of fatalities as well as companies in other industries that use heavy or industrial vehicles.

They were required to review their safety procedures, or face debarment from employing new foreign employees for one month if they were found to be non-compliant.

Decline in reported major, minor injuries

Overall, the total number of reported workplace injuries  including fatalities, major and minor injuries  in the first half of this year dropped to 10,429, falling 4.5 per cent from 10,915 and 7.5 per cent from 11,271 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively. This was due to a decline in the number of major and minor injuries, said MOM.

The major injury rate per 100,000 workers for the first half of this year fell to 8.7, from 8.9 and 9.6 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively.

This is lower compared with pre-COVID levels, said MOM, noting that there were 297 major injuries in the first half of this year, compared with 294 and 316 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively.

"However, major injuries are still a concern as they reflect persistent safety lapses at workplaces," said MOM.

There were fewer minor injuries in the first half of the year at 10,104, compared with 10,607 and 10,932, in the second half and first half of last year, respectively. The six-month injury rate per 100,000 workers dropped to 296 in the first half of the year, lower than 322 and 331 in the second half and first half of last year, respectively.

Slips, trips and falls remained the leading cause of both major and minor injuries, accounting for 95 of the 297 major injuries and 2,887 of 10,104 minor injuries.

Stop-work orders

From January to mid-September, MOM said it issued 63 stop-work orders to worksites in the construction industry with unsafe conditions and practices that posed imminent danger to workers.

They included a full stop-work order imposed on Wah Khiaw Developments on 11 August, where multiple unsafe practices were found, including workers observed to be working at heights without barricades or fall arrest systems, unsafe formworks and unsafe means of access.

In addition, the company was issued fines amounting to $15,000 for breaches found.

A full stop-work order was also issued to construction company KG Plasterceil on 6 September for multiple unsafe scaffolds and unsafe work at heights at the worksite.

"MOM calls on all stakeholders, from top management to supervisors, to workers and members of the public, to do their utmost to prevent further deaths and injuries, and build safer workplaces," MOM said.

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World War II was the deadliest international conflict in world history, leaving almost 80 million people dead. Although the devastating impact of World War I tended to stick to the battlefield, fighting and bombings in World War II destroyed countries and economies across Europe.

Total cost of the destruction is estimated at over $1 trillion, causing many European nations to struggle in their recovery efforts following the conflict. World War II came after the rise in power of the Nazis in Germany under Adolf Hitler and included the deliberate murder of millions of Jewish people in the Holocaust.

But when exactly was World War II, and what caused the conflict that decimated Europe? Here's a short history lesson.

What is NATO?And why is Ukraine not in it?

Who has the most nuclear weapons?And can the US stop a nuclear attack?

When was World World II?

World War II took place from 1939 to 1945 between the Axis powers  Germany, Italy and Japan  and the Allies  mainly France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States.

Americans go ashore during the invasion of France on June 6. 1944. Waves and waves of men swept Normandy shore.

In many ways, the war was a continuation of World War I, or the Great War, which had taken place 20 years earlier from 1914 to 1918, according to History.com.

Just curious: We're answering your everyday questions

What started World War II?

World War I devastated Europe, leaving the continent destabilized and millions dead. This instability and the rise in power of Adolf Hitler, in an economically and politically unstable Germany, led to the start of another war in Europe.

When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, there was already widespread resentment among the German people over the harsh terms imposed on their country in the Versailles Treaty which had ended the Great War. After rising to power, Hitler quickly consolidated power in the German government and changed his title to Fuhrer, which translates to "supreme leader."

Hitler believed there was a superiority among the Germans, leading him to become obsessed with creating a supposedly superior Aryan race. To do this, he believed Germany needed to grow in order to give the German people the chance to expand. Hitler began to secretly rearm Germany, a violation of the Versailles Treaty.

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From there, he became more bold, signing a treaty with Japan and Italy against the Soviet Union and occupying Austria in 1938. The following year, Hitler annexed Czechoslovakia, according to History.com.

Despite his increased aggression, his actions went mostly unchecked as France and Britain were not interested in another conflict, and the Soviet Union and the United States dealt with their own internal issues.

France and Britain would be driven to declare war on Hitler, however, once he invaded Poland.

When did Hitler invade Poland?

Hitler invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 as German forces bombarded the country by land and air. The invasion of Poland by Germany would become known as the blitzkrieg strategy, characterized by a bombardment to destroy communication lines, railroads and air capacity followed by an overwhelming land invasion.

Prior to the invasion of Poland, Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. The pact allowed the Soviet Union to feel it would not face German aggression and have time to build up its army, while for Hitler it meant he could invade Poland without opposition.

A secret agreement in the pact, however, outlined details about how Germany and the Soviets planned to divide Eastern Europe. The pact, however, fell apart in June 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, according to History.com.

On Sept. 3, 1939, two days following Hitlers invasion of Poland, France and Britain declared war on Germany. With this, War War II had officially begun.

How did World War II end?

A series of victories for the Allied powers between 1943 and 1945 led to the end of World War II, anchored most notably by D-Day. On June 6, 1944, the Allies began an invasion, landing with 156,000 American, Canadian and British soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, France.

In response to the invasion, Hitler moved the remainder of his troops to Western Europe, solidifying his loss in the East.

The Battle of the Bulge, which was Hitlers attempt to divide American, French and British forces in their move toward Germany from December 1944 to January 1945, was the last main German offensive of the war.

The Allied land invasion of Germany and extensive bombardment of the country led to Germanys surrender on May 8. Prior to the surrender, Hitler died by suicide on April 30.

Two months after the surrender of Germany, Allied leaders met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss peace settlements. Although fighting in Europe had ended, the conflict continued in the Pacific. On July 26, 1945, the U.S., China and Britain called for Japan's unconditional surrender.

Fears of a casualty heavy land invasion of Japan led President Harry Truman to order atomic bombs be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9. The devastating impact of the bombs led the Japanese government to declare it would accept the Potsdam Declaration on August 15.

The official end to the war came Sept. 2, 1945 when U.S. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan's surrender.

Winston Churchill, left, Harry S. Truman and Josef Stalin, right shake hands in front of Churchill's residence in Potsdam, Germany on July 23, 1945.

How many people died in World War 2?

An estimated 60 to 80 million people died in World War II. Around 55 million civilians were killed during the conflict with the war leading to between 21 and 25 million military deaths. Additionally, 6 million Jewish people were murdered in Nazi concentration camps. Aside from the mass casualties, millions were left wounded and with their homes and property destroyed.

World War II: Poland seeks $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany on anniversary of Nazi invasion

How many people died in the Holocaust?

The Holocaust was the deliberate persecution and murdering of Jewish people as well as the murdering of individuals with disabilities, those who were gay and members of other small ethnic groups. According to the National World War II Museum, that total is at least 11 million people.

Jewish people and other groups were targeted because the Nazis and Hitler did not feel they fell under what they believed was the supposed superior Aryan race of the German people.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When was World War 2? How did it start? A short history.
(Bloomberg) -- President Xi Jinping has taken a cautious approach to relaxing his virus prevention measures in Central Asia this week, as the Chinese leader navigates returning to a world thats living with the virus after spending nearly 1,000 days at home.

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Xi dispensed with a mask when meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and taking photos with leaders such as Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa on Thursday.

Still, he skipped a dinner with mask-free leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, wore his facial covering when meeting his counterparts from nations including Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and missed a group outing to a tourist site in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Its unclear what virus testing protocols -- if any -- the Chinese side stipulated for appearing mask-free alongside Xi. The leader of Belarus, who has visited infectious disease wards without a facial covering, was pictured wearing a mask with a Chinese flag, suggesting the Beijing delegation had provided it.

Xis trip to Central Asia trip this week marks his first time abroad since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, ending the longest stretch at home of a Group of 20 leader. His calibrated mode of operation offers a glimpse into how Xi could balance attending more international events while upholding his nations strict Covid Zero policy.

Putin Acknowledges Xis Concerns on Ukraine, Showing Tension

The Chinese leader is planning to travel to the G-20 summit in Bali in November, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told Bloomberg last month. That event is followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Bangkok. The Chinese government hasnt confirmed Xis attendance at either, and is guarded about his travel plans.

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While China is still locking down cities over a handful of Covid cases, and testing millions of people en masse, the rest of the world has decided to live with the virus, reopening borders and dropping mask mandates. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that the pandemics end was now in sight.

Still, Xis conduct in Uzbekistan contrasted with his appearance in Hong Kong earlier this year, where the Chinese leader was masked in pictures with city lawmakers. Hong Kong required some 1,000 people, including the citys former leader, Carrie Lam, to isolate before attending a ceremony with Xi to mark 25 years of Chinese rule in the former British colony.

Xi didnt stay overnight in Hong Kong, instead crossing the border into the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen during his two-day visit.

Chinas Covid Zero Could Last for Years Because It Works For Xi

The Chinese leader dropped out of the public eye for 10 days after that trip, the biggest gap in his schedule this year, according to a government database detailing his whereabouts -- at least giving the impression Xi had followed his countrys travel rules.

Under Chinas strict zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19, people entering the worlds No. 2 economy from abroad are required to spend seven days at a quarantine hotel plus another three isolated at home. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing avoided a question Tuesday on whether Xi would quarantine after his Central Asia swing, which also included a stop in Kazakhstan earlier this week.

Global investors have been closely watching for any signs of change to Beijings Covid Zero strategy, as its costs to the economy mount. Economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in a report Tuesday that they didnt expect Beijing to change tack on virus policy until after the nations annual legislative meeting in March. Other experts have said Covid Zero could be kept in place for years.

Trey McArver, co-founder of research firm Trivium China, said Xis public activities after he returns to Beijing from Central Asia may offer some clues about the strategy.

The question is, What will Xi do when he gets back? said McArver. Whatever he does is going to send a signal about how hes approaching Covid and, by extension, how the thinking on Covid more broadly is evolving in Beijing.

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Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University, an Orthodox Jewish school in New York City, is suspending all undergraduate club activities at least temporarily to avoid recognizing an LGBTQ+ organization.

The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday declined to block a lower courts order for the university to recognize the Pride Alliance. The high courts decision came on procedural grounds, not the larger question of religious practice versus LGBTQ+ rights, as the justices said in a 5-4 decision that the university had not exhausted all its options in New York State courts.

But the university has sent an email to students saying it will hold off on all undergraduate club activities during the upcoming chagim [Hebrew for holidays] while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the US Supreme Court to protect YUs religious freedom. Various people have shared the email on Twitter. Actually, despite the comments by tweeters, the move is not unprecedented  high schools and colleges around the country have taken similar steps before.

The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief and we will follow their instructions, Yeshivas president, Rabbi Ari Berman, said in a Thursday statement, according to The Times of Israel.

The case hinges on whether the university is a secular institution, bound by New York State human rights laws, or a religious institution with beliefs protected by the First Amendment, the Times notes.

Students had sued the school for discrimination over its failure to recognize the Pride Alliance. New York Judge Lynn Kotler ruled in June that the university is an educational institution, not a strictly religious one, so it has to obey the city and state laws. It grants secular degrees as well as religious ones, she said. The university has argued it is a religious institution. Orthodox Judaism, unlike Conservative and Reform Judaism, does not approve of same-sex relationships.

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Four right-wing Supreme Court justices  Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett  dissented from the decision not to intervene in the case yet. I see no reason why we should not grant a stay at this time, Alito wrote.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to the free exercise of religion, and if that provision means anything, it prohibits a State from enforcing its own preferred interpretation of the Holy Scripture. ... The upshot is that Yeshiva is almost certain to be compelled for at least some period of time (and perhaps for a lengthy spell) to instruct its students in accordance with what it regards as an incorrect interpretation of Torah and Jewish law, Alito continued.

The dissenting justices said Yeshiva is likely to win if its case comes before the Supreme Court. The court has a 6-3 majority of conservatives, including three justices appointed by Donald Trump, and has generally been sympathetic to claims involving religious practice.

A lawyer for the students expressed optimism they will win in the end, however. We are confident that we will continue to overcome the administrations aggressive litigation strategies against its own LGBTQ+ students, Katie Rosenfeld told the Times. At the end of the day, Yeshiva University students will have a club for peer support this year, and the sky is not going to fall down. No longer will students be denied a safe and supportive space on campus to be together.
Thousands of New York City high school students will soon be able to test drive business careers while still in school under a plan from a group of Wall Street firms and the citys Department of Education.

The plan to expand the citys Modern Apprentice program  from about 500 students to 4,500 in five years  was launched this week with the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and the information technology firm Accenture.

Apprentices would make $15 to $25 an hour for part time work over the three years of the program.

(This) is about getting our students out to the professional world to explore their interests and invest in themselves, their futures, their families, and ultimately in their communities, said New York City Chancellor David Banks.

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New York joins a growing national movement to add more internships and apprenticeships for young people, both to help their job training and fill open positions as Baby Boomers retire and people shift careers after the Covid pandemic. The number of youth apprenticeships nationwide more than doubled between 2010 and 2020, before taking a dip during the pandemic. There is now a national push to recover and expand them further.

Apprenticeships also offer an alternative pathway to middle class careers without forcing students to go to college and take on loan debt.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who will more than double the apprentices at his company from 21 to 50 next year, said it is critical for companies and the city to give students a head start on meaningful careers.

We need to do this, said Dimon. Thiscreates opportunity. And maybe among all these folks theres an Albert Einstein and Barack Obama.. were gonna miss it if we dont do it. So its critical.

The New York program is part of CareerWise, a three year apprentice model created in Colorado based on job training in Switzerland, where apprenticeships are common in most fields. CareerWise apprentices start in 11th grade, as is typical in Europe, and work part time in fields like manufacturing, business operations, information technology through graduation and a year after.

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CareerWise NY Executive Director Barbara Chang, who has led the first years of the apprentice program, said her staff will soon start training teachers at 60 city high schools to teach career exploration and readiness classes. Ninth graders will start having those lessons in the spring of 2023, with additional classes for 10th graders in 2024.

In ninth grade, itll be more career exploration and, and an understanding of what jobs and careers are available in the city, she said. So theyll be taking site visits, theyll be learning about themselves and what theyre passionate about. And so its more of an exploration type of curriculum. In 10th grade, its about readiness, getting ready to show up at a workplace.

Banks said training matters to businesses and to having students succeed.

Many of our businesses are willing to take students, but they werent suitable to show up having some level of business protocol and understanding what it takes to be successful in the space, Banks said. Those are the kinds of things that are happening and continuing to be honed and developed even more. This is just the beginning, the opening salvo if you will, in this work around career-connected learning.

The expansion would give New York one of the largest programs in the U.S., though organizers grand dream  placing 5% of the citys high schoolers in apprenticeships to be on par with Europe  could take decades to achieve.

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said she started an apprentice program in her company even before the Modern Apprentice program started in New York. Her company, which started with five apprentices in Chicago in 2016, now has 2,000, she said. She plans to hire 30 in New York next fall.

This program coming together is about a proven methodology to help our young people find new careers, she said. It has been tested, and it works.

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, long a fan of apprenticeships, called on other businesses to hire more young people to draw talent to their companies. (Patrick ODonnell)

Sweet also said businesses should not look at adding apprentices as just a charity project. They add value and help businesses attract young talent.

I hope all of the businesses who are listening or watching will be inspired to hire, she said. And I hope that the policymakers, the foundations, the educational institutions will be inspired to continue to invest and make it possible thatall companies, medium, small and large, can provide the opportunity to change the course of the lives of these young men and women.

Mayor Eric Adams said the city will contribute $33 million to youth job preparation efforts that include the apprenticeships, but staff declined to say exactly how much would go to them.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, with Chancellor David Banks behind him, praised the expansion of apprenticeships in the city to help young people improve their lives. (Patrick ODonnell)

In New York, where participating companies also include Amazon, Citi, Mastercard and Bank of America, students are paid between $15 an hour  the citys minimum wage  and $25 for the hours they work. Companies also contribute $4,000 a year to training each apprentice, which can cover technical certifications, career-specific training or college tuition.

At the end of the three years, they are not guaranteed a job, so they might stay with the company, go to college, get another job, or negotiate a way to work while attending college.

Emily Carpio, a graduate of University Heights High School in the Bronx, in her third year of her apprenticeship, works in advertising for Amazon while starting studies in data analytics at the City University of New York.

Emily Carpio, a third year apprentice in the New York City program (Patrick ODonnell)

Ive always known I wanted to pursue something in business, but business is such a broad term, she said. Doing analytical work on advertising feedback and results hooked her. Its really helped me kind of narrow down what..I want to do.

Dimon is watching how the program affects students.

You should judge us, he said. Judge us on the outcome, not the money spent, not the time spent, (but) how many kids graduateand get a job either among our companies or elsewhere, making $40, 45, 50, 60,000 dollars a year? How many go on to community college? How many graduate there?

Were going to measure and report, Dimon said.  We may fall short. But its not going to be for lack of trying.

This story was reported with support from the Spencer education reporting fellowship at Columbia University.
Museums in New York are now required by law to post notices with the display of any art looted by Nazis during the Holocaust.

The measure was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in August and seeks to educate younger generations about the Nazi era and how it affected the provenance of Jewish-owned art in its aftermath, said Senator Anna Kaplan, the Associated Press reported.

Empire State museums were already mandated to report pieces stolen by the Nazis from 1933 through 1945 to the Art Loss Register. The new bill is part of an education package to honour survivors of the Holocaust.

The organized looting of art in European countries during the era is known as the Nazi plunder. it is estimated that some 600,000 pieces of art were seized by the party from Jews who fled their homes to preserve their lives  and thousands remain missing, the Washington Post reported.

Every museum which has on display any identifiable works of art known to have been created before 1945 changed hands due to theft, seizure, confiscation, forced sale or other involuntary means in Europe during the Nazi era shall prominently place a placard acknowledging such information along with such display, the bill states.

We owe it to them, their families, and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust to honour their memories and ensure future generations understand the horrors of this era, Gov Hochul said back in August.

Wesley Fisher, who oversees research for the Claims Conference, an organization that deals with reparations for victims of the Holocaust, told the AP it is pivotal that museums are committed to preserving history and work accordingly to inform visitors of the stolen pieces.

Because the survivors of the Holocaust are a generation that is dying out, this becomes much more important, Mr Fisher told the AP. The objects become much more important. The idea that students and general public should go through museums to understand where these items come from, is important.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art has at least 53 pieces that were looted by Nazis in its collection. They were only bought or donated to the museum after they were returned to their designated owners.

Among those pieces of art is a 1952 Picasso that was the subject of a lawsuit from an heir who claimed that her great-granduncle sold the painting only for $13,20 when he was trying to flee Europe in 1938. The suit was tossed out and the museum kept the now-$100m piece.

The Met has also returned other works, such as a snuffbox, two bronze medals and a plaquette to the heirs of a gallery looted by Nazis in Munich, NBC reported.
Xi meets with Belarusian President Lukashenko

Xinhua) 08:25, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday afternoon met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

The two presidents decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi underscored that since China and Belarus established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the relations between the two countries have been continuously strengthened and upgraded, with solid progress in all-round cooperation.

The upgrading of China-Belarus relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership is a historic leap in bilateral relations, Xi said.

China is ready to work with Belarus to increase mutual political support, unleash the potential of cooperation in various fields, promote greater progress in China-Belarus relations and deliver more benefits to the two peoples, he added.

Xi stressed that China highly commends the firm support Belarus has always given China on issues concerning China's core interests. China firmly supports Belarus in taking a development path suited to its national conditions and opposes external forces' interference in Belarus' domestic affairs under any pretext.

China is ready to work with Belarus to promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, and safeguard international fairness and justice, Xi said.

China will maintain close exchanges with Belarus, carry out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation in investment, economy and trade and other fields, and develop a green, smart, eco-friendly and digitally advanced China-Belarus Industrial Park, he said.

The two sides need to continue to make the year of China-Belarus local cooperation a success and carry out joint training of university talents. China will continue to provide support and assistance to Belarus in its COVID-19 response, he said.

Lukashenko said for many countries including Belarus, China is a highly reliable partner. The upgrade of Belarus-China relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership is fully aligned with the strong growth and potential needs of bilateral relations.

Belarus is unswervingly committed to deepening relations with China. Belarus firmly supports China's development and growth of strength, China's national reunification and China's position on core issues such as Taiwan-related issues, Lukashenko said.

Belarus will always stand shoulder to shoulder with China and be its most reliable friend. The Belarusian side is ready to learn more from China's successful development experience, and strengthen bilateral practical cooperation across the board, he said.

Belarus supports a series of important initiatives put forward by China, and hopes to closely cooperate with China within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Lukashenko wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success.

After the meeting, the two sides issued the joint statement on establishing all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Belarus and signed cooperation documents in such areas as science and technology, judiciary, agriculture and e-commerce.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Chicago police Sgt. Christopher Liakopoulos, 43, left, shields his face from news cameras as Officer Ruben Reynoso, 42, right, is hurriedly escorted to an awaiting pickup truck outside Cook County Jail after the pair posted bond on Sept. 16, 2022, in Chicago. The two officers were charged with felonies connected to an on-duty shooting of a man in Pilsen in July. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Two Chicago police officers have been hit with felony charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct in connection with a shooting in Pilsen this summer that seriously injured a man, with prosecutors saying they now believe the facts of the case diverge from early versions of the events given by the Chicago Police Department.

Sgt. Christopher Liakopoulos, 43, who has been with the Department since 2001, and Officer Ruben Reynoso, 42, who has worked at CPD since 2003, were charged and have been relieved of their police powers.

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Cook County Associate Judge Maryam Ahmad set $25,000 bonds for both during a hearing Friday afternoon. They are expected back in court Monday.

Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx announced the charges at a Friday morning news conference.

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It is our position based on the facts, the evidence and the law, that the officers involved in this incident did not have provocation or justification to shoot the unarmed victim during this incident, Foxx said about the man who was seriously injured. The evidence does not support the use of deadly force related to the shooting of the unarmed victim and was not lawful.

Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx arrives at a news conference Friday to announce felony charges against two Chicago police officers in connection with an on-duty shooting incident that occurred on July 22, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The officers, both assigned to the Major Accident Investigation Unit, were in an unmarked car on their way to police headquarters for training on July 22 about 7 a.m. and were westbound in the 1000 block of West 18th Street street near Miller Street when the shooting took place, authorities have said.

In court Friday, Assistant States Attorney Alyssa Janicki said Liakopolous stopped and backed up when the pair of officers spotted several people outside of a closed business.

After the officers asked three males what they were doing, the victim, holding a wine bottle and a cellphone in one hand and nothing in the other, and a juvenile who wore a satchel across his body that contained a gun, started to approach the police car.

Before the two reached the passenger side, the teen turned and began to run away from the car, while the 23-year-old continued to walk forward with both hands in view, waving at the officers with his empty hand, prosecutors said.

Reynoso, in the front passenger seat, allegedly reached his arm outside of the passenger side window and pointed a gun in the direction of the 23-year-old, Janicki said. Liakopoulos reached across and also pointed his gun out the passenger side window, she said, and both fired multiple shots at the man, who was hit in his back and a leg.

After the officers fired shots, the juvenile kept running across the street, prosecutors said, and then fired multiple times at the officers, Janicki said. The officers returned fire, shooting at him multiple times. The boy was not shot but a pedestrian near him who was not involved in the incident was grazed, Janicki said.

Immediately after the shooting, police had raised questions about who fired first. Chicago police Superintendent David Brown told reporters that after one officer identified himself to the group outside the closed business, one of the people in the group pulled out a handgun, sparking an exchange of gunfire.

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In a photo provided by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, police cars block traffic at the scene of a shooting by two Chicago police officers at the intersection of 18th and Morgan streets on July 22, 2022. (Civilian Office of Police Accountability)

Brown earlier said both officers got out of their vehicle and that the shooter, while running away, continued to fire shots at the officers. Prosecutors suggested the initial contradictions might be blamed on alleged untruthfulness from the officers who have now been charged.

The officers initially told the states attorneys office that they did not know who shot first but said the juvenile pointed the gun at them before any shots were fired, which was contradicted in recovered surveillance video, Janicki said.

After the shooting, authorities at first said they were investigating the juvenile for possible charges, and during an interview, the officers said they shot only after they were fired upon by the juvenile. The officers later said they were not sure who fired first but said the juvenile pointed a gun at them before any shots were fired, Janicki said.

A few days later investigators obtained the video of the attack, which directly contradicted what the officers initially said to detectives, Janicki said.

The video showed no indication that the juvenile fired any shots before the defendants, but the juvenile can be seen on video using a gun after the officer and sergeant both fired their weapons, Janicki said.

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In court, Brian Sexton, the attorney on behalf of Reynoso, said, Its not clear who fired first based on the surveillance video, but that it didnt matter because the footage does show the juvenile had a gun in his hand.

Sexton said Reynoso was in the front passenger seat of the car when he believed some gang members were tagging the door of a closed business on his right side. He showed the group his badge and told them to knock it off when surveillance footage apparently shows the 23-year-old and the juvenile walking toward the car and the 23-year-old make a gesture like pointing, Sexton said.

This all happened within two seconds, Sexton said. My client saw the juvenile gunman come up with the gun from the satchel bag and pointed toward that. He immediately withdrew his holster, and he fired one shot in the car.

Liakopoulos also reached over Reynoso from the drivers seat and fired a shot from inside the car, which left a burn on Reynosos nose, Sexton said.

Sexton said Reynoso was focused on the guy with the gun during the entire exchange and never pointed or fired in the direction of the victim.

He said the states attorneys office charged the case way too soon and has no way to prove that Reynosos weapon was the one that injured the 23-year-old.

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Reynosos attorney then went on to say in court that Reynoso has had serious health issues since the shooting, including heart palpitations, blood pressure through the roof, and that he was hospitalized.

Sexton also noted that Reynoso had not been out of the hospital 24 hours before he talked to the states attorneys office and said he wasnt sure whether he fired his weapon from the car or not, likely struggling to remember the details after a traumatic, stressful event like this. Reynoso had also not seen any video of the shooting yet.

When he had a chance to look at the video, he talked to the states attorney, we did a proffer, we talked to COPA, and he said, Yeah, I see the video, I just dont remember it, but I shot once when I was in, so this whole thing about contradicting or lying, thats completely false, Sexton said.

Reynosos wife of 14 years was in court Friday along with several friends and fellow officers, Sexton said.

He was born and raised in Pilsen and graduated from Benito Juarez Community Academy in 1998, Sexton said. He graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago, according to Sexton.

Tim Grace, attorney for Liakopoulos, adopted part of Sextons argument on behalf of Liakopoulos and added that the defendants were on-duty police officers who are confronted with armed assailants who points the gun at them and eventually fires at them.

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Grace referenced Graham v. Connor, a U.S. Supreme Court case about seeing police officers actions as objectively reasonable, he said.

We dont use 20/20 hindsight, Grace said. We dont second-guess. We dont slow down videos like the Cook County states attorneys office does, and thats what the eventual trial judge will do.

Liakopoulos, whose parents are immigrants from Greece, grew up in Oak Lawn and graduated from Brother Rice High School, according to Grace. He then got a bachelor of science degree and a masters degree from St. Xavier University, Grace said.

He has been married for 12 years and has three children, Grace said.

Liakopoulos was promoted to sergeant in 2016, Grace said. He has over 100 departmental commendations and honorable mentions and earned an award of valor.

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The 23-year-old man who was shot did not have a weapon and did not fire any shots at the officers, Foxx said. He has since recovered and is cooperating with authorities during the investigation.

I want to be clear, we support the hardworking men and women of the Chicago Police Department, Foxx said. Like many law enforcement partners across the county face dangers every day to keep us safe, we respect their courage and their commitment. With regard to this particular case, we cannot ignore or stand by acts of unprovoked violence, even at the hands of those who are sworn to serve and protect our communities.

Liakopoulos and Reynoso turned themselves in to members of the Chicago Police Departments Bureau of Internal Affairs at the 1st District police station Thursday.
Young Ukrainians from ORDLO could not get their first Ukrainian passports

A petition appeared on the website of Presidents Office of Ukraine on Aug. 31, 2022, calling on the government to simplify the procedure for obtaining a passport for young people from the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

The authors of the petition are boys and girls from occupied Donbas, who were children when the war there began in 2014. Due to the occupation, upon reaching the age of 16, they could not obtain their internal Ukrainian passports, and were forced to take Russian or unrecognized Donbas puppet authority passports.

Read also: Invaders issuing Russian passports to residents of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya, Kherson Oblasts

In an interview with NV, the authors of the petition talk about the difficulties of taking the Ukrainian route, and explain how the petition will help speed up the process of obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.

Anastasia, 18 years old

I was eight years old when the war in the Donbas began. Im originally from Donetsk  I lived in this city in 2014, and I live here now, just like all my relatives.

I plan to live in Ukraine, because this is my motherland. There is only one problem: after reaching the age of 18 (to obtain a Ukrainian passport), you need to confirm your identity. According to current Ukrainian legislation, this can be done in two ways: either bring third parties with you as witnesses, such as relatives or neighbors, or submit a Ukrainian document with a photo that can be used to identify the person.

Pro-Russian authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas force local residents to obtain a Russian passports kaninstudio / Depositphotos

In the current conditions, not everyone is able to involve other people in such a procedure, especially since many still live in the temporarily occupied territories. For example, I have no relatives who would agree to go with me to the government-controlled territories. I had friends, but now they left for Europe.

There are also no Ukrainian documents with a photo that would confirm my identity. I only have a birth certificate of the documents issued by Ukraine. But there is no photo there.

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It would be great if the government-controlled territories accepted documents from the temporarily occupied regions. I have the citizenship of the so-called DPR, as well as a Russian one. We were forced to obtain a Russian passport: for example, under the threat of expulsion from the technical school, or simply intimidated into doing so.

Kristina Polozkova, 23 years old

I was born in the town of Zuhres in Donetsk Oblast. I was also there in 2014, when the war in the Donbas began. Now Im in the Republic of Lithuania. I arrived here on June 14, 2022  I got here through Russia and Latvia.

Now I have the following Ukrainian documents: a birth certificate, a tax identification number, a general education certificate, and some documents about housing and education. I also have a passport issued by the so-called DPR  I received it in 2016, because I could not live, work, or study without a passport at all.

Read also: How Russia is blasting Mariupol into the past

Two weeks before the full-scale invasion, I also received a Russian passport  I had to do that, because I would not have been able to leave the DPR without it and get to Lithuania. Even though I have a Russian passport, I consider myself Ukrainian by citizenship. All my relatives remained in the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast. Some live in Russia, but I have no contact with them.

I really want to return to Ukraine, because my home is there. I hope Ukraine will be de-occupied very soon, and Ill be able to return home. Of course, (before 2014, when the war in the Donbas began) I was a child and I dont remember a lot. But I can call my childhood the best time of my life, because there was no war then, we studied our native language at school, and we had some plans for the future.

The main motivation for me to return is to help rebuild the country after our victory. I dont know exactly how I can help, but I really want to contribute.

The main problem in obtaining a Ukrainian passport for people like me now is the lack of an opportunity to involve parents or neighbors as witnesses. My relatives are afraid to leave the occupied territory  after all, eight years of zombification have taken their toll. Its also very expensive: travel, housing, food  it may seem these are trifles, but its impossible to live in the so-called DPR with a salary of RUB 15,000 ($247), not to mention travelling halfway across the world. Unfortunately, the only safe way to get out now is through the European Union.

Residents of ORDLO are forced to issue passports of the so-called DPR and LPR, as well as Russian passports IvanSemenovich /Depositphotos

Its interesting that in July 2022, based on my birth certificate, I received a residence permit in Lithuania. Everything was simple: I came to the migration service, gave them my birth certificate. I was registered and received a residence permit a month later. In Ukraine, submitting only the birth certificate itself is not enough to obtain a Ukrainian passport. My native country demands that I prove that Im really Ukrainian.

I repeatedly sent letters to Ukraines migration service, explaining my situation. But I always received refusals in return. Before leaving for Lithuania, I wrote to the Consulate of Ukraine in Latvia with a request to help leave Russia and get at least some kind of document  I also got a refusal, even an indifferent attitude.

In my opinion, obtaining a passport can be facilitated by adding to the requirements the presence of witnesses or parents online, with the possibility to send scanned copies of the documents, as well as a list of questions that will help confirm the identity. It would also be possible to expand the list of witnesses: for example, to add school teachers who can also confirm the identity of the applicant for Ukrainian citizenship.

Hanna, 19 years old

Im originally from Makiivka in Donetsk Oblast. Now Im in the occupied territories, but I plan to leave for the European Union. My relatives remain in Makiivka.

Read also: Student who fled occupied Donbas, escaped forced mobilization, tells of life in sham republic

In 2019, when I turned 16, I obtained my first passport there, in the occupied Donbas. Without it, I wouldnt have been able to graduate from school in the occupied territories, register for exams, and enter a higher educational institution. A year later, in 2020, I also obtained a Russian passport.

In addition, I also have Ukrainian documents: a tax identification number, a birth certificate. I have my parents marriage certificate, a copy of form A.

The impossibility of obtaining a Ukrainian passport without the presence of parents is a problem for many. Now we are adults, yet its very difficult to bring witnesses to carry out this procedure in the conditions of war.

I see my future in a free country of which Im a citizen  in Ukraine. I want to return to Ukraine in the future, because I want a happy life at home, with the opportunity to work, travel, live.

Maryna, 19 years old

Im originally from Donetsk. In 2014, my parents and I stayed under occupation. My parents did not want to leave the occupied territory for various reasons. One of them is that its very difficult to start a new life in another city from scratch. So now my mother remains in Donetsk, while relatives live in various cities of Ukraine, as well as in the occupied territories.

The occupation taught me to never plan. The maximum is two weeks in advance. I left the occupied city, but I didnt stay abroad. Long before the full-scale invasion, I wanted to live in Ukraine, so I chose Lviv to live. I came here in June 2022, alone. Now I live in a dormitory.

Read also: Luhansk resident reveals how the city has fared after its occupation in 2014

As practice shows, the lack of a passport is the core of all problems. I cant open a bank account, get financial aid, and before that I couldnt apply for online courses at school. I can do absolutely nothing. Its even impossible to obtain a temporary ID card. I dont understand why the Ukrainian government has done nothing in this direction for so many years of occupation.

Of the Ukrainian documents, I have a birth certificate, a tax identification number, a certificate of acknowledgement of paternity, and some other documents. But there is no photo in all these documents, which is necessary to confirm my identity. I also had a passport from the so-called DPR. I obtained it in the so-called local migration service in 2019, but it was later withdrawn.

As of now, I have applied to several authorities with a request to somehow help me in solving the passport issue: the State Migration Service, the National Police, the SBU security service, as well as the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation. I also tried to obtain secondary legal assistance for internally displaced persons.

What is needed now is a change in the identification procedure. Its necessary to ensure that not only neighbors or relatives can testify in the migration service, but also classmates or fellow students, friends, boyfriend or girlfriend, social security workers, etc. Testimonies must also be taken online.

The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 302, namely paragraph 43, determines that the State Migration Service can send requests to establish identity only when there is access to databases and archives. But how can they make this request in the case of Donetsk Oblast if many settlements are still under occupation there? And the identification procedure (according to current regulations) can last up to two months. What should I do all this time? I dont know.

Mykhailo, 23 years old

Im originally from Makiivka in Donetsk Oblast. In 2014, when the war in the Donbas began, I lived in Makiivka. In August 2022, I left the so-called DPR as it was dangerous to stay there in the future due to forced mobilization. I managed to leave for Russia where I enrolled in a masters degree at a local university  it was thanks to the admission documents that I was released from the DPR. All my relatives still live either in Makiivka or in Donetsk.

Read also: 350,000 civilians remain in Ukraine-controlled 45% of Donetsk Oblast

After the end of the war, I want to return to Ukraine and also obtain a Ukrainian passport. I couldnt do that immediately, because my mother would have to go with me as a witness. But shes raising three children on her own, so when I turned 16, she did not have the opportunity to travel with me to the government-controlled territories for processing documents. Now she also wont be able to leave since her (Ukrainian) passport has already expired due to age.

I learned from lawyers that obtaining a Ukrainian passport without the presence of a witness is difficult and time-consuming process. I dont know if this is even possible in my situation. Nobody seems to know that. Of the Ukrainian documents, I only have a birth certificate, which is not suitable for personal identification, as well as the 9th grade school certificate. I also have a passport of the so-called DPR and a Russian passport  without it, I wouldnt have been able to enter university and leave the zone of forced mobilization. Due to the presence of a Russian passport, Im afraid to go to Ukraine now since Im worried about my safety.

Yelyzaveta Berest, 18 years old

Im originally from Komsomolske, Starobesheve district, Donetsk Oblast, and thats where I lived when the war began in 2014. My grandmother still lives in Komsomolske, while my mother lives in Donetsk.

On July 16, 2022, I boarded a bus in Donetsk and later found myself in the Netherlands. It was possible to enter this country with a Ukrainian birth certificate. I obtained a passport of the so-called DPR in 2019  without it, I wouldnt have been able to study, work, and live in this territory.

In the Netherlands, I received a certificate confirming my identity, as well as a BSN number. The consul of Ukraine in the Netherlands helped me obtain the certificate  this document contains my photo and the signature: Identified, citizen of Ukraine.

I want to connect my future with Ukraine: I want to obtain a Ukrainian passport and live in the country where I was born. However, in order to receive a passport of a citizen of Ukraine, one of the parents must be present as a witness. But at the moment, my parents dont have the opportunity to leave the temporarily occupied Donetsk to the government-controlled territory. It would be great if, instead of a personal presence, it would be possible to confirm my identity via video link with relatives.

Young people hope to eventually get Ukrainian passports and want to connect their lives with Ukraine in the future Fire-fly / Depositphotos

Veronika Krusak, 22 years old

I was born in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine, and lived there all my life. My parents and relatives still live in Luhansk.

After the beginning of the war in 2014, I suffered from anxiety attacks, nervous breakdowns and depression for a long time, had a tendency to self-harm, and havent gotten rid of it until now. For eight years, Ive been living in a depressed state with no motivation to live, but with daily suicidal thoughts and abject apathy.

I dont support the war, the occupation and Putins regime in Russia, Lukashenko regime in Belarus, Im against any restriction of the rights of people and animals. I was always interested in all the injustice of the world, so life in Luhansk became even more impossible. I remember my thoughts and feelings when I walked along the streets of Luhansk, which were decorated with Russian flags. Being there was getting worse and worse every day. And this is difficult, because Luhansk is my native region.

In June 2022, I accidentally learned that, for humanitarian reasons, the European Union allows Ukrainian citizens to enter even with only one Ukrainian birth certificate, so without thinking, I quickly packed my things and left for Poland.

Now Im in Warsaw. I planned to immediately go and obtain a passport in the government-controlled territory, but I have no witnesses for this procedure, and I also have nowhere to live during the paperwork process.

Im a freelancer, but I wont be able to receive a salary since I cannot open a bank account (in a Ukrainian bank) without a certificate that I belong to the internally displaced persons (IDPs). But its very difficult to get an IDP status when youre from the LPR. Ukraine doesnt accept documents issued by unrecognized republics.

I have (the following documents) with me: a Ukrainian birth certificate, the original of my mothers paper Ukrainian passport  expired, her tax identification number, a Ukrainian vaccination certificate, a student card issued by Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University. I also have passports of the so-called LPR and Russia. According to my birth certificate, I have Ukrainian citizenship.

I obtained a passport of the LPR in 2016 when I had to enter college. I also obtained a Russian passport in 2021 when I was looking for a job. I had to receive my salary on a Russian Sberbank card. Both then and now, Luhansk state institutions and educational institutions force people to obtain a Russian passport and SNILS (individual insurance account number) due to threats of dismissal.

We (those who lived in the occupied territories and were children at the time of the occupation in 2014) can be said to be children of war. We didnt have the opportunity to obtain a Ukrainian passport in the occupied territory, while leaving (to the government-controlled territories) was in-comprehensible at that time. The reason is the influence of propaganda on both parents and children, as well as the front line, battles, financial status and other factors, including psychological ones.

I plan to return to Ukraine, I want to live and work in Ukraine, build my family. I see my future in a country that wont suppress me because of where I was born, who I am, where I will be a full-fledged member of society, but, unfortunately, its difficult, because I was born in Luhansk. A city, at the mention of which you become second class, no matter where you are, why did you come here, disdainful or sympathetic looks. I have the right to a normal life, and Im determined to fight for it.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Tom Balmforth

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he would only back the idea of reopening Russian ammonia exports through Ukraine if Moscow handed back prisoners of war (POWs), an idea the Kremlin quickly rejected.

In an interview, Zelenskiy told Reuters he had proposed the arrangement to the United Nations, which has suggested resuming Russian ammonia across Ukraine to ease a global shortage of fertiliser.

"I am against supplying ammonia from the Russian Federation through our territory. I would only do it in exchange for our prisoners. This is what I offered the UN," he said in an interview at his presidential office.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea, TASS news agency reported. "Are people and ammonia the same thing?" it cited him as saying.

The United Nations has proposed that ammonia gas owned by Russian fertiliser producer Uralchem be pumped by pipeline to the Ukrainian border, where it would be bought by the U.S.-based commodities trader Trammo.

The pipeline is designed to pump up to 2.5 million tonnes of ammonia per year from Russia's Volga region to Ukraine's Black Sea port of Pivdennyi, known as Yuzhny in Russian, near Odesa.

It was shut down after Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Zelenskiy said that hundreds of Russian troops had been captured during Ukraine's lightning counteroffensive in northeast Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

He said, however, that Russia was holding more Ukrainian soldiers in custody than Ukraine had Russian POWs.

The fate of Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia, and in particular those captured after holding out for months in the Azovstal steelworks in the besieged city of Mariupol, is a highly sensitive issue in Ukraine.

Some of their relatives were huddled on Friday outside the government district in Kyiv where Zelenskiy's office is located, holding signs saying "Bring the Azovstal Heroes Home".

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Gareth Jones and Grant McCool)
Japan, the worlds largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), imported over 200% more of the fossil fuel from Russia in August, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing data from Japans finance ministry.

Japan buys two-thirds of its LNG from Australia, Malaysia and Qatar, according to Kommersant. Russia accounts for 9% of Japans LNG imports, followed by the United States with 6%.

According to the finance ministrys customs data, Japan shipped 450,000 metric tons of LNG from Russia last month  a 211.2% increase from August 2021.

August 2022 data published by Japans finance ministry showed a 67.4% increase in total imports from Russia and a 21.5% decrease in exports. ...continue reading
Japan looks set to face a shortage of 960,000 medical and welfare service workers in 2040, when the countrys elderly population is expected to peak, according to an annual welfare ministry report released Friday.

While 10.7 million such workers are projected to be necessary in 2040, only 9.74 million will be available, according to the 2022 white paper on health, labor and welfare, reported at the days Cabinet meeting.

The number of workers in the medical and welfare sectors has increased thanks to measures such as temporarily raising the enrollment limit at medical schools and nurturing nursing staff.

In 2021, 8.91 million people, or about 1 in 8 workers in Japan, were engaged in medical and welfare services. ...continue reading
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Bank of America today announced a new zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgage solution for first-time homebuyers, which will be available in designated markets, including certain Black/African American and/or Hispanic-Latino neighborhoods in Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami. The Community Affordable Loan Solution aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home.

The Community Affordable Loan Solution is a Special Purpose Credit Program which uses credit guidelines based on factors such as timely rent, utility bill, phone and auto insurance payments. It requires no mortgage insurance or minimum credit score. Individual eligibility is based on income and home location. Prospective buyers must complete a homebuyer certification course provided by select Bank of America and HUD-approved housing counseling partners prior to application.

This new program is in addition to and complements Bank of Americas existing $15 billion Community Homeownership Commitment to offer affordable mortgages, industry leading grants and educational opportunities to help 60,000 individuals and families purchase affordable homes by 2025. Through this commitment, Bank of America has already helped more than 36,000 people and families become homeowners, having provided more than $9.5 billion in low down payment loans and over $350 million in non-repayable down payment and/or closing cost grants. To date, two-thirds of the loans and grants made through the Community Homeownership Commitment has helped multicultural clients to achieve homeownership.

Bank of America also has a 26-year relationship with the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), through which the Bank has committed to providing an additional $15 billion in mortgages to low-to-moderate income homebuyers through May 2027.

According to the National Association of Realtors, today there is a nearly 30-percentage-point gap in homeownership between White and Black Americans; for Hispanic buyers, the gap is nearly 20 percent. And the competitive housing market has made it even more difficult for potential homebuyers, especially people of color, to buy homes.

Homeownership strengthens our communities and can help individuals and families to build wealth over time, said AJ Barkley, head of neighborhood and community lending for Bank of America. Our Community Affordable Loan Solution will help make the dream of sustained homeownership attainable for more Black and Hispanic families, and it is part of our broader commitment to the communities that we serve.

In addition to expanding access to credit and down payment assistance, Bank of America provides educational resources to help homebuyers navigate the homebuying process, including:

First-Time Homebuyer Online Edu-Series,a five-part, easy-to-understand video roadmap for buying and financing a home, available in English and Spanish.

BetterMoneyHabits.com free financial education content, including videos about managing finances and how to prepare for buying a new home.

Bank of America Down Payment Center  site to help homebuyers find state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs in their area. Bank of America participates in more than 1,300 state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs.

Bank of America Real Estate Center  site to help homebuyers find properties with flags to identify properties that may qualify for Bank of America grant programs and Community Affordable Loan Solution.

For more information, contact Bank of America at 1-800-641-8362.

In related news, Bank of America today announced the launch of a Small Business Down Payment Program to drive business growth and help create generational wealth opportunities for minority and women business owners. This special purpose credit program will extend credit to historically disadvantaged small business borrowers and enable them to purchase commercial real estate through grants. The program will launch in select markets -- Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas and Los Angeles -- with plans to expand in 2023.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the worlds leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,000 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 55 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, register for email news alerts.
Anthony Lopez Perez spent his summer splashing around in the pool, and now hes taking a deep dive into the books as the new school year continues.

Lopez Perez, 8, lives in Council Bluffs, but his parents are from different parts of Mexico. His mom is from the Huipana area and his dad is from Jalisco. Hes been in southwest Iowa for most of his life, and hes currently a third-grader at Rue Elementary School.

He is a student in teacher Jamie Rybas classroom, and he said hes been enjoying reading new books and learning new math practices. While Lopez Perez said hes enjoying his time back in the classroom, he said hes been thinking about all the fun he had during his summer break.

He said he spent many sunny days splashing around the city pools, namely Pirate Cove Water Park. His family also took a trip to Kansas City to visit both Oceans of Fun and Worlds of Fun theme parks. A swimming fanatic, Lopez Perez said he preferred the water park, but that he also had a blast at both parks.

Lopez Perez is back home enjoying his school year and time with family. When hes not studying, he likes taking the new family dog, Max, out for walks and play time.

He said hes eager to see what the rest of his third grade year brings him.
Mt. Hope United Methodist Church

Mt. Hope United Methodist Church, 290th and Highway 6, McClelland, would like to invite all to join us on Sunday mornings for our worship service at 9:30 a.m. Children are welcome for the regular worship service and childrens sermon during the worship service. Upcoming events: On Sunday, Sept. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. will be our Soup Supper/Bake Sale at McClelland Town Hall.

You do not have to be a member to participate in our church activities. Everyone is welcome.

Underwood Lutheran Church

Underwood Lutheran Church, 10 Third Ave., will hold Sunday activities. Education begins at 9 a.m., followed by in-person worship featuring Holy Communion at 10:15. Pastor Scott Dalen will deliver a sermon based on Luke 16:1-13. The online video will be available later in the day.

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave., invites you to worship with us. Our service runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Children are invited to participate in Sunday School. Kim Brouse will deliver the sermon. Join us for refreshments following the service.

Adult Bible study meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Our Food Pantry is open on Mondays and Thursdays until 10:30 a.m. Our church is collecting Iowa 5 cent-refund cans/bottles for one of our mission projects, the Kanesville Honor Guard Society. Your donations help! Bags can be dropped off anytime at our front door. For more information, contact the church office at 712-366-2513 or visit us on Facebook at gethsemanepresbyterianchurch.org.

Timothy Lutheran Church

Timothy Lutheran Church, 3112 W. Broadway, offers services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The church alternates between traditional services and praise services each week. Bible study and Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. If a month has a fifth Sunday, the church hosts a combined service at 9 a.m. Food and fellowship after service on fifth Sundays and there is no Bible study or Sunday school on those days. The church is handicap accessible.

St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church

St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church rings the church bell each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to welcome people to worship at 11055 Dumfries Ave. There are directional signs from Wabash Avenue and Pioneer Trail leading to the church. We are a growing, friendly, Bible-teaching church led by Pastor Jason Kinney. Sunday School for all ages, including adults, begins at 9:15 a.m. This Sunday the scripture will be taken from James 1:5-8, and the sermon title is Wisdom from God. Each Sunday following worship we enjoy donuts and coffee in the Fellowship Hall. Greeters are Kathy Oltmans and Carol Weis. The Ladies Bible Study and Youth Groups will resume Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Visit our website at www.stpaulsecc.org for more information. We are handicapped accessible.

Compass Christian Church

Compass Christian Church welcomes you to worship with us Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We are located at 2007 S. Seventh St., just west of the South Expressway. The church is handicap accessible. During worship, a cry room is available, along with childcare for children ages 1-4. Compass Kids grades K-5 meet downstairs for special Bible lessons. You may also worship with us at compasscb.online.church or on YouTube.

Mens Bible Study and Womens Bible Study each meet on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. The Bridge young adults (ages 18-30) biweekly gathering at Compass Christian meets Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Childcare provided. Bring a friend and join us for supper, fellowship and Bible study. Prayer meetings are held each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

For questions or more information, visit our Facebook page, Compass Christian Church CB, our website compasscb.org or call the church office at 712-366-9112.

Broadway United Methodist Church

Broadway United Methodist, First Street and Broadway, is seeking, growing and serving with unconditional love and acceptance. Broadway holds traditional worship Sundays at 8:30, followed by coffee and donuts in the DeLong Lounge. Contemporary worship is held at 10:30 a.m. Services are held in person and livestreamed to our Facebook page or broadwayunitedmethodist.com/live. Masks are optional.

Activities include Student Life Breakthrough, Sundays at 6:30 p.m. On Mondays, Philips Cupboard is open 12-2 p.m.; Boy Scout Pack 40 meets at 6 p.m.; and Bibles @ Barleys is at 8:30 p.m. Administrative Board will meet Tuesday at 6. Womens Bible Study will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the DeLong Lounge. Praise Band Rehearsal will be at 5:30. A Community Meal will be served at 6 p.m., followed by Foundations Groups and Bell Choir rehearsal at 6:30. Choir will practice at 7:30. Mens Brown Bag: The Bible Year, Thursdays at noon. Philips Cupboard, a nonfood pantry, is open 12-2 p.m. on Fridays.

September is Spirit Month at Broadway. The Rev. Alexis Johnson will hold a New Member meeting in Room 205 at 9:45 a.m. Sept. 18 will be Homecoming Sunday, with members wearing Broadway shirts or their favorite team colors, and members of 30 or more years will be recognized. Sept. 25 will be New Member Sunday.

For more information, visit our website at broadwayunitedmethodist.com or call the office at 712-322-7741 (closed Fridays).

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in our live worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. The Sunday worship service will be recorded live and can be viewed on our Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. Face masks are optional. The church office can be reached at 712-323-7374 or through our email at fifthaveumchurch@gmail.com.

Bethany Presbyterian Church

Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 S. Seventh St., will have worship at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Nancy Ross-Hullingers message will be Praying for Everyone, and the scripture is 1 Timothy 2:1-7. Liturgist is Ava Tomcykowski, and greeters are Larry and Laura Krijacek. There will be a childrens chat. On Saturday, Sept. 17, there is a Session/Deacons retreat at the Hy-Vee club room on West Broadway at 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We are working a shoes project for a local school; check at church for sizes.

We are a handicap accessible facility.

Community of Christ Church

Community of Christ Church, 140 W. Kanesville Blvd., invites people to attend Sunday worship at 10:15 a.m. Our theme this week is Practice Faithful Stewardship. Our scripture for this week is Luke 16:1-13, Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 14:79:1-9; Timothy 2:1-7. Sunday school starts at 9:15. We also have prayer service Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Please call our office at 712-323-4498 for any questions. There are virtual ministries out on our World Church Website under Ongoing Ministries at www.cofchrist.org.

Epworth United Methodist Church

Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, worships on Sundays at 9:25 a.m. The people are friendly, the worship is meaningful and the building is handicap accessible. Masks and hand sanitizer are available. We also invite you to our Bible study on Thursdays at 9 a.m.

We keep in prayer for the healing of our community and nation for God. If you want us to pray for you personally, let us know your prayer requests by phone or online at Friends of Epworth UMC Facebook. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Phone: 712-323-3124.

Faith Lutheran Church

Faith Lutheran Church, 2100 S. 11th St., invites you to join us for traditional worship with Holy Communion at the 9 a.m. Sunday service. On Tuesday, there is a 9:30 a.m. adult Bible study in the downstairs fellowship hall that is open to everyone. The Elders will meet at 2:30. Please enter by the rear entrance. Please enter by the rear door. The church council meets Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Services are available on Faiths Facebook page and on YouTube by searching for Ron Rosenkaimer. For more information, contact the church office at 323-6445.

New Horizon Presbyterian Church

New Horizon Presbyterian Church has three services on Sunday, with traditional services at 8 and 11 a.m. and the praise service at 9 a.m. Sunday for kindergarten through eighth grade and adults meets at 10 a.m. Praise Team will meet at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday and Chancel Choir at 6:30. The Grief Group will meet Thursday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 517 S. 32nd St., welcomes everyone to join us for worship on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Guest pastor is the Rev. Kim Crummer. His sermon is Forgetting Our Place in Life and focuses on Luke 16:1-13. Following worship, there will be a Coffee Time in fellowship hall. We are handicapped accessible through the northeast door of the church.

Corpus Christi Catholic Parish

The month of September is dedicated to The Seven Sorrows of Mary. Join us as we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day of the week at Corpus Christi  Queen of Apostles, 3304 Fourth Ave., Council Bluffs; and Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake, 3501 N. Ninth St., Carter Lake. Everyone is welcome.

Our Weekend Mass in English is celebrated on Saturday at 4 p.m., on Sunday at 8 and 10 a.m. (Council Bluffs) and at 9:30 a.m. (Carter Lake). Our Sunday Spanish Mass is at noon (Council Bluffs). Readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time are Amos 8:4-7; Psalms 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13.

Daily Mass is celebrated as follows: In English Tuesday through Friday at 8 a.m. (Council Bluffs) and in Spanish on Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. (Council Bluffs).

Eucharistic Adoration is held every Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles.

On Sept. 18, breakfast will be held at both sites as follows: Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles, 9-11:30 a.m., with pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee and juice (sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 10805) and brunch at Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit, Italian sausage sandwiches, juice and coffee (sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 10722).

The Christ Our Life Conference will be held on Sept. 24-25 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. This is the seventh life-changing conference! Once again, world-class speakers will present topics of critical importance to all. Join thousands s we celebrate Mass, enjoy time with Jesus in adoration, avail ourselves to Reconciliation and fill our hearts with music and prayer! In person and livestream available; for tickets and more information, go to ChristOurLifeIowa.com

For more information, call the parish office at 712-323-2916 or 712-323-4716 (Spanish) or visit our parish website at www.corpuschristiparishiowa.org.

Emanuel Lutheran Church

Emanuel Lutheran Church, 2444 N. Broadway, welcomes everyone to come as you are and be who you are! Our weekly worship service is at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday. Our worship service and weekly Sunday school show can be found on our YouTube channel or Facebook page. Visit us online at emanuelcb.org.

Saint John Lutheran Church

Saint John Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Ave., holds worship at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. Worship is also available to watch on YouTube. Our website is www.SaintJohnELCA.org. Our Facebook page is Saint John Lutheran Church Council Bluffs IA.

Wednesday morning Bible study meets at 9 a.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study meets at 6:30 p.m. Confirmation and high school youth also meet at 6:30. Bell choir practices at 6:30 p.m., and Chancel Choir starts at 7:30. The Sewing Group will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the Mens Club will meet at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. New member classes to join St. John will begin Sept. 25 at 9:45 a.m.

The building is handicap accessible. Please call the church office with any questions, 712-323-7173.

Broadway Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ) The Rev. Carol Hall and members of our congregation invite you to join us for Sunday worship at 9 a.m. at Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A. This week, Pastor Hall will provide the message: Multiplying Christians. We celebrate communication weekly; communion is open to all. A hearing loop is installed for those who need it. Guests are invited to join us in fellowship after worship for coffee and donuts.

Pieceful Hearts Quilters will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 9:30 a.m. Bible study will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Overeaters Anonymous meets Mondays at noon. Alcoholics Anonymous meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. The church is ADA-accessible. Masks are optional. To submit prayer requests or for more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741 or email us at office@bcccb.org. Visit us online at www.bcccb.org or on Facebook.

First Congregational UCC Church

Come and join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), located at 611 First Ave. Coffee is available. Our service is also provided via Zoom. Please email the church for information on how to join the Zoom meeting: cbfirstcong@gmail.com.

First Congregational offers a free Community Dinner the last Friday of each month. Everyone is welcome. The next dinner is Friday, Sept. 30 from 5 to 6:30. Come and enjoy a meal and fellowship!

Our Saviors Lutheran Church

Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 600 Bluff St., can be reached at 712-322-6655. Everyone is welcome. Worship services are Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For more information, see our Facebook page under Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Council Bluffs or the website at oursaviorscb.org. Adult and youth Sunday school begins Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. Bell choir practice is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by choir practice at 7:30 p.m.

Activities this week include Al-Anon meetings Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Education Building. Thursday morning Bible Study meets at 9:30 a.m., and prayer time is at 11:15 a.m. Food and Pet Food Pantry is open Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, please call the pantry directly at 712-522-3522 between 9:30 and 11 a.m. on the day you plan to come.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church

St. Pauls Episcopal Church is located at 22 Dillman Drive in Council Buffs. Our services are held each Sunday morning beginning at 11 a.m., and we invite visitors to attend and share with us these very enjoyable and enlightening services. For additional information, please contact the church at 712-323-7188.
Train shipments of grain, fertilizer, lumber, produce and fuel will not come to a screeching halt on Friday, as a strike that could have idled freight and passenger trains across the state and the country seems to have been averted  for now.

After some 20 hours of negotiations, railroad leaders and unions announced a tentative agreement Thursday morning that, at the least, paused a pending national rail strike that had the potential to shut down rail shipments across a variety of industry sectors and hobble already struggling supply chains.

Iowa Democrats said the proposed deal would provide better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind for railroad workers in the state around their health care costs, echoing a statement from President Joe Biden announcing the tentative agreement early Thursday morning.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, meanwhile, cautioned in a Senate floor speech that theres no guarantee that union members  who have been furious with employers for years over working conditions  will ratify the agreement. If they dont, Grassley said Congress must step in and force railroad workers and companies to accept recommendations from a White House panel to avoid a strike that would affect millions of Americans.

The alternative is unacceptable, Grassley said.

A railroad strike would plunge us back into the supply chain issues that have just now started to improve, he said. These trains carry the food we eat, the gas for our tanks and the energy that heats our homes. Already, Im hearing from grain elevators that theyre having trouble transporting feed.

Hazardous cargo  such as the chlorine that cities need to purify drinking water  stopped moving earlier this week due to the potential strike, and Amtrak canceled long-distance passenger train routes that run on tracks owned, maintained and dispatched by freight railroads.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg unless they agree to a long-term deal, Grassley said.

The last thing we need is for grain shipments to grind to a halt right as farmers are trying to harvest their crops. Iowa corn and soybeans cant feed the world if they are stuck on the farm.

An official for one of the unions that represents represent engineers and conductors in Iowa said railroad workers in the state had yet to see specifics of the tentative agreement, but that workers were quietly optimistic.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART-TD, has roughly 700 members in the state, mainly train conductors and some engineers.

Im glad that theyve reached a voluntary, tentative agreement before the deadline was reached, aid Christopher Smith, Iowa state legislative director for SMART-TD. We hope that the agreement is good enough that membership can ratify a vote, and go from there.

Smith said he was hesitant to say too much about the agreement and the threat of a possible strike as negotiations continue.

U.S. freight railroad workers were close to striking over claims that grueling schedules, strict on-call policies and poor working conditions have been driving employees out of the industry over the past several years.

A major sticking point in the labor dispute between rail companies and the unions was the adoption of a points-based attendance policy by some carrier. Those policies penalize workers, up to termination, for going to routine doctors visits or attending to family emergencies.

Conductors and engineers say that they can be on call for 14 consecutive days without a break and that they do not receive a single sick day, paid or unpaid.

Rail employees remained on the job throughout the pandemic, often working mandatory overtime to compensate for staff cuts and departures, but note they have gone without a raise for three years while rail companies saw record profits in 2021 and stock buybacks have boosted shareholder values.

The railroad and unions have been negotiating a new contract since 2019.

SMART-TDs Smith also pointed to a paragraph in a report issued by a presidential emergency board appointed by Biden to help the resolve the labor contract dispute between major freight railroads and unions.

The paragraph states the rail companies believe that capital investment and risk are the reasons for their profits, not any contributions by labor. It also says the carriers assert that since employees have been fairly and adequately paid for their efforts and do not share in the downside risks if the operations are less profitable, then they have no claim to share in the upside, either.

Smith said the statement riled union membership that has worked through the pandemic and now works hard to maintain the railroad in the place it is.

That is still a troubling statement  that we have to work to get past, he said. So hopefully  this agreement is good and we can move forward.

Smith said members were largely reserving judgment until they have a chance to see the exact wording and get briefed on the tentative agreement, which could take a couple of days.

We quietly are remaining optimistic, he said.  We have faith in our national bargaining team that if theyre coming back saying they have something thats worthwhile to potentially ratify, were entrusting them to bring forward a good contract.

One Pleasant Hill, Iowa, railroad worker with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, who did not wish to be identified, said he was still processing and trying to understand the details of the proposed deal, but that he heard from workers who were not pleased.

The worker said that, if implemented, the agreement still would contribute to attrition and health and safety problems, and that it does not address current labor concerns needed to build a better-functioning rail network and supply chain.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn, however, called the tentative agreement an important win for our economy and Iowans.

So the bottom line is that rail workers deserve a fair contract, Wilburn told reporters Thursday, noting his brother is a retired rail worker. A fair contract and bargaining in good faith is critical.

But, regardless of what happens, this tentative agreement ensures that rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind around their health care costs.

Iowas lone Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, applauded rail union leaders for reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract that will avoid a work stoppage.

Its disappointing that union leaders had to fight so hard for fundamental and reasonable demands such as unpaid time off so their members could visit the doctor or take care of loved ones without penalty, Axne said.

While this agreement still needs to be ratified, I am optimistic this progress will keep our goods moving and give a raise and better working conditions for the men and women who work day in and day out to provide for their families and help Iowa farmers and businesses get their goods to market.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The leaders of South Korea and Japan will meet next week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Seoul officials said Thursday, in what would be the countries first summit in nearly three years amid tensions over history.

But in an indication of the continuing delicate nature of bilateral ties, Japan denied later Thursday that any agreement on talks had been reached.

An official in South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's office said the two sides had agreed on a meeting between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and were discussing the exact timing.

Kim Tae-hyo, a deputy national security director for Yoon, told reporters that the meeting is one of a series that Yoon is pushing to hold with world leaders attending the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said South Korea and the U.S. have also agreed on a meeting between Yoon and President Joe Biden.

However, in response to a question from The Associated Press about the South Korean announcement, the Japanese Prime Ministers Office said there is no such fact.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said details of Kishidas schedule in New York have not been determined. He added, however, that Japan wants to cooperate closely with South Korea to restore healthy relations.

South Koreas presidential office said it needed to study the Japanese comments before responding.

Japanese officials may have been unhappy over South Korea's unilateral announcement of a meeting, with details likely still under discussion. It remained unclear whether Yoon and Kishida would meet next week.

Ties between South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies, are at their lowest point in decades after South Korean courts ruled in 2018 that two Japanese companies  Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries  must compensate former Korean employees for forced labor during Japans 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The companies and the Japanese government have refused to comply with the rulings, arguing that all compensation issues were resolved under a 1965 treaty that normalized ties between the countries and included a payment of $500 million from Japan to South Korea.

The history disputes have spilled over to other areas, with the two countries downgrading each other's trade status and Seoul threatening to scrap an intelligence-sharing agreement. The wrangling has complicated a U.S.-led attempt to solidify its alliances with its regional partners amid growing Chinese influence and North Korean nuclear threats.

Seoul and Tokyo have been looking to mend their strained ties since the May inauguration of Yoon, a conservative who wants to improve relations with Japan and bolster trilateral Seoul-Tokyo-Washington security cooperation to better cope with the increasing North Korean threats.

It's unclear if the Yoon-Kishida meeting would produce any immediate breakthrough because its unlikely that some former Korean forced laborers and their support groups will accept a deal to settle their legal battles unless the Japanese companies consent to the court decisions.

Given that the Japanese companies are dismissing the 2018 court rulings, I think it would be too unrealistic and naive to think there are some other resolutions that can win the consent of the victims, said Lee Kook Un, head of a support group for some former laborers involved in lawsuits with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The last talks between the leaders of South Korea and Japan occurred in December 2019, when then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in China.

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
STANTON  Tucker Carlson of Fox News has just reported again that mutilation of children is going on in this country on the part of hospitals that provide gender changes on request by families whose children have learned on Tik Tok to question their gender and become convinced to change thei
A vehicle has been immobilized by a parking boot in the 2100 block of South State Street in Chicago on July 13, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The notorious parking boot could become more prevalent in Chicago under an ordinance amendment passed by a City Council committee Thursday that would allow the practice in private parking lots citywide.

Aldermen voted 12-6 to authorize the use of the often-dreaded contraption on vehicles improperly parked on private lots, sending the proposal to the council floor for a vote next week. Aldermen Gregory Mitchell, David Moore, Anthony Napolitano, Matt Martin, Brendan Reilly and Stephanie Coleman voted no.

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Currently, the practice of booting cars in parking lots is only allowed in 35 wards, where the aldermen have given their blessing. Thursdays ordinance amendment, sponsored by outgoing Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th, and mayoral candidate and Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, would require all wards to give owners of private lots the option to be able to call up a booting company.

One thing that we need to understand is that this ordinance does not obligate any business or any strip mall to have this  they have an option, Reboyras said ahead of the vote, arguing that some drivers are abusing the spots at store parking lots. Please think about this and why were doing this. Its better for the businesses, and we need to support it.

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Ex-alderman-turned-lobbyist Joe Moore spoke on behalf of the citys largest private booting company, Innovative Parking Solutions, and attempted to play a video of two women distraught to find out their car was towed. Technical difficulties arose, but Moore summarized the clip as an illustration of why seeing your car remain on the premises but with a boot on its wheel is less onerous, more humane.

To quote a viral quote from President Biden, who said: Dont compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the opposition, Moore recited. Here, dont compare private booting to no enforcement mechanism at all, where people can park at will. Compare it to the alternative, which is a towing company, which charges more, which takes your vehicle to a distant pound.

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Moore also said the $170 fine that Innovative charges to free your vehicle is cheaper than the base rates and storage fees from towing companies. And he said that aldermen shouldnt be the ones to have control over whether businesses can make the choice to boot.

Nevertheless, Napolitano expressed concern over the potential for booting situations to get hairy, so he voted no.

Were creating more of a volatile atmosphere than weve had already, Napolitano said. We dont have enough police.  Now our officers are going to be dispatched to an argument in the parking lot over boots from an independent company, not even by a city company, which is ... going to happen. Ive seen it happen numerous, numerous occasions.

Moore concurred that some drivers have indeed gotten angry when returning to a car booted by Innovative.

The practice of booting has existed in the city for the past two decades, leading to the ire of many who have parked at a lot and expected to drive home easily after running across the street for a visit to another business. But store owners have also found themselves losing customers because of non-patrons hogging parking lot spaces.

The duration of the violation is irrelevant to whether the driver violated the terms of the lots use, according to the city. Booting companies are required to post a minimum of two signs per location, including with contact information, wherever they operate. They are not allowed to charge more than $170 to remove the device.

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ayin@chicagotribune.com
Morocco has been elected to the Executive Committee of the Community of Democracies for 2022-2024, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released Thursday.

This election confirms the Kingdoms democratic choices and its constant and irreversible commitment to promoting and protecting freedoms, strengthening democratic institutions and broadening political participation, the statement said.

This election goes in line with Moroccos active and responsible role and its substantial and multi-faceted contributions to the Community of Democracies (CoD), in a constructive and cooperative spirit, since its accession to the organization in 2006.

Through this election, CoDs 27 member countries testify to the Kingdoms voluntary commitment, under the leadership of the King, in favor of strengthening democracy.

This commitment is reflected, at the national level, by a process of reforms and innovative initiatives aimed at consolidating democracy and modernizing society in accordance with the universal values of equality, pluralism and moderation.

Morocco, after having been a member of the CoDs Board of Directors, will now sit on the Executive Committee alongside Canada, Poland, South Korea, Romania and the United States, the foreign ministry said.

Morocco, one of CoDs oldest members and its only MENA country, will remain committed to promoting democracy and supporting adherence to common democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law, as set out in the Warsaw Declaration, the statement added.

CoD Secretary General Thomas E. Garrett had paid a visit to Rabat in July 2021 to take part in a youth training session on democracys role in countering violent extremism.

In his opening remarks at the training session, Garrett had said data shows that countries with strong records of respect for democracy and human rights are far less likely to experience violent extremism, terrorism, civil wars and conflicts. On the other hand, authoritarian and failed states are more likely to experience intra- and interstate conflict, generate refugees, hinder womens equality, and generate violent extremists.

Born as a common initiative of the late U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Polish Foreign Minister Bronisaw Geremek, the Community of Democracies was founded at the Ministerial Conference held in Warsaw, Poland, where high-level delegations from 106 countries signed the Warsaw Declaration Toward a Community of Democracies.

Signatories pledged to uphold the democratic values expressed in the Warsaw Declaration and to support them through a variety of initiatives.

Since its establishment in 2000, the Community of Democracies gradually developed from a conference initiative into a global intergovernmental coalition of democratic states and a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and discussion.
Ali Bongo, the leader of Gabon, will fly today Friday to London in view of attending the funerals of late United Kingdom (UK) monarch Queen Elizabeth II who died at the age of 96 after 70 years of rule.

Like several personalities from around the world, including Sovereigns, Monarchs, Heads of State and other eminent authorities, President Ali Bongo Ondimba will pay tribute to the late Queen who was head of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Commonwealth, a large intergovernmental organization for 70 years, office said in a statement.

About 500 foreign dignitaries including US President Joe Biden are expected in the attendance.

Bongo, the office also indicated, is a friend of King Charles III, the new monarch and head of the CommonWealth; an organization that a central African country recently joined.

The African leader took to Twitter to congratulate the new king on 10 September when he was inaugurated as the new monarch after the demise of his mother.

On behalf of the Nation of Gabon, I cheerfully congratulate His Majesty King Charles III, he said.

He has been a dear friend of Gabon for a long time and we have the same interest for the protection of the environment, the climate and the biodiversity, he added.

As the Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty the King can be assured of my entire support and that of all the people of our country, he ended.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8. She ruled the UK for 70 years.
At 17 people lost their lives in a battle with opposing breeders and farmers in the province of Moyen-Chari, of Chad, Anadolu news agency reports.

The violence that broke out on Tuesday continued on Wednesday. We also recorded several injuries, including to gendarmes who were dispatched to the area to restore order. The victims were evacuated to the district hospital in Kyabe, Nardji Samson, commandant of the Kyabe brigade in the province told the news agency.

The violence sparked out Tuesday when a herd of oxen invaded farmers fields. This set off a firestorm that led to a first clash with a death toll of around 17 in the locality of Kyabe in the Lac Iro department.

The situation came back to normal Thursday after mediation from local authorities.

Some provinces in the central African country are occasionally the theater of inter-community conflicts. In June eleven other people died in clashes between herders and farmers in the locality of Berem, in the Kabbia department of Mayo-Kebbi East province.
Morocco, a pioneer country in terms of renewable energies in the MENA region, is steadily heading towards energy transition as green energy accounted for 37 per cent of total energy in the kingdom last year, according to data published by the energy and potable water authority (ONEE).

ONEE, in its 2021 report, also noted that renewable energy contribution of the national demand stood at 17.1 per cent, up from 16 per cent in 2020.

The North African country produced 1.466 MW in 2021 while wind energy amounted to 831 MW.

In aggregate, renewable energy reached 4.067 MW out of 10.968 MW expected by authorities.

The initial objective of the national energy strategy was to ensure 42% of electricity production in 2020 from renewable sources. This objective was revised to 52% by 2030, as announced during the COP22 held in Marrakech in 2016.
A court in Burkina Faso has ruled two executives working for Canadian mining firm Trevali are guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a flood disaster at its Perkoa zinc mine in April 2022 killed eight miners

The flood disaster at its Perkoa zinc mine in April killed eight miners, the companys country manager said. Ditil Moussa Palenfo, country director of Nantou Mining, the Trevali entity that owns Perkoa zinc mine, added that one manager was given a 24-month sentence, while a manager from Trevalis contractor Byrnecut was given a 12-month sentence. Both sentences were suspended.

The Perkoa zinc mine, which is located about 120km west of the capital Ouagadougou, was abruptly submerged on 16 April after torrential rain fell unexpectedly during the countrys dry season. There had been some hope during a month-long search and rescue operation that the missing men might have reached the rescue chamber, which is stocked with food and water and located approximately 570m below ground. But no survivors were found in the chamber on May 17 after days of search by a rescue team.

Relatives of some of the victims in April had filed a complaint for involuntary homicide, causing danger to life and failure to help people in danger. Burkina Faso Prime Minister Albert Ouedraogo said that the managers were banned from leaving the country while investigations were under way. Trevali halted trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in August after announcing the two executives were being held in Burkina Faso and awaiting trial. Its common shares will be delisted effective close of market on 3 October.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has hailed the transformational changes generated by the Abraham Accords brokered by the U.S. for the normalization of relations between Israel, Morocco, the UAE and Bahrain.

In a press release issued Thursday by the State Department, Mr. Blinken said: this week, we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements.

These steps () have led to new forms of cooperation and regional integration in the Middle East and beyond, including the historic Negev Forum, which brought us together with Israel and its neighbors, said the U.S Secretary.

We are committed to advancing and expanding upon these agreements between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority countries to enhance regional security, prosperity, and peace, he added, affirming that the United States looks forward to helping strengthen and deepen these partnerships in the years to come.

In his twitter account, Mr. Blinken said the United States will continue to strongly support a process that is transforming the Middle East and beyond.
Had a national railroad strike started Friday, it would have been a brand-new experience for most workers at North Plattes Bailey Yard.

When I had my (union) meetings, I asked them if they had ever been on strike, Midwest Nebraska Central Labor Council President Jeff Cooley said after a tentative labor-management agreement early Thursday averted a strike by less than 24 hours.

I may have had one hand out of 200.

Cooley, a Union Pacific Railroad conductor who lives in Lemoyne, said he was cautiously optimistic about descriptions of the accord announced about 4 a.m. CT in Washington, D.C.

But he said he hadnt yet seen its language, especially on the sick leave, on-call and two-person crew issues that pushed U.P. and other lines to the brink of shutdown.

Americas last nationwide rail strike lasted for three days in June 1992 until Congress passed legislation imposing a settlement on both sides.

The details will decide whether railroaders of various job types ratify the accords, said Cooley, also president of Local 200 of the national SMART Unions transportation division.

If those workplace issues and dignity issues are addressed in the final agreement, I believe theyll ratify, he said. If not, theyll turn it down.

Bailey Yard electrician Mike Gage, Central Labor Council secretary-treasurer and president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1920, deferred to Cooley in commenting on the deal.

Because his national union had already reached a tentative deal, Gage said, he needs to find out what Thursdays accord means for IBEW members.

Nine of the 12 nationwide craft unions had reached settlements with U.P. and other major national railroads mostly based on last months contract recommendations by an emergency board appointed by President Joe Biden.

All of their deals, the Associated Press reported Thursday, included provisions awarding benefits equal to what the other unions receive in their talks.

SMART-TD and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen led the holdout crafts, citing their members complaints about being on call every day and risking discipline if they took time off for doctors visits, surgeries or hospitalizations.

Representatives of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen were alongside SMART-TD and the engineers union in meeting with the railroads and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh for 20 straight hours starting Wednesday.

Jeremy Ferguson and Dennis Pierce, respective presidents of the latter two unions, said Thursday that the tentative agreement reached Thursday takes great strides toward resolving members quality-of-life issues.

We listened when our members told us that a final agreement would require improvements to their quality of life as well as economic gains, they said in a joint statement.

U.P. spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said Friday the railroad is pleased a national strike has been averted.

We look forward to the unions ratifying these agreements and working with employees as we focus on restoring supply chain fluidity, she said.

Cooley said he was encouraged by at least the broad-brush strokes of the agreement reached Thursday.

According to Fergusons and Pierces statement, the accord includes the creation of voluntary assigned days off for thru-freight railroaders in addition to the one extra paid day off called for by the emergency board.

Though he wants to see the details, Cooley said, I would say that if that is in there, that would be a plus.

He also generally welcomed the national union chiefs statement that members had gained the ability to take time away from work to attend to routine and preventive medical care, as well as exemptions from attendance policies for hospitalizations and surgical procedures.

A New York Times account of the agreement said workers would be able to take unpaid leave to see their doctors and wouldnt be penalized for doing so.

But Cooley said he also wanted voluntary extra rest for engineers, who are allowed just 10 hours at home to sleep before their next assignment.

Lately theyve been called out anyway, he said. Conductors in North Platte can take an extra rest if they need it at home, but engineers cannot.

The tentative agreement also blocks railroads efforts to fast-track arbitration on their desire to reduce train crews from two people to one.

That means two-person crews are protected for the indefinite future, the said in their joint statement.

Cooley hailed that news. That is job security, and that would be a major win, he said.

But he noted that brakemen  long abolished from most train crews  still have been assigned on occasion for short trips such as from Bailey Yard to Sidney, Lexington or Grand Island.

He wants to know whether that provision survived in the tentative deal. But on the face of it, the crew-consist part sounds great.

Negotiators also agreed to freeze railroaders health insurance premiums when the new contracts expire at the end of 2024, the SMART-TD and engineers union leaders said.

A long-sought unity among railroaders of all crafts likely is the best byproduct of the showdown, Cooley said.

Had the strike started as expected, he said, engineers and conductors would have been front and center on the picket lines. But Bailey Yards other unions also would have struck in sympathy.

North Platte residents would have seen a group of picketers in the old Alco parking lot at Parkade Plaza. Striking workers also would have gathered outside eight gates at Bailey Yard, Cooley said.

He and other leaders of the Central Labor Council are happy with our membership that they all grouped up in unity, we stood in solidarity and they were ready to strike if need be, he said.

We were all unified in our fight.
NEAR HARRISBURG  In bone-dry Banner County, clouds of dirt drift into the sky as rumbling tractors till the sun-baked soil.

We get very little rain, said Jim Young, standing in a field thats been in his family for 80 years. And we get a lot of wind.

Some of the countrys best wind, in fact.

Thats why 16 years ago, wind energy companies started courting landowners on County Road 14 north of Kimball  on wind speed maps, a deep purple smear through the Nebraska Panhandle that signifies high-speed, reliable wind.

This county of just 625 people stood poised to become home to as many as 300 wind turbines.

It would have been the largest wind project in the state, bringing in money for landowners, developers, the county and local schools.

But then, a roadblock: The U.S. Air Force.

Under the dusty fields are dozens of nuclear missiles housed in silos more than 100 feet underground.

For decades, tall structures like wind turbines needed to be at least a quarter mile away from the missile silos. Earlier this year, the military changed its policy.

Now turbines cant be within two nautical miles of the silos. The switch ruled out acres of land energy companies had leased  and wrested a potential windfall from dozens of farmers.

The stalled Banner County project is unique, but its one more way that Nebraska struggles to harness its main renewable energy resource.

Nebraska ranks eighth in the country in potential wind energy, according to the federal government. It continues to lag behind neighbors Colorado, Kansas and Iowa, all of whom are national leaders.

The Banner County projects would have grown Nebraskas wind capacity by 25%. Its now unclear how many turbines will be possible because of the rule change.

This would have been a big deal for a lot of farmers. And it would have been an even bigger deal for every property owner in Banner County, Young said. Its just a killer. Dont know how else to say it.

Living with Nukes

John Jones was driving his tractor when helicopters suddenly whizzed overhead. His tractor had kicked up enough dust to trigger a missile silos motion detectors.

Jeeps sped up. Armed men jumped out to inspect the threat.

I just kept farming, Jones said.

Banner County residents have coexisted with the missile silos since the 1960s. To keep up with Soviet nuclear technology, the U.S. planted hundreds of missiles, positioning them to shoot over the North Pole and into the Soviet Union at a moments notice.

Today, 82 missile silos in the Panhandle are still active, manned 24/7 by Air Force crews.

The 80,000-pound warheads can fly 15,000 miles per hour and do damage 20 times greater than the nukes dropped in World War II.

If we ever get bombed, they say this is the first place theyre going to bomb, because of the silos, said farmer Tom May.

Every acre of Mays property sits within the two miles of a missile silo, he said. Under the new Air Force rule, he cant put a single wind turbine on his ground.

Sixteen years ago, wind turbine developers held a meeting at the school in Harrisburg.

Banner had what developers called world-class wind. Many landowners were eager  they could make $15,000 per turbine per year. The turbines would also pump money into the county and school system, said county officials.

In Banner County, it would have reduced property taxes to damn near nothing, Young said they were told.

Eventually, two companies  Invenergy and Orion Renewable Energy Group  finalized plans to put up wind turbines.

But discussions with the military starting in 2019 brought the projects to a screeching halt.

Wind turbines pose a significant flight safety hazard, an Air Force spokesman said in an email. Those turbines didnt exist when the silos were built. Now that they dot the rural landscape, the Air Force said it needed to reevaluate its setback rules. The final number it settled on was two nautical miles  2.3 miles on land  so helicopters wouldnt crash.

In May, military officials traveled from Wyomings F.E. Warren Air Force Base to break the news to landowners. On an overhead projector at Kimballs Sagebrush Restaurant, they showed enlarged photos of what helicopter pilots see when flying near turbines in a snowstorm.

For most landowners, the news came as a gutpunch. They said they support national security and keeping service members safe. But they wonder: Is eight times as much distance necessary?

They dont own that land. But all of a sudden, they have the power to strike the whole thing down, telling us what we can and cant do, Jones said.

Young agreed.

When you can land a helicopter on top of any hospital in the country, theyre saying that this is too close, he said, pointing to a nearby missile silo and a distant tower less than two miles away. Now you know why were pissed, right?

Wind energy improving, but still lagging

Nebraska built its first wind turbines in 1998  two towers west of Springview. Installed by the Nebraska Public Power District, the pair were a test run.

Iowa had been promoting wind energy since the early 1980s. By 2010, Nebraska was 25th in the country at producing wind-generated power  the bottom of the pack among windy Great Plains states.

The reasons fueling the lag were uniquely Nebraskan. Nebraska is the only state served entirely by publicly owned utilities, mandated to deliver the cheapest electricity possible.

Federal tax credits for wind farms only applied to the private sector. With a smaller population, already cheap electricity and limited access to transmission lines, Nebraska lacked the market to make wind energy worthwhile.

A decade of legislation helped change that calculus. Public utilities were allowed to buy power from private wind developers. A state law diverted taxes back to the county and school district  the reason the Banner County wind farms may have shrunk taxes.

Now, Nebraska has enough wind turbines to generate 3,216 megawatts, moving to fifteenth in the nation.

Its modest growth, experts said. But with new federal incentives, and the three largest Nebraska public power districts committing to going carbon neutral, wind energy in the state is expected to accelerate.

The biggest obstacle now may be Nebraskans who simply dont want them.

Turbines are noisy eyesores, some say. Without federal tax credits, they arent necessarily a financially wise way to generate electricity, said Tony Baker, legislative aide for Sen. Tom Brewer.

In April, Otoe County Commissioners imposed a one-year moratorium on wind projects. In Gage County, officials passed restrictions that would prevent any future wind development. Since 2015, county commissioners in Nebraska have rejected or restricted wind farms 22 times, according to energy journalist Robert Bryces national database.

The first thing we heard out of everyones mouth was how, We dont want those damn wind turbines next to our place, Baker said, describing visits with Brewers Sandhills constituents. Wind energy tears apart the fabric of communities. You have a family that benefits from it, wants it, but everybody that neighbors them doesnt.

John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said pushback comes from a loud minority. Eighty percent of rural Nebraskans thought more should be done to develop wind and solar energy, according to a 2015 University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll.

Its that NIMBY problem, Hansen said, using the acronym meaning, Not in My Backyard. Its, Im not against wind energy, I just dont want it in my area. Their goal is to make sure that no project gets built, period.

For Nebraska towns facing shrinking populations, wind turbines can mean economic opportunity, Hansen said. In Petersburg, the influx of workers after a wind farm was built led a failing grocery store to instead build a second location, he said. Its the equivalent of a part-time job for farmers who agree to turbines.

Its like having an oil well on your land without all the pollution, said Dave Aiken, a UNL ag economics professor. Youd think it would be a no-brainer.

The landowners arent sure whats next. Orion said the Air Force decision rules out at least half its planned turbines. It still hopes to have a project running in 2024. Invenergy declined to detail any future plans.

This resource is just there, ready to be used, Brady Jones, John Jones son, said. How do we walk away from that? At a time when were passing legislation that would vastly increase investment in wind energy in this country? That energys got to come from somewhere.
The details of a bribery case that came to light more than a year ago and spurred a costly internal investigation have finally been made public: Danilo Barjaktarevic, a deputy at the Cook County Board of Review, pleaded guilty Friday to a bribery charge and faces up to 2 years in prison.

According to a plea agreement, Barjaktarevic  a deputy at the BOR responsible for helping property owners appeal their real estate tax valuations  agreed in January 2021 to help lower assessments for more than two dozen properties for an associate of an unnamed person referred to as CS-1.

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Unbeknownst to Barjaktarevic, CS-1 was a confidential source operating at the direction of the FBI, according to the plea. Barjaktarevic told the source he would accept $2,000 to lower assessments for each commercial property, while he would charge $1,000 for each residential property, for a total cost to CS-1 of $43,000, the legal document states. Half was due upfront, which the plea said was paid around Jan. 7.

A worker walks through the lobby to the entrance to the Cook County Board of Review office in April. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Barjaktarevic updated CS-1 on the appeals process during that first cash drop and then again via email in May, detailing whether and the extent to which a propertys assessment had been lowered, according to the agreement.

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The two met again on July 1, when Barjaktarevic received the second payment of $22,000, authorities said in the agreement.

The plea suggests no other Board of Review employees were involved. Barjaktarevic falsely told CS-1 that other employees at the CCBOR would assist, the plea reads.

The agreement, entered before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, calls for Barjaktarevic to repay $21,000 he received as part of the first bribe. Sentencing is set for Dec. 13. Preliminary sentencing guidelines call for 2 to 2 years in prison, according to the plea.

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The Sun-Times first reported the FBI was investigating an unnamed employee at the countys Board of Review last July, citing a 45-page affidavit that was temporarily unsealed. The affidavit quoted the employee, who claimed to be a middle guy splitting the bribes with others in the office, the Sun-Times reported.

Following the report, the Board of Review put that employee on paid leave, the Sun-Times reported, and pledged to independently investigate the incident. The Board of Review signed an emergency contract with the law firm Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila worth $110,000 to conduct an internal investigation of the incident.

That contract was set to expire in early March, but was extended  at a cost of $40,000  and scheduled again to conclude on Sep. 6. Among their responsibilities, according to the contract, was to interview BOR employees about the allegations and the boards security processes, review documents, draft a presentation and a comprehensive written report outlining the findings of the investigation, and represent the board in communications with federal authorities relating to the allegations.

That report has not yet been publicly released.

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The Board of Review is glad that justice was served today and that Mr. Barjaktarevic will repay the money he illegally obtained. We are thankful the investigation showed what weve known all along: this was a single corrupt employee who tried to tarnish the good work done by our hard working staff by falsely implying a larger scheme, Board of Review spokesman William OShields said in a statement.

It was not the first ethics stumble to crop up at the board in recent years. Commissioner Tammy Wendt, who was defeated in the June primary, was found in violation of ethics rules for hiring her first cousin as a top staffer. He was eventually fired. Board members have also been dinged by ethics officials for taking excess campaign donations from people seeking assessment reductions. And the countys watchdog has also chastised board members for repeatedly recruiting employees based on their personal and political connections, and pressured employees into doing political work.
CS Global Partners

LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CS Global Partners, one of the world's leading government advisory agencies, is the official representative of the governments of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis all of whom took part in the first-ever Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2022), which took place in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 1 to 3 September 2022. The forum opened a new chapter for the relations between the Caribbean and Africa. Held under the theme, 'One People, One Destiny, Uniting and Reimagining Our Future', the forum set in motion various initiatives to further deepen and build new trade and investment relationships between Africa and the Caribbean.

The three-day forum was convened by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Government of Barbados in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Africa Business Council, the Caribbean Community Secretariat, and the Caribbean Export Development Agency.

The Prime Minister of Barbados - Mia Amor Mottley, expressed pleasure at being selected as the host country for ACTIF 2022. She asserted that Africa and the Caribbean share common roots and need to work and act together in various sectors. Participants committed to building a commercial bridge between the two regions for their prosperous future.

ACTIF 2022 was the first forum of its kind between the two regions and aimed to provide an opportunity for the Caribbean and African business communities, as well as governments, to establish new commercial and strategic relationships with the goal of expanding trade and investment between both the regions. The high-level support between the two regions is intended to boost bilateral cooperation and engagement in trade, investment, technology transfer, innovation, tourism, culture and other sectors. The forum also opened doors to effective business matchmaking between the two regions.

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The three-day conference featured various panel discussions on several topics, which were based on business-to-business engagements. The delegates discussed topics such as: developing special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks; boosting industrialisation and manufacturing; improving infrastructure, financing and trade logistics, including regional integration, promoting trade and tourism, creating the environment to accelerate private sector investment, improving agricultural productivity and increasing agribusiness opportunities and food security.

Along with this, the forum also witnessed the signing ceremony of two partnership agreements, 10 MoUs and three finance facilities. The star document of the forum, which signified the success of the summit, was the partnership agreement between seven members of the Caribbean Community and Afreximbank to promote and finance South-South trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean. Its ultimate goal is to promote and provide insurance and guarantee services covering commercial and non-commercial risks associated with African and Caribbean exports.

Caribbean countries such as Barbados, the Republic of Suriname, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines signed the agreement with African Export-Import Bank.

The agreement will help to boost knowledge sharing between Africa and the Caribbean region with technical cooperation, research and several joint events. It also has the potential to accelerate the membership of CARICOM nations in Afreximbank as it will enable the bank to operate in the region and deliver on the new vision.

Over and above this, in order to mobilise trade and investment between the two regions, Afreximbank also signed a US$250 million Trade and Investment Agreement with the Central Bank of Barbados.

Further, Afreximbank outlined their aim to establish the export-import as they signed a MoU with the Caribbean Association of Banks. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of hundreds of delegates comprising African and Caribbean business leaders and government officials discussing how to improve trade and investment between the two regions. It was signed by the Chief Executive Officer, CAB, Wendy Delmar, and the Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, Denys Denya.

To sustain these efforts, Africa-Caribbean Business Council, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation and Afreximbank also signed another MoU. The rest of the memos included Ghana Export Promotion Authority and Barbados Investment and Development Corporation signed by BIDC's Hill and GEPA's Dr Afua Asare, and BIDC, GUTA's Dr Joseph Obeng and BCCI's Anthony Branker, Ghana Union of Trade Association and Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed by Hill.

Various senior government representatives, business leaders, representatives of business associations, prospective investors and buyers, project promoters, development agencies, multilateral finance institutions, think tanks and research institutions from Africa and the Caribbean were in attendance at ACTIF 2022 with more than 1,500 delegates representing 93 countries (comprising 48 African countries, 12 Caribbean countries, and 33 other countries).

The specific objectives of ACTIF2022 were:

Promotion of inter-bank relationships, which includes financial flow and fostering payment.

Development of cultural and creative engagements between two regions that can be commercially viable.

Creation of a business case for a potential AfriCaribbean Free Trade Area.

Creating a suitable platform which helps to disseminate trade and investment information and other products and initiatives of the bank, which will support trade between Africa and Africans in the diaspora.

Help in the reduction of the counterpart risk perception among African and Caribbean businesses in dealing among themselves.

Promotion of trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean as the forum served as the platform for market identification, building business partnerships, exchange of trade and market information, and co-investments.

The forum also facilitates Afri-Caribbean investments by fostering and bolstering cross-regional business and investment linkages.

Nandi Canning nandi.canning@csglobalpartners.com +27828215664








PARIS, September 16, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

TotalEnergies (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE), along with its partners, has signed an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) of the Sultanate of Oman in the onshore Block 11. The first stage of the EPSA activities will see seismic acquisition in late 2022, with a first exploration well planned to be drilled in 2023.

TotalEnergies will hold a 22.5% interest in the block, OQ 10% and Shell with 67.5% will be the operator. Block 11 contains undeveloped discoveries and exploration potential.

"Our recent activities in Oman are a demonstration of TotalEnergies strategy of transformation into a multi-energy company. Todays entry into the Block 11 gives us the opportunity to unlock additional potential to meet domestic and export gas demand. It strengthens our strategic relationship with the Sultanate of Oman, as illustrated last December by our entry into the neighbouring Block 10 gas concession, and the start of construction last July of 17-megawatt-peak solar photovoltaic systems providing power to a desalination plant", said Laurent Vivier, Senior Vice President Middle East and North Africa, Exploration and Production, at TotalEnergies.

H.E. Eng. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals in Oman said: "There is a continuous focus in MEM on enhancing the natural gas reserves of the Sultanate of Oman through exploration and appraisal activities undertaken by several companies in the country. This agreement strengthens the strategic relations with partners in the sector such as Shell, TotalEnergies, OQ and others to ensure Omans energy security and attract more foreign investment, adding the highest value to the local supply chain."

***

About TotalEnergies in Oman

In 2021, TotalEnergies production in Oman was 39 kboe/d.

TotalEnergies produces oil in Block 6 (4%), as well as LNG through its participation in the Oman LNG (5.54%)/Qalhat LNG (2.04% via Oman LNG) liquefaction complex with an overall capacity of 10.5 Mt/y.

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In 2021 TotalEnergies signed a Concession Agreement to develop natural gas resources on the onshore Block 10 (26,55%), with first gas is expected in 2023. TotalEnergies also operates exploration Block 12 (80%). TotalEnergies also contributes to the development of renewables in the country.

About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.

Twitter: @TotalEnergies LinkedIn: TotalEnergies Facebook: TotalEnergies Instagram: TotalEnergies

Cautionary Note

The terms "TotalEnergies", "TotalEnergies company" or "Company" in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Universal Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005347/en/

Contacts

TotalEnergies Contacts

Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR

Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l ir@totalenergies.com




Exhibit A





Exhibit Y

Korea and being absolutely ignorant of any culture and country outside of their own periphery, name a better duo.Exhibit AExhibit Y

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I tried watching Shooting Stars but jfc, that whole "Africa" thing was such a turn-off, like, just do what Descendants of the Sun did, make up a fucking country. Why did it have to be "Africa"? That entire story beat was just so telling; the writers have zero idea of what the CONTINENT of Africa is like so they rely on lazy and harmful stereotypes.

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I overheard someone say the other day "That's what they do in Africa. It's a tradition. It's a thing in the country of Africa." Turned around and it wasn't a white girl who said that 

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I have only seen 1 and a half episode so I cannot speak for the whole since I dont know if worse things happen but as of right now i havent seen anything super negative.



*Military men who asked for money in order to protect your shipping product ( this happens in my country too, even the traffic police men stop you just to basically ask you for money in a manipulative way)



*Some guy who thinks he controls the sea so he asks the main character also for extra cash (this character is Chinese so it doesnt have much to do with Suriname)



The prison guard asking him for $200 dollars in exchange of a phone call (again this happens in a bunch of places, its basically corruption, Latina America is filled with that)



Watching this show just got me mad because its true. You go somewhere to try and start a business and theres always people that want to live off you. Im this country (Dominican republic) happens a lot! People in the government do whatever the fuck they want and act like they are gods/superior to everyone just because you are receiving some over exaggerated salary that you dont even deserve and that it should not be that high!



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The prison guard thing wasn't even Surinam. I believe it was Aruba?



Ive only seen a few episodes and most of the shitty characters are Korean or Chinese and the country is more the backdrop. But i haven't seen the whole thing so it possible they have a point.



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Exactly. This is where Im at, I havent seen the whole thing either so maybe they have a point but what I have seen its nothing different Thant what it happens in other countries.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Suriname needs to worry about bigger issues

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If it's based on a true story and it happened in Suriname... I am so confused.

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So a country is going to sue a tv production for making them look bad? Wouldnt every country be able to do this then anytime they are set as a back drop in a show? This is dumb.

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Theyre prob just mad its true. They portray Latin America just the way it is tbh lmfao

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Lmao every country has these issues. Suriname better bring receipts.

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Wtf are some of these comments? So all of a sudden harmful, generalizing depictions of a country/culture are not issue anymore because "it's all true"?

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Yeah, is it because it's "just" a Latin-American country or somesuch? What the heck.

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A kdrama being full of stereotypes? Color me surprised. I wish they'd just keep the backdrops in Korea, it's usually so cringe when they bring it anywhere else. Even bringing in "foreign" cast members that aren't foreign and have these heavy accents are so bad. It's just as cringey as watching a white tv show with a "fluent" Chinese speaking person

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I wanted to touch on her saying it wasn't as bad as it could've been and I have no idea if I will be articulate enough. I just wanted to say that assault shouldn't exist on a scale. What happened to her was horrible. Feeling violated and unsafe when you believe you are in a safe space is not okay. No one should ever feel that way ever. If you have ever felt that way, it matters and you deserve to not feel shame for it because you shouldn't be the one feeling ashamed.



Believe survivors. Assault of any kind to any degree is not okay and you did not deserve it.

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I just pointed out the exact same phrase. I kind of get it because things could always be worse, but that line of thinking takes away so much accountability from the assailant.

I find myself thinking of my bad experiences (see, not even calling them assaults ) like that. But you just realize how powerless youre in a situation and it fucking sucks.

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i feel this. when i was twelve or thirteen a boy put his hand on my ass at summer camp - twice - quickly enough that i might have thought it was an accident, if he hadnt done the same thing to my friend who told me about it. i never think of that as assault, and (this is fucked) sometimes i feel grateful to that experience because i feel like it allowed me to empathize with things like why dont women speak up (telling the head of camp was the most embarrassing and awkward experience of my life) without traumatizing me. but like i was in fucking middle school and some dude put his hand on my ass in the middle of the arts and crafts cabin!!!! if i heard that happened to a kid i know i would be so upset and angry id be throwing up.

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Im basically a hermit and have always been super risk averse and cautious around men. When I was a teen/early 20s I thought that protected me from harassmentuntil I had an experience (damn youre right, this is so hard) in a doctors office.



It was a real wake up call for me because as you say, were so conditioned to the spectre of the dark alleyway attacker and the idea that we have control over whether or not were assaulted when thats just another lie spun by men to avoid accountability. And sadly, by women or other people who are in denial about their own lack of power.



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I flinched because I've had (and still do) same line of thinking.



I think it's hard when so many people around me have said that about my experiences, even when I'm just plainly stating what happened.

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Yeah, I have had to combat this way of thinking, even in myself for years. I was molested on a train when I was a teenager, and because it wasn't violent I felt like I wasn't a "real" victim in some ways, and that I couldn't compare myself to other victims because my experience "wasn't that bad". I always had difficulty using the word assault too, because it wasn't violence it was just a man touching me, and I felt like I wasn't allowed to have trauma from it. Combatting that way of thinking, and the way that society conditions us to think that way (especially the 'not all men' rhetoric) is really hard and can take a loooooong time to get over, especially if it's something you've buried for many years. I feel for her 

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https://roxanegay.com/books/not-that-bad/ I recently finished Roxane Gays Not That Bad. An entire book of essays from different writers processing their it wasnt as bad as it couldve been moments. I listened to the audiobook. It was tough to get through but the writers read their own essays, so it was very powerful. I related to quite a few stories bc this world fucking sucks.

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I think thats just extending a court to others , bc as women weve been conditioned to do that. Ive try to stop myself when I say something like that. I understand what shes means.

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Wow we all have the same

Kind of comment.







Seee

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Just wanted to reply saying I had the same thoughts but couldn't articulate as well as you.



Unfortunately like many others I downplayed my assault. My thought process was "the cops won't do anything unless I physically held him here or had an exact plate # on his car. Even still." & to tell anyone besides my friend felt as if I'd be blamed for getting in a stranger's car.

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beautifully put.

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"Feeling violated and unsafe when you believe you are in a safe space is not okay."



gay man here and i had one* objectively light sexual assault but at the end of the day this was the issue. what he did to me may as well have been worse than it was and it's hard to explain how it messed me up BAD for a hot minute



*one among others but this is the one that stuck with me during some formative years



Edited at 2022-09-16 08:04 am (UTC)

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Very true, yet I can't help thinking that way about something that happened to me. It's so weird.

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Completely agree. I hate that so many of us have the first knee-jerk reaction of trying to minimise what happened and/or our reaction to it.

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The self-gaslighting is so real for victims of abuse.

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Terrible things happen all the time and this situation wasnt as bad as it couldve been.



That really is how women have been conditioned to view our traumas.

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The awful thing is that no matter how terrible the experience is, we've been taught to minimize it by saying that it could have been worse. The truth is that having your trust betrayed, feeling violated/unsafe, etc. is traumatizing regardless of the exact circumstances that caused you to feel this way. The psychological fallout is real no matter how ~minor~ it may be on the sliding scale of catastrophic events, and we need to be allowed to acknowledge that instead of being made to feel we should brush it aside just because it wasn't XYZ.

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Is there any woman who hasn't been assaulted in some sort of way? It's all so horrible. I often imagine the person I could been and the things I could have achieved without trauma. And that's WITH processing and therapy. Women give up so much to this world's catering to men.

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Meanwhile, men like Matt Damon are all about "It wasn't rape-rape, so don't complain. Don't you dare misclassify it."

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What was he talking about?

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i can't think of a situation where i've been phsyically assaulted, but i definitely have been harassed by a male co-worker... like currently ongoing and my supervisor is aware and she's brought it up to our director and he just... ignores it? or can't do anything?



i'm weird about people in general, but i really don't like people being too close to me, and i especially don't like people (in general) touching me unless i'm comfortable with them. He used to come into the break room during my break and be crudely suggestive, but i've figured out a way to keep him at a distance...

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ive never been physically assaulted but my best friend and i had a man in a truck expose himself to us and masturbate outside our elementary school. we were thankfully a bit further away from the road because this guy had been going around trying to snatch girls off the street for weeks.



literally its always something.



Edited at 2022-09-16 03:22 pm (UTC)

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Something similar happened at an otherwise awful time in my life so I totally understand what she's saying about how you just kinda repress and bury and move on bc at the time as awful as it is, it's not even at the top of your list of things to focus on. I wish her all the healing. 

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Same. I hope things are a little better for you now.

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holy hell, how completely terrible and devastating. I hope she can get the support she needs to cope with this.

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the way that we so often downplay our traumatic experiences because it wasn't full-on rape is so depressing. "it could've been worse"... just. phew. :\

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And things like that are why I never, ever want to get a massage, even though most massage therapists are presumably not that creep. Just thinking about a massage at a spa from a stranger sets off my anxiety about someone who went after me in the past. No thanks.

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This really hits home. Im appreciative of her talking about it, its the kind of thing you dont realize youre internalizing about your own experience until you hear someone else saying it about their own.

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i really wish they reunite and go to asia

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Thats just awful. Idk about other people but I basically only feel comfortable getting services like that from a woman. I know anyone can commit assault but it just fees far less likely.

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I know how she feels, some guy at the place I use to work grab my hand and tried to kiss me. Seriously it still scares me to this day, and makes my stomach hurt when I think about it.

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God I'm so sorry this happened to her.



This makes me sick.

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That really fucking sucks. I know what she means by saying it was a mild version - we hear of violent assaults all the time, so not going through that makes you feel like you can barely even call an unwanted action assault. But, it is and it shouldnt have happened to her.



I splurged on massages twice in my life and both times they were with women who took great care of making me feel both comfortable and relaxed. I wish life in general was that nice and none of us had to deal with disgusting people.

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Thats just awful.

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it's sad that reading the post and the comments that we all went through some kind of assault and brushed it off because it could have been worse . I've gotten massages (bc I sprained my back once) but while clothed because I'm just scared of whatifs.

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You can get them clothed?? I never knew this lol. I've only had one massage in my life and I was comfortable with the lady (although not comfortable being topless) and didn't know that was an option.

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I've seen people in malls get massages and obvs they're clothed.



And at a hospital where I use to volunteer at they would hire masseuses to celebrate nurses at the hospital.



I guess you would have to be nude for deep tissue stuff but I've def seen people getting massages clothed in other places.



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yeah!! unless you want the special oils (I have no idea what oils bc I always say no without listening)

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This week's proposals from the European Commission to reduce soaring energy prices and help households and businesses through the crisis are not enough, several European industry associations say.

On Wednesday, the Commission said it would propose a revenue cap for companies producing electricity at a low cost and a "crisis contribution" from the extra profits of fossil fuel companies in a plan to raise $140 billion (140 billion euros) to cushion the energy crisis blow to European citizens and economy. The EU will also look to reform the electricity market to decouple the dominant influence of gas on the price of electricity, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Reacting to the Commission's plan to tackle the crisis, European Aluminium, the association of the aluminum industry in Europe, said that the proposed emergency measures "are necessary but not enough to help aluminium industry survive winter."

"These measures are not enough and will not save the energy-intensive aluminium industry from further production cuts, job losses, and possibly a complete breakdown," the association added.

Soaring energy prices have prompted a wave of aluminum capacity cuts across Europe as smelters reel from sky-high gas and power prices while demand remains soft due to concerns about global economic growth.

Due to the high energy costs, the European metals industry last week called on the EU for emergency action to prevent a collapse of the sector which faces an existential threat from surging power and gas prices.

The fertilizer industry is also suffering from natural gas prices 15 times the pre-crisis level, 10 times more than the U.S. prices, and well above the prices in Asia, the Fertilizers Europe group said last week in a letter to Commission President von der Leyen.

"For many energy-intensive industries there is currently no business case to continue production in Europe nor visibility and certainty for investments and further developments. The effects of those closures are also starting to have a severe impact on our value chains endangering European industrial base and the availability of essential products more broadly," Fertilizers Europe said ahead of the proposals put forward by the Commission.

After the proposals, Fertilizers Europe director general Jacob Hansen told Reuters:

"We need a physical supply of competitively priced gas for the European fertilizer producers to restart production."

The EU energy ministers are meeting on September 30 to discuss the Commission's plan.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
- Europes imports of diesel have been increasing in September so far, moving up to 1.65 million

- The combination of extremely low middle distillate stocks and remarkably healthy diesel cracks, still around $50 per barrel despite the recent price drop, makes Europe a coveted destination.

- According to Reuters, the Middle East is poised to become the largest diesel supplier to Europe as regional buyers are preparing for the onset of EU sanctions on Russian products in February 2022.

- September is usually the month with some of the largest weekly builds in gas stocks before the winter kicks in  an emergency gas generation ramp-up might disrupt gas injection rates, adding another layer of pressure on prices.

- Considering that the railway-unions deal is still tentative, a resurfacing risk of strikes would lift Henry Hub futures again as 70% of all coal deliveries to US power plants are handled by rail.

- According to the US EIA, consumption of natural gas in the United States is set to rise to an all-time high of 86.6 bcf per day in 2022, amidst retirements of coal-fired power plants.

- The prospect of a nationwide railway strike pushed US natural gas futures up above 9 per mmBtu, amidst fears of coal-by-rail disruptions, underscoring the importance of gas in power generation.

1. Threat of Railways Stike Highlights U.S. Energy Vulnerability

- The prospect of a nationwide railway strike pushed US natural gas futures up above 9 per mmBtu, amidst fears of coal-by-rail disruptions, underscoring the importance of gas in power generation.

- According to the US EIA, consumption of natural gas in the United States is set to rise to an all-time high of 86.6 bcf per day in 2022, amidst retirements of coal-fired power plants.

- Considering that the railway-unions deal is still tentative, a resurfacing risk of strikes would lift Henry Hub futures again as 70% of all coal deliveries to US power plants are handled by rail.

- September is usually the month with some of the largest weekly builds in gas stocks before the winter kicks in  an emergency gas generation ramp-up might disrupt gas injection rates, adding another layer of pressure on prices.

2. Middle East Makes Claim for Europes Diesel Market

- According to Reuters, the Middle East is poised to become the largest diesel supplier to Europe as regional buyers are preparing for the onset of EU sanctions on Russian products in February 2022.

- The combination of extremely low middle distillate stocks and remarkably healthy diesel cracks, still around $50 per barrel despite the recent price drop, makes Europe a coveted destination.

- Europes imports of diesel have been increasing in September so far, moving up to 1.65 million b/d, with the Middle East controlling an increasingly larger share of the market.

- Russia used to be the key diesel exporter to Europe but it has seen its share decline from 60% three months ago to 44% in September so far.

3. We Need to Talk About Gas

- European TTF natural gas futures have found some respite around the 200 per MWh mark as fears of inadequate supply have been partially alleviated by the new EU plan to cut consumption.

- Some market optimism has come from Goldman Sachs forecasting that European wholesale prices would halve to below 100 per MWh by the end of Q1 2023, assuming a normal winter.

- On the other hand, the mulled nationalization of Germanys leading gas importers Uniper and VNG has sent jitters across Europe, stoking fears that more might be on the way.

- The European Commission has pledged to work on a more representative benchmark than the Dutch TTF, pointing to the ongoing discrepancy between delivered LNG prices and TTF.

4. Indias Growth Trajectory Soon to Make it Prime Coal Buyer

- According to the Indian Central Electricity Authority, the Asian country will see an addition of 43-53 GW of coal-fired power generation capacity as it tries to satiate skyrocketing demand growth.

- As such, India is catching up with China in its thermal coal imports and ramping up deliveries from Russia and Indonesia, just as ICE Newcastle futures trade around 430-440 per metric ton.

- According to Wood Mackenzie, Indias thermal coal imports will rise 7% this year to 158 million tons and continue edging higher in 2023, totaling 163 million tons.

- China, on the other hand, is cutting imports and is expected to buy only 182 million tons this year, down 64 mtpa year-on-year, suggesting that India might become the largest selling market globally by the mid-2020s.

5. EU Windfall Profit Plan Angers Low Emitters

- The European Commission unveiled a new plan that would cap earnings for power and fossil fuel companies, aiming to garner 142 billion in windfall profits whilst committing to a 5% reduction in peak-hour power demand.

- Whilst so far electricity demand has been fairly in line with 2021 figures, August recording a 1% year-on-year drop, Brussels has targeted a 10% cut in total electricity demand until end-March 2023.

- Power generation companies that are not running on gas will see their profits capped at 180 per MWh and the surplus would become public revenue, i.e. to be reallocated by the EU.

- With this, it seems that the idea of establishing a power price cap has been removed from the agenda as authorities questioned the demand-reducing effect of such a measure.

6. US Diesel Stocks Are Low at The Worst Possible Moment

- Unprecedentedly low middle distillate inventories may create the perfect storm for US diesel prices as the country is heading first into harvest season and then into winter heating oil season.

- Ongoing backwardation is hindering the rebuilding of diesel stocks, leaving inventories on the US Atlantic Coast 41% below the 5-year average, just as refiners are heading into fall maintenance.

- Despite robust cracks, shipping the fuel along the Colonial Pipeline is not attractive for suppliers as the two-week travel time creates unnecessary risks for hedging the backwardated curve.

- Similarly, in the Midwest, where diesel stocks usually peak in August before peak demand starts with the harvest season, inventories right now are below the average post-harvest level.

7. Russian Aluminum Bucks the Sanction Trend

- The United States and the European Union have ramped up imports of Russian industrial metals in 2022, despite logistical constraints and talks of starving Moscow of revenue.

- According to data compiled by Reuters, imports of aluminum and nickel have gone up by 70% across the Atlantic Basin, with sanctions so far sparing the industrial metals sector.

- European smelters such as Norsk Hydro and Novelis have pledged not to purchase any Russian product in 2023, with next-year supply agreements being negotiated right now in what is generally called the industrys mating season.

- Yet without US/EU sanctions, Russian aluminum and nickel are expected to maintain their market share thanks to marginal discounts, in fact, US suppliers are set to ramp up purchases as metals exports out of China have been shrinking.
The White House threw up a test balloon earlier this week, suggesting that it could refill the SPR when oil sinks below $80according to Bloomberg, citing an anonymous WH source. The point ostensibly would be to protect U.S. crude production growth and keep prices from plummeting by creating artificial demand via refilling the SPR to the tune of more than a hundred million barrels. (This would be at a time when inventory is currently at only 434 million barrels, compared

In Iraq, there have been no new incidents of clashes in Baghdad or, importantly, in oil-rich Basra, but neither has there been any progress in solving the political impasse. We are keeping an eye on Turkish efforts to regain some lost influence here, as well as the Islamic States attempts to regroup amid the power vacuum and chaosall of which will also impact Baghdads ongoing efforts to take control of oil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

After some 150 soldiers were killed this week in renewed fighting over Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire. This frozen and oft-unfrozen conflict dates back to the 80s, with territory considered as belonging to Azerbaijan but home to a large Armenian population, making for an untenable situation. Renewed fighting in 2020 led to Azerbaijan regaining control of territory here occupied by Armenia. Russia is the key to brokering ceasefires here.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

After some 150 soldiers were killed this week in renewed fighting over Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire. This frozen and oft-unfrozen conflict dates back to the 80s, with territory considered as belonging to Azerbaijan but home to a large Armenian population, making for an untenable situation. Renewed fighting in 2020 led to Azerbaijan regaining control of territory here occupied by Armenia. Russia is the key to brokering ceasefires here.

In Iraq, there have been no new incidents of clashes in Baghdad or, importantly, in oil-rich Basra, but neither has there been any progress in solving the political impasse. We are keeping an eye on Turkish efforts to regain some lost influence here, as well as the Islamic States attempts to regroup amid the power vacuum and chaosall of which will also impact Baghdads ongoing efforts to take control of oil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Energy Markets

The White House threw up a test balloon earlier this week, suggesting that it could refill the SPR when oil sinks below $80according to Bloomberg, citing an anonymous WH source. The point ostensibly would be to protect U.S. crude production growth and keep prices from plummeting by creating artificial demand via refilling the SPR to the tune of more than a hundred million barrels. (This would be at a time when inventory is currently at only 434 million barrels, compared to 593 million at the beginning of the year). But just a day later, the DOE said it had no such price trigger, and that it would not look to refill the SPR until the end of Fiscal 2023. Prices fell after the DOEs denial, although letting the SPR sink to even lower levels through additional drawdowns and letting it stay there could also be seen as bullish. There are roughly 30 million barrels still to be released from the SPR through October. Since mid-April when the additional SPR releases began, U.S. crude inventories excluding SPR have increased by 16 million barrels so far. Meanwhile, the SPR has drawn down 122 million barrels since that time, for a net loss of 106 million barrels of oil in commercial and SPRor a loss of roughly 4.8 million barrels per week. U.S. production would have to increase (or demand/exports to decrease) by 685,000 bpd just to keep evenand thats without replenishing the SPR. By October, when the releases end, the SPR should be well below that in commercial inventories. From that point on, commercial inventories will have to carry the weight of the weekly shortfall. Unless crude exports stop, there will be no replenishing of the SPR whether the DOE plans to do so or notthe oil simply isnt there.

The railroad union and its workers reached an agreement in the 11th hour, averting a possible catastrophic disruption in transportation and supply chains across the United States. The energy industry was staring down a potential disruption in ethane and coal, for starters.

Total has cut its production by 50% at its 238,000 bpd Port Arthur refinery in Texas due to a planned shutdown of two sulfur recovery units. The maintenance should last about two weeks.

The latest from Moscow is an announcement that the defeated Nord Stream 2 will now be replaced (from Russias gas flow perspective) by the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline to China. Moscow says the two countries will be signing a deal in the near future for the delivery of 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year via this pipeline. The Power of Siberia2 victory dance comes after a high-level meeting between Putin and Xi this week.

The Bulgaria-Greece interconnector is currently being tested, with commercial quantities of nat gas expected to begin flowing on October 1. Bulgaria is set to receive 1 bcm of gas per year from Azerbaijan when the line begins flowing.

Croatia has asked oil and gas firm INA to increase its production of gas by 10%, to be sold to the state-owned power utility HEP. While this was the mandate, ordering a company to produce more doesnt make it so, and critics say there are limited opportunities to increase production unless fracking is employedwhich Croatia is, for now, unwilling to do.

The Czech government is looking to spend 1.2 billion euros to help 8,000 large companies as energy prices continue to make it difficult to do business. The support will be available for companies to draw on starting November 1. The businesses that will have funds available to them, include those in the manufacturing, metallurgical, forestry, and agriculture industries.

Discovery & Development

The battle over fracking in Colombia continues. This week, Ecopetrol has asked the countrys regulator to suspend two pilot fracking contracts for 90 days. The two projects are joint projects with Exxon. The two projects could be canceled entirely if a new law backed by President Petro passes congress. The project has been fraught with controversy, first gaining the license to frack only to have it clawed back, with environmental groups and community members opposed to the projects. At this point, only pilot projects have so far had the go-ahead for fracking, with fracking in general not permitted in the country.

Kazakhstan has plans to sell 107 exploration and development licenses for oil and gas blocks23 of which will go exclusively to the state-run companies KazMunayGas and Qazaqgaz. The offering will include prospective tracts as well as those in which oil and gas have already been discoveredit also includes onshore and offshore, in shallow waters. It will be an online auction. Kazakhstan has the largest proven oil reserves in the Caspian Sea region. Kazakhstan has seen disruptions in oil production and exports in recent months.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Crestwood Equity Partners LP will divest its gathering and compression assets in the Marcellus to Antero Midstream for $205 million, which includes 72 miles of dry gas gathering pipelines and nine compressor stations with 700 MMcf/d of compression capacity. The deal is part of Anteros strategy to obtain Marcellus assets.

While energy continues to outperform on the TSX, Calgary-based Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd has now cleared the way to become the biggest player in Albertas Clearwater unconventional oil play with its announcement of the acquisition of Deltastream Energy Corp in a nearly US$1.1 billion. The acquisition will add 23,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent to Tamaracks production next year.
While Xi in many respects doubled down on China's relationship with Russia while in Uzbekistan, the Chinese leader has show sensitivity to Eurasias growing anxieties over Russias aggression in Ukraine.

The two discussed Taiwan, Ukraine, and more, with China emphasizing finding a balance between Russia and the West.

Chinese President Xi Jingping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war.

At a time of increasing animosity with the West, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in person for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war to showcase their strong ties.

The two authoritarian leaders gathered on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan's ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand in a show meant to signal deeper coordination and unity between the two countries and reaffirm their relationship amid major battlefield setbacks for Moscow in its nearly seven-month war in Ukraine, which has seen China walk a cautious but supportive line for the Kremlin.

Putin hinted at their September 15 meeting that Beijing may not be satisfied with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, saying he understood that Xi had "questions and concerns" but praised the Chinese leader for what he called a "balanced" position on the war.

"We highly value the balanced stance of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis," Putin said during the meeting. "We understand your questions and concerns about this. During today's meeting, we will of course explain our position."

Amid their discussion, Xi referred to Putin as an "old friend," and Putin offered a full-throated endorsement of Beijing's positions over Taiwan and its One China policy that recognizes the self-governing island as part of mainland China. A readout of their conversation showed that Xi did not mention Ukraine or NATO in the talks.

This marks the first meeting between Putin and Xi since February in Beijing just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when they signed a joint statement declaring the partnership between the two countries had "no limits."

Despite different tones, the leaders were eager to voice their opposition to the United States and what Putin deemed a "unipolar" world order led by the United States that Beijing and Moscow both sought to move against.

"We are ready," Xi said, according to a Kremlin readout, "together with our Russian colleagues, to set an example of a responsible world power and play a leading role in bringing such a rapidly changing world onto a trajectory of sustainable and positive development."

But while Xi and Putin displayed a deepening of ties, the path forward amid a grinding war in Ukraine, global economic shocks, and an altered geopolitical landscape across Eurasia is far from straightforward.

A Symbolic Meeting

Set up in 2001, the SCO consisted of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan before expanding in 2017 to include India and Pakistan. The summit offers a symbolic venue for the leaders as they look to deepen their partnership and voice opposition to the West.

Xi is also looking to highlight his power abroad after strengthening his control in the lead-up to an important Chinese Communist Party congress next month where he is expected to receive a third term as leader.

"The reason for this meeting at the end of the day is very different for each side, but it's ultimately about optics," Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, told RFE/RL. "Putin wants to show the West that he isn't isolated and still has friends in Asia. For Xi, it's about showing that he is a key powerbroker and just as respected as a leader around the world as he is at home."

Throughout the war, Beijing has refrained from condemning Russia's invasion and offered a diplomatic lifeline to Moscow. Chinese oil companies have also been a top buyer of discounted Russian energy and other raw materials. Beijing also has kept up its military links with Russia, taking part in large-scale war games in the Far East earlier this month.

Both Beijing and Moscow view the SCO as a vehicle to oppose Western-led institutions and offer what officials from both countries have framed as an alternative world order. China also appears eager to respond to the United States following an August visit to Taiwan by U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, which Beijing said was "provocative."

According to The Wall Street Journal, the decision to use part of Xi's first trip abroad in nearly three years to meet with Putin was partly a reaction to Pelosi's visit.

"Both leaders are attracted to the idea of building a non-Western international order," said Pantucci. "The SCO is in many ways a flimsy institution, but this shows how they can engage more with it and other institutions like it to offer an alternative path."

Still, Beijing has taken a pragmatic approach and has shown that despite its declaration of a "no-limits" dynamic with Russia, China does appear to have its red lines.

China has so far complied with sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, with some Chinese companies even cutting ties with Moscow to avoid violating the measures and damaging its access to Western markets.

Despite the meeting in Samarkand, China has not signaled any deviation from this line that it has followed since Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine in late February.

Xi's Balancing Act

All eyes were on Xi and Putin at the SCO, but their tete-a-tete was far from the only meeting on the sidelines of the summit. The diplomatic gathering, along with Xi's Central Asian tour this week, represents a long-term Chinese foreign policy strategy.

While Xi in many respects doubled down on China's relationship with Russia while in Uzbekistan, the Chinese leader is performing a difficult balancing act for his Eurasian diplomacy while attending the SCO.

China has invested heavily over the years in its relations with countries in Central Asia and Beijing is looking to further cultivate those ties while at the SCO, having already signed a slew of trade and investment pacts with countries in the region.

Amid the fallout from the war, Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, in particular -- have also become uncomfortable with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and growing pressure from the Kremlin.

Beijing has tried to show a sensitivity to these anxieties, with Xi beginning his regional trip on September 14 in Nur-Sultan where he met with his counterpart, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, and said China "will continue to resolutely support Kazakhstan in protecting its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"On the one hand, China will provide diplomatic support for Russia and broad commitments to a Beijing-Moscow entente whose principal rationale and focus is to counterbalance Washington," Evan Feigenbaum, vice president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, wrote recently.

"On the other [hand], China will continue de facto compliance with Western sanctions to avoid painting a target on its own back, and it will deploy mealy-mouthed language about 'peace' and 'stability' aimed at placating the Central Asian nations and partners in the 'global south' that are uneasy about Moscow's war in Ukraine," he added.

Long-Term Shift

Neither explicitly an economic or military bloc, the SCO was originally envisaged as a forum through which China and Russia could manage their shared authority over Eurasia and improve relations with their neighbors.

But the Ukraine war has thrown that strategy off balance.

The aftermath of the invasion has seen Russia's economy shrink, its relations with neighbors damaged, and its influence weakened while Moscow has become increasingly dependent on China both economically and politically.

During their meeting in Samarkand, Putin appeared deferential to Xi by praising the Chinese leader, saying he respects his "balanced stance" on the war in Ukraine, backing Beijing's One China policy, and opposing "provocations" by the United States in the Taiwan Strait.

For years, analysts have warned that relations between Beijing and Moscow could become increasingly unbalanced in China's favor, leading to Russia becoming a junior partner in any future dynamic.

"There's no doubt that the power balance has shifted between them. Things used to be much more equal between [Xi and Putin]," said Pantucci. "This is a trend that's been under way for some time and this meeting is further affirmation of it."



By RFE/RL

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Lithium prices jumped on Friday to a fresh all-time high amid soaring demand from growing electric vehicle sales, which the current supply is struggling to meet.

The price of lithium, a key component in battery manufacturing, has more than tripled over the past year, according to Bloomberg estimates. And on Friday, the price of lithium carbonate in China surged to a new record of $71,400 (500,500 Chinese yuan) a ton, per data from Asian Metal cited by Bloomberg.

Strong demand from EV sales growth and lower production in China in recent months has led to a new rally in lithium prices.

EV sales in China are expected to double this year to a record 6 million vehicles, according to a forecast by the China Passenger Car Association.

Globally, 4.2 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were sold worldwide in the first half of 2022, up by 63% compared to the same period of 2021, analyst company Canalys said in research in August. 57% of EVs, or 2.4 million new EVs, were delivered in mainland China, and another 1.1 million EVs were delivered to Europe, according to Canalys.

The United States is still catching up in terms of sales, with 414,000 EVs delivered to customers in the first half of 2022. But the EV share grew from 3% of new cars in H1 2021 to 6% of new cars in H1 2022, a rise of 62%, Canalys noted.

Despite the improved range of vehicle types and EVs from more brands, Tesla still accounted for almost 60% of sales in the US in H1 2022. Popular car brands in the US, such as Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Jeep, Nissan and Toyota, currently sell very few EV models between them. The sooner this changes, the better, and the US EV share will grow, said Chris Jones, VP and Chief Analyst at Canalys.

However, record high lithium prices, production disruptions in key supplier China, and supply chain issues could slow the growth in EV rollout globally as high raw material prices would trickle down to EV prices, analysts say.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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Donnie Rudd and Noreen Kumeta, shown during their 1973 wedding. She would die in what was then believed a car crash less than a month later. (Cindy Mulligan photo)

Convicted murderer Donnie Rudd has died while serving his prison sentence  49 years to the day after the death of his wife, whom he was found guilty of killing in 2018.

Rudd was an attorney and school board member in Hoffman Estates in 1973 when his wife of less than a month, 19-year-old Noreen Kumeta, died from what police believed at the time were injuries from a car crash in Barrington Hills, with Rudd behind the wheel.

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[ Donnie Rudd murder case timeline: A guilty verdict 40 years in the making ]

Despite some of the unusual circumstances of the case  including that Rudd had been living with another woman and her children up until his wedding to Kumeta  Rudd remained a free man for four decades.

But authorities were prompted to take a fresh look at the case in 2013, after an Arlington Heights detective  while reviewing the 1991 unsolved murder of a local woman who was Rudds client  raised new suspicions. Kumetas body was exhumed and a pathologist found shed died of blunt-force injuries to her skull that were inconsistent with a car crash.

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Donnie Rudd is wheeled into the Cook County Courthouse for the second day of his murder trial on June 27, 2018, in Rolling Meadows. He would be convicted of killing his wife, Noreen Kumeta Rudd, 45 years earlier. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

In 2015, Rudd was arrested in Texas and charged in his wifes murder. He was convicted in 2018, despite his continued assertions of his innocence.

Rudd, who was sentenced to 75 to 150 years in prison, died Wednesday.

Rudd was 80.

Maria McCarthy, the now-retired Cook County assistant states attorney who tried the case, said Friday that in more than 25 years of prosecuting murder suspects, Donnie Rudd was the only defendant who made me look over my shoulder when I got home from work. Unlike most murderers, he was a true sociopath. Pure evil. The tragedy is not in his death. Its in the fact that he only spent four years in prison for his heinous crimes.

Donnie Rudd, shown in a 2015 booking photo after his arrest in Sugar Land, Texas, was once a well-known Illinois lawyer. He continued to deny he killed his 19-year-old wife after less than a month of marriage. (Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office )

Rudds former stepdaughter, Cindy Mulligan, said Friday she was still processing the news of his death. Mulligans late mother, Dianne Hart, married Rudd in 1974, months after Kumetas death.

Im not sad, but Im not happy. Its a chapter closed, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I wish there had been more answers. I hope that it provides closure to his victims, that hes not there anymore, Mulligan said. He had filed for clemency. He filed for mistrials. At least we know hes never going to get out of jail. He was only there for four years, which really wasnt a very long time for what he did.

With her sister, Lori Hart, Mulligan co-wrote Living with the Devil, a 2016 memoir about their life with Rudd.

Cindy Mulligan, stepdaughter of Donnie Rudd, in 2016 near Bateman and Dundee roads in Barrington Hills, close to the site where Noreen Kumeta Rudd died in 1973. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

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Following the car crash on Sept. 14, 1973, Rudd told police that another car had run their Pinto off the road, that Noreen was ejected and hit her head on a rock and he carried her back to their car. That story stuck for four decades following the death of Kumeta, who was from Carpentersville  though the ensuing years were not trouble-free for Rudd.

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Hed become known as an expert in his field, laws related to condominiums, but some clients began accusing him of malpractice. Authorities said one of them, Loretta Tabak-Bodtke (sometimes spelled Lauretta), had threatened to file a complaint about him before she was shot to death in her Arlington Heights home in 1991. Her slaying was never solved.

Rudd, who was married five times, was eventually disbarred and moved to Texas. Following his arrest, he remained in Cook County Jail for 10 months until someone posted a $400,000 cash bond for his release.

He maintained his innocence in his wifes death. Speaking at his sentencing hearing, he said his wife really wasnt murdered and that evidence piled up bit by bit against me, like whiskers growing on your face, and then, suddenly, you have a beard.

The case has received national attention and was the subject of an American Monster documentary on Discovery and an Investigation Discovery special.

Freelance reporter George Houde contributed.

tswartz@tribpub.com
The massive Kashagan oilfield in Kazakhstan will not return to full oil production until at least October, Kazakhstan's energy minister told Reuters on Friday, adding that it would also take a few more weeks for two Black Sea oil loading terminals to return to operations.

In early August, the offshore oilfield Kashagan, which pumps more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), was shut down after a gas leak was detected on the site.

A few days later, the field operator said that it would partially restart production, and upon completion of repairs and integrity verification, full production would be restored at the facility

According to Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Bulat Akchulakov, the Kashagan oilfield will resume normal operations "in October at best."

"We expect, we would be probably able to switch it on in October at best. We are studying now, at which capacity and how," Akchulakov told Reuters on Friday.

Industry sources have estimated that oil output at Kashagan was around 100,000 bpd at the end of August.

Kazakhstan's oil production and exports have been lower in recent weeks due to the partial outage at Kashagan and urgent repairs needed at two of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) terminals on the Black Sea.

Crude oil production in Kazakhstan, which is part of the OPEC+ output deal, plunged by 13% in August from July. Excluding condensate, oil production in Kazakhstan dropped to 1.196 million bpd last month, down from 1.378 million bpd, according to the data cited by Reuters sources.

Moreover, oil exports from Kazakhstan via the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) were expected to face at least a month of reduced shipments and disrupted loading schedules due to urgent repairs needed at two of the terminal's three Single Point Moorings, the consortium said at the end of August.

Energy Minister Akchulakov told Reuters today that all three Single Point Moorings would resume operations before the middle of October.

By Josh Owens for Oilprice.com

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An oil spill has forced a shutdown of all crude oil exports from Iraqs Basra Port, oil sector sources said on Friday, cited by Reuters.

With four tanker berths, the Basra oil terminal can process 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day, although the country had plans to raise this capacity to 3.45 million barrels per day in Q2 2022. However, the expansion has not been completed on time due to delays in pumping station upgrades.

In mid-July, Iraqs Basra Oil Company (BOC) said it was pushing back its estimated completion date for the expansion, with hopes to reach 3.35 million bpd in August and 3.45 million bpd by September.

The oil sector sources said that exports from Basra would remain shut in until repair work can be completed. It is unclear whether the oil spill or the repair work needed is related to the expansion project.

Other sources classified the oil spill as huge, and could take more than a week to contain. Still, other reports said it would be shut for just a few hours.

The port shutdown comes at an inopportune time for the oil markets, which remain tight. The largest purchasers of Iraqs crude oil are China, India, South Korea, the United States, and Italy.

Iraqs oil industry has not only been hampered by multiple delays in expanding its crude oil export capabilities. In late August, at least 30 people died and 300 were wounded in Baghdad after supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr charged the Republic Palace after the cleric announced he was leaving politics. While the chaos did not disrupt oil production or loadings, the events gave rise to fear that IraqOPECs second-largest oil producercould see its crude exports decline as a result.

Iraqs August production, according to OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report, was 4.525 million bpd, nearly flat with July levels. Its production target, however, is higher, at 4.651 million bpd.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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The negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany) are, to use a current term, under medical supervision.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared that a successful agreement requires Washingtons realism and determination. United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a deal is unlikely.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom said they would consult with their partners about Irans continued nuclear escalation and lack of cooperation. And the United Nations said flexibility from all parties is necessary.

Israels spy chief added that the Jewish state wont stand idly by while Iran forges ahead with its nuclear program.

We may never know for sure if one side, or both sides, thought conflict was more lucrative than getting to an agreement and let the negotiations founder - while blaming the other, of course.

For the observant the objective of the exercise always was to slow down, not stop, Iran from developing nuclear capability? Why? Because those proud Persians were never going to let eccentric North Korea and chaotic Pakistan one-up them. And Irans leaders saw what happened to Libyas Muammar Gaddafi who ended his nuclear weapons program 2003 but was killed in 2011, and think nukes will make their country invasion proof. And even if there is a deal, Irans leaders anticipate the U.S. and the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions before the ink is dry on the agreement.

If the negotiations end itll be a sad day for hoteliers in Vienna, but Iran has plenty of items on its To do list.

First, keep working on the nuclear program, but stay below the threshold that will prompt Israel to attack. The country has made great strikes despite extensive sanctions, but it may be time to reassign some of the scientists and engineers to civil projects to broaden and strengthen its parlous economy and make it more attractive to China, its partner in a twenty-five-year, $400 billion strategic and economic partnership, which will be on a more solid foundation if Iran can introduce its own innovations instead of just plugging in Chinas IT and telecoms technology.

In that vein, keep working on its missile program which was described as the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Irans defense program was recently given a boost by the launch of the remote-sensing Khayyam satellite which will probably be used to surveil Irans opponents.



Related: IEA: Russian Crude Ban Will Take 2.4 Million Bpd Off The Market

Then, continue the Look to the East policy to engage China and the members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, and observers Cuba, Moldova, and Uzbekistan, connections that may be strengthened by Irans joining of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

But it wont be inconsistent for Iran to make an effort to draw closer to United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, though the two Arab states are U.S. clients and will go only as far as Washington allows. But closer relations and an effort at transparency may moderate the potential for future disputes, especially as the Kingdom develops its own ballistic missile capability.

Unlike the U.S., the secular Central Asian states have no baggage regarding the Islamic Republic, but they will be sensitive to a pushy regional hegemon, having just escaped the Russian and Soviet empires, and positively allergic to a proselytizing neighbor.

The Central Asian republics see Iran as a potential export corridor to India and the Persian Gulf, a Plan B if the mooted Central Asia-Afghanistan-Pakistan trade route fails to launch. In addition, Iran has a large, youthful market of about 85 million and hopes to quadruple its trade with Uzbekistan, a noted agricultural producer.

Afghanistan may be Irans greatest local challenge as the two countries share a porous 900-mile border across which flow refugees and narcotics. Irans supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said of the Taliban government, The nature of our relations with governments depends on the nature of their relations with us though cash-strapped Kabul will be unable to commit to any policies requiring much spending, such as helping secure the shared border.

The U.S. retreat from Afghanistan may vindicate Tehrans Axis of Resistance strategy and may embolden the regime to continue to undermine U.S. interests or offer China an opportunity to use its territory to surveil U.S. forces in the region.

Iran should focus on the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) which connects India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe, and has been described by Iranian observers as a sanction-proof route that is 30 percent cheaper and 40 percent shorter than the traditional route via the Suez Canal. The INSTC will connect with the Chabahar port with was developed with India, though the project has recently been bedeviled by differences over the dispute resolution mechanism.

Tehran may choose to support a Hezbollah Ministry of Energy. Lebanon and Israel are locked in a maritime boundary dispute that will determine the share-out from lucrative natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean. Hezbollah is the real government of Lebanon and Iran can increase its leverage in Lebanon if it tutors Hezbollah officials in the natural gas business (Iran has the worlds second-largest reserves of natural gas.)

Russias Gazprom and the National Iranian Oil Company recently signed a $40 billion oil and gas agreement which will see Gazprom assist Irans state oil company in the development of both oil and gas fields and the construction of LNG project pipelines, likely aimed at optimizing production from the supergiant South Pars gas field that Iran shares with Qatar.

If JCPOA 2.0 fails, will the parties ever be ready for a third bite of the apple? Well see, but Iran should engage with its Gulf neighbors to discuss mutual regional defense concerns, including its nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. and Europe will remain opposed to anything Tehran does, so Tehran should focus on improving regional relations to ease tensions and reduce business risk in the region.

Irans leaders have goals that are clear to explain but may be difficult to achieve: promote regional trade that will help continue the post-COVID recovery despite sanctions that aim to force the Iranian population to rebel by impoverishing them, and avoid the fate of the late-state Soviet economy which was only competitive in weapons and hydrocarbons by applying its technology expertise outside the defense realm.

By James Durso for Oilprice.com

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When the Omaha Archdiocese released its initial gender identity policies, one of its stated goals was to provide clear direction to Catholic schools.

For that same reason, some public school districts in the Omaha metro area have adopted their own policies in recent years.

A World-Herald survey found that four of the 11 area districts have established guidelines around gender identity. The others either rely on anti-discrimination policies or have no set directives for handling gender identity issues.

Most districts, regardless of whether they have a formal policy, stress the importance of responding on a case-by-case basis when addressing a students gender identity.

But for the four districts with guidelines, they largely differ on one central question: Who is in charge of a students gender identity status  the parents or the student?

The Gretna Public Schools is the only Omaha-area district that has a written policy prohibiting teachers or other staff from using a students preferred name or pronouns without parent permission  which resembles guidelines in Nebraskas second-largest school district, the Lincoln Public Schools.

We are not legally bound to call a student their preferred name or pronoun unless they legally change their name but it is always best to work through these individual requests with the principal, student and parents, the Gretna policy says.

Superintendent Rich Beran said the policy was implemented last year after recommendation from the districts legal team. It was not passed by the school board.

Its best if everyone is in the know, Beran said. We dont want the teachers caught in the middle of this. What they dont think about is, for example, if you go to a conference and a parent shows up and you are calling the student by a different name, and they dont know anything about it. Parents have the right to know.

Beran said students who cant get parent permission or are reluctant to tell their parents about their identity will get counseling while at school. He said it has been stressed to staff not to reach out to parents without the students permission.

Gretnas policy also extends to the districts annual training for teachers. The suicide prevention training that staff received this year instructs schools to call students by their preferred names, but teachers are instructed to follow Gretnas policy instead, according to the district.

The Papillion La Vista Community Schools has similar guidelines to Gretnas.

While a policy hasnt been adopted, Annette Eyman, a district spokeswoman, said principals and assistant principals were told this year to handle each situation on a case-by-case basis with individual students in partnership with their parents.

Last year, we were kind of all over the board, and some people got taken by surprise by the whole thing, Eyman said. So it was to try to give teachers some direction on how we want it handled.

She said some educators are coming out of teachers colleges saying that its best practice to ask students for preferred pronouns, but its not necessarily a practice thats totally accepted in the community.

We are not the parents, and these are minor children, she said. We dont get to make those decisions for parents, and its not our role to make those decisions.

She said theres a lot of varied beliefs on the issue  some students are uncomfortable with being asked about their pronouns. The districts goal is to make all students feel comfortable, she said.

We dont want an environment where either student, no matter what side of this issue you sit, is feeling uncomfortable, she said.

The topic can be polarizing.

When the Omaha Archdiocese last month released its policy, which instructed Catholic schools to follow church doctrine on gender identity, some Catholics applauded the move, but multiple schools resisted it. The archbishop then decided to delay implementation of the policies to allow for revisions, though he said the archdiocese would not compromise on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the church.

In Gretna, growing awareness of the districts policy has upset some community members.

When I heard about (the policy), my heart just broke, said Emily Schultz, a 2020 Gretna High School graduate who identifies as pansexual and gender-fluid. Schultz served as president of the schools Gay Straight Alliance for three years.

I loved my experience at Gretna with the teachers that I had, they were very supportive and made me who I am. But to hear that a school put a policy in place that is not supportive of their students and is actually unsafe for their students is just heartbreaking.

Chuck Sams, who graduated from Gretna High School in May as the student body president and identifies as LGBTQ, said when the policy was implemented last fall, some teachers still tried to keep their students gender identity private from parents because the students didnt have support at home.

A friend of mine identified not as how they were born, and their parents didnt know. (Their) teacher was put in a very difficult situation because the home life was not necessarily the best, Sams said. The teacher was concerned for that students well-being and mental health.

When asked about the potential negative impact on students, Beran reiterated that any student who cant ask for parent permission will receive counseling and the district would help them through it.

JohnCarl Denkovich, founder of Omaha ForUs, an organization working to launch an Omaha-based LGBTQ center, said school policies like Gretna and Papillions prevent LGBTQ students from being themselves and have harsh consequences.

It sets people up for an entire lifetime of trying to mitigate what they have lived through, Denkovich said. Whether folks are intending to be malicious or not, the impact is different than the intent and all of the data says the same thing  when youth arent supported in school, their grades, attendance and health suffer.

A national study from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network published in 2020 says LGBTQ students who experience discrimination at school have worse educational outcomes and poor mental health.

Two other area school districts take a different approach to gender identity.

The Bellevue Public Schools adopted a three-page policy in 2015 that directs staff to use a students preferred name and pronouns. School staff cant refuse to refer to a student by their name or pronouns that correspond to their gender identity.

Students also are allowed to dress and use bathrooms according to their gender identity.

The Omaha Public Schools adopted similar guidelines in 2017.

Both districts policies also prohibit staff from disclosing information about a students gender identity to others, including their parents, without permission from the student.

OPS students are allowed to select a small group of teachers, staff and students who are aware of their gender identity, according to the policy.

This is a group of individuals who, when the student has a situation they need to talk about, they can go to them in confidentiality, the policy says. For transgender or gender-expansive students, having this small group of individuals identified can relieve much of the stress and anxiety of being at school.

Gender-expansive is an umbrella term sometimes used to describe someone with a more flexible gender identity than what might be associated with a typical gender, according to the district.

The majority of other Omaha schools dont have specific policies regarding gender identity or transgender students.

Officials from the Westside, Elkhorn, Ralston, Bennington, Douglas County West, Springfield Platteview and Millard school districts either pointed to anti-discrimination policies that encompass gender identity or said they didnt have any guidelines at all.

Millard doesnt have a written policy, but the district does handle a students gender identity status on a case-by-case basis, said Rebecca Kleeman, a district spokeswoman. She didnt know if parents are involved in those cases.

Bennington does involve families when addressing a students gender identity on a case-by-case basis, said Stacy Hawn, Benningtons spokeswoman.

In the Lincoln Public Schools, the district policy resembles the guidelines in Gretna.

The district refers to using a team approach to requests for pronoun or name changes to promote consistency among staff.

If a student asks a teacher to call them by a preferred name in class but by their legal name when they talk with their parents or guardians, then we would not be able to honor that request, the LPS policy says. Teachers should not globally ask students their preferred pronoun during class. This is contrary to our practice of having parental approval prior to using a preferred pronoun.

World-Herald staff writer Joe Dejka contributed to this report.
Five Nebraska schools, including Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022.

The U.S. Department of Education recognized the five Nebraska schools for overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The Nebraska schools that were honored:

Johnson-Brock Public Schools, Johnson-Brock Public Schools district in Johnson.

Adams Elementary School, Lincoln Public Schools district in Lincoln.

Humann Elementary School, Lincoln Public Schools.

Westside Elementary School, Norfolk Public Schools district in Norfolk.

Skutt Catholic High School, Archdiocese of Omaha.

Skutt noted in a press release that it was the second time the school had been honored with the award. The first time was in 2012. Only six high schools in Nebraska have earned the designation twice since the programs inception in 1982, the school said.

I applaud all the honorees for the 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for creating vibrant, welcoming and affirming school communities where students can learn, grow, reach their potential and achieve their dreams, said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students lives.

We are thrilled to celebrate with the five Nebraska schools that have earned this achievement, Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt said in a department press release.

A total of 297 U.S. schools were honored with the designation this year. With its 39th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has handed out about 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.
You couldnt tell Rita Ryan that Latin was a dead language.

During her 42-year career in the classroom, Ryan taught hundreds of Omaha Central High School students the language of Caesar, Nero and Cicero, imparting to them her love for the language and of Roman and Greek culture.

Her class was never boring, said Michelle Kiel, a former student of Ryans who later worked with her on the staff at Central. She was always fun and engaging and had a way of connecting with her students.

Ryan died Monday at age 73.

Mesmerized by the ancient world, the native of Emmetsburg, Iowa, studied Latin and Greek at Creighton University before she was hired in 1971 to fill one of three Latin teaching positions then offered at Central. She spent her entire Omaha Public Schools career teaching at the school.

In addition to her teaching, Ryan organized the schools Latin club, an affiliate of the National Junior Classical League. Each year, the officers in the organization were inducted in a before-school ceremony in Ryans classroom that ended with them running the schools halls in togas.

Her students also racked up dozens of trophies competing against other schools in certamens, contests testing students knowledge of Latin and Roman history.

She had a sign on the wall in her classroom: Latin is not dead. Latin is immortal.

Outside of school, Ryan organized 15 summer trips to Europe for students and their parents in which they toured ancient sites in Italy and Greece.

She made us read the words on every statue and building, Kiel recalled.

During her career, Ryan was awarded the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award, Central teacher of the year and the STAR Award, a state award for world language teachers. Upon her retirement in 2013, she was inducted into Centrals hall of fame.

Visitation will be held Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Heafey Hoffmann Dworak Cutler, 7805 West Center Road. A memorial service will be Monday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 6116 Dodge St. Both will be livestreamed at www.heafeyheafey.com.
During the Cold War heyday of the Strategic Air Command, any number of celebrities journeyed to Offutt Air Force Base to tour the famous command bunker: Bob Hope, Rita Moreno, Bob Newhart, Tom Clancy. A few presidents and prime ministers. Senators and House members by the score.

But only one queen of England.

For some members of the SAC fraternity, the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, at age 96, brought back memories of the only visit of a British sovereign to Nebraska soil.

The queen spent only about 90 minutes at Offutt on Oct. 15, 1984, while her plane, a Royal Air Force VC-10, stopped to refuel en route back home to London.

But it certainly made an impression on those who saw her.

I was right there all the time, recalled Dorene Sherman, the longtime deputy protocol director for SAC and its post-Cold War successor, the U.S. Strategic Command. There were people in every door, watching. They were so excited!

The uniformed staff at Offutt felt it, too.

Buzz is a good word. Because there was, said Dale Rowse, 73, of Bellevue, then an Air Force captain and a briefing officer in SACs underground command post.

The Offutt stopover capped an unofficial visit focused on the Royal Familys horse-racing interests. Queen Elizabeth had just spent several days visiting Henry Herbert, known as Lord Porchester, (who was the queens horse-racing manager and a lifelong friend) and his wife, Lady Jean Porchester, at their 5,000-acre ranch near Sheridan, Wyoming.

The airport in Sheridan had a short runway, and the queens plane could not take off with a full load of fuel for the flight to London. So the royal planners scheduled the refueling stop at Offutt. The queens press secretary, Michael Shea, insisted on a low-key visit, with no press invited or allowed.

Sherman recalls her protocol office receiving no more than a few days notice for the daunting task of planning for even a short royal visit.

She did have plenty of experience with distinguished visitors at Offutt. A self-described farm girl from Wausa, Nebraska, she had worked at the base since 1960. Much of that time she had worked directly for SACs four-star commander in chief.

Since 1970, she had been deputy protocol director. Her job was to ensure that such visits proceeded without a hitch.

The royal VC-10 jet arrived precisely on schedule, at 2:45 p.m. Dressed in a jade-green dress and matching hat, Queen Elizabeth descended the air stairs to the apron, where SAC Commander-in-Chief Gen. Bennie Davis and his wife, Pat, greeted her with a bouquet.

White-gloved members of the SAC Elite Guard security force saluted her. She reviewed a line of about 30 British airmen stationed at Offutt.

The queen shook hands with all of them, telling them how proud she was of them, Sherman said.

Security was extremely tight.

Just three days before the queens visit to Offutt, Irish Republican Army terrorists had bombed a hotel in Bristol, England, where leaders of the British Conservative party were meeting. Five people died and 30 were injured. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher narrowly escaped assassination.

As a result, Gen. Davis nixed plans for the queens party to wait in Offutts VIP waiting lounge in the base operations building.

Instead, he escorted the queens party to SACs ultra-secure headquarters for a tour and a briefing in the command center, six stories underground.

Rowse had been tabbed to brief the queen and her party about SAC command and control procedures, in the bunkers command balcony.

It was a briefing I had given hundreds of times, Rowse recalled.

Still, this was the queen of England.

I was told that, outside of the briefing, I was not to engage in any conversation, Rowse said. As I recall, she thanked me at the end. She was very gracious.

Then the party went upstairs to Gen. Davis command suite, and on to his dining room for high tea, which Sherman said was prepared by two British women who worked at Offutts Officers Club.

Sherman, of course, knew this was a special day at Offutt. So she had alerted her daughter, Kris Yates, who had come from home with her 17-month-old son, Austin, on her hip. She stood in an alcove outside her mothers protocol office, along with many curious SAC workers, hoping for a glimpse of the monarch.

Sure enough, Queen Elizabeth walked by  and immediately took notice of little Austin, and his big, brown eyes.

Perhaps the queen was thinking of her own grandsons at home in England, the children of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Beautiful baby! the queen remarked to Kris, with a smile.

Yates, stunned, thanked the queen, despite an admonition that one should not speak to royalty.

She was just so warm, she wasnt standoffish at all, Kris said. She was very kind and sweet. She seemed like a regular person.

Soon after, Queen Elizabeth boarded her airplane, its fuel tanks now full, and flew on with her party to London.

Before she left, she waved goodbye and said thanks to Gen. Davis, Sherman and the assembled airmen.

It was the queens first experience with Nebraska Nice, and her last.

The royal visit left a pleasant imprint on those she encountered.

Austin Yates, now nearly 40, doesnt remember his brief encounter with the British sovereign. But he jokes with his mother that she must have made the same remark about thousands of babies during her 73-year reign.

Kris prefers to think otherwise.

He really was the most gorgeous baby, she said.

Rowse thought of his own brief encounter with the queen when he heard of her death last week.

Even though her passing was known to be imminent, it was still kind of a surprise and shock, he said.

Sherman worked another 15 years at SAC and StratCom before retiring in 1999. She met countless VIPs in her long career at Offutt. But her encounter with Queen Elizabeth was a highlight, a story she loves to retell.

Despite the queens advanced age, Sherman mourned her passing.

I thought, My gosh, she was such an angel on Earth,  Sherman said. Now shes an angel up there.
Dr. Larisa Che feels like she can have a big impact on the patients she sees at CHI Healths Psychiatric Immediate Care Center in Council Bluffs.

The center, which opened earlier this summer, adds to the two mental health urgent care centers the health system already operates in the metro area. The Council Bluffs center is at Mercy Hospital, 801 Harmony St., Suite 202.

The health system has operated a mental health urgent care center at Omahas Immanuel Medical Center since 2013 and another at Lasting Hope Recovery Center, 415 S. 25th Ave., in Omaha, since 2018.

The centers, Che said, are meant to serve as a bridge for patients who need immediate help but who dont have a mental health professional or require hospitalization. To make an appointment at one of the three centers, patients can call 402-717-HOPE (4673). Those who walk in will not be turned away.

Che, a psychiatrist who specializes in child and adolescent therapy, said the goal is to get patients in within 24 to 48 hours. Loved ones or primary care providers also can refer patients.

With the pandemic and workforce shortages, she said, we have long waits for psychiatric providers in the community. The new clinic encourages people to come in and get help.

Childrens Hospital & Medical Center continues to work on plans to launch two pediatric mental health urgent care centers  one in the Omaha area and one in central or western Nebraska. We are committed to improving access and providing earlier intervention on the mental health care continuum, Childrens officials said in a statement.

Che said people who are in crisis should go to an emergency room. Those who are feeling too bad to get to an ER should call 911.

Another resource is the nations new 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which became active in July and that some refer to as a 911 for mental health crises.

Im so grateful that they took the same concept and made it for mental health, Che said.

Patients who arrive at the Mercy center, she said, already have taken a big step. She takes care to validate that journey and offer a listening ear: I hear you, I see you, Im sorry that happened to you.

Patients, she said, find that refreshing. And she gets a sense of connecting to the human in the patient. I hope the public knows were here for them, Che said.

Che said she can offer practical tools, such as medications or a referral for additional therapy. Sometimes, it may be tips on ways to improve sleep  if thats part of the problem  or how to work through difficulties with their children.

The Bluffs clinic also is staffed by a therapist and two behavioral health navigators who can help patients address barriers that are keeping them from care, such as connecting them to transportation resources or signing them up for Medicare or Medicaid. The clinic takes all forms of insurance and does not turn people away if they dont have insurance.

Che said the clinics volume has been ticking up lately as word has gotten out in the community that its available. But she noted that its important for people to understand what to watch for and how to prevent worsening mental health.

At the community level are events such as the annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk that will take place Saturday in Omaha at Stinson Park, 2285 S. 67th St. The event brings together those affected by suicide and their supporters to raise awareness and funds and to send the message that suicide is preventable.

Its a way the community can come together and show some support for people that have been affected in any way, Che said.
Cargo planes are visible behind the Bell Bowl Prairie adjacent to Chicago Rockford International Airport on Oct. 20, 2021, in Winnebago County. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The battle to save the ancient Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford  home to the endangered rusty patched bumblebee  has included everything from foot-long yellow-and-black bee cutouts stuck to the gate of Gov. J. B. Pritzkers Gold Coast mansion to a federal lawsuit.

Now, environmentalists, organized under the banner Save Bell Bowl Prairie, are making an offer theyre hoping their opponents cant refuse.

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They want the Chicago Rockford International Airport, which plans to drive a road through the heart of the prairie, to redesign a $50 million expansion project, moving the road and preserving high-quality foraging ground for the high-profile bumblebee.

The airport stands to benefit, the environmentalists say, because Illinois Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin have agreed to support an application to pay for the redesign with federal appropriations funds. But the federal money isnt guaranteed, according to Kerry Leigh, a leader of the environmentalist coalition and executive director of the Natural Land Institute. And the airport would have to apply.

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Still, she said, the potential upside is exciting.

Its a huge win-win  for the airport and for us, Leigh said. Everybody gets what they want.

Officials at the Rockford airport declined to comment.

The airport, which owns the 14-acre Bell Bowl Prairie, has agreed not to do any construction there before Oct. 15, according to Amy Doll, director of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. The airport also agreed to wait for state and federal assessments of the effects on endangered species, neither of which have been completed.

In other recent developments, U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston dismissed a Natural Land Institute lawsuit on Aug. 31, according to the environmentalists. The judge ruled that the prairie is not in immediate danger and that the court lacks jurisdiction, according to a statement from the Nature Land Institutes lawyers.

The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, environmentalists said, meaning they are free to file another lawsuit if the prairie faces a more immediate threat.

The $50 million cargo expansion project is expected to generate 600 permanent jobs, according to the airport website. The expansion includes a 90,000-square-foot international cargo center, a 100,000-square-foot international cargo facility, a new airplane ramp and a new road for trucks entering and leaving the facility.

The environmentalists have long argued that theres a way to meet the airports needs without damaging the 5-acre heart of Bell Bowl  one of the last remaining places in Illinois where prairie exists much as it did 8,000 years ago, and a foraging ground for the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee.

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But in recent months the environmentalists have honed that argument.

In July, they received the results of an engineers report, performed by Geosyntec Consultants in Oak Brook.

The report found that by combining alternatives laid out in an earlier government assessment of the airport expansion, the airport could avoid disturbing the 5 acres of pristine prairie and minimize disruption of the entire 14-acre prairie. The report suggested moving a 1 million-square-foot cargo building east, away from the most valuable section of prairie, and switching to an eastern or southeastern road location.

The report noted potential objections, including a higher rate of expected crashes under the proposed redesign, but suggested possible remedies such as a lower speed limit or innovative de-icing techniques.

In addition to the rusty patched bumblebee, other state endangered species have been spotted at Bell Bowl Prairie or on the airport grounds, including the Franklins ground squirrel, large-flowered penstemon, cats claw, prairie false dandelion, black-billed cuckoo, northern harrier, loggerhead shrike and upland sandpiper.

During the yearlong debate over the fate of the prairie, environmentalists and their supporters have launched protests and contacted lawmakers. High school students in Pontiac, Illinois, started a Bell Bowl Prairie project. At a recent tree-planting on the Southeast Side of Chicago, a neighborhood activist showed up with a hand-painted Save the Bell Bowl Prairie sign.

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There are people who care about this all over the state, said Doll.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

She expressed frustration that the airport had declined to pursue mediation or discuss possible solutions directly with environmentalists. She also complained about a lack of public meetings on the topic.

This isnt how democracy works, Doll said. Our elected and appointed officials have an obligation to make transparent, open decisions.

Leigh said shes very excited about the proposed win-win approach, in which the airport would apply for federal funding for a redesign protecting the heart of the prairie.

Thats the carrot, she said. The stick is that the Natural Land Institute is prepared to file another lawsuit calling for a halt to construction.

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Were prepared to hold this up for a long time, Leigh said. And it just seems smart business to get this money coming into Rockford, do the redesign, and get moving on the project.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com
An infusion of federal dollars will allow Nebraska to install charging stations for electric vehicles along the length of Interstate 80.

The Biden administration this week announced that Nebraskas plan for the stations has been approved. The state is set to receive $11 million initially via the bipartisan infrastructure bill approved last year. Through the programs funding formula, Nebraska eventually will have access to about $30 million.

Interstate 80 is a major national transportation corridor, and the federal plan requires states to focus first on Interstates. Nebraska was among the first batch of states approved for the funding, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Charging stations are to be installed every 50 miles and should be within 1 mile of the Interstate exit ramp, according to the federal guidelines.

Electric vehicle charging stations already exist along some stretches of I-80, so the goal of this funding is to fill in the gaps and upgrade as needed. Areas with charging stations include Lincoln to Omaha and portions of the Interstate west of Kearney and North Platte.

Ryan Huff with the Nebraska Department of Transportation said that once fully built out, the I-80 project will result in seven new charging stations. Each station will have four separate stalls capable of charging a vehicle within 30 minutes.

Huff estimated that construction would begin in the next year or two and would likely take two to three years to complete. However, he cautioned that supply chain problems and other logistical issues could slow the projects progress.

Huff said that federal funding should cover 80% of the cost and that the state plans to have those who will operate the stations cover the rest of the cost. Customers will have to pay to use the charging stations.

According to the states plan submitted to the federal government, Nebraska already is distributing $1.8 million for the construction of 35 charging stations. That money came from the trust fund established as a result of the multistate lawsuit against Volkswagen.

The money in the infrastructure bill can be used for a wide range of activities related to the work, from upgrading existing stations and building new ones to getting public feedback and providing signs and maps.

Signed into law last November, the bipartisan infrastructure bill received mixed support from Nebraskas congressional delegation, with Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Don Bacon voting in favor, and Rep. Adrian Smith, Sen. Ben Sasse and then-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry voting against it.

The federal government is providing $900 million this year and eventually $5 billion over five years to fund a nationwide system of electric vehicle charging stations. Doing so is considered critical to lessening dependence on fossil fuels because electricity can be generated from renewable sources like solar, wind and hydropower. Transportation accounts for more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the federal Transportation Department.

World-Herald staff writer Ryan Hoffman contributed to this report.
Lone Star College named 2022 Great Colleges to Work For

HOUSTON (Sept. 15, 2022)  Lone Star College has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. This is the ninth year LSC has been recognized and the sixth year achieving Honor Roll status.

The Great Colleges to Work For program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country, said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC Chancellor. I am grateful to the Lone Star College faculty, staff and administrators that work together as a community to ensure our students receive the best education possible.

LSC was also recognized with the Honor Roll distinction. Honor Roll status is given to institutions that were cited most often in each size category.

In a year when the higher education headlines have been dominated by stories of faculty and staff being overworked, undervalued, highly stressed and fighting off burnout, its refreshing and inspiring to see the truly excellent work being done at this years Great Colleges to Work For honorees, said Richard K. Boyer, Principal and Managing Partner at ModernThink.

LSC was recognized in 8 categories for two-year institutions:

Professional Development

Mission & Pride

Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness

Confidence in Senior Leadership

Faculty & Staff Well-being

Shared Governance

Faculty Experience

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

In all, 212 schools participated in 2022, including 130 four-year universities and 82 two-year colleges. Of those schools, 68 were recognized as a 2022 Great College to Work For, including 46 four-year universities and 22 two-year colleges. In addition, 42 schools are on the Honor Roll, recognized as standouts in their size categories.

Lone Star College remains committed to student success by ensuring they have access to excellence in teaching and student-centered support services, said Head.

The ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey was updated for the 2022 program and vetted by a panel of higher education experts from across two- and four-year institutions, hailing from departments in research, diversity, administration and more.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, in partnership with ModernThink LLC, gathers data directly from employees about what makes their institution a great place to work. The data collected provides senior-level administrators and academic leaders with insights on the quality of the workplace experience and the competitiveness of their policies and benefits.

About The Chronicle of Higher Education:

The Chronicle of Higher Education is dedicated to serving the higher-education community with insights, understanding and intellectual engagement. Academic leaders and professionals from around the world trust the Chronicles analysis and in-depth exploration to make informed decisions.

About ModernThink LLC:

As a research and consulting leader in workplace issues, ModernThink has supported a wide variety of Best Place to Work initiatives. Through these programs, the firm has gained substantial survey and industry expertise, including specific insight into higher education. ModernThink knows what it takes to build a great place to work and shares that know-how with its clients. The ModernThink team of organizational development experts is dedicated to helping colleges follow through and capitalize on feedback from employees and benchmark data from peers to drive meaningful change at their institutions. Learn more about the Great Colleges to Work For program, including all current and previous recognized institutions, at GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com, and about ModernThink at ModernThink.com.
Parks & Recreation Department Utilizes Goats to Assist With Habitat Restoration

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) is hosting a herd of over 150 goats at FM Law Park to assist with habitat restoration. The goats are being used to remove unwanted vegetation in the forested area of the park where the Parks and Recreation Department is implementing a habitat restoration project.



Goats are one of the many ways the Houston Parks and Recreation Departments Natural Resources Division manages habitat in city parks. Other methods include mowing, prescribed fire, and manual removal. The combination of methods helps HPARD save costs, reduce chemical use, and decrease fossil fuel emissions.



The Houston Parks and Recreation Department is excited to use a variety of methods to help us care for our important natural areas in parks, said Kenneth Allen, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The use of goats in this manner is a safe and proven alternative to chemical treatments for weed control.



Once the goats have cleared the thick vegetation, a young adult crew from the Student Conservation Association will come in to manually remove invasive species within the park.



Goats are an important tool for HPARD to clear out invasive vegetation in our habitat restoration areas, said Kelli Ondracek, Natural Resources Manager for HPARD. The goats will be placed in the areas with the thickest vegetation to help open it up for our habitat crews to safely enter.



HPARDs Natural Resources Division manages the natural areas within City of Houston parks, totaling over 17,000 acres of forests, prairie, and wetland habitat. This habitat restoration project at FM Law is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and is in partnership with the Student Conservation Association.



Visitors are asked to not feed or touch the goats. The herd will be surrounded by electric fencing and will have 24/7 monitoring.
Growing up on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin I spent my weekends, and sometimes weeknights, in bogs, old-growth forests, and hilly landscapes formed by glacial deposits.

Few kids have the opportunity to develop an interest and purpose from up close interactions with these rich ecosystems. Because of these regular visits, a love of exploration, hiking and gleaning knowledge from the great outdoors resides in my core. When life is stressful, a return to nature is my best medicine.

Although I live a little farther away from the landscapes of my childhood, the oak savannas and prairie landscapes able to be found in our Central Illinois natural areas bring me back to simpler times. In fact, people both young and old get a lot of benefit from being outside in nature in just about any environment. And as luck would have it, theres a great public event opportunity to enjoy the outdoors this weekend!

This Saturday, Sept. 17, join University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalists at Nature Trails Day. This day of outdoor activities, hiking, and nature exploration for all ages will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sugar Grove Nature Center, located southwest of Bloomington-Normal.

With a collective passion for education in the great outdoors, presenters, community partners, and volunteers are excited to share an afternoon with you. Discover the fun in Imagination Grove with make-believe play and nature-based activities from Illinois Extension. If you are passionate about buzzing bees and pollinators, dont miss a visit with Central Illinois Beekeepers Association, Childrens Discovery Museum, Illinois Art Station and Illinois Prairie Wild Ones.

Visit Nature Trails Day partners that offer additional information to help you continue exploring natural spaces: Greenways, Fugate Woods Nature Preserve, Parklands Foundation, Illinois Conservation Police and Illinois State University Horticulture Center. Or enjoy education from long-standing Sugar Grove Nature partners and demonstrators: Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association and Illinois Woodturners Club.

With so many activities available throughout the day, do not miss these scheduled events:

 Kids Fun Run with the Lake Run Club, 10:30 a.m. (Arrive at 10:20 a.m.)

 Wildlife Prairie Park  Backyard Wildlife 101, 10:30 a.m.; Live Animal Presentation, 11:30 a.m.

 Tree ID Walk with U.S. Department of Agriculture, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

 U of I Wildlife Medical Clinic, 1:30 p.m.

Come prepared with comfortable walking shoes and protection from bugs and the sun. Pack a picnic and bring a water bottle or purchase lunch and snacks onsite from Healthy in a Hurry. Water stations will be available throughout the property.
NORMAL  Thanks to connections she made through a local nonprofit, Shakiba Bakhtiari got to go on a boat ride for the first time, along the Chicago lakefront. It was an exciting experience for the Iranian student at Illinois State University.

Bakhtiari has gotten to know Americans and other students through International Friends, a group that wants to make sure international students have support as they come to the United States, and have some fun along the way.

We go to Chicago and we spend some (free time) with each other, Bakhtiari said.

The political science masters students host family with International Friends includes Brenda Steele, the director of the group.

Brenda has a key and fundamental role in my life, Bakhtiari said.

International Friends was founded in the early 1980s by an ISU professor, Steele said. At the time, the international students all lived in Walker Hall, generally separate from the domestic students.

They were just kind of sequestered, Steele said.

The group was an effort to help introduce the students to the community and to connect them with people who could help the students navigate resources and bureaucracy in the U.S. After starting as a registered student organization, it moved to become a separate nonprofit in the 1990s. The organization continues to operate as a nonprofit, with just a small budget largely coming from donations and fundraisers like bake sales at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market.

There were a lot of people involved that really felt passionate about keeping it going, Steele said.

Steele got involved a couple of years after she graduated from ISU in 1994. The first student she worked with was a woman from Indonesia. Steele enjoyed the chance to learn about another culture and to show the student around to do American things.

Many of the host families have been involved for years now, including one that has been working with the group since it began. The students do not normally live with the host families, and the participants can decide how involved they want to be. Occasionally a student may stay with a family during winter break or if they arrive in the U.S. before their lease starts. The students often arrive with no household goods for their apartments, so host families will help take them shopping or get them set up.

Bakhtiari does not have a car, so Steele sometimes takes her shopping when she needs it.

Each international student at ISU gets a welcome packet telling them about International Friends and inviting them to join, Steele said. Sometimes students take their own initiative to reach out.

I get a lot of international students that will contact me months before they arrive, she said.

Steele has noticed there are more international students at ISU in the past two years, after disruptions earlier in the pandemic. Still, even in more "normal" times it can be difficult to get everything in order. She knows of one man from Ghana who has been waiting two years to get a visa to be able to make good on his acceptance to ISU.

There are other complications, too. Bakhtiari had to go to Armenia to apply for her visa, as the U.S. does not have an embassy in Iran. Once she arrived here, she had a hold placed on her bank account.

It was really hard as an Iranian, she said.

International Friends hosts events throughout the year, including a cookout on a local farm early in the fall semester, a Super Bowl party, and a Thanksgiving dinner held in the spring, Steele said. They also hold events where students cook traditional dishes from their home countries for everyone to enjoy.

The cookout, or wienie roast, was a new experience for Bakhtiari. She had gone on picnics in Iran, but it felt different from an American cookout. People were very welcoming and kind, though, she said.

Bakhtiari is from Tehran, the capital of Iran, and getting away from a busy city was one of her goals in coming to Bloomington-Normal. She already holds a masters in international law from Tarbiat Modares University, where her dissertation focused on the role of international tribunals like the International Criminal Court in protecting the rights of children. ISU has professors with similar interests as her.

I needs some peace and rest, and Bloomington-Normal seems like the best place I can achieve my goals, she said.

International Friends is always recruiting for new host families. Those interested can contact Steele at internationalfriends@hotmail.com.

Host families get a lot out of the experience, too.

Ive learned so much and Ive met people from so many different cultures, Steele said.
CHICAGO - Felony charges will be announced soon against a Chicago police officer and a sergeant in connection with a July shootout between police and two men, both of whom were wounded in the citys Pilsen neighborhood, officials said Thursday.

More information will be released Friday during a 10:30 a.m. news conference at 69 W. Washington St., said a news release from Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office.

The shooting happened July 22 just after 6:50 a.m. the 1000 block of West 18th Street, when two major accidents unit officers who were driving to the police academy for training saw four people wearing masks loitering in front of a closed business, police said earlier.

After one officer identified himself as a Chicago Police Department officer, one of the people in the group pulled out a handgun, sparking an exchange of gunfire, police said.

After the exchange of gunfire, both officers got out of their vehicle and the shooter, while running away, continued to fire shots at the officers, police said.

Two men were shot: a 35-year-old, who suffered a graze wound and who police called an innocent bystander, and a 23-year-old man, who was initially left in serious condition.

At the time, police Superintendent David Brown said it was not immediately clear if it was the officers or the gunman who had shot the two men.
ROCKFORD - The battle to save the ancient Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford  home to the endangered rusty patched bumblebee  has included everything from foot-long yellow-and-black bee cutouts stuck to the gate of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Gold Coast mansion to a federal lawsuit.

Now, environmentalists, organized under the banner Save Bell Bowl Prairie, are making an offer theyre hoping their opponents cant refuse.

They want the Chicago Rockford International Airport, which plans to drive a road through the heart of the prairie, to redesign a $50 million expansion project, moving the road and preserving high-quality foraging ground for the high-profile bumblebee.

The airport stands to benefit, the environmentalists say, because Illinois Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin have agreed to support an application to pay for the redesign with federal appropriations funds. But the federal money isnt guaranteed, according to Kerry Leigh, a leader of the environmentalist coalition and executive director of the Natural Land Institute. And the airport would have to apply.

Still, she said, the potential upside is exciting.

Its a huge win-win  for the airport and for us, Leigh said. Everybody gets what they want.

Officials at the Rockford airport declined to comment.

The airport, which owns the 14-acre Bell Bowl Prairie, has agreed not to do any construction there before Oct. 15, according to Amy Doll, director of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. The airport also agreed to wait for state and federal assessments of the effects on endangered species, neither of which have been completed.

In other recent developments, U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston dismissed a Natural Land Institute lawsuit on Aug. 31, according to the environmentalists. The judge ruled that the prairie is not in immediate danger and that the court lacks jurisdiction, according to a statement from the Nature Land Institutes lawyers.

The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, environmentalists said, meaning they are free to file another lawsuit if the prairie faces a more immediate threat.

The $50 million cargo expansion project is expected to generate 600 permanent jobs, according to the airport website. The expansion includes a 90,000-square-foot international cargo center, a 100,000-square-foot international cargo facility, a new airplane ramp and a new road for trucks entering and leaving the facility.

The environmentalists have long argued that theres a way to meet the airports needs without damaging the 5-acre heart of Bell Bowl  one of the last remaining places in Illinois where prairie exists much as it did 8,000 years ago, and a foraging ground for the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee.

But in recent months the environmentalists have honed that argument.

In July, they received the results of an engineers report, performed by Geosyntec Consultants in Oak Brook.

The report found that by combining alternatives laid out in an earlier government assessment of the airport expansion, the airport could avoid disturbing the 5 acres of pristine prairie and minimize disruption of the entire 14-acre prairie. The report suggested moving a 1 million-square-foot cargo building east, away from the most valuable section of prairie, and switching to an eastern or southeastern road location.

The report noted potential objections, including a higher rate of expected crashes under the proposed redesign, but suggested possible remedies such as a lower speed limit or innovative de-icing techniques.

In addition to the rusty patched bumblebee, other state endangered species have been spotted at Bell Bowl Prairie or on the airport grounds, including the Franklins ground squirrel, large-flowered penstemon, cats claw, prairie false dandelion, black-billed cuckoo, northern harrier, loggerhead shrike and upland sandpiper.

During the yearlong debate over the fate of the prairie, environmentalists and their supporters have launched protests and contacted lawmakers. High school students in Pontiac, Illinois, started a Bell Bowl Prairie project. At a recent tree-planting on the Southeast Side of Chicago, a neighborhood activist showed up with a hand-painted Save the Bell Bowl Prairie sign.

There are people who care about this all over the state, said Doll.

She expressed frustration that the airport had declined to pursue mediation or discuss possible solutions directly with environmentalists. She also complained about a lack of public meetings on the topic.

This isnt how democracy works, Doll said. Our elected and appointed officials have an obligation to make transparent, open decisions.

Leigh said shes very excited about the proposed win-win approach, in which the airport would apply for federal funding for a redesign protecting the heart of the prairie.

Thats the carrot, she said. The stick is that the Natural Land Institute is prepared to file another lawsuit calling for a halt to construction.

Were prepared to hold this up for a long time, Leigh said. And it just seems smart business to get this money coming into Rockford, do the redesign, and get moving on the project.
CHICAGO - When the car didnt stop for the protesters and pulled up to the doors of the Planned Parenthood facility in Flossmoor Thursday, the escort asked the driver if she had an appointment or was dropping someone off.

The driver said she was a ride share driver and that she drove a patient from Lafayette, Indiana, to receive an abortion, said one of the escorts, who asked his name not be used for safety reasons.

She told me Im the underground railroad and thank you for being here, he said.

Indianas near total abortion ban went into effect Thursday, which means abortions in Indiana will only be allowed in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and to protect the life and health of the mother. Victims of rape and incest have up to 10 weeks to get an abortion.

Although the 11 Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana will remain open to provide reproductive health care other than abortion, officials previously said, the Planned Parenthood Flossmoor Health Center is the closest to the northwest Indiana border.

The escort said hes worked as an escort at the facility since March. Since Indiana started debating the abortion ban law in July, he said hes noticed an uptick in license plates from Indiana at the Flossmoor health center.

Therell be even more in the coming weeks. Itll take a minute to adjust, he said.

The number of out-of-state abortion patients at the Flossmoor health center have tripled since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with the majority being from Indiana, said Julie Uhal, manager for the Securing Access for Everyone Abortion Expansion program at Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, Planned Parenthood of Illinois would see about 100 out-of-state patients per month, Uhal said. In the first week after the Supreme Court decision, the health care system scheduled 750 out-of-state abortion appointments, she said.

Its really a position no one should be forced to be put in, Uhal said.

In Indiana, there are about 1.5 million people of reproductive age who will now have to travel across state lines for care or carry unwanted or potentially dangerous pregnancies to term, according to a news release from Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is looking to expand abortion capacity throughout the state by working with abortion care providers in states with strict abortion laws who have expressed an interest in moving to Illinois to continue providing abortions, Uhal said.

The reality is, Illinois has become an oasis in the desert. All of the states surrounding Illinois now have restrictions on abortion access so people will be forced to travel here at great lengths to get care, Uhal said.

Shortly after 9 a.m., two protesters were outside the Planned Parenthood Flossmoor Health Center waving at patients cars as they drove in and handing out pamphlets. They stood on the curb of the street, lined with sings that read pray to end abortion and life is a gift from God, and had a crib nearby.

One of the protesters said he has come to the facility at least once a week since it opened in 2018 to let women know they have other options.

We just want them to be aware that people are here to help them, he said.

As patients walked from the parking lot to the entrance of the facility, the other protester walked along the property line yelling at the patient. To combat this, the escort played music from a radio.

We are volunteers, the escort said. We are trying to run interference between people meddling with womens choice.

The escort, a retired high school teacher, said being an escort is a lot like teaching: The day can have a lot of positives, like ensuring that dozens of patients enter the facility without a problem, but when one bad thing happens its top of mind for the rest of the night.

If they get one woman crying it ruins my whole day, he said.

On a good day, he said no one takes pamphlets from the protesters or cries and everyone gets the care they need.

The myth about it is that everyone is torn up. Not every one is torn up. Some people just want an abortion, he said.
Less than two months before the Nov. 8 general election, Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey publicly released partial income tax returns that showed ups and downs over the past five years, with steep declines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baileys campaign released the front two pages of federal tax returns for each year going back to 2017, the year before Bailey was first elected to the Illinois General Assembly as a state representative.

Bailey had repeatedly said he didnt see the need to release the forms to the public. But since the general election campaign got underway following his primary win in late June, the GOP hopeful for governor has hammered Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker as being a billionaire who is out of touch with average Illinoisans.

Because the documents the campaign shared are only the face-sheets for the joint federal tax returns Bailey and his wife, Cynthia, have filed, the information is sparse and the documents do not provide a full picture of the downstate farmer and lawmakers financial situation.

Much of Baileys wealth is held in thousands of acres of downstate farmland his business, Bailey Family Farms LLC, owns and farms, and other assets that arent reflected on the income tax forms the campaign released. Bailey is thought to be a millionaire due to his familys farming operation and farmland, and in his state economic interest records filed earlier this year, he listed a building in Clay County and an investment in Dollar General stores as other assets worth more than $10,000.

Everything Darren Bailey owns is tied up in the land. Theres a big difference between a man who built a family farm with his bare hands and a billionaire who inherited a trust fund, Joe DeBose, Baileys campaign spokesperson, said in a statement. Darren is fighting for working people because he understands the value of hard work. J.B. has abandoned working people because he wouldnt know an honest days work if it slapped him in the face.

Either way, Baileys wealth pales in comparison to Pritzker, who also only releases the top pages of his tax returns and whose net worth Forbes estimates at more $3.6 billion. In addition, the Tribune has previously detailed that much of Pritzkers wealth is held in domestic and offshore trusts. Pritzker has repeatedly declined to release any tax records related to the trusts.

In Baileys federal tax returns, in 2017, he and his wife reported an adjusted gross income of only $1,776, which climbed to $211,108 the following year. Of that total, the Baileys reported $132,416 in taxable income for 2018. That year, they owed $19,183 in taxes. In 2019, the Baileys reported an adjusted gross income of $189,029, of which the couple reported $111,599 in taxable income. The Baileys owed $2,669 on taxes that year.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Baileys reported a loss of $164,961 in adjusted gross income. Although it wasnt detailed in the tax returns, Darren Baileys farm business, Bailey Family Farms, that same year received $282,424 from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to compensate farmers for COVID-19 losses, other records show.

And in 2021, Baileys first year as a state senator, he and his wife reported a less sizable loss in adjusted gross income of $99,264. The Tribune previously reported that from April 2020 to February 2021, Baileys farm business and two other entities he owns, Bailey Family Freight and Virtue House Ministries Christian school run by his wife, received $569,045 in loans from the federal governments coronavirus business relief Paycheck Protection Program under the Small Business Administration.

As with most PPP loans, Baileys were forgiven and in March 2021 Bailey lent his campaign $150,000, the Tribune reported.

Pritzker has yet to make public his 2021 tax returns. He received an extension and is due to file them by Oct. 15, campaign spokesperson Natalie Edelstein said.

In 2020, the governor and first lady M.K. Pritzker reported nearly $5.1 million taxable income on their state return, the highest reported since he took office.

The couples state taxable income was $55 million in 2017, the year Pritzker left the private equity firm he ran with his brother to launch his campaign for governor. That figure was significantly higher than the $41.1 million in adjusted gross income the Pritzkers reported on their 2017 federal return. The Bailey campaign has released only federal tax returns.
If youve been in Chicago for any period of time, youve seen the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and odds are right by his side was Bishop Tavis Grant. When Jackson was helping residents of Concordia Place Apartments take a stand against management and maintenance of the 297-unit apartment complex in the citys Eden Green neighborhood, Grant was by his side. When Jackson alighted from the plane at OHare International Airport in August 2021 after receiving the commander of the Legion of Honor, Frances highest award, in a Paris ceremony, Grant was nearby.

Now Grant, a longtime Rainbow/PUSH Coalition member, is leading the international human and civil rights organization. On Sept. 5, Grant became acting national executive director of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, where he serves as administrator of day-to-day operations in Chicago and for satellite offices, affiliates and chapters around the country.

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Consistency is one of the truest markers and means by which we measure one another, said Grant, formerly the national field director for Rainbow/PUSH. I think what Im appreciating is the fact that what Im doing is what I was doing a month ago. What Im doing now is what I was doing a year ago. I just so happen to be in the drivers seat. I have the responsibility, obligation and (Jacksons) sanction. I feel the weight of that from him, from his family, from the organization.

Grant crossed paths with Jackson while a junior at Rezin Orr Academy High School. Jacksons message of I Am Somebody resonated with him at a point in his life when he needed to hear it. According to Grant, Jackson became a role model and an example of possibility. The first and second person he voted for was Jackson, during his U.S. presidential bids in 1984 and 1988. During his time with Jackson and Rainbow/PUSH, Grant has served as a volunteer and a youth organizer, and became a staffer under former Operation PUSH leader Tyrone Crider.

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I am a byproduct of Rev. Jacksons PUSH Excel bullet, Grant said. I have always lived with the impact and impression he made on me. Ive traveled with him, been a speechwriter, been the janitor, the bus driver, fried some chicken every now and then. Ive done everything in the organization but this, and now Ive got a chance to do it.

We spoke with Grant, the grandson of Texarkana, Arkansas, sharecroppers, a week after his appointment to talk about his goals, hurdles and upcoming Rainbow/PUSH Coalition activations before Election Day. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q: Having been with the organization as long as you have, what are your top three goals in this new role?

A: The first thing I want to do is be a part of the transformation of the organization into this era of Black culture and Black Renaissance, if you will. We have a Black mayor, Lori Lightfoot; Toni Preckwinkle (County Board president); Chris Welch (the Illinois House speaker)  we have Black political power now that at the height of Harold Washington was unimaginable. And theres a gap in civil rights right now  an age gap, a technology gap, a philosophical gap. So when you say Black Lives Matter and you say Rainbow/PUSH, NAACP and the Urban League, its as if youre talking about two different eras. I think Rev. Jacksons niche and gift was creating PUSH, a byproduct of SCLC (the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Dr. Kings brilliant idea to start Operation Breadbasket, an economic social justice arm of the Black church. Jesse Jackson took that and made it PUSH and it was young, innovative. He took youth, progressive politics, and the Black church and shook them up and made it work. We have a climate now that may not come again, where possibilities are now in our midst organizationally. Under my leadership, Im keenly aware and uniquely qualified in my background to make that pivot rather than trying to re-create the organization. Rev. Jackson was a thermostat. He could take the temperature of the culture. What are millennials talking about now? Wealth building, generational wealth. How do you get a generation without connecting the past with the future? I think thats what this opportunity does.

Secondly, we have to be responsible and intentional in providing an incubator for new talent, new leadership  not just political leadership, but economic leadership. Were moving money today like never before. Were understanding and appreciating finance but how do we socially develop people? In the transition of (Jackson) from candidate, humanitarian, civil rights leader, there was not the necessary imperative for leadership development that would afford us from a branding standpoint to offer people something more than an organization that would provide political analytics and the aggregate of being involved with social justice issues.

Third, reclaiming our space in the area of economic justice. We now have a wave that is sweeping through our communitys economic lives, with services and resources that have been devastated in such a way that Rev. Jackson started Buy Black campaigns. He gave profile to Black professionals and Black entrepreneurs and Black upstarts  thats been PUSHs modus operandi. Those three going into 2023, I think is significant to doing several things: having some real relevance and viability, some sustainability  Its a tremendous opportunity to do some building and be creative, (and) the board has given me a great deal of autonomy. Its almost like getting the keys in the car and theyre saying make sure you bring it back with a full tank of gas.

Q: What do you see as the biggest hurdle to your goals?

A: The perception that civil rights doesnt matter. Every day, I meet somebody who says: I didnt know all of this about Rainbow/PUSH? Can you help me keep my job? Or, My child is being put out of school, what should I do? I cant afford a lawyer. But can you come to court? You need to support PUSH before you need PUSH because when you need PUSH, we may not be there because you didnt support us.

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Large gatherings of people marching down the street to bring about change, thats one facet of it. Winning a multimillion-dollar settlement is civil litigation, not civil rights. Civil rights has been about public policy and is about restoring the essence and the legitimacy of constitutional rights. It is about having access and equity and marginalizing the disparities that are often perpetuated from one generation to the next. The sense of work and value is a tremendous hurdle in terms of people recognizing that the winds of change are not blowing behind us. They are headwinds and theyre ever increasing. And there are any number of efforts to diminish, demoralize and marginalize our growth in ways we never thought, weve never even conceived of. The need and imperative of strong civil rights organization is upon us. I think were gonna see it in the midterms. Were certainly going to see it going into the next presidential cycle.

Q: Rainbow/PUSH is sending water to Jackson, Mississippi, for their recent water woes; whats it going to take to stop having third-world situations in our nation?

A: The federal government is going to have to innovate  the EPA, FEMA, small business associations are going to have to superimpose their will on the state government for the good of the citizens  appealing to the president, the White House, leveraging their resources along with Congressman Bennie Thompson. This didnt just happen. If you add COVID to the equation, this is an ever-evolving catastrophe. We still have a disproportionate number of African Americans who are unvaccinated. Now when you put in water with bacteria in it, you have a third-world situation on your hands. Were talking about seniors, children with disabilities, people who are already living below the national poverty line. This is a really big deal.

Q: What is Rainbow/PUSH doing in terms of Election Day?

A: A voter registration bus campaign, a motorcade across 17 cities. The tour runs Oct. 8-22 and starts in Minneapolis. We have to add to the rolls and we got to turn out whats on the rolls. The other side is organized. They have a systematic approach to this and theyre hoping COVID flares up, the weathers bad in the region, and they have a perfect storm. When you look across Minneapolis to Jacksonville, Florida, theres a path to victory. In times past, weve waited until the eleventh hour to try to do something. This tour will be something that we have not seen in the midterms. Usually we pass on the midterms and take a break. Now its you play through or you get played. This tour is more than just inspirational, were going to produce what will be a nonpartisan voter guide on issues. I think part of our challenge in mobilizing our base is having our base educated on the real issues, which is not Do you trust the vaccine? or Is Dr. Fauci working for Russia?

drockett@chicagotribune.com
Four distinct attacks have been launched against Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic legislators in the past couple of weeks, but dont expect a massive response yet.

1) The Scream: If you watch Chicago TV, you likely saw a striking TV ad called The Scream. The ad featured surveillance camera video of a white woman being mugged in broad daylight by three men in hoodies while she screams. Its a jarring spot, to say the least. The ad was paid for by Dan Profts People Who Play by the Rules PAC, which is backing Darren Bailey for governor.

The ad stirred plenty of controversy, and an attorney for the victim eventually objected to her attack being used in a campaign ad. Shes trying to heal, lawyer Tom Leinenweber told me, and the ad isnt helping. Most Chicago stations had pulled down the ad by weeks end after viewers complained, but the damage was done.

2) Trespassing: Republicans have claimed that the SAFE-T Act has essentially decriminalized trespassing. Darren Bailey said on Facebook that police officers could only write a warning They cannot forcefully remove these people. Congressional candidate and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau went massively viral on TikTok and Twitter with a claim that, Someone could decide to live in your shed and all we could do is give them a ticket. Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley recently told ABC7 that come January 1, his deputies wont be able to arrest anyone for trespassing.

SAFE-T Act proponents have called this argument a lie. And the Illinois Supreme Courts Implementation Task Force decreed of the new statute: Law enforcement do have discretion to remove the person from the location of the alleged criminal activity, and then cite and release the person from another location.

3) The meme and the newspapers: An internet meme about the SAFE-T Act has been widely shared across all social media platforms. The graphic was produced by WFCN News, which, despite the use of authentic-looking call letters, is not a broadcast station but a website with a distinct attitude. Its also been used by publications designed to look like newspapers that have been linked to Dan Proft.

The meme and the Proft papers list several non-detainable offenses beginning January 1, 2023, including second degree murder, kidnapping, threatening a public official, drug-induced homicide, burglary etc.

SAFE-T Act proponents and the governor have repeatedly said that the laws abolishment of cash bail would mainly benefit non-violent offenders. While they are not actually non-detainable, those crimes would indeed qualify an accused person for release, as long as the person isnt a flight risk or if the accused is on release for another alleged crime, or is on probation or parole.

Second degree murder was added to the list because in the year prior to the SAFE-T Acts passage nobody was initially charged with the crime in Cook County. Its almost always used as a fallback position for plea deals. And burglary, according to a proponent of the new law, is most often a charge used on the homeless who are sheltering in abandoned buildings, and those folks end up languishing in jail because they cannot make bail.

Some states attorneys and sheriffs also claim they will have no choice but to release people from their jails when the law takes effect January 1, but SAFE-T Act proponents say local authorities can make a case to a judge that it would be unsafe to release the accused.

4) Migrants: As with previous influxes of asylum-seekers, the state, Chicago and Cook County are using hotels for temporary housing, including in the suburbs. Fox News has fear-mongered about the migrants for months, and some worry that theyre bringing guns and Fentanyl with them. Two suburban mayors have complained that hotels in their towns are being used to house the migrants and local TV news eagerly lapped up the story. One of those mayors, Craig Johnson of Elk Grove Village, demanded to know whether the migrants had been searched for guns, according to the governors office.

Individual Democrats and activists have tried to push back on all of this, but theyre swimming up Niagara Falls.

The governor didnt help matters by admitting last week that the SAFE-T Act may need to be tweaked and then wouldnt say what he wanted changed.

The Democrats say that crime isnt moving any needles in their campaigns. So, if youre looking for a massive coordinated response with real money behind it, you probably wont be seeing it anytime soon unless the poll numbers change.
Few diseases are as cruelly debilitating as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). But a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recently gave patients a glimmer of hope by backing a new treatment that can slow their decline and provide precious more time to live.

ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease, is a neuro-degenerative affliction that gradually robs people of their ability to function. It afflicts about 30,000 patients in the U.S. with 5,000 new cases each year. Patients typically live only two years after a diagnosis as they lose their ability to control essential muscle movements and eventually to chew and breathe.

Scientists dont fully understand what causes the disease, and only two treatments are approved. Neither has shown to both extend life and slow functional decline. But Amylyx Pharmaceuticals experimental drug did both in a small Phase 2 trial. Patients treated with the drug lived on average 4.8 to 11 months longer than those who werent and experienced 25% slower functional decline over 24 weeks.

But an FDA advisory committee in March voted 6-4 against approving the drug. Many members wanted to wait for results from Amylyxs Phase 3 trial, which likely wont be complete until late next year or early 2024. They worried that approving the drug would give patients false hope if the Phase 3 results prove less beneficial. Our guess is that patients will take their chances on any hope.

FDA leaders appeared inclined but reluctant to approve the drug after the political lashing they took for overruling their advisory committee last year to approve Biogens experimental Alzheimers drug. Billy Dunn, the FDA chief of neuroscience, was pounded by the public-health left for urging regulatory flexibility amid positive but inconclusive trial results.

The FDA earlier this summer made an unusual decision to let Amylyx submit more trial data and reconvene its advisory committee for a second look. Canadian regulators in June approved the drug on condition Amylyx completes the Phase 3 trial, which prompted some patients to consider heading north to obtain the drug. What an embarrassment for the U.S.

The U.S. is the worlds leading pharmaceutical innovator, and Americans typically get access to more novel treatments, and sooner, than patients in countries with government-run health systems. But the public-health left is campaigning to limit access to expensive new treatments, and Amylyxs ALS drug was nearly caught in the crosshairs.

The good news is that advisory members appeared to have been moved at their recent meeting by wrenching testimony from ALS patients and the doctors who treat them. Patients who received the drug said it helped stabilize their conditions and live independently. One could even go hiking.

Advisory members voted 7-2 in favor of approval. ... The advisory committees support should give FDA the political cover it was apparently seeking to approve the drug. But the battle over FDA drug approvals will continue, so patients will have to keep fighting to live another day.
The Managing Director of of ADB, Dr. John Kofi Mensah has appealed to the media to prioritize in agri-business reporting since agri business is the main vision of President Akufo-Addo.



He explained that agri-business represents a major sector of industry in Ghana and creates many jobs for the youth, hence the need for the media to make agribusiness a priority.





The Hard working MD who has transformed ADB from a point of losses to profits made the statement on Thursday (September 15, 2022) when the Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) led by its President Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour paid a courtesy call on management of the Bank at its head office in Accra.



We want you to Support the ADB to develop in the area of agri-business because that is the main objective of the President, he said.



Dr. Mensah later, upon a request by the GJA President, reiterated the Banks commitment to support the GJA and Journalists in general adding that the media remains a critical part of our democratic dispensation and for us in the corporate world.



MD of ADB, Dr. John Kofi Mensah speaking to the media

The ADB Boss also assured the GJA of a tremendous support for major activities of the GJA including capacity building for Journalists, rebranding and refurbishment of the Press Centre, Journalists Support Fund and more importantly the GJA Awards which is the flagship event of the Association.



We want to assure you that as it was with the past Executives we are going to do same and even more; we know that with you we are going to go higher and higher, Dr. Kofi Mensah emphasized.



He also commended the media for helping the bank deliver on its mandate stressing that the ADB brand has grown positively for the past 6 years due to its good relations with the media.



According to him, ADB has been a partner for both the GJA and individuals media house for the past 9 years adding that the relationship has tremendously improve since 2017.



We thank you for helping ADB to deliver on its services.



As for Albert Dwumfour, he is the main reason for the Stronger collaboration we have with the media and the GJA, the visionary MD who has increased the branches of ADB, said.



On his part, the GJA President, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour said the visit was to collaborate with key partner institutions to explore opportunities for the development of the GJA and the various institutions.



He commended Dr. Kofi Mensah and the ADB management team for their continuous support for the media as part of its corporate social responsibility noting that the Bank is now visible under Dr. John Kofi Mensah than before.



GJA President Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour speaking to the media

The GJA President however appealed to the Bank to double its support for GJA this year as it plans to organize a mega Awards.



Mr. Dwumfour also assured the ADB of its unwavering commitment to support the bank in the area of agri-business.



We want to partner with you to ensure strong business environment, he emphasized.



Present at the meeting were the Treasurer, Madam Bridget Kaminta L. Nuotuo, the General Manager- Operations, Mr. Enoch Benjamin Donkoh, the Chief Finance Officer Mr.Leon Bannerman-Williams and the Head of Marketing and Communications, Mr. Selorm Amevor.



On the side of the GJA were the President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, the General Secretary Mr. Kofi Yeboah, the Organizing Secretary, Mr. Dominic Hlordzi, the Treasurer, Madam Audrey Dekalu.



The rest are the Public Affairs Officer Madam Rebecca Ekpe and the Administrator of the Press Centre Mr. Michael Petit Mawugbe

Source: Atinkaonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Richard Ahiagbah, Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party, NPP, has disclosed that government is putting in place efforts to get an office for former president John Dramani Mahama.



His comments on Accra-based Citi FM, came hours after he had affirmed on Metro TV that he had documents to the effect that the state was taking care of the bills of an office Mr. Mahama currently uses at East Cantonments.



At a press conference a day before, September 15, Ahiagbah dismissed Mahama's claims that he was not enjoying the full end-of-service benefits due him as a former Head of State as contained in Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution.



The government of Ghana is working to give him an office. There is a conversation to get him an office.



"If the office has not been given to him, the letter I have here has not confirmed it but what it tells me is that there is a conversation to give him an office and his office is aware, the NPP Communications Director said.



Ahiagbah had on Thursday morning been challenged on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana programme by show host, Randy Abbey, and co-panelist, Sammy Gyamfi, to provide docuemnts to support his claim that government was paying for Mahama's private office.



Under pressure to share the evidence of payment he claimed to have, his response was that it was not immediately available on his phone.



Randy then intervened: There is no document that proves that the office accommodation is paid by government.



When Ahiagbah tried to affirm his position, Randy stressed: Maybe something else flashed your face. There is no document.



I saw the document (and) I made a conscious decision not to circulate it, the NPP National Communications officer stated.



The discussions were on recent claims by John Dramani Mahama that aside his monthly pension, he was settling a lot of his bills all by himself because government had failed to pay his full emoluments.



What Mahama told TV3 in an exclusive interview:



I receive only my monthly pension like [former] President Kufuor, and [late former] President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get.



I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.



They havent given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesnt give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel, former President John Dramani Mahama said.







Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Lawyer and author, Benjamin Tachie Antiedu, has asserted that the ongoing Aisha Huang controversy comes as an opportunity for Ghana to make a bold statement to the rest of the world.



According to him, Ghana has long been perceived as a lawless country, prone to inhabit both foreign and local criminals, hence, the chance to reiterate its sovereignty is now.



In an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning show, Mr. Tachie admitted that some form of diplomatic engagement is likely to take place. However, he admonished the government to remain unshaken under any diplomatic circumstances.



Definitely they will pull the strings but this is where you assert your sovereignty as a country. We shouldnt make everything about trade and negotiations. We should be able to set certain things aside.



"Im sure even when we individuals engage with our friends, we dont cross certain boundaries. Ghana has shown a lot of effort in reaching amicable solution with our first effort of her deportation.



"Im also sure the Chinese government will not also attempt knowing that we did our best in our power but their citizen is at fault for crossing the red line. So I dont expect any form of bilateral discussions or any form of exchange with this matter, he said.



He further suggested that foreigners need to experience the full wrath of the countrys laws as citizens in similar fashion that criminality is dealt with.



We have heard perceptions about our country as to whether it is a disciplined country governed by law or just another lawless state. For me, this case is a point to show the world.



"Im sure any criminal activity either by citizens or foreigners should be dealt with accordingly. Ghanaians engaged in such acts have seen their tools and machinery destroyed so why should we tolerate foreigners who come to destroy our environment, he added.



Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the Attorney General and Minister of Justice he has his full support to prosecute Aisha Huang, the notorious Chinese national suspected of indulging in illicit mining in Ghana.



She has since been arraigned before court and remanded into custody for two weeks.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Acting Eastern Regional Director for Gender, Mrs Juliana Abbey, has called on stakeholders to create more opportunities for women to take up leadership positions in the country towards gender equality.



According to her, the patriarchal society in Africa, where women were viewed as people, who have to be led has been the status quo, arguing that if more women took up leadership positions it would encourage others to step up.



Even though a lot has been done by stakeholders and governments to encourage more women into leadership positions, there is still a few of them in leadership positions. Lets create opportunities in schools, institutions among others to get more of them in such top decision making positions, Mrs Abbeyquaye said.



She said such moves would help in achieving the gender equality which is goal 5 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.



Mrs Abbeyquaye made the call in an interview with the Ghanaian Times on how the country could empower women into leadership positions for national development.





She indicated that since the inception of the International Womens Day, many stakeholders, including the Department of Gender, have advocated gender parity, to push more women into leadership position.



Mrs Abbeyquaye said there was still a huge gap considering the ratio of women to men in leadership positions.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is calling on government to immediately amend the Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.



As enshrined in the constitution, Article 71 (1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution determines the salaries and allowances of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary paid from the Consolidated Fund.



The payment is to be determined by the President, on the recommendations of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by him and acting upon the advice of the Council of State.



In a tweet, the Director of Research at the IEA, Dr John Kwakye called for its amendment, saying that any government that is not committed to this call for a review is not interested in fiscal discipline.



He said Article 71 needs immediate review to trim the bloated salaries, allowances and other benefits of the stated office holders. Any Govt that is not committed to the review isnt interested in fiscal discipline.



This post follows former President John Dramani Mahama claim that the government has only paid him GH230,000 for salary arrears and denies receiving GH14 million as ex gratia.



The only payment that was made to me by government, Accountant General, was my salary arrears of GHC230,000 in 2013. I will show it [bank statement] to you first, and later if you want we can call a group of you journalists. Of course, I dont want to publish my bank statement but I can put it before you and you can look through all the payments and see if there is a GHC14 million payment. I didnt receive any such payment, Mr. Mahama told TV3, adding that he pays for his own utilities, accommodation fuel, medical care, plane tickets and domestic staff.



I receive only my monthly pension like President Kufuor, and President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get.



I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.



The 2020 flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) rubbished claim by Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC as absolute lies.



Thats an absolute lie. He says in 2013 14 million [cedis] was paid into my ADB account. I have my 2013 bank statement I will let you look through it and see if there is any GHC14 million payment.



They havent given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesnt give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel.



However, at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, the Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah said the posture of Mr Mahama regarding his entitlements, threatens the peace and democracy of the country.



Mr Ahiagbah said the conduct of former President Mahama threatens our democracy, peace and security. So, the question is, what does former President Mahama wants to achieve with these needless falsehoods? Could it be so that he can pretend to champion the clamour for the repeal of Article 71? Evidence of this rather unholy politics of former President Mahama abound.



Former President Mahamas denial that he is actively accessing his emolument benefits simply exploits the sympathies of unsuspecting Ghanaians.



There is no record anywhere that former President Mahama has been renounced or that the government has denied former President Mahama his emolument or entitlement. These bizarre and downright false claims by the former President speak to a grand electoral strategy driven by desperation and deception.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, is due for retirement in the days ahead if his contract is not extended.



However, the jostle for the top position has intensified as interested parties dust their CVs to impress the appointing authority.



The race to succeed Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, is becoming hectic as a tall list of wannabes has emerged.



Mr. Owusu-Amoah, who clocked the retirement age of 60 years last year and was given one year contract, is expected to bow out by October 10, 2022, making the position vacant.



However, he is not giving up on the position as he is lobbying to stay on even after the Ministry of Finance issued a notice that clearance will not be given to post retirement contract staff.



In a statement signed by a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare said the government has, with immediate effect, suspended the granting of approval for Post-Retirement Contract Appointment.



According to the ministry, such a request can only be granted in cases where the skills of the retiring officer are in short supply and unavoidably needed.



Ammishaddais legacy is before the Special Prosecutor where the GRA is being investigated over procurement breaches as well as the construction of its new head office building where over GH70million was allegedly paid to DEVTRACO for over one year with no job done. The contractor has now moved to site at Kanda near the Jubilee House.



The contract for the project is said to be overpriced, prompting the Special Prosecutor to look into the case.



GRA has refused to talk to DAILY GUIDE on some of the procurement issues despite sending questions to the revenue collection body.



Interestingly, all the wannabes who are angling to take over the GRA plum job have already reached the retirement age of 60 years, including Julie Essiam, Commissioner responsible for the Support Services Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.



Julie, who is seriously lobbying at the Finance Ministry to take over from Ammishaddai, is said to have clocked 60 years in July, but falling on her godfathers to renew her mandate despite the serious doubts about her qualifications.



According to sources, the Public Service Commission (PSC) was yet to approve her appointment as Commissioner but her aide, Ken Koduah, denied the allegation in a chat with DAILY GUIDE.



Koduah also said Julie is yet to clock 60 years, claiming that she just celebrated her 58th birthday.



Julie reportedly dropped out of GIMPA in her latest attempt to upgrade her herself.



She has acted as acting Commissioner General, whenever Ammishaddai is out of the country, as she recently did when the outgoing Commissioner General was in the United States for medical check-up.



She believes she is capable of handling the portfolio even though there are dark clouds hanging around her current position in the areas of procurement.



Sources told DAILY GUIDE that Julies appointment in 2019 received protestation from the party, because she was completely alien to the ruling party, including its senior officers such as the immediate past General Secretary, John Boadu.



With the impending exit of Ammishaddai, she is lacing her boots for a push to the top GRA position using her powerful contacts in the government establishment.



Also in the race are Isaac Crentsil, former Commissioner for Customs Division of GRA who was shipped to Ministry of Finance along with Julies predecessor, Fred Charles Anson.



Mr. Anson, for Commissioner, Support Services Division of GRA, and Mr. Crentsil who exited GRA with the former Commissioner General Kofi Nti, are drawing their support from different axis at the Jubilee House for the Commissioner General position.

Source: daily guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The life and times of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II provide great lessons in selfless public service and leadership worthy of emulation in the modern era, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated.



Speaking at a Thanksgiving Service For The Life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, jointly organized by the Anglican Communion, Ghana and the British High Commission, Dr Bawumia, who represented President Akufo-Addo at the event, recalled Ghanas historic relations with the Commonwealth and the Queen, before and even after Ghana gained her independence in 1957.



As a member of the Commonwealth, Ghana has had an historic relationship with the UK, and by extension Her Majesty the Queen. The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been received here with heavy hearts, prompting His Excellency the President to direct that all official flags in Ghana fly at half-mast for seven days.



The highpoints of Ghanas relationship with her majesty were in the years 1961 and 1999 with her official visits. Indeed, in her 1961 visit, a special high-life tune was composed in her honour called Welcome Your Majesty.



Her famous dance with Ghana's first President and influential Pan-Africanist, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah at a farewell ball in Accra in 1961, was described by scholars as both symbolic and significant to the Commonwealth.



While acknowledging that the late monarchs passing came as a shock to the world, Dr Bawumia emphasized that her 96-year-old long life and 70 years of reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Realms and as head of the Commonwealth are worth celebrating.



Her Majesty the Queen showed remarkable leadership in an era marked by strong anticolonial and independence waves in the African continent (1950s and 60s). It is, therefore, not surprising that under her reign the Commonwealth saw such a huge transformation.



In these roles (Queen of the United Kingdom and the Realms and as head of the Commonwealth) Her Majesty had a yeomans task of overseeing the transition of Great Britain from the tensions of the post-World War II era, especially the Cold War, playing an instrumental role in granting independence to former British colonies, one of which is our beloved Ghana, and contributing immensely to the relative peace the world has enjoyed since the end of the second world war.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate a great woman who was an embodiment of virtue, courage and affection, it is my prayer that God will accept her gentle soul to a peaceful rest.



Once again, on behalf of H.E. the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and all Ghanaians, I wish His Majesty King Charles III, the Royal Family, the people of the United Kingdom and the entire Commonwealth my deepest condolences.



In a short sermon, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel S.M Torto, urged Ghanaians to embrace a life of service, noting that the late monarchs dedication to serving others had had a major impact on the UK, the Commonwealth, and the rest of the world.



Let us learn to serve. We must be of service to our nation. Do not wait for someone to begin before you join. Be of service to yourself, your family, and the nation at large.

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.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker, center, is joined by lawmakers and community advocates after he signed HB 3653, a sweeping criminal justice and police reform bill, on Feb. 22, 2021, at Chicago State University. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Democratic Will County States Attorney James Glasgow filed a lawsuit Friday against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other top state Democrats alleging that they violated the states constitution when they pushed through sweeping criminal justice reforms last year.

The lawsuit from Glasgow, an outspoken critic of the 764-page Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today law, or SAFE-T Act, comes less than four months before several provisions of the year-and-a-half-old law, including a controversial measure to abolish cash bail, go into effect on Jan. 1.

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The suit was filed in Will County court as Pritzker, who signed the legislation into law February 2021, faces a contentious reelection bid on Nov. 8 against Republican challenger Darren Bailey, a state senator from downstate Xenia who is seeking to repeal the SAFE-T Act.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow walks to his office in Joliet in 2015. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

The other defendants include Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. Kankakee County Democratic States Attorney Jim Rowe filed a separate lawsuit Friday against top Democrats, also alleging the passage of the law violates the state constitution.

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The SAFE-T Act was meant to create a more fair court system and promote police accountability. Proponents say the elimination of cash bail addresses a long-standing problem that keeps poor defendants, mostly people of color, locked up while awaiting trial because they dont have the means to make bail.

Starting Jan. 1, judges will weigh several factors, including the threat a defendant poses to the public, in deciding what defendants must remain in custody.

But Glasgow and the laws other opponents worry the no-cash bail provision will weaken police and embolden criminals. On Friday, Glasgow said in a statement that his suit is not about politics; it is about public safety.

Supporters hold signs during a news conference regarding the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act (or SAFE-T), which eliminates cash bonds for certain offenses, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Glasgow has been accused of spreading misinformation about the SAFE-T Act, particularly by claiming that murder suspects currently in custody will automatically be released when the no-cash bail policy goes into effect.

Sadly, I have received veiled threats over my opposition to this legislation, but I must put the safety of my constituents first, Glasgow said in his statement Friday. On this issue, Ill grab a line from (the late rock star) Tom Petty  You can stand me up at the gates of Hell, and I wont back down.

Glasgows 25-page lawsuit alleges Democrats violated several sections of the state constitution, including its separation of powers clause, according to his office. The suit also alleges that the SAFE-T Act violates other laws, including one pertaining to the right to have the safety of the victim and the victims family considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail.

Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh on Friday called the lawsuit a weak attempt to protect an outdated system that lets murder suspects and others accused of violence pay their way out of jail.

The SAFE-T Act not only prevents that from happening, but also provides law enforcement officers the tools they need to fight crime, like body cameras, additional training and access to mental health care, she said.

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Spokespersons for Welch and Raoul said the lawsuit was being reviewed.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
The Russian government has released murderers and sex offenders to go fight in the Ukraine war for six months.



In a new video obtained by Mail Online, Putin's 'chef' was filmed offering a pardon to violent criminals and sex offenders locked up in a Russian prison if they survive fighting in Ukraine.



Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, told prisoners they should take their own lives instead of being captured in Ukraine, holding one grenade for the enemy and one for themselves.



Video shows Prigozhin telling the criminals they can become war heroes or be shot as deserters, as the Kremlin steps up recruitment of inmates after suffering a humiliating defeat against Ukraine's army in the east.



'This is a hard war, not even close to the likes of [Chechnya] and the others,' he was videoed telling them.



'My ammo consumption is two-and-a-half-times higher than in the battle of Stalingrad,' where there were almost two million casualties, he said.



Murderers, sex offenders, and burglars are offered instant freedom and a pardon from Putin if they survive six months at the frontline in the bloody war.



Those who die will be buried 'as heroes', he tells them.



Those who face capture by Ukraine are ordered to use grenades to kill themselves rather than fall into enemy hands.



Convict soldiers who desert are told they will be instantly executed with a bullet to the head.



A secretly filmed video shows Prigozhin, 61, admitting that he represents the Wagner private army, deployed by Putin in Ukraine.



He has previously denied a link to Wagner which is known to have already recruited thousands of inmates as Russia deploys its most dangerous prisoners as fighters.



'I am a representative of a private war company, perhaps you heard the name - Wagner Group,' he tells the assembled prison inmates.



He warns the convicts: 'The first sin is deserting. No-one deserts, no-one gives up, no-one surrenders. Youll be taught what to do regarding surrender.'



'They should take their own lives, and not be taken prisoner, he said.



'Two grenades which you must have on you,' he went on [One grenade for our foes, and one for yourself].



'The second sin is alcohol and drugs in the war zone [which are banned] The third sin is marauding - this includes sexual contacts with local women, men, flora, fauna, anyone.



'The minimum age we take is 22, the maximum is 50, and 'good physical shape' is a must.'









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Captain (Rtd.) Nkrabea Effah Darteh, lawyer for Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, has opened up on conversations he had with his client during her first prosecution five years ago.



Speaking to Joy News on September 14, the lawyer said Aisha Huang is a successful businesswoman who is engaged in the selling of mining equipment.



He emphasized therefore that his client does not go into the bush to do galamsey. Captain (Rtd.) Nkrabea Effah Darteh made this known while insisting that his client is innocent and there was no legal basis for her purported deportation in 2018

.

and she left behind vast economic interest. Aisha Huang was a very successful mining engineer, mining businessman. What I know about Aisha personally from her instructions to me in 2018 is that she herself is not doing mining per se but she sells mining equipment, mining materials to those in the field but she herself does not go to the bush to do galamsey.



... she sells mining equipment to those in the business. That is all. And now youre worrying this innocent 47-year-old woman, he lamented.



On his clients re-arrest, Effah Darteh accused Aisha Huangs debtors as behind witch hunt to get her jailed.



He stated that he suspected persons she has rendered services to but who do not want to pay for supplies are behind her arrest stressing even that the evidence brought against his client was not strong enough.



He said that it was most unfair to his client to be arrested before the state builds up a case against her.



He continued that what I know for sure is that Aisha Huang during the 2018 trial, she told me she has a lot of business interests in Ghana and I suspect that those who owe her for services rendered or materials purchased from her and they have not paid back, it is those people who do not want Aisha Huang to be around. They would want to see her back in Ghana so that they can live without paying her for her materials or things that she has sold to them.



I dont know any particular human being that I can put my finger on and say that this particular person is orchestrating Aisha Huangs woes or difficulties but I suspect strongly that it is her debtors or her creditors who are trying to worry her, he submitted.



It will be recalled that Aisha Huang was rearrested with three others for engaging in galamsey-related activities last week after she reentered the country after her deportation in 2018.



Ms. Huang and her accomplices were slapped with charges of mining without license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals when they were first arraigned before the Court.



On September 14 when they reappeared before the Accra Circuit Court, the Chinese nationals reiterated their plea and have subsequently been remanded into custody for two weeks.









Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has said he would not budge in his anti-corruption crusade.



He said attempts made by certain persons to silence, intimidate, and bar him from defending the 1992 Constitution in the fight against corruption have failed.



Mr Amidu in an epistle rejected claims against him by Corruption Watch Ghana and co suggesting that he shot over the bar with his stance on the Labianca case.



Mr Amidu had shared his opinion on the Labianca case where he said the Office of the Special Prosecutors (OSP) investigations into the case was hollow.



In his latest epistle, Mr Awudu said he was attacked for sharing his opinion but he would not budge in his fight against corruption.



Below is his full statement:



THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION REQUIRES A HIGH DECREE OF CRUSADING INTEGRITY AND NOT ENTERPRENEURSHIP:



BY MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU



INTRODUCTION



My critique and analysis of the report into alleged commission of corruption and corruption related offences involving the Labianca Group of Companies Limited published on 19 August 2022 invoked insults and the casting of aspersions on my person instead of a reasoned response to the detailed critique and analysis presented to the public for informed debate.



I have crusaded against corruption since 1982 when I chaired the three-man National Investigation Committee, Sub-committee into the Cotton Development Board. I am not one of those whose crusade has ever had an eye on foreign and local donations and grants to fund or pay for my constitutional advocacy activities against corruption.



That is the work of entrepreneurs whose salaries and emoluments are derived from fundings, donations or grants from foreign governments and/or their agents.



I expect the CDDs Corruption Watch Ghana and those associates and lawyers attacking my person instead of the article I wrote to be bold to inform Ghanaians of how from June to October 2018, I refused to compromise the independence of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) when they tried on numerous occasions to let me violate Section 22 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) on funding the OSP, and ceding the OSP to their management and control.



As a result of the unreasoned attack on my person instead of the article I wrote, I petitioned the Public Services Commission on 31st August 2022 on the unlawful appointment of permanent staff to the OSP contrary to Article 195 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 21 of Act 959.



I followed this up on 2nd September 2022 with letters to the Minister for Finance, the Accountant-General, the Auditor-General, and the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to protect the public purse.



A PROUD NORTHERNER TO BEAR THE PEJORATIVE NAME KONONGOKAYA



A member of parliament who is the chairperson of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of Parliament, Mr. Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, within hours of the publication of the twenty-page article stooped so low to call me by the pejorative Gold Coast Colony and Ashanti name assigned my forebearers, northerners, from the Northern Territories of the British Protectorate in Konongo, as Konongokaya.



No amount of attempting to clean the pejorative origins of the word Konongokaya can hide the insult to Northerners in the colony or to me as one of their descendants. Like the Kayayei of today, we are proud northerners and proud of our identities.



It is however a shame that such a person calls himself a lawyer, and Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the Parliament of the modern day Ghana founded on 6 March 1957 and passing laws for citizens under the 1992 Constitution.



If simply reading a 20-page article was problematic for such a member of parliament to help him argue in a civilized manner without casting invectives at the author, then, one wanders how seriously the bills and regulations are scrutinized under such a lazy chairperson before Parliament passes them. Surely, Ghana deserves better representation in Parliament.



CDD-GHANAS CORRUPTION WATCH GHANA



The next day, 20 August 2022, after the publication of my article, the supposed doyen of the NGOs, CDD-Ghana, in a statement signed by its Co-Founder, Dr Gyimah-Boadu, raised questions about Ms. Asomah-Hinnehs appointment by the president as a Board Member of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).



Unfortunately, the President did not appoint Ms. Asomah-Hanneh to the Council of State. She is an elected member of the Council of State as stated in my article and the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority is not the same entity as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to generate any conflict of interest in her dealings with the GRA.



And clearly, the OSP was acting ultra vires its statutory and constitutional mandate and the question of the propriety or otherwise of any appointment by the President to the Board of GPHA did not arise.



The impression subtly created that the OSP Labianca Report was constitutional and lawful was the issue at stake to be addressed by all adherents of the rule of law and the due process of law and not evading those issues through the side door.



The proper context of appreciating the CDDs stance after my article is to remember the position it took in support of the OSP Labianca Report as reported by Modern Ghana on 11 August 2022. Modern Ghana reported that:



Advocacy group, Corruption Watch Ghana has commended the Office of the Special Prosecutor for recovering over GHS1 million in unpaid import duty charges from Labianca Company LimitedIn a press release, Corruption Watch Ghana is pushing for the owner of Labianca Company Limited, Ms. Buah Asomah-Hinneh to be removed from her position as Council of State memberIn addition, it also wants the Deputy Commissioner for Customs in charge of operations Mr. Joseph Adu Kyei sanctioned.



In the words of the statement issued by Corruption Watch Ghana:



Ms. Buah Asomah-Hinneh must be asked to resign or be removed from her membership of the Council of State and the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. Corruption Watch Ghana welcomes the directive for the opening of a wider investigation in respect of the issuance of customs advance rulings and markdown of benchmark values between July 2017 and December 2021.We further welcome the directive to the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to submit an Integrity Plan designed with the aim of preventing the corruption of the exercise of discretion by officials of the Customs Division by December 31, 2022. We believe that these directives are forwardlooking.



After welcoming whole heartedly an unlawful and unconstitutional report by their accredited partner in the fight against corruption my article which raised issues on the ultra vires of the OSP Labianca Report threatened to expose the collective who were participating in the mob lynching of witnesses who were being condemned without a hearing in accordance with Act 959 and the 1992 Constitution.



As reported in the Modern Ghana article, Corruption Watch Ghana is an initiative by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and a coalition of anti-corruption civil society organizations including, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti- Corruption Coalition (GACC), and Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA)



I do not consider the media acting pursuant to Chapter Twelve of the 1992 Constitution as partners of Corruption Watch Ghana. They are named as media partners just for the same 3 purposes of influence peddling or trading of influence as Corruption Watch Ghana criticizes others for practicing.



The same influence peddling or trading of influence can be seen on the website of the OSP where two of the leading foreign influenced NGOs have become integral partners of an independent OSP: Afrobarometre-Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) - without the slightest shame of any conflict of interest in rigging the elections to Chairpersonship of the governing council of the OSP and violating Section 22 of Act 959 which forbids the OSP from accepting any funds directly or indirectly from anybody except from or through the Ministry of Finance.



This partnership clearly negates the independence of the OSP and now enhances the ability of the NGOs to use influence peddling or trading of influence to source funds, grants and donations from foreign sources first to meet their administrative expenses and salaries, and secondly to interfere in the independent operations of the OSP.



This is precisely what Section 22 of Act 959 sought to prevent. They failed to persuade me to violate this law during my tenure. The records are available on their illegal efforts should they wish to contest this claim.



The unanswered question which the CDDs Corruption Watch Ghana does not want Ghanaians to think about is the fact that some of their members serve as public officers on governing councils of the executive branch of government as Chairpersons or members of state institutions and take the allowances and other perquisites of public office that come with such appointments.



Those Ghanaians who do not see these entrepreneurial NGOs as suffering from the same conflict of interest, or influence peddling or trading of influence they pontificate against should visit the definition of the expression public officer under Section 3 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). I refrain from naming them, but they know themselves.



This is a typical lynching mob modus operandi that hides their own iniquities while lynching others who like themselves, have not been found guilty through the due process of law for the commission of any offence(s). Walk your talks and resign from those executive branch positions, if you truly have integrity and believe in what you preach.



THE INTEGRITY OF NOT READING ARTICLES WE CRITICISE



Mr. Martin Kpebu, a lawyer, who makes it his stock in trade to regularly appear as a guest in the electronic media as part of his private law practice, without reading my article, said that: Mr Amidu shot over the bar. Thats what he did in Agyapa [case], so I dont know why Mr Amidu suddenly has come to this 180 turn to stand on the other end. We have so much respect for him but in this particular thing we dont agree with him.



This lawyer did not apparently, as simple legal ethics demanded, even read my article, or understand it, because if he had he would not have missed the last paragraph on page 4, (after I had stated the investigatory and prosecutorial powers of the OSP under which the OSP Labianca Report was written, including the publication of reports under Section 3(3) of Act 959) in which I stated that:



The report of the OSP on Labianca under discussion makes no reference to it as having been undertaken in pursuance of its objects under Section 2(c) of Act 959 and Regulation 31 of L. I. 2374. It is not stated in the Labianca report to be a prevention of corruption report, in the nature of, an analysis of the risk of corruption conducted by the OSP but conducted as a full investigation by a panel. The Agyapa Royalties analysis of the risk of corruption and anticorruption risk assessment report of the OSP made it clear that it was written pursuant to the prevention of corruption mandate.



A simple reading of pages 63 and 64 of the Agyapa Royalty Transaction Report dated 15 October 2020 clearly showed its difference from the OSP Labianca Report: This assessment does not constitute an investigation even though a formal investigation for the suspected commission of offences may arise from this corruption risk assessment. It is not the work of a Commission or Committee of EnquiryIt partakes of a compliance audit



But this is a gentleman and a lawyer who had taken a position on the OSP Labianca Report when it was published in the media on 8 August 2022 without even considering the fact that the whole report by his friend, the Special Prosecutor, was written without any jurisdiction or mandate under the law establishing the OSP.



In a report by Joy Multimedia dated 11 August 2022 this lawyer who knows it all, was reported to have thrown his support behind the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in the Labianca Company saga.



He is also quoted to have told the television station that: Col. Damoah (Rtd) cant take himself out of this case. It is just too late in the day so the ad hominem argument that the Special Prosecutor is a small boy is neither here nor there. So he should accept because I dont see the grounds for the attack.



And this is one of the human rights lawyers who had crucified persons accused of corruption by means of adverse findings for which they had no right of appeal to the High Court as guaranteed to commissions of enquiry under the 1992 Constitution. My critique and analysis of his friends OSP Labianca Report was therefore difficult for him to swallow as it contradicted his previous ill-considered position to Multimedia on the issue.



What integrity do we exhibit to the listening and reading public when we appear on television, urge our host to visit the OSP to see its abysmal state of affairs for himself because we had followed up our petition to the Special Prosecutor on the Northern Development Authority (NDA) alleged corruption case, and in the same breath accusing the President for not interfering in the independence guaranteed to the OSP by usurping that independence to fight corruption as President?



There was no way the President could win the argument. If he dealt with the NDA case when it was pending before the OSP upon our man of integritys petition, the President would be interfering in its independence. If he awaited the results of the independent OSP he was part of criminal syndicate of corruption. Perfect logic of integrity!



Then two days later the OSP which had held on to the NDA petition without acting on our man of integrity and human rights petition, announced the commencement of investigation into the NDA case. Was there a collusion to set-up the President for damnation? It should be everybodys guess.



IMANIS CHARGE OF OBSTRUCTION OF THE CURRENT SPECIAL PROSECUTOR



The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, is reported on 25 August 2022 on Joy News PM Express to have cautioned against the hailing of the former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, as an authority to be running commentary on the actions of the present Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng. According to the reportage:



Mr. Amidu should not be sniping at him, making such commentary. We all make commentary, we all criticize, we all say what we have to say. But you and I and everybody else should be careful not to make Martin into somebody who will be running commentary and then we will sit back and then be analyzing what Mr. Agyebeng is doing because of what Martin Amidu is saying. I absolutely will not join that bandwagon.



Pathetically, Kofi Bentil of IMANI Africa accuses me of obstructing the work of the present Special Prosecutor with long epistles. The exercise of my constitutional right as a citizen to critique an unlawful and unconstitutional conduct did not matter to validity of the arguments contained in my considered article to this lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Africa.



This is a person who did not even appear to have read the prologue to my critique and analysis which explained why I broke one year of silence to write on a patently unconstitutional and unlawful report of their friend.



The distinguished Vice President of IMANI Africa refused or failed to address the reasons for my article as I stated in the prologue even if he was lazy to read the entire 20-page article:



The report seriously violates the statutory mandate of the OSP under the 1992 Constitution. It is, therefore, imperative that the public appreciates through cogent and credible critique and analysis of the issues involved in the published Labianca report in which three investigation witnesses who appeared before an unauthorized investigation panel are being lynched in the court of public opinion as though they had been cautioned and/or charged with any corruption and/or corruption-related offences before the OSP. his explains my first critique and analysis of the work of the OSP since the assumption of office of the Special Prosecutor on 9 August 2021.



But so are they all, all distinguished Vice Presidents of NGOs, who when they cannot engage the argument, engage a personality of their perceived adversary with disparaging trash in their defensive interactions. Let me say this for the first and the last time: I had to resign from the OSP after crossing swords with the President and his Family and Friends on 1 November 2020 on the Agyapa Royalties Transactions.



Any experienced public officer would tell anyone that strategically, staying on in that office opened me up for trumped-up impeachment at the time of the Governments own choosing. Resigning was the most strategic and tactical thing to do to both avoid the Charlotte Osei situation and to scuttle the Agyapa Royalties Transaction which has been more beneficial to Ghana than the GHC1million extorted from Labianca Company Limited.



I had to make that decision based on decades of experience in public office and not cede it to any civil society organization or Mr. Kwame Anyimadu Antwi who did not even know how I was persuaded to accept the appointment in the first place.



INVITATION TO ANTI-CORRUPTION NGOs FOR A REASONED DEBATE



I humbly invite the non-governmental organizations who chose to attack and cancel me from exercising my constitutional right to engage in critical and analytical discourse on the lawfulness of the OSP report to respond to my article in a civilized manner by demonstrating that pursuant to section 2(a), 3 and 79 of Act 959 and Regulations 5, 6, and 7 of L. I. 2374 under which the OSP purported to have written and published the OSP Labianca Report any specified corruption and corruption-related offences were committed.



The factual context is that the interpretation section, Section 79 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) defines corruption and corruption-related offences to mean offences under (a) Section 146, 151, 179C, 239, 252, 253, 254, 256, 258 and 260 of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29); (b) Section 92 (2) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663); and (c) Existent offences under enactments arising out of or consequent to offences referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b);



The following is a summation of the corruption and corruption-related offences created under Act 959:



(a) Section 146 deals with dishonestly receiving property that a person knows to has been obtained or appropriated by a criminal offence punishable under the chapter; (b) Section 151 deals with a person who extorts property from any other person by means of threat; (c) Section 179C dealing with using public office for profit; (d) Section 239 deals with corruption of and by public officers; (e) Section 252 deals with accepting or giving bribe to influence public officer or juror, (g) Section 253 deals with corrupt promise by judicial officer or juror; (h) Section 254 deals with corrupt selection of juror, (i) Section 256 deals with corruption, intimidation, and personation in respect of election, (j) Section 258 deals with falsification of returns at election; (k) Section 260 deals with withholding public money by public officer; and (l) Section 92(2) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) deals with offences constituted under the Act for which jurisdiction is given to the Office. Surprisingly, it fails to mention Section 93 dealing with corrupt practices



I challenge Corruption Watch Ghana, its associated friends and lawyers to point to the offences indicated above the offences of conflict of interest, or influence peddling or trading of influence by Ms. Asomah-Hinneh by employing her position as a member of the Council of state and a member of the Board of Directors of Ghana Ports and Habours Authority or .an institutional culture of ligthearted (sic) unconcern regarding impropriety of action at the Customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority  which indicated a high propensity to engender corruption and corruption-related activities as corruption and corruption-related offences.



Should they be able to show these to fall within Section 79 of Act 959, I would gladly accept the charges of obstructing, meddling, and shooting over the bar against me, and apologize for my transgression into the domain of the almighty Corruption Watch Ghana under the equally omnipotent CDD Ghana.



CONCLUSIONS



The efforts and attempts by the group of non-governmental organizations called Corruption Watch Ghana, their associated friends, and lawyers to silence, intimidate, and cancel my voice from defending the 1992 Constitution in the fight against corruption within the narrow laudable objectives of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Act, 2017 (Act 959) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L. I. 2374) to investigate and prosecute specified cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption-related offences will, and has failed.



The more my person is attacked and intimidated, the more I shall use all available legal and constitutional means at my disposal to ensure that the Office of the Special Prosecutor does not become a rogue institution of CDD-Ghanas Corruption Watch Ghana and their associates who are pushing it into illegal acts to enhance their entrepreneurial influence peddling or trading of influence at the expense of the security and laws of Ghana.



Martin A. B. K. Amidu













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has taken urgent steps by presenting about 40,000 oil palm seedlings to the members in the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery who are dominantly farmers to empower them economically through Agriculture amidst the current economic woes bedeviling the country.



The steps is also intended to help address and elevate them from abject poverty and economic hardship in the Presbytery.



Rev. Dr. Seth Kissi, the Presbytery Chairperson said the presentation of 40,000 oil palm seedlings was necessitated by the fact that most of the church members are farmers and owns vast lands therefore after being saved spiritually by God it is also imperative to support them physically to sustain their lives.



According to Rev. Dr. Seth Kissi, the Presbytery Chairperson when the lives of the church members are better it will directly impact the church and the leadership of the church will have peace of mind.



He reiterated that aside from supporting the members through agriculture, the church gives scholarships to members in the various congregations and districts who enrolls in most Presbyterian schools across the country.



Rev. Dr. Seth Kissi added that, so far the church has invested a total amount of Ghc 180,000 in all the six districts of which each district contains three nursery sites of the oil palm seedlings ready for distribution to the interest congregants who are in Agric.



Rev. Dr. Seth Kissi made the disclosure during the symbolic presentation of oil palm seedlings to the members of the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery at Akyem Asuom.



Mrs. Rebecca Taiko Sabah, Director for Development and Social Services of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana said the steps taken by the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery to initiate social issues of it members along side with their spiritual issues is a laudable idea and must be commended.



She further advised and urged the farmers to properly handle the seedlings and adopt all the best farming cultural practices to enjoy the full benefit of the seedlings that was given to them for free.



She however said the Presbytery together with the district level has set up a monitoring committee to occasionally visit the beneficiaries with agric extension officers to monitor the progress of the seedlings in their various farms.



Speaking to some of the beneficiaries , they were enthused by the initiative taken by the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery and said the palm oil production will yield them a lot of benefits as well as empowering them economically to also generate revenue to support their children, church and their families. Prays it continues.

Source: Michael Akrofi









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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Mr Kofi Agyepong, says that the unemployment rate among Ghanaian youth keeps soaring due to a lack of relevant skills to take up existing job opportunities.



To that effect, he said, the youth were losing out on jobs, especially in the artisanal sector to artisans from neighbouring countries.



You want the best of masons to put up a building for you, you want the best of P.O.P done for you in your house, you want the best of plumbers to fix your pipes, and even painting, and you are directed to artisans from Togo because they deliver the best of these services, he said.



Mr Agyepong has, therefore, called for a change in the pattern of investments to ensure that more resources go into enhancing the technical and vocational skills that will stay with our youth forever.



Speaking at the 2022 Job Fair in Sunyani, he said the situation was so dire that he doubted the capacity of the YEA to find young competent technicians in large numbers to fill up job vacancies that may be available.



I have been asking myself since I took over the agency if Tullow Ghana Limited asks me to supply them with 200 trained and certified electricians today, will I be able to provide them? If AngloGold Ashanti requests YEA to provide them with 500 trained and certified industrial machine engineers, will I be able to provide them?



If the Ghana Water Company requests 100 trained and certified plumbers for employment today, can I provide them? he said.



MrAgyapong commended the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GCC) together with the GIZ, who through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has organised the fair.



He further commended the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations for their continuous support in reducing the unemployment rate in the country.



The CEO also urged young job seekers, while being relentless in their job hunt, to continuously upgrade their skills as they aspire to achieve their dreams.



Take every advantage of the fair and reach out to as many employers as you can. I entreat you to treat this event as just what it is: a job fair, not some sort of funfair, he added.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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An aggrieved elderly citizen of Likpe in the Volta Region has warned political leaders not to attempt to come near his community with ballot boxes or papers when it is time for elections otherwise, he would have them set ablaze.



The anger of the farmer, Bright, as captured in a video shared by Edem Srem, one of Ghanas foremost drone pilots and documentary producers, stems from the fact that for decades, their farming communities have been robbed of development.



He explained that politicians have continued to take them for granted, only returning to them when they need their votes.



This is where we have been farming, and this is where the foodstuffs have been coming from, but look at the nature of our roads. We are suffering. Just look at this, these few weeks that these rains started look at the whole place.



So, we need roads. If you dont bring roads, dont come to us for our votes again. We are not going to accept you. We are not going to allow you to enter even the landscape. So, be very wise. Weve been voting for you for quite a long time, after the voting then you go, four years later, youll come, he said.



He further warned that politicians who attempt to return to the community without doing what is necessary will court their anger.



He explained that if this is not done for them, they will ensure that ballot boxes brought to them will be burned.



Dont come again o, because this place will be hot for you. If you bring the ballot papers and the ballot boxes, well burn them here. If you dont come and tar this road for us so that the foodstuffs youve been eating there  you dont know how we suffer to make it before it comes to Accra help us now, not tomorrow, the man, fuming with rage, stated.



Watch the full video below:





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has prayed God not to allow his former party to return to power.



Allotey Jacobs, tackling illegal mining issues during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' Wednesday morning, expressed disappointment in the politics in Ghana.



He described Ghana's politics as "dirty" and exposed some leading members of the NDC including former President and 2020 NDC Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, for making statements that sought to project the illegal mining business in a good light.



Illegal mining, popularly called 'galamsey', is a menace to Ghana's development. The galamseyers destroy water bodies and environment where they undertake their activities.



As a result, the current government has mounted a concerted action to end this illicit trade.



However, according to Allotey Jacobs, there are some NDC members who have given assurances to Ghanaians involved in the illegal mining that they will support them to continue their activities but in exchange for votes in the next elections.



Allotey expressed uncertainty that the NDC will fight against galamsey should they return to power but believed the illegal miners may rather be emboldened which won't help in ending the canker.



To him, Mr. Mahama and his party are part of the reasons why Ghana is seemingly losing the galamsey fight.



" . . God forbid that they will return to power, but assuming in the near future they come into power, won't the NPP also attack them? If it happens this way, are we doing this country good?", he queried.



Ghanaians must know the "wrongdoers", he said while rebuking the opposition party, "those who don't want Ghana to succeed and place them aside for Ghana's water bodies to become better".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has criticized Joyce Bawah Mogtari, an aide to former President John Mahama for describing Attorney General (AG) Godfred Dame as a 'baby'.



Madam Mogtari reacting to the AG's criticisms against Mahama after the latter slammed the judiciary said: "Ignore the rants of baby Godfred Dame, who was probably not old enough to vote in the 28th April 1992 referendum to accept the draft constitution, and yet has the impudence to insult John Mahama and describe all Lawyers affiliated with the NDC as abettors.



But Kwesi Pratt believes it's harsh to use the word "baby" against the AG.



"Using the word baby is a bit harsh whether in inverted commas or not. How can a baby be an Attorney General? If you disagree with the Attorney General just say so and avoid such words," he said on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'.



Listen to him in the video below





Ignore the rants of baby Godfred Dame, who was probably not old enough to vote in the 28th April 1992 referendum to accept the draft constitution, and yet has the impudence to insult John Mahama and describes all Lawyers affiliated with the NDC as abettors  Joyce Bawah Mogtari (@joyce_bawah) September 12, 2022











Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Mr Dan Botwe, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has said the Akufo Addo- led government does not discriminate in its developmental discourse.



He said the chiefs and people of Volta remained important to the government and "this government will continue to distribute all the needed resources to all, regardless of what is happening around us as a country."



He said Ghanaians have a President who wants to contact the people "since we are a government of the people and for the people."



Mr Botwe made the remarks in a short address to the chiefs and people of Battor during the commissioning of a new District Court in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region as part of a two-day regional tour by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



He emphasized that the NPP government would not send projects to areas only noted to have voted for only the NPP.



"The Government is distributing the resources of the country everywhere and making sure that there is no discrimination," he said.



Mr Botwe said the tour would enable the President to know the challenges of Ghanaians in the public and private sectors as well as knowing the status- quo of ongoing projects in the country.



President Akufo-Addo together with his entourage, subsequently commissioned an ultra-modern District Court building at Battor for effective delivery of justice.



The tour also took the President to Kpeve, Kpando, Ho and Aflao, where some ongoing projects were inspected as well as the commissioning of some completed ones such as the Community Senior High School in Aflao.





Source: GNA









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The Deputy Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Owusu Bempah Bonsu is of the strong view that the ruling government will retain it seat come 2024 with ease should the NDC maintain John Dramani Mahama as the partys flagbearer.



He said winning the 2024 elections will be a mere formality on the conditions that John Dramani leads the main opposition National Democratic Congress party in the general elections.



Speaking to Angel TV/FMs Kwamina Sam Biney on the Anopa Bofo morning show, Mr. Bempah confidently asserted that the 2024 election will be one of the cheapest contests for the NPP having John Mahama as the main contender.



Thats his own matter, hes that one person that we [NPP] want him to represent the NDC so we defeat him once more as we did. For him, hes that cheaper for us when it comes to elections, and we will defeat him hands down and anyone at all that comes onboard, he said on Thursday, September 15, 2022.



According to the communicator, in his view, the former president poses no threat to the ruling government.



Ernest Owusu Bempah who doubles the Head of Corporate Communications at the Ghana National Gas Company on that score urged the NDC to present John Dramani Mahama as its candidates come 2024 although he is of the strong conviction that they will lose the polls with the latter as their leader.



We respect him because he is our former president, and we know he will continue to be an opposition leader for the rest of his life because Ghanaians do not have confidence in him to govern the state.



So, for him, we are seriously praying because if the NDC fails to bring him I will be very very disappointed, he continued.



Without mincing words, he added that the former statesman-led administration collapsed the economy with his gross incompetence meanwhile he faced no unforeseen circumstances such as the NPP is facing with Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.



Mr. Bempah urged Mr. Mahama to reconsider his luminary and desist from propagating falsehood about the sitting government because the NPP at its worst is far better than his past NDC administration.













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The eighth National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week kicked off in Hefei, Anhui province, on Thursday, with Premier Li Keqiang urging further efforts to unleash people's entrepreneurial energies and spur innovation.



Addressing the opening ceremony of the annual event via video, Li said China will deepen reforms to streamline administration, delegate power, improve regulations, upgrade services, support startups and deepen innovation players' engagement in international cooperation.

He said encouraging mass entrepreneurship and innovation helps foster new growth drivers, stimulate market vitality and unlock social creativity. More efforts, therefore, should be made to deepen reforms and opening-up, and promote innovation-driven development.

Official data showed there are more than 160 million registered market entities in China, nearly three times that of 10 years ago.

The event is themed on "Innovation drives vitality, entrepreneurship creates employment" and continues through Sept 21.

Nearly 1,000 activities are held across the country and more than 160 examples of successful startups are showcased in Hefei, which is home to 4,578 national-level high-tech enterprises.

Liu Qingfeng, founder and president of Hefei-based company iFLYTEK, an intelligent speech and artificial intelligence company, said the national mass entrepreneurship and innovation campaign over the past years has helped consolidate the company's confidence and competence.

The company was founded by six students, including Liu, at the Hefei-based University of Science and Technology of China in 1999. It has since grown into a prominent name in the fields of voice recognition and AI.

Since 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Anhui provincial government have been developing China Speech Valley, a high-tech industrial park in Hefei, into a major hub for the AI industry.

As the largest company in the park, iFLYTEK made its technology accessible to developers through its open platform online.

"At the end of 2014, our open platform had 55,000 users. Now, there are 3.54 million," said Liu.

So far, the company has incubated 150 startups, according to China Speech Valley.

Anhui Ronds Science & Technology, an industrial internet solution provider, was founded in 2007 and experienced dire setbacks in its initial years mainly due to the 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis.

In 2015, at Anhui's parallel session on mass entrepreneurship and innovation, Nie Weihua, president of Ronds, said he was confident about the company's future development. Subsequent years showed the campaign helped the company to live up to expectations.

In 2021, on the back of its steadfast endeavors, the company went on to list on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, also known as the STAR Market, of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

At this year's event, Ronds is presented as one of the successful examples of the positive impact of the Hefei event on business over the years.
Issues of end-of-service benefit payment to former President John Dramani Mahama continue to play out as the New Patriotic Partys (NPP) Earnest Owusu-Bempah Bonsu has debunked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leaders recent claims.



Mr Mahama had disclaimed enjoying privileges and pegs worth some GH15 million when he granted an interview to TV3. According to him, nothing more than his monthly pension is paid to him as a former President of the Republic.



They [incumbent government] say they pay my electricity bills; thats not true. I pay the electricity bills for my house and my office. I pay the water bill for my house and my office, he stated.



I live in my own accommodation, so the state does not pay me anything for accommodation. They havent given me an office; I rent an office in East Cantonment. I pay the rent myself.



I pay [for] my own fuel; the state doesnt give me fuel. I pay my own domestics. I pay my medical bills. I pay my own air tickets when I travel, the Former President furthered.



Mr Mahama has a hunch that the Government is ensuring that former President John Agyekum Kufour is enjoying the talked-about privileges and pegs but maintained that they are not doing it for me.



Reacting to the claims, however, Ernest Owusu Bempah, the NPP Deputy Communication Director, said the government had been discharging its obligations to the office of Mr Mahama.



Speaking on Angel FM/TVs Anopa Bfo morning show on Thursday, September 15, 2022, he referenced payments made for 2017, saying that the total amount released for the NDC stalwarts benefits was GH15,612,312.



Breaking the figure down, Mr Earnest said his salary for the year under review summed up to GH1,934,832. Accommodation stood at GH6,29,487. Whereas his fuel cost was GH324,000, cars delivered to him that year amounted to GH1.6 million. GH2,484,000 was paid to his staffers.



However, the air travels cost, Mr Ernest Owusu-Bempah noted, covered the period when the President left office to the present. According to him, the statesman has made a total of 12 trips. The 12 trips have cost the taxpayer US$960,000if converted to the Ghana cedis, it is GH8,640,000.



The development follows allegations of NPPs Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe or Abronye DC who claimed that the former first gentleman of the land received GH14 million as ex-gratia and GH15 million as an end-of-service benefit.



Let me reiterate my position that Mr John Mahama indeed received GH14 million as ex gratia in 2013 which was credited to his Agricultural Development Bank Account.



Since 2017, it is important to note that Mr John Mahama has since received an end-of-service package of GH15,612,319.



He furthered that the President still receives benefits such as state-provided staff not exceeding four including Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Felix Ofosu Kwakye who receive GH 9,000 every month as allowances and a furnished and up-to-date office.













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The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not be distracted by the recent commentaries by former President John Mahama on the Article 71 officeholders emoluments and other matters arising.



As a party, we believe Mahamas Article 71 misrepresentations, the unmerited attacks on President Akufo-Addo and the NPP government and the Judiciary, among others, are part of the National Democratic Congresss (NDCs ) plot to sidetrack this administration from the heavy lifting it is doing to improve conditions for Ghanaians in these trying times, it said.



We can assure Mahama and the NDC that the NPP Akufo-Addo-led government will focus on its manifesto promises to develop Ghana, the party said.



Press briefing



Addressing the media in Accra last Wednesday, the national Communications Director of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, said the event was to expose the insincerity, inconsistency and lack of seriousness of former President Mahama about governance issues.



He said the governments flagship projects were being vigorously implemented and that the government was focused to bring Ghanas economy back to its pre-COVID-19 growth trajectory.





To this end, we humbly ask for all Ghanaians support to advance this economic regeneration project for Ghana, the NPP Communication Director said.



Article 71



Touching on the issues raised by former President Mahama on Article 71, Mr Ahiagbah said Mr Mahamas position on the repeal of Article 71 was inconsistent with the opportunities he had to amend it when he was the Vice-President and President between 2009 and 2017.



He stated that based on the above, former President Mahama had every opportunity to repeal Article 71 as President, but he failed to do so, hence his posturing to the Article 71 issues that when given the political opportunity he would amend it were all political gimmicks to hoodwink the electorate to vote for him.



Buttressing his point, Mr Ahiagbah quoted from the white paper on the Constitution Review Commission an item captured under issue eight: Determination of the Conditions of Service of Some Public Officers by the President.



Government accepts the recommendation that an Independent Emoluments Commission should be established to determine the salaries, allowances and emoluments of all public officers, from the President to the lowest ranking public officer.



Mahama became President in 2012, barely a year after the acceptance of the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission. All former President Mahama needed to do was to present a draft bill to parliament, per Article 290 (2), to trigger the amendment process. But as the talk master general, former President Mahama did not act on the white paper.



Instead, he ignored the white paper to create and benefited from emolument committeestwo of them, Mr Ahiagbah stated.



So, from all indications, former President Mahama loves the Article 71 provisions because he preserved it for himself, when he got the golden opportunity to repeal it.



Failure



In other words, what former President Mahama is saying today cannot be taken seriously because he has already failed Ghanaians on this matter, he said.



However, if former President Mahama wants to be taken seriously, he should go ahead and repudiate all the Article 71 benefits he had gladly enjoyed from 2013 to date.



But trust me, former President Mahama will not renounce these benefits because he enjoys them, he stated further.



The NPP Communications Director also debunked the assertion made by Mr Mahama that he took care of his expenses as a former President during an interview on TV3 last Monday.



We have evidence of correspondence between former President Mahamas office and the Chief of Staff contradicting his claims.

























Source: graphiconline.com









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The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) says former President John Dramani Mahama lied that government is refusing to provide him with his entitlement as former leader.



According to the party, former President Mahama has been enjoying all the privileges due him as a former Ghanaian leader of the country.



The party indicates that the former president claim is to exploits the sympathies of unsuspecting Ghanaians as he wants to once again contest the next general elections on the ticket of his political party.



Recently, the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress yelled that he pays for things like water, electricity, rent, fuel, medical care, and plane tickets himself as well as his staff.



I receive only my monthly pension like President Kufuor, and President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get.



I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.



They havent given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesnt give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel, Mr. Mahama told TV3s on Tuesday September 13.



However, addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday September 14, 2022, Richard Ahiagba, Communication Director of NPP indicated that The former President has told blatant lies. We have assembled relevant documents that prove that the former President lied and that, contrary to his claims, he has been indeed been enjoying privileges due him.



We did not want to share these private documents with the public, but they are already out there, so we will share them.



He continued that the conduct of former President Mahama threatens our democracy, peace and security. So, the question is, what does former President Mahama wants to achieve with these needless falsehoods? Could it be so that he can pretend to champion the clamour for the repeal of Article 71? Evidence of this rather unholy politics of former President Mahama abound.



Former President Mahamas denial that he is actively accessing his emolument benefits simply exploits the sympathies of unsuspecting Ghanaians. There is no record anywhere that former President Mahama has been renounced or that the government has denied former President Mahama his emolument or entitlement. These bizarre and downright false claims by the former President speak to a grand electoral strategy driven by desperation and deception.



You recall that on 22nd October 2020, Mahama promised to grant galamseyers amnesty if he won the election for President. Now contrast this amnesty position with what former President Mahama said on the Ghana Tonight show about President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo needing to resign because he vouched to fight galamsey, whatever the cost.

Source: daily guide









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Afigya Kwabre North Member of Parliament (MP), Collins Adomako-Mensah, has appealed to both the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to tackle the issue of illegal mining dispassionately devoid of politics.



He noted that illegal mining (galamsey) is becoming extremely difficult to fight due to the political tussle between the two parties in addressing the issue.



To him, while the parties are busily engaged in political squabbles over the galamsey menace, the kingpins are excitedly drinking tea and mocking them because they know no progress will be made in ending their illicit business.



"We don't even know how to discuss the issue now. You brought up a very, very subject of politicization. When we're talking about this and it turns into NPP/NDC discussion, the real kingpins sit in their rooms, drink tea, laugh and ridicule us," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.



Narrating how bad galamsey has affected the nation, Collins Adomako-Mensah recounted a journey he made and, along the stretch of road, he saw the dangerous dugouts at the galamsey sites which threaten lives, water bodies and the environment.



"I'm not for the politicization of it, and from what I've seen and the report I have seen, I don't sympathize with any illegal miner," he stated.



He advised both the NPP and NDC to "understand that there are certain things we have to take politics out, if we don't do that we will not make any headway".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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P-pop group SB19 at a media conference in the Philippines for their single "WYAT (Where You At)" on September 13, 2022. (Photo: SB19/Facebook)

P-pop group SB19 is making waves with their latest single, "WYAT".

As a testament to their global reach, "WYAT" (which stands for "Where You At"), trended worldwide on charts and social media.

Since its September 2 release, "WYAT", SB19's first full English-language single, has entered the iTunes chart in a total of 14 territories.

The disco dance track reached No. 1 on iTunes Chart in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, and UAE.

The song also charted in nine other countries: No. 2 in Bahrain and Antigua & Barbuda, No. 4 in Saudi Arabia, No. 8 in New Zealand, No. 20 in Canada and Cambodia, No. 54 in Azerbaijan, No. 55 in Malaysia, No. 70 in the US, as well as No. 74 worldwide.

"WYAT", according to its lyrics as well as songwriter Pablo, is about the joy of reconnecting with people during a pandemic as more countries globally come out of lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Read more about SB19's concept for the song and music video here.

The music video has so far racked up more than 1.7 million views on Youtube, and trended as high as No. 4 on the platform upon its release.

On Twitter, the song trended at No. 1 on Trending Topics Philippines, and No. 2 Worldwide, maintaining those stats for days.

Lead rapper and sub-vocalist Josh was grateful to the A'TIN, the SB19 fandom, for spreading the word about the new single. "Were very thankful and overwhelmed, especially to our A'TIN. We didnt expect it to top in various charts not only in the Philippines, but different parts of the world. This was truly unexpected as we havent been around for a while. Hopefully, this release isnt the only one that will turn out successful, but the tour as well," said Josh.

The group is kicking off their biggest local and international tour to date. Beginning this September 17, the WYAT [Where You At] Tour will open at Araneta Coliseum, to be followed by shows in Clark, Cebu, Davao and more.

From October onward, SB19 will head for international audiences, including stops in Dubai, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore.
Figure 1: An example of a large, impact crater-hosted lake on Mars (a) and a small, permafrost-hosted lake on Mars. Both images show elevation data from the MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) and HRSCHigh Resolution Stereo Camera) instruments draped onto images from THEMIS (a) and CTX (b). Credit: ESA/JPL/NASA/ASU/MSSS

Lakes are bodies of water fed by rainfall, snowmelt, rivers and groundwater, through which, Earth is teeming with life. Lakes also contain critical geologic records of past climates. Though Mars is a frozen desert today, scientists have shown that Mars contains evidence of ancient lakes that existed billions of years ago, which could contain evidence for ancient life and climate conditions on the red planet. Through a meta-analysis of years of satellite data that shows evidence for lakes on Mars, Dr. Joseph MICHALSKI, a geologist in the Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) proposed that scientists might have dramatically underestimated the number of ancient Martian lakes that once existed.

Michalski and the international team recently published their results in Nature Astronomy, which describe a global analysis of ancient Martian lakes. "We know of approximately 500 ancient lakes deposited on Mars, but nearly all the lakes we know about are larger than 100 km2," explains Michalski. "But on Earth, 70% of the lakes are smaller than this size, occurring in cold environments where glaciers have retreated. These small-sized lakes are difficult to identify on Mars by satellite remote sensing, but many small lakes probably did exist. It is likely that at least 70% of Martian lakes have yet to be discovered." Scientists monitor these small lakes on Earth in order to understand climate change. The missing small lakes on Mars might also contain critical information about past climates.

The recent paper also reports that most known Martian lakes date to a period 3,500 to 4,000 million years ago, but each of the lakes might have lasted only a geologically short time (10,000 to 100,000 years) during this time span. This means that ancient Mars was probably mostly cold and dry as well, but it warmed episodically for short periods of time. Michalski adds, "Because of the lower gravity on Mars and the pervasive, fine-grained soil, lakes on Mars would have been very murky and might not have allowed light to penetrate very deeply, which could present a challenge to photosynthetic life, if it existed."

Figure 2: Pingualuit crater lake in Canada is a modern-day example of a cold impact crater-hosted lake on Earth analogous to ancient crater lakes on Mars. Credit: Google Earth

Lakes contain water, nutrients and energy sources for possible microbial life, including light for photosynthesis. Therefore, lakes are the top targets for astrobiological exploration by Mars Rovers such as NASA's Perseverance rover now on Mars. But Michalski warns, "Not all lakes are created equal. In other words, some Martian lakes would be more interesting for microbial life than others because some of the lakes were large, deep, long-lived and had a wide range of environments such as hydrothermal systems that could have been conducive to the formation of simple life." From this point of view, it might make sense to target large, ancient, environmentally diverse lakes for future exploration.

"Earth is host to many environments that can serve as analogs to other planets. From the harsh terrain of Svalbard to the depths of Mono Lakewe can determine how to design tools for detecting life elsewhere right here at home. Most of those tools are aimed at detecting the remains and residues of microbial life," said Dr. David BAKER, an ecologist at HKU School of Biological Sciences who is well-informed about the Earth's microbial systems in lakes.

China successfully landed its first lander, Zhurong, on Mars in May this year. Zhurong is currently roving the plains of Utopia Planitia, exploring mineralogical and chemical clues to recent climate change. China is also planning a sample return mission likely to occur at the end of this decade, which could target one of the interesting lake deposits.

Explore further Earth's lakes emit less methane than previously thought

More information: Joseph R. Michalski et al, Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars, Nature Astronomy (2022). Journal information: Nature Astronomy Joseph R. Michalski et al, Geological diversity and microbiological potential of lakes on Mars,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01743-7
Open access journals make peer-reviewed research available to anyone interested. Credit: Shutterstock

Open access (OA) journals are academic, peer-reviewed journals that are free and available for anyone to read without paying subscription fees. To make up for lost subscription revenue, many journals instead charge author fees to researchers who wish to publish in them. These fees can reach thousands of dollars per article, paid out of publicly funded research grants.

This costs Canadians millions of dollars annually, and lines the pockets of major publishers whose profit margins rival those of Pfizer. However, thousands of OA journals don't charge author fees, proving that publishing in open access journals doesn't have to be this expensive.

I work as an academic librarian at McGill University, serving as an on-campus expert on open access publishing. According to research conducted by myself and a colleague, Canada is home to nearly 300 no-fee, open access journals. This is important, as author fees serve as a barrier for many researchers to make their work available for anyone interested.

Cost of publishing

Typical costs of publishing an academic journal include salaries for copy editors, typesetters and translators, and fees for technical infrastructure such as web hosting and submission systems. There are also costs associated with running non-OA journals, such as managing paywalls, subscription payment systems and salaries for sales personnel.

Publishing a journal requires money, but that amounts to only 10 to 15% of what publishers charge authors to make their work open access. Author fees are disproportionate with publishing costs, and correlate to the journal's prestige, impact and profit model.

In this environment, author fees will continue to increase so long as someone can pay for it. It also means that open access publishing privileges a certain set of researchers.

A case study

McGill University Library supports a no-fee, OA science journal called Seismica, which publishes peer-reviewed research in seismology and earthquake science. Seismica represents an alternative to rising author fees, such as Nature's controversial $10,000+ open access author fee.

A community of nearly 50 researchers and international scientists make up Seismica's editorial team. McGill Library covers the technical costs for Seismica, including DOI registration, preservation, web hosting and management of the manuscript submission platform.

Volunteer labor provided by the Seismica team handles the journal's operations: soliciting reviewers, reviewing submissions and publishing accepted manuscripts. The journal is also responsible for creating its own author guidelines, updating its website and promoting itself. Seismica provides authors with preformatted templates to reduce time spent on layout and production.

McGill Library is one of many Canadian libraries supporting journals in this manner. Of the nearly 300, no-fee OA Canadian journals we researched, 90% were supported in some way by academic libraries.

Community value

Journals aren't simply about publishing papers; to be successful, they must be recognized and valued by the community. At Seismica, significant effort and resources have gone into grassroots community building. In a publish-or-perish culture, launching a new journal isn't enoughit must be valued and respond to its community's needs in order to attract submissions.

Editors and peer reviewers contribute their time to journals as a part of their service to their profession. Some researchers and editors are dissatisfied with providing volunteer labor to publishing companies producing millions of dollars in profits. No-fee, scholar-led journals provide an attractive alternative; this has certainly been a motivating factor for the editorial team at Seismica.

Elsevier is raking in massive, excess profit on the backs of free academic labor. I will not review for Elsevier until they come to a deal with the University of California. https://t.co/a0zjSs015o  Dr. Leah Stokes (@leahstokes) July 19, 2020

Seismica is unique as a no-fee, OA science journal. Our research identified that Canadian STEM journals were nearly 40% less likely to be open access than journals in other disciplines. This is also true globally. One study found that humanities and social sciences journals represented 60% of no-fee, OA journals, compared to 22% in science and 17% in medicine.

Furthermore, science and medicine journals make up the majority of fee-charging, OA journals. This is likely because these journals were early adopters of the author-fee model; researchers publishing in them also had larger grants available to pay these fees.

Future publishing models

As author fees charged by the big publishers skyrocket, libraries, universities and funding agencies should encourage alternative publishing models. No-fee, OA journals can serve this need, but can be precarious and require support.

Canada, for example, has a grant to support journals in the social sciences and humanities, but no such grant exists at the federal level for science and medical journals. Canada has also been a leader in launching a cooperative funding model for open access journals.

The focus here, too, has been on arts and humanities and social sciences. Canadian libraries, universities, funding agencies and nonprofit publishers should continue working together to ensure a sustainable, affordable publishing system for all disciplines.

Author fees limit affordable open access for researchers, particularly those without grant funding. Supporting no-fee OA journals is one way forward.

Explore further Nigeria tackles publishing in predatory journals

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Two of 29 glass beads discovered at archaeological sites in Malawi. An analysis showed that all but one were made in Europe. Many of the beads, like the tiny one on the right, were less than 2 millimeters in diameter. Credit: Dan Renzetti

Tiny glass beads discovered in mountain caves about 25 miles from the shores of Lake Malawi in eastern-central Africa provide evidence that European trade in the continent's hinterland was built on Indigenous trade routes from the coast to the interior that had existed for centuries, according to a study co-authored by Yale anthropologist Jessica Thompson.

The beads also are artifacts from a period in the 19th century when heightened European political and economic interest in the region influenced trade between Indian Ocean merchants and communities in the African interior, Thompson said.

The study, published in the journal African Archaeological Review, is based on a collection of 29 glass beads excavated at three sites in the Kasitu Valley in northern Malawi, more than 400 miles from the eastern coast, from 2016 to 2019. An analysis of the beads' elemental composition showed that all but one of them were manufactured in Europe using glass recipes that were in fashion around the mid-19th century. The exception had a composition typical of glass beads produced in South Asia from the 15th to the 17th century.

The beads' provenance indicates that people in the region were either directly or indirectly trading with Europeans before the latter group had established a presence in what is now Malawi during the second half of the 19th century.

This commerce was most likely associated with heightened trade in commodities such as gum copala resin used in the varnish industryand ivory that was prized in Europe and North America. It also likely involved the capture and transport of enslaved people, who were taken in chains to spice plantations in Zanzibar and other Indian Ocean islands, Thompson said.

"It's a dark story," said Thompson, assistant professor of anthropology in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the paper's senior author. "Indian Ocean traders had access to European goods, like these little beads, that they could exchange for things in high demand in distant placesa story of exploitation deep into Africa that continues today. And in the mid-1800s, there was still a slave trade across eastern Africa that would persist for several more decades."

Thompson is a paleoanthropologist whose research typically concerns much older human groups. But as she was working with colleagues at sites in Malawi searching for Stone Age artifacts, glass beads began showing up in their 1-millimeter sieves. (All but one of the beads have a diameter of less than 5 millimeters. The smallest were less than 2 millimeters in diameter.)

"Some were so tiny that we didn't know that we were looking at beads when we first found them," she said. "They just look like little brightly colored specks."

Thompson and her other co-authors teamed with Laure Dussubieux, a senior research scientist at the Field Museum in Chicago, who analyzed the beads' composition using a technique called laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Essentially, the beads were zapped with a high energy laser to determine their elemental makeup without damaging them, Thompson said.

It was the first time this technique was applied to glass beads excavated in Malawi, where thousands of glass beads have been discovered at dozens of sites since 1966.

The researchers used the beads' chemical compositions to identify their origins. For example, five red-on-white beads in the study contained high concentrations of arsenic, which was used in European recipes during the 19th century to make glass opaque. These beads likely were produced in Venice, which was the center of 19th-century Europe's beadmaking industry, according to the study.

They were manufactured around the time the Scottish missionary David Livingstone was creating maps of the African interior and encouraging people in Britain to take a greater interest in eastern-central Africa. (The British eventually established governance in Malawi, which became an independent country in 1964).

A single bead yielded from one of the sites was the only example in the collection with a non-European origin. Its composition is consistent with beads produced in Chaul, a former town on the Maharashtra coast of India, from the 15th to the 17th century, meaning it likely arrived in the eastern African interior hundreds of years before the European beads, the researchers concluded.

Two cowrie shells, which were abundant in the Indian Ocean and used as currency and jewelry, were discovered at a fourth site that bore no glass beads. Radiocarbon dating determined that the shells were between 1341 and 1150 years old, which suggests that the glass beads of European and Indian origin arrived at inland communities via long-established trade networks, Thompson said.

"This tells you that people were already trading through very complex routes from the Indian Ocean, over mountains and around lakes to inland communities at least 1,000 years before Europeans began documenting their experiences in the region," she said. "Newcomers to Africa were exploiting trade routes created through long-term Indigenous interactions."

"It's not simply a story of Europeans arriving and distributing their goods to people in the African interior," she added. "The people living there had been trading for centuries for Indian Ocean goods, via established and productive pathways. Our work shows how archaeology and artifacts can reveal important information that would stay hidden if you only relied on written accounts."

Explore further Researchers find first evidence of sub-Saharan Africa glassmaking

More information: Laure Dussubieux et al, European Trade in Malawi: The Glass Bead Evidence, African Archaeological Review (2022). Laure Dussubieux et al, European Trade in Malawi: The Glass Bead Evidence,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10437-022-09486-6
With Kaiser Permanentes Santa Rosa Medical Center in the background, a flame from an open gas valve burns at the Journey's End mobile home park on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Dr. Suzy Fitzgerald helped with the evacuation of 122 patients from Kaiser Permanentes Santa Rosa Medical Center nearly five years ago, as the blaze gobbled up homes and buildings across Northern California. The hospital, which had filled with smoke, closed for 17 days. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Margot, File

Dr. Suzy Fitzgerald remembers looking out the windows as wildfire flames surrounded the hospital where she worked.

"We had fire in all three directions," Fitzgerald recalled. "I thought, 'Oh gosh, this is serious. We need to get these people out.'"

Fitzgerald helped with the evacuation of 122 patients from Kaiser Permanente's Santa Rosa Medical Center on that night nearly five years ago, as the blaze gobbled up homes and buildings across Northern California. The hospital, which had filled with smoke, closed for 17 days.

Medical centers around the country say that fires, flooding, heat waves and other extreme weather are jeopardizing medical services, damaging health care facilities and forcing patients to flee their hospital beds, according to a report released Thursday by the House Ways and Means Committee.

At a hearing, Dr. Parinda Khatri, the CEO of Cherokee Health Systems, told the committee that a pediatric clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, was forced to close for 10 days this summer during a heatwave after the air conditioning system broke down.

Nearby wildfires forced evacuations at facilities in Oregon during 2020, Elizabeth Schneck of Providence Health told the committee.

A majority of the 63 hospital systems and community health centers that responded to the committee's questionnaire say they have experienced at least one extreme weather event at some point in the last five years, with many of those saying they had experienced more than one.

The health centers reported a wide range of economic impact from the weather events, with the emergencies they experienced costing between $28,000 to $22 million to cover building damages, closures, evacuations, overtime for employees or deferred elective procedures, for example.

The organizations are not necessarily representative of hospital systems nationwide and may overrepresent both "large health systems with more resources to implement high-cost interventions and small community-based providers on the frontline with limited supports," according to the report.

The report indicated that medical facilities are investing more resources, staff and planning to prepare for emergency weather-related events.

Fitzgerald said officials at the Kaiser Permanente facility took a hard look at its plans after the 2017 wildfire evacuation and developed new policies, including a new information tag staff attaches to patients with details about their condition and needs during an evacuation.

"It made for a much more orderly response," Fitzgerald said.

Paul Biddinger, the chief preparedness and continuity officer for the Mass General Brigham health care system in New England, said they had hired climate scientists and engineers to examine its 30 buildings after watching hurricanes and floods devastate hospitals in New Orleans, New York City and Kentucky over the last two decades.

"Our health care system is clearly vulnerable," said Biddinger. "But many people, including leaders of the health care entities themselves, often do not appreciate the degree of vulnerability."

Many of the facilities included in the report indicated that they've put together working groups or have staff dedicated to climate change issues.

New York's Northwell health, the state's largest health care provider, has an emergency command room where staff monitors the news across televisions. Two of the screens are always turned to the weather.

From flooding that's made it difficult for ambulances navigating roads to gusty winds and snow that have threatened power, the health care system has had to deal with more than 20 weather events in the last five years, said Donna Drummond, Northwell's chief expense and chief sustainability officer.

Extreme weather is also a consideration when Northwell constructs a new facility or hospital, she said.

"Climate change is here, it's happening, it's impacting us," Drummond said. "We need to be resilient. Our facilities need to be able to withstand storms and that were prepared for these events."

The health care system itself is a driver of climate change, accounting for an estimated 10% of the carbon dioxide emitted annually in the U.S. President Joe Biden has set a goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2030.

House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to release guidelines for health care centers to track and report those emissions.

"It's clear more climate-related weather events and rising emissions will continue to worsen health care outcomes, and the time for action is now," he said.

Roughly half of the facilities responding to the committee said they are tracking their carbon footprint or using programs to reduce their carbon footprint.

But many health care organizations are not doing enough to reduce pollution, Jodi Sherman, an associate professor at Yale School of Medicine told the House Ways and Means Committee.

"Voluntary measures are insufficient to transform the health care sector," Sherman said.

Explore further Poor must not shoulder responsibility for reducing health care carbon emissions

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Using state-of-the-art techniques, researchers have gained a better understanding of the complex mix of hazardous chemicals in third-hand smokethe residual contamination from cigarette smokingwhich can linger long after smoking has occurred and pose health risks to non-smokers.

The study, led by the lab of Drew Gentner, associate professor of chemical & environmental engineering, is featured on the cover of Environmental Science: Atmospheres and builds on the lab's 2020 research in Science Advances examining the off-gassing of third-hand smoke's chemicals from humans into indoor, non-smoking environments.

Off-gassing (the release of chemicals from a material or surface) of third-hand smoke from residual contamination is important due to the health risks it poses. These include exposing non-smokers to high concentrations of a wide range of toxic or carcinogenic compounds derived from tobacco smoke, even over long periods of time after smoking has occurredwith gas concentrations that are sometimes at levels similar to the gases in fresh second-hand smoke.

Using high-resolution mass spectrometry instruments, Yale Ph.D. graduate Dr. Roger Sheu and other researchers from Yale and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany studied the third-hand smoke emissions off-gassing from smoke particles that have deposited on surfaces and from human lung fluid that has been exposed to fresh tobacco smoke. These sizable emissions included hazardous air pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The results show how deposited particulate matter and lung lining fluid can act as vehicles for these pollutants, but their emissions vary in composition and behavior. Once deposited on clothes, furnishings, bodies, or in airways, particulate matter can release a wide range of volatile to semi-volatile gases that are persistent over long lifetimes. They can also spread to other materials and further persist indoors well beyond when smoking occurred. The chemicals in human breath following smoking are prolonged with their build-up in blood, organs, and other tissues.

"The tobacco smoke particles represent a concentrated reservoir of all of these chemicals that will release over time, and the results show that can continue over daysand in many cases much longerfor a wide range of chemicals that are slowly off-gassed," he said.

For example, this study demonstrates a major transport mechanism for hazardous or reactive compounds like PAHs or nicotine, a prominent reactive component of third-hand smoke, that helps explain prior observations of surface level nicotine across a wide range of environmentseven those where smoking has never occurred.

The understanding of third-hand smoke's health risks has been growing with the understanding of its chemical composition, behavior, and exposure routes, which can occur in places where smoking has occurred or be transported into other non-smoking environments. Employing a detailed set of analytical chemistry tools advances knowledge on third-hand smoke and its risks.

"These methods applied in focused laboratory experiments allowed for the detailed examination of many of the fundamental processes that are driving third-hand smoke emissions with an unprecedented degree of chemical detail," Gentner said. Yet, the results provide lessons for other types of smoke beyond cigarettes, such as the contamination left by wood smoke intrusion in homes during increasingly prevalent wildfires.

The study appeared in the September 15th issue of Environmental Science: Atmospheres.

More information: Roger Sheu et al, Emerging investigator series: deposited particles and human lung lining fluid are dynamic, chemically-complex reservoirs leading to thirdhand smoke emissions and exposure, Environmental Science: Atmospheres (2022). Journal information: Science Advances Roger Sheu et al, Emerging investigator series: deposited particles and human lung lining fluid are dynamic, chemically-complex reservoirs leading to thirdhand smoke emissions and exposure,(2022). DOI: 10.1039/D1EA00107H
For the first time, China owns 21 world-leading science and technology clusters, on a par with the United States, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.



China and the US are followed by Germany and Japan, which host 10 and five clusters, respectively, the WIPO said.

Four of the world's five biggest science and technology clusters are located in East Asia-one in Japan, two in China and one in South Korea. The fifth biggest one is in the US, said an early release from the 2022 edition of WIPO's Global Innovation Index.

Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan is the top-performing cluster, while Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou and Beijing took the second and third places, followed by Seoul at No 4 and San Jose-San Francisco at No 5.

Compared with the previous year, the steepest climbs in the 2022 cluster ranking came from three Chinese clusters-Zhengzhou in Henan province, up 15 positions from 2021 to No 83;Qingdao in Shandong province and Xiamen in Fujian province, which climbed 12 spots each to Nos 34 and 91, respectively.

"Local innovation clusters are critical to the vibrancy of national innovation ecosystems, so identifying them will help us understand where and how innovation is happening, and promote innovative activity as a powerful catalyst for jobs, investments, and growth," said Daren Tang, director-general of the WIPO.

Each year, the GII ranks the top-level innovative capacity of around 130 countries and economies around the world. Science and technology clusters are established through the analysis of patent-filing activity and scientific article publication, documenting the geographical areas around the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors, said the WIPO.

"China is playing an increasingly important role in bolstering advances in cutting-edge technologies and frontier fields, including the next generation of wireless technology, new energy vehicle manufacturing, ultrahigh voltage power transmission and the photovoltaic segment," said Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry association.

Xiang said China is emerging as a major owner of global patents as an increasing number of Chinese enterprises are placing greater emphasis on patent applications and stepping up research and development.

WIPO said in the global rankings for innovation, China climbed to 12th place in 2021 from 34th in 2012, topping middle-income economies.

The number of international patent applications submitted by Chinese applicants through the Patent Cooperation Treaty stood at 69,540 in 2021, ranking first in the world for the third consecutive year. The PCT is a widely used indicator of innovative activity.
Master of Ceremonies Marc Abrahams poses with the 2022 Ig Nobel prize, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, at his office in Cambridge, Mass. The prize was emailed in advance to the winners with instructions for self-assembly. The annual prize ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, was for the third year in a row a prerecorded affair because of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Abrahams also holds a Zimbabwean $10 trillion bill that is part of the prize presented to the winners. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

The sex lives of constipated scorpions, cute ducklings with an innate sense of physics, and a life-size rubber moose may not appear to have much in common, but they all inspired the winners of this year's Ig Nobels, the prize for comical scientific achievement.

Held less than a month before the actual Nobel Prizes are announced, Thursday's 32nd annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony was for the third year in a row a prerecorded affair webcast on the Annals of Improbable Research magazine's website.

The winners, honored in 10 categories, also included scientists who found that when people on a blind date are attracted to each other, their heart rates synchronize, and researchers who looked at why legal documents can be so utterly baffling, even to lawyers themselves.

Even though the ceremony was prerecorded, it retained much of the fun of the live event usually held at Harvard University.

As has been an Ig Nobel tradition, real Nobel laureates handed out the prizes, using a bit of video trickery: The Nobel laureates handed the prize off screen, while the winners reached out and brought a prize they had been sent and self-assembled into view.

Winners also received a virtually worthless Zimbabwean $10 trillion bill.

Curiosity Ig-nited? Learn more about some of the winners:

GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW

"Science is fun. My sort of a tagline is you're not doing science if you're not having fun," said Frank Fish, a biology professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania who shared the physics Ig Nobel for studying why ducklings follow their mothers in single-file formation.

It's about energy conservation: The ducklings are drafting, much like stock cars, cyclists and runners do in a race, he said.

Eric Martinez, a graduate student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holds a Zimbabwean $10 trillion bill, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. Martinez, who also has a law degree from Harvard University, shared the literature Ig Nobel with Francis Mollica and Edward Gibson for analyzing what makes legal documents unnecessarily difficult to understand. The 32nd annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, was for the third year in a row a prerecorded affair because of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

"It all has to do with the flow that occurs behind that leading organism and the way that moving in formation can actually be an energetic benefit," said the appropriately named Fish, whose specialty is studying how animals swim.

He shared the prize with researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, who found that the ducklings actually surfed in their mother's wake.

THAT SYNCING FEELING

Eliska Prochazkova's personal experiences inspired her research on dating that earned her and colleagues the cardiology Ig Nobel.

She had no problems finding her apparent perfect match on dating apps, yet she often found there was no spark when they met face-to-face.

So she set people up on blind dates in real social settings, measured their physiological reactions and found that the heart rates of people attracted to each other synchronized.

So is her work evidence of "love at first sight"?

"It really depends, on how you define love," Prochazkova, a researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said in an email. "What we found in our research was that people were able to decide whether they want to date their partner very quickly. Within the first two seconds of the date, the participants made a very complex idea about the human sitting in front of them."

A CRUEL STING

Solimary Garcia-Hernandez and Glauco Machado of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil won the biology Ig Nobel for studying whether constipation ruins a scorpion's sex life.

Shigeru Watanabe, of Japan, receives the Ig Nobel award in chemistry for estimating the total saliva volume produced per day by a typical five-year-old, Sept. 12, 2019, at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. The 32nd annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, was for the third year in a row a prerecorded affair because of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File

Scorpions can detach a body part to escape a predatora process called autotomy. But when they lose their tails, they also lose the last portion of the digestive tract, which leads to constipationand, eventually, death, they wrote in the journal "Integrated Zoology."

"The long-term decrease in the locomotor performance of autotomized males may impair mate searching," they wrote.

THAT'S A MOOSE, DUMMY

Magnus Gers won the safety engineering Ig Nobel for making a moose "crash test dummy" for his master's thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which was published by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.

Frequent moose vs. vehicle collisions on Sweden's highways often result in injuries and death to both human and animal, Gers said in an email. Yet automobile makers rarely include animal crashes in their safety testing.

"I believe this is a fascinating and still very unexplored area that deserves all the attention it can get," he said. "This topic is mystical, life threatening and more relevant than ever."

CAN YOU SPEAK LEGALESE?

Anyone who has ever read a terms of service agreement knows that legal documents can be downright incomprehensible.

That frustrated Eric Martinez, a graduate student in the brain and cognitive science department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who also has a law degree from Harvard.

He, Francis Mollica and Edward Gibson shared the literature Ig Nobel for analyzing what makes legal documents unnecessarily difficult to understand, research that appeared in the journal "Cognition."

"Ultimately, there's kind of a hope that lawyers will think a little more with the reader in mind," he said. "Clarity doesn't just benefit the layperson, it also benefits lawyers."

Explore further Nobel Prize ceremonies to be curtailed again due to pandemic

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) speaks with veterans groups at a Capitol rally for the PACT Act. New WashU research shows constituents ask female legislators to do more. Credit: Shutterstock

Despite the strides made in electing women to office, women are still grossly underrepresented in all levels of government. Women make up just over a quarter of all members of the 117th Congress (147 of the total 535 seats), which is more than double the number of women serving in Congress 20 years ago (72).

And those who hold elected office often are asked to do more by their constituents, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Politics, found that female legislators are 10% more likely to be contacted by their constituents, and they receive 14% more issue requests per constituent they contact.

"There is a lot of evidence that women do more unpaid work than men. These findings suggest that the same patterns may apply in politics," said Daniel Butler, professor and associate chair of political science in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

To study this issue, Butleralong with Elin Naurin and Patrik Ohberg at the University of Gothenburg in Swedenworked with one pair of Republican representatives and one pair of Democrat representatives who served a multimember district (like the U.S. Senate). The pairs represented the same set of constituents, belonged to the same political party, were the same race and had similar positions on the bills before their legislature. The key difference between the legislators in each pair was their gender: one man and one woman.

The legislators sent letters to their constituents, asking for input via a survey. Half of the constituents were contacted by their female representative and half were contacted by their male representative.

The survey asked constituents to list the issues that the legislator should work on. Altogether, 1,190 constituents responded with a set of issues important to them. Their responses listed many of the everyday issues that constituents care about, including education, roads and support for small businesses.

The results showed that the increase in workload is coming on a variety of salient issues, including those that are typically considered "women's issues"education and healthas well as other issuesimmigration and fiscal/economic matters. Moreover, women were not asked to do less on any issues.

Double-edged sword

According to Butler, previous work shows that female legislators are, on average, more active lawmakers than men. They introduce more bills, speak more during plenary sessions and expend more effort on constituency service, he said.

"It's possible that female legislators are doing more because they're being asked to do more by their constituents," Butler said.

The current research does not explain why constituents ask more of their female representatives, but Butler has a few theories.

"Gender stereotypes are one reason that constituents might ask female legislators to do more. Voters may see women as less qualified to handle the male-dominant political work and feel the need to push them harder," he said.

"Alternatively, voters may see women as being more willing to act on requests they receive or as caring more about others' well-being. If constituents seek help from legislators who they think are more likely to listen and care, these stereotypes would make them more likely to contact female legislators."

There is at least one benefit to these findings for female legislators, Butler said.

"The potential upside of receiving more issue requests is that female legislators may be learning more about their constituents, allowing them to be in a stronger position to present their interests," he said. "However, that must be balanced against the pressures of being asked to do more."

Explore further Women politicians more likely to reply to people who reach out in need, study shows

More information: Daniel M. Butler et al, Constituents Ask Female Legislators to Do More, The Journal of Politics (2022). Journal information: Journal of Politics Daniel M. Butler et al, Constituents Ask Female Legislators to Do More,(2022). DOI: 10.1086/719631
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In August 2022, a statewide referendum in Kansas saw citizens overwhelmingly reject a plan to insert anti-abortion language into the state's constitution. It comes as a slew of similar votes on abortion rights are planned in the coming monthsputting the issue directly to the people after the Supreme Court struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

But are referendums and citizens initiatives good for democracy? It may seem like an odd question to pose on International Day for Democracy, especially at a time when many feel democracy is imperiled both in the U.S. and around the world.

As someone who researches democracy, I know the answer isn't simple. It depends on the kind of initiative and the reason that it comes to be held.

First, some simple distinctions. Referendums and citizens initiatives are mechanisms of direct democracyinstances in which members of the public vote on issues that are commonly decided, in representative systems, by legislatures or governments. While with referendums it is typically the government that places questions on the ballot, with citizens initiativesmore common at the state level in the U.S. the vote originates outside of government, usually through petition drives.

The Chicago Center on Democracy, which I lead at the University of Chicago, recently launched a website that tracks many of these direct democracy efforts over the past half-century.

Appealing to the masses or settling scores

That a majority of democracies retain some form of direct democracy is a testament to the legitimacy with which citizens' voices are heard, even when, in fact, most decisions are made by our elected leaders. Often, national governments call referendums to bring important questions directly to its citizens.

But why would governments ever decide to turn a decision over to the people?

In some cases, they have no choice. Many countries, among them Australia, require that constitutional amendments be approved in popular referendums.

In other instances, such votes are optional. United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, for example, was under no obligation to undertake a 2016 referendum on continued EU membership. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had plenty of legislative support that same year to ratify peace accords with a rebel group through an act of congress. But he turned the decision over to the people, instead.

One reason leaders voluntarily put important issues before voters is to solve disputes within their own political parties. The Brexit vote is a case in point. The U.K. Conservative Party was deeply divided over British membership in the EU, andas Cameron later acknowledges in his memoirshis position as head of the party, and thus as prime minister, was increasingly threatened.

In these instances, the government is in effect using the people as a referee to decide an internal dispute. It is a high-risk move, though. For Cameron, going to the country meant the end of his premiership. And six years on, the U.K. is still dealing with the fallout of that vote.

Sometimes leaders seek public support on issues about which they expect powerful opposition upon implementation. Colombia's Santos expected resistance to the peace deal from opponents, including wealthy landed interests. He used the people as a kind of force field to protect the policy. But again, the strategy backfired. The Colombian accords were defeated, and have since faced powerful resistance when subsequent attempts were made to implement them through legislative approval.

But do these two high-profile instances illustrate fatal flaws in referendums, and direct democracy in general? Perhaps not.

Though plenty of disinformation circulated before both votes, the results probably fairly accurately reflected the people's preferences. Moreover, they illustrate the perils to political leaders of placing issues of crucial importance before votersthey can't be sure they will like the results.

And when their referendums fail, they may set back causes that these politicians care about. For example, Brazil held a referendum on gun control in 2005. It failed, and later pro-guns rights president Jair Bolsonaro used its failure to try to loosen restrictions on firearms, claiming that the failure of the referendum allowed him to do so.

Tool of demagogues

Sometimes the prime minister or president does prevail. A kind of referendum was used in Australia in 2017 to pressure the legislature into legalizing same-sex marriage. Conservative politicians were willing to hold a vote, with the same kind of "referee logic" as in Brexitthey were opposed to same-sex marriage, but preferred to go along with the public's will, rather than continue to fight over this internally divisive issue.

In the end, the pro-marriage equality prime minister opted for a "postal survey" rather than a formal referendum. And the gamble worked for Australia's leadera very large majority expressed support of same-sex marriage and the prime minister got his way.

For every Colombia-style debacle, in which a leader holds an optional referendum but fails, one can point to governments putting matters to a popular vote to produce a force field, and winning. The approval of the public can make policy immune to - or at least underminelater opposition. Such was the case of same-sex marriage in Ireland, passed by referendum in 2015. The following year, Ireland settled the issue of abortion access, overturning a ban by a two-thirds majority.

Referendums are not only used by democratic leaders but also by autocrats and demagogues. Russian president Vladimir Putin put a series of constitutional reforms before voters in 2020, including one that overturned Putin's prior term limit in office.

Accusations of fraud and intimidation followed the vote. The process could hardly have been more at odds with direct democracy and the autonomous expression of the people's will.

Getting policy to line up with people's will

There are no national referendums in the U.S. But American voters have a great deal of experience with initiatives at the state leveland with state-wide referendums, as well. These votes have the potential to force governments to abide by the people's will in cases where legislators may be resisting popular policies.

Yet problems can arise with these exercises in direct democracy. Even though they are presumably citizens' initiatives, the influence of political parties, special interests, lobbyists and big money can turn them into something quite different, as was the experience of California in the 1990swhich in turn undermined the public's satisfaction in the initiative process.

But recently we have seen a spate of state initiatives that seem more promisingwhere majorities of citizens are demanding that their state legislatures bring policy more in line with public opinion. Florida voters approved ex-felon voting; Arizona voters approved bigger budgets for public schools; Missouri voters forced a reluctant legislature to expand Medicare in their state. All of these initiatives were backed with popular public support.

Most recently, Kansans said "no," in referendum, to inserting pro-life language into their states constitution.

"Let the people decide!"

The potential for mechanisms of direct democracy to improve citizen representation depends on the context in which they are held, including the manner in which they are placed on the ballot and the motives of those who placed them there.

At one extreme are autocrats like Vladimir Putin who held votes that augment his power and the length of his term. At the other are citizens frustrated by legislators whose actions stray far from public opinion. In between are measures sponsored by governments that may want to insulate policies they care about with the help of the people's backing, and parties that throw their hands up, in the context of internal divisions, and say, "let the people decide."

Explore further Good loser messages support democracy

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A hillside scorched by wildfire. Credit: Hannah Dancy/NCDP

Deep within the Sierra Nevada mountains, Greenville is a small town of about 1,100 people in the northern part of Plumas County, California. It was founded in the era of the Gold Rusha mining settlement turned logging settlement turned historical landmark, known for its well-preserved 19th-century storefronts and century-old ranches. That is, until the summer of 2021 put Greenville on the map for something else: a town torn down by the Dixie Fire.

Now, one year later, the community in Greenville is working to rebuild. On July 13, experts from Columbia Climate School's National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) visited Plumas County to help inform their recovery efforts and co-host the in-person training, "Planning for Transitional and Long-term Housing After a Major Disaster."

The training was organized and conducted in partnership with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the Plumas County Planning Department, the Dixie Fire Collaborative, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It was also coordinated by the FEMA State Administrative Agency training point of contact. It focused on providing community stakeholders and emergency service practitioners with additional resources to facilitate post-disaster recovery, including implementing federal assistance and coordination with outside partners. The training was followed by a panel discussion with local and state-level subject-matter experts.

A town in limbo

For Plumas County, the Dixie Fire was a worst-case scenario of exceptional drought, unfavorable winds, and bone-dry vegetation. The fire started when a tree came into contact with a power line owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). It took firefighters three months to extinguish, at which point over one million acres of land had burnedan area larger than the size of Rhode Island. Some 1,200 buildings, including over 650 homes, were damaged.

The NCDP team traveled to Plumas County a day before the training to visit some of the burn sites and talk to those still living in Greenville. The town itself is in a relatively remote part of California, about a two-hour drive from Reno, Nevada. Little, if any, rebuilding has taken place in the last year, in part because construction materials and manpower are not readily available. Many residents are also in limbo, waiting on the final settlement from PG&E before they sell their property. Those who want to stay are struggling to learn processes and paperwork to qualify for and access available disaster recovery funds from various sources.

"Disasters change the whole dynamics of a community," said Jeff Schlegelmilch, director of the NCDP and one of the training instructors. "Greenville is trying to plan, but there are still a lot of questions in terms of what can be rebuilt and how."

Schlegelmilch described meeting one business owner in town who was further along in the process than most. On a picnic table, the man laid out all the different sets of paperwork that he would have to complete11 forms in total. Each form represented weeks and even months of work and waiting for signoffs before rebuilding could start.

"That was one of the best visualizations of what a survivor has to go through and why we see such disparities in the capacity to cope," said Schlegelmilch. "Those who are the most marginalized, those who maybe have the least resources, are being asked to do an incredible amount."

Tailoring the technique

The trainings that NCDP provides in concert with FEMA are intended, in part, to help minimize the impact of the bureaucratic burden placed on communities at risk of disaster events by preparing communities before disasters arrive. The training in Plumas County, however, was something of a departure from the NCDP's usual process. Instead of equipping communities with the tools to respond to a future disaster event, the disaster had already happenedand is still happening, said Hannah Dancy, project coordinator at the NCDP. The destruction of Greenville's nearby forest has also taken infrastructure with it. The loss of vegetation has made landslides and flash floods more likely. And survivors are grappling with the trauma of losing their livelihoods in real-time.

The NCDP team was first contacted about providing post-disaster training by the lead coordinator of housing recovery for Cal OES, Robyn Cole. She wanted to not only support the recovery efforts in Plumas County, but also foster interactions between the counties affected by the Dixie Fire. With this goal in mind, Dancy worked closely with Cole and other local stakeholders to alter the structure of an existing NCDP training model and ensure the right people were in the room to engage. Participants completed several course modules online prior to attending the in-person session, freeing up the back half of the day for a more event-specific dialogue about the Dixie Fire and how to navigate its fallout.

"The goal of this course was really to create discussions between the people who had been working to recover these communities," said Dancy.

As opposed to asking participants what they would do when faced with a hypothetical disaster, as is common practice in other NCDP trainings, the facilitators asked participants about their current needs. Representatives from other recovering communities like Paradise, destroyed in 2018 by the Camp Fire, were also in attendance and able to share their knowledge with representatives from Plumas County.

"A lot of our role was to understand the dynamics, support where we can, and then know when to step back to let those conversations happen," said NCDP instructor Vanessa Lindley.

One of Schlegelmilch's favorite moments of the training was when Lindley presented a module about fostering leadership within the community. Rather than explain what participants should be doing, she named several people in the room who were already doing ituplifting and celebrating their dedication to Plumas County's recovery efforts. In Greenville Elementary School, now surrounded by empty plots and charred mountains, it was a reminder of whatand whohad brought them all together that day.

A whole-community approach to recovery

With every training that they organize, the NCDP considers how to ensure that the intentions of and resources provided by the federal government are being realized at the local level.

"I always think: Are we leaving more value than we're taking?" said Schlegelmilch. "If participants would have had this time to work through the paperwork on their picnic table, would that have been time better spent?"

Schlegelmilch noted that the NCDP team did receive an outpouring of positive feedback following the training. The team was quick to attribute that response to their partnerships with local and state emergency practitioners, whose meaningful relationships with the communities represented helped set the training up for success.

"Having decision makers, stakeholders, and people with resources [in the room] added another element of hope and the opportunity to create solutions," said Lindley.

The multi-level coordination in Plumas County offers a glimpse into what an effective, whole-community approach to disaster recovery could look like. The training also underscored the prospective benefits of investing in disaster case managersdesignated staff who would manage the logistics of a recovery processand creating peer networks to exchange resources and first-hand experiences.

As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, these kinds of support systems, as well as trainings like the one held in Plumas County, will only become more important. "The disasters we experience in the future are going to be nothing like the ones we've seen in the past," said Dancy. "We need to focus not only on how we can rebuild communities faster but also on how we can protect them, make them more resilient so that we're minimizing the rebuilding process in the first place."

Explore further Disaster survivors feel more prepared for the next one but are often left out of planning

Provided by State of the Planet
Digital scanning. Credit: Brett Seymour

New excavations have coaxed more secrets from Gribshunden, the flagship of the Danish-Norwegian King Hans which mysteriously sank in 1495 off the coast of Ronneby, Sweden. The wreck is internationally significant as the world's best-preserved ship from the Age of Explorationa proxy for the vessels of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

During August and September, a scientific team from Lund University, Blekinge Museum, and the Danish Viking Ship Museum excavated portions of the wreck. Recovered artifacts include artillery, hand guns, and major components of the steering gear and stern castle. 3D-models of key structural components have allowed the first digital reconstructions of the ship.

"No other ship from the time of exploration has survived this intact," says scientific leader Brendan Foley from Lund University. "Gribshunden delivers new insights into those voyages. We now understand the actual size and layout of those ships that changed the world. And more, we glimpse how this vessel operated as King Hans' floating castle."

Lund University Ph.D. candidate Paola Derudas and Viking Ship Museum specialist Mikkel Thomsen combined 3D-models of the artillery, rudder, tiller, and keel to recreate the sterncastle. This is the section of the ship the king and noblemen likely occupied, in addition to gunners and steersmen. Comparisons of this tightly confined section with medieval castles on land suggest that hierarchical divisions of space must have been relaxed while the king was at sea.

Credit: Brett Seymour

In the bow of the ship, 3D models of the stem post and hawse pieces (through which the anchor lines passed) provide clues about the forecastle's functions of crew accommodation, ship handling, and fortification. Oddly, no artillery has been found there. Was it salvaged after 1495, or were the ship's guns mounted only in the rear half of the vessel?

King Hans' ambition was to unify the entire Nordic region under his crown. In this pursuit, Gribshunden was essential new technology. The vessel was among the first warships built specifically to carry artillery. Hans personally voyaged on the ship throughout his realm and beyond: to Norway, Gotland, and Sweden. The ship was his administrative center for months at a time, while simultaneously displaying regal power at each port of call. Often the ship was the center of a squadron or fleet: in 1486, more than 600 Danish noblemen and senior clergy on dozens of ships accompanied Hans to Norway, where he established a new mint.

On Gribshunden's final voyage, it led another squadron toward a political summit in Kalmar, Sweden, where Hans expected to be elected king of Sweden and fulfill his vision of a Scandinavian union. The ship was loaded with prestigious goods to impress the Swedish council, and many of those items await archaeological discovery.

"Another big puzzle remains: what really caused Gribshunden to sink?" Foley asks. "Medieval documents state there was fire and an explosion, but we have not seen any signs of that. Maybe next year's excavation will provide evidence of the catastrophe."
"Migration." Gut microbes spred over the globe with their human hosts. Credit: MPI for Biology

The human gut microbiome is composed of thousands of different bacteria and archaea that vary widely between populations and individuals. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tubingen have now discovered gut microbes that share a parallel evolutionary history with their human hosts: the microorganisms co-evolved in the human gut environment over hundreds of thousands of years. In addition, some microbes exhibit genomic and functional features making them dependent on their host. Now published in Science, the researchers present the results of their study conducted with data from 1,225 individuals out of Africa, Asia and Europe.

Many microbe species in the human gut can be found across populations from all over the world. However, within a microbe species the microbe strains vary remarkably between individuals and populations. Despite their importance for human health, little was known so far about the origins of these strains. Moreover, most of these strains live almost exclusively in the human gut. This raises the question of where the microorganisms in the human gut come from.

Linking the histories of microbes and humans

The research team conjectured that specific species and strains have been with people as humanity diversified and spread over the globe. To test if microbes evolved and diversified simultaneously with their human hosts, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology, the Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the Cluster of Excellence CMFI at the University of Tubingen systematically compared for the first time the evolutionary histories of humans and of gut microbes.

The researchers created phylogenetic trees for 1,225 human study participants as well as for 59 microbial species found within their guts, and used statistical tests to investigate how well these trees match. More than 60% of the investigated species matched with the evolutionary history of their human host, meaning that these microbes co-diversified over ~100,000 years in the human gut when people fanned out of Africa across the continents. "We didn't know that any of our gut microbes followed our evolutionary history this closely," says Ruth Ley, head of the department for Microbiome Science at the Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tubingen, where the study was conducted, and deputy spokesperson of the CMFI.

Gut microbes became dependent on their hosts

"It is also remarkable that the strains that followed our history most closely are now those who rely most on the gut environment," Ley adds. Indeed, some of the microbe strains that evolved together with humans are heavily dependent on the human gut environment: they possess smaller genomes and are more sensitive to oxygen levels and temperaturetraits making it difficult to survive outside the human body. In contrast, microorganisms that showed weaker association with the human history showed more characteristics similar to free living bacteria.

"Some of the gut microbes behave like they are part of the human genome," explains Taichi Suzuki, who shares main authorship of the study with his colleague Liam Fitzstevens. "You can imagine that those microbes are on a gradient from 'free-living' to reliant on the human body environment. We have seen that some human gut bacteria are further along the gradient towards irreversible host dependence than previously thought."

Ley says, "This fundamentally changes how we view the human gut microbiome."

Population-specific approach to microbiome-based therapies

To obtain data from a diverse subset of the global population, the research team analyzed the gut microbes and genomes of 1,225 individuals in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The stool and saliva samples were collected with the help of researchers from the Institute for Tropical Medicine at the University of Tubingen and their partners in Vietnam and Gabon. In addition, researchers around the globe supported the study by providing similar datasets from participants recruited in Cameroon, South Korea, and the U.K.

The findings of the study help to further understand population-specific microbes that have long been associated with the local human population. With this knowledge, microbiome-based therapies of diseases can be adapted and refined to a population-specific treatment.

Explore further Study reveals some secrets of how microbes and their genes traverse the globe

More information: Taichi A. Suzuki et al, Codiversification of gut microbiota with humans, Science (2022). Taichi A. Suzuki et al, Codiversification of gut microbiota with humans,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abm7759 Andrew H. Moeller, Loyal gut microbes, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.ade2879 Journal information: Science

Provided by Max-Planck-Institut fur Biologie Tubingen
Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

This summer, heat waves struck Europe, North Africa, the U.S. and Asia with temperatures reaching over 40C in placesbreaking many long-standing records. Images from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission show the scale of Britain's heat wave as it baked in extreme temperatures in August.

The image, captured on 12 August 2022, shows the United Kingdom's previously green land appear brown (particularly in the southeast) amid the scorching conditions. The heat wave comes after months of extreme temperatures and low rainfall left the landscape parched. The dry conditions are also visible in parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The severe heat waves experienced across Europe this summer are a harsh reminder of what is in store for our future. Extreme weather events will happen more frequently and intensely according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This trend is set to worsen unless the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities is addressed.

Satellites orbiting our planet play an important role in delivering data to understand and monitor how our world is changing. Their observations and data are critical for improving model predictions of our future climate, mitigation strategies and policymaking.

The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission not only provides two-day global coverage optical data, but it also carries a Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer instrument that measures Earth's land surface temperature (how hot the actual surface would feel to touch). During August 2022, the Sentinel-3 mission recorded extreme land surface temperatures of more than 45C in the United Kingdom, 50C in France and 60C in Spain.

Sentinel-3 data has also been merged with archived satellite observations to form a recently released 25-year record of global land surface temperatures (from 1995 to 2020) developed by ESA's Climate Change Initiative along with Europe's leading climate scientists. This data record shows a stable increase in global land surface temperature of 0.2C per decade, with strong regional variability.

Monitoring land-surface temperatures is useful for scientists because the warmth rising from Earth's surface influences weather and climate patterns. These measurements are particularly important for farmers evaluating how much water their crops need and for urban planners looking to improve heat-mitigating strategies.

Explore further Satellite images show heat and fire crises from space
In this photo courtesy of Octavio del Rio, shows fragments of a pre-historic human skeleton partly covered by sediment in an underwater cave in Tulum, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2022. The cave system was flooded at the end of the last ice age 8,000 years ago, according to an archaeologist and cave diver Octavio del Rio, and is located near where the government plans to build a high-speed tourist train through the jungle. Credit: Octavio del Rio via AP

Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said Thursday that a prehistoric human skeleton found recently in a flooded cave system along the country's Caribbean coast was actually registered by the institute in 2019 and would not be threatened by a nearby tourist train project.

Earlier this week, archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the shattered skull and skeleton partly covered by sediment in a cave. They reported it to the institute, which had not publicly spoken of the find until its statement Thursday.

"The referenced skeleton corresponds to a 2019 discovery and is fully registered and identified as part of the Holocene Archaeology program," the institute said. It added that scientific analysis had still not been carried out on the remains, but that it was 400 yards (meters) from the path of the government's Maya Train project and was not threatened.

Del Rio, who has worked with the institute in the past but who is not currently affiliated, said Thursday the fact that the discovery was made in 2019, but still had not been analyzed, illustrated how long it takes to explore and investigate the extensive cave systems in the train's path.

"This proves the area's archaeological potential for investigation of the first settlers of America, and what there still is to discover," Del Rio said.

He had said the skeleton was about 8 meters (26 feet) underwater, about a half-kilometer (a third of a mile) into the cave system.

In this photo courtesy of Peter Broger, aquatic archaeologist Octavio del Rio films a pre-historic human skeleton partly covered by sediment in an underwater cave in Tulum, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2022. The cave system was flooded at the end of the last ice age 8,000 years ago, according to an archaeologist and cave diver Octavio del Rio, and is located near where the government plans to build a high-speed tourist train through the jungle. Credit: Peter Broger via AP

Given the distance from the cave entrance, the skeleton couldn't have gotten there without modern diving equipment, so it must be over 8,000 years old, Del Rio had earlier said, referring to the era when rising sea levels flooded the caves.

Some of the oldest human remains in North America have been discovered in the sinkhole caves known as "cenotes" on Mexico's Caribbean coast, and experts say some of those caves are threatened by the Mexican government's Maya Train tourism project.

Del Rio feared that even if the train did not pass directly over the site, its construction could damage or contaminate the cave system.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is racing to finish his Maya Train project in the remaining two years of his term over the objections of environmentalists, cave divers and archaeologists. They say his haste will allow little time to study the ancient remains.

Activists say the heavy, high-speed rail project will fragment the coastal jungle and will run often above the fragile limestone caves, whichbecause they are flooded, twisty and often incredibly narrowcan take decades to explore.

Caves along part of the coast already have been damaged by construction above them, with cement pilings used to support the weight above.

The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites.

Explore further Ancient skeleton found in Mexico cave threatened by train

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth.

Eight Namibian cheetahs arrived in India Saturday, decades after their local extinction, in an ambitious project to reintroduce the spotted big cats that has divided experts on its prospects.

Officials say the project is the world's first intercontinental relocation of cheetahs, the planet's fastest land animal.

The five females and three males were moved from a game park in Namibia aboard a chartered Boeing 747 dubbed "Cat plane" for an 11-hour flight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the release at Kuno National Park, a wildlife sanctuary 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of New Delhi selected for its abundant prey and grasslands.

"Today the cheetah has returned to the soil of India," Modi said in a video address after their arrival, which coincided with the leader's 72nd birthday.

"The nature loving consciousness of India has also awakened with full force," he added. "We must not allow our efforts to fail."

Each of the animals, aged between two and five and a half, have been fitted with a satellite collar to monitor their movements.

They will initially be kept in a quarantine enclosure for about a month before being released in the open forest areas of the park.

Critics have warned the creatures may struggle to adapt to the Indian habitat.

A significant number of leopards are present in the park, and conservation scientist Ravi Chellam said that cubs could fall prey to feral dogs and other carnivores.

Under the government's current action plan, "the prospects for a viable, wild and free-ranging population of cheetahs getting established in India is bleak," he told AFP.

"The habitats should have been prepared first before bringing the cats from Namibia," he added. "It is like us moving to a new city with only a sub-optimal place to stayNot a nice situation at all."

But organisers are unfazed.

"Cheetahs are very adaptable and (I'm) assuming that they will adapt well into this environment," said Dr Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based charity Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which has been central to the project logistics.

"I don't have a lot of worries," she told AFP.

Habitat loss and hunting

India was once home to the Asiatic cheetah but it was declared extinct there by 1952.

The critically endangered subspecies, which once roamed across the Middle East, Central Asia and India, are now only found, in very small numbers, in Iran.

Efforts to reintroduce the animals to India gathered pace in 2020 when the Supreme Court ruled that African cheetahs, a different subspecies, could be settled in India at a "carefully chosen location" on an experimental basis.

They are a donation from the government of Namibia, one of a tiny handful of countries in Africa where the magnificent creature survives in the wild.

Negotiations are ongoing for similar translocation from South Africa, with vets suggesting 12 cats could be moved.

Cheetahs became extinct in India primarily because of habitat loss and hunting for their distinctive spotted coats.

An Indian prince, the Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo, is widely believed to have killed the last three recorded cheetahs in India in the late 1940s.

One of the oldest of the big cat species, with ancestors dating back about 8.5 million years, cheetahs once roamed widely throughout Asia and Africa in great numbers, said CCF.

But today only around 7,000 remain, primarily in the African savannas.

The cheetah is listed globally as "vulnerable" on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

In North Africa and Asia it is "critically endangered".

Their survival is threatened primarily by dwindling natural habitat and loss of prey due to human hunting, the development of land for other purposes and climate change.

Explore further African cheetahs to be spotted soon in India thanks to Namibia deal

 2022 AFP
Distribution of studies according to year of publication and impact for each SDG: positive (above the line) or negative (below the line). For each SDG, the total number of studies as well as the selected number of studies reporting markedly positive (P) or markedly negative (N) effect are reported in brackets. Spheres of the same color refer to the same SDG. The size of the sphere is proportional to the number of studies. Distribution along the x-axis indicates the year of publication of the studies analyzed. Positioning along the y-axis is merely an expedient to minimize the overlapping of the spheres and does not indicate a greater or lesser positive or negative impact. Credit: Environmental Research Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6e77

From the second half of the twentieth century onwards, there has been an exponential increase in the production of palm oil, which has proven to be very versatile; so much so that it has become a common ingredient in many food products, such as margarine, biscuits, bread, cakes, chocolate, ice cream and non-food products such as detergents and cosmetics. Palm oil has also historically been used as a lubricant for machinery and its use as a biofuel in the energy sector has been growing particularly rapidly.

Today, palm oil is at the same time the world's most-used vegetable oilaccounting for more than 35% of all vegetable oil productionand the most criticized: the issue of controversy that led to palm oil being at the center of the public and scientific debate in the last years is its environmental impact and particularly the link between its cultivation and the reduction in tropical forest areas over the past decades.

Albeit that the concept of "sustainability"' is conceived of in terms of three dimensionsenvironmental, economic and socialusually the debate on palm oil focuses mostly on its effects on the environment and ecosystem services. A CMCC study published in Environmental Research Letters contributes to a more informed and comprehensive debate on palm oil, considering in particular the less investigated and discussed socio-economic aspects of its production.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of the relevant existing literature that has investigated the socio-economic implications of palm oil.

The review, involving 82 scientific publications on the topic published in the last 10 years, addresses for the first time the link with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Results show that palm oil plays a crucial role in boosting the economy and livelihoods of local communities in many developing producer countries, substantially contributing to poverty reduction and to food security.

However, the expansion of oil palm plantations has, in some cases, exacerbated gender and social inequalities, the latter chiefly due to conflicts arising over access to land and ownership issues between local communities and the companies managing the vast plantation areas. Furthermore, according to the existing literature, the economic growth generated by the palm oil production chain is not always accompanied by decent working conditions: the work tends to be heavy and strenuous, harmful chemicals are used, workers are not protected, and the wages are poor.

"On a macroeconomic level, the economic growth associated with oil palm cultivation is factual," explains Matteo Bellotta of the CMCC Foundation and an author of the study.

"But in specific contexts, the shift to this type of cultivation may not always represent a benefit for farmers. For example, for those who previously used subsistence farming, growing different food crops to meet their own needs, the switch to monoculture increased uncertainty and dependence on the market. On the other hand, those who did not practice subsistence farming or were already cultivating under monoculture, have generally improved their economic condition by growing oil palm."

A major aspect emerging from the analysis is that the achievement of some SDGs (increased quality education (SDG 4), better health and well-being (SDG 3), and access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6)) is often facilitated by the implementation of sustainable palm oil production practices, enhanced by the application of sustainability certification schemes.

Currently, 19% of the global production of palm oil worldwide are certified as sustainable. Indeed, the increasing demand for palm oil from the international market, together with the growing public attention as to its impact on the environment and society, has led to the development of a series of certification schemes and protocols, which have been expanded over the years to include both environmental and socio-economic principles and criteria for the sustainable production of palm oil.

"In general, the number of published studies on palm oil evaluating the effects of sustainability certifications is increasing," underlines Maria Vincenza Chiriaco, researcher at the CMCC Foundation and one of the authors of the study.

"In fact, among the scientific publications considered in our study, there has been an increase in recent years in the number of studies reporting positive socio-economic aspects related to palm oil production. This could plausibly be related to the increase in the volume of certified sustainable palm oil, which according to RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) data today represents 19% of total production."

Explore further Palm oil certification brings mixed outcomes to neighboring communities

More information: Maria Vincenza Chiriaco et al, Palm oil's contribution to the United Nations sustainable development goals: outcomes of a review of socio-economic aspects, Environmental Research Letters (2022). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters Maria Vincenza Chiriaco et al, Palm oil's contribution to the United Nations sustainable development goals: outcomes of a review of socio-economic aspects,(2022). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6e77

Provided by CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
A spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Thursday lashed out at the so-called "Taiwan Policy Act of 2022" approved by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

By pushing for the bill, certain U.S. senators seriously violated the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said.

The move breached the solemn commitment made by the U.S. side, and was a flagrant provocation against China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhu added.

The bill, filled with misinformation and provocation, attempted to contain China with Taiwan, create fundamental destructive effect on the Taiwan question, subvert the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and obstruct China's reunification and national rejuvenation, Zhu noted.

Zhu said the bill is a downright malicious legislation.

Zhu urged certain U.S. senators to stop erroneous words and deeds concerning the Taiwan question, abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and fulfill the U.S. government's solemn commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence."

Zhu also warned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities to give up the illusion of pursuing "Taiwan independence" by soliciting U.S. support and the support of other external forces.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A report by the Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections was released by President Larry Bacow on Thursday in a message to the University community.

It urges the creation of policies and mechanisms to guide decisions on the ethical handling of human remains in museum collections, which are not already governed by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Harvard has more than 30 years' experience implementing NAGPRA, which returns certain cultural items, funerary belongings, and ancestral remains of Native Americans.

The recommendations envision a new mechanism to direct a process of return, including reinterment or repatriation, of these collections guided by a Human Remains Returns Committee that includes Harvard faculty and staff who, collectively, have expertise in historical research, bioarchaeology, curatorial work, ethics, spiritual leadership, community consultation, repatriation, and funerary arrangements.

Another important recommendation is the critical need for a space for respectful stewardship of remains in the University's care. In addition, the report suggested the formation of a Human Remains Research Review Committee to work with museum staff in assessing requests for the ethical use of certain human remains in research. And it encourages faculty to make use of new technologies, such as high-quality replicas and anatomical replicas, whenever possible.

The Steering Committee was chaired by Evelynn Hammonds, the Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science, professor of African and African American Studies, and professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Hammonds, along with Philip Deloria, the Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, and Allan M. Brandt, Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of the history of science and chair of the new Returns Committee, spoke to the Gazette about the project. The interview was edited for clarity and length.

Q&A: Allan M. Brandt, Philip Deloria, and Evelynn Hammonds

GAZETTE: Professor Hammonds, I'd like to begin with the powerful afterword you wrote about your first experience visiting the Peabody Museum room that holds the human remains. You said: "A museum is not a place for the remains of humans. It is not a mausoleum. It is not a sacred place. It is not a culturally significant resting place for any of our ancestors on this planet." Could you talk a bit about your personal start to this work, and why it was important for you to not only chair this committee, but to include this statement?

HAMMONDS: The committee was established in January 2021, and during that spring term we had several meetings where we began deliberating about who these remains were in our collections and the issues related to their care and repatriation. At some point during the summer, I began to realize that I didn't know exactly what these human remains were that were in our care, nor had I ever been in the space where they are kept at the Peabody. I was thinking a lot about the point that [Alphonse Fletcher University Professor Henry Louis] "Skip" Gates made in one of our early meetings that " these were people too." I decided that I needed to go and see them because they had become an abstraction for me and that wasn't sitting well. So, I spoke to Jane Pickering, director of the Peabody Museum, and other folks about needing to go and visit the space. What I saw during my visit made me personally understand the reality of the need for ethical stewardship of these individuals.

GAZETTE: The committee was created after the discovery of the remains of 19 individuals of African descent, who had likely been enslaved, in the collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. How can NAGPRA help inform how the University handles the return or reinterment of these individuals?

DELORIA: NAGPRA is both helpful in some ways and not helpful in others. We now have more than 30 years of experience in working with tribal communities. The law mandates a process, one that is administratively complex. Over time, both museums and tribal communities have built capacities for working through the challenges. It's also the case that NAGPRA has pushed institutions to contemplate the moral and ethical issues, and to do so over a sustained period of time. Those things are resources for us as we think about how similar questions might be addressed in terms of these African American remains. On the other hand, NAGPRA quite clearly identifies for us tribal partners in the form of federally recognized tribes, who have standing for consultation and repatriation. That's not the case with these 19 remains.

GAZETTE: The report calls for using new technologies such as high-quality replicas and anatomical models from sources with donor consent. How are faculty already making use of these and how can the University further engage these technologies and methods?

HAMMONDS: This recommendation speaks to the issue of how much these individuals continue to be used for research. What does it mean to continue to use them for research purposes when we are at a point in time in history where we have different kinds of technology, and we could be using less-invasive imaging technologies? Some things aren't as easily amenable to using certain kinds of technologies. But the point just came up that one of the reasons that we continue to have them is that some people felt there will be ongoing research projects that they want to participate in and use these individuals. The introduction of new technologies means that we need to think differently about how we can actually get new knowledge from the individual remains that we have.

BRANDT: It's quite remarkable in this digital age that we can study many things that in the past we relied on human remains and skeletal remains to investigate. One of the things we want to do is make sure that we only use human remains and human subjects where they are absolutely necessary to understand better the character of the body, disease, and health. There are many technological opportunities that can assist us, but I'm skeptical that such technologies will ever completely solve the ethical dilemmas of the use of human subjects and cadavers in research. We need to assure that we have robust moral and ethical approaches to consent, observation, and oversight that make it possible for us to continue to make scientific progress on the critical problems of health, disease, and human suffering.

GAZETTE: There will be some instances where human remains will continue to be used for scientific research. Could you discuss how you think about that important access?

HAMMONDS: We have to think about exactly what the research is, what it's for, what are the options, and to do that in a way that we have not done so in the past by having it reviewed systematically and increasingly with concerns about ethical stewardship and the possibility for repatriation. If there is an opportunity for new knowledge, we need to think carefully about whether these individuals' remains should be used to provide it. These kinds of questions are important.

GAZETTE: Allan, in the report's introduction you wrote that the human remains being considered by the committee "were obtained under the violent and inhumane regimes of slavery and colonialism; they represent the University's engagement and complicity in these categorically immoral systems." Could you discuss the ethical considerations behind the decisions to continue using human remains in certain situations?

BRANDT: Human remains have always been a critically important element of scientific and medical inquiry. Cadaver and skeletal remains have offered the possibility of understanding the human body in all its complexity and intricacies. But how we acquire and access human remains for investigation has often been contested, problematic, and, in some instances, morally indefensible. The discovery of the remains of enslaved people in our collections made clear to our committee the need for careful and continual reflection and review of our current policies to assure they are transparent and in keeping with the highest moral aspirations of medicine and science. Over the last century, we have developed new laws, policies, and ethical principles to guide our acquisition and use of human remains. As a result, some of the most immoral and pernicious practices of the past, such as the procurement and use of the remains of enslaved people, would be impossible in the present context. That said, we always need to examine our current approaches and assumptions about human remains and the use of humans in research to assure that racism, hidden bias, and deeply flawed cultural assumptions do not blind us to exploitation and inappropriate practices. The current regime of consent and institutional review is crucial to evaluating and assessing this work. At the same time, we need to be vigilant to assure that these processes do not reflect aspects of structural racism and other legacies of colonial exploitation.

GAZETTE: Another ethical care recommendation calls for an on-campus space to support respectful treatment of human skeletal remains. How and when will these changes be addressed?

HAMMONDS: We think these changes should be addressed as soon as possible. We're talking about the urgent need to have some space where there will be an opportunity for appropriate visitation and reflection. When we are engaged in conversation with identified descendant communities or individuals, this should happen in a space designed for appropriate visitation, reflection, and research that is outside of the museum in order to maintain a respectful space for the people in our care. Right now, we don't have that.

GAZETTE: Allan, you have written at length about human experimentation. How have the medical and health research fields evolved to move past human experimentation or the need of human remains?

BRANDT: Today in our hospitals and research labs we have robust protocols, regulations, and oversight committees for human research that seek to assure respect and care for individuals and their communities. That said, one of the lessons of our investigation on the committee is that racism, bias, and assumptions of hierarchy can become embedded within culture in ways that may be largely invisible. As a result, the committee taught me that we must constantly reflect and evaluate our current practices and assumptions. Are we protecting individuals and communities from potential research that is less than fully ethical? There is a critical space for ethical research on humans and their remains, but we cannot assume that our mechanisms for protecting individuals are ever perfect or stable. This suggests that oversight of our ethical precepts requires truly diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives.

GAZETTE: The task force recommends the proposed Returns Committee consult with the appropriate community representatives and be transparent in its actions and decisions. Why is this important?

HAMMONDS: This is a way of making visible the accountability of the entire institution and its history. We'd like to have a sense that the conversation about the responsibility that we owe these individuals in our care be a broad conversation among students and faculty, curators and researchers, ethicists and spiritual leaders.

GAZETTE: Is there anything else readers should know about the Committee's work or the report?

DELORIA: The lesson of NAGPRA as a moral and ethical practice of accountability for our histories is absolutely essential. Being serious about that accountability is actually good for an institution, and it's good for the communities with which we're engaged. Developing processes, even when they seem like an administrative grind, is productive in terms of thinking about ways to move forward into a better future. The lessons of NAGPRA over the last 30 years have been both about the difficulty of this work, the emotional, spiritual difficulties of the effort, but also about the ways in which that work has built relationships, capacities, understandings, and futures. Institutions and communities have to be in dialogue with each other. That's a really important thing, and it's nothing to take lightly.

Explore further Unexpected historical discovery: Remains of famous Sami woman recovered

Provided by Harvard Gazette

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.
Quiet quitting means forgoing the extra mile at work but is different than work withdrawal or employee disengagement, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign labor expert YoungAh Park, who studies work stress and recovery. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

YoungAh Park is a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who studies work stress and recovery. Park spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about "quiet quitting" at work.

Is 'quiet quitting' any different than work withdrawal or employee disengagement?

Scholars have studied work withdrawal as a subtype of counterproductive work behaviors. Specifically, work withdrawal refers to employees' avoidance or disengagement from their work environment and task situations even though they are physically present at work. For example, putting in less work effort than necessary; leaving work early for unnecessary reasons; taking longer lunches or breaks than allowed; letting others do your work; thinking of leaving the job or being absent, etc.

By contrast, the term "quiet quitting" seems to mean that employees stop going the extra mile while still performing their job tasks and duties well. So, yes, quiet quitting and work withdrawal are conceptually different.

One thing to note is that although organizations and managers view work withdrawal as counterproductive, research suggests that it can be understood as a stress reaction. It means that people want to avoid and disengage from stressful work situations. In that sense, those who are quiet quitting because of high stress may have a similar motivation to those who physically and psychologically withdraw from work. Also, it appears to me that people on social media define their quiet quitting practice differently depending on their job and organizational situations.

How much of the phenomenon is attributable to the work stressors brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic?

I'm not sure how much is due to pandemic-related stressors but, according to recent research and media reports, it's clear that the current workforce has been experiencing a lot of stress due to the pandemic. For example, the pandemic resulted in many unwanted changes in both work environments and individual workers, such as working from home without proper child care support, work overload, job burnout, layoffs, pay cuts, sickness, depression and anxiety. In that sense, these various stressors and stress symptoms may have led some individuals to choose to scale down "extra" work effort to better manage their job stress.

If that's true, then it's not surprising, as previous research has already shown that job stress is associated with reduced work effort.

Are return-to-office mandates a driver of quiet quitting?

The exact causes of quiet quitting are up in the air, so we don't know whether the return-to-office mandates or remote working drives this phenomenon. But just as research found that people have different preferences for remote working, in-person work or hybrid work, it's certainly possible that there are employees who are dissatisfied with a mandatory return-to-office policy. One recent example of that is when Apple lost some employees because of its back-to-the office policy. But it's not clear whether that kind of policy change drives employees' quiet quitting.

Is quiet quitting more about escaping a bad job situation than actually wanting to quit working entirely?

The motivation and reasons behind quiet quitting appear to vary among individuals. Some won't take on additional tasks and projects because they are underpaid, burned out or experiencing work-family conflictor because they dislike their boss. But the job satisfaction literature suggests that dissatisfied employees are more likely to have poor work motivation and reduced work effort, and those employees eventually search for another job.

Is there a relationship between job performance and likelihood of quiet quitting?

Organizations value highly conscientious employees because they tend to not only perform well but also deal with job stress better and are more satisfied with their job than less conscientious employees.

However, a recent study found that under the difficult work situations caused by the pandemic, highly conscientious employees experienced more strain and lower job satisfaction than their less conscientious counterparts. The data suggest that it was because more conscientious workers reported greater work demands and more hours of working during the pandemic.

This finding indirectly implies that COVID-19-related working conditionsthat is, less clear expectations for work effort and performancemay push conscientious employees to be at a higher risk for burnout, fatigue, job dissatisfaction and eventually turnover.

Also, there are reports that employees who have worked from home since the start of the pandemic are spending more hours on their work. This trend was not just observed in the U.S. but also in the U.K., Australia and Canada. Working longer or doing too much work is not healthy and likely to cause poor work-life balance. So it seems that some workers may choose quiet quitting to protect themselves from constantly overworking.

What canand shouldemployees and supervisors do to combat quiet quitting?

It's too early to say that supervisors and employees should combat quiet quitting unless there is evidence or data that show quiet quitting is counterproductive to teams, organizations and employees' career success.

What I can suggest is that organizations, supervisors and employees need to diligently monitor how many extra hours or how much extra effort employees put in their work to ensure that they are not doing it to the point where they feel overwhelmed and pressured to sacrifice their family time and health. This would require efficient, quality communications from supervisors, as well as organizational efforts to maintain a healthy workforce that can be productive and engaged.

Explore further The emotional labor of staying cheerful at work can lead to employee burnout
The Hanford Village and Driving Park neighborhoods of Columbus in 1961the buildings highlighted in red were destroyed or relocated to build I-70. Credit: Ohio State University

The building of the interstate highway system in Columbus split and sometimes destroyed entire neighborhoods, mostly those housing African Americans, immigrants and other minorities.

Now a team of researchers from The Ohio State University are working to digitally recreate these "ghost neighborhoods" in 3D so that people can see, and researchers can study, what was lost.

"These highways just ripped through the middle of neighborhoods, disconnecting communities from each other and destroying homes and businesses that would never come back," said Harvey Miller, leader of the Ghost Neighborhoods of Columbus project.

"What we plan to do is show what these neighborhoods looked like in realistic detail before these interstates were built and learn more about what was lost."

Miller, a professor of geography at Ohio State, is the director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis, which is running the project.

The key data being used in the project are Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, which are hand-constructed maps of U.S. cities, including Columbus, which were created for fire insurance purposes.

"These maps are a treasure trove of data that will allow us to reconstruct what Columbus looked like at the building level," Miller said.

Yue Lin, a doctoral student in geography at Ohio State, has developed machine learning tools that can extract details about individual buildings from the maps, including their locations and footprints, the number of floors, their construction materials, and their primary use, such as dwelling or business.

"We will be able to get a very good idea of what the buildings looked like from data we get from the Sanborn maps," Lin said.

The next step will be to link the map information with land parcel data from the city so that the researchers can get street addresses for individual buildings and link them to city directories that will reveal more details on how each building was used.

That will give the research team the basic information they need to create the 3D visualizations, Miller said.

Eva Heyer and Michael Smith, undergraduate history majors at Ohio State, are searching for historical photos of neighborhoods that were replaced by the interstates, with the aim of finding exactly what these buildings looked like. That will further help in 3D reconstructions.

"Our ultimate goal would be to come up with 3D visualizations that are realistic enough to give people a visceral feeling of what those neighborhoods were like," Miller said.

"We see this as a crossover between science and humanities."

In addition, the researchers hope the data collected in the study can facilitate further research, such as analyzing the wealth that was destroyed by these new highways.

Miller said they will make the machine learning techniques used in this study available to researchers so that they can be used in other cities.

The Ghost Neighborhoods project is just getting started in Columbus, he said. The team is starting with the Hanford Village neighborhood on the east side that was split in the mid-1960s to build I-70 through the city. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early findings show that more than 100 houses were razed to build the highway and adjacent roads, many of which were owned by black veterans of World War II, said Gerika Logan, outreach coordinator of CURA.

"The GI bill gave returning veterans funds to purchase homes, but they could only be used on new builds," Logan said. "So most of the homes were lost to the highway not long after they were built."

After completing the Hanford Village part of the project, the team will move on to Bronzeville (including the Mt. Vernon Ave corridor) and Flytown. They also plan to conduct a similar effort to recreate the Franklinton neighborhood across the Scioto River from downtown, prior to the devastating flood of 1913.

The issue of how the construction of interstate highways has divided and damaged minority neighborhoods is a national one that is increasingly being recognized.

"Many of these freeways are at the end of their life cycle and hard decisions need to be made about what should be done with them," he said.

"Some cities are choosing to eliminate them. Highways won't be removed everywhere, but if we're going to live with them, we have to think about what we need to do the mitigate the harms they are causing."

Explore further Gap between rich, poor neighborhoods growing in some cities

More information: Ghost Neighborhoods of Columbus project: Ghost Neighborhoods of Columbus project: cura.osu.edu/projects/existing/ghost-neighborhoods Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: www.loc.gov/collections/sanbor  out-this-collection/
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Establishing a sense of placeletting visitors dig right into the soil and smell the earth where the grapes are grown for their wineis one strategy wineries can use to revive lagging tourism numbers coming out of the pandemic, new research from UBC Okanagan reveals.

Research Associate Darcen Esau and supervisor Dr. Donna Senese, an Associate Professor in Geography in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, collaborated on new research published recently in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

"It really does come down to ensuring people understand that wine tourism is a multi-sensory experience," says Esau.

The findings come thanks to research focused on Italy's renowned Tuscany wine region in 2018.

Finding "slow, small and local" is what wine tourists crave on vacation, and is what makes Tuscany a world leader in wine tourism. It also provides a simple framework others can follow regardless of where in the world they are located.

"We often think of tourism as just being visual, at just looking at the landscape," Esau says. "It's about engaging all five of our senses through participation at a working farm and actually getting a little mud under your fingernails, touching the vines, smelling the wine cellar or hearing a tractor drive by."

The feeling of being part of an agricultural lifestyle can be accomplished through workshops or hands-on activities. It is this participation in agricultural activity that helps vacationing visitors escape, which makes the whole experience feel more authentic and memorable, he explains.

Esau wanted to understand how the sensory experience of wine tourism can create a unique association with a wine destination, providing memorable experiences that are both unique and authentic. Much of that investigating was done during a four-week trip to Castello Sonnino winery in the valleys of Central Italy. Yes, spending a month on a working vacation at a Tuscan winery is part of a class offered at UBCO.

But the winery is also an education center and provides lessons to the world, Dr. Senese says.

Dr. Senese, who conducts research with UBC's Wine Research Center, has led UBC courses in the Chianti wine appellation four times to study the connections between wine, food and tourism in the sustainability of the region's geography.

She calls Esau's findings eye-opening, and further confirmation of what she has held dear for the past 20 years. Respecting place is at the heart of every geographer, like her, and she wants the wine industry to embrace a holistic approach in their thinking.

"It is sensual on all five levels," she says. "For our students, one of the standouts about visiting a lot of those wineries in Tuscany, and the experiences they have, is the breathtaking passion the people at the wineries have for the product and the place.

"It's odd to see tears coming to the eyes of students going, 'Wow. I haven't had this experience before, and these people are so passionate about what they're doing.'"

The research comes at an especially important time for a wine industry attempting to recover from a global pandemic. According to a study commissioned by Wine Growers British Columbia and released in mid-August, wine-related tourism in the Okanagan declined to 254,000 visits in 2020 from 1.2 million in 2019.

Dr. Senese is quick to encourage smaller wine regions, such as the Okanagan Valley, to embrace the findings and give their visitors the full sensory experience. After all, many small wineries rely on tourists and local tastings rather than flooding global markets with exported products.

At the same time, the research also applies to all wine regions regardless of their numbers as they seek to drive tourism and subsequent visitation.

"It really is about downplaying that commercial component and emphasizing the local craftsmanship," says Esau, "which a large winery can do as well. We see great examples of it throughout the Okanagan."

More information: Darcen Esau et al, The sensory experience of wine tourism: Creating memorable associations with a wine destination, Food Quality and Preference (2022). Darcen Esau et al, The sensory experience of wine tourism: Creating memorable associations with a wine destination,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104635
(a) Seismic source system commonly used for imaging and monitoring of subsurface reservoirs. (b) Meter-scale continuous monitoring source system. (c) Centimeter-scale continuous monitoring source system developed in this study. Credit: Takeshi Tsuji

Underground carbon sequestration is a promising approach to fight climate change, yet there are major obstacles to overcome before this technology can be applied on a large scale. A new study from Japan may address one such obstacle by identifying how to continuously and affordably monitor carbon reservoirs to detect leaks or other changes that require attention. The article, "4 cm Portable Active Seismic Source (PASS) for Meter- to Kilometer-Scale Imaging and Monitoring of Subsurface Structures," was published in Seismological Research Letters

Underground features like carbon reservoirs can be monitored using seismic waves, either generated by earthquakes or by man-made sources. But seismic monitoring typically requires large, expensive machinery, making continuous monitoring at the scales needed for carbon reservoirs cost prohibitive and practically challenging.

A research group from the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo and the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University has developed an ultra-compact, centimeter-scale seismic source that can address this problem by allowing continuous monitoring of carbon reservoirs. Originally, the Portable Active Seismic Source (PASS) was designed for extraterrestrial uses, such as geophysical research on the moon and Mars. However, there are many potential Earth-based applications for the PASS as well.

As lead author and WPI Principal Investigator Professor Takeshi Tsuji explains, "Because of the device's small size, the vibrations it produces are relatively weak, but when these vibrations are produced continuously, the resulting signals can be stacked together, allowing transmission over long distances. With a four-centimeter motor, the signal could be transmitted one kilometerthe scale needed for monitoring strata used to store carbon dioxide."

Its small size makes deploying and operating the PASS much more affordable than conventional seismic sources, which are typically several meters in size. The ultra-compact device can be powered by a 12-volt car battery, and can even be deployed by drone in areas that are otherwise inaccessible.

The researchers tested the PASS at two field sites, one on a riverbank and one on a tailings embankment in a mining area. According to Professor Tsuji, "The PASS system has great potential for a wide variety of scientific and engineering applications, including monitoring for potential disasters such as landslides and volcanoes, and imaging man-made structures such as tunnels, dams, and embankments."

The affordability and practicality of continuous subsurface monitoring using this newly developed PASS technology, allowing detection of sudden changes in reservoirs that could lead to CO 2 leakage, make it particularly valuable for the development of carbon sequestration projects. This enhancement to its safety may also encourage public acceptance of these and other geoengineering projects.

Explore further Breakthrough in continuous monitoring of CO2 leaks from storage sites

More information: 4 cm Portable Active Seismic Source (PASS) for Meter- to Kilometer-Scale Imaging and Monitoring of Subsurface Structures, Seismological Research Letters (2022). Journal information: Seismological Research Letters 4 cm Portable Active Seismic Source (PASS) for Meter- to Kilometer-Scale Imaging and Monitoring of Subsurface Structures,(2022).

Provided by Kyushu University, I2CNER
Blue wildebeest are herbivores found in southern Africa. Credit: Efimova Anna/Shutterstock

The hallmarks of sexual selection can be found in some animals long after they have died.

Researchers using the Natural History Museum's collection found that wildebeest skulls showed signs of adaptation for competitiona finding that could help uncover similar features in extinct species.

Female wildebeest are engaged in an evolutionary arms racebut scientists aren't sure why.

Researchers studying blue wildebeest skulls found that sexual selection is driving the development of horns in both males and females. Surprisingly, when the growth of both sexes was accounted for, there was no significant difference between the shape of their horns.

While males make use of their horns to compete with each other, it's currently uncertain why the horns of females provide an evolutionary benefit. This may reflect wider issues over the historic lack of study of female animals by biologists compared to males.

Dr. Andrew Knapp, a Museum scientist who co-authored a study detailing these results, says, "This is an interesting finding because it's not what we might expect. Male and female horns are growing in a characteristic way that indicates sexual selection, but they're not being used for the same thing."

"While males use their horns to compete for mates, we don't know what females use them for. There are a few theories, but nothing certain."

The findings of the study, published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, also suggest that sexual selection could be detected in extinct organisms, but that telling different sexes apart is not always obvious.

What are secondary sexual traits?

The horns of wildebeest are an example of a secondary sexual trait, which are characteristics that are not directly involved in the reproductive process but can have an influence on it.

Blue wildebeest skulls from the Museum's collection were used in the study. Credit: Andy Knapp

Traits such as the tail of a male peacock, or the inflatable membrane of a hooded seal, can demonstrate the health or virility of an individual to potential mates and competitors.

Where these signals are directly linked to the health of an individual, or take a lot of effort to produce, they are considered 'honest signals' because they are difficult or unrewarding for weaker animals to fake them.

This means these characteristics show distinctive growth patterns that should be visible in both living and extinct organisms.

"Features such as horns which are used for display exhibit a characteristic known as positive allometry, where larger animals have proportionally bigger traits," Andy explains. "Male bovids all have these traits, but so do around half of females."

"These traits are under strong selection in males to help them compete, so in females we would expect there to be a substantial difference in this pressure."

The researchers investigated whether this pattern could be observed using 75 blue wildebeest skulls, with the vast majority coming from the Museum. Each skull was digitized, with its dimensions being used to calculate its precise 3D shape.

When shape alone is considered, there is a clear distinction between the horn shape of males and females, with both sexes demonstrating a shared allometry. However, these differences disappear when corrected for size.

"When you look at the distribution of the data, a small male looks to all intents and purposes like a female," Andy says. "All the animals pass through the same size range, but females generally don't grow to the largest end of the spectrum."

It suggests that males only have distinctive horns because they tend to grow larger than females, and that the horns of both sexes experience similar levels of selection.

It has been suggested that selection for female horns could relate to predator defense, fighting other females, or even male mimicry, but the evidence for these theories is currently limited.

The skulls were digitised to measure the 3D shape of each individual's skull. Credit: Andy Knapp

Can sexual selection be detected in extinct animals?

While this paper provides new lines of research for scientists studying living animals, it also offers opportunities for researchers studying extinct species.

Identifying the sex of extinct species is notoriously difficult, especially in animals such as the dinosaurs. A lack of fossils, which are often incomplete, makes it hard to identify if an individual was male or female.

Factors which scientists studying living animals could use, such as sexual dimorphism, are often complicated by overlaps in body size and other characteristics.

Only very unambiguous features such as the presence of preserved eggs within the womb or features with direct parallels to living animals, such as the antlers of Megaloceros, can help to identify an individual's sex.

It is similarly difficult to identify a feature which is undergoing sexual selection as other roles, such as species identification, could also explain their rapid evolution. The new research, however, can help add to arguments for or against a feature being used in this way.

"It's entirely possible to use this technique to examine extinct animals," Andy says. "I've been involved in previous work that found a very similar pattern to the wildebeest horns in the frill of Protoceratops, a dinosaur around the size of a sheep."

"The findings of this study suggest that we can't rule out sexual selection as an explanation for these patterns, even if we can't distinguish between the sexes."

For now, however, Andy is returning to the land of living species. He and a colleague are examining the evolution of horn shape across bovids to see if sexual selection has led to the rapid development of these characteristic features.

Explore further Dinosaur frills were likely the result of sexual selection

More information: Chloe Gerstenhaber et al, Sexual selection leads to positive allometry but not sexual dimorphism in the expression of horn shape in the blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, BMC Ecology and Evolution (2022). Journal information: BMC Ecology and Evolution Chloe Gerstenhaber et al, Sexual selection leads to positive allometry but not sexual dimorphism in the expression of horn shape in the blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus,(2022). DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02060-3

This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here.
ASR maps for the Ben 1 and Ben 2 THAI simulations, for the four GCMs. The temporal average minimum, mean, and maximum values are also shown below each map. Credit: The Planetary Science Journal (2022). DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6cf0

An international team, including astrophysicists from the University of Exeter, is taking lessons and techniques learned from Earth climate science to pave the way to robustly model atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars, aiding in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.

Crucially, the team believes that this research can also enhance our fundamental understanding and predictions of future climate on Earth.

The recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and upcoming telescopes such as the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) or the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) may soon be able to characterize the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets orbiting nearby red dwarfs (stars cooler and smaller than our own sun). However, without robust models to interpret and guide these observations we will not be able to unlock the full potential of these observatories.

One method is to use three-dimensional General Circulation Models (GCMs)similar to those that are used to predict the Earth's climate, to simulate atmospheric features as the planets orbit their host stars. However, intrinsic differences exist within these complex GCMs that lead to contrasting climate predictionsand consequently our interpretation of the exoplanet observations.

In recent years, scientists have refined GCMs in an attempt to reproduce and understand the current warming trend associated with anthropogenic climate change on Earth. A key approach is to model climate with multiple GCMs and contrast them via Model Intercomparison Projects, or MIPs, which have been fundamental to our knowledge of the Earth's climate.

The team, led by three early career researchersThomas Fauchez (NASA GSFC, American University, U.S.), Denis Sergeev (University of Exeter, U.K.) and Martin Turbet (LMD, France)has used this expertise and recent model upgrades to undertake a comprehensive intercomparison of several of the world's leading GCMs applying them to the study of exoplanets.

Dr. Sergeev, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter said, "Multi-model intercomparisons are one of the pillars of modern climate science and a success story of international collaboration. They are instrumental in our understanding of past, present and future climate processes. By bringing these comparisons into exoplanet research, we can ultimately improve our ability to interpret telescope observations."

The pivotal new project, called THAI (TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison) focuses on a confirmed, Earth-sized, exoplanet labeled TRAPPIST-1e. It is the fourth planet from its host star, a red dwarf TRAPPIST-1 located approximately 40 light years from Earth. Crucially, as the planet's orbit lies within the habitable zone of TRAPPIST-1 it may have a temperate climate suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface.

The projects combines four widely-used modelsExoCAM (based on the model of the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research), LMD-G (developed by the Laboratoire de Meterologie Dynamique in Paris), ROCKE-3D (based on the NASA GISS model) and the UM (developed at the U.K. Met Office and adapted for exoplanets by researchers at the University of Exeter)to consider four different scenarios for the atmosphere of TRAPPIST-1e.

These comprised two scenarios for the surface (completely dry, and one covered by a global ocean providing moisture for the atmosphere) and two scenarios for the atmospheric composition (nitrogen-rich atmosphere with modern-Earth levels of CO 2 , or a Mars-like CO 2 -dominated atmosphere).

One of the largest sources of inter-GCM differences are clouds: their optical properties, altitude, thickness, coverage have been shown to significantly differ between the models due to differences in cloud parameterizations. "Representing small-scale moist physics in GCMs is notoriously difficult. It is one of the major avenues of atmospheric research for both the exoplanet and Earth climate science," Dr. Sergeev said.

Dr. Fauchez, who leads the THAI project, said, "THAI has leveraged valuable expertise from the similar efforts in the Earth science community studying anthropogenic global warming. However, it has also been able to transfer knowledge back, through improvements in the underlying model frameworks developed as part of the exoplanet applications."

The results of these analyses, which include showing, for the first time, how the use of a GCM can impact future data interpretation and future planning of observational campaigns, are presented in three fully open-access articles. The full results are published on September 15th 2022 in a special issue of The Planetary Science Journal (PSJ).

However, the team believes that THAI will not only pave the way for robust modeling of potentially habitable distant worlds, but has also connected our efforts to find life beyond Earth with studies of our own changing climate.

Dr. Sergeev added, "Our work on TRAPPIST-1e, with a very different orbital configuration to Earth revealed several improvements to, for example, the treatment of the stellar heating of the atmosphere, now implemented in the UM and applied to Earth."

THAI paves the way for a larger model intercomparison project, the Climates Using Interactive Suites of Intercomparisons Nested for Exoplanet Studies (CUISINES) that would include a broader diversity of exoplanet targets and models to systematically compare and therefore validate them.

Explore further Searching the skies for the building blocks of life in the universe

More information: Martin Turbet et al, The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). I. Dry CasesThe Fellowship of the GCMs, The Planetary Science Journal (2022). Martin Turbet et al, The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). I. Dry CasesThe Fellowship of the GCMs,(2022). DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6cf0 Denis E. Sergeev et al, The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). II. Moist CasesThe Two Waterworlds, The Planetary Science Journal (2022). DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6cf2 Thomas J. Fauchez et al, The TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison (THAI). III. Simulated Observablesthe Return of the Spectrum, The Planetary Science Journal (2022). DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6cf1 Journal information: The Planetary Science Journal
BALLSTON  A Malta man who a state trooper shot in June after allegedly threatening police with a gun has been arrested.

Joseph W. Mrozek, 27, is facing felony counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree reckless endangerment and menacing a police officer.

The charges stem from an incident that began on June 11. State police responded to a Ballston residence at about 7 p.m. for a report of a man who discharged a shotgun in a field near a residence and made suicidal statements to an occupant of the residence.

Police located the suspect, later identified as Mrozek, outside his residence a short time later, and he immediately fled inside, according to a news release. During the overnight hours, troopers attempted to get him to surrender peacefully with the assistance of New York State Police crisis negotiators. Attempts were unsuccessful.

Just before 7 a.m., members of the Special Operations Response Team approached the residence and attempted to get Mrozek to surrender. He then exited the residence brandishing a shotgun, police said. Police directed him to drop the gun and when Mrozek disregarded the order, a member of the response team fired one round from their duty weapon, striking him in the chest.

Mrozek was transported by Ballston Lake EMS to Albany Medical Center for treatment.

Mrozek surrendered himself to state police on Thursday. He was arraigned in the Clifton Park Town Court, where he was released on his own recognizance.
WILTON  Police arrested a repeat DWI offender after a three-car crash on the Northway on Thursday night that left one man dead.

Tow truck driver Alex W. Bleickhardt, 33, of Pottersville, was declared dead at the scene, after he was struck by a car driven by Justin P. Rodriguez, 41, of Moreau, according to police.

At 10:41 p.m., state police responded to reports of a three-car accident between exits 15 and 16. An investigation determined Rodriguez was traveling north on the Northway, when his vehicle left the travel lanes and drove onto the shoulder, striking a disabled box truck, tow truck and tow truck operator, according to a news release.

Bleickhardt was servicing the disabled truck and preparing to load it onto the tow truck when he was hit.

Police said Rodriguez was extricated from his vehicle and brought to Albany Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

According to police, Rodriguez is a repeat DWI offender, with multiple convictions resulting in a permanently revoked license.

After he was released from the hospital, Rodriguez was charged with first-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and multiple vehicle and traffic violations.

He was arraigned at Wilton Town Court and taken to Saratoga County Jail without bail.

State police were assisted on the scene by the New York State Department of Transportation, Saratoga County Sheriffs Office, Wilton Fire, and Wilton EMS.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to email Crimetip@troopers.ny.gov.
QUEENSBURY  Hudson Headwaters Health Network and Glens Falls Hospital on Wednesday officially opened a laboratory services facility at West Mountain Family Health.

Glens Falls Hospital operates three phlebotomy draw stations at the site, designed to provide efficient service for patients. The new, expanded labs hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the facility at 161 Carey Road in Queensbury.

Hudson Headwaters CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland said the organizations leadership team has developed partnerships with many health care organizations throughout the region to collaborate and develop creative ways to provide health care.

We consistently explore strategies to increase access and improve patient experiences. Our partnership with Glens Falls Hospital allows for increased hours of lab services, which results in greater convenience for our community members. We are grateful for the opportunity to plan and complete this service with Glens Falls Hospital, he said in a news release.

The Glens Falls Hospital laboratory allows patients to have samples taken for testing in support of both primary care services and specialty care. Testing can be ordered by a patients primary care provider or a specialty physician and any patient with a valid provider order can access these services at West Mountain Family Health. Patients do not need to be patients of Hudson Headwaters to receive lab testing.

Hospital CEO Paul Scimeca said both organizations have experienced positive outcomes after developing laboratory services at Hudson Headwaters Moreau Family Health and Womens Health in Glens Falls.

Glens Falls Hospital and Hudson Headwaters share a commitment to providing quality health care to the communities throughout this region, he said in a news release. The partnership at West Mountain Family Health improves access to both primary care and lab services for local residents and their families, while making it even easier to access additional testing. We look forward to continuing to partner with Hudson Headwaters to support the needs of our community.
China, Uzbekistan pledge to advance mutually beneficial cooperation

Xinhua) 08:29, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday.

The two heads of state said that bearing in mind the long-term development of China-Uzbekistan relations and the future welfare of their people, the two countries will expand mutually beneficial cooperation, cement their friendship and partnership, and implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level.

The meeting took place at the newly built International Conference Center, which was ingeniously designed and magnificent, on a refreshing autumn day as the sun shone brightly on Samarkand.

At 9:45 a.m. local time, Xi arrived in a motorcade at the center where he was warmly received by Mirziyoyev as he exited the car. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi walked to the square outside the north entrance through the central hall featuring both traditional Uzbek patterns and modern design.

Mirziyoyev held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi. The two heads of state stood on the podium as the military band played the national anthems of China and Uzbekistan. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi inspected the honor guard. They introduced to each other their accompanying officials and watched the parade of the honor guard together.

Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks.

Xi pointed out that over the past 30 years of their diplomatic relations, China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits.

The two countries have kept deepening their strategic mutual trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, fully promoted their lasting friendship and elevated China-Uzbekistan relations to the new height of a comprehensive strategic partnership, creating strong impetus for their common development and prosperity, Xi said.

As a good friend, a good partner and a good brother, China firmly supports Uzbekistan in following a development path compatible with its national conditions, supports its efforts to uphold national independence, sovereignty, security and social stability, and opposes interference by any forces in its internal affairs, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and jointly usher in a better future, he said.

Xi emphasized that China and Uzbekistan should firmly support each other on issues concerning national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and other core interests, move faster to synergize their development strategies and promote common development.

The two sides need to accelerate the bilateral cooperation and make it even more fruitful, Xi said, adding that it is important to scale up cooperation on trade and investment, and step up collaboration on digital economy and green development.

Uzbekistan is welcome to take an active part in the China International Import Expo to share in more of the development opportunities brought by China's massive market, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to improve the Eurasian transcontinental transport corridors and make an early start in constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, he said.

The two sides need to expand energy cooperation, jointly ensure the safe operation of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline and extend cooperation to new energy, with a view to fostering a new pattern of all-dimensional energy cooperation, Xi said.

The two sides need to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in areas including education, culture, tourism, sub-national exchanges, environmental protection and archaeology, he said, adding that China supports and will actively take part in Uzbekistan's initiative of "year of culture and art between the people of Central Asian countries and China."

The two sides also need to work together to speed up the establishment of culture centers in each other's country and the building of a Luban Workshop, and communicate the facts of the China-Uzbekistan friendship in the new era, so as to lay a solid public and societal foundation for the sustained and sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations, Xi said.

Young people from Uzbekistan are welcome to study Chinese in China, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to carry out healthcare, vaccine and pharmaceutical cooperation with Uzbekistan, and support the building of vaccine production centers in Uzbekistan.

The two sides need to enhance cooperation on poverty alleviation, and inspire and support each other in promoting growth and improving livelihoods, he said.

Noting that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each other's security and stability, Xi said that China is ready to work more closely with Uzbekistan to firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, firmly safeguard domestic stability and firmly defend the security interests of the region.

China appreciates Uzbekistan's important contributions to the success of the SCO Samarkand Summit and is ready to work with Uzbekistan to promote the steady and sustained development of the SCO, Xi said.

Xi said that China will work with Uzbekistan and other regional countries to strengthen the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism and open up broader space for the cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

China will also work with Uzbekistan to actively implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), uphold the common interests of developing countries and contribute to building a more just and equitable international governance system, he said.

For his part, Mirziyoyev noted that under the wise leadership of President Xi, China has made remarkable achievements in its development, and the friendly people of China are making firm strides toward realizing the Chinese Dream.

He wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a full success.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, Mirziyoyev pointed out that Xi's historic state visit to Uzbekistan will certainly consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, chart the course for future cooperation, and elevate the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height featuring new vitality and new prospect.

China is a reliable friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan-China relations fully embody the principle of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan appreciates China's valuable support for its national development and fight against COVID-19.

Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on matters concerning its core interests including those related to Taiwan and Xinjiang, and will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner worthy of China's trust, he said.

Uzbekistan would like to learn from China's poverty alleviation experience, continue participating actively in the Belt and Road cooperation, advance the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, and enhance cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, investment, natural gas, new energy, agricultural infrastructure, culture, sub-national ties and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan fully supports the GDI and the GSI proposed by China, and appreciates China's strong support for Uzbekistan's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He also expressed readiness to work more closely with China within the SCO, C+C5, and "BRICS Plus" mechanisms, to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and to jointly safeguard regional security and stability.

Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Relevant departments of the two governments signed multiple cooperation documents covering agriculture, digital economy, green development, culture, sub-national cooperation and media.

During the visit, Chinese, Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

After the official talks, Mirziyoyev held a banquet for Xi, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on matters of shared interest.

Following the banquet, Mirziyoyev invited Xi to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center. Together, the two heads of state earthed up and watered the seedling. A symbol of longevity, the oak tree signifies that China-Uzbekistan friendship will thrive and endure.

Xi pointed out that although this may not be a long visit, he had productive discussions with Mirziyoyev and achieved fruitful outcomes.

The world faces many new risks and challenges that require their collective response, Xi said, expressing his readiness to stay in communication with Mirziyoyev to promote sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations.

Describing President Xi as his respected elder brother, Mirziyoyev said he always benefits from their meetings. He noted the fruitful outcomes of this historic visit which will point the way for Uzbekistan-China relations and expressed his expectation to maintain close exchanges with Xi.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the relevant events.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
You are here: China

Luohu has been actively supporting the development of competitive industry clusters to boost the district's high-quality development.

Luohu is actively building seven emerging industry clusters-software and information services, modern fashion, new materials, intelligent terminals, safety, energy conservation and environmental protection and big health- and one future industry, the block chain.

To attract talents, investment and enterprises, Luohu set up a special team in February, comprised of civil servants from relevant government departments, to help companies resolve talents, policies, space, technology and data problems.

Over the first five months of this year, Luohu has attracted 55 enterprises and 33 national high-level technology enterprises in software and information services, modern fashion, safety, energy saving and environmental protection, and digital creativity.
Debates are beginning to shape up in area political races.

Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, on Wednesday announced he has accepted an invitation from WMHT Public Television in Troy to participate in a televised debate between candidates in the 20th Congressional District.

Tonko urged his Republican challenger Liz Lemery Joy to also participate in the debate.

Joy, a former blogger and speaker from Schenectady, said later on Wednesday that she is in discussion with WMHT, as well as other potential debate organizers.

I look forward to debating Paul Tonko many times before the election, she said, in a telephone interview.

Tonko said that debates are important, and that Joy should be held accountable for her extreme positions.

My opponent organized a bus trip to the Capitol on January 6th where police officers died, and insurrectionists tried to overturn an election, Tonko said in a news release. She has also expressed support for total abortion bans, even in cases of rape and incest.

Joy said she participated in the bus trip to the Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021, but she did not organize it.

We went to hear our president speak, she said.

She said that she was nowhere near the Capitol that day, and that Tonko is being false and misleading by attempting to tie her to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Joy would not say whether she supports a total ban on abortions.

Im pro-life, she said, without offering specifics, criticizing Tonko as being pro-abortion.

Paul Tonko is the extremist  not me, she said.

In July, Tonko voted in favor of legislation to codify the Roe v. Wade  making abortion legal nationwide.

Joy said in a statement:

We need to hear directly from Paul as to why he supports policies that are making New York unaffordable and unsafe with skyrocketing crime and weak borders allowing deadly fentanyl to flow into the country.

Tonko, a seven-term incumbent, has agreed to debate his general election opponent every previous election, his campaign said.

Joy, however, said they did not debate in 2020, when she previously challenged Tonko.

Sean Magers, a spokesman for the Tonko campaign, said Tonko accepted debate invitations in 2020 from WMHT and the League of Women Voters, but the debates did not materialize.

The Tonko campaign clarified on Friday that Tonko and Joy did participate in a League of Women voters Zoom forum in 2020.

113th Assembly District

In another area race, Republican state Assembly candidate David Catalfamo on Wednesday challenged Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, to a series of three public debates, one in each of the counties in the 113th District  Saratoga, Washington and Warren.

The voters in all three counties of the district deserve to hear honest and in-person discussion  , said Catalfamo, an economic development official and writer from Wilton, in a news release.

Catalfamo, who also challenged Woerner in 2020, said they debated just once two years ago, in a Zoom debate that the Saratoga League of Women Voters coordinated.

Now that the pandemic is past, debates should be public, he said.

Woerner said she agrees that debates are important.

I look forward to working with the League of Women Voters and any other organization that wants to organize a candidate debate to discuss the issues facing the 113th AD, she said, in a statement. Of course, the voters deserve to hear firsthand what we, the candidates, have to say.

21st Congressional District

In the 21st Congressional District, Democratic candidate Matt Castelli announced on Sept. 6 he had accepted invitations to participate in three televised debates  one each on Mountain Lake PBS in collaboration with Watertown PBS, WPTZ in Plattsburgh, and WWNY-TV in Watertown.

As of Wednesday morning, Stefanik had not agreed to participate in any of the three proposed debates, the Castelli campaign said.
GLENS FALLS  The Pure-N-Simple Natural Foods store in Glens Falls has new owners.

Kristen and Andrew Holt took over the store located at 4 E Washington St. on June 6 of this year and are expecting the sale to close in a few weeks.

Andrew Holt said that he is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida while his wife, Kristen, is from the New Paltz area. The two moved up to Glens Falls seven years ago.

Andrew Holt said that in the short term, customers can expect a very similar shopping experience.

In the long term, the Holts hope to expand their inventory to include fresh produce.

Holt said that it would be along the lines of the Farmers Market, although, unlike the local seasonal market, they would not be limited to locally-sourced products.

Holt said that the health crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic is what spurred the couple into wanting to sell natural health remedies.

A lot of people had problems with big pharma and the hospital system and are moving more into more all-natural homeopathic alternatives to pharmaceuticals, Holt said.

So, I shared this with my wife, and she said well, theres already a health food store in town, he added.

The Holts then approached previous owners Bonnie and Paul Savard, who opened the shop close to 40 years ago, to see what they could learn from them or to see if they could work together.

Two days later, my wife happened to be going into the store to purchase something, and she saw the for sale sign.

This occurred in the beginning of May, and the Savards were planning on closing the store completely by the end of the month.

The Holts experience since taking over the store has been wonderful, according to Andrew Holt.

They (Savards) have a loyal customer base. They are grateful that the store was purchased (at the) last minute.

Holt said some of the customers have told him that a lot of the products Pure-N-Simple carries, specifically bulk dried fruit, nuts, grain and flower, are not available in the same way at the larger health food stores, such as Healthy Living in Wilton.

Theres no place like it in the area, Holt said.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik supports a bill that House and Senate Republicans have introduced that, if passed, would ban most abortions after 15 weeks nationwide.

Called the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act, the legislation would enshrine into law the position that unborn fetuses can begin experiencing pain after 15 weeks gestation, and it is at that point that the mother should no longer be able to seek an abortion to end the pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest or if the mothers life is endangered by the pregnancy.

Medical professionals generally do not agree with that position, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that fetuses can only begin feeling pain in the third trimester  around 27 weeks gestation. Most state laws, including in New York, only permit abortions for viable pregnancies up to 24 weeks of age, after which the procedure can only be done if the health of the mother or fetus is at risk.

While support among the party is not universal, many Republican lawmakers have rallied to support the measure, which was introduced first in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina. Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is one of 86 cosponsors on the legislations House version, introduced on Tuesday.

A statement from Stefaniks advisor Alex DeGrasse said the congresswoman is pro-life, and supports legislation that pursues that agenda.

Congresswoman Stefanik, a young mother, is pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, he said. She strongly opposes taxpayer funding for abortions and supports the Hyde Amendment. Her constituents are proud of her long pro-life record throughout her time in Congress.

The Hyde Amendment is a piece of legislation introduced to national Medicare law in 1977, barring the use of federal funds for abortion procedures except when the mothers life is in danger and can be saved with the procedure.

DeGrasse did not address questions over the legislations impact on states rights to set their own abortion policies, which most Republican lawmakers have said should be the status quo now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

U.S. Rep. Claudia M. Tenney, R-Utica, who is running to represent part of Jefferson County in Congress, has espoused that belief herself, and has not expressed support for this legislation.

DeGrasse criticized Matt Castelli, Stefaniks Democratic opponent in NY-21, for his own positions on abortion. Castelli supports repealing the Hyde Amendment, allowing federal funds and Medicare to be used to cover abortion care, and supports the Womens Health Protection Act, which would enshrine the right to an abortion up to the 24th week of gestation into federal law.

Matt Castelli is a radical far left downstate Democrat from Poughkeepsie who supports taxpayer-funded late-term abortions up until birth, he said. This far left downstate Democrat also supports repealing the bipartisan Hyde Amendment, which would force taxpayers to pay for abortions in the U.S. and around the world. Its why north county voters are going to send him packing back to downstate on Election Day. 

For his part, Castelli said Stefanik has demonstrated that she is not only opposed to abortion, shes opposed to states making their own decisions about abortion as well.

Elise Stefanik has put a target on the back of every woman in NY-21 and threatens the health of millions of American women by taking away their freedoms, he said. She continues to demonstrate that she is willing to sell out anyone for her own benefit, willing to deprive women of the right to make decisions about their own bodies, willing to threaten the lives of women  all to advance her own career. This dangerous and unconstitutional ban makes it clear that Elise Stefanik is unfit for leadership, and wholly unfit to represent the people of NY-21.

The anti-abortion bill is highly unlikely to even come to a vote in the current Democratic-controlled Congress, and its not clear the bill would even have enough support to pass in a Republican-controlled Congress. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said his senators have expressed a preference for abortion to remain a state-by-state issue. In the House, Republican leadership is split, with Stefanik as the most senior Republican to support the legislation there.
PLEASANTVILLE  The state Schools Development Authority has approved a proposal to build a new school on Decatur Avenue for children in pre-K to fifth grade.

Acting Superintendent Karin Farkas touted the news during a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. She said district officials worked with the districts engineers to develop a long-range facilities plan for the project, which she hopes will go up for school board approval during next months meeting.

The Decatur Avenue project was one of 16 across 13 school districts that the SDA approved at its Board of Directors meeting Sept. 7. The board approved three additional projects in April. Authority CEO Manuel Da Silva said the new projects reflected the Murphy administrations commitment to expanding educational resources.

It is our job to ensure New Jerseys young scholars have equitable access to outstanding school buildings that will allow them to learn, thrive and succeed as they embark on a lifetime of learning, Da Silva said Sept. 8 in a news release. The administrations investment toward the improvement of New Jerseys educational infrastructure has allowed this board to advance projects that will address critical needs in districts throughout New Jersey.

The new school is needed to grow the Pleasantville school districts physical capacity to run school programs, Farkas said last month, asserting we desperately need space in our schools.

SDA officials have a similar perspective, saying the authoritys new agenda was about addressing overcrowding in school districts across the state.

NJEA officials gather in support of Pleasantville diverse-curriculum leader PLEASANTVILLE  The states largest teachers union is rallying on behalf of the leader of an

The boards approval of these projects, identified in the SDAs Statewide Strategic Plan as priority projects, will significantly reduce district-wide overcrowding and facility deficiencies that impact thousands of students statewide, SDA Chairman Robert Nixon said. These projects will deliver thousands of new or replacement student seats in state-of-the-art facilities that will foster learning and student achievement.

Emails forwarded to The Press of Atlantic City indicate conversations between Pleasantville school officials and the SDA about building a new school at Decatur Avenue began in 2019 and were revived in 2021. Superintendent Natakie Chestnut-Lee described the challenges facing the district in a letter sent to the SDA on March 4, 2021. She said in the letter the current district facilities were inadequate to serve students, citing repairs that were needed at Pleasantville Middle School and High School and a malfunctioning heating and air conditioning system at the North Main Street School. The district, she said, was not well-positioned to make the required investments.

The existing facilities in the district do not provide the high-quality learning environment that our students deserve, Chestnut-Lee said in the letter. She has since been put on leave by the Pleasantville school board, which in turn appointed Farkas acting superintendent.

The district had previously explored having the Decatur Avenue building house pre-K and the districts business office. Board of Education President Jerome Page said during the Aug. 9 meeting that he would have liked to see parts of Pleasantville Middle School currently used by the business office be made available to students and have the business office relocated to Decatur Avenue. Farkas said the SDA officials expressed their preference that a new building be used for pre-K to fifth-grade students.

The SDA approved several other projects in South Jersey, including renovations within the Bridgeton Public Schools.

It had been an open question as to whether the district would simply renovate the current building or demolish it and build a replacement. Remington & Vernick Engineers has toured the Decatur Avenue property and studied what renovations would be required to rehabilitate the facility. The firm laid out its findings to the school board Aug. 9. It ultimately estimated that rehabilitating the building  which would involve improvements to the HVAC system, structural improvements and changes to the plumbing system  would cost $12 million. The firms total estimated cost to the district for demolishing and replacing the building was only $9.5 million, meaning the latter option would save the district $2.5 million.

Stockton's Center for Community Engagement celebrates 10th anniversary ATLANTIC CITY  As most students returned to school last week full of excitement, it may not

The state Legislature allocated $1.9 billion to the SDA in the fiscal year 2023 budget to support the authoritys 2022 Strategic Plan. The majority of that money, $1.55 billion, would be reserved for projects in SDA districts  a set of 31 school districts that meet certain criteria regarding socioeconomic need. The remaining $350 million would fund projects in other districts. Projects were selected based on the level of educational and facilities needs, alongside efficient construction factors, the SDA said. The selection was also influenced by enrollment data and the states Educational Facilities Need Assessment. Officials from the SDA and state Department of Education met with each of the 31 SDA districts to identify high-priority needs, according to the news release.

Pleasantville Public Schools is the only SDA district in Atlantic County. The Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland school districts in Cumberland County also are SDA districts, and there are no SDA districts in Cape May County.

The Sept. 8 news release indicated the 16 new projects will become part of the SDA program portfolio once the gubernatorial veto period expires Sept. 22.

Farkas said the district and SDA were set to meet again to discuss the issue later this month.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  By partnering with two local Boy Scout troops, the South Jersey Transportation Authority is making more than airplanes fly.

Working with Troops 55 and 452, a 12-acre habitat for frosted elfin butteries was created at Atlantic City International Airport. The SJTA, which operates the airport, recruited the scouts after amending a memorandum with the state Pinelands Commission in which it committed itself to providing a space for the endangered butterfly, the authority said Thursday.

This was the perfect opportunity for this partnership, Steve Mazur, chief engineer for the SJTA, said in a statement Thursday. Scouts are required to complete conservation service areas throughout their scouting career, and what better way than on a project of this level of importance.

In total, 45 scouts and leaders, over four hours, planted 3,000 wild indigo plants, starting the day with a lesson on the frosted elfin butterflys life cycle from Chris Boggs, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For their work, the scouts were treated to a flyover by members of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, Mazur said.

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The frosted elfin butterfly is a small, non-migratory butterfly that scientists have seen fade because of habitat decline, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The butterfly commonly can be found in the Pine Barrens.

The butterflys status will be reviewed next year to determine whether it needs federal protection, the Fish & Wildlife Service says.

The butterfly survives best by living amid wild indigo, a perennial that blooms blue flowers. Because the plant is not common in South Jersey, airport staff harvested seed pods from a butterfly colony at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center, the SJTA said.

A local grower cultivated 3,000 wild indigo plants from the provided seeds, but without the available staff at the ideal planting time, the airport recruited the scouts, the SJTA said.

The partnership weve formed with the scouts was invaluable to the success of the project, SJTA Executive Director Stephen Dougherty said in a statement. We are even more excited they were able to learn from our experts and gain a great experience from this.
The prospective buyer of Camdens Northgate 1 apartments is proposing to transform the troubled high-rise that hundreds of tenants rely upon for affordable housing.

The Hudson Valley Property Group in New York City is negotiating to purchase the privately owned, 21-story, 321-unit landmark and expects to spend as much as $40 million to fully renovate it. On Tuesday, City Council unanimously approved a tax exemption the company had described as necessary for the project.

Under the buildings current ownership, city inspectors found 1,155 code violations last March and April related to plumbing, ventilation, mold and the condition of some balconies. A re-inspection Aug. 22 found repairs and cosmetic improvements had been made to some apartments and hallways.

That day, on an upper floor, resident Glorimar Malave said she was concerned about the condition of the balcony, as well as leaking windows in the apartment down the hall where her daughter, Pablita, and grandson, Jaeziah, live. Management is unresponsive, they said.

Youre on your own in this building, said Glorimar, whos lived in Northgate for 10 years.

Built in 1962, the apartment tower looms over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Plaza  and over the lives of tenants who cope with what city officials describe as decrepit conditions.

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Northgate 1 nonetheless has few vacancies. Its a testament to the scarcity of affordable housing alternatives for families in Camden, which after a decadelong wave of development remains one of New Jerseys poorest cities.

Issues at Northgate have been going on for years, said Mayor Vic Carstharphen, who was elected to the office last November. He points to refurbished parks, streets and public housing sites as evidence that the city continues to make progress.

I dont want to hear about what hasnt happened, he said, standing on the balcony of Malaves apartment during the August re-inspection. I want to talk about what can happen.

Said city Business Administrator Tim Cunningham: The expectation of the city is that the existing owner of Northgate, who has been cited for numerous violations of housing, building and fire codes, will cure those violations.

A pending ownership change

Northgate is owned by Camden 7 Realty, a limited liability corporation with an address in Short Hills, Essex County. Marc Wolfe, an Oyster Bay, New York, resident identified as a principal of the corporation, could not be reached for comment. A lawyer for Northgate did not respond to messages left at his office.

Hudson Valley specializes in renovating and managing high-rises and other affordable housing complexes. The company also is close to completing the $22 million renovation of the Crestbury Apartments in Camdens Morgan Village neighborhood.

The company got a 30-year property tax exemption for that project, and has now won City Council approval for an exemption on Northgate as well. The developers application included a projection that a payment in lieu of taxes, known as a PILOT, would yield Camden an average of nearly $320,000 annually, or about $9.5 million over the 30-year life of the exemption.

Brigantine woman indicted in 2021 fatal pedestrian strike A 34-year-old Brigantine woman was indicted Wednesday on a charge of vehicular homicide afte

Hudson Valley officials declined to comment.

We want to put an end to owners milking hundreds of thousands of dollars from that building every month, City Council President Angel Fuentes said in an interview.

With the PILOT, the city wants to make sure we receive at least the same amount we currently receive in [standard] property taxes from Northgate, Cunningham said ahead of the City Council vote.

Camden also seeks the preservation of affordable housing, and perhaps most important, an improved quality of life for the residents of Northgate, he said.

Karen Merricks has lived at Northgate for 25 years and heads the tenants association. She said residents are anxious about the potential sale.

They want to know if they will be able to stay here, she said. Are they going to be treated fair? Is it going to stay low-income? The city says it will be affordable, but affordable for whom?

Northgate 1 was a marquee component of the citys early 1960s urban renewal plans as the flight of businesses and white residents to the suburbs was gaining momentum. Camden hoped that leveling parts of North Camden and other sections to make way for more upscale residential and commercial development would entice people to stay or even move back to the city.

An imposing, yellow-brick landmark adjacent to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge toll plaza, the high-rise opened as a luxury address, offering a swimming pool with underwater lighting, a shopping colonnade and a penthouse.

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My father lived here, and I remember how beautiful it was, Merricks recalled.

Early hopes gave way to disrepair

Although it was hailed by city boosters as a sign of confidence in Camdens future, the building was only half-rented a year after it opened. In 1968, the lobby was briefly occupied by a demonstration on behalf of a homeless Black family. By 1982, Northgate tenants were organizing a rent strike due to a rat infestation.

The original developers sold the property in 1987, and under a succession of owners since, Northgate 1 has evolved into a rent-subsidized building where many tenants are families with young children. Annual proceeds from rent are estimated at $5.8 million under a Housing Assistance Payments contract with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The contract reimburses the property owner for the difference between a HUD-approved rent and what the tenant is able to pay.

HUD is reviewing the application for a change in ownership, said Olga Alvarez, a public affairs officer for the departments regional office for New York and New Jersey.

The current owner, Camden 7, paid $10.2 million for Northgate 1 in 2011, Camden County records show.

Officials of Hybrid Capital, a New York investment firm, said in a 2014 news release that Wolfe invested approximately $1 million in capital improvements, including 140 apartment renovations at approximately $5,000 per apartment, state of the art security system with cameras on every floor, new roof, new boiler, plumbing upgrades and repairs to all common areas.

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The release also praised the propertys excellent cash flow.

Whoever owns Northgate is making a lot of money, and we want to hold them accountable, said Camden County police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez, who accompanied the mayor, other city and county officials, and a reporter during the Aug. 22 re-inspection.

Gabriel Camacho, who was named the citys director of code enforcement in February, said annual inspections of Northgate and other apartment complexes resumed this year after being suspended due to the pandemic.

The potential change in ownership at Northgate notwithstanding, we are pressing forward with follow-up inspections and issuing municipal court summonses for noncompliance, Camacho said. Our main concern is the quality of life for the people who live here.

Inspections reveal limited progress

During the re-inspection, Camacho translated the comments of longtime Northgate resident Ramon Lopez from Spanish to English.

He says hes been living here for 13 years and nothing has been done to his apartment, Camacho said.

After the inspections last spring, people came with cans of paint and did a rush paint job, and they didnt paint the kitchen, Lopez told Camacho.

Rodents are a big issue, said a neighbor, Talia Lovett.

Glorimar Malave noted security issues. We need more than one security guard in here, she said. Like other Northgate residents, she blames outsiders who freely enter the building to sleep, defecate and urinate in stairwells for many of the problems there.

If you call security, said her daughter, Pablita, they tell you to call the cops.

Affordable housing advocate Peter OConnor, who was involved in building the successful Northgate 2 senior high-rise and low-rise complex across Seventh Street from Northgate 1, said he respects the work Hudson Valley has done elsewhere.

But OConnor, president of Fair Share Housing Development, also said he has a serious reservation about whether there will be enough resources to meet the inherent challenges of managing a high-rise for families.

If youre stacking families with economic and social needs on top of each other, youve got to have on-site management and social services, OConnor said. Having a police substation there would probably be a good idea.

City officials said separate plans call for adding a police substation within a block or two of Northgate, and said Hudson Valley also has presented detailed plans for security at the building.

Across town at Crestbury  the 400-unit low-rise complex soon to be renamed Community Meadows  longtime tenant Tydeeka Ingram said she is very pleased with Hudson Valleys renovations.

Ive lived here 18 years, she said. And this is the best its ever been here.
TRENTON  Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday signed into law a bill that increases state payments to qualified veterans.

For certain veterans diagnosed with disabilities from their wartime service, annual payments will increase to $1,800 from $750, Murphys office said. Payments for certain disabilities covered under the Paraplegic and Hemiplegic Veterans Allowance program had not increased since 1981, and payments to blind veterans covered under the Blind Veterans Allowance Program had not increased since 1971.

A lot has changed over the past several decades, and it is important for our state to keep up with the rising cost of living in our support for New Jersey veterans, Murphy said in a statement. Veterans who were disabled in the line of duty made an immeasurable sacrifice on behalf of our nation. Ensuring these veterans receive the financial assistance they need and deserve from our state is how we can honor that sacrifice.

State Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, cosponsored the bill with a mix of other senators.

I am proud this legislation was signed into law today, Testa said in a statement. It is our duty to ensure the well-being of New Jerseys veterans and their spouses.

Testa said the bill is essential to caring for veterans who have accumulated challenging health conditions from their service while the cost of living has risen since the last increases were made.

No women or minorities now run Atlantic City casinos With the departure of the head of the Tropicana, none of Atlantic Citys nine casinos is now led by a woman or a Black person. Jacqueline Grace left her job as senior vice president and general manager of the Tropicana in late July after nearly two years in the top job there. She is now CEO of Beam Living, a New York property management company. Grace was the last of a group of four women, two of them Black, who ran Atlantic City casinos just two years ago.

This bill will offer some much-needed financial relief and stability to these injured veterans, and their loved ones, during their time of need, he said.

Qualified veterans will see a bump in their compensation beginning Jan. 1, Murphys office said.

Murphy included the increase in this years budget proposal. The budget including the raise was signed into law in June.

The law will aid about 200 state veterans who obtained benefits and have lost eyesight, amputated limbs, osteochondritis, multiple sclerosis and permanent paralysis in their limbs or certain portions of the body, Murphys office said.

The bills Assembly version was introduced in the winter, first being given to the Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee in January, according to the New Jersey Legislatures website.

After being shuffled through the Legislature, the bill passed both houses in June.

Absecon commemorates 21st anniversary of 9/11 ABSECON  The city hosted a remembrance ceremony Sunday for the 21st anniversary of the 9/11

State Sen. Linda Greenstein, D-Mercer, Middlesex, called the change long overdue, saying not accommodating rising costs of living for veterans has been unacceptable.

While the increase of compensation in this bill cannot fully repay the sacrifice our disabled veterans gave, it can hopefully provide some aid as they live out the rest of their lives, Greenstein said in a statement.
The inches of rain on Sept. 6 quelled drought in parts of South Jersey in Thursday's update. However, the number of people in drought actually increased statewide. Statewide, roughly 7.2 of the 8.9 million residents statewide are in one of the four stages of drought. Meteorologist Joe Martucci explains more.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A partnership with Purdue Global will offer first-rate educational opportunities to Story County Medical Center (Nevada, Iowa) staff and their family members with tuition reduction.

Purdue Global is committed to helping our health care partners like Story County Medical Center encourage educational and professional growth in their staff, said Melissa Burdi, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Nursing. As an excellent health care setting for central Iowa, we know the importance of online college programs for staff and family members, and we are committed to offering excellent academic education to Story Medical.

The Purdue Global School of Nursing offers an associate degree program, RN-BSN, six Master of Science in Nursing specialties and Doctor of Nursing programs. Additional Purdue Global offerings include business, criminal justice, human services and psychology, among others. The partnership does not include Concord Law School, aviation or Excel track programs.

Story County Medical Center staff and immediate family members (spouse, domestic partner, children, siblings and parents) will be afforded 20% tuition reduction for undergraduate programs, 14% reduction for graduate programs and 10% reduction for doctoral programs.

We are excited to partner with Purdue Global to provide our staff with continuing education opportunities that will allow them to grow professionally through a highly respected university system, said Nate Thompson, CEO of Story County Medical Center. The partnership will allow our nursing team the ability to receive discounted, world-class education while working toward an advanced degree online.

Purdue Global has similar partnerships with Continuum Pediatric Nursing Services, York (Nebraska) General, Columbus (Nebraska) Community Hospital, UnityPoint Health  Cedar Rapids, the Wellness Council of Arizona, Quality Living, Inc., Kearney Regional Medical Center and Stewart Memorial Community Hospital.

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit https://stories.purdue.edu/purdue-global/.

About Story Medical

Story Medical has been a trusted provider of high-quality, local health care to the residents of Story County for more than 65 years. Story Medical is a 17-bed federally designated Critical Access Hospital, offering a complete spectrum of services from primary care to acute inpatient hospital care and nursing home care. All services are designed to provide you with the individual, personal attention you deserve. Visit www.StoryMedical.org for more information.

Media Contact, Purdue Global: Tom Schott, tschott@purdue.edu

Media Contact, Story County Medical Center: Loni Pringnitz, lpringnitz@storymedical.org

Sources: Melissa Burdi

Nate Thompson
ATHENS, Greece  Irene Papas, the Greek actress and recording artist renowned for her dramatic performances and austere beauty that earned her prominent roles in Hollywood movies as well as in French and Italian cinema over six decades has died. She was 93.

The Greek Culture Ministry confirmed her death Wednesday.

"Magnificent, majestic, dynamic, Irene Papas was the personification of Greek beauty on the cinema screen and on the theater stage, an international leading lady who radiated Greekness," Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described her as a source of "admiration and inspiration" to generations of Greeks.

Papas became known internationally following performances in "The Guns of Navarone" in 1961 and "Zorba the Greek" in 1964, acting alongside Hollywood stars Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn. In all, she starred in more than 50 movies.

Born Irene Lelekou in the mountainous village of Chiliomodi, Papas was the daughter of two schoolteachers. Her father also taught drama.

She left home at 18 to marry Greek film director Alkis Papas despite her family's disapproval. They divorced four years later. After the death of American Actor Marlon Brando in 2004, Papas revealed in an Italian newspaper interview that the two had been romantically involved.

A supporter of the Greek Communist Party, Papas was a vocal opponent of the military dictatorship that governed the country between 1967 and 1974 and lived much for life outside Greece, including in Rome and New York.

Papas was also known for her appearance in ancient Greek tragedies. Many of her iconic international movie roles were earned portraying Greek characters. But she also starred with Kirk Douglas in the 1968 crime drama "Brotherhood" and with James Cagney in the 1956 Western "Tribute to a Bad Man."

Greek arts institutions thanked Papas for her support for younger actors. The Athens-based Greek Film Center described her as "The greatest Greek international film star," adding: "Her image is a timeless imprint of Greek female beauty."

Papas publicly joked that she was often quoted as being three years older than her actual age. She started a 2004 interview with Greek state television by saying, "I was born on Sept. 3, 1929. All the papers are there in Chiliomodi," which is located near the southern Greek city of Corinth.
Donations are pouring in to help a victim who was ordered by a court to pay $150,000 to the family of a man she stabbed to death after he raped her.
A shooting Wednesday in Rock Island wounded a 12-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man.

A shooting complaint around 4 p.m. sent officers to the 1200 block of 14  Street, according to a news release from the Rock Island Police Department. Once officers were in the area, they found the man, who had a gunshot wound to his abdomen that was considered serious but not life threatening. He was taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity Rock Island.

The wounded man did not cooperate with the police when officers attempted to question him, the release states.

Investigators learned of the wounded boy after someone brought him to the hospital around 7:19 p.m. in a private vehicle, the release states. He had been shot in the toe. An investigation indicated he was shot during the same attack.

The release, issued Thursday morning, stated there had been no arrests and no other injuries or property damage reported.

Further details were not available at that time, but the case remained under investigation, the department said.

The department asks anyone with information to contact investigators at 309-732-2677. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500 or use the P3 Tips app.
A longtime chemist with the city of Rock Island is testing the water one last time.

Sandy O'Neill, a chemist at the Rock Island Water Treatment Plant, is retiring Friday after 34 years.

"I could have retired four years ago," O'Neill said. "But then when the time came (I) was like, I'm not ready."

Before O'Neill took her chemist job for the city, she was with the Rock Island County Health Department for about 10 years, working on special projects for a year and then as a registered environmental sanitation worker. Feeling as if there was no opportunity for advancement left, she was ready for a change of pace.

O'Neill said she was looking through the paper one day and saw an opening for a laboratory technician with the city water plant. She applied, got the job and the rest was history.

She split her time between the water and sewer labs. In the mornings she would test sewage and then switch labs in the afternoon to test water.

After about eight months as a lab technician, she became a chemist.

"It was just sort of being in the right place at the right time," said O'Neill, who went to Black Hawk College for two years before she transferred to Illinois State University, where she majored in biology.

When working in the lab, O'Neill tests the samples she has gathered from the distribution center to make sure the water is safe for use.

Tests will differ, and certain ones are performed weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Samples are collected on a routine basis and about 40 samples are taken from the field and tested per month.

O'Neill tests samples from the river each day.

"We don't do anything to change it, but it's something we monitor because it can be an indicator of changes in the river," she said. "It's something we check every day and report to the EPA."

She is also required to follow regulations and report back to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health, since IDPH certifies the lab.
It is not the first time the new span over the Mississippi River between Bettendorf and Moline has been recognized, but the latest nomination is a big one.

I-74 bridge construction wins important awards The Quad-Cities' Interstate 74 bridge is again being recognized in the transportation indust

The Interstate 74 bridge, which fully opened nearly a year ago, is a top-12 finalist in America's Transportation Awards.

It is the top honor for state departments of transportation from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The two-state project now competes for the national Grand Prize, which is chosen by an independent panel as well as the People's Choice Award, which is determined by an online vote.

Those wishing to vote for I-74 may do so online at americastransportationawards.org until the contest wraps up Oct. 21. Click the Vote Now button and select The Memorial Bridge (Interstate 74 Mississippi River Crossing) to cast your vote.

The bridge has spanned nearly 30 years of planning, more than $1 billion invested and several years of construction, which included a polar vortex, record-breaking Mississippi River flooding, a derecho and a global pandemic.

The I-74 Mississippi River Bridge has become an icon in the Quad-Cities and the Midwest, Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said. Those who have seen the positive impact it brings to the region would agree that the bridge is absolutely deserving of national recognition. Cast your votes to bring home this prestigious award.

Iowa Department of Transportation Director Scott Marler also urged the public to participate in the voting process to show enthusiasm for the hometown nominee.

We ask for your support to help bring home this award and show the rest of the country, once again, that our states, industry partners and labor force know how to build world-class infrastructure, Marler said.

Both the Grand Prize and Peoples Choice Award come with $10,000 to provide to a charity, not-for-profit or transportation-related scholarship by the winning states.

Built by the Iowa and Illinois departments of transportation, the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge was recognized as a contest finalist for improving safety and mobility, enhancing quality of life and positioning the Quad-Cities for future economic opportunity.

The bridge has four lanes in each direction, a 14-foot-wide bike and pedestrian path with a scenic overlook, and connections to existing paths in Bettendorf and Moline. The approximately $1 billion project includes twin river bridges, new interchanges, ramps and local road reconfigurations.
The YWCA Quad Cities Empowerment Center was awarded $1.6 million from the state's American Rescue Plan pool of funds.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on Thursday $40 million in grant funding for 24 Iowa nonprofit projects, including the Quad Cities YWCA Empowerment Center.

The Empower Center opened in October 2019 as a YWCA satellite location to offer financial planning and help clients secure basic needs, such as housing. It will put the funds toward purchasing and renovating a new facility to accommodate a growth in services offered.

According to the YWCA, the center worked with 10-15 clients per week before March 2020. Now, it is regularly serving 10-15 new clients per day and has outgrown its current 2,000 square-foot building, according to the organization.

After conducting a needs assessment, the YWCA entered into a purchase agreement for a 13,190 square-foot building at 1115 Mississippi Ave., Davenport  about three blocks from its current facility.

"The new property will allow the YWCA to expand our services and serve more individuals and families in Iowa," President and CEO of the YWCA Quad Cities Julie Larson said in an email exchange.

The $1.6 million grant will go toward the purchase  $395,000  and renovation of the building, Larson said. The YWCA expects to close on the property in October and begin renovations in November.

The center's executive director, Deanna Woodall, said the pandemic "greatly impacted our financial resources."

"Unfortunately, the lost revenue impacted our ability to provide additional food, essential items and extend services to met the needs of the most vulnerable in Iowa," Woodall said. "Being awarded this grant will allow the Iowa Empowerment Center to serve the ever-growing population of individuals in need in our local community."
NAMIWalks is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Veterans Memorial Park in Bettendorf. This annual event helps fund the valiant efforts of NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley. Their efforts help provide valuable assistance to citizens in the Quad Cities area suffering from mental illness. They also help educate family members and other members of the community who come into contact with the mentally ill.

Those individuals coping with mental illness dont get the same access to resources as those suffering from physical ailments. While a broken arm or heart attack gets immediate medical care, a person suffering a mental health crisis must often wait many days or even weeks to get an appointment for help from a professional. The Covid pandemic only worsened this situation. In addition, suicide deaths are up dramatically across Iowa, especially among teenagers.

It is quite apparent that mental health care and treatment organizations in the Quad-Cities area are not getting enough funding to meet the needs of those who need it the most.

The Quad-City Times recently gave front-page coverage to the causes of death across the country as well as here in the Quad-Cities. Lurking behind those statistics, which cited heart disease and lung cancer as the leading causes of death, is another cause of death that is not listed: mental illness. My daughter is a good example.

The World Health Organization states that persons suffering from severe mental illness average a shortened lifespan of 10 to 25 years. My daughter, Lisa Arkfeld, 52 years of age, died unexpectedly in her home in Rock Island just this past June. While her death certificate lists the proximate causes of death as heart disease and lung cancer, I believe, over time the effects of her bipolar disorder led to her premature death. Since her diagnosis 24 years ago, one side effect of many of her medications was extreme weight gain. Other side effects along with the progression of her mental illness robbed her of the motivation to care for her needs. In spite of being a college graduate with advanced writing skills, word processing & database skills, her serious mental illness prevented her from holding a full-time job. Because of this, she was receiving Social Security Disability income and Section 8 housing.

Lisa received much help from NAMI over the intervening years. After help from this fine organization for herself, she gave back to others through NAMIs Peer-To-Peer program. She also became a volunteer for a NAMI program entitled In Our Own Voice. The volunteers for this program gave presentations to groups in the Quad-Cities sharing their own stories and helping to enlighten others about issues surrounding mental illness. She spoke to nurses, police officers, college classes, high school classes and other groups. People suffering from mental illness often help themselves by helping others.

Now I am asking you to support NAMIWalks on Sept. 17 at Bettendorfs Veterans Memorial Park located on 23rd Street in Bettendorf. The fundraiser kicks off with the pre-Walk at 8 a.m. followed by the Step-Off at 9:30.
World-renowned guitarist Pierre Bensusan will perform in Rapid City as part of his 2022 North American Tour through the United States and Canada. Tickets are on sale now for An Evening with Pierre Bensusan. The concert will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in the John T. Vucurevich Event Center at Dahl Arts Center.

Tickets for An Evening with Pierre Bensusan are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance at rapidcityartscouncil.org/upcoming-performances.html or call 605-394-4101.

Bensusan, a French-Algerian guitarist, vocalist and composer, is considered one of the most eloquent World Music musicians of our time. Bensusans music is a fusion of traditional, contemporary, jazz, classical and pop. The originality of his style makes him one of todays greatest guitarists and composers for the instrument.

He began studying piano and classical music at age 7. When Bensusan was 11, his father bought him a steel string acoustic guitar and Bensusan began teaching himself to play it. By age 17, Bensusan signed a contract for his debut album, Pres de Paris, which won honors at the Montreux Festival, the second-largest annual jazz festival in the world.

Since Bensusans first performances in 1974 in France, the award-winning guitarist has sold half a million albums and given thousands of concerts around the globe, both solo and through numerous collaborations. One recent collaboration was with Donny Osmond on Footprints, a song on Osmonds 2021 album Start Again.

Bensusan is touring worldwide now following the release of his own newest album, Azwan, about oneness and interconnectivity in the midst of a global crisis.

"Even if I loved staying at my home, near Paris, for two years playing, writing, taking the time  I felt a real relief to be able to play live again, Bensusan said. The first part of my North American tour this spring left me with an immense feeling of gratitude for the public who came to the concerts. There is nothing stronger than getting together around the music played live, especially when many were walking into a concert hall for the first time in two years.

I look forward to finally seeing you again and thank you warmly for your continuous support and all of the inspiration, light and strength you give me, he said.

So total is his mastery of the solo instrument, his dazzling harmony, his many innovations, and his deft command of counterpoint, the jazz idiom, folk expression, and all genres between and beyond. An entire history unfolds as he plays. But really  the emotional depth  and this is where true artistry often likes to live  of many of his songs and compositions is all, well, breathtaking, said James Volpe Rotondi, editor at Guitar Player magazine. With only his steel-string-acoustic guitar  and sometimes his rich, affecting voice  Mr. Bensusan can disassemble your heart and hand it back to you restored and renewed.  A true giant.

To listen to Bensusans music and learn more about his work, go to pierrebensusan.com.
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke faced sharp attacks for past dishonesty from his Democratic opponent in a U.S. House race debate in Montana on Thursday night. The Republican sought to downplay recent reports from federal investigators who said he lied to them in two separate cases. Democrat Monica Tranel urged voters to read for themselves the reports from investigators, who concluded Zinke misled officials about his involvement in a casino proposal in Connecticut and a real estate development in his hometown of Whitefish. Libertarian John Lamb says he offers an alternative to the major party candidates.
Pennington County Judge Craig Pfeifle issued a no-bond bench warrant Thursday for a 22-year-old man suspected of aiding and abetting in a robbery and murder.

Clint Marshall, of Rapid City, did not appear for a status hearing associated with a case charging him with aiding and abetting for: first-degree robbery, first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Court records show Marshall was on a personal recognizance bond in October 2021 and May of this year, while he underwent a mental health evaluation and participated in the 24-7 sobriety program. All other records for the aiding and abetting case have been sealed by the state.

Marshall is one of four associated with the death of Vernall Marshall, who Clint Marshall is not related to. Vernall Marshall was 31 years old when he was found lying on the ground near the 1000 block of Silverleaf Avenue after being shot twice in the back around 11 p.m. Dec. 24, 2020.

Pfeifle said if Clint Marshall is picked up, his next court appearance will be scheduled for Oct. 6.

Pfeifle presided over the trial for 23-year-old Elias Richard, who was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury July 28 for the shooting. Richard originally faced a first-degree murder charge in Vernall Marshall's death. The jury found Richard not guilty of first-degree murder.

The other two charged with Vernall Marshall's death include 22-year-old Kaleb Lukkes, of Rapid City, who faces the same charges as Clint Marshall, and 43-year-old Masheka Barnett, of Rapid City. Barnett is charged separately from the others with aiding and abetting aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misprision of a felony  having knowledge of the commission of a felony and concealing it or not immediately disclosing it to the authorities.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping held the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, on Thursday afternoon at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi underscored the strong impetus and resilience of the cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trilateral cooperation has never stopped, and the achievements made should be recognized, he said, adding that the three countries fought the pandemic together, sending medical supplies to each other at the earliest time possible, sharing anti-epidemic experience without reservation, and jointly protecting the life and health of their people.

The three countries, Xi said, had online discussions to keep the momentum of exchanges, and the hearts of their people were brought even closer.

Cooperation on joint COVID-19 prevention and control in the border areas was carried out to keep economic and trade interactions steady and smooth, he said, adding that notable progress was made in the development of international road transportation along the Asian Highway Network connecting the three countries.

Xi put forth a four-point proposal on furthering China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation: First, keep the trilateral cooperation in the right direction. It is important to deepen political mutual trust, increase mutual support, respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs.

Second, upgrade cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly build a platform of cooperation against risks and challenges and a platform of growth that helps unleash the potential of development.

Third, follow through on the common understanding reached on the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, support the neighboring regions in deepening cooperation in economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, tourism and other fields, and continue to build high-quality platforms for the exchanges of business communities of the three countries.

Fourth, work for more outcomes in trilateral cooperation and support the expansion of settlement in local currencies in mutual trade. Russian and Mongolian financial institutions are welcome to join the RMB Cross-border Interbank Payment System to build a strong bulwark of financial security in the region.

Putin said that Russia-China-Mongolia trilateral cooperation has made significant progress, and, with its mutually beneficial nature, adds value to the development of their mutual relations.

As close neighbors, he said, the three countries should give each other understanding and support, and consolidate and promote trilateral cooperation across the board.

The three countries should encourage and support their entrepreneurs to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for more substantial progress in cooperation in areas such as transport, logistics, cross-border transportation, energy, high and new technology, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Khurelsukh said that the development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with China and Russia is a diplomatic priority for Mongolia.

Given the complex international situation, it is all the more important to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Mongolia, China and Russia, he said.

The Mongolian side, he said, is ready to strengthen communication with China and Russia and jointly work for progress in both bilateral and trilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment, energy, railway, tourism and other areas.

The three countries confirmed the extension of the Outline of the Development Plan on Establishing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor by five years, officially launched the feasibility study on the upgrading and development of the central-route railway of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Native American Day Parade is back.

The parade is sponsored by Rural American Initiatives. Executive Director Bruce Long Fox said this will be the seventh year the organization will sponsor the event, which will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, just two days before Native American Day.

Long Fox said Jackie Giago, editor emeritus of Native Sun News and widow to the late Tim Giago who died earlier this year, will be the grand marshal of the parade in honor of Tim's passing.

"Without giving a lot of input from the committee, it just made sense to honor her husband," Long Fox said.

Tim Giago helped launch Native American Day with former Gov. George Mickelson. The holiday replaces Columbus Day. The first Native American Day was celebrated in 1990.

"Tim Giago and Gov. Mickelson wanted everybody in the state to start working on racial reconciliation," Long Fox said.

He said the parade is hosted the Saturday before Native American Day and in tandem with the Black Hills Powwow, which will also return for the first time in two years Oct. 7-9.

Long Fox said the parade is a time to celebrate Native American culture and is a positive point of view, especially for kids.

"They sometimes don't learn a lot about what it is to be Native American," he said. "It's important to teach them about culture and history so they can have a more solid identity. ... It's a celebration so children see us as adults openly and publicly celebrating being Indian, they can eventually be proud to be Indian as well."

Long Fox said Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender will also participate in the parade.

He said everyone is welcome to participate in the parade, which has been simplified this year. He said those wishing to participate just have to show up and line up.

The parade will line up at Third and Main streets in Rapid City. Numbers will be handed out upon arrival and the judges will pick first, second and third place. Long Fox said there will not be sub-categories this year.

Once everyone is lined up, they will travel down Main Street to Seventh Street and come back on St. Joseph Street to Second Street. He said there will be lunch served after including Indian tacos.

Those interested in joining the parade should contact Laura Laurence at 605-341-3339. Long Fox said horses are welcome.
The Governors Office of Economic Development announced Thursday that Wall Industrial Park in Wall has been named a Certified Site in the category of Light Industrial.

The community of Wall has chosen to invest in their community through the process of becoming a certified site. I commend them on the work they have done. Congratulations to them, said GOED Commissioner Steve Westra.

The 85-acre park, just off Interstate 90 on Airport Road, broke ground last May and is now shovel-ready for construction. Geared towards manufacturing and production, precision ag, bio-science, and wholesale/distribution businesses, Wall is targeting these industries and more, as they work to grow the community.

This is a huge accomplishment for Wall. We are the only certified site West River at this time and this shows that Wall is expanding and open for business, said Wall Economic Development Director Kallie Carey.

Carey said there has already been interest from outside entities as well as local businesses looking to move or expand to the new park.

Phase 1 of the park will tackle infrastructure for four lots of the park, as well as connecting to the city infrastructure on Fourth Avenue. The city approved a $1.4 million bid with Underground Construction, LLC, out of Rapid City, in March.

The city of Wall first approved the designated area for the park in February 2020. In May, Wall Mayor Mary Williams told the Journal that the amount of work accomplished since February 2020 was overwhelming, crediting the projects design firm, ISG out of Sioux Falls, the citys engineering firm, KLJ out of Rapid City, and a $661,000 grant from the Pennington County Commission to complete the infrastructure from the park to the citys infrastructure.

GOEDs Certified Site Program offers businesses pre-qualified sites that are ready for development. Detailed information including price, availability, utilities, access, and environmental assessments can be found at https://sdgoed.com/tools-resources/find-properties/certified-sites/.

GOEDs program is available to all economic development organizations, counties, cities, townships, planning districts, business improvement districts and developers.
The Ravalli County Museum has added two historical exhibits on the west lawn for easier access, including the refurbished Ross Hole sign and the Nez Perce exhibit.

Director Michelle Nowling said the installations are beautiful and historically exciting.

The Ross Hole sign was an original marker installed in 1938 at mile marker 13 on U.S. Highway 93, south of Sula, 18 miles south of Darby. The wood sign had weathered badly over the years, was unreadable, and removed. It is the last of the original routed signs and among the shortest in text.

The Ravalli County Museum crew got the sign, sandblasted, drilled out the letters, repainted and added filler where needed. They installed it on the museum grounds in Hamilton as it would have been seen along the highway.

Our crew worked really hard on it as did Northwest Fencing who installed it for us, Nowling said. We are excited to maintain that piece of history here. It will have interpretive signage telling where it came from. Im hoping to include some before and after photos along with pictures of our crew working on it.

The sign reads, Alexander Ross, of the Hudson Bay Company, with 55 Indian and white trappers, 89 women and children and 392 horses camped near here on March 12, 1824, enroute from Spokane House to the Snake River Country. Nearly a month was spent here in a desperate attempt to break through the deep snow across the pass to the Big Hole, and from their hardships and tribulations. Ross called this basin The Valley of Troubles.

Ross Hole is also where Lewis and Clark met the Salish Indians in 1805.

Most of the wooden signs have been replaced, we were lucky to get this one, Nowling said. This is very important, especially with our Lewis and Clark exhibit downstairs. We have the painting by Charles Russell to show them meeting the Salish at Ross Hole.

Also on the west lawn of the Ravalli County Museum is the newly installed Nez Perce outdoor exhibit called The Journey of the Resilient Nee-Me-Poo People, in Salish spelled Nimiipuu. It has 16 panels of beautiful photographs, historical information and dramatic storytelling.

The new fully fabricated outdoor exhibit was created, designed, and written in conjunction with the Nez Perce and the elders of the tribe. It was created through carefully curated images and languages to trace the rich history of the Nee-Me-Poo people from the 1700s to their flight from the Bitter Root Valley in 1877 and beyond.

It is their story the way they want to tell it, Nowling said. It is just beautiful. The logs were custom cut for us by Montana Timber Structures and we had a great time putting it all together.

She said the project was mostly funded by grant funds, but others who sponsored, supported, and contributed to the exhibit include Lapwai Reservation Nez Perce Tribal Elders, Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail, USDA Forest Service, Montana Department of Commerce, Jane. S. Heman Foundation, Sea Reach LTD, Interpretive Graphics, Northwest Fencing, Montana Timber Structures, and Ravalli County Museum staff and volunteers.

The 16 panels of information tell a long and important story and visitors can break up their viewing into subsequent trips.

Having it installed on the lawn, you can read one or two panels and come back another day, it is always open, Nowling said. We purposely built it wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass each other between the signs. Were working on leveling the ground and making that better.

She said the work of caring individuals made the exhibit possible.

I am just here when it got put up, she said. Credit Tamar Stanley, Kris Komar and Sandra McFarland who is part of the tribe and also with the Forrest Service. I just happened to be here at the end.

The Ravalli County Museum now has three exhibits on the west lawn, providing anytime access. The information is part of the three trails: the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, the Nee-Me-Poo National Historic Trail and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

We have part of the three trails, Nowling said. We have the Glacial Lake Missoula exhibit, The Nez Perce story outside and the Ross Hole sign which is part of the Lewis and Clark story. Were slowly building more exhibits on the lawn, providing access 24/7. If visitors are on their way following the three trails and the Ravalli County Museum isnt open when they arrive, there is accessible information outdoors for them to enjoy.

The museum has a small indoor exhibit on the Nez Perce that could be used as a traveling exhibit. It has been at Travelers Rest and at a library in the Bitterroot Valley.

It is available if someone wants to display it, Nowling said.

Just contact the museum at 406-363-3338 or visit it at 205 Bedford Street in Hamilton. The museum is closed Sundays and Mondays but the outdoor exhibits are open all the time.
The Trail Ridge fire southeast of Sula was moderated by cooler and wet weather the last few days with similar conditions expected over the coming week.

The fire has grown slightly to 17,070 acres and is 30% contained.

Precipitation Tuesday and Wednesday night helped slow the fires progression and the continuation of cooler temperatures with higher humidity is expected to help maintain the fires current behavior, with minimal growth and little smoke reported yesterday.

The fire remains near Mink Creek Saddle and Shultz Saddle Road on the northern flank. Crews continue to work on road prep and indirect line construction along Meadow Creek Road to meet the 2017 Myers Fire fuel break. On the southern flank the fire remains north of Hogan Cabin and work on the indirect line is nearing completion.

The fire is still within containment lines and has not reached the Action Point identified for the Warning stage of the Evacuation Plan at this time. As the fire nears this Action Point, Fire Managers and the Ravalli County Sheriffs Department are prepared for the possibility of moving into this Warning stage, although, this is unlikely at this time. For more information on the Ravalli County Evacuation Plan visit the Ravalli County Sheriffs website at https://ravalli.us/622/Evacuation-Guidelines.

The Blodgett Lake fire is now estimated at 1,882 acres. The fire has crossed Blodgett Creek along the east flank and is smoldering in down and dead fuels. Recent moisture and cooler temperatures have slowed fire progression.

The Mill Creek fire is currently estimated at 1,608 acres. The Mill Creek, Big Creek, Bear Creek, and Kootenai Creek drainages continue to be filled with heavy smoke, hampering aerial reconnaissance according to a statement released by fire officials on Thursday. Crews constructed a thirty-foot-wide shaded fuel break on the west side of Sheafman Road (FS-438) from Cow Creek trailhead to Sheafman trailhead.

Crews will scout opportunities for control lines north to Fred Burr Creek. Crews continue working on indirect control lines along the Forest Service Private Property boundary from Mill Creek south to Blodgett Canyon, utilizing heavy equipment as they work to slow the fire's spread east towards private and DNRC lands.

The Big Creek fire burning in the South Fork of Big Creek on the ridge between Big Creek Lake and the South Fork of Big Creek is currently at 265 acres.

The Bear Creek fire is currently burning 153 acres in the upper South Fork of Bear Creek.

A structure protection group will coordinate with fire departments to scout structures adjacent to Forest Service land east of the Big Creek, Bear Lake, and Blodgett Lake fires.

The Hog Trough fire is currently estimated at 1,701 acres and has seen minimal activity recently. Crews are working to keep the fire east of the 75 Road, south of Highway 38, west of West Fork Creek Road and north of Kent Peak. The fire is burning on both the Bitterroot and Deerlodge National Forests.

The South Fork fire located in the Powell Ranger District in Idaho, and about 12 miles west of Stevensville, is currently burning at 400 acres. The fire crested the Bitterroot Mountains into Kootenai Creek but spread was minimal and no new growth has been observed on the Montana side. The fire is burning in difficult terrain with no landing location for a helicopter. The fire is not staffed at this time but patrols and lookouts will be monitoring the fire for activity.

The North Lost Horse fire is currently burning at 15 acres between Lost Horse and North Lost Horse. Water drops were conducted on the northern and southern flanks of the fire on Wednesday to prevent spread into heavier fuels.

The 2.5 acre Lost Horse fire was detected by satellite on Sept. 6. The fire is staffed and receiving water-bucket drops by helicopter. No changes have been reported at this time.

Several other smaller fires (less than an acre) continue to burn in the area with little or no change.
" " One flower from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) plant typically yields just three stigma that must be extracted by hand, one of the main reasons this highly sought-after spice is so expensive. Jean-Luc PETIT/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Its origins are shrouded in mystery. Some say the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) plant hails from Iran, others say Greece. When picked, harvested from the flowers and dried, a pound of saffron can cost up to $5,000, according to MoneyInc.com. Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Here's what makes it so valuable.

A spice like rosemary can be harvested and dried at home with a piece of parchment paper and an oven. All you need for red pepper flakes is a food processor. It is estimated that it takes up to 170,000 individual flowers to yield just 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of saffron, according to Business Insider. Like buying a tailored suit or piece of fine art, the wildly high cost of this innocuous red spice comes from the sheer manpower it takes to harvest it correctly.

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Postdoctoral research associate at the University of Vermont, Arash Ghalehgolabbehbahani, explained to Business Insider how the journey of saffron doesn't end when the flower is picked.

"Saffron is dehydrated or dry stigma," said Ghalehgolabbehbahani. "The stigma is the female part of flower. You have to separate that stigma, dry that. And for all of these procedures, you need hand works, laborers."

" " Afghan workers separate saffron threads from harvested flowers at a processing centre in Herat province. HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP/Getty Images

In the countries where saffron provides a source of income for farmers, from Iran to Afghanistan to Morocco, saffron flowers are harvested at dawn, because overexposure from the sun degrades the quality of the flower. On top of that, saffron flowers (which need to be hand picked) only bloom one week per year and typically produce just three usable stigma threads per flower. After the flowers are harvested, the labor-intensive work of removing the stigma begins.

It can take laborers up to 40 hours of handpicking stamens to produce 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of saffron. Not only is it difficult to harvest the spice, but growing it is a challenge in itself. Flowering only during the months of October and November, saffron needs hot weather, direct sunlight and well-drained soil to thrive. Italy, Iran and Spain are amongst the world's largest saffron producers with Iran itself producing 90 percent of the world's supply.

" " Farm laborers harvest saffron in Iran in November 2019. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Now That's Interesting Pound for pound, saffron is literally more expensive than gold.

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Originally Published: Jun 16, 2020
U.S. asks appeals court to lift hold

The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Friday to lift a judges order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trumps Florida home last month.

The department told the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta that the judges hold was impeding the governments efforts to protect the nations security and interfering with its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago.

Biden says GOP using migrants as props

President Joe Biden accused Republicans of using people as props, an apparent reference to GOP governors sending migrants from their states to liberal enclaves.

Republicans are playing politics with human beings, Biden said Thursday at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala in Washington, without naming the governors or describing their actions. What theyre doing is simply wrong. Its un-American. Its reckless.

Biden said immigration officials have processes in place to manage migrants at the border in a safe, orderly way and Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts.

U.N. votes to allow Zelenskyy speech

The U.N. General Assembly voted Friday to allow Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver a pre-recorded address to next weeks gathering of world leaders  because of his need to deal with the war following Russias invasion  making an exception to its requirement that all leaders speak in person.

The 193-member world body approved Zelenskkys virtual address by a vote of 101-7 with 19 abstentions including China. The seven countries voting no were Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Syria.

Mother arraigned in deaths of three kids

A mother charged with drowning her three children at New Yorks Coney Island beach was arraigned on murder charges Friday, authorities said.

Erin Merdy, 30, was charged with first and second-degree murder in the deaths of her children Zachary Merdy, 7, Liliana Stephens-Merdy, 4, and Oliver Bondarev, 3 months, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorneys office said.

Merdy was arraigned remotely from the hospital where she was sent for a psychiatric examination.

Trail of slime leads customs to snails

German customs officials say a trail of slime led them to a stash of almost 100 giant African land snails and other items hidden inside bags at Duesseldorf Airport this month.

In a statement Friday, authorities said officials stumbled over one of the snails on a baggage truck and initially thought it was a toy until it started moving. By following the trail left by the 8-inch snail, they found a bag with a hole, with another snail already peeping out of it  possibly preparing a dash for freedom.

In total, officials found six bags containing 93 giant snails; they were handed to animal rescue.
Planet Fitness is headed to Stony Point Village at 3000-3096 Stony Point Road in Richmond, the same shopping center that houses Trader Joes and Good Foods Grocery.

The fitness center has leased 17,476 square feet next to Trader Joes at Stony Point Village and is slated to open this winter.

This will be the fifth Planet Fitness location in the Richmond metro area. Planet Fitness has over 2,300 stores across the U.S.

The Stony Point Planet Fitness location will feature state of the art cardio machines and strength equipment, a 30-Minute Express Circuit, rowing machines, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, HydroMassage loungers, massage chairs, and tanning booths, according to the release.

Other tenants at Stony Point Village include, Gelati Celesti, Dog Krazy and Einstein Bros. Bagels.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Thursday in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

Xi said China-Tajikistan relations have developed by leaps and bounds since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago.

China firmly supports Tajikistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and security, Xi said, stressing that China will always be Tajikistan's reliable neighbor, friend and partner. He called on the two sides to continue to firmly support each other and push for more substantive results in bilateral relations.

The Chinese president emphasized that China is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with Tajikistan, expand import of quality agricultural products, raise the scale and level of bilateral trade and advance cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, water conservancy and transportation.

He also said that China is willing to explore cooperation in green technology, digital economy and artificial intelligence, besides helping Tajikistan improve its transit transport capacity.

China is willing to work with Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries to strengthen cooperation through the "China and the five Central Asian countries" meeting mechanism, deepen counterterrorism cooperation and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the region, Xi said.

For his part, Rahmon said that Sino-Tajik ties have made great progress over the past 30 years. Tajikistan firmly abides by the one-China principle, maintains that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and will continue to firmly support China's position on issues of core interests.

Tajikistan is willing to keep close high-level exchanges with China, learn from China's development experience and strengthen practical cooperation in economy and trade, agriculture, transportation, production capacity and green economy to lift bilateral ties to a new level, the Tajik president said.

Rahmon expressed willingness to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and China and the five Central Asian countries mechanism. He also called for deepening security cooperation and jointly safeguarding regional security and stability.

The two sides signed cooperation documents on digital economy, green development and transportation, and exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan.
A powerful storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts is expected to bring torrential rain and enormous waves to Alaska's west coast this weekend, threatening to cause major flooding and beach erosion.

The system -- the remnants of Typhoon Merbok -- has been described by forecasters as "the strongest storm in over a decade" as it moves over the Bering Sea, which spans the northern Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Russia.

"This is a dangerous storm that is expected to produce widespread coastal flooding south of the Bering Strait with water levels approaching levels not seen in nearly 50 years," the National Weather Service warned in a forecast Thursday.

Along Alaska's shore, the main threats are a double-whammy of coastal flooding and winds up to 60 mph with higher gusts that could displace loose objects, damage buildings and bring down powerlines.

Weather officials in Alaska also urged residents to prepare for the storm as it could threaten to overwhelm critical infrastructure and wash away roads. The storm's impacts are expected Friday through Sunday morning, with water levels rising the highest Saturday.

"Some locations may experience their worst coastal flooding in nearly 50 years. Peak water levels will persist for 10 to 14 hours before water recedes," the weather service in Fairbanks, Alaska, warned.

Some areas including Savoonga, Diomede and the Bering Strait could see those conditions along with even higher wind gusts of 90 mph. Other areas at risk are the Chukchi Coast and Kotzebue Sound, the weather service in Fairbanks said.

Coastal flood watches have also been issued for all coastlines along the west coast of Alaska between just north of the Arctic Circle down through the Kuskokwim Delta coast.

The last time Alaska saw a storm this strong was in 2011, when it left behind a wide swath of destruction. Like Merbok, the 2011 system was an extratropical storm. An extratropical storm or cyclone has cold air at its core -- unlike a tropical storm or cyclone which has a warm core. Both can cause significant damage from strong winds, heavy rain and storm surge.

"When a big storm comes in, we always say 'does it compare to the 2011 storm?'" Jonathan Chriest, a meteorologist with the weather service in Fairbanks, told CNN. "This is the first storm since 2011 that we have high confidence ... will compare impact-wise."

On Friday, the remnants of Merbok are forecast to move into the Bering Sea and "bomb out" in a process also known as bombogenesis, referring to a pressure drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours or less. That means the storm is rapidly strengthening and has the potential to cause significant damage.

"Winds will peak early Saturday morning near Shishmaref, and during the day Saturday near Kotzebue and the Chukchi Coast," the weather service said. "Coastal flooding will occur, in addition to significant beach erosion."

While most areas will see around 1 inch of rain with this storm, some areas could pick up as much as 2 to 3 inches through the weekend. Even if Anchorage picks up 1 to 2 inches from this storm, it will push this year into the top five wettest years on record.

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When the American Psychiatric Association celebrated its 175th anniversary three years ago in San Francisco, it featured photographs of two Virginia mental institutions that contributed to its birth  what are now Eastern State and Western State hospitals.

The exhibition also featured two Virginia psychiatrists who led what were then called lunatic asylums  Dr. John Galt at Eastern in Williamsburg and Dr. Francis Stribling at Western in Staunton  and co-founded the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, the forerunner of the national association.

Former Virginia Mental Health Commissioner King Davis, a featured speaker, was struck by the absence of another state mental institution, now known as Central State Hospital near Petersburg.

The hospital was founded in Richmond in 1870 as the worlds first mental institution for Black people in a state that had also established the first state mental hospital in the nation at Eastern in 1773.

They had no idea, said Davis, even though the association awarded him its coveted Benjamin Rush Award for his work to preserve and digitize more than 800,000 records and 36,000 photographs documenting a century of the hospitals past.

You have to ask the question, why Virginia? he said at a reception hosted by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

During the reception, the foundation saluted the archives project by showing a new documentary film, Central Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane and giving tours of an exhibition of documents from the archives that has been on display since early February.

The film  written, directed and produced by Virginia Commonwealth University professor Shawn Utsey  will be featured in the seventh annual Afrikana Film Festival, with a screening on Saturday at noon at Ada Art Gallery at 228 W. Broad St. in Richmond.

Utsey, a professor of counseling psychology and chair of African American studies at VCU, began work on the documentary in 2019 as a study of a hospital founded on racial separation during federal Reconstruction after the Civil War and maintained as a segregated institution for Black people until 1968.

I ran into King Davis and discovered all the work he had done, he said. It made my work a lot easier.

Davis, now professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin and a resident of Hanover County, makes an emphatic case for the importance of Central State in American history, not just as a psychiatric institution but as a critical condition for Virginias readmission to the union in January 1870.

The month before, Maj. Gen. Edward Canby issued an order as military governor of Virginia that required the state to establish a temporary lunatic asylum for Black people, both those freed before the war and those emancipated through the Union victory.

Gov. Gilbert Walker, whom Canby had appointed, accepted the requirement and established the Central Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane at Howards Grove, a former Confederate hospital just outside of Richmond in Henrico County that the Freedmans Bureau had run as a general hospital for Black people after the war.

Why did it happen in Virginia and not anywhere else? Virginia didnt have a choice, Davis said in an interview on Friday.

The military order chose to require the establishment as a separate asylum for Black people at the recommendation of Stribling, who had strongly opposed allowing racial integration at Western, as Galt had done on a limited basis for freed Black people at Eastern since 1840. Galt had died in 1862, and Stribling became chairman of the Virginia Asylum Commission under the federal military government.

Part of what [Canby] sought was a balance between the interests of the white population and the interests and needs of the Black population, Davis said.

Central operated at Howards Grove as an asylum for mentally ill Black people, including those transferred from Eastern, until the state opened a new hospital in 1885 on the former Mayfield Plantation outside of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County.

The new hospital, renamed Central State in 1894, operated as the only mental institution for Black people in Virginia until the end of racial segregation after passage of the Civil Rights Act 70 years later. (Piedmont Geriatric Hospital, based at Burkeville in Nottoway County, originally operated as a tuberculosis sanitarium for Black people until it became a state hospital in 1967.)

For most of its history, Central State labored with fewer financial resources and less support than other state institutions.

Somehow the facility was still characterized as the Black hospital, said Olivia Garland, who became the first Black director of Central State in 1985 under Gov. Gerald Baliles.

Garland, a former state prison warden and administrator, recalled how soon after she arrived, three Black employees peeped at her from the doorway, afraid to enter the directors office without being summoned.

We just wanted to see youre really who you are,  she recalled them saying.

When Dr. Ronald Forbes arrived in 2001 as the state hospitals first Black medical director, he said some separation remained between the mostly Black staff and mostly white administration, housed in a building employees nicknamed the White House.

I was kind of an ambassador between the wards and the White House, Forbes said during an online town hall held by the psychiatric association in February in conjunction with the exhibition.

However, he said, the employees, most of them Black residents of Petersburg and the surrounding area, made the hospital poor with resources but rich in caring.

It was the Petersburg community coming over the walls at Central State, said Forbes, who retired in 2017 and now serves as vice chairman of the Friends of Central State, a nonprofit organization led by Davis.

Utsey said the role of the employees he featured in the documentary  including Florence Farley, a former Petersburg mayor and psychologist at the hospital who died last month  was transformative in how they turned a bad situation into the illumination of the humanity of the patients.

Davis had first encountered the history of Central State after moving from Massachusetts to Virginia in 1972 to become state director of mental health for 40 programs across Virginia that became community services boards.

He set out to document the history after receiving a call in 2008 from Charles Davis, then director at Central State, who was concerned that the institutions historical records were in jeopardy of being lost.

The records were in jeopardy in part because of deterioration, said King Davis, who served as state commissioner for behavioral health services from 1990 to 1994 under Gov. Doug Wilder, the first elected Black governor in the country.

Davis arranged with Central State and the Library of Virginia to digitize them, using about $150,000 he had raised from benefactors, including the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and the University of Texas, where he was a professor of public policy research.

The dilemma now is how and where to preserve the physical records. The collection is too large for the Library of Virginia, which has its own collection of Central State records, spanning 1874 to 1961.

There also wont be room at the new Central State hospital that is expected to open on the Dinwiddie campus in 2025. The new hospital will feature a Legacy Wall in the lobby of its administration building to honor the institutions history.

Davis hopes to create a repository for the archives, potentially using one of the older hospital buildings scheduled to be demolished. Having space at Central would be fantastic if we can pull it off, he said.
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The death of Queen Elizabeth II should be viewed less as the end of an era than the beginning of a serious conversation about unatoned sin.

That sin is the royal familys participation and profiting in the transatlantic slave trade, dating back to the 16th century reign of Elizabeth I, according to Brooke Newman, an associate professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the upcoming book, The Queens Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery.

America is not alone in being loath to address its legacy of enslavement. Human bondage and the brutal subjugation of colonialism were global afflictions that inflicted centuries-long trauma in need of repair.

In the former British empire, if not now, when?

Theres never going to be a right time to have those conversations because history is uncomfortable, Newman said in an interview Tuesday. But thats not the role of history to make people feel good, to make people feel nostalgic.

British involvement in the slave trade can be traced to the 1562 voyage of John Hawkins, who captured 300 Africans, crossed the Atlantic and sold his human cargo in Spanish Hispaniola for pearls, gold, animal hides, and sugar, according to a piece Newman wrote in July. Impressed, Elizabeth I lent him a ship in exchange for a share of the profits from his subsequent slaving expeditions.

The Queen later celebrated Hawkinss achievements by granting him a coat of arms featuring a bound African captive, Newman wrote. In 1672, Charles II formed the Royal African Company, which launched England  and the Crown  into the transatlantic slave trade on a grand scale.

Britain abolished slavery in its empire in 1833, and agreed to provide restitution to enslavers  thats right, not the enslaved  which cost an amount equivalent to 40% of the national budget. The debt for this compensation was not paid off until 2015.

Its very stark when you realize that modern-day descendants of the enslaved were paying taxes toward that debt, Newman said.

By compensating slave owners at the same time they are abolishing slavery, they are saying, Your property claims are legitimate. But were not going to pay the people who were forced to do that work because they were just property.

To Newman, these matters are not abstract.

I cant imagine a more important conversation we should be having after the death of the Queen in the 21st century than a conversation about inherited wealth and privilege and inequality, she said.

But as we know all too well, such conversations are deemed impolite, in Britain and the U.S., even in the classroom.

Why is it not taught to children not only in Britain but the [British] Commonwealth? Newman asked, adding that the British are behind us when it comes to educating school children about its slave-trading legacy.

Thats a scary thought.

Younger generations are less willing than their elders to sugarcoat this royal legacy, if memes and other posts on #BlackTwitter, #IrishTwitter and #IndianTwitter are any indication. One tweet used a quote from Malcolm X to describe the lingering trauma: If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, theres no progress. If you pull it all the way out, thats not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made.

Malcolm would say the royal family has barely acknowledged the existence of the knife.

That botched tour, and the controversy surrounding the treatment of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the biracial American wife of Prince Harry, demonstrates how out of touch the crown really is and how out of touch the crowns PR team was, especially coming after 2020 and a Black Lives Matter movement that resonated in Britain, Newman said.

The royal family and British government have had multiple chances to apologize for this history and admit the legacy of slavery and colonialism is very much alive, Newman said. But, theyre not willing to engage in good-faith conversations about reparations and restitution.

And now, were getting what Newman called the theater of rule since Queen Elizabeth IIs death, in service of a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The institution is there to replicate itself and ensure its own survival.

That will most assuredly be tougher for King Charles III, who lacks the stature of his mom.

The new king has a choice. He can preside over a crown of declining significance. Or he can chart his own legacy by launching a long-overdue conversation about restitution to the former colonies that suffered under the dominion of his family, including his mom.

And that starts with an apology.
Roanoke Countys new director of libraries, Jim Blanton, starts Monday, the county announced Friday.

Blanton has more than 20 years of experience working libraries in Virginia and Kentucky, and is coming most recently from Asheville, North Carolina, where he was library director for Buncombe County Public Libraries since 2018.

I am thrilled, Blanton said in a news release. I look forward to returning to Virginia, working with the library and county staff as well as getting to know the people and families who make what I do possible and fulfilling.

He brings experience expanding library programs and services, developing community partnerships, library construction projects, and multiyear budgeting, the county said. Blanton follows Shari Henry, who served as director for almost five years.

In other library news, September is library card sign-up month, Botetourt County Libraries said in a press release. Using a library card from Roanoke Valley Libraries, people can patron collections in Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Salem and Botetourt County, said Botetourt County Director of Libraries Julie Phillips.

A public library is one of the few places where you can hang out or hold meetings for free or take classes in-person and online for free, Phillips said. No matter your situation in life, youre welcome here.

Browse Roanoke Valley Libraries collections online at rvl.overdrive.com.
Turkey denies selling drones to India

Ankara (Turkey)  Turkey, which has always been against India, has sold its TB-2 destructive drones to Pakistan. Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar Defence, which manufactures the drone, made this announcement. According to Bayraktar, these drones were sold only to Turkeys allies, such as Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. He is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Turkey, he is known as the father of drones. His company manufactures drones that are in high demand in many countries.

1. During an interview with a news channel, he was asked if he would sell these drones to India ? He said the companys policy is not to make money from war. Drones are not sold to two countries engaged in the same conflict. Our drones are sold to nations that are friendly to Turkey. India is not a friendly country to us.

2. Bayraktar also claimed that drones like TB-2 are effective in naval and land warfare. In the future, drones that carry weapons will play a significant role in wars. It is unlikely that future wars will be fought without drones. Countries that dont develop drone technology will also suffer.
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Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises
Dennis Beaver Practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@Gmail.com. Also, visit dennisbeaver.com.
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China and Mongolia pledged economic cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Praire Road development strategy during Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Thursday.

Xi said China is willing to enhance the two countries' connections in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Prairie Road development strategy, forwarding the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor.

In 2013, Xi proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to improve regional connectivity and economic integration. The Prairie Road development strategy, an economic plan introduced by Mongolia, aims to boost trade with neighboring markets.

Underlining the importance of global development and security initiatives, Xi expressed a willingness to support the growth of Mongolia.

He said China supports Mongolia's "Planting One Billion Trees" plan and is willing to actively cooperate with the country to combat desertification.

Khurelsukh said Mongolia is willing to propel cooperation with China in fields such as trade, railway and the environment.

Xi also said China is ready to carry forward traditional friendship with Mongolia and expand mutually beneficial cooperation to elevate the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

China is willing to strengthen the exchange of experience with Mongolia in governance, Xi said.

Khurelsukh said the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is a model relationship as their traditional friendship has been going strong.

He also thanked China for providing help to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it a great contribution toward protecting people's health in Mongolia.

Mongolia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and firmly opposes any country's interference in China's internal affairs, as issues related to the Taiwan region, Xinjiang and Tibet are China's internal affairs, he said.
LSU's School of Library & Information Science is a new member of the Climate Heritage Networka mutual support group of organizations dedicated to advancing the role of heritage as an agent for change.

The immense power of arts, culture, and heritage constitute invaluable responses and solutions that support sustainable development and circular economy approaches to create jobs, economic opportunities, and community benefits. Membership complements LSU's Master of Library & Information Science program with a focus area on Cultural Heritage Resource Management.

The program is designed to foster professionals who work to preserve our rich heritage in institutions such as archives, libraries, and museums.

"Membership into this prestigious network means our current and future students at LSU will have access to the vast network of resources, such as conferences and networking, from the Climate Heritage Network," said Carol Barry, LSU Director of the School of Library & Information Science.

"In Louisiana, we know firsthand the ravages of natural disasters like hurricanes. These storms can devastate libraries, museum collections, and personal historical artifacts and records. Our faculty scholarship is dedicated to researching and sharing cutting-edge practices to safeguard our historical artifacts so that future generations can study and build upon our histories," Barry said.

LSU's membership in the CHN aligns with the priority to preserve Louisiana's heritage and secure the state's future. LSU makes substantial contributions to the unique culture of Louisiana in history, music, art, language, food and more.

"This is a global issue; we are excited to be a part of this network and contribute our scholarship for the good of all humanity while collaborating with and learning from colleagues across the globe," said Roland Mitchell, LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Dean.

About The Climate Heritage Network

The Climate Heritage Network aims to create a roadmap that will allow every arts, culture, and heritage-related organization to do its part by unleashing the potential of heritage to help communities mitigate, adapt, and strengthen resilience against the effects of a warming environment. Visit CHN.

About the LSU School of Library & Information Sciences

The LSU School of Library & Information Science provides a 100 percent prestigious online education in library and information science. It is the home of the Master of Library and Information Science, which is the only program accredited by the American Library Association in the state of Louisiana. SLIS offers, dual degree with the Department of History, undergraduate minor, and four certificate options. SLIS is part of the College of Human Sciences & Education.

Visit the School of Library & Information Science at lsu.edu/slis.

About Cultural Heritage Resource Management

Professionals working in cultural heritage institutions such as archives, libraries and museums utilize electronic information technologies such as digitization and linked data to manage, preserve, and provide access to their diverse collections. These collections include print materials, digital materials, and physical artifacts. Activities include the creation of data/metadata to describe and provide access, categorization and classification, and the preservation and curation of both digital and physical materials.

Learn more about this Focus Area by visiting the Cultural Heritage Resource Management webpage.

Provided by Louisiana State University
The second HK Tech Forum tackled some of the most challenging issues found in complex systems that incorporate artificial intelligence. Credit: HKIAS

Eminent scientists from around the world tackled some of the most challenging issues found in complex systems that incorporate artificial intelligence at the. The event was hosted byat City University of Hong Kong (CityU) from 20 to 21 August.

This was the second in the HK Tech Forum series, which serves as a dynamic platform for examining innovative strategies and approaches to major challenges in science and technology.

At the opening ceremony on 20 August, President Way Kuo of CityU extended a warm welcome to all the participants. "I hope all participants will find the discussions stimulating and will be inspired to pursue even more profound research on the reliability and safety of intelligent systems," he said.

President Kuo, who initiated the HK Tech Forum series, stressed CityU's commitment to educating leaders and professionals who will be involved in shaping the future. "We have re-energised our University, placing ourselves at the forefront of innovation in several important fields, for example, biology, electrical and electronic engineering, computer science/information technology, engineering, and creative media," he added.

Professor Li Zheng, Vice-President and Former Executive Director of the Institute for Quality and Reliability (IQR) at Tsinghua University, said, "As a researcher and educator in industrial engineering, I am aware of the importance of safety and reliability, especially for intelligent systems. This Forum is thus very timely." He added that IQR had incorporated the Forum into their annual conference, which is a cutting-edge event that promotes the exchange of new ideas and cultivates young researchers on quality and reliability.

President Kuo (left) and Professor Zheng Li. Credit: HKIAS

Professor Min Xie, Chair Professor of the Department of Advanced Design and System Engineering at CityU, was the coordinator of the Forum.

The first day of the forum featured a keynote talk by Turing Award winner Professor Joseph Sifakis, Emeritus Senior CNRS Researcher at Verimag Laboratory, France, who guided participants through one particularly puzzling issue in our time: why is it so hard to build self-driving cars despite the enormous efforts made so far?

Professor Sifakis argued that the current critical systems engineering techniques and emerging end-to-end AI-enabled solutions failed to meet the requirements of a trustworthy autonomous system. He proposed a hybrid design approach to address these issues. Building a trustworthy autonomous system required a new AI vision while a new scientific foundation was needed to enrich traditional systems engineering with data-based techniques, he said.

World-leading scholars were invited to give keynote talks on aspects of the reliability and safety of intelligent systems. Professor Nancy Leveson of MIT delivered the opening keynote on the safety of software-intensive systems. Professor Sir Jim McDonald, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, focused on intelligent systems and data-centric engineering applications. Professor Zhihua Zhong, Vice-President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, turned the spotlight on the safety issues of intelligent vehicles, while Professor Xiaohong Guan of Xi'an Jiaotong University explored the safety and security of power systems.

The two-day forum concluded with an Editor's Roundtable chaired by President Kuo and Professor Xie that featured the editors-in-chief of almost all the major reliability and safety journals.

Six forums in the HK Tech series will be held in the second half of 2022 with plans to expand into 2023 and beyond. The next forum, which is on advanced matter and materials, will be held from 19 to 20 September.

The Editors Roundtable chaired by President Kuo (right) and Professor Xie. Credit: HKIAS

HK Tech Forum series

https://www.cityu.edu.hk/hktechforum/

Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study

Initiated by President Way Kuo, the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS) at CityU, launched on 22 November 2015, gathers some of the best minds in science to pursue curiosity-driven ideas and studies, and to conduct unfettered research based on free and deep thinking. The ultimate goals for HKIAS are to seek truth, to advance knowledge and to better humanity.

Provided by Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study
FLORENCE, S.C.  Monday is International talk like a pirate day. To celebrate the event, the City of Florence has created a storybook trail at Southpark (1450 Jebaily Circle) of the childrens book, How I Became a Pirate.

The idea is for families to walk the trail at the park and read the story as they walk.

The storybook trails are open to the public. The trail opened up Friday and will end Monday. You are able to walk from sunrise to sunset.

The idea of International Talk Like a Pirate Day was created in 1955 when two friends, John Baur and Mark Summers, were on a racquetball court in Albany, Oregon. They began speaking and acting like pirates hurling insults at each other. According to CNN, Summers had recently had a divorce and September 19 was his ex-wifes birthday. The duo declared September 19 as the day everyone should speak and behave as pirates.

The duo quietly celebrated the holiday for years, but comedian Dave Barry supported the day in a September 2002 Miami Herald column and made it popular. After that, the faux holiday garnered the publics attention and other people began following the tradition.
FLORENCE, S.C.  The Florence Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. recently announced its commemoration of National Voter Registration Day by hosting a voter registration drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Drs. Bruce & Lee Florence County Public Library in Florence.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., has long history of participating in social action, starting with the first act of our founders participating in the Womens Suffrage March in 1913. We feel it is our duty to continue to keep our sororitys tradition and focus alive by hosting a voter registration drive on National Voter Registration Day in National Voter Registration month, said Shateisha Williams, president of Florence Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

At the event, Florence County residents can visit the library computer room to register, confirm or update their voter registrations, as well as get information about South Carolinas new voting laws.

Members of the Florence Alumnae Chapter will assist those who visit.

The Florence Alumnae Chapter is partnering with the Drs. Bruce & Lee Florence County Public Library and assisted by the Florence County Board of Elections to make this event possible, Williams said.

Williams said, Having good community partners make events like these successful. We all have a focus of being of service to the community we serve.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded in 1913 on the campus of Howard University to promote academic excellence, to provide scholarships, to provide support to the underserved, to educate and stimulate participation in the establishment of positive public policy, and to highlight issues and provide solutions for problems in communities.

Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has more than 250,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. The sorority uses its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust of economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement to create its national programs.

The Florence Alumnae Chapter was chartered in 1952 and is a part of the South Atlantic Region. The chapter is dedicated to supporting the community it serves through volunteering with a variety of local organizations and signature projects and national programs.
LAKE CITY, S.C.  A clean slate  thats what one property owner in Lake City can look forward to as overgrown and dilapidated structures are cleared from a Lincoln Avenue lot.

Not just an eyesore, the uninhabitable structures had become a problem for the community and were involved in the April 2022 police investigation and seizure of more than 20 pounds of marijuana, handguns and more.

Lake City leaders have been working with the property owner to address the problems and had already removed an abandoned vehicle involved in the investigation. On Wednesday, demolition on the wood and concrete-block structures began. The demolition was expected to take about three days.

Tearing down this uninhabitable structure will help clear blight and improve the area for the residents of this community, said Lake City Administrator William A. Hall.

One area resident, Lorine Chandler, said it makes her feel fantastic to see work on removing the structure begin. Chandler, who grew up on Lincoln Avenue, said she recalls playing up and down the street, feeling safe and said clearing the rundown properties will help bring the community alive and help it grow.

This is a great start, she said.

And it is just a start.

While the city has taken on the costs of the Lincoln Avenue demolition, a South Carolina Community Development Block Grant will fund the potential removal of 38 other dilapidated properties in the city.

But only with the owners permission.

The city cannot just tear down a structure because it is unsafe, an eyesore, or a problem, in short, a blight on the community. There are many legal steps we must take to identify the correct property owners, locate them, and work with them to address the problems their properties represent, said Hall.

This grant allows these properties to be cleared at no cost to the owner. It is a fantastic opportunity for these property owners to help clear blight from our neighborhoods and also give themselves a clean slate to do something new with their property.

Two property owners have already accepted the offer, and the city has started the process of getting the properties tested for asbestos before demolition. Once demolished, the properties will be graded and seeded, ready for whatever the owner wishes to do.

In addition to improving neighborhood aesthetics, clearing these properties also reduces health and safety hazards, removes breeding grounds for wildlife such as rats and snakes, and decreases the opportunities for criminal activities.

Our hope is that these property owners take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve their land and our community at no cost to them, said Hall. Once a property is cleared, the owner can use their property in any way they choose. They can maintain it as an open lot, they could sell it, they could even build a new home. The property remains theirs; the hazardous structures are just gone.

Potential benefits to the property owner include:

A cleared, graded, and grassed lot ready for anything.

Increased property value.

Increased sales opportunities.

Reduction in property taxes (if existing structures incur taxes).

Under the grant, the funds are allocated solely for the 38 identified properties in a specific area of the city to make the biggest impact for the community. They are a small segment of a larger list that includes properties from all areas of Lake City.

If all 38 properties were cleared, it would significantly improve our community and dramatically increase the quality of life for the neighborhood residents, in addition to providing the owners a clean slate, said Hall.

Potential benefits to the community include:

Increased property values.

Improved neighborhood aesthetics.

Less blight.

Reduced opportunities for criminal activity.

Reduced fire and safety hazards.

Unfortunately, if a property owner decides not to take advantage of this opportunity we cannot use the funds for another property, said Haidee Stith, a grant writer and consultant who works with the city. Once the grant is completed, unused funds set aside for the 38 properties are returned to the state. The city can apply for another grant in the future, however, if the city doesnt show significant progress with this one, we are less likely to receive another.
 "Lemonade: A Racial Justice Reframing of The Roberts Courts Criminal Jurisprudence" | Main | "The Prison Pleading Trap" 

This ABA Journal article, headlined "Federal judge orders district attorney to write apology letters to families of murder victims," reports on a notable federal court order from earlier this week. Here are the highlights:

A federal judge has ordered Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to write apology letters to the families of the victims of a double murder after concluding that supervisors in his office made misleading statements to the court.

U.S. District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania scolded prosecutors for being vague and unclear about whether they consulted with victims families before supporting efforts to overturn the death penalty in the case against Robert Wharton. In reality, prosecutors communicated with just one person  the family member who survived the attack, Lisa Hart-Newman. The district attorneys office had written in a court notice that it decided to concede an ineffective counsel claim following a review by its capital case review committee and communication with the victims family, wrote Goldberg in a Sept. 12 opinion.

Wharton was convicted for killing Bradley and Ferne Hart in 1984 in retaliation for failure to pay for construction work. Working with an accomplice, he then shut off the heat to the couples home, leaving their 7-month-old daughter, Lisa, to fend for herself, according to a 2018 opinion by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia. A relative found the baby still alive three days later.

The 3rd Circuit ordered the death penalty review to determine whether Whartons trial lawyer was ineffective by failing to present evidence about the defendants positive adjustment to prison. The district attorneys office agreed that Whartons Sixth Amendment rights had been violated and asserted that a full review by the judge was unnecessary, according to Goldbergs opinion. But precedent plainly holds that a jurys death sentence verdict cannot be undone until all facts are placed on the table so that a fully informed judge, not the district attorney, can make the decision as to whether a decades-old verdict should be set aside, Goldberg said.

Although the 3rd Circuit required a review of evidence in favor and in opposition to the death penalty, the district attorneys office failed to advise the court about Whartons violent escape from a city hall courtroom and subsequent escape conviction, Goldberg said. Thats possibly the worst type of prison adjustment, he observed.

Department supervisors on the capital case review committee said they recommended conceding Whartons habeas petition without knowing about the escape attempt. But that admission was curiously contrary to an assistant supervisors assertion in court that the office was aware of Whartons escape conviction, Goldberg said.... Goldberg said the district attorneys office continues to misunderstand its role in collateral review proceedings in death penalty cases. If the district attorneys office files its concession on a misleading presentation of the facts, it attempts to misuse the courts power, Goldberg said.

Goldberg directed Krasner to send separate written apologies to Hart-Newman and three family members for representing that the office had communicated with the victims family.
 US organizations file complaint at United Nations stating LWOP and other extreme prison terms "are cruel in violation of the international prohibition on torture" | Main | Federal judge orders Philly prosecutors to send written apologies to victim family members for poor behavior in capital habeas case 

The title of this post is the title of this recent article authored by Daniel Harawa available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:

The saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it comes to the Supreme Courts criminal jurisprudence and its relationship to racial (in)equity, progressive scholars often focus on the tartness of the lemons. In particular, they have studied how the Court often ignores race in its criminal decisions, a move that in turn reifies a racially subordinating criminalization system.

However, the Court has recently issued a series of decisions addressing racism in the criminal legal system: Buck v. Davis, Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, Timbs v. Indiana, Flowers v. Mississippi, and Ramos v. Louisiana. On their face, the cases teach that history matters. Government actors who discriminate must be held to account. Accepted institutional practices can no longer perpetuate racism. And courts must assume an active role in addressing the racism endemic to the criminal legal system. At least tonally, these cases are a marked shift for the notoriously post-racial Roberts Court

But if you dig a little deeper, it is clear that the cases have severe shortcomings. The cases reflect that the Court acknowledges only the most egregious examples of racism, and it fails to see the invidious ways race taints the criminal legal system. The cases also demonstrate the Courts failure to connect past racial practices with present racial disparities, a failure that in turn paints a false picture of discontinuity of the past from the present. When viewed critically, these seemingly race-aware cases fall neatly in line with the post-racial critiques of the Roberts Court. From a racial justice perspective, the cases could be viewed as lemons.

Even so, this Article attempts to make lemonade. The Article shifts the narrative about the Courts criminal jurisprudence by arguing that these recent cases can be helpful tools in the fight for racial justice. This Article asserts that the cases can be deployed not only to make specific antiracist legal arguments, but also to push for policy changes and to encourage more open discussions about racism in the criminal legal system. In the end, the Article urges a reclaiming of the case law to help unwind the corrosive relationship between race, crime, and punishment in America. This intervention is necessary now, for the millions of Black and Brown people shuffled through the system each year.
AC Milan will have to find a way past Serie A title rivals Napoli without wing wizard Rafael Leao, a huge absence for the champions for Sunday night's big San Siro clash.

Leao is suspended after being sent off in last weekend's fiery encounter at Sampdoria and coach Stefano Pioli will miss the Portugal winger' lighting pace and trickery as Milan try to claim the outright league lead in Italy.

Leao was again key on Wednesday night as Milan dealt with Dinamo Zagreb to claim their first home Champions League win in nine years and move top of Group E.

The 23-year-old was fouled for Olivier Giroud's opener from the penalty spot and then set up Alexis Saelemaekers to double Milan's lead early in the second half with a perfectly flighted cross.

Leao has already scored three times and set up five more in his eight appearances in all competitions. Without him Milan lose a huge attacking weapon.

Giroud is back in the France fold after netting four times and both of his non-penalty goals were laid on by Leao, who was a target for Chelsea in the summer and is yet to renew his contract.

"How will we replaced him? We won't have the same characteristics as a team... we'll look for a different solution," said Pioli after the Dinamo win.

Milan's technical director Paolo Maldini said on Wednesday that Chelsea had made an informal offer for Leao in the close season which was rejected but added that "it's pointless being a romantic".

"When offers of a certain type are made, no-one is unsellable," said Maldini.

Milan are level on 14 points with Napoli and Atalanta, the trio separated by goal difference in a fast start for two surprise packages.

Napoli were in turmoil over the summer but are firmly in the early season title talk after thrilling Italian and continental audiences with their attacking football.

They are without a star of their own in Victor Osimhen, the Nigeria striker out with a thigh injury picked up during last week's hammering of Liverpool.

Story continues

However his absence didn't slow them down at Rangers midweek as Napoli netted three times to stay top of Group A with a perfect six points.

Napoli have rattled in 20 goals in all competitions. New signings Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone have settled in to Luciano Spalletti's revamped team, who will fancy their chances of making an early Scudetto statement.

An action-packed Sunday also features Atalanta at Roma, who are one point behind the leading pack alongside Udinese ahead of their clash with Inter Milan.

Crisis-club Juventus have the perfect chance to bounce back from their Champions League humiliation at the hands of Benfica when they travel to bottom club Monza, who on Tuesday sacked Giovanni Stroppa and brought in former youth team coach Raffaele Palladino.

Player to watch: Nicolo Zaniolo

The Italy international started Roma's Europa League match with HJK on Thursday, an early return for a player had been in impressive form before being sidelined by injury last month.

The 23-year-old's career has been blighted with two serious knee injuries but in the opening weeks of this campaign he had returned to the sparkling form which had so excited fans when he first arrived in 2018.

His link up with Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham will be crucial to how Roma fare against Atalanta, who have no European commitments and look a serious proposition again.

Key stats

3 - There is a trio of teams leading the way in Serie A.

2 - Napoli and Milan are separated in the table by two goals.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Salernitana v Lecce (1845)

Saturday

Bologna v Empoli (1300), Spezia v Sampdoria (1600), Torino v Sassuolo (1845)

Sunday

Udinese v Inter (1030), Cremonese v Lazio, Fiorentina v Verona, Monza v Juventus (all 1300), Roma v Atalanta (1600), AC Milan v Napoli (1845)

td/pb
Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly scolded Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan, he told the Russian president that now is not a time for war, with food, fertiliser and fuel security among the major concerns of the world at present.

I know that todays era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this, Modi told Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security bloc summit in Uzbekistan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted the conflict in Ukraine to end as soon as possible, but that Ukraine was set on achieving its objectives on the battlefield, according to an Indian TV translation of Putins comments at a bilateral meeting.

It was the second time Putin has been chastised about his invasion of Ukraine at the summit.

Twenty four hours earlier, he hinted at frictions in Russias relations with China by surprisingly admitting Beijing has questions and concerns about Moscows military operation in Ukraine.

He acknowledged potential disharmony with Xi Jinping in his first face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader since Russias invasion in February.

We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, the Russian president told Xi at their first meeting since the war began.

We understand your questions and concern about this. During todays meeting, we will of course explain our position.

The public concerns of world leaders comes on top of terrible losses for Russia in recent days on the battlefield in Ukraine. Moscows forces have been dramatically pushed back by Ukrainian troops in the north east of the country.

On Friday, Ukrainians alleged they have uncovered mass war graves left after the Russians pulled out of the city of Izyum. Many of those graves contains ordinary citizens, local officials claimed.

Russia has always denied charges of war crimes and targeting civilians.
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 Flash

China supports Azerbaijan's cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to work together for security, stability, development and prosperity in the region, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

Azerbaijan is now one of the dialogue partners of the SCO.

During the meeting, Xi said 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and that China supports Azerbaijan's development path independently chosen by its people.

He called on both sides to view and plan for bilateral relations from a strategic height, increase strategic mutual trust, strengthen mutual support, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and work for steady, in-depth and practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Xi also said China welcomes Azerbaijan to join China in implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI).

Both countries should also expand trade, improve the trade mix, increase the number of China-Europe Express freight train services, and ensure unimpeded international supply chains, he said.

Xi also expressed confidence that the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Azerbaijan enjoys broad prospects.

For his part, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and China are true strategic partners, that the two sides maintain close communication in international affairs and that bilateral cooperation is advancing steadily.

Azerbaijan adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, firmly opposes any actions that interfere in China's internal affairs or split China, and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests, he said.

The Azerbaijani side supports the GSI and GDI proposed by the Chinese side and will actively engage in Belt and Road cooperation with the Chinese side, he said.
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP)  Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Friday.

The site near the northeastern city of Izium, recently recaptured from Russian forces, appears to be one of the largest discovered in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy spoke in a video he rushed out just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. He said more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims was not yet known.

Digging in the rain, workers hauled body after body out of the sandy soil in a misty pine forest near Izium. Protected by head-to-toe suits and rubber gloves, they gently felt through the decomposing remains of the victims clothing, seemingly looking for identifying items.

Associated Press journalists who visited the site saw graves marked with simple wooden crosses. Some of the markers bore peoples names and had flowers hanging from them.

Before digging, investigators with metal detectors scanned the site for explosives, and soldiers strung red and white plastic tape between the trees.

Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found near Iziums Pishchanske cemetery after being tortured, shot or killed by artillery shelling.

He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In another sign of possible torture, one man was found with his hands tied, according to Serhiy Bohdan, the head of Kharikiv police investigations, and Ukraines commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

Ukrainian authorities warned that their investigation was just beginning, and the scale of the killings could rise dramatically.

The harsh reality indicates that the number of dead in Izium may be many times higher than the Bucha tragedy, Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said on Telegram.

Bucha is a Kyiv suburb where authorities have said 458 bodies were found after a 33-day Russian occupation. Authorities say they have uncovered the bodies of more than 1,300 people elsewhere, many in mass graves in the Kyiv-area forest.

Zelenskyy, who visited the Izium area Wednesday, said the discoveries showed again the need for world leaders to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Meanwhile, in his first public comments on Ukraine's recent battlefield gains, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the war and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin told reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan.

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure sites near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

The liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal, Putin said.

We arent in a rush, he said, adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Some hard-line Russian politicians and military bloggers have lamented manpower shortages and urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraines example and order broad mobilization to beef up the ranks.

Ukrainian forces gained access to the site near Izium after recapturing the city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a lighting advance that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. Ukrainian officials also found evidence of torture elsewhere in the region.

The U.N. human rights office said it would investigate, and the human rights group Amnesty International said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed our darkest fears.

For every unlawful killing or other war crime, there must be justice and reparation for victims and their families and a fair trial and accountability for suspected perpetrators, said Marie Struthers, the group's director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Most of the people buried at the site were believed to be civilians, but a marker on one mass grave said it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian officials distanced themselves from responsibility for the site.

The Khariv region's Russian-installed governor, Vitaly Ganchev, told Russia's state-run Tass news agency that Ukrainian, not Russian, forces were responsible for civilian casualties in Izium. Tass also quoted a member of Russia's parliament, Alexander Malkevich, claiming that Ukrainian troops had abandoned their dead, so Russian forces buried them.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the war continued to claim lives and wreak destruction.

 Ukraines presidential office said Russian shelling killed five civilians and wounded 18 in a 24-hour span. Missile strikes were also reported, with Zelenskyys hometown of Kryvyi Rih among the targets for a third consecutive day Friday. Air raid sirens howled in the capital, Kyiv.

 More killings targeting pro-Russian separatist officials were reported in areas under their control. Separatist authorities said a blast killed the prosecutor-general and his deputy of the self-proclaimed republic in the Luhansk region. Moscow-backed authorities said two Russian-installed officials were also killed in Berdyansk, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region occupied earlier in the war. And local authorities reported three people were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on an administrative building in Russian-occupied Kherson.

 To bolster the Ukrainian offensive, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid.

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building, some of whom he pulled out of rubble with my own hands.

Izium was a key supply hub for Russian forces until they withdrew in recent days. Izium city council member Maksym Strelnikov told reporters that hundreds of people had died during the fighting and after Russia seized the town in March. Many couldnt be properly buried, he said.

His claims could not be immediately verified, but similar scenes have played out in other cities Russian forces captured, including Mariupol.

Ukraines national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said torture chambers have been found in the Kharkiv region's recaptured towns and villages. The claim could not be independently verified.

Seven Sri Lankan students who fell into Russian hands in Kupiansk, also in the Kharkiv region, have also said that they were held and mistreated, he said.

They are scared, they were abused, Klymenko said. They include a woman who can barely speak and two people with torn toe nails.

This story has been updated to correct that seven, not six, Sri Lankan students said they fell into Russian hands.

Associated Press journalists Hanna Arhirova and Jon Gambrell in Kyiv and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed reporting.
FoodShare

Mayflower Congregational UCC will host its monthly FoodShare with its partners at Zestos, Inc. The event will be at 1407 W. 18th St. on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. All are welcome!

Chops in the Church

New Horizons United Church of Christ will host "Chops in the Church" from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Food served will be: Grilled Smoked Iowa Pork Chop and Choice of baked potato or sweet potato, sweet corn and homemade pie - $12.00 or Grilled Hot Dog potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies - $4.00. 10% of proceeds to Akron Care Center Activities Fund Dine-In or Carry-Out or Free Delivery within Akron City Limits! Phone 568-3446 to order!

Organ Restoration Concert

St. Luke Lutheran Church is inviting the public to a free organ concert, Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2p.m. at the church, 2039 S. Saint Aubin. The concert will celebrate the restoration of the churchs organ that was accomplished thanks to $70,000 in donations. The concert will feature organists from the area, including Rev. Del Olivier, Yvonne Hazlett, Dave Ewoldt, Jeremy Owens, all from Sioux City, and Felice Rodvik from Sioux Falls. A reception will follow the concert. For more information on this concert, contact Michelle Smith at sweetiebassoon@hotmail.com

Fall schedule begins

St. Mark Lutheran fall worship and learning schedules begin the week of Sept. 11. Sunday worship at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday learning for all ages at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday evening worship is each week at 7 p.m. "SPLASH Middle School Ministry" begins at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Sunday school classes

Mayflower Congregational UCC, 1407 W. 18th St., will begin Sunday school classes Sept. 11 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. for children age 4 through grade 5. We call our program the Transformation Station. Middle and high school students will participate in special activities and mission projects throughout the year. Everyone is welcome! Call Linda at (712) 202-4861 for more information.

Wednesday evening activities

First Presbyterian Church will host Wednesday evening activities starting Sept. 14. Fellowship meal in the Dining Hall will be at 5:30 p.m. Handbell choir practice will be from 6 to 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Adult Bible Study will be in the Vincent Lounge at 6:15 p.m. Choir practice will be in the sanctuary from 7 to 8 p.m.
Iowa House Democrats revealed a four-part policy agenda for the election season and next legislative session, advocating for policies they say have majority support among Iowans.

The four pillars of the plan are lowering costs for Iowans, investing in public schools, protecting reproductive freedom, and legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The proposal, dubbed the people over politics agenda, will be the framework for Democratic policy proposals in the next legislative session, House Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said outside the Iowa Capitol on Monday.

To lower costs, Konfrst said House Democrats would pass legislation that expands access to affordable housing and child care, lowers taxes for working families while stopping tax decreases for large businesses, and expand renewable energy use.

Republicans in the Legislature have passed bills targeting affordable housing and child care in years past, but Konfrst said those efforts have not solved the issues the party is trying to address.

The way our plan is different is that were going to actually do the things instead of put band-aids on them and make people think the problem is solved, Konfrst said.

On public schools, Konfrst said House Democrats want to raise funding to keep up with rising costs and give teachers higher pay. The plan also includes stopping Gov. Kim Reynolds proposal to devote public tax dollars to private school vouchers for some Iowa students.

Abortion rights

The reproductive freedom part of the agenda includes adding abortion rights to Iowas constitution.

While the Iowa Supreme Court found the states constitution provides a fundamental right to an abortion in 2018, in June the court reversed that decision and said that the Iowa constitution does not guarantee a right to an abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court soon after reversed the decades-old Roe v. Wade, removing the federal right to an abortion.

In order to pass an amendment protecting abortion rights, Democrats would likely need to gain a majority in both chambers of the Legislature and pass a resolution calling for the amendment in two separate general assemblies. The amendment would then go to a statewide election vote.

Republicans in 2021 passed a resolution for an amendment that does the opposite, stating the states constitution does not include abortion protections. The measure would go to a vote on an election ballot if Republicans pass it again in 2023 or 2024.

Acknowledging that passing such an amendment would be a difficult task for the party currently in the minority, Konfrst said the party would also work toward smaller goals with the end goal of enshrining abortion protections in the constitution.

If we can stop a total ban and allow some exemptions, thats a nice starting place, but our goal is to protect and defend reproductive freedom in this state, Konfrst said.

Legalize marijuana

The proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use is based on majority public approval of the idea and an interest in increasing safety around the substance as well as keeping tax dollars in the state, Konfrst said.

House Democrats were not publicly in favor of legalizing marijuana during the last legislative session, but Konfrst said the group has been able to unite around certain proposals. The partys gubernatorial candidate, Deidre DeJear, also supports marijuana legalization, her running mate Eric Van Lancker said on Thursday.

What we're finding is that if there are opportunities to keep it safe, and to regulate what Iowans are using, if there are opportunities to leverage tax dollars to our priorities like education, we're finding that we can find consensus on those issues, Konfrst said.

Republicans currently control both the House and the Senate in Iowa. Democrats would need to flip 11 seats in the House and eight seats in the Senate in the November election in order to gain a majority in either chamber.

In an emailed statement, House Republican spokesperson Melissa Deatsch said House Democrats numbers have fallen because their agenda is not in line with Iowans. She said the party voted to keep schools closed, taxes higher, and critical race theory in the classroom.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are the party of lowering your taxes, growing your local economy, and defending your freedoms, Deatsch said. House Republicans will continue to work on an agenda thats built on listening to Iowans and acting on their priorities.
LE MARS, Iowa  Siouxland skateboards have a chance to do their best shredding this weekend.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Sioux City Skateboard Association is presenting a "Best Trick Skateboard Competition" at the Le Mars Skatepark on Central Avenue Northwest. According to a press release, the event is scheduled to run until 3 p.m. and there will be cash prizes for the contest.

Immediately following the event is a "Big Deck Energy Skateboard Art Show" at Wise I Brewing on Second Street Northeast.

"Over 100 local artists have purchased blank skateboard to paint and/or decorate in their own artistic way. Each artists skateboard will be on display at Wise I Brewery from 3 p.m.-7 p.m." the release said.

More information can be found by calling 712-898-0601.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  A leader of a small polygamous group on the Arizona-Utah line pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges of tampering with evidence, weeks after being stopped on a highway with young girls in an enclosed trailer.

Samuel Bateman, 46, was indicted earlier this month on three counts of destroying or attempting to destroy records, and tampering with criminal proceedings. He pleaded not guilty in U.S. Magistrate Court in Flagstaff, a mountain city where he was arrested in late August by a state police agency after someone spotted small fingers in a gap of the trailers rear door.

Authorities found three girls, between the ages of 11 and 14, in the trailer he was hauling through Flagstaff, according to court documents. The trailer had a makeshift toilet, a couch, camping chairs and no ventilation, the documents state. The documents didn't say if the girls are related to Bateman, and it wasn't discussed during Thursday's hearing.

Bateman was a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, until he left in recent years and started his own small offshoot group, said Sam Brower, who has spent years investigating the group. Bateman was once among the trusted followers of imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, but Jeffs recently denounced Bateman in a written revelation sent to his followers from prison, Brower said.

Bateman's group still practices plural marriage with a small following of fewer than 100 people, estimated Brower, who wrote a book on the FLDS and appeared in the recent Netflix series, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.

Federal prosecutor Patrick Schneider said Bateman talked to supporters in Colorado City, Arizona, from the Coconino County Jail in Flagstaff and instructed them to delete communications sent through an encrypted private messaging system, and demanded all women and girls obtain passports.

Schneider said the state child welfare agency has removed children from Batemans home in Colorado City where the FBI had recently served a search warrant.

Darren DaRonco, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Child Safety, declined to comment in an email Thursday, citing confidentiality laws. FBI spokesman Kevin Smith said in an email that the search warrant is sealed.

Bateman posted bond on the state charges. He was arrested again Tuesday in Colorado City by federal authorities who were investigating whether children were being transported across state lines for sexual activity, Schneider said. If convicted, Bateman faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each federal charge.

Bateman previously pleaded not guilty to three counts of child abuse in an Arizona state court, court documents show.

Bateman's attorney, Adam Zickerman, cautioned against inferring the federal case was about religious persecution, though he didn't specify Bateman's faith or say if he practices polygamy. Zickerman said Bateman is not a danger to the community.

Schneider cited a pretrial services report in saying that Bateman had relationships with multiple women but also didn't mention whether Bateman belonged to any polygamous groups.

Both the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona and Zickerman declined to comment following Thursday's court hearing, as did two women who were sitting in the gallery and met with Zickerman.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Camille Bibles ordered that Bateman remain behind bars while the case winds through the courts. She noted Bateman is a pilot and survivalist who has followers and international contacts who might help with financial or other resources on a moment's notice. She said she also was concerned about young girls in vulnerable positions.

Courts have a tremendous interest in protecting people who cant protect themselves, she said.

Bateman listed a mailing address in Colorado City, where a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who dont practice the beliefs live. Both Colorado City and its sister community of Hildale, Utah, have seen significant cultural shifts in recent years.

The FLDS group run by imprisoned leader Jeffs has lost much of its control over the communities. Jeffs is serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for child sex abuse related to underage marriages.

Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the mainstream church abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it.

Associated Press writer Brady McCombs contributed from Salt Lake City.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  The head of the Arkansas Department of Human Services is stepping down next month after more than six years of running the agency, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday.

Hutchinson announced the resignation of Secretary Cindy Gillespie, who he named to run the department in 2016. Gillespie said in a statement that she would depart in October, and Hutchinson's office said he would announce her successor at an unspecified later date.

The last six years have been the most challenging and rewarding of my career, and I am extraordinarily proud of all the incredible DHS team has accomplished over these years," Gillespie said in a statement.

Hutchinson said Gillespie has given the state of Arkansas her experience, management capabilities, and the right ideas that have led us in a great direction."

Gillespie oversaw the department during the state's implementation of a work requirement for some on its expanded Medicaid program. A federal judge blocked that requirement, and President Joe Biden's administration later rolled back the work requirements in Arkansas and other states.

Before heading DHS, Gillespie worked as an adviser for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and served as an executive for the nonprofit responsible for hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
A Michigan man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack by a mob that disrupted Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory. A Justice Department news release says Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell also sentenced Anthony Robert Williams, 47, of Southgate, Michigan, to three years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine. In June, a jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Williams of obstructing the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress for certifying the Electoral College vote. Only five other Capitol riot defendants have been sentenced to a longer prison term than Williams.
China has announced sanctions against the CEOs of American defense contractors Raytheon and Boeing Defense over a major arms sale to rival Taiwan. The Foreign Ministry did not specify what the sanctions would be against Gregory Hayes, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corp., and Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. The U.S. announced a $1.09 billion arms sale to Taiwan last week including $355 million for Boeings Harpoon missiles and $85 million for Raytheons Sidewinder missiles. China claims Taiwan as its territory. The two split in 1949 during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing.
LONDON (AP)  Thousands of mourners waited for hours Thursday in a line that stretched for almost 5 miles (8 kilometers) across London for the chance to spend a few minutes filing past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin while she lies in state. King Charles III spent the day in private to reflect on his first week on the throne.

The queue to pay respects to the late queen at Westminster Hall in Parliament was at least a nine-hour wait, snaking across a bridge and along the south bank of the River Thames beyond Tower Bridge. But people said they didn't mind the wait, and authorities brought in portable toilets and other facilities to make the slog bearable.

Im glad there was a queue, because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere, health care professional Nimisha Maroo said. I wouldnt have liked it if Id had to just rush through."

A week after the queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after 70 years on the throne, the focus of commemorations was in Westminster  the heart of political power in London. Her coffin will lie in state at Westminster Hall until Monday, when it will be taken across the street to Westminster Abbey for the queen's funeral.

Buckingham Palace on Thursday released details about the service, the first state funeral held in Britain since the death of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. Royalty and heads of state from around the world are expected to be among the 2,000 people attending, with a smaller, private burial service planned for later Monday at Windsor Castle.

The queen will be buried at Windsor alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

The guest list for the state funeral is a roll call of power and pomp, from Japan's Emperor Naruhito and King Felipe VI of Spain to U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  who first met the queen when he was a child and his father Pierre Trudeau was Canada's leader  said the queen was one of my favorite people in the world.

Her conversations with me were always candid, we talked about anything and everything, she gave her best advice on a range of issues, she was always curious, engaged and thoughtful, he said at a special session of the Canadian parliament in Ottawa.

After a day of high ceremony and high emotions on Wednesday as the queen's coffin was carried in somber procession from Buckingham Palace, the king was spending Thursday working and in private reflection at his Highgrove residence in western England. Charles has had calls with Biden and Macron and has been speaking to a host of world leaders.

Prince William, the heir to the throne, and his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, visited the royal familys Sandringham estate in eastern England on Thursday to admire some of the tributes left by well-wishers. The couple walked slowly along metal barriers as they received bouquets from the public.

William told well-wishers that walking behind his grandmother's coffin on Wednesday had been challenging and brought back memories of the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana after her death in 1997, when William was 15.

I said how proud his mother would have been of him, and he said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mothers funeral, Jane Wells, 54, said after meeting the prince Thursday.

The queen left Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for the last time, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall.

Charles, his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was topped by a wreath of white roses and the queen's diamond-studded crown on a purple velvet pillow. The military procession underscored Elizabeths seven decades as head of state.

Her lying-in-state, meanwhile, allowed many Britons to say a personal goodbye to the only monarch most have ever known.

It's also a huge logistical operation, with a designated 10-mile (16 kilometer) queuing route lined with first aid points and more than 500 portable toilets. There are 1,000 stewards and marshals working at any given time, and 30 religious leaders from a range of faiths to talk to those in line.

Monica Thorpe said she walked for two hours to get to the back of the line and join the queue.

People were just walking and walking and the policemen were like Keep going, keep going. It was like the yellow brick road," she said.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, wore a high-visibility vest emblazoned with the words Faith Team as he spoke to mourners. Welby, who will deliver a sermon at Elizabeth's funeral, paid tribute to the queen as someone you could trust totally, completely and absolutely, whose wisdom was remarkable.

People old and young, dressed in dark suits or jeans and sneakers, walked in a steady stream through the historic hall, where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where previous monarchs have lain in state.

After passing the coffin, most mourners paused to look back before leaving through the halls great oak doors. Some were in tears; others bowed their heads or curtseyed. One sank onto a knee and blew a farewell kiss.

Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say goodbye.

Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic, he said. And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didnt bow  I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday attended the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).



The meeting was chaired by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and attended by leaders of SCO member states including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The leaders exchanged views on SCO development and major international and regional issues bearing on the political and economic situation in the region.

At 9:55 a.m. local time, Xi and leaders of other SCO member states arrived at the Samarkand Congress Center and received warm welcome from Mirziyoyev.

The leaders took a group photo before the restricted session started.

In his statement, Xi spoke highly of Uzbekistan's hard work and important contribution to preparing for the Samarkand summit and advancing SCO's development under its presidency.

Xi pointed out that since the founding of the SCO more than twenty years ago, it has upheld the Shanghai Spirit and succeeded in exploring a new path for the development of international organizations. There is much we can draw on from its rich practices, he said.

It is important to forge political trust, Xi said, adding that guided by the vision of forging enduring friendship and peace among the SCO member states, the member states respect each other's core interests and choice of development path and support each other in achieving peace, stability, development and rejuvenation.

Noting that it is important to pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said that the SCO member states accommodate each other's interests, stay true to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, enhance synergy between our respective development strategies, and keep to the path of win-win cooperation toward common prosperity.

It is important to treat each other as equals, the Chinese president said, adding that the SCO member states are committed to the principle of equality among all countries regardless of their size, consensus-based decision-making, and addressing issues through friendly consultations. The SCO member states reject the practice of the strong bullying the weak or the big bullying the small, he noted.

Noting that it is important to advocate openness and inclusiveness, Xi said that the SCO member states stand for harmonious coexistence and mutual learning between different countries, nations and cultures, dialogue between civilizations and seeking common ground while shelving differences. We are ready to establish partnership and develop win-win cooperation with other countries and international organizations that share our vision, he said.

Xi stressed that the world today is not a peaceful place. Rivalry between two sets of policy choices -- unity or division, cooperation or confrontation -- is getting more acute. This brings shocks to world peace and stability and is detrimental to the long-term development of the region.

In the face of the complex situation, Xi urged the SCO member states to keep the SCO on the right course, deepen cooperation in various fields, and continue to foster a favorable environment for the development and rejuvenation of member states.

Xi outlined several priorities going forward.

First, staying committed to the Shanghai Spirit and enhancing solidarity and cooperation. It is important that the SCO stay true to its founding mission, increase mutual trust, and join forces to cope with the complex changes in the external environment. Member states need to continue to support each other on matters concerning each other's core interests and major concerns and serve as a strong backing for each other's development and rejuvenation.

Second, maintaining strategic independence and safeguarding regional stability. Member states need to advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and reject any attempt to create bloc confrontation and damage regional stability. Bearing in mind the security needs of countries in the region, they should build consensus on security cooperation, and work together to protect sustained stability and security in the region. The SCO should enhance its law enforcement cooperation and prevent terrorist and extremist forces from jeopardizing regional security.

Third, pursuing inclusiveness and shared benefits in promoting development cooperation. Member states should actively promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, ensure the stable and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains, and encourage the orderly flow of resources and factors of production, so as to realize greater economic integration and development in the region. They should redouble efforts to promote complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and other national development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives to stimulate the dynamism for growth in participating countries.

Fourth, advancing the SCO expansion process and strengthening SCO institutions. An increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. This fully demonstrates the power of SCO's vision and the widely shared confidence in its future. The SCO should seize the opportunity and step up its work to expand the ranks of cooperation and augment the effective force for international equity and justice.

Xi noted that the Communist Party of China would soon convene its 20th National Congress to draw up a blueprint for China's development in the next stage, adding that no matter what changes may take place in the international landscape, China will remain firm in its commitment to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and continue to see the SCO as a priority in its diplomacy.

China stands ready to draw on its own development to contribute to the development of countries in the region and to a better life for the people in the countries, Xi said.

Wang Yi was present at the event.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week has reignited debate in New Zealand about whether it should continue recognizing Britains monarch as its symbolic head of state or take the final step toward independence by becoming a republic. But there remains a significant complicating factor. While Indigenous people in many of the 14 nations outside of Britain that recognize the monarchy want to ditch it because they see it as a symbol of colonial repression, views are more mixed among Indigenous New Zealanders. Some Maori leaders favor sticking with the monarchy, at least for now.
Authorities responded to a call Friday morning of a body found in rural Worth County.

According to Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank, a resident called to report they had discovered a body in the Shell Rock River while on a regular morning walk near the intersection of 390th Street and Raven Avenue, southeast of Kensett.

Fank said the deceased is a woman and that a tattoo on her body was aiding in identifying her. He believed an identification would be forthcoming.

The area in which the woman was found was a shallow portion of the river with no trail access to the water. Fank said it was not yet determined how long the woman had been in the river, but he did not believe her body had traveled downstream.

Fank said the woman's body was being transported to the state medical examiners office for an autopsy, and the Department of Criminal Investigation was called to assist in the investigation.

The Department of Natural Resources could be seen kayaking the general area of the discovery, looking for additional evidence. A drone was also deployed by the sheriff's office to observe and take photos of the area.

Iowa State Patrol and Worth County Emergency Management also assisted at the scene.
Two Omaha women have lost their lawsuit against the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services over a policy denying the listing of both same-sex parents on their sons' birth certificates.

"The court certainly understands why plaintiffs seek a policy change. But that policy decision is for the Legislature, not this court," Lancaster County District Judge Ryan Post wrote in a 43-page decision dismissing the case.

Erin Porterfield and Kristin Williams were in a relationship from 2000 to 2013, during which each gave birth to a son using artificial insemination and an anonymous donor.

After they split, they continued to co-parent and sought a child custody determination from a Douglas County District Court judge, who ordered joint legal and physical custody and told them to attempt to amend the birth certificates to add the other as a parent.

When Porterfield tried to add Williams as a parent to Kadin in 2018, DHHS denied the application, then reaffirmed its denial when she requested a hearing.

Porterfield and Williams signed a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, using gender neutral language, as opposed to the department's form, which used the words "mother" and "father" and required the signers to affirm the father is the child's biological father.

In 2021, after consulting with the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and considering the governing statutes, regulations and case law, DHHS denied the request to amend the birth certificate, concluding it lacked legal authority to do so.

In response, the ACLU of Nebraska filed the lawsuit on their behalf, which attorneys for the Department of Health and Human Services sought to dismiss at a hearing in May.

In a brief, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Erik Fern said their claims rest on "a fundamental misunderstanding of Nebraska law."

The ACLU of Nebraska's Legal and Policy counsel, Sara Rips, said the lawsuit is about equal treatment for families with same-sex parents.

But Fern said that ignores two indisputable aspects of Nebraska law: that state statutes and regulations require acknowledgments of paternity to affirm the biological father of the child; and that DHHS acknowledgment form explicitly requires affirmation of a biological connection.

"Together these unassailable principles conclusively establish that the challenged laws draw a constitutionally appropriate biologically based distinction, that they do not discriminate based on sex or sexual orientation, and that plaintiffs equal protection claims fail as a matter of law," he said.

In an order in August, Post said the lawsuit raised two theories: One, that the acknowledgments signed by Porterfield and Williams were valid under Nebraska law so DHHS must accept them and amend the birth certificates; and two, that Porterfield and Williams are the mothers even if their acknowledgments do not comply with the statutes.

"Plaintiffs cannot prevail under either theory," the judge said.

Post said Porterfield and Williams do not dispute that DHHS lacks authority to declare parentage. But he concluded the two have standing to seek a declaration that their acknowledgements of parentage comply with Nebraska law.

The judge said he begins by observing the Legislature has created both acknowledgments of maternity and paternity.

"Thus, whether their acknowledgments of parentage comply with Nebraska law depends on whether they are complete under the acknowledgment of maternity statute," Post said.

He said because the Legislature created acknowledgment statutes for both maternity and paternity, he concluded that lawmakers intended those terms to have their gendered meaning.

Thus, he concluded that Porterfield and Williams' acknowledgments were not complete, so the department wasn't required to accept them.

As for the allegation of discrimination, Post said the acknowledgement of maternity statute does not draw any distinctions based on the sexual orientation of the birth mother, the biological mother, or their spouses or romantic partners.

"That is, the statute treats all women equally without regard to their sexual orientation," he said.

Post closed his order by observing that the question of whether Nebraska law should allow for intended parents to submit an acknowledgement of parentage was one of policy.

He said the plaintiffs failed to identify a single court that has adopted their constitutional arguments.

"On the other hand, a number of legislatures have made the policy decision. And the Nebraska Legislature has considered legislative changes to parentage," Post said, referring to LB1245, which was indefinitely postponed last session.

Mindy Rush Chipman, legal director at the ACLU of Nebraska, said after talking with their clients they won't be appealing the decision, which she called disappointing.

"Despite this setback, our work to change that process will continue," she said. "We will keep focusing our efforts on wherever we can make the most difference for our clients and every other family in similar situations. Same-sex parents deserve equal treatment before the law.
Officials say 11 children and two adult drivers were injured when a semitrailer collided with a school bus in southwestern Nebraska. The Chase County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened Tuesday afternoon on a rural highway near Champion when a bus dropping off children from school turned left in front of a semi loaded with grain. The crash caused bus to spin and tip over on its side, and the truck was forced into a ditch. Investigators say 11 children, ranging in age from 6 to 15, were on the bus, and all were taken to the Chase County hospital with a wide range of injuries. The sheriff's office says three of the children were later taken to regional trauma centers.
What is it about those on the Left of the political spectrum that they seem to not just live in perpetual fear of apocalypse and doom but they actually embrace it? It is their raison d'etre.

Is there something in the collective psyche or the DNA of modern leftists that they crave fear? And doom?

This cult of apocalypse started in the late 1960s with the doomsday predictions of "the population bomb," the title of a mega-bestselling book by Stanford University biology professor Paul Ehrlich. "The Population Bomb" predicted that mankind was breeding at a pace that would bring about a Malthusian nightmare of overpopulation, starvation, war, poverty and water shortages. All that was missing was a swarm of locusts. We were running out of everything.

COVID-19 is the most recent case in point. Polls from the start and throughout the pandemic showed that roughly 70% of Democrats described themselves as "very worried" about the coronavirus. By contrast, only about 30% of Republicans were very worried.

Blue states run by Democrats went into a collective fetal position for nearly two years, with forced business, school and church closings -- while red states pretty much got back to life as normal. COVID-19 was a killer virus for sure, with more than 1 million deaths. But the government interventions were almost all oversized in terms of their effectiveness in combating the spread of the disease.

Climate change is, of course, the overarching pandemic of fear so far in the 21st century that has swept across the country and induced lame-brained economic responses like windmills. Amazingly, virtually every Democrat, from the local dog catcher to the president of the United States, believes this is an "existential threat" to Earth. Twenty years ago, there were many climate change skeptics on the Left.

We witnessed the full extent of the psychosis this past summer when some parts of the country saw severe flooding and others encountered bone-dry drought. One day, the waters are rising to the levels of Noah's Ark, and the next, water shortages are going to besiege the lands and we will die of thirst. Apparently, if we would stop using fossil fuels, the sun will come out in the flood regions, and the rains will simultaneously hit the parched areas of the country like California. Are they sure about that?

But again, why the reign of fear? One obvious explanation is that when planetary crises arrive, as with a pandemic, it is said to require more centralized government and more control over people's lives. So, if you believe in the virtues of big government, you need supersized problems to justify its vast expansion. Crisis really is the rallying cry of the tyrant. As the late Julian Simon taught us, the answer to planetary problems is not more government, but human ingenuity.

The Left is fatalistic. The Right is opportunistic. It's the difference between cursing the darkness and lifting a candle. I have often wondered: What would be the Left's reaction to some kind of definitive proof that there was no manmade climate change to worry about? Would there be whoops of relief and celebration? Would there be ticker tape parades down Fifth Avenue?

Now, to be fair, just because the Peddlers of Apocalypse have a long track record of being dead wrong in their dire predictions doesn't mean we don't have things to worry about. Sometimes the wolf really is at the door, no matter how many times the boy has issued false alarms. In the meantime, the thing we have to worry most about running out of these days is ... freedom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has on his desk a long-awaited reform bill that will make housing cheaper and more abundant, help mom n pop restaurants get started, let architects reuse historic buildings, and make the states neighborhoods more walkable.

What issue connects those disparate topics? Onerous local laws that require every gym and office, every sneaker store and Korean barbecue and donut shop, and most importantly, every home, to come with a certain number of parking spots. If California Assemblywoman Laura Friedmans A.B. 2097 avoids the governors veto, those requirements will disappear within a half-mile of regular transit service, effectively ending parking minimums in large swaths of the states cities and suburbs.

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For day-to-day life in California, these parking rules are as powerful as they are invisible. They ensure ample parking at every new office, shop, or house. But they also make it complicated and expensive to build new housing, especially affordable units, family-size apartments, senior housing, adaptive reuse buildings, infill projects, missing middle housing, and mixed-use developmentsbasically, the diverse housing types sorely needed in a state with an acute affordability crisis. Letting builders pick their own parking arrangements will leave more money, and more room, to house Californians. The required parking garage has added $36,000, on average, to the cost of every unit in the state built with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

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Friedman, who represents Glendale, a city near Los Angeles, was inspired to write the legislation by a visit to a local affordable housing complex whose cavernous garage, though mandatory, sat empty. The bottom line is: We need to prioritize people over cars, she told me last year.

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California has taken significant steps in that direction since a version of this policy was first proposed more than a decade ago. San Francisco stopped requiring parking in 2018; San Diego stopped requiring parking near transit in 2019. California has also exempted accessory dwelling unitsthe smaller homes many Californians now build in their backyards in order to rent outfrom parking rules, and in 2021, the state allowed affordable housing near transit to go ahead without any parking at all.

But A.B. 2097 is by far the most comprehensive state preemption of local parking rules, and would clear away a limit on housing construction from cities that require as many as four parking spaces per home. The way you really get affordable housing is to get rid of parking requirements, says Donald Shoup, the dean of parking studies and the author of The High Cost of Free Parking. That reduces the price of housing for everybody, not just low-income residents.

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Thats a response to the main opposition to the bill, which comes, ironically, from some low-income housing advocates who say it will eliminate one of the incentivesfreedom from required parkingthat cities dangle to induce affordable housing development. In Los Angeles, for example, one city official told me the bill would steer developers away from affordable housing programs. In other words, parking ought to be required precisely because its so burdensome to provide.

Evidence from San Diego, however, where some parking requirements have been eliminated, suggests affordable housing will get built regardless. Parking reform did not get in the way of that, says Colin Parent, the executive director of Circulate San Diego, which has tracked the citys affordability stats. Did parking reform juice production? Im not sure we can make that claim, but it didnt get in the way.

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How does Shoup feel as he watches a reform that he has advocated for decades reach the governors desk? Why, excited about the potential for new studies, of course: Itll provide a lot of opportunities for research, because there will be borderlines. There will be one side of the street that has parking requirements, and one side that doesnt.

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Virtually everyone I spoke to cautioned against expecting overnight Manhattanization in either its good form (more homes) or its bad (fewer street parking spaces).

Theres very particular circumstances in California that allow you to pull the trigger on a building with no parking, and some of those places are already free from parking rules, like San Francisco, for example, observes Michael Manville, who studies the issue at UCLA.

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Market-rate developers building market-rate housing will always include some parking, says Meea Kang, senior vice president at Related California, a developer that builds both market-rate and subsidized housing. Evidence from a special program in Los Angeles that allows some developers to trade parking for affordable units suggests that they would build fewer spots than the old laws required but still provide plenty of space to park. (Specifically, Manville notes that including affordable units raises the cost of market-rate units, which must come with ample parking to justify their luxury price tag.)

The immediate change will be for people who own empty, existing buildings right now, Kang argues. Often, older buildings are frozen out of renovation and adaptive reuseturning an old store into a restaurant, or an old office into apartmentsby the challenge of bringing parking up to code in and around an existing structure. For buildings near transit, that wouldnt be the case anymore.

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Restaurants would be another big winner from parking reform, says Eddie Navarrette, whose company, FE Design & Consulting, helps restaurateurs get up and running. Los Angeles temporary suspension of parking mandates during the pandemic has been a major breakthrough, but the state law would be a game-changer for mom n pops. Many food-service spaces are simply impossible to plan parking at by Los Angeles standards, he says, which require one space for every 100 square feet of restaurantmore parking space than restaurant space. That forces would-be cooks to go through a long and expensive petition process with the city, which in turn stops restaurateurs without serious financial backing from opening at all. Among other benefits, says Navarrette, parking reform would level the playing field.

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The bill would also save the city government time, Navarrette suggests, since they can stop supervising the byzantine procedures attached to parking variance applications.

Something similar will happen in residential development, argues Mott Smith, chairman of the Council of Infill Builders. Well see a whole blossoming of younger, smaller, community-based developers. The expense and complication of meeting Los Angeles parking requirements, he says, has helped shift residential construction toward larger projects from larger companies. Expect to see changes at the margin, he suggests, where most developers embrace their new flexibility, still providing parking but stopping short of the space that triggers a whole new floor of garage. Tens of thousands of properties are sitting basically fallow, and lots of people with a little family money and a lot of ambition are trying to make creative deals happen.

The best news is for Californians who dont drive. The state might finally make it legalin some placesfor developers to build apartments without parking. That seems like a pretty basic idea, but homes without parking have been illegal in most California cities for more than 50 years.
Even in 2022, 60 years out from Marilyn Monroes death from a barbiturate overdose, it seems no one can resist trying to buy her, to be her, to use whatever means they can to grab a piece of her for themselves. Earlier this year, in an act of breathtaking crassness, Kim Kardashian insisted on wearing (and allegedly damaging) the historic dress Monroe wore while singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy in 1962. When Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner died in 2017, he ghoulishly arranged to buy a graveyard plot next to Monroes, presumably so he could lech on her for eternity. Even among the non-famous, the global trade in Monroe memorabiliathe keychains, calendars, posters, and Pinterest pages that circulate the stars familiar yet somehow infinitely rewatchable imageensures that she is a commodity before she is a person, or rather, that we can only experience her personhood through her commodification.

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The irony built into this dynamicthe more Monroes fans try to reach the real Marilyn behind the image, the further they push her awayis hardly news. Even during her own life, the tragedy of her isolation within the fortress of her own fame and beauty made up a key part of her myth. She, or a troubled figure based closely on her, was the subject of a 1958 quasi-biopic called The Goddess and, later, the inspiration for the character she played in The Misfits, written by her then-husband Arthur Miller. Since her death a whole cottage industry of Marilynian re-imaginings has sprung up: Millers semi-autobiographical 1964 play After the Fall, Norman Mailers and Gloria Steinems book-length essays on the enduring power of the Monroe legend, and more not-quite-biopic movie versions of her life. In Nicolas Roegs 1985 drama Insignificance, Theresa Russell played an intellectually curious Monroe in an all-night hotel-room conversation with Joe DiMaggio, Senator Joseph McCarthy, and Albert Einstein. In 2011s My Week with Marilyn, based on the memoirs by a young production assistant who worked with Monroe on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, Michelle Williams brought her considerable talent and intellect to embodying a frustratingly slight version of the actress.

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Now, in perhaps the closest thing Monroe has gotten to a full biographical screen treatmentalbeit one based on a Joyce Carol Oates bestseller that the production notes redundantly qualify as a fictional novelAndrew Dominik, director of the Australian action classic Chopper and the arthouse Western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, gives us Blonde, with the Cuban-born Spanish star Ana de Armas in the role of a transfixingly hyperreal Monroe. (The movie opens in select theaters this weekend before streaming on Netflix on Sept. 28.) Blondes most lasting impression is the transformation of de Armas into a note-perfect facsimile of the actress: the high, breathy voice; the mobile, childlike features; the simultaneous impression of vulnerable openness and near-dissociative detachment. Working with state-of-the-art makeup and costume designersno prosthetics or digital effects were usedde Armas gives us what amounts to a kind of Marilyn Monroe deepfake, bringing moments were used to seeing only as still images into three-dimensional life. Its an astonishing feat of performance that, sadly, feels set adrift in a hollow and dramatically inert movie that disserves both the actor and the character she plays.

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Where does dreaming end and madness begin? asks de Armas Monroe in one of the fragments of voiceover that tie together Blondes series of episodic vignettes. Who knows, but I can tell you where me getting mad at this movie began: about 10 minutes in, when it became clear that all of the protagonists myriad mental-health issues as an adult were going to be attributed to one formative traumatic event in her childhood. In Blondes telling, this is the abandonment of the young Norma Jeane Baker by her father and the subsequent insistence on the part of her delusional mother (Julianne Nicholson) that her father, glimpsed only once in the form of a portrait hanging on a cracked wall, is a Hollywood bigwig who will one day come back to claim his beloved daughter. For the rest of the movie, Monroes lost-father complex is hammered home as if with a cartoon mallet: She calls both the husbands we meet in the course of the movie Daddy, and up to her dying moment continues to envision the portrait coming alive to gaze on her with love. It may well be true that daddy issues were a huge driver of Monroes lifelong struggles with self-worth, but there is limited dramatic payoff in watching a parade of thinly developed, often nameless male characters line up to abuse and exploit her.

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The real Norma Jeane grew up in a series of households, first bounced around among various female relatives, including a grandmother who was also mentally ill, and later cycled through a series of foster homes where she was sometimes beaten and molested. It was an awful childhood, to be sure, but one formed by a multiplicity of disappointing relationships with both male and female parental figures. This movies opening section, with the seven-year-old Norma (Lily Fisher) being terrorized and at one point nearly drowned by an alcoholic and frighteningly unstable mother, accomplishes its aims on a visceral level: Its impossible not to feel sorry and frightened for the confused, affection-starved little girl. But this first chapter also establishes a pattern that by midway through the movie becomes suffocating: From her Norma Jeane days onward, Monroe is seen as little more than a victim, a hapless rag doll deprived of any real agency. Blonde captures her suffering, yes, but rarely her keen observational intelligence and almost never the sense of humor that was one of her defining traits onscreen. The persona the actress often referred to in private in the third person as her was not only glamorous, fascinating, and sexyshe was all those things to a degree that was absurd, a fact nearly all of Monroes best performances playfully emphasized. De Armas performance is certainly nuanced enough to have encompassed this self-amused quality, but the script seldom gives her the opportunity.

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The most frankly fictional element of Blonde is the ongoing threesome it posits among Monroe and two sons of movie stars, Charlie Cass Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson, Jr. (Evan Williams). In the movies imagining, this pair of charming wastrels were the only men in her life concerned with giving her sexual pleasure and not just taking it from her. The three of them form a defiant polyamorous bond, making out in the audience during screenings of Monroes films and tearing around Los Angeles on champagne-fueled joyrides. The scenes with Chaplin and Robinson provide for some of the movies best moments, if only because, in their company, we get rare glimpses of the usually miserable Monroe actually seeming to enjoy herself. But like the rest of the shadowy men in the story, neither Chaplin nor Robinson ever emerges as a real character.

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Monroes real-life first marriage, to a young Merchant Marine when she was only a teenager, is skipped over, while her subsequent marriages to two famous men, Joe DiMaggio (here called only the Ex-Athlete and played by Bobby Cannavale) and Arthur Miller (the Playwright, Adrien Brody) each get their own chapter. But Dominik seems more interested in recreating famous photographs from those relationships (Monroe and DiMaggio sitting together in a window seat, Monroe and Miller walking on a beach) than in understanding what she saw in each man and he in her. Instead, each husband is reduced to a single negative trait: the DiMaggio figure is a jealous, abusive Italian-American straight from a mob movie, while Miller is self-centered and intellectually patronizing.

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A maddening moment from the Arthur Miller chapter may serve to illustrate Blondes odd lack of curiosity about Monroe as an actor (as opposed to a movie star). When Miller first meets her, she is in an Actors Studio class where a scene from his work is about to be read. After her performance of a monologue from it, the whole group, Miller included, is awestruckbut we, the audience, never get to see Monroes reading of the speech. In a stylistic touch repeated later at a showing of Some Like it Hot, the work itself is elided, skipped over in a fast-forward effect. In a movie thats nearly three hours long, I guess Dominik had to economize somewhere, but I could have done with one less scene of casting-couch degradation in exchange for a peek at what it looked like when Monroe pulled out the stops and acted.

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Blondes production design is detailed down to providing exact replicas of Monroes preferred makeup products, the hairbrushes she would have had on her bureau, even the numbers that appeared on her license plates. The movies surfaces are impeccable: If you love period films and old-Hollywood costume design, its worth seeing for those elements alone. (The eerie synth-driven score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is another high point.) Yet the portraits it offers of its characters never peer beneath those surfaces. Over and over the movie hits the same emotional note: Poor Marilyn. Its a legitimate emotional response to what was self-evidently a tragic life, but the grinding sameness also makes for a miserabilist slog.

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Coming out of Blonde, I found myself trying to understand why the film left me not just disappointed but somehow angry. Did I agree with the criticism (often coming from people who have not yet seen it) that the film itself is an example the exploitation its attempting to decry? Not really. Though de Armas spends long stretches of the movie in the nude (generally shown only from the waist up), and though many scenes show her being slavered over by large crowds of nightmarishly rendered men, I believe Dominiks intent is to show us such moments of objectification from Marilyns point of view (and by all accounts, the real-life Monroe was a fan of casual nudity). The films NC-17 rating probably comes mostly from a scene in which two Secret Service agents hustle Monroe into a hotel room to sexually service John F. Kennedy. The president is one of the most unsavory male characters in a very competitive lineup: Without ever getting off the phone, he orders Marilyn to fellate him while he watches a rocket launch on TV, in a phallic metaphor so obvious the audience forgot about our heroines debasement for long enough to snicker at the dick joke.

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If anything, Blonde doesnt exploit Monroes life story enough.

If anything, Blonde doesnt exploit Monroes life story enough. There were so many roads not taken, so many angles on her story that were left unexplored. Dominiks use of visual and auditory trickerydistorted images, disorienting temporal shifts, unexplained switches from color to black-and-white, a couple of ill-advised conversations with about-to-be-miscarried fetusescertainly produces a subjective effect of being inside the consciousness of a drugged-out, dissociated woman moving through a world she experiences as a hostile blur. But though these techniques make us identify and sympathize with de Armas fragile Marilyn, they seldom help us to understand or admire her, as a resilient person who, despite a lifetime of systematic maltreatment, managed to grow into an artist with a deep desire to create meaningful work. Blonde tries to honor the legacy of Marilyn Monroe by serving up a heaping helping of what she already got too much of in lifevoyeurism, sexual abuse, audiences who longed to step through the screen and rescue herwhile robbing her of the best gifts she gave us: her humor, her vitality, her inextinguishable inner light. Once again, in trying to find our way past the icon to the woman underneath, we have only pushed Norma Jeane further away.
What is going on in the United Kingdom? Its a question with a simple, four-word answer: the queen is dead. That is almost literally everything that is happening here at the moment.

Since the queen died last Thursday, the country has ground to a halt. The queen is dead for breakfast, the queen is dead for lunch, and youll want to leave room for a nice hearty portion of the queen is dead for dinner, too. People are still going to work, sure, but there is no press except press about the queen being dead. Every business in the countryfrom chicken shops to pork jerky brads, chemists to cobblershave felt the need to issue a public statement of grief about the queen dying. Supermarkets have turned down the beeps on their self-checkout machines to mark their depth of feeling for the queen. Our weather forecaster, the Met Office, has cut back the number of weather reports it is issuing as a mark of respect during this time of national mourning. An amusement park company, Center Parcs, announced its intention to kick all vacationers staying in their parks out for one day, the queens funeral, before realizing just how deranged that would be and making a U-turn.

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Insufficiently serious cinematic releases like Ticket to Paradise, the new George Clooney and Julia Roberts vehicle, are being delayed. You can go to the cinema to watch the queens funeral, but you may only drink water and eat nothing, in case your hot dog meets with the displeasure of the dead queen.

So theres a weird confluence of feelings: on the one hand, all of this is mental and stupid and therefore funny, but on the other hand everything being shut down or in a holding pattern until the mourning period is over is boring. The country is in limbo at the moment, or maybe existing out of time. The news feels like its from 1630, with headlines like Public gather to kiss the rings of King Charles.

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This could hardly come at a worse time for the country.

But there is also something more sinister brewing here. Hospital appointments on the day of the queens funeral are cancelled. Food banks are closed. Normal peoples funerals are also cancelled. On the day the queen died, Liz Truss, our new prime minister, quietly lifted the ban on fracking in this country and also announced a plan to relieve Britons of crippling energy bills this winter without explaining where that money is going to come from. Im not suggesting that anybody offed the queen early for political expediency, but parliament will now be closed for a month: again, to respect the dead queen.

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This could hardly come at a worse time for the country. The cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. needs urgent political attention, and the cost of energy is going to become more and more pressing as the weather gets colder.

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These are interesting times to have a new prime minister and a new monarch in the same week. Things really suck here at the moment. People are frustrated. Everything is expensive, the post-pandemic mental health crisis is about to hit us like a freight train, and our seas and rivers are full of sewage that Tory MPs voted to have dumped there. And a lot of people who loved the queen in a grandmotherly kind of way but would count themselves as republicans are now faced with King Charles, who has already been filmed snarling at an aide to remove something from a table. Looking ahead, it seems likely that we are going to witness a vast, gaudy display of elite wealth, King Charles coronation, just as the rest of the country drags itself through one of the worst recessions in history.

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There have also been the small incidents of anti-royal protest all over the country that have been met by the law with a ludicrously heavy hand. A young woman was arrested in Edinburgh for holding up a sign saying fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy. A man in Oxford was arrested for shouting who elected him? when King Charles was being proclaimed as the king on Sunday.

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The severity of this reaction from the police, and from the crown by extension, suggests an unease. Some people have wondered whether this uncertain time is going to provide an opportunity to interrogate whether we want a monarchy: whether there isnt another way forward than simply accepting another unelected head of state, another round of our purely symbolic monarchy that is made up of real people who receive our real tax money and that were not allowed to criticize publicly or well get thrown in real jail.

Perhaps it will. But Im not convinced. I spent some time at Buckingham Palace this past weekend, reporting something else about the queen, because again: there is no room for other news here. People did not seem ready to revolt. The British people and the monarchy is the ultimate case of Stockholm syndrome, and I dont see that theres any real hope for a cure.
On Oct. 21, 2012, Dr. Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist, arrived at Galway University Hospital in western Ireland complaining of back pain. She was 17 weeks pregnant. Staff sent her home, but she came back hours later. According to Irelands official 2013 investigation into her case, Halappanavar told staff that she felt something coming down and pushed a leg back in. The pain was unbearable. The hospital admitted her.

Two days later, on Oct. 23, 2012, a doctor told Halappanavar a miscarriage was inevitable. Membranes once shielding the fetus in her womb had ruptured. Halappanavar and her husband, who both wanted the pregnancy, absorbed the distressing news. Rather than delay the inevitable, the couple asked for a medically induced miscarriage, or an abortion.

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But a doctor said that would not be possible, explaining that under Irish law, if theres no evidence of risk to the life of the mother, our hands are tied so long as theres a fetal [heartbeat].

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That law the doctor was referencing was the Ireland Constitutions Eighth Amendment, which criminalized abortion in almost all cases when it was added in 1983. At Galway University Hospital, with the doctor believing Halappanavars life not to be at risk, staff monitored the fetal heartbeat in her womb, intending to induce a miscarriage when it stopped.

All the while, an infection spread and worsened in Halappanavar. On Oct. 28, 2012, her own heart stopped. She died from septic shock.

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Halappanavars parents and husband blamed her preventable death on the Eighth, as the amendment was known. When news of Halappanavars tragedy broke, thousands of people protested and held candlelit vigils across Ireland. Posters read, She had a heartbeat too.

That outrage spurred Irelands next generation of reproductive rights activism. Still, it took six years after Halappanavars death for the nation to hold a referendum that asked voters to keep or repeal the Eighth. On May 26, 2018, that referendum result came in: Two-thirds of voters wanted a repeal. As they learned of the results, supporters in Dublin chanted, Sa-vi-ta! Sa-vi-ta! Sa-vi-ta! in honor of Halappanavar.

Today, the Irish activists who led that victory are watching America unravel with heartbreaking predictability. Since the fall of Roe, they expect the U.S. to suffer not only one Halappanavar-like tragedy, but several.

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Echoing Irelands Eighth, some states now have near-total abortions bans. Several bans include exceptions, such as for the pregnant persons life or in instances of rape and incest. But the lack of clarity around these new regulations has already caused hospital staff to rely on lawyersnot doctorsto make decisions about care. Many experts agree such bans can create a chilling effect that may endanger women like Halappanavar. Doctors deciphering legislation in an emergency can become overly cautious about ending a pregnancy. Americas high maternal mortality rate, especially among Black women, is now predicted to climb.

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It is very difficult for me to look at the U.S. because you can feel the pain, said Ailbhe Smyth, one of the three co-directors of Together for Yes, the umbrella group of grassroots organizations that led Irelands repeal campaign to liberalize abortion. Still, Smyth said there is nothing to be done except fight: There comes a breaking point. It happened to us in Ireland, in Colombia, in many countries. Even though there has been this terrible setback in the U.S., it is now about rebuilding, state by state, because the pain will be too much to bear.

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The principles behind what worked in Ireland are perhaps most applicable to what is going to have to happen on the state level in the U.S. Ireland is home to about 5 million people, which is roughly the population size of South Carolina (though Lindsey Graham, senator from that state, wants to enshrine a 15-week ban for the whole countryyet hes certainly facing pushback over that plan). This Augusts election in Kansas, where a majority of voters protected an abortion safeguard in the red states constitution, deployed strategies that were also key in Ireland.

Irish activists focused on the people they most needed to persuade to secure a winand they listened to those voters first. The repeal campaign knew moderate voters would not support abortion as a principle, but they may be willing to vote for abortion as care. Advocates went door to door, talking to voters with messages tailored to them. In Kansas, canvassers, who were mostly locals themselves, hit the pavement with similar tactics. Ads tapped into many Kansans aversion to government intrusion, calling for a vote against a government mandate and rarely saying abortion.

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But Irish activists said that if Americans truly want to learn from their victory, they need to grasp what came before and after the countrys breaking point with Halappanavars death. Abortion had been outlawed for 35 years in Ireland before the campaign to legalize it succeeded. Fearing Roe v. Wades impact on Ireland, influential Catholics had designed the Eighth to solidify an 1861 abortion ban. Ten years after Roe, Irish people voted in a 1983 referendum to add the Eighth (by the same margin they later voted to abolish it).

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The same year the amendment passed, medical student Mary Favier campaigned against the Eighth, albeit unsuccessfully. By 2002, she had grown fed up with only hearing medical voices that were anti-abortion and usually male in the news. So she founded Irish Doctors for Choice, an advocacy group for physicians supportive of abortion care. Yet months before Halappanavars death, Favier debated shutting that group down. She was one of the only members left.

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One reason abortion felt less urgent in Ireland was that the procedure was legal everywhere else in the U.K. except Northern Ireland. That meant Irish women could travel to nearby Britain to end pregnancies. But like in the U.S. today, pregnant people without the money, time off work, child care, immigration papers, or mobility status were left out. There was also still a lot of stigma about abortion, leading Irish activists to struggle in their efforts at first.

Then one morning in 2012, Favier got a call from a reporter asking about Halappanavar. Favier had no idea what the reporter meant; the story had just broke. But from then on, [Irish Doctors for Choice] didnt have a quiet day, she said.

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Activists channeled outcry over Halappanavar into a simple goal: Repeal the Eighth. To do that, the Irish parliament needed to call a referendum asking voters to abolish or keep the amendment. But many politicians still saw abortion as too controversial, fearing that backing a referendum would tank their appeal with constituents. Over the next few years, activists would have to ramp up public pressure to convince politicians that avoiding the Eighth no longer protected their careers but risked them.

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At the same time in Ireland, LGBTQI+ activists were calling for marriage equality, which needed a referendum of its own. Smyth, who is also an LGBTQI+ activist, encouraged reproductive rights advocates to help marriage equality across the finish line first. That move promised to build solidarity between movements, weaken anti-abortion groups that align with anti-LGBTQI+ groups, and show politicians there may be enough public will to tackle the Eighth next. In a 2015 referendum, marriage equality won.

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All the while, young advocacy groups like the Abortion Rights Campaign (founded in 2012) and more-established groups like the National Womens Council of Ireland (started in 1973) worked at the grassroots level to strengthen repeal support. A referendum on the Eighth had not yet been announced, but activists were lobbying politicians as public cries mounted.

The Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, co-founded by Smyth as an alliance of more than 60 groups, was also preparing for an eventual referendum. In 2016, the alliance commissioned focus group research to gauge what undecided voters thought of the Eighth. These voters would need to support a repeal for the campaign to win. The research showed, however, that such voters still found it tough to talk about abortion. People rejected the question, Will you legalize abortion?

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So, the groups decided to tweak their approach. But if you said something a bit different, which was, We have a constitution that kills women. What do you think about this?, then they would say, Oh, thats horrendous. That should never have happened,  said Smyth, recalling public grief over Halappanavars death. So, you see, this gave you another way of talking about the issue.

And that may be a lesson: Knowing what to ask for proved as critical as knowing when and whom to ask for it. Irish activists ask could strategically appear moderate. Abolishing the Eighth would allow Ireland to legislate abortion. But supporting repeal did not directly mean supporting abortion in all or most cases. That fudge, as Smyth put it, brought more folks into the tent.

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Focus group research also found moderate voters were not persuaded to repeal the Eighth as a rights or pro-choice issue. It was talking about abortion as health care and about a repeal vote as a compassionate vote that resonated. Campaign posters would later draw on what activists called the two Cs: care and compassion. Like in Kansas in August, their signs did not state abortion. One repeal poster simply read, Someone you love may need your yes.

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Around December 2017, with a referendum all but certain, Together for Yes formed as an umbrella group of more than 70 organizations committed to abolishing the Eighth. In March 2018, a referendum date was set for May 25, leaving roughly 68 days to reach voters. The umbrella group deployed the grassroots-level efforts. They did that through canvassing: going door-to-door, knocking, and having conversations, said Sinead Kennedy, a member of Together for Yes national executive committee and co-founder of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment. I think that was how the campaign was won: through conversations.

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Years of work meant people in local Together for Yes chapters were looped into the plan and could help canvass. An outpouring of abortion storytelling also swayed voters in the runup to the referendum. For example, members of Terminations for Medical Reasons, an advocacy group of parents who received a fatal fetal anomaly diagnosis, spoke of the cost of needing to travel for health care.

Those stories showed that when you say abortion care, these are the people youre talking about, said Sarah Monaghan, a member of Together for Yes national executive committee. People who had to take a flight to terminate a wanted pregnancy, then bring their child home in a little coffin.

To Julie F. Kay, the American attorney who litigated the landmark ABC v. Ireland case in the European Court of Human Rights in 2010, the success of this campaign was thanks to how patiently Irish activists worked to make abortion relevant and approachable.

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People are going to listen the most on these issues to the people they know, said Kay, who co-wrote the 2021 book Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom. When someone they love and respect shares what this personally means to them, that matters a lot.

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From across the pond, Favier was not surprised by the fall of Roe earlier this year in the U.S., but the Dobbs decision still felt like a gut punch. That did surprise her. For much of Faviers career, she looked to the U.S. for leadership. Intellectually, shes known the U.S. has not been that leader in recent years. But emotionally, I think I still believed it, said Favier, who is today co-chair of Global Doctors for Choice, an international advocacy group, and past president of the Irish College of General Practitioners. It has been quite a shift to acknowledge it is over: the U.S. is now an international outlier.

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And yet, abortion rights are still broadly popular in the U.S. A Pew Research Center survey from March 2022 found that 61 percent of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal all or most of the time. Ireland offers urgent lessons for how the U.S. can galvanize that support, including the power of discussing abortion one on one and lifting the issue above partisanship.

On how to create dialogue about abortion, Irish activists advised listening to people who are on the fencewithout telling them what to think. Smyth explained the goal is not to change minds but to open them. To humanize an often-abstract issue, repeal canvassers in Ireland also told stories of people who needed abortions. They used evidence-based points from Irish Doctors for Choice to tackle misinformation as well. The Irish activists discouraged arguing with people whose minds were fully made up against abortion. Doing so often spoke over, rather than to, voters in the middle.

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Still, Irelands anti-abortion movement was much weaker in 2018 than Americas anti-abortion movement is today. The Catholic Churchs declining power in Irelandand the American anti-abortion movements rising influence in the Republican Partycan help explain that difference. Noting this contrast is key for the U.S. to draw any lessons from Ireland.

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For decades in Ireland, the Catholic Churchs leaders drove anti-abortion sentiment. But as reports of widespread child abuse in the church surfaced over the past decade, many Irish people lost trust in the once-dominant institution. Yet generations had still been raised Catholic and taught to see abortion as a sin. During the 2018 repeal campaign, undecided voters ambivalence about the Eighth often hailed back to a Catholic upbringing. These voters did not want pregnant people to die under the Eighth, but they also did not want abortion to be legal in all cases. Irelands anti-abortion movement may have won by pushing a toned-down version of the Eighth. But while Together for Yes tweaked their approach to reach moderates, Irelands anti-abortion movement rarely veered from an older playbook.

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One anti-abortion poster during the referendum showed a fetus and read, A License to Kill? Another depicted a floating fetus next to the caption, I am 9 weeks old/ I can yawn and kick/ Dont repeal me. The pregnant person, the woman, was almost always absent. This fetus-centric, confrontational messaging recalled the abortion rhetoric of 1980s Ireland and the U.S. It also underscored how Irish and American anti-abortion movements had diverged by 2018.

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In the years before Roe fell in the U.S., American anti-abortion groups had adopted a value them both message that no longer talked about the fetus alone. This approach speciously claims abortion harms the mother as well as the unborn. Because abortion bans wereand still areunpopular, a value them both approach made restricting abortion more palatable in many states. This was part of the movements state-level strategy to chip away at abortion access until the procedure became out of reach. That strategy, however, was foreign in Ireland.

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Prior to 2018, the Irish anti-abortion movement had lived for decades with a near-total abortion ban. An incrementalist strategy was not needed. The movement was not practiced in reaching moderate voters because they had rarely needed to compromise beyond their base before the repeal campaign. However, this inflexible stance on the Eighth, one that all but ignored the mother, helped turn moderates away and bolstered the repeal campaign.

The anti-abortion movement in the U.S. is not as tied to the Catholic Church; several other religious and secular groups now fall under the American pro-life umbrella too. So, the scandals in the church did not damage the anti-abortion movement here like it did in Ireland. And in recent years, American anti-abortion groups political power surged as their alliance with the Republican Party strengthened. But the U.S. could look to how Irish abortion rights activists disentangled the repeal vote from partisanshipand follow that road map.

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In the Irish activists focus group research, moderate voters said they distrusted politicians. Repealing the Eighth was deliberately framed as a nonpartisan issue. Together for Yes did not officially attach itself to a political party. The U.S. could similarly lift abortion out of partisan divides by making the issue a ballot initiative in state elections, taking a cue from Kansas. Independent and Republican voters who oppose abortion bans may rally, slowly turning the tide in what will likely be a long struggle.

Now 76, Smyth began fighting to end the Eighth in the 1980s in Ireland. Americas battle may also take decades. But Smyth hesitated to draw too neat a comparison, recalling when an American came to help with the repeal campaign and asked, Why dont you do something like we do in the States?

And I replied, Well, because youre not winning,  she said. But my point was, We have to do what works for us. For the U.S., nobody can tell you what to do. We can only say, if you ask us, that we see that what we did worked. It also worked because the timing was right, and we knew that. We were clever enough to seize the moment.

Monaghan offered a final word of advice from Ireland post-repeal to the U.S. post-Roe: The most important thing is to not give up. America has done it before, and it will do it again. I am certain of it because they have to.
Former President Donald Trump has been granted the opportunity to throw a wrench into the progress of the Justice Departments investigation into his wrongful squirreling of classified documents and other public-owned documents at Mar-a-Lago. Earlier this month, his eleventh-hour appointee to the federal bench, Judge Aileen Cannon, indulged his most expansive claim, allowing Trump to assert that executive privilege could possibly apply to thousands of documents wrongfully held at Mar-a-Lago and appointing a special master to screen the documents before federal criminal investigators may have access to them. On Thursday, Cannon declined to stay that ruling as it pertains even to documents marked classified, over which there is clearly no basis for Trump to assert that his executive privilege trumps that of the current administration. In so doing, Cannon reaffirmed her unprecedented ruling that the special master is to screen those documents for executive privilege. She simultaneously continued to block the government from using the documents in the pending criminal investigation and rejected the Justice Departments request that she require her special master to act expeditiously. This attempted expansion of executive privilege stretches the doctrine to its absolute limit. At the same time, even in its more modest form, the Supreme Courts recognition of executive privilege in U.S. v. Nixona case I argued and in which Nixons claims of executive privilege over White House tapes failedhas proven to be an utter disaster for democracy without this possible gross expansion.

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As just one example, Trump and his various White House aides and associates, including former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former advisor Stephen Bannon, similarly tried to hide behind claims of executive privilege in an effort to stymie the investigation of the House Select Committee probing the January 6 assault on the Capitol.

As these latest uses of this relatively new privilege powerfully illustrate, executive privilege comes at a huge cost to our governmental institutions searching for the truth. It is time to revisit the underpinning of executive privilege and to recognize that it rests on a false premisethat it is supposedly necessary to protect confidential White House communications in order to assure candor in advising the president. Decades of experience have shown that this notion was and is misguided.

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Nearly fifty years ago, as the counsel to the Watergate special prosecutor, I argued that the Supreme Court should reject President Richard Nixons claim that he could invoke executive privilege to shield Oval Office tape recordings from a subpoena demanding their production for use in prosecuting his aides in the Watergate coverup trial. The court had never recognized such a privilege, and we tried to convince the justices that it would be a big mistake to create such a barrier to the search for truth.

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Nevertheless, the courts Nixon decision reached a compromised unanimous decision that declared the existence of such a privilege, but granted us access to the tapes, allowing the courts to overrule its exercise in particular circumstances. In a short-sighted, reflexive reaction, the decision was widely celebrated at the time, because it upheld the particular order requiring Nixon to turn over specified White House tapes, including the infamous smoking gun tape. That tape recorded Nixons own orchestration of the coverup conspiracy within a few days after burglars commissioned by his reelection campaign broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex. Recognizing that impeachment and removal from office would become inevitable, Nixon was forced to resign two weeks later.

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But the Supreme Courts decision has been the cause of enormous mischief since then.

Nixon had reserved the option to ignore any decision by the Supreme Court that was not definitive. It my closing argument, I asked the court to render a definitive ruling against Nixon. We now knowironically, from access to the justices own internal papersthat the definitive, unanimous decision was crafted as a compromise. In return for a ruling that would allow enforcement of the particular subpoena directed at Nixons tapes, the justices agreed to recognize executive privilege for the first time and to treat it as constitutionally based. The rationale for that constitutional conclusion was dubious at the time, and no longer makes any practical sense.

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The court reasoned:

A President and those who assist him must be free to explore alternatives in the process of shaping policies and making decisions and to do so in a way many would be unwilling to express except privately. These are the considerations justifying a presumptive privilege for Presidential communications. The privilege is fundamental to the operation of Government and inextricably rooted in the separation of powers under the Constitution.

Three years later, the court concluded that, even after leaving office, Nixon could invoke executive privilege to shield his White House papers from access without his consent, a ruling that former president Donald Trump is invoking to keep the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection from obtaining materials related to those events and also using to try to block the Mar-a-Lago probe from moving forward. His former aides and allies are also relying on Trumps claim to resist testifying about the events leading up the January 6 turmoil and the days events. In the 1977 case, Nixon v. General Services Administration, the court reaffirmed and broadened the original Nixon rationale for recognizing a presidents special privilege to block access to hard information about official decision-making:

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Unless he can give his advisers some assurance of confidentiality, a President could not expect to receive the full and frank submissions of facts and opinions upon which effective discharge of his duties depends. The confidentiality necessary to this exchange cannot be measured by the few months or years between the submission of the information and the end of the Presidents tenure; the privilege is not for the benefit of the President as an individual, but for the benefit of the Republic. Therefore the privilege survives the individual Presidents tenure.

That rationale may sound plausible, but history has shown that it is naive and unrealistic. Even before the Nixon affair, presidents and their advisors had no assurance that their internal discussions would remain confidential for long. Diaries and reflections by most former presidents and their close advisors have appeared in print for generations, both before the Nixon decision and thereafter. Presidential autobiographies discussing their administrations decision-making process date back to at least Martin van Buren and James Buchanan in the mid-nineteenth century

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In the past 50 years, entire bookstores can be stocked just by tell-all books published by former White House insiders or with their active cooperation or anonymously sourced leaks. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post has developed a personal cottage industry with such reporting (beginning, of course, with Watergate itself). Some of the latest revelations in the bibliographic torrent are by Jonathan Karl of ABC News andwith disingenuous ironyby Meadows, who is invoking executive privilege to avoid testifying about the same events that he discusses in the insiders book that he is hawking. As these latest volumes reveal, the undeniable prospect that internal conversations will soon become public has not discouraged White House aides from offering candidand, during the Trump years, outlandish and seditiousadvice to the president.

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There is simply no reason to believe that the absence of privilege to shield presidential communications from official inquiry, such as by congressional committees, would dampen the creativity or candor of advice offered to the president. Instead, the privilege has the perverse consequence of depriving public authorities of reliable and accurate information, while oceans of private disclosures about what supposedly was said and by whom threaten to drown any reliable evaluation of presidential decision-making.

The Nixon decision has had the foreseeable consequence of strengthening the hand of every subsequent president in resisting calls for disclosure of White House communications. Most significantly, it was the basis for Trump to frustrate efforts by the House of Representatives to secure vital evidence from the White House in the two impeachments. Moreover, it is providing the predicate for formal and informal Trump advisors such as Bannon and Meadows to refuse to cooperate with the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection and for Trump himself to object to disclosure of materials that President Biden is willing to release to the committee (as well as the latest Mar-a-Lago roadblock).

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Recognizing the importance of getting at the truth surrounding the January 6 insurrection, President Biden decided to waive executive privilege in order to facilitate the House committees access to reliable, contemporary evidence. Nevertheless, under Supreme Court precedent, the former president is said to have standing to assert this privilege independently, despite the incumbents determination that the national interest favors disclosure. Trumps assertion of executive privilege to block release of his papers relating to the January 6 events led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to stay temporarily a district courts recent order giving preference to Bidens willingness to waive executive privilege despite Trumps insistence on the privilege, while the Supreme Court evaluates the clash of presidents.

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Inevitably, the request to the Supreme Court for further review adds further delay as the country approaches the 2022 congressional election. In a Supreme Court composed of a majority of conservative justices who support a broad view of presidential powerincluding two alumni (Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanagh) of the White House counsels officeit is by no means clear that the majority will rebuffs Trumps claim.

Indeed, when in January the Supreme Court refused to block the D.C. Circuits decision eventually allowing the January 6 Committee to have access to Trumps presidential records, despite his claim of executive privilege, the court explained that it was doing so only because the lower court has found that access was allowable under the Nixon standards, even if Trump had still been president. Justice Clarence Thomas indicated that he would have upheld Trumps privilege claim, keeping the documents away from the Committees. Not surprisingly, Justice Brett Kavanagh explicitly endorsed the fallacious Nixon reasoning that [b]y protecting the confidentiality of those internal communications, the Presidential communications privilege facilitates candid advice and deliberations, and it leads to more informed and better Presidential decisionmaking.

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Wrangling over Trumps right to claim executive privilege over the thousands of documents that he shipped off to Mar-a-Lago already has delayed the Justice Departments conduct of an important criminal investigation. His opportunity to press this dubious privilege through the appellate courts gives him an unwarranted weapon for staving off the day of judgment.

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Ultimately, the problem is with executive privilege itself. The privilege comes with great cost in concealing information about the most important actions of the president. By contrast, because it is fatuous to believe that anyone involved in presidential decision-making really expects indefinite secrecy, it provides no real benefit in enhancing the quality of presidential advice.

It is time to recognize that, if there ever was a plausible basis for the decision to recognize the existence of executive privilege, that rationale has evaporated. The past five decades of experience have shown that no president and no advisor realistically can expect confidentiality, just opportunistic and selective leaking and characterizations. Therefore, under the wise and prudent principle of jurisprudence that when the reason for a law ceases, the law itself ceases (cessante ratione legis cessat ipsa lex), the Supreme Courtor at least some thoughtful justices arguing in dissentshould begin the process of dismantling the misguided Nixon decision. To set the stage for forcing such a reexamination of this obstructive privilege, the Justice Department, congressional committees, including the January 6 Select Committee, and state prosecutors should begin to challenge the very constitutional underpinning of claims of executive privilege that frustrate uncovering the truth about public corruption and abuse of power.

The public has the right to every persons evidence. That includes presidents, ex-presidents, and their confederates. Full stop.
The first time I thought, Id really like to talk to Demetre Daskalakis, was nearly 10 years ago. Id read about the work he was doing in the newspaper. A reporter followed him around an afterhours gay sex club in New York City called Paddles. It was 4 in the morning, and he was there to give men meningitis vaccines. That was an exciting, not much sleep time, Daskalakis now says of the experience.

Back then, bacterial meningitis was tearing through the gay community in New York. A handful of people had died in the outbreak. Daskalakis didnt have an official role; he was just an attending physician at a public hospital. Regardless, Dr. Demetre was becoming a familiar face at New Yorks bathhouses and leather clubs.

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After the meningitis outbreak subsided, Daskalakis went on to lead HIV/AIDS prevention for the city health department. Fast forward to today, and his work has taken him all the way up to the White House, which is where hes helping to lead the Biden administrations fight against monkeypox as the deputy coordinator for the White House response.

The Biden administration has gotten plenty of criticism for being slow to respond to monkeypox. On Thursdays episode of the show, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis explains why he thinks his radically open approach might be part of turning the tide.

Mary Harris: Demetre Daskalakis has been doing a lot of learning in real time about monkeypox. Before this outbreak, he was the director of the Division of HIV Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His new role makes sense because this new strain of monkeypox, 90 percent of the time, is showing up in one group of people: gay men.

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Demetre Daskalakis: Its unprecedented. This is not the monkeypox that we are taught about in our infectious disease fellowshipa zoonotic disease that passes from animals to humans.

Thats not really the disease youre looking at right now.

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This is acting a lot differently, and its in a completely different social network. So it really calls upon not only the tools and the kit that you have for monkeypox, but also the tools and the kit that you have for infections that are associated with sexual activity and also the communities that are affected. Everyone had to brush up. We have fabulous pox experts at the CDC. And they were really important to us all getting up to speed, but then, everyone had to pivot because this outbreak is unprecedented and the way that it was moving in the population was unlike anything that we had learned or seen.

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Its funny because early on, in May, the administration was projecting confidence about their response to monkeypox. I wonder if you, with all of your knowledge of how some things spread in the gay community and the stigma and how that plays into treatment, were maybe a little bit more on edge about where this could go?

I feel like at that point I was more grateful that I was involved than on edge, because we were all working off of the monkeypox playbook: You have an exposure, you do vaccination of the exposed folks, and its controlled. When we saw that thats not the story here, there was a pivot that the response took to reconsider their vaccination strategy, which was ring vaccination.

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Ring vaccinationvaccinating an infected persons close contactscan stop a virus in its tracks, if you work fast. But over the course of June, as Pride celebrations played out around the country, it became clear this virus was moving faster than public health workers anticipated. Daskalakis says he got a fuller picture once the epidemiological data started coming in.

It took the epidemiology to teach us that this was moving a lot differently. This is a story that is characterized by a lot of pivots. So every time we learned something new, there was a pivot made to address it. And one of the most important pivots has been increasing vaccine supply to be able to be more broad in terms of the folks that were vaccinating.

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In the midst of all this, I wonder how youve balanced your role as a queer health warrior and a government official. Over the summer, there was vigorous debate about whether people like you should be telling the gay community: Listen, you should limit partners because while monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, its transmitted by close contact, and its spreading vigorously in this community.

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And you took a middle path. You said, I think people should abstain from too many sexual partners, but this isnt a forever thing. And obviously you have your own kind of cred in the community. Can you talk about balancing all that? Because it seems like a tightrope.

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It is a tightrope, but its the tightrope that I balance every day with HIV, so its super familiar. What we know from the story of HIV is thatand again monkeypox is totally different than HIV, but some of the story is very similaryou need to give folks harm reduction strategies that work for them, because theres a whole range of humans in terms of what theyre going to listen to. Your folks who are very conservative sexually, you barely need to reach them. Folks who are in the middle, theyre swayable. And folks who are having a lot of sex, if youre able to even address or change their behavior a bit, youre gonna get some benefit.

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And as the data increased over time, we also became stronger about being clear that the best strategy right now, while were waiting for adequate vaccine supply in the U.S. and folks to be vaccinated, is to reduce multiple partners or onetime partners in anonymous contexts. Im not sure if youve seen the CDC guidance on safer sex and social gatherings, but its a pretty frank document that uses language thats pretty clear. And thats not the common way that public health has traditionally communicated to gay, bisexual men, and men who have sex with men, so that is really important.

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With those guidelines, were you specifically like, I dont wanna use straight language here. I dont wanna sound like a prude.

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Thats on brand. So I definitely wanted to make sure that the language was really frank.

Give me an example.

We used very clear terminology. So we didnt shy away from talking about sex toys and fetish here and all of the things that we wanna make sure that people understand. We talked to community. We kept getting feedback. It was iterative. I often refer back to a document that inspired the safer sex guidance that I put out when I was in the New York City Department of Health for COVID. Its all inspired by a document thats called, I think, How to Have Sex During an Epidemic: One Approach. And it was community-driven.

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How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach was a guide to safe sex that came out in 1983, when HIV/AIDS was spreading all over New York. It was published independently by a group of activists using donations. The guide gave information about the virus and recommended its readers use condoms and stick to certain lower-risk sex acts.

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Its a very frank, very clear document. And I remember when we were sitting in the office during COVID saying, Gee, we really need to do this in New York City. We really need to make a document that leads and tells people strategies to prevent COVID in more intimate encounters. And so we did, and it was really based on that. And so flash forward to monkeypox, and its pulling that idea out of the same toolkit and saying that public health needs to lead with this because were gonna be able to give people guidance that is correct based on science and nonstigmatizing.

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I want to talk about where we are now with monkeypox. Theres some good news, right? Like the number of monkeypox diagnoses are on the decline as of this month?

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Yeah. So looking at monkeypox, though were still seeing cases, were seeing a deceleration of new cases. Its not consistent across the country. Theres some jurisdictions that are definitely decelerating, and they tend to be the jurisdictions that were earliest in the outbreak.

New York, Los Angeles?

Yeah, New York, Illinois, Californiaplaces where you had the initial outbreaks.

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But the U.S. has still got a really high case count, right? Like more than 20,000 cases? And just for context, there are 55,000 cases globally. Its a healthy chunk.

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So were over 20,000, but what were seeing is that the doubling time of the outbreak is increasing, which means that its taking longer to double the number of cases. So it used to be in July, it took eight days to double the cases. And now were at over 25 days to double the cases.

Were flattening the curve.

Were flattening the curve.

Can I ask you to do something thats gonna be hard for you, because I hear the optimism in your voice? What honest grade would you give to the administration for its monkeypox response so far?

I think that I have to give them a solid A.

Really?

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I would, because this is unprecedented. Ive worked on this since May, when I was at the CDC. And I saw the urgency with which people were moving with some of the challenges that were just seemingly insurmountable, and Ive seen them being overcome.

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But you started to say theyre unprecedented. And I think thats why people have gotten stuck and sometimes angry about the administrations response to monkeypox, because obviously we just had COVID, so people feel like with monkeypox weve seen some of the same challenges we had with COVID, where in the beginning, it was really hard to get a monkeypox test. And then it was really hard to get a monkeypox vaccine. And then when the vaccines were out there, there were long lines and there were people gaming the digital system. This is what happened in New York City; thats where I am. People had real questions about whether the right people were getting treatment. And so it felt like a retread, and as someone who follows public health closely, I was frustrated. And I cant imagine you werent.

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Ill say Ive been in a lot of responses. And every response feels like it needs to go faster, and thats always true because its an emergency. But if you actually look back at this one and look at the speed at which some things happened, it really demonstrates that some of the lessons and strategies from COVID were actually working. So, the time from when the first case happeneda week later, CDC was already talking to commercial labs to get the lab commercialized. Within a month those labs were commercialized and available for doctors to order routine mechanisms. Thats unprecedented. The speed of going from a test that was in a public health lab all the way to commercialization, thats a direct lesson from COVID that moved really quickly.

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The vaccine! So this is a vaccine thats stored in the Strategic National Stockpile. No one imagined using a bioterrorist-preventing vaccine as a strategy to address an infection that was moving through close skin-to-skin contact in the context of sexual activity. And so the system had to pivot.

I wonder if it gave the administration a false sense of security, like, Oh, we got this. This is in the stockpile. So, were good.

I dont think anyone had a false sense of security. From where I sat at CDC, and then now where I sit at the White House, I feel like everyones aware that the challenges are real. And just, the creativity with which those challenges have been addressed has been remarkable as has the speed.

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I feel like what youre saying is like the COVID response was probably frustrating, and all those frustrating things may have happened this time, but we got past them faster.

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Thats probably a great summary. COVID taught so many lessons, and one of those was onboarding and testing faster. Everyone wants everything to move faster, and theyre right: Its an emergency. But I was amazed at the speed with which commercialization of a labs happen.

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Can you get the genie back in the bottle? Do you think we can eliminate monkeypox at this point, or is it too late in the U.S.?

I think that we are on the way to really tight control of this outbreak.

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That doesnt sound like elimination.

Well, my next sentence is then we have to really also focus, not only domestically, but also internationally. And thats gonna be a really important focus of the work that were doing, because theres always the possibility of reintroduction. I would love to shoot for elimination. Today Im gonna take really tight control.

I think the major challenge right now is vaccine distribution. Youve talked about it a couple of different times in a couple of different ways. Last month, you and others in the administration made a decision that some saw as controversial, which was to split up the dose of the monkeypox vaccine into five doses and give it slightly differentlyunder the skin, as opposed to inside the body. This may be a dumb question, but why can we just not get more vaccine?

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Thats not a dumb question. Its actually a great question. Its all about the when and the how. First of all, the intradermal strategy, given the data that we have, and the very thorough review done by the FDA, that strategy is a really important one to expand what we already have on the ground.

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But this plan has been criticized. In the Washington Post, Dan Diamond and some other folks reported that the day after the FDA started exploring this idea of splitting up the doses, the manufacturer called and they were hopping mad, threatening to cut off all future vaccine orders to the U.S. because they said we dont know how workable this is. That seems bad.

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Weve reviewed their data thoroughly along with them. And I think one of their issues was around safety. We actually did look at one of the studies using the vaccine virus thats used; 7,000 people were vaccinated in Germany with the same vector, with great amounts of safety. So theres definitely interactions that happened with the company, but ultimately everyone right now is on the same page.

Not everyone is on the same page, of course. Earlier this month, infectious disease researchers at Erasmus Medical Center in Norway released data that raised real questions about the plan to shrink vaccine doses. It suggested the shots werent generating many antibodies in people who got them.

Daskalakis says this new information doesnt change his thinking that muchyet. Thats because the Erasmus study looked at intramuscular injections rather than the intradermal injections his team is recommending.

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Its kind of like apples and sawdust. Were not really able to compare it to the intradermal. The next part of this is gonna be that we are also gonna be conducting vaccine effectiveness work across the country, and well be looking at various dosing strategies with real-world monkeypox challenge.

Do you feel like part of your challenge as a public health communicator with outbreaks like this is finding a way to reassure people while also acknowledging that whats going to happen over the next six months or year is going to be by definition an experiment?

Yeah, this is the really important part about communication in any outbreak, which is that what we know today could be different tomorrow. And thats not just about outbreaks, but about everything that we do because we move with the science. So, the science will teach us new things. And weve got to be ready to express how the changes are happening.

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Welcome to State of Mind, a new section from Slate and Arizona State University dedicated to exploring mental health. Follow us on Twitter.

Recently, I read that many parents of depressed teens and young adults are having difficulty finding a therapist for their children. One mom said she contacted over sixty therapists, and all said they were full. The article, published on Good Morning Americas website, described the increased rate of suicide among teen girls and women in their twenties, and how they wouldntor couldntseek therapy for depression, anxiety, and other serious conditions. The article offered an explanation that youve probably heard many times: there are not enough mental health professionals to meet the demand.

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Of course we need more mental health providers in our country. But this is not the complete story by any means. The truth is that providers often have space in their calendarsjust not for patients paying with insurance. I know because Ive turned patients away, claiming my calendar was full, when really, it was only full for patients who couldnt pay my fee out of pocket.

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That was back when I took insurance at all. Today, Im one of the many providers who doesnt accept insurance, thereby making my services inaccessible to many. This is a tough calculus for therapists, so let me explain why its so hard to provide affordable therapy and what can be done about it.

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When I started my psychotherapy practice twenty-five years ago, I wanted to earn a good incomebut I also wanted to help people who couldnt easily afford therapy. Eventually, I joined all possible insurance panels so that many of my patients could just pay a low co-pay, typically $15 to $40 per session. The insurance companies reimbursed me at a rate of $60 per session. That was considerably less than my going rate of $120 to $150 during that time, but by accepting insurance I was able to treat those who would have had difficulty affording my usual fee. Still, I kept some appointment slots open for private-pay patients who didnt have insurance and were willing and able to pay more for therapy. (Under the terms of the insurance agreements, we werent allowed to accept patients with insurance who might choose to supplement insurance payments or pay more privately. Either we treated them under their insurance plans or we couldnt see them at all.)

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All went well for the first three or four years. Then I started to notice something a little troubling. Whereas most employed people receive raises from time to time, years went by with no change in my compensation from insurance companies. I checked with other therapists and everyone else experienced this as well. It got to the point after a few years where we were paid less per session than the price of a mani-pedi or salon haircut. Not to denigrate salon workers, but they typically dont need to invest years of post-graduate education, training, and expense to qualify for their jobs. Meanwhile, I was able to raise my private pay rate over the years to match the going rate in our profession.

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When I worked with insurance companies, I needed to submit paperwork for each patient, and occasionally spend twenty to thirty minutes being questioned by an insurance representative about the necessity for continuing a patients therapy. These extra requirements were often time-consuming and were unpaid. That the insurance companies questioned my treatment protocol especially bothered me. It was in their best interest to keep treatment as brief as possible. And while my reimbursement rate was stagnant, my patients would complain about hefty increases in their insurance premiums. Of course, at this point I realized that insurance companies were the ones profiting from this arrangement.

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My office expenses including rent, utilities, and malpractice insurance, rose almost every year. Vacation time or other time off was self-funded. The low insurance compensation I received from insurance companies was worth less and less. I already did some volunteer counseling for an organization, and I didnt want to practically volunteer for insurance companies as well. I finally stopped working with insurance companies after a decade of practicing.

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More and more therapists only see patients who pay us directly. None of my close colleagues who have been in practice for a long time accept insurance. A quick perusal of the Psychology Today website in my general community shows that less than twenty percent of the therapists listed accept insurance. Typically, these therapists are relatively new to the profession and are building their practices. Many therapists find it much more gratifying to be in charge of our own therapy practices instead of relying on insurance companies to treat us fairly. We set our own fees. Many of us offer sliding scale payments to try to accommodate those who cant easily afford therapy.

Some therapists will take insurance, but only for a limited number of clients, and often when potential clients with insurance contact them, they will simply say they are unavailable instead of trying to explain the situation.

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If you cant use your insurance because all the therapists on your panel claim they are full, it is important to contact your insurance company and put the problem into their hands. You (and your employer) are paying premiums and you are entitled to service. Have the insurance company contact therapists and find some options for you. If you need therapy more urgently, you can try asking therapists if they have appointment slots available for clients who can pay out of pocket.

If out of pocket fees are too steep for you, here are a few suggestions for finding the most affordable treatment: ask about sliding scale fees (the listings on Psychology Today note which therapists offer a sliding scale). Contact family service agencies and other social service organizations that offer therapy at lower fees. You might also try searching for a therapy at a university training center for psychologists; often they provide lower-fee sessions with graduate students who are accruing hours toward their licenses and are well-supervised. Group therapy can be a possible alternative to one on one therapy, and fees are much lower.

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One last suggestion for finding affordable treatment is to ask for shorter or less frequent sessions. Some therapists may be willing to accommodate you this way if they think treatment can still be effective.

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My hope is that insurance companies will raise their therapist reimbursement rates to increase the number of available appointments for their members. No one wants to pay monthly premiums and not be able to receive mental health care, and it is essential that everyone who seeks mental health assistance be able to obtain it. But even if more mental health providers join the field, they will still need to be able to make a living at their jobs.

If you need to talk, or if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

State of Mind is a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University that offers a practical look at our mental health systemand how to make it better.
Jon Stewart is a globally recognised, award-winning thinker and writer.

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At the beginning of this year, the Association of American Publishers announced the winners of its prestigious annual PROSE Awards, which recognise the best scholarly and scientific works. This year the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) had reason to celebrate: for the first time, an employee of one of its institutes received a PROSE award.

From among 560 entries across various categories, a book by American philosopher and historian of philosophy Jon Stewart was chosen as the winner in the philosophy category. After working at several leading research institutes and universities around the world, including Harvard University, Stewart now works at the SAVs Institute of Philosophy.

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"These past four years have been the high point of my professional career. I am doing the best work I have ever done at the highest level. It is not because I suddenly got very smart in the last four years, but rather it is due to the work conditions that the Academy has provided me," Stewart said in an interview with the Slovak Spectator.

"At this point I regard Slovakia as my home. I do not have any desire to go anywhere else, nor can I imagine it. As long as things continue like this, I have no reason to think about going anywhere."

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Related article Croatian linguist making Slovak his lifes work Read more

An opportunity he could not refuse

In 2017, when Stewart was at Harvard University and looking into various opportunities to continue his career and finish some of the larger projects he had started, an opportunity arose. It was one he could not refuse.

The Institute of Philosophy at SAV was looking for somebody who matched his profile. What attracted his attention to the post was its work conditions and expectations.
Democracy has its limits.

People queue to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall in London on Friday, September 16, 2022. (Source: AP/TASR)

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So heres the thing about the royal family: I cant really explain it.

Whenever I am asked by Slovaks about the Queen, and Britains whole constitutional system, it seems  but perhaps I am flattering myself here  that they genuinely expect me to give them some sort of sensible answer.

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What could explain the sight of six former prime ministers (and the current one, just four days into her job) gathering, along with scores of other dignitaries, in an ornate, airless room on a Saturday afternoon to bellow God Save the King!? Or prompt thousands of people to stand in a miles-long queue for hours or days on end to walk past the coffin of someone they have never met?

British people have acquired something of reputation in these parts for being rational and strait-laced  a cliche we play up to when it suits us  but the fact is that Britain is a rather weird place.

Despite having more or less invented globalism and modernity  recall that the English overthrew their king a century and half before the idea dawned on the French  and having achieved democracy in a series of crab-like manoeuvres, while somehow avoiding revolution for almost 400 years, the British remain strikingly ambivalent about many of the ideas that have accompanied these trends elsewhere.

Know your place
https://sputniknews.com/20220915/argentinas-vice-president-makes-first-statement-about-assassination-attempt-1100835383.html

Argentina's Vice President Makes First Statement About Assassination Attempt

Argentina's Vice President Makes First Statement About Assassination Attempt

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Thursday made the first public statement about the assassination attempt on... 15.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-15T23:31+0000

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2022-09-15T23:31+0000

americas

argentina

cristina fernandez de kirchner

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"I am alive thanks to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary... Pope Francis called me, we spoke on the phone. He told me that acts of hatred and cruelty are always preceded by words and expressions of hatred, then aggression grows and grows and outgrows...," Kirchner stopped her speech, adding that she didn't want to talk about that day anymore. She said these words at a meeting with priests.On September 1, Argentine police detained a 35-year-old Buenos Aires resident for attempting to assassinate Kirchner outside her home. According to local media reports, the perpetrator pointed a handgun at Kirchner, but it did not go off. The vice president was not injured during the incident.The assailant, Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel, who is a Brazilian citizen, has refused to testify. He reportedly had a bruise under his eye when he appeared in front of the judge. Asked about what happened, Montiel said he was beaten by Kirchner supporters during his arrest.The attacker could face between 15 and 30 years in prison, a lawyer has told Sputnik, specifying that Montiel can ask for deportation to his homeland after serving half the term. If he goes back to Brazil, the Argentine authorities are likely to ban him from returning to Argentina for the rest of his life.Thousands of people gathered for a demonstration in Buenos Aires on September 2 to express support for Kirchner. September 2 was declared a national day off by Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.On August 22, a federal prosecutor requested that Kirchner, a former president, should be jailed for 12 years and prohibited from holding public office indefinitely amid corruption allegations.Kirchner is accused of abusing her authority during her presidency in 2007-2015, to steer public contracts to Lazaro Antonio Baez, a businessman and an alleged close friend, who owns a construction company.

https://sputniknews.com/20220902/argentinas-president-asks-court-for-speedy-investigation-into-attack-on-vice-president-1100295114.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220915/us-defense-officials-discuss-defense-posture-technology-with-rok-counterparts---pentagon-1100835271.html

US Defense Officials Discuss Defense Posture, Technology With ROK Counterparts - Pentagon

US Defense Officials Discuss Defense Posture, Technology With ROK Counterparts - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Senior US defense officials met with South Korean Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beomchul to discuss the defense posture on the... 15.09.2022, Sputnik International

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americas

us

south korea

south korean army

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Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks met with the Republic of Korea Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beomchul today at the Pentagon. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-ROK Alliance and the mutual commitment to maintaining a strong combined defense posture. They also discussed the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and committed to continuing regional cooperation that upholds a free and open Indo-Pacific, the release said on Thursday.On Wednesday, the vice minister also met the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Heidi Shyu. The officials agreed that deepening science and technology cooperation is an integral part of deterrence and a robust defense posture on the Korean Peninsula, the release said.Also on Wednesday, Shin met with Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Sustainment, William LaPlante, to discuss the ROKs interest in pursuing a Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement between the two countries, according to the release.South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Wednesday discussed North Korea's nuclear program with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during a phone conversation, the Yonhap news agency reported. During the talks, the South Korean top diplomat stressed that the world community must convey an "unequivocal" message to Pyongyang over its missile and nuclear program.

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/us-deepened-partnership-with-taiwan-plans-to-continue-military-support---state-dept-1100832211.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/berlin-transfers-rosneft-subsidiary-under-control-of-federal-network-agency-of-germany-1100839929.html

Berlin Transfers Rosneft Subsidiary Under Control of Federal Network Agency of Germany

Berlin Transfers Rosneft Subsidiary Under Control of Federal Network Agency of Germany

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The German government transferred Rosneft's subsidiaries  Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing  under the control of the... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T05:38+0000

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world

rosneft

russia

germany

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"Based on the law on energy security, the federal government today transferred Rosneft Deutschland GmbH (RDG) and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH (RNRM) under the control of the Federal Network Agency," the ministry said in a statement.The reason for the transfer of Rosneft's subsidiaries is uncertainty on the energy market caused by "close ties" with Russia as well as sanctions imposed against Moscow, German regulatory office for electricity and gas Federal Network Agency said on Friday."The fiduciary management, ordered on the basis of the Energy Security Act (EnSiG), means that the original owner no longer has authority to issue instructions," the regulator said in a statement. "The fiduciary management ensures that business is continued in an orderly manner to stabilise the Rosneft group. The aim is to prevent refusal of services to the companies with ties to Russia from negatively impacting the ongoing business operations."In April, German Federal Network Agency Head Klaus Muller said that the situation with Rosneft's subsidiary in Germany differs from that of Gazprom Germania, which was transferred under the agency's trusteeship in late March. On April 4, the German authorities took Gazprom Germania under temporary management, making the acquisition of the company without their permission by new investors invalid.Following the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February, Berlin declared intention to reduce its reliance on Russian energy in the near future. Germany hopes to stop coal and oil imports from Russia by the end of the year and end its dependence on Russian gas by the middle of 2024.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/china-pips-us-to-re-emerge-as-indias-biggest-trading-partner-amid-surge-in-imports-1100846378.html

China Pips US to Re-Emerge as Indias Biggest Trading Partner Amid Surge in Imports

China Pips US to Re-Emerge as Indias Biggest Trading Partner Amid Surge in Imports

Data released by India's Commerce Ministry in May showed that the US overtook China as Indias biggest trading partner in 2021-22. The official data indicated... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T12:12+0000

2022-09-16T12:12+0000

2022-09-16T12:12+0000

india

china

piyush goyal

trade

free trade

us

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China re-emerged as Indias biggest trading partner in the month of July, with two-way trade with India amounting to $11.49 billion, data released by the Indian Commerce Ministry has revealed.India imported around $10.2 billion worth of goods and merchandise from China in July, which was 45.35 percent more than what New Delhi imported in July 2021, as per official figures. The data also showed that New Delhis imports from China in July grew by 16 percent as compared to June, when New Delhi imported $8.8 billion worth of Chinese goods.Indian exports to China declined in July by 44 percent as compared to June. Overall, Indias trade deficit with China constituted a third of its overall trade deficit, per the data.Indias overall foreign imports in July were $66 billion, as compared to $46 billion last July.On the other hand, New Delhi conducted two-way trade of nearly $11.08 billion with the US in July, with New Delhis exports to Washington constituting a major chunk of bilateral trade.As per official statistics, India imported $4.3 billion worth of goods and services from the US in July 2022, which was 30.65 percent more than its imports from the worlds biggest economy last July. Indias overall exports to the US increased marginally by 0.45 percent year-on-year this July and stood at $6.78 billion.The US also remained Indias largest trading partner for the April-July period, with two-way trade totaling $46.2 billion. Bilateral trade with Beijing, on the other hand, for the same period stood at $40.4 billion.Indias trade deficit with Beijing and its reliance on Chinese imports, which hit a historic high of $94.16 billion last year, have been described as a major concern for New Delhi in view of the border tensions with China.As a means of shedding its reliance on Chinese imports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has sought to expand international engagement with other countries. In recent months, New Delhi has inked interim free trade deals with Australia and the UAE, while it is negotiating more such agreements with the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.

https://sputniknews.com/20220531/china-contests-official-indian-data-claiming-that-us-is-new-delhis-largest-trading-partner-1095899027.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/ex-bureaucrats-seek-action-against-delhi-state-chief-for-asking-civil-servants-to-work-for-his-1100840838.html

Ex-Bureaucrats Seek Action Against Delhi State Chief for Asking Civil Servants to Work for His Party

Ex-Bureaucrats Seek Action Against Delhi State Chief for Asking Civil Servants to Work for His Party

Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been making a major push to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Gujarat, which is also... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T12:57+0000

2022-09-16T12:57+0000

2022-09-16T12:57+0000

india

arvind kejriwal

aam aadmi party

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

gujarat

polls

polls

election commission

bureaucrats

assembly

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A group of 57 retired bureaucrats have urged India's top electoral authority to disown Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party and cancel its poll symbol after its chief Arvind Kejriwal allegedly tried to induce public servants to work for his party in the Gujarat polls to be held in December.To be recognized by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a political party needs a physical office, a unique party symbol, office bearers, and a constitution. In addition, the party's accounts - money received and spent - must be entirely transparent and available to the electoral body.Moreover, no party in India can seek favors from civil servants or the police as the constitution states that they should remain apolitical.Kejriwal and other senior politicians of his party have been campaigning vigorously in Gujarat, hoping to make deep inroads in a state that has been a BJP fortress since the Nineties. The BJP has ruled India's western state Gujarat for the past 27 years. But Kejriwal has been presenting his party - AAP - as an alternative to the BJP's government there. However, his appeal to the state's public servants, asking them to work secretly for his party, has outraged a section of bureaucrats and diplomats, which is why they have urged the Election Commission of India to strike off the AAP. The letter was sent to India's Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, by retired civil servant M Madan Gopal on Thursday. A total of 56 other bureaucrats signed the letter in which they said that Kejriwal's remarks violated the electoral body's rules.The signatories accused the AAP authorities of making efforts to politicize public servants to improve their electoral prospects in the state.The bureaucrats reiterated that they were completely opposed to the AAP's efforts to politicize civil servants because they should serve the government of the day without any kind of bias.

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arvind kejriwal, aam aadmi party, bharatiya janata party (bjp), gujarat, polls, polls, election commission, bureaucrats, assembly, narendra modi, narendra modi, state, state
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/federal-agency-raids-several-places-in-case-related-to-delhi-governments-liquor-policy-1100844435.html

Federal Agency Raids Several Places in Case Related to Delhi Government's Liquor Policy

Federal Agency Raids Several Places in Case Related to Delhi Government's Liquor Policy

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government has come under the spotlight of federal agencies over the liquor policy introduced in November 2021. However, it was... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T13:27+0000

2022-09-16T13:27+0000

2022-09-16T13:27+0000

india

delhi

new delhi

aam aadmi party

arvind kejriwal

politics

politics

domestic politics

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

liquor

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Indias economic intelligence and law enforcement agency - the Enforcement Directorate (ED) - on Friday conducted raids on 40 locations of various states in connection with a corruption case related to a liquor policy launched by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. Kejriwal heads the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is the governing party in Delhi and Punjab.The raids were conducted on premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks at several cities of states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.The agency also questioned Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar jail. He has been serving a prison sentence since May when he was arrested in connection with a money-laundering case filed by authorities against him and his family members in August 2017.This second round of raids was carried out a day after the federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a sting operation video to allege that the AAP government received kickbacks from important players in the liquor industry.The first round of raids by the ED was conducted on 6 September when searches were carried out at 35 locations in Delhi and other cities.The alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now rolled-back Delhi Excise Policy are being probed by the ED on the basis of a complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).In its complaint, the country's top anti-corruption watchdog has named Delhi Deputy State Chief Manish Sisodia and some bureaucrats as the accused in the case related to liquor policy scam.Delhi's AAP-led government brought out a new liquor policy in November 2021 under which the licenses for liquor shops in the city were given to private businessmen while government shops were shut down.Under the new policy, the AAP had plans to open more than 800 liquor shops. However, the policy was rolled back in July after the federal governments representative in Delhi, Saxena, alleged that the policy is in violation of rules and recommended an inquiry by a federal agency into the policy.In August, the agency carried out searches at 20 locations including Sisodia's residence in Delhi as well as the residence of former Excise Commissioner of Delhi, Arava Gopi Krishna in Daman and Diu.Ever since the searches were conducted, the AAP and the BJP have been engaged in a political squabble. The AAP has refuted the allegations of corruption while the BJP has accused it of looting the wealth of the people of Delhi. Both are slated to take each other on in Delhi's forthcoming civic elections soon.

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delhi, new delhi, aam aadmi party, arvind kejriwal, politics, politics, domestic politics, bharatiya janata party (bjp), liquor, corruption, corruption
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/german-breweries-cut-production-over-co2-shortage-caused-by-rising-gas-prices---reports-1100884192.html

German Breweries Cut Production Over CO2 Shortage Caused by Rising Gas Prices - Reports

German Breweries Cut Production Over CO2 Shortage Caused by Rising Gas Prices - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - German beverage producers and breweries are cutting production due to a shortage of carbon dioxide (CO2), provoked by rising gas prices, the... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T21:08+0000

2022-09-16T21:08+0000

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world

germany

beer

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The lack of CO2, a byproduct of ammonia production, is caused by the reduction of fertilizer production due to rising gas prices, the newspaper said, adding that the price per tonne of CO2 rose from $100 to $3,500 over the year.The brewers' association, together with organizations representing juice and mineral water producers, reportedly urged the German government to provide support in the face of possible bankruptcy of the whole industry and its workers.Since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been rising rapidly following a global trend. After Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine and Brussels imposed several sanctions packages against Moscow, the energy situation deteriorated considerably, prompting European countries to search alternatives to Russian gas and oil supplies.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/indias-modi-calls-for-finding-solutions-to-issues-with-food--fuel-security-during-talks-with-putin-1100843683.html

Modi Tells Putin Russia-India Ties to Further Develop, Benefitting the Whole World

Modi Tells Putin Russia-India Ties to Further Develop, Benefitting the Whole World

This year's SCO summit marks the first in-person meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin since February. At... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T13:07+0000

2022-09-16T13:07+0000

2022-09-16T14:04+0000

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sco summit in samarkand

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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan's city of Samarkand that Russia-India relationship will further improve to the advantage of the whole world.The Indian leader also called for finding solutions to issues of food and fuel security during his bilateral talks with Putin.Meanwhile, Russia-India trade volume is increasing, in particular, fertilizer supplies have increased by more than 8 times, Putin said.The Russian leader has also invited the Indian prime minister to visit Russia."I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Russia," Putin said, adding that the countries should intensify the process of visa-free travel.Russia's ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said earlier this week that the two countries are "very motivated" to ensure that the defense cooperation between the two strategic partners is "uninterrupted" by the Ukraine crisis: "We managed to successfully mitigate barriers created by negative external factors and adjust to new realities using alternative payments and logistics options."What's more, Delhi's crude oil imports from Moscow have jumped 50-fold since April 2022: in July, Russia became India's second-biggest oil supplier after Iraq, surpassing Saudi Arabia in the April-June quarter. India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has defended oil purchases, saying that the largest democracy in the world had ensured that its citizens are not burdened with high prices of petroleum products.Overall, the trade turnover reached $11.5 billion in the first half of 2022, up almost 120% year on year. Meanwhile, the annual bilateral trade is expected to cross $20 billion in the current financial year ending March 2023, with the resumption of a new rupee-ruble arrangement by the end of September.Russia has become a crucial partner in fulfilling India's fertilizer needs after global supply chains were disrupted due to the pandemic and Ukraine crisis, as PM Modi vowed to ensure an uninterrupted fertilizer supply for the half of the 1.4 billion population that depends on agriculture. Indian Commerce Ministry data suggests that New Delhi imported fertilizer worth $1.03 billion in April-July this year, in comparison to $773.54 million in the financial year 2021. Earlier in the day, speaking at the SCO Summit, Modi highlighted the constructive role the organization could play in the post-coronavirus era, particularly in fostering economic recovery and strengthening regional supply chains.Modi also mentioned the recent inauguration of the WHO's first and only Global Center for Traditional Medicine and advocated for increasing cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries. "For this, India will take the initiative on a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine," Modi said.

https://sputniknews.com/20220914/india-seeks-to-double-exports-to-russia-with-new-rupee-ruble-exchange-1100758835.html

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indian army, narendra modi, putin, vladimir putin, russia
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/iran-will-never-bow-to-us-bullying-wont-be-stopped-in-pursuit-of-its-goals-raisi-tells-xi-1100881177.html

Iran Will Never Bow to US Bullying, Wont Be Stopped in Pursuit of Its Goals, Raisi Tells Xi

Iran Will Never Bow to US Bullying, Wont Be Stopped in Pursuit of Its Goals, Raisi Tells Xi

The leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Friday. A day earlier, the Iranian president also... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T18:55+0000

2022-09-16T18:55+0000

2022-09-16T18:56+0000

sco summit in samarkand

ebrahim raisi

xi jinping

china

iran

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Tehran will not allow itself to be browbeaten into submission by Washington, and will continue to plot an independent course, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said.The Islamic Republic will never bow before US bullying, the president added, recalling Washingtons decision to walk out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and to reinstitute crushing sanctions against Iran in 2018.Raisi thanked Xi for his support for Irans entry into the SCO, and for Beijings role in talks on making Iran a member of the BRICS group of nations, which currently include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.The president also praised the historic 25-year Iran-China strategic partnership agreement penned in 2021, characterizing it as a sign of the West and East Asian powers readiness to take relations to a new level.Raisis meeting with Xi follows his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. At that meeting, Putin announced that work on a major new agreement that will take relations between Iran and Russia to a strategic level is nearing completion.We are serious about the development of bilateral relations. Our relations are not ordinary, they are of a strategic nature. Cooperation can continue to develop in the political, trade and economic, as well as space and aerospace sectors, Raisi said at his meeting with the Russian leader.Trade between Russia and Iran grew by 81 percent in 2021, and jumped another 30 percent over the first five months of 2022. In July, the two countries signed a $40 billion energy cooperation agreement, and in August they agreed to expand collaboration in automotive manufacturing and to continue the push for the dedollarization of trade.

https://sputniknews.com/20210405/iran-china-deal-touted-by-tehran-as-warning-to-us-that-next-century-belongs-to-asia-1082542826.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/work-on-new-russia-iran-cooperation-agreement-at-final-stage-putin-1100800851.html

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Ilya Tsukanov

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/is-new-york-city-broken-beyond-repair-1100836680.html

Is New York City Broken Beyond Repair?

Is New York City Broken Beyond Repair?

On this episode of Fault Lines hosts Jamarl Thomas and Manila Chan discuss several domestic topics such as a possibility of a rail strike that could halt the... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T04:57+0000

2022-09-16T04:57+0000

2022-09-16T09:57+0000

housing

ukraine

europe

energy

azerbaijan

armenia

fault lines

radio

radio sputnik

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Is New York City Broken Beyond Repair? On this episode of Fault Lines hosts Jamarl Thomas and Manila Chan discuss several domestic topics such as a possibility of a rail strike that could halt the supply chain in the U.S. and the comparison of housing before Covid lockdowns versus now. Also, we check in on international news with the European energy crisis, Ukraine, and the meeting of Xi Jinping and President Putin.

Ted Rall - Political Cartoonist & Syndicated ColumnistElijah Magnier - Veteran War CorrespondentDavid Tawil - Co-founder of ProChain CapitalIn the first hour, Fault Lines was joined by Ted Rall to discuss the state of the United States post COVID-19 lockdowns, even several months later, in regards to housing, rent prices, conditions of cities and more. We also touch upon the situation with homeless migrants in New York.In the second hour, our hosts were joined by Elijah Magnier to discuss multiple international topics such as Ukraine gains and losses, European energy crisis, the meeting of Xi Jinping and President Putin, and the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.In the third hour, Fault Lines spoke with David Tawil about the possibility of a rail workers strike. What could this mean for the economy if the railroads shut down and why are the workers threatening to strike?We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik

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housing, ukraine, europe, energy, azerbaijan, armenia, , radio, radio sputnik
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/judge-blocks-release-of-report-into-cia-torture-on-national-security-grounds-1100869279.html

Judge Blocks Release of Report Into CIA Torture on 'National Security' Grounds

Judge Blocks Release of Report Into CIA Torture on 'National Security' Grounds

The use of torture by the CIA at so-called 'black site' prisons overseas following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has been widely reported. Most... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T16:13+0000

2022-09-16T16:13+0000

2022-09-16T16:13+0000

central intelligence agency (cia)

dianne feinstein

afghanistan

guantanamo bay detention center

freedom of information act

americas

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A report into torture by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will remain classified after a judge claimed it could endanger "national security".Washington, DC Judge Beryl Howell ruled on Thursday that the report "does not qualify as a public record subject to the common law right of public access."She said a previous court case had decided that document was a "congressional record" and therefore not open to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.Attorney and law professor Kel McClanahan, representing investigative reporter Shawn Musgrave who brought the case, vowed to appeal the ruling.The Senate report runs to 6,700 pages, detailing the inhumane methods used on prisoners held for years, often at the CIA's discretion, beyond the US borders and out of its legal jurisdiction.Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein released a 14-page summary of the report in 2014 with a list of 20 findings. Those included the fact that the use of torture had mostly failed to produce useful intelligence, but that the CIA had repeatedly lied to exaggerate its usefulness.It also found that the "enhanced interrogation" methods used were far more violent than the agency let on, and that they had been developed by psychologists to maximise the victims' suffering.Feinstein said on Thursday that while she agreed with parts of the Judge's decision, she also believed that the full report should eventually be release "with appropriate redactions".The use of torture by the CIA at so-called 'black site' prisons in other countries, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, has been widely reported.The most infamous is the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba, occupied by the US against the wishes of the island's government since the 1959 revolution. Al-Qaeda leaders and others were held at the base's 'Camp Delta' facility without charge for years, where they were subjected to sensory deprivation, extreme cold and heat, 'waterboarding' or simulated drowning, along with force-feeding when they went on hunger strike.Some had no connection to the terrorist group. Shaker Aamer, an immigrant to the UK, was working for a charity in Kabul in 2001 when he was detained by authorities there. He became one of the first to be sent to Guantanamo in February 2002.UK citizen Moazzam Begg was seized by Pakistani intelligence agents at a house he was renting in Islamabad in Februray 2002. He was handed over to US occupation forces in Afghanistan, who held him at the notorious Bagram Air Force for three years before transferring him to Guantanamo.*Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countires

https://sputniknews.com/20220511/journo-is-it-coincidence-that-some-cia-torture-techniques-are-so-popular-with-ukrainian-neo-nazis-1095441987.html

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central intelligence agency (cia), dianne feinstein, afghanistan, guantanamo bay detention center, freedom of information act
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/kazakh-parliament-oks-amendments-to-constitution-on-presidential-term-capital-renaming-1100840358.html

Kazakh Parliament OKs Amendments to Constitution on Presidential Term, Capital Renaming

Kazakh Parliament OKs Amendments to Constitution on Presidential Term, Capital Renaming

NUR-SULTAN (Sputnik) - The Kazakh parliament has approved in the first reading amendments to the national constitution on the seven-year presidential term and... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T05:50+0000

2022-09-16T05:50+0000

2022-09-16T05:50+0000

world

kazakhstan

parliament

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The bill is now set to be signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.Kazakhstan's president is currently elected for a term of five years. The same person cannot be elected president of the republic more than two times in a row. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed on September 1 to limit the term of a presidential mandate in the country to seven years without the right to re-election. This proposal is being reviewed by governmental bodies.Tokayev signed a decree in May that scheduled the referendum on constitutional amendments for early June. Over 77% of voters supported the political reforms of transforming Kazakhstan from a super-presidential republic to presidential and strengthening the role of the country's parliament.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/kyrgyz-health-ministry-says-24-citizens-killed-in-border-conflict-with-tajikistan-1100884413.html

Kyrgyz Health Ministry Says 24 Citizens Killed in Border Conflict With Tajikistan

Kyrgyz Health Ministry Says 24 Citizens Killed in Border Conflict With Tajikistan

BISHKEK (Sputnik) - Twenty-four citizens of Kyrgyzstan were killed on Friday in border clashes with Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Health Ministry told Sputnik. 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T21:13+0000

2022-09-16T21:13+0000

2022-09-16T21:13+0000

world

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"According to operative information, the bodies of 24 people have been received by health care organizations in the Batken Region," the ministry's spokesperson said.It was earlier reported that 87 Kyrgyz citizens were wounded as a result of the conflict.Kamchybek Tashiev, the chairman of the Kyrgyz State Committee on National Security, said on Friday the country managed to timely evacuate most civilians from the area.Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev on Friday discussed Bishkek-Dushanbe border clashes with Zbigniew Rau, the chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE), the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry told Sputnik."The Kyrgyz side provided up-to-date information [to the OSCE chairman] on the current state of affairs and emphasized the commitment of the Kyrgyz Republic to deescalation and an unchanged position on resolving the situation exclusively through political and diplomatic means," the ministrys spokesperson said.

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/kyrgyzstan-begins-evacuating-civilians-from-border-with-tajikistan-amid-clashes---bishkek-1100837514.html

kyrgyzstan

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/kyrgyzstan-begins-evacuating-civilians-from-border-with-tajikistan-amid-clashes---bishkek-1100837514.html

Kyrgyzstan Begins Evacuating Civilians From Border With Tajikistan Amid Clashes - Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan Begins Evacuating Civilians From Border With Tajikistan Amid Clashes - Bishkek

BISHKEK (Sputnik) - Kyrgyzstan has begun evacuating civilians from areas bordering Tajikistan where hostilities are taking place, the administration of the... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T03:31+0000

2022-09-16T03:31+0000

2022-09-16T03:31+0000

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tajikistan

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"The evacuation of civilians from dangerous areas has begun," the administration's spokesperson said.According to official data, two Kyrgyz border guard troops and three civilians were injured as a result of the hostilities. Dushanbe said two soldiers died, ad six troops and five civilians suffered wounds.According to the press office of the border guard of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National, the Tajik side attacked Kyrgyz positions along the entire length of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border on Friday morning.

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Putin: Hopefully, Ukrainian Grain Will Reach Poor Countries, So Far This is Not Happening

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that hopefully Ukrainian grain will reach poor countries but this is not happening at the moment.



Let's hope, indeed, that a significant part of it [grain], while this has not been achieved so far, will still go through the UN food program for the poorest countries, Putin said during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Samarkand.
Kyrgyz Defense Official: There are Many Casualties Among Kyrgyz Soldiers, Country Managed to Evacuate Most Civilians on Time

There are many casualties among Kyrgyz soldiers after the border clashes with Tajikistan but the country managed to timely evacuate most civilians from the area, Kamchybek Tashiev, the chairman of the Kyrgyz State Committee on National Security, said on Friday.



"There are casualties among the military. We specify the number, but, unfortunately, a lot [of casualties]. More than civilians - they were evacuated in time," Tashiev told reporters.
US HARM Missiles Demonstrate Zero Effectiveness in Ukraine - Source

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) anti-radar missiles showed zero effectiveness in Ukraine, as most of them were shot down in the air, a source told Sputnik on Saturday.

In mid-August, Washington supplied AGM-88 HARM missiles to Ukraine. According to open sources, the missiles are used by the Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft.

"These missiles showed actually zero effectiveness in the framework of the hostilities in Ukraine - most of them were shot down by Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, another part was suppressed or set aside by means of electronic protection of air defense systems," the source said, adding that some of these missiles also failed or missed the target.

The source noted that the low efficiency of HARM missiles is due to their mediocre maximum speed, which is a little over 600 meters per second (1342 miles per hour), and high visibility.

According to the source, Ukrainian aviation uses these missiles from a long range to avoid destroying the aircraft, which allows the Russian military to detect missiles long before they approach the area where Russian air defense systems are located.

At the same time, the source added that HARM missiles create certain difficulties in time-coordinated combined strikes because air defense systems are automatically redirected to them as a priority threat.

"However, Ukrainian troops have not yet been able to hit a single radar of the Russian air defense system, as well as illumination and engagement radars in the area of the special military operation with HARM missiles," the source said.

The HARM missile was adopted by the US air force in 1983. The maximum speed of the missile is declared at 2,280 kilometers per hour or 630 meters per second, while the launch the range is up to 100 kilometers when used from high altitudes. For comparison, the maximum speed of the Russian AS-17 Krypton and AS-11 Kilter anti-radar missiles exceeds 1,000 and 1,100 meters per second respectively, and the launch range is over 200 kilometers.
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/mysterious-deep-sea-shark-with-bulging-blue-eyes-and-bizarre-teeth-leaves-netizens-baffled---photo-1100864765.html

Mysterious Deep Sea Shark With Bulging Blue Eyes and Bizarre Teeth Leaves Netizens Baffled - Photo

Mysterious Deep Sea Shark With Bulging Blue Eyes and Bizarre Teeth Leaves Netizens Baffled - Photo

Within two days, a post about a bizarre-looking deep sea shark garnered over 286 comments and around 1,500 likes on social media. 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T18:59+0000

2022-09-16T18:59+0000

2022-09-16T18:59+0000

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The discovery of a bizarre lifeless creature with large blue, bulging eyes, protruding teeth, a pointy nose, and rough-looking skin has taken the Internet by storm after a fisherman from Australia shared a glimpse of it.Trapman Bermagui, a Sydney-based fisherman, took to social media and posted a photo of the deep sea shark and shared that it was caught at a depth of 650 meters (2,133 feet).The post left netizens baffled, sparking a discussion about the species of the mysterious animal.Several people commented on the post, saying that the creature appeared to be a "cookiecutter" shark, a small cigar-shaped species with a bulbous snout and distinctive lips.However, Bermagui replied to the comment and said, "Totally not a cookiecutter. It's a rough skin shark, also known as a species of endeavor dog shark."Dean Grubbs, an associate director of research at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, told Newsweek that the species appeared to be Centroscymnus owstoni, also called the roughskin dogfish."Ours have come from depths of 740 to 1160 meters (2,400 to 3,800 feet), so a bit deeper than this report. They are in the family Somniosidae, the Sleeper Sharks, the same family of the Greenland Shark, but obviously a much smaller species," he added.Christopher Lowe, professor and director of the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab, suggested that the species appeared to look like a deepwater kitefin shark."Looks to me like a deepwater kitefin shark, which are known in the waters off Australia," he said, although he noted that he could not see the whole body or size of the shark.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/new-zealand-woman-hiding-in-south-korea-arrested-after-childrens-bodies-found-in-suitcases-1100836813.html

New Zealand Woman 'Hiding' in South Korea Arrested After Childrens Bodies Found in Suitcases

New Zealand Woman 'Hiding' in South Korea Arrested After Childrens Bodies Found in Suitcases

The childrens remains were first found during an auction for abandoned goods at a South Auckland storage unit in early August, after they were presumably... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T03:01+0000

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The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) confirmed that a female relative of two deceased childrenwhose bodies were found in suitcases in Aucklandhad arrived in South Korea in 2018 and there was no record of her leaving the country since then.We confirm that she is in South Korea and that she is a New Zealand national of Korean descent, an official at the Korean National Police Agency said. She was arrested in connection to the discovery of the deceased children after global police agency Interpol issued a red notice, said KNPA. She was discovered hiding in an apartment in Ulsan after first moving there four years ago.The woman is 42 years of age but has not been identified. It is also unclear if she is the mother of the deceased children. Images of the 42-year-old began to circulate in the media after South Korean police detained her in the southeastern port city of Ulsan. She was seen wearing ripped jeans and sandals as she was being transported to the prosecutors office.When asked by local media if she would confess to the childrens murders, she said, I didnt do it, repeatedly and kept the hood of her sweatshirt pulled over her face.The Seoul High Court granted an extradition arrest for the woman, but an extradition review still needs to be conducted by South Korean officials.The bodies of the two children were found after a family unwittingly auctioned to buy a storage unit filled with items. One of these items was a suitcase with the two childrens remains. The suitcase had been at the storage facility for several years, The Daily Mail reports, which has complicated the polices investigation.Aucklands Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said the case was a very challenging investigation. The children have been identified, but their identities cannot be released.This is a matter that needs to be resolved. The story of what happened to those young children needs to be told and I'm hopeful that that will happen soon, said Daniel Newman, who is an Auckland councilor.The woman apparently suffered from depression after her husband died in 2017. The Korean Society of New Zealand has promised support for the 42-year-old if she is extradited.

https://sputniknews.com/20220908/at-least-four-people-killed-three-injured-during-memphis-wednesday-shooting-police-say-1100525332.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/harvey-weinstein-suffers-from-rotten-teeth-while-in-jail-asks-judge-to-let-him-visit-dentist-1100818811.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/norwegian-energy-giant-equinor-sounds-the-alarm-about-unknown-drones-over-key-north-sea-oil-fields-1100841178.html

Norwegian Energy Giant Equinor Sounds Alarm About Unknown Drones Over Key North Sea Oil Fields

Norwegian Energy Giant Equinor Sounds Alarm About Unknown Drones Over Key North Sea Oil Fields

Norway has been a significant player on both the global crude and natural gas markets, responsible for up to a quarter of the EU's and UK's demand. It has... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T06:36+0000

2022-09-16T06:36+0000

2022-09-16T12:25+0000

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Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor has sounded the alarm about unknown drone activity around at least three of the company's platforms in the North Sea.The observations were reported to the police and Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority, yet the company remains tight-lipped about the occurrence.The South-West police district, which is responsible for investigating incidents and civil preparedness issues on the Norwegian continental shelf, confirmed that it is aware of the case.We are familiar with the fact that drones have been observed, and have good contact with the operator company and other government bodies about this. Otherwise, we have no comment at the present time, police spokesman Amund Preede Revheim told AldriMer.no, adding that more details may emerge - possibly as early as next week.According to the news outlet, drones have been seen around the Gullfaks field, the Johan Sverdrup field and the Snorre field some 140km off the Norwegian coast. Drones that operate this far out at sea are likely to have been sent up from boats, ships or naval vessels. This may suggest covert activity by a state, a Norwegian defense source told AldriMer.no. According to the outlet, there is a fear that the mapping activity may serve as preparation for sabotage or possible military action in the North Sea. The Gullfaks field, as well as producing oil, supplies gas to the continent, a commodity that has gained great strategic importance as Europe's energy crisis balloons. As several European countries feel the pinch after the bloc decided to limit imports from Russia as part of its ill-advised sanctions against Moscow over the special operation in Ukraine, Norway's gas exports to the continent reached a record high earlier this summer, with gas revenues increasing fourfold on last year's figures.At the same time, market demands and historically low levels of Norwegian hydropower plant reservoirs have pushed domestic power prices to record highs, prompting calls to restrict exports to Europe.Norway has been an important player in both the global crude and natural gas markets, covering about 2 and 3 percent of global demand respectively. Norway ranks among the largest exporters of natural gas in the world, supplying between 20 and 25 percent of the EU's and UK's demand. Combined, oil and gas make up more than half of the total value of Norwegian exports.

https://sputniknews.com/20220913/eu-reportedly-unwilling-to-impose-price-cap-on-russian-gas-as-norway-skeptical-about-measure-1100721472.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/pakistan-resolutely-opposed-to-us-interference-in-taiwan-pm-shehbaz-tells-president-xi-1100851705.html

Pakistan Resolutely Opposed to US Interference in Taiwan, PM Shehbaz Tells President Xi

Pakistan Resolutely Opposed to US Interference in Taiwan, PM Shehbaz Tells President Xi

The previous statement issued by Pakistan regarding Taiwan expressed deep concern over the escalating US-China tensions, warning that they could have serious... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T13:00+0000

2022-09-16T13:00+0000

2022-09-16T13:00+0000

sco summit in samarkand

pakistan

china

us

taiwan

shehbaz sharif

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Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Islamabad is resolutely opposed to attempts to undermine Beijings sovereignty on the issue of Taiwan. Pakistan is resolutely opposed to the attempt[s] of certain forces to undermine Chinas sovereignty and interfere in its internal affairs, Sharif told Xi, as per Beijing's readout of their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.Khan has blamed the US for instigating the no-confidence motion that led to his ouster. Meanwhile, bilateral ties between Washington and Islamabad have improved since Khans was ousted, with several high-level diplomatic and military contacts.The US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief this month lauded Pakistans role in maintaining regional security during a visit to the country. Also this month, the US State Department approved a maintenance package of $450 million for the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) fleet of F-16 fighter jets to improve Islamabad's "ability to support counter-terrorism operation."In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for expanding economic ties between the nations during a visit by Pakistan's foreign minister.The remarks by Sharif expressing support for Taiwan come amid growing tensions between the US and China in the Taiwan Strait in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan in August. In response to Pelosis trip, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) held its biggest-ever war games, involving ballistic missile drills in six regions around Taiwan.Pelosis visit was followed by several high-profile visits by other US lawmakers to Taiwan, which have also been slammed by Beijing. In fact, it has been reported that 28 American lawmakers have visited Taiwan this year, the most since 2013.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that proposed US legislation, known as the Taiwan Policy Act (TPA), would greatly shake the political foundation of China-US relations should it clear the US Congress. The TPA has been cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is currently up for a vote in the US Congress.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/power-of-siberia-2-gas-pipeline-may-replace-nord-stream-2-for-russia-novak-says-1100845152.html

Power of Siberia 2 Gas Pipeline May Replace Nord Stream 2 For Russia, Novak Says

Power of Siberia 2 Gas Pipeline May Replace Nord Stream 2 For Russia, Novak Says

Gazprom signed a second long-term contract with China's CNPC in early February 2022 on exports via the Far Eastern route. 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T10:28+0000

2022-09-16T10:28+0000

2022-09-16T14:00+0000

russia

nord stream 2

china

russia

power of siberia-2

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The Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, intended for gas supplies to China, may actually become a replacement for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.Earlier, Novak said that a final agreement with China on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline is expected in the near future, and the volume of supplies will amount to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Gazprom says China is increasing applications for gas supplies through Power of Siberia, which in September have regularly exceeded daily contracts.The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters, stretches from the coast of Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany. Its construction was fully completed in September 2021, and work was underway on the launch, which included both technical measures and obtaining regulatory permits, primarily from the German authorities. However, after Russia recognized the sovereignty of the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR), the German government stopped pipeline certification in February. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that "the project is actually frozen."Work on designing Power of Siberia 2 began in September 2020, and the pipeline will be laid through Mongolia. Through it, Russia plans to supply up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year from gas fields in Siberia to China. The approximate length of the pipe will be about 6,700 km, of which 2,700 will pass through the territory of Russia.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/putin-sco-increasing-its-role-in-solving-international-problems-1100846644.html

Putin: SCO Increasing Its Role in Solving International Problems

Putin: SCO Increasing Its Role in Solving International Problems

SAMARKAND (Sputnik) - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) today is the world's largest regional organization, it is increasing its role in solving... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T09:06+0000

2022-09-16T09:06+0000

2022-09-16T09:34+0000

sco summit in samarkand

shanghai cooperation organisation (sco)

vladimir putin

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"Indeed, the SCO today is the world's largest regional organization," he said at the SCO summit.More than half of the world's population lives in its member countries, about a quarter of global GDP is created there, a powerful intellectual and technological potential and a significant part of the world's natural resources are located there, Putin stressed.Global politics and the economy have been seeing fundamental transformations, they are irreversible, Putin said.Putin noted "the growing role of new centers of power, interacting with each other not on the basis of some rules imposed from outside that no one has seen, but on the universally recognized principles of the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter, ensuring equal and indivisible security, respect for sovereignty, national values and interests of each other".Vladimir Putin said that he had informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Russia was ready to supply fertilizers to developing countries free of charge.Russia is in favor of Iran joining the SCO at the earliest possible, Putin said."Russia, of course, stands for the speedy completion of the process of entry into the SCO of Iran, which is the aim of the relevant documents signed today, the memorandum. We are convinced that Iran's full participation will have a positive impact on the work of the association, since this country plays an important role in the Eurasian region and in the world as a whole," Putin said at the SCO summit in Samarkand.Russia also supports the accession of Belarus into the organization, the president added.Russia welcomes the decision to lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers, but it turns out that only European countries, and not the poorest states, can buy them, Putin said."A vivid example of this selfishness is the decision of the European Commission to lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers. We know how important fertilizers are for solving the food problem. Of course, we welcome the decision to lift sanctions. But it turns out that these sanctions, in accordance with the explanation of the European Commission from September 10 this year, were lifted only for EU member states. It turns out that only they can purchase our fertilizers. But what about the developing, the world's poorest countries?" Putin said.Speaking at an expanded meeting of the council of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Putin expressed hope that the West would stop using protectionism, sanctions, and stop acting selfishly."Our policy is devoid of any selfishness, we hope that other participants in economic cooperation will build a policy on the same principles, stop using the tools of protectionism, illegal sanctions and economic selfishness for their own purposes," Putin said at an expanded meeting of the council of heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).The SCO is open for cooperation with the whole world, the association is non-aligned, Putin said.The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has been taking place on 15 and 16 September in Uzbekistan's city of Samarkand. The event has been attended by leaders of SCO member states, observer states and other invited guests.

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/sco-should-be-strengthened-as-platform-for-constructive-interaction-putin-1100814494.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/sco-capable-of-working-out-mechanism-to-withstand-western-sanctions-pressure-analyst-says-1100879411.html

SCO Capable of Working Out Mechanism to Withstand Western Sanctions Pressure, Analyst Says

SCO Capable of Working Out Mechanism to Withstand Western Sanctions Pressure, Analyst Says

The participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Orgaization's summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand have adopted a joint declaration which many observers think marks... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T18:46+0000

2022-09-16T18:46+0000

2022-09-16T18:46+0000

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Marat Aitov, head of the department of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, talking exclusively to Sputnik on the sidelines of the SCO summit, explained why he believes the organization has grown into a real counterforce to the West.Sputnik: We've heard a number of important announcements at the SCOs summit here. Vladimir Putin said that fundamental transformations have taken place in world politics and economy, and they are irreversible. Do you think that the leaders agree with this statement, and what does he mean by that, in your opinion? Marat Aitov: Well, I believe they totally agree with his statement, because the world nowadays is experiencing a lot of changes. And those changes are not just small minor changes, but they are radical transformation, a radical transformation of the world orderwhich we used to see before, probably, some kind of events happened this year. He was also strongly supported by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who actually voted [for] his ideas for maintaining the world order, which actually benefits many countries, not only China, not only Russia, but the international community. Sputnik: Since you mentioned China's position, Xi Jinping says that itis important to prevent attempts by external forces to organize color revolutions in SCO countries. How relevant is that for Central Asia in particular, and for which countries?Marat Aitov: Central Asian countries have been experiencing a situation which actually reminds us of color revolutions. For example, we all saw the situation in Kazakhstan in January of this year, when there were some protests which turned into a very dangerous situation. And it could have led to a color revolution. Actually, it was some kind of color revolution, which the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said were inspired from outside. So it was an outside interference. It was some terrorists which were trying to undermine the situation there. Therefore, I think that's vital for Central Asia too. Sputnik: As Uzbekistans president noted that there should be an effort to assist, to help Afghanistan. What kind of help doesthe country need at this moment and do you think that it's even possible at the moment, because there is a lack of recognition of the Taliban government. Will this happen soon, and what could we expect to see? Marat Aitov: First of all, Afghanistan is experiencing probably the worst humanitarian and socioeconomic crisis in its history, because Afghan national assets were frozen. It's almost $10 billion,which were frozen mostly in Western countries. And nowadays there is some negotiating ongoing on how to unfreeze these assets. But the Afghan people need humanitarian help right now. Concerning the international recognition of the Taliban government, we could note that more than 30 countries have already conducted some negotiations with the Taliban, includingthe United States of America and some Western countries. So, we have a dialog right now. And as [Uzbek] President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, it's very necessary not to isolate Afghanistan again, as the international community did in the 1990s, when the isolation, as we've seen, led to nothing, it led to the situation and it led to Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. Therefore, it's in our hands to prevent a repeat of this situation. Sputnik: A lot has been said about the economy. I heard several leaders talking about economic sanctions being used as a tool against countries that do not agree with the West's policies. Do you think SCO countries will be able to withstand Washington's pressure when it is applying all these sanctions? Marat Aitov: The issue of the sanctions is too complicated. I personally see that even in the West, there is no common position towards this issue, because some of the countries are actually voicing their concern that the economic sanctions could worsen the situation in their countries. Therefore, in my opinion, first the West will have to decide whether they are going to continue this policy or not. In my opinion, they will eventually come to the idea that usage of this kind of policy will not help. And coming to the SCO countries, well, the SCO countries have the Shanghai spirit, which is actually mutual trust, mutual help in situations when they are facing difficulties. In my opinion, the Shanghai family, which is growing nowadays with Iran joining, they could probably work out some mechanisms to act calmly and to withstand this kind of pressure, because this pressure is actually influencing everybody. Sputnik: You are seeing the organization of this summit from the inside, from Samarkand itself. What do you see as the main thing that was achieved here? Marat Aitov: First of all, we were able to gather 14 heads of state on one platform after years of the difficulties emanating from the pandemic. Second of all, we have a consensus. We are adopting the Samarkand declaration, which will identify the main approaches of the SCO countries to the international system. And it will determine the main priorities of the SCO for the next time. President of Uzbekistan Mirziyoyev actually mentioned that we need to develop a strategy for the SCOs future to 2040. This means that the SCO is a long-time project. It's a long-time regional organization turning into an international organization,and its influence, its attractiveness is actually increasing.

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/sco-summit-concludes-work-in-uzbekistan-foreshadowing-irreversible-changes-in-worlds-architecture-1100871145.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/putin-sco-increasing-its-role-in-solving-international-problems-1100846644.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/sco-summit-concludes-work-in-uzbekistan-foreshadowing-irreversible-changes-in-worlds-architecture-1100871145.html

SCO Summit Concludes Work in Uzbekistan, Foreshadowing Irreversible Changes in Worlds Architecture

SCO Summit Concludes Work in Uzbekistan, Foreshadowing Irreversible Changes in Worlds Architecture

Leaders of Russia, China, India, and other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states attended high-level meetings in Uzbekistans historic city of... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

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In the run-up to the main event, Uzbekistan, which held the SCO chairmanship this year, has hosted a total of more than 80 SCO-related events, with more than 40 documents being signed, including the leaders summit declaration.Its likely that members of foreign delegations, who were taken on sightseeing and gastronomic tours of the city during their two-day stay in Samarkand, as well as 600 foreign journalists will remember the city for its remarkable hospitality and unique historic landmarks.Security, Irans Nuclear Program, Ties with Kabul, and Reform of WTOThe SCOs growth is probably one of the key features of this years summit. A memorandum on Iran joining the organization as full-time member has been adopted, with Minsk starting its accession as well. The organization also accepted Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar as dialogue partners, with an agreement being reached on the Maldives, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, and Myanmar becoming new dialogue partners.Besides that, there was a number of important statements coming from SCO leaders on the second day of their work in Samarkand.Chinese President Xi Jinping said that its necessary to prevent attempts by external forces to organize "color revolutions" in SCO countries, while Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed at the fundamental transformations which have taken place in world politics and the economy, calling them "irreversible." Being part of the SCO founders pool, Russia and China communicated very actively in Samarkand, with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping meeting one-on-one as well as in trilateral format with Mongolian leader Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.The summits final declaration focused on members confirmation that the organization is not directed against other countries, with SCO nations agreeing not to interfere in the internal affairs of states. When it comes to economy, the SCO called for a more effective WTO. There were also several important security-related issues in the declaration, such as the need to implement a plan on Irans nuclear program, a call to create an inclusive government in Afghanistan, and an affirmation of the need to observe the Chemical Weapons Convention.Uzbek Hospitality: Sightseeing, Culinary Delights & Cultural ProgramFor many centuries, Samarkand was the center of the Silk Road, with major trade routes passing through the city, which eventually contributed to its rich history and diverse culture. The city has been preparing very thoroughly for the 2022 SCO summit, with new roads, hotels, and restaurants being built.The Samarkand City Touristic Center, which hosted the leaders gathering, has eight hotels, a congress center, a rowing channel, and a fishing pond, as well as the Eternal City complex, where architects have re-created buildings typical for the countrys key landmarks in Bukhara, Khiva, Tashkent, and Jizzakh. As per the organizers, the projects cost is $580 million.The SCO leaders spent Thursday evening at the Eternal City having dinner, and later planted trees on the premises of the Congress Center. First ladies from some countries also had a chance to visit the venue on Friday during a private tour.The media was treated as welcome guests as well, with journalists receiving full access to city landmarks and having a taste of Uzbek culinary delights for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the press center, not to mention daily banquets with live music in the city.Tashkent's SCO Input and ProposalsIt appears, that besides being successful in organizing a productive summit, Uzbekistans officials also managed to draw the organizations attention to an issue that is of particular importance for Tashkent itself, namely the need for Afghanistan to be accepted by the SCO family, with the topic being mentioned in the final declaration of the summit. Uzbekistans leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev also pointed at the need to lay out a long-term plan for the SCOs development.The President of Uzbekistan [Shavkat] Mirziyoyev actually mentioned that we need to develop the strategy for the SCOs future to 2040, said Marat Aitov, who is the head of the department of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It means that the SCO is a long-time project, a long-time regional organization turning into an international organization, and its attractiveness, its influence is increasing.The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in 2001 in Beijing by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, focusing on political, economic, and security cooperation. India and Pakistan joined the organization in 2017, with Tehran becoming the newest full-time member this year.With Uzbekistan concluding its chairmanship, India will be at the helm of the organization in 2023.

https://sputniknews.com/20220916/samarkand-2022-highlights-of-sco-summits-final-day-in-photos--1100855530.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/regional-security--trade-perspectives-expert-explains-what-attracts-new-members-to-sco-1100812374.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/sco-should-be-strengthened-as-platform-for-constructive-interaction-putin-1100814494.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/shanghai-cooperation-organization-summit-kicks-off-us-blows-up-one-china-policy-russia-iran-deal-1100833407.html

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Kicks Off; US Blows Up One China Policy; Russia-Iran Deal

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Kicks Off; US Blows Up One China Policy; Russia-Iran Deal

The formation of a new world economic order is high on the agenda as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization kicks off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T04:03+0000

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2022-09-16T10:03+0000

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Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Kicks Off; US Blows up "One China Policy; Russia-Iran Deal The formation of a new world economic order is high on the Agenda as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization kicks off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

K. J. Noh, peace activist, and writer, joins us to discuss the SCO meeting. The formation of a new world economic order is high on the Agenda as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization kicks off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Also, the US Congress is looking to blow up the One-China policy and the presidents of Russia and China are preparing to meet.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the Ukraine crisis. Work on a strategic cooperation agreement between Russia and Iran is in its final stages. Also, US Senators press against President Biden's wishes to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and Russia's economy is humming along.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss the Armenia conflict. Armenia and Azerbaijan have come to a temporary halt in hostilities and diplomats are rushing to seize on this opportunity to permanently halt the conflict.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist, joins us to discuss sanctions blowback. A right-wing political bloc has won the Swedish elections. Also, Hungary predicts that the EU will soon be forced to face reality regarding sanctions.Nicolas Davies, peace activist and author of "Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion of Iraq," joins us to discuss the Middle East. The TPLF, facing a military rout, is looking for a negotiated halt in hostilities. Also, we examine the upcoming Arab League summit and the collapse of Lebanon.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss the Global South. In a dramatic U-turn, the US has recognized Alex Saab as the special envoy for Venezuela. Also, Venezuela is rejecting a US statement on imprisoned US citizens.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss domestic legal issues. The Supreme Court has reversed course regarding a case about a religious school's LGBT club. Also, insurers are forcing change in some police departments.Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss economic issues. President Biden says that a tentative deal has been reached with railway workers. Also, the US is pressuring Turkish banks that accept Russia's MIR card.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik

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SCO Samarkand Summit to write splendid chapter of friendship, win-win cooperation

09:02, September 16, 2022 By Jiang Yan ( People's Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Uzbekistan upon invitation and will attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in Samarkand.

President Xi will hold talks with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and exchange views with other state leaders attending the SCO meeting on comprehensive cooperation within the SCO framework, as well as major international and regional hotspot issues.

Together, they will chart a new blueprint for China-Uzbekistan relations and promote better development of the SCO.

The Chinese and Uzbek peoples enjoy a long history of friendship. More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road has established a close bond between the two peoples and facilitated mutual learning, which mirrored the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

Since 30 years ago when China and Uzbekistan established diplomatic ties, the two sides have always treated each other equally, shown mutual respect and pursued win-win cooperation, constantly deepening political mutual trust and advancing mutually beneficial cooperation. Bilateral relations between the two countries have been brought to new levels.

China and Uzbekistan value national sovereignty and territorial integrity, oppose other countries' interference in their domestic affairs and firmly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Under the strategic guidance of and the efforts made by the two heads of state, China and Uzbekistan have achieved fruitful results in their cooperation in various fields.

President Xi paid state visits to Uzbekistan in 2013 and 2016, and President Mirziyoyev visited China three times in 2017, 2018 and 2019, attending the 1st and 2nd Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation and the SCO Summit in Qingdao.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, the two heads of state have maintained close communication and exchanged views on enhancing multilateral cooperation and coordination on international affairs. They have reached a series of important consensuses. In February this year, President Mirziyoyev attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

China and Uzbekistan share similar development philosophies. Both of the two countries are ancient civilizations along the Silk Road in pursuit of peaceful development and common prosperity.

At present, the two countries are at a critical stage regarding their respective development. China is marching toward the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, and Uzbekistan pursuing its goal of building a "New Uzbekistan". Both of the two countries place people's wellbeing in the first place and share a common goal of development.

China and Uzbekistan have sincerity in and a strong desire for cooperation. They see high economic complementarity and enjoy huge potential of cooperation.

Last year, their bilateral trade exceeded $8 billion, and China has maintained Uzbekistan's largest trading partner and largest destination of exports for years. China's total investment in Uzbekistan has hit $10 billion and there are currently more than 2,000 Chinese enterprises doing business in Uzbekistan.

The two countries have achieved remarkable progress in the cooperation in poverty reduction, sci-tech innovation, digital economy and green development. Chinese vaccines, which can now be jointly produced with Uzbekistan, have played a major role in Uzbekistan's fight against COVID-19, and a Chinese COVID drug has been approved for clinical use in Uzbekistan, providing effective protection for the life of people in both countries.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the SCO Charter and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States. As founding members of the SCO, China and Uzbekistan have launched productive cooperation within the SCO framework.

China fully supports Uzbekistan in playing its role as a rotating chair of the SCO, which mirrors the two countries' sincere and profound friendship.

Uzbekistan is an ancient country along the Silk Road, and Samarkand an important hub linking the East and the West. By holding the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan has well associated the Silk Road spirit with the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development.

The going is difficult when doing it alone; the going becomes easier when doing it with many others. President Xi's state visit to Uzbekistan and attendance at the SCO Samarkand Summit are of milestone significance for China-Uzbekistan relations and the development of the SCO.

It is believed that guided by the Silk Road spirit and Shanghai Spirit, the SCO Samarkand Summit will write a splendid chapter of friendship and win-win cooperation.

(Jiang Yan is the Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan.)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/south-africans-urge-uk-to-return-great-star-of-africa-diamond-1100866006.html

South Africans Urge UK to Return 'Great Star of Africa' Diamond

South Africans Urge UK to Return 'Great Star of Africa' Diamond

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died at the age of 96 on September 8. Her passing has resonated far beyond the UK. Among others, many... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

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2022-09-16T17:22+0000

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Demands for the return of the Great Star of Africa diamond, obtained by the British Empire over 100 years ago and intertwined with the history of imperialism, to South Africa have been made following Queen Elizabeth II's death.The Great Star of Africa is the biggest stone cut from the Cullinan diamond, which is the largest rough diamond ever discovered and was found in South Africa in 1905 in a mine owned by South African diamond magnate Thomas Cullinan Also known as Cullinan I, the enormous 530.2 carat drop-shaped diamond was added to the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and is also on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, the Smaller Star of Africa, at 317.4 carats, is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world and the most valuable stone in the Imperial Crown, which is currently set atop Queen Elizabeth's coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.Despite the Royal Collection Trust claiming the diamond was presented to the king "as a symbolic gesture to heal the rift between Britain and South Africa after the Boer War," South African public figures started questioning the legitimacy of the diamond being kept outside South Africa.Former African National Congress (ANC) KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo stated: The minerals of our country and other countries continue to benefit Britain at the expense of our people. We remain in deep, shameful poverty, we remain with mass unemployment and rising levels of crime due to the oppression and devastation caused by her and her forefathers.The Cullinan Diamond must be returned to SA with immediate effect," WalesOnline reports.Similarly, African Transformation Movement (ATM) MP Vuyo Zungula has led calls for the Great Star of Africa to be returned to South Africa. Further, he expressed his opinion on the current South Africa-UK relations, saying:More than 6,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Great Star of Africa to be returned and put in a South African museum.As with many of the great treasures discovered in Africa during British colonial rule, the Great Star of Africa was purchased by the Transvaal government and given to the reigning King Edward VII. In order to get the diamond safely to England, agents spread rumors of it being delivered by boat. That strategy distracted potential thieves, and the diamond was packaged and sent by mail without security.When the huge gem arrived safely, King Edward VII gave it to Joseph Asscher, who was ordered to cleave it. However, the Cullinan stone turned out to not be an easy nut to crack. After studying the diamond for six months, when Joseph Asscher attempted to cut the stone, the knifes steel blade broke in two, while the diamond wasnt even scratched. The second attempt, however, was a success.

https://sputniknews.com/20220909/leaders-of-african-countries-pay-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth-ii-1100581713.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220827/go-away-meghan-duchess-of-sussex-slammed-over-heater-incident-during-south-africa-visit-1100068015.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/sri-lanka-court-names-former-president-sirisena-as-suspect-in-2019-easter-bombings-1100860539.html

Sri Lanka Court Names Former President Sirisena as Suspect in 2019 Easter Bombings

Sri Lanka Court Names Former President Sirisena as Suspect in 2019 Easter Bombings

On April 2019, Easter Sunday, a string of bombings of hotels and churches on the island killed more than 250 people. Daesh* has reportedly claimed... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

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Three years after the 2019 Easter bombings, a Colombo court issued notices to former President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday, ordering him to appear before the court on October 14. Local media reported that Magistrate Thilina Gamage decided to name Sirisena as a suspect in the case following a private complaint filed by victims of the attack, in which they alleged the former president committed an offense by acting negligently in response to intelligence warnings. The Sri Lankan prime minister at the time, Ranil Wickremesinghe, blamed police for not acting upon the intel provided by Indian agencies on the impending suicide bombings in the country.Last year, Ranjith wrote a 10-page letter to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, reminding him about the president's commission of inquiry recommendations seeking criminal proceedings against Sirisena for failing to fulfill his responsibilities.The series of blasts that rocked Sri Lanka in April 2019 were the worst terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka's history, in which 269 people were killed, including 45 foreigners from 14 countries. The attacks, besides the COVID-induced lockdown, crippled the nation's tourism industry, eventually contributing to the foreign exchange crisis of 2022.

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sri lanka, terror, easter, catholic church, gotabaya rajapaksa, ranil wickremesinghe, maithripala sirisena
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/texas-gov-abbott-slams-hypocrite-in-chief-biden-after-wh-calls-migrant-bussing-illegal-stunt--1100838329.html

Texas' Greg Abbott Slams Hypocrite-in-Chief Biden After WH Dubs Migrant Transport 'Illegal Stunt'

Texas' Greg Abbott Slams Hypocrite-in-Chief Biden After WH Dubs Migrant Transport 'Illegal Stunt'

Frustration over the US border crisis prompted Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida to send two airplanes filled with illegal immigrants to the affluent vacation... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T05:18+0000

2022-09-16T05:18+0000

2022-09-16T07:20+0000

americas

us

us-mexico border

joe biden

donald trump

migrants

kamala harris

ron desantis

texas governor greg abbott

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has lambasted the Biden administration for continuing to turn a blind eye to the crisis at the US southern border and failing to do its job. The Republican Governors office did not mince its words when responding to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's assertion that GOP governors were performing an "illegal stunt" when sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard and Washington, DC.The press secretary clarified that all the migrants transported by Abbott had willingly signed a waiver form available in a number of languages before boarding the buses.The Republican governors office reiterated its earlier claims that both President Joe Biden and his "Border Czar", Vice-President Kamala Harris, were dismally failing to secure the border."Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, President Biden and Border Czar Harris need to step up and do their job to secure the border - something they continue to fail to do," Eze said.Border ChaosTwo planes with mostly Venezuelan migrants landed on the affluent Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis taking credit for their arrival.Earlier, the Florida legislature appropriated $12Mln to transport the illegal migrants from the state, in accordance with federal law, Fenske added.As part of a strategy launched back in April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent two buses of migrants from the US-Mexico border to a location near the residence of Vice-President Kamala Harris at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning.Abbott tweeted that he had dropped off the migrants in the VPs backyard to call on the Biden administration to do its job & secure the border. A week earlier, Abbott sent about 75 migrants to Chicago.Fellow Republican, Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona, has also adopted this approach, sending busloads of immigrants to the nation's capital, and saying in a news release that the trips, which are voluntary, are needed because of little action or assistance from the federal government.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deprecated the actions of the GOP governors as a political stunt."It is just cruel, and it's not about the process. Actually, It's about a political tool or political stunt that they're moving forward with," Jean-Pierre said at the Thursday press conference, while accusing the Republican governors of using migrants as "political pawns".US border agents have already made a record 1.8Mln migrant arrests in the 2022 fiscal year, with many of those apprehended having attempted to cross several times. Since Biden took office, more than a million migrants have entered the country, according to figures cited by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).After migrants cross the US-Mexico border, they spend some time at a CBP facility before being released by border officials and served documents to appear in court. After that, they are no longer in federal custody and are free to travel across the country. Many wait months for case hearings because of legal and procedural backlogs.Republicans have blamed the border chaos on Bidens determination to undo everything former President Donald Trump had done. They have denounced the present administrations open border policies and the scrapping of a number of restrictive measures against illegal migrants that had been set in place by the former president.

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/biden-reportedly-urging-mexico-to-accept-more-us-returns-of-migrants-from-cuba-nicaragua-venezuela-1100802446.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220721/biden-administration-is-deaf-to-dangers-presented-by-border-crisis-immigration-expert-says-1097655198.html

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us, us-mexico border, joe biden, donald trump, migrants, kamala harris, ron desantis, texas governor greg abbott
https://sputniknews.com/20220916/trump-says-that-if-he-is-indicted-it-will-cause-problems-for-the-country-1100835670.html

Trump Says That if He Is Indicted It Will Cause Problems for the Country

Trump Says That if He Is Indicted It Will Cause Problems for the Country

Donald Trump is under several investigations, including his handling of classified documents, if he and his allies interfered in the Georgia 2020 presidential... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T00:41+0000

2022-09-16T00:41+0000

2022-09-16T00:41+0000

americas

us

donald trump

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Speaking to conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt ahead of his rally near Youngstown, Ohio, later this week, Trump was asked if he thinks he will be indicted over the classified documents the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.The former president replied that he does not think he will be indicted because he has done nothing wrong.But when pressed about what he thinks would happen if he were indicted, Trump stated that the American people would not stand for it.Trump also stated that if he were indicted, it would not prevent him from running for president in 2024.Hewitt predicted that legacy media would interpret Trumps comments as inciting violence, but Trump stated that he was not.Trump has been accused of inciting the riot that led to his supporters storming the capitol building. The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is looking into his actions that day to determine what role he played. That is separate from the Mar-a-Lago raid that was looking for classified documents, which was related to an investigation of Trump and his allies attempts to overturn the 2020 election.The former president argued during the interview, and previously, that he declassified all of the documents he took from the White House. However, that is not an argument his legal team has been making in court.

https://sputniknews.com/20220915/youre-blowing-this-wife-melania-warned-trump-to-take-covid-response-more-seriously-book-says-1100794968.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/two-police-officers-hospitalized-after-being-stabbed-in-central-london-1100842488.html

Two Police Officers Hospitalized After Being Stabbed in Central London

Two Police Officers Hospitalized After Being Stabbed in Central London

The Metropolitan Police has arrested a man after a stabbing incident in central London at around 6am on Friday morning. 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T07:31+0000

2022-09-16T07:31+0000

2022-09-16T08:10+0000

world

uk

stabbing

london

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Two police officers were stabbed by a man with a knife near Leicester Square in central London, according to the Metropolitan Police. They are now being treated in hospital.According to the police, taser was deployed and the suspect was arrested.London Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the attack, described it as "utterly appalling".The police presence in London now is unusually high as preparations are in full swing for the Queens funeral on Monday.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220916/uk-unions-in-fury-over-plan-to-scrap-bankers-bonus-cap-as-millions-are-walloped-by-soaring-costs-1100844253.html

UK Unions in Fury Over Plan to Scrap Banker's Bonus Cap as 'Millions Are Walloped by Soaring Costs'

UK Unions in Fury Over Plan to Scrap Banker's Bonus Cap as 'Millions Are Walloped by Soaring Costs'

Liz Trusss new Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, who is to deliver a mini-budget next week, reportedly has his sights set on boosting City of Londons... 16.09.2022, Sputnik International

2022-09-16T09:16+0000

2022-09-16T09:16+0000

2022-09-16T09:16+0000

world

uk

unite the union

kwasi kwarteng

liz truss

bankers

post-brexit

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Britains trade unions have been infuriated by the governments reportedly mulled plans to scrap a cap on bankers bonuses amid the raging cost of living crisis, The Guardian reported.As ministers return to politics next week, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will deliver an emergency mini-budget on September 23, bringing in tax cuts and energy support for households and businesses.He is also allegedly considering shedding the EU-wide cap on bankers bonuses that dates back to the UKs pre-Brexit period and limits annual pay-outs to twice a bankers salary, the FT reported, citing insiders.OGrady underscored the poor timing of the mulled measure, coming as people are being walloped by soaring prices after the longest and harshest wage squeeze in modern history.Similar criticism of the reported plans came from a spate of economists. Andrew Sentance, who was a member of the Bank of Englands Monetary Policy Committee during and after the financial crisis, said on BBC Radio 4s Today program:According to Luke Hildyard, the executive director of the High Pay Centre think tank, the pro-rich ideological measure was poorly timed to an epic cost-of-living crisis and profound economic hardship.Gary Smith, the general secretary of the GMB union, slammed the rank hypocrisy of the government.City Bonus CapThe City bonus cap was introduced by the EU after the 2007-08 financial crisis as part of a set of regulations known as the Capital Requirements Directive that came into force in 2014. The package included a rule that capped banker bonuses at two times their annual salaries. At the time, the banking sectors bonus culture was faulted for prioritizing short-term profits over longer-term stability and incentivizing risky behavior.A 2009 review into the global banking crisis by Lord Adair Turner, chairman of the FSA, suggested that bonuses may have encouraged bankers to take excessive risks.At the time, the UK opposed the legislation, with the-then Chancellor, George Osborne, making a last-ditch attempt to overturn the bonus cap at the European Court of Justice. The Bank of England (BOE) was also concerned the cap would result in a rise in fixed salary costs. Still others argued that it would damage City competitiveness against rival hubs in New York, Zurich or Singapore.A Clear Brexit DividendThe current mooted change is seen as part of the governments new agenda hoping to render the UK more competitive. The idea to scrap the EU bonus cap had been floated in June, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer describing it as pay rises for bankers, pay cuts for district nurses.While no definite decision has been taken yet, according to the FT, Kwasi Kwarteng purportedly embraced the idea of removing the cap as part his new Big Bang 2.0 approach to post-Brexit City regulation, according to insiders.The Chancellor purportedly believes that the move would make London a more attractive destination by offering incentives to attract top financial talent. Scrapping the cap would be a clear Brexit dividend. Something you can present as a win, a financial executive was cited as saying.

https://sputniknews.com/20220913/liz-truss-faces-growing-pressure-to-reveal-details-of-energy-crisis-plan-as-britons-mourn-queen-1100704747.html

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Svetlana Ekimenko

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PERHAPS for the first time in their lives, many Americans are learning more about the British monarchy than could ever be gleaned from the cover of a tabloid at the supermarket checkout.

So far, at least from what Ive seen and read, there has been little trashing, in the media of any members of the royal family since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, or the ascension to the throne of King Charles III. Still, Im sure the paparazzi lenses will be focused on Queen Elizabeths funeral Monday at Westminster Abbey.

If you look back at the photos of her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, youll see a joyful softness to them and the 1953 coronation photos were composed and regal. At her wedding and coronation, the bells of England peeled joyously. But now, the funerary church bells are to be completely muffled, a mark of respect for the death of a monarch; a sound not heard at Westminster for 70 years.

Ten days of mourning, and so far, everyone is behaving themselves, even the politicians. Ten days of reflection on the life of the longest ruling monarch, and ten days to wonder how and why she was so beloved by so many.

Her late majesty spent her whole life doing the right thing, and not just because she felt like it, or because the mood took her. She spent her 96 years doing the right thing day in and day out, out of a sense of duty. These words were spoken last week, in the House of Lords, by Baron David Wolfson. It struck a chord with so many.

While tasked as the head of state, she undertook more than just a constitutional role, and duties as the international representative of Great Britain. She was the head of the nation, giving her subjects in each generation, a focus of national identity, unity and pride. As so many mourners have expressed, the queens 70-year presence on the throne gave her people, no matter how old, a sense of stability and continuity, for the events of her reign punctuated their lives.

Hundreds of thousands will remember where they were and the events of her death and funeral, just as Americans remember where they were when President Roosevelt broadcast the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or got the news of President Kennedys death, or heard Neil Armstrong speak the first words on the moon, or when they first heard about the 9/11 attacks.

The queen was a fabulous listener. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, in talking about the queen, defined what makes a good leader. A leader is one who knows how to listen: to the unspoken cry of others and to the still, small voice of God. He pointed out that when anointed queen, she pledged to rule not just according to British laws, but the laws of God, in her role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.

She took this as a mandate to listen to people of all faiths. At her Diamond Jubilee, she met with nine representatives of the leading faiths of Great Britain: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian and Bahai. She praised their contributions to the nation. More and more, she said, the Church of England was actively co-operating with other faiths to build a better society. Though a devout Christian, she was also a great woman of faith. And it is faith, she believed, that reminds us of the responsibilities we have beyond ourselves.

Time and time again, Ive heard stories told by those who knew her well, as well as those with whom she only briefly interacted. The stories from the BBC World Service spoke to so many, all over the world, of how the queen sincerely turned her attentions to them and listened.

Perhaps no story is as poignant as that of a small group of Holocaust survivors that met with the queen back in 2005 to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Normally, the queen is kept on a strict schedule, and after meetings is usually swept off by her handlers. However, after meeting the survivors, she stayed well past her time to depart.

To each survivor she gave her focused, unhurried attention, standing and listening until each had finished telling their personal story. Sixty years had passed, but many said it was this encounter with Queen Elizabeth, listening to their stories that brought closure. As one survivor stated, Sixty years ago, I didnt know if I would live or die. And now, I am here, speaking with the queen.

Next week the Jewish High Holidays begin with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. While it is a time of reflecting on the past year, it is also a time of praying for goodness and hope in the New Year. So, as we reflect on the remarkable life of the late queen, let us look forward to a new page in British history, and pray for the new monarch.

We can pray that, in addition to the skills Prince Charles brought to the throne of compassion, goodness, faith and hope that, as the new monarch, King Charles III will be imbued with the special gift his mother brought to her throne, the keen ability to listen.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Carol Blood handily won her partys nomination during the primary election with more than 90% of the vote. On the campaign trail before Novembers general election, she told supporters shes sticking to proven strategy to attract voters as she stumped in Gering.

I noticed that a lot of campaigns do change their strategy after the primary, but we came out of the gate from the beginning, Blood said before a town hall Friday, Sept. 9 at the Gering Civic Center. We pointed out that there were a lot of opportunities for effective change and that we had a plan to change those things, and we have campaigned on that since September.

Blood told the audience her solution would be to use strategic planning, traveling across the state to see what issues impact different areas the most.

Were going to say, OK, what are your priorities in this part of the state? she told the Gering Courier.

She mentioned workforce housing, law enforcement and infrastructure as examples people could bring up. Blood said shed take the top three issues at each stop, then meet with elected officials, nonprofits and public-private partnerships for additional details to determine what can or cannot be done, set priorities and mirror the states budget to reflect those priorities.

Blood began her speech by describing how shed wanted to be a state senator since she first took a trip to the Nebraska capitol, and how she won city and state elections early in her political career despite being outspent. She told the Gering Courier her campaign strategy revolves around meeting with voters and called it a ninja campaign.

People will tell you all the issues, what to vote against but never what to vote for, Blood said.  We have all this stuff where taxpayers are being bamboozled, and I want them to be angry about that because they are constantly lied to in every election.

In particular, Blood told the audience that politicians dont want to lower property taxes so they have a reoccurring issue to run for re-election on. She said if Nebraska were to pass a consumption tax, a proposal set forth by some Republicans in recent legislative sessions, the state would be $4 billion in the hole with no way out of it.

She went over the various pillars of her campaign, which focus on education, public wellbeing, infrastructure and growing the state. Blood also discussed some of the bills shed passed or proposed during her time in the State Legislature such as the property tax circuit breaker bill from 2019.

Blood said a focus of her campaign would be recruiting recent early retirees to rejoin the workforce instead of trying to grow the economy from out of state.

We keep looking at these new, magical ways to bring people into the state. Weve wasted millions of dollars on those and its not been successful, when we have our own goldmine in the state and we just have to figure out how to mine that.

She said focusing on schooling, including community college and through partnerships with private companies to train students, may help keep younger workers in Nebraska.

Weve invested tens of millions in our community colleges, and we have the infrastructure, and were going to give every high school senior the opportunity to go to community college for up to two years  and the state will pay for it, she said.

The candidate also opined that the state is not proactive enough on solving issues. She argued prison overcrowding could be lessened by having nonviolent offenders under supervision, working jobs and receiving counseling, rather than not having them do anything while incarcerated.

She also said the state is slow to implement new technology such as broadband services or artificial intelligence (AI) for agricultural use.

We miss opportunities when it comes to tech, Blood said. We always depend on the university, which is a good thing, but we always do study after study and never pull the trigger on things, and when we do, we were like the 48th state to do it.

After Bloods speech, she answered a few questions from those in attendance. This was her second campaign stop of the day, and she said she would continue the tour over the weekend.
HARRISBURG  In bone-dry Banner County, clouds of dirt drift into the sky as rumbling tractors till the sun-baked soil.

We get very little rain, said Jim Young, standing in a field thats been in his family for 80 years. And we get a lot of wind.

Some of the countrys best wind, in fact.

Thats why 16 years ago, wind energy companies started courting landowners on County Road 14 north of Kimball  on wind speed maps, a deep purple smear through the Nebraska Panhandle that signifies high-speed, reliable wind.

This county of just 625 people stood poised to become home to as many as 300 wind turbines.

It would have been the largest wind project in the state, bringing in money for landowners, developers, the county and local schools. But then, a roadblock: The U.S. Air Force.

Under the dusty fields are dozens of nuclear missiles housed in silos more than 100 feet underground.

For decades, tall structures like wind turbines needed to be at least a quarter mile away from the missile silos. Earlier this year, the military changed its policy.

Now turbines cant be within two nautical miles of the silos. The switch ruled out acres of land energy companies had leased  and wrested a potential windfall from dozens of farmers.

The stalled Banner County project is unique, but its one more way that Nebraska struggles to harness its main renewable energy resource.

Nebraska ranks eighth in the country in potential wind energy, according to the federal government. It continues to lag behind neighbors Colorado, Kansas and Iowa, all of whom are national leaders.

The Banner County projects would have grown Nebraskas wind capacity by 25%. Its now unclear how many turbines will be possible because of the rule change.

This would have been a big deal for a lot of farmers. And it would have been an even bigger deal for every property owner in Banner County, Young said. Its just a killer. Dont know how else to say it.

Living with Nukes

John Jones was driving his tractor when helicopters suddenly whizzed overhead. His tractor had kicked up enough dust to trigger a missile silos motion detectors.

Jeeps sped up. Armed men jumped out to inspect the threat.

I just kept farming, Jones said.

Banner County residents have coexisted with the missile silos since the 1960s. To keep up with Soviet nuclear technology, the U.S. planted hundreds of missiles, positioning them to shoot over the North Pole and into the Soviet Union at a moments notice.

Today, 82 missile silos in the Panhandle are still active, manned 24/7 by Air Force crews.

The 80,000-pound warheads can fly 15,000 miles per hour and do damage 20 times greater than the nukes dropped in World War II.

If we ever get bombed, they say this is the first place theyre going to bomb, because of the silos, said farmer Tom May.

Every acre of Mays property sits within the two miles of a missile silo, he said. Under the new Air Force rule, he cant put a single wind turbine on his ground.

Sixteen years ago, wind turbine developers held a meeting at the school in Harrisburg.

Banner had what developers called world-class wind. Many landowners were eager  they could make $15,000 per turbine per year. The turbines would also pump money into the county and school system, said county officials.

In Banner County, it would have reduced property taxes to damn near nothing, Young said they were told.

Eventually, two companies  Invenergy and Orion Renewable Energy Group  finalized plans to put up wind turbines.

But discussions with the military starting in 2019 brought the projects to a screeching halt.

Wind turbines pose a significant flight safety hazard, an Air Force spokesman said in an email. Those turbines didnt exist when the silos were built. Now that they dot the rural landscape, the Air Force said it needed to reevaluate its setback rules. The final number it settled on was two nautical miles  2.3 miles on land  so helicopters wouldnt crash.

In May, military officials traveled from Wyomings F.E. Warren Air Force Base to break the news to landowners. On an overhead projector at Kimballs Sagebrush Restaurant, they showed enlarged photos of what helicopter pilots see when flying near turbines in a snowstorm.

For most landowners, the news came as a gutpunch. They said they support national security and keeping service members safe. But they wonder: Is eight times as much distance necessary?

They dont own that land. But all of a sudden, they have the power to strike the whole thing down, telling us what we can and cant do, Jones said.

Young agreed.

When you can land a helicopter on top of any hospital in the country, theyre saying that this is too close, he said, pointing to a nearby missile silo and a distant tower less than two miles away. Now you know why were pissed, right?

Wind energy improving, but still lagging

Nebraska built its first wind turbines in 1998  two towers west of Springview. Installed by the Nebraska Public Power District, the pair were a test run.

Iowa had been promoting wind energy since the early 1980s. By 2010, Nebraska was 25th in the country at producing wind-generated power  the bottom of the pack among windy Great Plains states.

The reasons fueling the lag were uniquely Nebraskan. Nebraska is the only state served entirely by publicly owned utilities, mandated to deliver the cheapest electricity possible.

Federal tax credits for wind farms only applied to the private sector. With a smaller population, already cheap electricity and limited access to transmission lines, Nebraska lacked the market to make wind energy worthwhile.

A decade of legislation helped change that calculus. Public utilities were allowed to buy power from private wind developers. A state law diverted taxes back to the county and school district  the reason the Banner County wind farms may have shrunk taxes.

Now, Nebraska has enough wind turbines to generate 3,216 megawatts, moving to fifteenth in the nation.

Its modest growth, experts said. But with new federal incentives, and the three largest Nebraska public power districts committing to going carbon neutral, wind energy in the state is expected to accelerate.

The biggest obstacle now may be Nebraskans who simply dont want them.

Turbines are noisy eyesores, some say. Without federal tax credits, they arent necessarily a financially wise way to generate electricity, said Tony Baker, legislative aide for Sen. Tom Brewer.

In April, Otoe County Commissioners imposed a one-year moratorium on wind projects. In Gage County, officials passed restrictions that would prevent any future wind development. Since 2015, county commissioners in Nebraska have rejected or restricted wind farms 22 times, according to energy journalist Robert Bryces national database.

The first thing we heard out of everyones mouth was how, We dont want those damn wind turbines next to our place, Baker said, describing visits with Brewers Sandhills constituents. Wind energy tears apart the fabric of communities. You have a family that benefits from it, wants it, but everybody that neighbors them doesnt.

John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said pushback comes from a loud minority. Eighty percent of rural Nebraskans thought more should be done to develop wind and solar energy, according to a 2015 University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll.

Its that NIMBY problem, Hansen said, using the acronym meaning, Not in My Backyard. Its, Im not against wind energy, I just dont want it in my area. Their goal is to make sure that no project gets built, period.

For Nebraska towns facing shrinking populations, wind turbines can mean economic opportunity, Hansen said. In Petersburg, the influx of workers after a wind farm was built led a failing grocery store to instead build a second location, he said. Its the equivalent of a part-time job for farmers who agree to turbines.

Its like having an oil well on your land without all the pollution, said Dave Aiken, a UNL ag economics professor. Youd think it would be a no-brainer.

The landowners arent sure whats next. Orion said the Air Force decision rules out at least half its planned turbines. It still hopes to have a project running in 2024. Invenergy declined to detail any future plans.

This resource is just there, ready to be used, Brady Jones, John Jones son, said. How do we walk away from that? At a time when were passing legislation that would vastly increase investment in wind energy in this country? That energys got to come from somewhere.
Fire crews are slowly, but surely, containing the Smokey Fire in northeast Banner County.

The blaze began Tuesday afternoon 15 miles southeast of Gering.

The continuous efforts of personnel from around 30 fire departments have helped curtail the fires spread.

Mike Wight, public information officer for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, said approximately 4,238 acres have burned. As of Thursday, the fire was estimated at 28% containment.

Weve been able to hold the line fairly well. A lot of what (the firefighters) are doing right now is making sure the containment line around the fire is as solid as it can be, meaning the fire doesnt have a chance to get through that, he said.

Wight said the firefighters are now focused on securing the northern and southern areas of containment while extinguishing the fire that still lies in the center of the region burned.

There are two spots of containment, and theyre not together yet, so theyll be working on that, he said, adding that the southern containment zone is further along than the northern one.

The fire grew on grass and timber and spread over a large swath of the Wildcat Hills, blanketing them with smoke for much of Tuesday and Wednesday.

We had a problem with an inversion  where cold air was holding the smoke and so forth down to the ground, and that helps at first, but when that cold air goes out, the fire heats up a lot quicker, Wight said.

Five divisions of local and state fire crews started back-burning to draw a perimeter around the fire. The possibility of inclement weather may affect their efforts to douse the flames.

There have been no injuries or structural damage reported from the fire. Preventing both are goals of firefighters.

Most people who were recommended to leave opted to stay home, and they were watched over by fire crews.  I dont believe any outbuildings even got damaged at this point, Wight said.

Another primary focus is ensuring the safety of everyone extinguishing the fire.

Now that we have a lot of timber burnt, (the firefighters) need to go in there and get the smoldering parts. While theyre in there, those trees could fall at any time, so theyre very careful, and thats a big issue, Wight said.

The crews now aim to keep the fire south of the Scotts Bluff-Banner county line, west of County Road 63, north of County Road 61 and east of Wrights Gap Road.

This is actually almost as good a fire as we can get. There are times where it is not. This is better  still a problem, still difficult, still dangerous, still costing money  but as fires go, this is better than a lot of them, Wight said.

Firefighter Ministry and 11.13 Ministries have helped out by providing food and drink to the firefighters. Many of them had been battling the blaze since it began, sleeping in tents at the incident command center just south of where the fire started.

The Smokey Fire is fought from the sky as well as the ground. Three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters  two from the Nebraska National Guard and one from Spearfish, South Dakota  provided additional fire suppression Thursday afternoon.

Pilots dumped water from Cochran Lake near Melbeta onto spots where the blaze persisted. Wight said a quartet of single-engine air tankers (SEAT planes), which had been used extensively earlier in the week, were also on standby.

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This weekend, some will walk and others run to help Scottsbluffs local Christian radio station update its broadcast equipment and provide aid to refugees of the war in Ukraine.

Onsite registration for KCMI-FMs Missions 5K Walk/Run starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center, with entrants starting the course there a half-hour later. Preregistration is available through the stations website or by dropping by KCMIs office at 209 E. 15th St., Scottsbluff. The station is hoping for 30-40 people to be walking or running the course.

Registration is $15 for adults, $5 for children (12 and under) or $40 for a family. Half the registration fee goes to the radio station, the other half to Mission to Russia, a U.S.-based nonprofit that mainly sends missionaries to the former Soviet Union.

KCMIs transmitter was installed in 1990, according to General Manager Russ Garrett. It still has tubes, like consumer radios and television sets did before digital technology. The stations antenna also is over 20 years old. Both are well past usual age for replacement.

The transmitter and antenna are key to bringing the Christian broadcasting companys signal to its over-the-air coverage area, which, thanks to KCMIs 100,000 watts of power, includes 79,000 people. The region stretches from Glendo, Wyoming, to Oshkosh and just south of Chadron to the Colorado border beyond Kimball.

I would certainly expect that we would have maybe, quite possibly, a few thousand people that tune in on somewhat of a regular basis, Garrett told the Star-Herald.

KCMIs board of directors has made a top priority of getting funds to replace both pieces of equipment. The digital transmitter would cost $110,000 and its antenna $40,000. Garrett said the station has $68,000 in the bank, or 45% of the total needed.

Station leadership hopes to have the fundraising complete by the end of 2023. The equipment would be installed about a year later.

KCMI has hosted a missions walk for several years, but changed 2022s edition after hearing of a listener and longtime event participants dedication to Missions to Russia.

When she shared that with us, we thought, Hey, thats something I think other people might want to be involved in too, so we just kind of built the event this year around that, Garrett said.

That listener, Denise Manuel, has used the missions walk to raise money for several Christian ministries, such as Joni and Friends, which provides assistive devices to those with disabilities.

Manuel has been giving to MTR since its founder visited Westway Christian Church in Scottsbluff in 2009. She said shes close to raising her goal for the 5K of $3,869, which would bring her total to $20,000 brought in for nonprofits over the last 13 years.

Its a humanitarian crisis, Manuel said of her decision to aid MTRs effort in Ukraine this year. Im a human, and I want to help other humans. I want to help other people. They are really struggling over there.

KCMI, which signed on the air in 1981, broadcasts Christian contemporary music, religious teaching and talk shows. Close to half of its programming originates locally, unusually high for a religious-format station in a small city.

Some listeners do like older music, however. Manuel said Todays Hymn Time on Sunday mornings is her favorite program.
Nobody knows anything, William Goldman, the legendary screenwriter said. Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty whats going to work. Every time out its a guess and, if youre lucky, an educated one.

Im starting to think the same thing is true of foreign policy. Culminating over the weekend, the Ukrainian military has achieved some remarkable victories over their Russian invaders in the northeast of Ukraine. The scope and speed of the victories seem to have surprised everyone, starting with the Russians, who abandoned vast amounts of materiel as they fled in panic  or as the Russians put it, regrouped. Its the most significant Ukrainian victory since they thwarted Russias assault on Kyiv in March.

Except for Russia and its fan club, everyone  markets, politicians and media alike  was pleasantly surprised by Ukraines success.

Surprise seems to be an overarching theme in foreign policy these days. After all, many of the same people were surprised by Vladimir Putins invasion in the first place. They were shocked again by Ukraines success in thwarting Putins plan for a quick, surgical, decapitate-and-conquer special military operation. The White House (and probably the Kremlin, too) was stunned when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to flee  sorry regroup  reportedly telling American officials: The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.

There have been other Ukraine-related surprises, for both the Russians and the West. From Russias willingness to use barbaric tactics in plain view to Germanys willingness to reverse decades of pacifism to aid the war effort. Few  especially Putin  thought that Sweden and Finland would join NATO almost immediately in response to the invasion. Various diplomats have been shocked to learn that sanctions and condemnations have had little of their intended effect on Russia.

This is all against the backdrop of other surprises. Many Afghans and Americans alike were startled by Bidens sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan. Whether the Pentagon was blindsided by Bidens decision is debated, but the collapse of the Afghan army clearly took us all by surprise as Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III admitted.

The Trump years were so full of surprises its difficult to catalog them all, in part because Trump relished being a bull in a china shop. The success of the Abraham Accords took the foreign policy establishment off-guard. But Trumps coddling of dictators mystified our allies.

Before that, the Obama administration didnt foresee how their Russian reset wouldnt work. Nor did they see Putins seizure of Crimea coming until it was a near fait accompli. They also failed to understand the threat posed by ISIS.

The Bush years involved one shock after another, starting with the Sept. 11 attack 21 years ago Sunday. The weapons of mass destruction American intelligence agencies, as well as their counterparts in Britain, expected to find in Iraq never materialized. And the Bush administration was caught flatfooted by the Iraqi insurgency.

Indeed, ever since the end of the Cold War  another big surprise!  the world has refused to comply with the confident assurances of the experts. Chinas rise stems in part from the confident bipartisan bet by politicians and policymakers that inclusion in the global trading order would put China on the path to democratization. I still think thats possible, but its worth noting that the experts now all agree it isnt.

Whats the lesson here? I dont think its that experts are never right. No doubt all sorts of shocks to the system were avoided because the experts headed them off. Averted crises are a lot less visible than un-averted ones. But all of these surprises do suggest a little humility is in order. Tactics and strategy  even the right ones  can be thwarted by the law of unintended consequences.

The most important lesson, however, is that principles, unlike strategies, dont change with events. Firm public commitment to principles is often the best way to prevent unpleasant surprises because most surprises come from your adversaries suspicion that you lack the resolve to adhere to them. Al Qaeda attacked us because they believed we wouldnt fight. Putin invaded Ukraine because he believed NATO lacked resolve and the Ukrainians werent serious about their nationhood.

Clear principles  and credibility that we will act on them  is the best deterrence and the author of all worthwhile strategy.
Blessing of the animals service postponed

St. Paul Lutheran Church has postponed its blessing of the animals service which had been planned for Sunday.

The postponement is due to weather concerns.

50th anniversary celebration set for Sunday

Northview Wesleyan Church will hold its 50th anniversary celebration Sunday at 10:30 a.m. A covered-dish meal will follow the service. The church is at 275 Shumaker Drive, Statesville. All are welcome.

Community fun day to feature crafts, games

Bethesda Presbyterian Church will host a community fun day on Oct. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day will feature crafts, face painting, pony rides, a fire truck, games, food and activities. The public is invited to attend. The church is at 802 Bethesda Road, Statesville.

Revival, homecoming are planned

Barkers Grove Baptist Church will hold its homecoming service on Oct. 9 with the Rev. Keith Stanley speaking. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. and the service is at 11 a.m. There will be a time of food and fellowship in the fellowship hall following the service.

The church is hosting revival Oct. 10-13. The prayer room starts at 6:45 p.m. and the services are at 7 p.m. The Rev. Randy Campbell will be the speaker. The church is at 182 Barkers Grove Road, Union Grove. The public is invited to the revival.

The Bible in 31 Days to be presented

Lakeside Fellowship ARP Church will be hosting The Bible in 31 Days Oct. 1-31 from 7-8 p.m. for preaching through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation tracing redemptive history through the Scriptures. For information, visit the church websites, lfarpc.org, or call 980-444-0004. The church is at 381 Williamson Road, Mooresville.

Church food pantry

Bethel Congregational Church hosts a free food pantry from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday.

The church is at 327 E. Turner St., Statesville.

Weekly prayer services

Mooresville Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 659 Carpenter Ave., Mooresville, will hold a public prayer service each Wednesday in the sanctuary.

The service will begin with a ringing of the bells at 5:20 p.m. in support of the freedom and independence of Ukraine and continue with a time of prayer from 5:30-6 p.m.

Speaking of Ukrainians, the Rev. Anthony Ward, pastor of the congregation, said those attending would be praying that the Lord will strengthen and preserve them and help them to stand strong under this attack by Russia, praying for the fighting to cease and for Russia to be put in check, and that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified through this.

The church will have special times of prayer until this conflict is resolved, he said.

After the time of prayer, the church will have its regular Wednesday services, which offer a meal, child and youth activities and an adult Bible study.

Lunchtime service offered in Mooresville

Lunchtime service is the midday outreach of First Presbyterian Church starting at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesdays in its 143 Broad St., Mooresville, facility.

Workers of all ages and callings at circular tables have lunch during the program (brought or ordered from the church website (www.mooresvillefpc.org). Two worship songs precede the days lesson from Psalms followed by table discussion relating participants work to Gods.

The initial program from Genesis introduced the rest from Psalms:

Oct. 5  Job security (Psalm 33)

Oct. 12  Care for each day (Psalm 23);

Oct. 19  Guidance for each day (Psalm 25)

Oct. 26  Help for each day ((Psalm 46)

Nov. 2  There is so much more (Psalm 49)

Nov. 9  When things are hard (Psalm 73)

Nov. 16  The true boss (Psalm 103).

The program lasts under an hour, although extended conversations in the Performance Coffeehouse (same building) are possible for those able to remain longer. For more more information, call the church office at 704-664-5275.
A case that started unfolding in Floyd County at the beginning of the year was settled last week.

Kirk Allen Shaver, 55, of Roanoke was found guilty on charges related to a herd of what was described by law enforcement as emaciated cattle.

The commonwealths attorneys office said Friday that animal control first received complaints about the 64 animals in January.

An investigation by animal control and a Virginia Tech livestock veterinarian found the cattle to be in a state of starvation and infested with parasites, Commonwealths Attorney Eric Branscom said.

More than half of the herd was found to be intact males, a further indication of neglect, according to the veterinarian.

Branscom said the cattle were aggressive and some were wounded from fighting with each other.

The animals have been held and cared for on another farm since being seized in February, and Branscom said this week they are all less aggressive and gaining weight.

The Floyd County Board of Supervisors worked with that farms owner to pay for the herds needs while in his care.

Shaver was ordered to pay the cost of the herds care throughout the investigation. The farm owner presented three bills of about $30,000, which was accepted by the court.

Branscom said the final total of costs will be negotiated under the agreement between the farmer and the Board of Supervisors and take into consideration the sale of the cattle, which will likely happen at a local livestock market.

Shaver is responsible for satisfying the difference if the proceeds from the sale are less than the final amount determined by the Board, and Branscom said hes also entitled to the overage, if the proceeds are greater.

Shaver was found guilty of depriving animals of food by Floyd Circuit Court in August based on this same incident. He was also fined in December 2021 after being found guilty on six counts of allowing animals to run at large.
Supply-chain issues are delaying Rose Valley Elementary renovations for a year, and students, who were previously slated to attend school in the decommissioned Catlin Elementary School this year, are scheduled to remain at Rose Valley instead.

The Kelso School District said in a news release this week the students at Rose Valley will spend the full 2022-23 school year at the Rose Valley Road school. Students were scheduled to move to Catlin on Oct. 11, but no longer will. Students have school Oct. 6, no school on Oct. 7 due to an in-service day, and then school again on Oct. 10, according to the district.

Transportation to and from Rose Valley will run the same as last years bus schedule, the district said.

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Starting in the fall of 2023, the students will transfer to the decommissioned Catlin Elementary School site.

Catlin Elementary has served as a temporary learning space during construction projects. Huntington and Beacon Hill students used the site while their construction finished as well.

Using a 2018 voter-approved bond for $98.6 million, Kelso School District has funded several school projects.

A newly refurbished Huntington Middle School is set to have students in seats by this October after about a year of a $30 million construction project to upgrade lights, floors and windows as well as adding an auxiliary gym.

Butler Acres Elementary School in January finished a $13 million rebuild and expansion. The newly built Lexington Elementary School also opened for students in August 2021, housing about 950 students and standing as a replacement for Beacon Hill and Catlin elementary schools.

The new Wallace Elementary School opened in December 2020 after a $28.5 million effort to replace the nearly 80-year-old building.
LEWIS COUNTY  The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum, located between Elbe and Mineral, is reopening after shutting down in 2020 during COVID-19.

The Western Forest Industries Museum Executive Director Bethan Maher said the railroad could reopen in 2024 or 2025 and will continue hosting past events including The Polar Express Train Ride and the Rails to Ales excursion. The museum will be expanded, and railroad operations will be expanded to include the town of Eatonville, according to a news release.

The museum will still focus on the lives of the loggers, their equipment and ingenuity but will also now include the stories of the Nisqually people as the railroad was constructed and still operates on their land, according to the release.

We will be launching a railbike attraction  RailCycle Mt. Rainier  this upcoming spring, said Maher in the release. Our plans include restoring several steam locomotives to service, relaunching railroad operations, and constructing a new museum that will provide a more inclusive and contextualized history of the people that lived along and worked on our historic railway. Itll take us a few years to get there, but its a worthwhile project with a broad coalition of support.

While the Western Forest Industries Museum originally founded the railroad in 1980, it was sold to American Heritage Railways out of Colorado in 2016. AHR was operating the railroad when it shut down in 2020.

In August 2022, the WFIM got a new management team and board of directors, and AHR returned any railroad-related assets to WFIM.
ASTORIA  The Department of State Lands has been informed by an attorney that Christian Lint, the owner of the historic Tourist No. 2, has died.

The ferry took on water and partially sank near the Sixth Street viewing platform in late July. The state announced in August that it would seize the vessel and pursue enforcement action to try to recover some of the costs.

The ferry was crushed in place and removed from the water this month. The state estimates the removal cost at more than $1 million.

Ali Ryan Hansen, a spokesperson for the Department of State Lands, called the news of Lints death tragic. The situation will continue to evolve, and it may be some time before we have clarity on next steps, she said.

Hansen said Lint, through his attorney, did not object to the disposal of the ferry, but reserved the right to further legal review of the states post-seizure notice.

She said, the state must continue with the vessel seizure process and efforts to recoup costs as a responsible steward of public funds, and intends to pursue the matter with Mr. Lints estate.

The state sent Lint a warning and citation in 2021 claiming the ferry was illegally moored on Department of State Lands property.

That same year, the state notified Lint that the El Primero, an old luxury yacht, and YTL, a small harbor tug, were also in trespass and he was issued an enforcement order. Hansen said the two vessels were subsequently moved.

The Tourist No. 2 was built in the 1920s and used to shuttle passengers and vehicles across the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington state before the Astoria Bridge opened in 1966.

Lint purchased the ferry in 2010 after a fire took the vessel out of service as the M/V Kirkland. In 2016, he sailed the vessel to Astoria from Bremerton, Washington, after a local group expressed interest in a restoration project and formed a nonprofit.

In August, Lint told The Astorian that the nonprofit  the Astoria Ferry Group  abandoned the project after fundraising goals failed, leaving him with the responsibility.

He claimed the nonprofit was the owner of the ferry, but acknowledged that the title had not been transferred.

The Portland Police Bureau confirmed Lints death on Friday afternoon.

Lint, 72, was killed on the night of Aug. 30 when he was struck by a semitruck in Portland. Officials say Lint was found dead after reportedly trying to cross Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Jeff Daly helped Lint care for the Tourist No. 2. He called his friend one of a kind.

He was just one of those guys that you just fell in love with, Daly said. He was just so big on life.

Barbara Pinder, Lints girlfriend, called him her soulmate.

He was so vibrant and had so much energy and loved life, she said. It was just the most obscene, ridiculous thing that could have ever happened.

Daly said that while growing up in Astoria, the Tourist No. 2 was like a playground for him and his friends. He was excited when the ferry came back to Astoria and had hoped to see it become a permanent fixture.

Before the ferry was crushed, Daly arranged for items to be removed. He said he was told afterward that boarding the vessel during the recovery was illegal. He said he tried to get permission to save more items, but was told he could not.

Daly said the items that were saved included the wheel, lights and compass and will be displayed at the Heritage Museum.
TikTok is serving up misinformation to users searching for news about politics, climate change, Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and more, according to a report released Wednesday.

Toxicity and false claims are a "significant threat" at TikTok, which is becoming a go-to online venue for young people to search for information, according to a study by NewsGuard, a media watchdog.

NewsGuard describes itself as a "journalism and technology tool" that rates the credibility of websites and online information.

"Even when TikTok's search results yielded little to no misinformation, the results were often more polarizing than Google's," NewsGuard said of its findings.

NewsGuard in September analyzed the top 20 results from 27 TikTok searches on news topics, finding that 19.5 percent of the videos suggested contained false or misleading claims, the report stated.

Researchers said that they compared TikTok and Google results from searches for information about school shootings, abortion, Covid-19, US elections, Russia's war on the Ukraine and other news.

False or misleading claims in results included conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon and supposed home recipes for hydroxychloroquine, a prescription drug used to treat malaria and lupus, according to NewsGuard.

TikTok says the methodology used in the analysis is flawed, and that it makes a priority of fighting misinformation.

"Our Community Guidelines make clear that we do not allow harmful misinformation, including medical misinformation, and we will remove it from the platform," a TikTok spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"We partner with credible voices to elevate authoritative content on topics related to public health, and partner with independent fact-checkers who help us to assess the accuracy of content."

While testifying Wednesday at a Senate hearing on social media's impact on national security, Twitter former senior vice president of engineering Alex Roetter said that the Chinese government is an investor in TikTok parent company Bytedance, and that it has incentives to maximize profit and user engagement.

"The TikTok algorithm pushes educational science, engineering, and math content on Chinese youth while pushing a feed containing twerking videos, misinformation, and other destructive content to US children," Roetter told Senators.

Social media companies stand to benefit from attention-grabbing online content despite harmful effects it may have on society, Roetter said in opening remarks.

"Our terms of service and community guidelines are built to help ensure our vision of a safe and authentic experience," TikTok chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas said at the hearing.

"Our policies have zero tolerance for disinformation, violent extremism and hateful behavior."
A massive asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and is expected to make a close approach with the planet today. Will it hit or miss Earth? Heres what NASA said.

Continuing this month's trend of frequent close approaches by asteroids, NASA has warned that another asteroid is hurtling towards Earth. Asteroids are Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) which are often found orbiting the Sun in the main asteroid belt near Jupiter. Usually, asteroids are the most common NEOs which come near the Earth's orbit. Most of them burn up and disintegrate before reaching the planet but some can still pass through. Know more about the asteroid which is expected to make a close approach with Earth today, September 16.

Asteroid 2022 QD1 hurtling towards Earth

NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The Asteroid 2022 QD1 has been red flagged by NASA. Although the asteroid is not heading for impact with Earth, it was still classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object due to the close proximity with which it will pass by Earth.

Asteroid 2022 QD1 will make its closest approach to Earth today, September 16, at a distance of 7.4 million kilometers. Asteroid 2022 QD1 is already on its way towards Earth travelling at a staggering speed of 34200 kilometers per hour.

NASA reschedules Artemis I launch

After a couple of technical snags which prevented previous launches, it seems like NASA is finally ready to launch its Artemis I mission to the Moon in the coming weeks. The space agency previously attempted to launch the Orion spacecraft with the help of its new Space Launch System on August 29 and then on September 2 but suffered multiple setbacks on both occasions. NASA has planned another launch window for its first mission to the moon in decades.

NASA recently tweeted, Our #Artemis I flight test around the Moon will launch no earlier than Sept. 27, with a backup opportunity of Oct. 2 under review. This means that the space agency has finally fixed the issues which plagued the previous launch attempts. In a recent blog, NASA has revealed that the agency will attempt a demonstration test on September 21 before the planned launch on September 27. NASA has scheduled October 2 as the backup date for the launch.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the assembler of most of the worlds iPhones, plans to build a chipmaking facility in India with a local partner to tap rising demand for semiconductors and the governments support for such projects.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the assembler of most of the world's iPhones, plans to build a chipmaking facility in India with a local partner to tap rising demand for semiconductors and the government's support for such projects.

A joint venture of Taiwan's Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, and metals company Vedanta Ltd. will set up a factory in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The total investment in the project, which includes semiconductor fabrication, assembly and testing as well as display production, is set to reach 1.54 trillion rupees ($19.4 billion), Vedanta said in a statement Tuesday.

While the partners have little experience running large chip operations, they are betting on rising demand as everything from smartphones and cars to home appliances contain an increasing number of semiconductors. Modi's government late last year unveiled a $10 billion incentive plan, offering to cover as much as half of a project's cost, to lure display and semiconductor fabricators to set up base in India. The country is also the world's No. 2 smartphone maker.

The companies plan to build the chip manufacturing plant within the next two years, and the total project will employ about 100,000 people, Vedanta said. Hon Hai will own 40% of the chip venture and Vedanta the rest, and the Taiwanese company won't be involved in the display plant. When the companies announced their intention for a joint venture in February, Hon Hai said it would invest about $118 million in its 40% stake.

The planned venture is set to make chips using mature 28-nanometer technology. India's smartphone industry is concentrated in southern India, and the new venture could face challenges attracting skilled workers to the western state of Gujarat.

Hon Hai is the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics and only runs minor chip fabrication operations. Billionaire Anil Agarwal's Vedanta produces metals including aluminum and copper.
Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars.

NASA's Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars.

The rover has collected four samples from an ancient river delta in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater since July 7, bringing the total count of scientifically compelling rock samples to 12.

"We picked the Jezero Crater for Perseverance to explore because we thought it had the best chance of providing scientifically excellent samples - and now we know we sent the rover to the right location," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "These first two science campaigns have yielded an amazing diversity of samples to bring back to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign."

Twenty-eight miles (45 kilometers) wide, Jezero Crater hosts a delta - an ancient fan-shaped feature that formed about 3.5 billion years ago at the convergence of a Martian river and a lake. Perseverance is currently investigating the delta's sedimentary rocks, formed when particles of various sizes settled in the once-watery environment. During its first science campaign, the rover explored the crater's floor, finding igneous rock, which forms deep underground from magma or during volcanic activity at the surface.

"The delta, with its diverse sedimentary rocks, contrasts beautifully with the igneous rocks - formed from crystallization of magma - discovered on the crater floor," said Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley of Caltech in Pasadena, California. "This juxtaposition provides us with a rich understanding of the geologic history after the crater formed and a diverse sample suite. For example, we found a sandstone that carries grains and rock fragments created far from Jezero Crater - and a mudstone that includes intriguing organic compounds."

"Wildcat Ridge" is the name given to a rock about 3 feet (1 meter) wide that likely formed billions of years ago as mud and fine sand settled in an evaporating saltwater lake. On July 20, the rover abraded some of the surface of Wildcat Ridge so it could analyze the area with the instrument called Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals, or SHERLOC.

SHERLOC's analysis indicates the samples feature a class of organic molecules that are spatially correlated with those of sulfate minerals. Sulfate minerals found in layers of sedimentary rock can yield significant information about the aqueous environments in which they formed.

What Is Organic Matter?

Organic molecules consist of a wide variety of compounds made primarily of carbon and usually include hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They can also contain other elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. While there are chemical processes that produce these molecules that don't require life, some of these compounds are the chemical building blocks of life. The presence of these specific molecules is considered to be a potential biosignature - a substance or structure that could be evidence of past life but may also have been produced without the presence of life.

In 2013, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover found evidence of organic matter in rock-powder samples, and Perseverance has detected organics in Jezero Crater before. But unlike that previous discovery, this latest detection was made in an area where, in the distant past, sediment and salts were deposited into a lake under conditions in which life could potentially have existed. In its analysis of Wildcat Ridge, the SHERLOC instrument registered the most abundant organic detections on the mission to date.

"In the distant past, the sand, mud, and salts that now make up the Wildcat Ridge sample were deposited under conditions where life could potentially have thrived," said Farley. "The fact the organic matter was found in such a sedimentary rock - known for preserving fossils of ancient life here on Earth - is important. However, as capable as our instruments aboard Perseverance are, further conclusions regarding what is contained in the Wildcat Ridge sample will have to wait until it's returned to Earth for in-depth study as part of the agency's Mars Sample Return campaign."

The first step in the NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Sample Return campaign began when Perseverance cored its first rock sample in September 2021. Along with its rock-core samples, the rover has collected one atmospheric sample and two witness tubes, all of which are stored in the rover's belly.

The geologic diversity of the samples already carried in the rover is so good that the rover team is looking into depositing select tubes near the base of the delta in about two months. After depositing the cache, the rover will continue its delta explorations.

"I've studied Martian habitability and geology for much of my career and know first-hand the incredible scientific value of returning a carefully collected set of Mars rocks to Earth," said Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "That we are weeks from deploying Perseverance's fascinating samples and mere years from bringing them to Earth so scientists can study them in exquisite detail is truly phenomenal. We will learn so much."

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Although the official sale of the Apple iPhone 14 will only start in Malaysia next week, someone has already owned the device. A local man has travelled all the way to Singapore to get his hands on the new iPhone. Not only has he successfully brought the iPhone 14 home, but he's also the first in Singapore to do so.

The man from Kuala Lumpur had placed his order on 9 September before travelling to Singapore. He joined the queue in front of an Apple store on Orchard Road as early as 6 am today, as the store doesn't allow its buyers to camp overnight. According to the source, there were as many as 500 people in the queue. However, little did they know the first one in the line was from Malaysia.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time the man becoming such a die-hard fan of the brand. Four years ago, he did the same thing. He was also the first to own the latest iPhone at that time. Let's hope that Apple opens an Apple Store in Malaysia soon, so he doesn't have to fly to another country just to get a new iPhone (haha).

Is there anyone of you who would do the same? Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts, and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more smartphone news.
For many Malaysians, this is a week we've been highly anticipating. We not only get a holiday on 16 September 2022 but also have the iPhone 14 series pre-order. If that's you and you've been keeping an eye out for these then you might be in luck.

Like the previous generation, the Apple iPhone 14 series has four models: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Plan to get one of them? Then check out these pre-order deals from TMT by Thunder Match!

Keep your new iPhone 14 protected!

Protect your iPhone 14 with Clear Tempered Glass

If you're the type to wrap your phones with a cover, TMT's deal could be right up your alley. The company has a special offer for the iPhone 14 series Clear Tempered Glass and some lens protectors. For those who buy the iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus, you can buy a Clear Tempered Glass and two pieces of lens protectors for RM99.

If you buy the iPhone Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, you get to purchase the Clear Tempered Glass and three pieces of lens protectors for RM109. Regardless of which you choose, this PWP deal helps you save RM79! If you're planning to buy them anyway, there's no reason you shouldn't take advantage of this offer.

Camera lens protectors for your iPhone 14

Extras you may need

You may also want to grab some extra accessories to go with your brand-new iPhone 14 series smartphone. For example, a new charger to replace the one you've lost. In that case, TMT has a second pre-order deal with accessories that won't only light up your life but also your new iPhone.

Specifically, you can pick from a 20W charger, a Lightning-to-USB cable, or the Apple EarPods with a Lightning to 3.5mm audio jack converter. They normally retail for RM99, RM89 and RM99, respectively. But with TMT's pre-order offer, you can choose one of the three at a discounted price of RM9!

Get a Watch too

So you're thinking of getting a smartwatch to go with your new iPhone? The new Apple Watch Series 8 comes with some new features. But if you want to save money, the Watch Series 7 would be the better choice. Those who purchase the new iPhone 14 series can also grab the Watch Series 7 41mm and 45mm at RM1449 and RM1599. That means you save RM300, which is quite a deal!

Besides the above, TMT is offering an exclusive pre-order discount voucher worth RM420 and a Christy Ng Bag. If you have an iPhone 13 series smartphone, you could also trade it in for a 50% buyback price. For older devices, there's the overtrade program that lets you trade selected Apple devices. You'll get an extra RM100 value (by compAsia) on top of your trade-in value, plus an RM100 TMT cash voucher! Both are great ways to fund your new iPhone.

You can also get one of these Christy Ng bags with your iPhone 14 series pre-order from TMT by Thunder Match

One more thing...

If you don't have enough time to sell your kidney (just kidding), TMT by Thunder Match also supports 0% interest instalments for most major banks like Maybank, CIMB, Hong Leong Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered. You can also Buy Now and Pay Later with platforms like Grab, Shopee or Atome.

In addition, there will also be midnight sales at TMT @ Seremban Gateway and Thunder @ Berjaya Megamall! Customers will be able to get their brand new iPhone 14 at 12:01am on 23 September 2022.

So, are you interested in any of these deals? Then head over to the TMT by Thunder Match website here to pre-order now! You can also check out our launch report for the Pro and non-Pro variants for more details on the new Apple iPhone 14 series.

For more details on TMT by Thunder Match iPhone 14 series pre-orders and more check out their Facebook page. For more news like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.

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Credit: Ilina Yuliia, Shutterstock

Plastics are harming the planetthat is a fact. But like it or not, they are an integral part of modern life, which is why scientists have been focusing on alternatives to plastics made from non-renewable petroleum. One promising polymer is polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a 100% bio-based alternative to the petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used to manufacture over 500 billion plastic bottles every year. PET is the chemical name for polyester.

Now, a peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the PEF applications developed by Dutch chemical technology company Avantium has showed that replacing use of fossil carbon in PET with totally renewable carbon in PEF in the production of 250 ml and 500 ml bottles would lead to a significant drop in GHG emissions.

The Dutch company has developed a technology called YXY to convert plant-based sugars into a fully recyclable polymer. The resultant 100% bio-based, recyclable and degradable polymer combines environmental features with superior performance when compared with PET. It boasts better barrier properties for CO 2 and oxygen (therefore lengthening the shelf life of packaged products) and higher mechanical strength (leading to thinner PEF packaging requiring fewer resources). It also has a 12 C higher heat resistance than PET.

"The main building block of PEF, FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid) can be produced from sugars (fructose), for example from wheat, corn and sugar beet. FDCA is polymerized with plant-based mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) to make a 100% plant-based PEF polymer. When fully technologically developed, PEF can also be produced from cellulose and thus from agricultural and forestry waste streams. Avantium's current process utilizes starch from European wheat," states a press release posted on the website of German project partner nova-Institute that conducted the LCA.

LCA insights

The LCA analyzed 16 different impact categories covering the environmental impact of PEF packaging solutions in all relevant life-cycle stages from "cradle to grave." The results indicated that PEF bottles would reduce GHG emissions by 33% compared to PET bottles. "PEF would also lead to 45% lower finite resource consumption of fossil fuels and reduce the pressure on abiotic resources (minerals and metals) by 47% due to the mechanical properties of PEF enabling light-weighting. However, PET bottles would outperform PEF-bottles in other impact categories mostly arising from the current feedstock supply."

PEF also has applications in multilayer packaging, when monolayer packaging is not enough to guarantee the required shelf life. The press release reports: "In this LCA, 250 ml PET/PEF multilayer bottles with 10% of PEF were also assessed and compared to reference PET/PA bottles with a typical 7% of PA (polyamide). The analysis showed that significant reductions of around 37% in GHG emissions could be achieved by replacing the PA layer with PEF, mainly attributed to the recyclability of the PET/PEF system over the non-recyclability of the PA-containing system. This replacement would also contribute to a significant reduction of finite resources demand (-37% and -52% of fossil fuels and minerals and metals, respectively)."

The aim of PEFerence (From bio-based feedstocks via di-acids to multiple advanced bio-based materials with a preference for polyethylene furanoate) is to establish the world's first industrial-scale, cost-effective FDCA plant. Project lead Avantium intends to open this plant in 2024.

Explore further Plant-based and recyclable plastic bottles using citrus peel as raw material

More information: PEFerence project website: PEFerence project website: peference.eu/
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Chaos theory can be used to encrypt, with computational efficiency, a color image, according to work published in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing. The non-linear approach described performs far better than conventional encryption algorithms for such digital assets.

Subhrajyoti Deb of the ICFAI University Tripura, Bubu Bhuyan of North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Nirmalya Kar of the National Institute of Technology in Agartala, K. Sudheer Reddy of Anurag University, in Hyderabad, India, explain how strong encryption is essential for a wide range of digital assets, not least color images. Traditional encryption tools can treat a file that encodes for a color image as if it were a text document but that approach is very inefficient given the different qualities of a displayed image when compared with a text document.

As such, there is considerable waste in terms of time and computing resources when encrypting an image using encryption algorithms designed to encrypt text. Moreover, such an approach, not being optimized for an image also makes them susceptible to decryption by a third party because of the characteristics of the encrypted file, wherein it might contain excessive redundancy because of long strings with the same pixel values. Various researchers have suggested alternative approaches such as using chaos theory, cellular automata, or quantum theory, to make encryption of images more efficient and less prone to attack. Fundamentally, there is a need to randomize the pixels encoded by the image file in a reversible way that is efficient and next-to-impossible to breach without the encryption key.

The team has used a modified version of the Grain-128 cipher to address the issues facing those who need to encrypt color images. The result is an encrypted file that has a satisfactory key space, low correlation and high randomness. The encrypted image has the appearance of random, color noise when displayed on a screen. Overall, the improvements over traditional text encryption approaches gives the team an efficient and essentially uncrackable encrypted file that cannot be breached using standard occlusion, rotation, and noise attacks.

Explore further Encrypting medical photos with chaos

More information: Nirmalya Kar et al, Color image encryption using an improved version of stream cipher and chaos, International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing (2022). Nirmalya Kar et al, Color image encryption using an improved version of stream cipher and chaos,(2022). DOI: 10.1504/IJAHUC.2022.10045645
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Ethereum, the blockchain network behind the world's second-largest crypto token ether, just completed a major software upgrade that could revolutionize the cryptocurrency universe, some experts say.

The upgrade, called "the Merge" by crypto enthusiasts, promises to lower Ethereum's energy consumption and attract more users. Climate activists have long criticized digital assets because producing them uses enormous amounts of electricity and generates large CO 2 emissions. The University of Cambridge and Digiconomist estimate that the two largest crypto-assets, Bitcoin and Ethereum, together use around twice as much electricity in one year as the whole of Sweden.

Crypto-production's high energy consumption is due to "proof of work," which is the way transactions are verified and more digital assets are produced. By upgrading its software, Ethereum is changing the process to "proof of stake," which will lower energy consumption, attract more users, and speed up transactions, experts say.

"The Merge might be one of the most important events in history" for digital assets, said Jacky Goh, CEO, and Founder of Rewards Bunny, a platform that rewards shoppers with cashback in either cryptocurrency or U.S. dollars. "It will make Ethereum more usable and scalable, and there will be better adoption."

What is proof of work (PoW)?

To confirm a transaction on the blockchain, people must solve complex mathematical puzzles using powerful computing power. Once the puzzles are solved, the transaction is added to the blockchain ledger and the person, or miner, who solved the puzzles first is rewarded with cryptocurrency. This is also how new cryptocurrencies are released.

What is proof of stake (PoS)?

This method replaces miners with "validators" who put their cryptocurrency up as collateral to create new blocks. Instead of individuals competing to be the first to solve the same mathematical puzzles to create new blocks, a person is chosen at random by an algorithm to validate, or confirm, a transaction.

Because your chances of getting chosen as a validator depends on how much you pledge, or "stake," many people pool their digital coins to raise their chances of being selected. The rewards are usually then split along the lines of how much each person contributed.

What are the benefits of PoS?

It doesn't require massive computing power since not everyone is trying to solve the same math puzzle at once, making it more energy efficient than PoW.

Also because it doesn't require so much computing power, the barriers to entry are lower. People no longer require expensive, special hardware that can compute complex equations at the speed of light.

"The Merge will be a great evolution to the Ethereum network," said Alan Goldberg, analyst at BestBrokers. "Electricity consumption is expected to plunge by a whopping 99.95% which is massive, especially in context of the current energy crisis."

And that drop in energy consumption may be key to rendering "Ethereum more palatable to policymakers and regulators," wrote Teunis Brosens, ING head economist of digital finance and regulation, in a report. "This, in turn, removes one stumbling block for traditional financial institutions and other companies to offer Ethereum-based services."

What are the negatives of PoS?

Policymakers, regulators and financial institutions embracing Ethereum should be a tell-tale sign PoS is a big negative, some say.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) "has an article plastered on its homepage that praises the Merge as a 'sea change towards sustainability among crypto-currencies,'" said Cory Klippsten, SwanBitcoin.com chief executive said.

If an entity like the WEF decided to stake a large amount of cryptocurrency, it could do so without any barriers and exert its influence over Ethereum, Klippsten said.

Ethereum has never been truly decentralized, like Bitcoin, he argues. "Ethereum was started by a group of people like a company is, and it fundraises like a company, and it's run like a company" he said.

Explore further Ethereum blockchain set for 'monumental' overhaul

(c)2022 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Picture of an all-perovskite tandem solar module. Credit: Xuezeng Dai, UNC.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells, solar cells comprised of stacked wide-bandgap (WBG) and narrow-bandgap (NBG) perovskites, could be particularly promising energy solutions. Compared to other existing photovoltaic systems, these cells could achieve good energy-efficiencies while significantly lowering fabrication costs.

Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapell Hill and University of Rochester have recently devised a new hot gas-assisted method that could improve the fabrication of NBG perovskite films for tandem solar cells. This strategy combined with an anti-oxidation material added in the film, both of which were introduced in a paper published in Nature Energy, could increase the solar cells' carrier recombination lifetime (i.e., the time it takes for excess charge carriers to decay).

"All-perovskite tandem perovskite solar cells are promising to reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems, due to their potential to reach a much higher efficiency than their single-junction counterparts, while maintaining the solution fabrication processes," Jinsong Huang, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "Also, compared to single junction perovskite modules, the application of tandem structures, which have much smaller photocurrents but higher photovoltage, can also reduce the cell-to-module efficiency derate, and thus enable the realization of higher module efficiencies for monolithically interconnected modules in a series."

In all-perovskite tandem solar cells, both the WBG and NBG perovskite layers are deposited using a method called blade coating. Blade coating, also known as knife coating or doctor blading, is a scalable coating technique that entails applying an excess of coating material to a substrate and then removing some using a blade, until one reaches the desired coating.

Huang and his colleagues devised a new blade coating strategy that could be particularly favorable for the fabrication of NBG perovskite films. In contrast with other typically employed strategies, their technique utilizes a hot gas.

"To create our NBG perovskite films, we developed a hot gas-assisted blade coating strategy to achieve high-quality, large-area, and thick films," Huang said. "The hot gas accelerated the drying of the high boiling point solvents to solidify the as-coated wet film, preventing the microscale solution flows. In addition, a reducing agent benzylhydrazine hydrochloride (BHC) was introduced to prevent Sn2+ and iodide oxidization during film deposition and, more importantly, to withstand the air exposure during module fabrication."

Using their new blade coating method, Huang and his colleagues were able to suppress unfavorable processes occurring during the coating of their NBG perovskite film. The resulting film was then used to create all-perovskite tandem solar cells with a remarkable efficiency of 21.6%, with a 14.3 cm2 aperture area, which corresponded to an active area efficiency of 23%.

"Our innovative hot-gas assisted blade coating method enables the high-throughput fabrication of large area, high quality NBG films for all-perovskite tandem solar cells," Huang added. "On the other hand, scaling up all-perovskite tandem solar modules is challenging due to the degradation of the narrow band gap subcell during module processing in an ambient condition. In this work, the reducing agent BHC enables module fabrication in an ambient environment, which is a critical step toward industrialization."

In the future, the recent work by this team of researchers could contribute to the industrialization and up-scaling of efficient all-perovskite tandem solar cells that are more affordable. Meanwhile, the researchers plan to use their method to develop more efficient and stable solar modules with larger surface areas.

Explore further Fully scalable all-perovskite tandem solar modules

More information: Xuezeng Dai et al, Efficient monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar modules with small cell-to-module derate, Nature Energy (2022). Journal information: Nature Energy Xuezeng Dai et al, Efficient monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar modules with small cell-to-module derate,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01102-w

 2022 Science X Network
Chavez Accuses Colombia of being the Andean Israel by raiding their neighbors to hunt down their subversives there hidden. For their part, many will say that Ecuador, Venezuela and Nicaragua are sanctuaries for terrorists as they came to be Egypt, Lebanon, Syria or Jordan. The fact that a country refuge or encourage a guerrilla in a neighboring nation is something that occurs in Asia and Africa, but which has not been in more than one century in South America. To Colombia are syndicated to outsource its internal conflict, something that would have not happened before in the region. Perhaps check out Everest Capital for more information. The military juntas of the Southern Cone in the 1970s is not violated in the sovereignty of any other Republic (as Colombia did before Ecuador) on its because they coordinated to help them pursue their respective subversives.



The Colombian conflict is no longer exclusively in that country. Although U.S. and Uribe would like to eradicate the guerrilla group, as before Peru crushed trail, scenario is complicated because three neighbouring Colombia have Governments related to the Bolivarian or Socialist discourse of the FARC. (Similarly see: Bonnie Strickland). Original author and source of the article.
AUSTIN  Lawyers representing the men who accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of securities fraud say they will be able to question him under oath  but not until after the election.

On Friday, Collin County District Court Judge Cynthia Wheless ordered Paxton to sit for a one-hour deposition on Nov. 28, according to attorneys representing former GOP Rep. Byron Cook of Corsicana and Florida billionaire businessman Joel Hochberg.

Terry Jacobson, who represents the two men along with Alex More of Dallas, confirmed the date but declined to comment further. Paxtons agency and campaign staff, as well as his attorney, Mitch Little, did not respond to a request for comment.

The deposition order comes after Paxton filed motions to reject at least two subpoenas in the past three months, citing scheduling conflicts.

Setting the deposition for late November means Paxton wont have to answer questions about his securities fraud charges before the Nov. 8 midterm election, when he faces Democratic challenger Rochelle Garza.

In addition to his seven-year-old fraud indictments, the conservative Republican also faces a whistleblower lawsuit and an FBI bribery investigation.

Paxton has denied wrongdoing in the cases, stating he is the target of baseless witch hunts.

The deposition is tied to a yearslong dispute between Paxton and two former friends accusing him of defrauding them.

In 2015, Cook and Hochberg alleged Paxton violated state securities laws by persuading them to invest in a McKinney technology company without telling them hed received company stock. Cook, who served as chair of the State Affairs Committee, and Paxton both served in the Texas House and invested in a number of ventures together.

That summer, a Collin County grand jury indicted Paxton on two felony securities fraud charges and one felony charge of failing to properly register with the state securities commission. If convicted, he faces five to 99 years on each fraud charge, plus an additional two to 10 on the registration charge, as well as fines.

The year after his indictment, a Paxton loyalist fired back at Cook and Hochberg in the case that is at the center of this deposition fight.

In a civil lawsuit, Charles Chip Loper III accused the two men of concocting a complex self-dealing scheme to profit off the investment funds of a mineral assets company called Unity Resources. Loper said the alleged scheme hurt him and his father financially.

The Lopers, who founded a Frisco insurance company, are close Paxton allies. Theyve donated to his campaign and a fund to defend against his indictments, and Loper III manages Paxtons blind trust.

Cook and Hochbergs lawyers called the suit a tit-for-tat attempt to smear and tarnish their clients reputations after accusing the attorney general of fraud.

They achieved a victory last year by adding Paxton as a responsible third party to the Unity lawsuit. Like them, Paxton was an investor and also served as the companys lawyer, the two men argued, saying he too should be held responsible for any alleged wrongdoing.

The decision does not mean Paxton has been deemed liable for any alleged wrongdoing, nor did it clear Cook or Hochberg.

While tied together, the Unity lawsuit is separate from Paxtons fraud case. His indictments remain active and, due to a number of delays, he has not yet faced a jury. Paxtons lawyers and prosecutors are battling over where to hold the trial.

Since June, Cook and Hochbergs lawyers have been attempting to depose Paxton in the Unity case, during which they can ask about his securities fraud indictments.

Their first subpoena called for Paxton to appear July 12. But his lawyer said he would be traveling at that time, citing both an upcoming visit to China with other Attorneys General and a trip to Europe.

A search of Paxton social media presence do not indicate when or whether these trips took place, and his agency and campaign staff did not answer questions about when and whether the attorney general took these trips.

To require him to change his plans at this late date would cause Paxton to incur an undue burden and expense, Little wrote on June 15.

Paxton was subpoenaed again to appear Aug. 19. But his lawyer again fought back, saying there were unresolvable scheduling conflicts. Paxton was deposed once in the Unity case in August 2019, but this record was deemed private and remains under seal.
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Episode 55: We are weeks away from elections that could affect control of Congress, along with the political futures of states across this nation. Some issues  such as differences on tax policy or school budgets  are relatively easy to discuss, but when the topic turns to the health of one of the candidates, things quickly get tricky.

Rick Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how much voters should know about the health of the candidates who appear on the ballot, and whats the ethical way for a challenger to bring up the medical challenges facing an opponent?

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

John Fetterman has lingering speech issues after his stroke. What's the impact on his Senate run?, by Julia Terruso, The Philadelphia Inquirer

A worrying phone call adds to concerns about Sen. Dianne Feinstein's cognitive health, by Amina Kilpatrick, National Public Radio

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
All eyes in Alaska will be on the remnants of Typhoon Merbok as the system moves over the southern Bering Sea on Thursday night -- before becoming what's expected to be the strongest storm to impact the state in more than a decade.

The National Weather Service in Fairbanks is urging coastal residents to complete preparations for the storm by Friday morning, as conditions will begin to rapidly deteriorate by Friday afternoon.

"This is likely going to be the strongest storm in over a decade, with impacts likely rivaling impacts we saw in 2011 from what's referred to as the Bering Sea Superstorm," Jonathan Chriest, a meteorologist with the weather service in Fairbanks, told CNN.

That 2011 Alaskan storm, with wind gusts over 90 mph, left behind a wide swath of destruction. Like Merbok, the 2011 system was an extratropical storm. An extratropical storm or cyclone has cold air at its core -- unlike a tropical storm or cyclone which has a warm core. Both can cause significant damage from strong winds, heavy rain and storm surge.

"When a big storm comes in, we always say 'does it compare to the 2011 storm?'" Chriest told CNN. "This is the first storm since 2011 that we have high confidence ... will compare impact-wise."

This week's storm will not only rival the 2011 event, but is expected to reach a magnitude unlike any other for the month of September.

The storm's central pressure, a metric which can indicate how much wind and storm surge a system can produce, is forecast to drop to a mind-bending 940 millibars -- a number typically found in Category 3 and Category 4 hurricanes. Generally speaking, the lower the central pressure, the stronger the storm.

"In September we've never had a storm with the central pressure in the Bering Sea below 960 millibars," Chriest said.

On Friday, the remnants of Typhoon Merbok are forecast to move into the Bering Sea and are forecast to "bomb out." That process is also known as bombogenesis, referring to a pressure drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours or less. That means the storm is rapidly strengthening and has the potential to cause significant damage.

The storm has the capability to generate major flooding, significant storm surge, 50-foot wave heights and hurricane-force winds.

"Nome-Council Road runs along the coast and there's potential that road may be washed out. Since it's September it's still hunting season, so there's likely hundreds of folks hunting in the mountains north of Nome where Nome-Council Road runs through," Chriest said.

Chriest said many of the hunters are off the grid and may not have access to the latest storm forecasts.

"In addition to coastal flooding, shoreline erosion is also possible," Eric Drewitz, a meteorologist with the weather service in Anchorage told CNN.

"Hurricane force winds are expected in the Bering Sea. The western and central Aleutians are under a high wind warning for winds of 50 to 70 mph, gusting to 90 mph. The Pribilof Islands are under a high wind watch for winds of 50 to 65 mph, gusting to 85 mph."

Coastal flood watches have also been issued for all coastlines along the west coast of Alaska between just north of the Arctic Circle down through the Kuskokwim Delta coast.

While high winds and storm surge are expected to be the main impacts of this storm, rainfall accumulations cannot be ignored. Anchorage has already been exceptionally wet this year. In fact, it's on track for its wettest year on record.

"Even if no rain fell for (the remainder of 2022) they would finish in the top 10 wettest years all-time," the weather service said in a tweet.

While most areas will see around 1 inch of rain with this storm, some areas could pick up as much as 2 to 3 inches through the weekend. Even if Anchorage only picks up 1 to 2 inches from this storm, it will push this year into the top five wettest years on record.

The-CNN-Wire

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This years theme at the Nebraska Extension Husker Harvest Days exhibit was Leveraging Innovation, Growing Your Legacy.

Teams of Nebraska Extension educators and specialists were available to share their experiences with new data-driven, unbiased research, according to Ron Seymour, Adams County Extension educator.

We have to plan for the future, said Seymour. We cant just be static. Then we never get moving forward. We have to look for ways to improve our situations so that we dont get left behind and then use new technologies.

At the Extension exhibit, visitors had the opportunity to discover more about agriculture economics, beef, manure management, precision agriculture and conservation, cover crops, groundwater and irrigation, energy, local foods, on-farm research, agricultural leadership, careers and more.

HHD is the worlds largest outdoor irrigation show. Nebraska is a leader in irrigation technology. More than 60% of the states corn and soybean crop, which makes more than 15 million acres of the states 19 million acres of principal crop growing land, is irrigated.

The Extension Water and Irrigation Team was there to help Nebraskans manage groundwater resources.

The University of Nebraska Lincolns Center for Agricultural Profitability (CAP) members were at the HHD Extension exhibit helping producers leave a legacy of financial health.

Seymour said that todays economic environment requires farmers to prioritize financial and business considerations to better realize marginal benefits and the costs and risks associated with every production decision.

He said CAP represents the responsive and trusted source of agricultural business management research and education.

Each year, Husker Harvest Days become a wonderland of new agricultural technologies and innovations. Agriculture is changing quickly. Seymour said being on top of the new innovations and learning how to incorporate them into an existing farm and ranch is challenging.

When we look at technology, we have to figure out how to be more efficient, and how to just do our job better, Seymour said.

He said there is less labor and more land that needs to be farmed with a smaller number of people.

We have to figure out how to do that and do it well, Seymour said.

Also at the Extension exhibit were members of its Beef Team helping producers to sort through all the new technology whether its drones checking water and cattle health to virtual fences, cameras and smart feeders.

Another feature at the Extension exhibit is the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Team (NERFSI). NERFSI works with food from growing to marketing to increasing access to local foods.

The Nebraska Extension Digital Ag, On-Farm Research, and Smart Machinery Team were helping producers better understand precision technology and how they can be used for future management decisions.

Other Extension educators were on hand:

The Soil Health Team explored how cover crops increase organic matter, fix nitrogen, prevent nutrient loss and erosion, manage weeds and boost water infiltration  all of which benefit the cash crop that follows.

The Precision Conservation Team showed farmers how to identify solutions to increase whole-field profitability.

The Community Environment Team had answers to questions about pollinators, trees, water, soil, local food production, the benefits of plant-people connections and more.

Nebraska LEAD Program was present to show how LEAD helps develop strong leadership skills necessary to respond to the challenges facing agriculture in Nebraska.

We have to grow enough food for the growing population, Seymour said. Theres a lot of opportunity in that. But we also have to think about taking care of the land thats taking care of us.
The 10th annual Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children will take place Sunday afternoon at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings.

The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Unborn Baby Memorial headstone, just to the left of the main cemetery circle drive. The cemetery is at 1246 N. Elm.

The memorial service will open with a prayer by the Rev. Micah Gaunt of Peace Lutheran Church in Hastings, followed by the featured speaker, Pastor Tom Murray of Juniata Community Church. The event will also include a small small balloon release.

The gathering is meant to remind the community that abortion is not just a political issue, says a news release from South Central Nebraska Right to Life.

The Day of Remembrance is organized by three national anti-abortion groups  Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Priests for Life and the Pro-Life Action League.

The first National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children was held in September 2013 to mark the 25th anniversary of the burial of several hundred abortion victims in Milwaukee.

The news release says the ceremony is meant to humanize the unborn victims of abortion by raising awareness of their burial places. The bodies of tens of of thousands of aborted children have been retrieved from trash bins, landfills and other locations and buried at more than 50 grave sites across the country.
In the hours after roughly 50 migrants touched down on Martha's Vineyard in two planes sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the island's community -- still jarred by the unexpected arrival -- rushed to help the newcomers.

"We received food, we received clothes, we received ... different things, so much so that we've had to relocated that donation drop-off spot to the fire department," Edgartown, Massachusetts, town administrator James Hagerty told CNN Wednesday.

Town officials even had to post on social media that they didn't need more donations, Hagerty added, as items continued to pour in.

"I think that's a testament to the community of the island and it's a testament to the citizens of Edgartown, it's a testament to everything that's going on now," he said.

"We've been through Covid, we've been through hurricanes, we've been through this, we've been through a lot of things imaginable for a small community and every one of those we've risen up as the Vineyard, cause we're resilient," Hagerty said. "We take care of our own, we take care of the community, we help people out."

The town is no stranger to large population influxes. Located off the coast of Massachusetts, the island of Martha's Vineyard -- home to Edgartown and several other municipalities -- is known as a posh summer destination for wealthy vacationers.

While the town's winter population is a couple hundred people, it jumps up to several thousand during the hotter months when they welcome summer tourists, Hagerty said.

An estimated year-round island population of around 20,000 can balloon to more than 100,000 during peak tourism season.

But the challenge with this week's arrival of migrants was that they were unexpected, the town administrator said, and that it all happened so "last minute."

In addition to the donations, the towns on the island as well as community-based and nonprofit groups are helping in the effort to care for the migrants and offer them shelter, food and care, according to a Facebook post from the Dukes County government.

"We are grateful to the many local and neighboring community members who have reached out with offers of support," county officials wrote in the post.

Now, Hagerty said, the biggest help that town officials need is financial: the migrants have a variety of needs, including relocating to a different city in the US and getting the transportation to make it there.

"We're trying to handle it as best as we can," Hagerty said. "The needs are diverse and financial support would best facilitate a lot of those diversities."

The arrival is the latest move in a series of actions by Republican governors to transport migrants to northern liberal cities and states in order to protest the Biden administration's policies at the southern border.

Also this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he sent two buses of migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in the nation's capital, and the Thursday arrival surprised unsuspecting volunteers. Democratic leaders denounced the moves and the White House press secretary called the actions "cruel, premeditated political" stunts.

The-CNN-Wire

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Dealing with a layoff? Youre not alone.

A recent survey of 700 national executives revealed that a surprising 70% of them are planning or considering layoffs. The fact that technology has made it possible for Southern Illinoisans to work remotely for the largest companies in the country means some of these layoff plans are likely to hit home.

And while hiring freezes and rescinded job offers become new challenges for job seekers to overcome, there are silver linings coming out of some recent reports.

There are about two job openings for every unemployed person and hiring increased by 6.5% in August, according to the United States Labor Department. The August lift is the first monthly increase since April.

If a pink slip arrives on your desk  do companies still hand out pink slips?  there are some proactive steps to take to get you back to work quickly.

Connect with your network

A new article in The Wall Street Journal discusses the trend of announcing a job loss on social media to share about the experience and to network with recruiters. Ive seen this approach work well for many job seekers.

Wayfair, the retail giant, recently cut about 900 workers. Do a quick search of Wayfair layoff on LinkedIn and youll find numerous posts from former employees asking their network for help.

The best part? Their posts are generating hundreds of comments, shares, and likes.

You may be surprised by the number of people who can connect you to a new relationship or job opportunity, especially given LinkedIns massive reach.

And dont just keep it to social media. Reach out locally to your friends and family members to give them an update on your situation.

Connect with yourself

If weve learned anything going through the past few years, its the importance of mental health. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization.

A major component of our mental well-being is feeling valued, fulfilled, and purposeful. A good job gives us all of these feelings. Losing one can be crippling.

When facing a layoff, try to stay positive and understand that in most cases, layoffs arent personal. Theyre driven by bottom lines and potential cost savings, not your specific performance.

Realizing this can help you bounce back quickly while keeping your focus on whats next versus being stuck in the past.

Connect with your story

If youve lost your job, its important to have a good explanation when talking with recruiters and hiring managers. Job gaps are becoming almost expected these days, a far cry from the past when candidates would do anything and everything to avoid listing one on their resumes.

Companies lay people off, especially in these uncertain financial times. It just happens. How you tell the story will be an important factor in how quickly you find a new role.

Avoid talking negatively about your past employer or bosses. Take the high road and highlight the great work you accomplished while with your former company.

Just like in most areas of life, your positivity will pay off.
CARBONDALE  Chokwe Antar Lumumba, an attorney and the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, will discuss his plans to revitalize that city based on a concept of dignity economy during a lecture next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Lumumbas presentation, From Exploitation to Empowerment: Lessons from Jackson, Mississippi, and the way forward, is from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Morris Librarys John C. Guyon Auditorium. Lumumba will also meet with students during the day. Presented by the University Honors Program, the Michael and Nancy Glassman Distinguished Lecture was initially set for Feb. 24 but postponed due to a winter storm.

Jyotsna Kapur, honors program director, noted that Lumumbas visit is especially significant because he comes to SIU from dealing with the most recent water crisis in Jackson. Following heavy rains, the 150,000, predominantly Black residents of the city found themselves without drinking water and sewage on the streets. Water has now been restored to the city, but the emergency goes on because the city suffers from years of lack of support to address its deteriorating infrastructure.

Believes in the citys residents

Since winning his first mayoral election in 2017, followed by re-election in 2021, Lumumba has worked on strengthening a sense of security in community, ownership over work and wealth through cooperatives, hope in the future through building a zero-waste city and self-realization through access to education, Kapur said.

Lumumbas initiatives include re-energizing the citys public school system, bringing 3D manufacturing to the city, collaborating with higher education institutions to develop a plan from prenatal care all the way to graduate school for children born in Jackson, multiyear budgets to meet the crisis created by 30 years of flash floods and COVID-19, and signing on to a carbon tax to address the climate crisis.

In fall 2020, Lumumba spoke to Kapurs honors seminar. He inspired us to change the world from where we stand and is a shining example of how to do it democratically and with love for your community, Kapur said.

Youngest mayor in city history

Lumumba was 34 years old when he became the citys 53rd mayor  the youngest in city history. He received a bachelor's degree from Tuskegee University and earned a law degree and certificate in sports and entertainment law from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University in Houston.

Lumumba has received several awards, including the National Black Caucus of State Legislators 2017 Nation Builder Award and the Frederick Douglass 200 Award in the area of politics.
CARBONDALE  An exhibit that chronicles that controversy surrounding the appointment of Roland W. Burris to the U.S. Senate in 2009 is available for viewing as Southern Illinois University Carbondale celebrates Constitution Day on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The exhibit from Morris Librarys Special Collections Research Center Conflict and the Constitution looks at the controversy of Burris appointment to fill the vacancy created by the election of then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, as president in 2008. The exhibit is in the Hall of Presidents and Chancellors. Burris, a former Illinois comptroller, attorney general and SIU Carbondale alumnus, filled the seat until a special election in 2010.

Walter Ray, the librarys political papers archivist, said the exhibit is on display from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the fall semester.

From this episode we can learn about how the U. S. Constitution helps shape and resolve political conflict, Ray said.

Constitution Day marks the anniversary of delegates to the Philadelphia Convention completing and signing the U.S. Constitution in 1787. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must annually deliver programs on the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will award South Carolina State University and Clemson University up to $70 million under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant program, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham announced Thursday.

The grant will strengthen South Carolinas agricultural economy, promote climate-smart production strategies and enhance the conservation of natural resources, according to Grahams press release.

Clemson University and South Carolina State University, South Carolinas land-grant institutions, have established strategic partnerships with 27 regional entities to establish a pilot project to provide incentives to peanut, vegetable, beef cattle and forest product growers and landowners to implement climate-smart production practices.

The statewide project will enroll hundreds of South Carolina farmers to ensure meaningful involvement of small and underserved producers.

I very much appreciate Secretary Vilsack awarding this grant to strengthen South Carolinas agriculture economy, Graham said. The world is experiencing a food crisis, and Clemson University, South Carolina State University and South Carolina farmers are on the forefront of increasing crop yields and helping poverty-stricken regions through cutting-edge research.

Investing in research and development  particularly as it pertains to agriculture  is a no-brainer. I was proud to be a partner in the efforts to get this done.

Grahams office said he wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack this summer encouraging the USDA to make the investment.

More information will be released about the grant at a later date.
COLUMBIA  A police officer in South Carolina shot and killed a man who slammed his stolen car into the officer's door as he got out to try to arrest him after a nearly 30-minute chase, a sheriff said.

The man killed was not armed, but York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said he thinks the shooting was justified because the driver used his vehicle as a weapon.

He certainly was armed with a vehicle. When you take a 2,500-pound bullet and you ram a deputy who is standing at the apex of a door, this is the end result. Period, Tolson said at a news conference.

Tyshawn Malik Benjamin, 25, of Wendell, North Carolina, died at the hospital, according to York County Coroner Sabrina Gast, who did not say how many times Benjamin was shot.

York County Senior Deputy Korey Wedow fired three shots at Benjamin, according to dashboard camera video released by the sheriff's office.

Wedow and a second deputy involved in the chase were not injured, Tolson said.

The 24-minute, 15-mile chase through rush hour traffic started in a parking lot in Fort Mill, when Charlotte, North Carolina, police told deputies a Hyundai stolen about three hours earlier was located, the sheriff said.

Benjamin is seen weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights and sometimes driving on the shoulder and grass in about eight minutes of dashboard video released by the sheriff's office.

Benjamin slowed to a stop twice before the shooting, including once in a restaurant parking lot when the two officers tried to box him in, Wedow got out of his SUV, pointed his gun at Benjamin but did not fire as the driver squeezed around the vehicles without hitting them, according to the video.

Two minutes later, Benjamin turned into a drug store parking lot and the officers boxed him in again. As Wedow got out of his patrol SUV, Benjamin put his Hyundai briefly in reverse, then squealed his tires as he ran into the SUV door, according to the video.

Wedow fired three shots, then called for an ambulance and broke the car's window with his baton to start first aid on Benjamin, the video showed.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting. Wedow, who has been a deputy for four years, is on paid leave and will be put on administrative duty when he is ready to return, Tolson said.

The sheriff said an internal review will take place too, but he initially thinks his deputies were justified chasing Benjamin for 25 minutes because they didn't know who he was or whether he might be running from a more violent crime, adding we are not going to not pursue dangerous individuals.

The deputy did not make Mr. Benjamin's choices. Mr. Benjamin made those choices. Deputy Wedow was simply defending his life, the sheriff said. And at the end of the day Id rather see a deputy go home in the line of duty than the bad guy.
Amelia Street in Orangeburg will soon have an additional name, with this one honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The S.C. Department of Transportation commission voted Thursday to name the road Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said there are few cities in South Carolina that do not have a road named after King, and it is important to honor the civil rights leader who visited both South Carolina State University and Claflin University.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. exemplified the importance of equality for all people, Butler said. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the non-violent movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and not only appreciate his work, but to continue to recognize how important equality is in our community.

Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said the road naming is honorary, similar to how a portion of Boulevard Street is named Webber Boulevard in honor of the late Dr. Clemmie Embly Webber and a portion of U.S. Highway 301 is named Marshall B. Williams Boulevard in honor of the late senator.

Were following the same process weve followed with honoring other people, Hutto said.

Homes and businesses along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will continue to have the Amelia Street address for mail and other official purposes.

Hutto said that Butler approached members of the Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation about honoring King, and they unanimously agreed to the approach.

Amelia Street ends at Trinity United Methodist Church and the universities, Hutto noted. King spoke at them all.

I think its a very appropriate street to name after him, he said.

The resolution approved by the SCDOT commission notes that King delivered a speech at Trinity in the early 1960s reassuring those in attendance that their cause was a righteous one, and he reinforced the importance of non-violence.

Dr. Kings speech lifted their spirits, making them all believe that anything was possible.

King also, was instrumental in inspiring the citizens of Orangeburg to zealously march, picket, boycott and demonstrate in support of their cause for civil rights. A statue of Dr. King stands along Amelia Street by the Courthouse.

The resolution also notes Dr. King gave speeches to students at both Claflin University and South Carolina State University, inspiring them to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

A ceremony will held in the future for the naming of the street.
The South Carolina General Assembly held a full 170-member session at the Statehouse in 2022 even while the coronavirus continued to spread. The session exposed all 170-plus staff to the dangers of both coronavirus and travel, and incurred millions of dollars of unnecessary costs on taxpayers. The session could have been held online in a virtual format with everybody working from home on their computers much more safely and at much less cost.

Mass legislative sessions have been held since 1776 when South Carolina first became a state, but there is no longer a need to drag from all over the state all 170 legislators to the Statehouse as in the 18th century to hold committee meetings, conduct debates or vote on bills. In most cases such work can be done in a virtual format with legislators in more safe and convenient locations at or near home.

The reasons for technological modernization are obvious. First, virtual sessions would save 170 legislators an estimated 1,000 hours each week in travel time from their homes to Columbia to attend sessions, which run generally from noon on Tuesday, all day Wednesday and to noon on Thursday.

At present the 170 are each paid $223.17 per day, subject to change, for all three days, a total of $38,000 per day, which means each member is paid whether they travel nearly 300 miles round trip from Beaufort like Sen. Tom Davis to the Statehouse or drive only from Columbia or nearby.

Our 170 legislators drive an estimated 27,000 miles per week on our dangerous highways and are paid by the taxpayers 62.5 cents per mile, a total of some $16,875 per week at the current rate.

Another benefit of shifting to a virtual format would be that it would make it easier for many capable citizens such as mothers with young children, business people, disabled citizens, persons vulnerable to contagious diseases as sickle cell patients, working people and seniors to serve in the legislature. Many are now deterred from running for office because of health issues, time demands, and distance and travel impediments.

There may be some rare situations in which it would still be useful to convene all 170 legislators at the Statehouse to conduct public business, and such sessions could be held at the discretion of the Senate and House even while much of the work would be done in a virtual format.

It is now time for the General Assembly to experiment with virtual sessions as a more efficient, safer, more diverse and inclusive, and less costly way of conducting legislative business. There are no constitutional barriers to prevent such an experiment and the legislature has powers to pass any laws and rules required to shift to virtual proceedings.
Hamas announced Thursday the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Syrian government  a move that came much to the Syrian regimes delight but dismayed the opposition to the Damascus regime.

Hamas confirms that it is going ahead with its decision to restore ties with the Syrian Arab Republic to serve the interests of the Arab and Islamic ummah [nation], and especially the Palestinian cause, in light of the escalation of regional and international developments concerning the Palestinian cause, Hamas said in the statement, which it ostensibly issued in response to recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

The fact that Hamas made its announcement in the same statement condemning the Israeli airstrikes in Syria  which have been ongoing for several years now  does not seem trivial.

Hamas appears to be stressing that it shares a common enemy with Syria, according to Aron Lund, a Middle East researcher at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI).

This is probably a good way to sweeten what must be a very bitter pill to swallow for many supporters of the Palestinian movement, Lund told L'Orient-Le Jour.

Indignation

In early 2012, Hamas left its offices in Damascus, after having been there since the late 1990s. The departure came as a result of Hamas condemning the Assad regimes violent crackdown on the popular uprising that had broken out a year earlier.

The group was particularly outraged by the two-year siege imposed in 2013 by the regime loyalist forces on Palestinians in the Yarmouk refugee camp south of Damascus, which at the time was held by opposition fighters.

Deprived of food and all basic necessities, 200 of them had died of hunger, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

The departure of the Palestinian leadership from the Syrian capital  which paved the way for the movements establishment of headquarters in Qatar, Egypt and the Gaza Strip  marked a break in relations between Hamas and Damascus.

A decade later, Hamas announcement has sparked outrage among many Syrians.

No surprise. This is not the first time a Palestinian organization has sided with a dictator or war criminal, said one Twitter user, commenting on a tweet by Syrian journalist Fared Al Mahlool.

They dont even care about the welfare of the Palestinians, they just want an endless crisis to justify their existence and fuel the Palestinian cause, and Assad will help feed that, the post added.

Hezbollah and Iran

While there are still unknown reasons behind this U-turn, signs emerged in June. Communication with Syria is improving and is on its way to being entirely restored to what it used to be, an anonymous senior Hamas official told AFP at the time.

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, differences within Hamas itself had emerged. Unlike the political wing of the Palestinian movement, which had in the past explicitly expressed its support for the rebels against Assad, the military wing of the group has remained close to Tehran, its main military supporter and sponsor of Damascus.

Since Thursday, several observers suggested that the announced normalization came about due to pressure from Hezbollah and Iran, which would hope to rebuild a new version of the resistance axis. Tehran and Damascus would serve as the main state actors alongside armed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis, Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, said Lund.

Syria and Lebanon are the last Arab frontline states that are openly at war with Israel, so for Hamas this is a strategically important relationship, the researcher added. For the Palestinian movement, opening up to the Syrian regime likely came in response to its political isolation and the marginalization of the Palestinian cause.

In May, a delegation from the political wing of Hamas visited Moscow amid the Russian offensive on Ukraine. The visit signaled Hamas and Moscows mutual desire to take closer steps toward one other to put pressure on Israel.

If the Palestinian movement is aware that the Syrian regime has zero credibility on the world stage and little room for maneuver, Syria could also serve as a refuge for Hamas leaders amid the recent normalization, said Radwan Ziadeh, a researcher at the Arab Center in Washington. She added Damascus would have no role in potential future negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

In the eyes of the Syrian regime, normalization with Hamas also carries several advantages, as it could help Assad restore his tarnished image by representing him as a defender of the Palestinian cause, despite the fact that his army destroyed the Palestinian refugee camps during the war, said Lund.

Another objective for the regime would be to create confusion and conflict among the Muslim Brotherhood-type Islamists, who constitute a significant part of the Syrian opposition in general and the Turkish-backed groups in particular, the researcher said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, to which Hamas owes its roots, reportedly reacted strongly this summer to rumors of normalization with Assad, urging the Palestinian group to reconsider its decision to be more in line with the principles, values and legal norms of the Brotherhood movement.

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Sahar Ghoussoub.
The Minister of Mobility and Public Works reacts to the "pressure" put on by Mayor Lydie Polfer and Municipal Executive Board Member Serge Wilmes to speed up the redevelopment of Place de la Gare.

Earlier this week, the Luxembourg City section of the Green Party (dei Greng) expressed disappointment with the Luxembourg city council and demanded, among other things, more green spaces in the capital. The municipality's executive board, governed by a coalition between the Democratic Party (DP) and the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), did not hesitate to respond to the criticism.

Specifically, Mayor of Luxembourg City Lydie Polfer (DP) and Municipal Executive Board Member Serge Wilmes (CSV), are now calling on the Luxembourg National Railway Company (CFL) to "finally" redevelop Place de la Gare. By calling out the CFL, Polfer and Wilmes are targeting Minister for Mobility Francois Bausch, a member of the Green Party.

"They're kicking in a door that's already open," Bausch said in an interview with our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes on Thursday. The former municipal executive board member of Luxembourg City pointed out that Polfer and Wilmes "know very well that the square can only be redeveloped when the whole station construction site is finished, because this space is used for all the construction sites around it."

 Source: metaform

For the time being, "we still need this space for the organisation of the building sites", and the redevelopment of the square can be done "as soon as all of the construction works are completed". Bausch estimates that the square will be renovated "over the next four or five years".

"Obviously, the CFL is working on a project," Bausch said. While the Minister declined to go into any more detail, he did reveal that the only concrete idea so far is the construction of a parking lot for bicycles underneath Place de la Gare.

Place de la Gare, according to the Minister, "should become a very friendly square, well integrated into the urban space, and which will revitalise and embellish the area around the central railway station."

CFL is investing heavily in the station area and is in the process of redeveloping its headquarters. Bausch thinks that this will help embellish the Gare neighbourhood and that the square will become a place "that will not only be very important for the City, but also for receiving customers who use the train".

 Source: metaform

Bausch assures that the Ministry is already preparing a call for tender and, when the time comes, "it goes without saying that we will consult the public and the City".

The Municipality of Luxembourg City "will be represented in the jury of the tender for the development of the square," the Minister noted, "since, as with all projects, we always work together with the municipalities."

While Francois Bausch assured that he supports citizen consultation, he added that in this particular case "it amuses him a little" because he wonders, "who are the citizens we want to consult?" In his opinion "it's the train users, because nobody lives around this square".
This week, not only Luxembourgish students, but also numerous Ukrainian refugee children, are returning to school.

On Thursday, 60,000 children went back to school. On Friday and Monday, the summer holidays will come to an end for another 50,000 secondary school students. Among them are a number of children and teenagers who had to flee Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Between 1,200 and 1,300 Ukrainian refugee children will be attending school in Luxembourg this year, says Kateryna Fomenko of the LUkraine association, about the same number as before the summer.

"Some families returned to Ukraine during the summer, but not that many," Fomenko explained. Many families only went for a few weeks, often so that the children could see their father, before returning to Luxembourg for the start of the new school year. According to Fomenko, going to school in Ukraine would be difficult because only schools with bomb shelters are open. And, as soon as there is an alert, everyone is required to head to the shelters, which means that classes are constantly interrupted. "Therefore, if parents have the option to stay here during the school year, they do," Fomenko stated.

Fomenko says that the feedback she receives from parents is generally "very good" and that children are enjoying attending school in the Grand Duchy.

Alexandra Ananyeva has been in Luxembourg with her children since April. She is happy to have found a flat in Mamer, where she was previously staying with a host family. The children will therefore be able to return to the same school. Her husband is still in Kyiv.

"Of course, the children are homesick, they miss their city, their father, our life there. Because we had a very happy life. I am very grateful that they are strong enough to understand that there are hard times and misery that you have to overcome," Ananyeva explained.
Three people were injured after being hit by cars on Thursday night.

A mother and her son were hit by a car in Heisdorf at around 5pm. According to the police report, they were crossing the road at the intersection of Rue de Mullendorf and Rue de Luxembourg when they were hit by a van.

The driver later stated that he did not see the two pedestrians, who were on a pedestrian crossing. They were thrown to the ground and received first aid on the spot before being taken to hospital for further treatment.

At around 1.20am on early Friday morning, a motorist crashed into a parked car in Rue d'Eich in Luxembourg City. A pedestrian was behind the car and was also hit. He was admitted to hospital with an injured leg.

A second person was on the pavement at the time of the accident but was not injured. The driver of the vehicle involved was found to be inebriated. His driving licence was withdrawn.

The police withdrew two more driving licences. At around 8.30pm, the driver of a van stationed his vehicle on the Daichwisen car park in Ettelbruck but forgot to pull the handbrake, which resulted in the van rolling down the car park and into the Alzette. A breathalyser test revealed that the man was intoxicated.

The second incident occurred on Route du Vin in Remich at around 4am. A police patrol noticed a motorist who was driving erratically. After the officers decided to pull the driver over, they quickly discovered that he was inebriated.
Nearly 400 green crosses topped with a red boot have sprung up across Luxembourg this weekend, but what do they really mean?

Luxembourg's young farmers and winemakers have joined together in protest against the Grand Duchy's agricultural policies, planting the green crosses adorned with red boots along the country's road sides.

Overnight, some 300-400 boots popped up across the country, followed by a protest on Friday morning outside the Ministry of Agriculture, as the young farmers voiced their displeasure at Claude Haagen's policies.

The protesters fear their potential extinction in light of increasing difficulties, and requested respect for their profession. The new law which seeks to introduce livestock quotas is a particular cause of their ire.

A key goal of the protest is to encourage an agricultural summit, attended by agriculture minister Haagen as well as prime minister Xavier Bettel. The young farmers expect a response from Haagen by 3 October, otherwise they plan to step up their protests.

The green cross topped with the red boot is a gimmick designed to spread the message on social media: "Without farmers, there is no food." One of the protesters explained they had selected the cross to represent the state of their profession, while the colours chosen also play a role: "the red boot leads us to disaster".
Wyoming leaders exhaled Thursday after the Biden administration announced a tentative agreement expected to prevent a national railroad shutdown.

Without a deal, railroad workers may have begun striking over working conditions as soon as 12:01 a.m. Friday.

Railroads and labor unions proved unable to negotiate a new contract through the process outlined by federal law. With neither side budging over changes to a more restrictive time-off policy, and rail workers putting the final touches on their picket signs, federal officials met with representatives from both sides in a last-ditch attempt to fend off a strike that couldve cost the U.S. an estimated $2 billion per day.

In Wyoming, worries mounted as the deadline neared that losing access to rail service would force coal mining to halt and impede the production and transport of several other key resources, including trona, oil and grain.

Im thrilled that they are going to hopefully be able to avert a strike, Gov. Mark Gordon told the Star-Tribune. Rail is such an important part of our nations economy, and its at capacity now. We need to have good workers, and we need to have good conditions. So if theyre able to get through this in a reasonably good way, its going to be good for the state and good for the country.

In statements emailed to the Star-Tribune on Wednesday, when many in Wyoming still believed a strike was imminent, Sen. John Barrasso called for President Joe Biden to step in and help broker a deal, and Sen. Cynthia Lummis urged Congress to intervene if workers did strike and legislate the pay raise and extra day off recommended by Bidens Presidential Emergency Board.

The railroads accepted that proposal, but a pair of unions representing roughly 115,000 rail workers rejected it, citing concerns that the railroads time off policy would still detract significantly from workers quality of life.

Thursdays tentative agreement includes  alongside a pay raise and that extra day off  protected benefits and guaranteed leave for medical care, provisions the unions had advocated for but their employers opposed.

While the contract will not be finalized until the unions members have voted to approve it, all parties have expressed optimism about its prospects.

Were very pleased, said Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association. I dont want to say anything until the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed. But were pleased that theyve come to a tentative solution.

The National Railway Labor Conference, which negotiated on behalf of the railroads, issued a statement praising the deal and thanking union leaders for their professionalism and efforts during the bargaining process.

The solidarity shown by our members, essential workers to this economy who keep Americas freight trains moving, made the difference in our Unions obtaining agreement provisions that exceeded the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, the unions said in a joint statement.

And the railroads and the unions each thanked Biden and his administration for securing an agreement that satisfies both sides.
As demand for mental health services rises, Casper city employees will soon have a centralized app that can help them access care.

Workers compensation claims related to PTSD and mental health have increased among city employees in the last few years, after a state law passed in 2020 allowing first responders to file those kinds of claims.

In a few months, Casper is set to roll out three versions of an app  for fire, police and general employees  that aims to make it easier to access mental health treatment, look at options and connect workers to peer support groups made up of their coworkers.

In the six months of 2020 after the law went into effect, just one mental health claim was filed by a Casper employee. In 2021, that rose to five.

So far in 2022, 10 city employees have filed mental health workers comp claims for treatment related to post-traumatic stress, according to Human Resources Manager Nicole Carlson.

I dont think its necessarily a bad thing, Carlson said, because we want them to seek help.

There are already a few options for mental health services for those who work for the city. Employees and their family members can receive free professional counseling through the Three Trails Employee & Family Assistance Program.

Between January and July of this year, 34 employees and 20 family members used that service. Thats up slightly from that time frame last year, when 31 employees and 19 family members used it.

City workers can also get free counseling services at the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, or find a therapist through the citys health insurance.

Most city employees seek mental health services for help with adult relationships or for general emotional and psychological concerns, Carlson said. Workers comp claims for mental health must be related to work incidents that affect an employee mentally.

The new app, Cordico, is set to be made available to city employees sometime in November, according to Carlson.

The three versions of the app are being designed to incorporate custom Casper police, fire and general city imagery. Once the design is done, Carlson said, theyll load the software with information and contacts for mental health providers in the area.

One of the roadblocks we see is, theres just so much information all over the place, Carlson said. When someone is in need of help, or are in crisis mode, they dont necessarily have that mindset of, Wheres that information?

Employees with the police and fire departments already have informal peer support groups, made up of coworkers who can listen and recommend mental health resources to those who need them.

Theyre talking a lot to each other, and trying to normalize having those conversations and asking for help, Carlson said. There are employees who had inpatient or outpatient help and are talking about it, encouraging each other to also seek help.

Cordico is mainly used by first responders  the city became aware of it after a fire chief saw it at a conference  but Carlson said Casper wanted to make the service available to all employees.

While part-time workers will be able to access it, and can make workers comp claims if their mental health is affected while on the job, most of the services offered by the city are only available to full-time employees, according to Carlson.

The app will cost the city around $27,000 a year. Thats a 40% discount from its usual price, Carlson said, since Casper is one of the first cities in Wyoming to join.

All information that goes through the app, including what services an employee accesses, will remain confidential and cant be seen by the city.
Mills voters in November will choose between an incumbent mayor and an outspoken challenger that once called for his resignation.

Incumbent Seth Coleman, a former Mills council member who was appointed mayor in 2016, took the office after his predecessor resigned after a former town treasurer embezzled more than $60,000 in public money.

Coleman said hes running again in the hopes of seeing projects hes started  including riverfront development, drawing businesses to the city, a new charter school and updating utilities infrastructure  through to completion.

Juarez, one of Colemans loudest critics, said the city  which earned that designation after graduating from town status in 2020  needs to focus on infrastructure over beautification.

Juarez owns and operates a spa in Casper, but has lived in Mills for nearly 15 years. She rose to prominence in its local politics in 2018 when she led a movement to save the Mills Fire Department from budget cuts. That escalated into an effort by Juarez to recall Coleman as Mills mayor the following year.

She was also a contender for a statehouse seat that opened in 2020 when former Rep. Bunky Loucks retired early. County commissioners eventually chose Kevin OHearn for that spot.

At the time, I felt that that was the best way I could serve Mills, Juarez said.

In Augusts primary, Juarez earned a commanding 49% of votes. Coleman finished second with 28.5% to advance to the general election.

Just 820 people voted in that race, and another 41 Mills residents who voted in the primary left that field blank. More than 4,000 people (and counting) now live in Mills, though of course not all of them are eligible to vote.

After Mills lost its only school in 2018, Coleman said he threw his support behind a new charter school, which plans to open next year after being approved at the state level this week. He believes the curriculum, which comes from the Christian liberal arts school Hillsdale College, lines up with a lot of beliefs of people in Mills.

He also focused on some quality-of-life projects, including the installation of a 48-foot metal eagle statue and kick starting a riverfront development project thats now in the design phase.

I want to see the riverfront through, Coleman said.

Juarez said while a thriving riverfront would be nice, it shouldnt be the citys top priority. She hears from residents who can barely drive on their deteriorating streets, and who feel that basic maintenance has been overlooked.

And, although she said its not on most residents minds yet, Juarez said shes worried about the future of water in Mills.

Mills water infrastructure was built for a town, not for a city, Juarez said. If we stay on trend with the growth that we have and the annexation that Mills has been doing, we will have to figure out the water situation.

Coleman, along with Bar Nunn Mayor Patrick Ford, have led an effort to dissolve the Wardwell Water and Sewer District, which serves both towns, in the face of complaints over high rates and fees.

Juarez thinks it makes more sense for Bar Nunn to absorb the district, rather than a joint solution, and said shed advocate for Mills joining the Central Wyoming Regional Water Board.

I dont think Mills has the infrastructure, she said. It would be the easiest and most cost-effective solution and it would help the water bill as well.

Coleman said the city is currently working to update aging water lines that run under several blocks of Mills houses and serve the regional airport.

As a voter, (ask) yourself if youre happy where your tax dollars are being spent if thats the best investment, Juarez said.
FLAMING GORGE RESERVOIR  Tony Valdez wasnt worried about being left high and dry when he bought Buckboard Marina three years ago, but thats changed with the receding waters of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

This year, he has already dredged 10 feet so boats could still use the marina. Now, with Flaming Gorge becoming a crucial emergency water supply for the region, Valdez worries the reservoir has nowhere to go but lower still.

I mean, this is our natural resource and its going away, he said. Water is the most precious thing we have.

As a 20-year drought creeps ever farther up the Colorado River Basin and seven Western states vie for their fair share of water under the century-old Colorado River Compact, this boating and fishing paradise on the Wyoming-Utah line is a new flashpoint.

Nobody disputes the root of the problem: The agreement dates to a cooler, wetter time and is based on assumptions about precipitation that simply no longer apply, in part due to climate change.

But as business owners like Valdez are finding out firsthand, recreation is just one of many competing priorities while growing demand in the basins more populous downstream states  California, Nevada and Arizona  conflicts with dwindling supply from the more rural states upstream  Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Amid jostling by farmers, ranchers, businesses, industries, municipalities and government officials, its anyones guess who will come out ahead or get left behind  including natural ecosystems that need water, too.

Its a complicated mess. And right now the environment is akin to a snake den because everybody is just out for themselves, said Kyle Roerink, director of the Great Basin Water Network conservation group.

In August, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton agreed for now to let Upper Basin states keep working together on drought plans that emphasize voluntary water conservation rather than have the bureau dictate reservoir releases.

Thats a decision welcomed by Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart, the states chief water regulator. Reclamation reinforced a position that Wyoming has long agreed with, Gebhart said. The solution to our challenges relies on the bedrock of a century of collaboration and partnership.

Gebhart acknowledged, though, that continued drought could lead to an even lower Flaming Gorge, with the next decision about any new drawdowns due in April.

Fed by the Green River and rimmed by spectacular cliffs and scrubby desert, Flaming Gorge is by far the biggest reservoir in the Upper Basin, which refers to the vast area covering all waters upstream of Lees Ferry on the Colorado River in northern Arizona.

Built in the 1960s to store and control water in the Green River, which flows into the Colorado in southeastern Utah, Flaming Gorge is the Colorado River systems third-biggest reservoir. Its now about 75% full, compared to just 25% or so in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the bigger reservoirs downstream.

Snaking over 66 square miles south of Green River, Flaming Gorge remains a renowned spot to catch giant lake trout or take a boat to a secluded cove for a dip in cool, aquamarine waters.

Just be careful about jumping in at places that were deeper a few years ago.

In April, the Bureau of Reclamation announced that under a drought plan for the Upper Basin states, it would release enough water to draw down Flaming Gorge by 15 feet. The goal is to help ensure that Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona can still generate electricity some 450 miles downstream.

So far, drawdowns this year and last have left Flaming Gorge about 6 feet lower than a year ago and 12 feet lower than two years ago, reaching lows unseen since 2005.

Besides boats not being able to use his marina, Valdez worries about the reservoirs kokanee salmon, which are important food for prized lake trout and tasty game fish in their own right.

Lately, kokanee numbers have been down for unknown reasons. The trend could continue as the reservoir falls, reducing spawning habitat and causing lake trout to eat more kokanee, said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Regional Fisheries Supervisor Robert Keith.

As the reservoir drops, the available habitat for the two species is going to become compacted, so theyre going to overlap more, Keith said. So the opportunity for predation is going to be greater.

Although Wyoming uses only about 60% of the water its entitled to under the compact, Gebhart says the Upper Basin states have little to spare given recent flows.

The vast majority of Colorado River Basin water used in Wyoming goes to irrigating grass and alfalfa for cattle. Industry  mainly power plants and minerals processing  accounts for about 9% and cities and towns about 3%.

More conservation by southwestern Wyomings 2,500 water rights holders could help keep water in the system. For example, ranchers can install more efficient irrigation with assistance from government grants and other funding, said Cory Toye with Trout Unlimited.

The fish habitat and angler advocacy group has been working with ranchers on such projects in Wyoming for years and the Flaming Gorge drawdowns have heightened awareness of the problem, Toye said.

States in the compact have been funding efforts to boost snowfall by releasing silver iodide from airplanes and ground-based devices in Wyoming and elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

Cloud seeding can increase snow somewhat, research shows. But the technique is unlikely to fully offset or reverse drought or bring Flaming Gorge back up from levels threatening Buckboard Marina.

Lucerne Valley Marina, just south of the Utah line, will need to adapt if levels keep falling but could still operate.

Were anchoring in 200 feet of water when full, owner Jerry Taylor said. We have quite a bit of ability for lake drop. But Buckboard does not.

In a worst-case scenario, Buckboard would be stranded some distance away from where the Green River flowed more than 60 years ago.

For now, Valdez hopes to lure back tourists whove stayed home amid high gasoline prices and the lower water. And he says Wyoming residents also need uncrowded places like Buckboard to enjoy.

People just dont get raised like this anymore, get to hunt and fish, Valdez said. And have a sustainable source of water.
The Wyoming Republican Party has begun the process of finding an interim secretary of state.

The state GOP announced Friday that it will hold a central committee meeting on Sept. 24 to nominate three possible replacements for Ed Buchanan, who left office this week for a judgeship. The meeting is open to the public and will take place at 1 p.m. at Pavillions Wind River Recreation Center.

Buchanan did not run for reelection and recently vacated his seat to take a position as a district judge in Goshen County.

The secretary of state is Wyomings No. 2 elected official. The office oversees elections as well as business registrations, among other things.

The central committee  which is made up of three Republican leaders from each Wyoming county  will choose three candidates at the Sept. 24 meeting. Gov. Mark Gordon will then appoint one of them to fill out the roughly three months remaining on Buchanans term. Gordon is statutorily required to make a pick within five days.

The state GOP used the same procedure after Jillian Balow left her post as superintendent of public instruction in January. That process spurred a lawsuit led by former Speaker of the Wyoming House Tom Lubnau.

He and others alleged the appointment violated the state and U.S. constitutions because it defied the one man-one vote principle. Thats because each county had the same number of votes (three), despite drastically different populations in some cases.

The lawsuit failed, and Lubnau said he does not plan to bring a suit over the coming secretary nomination process.

Buchanans replacement will be required to oversee the November general election after only a couple weeks in the job. Given that timeline, the state party unsuccessfully requested that Buchanan remain in his seat until after voters cast their ballots.

Most incoming Secretaries of State have almost two years to prepare for their first general election. However, if you resign in mid-September when there is an election 6 weeks later, it may be setting your appointed successor up to fail, State GOP Chairman Frank Eathorne wrote in a letter from earlier this month.

Casper Rep. Chuck Gray secured the Republican nomination for secretary of state and is all but guaranteed to win in the general election since hes without a Democratic or independent challenger. Per the Wyoming Constitution, Gray does not appear eligible to be the temporary replacement because his term as a state representative is ongoing.

Interested parties should send a letter of interest, a statement of qualifications, and any other information pertinent to the office to party Executive Director Kathy Russell by 5 p.m. Wednesday. You must be a resident of the state, 25 years old and a registered Republican.
JACKSON  A Teton County climber turned businessman has effectively given away his multibillion-dollar business, aiming to earmark company profits for fighting climate change and protecting undeveloped landscapes across the world.

Despite its immensity, the Earths resources are not infinite, and its clear weve exceeded its limits, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, 83, wrote in a letter posted to the homepage of his companys website Wednesday afternoon.

But its also resilient, he wrote. We can save our planet if we commit to it.

Chouinards plan for making that commitment: Transferring the companys voting stock and common shares into a trust and nonprofit, respectively.

The trust, dubbed the Patagonia Purpose Trust, will be administered by the Chouinard family and its closest advisors and be tasked with ensuring that the company stays true to its values.

The nonprofit, the Holdfast Collective, will put Patagonias annual profits  roughly $100 million  toward environmental initiatives such as addressing the root causes of the climate crisis, protecting land and water, and supporting stronger environmental policy, according to Outside Online.

The founder outlined his vision in the Wednesday letter, and in a New York Times interview published in parallel explaining his motives.

The Holdfast Collective, a 501(4) nonprofit, is able to make unlimited political contributions.

As such, the Chouinards  Yvon, his wife, Malinda, and their children, Fletcher and Claire  received no tax write-off for the donation. They will, however, pay about $17.5 million in taxes for donating the companys voting shares to the trust.

In Teton County, where Chouinard owns a home and notched first ascents on some of the areas most iconic climbing routes, like The Snaz in Grand Teton National Park, friends werent surprised.

He didnt want to build this whole thing up and then see it go to a bunch of bean counters and investment guys, said Paul Bruun, the Jackson Hole News&Guides outdoors columnist. He wanted to see more than that. Thats always been his goal.

Bruun has been one of Chouinards fishing buddies for years. The two met in the 1970s when Bruun ran the sporting goods department at Stone Drug. Chouinard used to wander in to buy wood chips for his smoker, in which he cooked whitefish.

Town councilor and economist Jonathan Schechter, running for re-election, has had Chouinard speak at conferences he has hosted about sustainable business. He said the Patagonia founder has been adamant about finding a way to bake his values into the business  even after hes gone.

It isnt just his life, Schechter said. Its his legacy, and its something hes thought about for 20 years  How do I be successful and how do I keep the bastards from screwing it up?

Hes told me point blank more than once if he cant run his business the way he wants to run it, hes just going to shut it down.

Chouinard said he opted out of selling Patagonia because he couldnt be sure a new owner would maintain our values or keep our team of people around the world employed.

And he decided against going public.

What a disaster that would have been, Chouinard wrote in his online letter. Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility.

Instead, Chouinard, who also owns a home in Ventura, California, where Patagonia is headquartered, appears to view the arrangement as a way to continue the social ethos he and Malinda have brought to the company, which hasnt been afraid to get politically involved.

Patagonia sued the Trump administration to protect Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, after President Donald Trump announced plans to slash the size of the monument  encompassing red-rock canyons and archaeologically significant sites  by 85%.

In Teton County, Patagonia pulled its products from stores operated by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort after the ski hills owners hosted a fundraiser for the House Freedom Caucus.

As for giving away his business, Chouinard told the Times: I didnt know what to do with the company because I didnt ever want a company.

The reluctant businessman added: Now I could die tomorrow and the company is going to continue doing the right thing for the next 50 years, and I dont have to be around.
The Montana health department director on Thursday issued a statement indicating he would not immediately comply with an order from a Billings judge to follow a 2017 rule allowing transgender Montanans to update their birth certificates using a form.

Though Yellowstone County Judge Michael Moses said in a rare bench order earlier in the morning that the 2017 rules are the rules that will apply during the course of this litigation, Montana Department of Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the department would keep its September rule in effect. Moses order also said the rule recently finalized by the department could not be enforced.

The administrative rule, which the Department of Public Health and Human Services adopted Sept. 10, said vital records could be amended only if the sex designation was listed incorrectly on the original birth certificate due to a data entry error. The rule did not allow the certificate to be amended based on gender transition, gender identity or change of gender.

The department thoroughly evaluated the judges vague April 2022 decision and crafted our final rule to be consistent with the decision. Its unfortunate that the judges ruling today does not square with his vague April decision. The 2022 final rule that the department issued on Sept. 9 remains in effect, and we are carefully considering next steps, Brereton said in an emailed statement.

A department spokesperson said in an email seeking clarification that the department is awaiting a written order from todays hearing, and carefully considering next steps.

There is no such order in place at this time. The court acknowledged that it could not address the 2022 final rule and, therefore, could not invalidate it, spokesperson Jon Ebelt wrote.

Moses issued his order from the bench.

The dispute comes after the state Legislature in 2021 passed a law to require gender-affirming surgery and petition to a court to be able to update a birth certificate. Moses put a temporary halt to the law in April. Following Moses preliminary injunction, the state issued an emergency rule in May, which the department finalized last week even after strong opposition during a June hearing.

In issuing his order from the bench, Moses said Thursday that the preliminary injunction has always enjoined all aspects of (the law passed in 2021) and it cannot be circumvented by departmental action.

Moses order from the bench is part of a lawsuit filed last year where the ACLU of Montana sued the state on behalf of two transgender Montanans over the 2021 law. The lawsuit is on behalf of Amelia Marquez, a Billings resident, and a trans man identified as John Doe in court proceedings. It is against the state of Montana; Gov. Greg Gianforte; the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, which handles birth certificates; and department Director Adam Meier. Meier has since left the position and was replaced by Brereton.

Moses on Thursday also disputed the states assertion his original injunction was not clear. That April order read, in part, that the state was blocked from enforcing any aspect of SB 280 (the 2021 law).

The department was enjoined in all aspects from (enforcing the law) and decided to pass rules anyway, claiming that they have the power to do whatever they want, notwithstanding an order. That really is unacceptable, Moses said. And so my order was not unclear. It was clear as a bell. It said all aspects.

He continued: This courts preliminary injunction is not to be violated pending the outcome of this case. Its as simple as that.

Akilah Lane, a lawyer for ACLU of Montana, said the characterization of Moses order as vague is just false.

It could not be any clearer that today the court said that the departments 2022 final rule is unenforceable and that the department must  revert to the status quo, which in this case is the procedures in the 2017 rule, Lane saidMoses on Thursday morning stopped short of holding the state in contempt for issuing the emergency rule and then finalizing it, something the plaintiffs suggested in their June motion to seek clarification when the state enacted the rule in spite of the preliminary injunction.

If we are simply going to circumvent orders of the court where the court finds, preliminarily, a violation of the Constitution, thats not what justice is all about. Thats not what our government is all about. Our government is about ... figuring out what the right thing to do is and critically important is everybody having a say, and we havent had a say yet.

The 2017 rule was issued by the administration of former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, with opposition from Republican state lawmakers.

Plaintiff Marquez on Thursday evening said she was first ecstatic to see Moses ruling. After the departments statement, she first felt furious and then disgusted.

To know that the administration is currently playing games with my life and the lives of other transgender Montanans, really the only feeling that I can put around it is disgust. I know my home, my birthplace, were better than that, Marquez said. Its a matter of nobody should feel as though theyre above the law, and thats definitely what the current administration is making it feel like.

Marquez said that the roadblocks in place for her to be able to update her birth certificate means she worries about the possibility of someone asking for the document as part of a job application and or other process, forcing her to have to out herself in a situation where that might not be safe.

Before Breretons statement, plaintiffs in the case issued a statement welcoming Moses order.

Were thankful the court saw the states discriminatory new rule for what it was: a desperate effort to circumvent the judicial process and target transgender Montanans, the statement from the ACLU of Montana, the ACLU Foundation LGBTQ & HIV Project and Nixon Peabody LLP read. Forcing anyone to carry documents that contradict their identity is unjust and unconstitutional, and such a rule marks transgender people for further mistreatment and discrimination. Well continue to fight this baseless law until no transgender person is denied this fundamental right.

The state Department of Justice, which is defending the state of Montana, was critical of Moses order.

Judge Moses mischaracterized the words of his own order, the parties motives, and the state of the law. His behavior today revealed his extreme prejudice, and his ruling continues the pattern of first determining his desired political outcome and then creating a justification for it, wrote Kyler Nerison, communications director for the department.

A Republican Montana lawmaker also took aim at Moses in a statement issued after the ruling.

Like clockwork, Judge Moses issued yet another predetermined order in favor of liberal plaintiffs without thoroughly engaging with the legal issues at hand, said Sen. Greg Hertz of Polson. Hertz made claims of improper judicial activism aligned with Democrat operatives.
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PRIME MINISTER, Dr Keith Rowley came out swinging on Friday night addressing a captive audience at the Mt Hope/Mt Lambert community centre as he responded to the Oppositions, bad news and bile, critique of the 2022-2023 budget.
Opposition MP David Lee ought to be charged if there is any evidence that he committed a crime, says Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Speaking at the United National Congress (UNC) virtual meeting on Monday night, the former prime minister, however, said she can vouch for Lee and the vehicular transaction that is under question, as no wrongdoing was committed.
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Mexican horror film, Huesera, will celebrate its Arizona debut at Fox Tucson Theatre on Wednesday, Sept. 21, courtesy of Cinema Tucson.

Michelle Garza Cervera, the films director, won two awards at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival for the project, including, the nod for best new narrative director and the Nora Ephron Award, which is given to outstanding female writers and directors. Huesera is Garza Cerveras first feature film.

Cinema Tucson is a collaboration between the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona and Cinema Tropical, a New York-based nonprofit film organization launched by Carlos A. Gutierrez and Monika Wagenberg in 2001. The film series debuted in Tucson in 2021 and features monthly screenings of Mexican films at the Fox, 17 W. Congress, downtown.

Whats amazing is that the Tucson audiences will be able to catch the film before it premieres in Mexico, Gutierrez said of the Huesera screening.

Huesera has received overall positive feedback from critics, maintaining a 100% rating on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows a woman, newly pregnant, being tormented by an unearthly demonic presence.

A review in Variety praised the film, saying, Garza Cerveras tale is most thrilling for the ways it refuses any tidy answers about a womans place and wallows (and finds plenty of terror) in the ambiguities therein.

It is my first time in Tucson. It is the first screening of the film in Arizona and in the desert, Garza Cervera said in an interview by email. Ive heard the Fox Theatre is a beautiful and legendary venue. I am very excited and grateful for this invitation to celebrate cinema from my country in a city that holds such a strong connection with Mexico.

Garza Cervera said she is honored by the positive reception the film has received and is already working on premiering future films in the U.S. She said she intends to start shooting her next feature film in 2023.
In the days after 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez's body was found in the desert off of Avra Valley and Trico Roads in June 2014, the man now accused of murdering her took a keen interest in news coverage of her death, his ex-girlfriend testified Wednesday.

She also told the jury that he had sometimes shown interest in young girls during the course of their relationship.

Christopher Matthew Clements, 40, is on trial on charges of kidnapping and murdering Maribel. He faces a second trial in February in connection with the kidnapping and death of 6-year-old Isabel Celis, who went missing from her bedroom in 2012.

Both cases went unsolved for years until law enforcement leaders announced Clements' arrest in both cases in September 2018. He was charged with 22 felonies, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping of a minor under age 15, burglary and 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, which is said to be related to child pornography.

On Wednesday, Clements' ex-girlfriend, Melissa Stark, told the jury, comprised of nine women and seven men, that Clements behaved strangely the night of and morning after Maribel disappeared. She also spoke of his fascination with the case after the teen's body was discovered days later.

Around 8 p.m. on the night of June 3, 2014, Clements and Stark got into a "huge argument" over Stark's out-of-town friend, who was in Tucson for a visit with the couple and their new baby, she said.

"We got into a big fight because I felt he was more interested in her at that time than me," she said. "Afterwards, he proceeded to leave the house. The next time I saw him was later on in the night or early in the morning. I think roughly midnight, or 1 o'clock."

Clements woke Stark to ask if there was more bleach in the home. She went out to the carport to retrieve the bleach from the laundry area, she said, but Clements determined that it wasn't enough. Stark said she didn't ask Clements about why he needed bleach because she was scared.

Clements took Stark's vehicle to purchase more and returned shortly after with a bag of bleach in hand, she said.

"When he came back, he had questioned me if I had looked inside the trunk of his car," Stark said, adding that he left again in his own vehicle shortly after.

Text messages on her mother's phone show Maribel left her home a few blocks away from Clements' house shortly before 10 p.m. An hour later, the friend she was on her way to meet texted Maribel's mother, Valerie Calonge, that she still had not arrived, Calonge said in court.

Around 5:30 a.m., just as it was becoming light out, Clements returned home and walked straight into the shower, Stark said.

"He proceeded to ask me to, like, make sure all of his clothes were washed that he was wearing. He wanted me to make sure the shower curtain was also washed, as well as ensure the floor was cleaned very well, from the front door all the way to the bathroom," Stark said.

When it was reported that Maribel's body was found a few days later on June 6, Clements began to take an interest in the story. He would talk about the teen when coverage of her death was on the news, Stark said.

Used teen's full name

Years later, the teen and her death came up again, this time in handwritten letters that Clements wrote to Stark in the summer of 2017.

In a letter dated May 20, 2017, Clements wrote that he knew a body had been found in Avra Valley off Trico Road. At that time, investigators had not publicly released the location where Maribel's body was discovered.

"I'm sure it's unsolved," Clements wrote in the letter, according to Deputy Pima County Attorney Tracy Miller, who questioned Stark during Wednesday's proceedings.

Clements went on to say in the letter that he was aware the body was found before the time frame when he began assisting law enforcement with an unrelated investigation in the same area, according to Stark.

A few weeks later, in a letter dated June 3, 2017, Clements used Maribel's full name in a letter to Stark while discussing the location of her body, which still had not been released to the public.

Stark said that after looking through photos and Facebook messages on her phone in the summer of 2020, she remembered the events of June 3 and 4, 2014, and contacted a lawyer. Her attorney contacted the Pima County Attorney's Office in July 2020 and Stark shared her story for the first time.

Later, prosecutors showed Stark hundreds of photos from a folder called "My secret apps" on Clements' iPad, the majority of which were of little girls in various stages of undress. Stark said in court she hadn't taken the photos and didn't know any of the children that appeared in them.

The device also included Google searches for "trace evidence on body," which Stark said were not made by her.

Defense: DNA could have been from relatives

Clements' defense attorney, Joseph DiRoberto, challenged Stark's recollection of the timeline, repeatedly asking about the timing of various events.

DiRoberto also questioned Stark about Clements' male relatives, including his brothers. During opening statements Tuesday, DiRoberto told jurors the DNA sample that linked Clements to Maribel's body could be from hundreds of other men, including any male relatives.

DiRoberto's cross examination of Stark continued into Thursday, with the jury submitting dozens of additional questions to Pima County Superior Court Judge James Marner following her testimony. Many went unasked, with lawyers for both sides saying they would open the door to topics that were not to be discussed during trial.

But one juror's question revealed that during the course of Stark's relationship with Clements, she said he had "sometimes" shown interest in young girls.

'I fell to the floor'

Wednesday was an emotional day for Maribel's mother, Calonge, who testified about her relationship with her daughter and Maribel's disappearance prior to Stark's taking the stand.

Calonge told jurors Maribel was her "Mini Me," and that the two were rebuilding their relationship, after Calonge had spent the first half of the year in the hospital and physical rehabilitation after a car crash.

She said that when she learned her daughter had not made it to her destination, she rallied family and friends to search for Maribel, checking all of the locations she used to frequent. "We did everything," she said.

Their efforts were in vain, and Calonge learned about her daughter's death when she saw Maribel's distinct tattoo on the TV news, during a story about the body discovered in Avra Valley.

"I fell to the floor, and I called her dad and my mom and told them what I saw on the news," Calonge said. "It took days before we had confirmation that it was Maribel."

Calonge had to leave the courtroom shortly after when she became overcome with emotion.

On Thursday, prosecutors also questioned Sara Bainter, a woman Clements dated at the same time as Stark.

Bainter said she met Clements at the end of 2013 while walking home from her job at Park Place mall.

"He drove up on the side and said, 'I didnt want to be creepy or anything, I just wanted to know if you needed a ride home,'" said Bainter, who was 18 at the time. She said that because it was hot out, she accepted his offer.

Bainter said the pair continued to communicate and developed an intimate relationship. Text messages showed Clements contacted Bainter on June 3, 2014, at 11:14 p.m. asking if he could come see her. She didn't respond until days later.

The state has called 11 witnesses in the first three days of the trial, which is scheduled to last through Sept. 30.
It may be worth driving a little further to fill up your gas tank these days in Tucson.

The recent plunge in gas prices in the Old Pueblo and across the nation has widened the normal disparity in pump prices across town, with a spread of more than 90 cents per gallon between the highest and lowest prices for regular gas across the metro area  and variances of 40 cents or more for stations within just a few miles in some cases.

Gas prices typically vary by geographic region and at the neighborhood level because of local competition, with a typical price spread of a dollar or more in some large metro areas, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the gas-price finder app GasBuddy.

Tucson is no exception, but as gas prices have dropped rapidly in recent months off record highs in June, the price disparity among stations within a few miles has widened.

In some cases, there are wide price variances even among the same store chains within a few miles.

On Wednesday, the QuikTrip at East River and North Craycroft roads had gas for $3.59 per gallon, while about 2 miles away, the QuikTrip on North Kolb Road just south of East Tanque Verde Road was selling gas for $3.19 per gallon.

And the Circle K on East Speedway at North Camino Seco was selling gas for $3.69 per gallon, while a couple miles to the west, the Circle K at Speedway and North Kolb had gas for $3.29 per gallon.

Neither Circle K nor QuikTrip responded to requests for comments on their pricing variances.

The average price of regular gas in Tucson on Wednesday was $3.53 per gallon, down about 7 cents from a week earlier, according to AAA, which is based on electronic purchases tracked by the Oil Price Information Service.

Thats down from a record-high $4.98 per gallon in mid-June but still up about 50 cents from the same time last year.

GasBuddy, which relies on members to enter what they paid for gas at a particular retail outlet, pegged Tucsons average price at $3.49 per gallon.

But many stations around town were selling gas for under $3.20, and membership-based Costco had the lowest price at $3.08.

Wider spreads

GasBuddys De Haan said the price spread  the difference between highest and lowest  for gas varies by state and by market.

For example, this week, the price spread in Arizona was $1.10, while in California it was $1.70, he said, noting that Arizonas price spread could be affected by some very high prices at a couple of stations.

The price spread in the greater Tucson metro area was 91 cents this week, according to GasBuddy, but that included two stations selling gas for $3.99 per gallon, with higher-priced outlets generally in the $3.40-$3.70 range.

Larger metro areas tend to have a larger gas-price spread, De Haan said.

He cited a $1.37 spread in Denver and 30-cent variance in much smaller Billings, Montana.

The smaller the town, the smaller the variance is going to be; the bigger the town, the bigger the variance, he said, adding that the middling price spread in Tucson seems to reflect its midsize status.

Wide price spreads among gas stations within a mile or two are rare, De Haan said, as stations compete on price.

But the price differences may be magnified by the rapid drop in overall prices, recently driven by lower crude-oil costs.

When prices go up, the spread narrows, and when prices come down, the spread widens, De Haan said. Since weve been in such a long trend of downward prices, theres a lot of variance on the way down, especially in this circumstance.

Arizonas statewide average gas price peaked at a record $5.39 per gallon of regular on June 17 and averaged about $4.05 per gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA.

Recent maintenance issues at refineries in California may also be a factor, since Arizona gets much of its gas from the Golden State, De Haan said.

There could be a little bit of kind of lumpiness going on, because with some of these refinery issues, some refiners that are selling into the market may not have as much fuel to sell, so they price higher, he said.

This week the price spread for what retailers pay for wholesale gas was about 50 cents per gallon, De Haan noted.

Price drivers

Convenience stores sell an estimated 80% of the gas sold in the U.S., and major gas retailers like Circle K and QT set prices at company-owned convenience stores.

But 55% of convenience stores are single-store operators, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores, and more than 60% of gas stations are independently owned, including some that sell branded gas like Shell.

Nationwide the main driver of price disparities are taxes, the cost of special, cleaner gas blends required in areas (including Phoenix); and profit margins, which average about 10 cents per gallon, the NACS says.

The wholesale cost retailers pay for gas varies depending on their purchase volume, whether they sell branded fuel (which generally costs more), competition discounts sometimes allowed to retailers and the cost of real estate, while the price retailers charge vary based on their business strategies, the association says.

Independent store owners who run branded gas stations have no choice but to buy from their contracted brand, but others can buy cheaper wholesale fuel as it becomes available, De Haan said.

The independents today are the cheapest by 5 to 10 cents, he said. So, if youre Joes gas station that doesnt have like a big company oil company logo, you can buy the so-called leftovers for a little bit less.

Crude oil makes up 54% of the retail cost of gasoline, but each station sets prices based on its costs and local competition, said Kara Greene, spokeswoman for the Western States Petroleum Association.

At the other end of the spectrum, real estate value, convenience of a station for the driver, and competition among stations affect cost, too, said Greene, whose association represents major oil refiners.

Regionally, Tucson tends to have the cheapest gas in the state partly due to the fact it gets much of its fuel from a pipeline that delivers less expensive fuel from refineries in Texas.

The Phoenix area gets generally more expensive fuel via a pipeline from California, and Maricopa County uses a special formula year-round to reduce emissions, which adds cost. Gas prices in places in rural areas tend to be higher because fuel must be trucked over long distances.

Finding cheap gas

While it may not be worth it to drive cross-town to save a few cents per gallon, with the current wide gas price spreads it may be well worth driving a couple of miles out of your way to save 30 or 40 cents per gallon.

You can find the Stars interactive map of recent local gas prices, with data provided by GasBuddy, at tucne.ws/1l4o. GasBuddy also is available as an app that offers rewards and savings on fuel.

Gas Guru is another cheap-gas finder mobile app available on Google Play and Apples App Store.

For the latest average national, state and metro-area gas prices, go to AAAs Gas Prices site at gasprices.aaa.com.

Lowest Gas Prices in Tucson

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The state of the economy has been a major concern this past year and was nearly derailed further by a labor dispute.

Early Thursday, rail companies and their workers reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that could have shut down the nations freight trains, further adding to supply chain problems that have persisted since the start of the pandemic.

Mortgage rates hit another high this week, topping 6% for the first time since the housing crash in 2008. A year ago the rate was below 3%.

Small businesses are feeling the crunch as consumers pull back on spending, and income inequality has been on the rise.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to modernize airports during a stop in Boston and touted a commitment to electric vehicles at the auto show in Detroit.

The midterm elections are right around the corner, so well take a look at how President Biden has altered messaging as well as his approval rating, potential abortion legislation, shifting politics in Georgia and the latest news on former President Donald Trump.

This past Sunday was the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. We listen to details on memorials from the day as well as the status of the mastermind behind the attacks.

In other national news, there have been many societal changes since the start of the pandemic. Two suspicious packages, including one that exploded, were found in Boston. A onetime aid to Andrew Cuomo is suing the former New York governor.

A deal ended a teachers strike in Seattle. Ken Starr, who investigated former President Bill Clinton, died. It was the 60th anniversary of President Kennedys moonshot speech. And there was an unwanted patron at a North Dakota bar.

Details have been released for Mondays funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II as the United Kingdom mourns its longtime monarch.

In other international news, Ukraine has made progress in pushing back its Russian invaders. We listen to details, as well get an update on the state of a nuclear plant and Russias attempts to influence foreign politics.

Plus, Iranian citizens have been charged in a hacking campaign and the state of COVID in the Philippines.

And finally, in health and technology news, a look at the perception of healthcare in the U.S. and concerns over misinformation on TikTok.
HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas board on Thursday declined a request that George Floyd be granted a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug arrest made by a now-indicted ex-Houston police officer whose case history is under scrutiny following a deadly drug raid.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles in October 2021 had initially decided to unanimously recommend that Floyd become just the second person in Texas since 2010 to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor.

But before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could make a final decision in the case, the board in December reversed its decision, saying that procedural errors were found in its initial recommendation in Floyds case and it needed to reconsider more than a third of a group of 67 clemency applications it had sent to Abbott.

After a full and careful review of the application and other information filed with the application, a majority of the Board decided not to recommend a Full Pardon and/or Pardon for Innocence, the board wrote in a letter it sent Thursday to Floyds attorney, Allison Mathis, with the Harris County Public Defenders Office in Houston.

In its letter, the board said another request for a posthumous pardon for Floyd could be submitted again in two years. The letter did not specify why the board had denied the request.

The boards decision was first made public Thursday by a reporter with The Marshall Project.

Mathis and a spokesperson for the paroles board did not immediately return emails or calls seeking comment.

Mathis had first submitted the pardon request in April 2021.

Floyd, who was Black, grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June 2021, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for Floyds killing, which led to a national reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing.

Years before his May 2020 killing, Floyd was arrested in Houston in February 2004 by former police officer Gerald Goines for selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting. Floyd later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to 10 months in a state jail.

Goines is now facing two counts of felony murder, as well as other charges in both state and federal court, for a deadly 2019 drug raid in which Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were killed.

Prosecutors allege Goines lied to obtain the warrant to search the couples home by claiming that a confidential informant had bought heroin there. Goines later said there was no informant and that he had bought the drugs himself, they allege. Prosecutors have accused Goines of making up informants in other cases as well.

We supported George Floyds pardon because we do not have confidence in the integrity of his conviction. We support clemency because it is appropriate, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Thursday.

About 150 drug convictions tied to Goines have since been dismissed by prosecutors. Earlier this month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered that a fifth conviction tied to Goines be overturned.

Goines has maintained his innocence and his lawyer is fighting the charges.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
A Texas judge on Friday expanded her order blocking the state from investigating families of transgender youth who have received gender- affirming medical care.

Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary injunction preventing the state from investigating members of the LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG Inc. over the medical care. The group has more than 600 members in Texas.

Meachum in July issued an order blocking the investigations against two families of transgender children who had sued the state. Meachum's order on Friday also blocked the state from investigating the family of another teen that had sued, though the family said after the lawsuit was filed they learned the investigation against them had been dropped.

Meachum wrote that without the order, the families would suffer probable, imminent, and irreparable injury in the interim."

The ruling was the latest against the states efforts to label gender-affirming care as child abuse.

The Texas Supreme Court in May allowed the state to investigate parents of transgender youth for child abuse while also ruling in favor of one family who was among the first contacted by child welfare officials following the order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The latest challenge was brought by Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the families of three teenage boys  two 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old  and PFLAG.

Once again a Texas court has stepped in to say what we knew from the beginning: State leaders have no business interfering with life-saving care essential for transgender youth, Adri Perez with the ACLU of Texas said in a statement.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said as of last week it had opened 12 investigations since Abbott's directive was issued. Only four remain open and no youth have been removed from their homes as a result of the investigations, the department said.

A judge in March put Abbotts order on hold after a lawsuit was brought on behalf of a 16-year-old girl whose family said it was under investigation. The Texas Supreme Court in May ruled that the lower court overstepped its authority by blocking all investigations going forward.

The lawsuit that prompted that ruling marked the first report of parents being investigated following Abbotts directive and an earlier nonbinding legal opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton labeling certain gender-confirming treatments as child abuse. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Service has said it opened nine investigations following the directive and opinion.

Abbotts directive and the attorney generals opinion go against the nations largest medical groups, including the American Medical Association, which have opposed Republican-backed restrictions filed in statehouses nationwide.

The latest injunction follows rulings in other states against Republican-led efforts to restrict gender affirming care for children. A federal appeals court panel last month ruled Arkansas can't enforce its law banning gender affirming care for minors, and the state plans to ask for the full appeals court to review that decision. A federal judge in May blocked a similar law in Alabama.
PHOENIX  The Republican candidate for the states top educational official is lashing out at incumbent Kathy Hoffman for her agencys decision to promote a website for LGBTQ and questioning teens.

I think its very harmful, said Tom Horne of QChat during a debate Wednesday for superintendent of public instruction. He said the site, which can be accessed directly from the web page of the Arizona Department of Education, is designed to undermine the rights of parents to know what their children are viewing.

Kids can go on there without their parents permission, Horne said.

They give detailed information about themselves, he said. They give detailed information about their sex lives or sexual thoughts.

And he said there even is a function designed to help youngster keep their parents from finding out what theyre doing: an escape button on the page that replaces what is on the screen with a Google page.

Democrat Kathy Hoffman, seeking reelection, does not dispute what is on the site. But she said Horne is making too much of it.

The QChat is recommended by the CDC and the national organization Mental Health America as a resource helping to support our LGBTQ youth, she said.

Hoffman said the decision to post a link came after consulting with a committee of parents, educators and LGBTQ students. She said its part of her agencys role in providing resources for these students.

This is a group of students who far too often are facing hate in the world and communication thats attacking our LGBTQ youth, Hoffman said, who need resources to get information. And she called Hornes attacks political.

Horne, however, questioned whether students were getting real help.

He said the moderators are not licensed professionals.

We dont know how many of them might be predators, Horne continued, though the site says the facilitators are verified. And then theres keeping parents out of the loop, citing the escape button.

The solution for kids who cant talk with parents, he said, is to go to trained, licensed counselors in their schools.

This is outrageous for the parents to not play any role, Horne said. If youre comfortable having your child talk with a stranger about sexual matters without your participation, please vote for Kathy Hoffman.

For her part, Hoffman called the debate over the web site  it also has resulted in a lawsuit against Hoffman by Republican activist Peggy McClain  a diversion.

What I am focused on is not these culture wars attacking the LGBTQ youth, she said, but rather on issues like why Arizona does not fund preschool or full-day kindergarten. If we want our state to be moving forward, lets be supporting public education, including making our schools safe and inclusive for all kids.

Hoffman also launched an attack of her own, saying if Horne is concerned about child welfare he never would have accepted support from former state Rep. David Stringer. The Prescott Republican stepped down from the legislature in 2019 following disclosure he had been arrested years earlier on various charges, including paying to have sex with an underage boy.

Horne said the only involvement Stringer had in his campaign this year was his decision to put up some campaign signs for him at a cost of $1,400. Stringer then posted pictures of himself next to those signs.

But when the support first came to light, Horne initially defended Stringer, saying he was innocent of those 1983 charges from Maryland and there was never any conviction. Only later did he distance himself from Stringer and reimburse him for that $1,400 expense.

During the half-hour debate aired on KAET-TV, the Phoenix PBS affiliate, the pair also found themselves on opposite sides of the decision earlier this year by the Republican-controlled legislature to create a universal system of vouchers to allow students to attend private and parochial schools at state expense.

I think public education dollars should stay in public education, Hoffman said. She said the new law provides no accountability, like standardized testing, to ensure students going to private schools with tax dollars are learning what they need to know.

Horne, however, said he sees vouchers, formally known as empowerment scholarship accounts, as an important equalizer.

Rich people can send their kids to any school they want to, he said.
SAND SPRINGS  Three Charles Page High School students who died Thursday in a car crash less than a mile from the school were remembered Friday with tears, gratitude and even laughter by friends and family members.

Sand Springs police on Friday morning identified the Charles Page High School students who were involved in the crash, which also hospitalized two others.

Ethan Gibson, 17; Cyra Saner, 16; and Kylee Weaver, 16, were killed in the crash about 12:15 p.m. Thursday, police said in a news release. All three were riding in the back seat of the car.

Deputy Police Chief Todd Enzbrenner identified the driver as Sirrah Mathews, 16. She and front-seat passenger Logan Childers, also 16, were taken by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, police said.

No update on their conditions was available Friday.

The car crashed on Park Road near Colony Circle just south of Sand Springs Lake, Enzbrenner said Thursday. He said the car was eastbound on Park when it failed to negotiate a curve in the road to the southeast and went off the northeast side of the pavement.

Enzbrenner said Mathews was the only person in the car wearing a seat belt. He said speed was definitely a factor in the crash, although data that will allow authorities to determine how fast the car was traveling had not been recovered Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, classmates and relatives streamed to the crash site all day Friday to add flowers, photos and other mementos to a growing makeshift memorial.

Apple of his eye

Jim Weaver said his granddaughter Kylee Weaver was a good student who had plans for college, and she was always eager to take part in volunteer work with her grandparents, both real-estate agents.

But what he remembers most is that from the time she was little bitty, she always did things with me, he said.

His wife, Joyce Weaver, agreed: She was the apple of his eye. She loved her Papa Jim.

Jim Weaver said he knew that Kylee hadnt been heard from by about 3 p.m. Thursday, but then he got a call from a police officer using his daughters phone telling him that Kylee was involved in the accident and that she didnt make it.

I put a post on Facebook that heaven got a new angel, he said.

Joyce Weaver, standing next to the memorial and holding a pair of glasses, told about how she had been watching televised news reports the night before about the accident, including scenes from the memorial, when she spotted her granddaughters glasses amid the flowers and other items.

My first baby

Jeanie Blatchford was trying to stay strong for her, but the sight of the memorial Friday made the tears flow.

Her was Kori Fletcher, the mother of Kylee Weaver and Blatchfords best friend for 20 years. But to Blatchford, Weaver was my first baby. I helped raise her. I have always been a part of her life.

She recalled teaching Weaver, then 4 or 5, how to swim.

The child was begging to be thrown in the water, but Blatchford resisted.

But she was always so persistent, she said. So I picked her up and I launched her in, and she looked like a little turtle. All you saw was the top of her face. She was doggie-paddling as hard as she could.

Blatchford is worried that her friend Fletcher now needs some help to keep from sinking, and she wants people to know about a GoFundMe that has been set up. It can be found at bit.ly/KyleeWeaverFund.

You matter

Student Kaylah Morgan said she had trigonometry class with Weaver.

We were literally making plans in trig class that morning to hang out sometime soon, she said.

As Morgan talked, she was holding onto a piece of a broken mirror with letters on it that was found at the crash scene.

She said a friend had given Mathews, the cars driver, a sticker with the words You matter to put on her rear-view mirror to remind her to drive safe.

Nothing will be normal

Junior Ava Durham said she had known Gibson and Saner since elementary school and that she was so glad to have the memorial to visit.

I love it, she said Friday. Im so glad that all the students can come down here and give flowers or do whatever they need to do.

And for the day, at least, schoolwork was largely put on hold.

Today at school, we had pastors, counselors and parents, and they were all set up in the library. Its just amazing what our community can do to help everyone thats going through this loss, Durham said.

Weve had an eventful last month at our school with everything thats happened, and I really hope it just calms down and well go back  I mean, nothings going to be normal. Nothing will be normal. But I just pray that school will feel safe again.

He would be proud

Junior Kilee Waggoner fought back tears as she described the impact Gibson had on her life.

Gibson, a member of the wrestling team, was supportive for the girls team to be made, and as a former girls wrestler, it means a lot because its a sport made for boys, Waggoner said. And for guys to be so welcoming, it means a lot to the girls because we have no other support.

And for him to be gone, its not the same, she said. But I know that once we get our Sand Springs girls wrestling team made, he would be proud.

Always smiling

Denise Luce and her daughter Katelynn, an eighth-grader, came to the memorial site to remember Gibson.

Luce, a retired choir and computer keyboarding teacher at Clyde Boyd Middle School, taught Gibson in the sixth grade.

He was always smiling, she said. Hed see me even after he left middle school, and (hed say), Hey, Mrs. Luce! and just smile. He was always super friendly.

They really stepped up

Oklahoma State University student Reagan Conrad got out of class a little extra early so I could drive down here to the memorial site on Friday.

She said her sister Paige, a sophomore, was friends with all of the crash victims, so I got to know them pretty well through her.

But Conrad came not so much to mourn as to offer gratitude by way of reading aloud a letter she wrote to Gibson, Saner and Weaver to thank them for having such a positive impact on her sisters life.

Its so sad that I never got to say thank you to them in person, she said. They were just amazing people.

They really stepped up and took her under their wing when Conrad, who graduated from Charles Page in 2021, went to college and made her feel included, made her feel important, made her feel loved.

Kind-hearted people

Sophomore Caleb Kelly said in a message Thursday the students involved in the crash were all real good people; kind-hearted people.

He said he had known Gibson the best and that for the two years I knew Ethan and the conversations we had, he was a real genuine person and just down to earth.

He would always check up on me, and he always treated his friends like family and would do anything for them, he said. Ethan was a very friend- and family-oriented person and always took the time to have a conversation with anyone if they needed it.

Kelly said he and Gibson met through mutual friends and had a class together.

My friend was friends with him and (another friend), and he introduced me, and they made me feel welcome, and I just got good vibes from him.

Kelly had not yet been to the memorial at the crash site on Friday afternoon but said he was planning to go Sunday to take some purple and yellow flowers.

Gibsons favorite color was yellow and Saners was purple, he said, and he was trying to figure out Kylees favorite so I can have their favorite colors in flowers.

Sportsmanship on display

A Friday Facebook post from Ponca City Public Schools asked fans traveling to Sand Springs for the Wildcats game against the Sandites to wear gold, gray, black and white ribbons or arm bands (the school colors for Sand Springs) to honor the Charles Page High School students involved in the tragic accident on Thursday.

The post added, The Wildcats of Ponca City send prayers for peace and comfort to the entire Sand Springs community.

Both teams and spectators observed a moment of silence, led by Sand Springs Public Schools Superintendent Sherry Durkee, before the game began.

Video: Increase in traffic deaths has experts puzzled
Update (11 a.m. Friday): Fatal crash victims Ethan Gibson, 17; Cyra Saner, 16; and Kylee Weaver, 16, were identified by Sand Springs Police in a news release.

SAND SPRINGS  Three Charles Page High School students were killed and two others were injured in a single-car crash Thursday afternoon, police and Sand Springs Public Schools confirmed.

The car crashed about 12:15 p.m. on Park Road near Colony Circle just south of Sand Springs Lake, Deputy Police Chief Todd Enzbrenner said. He said the car was speeding east on Park when it failed to negotiate a curve to the southeast and went off the northeast side of the road.

Three students were killed, and two other students were admitted to Tulsa hospitals. Enzbrenner did not know Thursday whether the students were wearing seat belts.

The identities of the students involved had not been released Thursday evening pending notification of relatives.

Sand Springs Public Schools released a statement Thursday afternoon in which Superintendent Sherry Durkee wrote:

Today our community has suffered a devastating loss. It is with heavy hearts that we confirm the passing of three Charles Page High School students who lost their lives in a traffic accident on the afternoon of Thursday September 15. Two CPHS students who were also involved in the accident are currently hospitalized.

Words cannot express the profound grief and heartbreak felt in our district. Our deepest sympathies go to the families and loved ones of those involved.

The statement says additional counseling services are available at the high school and throughout the district to support our students in this difficult time.

The statement thanks those in the Sand Springs community and surrounding areas who have offered support and comfort, adding, We will continue to keep these students and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.

Juniors and seniors at Charles Page are allowed to leave campus for lunch, but a number of students also leave campus and return as part of attendance at concurrent classes at Tulsa Tech and Tulsa Community College.

Enzbrenner said his best educated guess is that the students were on their way to lunch. The lunch period reportedly began about 10 minutes before the crash.

This is not the first time this calendar year that multiple high school students were killed in a crash during the lunch hour in Oklahoma.

Six teenage girls on their lunch break from Tishomingo High School were killed March 22 when a tractor-trailer rig hauling gravel collided with the students car, authorities reported.

That crash occurred about a mile from the high school in Tishomingo, a rural city of about 3,000 people about 170 miles south of Tulsa.

Killed were the 16-year-old driver as well as three 15-year-old and two 17-year-old passengers, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

Only the driver and front-seat passenger were wearing seat belts when the four-seat 2015 Chevrolet Spark and the truck collided at an intersection, according to the Highway Patrol.
John Cooper of the Red Dirt Rangers has been doing the music thing for so many years that he rarely gets gobsmacked, but thats the word he used to describe how he felt at the 2022 Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah.

The Red Dirt Rangers were on the bill. So was Mike McClure of The Great Divide.

In advance of the festival, the WoodyFest folks pitched this idea: Would you be interested in performing together?

Cooper said McClure is a dear friend whom the Red Dirt Rangers have known forever  or at least a few decades since they were part of the burgeoning Red Dirt music scene in Stillwater.

When the invitation arrived for them to share a stage at WoodyFest, hey, why not?

We have sat in with Mike on certain things with The Great Divide, and he has sat in with us a couple of times, but we had never really done a show together, Cooper said.

How did it go?

People in the audience were just stunned, Cooper said.

It was one of the coolest things I have witnessed in all the years we have been playing. We have been in this a long time. I dont usually get gobsmacked like that, but all four of us were like holy cow, that was great. Just because we know each other so well and our history is so deep, we couldnt believe we hadnt done it before.

Light bulb moment: Lets do it again.

The Red Dirt Rangers and McClure are booking dates as McClure and the Rangers beginning with a Friday, Sept. 23 show at the Canebrake Resort in Wagoner.

The launch show will be at a relaunched property. The Canebrake Resort, which closed six years ago, has been restored to operational status under new ownership. Situated on acreage few miles away from Wagoners downtown, the resort is located at 33241 E. 732 Road in Wagoner.

Its a really cool resort, and its in a beautiful spot, Cooper said.

McClure and the Rangers will follow with a Saturday, Sept. 24 gig at Stonecloud Brewing Company in Stillwater. The return to Stillwater will take the Oklahoma Music Hall of Famers (McClure joined the Red Dirt Rangers in the hall last year) back to shared roots.

McClure, in a statement to the Tulsa World, called the Red Dirt Rangers the Red Dirt band and followed with this: These were the first people that met me with open arms when I came to Stillwater, like family members I hadnt met yet  the older, cooler, cousins, so to speak. They have loved our home state and the history that has flowed through our cities and towns in such a humble, honest way and they continue to represent all that is homegrown and beautiful about Red Dirt music.

Continuing, McClure said, I am so looking forward to playing some shows with the guys this fall. Its a homecoming and a leaving home all wrapped up together. Every time I sit in with the Red Dirt Rangers, I feel that tug on my heartstrings that takes me back to my early 20s, sitting around a fire at the Farm. Thats where the seeds were planted.

The Farm is a musical gathering place in Stillwater that is steeped in Red Dirt lore.

In an April interview, Cooper said he needed a place to stay when he was an Oklahoma State University student in 1979. He and a friend got a too-good-to-refuse offer ($100 a month) to live on rural property west of town.

For the next 20 years, we proceeded to have a pretty good time, Cooper said. You can imagine turning about a dozen college kids loose just outside of town. We were in hog heaven.

Musicians gravitated to parties at the Farm. The Red Dirt Rangers and other music artists plied their trade there. The new collaboration will have them hanging together, still. Cooper is pleased that the Red Dirt Rangers are teaming up with a sensational songwriter. He said McClure is considered, if not the top songwriter, then one of the top songwriters from our scene.

The Red Dirt Rangers are busy being the Red Dirt Rangers. McClure is busy with The Great Divide (coming to Cains Ballroom Oct. 14) and a solo career. So, McClure and the Red Dirt Rangers will have to consult the calendar and pick spots to perform together.

Well just do it as time allows, but playing together at the Woody Guthrie Festival was really special and Mike felt the same way, Cooper said.

But its going to be great. We are really, really looking forward to it.

Tulsa World Scene podcast: Route 66s Blue Whale in Catoosa turns 50
A legislative working group on Friday recommended approval of the city of Tulsas request for $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for a massive wastewater infrastructure project designed to spur economic development throughout northeastern Oklahoma.

The centerpiece of the proposal calls for providing wastewater services to a new industrial park and accompanying urban center to be built on Fair Oaks Ranch east of the city.

The roughly 17,000-acre property, located south of where the Creek Turnpike and U.S. 412 intersect, is the site where Tesla and other major companies have considered building facilities but never chose.

Our case to the legislators has been: We have companies that really want to build facilities in Oklahoma on this site, but we just need to have the wastewater infrastructure, said Mayor G.T. Bynum.

The city sees the proposed industrial park, which would be a minimum of 2,000 acres, as complementing other area employment centers, including the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor and the ports of Catoosa and Inola.

We are really trying to build these clusters in northeast Oklahoma because there is a proven private-sector market for these types of spaces if communities are willing to do the advance work to have them ready for businesses to plug in their facilities, Bynum said.

The recommendation from the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief working group on economic development now goes to the full joint committee. If approved there, it would be taken up by the Legislature, which is expected to meet in special session this fall.

Although city officials see the Fair Oaks Ranch development as a critical component of the plan, they stress that construction of expanded wastewater treatment and conveyance capacity would extend far beyond the boundaries of the property and benefit surrounding communities, such as Catoosa and Broken Arrow.

While we are very focused on creating a space for industrial growth in that part of our city, the reality is that building out the wastewater infrastructure in that area benefits that whole region, Bynum said.

Between 4,000 and 9,000 new jobs would be created as a result of the economic development made possible by the infrastructure project, according to an economic impact study conducted by McKinsey & Co. earlier this year.

The overall impact of the project to the states gross domestic product would be between $1.3 billion and $3.6 billion, the study found.

The city of Tulsa is negotiating with Fair Oaks Ranch LLC to establish a joint development agreement that is expected to be paired with a tax increment financing district.

Tulsa and Broken Arrow, meanwhile, are working with the property owner to incorporate the project into their comprehensive plans, which would provide the framework for a more detailed master plan.

The public interest from our standpoint would be a minimum of a 2,000-acre industrial site, Bynum said. That is a pretty massive site, and they (the property owner) would have to agree to transfer that to the city as part of the development agreement.  The public would own the site where the industrial development would occur.

The city has already spent more than $70 million on infrastructure in the area, Bynum said, but wastewater service remains the missing link.

Tackling that job and the associated costs would take the city 15 years or more, he said. If Tulsa is ultimately awarded the $50 million ARPA allocation, it would have four years to complete the project.

Thats why we pursued this from the state, Bynum said. It allows us to move forward 15 years or so and get this stuff installed so we can be competitive for those jobs and that economic growth right now.

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Featured video: Route 66s Blue Whale in Catoosa turns 50
After more than 25 years at OU-Tulsa, the University of Oklahomas graduate college office on the campus likely will be merged with the one in Norman.

The OU Board of Regents approved the proposal during its regularly scheduled annual meeting at OU-Tulsa on Thursday.

The proposal will now go to the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education for final approval.

You look at the Tulsa campus, and the programs here are too often not fully connected to the programs on the Norman campus, said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr.

This is an example of one. There were separate graduate college offices, one on the Tulsa campus, one in Norman. It didnt make a lot of sense.

Merging the two into one Norman-based office will create greater efficiencies for our students and their progress in that college, Harroz said.

Officials said the move would come with no loss or reduction in staff in Tulsa and no impact on graduate students or faculty.

Graduation ceremonies would continue to be held in both Norman and Tulsa.

Under the proposal, leadership of graduate education would be consolidated under the dean of the Graduate College in Norman, currently Randall Hewes.

Jim Sluss, current dean of the Graduate College in Tulsa, would step out of the deans role but continue to serve as interim president of OU-Tulsa. OUs Tulsa Graduate College was established in 1996, originally as the Tulsa Graduate Office, so administrative issues regarding graduate education could be handled locally. Norman-based graduate programs have been offered in Tulsa since 1957.

The merger would have no impact on the OU Health Sciences Center Graduate College, officials said.

Also during Thursdays meeting, the OU regents received a brief update on the planned OU Polytechnic School in Tulsa, which was announced earlier this year. The plan was approved recently by the state regents. Final approval on school programming is still pending.

The school would start with five concentration areas: cyber, data science, software development, advanced mobility and medical informatics.

The goal is to start in fall 2024 with the first cohort of students, officials said.
His captors could control his body.

But Galand Kramers mind was still very much his own.

And by retreating into its depths, he could always find what he needed to go on.

Theres an Air Force quotation that a mans flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge. But my flight through life  through those six years  was sustained by the power of the memories, Kramer said.

I was very, very fortunate and lucky to have established all the friendships and all those memories while I lived in Tulsa.

A former Tulsan and Edison High School graduate who retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel, Kramer endured more than six years, from 1966-1972, as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Now a resident of Palmdale, California, the 81-year-old talked about the experience this week ahead of National POW/MIA Recognition Day on Friday, while looking forward to an upcoming trip back to his home state.

In October, Kramer will return to Oklahoma for his official induction into the states Military Hall of Fame, one of a class of 10. The ceremony is set for Oct. 29 in Norman.

Kramer is no stranger to honors, with military decorations that include a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit and Purple Heart. But this acknowledgment, he said, might just outrank them all.

Receiving this recognition from my state is a tremendous, tremendous honor to me. Im very, very blessed to be from Oklahoma, Kramer said.

Honestly, I just didnt feel like I was worthy. But they convinced me, and my friends, they thought that I should do this.

A week from going home

Kramer enjoys reflecting on his roots in Tulsa, where as a boy he already knew what he wanted to do.

I can remember sitting in classes, drawing pictures of airplanes, and watching everything I could on television.

Pursuing his dream of becoming a military pilot, he completed Air Force ROTC at the University of Oklahoma in 1964 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

He went on to earn his pilots wings at Vance Air Force Base in Enid.

From there, Kramer soon found himself in Vietnam, flying combat missions in an F-4.

On Jan. 19, 1967, he was on his 94th mission and just a week from going home, where his wife and two children awaited, when his plans were upended.

A ground-to-air missile strike forced him to eject from his plane, leading to his capture by the enemy.

In his whole POW experience, the lowest moments emotionally were the first few weeks.

Interrogated and tortured, Kramer held out for about three days, he estimates, before agreeing to write out a confession that hed committed war crimes.

I was really, really depressed that they broke me, he said.

But then he found out that pretty much every POW broke.

No one held it against anyone, whether you held out one day or five, he said.

As the weeks turned into months, Kramer was moved among different prisons, including the Zoo and the Hanoi Hilton, as they were dubbed by the POWs.

A total of about two years of his imprisonment was spent in solitary confinement.

POWs worked out ways of communicating from their cells, he said, but they were still largely cut off from the outside world.

Sometime in 1968, mail from home finally got through. Along with letters from Kramers wife and mother were photos of his children.

After enduring all that time in captivity, it was close to the end, he said, that he most feared for his life.

He recalls how, when the Americans started bombing Hanoi, it seemed the explosions kept coming closer and closer.

We were hoping that the bomber that had his finger on the button didnt have a bad night, didnt get shaky and accidentally drop one on us.

Finally, on Feb. 12, 1973, after a total of 2,217 days in captivity, Kramer was among a group of POWs who were released. The group included fellow Tulsan Lt. Col. Robinson Risner, whod been captive for more than seven years.

After his recovery and return to Tulsa, Kramer was given a welcome home party at the Tulsa Club.

That night, he made a point of telling his friends how much his memories of them had meant to him during his captivity.

Kramer didnt fully grasp it then, he added, but he was still going to need his friends.

I was lost, he said. I didnt know which way to go or what to do or anything else. They took me under their wing and helped me as best they could.

Kramer eventually readjusted to post-POW life. He continued his Air Force career before retiring in 1984.

Over the years, hes stayed in touch with fellow ex-POWs.

It took time, he said, but hes come to terms with his memories of the experience.

I have flashbacks practically every day and every night when I go to bed, Kramer said.

Its just something that is not going to go away. So I live with that. And thats all right.

For tickets and other banquet information, go to okmhf.org.
"There is no doubt that the levee system has prevented untold loss of life and property due to flooding. But Old Man River wasnt so easily ta
First-time jobless claims declined 38% last week in the state after a sharp increase in claims the prior week, according to a government report.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 2,157 initial claims for unemployment compensation coverage were filed in the state the week ending Saturday.

The prior week, an upwardly revised 3,477 initial claims were filed.

The most initial claims logged in one week this year occurred in mid-August, when 3,976 claims were filed in the state.

Continued claims, those filed after at least one week of unemployment, declined from 10,166 the week ending Aug. 27 to 9,914 claims the week ending Sept. 3.

The four-week moving average of initial claims declined from 2,949 the week ending Sept. 3 to 2,495 claims the week ending Saturday.

Likewise, the four-week moving average of continued claims declined from 10,673 the week ending Aug. 27 to 10,308 claims the week ending Sept. 3, the fourth consecutive week for a decline.

Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt noted the continued fluctuations in claims totals in a media release.

With continued volatility in weekly claims numbers, we are watching longer-term unemployment trends closely to ensure we are providing resources to meet the needs of Oklahomans, Zumwalt said.

OESC has ongoing efforts to support businesses and job seekers in every community, particularly in areas with historically high unemployment, Zumwalt said.

In the past month, the agency has placed an OESC employee in the Oasis Fresh Market just north of Pine Street and Peoria Avenue.

The posting was made possible via a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

By placing an OESC employee in the Oasis Fresh Market in Tulsa, we have connected with individuals in the community and provided immediate assistance, Zumwalt said. Our agency will continue to find innovative ways to serve Oklahomans with our workforce efforts.

Among neighboring states, only Arkansas reported an increase in initial claims.

Nationally, seasonally adjusted initial claims declined by 5,000 to 213,000.
North Tulsas Oasis Fresh Market is poised to expand across the Arkansas River and elsewhere in Oklahoma after a legislative panel on Thursday recommended approving a $30 million grant from the states American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

Oasis founder Andrew A.J. Johnson and partner Marc Jones said the grant will be used to help Oasis open locations in west Tulsa, Oklahoma City and two rural locations yet to be determined.

We believe this model is repeatable and scalable, Johnson said. The wraparound services are the essential element.

Opened in May 2021 at 1740 N. Peoria Ave., Oasis Fresh Market combines a grocery store with other services, including employment, public health and education. The idea, said Johnson and Jones, is to create a hub where a community can coalesce.

We estimate that about 250,000 customers will come through our doors at the new locations, said Johnson. Currently, we have 400-600 people come through our doors every single day.

The first Oasis Fresh Market was built with $3.9 million from the Tulsa Development Authority; the city of Tulsa through U.S. Housing and Urban Developments Community Development Block Grant program; the George Kaiser Family Foundation; the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation; and the Zarrow Family Foundation.

Oasis ARPA grant was one of several to Tulsa-area organizations approved Thursday by the Joint Committee on Pandemic Reliefs work group on government transformation and collaboration.

Others include:

$700,000 for the Parent Child Center for domestic violence intervention.

$2 million toward construction of a new Family Safety Center near 28th Street and Sheridan Road.

$1 million for new air handling equipment and plumbing at The Spring in Sand Springs, which offers housing for targets of domestic violence and human trafficking.

$3 million to Food on the Move toward construction of a food hub  essentially a distribution and storage center.

The panel also recommended sending $50 million to the Oklahoma Primary Care Association, which represents the states community health centers. Its members include Tulsas Community Health Centers and Morton Comprehensive Health Services. The organization had requested $82 million.

The largest grants were more than $50 million for tribal matching grants for water projects and $135.7 million to set up a grant program for local governments through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, noted that those two allocations brought the total amount recommended by the working group for water and sewer improvements to $312 million.

The recommendations will now be considered by the full joint committee, perhaps as early as next week, and if approved will be added to the agenda of a special legislative session expected to meet in the coming weeks.
The way I see it, there are two types of exhaustion a person can feel.

The first kind is physical. A hard days work will do it. If youre into running, youre well aware of how a long race or training run can leave you flat on your back, sawing logs on the couch once its done.

The second kind is mental. Work deadlines, drama at home, mounting bills and more can add up. Facing those stresses might not tax your body like a days worth of putting up fence posts, but can still leave you weary.

The physical side is something I can manage. Im good at listening to my body. I know when to push and when to ease up.

The second is more complicated. I find that too often, I let the woes of the world weigh on my mind too long. Mental stresses start dripping into a bucket, and if I dont empty that bucket often enough, it overflows.

Im not alone. Studies show that the hyper-connected world we live in can pile up stresses faster than ever.

Whats more, were addicted to it. Take any 100 people you know, and my guess is 99 of them dont go anywhere without their cellphone.

Its handy, but its also a constant flow of calls, texts and notifications demanding our attention. Between personal everyday stresses and whatever bad news hits the wires, its no wonder that mental health has become such a huge topic.

How do you handle it? For me, its a matter of deliberate unplugging.

Anytime I run, the phone gets stowed. Thirty minutes or an hour a day, Im tech-free. This helps, but its a quick fix at best.

For a more thorough cleanse, it might take a few days, or maybe a week. Our country is a vast place, with numerous places you can visit and go dark for a while.

Last week, I did just that. A group of us headed west into the Rockies to do some hiking and exploring. Trudging up a mountainside with a 35-pound pack has a way of narrowing your focus, as do the sights along the way.

Its hard to think about the news of the day when youre struggling to breathe, or have your breath stolen by the view of a high, stony peak towering over a still mountain lake somewhere just shy of 12,000 feet.

Camp life is simple. You set up your tent, prepare meals, snap some photos and hang out with your companions around a campfire. You go to sleep when it gets dark, then wake up when it gets light. Its a bare-bones routine thats slow, quiet and tech-free.

We moved our camp three times. From the high alpine lake, we later traveled to a spot near a waterfall overlooking southern Colorados vast San Luis Valley. From 9,000 feet, we looked down into the valley as the sun set over the San Juan Mountains. To the south, raging thunderstorms put on a light show. Everyone pitched in to create a campfire feast before crawling into our tents.

We finally ended up at Great Sand Dunes National Park, taking in the weirdly out-of-place desert scenery at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Marching up sand dunes is hard work, but the views otherworldly. With each step, I could hear Led Zeppelins Kashmir thundering in the recesses of my mind.

A day of that was followed by another campsite feast, stories around the fire and a weary shuffle back to our tents.

At the end of it, I smelled mostly of smoke (often dubbed campfire cologne), and thats a good thing. It masked other, less pleasant odors accumulated over the previous few days. Hard days of hiking and sleeping on the ground get tougher on my body every year. Sore, sunburned and smelly, the one thing that was absent was stress.

That feeling takes me back to any number or trips Ive taken  sometimes with people, sometimes alone  into a number of parks, backcountry retreats and wilderness areas. Each time, I was blissfully disconnected from everyday responsibilities and unaware of what led the latest news cycle. It is possible to spend yourself physically and yet emerge refreshed.

Reading this, you might correctly gather that Im a fan of the outdoors. I am, partly because of the fun Ive had in wild spaces, but also because being out there has been a healing force.

We spend our lives riding peaks and valleys, our memories punctuated by bright moments of joy and dark times of pain. Along the way, however, are thousands of tiny traumas we dont think much about until they pile up so heavy that we finally buckle under the weight.

Its best to head that off. The saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and I believe it. For me, Ive found that the quiet simplicity of the outdoors  a juxtaposition of the noise, distractions and demands of normal life  make for good medicine.

Im not alone here, and this line of thinking is not new. American politicians and conservationists saw fit to set aside tracts of land to be free from commercial exploitation, first with Yellowstone National Park in 1872, then soon after, Yosemite.

Looking back, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Wallace Stegner said, The national parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.

Id say we can expand that accolade to all our public lands. National forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, state parks and even local places like Turkey Mountain or Keystone Ancient Forest fall into Stegners notion that one of the greatest things weve ever done is set aside lands that can remain as true to their nature as ever, while at the same time be accessible to people wanting to walk in their midst.

I cant pretend to know what you or anyone else is going through, nor do I assume that everyone will tolerate the discomforts of wild spaces like I do.

But what I can say is this: Look at the world around us. See the division and strife. How is it affecting people? How is it affecting you?

Weve been told we need to take a deep breath, find some calm and turn the temperature down. And yet, we keep repeating the same behaviors that leave us stressed and on edge. The cauldron in which we live keeps getting hotter.

If at all possible, find a refuge that suits you. Unplug. Seek a place where there are no labels and just be. Whether you know it or not, you probably need the break.
Unprecedented floods that have submerged huge swathes of Pakistan have killed nearly 1,500 people, data showed on Thursday, as authorities said hundreds of thousands of people were still sleeping in the open air after the disaster.

The deluge, brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern mountains, has impacted 33 million people out of a population of 220 million, sweeping away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damage estimated at $30 billion.

The tally of the dead stands at 1,486, with about 530 children among them, the National Disaster Management Authority said, as it released its first country-wide total since Sept. 9.

A woman, who became displaced, walks amid her family's belongings while taking refuge in a camp, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless by flooding in the southern Sindh province, with many sleeping by the side of elevated highways to protect themselves from the water.

"We have been buying tents from all the manufacturers available in Pakistan," Sindh's chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in a statement on Thursday.

Still, one-third of the homeless in Sindh don't even have a tent to protect them from the elements, he said.

A view shows submerged mosque and houses, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Karampur village in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Over the last few weeks, authorities have built barriers to keep the flood waters out of key structures such as power stations and homes, while farmers who stayed to try and save their cattle have faced a new threat as fodder has begun to run out.

The government and the United Nations have blamed climate change for the surging waters in the wake of record-breaking summer temperatures.

Flood victims travel in a boat, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Talti town in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan received 391 mm (15.4 inches) of rain, or nearly 190% more than the 30-year average, in July and August. That climbed to 466% for Sindh province, one of the worst-affected areas.

Aid flights from the United Arab Emirates and the United States arrived on Thursday, the foreign ministry said. The United Nations is assessing reconstruction needs.

Flood victims gather to receive food handout in a camp, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. Photo: Reuters
What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Society

-- At least three people died and eight others were injured in a wall collapse in south-central Binh Dinh Province on Thursday, according to local authorities.

-- Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has signed a decision to remove Vo Ngoc Thanh from his position as the chairman of the People's Committee in Gia Lai Province, located in the Central Highlands, over his wrongdoing in office.

-- Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan has signed an MoU on cooperation in agriculture with his Mongolian counterpart Khayangaa Bolorchuluun in Mongolia, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.

-- The Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center organized an event on Thursday to let particpants take a look at Da Nang tourism in virtual reality.

Business

-- Vietnam will try to have at least two million businesses by 2030 and the private sector is expected to contribute 60-65 percent of the country's GDP, Tran Tuan Anh, head of the Economic Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, said on Thursday.

-- Preben Elnef, vice-president of Lego Group, said during a conference on Thursday in Binh Duong Province, just outside Ho Chi Minh City, that his group plans to build a US$1 billion carbon-neutral factory in Vietnam as the company saw growth opportunity here as well as the possibility to expand global supply chains.

-- Vietnam Airlines and China Southern Airlines have signed a deal on comprehensive cooperation in all spheres, including commerce, services, and techniques, to improve flight experience and bring more value to their passengers, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Sports

-- Vietnam are scheduled to encounter Timor Leste in Group F of the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers in Indonesia on Friday. The Vietnamese beat Hong Kong 5-1 in their first qualification game on Wednesday.

World News

-- "Two COVID-19 antibody therapies are no longer recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the basis that Omicron and the variant's latest offshoots have likely rendered them obsolete," Reuters reported on Friday.

-- "Unprecedented floods that have submerged huge swathes of Pakistan have killed nearly 1,500 people, data showed on Thursday, as authorities said hundreds of thousands of people were still sleeping in the open air after the disaster," Reuters reported on Friday.
The Peoples Committee of Ca Mau Province in Vietnams Mekong Delta region granted an honorary certificate to a taxi driver on Thursday for returning a lost wallet containing US$4,000 in cash to its owner, a Vietnamese American.

Provincial deputy chairman Nguyen Minh Luan handed the certificate to Nguyen Hien Phong, 24, in Cai Nuoc District on Thursday afternoon.

Phong found a wallet left in his cab after a trip to Tac Say Church in Gia Rai Town, Bac Lieu Province on the afternoon of September 11.

He drove his taxi home and reported the incident to local police in Cai Nuoc after he searched everywhere but could not find the owner of the wallet.

He also looked for the owner via social media posts.

Police officers later managed to identify the owner of the wallet as Huynh Nhu, a Vietnamese-American national.

In the presence of police officers, Phong returned the wallet containing $4,000 in cash and personal documents to Nhu at noon on September 12.

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At least five people died and six others were injured as of Friday morning after a wall collapsed at a Taiwanese factory under construction in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh a day before.

The five victims are Ho Ngoc Luan, 24, Ngo Thanh Truc, 37, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ai, 34, Pham Duc Tai, 39, and Ho Van Huong, 57.

They were among 11 construction workers buried in debris when a high wall collapsed at Taiwan-invested Savvy seafood processing factory, which is in the second phase of construction at Nhon Hoa Industrial Park in An Nhon Town, at around 4:30 pm on Thursday.

The site where a wall of a Taiwan-invested factory under construction collapsed at Nhon Hoa Industrial Park in An Nhon Town, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam, September 15, 2022. Photo: Duc Chinh / Tuoi Tre

Three workers were killed at the scene and eight others were taken to Binh Dinh General Hospital for emergency treatment afterward. Two of those admitted to the hospital were then pronounced dead.

Police officers were deployed to the scene after the labor accident happened.

Construction workers rescue victims buried at the site where a wall of a Taiwan-invested factory under construction collapsed at Nhon Hoa Industrial Park in An Nhon Town, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam, September 15, 2022. Photo: Duc Chinh / Tuoi Tre

The accident site has been cordoned off by the police while they are carrying out an investigation.

Nhon Hoa Industrial Park covers an area of 272 hectares and hosts more than 50 local and foreign businesses, according to its website.

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This Sunday on 60 Minutes, Tom Steinfort grills a top surgeon, plus a profile on Camilla.

Cut to the Point

Dr Munjed Al Muderis is always happy to tell his life story. And why not? Its a gripping and inspirational adventure. Forced to flee Iraqs brutal dictatorship in the late 1990s, he was a refugee who made a perilous journey to Australia by boat. Then seizing on his good fortune, he worked tirelessly to became one of our most acclaimed orthopaedic surgeons; a hero doctor devoted to helping people walk again. But here, unfortunately, is where we leave Munjed Al Muderis carefully curated script and cut to the point. In a joint investigation by 60 Minutes, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, a number of the surgeons patients accuse him of not taking proper care of them, and reveal startling evidence which shows in graphic detail why theyre so angry.

Reporter: Tom Steinfort

Producers: Natalie Clancy, Charlotte Grieve

Camilla, Queen Consort

It has been a tumultuous week for King Charles III, following the death of his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The new monarch has had to face a very difficult challenge: juggling immense private grief one moment, essential public duty the next. But by his side all the way has been his most trusted and closest confidante  King Charles wife, now Queen Consort Camilla. Amelia Adams reports why many experts are now predicting Camilla may end up being the brightest star in the new-look Royal Family.

Reporter: Amelia Adams

Producer: Amelia Ballinger

8:35pm Sunday on Nine.
Xi's state visit to Kazakhstan a boost to common development

09:07, September 16, 2022 By He Yin ( People's Daily

China-Kazakhstan relations embraced a new chapter in the charming season of autumn.

Photo shows the 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm near the city of Zhanatas in the Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. (Photo courtesy of State Power Investment Corporation)

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of his Kazak counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sept. 14.

During the visit, the two heads of state held talks, and signed and issued a joint statement on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, announcing that China and Kazakhstan will work for the goal and vision of building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe.

The two presidents jointly charted a new blueprint for China-Kazakhstan all-round cooperation and pointed the direction for the development of bilateral relations, injecting new impetus into the common development of the two countries.

China-Kazakhstan relations have gone through an extraordinary journey and reaped important outcomes since the two countries established diplomatic ties 30 years ago.

The two countries have created many "firsts" in their relations, including the first in settling the boundary question, the first in laying cross-border oil and gas pipelines, the first in conducting international production capacity cooperation and the first in building a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership.

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an indispensable role in the leapfrog development of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Xi said in his talks with Tokayev that China will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner of Kazakhstan. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation and helping each other achieve development and prosperity.

Tokayev noted Kazakhstan will continue to firmly uphold the one-China policy and be a good partner and good friend that China can always rely on under all circumstances.

The interaction between the two heads of state fully demonstrated the high degree of mutual trust between China and Kazakhstan.

Photo shows the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Chun)

Kazakhstan is where the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative was firstly proposed. Over the past nine years, Belt and Road cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has not only benefited the two peoples, but also set an example for the international society.

At the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, products from Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, set sail for the Pacific Ocean. The China-Europe freight trains have consolidated the role of Kazakhstan as a transport hub on the Eurasian continent. The Zhanatas wind farm in Zhambyl Region, the largest of its kind in Central Asia, has been put into operation, meeting the electricity demand of about a million households. Besides, Kazak commodities such as wheat flour and dairy products are very popular among Chinese consumers.

Xi stressed during the visit that it is important that the two sides work together for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and Tokayev said Kazakhstan will continue to actively support and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Relevant departments of the two countries have signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents, and the two countries have decided to set up consulates general in China's Xi'an and Aktobe in Kazakhstan respectively.

Eying on the future, China and Kazakhstan will expand their cooperation in economy and trade, production capacity, connectivity and COVID-19 fight, as well as that in big data, artificial intelligence, digital finance, cross-border e-commerce, green energy and green infrastructure, and foster a closer people-to-people bond. It is sure that the two sides will see increasing wellbeing of the two peoples, and their efforts will contribute to their development and national rejuvenation.

China-Kazakhstan relations have outgrown the bilateral dimension and are of important significance for regional and even world peace and stability.

Just as Xi pointed out, the unbreakable friendship between China and Kazakhstan will contribute to the growth of positive and progressive forces in the world and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

To safeguard the long-term peace in the region, the two sides will enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and China+Central Asia, and jointly support efforts for a successful SCO Samarkand Summit.

To build a more just and equitable global governance system, the two sides will also step up international coordination, exchange views timely on international governance, food security, energy security, industrial and supply chains stability, and regional hotspots, practice true multilateralism, and reject unilateralism and bloc confrontation.

The Kazak side highly agreed with the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative proposed by Xi, saying Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to implement the two initiatives.

The constantly expanding coordination between China and Kazakhstan under multilateral context will inject positive energy into the world in a period of new turbulence and transformation.

At present, both China and Kazakhstan are at a critical stage of their respective development and rejuvenation. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will kick off soon. It is a vital meeting to be convened at the critical moment when China is marching toward the second centenary goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects. At the same time, the construction of a New Kazakhstan has been fully launched, and Kazakhstan is making strides toward the goal of becoming one of the world's top 30 most developed states.

As long as the two sides work together to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states, the all-round cooperation between China and Kazakhstan will surely bring more benefits to the two peoples and China-Kazakhstan relations will surely embrace a brighter future.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
This week Seven announced it had wrestled the rights for the Logie Awards for the next 5 years.

The last time it was broadcast on Seven was in 1995, hosted by Andrew Daddo and Noni Hazlehurst.

Before that was in 1992 when Steve Vizard hosted from the Radisson President Hotel in Melbourne when Jana Wendt won Gold.

In this opening sequence the Fast Forward team was unleashed for some merciless comedy
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19 th September at 8pm AEST.

From 10pm is the Procession from Westminster Abbey through the streets of London on the State Gun Carriage, before the Queens Coffin makes the journey to Windsor in the State Hearse.

From 12am Tues is the Queens Coffin arriving in Windsor. Members of the Royal Family will join the Procession before the Committal Service at St Georges Chapel.

A Committal Service at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, will take place at 1am AEST Tues.

A Private Burial will take place in The King George VI Memorial Chapel later that evening, conducted by the Dean of Windsor. The Queen is to be buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh.

ABC, Seven, Nine, SBS and 10 BOLD will screen Live coverage of the State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen on Monday. The Order of Service for the State Funeral Service and the Committal Service will be issued 7:30am Monday Australian time.

ABC coverage is from 4pm AEST but pauses for a 20 min News bulletin at 7pm AEST (6:30pm SA). Coverage continues to 2am AEST.

Both Seven and Nine will commence coverage from 12pm Monday and roll through to Sunrise & Today, respectively on Tuesday morning, breaking only for evening news bulletins (earlier in Adelaide & Perth). Both are Commercial-free from 7.00pm.

10 has an extended edition of The Project on 10 Bold with a 2hr State Funeral from 8pm AEST on its multichannel. Normal programming will take place on 10.

SBS screens from 7:30pm  3:30am AEST.

ABC 4pm AEST

On ABC TV and ABC News our live coverage begins at 4.00pm AEST, with a special one-hour news event hosted by Jeremy Fernandez who will be joined by our team in London  Lisa Millar, Michael Rowland, Isabella Higgins and Nick Dole.

From 5.00pm, ABC News and ABC TV will broadcast the BBCs coverage of official arrivals at Westminster Abbey, followed by the funeral proceedings.

Normal programming on ABC TV and ABC News will be suspended from 5.00pm AEST for the eight-hour duration of the broadcast with the exception of an ABC news bulletin on ABC TV at 7.00pm in eastern states, 6.30pm in SA/NT and no local bulletin in WA.

abc.net.au/news/queen-elizabeth-ii

abc.net.au/QueenElizabethII

Seven 12pm AEST

Commercial-free from 7.00pm

Extensive coverage on Australias most watched network will begin with Sunrise, live from Buckingham Palace at 5.00am AEST. A special edition of The Morning Show will immediately follow at 9.30am AEST.

From 12.00pm AEST, 7NEWS will deliver rolling coverage as people gather to commemorate the extraordinary life of Britains longest-reigning monarch.

Seven will then bring viewers unrivalled commercial-free coverage of the Queens state funeral from 7.00pm AEST.

Hosts Michael Usher, David Koch and Natalie Barr will anchor Sevens special broadcast from key vantage points throughout London, including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey.

A regal team of royal experts will contribute to Sevens leading coverage, headed by the BBCs acclaimed 30-year chief royal correspondent Angela Rippon CBE, Londons top Palace Insider, Victoria Arbiter, and Sunrises royal editor, King Charles III biographer and close friend, Rob Jobson.

7NEWS: The Grateful Goodbye

Live and commercial-free from 7.00pm Monday on Channel 7 and 7plus

Broadcast times on Channel 7 and 7plus:

Monday 19 September

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane

5.00am Sunrise

9.30am The Morning Show

11.30am 7NEWS Mornings

12.00pm 7NEWS: The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

6.00pm 7NEWS

7.00pm 7NEWS: The Grateful Goodbye

Adelaide

4.30am Sunrise

9.30am The Morning Show

11.00am 7NEWS Mornings

11.30am 7NEWS: The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

5.30pm 7NEWS

6.30pm 7NEWS: The Grateful Goodbye

Perth

3.00am Sunrise

9.30am 7NEWS Mornings

10.00am 7NEWS: The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

4.00pm 7NEWS

5.00pm 7NEWS: The Grateful Goodbye

Nine 12pm AEST

Commercial-free from 7.00pm

On Monday, Tracy Grimshaw, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon, together with Nines team of reporters, will be live from the UK as the world farewells Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Nines rolling coverage begins in front of Buckingham Palace at 5.00am with Today hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon, followed by Today Extra hosted by David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys at 9.00am.

From midday, Georgie Gardner and David Campbell will mark the end of our longest reigning monarch with three hours of coverage honouring The Queens amazing life.

At 3.00pm we will return to the UK where Tracy Grimshaw, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon will lead our coverage from Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and across the UK as the country wakes up on this historic day.

Special state-based editions of 9News will be broadcast from 6.00pm (5.30pm Adelaide, 4.00pm Perth), before we return to England at 7.00pm and roll right through the evening, featuring coverage from the BBC headed by the worlds pre-eminent royal expert Huw Edwards.

Every moment of the State Funeral, Procession through London to Windsor and the family service at Windsor Castle will be live and commercial-free on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Karl and Ally will then return for a special edition of Today from Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning from 5.00am.

Join us for this historic event. Monday.

10 8pm AEST

Ten days after her passing, the world will say their final farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as she is remembered and honoured in a State Funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 19 September.

Network 10 will broadcast extensive live coverage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabath IIs State Funeral across 10, 10 Bold and 10 Play.

The special broadcast will begin at 5pm with 10 News First on 10, with presenters Sandra Sully and Jennifer Keyte reporting live from London.

The Project will follow from 6.30pm with Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald on the desk, and crossing live to Lisa Wilkinson in London. An extended 90-minute broadcast of The Project will be simulcast live into all markets from 6.30pm AEST on 10 Bold.

The State Funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will commence live at 8pm AEST on 10 Bold.

10 News First, The Project and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIs State Funeral will be streamed live on 10 Play.

Queen Elizabeth II: The Final Goodbye

10 News First live from 5pm on 10 in all markets

The Project from 6.30pm on 10 and simulcast live from 6.30pm AEST on 10 Bold in all markets.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIs State Funeral live from 8pm AEST on 10 Bold in all markets.

The Queen: A Royal Life 10pm on 10 Bold rpt

SBS 7:30pm AEST

The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II  Live coverage of The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (until 3:30am)

Britbox:

On Demand:

Monday September 19th

Good Morning Britain (Extended)

Tuesday September 20th

Good Morning Britain (Extended)

The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The Walkley Foundation will launch a review into a previous award to Nine News for a report which was at the centre of a profile defamation case instigated by former politician Dr. Andrew Laming.

The Walkley Foundation notes that in Federal Court of Australia defamation proceedings commenced by Dr Andrew Laming against the Nine Network, Nine issued the following apology to Dr Laming:

Apology to Dr Laming

On 27 March 2021, 9News Queensland broadcast a report about Dr Laming who was at the time a member of Federal Parliament.

Serious allegations were made about Dr Laming in that report and he sued Nine because of it.

9News has now seen material which indicates that the photograph Dr Laming took was not lewd in nature.

9News unreservedly withdraws those allegations about Dr Laming and apologises to him and his family for the hurt and harm caused by the report.

The proceedings have otherwise settled on confidential terms.

The Walkley Foundation Directors have resolved to commission an independent review of the awarding of the 2021 Walkley Award for Television / Video News Reporting to Peter Fegan and Rebeka Powell.

The Walkley Foundation has given awards to recognise Australian journalism since 1956, and regularly reviews its processes. The review of this particular award will be conducted by individuals with no connection to the work under examination.

The story was also a big winner at Queenslands Clarion Awards.
Stefani Reynolds/Getty

When I first heard Republican governors were busing or flying migrants to liberal sanctuary cities, I was instantly opposed to it. To me, it felt like yet another cruel stunt meant to boost their standing with the GOP base.

But then, I started hearing about leaders from these liberal cities signing disaster declarations, complaining that the horrific influx was creating a humanitarian situation, and reports saying it strained a social safety net.

And then it hit me. While these stunts may be callow, theres still a there there. Blue states are finally getting a taste of what red border states have to deal with every day.

This Isnt the First Time White Racists Have Sent Migrants North on Buses (Though Using Planes Is New)

Case in point: a total influx of around 7,000 migrants caused Washington, D.C.s mayor to declare a public emergency and ask the National Guard for help. But that number doesnt equal the number of migrants who are stopped crossing the southern border in a single day. Heck, according to El Paso Times, there were more than 900 migrants released by U.S. Border Patrol in Downtown El Paso over the past week.

(Its impossible to know how many illegal crossings go undetected, but border agents have made approximately 1.82 million arrests at the southern border so far this fiscal year.)

In fairness, border states and towns do ask for and receive support from the federal governmentbut their anger and frustration stems from the belief that the federal government isnt effectively stopping, detaining, or deporting undocumented immigrants. Less than one year ago, for example, The New York Times reported that Immigration agents were releasing so many migrants into town [Del Rio, Texas] in March that residents complained that the spike would drain the towns limited resources.

Even though New York City has received fewer bused migrants than D.C., the influx of immigrants is leading Mayor Eric Adams to suggest its time to reassess the citys right to shelter policy. This policy guarantees a person the right to a bed in a homeless shelter, regardless of their immigration status.

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The citys system is nearing its breaking point. As a result, the citys prior practices, which never contemplated the busing of thousands of people into New York City, must be reassessed, Mayor Adams said.

The city is bursting at the seams, said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and quite frankly, is not prepared to handle this influx of individuals coming.

If New York City cant handle the influx, do you think Del Riopopulation 36,000can?

To be sure, there are millions of immigrantsincluding undocumentedin blue states like New York. They are part of the social fabric. Still, rich blue states may not have heretofore realized the toll a large and sudden influx takes on government services. When large groups of people come into your community unannounced and uninvited, it strains your government and common resources.

What is more, sanctuary cities and progressive policies (including policies pursued by President Joe Biden) may serve as a magnet for illegal crossings in border states.

With this maneuver, Republican governors are forcing the rest of the nation to sympathize with the plight of border states and grapple with the consequences of a nation unable to control its borders.

Until recently, this gambit has belonged to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Duceybut Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has now gotten into the act (and escalated the troll) by sending two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to the playground of the rich, known as Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts.

To their credit, the summer colonys latte liberal denizens have responded so far with compassion. But its worth noting that Washington, D.C., and New York City have also welcomed migrantsand that we are only talking about an estimated 50 migrants (so far) in Marthas Vineyard.

Speaking of which, for anyone worried about inhumane treatment, there are worse places to be sent. For someone fleeing Venezuela or Haiti, Marthas Vineyard is hardly like being sent to Gitmo. Heck, its not even Ocean City, Maryland. Besides, the Biden administration reportedly transported migrant children to Chattanooga, Tennessee, overnight last year, while simultaneously busing migrant children to Dallas, Texas, and Miami, Florida. All in all, Id rather be in Marthas Vineyard.

I will say that there is one big caveat to all of this: There are reports that migrants were misled to believe they were going to Boston and that jobs and housing were waiting for them. This is sort of like being told you are flying to Washington, D.C., and then realizing you have flown to Baltimore/Washington International airport, which no matter what the name says is not in the Washington, D.C., areaand that youll be staying at a Hilton when its actually a hostel. Obviously, asylum seekers shouldnt be lied to or otherwise misled. If true, its indefensible.

Still, it seems weird to me that progressives are more angry with Florida and Texas for sending immigrants north than they are at Venezuela or Haiti (or Mexico) for creating an environment where a human is willing to risk their life to get to the United States. This is just one of the realizations this gimmick has made me contemplate.

Trumps MAGA Heirs Want a Kinder, Gentler Authoritarianism

That is not to say DeSantis strategy is effective or that there wont be costs. Migrantsmany of whom are likely fleeing violence and seeking asylumare being used as pawns to make a political point.

Its impossible to predict what tragedy might befall them (or others) in transit or upon arrival. If and when that happens, some fingers might be pointed southward to the border states. There is also the potential for political backlash back home (for example, DeSantis is taking heat from the South Florida Venezuelan community).

But give credit where credit is due. Republicans have finally crafted a stunt that owns the libs, highlights hypocrisy, and makes us think. For them, its a major improvement.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Stolen during the colonial era, dozens of Benin bronzes that once decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin will go on show for one last time in Berlin from Saturday before being repatriated to Nigeria.

The renowned pieces of African art and their tumultuous journey up to the exhibition at the Humboldt Museum speak to Germany's gradual reckoning with the colonial era and the injustices of the past.

The move to return some of the bronzes is the latest in a series of steps taken by Germany to try to take responsibility for the crimes of the colonial era, including the official recognition in May 2021 of a genocide perpetrated by Germany in Namibia.

Among the items being exhibited are a pair of thrones and a commemorative bust of the monarch, which used to decorate the walls of the royal palace in Benin city, in modern-day Nigeria.

Two rooms in the sprawling museum are being dedicated to the art and the history of the Kingdom of Benin, an exhibition realised "in close cooperation with partners in Nigeria", according to the German side.

The removal of the precious objects is explained in the gallery, while educational workshops are also planned around the display.

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

The recognition of the colonial injustices and the subsequent return of the items "will continue to define our work in the future," Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees the national museums in the German capital, said in a statement.

- 'Lucid view' -

"Just like the Netherlands and Belgium, Germany has established a museums policy that has a lucid view of the colonial past," French historian Pascal Blanchard, a specialist on the era, told AFP.

The Africa museum in Tervuren, near Brussels in Belgium, which reopened at the end of 2018, claims to take a "critical look" at the past and the history of the objects collected by Belgian King Leopold II, who for a long time kept the Congo as his private property in the 19th century.

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Likewise, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam takes a long look at the Netherlands' colonial past.

Unlike some countries, such as France, Germany lost its empire after its defeat in World War One and as such does not have a significant community of people repatriated from Africa.

"It does not play politically, which makes it easier to come to terms with the past," said Blanchard.

- Benin City -

Nonetheless, Germany has been the target of criticism in recent years over the origin of many of the objects in its museums, following in the wake of a greater public reckoning with racism.

The outrage grew louder with the opening of the first part of the new Humboldt Museum in December 2020, which is housed in a partially rebuilt Prussian palace.

The highly symbolic location -- the former residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty, who oversaw Germany's colonial adventures -- was set to exhibit objects from the period.

Berlin's Ethnological Museum currently holds 530 items that were taken from the Kingdom of Benin, including some 440 bronzes, considered to be the largest collection behind the British Museum in London.

According to the Berlin museum's director, Lars-Christian Koch, a portion of the objects will soon be returned, another third will be kept as a loan, and the rest, not on display, will be studied by researchers.

Germany is not the only country to begin returning stolen artefacts. In November 2021, France returned 26 artefacts from the royal treasures of Abomey to the country of Benin, next to Nigeria.

The pressure is also growing on the British Museum, which has around 700 bronzes. It has long argued that its vast trove of foreign artefacts, such as the Elgin Marbles taken from the Parthenon in Athens, are best housed there.

The repatriation of the objects was a long time coming in the opinion of historian Benedicte Savoy.

"The requests for return go back to independence in the 1960s. They have been silenced, refused, forgotten for years," she told AFP.

Nigeria is planning to build a museum in Benin City, in the south of the country, to bring together the works on their return.

clp/sea/hmn/jmm
Filmmaker Roman Polanski has been ordered to stand trial in France for allegedly defaming a British actress who accused him of sexual abuse. The 89-year-old Franco-Polish director has faced a series of sexual assault claims, though he has never been tried in France.

The defamation case was filed by Charlotte Lewis, who starred in Polanski's 1986 film "Pirates".

In 2010 she had accused him of sexually abusing her at his Paris apartment in the 1980s, when she was 16 years old.

In an interview with Paris Match magazine in 2019, Polanski called Lewis a "liar" and a "fabulist.

Polanski pointed to quotes attributed to Lewis in a 1999 interview with the British tabloid News of the World, in which she expressed her desire for him  quotes she said were not accurate.

A 30 August order sent the case to the Paris correctional tribunal for an unspecified date. Such a referral is almost automatic in such cases, where the accusations can be examined in a hearing.

Trial 'welcome'

When Polanski was charged in Paris in October, his lawyer said he welcomed a trial as a way of bringing out the truth.

Polanski settled in his native France after running from charges in the United States for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

France has refused to extradite him back to the US, and attempts to get Switzerland and Poland to hand him over also failed.

Polanski has also been accused of other sexual assaults, which he denies.

In 2019, French photographer Valentine Monnier accused Polanski of raping her in his Swiss chalet in 1975 when she was 18 and working as a model and actress.

She said he tried to give her a pill as he beat her "into submission".

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, French film stars including actress Adele Haenel walked out of France's annual Cesars awards ceremony in 2020 after Polanski was awarded for his film "An Officer and a Spy", to protest against celebrating someone who had been accused of sexual assault.

(with AFP)
When a Bern museum inherited a spectacular collection of some 1,600 artworks, including by masters like Monet, Gauguin and Picasso, it spent seven months mulling whether to accept the offer.

The collection left to the Kunstmuseum in 2014 by Cornelius Gurlitt, whose father Hildebrand Gurlitt had worked as an art dealer for the Nazis, included works looted from Jewish owners during World War II.

A new exhibit, "Taking stock. Gurlitt in Review", explores the museum's journey researching the pieces' provenance and the challenges of determining its obligations in the face of the tumultuous Gurlitt legacy.

The exhibit, which will run from Friday through mid-January, comes after the museum last year agreed how to handle works whose provenance remained undetermined.

It gave up 38 works known or suspected to be looted by the Nazis, but decided to hold onto 1,091 pieces where provenance information was incomplete but gave no indication of looting.

Some slammed that decision as immoral, but the museum hit back, stressing the "big responsibility" it took on when it accepted the Gurlitt bequest.

"We developed categories to be able to make a reasonable decision" based on the provenance and any possible indications of looting, Marcel Brulhart, the museum board member and legal expert, said during a presentation of the exhibit.

"I think we have found a fair solution."

- 'Illusion' -

Living in a cluttered Munich apartment surrounded by paintings by the likes of Chagall and Matisse, Cornelius Gurlitt suddenly found himself in the spotlight after German tax authorities discovered part of his collection in 2012.

Before he died in 2014 at the age of 81, the man described by media as an eccentric recluse struck an agreement with the German government that any plundered works would be returned to their rightful owners.

The Bern museum, which he named as his sole heir, said it would honour that wish, and set about trying to determine each piece's provenance.

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Some of the works were determined to have been seized from Jews by the Nazis and sold on, confiscated as "degenerate" works, or sold by their fleeing Jewish owners at a low price.

"It is an illusion to think that we will ever have full insight" into the artworks' provenance, Brulhart told AFP.

"History moves forward, and many documents have been destroyed."

He stressed that Hildebrand Gurlitt had collected art his entire life, but only worked for the Third Reich "for a very limited period".

Brulhart said, in his opinion, the Gurlitt affair marked a real "turning point" by showing it is possible to find fair solutions even in cases where insight into a piece's provenance is incomplete.

- 'Total transparency' -

Museum director Nina Zimmer said they had aimed from the start for "total transparency" with the unique international provenance research project.

It had endeavoured to reevaluate prior expertise when new information surfaced and had sought fair solutions with any possible rights-holders, even in cases where the provenance was not fully established, she said.

So far, 11 works have been restituted, including a long-lost Matisse painting "Seated Woman", which was returned to the family of the late art dealer Paul Rosenberg in 2015.

Nearly 30 works are still disputed, Brulhart said.

The current exhibit is the third at the Bern museum focused on the Gurlitt collection, after ones in 2017 and 2018.

It explores in detail the ethical guidelines, legal framework and results of the research project into the Gurlitt trove, curator Nikola Doll told AFP.

Through 14 individual thematic spaces, it presents around 350 pieces, including historical documents linked to the fraught bequest from national archives in Germany, France and Switzerland.

Artworks on display from the collection include those by masters like Cezanne, Kandinsky, Munch and Rodin.

apo/nl/raz
Freshman setter Serin Maden

was

The UMBC volleyball squad (4-3) continues its rigorous non-conference slate as they travel to the VCU Invitational and face three strong opponents this weekend.The Retrievers open by taking on Old Dominion on Friday, Sept. 16 at 3:00 p.m. They face the host VCU Rams on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10:00 a.m. and conclude play by competing against the University of North Carolina at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.Live stats will be available for all three matches and the Saturday morning contest will be streamed live on ESPN+. The Retrievers have won three consecutive matches to improve to 4-3 in's first season at helm. A second consecutive career-performance from(32 kills) helped lead the UMBC volleyball team to a five-set victory over Sun Belt preseason favorite James Madison (20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12) on Sept. 9. Two days later, the Retrievers followed up with a 3-1 win over Niagara. Conteh became the first Retriever to tally 30 kills in a match since Krystal Mlemchukwu had 30 kills at UAlbany in 2014. She was also just the third player in the rally-score era to reach the plateau, and it's only the fourth such occurrence (and the second in the 25-point era).had 52 assists and a career-best 11 digs vs. JMU. For the third consecutive week, Madennamed America East Setter of the Week. In addition, sophomorewas tabbed as the Player of the Week. Bilusic averaged 4.56 kills per set and hit .345 with a pair of double-doubles in the two UMBC victories. UMBC currently leads America East in assists (12.75) and kills (13.7) per set. Bilusic (4.75) and Conteh (4.5) are 1-2 in the league in kills per set. Bilusic is also tops in services aces (0.79), while Maden is far and away the leader in assists at 10.7 assists per set through 28 sets in 2022. Bilusic is seventh in the nation in services aces per set, while Maden is tied for 13th in assists per set. In just its second full year as a varsity program, ODU is off to a 4-6 start in 2022. The Monarchs are 4-3 over their last seven matches and enter the VCU Invitational after a 3-0 win at Norfolk State. Freshman Bailey Burgess and junior Hailey Duncan each have 61 kills to lead the Monarchs. This will be the first meeting between ODU and UMBC. VCU has dropped four of its last five matches and enters play this weekend at 4-5. The Rams swept UMBC's America East rival, UAlbany, on Sept. 2. In its last match, VCU fell to No. 16 Florida, 3-0. Senior Oairo Bentley led the way with seven kills. Bentley leads the team with 2.51 kills per set, while sophomore Jasmine Knight is just behind at 2.46. The Retrievers have won 12 of 14 all-time matches versus VCU. UMBC has won three straight, but the last meeting ccurred in 2009. The Tar Heels enter the VCU Invitational with a mark of 5-3. UNC had a three-match winning streak snapped with a straight-set loss to Michigan on Sept. 10. Carolina defeated Arizona, 3-2, on Sept. 3 and served up 14 aces in the victory. Sophomore Mabrey Shaffmaster led the offense with 19 kills. Shaffmaster lead the way with 3.8 kills per set for the Tar Heels. This will be the first meeting between UMBC and UNC in volleyball.UMBC makes the short trip to Coppin State on Tuesday evening, Sept. 20. The match gets underway at 6:00 p.m.
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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Faculty, staff and students moved into the new building just in time for the fall semester to begin in August. They are already seeing the transformation this space provides for the college's business and technology programs.

"The technology available for application to UNG through these academic programs will help meet the demands of employers who are experiencing rapid innovation in their industries," state Rep. Will Wade said. "As a MCCB graduate, I am pleased to see this facility development support its fast-growing and high demand academic offerings."

The Syfan Logistics Lab, JT Stratford Finance & Analytics Lab, and Cyber Range are among the industry-focused spaces that mirror what students will experience in their internships and careers.

"This facility not only provides beautiful, spacious areas, but the functionality of this building will continue to make the University of North Georgia among the best not only in the state of Georgia, but in the United States," Perdue said.

Students, faculty, staff and industry advisory board members provided significant input for the centers specialized labs, classrooms and collaborative spaces.

"We knew we would have a better outcome by including input from faculty, staff and students in the discussion of what was needed in the building. That process is why we have a building that is student-focused and learner-centric," Dr. Mary Gowan, the MCCB dean, said. "It features a wide array of spaces for students to come together and learn in an environment like what they will experience in their jobs upon graduation."

Students particularly like the many teamwork and study spaces in the building.

"You can get to know people here," Catherine Jordan, a senior from Suwanee, Georgia, pursuing a degree in marketing, said. "You don't come here for a class and leave. You hang out."

Other students are excited about the possibilities presented by the new spaces.

"My first impression of the building is that it is revolutionizing computer science and cybersecurity," Jacob Sapecky, a senior from Hoschton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science, said. "The labs take computer science and cybersecurity to a new level."

Faculty have embraced the new learning and work spaces as well. Dr. Mohan Menon, department head of management and marketing, described the facility as "absolutely, positively fantastic."

"It makes sense to have the infrastructure to support programs that you offer," Menon said. "Not every student can get practical experience while they're taking a course, so having simulations and using software, such as the McLeod Software that professionals use, gives our logistics students a leg up on the competition for internships and employment."

The Mike Cottrell College of Business offers undergraduate programs in accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, management, cybersecurity and technology management. In addition, it offers graduate degrees in accountancy and business administration, as well several graduate-level certificate programs.

MCCB programs have garnered significant state and national recognition:

The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce ranked the Cottrell MBA program as No. 3 in Georgia, after Emory and Georgia Tech, for monthly earnings and for annual earnings net of debt payments out of the 79 programs included in the survey.

The CyberHawks student club won the NSA Codebreaker Challenge in 2019 and 2020 and placed second only to Georgia Tech in 2021.

Professional sales students have excelled at major competitions, including a fourth-place finish at the National Collegiate Sales Competition in March.

The facility was designed to elevate students' academic experience and create an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation and a global-thinking approach to business education  an outcome Gowan observes happily each day.

"Our students and programs are increasingly bringing top recognitions to the college and UNG. The Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation sets the bar even higher for us, and we are ready to reach it," she said. "We are eternally grateful to Lynn and Mike Cottrell for their vision for the Mike Cottrell College of Business that has inspired us to continue to make our programs among the best in the state."
Next Match: at Iowa 9/17/2022 | 2 P.M. Big Ten Network+ UNIPanthers.com Next Match Full Schedule Sep. 17 (Sat) / 2 P.M. at Iowa History

North Florida | W, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-13)

South Dakota State | W, 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-21, 35-33)

PANTHER NOTES

UNI improves to 2-0 all-time against the Ospreys in the first meeting between the programs since 2008. The Panthers are now 4-0 all-time against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents.

The Panthers remain unbeaten against South Dakota State, improving to 10-0 all-time against the Jackrabbits. UNI is now 83-17-1 all-time facing opponents from the Summit League.

UNI's 6-match winning streak is its longest since winning 11 in a row in October/November 2019.

UNI's 35 points scored in the fourth set are the most recorded in a winning effort since scoring 40 points in the second set against Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2016 at home.

Inga Rotto and Emily Holterhaus both extended their consecutive matches played streaks on Friday. Rotto has now played in 134 straight matches, while Holterhaus has seen action in 100 straight matches.

and both extended their consecutive matches played streaks on Friday. Rotto has now played in 134 straight matches, while Holterhaus has seen action in 100 straight matches. Inga Rotto is now 3rd on UNI's all-time list of career sets played with 490, passing Krista DeGeest (2008-12) on Friday afternoon.

is now 3rd on UNI's all-time list of career sets played with 490, passing Krista DeGeest (2008-12) on Friday afternoon. Baylee Petersen picked up her 900th career dig against the Jackrabbits after a 5-dig performance against SDSU.

picked up her 900th career dig against the Jackrabbits after a 5-dig performance against SDSU. Sydney Petersen is now 5 aces shy of 100 in her career. Petersen has notched 13 aces this season for UNI after previously notching 82 aces at Texas (2018-21)

UNI volleyball rolled past North Florida and rallied late against South Dakota State in a marathon finish to earn a pair of wins on the opening day of the Hawkeye Invitational at Xtream Arena. The two victories extend the Panthers' current win streak to 6 matches.led UNI with a match-high 13 kills and 9 digs, while also tying a career-high with 4 service aces.notched 10 kills in the Panther victory, withtallying 29 assists.recorded 3 aces for the purple and gold, asblocked 4 attacks to complement 8 kills.UNI bolted out of the starting gate dominating from the service with 6 aces in the opening frame, led by 3 from Fallert, who tied her season-high in the opening frame. Building a healthy lead on an impressive 9-0 run, the Panthers notched 9 total kills on a .200 hitting percentage, forcing 7 Osprey attack errors and holding North Florida to a .042 hitting percentage.The Panthers continued their strong service game with 3 more aces in the second stanza. The Panthers led by as many as 6 points before UNF pulled within 2 points at 19-17. Despite improved defense at the net by North Florida, UNI led from start to finish in the set, racking up 18 total kills on a .289 hitting percentage. UNF's offense saw improvement with 13 kills on a .286 hitting percentage.After falling behind early 3-1, the Panthers flipped the switch and didn't look back in a commanding third set victory. Fallert and Holterhaus combined for 14 kills in the 12-point victory, highlighted by 8 kills from Fallert. UNI notched 19 total kills as a team, tying the high-water mark for kills in a single set this season with a .485 hitting percentage. Alden recorded 12 assists andrecorded UNI's 10th service ace of the match.Fallert recorded her 8th career double-double leading the Panthers with 13 kills and 11 digs in UNI's thrilling win, while Rotto and Holterhaus notched 13 and 11 kills respectively. Alden tallied 46 assists for the Panthers, astied her career-high with 3 service aces.UNI and South Dakota State exchanged the first 14 points before the Panthers took control, sparked by aace. Forcing the Jackrabbit defense into 10 first set attack errors, UNI was able to build and hold a comfortable lead for most of the frame, thanks to 4 kills by Holterhaus, and 2 kills a piece from Olivia Tjerngael, Fallert and Rotto.anchored the Panther defense with 5 kills.The Jackrabbit defense stepped up in the second set and used a 7-0 run to put UNI in an early deficit. Able to string together 6 consecutive points, the Panthers rallied and pulled back within 2 points at 18-16, but struggled to slow down SDSU down the stretch, who notched 16 kills on a .353 hitting percentage. Rotto and Alden each notched 3 kills in the second stanza, withrecording 4 digs.UNI responded well to the tough second set loss, building an early lead on the Jackrabbits. SDSU would rally and tie the set at 13 and briefly take the lead. In a pivotal frame, the Panthers notched 15 kills on a .195 hitting percentage, forcing 5 opponent attack errors. The Jackrabbits would stave off four straight Panther match points, but UNI would close strong to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Holterhaus recorded 4 kills, with Alden tallying 11 assists.notched 4 digs, with Fallert and Ahrenstorff both recording a service ace.The Panthers faced another tough challenge from the Jackrabbits in the fourth, staring down the possibility of winner-take-all fifth frame. SDSU jumped out to a 12-6 lead with a strong blocking performance before UNI rallied, setting up a back-and-forth finish for the ages. The Panthers and Jackrabbits would exchange points with UNI serving on 7 match points before closing the deal on consecutive attack errors by SDSU. Fallert rattled off 6 kills in the marathon final set, with Tjernagel recording 5 kills. Alden posted 20 assists, withtallying 9 digs and Ahrenstorff notching her third ace of the afternoon.UNI will conclude non-conference play tomorrow afternoon as the Panthers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 2 p.m. CT at Xtream Arena. Fans can follow the action live on Big Ten Network+ and on the Panther Sports Radio Network via UNIpanthers.com
HA NOI  The Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022, set to open next month, will be an event for enterprises in the livestock and seafood processing industries to find new trade opportunities.

Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022, Viet Nam's international exhibition for feed, livestock and meat industry, is expected to be the biggest event in Viet Nam covering the latest solutions for the feed, livestock, aquaculture and meat processing sectors in 2022.

Hosted by the Livestock Production Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the exhibition will take place in HCM City from October 12  14 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center.

A representative of SES Vietnam Exhibition Services Company, under Informa Markets Group, the organiser of the exhibition, spoke at a press conference held in Ha Noi on September 14.

This exhibition will be combined with VIETFEED - the exhibition specialising in animal feed, and VIETMEAT - specialising in meat processing.

The combination of these events brings opportunities to connect and promote the development of the value chain from farm to fork.

According to Rungphech Chitanuwat Rose, ASEAN Regional Director of Informa Markets, Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022 expects to attract more than 170 exhibiting companies including international and local brands, such as Famsun, Big Herdsman, Pigtek, Big Dutchman, De Heus, Thuan Nhat Automation, Provimi, Peja, Buhler, Miavit, Stolz Asia, Amandus, Pericoli, CPM, and Nabel Asia. It is also expected to attract over 10,000 visitors.

Tong Xuan Chinh, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Production, said: "This is a very important event, contributing to the modernisation of the livestock industry at all stages in the production process, especially with meat, eggs and milk."

"Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022 gives enterprises of those industries a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and seek cooperation for ensuring food security for about 100 million people in the country and a part for export."

The enterprises joining these events will introduce the leading equipment and technology for livestock production. The technologies are aimed at creating favourable conditions to increase productivity, quality and food safety. The livestock industry will move towards sustainability with waste treatment technologies to protect the environment.

Chinh said the event will help the domestic livestock industry in the development of advanced technologies in animal husbandry. Farms and cooperatives participating in the exhibition will be able to absorb new technologies from which to orient their livestock development.

During the three days until October 14, this event will also have international and technical seminars to provide in-depth knowledge about the latest trends in the livestock industry.

They will not only showcase the latest technologies and products but also offer great face-to-face business meetings, as well as updates on new industry knowledge.

Vietstock Awards 2022 will be held alongside with Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022. These are prestigious livestock awards hosted and approved by the Livestock Production Department to honour all enterprises, organisations and cooperatives that have made positive contributions to the overall development of Viet Nam's livestock industry.

This year at Vietstock Expo & Forum 2022, for the first time, Waste-to-Energy Pavilion, launched at the show, is a new feature with an emphasis on Biogas & Biomass technologies applied in farming and livestock production sectors, aligning with the sustainable development strategy of the country. VNS
By Thu Tra

HA NOI  Viet Nam hopes to boost its exports of computers, electronic products and components to the UK in the near future after it has gained success in shipping this group of goods to many other overseas markets.

In 2021, exports of computers, electronic products and components earned Viet Nam US$50.8 billion, making it the second biggest export group, according to the General Department of Customs.

Export turnover of this group of goods last year grew 14.1 per cent year-on-year, equivalent to an increase of $6.3 billion, accounting for over 15 per cent of the nation's total export turnover.

The US market was the biggest for this group of goods from Viet Nam, accounting for 25 per cent of exports. Exports to mainland China reached nearly $11.1 billion, although only increased by less than 1 per cent and accounted for 21.83 per cent of the total export turnover of the whole industry.

The third largest market was Hong Kong, which grew by 50 per cent, bringing turnover to $6.3 billion. The EU came fourth with $5.9 billion, up 2.6 per cent, and South Korea ranked fifth, reaching $3.5 billion, up nearly 22 per cent.

Four other markets with export turnover from $1 billion to $2 billion were the Netherlands with $1.8 billion, up 5.2 per cent; Mexico ($1.4 billion, up 17.4 per cent); Poland ($1.1 billion, up 14.9 per cent) and Slovakia ($1.0 billion, up 27.7 per cent).

In addition, there were a series of markets with import turnover of nearly $1 billion, including Japan ($996 billion), Taiwan ($938 million), Singapore ($924 million), and India ($828 million).

In 2021, Viet Nams exports of computers, electronic products and components to the UK also saw an encouraging increase of 5.6 per cent year-on-year. This group of goods was also among the list of key industrial products of Viet Nam exported to the UK. That also included phones and components; machinery, equipment and spare parts, and steel and iron.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said tariff preferences under the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) are providing many Vietnamese products, typically computers, electronic products and components, with competitive advantages compared with similar products from other countries.

Under the trade pact, 74 per cent of tariffs on computers, electronic products and components imported from Viet Nam have been eliminated since January 1, 2021 while tariffs on all other products will be removed after two or four years.

In addition, Vietnamese exporters can also utilise the UKs increasing demand for these products to foster their exports to this lucrative market, trade experts said.

The UK Department for International Trade said that out of the UK's top 10 imported products in 2021, electronic equipment ranked fifth with a turnover of 45.1 billion pounds ($52.7 billion), up 3 per cent year-on-year. In the second quarter of this year, the UK's electronic equipment saw a yearly hike of 15.7 per cent to surpass 12.5 billion pounds.

Nguyen Canh Cuong, trade counsellor at Viet Nam's Embassy to the UK, told Viet Nam News that the UK does not have its own consumer electronics manufacturing industry. All consumer electronics products available in the market are imported.

Market demand is huge and is constantly increasing, especially for smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs, Cuong said, adding that that will create opportunities for Viet Nam's consumer electronics products.

He told Viet Nam News that Viet Nams exports of consumer electronics products to the UK will surge in the near future.

Despite a bright outlook for this group of goods to the UK, more support from the State and greater efforts from Vietnamese exporters are needed amid the country's participation in many free trade agreements, experts have suggested.

In order to facilitate exports of computers, electronic products and components to overseas markets including the UK, the General Statistics Office underlined the need to provide support for firms in the process of researching new products, launch trade promotion schemes, and fine-tune the legal system, especially specific regulations placed on goods of Vietnamese origin.

Simultaneously, it is essential to boost export market expansion, improve the operational efficiency of Viet Nam's representative agencies abroad and sector associations in implementing trade promotion activities whilst disseminating the details of the FTAs so that businesses could utilise the opportunities brought by these FTAs.

The export turnover of computers, electronic products and components is forecast to continue to grow strongly this year and the export milestone of $60 billion is not out of reach, according to experts.  VNS
HCM CITY  Amid a new wave of investors arriving in Viet Nam to explore its opportunities for foreign businesses, HCM City has strong potential to attract investment and drive innovation and sustainable growth, experts said.

HCM City is well-positioned to attract the lions share of the new wave of investors if it manages to mitigate a looming capacity shortage in terms of industrial land, office space, commercial real estate, and skilled labour, said Leif Schneider, vice chairman of Legal Sector Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam.

HCM City continuously rakes in the highest figures of foreign investment, totaling US$3.74 billion last year, Schneider said at the Investment Support Forum and Review Conference of Investment Promotion Series held on Thursday in HCM City.

Three of the most important buzzwords for HCM Citys role in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows are digital, renewable and sustainable, he said.

One of the citys greatest resources lies with its people. As foreign direct investment into HCM City gains sophistication, Viet Nams labour market will have to adapt to reflect the growing requirements in education and training.

Additionally, the city should continue its efforts to improve domestic infrastructure to support the absorption of increased trade and manufacturing activities.

Mary Tarnowka, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam, said, Viet Nam is now one of the top destinations for FDI, both as companies seek to diversify their manufacturing supply chains and as they seek to target its own 100 million population and growing consumer class.

It is one of the fastest growing economies in the region, if not the world. It has a stable political environment, and a welcoming approach to FDI. It has a strategic location near source and consumer markets. It is integrated into a network of free trade agreements, from CPTPP and RCEP, the EVFTA and UKFTA, and now is part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. And it has a young, relatively affordable tech-savvy workforce, she said.

HCM City, a modern, dynamic city in the heart of Viet Nams Southern Key Economic Region, has all those advantages.

HCM City and the surrounding region is a top destination for multinational corporations seeking to diversify supply chains.

However, infrastructure gaps and lags in worker productivity could limit growth in Viet Nam generally and HCM City specifically.

The high cost of land in HCMC means a lot of manufacturing will move to nearby provinces, while HCM City needs to move up the value chain to focus on services, high-value manufacturing, and hopefully in the future, with the right regulatory environment and incentives, more international R&D centres.

HCM City needs the right urban planning and development policies to maintain its unique historic architecture and identity while facilitating its sustainable growth.

Tarnowka recommended that the investment climate be enhanced.

The most important factor for a favourable investment climate is a fair, transparent, predictable, and streamlined regulatory environment that values innovation - not only to attract new investment, but also to maintain and grow investment already here, she said.

"To ensure that HCM Citys manufacturing sector remains competitive and shifts to higher-value production, we encourage educational reforms, policies to promote supply chain localisation, investment in transportation and logistics infrastructure, actions to meet energy security and a clean energy transition, and increased incentives for high-tech investment and enhanced R&D capabilities," Tarnowka said.

Seck Yee Chung, vice president of the Singapore Business Group, said that continued dialogue with investors, and fair, transparent, predictable, and efficient regulatory systems would help improve the investment environment in HCM City.

Ensuring smooth investment licence renewal and investment expansion approval, the upgrade and construction of infrastructure, master plans on logistics and warehouses, and digital infrastructure that allows for continuous cross-border data transfer and cybersecurity are all needed to improve the investment environment, he said.

Cao Thi Phi Van, deputy director of the HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, said the city had many advantages to attract FDI flows, including a favourable geographic location, quality workforce and its leading position in manufacturing and high technology services.

She admitted that limitations in transportation infrastructure, logistics and workforce productivity needed to be addressed to improve the investment climate.

The city has attracted a total of 10,925 FDI projects worth US$78.3 billion from 115 countries and territories since 1988.  VNS
HCM CITY  Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat visited a WIN store at the New City apartment building in HCM Citys Thu uc City on September 15.

It is a multi-utility store under the WINLife ecosystem that Masan Group launched recently.

Earlier, on the afternoon of the previous day, he visited the Masan Group headquarters.

He is on an official visit to Viet Nam from September 11 to 15 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai that seeks to underscore the excellent bilateral relations and reaffirm their commitment to deepening cooperation.

At the WIN store, a Masan representative briefed Heng about the unique consumer tech ecosystem that the company has just launched to provide a world-class shopping experience to Vietnamese customers, and introduce the utilities incorporated in WIN stores: grocery (WinMart+), financial services (Techcombank), pharmacy (Dr Win), F&B (Phuc Long), and telecommunication services (Reddi).

These are all strong brands with outstanding quality built by Vietnamese to serve Vietnamese consumers.

Heng appreciated the modern design of the WIN store with its diverse range of products and services that are smartly arranged to meet the needs of customers and bring them greater convenience, from grocery to ready-to-eat foods and beverages.

He also appreciated the young and dynamic store staff for their professional service and attitude.

Masan Group on September 9 announced the launch of WINLife Is All You Need ecosystem with a chain of 27 WIN multi-utility stores to start with to serve the essential needs of consumers and provide them with a convenient and seamless offline-to-online experience at the one-stop shop destinations.

This year, Masan plans to open 80-100 WIN stores across the country.

WINLife ecosystem is Masans next breakthrough to enhance the customer experience via its consumer  tech platform.

Masan owns WinMart/WinMart+, the largest retail chain in Viet Nam in terms of points of sale and revenues with more than 3,000 supermarkets and stores nationwide.

The company will focus on developing WIN and the WinMart+ retail chains simultaneously. WinMart+ providing groceries will continue to be opened nationwide, while WIN stores will be opened at locations that fully meet the companys criteria.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Viet Nam remains an attractive destination for foreign investors, and is among the countries with the most attractive retail market globally, ranking third in Southeast Asia (after Indonesia and Thailand) in terms of retail and e-commerce sizes.

Viet Nams modern retail industry still has a lot of room for growth as it accounts for only 25 per cent of total retail sales compared to 33 per cent in the Philippines, 34 per cent in Thailand, 60 per cent in Malaysia, and 90 per cent in Singapore.  VNS
Vientiane  The Mekong River Basin supports nearly 70 million people, providing energy, transport, tourism and other income-generating development opportunities. As climate and weather patterns become more volatile, flood and drought events in the Mekong have become more frequent and intense with growing potential to cause devastating damage to the regions food security and economies. Those communities that were unprepared have suffered the most.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) plays a vital role in basin-wide river monitoring and flood and drought forecasting. The organisation has been working tirelessly to improve its information system to provide better access to the public, including not only the policy makers and academia but also ordinary Mekong people.

Dr. Anoulak Kittikhoun, CEO of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, shared: The river monitoring and flood and drought forecasting data page revamp is a part of the effort from the Mekong River Commission to bring the vast amount of data and information about the Mekong River more timely and easily to the public. In addition, we will continue to make the forecasting work more advanced including with longer forecasting period to help Mekong people be effective in dealing with climate change events, especially the extreme climate events that can cause devastating impacts on communities and agricultural and natural ecosystems.

In September 2022, the MRCs Flood and Drought Forecast and Monitoring page has been revitalised since the last improvement in 2018 with a new interface and more user-friendly navigation. The upgraded page provides an immediate update and a comprehensive overview of the current status of river condition, river flood forecasting, risk of flash flood, drought forecast and rainfall distribution over the Lower Mekong River Basin.

People who live along the mainstream river like in Chiang Saen in Thailand, Vientiane in Laos, Phnom Penh in Cambodia or Tan Chau in Viet Nam, can now easily see the river conditions on the front page of the MRC website at www.mrcmekong.org. The How to read function on the page guides the users to use the data resources effectively and helps them reach the information they are looking for.

What will happen to the river in the next few days? Users can go to the tab of the River flood forecast to see whether the water level will go up or down in the upcoming week. Furthermore, they can click on the condition of each station to know more detailed stats and figures. River flood forecast is updated in the morning every day.

For flash flooding, districts at risk are marked in eye-catching colour on the interactive map. Although this is the wet season, drought can occur in selected parts of the basin. The information on drought conditions is being forecasted on a weekly basis. Finally, the rainfall distribution over the Basin is visualised from 144 hydrometeorological stations classified in different rainfall depths.  VNS
GENEVA  The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has appreciated the dialogue and measures taken by Viet Nam over the protection and promotion of childrens rights.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha led the Vietnamese delegation to engage in talks with CRC members on Viet Nams implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on September 12-13 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The dialogue was held within the framework of the CRCs 91st session, and on the basis of Viet Nams submission of its fifth and sixth periodic country reports and a report answering the committees related questions.

In an interview with VNA reporters in Geneva, Ha said that during the 91st session, CRC highly valued Viet Nam thorough preparations for these reports and welcomed its achievements in the building of laws and policies as well as measures taken by it related to childrens rights.

After this session, Viet Nam will have from four to five years to carry out the committees recommendations, she said, adding that her ministry will work with relevant ministries and sectors to analyse the recommendations and build an action programme to submit to the Prime Minister for approval.

ang Hoa Nam, director of the Department of Child Protection and Care, said that the CRC appreciated Viet Nams progress in building and amending laws, especially the 2016 Children Law, and the Governments efforts to combine economic development with social and sustainable development. The CRC also showed interest in newly emerging issues related to childrens rights in the context of new changes like climate change or global economic depression.

The official stressed that Viet Nams active participation in the committees dialogue mechanism and its implementation of recommendations are of significance for the implementation of childrens rights in Viet Nam, which he said demonstrates that Viet Nam is an active and responsible member in the enforcement of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. During the process, Viet Nam is able to share with CRC members and other countries its experience and learn from international experience to better perform in the field.

On November 20, 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Viet Nam is one of the first countries in the world to sign and ratify this convention (the country signed the convention on January 26, 1990 and ratified on February 28, 1990).  VNS
GIA LAI  Beyond the hardships and dangers, the forest rangers in the Central Highlands Tay Nguyen still patrol the forest day and night. But every ranger ponders the question, how to accomplish their mission and be there with their family and close ones.

Nguyen Huu Gia has been a forest ranger for 30 years. For Gia, there is no creek or mountain in Gia Lai that he has never been to, the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported.

"I'm 55 years old and in my 30 years as a ranger, I have been through a lot of challenges," said Gia. "Although many of my colleagues have moved on to other careers, I am still here because of my love of the forest."

"In my 30 years as a ranger, I have had only two Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays at home with my family," said 60-year-old ranger Tran Thai Nguyen of Kbang Ranger District in Gia Lai Province.

Tet is the time when loggers tend to commit heinous acts on the forest, according to Nguyen uc Thang, a forest protection worker at Tram Lap Forestry Company in Kbang District.

"It's the same every year - we tell our family to spend Tet without us, and when the work is done, we get "belated Tet" days off from the company."

But besides the lack of time spent with family, rangers face the possibility of never seeing their family again.

"Illegal loggers have tried to injure or kill us during our duty," said Kieu The Tinh of Chu Yang Sin National Forest's Protection Section. "Sometimes they put spikes on our patrolling routes, or threaten our families directly."

Given the dangers and shortcomings of the job, the benefits are somewhat unequal. This has led to many experienced rangers to quit for other jobs. Some of them are former leaders of their Forest Protection Section.

"When loggers injure us or when we encounter accidents on duty, we are not entitled to the same treatments as other careers," said Tong Van Thuyen, who has been a forest protection worker for 17 years. "Although the passion is still high, many of my colleagues have quit whenever a career-changing opportunity comes along."

"We sacrificed our blood to protect the forest against loggers," said Ngo uc Lien of Chu Yang Sin National Forest's Protection Section. "But when we contact the ak Lak Province's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, they said the culprits must be captured, and a sentence from the court is needed for indemnification."

These barriers that prevent passionate forest rangers from doing their jobs are also addressed by Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the ak Nong Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"Government policies must ensure adequate income for forest rangers, as well as ramp up measures to fine and reprimand criminals, in order for forest protection agencies and workers to do their job well," said Anh.

"The forest protection workers' jobs are hefty, but their powers are limited, for example, they cannot arrest people and take vehicles that commit violations," said Nguyen Van Son, Director of Lam ong Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"In terms of salary, the gross income of a forest ranger is inadequate compare to other occupations. Bonuses should be available for them such as experience bonuses, or bonuses for dangerous missions. Funds for equipment purchases and repair should also be available to further improve the protection work," said Son.

"We are currently petitioning for forest protection to be recognised as a special dangerous occupation," said Nguyen Van Hoan, Deputy Director of Gia Lai Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. "However, when policy changes are ongoing, other local authorities must join hands and cooperate so that forest rangers are not alone in protecting the forest."  VNS
Founded in 2018, COCOTEL helps independent hotels and resorts in scenic destinations by increasing their visibility online through the use of technology, digital marketing, and operations. Currently, it is the biggest getaway hotel chain in the Philippines listing more than 75 hotels across two countries.

COCOTEL partners with Archipelago International for its latest hotel technology to sustain its ambitions of signing bigger players.

The solution is a suite of tools to assist accommodation companies in accelerating their business and staying ahead of the competition by providing proper resources through an all-inclusive plug-and-play solution. It helps hotels identify missed opportunities, whether in distribution, connectivity, or customer service and creates a strategy that will streamline the process and bring in more revenue. The variations on the name match the beloved brands under the umbrella of Archipelago.

With the aid of this tailored technology, COCOTEL will gain the capability to add more hotels and operate their properties like a hotel chain.

COCOTEL ties up with Archipelago to offer its services to independent hotels and resorts.

We see that COCOTEL and Archipelago have the same vision, which is to help independent hotels and resorts. We see a lot of synergies and the same advocacies as us. Since we are a relatively young company, the team guided us on how we can operate our business like a hotel chain, said Rafael Jouwena, co-founder and CEO of COCOTEL.

He added, Our goal is to become the biggest getaway hotel chain in Asia-Pacific. We are targeting to have 120 hotels join COCOTEL this year. Next year, we will focus on our international expansion in Australia. With the help of Archipelago, we believe that we will get at least 500 hotels across four countries to join COCOTEL by the year 2025.

Chris Legaspi, vice president of Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management said, It is a pleasure to partner with COCOTEL Hotels & Resorts and empowers one of the innovative hospitality companies in the Philippines. We know all too well the struggles of smaller hotels battling against big names because that is our story. We look forward to this partnership and will offer the support they need to grow and succeed.

New places, new opportunities The economic recovery and tourism reboot is providing attractive opportunities for hotel brands to increase their presence in new destinations.

Ca Mau to open sea route to Nam Du Archipelago, Phu Quoc Island Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau have been given the green light to open a sea route connecting it with Nam Du archipelago and Phu Quoc island district - two popular tourist destinations belonging to nearby Kien Giang province.
Kuala Lumpur  Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has expressed his confidence in the countrys ability to achieve the 70 billion RM (16 billion USD) digital investment target by 2025, in line with the digital economy blueprint.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (centre) (Photo: Bernama)

Speaking at the recent World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WCIT 2022), Ismail said Malaysia plays an important role as a digital investment hub in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

With world-class infrastructure, a holistic digital ecosystem, and highly skilled digital talent, Malaysia can become a major digital investment destination in ASEAN, he said.

Ismail said that since the MSC Malaysia initiative, which is now rebranded as Malaysia Digital (MD), was launched in 1996, the country had attracted digital investments worth 384 billion RM and generated 180,000 jobs as well as 588 billion RM in revenue.

He said although MD was only launched in July, it had managed to attract foreign direct digital investments worth 42 billion RM in just two months.

These investments came in via 28 foreign companies which are involved in data centres, IT services, technological creative content, and global business services or GBS, he added.

Malaysia-Thailand-Laos freight express to be operational in October The new freight train ASEAN Express connecting Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos will begin operating in October this year.
Robert Trieu, chief agency officer for Manulife Vietmam

Why is professionalism such a virtue for financial advisers?

Life insurance is a long-term promise between a customer and an insurer. It offers peace of mind knowing that you are financially protected. It is also complex and there are many types of insurance solutions that serve different needs. Having a good adviser is key to cutting through all the noise. Its an advisers job to help customers learn and understand what is important to them and help them get the right protection based on what they really need.

The professionalism of advisers is extremely important for the life insurance industry and for the customers. In an industry that sells promises, a professional agency force equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ethics will gain customer and public trust. For me, this is how we help bring professionalism and credibility to the industry.

With insurance digitalisation moving at pace, will this eventually diminish the role of the adviser in the future?

Well, think about it this way: anyone can go and do a workout by themselves at the gym using the available equipment. Yet by having a personal trainer you can be guided to achieve an even better result using the same equipment thanks to their knowledge and expertise.

For me, the idea of digitalisation is not to replace humans or advisers for that matter. It is about using technology to augment the human touch and help achieve the best outcome.

While technology is becoming more and more ubiquitous, its important to remember that life insurance is a human-centric industry, where the part of sharing, listening, and trusting creates value in the products.

What main challenges are advisers facing today, and how is Manulife Vietnam helping them address these obstacles?

The life insurance industry is under pressure from digitalisation and over the past few years, we have been professionalising our agency force through technology to address this transformation.

As digital habits take root, todays customers have become more discerning and have high expectations for products or services they intend to purchase. They prefer simple, convenient, and hands-on solutions, and they do not want to be left waiting for insurance quotes or policies.

In the era of technology, its important for advisers to have an effective workflow management process to keep up with the sales demands and better serve customers.

The first challenge that advisers are currently facing is how to better adopt digital skills so that they can offer insurance advice and empower customers to make the right decisions quickly. At Manulife Vietnam, our advisers are equipped with customer service solutions such as ePOS and MAxX D, which help them connect and provide support to customers in an easy, fast, and convenient way.

Compared to the past, customers nowadays are also much better informed. That means insurance advisers need in-depth knowledge to be able to provide much more detailed information to achieve customer satisfaction.

Our recently launched ManuAcademy platform does just that. The digital learning platform supports our advisers to develop their knowledge through all stages of their careers, in turn helping them better address a customers health, retirement, and protection needs.

ManuAcademy is underpinned by AI, delivering tailored educational information to advisers. It uses gamification and rewards to encourage regular participation and long-term engagement.

In the era of technology, its important for advisers to have an effective workflow management process to keep up with the sales demands and better serve customers.

For this, Manulife Vietnam created MaxX D, a mobile application that acts as a personal virtual assistant for advisers, helping them with target setting, activity planning and tracking, sales and recruitment funnels, and hierarchy and performance analytics  all in a user-friendly interface.

What is the most important factor to drive a market-leading agency force like at Manulife Vietnam?

For me, quality recruitment and development are foundational to driving the growth of our market-leading, digitally-enabled agency force in Vietnam. For that, we continue to upgrade our financial advisers skills and professionalism with high-quality training and education programmes.

Currently, we are working on creating a top-level learning content series called Manulife Master Class, which is a compilation of short videos by our MDRT advisers and successful managers where they share secrets to their success. The Manulife Master Class series will be launched exclusively on the ManuAcademy platform and is another innovative way we are building a market-leading agency force.

Manulife retains prime MDRT ranking in Vietnam Manulife Vietnam retained its pole position in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) 2022 rankings, reaffirming the insurers commitment to delivering advice and solutions that drive financial security.
Hanoi - Industrial parks and clusters in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang attracted more than 834 billion VND (35.4 million USD) in the first eight months of this year, according to the province Peoples Committee.

An industrial park in Tien Giang (Photo: VNA)

This represents a four-fold increase year-on-year.

Industrial parks house 81 foreign and 29 domestic projects worth 2.25 billion USD and 2.37 trillion VND, which offer more than 93,000 jobs.

Nearly 92% of their total area has been leased.

Industrial clusters have attracted seven foreign and 73 domestic projects worth 153 million USD and 2.41 trillion VND, and offer more than 17,000 jobs.

Tien Giang has three industrial parks, My Tho, Tan Huong and Long Giang, and five industrial clusters, Trung An, Tan My Chanh, Song Thuan, An Thanh No.1, and Gia Thuan No.1.

It plans to build three more, Tan Phuoc No 1 and 2 and Binh Dong, besides 15 industrial clusters to meet demand.

Nguyen Van Vinh, Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, said the plan is to further improve the investment environment, help businesses expand operations and speed up administrative reform.

Earlier this month the province announced a list of 59 projects and solicited investment in them by next year, he said.

The projects, which require 22.9 trillion VND, are in urban infrastructure, commerce and services, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, and sports.

With trained workers accounting for half of its 1.1 million people of working age, the province has an abundant workforce.

More than 6,500 businesses are operating in the province, with 600-700 being established every year.

Dong Thap ramps up construction to aid its growth To ensure a fast rebound and economic growth, Dong Thap province in the Mekong Delta has come up with a wide range of measures to accelerate public investment while creating resources to facilitate infrastructure funding and attraction of local industrial zones and clusters.

Options abound for funding of transport in Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta region comprises 13 cities and provinces with important roles and strategic locations. It is a key economic hub with huge potential and advantages, especially in agriculture, seafood, and tourism.
It will be the forum for foreign investors to share difficulties in implementing new laws and regulations as well as their obstacles during their operations in Vietnam.

Besides this, these representatives will discuss the opportunities for investment expansion.

According to VIRs source, before the meeting is organised, foreign-invested enterprises sent their opinions about difficulties and their proposals to the prime minister. There are many opinions relating to the difficulties in implementing the extended producer responsibility  a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility related to the circular economy, such as the treatment or disposal of waste.

Organising dialogue with the business community and foreign-invested enterprises is a regular activity of the prime minister. This aims to help the government to listen to voices from the business community about the investment environment and the effectiveness of regulations on time.

HCM City tops nation in FDI attraction in first eight months Southern HCM City topped the country in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first eight months of 2022, accounting for 16.1 per cent of the national figure, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency (FIA).

Vietnam expected to remain an FDI darling over long term Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been transforming Vietnam into a rising star in global supply chains, and the country is expected to maintain its attraction to FDI companies in the long term.

Thai Nguyen on way to accomplishing annual goals Thai Nguyen province has posted inspiring achievements in socioeconomic development so far this year, with foreign investment attraction and breakthroughs in public disbursement being stellar points.

Taiwanese investors ready to invest in Vietnam A delegation of nine Taiwanese investors made a business trip to Vietnam to survey investment opportunities in many cities and provinces and intensify bilateral cooperation.
Vietnam to continue to encourage the eco-industrial parks model with help from the international community

The workshop themed Eco-industrial park development in Vietnam: Institutional framework and implementation was held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Ho Chi Minh City on September 15. Representatives of authorities, industrial parks (IPs), and economic zones discussed policies for and measures to develop eco-IPs in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said eco-IPs play an important role in the national sustainable development strategy. However, in order to take this model to exercise its role, it needs to be multiplied nationwide, with support from policy, technology, finance, information, and a close connection mechanism between domestic agencies and international organisations.

In the 2020-2023 period, the Swiss government is continuing to help three industrial parks in five cities and province of Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Dong Nai, Can Tho, and Danang convert into eco-industrial parks in accordance with an international framework.

In order to encourage this model, it is necessary to issue more guidelines on technical regulations and standards by ministries and sectors as well as technical guidance from domestic and international experts, especially for industrial symbiosis networks and circular economy solutions. In addition, the investors need a commitment about preferential policies on finance to expand this model, Ngoc said.

In the 2020-2023 period, the Swiss government is continuing to help three IPs in five cities and province of Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Dong Nai, Can Tho, and Danang convert into eco-IPs in accordance with an international framework.

The support comes from a project that aims to deploy eco-IPs in Vietnam under the approach of the Global Ecological Industrial Park Programme, which will serve as a premise to multiply the model across the country.

The project's finances are at $1.8 million, which is expected to improve the economic, environmental, and social efficiency of the industry and include regulations on eco-IP development in relevant mechanisms and policies.

Werner Bardill, consul general at the Embassy of Switzerland said, We see that many enterprises pioneer in implementing solutions to save energy and use natural resources effectively during the operation process. We hope that more and more real estate developers will join the changing process from traditional IPs to eco-IPs.

Between 2015 and 2019, the MPI, UNIDO, SECO, and other sponsors worked together to pilot models of eco-IPs in Ninh Binh, Danang, and Can Tho. As a result, 72 businesses have implemented more than 900 energy-saving and cleaner production solutions, which helps them to save $3.3 million and simultaneously cut 32 kilotonnes of CO 2 annually.

Trend to develop eco-industrial parks dominates at forum Stakeholders at the Industrial Property Forum 2022 agreed that developing eco-industrial parks and combining several functions with environmental protection shall be the new direction.

Green industrial complexes at top of foreign-led wishlist Creating favourable mechanisms for developing integrated eco-industrial parks is expected to make these investments more appealing to large foreign groups.

Trend of eco-industrial parks becoming inevitable The rising development of eco-industrial parks is set to contribute to the national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Arts nonprofit Creative Waco hopes to steer Waco residents to online voting over the next five days for a chance to fund a live concert series at the city's Bridge Street Plaza amphitheater.

Waco is one of 36 cities, and the only Texas city, qualifying for the voting round in this year's Levitt AMP Grant Awards, which underwrite concert series in small to midsized American cities.

The top 20 cities receiving votes move to a final selection round with 10 winners announced Nov. 15. The Levitt AMP Grant, if Waco wins one, would provide $90,000 over three years to underwrite a concert series at the Bridge Street Plaza.

Those wishing to vote can do so online at vote.levitt.org/locations/waco or text 866-267-2023 with the keyword WACO. Voting deadline is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The Texas Department of Transportation next month will begin seeking businesses that want to help build out a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations, and Waco-area transportation leaders will be asked to recommend sites in McLennan County.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program has set aside $407.8 million through 2026 for Texas plan, which will partner with businesses to pay for 80% of the charging infrastructure cost.

The state plan will ensure all interstate highways have DC fast-charging stations at least every 50 miles. Other state highways would have stations every 70 miles, and the seats of all 254 counties would have charging stations.

Each connector would be capable of handling at least 150 kilowatts, enough to bring a battery from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes, according to the Texas plan. That would give an electric vehicle an additional 120 to 200 miles of range.

Federal approval of the state plan is expected by the end of the month, allowing TxDOT to move forward in October to issue solicitations for private partners.

During the multiyear rollout of the program, the state will work with regional metropolitan planning organizations to evaluate and award projects, Waco MPO Director Mukesh Kumar told the MPO board Thursday.

MPO board Chair Jim Holmes, who serves on the Waco City Council, said the process will depend on what businesses are willing to participate.

I think its great that we have a say in where it goes, Holmes said.

The states electric vehicle station plan shows MPO-based projects would begin in a couple of years, after the interstate highways, designated as electric alternative fuel corridors, are built out with stations. McLennan County could be eligible for $1.8 million from the program, according to the plan.

The plan, including interactive maps of existing and potential charging stations, can be found at https://www.txdot.gov/ projects/projects-studies/statewide/texas-electric- vehicle-planning-03-22-22.html.

The Waco area has a handful of charging options, including a six-charger DC fast-charging station at the Bellmead Walmart on I-35, according to Chevrolet.com. A few hotels and car dealerships also offer limited EV charging options for their customers, and the Collin Street Bakery on I-35 in Bellmead offers Tesla Superchargers, which are designed specifically for Tesla vehicles.

Also at Thursdays MPO meeting, the board got an update on other federal funding opportunities on the horizon.

The Carbon Reduction Program is funded by the same Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as the electric vehicle initiative and will provide the MPO with $549,000 a year for projects over the next five years.

Its a very small amount of money, but when used for low-cost, high-impact programs could be very effective, Kumar said.

Cities in McLennan County are being asked to submit proposals to the MPO for consideration and possible approval in January. The projects require a 20% match from local governments.

Eligible projects would be judged on criteria including carbon reduction, equity, impact on future generations, connection to land use and readiness.

The MPO this month also applied for $560,000 from the Federal Highway Administrations Safe Streets and Roads for All program to develop a plan to identify and remedy traffic dangers in the area. The awards are expected to be announced late this year or early next year, Kumar said.
A week and a day after a killing at a Mexia motel, the city released the name of the deceased and the name of one person arrested in connection with the killing, along with a heavily redacted police report.

Todd Brandon Turner, 47, was killed at the hotel, a city of Mexia statement Thursday says. Jaqualynn MyKheil McDonald, 19, was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with felon in possession of firearm, a third-degree felony, the statement says.

Limestone County Jail released McDonald on bail late last week, Mexia City Manager Eric Garretty said at the time, without mentioning the name.

Turner died early Sept. 8 of at least one gunshot wound at a hotel in the 1300 block of East Milam Street in Mexia, Garretty said at the time. His remains were sent for autopsy.

The police report released Thursday contains the location of the reported incident, the type of incident, the names of the responding officers, the time of the call, the time of the dispatch, time arrived to the scene and little else. This combined with Garrettys statements on Facebook and by phone at the time makes up the basic information required by state law to be released.

Officials withheld much of the information until Thursday.

Last week and again Monday, Garretty said he would have provided the names, but the Limestone County district attorney said not to.

Limestone County District Attorney Roy DeFriend did not take the Tribune-Heralds phone calls Sept. 9 or Monday.

The Texas Public Information Act requires law enforcement to release basic information about an arrested person, an arrest and an alleged crime, including the name of the person arrested.

DeFriend has not said why the names were not released.
The state of the economy has been a major concern this past year and was nearly derailed further by a labor dispute.

Early Thursday, rail companies and their workers reached a tentative agreement to avert a strike that could have shut down the nations freight trains, further adding to supply chain problems that have persisted since the start of the pandemic.

Mortgage rates hit another high this week, topping 6% for the first time since the housing crash in 2008. A year ago the rate was below 3%.

Small businesses are feeling the crunch as consumers pull back on spending, and income inequality has been on the rise.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to modernize airports during a stop in Boston and touted a commitment to electric vehicles at the auto show in Detroit.

The midterm elections are right around the corner, so well take a look at how President Biden has altered messaging as well as his approval rating, potential abortion legislation, shifting politics in Georgia and the latest news on former President Donald Trump.

This past Sunday was the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. We listen to details on memorials from the day as well as the status of the mastermind behind the attacks.

In other national news, there have been many societal changes since the start of the pandemic. Two suspicious packages, including one that exploded, were found in Boston. A onetime aid to Andrew Cuomo is suing the former New York governor.

A deal ended a teachers strike in Seattle. Ken Starr, who investigated former President Bill Clinton, died. It was the 60th anniversary of President Kennedys moonshot speech. And there was an unwanted patron at a North Dakota bar.

Details have been released for Mondays funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II as the United Kingdom mourns its longtime monarch.

In other international news, Ukraine has made progress in pushing back its Russian invaders. We listen to details, as well get an update on the state of a nuclear plant and Russias attempts to influence foreign politics.

Plus, Iranian citizens have been charged in a hacking campaign and the state of COVID in the Philippines.

And finally, in health and technology news, a look at the perception of healthcare in the U.S. and concerns over misinformation on TikTok.

 Compiled and narrated by Terry Lipshetz from Associated Press reports
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disclosed Thursday, as expected but without any buildup or warning, that her office has unearthed credible accusations of significant felonies committed in the Donald Trump election fraud case presently being investigated in Georgia.

Immediately following the 2020 general election, former President Trump began to pressure Georgia state election officials and elected officials in the state government, personally and through members of his White House staff, campaign staff, and Republican politicians, to clearly falsify the 2020 election results.

Trump insisted that he "find 11,780 votes" in a now-famous taped phone discussion with Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Some of Trump's lawyers and essential team members, including Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, were in the conversation.

The special grand jury formed at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has questioned numerous prominent Republicans involved in the events after the election who either personally observed or participated in what might be called an election fraud conspiracy.

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At one point, Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to meet with election authorities. Despite Trump's election loss, the officials were uneasy with Meadows and any other administration officials putting pressure on their office. Text messages have verified this.

District Attorney Willis told The Post Thursday that

"A decision is going to have to be made" on whether to ask Trump to testify, "and I imagine it's going to be made late this fall."

" If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences."

Willis also stated that she ceased gathering grand jury information during the primary election to avoid accusations of political bias. Willis has also decided to put the Grand Jury's work on hold for 30 days on October 7 so that it does not interfere with the November mid-term elections.

Willis had already stated in August that the investigation would be done calling witnesses by the end of the year and that her decision on whether to pursue indictments would be made at that time. Willis has also urged that the elector's scandal, government pressure, and threats against election officials be punished under Georgia's conspiracy and anti-racketeering (RICO) statutes. She was said to have said

"The RICO statute allows you to tell jurors the full story" of a complex conspiracy, Willis explained. "It's a great statute for prosecutors."

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BREAKING: Fulton County DA Gives RARE INTERVIEW about CRIMINAL CONDUCT in 2020 Election
WATERLOO  Police are investigating an overnight shooting that damaged a vehicle as it was driving on U.S. Highway 63.

No injuries were reported, but a bullet damaged a side-view mirror on the vehicle.

According to police, the driver was heading south in the 1200 block of Highway 63/Logan Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when bullets began hitting the vehicle.

The driver fled to a safe location and called police. Officers found five spent 9 mm shell casings in the area.

No arrests have been made.

Photos: Gun control rally in Cedar Falls
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Friday that the China-ASEAN economic cooperation has accomplished many fruitful achievements since the two sides signed the ASEAN-China Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation in 2002 and other free trade and investment agreements.

In a speech delivered via video link to the opening of the 19th China-ASEAN Expo, Hun Sen said the two sides had successfully implemented the China-ASEAN free trade agreement version 1.0 and 2.0 over past years, and that Cambodia supported upgrading this agreement to the new version 3.0.

He called on China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to pay more attention to further expanding and deepening the scope of their economic cooperation, minimizing barriers to trade in goods, services and investment, and promoting the development of digital economy, green growth and capacity building of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

"I am confident that the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), starting this year, will not only create and bring more trade and investment opportunities for countries in the region, but are also significantly contributing to the growth of the above-mentioned sectors," he said.

He added that the implementation of the RCEP will also become the "core framework" for building version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN free trade area in the future.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian leader expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for its always giving high priorities to supporting the development and prosperity of ASEAN.

"As the chair of ASEAN for 2022, Cambodia will continue making efforts in further strengthening ASEAN's cooperation with the People's Republic of China to ensure the sustainability, inclusiveness, and resiliency of socioeconomic development in both regions," Hun Sen said.

The 19th China-ASEAN Expo is being held online and offline in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from Sept. 16 to 19.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 
EVANSDALE  One person is dead after a multi-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon.

Ethen Edge of Waterloo was killed while driving his motorcycle southbound on Interstate 380 at about 3 p.m. near mile marker 69, according to the Iowa State Patrol. He was 24 years old.

Pickup trucks driven by Corey Simon, of Waterloo, and Joshua Stiner, of Post Falls, Idaho, were involved in the accident, which was in a construction zone. They were all traveling southbound on I-380

The Iowa State Patrol said Simon was slowing down for traffic when Edge lost control of his motorcycle and ran into Simon. Stiner then attempted to slow down behind Edge, but was unable to avoid hitting him, the report said. Edge was transported to MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center.

Evansdale Police, Evansdale Ambulance, the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office, Waterloo Police, Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Iowa Department of Transportation and Sheetz Towing assisted on the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.
WATERLOO  A Black Hawk County sheriffs deputy pulled a man from a burning car Thursday morning.

Then he arrested the man for drug possession.

According to court records, the deputy noticed a Volkswagen GTI on fire in the parking lot at Sacs Neighborhood Pub, 2000 Hawthorne Ave., around 2:40 a.m.

Inside the car, the driver was asleep in the drivers seat. The deputy removed the driver, and crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue extinguished the car.

When the deputy went inside to car to retrieve the drivers phone and cigarettes, he found a glass pipe, court records state. He also found a bag of crystal meth the driver was carrying, according to court records.

The driver, Jamie Matthew Kujawa, 40, of Waterloo, was arrested for misdemeanor possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. He was released pending trial.

Photos: Drugs of Abuse
DUNKERTON  The Dunkerton Historical and Tourism Association is packing 136 years of history into the basement of the towns public library, but according to those running the new organization, it wont be enough to house their ambitions for long.

In August, Ross Jones and LuAnn Chapman Gatts, the descendants of city founder James Dunkerton fronted the purchase of a 90-foot by 148-foot parcel of land adjacent to the library to build a new headquarters, donating $20,000. The association is also in talks to bring the Bennington No. 1 schoolhouse to the site to make it a museum. Its an exciting time for the group, but association president Dan Knebel cautioned they are still in the tentative phase of their growth

Obviously, what you see here is done and its growing and its awesome, Knebel said, But we have bigger plans. Its just theyre plans right now. Is the city approving things? Are we going to get buildings that we want donated? Can we move them here? So theres a lot of ifs that have to happen to make our dreams grow, the dreams we have come to fruition.

Its an ambitious undertaking for a town with less than 1,000 people and leadership for the association admits their initial goals were small. When they reorganized in July, they were content with getting their nonprofit status,

Education manager Pat McIntosh says its an investment in Dunkertons future more than it is a celebration of the past. Their youth are growing up and going to college  and the likelihood of them coming back declines with each passing year. According to McIntosh the old photos and assorted knick-knacks arent just museum displays, but a reminder of their roots.

We definitely would like them to stay and have pride, or if they go, wed like to have to have some pride in it, McIntosh said. And not just the kids that are here, we want to attract some other families that realize that were a nice, small town community  a safe community  thats got things to offer here.

The connections can be found all over the room, ranging from a microscope that was in McIntoshs fathers classroom to the paperwork of executive director Theresa Staffords ancestor who fought in the American Civil War.

I had a Civil War vets discharge papers from the 1800s in a shoebox for over a hundred-and-something years, Stafford said. I had no idea that I even had a Civil War vet in our family. And then we make a connection with another one of our board members who had done history on him. So its a small world once you make those connections.

Beyond linking students to where they came from, the Historical and Tourism Association is looking at ways to shine the lessons and examples of the past into their current lives. One example to emerge has been the recent return of Future Farmers of America in Dunkerton after doing the program through Wapsie Valley Community Schools.

Everything used to have a story of  not just old stuff, but how does it affect people, said library director Michelle Wheeler. We show old 4-H or the old FFA, which have a picture here of the crew, or even things that tie in until they realize that this is either where it came from, or this is where it started, but its pertaining to now and whats happening in the community now  and I love that idea.

According to Wheeler, McIntosh spearheaded the effort to bring back the FFA.

Right now, the association is under the wing of the Friends of the Dunkerton Public Library as they work on obtaining their 501(3) status. They hope to have this by the end of 2022.

In the meantime, theyre doing what they can to fill the coffers and get the word out about their work. On Oct. 8, they plan to hold their first open house at the library. The event is free, with tours of artifacts being provided along with a free-will donation tailgate meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Theyre getting more help from the State Historical Society of Iowa, which agreed to bring its mobile museum to the open house. Packed with 56 items from Iowas past, the bus will bolster the associations artifacts and add a statewide element to the local display.

They have a lot of work ahead of them, but McIntosh says it will all be worthwhile if it helps keep Dunkerton alive and ensures that they have not only a past there, but a future.

They can make a difference right here. Because theyre going to see that all these people made a difference, McIntosh said. And I think small town kids think theyve got to go somewhere else to make a difference, in order to do something and they dont.
CEDAR FALLS  A new federal grant opportunity could lead the city of Cedar Falls and Iowa Northern Railway Company to remove and relocate unused railroad tracks that have traversed the area for decades.

The Cedar Falls City Council meets Monday to consider submitting an application for $9.76 million in funding from the Federal Railroad Administrations Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, which is made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Approximately 11,642 linear feet of track runs near the intersection of Iowa and West First streets, next to the First Street McDonalds, through the downtown area, and several hundred feet past Cedar Falls Utilities to an area near Pfeiffer Springs Park off Grand Boulevard.

Up to 24 crossings could be impacted. Removal of the track would purportedly better safety for pedestrian and automobile traffic.

The CFU board of trustees discussed the proposition Wednesday at its monthly meeting. The track has not been used for its primary purpose since 2010: the delivery of coal to the municipal utility.

CFU considers coal to be a backup fuel. It supports the project, and if it were to need coal, beyond what is already stockpiled, executives expect it would be delivered by truck.

Right now, the track is used very little, only for the storage of railroad cars, according to Iowa Northern Railway General Manager William Magee.

Gun violence group takes aim at ghost guns CEDAR FALLS  Homemade guns, like the one used to kill a Cedar Falls family on a camping tri

According to city meeting documents, the railroad company brought the newly announced federal program to the attention of city officials several weeks ago.

If submitted and awarded, the grant would provide $9.76 million, or 80% of the expected $12.2 million cost. The city and railroad company would split the 20% match, or what equates to $1.22 million each.

One other option  besides abandoning the track and selling the right-of-way to the city or another interested party  would be to find a customer to locate along the spur that would produce the required revenue to offset the cost of maintenance and produce a respectable profit.

That possibility is the least desirable of the three as more frequent rail traffic in downtown can get very disruptive to commerce, operation of schools, public safety, and general operations of the City of Cedar Falls, wrote city staff in a letter to the council. City employees that were around for the last coal delivery in 2010 recall many problems and complaints regarding the long line of train cars which isolated downtown for a significant amount of time.

Attendees of Cedar Falls council meetings may notice some minor procedural changes The most noticeable change in how City Council meetings function compared to the first day of 2022 might be the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Right now, the rail is considered a trapped asset, said the letter. By relocating it outside of the city, it would lend Iowa Northern more capacity for its operations without disruption to the city residents, workers and visitors.

The project would include railroad removal and relocation; street and landscaping restoration; closure of a floodwall; creation of a trail connection; the citys right of way purchases; and relocation of a rail yard near Shell Rock.

The council would discuss the sources of funding for its match when finalizing its next capital improvements plan. But the early projection is revenues from tax increment financing and local option sales tax would be used.
Teens who resist are often told, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." They might be restrained with handcuffs or zip ties. They could be blindfolded or hooded.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York man has been resentenced to prison  at least for now  after going free amid questions about a prominent detective's conduct, then getting convicted again of the same murder at a recent retrial.

Eliseo DeLeon was sentenced Thursday to 20 years to life for the 1995 killing of Fausto Cordero  but DeLeon is immediately eligible to seek parole. He already spent about 24 years behind bars before his conviction was overturned in 2019 and he was granted a new trial, held this summer. His lawyer, Cary London, is hopeful that a parole board will free DeLeon soon.

DeLeon maintains his innocence, and said Thursday he was grateful he'd had another chance to try to show it.

I dont want to go through this again, he told Judge Dena Douglas before she sentenced him. DeLeon, 45, said he wants only to go on with my life.

Cordero was shot in front of his wife, 7-year-old son and niece during an attempted robbery while they headed home from a confirmation party in Brooklyn.

DeLeon's lawyers say he was framed by former New York Police Department Detective Louis Scarcella and his then-partner, Stephen Chmil.

Convictions in nearly 20 cases involving Scarcella, and sometimes Chmil, have been tossed out in the past decade after they were accused of eliciting false confessions and witness identifications. The now-retired sleuths deny any wrongdoing.

Brooklyn prosecutors disavowed most of those convictions but stood by others. DeLeon's case was the first to be retried.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Thursday his office is continuing to review convictions it considers questionable.

"We will move to dismiss wrongful convictions and continue to stand by those that are supported by independent evidence and due process protections, he said in a statement.

Chmil was one of the lead detectives on DeLeon's case, but prosecutors and his lawyers differ on the extent of Scarcella's involvement, and he testified this summer that he doesn't remember the case.

Police records show that Scarcella  then a celebrated ace among Brooklyn's homicide detectives  participated at least in arresting DeLeon, bringing him to a stationhouse, and reading him his rights before he was questioned. Scarcella said he believes he didn't take part in the interrogation.

Police said DeLeon confessed. But when authorities tried to get the alleged admission on video, he asked for a lawyer. The video, which was barred from his initial trial, shows DeLeon saying said he's willing to talk but won't put myself on tape and say I did something I didnt do.

At the retrial this summer, DeLeons lawyers said police concocted the alleged confession and conducted dodgy identification procedures in which eyewitnesses  inaccurately, the defense claimed  pointed to DeLeon as the gunman.

Prosecutors stressed that DeLeon's wife and another eyewitness returned to court and stood by those identifications from 27 years earlier. Prosecutors also said the investigation wasn't propelled by Scarcella and Chmil, who didnt testify at DeLeon's original trial or the preceding hearings.

Douglas, who overturned DeLeon's conviction and granted him the new trial, ultimately convicted him anew last month. DeLeon chose not to have a jury at his retrial.

DeLeon's lawyer called the sentence fair, and the district attorney said justice was again done in this case.

DeLeon had been free since 2019. His lawyer said DeLeon used the time to complete a college program for medical and dental assistants, work in food delivery, and set a wedding date next summer with his fiancee.

When taken into custody after his new conviction, DeLeon had a medical episode that landed him in a hospital overnight, his lawyer said.
Train shipments of grain, fertilizer, lumber, produce and fuel will not come to a screeching halt on Friday, as a strike that could have idled freight and passenger trains across the state and the country seems to have been averted  for now.

After some 20 hours of negotiations, railroad leaders and unions announced a tentative agreement Thursday morning that, at the least, paused a pending national rail strike that had the potential to shut down rail shipments across a variety of industry sectors and hobble already struggling supply chains.

Iowa Democrats said the proposed deal would provide better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind for railroad workers in the state around their health care costs, echoing a statement from President Joe Biden announcing the tentative agreement early Thursday morning.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, meanwhile, cautioned in a Senate floor speech that theres no guarantee that union members  who have been furious with employers for years over working conditions  will ratify the agreement. If they dont, Grassley said Congress must step in and force railroad workers and companies to accept recommendations from a White House panel to avoid a strike that would affect millions of Americans.

The alternative is unacceptable, Grassley said.

A railroad strike would plunge us back into the supply chain issues that have just now started to improve, he said. These trains carry the food we eat, the gas for our tanks and the energy that heats our homes. Already, Im hearing from grain elevators that theyre having trouble transporting feed.

Hazardous cargo  such as the chlorine that cities need to purify drinking water  stopped moving earlier this week due to the potential strike, and Amtrak canceled long-distance passenger train routes that run on tracks owned, maintained and dispatched by freight railroads.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg unless they agree to a long-term deal, Grassley said.

The last thing we need is for grain shipments to grind to a halt right as farmers are trying to harvest their crops. Iowa corn and soybeans cant feed the world if they are stuck on the farm.

An official for one of the unions that represents represent engineers and conductors in Iowa said railroad workers in the state had yet to see specifics of the tentative agreement, but that workers were quietly optimistic.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART-TD, has roughly 700 members in the state, mainly train conductors and some engineers.

Im glad that theyve reached a voluntary, tentative agreement before the deadline was reached, aid Christopher Smith, Iowa state legislative director for SMART-TD. We hope that the agreement is good enough that membership can ratify a vote, and go from there.

Smith said he was hesitant to say too much about the agreement and the threat of a possible strike as negotiations continue.

U.S. freight railroad workers were close to striking over claims that grueling schedules, strict on-call policies and poor working conditions have been driving employees out of the industry over the past several years.

A major sticking point in the labor dispute between rail companies and the unions was the adoption of a points-based attendance policy by some carrier. Those policies penalize workers, up to termination, for going to routine doctors visits or attending to family emergencies.

Conductors and engineers say that they can be on call for 14 consecutive days without a break and that they do not receive a single sick day, paid or unpaid.

Rail employees remained on the job throughout the pandemic, often working mandatory overtime to compensate for staff cuts and departures, but note they have gone without a raise for three years while rail companies saw record profits in 2021 and stock buybacks have boosted shareholder values.

The railroad and unions have been negotiating a new contract since 2019.

SMART-TDs Smith also pointed to a paragraph in a report issued by a presidential emergency board appointed by Biden to help the resolve the labor contract dispute between major freight railroads and unions.

The paragraph states the rail companies believe that capital investment and risk are the reasons for their profits, not any contributions by labor. It also says the carriers assert that since employees have been fairly and adequately paid for their efforts and do not share in the downside risks if the operations are less profitable, then they have no claim to share in the upside, either.

Smith said the statement riled union membership that has worked through the pandemic and now works hard to maintain the railroad in the place it is.

That is still a troubling statement  that we have to work to get past, he said. So hopefully  this agreement is good and we can move forward.

Smith said members were largely reserving judgment until they have a chance to see the exact wording and get briefed on the tentative agreement, which could take a couple of days.

We quietly are remaining optimistic, he said.  We have faith in our national bargaining team that if theyre coming back saying they have something thats worthwhile to potentially ratify, were entrusting them to bring forward a good contract.

One Pleasant Hill, Iowa, railroad worker with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, who did not wish to be identified, said he was still processing and trying to understand the details of the proposed deal, but that he heard from workers who were not pleased.

The worker said that, if implemented, the agreement still would contribute to attrition and health and safety problems, and that it does not address current labor concerns needed to build a better-functioning rail network and supply chain.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn, however, called the tentative agreement an important win for our economy and Iowans.

So the bottom line is that rail workers deserve a fair contract, Wilburn told reporters Thursday, noting his brother is a retired rail worker. A fair contract and bargaining in good faith is critical.

But, regardless of what happens, this tentative agreement ensures that rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind around their health care costs.

Iowas lone Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, applauded rail union leaders for reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract that will avoid a work stoppage.

Its disappointing that union leaders had to fight so hard for fundamental and reasonable demands such as unpaid time off so their members could visit the doctor or take care of loved ones without penalty, Axne said.

While this agreement still needs to be ratified, I am optimistic this progress will keep our goods moving and give a raise and better working conditions for the men and women who work day in and day out to provide for their families and help Iowa farmers and businesses get their goods to market.

Caleb McCullough of The Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.
Train shipments of grain, fertilizer, lumber, produce and fuel will not come to a screeching halt on Friday, as a strike that could have idled freight and passenger trains across the state and the country seems to have been averted  for now.

After some 20 hours of negotiations, railroad leaders and unions announced a tentative agreement Thursday morning that, at the least, paused a pending national rail strike that had the potential to shut down rail shipments across a variety of industry sectors and hobble already struggling supply chains.

Iowa Democrats said the proposed deal would provide better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind for railroad workers in the state around their health care costs, echoing a statement from President Joe Biden announcing the tentative agreement early Thursday morning.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, meanwhile, cautioned in a Senate floor speech that theres no guarantee that union members  who have been furious with employers for years over working conditions  will ratify the agreement. If they dont, Grassley said Congress must step in and force railroad workers and companies to accept recommendations from a White House panel to avoid a strike that would affect millions of Americans.

The alternative is unacceptable, Grassley said.

A railroad strike would plunge us back into the supply chain issues that have just now started to improve, he said. These trains carry the food we eat, the gas for our tanks and the energy that heats our homes. Already, Im hearing from grain elevators that theyre having trouble transporting feed.

Hazardous cargo  such as the chlorine that cities need to purify drinking water  stopped moving earlier this week due to the potential strike, and Amtrak canceled long-distance passenger train routes that run on tracks owned, maintained and dispatched by freight railroads.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg unless they agree to a long-term deal, Grassley said.

The last thing we need is for grain shipments to grind to a halt right as farmers are trying to harvest their crops. Iowa corn and soybeans cant feed the world if they are stuck on the farm.

An official for one of the unions that represent engineers and conductors in Iowa said railroad workers in the state had yet to see specifics of the tentative agreement, but that workers were quietly optimistic.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART-TD, has roughly 700 members in the state, mainly train conductors and some engineers.

Im glad that theyve reached a voluntary, tentative agreement before the deadline was reached, aid Christopher Smith, Iowa state legislative director for SMART-TD. We hope that the agreement is good enough that membership can ratify a vote, and go from there.

Smith said he was hesitant to say too much about the agreement and the threat of a possible strike as negotiations continue.

U.S. freight railroad workers were close to striking over claims that grueling schedules, strict on-call policies and poor working conditions have been driving employees out of the industry over the past several years.

A major sticking point in the labor dispute between rail companies and the unions was the adoption of a points-based attendance policy by some carriers. Those policies penalize workers, up to termination, for going to routine doctors visits or attending to family emergencies.

Conductors and engineers say that they can be on call for 14 consecutive days without a break and that they do not receive a single sick day, paid or unpaid.

Rail employees remained on the job throughout the pandemic, often working mandatory overtime to compensate for staff cuts and departures, but note they have gone without a raise for three years while rail companies saw record profits in 2021 and stock buybacks have boosted shareholder values.

The railroad and unions have been negotiating a new contract since 2019.

SMART-TDs Smith also pointed to a paragraph in a report issued by a presidential emergency board appointed by Biden to help the resolve the labor contract dispute between major freight railroads and unions.

The paragraph states the rail companies believe that capital investment and risk are the reasons for their profits, not any contributions by labor. It also says the carriers assert that since employees have been fairly and adequately paid for their efforts and do not share in the downside risks if the operations are less profitable, then they have no claim to share in the upside, either.

Smith said the statement riled union membership that has worked through the pandemic and now works hard to maintain the railroad in the place it is.

That is still a troubling statement  that we have to work to get past, he said. So hopefully  this agreement is good and we can move forward.

Smith said members were largely reserving judgment until they have a chance to see the exact wording and get briefed on the tentative agreement, which could take a couple of days.

We quietly are remaining optimistic, he said.  We have faith in our national bargaining team that if theyre coming back saying they have something thats worthwhile to potentially ratify, were entrusting them to bring forward a good contract.

One Pleasant Hill railroad worker with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, who did not wish to be identified, said he was still processing and trying to understand the details of the proposed deal, but that he heard from workers who were not pleased.

The worker said that, if implemented, the agreement still would contribute to attrition and health and safety problems, and that it does not address current labor concerns needed to build a better-functioning rail network and supply chain.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn, however, called the tentative agreement an important win for our economy and Iowans.

So the bottom line is that rail workers deserve a fair contract, Wilburn told reporters Thursday, noting his brother is a retired rail worker. A fair contract and bargaining in good faith is critical.

But, regardless of what happens, this tentative agreement ensures that rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions and peace of mind around their health care costs.

Iowas lone Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, applauded rail union leaders for reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract that will avoid a work stoppage.

Its disappointing that union leaders had to fight so hard for fundamental and reasonable demands such as unpaid time off so their members could visit the doctor or take care of loved ones without penalty, Axne said.

While this agreement still needs to be ratified, I am optimistic this progress will keep our goods moving and give a raise and better working conditions for the men and women who work day in and day out to provide for their families and help Iowa farmers and businesses get their goods to market.

Caleb McCullough of the Courier Des Moines Bureau contributed to this story.
Xi Jinping about the common goals of Russia and China: Dear President Putin, my dear and long-time friend, I am very glad to meet you again. In the face of the colossal changes of our time on a global scale, unprecedented in history, we are ready with our Russian colleagues to set an example of a responsible world power and play a leading role in order to put such a rapidly changing world on the trajectory of sustainable and positive development

How did us Americans allow Hate and Warmongering to become so blatantly for most in our lives?

Think we are not a war state?

In my lifetime, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Laotian War, Lebanon War, Bay of Pigs, Dominican War, Cambodian War, again Lebanon, Grenada, Libya, Tanker War, Panama War, Gulf again, Somali, Iraq, Bosnian and Croatian War, Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq again, Pakistan, Somalia twice more, Ocean Shield, Libya again, Operation Observant Compass, again Iraq, Syria, Libya again, and lets not forget Ukraine

I believe I missed a few actually?

That is a Warmongering piece of crap country that starts and manipulates that many wars

WtR
Kyrgyz volunteers gather outside the government building demanding they be sent to the conflict zone at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on Friday agreed to a cease-fire on a shared border where clashes earlier in the day wounded 42 people.
TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said to make progress in the ongoing nuclear talks, the removal of U.S. sanctions on Iran should be accompanied by guarantees and the resolution of safeguards issues, official IRNA news agency reported on Friday.

Raisi made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera news channel in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on Thursday night, stressing the Iranian government is determined to protect the rights of its people.

Speaking of possible direct talks with the U.S., Raisi said "direct negotiations with the U.S. on a (possible) nuclear deal is of no use, and the United States should take trust-building measures with Iran."

The Iranian president questioned Washington's recent move to impose fresh anti-Iran sanctions, saying that if the United States is seeking an agreement with Iran, "why does it impose new sanctions amidst the nuclear negotiations?"

Over the past week, Washington has announced sanctions on a number of Iranian nationals and companies as well as the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. The latest round of the nuclear talks was held in the Austrian capital in early August after a five-month hiatus.

On Aug. 8, the EU put forward its final text of the draft decision on reviving the JCPOA. Iran and the United States later indirectly exchanged views on the EU proposal in a process that has failed to produce any favorable outcome. 
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she plans to make a weekend visit to Armenia, where a cease-fire was holding for a second day after an outburst of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan
Chinas top legislator has called for cooperation with South Korea in advanced technology and supply chains, as he met South Korean leaders amid concerns that their moves to solidify a military alliance with Washington could hamper Seouls ties with Beijing
FILE - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks after touring the IRS New Carrolton Federal Building, Sept. 15, 2022, in Lanham, Md. The Biden administration is moving one step closer to developing a central bank digital currency, otherwise known as the digital dollar. It's a step that administration officials said would help reinforce the U.S. role as a leader in the world financial system.
Brisbane, Sep 16, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Tombola Gold Ltd ( ASX:TBA ) is pleased to announce that following its own internal geological assessment and working in conjunction with the technical team at True North Copper ("TNC"), a Mineral Resource estimate of 72,000 oz Au can be publicly reported for the first time for the Wynberg and Wallace South Projects.



Completion of the acquisition will be subject to the usual approvals by third parties (the responsible Minister, native title holders and novation of existing contracts). Completion of this acquisition will significantly add to the resource inventory of the Company and will provide feed for the Lorena processing facility, once commissioned.



Tombola Gold Managing Director, Byron Miles, commented:



"The mineral resource estimate for Wynberg and Wallace South of 72,000 oz Au will add significant ounces to the Company's existing resource base in the broader Cloncurry region.



It is pleasing to see that the acquisition of these assets from True North will significantly add to the minable resources available as we look to fast-track towards gold production, with Wynberg being development ready and covered by an existing mining lease. In addition, the pipeline of exploration projects that this acquisition brings to the Tombola table offers significant upside to the current mineral resource inventory".



True North Copper Projects - Projects Summary



As announced on 13 July 2022, Tombola entered a Binding Term Sheet with True North Copper Pty Ltd ("True North") for the acquisition of various interests in five additional projects around the Cloncurry region.



The tenements that comprise the TNC Gold Portfolio consist of three mining leases (MLs) and two exploration permits for minerals (EPMs) located in the Cloncurry district of north Queensland. The majority are sited directly east and southeast of the township of Cloncurry (Figure 6*). Resources can be reported for the first time at Wynberg and Wallace South. Other projects, including Buena Vista, Victory, and Wallace East, cannot be publicly reported at this time, with Tombola prioritising the update to these Mineral Resource estimates at these prospects after transfer of the projects.



True North Resource Inventory



Mineral Resources are reported for Wynberg and Wallace South:



Wallace Project Summary



The Wallace Project consists of ML 10077 and ML 90236 (that lie within EPM 15923), located approximately 40 km southeast of Cloncurry. The Wallace Project comprises two main mineralised prospects, namely Wallace South (gold dominant), and Wallace East (gold-copper). There is also a smaller prospect located at Buena Vista (Figure 1*). The Mineral Resource reported here relates to Wallace South alone - where there has previously been mining in 2018-19, and the resource relates to resources remaining below the existing pit floors and between the two open pits.



Wynberg Project Summary



The Wynberg Project consists of EPM 12409 and ML 10011 and is located approximately 30 km eastsoutheast of Cloncurry (Figure 2*). The main zone of mineralisation comprises seven individual prospects, designated as Wynberg Pits (Pit 1 - Pit 7).



Estimation of Mineral Resource for Wallace South



A Mineral Resource estimate (MRE) for Wallace South was updated in September 2018, following new drilling carried out as part of mining the deposit. The mine comprises two open pits. The mine was owned and operated by Round Oak Minerals Ltd (ROM), an unlisted mining company. The ore was hauled and treated at the Great Australia gold plant in Cloncurry. Mining took place between March 2018 through to December 2019. Historical records reflect that the mine produced 558kt at 1.23g/t Au for 22koz. The September 2018 MRE has been depleted for this mining activity.



A total of 14.6koz of gold has been estimated and classified as Indicated and Inferred using JORC 2012 Code (JORC Table 1* appended to this release). The MRE is reported above a 0.5g/t Au cut-off grade and lies within 120m of surface.



The Wallace South orebody remains open and poorly explored at depth, particularly the area between the two current pits.



The Wallace South MRE is reported in accordance with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, 2012 (JORC Code) and the Australian Securities Exchange Listing Rules. This report summarised the information contained in the JORC Code Table 1 which is appended to this report. The breakdown of the total Mineral Resource estimate into the categories specified in the JORC Code is contained in Table 1*.



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/4485FT4I





About Tombola Gold Ltd





Tombola Gold Ltd (ASX:TBA) is a company assembled by experienced, exceedingly well-qualified and all very well rounded team members that have previously floated exploration companies which achieved major resource discoveries and success. Between the Tombola team members, Tombola as a company have well over 100 years of accumulated experience in the mining, exploration and resource sector. Tombola principal objective is to acquire assets to explore for and develop a large IOGC or porphyry deposit funded by low-risk gold production resources. To that end, Tombola has a license covering 970 sq km prospective for gold/copper in the Mount Bryan-Red Banks-World's End area near Burra in South Australia; with strategic agreements with Queensland Mining Corporation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday Morning at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future.

The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each other's trustworthy strategic partners.

China will work with Pakistan to advance their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and accelerate the building of a closer community with a shared future between the two countries in the new era, he said.

Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.

It is important to expand cooperation in such areas as industry, agriculture, science, technology and social welfare to create new impetus for the CPEC's development, he said.

Xi also said China hopes that Pakistan will provide solid protection for the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan as well as the lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses.

China commends Pakistan for taking the lead in actively supporting the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and will work with Pakistan to promote the implementation of these two initiatives, said Xi, adding that the two sides need to enhance communication and collaboration within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral platforms to voice the developing countries' rightful opposition to bloc confrontation and commitment to multilateralism.

Sharif expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for its timely and valuable support as Pakistan has been affected by the serious flooding.

He noted that President Xi is a leader of strategic foresight, and under Xi's strong leadership, China has secured great achievements in its development and made important contributions to peace and development in the region and the wider world.

The Pakistani people hold President Xi in high esteem and view China as an eternal, great friend of Pakistan, he added.

Pakistan wishes the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success, said Sharif.

Pakistan is firmly committed to the one-China policy, and firmly supports China's position on issues concerning its core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, he said, adding that Pakistan is resolutely opposed to the attempt of certain forces to undermine China's sovereignty and to interfere in its internal affairs.

The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable and unparalleled, said Sharif, adding that Pakistan will make its best efforts to protect the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan, continue its active participation in the Belt and Road cooperation and make CPEC a model of mutually beneficial cooperation.

He added that Pakistan will work with China to take their bilateral relationship to a new height.

Relevant departments of the two countries signed documents on cooperation in railway, e-commerce and other areas.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
Attorneys for the city of Albuquerque and the U.S. Department of Justice have signed off on an agreement formalizing the citys self-monitoring and self-assessment of nearly a quarter of the requirements laid out in the settlement agreement mandating police reform.

The parties in the case had reached the agreement over the summer but had not yet created a plan of how it would work. They filed a joint notice and a 47-page plan in federal court on Thursday.

The 62 paragraphs that the Albuquerque Police Department will be monitoring involve the Multi-Agency Task Force, specialized units, behavioral health training, public information on civilian complaints and more.

This agreement marks a huge milestone for our police department and our city and should be noticed as a significant accomplishment in the reform process, Mayor Tim Keller said in a news release. As this process has not been easy for our officers, we did not give up on getting through the challenges, and have done so in a way that is sustainable for our police department and its dedicated staff.

U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez for the District of New Mexico also commended the work APD has done.

Successful self-assessment is the cornerstone of true reform, and the Albuquerque community should expect no less , Uballez said. Together, we will realize the goals set out by this community, through mutual agreement, seven years ago.

The city entered into the Court Approved Settlement Agreement in late 2014 and has had ups and downs throughout the years. In 2020, an independent monitor overseeing the reform effort blasted the police department for failing to hold officers accountable and in 2021 internal investigators allowed a backlog of use of force cases to grow.

However, in his latest report, the monitor was complimentary of APDs progress and city officials said they have finally found a light at the end of the tunnel in the reform process.

We overcame many challenges to get to this point, Police Chief Harold Medina said. I appreciate the acknowledgement from the DOJ of our progress and our commitment to reform at APD.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

The murder trial of Noah Duran lurched to a start Thursday after attorneys spent the morning debating whether a key prosecution witness should be allowed to testify.

Duran, 18, is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery and two other felonies in the Oct. 29, 2020, shooting death of 22-year-old Elijah Mirabal at a park in Northeast Albuquerque.

This marks Durans second trial on the same charges. Second Judicial District Judge Bruce Fox declared a mistrial May 2 after a jury deadlocked on all five felony counts. Jurors split 5-7 on the murder charge in that trial.

Prosecutors allege that Durans codefendant set up a drug deal on the social media platform Snapchat with the intention of robbing Mirabal at North Domingo Baca Park, just north of Wyoming and Paseo del Norte NE.

Mirabal pulled a handgun to defend himself and was killed in the resulting shootout, Assistant District Attorney Guinevere Ice told jurors during her opening statement.

Durans attorney, Ryan Villa, responded that Duran and another teenager went to the park to buy cocaine, and fired in self-defense after Mirabal pulled a pistol and began firing.

This was not a robbery, Villa told jurors. Simply a drug deal gone bad.

Before the jury was seated Thursday, Deputy District Attorney John Duran acknowledged that a key witness, Zachary Henderson, had lied under oath about two facts during his testimony in Noah Durans first trial, raising the possibility that Henderson could be charged with perjury.

Henderson, a key prosecution witness, was a passenger in Mirabals car and was shot in the leg during the exchange of gunfire.

At the request of prosecutors, 2nd Judicial District Judge Lucy Solimon granted Henderson limited immunity, allowing him to testify without putting himself at greater risk should he be charged with perjury.

Solimon rejected Villas request to bar Henderson from testifying. But the judge said Villa could use Hendersons false statements to impeach his credibility with jurors.

Prosecutors contend that Noah Duran and his codefendant, Jaden Sandoval, set up the cocaine purchase as a pretext for robbing Mirabal. Ice told jurors that Duran came armed for the purpose with an AK-type rifle later recovered near the park.

Duran and Sandoval walked up to the drivers side of Mirabal car, pulled firearms and announced a robbery, Ice told jurors.

Sandoval, 20, was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder, armed robbery and other charges. No trial has been scheduled in his case.

Noah Duran ends up firing 17 times based on shell casings found at the scene, Ice said. Elijah (Mirabal) tries to defend himself, but he is not in an advantageous position. Elijah is outgunned. He is shot in the head.

Defense attorneys responded that Duran began shooting in self-defense after Mirabal pulled a handgun and began firing, striking Duran four times and seriously injuring him.

Noah Duran likely survived only because Mirabals gun jammed after firing four shots, Villa said. Duran returned fire at the car after he had been struck by gunfire and was lying on the ground beside Mirabals car, Villa said.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  After a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing states to ban abortion was published in May, New Mexico saw women between ages 21 to 60 register to vote at a higher clip than men for three successive months.

While voter registration numbers typically tend to swell during summer months as political campaigns work to win over new voters, the gender-based trend suggests the court ruling overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision might be motivating some female New Mexico voters.

Other states also saw a spike in newly registered women voters this summer, and a longtime state political observer said the Supreme Court ruling could end up mobilizing Democratic voters in an election cycle that was initially predicted to favor Republican candidates.

It does look like there may have been mobilization across age groups, said Lonna Atkeson, a former University of New Mexico political science professor who now works in Florida but still tracks New Mexico election data.

Specifically, Atkeson cited the spike in new voter registrations among women in their 40s and 50s  there were 5,520 women in those age categories who signed up to vote from June through August, compared to 4,841 men who registered during the same time period, according to Secretary of States Office data.

Those are women who came of age when abortion was a huge issue, said Atkeson, who added women generally lean more Democratic than men and tend to make up a larger slice of the states overall voting population.

Of course, some of the newly registered female voters could be Republicans who are motivated to vote in the November general election for the opposite reason.

The month-by-month breakdown of new voters provided by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers office to the Journal broke down voters by age and gender  but not by political affiliation.

And, interestingly, young men between the ages of 17 to 20 have been registering to vote at a greater rate than females in that same age range during every month this year, according to the data.

However, there are national signs the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling could be galvanizing Democratic voters.

Last month, voters in Kansas rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state.

In New Mexico, a recent Journal Poll of likely general election voters found 35% of voters believe abortion should always be legal and 22% said the procedure should be legal with some limitations.

Twenty-five percent said it should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest or when a mothers life is in danger and 12% of voters surveyed in the poll said abortion should always be illegal. The remaining voters had different views on the issue or declined to say.

Abortion on the ballot

Abortion has emerged as a hot-button issue in this years election cycle  both in New Mexico and nationally  after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June.

While Texas and other neighboring states have enacted abortion bans, New Mexico continues to allow abortion services without any restrictions since state lawmakers in 2021 passed legislation  signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham  repealing a long-dormant 1969 abortion ban.

With New Mexico seeing an influx of out-of-state residents traveling to within its borders to obtain abortion services, the Democratic governor also issued an executive order in June aimed at protecting abortion patients and providers from lawsuits and arrest warrants issued in other states.

Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti, Lujan Grishams primary rival in this years race for governor, said after the Supreme Court ruling was announced he would support banning abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and in pregnancies that put a womans life at risk.

Both Lujan Grisham and Ronchetti have blasted each other for holding extreme views on abortion, as Ronchetti has claimed the governors opposition to abortion restrictions puts her out of touch with New Mexico voters.

But Democrats have seized on comments made by Steve Smothermon, senior pastor of Legacy Church in Albuquerque, who said in a July 10 sermon that Ronchetti had told him he believes pushing for a total abortion ban would keep him from getting elected, so hes starting with a less-expansive proposal.

Voter statistics in NM

Alex Curtas, the spokesman for the Secretary of States Office, said its difficult to tell whether the increase in women voters registrations is due to the Supreme Court ruling.

Campaigns are very active during the summers before elections talking to and registering voters, so we do normally see spikes like this in the summers, Curtas told the Journal.

In all, New Mexico had roughly 1.35 million registered voters as of Aug. 31, according to the Secretary of States Office.

Of that amount, about 600,000 were registered Democrats  or 44.4% of all voters  and 421,422 were Republicans. The remaining voters were a mix of Libertarians, minor party members and those who declined to state a political party affiliation.

While there were only about 5,200 more voters registered at the end of August than there were at the end of May, Curtas said the states voter rolls are constantly being adjusted due to deaths, new registrations, voters moving out of state and felony convictions that bar an individual from voting.

Regardless of whether the increase in newly registered female voters ends up impacting political races in New Mexico this fall, Atkeson said the abortion ruling has injected a new political dynamic into an election cycle in which Republicans hope to capitalize on President Joe Bidens low approval ratings.

In a year in which some Democrats are not that excited about Biden and the economy, maybe this helps to mobilize Democratic women, Atkeson said.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico State Police arrested a Taos man for his eighth DWI on Sunday night.

Pete Pedroncelli, 60, was charged with aggravated DWI and booked into the Taos County Detention Center.

Court records show Pedroncelli has been convicted seven times for DWI since the 1980. State Police said he had a revoked license and interlock requirement  but no interlock installed  at the time of Sundays arrest.

Pedroncellis last conviction was in 2014, when he pleaded guilty to DWI and was sentenced to three years in prison followed by two years parole.

(Pedroncelli) shall install an ignition interlock in any vehicle he owns or operates for the remainder of his life, according to the plea agreement.

A State Police officer was on patrol in Taos County around 10 p.m. when he saw a driver make a turn off N.M. 68 without using a signal, according to a criminal complaint filed in Taos Magistrate Court. The officer tried to pull over the driver but the person didnt stop until reaching a mobile home park and parking in front of a trailer.

Police said the driver, Pedroncelli, ignored police commands to stay in the car and got out, telling the officer his window didnt work. The officer ran Pedroncellis information and found he had a DWI-related revoked license and no interlock as required.

Police say Pedroncellis breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and he told an officer he drank a two tallboys of beer, according to the complaint. There was an open Budweiser in the cup holder, which (Pedroncelli) had attempted to conceal with a glove over the can.

Police said Pedroncelli declined a breath-alcohol test and police secured a warrant to draw his blood, which was done around 1 a.m. Afterward, he was booked into jail.
IZIUM, Ukraine  Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Friday.

The site near the northeastern city of Izium, recently recaptured from Russian forces, appears to be one of the largest discovered in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy spoke in a video he rushed out just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. He said more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims was not yet known.

Digging in the rain, workers hauled body after body out of the sandy soil in a misty pine forest near Izium. Protected by head-to-toe suits and rubber gloves, they gently felt through the decomposing remains of the victims clothing, seemingly looking for identifying items.

Associated Press journalists who visited the site saw graves marked with simple wooden crosses. Some of the markers bore peoples names and had flowers hanging from them.

Before digging, investigators with metal detectors scanned the site for explosives, and soldiers strung red and white plastic tape between the trees.

Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found near Iziums Pishchanske cemetery after being tortured, shot or killed by artillery shelling.

He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In another sign of possible torture, one man was found with his hands tied, according to Serhiy Bohdan, the head of Kharikiv police investigations, and Ukraines commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

Ukrainian authorities warned that their investigation was just beginning, and the scale of the killings could rise dramatically.

The harsh reality indicates that the number of dead in Izium may be many times higher than the Bucha tragedy, Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said on Telegram.

Bucha is a Kyiv suburb where authorities have said 458 bodies were found after a 33-day Russian occupation. Authorities say they have uncovered the bodies of more than 1,300 people elsewhere, many in mass graves in the Kyiv-area forest.

Zelenskyy, who visited the Izium area Wednesday, said the discoveries showed again the need for world leaders to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Meanwhile, in his first public comments on Ukraines recent battlefield gains, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the war and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin told reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan.

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure sites near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

The liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal, Putin said.

We arent in a rush, he said, adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Some hard-line Russian politicians and military bloggers have lamented manpower shortages and urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraines example and order broad mobilization to beef up the ranks.

Ukrainian forces gained access to the site near Izium after recapturing the city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a lighting advance that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. Ukrainian officials also found evidence of torture elsewhere in the region.

The U.N. human rights office said it would investigate, and the human rights group Amnesty International said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed our darkest fears.

For every unlawful killing or other war crime, there must be justice and reparation for victims and their families and a fair trial and accountability for suspected perpetrators, said Marie Struthers, the groups director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Most of the people buried at the site were believed to be civilians, but a marker on one mass grave said it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian officials distanced themselves from responsibility for the site.

The Khariv regions Russian-installed governor, Vitaly Ganchev, told Russias state-run Tass news agency that Ukrainian, not Russian, forces were responsible for civilian casualties in Izium. Tass also quoted a member of Russias parliament, Alexander Malkevich, claiming that Ukrainian troops had abandoned their dead, so Russian forces buried them.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the war continued to claim lives and wreak destruction.

 Ukraines presidential office said Russian shelling killed five civilians and wounded 18 in a 24-hour span. Missile strikes were also reported, with Zelenskyys hometown of Kryvyi Rih among the targets for a third consecutive day Friday. Air raid sirens howled in the capital, Kyiv.

 More killings targeting pro-Russian separatist officials were reported in areas under their control. Separatist authorities said a blast killed the prosecutor-general and his deputy of the self-proclaimed republic in the Luhansk region. Moscow-backed authorities said two Russian-installed officials were also killed in Berdyansk, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region occupied earlier in the war. And local authorities reported three people were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on an administrative building in Russian-occupied Kherson.

 To bolster the Ukrainian offensive, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid.

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building, some of whom he pulled out of rubble with my own hands.

Izium was a key supply hub for Russian forces until they withdrew in recent days. Izium city council member Maksym Strelnikov told reporters that hundreds of people had died during the fighting and after Russia seized the town in March. Many couldnt be properly buried, he said.

His claims could not be immediately verified, but similar scenes have played out in other cities Russian forces captured, including Mariupol.

Ukraines national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said torture chambers have been found in the Kharkiv regions recaptured towns and villages. The claim could not be independently verified.

Seven Sri Lankan students who fell into Russian hands in Kupiansk, also in the Kharkiv region, have also said that they were held and mistreated, he said.

They are scared, they were abused, Klymenko said. They include a woman who can barely speak and two people with torn toe nails.

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This story has been updated to correct that seven, not six, Sri Lankan students said they fell into Russian hands.

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Associated Press journalists Hanna Arhirova and Jon Gambrell in Kyiv and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed reporting.

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Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
LONDON  A surging tide of people  ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham  have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament. The government also warned that overnight temperatures will be cold.

The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening. A babys cry was the only sound.

Those who came often bowed before the coffin or made a sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals shining in the spotlights, offered sharp salutes. Some people wept. Many hugged one another as they stepped away, proud to have spent hours in line to offer a tribute, even if it lasted only a few moments.

Beckham was spotted in the line of mourners near Britains Houses of Parliament at lunchtime Friday. Hes believed to have joined the queue at 2 a.m. and to have lined up for more than 10 hours. Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly to the coffin before moving out of Westminster Hall.

We have been lucky as a nation to have had someone who has led us the way her majesty has led us, for the amount of time, with kindness, with caring and always reassurance, Beckham said. I think thats the one thing that we all felt safe and we will continue that with the royal family. But I think her majesty was someone special and will be missed, not just by everyone in our country but everyone around the world.

Helena Larsen, 76, arrived just too late at the park to get into the line.

We have literally got here and they have shut it in front of us, she said, adding that she would likely hang around until the gates were reopened.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said viewing the queens coffin lying in state was an unforgettable experience.

Youre in Westminster Hall in her presence, with a crown on top of her coffin, and its incredibly emotional, he told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Chinese officials reportedly was barred from visiting the historic hall in the Houses of Parliament where the late queens coffin is lying, as geopolitics cast a shadow over the solemn pageantry.

The Chinese ambassador to the U.K. has been banned from Parliament for a year after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year for speaking out against Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority in the far-west Xinjiang region.

The offices of Prime Minister Liz Truss and of House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle declined to comment Friday on a report by news outlet Politico saying the Chinese delegation would not be allowed into Westminster Hall.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not seen the Politico report but that as host of the queens funeral, the U.K. government should follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests.

A Chinese delegation is expected to attend the queens Monday funeral, which is in Westminster Abbey and not Parliament. Organizers of the funeral have not published a guest list.

After a day out of the public eye, King Charles III flew to Wales on Friday on the final leg of his tour of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.

Charles, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a prayer service in honor of his late mother. After it, he and Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted crowds of wellwishers, including flag-waving schoolchildren, as people chanted God save the king!

A small group protested his visit, with one person holding up a banner saying: King? No thanks.

The king later traveled to the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, to receive condolences from legislators. He told them that Wales could not have been closer to my mothers heart.

Charles said he felt immense gratitude for the privilege of serving for decades as Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the heir to the throne. His eldest son Prince William now has that title.

Charles returned to London to stand vigil at his mothers coffin in the evening with his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Before the vigil, Edward said the royal family had been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect (for) our dear mama.

On Saturday, all eight of Queen Elizabeth IIs grandchildren are expected to stand vigil beside her coffin.

Charles sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will attend along with Princess Annes children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and the two children of Prince Edward  Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

William, who after his grandmothers death is now the heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, will be in uniform.

Most senior royals hold honorary military roles and have worn uniforms to commemorate the queen. Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a British army officer, wore civilian clothes during the procession of the queens coffin from Buckingham Palace because he is no longer a working member of the royal family. He and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.

The king, however, has requested that both William and Harry wear their military uniforms at the Westminster Hall vigil.

London police said the queens state funeral on Monday will be the largest single policing event the force has ever handled, surpassing even the 2012 Summer Olympics and the queens Platinum Jubilee in June celebrating her 70 years on the throne.

The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense, said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundyhe.

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Renata Brio and Jeffrey Schaeffer in London contributed.

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Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan  Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraines latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

Speaking to reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Putin said the liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal and that he sees no need to revise it.

We arent in a rush, the Russian leader said, adding that Moscow has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Some hard-line politicians and military bloggers have urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraines example and order a broad mobilization to beef up the ranks, lamenting Russias manpower shortage.

Russia was forced to pull back its forces from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week after a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraines move to reclaim control of several Russian-occupied cities and villages marked the largest military setback for Moscow since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early in the war.

In his first comment on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin said: Lets see how it develops and how it ends.

He noted that Ukraine has tried to strike civilian infrastructure in Russia and we so far have responded with restraint, but just yet.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin said.

Just recently, the Russian armed forces have delivered a couple of impactful strikes, he said in an apparent reference to Russian attacks earlier this week on power plants in northern Ukraine and a dam in the south. Lets consider those as warning strikes.

He alleged, without offering specifics, that Ukraine has attempted to launch attacks near our nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants, adding that we will retaliate if they fail to understand that such methods are unacceptable.

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure in areas near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

Putin also sought Friday to assuage Indias concern about the conflict in Ukraine, telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Moscow wants to see a quick end to the fighting and alleging that Ukrainian officials wont negotiate.

I know your stand on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you have repeatedly voiced, the Russian leader told Modi. We will do all we can to end that as quickly as possible. Regrettably, the other side, the leadership of Ukraine, has rejected the negotiations process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, on the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its Russia that allegedly doesnt want to negotiate in earnest. He also has insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for talks.

Putins remarks during the talks with Modi echoed comments the Russian leader made during Thursdays meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when Putin thanked him for his governments balanced position on the Ukraine war, while adding that he was ready to discuss Chinas unspecified concerns about Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Putin said he and Xi discussed what we should do in the current conditions to efficiently counter unlawful restrictions imposed by the West. The European Union, the United States and other Western nations have put sanctions on Russian energy due to the war in Ukraine.

Xi, in a statement released by his government, expressed support for Russias core interests but also interest in working together to inject stability into world affairs. Chinas relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India have been strained by disputes about technology, security, human rights and territory.

Zhang Lihua, an international relations expert at Tsinghua University, said the reference to stability is mainly related to China-U.S. relations, adding that the United States has been using all means to suppress China, which forced China to seek cooperation with Russia.

China and India have refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine while increasing their purchases of Russian oil and gas, helping Moscow offset the financial restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

Putin also met Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss bolstering economic cooperation and regional issues, including a July deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to resume from the countrys Black Sea ports.

Speaking at the Uzbekistan summit on Friday, Xi warned his Central Asian neighbors not to allow outsiders to destabilize them. The warning reflects Beijings anxiety that Western support for democracy and human rights activists is a plot to undermine Xis ruling Communist Party and other authoritarian governments.

We should prevent external forces from instigating a color revolution, Xi said in a speech to the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member nations, referring to protests that toppled unpopular regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.

Xi offered to train 2,000 police officers, to set up a regional counterterrorism training center and to strengthen law enforcement capacity building. He did not elaborate.

His comments echoed longtime Russian grievances about the color-coded democratic uprisings in several ex-Soviet nations that the Kremlin viewed as instigated by the U.S. and its allies.

Xi is promoting a Global Security Initiative announced in April following the formation of the Quad by the U.S., Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijings more assertive foreign policy. U.S. officials complain it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscows actions in Ukraine.

Central Asia is part of Chinas multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and China as a counterweight to U.S. influence. The group also includes India, Pakistan and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is on track to receive full membership.

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Follow all AP stories about the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
RENO, Nev.  The GOPs nominee for Nevada governor said Thursday he would fight against a national abortion ban if Congress were to pass one.

Its the vote of the people within the state of Nevada, and I will support that, Joe Lombardo, who is generally anti-abortion, told reporters while campaigning in the state with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. That is an issue that doesnt need to be in politics.

Nevada voters codified the right to abortion up to 24 weeks into law in a 1990 referendum. Any order to further restrict abortion would have to come from a vote of the people, not the state legislature, unlike in many other states.

Earlier this week, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a near-total abortion ban after 15 weeks. The legislation undermined many GOP candidates arguments this summer that the future of abortion rights in the U.S. would be decided by individual states.

Lombardo, who is the Clark County sheriff, has long maintained that as governor he would respect the 1990 vote though he is Catholic and holds anti-abortion views.

Still, a nationwide abortion ban would supersede Nevada law, and it is unclear how Lombardo could fight one.

Lombardos announcement came in contrast to some Republicans who have shied away or supported Grahams proposal. Republican April Becker, a candidate in Nevadas 3rd Congressional District, opposes abortion except for instances of rape and incest. But she told NBC News this week that she would vote against a nationwide abortion ban, calling it unconstitutional for Congress to regulate abortion.

Also on Thursday, New Mexicos Republican governor nominee proposed a referendum that could place new limitations on abortion access.

Following the Supreme Courts decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, Nevada Gov. Sisolak signed an executive order saying Nevada will not assist other states that try to prosecute residents who travel to Nevada for abortions. It also ensures medical boards and commissions that oversee medical licenses do not discipline or disqualify doctors who provide abortions.

Though he has stepped back from when he said he would overturn the executive order, Lombardo has maintained that he would look at it from the lens of being a pro-life governor.

After Thursdays rally, Sisolak spokesperson Natalie Gould released a statement saying Joe Lombardo is lying.

Lombardo and Youngkin spent the day holding events in both Las Vegas and Reno, where the Virginia governor evoked his own high-profile victory a year ago.

Lombardo attacked the Democratic incumbent Sisolak on education, crime and for closing nonessential businesses early in the COVID-19 pandemic. He talked of further diversifying Nevadas economy, more power for school decision-making to parents and expanding charter schools.

This was a movement, Youngkin said of his victory later on. And that movement is here now. Its your turn.

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Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Stern on Twitter @gabestern326
DENVER  A Colorado man has been convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the cold case slayings of two women whose bodies were found near the mountain resort town of Breckenridge in 1982.

Alan Lee Phillips, 71, was arrested last year in the mountain hamlet of Dumont, west of Denver, after local, state and federal authorities using DNA evidence identified him as a suspect in the killings of Annette Schnee, 21, and Barbara Bobbi Jo Oberholtzer, 29.

A Park County jury in Fairplay deliberated for just five hours before convicting Phillips of eight counts late Thursday, including first-degree murder after deliberation and first-degree murder involving felony kidnapping and robbery, Rob McCallum, a spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department, said Friday.

Phillips faces life in prison when he is sentenced at a hearing set for Nov. 7.

Local, state and federal authorities used DNA testing to help identify Phillips as a potential suspect. A miner and automobile mechanic, Phillips had lived in the area over the past four decades. He was arrested in early 2021.

Authorities said the two women, whose bodies were found in separate locations, had no connection. Both were believed to be hitchhiking outside Breckenridge, a ski resort town about 60 miles (96 kilometers) southwest of Denver, when they disappeared on Jan. 6, 1982.

Friends and family discovered Oberholtzers body the next day in a snow drift on the summit of 11,542-foot (3,463-meter) Hoosier Pass, near Breckenridge, one day after she disappeared. Schnees body was discovered six months later, fully clothed, by a boy fishing in a creek in rural Park County. Both women had been shot.

Investigators said Phillips was rescued the night that the women disappeared from the top of nearby Guanella Pass when his truck got stuck during a snowstorm, KUSA-TV reported. The victims did not know Phillips or each other.

Bobbi Jo was a fighter and is a hero. She fought back and because of that we were able to get DNA evidence to convict Annette and Bobbi Jos killer after all this time, Linda Stanley, district attorney for the 11th Judicial District, said in a statement.

This absolutely gives hope to people, said Deputy District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, who helped prosecute the case. This case being so old, this (verdict) shows theres no case that cant be solved.

Phillips was represented by the public defenders office, which does not comment on cases.
We should hope a state district judges ruling that Rio Rancho cannot use the states Childrens Code to withhold basic public information will be a wake-up call for other records custodians in New Mexico.

But thats probably wishful thinking. Some custodians of public records in New Mexico have a track record of stubborn refusal to comply with the Inspection of Public Records Act, or IPRA. Judicial rulings and hefty fines rarely seem to deter attempts to dodge the law, which requires open access to almost all public records in state and local government, with few exceptions  the Childrens Code being one of them.

Sandoval County District Judge James Noel ruled last week the city of Rio Rancho should have turned over a police incident report and 911 recordings related to the initial investigation of the December 2021 fatal shooting death of a 2-year-old boy at his familys home. Noel said he didnt believe the citys claim the Childrens Code, which covers abuse and neglect proceedings and juvenile delinquency matters, extends to the law enforcement records created after the death of Lincoln Harmon, the son of a Santa Fe police officer.

Noel found that the interpretation of the law presented by the city could end up keeping the public in the dark about police investigations into childrens deaths. It also created suspicion officers get special treatment.

Under IPRA, the public has the right to take legal action if denied access to public records. Noel required the records be made available to the Santa Fe New Mexican, which along with the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, filed suit in March seeking a ruling the records sought werent confidential. He also initiated a compilation of attorney fees and costs the city will be required to pay for failure to produce the records in a timely fashion. In addition, damages up to $100 a day can be assessed.

Noels ruling echoed an opinion by the state Attorney Generals Office in March that the records were public. Unfortunately, Rio Rancho doubled down and pursued a fruitless course of action that cost taxpayers both money and confidence their government is transparent and accountable.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday morning at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi pointed out that China and Iran enjoy a longstanding friendship and that their relations have stood the test of a changing international landscape.

To consolidate and grow the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is the common strategic choice of both sides, Xi said.

China views its relations with Iran from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to increase strategic communication and coordination with Iran to push for new progress in bilateral ties, said the Chinese president.

Xi underscored that China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and national dignity and will work with Iran to uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and the common interests of developing countries.

The two sides should make active efforts to implement their Comprehensive Cooperation Plan, advance Belt and Road cooperation, and strive for more deliverables of cooperation, Xi said.

Noting Iran is welcome to join the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), Xi said China congratulates Iran on becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and stands ready for closer coordination and cooperation with Iran within the SCO framework.

China will continue to take a constructive part in the negotiations on resuming the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and support Iran in safeguarding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests, Xi said.

Raisi noted the profound tradition of friendship between Iran and China and the great strategic significance of the bilateral relationship.

Iran is firmly committed to strengthening cooperation with China across the board and intensifying exchanges at various levels to further grow the Iran-China comprehensive strategic partnership, Raisi said.

Iran, said the president, is convinced that under the able leadership of President Xi, China will effectively safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and realize the great goal of building a modern country.

Iran appreciates China's position of upholding fairness and justice in international affairs, Raisi said.

With Iran becoming a full member of the SCO, Iran and China will be better able to step up cooperation within multilateral frameworks at both regional and international levels, Raisi said.

Iran supports cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, the GDI and the GSI, and is prepared to work more closely with China to uphold true multilateralism, Raisi said.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
An out-of-state, multifamily developer has continued its expansion into New Mexico with the recent acquisition of Vista Mesa Villa  a three-story, 100-unit apartment complex in Grants.

The company, Community Preservation Partners, acquired the property in August in partnership with property management company JL Gray, who will serve as the owner and manager of the complex.

The acquisition cost was $6.5 million and CPP plans to invest $4.7 million in renovations, the company said. CPPs total development investment is expected to be about $17 million.

This transaction allows us to rehab the property and by partnering with JL Gray, we are also bringing the affordable housing community under local management and ownership, said Anand Kannan, CPPs president. This project will strengthen the community by providing safe, affordable housing to the residents who need it.

Vista Mesa Villa, which is comprised of one- and two-bedroom units, is for residents making 60% or less of the area median income, according to the news release.

With the acquisition, CPP will convert five units in the complex to be ADA accessible and will ensure that property amenities are on the accessible path of travel for ADA access, according to a news release.

The renovation will also include upgrades to counters, cabinets, floors, lighting, appliances, windows and doors for all 100 units on the property. CPP said each unit will approximately cost $45,000 to renovate. CPP said boilers will be replaced and roofing, electrical and plumbing systems will all be repaired.

Lastly, CPP said it will make upgrades to the playground with new equipment that will be installed and it will provide free internet access for residents on the property.

CPP, founded in 2004, focuses on acquiring affordable housing communities  many that are in rough shape  across the country and renovating them. To date, the company has acquired and rehabilitated about 11,000 multifamily and senior housing units across the U.S.

That includes other property acquisitions here in New Mexico. CPP began acquiring and renovating properties in 2013, said CPP Vice President of development Karen Buckland. She said CPP, to date, has completed about seven transactions, representing nearly 1,000 units across the state.

In November, the company announced it had acquired 218 units across the towns of Portales, Las Vegas, Artesia, Belen and Ruidoso for $7.3 million with a 4% tax credit equity investment of $8 million. They invested about $32,000 into each unit  which included six apartment complexes across those towns  and worked through renovations this year, the company said. Four of those apartment complexes have had renovations completed, Buckland said, and two more are expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Buckland added that CPP expects to complete transactions for an additional 460 units in the state in the first quarter of 2023, but declined to provide additional details since the deals are yet to be completed. But she said New Mexico is a state that CPP has a particular focus on, and one they will continuously look to invest in.

A lot of these assets that are existing are at risk of losing their affordability, she said. Were looking to preserve that.
Justin Sommer and Austin Willis are trained to make decisions under high stress situations.

As pediatrics specialists at Presbyterian Hospital, its often required.

Yet, as the doctors get down time, each likes to unwind by creating sculptures with Lego.

For Willis, his children are the ones he creates Lego projects with.

Sommer uses his Lego time as a decompression tool after a long day.

I started building my own stuff while I was in medical school as a way to decompress from the day of learning, Sommer says. Im part of the New Mexico Lego User Group  I have a Lego room in my house.

Just when their daily lives seem like nothing else could be crammed in, the two Albuquerque residents carved out enough time to be contestants on the Fox series, Lego Masters. The third season premieres at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21.

The competition series is hosted by actor and producer Will Arnett. The series brings imagination, design and creativity to life when teams of Lego enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of Lego bricks.

Teams of two will compete against each other in even more ambitious brick-building challenges  including an earthquake tower challenge, a demolition derby, a Lego fashion show and more  to be crowned the countrys most talented amateur Lego builders.

In each episode, Arnett, alongside expert Brickmasters and Lego employees Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard, encourage the builders, introduce incredible challenges and put their creativity and skills to the test.

The competing pairs who impress the judges the most will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a $100,000 cash prize, the ultimate Lego trophy and the grand title.

Sommer went to Willis with the idea of trying out for the series.

I remember (Austin) telling me, Theres no way that my wife would go for this,  Sommer says.

She was all for it, Willis continues.

With both doctors on board, they still had to make the big ask to their work.

Since they are both from the pediatrics team at Presbyterian, it meant that the department would be down two more people.

I said lets do it and try to make it happen, Willis says. We talked to our boss and colleagues.

Our colleagues make it possible, Sommer explains. While we were gone from work, they really stepped up to make sure that a beat wasnt missed.

Arriving on set, the pair knew immediately they were in for a wild ride.

The show taps into the extreme creativity, Willis says. There are 5 million Lego bricks and the challenges are so unpredictable. Its like problem solving and how to use these brings by not only expressing ourselves and completing the challenges.

Sommer says each challenge can take hours to complete.

For me, that was a big change. The time element is what youre racing against, Sommer says. We have millions of bricks to choose from and theres a lot you can do with them.

Sommer and Willis are used to having to process information quickly as doctors.

With Lego Masters, the duo tried not to let the camera element get the best of them.

When I was blocking a shot, theyd ask me to move, Willis says. I learned a lot from the show. Its Lego not Legos and they are bricks. Im used to building with my two boys. Justin chose a wild card in me. We definitely proved ourselves and I can correct my mistakes. They called me out (on set).

The pair didnt get used to the hair and makeup for the show either.

We had it easy, Sommer explains. After we got touched up, Austin and I were hanging out. There were some other teams that stayed in hair and make up longer. They were stressed.

While the pair cant disclose how they did on the show, they both agree it was a great experience and will watch alongside the world when it premieres.

My children have taken more of an interest since Im going to be on the show, Willis says. Its starting to get expensive.

ON TV

Albuquerque residents Justin Sommer and Austin Willis are competitors on the new season of Lego Masters, which premieres at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, on Fox.
PHOENIX  The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature will not try to defend a new law limiting up-close filming of police that has been blocked by a federal judge, a decision that essentially ends the fight over the contentious proposal.

Senate President Karen Fann and House Speaker Rusty Bowers both said they would not intervene in the case by the Friday deadline set by the federal judge when he temporarily blocked the new law from taking effect last week on First Amendment grounds.

And the bills sponsor, Republican Rep. John Kavanagh, said Friday that he has been unable to find an outside group to defend the law, which was challenged by news media organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The groups will now ask that the law, which was set to take effect next week, be permanently blocked.

Kavanagh said he will review U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchis ruling and see if he can craft a law that passes constitutional muster. He said the law is needed to keep people from distracting police while they are trying to make an arrest, but Tuchi agreed with the challengers that it runs afoul of precedents that say the public and press have a right to film police doing their jobs.

Tuchi noted that there are already Arizona laws barring interfering with police, and that singling out people for taking videos appears to be unconstitutional on its face. And he wrote in his ruling that barring someone from using a phone or news video camera to record  without banning other actions  is a content-based restriction that is illegal.

If the goal of HB2319 is to prevent interference with law enforcement activities, the Court fails to see how the presence of a person recording a video near an officer interferes with the officers activities, Tuchi wrote.

The law makes it illegal to knowingly film police officers 8 feet (2.5 meters) or closer if the officer tells the person to stop. And on private property, an officer who decides someone is interfering or the area is unsafe can order the person to stop filming even if the recording is being made with the owners permission.

Bystander cellphone videos are largely credited with revealing police misconduct  such as with the 2020 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis officers  and reshaping the conversation around police transparency. But Republican Arizona lawmakers say the legislation was needed to limit people with cameras who deliberately impede officers.

Kavanagh and the Legislature were warned repeatedly by the ACLU and the National Press Photographers Association that the proposal would violate the First Amendment, but it passed anyway with only Republican support. The NPPA, on behalf of itself and more than two dozen press groups and media companies including The Associated Press, also wrote to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey after the measure was passed, telling him as well that it was unconstitutional and urging a veto. Ducey signed the bill anyway.

Mickey H. Osterreicher, the general counsel for the photographers association, called the law an unconstitutional solution in search of a non-existent problem.

Its always a lot easier to write a letter than it is to have to file a lawsuit, he said. But some people like to do it the easy way and other people are forced to do it the hard way.

Once a coalition of media groups and the ACLU sued, Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich refused to defend the law, as did the prosecutor and sheriffs office in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix.

Bowers said he and fellow Republicans disregarded opponents who said the bill was unconstitutional and essentially said lets just try and see what happens.

But when you get right down to where you to have to start spending money, no, Bowers said. Well just wait till next year.
Indian Market is coming to Albuquerque.

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts will debut a Santa Fe Indian Market in Albuquerque on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1-2.

Located at Glorieta Station, 573 Commercial St. NE, the market will echo the Santa Fe tradition of a street fair with booths. The Albuquerque version will be limited to 100 booths.

Applications show those booths are already 80% sold, said Jamie Schulze, operations director. The juried artists will be selling jewelry, painting, sculpture, pottery, beadwork and more. Most will be from New Mexicos pueblos and tribes.

This allows artists to have more tools in their toolbox, Schulze said, adding the organization has been working on the project for 1 years.

This is a new demographic for us, she added. We wanted to start smaller and do it well to explore the options.

SWAIAs goal is to produce annual Albuquerque markets. Schulze said a sizeable portion of Indian Market customers come from this area, although she could not specify the percentage.

We are leveraging the huge audience that visits Albuquerque each fall for the Balloon Fiesta and delivering on our organizations mission to provide opportunities to promote Native artists 365 days a year, said SWAIA executive director Kim Peone (Colville Confederated Tribes and Eastern Band of Cherokee).
New Mexico boasts blue skies and vast open spaces bisected by mountains, foothills, deserts, forests and rivers luring artists with a magnetic pull.

Their interpretations have ranged from poetic reflections to violent visions of the history of colonization.

Open at the Albuquerque Museum through March 19, 2023, New Mexico Landscapes encapsulates these reflections through works on paper via photography, printmaking, watercolor, paintings and collage. The featured artists include Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Howard Cook, Ernest Knee, Dan Namingha, Eliot Porter, Jerry West, Felice Lucero and more.

The works on view incorporate plants, land forms, and architecture, as well as references to human relationships.

Theres a lot of juxtaposition in this show, museum curator Josie Lopez said. You see artists doing something very naturalistic and something abstract.

San Felipe Pueblo artist Lucero used pastel on paper to produce a map of San Felipe Day School. With its U.S. Government lettering, it looks more like a prison than a place of learning.

Shes looking at how colonialism impacted the pueblo, Lopez said.

In 1977, Albuquerque artist Diane Palley designed lithographed posters for land grant protests in Chilili, located south of Albuquerque. She volunteered for the Chicano Communications Center, then located in the old Harwood School.

Palley constructed the graphic image with paper cutouts. The poster shows a pair of bloodied hands emerging from an acequia beneath the headline Defend the Land Struggle.

We had a silkscreen studio in the basement at the Harwood, she said. People were working with a lot of the land grant folks trying to get back their ancestral lands. They were having trouble keeping possession of their common lands. It wasnt in anyones name; they couldnt claim them. They thought it belonged to everyone.

Palley grew up on an island off the coast of New Jersey. In her Jewish tradition, she was taught not to become too attached to land because she might have to flee it.

I met Native Americans who belonged to (a) mountain, she said. It was the hill that their grandparents were buried under. I was so attracted to that. It was so poignant. Just when I found a place where people were attached to the land, they were in danger of losing it.

The use of paper cutouts flourished in South American political posters. Palley began by researching Mexican political art, especially the murals of David Alfaro Siqueiros.

I tried to come up with an image that dealt with the land, she said. I wanted to show that it was in peril, so I turned the water into blood.

In contrast, Knees dramatic 1941 photograph of Church, LaManga, New Mexico emphasizes the beauty of the clouds and skies as they nearly erupt over the building.

Two of the artists, Alex Harris and Celia D. Rumsey, revealed the landscape as viewed through the windshield of a moving low-rider, the striped lanes dividing the asphalt.

Santa Fes West created a fanciful A Prairie Dream uniting naturalism with abstraction. His bed floats above low foothills and a purple sky, snakes coiling from the covers.

Porter framed the mystery, textures, shadows, and vastness of White Sands National Monument in his 1977 photograph. Clinton Adams, Forrest Moses and Dan Namingha created abstract renderings of the land operating very differently than photographs. They reference a deep sense of time demonstrating how artists can relate to and communicate connections to place without literal images.

Miguel Ganderts series documents and reflects on centuries-long connections to the earth through adobe in a groundedness related to shelter and home.

Other artists like AnaMaria Samaniego and Howard Cook created prints highlighting the importance of plant life in the natural world. Sage, cactus and the grasses in each of their works transport us to areas in and around Santa Fe. Palley also incorporated plant life in her political poster calling for the preservation of lands in Chilili, but instead of featuring wild natural settings, the lithograph reflects farming and traditional ways of living.

The exhibit also serves as a New Mexico preview to the upcoming Historic and Contemporary Landscapes show opening Oct. 8 and Thomas Coles Studio, opening on Nov. 19.
The University of New Mexico Art Museum is presenting Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities, an informative exhibition exploring the 1980s activist campaign Artists Call Against U.S. Intervention in Central America, through Dec. 3.

The Artists Calls campaign was founded in New York City in 1984 to protest U.S. military interventions in Central America and educate the U.S. public.

The exhibition was curated by Erina Duganne, a professor of art history at Texas State University, and Abigail Satinsky, curator and head of public engagement, Tufts University Art Galleries The plans for this exhibition date back to last decade.

Ive been working on Artists Call since 2014 but Abby, my co-curator, around 2017 reached out to me about including artists in an exhibition she was working on, Duganne said. I told her about these boxes that I found, I asked her, Would you want to co-curate an exhibition with me? 

What initially sparked Dugannes interest was the photography of Susan Meiselas.

Her work was shown and is reproduced in magazines and newspapers, but her work also gets shown in art spaces, Duganne said. I thought that I was interested in this activist campaign, but there wasnt a lot of material about it.

After that, Duganne started researching Artists Call.

An archivist said, Oh, you are interested in Artists Call? Theres 12 boxes of archival material in the back that had never been entered into the database,  Duganne said. So when I found those 12 boxes I knew this was big, and I needed to do some big things with it.

Then Satinsky and Duganne went to work.

We had to try to locate these works. So it was a lot of emailing and some of the works were destroyed, some were lost, Duganne. For instance, this Gregory Sholette on the wall right behind you was recreated for this exhibition as the original work was destroyed.

I felt like I was actively trying to find things that were made in 1983 or 1984. And where are they now?

While finding the information, the curators did face a few setbacks.

There were 31 venues for Artists Call in New York, but there were no checkbooks. So I saw they had the names of which institutions but there is no list of artworks, Duganne said. So basically, what Abby and I did together was look at installation shots and we found works that were in Artists Call, because one of the things that we wanted to do was include work that was actually in Artists Call.

The exhibit was intended to premier earlier but was pushed back due to COVID-19.

It was delayed a year by COVID-19 so it was opened this past January, but it was supposed to open a year previous to that, Duganne said. We also put together the catalog. We did a lot of grant writing to get additional funds to help support the exhibition.

Artist and activist Sabra Moore, who created Reconstruction Codex (1984) was in attendance for the opening at the UNM Art Museum.

Moores work was found in The Reconstruction Project, a large-scale womens collaborative exhibition that was featured at the Artists Space in New York City as part of Artists Call.

I come from East Texas and my art relates to my grandmothers, Moore said. Both grandmothers made quilts, but we did not think of it as art at that time.

After graduating high school, Moore moved south and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelors in the liberal arts honors program Plan II.

Moore knew a few people in New York and decided to leave Texas for the big city in 1966.

I was wanting to be an artist by then, and I tried making a painting on canvas and it just did not work for me, Moore said. Then I realized I should make work with her forms and my materials so it was the use of repeated patterns and sewing and using materials.

For Moore finding your style is important.

So I still work that way and you wouldnt necessarily know it when you see my pieces that it comes up with but it still does, Moore said. So I think everybody has to find their authentic language as an artist.

_WebHeadline>UNM Art Museum exhibit looks at pieces inspired by activism

_WebHeadline>EXCERPT: The University of New Mexico Art Museum is presenting Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities, an informative exhibition to date exploring the 1980s activist campaign Artists Call Against U.S. Intervention in Central America, through Dec. 3.
Hubert Schuze returns as the snappy protagonist in The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin, the 10th installment of J. Michael Orenduffs long-popular Pot Thief murder-mystery series.

A pot thief and a potter, he is prominent in the new installment as the owner of Spirits in Clay, a store in Albuquerques Old Town that buys and sells pots. Hubert is knowledgeable about all things pottery.

When Huberts nephew Tristan, (actually, a first cousin twice removed), brings him a pot that has neither been thrown nor glazed, Hubert is curious how that was possible. Tristan says he made it using a 3D printer. He explains the process to Hubert.

Tristan made nine duplicates, giving one of them to Uncle Hubie.

The pot is the central subject. Halfway through the book, the pot is linked to the death of a crypto-Jewish owner of a mine in La Reina, a fictional town in northern New Mexico. Was he murdered or was his death accidental when he drank poison from the pot?

Orenduff said in a phone interview that he left the mans death deliberately vague. It looks like its going to be accidental, but theres no way to know for certain. I wanted to have a murder-mystery with some question left of what really happened, he said.

Orenduff accomplishes that objective while keeping the mood suspenseful.

The Calvin in the title is not John Calvin, the French theologian during the Reformation who espoused the doctrine of predestination, that God knows who is entering heaven. Nor is it the Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes daily comic strip fame that ran for 10 years.

It is, in fact, Ross Calvin, an Episcopal priest and author, who came to New Mexico seeking improved health. His 1934 book Sky Determines, An Interpretation of the Southwest, is considered a classic, if a forgotten one, of New Mexico literature.

After quoting John Calvin, Hubert shifts his thoughts to Ross Calvins book: Now I was wondering, to what extent, if any, my life had been determined by the New Mexico sky, the states most dominant feature, infinitely large and impossibly blue. Readers can ponder that, too.

A number of other intriguing subthemes pepper the book. In one, Hubert and his fiance Sharices are preparing for the birth of their baby.

And planning their wedding.

Sharices father, Collin, questions on racial grounds, whether they should get married. According to Hubert, Collin explained to me in black and white that he opposes our forthcoming marriage. The black and white in this case being that Sharice is Black and I am white.

Hubert isnt concerned. He knows he and Sharice are committed to each other.

Readers can take pleasure in Orenduffs constructs of light conversational and descriptive asides. Heres one, with Hubert considering the cause of Tristans chubbiness:  hes now in his 30s, and the layer (of baby fat he had in his 20s) is still here, so there must be another explanation, and I suspect its the chicharrones and cerveza he lives on. Yet women find him irresistible despite the absence of movie star looks.

Hubert flips a mirror onto himself: Unfortunately, girls have generally been resisting me without difficulty since I went through puberty 38 years ago. Hes got a strong self-image.

Orenduff said in the interview that Huberts personality hasnt changed much over the 10 Pot Thief volumes.

Hes got a lot of interests. Hes a thinker. Hes not very interested in current events. He doesnt own a TV. Hes not on Facebook. Hes harmless, a little bit eccentric. People seem to like him, the author said.

In the Calvin installment, Hubert argues that thief is merely a technicality, one applied by the Bureau of Land Management. Federal law allows him to keep a piece of turquoise or a rusty barbed wire found on public land, he points out. But a 1,000-year-old clay pot? He must turn in to the BLM for study. Some pots hes hidden away, Hubert says, are rescued.

Its enjoyable to watch Orenduffs characters switch gears, from serious to playful. Example: Hubert is describing Whit, his Albuquerque police detective friend: His eyes didnt light up. Ive never actually seen anyones light up. I dont think its possible. There are no phosphorescent cells in the eyes.

The book is such a fun read.

If you go

J. Michael Orenduff will sign copies of The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 at Treasure House Books & Gifts, 2012 S. Plaza St. NW, Old Town
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A speech by controversial conservative commentator Tomi Lahren at the University of New Mexico on Thursday night was briefly disrupted by about 100 protesters.

UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said she was not aware if the protesters were affiliated with a specific group.

My understanding is that (Lahren) was able to finish delivering her speech, and during the Q&A it became really loud, and somebody at some point pulled a fire alarm, Blair said.

The student chapter of Turning Point USA organized the event and invited Lahren to speak.

UNM Police, New Mexico State Police and other security personnel were present. Blair said the university had anticipated a protest.

The free event required tickets and was held in a room with closed doors.

Video posted to social media shows people pushing against and pulling the doors and chanting (expletive) Trump and (expletive) Tomi Lahren.

There was a hole knocked in one of the walls, and that is considered vandalism, Blair said. And since the fire alarm was pulled unlawfully, we will be investigating those things.

On Twitter, Lahren said the leftist disruption was violent and abhorrent.

These rabid nerds arent trying to combat white supremacy they are trying desperately to get noticed and take out their pent-up misfit syndrome on decent people who just want to listen to a campus speaker, Lahren wrote. They get away with it because society has protected their bullsh*t.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Caitlyn Jenner also took to social media in support of Lahren.

An official university statement said that UNM values free speech and the campus role as a public square for debate.

UNM said the university is deeply disappointed in the actions of those individuals who intentionally chose to disrupt a scheduled speaker and infringed upon the rights of the speaker and those who attended the event to listen and engage.

Lahren is a right-wing media personality and staunch Trump supporter.

She has likened Black Lives Matter activists to the KKK and embraces anti-vaccination and anti-immigration policies.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Republican attorney general candidate Jeremy Gay weathered an attempt to knock him off the general election ballot, as a state judge on Friday rejected a court challenge targeting Gays eligibility to hold office.

Specifically, the Democratic-backed lawsuit seeking to prevent Gays name from appearing on the ballot alleged he doesnt meet a five-year residency requirement in the state Constitution. It claimed Gay moved to Gallup in 2019  about a year and a half short of the constitutional requirement.

But 1st Judicial District Court Judge T. Glenn Ellington ruled the lawsuit was filed too late in the process  New Mexico ballots have already been certified for the Nov. 8 election  and said removing Gay from the ballot would disenfranchise GOP voters who supported him in the June primary election.

It does more than remove Mr. Gay from the ballot  it predetermines the outcome of the election, said Ellington, who noted Republicans would be unable to pick a replacement for Gay since a statutory deadline to fill ballot vacancies has already passed.

A former judge advocate in the Marine Corps, Gay is competing with Democrat Raul Torrez, who is currently Bernalillo County district attorney, to serve as the states top prosecutor. They are the only two candidates on the ballot for the $95,000-per-year job.

Gay did not appear in person for the Friday court hearing in Santa Fe, but the attorneys representing him said the lawsuit could have been filed earlier.

There is no reason this is coming so late, said attorney Carter Harrison IV, who also represents the state Republican Party. These facts were not a secret.

An attorney representing Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver also testified during Fridays hearing and urged the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.

The deadline to remove candidates from the general election ballot was Aug. 30, said Secretary of States Office general counsel Dylan Lange, who added our election process is in full swing.

However, attorney Ryan Harrigan, who filed the petition on behalf of James Collie, a former Bernalillo County commissioner, said no state law bars challenges targeting a candidates basic eligibility to serve.

After the judges ruling was handed down following an hour-long hearing, Harrigan said he was not yet sure whether an appeal might be filed.

Obviously, were disappointed, he told the Journal. The question of residency is still looming.

While Gays campaign has criticized the court challenge as an attack on the candidates military service, Harrigan said that was not the case.

He said the petition specifically focuses on whether Gay had established New Mexico residency prior to being deployed. Gay was registered to vote in Florida through 2018, the lawsuit contended, and he was stationed in California when he left the Marine Corps in May 2019 and moved to Gallup.

We are not contesting or contending that a New Mexico resident who goes to serve in the military should not be able to hold office, Harrigan said.

The state Constitution requires candidates for all statewide offices to have resided in New Mexico for five years prior to election  or since Nov. 8, 2017, in Gays case. It also requires attorney general candidates to be licensed lawyers by the New Mexico Supreme Court in good standing.

State GOP chairman Steve Pearce said Friday he was pleased by the judges ruling, while also claiming Gay has called New Mexico home since 2014.

To try to boot someone out of a race for serving his nation is wrong and outrageous, Pearce said in a statement. This is a disgraceful way the progressive left is trying to disenfranchise voters.
TOKYO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu will take part in a party later this month when China and Japan celebrate the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two East Asian countries.

Jiang Xiaosong, director of the organizing committee, said the Japanese star would "100 percent" attend the party at the Tokyo Opera City Tower on the night of September 29.

"Hanyu is not only a star athlete and Olympic champion but also a role model for both Chinese and Japanese young people. He has been never afraid of difficulties and been always determined to overcome all the challenges."

But the organizers refused to disclose any details about Hanyu's participation in the gala, saying they will keep it a "secret".

Hanyu failed to retain his men's title at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games last February, but is still idolized in China by millions of fans.

The 27-year-old, who won gold at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, announced his retirement from competition and decided to skate as a professional from July. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye on Friday morning at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi pointed out that in recent years, China-Turkiye relations have maintained a momentum of growth, with steady progress in practical cooperation and effective collaboration against the pandemic.

Facts have shown that sound relations between China and Turkiye serve the long-term interests of both countries, and have important significance for deepening the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, Xi said.

Currently, the international community is faced with multiple opportunities as well as challenges, Xi noted.

He pointed out that China and Turkiye, both being major developing countries and emerging markets, share many common interests in defending their respective rights and interests, pursuing development and rejuvenation, and safeguarding international justice.

China is ready to work with Turkiye to elevate the strategic cooperative relations to a higher level, Xi said.

Xi underscored that the two sides need to enhance political mutual trust, earnestly respect each other's core interests, and consolidate the political foundation of China-Turkiye strategic cooperative relations.

It is important to focus on development cooperation, make good use of the various bilateral cooperation mechanisms and respective strengths, work for more fruits in the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and contribute to the security of the global industrial and supply chains as well as food and energy security, Xi said.

The two sides need to advocate true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, and strengthen cooperation in multilateral organizations including the United Nations, the G20, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Xi added.

Erdogan noted the important progress in Turkiye-China relations in various areas and expressed the readiness to work with China to leverage bilateral mechanisms such as the inter-governmental cooperation committee to promote even more fruitful trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Given the strong complementarity between Turkiye's "Middle Corridor" plan and the Belt and Road Initiative, it is hoped that intensified efforts can be made to build synergy between the development strategies of the two countries to boost common development and rejuvenation, he said.

He also reiterated Turkiye's firm commitment to the one-China principle.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
Apollo Tyres in collaboration with Wunderman Thompson India, has unveiled the latest TVC for its off-roading motorcycle tyres, Apollo Tramplr. Through this power-packed commercial, Apollo Tyres is set to create a distinct spot for itself in the crowded all-terrain tyre market where every brand claims to offer true-blue off-roading tyres. This TVC is created to strike a chord with adventure-loving bikers who want the best tyres for their motorcycles.

Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson, the TVC is based on a unique and interesting observation. Every brand has the same thing to say and show to prove its point when it comes to off-roading adventure. The same mountains. The same trails. The same obstacles. There is nothing new. It is time to challenge the sameness. It is time to tell the world that adventure isnt about visiting the same place, taking the same turn or following the same road taken by millions.

Thus Go Beyond Sameness was born. It is a call to every adventure lover to find new routes, challenge the limits, and discover something the world has never seen before because the real adventure begins when you go beyond sameness.

Commenting on the launch, Satish Sharma, President APMEA, Apollo Tyres, said, Apollo Tramplr is designed for both on and off-road applications. The product is designed to give confidence to the rider to go beyond the usual terrains. Tramplrs designed is inspired by the legendary off-roading capability of ibex. The tread design of this tyre is derived from ibex hoofs for stronger grip, better control, and superior manoeuvrability. We have tested this product over some of the toughest of terrains before bringing it out for our customers.

Commenting on the TVC launch, Joy Chauhan, Sr. VP & Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson, Delhi, said, Love for adventure is only second to the love for newer adventures for today's youth. Brands which vibe with the thinking, culture, and aspirational values of the young and restless take up their mind space. Apollo Trampler is designed to fulfil the youths desire to challenge sameness and go beyond to discover newer experiences. This digital-first campaign has all the right ingredients to support our adventure-loving youth in their journey to greatness. Let the true adventure begin where sameness ends.

Sharing his though on the TVC, Sundeep Sehgal, Vice President & ECD, Wunderman Thompson, Delhi, said, The idea of sameness comes from consumer behaviour. We observed sameness is the biggest enemy of discovery. It's like a loop. The commercial is a reflection of every rider/adventure seeker who is somewhere stuck in that loop. They want to go on an adventurous journey but have forgotten the idea of going beyond. The idea was to nudge and make them go beyond their comfort zone, go beyond sameness.

Apollo Tyres is one of the leading players in the tyre category in India as well as internationally with a range of tyres across Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicles , Two  Wheeler, Industrial and Farm Segment catering to different applications.
D2C Ecommerce, Indias first multi-brand e-commerce platform, today announced its official launch in the country. The startup has also raised INR 60 Million, in its seed funding round led by industry stalwarts including Ravi Khushwani, Founder of Greensoul Brand & other industry veterans.

As per a recent report commissioned by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Praxis Global Alliance, D2C is a $12 billion market. By FY27, it is predicted that the market for all D2C brands would reach $60 billion, expanding at a CAGR of roughly 40%. D2C Ecommerce, is a brainchild of Manish Gupta, Ex- IIM A and an industry veteran with over 11 years of multi-faceted experience with renowned brands like Paytm Mall, Mahindra, Samsung, Amazon, Upscalio and ITC. The platform d2csale.com has been operational since August 2022.

D2C Ecommerce has a unique business proposition and develops its own brands across multiple home and lifestyle categories and sells them on its very own D2C platform. The products are also available on other leading e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Myntra and Meesho. The current product categories include fitness, sports, beauty, cosmetics, apparel, accessories, books, food items, travel packages and technology. Its mission is to provide Aspirational products at Affordable prices' to every Indian household by catering to all age groups, income classes and delivers to Tier I, II, and III cities, across 20,000+ pincodes.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Manish Gupta, CEO and Founder, D2Cecommerce said, "We are really excited to debut our first-of-its-kind multi-brand retail platform in the country. I believe that the Indian economy will only thrive if we are able to cater to the mass population instead of the 1% elite group and this notion inspired me to launch D2C Ecommerce, with a vibrant tricolor logo representing the Indian flag. Our platform is user friendly and caters to all age groups, income classes and we have already witnessed a phenomenal response from consumers towards our offerings.



Adding to the seed funding that the brand has received, he said, "We would like to thank our investors for believing in our vision for the company, and we hope to bond and grow together as a family. We want to allocate these funds to invest in brands, expand our product offerings, add new cutting-edge technologies and at the same time scale up our customer acquisition. We also plan to expand our workforce and ensure last-mile delivery, and thereafter, branch out into new categories."

"D2C brands are growing significantly as e-commerce consumption continues to capture a larger market share in the retail space. I learned that the four key pillars of every successful direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand are product expertise, customer experience, logistics, and online marketing during the development of my very own brand, Green Soul, the top D2C ergonomic chair brand online. Talking about D2C Ecommerce, Manish's revolutionary platform solves each and every need for a D2C brand. Manish, on the other hand, has more than ten years of experience in direct selling to clients in the e-commerce space and is a seasoned industry veteran. My investment in the D2C market is motivated by my desire to aid in the growth and success of the D2C community not just in India, but world over" said Mr. Ravi Khushwani, Founder of Greensoul Brand

The website promotes a colorful tricolor logo that resembles the Indian flag with the tagline Aspirational Products at Affordable Prices as a symbol of offering primarily locally produced and handcrafted products at affordable prices. The startup further aims to create and collaborate on aspirational products made in India by working with local vendors. The brand also aims to promote Indian businesses in the international market by going vocal for locals along with bringing some of the best overseas products to your doorstep at a reasonable price.
Well-known broadcaster and Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of India TV, Rajat Sharma, has decided to relinquish the Presidentship of News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), according to sources.

After leading the news broadcasters largest body for the last six years, in a voluntary decision, Sharma is likely to convey to the Board to elect a new President as he wants to focus his energies on creating new shows. Sharma is likely to revive his iconic show, Aap Ki Adalat, soon.

During his stints with NBDA as President, Sharma truly led the broadcast industry and made efforts to make the fraternity more accepting of contemporaries and strive for healthy competition.

Formerly known as the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), Indias largest body of news broadcasters changed its name to News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) on August 13, 2021. NBDA is the largest organisation of news broadcasters, consisting of almost all major news networks in the country. NBDA believes in editorial standards ensuring objectivity, neutrality, fairness, and accuracy in reporting.
The Times of India has consistently showcased great Indian success stories and actively contributed to making India a better place, through its marquee initiatives such as Teach India, Lead India, Lost Votes, and many more. This time, The Times of a Better India has gone the extra mile and talked about the ecosystems that make those success stories possible  the institutions & organisations, the individuals & the factors that drove them, the social trends, the societal influences and even the policy changes that facilitated positive change.

The initiative invites readers to join the conversation, give their viewpoints on key questions, ask them to share their own experiences, and give them an opportunity to discover interesting stories and win prizes via interactive contests.

In conversation with Adgully, Kaustuv Chatterjee, Director - TOI, Language Brands & NPI, at Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd, speaks at length about their The Times of Better India campaign, the stories that they plan to share with this initiative, how print continues to be a strong medium in India, and more.

What is The Times of a Better India all about and what was the idea behind launching the campaign?

The last 2-3 years have been tough. The pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the depressing economic news from across the world has left all of us with a sense of gloom and doom. But what goes unnoticed are the efforts of individuals, institutions and organisations who have been working hard and ensuring that every decade in our country has been better than the previous ones. The Times of India wanted to turn the spotlight to positivity and highlight that despite the recent events, the journey of progress of our country and, hence, of us individuals cant be stopped. This is the time of big opportunities, and the campaign urges us to find our rightful place in it.

We have also seen the rise of polarised debates, the echo chambers of social media, the biases all around us. The need of the hour is to put forth verified, correct and credible information. The Times of India stands as a voice of reason in this backdrop, and it is an opportunity for the brand to further cement its thought leadership position as the trusted and credible source of news and information for the country. The Times of India has been the harbinger of positive change in the country. Our campaigns like Lead India, Teach India and Aman Ki Asha have always stood for the same and this editorial-brand initiative The Times of a Better India hopes to carry it forward.

The Times of a Better India is exploring the continuum of change and positive development that India has witnessed since Independence, where every decade has built upon the progress of its preceding one. The campaign is bringing to its readers inspiring stories, heart-warming narratives, and deep insights, cutting across a range of themes  from space research to sporting glory, from infrastructural changes to environmental sustainability and much more. It is delving into the change drivers of the past, their impact on the present and a status-check of what the future may hold. Critically, the campaign is also asking questions whether the success of certain sectors is indeed taking the country forward and what more could be done.

The initiative is inviting readers to join the conversation, give their viewpoints on key questions, ask them to share their own experiences and give them an opportunity to discover interesting stories and win prizes via interactive contests. The stories are also being taken into digital platforms, reaching out to lapsed or non-readers via content videos, animated stories, influencer videos and more.

Which agency is behind this campaign, and what was the campaign brief given to them?

The film and print ads have been conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson. The brief that we shared was that the story of India has been one of steady progress  decade after decade and the campaign should appeal to every Indian. We spent a lot of time with the agency debating and deciding on the direction of the campaign.

Things started falling into place when they hit upon this quote  today is the best time to be an Indian. The realisation how people are making the best of the chances that abound and how they are achieving what previous generations could not have hoped to, triggered the campaign.

To appeal to every India, the film and print ads represent different types of people and sections of society. We wanted to convey that The Times of a Better India isnt just about cosmopolitan India or social activists. All the people in the ad are representative of something that is going on today. Once the idea was in place, the biggest challenge was selecting what to talk about and how. This was the biggest part of the process of putting the campaign together.

What are the stories that you plan to tell your audience with this initiative?

The Times of a Better India is bringing to its readers inspiring stories, heart-warming narratives, and deep insights, cutting across a range of themes, about institutions, organisations, and individuals.

To give you some examples, while the ISRO story is often talked about, not many are aware about the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE)  hailed as the largest sociological experiment in the world during 1975-76  that benefited around 2 lakh people, covering 2,400 villages. The credit of training 50,000 science teachers in primary schools in one year goes to SITE.

Other examples include the story of a temple restorer in South Bengal who prays in mosque, how Chekutty Dolls became a symbol of hope and resilience for the weaving community in Kerala, about new-age railway stations that boast airport-like facilities, how SPIC MACAY inspired thousands to join the classical musical journey of India, about a Malayalam film industrys initiative in safeguarding women through Women in Cinema Collective and many more.

And at the heart of this initiative, like in all our efforts of the past, are our readers. For more than anything else, The Times of a Better India is a celebration of the fortitude, ambitions, and dreams of the average Indian, who is quick to recognise and use every foothold to rise higher.

What kind of responses have you received for The Times of a Better India campaign overall?

The Times of a Better India campaign has seen a massive response. Till now, we have seen around 20 million total engagement, 13 million video views and 4.7 billion+ hashtag. More than 1.6 lakh entries have been received for the contest. The campaign will go on for another few weeks and we foresee a lot more people participating and sharing their own narrative as well.

How will this campaign stand out from TOIs previous campaign?

The Times of India has actively contributed towards making India a better place. Be it campaigns for citizen empowerment like Lead India, Lost Votes and Trust of India, campaigns for Social Equality like Sindoor Khela and Out & Proud, campaigns for better health like Mask India and Times Organ Donation Drive, campaigns for education like Teach India and Times Scholars, or for environment like TOI Green drive, Make India Water Positive etc. The Times of India has always championed causes that are important to our country.

The Times of a Better India is, in a way, an extension of these campaigns to the extent that it is putting forth a different perspective to our readers. It is less action oriented and works more as an educative campaign that aims at sensitizing readers about the opportunities, beyond the polarising debates and the rhetoric that have become commonplace.

Which factors still make print a strong medium in India?

Print provides verified and credible news, much more than other media platforms. In 20 minutes, the reader gets all the important news that they need throughout the day rather than being bombarded and overwhelmed with updates throughout the day. Print also provides the most balanced news with multiple viewpoints, which helps reduce polarisation in society. The low cost of newspapers in India combined with doorstep delivery guarantee a long life for the newspapers in India.

Could you share your thoughts on the past two years for the industry, as it has been like a rollercoaster ride for Print and there have been a lot of changes that this industry has faced?

The last 2 years of COVID were very challenging. Specifically, delivery of newspapers during the initial days of lockdown was a challenge and there was a temporary drop in advertising revenue due to the initial adverse impact of COVID on economic activity. Thankfully, print has staged a strong recovery both in circulation and advertising revenue as the lockdowns have eased and economic activity has rebounded strongly.

What are the new campaigns or initiatives that you plan to execute in the coming months?

One of the other initiatives which The Times of India has launched apart from The Times of a Better India is the launch of TOI Epaper+. This provides 4 different things  e-Paper which is the mobile view of TOI editions, Times Special which includes long form, enriching, engaging, explanatory, deep-dive content in text, audio & video format across 8-9 genres, cartoons section including cartoons of RK Laxman, Dilbert and Sandeep Adhwaryu duly categorised/ bucketed to start with and, many more cartoonists will be added, and finally Games, including Crossword, Sudoku, Word Row, Word Flower, Word Search, which will be updated daily. More value-added services will be added in due course.
Voot continues to win over hearts and minds with its strong storytelling and content strategy. Building itself as a one-stop destination for wholesome binge worthy experieces, Voot has bagged the OTT Platform of the Year title at the 6th edition of the Annual Talentrack Awards.

Betting on its unique formats and innovations and by bringing forward stories and content that tap into white spaces, Voots Bigg Boss OTT Season 1 also grabbed attention with Karan Johar winning the Digital Sensation of the Year title. Additionally, Ronit Roy was awarded the Best Actor - Male (Critic) for the original series Candy. In the regional category, Danish Sait took home the Best Actor  Male (Regional) award for his for performance in Kannada satirical comedy drama web-series Humble Politican Nograj.

Established in 2017, the Talentrack Awards recognize and felicitate individuals and brands that have delivered outstanding films, web-series, and performances in the digital-content ecosystem.

Speaking on the win, Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures said, At Voot, we focus on engaging our audiences with innovations in storytelling, media formats, immersive experiences and interactivity. Over the last few years, we have risked, experimented and launched innovations across a diverse and unique content portfolio. We are thrilled that Voot has been selected as the OTT Platform of the Year. This recognition is testimony to the fact that our viewers have enjoyed the content that our teams create for them. As we continue to evolve, our promise to wow our viewers is the one constant."
More nations welcome to join SCO, official says

09:27, September 16, 2022 By XU WEI ( Chinadaily.com.cn

This year's summit opened amid the 20th anniversary of the signing of its charter and the 15th anniversary of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's expansion testifies to the popularity of its principles and concepts, and it will continue to welcome more countries' participation, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said recently.

Zhang told China Daily that many nations have expressed strong interest in joining the organization, which decided to admit Iran last year.

The group was founded with six members in 2001 and has since expanded to eight, in addition to four observer states and six dialogue partners. Around 10 countries have voiced aspirations to join or upgrade their statuses within the group.

Zhang, who became secretary-general in January, said he looks forward to members passing a memorandum on Iran's obligations to obtain member status at the SCO Samarkand Summit in Uzbekistan.

Belarus has also presented a formal membership request, which indicates that Minsk recognizes the organization's values and principles, he said, adding that the SCO is discussing the nation's request.

"Many (other) countries have also expressed hope that they can become a member, observer state or dialogue partner," he said.

"With more countries joining, we look forward to the SCO playing more important roles in safeguarding regional security and stability, enlarging the cake of common interests among member states and promoting the development of global governance toward a more equitable and reasonable direction," he said.

The official underscored that the SCO is an open organization that welcomes the inclusion of any country that agrees with the Shanghai Spirit and abides by the organization's charter.

This year's summit opened amid the 20th anniversary of the signing of its charter and the 15th anniversary of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

Zhang said the Shanghai Spirit promotes multilateralism and embodies the values member states share.

"Its essence is that state-to-state relations must be built on the foundation of equality, mutual respect, consideration of respective interests and concerns, win-win cooperation and mutual recognition of the right to choose social and political development paths," he explained.

Zhang also underscored the Shanghai Spirit as the core component to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

He explained that the SCO's original founding aspiration  safeguarding regional security and stability  remains its priority.

"Security cooperation can only be strengthened and cannot be weakened," he said.

"This has been a common chorus I have heard when visiting member states this year."

The organization has forged a host of security agreements to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, and has organized nearly a dozen joint counterterrorism drills.

Afghanistan's security is another agenda priority. The SCO will proactively work to reinforce the country's constructive role and improve its security capacity, he said.

Zhang said the organization will remain committed to improving its security cooperation mechanisms and bolster cooperation to combat drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime.

Member states' collaboration has expanded from security to include such fields as green energy, the digital economy and poverty alleviation. The SCO plans to further prioritize cooperation in such areas as transportation, energy, finance, investment, agriculture, information technology, innovation and sustainable development, he said.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia, China, and Germany have renewed their commitment to scaling up their triangular cooperation aiming at improving the environmental, social, and labor standards in the textile sector in Ethiopia and beyond.

The pledge was made on Thursday at the international conference on triangular cooperation between Ethiopia, China, and Germany at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa to foster sustainable textile development in Africa and Asia.

Representatives of the three parties, attending the international conference on Sustainable Textile Investment and Operation in Ethiopia, agreed to foster cooperation as part of their triangular cooperation project, dubbed "Sustainable Textile Investment and Operation in Ethiopia."

Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan, addressing the conference said China will continue sharing its knowledge, technology, and expertise to help African and Asian countries expedite their textile industries.

"China always attaches great importance to its cooperation with Ethiopia's textile sector and consistently supports the sustainable development of the country's textile industry through various means such as trade and investment," Zhao said.

Highlighting that China remains to be the biggest investor in Ethiopia's textile industry, Zhao said with a population of over 100 million, Ethiopia continues to attract more Chinese investors to its textile industry.

"So far, China is one of the biggest investors in the textile sector in Ethiopia, with a total of about 450 million U.S. dollars. We have over 30 Chinese textile companies in Ethiopia," the ambassador said.

Collectively implemented by the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute (ETIDI), the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and United Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO), the project also aims at tackling global challenges and promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda African and Asian countries in the textile sector.

The project has been implemented through capacity development and awareness raising in the Ethiopian textile and garment industry, focusing on Chinese investors and their Ethiopian business partners.

Speaking to Xinhua, Melaku Alebel, Ethiopia's Industry Minister, said the triangular cooperation has helped Ethiopia attract more Chinese investors and promote its textile industry.

"The role of China in Ethiopia's development is multidimensional. When we look at the number of investors in Ethiopia, Chinese investors take the lion's share. The role of China in Ethiopia's foreign direct investment is immense," Alebel said.

The minister further said more than 80,000 new jobs have been created in industrial parks in the last Ethiopian fiscal year which ended on July 7 with Chinese companies hiring the largest number of job seekers, especially women.

According to the minister, Ethiopia aims to grow its textile export earnings from 181 million U.S. dollars to 250 million U.S. dollars this Ethiopian fiscal year.

"We are looking forward to attracting more Chinese investors and making it happen through working with the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia. We are also exploring the Chinese market to export our products there," the minister said.

Calabro Aurelia, UNIDO representative, on her part, stressed that China and Germany have funded the triangular project since its inception two years ago.

"China has been very generous in promoting foreign direct investment in Ethiopia, particularly in the textile and garment sector," Aurelia told Xinhua.

"China and Germany have contributed a lot in introducing new technologies and promoting environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices in the textile sector in Ethiopia and beyond," Aurelia added.

The two-day conference discusses possible ways to create an enabling environment to promote sustainable textile industry development and raise awareness of ESG among all stakeholders in the textile industry in Ethiopia and beyond. 
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A memorandum of obligations on Iran's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) membership was signed at the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held here on Friday.

The meeting also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners, and adopted a series of resolutions, including a Comprehensive Plan for the Implementation of the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for 2023-2027. 
The Big Lie.

Just saying these words brings to mind a number of potential meanings, but in todays America, the most common  and conflicting  uses of the term are the following:

The Left asserts that the very idea that fraud occurred in the 2020 election is a dangerous lie, while the Right insists that claiming the 2020 election was squeaky clean is the dangerous lie.

Which position is correct?

Was there massive fraud in 2020, enough to change not only the presidency, but also countless, (and close) down ballot races, or not?

Its an important question, and the Left has issued a gag order, as if challenging election results is somehow new and evil. Theres probably never been an election year in which at least some races havent been subject to allegations of error or fraud. 2020 is the first time in American history that a conscious movement actually sprang up to silence calls for investigation and election integrity.

You dont need to change the way we vote, they tell us. If you dont trust the result, just do a recount. Call for an audit, and discover the truth one way or the other.

Easy, right?

But its not so easy. Heres why:

Americans are familiar with audits. We do them all the time. The FDIC audits our banks; the IRS audits individuals and businesses. The FAA and DOT audit carriers and shippers. The FDA and EPA audit manufacturing plants.

And then there are the private sector audits  ISO9001, UL, and NSF audit plants and offices every day, checking their processes, and testing whether employees are following company procedures. We Americans are great at being audited.

Unfortunately, that process cannot be applied to an election.

In an audit, all the books are open to the auditor. The whole point is to see which employee did what, what records he checked, what steps he performed, or whether he filled out forms correctly.

By contrast, elections have a secret ballot. The most important element of an election  and frankly, the only thing worth checking  is exactly who cast which votes. And there is no way to tell. There cannot be.

A recount, however well-intentioned, just counts the same stack of ballots again and again; it cant determine if that stack was poisoned with votes that have been changed, swapped out, or outright fabricated.

In our system, when you walk into the voting booth, you must first be proven to be a legitimate, legal voter in that jurisdiction, and then you are given a ballot that cannot possibly be tied back to you, so that you can freely vote your conscience, regarding local politicians and distant national ones, tax referenda, or state constitutional amendments.

Most recounts only change the vote totals by less than a percent, if that, because a recount can only count the votes that were cast. They have absolutely no way of telling whether each voters true wishes were recorded, or if they were switched by a corrupt human or a corrupted computer; whether each voters actual ballot was even counted on his behalf or if another ballot was substituted; whether in fact the voting pool was padded by the addition of an extra two percent, or five, or ten illegitimate or fictitious voters.

A recount simply cannot tell, because it cannot present John Smith with the ballot that was attributed to him, and ask point blank, Is this in fact how you voted? You were counted as having voted for Joe Biden, Dick Durbin, and Jane Schakowsky. Did you really? Now, that would be an audit. But there is no way on earth to do it.

We know how many methods of vote fraud there are. We know  not suspect, know  that many big city political machines direct patronage workers to drive around town casting ballots all day, in the names of registered voters on the rolls. We know that many illegal aliens and green card holders, often automatically registered by the Motor Voter program, cast ballots, sometimes not even knowing its illegal to do so. We know that many people with two or more valid addresses vote from both in the same election. We know that many nursing home administrators cast ballots in the name of their disabled patients. We know that many people cast absentee ballots in the name of their deceased relatives, still on the rolls at their addresses. And we know dozens more ways, some like these, some more creative, some even more disturbing.

What we dont know is how many examples there are of each type. We dont know if there are a hundred cases, a thousand, or a million of each. Its incredibly difficult to tell, after the fact, because of the secret ballot.

Even if you prove that a hundred votes in a precinct should be thrown out, you cant prove which hundred. So, you might be able to put a nursing home manager in jail (and we do), you might be able to get a patronage worker fired (and we do), you might even be able to force a congressional candidate off the ballot for the crime (and we have). But you still cant change the election as a result, because we cant prove which ballot should be tossed out.

Why not just give up the secret ballot, if it makes it impossible to properly audit an election?

A quick scan of recent news stories provides our answer:

Dozens of unknown private citizens languished in jail for over a year, for trespassing at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, uncharged because theres nothing serious enough to charge them for, but kept in jail to justify a national political attack on their movement.

The FBI issued a flurry of subpoenas to forty Trump allies such as businessman Mike Lindell, less than two months before the midterms.

Donald Trump himself, a former president, had his house raided and documents seized on a sham warrant signed by a judge with a conflict of interest as big as one of Trumps hotels.

DoJ whistleblowers revealed to the New York Post that the FBI and Meta colluded to illegally gather and study American civilians private facebook messages in a broad-based and ultimately fruitless attempt to find conservatives on whom they could stick a domestic terrorist label.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

We have the secret ballot for a reason. Individual Americans have the right to be free of risk that the political class might single them out for harassment, denial of government services, or worse. As weve seen, such retaliation by a vindictive state can range from refusing your garbage pickup and shutting off your water, to ransacking your home with a politically-motivated search warrant or locking you up.

We simply cannot risk giving up the secret ballot.

And thats why we can never rely on audits to identify and correct election errors, after the fact.

If audits cant be our solution  and they simply cant  the only remaining option to secure our elections is to do it up front. We have to take the firm steps of reducing the many opportunities there are to cheat  because once the cheating occurs, its just too late to correct it.

Ban the six-week election process and month of mail-in voting, and return to a single election day with tightly-controlled absentee ballot options.

Ban onsite and last minute voter registration (except for challenges of voter roll deletions, which must permanently remain segregable even after the count, for security), to ensure enough time to confirm the address before the election.

Mandate that real state-issued identification be checked before a vote is cast.

Put cameras in the polling places, and film everything the poll workers and voters do  everything except the voters ballot itself.

Make every voter sign a statement (in his own language) acknowledging awareness that voting as a noncitizen, voting under someone elses name, or voting multiple times in the same election, are severe crimes.

Ensure that every vote at least has a printed version for the voter to confirm before it is cast.

Theres more, but thats the idea.

To operate a republic, the election process must be so secure that the results can truly be beyond question.

Unfortunately, today, the only question we have is how many races are stolen when the rightful winners majority is insufficient to overcome the margin of fraud.

John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation professional. A onetime Milwaukee County Republican Party chairman, he has been writing a regular column for Illinois Review since 2009. His book on vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel) and his political satires on the current administration (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I and II) are available on Amazon.

Image: Free image from Pixabay.
Two of the greatest insights from the philosopher Plato are that societies are structured around symbols of justice and unity. and that societies need stories to function in an orderly way without the chaos of tyranny.

For most of American history, those symbols of justice and unity were the Declaration, Constitution, flag, and churches. These symbols combined for a powerful unifying story: the story of American liberty and equality that was also inspiring the advance of liberty and equality around the world.

In the maelstrom of the chaos of 24/7 news, societal decay and violence, and media and political platitudes, it must be recognized that conservatives are not guilty of American decline. Conservatives are the ones defending, and conserving, the symbols and story of American unity. Progressives, on the other hand, have been demolishing these symbols and assaulting the traditional story and opting for a new oneone that is meant to destroy those symbols which had previously unified American life.

At least since the 1960s, American progressives have been taking a battering ram to the symbols of justice that served as the unifying force for American society. The Declaration is considered a fraud and the revolution it inspired equally fraudulent. The Constitution is belittled as a piece of crap. The American flag is said to be a force for evil and division. American churches are now assailed as pillars of white supremacy and racism.

Rinse and repeat.

In place of these symbols of justice and unity, progressives offer new ones. They have their martyrs, their documents, and their flags to which they can rally around. We know what they are. One need not look further than the little symbols pushed in Hollywood, or corporate advertising, or the streets of New York and Los Angeles to see the alternative symbols of justice and unity progressives have erected in the ashes of the Declaration, Constitution, Old Glory, and the cross and steeple.

Likewise, progressives have gone after the common story of unfolding liberty and equality as a lie. America is an unworthy republic, tainted to the core, and its story is one of violence, oppression, and tyranny. In desecrating the story of liberty and equality, progressives have substituted a new story: racism, misogyny, and imperialism. In attacking one story, they offer a substitute at the same time. The symbols once seen for justice and unity are symbols of racism, misogyny, imperialism, oppression, evil.

Progressives live by Platos truths. The problem, of course, is that progressives are waging war against the original symbols and story while pushing their own; they understand that conflicting symbols and stories cannot coexist. One set of symbols and one overarching story must triumph. Competitors must be destroyed. There can be no coexistence.

This is what inspires progressives to destroy America. Literally. They burn down businesses, communities, and churches. They burn flags. They tear up the Declaration and Constitution. In place of the evil America that their story communicates, the symbols of that evil America must vanish, and the story of that evil America must be eradicated. New symbols and a new story will take their place and a new America will be created.

The decline of the republic and mass violence we are witnessing is not because of the tyranny and intolerance of conservatives and Republicans, though the media and the leftist politicians claim that. The decline of our country and violence we are witnessing is because progressives understand Plato without having read him: we cannot live without symbols and a story. And if the symbols and story of existing society are bad, then those symbols and story must be crushed and destroyed and new symbols and a new story erected.

The decline of America pushed by progressives is to achieve their new society structured on their new ideological symbols and story that will be forced onto all who dissent. Intelligent and cunning progressives give their half-hearted speeches and statements about the Constitution, God, and the flag under which men and women have sacrificed and died; but it is not out of any fidelity to those symbols and the story to which those men and women have died. It is to present a mirage, a false front, a veil of continuity while the new symbols and story are erected behind the scenes that will replace what Americans cherish and hold dear to their hearts and homes.

This is the difference between moderate Democrats and progressives; progressives are upfront in their open in their disdain for America and want the new America now through the fires of destruction. So-called moderate Democrats want everything progressives seekjust at a slower pace. Too much violence and attacking Americas traditional symbols of justice and unity and the story they tell might cause a backlash. There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat anymore.

Do progressives ever disavow the vandals in their midst? No. They give apologies for why crime occurred. Idealism. Youth. Righteous anger. Systemic racism. These are all smoke and mirror tactics to stay on the same team as the barbarians.

Many Americans do have their eyes open and know that it is not they who are at fault for Americas decline but their rage-filled progressive neighbors who are. American progressives have been tirelessly waging a war against America in schools, in the media, and in politics. Now we see the fruit they have borne. And like the petulant children they are, they try to blame others instead of themselves.

Paul Krause is the editor of VoegelinView. He is the author of The Odyssey of Love: A Christian Guide to the Great Books, The Politics of Plato, and contributed to The College Lecture Today and Making Sense of Diseases and Disasters.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
In healthcare, Washington currently plays four different roles: tyrant, physician, thief, and lawbreaker. What role should Washington play?

"Healthcare" as one word means the system. As two words, health care refers to a fiduciary, legally protected, voluntary service relationship between one patient and one care provider: physician, nurse, or therapist.

Medical care is the service. Healthcare is the system.

In the U.S., every adult has (or should have) medical autonomy  the right to choose one's own medical care. By its regulatory powers, fiscal controls, and coercive tactics, Washington has taken away Americans' medical autonomy, replacing it with federal tyranny.

The vaccination mandate is an obvious example. Based on recommendations by a non-practicing, bureaucrat M.D., Anthony Fauci, medical tyrant Biden forced Americans to accept injection of an untested, unproven, unsafe mRNA "jab." Universal vaccination was imposed despite an extensive list of adverse effects as well as limited efficacy of mRNA vaccines. Washington's tyranny suppressed medical freedom.

By its eligibility standards, pre-determined insurance benefits ("benefit" means care), and authorization process for payment, Washington extends its tyranny into specifics of medical care: who gets care and who doesn't; what care people get, where they get it, and by whom. These medical decisions are properly made by the patient with advice from a physician, not by a nameless, faceless, unaccountable bureaucrat in a cubicle at CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

Washington's tyranny is not only medical, but also fiscal. Healthcare is a centrally controlled market. A free market starts with consumers who decide where and how much money they spend. In healthcare, Washington dictates where consumer dollars go  to its bureaucrats or to providers  bringing to mind the Soviet healthcare system.

Washington bureaucrats are unlicensed physicians engaged in malpractice.

Government officials can now triage critically ill Americans. Instead of an E.R. doctor on the scene using his best judgment to decide who gets care first, physicians must obey "crisis standards of care" written by government officials. In Pennsylvania, crisis standards include a weighted lottery that gives preference to historically underserved minorities. Thus, a moderately ill Hispanic female would receive care before a white male bleeding out after an automobile accident.

Most patients believe that their doctor chooses medications for them. Not so. A PBM (pharmacy benefits management) organization decides medications, not their physicians.

Health insurers like UnitedHealth, Anthem, Aetna, and Cigna pay PBMs to determine the drugs in their pharmacies for patients enrolled in these health plans. Doctors must choose drugs from a list of the least expensive, lowest-risk, and therefore least effective drugs. Protected by Safe Harbor laws, federal bureaucrats are enabling PBM executives to practice medicine, usurping the patient's chosen physician.

Washington created all the bureaucracy, administration, rules, regulations, compliance, and oversight (BARRCO) for healthcare and medical care.

Washington exerts its control through a barrage of agencies such as CMS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Office of Safety and Health Administration, to name but a few. One look at their organizational charts proves how massive and incredibly costly federal BARRCO are.

From 1970 to 2010, the number of U.S. physicians increased 150 percent. Over the same forty years, the number of federal healthcare bureaucrats increased more than 3,200 percent.

In 2021, American taxpayers spent $4.3 trillion on healthcare. Between 31 percent and 50 percent paid for BARRCO: $1.33T to $2.15T of "healthcare spending" produced no care. The funds to pay bureaucrat salaries were taken from payments to providers of care, viz., $716 billion taken from Medicare to pay for ACA bureaucracy.

Every healthcare system exists first to provide care. Spending that doesn't deliver care to patients is what management experts call non-value-adding activity. Americans would complain that Washington is wasting trillions of hard-earned tax dollars. Physicians would exclaim, "Imagine the care we could give Americans with two trillion more dollars!"

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution assigns 18 "powers" or areas of authority to Congress, viz., print and borrow money, regulate commerce, repel invasions, and 15 others. Healthcare is not listed. This was not an oversight: dozens of physicians were delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

The Tenth Amendment emphasizes this limitation on Congress. "The powers not delegated to the United States [federal government] by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

According to the Constitution, Congress should have no "power" over healthcare.

Medicaid law, Section 1801, reads: "Nothing in this title shall be construed to authorize any Federal officer or employee to exercise any supervision or control over the practice of medicine" (Hospital Insurance Program, 291).

There are a host of legal precedents establishing medical autonomy  a patient's right to choose  that prevent both government officials and even physicians from imposing their medical choices on patients.

Biden's requirement to take experimental mRNA vaccines against the will of many Americans is a direct violation of the Nuremberg code: "The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential."

Washington is breaking its own laws, international law, and acting against the Constitution.

The roles Washington presently plays in healthcare are not only unethical, illegal, and unconstitutional; they do immeasurable harm to Americans.

There is death by queueing, viz., "47,000 veterans [who] may have died" waiting in line for medical care. The same fatal outcomes occurred in 752 Illinoisans and a 12-year old Maryland boy with a toothache. Because of an increasing regulatory burden and constantly declining payments, fewer physicians accept Medicaid or Medicare patients, wait times increase, and patients die waiting for care.

The "ill-founded" COVID lockdowns devastated more than 200,000 small businesses, caused avoidable deaths especially in nursing homes, and took away educational opportunities from millions of children. When Washington plays at being tyrant, physician, or thief, people suffer.

The proper role for Washington in healthcare is no role at all.

Get Washington out of both healthcare and medical care. Put American consumers back in charge. Support, don't harass, care providers. Restore medical autonomy.

Deane Waldman, M.D., MBA is professor emeritus of pediatrics, pathology, and decision science; former director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; and author of the multi-award-winning book Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.
The tony vacation redoubt of Martha's Vineyard is freaking out over 50 illegal migrants, deposited at its door by Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis, who flew them in.

Seems the ritzy sanctuary island in the sanctuary state of Massachusetts is being forced to "celebrate diversity," and people are not happy about it.

According to the New York Post:

The posh liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard has been thrown into chaos by the arrival of two planeloads of migrants sent there by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to local reports. Roughly 50 migrants were flown to the famed Massachusetts island  constituting what the local tourism board called a "humanitarian crisis'' Thursday. "This is an ongoing situation,'' wrote a county emergency-management rep in a statement, noting that local authorities "are actively collaborating to develop a coordinated regional response." "We have reached out to our State and Federal partners for additional and long term support and assistance.'' Some local pols learned about the new arrivals during a Wednesday night meeting of the West Tisbury Select Board  with Town Administrator Jennifer Rand saying she'd been receiving "furious texts" from residents, the MV Times reported.

...which is what happens when rich, white, virtue-signaling leftists get called out on their hypocrisy.

In some quarters, it's downright panic:

BREAKING REPORT: Marthas Vineyard Homeless Shelter Coordinator Lisa Belcastro MELTS DOWN AFTER ILLEGALS FLOWN TO HER ISLAND: 'They Have to Move From Here to Somewhere Else'...  Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) September 15, 2022

CNN, whose executive suite members certainly "summer" on the island, panicked:

For 2 years residents of Del Rio, Texas have dealt with thousands of migrants everyday. 50 arrive in Marthas Vineyard and CNN rushes a reporter there. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/BKNhWDLhsN  David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) September 15, 2022

There also were the Pecksniffs and assorted morality scolds going bonkers over the migrant arrivals:

Those planes were filled with actual human beings. People with hopes and dreams. People with names and families. And this Christian man used them as props. He didnt clothe the naked or feed the hungry. He literally did the opposite.

https://t.co/wSTWKg9m1R  Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) September 15, 2022

They seem to mistake themselves for Good Samaritans, which is nonsense. In the biblical parable, the Good Samaritan paid the innkeeper himself to take care of the robbery victim. He didn't dump the victim onto the innkeeper and say, "Hey! You take care of him!" which is roughly what leftists are doing as they tut-tut the Texans and Floridians, in order to virtue-signal even as they encourage illegal immigration to border states on the condition that those affected are to pay for it.

Howie Carr at the Boston Globe has some choice words for the hypocrites in his column here.

Martha's Vineyard  so many trust-funders, legacies and members of assorted Protected Classes, all abruptly forced to confront the spectacle of what Deplorables must endure day after dystopian day. How's that Great Reset working out for you now, David Letterman? Chris Wallace? Spike Lee? Larry David? Amy Schumer? Meg Ryan? Caroline Kennedy? Why are the Beautiful People so upset? Diversity is strength, is it not? Massachusetts is a sanctuary state, so obviously the Vineyard is a sanctuary island. Isn't this what the limousine liberals have always wanted ... for us, but not for them?

Most satisfying, perhaps, is that the tony island denizens are starting to eat their own:

Im in a couple Marthas Vineyard Facebook groups and theyre all turning on each other. Calling out their friends for not letting migrants in their summer homes pic.twitter.com/igS8dalb5a  AidanKearneyTB (@DoctorTurtleboy) September 16, 2022

After all, there are some terrifying status and money implications for them:

I like to call them limousine liberals. All these wealthy towns with plenty of land need to start building sec 8 housing. The cities are over crowded.  notyouraverage_biach (@ltm1101) September 16, 2022

As John Hinderaker at Power Line notes:

I'll bet they were furious! Not just anyone can live on Martha's Vineyard. Maybe the Vineyard folks can ship the unwanted illegal aliens to a more downscale location, like the Hamptons. Or else the illegal immigrants, of whom there are only around 50, could all stay at Barack Obama's $12 million estate. There is plenty of room there, and I understand his mansion has 10 bathrooms. That would be more than enough. But don't hold your breath.

The freak-out over 50 migrants is positively Lilliputian, exposing just how little they've been asked to contribute to the massive Biden border surge, as compared to, say, Texas:

Marthas Vineyard, population 15k, is freaking out over 50 migrants.



Del Rio, population 36k, encountered *28,000* migrants in October 2021. pic.twitter.com/dkc38rNfAg  John Hasson (@SonofHas) September 15, 2022

That hasn't stopped them from encouraging it, through their voting choices.

Being that the Vineyard is a status-y place that's largely run by white liberals, the screaming at the new arrivals from DeSantis has just a whiff of racism, an irony that is completely lost on the Vineyard wokesters.

It's not the money part.



They're just Democrats.



They don't want certain kinds of people hanging around in their neighborhood. They want them elsewhere.  Ed LaRose (@metaphorsbwithu) September 16, 2022

They stand with them. Just not near them.  BuckeyeFinFan (@BuckeyeFin) September 16, 2022

Some are reportedly changing their locks.

Then there's their real fear, their animating terror, about the migrant influx: falling property values:

Their absolute worst nightmare is declining home/rental values. This will keep them up at night.  David Rahnis (@DRahnis) September 16, 2022

There's also the selective outrage about the migrants, depending on who's sending them.

The Democrat-led city of El Paso, TX has been sending its own buses of migrants to NYC, and just approved up to a $2 million contract for 16 months to bus even more migrants out of town. They are also requesting federal reimbursement.



El Paso, however, is not being criticized.  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 15, 2022

It's not just the largely blue City of El Paso. Biden himself has been shipping unvetted illegals in the dead of night to cities of his choosing across the country. That apparently doesn't outrage them; it's only when Ron DeSantis sends them that they get their dander up. The hypocrisies pile on top of hypocrisies in these two little planeloads of unvetted illegals.

What we have here is a smorgasbord of ridiculousness, leftists hoist with their own petard, panicking over 50 migrants, while two million have been foisted onto the border states of the U.S. with no outrage from them whatsoever. If the rich denizens of the Vineyard can't handle 50 migrants, how is the rest of the country, the less well off part, supposed to handle 2 million illegals? That's something they can't answer. But it serves to underline that the main value of the DeSantis experiment has been to take down the hypocrisy of the left on illegal immigration and leave leftists exposed as selectively outraged, cosseted clowns.

Image: Screen shot from ABC News video via YouTube.
Just yesterday, federal judge Aileen Cannon declined to lift any part of an order she issued last week.

The order barred the Department of Justice from using records obtained by the FBI during their raid on Trump's estate, Mar-a-Lago, until an appointed arbiter, known as a Special Master, had completed a review.

Judge Cannon had appointed semi-retired judge Raymond J. Dearie as Special Master, who has the authority to sift through the documents and set aside using any that potentially were covered by attorney-client privilege or, in a legally disputed move, executive privilege.

The DOJ had asked Judge Cannon to lift restrictions on its use of documents with classification markings and set a Thursday deadline for her to respond. The DOJ says it will ask an appeals court to intervene.

The move was a blow to the DOJ's investigation, whose stated goal is to verify whether Trump unlawfully retained national defense records or obstructed repeated attempts by federal officials to retrieve them.

While Judge Cannon's order was a victory for Trump, she also made some concessions to the DOJ.

The Special Master has a deadline of Nov. 30 to complete his review.

The FBI can continue to investigate "the movement and storage of seized materials, including documents marked as classified, without discussion of their contents."

Trump would bear the entire cost of the Special Master's compensation and expenses, along with the cost of support staff or advisers.

So let's suspend our disbelief and hypothesize the following scenarios that favor the FBI and the DOJ:

Assume that the FBI were certain of Trump's guilt  i.e., they were sure he was in possession of classified documents and state secrets.

Assume that they were unaware of the existence of these documents before. Perhaps they did an inventory review of the documents after Trump left the White House but no record of the Mar-a-Lago documents.

Assume that a whistleblower informed the DOJ about the documents with a warning that Trump was about to sell the documents to the highest bidder in the next few days. Trump waited for so long because his buyers couldn't agree on the price.

Let's even accept the claim from Democrats that the goal behind the raid wasn't political, but instead to ensure that national security isn't compromised.

How would the FBI conduct the raid if they were certain of guilt and if their goal wasn't politics?

They would have presented Trump's lawyers with the warrant and supporting documents that allowed the lawyer to examine and ask questions. They would have insisted that Trump's lawyers accompany them at every juncture of the raid. They would have been transparent at every stage  when they rifled through Melania's wardrobe and cracked open Trump's personal safe. They would have made a video of every stage of the raid and shared the unedited footage with Trump's lawyers.

Once the classified documents were obtained, they would have shown them to the lawyers.

They would have released a statement highlighting the kind of documents that were obtained and announced a swift investigation

But nothing of the kind occurred.

They arrived on the property, but they didn't allow Trump's lawyers to read the warrant. They asked staffers to turn off the security cameras. They didn't allow Trump's lawyers to accompany them during the operation. They seized documents unsupervised. When they released the affidavit that was supposed to provide the reasoning for the Mar-a-Lago raid, it was heavily redacted. Even the portions citing the reason for the redaction were redacted.

Back to hypothetical scenarios that favor the FBI.

Let's assume that the leadership of the FBI and the DOJ learned the political motives of the raid conducted. Perhaps the raid was planned, conceived, and conducted by rogue agents who falsified their motives to mislead everyone, including Attorney General Merrick Garland.

How would the FBI and the DOJ have reacted?

The FBI would have insisted on transparency and the presence of a neutral party  a Special Master who reviewed the documents process  because they have nothing to hide and no political motive.

The arbiter would be able to independently verify the presence or absence of classified documents, which would strengthen their investigation, if fact-finding were the goal.

So what happened in reality?

The FBI appealed against the appointment of a Special Master by a federal judge.

Despite the fact that the Special Master isn't going to impede their investigation, he is merely going to review the documents.

The DOJ seems unwilling to allow an independent reviewer and is planning to appeal the ruling to retain the Special Master.

Do they fear disclosure of the truth because they have something to hide?

Now for the reality.

What was the motive behind the raid, the redaction of the affidavit, and the pushback against the Special Master?

The goal is to purposefully create a vacuum of mystery around the raid. They know that the news will fill the void with myriad fabrications.

The Washington Post was the first to fabricate.

The paper claimed that the FBI were looking for classified documents related to nuclear weapons during their raid. The sources were obviously anonymous, and the details and proof were absent. But the lie traveled around the U.S. and is being used to justify the raid.

Some "experts" have called the raid Trump's Al Capone moment  i.e., a situation where a crime boss is found guilty not for his crimes, but instead for process violations.

The peddlers of these lies are cautious to place question marks at the end of their allegations, although, at times, they do not.

In time, they will claim that the "walls are closing in," and Trump could be indicted soon, but no proof will be provided.

This will continue all through the 2024 election and perhaps even after Trump is elected.

These relentless witch hunts and the narrative-building have destroyed the central tenet of the justice system: the presumption of innocence.

Currently, Trump and his supporters have no such rights. They are guilty until proven innocent. Even if proven innocent, the power will deliberately frame the exoneration vaguely. They claim that no proof of wrongdoing was discovered, which implies that unlawful acts may have occurred, but the evidence was destroyed. The cloud of doubt continues to hover, which enables a thousand conspiracy theories to float.

Sadly, mainstream historians are also quite likely to cover the events from the perspective of the conspiracy theorists.

The following is an example:

Rosenbergs were convicted for giving U.S. nuclear secrets to Moscow, and were executed June 1953: pic.twitter.com/0Ox1JXoNDf  Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) August 12, 2022

It was endorsed by a retired USAF four-star general and former director of the CIA and director of the NSA.

Sounds about right. https://t.co/hJCjxhN2BQ  Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) August 12, 2022

Draining this swamp is going to take a brave, prolonged, and committed effort.

It seems like a near impossibility. But we can still hope!

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
There's class. And if you have none, you might be Meghan and Harry.

The "non-working" royals, as the matter is delicately put, are in a snit these days because now that the queen is dead, they didn't get the spoils they thought they were entitled to.

According to the New York Post:

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids will not be given His and Her Royal Highness titles  leaving the exiled couple once again "furious" at the royal family over the snub, according to a report. Harry's dad, the new King Charles III, has agreed to soon bestow the titles of prince and princess on his California-based grandkids, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, according to the Sun. But after a week of tense negotiations, he has refused to allow them to be known as HRH, titles that were stripped from their podcasting parents after they abandoned the family and the UK in 2020. "That is the agreement  they can be prince and princess but not HRH because they are not working royals," one insider told the UK paper. The decision follows "a lot of talks over the past week" since Harry's dad became king the moment his 96-year-old mother died last Thursday. "They have been relentless since the Queen died," the insider said of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying they "have been insistent that Archie and Lilibet are prince and princess."

So what are we reading here? T hat they want the titles and status of royalty, nice high royalty, not some Ruritanian eurochicken title from some long gone dynasty, but don't want to put the work in of being royalty.

Meghan, of course, being classless, in the past has claimed it's a matter of royal family "racism."

That's pretty questionable.

As we've learned from the various dramas around the British royal family, the royal family is actually an enterprise, and colloquially known as "the firm." The members work pretty hard at making public appearances, tending to their charities, and going to every school and park opening in the British outlands  often the less well known, or less glamorous, U.K. places such as Sheffield, Preston, Wolverhampton, Carlisle, Sunderland, Ripon, Blackpool, Leicester, Rotherham, Doncaster, Leeds, Kingston-on-Hull, Peterborough, St. Albans, Slough, Bolton, Stevenage, Truro, Bristol, Bournemouth, to name a random few  to cut ribbons and make those stately airy waves to the adoring crowds. They smile sweetly, take teddy bears and wipe tears from gooey toddlers, sit still for hours for solemn ceremonies, and act delighted when huge bouquets of flowers are thrust into their hands by random members of the overenthusiastic public. They do this while wearing the uniform heels and stockings and other costumes of royal propriety, which, when one spends all day in them, is not exactly an easy life. They show patience with all sorts of idiocies as well as the odd faux pas as constitutional monarchs and call it a life of service, which to most people, particularly the Brits themselves, is obvious enough, particularly since we are seeing the public's reaction to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

This is the stuff Harry and Meghan ran away from, in order to focus exclusively on red carpets and big Hollywood payouts, particularly from their tell-all books and interviews.

What they are saying they want is the titles but not the work, which is not the British model of royalty, but more like perhaps the Saudi model of royalty, of being idle princelings with more money than they know what to do with, but no "service" to their name.

That in itself shows zero class, but there's actually a secondary aspect to this that doesn't reflect well on them, either: it's that their hankering for royalty and status, which they hardly need in their chosen life as private citizens, is the sort of Gilded Age hankering we used to see at the turn of the 20th century, when the children of robber barons would go to Europe in search of a spouse with a title. People like that never amounted to anything; they were always the second and third generations of their industrialist patriarchs who sought out these royal titles.

Those who have actually experienced real royalty often go the other direction, with a longing for the freedom of the commoners. They feel confident because they know both sides of such things. They aren't strivers. Recall that Princess Anne refused to give her children fancy titles on the grounds that she wanted them to live life more "normally."

Presumably, that was the reason Harry fled the royal family, and both Harry and Meghan claimed they longed for normalcy with their kids.

Turned out that was a load of hooey. The pair of them craved status for their kids, same as any parvenu downwind of the main royal line, despite their protestations to the contrary. That's embarrassing. They want status as an entitlement, not an earned honor. And now that this story is out, everyone can see right through it.

Image: Screen shot from Sky News Australia/ABC News video via YouTube.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China congratulates Iran on its upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) full membership, and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation within the SCO framework, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi here Friday morning.

Xi stressed that China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity, and is willing to work with Iran to uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. 
The headlines are filled with reports telling how Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped illegal aliens off in Martha's Vineyard, a sanctimonious Democrat city. Then Texas governor Greg Abbott, who first put into effect the idea of shipping illegal aliens away from overwhelmed border towns, did even better than that: he shipped illegal aliens directly to Kamala Harris's house, just days after she assured Americans that "the border is secure." There's no word from Harris yet about her new guests, but New York, D.C., Chicago, Martha's Vineyard, and the leftist Twitterati are all melting down  just as was foretold in Exodus.

Whenever the illegal aliens arrive in a Democrat region, the same people who screamed about "kids in cages," castigated border regions for their racist response to being overrun by millions of illegal aliens, and (officially or unofficially) made it plain they're the kind of good people who welcome illegal aliens are now having a complete meltdown when those same illegal aliens arrive on their doorsteps.

Chris Hayes is representative of the shock and horror these once sanctimonious leftists are displaying as the welcome signs they once waved for illegal aliens are suddenly being taken seriously.

Honest question: do people who are not Fox viewers, etc, know what sanctuary cities are?  Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 22, 2016

Picking a fight on sanctuary cities is substantively gross but probably good politics for the Trump coalition.  Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 25, 2017

Deeply deeply sick and dehumanizing to fling human beings somewhere vindictively.  Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 15, 2022

Brianne Nadeau, a member of the D.C. Council, is another perfect example of someone who was for illegal immigration in theory but is less excited when it happens in fact:

The District is a sanctuary city, which means our law enforcement does not cooperate with ICE. As Councilmember, I have called for an abolition of ICE and wrote DCs law to establish a permanent immigrant legal services fund.

Read full remarks here: https://t.co/D6hi9Tf24G  Brianne K. Nadeau (@BrianneKNadeau) June 25, 2019

DC city council member:



The governors of Texas and Arizona have created this crisis [and] have turned us into a border town.

pic.twitter.com/Vx4koc5nZd  Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 8, 2022

Congratulations, Brianne! We're all border towns now.

But here's what's so great about what's happening: the Democrat response was foretold in Exodus. The Old Testament was long ago leading the way on this one.

As I'm sure all of you recall, it took ten plagues before Pharaoh would finally let the Jewish people go. That's because the first nine only minimally affected him in his palace. As long as his throne remained secure, he was content to see the Egyptian people suffer through the previous nine plagues (blood, frogs, insects, wild animals, plague, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness). It was only when God sent a plague that directly affected Pharaoh that he finally acknowledged that there was a problem that needed to be addressed:

And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. (Exodus 12:29-32)

There it is: suffering effects change in a country only when it touches the ruling class.

America labors under the burden of a political class that is completely insulated from the policies it enforces against ordinary Americans. Whether it's the left's criminal justice policies, leaving Americans more vulnerable to all types of crime than ever, or its border policies, which see American communities overrun with people bringing diseases, drugs, sex-trafficking, crime, and increased competition for low-wage jobs in their wake, leftist power brokers remain insulated. They live in safe communities; have armed guards; and are far from the day-to-day struggles of crime, sickness, drugs, and unemployment. They are mini-Pharaohs.

Finally, though, these mini-Pharaohs are facing just a taste of the realities that flow from their policies, and, like Pharaoh himself, they are not happy.

Until recently, Biden's administration has been shipping illegal aliens to red communities across America, keeping the ill effects of their arrival far from his constituents. Now that conservatives are finally turning this policy on its head, it's important to keep up the pressure until they, like Pharaoh, crack under the strain.



Montage made using illegal aliens image (YouTube screen grab) and the White House (by Matt Wade, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Peter Strzok, one of the major players in the Russia hoax against President Trump, put out a tweet boasting about how many cell phones the FBI has taken from people who support President Trump or question the 2020 election. One of my friends reached out to me to say that all this phone-stealing requires congressional action because, with the FBI going after ordinary people, not everyone who is affected can afford to replace the seized technology. This can have devastating consequences for people.

I won't recount here Strzok's conduct leading up to, during, and after Donald Trump's election in 2016. Suffice it to say that he is neither a nice man nor a good one. Despite that, he managed to get away scot-free and, unlike President Trump, still has access to Twitter. So it was that, on Wednesday, he sent out the kind of nasty tweet that seems entirely consistent with what we know of him:

At this point FBI may have more cell phones than a Verizon store



Rudy Giuliani

Victoria Toensing

Michael McDonald

Scott Perry

John Eastman

Jeff Clark

Boris Epshteyn

Mike Roman

Mike Lindell



The FBI cant seize any of them without probable cause they contain evidence of a crime.  Peter Strzok (@petestrzok) September 14, 2022

Strzok's certainly a piece of work. Margot Cleveland, to her credit, had the perfect riposte:

FBI Agents on Mueller's team wiped three times as many cell phones, but whatever. https://t.co/zwJcfcCf6w pic.twitter.com/TrHNWWibbh  Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) September 14, 2022

One of my friends, who is not a rich man, said that all this cell phone and computer-stealing is incredibly disturbing. As Mike Lindell said when his phone was taken, he runs everything through it: his business and his personal life. Heck, even his hearing aids are managed through his phone. Presumably, though, like the other people from whom the FBI has seized their electronics, Lindell can replace phones and computers, and, if he's smart, he has backups in his home or on the cloud.

What about those people, though, who lack the means instantly to replace a seized computer or telephone? What are they supposed to do when the FBI walks away with it and refuses to return it for days, weeks, months, or years?



Image: Computer and cell phone by diana.grytsku.

For some, their phone is the only phone they have because, for reasons of economy, they've given up a landline. Phones are also their telephone directories, so they lose contact with everyone. And of course, for many people, their computers are integral to their ability to earn a living. But not every working person can instantly replace a seized computer.

That's why my friend had a brilliant idea: he thinks Congress should pass a law mandating that the FBI, which is probably copying the hard drives the moment it has these phones and computers in its possession, must return the seized electronics to their users within a reasonable  and that would be very short  period of time. There's no reason why people who find themselves in Mike Lindell's position, but without his means, should be unable to control their hearing aids, call their children, or do their job merely because the FBI is working its way through a list of ordinary people to take down as enemies of the regime.

If you agree, contact your congresscritters and ask them to make this a priority. It's a simple idea that could be part of a one-page bill that gets passed and instantly signed into law. Moreover, it's not just for the benefit of those whom the FBI is persecuting. This is the kind of bill that protects all Americans because it's the rare person today who isn't dependent on electronic devices.
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called for the lifting of sanctions against South Sudan and for the provision of more international assistance.

The political transition in South Sudan has entered a new and important state as the signatories to the Revitalized Agreement have agreed on a roadmap to extend the transitional period. It is a political decision made independently by the parties in South Sudan. It is also a correct choice in light of the current situation and is conducive to the peace process, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

China welcomes this and hopes that all parties concerned will continue to cooperate and work together to gradually achieve the remaining goals of the transitional period in accordance with the roadmap so as to lay a solid foundation for elections, he told the Security Council.

Some individual countries should understand the practical difficulties faced by South Sudan, take an objective view of the decision on extending the transitional period and should not regard elections as a panacea and should not ignore political efforts made on dialogue and reconciliation among the parties in South Sudan, he said.

The successful graduation and deployment of the first cohort of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) symbolizes significant progress in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement. It marks a solid step forward in South Sudan's peace process, he said.

It cannot be ignored that the NUF follow-up and the implementation of other security arrangements contained in the Revitalized Agreement require tangible help from the international community, said Dai. "Cutting off funds while complaining about delays in implementing the agreement is not an effective solution to the problem."

Security Council sanctions against South Sudan are not conducive to the NUF's access to the security equipment needed to carry out its mandates. A growing number of council members have already recognized this, he said. "China, once again, calls on the council to pay attention to South Sudan's concerns and appeals on the issue of sanctions, lift the arms embargo and other sanctions against South Sudan at an early date, and help South Sudan improve its security capacity."

As the youngest country in the world, South Sudan requires continued support from the international community. Affected by food shortages, violent conflicts and other challenges, South Sudan is facing a dire humanitarian situation and is in urgent need of help, he said.

In such circumstances, reducing development assistance and imposing indiscriminate sanctions are making things worse. The international community should not only increase humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, but also help accelerate its independent development, enhance its capacity and resilience to counter risks and challenges and promote peace through development, he said.

China has always been respecting South Sudan's sovereignty and independence and supported its efforts for a development path that fits its own national conditions. Going forward, China will continue to work with the international community to provide support and assistance for the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and help the people of South Sudan lead a peaceful life, said Dai. 
(ANSA) - BERLIN, SEP 16 - Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico said Friday that he disagrees with Der Spiegel after the German weekly called Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni "Mussolini's heir". "I don't agree with Der Spiegel's headline because Mussolini has no heirs in Italy," Fico said during a visit to Berlin.

"We are a republic and a solid, strong democracy".

Meloni is tipped to become Italy's next premier as the FdI was top of the polls before a survey blackout kicked in ahead of the September 25 general election and the centre-right coalition it is part of is forecast to get a landslide victory.

"Elections will take place on September 25 and, whoever the winner is, it will be within the realm of our democratic republic," said Fico, a member of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), a rival to the FdI.

"The citizens will decide who wins in free elections". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 16 - Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni on Friday stood by her right-wing group's decision to vote against a European Parliament motion on Thursday declaring that Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy and has become an "electoral autocracy".

The MEPs of Matteo Salvini's League, the FdI's allies in centre-right coalition that is tipped to win Italy's general election on September 25, also voted against the motion.

"We are talking about a situation in which all the Hungarian parties, including those in the opposition to (Prime Minister) Viktor Orban, were indignant about this EU document," Meloni, who is favourite to become Italy's next premier with FdI the top party in the polls, told RAI radio.

"Do you think it's really a dictatorship? I recall everyone that Orban won the elections.

"Orban is a gentleman who won the elections several times according to the rules of the Constitution, with all the rest against him.

"So it is a democratic system". (ANSA).


PALERMO - A protocol aimed at the joint organization of 'La Biennale dello Stretto' (Biennial of the Strait of Sicily) was signed on Friday at the Rada San Francesco in Messina, during a press conference. The agreement was signed by Messina Mayor Federico Basile and the acting mayor of Reggio Calabria, Carmelo Versace, the president of the architects' guild of Reggio Calabria Ilario Tassone and the president of the benefit society 500z100 Alfonso Femia.

"The Biennial of the Strait is the continuation of a research project, called Mediterranei Invisibili (invisible Mediterranean), conceived and developed in 2017 by Alfonso Femia, through the cultural platform 500z100 sb, aimed at attracting the potential to relaunch the European, African and Middle Eastern Mediterranean, mapping essential references like infrastructure, landscape, urban environment, culture, history", said a statement.

"It will be an occasion for a space of discussion, a breeding ground of ideas and projects for the metropolitan cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria - said Basile - which will be able to offer, through the contribution of experts, the possibility of promoting initiatives aimed at activating processes of improvement in living, sustainable development of the territory and new frontiers of architecture and urban planning".

"It is an extraordinary opportunity for our territory, an occasion to build through discussion and the meeting between technicians and the territorial community, a sweeping vision on the future of this area which contains in its geographic, landscape and cultural DNA unique potential worldwide. Today, we continue along the path started, putting to fruition the results reached over the past years and continuing to offer our full cooperation, together with other territorial agencies, for the creation of a homogeneous vision of development policies on the metropolitan area of the Strait".




Oman announces construction of space research center Space Settlement Center open to international scientists

(ANSAmed) - NAPLES, SEPTEMBER 16 - Oman has approved a program for the construction of a research center for the simulation of space missions and scientific experiments. The country, The National newspaper reports, unveiled the project on Tuesday, showing the rendering of the futuristic type of habitat, called Space Settlement Center, which will be built in the Artificial Intelligence Zone in Duqm District, over an area of 20,000 square meters.



Bahiya Al Shuaibi, founder of the Oman Global Space and Technology Company, has said the center will help scientists carry out their research programs. "The project aims to simulate a space environment to study the behavior of astronauts before joining the actual astronaut flights", she was quoted as saying.



. "It will serve scientists, researchers and those interested in doing experiments in the space sector, artificial intelligence and advanced technology", she said. The new center will also be involved in training programs with international institutions.



The United Arab Emirates also announced plans to build a similar structure, called the Mars Science City in 2017.



However, progress slowed down to ensure land was secure and should start at the end of this year. The actual birth of two research centers in Oman and the UAE will bring the Middle East among international countries that will attract scientists taking part in future programs. (ANSAmed).




Lebanon: two new assaults against banks, media Third time in a few days, protests against frozen savings

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, SEPTEMBER 16 - For the third time in a few days, and the fifth in less than a year, two bank branches in Lebanon were assaulted on Friday morning by two account holders in US dollars, which have been frozen for the past three years after an arbitrary decision, not approved by Parliament and which concerns nearly all bank account holders in Lebanon, taken by a cartel of Lebanese banks amid the country's financial default. Media sources reported that the two incidents occurred respectively in Ghaziye, in southern Lebanon, and in Beirut, in the low-income district of Tariq Jdide. The actions taken by the account holders, who have de facto remained without their savings in strong currencies since November 2019, are similar to those adopted on Wednesday by two other account holders in Beirut and Aley, north-east of the capital: protesters have used a firearm and a tank full of gasoline, demanding part of their savings in dollars.



The local lira lost more than 95% of its value in three years and, according to the UN, 80% of people residing in Lebanon live in poverty. Bank account holders have been denied free access to their savings in dollars for the past three years.



In August, the most significant action was reported in Beirut, where an account holder took hostage employees and some clients of a bank downtown. But the first action of this kind dates back to last January, when an armed man targeted his bank in the eastern Beqaa Valley. The Association of banks has just announced new security measures to prevent such assaults and the union of bank employees has denounced the risks undertaken by workers in the sector. (ANSAmed).




(by Lorenzo Trombetta)

ROME - In a Lebanon in financial default rocked by unprecedented social tension, a round of armed assaults on banks were registered on Friday, carried out by depositors with accounts in US dollars, regular people whose savings have been 'frozen' for the past three years. The decision was taken by a cartel of banks, which formally went bankrupt three years ago amid the worst economic crisis in the history of the Mediterranean country.

Six banks were targeted on Friday, in Beirut and in other areas of the country. Two more incidents were reported on Thursday, one in August and another in January. The depositors, who were left without their savings in valuable currencies, were similar to those previously adopted: armed with a firearm and a gasoline tank, account holders asked bank officers to hand them part of their savings in dollars.

Since the fall of 2019, Lebanese banks, in agreement with the Central Bank, decided to freeze bank accounts and deposits of nearly all Lebanese and foreign account holders. The decision was taken without prior approval by parliament of a law on the control of capital. The Lebanese government formalized the country's default in March 2020. The Lebanese pound over the past years lost more than 95% of its value compared to the US dollar. And it has lost even more in the past few hours in a country in which, according to the UN, more than 80% of the residing population lives in poverty.

The Association of Lebanese Banks has meanwhile informed that all Lebanese bank branches are closing starting Friday through Wednesday. Some banks have even announced they are closing until further notice as they wait for reassurances on the protection of their personnel.

On this, outgoing interior minister, Bassam Mawlawi, summoned an emergency meeting of the internal security council, a government body for the coordination of police and the military.

And as assaults on bank branches - in some cases with toy guns - were being reported across the country, parliament gathered to discuss the approval of a much awaited budget law, one of the legislative passages necessary to obtain aid from the International Monetary Fund to get out of the default.

Discussion in parliament in Place de l'Etoile however turned into a fight between lawmakers and the session could not continue on such a delicate and urgent matter.

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of people took to the streets in the low-income districts of the capital, creating barriers with tires set on fire and overturned garbage bins in Tariq Jdide, Qasqas, Mazraa, Bishar al Khuri, to express "solidarity" to the banks' assailants and invoke a "popular uprising".




UAE, district cooling for Egypt's healthcare center In a new structure in Badr, therapies for Egyptians, foreigners

(ANSAmed) - NAPLES, SEPTEMBER 16 - Tabreed, the UAE district cooling company, has signed a contract with Egypt to provide services to 'CapitalMed', the healthcare facility of Badr, a large industrial center in the region of Cairo. Tabreed, Gulf News reports, will build a bespoke district energy plant to meet the cooling and heating requirements of the healthcare center's buildings. The project of the plant will be made by Shaker Consultancy.



CapitalMed is a healthcare center on which Egypt is investing to attract medical tourism and to best exploit facilities including 700 ICU places, 70 operating rooms and over 15,000 healthcare providers offering 100 specialties. The project will serve a population of one million people. The healthcare citadel will have direct access to large national highways and direct connection to Cairo's airport which is 20 minutes away.



(ANSAmed).




Gaza: Hamas aims to normalize relations with Syria Denounces 'Israeli attacks against Syrian brother state'

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, SEPTEMBER 16 - After 10 years of no relations, Hamas announced Thursday the intention of "restoring connections with the republic of Syria, in the interest of the Arab nation and the Islamic republic, as well as of the Palestinian cause".



This development, according to an official statement by Hamas, is connected among other things to the "constant Israeli attacks against the brother Syrian state, which include bombings, killings and projects to divide the country".



"Syria - Hamas said in the statement - has supported for decades the Palestinian people and factions of the resistance".



The offices of Hamas in Damascus were closed in the months after the start of the uprising against Assad in 2011. Since then, relations with the Syrian president were broken.



(ANSAmed).




SHENYANG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Escorted by two Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets, a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, at around 11 a.m.

This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014.

Around 400 representatives from central and local authorities, the military, veterans of the war, family members of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs and students attended a ceremony at the airport to welcome the remains of the soldiers.

Following the event, the remains were escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held on Saturday.

"I don't know their names, but I know they are heroes and deserve our memory forever," said Chen Meixu, a student in Shenyang, who attended the ceremony.

"Today, my brothers finally return home," said Li Weibo, a CPV veteran, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Sometimes, I forget what happened yesterday, but I have never forgotten what happened more than 70 years ago," the 90-year-old said.

Escorted by police motorcycles, the motorcade carrying the remains of the CPV martyrs drove past thousands of residents who packed the street to take part in the solemn procession.

The remains of 825 soldiers returned from the ROK and were laid to rest in the cemetery between 2014 and 2021. 
The wives of Aberfan have said the late Queen came at the right time as they paid tribute to the mother who visited the disaster.

Denise Morgan and Gloria Davies, members of the Aberfan Wives group, told the PA news agency the monarch had made quite a bond with the mining village.

The women had been invited to Cardiff Castle as the King and Queen Consort met military personnel and faith leaders during a reception as part of their final engagement in Wales on Friday.

King Charles III meeting members of the public as he leaves Cardiff Castle in Wales (Ben Birchall/PA)

Addressing the late Queens connection to Aberfan, Ms Morgan said: In terms of the Queen, she visited Aberfan just after the disaster and four other times after that, I believe  each one for a different reason.

We were fortunate to meet her on a number of occasions and I think throughout the years she has made quite a bond with Aberfan, particularly with the parents.

Speaking during a reception in the Banqueting Hall of Cardiff Castle on Friday, the women said they believed Charles would change the monarchy to make it a bit more modern.

Asked if Charles would continue the relationship with the village, Ms Morgan: He will continue that bond with Aberfan and the people of Aberfan  particularly the wives group.

The Prince of Wales signs a book of condolence during a reception for families and survivors at Aberfan in 2016 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)

I think hes going to change the monarchy and make it a bit more modern  because hes that sort of person.

Hes a peoples person as well.

Ms Davies added: I think hes going to be a good King because people havent seen another side to him yet, but we have. He likes a bit of banter.

Commenting on what the Queen meant to her, Ms Morgan told PA: I thought she was a wonderful Queen.

Looking at the footage now, she smiled every time. Even in the photographs, shes always smiling.

She made a pledge to be our Queen all those years ago and I really think she kept to that commitment, even up until two days before she died.

To actually meet the Prime Minister and work almost up until the last, its a fine testament to her.

Asked about the Queens reaction to the Aberfan disaster, Ms Morgan said: I dont think she came as the Queen, I think she came as a mother too.

Because she looked around and she could see the devastation and the look on peoples faces.

I really do believe she came as a mother that day, to sympathise and empathise with the terrible tragedy that happened in Aberfan.

Ms Davies added: Everyone who was saying she didnt come to Aberfan  she came at the right time, she came at the right time.

I think thats shared by the whole of Aberfan.
A dangerous criminal who killed a young man in a crash in east London has been jailed for 24 years thanks to an uncanny witness sketch.

Danny Smith, 44, of Manford Way, Chigwell, smashed into a Yamaha motorcycle being ridden by Saleem Ahmed, 20, as he tried to overtake two cars in Hainault Road, Redbridge, on December 17 last year.

A witness had seen Smith, who had been driving erratically in a grey Audi for 30 minutes prior to the collision, and drew a crucial sketch which identified him following his arrest two months later.

The Metropolitan Police said Smith was jailed for 24 years at Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 5 for causing Mr Ahmeds death by dangerous driving while unqualified and uninsured and failing to stop following the incident.

Danny Smith was jailed for 24 years (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Smith also admitted a number of other offences, including robbery, burglary, handling stolen goods, criminal damage, theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving in relation to different incidents, the force said.

Two days before crashing into Mr Ahmed, Smith pushed and threatened an elderly woman at her home in Havering after falsely claiming he had damaged her fence and wanted to fix it, before making off with cash and personal items.

On February 1 this year, he stole money from an elderly man in Ilford after entering his home under false pretences.

Four days later he stole a vehicle from a car showroom in Romford while pretending to show interest in buying it.

Saleem Ahmed died in the crash in Redbridge last December (Family handout/PA)

He was caught by police while driving erratically in Waltham Forest two days later, and was arrested despite attempting to escape.

The Met said: Inquiries revealed that the vehicle was on false plates and it was same one that had been stolen from the showroom in Romford.

Smith was found in possession of stolen items, while police checks revealed he was wanted in connection with the fatal collision.

Forensic evidence would place him inside the Audi that collided with Saleem, while the sketch provided by the witness  bearing an uncanny resemblance to Smith  would help prove he was the driver.

The weight of evidence left Smith with no option but to plead guilty.

Danny Smith pleaded guilty to the charges (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mr Ahmeds family said in a statement: My son was taken in such cruel circumstances that for years to come it will affect us all as a family, our friends and our community.

I will forever be thankful to the witnesses on the night of the incident. The help they gave to my son, comforting him as he passed away, and to the ones who helped bring Danny Smith to justice, I will be forever grateful.

The support we as a family have had from the police throughout has been second to none.

Nothing will ever bring Saleem back, but knowing that a dangerous criminal is back where he belongs and can no longer ruin other lives, which is what we fought so hard for To my darling son, we love you forever.

Detective Inspector Julie Trodden said: It can only be said that Smiths actions were reckless, dangerous and entirely avoidable.
The King is to visit Wales for the first time since ascending the throne before returning to London to hold a vigil at the Queens coffin with his brothers and sister.

Charles and the Queen Consort will travel to Cardiff on Friday for the next leg of a home nations tour following the Queens death, after trips to Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The King and Camilla will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral before receiving condolences at the Welsh parliament, the Senedd.

(PA Graphics)

He will later hold a private audience with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and the presiding officer at Cardiff Castle, although a protest against the monarchy is expected outside.

Charles will then attend a reception hosted by the Welsh Government, before returning to Buckingham Palace in the evening to host faith leaders in the Bow Room.

Meanwhile thousands will continue to queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall, and some will witness the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex as they hold a 15-minute vigil around the coffin at 7.30pm.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are due to visit Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey to meet troops from the Commonwealth who are to participate in the Queens state funeral.

It comes a day after the couple visited a sea of flowers left for the Queen at the gates of Sandringham House in Norfolk, where William told one mourner that walking behind the Queens coffin to the lying in state on Wednesday was difficult, and reminded him of his mother Diana, Princess of Waless funeral.

On Thursday, more details were revealed about the Queens funeral, which will see 2,000 people, including world leaders and foreign royals, gather at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

Recipients of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross and representatives of the Westminster Parliament, devolved parliaments and assemblies, the Church, and Her Majestys patronages are among those who will also attend.

Members of the public awaiting the arrival of the King and Queen Consort at Llandaff Cathedral (Jacob King/PA)

The service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and Commonwealth secretary general Baroness Scotland reading the lessons, and the Archbishop of Canterbury delivering the sermon.

Some 800 people, including members of the Queens Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service afterwards at 4pm in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The Palace confirmed the Queen will be interred with the Duke of Edinburgh in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St Georges Chapel in a private service at 7.30pm.

(PA Graphics)

The Queens grandchildren will reportedly hold a vigil at her coffin on Saturday  with the Duke of Sussex wearing his military uniform, according to the Daily Mirror.

Harry completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan but had been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourned as he is no longer a working royal.

But the Daily Mirror said Palace officials have had a change of heart, with a source saying common sense has prevailed.

Harry will reportedly join his brother William and cousins Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall at the vigil.

Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
The founder of an LGBT choir network said it is a wonderful privilege to have been invited to the Queens state funeral  as he hailed her ability to bring diverse groups of people together.

Dr Hsien Chew, who was made an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours in June, is among nearly 200 people from the list who have been invited to the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, which a total of 2,000 people including world leaders and foreign royals will attend.

The 49-year-old, who founded Proud Voices, a network of choirs in the UK and Ireland, was honoured for voluntary and charitable services to the LGBTQ+ community but has yet to attend an investiture ceremony to receive his MBE.

Dr Hsien Chew, who founded a group of LGBTQ+ choirs at home in central London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Dr Hsien, from Westminster, central London, said he was taken aback to receive the call from a Cabinet Office official to invite him to the funeral, but added: Obviously its an incredible privilege and I am really flattered to be a part of this and to be able to experience what is a really unique period in history.

This is one of those moments in time which you know you are going to remember forever and often you have to think back to other important moments that took place in Westminster Abbey and where you were at the time when that happened, and most of these Ive only ever watched on TV or heard described whereas I am actually going to be there for the first time, which I think is a wonderful privilege.

He said he has visited The Mall and Green Park in recent days, where thousands of people have been paying their respects to the Queen, and has been struck by just how diverse the legions of mourners are.

He added: The thing about the Queen is that she has been so much a part of peoples lives for such a long time that youre not always conscious that she is there, its almost like shes part of the furniture.

Shes that thread that has wound its way through your life and sometimes its more visible and sometimes its not so visible but then everyone in the UK has had that thread passing through them as well.

And so when that thread goes I think it is very noticeable for everyone and that sense of loss is accompanied by a desire for connection and going down to Green Park and seeing all the tributes has been very moving because of that.

As someone who works in diversity and representation, I think whats most striking to me is theres a huge diversity of people down there, down on The Mall and down on Green Park.

She touched a wide swathe of humanity, a wide swathe of people who live in the UK, and theres a diversity of ages and ethnicities.

I think that really speaks to the universality of the Queen when it comes to that level of connection.

Its very rare to find anyone, especially in the UK, who can bring such diverse groups of people together and I think thats very admirable.
The Queen was described as a towering figure on the world stage during a memorial service in Cardiff attended by Charles during his first visit to Wales as King.

Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales, highlighted the late monarchs ability to utilise soft power and said we would never look at a jar of marmalade in the same way again, after she appeared with the fictional character Paddington Bear during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Charles and his Queen Consort were greeted by gun salutes and cheering schoolchildren when they arrived in the capital of Wales  the final stop in their tour of the four home nations which began after the Queens death last Thursday.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort during their tour of Cardiff (Jacob King/PA)

Meanwhile, in London, the public queue to attend the Queens lying in state is being paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity, the Government said.

Mourners have been warned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) not to attempt to join the queue at Southwark Park in south-east London until around 4pm on Friday at the earliest.

The call was made as the official estimate for queuing time reached at least 14 hours.

The event at Cardiffs Llandaff Cathedral was a service of prayer and reflection for the life of the Queen and among the congregation was Prime Minister Liz Truss, First Minister Mark Drakeford and Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Wales.

His visit to Cardiff was the first Charles has made as King (Jacob King/PA)

The Archbishop of Wales said in his address: Her ability to influence, to utilise soft power  no less significant, no less authoritative  illustrates the wise and careful thought she brought to her role.

Prime Ministers found that she was a trusted confidant. Her attention to matters of Government, her knowledge of world events and the longevity of her reign gave her an unmatched perspective and ability to see the distant scene.

He added: We also saw a monarch who could surprise and delight us. We will never look at a jar of marmalade again in the same way, nor watch Mr Bond without remember 2012 and that extraordinary leap into the void.

Her late majesty was also a towering figure on the world stage embodying a continuity and stability but perhaps more than that, values, values which are shared across nations and cultures.

The public queuing to see the Queen lying in state (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

The Archbishop said about her ability to connect with people: And in Wales, that skill was never more evident than when she visited Aberfan in 1966. That community finding her presence deeply consoling and Her Majesty would return four more times to that community.

Earlier, it emerged the decision to allow the Duke of Sussex to wear his uniform during a vigil at the Queens coffin was made by his father.

Royal sources have said Charles also requested that the Queens eight grandchildren be allowed to participate in the vigil  standing in quiet contemplation around their grandmother for 15 minutes as a mark of respect  something they were all keen to undertake.
Chinas official delegation is expected to be barred from attending the Queens lying in state ahead of the state funeral.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will prevent them entering Westminster Hall while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing, a parliamentary source told the PA news agency.

Two sanctioned Tory MPs, Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton, have been raising concerns about the delegations possible attendance, saying it was extraordinary they had received an invite.

Chinese President Xi Jinping with the Queen at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2015 (PA)

Sir Lindsay was upholding his position on barring Chinese state officials while the parliamentarians remain sanctioned, the source said, confirming the story first reported by the Politico website.

A House of Commons spokesman said we do not comment on security matters while Sir Lindsays spokesman also declined to comment.

Number 10 also declined to comment, with a Downing Street spokeswoman saying: Admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament.

In a letter to Sir Lindsay earlier this week, Sir Iain and Mr Loughton, along with crossbench peer Lord Alton and Labours Baroness Kennedy, warned against giving the delegation access.

We are greatly concerned to hear that the Government of China has been invited to attend the state funeral next week, despite other countries Russia, Belarus and Myanmar being excluded, they wrote.

Tim Loughton MP is among those politicians to have been sanctioned by Beijing (PA)

Given that the United Kingdom Parliament has voted to recognise the genocide committed by the Chinese Government against the Uighur people it is extraordinary that the architects of that genocide should be treated in any more favourable way than those countries who have been barred.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is not scheduled to attend the Westminster Abbey funeral on Monday, instead sending his deputy, Wang Qishan.

Mr Xi met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan on Thursday.

Last September, Sir Lindsay and his counterpart in the upper chamber, Lord McFall, blocked Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang from visiting Parliament.

The Commons Speaker argued at the time it would not be appropriate for the ambassador to meet at the Commons while seven British parliamentarians remain sanctioned.

Six months earlier, China imposed sanctions on seven parliamentarians, also including Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat, Nusrat Ghani and Neil OBrien.

They are all vocal critics of Beijing, having spoken out against the treatment of the Uighur people in Xinjiang.

China hit the parliamentarians with sanctions shortly after Britain  along with the US, Canada and European Union  placed sanctions on Chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses in the countrys autonomous north-west territory.

The Government has increasingly signalled a willingness to take a harder line against China and, as foreign secretary, Liz Truss was seen as a key voice pushing for a tougher stance.
The family of a man shot dead by loyalists in a murder linked to alleged security force collusion have settled a civil case against the police and Ministry of Defence.

Father-of-four Loughlin Maginn, 28, was killed by the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in his home in Rathfriland, Co Down, in August 1989.

At the time, the UDA justified the killing by claiming Mr Maginn featured in security force intelligence material they had obtained from an army base.

Two men later convicted of his murder were serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

A Government-commissioned report in 2012 found that in December 1988 intelligence agencies became aware of a UDA plan to break into the army base to steal intelligence files on republican paramilitary suspects.

The report by QC Desmond de Silva said it was clear a decision was taken by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) not to prevent the break-in.

Loughlin Maginn with his wife Maureen (Maginn family/PA)

Solicitor for the next of kin Gavin Booth informed Belfast High Court on Friday morning that the familys case against the MoD and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the RUCs successor, had been settled.

As part of the settlement the state will have to pay the family an undisclosed sum and their legal costs.

Judge Mr Justice Michael Humphreys said a settlement of a case before it reached court was always a good outcome.

Addressing relatives in the High Court, he said: It can sometimes feel unsatisfactory in that you havent had your day in court, but from what I know of this case, and many others like it, it is a satisfactory resolution to resolve a case like this outside court, where youve got control of the outcome and you can take legal advice and reach terms which are satisfactory to you as a family and also to those who youre suing, who have to enter into the bargain as well.

And thats an important part of our legal system. It doesnt operate unless a large number of cases do resolve.

I congratulate you on having taken that step. Im sure it wasnt an easy one to do but Ive no doubt that it was the right thing to do to resolve your case.

The family are campaigning for a fresh inquest to fully examine the circumstances of Mr Maginns murder.

Outside court, Mr Maginns daughter Grace said the murder had never been adequately or effectively investigated.

In 33 years, no police officer has ever approached our home to offer us any information on this murder, she said.

We are calling for a fresh inquest to find out the truth.

Ms Maginn added: No family should ever have to suffer this long for truth.

Today marks a significant milestone in our familys journey for justice. Whilst this settlement by the police and the Ministry of Defence offers some comfort, it will never forgive the actions of those who entered our home that night nor the agents of the state who sent them to kill our daddy.

Mr Booth, of Phoenix Law, said: Our clients are delighted that today the PSNI and MoD have finally settled their case which has been ongoing since 1992.

Today should mark a significant milestone in the familys journey for justice for the murder of Loughlin Maginn, in Rathfriland in County Down.

Whilst some of the truth is now known as to what happened to Loughlin Maginn, many questions remain unanswered and many of those responsible have been allowed to escape justice.
Its been a relief watching gas prices tumble during the last three months, from a peak of $5.02 per gallon in June to less than $3.70 now. But that may be as good as it gets.

Gas prices depend on oil prices, and turbulence is brewing once again in global oil markets, largely because of Russias ongoing war in Ukraine. Europe is on track to ban most purchases of Russian oil, starting in December, and Russian president Vladimir Putin could retaliate by cutting Russian oil production. The United States, meanwhile, is developing a plan for advanced nations to impose a price cap on Russian oil, to cut the energy revenue Russia earns and limit its ability to finance the war.

A decline in oil supply, from Russia or anywhere else, would push up prices. So would new logistical hurdles as oil gets rerouted, along with anything else that raises production costs or uncertainty. Putin might even try to time disruptions to maximize political upheaval in the United States and Europe.

The risk of an oil supply shock is heightened in the coming months, investing firm Raymond James said in a Sept. 13 research note. We particularly view this risk as heightened given upcoming elections in [European] nations and the fall midterms in the US.

Two factors pushed gasoline prices to record highs earlier this year. The first was a surge in oil prices in the aftermath of Russias Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. US crude prices jumped from $85 per barrel before the invasion to a high of $122 in June. There was never really a shortage of oil. But there were concerns that the war would disrupt supplies, with that fear premium pushing up prices.

The second factor was a drop in refining capacity in the United States and elsewhere. During the COVID downturn in 2020, oil and gasoline prices cratered and energy firms closed some underperforming refineries, which convert crude into gasoline and other finished products. Total US refining capacity has declined by about 5% since then, and refineries are now operating near full capacity. Its costly to build new refineries, and the move to electric cars and renewable energy dissuades energy firms and their investors from adding new refining capacity.

A view shows a flare stack at Rosneft's oil stabilisation facility outside the town of Neftegorsk in the Samara Region, Russia September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

Oil prices have fallen since June because the supply disruptions many traders feared didnt materialize. But there may now be even more tangible reasons to worry about a supply crunch. If the European ban on Russian oil purchases goes into effect in December, as planned, Russia will try to sell that oil to other customers, such as India and China. But the International Energy Agency estimates Russias total exports could drop by 20% or so, which would be enough to put upward pressure on prices.

The US plan for a price cap on Russian oil wouldnt necessarily push prices up. In theory, it would do the opposite, since purchasers of Russian oil abiding by the cap would pay less than market price. But theres never been a buyers cartel on that scale, trying to enforce a maximum price, and its hard to predict how markets would react.

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Putin, for his part, is unlikely to go along with any plan meant to thwart Russian energy sales. The wild card is what the Russians do, Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital, said at a Sept. 9 webinar sponsored by the Brookings Institution. The Russians have made abundantly clear they do not want to play along with price caps. In coming months, we should prepare ourselves for the Russians to strongly signal that they will certainly continue to cut off the [natural] gas but they may cut off the oil as well.

If there is a supply shock this winter, its not clear other oil producers would ramp up output to make up the difference. OPEC nations, led by Saudi Arabia, dont have as much spare capacity as they used to, and they like high prices that produce windfall profits.

The United States is now the worlds largest oil producer, but that doesnt mean drillers can simply open the taps when the world needs more oil. Many US energy firms lost money or struggled with weak profits during the last several years, because of overproduction. Theyd rather milk high profits on tight supply than invest in new facilities that could end up losing money if prices crash again.

The energy transition comes at a price

The shift to renewables is also creating an energy gap as fossil fuel firms refuse to expand, for fear of losing money, and greener forms of energy take years to come online. The energy transition is not going to come without a pretty big price tag, Sarah Emerson, president of research firm ESAI, said during a Sept. 13 Atlantic Council event. Were beginning to pay that price, because of lack of investment in infrastructure. Weve got to accept the fact that gasoline is going to be a premium product for some time because of these kinds of periodic disruptions.

Can American drivers accept that? Can politicians? President Biden has clearly tried to push gas prices down, by releasing 180 million barrels of oil from the US reserve and browbeating drillers to produce more. His power is limited, however. Oil sales from the national reserve will end in October, and that in itself could put upward pressure on prices. The White House has hinted that Biden could release more oil, but the reserve is already low and needs to be refilled, in case theres a hurricane or other event that unexpectedly shuts off supply.

At the moment, theres only modest upward pressure on gas prices, with wholesale gasoline up about 6% from a low point on Sept. 7. Its possible Europe will postpone the December ban on Russian oil purchases, which could bring further relief or at least keep prices stable at current levels, more or less.

Yet the Ukraine war has reached a dangerous new phase, with Russian forces losing terrain and Putin growing more desperate for any leverage he can gain against Ukraine and its allies. Putin has already shut off natural gas shipments to Europe through the Nord Stream pipeline, and he may feel its necessary to escalate his energy war by tampering with oil supplies as wellregardless of whether the European ban or the US price cap plan go into effect.

Dec. 5 is one date to watch, since thats when the European ban is due to take effect. Putin, however, follows his own calendar, and may have different timing in mind. If gas prices stay below $4 per gallon into 2023, consider it a victory.

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's progress on tackling violence against children was recognized by an independent evaluation report released on Friday, according to a joint press statement.

The report was issued at an event co-hosted by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

It examined the government's action plan to prevent and respond to violence against children, which ran between 2017 and 2021.

Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation Vong Sauth said this evaluation of the action plan is very encouraging for the government.

"It shows that we are on the right track to ending violence against Cambodian children and demonstrates why all sectors of the government need to continue working in a coordinated way to accelerate results," he said.

Foroogh Foyouzat, UNICEF's representative in Cambodia, said that finalization of the upcoming child protection bill, and increased investment in the social welfare workforce and prevention programs, are crucial to keeping children safe and breaking the vicious cycle of violence that afflicts too many families.

The latest figures from the Cambodia Health and Demographic Survey 2022 revealed that 43 percent of children report that they are disciplined in the home using physical violence, the statement said.

"A key recommendation of the evaluation was therefore to build robust results monitoring into all activities so that improvements can be measured more accurately in the years ahead, and best practice established. It is only then that we can achieve our common goal of keeping every Cambodian child safe and protected from any kind of violence," it added. 
Tristram Godfrey / Shutterstock.com

Maybe youre craving a really great steak. Or a burger. Or a big salad with a martini on the side. But you dont have any steak  or anything in the fridge, for that matter  and the thought of a grocery run is unappetizing. A local restaurant it is for dinner.

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Many restaurants and chefs today have cooked up a variety of creative variations of standard food and drinks. In some cases, theyve taken the foods we enjoy every day to a new taste  and price  level. How much would you pay for a sandwich? Or a pizza?

Youll never balk at your restaurant check again after you see some of these most expensive prices in the world. Read on to find out the outrageous prices of 10 menu items and cocktails and restaurants around the globe.

Hamburger: The Golden Boy

You can spend $6 on a Big Mac at the Golden Arches or, if youre in the Netherlands, stop in at De Daltons and try The Golden Boy. The restaurant in Voorthuizen takes the burger to a whole new level. Its made with 100% wagyu A5 meat and includes king crab, beluga caviar, an onion ring battered in Dom Perignon, English cheddar, white truffle and barbecue sauce created from Macallan Scotch whiskey and Kopi Luwak coffee. The hamburger bun has a touch of Dom Perignon in the dough, too, and its topped with gold leaf.

Cost: About $5,000. If you want The Golden Boy, youll need to order at least two weeks in advance and place a deposit of about $750.

Take Our Poll: How Do You Typically Split the Restaurant Bill?

The Diamonds Are Forever Martini

In Tokyo, take in the view of the city skyline from the 45th floor of The Ritz-Carlton. There, youll find The Bar, which serves a variety of signature cocktails and offers sake tastings. Were fairly certain its the only place in the city where you can order a martini and get a one-carat diamond with it. Just ask your server for The Diamonds are Forever Martini, which Travel + Leisure says is made with Absolut Elyx vodka and a touch of fresh lime juice. Your choice of shaken or stirred.

Cost: Travel + Leisure reports its priced at about $19,000, making it the worlds most expensive cocktail.

Ono Champagne Cocktail

Maybe diamonds arent your bling of choice. In Las Vegas, you can indulge in what Travel + Leisure lists as the second most expensive cocktail in the world: the Ono Champagne Cocktail at the XS Nightclub in the Encore Hotel at Wynn. Its made with Charles Heidsieck Champagne Charlie 1981 and Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac, and its served with an 18-karat gold necklace with a black pearl and diamond along with gold cufflinks.

Cost: $10,000, according to Travel + Leisure.

Barclay Prime Cheesesteak

Barclay Prime, a boutique steakhouse in Philadelphia, has put a twist on the traditional Philly cheesesteak. The Barclay Prime Cheesesteak is made from wagyu ribeye and topped with foie gras, onions and truffled cheese whiz and served on a fresh sesame roll. Youll get a half-bottle of champagne, too.

Cost: $140.

Wagyu Steak

At the Bellagio in Las Vegas, four-star celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has a variety of steaks on the menu at the Prime Steakhouse. If youre in the mood to splurge, try the 12-ounce wagyu steak. Imported from Japan, the steak is topped with your choice of soy rice wine, peppercorn or bearnaise sauce.

Cost: 12-ounce, $720; 9-ounce, $540; or 6-ounce, $360. If you want a baked potato on the side, thats another $20.

Caterpillar Fungus Soup

So, the Caterpillar Fungus Soup at the Royal China Club in London really doesnt contain caterpillars. The LoveFood website says the soup got its name because it contains a rare herb, cordyceps fungus, also called caterpillar fungus. The broth is created with the herb, simmered for eight hours, and the soup also contains wild duck.

Cost: About $600, but it serves four. Youll need to order in advance.

McCarthy Salad

The Beverly Hills Hotel, a landmark that has hosted the rich and famous, opened in 1912, and its Polo Lounge followed in the 1930s  named for the polo fields that formerly occupied the land. As the hotel marks its 110th anniversary, the Polo Lounge unveiled its special McCarthy Salad, named for a frequent 1940s visitor, polo player Neil McCarthy. The salad is served in a French porcelain commemorative bowl  yours to keep  and includes fresh lobster and caviar topped with gold leaf. A bottle of Dom Perignon comes with it, of course.

Cost: $1,912 in honor of the hotels first year.

Pizza: C6

At the Steveston Pizza Co. in Richmond, British Columbia, you might want to order a basic cheese pizza or one topped with pepperoni, priced at $18 and $21 in Canadian dollars. Or, you can upgrade to the C6, which is topped with tiger prawns, lobster ratatouille, caviar, smoked steelhead and Italian white truffles.

Cost: $850 ($645 USD).

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Most Expensive Versions of 8 Popular Food and Drinks
FILE - An Uber sign is displayed at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Uber said Thursday, Sept. 15, that it reached out to law enforcement after a hacker apparently breached its network. A security engineer said the intruder provided evidence of obtaining access to crucial systems at the ride-hailing service. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The ride-hailing service Uber said Friday that all its services are operational following what security professionals were calling a major data breach. It said there was no evidence the hacker got access to sensitive user data.

What appeared to be a lone hacker announced the breach on Thursday after apparently tricking an Uber employee into providing credentials.

Screenshots the hacker shared with security researchers indicate this person obtained full access to the cloud-based systems where Uber stores sensitive customer and financial data.

It is not known how much data the hacker stole or how long they were inside Uber's network. Two researchers who communicated directly with the person  who self-identified as an 18-year-old to one of them said they appeared interested in publicity. There was no indication they destroyed data.

But files shared with the researchers and posted widely on Twitter and other social media indicated the hacker was able to access Uber's most crucial internal systems.

It was really bad the access he had. It's awful, said Corbin Leo, one of the researchers who chatted with the hacker online.

He said screenshots the person shared showed the intruder got access to systems stored on Amazon and Google cloud-based servers where Uber keeps source code, financial data and customer data such as driver's licenses.

If he had keys to the kingdom he could start stopping services. He could delete stuff. He could download customer data, change peoples passwords, said Leo, a researcher and head of business development at the security company Zellic.

Screenshots the hacker shared  many of which found their way online  showed they had accessed sensitive financial data and internal databases. Among them was one in which the hacker announced the breach on Uber's internal Slack collaboration ssytem.

Sam Curry, an engineer with Yuga Labs who also communicated with the hacker, said there was no indication that the hacker had done any damage or was interested in anything more than publicity. My gut feeling is that it seems like they are out to get as much attention as possible.

Curry said he spoke to several Uber employees Thursday who said they were working to lock down everything internally to restrict the hackers access. That included the San Francisco companys Slack network, he said.

In a statement posted online Friday, Uber said internal software tools that we took down as a precaution yesterday are coming back online.

It said all its services  including Uber Eats and Uber Freight  were operational.

The company did not respond to questions from The Associated Press including about whether the hacker gained access to customer data and if that data was stored encrypted. The company said there was no evidence that the intruder accessed sensitive user data such as trip history.

Curry and Leo said the hacker did not indicate how much data was copied. Uber did not recommend any specific actions for its users, such as changing passwords.

The hacker alerted the researchers to the intrusion Thursday by using an internal Uber account on the companys network used to post vulnerabilities identified through its bug-bounty program, which pays ethical hackers to ferret out network weaknesses.

After commenting on those posts, the hacker provided a Telegram account address. Curry and other researchers then engaged them in a separate conversation, where the intruder provided screenshots of various pages from Ubers cloud providers to prove they broke in.

The AP attempted to contact the hacker at the Telegram account, but received no response.

Screenshots posted on Twitter appeared to confirm what the researchers said the hacker claimed: That they obtained privileged access to Ubers most critical systems through social engineering. Effectively, the hacker discovered the password of an Uber employee. Then, posing as a fellow worker, the hacker bombarded the employee with text messages asking them to confirm that they had logged into their account. Ultimately, the employee caved and provided a two-factor authentication code the hacker used to log in.

Social engineering is a popular hacking strategy, as humans tend to be the weakest link in any network. Teenagers used it in 2020 to hack Twitter and it has more recently been used in hacks of the tech companies Twilio and Cloudflare.

Uber has been hacked before.

Its former chief security officer, Joseph Sullivan, is currently on trial for allegedly arranging to pay hackers $100,000 to cover up a 2016 high-tech heist in which the personal information of about 57 million customers and drivers was stolen.
A Scottish kiltmaker has told of his extreme pride as he shared the story behind his most treasured creation, a kilt made from a bolt of fabric donated by King Charles.

Graeme Bone was a steel worker but changed careers after becoming concerned for his health.

The 36-year-old, from Auchinleck in Ayrshire, took part in the modern artisan programme offered by the Princes Foundation and found his calling in making traditional, hand-sewn kilts.

He credits the course with opening up a whole new world for me saying it has changed my life considerably.

Speaking to reporters at the Foundations headquarters at Dumfries House near Cumnock, he wore the kilt he made for himself from the donated fabric, which is in the charitys official tartan.

He said the response to his first designs was absolutely unbelievable.

Recalling an event in 2019 as he was still training, he said: It was a massive press launch we had that morning, so there was press from all over the world, as far as Sydney, America, China and everything.

Mr Bone spoke of his gratitude to the Princes Foundation (Robert Perry/PA)

While we were talking to the Prince  obviously now the King  and Federico Marchetti, the CEO of UK Net A Porter, I jokingly said to him I will make you a kilt in this.

He continued: Just a wee while later I was told to take the first eight yards off the bolt of fabric by his Royal Highness so I could make my kilt.

So I have a unique one-of-a-kind kilt that will never be replicated again.

And the fabrics been given to me by the King. I dont even know where to begin to express the gratitude.

Mr Bone said King Chalres was very genuine (Robert Perry/PA)

He looks back on the memory with extreme pride, saying his meetings with King Charles have been one of the most poignant personal changes for me.

The gift affirmed that all the hard work and sacrifices he had made had come to fruition, he said.

Mr Bones success in the fashion world also led to him meeting the Queen of Malaysia, who he says asked him what he wore underneath his kilt.

The kilt made from the donated fabric is now his pride and joy, which he will one day frame and hang on a wall.

Asked what kind of King he thought Charles would be, he said: Ive been fortunate to have met him several times now with all my involvement in the different programmes.

From what Ive seen hes a very, very genuine man. Hes a man at the end of the day.

I do think were in line to have a really, really good King.
I went to the ER, and things are not getting better. When is it time to go back?

I worry about patients after I discharge them from the emergency room. It might seem strange that an ER doctor would worry about this; isn't it a good thing that I've done my job and ruled out any life- or limb-threatening illness or injury in my patients?

What happened: We've seen a record volume of patients this summer. Primary care doctors and other medical specialists are still trying to manage a pandemic-caused backlog of appointments and procedures. Unable to be seen in a timely manner, patients were directed to the ER.

Follow-up after an ER visit is a critical but often overlooked part of a patient's ER visit. Doctors are forced to rush this process because another patient needs the bed, and patients are eager to go home after their visit which likely included a multi-hour stay in the waiting room.

Keep these key points in mind during and after your discharge from the ER  because you may need to come back.

In case you missed: The dos and don'ts of going to the ER

Good tips: How to 'summer-proof' your child and keep them safe this season

Get a printed copy of all your results

Be sure to ask your doctor for a printed copy of all your laboratory results and diagnostic imaging like X-rays, CT scans and MRIs. Also ask for the images to be placed on a CD.

Bear in mind most hospitals and health systems now provide an app or website where you can log in and view the results of your visit. But don't assume that your doctor's office will have access to your results automatically. The electronic medical record (EMR) is very fragmented in the U.S.; there are multiple EMR systems and platforms don't always sync well with each other.

Review medications after multiple ER visits for potential dangerous side effects

Over the last few years , I've noticed that patients are getting more of their medical care in the ER than actually at their primary care doctor's office. Unfortunately, that outcome is fraught with a lot of opportunity for poly-pharmacy: multiple ER doctors changing or adding new medications that could overlap and cause dangerous side effects. This is particularly true with medications for high blood pressure and diabetes.

Please ask your ER doctor to review all your current medications and supplements. Larger hospitals may have a dedicated ER pharmacist on hand who can help review your medication list as well.

Clarify timeframe for follow-up

A lot of doctors will habitually tell patients to "follow up with your primary doc" but neglect to specify the timeframe or urgency to do so. We often tell patients to follow up for specific reasons, whether to repeat an abnormal blood test, obtain a referral for a specialist or for a timely wellness check. Please clarify with your ER doctor if there's an urgent need for follow up or if you can wait for your annual follow-up visit.

Remember that a followup visit is also a great opportunity to get your vaccine record organized.

Heads up: Don't fall behind on these important wellness checks

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When to return to the ER

Ask your ER doctor which signs and symptoms you should watch out for to signify that your condition is getting worse or not responding to outpatient treatment and warrants a return.

For example, for common infections like cellulitis, pneumonia or pyelonephritis, we wonder whether to admit a patient for intravenous antibiotics or discharge home with oral antibiotics. Using "shared decision-making," we involve the patient in this discussion, taking into account their personal factors like caregiving responsibilities, their job, pets and whether they can responsibly treat their condition outside of the hospital.

Sometimes due to the nature of the disease they don't improve at home. Such signs of a worsening infection warranting a return to the ER include continued fever despite antibiotics, uncontrollable vomiting preventing patients from taking oral antibiotics and altered mental status.

Michael Daignault, MD, is a board-certified ER doctor in Los Angeles. He studied Global Health at Georgetown University and has a Medical Degree from Ben-Gurion University. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Lincoln Medical Center in the South Bronx. He is also a former United States Peace Corps Volunteer. Find him on Instagram @dr.daignault

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hospital emergency room doctor: Why I worry about patients after visit
Tens of thousands of people are scrambling for homeowners insurance in Louisiana at the peak of hurricane season after recent storms drove their carriers out of business. The crisis has sent insurance prices soaring and stoked fears that the Gulf Coast will grow too expensive to inhabit as climate change fuels more destructive weather.

Homeowners in some disaster-prone areas, including New Orleans, are seeing their premiums double, with some required to pay an extra $3,000 per year. That is on top of a steep rise in the cost of everyday goods, from groceries to gas, as well as energy bills and flood insurance.

The slow-moving meltdown of the homeowners insurance market, which has a tangle of causes and no clear solution, has left many Louisiana residents with a difficult choice: pay more for insurance, reduce their coverage, or go without it entirely.

Where do you turn? asked Amanda deVilleneuve, 34, a teacher in Slidell. She and her husband, an oil worker, have two young children and thousands of dollars in debt from the Covid-19 economic downturn. Since Hurricane Ida damaged their roof beyond repair a year ago, her insurance company raised her premium so high that it was cheaper to buy a policy from a state-run carrier of last resort, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. They now pay $4,600 a year, up from $2,400, deVilleneuve said.

Do I eventually move because I cant afford to live here anymore? deVilleneuve said.

If the crunch continues, it could unravel the insurance markets recovery from Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. That turnaround, which focused on enticing small insurers to the state, helped keep real estate costs in southern Louisiana sustainable for middle- and low-income people. But a string of bad storms is unraveling that progress.

The unfolding crisis in Louisiana has raised doubts more broadly about whether people can remain in Americas most disaster-prone areas amid increased storms, floods, heat waves, fires and droughts.

When I step back, I wonder if this will become a place where people wont be able to afford to live in Mother Natures path, said Danielle Dauzat, a New Orleans insurance broker who is frantically trying to find new policies for clients. If we have an active storm season this year, I cannot even  there are no words. I cant even imagine where we will be.

Sticker shock

After Hurricane Katrina, Elona Waters tore down her ruined home in New Orleans Gentilly neighborhood and rebuilt it 6 feet off the ground to protect from future floods. The 1,500-square-foot house held strong for 15 years  until Hurricane Ida ripped the roof apart in August 2021.

A retired oil company worker who lives off her pension and Social Security, Waters, 75, paid for the $10,500 job herself while she fought with her insurer, Occidental Fire & Casualty Company, over her claim. She finally got a check covering the job last spring.

But before she got the money, her policy came up for renewal. The premium increased from $2,182 a year to $3,000, her biggest one-year increase since just after Katrina, Waters said.

Its sticker shock when you go up that much, Waters said. But I had no choice.

On top of that, Waters is paying more for flood insurance and electricity, all on a fixed income. She said she has had to hold off on planned purchases, like a new mattress. It does make you think before you shop, before you do anything, before you even spend prime dollars to keep your property up so you dont have to deal with these issues the next time, Waters said. It tightens up your money.

An Occidental spokesperson said the company could not comment on individual claims but that increases in homeowners insurance premiums reflect the growing severity and frequency of catastrophic weather and the rising costs of building materials and labor. Rate hikes allow us to remain an available market in areas where other insurance carriers are withdrawing, the spokesperson, Caryn Best, said in an email.

Image: New Orleans floodwaters (David J. Phillip / AP file)

The origins of the current crisis date to 2005, when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita pummeled the state. Massive claims from those storms drove large national insurance companies to scale back their coverage and remaining companies to jack up rates. That forced tens of thousands of people into the state-run insurer of last resort, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance, which by law is required to charge higher rates than private insurers to keep it from getting too big and putting the state at financial risk when another big storm hits.

To entice private insurance firms back to Louisiana, the state embarked on an industry-friendly recovery plan that offered small, regional insurance companies a chance to make money writing high-risk policies for households with few options. The state abolished a commission that reviewed rate increases and adopted a statewide building code while also offering cash incentives to companies that took on new policyholders. More than two-dozen companies entered the Louisiana market. With less cash on hand than the national companies, the new players relied on reinsurance  backup coverage to make sure they dont go broke after a major storm.

The strategy seemed to work: Rates eventually stabilized, although Louisiana remained one of the most expensive states for homeowners insurance. It helped that the state went several years without getting hit by a major hurricane.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said the recovery program moved tens of thousands of people off the rolls of Louisiana Citizens and into policies held by private insurers, who on average raised rates just 1 percent a year from 2017 to 2021.

It was incredibly successful, beyond our greatest hopes, Donelon said.

Then it came crashing down.

A market crunch

In 2020 and 2021, Louisiana was hit by four major hurricanes, a rarity that experts say could become more likely with climate change. More than 600,000 claims poured in, driven higher by the rising cost of building materials and supply chain delays. That pushed the small insurance companies to their financial limits and squeezed reinsurers, who raised their rates. At the same time, some of the insurers faced massive losses in Florida, where roofing scams have driven a surge in claims and lawsuits.

The back-breaking blow came in August 2021, when the last of the four storms, Hurricane Ida, has cost insurers nearly $7 billion in claims paid to homeowners  on top of the $5 billion for the previous three storms, according to the most recent data from the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

Hurricane Laura wiped out homes and businesses in and around Lake Charles in 2020. (David J. Phillip / AP file)

One small insurer drawn to Louisiana after Katrina went out of business in July 2021. Six others capsized in the aftermath of Ida. Dozens more stopped writing new policies, raised rates or left the state. Those moves have set off waves of panic among homeowners, who have gone shopping for new policies only to find few choices and higher prices. Many have turned to Louisiana Citizens. The state insurers rolls, which totaled 34,500 in August 2020, ballooned to about 110,000 last week. Citizens recently asked the state Department of Insurance for a 63-percent rate increase for homeowners.

The way things are getting more expensive, people are not going to be able to afford homes, Tara Thibodaux said.

Thibodaux, 45, a marriage and family therapist, lives in Harvey, Louisiana, in a single-story, three-bedroom home she bought a few months after Hurricane Katrina. This year, Thibodaux said, her annual premium jumped 80 percent, to $3,467, after her insurer, FedNat, pulled out of the state and her policy was taken over by SURE, an insurance company founded in 2021 that specializes in coverage of coastal properties. She said shes wracked with anxiety about paying not only her insurance bills, but her rising electricity bills, too. And she worries about her neighbors.

I think were going to have people who can float it for a while but in six months cant anymore, Thibodaux said. Theyll cut out the dentist or the doctor. Theyre not going to eat out. No extras. Those are going to be the trickle-down effects.

Travis Lewis, executive chairman of SURE, said in a statement that premiums are rising in Louisiana for three main reasons: the increased frequency and severity of storms; a near-doubling of the cost of reinsurance; and a 30 percent increase in the cost of rebuilding homes.

Serving challenging markets requires prudent measures and anticipating what the future may bring, Lewis said. We are glad that policyholders have trusted us to continue protecting their homes.

FedNat executives did not respond to requests for comment.

Much of the blame for the crisis has focused on the failed companies. Some insurance agents, industry experts and affordable housing advocates say the insolvent insurers kept their rates artificially low in order to attract customers and failed to buy enough reinsurance.

The critics also say the state Department of Insurance should have prevented those mistakes from happening.

This is not a fluke of statistical bad luck. This was very clearly a political decision that the Department of Insurance made to undercapitalized insurance companies to allow them to make more profit on the front end and with the state taking the risk on the back end, said Jesse Keenan, a real estate professor at Tulane University who studies climate change and the economy. This is about politics. This is about trying to keep the rates lower. This is about the political pressure to lower the rates.

State Sen. Jeremy Stine, a Republican whose district includes the city of Lake Charles, which is still rebuilding from 2020s Hurricane Laura, and who has pushed for industry reforms, said the state Legislature needs to understand how much of the responsibility for the mess falls on the state.

You could argue theres a reason theres an insurance commissioner and a Department of Insurance, and thats to have oversight over the industry, and thats what were trying to figure out, Stine said. Was there enough oversight? Did we kick the tires enough to make damn sure these companies had enough reinsurance? For seven companies to go under tells me there wasnt.

Hurricane Ida cost insurers nearly $7 billion in claims. (David J. Phillip / AP file)

Michael Barry, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, said the failures in Louisiana had nothing to do with how companies priced their premiums or how much reinsurance they purchased. The culprit, he said, were storms that did far more damage than insurers could have planned for. Really what it comes down to is the last two hurricane seasons have just been extraordinary, Barry said.

Former executives for the seven failed companies did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Donelon, who runs the Louisiana Department of Insurance, which monitors the financial solvency of insurers and approves rate-hike requests, said his agency has held companies to rules on maintaining surplus and reinsurance.

We regulate fairly, not by overly regulating the industry but by monitoring and taking action when necessary, Donelon said.

Donelon, a Republican who is up for re-election next year, said the insolvencies showed that the failed companies rates were inadequately priced for the risk they took on and that the companies failed to buy enough reinsurance.

He acknowledged that his agency needs to put more resources into scrutinizing companies reinsurance coverage.

But Donelon also said that he relied on regulators in states where insurers doing business in Louisiana are headquartered, and on rating agencies to provide early warnings of companies struggling financially. Of the seven failed companies, three were based in Louisiana, three in Florida and one in Washington, D.C.

Donelon questioned the work of one rating agency, Demotech, which had given the seven companies a grade of exceptional in the months before they failed.

I would say that brings into serious question the effectiveness of Demotechs rating service, Donelon said.

Joseph Petrelli, Demotechs president and co-founder, defended his companys work. The companies were healthy enough to survive a string of serious storms leading up to Ida last year, Petrelli said. But claims from Ida overran the companies reinsurance coverage and did them in, he said.

Petrelli said the ratings relied on the insurers use of a catastrophe-modeling company to determine how much reinsurance to buy  recommendations that in this case fell short. Demotech is now going to require insurers to obtain estimates from multiple modeling firms, he said.

If I thought we screwed up, Id be telling you that, Petrelli said.

Unclear future

Donelon said the state will rebuild the property insurance market again through a combination of tighter regulations and financial incentives for insurers to write policies in Louisiana. The measures include a higher minimum amount insurers need to keep in reserves, which became law over the summer. The state Legislature also approved grant programs  but has yet to provide money for them  that will lure new insurers to the state and help homeowners upgrade their roofs to withstand hurricane-force winds. These steps havent yet softened the crisis; last month, another insurer said it planned to pull out of Louisiana.

While state officials try to stabilize the market, it is already clear that the crisis will affect homeowners and taxpayers for years.

The state agency that backs up policies held by insolvent companies, the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association, must now cover the failed companies unpaid claims and refund their customers premiums, which could total as much as $1 billion. The association, known as LIGA, has so far borrowed $600 million and levied another $200 million in assessments on existing companies, which will recoup the costs by raising rates or by claiming state tax credits, LIGA Executive Director John Wells said.

The crisis has stoked worries about whether insurance will become too costly for most people to live in southern Louisiana.

Other states with severe weather-related risks like drought and wildfires could end up in similar predicaments, said Jeff Albright, chief executive of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana. We are the canary in the coal mine, and others may face a similar problem if they have similar bad luck, he said.

Hurricane Ida was a back-breaking storm for many Louisiana insurers. Six went insolvent afterward. (John Locher / AP file)

Some lawmakers, insurance brokers and industry analysts say Louisiana may need the federal governments assistance.

I dont see how the private sector stays in a lot of these places, and they may not be able to afford to if we have a couple more big storms, said state Rep. Mandie Landry, a Democrat who represents part of New Orleans. So if the federal government wants to be responsible for residents who live here, they need to step in and help us out.

Landry suggested something similar to the National Flood Insurance Program. But that program has been unable to keep rates affordable or keep up with the cost of claims  the same problems already plaguing Louisianas homeowners insurance market.

Dave Jones, a former California insurance commissioner and director of the Climate Risk Initiative at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, said state and federal government backstops do little to address the much bigger dilemmas posed by climate change.

The future is not bright in regard to increased catastrophic weather, Jones said. The tendency is that we will see more storms of greater severity, and greater losses. So maybe the market in Louisiana comes back for a couple years until the next big storm hits. But its not getting better.
Cows feed at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview. The state has a goal of reducing methane emissions by 40% by 2030. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

11:01 a.m. Sept. 16, 2022: An earlier version of this article misspelled California Air Resources Board spokesperson David Clegerns name as Clergen.



Michael Oostens grandparents were dairy farmers in the Netherlands and immigrated to California in the 1920s, starting their own dairy farm in Paramount in 1945 before relocating to bigger farms in Artesia and Bellflower.

In the early 1970s, they moved their farm to Chino, but decided to sell it in 2001 to a trucking company located next to an Amazon warehouse, which was built on land comprised of two other dairy farms.

Oosten, who for 18 years has owned Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview, which supplies milk to Land O'Lakes, said dairy farming has declined in California since the industry's peak in 2008. The industry has been hurt by shrinking real estate in Southern California, more affordable land in other states, rigorous permitting processes and the shortage of water and other natural resources.

"Economics is the biggest driver of farmers leaving to go out of state," Oosten said. "Milk pricing tends to be very competitive in other states; the feed prices are lower and the regulatory environment is better."

Real estate, in particular, has played a significant role in more dairies choosing to leave California, he said.

Michael Oosten at his family's dairy farm in Lakeview, Calif. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

"As urban expansion came in and got close to the farm, developers would come in and buy the land and convert it into housing or commercial buildings," he said. "That's the progression of what's happened in the California dairy industry. More recently in the last 20 years, a lot of people have started to move out of state."

Marvo Holsteins is one of about 1,200 dairies left in California, a significant drop from the roughly 2,100 farms in 2001 and 20,000 farms in 1950, according to Michael Boccadoro, executive director of sustainability nonprofit Dairy Cares.

Although the number of dairies in the state has declined by 94% in the last 70 years, farmers have been able to make up for the difference through increased milk production and improved cow comfort and breeding, Boccadoro said.

The idea that were building new dairies or increasing production in California is a nonstarter, he said. We havent built a new dairy in six to seven years. Its just not a good place if youre getting into the milk production business.





The state went from housing about 1.88 million dairy cows in 2008 to about 1.72 million today  a decrease of about 160,000 cows in 14 years, Boccadoro said. The number of cows in the state has reduced by about half a percent to 1% every year.

Instead of staying in California, dairy cows are being shipped to Texas, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Kansas  states not typically known for their dairy production. Boccadoro said a shrinking demand for fluid milk and increased demand for cheese, yogurt, butter, whey protein and other milk-related products have pushed milk production to the Midwestern states. Demand for dairy has increased by 200% since the pandemic started in 2020.

Cows pass through a cooling shower after being milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview, Calif. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Historically, cows needed to be close to the market because it was a fresh milk market and milk has a short shelf life of about two weeks, so there was a lot of milk production on the West Coast and East Coast, he said. With the new products in demand, the dairy sector is seeing milk production move to the middle parts of the country because of the longer shelf life of the products.

Closer proximity to new manufacturing sites also has driven cows out of California. Hilmar Cheese Co. opened a facility in Texas, with another cheese and whey manufacturing plant in the works in Kansas. Last fall, Leprino Foods, another major dairy manufacturing company, announced it was building a new facility in Lubbock, Texas.

Another big question plaguing dairy farmers is whether they'll see climate change regulations in the next few years and what effects they could have.

In 2016, California lawmakers passed the state's Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction law, known as SB 1383, setting a 2030 goal to reduce methane emissions from the dairy and livestock industries by 40% below 2013 levels, which amounts to about 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. If the California Air Resources Board determines in 2024 that the dairy industry isnt on track for hitting its target, it can start implementing regulations to limit emissions.

Oosten said potential regulations could entail requiring dairies to install anaerobic digesters  devices that control the decomposition of manure and convert methane into clean energy  as well as using feed additives to help reduce methane produced by cows through belching.

"There's that fear in California in that if we start making mandates and regulations, then we start losing our incentive funding, we start losing our options and we start losing farms," he said. "Some of them might go out of business, which would be a travesty for that family. ... The other thing that's going to happen is they're going to pick up, leave and go out of state. The methane still gets produced, they don't have to deal with it over there and that's the 'leakage' that we talked about."

Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, a trade organization that represents the majority of milk produced in California, agreed that the state is better off from a global climate perspective if more dairy farmers stay in California.

Cows are milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview, Calif. The state has a goal of reducing methane emissions from the dairy industry. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Californias exporting methane to different locations, which means processing and manufacturing is also leaving, which was the states revenue source for providing green products, she said. It was designed to be a reward system, but if we dont make them here in California, theyre definitely going to make them somewhere else.

Dairy industry concerns about the air rules were reported in August by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

But David Clegern, a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board, said environmental regulations have little to do with the cow exodus from California because it isn't even allowed to submit one for approval until 2024.

Cattle prices are very high right now, and jumped quite a bit this summer, so there may be more of a market drive there, Clegernsaid.

Staff members are in the initial stages of developing a regulation on methane emissions by speaking with community members and working groups, according to Clegern.

We wont start until we have an actual regulation, he said. It takes a couple years to get through the public processes and the legislative and other regulatory tests. We have to make sure its not interfering with federal regulations and it scientifically makes sense and it can be done in a reasonable and not-too-expensive way.

Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, emphasized the importance of reducing methane, a short-lived climate pollutant that lasts in the atmosphere for about 12 years and has 80 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide.

In addition to the climate change impact, there are also major local pollution impacts from these huge factory farm operations, including the methane itself that contributes to smog, which is already well-above legal levels in the San Joaquin Valley," he said. "The South Coast Air Basin and the San Joaquin Valley Air District are the two places in the country with the worst air pollution, and thats where Californias dairy industry is.

Magavern expressed skepticism that potential regulations are driving cows out of the state.

I have been watching them lobby over the last 20 years and oppose every measure that would get them to reduce the pollution theyre emitting in California," he said. "Theyre resisting everything, and now theyre complaining when theyre not even being regulated is tell-tale."

Cows are milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview, Calif. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

According to a report by the California Air Resources Board released this spring, the dairy and livestock sector  which accounts for more than half of the state's methane emissions  has reduced its annual emissions by just over half. Dairy farmers will have to continue modifying manure management systems, decreasing livestock populations and using digesters in order to meet the 2030 goal.

But not everyone is thrilled with the dairy digesters. Genevieve Amsalem, research and policy director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, said dairy farms contribute to half of the particulate matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. The digesters, she said, are creating ammonia, which in turn causes air pollution and endangers public health.

By installing a dairy digester, youre using state money to institutionalize this practice and setting it in stone, she said. Thats a big concern that the state is institutionalizing these environmental catastrophes.

Citing the high cost of digesters  it takes about $6 million to install one at a 2,000-cow farm  and the fact that his farms dont use as much water because they house their cows outside, Oosten said hes currently in talks with digester companies and isnt opposed to the idea of implementing them. As one of the incentives for reducing methane emissions, the state's Dairy Digester Research & Development Program covers a portion of the costs of a digester while dairy farmers would have to pay for the rest.

Oosten said that his farms sell about 30% to 35% of their milking herd, comprised of about 2,500 cows, every year for beef and that his livestock size has been relatively stable despite the consolidation of his family's farms over the years.

Were not throwing animals out of the state just to get rid of them, he said. Its based on economics and wherever dairies are the most profitable.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
On September 22, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the original Peace Corps Act into law. Since that beginning, over 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries around the world, fulfilling aid requests from country partners. Both authors of this op-ed and their spouses were teachers  Angene in Liberia 1962-64 and Will in Indonesia 2012-2014. Those experiences have shaped our lives. We believe it is critical that Congress update and reauthorize the Peace Corps Act.

Peace Corps is one of the least expensive programs in the US government. It is 1% of the International Affairs Budget and only about 0.01% of the federal budget. Such a tiny investment for a large global impact overseas and back in the US.

Elise Gurney, evacuated from Malawi in 2020 because of Covid and now a Project Manager for Council of State Governments in Lexington, says that her nine months in Malawi as a Peace Corps Volunteer Environment and Food Security Educator made her realize the importance of community and friendship and working together to solve problems.

Peace Corps has now returned to 30 countries. Jacob Silvernail, a Kentucky produce farmer, looks forward to leaving for Zambia next March to work in aquaculture. He says, Food accessibility is dear to my heart, and we may be able to bring in ideas and methods to help in certain situations. But we can learn just as much from our international partners.

Kentucky has a long history of connection with the Peace Corps. Since 1961, some 1,706 individuals have applied and served from Kentucky, and many others became Kentuckians after Peace Corps service. Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao served as the 12th Director of the Peace Corps 1991-92. Murray State University, Transylvania University, and the University of Kentucky have developed Peace Corps Prep programs for undergraduates. The Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky hosts about 100 oral histories of Kentucky Volunteers from the early 2000s and beginning in 2020 the growing Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) Archive with more than 600 video interviews of individuals from all over the country.

Over many decades, the International Book Project in Lexington has sent requested books to Peace Corps Volunteers in the field; currently they are working with a North Macedonia RPCV to pack a container of 40,000 books for schools in that country. Recently two Ukrainian RPCVs worked with the Louisville/Western Kentucky Rotary District to send $25,000 to Ukraine. Last spring Kentucky Peace Corps Association funded two $1000 scholarships through Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) for refugee students in Lexington and Louisville. Through KRM, several RPCVs in Lexington are working with Afghan refugee families, and another is serving as a mentor to a Ukrainian refugee.

To meet the challenges of todays world, the Peace Corps needs to be updated. The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (HR 1456) includes provisions to improve in-service and post-service health care, extend the critical mission of a Sexual Assault Advisory Council, and enhance several volunteer financial benefits. Those changes are critical for helping the Peace Corps become more equitable and better fulfill the health needs of its volunteers.

Last September Democrats and Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee came together and passed H.R. 1456 by a vote of 44 to 4. More recently members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed their version of the legislation (S 4466) by a voice vote with no opposition.

Now is the time to build on this bipartisan momentum, as the next generation of Peace Corps Volunteers begin or prepare for service. In Kentucky we have had strong bipartisan support from Members of Congress Andy Barr, Hal Rogers, and John Yarmuth. Senator Mitch McConnell has also been supportive. Coming together to support and improve the Peace Corps is an important step toward deepening our nations commitment to service and to peace.

Will Glasscock is president of Kentucky Peace Corps Association (KPCA). Angene Wilson is a member of the KPCA board.
By definition, governors should govern, but this is Florida, so instead of acting responsibly, our governor this week to acted like a clown. Instead of working constructively to address a surge in immigration, as previous governors did in 1980 and 1994, Gov. DeSantis exploited the desperation of these political and economic migrants and turned them into political pawns.

Wednesday, in his latest publicity stunt, DeSantis shipped some migrants north to Marthas Vineyard  at taxpayer expense. This is unconscionable. Shame on Florida, and shame on Ron DeSantis.

Don Finefrock,

Coconut Grove

Human pawns

I absolutely agree that Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and Florida should not have to bear the brunt of absorbing immigrants. However, these are human beings desperately fleeing dictatorships and chaos.

They should not be subjected to more chaos by selfish politicians. Governors of those states should send groups of immigrants to other areas in a coordinated fashion.

Gov. Ron DeSantis apparently has no respect for people who gave up everything in their homeland to find refuge in America.

Does he have any respect for the millions of Floridians who arrived here in the past, and now see him exploiting their newly arrived countrymen for political purposes?

If DeSantis were a refugee who had lost everything, how would he like to be treated? Is shipping of a group of refugees to a small vacation island a logical way to help fellow human beings?

Has DeSantis no shame?

Alan A. Campbell,

Miami

Closing move

In his Sept. 15 letter, Dade schools: Sexual content sank Cruz play Anna, Patricio Suarez excuse to prohibit students from seeing the play  because it contains suggestive and sexual content not appropriate for minors  is disingenuous at best.

Has he listened to the lyrics of many songs school children are exposed to these days, with their mentions of random sex and sexual violence?

Why not give students the opportunity to see the play and afterward, discuss its content and help them understand the meaning. Or, sit with the producers and tweak any objectionable scene to conform to the school boards Puritan sensibilities.

Censoring a play that would educate students and open a door to their cultural history reminds me of education in Cuba, where el Lider Maximo controlled what was taught.

Floridas education curriculum is failing. First, it was not teaching about slavery. Then, censoring textbooks that were deemed inappropriate, followed by white-washing more of our history.

Then, denying recognition of the LGBTQ community in schools, and now prohibiting students from experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

At this rate, students will learn only the alphabet and numbers at kindergarten level, nothing more. Then again, a generation of uneducated, ignorant people are much more pliable and easily influenced.

Could that be Gov. DeSantis endgame?

Maria Elena Lopez,

Coral Gables

Shipping clerk

More than 100 Cubans arrived illegally in South Florida over the Labor Day weekend.

Where will Gov. DeSantis send them?

He just flew 50 Venezuelans to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts, a Republican-governed state, at the expense of Florida taxpayers.

Oh wait, Venezuelans are illegals and Cubans are migrants, according to DeSantis.

Both groups come from countries with dictatorships and are fleeing from poverty, but Florida politics makes all the difference.

Maxine Long, Coral Gables

Opposing ideas

I admire the Miami Herald for including op-eds by Mathew Whitaker and Erin Dwinell, both of the Heritage Foundation.

While I disagree with their opinions regarding the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago and the numbers of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, I appreciate the openness of Herald staff for publishing these columns.

Thank goodness for print journalism.

Leonard Kessler, Weston

Dollar and a dream

In November 2020, 60% of Florida voters passed Amendment 2, which provides an annual $1 an hour increase in the minimum wage until it reaches $15 an hour. As a result, the minimum wage will increase to $11 on Sept. 30.

The amendment was vigorously supported by the Democratic Party, and the final vote clearly showed the support of the voters. The Republican Party recommended a No vote on the amendment.

When you see the rise in your pay rate, and the extra dollars it provides, remember who supported the initiative and who did not.

Norman R. Wirtz, Nokomis

Pot calls kettle

Brava to Fabiola Santiago for uncovering the horrifying hypocrisy of Miami-Dade school districts decision to censor Nilo Cruzs Anna in the Tropics, a play district high school students have attended in the past. No matter that Cruz won the Pulitzer for this work. No matter that it has been performed for 20 years around the world. What a disgraceful action.

The board is taking cues from Cubas free-speech repression manual, which disrupted a concert by Emilio Frias last weekend because the regime didnt like his lyrics.

Who are the MAGA calling communist?

Rosemary Ravinal, Doral
After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planes of mostly Venezuelan asylum-seekers to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, advertising executive Max Lefeld slammed the move as a political stunt.

Its like me taking my trash out and just driving to different areas where I live and just throwing my trash there," said Lefeld, a Venezuelan American who's a founding member of the Casa Venezuela Dallas foundation, which helps recent refugees.

But in an Instagram post from Miami-based EVTV, focused on Venezuelan news, a video of the migrants getting off the plane in Massachusetts elicited mostly support, with many emojis of clapping hands.

Marthas Vineyard Migrants (Jonathan Wiggs / Boston Globe via Getty Images file)

The shuffling of asylum-seekers from the U.S. border to Democratic states by DeSantis and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, both Republicans, is intensifying debate among U.S. Venezuelans and sharpening their divisions over rising arrivals of people from their country.

The divisions largely fall along political lines, with Venezuelan Republicans defending DeSantis and Democrats blasting the move.

Patricia Andrade, who has been helping recently arrived Venezuelans for over seven years through her nonprofit, Raices Venezolanas, in Miami, said she feels bad for the Venezuelans who were flown to Marthas Vineyard but added DeSantis was trying to bring attention to a problem that the Biden administration does not want to take on.

Andrade said many of the Venezuelans she helps with donations of food and household items say they came with the understanding that the U.S. government would give them food and housing.

But what I am seeing is that many of the Venezuelans who come end up in the streets, she said.

She said the most recent wave of Venezuelans coming to the U.S. have polarized the community, with some believing that some of the migrants are delinquents and are coming to the U.S. as an adventure rather than a planned move.

If the U.S. government is going to allow them in they should screen them for criminal background and have infrastructure in place to offer them shelter and food, she said.

'An incredible divide'

In Texas, Lefeld said his foundation's Facebook page has comments from people saying they wont help Venezuelans from the Chavista party  referring to the late Venezuelan socialist president, Hugo Chavez  or that the latest arrivals were part of the current leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

My line of criticism to my fellow countrymen here is that its people that made it, just like them, but they are walking and they dont have luggage and we flew, said Lefeld, the founder of the advertising firm Co.Jones. People kind of forget how they came here.

There is an incredible divide that has permeated from the divide we see in American politics, he said.

Jose Antonio Colina is a former Venezuelan army lieutenant who now heads Veppex, a Venezuelan exile organization in Miami.

Colina does not support what DeSantis did, which is "not consistent with what DeSantis has expressed in the past." He called it a "political stunt."

But, he said that prior to DeSantis' actions, his organization as well as other groups had expressed concerns to the Department of Homeland Security that among those being released in the U.S. were former members of Maduros paramilitary group and former officials in the police force, as well as individuals who had been released from prison.

Its dangerous for those who are seeking political asylum and its a danger for U.S. national security, Colina said.

He said the Venezuelan community is confused and that the real problem is that there is massive migration of Venezuelans through the border and DHS is not capable of controlling it or dealing with it properly.

Since 2014, over 6.8 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled to other countries, causing one of the largest refugee crises in the world. In recent months, migration has increased dramatically after slowing down following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The South American country was once one of Latin Americas most prosperous, with the worlds largest oil reserves. Many Venezuelans used to travel to the U.S. for vacation and shopping.

Everything changed after the late President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999. Poor planning under his socialist government caused the economy to worsen. Under his successor, Nicolas Maduro, the economy went into free fall causing shortages in food and medicine while violence and crime flourished.

With the pandemic lockdowns migration slowed, as travel became more difficult and economic opportunities dried up. Venezuelas government made reforms to slow the economic crisis. Venezuelans began returning to their homeland at the height of the pandemic, but the trend has reversed since.

Venezuelan migrants often cross the perilous Darien Gap in the Colombia-Panama border and then make their way north across Central America.

After they request asylum and are released many make their way to Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S.

Former President Donald Trump courted Venezuelan American voters with his anti-communism message throughout his four years in office. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials made multiple trips to Florida to make policy speeches that involved Venezuela and met with community leaders. A majority of Venezuelan voters cast a ballot for Trump and other Republicans in 2020.

DeSantis has also done his share of outreach to Venezuelans and his anti-socialism messaging has resonated with them. Now many Venezuelans are divided, with Republicans defending DeSantis move to send Venezuelans to Marthas Vineyard and Democrats condemning it.

'Throwing them away'

Carla Montilla, a Venezuelan American graduate student in Washington, D.C., criticized DeSantis, saying he and other Florida politicians always talk about communist countries and say they stand with the people of those countries.

"These are empty political talking points," said Montilla, who's originally from Doral, Florida, where many Venezuelan Americans live. "These victims of communism are here now and they are just throwing them away," she said.

Montilla said she is a Democrat but has family members who are Republicans "who have found this behavior disgusting."

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MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Friday that Metro Manila "is again back to moderate risk classification" amid surging COVID-19 cases in the capital region.

The Philippines reported 2,619 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,916,162.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases rose to 26,363, and 32 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 62,479.

Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 1,251 new cases. Vergeire said that infections increased in 11 areas in Metro Manila.

The Philippines reported its highest COVID-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on Jan. 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated over 72.8 million people. 
A GoFundMe fundraiser created to support Pieper Lewis has raised more than $480,000 from more than 13,200 donations.

Lewis, 17, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury for stabbing to death a man she says raped her multiple times in 2020, when she was 15.

Tuesday during a sentencing hearing she received five years' probation and a deferred judgment, a type of legal remedy where a person's record can be expunged before completion of the sentence.

Leland Schipper, who taught freshman math to Lewis at Des Moines Lincoln High School, organized the fundraiser, in part to help cover money she legally owes Brooks' estate.

Pieper Lewis gives her Allocution during a sentencing hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. The Des Moines teen pleaded guilty to killing her alleged rapist in June 2020.

Why Iowa law requires Pieper Lewis to pay $150,000

Iowa law requires people convicted of homicides to pay $150,000 in compensation.

By mid-morning Wednesday the fundraiser already had surpassed that amount.

Schipper attended both days of the sentencing hearing. He felt Porter ruled fairly, giving compassionate justice, and using the system for what it should be designed for.

But he was shocked Lewis still faced a restitution bill of $150,000. Schipper created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Lewis in November after the Des Moines Register publicized her story.

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As recently as last week, it only had about $4,000 in donations. After Porter ruled Lewis had to pay restitution, Schipper reworked and republicized the GoFundMe site to capitalize on national media attention on the case.

"As I watched some of the people coming in from outside of our state, I think that people are in shock that Iowa has this law the way we do regarding the $150,000, Schipper said. "This is a clear example of where its completely unjust."

On Wednesday morning the fundraiser was raising so much money that Schipper increased its goal to $200,000. As the fundraiser passed the $130,000 mark, Schipper felt overwhelmed by the support for Lewis.

Piepers case is so obvious to people why this law is flawed, but shes not unique in this law being problematically applied," Schipper said. "It's beautiful and it's amazing."

Will Pieper Lewis have to pay the money?

Lewis' attorneys will discuss with her if they will appeal the order to pay $150,000.

Matthew Sheeley argued to Porter that Brooks was more than 51% responsible for his own death, and therefore Lewis should not have to pay his estate anything.

"I know that is going to outrage a number of people," Sheeley said of the decision. "There are other options, legal avenues that might be available to Pieper, which will be explored."

Porter based his decision on a 2017 Iowa Supreme Court case that found a 15-year-old who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder had to pay the $150,000 required by Iowa law, and that it is not unconstitutional when applied to juvenile homicide offenders.

"The court is cognizant that you and  your supporters will be frustrated with the imposition of the $150,000 in restitution to Mr. Brooks' estate," Porter told Lewis Tuesday. "This court is presented with no other option, other than which is dictated by the law of this state."

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Pieper Lewis' attorney says restitution 'the least of her concerns'

Fundraising is an option being considered to help Lewis pay the sum, Sheeley said. But her lawyers want to make sure that any funds she may take to pay Brooks' estate will not violate the law.

"I think the restitution obligation that she has to now deal with is probably the least of her concerns," Sheeley after Lewis was sentenced. "Im pretty sure shes going to be focused on doing what she needs to do to take care of herself."

Schipper had contact with Lewis and her legal team late last year. Over the past two days, he has been in contact with her lawyers regarding the fundraiser.

If Lewis cannot use the money to pay off her restitution, she may be able to use it to pay for college or other expenses, Schipper said.

"They are excited about this as a path for Pieper to not have this debt," Schipper said.

For now, the best way for people to help Lewis if they do not already know her may be to give her space but support sex trafficking victims like her, according to her attorneys.

"Help Pieper and girls like her by saying were not accepting trafficking," her attorney Paul White said after Lewis was sentenced. "Thats how we help Pieper. Dont let her story be forgotten."

Schipper plans to meet with Lewis once she is placed at the Fresh Start Women's Center.

One way or another, he thinks Lewis will put the money to good use by paying back the Brooks' family, paying for her education or donating it to a cause that can help young women like her.

"If for some reason this money can't go to her restitution, there will be ways that it can be used to help sex trafficking victims," Schipper said.

Philip Joens can be reached at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: GoFundMe to support Iowa teen who killed her rapist tops $480,000
The backyard patio of Briets Stein and Deli in Kansas City, Kansas, played host late Thursday afternoon to a group of activists and alleged victims who have long sought the arrest of former police detective Roger Golubski, who has long been the subject of corruption allegations.

Roughly a dozen gathered there in celebration, offering toasts and praises to the news of Golubskis early-morning arrest after a federal grand jury returned a six-count felony indictment charging him with civil rights crimes for sexual abuse and kidnapping he allegedly committed under the protection of the badge.

Activists with social justice organization MORE2 and alleged victims of ex-KCKPD Det. Roger Golubski gathered in the backyard patio of Briets Stein and Deli in Kansas City, Kansas on Thursday to celebrate a six-county felony indictment filed against the former cop.

Its a wonderful feeling, said Eric Calvin, whose family believes Golubski is somehow connected to the unsolved murder of his older sister Rose Calvin, and blames the detective for the murder conviction of his brother John Calvin, who maintains he is innocent.

Its something that we have been looking forward to for a long time: justice for not only my family, but other families that have endured pain.

The Calvins are among the area families that have sought a thorough investigation of Golubski for alleged sex crimes, including rape, along with the mysterious unsolved killings of several local Black women. They have continued to search for answers in the death of Rose Calvin, who had fallen into drug abuse and prostitution and was found strangled in an empty lot in July 1996. Golubski was known to pick her up and drop her off at the family home, the Calvins have said, and the family believes the story hes given does not add up.

Also attending the bar gathering on Thursday was Ophelia Williams, of Kansas City, one of the two women whose testimony to federal investigators led to the criminal charges filed against Golubski.

Williams has long described a nightmare she survived at the hands of the homicide detective, alleging he raped her while visiting her house one day in 1999 as he was investigating a double homicide that her 14-year-old sons were in police custody for.

On Thursday, Williams said she was thankful to hear the news that Golbuski had been arrested. But she added that this is only one step along the path she and others want to see taken by authorities moving forward, and she wants to see her two sons freed after they have languished in prison for decades.

He should pay his debt that he owes, Williams said, adding: My boys need to come home.

Golubski, who retired from KCKPD as a captain in 2010, was arrested by FBI agents at his home in Edwardsville early Thursday morning. He was escorted in law enforcement custody to the federal courthouse in Topeka, where he pleaded not guilty to the six felony charges contained in the indictment, which accuse him of committing the crimes between 1998 and 2002.

The Stars Luke Nozicka, Aaron Torres and Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite its latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes if Ukrainian forces target power plants and other infrastructure in Russia.

Speaking to reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Putin said the liberation of Ukraine's entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal and that he sees no need to revise it.

We arent in a rush, the Russian leader said, adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

SEE MORE: Ukraine's Fighters Share What They've Seen In Newly Retaken Territory

Russia was forced to pull back its forces from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week after a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine's move to reclaim control of several Russian-occupied cities and villages marked the largest military setback for Moscow since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early in the war.

Asked about the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin replied: Lets see how it develops and how it ends.

He alleged that Ukraine has attempted to launch attacks near our nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants in Russia and vowed to do everything to prevent any negative turn of events.

We will retaliate if they fail to understand that such methods are unacceptable, they don't differ from terrorism, Putin said.

Putin also sought Friday to assuage Indias concern about the conflict in Ukraine, telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Moscow wants to see a quick end to the fighting and alleging Ukrainian officials wont negotiate.

I know your stand on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you have repeatedly voiced, the Russian leader told Modi. We will do all we can to end that as quickly as possible. Regrettably, the other side, the leadership of Ukraine, has rejected the negotiations process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, on the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said it is Russia that allegedly doesnt want to negotiate in earnest. He also has insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for talks.

Putin's remarks during the talks with Modi echoed similar comments he made during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous day.

China and India have refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine while increasing their purchases of Russian oil and gas, helping Moscow offset the financial restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and China as a counterweight to U.S. influence. The group also includes India, Pakistan and four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is on track to receive full membership.

On Thursday, Putin held a one-on-one meeting with Xi and thanked the Chinese leader for his governments balanced position on the Ukraine war, while adding that he was ready to discuss unspecified Chinas concerns about Ukraine.

Xi, in a statement released by his government, expressed support for Russias core interests but also interest in working together to inject stability into world affairs.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
LONDON  At its height, the British Empires rule oversaw 531 million people  over three continents spanning from North America to Oceania. It was once said that the sun never set on the British Empire, but as years passed, the monarchys global reach began to decline.

Six years after the devastation of World War I, Britain announced that each member of the Empire would be seen as equal. This meant that the monarchy and its Parliament had no power over the domestic and foreign policies of these Dominions.

Seven prime ministers posed in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace in London at a dinner party given by Queen Elizabeth II on Dec. 3, 1952, for ministers attending the Commonwealth Conference and their wives. From left: Dudley Senanayake, premier of Ceylon; Sir Godfrey Hugging, premier of Southern Rhodesia; Sidney Holland, premier of New Zealand; Winston Churchill, premier of the United Kingdom; the queen; Robert Menzies, premier of Australia; Louis St. Laurent; premier of Canada; Nicholas Havenga, South African minister of finance; Khawaja Nazimuddin, premier of Pakistan, and Sir Chintaman Deshmukh, India's minister of finance. (AP Photo)

After World War II, the British Empire would continue to contract, as countries under its colonial rule fought for and gained their independence. In 1949, the British Commonwealth of Nations would no longer ask members to swear allegiance to the crown, and all nations under the umbrella of the association would simply be known as the Commonwealth of Nations.

Elizabethan era

Upon Queen Elizabeth IIs ascension to the throne in 1952, the Commonwealth had already lost Ireland, in 1948. Eire gained its autonomy in 1921 after 800 years of British involvement, leaving only the six counties in Northern Ireland, of the 32 counties on the island, as part of the United Kingdom.

During her coronation speech in 1953, the new monarch acknowledged and praised Britains imperial past. I have behind me not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years, but the living strength and majesty of the Commonwealth and Empire, she said.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive in Jaipur, India, on Jan. 22, 1961, met at the airport by Gov. Gurmukh Nihal Singh. (AP Photo)

Elizabeth, Britains longest-serving sovereign, was on the throne seven years longer than Queen Victoria, her great-great grandmother, who oversaw the expansion of Britain's colonial possessions.

[The] Queen's reign is the kind of grand rebranding for the British Empire, which was originally kind of built on an ideology that dictated that white people and their settler descendants would be in charge, Dr. Liam Liburd, assistant professor of Black British history at Durham University in England, told Yahoo News.

The development of the Commonwealth after the Queen's coronation in 1953 can be seen as a kind of consolation prize for the British Empire.

Decline of the Empire

Through the decades, the Commonwealth would see territories lost and countries depart, with some rejoining. By the 1960s, most of Britains colonies in Africa and Asia were independent, although some chose to remain as part of the Commonwealth, an option offered on a voluntary basis.

The queen meets a Chinese dragon dancer in Hong Kong during the Royal Tour of 1975. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Its most important colony in Asia left in 1997, when after 156 years, the U.K. ceded control of Hong Kong to the Peoples Republic of China. Today, the British monarch is the head of state of 14 nations, including a collection of islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans that remain as Britains colonial possessions.

New king

After the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Commonwealth gained a new leader, in her son and heir, King Charles III.

She began as queen of the British Empire and became the queen of the British nation, unable, and to some extent unwilling, to come to terms with the loss of empire, and with several Commonwealth nations reconsidering their ties to Britain and to the Commonwealth, Liburd told Yahoo News.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, makes a speech at a dinner for Commonwealth heads of government on June 24 this year in Kigali, Rwanda. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

But how does the future of the Commonwealth look for King Charless reign and how, as British Prime Minister Liz Truss described it after the queens death, will our new Carolean age (from Carolus, the Latin version of Charles) differ from the Elizabethan age? If Queen Victoria built the Empire, will her great-great-great-grandson lose it all?

The future

Last year, Barbados became the worlds newest republic, after its citizens voted to remove the queen as their head of state. Speaking at the event celebrating the new republic, Prince Charles, a guest speaker, acknowledged the appalling atrocity of slavery the island had suffered. While Barbados removed the queen as its head of state, it decided to remain a member of the Commonwealth.

Following in the steps of Barbados, six other countries in the Caribbean  Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, the Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis  also signaled their intent to remove the British monarch as their sovereign.

Prince Charles speaks at the presidential inauguration ceremony marking the birth of a new republic in Barbados at Heroes Square in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Nov. 30, 2021, with President Sandra Mason of Barbados seated on his left. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Pool via Reuters)

The news came after two royal tours that were met with protests and public relations disasters. In Belize and Jamaica, locals called for formal apologies from the visiting royal family. As we saw with Prince William and Princess Kate's Caribbean tour earlier this year, I think things already are changing, Liburd told Yahoo News. In lots of ways, the Commonwealth feels a little bit like the monarchy itself. It has a kind of anachronistic, perhaps a leftover, out-of-date, political order.

Speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda in June, Charles revealed an openness to members on the evolving status of the association. I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each members constitutional arrangement, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each member country to decide, he said. The benefit of long life brings me the experience that arrangements such as these can change, calmly and without rancor.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, ride in a vintage Land Rover Kingston, Jamaica, once used by Queen Elizabeth, as they leave a parade for personnel completing the Caribbean Military Academy's Officer Training Programme, on their tour of the Caribbean on March 24. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

Closer to home, Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, proposed a date for another referendum on independence, and talks have been ongoing about Northern Ireland reunifying with the republican south.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Sky News that he would not hold an independence referendum in his first term, out of respect and admiration for the queen. However, he did not rule out the possibility if he was reelected.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the leader of neighboring New Zealand, said that removing the British sovereign was an inevitability, but that it was not a priority of her government. Ive made my view plain many times, Ardern said after the queens death. I do believe that is where New Zealand will head, in time. I believe it is likely to occur in my lifetime.

As a growing number of countries renounce their ties with the British monarchy, the waning of the Commonwealth reduces Britains presence on the world stage.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, is the way William Shakespeare described the burden and responsibility of leadership in the second part of his play "Henry IV." Perhaps this too is how King Charles feels about leading his shrinking realm.
The pandemic has touched just about every portion of American life, exposed some of our greatest disparities and opened the door to new challenges. For many healthcare workers that means an uptick in things they thought the country had a grip on.

"This is not just like an issue. It's a crisis," said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, the director of health in St. Louis, Missouri.

The U.S. had made strides against sexually transmitted infections like congenital syphilis in the early 2000s.

Dr. Davis says those gains have disappeared.

"We had a hyper focus on COVID that took away our ability to really prioritize and understand that other aspects of health don't go away," said Davis.

According to the CDC, by the end of 2020 syphilis among newborns, which is generally passed during pregnancy, was up nearly 15% from 2019 and 254% from 2016.

SEE MORE: How Different Sex Education Methods Affect Students Around The World

40% of babies born to women with untreated syphilis can be stillborn or die from the infection. Those that do survive face challenges.

Dr. Anna Maya Powell is co-director at Johns Hopkins HIV Women's Program.

"An untreated case of congenital syphilis can result in things like brain or bone malformations, that can cause blindness over time or organ damage," said Powell.

Experts point to a myriad of reasons for the uptick: for one, people stopped getting checkups in 2020, or relied on telemedicine, which could miss a diagnosis.

Another hurdle was that public resources for combating STIs were often diverted to COVID response.

According to Dr. Powell, the congruent opioid epidemic didn't help.

"Pregnant patients who are using substances during pregnancy  They're less likely to come in for prenatal care," said Powell.

There are also inconsistencies in healthcare requirements. According to the CDC only 13 states and DC require all patients to undergo syphilis testing in both the first and third trimesters. Eight states don't require testing at all.

Davis says none of that matters if a patient doesn't have access to care in the first place. It's an issue disproportionately facing ethnic minorities.

"We're seeing the same pattern, not just in STIs, but across all disease states. So that says it's not just about the genes. It's not about the specific disease. It's not about the specific issue. It's about those fundamental structural issues that need to be addressed," said Davis.

Doctors tell Newsy one of the first ways to address the issue is to get rid of stigma, making the STI conversation routine in doctor visits. Another solution is making sure partners are also treated for STIs. These are simple steps  but also things they say require funding.
If you ask Gabe Scheels teachers, theyll tell you hes just like every other kid in the classroom.

He answers questions at lectures, interacts with his classmates and even gets the occasional peck on the cheek from a cute girl.

I love that hes happy to be there and learning, said Stacey Regan, his special education teacher at Ray Reynolds Middle School. I love his sassy attitude... Hes just a typical 8th-grade boy.

Gabe, 13, is among the 4% of U.S. students who live with a nonverbal learning disability. He is unable to talk and is paralyzed after suffering a traumatic brain injury when he was younger.

But that hasnt stopped him from learning that hes got a creative side.

Earlier this week, Gabe was recognized by the Pasco School Board and Washington state for his dedication to learning and for a piece of artwork he submitted for the 2022-23 school district calendar. He named the painting Fun Joy.

His submission  painted using eye-tracking technology  even caught the attention of Gov. Jay Inslee, himself a longtime amateur artist.

Gabe Scheel, 13, was recognized by the Pasco School District and Washington state for his dedication to learning and his painting he calls Fun Joy. He uses special eye-gaze technology for his schoolwork.

Your story is a testament to the ability to triumph over tragedy, the governor wrote in his letter to Gabe.

Your expression through art has already inspired others to action, and many others will undoubtedly be inspired to overcome their own adversities because of your leadership, he wrote.

Inslee concluded with this bit of advice: We hope that you lean into your strengths, cultivate your creativity, and continue to inspire those around you to grow beyond their limits.

Brian Moreno, past chair of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, presented the letter to his family this week, along with the Shining Light Award for serving as a beacon of leadership and inspiration to all Washingtonians.

Gabes story is chronicled in an 11-minute documentary by the district, which notes, Gabes technologies and support team were made possible by voter-approved levies.

Even more than the money, just watching that video and watching the human factors here at play. The relationships and the learning that is going on between teacher and student and staff  both ways. Everyones growing and (its) very inspirational, said board President Scott Lehrman.

Fun Joy by Gabe Scheel, a seventh-grader at Ray Reynolds Middle School.

Gabes story

When he was 5, Gabe suffered a seizure while taking a bath and drowned. The incident ultimately caused an anoxic brain injury, which paralyzed him.

Hes come so far because when his injury happened we were given organ donation papers. And they had another test to run before they said he was gone, Tonya Scheel said. From there to where were at now, is it where we want to be? No. But its way farther than what the doctors even said.

The accident left his family devastated but they still had hope.

He can still communicate through non-verbal cues and facial movements. He is still the boy they loved and raised, just changed.

Before the COVID pandemic, the Scheel family was living in Walla Walla. An in-home speech therapist suggested the family try setting up an eye-gaze system to help redevelop his communication.

Gabe Scheel, a special education student at Ray Reynolds Middle School, smiles for the camera alongside teachers and his family at a Pasco School Board meeting. The 13-year-old uses eye-gaze technology to learn and paint artwork, which was recognized by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

He began using a Tobii Dynavox eye tracking system around the time he was 10.

Gabes father, Michael, and Tonya are both educators who originally graduated from Pasco High School. The couple ultimately decided to move back to Tri-Cities during the pandemic.

Gabe started attending public school last school year, starting his 7th-grade year at Ray Reynolds.

Over the last year, hes made significant leaps and gains in assembling the building blocks of communication and core learning concepts.

I dont think the every-day person who doesnt work in the life skills classroom sees what a huge deal it is, but its huge, said his teacher.

An artist emerges

Last spring  as Gabe began painting with the assistance of a robotic limb and the eye-gaze program guiding his brush  the staff had the idea to enter one of his pieces into the district calendar art contest.

The theme, roughly, was our future is bright.

What could be brighter than Gabe? asks paraeducator Wendy Nansel.

His submission ultimately didnt make the cut by voters for the calendar. But staff and teachers wanted to congratulate Gabe for expressing himself and overcoming adversity.

Gabe Scheel fist bumps Brian Moreno, past chair of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, who presented the 13-year-old with a Shining Light Award and letter of recognition from Gov. Jay Inslee.

His dad said his teachers have been the core contributor to Gabes academic and social progress.

I just want to make sure the teachers understand how important they are to us, he said. Because we can get kind of depressed and down on everything, but then we see what they do with him  it kind of brightens us up a little, too.

Hes learning. Hes having fun, for the most part. He laughs, he smiles. He makes other people laugh and smile, Tonya Scheel said.

He paints in the classroom about twice a week. And his teachers say they plan on programming a button that will ask his teacher to paint so that he can do it daily  but only if he gets all his schoolwork done before the end of class.

Pasco School Board members, family, teachers and district staff pose for a photo with Gabe Scheel, a Ray Reynolds Middle School special education student.

New technology

The technology that Gabe uses to speak, paint and do schoolwork is still fairly new and complex to operate, said Betsy Furler, founder and CEO of Houston-based For All Abilities, a solutions business focused on disabilities in the workforce.

In order for it to work, the user has to keep his head steady, focused on the screen, eyes fixed on an item to select it, and keep the program calibrated.

Its very difficult but it really does open up the world of communication for people who in the past didnt have that, said Furler, whos worked as a speech pathologist since 1992.

I think its important for people to know how hard this kid is working, she added.

The Pasco teachers also had to work hard, too, programming his device with words and curriculum.

Eye-gaze also can open up a new world of independence. Furler said people have used eye-gaze technology and programs to control the lights of their home, order food, make music, surf the web, use social media and do office work.

The industry is working to combine eye-gazing programs with user muscle movement to try and make communication faster for users.

Others also are looking at using electrical activity in the brain by way of electroencephalogram, a test often used to detect epilepsy, to aid eye-gaze.

Theres some exciting things happening, she said.
Bags with dead bodies are seen during the exhumation in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass burial site near the recaptured city of Izium that contained hundreds of graves. It was not clear who was buried in many of the plots or how all of them died, though witnesses and a Ukrainian investigator said some were shot and others were killed by artillery fire, mines or airstrikes. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

IZIUM, Ukraine (AP)  Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Friday.

The site near Izium, recently recaptured from Russian forces, appears to be one of the largest discovered in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy spoke in a video he rushed out just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. He said more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims isnt yet known.

Digging in the rain, workers hauled body after body out of the sandy soil in a misty pine forest near Izium. Protected by head-to-toe suits and rubber gloves, they gently felt through the decomposing remains of the victims clothing, seemingly looking for identifying items.

Associated Press journalists who visited the site saw graves marked with simple wooden crosses. Some of the markers bore peoples names and had flowers hanging from them.

Before digging, investigators with metal detectors scanned the site for explosives, and soldiers strung red and white plastic tape between the trees.

Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found near Iziums Pishchanske cemetery after being tortured, shot or killed by artillery shelling.

He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In another sign of possible torture, one man was found with his hands tied, according to Serhiy Bohdan, the head of Kharikiv police investigations, and Ukraines commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

Ukrainian authorities warned that their investigation was just beginning, and the scale of the killings could rise dramatically.

The harsh reality indicates that the number of dead in Izium may be many times higher than the Bucha tragedy, Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said on Telegram.

Bucha is a Kyiv suburb where authorities have said 458 bodies were found after a 33-day Russian occupation. Authorities say they have uncovered the bodies of more than 1,300 people elsewhere, many in mass graves in the Kyiv-area forest.

Zelenskyy, who visited the Izium area Wednesday, said the discoveries showed again the need for world leaders to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Meanwhile, in his first public comments on Ukraine's recent battlefield gains, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the war and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin told reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan.

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure sites near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

The liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal, Putin said.

We arent in a rush, he said, adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Some hard-line Russian politicians and military bloggers have lamented manpower shortages and urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraines example and order broad mobilization to beef up the ranks.

Ukrainian forces gained access to the site near Izium after recapturing the northeastern city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a lighting advance that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. Ukrainian officials also found evidence of torture elsewhere in the region.

The U.N. human rights office said it would investigate, and the human rights group Amnesty International said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed our darkest fears.

For every unlawful killing or other war crime, there must be justice and reparation for victims and their families and a fair trial and accountability for suspected perpetrators, said Marie Struthers, the group's director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Most of the people buried at the site were believed to be civilians, but a marker on one mass grave said it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian officials distanced themselves from responsibility for the site.

The Khariv region's Russian-installed governor, Vitaly Ganchev, told Russia's state-run Tass news agency that Ukrainian, not Russian, forces were responsible for civilian casualties in Izium. Tass also quoted a member of Russia's parliament, Alexander Malkevich, claiming Ukrainian troops had abandoned their dead, so Russian forces buried them.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the war continued to claim lives and wreak destruction.

 Ukraines presidential office said Russian shelling killed five civilians and wounded 18 in a 24-hour span. Missile strikes were also reported, with Zelenskyys hometown of Kryvyi Rih among the targets for a third consecutive day Friday. Air raid sirens howled in the capital, Kyiv.

 More killings targeting pro-Russian separatist officials were reported in areas under their control. Separatist authorities said a blast killed the prosecutor-general and his deputy of the self-proclaimed republic in the Luhansk region. Moscow-backed authorities said two Russian-installed officials were also killed in Berdyansk, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region occupied earlier in the war. And local authorities reported three people were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on an administrative building in Russian-occupied Kherson.

 To bolster the Ukrainian offensive, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid.

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building, some of whom he pulled out of rubble with my own hands.

Izium was a key supply hub for Russian forces until they withdrew in recent days. Izium city council member Maksym Strelnikov told reporters that hundreds of people had died during the fighting and after Russia seized the town in March. Many couldnt be properly buried, he said.

His claims could not be immediately verified, but similar scenes have played out in other cities Russian forces captured, including Mariupol.

Ukraines national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said torture chambers have been found in the Kharkiv region's recaptured towns and villages. The claim could not be independently verified.

Seven Sri Lankan students who fell into Russian hands in Kupiansk, also in the Kharkiv region, have also said that they were held and mistreated, he said.

They are scared, they were abused, Klymenko said. They include a woman who can barely speak and two people with torn toe nails.

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This story has been updated to correct that seven, not six, Sri Lankan students said they fell into Russian hands.

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Associated Press journalists Hanna Arhirova and Jon Gambrell in Kyiv and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed reporting.

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Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
The Prince of Wales has said the Queen will be looking down on her funeral service.

William and his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, visited Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey on Friday afternoon where they spoke with Commonwealth troops participating in the procession on Monday.

Speaking to military personnel from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, who have been rehearsing this week, the pair also told of how strange it has been going from the Queens Platinum Jubilee to her funeral in a matter of months.

The Prince of Wales talking to members of the New Zealand military (Jonathan Buckmaster/Daily Express)

William, talking with troops from Australia, was heard saying the difference between the celebrations in June and the funeral preparations shows the highs and lows of it all.

Meanwhile, Kate, who was speaking with Canadian military personnel, said: Going from that (the Jubilee) to this in a few months is very strange.

She was also heard discussing lack of sleep with the troops.

The Princess of Wales talking to members of the Canadian military (Jonathan Buckmaster/Daily Express)

William was heard speaking with troops from the New Zealand Defence Force about how the Queen would be keeping an eye on Mondays proceedings.

Greg Gifford, 31, told the PA News agency: One of the key things I took away from what he said was how the Queen will definitely be looking down on the whole funeral service.

He said she would be interested in the detail of the soldiers, how the drill is carried out, its precision, our dress, things like that.

The couple also watched a traditional haka performed by 25 troops from the New Zealand Defence Force.

The Prince and Princess of Wales watch New Zealand troops performing the haka (Peter Byrne/PA)

There were 64 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and 28 members of the Australian Defence Force at the centre.

The troops are in the UK because they are involved in the procession during Mondays service, alongside British soldiers.

They are being accommodated at Pirbright until the funeral and are rehearsing their roles in the ceremony, with practice marches occurring across the site.

Corporal Kyle Kajari, of the Canadian Ceremonial Contingent, took part in the recent Jubilee and spoke with William about the Queen.

He said: This week weve been practicing parades, drills, all that jazz to make sure we are ready for the funeral this Monday.

I feel very honoured and very privileged to represent my unit in the procession.

Cpl Kajari went on: (William) was asking how we felt about Monday coming up, my response to him was sorry for your loss.

He talked about how hes mourned and how many people feel like theyve lost a grandmother and how important she was to the country and the Commonwealth.
Officials believe the Queens funeral will be the largest international event the UK has held in decades, possibly ever.

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world are expected to attend  with US president Joe Biden, French leader Emmanuel Macron and New Zealands premier Jacinda Ardern among those making the trip to Britain for the occasion.

Government sources said all those involved in the Civil Service view their part in the proceedings as an absolute privilege and a genuine honour.

Some staff immediately volunteered to return to their old posts to help out in the wake of the monarchs death.

The sources described the Queens funeral as the largest international event that the UK has hosted in decades, possibly ever.

Westminster Abbey, where the Queens funeral will be held on Monday (Victoria Jones/PA)

There are more than 100 civil servants working shifts on the central operational team handling events related to the Queens death, with the efforts headed up by the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Planning has been going on for years for this, the sources said.

There are people that otherwise might have moved on in their roles that have stayed in their roles because of the privilege that it is to support the planning for this.

There were quite a lot of people who worked on this in previous roles, who the moment that we heard the news immediately volunteered to come back.

The state funeral is likely to attract one of the largest UK television audiences of recent decades.

World leaders will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life for the occasion at Westminster Abbey  which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.
Seven Victoria Cross and 10 George Cross medal recipients will be at the Queens funeral service on Monday, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia.

Here is a list of them, and their achievements:

 Willie Apiata VC (for New Zealand)

In 2004, Lance Corporal Apiata , who was part of a New Zealand Special Air Service troop on patrol in Afghanistan, saved the life of a colleague by bravely taking him to an area where he could receive medical attention.

This involved carrying him across 70m of broken and rocky ground under heavy enemy fire and return fire.

 Jim Beaton GC CVO

In 1974, while working as Princess Annes personal police officer, Inspector Beaton shielded the Princess Royal from a gunman, putting his own life in danger.

The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips were returning by car to Buckingham Palace from an official engagement when they were ambushed by the gunman. Inspector Beaton was repeatedly wounded in the attack.

 CSgt Johnson Beharry VC

Victoria Cross recipient Johnson Beharry with the then Prince of Wales (Richard Pohle/The Times/PA)

Colour Sergeant Johnson Beharry VC was awarded Britains highest military honour for twice saving colleagues while under fire in Iraq.

With no regard for his personal safety, and while under heavy fire, he personally carried wounded colleagues to safety and manoeuvred vehicles to positions where they were less likely to be under attack.

 Matt Croucher GC

Lance Corporal Croucher showed immense bravery during deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2007 and 2008.

He threw himself on a grenade at one point to save the lives of fellow marines, pinning the grenade under his day sack. As it detonated, the blast effect of the grenade was absorbed by Lance Corporal Croucher and the majority of the fragmentation was contained under his body.

 Cpl Mark Donaldson VC (for Australia)

Trooper Mark Donaldson showed disregard for his personal safety in Afghanistan in 2008 as he sought to protect his colleagues.

During one early stage of the enemy ambush, he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention to himself and thus away from wounded soldiers.

 Chris Finney GC

Trooper Finney rescued an injured colleague in 2003 while under attack just north of Basra, Iraq, and sought to rescue another colleague.

Despite his own wounds and the continuing danger from exploding ammunition, Trooper Finney was also able to reach a vehicle and radio for help.

 Tony Gledhill GC

In 1966, Constable Gledhill and a colleague pursued a car that was speeding on the wrong side of the road through the streets of south London.

At least 15 shots were fired at the police car by the occupants of the vehicle, using a sawn-off shotgun and revolvers. Constable Gledhill was involved in a struggle with one of the armed occupants once the car stopped, and risked his life to ensure the gunman was captured.

 Kevin Haberfield GC

Royal marine Kevin Haberfield received the George Cross for action in Afghanistan in 2005. No further details have been released.

 Warrant Officer Class 1 Kim Hughes GC

Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes (Johnny Green/PA)

In 2009, Staff Sergeant Hughes was working in Afghanistan when several comrades were injured or killed by explosive devices.

He set about clearing a path to the injured, providing constant reassurance that help was on its way, and also calmly carried out manual neutralisation of three explosive devices  the single most outstanding act of explosive ordnance disposal ever recorded in Afghanistan.

 Daniel Keighran VC  6th Battalion

In 2010, while under sustained enemy fire in Afghanistan, Corporal Keighran identified enemy locations and was able to help direct the return fire of both Australian and Afghan machine guns.

Disregarding his own safety, Corporal Keighran deliberately and repeatedly drew enemy fire towards himself so that targets could be identified by machine gunners.

 Cpl Josh Leakey VC

Lance Corporal Leakey was deployed in Afghanistan in 2013 when he led a casualty evacuation.

He also risked his life under enemy fire to get suppressed machine guns into action, enabling troops to regain the initiative against enemy forces.

 Major Pete Norton GC

In 2005, while on deployment near Baghdad, Major Norton ensured the safety of coalition forces after a huge explosion with improvised explosive devices caused the death of four US personnel.

He also personally risked his life to see whether a command wire improvised explosive device was present. An explosion meant he suffered an amputation of his left leg and serious blast and fragmentation injuries to his right leg, arms and lower abdomen. Despite his own injuries, he calmly directed his colleagues to safety.

 Keith Payne VC AM DSC (for Australia)

In May 1969, Warrant Officer Payne and the battalion he was commanding came under attack by a superior strength force of North Vietnamese in Kontum Province. He temporarily held off the assaults by firing his weapon and collecting grenades to throw at the attackers, suffering wounds to the hand and arms.

As indigenous soldiers in his company fell back, he ran across open ground under fire to stop their retreat and organise them into a defensive position before, after darkness had fallen, venturing out by himself to find wounded and other indigenous soldiers, rounding up 40 lost soldiers and assisting an American adviser to return to his battalions base.

 Michael Pratt GC

Police constable Pratt was off duty and unarmed when he drove past a bank that was being held up by three masked and armed men in June 1976. He turned his car around, drove on to the pavement and blocked the banks entrance before urging a bystander to call police.

As the gunmen threatened him to move the car and then attempted to leave the bank, Constable Pratt, then armed with the handle of a car jack, grabbed one of the robbers and knocked him unconscious. As that man came to and got to his feet, Constable Pratt grabbed him once more before a second gunman shot him at close range, seriously wounding him.

 Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG (for Australia)

As a patrol second-in-command assigned to the Special Operations Task Group on Operation Slipper in Afghanistan, Corporal Roberts-Smith assaulted a fortification with three enemy machine gun positions and superior numbers of heavily armed insurgents.

With members of his patrol pinned down, he deliberately drew fire away from his team, allowing them to fire back, before he stormed two enemy positions and killed both machine gun teams.

The Queen speaks to Dominic Troulan GC at Buckingham Palace (John Stillwell/PA)

 Captain Sam Shephard GC

During a diving exercise in Egypt in August 2013, then Lieutenant Shephard (Royal Marines) had been snorkelling 200m off shore with five others when a fellow diver, who was also his friend, suffered an embolism and sank quickly to a depth of 40m. Lt Shephard attempted a rescue without air or equipment, before his dive instructor arrived and judged it too dark, deep and dangerous to continue.

Lt Shephard disregarded the advice and, with his equipment, dived to a depth of up to 60m with poor visibility in the fading light  far beyond his training. He found his friend on a reef, suffered deep cuts to his legs as he fought to free him and then returned to the surface with the casualty, who did not survive.

 Dominic Troulan GC QGM

In 2013, a group of heavily-armed terrorists entered the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, and started to murder men, women and children.

Dominic Troulan, a security consultant working in Nairobi, was contacted by a friend who asked him to go to the mall to try to locate his wife and daughter.

Mr Troulan managed to find the women and bring them to safety, but then went back at least 12 times to bring other innocent people out of the building.

Armed only with a pistol, he was fired on twice by the terrorists but managed to force them back.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia on Friday marked the 59th anniversary of the creation of the Malaysian Federation.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and the queen wished on Malaysia Day that Malaysia will continue to be protected from all forms of threats and calamities, and be blessed and bestowed with lasting prosperity and unity, in a brief statement.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement that Malaysia Day should be the catalyst to further boost the unity, inclusivity, togetherness and blessings of every citizen based on the values of the "Malaysian Family," a national unity program he is championing.

An official large-scale celebration will be held in the state of Malacca with Ismail Sabri being scheduled to join other officials in overseeing the festivities.

Malaysia Day is celebrated on Sept. 16 every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian Federation on that date in 1963. 
The Queens grandchildren will stand guard around her coffin in London on Saturday, hours after their parents held an emotional vigil in the Palace of Westminster.

Notably, the Duke of Sussex will join his brother the Prince of Wales in wearing uniform in Westminster Hall, ahead of the Queens state funeral on Monday.

Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourns, because he is no longer a working royal.

But royal sources say the King has decided his youngest son can wear uniform for the vigil, saying he will stand at the foot of the coffin, with William at the head.

Despite being a former Army officer, Harry has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmothers coffin on Wednesday when it was carried to Westminster Hall for lying in state.

William will be flanked by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, while Harry will be with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn at the middle of the coffin.

The King, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of York hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother (Daniel Leal/PA)

On Friday evening, the Queens children  Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex  took part in their own vigil.

The King, Anne, Andrew and Edward had solemn looks on their faces as they stood vigil around their mothers coffin, with their heads bowed throughout as members of the public filed slowly past them.

It comes as final preparations are under way for the funeral on Monday, with politicians and royal dignitaries from around the world expected to arrive throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, Prime Minster Liz Truss will meet the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand  Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern  at the Governments Chevening country residence, a No 10 spokesperson said.

Charles will also meet chiefs of staff at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and visit police headquarters to thank the emergency services for their work in planning the funeral.

Members of the public in the queue at Southwark Park in London (Ian West/PA)

On Sunday, Ms Truss will meet Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and US President Joe Biden at Downing Street.

She will have an audience with the King before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace on Sunday.

Charles concluded his tour of the home nations on Friday, starting his day with a visit to Wales, after trips to Northern Ireland and Scotland in recent days.

Meanwhile, thousands of people continue to queue to see the Queens coffin lying in state, with some facing more than a day in line.

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S LYING-IN-STATE QUEUE UPDATE, 1:15AM, 17 SEP The queue is near total capacity with a wait time of at least 25 hours Please do not travel to join the queue Check back for updates in the morning pic.twitter.com/3bLTgIfgHu  Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) September 17, 2022

Early on Saturday morning, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports queue tracker warned people not to travel to join the back of the queue, but it changed the guidance at 8am saying the line had reached Southwark Park with wait times at least 24 hours.

Those inside Westminster Hall were briefly shocked on Friday night when a man was arrested after moving out of the queue to approach the Queens coffin.

Metropolitan Police said the incident occurred around 10pm, as the live feed from inside the hall cut away for a brief period.

A statement from Scotland Yard said: Around 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September officers from the Mets Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.

He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.

Two thousand people will gather inside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday for the Queens funeral.

(Hannah McKay/PA)

Some 800 people, including members of the Queens Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service afterwards at 4pm in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle.

After the funeral, the King and members of the royal family will walk behind the Queens coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey, before it is driven to Windsor on the state hearse.
Liz Truss is to meet a number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau when they visit Britain for the Queens funeral.

Downing Street on Friday detailed the head-to-heads confirmed so far for the Prime Minister this weekend, ahead of the state funeral.

She will meet privately with her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the Governments Chevening country residence on Saturday, a No 10 spokesperson said.

Ms Truss is set to speak to Irish premier Micheal Martin on the margins of the Queens funeral amid tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol (PA)

On Sunday, she will meet Mr Martin, Mr Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street.

Ms Truss has met Mr Biden as foreign secretary but this will be their first meeting since she became Prime Minister.

It will take place against a backdrop of disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol and difficulties working towards a trade deal with the White House.

The protocol is also likely to come up when she speaks to Mr Martin amid strained relations between the two countries over post-Brexit arrangements.

The head-to-head with Mr Biden, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Trusss visit to the UN General Assembly next week although No 10 did not rule out another bilateral there.

In a phone conversation with His Majesty King Charles III last night, I expressed Frances condolences on the death of his mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I will attend the funeral in London on Monday.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2022

It is likely that the summit in New York will be where Ms Truss meets French President Emmanuel Macron, rather than during his visit to the UK.

Mr Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his countrys condolences in a call to the King.

He tweeted about the unbreakable ties between France and the UK as he promised to strengthen the relationship between the UK and France by following the path of the late Queen.

A meeting between the pair could be a chance for Ms Truss to clear up where their relationship stands after she sparked controversy by saying the jurys out over whether Mr Macron is a friend or foe during her campaign to become Tory leader.

Ms Truss and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also understood to be arranging a meeting while both attend the UN summit, where they are expected to discuss the dispute between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Truss is not expected to meet Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan, who is set to attend the state funeral on Monday instead of leader Xi Jinping.

Chinas official delegation is expected to be barred from attending the Queens lying in state in Westminster Hall by the Commons Speaker, while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing.

No 10 earlier declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up.

Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Ministers country residence of Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit.

As well as her head-to-heads with world leaders on Sunday, Ms Truss will have an audience with the King before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace.

King Charles III shakes hands with the Prime Minister during their first audience at Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA)

Ms Ardern will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister before the Queens funeral.

The New Zealand prime minister confirmed the meetings but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will share the sorrow that New Zealand has with the new monarch.

Ill simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences, the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, thats first and foremost.

Ms Ardern also said the Queens death and new King will be the focus of conversation when she and Ms Truss meet.

She said she will also likely discuss Ukraine and the UKs free trade agreement with New Zealand.

I am sure we will also transact our relationship as well, but it is all within the context of the week of mourning that the UK is currently in, she said.

At the Palaces invitation, 10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the Prime Minister and Governor-General on September 19. Here's more about who they are: (1/11)  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 13, 2022

As a member of the Commonwealth, New Zealand will bring 10 additional guests from the community, including the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, according to a Foreign Office source.

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey  which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Uzbekistan on Friday morning for a meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin there this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with President Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italys President Sergio Mattarella and Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed his attendance (PA)

But Downing Street declined to confirm reports that Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska, President Volodymyr Zelenskys wife, will travel to the funeral.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London for what will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in place of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Invitations to the Queens funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine.

Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister before the Queens funeral.

Ms Ardern confirmed the meetings but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will share the sorrow that New Zealand has with the new monarch.

Ill simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences, the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, thats first and foremost.

Ms Ardern, who said she is planning to attend the Queens lying in state at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral, also confirmed she will meet with Liz Truss.

The visiting PM said the Queens death and new King will be the focus of conversation when she and Ms Truss meet.

She said she will also likely discuss Ukraine and the UKs free trade agreement with New Zealand.

I am sure we will also transact our relationship as well, but it is all within the context of the week of mourning that the UK is currently in, she said.

Meeting William will be an opportunity to repay his support of New Zealand in 2019, when the royal flew to the country following the Christchurch massacre, Ms Ardern said.

The Prince of Wales has always been there for New Zealand in its times of grief, she said.

Hes been there for us in our times of grief and so this is a time for us to be there for him and his family too.

Several hundred dignitaries from around the world will be in London to pay their respects to the Queen, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

No 10 declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There wont be formal bilaterals in the way we normally recognise them.

But we will have a significant number of world leaders, heads of state in the country. She will be meeting a small proportion of those over the weekend.

These will be opportunities to discuss memories of Her Majesty, but in some instances it will be the first time theyve met since she became Prime Minister.

At the Palaces invitation, 10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the Prime Minister and Governor-General on September 19. Here's more about who they are: (1/11)  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 13, 2022

A UK meeting with US President Joe Biden, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Trusss expected visit to New York for a UN summit next week.

Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Ministers country residence of Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his countrys condolences in a call to the King.

Mr Macron tweeted about the unbreakable ties between France and the UK as he promised to strengthen the relationship between the UK and France by following the path of the late Queen.

It is unclear whether he will be among the world leaders Ms Truss will meet, but if they do it will be a chance for her to clear up where their relationship stands.

During her campaign to become Tory leader, she sparked controversy by saying the jurys out over whether Mr Macron is a friend or foe.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed his attendance (PA)

There have also been suggestions she could speak to Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on the margins of the funeral, amid strained relations between the two countries over the continuing row about the Northern Ireland Protocol.

About 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey  which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.

Representatives from the Commonwealth realms  the nations which had the Queen as head of state  will also be able to attend the committal service in Windsor Castle.

Male dignitaries at the funeral will be advised to wear morning dress or dark lounge suits with a black tie, with dark day dresses and hats for female mourners.

National dress may also be worn, while serving military officers can wear ceremonial uniforms without swords.

The leaders of most Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the funeral.

Ms Arderns Canadian and Australian counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Anthony Albanese, have also confirmed their attendance.

But Indias prime minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Uzbekistan on Friday morning for a meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin there this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with President Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

There have been suggestions Ms Truss will speak with Irish premier Micheal Martin on the margins of the Queens funeral, amid tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol (PA)

Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italys President Sergio Mattarella and Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending, along with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London for what will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in place of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Invitations to the Queens funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine.

Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.


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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani foreign ministry's Additional Secretary Asia-Pacific Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had added a new dimension to Pakistan-China cooperation.

The official made the remarks during two rounds of briefings on the CPEC for resident diplomatic missions of several countries, which were convened on Thursday and Friday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Pakistan welcomes development partners and enterprises from around the world to strengthen investment and trade linkages and consider opportunities in special economic zones," said the statement.

Thanking the Pakistani foreign ministry and relevant government departments for the briefings, participating diplomatic missions underscored abiding mutual interest in enhancing economic cooperation, according to the statement. 
Hungarian sinologist and literary translator Klara Zombory(C), Eva Kalmar(R) and Miklos M. Nagy, author and director of the Helikon publisher, attend an event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary held in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 15, 2022. A literary event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary was held here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Chen Hao)

BUDAPEST, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The oeuvre of famous Chinese contemporary writer Yu Hua was at the center of a recent event organized by the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club of Hungary here in a trendy literary cafe-bookshop.

The Chinese author greeted the book club, which premiered with his books Thursday evening, in a video message.

"Each of my works is about the lives and experiences of Chinese people, Chinese people who are shaped by experiencing the changes of the times," Yu said.

The literary event was chaired by Klara Zombory, a sinologist and literary translator. The guests talked about Yu's renowned novel "To Live", the grotesque elements and the omnipresence of life and death in his writings.

Zombory told Xinhua that said that Yu was one of her favorite writers, and translating his work was the reason she became a literary translator.

Explaining Yu's success in Europe, she said Yu's language is easy to understand and the stories he tells are interesting to Europeans.

On the purpose of setting up the Contemporary Chinese Literature Book Club, Zombory said she believed that translating books was not enough, and there needed to be such activities to introduce these books to Hungarian readers.

Hungarian sinologist and literary translator Eva Kalmar said that Yu, considered a master of avant-garde, was a rare expert of modern Chinese society, and depicted its elements in a meticulous way.

Miklos M. Nagy, an author and director of the Helikon publisher, said that Yu was a well-known and popular writer in Hungary. Five of Yu's books have been published in Hungary, and his latest novel "Wencheng" will soon be published in the country.

Daniel Fodor, a young lawyer trainee, said he was eager to learn more about the writer and Chinese literature in general after attending the event.

The event was co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Budapest, with support from the Chinese Writers Association. 
FM Nirmala Sitharaman made it evident that the governments policies have been private sector-friendly through measures like the PLIs

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman threw a rhetorical question at India Inc recently asking them why they were so afraid to invest in India while everyone else in the world was looking towards India. She exhorted them by saying that like Hanuman, India Inc does not know its own strength. And she made it evident that the governments policies have been private sector-friendly through measures like the Productivity Linked Incentives (PLIs). She also said that no policy measure is final, and that it will be tweaked according to the changing situation. It would have been much better, though, if Ms Sitharaman had directed the question to herself, her ministry and her government. She should have conferred with her colleagues in her ministry and with her leader about the lack of interest from the private sector, and the reasons for that. She might have discovered useful data on what was causing the problem.

Perhaps the finance minister does not understand the downside of the demographic dividend. We have too many young people who do not have the matching skills for the jobs that are in demand, either in the IT sector or in the financial sector. Jobs in these sectors are going abegging due to the lack of a qualified workforce. And despite the growth in private engineering colleges and in computer courses in the universities, the students who are churned out of these courses dont seem to be qualified enough. The broad-visioned New Education Policy (NEP) does not address the immediate needs of the economy, perhaps rightly so.

But someone somewhere must attend to the specific problems of education and employment. There is then a need to stop boasting about the demographic dividend, which has been bandied about by educated and semi-educated politicians and the chattering classes and look at the quality of the education that is being doled out from our colleges and universities. The lazy answer that is offered by half-baked experts in the field is that we should allow foreign universities and foreign institutions to set up campuses in the country, a solution that has been adopted by a country like Singapore. In a majority of cases, the private colleges and private universities are a scandal in this country. The government must go back to the Yash Pal Committee report and speedily implement its recommendations for what they are worth.

But unless you have your own institutions which offer the highest standards of education, you cannot create a qualified workforce for an expanding economy like that of India. The fact has been bemoaned that there are not many universities in India that make it to world rankings. In a modern economy, it is the higher educational levels of the working force that drives growth. One of the big advantages that countries like the United States enjoy is that it absorbs a qualified work force through its liberal immigration policy. More than a decade ago it was noticed that India lacked civil engineers for its infrastructural projects, and companies like Larsen and Toubro had to bring in retired civil engineers from abroad. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been talking from 2014 onwards of the importance of Start-Up India, Make in India and Skilling India, it looks like nothing substantial has been achieved on these fronts. It is not an easy task to achieve, and it is a long haul indeed.

The Narendra Modi government was hoping that by laying emphasis on indigenous defence production, the manufacturing sector would get a booster shot. But there are limitations to the generation of employment in defence production. India must become an exporter in a big way to be able to generate that level of employment, and Indias defence research and development has not attained the breaking-edge excellence.

The prickly issue in improving the manufacturing sector is that of Indias labour laws. It requires fair-mindedness on all sides to settle any issue. The private sector would like a hire-and-fire policy, that makes it easier for India Inc to take risks. But the hire-and-fire concept works best in an economy where there are many jobs, and if someone loses a job in one place can easily get another. That is how fluidity in the job market keeps a growing economy going. Indias economy, despite its large size, does not have flexibilities of many kinds. New enterprises can only be set up when it is accepted that many of them will not work and will be closed. The cushioning to absorb losses is not there in the Indian private sector and in the banking sector. Its an issue which analysts simply dont want to look at.

In states like Uttar Pradesh, the issue of low educational levels of most of the workforce and the social instability caused by Hindu communalists is a disincentive to India Inc to set up new projects. This is an issue over which finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has little control, and it is unfair to expect that she should acknowledge the problem. The government and the political party of which she is a member believes in playing the Hindu-Muslim card for electoral purposes. The atmosphere of social tension that this communal stance creates is not conducive for the private sector to set up new enterprises. This negative communal atmosphere is actually hanging like a cloud over the whole of India.

The government has not really been friendly enough towards India Inc. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms Sitharaman and many others have been wagging their finger at the private sector and almost giving them targets to fulfil. But it has not been fair-handed while dealing with entrepreneurs. This became evident when Bharat Biotech was chosen to manufacture the Covid-19 vaccine when it should have asked a number of others to do the same. The private sector doesnt know how to deal with the whims and fancies of those in power because those who are in the government are forever exhorting the private sector to do this and to do that. You cant tell the private sector to make toys as the government feels that it is a growth area. Telling the private sector what to do or not do is a legacy of the little-lamented Soviet Union, which has now passed into history.
Hundreds of graves topped with white crosses and marked with numbers are located in forests outside the recaptured city

Ukraine said on Friday it had counted 450 graves at just one burial site near Izyum, which was seized back by Ukrainian forces. (Photo: Twitter

GENEVA: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' office said on Friday it wanted to send a team to Izyum to verify Ukrainian allegations that a mass grave had been found after recapturing the city from Russia.

"Our colleagues in Ukraine are following up on these allegations, and they are aiming at organising a monitoring visit to Izyum to determine the circumstances of the death of these individuals," spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell said.

She added that the team was hoping to visit the northeastern city "soon".

Ukraine said on Friday it had counted 450 graves at just one burial site near Izyum, which was seized back by Ukrainian forces during a lightning counter-offensive across the south and east that has claimed back large swathes of territory.

AFP journalists on the scene said on Friday that hundreds of graves topped with white crosses and marked with numbers are located in forests outside the recaptured city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blamed Russian forces for what he said was a "mass grave" discovered in the area.

Throssell described the reports as "shocking", adding the UN team would be looking to ascertain whether those who died were civilians or military personnel, and the cause of any of the deaths.

"It's important that the circumstances of the deaths of the people who may be in these collective graves be established," she said.

Russia has been accused of carrying out attacks on civilians that amount to possible war crimes, particularly in towns outside the capital Kyiv.
SCO is coalescing into key platform for practical development cooperation: China Daily editorial

Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:28, September 16, 2022

[LI MIN/CHINA DAILY]

President Xi Jinping will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek city of Samarkand while paying a state visit to Uzbekistan from Thursday to Friday.

The Chinese leader expressed his hopes that the organization can play a greater role in the region and beyond in a signed article carried by leading Uzbek media outlets on Tuesday.

"I am confident that with the joint efforts of all sides, the Samarkand Summit will produce fruitful outcomes and make a great contribution to building an even closer SCO community with a shared future and to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of our region," he wrote.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the SCO, and the Samarkand Summit is being held at a critical time when the region faces many challenges and uncertainties. The protracted COVID-19 pandemic, as well as heavily disrupted global industry and supply chains, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and climate change have created a perfect storm for the global economy, which is heading toward a recession. Which means that the SCO must play a more active role not only in upholding regional security and stability, but also in promoting development and prosperity.

During the summit, Iran is scheduled to sign a memorandum of obligations to pave the way for its accession to full SCO membership, while the SCO has also received a membership application from Belarus. Moreover, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt are scheduled to formally become SCO dialogue partners, and negotiations will be held on granting Cambodia, the Maldives and other countries the status of dialogue partner. The fast expanding influence of the SCO attests to the fact that the organization is viewed by the countries of the Silk Road Economic Belt as a vital safeguard for international norms and multilateralism.

Bringing together countries from different regions, at different stages of development, and from different civilizations and traditions, the SCO, which now accounts for about 80 percent of Eurasia's territory and 24 percent of the global GDP, is forging a strong collective. It is partnership characterized by non-alignment, dialogue and non-confrontation, and a practical vehicle for exploring the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, for example, is playing a unique role in helping the country to restore peace and stability through development and political reconciliation.

As a regional organization encompassing the largest area and the largest population in the world today, and as a promoter of mutual learning, mutual trust, and mutual benefit, the SCO is also assuming the role of being a practical driver of development.

With the world now facing unprecedented energy and food crises partly due to disrupted global supply chains, the SCO and its partners will work at the summit to make new strategic arrangements to stabilize the SCO development environment for the benefit of all countries.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Sept. 16, 2022



NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on media coverage of the pope:

Most of the mainstream media like Pope Francis, and they are especially fond of quoting his remarks on social justice, war, climate change, and other issues dear to the liberal-left.

When he speaks on subjects of a more conservative nature, or he lashes out at left-wing Catholics, they don't say a word. This is intentional: the media don't want to shore up the pope's resolve to continue to stress these issues, and they don't want to jeopardize his standing with liberal Catholics (many would not be happy with his comments defending traditional moral values).

On July 21, Pope Francis had harsh words for the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Germany. He chastised them for moving the Church too far to the left. Almost all the American media ignored it. A week later, aboard the papal plane, he did so again. Again, it merited almost no coverage.

The latest media blackout took place this week.

On September 15, aboard the papal plane on his way back to Italy from Kazakhstan, the pope was asked about the "moral degradation" of the West. He said, "It is true that the West, in general, is not at the highest level of exemplarity right now." He added, "The West has taken wrong paths."

When asked specifically about Western countries supporting euthanasia, he said, "Killing is not human, period. If you kill with motivation, eventually you will kill more and more. Let's leave killing to the beasts."

Pope Francis was also asked to comment on the loss of faith in countries such as Germany, especially among youth. He replied, "It is true that the spirit of secularization, of relativism, challenges these things; it is true. What you have to do, first of all, is to be consistent with your faith."

This interview with the pope was covered by ABC News, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. They ran stories on his remarks about conditions in Nicaragua, China, Russia and Ukraine. Not one of them mentioned anything about his comments on the moral degradation of the West or the relativism evident in Germany.

When it comes to traditional moral values, Pope Francis often sounds very much like his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Hence, the media blackout. But when he speaks about issues that are important to the liberal agenda, he is given much play.

If the media weren't so manipulative, it would garner more support, but reporters have long decided that advancing their "progressive" agenda is more important. No wonder they are held in such low regard. Last year, a Gallup poll revealed that "Americans' Trust in Media Dips to Second Lowest on Record." Just deserts.
Today's headlines: Thailand promotes tourism in Myanmar; India does does u-turn on financial aid to Sri Lanka; the death of a Malaysian citizen in Thailand is traced back to Chinese criminal gangs.

TAJIKISTAN - KYRGYZSTAN

Tajik forces are attacking Kyrgyz outposts along the entire length of the border and Kyrgyz troops are returning fire, the Kyrgyz border guard service said today. Two Tajik border guards had been killed in similar clashes earlier this week, but the two countries, which both host Russian military bases, appeared to have ceased hostilities.

RUSSIA - ARMENIA

According to data released by Yerevan Minister of Economy Vagan Kerobyan, between 50 and 70 thousand Russian IT specialists have arrived in Armenia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and 859 companies "with Russian roots" and 350 sole proprietorships have been registered in the country, many of which have already entered the Top-20 of Armenian taxpayers.

MALAYSIA

Goi Zhen Feng, 23, a young man from Malaysia, died in Thailand, near the border with Myanmar, after falling victim to Chinese gangs who trick young people with fake job advertisements into working in online scams in slave-like conditions. According to the Malaysian authorities, this is the first death that can be directly traced back to criminal gangs.

THAILAND

The Thai police charged a soldier who had caused a shooting at a military training centre in recent days with murder. Staff Sergeant Yongyuth Mungkornkim, employed at the Royal Thai Army War College, will be tried on Wednesday at a military court in northern Bangkok. At least two similar incidents involving the country's military occurred last year.

THAILAND - MYANMAR

A Thai TV station is helping to spread Burmese junta propaganda aimed at bringing tourists back to Myanmar, even as the regime continues to kill and torture civilians. In recent days the Burmese junta-controlled state media announced the premiere of a travel documentary, entitled 'The Exclusive', filmed in Yangon and Naypyitaw, on Channel 5 in Thailand, owned by the Royal Thai Army.

CHINA - RUSSIA

A gas pipeline to China will replace Nord Stream II to Europe, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said yesterday. The minister added that Russia and China will soon sign agreements on the supply of "50 billion cubic metres of gas" per year via a pipeline, the Force Siberia, which will pass through Mongolia and whose construction is expected to begin in 2024.

INDIA - SRI LANKA

India does not plan to provide new financial support to Sri Lanka after the nearly USD 4 billion disbursed this year. Two Indian government sources told Reuters that the Sri Lankan economy should now begin to stabilise, thanks to preliminary agreements with the International Monetary Fund. Previous talks about new loans have made little progress.
by Alessandra De Poli

Long-time top members of Indias once-dominant party have left. After running the country for half a century, it has failed to renew itself, increasingly centralised and in the hands of the Gandhi family. Rahul's march to unite the country against the BJP is unlikely to succeed.

Milan (AsiaNews)  The decline of Indias main opposition party, the Indian National Congress (INC), appears to be inexorable.

In late August, Ghulam Nabi Azad, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008 and several times minister in various Indian governments, left the INC in order to create his own party. In quitting, he criticised Rahul Gandhi, son of the INCs current president, Sonia Gandhi.

The party has been losing support for years, and in 2019, Rahul, who was party leader at the time quit.

Earlier this month he began a long march, from southern to northern India, less than two years ahead of the next general election, in which Congress will again face off Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Following Azad's resignation, a hundred Kashmiri politicians, officials and lawmakers also left the INC to join him.

For some observers, the INCs decline began in 2014, with the BJP's victory. In 2019, it won only 52 seats out of 542 in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian government.

In 2020, 23 senior party members wrote a resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, expressing their dissatisfaction towards her leadership, which they say doesnt accept dissenting voices.

In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, Azad said that Rahul "destroyed the consultative mechanism that had previously existed. The partys affairs were taken over by a new coterie of inexperienced sycophants after all senior and experienced leaders were removed from their positions.

The rot in the party goes further back, to 1969, under the late Indira Gandhi, daughter of independent Indias first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and herself, Indias third prime minister.

Indira, who was assassinated in 1984, centralised power within the party, marginalising the internal opposition. Several senior members ended up quitting to form regional left-leaning parties.

When she was killed, her son Rajiv succeeded her. He follower her mothers lead and blocked attempts at reform. He too was assassinated. Since the mid-1990s, his widow, Sonia, has more or less kept the party as the familys fiefdom.

At the same time, centralising power has not been followed by developing any alternative ideology to that of the BJP. Instead, it saw the rise of regional parties, like the Trinamool Congress and the National People's Party.

Lacking an original ideology and opposing for its own sake are not problems only for India political left; however, the lack of an internal pluralism to represent those who do not recognise themselves in the BJP risks undermining the democratic process.

The next union (federal) election is still a long way, but a scenario is emerging in which the only alternatives to the BJP are other populist parties, like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Delhi and Punjab, or more extremist groups, like the Shiv Sena, whose base is in Mumbai and the state of Maharashtra.

It is hard to imagine how Rahul Gandhi's march will change things. Named "Bharat Jodo Yatra", a march to unite India, it is a throwback to previous marches in the partys early history, like those by the Mahatma Gandhi in the 1930s against British colonial rule.

So far, all he has managed to do is criticise the BJP for dividing the country along sectarian and religious lines.

The 3,570 kilometre-march will take five months to be completed. Before embarking on the march, Rahul tweeted: I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too.

Once again, the partys narrative revolves around the Gandhi family, not the countrys problems. For Indian voters, there is a long march before they can regain confidence in Congress.
An international symposium remembers the Vietnamese prelate, who died this day in 2022. Vietnamese living abroad took part in celebrations in Rome, one at his final resting place. Card Czerny stressed his unshakable faith and unconditional love for his neighbours. "Reports of graces continue to arrive, noted Postulator Hilgeman, including news of a persons healing in Vietnam.

Rome (AsiaNews)  Twenty years ago, on 16 September 2002, Card Phanxico Xavie (Francis-Xavier) Nguyen Van Thuan, Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon, died in Rome.

After the fall of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in 1975, he spent 13 years in prison, leaving an extraordinary testimony of faith in the face of persecution, nourished by a deep spirituality.

After his release, he was called to the Vatican by John Paul II who named him president of the then Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

To honour him and remember his legacy, the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, which replaced the Council Card Van Thuan once chaired, organised a number of events. To this end, it was joined by the postulation of the cause of his beatification (his heroic virtues were recognised in 2017).

One of the planned events was an international symposium titled Van Thuan: Life, holiness and mission" held yesterday in the Pius IV Hall in Romes Palazzo San Callisto.

The main speakers were Fr Ambrogio Van Sy, a member of the Historical Commission of the cause who was himself ordained deacon by Card Van Thuan himself; vice postulator Fr Marco Da Silva Luis; and Mgr Bernard Munono, who accompanied the cardinal on his travels in Africa as well as worked with him on drafting the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Many overseas Vietnamese  from, for example, the United States, Canada, and Spain  travelled to Rome for the occasion. Together with the citys large Vietnamese community, they took part in two other events: a Eucharistic service held yesterday afternoon at the Church of Santa Maria della Scala, where Card Van Thuan is buried, and a memorial Mass this morning at the Church of Santa Maria di Trastevere. Celebrations included singing and expressions of faith.

We thank the Lord for giving us someone like Card Van Thuan, said Card Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as he opened the symposium. Czerny went on to highlight the late cardinals testimony of unshakable faith, of meekness beyond borders, of unconditional love for his neighbours and also for his jailers."

During the many years of imprisonment, spent in a cell with no light nor window, he was "in solitude, but close to the Lord whom he met in the Eucharist and in the other prisoners and from whose encounter he drew the strength to overcome trials.

And I cannot but think about the many Christians persecuted and killed because of their faith in today's world. The testimony of life and faith of Card Van Thuan is a source of hope for all of us.

I hope he can also be a source of inspiration for many young people who are living a moment of bewilderment in such difficult times, marked by the consequences of the pandemic and wars, in Ukraine and in every part of the world.

Holiness is possible for each of us, when life is nourished by the Word of God and by the encounter with Christ in the Eucharist and in our neighbour.

The symposium provided an opportunity for an update on the process of the cause of beatification of Card Van Thuan. The postulator, Dr Waldery Hilgeman, explained that the search for a miracle through hir intercession is still ongoing.

"Reports of graces continue to arrive. Recently, for example, we received news of a persons healing in Vietnam. With all the linguistic complexity of the case, medical records were translated to examine the case. But the most important thing to report is that there is a life behind this cause.

"People continue to pray to Van Thuan and to present us with simple stories: family hardships overcome, challenging daily experiences faced in his company, etc. As a postulator I can say that it is by no means a dormant cause because it is people who keep his memory alive.
Expected to take its place at the top of its range once it hits the dealerships shelves in January of next year, the SP is meant to bring to a family that only came into being in this new form less than a year ago some MotoGP vibes, and an updated riding experience.Powered by the ranges already iconic Testastretta engine, the SP puts to the road, by means of Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires, 111 hp of power, kept in check with the help of Ohlins suspension and Brembo braking hardware. The engines screams are somewhat diminished by a Termignoni silencer.Visually, the bike stands out the most thanks to the Panigale V4-inspired front frame and the livery that is meant to remind people of the Desmosedici GP used by the Ducati Lenovo Team. Panigale references can also be found in the graphics used on the tail, passenger seat, and fuel tank.Making the SP lighter than other Monsters was Ducatis main goal, and savings were made by fitting lighter suspensions, brakes, and most importantly, the use of a lithium-ion battery.Compared to the regular Monsters, the SP also has something called Riding Mode Wet. Just like its name says, its meant to get the bike ready for riding in wet asphalt conditions.Ducati says that once itll become available, the Monster SP will also offer a depowered version, so it could be used by riders holding an A2 license, but its availability will depend on market.Pricing for the 2023 Ducati Monster SP was not yet announced.
EV

And they are off to a great, potentially incredible start. But let us talk about the setting. So, it turns out the good folks behind The Triple F Collection have been quite busy refurbishing their newly acquired Triple F Raceway (located near Columbus, Ohio), which now has a freshly laid track surface.Not everything is quite ready, such as the prepped surface of the concrete staging area, plus all the other electronic amenities one would expect from a modern dragstrip. But, of course, they were eager to race. And so, they did  complete with one of their bonkers supercars, a Ferrari LaFerrari!No worries, you will not miss the action, as you can watch the crimson Prancing Horse in the second video embedded below. But, as it turns out, we are here for something else. And that would be the Tesla Model S Plaid camera rig (which has a funny W16 LOL license plate)!Now devoid of most filming elements, the 1,020-horsepower super-sedan (which right now can be ordered for $135,990) will have to face a major challenge as it dukes it out with a $3.6 million Bugatti Chiron . They sure went for the proverbial head (unlike Thor initially did with Thanos), as they could have also selected the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, or the Speedtail they brought along to meet up with Weisblat.Anyway, let us get down to business after lifting our jaws off the new runways surface. From the 3:22 minute mark, we get the stats, followed by the first of five skirmishes (three digs, two rolls) at the 3:56 mark. By the way, aside from a few overheating issues (even Brooks admits Tesla needs to get their braking game up), the Tesla Model S Plaid performed admirably, smacking down with a four-to-one ratio a much more expensive and exotic Chiron!But do not trust us, just see for yourself how it wiped the floor with a much more powerful hypercar
The 2023 Toyota Crown is said to be the first sedan to offer Toyotas Hybrid Max powertrain system, producing as much as 340 horsepower, which is pretty good for this type of vehicle  which, by the way, will be in dealerships nationwide early next year.Its safe to say that were not used to seeing this type of body style in America, nor anywhere else for that matter. Its not just a four-door sedan (of sorts), but also a crossover, which technically makes for clever packaging. Theres not much of a rear overhang, which is practical, and the high ground clearance makes it easier for you to get in and out.Seriously, if you dont appreciate/need a higher ground clearance for off-roading, at least appreciate the fact that you dont need to bend over and drop down into the seat like Gandalf falling into oblivion after fighting that fire demon in Fellowship of the Ring.Even more impressive is the interior, with standard heated 8-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats, lumbar support (driver only), dual zone climate control, ambient lighting, a 12.3-inch display, wireless Qi charging for your mobile device, a backup camera and so much more.All grades feature Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), with enhanced sensors and improved detection capability. For example, the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection can pick up motorcyclists and guardrails in certain conditions. Meanwhile, a Rear Seat Reminder, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Hill Start Assist Control are also available at no extra cost.The car on display at NAIAS is white with glossy black accents, dual-tone wheels and tinted windows. Not too shabby, right?
On March 1st, through regular processes of field monitoring, the Ingolstadt-based automaker discovered that refueling on several Q3s was not possible due to the fuel pump clicking off. Come April 14th, the company became aware of customer reports where fuel spilled out of the fuel filler neck.One month later, the problem was submitted to the Audi Product Safety Committee. Three fuel tanks sourced from consumer vehicles were sent to TI Automotive Hungary Kft. for detailed analyses. The supplier determined that fuel in the ventilation system and a hole in the internal vent pipe are the culprits. The damage to the vent pipe could be traced back to a gripping tool, which was then optimized. An additional visual check was introduced in production on June 3rd, as per the safety recall report attached below.A method for verifying the condition of the fuel tank ventilation pipe was developed in July 2022, and further parts from field cases were collected for analysis. Audi then discovered that individual parts of the vent pipe system were slightly twisted while being held down in the pre-assembly station. As a result, the station was optimized accordingly on July 25th.After verifying the stock of affected assemblies and the affected production period, the German automaker decided to conduct a recall. On August 31st, when the Audi Product Safety Committee decided to call back these vehicles, Audi was aware of 192 warranty claims. Fortunately for all parties involved, Audi isnt aware of any crashes or injuries related to this issue.Owners and authorized dealers will be informed of the campaign on or before November 4th. The vent pipe will be checked for damage, and in case of fuel spilling out of the filler neck, the tank and charcoal canister will be replaced. The affected fuel tank bears part number 5QF 201 021 MD, whereas the remedy fuel tank bears part number 5QF 201 060 AN because it's been manufactured after the optimization of the production process. Q3 vehicles produced after June 4th feature the remedy fuel tank. The affected population of Q3 vehicles were produced between October 21st, 2020, and June 4th, 2022, at the Gyor assembly plant by Audi Hungaria Zrt.
EV

And that is definitely valid across the vast and imaginative realm of virtual automotive artists, as well. Naturally, that also means they can take their pick. Alas, some went all-out on the CGI war front and wanted a piece of each hero's action. But there is no need to take our word for granted.Instead, let us present a good case in point, courtesy of Kleber Silva, the Brazil-based virtual artist known as KDesign AG on Behance , who is continuing the Stellantis travels with a quick stop at the Ferrari house in between a digital Fiat 600 (aka Seicento) that stole the Jeep Avengerstyle and mixed it with some Opel Mokka-e plus Peugeot e-2008 flavors as well as a Ford Mustang sedan.Wait, someone said four-door 'Stang? Well, in the odd case of a Blue Oval ideation sketch, it was precisely Ford that planted the CGI seed for a potential Fusion revival by way of Dark Horse. But as far as the Ferrari Purosangue is concerned, this seems like the digital afterthought of the pixel master  as his fans know him to sometimes make pretty odd choices for the base vehicle layers.The same happened here, unfortunately. When starting at the front, everything seems in order, as the Ferrari designers did an excellent job with a quirky front end, as it turns out. Plus, it looks great when transfixed on a traditional four-door passenger car format. The main issue lies with the rear-end styling treatment, which just does not work well with the imagined design. To me, frankly, it feels like a botched modernization of the already-not-so-great-looking third generation of the Lexus GS series
Roll into Detroit this month for the 2022 edition of NAIAS (North American International Auto Show), and the first thing youll see even before you get near the Huntington Place convention center is a giant, bright yellow rubber duck. Its presence there is not some kind of practical joke or a farce, and its not there as a sign of protest either: the duck is Jeeps duck, and its the most awesome and lovable tribute to the community of Jeep owners.First things first, the duck in question, which measures 61 feet (18.6 meters) in height, is 69 feet (21 meters) wide and 79 feet (24 meters) deep and weighs more than 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg) on land. It is the property of Inflatable Images from Scherba Industries, owned by Craig Samborski, and its aptly named Mama Duck.Mama Duck can float, but its best if it stays on dry land because, this way, people have the chance to get as close to it as they want, Samborski tells The Detroit News . Mama Duck is trademarked as the worlds biggest rubber duck and is, as of the Detroit Auto Show, Jeep s duck.So what does Jeep have to do with a yellow inflatable rubber duck? It all goes back to something called ducking or Jeep ducking, which you will find on social media under the hashtag #duckduckjeep. Its not a new trend, having first emerged in July 2020; by viral trend standards, which see them live and die in a matter of hours, its positively ancient.It all started with Allison Parliament, a former financial consultant who had just treated herself to her dream car, a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU, on a day when she wished things would have been better. Coming out to the parking lot, she saw another Jeep that she liked and, having just bought a bag of rubber duckies that she planned to plant in her best friends home as a prank, she put one on the cars windshield, scribbling the message Nice Jeep on the bottom. As she was doing that, the owner came out and, naturally, asked her what she was doing.The two struck a conversation, and the other Jeep owner suggested she take a photo to post to Twitter. He found the entire thing hilarious: walking out to see someone put a yellow rubber duck on his car, as some kind of silly token of appreciation. Parliament did post the photo online, and two years later, Jeep is fully embracing ducking. Jeep has shown its support before, as have BFGoodrich Tires and RTX Wheels, local coffee shops, and a large, international community of Jeep owners.Today, theres an official Duck Duck Jeep movement, a Ducking for Teacher nonprofit, various other nonprofits and charities that raise money for a wide array of causes, and an official Facebook group with over 60,000 members and a presence in 63 countries. Parliament tells The Detroit News that, so far, she mustve handed out over 27,000 ducks, which means there are over 27,000 Jeep owners who walked up to their car and found a lovely surprise there. Her Jeep now goes by the name Quack Attack, and it carries some 1,000 rubber duckies at any given moment.Ducking is a way to celebrate the culture of the Jeep brand, a way to bond and to make sure you make someones day better. If you get caught, you make a new friend, Parliament says.Thad Szott, president of the shows organizer, Detroit Automobile Dealers Association, says that Mama Duck has proved a hit with audiences, more so than expected. It makes Jeep more relatable and brings that fun vibe of a festival, which is hardly common for an auto show. Jeep will be handing out ducks at the show, and duck merchandise will be available for purchase.It was the tie into the Jeep brand and creating the festival-type atmosphere, creating excitement for the kids, and the new reimaged show, Szott says of the ducks popularity. Everybody loves the duck.If you spend as little as two minutes on the #duckduckjeep thread, youll see that no one loves the duck more than those who get ducked.
EV

NHTSA

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Einride recently launched in Germany, which, according to the companys CEO, Robert Falck, is in the driving seat of Europe. The Swedish commercialdeveloper has already signed multiple partnerships, with appliance manufacturer Electrolux being one of those included on the list.What Einride brings to the table are its Einride Saga mobility platform, its electric and autonomous fleets, as well as its charging and connectivity networks. As boasted by the Swedish company, digitalization, automation, and electrification help to significantly reduce not just costs, but also delivery times, and emissions. With Einride's arrival in the country, German shippers will get the chance to adopt a new, greener, and more effective generation of freight technology.Initially, Einride plans to set up a regional office in Berlin and then gradually expand throughout the country by also building logistical hubs in the Ruhr Area and Hamburg. It will also implement a charging grid along Germanys most important commercial routes and neighboring trade regions.Einride already operates a fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks in Sweden and in the U.S. Regarding the latter, the company announced back in June that it received regulatory approval from the) to operate its autonomous Pod trucks on American roads. It was a big achievement too, as it was the first time the U.S. allowed a driverless electric truck to operate on its public roads.As far as Einride s fleet is concerned, the Pod is not the only product in the manufacturers lineup. The Swedish company also has various types of electric trucks for haulage, distribution, and urban deliveries, as well as what it likes to call the most intelligent trailer to hit the market, a first-of-its-kind electric semi-trailer that offers a range of up to 403 miles (approximately 650 km).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The list of nameplates included in DP 22-003 boggles the mind, and it also boggles common sense because one of the affected vehicles is the 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell that doesnt even use engine oil. As the name implies, its a fuel-cell vehicle that uses hydrogen to create electricity.Theres another problem with DP 22-003, though. The ODI complaints cited in the petition feature certain vehicles that arent included on the list, including the Hyundai Kona, Hyundai Elantra, and Kia Soul. Given time, and if the defects petition is granted, thewill add or remove vehicles from the list as it sees fit.Regarding the alleged defect, owners have made allegations of oil leakage failures occurring at highway speeds, without malfunction, indicator lights, or the leakage associated with under-tightening an oil drain plug, or a plug or pan with a damaged thread." In the worst-case scenario, suspect engines may seize, leading to a loss of motive power at highway speeds. 10 complaints are cited in the petition, of which two need to be shared.The owner of a 2019 Hyundai Kona was informed at the service inspection that her subcompact crossover was low on oil even though the oil had been filled only recently. Despite this condition, no warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. The dealer discovered that the oil plug was loose. After filling the Kona up with oil again, the owner stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The car was going through a third of the oil every 1,000 miles, which is completely unacceptable for a 2019 model year Hyundai Kona with 58,200 miles (that would be 93,664 kilometers) on the odometer.The owner of a 2018 Hyundai Sonata stated that the oil warning light illuminated while driving. They checked the oil level, discovering there was none to speak of. The dealer diagnosed the failure as an oil plug needing replacement. Even though the vehicle was repaired, the failure continued.On subsequent visits to the dealer, the root cause could not be determined. Following an oil consumption test, the dealer determined that to be the failure cause. However, the manufacturer stated that the failure was due to the owners negligence. The approximate failure mileage is listed on the federal watchdog's website as 40,000 miles (make that 63,374 kilometers).The suspect engines include the 1.6L T-GDI from the Gamma family, 2.4L GDI Theta II, 3.8L V6 GDI Lambda II, and an unspecified Kappa engine.
Visitors at the 2022 edition of the Detroit Auto Show got a taste of that possible promising future, thanks to the XTurismo flying bike. Officially presented as a viable product in October 2021 and then introduced to the general public by means of a flying demo in Japan, the XTurismo is widely described as the future of urban mobility, a viable platform for the ideal vehicle with multiple functionalities.For its first-ever U.S. appearance, XTurismo got a new but still fitting nickname: the land speeder for the Dark Side. The XTurismo is a hybrid-electric hoverbike that, for the time being, is neither road legal nor widely accessible because of its high price point, but it has incredible potential  and it is that potential that its presence at NAIAS 2022 (North American International Auto Show) wants to highlight.It's very exciting for us to be here in Detroit , Shuhei Komatsu, founder, director, chairman and chief executive officer of AERWINS Technologies, told The Detroit News at the event. Detroit is the home of the mobility industry.AERWINS Technologies Inc. is a Delaware-based company that focuses on the development of technologies for air mobility; it is also the parent company of the Japanese A.L.I. Technologies Inc., which builds the XTurismo in Japan. The location is not coincidental since these types of VTOLs (vertical takeoff landing aircraft) are not considered aircraft here, so they don't require a special license to operate.But Komatsu hopes to bring the XTurismo to the United States as well, and soon: he told the media at the event that an early 2023 release is possible, but with a much smaller hoverbike than the one now offered for pre-orders as a special edition. Two years after that, in 2025, Komatsu hopes to bring the price point down as well, to an accessible $50,000 for the basic configuration.That last part is very significant because right now, the XTurismo is selling for upwards of $770,000, so it is exclusively a rich man (or woman)s toy. Regulation for EVTOLs is also non-existent, so that means it can only be used on private property and on the race track, but Komatsu believes wide adoption is coming. The XTurismo isnt just a toy to have some fun on and could serve as an emergency-response vehicle or even patrol vehicle , thus helping local authorities reach otherwise unreachable destinations in a more efficient and timely manner.To further drive that message home, several lucky members of the public, including Show president Thad Szott, got the chance to ride the XTurismo for a public demo at the Coleman A. Young International Airport. Both the official flight demonstration and Szotts subsequent test ride are shown in the videos below: they were very short, and the riders (or pilots, its your choice which term you use) did not have control over the hoverbike, but they were successful.That the future seems promising could be a logical conclusion after this appearance in Detroit. With city streets getting more congested and the daily commute becoming an ordeal for everyone, its only natural to look up to the sky for new alternatives for faster, less stressful, and less polluting means of travel. The XTurismo is a gasoline-electric hoverbike powered by a Kawasaki hybrid engine, with two primary propellers, and four secondary ones that act as stabilizers. It is very loud, but the company hopes to come up with a noise-reduction solution by the time it goes into full production. Made with plenty of carbon fiber parts, the XTurismo is 3.7 meters (146 inches) long, 2.4 meters (94.5 inches) wide, and 1.5 meters (59 inches) tall, and can stay airborne for 30 to 40 minutes at speeds of maximum 60 mph (97 kph). The hoverbike itself weighs 300 kg (661 pounds) and has a max payload of 100 kg (220.5 pounds).The current plan is to deliver the 200 Limited-Edition XTurismo in 2022 and then start working on mass production as costs go down. Hopefully, current legislation and regulations on VTOLs will catch up by the time this flying bike gets to that milestone.
EV

So, at long last, Ford has officially unveiled the first images and details about the S650 seventh-generation Mustang pony car. Complete with coupe and Convertible, EcoBoost and 5.0-liter GT, as well as a brand-new Dark Horse performance family (track-only S and R models included), among many others.Naturally, until we can get our hands on the new iteration, the talk of town is design. And that is also valid across the virtual realm, where even Ford played a potential trick on everyone by tucking inside an ideation sketch reel a lonely image of a four-door Mustang sedan.No one knows why  is that a future, something to appease the Crown Vic or Mondeo/Fusion/Taurus fans, or what? Well, it is safe to say these questions might remain forever unanswered. However, a four-door sedan version of the all-new Mustang is something other people have thought about.For example, Kleber Silva, the Brazil-based virtual artist known as KDesign AG on social media, is finally almost ready to give up the European mood as he embarked on his Ford Mustang limo journey of discovery on Behance . Alas, if he observed the official ideation sketch, he chose to blatantly ignore it and go on a different, uglier route.The catch is not with the front end of this hypothetical four-door Mustang sedan or even the side  even though I am getting some odd vibes from there as well. Instead, the obvious issue is with the rear styling , which seems way too deeply inspired by stuff made under the lion banner, or more precisely, feels like a modified Peugeot 508 rear. So, does it get our CGI hall pass, or not?
In 2018, the first Gulfstream jet powered by a Pratt & Whitney engine entered service. It was the G500, fitted with the PW814GA. Just a year later, the PW815GA-powered G600 also took to the sky. The third time took longer.Only now, the new PW812GA obtained the Type Certification issued by Transport Canada Civil Aviation. Gulfstream had announced last fall that this engine was selected to power the G400 business jet.Two of these engines will be fitted into each G400, helping it reduce not just fuel consumption and emissions but also noise levels, as the quietest engines in their class. In addition to the jets so-called clean-wing design, this will make the aircraft even greener.The PW812GA reached this milestone after more than 3,400 hours of testing, including hundreds of hours of flight testing. Its part of the PW800 engine family, claiming to be the most efficient and environmentally responsible in its class, thanks to double-digit improvements in fuel consumption and noise levels. Plus, Pratt & Whitney claims that the PW800 requires 40% less scheduled maintenance and 20% fewer inspections compared to the other engines in its class.The G400 boasts one of the largest cabins available, thats also said to be exceptionally quiet, fresh (with the air replenished every two minutes), and bright (thanks to the largest number of windows in the industry  ten).Plus, this business jet can comfortably travel nonstop on routes such as Sao Paulo-Miami or Geneva-New York, thanks to its range of 4,200 nautical miles (4,833 miles/7,778 km). When it comes to tech, some of the highlights are an award-winning system that optimizes situational awareness and the most extensive use of touch-screen displays in the industry.
SUV

If your car collection features several Rolls-Royces, a Bugatti, and even a Ferrari LaFerrari, you have a lot of options when running errands. But given how much criticism the Kardashian-Jenners face for their display of wealth, Kylie seems to have settled for more sensible choices.She was seen driving her bespoke Mercedes-AMG G 63 Brabus for quite some time and now she switched to another vehicle from the German brand, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 as she was seen out and about on Wednesday in Calabasas, California. Of course, the Maybach represents the epitome of luxury and comfort, the car company says. But it comes with a starting price of "only" $165,100, compared to her $3 million Bugatti Chiron The socialite and businesswoman recently released, together with her mom, Kris, her latest Kylie Cosmetics brand, which has also received some backlash, after being accused of copying the photoshoot theme of another designer.When it comes to her ride, she seems to have recently added both Mercedes-Maybach models, the S-Class and the GLS 600. And both of them sport a two-tone paintjob. It's unclear whether they belong to her or her partner, Travis Scott, though.Thewas unveiled in late 2019 and its powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine linked to a 48-volt mild-hybrid drive system, delivering 550 horsepower (558 ps) and 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque. The electric motor brings another 22 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque, taking it to a total of 571 horsepower (579 ps) and 723 lb-ft (980 Nm), available temporarily, based on the driving style.Besides being luxurious, the GLS 600 is also quite fast, reaching 62 mph ( 100 kph) in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of around 155 mph (250 kph).The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 provides her with all the comfort and luxury we know shes used to, even when wearing a casual outfit, such as a jeans skirt and a white top.
AMG

SUV

Retrieved parts were analyzed, and M-B determined that the window trim detachments were not the result of a product specification error or a design error. In an earlier safety recall, the design of the trim attachment had been modified to address the very issue that Mercedes-Benz is currently facing.Analyses conducted from May 2021 to June 2021 determined that parts involved in the current incidents were not subject to the previous recall and had been produced after the design change was implemented. The German automaker conducted further analyses to determine the failure mechanism of the redesigned components. The conclusion? Certain rework measures in the vehicle assembly plant may not have been performed according to current production specifications. Said rework measures included the removal and reinstallation of the window trim bars at the assembly plant.M-B added a manual pull check to the production process to mitigate this problem, revising the relevant work instructions for extra peace of mind. In July 2021, the documentation of the rework processes for different assembly lines was analyzed. M-B also initiated an effort to determine if a particular worker or assembly group may have caused such deviation.Due to a lack of sufficient documentation of the rework processes, Mercedes-Benz couldnt identify the specific factors responsible for the window trim bars coming loose or flying off the aforementioned vehicles.Come December 2021, the company implemented yet another preventive measure consisting of an additional check with a pull check tool. A process quality audit was implemented in January 2022 to eliminate any installation process errors. Mercedes-Benz notes that a change in the production procedure ensures that this issue can no longer occur on vehicles produced from April 25th, 2022, onwards. Dealers will be instructed to check the installation of the trim bars on the rear-door windows. If necessary, dealers will rework them. Build dates for the affected vehicle population range from May 20th, 2019, through April 7th, 2022, and model years 2020 to 2022.The nameplates included in this campaign are the Maybach GLS 600,GLS 63, GLS 580, GLS 450, AMG GLE 63 S and 53, GLE 580, GLE 450, GLE 400 e, and GLE 350. Coincidentally, both the GLS full-sizeand GLE mid-size SUV are produced for the U.S. market in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
EV



Now "Barry's GT-R" is going to live on as a funny thing associated with Eagers Nissan, the Australian dealership which knew how to take advantage of social media.





Eagers Nissan is a little-known dealership from Brisbane, Australia. They just recently reached a lot of online recognition after telling people an interesting and intriguing story. Granted, to those that like to dig a little deeper, this mightve been suspicious from the very beginning. But its a great example of what a simple post can do in the era of global online connectivity.A man named Barry apparently decided that gasoline was too expensive and traded in his R34 GT-R V Spec II Nur for a brand-new all-electric Nissan Leaf. According to what the company said on Facebook, Barry was very happy with the exchange and didnt have any other requests. He didnt want any more money, which, lets say, could be considered a tad bit naive.Luckily for him, we were able to do a straight swap into a brand new fully electric Nissan LEAF, says the Eagers dealership on the social network.To put things better into perspective, a used Nissan R34 GT-R V Spec II Nur could sell at an auction for around $300,000. There have been listings with price tags of almost $500,000, but there werent any publicly confirmed transactions for this much money  yet. However, it's good to know that a non-Nur R34 V Spec II that belonged to Paul Walker sold for $577,000 just recently. So, there's potential for a even higher evaluation.A fresh Nissan Leaf , in comparison, starts from around $36,000 in the U.S. and Australia.Now, even if the dealerships post looks very convincing and it might pass as something that happened, the fact that Barry decided to give up on such an expensive and rare car for anmight raise some eyebrows. After all, who daily drives such a gem, right? Costly gas cant be a reason for such an abrupt switch.Even more so, it doesnt make sense for this man to not want some cash on the side. Electricity prices are on the rise, after all. Charging an EV might become costly if it isnt done at home regularly.But the dealership doesnt stop here. Eagers wants you to be like Barry and invites those seeing the Facebook post to discover the Leaf. But we cant blame them. Who wouldnt want to do deals like this regularly?In reality, the R34 GT-R V Spec II Nur pictured in the companys post is a customer vehicle that sits on the showroom floor just to be admired by those that visit the dealership. It will soon be returned to its rightful owner, that most likely isnt concerned about the price of gas.The GT-R can be seen in other posts made by Eagers Nissan back in July, and theres also a June announcement that lets everyone know theres a rare V Spec II Nur temporarily available as a display piece.All this is proof that great advertising can be done with little to no investment or effort. The team just decided it would be great to make a little joke, and it got pretty far  the post has accrued almost 13,000 comments, around 17,000 shares, and over 20,000 reactions. Barrys idea of a trade-in made a lot of people laugh but also angered some Australians that didnt look beyond this simple yet effective marketing ploy.
In a Reddit post, a software engineer, who is known for previously reverse engineering the Tesla Key Card, said how he was amiss one day when his partner told him that the garage door was open. The software engineer initially blamed his faulty memory for leaving the garage door open and didnt think twice about it.However, on a different occasion, his partner was walking by their Model 3 and she noticed the trunk and frunk were up, with the AC on, cranked up to the max. As anyone would normally do, she closed the trunks and turned off the air conditioning system. After this bizarre incident, they both started to get a bit worried about what was going on.At the same time this was happening in the U.S., someone from Europe had bought a used Model 3 and was trying to figure out why their Tesla wasnt responding to basic commands. While imagining this scenario side-by-side like in a movie would be funny, the American owner was not thrilled one bit.Suspecting that his car got hacked somehow, he logged into his Tesla account and saw the page was blank. Like his car never even existed. Thinking perhaps the site was acting up, he then tried to double-check his phone app. For a couple of milliseconds, there was indeed the picture of his car on it, but it quickly vanished, confirming the website was right all along, and that he did not own a Tesla anymore. To add insult to injury, the app even suggested purchasing a new vehicle. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the software engineer knew this was no server error or delay.After replaying all the probable and improbable scenarios in his mind, he took action and called Teslas customer service. A thing that was pointed out in his Reddit post was that the manufacturers website was obtuse in making their service number easily accessible and had to resort to a good old-fashioned Google search to find it.After calling in, he gave the customer service lady all the details she asked for. He then noticed a surprised reaction from her, and soon after, she needed to talk to her manager about the problem. Things were escalating, to say the least.After getting back on the phone with him, she said one of their European employees accidentally entered the wrong VIN while registering a vehicle sale. It turns out they gave out his number as the sold car. Thats why the commands were transferred to the new owner, even though the input was for a completely different car, on a completely different continent. They also didn't have the same type of charging ports.Tesla managed to move the VIN back into his account and thankfully, there was no harm, no foul. But this was an extremely fortunate turn out of events. No one got hurt, and no property was stolen or damaged, but all of this could happen again to not so fortunate conclusions. If the European owner was in proximity to the Model 3 from the U.S., nothing would have stopped them from getting in the car and driving it into the sunset.An internal investigation was opened at Tesla after the incident
AMG

Ferrari has yet to announce how much the Purosangue costs and some skepticism surrounds the JamesEdition add. Thats because, save for one picture, which is actually a teaser of the super crossover, it has two unofficial renderings. The vendor claims that the vehicle can be shipped worldwide, in the second quarter of 2023, with only the delivery miles under its belt, for almost $500,000.Besides the Ferrari Purosangue alleged build slot, the Japan-based used car dealer behind the listing has another build slot for grabs, which is for the Bugatti Mistral . Their portfolio comprises the Centodieci too, as well as the Mercedes-One, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, and other high-performance models. Anyone interested in getting either of them should double-check everything and perhaps sign the papers in the presence of a lawyer.As the Prancing Horse has recently confirmed, through the voice of their chief commercial and marketing officer, Enrico Galliera, they are considering closing the order books , as they will have trouble satisfying the high demand if they dont. Thus, you can say that the Purosangue is a victim of its own success, long before deliveries will actually start. Customers who dont already own a Ferrari might get theirs later, as the company is planning to reward their usual clientele first.Assembly of the Ferrari Purosangue will kick off next year at the Maranello factory, in Italy. The model will be offered at first with a single engine, a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, pumping out 715 hp and 528 lb-ft (716 Nm) of torque. It has a 193 mph (310 kph) top speed, the spec sheet reveals, and requires 3.3 seconds from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph). The lineup will be expanded eventually with V6 and V8 engines, and with electrified units.
EV

kWh

#car ? original sound - Mario Zelaya @supermariozelaya Replying to @NoMoreBoobSweat I couldnt agree more. People need to wake up. I got contacted by someone suing Tesla for an almost identical problem to mine. Im going to see if I can help them in their court case. Looking back, I would have had an extra $3mm if I bought the stock instead of the car. ???? #tesla

Failing Model S battery packs are nothing new, but Zelayas case may shed some light on the problem. In December 2021, Tuomas Katainen had only driven his used 2013 Model S for 1,500 km (932 mi) when error codes emerged. The diagnostic he received was the same as Zelayas: a damaged battery pack, which would need a 20,000 replacement  $19,934 at the current exchange rate. Katainen decided to explode his electric sedan instead, which is something the Canadian Model S owner considered until he found a final solution for his situation.We have no idea what went wrong with Katainens car, but another case may confirm Zelayas concerns. On October 8, 2021, Larry Campbells wife tried to pick up their kids at school in Hong Kong with the familys Model S, but it stopped working. The Tesla Service Center told him he would have to spend HK$171,000 ($21,785) to replace the battery pack, which is under warranty until 2024.Tesla claimed that the car was flooded, but Campbell said that never happened. He should know about that: theparks in his garage since he bought it new in September 2016. So what could have caused the battery pack to seem flooded? Youll soon understand how these two stories connect.Zelayas TikTok video about the issues in his EV went viral, and we contacted him to understand everything that led him to believe Tesla was hiding issues with the Model S battery pack. According to the Tesla customer, the situation started when he got a high-voltage problem alert while driving his electric sedan to work in Burlington, Canada.After getting the warning, Zelaya made it to the closest Tesla Service Center and left his Model S there. He was surprised by the first diagnostic he received. They were originally telling me that they needed to replace the AC unit and possibly the drive unit, but that wouldn't guarantee it would fix things. They basically wanted me to spend CAD10,000 to hopefully fix the problem. Zelaya said he had spent CAD20,000 ($15,054) repairing his vehicle since he purchased it for CAD141,852.10 ($106,772.08) on June 19, 2012.The Model S owner doubted Teslas explanation. I pushed back on them and mentioned that they replaced my drive unit 3 or 4 years from when I first bought the car. That couldn't be the issue; it had to be something else.Problems with the electric sedans drive unit (DU) are famous. Hansjorg Eberhard von Gemmingen replaced them 11 or 12 times in his 1-million-mile Model S. Despite that, the Tesla Service Center must have agreed it should dig deeper into what had happened to Zelayas car after he pressed them on this and reiterated how ridiculous it was to charge him that much money to replace things that may not need replacements.On March 14, he received the CAD28,684.83 bill for a 90-battery pack. Thats equivalent to $21,597.58 at the current exchange rate. Curiously, Autotrader and KBB do not have prices for used Model S units before 2019 in Canada. Tesla opened its first store in that country in November 2012.Just for us to have an idea of how much such a car is worth, KBB states a 2013 Model S Performance sells for around $37,000 in Detroit. If any Model S owner received a similar invoice for a new battery pack, the component would represent 58.4% of the car value. That would mean a total loss should the battery pack fail for something an insurance policy would cover.With the estimate, Zelaya also received an explanation for having to replace the battery pack in his car. Although the warranty ended in 2021  eight years after purchase  the vehicle was still far from the 150,000 miles Teslas warranty covers in more recent Model S units. It was not a matter of external damage or wear: the battery pack was filled with water. Campbell may have heard that his car was flooded for the same reason. The main difference is that the Canadian Tesla Service Center was candid about the problem.They said that this piece that protects the battery pack rusted, and that's how water got inside. The technician who confirmed that at Tesla said: It smells like a lake in there, Zelaya told autoevolution. That led the Tesla Service Center in Oakville to try to get their head office/Canada Director to approve Zelaya for a free battery replacement  mainly because the water issue was because something had corroded on top of the battery pack.Transport Canada later helped to name the piece that protects the battery pack Zelaya mentioned. Well get there in a bit: the Model S owner heard more from the Tesla technician before the Canadian transportation department got involved.The issue would have started when the battery was under warranty, but Tesla never checks batteries  even though I did all my checkups and service with them, Zelaya said. They told me that they can't detect when water is in the battery pack. So it could have started two years ago when the car was under warranty.With the corrosion diagnostic, the battery pack damage definitely took a while to develop. Thats why the Tesla Service Center tried to replace the battery pack under warranty. The issue is that the request was denied. On March 28, Tesla sent Zelaya an email saying he could take his car back if he signed a document stating he did not want to replace the battery pack. The Model S owner declined to sign anything: he feared it would excuse them from liability for something they knew was an issue but refused to fix.Since it was outside of the warranty period, they refused to cover the battery pack, which is ridiculous. They know they have issues with their cars, with their batteries, but they never check them during maintenance, which could have identified the issue early on.For Zelaya, that was not due to incompetence or negligence: he thinks it was on purpose. The Model S owner believes Tesla designed the battery packs so (that) they don't have to know the issues to avoid replacing the most expensive part of the car, even if there's an issue with it.They said they did get some initial high-voltage (problem) alert sent to Tesla HQ, but not to the end user (to me). So they alert themselves of the issue, but never the driver. They make it so (that) they have deniability when a fire occurs. Furious, Zelaya decided to contact Transport Canada.The Canadian transportation department went to the Tesla Service Center to check the vehicle and the battery pack. Zelaya sent us the report Transport Canada produced. It shows that the AC condensate drain hose sits right over the battery pack. According to the document, in this arrangement, its contents will drain on top of the battery case behind the No stain marks below area. It seems that this is precisely what happened with Zelayas EV.On the same page of the report, we can see the part of the chassis with the stains and also an area with corrosion deposits. The water that leaked from the AC drain hose over the battery pack made the high-voltage (HV) battery pack main fuse cover rust. This is the piece that protects the battery pack that Zelaya talked about.When the fuse box steel cover rusted, water entered the compartment and invaded the battery pack. It is not clear if that water damaged the cells, but it must have caused an issue to trigger the high voltage alert Zelaya received.When Transport Canada checked the battery pack, it noted that the HV Battery main fuse area (was) showing a replacement metal cover with edges under waterproofing goop. Dealer discarded the original cover. To Zelaya, the Canadian department inspector said there was nothing he could do, but it was very suspicious that they (Tesla) would do that.We contacted Transport Canada and asked if it decided that issue was enough to order a recall for the fuse box cover. According to the Canadian department, it has only received one complaint relating to an issue of battery corrosion with a Tesla model vehicle. It did not confirm it was Zelaya due to privacy legislation, but it is clear that this was the case. Zelaya was happy with them anyway.Transport Canada was great. They had Tesla leave the battery pack out to dry. Tesla had the car for over six or seven weeks. My range was obviously affected by all this. It functioned again. The big issue that I had was that Tesla interfered with the investigation and changed a part that I didn't sign off on  Tesla never repairs or does work on a car unless you have a signature from the customer  to cover up the rusted piece.You read it right: after the battery pack dried, Zelaya started the vehicle and kept on driving it as if it had nothing wrong until he shot the first TikTok video on August 31. That was when the car started failing again. We asked him if Tesla had discussed anything with him after he posted his videos or warned him about the risks of using the vehicle. He said that was not the case but that his car started getting low-voltage alerts. Thats an indication of 12V issues, something the Model S is also famous for presenting. Zelaya thought Tesla had blocked his vehicle remotely.With his case, we now have another possible cause for battery pack failures and fires: water entering the battery pack after the AC drain hose drops it on top of the HV component. Zelaya said that Tesla fixed the problem in 2015 units, but Campbells Model S is a 2016 vehicle. It would be interesting to know if the AC drain hose is still in the same place in newer cars.If that is the case, the company may have fixed the issue without warning its customers about it. If it didnt, it should place the drain hose in another location, which is easier to service and verify. It could also add some sort of protection to the battery pack in that area or make a fuse box cover from a material that is not subject to rusting.Although the situation he faced could be isolated, Zelaya said he knows other customers that have had the same issue as he did. We will try to learn their stories and discover if the rusted fuse box cover happened in more cases. If you are among them or know someone who is, please let us know.Zelayas story with Tesla ended with him selling his car to someone who needed its parts. This person apparently appears in one of his TitkTok videos removing the nose cone and charging the 12V battery. The buyer may also try to fix the EV with the 057 Technology, The Electrified Garage , or other Tesla specialists. Apart from the battery pack issue, it seems to be in good shape.It is important to mention that this battery pack problem is different from what Business Insider reported on June 24, 2020. In that case, the components allegedly had a defective cooling system that allowed coolant to leak. Business Insider said that the dried coolant was flammable, something that Jason Hughes  the Tesla Hacker  debunked at the time.Besides these two possibilities for battery pack failures, Tesla has never explained why it decided to cap the voltage of the Model S and Model X battery packs with an over-the-air (OTA) update a few weeks after a Model S caught fire in Shanghai in 2019.When American customers sued the company accusing it of capping the voltage to conceal issues with the battery pack, Tesla made a deal to end the lawsuit. Elon Musk even said the companys policy was never to fight true claims, even if we would win. That depends on the country: while Tesla settled the case in the U.S., it is still fighting Norwegian customers with the same complaint. They won their lawsuit against Tesla, and the company appealed the decision.
The fourth generation Toyota HiAce was built like a tank, sharing the legendary reliability with the unkillable HiLux from the Top Gear show. The 1KZ 3.0-liter diesel engine has a good reputation, as proven while powering the Toyota Prado and the HiLux mentioned above. Although both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive are available, this 1995 example comes with the former setup. Despite its 27-year age, it still looks modern and well equipped. It owes that to the Super Custom trim, the second-highest available in Japan.The Living Saloon EX designates the passenger version of the HiAce van. Still, this example has already been through a light conversion . The third row of seats was removed while still in Japan, and an aftermarket sleeping platform has been installed instead. While this features additional storage compartments beneath, were sure a more elegant solution can be arranged. Depending on what you want with the van, you can either find a cheap third row of seats or strip everything and convert the HiAce into a proper camper.We should say that the van is excellent for this purpose as it is, offering a lot of versatility. The second row of seats can be rotated 180 degrees or folded flat. If you need inspiration for your next DIY job, look no further than this HiAce , which shows what can be done when youre not short of skills. Theres plenty of space there for a kitchenette and a sleeping platform. At the minimum, you can install a camper box in the rear and keep the passenger area untouched.As beautiful as this Toyota HiAce is, were puzzled why very few people have expressed their interest. Perhaps people dislike the right-hand drive? After two days on the market, the auction on Bring a Trailer registered 22 comments but only three bids. The first one was just $1, with the subsequent bids raising the stake to $101 and $234, respectively. Were sure the selling dealer must be in panic by now, especially as this is a no-reserve sale.
ICE

Back in 2019, the Bargersville Police Department became the first P.D. in the United States to add a Tesla Model 3 to its ranks. Since then, they raised their electric four-wheeled recruits to a total of ten. They have five Model 3s and five Model Ys. This is why its the worlds largest Tesla police car fleet.This would put one particular police department from Thailand in second place with its seven Model 3 Performance fleet. The interesting fact about these Thai Teslas is that they werent bought, but leased for a whopping $2,700,000. By my calculations, that would mean roughly $385,714 just for one, which is more than six times what a regular Performance Model 3 costs. Let's hope the savings on energy will be worth it in the end.Now circling back to mans best friend from Indiana, by adding the K-9 Unit, the police department also became the worlds first P.D. to do so. Thats two firsts for the Bargersville police force.When looking more closely at the photos police chief Todd Bertram posted, we see they took the modifications pretty seriously. It looks like the cage could be sitting on the back seats , but you cant really tell whether they entirely removed them or not because of the side metal penal right below the cages opening.However, what we can tell is that the car's rear door acts as a front door for the cage. Most probably, its for the K-9 unit to quickly jump into action from inside the car without any complications. Also, if the police officers ever leave the car unattended for extended periods of time with Dax in it, Tesla's Dog Mode will take care of the cabin temperature.Taking into consideration current gas prices, buying EVs for the police force in general or other such institutions is becoming more appealing than buying newgas guzzlers.
New Solar Array and Battery Storage Complex at CMC Spring Valley the Largest of its Kind in the State
Pete Tittl's Dining Out column appears in The Californian on Sundays. Email him at pftittl@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: @pftittl.
As repair work finishes up on dozens of idle oil wells found recently to be leaking methane in Bakersfield, the industry is criticizing a rece
Warhammer 40K: Top List Of The Week  Genestealer Cults Ascend To Victory

5 Minute Read

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No one expects the Genestealer Cults until they snatch a victory and everyones biomass. Take a look at the winning list for the week from BCP!

Welcome 40K players. Were back with Best Coast Pairings to showcase the top list of the week for competitive 40k. We have the top lists being played out there in the world, what faction are winning, and the list that won the biggest event this last week. So put on your armchair generals hat and lets dive into the data, brought to us by Best Coast Pairings.

++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids  Genestealer Cults) [102 PL, 2,000pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Cult Creed

. Myriad Cult: Accustomed to Turmoil (1), Cold-eyed Killers (1), Industrial Affinity (1), War Convoy (1)

Detachment Command Cost

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Gametype

+ HQ +

Acolyte Iconward [4 PL, 75pts]

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Primus [4 PL, 80pts]: Warlord

+ Troops +

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 45pts]

. 4x Acolyte Hybrid: 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Cult Claws and Knife, 4x Frag Grenades

. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cult Claws and Knife

Acolyte Hybrids [3 PL, 48pts]

. 3x Acolyte Hybrid: 3x Autopistol, 3x Blasting Charges, 3x Cult Claws and Knife, 3x Frag Grenades

. Acolyte Hybrid (Hand Flamer): Hand Flamer

. Acolyte Leader: Autopistol, Cult Claws and Knife

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Neophyte Hybrids [9 PL, 200pts]: Proficient Planning: Lying in Wait

. 4x Neophyte Hybrid (Seismic): 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Frag Grenades, 4x Seismic Cannon

. 15x Neophyte Hybrid (Shotgun): 15x Autopistol, 15x Blasting Charges, 15x Cult Shotgun, 15x Frag Grenades

. Neophyte Leader: Autopistol, Cult Shotgun

Neophyte Hybrids [9 PL, 195pts]: Proficient Planning: A Perfect Ambush

. 4x Neophyte Hybrid (Seismic): 4x Autopistol, 4x Blasting Charges, 4x Frag Grenades, 4x Seismic Cannon

. 15x Neophyte Hybrid (Shotgun): 15x Autopistol, 15x Blasting Charges, 15x Cult Shotgun, 15x Frag Grenades

. Neophyte Leader: Autopistol, Cult Shotgun

Neophyte Hybrids [4 PL, 90pts]

. 2x Neophyte Hybrid (Seismic): 2x Autopistol, 2x Blasting Charges, 2x Frag Grenades, 2x Seismic Cannon

. 7x Neophyte Hybrid (Shotgun): 7x Autopistol, 7x Blasting Charges, 7x Cult Shotgun, 7x Frag Grenades

. Neophyte Leader: Autopistol, Cult Shotgun

+ Elites +

Clamavus [3 PL, 50pts]: Relic: Oppressors Bane

Kelermorph [3 PL, 80pts]: Relic: Wyrmtooth Rounds

Nexos [3 PL, 50pts]: Relic: Cranial Inlay

Purestrain Genestealers [8 PL, 150pts]: Proficient Planning: They Came From Below

. 10x Purestrain Genestealer: 10x Cult Claws and Talons

Sanctus [4 PL, 80pts]: Cult Sniper Rifle, Proficient Planning: From Every Angle

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+ Fast Attack +

Atalan Jackals [9 PL, 169pts]: Demolition Charge

. 7x Atalan Jackal (Small Arms): 7x Atalan Small Arms, 7x Blasting Charges

. Atalan Leader: Atalan Small Arms

. 2x Atalan Wolfquad (Incinerator): 2x Atalan Incinerator, 2x Atalan Small Arms, 2x Blasting Charges

Atalan Jackals [9 PL, 174pts]: 2x Demolition Charge

. 7x Atalan Jackal (Small Arms): 7x Atalan Small Arms, 7x Blasting Charges

. Atalan Leader: Atalan Small Arms

. 2x Atalan Wolfquad (Incinerator): 2x Atalan Incinerator, 2x Atalan Small Arms, 2x Blasting Charges

Atalan Jackals [9 PL, 174pts]: 2x Demolition Charge

. 7x Atalan Jackal (Small Arms): 7x Atalan Small Arms, 7x Blasting Charges

. Atalan Leader: Atalan Small Arms

. 2x Atalan Wolfquad (Incinerator): 2x Atalan Incinerator, 2x Atalan Small Arms, 2x Blasting Charges

+ Heavy Support +

Goliath Rockgrinder [6 PL, 110pts]: Heavy Seismic Cannon

Goliath Rockgrinder [6 PL, 115pts]: Cache of Demolition Charges, Heavy Seismic Cannon

Goliath Rockgrinder [6 PL, 115pts]: Cache of Demolition Charges, Heavy Seismic Cannon

++ Total: [102 PL, 2,000pts] ++

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The Most Played Faction: This chart represents the primary faction identified by players when submitting their lists. This gives a global view of what is popular and being played out there in the competitive scene. We are also tracking how many weeks they have been in that position.

September 15, 2022

1: Chaos Space Marines = 7 weeks

2: Adeptus Astartes +1

3: Necrons -1

4: Tyranids = 3 weeks

5: Tau Empire +2

6: Adepta Sororitas -1

7: Chaos Daemons (new)

8: Death Guard = 2 weeks

9: Knights Renegades (new)

10: Adeptus Custodes -1

September 8, 2022

1: Chaos Space Marines = 6 weeks

2: Necrons = 2 weeks

3: Adeptus Astartes = 2 weeks

4: Tyranids = 2 weeks

5: Adepta Sororitas = 5 weeks

6: Imperial Knights (new)

7: Tau Empire -1

8: Death Guard -1

9: Adeptus Custodes = 2 weeks

10: Blood Angels (new)

The Most Winning Faction: This chart represents the primary faction identified by players who are winning events. This gives a global view of what is potent and winning games out there in the competitive scene. We are also tracking how many weeks they have been in that position.



September 15, 2022

1: Chaos Space Marines+1

2: Tyranids +1

3: Necrons -2

4: Adepta Sororitas = 4 weeks

5: Tau Empire +1

6: Adeptus Astartes +3

7: Knights Renegades (new)

8: Chaos Daemons (new)

9: Death Guard -2

10: Blood Angels (new)

September 8, 2022

1: Necrons = 2 weeks

2: Chaos Space Marines +1

3: Tyranids -1

4: Adepta Sororitas = 3 weeks

5: Imperial Knights (new)

6: Tau Empire = 3 weeks

7: Death Guard +2

8: Adeptus Custodes -1

9: Adeptus Astartes -4

10: Orks = 2 weeks

From BCP:

Imperium, Aeldar, or Chaos is basically a unifying key between multiple factions from several codexes. So in the imperium example its like IG allied with space marines or space marines with knights. For chaos it would be demons allied with chaos marines. Any army not using a pure single faction army would fall into the master categories.

Data brought to you weekly by our friends at:

The Best Coast Pairings Tournament Organizer is the free app that makes it easy for anyone to set up, run and manage an event of any size with tools like online registration, pairings, list collection, and remote scoring. Players can use the BCP Player App for iOS or Android to quickly look at pairings, lists, and tournament results from any event they attend, and with a subscription, players can see details, and lists, from any event around the world and earn credit toward exclusive discounts for tickets and merchandise. Find and compete like never before- download the BCP Tournament Organizer or the BCP Player App from bestcoastpairings.com today!

If youre playing in person at an event be safe and follow the recommended safety precautions!

Author: Adam Harrison Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and Austinite for 15+ years, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table. A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam's current obsession are his Death Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.

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Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) patrol near the Tombru crossing in Naikhongchari, a sub-district of southeastern Bandarban district, Sept. 1, 2022.

At least one Rohingya youth was killed and several more young refugees were injured when two mortar shells reportedly fired from the Myanmar side fell and exploded in the no-mans land along Bangladeshs southeastern border Friday night, Bangladeshi police said.

The youths were all refugees from a camp in the no-mans land on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) of Bandarban, Md. Reza Sarwar, told BenarNews. The incident occurred amid reports of intense fighting near the Myanmar side of the border lately between Burmese junta forces and rebels in neighboring Rakhine state.

The police official said at least five injured Rohingya were admitted to local hospitals. The youth who died in the incident was identified as Mohammad Iqbal, 18, son of Matlab Hossain.

The shells reportedly landed in an area that borders Bangladeshs Bandarban district, Reza Sarwar added.

A Rohingya resident from the area, Dil Mohammad, said the shells were fired around 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Another resident Md. Kamal concurred.

Two mortar shells landed in no-mans land at the time. And we were hearing sounds of shelling from afternoon to night. People are scared in the neighborhood, he told BenarNews.

Bangladeshi officials say more than 4,000 Rohingya refugees have been living in no-mans land for the last five years since a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military forced the ethnic minority to flee their homes in August 2017. Some 740,000 Rohingya crossed the frontier and took refuge in camps in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar district.

Lt. Col. Faizur Rahman, director (operations) of the Border Guard Bangladesh, told reporters that the agency immediately lodged a protest about Fridays incident with the Border Guard Police of Myanmar.

This wasnt the first time that the fighting between Arakan Army rebels and the Myanmar military in Myanmar had come close to the Bangladesh border.

On Aug. 28, during heavy fighting in Myanmars border state of Rakhine, two mortar shells landed in the same area but did not go off. A similar incident also occurred on Aug. 20 as well.

This month alone, Dhaka has protested and summoned Myanmars ambassador to Bangladesh three times to protest these incidents.

Earlier this week, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the countrys border police had reinforced security along the frontier with Myanmar.

Amid the tense situation inside Myanmar, a few new Rohingya families have arrived in Coxs Bazar, where Bangladesh already hosts about one million refugees from Myanmar.

One of the new arrivals told BenarNews on Sept. 10 that he saw several hundred people clustered along the Naf River that separates Coxs Bazar from Rakhine state, and who were trying to cross the border several days earlier.

It was not immediately clear what happened to those other people apparently displaced by intense clashes in recent weeks between junta forces and the Arakan Army.
An undated file photo shows Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean and site of a major U.S. military base. The United States has been leasing the island from Britain since 1966.

Close to a thousand Filipino migrant workers are stranded at a U.S. military base on an island in the Indian Ocean following a labor dispute with an American defense contractor, a Philippine government official said Friday.

Susan Ople, who heads the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), said Kellogg Brown & Root, a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy at the military base on Diego Garcia, had allegedly prohibited workers from going on vacation.

I think around 800 workers are stranded there. Many are working for KBR as it is the biggest contractor there, Ople said in a local radio interview on Friday.

She said these workers, known locally as Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs, have been unable to go home for the past three years.

Ople said the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency had told the contractor that vacation benefits were part of the workers contracts, which were approved by the agency.

Ople also alleged that KBR was only paying workers U.S. $5.25 per hour, lower than the American federal minimum hourly wage of $7.

BenarNews contacted the U.S. Embassy in Manila, the U.S. Navy and KBR for comment but did not immediately hear back.

According to a report published in The Washington Post on Wednesday, KBR said workers could not leave because of the cancellation of flights due to a lack of demand and due to COVID-19.

Located just south of the equator, the island of Diego Garcia is the largest of the 60 small islands in the Chagos Archipelago, and can only be reached via chartered flights. The island is situated in an isolated area of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The U.S. military has been leasing Diego Garcia from Britain since 1966, with the lease contract renewed in 2017.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and the contractor are scheduled to discuss the issue again, according to Ople, but she did not say when. If KBR does not act, Ople said they would write to the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Navy.

According to its website, KBR employs over 1,200 staff at the Diego Garcia military base. It offers construction services such as complex refineries, government structures, and warehouses, among other things.

The Philippine presidential palace has yet to issue a statement, pending a report from the DMW.

For the moment, we are relying upon and monitoring through the DMW, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles told reporters on Thursday. So, we will comment upon receiving her [Oples] report.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., meanwhile, is set to leave for New York on Sept. 18 to attend and speak at the 77th United Nations General Assembly. Marcos is expected to talk about food security, climate change, and rule of law, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

There is no word yet on whether the Philippines new president plans to raise the issue of the workers during his week-long trip to the United States.

The U.S. is the Philippines oldest military ally, and Filipino workers are a fixture in many of its military installations worldwide.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
A doctor administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man in January inside the Klunkerkranich restaurant and night club during an ongoing vaccination campaign of the Clubkommission in Berlin, Germany. On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Germany has halted the use of all COVID-19 vaccines because they are unsafe.
PITTSFIELD  On a recent morning at The Colonial Theater, Jolene makes her way through the lobby and heads toward the theater doors. She stops for a moment to greet a coworker, admiring the scent of her shea butter body lotion, and then continues on her way.

Once through the doors, shes excited to see crew members on stage making lighting adjustments for the next show. Curious about all the activity, she decides to take a closer look  bounding down the stairs, tail wagging and ears flopping with each leap.

JoJo, as she is also known, is a 4-month-old beagle and the newest member of the Berkshire Theatre Group family. She was rescued July 30 from a shelter by Tricia DeHart, the donor relations associate for BTG. JoJo is one of the nearly 4,000 beagles rescued from Envigo, a facility owned by Inotiv in Cumberland, Va., which bred and sold animals for lab experiments in biotechnical and pharmaceutical industries.

According to the ASPCA, breeding and selling dogs for research is a legal activity with a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is regulated under the Animal Welfare Act. However, during an inspection in 2021, the Virginia facility was found to have several violations of federal regulations.

On May 18 this year, a U.S.D.A. inspector general and other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant of the facility and seized 145 dogs that veterinarians determined needed immediate care to alleviate life-threatening illnesses or injuries, according to the case file.

The violations left animals underfed, sick, neglected and overheated. Dogs were living in a buildup of inches of feces and food waste, court documents show. The Humane Society blog says that government inspectors found that dogs in the facility were being euthanized instead of receiving veterinary treatment for treatable conditions. "Nursing mother beagles were denied food; the food that they did receive contained maggots, mold and feces, the society said.

ONE OF THE LUCKY

DeHart says JoJo is one of the lucky ones. DeHart has a background in animal welfare and had been following the story about the Envigo facility. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Virginia facility in response to the violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

In the consent decree entered on July 15, the facility was prohibited from further operations and was ordered to transfer the remaining 4,000 dogs to shelters within 60 days. The Humane Society of the United States put out a call for help and over 120 shelters and rescue organizations responded. One of those shelters was the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, where DeHart used to work.

More Information If you're interested in adopting, fostering or donating to a local shelter or rescue in your area that is assisting with the placement of the dogs, contact the organizations found here: humanesociety.org/4000beagles/beagle-partners

DeHart said she had been wanting to get a puppy for a while, even before things escalated with Envigo. She says she had been checking in with the Berkshire Humane Society daily in search of a hound. She had also reached out to the Dakin group.

I said, if you get a puppy, let me know," DeHart said in a recent interview at The Colonial Theater, where a leashed JoJo was playing nearby.

Dakin was scheduled to get 10 adult dogs, but a last-minute change meant it would instead receive 20 puppies. When she got the call from the shelter about a beagle puppy, she happily said yes, and brought JoJo home at the end of July.

As of Labor Day, all of the nearly 4,000 beagles were officially removed from the Virginia facility and on their way to shelters or new homes.

DeHart describes JoJo as an energetic and super-sweet dog. When it came to choosing her name, in true theater fashion, DeHart said she wanted to pick a name she could sing to her dog. She and her boyfriend went through several options, but chose the name Jolene after Dolly Partons Jolene and the nickname, JoJo, after The Beatles Get Back.

As a close runner up, DeHart also considered naming her after Gloria Gaynor, who sings I will survive.

Because JoJo is so young, DeHart hopes any trauma the dog experienced wont be long lasting. She says there are signs that indicate what JoJo went through.

Since her birth in early May, JoJo lived in Virginia without ever standing on real grass. Many of the beagles are the result of selective breeding, which means dogs are bred with the intention to achieve a desired personality trait, or to reduce the chances of diseases caused by genetics.

In JoJos case, her docile and social personality was intentionally selected by the facility so that she wouldnt put up a fight against testing and wouldnt be afraid of the facility staff members, DeHart said.

They do terrible things to them and theyll just be okay with it, she said of the process. DeHart said she has a friend who oversaw the microchipping of beagles in the shelter; the dogs never once cried during the procedure.

JoJo has an identification number tattooed in light blue ink on the inside of her left ear, which DeHart says was done at Envigo without anesthetics. Many of the beagles also had their dew claws removed while at Envigo, which PetMD says should only be done in rare, life-threatening circumstances and otherwise should be left alone.

In her new life in the Berkshires, JoJo comes to work with DeHart almost every morning, spending her time snoozing in her pink fuzzy bed or greeting anyone who comes by their office. She returns home around lunchtime. She is a quiet guest and DeHart says she hasnt barked much.

Whats it like to bring your best friend to work?

Its been fantastic, DeHart says. We have a good setup. We have a crate but we dont need it. JoJo was already crate trained, and was fine right away, but we just use a gate.

Amy Moorby, communications manager for BTG, says she loves having JoJo at the theater, whether shes coming over to say hello or just hanging out with the staff all day. [She] has really become a mascot at BTG.

MORE INFORMATION

If you're interested in adopting, fostering or donating to a local shelter or rescue in your area that is assisting with the placement of the dogs, contact the organizations found here: humanesociety.org/4000beagles/beagle-partners
Suzi Banks Baum's winning essay "Connect: Disconnect" is the second piece from her memoir-in-progress to win an award.
DALTON  When Josh Levin first moved his company, Lymphedivas, to Pittsfield, he had a vision.

Coming from Philadelphia, where the company began, he pictured his operation in an old historic building with gorgeous views, ties to the community and plenty of natural light.

The vision was informed by his knowledge of the Berkshires, where his family has regularly visited since the 1990s. He settled on a Pittsfield location to open up shop in 2011.

When he was looking to relocate in 2015, moving into an industrial building like that didnt quite make sense for the size of the business. Now, Lymphedivas is settling into a new home that fits the bill  and will allow them to grow.

This is what I had envisioned when I moved to the Berkshires, and now I can realize that vision, said Levin, president of the company.

Lymphedivas, the Pittsfield business that makes designer compression sleeves and handwear for cancer patients, is moving to Dalton, where it will fill in the third floor at The Stationery Factory, 63 Flansburg Ave. The move is expected to be complete by Feb. 1.

The company makes compression sleeves with intricate prints on them for those with lymphedema, a condition that can cause swelling in some parts of the body, including the arms. Medical-grade compression sleeves can help to manage the condition.

The company was started by Levins sister, Rachel Troxell, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result of the cancer, she developed lymphedema. She started the business to give women with the same condition, and herself, a better compression sleeve that would allow them to express themselves.

The company is also expanding to make lower extremity compression garments, including socks and leggings. Levin said he expects the legwear to roll out in the next week or two. This will help the company tap into new markets, he said, as compression garments for legs and feet have multiple uses among runners and other buyers.

Lymphedivas knits and prints its gloves and gauntlets in Pittsfield, but has its sleeves and lower extremity wear made by Carolon, a medical supply manufacturing company in Rural Hill, N.C.

The company was previously based at 7 North St. and most recently at 703 W. Housatonic St. The move to The Stationery Factory will give the business its biggest space yet.

The bigger space will come with a number of advantages, including a new HVAC system that will help the company manage the steam runoff created in the printing process and manage humidity and temperature in the space.

Its hard moving from the county seat, but for me its less about the town Im in and more about what services do I have available to me, my employees and the business, Levin said.

The company currently has 14 employees, but is likely to expand with the inclusion of compression socks and leggings. Levin said he expects to add about five more employees with the move over the course of a few years.

The Stationery Factory is a converted industrial building that formerly served as the home for the Crane & Co. stationery division. It now houses local business and artisans, such as a vinyl record shop and specialty guitar repair shop, and functions as a concert venue.

Steve Sears, the main owner of The Stationery Factory, said that having the compression garment business move in was an exciting addition.

Its the top floor, but its really the icing on the cake, he said.

Sears said that bringing Lymphedivas into the space was a natural choice, since the companys mission is an important one. Hes been selective over the years about getting tenants that will give something back to Dalton.

Doing something important is important to us, Sears said. We dont want to just rent space to anybody  we want to rent space to people that are part of our community.
NORTH ADAMS  The storefront that once housed Nevilles Donut Shop, city landmark, will soon have a new life as a bakery and cafe. The Boho Parlor, a handmade sign on the door of 145 Eagle St. now reads.

In coming months, Dede Webber is planning to open a bakery and cafe there. For more than a year, she has been selling baked goods she makes at home at the farmers market in North Adams under the name Bohemian Nouveaux Bakery.

Hey, I wish I could get your muffins on a Wednesday, she said customers tell her at the weekend farmers market. When The Boho Parlor opens, they can.

The name, The Boho Parlor, is a combination of Webbers existing bakery business and The Parlor Cafe, which operated on Union Street and closed last year.

The cafes owner, Julia Daly, plans to help Webber at The Boho Parlor.

A brick-and-mortar space is a lifelong dream for Webber, who as a kid was often playing pretend cafe. Then in college, she wrote a play about a woman who owned a cafe. If that isnt foreshadowing, I dont know what is, she said with a laugh.

At The Boho Parlor, Webber plans to serve egg sandwiches, quiche, and of course, pastries and baked goods. It will be an expansion from selling at the farmers market, where she is only able to sell shelf-stable products. A cafe means she can sell baked goods with buttercream frosting, among other treats.

She envisions the space taking on an old school bakery cafe feeling.

Webber does not yet have an opening date  working on a shoestring budget, she is applying for business grants and hopes to fund raise to help start the new venture.

The basic plan is to start small, but well aim to be open all day, Webber said. In the meantime, she is renting the space and working to set it up.

While Webber has been spending time in the storefront recently, people have noticed and stopped in to reminisce about Nevilles, which closed in 2005 after a 50-year run. Passersby have pop in to tell Webber what their favorite donuts were, back in the day.

We have a lot of magic going on here, she said.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
PITTSFIELD  As typos go, this was a doozy.

Drivers on Thursday morning were greeted by freshly painted lines and markings on East Street  including six large white letters designed to warn motorists that they are nearing the entrance to Pittsfield High School.

All the letters were there, but not quite in the right order.

Contractors from K5 Corp., hired by the city, had inadvertently flipped the h and o in their stencil, spelling SCOHOL on the freshly paved roadway  much to the bemusement of drivers and pedestrians on Thursday morning.

City staff were supervising the work for most of the evening, but had ended their shift by the time the contractors made it to the school sign, according to Ricardo Morales, the citys commissioner of public services and utilities.

It was supposed to be the finishing touch after several weeks of road work on one of the citys main thoroughfares, but the project had to be extended by another day to fix the blunder.

Morales said that when he got an invoice for the line painting Thursday morning, he had a quick response.

I immediately sent them the photo saying were not paying until this is fixed, he said with a chuckle.

The commissioner said that his staff tried to come up with a quick fix Thursday morning with the help of some black spray paint.

He said that K5 has been a good sport about the situation, and will be repainting the road  with the correct spelling  at its own expense.
PITTSFIELD  Lee Kohlenberger Jr., a man known for donating comfort dogs to Berkshire schools and police departments, faces a possible larceny charge for defrauding a customer of his poodle-breeding business.

He disputes the claim  which grew out of civil complaints that stacked up against him and his company, Berkshire Poodles, over the past two years.

"Here we are, two years later, with me taking three trips to the courts, said Laura Nicolino, a dissatisfied customer from Bay Shore, N.Y. And now a criminal charge against him, because this is actually theft."

Kohlenberger was to be arraigned this week but won a continuance. His attorney, Alexander Sohn, calls the case a contract dispute that should have remained a civil claim  and not become a potential criminal matter.

In recent months, Kohlenberger has settled several judgments that went against him in Central Berkshire District Court.

In an interview, Kohlenberger said that the customer complaints that reached the court system represent a fraction of his companys roughly 500 sales of puppies over the past 12 years. This is a small few, he said.

Nonetheless, Kohlenberger said he is regrouping, personally and professionally, after a fire at his familys rented home in Becket in July killed three breeding-age poodles. He is scaling back operation of a related business, Berkshire Dogs Unleashed in Lenox, and plans to merge a nonprofit he runs, Berkshire Comfort Dogs, with the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, allowing him more time to tend to his business affairs.

Kohlenberger was named this summer to the 40 Under Forty list of community leaders, assembled by Berkshire Community College.

I just spread myself too thin, Kohlenberger said in an interview joined by his attorney.

Asked why he didnt resolve the court judgments against him more quickly, Kohlenberger said his Berkshire Dogs Unleashed business had been challenged by the expense of fighting a lawsuit brought in 2020 by a Lanesborough company, The Berkshire Dog, over use of a name that it claimed infringed on its own. A judge ruled in late 2020 that there is not a substantial likelihood of confusion.

The frivolous lawsuit  drained my finances for two years, he said. And that it's still going on? Even though we've beat them in court?

Unhappy Berkshire Poodles customers from around New England said in interviews with The Eagle this week they had cause to seek compensation from Kohlenberger and were critical of how he runs his businesses. Many made repeated trips to a Pittsfield courthouse to get satisfaction.

At least two would-be customers, one of them owed more than $16,000, secured payments only by successfully placing liens against a property Kohlenberger owned at Harryel Street in Pittsfield that was sold. The liens followed judgments in their favor in Central Berkshire District Court.

Larceny charge

Kohlenberger's scheduled arraignment on the larceny charge Tuesday related to a complaint from Nicolino, the Long Island customer. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office agreed to continue it at Sohns request.

Nicolino had bought two poodles from Kohlenberger before their business relationship soured. Nicolino said she sought to buy a puppy to be her service dog in 2020. She says the company offered her a standard poodle. Nicolino sent an agreed-upon $3,000 fee. Nicolino made arrangements to travel from Long Island to Pittsfield to pick up the dog. But the puppy wasn't ready  and she asked for her money back.

Seeking to recoup her payment, and other expenses, she filed a small claims court action against Kohlenberger. Nicolino received a judgment in her favor in October, after Kohlenberger failed to appear for a hearing.

After waiting months for payment, Nicolino then filed a criminal charge against Kohlenberger in Central Berkshire District Court. Kohlenberger didn't appear for a magistrate hearing last month, prompting him to be summonsed to court this week on a charge of larceny over $1,200 by false pretense.

Kohlenberger said he wanted to resolve the dispute with Nicolino, but couldnt manage to in the weeks after his house fire. He and Sohn said that an attorney for Nicolino said they would not seek the larceny charge if Nicolino was paid.

This stuff should have been handled prior to the fire. I'm not going to use that as an excuse, Kohlenberger said.

If I had the $3,900  I would have given it to her, he said. I can only settle so many of these contractual issues. There was nothing personal with Laura. I think that she deserves her money and I would like to get that for [her], now that I'm capable of doing so. I didn't have four grand to give her in July.

Lee wants to make this woman whole, Sohn, the attorney, said of Nicolino. At the same time, he would also like it to be such that it won't result in him having any sort of criminal record. There was never any scheme to defraud anybody.

Other customers

In March 2020, Laura Freid and David Gottsman paid Kohlenberger $7,000 for "a fully trained support dog." Later, they paid another $2,750 for spaying, boarding and additional training, according to court documents they filed in a claim against Kohlenberger.

"Included in the cost was a promise of certificates certifying her support dog status  such certificates were never received," the complaint read.

After the purchase, the couple learned the dog was aggressive toward other dogs, the complaint read. The couple believed Kohlenberger had "misrepresented" the "nature and abilities of the dog," and requested a refund.

Kohlenberger agreed, according to the complaint. The couple returned the dog in June 2020.

Over one year later, still not seeing a refund of their purchase price, they filed a claim against Kohlenberger on Oct. 19, 2021, for allegedly violating the Consumer Protection Act.

Kohlenberger did not appear in court for a hearing on the matter in March, leading to a judgment in the couple's favor for double the cost of the dog, plus attorney's fees, amounting to $16,081.

Andrew Hochberg, the Pittsfield attorney who represented the dog buyers, said a lien was placed on Kohlenberger's Pittsfield home for the amount of the settlement, which the business owner was compelled to pay as part of the propertys sale.

Some transactions didn't even go that far.

Henry M. Cavaretta, of Stratham, N.H., says he went to court to get a $1,000 deposit back from Kohlenberger after deciding he didnt want to do business with him. He says Kohlenberger claimed the Berkshire Poodles policy did not provide refunds.

Cavaretta, however, pointed out that the two had never entered into a contract. He sent Berkshire Poodles a letter in May 2020 asking for his money back.

I found him difficult to do business with  that's a nice way to put it, Cavaretta said by phone from New Hampshire. He pretty much told me to take a hike.

Cavaretta made two trips to Pittsfield to attend court hearings, neither of which were attended by Kohlenberger. Sessions were delayed due to the pandemic, but the court, last October, found for Cavaretta.

But I still got no money out of it. He said his spouse, who works in real estate, learned that Kohlenbergers Pittsfield house was on the market, so Cavaretta sought and secured a judgment lien.

I finally got a check in the mail. It took me almost three years, he said.

Kohlenberger said the sale was not forced by the need to cover settlements, but, rather, to capitalize on high home values. "We sold that house because we got $410,000 for a ranch off of Williams Street in Pittsfield. We sold at the peak of the market."

Court judgments

Andrea Della Monica, of Becket, had long wanted a standard poodle. In August 2020, she signed a contract to buy one from Kohlenberger and paid a $500 deposit. She went ahead that December and paid another $2,000 and was put on a waiting list.

A litter is forthcoming, she says she was told. Then communications grew strained.

After that payment was made, defendant would not indicate where I was on the wait list, she wrote in a small claims court filing on June 24, 2021. He then ceased all communication with me, refused to answer my calls or texts. I told him in writing that I no longer wanted to do business with him.

All of a sudden he blocked me from Facebook, she said in an interview. It left me incredulous, because my initial dealings with him were fairly positive.

The court granted her a default judgment April 6. A month later, she filed a hand-written letter with the court asking for help obtaining her money. She later sought to have the sheriffs office serve him with a warrant.

One capias warrant was served on Kohlenberger by the Berkshire Sheriff Office's Civil Process Division since 2020, according to Assistant Deputy Superintendent Diane Maynes. But it concerned Cavarettas court judgment, not Della Monica's.

Della Monica said a representative of the sheriffs office told her, You might be out of luck.

Then, this summer, Kohlenberger texted her to ask how much she would accept. She says she thought about it and replied she would agree to a payment of $1,800  short of the $2,250 award by the court. A check came a few weeks later.

I consider myself lucky at this point, she said. I really dont wish him ill will. I felt like he got in way over his head."

Maria McCallister, who lives in Albany, N.Y., said she purchased her poodle, Madison, from Kohlenberger for $2,500 last year, with plans to enter it into agility and obedience competitions.

To participate in those events, she needed paperwork showing that the puppy was registered with the American Kennel Club  something she said only Kohlenberger could provide. His contract said he sold AKC-registered puppies, she said.

One year passed before she received the paperwork from Kohlenberger. When messages and emails to him requesting the papers went nowhere, she filed a small claims court complaint.

When the paperwork came through, she terminated her action. "He eventually fulfilled his contractual obligations, and I withdrew the claim," McCallister said.

In another small claims case, Victoriya Tuzman of Newton won a $6,180 judgment against Berkshire Poodles. That dispute began Feb. 10 with the company as the plaintiff, claiming Tuzman had violated a purchase contract by not granting Berkshire Poodles the right of refusal in the later transfer of the dog to an immediate relative. The dog was initially bought to provide comfort for Tuzman's special needs grandson, she said; the child still has the dog, Lila.

Tuzman had managed to get $3,000 of the $4,000 purchase price back from Berkshire Poodles through a credit card transaction.

She counter-claimed in May, saying she should be paid $7,000 for time, emotional stress and financial expenses investigating the condition and care of the puppy the company provided. Tuzman claimed the dogs true identity had been falsified.

The court found for her in June.

He still owes us money, Tuzman said by phone from Croatia, where she was traveling this week.

Kohlenberger said he disagrees with the court judgment in Tuzman's favor and said he may seek to have the case reopened.
NORTH ADAMS  When the Planning Board granted a special permit to an outdoor cannabis farm earlier this year, the mayor sued.

In April, Mayor Jennifer Macksey filed an appeal in court against the Planning Board and New England Alchemy, the cannabis company. The suit wrapped up in court several months later, when both the company and mayor agreed to void the permit.

But it still cost the city in legal fees  at least $6,400, invoices from March through August show. For March alone, the city was billed $3,960 for 19.8 hours of legal work related to the New England Alchemy case.

The city uses KP Law, a Boston public sector law firm, for legal work, including for the lawsuit. The city has $45,000 budgeted for legal expenses for the year. Macksey could not be reached for comment.

Charges related to the lawsuit included $300 to prepare for and attend a call with city officials, review zoning ordinances and send an email, and a $724 charge to write and file the legal complaint in court and draft an affidavit and letter.

The expenses also included smaller fees, like $40 to email and call the Cannabis Control Commission to request documentation from a meeting.

The appeal dates back to March, when the Planning Board gave New England Alchemy a special permit to manufacture and grow cannabis outdoors at 537 Ashland St. A group of neighbors complained about the project, citing concerns including the smell, and soon after, Macksey filed an appeal in Berkshire Superior Court.

New England Alchemy has no plans to refile for another permit in the city. We have moved on to other projects that are higher priority ... no pun intended, Rustin Kluge, the company's owner, said in August.
Donald Morrison is an Eagle columnist and co-chairman of the advisory board. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of The Berkshire Eagle.
Zeynep Tufekci is a New York Times opinion columnist who writes about sociology and the social effects of technology and has closely examined the impact of and responses to the COVID pandemic.
Have you ever had a dream that so troubled you, you couldnt get back to sleep? Did you call (or text) a friend in the middle of the night to help you calm down? We tell our friends about our dreams, and then hopefully they can help us figure out the nature of it or assure us in some other way.

Dreams can be funny, intriguing, or scary. Rarely, though, is one unforgettable. As we find in the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had an unforgettable dream  what wed call a nightmare. But he didnt call his friends; he summoned his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell him what the dream was.

Where Do We Find This Account in Scripture?

We learn in the first chapter of the book of Daniel that King Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and besieged it (Daniel 1:1). Nebuchadnezzar was a megalomaniac, a despot, and a law unto himself. In the culture over which he ruled, he was it. During the time when Jehoiakim ruled Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar brought vessels from the Jerusalem sanctuary and had them placed in the temple of his god. He also commanded his royal eunuch to bring some people of the royal family and of nobility to his court  800 miles from Jerusalem. He requested youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the kings palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans (Daniel 1:4).

Daniel and his companions, Mishael, Hananiah, and Azariah (all of the tribe of Judah) were part of the first wave of Judeans to be commissioned by the Babylonian king. Just as he had with Joseph when he was led into Egyptian captivity, the Lord gave Daniel favor with his superiors, including the chief eunuch (Daniel 1:9).

As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams (Daniel 1:17). The king found Daniel and his companions ten times better than all his magicians and enchanters.

The account of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariahs time in Nebuchadnezzars court is found in the book of Daniel, chapters one through four. The historical narrative regarding Nebuchadnezzars first dream is found in the whole of Daniel chapter 2.

What Happened in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream?

In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image, mighty and of exceeding brightness. Its appearance was frightening. The head was of fine gold; the arms and chest were of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron and its feet were a mixture of iron and clay. As the king gazed at the colossus, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the rest of the image was broken into pieces and became like chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. The stone, however, became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:31-35).

What Is the Outcome of This Story?

We read earlier about God giving Daniel understanding in dreams and visions (Daniel 1:17). King Nebuchadnezzar, perhaps as a test for his magicians, ordered them to tell him what his dream was. They could not, therefore the king, in a furious rage, commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be destroyed. Daniel heard of it, asked the chief eunuch to secure a time for him before the king, and then entreated his friends to pray and seek Gods mercy so they would not all be put to death.

God indeed showed Daniel his mercy and in a vision of the night revealed the dream and its interpretation to him. Daniel was given an audience with Nebuchadnezzar and disclosed his vision to him.

Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold on the image. Another inferior kingdom, symbolized by the silver arms and chest, was to rise after him. A third kingdom, bronze, ascends after that. The fourth kingdom, represented by the iron legs, then comes to power. A divided kingdom shown as a mixture of iron and clay (iron and clay do not mix) would then come into power but will not endure (yet it endured longer than Babylon).

And the final kingdom would come into being as represented by the stone uncut by human hands. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar God will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It would break all the other kingdoms in pieces and would end them. This last kingdom shall stand forever.

How Does Nebuchadnezzar Respond?

In Daniel 2:46, King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. He called the Lord God, God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries The king, who was used to lording his authority over all others, had been reduced by God to a mere spectator of events.

Nebuchadnezzar worships Daniel as Gods emissary, knowing it was God who gave and revealed the dream (Daniel always gave all the credit to God). The king lauded Daniel with high honors, great gifts, and appointed him as ruler over the whole province of Babylon. He also oversaw all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel also asked that his companions (now called by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) be given positions of power. Nebuchadnezzar honored this request, and he kept Daniel in his court.

Why Does God Communicate through the King, a Nonbeliever?

One might think the subject of the book of Daniel is Daniel, but its not. It isnt even about Nebuchadnezzar or the other kings of Babylon. The book of Daniel is about God and His sovereignty. God uses a pagan king to reveal aspects of His character (eternality, omniscience, omnipotence, sovereignty, gifts of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, faithfulness to His people, and answerer of prayers) and Christs coming kingdom (He is the stone uncut by human hands whose kingdom will never be destroyed and will stand forever).

King Nebuchadnezzar basked in his greatness. He thought himself invincible. But God changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and hidden things (Daniel 2:21-22). Nebuchadnezzar had power only because God allowed it in His perfect plan, and he needed humbling.

Look at what the Lord says in Isaiah 49:23, kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for Me will not be put to shame. The Lord also said, for I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me; declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose (Isaiah 46:9).

Nothing shall fall outside Gods providence, including using earthly kings to bring glory to His name. God will accomplish everything He purposes. God reveals His greatness to a pagan king, who acknowledges Him as God. But Nebuchadnezzars confession of the Lord is not conversion (the proof of this is in Daniel 3). This whole episode is an abject lesson to Nebuchadnezzar, Israel and to us! God is sovereign, and He reveals the mystery of His kingdom to demonstrate His power.

The first thing Daniel does when God reveals the dream is to pray and then bless God.

In chapter two, Daniel refers to God five times and blesses Him as the God of heaven, (2:18, 19, 28, 37, and 44). In this, Daniel exalted the Lord God high above the earthly king he served. In verse 45, Daniel told the king, A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure. Nebuchadnezzar had to realize Daniels God has sovereignty over himself and his gods. Only the God of heaven knows all things.

Does God Still Communicate Things to Us Today through Dreams?

Think about the latest dream you had. Did it relate to anything? Was it weird and/or obtuse? This author had a recent dream where a person came into a room wearing a compressed cheese and nut hat. All I learned from that dream was we had some good appetizers wherever we were.

If a person claims to have prophetic dreams these days, it can be categorized as extra-biblical special revelation (that which is not found in the Bible). The Bible is Gods special revelation to us, as is our Lord Jesus Christ, and the canon of Scripture is closed. There is a period after Revelation 22:21s Amen. Everything we need to know is found in the sixty-six books of the Bible, and our dreams are nothing like those found in the Old and New Testaments.

The prophets and Apostles laid the foundation (Christ being the chief Cornerstone  Acts 4:11), and it is only laid one time. There is nothing new to be revealed.

Our dreams are a product of many things. We may dream of who we were just with, someone we havent seen in a long time, a movie, upcoming hopes and/or plans, even what we had for supper. Rest assured; God is done with His revelation to us. We can sleep well knowing that.

Photo credit: Getty Images/OsakaWayne Studios

Lisa Loraine Baker is the award-winning author of Someplace to Be Somebody (End Game Press, February 2022). Lisa writes fiction and nonfiction and is currently co-writing a Christian living book with her husband, and a suspense novel.

Lisa is a member of Word Weavers, Intl (as a critique partner and mentor), AWSA, ACFW, Serious Writer Group, and BRRC.

Lisa and her husband, Stephen, inhabit their home as the Newlyweds of Minerva with crazy cat, Lewis.
**Fire Update (9/16/22) at 7:30 a.m.**

ELK CITY - Friday is the final day of command by Northern Rockies Team 5 over a pair of fires near Elk City, command will transfer on Saturday morning. Team members will travel to their home units Saturday. Command will transfer to Forest Service officials based in Elk City.

All aircraft and hand crews will be demobilized from the fires by Friday evening. Three engines will also be demobilizing.

Officials say the resources leaving the Williams Creek Fire will be reassigned to other active fires across the Northern Rockies. Two engines will remain on site, patrolling and monitoring fire activity. While no aerial resources will be assigned directly to the fire Saturday, several aviation resources located in Grangeville will be available if needed. Officials say the fire has shown very little heat in the past few days; but the larger, dry logs may produce puffs of smoke as they smolder until fully consumed.

As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways, coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the general public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure.

The Forest implemented an expanded Area Closure on 9/12, due to the fires location and its high potential for movement given the dry fuels and recent weather conditions. As of Friday morning, the closure remains in effect and will be re-evaluated, based on fire activity conditions and associated firefighting and repair efforts.

**Fire Update (9/15/22) at 8:00 a.m.**

ELK CITY - At the site of the Williams Creek Fire, officials say crews dismantled pumps and water-handling equipment from Wild Horse Lake yesterday. Crews to the north of the fire and in Orogrande also worked on removing equipment no longer needed as weather conditions are assisting in battling the fire.

The Williams Creek Fire was listed as 16,084 acres in size with 31% completion, and the Twin Lakes Fire was listed as 992 acres with 40% completion as of Thursday morning.

Fire managers say the northern portion of the Williams Creek Fire received about a half inch of rain on and some small-sized hail on Wednesday. The southern side of the fire did see as much rain. The nearby Twin Lakes Fire also received periodic precipitation throughout the day.

Humidity levels ranged from the high 40s to low 70s, with temperatures topping out in the mid-60s. Similar weather is expected Thursday, with more widespread rain.

Officials say excess resources not needed will demobilize. Sampsons Incident Management Team will work to transition with resources remaining on the fire, ensuring a smooth transfer of fire command on Saturday morning.

Aerial support from helicopters was unavailable Wednesday due to low visibility. An unmanned aerial system (drone) was able to fly the fire area. Drone activities were slightly hampered by gusty winds, rain, and small hail. However, drone operators were still successfully able to monitor fire activity along the northern flank and gather information on the fuels treatment project areas west of Orogrande.

As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways,

coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the general public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure.

**Fire Update (9/14/22) at 8:00 a.m.**

ELK CITY - Fire officials say relative humidity levels were 100% on Wednesday morning and were expected to dip no lower than the 40-50% range all day at the site of the Williams Creek and Twin Lakes Fires, burning to the southwest of Elk City.

Resources that are no longer needed will demobilize over the new several days.

The area closure is being evaluated by the Forest and fire officials.

Crews continue to monitor activity at the Williams Creek Fire and take action as needed to prevent the fire from progressing and to mop-up areas of residual heat. Many of the resources assigned will be available for reassignment in the coming days, given the rainy weather and moderated fire behavior.

Aerial support from helicopters was unavailable Tuesday due to low visibility. Officials hope to utilize a drone on Wednesday to monitor fire activity along the northern flank and gather information along the western edge. Additional aerial resources will remain at the ready if conditions allow. The Williams creek Fire was listed as 15,773 acres and 31% completed as of Wednesday morning.

The nearby Twin Lakes Fire was listed at 972 acres and 40% completion Wednesday morning.

Area closure updates are listed below, as of 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Closures surrounding both fire areas are necessary to protect the safety and welfare

The Twin Lakes Fire closure includes the following roads and trails:

OPEN:

NFSR 444 Gospel Road  open from junction with NFSR 221 to Moores Guard Station/Campground

CLOSED:

NFST 312  North Moores Trail  closed from trailhead to MP 6.83/jct with NFST 383 Square Mountain

NFST 383  Square Mountain Trail  closed from MP 6.64/jct with NFST 315 to MP 7.16/jct with NFST 312

NFST 315  Kentucky Creek Trail  closed from trailhead/jct with NFST 313 to MP 7.71/jct with NFST 383

NFST 313  Hump Trail  closed from MP 15.4/jct with NFST 384 to MP 18.1/jct with NFST 315

NFST 384  Square Mtn. Spur Trail  closed from trailhead/jct with NFST 383 to MP 1.37/jct with NFST 313

NFST 383  Square Mountain Trail  closed from trailhead/jct with NFSR 444 to MP 1.59/jct with NFST 384

NFSR 444  Gospel Road  closed from MP 11.57 at Moores Campground to end of road at Square Mountain Lookout

The Williams Creek Fire closure includes the following roads and trails:

OPEN:

Idaho Highway 14 - South Fork Highway: Open from MP 35.2 to MP 43 at Elk City Township Boundary. NFSR 222 -

Dixie Road: Open from Forest Boundary at MP 0.95 to jct with NFSR 1800 at MP 7.36.

CLOSED:

NFSR 1800 - 66 Creek Road: Closed from junction with NSFR 222 to jct with NSFR 9803.

NFSR 9803 - North Wheeler Mtn. Road: Closed from jct with NSFR 1800 to jct with NSFT 508.

NFST 508 Porter Trail: Closed from jct with NSFR 9803 to jct with NSFT 207.

NFST 207 Moose Butte Trail: Closed from jct with NST 508 to hydrologic divide located in T26N R8E section 9 NW 1/4.

NFST 205 Columbia Ridge Trail: Closed from hydrologic divide/ridge located in T26N R8E section 20 NW 1/4. to junction

with NSFR 233 near Orogrande Summit.

NFSR 233 Crooked River Road: Closed from jct with NSFT 205 to jct with NSFR 233C.

NFSR 233C Little Buffalo Road: Closed from jct with NSFR 233 to jct with NSFT 313.

NFST 313 Hump Trail: Closed from jct with NSFR 233C to jct with NSFT 300.

NFST 300 Boundary Peak Trail: Closed from jct with NSFT 313 to hydrologic divide/ridge located in T27N R6E section 17

NW 1/4.

NFST 806 20 Mile Lake Trail: Closed from hydrologic divide/ridge located in T27N R6E section 5 NW 1/4 to jct with

NSFT 414.

NFST 414 20 Mile Creek Trail: Closed from jct with NSFT 806 to jct with NSFT 930.

NFST 930 Desperation Mine Trail: Closed from jct with NSFT 414 to jct with NSFR 492.

NFSR 492 Santiam Sourdough Road: Closed from jct with NSFT 930 to beginning of road/junction with Idaho Highway 14.

**Fire Update (9/13/22) at 8:00 a.m.**

ELK CITY - An expanded area closure was implemented on Monday due to the Williams Cree Fire location and its high potential for movement, given the dry fuels and recent weather conditions.

The Twin Lakes fire and the western flank of the Williams Creek fire received some rain Monday night, say officials. Relative humidity recovery was in the 50% range. Additional rain was expected to move through the area Tuesday morning, with another wave of showers predicted for the afternoon. With these conditions, officials hope the fire behavior is limited to creeping and smoldering.

Lightning and gusty outflow winds could also develop Tuesday. With those conditions, the gusty outflow winds have the ability to overcome the higher relative humidity levels and potentially increase fire behavior, say officials.

Crews are planning to continue to mop up residual heat around structures and maintain structural protection measures along the northern portion of the fire on Tuesday. This will ensure crews are prepared if fire progresses northward. Aerial resources were not used Monday due to poor visibility with an inversion, and remain at the ready if conditions allow.

As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways, coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs.

The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure. A new infrared mapping flight was unable to fly due to weather.

At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, interior burning was noted on Monday. Crews will continue to secure structures in the area and mop up any residual heat along the fires edge in the coming days. As crews complete more of their objectives, resources will likely be demobilized or repositioned to the Williams Creek Fire later in the week.

**Fire Update (9/12/22) at 8:00 a.m.**

ELK CITY - The Idaho County Sheriff's Office has rescinded the "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice for the community of Orogrande, but a Forest Area Closure remains in effect near the Williams Creek and Twin Lakes Fires.

Officials said on Monday morning that the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are working to remove the trees and clear the roadways. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the public.

Officials say resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, extinguishing hot spots and securing properties. Crews continue to assess structure protection needs in the Red River Valley, should the fire progress toward that area. Aerial resources will be available to assist crews monday, weather permitting.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek fire at 15,773 acres. Officials say the increase in acreage reflects better mapping, rather than substantial fire perimeter growth and progression. The fire had limited growth along the northeast corner and western flank. The 'completion' was estimated at 15% Monday morning.

By using percent completion of objectives, fire managers can illustrate how they are progressing with the accomplishment of objectives that have been identified and prioritized.

As a comparison, containment implies firelines around the entire perimeter, directly next to the fire's active edge. No containment numbers have been provided on the fires.

At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, crews completed structure protection at Moores Guard Station. The structure protection module will continue to secure structures in the area and mop up residual heat in the burn area. Officials said Monday morning that as crews complete more of their objectives, resources will likely be demobilized or re-positioned to the Williams Creek Fire later in the week.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the Twin Lanes fire at 973 acres, and the completion percentage was listed at 19% Monday morning.

**Fire Update (9/11/22) at 9:00 a.m.**

A Saturday night infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek Fire at 12,956 acres and the Twin Lakes Fire at 950 acres. The fires are burning to the southwest of Elk City, near the community of Orogrande.

Orogrande remains under a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice, issued by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office. Crews were able to remove trees that had fallen over the 233 and 311 Roads, but officials say numerous standing dead trees (snags) remain a dangerous hazard. For this reason, the roads into Orogrande remain closed. Plans are in place for heavy equipment to be utilized to help removed downed trees and open up roads.

Due to an inversion and poor visibility, aerial resources were unable to assist ground crews on Saturday. Crews identified and mapped structures in the Red River Valley and will assess structure protection needs, should the fire progress toward that area.

Engines previously on the night shift are transitioning to day shift, along with additional engines expected to arrive Sunday.

Resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, extinguishing hot spots. Aerial resources will be available to assist crews on Sunday, weather permitting.

The Williams Creek Fire is listed as now 15% completed, and the Twin Lakes Fire is listed as 19% completed. Officials say the percent "completion represents the specific amount of work accomplished on the ground to manage fire spread and reduce the negative impacts to communities, infrastructure, and other identified values.

By using percent completion of objectives, fire managers can illustrate how they are progressing with the accomplishment of objectives that have been identified and prioritized.

As a comparison, containment implies firelines around the entire perimeter, directly next to the fire's active edge. No containment numbers have been provided on the fires.

Crews will continue with addressing hot spots and securing structures and properties, while working to open up roads given all the fallen trees. Hot and dry conditions will continue today, with potential moisture moving in to the area early to mid-week.

**Fire Update (9/10/22) at 8:30 a.m.**

As of Saturday morning, crews were able to remove trees that had fallen over the 233 and 311 Roads, but numerous snags and standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard. Resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, locating and extinguishing hot spots and securing properties.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek fire at 12,447 acres. Much of the heat is scattered and spotty along the east perimeter, and pockets of intense heat continue to burn and fill in. Isolated heat is also showing on both sides of East Fork Crooked River.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the Twin Lakes fire at 934 acres. Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout. A structure protection module will implement structure protection measures at Moores Station today. Sunday, the Incident Management Team will host a community fire information meeting or residents of Orogrande Idaho ONLY.

**Fire Update (9/9/22) at 8:15 a.m.**

According to a Friday morning update, the Williams Creek Fire is now estimated over 3,000 acres larger than was estimated a day earlier. Officials say the larger fire size is largely due to better mapping ability, without less smoke and fewer clouds, rather than actual fire growth.

The fire is now listed at 11,881 acres in size. The fire is burning to the southwest of Elk City, near the community of Orogrande, which remains under a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice issued by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon.

"Hotshot" crews completed burnout operations behind structures on the west side of Orogrande on Thursday evening, eliminating potential fire fuels.

The nearby Twin Lakes Fire showed moderate activity on Thursday, and is estimated at 924 acres in size as of Friday morning.

**Fire Update (9/8/22) at 8:15 a.m.**

ELK CITY - Red Flag weather conditions materialized in the early afternoon hours yesterday at the sire of the Williams Creek Fire, with hot and dry conditions and erratic winds.

Officials say fire behavior and activity prompted the Incident Commander and Fire Operations personnel to recommend a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice through the Idaho County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon. The fire continued to push under the influence of strong, gusty winds. The Incident Commander implemented an immediate evacuation for safety reasons.

Firefighting resources also disengaged and pulled back to staging areas to assess and re-evaluate. Firefighters re-engaged multiple times, as the winds subsided and fire behavior died down enough to ensure safe firefighting operations.

Resources remained on-site into the early morning hours, addressing hot spots within and around the community of Orogrande.

Under the Red Flag conditions, the fire made a 5-to-6-mile push from the west side of Orogrande. The fire established itself in the Five Mile drainage. The smoke column carried heat and embers to the east of Orogrande into the Silver Creek and Quartz Creek drainages and into the old McGuire Fire footprint.

Officials say resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, addressing and extinguishing hot spots and conducting damage assessments. Fallen trees, burned snags and downed powerlines also present safety hazards.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 8,837 acres. Fire managers have requested a daytime infrared flight to further pinpoint the fires progression and location.

At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, an overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 907 acres. The fire was active yesterday, but no major growth or movement occurred.

Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.

A much cooler and more stable air mass is expected to sit over the area on Thursday, with temperatures trending 20 degrees cooler. An inversion is expected to persist through the day above ridgeline, acting as a cap and limiting smoke ventilation. Northwest winds, with gusts to 20 mph, are also expected to persist throughout the day, mainly along upper exposed ridgelines and drainages. The air mass will remain dry, with relative humidity levels dropping to 20%.

Overnight temperatures are expected to dip below freezing. This moderation in weather is expected to keep fire behavior relatively subdued due to the inability to vent.

**Fire Update (9/7/22) at 8:30 a.m.**

OROGRANDE - A Level 2  SET evacuation notice was issued by the Idaho County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday evening for the community of Orogrande due to fire behavior conditions and the proximity of the fires location, to the west side of the community.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 5,197 acres. Due to less cloud cover and Red Flag weather conditions, fire activity increased, mainly in the upper end of Umatilla Creek, say officials.

Fire activity in the upper end of Williams Creek was mild. Two hand crews will be positioned near the community of Orogrande, in anticipation of fire movement, given the Red Flag weather conditions, the fires alignment with terrain and expected fire behavior.

Crews continue to implement structure protection measures, with pumps, hoselays and sprinklers, in and around the communities of Orogrande, Concord and Humptown. Crews also continue to assess needs along the Crooked River corridor, moving northward to scout existing road and trail systems for future opportunities to assist with containing fire movement.

An overnight infrared flight mapped the nearby Twin Lakes Fire at 871 acres.

Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.

A helicopter dropped buckets of water on the northern flank of the fire to cool hot spots on Tuesday. Aerial resources were expected for additional support on Wednesday.

*EVACUATION NOTICE UPGRADED TO LEVEL 2 (9/6/22)*

On Tuesday night, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office upgraded the Evacuation Notice for the community of Orogrande to LEVEL 2 - "Set" due to the Williams Creek Fire. This means residents in the area need to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.

------------------------------------------

Original Story (9-6-22)

ELK CITY - Northern Rockies Team 5 assumed command of two fires burning southwest of Elk City at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The Williams Creek Fire is located about 5 miles west of Orogrande. The lightning caused fire was first reported on August 29. As of Tuesday morning, the fire had reached 4,905 acres and no level of containment had been reported. 80 personnel were assigned to the fire.

Officials say crews continue to implement structure protection measures in and around the communities of Orogrande, Concord and Humptown. Structure protection measures include plumbing with hoselays and sprinklers. Crews also continue to assess needs along the Crooked River corridor, scouting existing road and trail systems for future opportunities to assist with containing fire movement.

The Idaho County Sheriffs Office has issued a Level 1  Get Ready alert for the community of Orogrande.

The nearby Twin Lakes Fire, located east of Twin Lakes and Hagen Creek, was estimated at 752 acres on Tuesday morning. Containment was also listed at 0% on this lighting caused fire.

Nine personnel were assigned to the fire as of Tuesday morning. Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.
Sagility will enhance service offerings with technology and analytics

HGS Healthcare, with operations in India, US, Jamaica, and Philippines, has announced 'Sagility' as its new brand identity. The company, a strategic partner for healthcare payers and providers, provides industry-leading technology and transformation-driven business process management (BPM) services. This enables healthcare businesses to deliver efficient and high-quality services to their members.

Speaking on the new brand identity, Ramesh Gopalan, Group CEO, Sagility said, Sagility means wisdom in action. Sagility will build on this legacy and enhance its service offerings with technology and analytics, thereby enabling the company to offer hi-impact transformative solutions.
Yvon Chouinard, the founder of outdoor apparel brand Patagonia, and his family have transferred ownership of the company to two new entities, Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective, which will direct all profits towards protecting the environment and fighting the climate crisis.

Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder. Source: Patagonia

According to a statement shared by the company this week, every dollar that is not reinvested back into Patagonia will be distributed as dividends to protect the planet.

Chouinard, Patagonia founder, former owner, and current board member commented: Its been a half-century since we began our experiment in responsible business. If we have any hope of a thriving planet 50 years from now, it demands all of us doing all we can with the resources we have.

As the business leader I never wanted to be, I am doing my part. Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source. Were making Earth our only shareholder. I am dead serious about saving this planet.

Chouinard founded the California-based company 50 years ago, and has been described as "an eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire", turning his passion for rock climbing into a successful $3bn global outdoor brand. A founding member of 1% for the Planet, Patagonia has become recognised for its environmental activism.

The Patagonia Purpose Trust now owns all the voting stock of the company (2% of the total stock) and exists to create a more permanent legal structure to enshrine Patagonias purpose and values. It will help ensure that there is never deviation from the intent of the founder and to facilitate what the company continues to do best: demonstrate as a for-profit business that capitalism can work for the planet.

The Holdfast Collective owns all the nonvoting stock (98% of the total stock), and it will use every dollar received from Patagonia to protect nature and biodiversity, support thriving communities and fight the environmental crisis. Each year, profits that are not reinvested back into the business will be distributed by Patagonia as a dividend to the Holdfast Collective to help fight the climate crisis. The company projects that it will pay out an annual dividend of roughly $100m, depending on the health of the business.

Leadership structure

Patagonia will remain a B Corp and continue to give 1% of sales each year to grassroots activists. The leadership of the company does not change. Ryan Gellert will continue to serve as CEO and the Chouinard family will continue to sit on Patagonias board, along with Kris Tompkins, Dan Emmett, Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Charles Conn (chair of the board) and Ryan Gellert.

The Chouinard family will also guide the companys controlling shareholder, the Patagonia Purpose Trust, electing and overseeing Patagonias board of directors. They will also guide the philanthropic work performed by the Holdfast Collective. Acting together, Patagonias board and the Patagonia Purpose Trust will work for the companys continued success over the long term while ensuring it stays true to its purpose and values.

Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia and Patagonia board member said: Two years ago, the Chouinard family challenged a few of us to develop a new structure with two central goals. They wanted us to both protect the purpose of the business and immediately and perpetually release more funding to fight the environmental crisis. We believe this new structure delivers on both and we hope it will inspire a new way of doing business that puts people and planet first.

Going purpose instead of going public

The company shared the news first with its employees in a global town hall event on 14 September. Soon after, the website Patagonia.com was updated to state that Earth was now its only shareholder and to include a letter from founder Yvon Chouinard.

In the letter, Chouinard wrote: "I never wanted to be a businessman. I started as a craftsman, making climbing gear for my friends and myself, then got into apparel. As we began to witness the extent of global warming and ecological destruction, and our own contribution to it, Patagonia committed to using our company to change the way business was done."

But, he said that they needed to find a way to put more money into fighting the environmental crisis while keeping the companys values intact.

"One option was to sell Patagonia and donate all the money. But we couldnt be sure a new owner would maintain our values or keep our team of people around the world employed. Another path was to take the company public. What a disaster that would have been. Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility. Truth be told, there were no good options available. So, we created our own."

He continued, "Instead of 'going public', you could say were 'going purpose'. Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, well use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth."

Chouinard closed off his letter saying, "If we have any hope of a thriving planet - much less a thriving business - 50 years from now, it is going to take all of us doing what we can with the resources we have. This is another way weve found to do our part. "Despite its immensity, the Earths resources are not infinite, and its clear weve exceeded its limits. But its also resilient. We can save our planet if we commit to it."
The New York Festivals AME Awards have announced the 2022 award-winners, with Havas Middle East awarded the AME Platinum Award in the Middle East & Africa region for Liquid Billboard for client adidas.

Liquid Billboard for client adidas won the New York Fetivals AME Platinum Award in the Middle East & Africa region Source:  Jack Morton Jack Morton Havas Middle East'sfor client adidas won the New York Fetivals AME Platinum Award in the Middle East & Africa region

It is one of four international agencies recognised by the AME Grand Jury with 2022 AME Regional Platinum Awards.

The New York Festivals AME Awards celebrate effectiveness worldwide. The international AME Awards Grand Jury also awarded the AME Best of Show (Grand Award), one Green Award, 25 Gold, 31 Silver, 39 Bronze and 30 Finalist Certificate Awards for their ground-breaking results-driven work.

Middle East & Africa

Havas Middle Easts Liquid Billboard for client adidas also earned it an additional three Gold Towers.

To launch adidas new inclusive line and inspire women to embrace water with confidence the agency designed and created the Liquid Billboard, the worlds first swimmable media space.

The activation sparked social conversations about making swimming more inclusive as a sport across 60 countries on six continents and earned organic PR in over 40 languages reaching 350+ million people with $6m earned media. The campaign resulted in a 70% sell-through of the new inclusive line within four weeks.

Europe

Seven.One AdFactory / Creative House / White Rabbit Budapest / WallDecaux was honoured for their innovative work #flutwein  Our Worst Vintage with the top AME honour Best of Show (Grand Award) and the AME Platinum  Europe. The campaign, created for client Flutwein, also earned three Gold Tower Awards.

Impressive results include 100,000 donated after the first day. After the first week, the goal of 1m was reached. The value of the wine rose by 4500% and collected more than 4,4m.

Flutwein reached twice the effectiveness of the most successful German crowdfunding campaign to date. Press coverage reached a total of over 800 million gross contacts.

Asia Pacific

Special New Zealand earned the 2022 AME Platinum Award - Asia Pacific for David's Unusables for Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand. The agency also earned two Golds for the campaign.

To increase awareness of the debilitating disease that causes muscle deterioration, Motor Neurone Disease, Special NZ utilised a media-led idea that charted the real-life decline of David Seymour by selling items he could no longer use on NZs leading e-marketplace  Trade Me (a NZ version of Ebay). The TradeMe store  Davids Unusables, showcased 33 items listed in a timeline relative to Davids physical deterioration and told the story of Davids loss.

This auction also became a vehicle for storytelling. Results include 41 individual PR articles worth over $230,000 and 7.9 million impressions (duplicated reach).

North America

Alma DDB USAs Better With Pepsi scored the AME Platinum  North America. The campaign also earned two additional Gold Towers.

The core building block of the initiative was the paper artwork that uncovered Pepsis logo in the wrappers of the top burger chains. With three key images, the campaign was simple, yet unforgettable. Impressive results.

Adweek claimed it was the brands best work in years, 3.6 billion impressions including OOH, Twitter, programmatic (TMZ, Radar Online, Perez Hilton), and print. 1.3 million Twitter engagements at an 11% engagement rate, 720% higher than the typical Pepsi trademark benchmark of 1.34%. The OOH drove 1.16 million impressions across NYC, LA, Dublin OH, Miami and Chicago, with the New York Postprint driving an additional 181,000 impressions which led to a 29% increase in brand consideration.

AME Green Award

AMVBBDO UK earned the prestigious AME Green Award for Hope Reef for client Sheba. The campaign also earned an AME Gold and two Silver.

One million people have explored Hope Reef on Google Maps. Shebas Reef Star System has been adopted by five more countries. 20 million views on their YouTube channel have raised enough funds for a new crowdfunded reef. Global PR includes 2.5 billion earned impressions (BBC, Forbes, and National Geographic) and a 276% increase in positive social conversations about reef restoration. Brand awareness grew +17%, purchase intent by +14%.

For a complete list of 2022s AME award-winning entries, visit winners.
The New York Festivals Advertising Awards announced the DE&I Award winners with Zulu Alpha Kilo taking the gold.

Picture Supplied.

The six-person DE&I advisory board, chaired by Destiny K. Chambers, VP, head of marketing and Lippe Taylor selected the 2022 DE&I award-winning entries. The advisory board said they ensured that all entries were judged fairly and thoughtfully using the 4R framework created by P&G.

The New York Festivals DE&I Awards honour work, individuals and organisations that are taking meaningful steps to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society. They said the awards celebrate work that supports, protects, represents and uplifts historically underrepresented groups.

The 2022 New York Festivals Advertising Awards DE&I winners include:

Gold - Tough Turban Zulu Alpha Kilo for Pfaff Harley-Davidson

Silver- Degree Inclusive Wunderman Thompson Argentina for Unilever

Bronze  Micropedia of Microaggressions Zulu Alpha Kilo for Black Business and Professional Association, et al.

Alpha Zulu Kilos gold-winning Tough Turban used innovative thinking to solve a unique problem, by developing an alternative to a motorcycle helmet. With its ground-breaking use of material science and empathy towards the wearers freedom of cultural expression Tough Turban made sure that Sikh motorcyclists no longer had to choose between their beliefs and their safety.

The agency also earned a bronze for Micropedia of Microaggressions, a judgment-free online tool providing easy-to-digest information where people can unlearn their unconscious bias and make immediate changes in their daily interactions with others.

Were honoured to have our creative efforts in DEI recognized for their impact. Hopefully the work in this category inspires other marketers to make more strides in their DEI initiatives, said Zak Mroueh, chief creative officer and founder, Zulu Alpha Kilo.

Wunderman Thompson Argentina earned the silver DE&I Award for their innovative Degree Inclusive campaign to launch Unilever's first adaptive deodorant. Degree Inclusive revolutionized deodorant design to include everyone, however, they can move. The product was co-created with the disabled community to design a deodorant thats easier to handle, easier to identify, easier to open and close, and easier to apply.

This an honour for Wunderman Thompson (WT), especially for WT Argentina. Diversity, equity, inclusion are central values for us which makes this award even more special. Lots of people from around the globe from WT and Unilever worked on this campaign that took more than two years to bring to life. Today were glad to say that it was just a beginning since we are still working to make this idea grow. It was wonderful to see how the development of this project managed to connect different people with different capabilities, from diverse regions and time zones, working alongside disabled communities. All this to keep on pushing for making the world a more inclusive place to live. From that perspective, having this effort recognised by the DE&I Advisory Board demonstrates that this effort is going in the right direction. Thank you so much, said Victoria Cole CEO Argentina and Chile.

For 2022 VMLY&R earned the title of DE&I Agency of the Year for their commitment to celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in both their hiring and promotion practices and their innovative creative campaigns.

We are so honoured to receive this award recognizing VMLY&R as DE&I Network of the Year. Our people are always our first priority, and awards like this acknowledge the impact of our DE&I work as well as our continued commitment to drive progress across the industry, said Tasha Gilroy, chief equity inclusion and belonging officer at VMLY&R.

Person of the Year Award

New York Festivals Advertising Awards and the NYF DE&I advisory board honoured Archana Mahadevan, VP, strategy director for DDB Chicago with the 2022 DE&I Person of the Year Award.

Mahadevan is in the midst of a 15-year career that has spanned two continents, India, and the US. An award-winning strategist, she has worked with prominent brands including Google, State Farm, La Quinta, and the US Army. As a passionate advocate for DE&I initiatives, Mahadevan believes in leading with empathy and making deep connections with people.

Within her work, she strives to bring the underrepresented immigrant gaze and POV to the world  to create more awareness about immigrants in advertising and their unique plight and challenges.

Through the recognition she will gain from the three DE&I awards, Mahadevan expects to develop the toolkits, intelligence, network, and strategies to be able to impact worldwide talent in advertising including immigrants.

I am so excited to be awarded the three DE&I person of the year. Inclusion and representation in advertising, specifically for the immigrant community, is a cause very close to my heart and I hope to be able to continue to pay it forward in every way possible and pave the way for peers and next generations, said Mahadevan, VP, strategy director, DDB Chicago.

View the inspiring DE&I winners here.
South Africa has seen a large increase in the number of people employed in agriculture during the first quarter of 2022.

Source: Igor Stevanovic via 123RF

This was revealed during an Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development (ESIEID) Cluster briefing held on Thursday.

The Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development Cluster, led by Human Settlements Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, briefed the media on Thursday on the progress of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP).

The ERRP is a collaborative initiative between government and social partners, aimed at boosting post-pandemic economic recovery.

The report focused on eight pillars implemented by various government departments from 2020 up to the end of June 2022.

According to the report presented by Kubayi, the number of people employed in the agricultural sector increased by 6.6% in the first quarter of 2022, from 792,000 people in the first quarter of 2021 to 844,000 people in the same quarter of 2022.

The report shows that of the 52 000 jobs created, 31,000 and 21,000 jobs were created for males and females, respectively, between the two quarters.

"During the same period in total, the agricultural sector has 249,000 females and 595,000 males, compared to 228 000 females and 564,000 males," Kubayi said.

A total of 37,414 out of 300,000 smallholder farmers (SHF) were supported by the first quarter of 2022/23.

Tourism sector

Achievements were also realised in the tourism sector, which is one of the eight areas covered in the ERRP.

The report noted a substantial increase in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Total tourism international arrivals increased by 162% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the first quarter of 2021," Kubayi said.

The e-Visa system was also implemented in 14 countries, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria, amongst others.

Other achievements

Other achievements of the ERRP include the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, which has benefitted 960 972 beneficiaries, with 84% being youth and 58% female.

A total of 726 638 (83% of target) jobs were also created, including 23,592 (75% of target) livelihoods supported, and 40,526 (67% of target) jobs retained.

Kubayi emphasised that while the government has made good progress in implementing what was agreed, the full impact of the implementation can only materialise if all the social partners play their role.
According to a-z-animals.com, mosquitos are the deadliest animals in the world, killing an estimated 750,000 to 1 million humans yearly. There are 16,000 mosquitoes on the planet for every one person. If that is the fact, when are we going to watch a horror movie about the attack of mosquitos?

Many marine biologists, particularly those who study sharks, take issue with Jaws (as well as with a good deal of reporting on sharks). They feel, with some justification, that it is unfair to paint sharks  which they say are indifferent to human beings and have as much right to be in the ocean as any of the other animals that live there.

Sharks dont want to hurt or eat people. The shark in the movie is a villain, a cold-blooded and driven killer. The final act of Jaws, set entirely at sea, is all about Brodys mission to catch and kill the great white that has besieged Amity Island  and the sharks equal determination to eat him.

Fact:

As of 25 December, there were 81 shark attack bites in 2021 Worldwide, publicly reported and verified, according to Tracing Sharks.



Sharks are also far more under threat from humans than vice versa and every year millions of sharks are killed.



Information about the actual species that live around us, and how they behave, might go a long way toward debunking the mythical man-eating shark that we have conjured up in our minds. CEO of Marine Dynamics, and founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, Wilfred Chivell, has been privileged to grow up in the Great White Capital of South Africa, called Gansbaai. He has been diving, researching, and protecting great white sharks for the past 40 years.

In 2013, Wilfred accepted the Honorary Life Membership of the Shark Conservation Society.

Are shark numbers declining or increasing in South Africa water and if so why?

Most definitely declining! With overfishing being the biggest contributor to the decline in shark numbers. Long liner fishing trawlers are a massive problem, in the deeper oceans as well as in the shallows. Our department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment are not doing enough to protect our crippling marine resources! Even though so many national and international marine scientists are cautioning them to do so.

What are the most urgent factors to consider in shark rehabilitation?

Factors such as overfishing, loss of biodiversity and sharks being caught as bycatch need immediate attention from authorities!

Marine Dynamics tourism hub offers award-winning five-star shark cage diving and whale watching/eco tours in the unique Dyer Island ecosystem of Gansbaai, South Africa. The companies are Fair Trade Tourism certified and believe that 'Your choice makes a difference'.

For more information, visit the website: https://sharkwatchsa.com/en/home/




Recently, the Prudential Authority, acting in terms of the Banks Act, 1990, issued a guidance note (G10/2022) to inform banks and bank controlling companies of practices related to the effective implementation of adequate anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism controls relating to crypto assets and crypto asset service providers.

The Prudential Authority is aware that certain banks in South Africa have previously decided to terminate their relationship with crypto asset service providers and/or have discontinued the provision of banking services to crypto asset service providers by closing their accounts.

In an implicit criticism of such actions by certain banks, the guidance note emphasises that risk assessment does not necessarily mean that banks should seek to avoid any risk entirely by, for example, closing the accounts of crypto asset service providers or by refusing to open an account for them.

The guidance note highlights that the decision to close accounts or not to offer banking services should be made only after careful due diligence and consideration. By virtue of this, if a bank gives notice of its intention to close an account of a customer simply on the basis that the customer is a crypto asset service provider, the enforcement of the banks right to terminate may be challenged on the basis that it is contrary to public policy and should not be countenanced.

Risk management processes

Inasmuch as the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 2001 adopts a risk-based approach to regulation, banks are required to have in place comprehensive policies and risk-management processes as well as procedures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. These policies and processes must be documented and updated on a regular basis and training on money laundering and terrorist financing must be provided on an ongoing basis.

Risk assessment in terms of such policies would enable banks to understand the direct and/or indirect exposure to risks that a crypto asset service provider may present. Banks need to assess what elements are driving or reducing money laundering, terrorist and proliferation financing. In this regard, banks have to consider the type of clients, their transactional activity, cross-border flow of funds and a clients association with crypto-related activities.

The risk management and compliance programmes of banks need to be tailored and cater to varying levels of risk that a crypto asset service provider poses. Appropriate risk assessment involves a consideration of various factors, including:

the type of services, products, transactions involved;



customer risk;



geographical factors; and



the type of crypto assets involved or exchanged.



Due diligence

When a crypto asset service provider seeks to establish and maintain a relationship with a bank, the bank should, as part of its due diligence, ascertain if the crypto asset service provider has documented and implemented appropriate money laundering, terrorist and proliferation financing risk management policies, procedures, systems and controls that the bank follows in respect of its own activities and product offerings. Where higher risks present themselves, an enhanced due diligence should be undertaken. A one size fits all approach in dealing with crypto asset service providers may result in inadequate risk understanding and risk measures. The Prudential Authority has noted that this approach goes against the spirit and practice of a risk-based approach.

Risks associated with crypto asset service providers constantly change and this requires banks to conduct regular risk assessments and amend their risk profiles and risk management programmes to deal with new risks that might arise. Banks need relevant and requisite technical expertise to adequately assess the risks stemming from crypto assets and crypto asset service providers.

Reporting suspicious activity

If the transactional activity of a crypto asset service provider is not in line with the initial profile the bank has of its customer, it should consider filing a suspicious or unusual activity report with the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC). Banks must ensure that they employ appropriate detection and monitoring mechanisms to mitigate against any risks of money laundering or terrorist financing that may be introduced through crypto assets or crypto asset service providers.

Banks must ensure that they maintain adequate records in respect of all customer transactions for a minimum period of seven years or for a period of seven years from the date of submission of a suspicious or unusual transaction report to the FIC.

In due course, crypto asset service providers will become accountable institutions and will have to comply with all the obligations imposed on accountable institutions and that may give banks some added comfort, at least as to the underlying clients of the crypto asset service providers. Until then, given that the legislation is risk-based and not rule-based, the banks should revisit their risk appetite for crypto asset clients and effect the necessary changes to their policies and compliance manual.

The Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Bill (the Bill)

Parliaments police committee recently heard public submissions on the Bill. The draft law is designed to align South Africa with international instruments that were adopted to provide for:

offences related to terrorist training and the joining or establishment of terrorist organisations;



offences related to foreign travel for the purposes of committing an offence outside South Africa for the benefit of or at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group;



offences related to the possession and distribution of material containing unlawful terrorism related content;



the authorisation of the Director of Public Prosecutions to be obtained in respect of the investigation and prosecution of certain offences;



the issuing of warrants for the search and cordoning off of vehicles, persons and premises;



a direction requiring the disclosure of a decryption key and the effect of a direction to disclose a decryption key; and



the removal of or making inaccessible material containing unlawful terrorism-related content.



This Bill has been introduced to address shortcomings identified by the global anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering standards body, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF has given South Africa until February 2023 to remedy shortcomings that were identified by it in 2021 and if not remedied, could result in the country being grey-listed. A grey listing could have an impact on the economy as it could increase costs and risks associated with investments.

Concerns

Concerns have been raised about the proposed new Section 3A that would be introduced into our law, if the Bill is enacted in its current form, this section will prohibit the publication of terrorism-related content. It has been suggested that this new section will result in ordinary people being criminalised for publishing critical content about the South African Government and its policies.

The Bill proposes that someone who is found guilty of the publication of terrorism-related content could face a fine of up to R100 million or imprisonment of up to 30 years. It also allows the National Director of Public Prosecutions to apply without notice to the affected party, to a judge in chambers for various orders, including the freezing of an accused persons property.

The Bill also intends to prohibit a person from relying on a duty of secrecy or confidentiality in order to escape reporting the presence of a person suspected of committing or intending to commit a terrorist-related offence, but this does not apply to legal professional privilege between an attorney and client for communications made for the purposes of legal advice or pending litigation.

Academics and journalists who are arrested for being in possession of terrorist-related content, may raise as a defence that the possession was for carrying out the work as a journalist or for research purposes. This was introduced following an earlier round of public consultations in regard to the Bill. Some argue that this provision should be extended to allow for organisations and individuals involved in work to prevent radical thinking or extreme behaviour such as religious organisations and religious leaders that in good faith engage in research and education of their congregations to counter radical thinking or extreme behaviour.

In a recently published statement by National Treasury, it appears that it is working towards the Bill to be enacted by November 2022 and if so, hopefully this will go some way to avoid a grey-listing for South Africa.
For as long as they can recall, Thandeka Xaba and Nonkululeko Komanyane have been entrepreneurs at heart. This entrepreneurial spirit is evident in both of their careers to date. After obtaining her CA(SA) qualification, Xaba entered the world of investment banking, gaining invaluable experience in her field.

Digital Africa Ventures (DAV) Thandeka Xaba, Nonkululeko Komanyane, and Lebogang Poonyane

But the entrepreneurship call was not to be silenced, and she responded by founding the beauty tech company, establishing the youth development NPO, the Tariro Foundation, and involving herself in the world of business incubation as a fellow-in-residence, building the Allan Gray Orbis Foundations incubation programme.

Komanyanes career has been no less entrepreneurial or stellar. This talented young business professional co-founded the well-respected IM In Accelerator, where she oversaw investments of around R27m and supported the establishment of nearly 30 new tech businesses locally.

It seems almost inevitable that these entrepreneurial dynamos would join forces in a venture that would help transform the South African (SA) tech business start-up landscape. And in 2020, thats precisely what they did when they founded Digital Africa Ventures (DAV), which at the time was the only Black female-led venture capital fund in SA with founding principals under the age of 35 years.

Shortly after founding DAV, Xaba and Komanyane were joined by Lebogang Poonyane. DAVs third partner brought a wealth of investment leadership, fundraising and post-investment strategic support to the stable, creating a diverse group of fund managers able to make a meaningful difference.

DAV is anchored in the SA SME Fund and has attracted significant investment and support from various investors.

E Squared, an impact investor that provides, most often, early-stage funding to Allan Gray Fellow-founded and socially-minded businesses, provided additional operational funding to DAV early in 2021 to assist the founders in establishing this business. Much like DAVs own philosophy, E Squared remains committed to their long-term success.

To date, DAV has invested over R11m across Black-founded businesses such as Tripplo, Kandua and Flexclub, dispelling the myth that there arent investable Black businesses out there'.

Xaba has this to say: Through our own entrepreneurial experiences, we are able to relate to founders on the challenges they face when trying to access funding and to establish and grow their businesses. This has been a key differentiator of our funding to and support of promising digital businesses. Venture Capital is a relationship-based business and years of meaningful interactions with founders have given us a head start. Our integration into the ecosystem has yielded results we could never have imagined and we are inspired by how much more there is to come.

Speaking about some of their key success factors and the noteworthy support DAV has received from its anchor investors, board members and advisors, Xaba goes on to say: We would not be here today without the many ecosystem players who supported us along the way. Three factors have kept us grounded and inspired, and to be better than we were the day before in an effort to #ScaleZA: Our belief in building relationships based on trust, and openness to continuous learning, and knowing that VC is a game of making a series of calculated bets.

The experiences of the DAV founding principals have led them to concentrate on funding and supporting early-stage SA tech companies in the under-served entrepreneurial space.

Funding is provided in the R2m to R5m range, amounts that many start-ups find most difficult to access as VCs typically target investments below R2m or over R7.5m.

Komanyane says that DAVs funding from Seed to Series A was informed by insights gained while heading up the IM In Accelerator. Whilst many of the seed investments channelled into start-ups helped get them established, a lack of ongoing funding after the accelerator phase often hamstrung the growth ambitions of these businesses, she explains, which is why DAV is committed to partnering with and supporting businesses through start-up and well into their growth and expansion phases.

Add to this, DAVs commitment to channelling at least 50% of its funding into Black-owned and operated digital start-ups, and its clear why the fund has successfully carved a particular niche for itself in the South African VC landscape.

The success achieved by the fund in the comparatively short period of time since it was established more than validates its targeted, tech-focused and transformation-led early-stage funding philosophy.

The fund aims to invest in at least nine more businesses before closing their anchor fund. The team has already set their sights on establishing a second fund, with a similar early-stage tech start-up investment mandate, but a greater reach beyond the borders of South Africa into the African continent.

Entrepreneurship is recognised as being central to Africas future economic sustainability and prosperity, Xaba says, It is our hope that through the work we do and the funding we provide, we can be a part of the continents eventual success story by helping promising young tech entrepreneurs overcome the challenges they face in accessing funding and support.

About Digital Africa Ventures (DAV):

Serving the underserved and representing the underrepresented, our aim is to bridge the funding and support gap for early stage African tech entrepreneurs.

We are one of the very few black woman managed venture capital funds in South Africa and believe our diversity sets us apart.




Year-on-year, the average South African household food basket increased by R611.44 from July 2021 . This represents a 14.8% annual increase - far above headline inflation reported through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and outstripping food inflation.

Shannon Temple, lead retail analyst at DataEQ. Source: Supplied

Despite this steep price hike, South African consumers perceptions of grocery costs have improved over time, suggesting that consumer sentiment is driven by more than just price. This is according to Shannon Temple, lead retail analyst at DataEQ, who recently presented on consumer trends in retail at the 2022 edition of E-commerce Live.

Looking at net sentiment* on social media towards grocery retailers pricing since 2020, there is an upward trajectory, indicating that conversation is becoming gradually more positive, explains Temple.

Source: Supplied

Notably, we see Woolworths with the steepest incline here, while Checkers and Pick n Pay experienced slight declines since last year, she adds.

Having analysed over 1 million social media posts from consumers talking about South Africas major grocery retailers, Temple goes on to unpack three major trends that are shaping the local retail e-commerce landscape.

1. Special offers over price comparisons

Despite the prevalence of pricing and affordability in conversation, social media data indicates that consumers are speaking less and less about it since 2020.

Attention has moved away from price comparisons and towards special offers, with the online narrative shifting to which brand is offering the best value for money.

Driving a sense of savings is going to be critical for the industry going forward.

Consumers want to feel like theyre saving when using a premium service, and well-executed specials are key to achieving this.

2. An omnichannel experience is key

While special offers allow retailers to drive perceptions about price, they can be a major point of contention if not implemented correctly across all channels.

In this sense, creating an omnichannel shopping experience is critical for retailers and there needs to be parity between specials offered in-store versus what is offered on the app.

3. Operational ease still matters

Digital platforms do not remove the risk of operational issues arising.

If anything, there is an even higher expectation from digital customers for operational ease.

For example, the issue of items being out of stock is typically met with high criticism  especially when said item is linked to a special offer.

There are also logistical issues that are inherent to the e-commerce model, such as delayed delivery times or cancelled orders.

This is where expectation management and clear communication becomes vital, setting apart the retailers who excel in digital customer service, from those who dont.

*Net Sentiment is a single score calculated by deducting the percentage of negative conversation from the percentage of positive conversation.
The department of Employment and Labour in Limpopo has cautioned work seekers to refrain from sending acquaintances to submit job applications on their behalf.

The Departments Public Employment Service Unit hosted a work seekers registration drive outside Jane Furse, in Ga-Mashabela on Wednesday.

The purpose of the drive was to help correct errors that most work seekers make when drafting CVs as well as registering them on the Employment Service of South Africa.

Speaking to the work seekers, Career Counsellor Thabo Kgoale said that there is a lot of mistakes that work seekers make that hinder them from getting employment.

Kgoale said the mistakes include typing errors, untidy CVs, asking advice pertaining CV writing from unknowledgeable individuals, poor interview skills and not putting required skills and knowledge on the CVs.

Kgoale informed work seekers to compile CVs that are fully detailed and updated according to the post they are applying for.

"On the referencing part, applicants should put their former employers as they know their work ethics, qualities and skills rather than family members.

Young people have devices that can be used to look for employment but rather spend time on sites that are not self-empowering. Visit online newspapers to check for job opportunities, check billboards and notice boards," Kgoale said.

Work seekers were encouraged to prepare before going for interviews, look presentable and also research about the job, consult with Career Counsellors about the nature and background of the job as well as have self-confidence during interviews.

Kgoale further cautioned work seekers to stop sending people to submit applications on their behalf but rather make an effort to look for employment on their own.

Work seekers were also urged to be cautious of scammers and apply for opportunities that are known by everyone and do not require cash in return.

Even though you have no qualifications, there are jobs that do not require qualifications and matric such as hair plating, selling items, and artwork and therefore yo should never undermine your ability while waiting for permanent employment. Through ESSA we will make a difference in the communities, Kgoale said.
Growing a successful small business is much like running the Comrades - it takes time, endurance, and determination to make it to the finish line. In South Africa, this can be a challenging but worthy path. According to McKinsey's latest report, small businesses make up over 98% of all businesses in SA and employ between 50% - 60% of the country's workforce. Not only are SMEs the backbone of the country, but they account for 34% of the country's GDP. This is only set to increase if SMEs have the relevant support needed to give them a leg up.

As a small business owner in 2022, its your role to ensure that your business strategy has been re-adjusted post-pandemic, so that you are able to respond to ever-changing consumer demands, and have an innovative game plan to stay ahead of your competitors.

Here are five things every SME should keep in check in SA:

1. Lets talk taxes and finance



From the word go, recording and tracking your finances need to be a high priority. According to the South African State of Small Business report for 2022, late payments are still a top concern for businesses' survival, with more than 25% of those surveyed reporting that they are owed money outside of their normal payment terms.

Accounting and invoicing platforms like Xero, Zoho Books and DoughGetters provide solutions for SMEs to prevent cash flow issues.

Recouping your debts from your customers can be easily resolved by integrating effective accounting and invoicing software programmes  the earlier you set this up, the better for your business.

Finances and taxes go hand in hand, and if your finances are all in order, youll easily be able to file your taxes.

There are certain situations where your business may qualify for tax exemptions, and this can significantly reduce the tax you owe SARS. If you dont have the time or energy to focus on filing your taxes, it might be necessary to seek advice from professionals.

2. Business insurance and funding

The Covid-19 pandemic coupled with load shedding has had a negative impact on SMEs, and unforeseen events like these could halt business operations completely. Business insurance offers entrepreneurs peace of mind by creating a safety net for unexpected events.

The type of insurance you should take out is entirely dependent on your industry. Navigating your business insurance options can be quite daunting and difficult to understand.

Financial stability is essential for small business growth in South Africa, but entrepreneurs are often unable to secure funding simply because they arent aware of the different options available to them. According to McKinsey, 36% of SMEs in South Africa were not receiving government loans or support, and at least a quarter of businesses surveyed was not making use of payment relief options such as UIF and PAYE.

A lack of access to financial products paired with very little financial education means business owners arent thriving at the rate they could be.

3. Brand development



Branding is essential for SMEs who want to see significant expansion in their businesses. Even for B2B businesses, branding creates recognition, reputation and trust, which leads to better conversions. Whether its word-of-mouth, above-the-line or below-the-line advertising, each form of marketing is beneficial in letting more people know about your business.

Nurturing your customers to become brand ambassadors is incredibly valuable in ensuring your business is a sustainable one. When budgets are tight and challenges arise, one of the first areas small business owners want to cut is their marketing. This is a serious mistake that can put your business at a disadvantage and make it difficult to recover from tough times.

4. Well-structured operations

Early-stage SMEs often struggle when it comes to managing their operations effectively, whereas larger companies have the luxury of larger teams and departments who have extensive experience and knowledge of business functions. If you dont have the funds just yet to hire an operations manager, a logical next step is setting up a basic operational process, as even small efficiencies can affect your bottom line significantly.

Spend time researching effective already-built tools that are geared at improving productivity, business processes and communication. According to Xeros State of Small Business report, two-thirds of small business owners say that technology has become more critical to them since the pandemic began. Businesses are gearing up for growth in the next 12 months, with 85% of SMEs investing in boosting tech and cloud skills.

5. Expanding your team



Growing your team at the right time is a science, and the hiring process shouldnt be taken lightly. Before going down this route, you need to know what the ideal team size would be, as you dont want to grow too rapidly. What aspects of your business do you need to focus on more? South African entrepreneurs often take on more work than they can handle, and this can be damaging to both your cash flow and outputs.

No matter how great your product or service is, or how cutting-edge your technology is, if you don't have a strong team behind you, it's unlikely that your business will be successful in the long run. It takes a village to build and sustain a successful company, so make sure you surround yourself with people who are just as passionate about your vision as you are.

Upskilling your team is a key success lever for SMEs, not only does it affect your bottom line, but it will attract better talent in the long run. People want to work for businesses where they can continue to learn and grow in meaningful ways.
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Hong Kong: Govt to probe tree collapse

The Development Bureau today said its Tree Management Office (TMO) has requested the Leisure & Cultural Services Department to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of a tree collapse at Perth Street, Ho Man Tin by early October.

In response to media enquiries on the incident, the bureau said the TMO is highly concerned about the tree collapse which happened this morning.

The 9.5-metre high Delonix regia on the pavement outside 6 Perth Street is under the LCSDs maintenance and is not an old and valuable tree.

LCSD staff had all along been monitoring the tree's health and conducting regular tree maintenance work including pruning.

During the last inspection on April 22, no signs of decay were found on the branches, trunk and surface of the tree roots.

Members of LCSDs tree team had also preliminarily inspected the other 34 trees managed by the department on Perth Street and confirmed that no irregularities were found.

The bureaus TMO has requested the LCSD to conduct detailed inspections on the health and structural conditions of the trees there. The TMO will take prompt follow-up action once the tree collapse report is completed by the LCSD.

Additionally, the TMO has already requested all tree maintenance departments to review the situation of large Delonix regia located near the roadside within the area under their management in order to ensure public safety.

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Kuwait eyes cooperation with China in space exploration: expert

Xinhua) 09:28, September 16, 2022

Members of Kuwait's national satellite team are seen in the final tests of KuwaitSAT1 in Capital Governorate, Kuwait, July 18, 2022. (Xinhua)

KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's national satellite team looks forward to cooperating with China in space projects and scientific research, an official from the country's national satellite project said in a recent interview.

Ahmed Al-Kandri, deputy and operations manager of Kuwait's national satellite project, commended China as one of the world's leading countries in space exploration and wished to cooperate with China in the exchange of knowledge and capabilities.

After completing the final tests of kuwaitSAT1, the first Kuwaiti satellite, before its launch in November, Kuwait's national satellite team is designing KuwaitSAT2, according to Ahmed Al-Kandri.

Hala Al-Jassar, a faculty member in the Physics Department at Kuwait University and the director of the national satellite project, hailed the kuwaitSAT1 project, which costed about 300,000 Kuwaiti dinars (about 970,000 U.S. dollars), as "a milestone in the field of scientific, environmental and natural phenomena study."

kuwaitSAT1 will provide information for the study of coasts and islands through a micro-image captured by a high-quality, high-tech camera. By taking pictures of various cities and areas, the satellite will benefit engineering and environmental studies, said Al-Jassar.

The satellite camera's data and photos will be tested for three months after launch, according to Al-Jassar.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
An Alphington aged care property has changed hands for $14.7 million, nearly $5 million more than was expected. The collapsed Chronos Aged Care group ran the facility at 9-11 Old Heidelberg Road until it went into administration last year, owing more than $25 million to residents, employees and other creditors. It is understood a major healthcare operator has nabbed the 7207 sq m property which includes two neighbouring houses. Records show a caveat has been placed on the propertys title by Perpetual Nominees. The triangle- shaped site fronts both Old Heidelberg and Heidelberg roads opposite one of the oldest Dan Murphys outlets and the groups headquarters. The vendor was a local family who had owned the property for 25 years.

Gray Johnson agent Matt Hoath did the Alphington deal with Rory White said the original expressions of interest campaign failed to find a buyer. It was certainly worth the wait. The repurposing of aged care and other medical facilities is occurring across the city. With building costs running so high, they are being snapped up and reused. A 48-room Baptcare aged care home in Preston sold this week for $5.5 million by a private investor planning to convert it into specialist disability accommodation. The 2637 sq m property at 547-567 Bell Street was the fifth aged care facility to sell this week. The deal was brokered by CBREs Sandro Peluso, Marcello Caspani-Muto and Jimmy Tat, who also managed the Mt Eliza transaction.

From selling an average of two vacant aged-care homes in 2018-20, our specialist team sold five last year and weve already matched that tally this year, Peluso said. Vacant properties in Glen Waverley and Northcote in Victoria, and Cairns, Clayfield and Toowoomba in Queensland are expected to hit the market in the coming weeks, he said. Health outfit Down the Coburg end of Bell Street, community health outfit, Merri Health, has sold its landmark premises on the corner of Sydney Road for $5.09 million. Merri Health has sold its landmark premises on the corner of Sydney Road for $5.09 million. Credit:

The two-storey red brick property was purchased by Base Groups Harry Fung on a tight 1.68 per cent yield and a strong land rate of $6760 a sq m. Ive always had an emotional connection to the area as this is where our family established themselves when they first came out to Australia. I have fond memories of this building as I walked past it every day on the way to school, Fung said. Coburg is culturally rich, and I am looking forward to rejuvenating this building back to its former glory, he said. Merri Health has nine locations, mostly in the northern suburbs, and bought the property in 2016 for $4.07 million with plans to develop into a head office. That plan never came to fruition and HQ is now in new digs at the redeveloped Pentridge nearby. The deal was handled by Gross Waddell ICRs Alex Ham and Danny Clark.

Bank building A corner site in busy South Yarra occupied by NAB as a tenant for 72 years has sold on a yield of 2.53 per cent. The flagship building on Toorak Road and Chapel Street corner, opposite Larry Kestelmans Capitol Grand project and the Como Centre, sold to a local investor on Thursday at auction for $16.2 million. Bids opened at $14.5 million, already on a sub 3 per cent yield, and four keen buyers went on to fight it out, one bidding remotely from overseas, until the property was knocked down under the hammer in front of a large crowd. Selling agents Colliers Matt Stagg, Tim McIntosh, Daniel Wolman and Leon Ma said they got more than 200 enquiries from local and offshore investors.

NAB has a new five year term on the lease after a hefty $1.5 million was spent refurbishing the store. The sale is counter-cyclical to whats going on with other bank branches, said McIntosh. Swags of other bank branches have traded recently but theyre mostly vacant. Glass blower Theres a lot happening in the inner-north. A 669 sq m holding at 726-732 Nicholson Street, North Fitzroy is on the market. The parcel of shops sits in front of and adjacent to Transdevs huge North Fitzroys bus depot. Its expected to sell for around $5 million.

Glass blower Mark Douglass is selling his Kensington studio. Credit: Fitzroys agents Chris Kombi, Ervin Niyaz and Shawn Luo are handling expressions of interest. And in Kensington, glass blower Mark Douglass is selling his Kensington studio, a mixed use warehouse at 76-78 Smith Street. Douglass has a long history with architects and developers designing chandeliers and other light fittings. Recent projects include the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the Lucas Groups Society restaurant and Gurners St Moritz.
Tributes have flowed for entrepreneur, philanthropist and animal rights activist Brian Sherman, who died this week after a 10-year struggle with Parkinsons disease. He was 79.

Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, Brian continued to be an advocate for hope, Australian Museum director and chief executive Kim McKay said.

Brian Sherman at home in 2020. Brian always had  and still has  a great eye, said his wife Gene said at the time. Credit:Louise Kennerley

He was driven by a belief that it is our ethical responsibility to do better, to seek solutions and to make positive change in the world, she said.

Sherman and his wife Gene arrived in Australia from South Africa in 1976 with little to their name. With cousin-in-law Laurence Freedman, he founded the investment house Equitilink in 1981.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Book critics Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction titles. Here are their reviews. Fiction pick of the week Credit: The 156-Storey Treehouse

Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton, Pan, $14.99 Look, if you havent heard of the Treehouse series by now, you probably dont know many kids. This is the 12th childrens book from writer-illustrator team Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton about a treehouse chock-full of mischief, wonder and imagination. (You can tell because 13 new storeys get added to the place with each volume, and everyone knows their 13-times tables, right?) This time around, the fantastical base boasts a newly installed wishing well, an office for lost property (and lost sausages), an elaborate TV quiz show with a robotic host, a sandwich-maker that reads your mind, a whole level devoted to super sticky stuff  and much more.

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Friends Andy and Terry and Jill have more than enough bizarre amusements to occupy them for Christmas, and their comic adventures in this bestselling series seem inexhaustible. Credit: New Australian Fiction 2022

Ed., Suzy Garcia, Kill Your Darlings, $24.95 The fourth annual anthology of short fiction published by Kill Your Darlings offers a snapshot of contemporary concern and experimentation in Australian literature. Editor Suzy Garcia has curated a high-quality volume with an arresting assortment of new voices, although the most impressive entry is a narrative poem from an established one: Maxine Beneba Clarkes Heat immerses us in the world of a sharp-eyed (and sharp-haired) girl living with her family in Footscray council flats, and riffs intimately on the discrimination she observes. Climate change hovers insistently in some pieces: Elizabeth Tan tosses up a heatwave-induced ghost story, A.E. Macleod haunts us with vanishing amphibians in more unassuming tone. Yet this book includes a heartening diversity of Australian experiences and takes bold chances with narrative form and style. Its essential reading to keep abreast of emerging local talent.

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Credit: Cut

Susan White, Affirm Press, $32.99 Doctor and author Susan White takes a knife to sexism in Australian hospitals in her first work of adult fiction. Cut follows Carla, a young doctor attempting to become the first female surgeon at an elite Melbourne hospital. Doors do not open easily; networks of male colleagues and the casual misogyny they permit turn most women off seeking top jobs in the field. Carla thinks she can handle all that, but when she is assaulted after an alcohol-fuelled work function, she faces a fight for justice that risks adding to her trauma, and an industry more than willing to turn a blind eye to toxic workplace culture. White knows whereof she writes. Her portrayal of callousness and entitlement rife among medical students (as well as the inhuman workload they face) will ring true to anyone with lived experience of them, and her #MeToo medical drama is more grotesque and disturbing for that. Credit: Charm, Strangeness, Mass and Spin

Stephen Dedman, Norstrilla Press, $27.99

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Those with a taste for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or speculative fiction will be tantalised by this weird and wide-ranging collection from West Australian Stephen Dedman. Its full of uninhibited excursions into genre writing, and although style plays second fiddle to its obsessive imaginative drive, the prose is neat and can be devoured without distraction. The range of tales is vast, from alternate history featuring an encounter between Fritz Lang and Adolf Hitler to a ghoulish homage to the stories of Edgar Allan Poe; from Lee Harvey Oswald saving a life in his later years to a clever reworking of Arthurian legend. And that doesnt even begin to cover the welter of genre tropes Dedman draws into his orbit. The book is crowded with ghosts, monsters, dinosaurs, dream-girls, clones, aliens, time-travel, gangsters: if you can name it, youll probably find it. Genre fiction nerds should find it irresistible. Non-fiction pick of the week Credit: The Story of Russia

Orlando Figes, Bloomsbury, $32.99 There was a popular joke in Soviet times that ran, Russia is a country with a certain future, it is only its past that is unpredictable. Figes, who calls his history of Russia a story because its not only the facts that matter, its the myths that the country in its varying forms feeds itself as well, the past being continually enlisted to justify the present.

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A crucial case in point is the belief that the Rus, a branch of the Vikings, were asked by warring Slavic tribes to rule their lands in 879. The Rus accepted and the Kievan Rus, the first Russian state, was born. Hence the centrality of Kyiv. Putin is a firm believer in this view of history and the view that Russia has always been an empire that incorporates the Ukraine and Belarus. This is a brilliant condensation  his analysis of Soviet Russia is superb  of a seriously complex tale.

Credit: Bad Gays: A Homosexual History

Huw Lemmy & Ben Miller, Verso $29.99 Theres something distinctly iconoclastic about this history of homosexuality written by two gay men. They are, at heart, interrogating the term itself, stating,  white, male homosexuality as a political, identarian, and emancipatory project, has failed. One symptom of this failure is the privileging of good gays over bad ones. Everybody knows the noble tale of Oscar Wilde, but not so much his lover, the petulant and cruel son of the British aristocracy, Bosie (writer of the line, the love that dare not speak its name). Why? Hes not good  like this assembled gallery of fascists and criminals, from J. Edgar Hoover to gangster Ronnie Kray. But, the authors argue, their story is as intrinsic a part of the story of homosexuality and the emergence of LGBTQ+. Its an interesting mix of roller-coaster ride and demanding theory.

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I remember where I was when I first watched a film shot by a cinematographer who looked like me. It was 2017, and I was sitting in the ACMI cinema in Melbourne to watch Kirsten Johnsons Cameraperson. It was the first time I realised that my skills and perspective as a woman in the male-dominated industry of filmmaking were not only valuable, but essential.

Sadly, Australia still has a long way to go  especially when it comes to who actually shoots the stories we watch in cinema and on TV. The Australian Cinematographers Societys A Wider Lens report, published in July this year, highlighted just how bad the lack of representation of women, people of colour, First Nations people and non-binary people is locally.

Writer and director Grace Moore. Credit:Emily Seif

According to the research, conducted by Deakin University, the University of Tasmania and Tallinn University, men outnumbered women and non-binary people 10 to one in almost every camera-related department, and the gap is starkest in the most senior roles  ie, those who have the most power.

Headlines about the ACS report focused on the high rate of sexual harassment and bullying, but on the ground theres another fundamental issue for those from marginalised backgrounds: how few of them there are, and the difficulties they experience obtaining funding.
We are faced at this moment with the horrifying effects of pollution in all its cancerous forms. There is the growing menace of oil pollution at sea, which almost destroys beaches and certainly destroys tens of thousands of seabirds, he told the Countryside Steering Committee for Wales. There is chemical pollution discharged into rivers from factories and chemical plants, which clogs up the rivers with toxic substances and adds to the filth in the seas. There is air pollution from smoke and fumes discharged by factories and from gases pumped out by endless cars and aeroplanes. Years later he would have his favourite Aston Martin converted to run on byproducts of wine and cheese manufacturing. Some didnt take his early adoption of biofuels as a serious environmental initiative. Charles, pictured in 2020 with his Aston Martin DB6, which runs on biofuel. Credit:Getty But since that speech as a young man Charles has spoken publicly about his environmental concerns. Addressing the COP26 global climate talks in Glasgow last November Charles described climate change and biodiversity loss as problems so serious that leaders needed to adopt a war footing to address them.

Charles urged the private sector and governments to at once deploy trillions of dollars to decarbonise every aspect of the global economy. Loading Over the years, Charles advocacy has been criticised as everything from eccentric to unseemly, but one of his chief environmental advisers, Tony Juniper, a former chief of Friends of the Earth and now head of Natural England, told the Herald and The Age this week that history has validated the former princes views. What were once fringe concerns about climate and pollution are now at the very centre of global politics and diplomacy. Even more quixotic of his concerns, such as his support for organic agriculture, have more mainstream acceptance. I reckon science firmly backs up what King Charles said for many years while he was Prince of Wales, says Juniper.

We know now, for example, that pesticides kill beneficial insects such as pollinators that are essential for food security, as well as harmful ones. Removing habitats like hedgerows also deprives those beneficial creatures of a home, so the twin assault by chemicals and clearance of the land for crops and nothing else can actually lead to declines in yield. There are farmers in England now who are restoring hedges and other features while cutting chemical use and the yield per hectare is going up, not down. He has said for a very long time that we need to take an integrated approach on questions like food security, and hes been right about that. He decided a long time ago to use his unique position to achieve as much good as he could. How effective Charles lobbying has been is an open question, but some observers believe his support for climate action helped cement support for ambitions emissions reduction goals in Britain in the UKs conservative government. Juniper chooses his words carefully when asked about this.

He decided a long time ago to use his unique position to achieve as much good as he could. And speaking about climate change and other environmental questions with the voice of the Prince of Wales, undoubtedly reached parts of society that other campaigners wouldnt reach, he says. I think that he has been hugely important actually, in being able to create different audiences. Juniper says he has no idea whether Charles will be able to continue his public advocacy on climate and environmental issues as King, though convention would suggest not. During an interview with the BBC to mark his 70th birthday, Charles himself said he viewed the roles of heir and monarch to be different. Asked if he would be a meddlesome King he responded, Im not that stupid. But this is not to suggest that as monarch Charles will not air his concerns in private meetings with British and world political leaders, nor that he will be expected to remain mute on the issue in his public role.

Queen Elizabeth also attended Glasgow meetings and urged world leaders to act fast on climate. She noted that her husband Philip had advocated for pollution reduction throughout his life, adding, it is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them. This reference to William, now himself the Prince of Wales, appears to have been both deliberate and significant. Prince William focused on the environment during his speech at Buckingham Palace celebrating the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in June. Credit:Getty When the royal family celebrated the Queens platinum jubilee in June, Charles gave an address focused on the work and office of his mother, while William spoke exclusively about the environment.

Im so proud that my grandfather and my father have been part of those [environmental] efforts, he said. And Im in awe of people like the great Sir David Attenborough, who look at the beauty and power of our Earth and then work to celebrate and preserve it. In Junipers view, a green torch was being deliberately passed on. As to the badgers, they survived Charless ire. In an example of deft constituent management, Blair wrote to the future king explaining how much he enjoyed hearing his views, particularly on agricultural topics, and noting that he agreed that there was evidence that badgers spread tuberculosis among cattle. While he personally backed knocking off the badgers, Blair explained, he would not want to prejudge ongoing research into the problem.
The son of Fijis Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been charged with a string of domestic violence offences in Australia after he allegedly assaulted, choked and stalked a Sydney woman over a four-month period earlier this year.

Ratu Meli Bainimarama, 36, is facing 17 charges that include multiple counts of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, choking without consent, stalking/intimidation and one count of sharing intimate images without consent. He is also accused of recklessly or intentionally damaging a wall at the womans home.

Ratu Meli Bainimarama with his father, Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

The alleged incidents occurred in a number of Sydney suburbs including Mascot, Waterloo, Doonside, Quakers Hill and Bligh Park, over several dates in February, March and May this year.

NSW Police said officers initially received a report relating to domestic violence allegations against Bainimarama on September 2. He was arrested at Mascot and charged on September 9.
A teenager involved in a plot with her friend to stab and kill their Year 8 coordinator at Willetton Senior High School has been sentenced to 11 months behind bars.

The student, who was 13 at the time of the attack and cannot be named for legal reasons, was initially meant to be sentenced at the end of July.

The Willetton Senior High School student who helped her friend plot to stab her teacher was sentenced on Friday. Credit:Holly Thompson

On Friday, the student appeared in Perth Childrens Court to face the charge of intending to cause bodily harm for her role in the planning of the plot. Her 14-year-old friend carried out the stabbing and has since pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder.

New details of the incident were revealed in court, including that three other students learnt of the plan and alerted another teacher. It was that teacher who rushed to find her colleague.
Police ramp up investigation into fatal Brisbane stabbing

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A former hospital orderly who was found not guilty on Friday of murdering a nurse 36 years ago was previously jailed for killing another woman in similar circumstances.

Colin Earl Graham, 67, was acquitted in the Supreme Court on Friday of both murder and manslaughter over the stabbing death of Ina-Doris Warrick in her Ringwood home in 1986.

Ina-Doris Warrick. Credit:Victoria Police

The jury returned its verdict after less than a day of deliberation, unaware Graham served 13 years in jail for the stabbing murder of Hilary-Anne Stevens in her Wheelers Hill home in 1999.

Warrick was 25 when neighbours found her on her bed with fatal stab wounds.
Landmark legal action has been filed against Monash University over claims of casual staff wage theft, in a case the education union says may have significant implications for university governance in Australia.

The National Tertiary Education Union filed a writ in the Federal Court on Thursday, alleging hundreds of casual teaching associates had not been paid for student consultation times or related superannuation for at least six years.

Monash University has been on notice that the union would file in the court since July. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The union claims Monash directed casual academics to be available for student consultation during the week outside tutorial times. Monash says this is associated work tied into the tutorial rate.

The allegations are separate to Monash Universitys admission in September 2021 that it underpaid $8.6 million to casual academics, after an internal review that spanned six and a half years.
Victorias powerful police union claims the force is on the brink of a crisis, with officers routinely taking an hour to attend high-priority callouts such as armed robberies and home invasions.

The state opposition has agreed to publish police response times if elected at the November state election amid a renewed push from the Police Association of Victoria for increased transparency in the force.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the dispatch delays experienced by police were almost comparable to those that had plagued the ambulance and the triple-zero call services.

A damning report into the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) released this month found a collapse of call-taking performance and agency command and control issues had contributed to the deaths of 33 Victorians.
A Perth man who allegedly threatened to kill West Australian Premier Mark McGowan and urged a violent overthrow of the government is back behind bars for allegedly creating new social media profiles.

Counter-terrorism police allegedly found evidence of the profiles when examining Jamon Allan Hartzers phone as part of a bail compliance check.

He was arrested on September 7 and remanded to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, federal police said.

Hartzer, 43, was arrested in October 2021 for allegedly threatening various public officials, including McGowan, amid heated debate about COVID-19 restrictions, vaccine mandates and border closures.

The Perth man is charged with four offences including making threats to kill, injure or harm any person and urging violence against the constitution. The latter charge encompasses the intentional urging of others to overthrow the federal constitution or governments by force or violence. The maximum jail term is seven years.
But due to the relatively scant hydrological information available at the time, Bradfield made a crucial error and overestimated by double the volume of water that would flow into his dam. CSIRO found the evaporation rate across the massive reservoir in the hot north Queensland climate would exceed the annual inflows. The Bradfield scheme would divert the upper Tully River. Credit:Tourism Queensland Bradfield assumed that black soil plans along the Torrens Creek, a tributary of the Thompson River upstream of Longreach, would be used to grow irrigated crops with water from his dam. But CSIRO found the soil was too saline for agriculture. These factors make Bradfields original scheme unworkable.

But CSIRO wanted to find out if it could make it work with modern technology and the team rejigged the plan to maximise its potential. CSIRO settled on a 98-metre-high wall at Hells Gate that could create a dam capable of delivering, on average, 1880 gigalitres of irrigation water a year. The CSIRO plan would deliver the water into the Thompson River further downstream than Bradfields original design via a 680-kilometre open channel. It identified enough soil to support the most viable crops, which would be 30,000 of irrigated mandarins and 150,000 hectares for cotton. CSIRO factored in the planting of 150,000 hectares of cotton to maximise the potential of the scheme, but it still failed to justify its building costs. CSIRO said its modern variation would cost at least $12 billion under an optimistic set of assumptions across a 100-year project lifespan and farmers would have to pay $970 a megalitre for their irrigation entitlements to cover the cost of supplying the water. Last year irrigators in Victoria and NSW paid about $55 a megalitre on average, and $100 in South Australia.

CSIRO estimated that irrigators relying on the Bradfield scheme would be able to afford $80 a megalitre at most, which meant the cashflow of the scheme remained almost entirely negative in any scenario it modelled. But CSIRO did not limit its assessment to the scope of Bradfields plan and identified an even grander scheme in an attempt to make Bradfields vision viable. Last year, irrigators in NSW paid on average $55 a megalitre for water. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer CSIROs optimised version would also use a 98-metre-high dam wall and run a huge 1600 kilometre open channel all the way south from the Burdekin River to the northern reaches of the Murray Darling Basin around St George in southern Queensland  largely because thats where a new irrigation scheme could access enough good soil to use all the available water on crops. But this version still wouldnt be economically viable.

CSIRO found that even using extremely optimistic assumptions the bill for the project would be $21 billion, and the resulting irrigation scheme would only generate enough farm revenue to pay back 8 per cent of that bill. Expanding irrigation around St George could create 11,000 jobs and boost the regional economy by $6 billion  with two big caveats. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: The horticulture production in the region would have to expand to be equivalent to 30 per cent of

the gross value of all fruit, vegetable and nuts currently produced across Australia, which

CSIRO said would take more than 100 years to achieve, if it was even possible, and farmers would need to be gifted their water for free. University of NSW professor Stuart Khan, who was appointed as an advisor to the National Water Grid before it was disbanded by Barnaby Joyce in March, said CSIRO had approached its assessment of the Bradfield scheme very optimistically, very genuinely willing to spend millions of dollars on doing a proper appraisal.

But even looking at everything in the most optimistic terms they still werent able to demonstrate that the scheme would actually make more money than it would cost. All that agriculture product would be going to export and that means that Australian taxpayers would be subsidising the price of food in China, Japan, the USA  the various places that we send food to  wed actually be paying for their lunch. Michael McCormack regrets the focus on the bottom line applied to modern water projects. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The former Morrison government went to the 2022 federal election with a $5.4 billion promise to build a small version of Bradfields Hells Gate on the Burdekin River, but did not deliver a detailed project design or an assessment of its cost or viability. Michael McCormack, who commissioned the CSIRO study, said it was regrettable that contemporary assessments of water storage projects were focused on bottom line assessments.

If we had this sort of vision in the past we would never have built the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we would never have built the Snowy Hydro Scheme, he said. Loading CSIRO recommended government investigate strategic, smaller water storage in north Queensland. McCormack agreed with this approach, arguing the government should build the Hells Gate dam and focus on growing local irrigation districts. Its not a full-blown Bradfield scheme, but we should build Hills Gate and make sure that we take advantage of it.
Unions representing triple-zero call-takers have raised the alarm over the oppositions $125 million election commitment for the emergency call service, warning the proposal is fraught with danger and will put the lives of Victorians at risk.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy on Friday vowed to invest an extra $125 million, in addition to the $333 million put aside in this years state budget, to upgrade the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authoritys IT systems, provide ongoing funding and require half the staff to be trained to answer calls for ambulance, fire and police.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has pledged a further $125 million for the triple zero call-taking and dispatch service. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Fixing triple zero saves lives, fixing triple zero once and for all is going to give Victorians confidence in the triple-zero dispatch system, Guy said on Friday. Theres no doubt theres been a loss of confidence in the dispatch system.

However, the secretaries of the Victorian Ambulance Union and the United Firefighters Union warned the Coalitions pledge that 50 per cent of staff would be trained to deal with calls for any service was flawed and dangerous.
Jeju: Just seven months ago, Vladimir Putin stood at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing confident the troops he had amassed on the Ukrainian border would sweep to an easy victory.

On Thursday night, the Russian president sat across the table from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, his troops demoralised, and conquered provinces breached.

The close friendship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin is being tested. Credit:AP

Russias war is bogged down in choked supply lines, inefficient tactics and falling public morale. In eastern Ukraine, it has lost Izium and Kupiansk, and Lyman is within reach. It is losing the support of sensible political analysts in Moscow and regional leaders in Asia.

China is the only major or middle power game enough to be publicly identified as its friend, but the concessions in Putins opening statement on Thursday night show just how tested even that unbreakable relationship has become.
London: They queued through a chilly London night to pay their respects. Eight hours on average, just to shuffle past her coffin for no more than a minute.

Women young and old, curtsied as they greeted the oak casket side-on. You could assume theyd dreamed of meeting the Queen all their lives. That theyd practised their curtsy in the mirror as young Girl Guides.

Members of the public file past the Queens coffin in Westminster Hall. Credit:PA

Perhaps they hadnt thought their chance would finally come in death. But perhaps it actually mattered more now to get it right.

In the centre of Westminster Hall, a coffin sits on a catafalque, draped in the Royal Standard with the Orb and Sceptre placed on top. Men bowed their heads in honour as they passed by. Some, with military medals pinned proudly to their chest, offered a salute.
A federal judge has appointed Raymond Dearie, a former chief federal judge in New York, to sort through the more than 11,000 documents  including classified materials  that FBI agents seized from former president Donald Trumps Florida residence last month, to see if any should be shielded from criminal investigators because of attorney-client or executive privileges.

The decision could significantly slow a high-profile investigation of the former president, one that prosecutors say has already been paused at a key juncture by the judges scepticism that the Justice Department has treated Trump fairly.

Pages from the order by US District Judge Aileen Cannon naming Raymond Dearie as special master to serve as an independent arbiter and to review records seized during the FBI search of former president Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate. Credit:AP

Trumps legal team proposed Dearie as a candidate to be the special master in the high-profile case, and the Justice Department agreed with the selection last week. But the two sides still disagree on whether searching through the highly sensitive classified documents taken by the FBI should be part of the special masters responsibilities.

Ultimately, US District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled in Trumps favour and said the special master should examine about 100 documents with classified markings, and said Dearie should prioritise those materials over the more than 11,000 non-classified documents that were taken in the August 8 search. She denied a bid by prosecutors to allow them to use the seized material in their ongoing criminal investigation before Dearie conducts his review.
Finance Minister on Friday called for widening the scope of on boards. She said the government can only urge and women for better participation and is unlikely to tweak the regulatory framework further.

The industry will have to take the lead. The government cannot do any more nudging. It cannot be breathing down on behalf of 50 per cent of the population. The pressure, reasoning, and building of a greater sense of conscious decision making have to come from society to push this agenda, she said at a women directors' conclave at the BSE headquarters.

The minister shared that only three-fourths of the listed firms on the have appointed at least one woman as an independent director.

Data from Prime Database shows that there are 2,350 women and 10,356 men holding position of directors at listed firms.

As an individual can hold multiple positions of directors, the total number of held by women comes at 2,970, or 19 per cent of the total posts.

Of this, 1,926 are independent directors, while 1,044 hold non-independent directorship positions.

On the issue of repetition in selection of marquee individuals, the FM said, The Nifty50 have often hired the same women to their boards. About 14 women hold 5-6 directorship positions across NSE-listed companies, while seven women hold seven directorship positions each. It is a very revealing number; it doesnt have to be so concentrated. These numbers are getting noticed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

She said the ideal balance is more required than gender balance while highlighting that the board should make special efforts to draw in women and expand the pool of individuals being chosen.

As a director of the board, you as a woman can bring value addition to the . It cannot be a comfortable mens club, added the finance minister.

In a regulatory push for gender diversity, the Security and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), in accordance with the Companies Act, had mandated the appointment of one independent woman director in the board of listed companies.

At the same event, Harini Balaji, chief general manager, Sebi, said, There is still a perceptible feeling that are appointed as a result of tokenism. Statistics from top 500 companies on shows that 47 per cent of them have more than one woman director in their board, which means that they are doing it willingly and not just for regulation. The other 50 per cent, which have only one woman independent director, is where tokenism might creep in.




Within hours of closing the $6.4-billion transaction to buy Swiss major Holcims stake in Ambuja Cements by the Adani group, the boards of Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary, ACC, were reconstituted on Friday. Gautam Adani, the patriarch of the Adani group, took over as chairman of Ambuja Cements board. while his elder son Karan was appointed chairman and non-executive director at ACC. Karan will also be a non-executive director at Ambuja Cements; Holcim's representatives have quit the boards.

The Ambuja Cements board also approved a preferential allotment of convertible warrants to an promoter entity, to raise an additional Rs 20,000 crore. This fund will be used to create additional capacity with the aim to become Indias biggest cement player by 2030.

What makes cement an exciting business is headroom for growth in India which exceeds that of every other country well beyond 2050. Cement is a game of economics dependent on energy costs, logistics and distribution costs, and the ability to leverage a digital platform to transform production, as well as gain significant supply chain efficiencies. Each one of these capabilities is a core business for us and therefore, provides our cement business a set of unmatched adjacencies, said Gautam Adani, chairman of the .

It is these adjacencies that eventually drive competitive economics. In addition, our position as one of the largest renewable energy in the world will help us manufacture premium quality green cement well in line with the principles of a circular economy. All of these dimensions put us on track to become the largest and most efficient manufacturer of cement by no later than 2030, Adani said.

UltraTech, an Aditya Birla group company, is currently Indias largest cement company with a capacity of 120 mtpa (million tonnes per annum). Ambuja Cements and ACC, on the other hand, currently have a combined installed production capacity of 67.5 mtpa. UltraTech, an Aditya Birla group company, is currently Indias largest cement company with a capacity of 120 mtpa (million tonnes per annum). Ambuja Cements and ACC, on the other hand, currently have a combined installed production capacity of 67.5 mtpa. The two are among the strongest brands in India with 14 integrated units, 16 grinding units, and 79 ready-mix concrete plants.

Karan, 35, is also the CEO of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. ACC also appointed Vinod Bahety, earlier with Adani group, as the CFO. The MD and CEO of ACC Sridhar Balakrishnan was re-designated as whole time director and CEO. The warrants will be issued at the rate of Rs 418.87 each, and constitute 19.39 per cent of the share capital of the company on a post-issue basis. The additional fund shall equip Ambuja to capture growth in the market, the said in a statement.

Holcim Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch and Head of Asia Pacific and member of the Group Executive Committee of Holcim Martin Kriegner stepped down from board of both . Neeraj Akhoury resigned as non-executive non-independent director of ACC, following his resignation as managing director of Ambuja Cements. NS Sekhsaria, non-executive chairman of both Ambuja and ACC, also resigned but he was appointed as chairman emeritus of Ambuja.

Both Ambuja Cements and ACC will benefit from synergies with the integrated Adani infrastructure platform, especially in the areas of raw material, renewable power and logistics, where Adani portfolio companies have vast experience and deep expertise, it said.

Ambuja and ACC will also benefit from the Adani groups focus on ESG, circular economy and capital management philosophy, it said. The businesses will continue to be deeply aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Adani group said that in line with its governance philosophy, the board committees of both Ambuja Cements and ACC have been reconstituted. The audit committee and the nomination & remuneration committee now comprise 100 per cent independent directors.

Further, two new committees have been constituted  the Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Public Consumer Committee  both comprising 100 per cent independent directors to provide assurance to the board on ESG commitments and also maximise consumer satisfaction. Also, a commodity price committee has been constituted with 50 per cent independent directors, to strengthen risk management.

Earlier Swiss major Holcim said the transaction strengthens Holcims balance sheet and enables the company to continue its acquisition strategy, building on recent investments of over CHF 5 billion in solutions & products.

I would like to thank our 10,700 Indian colleagues who have played an essential role in the development of our business over the years with their relentless dedication and expertise. I am convinced that the Adani group is the right home for them as well as for our customers to continue to thrive in the future, said Jan Jenisch, Holcims CEO.

The transaction was financed by facilities aggregating to $ 4.5 billion availed from 14 international banks. Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank AG, and Standard Chartered Bank acted as original mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners to the transaction.

Barclays Bank, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, MUFG Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank acted as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners to the transaction.

In addition, BNP Paribas, Citibank, Emirates NBD Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, ING Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Qatar National Bank acted as mandated lead arrangers for the transaction.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and have entered into a partnership to promote in the areas of and .

The partnership seeks to build on cutting-edge and related research being carried out at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research (ICER), IISc, an IISc statement said.

A research agreement was signed at the institute in the presence of IISc Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan and Chief Technology Officer at Shell, Yuri Sebregts, on Thursday.

The key aspects that the partnership will focus on include reducing Green House Gas emissions and promoting decarbonisation through innovations such as low-carbon fuels, distributed electrification, carbon sinks, hydrogen generation, efficient power and refrigeration cycles using supercritical carbon dioxide.

Structured research projects will be initiated under this research agreement involving Shell scientists as well as faculty members and students at the Bengaluru-based IISc, the statement said.

Decarbonisation of diverse industrial sectors and increased access to clean energy through technological intervention has a special place in the Indian context, given its push for net-zero emissions.

With climate change taking centre stage, a strong emphasis is on decarbonisation through alternative fuels and improving efficiency as well as utilisation of existing fuels, it was noted.

Prof Rangarajan said, "This collaboration with will help us tackle pressing energy challenges at the national and international level through cutting-edge technology development that will help reduce the global carbon footprint."



The collaboration also envisages developing India-focused solutions to meet the energy transition needs outlined by the Government of India.

It is also expected to increase capacity building in the country through training programmes at the postgraduate level, opening up opportunities for students to pursue industry internships, and encourage entrepreneurial ventures by young researchers, according to the statement.

"This partnership demonstrates how crucial it is for academia and industry to collaborate. By integrating expertise from diverse partners, we are able to accelerate the development of ground-breaking technologies that provide much-needed solutions for the energy transition. I look forward to the impactful innovations that no doubt will follow from this research agreement with IISc," said Yuri Sebregts.

ICER has been carrying out both fundamental and applied research in energy-related areas, with a strong emphasis on translating products to the energy market, according to IISc.

It was conceived in 2012 as a part of the institute's post-centenary vision to pursue socially relevant research in line with the Government of India's national missions.

ICER seeks to expand its activities in several domains, with emphasis on process and material development, the latter involving collaborations with manufacturing industries, the statement 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.)
The second-largest private sector port operator Ports, which has completed capacity expansion at an investment of Rs 4,000-crore, eyes to be a net- over the next two-three years having already pared Rs 862 crore so far this fiscal.

The company financed the repayments of higher-cost rupee loans from a consortium of lenders, which were priced at 9.5 per cent, partly with internal accruals and the rest from the USD 400-million overseas bond issuance in February this year, Lalit Singhvi, the chief financial officer and a director at Infrastructure, the fully-owned arm of the Sajjan Jindal-run Group and the holding company of the ports business, told PTI on Friday.

After paying back Rs 862 crore of debt, he said, the company will have on its book a net of Rs 2,700 crore and gross of Rs 4,200 crore. With this JSW Ports has already repaid over Rs 2,800 crore in the past few years.

The rupee was from a consortium of banks comprising Axis Bank, Canara Bank, South Indian Bank, Union Bank of India and Bank of India, Singhvi said, adding following the debt reduction, domestic rating agency Care has upgraded JSW Ports rating to 'AA' with a stable outlook.

"We hope to be a net- over the two three years as we are done with capex and capacity additions. We also have a steady cash flow of Rs 1,000 crore, thanks to the high margin nature of our business that's is over 50 per cent.

"Backing up the plan is the steady growth in the top line, which we expect to cross 45 per cent this fiscal at Rs 3,100 crore from which we expect a cash profit of Rs 1,500-1,600 crore. This should help us pare our all debt and become a net- over the next two-three years, he said.

JSW Ports operates ports assets at Jaigarh and Dharamtar in Maharashtra with an installed capacity of 153 million tonne per annum. That aside, it operates a 24 million tonne terminal in Fujairah in the UAE on a management contract which mostly handles limestone.

"We may also go for equity fund raising in some time as we are also looking at aggressive growth through acquisitions and are also very keen on participating in the government's divestment process. Equity raising should be easy given the strong balance-sheet of the company as well the USD22-billion parent, Singhvi added.

Last fiscal, the company completed a Rs 4,000-crore capex plan, which began four years ago, through which its capacity has gone up from 81 mt in FY19 to 153 mt in FY22, Singhvi said, adding the company has adequate capacity now and utilization level is only 65 per cent now.

On the bulk cargo handling capacity addition he said, it grew 34 per cent in FY21, and further to 45 mt in FY22, clipping at a growth of 36 per cent, he said and expects the volume to clip past 45 percent this fiscal 62 mt.

Singhvi said the company is likely to close the current fiscal with a top-line of Rs 3,100 crore and earn a cash profit of Rs 1,500-1,600 crore. In FY21 the same stood at Rs 1,678 crore and Rs 891 crore respectively, which grew to Rs 2,379 crore and Rs 1,215 crore in FY22.

The company's facilities handle mostly bulk cargoes such as iron ore, thermal coal, coking coal, fertilisers, bauxite, and sugar. On the liquid side, it handles molasses, edible oil, LPG and LNG, he said.

Currently, 70 per cent of the volume is captive/in-house and the rest comes from third parties, he said and pointed out that in FY19 captive capacity was 95 per cent.

"Our objective is to take the third party cargo to 40 per cent over the next two three years and bring down the captive utilization to 60 per cent," 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.)
Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has called the product manufacturing licence of Johnson Baby Powder manufactured by India, the state government body said in a press note.

The had drawn samples of the companys baby powder at Pune and Nashik for quality check purpose and those samples were declared not of standard quality by the government.

The sample does not comply with IS 5339: 2004 (Second Revision Amendment No. 3) Specification for Skin powder for infants in the test pH, the statement said.

The state government body issued show cause notice to the company under Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940. also issued instructions to the company to recall the stock of the baby powder from the market.

The US based company did not accept the reports of the state and challenged it in the court for sending to the referral laboratory i.e Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) Govt., of India, Kolkata.

India is yet to respond to Business Standard's query.

The note also said, The director CDL, Kolkata confirms the report of Govt., Analyst, FDA Maharashtra and issued final conclusive report stating the conclusion that The sample does not conform to IS5339 : 2004 with respect to the test for pH.

The state government body also said that the use of the product may affect the health of the skin of newborn babies.

This comes after its parent- Consumer Health announced in August the transition of its global baby powder portfolio to cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio. It said in a statement while announcing its transition, As a result of this transition, talc-based JOHNSONS Baby Powder will be discontinued globally in 2023.
The Peerless group is charting out a growth plan that will take its turnover to around Rs 1,000 crore in the next three years.

Peerless completed the Reserve Bank of India-mandated turnaround plan a few years ago and is now looking at the next phase of growth. Jayanta Roy, managing director, The Peerless General Finance & Investment Company (PGFI), the holding company, said that in the next three years, Peerless should leapfrog.

Two momentous occasions are coming up for Peerless  the centenary of B K Roy (elder son of founder, Radhashyam Roy) in 2025 and the centenary of Peerless in 2032, pointed out Roy. And goals are being set for business transformation within the timeframe.

The major verticals for Peerless are: healthcare, hospitality, real estate, and financial services. A major expansion for has already been chalked out that will see Peerless adding 300 beds to the existing 400 now. The rest are on the drawing board right now.

PGFIs revenues for the year ended March 31, 2022, had stood at around Rs 498 crore while profit for the year was at 102.76 crore. But pre-Covid, turnover was in the region of Rs 535 crore.

Definitely in terms of size we are going to grow - overall and individual businesses, said Partha S Bhattacharyya. Bhattacharyya, former Coal India chairman, is the newly appointed non-executive chairman of Peerless.

Bhattacharyya said that an assessment was being done on which business has what kind of potential, the opportunities that can be tapped and its enablers were being identified.

Bhattacharyya took over from S M Datta, who had been a member of the board since 1996 and chairman since 2014. His association with Peerless goes back to the time when the had set criteria for a turnaround plan for Peerless.

At that time Peerless had a negative net worth of Rs 600 crore. From that level, today, it stood at a positive Rs 2,000 crore, pointed out Bhattacharyya.

Reminiscing, Datta said, a band of people came in 1996 to help Peerless overcome some of its organisational and financial problems that it encountered and to set the course whereby it will not only overcome those problems but meet the criteria that was set by the regulator so it can continue to operate profitably in the financial sector.

That task has been completed quite a few years ago and today, it marks an end of the recovery period. Today, as I handed over charge, what has happened is that it is a new Peerless that is being born today. The old history can be forgotten, said Datta.
Servotech Power Systems on Friday said it has incorporated a subsidiary, Techbec Industries Ltd, for manufacturing batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries, and other allied activities.

Servotech Power Systems will be the holding company of Techbec Industries Ltd (TIL) and would hold 63.5 per cent share capital in the newly established battery manufacturing entity, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The new subsidiary has been incorporated with the authorised capital of Rs 10 Lakh, the filing added.

"India must produce its own lithium-ion batteries in order to achieve its EV (electric vehicles) goals without importing any," Raman Bhatia, Founder and Managing Director, Servotech Power Systems said in the statement.

The newly launched subsidiary will be an integrated battery storage solution in the market, facilitating its goal of indigenizing battery manufacturing for EVs, E-rickshaws, and varied solar-powered solutions, he said.

TIL intends to bring specific focus to support the EV segment and the battery-as-a-service business model offering across its portfolio of commercial vehicles.

In addition to existing State Transport Undertakings (STUs) and government fleets, TIL will also cater to all business opportunities across passenger mobility applications.

These efforts will be bolstered from our tech-enabled, newly-setup manufacturing unit at Safiabad, Sonipat, Haryana.

The facility which will shortly be operational is spread in 40,000 Sq ft and has the capacity to produce up to 6,00,000 units of battery pack annually.

This workshop will be equipped with fully-automated, cutting-edge production lines and testing facilities for the making of custom-designed battery modules, packs, and containerization.

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Heavy overnight rains in Uttar Pradesh Friday led to the deaths of at least 22 people, including nine labourers who were buried alive under the debris when an under-construction wall in the state capital collapsed on their huts.

The only survivor in the incident, where a portion of the boundary wall of an Army enclave collapsed following rains, was a man, named Golu, who made the call to police from under the rubble.

Officials said the 13 other deaths were reported from Unnao (five), Fatehpur (three), Prayagraj (two), Sitapur, Raebareli and Jhansi (one each).

On the collapse, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI, "Some labourers were living in huts outside the Army enclave in the Dilkusha area. Owing to heavy overnight rains, the boundary wall of the Army enclave collapsed,"



"We reached the spot around 3 am. Nine bodies were pulled out from the debris. One person was rescued alive," he said.

All the nine deceased are from Jhansi district.

District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said the injured persons has been admitted to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital.

"As we reached the spot 15 minutes after the message was passed on to the police station, our first priority and effort was to locate the person who had made the call to the control room, and pull him out from the debris," ACP Cantonment Anup Kumar Singh, who was also present at the spot of the incident, told PTI.

"It was Golu, who had made the call to the police control room. After pulling him from the debris, he was sent to the Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital," he said.

President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of death of people due to a wall collapse in . My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery," Murmu tweeted in Hindi.

The Chief Minister's Office said in a release the state government announced a financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the family of the deceased.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who represents the Lucknow Cantonment assembly constituency in the state assembly, visited the site and later the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital, and enquired about the wellbeing of the injured persons admitted there.

The state recorded widespread since Thursday. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) the state recorded 32.2 mm average rainfall on Friday which is 428% higher than the LPA (Long Period Average) of 6.1 mm.

Rains were reported from 74 out of the state's 75 districts of the state on Friday.

Districts including Barabanki (192.7 mm), Lucknow (116.9 mm), Mau (110 mm), Bahraich (108 mm), Deoria (78.5 mm) Balrampur (64 mm), Ballia (63.9 mm), Lakhimpur Kheri (58.7mm), Jhansi (51), Unnao (14.7 mm) and Prayagraj (8.4 mm) recorded high amount of rainfall.

In Unnao district, five people including two children died in wall collapse incidents in Kantha and Chandpur Jhalihai villages.

In Kantha village, three siblings -- Ankit (20), Ankush (4) and Unnati (6) -- died after a wall of their house collapsed due to overnight rains, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Narendra Singh said.

According to the villagers, the incident took place between 2 am and 3 am when the parents of the deceased had come out to assess the damage caused to their house due to rains.

A 66-year-old man, named Bal Govind, died in Chandpur Jhalihai village, Singh said.

Hasanganj SDM Devendra Pratap Singh said Sohan (75) died in Kasanda village under Ajgain police station area, when his thatched hut collapsed over him due to .

The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination, officials said.

The CMO's statement said three people died in Fatehpur (3) and one in Sitapur.

In Prayagraj, two children -- Shreya (4) and Amit Kumar (5) -- were killed after a wall of their mud house collapsed over them. District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri said the incident occurred in a village under Mamrez police station area on Friday afternoon.

In Raebareli, a three-year-old child was killed in a similar incident on Friday. "Rajneesh was killed when a house collapsed in Mauryapur area. His two siblings and mother also sustained injuries in the incident and are hospitalised."



Meanwhile, in Jhansi a two-story building collapsed in Sipri Bazar area following Thursday night.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "Three people were present in the house which collapsed in Sipri Bazar. All the three were rescued and rushed to hospital. One of the injured Suresh (40) later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital during wee hours of Friday."



Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials across districts to monitor relief work and ensure that financial help is provided to the affected swiftly.

Financial assistance should also be provided to those whose houses have been damaged or animals have died, he said.

The CM also asked officials to conduct surveys to assess the damage caused to crops due to rains, the statement said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the BJP government over the loss of lives and property after heavy rains, saying a bout of rainfall "washed away" all its development schemes.

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A group of social activists will take out a 'padyatra' (foot march) from Randhikpur in Dahod district of to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the release of 11 convicts in the .

The 11 were released from a jail in Godhra on August 15 after they were granted remission by the government.

The activists will march under the banner of 'Hindu Muslim Ekta Samiti' and cover the 180-kilometre distance between September 26 and October 4, with social activist Sandeep Pandey and MLA set to participate along with 25 others, organising committee member Kalim Siddique said.

The release of the convicts is a matter of shame in a country that is identified the world over for its spirituality and the values and virtues of Mahatma Gandhi, the group said in a release.

"It is a shame that Gujarat, which produced a global stalwart like Mahatma Gandhi, is silent today on people who have committed heinous crimes," it added.

There was need to speak out "so that humanity survives, so that moral values and ethical standards are respected, so that innocent people feel safe and criminals are discouraged", the group said.

It said the march was to tell Bilkis Bano that "we're sorry" and to hope that such a fate does not befall anyone else.

Bilkis Bano was gang-raped and several of her kin were killed in the post-Godhra riots that took place in the state in 2002.

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The Assembly on Friday passed a bill which seeks to provide the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities of the state with opportunities to appeal against cancellation, refusal and revocation of caste certificates.

The and (Identification) (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was tabled by the Backward Classes Welfare Minister, Bulu Chik Baraik.

The bill will enable the people of the SC and ST communities to appeal against refusal to issue a caste certificate. There was no provision of appeal against cancellation, impoundment or revocation of the caste certificate. Now we have decided to provide this provision, the minister said.

The matter will be dealt with by district magistrates or additional district magistrates in the districts and by the commissioner, Presidency Division, in Kolkata.

Baraik also said that every appeal has to be disposed of within three months from the date of application.

No such appeal shall be disposed of without giving the appellant a reasonable opportunity of being heard. We have included this appeal provision to ensure that those from SC and ST communities are not deprived, he said.

As per the 2011 census, the SC and ST people comprise nearly 23.51 per cent and 5.8 per cent of the populationof respectively.

Meanwhile, while talking to reporters, BJP MLA from Kurseong in Darjeeling Hills, Bishnu Prasad Sharma, said the Gorkhas should get back their tribal status.

The Gorkhas were earlier notified as a tribal community. But this status was withdrawn in the 1950s. We want it to be restored. On several occasions, we, the Gorkhas, are dubbed as foreigners which is not right, said the MLA.

Sharma has been vocal about the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

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The on Friday prayed for custody of former West Bengal minister before the Alipore district court here in connection with its investigation into the SSC recruitment scam.

Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee were on July 23 arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money trail in the scam and has seized nearly Rs 50 crore in cash, apart from bullion, jewellery and property deeds from the latter's flats in Kolkata.

The former minister, who is at present in judicial remand, was produced before the special court at Alipore district court here on Friday on its direction following a prayer before it by the central agency for Chatterjee's custody in connection with the scam.

The judge reserved judgement on the prayers after hearing both the parties.

The prayed for 14-day custody of Chatterjee for questioning him in connection with its probe into the SSC teaching and non-teaching staff recruitment scam.

Addressing the special court judge, Chatterjee's lawyer prayed that he be granted bail, claiming that he is aged and unwell.

The 70-year-old former minister claimed that he takes 28 medicines daily.

Claiming innocence, Chatterjee asserted that he was not in the know of day-to-day affairs of the recruitment process.

CBI lawyers, praying for Chatterjee's custody, submitted before the judge that the former minister getting enlarged on bail at this juncture will hamper the investigation into the SSC scam.

The CBI is investigating the SSC teaching and non-teaching staff recruitment scam on an order of the Calcutta High Court, which is monitoring the probe.

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The on Friday approved the release of Rs 250 crore as grant of assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to for rehabilitation and restoration work after and landslides this year, officials said.

The decision has been taken by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked the central government for approving the amount to the state.

"We are extremely grateful to Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodi Ji and Adarniya HM Shri @AmitShah Ji for release of Rs 250 cr from National Disaster Response Fund to help work on rehabilitation & restoration of the damages caused due to massive & landslides this year, Sarma tweeted.

In a communication, the home ministry said the issues of severe flood and landslides during this Monsoon has been considered in the home ministry.

The home ministry, after examination, decided with the approval of home minister to release an amount of Rs 250 crore 'on account basis' from the to the Assam government pending finalisation of the assessment by Inter Ministerial Central team (IMCT) and recommendation of High Level Committee (HLC), the communication said.

"In view of the above, the Department of Expenditure (Ministry of Finance) is requested to kindly release above mentioned amount, on an 'on account' basis from NDRF, as an interim assistance to the government of Assam, pending the final assessment of the requirement of funds for immediate relief operations and approval of the HLC thereon, under intimation to this ministry," the home ministry communication said.

Over 100 people lost their lives and about 70 lakh people of the Assam's 24 districts, out of 33, were affected by the and landslides this year so far.

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For the nation's healthy and empowered future, children should be well-fed and free from malnutrition, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday.

In his address while launching a National Nutrition Month programme at Lok Bhawan, Adityanath said if a teenager girl or child is well nourished, then society and the nation will move towards achieving the goal of becoming healthy and empowered.

According to an official statement, the chief minister inaugurated 501 anganwadis and laid the foundation of 199 such centres. He also released a nutrition manual for the capacity building of anganwadi workers.

He also launched a mobile app, "Sahyog", for collaborative supervision of anganwadis.

The chief minister performed "annaprashan" of two children.

He said 1.7 crore children strengthen their foundation through anganwadis in the state.

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Chief Minister will release the state's first policy and Policy-2022 on Saturday on the occasion of Day.

Udyog Ratna and Export Promotion Awards will also be given to entrepreneurs and exporters in the programme, an official statement said.

According to the program, Chief Minister Gehlot will release these policies at a program in Jaipur and will release a coffee table book 'Rajasthani Artifacts' prepared on the of .

Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat said that the objective of Rajasthan Handicraft Policy-2022 is to provide better marketing arrangements for the upliftment of handicrafts, to revive traditional arts and extinct arts and to create new employment opportunities.

With the implementation of the first handicraft policy of the state, artisans of rugs, ceramic and clay art, painting, leather craft, jewellery etc. will be benefited and more than 50,000 new employment opportunities will be available in the next five years in the field of .

At the same time, in order to tap the potential of small and medium industries (MSMEs), the new state's new policy 'Rajasthan Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Policy-2022' will also be released.

For promoting export promotion in the state, 29 exporters will be honored with Export Promotion Award and 13 entrepreneurs will be honored with Udyog Ratna Award for their excellence in various categories.

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The ED on Friday launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country, including at the residence of a YSRCP MP, as part of a investigation into alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Excise Policy, official sources said.

The searches are being conducted at premises linked to businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi-NCR, they said.

The premises linked to YSRCP Lok Sabha MP from Ongole M Sreenivasulu Reddy in are also being searched, they said. Reddy has links with distributorship business.

He could not be contacted by PTI despite repeated attempts.

The action started early morning with agency teams being escorted by police and paramilitary personnel at the locations being searched by them.

This is the second round of raids by the federal agency in this case after it first conducted searches on September 6 at about 40 locations across the country including that of some Punjab government excise department officers.

The policy implemented from November 17, 2021 was scrapped by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal government in July this year following a CBI probe recommended by Delhi LG V K Saxena into its implementation.

The (ED) case of in the excise policy stems from a CBI FIR in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some Delhi government bureaucrats have been named as accused.

The CBI had conducted raids in the case on August 19, covering the Delhi residences of Sisodia (50), IAS officer and former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.

Sisodia holds multiple portfolios, including excise and education, in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

The ED is probing if alleged irregularities were done in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy and if some alleged "proceeds of crime," in terms of tainted money, was generated by the accused.

The agency also questioned AAP leader and minister Satyendar Jain, lodged in Tihar jail, in connection with this case after it obtained permission from a local court to do so.

Jain was arrested by the ED on May 30 in an another criminal case filed under the Prevention of Act (PMLA) linked to alleged hawala dealings.

The scheme came under the scanner after Delhi LG Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

Sisodia too has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

According to officials, the chief secretary's report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses" to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy.

It is alleged that undue financial favours were extended to liquor licensees after the tenders were awarded, causing loss to the exchequer.

The excise department gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to the licensees on the tendered licence fee citing COVID-19, sources had claimed.

They added that it also refunded the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from airport authorities.

"It was in gross violation of rule 48(11)(b) of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, which clearly stipulates that the successful bidder must complete all formalities for the grant of the licence, failing which all deposits made by him shall stand forfeited to the government," a source said.

The Excise Policy 2021-22, formulated on the basis of an expert committee report, was implemented on November 17 last year and retail licences were issued under it to private bidders for 849 vends across the city, divided into 32 zones.

The BJP had on Thursday shared a 'sting operation' video to claim that the AAP government framed its excise policy to help a select few and used the money earned through alleged corruption to fund its campaigns in Goa and Punjab assembly polls.

It showed the video at a press conference in which a person linked to liquor trade is claiming that the Kejriwal government deliberately kept smaller players out of its "tailor-made" excise policy to help a few persons monopolise the market.

The AAP has refuted allegations of irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the Excise Policy.

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on Friday said it has registered about 1,100 since April 1, an exercise that began to check rising incidents of dog-bite.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had on September 11 asked residents to get their pets registered in view of "rising incidents of dog-bite" in the capital region, and warned that action could be taken for non-compliance of the norm.

"About 1,100 have been registered from April till now," a senior official said.

Under the section 399 of Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, it is mandatory to register all with the municipal corporation.

The section also gives power to the to detain a pet dog found in a public place, if it is not registered with it, the civic body had earlier said.

Dog-bite cases have been reported in the last few days in Noida, Ghaziabad, and other parts of the region.

"In view of increasing number of dog-bite incidents, the urges citizens to get their pet dogs registered," the MCD had said in a statement on September 11.

There is also a provision of fining pet-owners and even carrying out prosecution, it had said.

"We appeal to citizens to get their pet dogs registered at the earliest, otherwise appropriate action can be taken as per DMC Act. The rule applies even to those who have adopted stray dogs as pets," it added.

When asked, how many fresh registrations have been done since it issued the appeal, the official said, "that data is not with me at present."



Senior officials of the veterinary department of MCD have said that the DMC Act mandates registration of pet dogs with civic body, but "residents have remained reluctant to come forward to get their pets registered."



Registration process helps in maintaining the exact count of pet dogs that are vaccinated against the rabies virus in different zones. It will also help in tracing a missing pet with the help of a registration number that the dog will sport, the MCD said.

The purpose of the exercise is to prepare a database of pet dog-owners, control illegal practices like unregistered dog breeding, and monitor pets' vaccination schedules.

In order to facilitate pet-owners, MCD is providing a "convenient and hassle-free" online facility for dog registration.

Documents that are needed to be submitted include anti-rabies vaccination certificate, a photograph of the animal, residence proof and identity proof of the owner, the MCD had said.

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Disappointed with the results of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and lack of clarity over admission process in colleges on Friday, students on social media expressed their views and confusion over choice of college.

Surbhi Tiwary said students were clueless about the admission process and some of them were forced to settle with a local college and not one of their choice.

"CUET was the biggest disaster. Students who otherwise would have been sure of their future and college according to their plans, are now clueless. Even the brightest ones do not have an option now except for doing their UG from a local college which hardly makes any sense," she wrote on Twitter.

Another student Shrabani Singha, who scored an average of 88 percentile after normalisation, wondered if she can get admission in any of the colleges under the current method.

Arya, another such student, who claims to have scored full marks in Political Science in raw score, wrote his percentile was reduced to 88.9 after normalisation.

"I had to appear for the exam twice because one of my exams was cancelled. I can't believe I will not be able to get into Delhi University," Arya wrote.

He said that CUET and Testing Agency (NTA) have "shattered all his dreams."



"This normalisation of marks ruined everything for me. With full marks in two subjects and few mistakes in others, my percentile did not even reach the 90-mark. I worked so hard. My life is ruined," Arya wrote.

After the CUET results were declared, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar on Friday said universities will prepare rank lists for undergraduate admissions on the basis of "normalised" scores for parity between marks and not percentile or raw marks.

Kumar told PTI that the scores were normalised to provide a level playing field for students who wrote the exam in the same subject on different days or in different shifts.

With similar concerns as Arya, another student Ramandeep Singh asked why his score reduced "in name of normalisation."



"I scored 200 out of 200 in Business Studies but after normalisation it has reduced to 186. Please tell me what I could have done to get a 100 percentile? I have studied all day, all night and lost around 50 marks in normalisation process," Singh wrote on Twitter.

Sumati Kapur, who also appeared for CUET and has been unhappy with the results, wrote, "When I checked my answer key earlier, it was showing that I had almost no wrong answers. How come I scored so less?"



Another disgruntled student, Bhanu Malavaliya questioned the normalisation process and calling the results "unfair."



"What kind of result is this? Is this what we call normalisation? Hundreds of marks have been deducted in the name of normalisation. Was it our fault to be in phase one? Dreams of thousands of students got shattered. This is not fair. We want justice," Malavaliya wrote.

Faria Jahan claimed that her scored reduced to 730 from 785 after the normalisation.

She said, "The results have made us believe that hardwork doesn't matter any more. Normalisation was just for a few! Answer key was the worst. I feel shattered completely.

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The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed the government to give permission and security to a delegation from while inspecting the elephants taken from here to temples of the southern state.

Justice Suman Shyam, hearing a petition filed by the government, passed an interim order that permission should be granted to the delegation to inspect the elephants within three days after the court order is made available to them.

The judge also directed the chief secretary and director general of police to provide necessary security to the delegation while they go for the inspection.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently released a video alleging that an named Joymala was being tortured and kept captive at the Andal temple in Srivalliputhur in Chennai.

As the video went viral, the Assam government sent a team of four members, comprising experts, forest and police officers to inspect the condition of the and pave the way for her return to the state.

The government, however, did not extend the necessary cooperation and refused permission to the delegation to meet the elephant, Advocate General Debojit Saika said.

"As we did not get any positive response from the Tamil Nadu government till now, it was decided to file a writ petition and its hearing was held today", Saikia said.

The judge issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Tamil Nadu Forest Secretary and Director of Police.

The next date of hearing has been fixed for September 28.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed in Madras High Court by wildlife scientist N Sivaganesan contending that once a gift is executed in favour of a religious institution, the donor cannot demand its repossession as it will hurt the sentiments of devotees.

The Tamil Nadu Additional Advocate General J Ravindran, appearing before the bench of Acting Chief Justice M Duraiswamy and Justice Sunder Mohan on Thursday, said that the state did not intend to return the elephants.

Assam had donated nine elephants to the Tamil Nadu government for its temples.

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In 1948, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, deposited 1 million pounds in a bank account at the National Westminster Bank. Then-Pakistan high commissioner Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola held the account. Rahimtoola had agreed to keep the amount safe with him in "trust."

The deposit was made shortly before India launched "Operation Polo" to liberate Hyderabad. After the annexation, the Nizam signed the instrument of accession with India and became a part of the country, like several other princely states.

However, Pakistan refused to give back the money to Khan.

By 2019, the money had turned to 35 million pounds or Rs 324 crore, due to the interest accrued.



Also Read | How the Nizams 'stole' Hyderabad: Understanding origins of Asaf Jah dynasty

Khan's descendants, Muffakhan Jah and Mukarram Jah, then approached the High Court of England and Wales to claim the money. The fought the case along with the descendants of Nizam against the Pakistan government.

After 70 years of proceedings, the court upheld the Indian government's claims and ordered Pakistan to pay the money due.

"Nizam VII was beneficially entitled to the Fund and those claiming in right of Nizam VII the Princes and India are entitled to have the sum paid out to their order... Pakistan's contentions of non-justiciability because of the foreign act of state doctrine and non-enforceability on grounds of illegality both fail," the court order read.

Following the judgement, the ministry of external affairs said, "The Court has issued a wide-ranging judgment today after analysing documentation going back more than 70 years and embracing the law of constructive and resulting trusts, unjust enrichment, foreign act of state, illegality and limitation of actions."

In December 2019, the court ordered Pakistan to pay India and the princes 65 per cent of their legal costs in connection with the case.

Muffakham Jah was to be given 1.8 million pounds, Mukarram Jah was awarded 795,064 pounds, and the government of India was to get 2.8 million pounds from Pakistan.

In 1947, India was partitioned into two independent countries, India and Pakistan. Khan did not want to accede to India. However, after an armed rebellion by Razakars, the Indian Army entered the state and annexed it in 1948
As the COVID cases have now subsided, the respective governments have decided to reopen the border from September 23.

"Government of Bhutan has officially announced that international border with India will be opened on Sept 23 as Covid cases have subsided. We prepare to open the border and give visitors a good experience, said Tashi Penjore, the Himalayan kingdom's Director (law and order) of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.

In the regional headquarters of Sashastra Seema Bal located at Chaprakata in the Bongaigaon district of Assam, a general meeting was held between Tashi Panjore, the Director of Law and Order Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the Commandant of the 15th Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal and in-charge of Regional Headquarters Neeraj Chand and all the SSB officials.

During that meeting, the neighbouring country Bhutan closed the international gate for COVID in 2019. Now, almost 4 years later the borders will be reopened on September 23, 2022.

Tashi Penjore, Director of Law and Order Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bhutan, Deputy Commissioner of Bhutan, Superintendent of Police, and several officers were present at SSB Headquarters today regarding the same subject.

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Prime Minister on Friday called on the SCO to develop reliable and resilient supply chains to offset the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis and said better connectivity and granting "full rights" of transit facilities by member states is important to achieve the goal.

In his address at the summit of the eight-member grouping in this historic Uzbek city, Modi said the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this year and that supports "greater cooperation and mutual trust" among the (SCO) member states.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the bloc listening, Modi said the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing "unprecedented" energy and food crises.

It is for the first time Modi and Xi came face-to-face at the summit in Samarkand since the start of the border standoff between and China in eastern Ladakh around 28 months back.

" supports greater cooperation and mutual trust among SCO members. The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises," he said.

"The SCO should strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. For this, better connectivity will be required, as well as it will also be important that we all give full rights of transit to each other," he said.

Modi's emphasises on transit for trade comes amid Pakistan's reluctance to provide such a facility for two-way trade between India and Pakistan.

Referring to food insecurity across the globe, the prime minister pitched for promotion of the cultivation and consumption of millets.

"The world today faces another major challenge and that is ensuring the food security of our citizens. One possible solution to this problem is to promote the cultivation and consumption of millets," he said.

"Millets is a superfood that has been grown for thousands of years, not only in SCO countries, but in many parts of the world, and is a traditional, nutritious and low-cost alternative to the food crisis," Modi said.

The prime minister said the SCO should consider organising a 'Millet Food Festival'.

Talking about economic cooperation, the prime minister said the role of the SCO has become very important when the whole world is facing the challenges of economic recovery after the pandemic.

He also noted that the SCO member countries contribute about 30 per cent to global GDP, and 40 per cent of the world's population also resides in member countries of the grouping.

"We are making progress on making India a manufacturing hub. India's young and talented workforce makes us naturally competitive. India's economy is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this year, which will be the highest among the world's major economies," Modi said.

The prime minister also talked about India's focus on proper use of technology in its people-centric development model.

"We are supporting innovation in every sector. Today there are over 70,000 start-ups in India, of which over 100 are unicorns. This experience of ours can be of use to many other SCO members as well," the prime minister said.

"For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with the member countries of SCO by establishing a new Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation," he added.

The prime minister said India today is one of the most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world.

"The WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022. This will be the WHO's first and only Global Center for Traditional Medicine," Modi said.

"We should increase cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries. For this, India will take initiative on a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine," he said.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.

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Prominent Indian and industrialist Dr Swati Piramal has been conferred France's top civilian honour for her contributions in the fields of business and industry, science, medicine, and towards strengthening Indo-French ties.

Piramal, 66, is the vice-chairperson of the Mumbai-headquartered Piramal Group, a business conglomerate with interests in pharmaceuticals, financial services, real estate and glass packaging.

The Chevalier de la d'Honneur or Knight of the of Honour was conferred on her in an investiture ceremony by Catherine Colonna, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, during a visit to India this week. The award was conferred on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Dr Piramal is not only a leading and outstanding businesswoman, but also a businesswoman who gives back to society, said Colonna.

Her strong influence on business and industry, public policy, healthcare governance and women's leadership is widely recognised in India and abroad. Through this award, also wishes to recognise Dr Piramal at the highest level as a true friend of France, a driving force to advance Indo-French ties in the fields of science, arts, culture, cuisine, and business, she said.

For Piramal, it follows the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite, France's second highest civilian honour Knight of the Order of Merit, in 2016.

As a leading and industrialist, Piramal says her focus has been on innovations, new medicines, and public health and she also believes in encouraging India- ties across business and industry, innovation, and arts and culture.

I am truly humbled to be conferred the Chevalier de la d'Honneur. This honour is also a recognition of the efforts by my colleagues at Piramal, both in India and internationally, across trade and business, science, arts, and culture.

The recognition motivates us to work towards further strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations. Piramal Group has a long relationship with France, both in arts and culture and in business. I am confident that the recognition will take our partnership to even greater heights in the coming time, she said.

Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of nationality.

Piramal is also a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours of India, as a champion of developing frameworks and policies to support women in leadership roles. She has served as a member of the Prime Minister of India's Trade Advisory Council and the Scientific Advisory Council and is currently on the Harvard Global Advisory Council.

As the director of Piramal Foundation, she is also involved in developing innovative long-term and scalable solutions that will provide further impetus to India's economic and social progress. She leads the foundation's efforts towards effective public policy and governance in public health, water and education through private-public-partnership (PPP) models for solutions and contributes to India's Sustainable Development Goals, the Piramal Group said.

The company highlighted that the Piramal Museum of Art in Mumbai is currently hosting the 'Science beyond Borders' exhibition, running until the end of September. Curated by the French Institute in India and its partners, the exhibition showcases the rich history of scientific cooperation between the two countries.

The exhibition is part of Bonjour India 2022, a large-scale cultural and artistic festival organised by to mark India's 75th anniversary of Independence and 75 years of diplomatic relations between France and India.

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Chief Minister on Friday stressed on conducting more along with ensuring the extensive reach of the benefits of natural farming to the masses.

He was speaking while attending a brainstorming session regarding natural farming held at Gurukul here.

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat's Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel, among others, also attended the session.

Khattar discussed the model of natural farming in detail with the Gujarat Governor and the Gujarat Chief Minister at Gurukul.

Patel especially reached Gurukul Kurukshetra to know about the model of natural farming.

After attending the session on natural farming, he visited Gurukul's agriculture farm where natural farming is being done and took a look at the crops being grown there.

In the present time, natural farming is the need of the hour. There is an increasing trend among farmers and consumers for adopting this kind of cultivation in the country and abroad, he said.

Governor Devvrat said that today more use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is being done in agriculture.

"Due to this, the fertility of the land is decreasing. Today we need to adopt natural farming. This will also reduce the cost of the farmer to zero and water is conserved," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved that the farmers of India should be prosperous and happy, so we need to promote natural farming, Gujarat Governor said.

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister J P Dalal said that the exchange made by and Gujarat together for adopting natural farming would be adopted as a campaign and would be given the form of a mass movement across the state.

He said that natural farming is becoming a lifeline for the farmers of the country. All the products such as grains, fruits, vegetables etc. produced from it are very beneficial for the people, Dalal said.

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The Police is mulling over slapping the stringent National Security Act against the six people arrested for the rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in the state's Lakhimpur Kheri.

The sisters, aged 15 and 17, were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field on Wednesday evening.

The National Security Act (NSA) allows the detention of people up to one year without any charge.

"We are mulling to impose the NSA on the six accused persons. Apart from this, DNA samples of the six accused persons and the two girls will also be sent for an examination," Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Suman told PTI on Friday.

Suman said none of the accused is minor, dismissing reports of the kin of some of them making the claiming.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Government Counsel Brijesh Pandey said the accused were produced before a POCSO court, which sent them to a 14-day judicial custody.

District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh on Friday told reporters that the monetary relief of Rs 8.25 lakh each has been released in favour of the girls' family.

The remaining compensation amount will be released soon, he said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Thursday evening directed that Rs 25 lakh financial assistance, a pucca house and agriculture land be given to the kin of the dead.

In a tweet in Hindi, the office of the UP Chief Minister said the matter will be effectively pursued in a fast-track court and the culprits will be punished within a month.

Nighasan's BJP legislator Shashank Verma along with BJP's district president Sunil Singh visited the grief-stricken family, telling them that the government would provide all aid and assistance to them.

The village on Friday looked calm and quiet, though the authorities have deployed adequate number of policemen to maintain peace there.

An 11-member delegation of the Congress led by its MLAs Aradhna Mishra Mona, Virendra Chaudhary, former MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former MLA Satish Ajmani and others also visited the family to express their solidarity with them.

The six men were arrested on Thursday.

Police sources said the post-mortem report revealed that the girls were raped and then strangled. The bodies were found hanging about a kilometre away from their home on Wednesday.

Police had said according to the preliminary probe, the girls had left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail.

The girl's mother had earlier alleged that they were abducted.

The tragic incident has stirred politics in the state, which is readying for a five-day monsoon session of the legislative assembly from Monday.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have attacked the BJP government in the state over the incident.

BJP leaders have hit back at the rivals for trying to "derive political mileage" out of the human tragedy.

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After waiting for seven decades for the fastest moving wild animal cheetah, India will finally receive the first batch from South Africa by Friday afternoon. A special Jumbo Jet Boeing 747 plane, having all arrangements for specially housing eight cheetahs for 16 hours journey to Rajasthan capital Jaipur, landed in Namibia capital Windhoek on Thursday.



The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar will visit India's first lithium cell manufacturing facility at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

The 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) is set to commence on Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister arrived in Samarkand on Thursday evening to take part in the SCO Summit. During the summit, the leaders are expected to review the activities of SCO and discuss prospects for future cooperation. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 and India will assume the rotational annual presidency of the SCO at the end of the Samarkand Summit.
The has told the Delhi High Court that a laptop and other devices seized from co-founder Mohammed Zubair are deposited with the forensic science laboratory for recovering data that needs to be analysed regarding an alleged objectionable tweet posted by him in 2018 against a Hindu deity.

The police made the submissions in an affidavit filed in the high court in response to a plea by Zubair against his arrest and search and seizure exercise in a case related to the alleged objectionable tweet.

Zubair has challenged the legality and propriety of a trial court's June 28 order granting the custody of fact-checking website's founder to the police for four days.

As an interim relief, Zubair's counsel has sought that till the petition is decided by the high court, the police shall not venture into Zubair's laptop as the tweet was made through a mobile phone and not the computer.

The plea was filed before the Supreme Court granted interim bail to him on July 20.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav listed the matter for further hearing on October 31, while granting time to Zubair's counsel to file a rejoinder in the case.

The police, in its affidavit, said during the police custody remand, one laptop, two invoices, and a hard disk have been recovered from the Bengaluru residence of Zubair based on a disclosure statement which is admissible under the Indian Evidence Act and has to be looked upon at the time of trial.

It said that quashing the police custody remand order passed by the trial court will make the recovery inadmissible.

The peripherals seized during the police custody remand have already been deposited at Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, Delhi. Data is to be recovered from these devices and is to be analysed with respect to the tweet in question and other similar-natured tweets done by accused Mohd Zubair (if retrieved). As such the seized articles/ devices are not beyond allegation, as mentioned by the petitioner in the prayer of the petition, the affidavit said.

It, however, said the petitioner may approach the concerned forum for the release of seized articles on 'superdari' (handing over custody of something to a person till next orders) as and when the analysis of these devices is complete.

The police sought to dismiss Zubair's petition saying it has become infructuous as the relief sought regarding quashing of police custody order could not be granted as the period has already lapsed.

Lawyer Vrinda Grover, appearing for Zubair, had earlier informed the high court that the trial court had granted bail to him in July but urged the bench to grant him relief as sought in the petition.

On July 1, the high court issued notice on Zubair's petition and granted time to the investigating agency to file its response to the plea.

Zubair was arrested by the on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets.

His counsel had argued before the court that the police remand order passed after the petitioner's arrest was mechanical and without application of mind and that no offence was made out against him.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, raised objections with respect to the maintainability of the petition and said that the FIR is only an "initiation of proceedings" and the investigating agency may find material to show that there is no offence or that there is a serious offence which is not part of the FIR.

Earlier in June, a case was registered against Zubair under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police had said the case was registered on the complaint of a Twitter user who accused him of hurting religious sentiments.

Police, while seeking an extension of Zubair's custody by five days, had alleged before the trial court that the accused was following a trend where he used religious tweets in an effort to get famous and that there was a deliberate effort to create social disharmony and hurt religious feelings.

The investigating agency also said the accused joined the probe but did not cooperate and various materials from his phone were deleted.

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Chief Minister Zoramthanga and his counterpart will hold talks on September 19 to find an amicable solution to the between the two northeastern states, an official said on Friday.

The CMO official, who is accompanying Zoramthanga in New Delhi, said the meeting will take place in the capital but the venue is yet to be decided.

"The two chief ministers conversed over the phone on Friday and decided to hold a meeting on the border issue on September 19 in New Delhi," the official told PTI.

They had earlier held a meeting on the issue in November last year in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In an earlier telephonic conversation on August 10 this year, the two chief ministers had decided to hold the talks in the later part of August or early September.

Three districts of -- Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit -- share a 164.6-km-long border with three districts of Assam: Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj.

The long-standing between the two neighbouring states stems from two colonial demarcations of 1875 and 1933.

holds that a 509 square mile stretch of inner line reserved forest notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, a certain section of which now falls in Assam, is the actual boundary of the state.

Assam, on the other hand, claims that the boundary as per survey of India's map in 1933 is the constitutional boundary of the state.

Certain areas, which are now in Mizoram, fall under the 1933 demarcation.

The between Mizoram and turned ugly on July 26 last year when police forces of the two states engaged in a gunfight, leading to the death of seven people, including six policemen from Assam, and injuries to around 60 people.

Following the violent clash, the delegations of both the states held a ministerial-level meeting on August 5 last year and decided to maintain peace along the inter-state boundary and resolve the dispute through dialogue.

So far, the delegations have held two rounds of talks in Aizawl and three virtual meetings.

In the last meeting held on August 9, both the delegations agreed to maintain peace and take necessary measures to prevent any untoward incident along the border.

They had also decided to meet again in Guwahati next month.

Last week, Mizoram State Boundary Committee had unanimously approved an "Approach Paper" to be tabled in the next round of talks as the government's standpoint on the boundary.

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An under-construction boundary wall of an Army enclave collapsed here following heavy overnight rains, leaving nine labourers dead and another injured, police said on Friday.

One person was pulled out alive from the debris, they said.

"Some labourers were living in huts outside an Army enclave in Dilkusha area. Owing to heavy overnight rains, the boundary wall of the Army enclave collapsed," Joint Commissioner of Police, (Law and Order), Piyush Mordia told PTI.

"We reached the spot around 3 am. Nine bodies were pulled out from the debris. One person was rescued alive," he said.

District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said the under-construction wall collapsed following heavy rains.

The injured persons have been admitted to the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Civil) Hospital, he said.

The deceased hailed from Jhansi district.

President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also condoled the loss of lives.

Adityanath has issued directions to provide Rs 4 lakh as financial assistance to the kin of each of the deceased, his office said in a tweet.

The Jhansi district administration said the bodies of the deceased will be brought to Pachvara in Mauranipur area of Jhansi district after postmortem.

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From September 17, will celebrate its 75 years of liberation in a year-long celebration. The celebrations will mark the 75 years of "Operation Polo" that integrated and merged the earlier princely state with India.

What was the "Operation Polo"?

Before 1947, all the princely states in India were governed by their rulers, but they were under a subsidiary alliance system with the Britishers. The Britishers controlled the external affairs of the princely states.

During the independence of India in 1947, the British signed the Indian Independence Act 1947, abandoning the subsidiary alliances and leaving the princely states on their own. They could join India or Pakistan or choose to stay independent.

was under the rule of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. He presided over a predominantly Hindu population and chose to stay independent.

By September 1948, almost all the princely states had decided to either join India or Pakistan. had chosen to stay independent. Things were made more complicated by the presence of a paramilitary force called the Razakars in Hyderabad, besides a communist rebellion in the rural Telangana region. The Razakars were led by Qasim Rizvi, and wanted to maintain Muslim rule over the state. As they started committing atrocities in the state, the marched in. This was referred to as Police action.

According to a report by The Hindu, there were rumours that Hyderabad was arming itself to support from the Portuguese administration in Goa and Pakistan. It led to communal clashes and added to tensions.

Goa was still under the control of the Portuguese, and India did not want Hyderabad to align with Pakistan.

On September 13, 1948, launched "Operation Polo", also called "Operation Caterpillar '' to liberate Hyderabad. Then home minister Vallabbhai Patel described the idea of independent Hyderabad as "an ulcer in the heart of India which needed to be removed surgically".

In a war that lasted for five days, the took over the powerful state of Hyderabad. Over 36,000 troops entered Hyderabad. Around 32 were killed and 97 injured on the Indian side. In Hyderabad, 490 were killed and 122 wounded.

Finally, on September 17, 1948, nearly 13 months after India gained independence, the people and the state of Hyderabad were integrated with India. At 5 PM, the Nizam ordered a ceasefire and signed the instrument of accession with the government of India. It has been a part of India since.

The stayed in Hyderabad till 1951, when the Communist Party of India ended the rebellion and chose to join mainstream politics.
A model statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose made by sculptor Arun Yogiraj and sporting memorabilia of the Commonwealth Games medallists gifted to Prime Minister are among the over 1,200 items that will be auctioned starting Saturday.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said at a press conference here on Friday that a statue of Lord Ganesha, a trident, models of the upcoming Ram temple at Ayodhya and the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, will also be part of the e-auction of gifts and mementoes given to prime minister, proceeds of which will go to the Namami Gange Mission.

Yogiraj along with a team of artisans had sculpted the monolithic 28-ft statue of Netaji which was recently unveiled by Modi at India Gate, had in April gifted a model statue of Bose.

"Glad to have met @yogiraj_arun today. Grateful to him for sharing this exceptional sculpture of Netaji Bose," Modi had tweeted on April 5.

The young artist, who had also sculpted the statue of Adi Shankaracharya which was installed at Kedarnath in November 2021, had shared images of the black model statue of Netaji after meeting the prime minister in April this year.

"Got the opportunity to present 2ft monolithic stone model of Subhas Chandra Bose to @narendramodi Ji.., " he had tweeted.

Reddy, while interacting with reporters, said sporting memorabilia gifted to the prime minister by several sportspersons will be part of the auction. A ministry official said 25 new sporting memorabilia will be part of the auction.

"These sportspersons include CWG 2022 medallists who took part in the Paralympic Games 2022 and Thomas Cup 2022. Many sportspersons who brought laurels for India at the latest Commonwealth Games have gifted the sporting equipment they had played with to win medals. These will be part of the auction," Reddy said.

The CWG 2022 was held in Birmingham, the UK, where many Indian sportspersons shone with their performances, winning 61 medals in total.

The auction will be conducted through web portal pmmementos.gov.in, and will conclude on October 2. Some of the gifts are on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art. These items can also be viewed on the website.

This will be the fourth edition of the e-auction of prestigious and memorable gifts presented to Modi, the culture ministry said, adding, more than 1,200 items will be on auction this time.

The 2021 edition was held from September 17 to October 7.

"In 2019, such items were auctioned for people through open bidding. That time, 1,805 gifts were put on auction in the first round, and in the second round, 2,772 gift items were put on auction. In 2021, also e-auction was organised in September and we had 1,348 items on auction. This year, approximately 1,200 mementos and gift items have been put on e-auction," Reddy said.

"Mementoes that will go on auction include exquisite paintings, sculptures, handicrafts and folk artefacts. Several of these are items customarily offered as gifts, such as traditional angavastrams, shawls, headgears, ceremonial swords," the minister said.

Reddy added that Modi is the "first-ever Prime Minister of India, who has decided to auction all the gifts he receives for a noble cause of conserving the lifeline of the country - the river Ganga through Namami Gange mission. I urge everyone to participate in the auction liberally and contribute towards the noble mission".

Union Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Union Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi were also present during the briefing.

"In the last auction, people from every state and origin participated in the auction actively," Meghwal said.

Lekhi highlighted the significance of various mementoes presented to the prime minister and how the e-auction offers an "exceptional occasion to the people to contribute to Namami Gange".

To make the visit even more enjoyable, guided tours in general, and guided tours in sign language for specially-abled have been arranged. Catalogues in Braille will also be made available. The display area will be open to the public from September 17 to October 2, the culture ministry said in a statement.

The funds raised through the auction will contribute to a worthy cause, the 'Namami Gange Programme', the flagship project that seeks to conserve and rejuvenate our national river, it said.

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Prime Minister on Friday attended the annual summit of the along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping.

It is for the first time that Xi and Modi came face-to-face since the border standoff between India and China escalated following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

The summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries.

Ahead of the deliberations at the restricted format of the summit, leaders of the permanent members of the grouping posed for a group photo.

At the venue of the summit, Modi was warmly greeted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

After the summit, Prime Minister Modi is set to have separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi.

Modi arrived here on Thursday night on an around 24-hour visit.

Hours before departing for Samarkand, Modi said he was looking forward to exchanging views at the summit on topical regional and international issues as well as on reform and expansion of the grouping



"At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation," Modi said.

"Under the Uzbek chairship, a number of decisions for mutual cooperation are likely to be adopted in areas of trade, economy, culture and tourism," he said.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and .

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.

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Prime Minister left Uzbekistan's historic city of Samarkand on Friday after attending the (SCO) summit and holding bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The SCO held its first in-person summit in Samarkand in after two years. The summit also saw the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin, Raisi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif among other leaders from the Central Asian countries.

"Had productive multilateral and bilateral engagements at the SCO Summit. I thank the people and Government of for their hospitality," Modi tweeted before leaving.

"A packed visit to Samarkand concludes as PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi. PM's participation in the SCO Summit meetings and his bilateral conversations with our partners on the sidelines add strength to regional peace, security and prosperity," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Addressing the annual summit of the bloc, Modi called on the to create trusted and resilient supply chains to offset the disruptions caused by the Ukraine crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic and said the members of the grouping should give each other full transit rights to expand connectivity.

Modi's emphasis on full transit rights comes amid Pakistan's reluctance to provide such a facility to India for trade with other countries such as Afghanistan.

It was for the first time Modi and Xi came face-to-face since the start of the border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh around 28 months back.

During the bilateral talks with Putin on the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Modi pressed the Russian President to end the conflict in Ukraine soon, saying "today's era is not of war" even as he called for finding ways to address the global food and energy security crisis.

Modi also underlined the importance of "democracy, dialogue and diplomacy" while calling for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

Modi and Uzbek President Mirziyoyev discussed ways to deepen connectivity, trade and cultural cooperation between their countries.

During their meeting, Modi and Iranian President Raisi discussed issues of bilateral and mutual interests.

Modi also met Turkish President Erdogan during which they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors. handed over the rotating presidency of the eight-member SCO to India in this historic city of Samarkand.

Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

Iran has been admitted as a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.

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Prime Minister on Friday met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for the first time in-person on the sidelines of the here and the two leaders discussed wide-ranging bilateral ties, reviewed the progress in the development of and regional developments including .

The two leaders are in this historic Uzbek city of Samarkand to attend the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit .

"Productive first meeting between PM @narendramodi and President Ebrahim Raisi of . Discussed our wide-ranging bilateral relations and reviewed the progress in the development of . Also discussed international and regional developments including Afghanistan," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

has been a key country for India in the Gulf region.

The two sides have been jointly focusing on improving connectivity between South East Asia and Central Asia.

India has been projecting Iran's as a key regional transit hub including .

Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, and to boost connectivity and trade ties.

India has been in touch with Iran over the developments in Afghanistan as well following its takeover by the Taliban on August 15 last year.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, focusing on bilateral cooperation, and the Iran nuclear deal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was finalised in 2015 between Tehran and several world powers including the European Union.

It was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. The US had withdrawn from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

There have been fresh efforts now to restore the deal.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister will visit the country's eastern most state and dedicate the greenfield Itanagar airport and 600 mw Kameng hydro electric power project to the nation, a communique by the chief minister's office said on Friday.

The convenient date for the visit will be informed by the prime minister's office (PMO), Modi told Chief Minister during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Khandu had called on the prime minister and apprised him of the two developmental initiatives, which are complete and ready for operationalisation, the communique said.

The chief minister informed Modi of the development projects undertaken in the north eastern state in the eight years of the government helmed by him..

The airport will be the first in the northeast to have the capacity to land big aircraft, he informed the prime minister.

The decks for operationalisation of the Itanagar airport have been cleared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation granting the necessary license for operation on September 7. Now the airport is ready to be dedicated to the nation, Khandu told the prime minister and thanked him for his support and guidance.

With the operationalisation of the airport will be connected directly with New Delhi. The long-cherished dream of the people of the state to see Itanagar in the air map of India has ultimately come true, the CMO communique quoted Khandu as saying.

The chief minister informed the PM that the Kameng hydroelectric project has been successfully commissioned and will be a great boon for the power sector of the country, specially the northeast and provide power for grid stability.

The project is the largest of its kind in the northeast and has been executed by North East Electric Power Corporation Ltd at an estimated cost of around Rs 8000 crore, 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.)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya on Friday said that a web portal has recently been created to provide information on the blood types available in the banks across the country, thus giving a momentum to the voluntary movement.

The minister, who is a physician, told a virtual press meet from Delhi that 7,017 NGOs joined hands to float eRaktKosh.in for giving out all necessary information on blood availability, as part of the Centre's 'one nation, one platform' initiative.

"Once someone logs into the portal and clicks on a particular state and then a district, one can see the accessible in that area and the specific contact details," Mandaviya said at the meet attended by regional reporters from different cities, including Kolkata.

To a question, he also said that the portal would further help set up a registry, where all information regarding blood availability and requirement would be collated.

The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed to make the country free of tuberculosis by 2025.

"The rate for TB eradication, however, has not reached expected levels as of now. We have to ensure there is not one person suffering from TB in all spheres of society. Currently, there are 13 lakh TB patients in the country, he maintained.

Mandaviya asserted that India was praised by the entire world for its COVID-19 management and its response to the pandemic.

The country earned praise for its vaccination management, although "some people politicised the drive", he said.

The media, nonetheless, played its role "truthfully" by disseminating the right information, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President of India on Friday expressed condolences on the death of nine people in the wall collapse incident due to overnight rain.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of people in due to wall collapse. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured people a speedy recovery," a tweet from the Rashtrapati Bhavan read in Hindi.

Nine people have died and two others were injured after a wall collapsed in due to heavy rainfall in the area in the last 24 hours.

All injured in the said accident were rushed to the Civil Hospital for treatment where the doctors declared their condition stable.

After the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead.

He also instructed to give the relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the persons who died due to wall collapse and directed for proper treatment of the injured persons.

Joint Commissioner Piyush Mordia informed that the boundary wall of a hut in the Dilkusha area, where the labourers were residing, collapsed due to heavy overnight rains which resulted in the death of nine and injuries to two people.

Meanwhile, the city has been witnessing water logging problems in many parts due to heavy rainfall. Commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected waterlogging issues after heavy rain lashed the city.The district administration has asked the people to contact Lucknow Municipal Corporation Control Room for any civic problem like water logging, tree fall etc.

The administration has also advised the people to drink boiled water and get bleaching powder and chlorine tablets from the nearest health centres.

The administration has directed all government hospitals, PHC and CHC to be on high alert.

(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.)
Eight cheetahs -- five females and three males are getting transferred to India from Namibia, Africa. Prime Minister will release these eight big cats in Kuno National Park (KNP), situated in Madhya Pradesh, on his birthday, September 17. To mark this arrival, PM Modi will also host the goodwill ambassadors from the 'land of the brave'.

The cheetahs are brought under Project Cheetah to reintroduce the big cat in India after they were officially declared extinct in 1952, and the last cheetah was killed in India in 1947. These cheetahs will arrive at Gwalior airport from Namibia in a customised Boeing 747-400 aircraft. They will be shifted to the KNP helipad in an Indian Air Force helicopter, Chinook.

According to Prime Minister's Office, Project Cheetah is the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

The project was approved by Supreme Court in 2020 as a pilot programme to reintroduce the species in the country. The concept of bringing cheetah back was first introduced in 2009 by conservationists along with Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), headquartered in Africa, which works toward saving the big cat in the wild.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between India and the Republic of Namibia in July 2020, wherein the Namibian government agreed to donate eight felines to launch the programme.

According to a statement released by PMO, "cheetahs will help restore open forest and grassland ecosystems in India. This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, benefiting the society at large."

While cheetahs were recorded extensively through the Mughal period, it was during the British rule that saw their hunting as a sport, which eventually led to their extinction. Other factors also contributed to the extinction of cheetahs, such as habitat loss due to the growing human population, which also created pressure on forests.

The primary purpose of now reintroducing cheetahs in the country is to develop healthy meta-populations in India that allow the cheetah to execute its functional role as a top predator, according to a statement by the government.

According to the reintroduction plan, cheetahs will be placed in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh after . While the first three cheetahs will be released in Kuno National Park, the rest will be released in different phases. The central government aims to introduce 50 cheetahs in the next five years.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday produced Kalyanmoy Ganguly, a former president of the Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), before a special court of the agency in connection with the Group-C scam in government schools, officials said.

Ganguly was called for questioning at the agency's Kolkata office on Thursday and arrested after he was found non-cooperative.

While entering the court premises during the day, he did not speak to reporters.

The agency had booked five people, including Ganguly, on May 20 in connection with the case.

It is alleged that the accused extended undue advantage to undeserving and unlisted candidates to the posts of Group-C staff in various schools across in a criminal conspiracy.

The former WBBSE president was arrested around two months after former education minister Partha Chatterjee was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in the scam.

In August, the arrested former advisors of the SSC, Dr Shanti Prasad Sinha, and its ex-secretary Ashok Kumar Saha for their alleged involvement in the SSC scam.

(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 Russian President on Friday held talks on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

It is the first meeting between the two leaders after the Ukraine conflict broke out in February this year.



PM @narendramodi held talks with President Putin in Samarkand. The two leaders had productive discussions on a wide range of subjects aimed at further strengthening India-Russia ties. @KremlinRussia_E pic.twitter.com/bRjJMWnr1U  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 16, 2022

It is learnt that the two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.

India has not yet criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has been pushing for resolution of the crisis through dialogue.

(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.)
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will arrive in on Saturday on a five-day official visit to deepen the existing cooperation and identify opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration in new and emerging areas, the Prime Minister's Office here said on Friday.

This will be Wong's first official visit to the country in his capacity as the Deputy Prime Minister of .

He will participate in the inaugural India- Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in on Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

The ISMR is a new ministerial platform between the two countries, seeking to "deepen existing cooperation and identify opportunities for mutually-beneficial collaboration in new and emerging areas", it said.

Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, will attend the ISMR with Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S Iswaran.

He will also meet senior Indian leaders and personalities, the PMO said.

On Sunday, Wong will travel to Gujarat, where he will meet Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and visit Gujarat International Finance City.

He will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, Channel News Asia reported.

and China are important for to progress in the current volatile economic environments, and global markets are hit by high-powered headwinds, with disruption of supplies and increasing tension caused by Ukraine-Russia conflicts and uncertainties caused by positions and postures taken by China, Taiwan and the US, political observers said.

Commercially sensitive Singapore, which sits in the midst of the largest markets of and China, is concerned about managing a balanced relationship.

Market-oriented economies like Singapore are concerned about China-US postures and need an in-depth understanding of deep thinking in and Beijing while seeking Washington-led Western economies' strategies for a prosperous world, said the observers.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Finance Minister on Thursday reviewed the state of the economy at the (FSDC) meeting in Mumbai, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The council stressed on the early warning indicators for the economy and the preparedness to deal with them, improving the efficiency of the existing financial and credit information systems, and issues of governance and management in systemically important financial institutions.

"It was noted that there is a need to monitor the financial sector risks, the financial conditions and market developments on a continuous basis by the Government and the regulators so that appropriate and timely action can be taken so as to mitigate any vulnerability and strengthen financial stability," the Finance Ministry statement read.

The council also took note of the preparation in respect of financial sector issues to be taken up during India's G20 Presidency in 2023.

The finance minister is on a three-day visit to the financial capital, where she is meeting representatives of the industry, market and bankers.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad; Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Dr TV Somanathan, Finance Secretary and Expenditure Secretary Ajay Seth, Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj, Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra, Financial Services Secretary Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman Madhabi Puri Buch, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Chairman Debasish Panda, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairman Ravi Mital, Chairperson, International Financial Services Centres Authority, and the Secretary of the FSDC, Department of Economic Affairs Injeti Srinivas and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Chairman Supratim Bandyopadhyay.

(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.)
Observing that the condition of legal education, including its infrastructure, is nothing but worrying, the Delhi High Court on Friday directed the (BCI) to constitute special expert teams to conduct surprise visits to law colleges in the country.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that BCI shall upload such inspection reports on its website within one month and also take immediate steps to close those colleges that are found lacking minimum infrastructural facilities.

While lamenting the commercialization of education, the judge added that these steps ought to be introduced to "cure the maladies that legal education is suffering from" and that it was surprising how the stakeholders of legal education could tolerate such a situation.

The court's order was passed on petitions by a private law college here on the issue of increasing the intake of students for its BA LLB 5-year integrated course.

The condition of legal education including the status of infrastructure is nothing but worrying. There are law colleges where you may not have sufficient faculty, no classrooms, no library, etc," stated the court.

"It is unfortunate that this Court is being constrained to remark that there are law colleges where you have to just go and pay the fees, the rest is taken care of. It is surprising to state how can a legal profession or how can we as stakeholders of legal education tolerate this kind of situation. It is a great responsibility cast upon the to shut down such institutions, it observed.

Stating that BCI was the regulator of legal education, the court ordered: it is directed that the BCI should constitute special expert teams to conduct surprise visits of the colleges that lack minimum infrastructure and adequate facilities. The inspection reports of the college teaching law on its website shall be uploaded within one month of such inspection. If any colleges upon such inspection are found to be lacking minimum infrastructural facilities, then the BCI must take immediate steps to close such colleges.

The court asserted that the relevant BCI Rules themselves mandate that any institution imparting legal education would have to comply with the minimum standards of infrastructure and opined that before increasing the strength of students, it is essential that the existing infrastructure is upgraded in colleges.

Therefore, in the present case, the court said, classes or any educational activity cannot be allowed to function in the basement of the petitioner college.

The court emphasised that proper standards of education cannot be achieved unless there are adequate infrastructural facilities on the campus like classrooms, libraries, laboratories, well-equipped teaching staff of requisite calibre, and a proper student-teacher ratio.

Commercialization of education is another bane that the sector in India is suffering from. One such manifestation of profiteering in this noble profession is in the form of enrolling additional students in each coming batch without upgrading the existing infrastructure, it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh owed Rs 4,832 crore to cane farmers as on September 1 for the crushing season 2021-22 ending later this month.

However, Rs 30,368.73 crore or 86.27 per cent of the total due has been paid, according to Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

The minister informed the same to BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali in a letter dated September 8, which was later posted on the social media platform Twitter by the latter.

The cane crushing season runs from October to September.

Ali had raised the issue of sugarcane arrears in Lok Sabha on August 5.

In response to the same, the minister stated that out of a total payable of Rs 35,201.22 crore for 2021-22 marketing year (October-September), mills in Uttar Pradesh have paid Rs 30,368.73 crore to the farmers.

At present, an amount of Rs 4,832.49 crore is yet to be paid by mills to cane farmers.

The figures are based on the data collected by the state government as on September 1.

Further, Jyoti informed that Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd has paid Rs 263.60 crore, while an amount of Rs 238.09 crore is yet to be paid by the sugar mill.

Notices have been issued to the mills for the clearance of dues at the earliest, she said.

The minister said that the UP government is conscious and committed to ensure the payment of cane dues to the farmers.

In a tweet, Ali said that all mills are exploiting .

The government is not listening to the farmers demand on clearing their cane dues, he said, in a roughly translated tweet in Hindi.

"Why are being forced to commit suicide?" he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Vi) will soon inform the (DoT) that it will not convert the accrued interest on deferred adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues for FY18 and FY19 into equity, according to a report by the Economic Times (ET).

The report further said that the government is yet to take a call on converting Vi's dues worth Rs 16,130 crore till FY17 into . The (SC) had in 2021 allowed the conversion of dues into but it was only until FY17. The dues for FY18 and FY19 were not talked about in the order.

On June 22 Vi had opted to take a four-year deferment for paying the additional dues. However, it needs to convey its decision to DoT on September 16 if it wants to convert the FY18 and FY19 dues into .

has already taken the option to convert the dues for FY18 and FY19 into equity.

Earlier, DoT had provided the telcos with an option to take a four-year moratorium from FY22 and FY25 for dues till FY19. The dues can be converted to equity.

According to ET, the DoT will finalise the equity conversion when VI's share price remains above Rs 10 apiece. On Friday, it was trading at Rs 9.25 per share.

By June end, Vi's net debt was nearly Rs 2 trillion. It is expected to take additional Rs 10,000 crore in debt to launch the 5G services.

If the conversion of dues to equity still goes forward, the centre will become the single largest shareholder in the company with a 33 per cent stake.
Seven decades after it was reported extinct in India, the cheetah will be reintroduced in the country, on Saturday. Under Project Cheetah, the Central government is re-introducing eight African cheetahs  five females and three males -- at the Kuno Park in Madhya Pradesh. To mark this arrival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the goodwill ambassadors from the land of the brave on 17 September -- his 72nd birthday.

What is the Project Cheetah?

Project Cheetah was approved by the Supreme Court of India in January 2020 as a pilot programme to reintroduce the species to India. The concept of bringing the cheetah back was first put forth in 2009 by Indian conservationists, along with Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a not-for-profit organisation, headquartered in Namibia, which works towards saving and rehabilitating the big cat in the wild.

In July 2020, India and the Republic of Namibia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Namibian government agreeing to donate the eight felines to launch the programme. This is the first time that a wild southern African cheetah will be introduced in India, or anywhere in the world.

Why are cheetahs being reintroduced?

The major purpose of the project is to develop healthy meta-populations in India that allow the cheetah to execute its functional role as a top predator, the government had said earlier this year.

The cheetah is a flagship grassland species; whose conservation also helps in preserving other grassland species in the predator food chain.

The homecoming plan

In 1947, Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, Surguja, in what is today known as Chhattisgarh, reportedly shot dead the last three recorded Asiatic cheetahs.

According to the reintroduction plan, the cheetahs will be placed in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, starting with Madhya Pradesh. The PM will release three cheetahs at Kuno, while the rest will be released in phases.

Project coordinators said the spotted cats will be wearing satellite radio collars for geolocation tracking. Each cheetah will also be assigned a dedicated monitoring team.

Close to 50 cheetahs will be introduced into the wild over the next five years.

Logistics involved

The cheetahs will be flown in on a Boeing 747. A total of Rs 96 crore has been allotted for the project, said officials at the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC). To support the project, Indian Oil has provided an additional Rs 50 crore.

Meanwhile, the Kuno park has been equipped with the required facilities according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund. The staff has been trained, and larger predators have been moved away, said officials.

Public awareness campaigns have also been formalised for the local communities who will be termed Cheetah Mitras with a local mascot named too-- Chintu Cheetah.

Challenges

With Kuno park being home to lions and leopards, concerns have been raised over the coexistence of reintroduced cheetahs with the existing species. Chances of elimination due to conflict are high, experts have pointed out.

The reintroduced cats could also face increased vulnerability due to their small size and climatic and ecological differences between their home country and India.

This, however, has not dimmed the excitement of enthusiasts who are waiting to catch a glimpse of the world's fastest running across the Indian grasslands.
Majority of the face challenges in availing loan services from nationalised banks, according to a study.

The study was conducted by Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST) and saw the participation of 450 from three cities -- capital region, Chennai and Pune.

During the study, it was also found that about 60 per cent of these entrepreneurs faced problems in accessing critical .

"Eighty-five per cent of faced challenges in availing loan services from nationalised banks," the study claimed.

It was conducted during the course of a three-year BYST Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme to set up profitable businesses in Chennai, Pune, and Delhi-NCR.

"Public sector banks are happy to welcome loan applications of BYST assisted, under-privileged entrepreneurs who are well-trained...and duly scrutinised by our expert panel before submission to the banks," Lakshmi Venkataraman Venkatesan, Managing Trustee of BYST, 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 banks reached out to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to seek clarity on legal and regulatory grey areas around proposed Vostro accounts before operationalising them to settle international trade, including that with Russia, the Economic Times reported.

What are Vostro accounts?

A Vostro account is an account that is used in correspondent banking. Here, a foreign bank acts as an agent to provide financial services on behalf of a domestic bank. The account enables domestic banks to provide international banking services to their clients with global needs.

This account keeps a foreign entity's holdings in the Indian bank, in Indian rupees. So, when an Indian importer wants to make a payment to a foreign trader in rupees, the amount is credited to Vostro account.



Also Read: State Bank of India ready to open rupee trade account with Russian banks

Why in

India has stepped up its purchase of cheaper Russian crude despite international opposition and sanctions. New Delhi is looking to settle this trade in rupees to continue with its purchases.

According to a recently announced arrangement by the RBI, an authorised bank in India can open special Vostro accounts of correspondent banks of any partner trading country.

In the current scenario, both private and public sector banks are reluctant to open these Vostro accounts because they re worried about getting hit by the US sanctions on Russia.

Why are banks sceptical and reluctant to open these accounts?
This week, the chief of the Indonesian Mining Association said Indonesian miners expect Germany will be their third largest importer by 2023, just behind China and India. The over 150 per cent rise in prices of the fuel across since January this year  a fallout of the gas supply crisis after Russia invaded Ukraine, has made this seemingly absurd ranking possible. More to the point, it has implications for India, which has been an increasing net importer of in recent years.

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Trade ministers of India and 10-nation bloc ASEAN have endorsed the scope of review of the trade pact to make the agreement more industry friendly, the said on Friday.

The issue was discussed during the 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers' meeting in Siem Reap City, Cambodia.

The review would make the agreement modern with contemporary trade facilitative practices, and streamlined customs and regulatory procedures.

"The ministers endorsed the scope of the review of the ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses, as well as responsive to the current global and regional challenges including supply chain disruptions,' it said.

The ministers also activated a joint committee to undertake the review of the agreement expeditiously.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India trade in goods agreement was signed on August 13, 2009 and came into force on January 1, 2010.

Ten ASEAN countries are -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel along with Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia, co-chaired the meeting.

The two-way trade has reached USD 91.5 billion in 2021, 39.2 per cent up from 2020.

(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 steel city of Jamshedpur is all set to have an under Union government's Udaan scheme soon, a senior official of East Singhbhum district on Friday said.

Air services between Jamshedpur-Kolkata and Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar are likely to be launched from October 30 with a nine-seater aircraft from Sonari Aerodrome, said Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Nandkishore Lal.

The Deputy Development Commissioner, Saurabh Sinha and Lal along with aerodrome officials, fire department officials, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee representative and Traffic DySP Kamal Kishore held a meeting over the issue and discussed security and fire safety arrangements. "We have trained 49 security personnel to be deputed at the aerodrome and 12 of them have already providing their services," the officer added.

Earlier airlines including MDLR, Vayudoot and Deccan Airways had launched flights to nearby cities such as Kolkata and Ranchi from Sonari aerodrome, with small aircraft, but had ultimately stopped services.

The demand to re-establish has been a lo ng pending demand from businesses in the area as well as the state government.

Meanwhile, BJP claimed the proposed launch of air services from Jamshedpur was the outcome of a meeting between Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and its leader Kunal Sarangi, BJP spokesperson, over the issue recently.

On the sidelines of inauguration of Deoghar airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12 last, Sarangi in press statement said he had submitted a memorandum to Scindia urging him to start air service with charter plane under government's Udaan scheme from the steel city till a big airport would come up.

Jamshedpur is Jharkhand's industrial capital and it was necessary to have air facility in the era of globalization, Sarangi said.

Referring to a proposed new airport at Dhalbhumgarh, about 55 kms from here, under Ghatsila Sub-division, Sarangi said a Memorandum of Understanding between Airport Authority of India and the Jharkhand Government was signed to construct an airport in 2019 but no progress has been made as yet.

The foundation stone of Dhalbhumgarh airport had been laid in January 2019.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
is keen to upgrade the Indo-Lanka into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership, President said on Friday, asserting that the work which started in 2018 and 2019 has not found much progress.

The (FTA) between India and was the first-ever bilateral trade agreement for both countries, signed in 1998 and enforced in 2000. The pact is aimed at further boosting the economic ties between the two countries by liberalising trade norms.

" and India gradually have to wean themselves out of the barriers to investment and the non-tariff barriers to trade especially in relation to Sri Lanka Indo economic relations, Wickremesinghe said while addressing a gathering of the Sri Lanka-India Society to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.

He said the future relations of India with its neighbours will be determined by trade integration.

"Trade integration gives an economic base. The common economic base is a prerequisite for better national security and better political relations, he said.

The first such step would be to revive and upgrade the FTA into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership. The FTA-related work which started in 2018 and 2019 has not found much progress, he said.

Wickremesinghe said the second step was to look at all the projects which India and Sri Lanka had agreed to, but got delayed at the Sri Lankan end.

Two key such projects are the power grid connection between India and Sri Lanka, offshore wind energy, a solar power plant at Sampur in the eastern province and renewable energy projects on three islands of Jaffna in the north, he said.

We have a tremendous scope of potential renewable energy, and India has stepped in first. There'll be others. But from Puttlam to Mullativu, if we exploit renewable energy and go in for green hydrogen and also provide power to India, you will see the upliftment of the Northern economy, which had not happened earlier.

The big impact on the northern economy and the implementation. Then we come to promoting Indian higher education institutes to come into Sri Lanka, especially Jaffna is one area we have identified, again another development, he said.

Wickremesinghe referred to the Trincomalee oil storage tank farm development with India.

We are developing logistics because of the fact that we are one of the main ports for India and Bangladesh. So together with India, Adani Group has already taken over part of the West terminal of the south port, he said.

Adani Group sealed a deal with Sri Lanka to develop and run the strategic Colombo Port's Western Container Terminal in September last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector contributes one-third to India's gross domestic product and has the potential to grow further, said minister on Friday.

Addressing the ''Maharashtra MSME Conference'' organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), Rane highlighted the role of in India's growth and the government's focus on promoting the sector with various schemes over the past eight years. He also added that need better infrastructure and access to technology and finance.

"Moving forward, there is a collective attempt to popularise and increase acceptance for the 'Made in India' tag within the country and globally. There is also an increasing effort to double the micro industries from the current six crores in the next five years. And, we should focus on grooming high growth industries which will be the future growth drivers of the and the country," said Rane.

Rane added that the country's youth would be the flag bearer of the growth and hence need to be supported by better work opportunities, training and an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Sivasubramanian Ramann, CMD, Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), said, "Today, there are more than 90 million in the country. Of these, 15 million MSMEs are under GST. The remaining MSMEs also need finance from banks and NBFCs but are not on the radar of banks because they don't have Udyam numbers.

"With the Udyam number, banks can categorise lendings to MSMEs as priority sector loans. More than 50 million MSMEs will benefit from a special digital programme that is being set up to provide Udyam numbers to them in the next two years," he added.

The CMD further said that Maharashtra has immense potential and has received Rs 3.5 trillion in funding from about Rs 22 trillion.

The sector accounts for over 80 per cent of businesses and contributes to more than half of the employee share, said Vinod Pandey, chairman, Assocham National Council on Global Value Chain.

With over 63 million MSMEs employing over 110 million people staggered across services, he added that the manufacturing industry contributes nearly 30 per cent to the GDP.

The ambitious target of a $5 billion with a 25 per cent contribution from the manufacturing sector will require the MSME sector to play a pivotal role. In addition to the various facilitating schemes announced by the government to support the industry, ramping up investment into the sector will be crucial, said Pandey.
Prime Minister has called for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nations to build resilient supply chains in the wake of the Covid pandemic, at the 22nd in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Thursday. He stressed that greater connectivity among nations in the central Asian region and other member nations such as India would be needed to achieve this.

"The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises. SCO should strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. For this, better connectivity will be required," Modi said at the summit. He also urged SCO nations to give full transit rights to each other, in an apparent reference to Pakistan which has periodically denied India the right to fly through its airspace.

The PM attended two leaders' sessions on September 16. The first consisted of the SCO members, namely, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and saw discussions on issues of mutual interest such as security and economic cooperation in the region, officials said. The other session saw extended participation of the six SCO dialogue partners. The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with other SCO leaders on Friday, and will return home on Friday night.

The session also saw India assuming the rotational presidency of the SCO for a year, with the 23rd set to be held in India in 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated India on its assumption of the presidency and offered his country's support to it. We will support India for its presidency next year," Jinping said, according to reports by agency ANI. Friday's summit was the fifth that India participated in as a full-fledged member.

The summit is expected to finalise the 'Samarkand declaration' and other documents. The joint declaration of SCO nations would come later in the evening, MEA officials said.

India's startup story

Modi also dwelt on India's burgeoning start-up ecosystem at the summit. "We are supporting innovation in every sector. There are over 70,000 start-ups in India today, of which over 100 are unicorns. This experience of ours can be of use to many other SCO members as well. For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with SCO member countries, by establishing a new special working group on start-ups and innovation," he said.

The SCO council of heads of governments deals with trade, and the cultural agenda of the grouping. During India's chairmanship of the council in 2020, the Modi government had shaped the first forums on start-ups, MSMEs and young scientists.

The Prime Minister said India is making progress in turning into a manufacturing hub. "India's young and talented workforce makes us naturally competitive. India's is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this year, which will be the highest among the world's major economies", he said. "There is also a lot of focus on proper use of technology in our people-centric development model."

Food security

Modi also touched upon the issue of food security, a topic that has entered the agenda of almost every SCO leader at the summit due to strained supply of wheat after the Ukraine war broke out. "The world today faces another major challenge-ensuring the of our citizens. One possible solution to this problem is to promote the cultivation and consumption of millets," Modi said.

He argued that millets are a 'superfood' and have been grown for thousands of years, not only in SCO countries, but in many other parts of the world. He said they represented a traditional, nutritious and low-cost alternative to the food crisis. The year 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets. Modi suggested the SCO should consider organising a 'Millet Food Festival'.

He added that India has become one of the most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world. The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022. "This will be the WHO's first and only Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. We should increase cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries. For this, India will take initiatives on a new SCO working group on traditional medicine," he said.
Prime Minister on Friday pressed Russian President to end the conflict in Ukraine soon, saying todays era is not of war even as he called for finding ways to address the global food and energy security crisis.

In a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Modi also underlined the importance of democracy, dialogue and diplomacy while calling for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

Today the biggest worry before the world, especially developing countries, is food security, fuel security, fertilisers. We must find ways on these problems and you will also have to consider it. We will get an opportunity to talk about these issues, he said in his opening remarks.

On his part, Putin told Modi that he was aware of India's concerns over the Ukraine conflict and that Russia would do everything possible to end it as soon as possible. I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine. I know about your concerns. I know that you share these concerns and we all want an end to all of these as soon as possible, Putin said.

It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after the Ukraine conflict began in February.





ALSO READ: Russia economy may not reach pre-war levels until 2030, says report

Earlier, Modi called for the member nations to build resilient supply chains in the wake of the Covid pandemic, at the 22nd Summit on Thursday. He stressed that greater connectivity among nations in the central Asian region and other member nations like India would be needed to achieve this.

The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises. The should strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. For this, better connectivity will be required, Modi said. He said it would also be important that the nations give full rights of transit to each other, in an apparent reference to Pakistan, which has periodically denied India the right to fly through its airspace.

The PM attended two leaders sessions on September 16. The first session consisted of the SCO members -- India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- and saw discussions on issues of mutual interest, including security and economic cooperation in the region, officials said. The other session saw extended participation of the six SCO dialogue partners.

The session also saw India assuming the rotational presidency of the SCO for a year, with the 23rd set to be held in India in 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated India on assuming the presidency and offered his country's support to it. We will support India for its presidency next year, Jinping said, according to reports by agency ANI.

The summit is expected to finalise the Samarkand declaration and other documents.

India's start-up story

Modi also pitched India's burgeoning start-up ecosystem at the summit. We are supporting innovation in every sector. There are over 70,000 start-ups in India today, of which over 100 are unicorns. This experience of ours can be of use to many other SCO members as well. For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with the member countries of SCO by establishing a new Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation, he said.

The SCO council of heads of governments deals with trade, economy and the cultural agenda of the grouping. During India's chairmanship of the council in 2020, the Modi government had shaped the first forums on startups, MSMEs and young scientists.

The Prime Minister said India is making progress in turning the country into a manufacturing hub. India's young and talented workforce makes us naturally competitive. India's economy is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this year, which will be the highest among the world's major economies, he said.
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said will get 5G service along with other cities in the first phase of its launch.

will have access to 5G telecom service in the very first phase. It will provide users 10 times the speed of 4G, he said on the sidelines of a programme here.

Around 13 cities are likely to get 5G telecom service across the country in the first phase.

Vaishnaw also downplayed apprehensions over the radiation impact of 5G. The radiation from 5G is much below the WHO-recommended levels, he said.

During an interactive session with students, the minister said the Centre has asked telecom operators to improve the quality of their service.

He said a 5G lab has been developed at IIT-Madras.

Vaishnaw also said India is looking at developing hydrogen-powered trains by 2023.

The Railways is trying to connect the remote and unconnected areas of the country through its Gati Shakti' policy, and work on this is on the fast track, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
minister on Friday urged to ensure that their systems speak to each other so that they are able to serve customers in a better way.

The minister, while delivering the keynote address at the 75th annual meeting of the Association (IBA), said many a time customers are forced to transact with multiple lenders due to which it is important that the systems of one bank talks to that of other. She termed such a mechanism as an artificial wall erected by lenders to protect their turf.

The minister also underlined the need for ensuring that banking personnel converse in the local language so that their customers are served better.

need to ensure that their systems speak to each other so that the common man banking with multiple lenders is not inconvenienced. Also, another key element of serving the customer better and more effectively is conversing in the local language, Sitharaman said.

She also said it is essential that banks invest in web 3.0 and artificial intelligence to ensure that frauds are prevented. The minister underlined the fact that adequate regulatory vigil along with technology upgrades have helped banks prevent frauds to a considerable extent.

The minister also urged bankers to ensure that there is early detection of fraud by increasing cyber security.

She reminded bankers that they will have to prepare themselves to play a bigger role as the country moves to become a developed economy by 2047 when the nation will be completing a century of independence.

The minister also appreciated the critical role banks played during Covid pandemic in helping the wheels of the economy moving, and also helping the common man.

Appreciating the positive role that Banking Correspondents (BCs), especially female BCs, have played in financial inclusion over the years, she said women BCs have been much more productive than their male counterparts, and wanted bankers "to be positively prejudiced to hire more and more women as BCs".

(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.)
Realty firm Eldeco group on Friday said it has partnered with to set up Rs 350 crore fund to develop residential projects across many cities.

Eldeco Infrastructure and Properties Ltd (EIPL), a privately held company of the Eldeco Group has "partnered with Affordable Real Estate Fund 3 (H-CARE 3) for an investment of Rs 350 crore to create a platform to develop multiple residential projects across multiple cities."



Currently, Eldeco has identified four residential developments in Delhi-NCR, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for an initial investment of Rs 175 crore.

Earlier, Eldeco Group had partnered with Affordable Real Estate Fund 1 (H-CARE 1) to set up a Rs 150 crore platform for the development of low-rise and plotted development projects.

The first project under this platform 'Eldeco Paradiso', a 35-acre plotted project in Panipat was launched in late March this year.

Pankaj Bajaj, Chairman of Eldeco Group, said, "Eldeco is now present in more than 15 cities in North India, including in Lucknow through our listed entity - Eldeco Housing and Industries Ltd (EHIL). We believe that the entire North India belt is starved of quality real estate, especially housing. This new platform will help us serve this unmet demand in multiple cities in North India."



Vipul Roongta, MD & CEO of HDFC Capital Advisors Ltd, said: "We are committed to strengthening our partnerships with trusted real estate developers with an established track record in development and delivery of real estate projects."



He noted that Tier-2 cities offer a significant opportunity for development of branded, high quality residential projects that will cater to the burgeoning demand for housing fuelled by the social and economic transition in these cities.

"Our partnership with Eldeco will help the group expand its footprint in Tier-2 cities across North India by providing capital for the development of quality real estate developments," Roongta said.

Established in 1985, Eldeco Group is a North India focused real estate developer with strong presence in Tier-2 cities. The group operates in Lucknow through the listed entity EHIL, and in rest of the India through the privately held EIPL.

Eldeco Group has delivered 175 projects with approximately 30 million square feet of real estate development. Besides these, the group has 30 projects with 35 million square feet in various stages of execution.

Apart from Lucknow, Kanpur, Noida and Gurugram, Eldeco has presence in Panipat, Sonepat, Ludhiana, Bareilly, Panchkula, and Jalandhar among .

HDFC Capital, a subsidiary of Housing Development Corporation Ltd, is in the business of managing private equity funds focused on the real estate sector in India.

HDFC Capital is the investment manager to H-CARE 1, HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund 2 (H-CARE 2) and H-CARE 3, which are registered with Sebi as a Category II Alternative Investment Funds.

These funds combine to create a USD 3 billion platform targeting the development of affordable and mid-income housing in India.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Ukrainian troops probe Russian defenses along the entire front and only the Wagner Group mercenaries continue a small-scale offensive operation in the Donetsk region, the initiative in the Russo-Ukrainian war is firmly in the hands of the invaded, not the invader. While that can still change, perhaps more than once, its a good moment to consider whether the man who got into this mess retains any legitimacy  domestically or internationally. To put it even more bluntly, who, if anyone, still needs a weak



Putins claim to power has evolved over his nearly 22 years atop the Kremlin. In 2000, he was President Boris Yeltsins chosen successor, then the president elected in a vote that, while not problem-free, reflected the will of Russian voters. By the end of the first eight years of his rule, he was the architect of a corruption-plagued, but broadly beneficial economic upsurge; because Russians credited him for that, they cared little about the erosion of electoral democracy as he consolidated power. After the intermission of Dmitry Medvedevs presidency, he briefly struggled to find a new source of legitimacy until he seized on the annexation of Crimea, an event so inspiring to a large majority of Russians that even a harsh pension reform four years later didnt appreciably dent his popularity.



Also Read: Here's how 6-months of Ukraine-Russia war rattled global financial markets

Putin went into the Covid pandemic riding an ebbing Crimea wave of support while relying increasingly on a swollen, well-fed security apparatus  a full-fledged dictator now, with elections a joke and all major issues, and lots of minor ones, requiring his personal intervention. The pandemic, when most visitors had to quarantine for weeks before being admitted to Putins presence, seems to have shrunk his trusted entourage to a handful of yes-men. The Kremlins erratic policies made one of Covids biggest victims, and only the disease and increasing oppression kept Russians from looking up too much. By then, Putins legitimacy rested on the general impression of undefeated, unbeatable strength, backed up by a military success in Syria and the steamrolling of domestic opposition.

As in the tough streets of any big city, however, be it St. Petersburg or Sao Paolo, the reputation of a strongman as the head of a country needs constant reinforcing by further feats of strength. For his next one, Putin chose again, launching what he clearly thought would be a blitzkrieg ending with the swift fall of Kyiv and the annexation of a large swathe of Ukrainian territory. Even though the outcome of the war is far from decided, this show of force has failed spectacularly. has revealed itself to be vulnerable militarily after years of bravado that deceived even the experts.

Russias weakness is not lost on foreign leaders, from once-cautious Western adversaries shipping increasingly deadly weaponry to to neighbors like Azerbaijans leader Ilham Aliyev, who appears to see a new opportunity to improve his countrys position in Nagorno-Karabakh while Putin is bogged down in . Putin may have hoped for more active support from China, but hes not getting anything beyond discounted energy purchases; were he winning, China would doubtless be more forthcoming.

The domestic audience, too, appears to be shedding its illusions of Russias greatness, no matter what one might say about the efficiency of Putins propaganda. His media mouthpieces Vladimir Solovyov and Margarita Simonyan no longer own the narrative. Even on state television, not to mention nationalist Telegram channels with hundreds of thousands of readers, Russias defeats are engendering much bitterness and hurt. The hard-core propagandists look lost, sometimes downright bizarre, with Simonyan retreating into sentimental memories and poetry and Solovyov appearing on the air with bruises and scratches on his face.

Putin himself, stubbornly maintaining a business-as-usual program of meetings of little relevance to the Ukrainian elephant in the room, looks like a denizen of Pink Pony Planet, as far-right commentator Igor Girkin (Strelkov) calls the distant realm of the Russian elite.

And what of Putins suppression machine, his vaunted FSB domestic intelligence and more than 300,000-strong Rosgvardia riot police? Despite its extensive network, the former failed to predict Ukraines stiff resistance. A large part of the latter was sent across the border, initially to police the conquered territories, but ending up in the meat grinder of trench warfare, something for which its personnel never trained. Whether they will return from the war with any respect for Putin is questionable; even the dictators faithful servant, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose fighting force in Ukraine is part of Rosgvardia, has doubted the campaigns conduct, if not (yet) Putins leadership and goal-setting.

If a strong Putin was widely tolerated, often appeased, and, in Russia itself, feared and obeyed, what could be the basis of a weak Putins power? Certainly not sympathy: Russians arent known to respect weak leaders  witness the political fate of the last Soviet President, the late Mikhail Gorbachev, and many a Russian czar before him. A Ukraine-style popular revolution in Russia is unlikely, even if Western sanctions begin to bite in earnest: The new leaders needed for something like that will not emerge overnight from Russias thoroughly purged civil society. But you can at least expect popular indifference in the face of top-down change. Despite appearances, an unquestioning pro-Putin majority doesnt exist, according to a recent report by the Carnegie Endowment for Peace  and the number of the dictators diehard backers wont increase with more defeats.

Internationally, what might prop up Putin even if he loses the war is a fear that what comes after him may be far worse. The far right, inspired by the same ideals of imperial greatness as Putin himself, can be much more ruthless when it comes to its choice of means to that end. Someone of Strelkovs ilk with a finger on the nuclear button is indeed a scary thought.

Domestically, though, Putin risks losing control as soon as the fear subsides. Military and police commanders, spies, even the timid oligarchs will be scheming  and likely already are, as a matter of contingency planning  to put forward a figure who could maintain their positions while pulling out of the Ukraine nosedive and offering a calming alternative to the rest of the world. The tightening of Putins close circle during the pandemic has, as an unintended consequence, shortened his reach and provided more opportunity for plots and intrigues behind his back.

None of this means, of course, that Putin is about to be toppled. Speculation concerning potential replacements is being dribbled into Telegram and foreign media mostly as a way to damage specific figures. For now, the dictator is still in control: All his years in power have earned him the benefit of the doubt among Russias powerful, a group moth-eaten by negative selection. He must, however, realize that if military defeats continue, retaining his clout will require surprising, even drastic moves. The world might yet be treated to a re-enactment of the tired cornered rat metaphor from Putins childhood  something to keep in mind but not to fear: All dictatorships end someday, and few go out in a blaze of glory.

To contact the author of this story:

Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.net
French manufacturer was attempting to set a new distance record with its CoradiaiLint hydrogen-powered train. The train started from the state of Lower Saxony in the north of Germany and was heading towards Bavaria in the south.

The goal was to achieve a range of 1,000 kilometres on a single tank of hydrogen, according to on Thursday. The new trains are designed to cover approximately that distance.

"I am on the train and can confirm first hand that the journey has gone very well so far," Joern Bischoff, External Communications Director Germany at Alstom, told Xinhua on Thursday.

"We will reach the 1,000-kilometre mark shortly before Muehldorf in Bavaria."

"However, we will continue driving afterwards until we run out of hydrogen," Bischoff said.

At the end of the journey, the train would be transferred to Berlin, where visitors would be able to take a tour as part of the InnoTrans trade fair, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the end of August, the world's first passenger train network powered by was launched in Lower Saxony, with the CoradiaiLint replacing diesel trains.

The total cost of the project was nearly 93 million euros ($93 million), according to the local transport authority of Lower Saxony.

"This project is a role model worldwide," Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil said.

"As a state of renewable energies, we are thus setting a milestone on the path to climate neutrality in the transport sector." (1 euro 1$)

--IANS

int/khz/

(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.)
Chinese conglomerate has laid off all of the editorial staff at Fanbyte, an online gaming publication owned by it.

Some of the staff members at Fanbyte posted their ordeal on Twitter, saying the website's editor-in-chief, head of media, features editor, social editor, news editor, graphic designer, podcast producer and authors were sacked.

"Fanbyte employees were laid off slowly, one by one, over the course of several hours," reports TechCrunch.

The Fanbyte Instagram bio with a display name 'forgot the keys?' read: " made $35 billion in net income last year and laid off almost every member of child company Fanbyte! Please support the staff elsewhere".

A Fanbyte employee Merritt K tweeted on Friday: "I see a lot of empathy going out to everyone who was fired today but let's please also spare some thought for the people who had to fire everyone one by one over the course of countless hours, drawing out the delicious psychological torture."

did not make an official comment on the development.

Last month, Tencent fired 5,500 employees, after posting a revenue of $19.8 billion in the June quarter, down 3 per cent which was the first decline since going public.

Tencent downsized its workforce for the first time since 2014.

The company attributed the weak performance to "fewer big game releases, lower user spending, and the implementation of minor protection measures".

--IANS

na/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.)
The has refused permission for a high-level delegation to attend Queen Elizabeth's Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall within the Parliament complex before the funeral at Westminster Abbey here on September 19, according to media reports on Friday.

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is said to have refused a request for access to Westminster Hall due to Chinese sanctions against five British members of Parliament and two peers for accusing Beijing of mistreating its Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, Politico' and the BBC have reported.

While the House of Commons said it did not comment on security matters, the media reports claimed that China would have a presence at the funeral but not be allowed into the Parliament building.

As Westminster Hall forms part of the parliamentary estate, it is under the control of the Commons and the Lords Speakers. The move is likely to further strain UK-China relations, which have been under some pressure in recent times.

According to reports, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping as Head of State of a country with which the UK has diplomatic relations. It is thought that the vice-president, Wang Qishan, will be sent in his place along with a Chinese delegation.

The latest development comes after the sanctioned MPs had raised objections about the Chinese President being invited to the funeral at all.

In March last year, China had sanctioned nine individuals and four organisations in the UK in retaliation after Britain imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in its Xinjiang province.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, as well as Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat, Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton and Nusrat Ghani are among those sanctioned as they and their families were banned from entering Chinese territory.

"You cannot have a Golden Age, normal relations, with a country that has now been exposed as committing the sorts of atrocities it has, not least the genocide against the Uighurs, the oppression going on in Tibet for the last 60/70 years, and now what we see going on in Hong Kong as well," Loughton told the BBC.

The sanctioned MPs had sent a letter to the Parliament Speakers earlier this week to seek assurances that representatives from Beijing would not be allowed onto the parliamentary estate. They had also raised objections in a letter to the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly.

Downing Street has said that it is a convention that countries with which the UK has diplomatic relations should be invited to state funerals. Three national governments have not been invited to the state funeral of over the ongoing war in Ukraine Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.

Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on several senior Chinese following rights abuse allegations against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group.

China has detained Uighurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged. China has rejected those charges.

(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.)
Promises must be kept: China reaffirms goals of carbon peak, neutrality

(Global Times) 09:30, September 16, 2022

China reaffirmed its resolution of achieving the goals of a CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality on Thursday, as the Ministry of Ecology and Environment noted achievements and progress that the country has made on building a "beautiful China" in the past decade.

Minister Huang Runqiu told Thursday's press conference that "to achieve carbon-peaking and carbon-neutrality is to address outstanding problems of resource and environmental constraints and realize the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Therefore, we are determined to achieve the goals."

This is also a solemn commitment to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and China will make good on that promise, Huang said, reaffirming China's aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Even recent heat waves and drought in this country will not scupper those goals, said Huang.

Over the past 10 years, "green" has increasingly become a clear backdrop for high-quality economic and social development, with China's carbon emissions intensity dropping by 34.4 percent, reversing the trend of rapid growth in carbon dioxide emissions, Huang noted at the meeting.

The minister said that China also has steadily adjusted its energy structures, and constantly optimized and upgraded industrial structures. The share of coal in primary energy consumption dropped from 68.5 percent to 56 percent last year, and the share of non-fossil energy consumption increased by 6.9 percentage points to 16.6 percent.

China's contributions in promoting global low-carbon development are obvious to all. China's effort in boosting the new-energy industry reflects the unshakable determination of the Chinese government in achieving its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China is heading toward its goal on carbon neutrality steadily. This is in stark contrast with the attitudes of some European countries that have chosen to row back on their climate goals, having already returned or are planning to return to coal to generate electricity, after feeling the pinch from an energy crisis.

Western countries' return to coal, in addition to rich countries' reluctance to take real actions to help poorer countries, will cast a large shadow on the upcoming 2022 COP27 UN climate summit to be held in Egypt, November this year, Lin noted.

Observers said that dealing with climate change is the most important issue for the next 40 years and it cannot be done without a global effort, calling on some Western countries to strengthen cooperation in the new-energy industry and stop setting limits on China's new-energy products.

Summarizing China's achievements in climate change, Huang said in the past decade, the country has witnessed the optimization of environmental protection regulations and supervision, and it also sought out a high-quality green development path and became deeply engaged in global biodiversity governance.

For example, the National People's Congress Standing Committee has amended 25 laws related to the environment, covering air, water, soil, solid waste and noise pollution, as well as the protection of the Yangtze River, wetlands and black earth.

With more than 30 environment-related laws, China has formed a legal system that can comprehensively, effectively and strictly protect the environment.

On air quality, Huang said that the national average concentration of PM2.5 fell from 46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 to 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020 and further to 30 micrograms per cubic meter last year.

In addition, days with good air quality accounted for 87.5 percent of 2021, up 6.3 percentage points from 2015, making China the nation with the greatest air-quality improvement worldwide, according to the minister.

Huang said Beijing is an example of China's success in improving air quality in recent years, citing statistics that the number of days with heavy pollution in Beijing dropped from 58 in 2013 to eight in 2021, and there are only two days with heavy pollution so far in 2022 in the city.

"Blue skies are now no longer a luxury for the city," he said.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
is demanding Inc. make the former head of its consumer division answer questions about spam or robot accounts on the social-media platform that are central to the billionaires legal fight to back out of a $44 billion buyout of the company.

Kayvon Beykpour, who oversaw more than 230 million accounts, has so far evaded efforts to make him turn over documents or provide testimony, according to a court filing unsealed Wednesday. Musks legal team says Beykpour is a key figure in their case because he was intimately involved with measuring how many accounts were revenue generating.

Beykpours lawyers told earlier this month he currently is outside the US and therefore beyond the subpoena power of the US courts during the pendency of information exchanges before next months trial to determine if Musk will be forced to consummate his $54.20-per-share deal. Also Read: Jeff Bezos loses $10 billion overnight; Elon Musk takes a $8-billion hit

Musks attorneys contend Twitter can force its former employee to accept the subpoena and answer questions because the company is probably paying for Beykpours defense. Mr. Beykpour is within Twitters control and Twitter must produce Mr. Beykpour for deposition, Musks team said in the filing.

The dispute is the latest in the burgeoning legal battle over the stalled transaction. Musk and Twitter have issued subpoenas to banks, investors and lawyers involved in the deal as they seek ammunition for an Oct. 17 trial before Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen St.

J. McCormick in Wilmington. Last month, she ordered Twitter to turn over Beykpours internal files to Musks attorneys.

Twitter representatives didnt immediately return an email seeking comment on Musks allegations that Beykpour isnt cooperating.

Musks attorneys have accused Twitter of trying to hide witnesses in the case to frustrate the billionaires efforts to show he had legitimate grounds for walking away from the deal. Twitter denies dragging its feet in turning over files and witnesses to its would-be buyer.

The case is Twitter v. Musk, 22-0613, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz party slammed the (EP) for "being occupied with attacking even in the midst of the current crises".

"While the people of are suffering from an energy crisis due to the failed Brussels sanctions, the most important thing for the leftist European Parliament, even in this crisis situation, is to attack Hungary," Fidesz said in a statement on Thursday, reacting to a rule-of-law vote in EP against his government earlier in the day.

The EP adopted a report by French MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield on the "Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by of the values on which the Union is founded".

The vote was 433 in favour, 123 against and 28 abstentions.

The EP resolution, which is a non-binding political statement, stipulates that can no longer be considered "a full democracy".

The current report does not result in a new procedure, but the EP firmly condemned both the European Commission and the Council, arguing that it was also their responsibility that full democracy in a member state could have been abolished.

It called on both bodies not to transfer money to Hungary's government until the situation improves.

The Commission must decide by September 22 what to do with the conditionality mechanism it launched in April against the government of Hungary.

Based on this mechanism, the transfer of tens of billions of euros in European funds could be denied to Budapest because of rule of law problems.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
plans to retire a swath of its coal-fired power plants over the next three decades although its plan to do so has drawn a lukewarm response from potential supporters.

The Southeast Asian country plans to eliminate 15 Gigawatt of coal-generation over that time, requiring more than $600 billion of capital support, said Erick Thohir, the state-owned enterprise minister in an interview on late Thursday. The reduction would equate to about 60% of the countrys current coal-fired generation.

The government has been on roadshows to several countries including and the as well as some European nations to promote its energy-transition plans. But, no one responded to our offer, Thohir said. Also Read: At G20 meeting, Indonesia calls for global fund to develop cultural economy

doesnt want to rely on bond issuance to support the shift and it needs developed countries to invest, he said.

The cost and scale of the work, and the lackluster response to the plan, are a reminder of the challenges the world faces in weaning developing nations off fossil fuels.

If investment flows in and our companys cash flow stays positive, then it can reinvest itself into renewable energy, he said.

Energy mix

The southeast Asian country wants to strike a balance between boosting economic growth and developing green energy, he said. It seeks to reduce fossil fuels demand by promoting the use of electric stoves and vehicles, as well as developing alternative energy sources.

We want our energy mix later to consist of electricity, palm-based biodiesel and ethanol, just like Brazil and India, Thohir said.

To support the plan, the government plans to tell state-owned firms to open 700,000 hectares of land for sugar cane crops for producing ethanol and cutting imports.

The government also plans to push projects for processing into dimethyl ether, a colorless gas that can be used in fuel, in the next three to four years to help lower the nations $4 billion-a-year bill for liquefied petroleum gas.

We must have energy security and we agree for transformation with our own pace, not what other countries wants us to do, he said.

Other comments from the interview:
The project is fantastical: A $19 billion investment into and display-panel sectors, with the creation of 100,000 jobs in a state with little experience in technology manufacturing.



If voters and taxpayers in Indias northwestern Gujarat state are excited about this  landmark investment they ought to read up on recent history. The US state bought into a similar pipe dream in 2017 when then-President Donald Trump teamed up with then-Governor Scott Walker to lure Technology Group, whose Taipei-listed flagship is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. The Taiwanese company said itd invest $10 billion and hire 13,000 workers.

never hit its targets. And neither will Gujarat.

Whats playing out today in India is eerily similar to what happened in the US Midwest five years ago, but this time the people and government of Gujarat have no excuse for not being aware of whats likely to unravel. Americans were told clearly that the project in Mount Pleasant didnt make sense. But still, they went ahead.

Its inconceivable that truly thought it would spend as much as $10 billion to build a high-tech manufacturing plant in the middle of US farm country. But, as founder and Chairman Terry Gou said early on in the planning phase: There is such a plan, but it is not a promise. It is a wish.

So when Vedanta Ltd. chairman Anil Agarwal says his company will invest 1.54 trillion rupees ($19.4 billion), we ought to take it as wishful thinking, rather than a promise. And we can also pause to bathe in the sweet irony of his chosen venture partner: Foxconn, the same name behind the project. Though, to be fair, the Taiwanese are less a driving force behind this India project and more a consulting partner. The numbers, choice of location, and project scope are mostly decided by Vedanta, which is bearing most of the financial burden.

made various pledges in Wisconsin that never came to fruition, with a promise for a state-of-the-art 10G liquid-crystal-display panel factory being the most egregious. At least it never committed to assembling iPhones, the product for which Foxconn is most famous.

The Taiwanese companys perfidiousness was in some respects spurred by local and national governments intent on selling to their voters (and taxpayers) the assurance that a $3 billion incentives package  the largest in US history  would be worth the expense. It will be the Eighth Wonder of the The World, Trump proclaimed at the groundbreaking ceremony in 2018.

Governments from Washington to New Delhi dont want to offer corporate welfare to lure hum-drum projects like chip-testing and assembly. They want to send press releases and tweets that hail their territorys move into the upper echelons of industrial society. To meet that PR goal, they often tie incentives not to reasonable evolutionary steps in economic development, but to extravagant plans that people never dreamed of.

And the recipients of such sweeteners are more than happy to oblige, safe in the knowledge that theres almost no downside in overpromising and under-delivering. And those who doled them out  either long gone from office, or safely entrenched  wont be required to foot the bill either. Scott Walker lost his re-election bid, in large part because of the failure of the Foxconn deal; however, he didnt lose his home like dozens of Wisconsinites who were displaced to make way for the wonder that never was.

Now its Indias turn to dream, until such time comes that it must face reality.

Perhaps its a coincidence that the project went to the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Neighboring Maharashtra state thought it was a shoe-in for the deal, going so far as to issue a statement two months ago announcing that the Vedanta-Foxconn venture would invest there.

Accusations and rancor were flying thick and fast in Maharashtra after Agarwal and Modi took to the stage to celebrate the winner. But in reality, the people of Indias second most-populous state may end up celebrating not that they lost the project, but that they dodged a bullet.

Indians  in Gujarat and Maharashtra in particular  can take this as a warning: You dont want to be another Wisconsin.

To contact the author of this story:

Tim Culpan at tculpan1@bloomberg.net
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid met in Jerusalem with visiting Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to mark the second anniversary of the normalisation of ties between the two countries.

Lapid met Sheikh Abdullah for a one-on-one meeting, which was followed by an expanded meeting with teams from both sides, according to a statement from Lapid's office on Thursday.

The Foreign Minister arrived in on Wednesday with a delegation that included three other government ministers, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are changing the Middle East together. We are moving it from war to peace, from terrorism to economic cooperation, from a mess of violence and fanaticism to a dialogue of tolerance and cultural curiosity," the Israeli Prime Minister said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Sheikh Abdullah for an official luncheon in the afternoon at the President's residence in Jerusalem.

The Foreign Minister told Herzog that the deal to normalise diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2020 was "historic".

On Thursday, Sheikh Abdullah also visited Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.

"We must take a brave step to build a bridge of real peace for future generations," the Foreign Minister wrote in the guest book.

The trip is Sheikh Abdullah's second visit to since the UAE and decided to normalise ties in September 2020.

The UAE and Bahrain signed US-brokered agreements to normalise their ties with Israel in September 2020. The move was followed later by Sudan and Morocco.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
and on Friday accused each other of using heavy weaponry such as tanks and mortars in an escalating border conflict that has killed at least three people and injured 27 since fighting broke out two days ago.

Kyrgyzstan's border guard service said Tajik forces once again opened fire on several of its outposts early on Friday, and clashes took place along the whole length of the border with Tajik forces using tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and mortars.

In turn, accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling one of its outposts and seven villages with "heavy weaponry". A civilian was killed and three injured, authorities in the Tajik city of Isfara said. reported 11 wounded overnight.

Kyrgyz and Tajik foreign ministers have discussed the matter, the Bishkek government said, but the border guard service said two ceasefire agreements have already failed.

The governors of Kyrgyz and Tajik provinces adjacent to the border were set to meet at a border crossing point in another attempts to end the conflict, Kyrgyz border guards set.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon are both attending a regional security summit in Uzbekistan and featured among the leaders in a group photograph taken at dinner on Thursday.

Clashes over the poorly demarcated border between the two former Soviet republics are frequent, but usually de-escalate quickly, although last year they almost led to an all-out war.

Both host Russian military bases and have close ties with Moscow, which urged a cessation of hostilities this week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former president as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings in which 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed.

The Colombo Fort magistrate's court, which pronounced the judgement, accused Sirisena of neglecting intelligence reports on the impending attack leading to the bombings.

Sirisena, 71, will now have to appear in court on October 14.

The former president was earlier held as responsible for the attack by a probe panel he was forced to appoint following pressure from the Catholic Church and the relatives of the victims.

He had denied the allegation.

On April 21, 2019, nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 270 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.)
Reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions to end more than 15 years of internal division will resume in in October, a senior Palestinian official announced.

Wassel Abu Yousef, a member of the Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee, told reporters on Thursday in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the reconciliation dialogue in would include leaders of 14 Palestinian factions.

The Fatah Party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) will join the dialogue on October 2, he added.

"The aim of resuming the reconciliation dialogue is to end the internal division and regain unity among the Palestinians in order to face the current Israeli policy against the Palestinians," Abu Yousef said.

" and Egypt coordinated and sponsored the Palestinian reconciliation in order to ensure the success of reaching an agreement prior to the Arab summit slated for November in Algeria," he added.

He hoped that the dialogue would become successful in ending the internal division among the Palestinian factions, so they would overcome the challenges facing the Palestinian cause, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the past few weeks, Algeria hosted representatives of Palestinian factions in separate meetings in an attempt to prepare the groundwork for the upcoming dialogue.

In an effort to remove any potential barriers that would halt the Algerian efforts, Palestinian officials did not rule out the possibility of holding bilateral meetings between Fatah and Hamas leaders on the sidelines of the dialogue.

Palestinian observers believe that the dialogue in Algeria is an important opportunity for the Palestinian factions to reach an agreement and find a unified Palestinian position to confront Israeli policies.

In December 2021, Algerian President Tebboune announced that his country would host a gathering of Palestinian factions to unify the Palestinians.

The internal Palestinian division between Hamas and Fatah began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah. Since then, the Palestinian territories have been split into a Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and a Fatah-dominated West Bank.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Miroslav Jenca, has stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Armenia- conflict.

The community must remain fully committed to a peaceful settlement between and and spare no effort to de-escalate the current tensions, bring the parties back to the negotiating table and help them achieve peace and stability in the region, said Jenca on Thursday.

In the immediate term, the parties must abide by their obligations to fully implement the November 2020 cease-fire brokered by Russia, he told the Security Council in a briefing as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

"We urge them to return to the negotiating table and take steps toward the signing of a lasting peace treaty. It will be important that a similar unified message come from the Security Council for the parties to focus on a diplomatic solution," he added.

On Monday evening, the authorities in and reported heavy fighting on their border. According to reports, heavy artillery, drones and large-calibre weapons were used. The exchange of fire reportedly continued through Tuesday and Wednesday, said Jenca.

On Wednesday evening, it was announced that a cease-fire had been agreed, he added.

Earlier this week, the Armenian Defence Ministry said that the Azerbaijani side was targeting Armenian military positions, as well as civilian infrastructure, in the Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of the country. reported 105 of its servicemen killed and six civilians wounded as of Wednesday evening, UN Assistant Secretary-General said.

While Armenia called the events a deliberate attack, Azerbaijan countered that they were "retaliatory measures" made in response to provocations from Armenia. Azerbaijan, for its part, reported 71 servicemen killed and two civilians wounded, he added.

The UN is not in a position to verify or confirm the specifics of these reports, said Jenca.

"We remain deeply concerned, however, over this dangerous escalation, including its possible impact on civilians, and have urged the sides to take immediate and concrete steps to de-escalate tensions."

The fighting this week was the latest and the largest in a series of incidents since 2020. It highlights the fact that the process of normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to encounter serious obstacles.

This escalation also underscores the urgent need for the parties to move forward in the ongoing process of delimitation and demarcation within the framework of mutual recognition of their territorial integrity and sovereignty. The UN urges the parties to take advantage of this important mechanism as an essential step toward alleviating tensions at the border, Jenca added.

This week's events are also a stark reminder that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan also have the potential to destabilise the region. They highlight the need for all actors, in the region and beyond, to act constructively and to press the sides to work for a peaceful settlement, he said.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US has provided over USD 53 million this year alone to support disaster resilience and flood response in Pakistan, the White House said Thursday.

The cash-strapped nation has been struggling with the worst in the past 30 years, leaving more than 1,400 dead and 33 million people affected since early June.

A third of the country is submerged in water and one in every seven persons is badly affected by the that have led to an estimated USD 12 billion in losses that have left about 78,000 square kilometres (21 million acres) of crops under water.

We've provided a total of USD 53.1 million this year alone to support disaster resilience and flood response in . Additionally, Central Command (CENTCOM) is airlifting 41,200 kitchen sheets, 1,500 rolls of plastic sheeting, 35,000 plastic tarps and 8,700 shelter fixing kits helping more than 300,000 people with shelter and household needs, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

The Agency for Development (USAID), she said, has deployed a disaster assistance response team to lead the US government's continuing humanitarian response efforts in and has deployed technical experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist with the public health impacts of the flood.

Since the 2010 floods, the has supported preparedness, resilience and disaster risk reduction efforts in Pakistan, improving the ability of communities to withstand and respond to disasters like this one, Jean-Pierre said.

The UN said that USD 150 million have been pledged so far in response to flash appeals for Pakistan's flood victims but only USD 38 million has been converted into assistance.

While several countries have come forward to provide aid to in such a crisis, Pakistan and the UN had launched a flash appeal for USD 160 million in initial funding out of which USD 150 million has been pledged.

(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 leaders of the (SCO) on Friday endorsed the holy city of as the first ever and cultural capital of the grouping for the year 2022-23.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said this at a media briefing.

The Indian delegation at the SCO summit in this historic Uzbek city of Samarkand was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Uzbekistan handed over the rotating presidency of the grouping to India for the year 2022-23.

"Prime Minister Modi thanked all the member states for endorsing as the first ever SCO and cultural capital during the upcoming year 2022-23," Kwatra said.

"This is a befitting recognition of the historic city and opens the door for greater cultural and people-to-people ties between India and the region," he said.

The foreign secretary said several events would be organised by the Uttar Pradesh government in collaboration with the Centre to celebrate this recognition of .

Kwatra said the SCO also decided to set up a special working group on start-ups and innovation at India's initiative. India would be its permanent chair, he said.

The summit also decided to give permanent membership of SCO to Belarus and Iran.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India may soon have a greater clarity on regulation of crypto assets as the government has stepped up efforts in that direction.

The recent meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, impressed upon the members the need for a clear consensus on the legality of . The message was that regulators must fast-track the initiative.

The Council discussed at length whether to legalise or ban crypto assets, according to two people privy to the discussions.

"The status of crypto assets was among the key agenda discussed in the Council meeting. It was of the view that all ambiguities should be put to rest soon," according to a top official in the know.

Discussions are learnt to have veered around two key pointsviews on a complete ban and who should be the regulator if the government decides to legalise crypto assets. Other options such as a partial ban and allowing a select few crypto products also came up, one of the officials said.

The meeting, attended by financial sector regulators and senior officials, deliberated on the concern over being non-compliant with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines. standards ensure a co-ordinated global response to prevent organised crime, corruption and terrorism as well as help authorities go after the money generated from such crimes.

India, like many other countries, is currently not FATF-compliant on crypto assets. requires countries to have a clear stand on legalising or banning crypto assets.





ALSO READ: Crypto wrap: What to expect from the market after Ethereum's 'Merge'

Views are divided within the government departments on whether crypto currencies should be banned. The Reserve Bank of India, however, has been in favour of a complete ban on crypto assets on account of the risk associated with it.

The FM had recently raised the matter during a meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva in New Delhi. The minister had said that should play a lead role regarding the regulation of and ensure a globally coordinated and synchronised approach on the issue.

Back in April, during the Spring meetings of the and World Bank, Sitharaman had batted for a global framework to regulate cryptocurrencies, while also warning about the potential risks that they pose in connection with terror financing and money laundering.

Subsequently, the Department of Economic Affairs in the finance ministry had said that the consultation paper on virtual digital assets was almost ready for release. BS could not independently ascertain whether the white paper had been submitted.

In December 2021, during the winter session of Parliament, the government had listed the and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, to provide a framework for digital currencies. The bill was never introduced as some sections within the government felt the need for detailed discussions on the subject.

In the Union Budget for 2022-23, the government had defined crypto as virtual digital assets and also imposed a 30 per cent tax on gains made from such transactions. It also proposed 1 per cent tax deducted at source on all such transactions effective July 1, 2022. The government had clarified that taxation did not imply it was legalising virtual assets.
Shares of DB Realty were locked in the 5-per cent upper circuit band for a fifth straight day, at Rs 109.50 on the BSE, on Friday on the back of heavy volumes. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 1.3 per cent at 59,181 points at 1:10 PM.

A combined 10.86 million equity shares, representing 3.8 per cent of total equity of the real estate firm, had changed hands till th time of writing of this report. Moreover, there were pending buy orders for 1.66 million shares on the NSE and BSE, the exchange data showed.

In the past one week, the stock has rallied 27 per cent, after media reports suggested that Adani Realty is in advanced talks for a merger with the Mumbai-based DB Realty.

After its merger with Adani Realty, DB Realty, which is a listed company, will be renamed as Adani Realty. Adani might infuse more funds into DB Realty, which would do a fresh equity issuance to the new investor, The Hindu BusinessLine reported on September 11.

Meanwhile, since August 23, i.e. in 17 trading days, the market price of DB Realty has appreciated by 106 per cent from a level of Rs 53.10 on the BSE. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 133.85 on February 14, 2022, and a 52-week low of Rs 25.10 on September 21, 2021, the exchange data shows.

DB Realty is engaged primarily in the business of real estate construction, development and other related activities. The company is also engaged in the redevelopment projects / slum rehabilitation projects in Mumbai and dwellers therein.

During the FY 2021-22, DB Realty issued convertible warrants to the Promoter and investors (non promoters) to raise capital of approx Rs 1,544 crore upon full conversion of the warrants into equity shares. Non-promoter investors included Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Rare Investments, Rekha Jhunjhunwala, Lotus Family Trust, KIFS Dealers, Aditya Chandak and Abhay Chandak.

The main objective of the fund raising exercise was to reduce debt, to meet funding requirements of its various projects of the company/its subsidiaries/ joint ventures (JVs) or partnership firms (in which the Company is a partner), to meet working capital requirements, to strengthen financial position and for general corporate purposes.

DB Realty in its FY22 annual report said that the company continued to look for strategic investment/ joint ventures/tie-ups for various projects with various other real estate developers. The company is looking to monetize its vast land bank and foresees to follow the JV / Joint Development strategic route for its ongoing / upcoming projects in the near future.
The Sensex and Nifty indices are likely to open lower on Friday as decline in global is set to weigh on investor sentiment. Overnight, US again slipped after a day of respite. Nikkei and Hang Seng indices dropped over 1 per cent each in Asia this morning.

At 7:40 am, the SGX Nifty futures were 100 points lower at 17,785 levels.

That said, here are some stocks that may see some market action today:

Tata Motors: The company expects 20 per of its total passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market to come from electric vehicles in the next three years, a senior company official said on Thursday. The company, which has electric models such as Nexon EV and Tigor EV, expects to touch 50,000 units mark in total EV sales this year. Read here

Speciality Restaurants: The company, which owns and operates brands like Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta, Hoppipola, will add 20-30 cloud kitchens over the next 18 months with the delivery model sustaining even with a receding Covid-19 pandemic. Read here

Adani Ports: HDC Bulk Terminal Ltd (HBTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), has signed the concession agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) for mechanisation of berth no. 2 at Haldia Port. APSEZ was selected as a successful bidder by SMPK earlier in February. Read more

Telecom shares: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio cemented its lead in the Indian telecom market as it gained 2.94 million mobile subscribers in July, data released by Trai showed. Meanwhile, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel added 0.5 million subscribers in July and Vodafone Idea lost 1.54 million subscribers. Read more

Foods: Group plans to list the other four of its group companies in the next five years as it aims to have a market capitalisation of over Rs 5 trillion. Read here

Asian Paints: JSW Paints may challenge the Competition Commission of Indias (CCIs) order in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, sources told Business Standard. This move by JSW Paints comes after CCI disposed off its plea which stated that blocked its entry in the decorative paints segment. Read here

Tata Power: A day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to investors from across the country to take advantage of the state's business ecosystem, Discoms on Thursday announced to invest Rs 5,000 crore to ensure reliable and quality electricity supply to industries. Read more

Besdies, the company's subsidiary Solar Systems has received Letter of Award worth Rs 612 crore to set up a 100 MW ground mounted project for SJVN in Gujarat.

State Bank of India: The bank has clarified that it has not been identified as a nodal bank for handling Russia-related transactions. noted that RBI has authorised all the banks in India to open Special Rupee Vostro account to promote invoicing in Indian Rupee. Accordingly, the bank is making necessary arrangements and processing requests received from various banks, including Russian banks, per RBI guidelines and its own policies and procedures.

CSB Bank: The bank has appointed Pralay Mondal as MD & CEO with effect from September 15

Taal Enterprises: The company's board will meet today to consider proposal for declaration of interim dividend.

Ambuja Cements: Its board will also meet today to evaluate fund raising proposal by way of shares  convertible or preferential.

IndusInd Bank: The bank has re-appointed Sumant Kathpalia as its MD & CEO.

Tata Metaliks: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee inaugurated Phase-I of expansion project of Ductile Iron Pipe plant at Kharagpur. The Rs 600 crore expansion project will take the companys Ductile Iron Pipe plant capacity to over 4 lakh tonnes per annum in two phases.

UPL: The company has acquired a 26 per cent stake in Clean Max Kratos Pvt Ltd that will develop and maintain a hybrid 28.05 MW of solar and 33.00 MW of wind power project. will further invest Rs 39.6 crore in Clean Max Kratos.

Amara Raja Batteries: High Court of Andhra Pradesh has extended the interim suspension order of closure orders by Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board for the company's plants situated at Karakambadi, Tirupati and Nunegundla in Andhra Pradesh until further orders.

Stocks under F&O ban: Indiabulls Housing Finance, RBL Bank
Shares of hit a 52-week low of Rs 883.20 on the BSE as they slipped 8 per cent in Friday's intra-day trade amid concerns that te July-September quarter (Q2FY23) may see subdued sales numbers due to low seasonal demand. With today's intra-day decline, the stock has corrected 35 per cent from its 52-week high level of Rs 1,357 touched on October 19, 2021.

The stock of the company, which is a global air conditioning and engineering services provider of the Tata Group, has fallen below its recent low of Rs 923.50, touched on May 16, 2022. It traded at its lowest level since January 2021.

At 03:05 PM, was down 5 per cent at Rs 914, as compared to 1.9 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex.

With a broad and strong product portfolio  involving unitary products, engineering products and engineering projects  is also present in the white goods market through its joint venture (Voltbek) with Arcelik. The Company's wide range of offerings in the unitary product segment includes Room air conditioners, air coolers, water dispensers, water coolers, commercial refrigeration and commercial air-conditioning products.

For April-June quarter (Q1FY23), Voltas had reported a 10.47-per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs 110 crore, due to higher raw material cost. However, its revenue from operations had increased 55 per cent YoY to Rs 2,768 crore led by 125 per cent growth in the unitary cooling products (UCP) segment. Strong demand of cooling products helped drive volume growth. ElectroMechanical Projects and Services (EMPS) segment disappoints with lower revenues in Q1.

"EBITDA margin, too, declined 121 bps YoY to 6.4 per cent dragged by high raw material costs and increased advertisement spends. EBIT margin of unitary cooling products (UCP) dipped 457 bps to 7.7 per cent on the back of the volume growth.

However, structural demand owing to changing consumer lifestyle (work from home) post pandemic is likely to drive near term demand for RAC," according to analysts at ICICI Securities.

On a long term basis, the brokerage firm believes rising income and aspirations of middle class household in India will be a key demand driver for cooling products. "AC's penetration at 7 per cent is lowest among white goods segment. Higher demand for energy efficient products would help drive premiumisation in the air conditioner industry," it said.

While, the management expects demand in Q2FY23 to be subdued for cooling products due to low seasonal demand, it expects a pick-up in demand with the start of the festive season in India, the brokerage firm added.

"Voltas continues to undertake various cost reduction steps and value engineering processes to improve margins. The BEE labelling program and Voltas Beko initiative are expected to provide additional revenue. Risk mitigation initiatives and enhanced order books in the EMP vertical may act as tailwinds for growth in the coming quarters," analysts at Geojit Financial Services said in result update.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone said that its wholly owned subsidiary HDC Bulk Terminal (HBTL) has signed a concession agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) for mechanization of Berth no. 2 at Haldia Port.

In February this year, Adani Ports had informed about the receipt of a letter of award (LoA) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for development and operation of Berth no. 2 on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis at Haldia Dock complex, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.

Karan Adani, CEO and whole time director of APSEZ, said: "The mechanization and upgradation of Haldia Bulk Terminal provides us the opportunity to firmly establish APSEZ's footprint in Bengal.

With this fully mechanized facility, we aim to set a higher benchmark in port operations and environmental practices. This terminal, alongside our existing world class ports and terminals along the east coast of India, will synergize APSEZ's services and enhance customer experience.

As per the concession agreement signed between SMPK and HBTL, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed to implement the project will get the rights to design, build, finance, operate, maintain and manage the bulk terminal with a capacity of 3.74 million tons per annum for a concession period of 30 years at Haldia Dock Complex, Haldia.

The Haldia Dock Complex houses various bulk handling facilities at Haldia under SMPK's purview. Haldia Dock Complex caters to a large hinterland including Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Northeastern Hill States and the landlocked neighboring country of Nepal. This terminal will handle the supply chain of raw materials in the steel plants, power plants and cement plants located in the hinterland.

The key USP of this project is the ability to provide bulk cargo handling services, which would be completely mechanized, highly efficient, environment-friendly and pollution-free.

The project will not only add efficient port capacity but will also help to reduce the logistics cost of port users by reducing the turnaround time of vessels calling at Haldia Dock.

As per the signed concession agreement, HBTL will undertake the financial closure for the project within six months and commence the construction of the terminal. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 298 crore. The project has already received the necessary environment clearance.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone is in the business of development, operations and maintenance of port infrastructure (port services and related infrastructure development) and has linked multi product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and related infrastructure contiguous to port at Mundra.

The company's consolidated net profit dropped 16.86% to Rs 1,091.56 crore in Q1 FY23 as against Rs 1,312.99 crore recorded in Q1 FY22. Revenue from operations declined 0.71% to Rs 4,637.95 crore in Q1 FY23 from Rs 4,671.19 crore reported in Q1 FY22.

The scrip advanced 0.26% to currently trade at Rs 971.20 on the BSE

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Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone: The company has signed concession agreement to develop Berth no. 2 at Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) in Bengal. APSEZ will design, build, finance, operate, maintain and manage the bulk terminal with capacity of 3.74 million tons per annum for a concession period of 30 years. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 298 crore.

Indiabulls Housing Finance and RBL Bank are under the NSE's F&O ban list for 16 September.

UPL: The company announced a joint venture with CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions ('CleanMax'), a Mumbai-based renewable energy company, to establish a hybrid solar-wind energy power plant in Gujarat, India. The project will result in UPL using renewable energy to fulfil 30% of its total power consumption needs globally. The captive project will lead to carbon abatement of 1.25 Lakh tonnes of co2 equivalent per annum.

Indusind Bank: The private lender has approved the reappointment of Sumant Kathpalia as the managing directorate and chief executive officer for three more years subject to the RBI's approval by the board of directors of the bank at its meeting.

Indian Hotels Company: India's largest hospitality company on Thursday announced the signing of a Vivanta hotel in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Featuring 129 rooms and suites, the Vivanta hotel will be strategically located within SIDCUL - the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited, a vibrant industrial township, and BHEL. The existing hotel will be rebranded to Vivanta post upgradation. This is a management contract with Marvelous Infraestate.

Tata Metaliks: The company inaugurated phase-I of expansion project of ductile iron (DI) pipe plant at Kharagpur. This Rs 600 crore expansion project will take the company's ductile iron pipe plant capacity to over 4 lakh tonnes per annum in two phases. The new plant is one of the most advanced DI pipe plants with high levels of automation & robotics to make the operations safe and efficient. This new plant will help the company expand its product range and enhance its presence in the fast-growing water infrastructure space that is witnessing a major thrust by the Govt of India through its Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.

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With effect from 16 September 2022

Ambuja Cements announced the resignation of directors as follows:

Resignation of Non-Executive Non-Independent Directors:

Martin Kriegner (DIN:00077715)

Jan Jenisch (DIN: 07957196)

Christof Hassig (DIN: 01680305)

Then Hwee Tan (DIN: 08354724)

Ramanathan Muthu (DIN: 01607274)

Ranjit Shahani (DIN: 00103845)

Mario Gross (DIN: 09586077)

Arun Kumar Anand (DIN: 08964078)



Resignation of Independent Directors:

Nasser Munjee (DIN :00010180)

Shailesh Haribhakti (DIN:00007347)

Rajendra Chitale (DIN:00015986)

Omkar Goswami (DIN:00004258)

Shikha Sharma (DIN :00043265)



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HFCL said that the High Court of Delhi vide its order passed on 14 September 2022 has vacated the ex-parte injunction order dated 12 January 2022, which was passed by it in the matter of Sterlite Technologies.

On January 20 this year, Sterlite Technologies had announced that it had secured an exparte adinterim injunction against Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL) in a patent infringement litigation filed in Delhi High Court.

The Court has restrained HFCL, its subsidiaries, directors, servants, agents, licensee or any related/ parent companies, dealers, stockists and distributors and/or anyone claiming any right through any of them, restraining them, jointly and severally, in any manner, from making, manufacturing, using, offering for sale, selling, exporting and importing the optical fibre cables covered under the STL's patent in India, as it may amount to infringement of the said Patent that is related to STL's multitube micro cable technology.

Responding to the same, in a statement issued to the bourses on the same day, HFCL had announced that the sale of optical fiber cable covered under alleged patent is insignificant to the company's total sales of optical fiber cables.

"The company hereby inform all its stakeholders that the Company has already initiated required legal actions to get the said restrain Order vacated and also for the cancellation of the subject patent," HFCL said in a statement.

On the same matter, HFCL's spokesperson was quoted by media saying that the stay has been obtained by giving misleading information to the court. This product has reportedly been produced by HFCL since 2014 against the specifications of customers. In fact, STL's application on a similar patent was reportedly rejected by the European Union.

HFCL is a technology enterprise engaged in manufacturing of high-end transmission and access equipment, optical fiber, optical fiber cables (OFC). It is specialized in setting up modern communication network for telecom service providers, railways and defense.

The company's consolidated net profit (from continuing operations) tumbled 41.45% to Rs 53.10 crore on 12.9% decline in net sales to Rs 1,051.02 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q1 FY22.

The scrip fell 1.77% to currently trade at Rs 77.75 on the BSE.

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Goa Carbon announced the resumption of operations at the company's Chhattisgarh-based Bilaspur unit.

Last month, the company said that the operations at its Bilaspur unit located Sector B, Sirgitti Industrial Area, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh had been temporarily shut-down on 19 August 2022 and then resumed the same on 25 August 2022.

The company further said that after examining the initial production output, a necessity of further minor engineering up-gradation of the kiln was observed. Though it was a minor up-gradation, the firm called for shut down of the kiln from 29 August 2022 evening.

The company updated that the periodical maintainance at Bilaspur Unit has been duly completed and the production resumes from today.

The company had also stated that this shut down should not affect its sales as there was sufficient inventory at hand as per the order plan.

Goa Carbon manufacturers calcined petroleum coke (CPC) in India.

The company's net profit surged to Rs 14.48 crore in Q1 FY23 compared with a net profit of Rs 0.12 crore in Q1 FY22. Revenue from operations jumped 64.24% to Rs 205.27 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q1 FY22.

The scrip slipped 5.53% to settle at Rs 450.05 on the BSE.

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Happiest Minds Technologies announced commissioning of 183 kilowatt peak power (kWp) solar power plant at its Smiles 2 campus in Madivala, Bengaluru.'

The 183 kWp solar power plant deployed by EcoSoch Solar will generate 256 megawatt hours of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 210 metric tonne (MT) of carbon emissions annually and 5200 MT over its lifecycle.

Happiest Minds aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030 and aspires to be known for its high levels of ESG standards. The new solar power plant is deployed to achieve its vision and be part of a cleaner energy future and building long-term business sustainability.

Venkatraman Narayanan, MD & CFO of Happiest Minds Technologies said, At Happiest Minds, we are consciously embedding sustainability in every aspect of our business by striving for more mindful ways to reduce the impact on the planet, whilst providing digital, agile, and sustainable solutions to our customers.

Happiest Minds' Technologies is an IT company, enabling digital transformation for enterprises and technology providers by delivering seamless customer experiences, business efficiency and actionable insights.

Happiest Minds Technologies' net profit rose 8.1% to Rs 56.34 crore while net sales gained 9.4% to Rs 328.92 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q4 FY22.

Shares of Happiest Minds Technologies were down 1.67% to Rs 1,017.25 on the BSE.

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To launch GAIAM home collection of bedding and bath

Indo Count announced its new partnership with the GAIAM brand, owned by Galaxy Universal. GAIAM - an industry-leading yoga, health & wellness brand - is collaborating with Indo Count for the launch of an exclusive Home Textiles Collection. This is the GAIAM's first expansion into the bedding and bath categories and will leverage Indo Count's industry leading technology and lifestyle designs.

The GAIAM home collection will feature an extensive range of bedding and bath solutions that will help consumers restore, relax and enjoy a better night's sleep. The GAIAM home collection will be featured at the 2022 September Home Textiles Market Week in Indo Count's 5th Avenue showroom in New York City (September 19 - 22) and will launch in-store and online in the US, Canada, and Mexico with retail partners in Spring 2023.

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Redington shed 0.38% to Rs 156.60 as the counter witnessed some bit of profit booking after advacning in the past two sessions.

In two sessions, the stock had gained 5.4% to end at Rs 157.20 yesterday, from its recent closing low of Rs 149.20 recorded on 13 September 2022.

In the past three months, the stock as advanced 35.14% while the benchmark Sensex has added 14.90% during the same period.

As per media reports, Redington has entered into a strategic partnership with Google Cloud India. As a part of this collaboration, it will drive the distribution and adoption of Google Workspace and Google Cloud with SMBs, education and public sector, mid-market, and enterprise segments.

The company will also be hosting distribution and adoption of Google Chrome Enterprise, media reports stated.

The reports further said that through this association, Redington aims to address the strong demand for Google Cloud-based services in India, a public cloud services market that is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24% (for 2021-2026) and reach $13.5 billion (by 2026).

Redington, along with Google Cloud, will empower its existing and potential partners with access to business and technical expertise while helping them develop resources that support and manage their customers. It will also help fuel the adoption of Google Cloud through the partner network, the reports added.

Ramesh Natarajan, CEO, Redington, was quoted by the media saying: "This collaboration will help us to enhance the procurement and delivery of relevant cloud services and solutions to enterprises, SMBs and the public sector, through our vast network of trusted and committed partners."

Redington is a leading distributor for IT hardware and mobility products. While distribution of IT and mobility products contributes a bulk of its revenue, REDIL is also enhancing its presence in the logistics business in India and the Gulf.

The company reported 33.4% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 315.78 crore on a 24.9% increase in net sales to Rs 16,803.14 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q1 FY22.

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The domestic equity barometers traded with deep cuts in the morning trade. The Nifty traded below the 17,750 mark. IT shares extended its losing streak for the fourth consecutive trading session.

At 10:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 610.6 points or 1.02% to 59,323.41. The Nifty 50 index lost 174.75 points or 0.98% to 17,702.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.90% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.62%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,115 shares rose and 2,056 shares fell. A total of 142 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,270.68 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 928.86 crore in the Indian equity market on 15 September 2022, provisional data showed.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty IT index slipped 2.12% to 27,145.50, extending its losing run for the fourth session. The index tumbled 6.82% in four trading sessions.

Tech Mahindra (down 2.97%), Tata Consultancy Services (down 2.11%), Mindtree (down 1.93%), Wipro (down 1.92%), Infosys (down 1.83%), Larsen & Toubro Infotech (down 1.83%), Coforge (down 1.78%), HCL Technologies (down 1.77%), Mphasis (down 1.4%) and L&T Technology Services (down 0.94%) slumped.

Infosys shed 1.83%. The IT major said that a meeting of the board of directors will be held on 12 and 13 October 2022 to consider and approve the audited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter and half year ending 30 September 2022. During the same period, the board will also consider declaration of interim dividend, if any. The financial results and proposal for interim dividend, if any, will be presented to the board of directors on 13 October 2022 for their approval.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone declined 0.39%. The company said that its wholly owned subsidiary HDC Bulk Terminal (HBTL) has signed a concession agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) for mechanization of Berth no. 2 at Haldia Port. In February this year, Adani Ports had informed about the receipt of a letter of award (LoA) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for development and operation of Berth no. 2 on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis at Haldia Dock complex, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.

Tata Metaliks rallied 5.96%. The company inaugurated phase-I of expansion project of ductile iron (DI) pipe plant at Kharagpur. This Rs 600 crore expansion project will take the company's ductile iron pipe plant capacity to over 4 lakh tonnes per annum in two phases. The new plant is one of the most advanced DI pipe plants with high levels of automation & robotics to make the operations safe and efficient. This new plant will help the company expand its product range and enhance its presence in the fast-growing water infrastructure space that is witnessing a major thrust by the Govt of India through its Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.

SJVN advanced 3.24% after the state-owned utilities player awarded the contract for the construction of a 100 MW solar project at Raghanesda in Gujarat to Tata Power Solar Systems. Tata Power Solar Systems (TPSSL), a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL), received the 'Letter of Award' (LoA) of Rs 612 crore for setting up a 100 MW ground-mounted solar project for SJVN. The LoA was awarded through tariff-based competitive bidding. The project will get commissioned within 11 months from the date of receiving of LoA.

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the telecom subscription data for July 2022 on 15 September 2022.

The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 117.29 crore at the end of June 2022 to 117.36 crore at the end of July 2022, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.06%.

Total wireless subscribers increased from 114.73 crore at the end of June 2022, to 114.80 crore at the end of July 2022, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.06%.

Reliance Jio added 29.49 lakh subscribers in the month of July 2022 and its total subscriber based stood at 41.59 crore. Reliance Industries (RIL), which controls Reliance Jio, was down 1.82%.

Bharti Airtel (down 0.96%) added 5.13 lakh subscribers in the month of July 2022 and its total subscriber based stood at 36.34 crore.

Vodafone Idea (down 2.80%) lost 15.42 lakh subscribers in the month of July 2022 and its total subscriber based stood at 25.51 crore.

As on 31 July 2022, the private access service providers held 90.12% market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 9.88%.

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Never has a loo break caused such brouhaha in a political party. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) held a convention in Delhi last weekend. Party leader Ajit Pawar, also party chief Sharad Pawars nephew, was present on the dais. But he walked off the stage when General Secretary Praful Patel invited the partys Maharashtra unit chief, Jayant Patil, to address the gathering, which was clamouring to hear Ajit. What appeared to upset him was that his rival had been invited to speak before he was. Eyewitnesses saw his cousin Supriya Sule running after him. But he did not return until Sharad had reached the end of his speech. Later, he explained that he had left to go to the toilet. If that is the case, it is not clear why Ms Sule scurried after him.
The Assembly was on Monday adjourned after a noisy scene with the opposition demanding discussions on alleged cash-for-job scam in Grade III and IV posts as well as granting ST status to six communities of the state.

With Speaker Biswajit Daimary disallowing their Zero Hour notices, the Congress, CPI(M) and Independent members went to the Well of the House and showed placards, raised slogans and sat on the floor of the hall.

After the Question Hour ended, Daimary said three Zero Hour notices will be allowed and asked AGP's Ramendra Narayan Kalita to raise his on the dumping ground on the bank of Deepor Beel lake in Guwahati.

On this, senior Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah wanted to know if their notice on alleged cash-for-job scam in the recently held Grade III and IV post written examinations and the arrest of whistleblower Victor Das is allowed.

Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi too wanted to know if his Zero Hour notice on granting of ST status to six communities from will be taken up for discussion.

The Centre this week granted ST status to several communities from different states. The list did not include Assam's Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea-Tribes communities, which were given multiple assurances by many senior BJP leaders for many years.

The Speaker then said all members would come to know when the permitted Zero Hour notices will be allowed one-after-another.

On this, the Congress, CPI(M) and Independent MLAs went to the Well of the House holding placards with their demands and raised slogans.

Gogoi also raised the issue of alleged irregularities in the recently declared results of several posts of Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital and said that "the name of the local MLA has cropped up in the anomalies".

First-time MLA Manab Deka of the BJP represents the Lakhimpur constituency.

Surprisingly, all BJP legislators, led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika, also rushed to the Well just in front of the Speaker's dais and engaged in a verbal duel pointing fingers at the opposition.

"The Assembly is not an agitation site. You should not display placards here. All of you please take your seats. All the topics in the House are important," Daimary said, yielding no result.

With no side accepting his requests to cool down, he adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

The Deputy Speaker Numal Momin was on the Chair when the House reassembled. The opposition continued raising their demands and again went to the Well of the House with placards.

As Momin did not accept their demands, Kalita kept speaking about the Zero Hour notice.

Aggrieved by this, several opposition members sat on the floor of the House and continued shouting slogans. Congress demanded a probe by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged irregularities into the recruitment process.

"The opposition has a specific role in parliamentary democracy. You have many devices to raise an issue. If parliament is hijacked by misusing public money, then it is not proper use of parliament," Momin said.

Protesting the Deputy Speaker's statement, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Deputy Leader Rakibul Hussain announced a walkout by the opposition members.

Earlier this month, Victor Das had tweeted tagging Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta and alleged that some officials and former MLAs were demanding Rs 3-8 lakh for giving jobs in the ongoing recruitment exercise.

Following this, he was called for interrogation and eventually arrested by Guwahati Police on September 9. He was later remanded to seven days of police custody by a local court. The Gauhati High Court granted him bail on Friday.

This has led to huge backlash with all political parties and the public in general criticised the government action on social media.

More than 14.30 lakh candidates had applied for over 26,000 Grade III and IV posts of various government departments, with the examinations taking place on August 21, 28 and September 11.

(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.)
'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is a "booster dose" for the Congress and a "decisive and transformational moment" for the of the country, senior party leader said here on Friday.

The 3570-km 'padyatra' is being undertaken by from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over five-and-a-half months to galvanise Congress cadres and strengthen the organisation, giving it new energy, Ramesh along with his Rajya Sabha colleague Digvijay Singh said at a press conference.

"The yatra is a booster dose for the Congress and a decisive and transformational moment for the of the country. Workers will reach out to people at block, district and state level, thus enhancing the organisational strength of the Congress," he said.

Hitting out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his remark that India was already united and there was no need to reunite it by undertaking a yatra, Ramesh said, "I want to tell him that the country is breaking for three reasons primarily -- economic inequalities, social polarisation and political autocracy."



He alleged that price-rise, unemployment, GST imposition on staple food products and other economic policies of the BJP-led Centre have led to the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.

On the political front, "constitutional offices are being weakened, the rights of the states curtailed", with the "autocratic ways of the prime minister and the Union home minister leading to divisive politics", he said.

Asked about Congress leaders leaving the party, the Rajya Sabha member said that these can be classified into two categories -- the first are those who took everything from the party for 30-40 years and then left for their selfish reasons.

"The second are those who need the BJP washing machine to clean stains (corruption charges) to survive in . The Assam chief minister falls in this category," the Congress leader alleged.

"He was with us for some years and before that with 'tukde tukde' organisations. It was late chief minister Hiteswar Saikia who saved him. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others," the former Union minister stated.

Asked about the pending elections for the post of Congress president, he said that the grand old party was the only one in the country which allows such polls and any member to contest it.

Referring to the yatra, the AICC general secretary in-charge of communication, publicity and media said that the route from Kanyakumari to Kashmir was zeroed upon after taking into consideration security and geographical aspects.

The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', led by Rahul Gandhi, is set to cover 12 states with the average age of the participants being 38.

In Assam, the yatra will begin on November 1 -- from Dhubri in the West to Sadiya in the east with several local and leaders undertaking it, he added.

"Next year, we may plan a Yatra from Porbandar in the west to Parshuram Kund in the east, depending on the outcome of this present one," Ramesh 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.)
New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): The (BJP) president JP Nadda has formed a five-member committee to probe violence against their workers in West Bengal during the recent Nabanna Chalo march.

The team will be led by the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh and present Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, former Information and Broadcasting Minister and Lok Sabha MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Lok Sabha member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi, Rajya Sabha MP Sameer Umrao and former parliamentarian Sunil Jakhar.

According to the sources, these leaders have been asked to go and investigate the situation on the ground level. They will also investigate what led to the violence in Kolkata. The committee will also demand the state government to take action against the accused. They will submit the report to the party's president.

On Tuesday, the BJP carried out a massive protest march, 'Nabanna Abhijan', to the state secretariat where a clash broke out between BJP workers and police inside the Bolpur railway station as police tried to stop the workers from leaving for Kolkata to participate in the Nabanna Chalo march. Several workers were also detained.

"With hundreds of BJP workers heading towards Kolkata to join BJP's Nabanna march via trains, police barricaded paths to railway stations. 20 of our workers were stopped by police near Durgapur railway station. I reached here using other paths," said BJP leader Abhijit Dutta.

Kolkata Police also detained Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and MP Locket Chatterjee ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) protest march to state secretariat 'Nabanna' on Tuesday.

The violence has erupted into a political row.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in violence during protests against her government West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said action would be taken against those creating nuisance.

"People were harassed and public properties vandalised and destroyed. You can't have goons and bombs brought in, in the name of protests. Remember, police and fringe elements cannot go together. No anti-social activity will get any cover under the garb of politics, the police will take action if that happens," Banerjee said.

Banerjee also claimed that BJP had brought workers from other states for the protests. She also defended the police action against the protestors.

"The police officers could have fired in the air, but they were very measured in their response. This cannot happen, you cannot book trains and bring people from other states to create a nuisance in Bengal," she said while adding that she was not against democratic protests.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said that he would have shot the protesters in the head, had he been present at the site.

Reacting to the Diamond Harbour MP's statement, BJP leader Amit Malaviya said, "This murderous thug is more than just Mamata Banerjee's nephew. He holds unconstitutional sway over her Government. If she has the guts, let the brutal sentiment of fascism, latent in his statement, reflect in the lethal action of the WB Police. She would not survive the wrath of the people after."

Following the matter, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sought a report from the West Bengal Home Secretary over the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'Nabanna Abhijan' by September 19.

The High Court further directed the Police not to illegally detain any person and also ensure that there is no damage to public property.

BJP leaders were detained from Hastings in Kolkata when they were leading the Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan. Suvendu Adhikari, Locket Chatterjee and BJP leader Rahul Sinha were taken to Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar.

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The Friday accused the and of giving communal colour to the alleged rape and of two Dalit sisters in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri and demanded that justice delivery in the case be fast-tracked.

The Opposition party also demanded the Narendra Modi government should implement the SC/ST Act with "full force".

Two teenage sisters were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field located about a kilometre from their house in Lakhimpur Kheri's Nighasan police station limits Wednesday. Six people were arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged rape and killing of the two girls.

Addressing a press conference at the headquarters here, the party's Scheduled Caste department head Rajesh Lilothia said the alleged rape and of the two sisters should not be seen as an isolated incident and alleged that atrocities against Dalits have been rising.

The Crime Records Bureau data revealed that 70,818 cases of atrocities against Dalits are pending investigation till 2021, he said.

"On one hand, big claims are made that the Modi government is working for the welfare of Dalits on the other hand there are these statistics," Lilothia said.

He also accused the and of giving communal colour to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

"The demands justice from the UP government for the family of the victims. It also demands that the Modi government should implement the SC/ST Act with full force," Lilothia said.

The Congress leader also accused the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of not providing justice in the 2020 Hathras rape case.

According to Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman, the preliminary probe has revealed that the girls had left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail. All the six accused have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days, the SP said.

The girl's mother had earlier alleged that they were abducted.

"Junaid and Sohail have confessed to strangling the girls after raping them," the police officer said.

He said both were in a relationship with the two sisters, who insisted on marriage, after which they were strangled. The others arrested were identified as Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu.

(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 'Deshbhakti' curriculum in Delhi government schools is giving strength to the children to be successful in life and inspiring them to focus on their careers, Deputy Chief Minister said on Friday.

Sisodia was on a visit to a government school in RK Puram on Friday to assess the impact of the curriculum on children. This was his third consecutive visit to a government school in the last three days.

"Many children have shared that the Deshbhakti class is also giving them the inspiration to prepare better for the exam and work diligently on their careers," he said.

The Delhi government's ambitious curriculum was launched on September 28, 2021, by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

As part of the curriculum, children meditate for five minutes and then think about any five patriots every day. Thereafter, they share their thoughts with their classmates, Sisodia said.

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Former chief minister and Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh will join the next week, party spokesperson said on Friday.

Singh will also merge his newly formed party with the .

Singh (80) had floated the Lok Congress (PLC) last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. He will join the in the presence of party president JP Nadda and other leaders in Delhi.

(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 opposition parties on Friday slammed the ruling government in on the completion of its six months, accusing it of "selling" dreams to people while failing to fulfil promises.

The took on the government over its anti-corruption crusade, with Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa saying the helpline launched for it has remained shut for the past few weeks.

Addressing separate press conferences here, President Ashwani Sharma and Bajwa hit out at the government over non-fulfilment of promises and law and order.

Both Sharma and Bajwa said the government's tall promises exist only in newspaper advertisements.

On the other hand, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the AAP government faltered on key issues.

Referring to newspaper advertisements issued by the government on Friday, Bajwa said the Mann government immediately after coming to power sacked its own minister Vijay Singla for corruption on the basis of an audio clip, which is yet to be made public.

Now a different yardstick is being adopted in connection with another minister, in whose case too an audio clip has surfaced, he said.

Bajwa said this government has disappointed people who brought it to power with a massive mandate.

Sukhbir Singh Badal demanded an immediate release of Rs 1,500 per acre incentive promised to farmers for direct seeding of rice to save water, saying while the government is spending crores of rupees on front-page advertisements to make fake claims, it was denying farmers their just due.

"It is shocking that the government had come out with 'sada kamm bolda' advertisement when it is reneging on promises made to farmers besides refusing to come to their aid in case of any calamity and disease," Badal said.

Badal claimed while the government has kept Rs 700 crore for advertisements for this financial year, it did not release Rs 25 crore to farmers for the direct seeding of paddy.

Ashwani Sharma said, "They sold big dreams to people of Punjab but failed on all fronts. The chief minister should have presented his report card of six months but he is on a foreign jaunt."



"They promised to make Punjab vibrant and eliminate drug scourge. They said they will establish the rule of law in Punjab but today common people are living in a state of fear with increasing crime graph. Businessmen and traders are getting extortion calls," said Sharma.

He said earlier their minister Vijay Singla was sacked, now another audio clip of a conversation purportedly between Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari and one of his former close aides discussing ways to trap some contractors has surfaced on the internet.

"Who is honest and dishonest, only Arvind Kejriwal decides and gives certificate accordingly," said the leader.

He said the AAP government has not given Rs 1,000 promised to women and only played with emotions of people.

"The Punjab liquor policy enacted by the government is a replica of the one they brought in Delhi, which they had to take back there," Sharma said.

He said they promised to open 16,000 mohalla clinics but only 100 came up so far.

"The so-called hype which was created by them the sand mafia will be curtailed and an honest transparent policy will be formulated has only proved to be a gimmick," Sharma said



Sharma said in the past six months, the government has borrowed Rs 12,000 crore and by the time they complete their tenure, Punjab will be under massive debt.

(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 July 26 letter from Chief Minister to Chairman Anil Agarwal, reveals that the group asked for central government's alignment for starting a semiconductor facility in Maharashtra, the Indian Express reported.

The Group, according to the letter had made two requests from the state government before it finalised the location for its Rs 1.5 trillion semiconductor facility:

Cabinet approval for the project at the proposed site in Telgaon near Pune.

Central government's alignment for building facility in the state.

In his letter, Shinde said state was moving expeditiously on request and invited the Chairman for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ceremony on July 29.

Referring to a letter from Group, the CM wrote, (your) two key requests from the state are to seek alignment and cabinet approval. You will be pleased to know that on both fronts, the state is already in advanced stages and is moving ahead expeditiously.

He further writes in the letter that a high-powered committee gave an in-principle approval for the incentive package and this would be cleared by the state cabinet.

Notably, Shinde was sworn in as Maharashtra CM on June 30 and on July 26, the cabinet comprised only him and Fadnavis.

In addition, we are also seeking alignment with the highest levels at Government of India to request for unfettered support in ensuring the project receives due support, Shinde added.

On September 14, Gujarat was chosen as the destination for the much-hyped semiconductor project. Vedanta- signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government for setting up the semiconductor facility on the same day.

"Vedanta- had been professionally assessing sites for a multi-billion-dollar investment. This is a scientific and financial process which takes several years. We started this about 2 years ago. We decided (on) Gujarat (a) few months ago as they met our expectations, Anil Aggarwal tweeted

Since Aggarwal announced in a tweet that Vedanta- has decided to go to Gujarat, the recently sworn-in Maharashtra government has been receiving flak from state opposition parties including NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shivsena.

In his July 26 letter inviting Agarwal for the MoU signing ceremony, Shinde said: The event will feature the highest decision-makers from the political and state leadership in the state and we believe is an essential next step in ensuring a seamless cabinet approval. We also believe the MoU will form a strong basis for (the) Government of India to favourably approve the project to meet the capital purchase plan as outlined by Akarsh during our discussion.

Akarsh Hebbar, also Aggarwal's son-in-law is Managing Director of AvanStrate Inc, a manufacturer of LCD glass substrates.

it was heartening to see the significant progress that has been made to ensure the states policy incentives, infrastructure offerings and ecosystem are aligned to the project needs. As noted during the meeting, India will only be the fifth country to host a semiconductor and display ecosystem of this size and with Vedanta as an anchor investor, we are confident of realising the goal of housing the worlds next Silicon Valley in Pune, Maharashtra, Shinde had written in his letter.

Speaking on Maharashtras offer, Agarwal said in his tweet, in July meeting with Maharashtra leadership, they made a huge effort to outbid other states with (a) competitive offer. We have to start in one place & based on professional & independent advice we chose Gujarat Maharashtra will be our key to forward integration in our Gujarat JV.

After the series of tweets by Aggarwal, the Shiv Sena in its editorial Saamana described this as a "favour" from Maharashtra CM to his friends in the BJP.

"This is not an allegation but our conviction. The way Fadnavis sent the international finance hub from Mumbai to Gujarat, has just allowed the Foxconn-Vedanta deal to go to Gujarat. Tomorrow, they will sell Mumbai too," the editorial said.

Blaming the Shinde government, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said, " didn't just take away our 40 MLA's but also big projects of Maharashtra to Gujarat. Who is responsible for the loss of 2 lakh crores and 1 lakh job opportunities in our state."
China's top legislator was set to meet South Korean leaders including new President Yoon Suk Yeol in on Friday, as Yoon's push to buttress a military alliance with Washington has caused concerns that it could hamper Seoul's ties with .

Li Zhanshu, third in the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy and one of President Xi Jinping's closest confidants, is the highest-level Chinese official to visit since his predecessor came here in 2015. Li's trip is seen as part of Beijing's efforts to boost ties with neighboring countries ahead of a Communist Party congress next month that will likely grant Xi a third five-year term as leader.

Li's visit is also crucial for Yoon's government as it wants to assure that its push to reinforce the U.S. alliance and participations in US-led regional initiatives won's target China, its biggest trading partner.

Li, chairman of the standing committee of China's National People's Congress, heads a 66-member Chinese delegation to that includes three Cabinet-level officials. On Friday afternoon, he is to meet Yoon after separate talks with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo and other South Korean parliamentary leaders on how to boost cooperation between the two countries' legislatures.

Earlier this month, Li visited Russia and made comments decrying sanctions against Russia, underscoring Beijing's support of Moscow in its war on Ukraine despite claims of neutrality. On Thursday, Xi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Uzbekistan, and during the meeting, Putin thanked Xi for his balanced approach to the Ukrainian crisis and blasted Washington's ugly policies.

Li's meeting with Yoon draws keen attention because Yoon last month skipped an in-person meeting with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who travelled to after a high-stakes trip to Taiwan. Yoon, who was on a vacation, spoke by phone with Pelosi but faced domestic criticism that he intentionally shunned her not to provoke . Yoon was the only head of state who didn't meet Pelosi face-to-face during her Asian trip that also included Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

Kim Heung-kyu, director of the U.S.- Policy Institute at Ajou University in South Korea, said Li's visit has a different nature from Pelosi's because she came here after the contentious Taiwan trip. But he said would still likely see symbolic significance in Li meeting a South Korean president whom Pelosi failed to meet.

Key topics for discussions during Li's visit will likely be Seoul's plans to ensure a more stable operation of a U.S. missile defense system in which China views as a security threat; a Chinese role in curbing North Korean nuclear threats: and how to promote stable supply chains, some experts say.

South Korea and China will likely reaffirm their respective positions on those issues, with Li expected to relay Chinese positions on them in a clear manner, said Professor Kim Han-kwon at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

There are worries that Yoon's tilt toward Washington could trigger economic retaliation by China as it did when South Korea in 2017 allowed the United States to place the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, on its soil. China, which says its radar system can spy on its territory, suspended group tours to South Korea and conducted an unofficial boycott of South Korean products.

Kim, the academy professor, said China would be more cautious this time because launching such economic retaliations won't give China what it wants, would push South Korea closer to the United States and would worsen anti-Chinese sentiments in South Korea.

In the case of the THAAD disputes, China shook public opinions in South Korea and had South Korea suffer economic losses, he said. But eventually, they've failed to get the THAAD scrapped and anti-China sentiments grew in South Korea. There were also public reevaluation about boosting the Korea-U.S. alliance and a South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation.

The normal operation of the THAAD base in southern South Korea has been undermined due to local protests trying to block the entry of materials and equipment to the installation. China recently claimed South Korea had agreed to limit the base's operation, which Yoon's government has denied.

South Korea, the world's 10th-largest economy, is a major supplier of semiconductors, automobiles, smartphones and other electronic products. This would make it an attractive partner to both the United States and China, some experts say.

South Korea has a very important strategic status for both the U.S. and China, like a linchpin for them, said Kim, the institute director. Unless the Yoon Suk Yeol government openly pursue an anti-China policy, China will likely further stress a message of amity and cooperation to South Korea, rather than pressures, conflicts and confrontations.

Cooperative relations with China are essential for and Washington's hopes to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear program. While there are questions about how much influence China has on North Korea, it's still believed to have the greatest leverage over Pyongyang among regional powers because it's North Korea's last major diplomatic ally and main economic pipeline.

From a Chinees strategic viewpoint, some observers say North Korea's traditional role as a bulwark against U.S. influence on the Korean Peninsula has increased amid the protracted China-U.S. competition. In May, China and Russia vetoed a US-led attempt to impose new sanctions on North Korea at the U.N. Security Council over its missile tests this year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The policy implemented from November 17, 2021 was scrapped by CM Arvind Kejriwal government in July this year following a CBI probe recommended by Delhi LG V K Saxena into its implementation

The ED on Friday launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Excise Policy, official sources said.

The searches are being conducted at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi-NCR, they said.

The action started early morning with agency teams being escorted by police and paramilitary personnel at the locations being searched by them.

This is the second round of raids by the federal agency in this case after it first conducted searches on September 6 at about 40 locations across the country including that of some Punjab government excise department officers.

The policy implemented from November 17, 2021 was scrapped by Chief Minister government in July this year following a CBI probe recommended by LG V K Saxena into its implementation.

The (ED) case of money laundering in the excise policy stems from a CBI FIR in which Deputy Chief Minister and some Delhi government bureaucrats have been named as accused.

The CBI had conducted raids in the case on August 19, covering the Delhi residences of Sisodia (50), IAS officer and former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.

Sisodia holds multiple portfolios, including excise and education, in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

The ED is probing if alleged irregularities were done in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy and if some alleged "proceeds of crime", in terms of tainted money, was generated by the accused.

The agency also questioned AAP leader and minister Satyendar Jain, lodged in Tihar jail, in connection with this case after it obtained permission from a local court to do so.

Jain was arrested by the ED on May 30 in an another criminal case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) linked to alleged hawala dealings.

The liquor scheme came under the scanner after Delhi LG Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

Sisodia too has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

According to officials, the chief secretary's report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses", to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy.

It is alleged that undue financial favours were extended to liquor licensees after the tenders were awarded, causing loss to the exchequer.

The excise department gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to the licensees on the tendered licence fee citing COVID-19, sources had claimed.

They added that it also refunded the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from airport authorities.

"It was in gross violation of rule 48(11)(b) of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, which clearly stipulates that the successful bidder must complete all formalities for the grant of the licence, failing which all deposits made by him shall stand forfeited to the government," a source said.

The Excise Policy 2021-22, formulated on the basis of an expert committee report, was implemented on November 17 last year and retail licences were issued under it to private bidders for 849 vends across the city, divided into 32 zones.

The BJP on Thursday shared a 'sting operation' video to claim that the AAP government framed its excise policy to help a select few and used the money earned through alleged corruption to fund its campaigns in Goa and Punjab assembly polls.

It showed the video at a press conference in which a person linked to liquor trade is claiming that the Kejriwal government deliberately kept smaller players out of its "tailor-made" excise policy to help a few persons monopolise the market.

The AAP has refuted allegations of irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the Excise Policy.

(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 British man accused by Denmark of masterminding a USD 1.7 billion tax fraud has been ordered by a court to pay Copenhagen's tax authority USD 1.25 billion, court filings seen on Friday show, just days after another court rejected an extradition order for him.

The order by the Court of Appeal against Sanjay Shah comes as part of a civil case filed four years ago by Denmark's tax authority, who have been pursuing him as part of their investigation in one of the country's largest-ever tax fraud case.

Shah has maintained his innocence in the case while fighting extradition. Lawyers representing Shah in the separate civil case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Denmark has accused Shah of masterminding an elaborate tax scheme for three years beginning in 2012 involving foreign businesses pretending to own shares in Danish companies and claiming tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

The Danish tax authority, Skattestyrelsen, filed the civil case against Shah in 2018 through a local Dubai law firm.

In its decision on Wednesday, the Dubai Court of Appeal said Denmark had sought USD 1.9 billion from Shah and his alleged accomplices.

Shah's lifestyle on Dubai's luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years had sparked outrage in Denmark. After Danish authorities signed an extradition agreement with the UAE, Dubai police arrested Shah in June. Shah is one of several suspects in the tax scheme sought by Danish authorities.

During his time in Dubai, the hedge fund manager ran a centre for autistic children that shut down in 2020 as Denmark tried to extradite him. He also oversaw a British-based charity, Autism Rocks, which raised funds through concerts and performances.

On Monday, another Dubai court ruled Shah cannot be extradited to Denmark to face charges. Lawyers representing Shah in the case told The Associated Press on Thursday that prosecutors had filed an appeal seeking to overturn that decision.

The extradition case targeting Shah comes as pressure grows on Dubai, the region's financial hub, over its alleged weaknesses in combating illicit finance.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, has long invited the wealthy, including disgraced public figures, to invest in the country without questioning where they made their money.

Scrutiny of Dubai has intensified as the flashy city-state becomes a haven for Russian money amid Moscow's war on Ukraine.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moderate to heavy rain occurred in many parts of in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The weather office has also predicted a decrease in rainfall activity in the state in the coming days.

Light to moderate rain was recorded in most parts of east Rajasthan, while heavy rain was recorded in Jhalawar and Bharatpur districts, the Met department said.

Dag in east Rajasthan's Jhalawar district recorded the highest rainfall at 68 mm, while Sumerpur in Pali district in the state's western part recorded 24 mm rain, it said.

Rainfall activity will come down in most parts of east from Friday itself and there is a possibility of light rain at isolated places only over the next three to four days, a weather office spokesperson said.

On the other hand, there is a strong possibility of mainly dry weather from September 17 in most parts of west Rajasthan, he said.

The monsoon has been very good in the state and most areas have recorded above normal rainfall, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI/GPRC): At Gandhinagar in Gujarat, a group of well-known people from the catering sector will be seen on a single platform. It will be inaugurated at the Helipad ground in Gandhinagar. The Federation of All India Caterers Convention and Exhibition will be held for three days from September 14 to 16. The event is sponsored by Cello World Company and it has stalls related to catering of 500 vendors from different states of the country will be seen. This will prove to be the best platform for knowledge sharing for recipes as everyone is coming here from different states of India but everyone's business is catering so their focus is the same. As many new vegetarian recipes are introduced, empowering will be done on this one platform.

People will find many options related to catering at one place not to forget last-minute preparations. To make this function successful, the President of Federation of All India Caterers Narendra Somani and General Secretary Kirit Budhdev, Paresh Desai, Board Members of 18 States and Ahmedabad Catering Association are working 24x7. A new recipe will also be introduced by this association in the near future.

Gurdeep Daler Mehndi concert will be held on the first day of this three-day program. Apart from this, there will also be a cultural program. A traditional welcome of all members will be held on the next day. A Bollywood night has also been organized on the third day and many programs including workshops with special speakers will be held. Apart from this, a Mega draw will be held for caterers across India in which gifts will also be distributed.

This fourth convention and exhibition are being held in Gujarat from across the country. Before this, the first convention and exhibition were held in 2014. In 2016, the second exhibition was held in Mumbai. Apart from this, the third exhibition was held in Jaipur and the fourth exhibition is going to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in 2022. This is planned in 3 domes of 1 lakh square meters. All things related to catering will be seen in the exhibition. The opportunity to talk to the caterers of different states related to catering will be easily available.

The All India Caterers Convention was established on September 26, 2013, for the sake of caterers. This organization does not do commercial work but solves problems related to how to proceed in the future. When this organization started with 64 members, only the Bombay Catering Association and Gujarat Catering Association joined hands. Today the organization has around 5,000 members from 18 states.

This organization has provided an example of organizational power. The problems related to the caterers association such as 18 per cent of the GST problem challenges have been solved together with the government to 5 per cent. Apart from this, the problem related to food safety was also solved. Not only this, but the Federation of All India Caterers has also been a leader in social service. Has rendered honorable service in various states during epidemics like Corona. 10 to 12 lakh needy people were provided with two tins of food every day.

This story has been provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/GPRC)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cheetahs prowled the Indian jungles for centuries -- predating written history. They can be spotted in cave paintings dating back to the Neolithic age, and in journals written during Mughal and British eras. But not in Indian forests anymore.

Rising human population, depleting prey base and unrestricted hunting by royals slowly pushed cheetahs close to extinction by independence.

The fastest animal on the earth -- which can clock a speed of 120-km per hour within seconds-- could not outrun the bullets. And sometime in 1947, shots fired by the Maharaja of Korawi, are believed to have killed the last three of the felines. In 1952, the big cat was finally declared extinct from India.

The re-introduction

But India always wanted the cheetahs back in its forests. Attempts to re-introduce Asiatic cheetahs failed as Iran turned down Indias request. As of now, Iran has just about 20 Asiatic cheetahs left.

It was then that the government turned towards Africa -- which has about 7,000 cheetahs left, mostly in the forests of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

And after over 12 years of negotiations, the governments of Namibia and India finally signed a pact this year. Namibia has agreed to send 50 cheetahs to India over the next five years.

The journey & the arrival

Eight cheetahs -- five males and three females-- will be brought to Jaipur from Namibia in a special Boeing 747-400 aircraft, covering over 8,000 kms distance in over 20 hours. A team of Namibias Cheetah Conservation Foundation (CCF) will also be with the .

From Jaipur, they will be flown in a helicopter to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release them the same day. Incidentally, September 17 is also the birth anniversary of the prime minister.

Kuno National Park

Kuno National Park is a 748-square-km protected area, about 200 miles south of Delhi. A 12-km long fence has been erected to keep predators away from the park, which can house a maximum of 21 cheetahs.

The last moment glitch

The project cheetah suffered a last moment glitch when India refused to take three of the eight cheetahs, saying that they were bred in captivity and could not survive the forest. But Namibias tourism ministry said that all the eight were captured when they were young, and they are exposed to hunting.

Under close watch

The felines will be quarantined for one month in a 5030-metre enclosure in the sanctuary, and will be under constant observation. They will be released in the protected area later.

The risk factor

Experts have several concerns. Like only a 12-km area is fenced and the cheetahs may stray out of the sanctuary. They also say that the big cats will find it challenging to hunt chital deer, which is not found in Africa. But similar experiments have given good results in parts of Africa as cheetahs are highly adaptable.
A Dutch artist known for his playful and colossal animal installations has brought his first large-scale solo exhibition to China. Hosted by Beijings Today Art Museum, Celebrate! is a showcase of 25 works by Florentijn Hofman including a new version of the famous yellow rubber duck floating sculpture that appeared in several major cities, as well as an 8-meter-tall floral sparrow warbler installation titled Bird with Party Hat

Sep 30, 2022 08:33 PM
Hyderabad: An evening dedicated to poems and poetry themed around the struggle for Indian independence and recalling the sacrifices of freedom fighters was the highlight of an emotional programme organised by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen here on Friday.

The show 'Hindustan ki Azadi Mein Musalmanoon ka Kirdar' brought together poets from all over.

Speaking on the occasion, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said We are not here to give patriotic certificates to anyone but to celebrate independence. Our forefathers have sacrificed their lives to liberate the country from the clutches of the British.

Patriotic fervour was all over Salar-e-Millat ground at Brindavan colony, Tolichowki, where the poignant event was organised.

Retracing history, Owaisi said the first freedom fighter to be sent to Andaman jail was a Muslim from Hyderabad. The first journalist who was assassinated by the British was Mohammed Baquer and Umar Subhani donated his fortune for the freedom movement.
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin attends the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022 AA Images

Russia's main goal is 'liberation' of Donbas, but 'operation' will not stop there, says Russian president

ANKARA (AA) - Russia is responding with restraint to Ukrainian "terrorist attacks" and strikes on infrastructure, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

Addressing a news conference following the sideline meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, he said the main goal of Russia's "special operation" is the liberation of Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia is in no hurry and its operation will not stop, despite Ukrainian attempts to launch a counteroffensive, he said.

"Quite recently, the Russian Armed Forces launched a couple of sensitive strikes (in Ukraine). Let's assume this was just a warning. If the situation prevails, the response could be more serious," he added.

"We are not fighting with a full army. We fight only with a part of the Russian army, a contract-based part (only)," he said.

He underlined that Russia launched the war in Ukraine to prevent the creation of an "anti-Russian enclave" in Ukraine.

Putin also confirmed that Russia will take part in the G20 summit.

Russia's war on Ukraine on Feb. 24 has resulted in sanctions on Moscow from the EU, the UK and the US among other Western nations.

Ceyhun Alizade/AA

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Putin says Russia wants to stop 'conflict' in Ukraine. Russian president regrets that Ukraine's leadership refuses peace talks



MOSCOW (AA)  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow will do everything to stop the "conflict" in Ukraine.

Speaking at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Putin said to his regret, the Ukrainian side refused talks.

"I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express. We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its refusal from the negotiation process, stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, as they say 'on the battlefield.'

"Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there," he added.

- Russia, India relations

On the bilateral ties between Russia and India, Putin said they are developing, and the two countries are also working actively in the SCO and interacting on other international platforms.

Deliveries of the Russian fertilizers to India increased eight times, Putin said, adding that he hopes it will help India solve its food problems.

"Large-scale joint projects in the oil and gas sector and in the nuclear power industry are being consistently implemented. Traditionally, the rich history and ancient culture of India are of great interest to Russians, in this regard, we propose to intensify the negotiation process on an agreement on visa-free tourist trips," he said.

For his part, Modi said issues of food, energy security and accessibility of fertilizers cause serious concern among the developing countries.

"There is no doubt that we need to find a solution to all these issues, and, in particular, we both need to take initiatives in this direction," he suggested.

Modi thanked both Russia and Ukraine for the help in evacuation of Indian students from the conflict zone and urged peace.

"I know that this is not the era of wars. We have repeatedly talked about this, in particular in our phone conversations. Democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue are important tools for us to find solutions.

"It is necessary to achieve peace in the future, and I am sure that we have the opportunity to discuss this. I welcome the opportunity to get to know your point of view more closely," he said.

Modi confirmed that the India-Russia relations significantly improved in recent years, adding that "everything tells us that our relations will only improve and strengthen in the future, and it is also be useful for the whole world."

By Elena Teslova/AA

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Olaf Scholz AP Photo

Scholz says Russian president has made miscalculations, both at beginning of war and now in eastern Ukraine

BERLIN (AA)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday Russia will suffer a defeat in Ukraine due to the heroic resistance of Ukrainian people and strong solidarity from the Western countries.

Delivering a keynote speech at an international media forum in Potsdam, Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin has made serious miscalculations in Ukraine.

He thought that the whole Ukraine will be conquered within two to three weeks. When he couldnt achieve this, he moved to the east, thought that he could conquer these areas. But both of his plans have failed, he said.

Scholz reiterated that Germany will continue to provide political, economic and military support to Ukraine.

We stand firmly with the Ukrainian people. Im confident that Putin will not win this war, he said.

Ukraine will survive. Because the Ukrainian people are heroically defending their country. They have friends and partners around the world, he added.

Along with other EU countries, Germany has imposed sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's war in Ukraine, now in its seventh month.

AA
KOCHI: Vijayalakshmi, a hapless woman from Bhadradri Kothagudem district, finally had a sigh of relief when she was released from the district prison, Kakkanad, Kerala. She has been in prison since September 7.

The 40-year old widow was cheated by a recruitment agent in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh, who offered her a housekeeping job in Kuwait.

The agent sent her to Muscat from Hyderabad via Kochi, on September 5.

As the airport authorities found discrepancies in her documents and she was deported back to Kochi. The Nedumbassery Police Station detained her and sent her to district prison, Kakkanad.

The poverty-afflicted woman was in a state of shock, without even knowing the reason why she was detained. She couldnt even ask the cops as she doesnt know any language other than Telugu.

However, Viyalakashmi was fortunate enough to get the necessary legal assistance on time. The cops at Nedumbassery Police Station also realised that the woman is innocent and was trapped by the agent.

"I never thought I could come out of the prison so soon. I'm truly indebted to everyone who has extended their help in letting me out of the jail. My relative who is working as a reporter contacted her editor Reshmi and she reached out to Smitha from Cochin. With her contacts, she has arranged a lawyer and today I was released from the prison. I request those who want to fly to Gulf nations in search of lucrative jobs to think twice before applying. They shouldn't fall in the trap of the agents who dupe women and send them for other purposes by fabricating the documents", said Vijaya Lakshmi before boarding the train to Vijayawada from Ernakulam.
Sometimes its good to be reminded of just how good a car is by giving it go once more. In the case of the Mitsubishi Xpander, its the smal...
UNITED NATIONS: China has put a hold on a proposal moved at the United Nations by the US and co-supported by India to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, one of India's most wanted terrorists and the main handler of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks, as a global terrorist.

It is learnt that Beijing put a hold Thursday on the proposal moved by the US and co-designated by India to blacklist Mir under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council as a global terrorist and subject him to assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

Mir is one of India's most wanted terrorists and has a bounty of $5 million placed on his head by the US for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

In June this year, he was jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan, which is struggling to exit the grey list of the FATF.

Pakistani authorities had in the past claimed Mir had died, but Western countries remained unconvinced and demanded proof of his death. This issue became a major sticking point in FATF's assessment of Pakistan's progress on the action plan late last year.

Mir is a senior member of the Pakistan-based LeT and is wanted for his involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Mir was LeT's operations manager for the attacks, playing a leading role in their planning, preparation and execution, the US State Department has said.

Last month, China had put a hold on a proposal by the US and India at the United Nations to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) chief Masood Azhar and a senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror organisation. Abdul Rauf Azhar, born in 1974 in Pakistan, was sanctioned by the US in December 2010.

Beijing, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, has repeatedly put holds on listings to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists under the sanctions committee of the UN Security Council. In June this year, China had put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

Makki is a US-designated terrorist and brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba head and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. New Delhi and Washington had put a joint proposal to designate Makki as a global terrorist under the 1267 ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council but Beijing placed a hold on this proposal at the last minute here.

The State Department had said that Mir has been a senior member of LeT since approximately 2001. From 2006 to 2011, Mir was in charge of LeT's external operations and planned and directed various terrorist attacks on behalf of the group. Additionally, Mir allegedly conspired to commit a terrorist attack against a newspaper and its employees in Denmark between 2008 and 2009.

For his role in the Mumbai attacks, Mir was indicted in the United States in April 2011. In August 2012, the US Department of the Treasury designated Mir as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property and interests in property of Mir that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Mir.

Mir is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List. He is believed to reside in Pakistan, according to information on the State Department website.
Carter Centers Dr. Donald R. Hopkins Receives Honorary Degree from the American Museum of Natural Historys Richard Gilder Graduate School

ATLANTA (Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022)  Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, the Carter Centers special advisor for Guinea worm eradication, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree Wednesday from the American Museum of Natural Historys Richard Gilder Graduate School. For your influential scientific research and extraordinary success in the eradication of smallpox, near-eradication of Guinea worm disease, and similar efforts against many other devastating diseases, you are rightly considered an international hero, the schools citation reads. Hopkins and The Carter Center collaborated with the American Museum of Natural History in 2015 in the creation of Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, a powerful exhibition to educate visitors of all ages about disease eradication. The exhibition appeared in New York, Abu Dhabi, London, Atlanta, and Seattle. The impact of institutions like the museum that are training the next generation of scientists and working to increase scientific and public health literacy is hard to overstate, Hopkins said in accepting the honorary degree. I extend my thanks to the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the museum for this honor.

Dr. Donald Hopkins demonstrates how to use a pipe filter to prevent Guinea worm disease in Molujore, South Sudan. (Photo: The Carter Center)

Hopkins joined The Carter Center in 1987 as senior consultant for health programs, leading the Centers efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease. Under his leadership, the Center became the home of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication and added programs to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis and control trachoma and schistosomiasis, all of which are considered neglected tropical diseases. With the ITFDE, he created the Hispaniola Initiative, a binational campaign to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and malaria from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Hopkins retired as vice president of health programs in 2015. He continues to serve actively as the Centers special advisor for Guinea worm eradication. During Hopkins tenure, Guinea worm disease has been reduced by more than 99.99%. In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases annually in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. In 2021, just 15 human cases were reported in four countries. Guinea worm is poised to become the second human disease in history to be eradicated. The first was smallpox, in 1980; Hopkins worked in that campaign in Sierra Leone, India, and Ethiopia while at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He authored Princes and Peasants: Smallpox in History in 1983, which was re-issued in 2002 as The Greatest Killer: Smallpox in History. Hopkins has received numerous awards, including the CDC Medal of Excellence, the Distinguished Service Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service, and a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995, as well as honorary degrees from Morehouse College (1988), Emory University (1994), University of Massachusetts-Lowell (1997), Morehouse School of Medicine (1999), Harvard University (2013), and Yale University (2021). He was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1987 and has been a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene since 1965. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997, inducted as a Knight of the National Order of Mali in 1998, awarded the Medal of Honor of Public Health (Gold) by the country of Niger in 2004, and named a Champion of Public Health by Tulane University in 2005.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, the American Museum of Natural History held its ninth commencement under the iconic blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, conferring Ph.D. in comparative biology and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Earth science degrees. (Photo: American Museum of Natural Hitsory)
The Mill, whose roots go back to an unpublished graphic novel Boya wrote around 2015, is structured into three phases: Walking Bread, Mill Singularity, and Breadverse. The Mill is set in the fictional city of Chuldale Estate in the province of New Bread Republic. The gist of the story is that a corporation, confronted by food shortages and climate change (nothing at all like the real world!), creates synthetic bread. When eaten, though, the bread accidently turns people into zombie-like creatures made of the stuff. While the zombies are rather harmless, living people cant resist chewing on them, eventually turning themselves into zombies as well.

via GIPHY

Its an inverted zombie story where the living and zombie roles are flipped. Its kind of like a science fiction story, said Boya. Its broadcast through a mosaic of animation bundles, which I call kinetic hieroglyphics, because its not like, for example, Youtube, Instagram, or Netflix where you passively receive media. Its actually animation and other forms of storytelling that are appropriated by people to communicate in private or public conversations. So, its like an inverted type of media where youre actively appropriating it as a user of these animations.

Confused? Well, lets start with Giphy. Giphy is the main organ of Boyas project. Everything begins there and then trickles down into other realms (NFTs, Tenor, Instagram, and eventually linear content for a series pitch).

Giphy appealed to Boya for a variety of reasons. They are looping memes outside of linear storytelling and hence adequate for database storytelling, he said. Its blockchain storytelling. Its decentralized and has its own autonomous production and marketing endeavors since its strategically keyworded in the database and hyperlinked [url links to various storefronts] while also serving as a tool for communication and creative writing.

Boya met the Giphy folks back in 2014 when they were still a start-up company. I used a lot of gifs on Focus [Boyas first film for the National Film Board of Canada] as a reference point. I realized that storytelling is migrating from the content realm to the database realm. So, this means less linear, more sculptural [viewed from different angles simultaneously outside of context].

In short, its a modern variation of cubist painting.

Essentially then, The Mill channel is a non-linear pilot episode, a world-building project that can be seen from different angles simultaneously, almost like an interactive media place except that youre not a passive vessel in a contained space.

The internet is the playground, he explained. The way its been seen, received, and socialized is effectively altering the material. People are investing energy in it. And then whenever its seen, its not being discovered, its being recognized. Thats the core of the operation.

Towards that end, some 50 plus artists (including the likes of Bill Plympton, the late Gary Leib, and Theodore Ushev) have been involved in contributing to The Mill. Usually, I either invite an artist that I really love or sometimes people call me or text me about contributing, said Boya.

To get Plympton, Boya first showed him the channel. Different things happen on the channel, but it usually revolves around three characters: Bread Zombie, Aerodynamic Man (who has a turbine for a face like the character in Boyas short film, Turbine), and Fork Glasses. In the end, Plympton contributed a drawing of Bread Zombie and Aerodynamic Man.

via GIPHY

Its basically the cyber space version of street art, but more of an intervention and kind of like a popup that involves it, said Boya. It literally flattens the different distances between mediums and peoples relationships to these mediums. Its really trying to break these hierarchies. Its kind of swimming against the current of what I would call industry tribalism, or even media tribalism, or just this idea that things are insulated. So specifically, its different because these things are basically seen as sculptures. Theyre being seen from different angles.

In short, The Mill is not like a book or a film where you consume the story in a linear manner. Said Boya: Its basically intentional cultural appropriation on the part of the consumer of the content. Im inviting them to appropriate it. So, its inverting the idea that I have a story that is purely mine and that has to be unspoiled by appropriation.

Whatever Boya is doing, it certainly seems to have caught on. Aside from the 2.9 billion views on Giphy, The Mill has resonated with thousands of people. Just take a scroll along Boyas Walking Bread Facebook page and youll see many posts featuring bread and turbine inspired images.

Boya believes the project has connected with people who belong to an ambiguous type of soft science fiction where interpretation and appropriation is embedded in their nature, like the xenomorph that adopts anatomy from the hosting animal. But really, all these people made this possible simply by caring about it.

Aside from just the creative reward, Boya is also making money. There are multiple sources of income, but its not for profit, he explained. Its cultural capital. I signed some forms that make it impossible to state publicly some of these sources, but essentially, consulting, production for Unesco, and eventually several storefronts like NFTs from some gifs, physical artworks, etc. Im also selling the actual creative process.

So, how does Boya envision The Mill unfolding? The first part is the ongoing Giphy channel. Secondly, theres the short film (Bread Will Walk) that will also serve as a pilot. Bread Will Walk will be a shorter version of the original graphic novel. Thirdly, a series, perhaps in the vein of Love, Death, + Robots, on a platform like Crave or Netflix.

And what if the project doesnt evolve beyond the Giphy channel and short film?

There will eventually be a brick-and-mortar museum around 2030, probably in Bulgaria, Boya predicts. As for the worldbuilding operation itself, Im sort of doing a satire of what Disney is already doing very well. I want to make a New Bread Republik on a farm in Bulgaria with passports and sovereignty. Like Burning Man, but with farming and all sorts of strange rituals. Like the Hobbiton tourist site in New Zealand but more hardcore and dangerous.
Further changes came in July, when it was announced that Netflix had acquired The Lego Movie animation studio Animal Logic before later promoting Karen Toliver to head of animation film and Traci Balthazor to vp of animation film production.

In an internal memo this week, Toliver and Balthazor announced the layoffs, placing them in a larger context of changes being made at Netflix Animation while assuring those affected that they were related to efficiencies created within the new organization, and not about individuals performance.

The letter provides the most detailed look so far at the reorganization taking place within Netflix Animation. Other changes include moving most film production support teams into Feature Animation at Netflix and splitting animation film and series. According to the memo, the changes wont be fully implemented until early 2023.

Below, the full letter from Toliver and Balthazor:

Hi all,

Animation is a very important area for Netflix  and we want to be making the very best animated films and series for our members. When we started on this very ambitious journey five years ago to build a world-class animation studio, the vision was to produce both series and films under one roof, where talent could work between the two. We grew incredibly fast and have made a lot of progress, but weve also learned a lot along the way that has helped inform how we need to be set up for long-term success.

Animation film production is a unique business for the Netflix studio  our crew and creators work largely in-house; our overhead teams are directly collaborating with our productions every day; and our medium and timelines allow us to experiment/pivot throughout the whole production process. And weve also had pain points as the business was supported by leaders who reported into over a dozen different functional groups at Netflix, which often resulted in misalignment and a lack of clear decision-making. As a result, weve decided to organize the Animation film production business to be one cohesive group under a central leader (Head of Animation Film Production)  and the studio will operate under the new name of Feature Animation at Netflix (FAN). At a high level this means:

We will be moving most film production support teams (roughly 140 positions) from Netflix into Feature Animation at Netflix, to work alongside our artists and production crews so that its one combined group. Animation film and series will formally split. Animation series production support teams will remain within Netflix.

In the Head of Animation Film Production role, I (Traci) will continue working in close partnership with Karen Toliver, Head of Animation Film Content, to set the vision and strategy of the studio.

While we will immediately transition into the new working structure, the changes (including the new studio name) wont be fully implemented until January 2023. See here for more detail on our new leadership structure and here on which functions are moving over.

Unfortunately, we also made the very difficult decision to let go of around 30 support roles from Netflix (roughly 2% of our animation workforce). The reduction of these roles is related to efficiencies created within the new organization, and not about individuals performance. We want to focus our immediate efforts on speaking to these colleagues first. If your role is impacted by the layoffs, you will receive a calendar invite in the next 15 minutes to meet with your manager and HR. These decisions are always very hard and painful, and were so grateful to each and every person who helped build this incredible animation studio along the way.

Karen and I acknowledge that this is yet another big change for our Animation community, on top of many big and impactful changes over the last year. We believe stability is critical to our success going forward, and we hope that by taking learnings from the first five years to make these changes now, we set ourselves up to focus on filmmaking and strengthening our community. We deeply believe in the future of Animation here at Netflix and we are extremely optimistic about this next chapter ahead.

Later today, we will gather as a studio to share our vision for Feature Animation at Netflix and will host smaller team conversations in the coming days to answer any questions.

Traci and Karen
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) commenced today in Samarkand.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other leaders also posed for a group photograph at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand.

The Prime Minister's office tweeted the pictures of Modi meeting the leaders of other SCO member states in Uzbekistan on its official twitter handle.

Ahead of the SCO State of Heads summit, the security in the region is beefed up and air patrolling was underway at the congress centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The summit commenced on Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Samarkand on Thursday evening to take part in the SCO Summit.

During the summit, the leaders are expected to review the activities of SCO and discuss prospects for future cooperation. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 and India will assume the annual rotational presidency of the SCO at the end of the Samarkand Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit and is likely to have some other bilateral meetings.This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).

The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population.

SCO has potential in various new sectors, wherein all the member-states could find converging interests. India has already pushed hard for cooperation in Startups and Innovation, Science and Technology and Traditional Medicine.

From the time of its full membership, India made sincere efforts to encourage peace, prosperity, and stability of the whole Eurasian region in general and SCO member countries in particular.

(ANI)

Also Read: Pak PM Shehbaz becomes laughing stock as he struggles with headphones during meeting with Putin
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NEW DELHI: In a veiled pointer at Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) Summit at the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pitched for better connectivity and full transit rights within countries of the eight-nation grouping that comprises both the South Asian nations.

In a comment that is being seen in the backdrop of the actions of China and Pakistan in recent years that led to increased conflict with New Delhi, Modi said, India supports greater cooperation and mutual trust among SCO members.

Referring to the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine conflict and crisis that has caused obstacles in global supply chains resulting in a unprecedented global energy and food crisis, Modi said that the SCO must make efforts to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a possible solution to the global food crisis was to promote the cultivation and consumption of millets, a superfood of which India is the leading global producer. He also advocated an SCO millet food festival.

Speaking of India as a manufacturing hub and pointing to the success of start-ups, the Prime Minister announced that the country was ready to share our experience with SCO member countries by establishing a new special working group on start-ups and innovation. He said India would take the initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicine.

At the SCO Summit, Modi participated in both the restricted meeting of the eight member-nations and the extended meeting of SCO nations and observer/guest nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, congratulated India on assuming the next SCO Presidency (on a rotational basis) and said China will support India during its Presidency.

Modi and Xi were seen standing next to each other in a group photo of leaders at the extended meeting but there were no reports of any handshake or conversation between them.

The strong pitch, meanwhile, by Modi for full transit rights is being seen as a pointer at Pakistan which has consistently been a stumbling block for connectivity within near-defunct south Asian grouping SAARC and has also blocked the land route for export of Indian goods to Central Asia that led to Indias connectivity push to Central Asia via the Iranian sea-port of Chabahar.

In his address at the SCO Summit, Modi said, India supports greater cooperation and mutual trust among SCO members. The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine caused many obstacles in global supply chains, due to which the whole world is facing an unprecedented energy and food crisis. SCO must make efforts to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. This will require better connectivity, as well as it will be important that we all give each other full right to transit.

PM further said, We are making progress on making India a manufacturing hub. India's young and talented workforce makes us naturally competitive. India's economy is expected to grow by 7.5 percent this year, which will be the highest among the world's largest economies. ... Today, there are more than 70,000 start-ups in India, of which more than 100 are unicorns. Our experience can also be useful for many other SCO members. For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with SCO member countries by establishing a new special working group on start-ups and innovation.

The Prime Minister said, The world faces another major challenge today  and that is ensuring the food security of our citizens. One possible solution to this problem is to promote the cultivation and consumption of millets. Millets are a superfood that has been grown for thousands of years, not just in SCO countries, but in many parts of the world, and is a traditional, nutritious, and low-cost alternative to dealing with the food crisis. The year 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets. We should consider organizing a 'Millet Food Festival' under the SCO.

He added, India is today one of the most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world. ... We must increase cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries. For this, India will take the initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicine.
The Chattanooga Area Historical Association will meet on Monday, Sept. 19, 6 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 554 McCallie Ave.

Judge Neil Thomas will explain how the March, 1906 lynching of Ed Johnson is tied to the Supreme Court's decision in returning abortion laws to the states. The judge will also give us a brief overview of how the Court functions, and the influence the Ed Johnson decision has had on the Court.

First Presbyterian Church is at the corner of McCallie Avenue and Douglas Street with parking in the rear. For those who are not familiar with the area, the sanctuary is on the corner; next to the church

is a tall building and between it and the larger building which is now owned by UTC is a small driveway. Enter the church from the parking lot. The meeting will be held in the chapel and no steps involved. If you cannot find it, call 595-4468; we will get you to the meeting.

All meetings are free of charge and open to the public.
The Morning Pointe Foundation will offer its first Caregiver Cafe webinar with continuing education credit on Nov. 10.



Guest speaker David Hutchings, Ph.D., geriatric neuropathology and dementia specialist, will

share on Alzheimers, Dementia and Caregiving. The session will touch on types of dementia

and the difference between them, as well as genetic risks, treatment, stages of dementia and

managing advanced symptoms.



Thanks to a partnership between Morning Pointe and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga,

registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and masters of social work can also register to earn

1.5 contact hours or 0.15 CEUs. Morning Pointe Senior Living is affiliated with the Foundation

and will cover the cost for its associates. Other professionals can earn the credit for the

registration cost of $25.



This is an exciting opportunity for The Morning Pointe Foundation and Morning Pointe Senior

Living, said Miranda Perez, Foundation executive director. We are passionate about

education for our caregivers, and being able to further our associates professional careers this

way is taking what we do to the next level. We are thankful to UTC for partnering with us for

this opportunity.



To register, go to morningpointe.com/caregivercafe.

The ongoing Morning Pointe Caregiver Cafe wellness series connects experts on senior living and care with those experiencing the physical and mental effects of aging. Registrants not using the webinar as a continuing education course can watch the webinar live or register and watch later at their convenience.
Former City Attorney Randy Nelson has died at 81.

He was born on January 10, 1941, to the late Russell and Mary (Bills) Nelson in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.



He entered medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. After completing his first year at the height of the Cold War, he decided to join the Army. Trained at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, he was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Engineering Demolition Training group. He would go on to join the Army Reserves JAG Corps.

After completion of his regular Army service, he entered law school at the University of Tennessee- Knoxville. Upon graduation in 1968, he accepted an offer from Eugene Collins and Associates in Chattanooga. Mr.

Mr. Nelson

Collins became a mentor and friend.would go on to argue before many courts on the citys behalf, including the U.S. Supreme Court.After Mr. Collins retired in 1990, Mr. Nelson succeeded him as the third city attorney of Chattanooga.

He served as city attorney until 2009. Two of his close associates and friends, Michael McMahan and Phillip Noblett, would later become city attorneys.

He also served as a member of the Chattanooga Industrial Development Board and helped secure funding for many projects over the years - even delaying his retirement in order to work out the legal requirements and details for the Volkswagen plant.

Mr. Nelson was a past president of the Tennessee Municipal Attorneys Association, member of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Association, and Phi Alpha Delta.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years Carolyn, son Kenneth, son Keith and his wife, Jessica, grandkids Abigail and Zachary, sisters in law Janice Garrett and Sandra Painter, nephews Chad, Jason, and Justin, and niece Kelly.

Memorial contributions can be made in memory to either the American Parkinsons Disease Association, PO Box 61420, Staten Island, NY, 10306 or Alzheimers Foundation at the National Processing Center, Alzheimers Association, PO Box 96011, Washington, D.C., 20090-6011.

The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home.

A Celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday at Hixson Presbyterian Church, 1450 Jackson Mill Drive, with Pastor Robert Johnson and Reverend David Fugatt officiating. Burial will follow at Chattanooga Memorial Park.

Please share your thoughts and memories atwww.chattanooganorthchapel.com

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.
Scenic City Womens Network announced that Betsy Brown, chief executive officer of Pendleton Square Trust Company, will be the guest speaker for the SCWN Marketplace Luncheon on Sept. 22, at noon, at Mountain City Club, 729 Chestnut St. A delicious plated menu and refreshments will be served.

Ms. Brown is the CEO of Pendleton Square Trust Company. In this role, she leads a team serving families and their advisors to deliver trust administration services as well as legacy plans. Prior to founding Pendleton Square, she worked for over 20 years in Private Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking divisions of large banks. Ms. Brown is a partner in The JumpFund, an angel investment fund dedicated to investing in female-led businesses in the Southeast.

Ms. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. She also holds an MBA from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Ms. Brown serves as a trustee of The Generosity Trust, Bible in the Schools, and The University of Chattanooga Foundation.

Ms. Brown is a former board member of Girls Preparatory School, The AIM Center and Reflection Riding. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, the Estate Planning Council of Chattanooga, and the Southeastern Family Office Forum. Ms. Brown is a member of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church and lives on Signal Mountain with her husband and three active children. She also served as Superintendent of The Little Brown Church this summer.

Registration is $25 and open to the public. Space is limited and registration ends August 23. Register online at SCWN.org, or call 423 698-6262.
The number one news story that I covered while a reporter would have to be the 1976 collapse of the Hamilton National Bank. It was my familys bank for nearly 50 years while they operated a grocery store on North Market Street and where I opened my first checking account at the Northside branch.

February 16th wasnt an ordinary news day as one of the citys most familiar skyscrapers would soon bear a new name.

When I walked into the radio station that morning I was met by Advertising Manager Bryan J. Bush. The deacon, as he was known to fellow employees, asked if he could see me in his office for a few minutes.

Mr. Bush closed the door; his favorite line was, Keep this under your hat and thats the way our conversation started. Mr. Bush handed me a small piece of paper with the name of R.T. Rice Russell and his phone number. Mr. Russell was an official of the Bank. Mr. Bush said, I believe you know this man. I answered, Yes Mr. Bush, I worked for him for three years. Mr. Russell was one of the owners of WAPO where I started in radio.

Mr. Bush went on to say, Hamilton National Bank will be no more by day's end; call Mr. Russell and hell talk to you but youve got to keep this under your hat.

I called Mr. Russell and he invited me to his office right inside the Broad Street entrance of the bank. Mr. Russell didnt want to chat on the phone. I found my parking spot near the entrance. It looked like business as usual near the tall bank building.

I walked in and Mr. Russell was waiting for me. As I remember, there were only a few people in the bank. Mr. Russell said, Im sure Mr. Bush told you what was going on. I responded, Yes Sir. Mr. Russell handed me a piece of paper with the name of Vice President Brandon Davis, First Tennessee Bank, Memphis and his phone number. Mr. Davis would be handling the media in what was to happen in the next 24 hours.

Standing behind a large executive desk empty of any papers or ink pens, Mr. Russell instructed me to please wait about 30 minutes before calling Mr. Davis. Mr. Russell wanted time to leave as he was heading out of town before the days events would start to unfold.

I thanked Mr. Russell and told him I appreciated what hed done for me through the years as he approved my first radio job. As I was leaving the bank another friend told me the federal government had identified Hamilton National as one of seven troubled banks. I thought, I couldnt mess this up.

I left downtown and returned to the WDOD studio next to Baylor School. I waited exactly 30 minutes before making one of the most important calls of my career. Mr. Davis answered and I told him what I was calling about. He wanted to know who told me about what was fixing to happen. I said, Mr. Davis, I gave my word I would not divulge my source. He said, Very well, Im boarding a company plane and heading for Chattanooga in a few minutes, Ill be staying at the Read House and you can meet me at 3:15. I gave my word Id not tell anyone about what Id learned. As they say in the business, this is "big stuff.

Later in the afternoon I told Station Manager Bill Nash I had an important appointment downtown. I would be back as soon as possible and I left the station.

Walking into the Read House at 3:12, I asked the desk clerk if he would please ring the room of Brandon Davis. Hes expecting me. Mr. Davis immediately came to the hotel lobby.

He handed me a First Tennessee Bank news release with all the details. Mr. Davis told me since I had cooperated with him, I could release the information immediately. Mr. Davis said there would be no recorded interviews but First Tennessee CEO Ronald Terry would join him in the morning for a news conference at the Read House and I could have the first interview.

Davis said I had time to call my station and put it on the air first as he was walking over to the Chattanooga Times, a few blocks from the Read House and to give the newspaper a copy of the same news release.

WDXBs studio was in the Read House basement where WAPO radio was a decade earlier so I knew my way around. I walked into the radio station and, if not mistaken, Garry Mac was on duty. This was before cell phones so I asked him if I could use the telephone and if he had a copier. Mac jokingly replied, This is a radio station not a phone booth.

I called back to WDOD and we immediately went on the air (from WDXB) during the 3:30 news. After giving my report, Garry looked at me expressing shock as he made a copy of the news release. I told him to go ahead and air the story and thanked him for the use of his telephone.

I was proud I had beaten the FDIC and The Associated Press by nearly a half hour by just cooperating with my various sources and not breaking their confidence.

The new Chattanooga bank opened the next day for customers and it was business as usual. I met Mr. Davis and Mr. Terry at the Read House and got the first comments from the top bank executive ahead of other media.

I later learned that Mr. Bush was a stockholder in Hamilton Bancshares, parent company of the Hamilton National Bank. We never discussed his loss but I always thanked the deacon for the best news tip of my career.

The FDIC said Hamilton National Bank was in the top 200 U.S. banks with assets of just under half a billion dollars.

Later on, WTVC News Director Gill Norwood Lusk became the bank's public information officer and he took me around the Chattanooga high rise. It was interesting to see the changes because Gills office was on the mezzanine that once was the massive downtown WDOD Radio studio in the 40s and 50s.

Two years ago while speaking to the East Hamilton County Kiwanis Club, I met retired bankruptcy trustee Kyle Weems who handled the Hamilton National Bank failure. At that meeting the University of Tennessee Law School graduate and I had a good conversation. Weems said, None of the customers lost any money. Kyle Weems died a short time later, June 19, 2019.

Ask anyone today about Hamilton National Bank and chances are they dont remember, but I do. There were many trips to make deposits at the North Chattanooga branch of the Hamilton National Bank, then walk across North Market Street and eat at the Town and Country Restaurant.

This was my news story that just never seemed to end
The attorney for former Rhea County Executive George Thacker is asking that he be granted home confinement at his sentencing for wire fraud in connection with improper use of COVID relief funds.

His sentencing is now set for Oct. 6 in Federal Court in Chattanooga.

His guideline sentencing range is 33-41 months in federal prison.

Prosecutors said Thacker applied for and received over $600,000 in PPP and EIDL loan proceeds. When applying for the loans, he falsely certified that he would use the funds to pay employees and for other operating expenses. Instead of using the money to its intended purpose, Thacker used the funds for his own enrichment, among other things, purchasing cryptocurrency and funding his personal investment accounts, it was stated.

Attorney Lee Davis said, "Mr. Thackers regrettable conduct in this case is a marked deviation from his otherwise law-abiding life. Based on Mr. Thackers history, character, and current status as owner/manager of the only hotel in Spring City, Tennessee (employing 14 local individuals), a downward departure and downward variance from the advisory sentencing range are warranted."

He said Thacker's family moved from Texas to Kingston, Tn., then his mother abandoned the family of four boys and two girls and the father was not able to support them. He said Thacker suffered abuse at foster homes, including being shocked with a cattle prod.

Attorney Davis said Thacker became talented at harmonica playing and eventually won a standing ovation in his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. He later performed with the Gaithers, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks and others.

He started a body shop and later had a group of lube shops.

He then built the New Lake Crossing at Spring City in 2007.

The attorney said Thacker continues to operate the hotel at that commercial development. He said its 14 employees are dependent on his ongoing management of it.

He said Thacker, 59, suffers from a number of debilitating health issues.

Thacker was county executive for Rhea County from 2012 until after he resigned after his arrest.

In 2021, he was caught in a prostitution sting in Knoxville. He was granted diversion in that case.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be celebrating 2021 National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, Sept. 24. On this special day and 50th anniversary of its establishment, the rich tradition of fishing, hunting, and target shooting will be observed recognizing the conservation efforts of sportsmen and women across the country.



The day also coincides with the start of the statewide fall archery season for deer and the fall archery season for turkey in selected counties.



We welcome all Tennesseans to go outdoors and experience the joys of hunting and fishing, said TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon. We offer a wide variety of educational events for beginners interested in trying out a new activity, and we are proud of all our experienced hunters and anglers who contribute to conservation and wildlife management with the purchase of their licenses.

NHFD was established by the U.S. Congress in 1972 and recognizes hunters and anglers for their contributions to wildlife conservation. The NHFD is an event celebrated in all 50 states annually on the fourth Saturday in September.



Together with federal aid programs, wildlife conservation efforts are funded mainly by the money sportsmen and women spend on their license fees, as well as the taxes they pay on certain types of outdoor recreational equipment that includes firearms, ammunition, and fishing gear. These funds support conservation programs, habitat acquisitions, and outdoor recreation opportunities in Tennessee and across the nation.
The Handmaids Tale Season 5 sets up quite an intense battle between June and Serena. Though June managed to kill Fred, Serena isnt giving up any power she has left. Impressively, she manages to negotiate an elaborate funeral for Fred, with a shocking surprise at the end.

[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaids Tale Season 5 Episode 2.]

(L-R) Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, and Bradley Whitford in The Handmaids Tale | Sophie Giraud/Hulu)

Serena hosts an elaborate funeral for Fred in The Handmaids Tale Season 5

In The Handmaids Tale Season 5, Serena is determined to hold an elaborate funeral for her deceased husband, Fred. She travels to Gilead and is displeased with the arrangements. I think we need to make Freds funeral an international event, broadcast across the globe, Serena declares.

She manages to persuade Commander Lawrence to get the other commanders to boost the visibility and grandeur of Freds funeral. She convinces Lawrence that it will raise the stature and the legitimacy of Gilead, said Bradley Whitford in a featurette. When June and Luke catch sight of the broadcast, they witness a shocking surprise.

Heres why Serena wanted Hannah to be visible at Freds funeral

Freds funeral in Gilead is truly elaborate, and Serena is at the very center. The funeral is all about Serena, said executive producer Bruce Miller in a featurette. She choreographs it so that it makes her look powerful.

A group of purple-clad young girls are also present at the event. One steps forward to present Serena with a bouquet of flowers, and Serena touches her cheek and kisses her forehead. From the television screens in Canada, Luke and June realize this girl is their daughter Hannah.

Executive producer Yahlin Chang explained why Serena included Junes daughter in the footage. She has Hannah enter the frame with her, and its a way of her saying to June, I have control over your daughter, Chang said.

Jordana Blake as Hannah and Yvonne Strahovski as Serena in The Handmaids Tale | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

This isnt the first time Serena has used Hannah as a pawn. Early in the series, when June was pregnant with Nichole, Serena took June to Hannahs new home. Serena talked with Hannah but refused to let June out of the car to see her daughter. As long as my baby is safe, so is yours, Serena told June.

The war is on between June and Serena

At the end of the funeral scene in The Handmaids Tale Season 5, Serena also gives an almost imperceptible smile. Yes, she wants to honor Fred, but this is Serena Joys stepping in and getting on the throne, and shes masterful, executive producer Warren Littlefield told TVLine. Shes powerful. Shes a great chess player.

Bruce Miller adds that at the same time, June and Luke are in Toronto thinking, Shes got her hand on my kid!' From Junes face, its clear that this means war.

Season 5 is all about that gamesmanship, Littlefield said. These are two people who hate each other, want at times to kill each other, have the ability to, and then theres also this fascinating respect that comes into play.

Dont miss new episodes of The Handmaids Tale Season 5 Wednesdays on Hulu.

RELATED: The Handmaids Tale Season 5: 4 Things to Remember Before the Premiere
Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen swears-in Lynn Malerba, as the Treasurer of the United States at the Treasury Department, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 in Washington. Malerba becomes the first Native American to serve as Treasurer of the United States.
Chinese spokesperson slams U.S. Taiwan-related bill

Xinhua) 09:34, September 16, 2022

BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Thursday lashed out at the so-called "Taiwan Policy Act of 2022" approved by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

By pushing for the bill, certain U.S. senators seriously violated the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said.

The move breached the solemn commitment made by the U.S. side, and was a flagrant provocation against China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhu added.

The bill, filled with misinformation and provocation, attempted to contain China with Taiwan, create fundamental destructive effect on the Taiwan question, subvert the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and obstruct China's reunification and national rejuvenation, Zhu noted.

Zhu said the bill is a downright malicious legislation.

Zhu urged certain U.S. senators to stop erroneous words and deeds concerning the Taiwan question, abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and fulfill the U.S. government's solemn commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence."

Zhu also warned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities to give up the illusion of pursuing "Taiwan independence" by soliciting U.S. support and the support of other external forces.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The apex court was hearing arguments on pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on Hijab in educational institutions of the state (Photo: ANI)

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said on Thursday it is not the "interpreter" of the Holy Quran and it has been argued before it in the Karnataka Hijab ban matter that courts are not equipped to interpret religious scriptures.

The apex court, which was hearing arguments on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on Hijab in educational institutions of the state, made the observation after a counsel for one of the petitioners said the judgement under challenge is touching upon the Islamic and religious perspective.

"The one way is to interpret the Quran.... We are not interpreters of the Quran. We cannot do it and that is the argument raised also that the courts are not equipped to interpret religious scriptures," a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia said.

The top court heard submissions of several lawyers, who appeared for the petitioners and argued on various aspects including the wearing of Hijab being a matter of privacy, dignity and also autonomy, and whether the practice of wearing it is essential or not.

One of the advocates argued the way the high court interpreted the matter on Islamic and religious perspective was a "wrong assessment".

"The high court might have said anything, but now we are taking an independent view in the appeals," the bench maintained.

Advocate Shoeb Alam argued that wearing Hijab is a matter of one's dignity, privacy and autonomy.

"On one end, I have my right to education, right to go to school, right to get inclusive education with others. On the other hand, there is my other right, which is right to privacy, dignity and autonomy," he said.

Alam said the impact of the government order (GO) banning Hijab in educational institutions with prescribed uniforms is that "I will give you education, give me your right to privacy, surrender it. Can the State do it? The answer is an emphatic 'no'."

He said the State cannot come up with a GO asking a person to surrender her right to privacy at the doorstep of the school.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal suggested that the matter should be referred to a Constitution bench.

"Wearing of a Hijab is the expression of what you are, who you are, where are you from ," he said.

Sibal said the question is if the right to wear Hijab is available to a woman at a public place, is her right extinguished when she enters a school.

"You cannot destroy me," he argued, adding Hijab is now a part of the persona and also a part of the cultural tradition.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said the most important issue in this case is whether the practice of wearing Hijab is essential to religion or not.

He contended once the practice has been established, it is covered by Article 25 of the Constitution.

Article 25 of the Constitution deals with freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

Gonsalves argued the high court judgment is a verdict where the perception is of the "majority community", where the minority point of view is seen "very partially and very wrongly".

"It is basically a majoritarian judgment. The judgement read as a whole is basically from a majoritarian perspective point of view. It does not conform to the kind of constitutional independence that a judgement ought to have," he said, while arguing the apex court should set aside the judgement on this ground alone.

Gonsalves wondered, "What is the difference? If you can wear a turban, why cannot you wear a Hijab?".

"The 'dress', 'undress' arguments in unfortunate because Muslim girls are in fact undressed if they are told to take off the Hijab by the security guard .," he said.

While hearing the Hijab controversy, the Supreme Court recently remarked if the right to dress would also mean a right to undress.

The remark by Justice Gupta was in response to an argument that the right to dress forms part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.

Gonsalves argued that constitutional morality, in the context of minority rights, is the ability to see an issue through the eyes of the minority.

"It has to be cultivated. A person from the majority may not get the answer quickly, may not understand the intensity of feelings quickly," he said.

Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for one of the petitioners, said the second largest religion that is practised across the world is Islam.

She said across the country, the people practising Islam recognise wearing Hijab as a part of their religious and cultural practice.

At the outset, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the bench he would take a little longer time to argue the case.

"This is too serious a matter. I would like to assist your lordships to the best of my ability," he said.

Dave said the court should have referred this matter to a larger bench.

"My endeavour is to persuade your lordships as to why this judgement is required to be set aside. This matter is far too serious than a uniform," he said, adding, "this matter requires very serious attention by your lordships. Your lordships are the custodian of the fundamental rights of the citizens."

The arguments in the matter will continue on September 19.

The state government's order of February 5, 2022 by which it had banned wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges, was referred to in the apex court.

Several pleas have been filed in the top court against the March 15 verdict of the high court holding that wearing Hijab is not a part of the essential religious practice which can be protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.
What comes next?

The pro-life movement has focused on the fight in the Supreme Court for so long that when the Dobbs v. Jackson decision finally cameoverturning Roe v. Wade and ruling that abortion can be regulatedit wasnt clear what the plan was after that. The hoped-for, prayed-for, and worked-for victory didnt end abortion, after all. Ending Roe was just one political battle in the process, even if took 50 years.

When the decision first came out and shortly after that, there was a lot of jubilation in the pro-life community, Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, told CT. But there wasnt a second clause to that sentence, Roe has been overturned, ______.

After a bit of a scramble over the summer, the largest pro-life groups have emerged to embrace a national plan, calling for a federal ban on abortion. They dont see it as states rights issue. They want to deal with abortion at the level of national politics.

They were ready to support Republican Senator Lindsey Graham when he came out on September 13 with a proposal for a ban on abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, a few weeks after the first trimester. While top pro-life leaders may disagree with some details of the draft legislation, they focused on using it to frame the choice voters will face in the upcoming midterm elections.

The Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act would prevent cruel and painful abortions from being performed on innocent children, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said in a statement. The only thing the Democrats are offering the American people in this campaign is an opportunity to kill more and more children by abortion.

Tobias joined Graham at his press conference, along with Americans United for Life president Catherine Glenn Foster, Concerned Women for America president Penny Young Nance, and March for Life Education and Defense Fund president Jeanne Mancini.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, stood at Grahams right. She has pushed Republican candidates to see a national abortion ban as a winning issue. They should make it a top priority to motivate conservative Christians to vote on on election day.

According to a Morning Consult poll done in July, 41 percent of evangelicals support an abortion ban with no exceptions, though for most, it is not a top priority.

If Republicans want to win elections and save lives, it is imperative they learn from past mistakes, Tobias wrote in an op-ed in TheWashington Post. With just two months left in this pivotal election cycle, they must learn very quickly, lest the only red wave come from the bloodshed of countless innocents.

But not everyone in the pro-life movement agrees with this strategy. The Faith and Freedom Coalition, which was founded by Ralph Reed as the Christian Coalition for the 21st century, is pushing for a state-by-state approach.

There are no big theological differences between the two sides. Both agree on the moral question of abortion. But they disagree about what to do now, after Dobbs.

There are philosophical reasons for the difference. While some on the Religious Right, such as those who call themselves national conservatives, have been arguing state power should be used to defend traditional ways of life and American values, many still identify with the small government politics of 20th century Republicans. They believe most issues impacting the general welfare should be dealt with at the state and local levelincluding moral issues, such as prayer in schools and bans on abortion.

There are also strategic reasons. Speaking to CT before Graham proposed his national ban, Head said he thought that kind of approach would be playing into liberals hands. Pro-life activists, he said, are more likely to win state by state than they are in a big, national confrontation.

Most groups on the Left dont have chapters in places like Topeka, Kansas. Were better organized across the country and have 50 times more staff in the states than we have in Washington, DC, he said. Conservatives are more engaged in local politics.  Conservatives are better equipped to fight a multifront battle than liberals are.

The state-by-state approach also allows the pro-life groups to advocate for different policies in different places, pushing for the legislation most likely to be successful in a specific context. A novel civil enforcement mechanism might be politically feasible in Texas but stand no chance in Illinois. Missouri voters might support a parental consent law, while in North Carolina, parental notification might be more palatable.

In states like Colorado and New Jersey, where there are currently no limits on abortion, pro-life legislators could find common cause with progressive colleagues on policies that have the practical effect of reducing the number of abortions. The Faith and Freedom Coalition is talking to conservatives at the state level, for example, about legislation that rewards corporations that offer more parental leave. They also have draft legislation for programs that help mothers afford diapers, car seats, formula, and other basic necessities for caring for a newborn.

I think thats correct, constitutionally, but also the states are the best laboratory for figuring out the right approach, Head said. As the states start tackling these issues, you start to see the proliferation of ideas.

A number of pro-life groups have prepared a menu of options for state legislatures. Americans United for Life, for example, has a proposed draft of legislation to completely ban abortion.

The [Legislature] of the State of [Insert name of State], it says, finds that (a) The life of each human being begins at conception; (b) Unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and well-being; and (c) The natural parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health, and well-being of their unborn children.

But the group also offers model legislation with more limited aims, proposing laws that would require pregnant women be informed of all their options or banning abortions done on the basis of the unborn childs sex. Americans United for Life only had one similarly creative policy proposal aimed specifically at the national level: a draft of an executive order that a president could sign that would recognize fetuses as legal persons, entitled to due process and equal protection under the Constitution.

The strategic disagreements may resolve themselves quickly, as activists and operatives respond to the political situation on the ground. And pro-life voters may well choose an all-of-the-above approach and not worry about national versus federalist political philosophy questions.

Grahams bill, however, may force candidates in the midterm election to take a stance on a national abortion ban. And its possible the different approaches, after Dobbs, will be an issue in 2023, as the contenders for the Republican presidential primary start to jostle for position.

A similar strategic question divided pro-life activists in the days after Roe was handed down by the Supreme Court in 1973. Some urged support for targeted programs helping mothers and reducing the number of abortions, historian Daniel K. Williams writes in his book Defenders of the Unborn. But most embraced a bolder plan that was simpler to explain and backed a constitutional amendment saying life begins at conception. That decision connected the pro-life movement to the Republican Party, shaping evangelical engagement with politics and the broader political landscape for the next 50 years.

There are also a few pro-life political operatives who are holding out hope for an alternative. Rather than fighting state by state or backing some kind of national ban that will become a contentious election issue for the foreseeable future, theyd like to see a creative compromise that effectively depoliticizes the issue.

Perhaps Democrats could agree to ban late-term abortions if Republicans would allow a range of exceptions; maybe Republicans could accept abortion in the first trimester if Democrats would agree that no federal funding could be used. It wouldnt be perfect and no one would be really happy, but there could be a way of reaching a national settlement that would be broadly popular with voters and lower the temperature on debates about the issue, said Democratic political strategist Michael Wear.

He believes a dealwhatever the details looked likemight open up new possibilities for ways to reduce abortion and help women and children.

Now is when a cultural of life is more imaginable, Wear told CT. One of the things Dobbs did was it actually widened the range of options the country could go in.

Still, hes not especially optimistic about a compromise. Connecticut congressman Jim Himes, a Democrat, proposed something similar to what Wear has suggested in a closed-door caucus meeting in July. None of his colleagues seemed to think it was a good idea. No one on the Republican side has floated anything similar.

Congress can step in and let some of that steam out, or abortion politics could be worse in the next 50 years in terms of the effects it has on voters, on our politics, and on the legal regime for abortions, Wear said. There is a side of me that thinks, maybe this is the best it ever gets.
The job ad was a little different than the ones normally posted by Londons largest churches. It wasnt for a pastor, priest, choir director, or organist. Instead, the large evangelical Anglican congregation wanted an environmental project manager.

Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), perhaps best known as the birthplace of the evangelistic Alpha course, has advertised a position for someone who will help oversee the strategy, planning and execution of HTBs approach to Creation Care. The individual will work closely with other lead team members to put an environmental response at the heart of church life.

Jobs like this at places like HTB are notable, said Jo Chamberlain, national environment policy officer for the Church of England. Such roles, she said, signal a sea change. Evangelical churches in the UKand perhaps elsewhereare embracing the critical importance of creation care and environmental stewardship at the congregational level.

People are recognizing that we have to get our house in order, Chamberlain said. We cant just talk about taking care of creation without doing the work and changing the way we do things.

HTB has six sites in London with around 3,5004,500 worshiping every Sunday. It has planted 130 churches in England and Wales and become influential enough that some have called it the centre of British evangelicalism. The new staff member will help the six sites develop plans to be recognized as eco churches in five to seven years.

The eco church designation is awarded by A Rocha UK, part of an international network of environmental organizations with a Christian ethos, for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for Gods earth. According to the organizations website, there are currently more than 5,000 churches enrolled.

To start the process, churches examine how their worship practices, teaching, building use, land use, community engagement, and lifestyle choices are caring for Gods earthor not. The self-audit includes questions about whether the churchs childrens ministry teaches about caring for Gods earth, whether buildings are energy efficient, and if some of the congregations property has been set aside for native wildflowers. A Rocha then makes suggestions for how congregations might take further actions to improve their eco church status.

Getting eco status will just be the start, said Mark Elsdon-Dew, HTBs director of communications. The bigger goal is to kickstart a culture change at HTB that will transform the way we do things more permanently, he said.

The project manager is a fixed-term, one-year position, but Elsdon-Dew said HTB hopes the individual will shift things across the church. Immediate areas of improvement may include creating a carbon-neutral website, using more biodegradable consumables, and installing LED lighting. Longer term, the church wants to see broad cultural changes.

Elsdon-Dew said those changes could reach beyond HTB to influence evangelical Anglican churches around the UK. Those planted by HTB may be eager to pursue eco church recognition too. Church planters and the network of churches tend to replicate HTBs culture in their own context.

They are eager to pick up on new vibes at the home church, he said.

At the same time, he said, HTB is not trying to be a trendsetter.

We dont do this kind of stuff to make a point, he said. We go ahead and do our stuff, go as far as we possibly we can, and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.

Ruth Valerio, director of advocacy and influencing at the international Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, said she is seeing more Christians and churches like HTB grapple with their role in combatting climate change.

Creation care used to be very much a fringe issue that wasnt understood or embraced by the mainstream church, she said. As the reality of the climate crisis becomes clearer, and as vulnerable communities around the world begin to feel its devastating effects, Christians have rightly increased their response."

For her, the most significant development is how churches are beginning to frame creation care as a core part of their ministries.

New environmental responsibility jobs in Christian organizations are proof that the church is taking these issues seriously, she said. Environmental responsibility jobs should be just as integral to a churchs mission as a children's worker or evangelism coordinator.

In the Church of England, more than 40 environmental officers work along with a growing network of activists, theologians, grounds managers, and local environmentalists who help congregations take practical steps on energy usage and nature conservation and connect them with other people active in their communities.

Sometimes, the fix is simple, but often its complicated, Chamberlain said. Youre going to need someone to manage and oversee the process.

Even so, Chamberlain occasionally gets pushback from those who feel creation care and environmental stewardship distract from what they see as the churchs principal work of evangelism. But, Chamberlain said, creation care is part of the gospel, its a fundamental aspect of loving our neighbor, its key to our mission.

I dont think you can do mission unless you are getting environmental stuff right these days, she said. This issue is so prominent in the UK; this is actually a matter of accountability for churches.

Thats why she is particularly encouraged to see a prominent institution like HTB taking a committed step to emphasize creation care in the churchs day-to-day life.

It is important for a church that is passionate about evangelism, like HTB, have something to say about the environment, she said. It is perhaps saying this is an issue of credibility for churches, not just a nice to have.

Cameron Conant, board member at Operation Noah, which helps provide a Christian response to the climate crisis, echoed Chamberlain, underscoring the HTBs symbolic value.

This feels like a significant change for a network that, previously, has not shown a great deal of interest in environmental issues. It made me wonder whether other big evangelical churches or networks in Europe or North America were hiring similar roles, he said.

But even churches that dont have the budget for a new position can take steps towards prioritizing creation care, Conant said. They can start by supporting people who want to walk or bike to church, planting trees and installing solar panels, or divesting from oil and gas companies.

All of this helps show that we are living in a world God loves, Conant said. Weve got to do this as churches, because when we understand the impact these things have on our neighbors, we realize this is gospel work, not because we are progressive or woke or anythingbut because we are Christian.

The new position is scheduled to start in mid-October.
Most states have inadequate religious liberty protections, but this state is the worst

A new report reveals that most U.S. states have inadequate religious liberty protections as advocates raise concerns about what they view as the federal governments hostility toward religious liberty.

Religious Liberty in the States, a project of First Liberty Institutes Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy, has ranked every state based on its safeguards for religious liberty. Its report unveiled Wednesday outlined each state's rankings based on the number of religious liberty safeguards present there.

The state-level safeguards that Religious Liberty in the States examined include the opportunity forabsentee voting to allow religious people to participate in elections on religious holidays, exemptions from childhood immunization requirements and the existence of a Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The rankings also reflected the ability of healthcare providers to refuse to provide services that contradict their religious beliefs, specifically focusing on abortions, sterilizations and contraception.

Additionally, the rankings reflect whether or not a state has an exemption for employers who do not want to abide by a mandate requiring them to cover contraceptives in their employer-sponsored health insurance plans and whether or not religious officials, public officials and/or businesses can refrain from participating in a same-sex wedding if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

The scores that determined the rankings reflect the percentage of safeguards a particular state has in place. Mississippi received the highest religious liberty score, as it contains 82% of safeguards. On the other hand, New York had the lowest religious liberty score, containing 16% of safeguards.

In Mississippis case, the state includes nine of the 11 safeguards classified as essential for religious liberty, only lacking absentee voting and religious exemptions for vaccination requirements. By contrast, New York only has two of the 11 safeguards: protections for religious healthcare workers who do not want to perform abortions and religious officials who do not want to perform same-sex marriages.

West Virginia and California join New York in the bottom three states for religious liberty, while Illinois ranks slightly behind Mississippi. Only nine states had a score of 50% or higher. In addition to Mississippi and Illinois, New Mexico, Florida, Washington, Utah, Tennessee, Maryland, Idaho and Kansas had 50% or more of the religious liberty safeguards in place.

The religious liberty safeguard present in most states is a religious exemption to childhood vaccination requirements, which only five states do not have: Mississippi, Maine, California, West Virginia and New York. Forty out of 50 states allow absentee voting for religious reasons, while 33 of the 50 states have religious exemptions to the health insurance mandate requiring employers to cover their employees contraceptives in healthcare plans.

Additionally, 23 states have some form of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on the books, while the remaining 27 do not. Mississippi has the maximum number of religious exemptions for healthcare workers in place, while New Hampshire and Vermont have no such protections in place. Mississippi also has the maximum number of exemptions in place for religious officials, public officials and businesses that do not want to participate in same-sex weddings.

By contrast, 30 states have no protections for those who object to participating in same-sex weddings for religious reasons. Only Mississippi, Illinois, Florida, Washington, Utah, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Delaware, Texas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Vermont, California and New York provide some level of protection for those who see participation in a same-sex wedding as contrary to their religious beliefs.

The publication of the Religious Liberty in the States report comes at a time when several Americans have found themselves in court for refusing to participate in same-sex weddings.

Notable examples of conscientious objectors include Colorado baker Jack Phillips and Washington state florist Barronelle Stutzman, both of whom have faced years of litigation for refusing to provide their services for same-sex marriages.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration released a proposed rule that would characterize a refusal to perform a pregnancy termination as a form of discrimination based on sex. If enacted, this rule would force doctors to perform abortions even if doing so would contradict their sincerely held religious beliefs.

At the federal level, Democratic lawmakers are working to secure the passage of the Equality Act, which would codify nondiscrimination protections for the LGBT community into federal law by formally extending the definition of discrimination based on sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Critics of the measure worry about its implications for religious liberty, specifically the ability of faith-based organizations to hire only those who live in accordance with their religious beliefs.

While the bill has passed the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, it has stalled in the evenly divided Senate.

Religious liberty advocates and faith-based organizations have offered similar warnings about the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation introduced to codify a right to same-sex marriage into law. The bill passed the House with support from 47 Republicans but is still awaiting action in the Senate.
Gods Not Dead to return with part 5, asks 'Is God dead in American politics?'

Pure Flix and Pinnacle Peak Pictures announced this week that they are working on the next installment of the popular Gods Not Dead movie collection: Gods Not Dead: Rise Up.

Actor and film producer David A.R. White, who plays Reverend Dave in the franchise, called the upcoming film a new chapter."

Im still humbled, eight years later, that this type of movie and this message resonates with so many people, White said. The legacy and impact of Gods Not Dead is undeniable and Im so proud and honored to be a part of this movement.

According to the films press release, Gods Not Dead: Rise Up will tell the story of Reverend Dave Hills run for Congress. His opponent is aiming to remove religion's influence on public policy.

Set against a backdrop of unprecedented political, civil and spiritual unrest, Dave struggles to answer an increasingly relevant question of our time: Is God dead in American politics? the synopsis reads.

Pure Flix announced the film at a member appreciation red carpet screening at the AMC Century City in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The event was attended by White as well as other stars from prior Gods Not Dead films, including Dean Cain, Isaiah Washington, Cory Oliver and Brad Heller.

Ive been drawn to faith and family projects, like Gods Not Dead, since my son was born. I wanted to be able to bring him to work with me and have him walk away with a positive and uplifting message, Cain, who was featured in the first Gods Not Dead, said.

Im blessed to come back and be a part of the Gods Not Dead legacy  its such a moving message and challenge to audiences to get them thinking about the difference they can make in their communities and country, he said of his return to part five.

Production for the film will begin later this year in South Carolina with Harold Cronk, who directed the original Gods Not Dead, and the sequel.

Washington, who played Rep. Daryl Smith in Gods Not Dead: We The People and will now reprise the role, added, Its important to me to be involved in projects that will resonate with an audience for a long time after theyve seen it and thats exactly what the Gods Not Dead franchise is about. Its about calling people to use their talents and be of service in their communities in a way that is unique to them.

Gods Not Dead began in 2014, with the first film starring Kevin Sorbo. The movie became one of the most profitable faith-based films of all time, grossing over $100 million worldwide.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Mos External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi visit an exhibition of mementos presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: A model statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose made by sculptor Arun Yogiraj and sporting memorabilia of the Commonwealth Games medallists gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the around 1,200 items that will be auctioned starting Saturday.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said at a press conference here on Friday that a statue of Lord Ganesha, models of the upcoming Ram temple at Ayodhya and the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, will also be part of the e-auction of gifts and mementoes given to prime minister, proceeds of which will go to the Namami Gange Mission.

Yogiraj, who sculpted the monolithic 28-ft statue of Netaji which was recently unveiled by Modi at India Gate, had in April gifted a model statue of Bose.

"Glad to have met @yogiraj_arun today. Grateful to him for sharing this exceptional sculpture of Netaji Bose," Modi had tweeted on April 5.

The young artist, who had also sculpted the statue of Adi Shankaracharya which was installed at Kedarnath in November 2021, had shared images of the black model statue of Netaji after meeting the prime minister in April this year.

"Got the opportunity to present 2ft monolithic stone model of Subhas Chandra Bose to @narendramodi Ji.., " he had tweeted.

Reddy, while interacting with reporters, said, sporting memorabilia gifted to the prime minister by several sportspersons will be part of the auction. A ministry official said 25 new sporting memorabilia will be part of the auction.

"These sportspersons include CWG 2022 medallists, those who took part in the Paralympic Games 2022 and Thomas Cup 2022. Many sportspersons who brought laurels for India at the latest Commonwealth Games have gifted the sporting equipment they had played with to win medals. These will be part of the auction," Reddy said.

The CWG 2022 was held in Birmingham, the UK, where many Indian sportspersons shone with their performances.

The auction will be conducted through web portal pmmementos.gov.in, and will conclude on October 2.

Some of the gifts are on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
Bible museum opens unprecedented Samaritans exhibit with ancient inscription loaned by Israeli president

WASHINGTON  The Museum of the Bible has opened what curators say is one of the first exhibits to its scale illuminating the history of the Samaritan people group, which features an ancient stone inscription loaned by Israel President Isaac Herzog.

The new exhibition, "The Samaritans: A Biblical People," opened Thursday in partnership with the Yeshiva University Center For Israel Studies under the direction of Steven Fine, the Dean Pinkhos Churgin Chair in Jewish History. The exhibition will run through Jan. 1, 2023.

The museum highlights how the Samaritans are not just a people group mentioned in biblical and rabbinic texts but still exist as a micro community numbering roughly 850 people in the modern world.

"The exhibition is an exploration of a centuries-old community that dates right from the Bible and explores biblical people the Samaritans, understanding their culture, their traditions, and different encounters between different religious groups," said Christy Wallover, the developer who worked with the curators, designers and others to make the exhibit possible.

A large stone inscription originally from the medieval Samaritan synagogue in Kefar Kalil was loaned for the exhibition by the Israeli presidential residence and the Israel Antiquities Authority. According to the museum, the Samaritan Hebrew inscription was published by Itzhak Ben-Zvi, a scholar of Samaritan history and the second president of Israel.

"This is a story that reflects the many voices that make up our social tapestry and the many textured layers of history that contribute to our collective human story here in the Holy Land," Herzog said of the exhibition. "I'm grateful to the Museum of the Bible, to Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, and to the many able minds and hands that have come together to bring this exhibition to life and the story of this special community, the Samaritan community, to a broad public."

The inscription is among six objects on loan from Israel.

According to the museum texts, the Samaritans as a people group once comprised 1 million members who endured great persecution.

Wallover told The Christian Post that the museum hopes to give visitors an understanding of the traditions still remaining among the Samaritans today.

"I think the new exhibition will really help our audience understand the Samaritans as not only people that show up in the Bible, in the New Testament, but as people within their own culture, within their own history and really grounded in the context of how this ancient community is also a modern contemporary community that thrives today," Wallover said.

David Selis, the assistant curator from Yeshiva University Center For Israel Studies, worked alongside Fine and Jesse Abelman, curator of Hebraica and Judaica at the Museum of the Bible.

"For me, the most exciting part about the museum opening was all the stories that nobody really knew about that we basically dug up," Selis said. "The purpose of this exhibit is, firstly, no one's ever done this. There have been very few Samaritan exhibits. No one's done something on this scale."

"We get to now tell this complex story of the Samaritans in this scale of complexity and to tell how they were perceived and how they interacted with Muslims, Jews and Christians," he continued. "So, a big part of this is just telling a story that's never been told in this way before."

Wallover believes visitors will walk away with a better understanding of history surrounding the Biblical depiction of the Samaritans.

Wallover helped with the interpretive design, organizing of the themes, writing and editing of the texts seen throughout the exhibition. She also helped create the different pathways through the exhibit.

The exhibition is set up as an "open concept," allowing people to choose their own paths as they explore the different sections comprised of differing narratives that all pass through the same people and places, according to Selis. He said the exhibition gives patrons "a full picture of the rich history of Samaritans who were presented as a partly-Jewish group in biblical texts."

"I think this museum will challenge the way people view Samaritans. I think for Jews especially, we read about Samaritans as 'those annoying people who mess with our calendar in the rabbinic texts' and as those people who 'don't believe what we do and they're wrong.' And hearing them go, 'You people, you've got the wrong mountain.' And let's make it worse, 'the wrong Torah and the wrong priest.' These are things Jews are used to," Selis said.

"We read our texts, and our sectarians don't talk back to us. So having the people that we read about as the second temple sectarians suddenly being a group that I can go visit in Tel Aviv completely changes them from being these 'bad people' to people who are alive today and part of Israeli society. And it makes them much more complicated and much more interesting, I think, from the Jewish perspective for Christians and for Muslims."

Wallover said she is excited for visitors to come across the massive mosaic in the middle of the floor and the immersive sukkah, a temporary structure typically used during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot.

"I'm also excited for people to see interesting objects which take Samaritan Hebrew and translate it into Jewish Hebrew. It's one of a kind. It's unique.  I'm really excited for people to viscerally take in all these things and pieces of content and really learn about the history of the Samaritans."

The exhibition is accessible not only to the general public but also to those with disabilities.

"Not only did we want to make sure that there were big enough font sizes and that wheelchairs can get through, but we also wanted to make sure that the text is understandable and that people can get these concepts that are sometimes very complex and complicated," she said. "We really worked hard to make the exhibit accessible for all people."

Abelman told CP that while "the Samaritan story is such a complex and unknown story by much of the world," "everyone is connected to them through the Bible and through their lives across the centuries and millennia."

"Christians, Jews and everybody has been in touch with them in different ways and at different times," Abelman said.

"One thing we have talked about in the context of this exhibit is Samaritans can sometimes function as a mirror for us. Jews in an obvious way as a sort of Israelites who have a very different way of practicing and understanding the Torah and all of those things. But also Christians in the way that they're trying to hold onto the connection to the Bible and to the world in the face of modernity, which can sometimes be a struggle."

Abelman hopes visitors will see the depiction of Samaritans and their struggles and triumphs and be able to see their own struggles and triumphs. He also hopes it will spark "intriguing dialogue that will shape generations for years to come."

"I look forward to people seeing the exhibit and talking about it. I can talk about all the pieces forever: a stone with the Ten Commandments from an ancient synagogue on the one hand, and on the other hand, you have announcements from the contemporary Samaritan synagogue," Abelman described.

"And so, you can see both the antiquity, the ancient heritage and elements from the Bible and also the ongoing life that they continue to live. I'm excited for people to see things like this and learn about these people and begin to have conversations with each other."

Moses Alafi, a Jerusalem-based documentary film creator, created all the documentary film clips shown on screens throughout the exhibit.

Alafi said the clips demonstrate that "the Samaritan people are truly a living legacy."

"The Samaritan people are real, living and breathing people today. The exhibition, the books, and the films all bring the entire story of the Samaritans to life. Behind the scenes, it's not just to tell a historical story. It's not just to promote the Samaritans," Alafi said.

"When I am doing a documentary film, it's for us. It's for the people who watch it, to see, to learn and to ask ourselves questions as Jewish, as Christian, as people who share the same five books and to think what we can learn from them."

The entire feature film titled "The Samaritans: A Biblical People" will be shown during a screening on Friday.

Alafi said his goal was to show the "community's struggle and to share how to deliver their traditions to the next generation."

"As an Orthodox religious Jew, I think that any religious community all over the world, ... we are struggling with how to deliver our traditions because we have to fight with the internet and with social media. And in this society, we cannot ignore that," Alafi stated.

"As a father and grandfather, I want my children and grandchildren to follow my faith. So when we watch the story about the Samaritan community, we are trying to find different ways to overcome struggle and to win in the struggle, and we can then learn about ourselves in the process."
Phil Wickham opens up about journey from 'lifestyle Christianity' to rediscovering joy in God's presence

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, Phil Wickhams song Battle Belongs became an anthem for Christians worldwide. The tune, released in the fall of 2020, reminds believers that nothing can stand against the power of God, with lyrics including the lines, So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees/ With my hands lifted high/ Oh God, the battle belongs to You.

It became such a fight song and a faith-building song for me, the 38-year-old worship leader told The Christian Post. Almost immediately, I started  getting all these DMs and messages and emails from people saying, This has given me words to my prayers. I didn't know what to pray when I was in the hospital bed, by the graveside, or when we lost our job, and we just prayed this song. And it was just moving.

But as he witnessed the way God was using Battle Belongs to uplift those struggling, Wickham, who attends Light Church in Encinitas, California, began to feel the Holy Spirit challenging him to examine his own beliefs and take a closer look at his walk with God.

As I was hearing people say, like, I was going through this, but I just kept crying out to the Lord and it was great, I was just thinking, Man, I'm the one singing the song  but is it really true for my life? Is this my go-to playbook when I hit a wall or face a metaphorical mountain?

So, he began combing through the Scriptures, writing down stories and praying the lessons over his life, from Moses courage in crossing the Red Sea to Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho against all odds.

I just started going to the Scriptures and said, I need more of this in my life. I want to sing Battle Belongs with so much conviction and confidence that this is true for my life, he said.

During that process, Wickham was surprised to discover hed accidentally settled into what he described as lifestyle Christianity, missing out on the joy and excitement of being in Gods presence in the process.

I felt so  I dont know if convicted is the right word  but just like, Lord, I'm so sorry that I've missed out on the joy and in the beauty of it just because I haven't been cultivating in my heart this excitement to be in His presence, this real faith that He is listening and wants to do things.  My mind is less on, What are the good things to pray? And more like, I wait to ask God for things according to His will in the name of Jesus because He's going to do it if it's according to His will, in the power and name of Jesus, to His glory.

A self-described church kid, Wickham is one of todays most prolific worship leaders. With numerous awards and two decades in the industry under his belt, hes the powerhouse voice and lyricist behind church favorites like Living Hope, This is Amazing Grace and House of the Lord. Hes collaborated with countless other artists, from gospel legend CeCe Winans to rising star Anne Wilson.

But the events of 2020, he said, were a wake-up call for him, his Christian music community and the American Church in general.

A lot of my friends in ministry and pastors were kind of shaken out of the  formula, or the things that we just do, he reflected. Because we had to be like, What are we really doing here? What's important? What do we need to strip away? What's the fluff? What's the stuff that lifts my ego up? What's the stuff that really helps, what's really Kingdom here? At least a lot of my friends, and myself, were asking those questions and didn't really even know we had to. But in an exciting way, we're saying, Life is short, it could change any minute. We just want Jesus, and we just want to be about the Kingdom stuff.

Now, the 38-year-old father of four is sharing what he learned about the power of prayer and being in the presence of God in his debut devotional,On Our Knees: 40 Days to Living Boldly in Prayer. The 40-day study, releasing Sept. 27, highlights the importance of cultivating a lifelong practice of prayer and how doing so builds a deeper connection with God.

Writing this book helped me to remember [the power of prayer], Wickham said. I would hope that this book would help people to understand the beauty of it, the joy of it, the intimacy of it. That it's not this religious act, but it's this communal act with God. There's an urgency; the world needs for people to pray.

Though there are countless reasons to pray, Wickham said the greatest and simplest argument for prayer is that Jesus practiced it regularly and with fierce intentionality.

Jesus relied on it even when He was at the end of His rope after healing people and people clamoring for Him; He still got alone to pray. Before He went on the cross  Jesus knew He was about to get absolutely slaughtered for the next 24 hours and just go through excruciating pain, both emotionally and physically and mentally and even in a spiritual sense; the Father turning His face away from Him. And what does He do? He prays; He prays to his Father, and He wrestles with His Father a little bit.

I feel like we learn so much about how to talk to God through Jesus, he added. Jesus showed us that in all things, being communion with the Father  there's so much life there.

Though Wickhams devotional is the result of a season of serious reflection, hes quick to stress that he doesnt consider himself a theologian: I definitely didn't write this book saying, Hey, I'm professor Phil, he said. I wrote it because I needed it, and I hope it's the same for other people too.

In addition to releasing a book, the artist, whose song "House of the Lord" is up for Song of the Year at the 2022 Dove Awards, recently announced his 2023 Singalong Tour along with Matt Maher and Leeland Mooring. He expressed optimism for the future of Christian music, pointing out that like the Church, the industry experienced a shaking the dust off a little bit following COVID-19 and the lockdowns.

I think the last couple of years  its like, what's important, and what are the simple things that we need to just remember and bring to the surface and proclaim, he said. I think there's a lot of people on that same page. There's a lot of community.

And unlike when he first emerged on the music scene, Wickham pointed out that thanks to Spotify and YouTube, you don't have to have a label anymore for a church in North Carolina to hear songs from a church in Oregon.

That's all cool, he said.

But looking ahead, Wickham said he prays that he and his peers have the courage and strength to stay faithful in the little things  like staying faithful to their spouses, being present parents and walking with the Lord  because those are the things that bring power to their music.

I just pray that they  lay aside the things that weigh us down and just keep moving forward because they're the guys that inspire me when I call them and talk to them. They're the guys that I say, Hey, can you pray for me? So that's what I just hope  that it's the behind-the-scenes stuff people stay faithful to, he said.

I think all the music, it's going to come, and people are going to keep pushing each other to make more and more, better and better and more beautiful, and I love all that. But I just want people I can trust to lead me.  I think we all really just want to see God's Kingdom here on earth through the songs, and everybody's rooting for each other.
Advisor to Baylor president preaches racial capitalism myth

You Cant Have Capitalism Without Racism  Looking Back at Malcolm X (1925-1965), tweeted Malcolm Foley, PhD, the Special Advisor to the President of Baylor University for Equity and Campus Engagement, director of the Black Church Studies Program at Truett Theological Seminary and a pastor at Mosaic Waco in Waco, TX. He referred to this article by Hank Gonzales.

Earlier, he had tweeted, One of the ways in which racial capitalism kills is by atrophying our ethical and theological imaginations.

Dr. Foley is a proponent of racial capitalism. According to Whitney N. Laster Pirtle, PhD, in Racial Capitalism: A Fundamental Cause of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Inequities in the United States,

As introduced by Robinson (1983), racial capitalism is the idea that racialized exploitation and capital accumulation are mutually constitutive. Racial capitalism created the modern world system, through slavery, colonialism, and genocide because the development, organization, and expansion of capitalist society pursued essentially racial directions, so too did social ideology. Racial capitalism is a fundamental cause of disease in the world and will be a root cause of the racial and socioeconomic inequities in COVID-19 that we will be left to sort out when the dust settles.

Where did this nonsense come from? Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, socialists argued that socialism as practiced in the Soviet Union would make people far richer than capitalism in the U.S. had. Economic professor Paul Samuelson predicted in the 1988 edition of his economic textbook, first published in 1948 and the most popular text in the field, that the U.S.S.R. would soon overtake the U.S. in living standards.

The dissolving of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe destroyed the economic argument for socialism so socialists scrambled to find new rationales to replace it. If they couldnt delude people with the bait of riches, they would use environmentalism, womens rights, fear of globalization, rights for homosexuals, transgenderism, and racism. Whatever worked. The end justifies the means.

The racial capitalism nonsense is nothing more than a warmed over version Marxs primitive accumulation. Marx claims that capitalists stole the capital they needed to launch the industrial revolution as well as created hordes of starving laborers by kicking peasants off the land in England, also known as the Enclosure Movement. Other Marxists attribute to Spains conquest of the Americas and theft of native gold and silver as another form of primitive accumulation.

Racial capitalism identifies primitive accumulation in the U.S. with slavery. In short, whites in the U.S. grew rich through the enslavement of blacks and we remain wealthier through systemic racism. Blacks must remain poor for whites to keep their wealth. But the great black economist Dr. Thomas Sowell countered that the theory cant explain why Asians and immigrant blacks are wealthier than American-born blacks.

If slavery was the fount of wealth for whites in the U.S., they should have been greatly impoverished by the ending of slavery after the Civil War. Instead, the period between the Civil War and World War I gave the U.S. the mostly rapidly rising standard of living in its history. And according to Dr. Sowell, blacks came close to achieving economic parity with whites in the U.S. before the Civil Rights movement. Black standards of living fell dramatically after the Civil Rights movement.

Among other things that the erudite Dr. Foley should consider is that if slavery and theft (primitive accumulation) could enrich an entire nation, then the ancient Greeks and Romans should have launched the Industrial Revolution and become the richest people in the history of mankind long before the United States. After all, they were swimming in slaves and plunder from conquered empires. Yet, economic historians demonstrate that Europe in 1700 was as wealthy as the ancient Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.

Spain stole hundreds of shiploads of silver and gold from the Americas. All of Europes wise men assumed that Spain would remain the superpower of the hemisphere for centuries. Yet Spain grew poorer and weaker while the tiny Dutch Republic grew richer and more powerful. What seemed a contradiction to the wise launched the field of economic study.

The first economics book in English, Adam Smiths An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, explains how nations and not just the elite grow wealthy: they implement Biblical principles of government. Those include a government limited to punishing people who violate the rights to life, liberty and property of others, free markets, the rule of law, honest courts, and others.

Before the good doctor can advise anyone, he must detox himself of the ravings of the atheist drunk he admires so much, Karl Marx, and learn Biblical political economics. Here is a cause of poverty:

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:10-11



And this:

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4



Here is the Biblical way that people grow wealthy:

Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice? Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my yield better than choicest silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice, to endow those who love me with wealth, that I may fill their treasuries. Proverbs 8:1,18-21

And Dr. Foley should know that the original capitalist economists opposed slavery. Thomas Carlyle and other proponents of slavery gave economics the title of the dismal science because he believed a world without slavery would be dismal.

Dr. Foley is well versed in Marxism, but Marx was wrong about almost everything. Foley needs to learn real economics and history. Unfortunately, he advises the president of one of the top Christian colleges in the country. At least it has been until now. With an advisor to the president like Dr. Foley, it won't be a top school for much longer.
Satan readying world for Antichrist with rise in demonic content, authoritarian regimes: Michael Youssef

Michael Youssef, bestselling author and cultural anthropologist, doesnt want to give folks the wrong impression.

I am not an End Time preacher, the 73-year-old Egyptian-American pastor told The Christian Post during an interview Tuesday.

Instead, said Youssef, his new book, Is The End Near?, which walks Christians through Jesus depictions of the biblical end times in the Gospel of Matthew, is merely pointing out what many have already chronicled, namely, the rise in demonic content in popular culture and an increase in the frequency of global catastrophes.

Popular shows like TV's "Lucifer" and Little Demon," said Youssef, underscore a common theme of acceptance and humanization of the biblical Antichrist figure referenced in the book of Revelation.

"Little Demon," a Disney-owned animated program, features a woman who is impregnated by Satan and gives birth to an Antichrist daughter. The show contains nudity, violence, and witchcraft.

The series has earned warnings from pastors and condemnation from groups like One Million Moms, which said the show makes light of hell and the dangers of the demonic realm.

Youssef called such programming content an example of how secular media plays a major role in practicing a form of indoctrination when it comes to truth-telling.

So many so-called journalists are saying that objectivity is really a passe among journalists and broadcasters, that there ought to be no objectivity, he said. So theyre already sanctifying and praising subjectivity, so that when the Antichrist comes, theyre all going to be ready.  The media is playing a major role in all of that."

If anybody had doubts about that, the last six years should have cured us of that doubt.

He compared the current state of the media to the high-profile push for mass vaccinations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You see the sheep. Weve got a sheep mentality, he said. When I see the preparation in the hearts of people  Oh yeah, yeah, the Antichrist is good for us just like the vaccine is good for us.'"

He then clarified, Im not against vaccines, but Im just saying, weve all got to fall in line. Not all, of course, because some of us are going to stand up and say, Absolutely not.

The global COVID shutdowns, such as the harsh restrictions implemented in Australia, where Youssef lived and was ordained, taught us how easily and how quickly some authoritarian power rises in democracies, the pastor said.

As authoritarian regimes are rising even in Western democracies, you see this is Satans way of preparing the world for the Antichrist, he added.

Youssefs book focuses on six signs explicitly mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25, which include the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in 70 AD and the time just before Jesus return.

While he acknowledges the world has always had earthquakes, famines and storms, Yousseff said the difference is that now theyre coming faster and faster.

Using his expertise as a trained anthropologist, Youssef said after studying those passages, he became convinced that what Jesus is talking about, those days before the return of the Son of Man, are the days were living in.

Now, have these things happened before? Sure, he added. But the image that our Lord gives us of labor pains, of a pregnant woman ... is that when the labor pains start coming in close intervals, you better get ready for the big event.

He said one of those signs mentioned in the Bible is a great falling away from the faith mentioned in Matthew 24:10  a trend Youssef believes to be currently underway.

Youssef pointed to a study from last October which found up to 70% of Evangelicals believe there are many ways to God, rather than exclusively through faith in His Son, just as Jesus said in John 14:6.

[Jesus is] not talking about the world falling away, because the world doesnt know Him, said Youssef. This is the falling away of Christians, of people who claim to be believers.

Youssef, who has authored over 50 books and whose programs are broadcast in 28 languages worldwide, said apostasy  a total desertion of or departure from ones faith  is underway not just in America but in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other Western countries.

But even as more Christians stay home on Sundays, Youssef said thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ in the Arabic world, where Youssef reaches up to 195 million homes with his Arabic TV station, The Kingdom SAT.

That is an indication to me the Lord is gathering His elect, Youssef said. Hes bringing his faithful ones together in preparation of His return.

Youssef hopes the book will stir pastors and other church leaders to prepare their people for some potentially hard times ahead  even persecution.

We need to train people how to be faithful in the midst of difficulties, he said. Here in America, this is new to us. As much as we should resist it  we should also be prepared as the onslaught comes; how are we going to stand?
Anne Graham Lotz cites Isaiah 5:8 as warning for America having 'turned away' from God

The daughter of the late Evangelist Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, told a gathering of Christian conservatives Thursday about the importance of looking to God and remembering He is the ultimate authority, even in what she perceives to be a "crisis" in our nation.

The AnGeL Ministries founder and author was a featured speaker during the Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand Summit held at First Baptist Atlanta.

The summit took place from Wednesday to Friday, with the theme based around standing for life after the U.S. Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade in June, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

During her speech, the 74-year-old seemingly compared the United States to the nation of Judah in the Bible, a nation that, despite its decades of prosperity, neglected to thank God for its blessings. This prompted the Lord to uplift the prophet Isaiah, who condemned the members of the nation for its sins, as seen in Isaiah 5:8.

She told a story about a gift from her mother, Ruth Graham, that she had thrown away because she didn't like how it was wrapped, relating this to what she fears is happening in the U.S. today. Later, Lotz learned that the tissue paper contained a gold ring that was part of the pavement of the palace where Queen Esther lived.

"I had thrown away a priceless treasure because I didn't like the way it was wrapped," she said.

"Are we in danger of concentrating on the wrapping and the brown paper packages that show up and missing the treasure that's on the inside?" she asked, remarking that nationwide, "we are under attack."

"Has there ever been a time like this where there is a brown package showing up at every level, every angle, every place? It's stunning what is going on in this state, in our nation, in our world, and I expect, in your own life," she added.

Lotz believes the sins Isaiah listed are still relevant to today's society, which she stated condones actions such as abortion, premarital sex and rejects traditional marriage.

"A nation that, in a way, like Judah, we're a covenant nation dedicated to the glory of God by President George Washington when he was first inaugurated, and we've rejected God. We've turned away from Him," she said.

"And we've had more than 52 years of relative peace and prosperity, but instead of using that time to draw near to Him, to live out our national life in gratitude for His blessings, acknowledging that all blessings come from Him, we've turned away from Him."

She believes the nation is in "crisis." Sharing the message of Isaiah 6, Lotz stated that the most appropriate response in such situations is to follow the prophet's example by looking up to God and asking what He wants.

"And I believe we need, as a Church, people who call ourselves by God's name; we need a fresh vision of Jesus," she said.

She said that in Isaiah's vision of the Lord, the prophet saw Him seated on a throne.

Lotz asked the audience what has caused them to doubt that God is in control, noting the testimonies given by other speakers on issues including life and family values.

"Are you personally doubting that Jesus is in control when your child comes home from school and says he has transitioned into a different gender?" she asked. "Do you say, 'Jesus, really? Are you on the throne?'"

In an election year like 2022, Lotz says many people are vying for public office. But regardless of whether a politician holds a state-level position or lives in the White House, "Jesus is higher than all."

"When we pray, we need to remember that we are appealing to the highest authority that there is in the universe," she said. "One who is in charge, one who gives us His attention. And not only was He high, He was exalted."

Lotz concluded with a prayer, calling for a "revival" in everyone's lives and in the nation.

"Please, God, it's the only answer, other than your return," she said. "So we do pray, even so, come, Lord Jesus, and it's in your name and in your glory that we pray, Amen."

This is not Lotz's first time speaking at a Family Research Council event.

While speaking at Family Research Council's 2016 Watchmen on the Wall conference, she asserted that America must repent for its embrace of sexual immorality. Lotz's speech focused on an "urgency to reach the lost."

"When we refuse to repent of our sin and turn to God, then in [Romans] verse 26, God gives us over to sexual depravity. Which is what we see all around us today," she said at the time. "Then, we refuse to repent of our sin and turn to God."

Citing Romans 1:28, Lotz argued that America has entered the "last stage of this downward spiral into the abyss of God's judgment."

"The last step, 'furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to a reprobate mind,'" Lotz recited.

"He gives us over to ourselves, and I believe America is in the last stage of this downward spiral into the abyss of God's judgment."

Lotz said it was not too late for America to repent, pointing to verse John 3:16 to remind the audience of God's love and promise of eternal life for those who believe in Jesus.

"There are people all around us who are perishing.  You are born into the human race as a sinner. All are sinners, and if we don't do anything about it and we step into eternity still in our sin, we come under the judgment, the whole wrath of God. We are separated from Him forever, and that is Hell."

"That is not something I am telling you, don't misunderstand me; that is just the Gospel," she added. "That's why God sent Jesus."
Father grieves only child who drowned with 2 siblings as sent by God, ex-wife is charged with deaths

Derrick Merdy mourned his only child, 7-year-old Zachary Merdy, as a magnificent person sent by God on Wednesday, just hours after his ex-wife, Erin Merdy, was charged with murder for the death of the boy and his two siblings who drowned on Monday at Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn, New York.

To some he was a happy high energy loving kid, grandson and family member, truth is, he was all of those things and much more. He was my only child, my heartbeat, and the most devoted and loving person I have ever had the pleasure of being around, the grieving father wrote in a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $15,000 to cover Zacharys funeral expenses.

He was such a magnificent person sent by God. He had a smile that could light up any room and truly liked people. Zachary was incredibly imaginative, compassionate, and sincere, he added.

A law enforcement official told CNN Wednesday that Erin Merdy was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of depraved indifference to human life, and three counts of murder, with the victims being younger than 11 years old.

Kenneth Corey, chief of department for the New York Police Department, said at a press conference that around 1:40 a.m. Monday, a relative called 911 and said she was worried that Derrick Merdys ex-wife would harm her children: 3-month-old Oliver Bondarev, 4-year-old Liliana Merdy and 7-year-old Zachary.

Police immediately searched the mothers apartment on Coney Island, which they found unlocked. They also searched the surrounding neighborhood, the beach and the boardwalk where they found the mother with other relatives, but the children were missing.

"She was soaking wet, she was barefoot and she was not communicative to the officers," Corey said, according to an ABC News report.

After an intense search using NYPD helicopters and boats, Corey said the children were found lifeless near the sea at W. 35th Street near the boardwalk, about 2 miles from where the mother was found.

While Erin Merdy was not officially diagnosed with a mental illness at the time of her arrest, family members said she had been struggling with her mental health and was locked in a custody battle with her ex-husband and facing eviction for $10,000 in unpaid rent.

Derrick Merdy, who lives in Norfolk, Virginia, told The New York Times that he had seen signs that his ex-wife was unstable and not treating his son well. When he reached out to child protective services, however, they gave him no help.

It didnt matter how much I called child protective services, Derrick Merdy said. They would tell me, Oh, you dont have any real evidence. But they didnt do a real investigation.

When CP reached out to New York Citys Administration for Childrens Services on Tuesday, the agency said it's prohibited by law from sharing whether a family has a history with ACS or any case information.

Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City, a spokesperson said. We are investigating this tragedy with the NYPD.

A law enforcement official who spoke with The New York Times anonymously said that ACS found evidence in 2020 to support a claim of neglect or abuse against Erin Merdy. An ACS employee further told the publication that the agency did not file a petition in family court against Erin Merdy, which is required to seek court-ordered supervision of the family or removal of children from her custody.

Shamir Small, the father of 4-year-old Liliana, told the New York Daily News that he thought his daughter was safe even though he never had the best relationship with Erin Merdy, who is described as his ex-girlfriend.

At one time, she was a great mother who loved her kids, Small said of his ex-girlfriend. I didnt see this coming. This is a complete shock.

Small, an MTA bus operator, said Liliana was the youngest of his four children who loved to laugh and  loved to dance. He said it had been years since he saw Erin Merdy because it was her grandmother who would take the child to his home.

I just dont know what happened. Me and her didnt have the best relationship, Small said of Erin Merdy. When it was great, it was great. But when it was bad, it was bad.

He said Oliver was his fathers first child, and he is 100 percent sure Oliver was loved by his father.

In his GoFundMe campaign message, Derrick Merdy said he would cherish all the memories he had of Zachary and thanked everyone who offered support in helping him to bury his son.

My dearest son was stolen from us on September 12, 2022, when he was just 7 years old. We won't let the world forget the vitality and light that Zachary left behind in the memories we cherish. His bodily existence among us had to end abruptly, the cosmos decided, Derrick Merdy wrote on behalf of his extended family on the GoFundMe campaign.

We sincerely thank everyone who has given Zachary, our darling son, their thoughts, prayers, and nice words. Please assist us in reaching out to our hearts so that we can bury him in peace.
Liza Fletcher: An American tragedy

Correction Appended

This nation has now had time to digest the horrifying story of the abduction and murder of Liza Fletcher. Many of us are aware of the surveillance video of Lizas violent abduction near the University of Memphis campus while she was on an early morning jog.

Liza Fletcher was a remarkable young woman, a mother of two young children, and a beloved and remarkable kindergarten teacher at St. Marys Episcopal School. Their yearbook described her as a teacher who knows each student individually and does whatever she can to excite them for learning.

The man arrested in connection with Lizas abduction and murder had an extensive record of encounters with the legal system from 11 years of age onward. He was charged with rape at 14 and when he was 16, he kidnapped a local attorney for which he received a 24-year prison sentence.

Unfortunately, Lizas alleged murderer was released from prison before his sentence was completed. After his arrest for Lizas murder, it was discovered through DNA testing (woefully stacked up and delayed in Memphis) that he had allegedly kidnapped and raped a woman last year in Memphis.

The shocking, heartbreaking truth is that if Lizas alleged murderer had not been released early from prison, she would still be alive and another woman would not have experienced the horrific trauma of rape.

The societal response to this atrocity has revealed some disturbing facts about the current state of American society.

Some of the immediate responders criticized Liza for jogging alone so early in the morning (before daybreak). Others criticized her jogging outfit as perhaps too revealing. These criticisms are insulting and absurd. Liza, like every other American, should be able to jog on the streets of our cities at any time of her choosing without having to fear predatory males. (And she should be able to wear whatever attire she finds comfortable and appealing as long as they avoid the legal definition of indecent exposure). There must be no blaming of the victim here.

Unfortunately, such criticism is indicative of a disturbing trend in America. As a consequence of the truly significant surge in violent crime in Americas major cities, too many Americans have begun self-limiting themselves, avoiding certain areas of increasing crime. Too many Americans are acclimatizing themselves to such circumscribed lives and the loss of their freedom.

For example, in Memphis, a Methodist pastor, the Rev. Dean Emerson, newly arrived in the area, was traumatized by the July murder of the Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, 52, shot and killed by two 15-year-olds in a carjacking in her own driveway. Eason-Williams, the Memphis area superintendent for the Methodist church, had very recently been to Emersons church to welcome him to his new Memphis pastorate.

The Rev. Emerson confessed, Now I dont walk outside without thinking about where I am and being aware of my surroundings. It is very much in the forefront of my mind. The Rev. Emersons heightened sense of danger is echoed by millions of his fellow citizens across the land.

A far more healthy, and more American response would be to say, We are not going to tolerate these limitations to our freedoms and we insist that government (the civil magistrate) pursue criminality vigorously and remove convicted criminals from free circulation in society.

Another telltale societal response has been the rush to complicate this case with the racial discord currently impacting our culture. The fact that Liza Fletcher was white and her alleged killer was black should be irrelevant.

I am a fervent believer in Dr. Kings dream of a society in which people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Consequently, the race or ethnicity of the perpetrator and/or the victim should be irrelevant to societal outrage in response to these crimes.

I know that Dr. King preached the power of love and forgiveness, and I agree that as Christians we are commanded to love our enemies and to forgive those who wrong us. It is absolutely true that an unforgiving spirit poisons the heart that holds it. Forgiveness is our individual responsibility and obligation as Christians.

However, the civil magistrate has been ordained by God to punish those who do that which is evil and to reward those who do what is right:

For he is Gods minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid,for he is Gods minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Rom. 13:4).

In other words, if someone were to murder my wife, I would have no right to hate that person. God commands me to forgive them. However, I also have the right to expect the God-ordained civil magistrate to do its divinely ordained duty and punish the evildoer.

The world is wracked by evil, and God ordained civil government to control evildoers and to protect the innocent.

I am aware that some people in our society come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and many have a far more likelihood of growing up fatherless, which often has an extremely negative impact on boys. As a society, we have to be committed to ameliorating those disadvantages. However, what we must not do is allow violent offenders back on the streets to prey on innocent people like Liza Fletcher. The Liza Fletchers of this world must not be allowed to become virtual human sacrifices for the shortcomings of our society.

An earlier version of this column said Mrs. Fletcher worked at St. Michaels Episcopal school; however, she worked at St. Marys Episcopal School.
Maternal instinct a 'myth'?: NYT essay claims Eve, Mary are examples of 'perpetual servitude'

Is maternal instinct merely a religious and social construct from a bygone era?

That's the inference in an opinion essay by journalist and author Chelsea Conaboy, whose headline in The New York Times, "Maternal Instinct Is a Myth That Men Created," plainly spells out her thesis.

In the essay adapted from her forthcoming book, Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood, Conaboy writes that the notion of mothers being uniquely and biologically equipped to provide the "selflessness and tenderness babies require" is not only unscientific but a "relatively modern and pernicious" idea.

"It was constructed over decades by men selling an image of what a mother should be, diverting our attention from what she actually is and calling it science," Conaboy writes.

Calling maternal instinct a "myth" that "places a primacy on biological mothers," Conaboy warns using such terminology "sustains outdated ideas about masculinity that teaches fathers that they are secondary" and "undermines the rights and recognition of same-sex couples and transgender and nonbinary parents, whose ability to care for their children is often questioned."

She asks: "Where did the idea that motherhood is hard-wired for women come from?"

Conaboy first points readers to the Bible and two of its most renowned women, Eve and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Calling both figures the source of "modern Christian archetypes of motherhood," Conaboy deconstructs the stories of Eve and Mary  whom Conaboy refers to as the "Virgin Mary"  as embodying the virtues of "unattainable goodness" and "perpetual servitude" to establish "a moral model for motherhood that has proved, for many, stifling and unforgiving."

"There was Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit and in doing so caused the suffering of every human to come. And there was the Virgin Mary, the vessel for a great miracle, who became the most virtue-laden symbol of motherhood there is, her identity entirely eclipsed by the glory of her maternal love" she writes.

"Mary's story, combined with Eve's  unattainable goodness, perpetual servitude  created a moral model for motherhood that has proved, for many, stifling and unforgiving."

Tracing the history of motherhood from home through the Industrial Revolution, Conaboy points to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in the 19th century, which she believes "codified biblical notions of the inferiority of women and reaffirmed the idea that their primary function is to bear and care for children."

In response to Darwin's observations of the mother bird in 1871's The Descent of Man, Conaboy takes exception to what she described as the evolutionist's male-centric views.

"Observant as he was, Darwin apparently ignored the hunger of the mother bird and the angst of having mouths to feed and predators to fend off. He didn't notice her wasting where wing meets body, from her own unending stillness," wrote Conaboy.

Conaboy then points to the widely-held "belief in maternal instinct and the deterministic value of mother love" as the primary factor behind the "pro-family conservative" movement over the last three decades.

Using phrases like the "sacredness of home" in quotation marks to refer to traditional notions of motherhood, the editorial called out messaging from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.

She describes the ERLC as a "Christian anti-abortion policy group" and cited a 2019 ERLC article stating a mom's maternal instinct "will often overpower any other instinct to terminate her pregnancy" upon having an ultrasound done. She called the prenatal procedure "the pro-life movement's strongest asset in recent years."

"Why, then, should the law consider the impact of pregnancy on the life of a person who has the full force of an instinct stronger than 'even fear itself' to gird her in the task?" Conaboy asks.

Conaboy declined The Christian Post's request for comment, referring to her book for any additional context.

The essay has drawn criticism from some scientists and Christian scholars, including author and researcher John Horvat II.

Horvat told CP that the opinion essay was anti-Christian and "an insult to all Christians because the author reduces the two figures to myths and archetypes and not to human beings."

"It is not by coincidence that she attacks motherhood by attacking the best of all mothers  the mother of Jesus Christ," added Horvat. "By attacking the best mother, she attacks all."

Horvat said despite the rise in feminist ideology beyond academia into fields of science and medicine, many psychiatrists and child development experts emphasize the link between mother and child as crucial.

Horvat said there remains an abundance of research into bonding and nurture between mother and child.

The most egregious part of the essay, Harvat said, is the "Marxist dialectics of pitting one class against the other."

"By attacking the maternal instinct and using it as a tool against the patriarchy, the author shows that nothing is sacred," he added. "Everything can be distorted and manipulated to further this forlorn cause."

Jenet Jacob Erickson, a fellow of the Wheatley Institution at Brigham Young University, wrote an op-ed in Deseret News responding to Conaboy's assertion that "maternal instinct is not a myth."

"Conaboy reduces the profound biological, psychological and moral capacities of mothers to little more than a cultural construct designed to diminish them," Erickson wrote. "Women deserve more than that. And we can acknowledge and celebrate the unique capacity that women have in motherhood, while spurning the cultural distortions that limit and warp that power and influence."

"But if our efforts to increase shared responsibility for the work of home means we eliminate the reality of the unique and profound capacities of women and men, we have diminished the strength of both," she added. "The biological, psychological and moral capacities of mothers  as well as fathers  cannot be easily dismissed."

Erickson says researchers have explored maternal influence on children's development for over a century, and "unparalleled developments in the field of neuroscience have confirmed what we could only theorize about before."

"From the moment an infant leaves the womb, she has one primary task  to establish a bond of emotional communication with a caregiver she experiences as consistently responsive," she wrote. "Infants across the whole animal world look for a particular caregiver: their mother, whose heartbeat and smell, tone of voice and touch they know and for whom they immediately show a preference."

Jerry A. Coyne, the emeritus professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago, called Conaboy's essay a "dismissal of biological facts" and said that across the animal kingdom, females tend to be the ones tending to the young.

"It bespeaks a lack of judgment on the part of the author  who ignores biology because of her ideology  as well as on the part of the newspaper, which failed to hold the author's feet to the scientific fire," he wrote in a rebuttal.

"It is the female lion who takes care of the cubs (and hunts for them) while the males are indolent; most often it is the female bird who not only incubates the eggs but feeds the offspring; it is the mother elephant who tends to her young; it is the female primate who holds, cares for, and nurtures her offspring. This difference alone, caused by the constraints of different reproductive roles, will, over time, select for mothers to be more attentive to offspring than are the fathers, more worried about them, and more attached to them."
Functional atheism: Popular pastor delivers gut-check on what worry really reveals

Worry is a normal part of the human experience, though the level to which humans allow it to pervade our minds often exposes unfortunate truths about the state of our hearts.

Pastor Daniel Fusco of Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, Washington, believes overt fretting is evidence of a deeper spiritual condition.

The problem with worry is worry is functional atheism, he said on his latest episode of the Youre Gonna Make It podcast. When we worry, we act like God isnt in control, [like] Hes not the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

READ ALSO: Just Do the Right Thing: Man Sparks Thousands of Reactions After He Finds Wallet in the Middle of Street, Teaches Daughter Powerful Lesson

Fusco continued, We [act like we] dont believe that all things will work together for good.

The preacher is also out with a powerful, new book, Youre Gonna Make It: Unlocking Resilience When Life Is a Mess, in which he discusses this dynamic.

When we choose to trust God, were also abandoning worry, he said.

Fusco knows times have been tough in recent years, highlighting the multitude of challenges stemming from the pandemic and other related crises. Mixed with civil and social unrest, navigating life and culture has perpetuated worries and fear for many.

Thats why Fusco is working to help people steer through times of uncertainty, recognizing God knows we are prone to worry but that we can find peace in Him.

God knows that were apt to worry, Fusco said. God knows that were worry warts.

Listen to him discuss these issues (and subscribe to his podcast):

He said worrying takes a profound amount of energy and that the Lord wants people to instead expend and invest that energy differently.

I can worry about a million things, Fusco said. Whenever I catch myself worrying, I say, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief  I want to turn that worry into worship. I want to invest that energy differently.

Watch Fusco discuss these issues on CBNs Faith vs. Culture:

Fuscos invocation is a profound one, as it comes from Mark 9, where the Bible recounts the story of a demon-possessed boy whose father is desperate for Jesus to heal his son.

Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech, the man tells Jesus in Mark 9:17 (NIV), continuing in verse 18: Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.

That description alone is enough to instill worry and fear in the calmest of persons. And its clear the despairing father had fear but also hoped Jesus followers  and Christ  could heal his boy.

But, like many humans, this man seemed to have doubt and worry about whether it would be possible.

READ ALSO: Dire Projections For Christianity in America Over the Next 50 Years Could Have Far-Reaching Consequences For Politics, Family Life, and Civil Society

If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us, the father told Jesus, to which Christ, recognizing this lack of full faith, responded, If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.

Thats when the grieving dad immediately responded, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24, NIV).

Jesus then healed the boy. The lesson, of course, is that we can fully trust the Lord  and also ask for Him to relieve us of any of the unbelief holding us back.

Find out more about Fuscos new book, Youre Gonna Make It: Unlocking Resilience When Life Is a Mess  and subscribe to the podcast.

This story originally appeared on Faithwire.com.
Supreme Court vacates protection for Jewish university ordered to recognize LGBT club

The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a temporary order that spared a New York-based Orthodox Jewish university from having to approve the establishment of an LGBT organization on campus while its case is adjudicated.

On Wednesday, the court left in place a New York state court ruling in a 5-4 vote, vacating an order from Justice Sonia Sotomayor last week that prevented Yeshiva University from having to approve the Pride Alliance group with the same privileges as other student groups under the New York City Human Rights Law.

New York law forbids discrimination based on sex and gender in public accommodations.

The opinion argued that it was too soon for the university to take its case to the Supreme Court, but the school could come back to have its case heard if lower courts don't offer a resolution.

"The application for stay pending appeal of a permanent injunction entered by the New York trial court, presented to JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR and by her referred to the Court, is

denied without prejudice to applicants again seeking relief from this Court if, upon properly seeking expedited review and interim relief from the New York courts, applicants receive neither," the order states.

While unsigned, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the decision.

Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett dissented, arguing that the school's right to religious freedom justified its response to the student group.

"The First Amendment guarantees the right to the free exercise of religion, and if that provision means anything, it prohibits a State from enforcing its own preferred interpretation of Holy Scripture," Alito wrote in the dissent.

The conservative justice argued that New York denied the school this right, calling it "disappointing that a majority of this Court refuses to provide relief."

In a Friday statement to The Christian Post, Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman wrote that every university has the right to work with students to establish clubs that fit the school's faith tradition.

"Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination," Berman stated.

"The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief, and we will follow their instructions."

"At the same time, as our commitment to and love for our LGBTQ students are unshakeable, we continue to extend our hand in invitation to work together to create a more inclusive campus life consistent with our Torah values."

The New York State Supreme Court ruled in June that Yeshiva University must allow YU Pride Alliance to be a formal student organization. The organization filed a lawsuit against the school last year.

New York Supreme Court First Judicial District Judge Lynn Kotler ruled that Yeshiva University leaders are "permanently restrained from continuing their refusal to officially recognize the YU Pride Alliance as a student organization because of the members' sexual orientation or gender and/or YU Pride Alliance's status, mission, and/or activities on behalf of LGBTQ students."

The judge concluded that the school's purpose is more academic in nature than religious, claiming that it serves as an "educational corporation" instead of a "religious corporation."

An Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court declined an appeal. The counsel for Yeshiva University argued that the school's adherence to the Torah's values prevented it from complying with the order.

The university sought relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. Last Friday, Justice Sotomayor granted a temporary reprieve, which remained in effect until the court decided it was too early to get involved in the case.

Sotomayor initially said that the Orthodox Jewish school did not have to approve the LGBT group, a decision that Berman praised as protecting "our religious liberty and identity as a leading faith-based academic institution."

"Make no mistake, we will continue to strive to create an environment that welcomes all students, including those of our LGBTQ community," Berman said. "We remain committed to engaging in meaningful dialogue with our students, Rabbis and faculty about how best to ensure an inclusive campus for all students in accordance with our Torah values."
HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader and former Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ponnala Laxmaiah on Friday criticised Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for allegedly deceiving people by making false promises. He demanded the government to come clean on the electoral promises that it had fulfilled in the last eight years.

"While it is commendable that the state government had named the new Secretariat after B.R. Ambedkar, one of the founding fathers of Indian Constitution..., will Chandrashekar Rao explain why he did not act upon on his promise to make a Dalit the first chief minister of Telangana?" Laxmaiah asked in an open letter to the Chief Minister.

The Congress leader also accused the Chief Minister of lying to Dalits about the distribution of three acres land, double-bed room houses, Dalit Bandhu scheme, SC, ST Sub-Plan and recruitment of vacancies in government departments.

Laxmaiah said Chandrashekar Rao was responsible for making lakhs of Dalit families go landless by launching Dharni portal which allegedly erased the records of assigned lands distributed to Dalits.The Congress leader also said that out of 16 lakh farmers whose bank accounts had become non-performing assets, three lakh belong to the Dalit community.
Why Christians Should Care About The Ideological Capture Of Corporate Boardrooms

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Its your money, and its being used against your values. On the latest Business in the Kingdom, Andrew Olivastro, Vice President of Outreach for the Heritage Foundation, talks to Jerry about DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), ESG (Environmental, Social Governance), and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and how they are killing corporate America and why Christians should be concerned about how activist groups on the left have hijacked corporate America.
Christian college continues legal battle against Biden admin. trans discrimination policy

A Christian college in Missouri has filed an en-banc appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking protection from a Biden administration policy that its officials believe will force the institution to allow biological males to live in dormitories and use showers reserved for women.

College of the Ozarks, also known as School of the Ozarks, filed a request last week for all 8th Circuit judges to rehear its case against an order from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that defines housing discrimination based on sex also to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

A three-judge panel ruled against the college in July because the federal agency had not taken any enforcement action against the institution.

"The College states that sex is based on male-female biology, not gender identity, and that students must agree not to engage in sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman," the petition reads.

"Those views necessitate that the College have single-sex residence halls, roommate selection, intimate and communal.  The College regularly communicates this policy to its 1,300 students."

The petition claims that obeying HUD's directive on sex discrimination in housing would "fundamentally compromise the College's religious mission, free speech, and student privacy."

"But if it does not comply, the Directive triggers complaints, investigations, lawsuits, and substantial fines because the College separates its dorms by biological sex and communicates that policy to students," the appeal continued.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy organization that has successfully argued religious liberty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, represents the College of the Ozarks.

ADF Senior Counsel Julie Marie Blake said in a statement that the school "should be free to follow the religious tradition on which it was founded."

"The government can't strip a private, faith-based institution of its constitutionally protected freedoms because it disagrees with its views about marriage and biological sex," stated Blake.

"By redefining 'sex' in federal law to include gender identity, President Biden has grossly overreached his authority and is mandating that Christian colleges must allow boys into girls' dorm rooms and showers, and vice versa."

The college filed its lawsuit in April 2021. U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark of the Western District of Missouri, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled against the Christian school in May 2021.

In July, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit ruled 2-1 to reject the request for relief. Circuit Judge Steven Michael Colloton authored the majority opinion, contending that the college was not affected by the HUD policy because a complaint hadn't been filed against the school. Colloton, a President George W. Bush appointee, said that current religious freedom protections were sufficient.

"The College's alleged injury also lacks imminence because it is speculative that HUD will file a charge of discrimination against the College in the first place," wrote Colloton.

"Title IX provides that its anti-discrimination provision 'shall not apply to an educational institution which is controlled by a religious organization,' if applying the prohibition 'would not be consistent with the religious tenets of' the organization."

Colloton wrote that "even when HUD interpreted the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity between 2012 and 2020, the Department brought no enforcement action against the College."

"HUD has never filed charges of housing discrimination against a college that is exempt from prohibitions on sex discrimination in housing under Title IX," he continued.

Circuit Judge Leonard Grasz, an appointee of President Donald Trump, authored a dissent opinion, arguing that the directive went against the proper process of federal guidance, which includes allowing public comments.

"An agency's issuance of a guidance document that fails to adhere to the proper administrative procedures may achieve compliance with the government's desired policy outcomes by in terrorem means, but it skirts the rule of law and undermines our values," Grasz worte.

"This is especially true where regulated entities are placed under a sword of Damocles but are denied access to the courts because the sword has not yet fallen."

Grasz said, "if the government acts as the Memorandum facially requires, it is only a matter of time before the government concludes the College's housing policy violates the FHA."
Christians could lose majority status in America by 2045: study

Barring any limiting event such as war or economic depression, if the pace at which Christians abandon their faith before the age of 30 were to accelerate beyond its current pace, America could no longer be a majority Christian nation by as early as 2045.

And Christians wouldnt just lose their majority status in America in this scenario. They would also be outnumbered by the religiously unaffiliated, also known as nones, according to the findings of a new analysis by the Pew Research Center.

The findings are based on work from the Pew Research Center which projects religious composition in the United States under multiple switching scenarios for the first time, as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project. The project analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.

In the study, Pew highlights four hypothetical scenarios out of several possibilities to demonstrate how the U.S. religious landscape might change over the next half century. The impact of younger Christian adults abandoning their faith without limitation was modeled in one of those scenarios.

While the other three scenarios reflect varying degrees of religious disaffiliation, they all show Christians continuing to shrink as a share of the U.S. population, even under the counterfactual assumption that all switching came to a complete stop in 2020. The ranks of the unaffiliated, however, are projected to grow under all four scenarios.

Of course, it is possible that events outside the studys model  such as war, economic depression, climate crisis, changing immigration patterns or religious innovations  could reverse current religious switching trends, leading to a revival of Christianity in the United States, the researchers noted. But there are no current switching patterns in the U.S. that can be factored into the mathematical models to project such a result.

Data highlighted in the research show that while Christianity remains the stickier religious affiliation for older Americans, among younger adults it is the religiously unaffiliated identity that is enduring. If that trend is sped up with nothing to stop it, according to projections of the third of the four main models, the number of Christian adherents in the U.S. is likely to decline at a much faster rate.

If the pace of switching before the age of 30 were to speed up throughout the projection period without any brakes, Christians would no longer be a majority by 2045, Pew researchers said.

In this model, the religiously unaffiliated would be Americas most dominant faith expression by 2055, with about 46% of the population claiming that identify. Christians would represent just a 43% share of the population. By 2070, 52% of Americans would be unaffiliated, while only 35% would be Christian.

In 2020, the Pew Research Center estimated that about 64% of Americans, including children, were Christian. The religiously unaffiliated accounted for 30% of the U.S. population, while all other religions  including Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists  totaled about 6%.

While rising disaffiliation among younger adults assumes there is a kind of ever-increasing momentum behind religious switching among that cohort under 30, researchers suggested that trend isnt plausible as highly religious parents tend to raise highly religious children who are less likely than children of less religious parents to disaffiliate in young adulthood.

As a result, there may continue to be a self-perpetuating core of committed Christians who retain their religion and raise new generations of Christians, researchers said.

Of the four models presented, researchers selected the second which projects that rising disaffiliation from Christianity with limits could lead to nones becoming the largest religious identity in America by 2070 but not the majority identity.

The projected outcome for that model suggests that if the pace of disaffiliation before the age of 30 were to speed up initially but then hold steady, Christians would lose their majority status by 2050, when they would be 47% of the U.S. population compared to 42% for the unaffiliated. In 2070, nones would constitute a plurality of 48%, in this scenario while Christians would account for 39% of Americans.
'Raw, horrific evil': Journalist sounds alarm on 'one of the most grotesque medical scandals the world has ever seen'

A journalist who has extensively covered the transgender debate recently revealed why the topic has so resonated, explaining "something inside ... snapped" when he learned about what was happening to children, and the "horror" immediately motivated him to action.

READ ALSO: Functional Atheism: Popular Pastor Delivers Gut-Check on Worry, Breaks Down Biblical Moment That Could Transform How We Tackle It

Brandon Showalter, a reporter for The Christian Post, is among the most well-versed and unrelenting journalists to tackle the transgender movement, exploring the impact of puberty blockers, "disfiguring surgeries," and the moral chaos he believes is shielding so many from the truth.

"Something inside me snapped, and I just thought, 'Well, I've just got to dig into this and scrutinize this more deeply, because this is absolutely insane,'" Showalter said ona recent episode of "The Inside Story" podcast. "I just remember thinking to myself, 'They're doing what to children?!'"

He continued, "I just realized the extent of the horror, and I realized someone needed to step up and tell the truth about it."

Listen to Showalter share his story on The Inside Story (subscribe to the show here):

Showalter believes the happenings surrounding the transgender movement constitute "one of the most grotesque health scenarios" in America, which is why he continues to lend his voice to the discussion.

He's just one of the voices in Tucker Carlson's new, two-part Fox Nation series, "Transgressive: The Cult of Confusion."

For Showalter, covering the transgender movement began after he started exploring the issue and realized many journalists simply weren't covering it from a place of truth.

Watch him join CBN's Faithwire to explain:

"I realized that within journalism ... mainstream legacy publications were using false pronouns to refer to people as the opposite sex and it was so confusing even reading news articles that I couldn't even keep the story straight," he said. "But then ... I realized that children were being given puberty-blocking drugs."

With the reality of what was unfolding  including the prescribing of drugs to kids he believes have no basis for being prescribed  Showalter was stunned.

"I just realized the extent of the horror, and I knew that someone had to stand up and tell the truth about it because very few people in the legacy media were," he said. "It's crazy."

Showalter also began to explore stories of detransitioners  people who started or fully underwent attempts to change their sex but who came to regret their life-altering decisions. The media often shield or ignore these stories, but Showalter hasn't backed away from delving into the tragic details.

READ ALSO: Only Jesus Can Save America: Michael Browns Pressing Message to Christians Across the Nation

"Theologically, I just see it as we need to stand up for the integrity of the human body. This is so horrible," he said. "You just don't do this to the human person ... this is a medical scandal. This is one of the most grotesque, horrible medical scandals the world has ever seen."

Showalter said even non-Christians are beginning to read his investigative reports as they deal with these issues in their own lives and families.

"The truth is true, no matter who says it," he said.

Showalter hopes his work  and, in particular, his appearance in "Transgressive: The Cult of Confusion"  helps people see the truth.

"I hope that it pulls back the curtain. I hope that people see that this is some of the most wretched, sadistic, monstrously terrible child abuse and that it's one of the worst medical scandals that the world has ever seen," he said. "I hope that people are punched in the gut  that they are confronted with the raw, horrific evil that this is."

Beyond knowledge, Showalter said he hopes people are encouraged to stand up against what's unfolding.

"Once you see this, you can't unsee it," he said.
DOJ tramples on the Constitution

The United States under the Biden administration is using the force of government to harass the late Phyllis Schlaflys group in Alabama.

In recent months, the Eagle Forum of Alabama has helped write legislation in that state to protect children with gender confusion from receiving treatment that could permanently damage them.

In his End of Day Report, Gary Bauer writes, After Alabama banned transgender surgeries on children, the Biden Administration sued the state in federal court to block the law. But theyre not just arguing against the constitutionality of the law. They are also going after a conservative public policy group that lobbied on behalf of the law. Of course, that group is the Eagle Forum of Alabama.

The United States Department of Justice issued a subpoena in August demanding records from the Eagle Forum of Alabama, stating: Several public statements suggest that Eagle Forum of Alabama staff may have had some involvement in drafting the legislation or its predecessor bills. As a result, the United States is issuing the enclosed subpoena for certain records in the Eagle Forum of Alabamas possession from January 1, 2017 through the present.

The official subpoena demands: Any draft legislation, proposed legislations, or model legislation. This included all their communiques on the subject, e.g., any social media postings.

Eagle Forum of Alabama responded to this unprecedented request: This should cause every single advocacy group or individual in America engaged in the legislative process to pause and consider the potential ramifications if any part of this subpoena is allowed to stand. Becky Gerritson, the executive director of the organization, explained more to me on a radio segment.

Kristen Ullman, president of Eagle Forum (nationally), comments on the wider issue here: "If the Department of Justice doesnt like your viewpoint it may target you next."

What is the government alleging was illegal? Certainly its not illegal for an organization to be involved with crafting legislation?

The Biden Administrations action is particularly astounding because we do not yet fully grasp the long-term deleterious effects of the puberty blockers and body-part-removal surgeries to cure gender dysphoria.

In her eye-opening book, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters (2020), Abigail Shrier chronicles the incredible harm being foisted on so many children in our society today, especially girls, because of this current fad of transgender mania.

Shrier, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, notes, In 2016, natal females accounted for 46 percent of all sex reassignment surgeries in the United States. A year later it was 70 percent.

She adds, Some small proportion of the population will always be transgender. But perhaps the current craze will not always lure troubled young girls with no history of gender dysphoria, enlisting them in a lifetime of hormone dependency and disfiguring surgeries ... No adolescent should pay this high a price for having been, briefly, a follower.

The left is imposing on this country a form of mental insanity. Both God and science teach us that we are either male or female. God said He has created us male or female in His image. Science teaches us that we have trillions of cells in the human body, and virtually every one of them provides a marker that you are either male or female.

No one denies gender dysphoria, where some children feel confused. Am I a girl trapped in a boys body? they wonder. But experts say that about 95% of these children with gender dysphoria will grow out of this by around puberty  if the process is not interrupted along the way.

Tragically, there are many people in high places that are interrupting this process all too often.

And then when children go through with some form of transition, very often deep depression follows, as documented at www.sexchangeregret.com, a ministry to help the hurting.

Dr. Ryan T. Anderson, author of When Harry Became Sally, writes: The most thorough follow-up of sex-reassigned people  extending over 30 years and conducted in Sweden, where the culture is strongly supportive of the transgendered  documents their lifelong mental unrest. Ten to 15 years after surgical reassignment, the suicide rate of those who had undergone sex-reassignment surgery rose to 20 times that of comparable peers.

The founders gave us the First Amendment to enshrine in the Constitution the right to freely practice religion and by extension, the right of conscience. We also have free speech rights and the right to petition our government in case of grievances. That would include lobbying for legislation for the good of society.

But the Biden administration is steamrolling over conscience rights, despite the Constitution.

Phyllis Schlafly herself once told me in a 2004 television interview: The Constitution is not out of date. Its just as good today as when it was written. Would that it was being followed today by the Biden administration.
Church security guard killed, pastor kidnapped by radicals in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria  Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Sunday killed a Christian security guard as they abducted a pastor in central Nigeria and wounded the church leaders wife, sources said.

James Ngyang, a member of the church led by Pastor Bung Fon Dong of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), was killed in the attack at the residence of Pastor Dong on church premises in Ganawuri, Riyom County, Plateau state, said area resident Danjen Bagu Gang.

Armed gunmen we believe are Fulani terrorists attacked Ganawuri and abducted the Rev. Bung Fon Dong alongside James Mann, who later escaped from the hands of the kidnappers, Gang told Morning Star News in a text message.

The gunmen stormed the RCC [Regional Church Council] chairmans residence, at about 10 p.m., shot and wounded the pastors wife, and killed one James Ngyang, a member of the church and security church worker, before they forcefully took away the pastor at gunpoint.

On Monday, the gunmen contacted the pastors family and demanded 20 million naira ($46,650) for his release, Gang said, adding that Ngyangs body was buried on that day.

Police confirmed the kidnapping of Pastor Dong. Alfred Alabo, deputy superintendent of police of the Plateau State Police Command, said in a press statement that the attack happened Sunday night, and that Mann is the principal of the Government Secondary School in Ganawuri.

We have deployed operatives to track down the criminals and rescue the hostage, Alabo said.

In Ruku village, Gashish District in Plateau states Barkin Ladi County, suspected Fulani herdsmen on Sept. 7 attacked the predominantly Christian community, shooting and wounding three Christian women who were working at a tin mining site, said Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, director of the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria.

Saying the three women were receiving treatment at Barkin Ladi General Hospital after being shot at about 10:45 p.m. by armed men suspected to be Fulani militias, Mwantiri identified the victims as Rose Bitrus, 41; Polina Mathew, 43; and Grace Pam, 42.

Pastors son kidnapped

In the Abaji area of Nigerias Federal Capital Territory, gunmen on Sept. 4 kidnapped dozens of people, including the son of Evangelical Church Winning All Pastor Bala Akpeni, in an attack on predominantly Christian Kutaru village, according to the ECWAs Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS).

On the night of Sunday, Sept. 4, many Christians were kidnapped from one of our mission fields, EMS Coordinator James Saleh said in a request for prayer. Among those kidnapped is Steven Bala, the son of Pastor Bala Akpeni, the missionary taking care of the prayer house there. Please pray for Gods intervention.

An ECWA pastor and two members of his church taken into captivity by terrorists for two months have been released and are now recovering from the trauma, Saleh said.

Praise God for the release of our missionary, the Rev. Ahmadu Maikudi, and two members of his prayer house after over two months of captivity in the den of terrorists and a lengthy negotiation process for their release, Saleh said. We appreciate all those who contributed in one way or the other to facilitate their release. We pray that God will heal them from the trauma of that harrowing experience and give them peace in their hearts.

Area community leader Alhassan Isah said in a Sept. 5 statement that incessant invasions of the area by terrorists and bandits have come at alarming rates and called on security authorities to act.

Its no longer rumors but a fact that there is a serious state of insecurity in many parts and village areas of the nations capital (Federal Capital Territory-Abuja), with Abaji Area Council not being an exception, Isah said. Leaders of these communities have reported on the siege and rampaging killings and abductions of residents on daily basis by terrorists, kidnappers and bandits, thereby displacing thousands among the people and forcing them to flee out of their communities.

Recent killings and abductions of Kutara residents Rafin Daji, Paikon Bassa, Guridi and Adagba villages in Abaji Area Council are worrisome and condemnable, he said.

As matter of urgency and importance, theres the need for security agencies to take more proactive measures before the acts of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry completely take over Abaji Area Council, Isah said.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News.
Wesleyan Covenant Association denounces bishops claims it's wrongfully influencing Gods people

The Wesleyan Covenant Association has denounced a declaration by African bishops of The United Methodist Church calling for congregations on the continent to cut ties with the theologically conservative group.

Last week, a group of African bishops gathered at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, for four days and approved a statement denouncing the current direction of the Africa Initiative, a UMC advocacy group.

According to the statement, the Initiative was now working with Wesleyan Covenant Association to destroy our United Methodist Church and had lost its original goal of helping The United Methodist Church in Africa.

We will dissociate from any activities of the Africa Initiative and will not allow any activities of the Africa Initiative in our areas, stated the bishops.

We will not allow or entertain any activities of the Wesleyan Covenant Association who are wrongly influencing Gods people in our areas [and we] will not tolerate anyone giving false information about The United Methodist Church in our areas.

WCA President Jay Therrell emailed The Christian Post a statement in response to the African bishops declaration. He said the group is deeply disappointed, but not surprised, by the statement purported to come from all the African Bishops.

We believe strong-arm control tactics by some African bishops infringe upon the Christian freedom of their members to speak into the current and future direction of The United Methodist Church and their role in it, the WCA stated.

We remain committed to working with theologically conservative Methodists across the continent of Africa to empower their witness to the faith and their right to make informed decisions about their future in the church.

WCA Africa Coordinator Simon Mafunda of Harare, Zimbabwe, said that the bishops declaration left me flabbergasted.

This militant and combative position by some of these bishops does not proffer the unity and love for which they call. If anything, it opens a massive rift between them and the flock that they are supposed to look after, Mafunda stated, as quoted in the WCA statement.

To openly attack your own flock diminishes the essence of being good shepherds that the bishops are supposed to exemplify. In Africa it is generally considered disrespectful to answer back to elders, but we feel pushed into a corner and unfortunately there is no longer any space behind us.

In a separate statement provided to CP by Therrell, the Africa Initiative declared that it is shocked, surprised, and ashamed by the bishops statement, which it labeled a declaration of war.

The group affirmed its ties to the WCA, seeing this relationship as consistent with the connectional nature of the UMC, which involves advancing common goals with other Christian denominations and Wesleyan groups.

Whatever the misunderstandings, we could have settled them around the fire hart or under the palaver hut where African elders and their subjects meet to settle their disputes, the Initiative stated.

Instead, some of our leaders decided to go public with unauthenticated allegations.

Over the past several years, the UMC has been embroiled in a divisive debate over whether the denomination should change its official position labeling homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching.

Efforts by theological liberals to change the UMC's official stance have often failed in large part because of the influence of UMC Africans, who tend to be more theologically conservative.

In 2020, UMC leaders representing diverse theological views agreed to a plan to create a conservative Methodist denomination and allow churches opposed to same-sex marriage and gay ordination to join the new group.

Known as the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, the plan was to have a vote on legislation based on the protocol at that years General Conference.

But after repeated postponements of the General Conference, which eventually pushed the churchwide gathering to 2024, many conservative churches have since left the UMC for the newly launched Global Methodist Church.

In May, 92 UMC delegates who are members of the Africa Initiative gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to learn more about the future of the UMC and details about the nascent GMC.

The Rev. Jerry Kulah of Liberia, general coordinator of the initiative, told those gathered that the meeting was meant to be primarily for information purposes.

We brought you together to provide you with information that you will need to help yourself, your church and your annual conferences find a solution to the uncertainty in The United Methodist Church, said Kulah, as reported by UM News.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Industries, Gudivada Amarnath, clearing the air on decentralized capitals, has made it clear that the AP government would start its governance out of Visakhapatnam from the next academic year.

He said there is no change in the government's policy to establish 3 capitals.

Addressing the media here, the minister said Visakhapatnam will be the seat of state administration from the next academic year. Visakhapatnam is the main city and it is in the list of top ten cities in the country. Hence establishing an executive capital in the city is in order.

He recalled that on December 17, 2019, Chief Minister Jagan Reddy had stated the government's stand on the 3 Capitals and that the government will not take even a single cent of private land for the capital set-up in Visakhapatnam.

Amarnath said, There is no need to spend lakhs of crores on roads in Amaravati. There is nothing. Vizag can be developed with lesser funds.

He said that their aim is to develop Visakhapatnam on the line of the Beach IT concept. An investment meet will be held in Visakhapatnam in February next year. It is the government's policy to establish the judicial capital in Kurnool and there is no change in this.

The minister recalled that the BJP Rayalaseema declaration had sought the high court at Kurnool and asked why the party leaders were now going on a padayatra along with those backing Amaravati as full capital. The bill to shift the capital to Visakha will be introduced in the assembly at the appropriate time, he said.
UNITED NATIONS: Over 100 countries, including India, voted in favour of allowing Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the high-level UN General Assembly session next week through a pre-recorded statement because of his need to deal with the war following Russia's invasion.

The 193-member General Assembly voted Friday on a decision to allow Zelenskyy to address world leaders at the high-level General Debate through a video statement. The decision was adopted with 101 votes in favour, seven against, including Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Syria, and 19 abstentions.

India was among the 101 nations that voted in favour of the draft decision.

The document that was approved expresses concern that leaders of peace-loving U.N. sovereign nations can't participate in person for reasons beyond their control owing to ongoing foreign invasion, aggression, military hostilities that do not allow safe departure from and return to their countries, or the need to discharge their national defense and security duties and functions.

The document permits Zelenskyy to submit a pre-recorded statement to be played in the General Assembly hall. It stresses that this will not set a precedent for future high-level assembly meetings.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly was all virtual in 2020 and hybrid in 2021. But this year the assembly decided that all speeches must be in person.

An amendment presented by Belarus to replace Ukraine with any Member or Observer State facing the situation described above was not adopted as it received only 23 votes in favor, 67 against and 27 abstentions.
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People in the flood covered streets of Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu Sindh, Pakistan, on 2 September 2022.

The Disasters Emergency Committees (DEC) Pakistan Floods Appeal has raised 25m in two weeks, including 5m matched by the UK government.

Government support for DEC's appeal came through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Offices aid match scheme, which was part of a 16.5m package of support to provide immediate help to people living in the most hard hit areas.

DEC's chief executive Saleh Saeed said he was especially grateful to everyone in the UK who has donated during a period of national mourning following the Queens death.

Currently, 11 of the DECs 15 charities are working directly or through local partners to help with the appeal.

This support is already helping people caught up in a really desperate situation due to the unprecedented flooding, Saeed said.

This incredible outpouring of support has enabled DEC charities to provide essential aid and to relieve some of the suffering faced by millions of people in Pakistan right now.

We need to do much more

This comes amid growing fears of renewed flooding as continuing rains threaten to cause more damage in the south Asian country, with around 33 million people thought to be affected.

Saeed added that the scale of this means we need to do much more and the DEC is therefore asking those who can afford to help to donate what they can and to encourage others to consider supporting the appeal  these funds are literally a lifeline for some of the worlds most vulnerable people at a time of dire need.

The 11 DEC members responding so far are Action Against Hunger, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and Tearfund.

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Twice each month, Covering Climate Now speaks with different journalists about their experiences on the climate beat and their ideas for pushing our craft forward. This week, we spoke with Obi Anyadike, the Africa editor for the New Humanitarian, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on humanitarian crises worldwide. We spoke about the emerging hunger crisis in East Africa, centering the agency of at-risk people in our stories, and whats missing from Western coverage of the Global South. The conversation, between Anyadike and CCNow deputy director Andrew McCormick, has been edited for length and clarity. Follow Anyadike on Twitter.

Tell us about yourself and your journalistic background.

Im Nigerian-British. Ive been covering the African continent for pretty much the duration of my career. In 1997, I joined what was previously known as IRIN News. It was a newswire, part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which I thought did some really interesting stuff; it took humanitarianism seriously, looking closely at the impacts of crises on people. IRIN started in 1995, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, investigating the outflow of the Rwandan genocide, and as a journalist I remember seeing this and thinking, Wow, this is material that you just dont normally see.

I wound up heading IRINs southern Africa office at quite an interesting timeduring the HIV/aids crisis in the early 2000s. And I later served as IRINs editor in chief, from 2009 to 2014. Though IRIN was linked to the UN system, we were editorially independentor at least we were promised that we were independent. But the UN kind of snatched our money away when they didnt like our coverage of the Syrian civil war. So, in 2015, IRIN morphed into a truly independent news service holding the humanitarian system to account, and in 2019 we relaunched as the New Humanitarian. Lets not forget, humanitarianism is a $40-billion-a-year-plus sector. But no one seems to lift the lid on it very often. More importantly, we aim to report from the perspectives of people affected by disasters across the world.

For context, can you break down the unfolding, climate-fueled hunger crisis in East Africa?

I mean, this is climate change. I think everyone understands that. Thereve been four failed rainy seasons in a row, and a fifth is now underway. Drought is a perennial problem in East Africa, but lately its become so much more frequent, which has really dried out the land in these mostly pastoralist regions. Pastoralists [who hold wealth in herds of grazing animals] are supremely good at adapting, but nobody can handle four failed rains in a row. Theyve sold off the livestock that they can. Theyve tried to cut back where possible. But this crisis has slowly eroded their capacity for resilience; many animals have died, and pastoralists coping mechanisms are really spent. So were now at a stage where potential famine is going to affect huge numbers of people in southern and central Somalia, southern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya.

How are you approaching coverage of this crisis at the New Humanitarian?

The issue for me is to focus on peoples agency. Its not that these people dont know what to do, or that theyre waiting around for people to come help them. We see people really scrambling to catch up with the changing climatehere, people are struggling within this traditional economic and cultural system thats based on cattle, where the more animals you have, the more influence and standing you have. Theyre realizing they simply cant maintain herds of this size under these conditions. And the lifestyle changes these people are having to make arent really something they have time to consider; the changes have to happen now. So were asking pastoralists, Okay, what are you going to do now? Its an important question, and it has elicited so many different responses.

I think more climate stories have to be about adaptation. We know climate change is happening now. So what do we do? At the political level, this becomes an accountability story. For years, governments have talked the talk, but are plans in place to really secure their populations and to build up climate resilience?

This is also a follow-the-money story. How do we hold governments, donors, and the aid industry to account to make sure needed changes happen? We recently released a story by Hodan Ali, a Somali development expert. Her perspective is that we see the aid industry drawing in at least a billion dollars a year to respond to these crises. The approach they take, though, is always very short-term, focused on immediate emergency relief. Theres very little accountability over how money gets spent and who decides what programs should be prioritized. And repeatedly, we see the same failed approaches. Ali asks: Isnt it time we do something different? Its time to support livelihoods and bolster climate resilience, instead of just handing out bags of grain year after year.

This is partly why its important to read and write for alternative media. When journalists arent always driven by commercial considerations, I think they can sometimes report more effectively.

What are your impressions of how Western outlets have covered these issues?

I think there are many examples of first-rate coverage by Western journalists, and certainly I dont want to diss any fellow journalists. But I also feel sorry for Western journalists, because their reporting from the Global South tends to be guided by what audiences in the Global North want to readwhich can lead to harmful stereotypes. In climate stories, there seems always to have to be pictures of dead animals on front covers. Weve seen pushback, of course, from some people in the Global South[Kenyan writer] Binyavanga Wainainas How to Write About Africa, published in Granta, is an iconic satirical take.

For me, this is partly why its important to read and write for alternative media. When journalists arent always driven by commercial considerations, I think they can sometimes report more effectively.

What do you see missing from other outlets coverage of the continent?

Whats missing is often context. My own personal interest is Nigeria, including violence in the northeast of the country. Thereve been some fantastic examples of journalism there, but thereve also been poor examples, in which seemingly everything comes down to poverty and youth bulge [a phenomenon, common in developing countries, in which children and young adults constitute large portions of the population]which fails, I think, to grapple with some of the deeper social and ideological undercurrents at play. Branding violence entirely as an issue of poverty is a terrible mistake; its reductionist and ultimately doesnt help in understanding the issue.

When it comes to climate change, I think theres a similar danger that everything gets chalked up to climate, which can be a bit trite and facile. Our stories lose a kind of power when we say, This place flooded; its the climate. Climate change contributes to situations like this, sure, but framing like this ignores that there are also many political actors and agencies that contribute to what happens during a disaster. Recent drought and fear of famine in Madagascar, for example, was largely seen as a climate story, when, in fact, it was really a government negligence story. Southern parts of Madagascar had been ignored by successive governments for decades. The health posts werent there; the infrastructure wasnt there. So, when drought came and there were several bad harvests in a row, peoples livelihoods collapsed. I think its important we apply a bit of analytic rigor when were talking about climate.

Loss and damagethe idea that wealthy countries that have contributed the most to the climate crisis should pay poorer countries bearing the worst climate effectsis a critical question in the climate space. How is your team thinking about communicating the importance of this subject to an international audience?

Its really difficult, much more than a straightforward climate story like Here comes the tsunami. Especially with the current economic crisis in Europe, I think loss and damage is going to be a hard sell. But I think our stories might stress a certain commonality, a sense of shared humanity and shared fate. We want to communicate the idea that money spent now can secure peoples futuresand that preventative measures are in fact much cheaper than trying to rebuild after a disaster.

What happens behind the scenes at these big international climate conferences is also an important story that I think we dont look at enough. Focusing on this can be really valuable to understanding the machinations of climate finance: Whos up for loss and damage? Who isnt, and why? And what are the deals getting done around that tension?

What other aspects of the climate story are you focused on advancing?

What wed like to do is follow people over a longer period of time, be that families or communities, to see how the dynamics affecting their lives play out. Thats instead of the approach where we say in a story, Heres Fred, and then you never see Fred in our reporting again. I think this is one way we can better monitor the human impacts of climate change.

At the end of the day, climate change becomes a social justice issue. If were covering humanitarianism or climate, we need to ask: Whos benefiting? Who isnt? Who are the bad actors? And we should look at options and alternatives for solving this crisis. Theres no point in just saying, Oh, isnt climate change terrible? We want to say, Yes, it is, but lets try and find a way around it.

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Covering Climate Now is a global journalism collaboration co-founded by CJR and The Nation, in partnership with The Guardian, strengthening coverage of the climate story. Follow CCNow on Twitter and visit coveringclimatenow.org.
A fishing vessel that sank in New England, resulting in the loss of all four fishermen, likely capsized because of poor drainage of seawater from the rear deck and hatches that werent watertight, investigators said.

The National Transportation Safety Board called Tuesday for stepped up inspections and renewed its call for personal locator beacons for each crew member. The agency first made that recommendation after the loss of the cargo vessel El Faro and 33 sailors in 2015.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy urged fishing boat operators to purchase the individual radio beacons for crew members.

Dont wait for a mandate from the Coast Guard, Homendy said in a written statement. If the Emmy Rose crew had access to these devices, perhaps some of them would still be with us today.

The tragedy unfolded as the Portland-based Emmy Rose was headed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to offload an estimated 45,000 pounds of fish in November 2020.

A crew member told his girlfriend in a phone call that it was the 82-foot vessels biggest catch, and she told investigators that she heard ebullient crewmembers laughing and enjoying themselves in the background.

Hours later, early on Nov. 23, the vessels automated distress beacon signaled. The Emmy Rose disappeared without a radio distress call.

The Coast Guard dispatched a cutter and a helicopter, then other boats and aircraft, to the area about 25 miles east of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Rescuers found an oil sheen, an empty life raft and some debris. The fishermen were never recovered.

With a forecast for gusts up to 25 knots and sea levels of 5 to 8 feet, the Emmy Rose was returning to shore in conditions that could have put a trawler in peril with waves splashing onto the rear deck. The NTSB said seawater likely accumulated on the vessels rear deck, failed to drain properly and then poured into the vessel through hatches that werent watertight, making the vessel less stable.

The Emmy Rose was more susceptible to capsize because of its design and modifications, the NTSB said. The vessel was originally built for shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico and was modified for trawling for fish in New England waters.

NTSB investigators found that at the time of the sinking, the Emmy Rose likely did not meet existing stability criteria, making it more susceptible to capsizing, the agencys report said.

The NTSB cannot mandate changes, but it recommended inspections of port covers designed to drain water from the deck and watertight hatches, along with individual radio beacons for crew members. The Coast Guard didnt immediately respond to a call seeking comment in Wednesday.

Commercial fishing vessels are required to have an automated emergency beacon that floats free and signals rescuers. But individuals are not required to have them.

A judge awarded nearly $1 million in damages to the families of the fishermen. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ordered the distribution of the insurance proceeds from boat owner, Boat Aaron & Melissa Inc.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A 2019 pipeline explosion that resulted in one death and the destruction of five homes in Kentucky happened when the pipeline ruptured and released natural gas caught fire, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

Fourteen other homes were damaged as the fire burned about 30 acres (12 hectares) in Lincoln County, the NTSB said.

The 30-inch pipeline, owned and operated by Enbridge Inc., had a preexisting manufacturing defect known as a hard spot, the agency said. That combined with a degraded pipeline coating and ineffective cathodic protection led to cracking induced by hydrogen at the outer surface, the NTSB said.

Cathodic protection prevents corrosion where the coating has been damaged, according to the agency.

The NTSB said Enbridges integrity management program did not accurately assess the pipeline condition or estimate risk, contributing to the accident.

In an emailed statement, Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes said the company was deeply sorry for the impact to the community and to the family who lost a loved one. He called the findings a stark reminder of the importance of safely maintaining and operating the companys pipelines.

The NTSB issued safety recommendations to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Enbridge Inc. The safety recommendations address topics including incomplete evaluation of risks, incomplete assessment of threats and missed training opportunities.

Barnes said in the statement that the company takes the NTSB recommendations very seriously and has worked diligently to understand the contributing factors to this incident and (has) made tremendous strides to change our procedures, processes and conducted extensive inspections in an effort to make our pipes safer than ever.

Enbridge pipelines carry about one-quarter of the crude oil produced in North America and one-fifth of the natural gas used in the U.S. Several of its pipelines have been the subjects of lengthy legal and political fights and two of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
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With 63 updates affecting Windows, Microsoft Office and the Visual Studio and .NET platforms  and reports of three publicly exploited vulnerabilities (CVE-2022-37969, CVE-2022-34713, CVE-2021-40444)  this month's Patch Tuesday release gets a "Patch Now" priority. Key testing areas include printing, Microsoft Word, and in general application un-installations. (The Microsoft Office, .NET and browser updates can be added to your standard release schedules.)

You can find more information on the risk of deploying these Patch Tuesday updates with this helpful infographic.

Key testing scenarios

Given the large number of changes included in the September patch cycle, I have broken down the testing scenarios into high-risk and standard-risk groups:

High Risk: These changes are likely to include functionality changes, may deprecate existing functionality, and will likely require the creation of new testing plans:

Test these newly-released functionality updates. Please attach a camera or phone to your PC and use the Photos import function to import images and videos.

Basic printing tests are required this month due to functionality changes in the Windows spooler controller.

The following updates are not documented as functional changes, but still require a full test cycle:

Microsoft Office: Conduct basic testing on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel with a focus on SmartArt, diagrams, and legacy files.

Test your Windows error logs, as the Windows Common Log File system has been updated.

Validate domain controller authentication and domain related services such Group Managed Service accounts. Include on-premise and off-premise testing as well.

High-duration VPN testing is required, with VPN testing cycles that need to exceed eight hours on both servers and desktops. Note: you will need to ensure that PKE fragmentation is enabled. We suggest the following PowerShell command: HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Parameters\Ikev2\ -Name EnableServerFragmentation -PropertyType DWORD -Value 1 -Force Restart-Service remoteaccess

In addition to these changes and testing requirements, I have included some of the more difficult testing scenarios for this update:

Test any application using the OLE DB interface and sqloledb.dll to make database connections. This process will require an assessment of your application portfolio, looking for dependencies on the SQL OLE libraries and components and focused testing on application functionality that uses these updated features.

Application un-installations will require testing due to changes in the Enterprise Application Management windows component. The big challenge here is to test that an application package has been fully uninstalled from a machine, meaning all the files, registry, services and shortcuts have been removed. This includes all the first-run settings and configuration data related to application. This is a tough, time-consuming task that will require some automation to ensure consistent results.

Testing these important and often updated features is now a fact of life for most IT departments, requiring dedicated time, personal and specialised processes to ensure repeatable consistent results.

Known issues

Each month, Microsoft includes a list of known issues that relate to the operating system and platforms included in this update cycle.

Microsoft SharePoint Server: Nintex Workflow customers must take additional action after this security update is installed to make sure workflows can be published and run. For more information, please refer to this Microsoft support document.

After installing KB5001342 or later, the Cluster Service might fail to start because a Cluster Network Driver is not found. For more information about the specific errors, cause, and workaround, see KB5003571.

Some enterprise users may still be experiencing issues with XPS Viewers. A manual re-install will likely resolve the issue.

Starting at 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept.10, the official time in Chile advanced 60 minutes in accordance with the Aug. 9 announcement by the Chilean government of a daylight-saving time (DST) time zone change. This moved the DST shift from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10; the time change will affect Windows apps, timestamps, automation, workflows, and scheduled tasks. (Authentication processes that rely on Kerberos may also be affected.)

Major revisions

As of Sept. 16, Microsoft has not published any major revisions to its security advisories.

Mitigations and workarounds

There are four mitigations and workarounds included in this Patch Tuesday release, including:

Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings:

Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge);

Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server);

Microsoft Office;

Microsoft Exchange;

Microsoft Development platforms ( ASP.NET Core, .NET Core and Chakra Core);

Adobe (retired???, maybe next year).

Browsers

Microsoft has released a single update to the Edge browser (CVE-2022-38012) that has been rated as low ,even though it could lead to remote code execution scenario due to its difficult exploitation chain. In addition, there are 15 updates to the Chromium project. Slightly out of sync with Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released the latest version of the Edge Stable channel on Sept. 15 that contains a fix for CVE-2022-3075. You can read more about this update's release notes and can find out more about Chromium updates. Add these low-profile browser updates to your standard release schedule.

Note: you will have to deploy a separate application update to Edge  this may require additional application packaging, testing, and deployment.

Windows

Microsoft addressed three critical issues (CVE-2022-34718, CVE-2022-34721 and CVE-2022-34722) and 50 issues rated important this month. This is another broad update that covers the following key Windows features:

Windows Networking (DNS, TLS and the TCP/IP stack);

Cryptography (IKE extensions and Kerberos);

Printing (again);

Microsoft OLE;

Remote Desktop (Connection Manager and API's).

For Windows 11 users, here is this month's Windows 11 video update. The three critical updates all have NIST ratings of 9.8 (out of 10). Coupled with the three exploited vulnerabilities (CVE-2022-37969, CVE-2022-34713, CVE-2021-40444) these make this month's Windows update a "Patch Now" release.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft released seven security patches to the Office platform affecting Visio, PowerPoint, SharePoint and SharePoint Server. The Microsoft Visio and PowerPoint updates are low-profile deployments that should be added to your standard Office update schedules. The SharePoint Server updates (CVE-2022-38008 and CVE-2022-37961) are not rated critical, but they could lead to a remote code execution scenario (though difficult to exploit). We recommend adding these two updates to your server update schedule, noting that all patched SharePoint Servers will require a restart.

Microsoft Exchange Server

Fortunately for us (and all IT admins) Microsoft has not published any security advisories for Microsoft Exchange products this month.

Microsoft Development Platforms

Microsoft published three updates rated important for their developer tools platform (CVE-2022-26929, CVE-2022-38013 and CVE-2022-38020) affecting Microsoft .NET and the Visual Studio platform. These three updates are relatively low risk to deploy and should be added to your standard developer release schedule.

Adobe (really just Reader)

Adobe published six security bulletins affecting: Animate, Bridge, Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign and RoboHelp. However, there were no updates to Adobe Reader or other related PDF products. This may be the result of Adobe being otherwise engaged with the $20 billion purchase of Figma.
Twitter shareholders give nod to Musks USD 44-billion deal

The shareholders of Twitter had approved the USD 44 billion acquisition deal which was inked by the company with billionaire tycoon Elon Musk.

The San Francisco-based company has sued Musk for terminating the agreement. Phhoto courtesy: Twitter/@elonmusk

The bulk of Twitter's shareholders voted in favour of Musk's buyout offer of USD 54.20 per share, which he had made in April, before "terminating" the deal in July citing the "inaccurate representation" of spam accounts on the platform.

The nod from shareholders comes ahead of the trial next month over whether the $44 billion deal should be completed. The courtroom battle is scheduled to begin on October 17.

The San Francisco-based company has sued Musk for terminating the agreement, while the Tesla chief executive countersued, accusing Twitter of misrepresenting the number of false and spam accounts on its service.

A Delaware judge ruled last week that Musk may include the claims made by Peiter Zatko, a Twitter whistleblower, in his case, but denied his request to delay the trial.

Zatko, who was the former security chief at Twitter, has accused the company of deception in its handling of automated spam bots, or fake accounts. That allegation is at the core of Musks attempt to back out of his deal to buy the company.

Zatko has also claimed that Twitter is plagued by weak cyber defenses that make it vulnerable to exploitation by teenagers, thieves and spies and put the privacy of its users at risk.

Appearing before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on September 13 to lay out his allegations, Zatko said, "I am here today because Twitter leadership is misleading the public, lawmakers, regulators and even its own board of directors."

They dont know what data they have, where it lives and where it came from and so, unsurprisingly, they cant protect it," he added.

Zatko, 51, first gained prominence in the 1990s as a pioneer in the ethical hacking movement and later worked in senior positions at an elite Defense Department research unit and at Google. He joined Twitter in late 2020 at the urging of then-CEO Jack Dorsey. He was fired from the company in January this year.

According to legal experts, Zatko's claims could tilt the courtroom battle in Musk's favour. If the whistleblowers claims hold water, "thats just the kind of smoking gun Musk had to be pinning his hopes on," said Larry Hamermesh, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, according to Bloomberg.

Read more Business News and Technology News here
Int'l students from SCO member states go deep into China's rural areas

Xinhua) 10:46, September 16, 2022

XI'AN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhannur Niyazbekova obtained her doctorate from the Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) this summer. She decided to remain at the university in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to undertake postdoctoral research.

Hailing from Kazakhstan, the young woman said she would visit her Chinese "grandmother" Zhang Kaizhi in Zhenba County from time to time.

Niyazbekova and Zhang met each other during a practical activity at the university. Niyazbekova now refers to the Chinese woman as "Grandma," who she said is always reminiscent of her own grandmother back at home.

"My Chinese grandmother works for a sheep farm. She contacts me when she has problems with the sheep. Sometimes, I remind her and the villagers to take good care of the sanitation of the sheep pens to prevent diseases," Niyazbekova said.

Niyazbekova is among more than 600 students from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states who have studied at NWAFU since 2007. These international students have not only acquired knowledge in their classrooms, but have also learned from the grassroots organizations they have visited across the province -- from Yan'an, a former revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China, to farmlands and farmers' homes.

Niyazbekova said she hopes to promote the friendship between China and her motherland, and contribute to the common development of the two countries with what she had learned in China.

Last year, a rural revitalization supporting group of international students was established at NWAFU. Pakistani student Mansoor Ahmed Koondar is the head of the group.

Koondar previously taught English in Heyang County, where he won praise from local teachers and students.

"Students here have improved in their English language. What's more important is that they are no longer shy, and are eager to acquire new knowledge and explore the outside world," he said.

Koondar has witnessed the huge changes in China's rural areas, thanks to the country's rural revitalization strategy.

"I would like to contribute to the development of rural education in my country in the future," he added.

For students from SCO member states who cannot travel to China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NWAFU has offered online courses and opened overseas agricultural science and technology demonstration parks.

In 2021, NWAFU joined hands with 19 universities from eight SCO member states to launch the SCO Agricultural Universities Alliance.

"The university will give full play to China's advantages in agriculture and agricultural higher education, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with SCO member states in the field," said Wu Pute, president of NWAFU.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a severe warning to Kyiv's western backers who endorsed the Kyiv Security Treaty. He used the Book of Revelation to express his disdain for what the West and Ukraine have been doing.

Moscow Sends Message to the West

The former Russian president criticized their lack of intelligence, saying they were risking nuclear war to bring down Moscow, reported RT.

He posted these posts to social media last Tuesday, condemning a hybrid war by arming and supporting Ukraine. The Russian Security Council deputy chair added that using their proxy to fight would not work. He described the security guarantees posited by the Kyiv regime last Tuesday as a step towards a possible third world war.

The US and its allies scoffed at the recommendation as hysterical by the US and its allies to side with them frantically in the proxy war waged against the Kremlin, noted the CSM Times.

He added that Washington and the bloc provided dangerous weapons to the Ukrainians.

Also, it threatened that Moscow would step up its game, which meant a more devastating outcome with no boundaries. Added that the conflict will move on its own, as wars do.

Furthermore, he claims that Western nations are unlikely to sit in their clean homes while also cracking up at how cautiously they weaken Russia by surrogacy.

Everything about them will be ablaze. Their people will earn the full harvest of their grief. The ground will burn, and the concrete will disintegrate. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote before quoting Revelations 9:18 from the Bible.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is the Ukraine President?

His assertions were compelled by the publication of a "security treaty" recommendation by Kyiv that was developed under the oversight of former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

A proposal anticipates Kyiv's western backers giving arms, ammunition, financial assistance, and preparation to Ukraine before 2014, as well as continuing to preserve sanctions on Russia for as long as Ukraine wishes and handing over any seized Russian property to Ukraine.

Ukraine Aims To Beat Moscow

Ukraine claims it can beat Moscow's troops as Russia pummels Kyiv's troops with cannons and rockets, per Thread times.

The territorial gains near Kharkov, as shown by Olga Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister of Ukraine, are really a "turning point" in the dispute with Russia and have put Kyiv in a commanding position. She stated that after massive strikes targeted the Ukrainian locations, Russia's peace talks proposals were rejected.

Kyiv occupied territories in Kharkov last week left by the Russians to regroup, while President Zelensky crows that his forces won a real victory. Moscow ignored Ukraine and claimed it beat the Russian forces who repositioned in Donetsk.

The spokesperson said it's a legitimate turning point for Ukrainian forces occupying formerly occupied Russian territory since 2014. She revealed that Russian officials reached out to Kyiv the days after the apparent counteroffensive, offering to talk peace terms in exchange for a ceasefire. But Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday; that it will be harder on Kyiv if there are no talks.

Dmitry Medvedev regarded Kyiv's western backers as reckless and desperate that it might lead to nuclear Armageddon.

Related Article: Pentagon Allows Export of Advanced Artillery Shells in the Next Arms Shipment for Kiev

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Russia's MiG-31K Foxhound fighters, according to the Russian Navy Baltic Fleet, had practice pinpoint missile attacks with a hypersonic missile in the stratosphere last September 13.

The media Pravda noted the activity with the Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic weapon, where the fleet was based in Kaliningrad.

Russian Air Force Conducted High-Altitude Maneuvers

According to a statement from the Baltic Fleet command, pilots of MiG-31 aircraft rehearsed flight maneuvers in the stratosphere, perfected their skills to dodge mock enemy plane attacks, and transferred to deployable airfields in the territory, reported the EurAsian Times.

Moscow situated a MiG-31K 'Foxhound' fighter jet with a Kinzhal hypersonic land-attack missile at Kaliningrad lying on the Baltic coast last February, per Air Force Technology.

The rollout happened just days before Russian troops started their so-called particular military actions.

Eventually, on August 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared the deployment of three Foxhounds equipped with Dagger to the Chkalovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad Region to provide strategic missile defense measures.

Three aircraft were relocated to the Kaliningrad area for the exercises, where they performed attacks on mock-up enemy command posts with hypersonic missiles. The aircraft flew with cover from Su-27 fighters.

According to The Hill, when the Kremlin initiated its invasion, the US deployed fighter jets to the Baltic for NATO air policing operations.

Extraordinary MiG-31 Foxhound Deployment

Most of the planes at Kaliningrad are not MiG-31K Foxhounds; instead, they are 50 planes parked on the airbase, which are older variant Su-27 and Su-24 fighters, with more modern Su-30SM and Su-35S going there. But the deadly Iskander missiles are also on the base as a deterrent.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Net Worth 2022: How Did Facebook Founder Lose $30 Billion in 1 Day?

Other Fleet assets, such as the Eleron and Orlan 10 UAVS, had performed well in overcoming a mock enemy's air defense zone at the Kaliningrad enclave.

Although the Foxhounds' exercises are substantial since they occurred during Ukraine's unforeseen counter-offensive, this isn't the first time this mighty warplane has performed exercises in the stratosphere, even in 2017.

Furthermore, as reported earlier by TASS, the crew members of upgraded MiG-31BM fighter jets held their first-ever dogfight in the earth's atmosphere at the height of over 20 kilometers in August 2019.

Variants of the Foxhound High-Speed Interceptor

NATO's Foxhound, which flies at Mach 3.0 at high altitudes, intercepts bombers and fast aircraft entering Russian airspace. Dual D-30F6 engines power the vehicle, which has a range of 1900 miles, with two crew onboard.

The SBI-16 Zaslon fixed phased array antenna radar detects and spots targets with short- or long-range air-to-air missiles; if all else fails, it has a 23-mm gun for a dogfight.

Russia's Ministry of Defense intends to modernize and update the fighter with a program by 2020; a fast and streamlined jet capable of tracing multiple targets at high altitudes. Even with Russia's claims that its MiG-41 has been under development to substitute the Foxhound, there is scant indication that the aircraft will be up and running soon.

An updated version of the Mach 3 fighter is Mig-31BM which is multi-use, speedy, long-range, air and ground assault capable. The BM variant has a modern upgrade in avionics and flight systems and can see 24 targets in one go! It can carry the Kinzhal as well as a missile truck.

MiG-31K Foxhound can mount a hypersonic missile on its underbelly; it is deployed to stop enemy attacks that are long ranges in Russian airspace.

Related Article: IRST Technology Makes the F-35 and F-22 Stealth Feature Vulnerable

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Earlier this week, Chris DeRusha, federal CISO and deputy national cyber director in the White House, announced the release of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance to ensure federal agencies rely only on software that has been built following standard cybersecurity practices. This software security requirement applies to all civilian federal agencies and software security vendors who do business with them.

The software security guidance was developed under President Bidens wide-ranging cybersecurity executive order (EO) issued in May 2021. The impetus for the software security mandates contained in the order was the massive SolarWinds software breach that occurred in late 2020 and awakened the industry to the significant potential for damaging vulnerabilities in software and the software supply chain.

The SolarWinds breach was one of a string of cyber intrusions and significant software vulnerabilities over the last two years that have threatened the delivery of government services to the public, as well as the integrity of vast amounts of personal information and business data that is managed by the private sector, DeRusha said. The new guidance will help us build trust and transparency in the digital infrastructure that underpins our modern world and will allow us to fulfill our commitment to continue to lead by example while protecting the national and economic security of our country.

NISTs software security work drives the guidance

The guidance was developed over the past 15 months through an all-court effort by the Biden administration. It relies heavily on the National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NISTs) efforts to build security software development standards through its Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) and Software Supply Chain Security Guidance.

It also relies on methods for creating a software bill of materials (SBOM) as defined by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and, later, CISA. All these government resources serve as the foundation for OMBs guidance. A self-attestation form that OMB will create is critical to successfully implementing the guidance to allow agencies and their contractors to proclaim that they meet the requirements in the NIST and other government documents.

Software security rules will be developed quickly

As was true of the EO itself, the OMBs guidance document spells out an expedited timeline for agencies and their software providers to comply with the new requirements. Among the critical deadlines are:

Within 90 days, or by December 14, agencies will have to produce an inventory of all software subject to OMBs guidance. (Software developed within agencies is exempt).

Within 120 days, or by January 13, 2023, agency CIOs must develop a consistent process to communicate relevant requirements to vendors and ensure attestation letters are collected in one central agency system.

Within a year, or by September 14, 2023, agencies will have to collect attestation for all software subject to the requirements.

The expected release of the OMB guidance starts the clock on work that no government agencies and few software suppliers outside the Silicon Valley giants have learned how to do. The goal of setting standards for companies that sell software to the federal government was to effectuate fundamental changes in software security practices through the governments power of the purse.

By baking security into the development process, or shifting left, all involved in the federal cyber ecosystem  from agencies to vendors  can work together to deliver better user experiences in a secure environment and provide a positive impact on the mission, Chris Wysopal, co-founder and chief technology officer at Veracode, said in a statement. As federal agencies look to comply with the approaching deadlines laid out in this document, they should critically review their existing software security strategies and ensure application security testing is embedded into the software development lifecycle.

It will take years to become fully compliant

Obviously the executive order can't just tell software engineers to write more secure code. It doesn't quite work that way, software supply chain expert Dan Lorenc, CEO of Chainguard, tells CSO. Instead, it directed a bunch of agencies to meet with industry experts to gather best practices and formalize that in a document for the OMB and other agencies to start pulling that into their procurement process.

Despite the speed with which the Biden administration kicked into gear to tackle software security, it will take years for software vendors to become fully compliant. The requirements document is absolutely massive, Lorenc says, pointing to the underlying NIST work on which the OMBs guidance relies.

Self-attestation will likely lead to third-party audits

But, Lorenc adds, self-attestation isnt the highest bar for vendors to jump over. Over time, self-attestation will give way to third-party audits like everything else in this space, he says.

Eric Noonan, CEO of security compliance firm CyberSheath, comes down harder on the self-attestation element of the governments program. Allowing for self-attestation ensures we will repeat the sins of the past, he said in a statement. Self-attestation has been allowed for defense contractors since 2015, and the department of defense has recognized that trust without verification has been a failure.

Noonan tells CSO that, Trust without any verification doesn't work. So, I think that's a tremendous disappointment. Overall, self-attestation is doomed to fail.

Few safety and security rules rely on self-attestation, Noonan says. We don't even let Americans self-attest to the safety of their own cars. Why would we let software vendors who have such a global impact on our national security, critical infrastructure, and everything else self-attest to their levels of cybersecurity?

Like Lorenc, Noonan thinks that over the long run, self-attestations of software security will lead to some form of third-party audits that vendors must undergo. The government doesn't get enough credit for consistently trying to do the next right thing. And in this case, is it perfect? No, but it's the next right thing. Eventually, we'll probably get to a place where there is no self-attestation. In the interim, executing the direction of the memorandum is the next right thing to do.
One of todays biggest security gaps is visibility into your data  knowing whats happening before its too late. Bad actors rely on staying hidden in the noise of logs, systems, tools, teams, processes and silos. Improving visibility is vital for security practitioners to ensure they aren't missing things that could prove crucial to the security of their organization.

According to a recent industry survey, 80% of organizations that lack visibility into their assets report roughly three times as many cybersecurity incidents. And when asked to identify the biggest cause of SOC ineffectiveness, 65% of leaders cited visibility into the attack surface.

The bad news is there will always be bad actors searching for new ways to breach your network  and every network has its weak links. The good news is you can do something about it by implementing a visibility strategy. Here are some tips for improving your organizations security visibility.

#1: View all your data

Digital transformation is profoundly altering every aspect of how todays businesses operate and compete. The sheer volume of data that enterprises create, manipulate and store is growing, which drives a greater need for data security. The problem: It has become increasingly difficult for security teams to ensure visibility into these new and growing data volumes, leaving them blind to cyberattacks. Enterprises must be able to view all data across the organization and protect it accordingly. This gives analysts the visibility they need to leverage technologies  such as next-gen SIEMs to SOARs and UEBAs  and detect, hunt and investigate threats quickly and effectively.

#2: Transform your business and embrace automation!

Once you've confirmed your SOC is collecting data from all the right sources to get the big picture, the next step is to have analysts focus on the signals that matter most. This is where automation comes in. Adopting security analytics that leverage automation built on machine learning and AI enables repeatable, reliable streaming investigations of threats across all your data, at all times. For example, built-in anomaly detection can alert teams when anomalous behavior is seen within their environments. Using machine learning, this detection process can be automated and made more accurate over time, freeing SOC staff to perform more strategic analysis.

#3: Take a scientific approach

Historically, the process of uncovering and responding to cyberthreats has been more art than science. With access to the right data and proper automation technologies in place, humans roles will evolve to one where analysts guide newly implemented autonomous systems to ensure they deliver business impact and value. For example, in instances where the AI doesnt have enough information or confidence to provide an autonomous response, it watches and learns how the human analyst does it  enabling the system to establish a scientific methodology. This closes the learning loop, so analysts are properly augmented.

The new age of achieving security visibility is about augmenting your analysts with expanded industry knowledge and evolving technologies so they can focus on the threat stories that matter most. The right mix of data, automation technologies and humans enables SOC teams to see what they need to see when they need to see it to keep the organization safe.

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In Uzbekistan, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The two presidents' meeting comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The two presidents are scheduled to meet on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday, September 16, in Samarkand.

The meeting between Xi and Putin comes after their conversations in February. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the two presidents met during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which Putin attended.

China, Russia at Security Summit in Uzbekistan

Xi Jinping is making his first abroad trip since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Beijing implemented lockdowns in Wuhan, Xi Jinping's last international travel was to Myanmar in January 2020. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi Jinping will attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand from September 14 to September 16, as well as visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Notably, Xi Jinping's visit coincides with a new round of lockdown restrictions in China to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as tensions between Taiwan and the United States following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island. Per Republic World, Putin's meeting with Xi Jinping comes as the West maintains sanctions on Moscow and Ukraine's claim to have liberated its lands.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that Ukrainian soldiers had freed over 6000 square kilometers of land since early September. It is worth noting that China has not condemned Russia during Moscow's attack on Ukraine and has maintained trading relations with Moscow. Beijing's imports of Russian oil and gas soared by over 60% year on year in August, totaling $11.2 billion.

Gazprom permitted China's state-owned China National Corp. to make payments in Russian rubles or Chinese yuan rather than dollars earlier this month, as per Republic World. Before the conflict, China was Russia's greatest single commercial partner, accounting for 16% of total foreign trade. However, the world's second-largest economy has taken on far more significance for Russia, which has entered a recession as a result of Western sanctions.

In May, Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia as China's main oil supplier. According to the most recent Chinese customs data, Moscow has held the top spot for three months in a row. In July, China's coal imports from Russia reached a five-year high of 7.42 million metric tons.

Last week, Russia's Gazprom said that it will begin charging China in yuan and ruble for natural gas deliveries, while Russia's VTB bank announced the beginning of yuan money transfers to China. It is a boost to Beijing's goal to make the yuan a worldwide currency, according to CNN.

Read Also: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Spotted Somber as Couple Joins Royal Family To Receive Queen Elizabeth II's Coffin

Will Russia, China Talk About Defeating US Dominance?

According to the Kremlin, Xi and Putin will meet in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, indicating that Beijing regards the connection as critical to opposing the US. It will take place on the margins of a Chinese-founded security summit in Uzbekistan, which will bring together countries ranging from India to Iran to speed the establishment of a multipolar world.

Before that, Xi will make a detour in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, where he presented his hallmark Belt-and-Road trade-and-infrastructure initiative nine years ago. That foreign-policy endeavor has subsequently become a focal point for the United States and its Group of Seven partners, who announced plans in June to gather $600 billion in finance to provide lower-income nations with an alternative to Chinese cash.

Both stops will support Xi's vision of a world in which China can advance its interests without fear of economic or military coercion from the United States. The Chinese leader will elaborate on that goal at a twice-decade party congress next month, when he is poised to clinch a third term as head of the world's second-largest economy, Bloomberg via Yahoo Finance reported.

Related Article: WHO Chief Claims End of COVID 'Is In Sight' as Fatalities Worldwide Hit Lowest Since March 2020

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suffered "no significant injuries" in a vehicle crash in Kyiv on Wednesday, an official statement said.

According to a statement from the president's press secretary, "a car collided with the car of the President of Ukraine and escort vehicles."

The ambulance's driver received emergency care from the doctors traveling with Zelensky, it stated.

"The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were found," the statement added.

Authorities are probing into the incident's circumstances.

In the Ukrainian capital, a passenger car collided with the president's convoy, according to a Facebook post by his spokesperson Sergii Nikiforov.

According to Zelenskyy, the driver of the other car received first assistance from his medical staff before being transported away in an ambulance.

Nikiforov reported that doctors checked the president and found no major wounds, but they provided no more details about the president's precise wounds.

Zelenskyy posted his nightly video message late, maybe as a result of the automobile accident, as he has done throughout the conflict.

Ukraine Moving Towards Victory, Zelensky Claims

Five days after the nation's forces reclaimed the city, Zelensky visited the recently freed Izium in the northeastern part of Kharkiv earlier on Wednesday.

Facebook photos of an army unit show Zelensky at a flag-raising ceremony in the main square. The deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, was also present, CNN reported.

In a post on the president's Telegram channel, Zelensky stated: "Earlier, when we looked up, we always looked for the blue sky. Today, when we look up, we are looking for only one thing - the flag of Ukraine."

"Our blue-yellow flag is already flying in the de-occupied Izium. And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village. We are moving in only one direction - forward and towards victory," it added.

Next week, the Ukrainian president wants to deliver a video message to the U.N. General Assembly, but Russia is attempting to prevent it, according to The Hill.

Read Also: UN Chief Raises Alarm on Climate Change Amid Rise of Global Disasters, Calls To End 'Fossil Fuel Free-for-All'

Russians Divided on Ukraine War

In other updates, Karen Shakhnasarov, the director general of Russia's biggest film studio Mosfilm urged the Russian government to "admit" its defeat in the Kharkiv region.

"We need to admit it! Because a defeat is meaningful when you admit to it and draw conclusions from it," he said.

A video from the state-owned television network NTV, in which a former lawmaker claimed the war could not be won, has been widely shared on Twitter.

According to ex-Russian parliamentarian Boris Nadezhdin, Moscow is "now at the point" to realize that "it's absolutely impossible to defeat Ukraine using those resources and colonial war methods with which Russia is trying to fight."

"The Russian army is fighting against a strong army that is fully supported by the most powerful countries in the economic and technological sense," he said.

Meanwhile, a growing number of people are calling for the army to be enlisted in large numbers in Russia.

Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party, spoke to the lower chamber of the Russian parliament on Tuesday and claimed that the special military operation had turned into a full-fledged war, per DW.

He said: "War and special operations differ radically. It's easy to stop a special military operation. Even if you wish to, you cannot just end a conflict. You must go all the way."

He further said there are only two outcomes of war: "victory or defeat."

However, the Kremlin quickly shut down any calls for a full-scale mobilization. Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's spokesman, said that this is not on the agenda right now.

Related Article: Russian Metal Imports to the US Are Almost Down to Zero Due to Ukraine Conflict, US Census Bureau Reports

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As far as offering forgiveness at a time of overwhelming grief, King Charles and Prince William have been both compassionate and statesmanlike over the past seven days.

Members of the Royal Family, quite understandably, havent forgotten that in the days before Queen Elizabeth the Greats death, the media briefing and social media campaign by their son and brother respectively Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had continued at pace.

In fact, their odd little PR guy Omid Scobie, who, it turns out, doesnt know that Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, was furiously tweeting that the Sussexes had no desire to meet up with any of their blood relatives, until the perma-victims received an apology for their apparent mistreatment.

DAN WOOTTON: As far as offering forgiveness at a time of overwhelming grief, King Charles and Prince William have been both compassionate and statesmanlike over the past seven days

DAN WOOTTON: Members of the Royal Family, quite understandably, havent forgotten that in the days before Queen Elizabeth the Greats death, the media briefing and social media campaign by their son and brother respectively Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had continued at pace

Thats despite the Duchess issuing a thinly veiled threat to reveal all about her horrid days as a member of the Royal Family during an interview with the woke US magazine The Cut, which this week grimly published a hit piece against Charles as he grieved his mother.

There was an all too striking similarity to the weeks before the death of Prince Philip, where the Sussexes pressed ahead with a derisory and largely untrue expose with Oprah Winfrey, despite being informed the Duke of Edinburgh had been taken to hospital.

So the backdrop to the warring Windsors coming together in tragedy could hardly have been more fraught.

But Charles, who has many faults, showed one of them is certainly not his ability to forgive and move on.

Quite the opposite. This week, his priority has been making Harry and Meghan feel as if theyre still part of the family.

Its happened in many ways, some more subtle than others.

There was the declaration of love for his son and daughter-in-law in his historic Kings Speech, even if he conceded they were building their lives overseas.

The couple were right behind their father at Buckingham Palace as Elizabeth II returned for the final time, while the next day Meghan rode with Sophie Wessex (like a second daughter to the late Queen) on the way to Westminster Hall.

But the most significant concession will come tomorrow night when Charles has agreed to overturn protocol by allowing the Afghanistan veteran Harry to wear his precious military uniform as he stands at the foot of the late Queens coffin as her eight grandchildren stand vigil in what will be a historic piece of royal theatre.

Charles is a father deeply hurt by his sons public rejection, including horrible jibes in both the Oprah and Cut interviews, which he believes is unfair.

After all, he walked Meghan down the aisle after her falling out with her own father Thomas Markle and even agreed to help fund the couples move to California post-Megxit.

But Harrys sense of victimhood, seemingly encouraged by his wife, goes back further, and seems to consume his every decision, even if it involves trashing his family and the institution of the monarchy.

Williams magnanimous display of public unity by offering a joint walkabout with the couple to greet mourners at Windsor is even more significant.

The new Prince of Wales remains deeply angry at his younger brother, especially the attacks on his wife in the Oprah interview, which he feels the couple are unable to respond to, and the highly damaging claims of racism that helped derail the couples Caribbean tour earlier this year.

However, in the darkest of times, following the Saturday joint appearance, William agreed to march shoulder to shoulder with Harry behind the Queens coffin as it made its way to Westminster Hall.

DAN WOOTTON: However, in the darkest of times, following the Saturday joint appearance, William agreed to march shoulder to shoulder with Harry behind the Queens coffin as it made its way to Westminster Hall

It was a poignant repeat of the psychologically inappropriate episode of 25 years earlier when the brothers were forced to march behind their late mothers coffin, a trauma for which Harry is still believed to blame his father.

Significantly, at the funeral of Prince Philip last year, relations were so strained between Wills and Harry that their cousin Peter Phillips had to separate the brothers in the procession.

Whatever the reasons for the show of tolerance and contrition by Charles and William  most likely for the focus to remain on the life of the Queen, not petty Montecito melodrama  there should now be an expectation for Harry and Meghan to show the same grace.

While it might sound trite, we all know the Queen would have expected her relatives to unify around her eldest son, whose success or failure will help to determine the future of the Union and the monarchy itself in the years to come.

DAN WOOTTON: Whatever the reasons for the show of tolerance and contrition by Charles and William  most likely for the focus to remain on the life of the Queen, not petty Montecito melodrama  there should now be an expectation for Harry and Meghan to show the same grace

Thats why its so disappointing to learn of reports that Harry and Meghan have been relentless since the Queen died on their insistence that Archie and Lilbet are made prince and princess.

Not only is it highly inappropriate to be having such discussions at this moment, I find it utterly bizarre that a couple so opposed to the institution would be so desperate to burden their American children with titles that carry such responsibilities.

Its also unconscionable to me that, given the circumstances, Harry will still agree to the publication of his tell-all autobiography, which is widely expected to contain pointed criticisms of both the new king and queen.

If the book is released before the coronation next year it will almost certainly destroy Charless hopes of a honeymoon period as monarch.

DAN WOOTTON: Its also unconscionable to me that, given the circumstances, Harry will still agree to the publication of his tell-all autobiography, which is widely expected to contain pointed criticisms of both the new king and queen

Its my view that Harry must cancel the book altogether, rather than simply delay its publication to a later date, causing another unbearable wait for the Royal Family.

Of course, the book is just the start of the hyper publicity drive planned by the Sussexes to maximise their finances and prove theyre a valuable asset to their bosses at Netflix and Spotify, which have both demanded their pound of royal flesh.

It would be a crushing disappointment if, after being included at the heart of such a moment of history, Harry and Meghan use the events to further their seemingly unending desire for commercial gain.

While I found her comments more than a little ironic, given it was her journalistically flawed interview that unleashed much of the hell of the past two years on the Queen, perhaps the couple should take the words of their friend Oprah Winfrey seriously.

DAN WOOTTON: Its my view that Harry must cancel the book altogether, rather than simply delay its publication to a later date, causing another unbearable wait for the Royal Family

As she said in a US TV interview this week: When all families come together for a common ceremony, the ritual of, you know, burying your dead, theres an opportunity for peacemaking. And hopefully, there will be that.

Well, the opportunity for peace has been offered by Charles and William to the Sussexes, even though they have been subjected to a string of highly damaging ad hominem and factually inaccurate attacks, of which it is impossible for them to respond.

Now its up to Harry and Meghan that they can, for once, put the Queens wishes for a strong and united family in the wake of her death ahead of their own futile and ultimately damaging quest for revenge.
The death of the Queen has been a timely opportunity to take stock of our nation, to re-examine what kind of place weve become.

Contrary to the miserabilist musings of much of the establishment commentariat and its social media echo chambers, whose default position is always to run Britain down, the condition of the country is actually rather good.

For a start, it turns out that we still matter on the international stage, otherwise why would the Queens death be an event of such global mourning, with the worlds leaders flocking to London for her funeral on Monday?

Our precious 300-year-old Union would also still seem to have life in it yet. As thousands of Scots who lined the roads from Balmoral to Edinburgh to pay their respects to the passing cortege of their Queen of Scots  and many thousands more who lined the Royal Mile of the Scottish capital in silence and respect as it moved from Holyrood Palace to St Giles Cathedral  illustrated beyond argument.

The Scots and the English have shared a monarchy for 100 years more than theyve shared a parliament.

It turns out we still matter on the international stage, otherwise why would the Queens death be an event of such global mourning, with the worlds leaders flocking to London for her funeral on Monday?

Indeed, with the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the Scottish monarchy in the shape of James VI mounted what today wed call a reverse takeover to become James I of England.

By dying in Balmoral, the Queen reminded Scots they are not just some remote outpost of the Union but an integral part. It was, unwittingly or not, her last (and lasting) gift to the Union.

Nor are we the divisive, racist, nasty hellhole so many agitators and academics would have us believe, as one look at the worlds longest queue wending its way through London to pay its respects to the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall confirms.

This is the Britain of all classes, regions and ethnicities, shuffling along the banks of the Thames together in harmony and shared grief.

The Commonwealth, too, would seem to be alive and kicking. It was the Queens lifes work and republicans in its member-countries are not rushing to the barricades to remove the British monarchy as their head of state now she has gone. Even if some do decide to become republics in the years ahead it is not the metric that matters.

Most of the Commonwealths 56 members are already republics. None is thinking of giving up its membership.

Indeed, countries that werent even part of the British Empire are joining. It makes the Commonwealth a unique achievement in post-colonial history. It is, above all, a British achievement.

The Queen has spent the final two decades of her life painstakingly restoring the monarchys reputation. Charles could not wish for a better inheritance

Were not good at recognising our achievements. Our elites in particular wallow in running us down. Author and arch-reactionary A.N. Wilson was at it again in this weeks Spectator claiming that in the Queens reign, Britain lost all its political influence in the world.

Really? Perhaps he should consult President Zelensky of Ukraine before writing that again.

Or the leaders of Sweden and Finland on the role Britain played in getting them to join Nato. We know we no longer have an empire  and thats a good thing. But the idea weve descended into irrelevance is for the birds.

The extent to which the death of the Queen has become a global event is quite remarkable  and speaks volumes for the reach of our culture and institutions.

In my lifetime I can think of only three deaths with similar international impact: the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, the death of Winston Churchill in 1965 and of Nelson Mandela in 2013. The global grieving for the Queen is bigger than all three.

It is estimated that about four billion around the world will tune in at some stage to Mondays funeral  around half the planets population. No other head of states funeral would garner anything like that interest or audience.

Even a country such as India, where the scars of colonialism still smart and populist politicians are ever ready to exploit them, has held its Day of Remembrance for the Queen amid much mourning.

Perhaps President Macron explained it best. To us, she was our Queen. But to France and much of the world she was the Queen

Other nations, including Brazil, which have few historic or cultural ties to Britain have done likewise.

President Biden immediately made it clear he was coming on Monday, which startled his White House team since he hadnt bothered to consult it.

No U.S. President has ever attended a British State Funeral. Even Chinas President Xi Jinping is sending a delegation led by his most important vice-president.

Perhaps President Macron explained it best. To us, she was our Queen. But to France and much of the world she was the Queen.

To those who say the world simply has an outdated and irrational fascination with monarchy, I say this: there are 27 other monarchies in the world and none comes even close to the global interest in, or respect for, the British monarchy.

Even the mighty New York Times, whose bile and bilge when it comes to Britain knows no bounds and whose coverage of our country has become even more ludicrously malevolent in the aftermath of the Queens death, was forced to report from its homeland that for many Americans she was also Queen of America.

I write these words across the road from the United Nations in New York, where security is tight and police armed to the teeth are everywhere in preparation for next weeks general assembly, when the worlds leaders gather.

Except its become very much a second-order event because so many of these leaders have chosen to shorten their visit to attend Mondays funeral. Only the Queen could overshadow the UN!

The Queen used Britain's soft power in crucial moments in our country's history

This is what political scientists call soft power and Britain has it in spades, from the monarchy down. The Queen has used it at crucial moments in our history, from keeping the Commonwealth together when it threatened to split asunder over sanctions against apartheid South Africa, to furthering peace and reconciliation in Ireland  even to securing U.S. support for Britains bid to reclaim the Falklands in 1982 by offering President Reagan the prospect of horse riding with the Queen in a royal park.

Her death has brought back to the fore virtues she lived by but which had become increasingly unfashionable: duty, responsibility, reserve, civility, modesty. The Queen never mistook royalty for celebrity, a distinction that has sadly eluded Meghan Markle, thereby undermining what could have been a fresh and seminal contribution to royal life.

In an age when popular culture is infested by the self-promoting, vacuous, preening narcissism of social media and reality TV, a renewed appreciation of old-fashioned qualities is not before its time.

That the Queen was forever guided by them is a major reason, I believe, that the Crown has passed to Charles with the monarchy in fine fettle.

It was not always thus. There have been times in recent memory when the monarchy was in real trouble. I confess to playing a part in causing some of these troubles.

In July 1986, as editor of the Sunday Times, I published a story, splashed across page one, headlined Queen dismayed by uncaring Thatcher. It revealed that the Queens dismay went far beyond then Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers opposition to sanctions against South Africa.

She considered the Government to be uncaring, confrontational and socially divisive in everything from the coal miners strike to allowing U.S. bombers to take off from British airfields to attack Colonel Gaddafis terrorist-supporting Libya.

The Commonwealth is a unique achievement in post-colonial history. It is, above all, a British achievement

The Queen was not our source. But several senior aides were, most notably her most senior press officer. I doubt they would have spoken thus if they hadnt thought the Queen would have approved.

The story sparked a constitutional crisis for monarch and prime minister  and a career crisis for me. Thatcher, a great royalist, hated being on the wrong end of the Queen. But for the monarch it was even more dangerous: a lifetime of avoiding party political interventions had been carelessly abandoned. Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street united in denying the story and, behind the scenes, engineered for me to be sacked.

But I mounted a robust defence and survived. The only one fired was the Palace press secretary.

Years later I lunched with an old friend, Norman St John-Stevas (who became Lord St John of Fawsley), a staunch royalist and friend of the Royal Family. I asked him why he had attacked me when he knew the story to be true.

It was true, he replied which is precisely why I had to deny it.

Not long after that, Sunday Times columnist and TV interviewer extraordinaire, the late, great Brian Walden, dined privately with Thatcher and teased her about the story being true.

I know, Brian, I know, she said. The problem is the Queen is the kind of woman who could vote Social Democratic.

There is no question I had caused the Queen, indeed the monarchy, a great deal of trouble. But I like to think I did both a huge favour. Never again did the Palace seek to dabble in party politics, having got its fingers so badly burnt.

King Charles please note.

Spool on to 1992 and I caused the monarchy even more trouble by serialising Andrew Mortons searingly revelatory book, Diana: Her True Story. Once again, the powers that be piled into me and the Sunday Times, including the Establishment bovver boys of the Tory press: Paul Johnson, Peregrine Worsthorne, Max Hastings and Charles Moore.

Hastings, then editor of the Telegraph, dismissed our serialisation as a deluge of rubbish and a farrago of invention. Moore, then a columnist for The Spectator (he still is, which only shows my magnanimity as the magazines chairman) debated the matter with me on BBC2s Newsnight, arguing journalists should show hypocrisy and concealment when writing about the Royal Family.

Jeremy Paxman looked incredulous. I replied that I had not come into journalism to do that.

Snobbery was rife. Morton was attacked as unreliable for the unforgiveable sin of coming from Leeds. I dont think they were any more impressed by me coming from Paisley. I was even advised not to go to a polo match near Windsor in case some young buff from the Guards took a swing at me.

Of course they all looked somewhat ludicrous when it became apparent that Mortons book, including revelations of suicide attempts, eating disorders and infidelities, had come directly from Dianas own testimony.

At the time, the serialisation and subsequent publication of the book did the monarchy great harm. It was part of what the Queen subsequently called her annus horribilis, culminating in a terrible fire at her beloved Windsor.

The monarchy was so unpopular that, when the Government announced the taxpayer would foot the bill for the restoration work, such was the public outcry it had to think again.

Seen from the perspective of this weekend, such tales sound like they come from another time.

The Queen has spent the final two decades of her life painstakingly restoring the monarchys reputation. Charles could not wish for a better inheritance.

But what happened back then is not without a vital lesson for him  that reputations are hard won but easily lost. He has got off to a fine start, bar his unseemly tussles with pen nibs. His first address to the nation was pitch perfect, his interaction with well-wishers and mourners spotless, his visit to Belfast magisterial, another boost for the Union.

Above all our new King gets what is probably the Queens greatest legacy of all: the notion that even in the 21st century a constitutional monarchy is not such a bad way of running a country.

Indeed, glancing around the world, it looks rather better than the alternatives. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. republic is more divided and disputatious than its been for generations. Extremism flourishes on the Left and Right. Consensus and co-operation are dirty words. Urban violence is endemic. Revered historical figures, including even Washington and Lincoln, are being denigrated to accommodate the prejudices of the new culture warriors.

Across the Channel, populism is on the rise. In this years French parliamentary elections, the hard left and the hard right made the most gains, to a degree inconceivable in our House of Commons.

The likely winner in Italys general election later this month is a party that can trace its roots back to Mussolini. The European Union has judged Viktor Orbans Hungary is now barely a democracy.

For the undiluted evil still ruling so much of the world you only had to look at the gathering of Central Asias gerontocratic dictators in Samarkand this week  President Xi as guest of honour and President Putin in tow. We are, thankfully, a long way from any of that.

By comparison, constitutional monarchy is positively benign. It seems to encourage moderation and continuity. Our leading politicians on both sides of the Commons may be a rum, undistinguished bunch but our society is stable and pacific. We have just changed our prime minister and monarch in short order. Nobody has rioted or even demonstrated.

King Charless most precious mission is to pass on to William and Kate a constitutional monarchy revered as much as the one the Queen has now passed to him.

The new Prince and Princess of Wales look as safe a pair of hands as any monarchy could hope for.

If the Charles interregnum can secure their inheritance, then the monarchy is likely safe for the rest of the 21st century. Not many royalists could have been sure of that only a couple of decades ago.
Netflix actress Ava Michelle has shared a stark warning about the dangers of fentanyl in an emotional video, one year after she suffered from the tragic loss of her brother from an accidental overdose.

The 20-year-old actress, from Michigan, broke down as she detailed the fentanyl crisis in the country while explaining that her 23-year-old brother Devan died as a result of drug poisoning in February of 2021.

In the powerful video, the Tall Girl star attempts to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug, which is often laced in other drugs and causes accidental deaths.

Ava opened up about the dangers of fentanyl one year after she suffered from the tragic loss of her brother Devan from an accidental overdose

The 20-year-old actress from Michigan broke down as she detailed the fentanyl crisis in the country while explaining that her 23-year-old brother Devan died as a result of drug poisoning

In the powerful video, she attempts to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug which is often laced with other drugs and causes accidental deaths

'I just had to finally make this video because I am just so done hearing about everything else,' she said.

'I'm so done hearing about COVID deaths when the number one cause of death in people between 18 and 45 is fentanyl poisoning.'

She added that there are many people who have no idea what the powerful opioid is, and admitted she didn't know about it until her brother 'passed away from fentanyl poisoning.'

The star then broke down in tears before adding that many other families have lost 'so many amazing people because of [fentanyl].'

Ava wiped away her tears and explained she wanted to make the video to 'educate' and 'stop people from making this choice'.

She explained that '175 people a day' die as a result of fentanyl poisoning.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration or the DEA, fentanyl is a synthetic drug that was developed for pain management in cancer patients.

The opioid is said to be 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and because of how powerful it is and is often diverted for abuse.

Fentanyl is usually added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as extremely potent heroin.

She added that there are many people who have no idea what the powerful opioid is, and admitted she didn't know about it until her brother 'passed away from fentanyl poisoning'

Ava wiped away her tears and explained she wanted to make the video to 'educate' and 'stop people from making this choice'

According to the DEA, fentanyl is the primary driver of overdose deaths in the country and as little as two milligrams is considered a lethal amount

One pill can kill: How fentanyl quickly became the world's most deadly drug According to the Drug Enforcement Administration or the DEA, fentanyl is a synthetic drug that was developed for pain management in cancer patients. The opioid is said to be 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and because of how powerful it is, its often diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is primarily mixed in with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine and made into pills that are made to resemble other prescription opioid.

A lethal dose of fentanyl is considered to be two milligrams and poisons one person every 8.57 minutes, killing 175 people every single day. Advertisement

Accidental overdose deaths occur when drug users purchase heroin without knowing that they are actually purchasing fentanyl.

The drug is primarily manufactured in China and Mexico and brought over the borders.

In her video, Ava adds that the drug is being sold 'illegally by lacing it in drugs or selling it pure form.'

According to the CDC, fentanyl is primarily mixed in with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine and made into pills that are made to resemble other prescription opioids.

'Any drug that you buy that is not prescribed has the possibility of being laced with fentanyl,' the actress said.

A lethal dose of fentanyl is considered to be two milligrams.

Fentanyl poisons one person every 8.57 minutes, killing 175 people every single day.

Drug trafficking organizations often distribute the powerful opioid by the kilogram, one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

The drug is extremely lethal as the actress explains it can kill someone 'whether it is swallowed, inhaled or just touched.'

The actress then details the tragic case of six college students in Florida who overdosed on the drug.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, six college students overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl in March of 2022.

Two of the students who overdosed had not taken the drug but suffered from and overdose after performing CPR to the initial overdose victims.

The actress ends her video by pleading with her over 2.5 million followers to educate themselves about the dangers of fentanyl so they don't have to suffer the pain of loosing a loved one the same way she did.

'If you decide you want to do drugs and you want to get them off the street there are testing kits that are available in many states that might help your chances, but honestly guys, know the weight of your decision,' she says at the end of her video.

The drug is extremely lethal as the actress (pictured with her mom and brother) explains it can kill someone 'whether it is swallowed, inhaled or just touched'

The lethal amount of heroin is equivalent to about 30 milligrams; whereas only three milligrams is more than enough to kill an average-sized adult male

Ava has previously opened about the death of her brother noting that he was an amazing person who 'always wanted to do good'

The star has previously spoken out about the detrimental effect of her brother's death.

In an interview with PEOPLE Ava said: 'It was very unexpected and obviously an accident. It's still hard to share, but I think it's important.'

She added she is 'super passionate' about spreading awareness about the drug and added that she would soon be starting her 'own foundation.'

Following Devan's death, Ava and her mother her Jeanette Cota, 48, launched a clothing line inspired by Devan called Identified, which she said he named.

'The night before he died he was talking about this line that we all wanted to do together, and he named it the night before he passed.

'He was sitting there talking about how much we struggle to find our identity in this world, because society really just makes it difficult for us.

'They think we can be put in boxes, but we're all different, and we're all human, and so we all should just be identified as human,' she told PEOPLE.

She concluded the interview by noting that her brother 'always wanted to do good' and that there was 'a lot' she had to 'learn from him.'
The Prince and Princess of Wales were introduced to residents by His Majestys Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk at a private audience at Sandringham House yesterday.

The royal couple were at the residence to view floral tributes left for the Queen and meet with wellwishers ahead of Her Majesty's funeral on Monday.

During the visit, Norfolk's Lord-Lieutenant, Lady Dannatt, introduced Kate, 40, and Prince William, 40, to people from the area.

Lady Dannatt is the King's representative in the county, taking over the role from Sir Richard Jewson KCVO JP when he retired in August 2019.

As well as their appointment with Lady Dannatt, yesterday the Prince and Princess spoke to members of the public during a walkabout outside the estate.

The Prince and Princess of Wales look at floral tributes left at Sandringham House for Her Majesty, who died last Thursday at Balmoral, aged 96

Kate (left) and Prince William (right) met and spoke to wellwishers during a walkabout at the Norfolk estate yesterday

The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to have been introduced to Norfolk locals yesterday, at Sandringham House (pictured)

According to royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah, the royal mother-of-three gave an update on how Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, three, were coping.

Kate spoke to one wellwisher about how her three children have been coping since the loss of their grandmother, who died peacefully last week at Balmoral, at the age of 96.

Speaking to BBC's Jo Black yesterday, the unnamed wellwisher, who was amongst the crowd standing outside the estate today, said: 'My daughter asked her how the children were doing, and Kate thanked her and said yes, they were doing well and they were being looked after at school, so that was a nice exchange.'

She also revealed that Prince George 'understands the loss' of his great-grandmother - while his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis 'less so'.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall, as she is now known, looked deep in thought as she arrived in Norfolk for the walkabout.

Lady Phillippa Dannatt, His Majestys Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk, pictured with her husband General Sir Richard Dannatt. Yesterday she introduced the Prince and Princess of Wales to locals

The Princess of Wales could be seen receiving bouquets of flowers as she greeted royal fans while taking part in the event yesterday

The royal mother-of-three was dressed in a smart black coat with a black dress for the occasion, carrying a small black handbag to complete her outfit

The royal couple were seen slowly looking down at a sea of floral tributes in Sandringham yesterday, while the Prince pointed down at individual cards and objects.

Following her death last week, Prince William released a moving statement that said while the world was mourning the loss of an 'extraordinary leader', he had lost his 'grandmother'.

He referenced the family holidays they spent with his children George, nine, Charlotte, seven, and Louis, four, and thanked the Queen for the support and guidance she gave to him and Kate.

William wrote: 'On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute. So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign.

'I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of The Queen's wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade.

The royal couple were seen slowly looking down at a sea of floral tributes in Sandringham yesterday, while the Prince pointed down at individual cards and objects

The new Princess of Wales, 40, has been by her husband's side since it was announced his grandmother had died last Thursday at the age of 96 at Balmoral

The Princess stood alongside her husband as he pointed down to various tributes which had been left in a sea of flowers (left and right)

Floral tributes were placed at Norwich Gates at Sandringham Estate by members of the public, in memory of late the Queen

'My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.

'She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.

'I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.

'I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.

'My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen.

'I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can.'

The statement released by Prince William about the death of his grandmother the Queen, in which he referred to the monarch as 'Grannie'

The role of His Majestys Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk represents the Crown's commitment to the wellbeing of the community.

On her appointment as Lord-Lieutenant in 2019, Lady Dannatt said: 'I am deeply honoured and humbled to be appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk in succession to Sir Richard Jewson who has done so much for this County over the 15 years of his tenure.

'I am most privileged to have been invited by Her Majesty The Queen to be Her Representative within Norfolk  the County in which I grew up and love so much.'

Speaking about the role itself, she added that she was looking forward to 'serving the people of the County of Norfolk in the best way that I can'.

She said: 'With the support of the Vice Lord-Lieutenant and the Deputy Lieutenants, I look forward to developing the work of the Lieutenancy, in particular encouraging volunteering within the County and also promoting mental health fitness especially amongst young people and those working in our farming communities.'

The Norfolk visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales comes ahead of Her Majesty's funeral, which will take place on September 19.
In defiance of the West, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first face-to-face meeting since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine on Thursday.

The two leaders met in former Soviet Uzbekistan on the margins of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), sitting across from one another at two long round tables and accompanied by aides.

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping Meets in Person

The encounter gave Putin the opportunity to demonstrate that, despite Western attempts, Russia has not been completely isolated as part of Xi's first travel outside since the early days of the outbreak. Xi was also quoted by CCTV as adding that China was ready to cooperate with Russia to advance "each other's vital interests".

The United States, which has been driving measures to support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia, was explicitly targeted by Putin. It was their first encounter in person since Putin and Xi met at the Winter Olympics in early February, just days before the Russian president began his military attack in Ukraine.

The SCO summit in Samarkand, an old Silk Road city, has been hailed by the Kremlin as evidence that there is an "alternative" to Western-dominated international organizations, NDTV reported. The SCO, comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well as China, India, Pakistan, and Russia, was founded in 2001 as a political, economic, and security organization to compete with Western institutions.

Along with the presidents of Turkey, Belarus, and Iran, as well as Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, were all expected to attend. Earlier on Thursday, Putin met with the presidents of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Raisi and the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif.

He stated that relations with Raisi and Sharif were "growing favorably," and the Iranian leader informed Putin that sanctions imposed on both nations by the US will only strengthen their bond.

While Moscow has backed Beijing and chastised Washington over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taipei in August, China has made it clear that it supports Russia's activities in Ukraine. Beijing's response to her visit included extraordinary military exercises near the island that is self-governing and democratic and that Beijing claims as its own.

Read Also: Ukraine War: Volodymyr Zelensky Slams Russia Over Devastation in Cities, Promises To Lead Nation to Victory

US Warns China Against Supporting Russia

The White House made an effort to minimize the significance of the meeting between Putin and Xi on Thursday by asserting that Beijing has not yet transgressed Western sanctions against Moscow or given direct material support to Russia.

"Our message to China has, I think, been consistent: that given what Mr. Putin has done inside of Ukraine, this is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Putin. The time is not now to isolate oneself from the rest of the world, which has largely denounced what he is doing in Ukraine and has gone above and beyond to support the Ukrainian people in defending their sovereignty and territorial integrity, John Kirby, the National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator, told CNN.

Putin, according to Kirby, is "really under pressure and stress. His army is struggling in Ukraine, and "I think it certainly behooves the Kremlin to want to warm up to Beijing with respect to what's going on there," Kirby added.

In their discussion on Thursday, Putin denounced American "provocations" in the Taiwan Strait and denounced efforts to "build a unipolar world," which he claimed have "recently taken an ugly shape and are utterly unacceptable to most states on the earth."

The summit is taking place against a backdrop of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan not far from Uzbekistan, as well as tensions in China's relations with the United States, Europe, Japan, and India due to disagreements over technology, security, and territory.

This is in addition to Russia's attack on Ukraine. At the beginning of his one-on-one discussions with Xi, Putin denounced attempts by the United States and its allies to control world events.

Beijing is concerned about the effects of volatile oil prices and economic uncertainty brought on by the protracted fighting. Xi was more circumspect, saying that "in the face of changes in the world, times, and history, China is willing to work with Russia to reflect the responsibility of a major country, play a leading role, and inject stability into a troubled and interconnected world."

Per Republic World, the conference took place after a quick Ukrainian counteroffensive last week forced Russia to withdraw its troops from significant portions of northeastern Ukraine. After its forces were compelled to retreat from regions close to the city early in the war, Moscow's losses have been most severe since Ukraine reclaimed control of a number of Russian-occupied cities and villages.

Related Article: Xi Jinping Is All Set To Hold Meeting with Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan; Will Russia, China Discuss War Against US?

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Kate Middleton paid tribute to the Queen today as she donned the monarch's diamond and pearl earrings for a third time this week while meeting troops taking part in the Queen's funeral on Monday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, 40, appeared deep in thought as they arrived at the Army training centre in Surrey to meet soldiers this afternoon.

The royal mother-of-three, who was dressed in mourning black, was pensive as she supported her husband on the day out today.

Meanwhile she paid tribute to her husband's late grandmother by wearing a set of the Queen's pearl earrings for the occasion.

While she has worn the jewels several times over the years, she has made a special effort to wear the pieces on a number of occasions this week, including at Buckingham Palace to receive the Queen's coffin and yesterday to meet mourners in Sandringham.

It has been a busy period for the royal mother-of-three, who only recently moved her family to a new home in Windsor and took her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to their first day at school last week.

Yesterday, she and William went to Sandringham to view floral tributes left to the Queen, while earlier this week she supported her husband and other senior royals as they paid tribute to the Queen at the funeral procession through central London.

Kate Middleton paid tribute to the Queen today as she donned the monarch's diamond and pearl earrings for a third time this week while meeting troops taking part in the Queen's funeral on Monday

While she has worn the jewels several times over the years, she has made a special effort to wear the pieces on a number of occasions this week, including at Buckingham Palace to receive the Queen's coffin (left) and yesterday to meet mourners in Sandringham (right)

It is believed the jewels previously belonged to the Queen with Her Majesty wearing them to a number of events over the years. Pictured, the Queen wearing the earrings in 1977 (left) and in 2017

Today, the royal swept her long brunette hair into a neat bun and donned a black fascinator as she arrived at the centre in Surrey.

The earrings are believed to be an elegant pair the Princess has worn on a number of previous occasions, including the day she left hospital after the birth of Prince Louis.

Kate also chose them for a day of engagements in The Netherlands in 2016, her first official solo overseas visit without Prince William.

The royal mother-of-three also wore the jewels as she joined the royal family to receive the Queen's coffin at Buckingham Palace.

The royal mother-of-three, who was dressed in mourning black, was pensive as she supported her husband on the day out today (pictured left and right)

Kate was the picture of elegance as she joined her husband Prince William to meet troops taking part in the Queen's funeral on Monday

The royal mother-of-three, who was dressed in mourning black was pensive as she supported her husband on the day out today

It is believed they previously belonged to the Queen with Her Majesty wearing them to a number of events over the years.

The Queen was known for being generous with her private jewellery collection and has passed on tiaras, earrings and necklaces to members of her family.

During the outing today, she and the Prince will be thanking Commonwealth troops deployed from Canada, Australia and New Zealand who are rehearsing to take part in Her Late Majestys State Funeral on Monday.

Rehearsals for the service took part earlier in the day and continued even after the royals arrived on site.

Today, the royal swept her long brunette hair into a neat bun and donned a black fascinator as she arrived at the centre in Surrey

Today's visit is Kate's second to the centre in less than a year, after she wore a helmet and posed in an army tank in pictures she posted on Armed Forces Day.

Pirbright is acting as a holding area for service personnel based outside London, where troops can train, eat and sleep before moving into the capital to deliver 'ceremonial support' to the funeral'.

The centre houses 750 service personnel across Defence, and Commonwealth Realm Defence Forces and has previously been used for soldiers involved in The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral and Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were also introduced to residents by His Majestys Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk at a private audience at Sandringham House yesterday.

During the visit, Norfolk's Lord-Lieutenant, Lady Dannatt, introduced Kate, 40, and Prince William, 40, to people from the area.

Lady Dannatt is the King's representative in the county, taking over the role from Sir Richard Jewson KCVO JP when he retired in August 2019.

It has been an extremely busy period for Kate, who has been supporting her husband Prince William publicly, and no doubt helping her children adjust to life without their Gan-Gan.

The earrings are believed to be an elegant pair the Princess has worn on a number of previous occasions, including the day she left hospital after the birth of Prince Louis (left). Also pictured: Kate in 2019 (centre) and on Remembrance Day 202

The death of their great-grandmother the Queen will be a heavy blow to Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and four-year-old Prince Louis, as they and their parents begin a new life at Adelaide Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle - where Her Majesty spent most of the year.

Within 48 hours of their children starting a new school, the country was in mourning - but the Duchess decided to stay in Windsor to support the children at school as William flew to Aberdeenshire on a RAF jet.

Prince William, now heir to the throne, rushed to Scotland in an attempt to see his grandmother before she died.

Since then, Kate has remained a stoic presence by Prince William's side, accompanying him at a royal walkabout in Windsor alongside his brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan Markle, as well as at the funeral procession yesterday.

Meanwhile Prince William paid a deeply personal tribute to his 'Grannie' the Queen earlier this week, saying that she was by his side on the 'happiest and saddest days of my life'.

The Prince of Wales said in a statement released on Instagram that while the world was mourning the loss of an 'extraordinary leader', he had lost his 'grandmother'.

He referenced the family holidays they spent with his children George, nine, Charlotte, seven, and Louis, four, and thanked the Queen for the support and guidance she gave to him and Kate.

William wrote: 'On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute. So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign.

'I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of The Queen's wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade.

'My wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support. My three children have got to spend holidays with her and create memories that will last their whole lives.

'She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.

'I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.

'I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.

'My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen.

'I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can.'

The couple's visit comes as plans for the Queen's funeral were released today.

Millions of people across the UK are also being urged to fall silent for two minutes during the closing moments of the Queen's funeral on Monday - as part of a double moment of nationwide reflection honouring Her Majesty.

The two-minute silence will be held at 11.55am on Monday, during the closing chapter of Her Majesty's state funeral - echoing a one-minute tribute scheduled for 8pm the night before.

Buckingham Palace also confirmed further details of the Queen's funeral which will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am.

The Queen's coffin is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster - the queue for which is currently approximately 4.2miles long with an estimated wait time of at least 9 hours.

A continuous vigil of Her Majesty's coffin is kept by the King's body guards which will last until 6.30am on the morning of the Queen's funeral.

At 7.30pm today, the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will hold the Vigil of the Princes ceremony like they did in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh just days ago.

The senior royals are expected to replicate the ceremonial act they performed in Edinburgh, where they 'took guard' of their late mother's coffin for 10 minutes.

Each stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed as part of the royal cortege known as the 'Vigil of the Princes'.

It is understood that the ban on Prince Andrew wearing military uniform, which has seen him opt for a morning suit for public appearances this week, will be lifted as an exception for the final vigil held in London.
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Royal fans have been finding comfort in the knowledge the Queen will be laid to rest at Windsor next to her beloved husband Prince Philip, her parents and her sister Princess Margaret.

Following her state funeral in Westminster Abbey on Monday, the Queen's funeral procession will make its way to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: Their 73-year-long royal relationship in photos

Her Majesty's final resting place will be in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is an annex to St George's.

Her mother and father are buried there, as are the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret. Prince Philip's coffin, which was interred in the nearby royal vault following his death last April, will also be moved and put next to the Queen's.

The Queen was just 25 years old when her father died, and her life was changed irrevocably. The Queen had always had a loving relationship with her father, who had sent her a touching letter after her marriage to Prince Philip in which he said: 'Remember that your old home is still yours and do come back to it as much and as often as possible.'

Embedded in his was another heart-felt sentence, in which he wrote: 'Our family, us four, the "Royal Family", must remain together - with additions of course at suitable moments!!"

She and her husband Prince Philip were in Kenya, staying at the Sagana game-viewing Lodge, when they were told on February 6, 1952, that her father, King George VI, had died. He had been suffering from lung cancer.

The Queen's mother and her sister Princess Margaret both died within six weeks of each other in early 2002.

Many grieving royal followers have voiced the feeling they are finding comfort in the knowledge the family are to be reunited again in the coming week, when they will finally be reunited again as 'us four'.

Royal fans have been finding comfort in the knowledge the Queen will be laid to rest at Windsor next to her beloved husband Prince Philip, her parents and her sister Princess Margaret

Her Majesty's final resting place will be in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is an annex to St George's. Her mother and father are buried there, as are the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret

St George's Chapel itself was ordered by King Edward IV, with construction beginning in 1475 and finishing in 1528 under the reign of King Henry VIII

One commented: 'It gives me great comfort knowing she is reunited with her beloved Philip, Papa, Mum and Margaret. May her memory be a blessing to all her family.'

Meanwhile another shared a photograph of the family-of-five together, posting a white heart and a dove emoji and writing: 'They're all together again.'

A third added: 'A brilliant young woman. Queen at just 25-years-old after her father passed away. Lifted spirits in war, brought the nation together in our toughest time, got us through a pandemic: we owe it all to her.

'She can now finally join her husband, father, and family away somewhere else.'

One wrote: 'As the Queen leaves us and this world...Her Majesty joins her father, mother, sister and her beloved Philip....They're all together again...God has a new Star in Heaven, one that shines most Bright! God bless the Queen!'

Many royal fans have been finding 'great comfort' in the knowledge that the family have been reunited and will 'stay together forever' in the chapel

'All five will be reunited again and stay together forever,' another added, 'The Queen will be buried at King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor, next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her father King George VI and mother, Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret.'

One commented: 'There is one positive thing for the King and the Royal Family to come from the loss of our beloved Queen Elizabeth the second; Mother and Father, Queen and grandmother; Great-grandfather and great-grandmother were devoted through their lives together, so are reunited.'

The Queen had the memorial annex built line with her father King George VI's wishes, who did not want to be buried in the royal vault long-term.

The chapel, which is just 18 feet high, 10 feet wide and 14ft deep, was completed in 1969 and was the first addition to St George's Chapel since 1504. It cost around 25,000 and was paid for by the Queen.

St George's Chapel itself houses the remains of a total of 45 royals, including ten monarchs and a further seven of their consorts. The burial of the Queen will boost the former number to 11.

The Queen and her sister Princess Margaret enjoyed a close relationship throughout their lives (pictured left and right in 1936 and 1940) Margaret died in 2002

Meanwhile the Queen, who died last Thursday in Balmoral, was known for her strength, stoicism and her sense of duty - having looked to her father King George VI (pictured together in 1946) for inspiration throughout her 70-year reign. He died when she was just 25-years-old

The Queen remained close to her mother Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret throughout their lives, with both women passing away in 2002 within weeks of each other

Meanwhile the Queen's husband Prince Philip, who was known as her strength and stay, died last April. Pictured left, in 1947, and right, in 2007, together

The Queen has been lying in state at Westminster Hall since yesterday afternoon.

Tens of thousands of Britons have queued for hours to pay their respects, with many more hoping to get inside before the solemn period ends on Monday morning.

After Her Majesty's state funeral, the Committal Service at St George's Chapel will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor and feature a congregation of the late monarch's family and friends and mourners from her household past and present, including her personal staff from across her private estates.

At the end of the final hymn, the King will place the Grenadier Guards' Queen's Company Colour - the royal standard of the regiment - on the coffin.

Baron Parker, the Lord Chamberlain and the most senior official in the late Queen's royal household, will 'break' his Wand of Office and place it on the Coffin.

As the coffin is lowered into the royal vault the Garter King of Arms will pronounce the styles and titles of the Queen and the Sovereign's Piper will play a lament and walk slowly away so the music fades.

It is after her final journey that Her Majesty the Queen will be laid to rest at Windsor next to her beloved husband Prince Philip. Following her state funeral in Westminster Abbey on Monday, the Queen's funeral procession will make its way to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Above: The layout of St George's Chapel, and the location of her final resting place

Her Majesty's final resting place will be in the King George VI memorial chapel, which is an annex to St George's. Her mother and father are buried there, as are the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret. Prince Philip's coffin, which was interred in the royal vault following his death last April, will also be moved and put next to the Queen's

In the evening, a private burial service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended by Charles and members of the royal family.

The monarchs and senior royals who are buried in St George's Chapel King Henry VI - died 1471 King Edward IV - died 1483 King Henry VIII - died 1547 King Charles I - died 1649 King George III - died 1820 King George IV - died 1830 King William IV - died 1837 King George V of Hanover - died 1878 *George was not a king of England King Edward VII - died 1910 King George V - died 1936 King George VI - died 1952 Princess Margaret - died 2002 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - died 2002 Queen Mary - widow of King George V Advertisement

As the Queen did with her father, Charles will drop a handful of earth onto his mother's coffin. It will then descend a shaft for around 16ft before being sent down a corridor and set down in the vault behind its iron gates.

At present, a black stone slab is set into the floor of the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

It features the names George VI and his wife Elizabeth - who died in 2002 - in gold lettering, above the dates of their births and deaths.

Near there is a slab of black-and-white diamond-shaped stones which is taken away for funerals to gain access to a lift.

Royals' coffins are taken down the shaft for about 16ft before going down a corridor and set down in the vault behind iron gates.

Princess Margaret died just weeks before her mother and was subsequently cremated. Her ashes were initially kept in the royal vault and were then moved to the chapel to be with her parents.

The memorial chapel was added to the north side of St George's, behind two of the buttresses holding up the building's north wall.

The ceremony to transfer King George's body there was private, as was the dedication of the chapel the following week.

St George's Chapel itself was ordered by King Edward IV, with construction beginning in 1475 and finishing in 1528 under the reign of King Henry VIII.

Henry is among the monarchs to be buried there. The others include George III, George IV, George V and William IV.

Other royals who are buried there include Queen Victoria's father Prince Edward, George III's wife Queen Charlotte and Queen Mary's grandfather Prince Adolphus.

As well as burials, successive royal weddings have been held in the chapel, including Queen Victoria's to Prince Albert and Prince Harry's to Meghan Markle in 2018.

Last April, moving images showed the Queen having to sit alone due to coronavirus regulations during Prince Philip's funeral inside the chapel.

An image from 1910 shows the interior of the royal vault, where Prince Philip will be moved from to join the Queen

The Queen had the memorial annex built line with her father King George VI's wishes, who did not want to be buried in the royal vault (pictured) long-term

An image from 1910 shows the interior of the royal vault, where Prince Philip will be moved from to join the Queen

The King George VI Memorial Chapel was completed in 1969 and was built behind two of the buttresses holding up the building's north wall. It is seen above in 1969

Last April, moving images showed the Queen having to sit alone due to coronavirus regulations during Prince Philip's funeral inside the chapel

Queen Elizabeth II watching as the coffin of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, is placed on the catafalque at St George's Chapel

King George VI's funeral was held in St George's Chapel at Windsor on February 15, 1952. Above: The new Queen stands by after her father's coffin has been lowered into the royal vault

Earlier monarchs were laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, where they still lie in a royal vault under the Henry VII Chapel.

But it quickly filled up and George III was forced to commission a new one under the Albert Memorial Chapel in Windsor in 1810.

Plans for the Queen's state funeral The Queen's state funeral will 'unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths' and pay a 'fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign', the man in charge of the historic occasion has said. The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, described the task as 'both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility'. Two thousand people including world leaders and foreign royals will gather inside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday for the final farewell to the nation's longest reigning monarch. After the funeral, the King and members of the royal family will walk behind the Queen's coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey, before it is driven to Windsor on the state hearse. It will move from central London to Windsor, on a route that has not been disclosed by the Palace, but the hearse will travel down the famous Long Walk to the castle. In the quadrangle, it will be joined by the King and members of the royal family who will follow behind on foot as the Queen's coffin approaches the gothic St George's Chapel. Some 800 people, including members of the Queen's Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service afterwards at 4pm in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Advertisement

His daughter Princess Amelia, who died aged 27 that year, was placed in a temporary vault until the new one was ready.

She was followed seven years later by Princess Charlotte and her child before George III and his son the Duke of Kent joined them in 1820.

By this time there were 12 low tombs in the vault that were around 18 inches high and a few feet across.

Monarchs and their wives went in the centre and there was more shelving for others on York stone.

Next came George IV in 1830, then William IV in 1937, Queen Adelaide in 1849 and George V of Hanover in 1878.

The latter was Queen Victoria's cousin and ended up in the vault because Hanover did not want him.

Some royals chose to spend time in the vault to reflect on the life of their loved one.

After George III's daughter Princess Augusta Sophia was put there in 1840, it was reported: 'We understand that in the course of yesterday His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and his son Prince George descended into the royal vault, and stayed there some time contemplating the remains of their deceased relatives.'

This process was eased when a stone staircase was put in behind the altar in about 1837.

Victoria is understood to have frequently gone in after the Duke of Albany died in 1884 - and was followed by others.

He stayed there until he was transferred to the Albert Memorial Chapel in the summer of 1885.

After he brother prince Francis of Teck died in 1911, Queen Mary said: ''The vault looks very nice now, and is well lighted and arranged.

'The King [Edward VII] lies on the stone in the centre for the present.'

But the storage problem reemerged in towards the end of the 1920s, with only about 24 slots left.
The final sound as the Queen's body is lowered from view into St George's Chapel's vault during her committal service on Monday will be a lone piper's moving lament.

Pipe Major Paul Burns, of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will play one last time for Her Majesty, first bringing the funeral service at Westminster Abbey to a close, before playing out the monarch as she is interred by Prince Philip in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The role of the royal piper, also called the Queen's piper, is considered one of the most prestigious for pipers in the Armed Services.

Among the duties of piper, who is the only non-royal allowed to wear Balmoral tartan, he plays for the monarch for 15 minutes every morning.

Whether she was at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Holyroodhouse or Balmoral, Pipe Major Paul Burns played for the Queen daily, standing underneath her window.

The Queen shakes hands with a former Queen's piper, Pipe Major Scott Methven from the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who performed the role between 2015 and 2019

The current Queen's piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns (pictured) will play the final lament as Her Majesty's coffin is lowered into the vault at Windsor during her committal service on Monday

Pipe Major Scott Methven (pictured) who was the Queen's piper between 2015 and 2019, says Pipe Major Paul Burns will do a 'fantastic job' when he plays for the Queen for the final time at her funeral service next week

The role was created in 1843 by Queen Victoria, after she enjoyed the sound of the bagpipes while on holiday in the Highlands for the first time.

She and Prince Albert were staying at Taymouth Castle with the Marquess of Breadalbane.

He had his own personal piper, an idea which pleased Queen Victoria, who wrote to her mother: 'We have heard nothing but bagpipes since we have been in the beautiful Highlands and I have become so fond of it that I mean to have a piper, who can if you like it, pipe every night at Frogmore.'

Subsequent monarchs continued the tradition.

Pipe Major Paul Burns has already fulfilled important duties since the Queen died.

Last Sunday, he playing her coffin, which was draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and topped with a wreath, out of the Balmoral estate as it began its six-hour trip to Edinburgh.

A former piper, Pipe Major Scott Methven, 48, who was the 15th Queen's Piper since 1873, says the current piper will do a 'fantastic job' when he performs at the funeral and committal service on Monday.

He described Pipe Major Paul Burns as 'a cracking piper and a good man'.

'Last night I spoke to the Queen's Piper to give some advice and I was happy to give it, it's nice that people still get in touch with you but everybody's obviously devastated,' he added.

Former royal piper Scott Methven has shared fascinating insights into the role, opening up about the relationship he enjoyed with the Queen

'He played out the ballroom, the six ghillies carried the coffin and he will be playing at St Giles' tomorrow.

'He will be the Piper playing down at the service in London and also when Her Majesty goes to Windsor Castle into the chapel he will play the pipes for that as well.

'So he'll be very much front and centre for this. Pipe Major Paul Burns is a cracking piper and a good man, he will do a fantastic job.'

Mr Methven, who left the Army after 25 years in 2019 and now teaches the bagpipes, also gave some insight into the role, opening up about the jokes he shared with Her Majesty when he was her piper.

Once, he revealed, the Queen, who was famously petite at around 5ft 3ins, joked about Mr Methven's height.

Former Queen's piper Jim Motherwell is pictured in 2002, playing out the Queen Mother's coffin as it is carried out of the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park

He said: 'She once joked that I was the first piper to hold the post whom she didnt have to look up to  a jibe at my 5ft 6in height.'

And according to Mr Methven, he would have a 'good laugh' with the royal family in Balmoral, sharing some more details about the role of the royal piper.

He said: 'I remember one night, it was just the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and several other members of the family.

'The invited guests hadn't arrived so I said I would mix it up and I did movies on the bagpipes.

'I would go around the tables and it would be like Top Gun and the Prince of Wales (now King Charles) had asked if I could do AC/DC Thunderstruck.'
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King Charles only found out about his mother's deteriorating health hours before the public when he heard 'footsteps running in the corridor' at Dumfries House, a royal editor has claimed.

Senior royals dashed to be at the Queen's bedside last Thursday amid the news her health was ailing, with sources previously saying it was only Charles and Princess Anne who were able to make it to the royal estate before her death.

Now Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston has revealed how the King heard the news while at his Scottish home of Dumfries House with his wife Camilla.

Speaking to The Royal Beat, he told how Jenna Bush Hager had earlier this week revealed Camilla was supposed to sit down with her for an interview when they heard 'footsteps' in the corridor.

He went on to repeat Hager's description of events - and how King Charles was only told about the downturn in his mother's health shortly before the news became public.

King Charles only found out about his mother's deteriorating health hours before the public when he heard 'footsteps running in the corridor' at Dumfries House, a royal editor has claimed

Senior royals dashed to be at the Queen's bedside last Thursday amid the news her health was ailing, with sources previously saying it was only Charles and Princess Anne who were able to make it to the royal estate before her death

He explained: 'Charles and Camilla were in Dumfries House. Camilla was actually about to record an interview with Jenna Bush Hager, who said she heard footsteps running in the hallway.

'Charles took a call, everything was silent, and they were asked to be silent. Then the next thing she knew, Charles and Camilla were in a helicopter.

'And that was at 12.30 [on Thursday 8th September], so that was around exactly the same time that we were told.

'So they didn't wait, they didn't give Charles an hour or two hours [before telling the public].'

Speaking to The Royal Beat, Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston said that King Charles was only told about the downturn in his mother's health shortly before the news became public

The royal editor has revealed how the King heard the news while at his Scottish home of Dumfries House with his wife Camilla (pictured)

After Charles raced across to Balmoral to be by his mother's bedside, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall  now Queen Consort, as Elizabeth II requested earlier this year  was driven over by car to join him.

It is understood that the Queens daughter, Princess Anne, was already with her mother as she had been undertaking engagements in the area.

King Charles' thorny relationship with the Queen - and how he became closer to his 'Mummy' in their final years together In 1952, when Charles was just four, The Queen and Prince Philip left him and Princess Anne, then two, for six months while on a tour of the Commonwealth, while they took another six month trip a year later. Deciding the gruelling schedule was too long for the young children, Her Majesty left the young royals at home in care of The Queen Mother and nannies, with Charles previously crediting his nannies for his early care. Last year, a royal expert claimed Charles 'wasn't parented' by the Queen and Prince Philip, and instead had a 'Victorian style upbringing with nannies'. Speaking to Channel 5's Charles & Harry: Father & Son Divided, royal author Tom Quinn said: 'Charles didn't receive any parenting.' 'His parents were away when he was very young, he was left with nannies in that very Victorian way.' Charles was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools, both of which his father attended as a child. He later spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia. Prince Harry has since said Charles 'suffered' because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and that the Prince of Wales had then 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer, with whom he had two sons: William and Harry. In 1996, the couple divorced following well-publicised extramarital affairs by both parties. Diana died as the result of a car crash in Paris the following year. And in 2005, Charles married his long-term partner Camilla Parker Bowles. During the Channel 4 documentary Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour and Crown, Clive Irving argued that the Queen 'never really understood' her eldest son Charles and was 'puzzled by him.' Irving also claimed: 'All those around the Queen never measure up to that at any point. Her own family has not measured up to that. Charles never measures up to that.' However in one of her final public speeches, the Queen gushed over Charles and Prince William for carrying on her late husband's work to protect 'our fragile planet'. At Cop 26 in November 2021, the Queen said: 'It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.' And earlier this year, Charles gave a warm, emotional and often witty speech in praise of his mother at the close of the Jubilee Concert. Just his opening word  Mummy  earned him rapturous cheers from the crowd. He described how 'you laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us' in a moving, personal tribute. He added: 'You have met us and talked with us. You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us, for these 70 years. You pledged to serve your whole life - you continue to deliver. That is why we are here. That is what we celebrate tonight.' Charles reflected on the Queen's every-growing family, which now stretches to 12 great-grandchildren, and on her dual role as sovereign and royal matriarch. He said: 'Your family now spans four generations. You are our Head of State. And you are also our mother.' And in a touching moment, Charles spoke of his 'much missed' late father the Duke of Edinburgh, calling him 'My Papa' and saying the Queen's late husband Philip was there 'in spirit'. Following the Queen's death, King Charles III paid tribute to his 'darling Mama' the Queen and vowed to 'renew' her 'promise of a life of service' as he delivered a deeply revealing and personal first address to the nation. The monarch, holding back tears, said, 'To my darling Mama, thank you, thank you', as he hailed Elizabeth II as an 'inspiration and an example to me and to all my family' following her death at Balmoral on Thursday aged 96. In a moving speech that was screened at a service of prayer and reflection at St Paul's Cathedral, the King spoke of a 'time of change for my family' while praising his 'darling wife Camilla' who becomes Queen Consort 'in recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago'. In his speech, the King said of his 'beloved mother' the late Elizabeth II: 'We owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example'. He added: 'To my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you. 'Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May 'flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest'.' The King pledged to dedicate his whole life to serving the nation just as the Queen did at her accession, saying: 'That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today'. Advertisement

Staff hurriedly arranged for a jet to collect the Queens other children  Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York  as well as the Countess of Wessex, whom the Queen adores and treats like a second daughter  and bring them up to Aberdeen.

Her grandson, Prince William joined them. His wife Kate remained with their three children, who have recently started a new school.

The sombre family group arrived in Scotland at 4pm, sweeping through the gates at Balmoral in a Range Rover driven by William at 5.06pm. Although Buckingham Palace has not confirmed the time of death, it is thought that they were unable to see their much-loved matriarch before she died.

By coincidence the Duke and Duchess of Sussex  now sadly estranged from most family members  were in Britain from their home in California and due to undertake a charity engagement in London before flying back home to their children.

There was confusion when their spokesman initially said that both Harry and Meghan would fly up to Balmoral to join the family, which caused surprise as spouses would normally be unlikely to join close relatives at a time of personal grief.

But it was later confirmed that Harry would travel alone and he finally arrived at his grandmothers home at 7.52pm. He was still in the air when the death was confirmed.

The Queens death was finally announced at 6.32pm in a short black-edged statement from Buckingham Palace which read simply: The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

'The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

After the Queen's death, Charles paid tribute to 'cherished Sovereign and much-loved Mother' Queen Elizabeth II in a movement statement.

The statement 'from His Majesty The King' came just half an hour after the 'peaceful' passing of the Queen was announced.

His statement read: 'The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.

'We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother.

'I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

'During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.'

Jack's comments come after interviewer Jenna opened up about the dinner she had with Prince Charles the night before he became King Charles III in the wake of the Queen's death.

The Today host was in Ayrshire, Scotland, last week to interview Camilla, the former Duchess of Cornwall, who is now Queen Consort, about her online book club, The Reading Room.

Bush Hager was supposed to meet with her on Wednesday ahead of their sit down, but Charles ended up taking her place after her British Airways flight was delayed.

'It was a lovely meal,' she told Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin on the Today show Monday morning. 'He first said, "My darling wife was so sad [not to make it].' And I just love [that].'

Bush Hager said she turned to her husband, Henry Hager, who was also at the dinner, and asked: 'Will you call me "darling wife" from now on?'

Charles also told her that Camilla 'cant wait to sit down with you tomorrow.'

'We had a wonderful evening filled with conversation that felt joyful,' the former first daughter added.

Looking back at the dinner, she believes the concerns for Queen Elizabeth's health the next morning came as a 'surprise' to the family.

'We had a terrific conversation, which I'm going to keep to myself,' she said. 'He loves his parents, both of them, and has spoken in great admiration of his family and his mother and his father.'

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died of old age on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99.

Bush Hager, who had been planning the interview with Camilla for about a year, explained that she and her crew were also caught off guard by the turn of events.

'The next morning, we were setting up the interview,' she said. 'We were at their house. Its called the Dumfries House  they actually bought it, redid it, and then gave it to the people of Scotland.'

'The interview was supposed to start around 2 or 2:30,' she continued. 'I was supposed to meet with the now-Queen Consort around 1:30. At 12:30, we heard sort of running up and down the halls.'

Bush Hager said they were 'about 30 minutes away from sitting down together' when she was told that Camilla and Prince Charles  who is now King Charles III  had flown to Balmoral Castle to be with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after doctors became concerned about her health.

'They came in and said, "Can you please be quiet? Theres a call,"' she recalled. 'We were right by then-Prince Charles', now King Charles IIIs, office. They said, "Hes on a call can you please be quiet." Then, all of a sudden, we heard a helicopter.'

Bush Hager was then told that Camilla had to postpone the interview.

They said, "The Queen is ill, and they have gone and rushed off to be with her,"' she explained. 'We just said our hearts are with them.'

She admitted she was disappointed at the time because she was looking forward to talking books with Camila, but it was surreal to be there at that moment, saying: 'It was living history.'

'Our hearts are with not only their family but also all of those that have loved this Queen for decades and decades,' she said. 'As you all know, she is a beloved figure. She's worked with 15 prime ministers. She's just been this cornerstone of steadiness, not only for this country but for her family.'

'My heart breaks, too,' she added. 'In so many ways, we see her as this incredible political figure, but she's a mother, she's a grandmother, she's a great-grandmother, and now she has her family by her bedside.'

'Public grieving is a really difficult thing. The whole UK's heart is breaking for this family,' Bush Hager said.

'I think so many times we see them as this institution, you know, as the royals, but as I spent time with Prince Charles, he's much more. He's a man who I'm sure is hurting terrifically today.'

Since the Queen's death last Thursday, King Charles and his wife Camilla have faced a grueling schedule of public mourning.

Yesterday marked the sixth official day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, and King Charles had vigorous schedule which started just hours after the death of his mother on 8 September.

He addressed the nation the following day in a speech where he held back tears while thanking his 'darling Mama', hailing Elizabeth II as an 'inspiration and an example to me and to all my family'.

In a moving speech that was screened at a service of prayer and reflection at St Paul's Cathedral, the King spoke of a 'time of change for my family' while praising his 'darling wife Camilla' who becomes Queen Consort 'in recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago'.

On Saturday King Charles was officially proclaimed the monarch in a historic ceremony at St James's Palace alongside Prince William and Queen Consort Camilla.

Just this week the new King has been to Edinburgh to walk with mother's coffin to St Giles' Cathedral where it was to lie-in-rest, before heading to Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, then heading back down to London where he formed part of the cortege which returned the Queen to Westminster Hall.

The royal couple were seen landing in Camilla's estate in Reybridge near Lacock, Wiltshire at around 4.30pm on Wednesday afternoon, landing in a field alongside the Queen Consort's home, Ray Mill House.

And today, King Charles was greeted with cannon-fire as he set foot on Welsh soil for the first time as monarch today and Cardiff welcomed the former Prince of Wales - its longest-serving in history.

The monarch and the Queen Consort landed in the Welsh capital by helicopter from Highgrove, where Her Majesty's mourning son had spent the past 24 hours.

Thousands gathered at Llandaff Cathedral and Cardiff Castle to greet the King, who was Prince of Wales for more than 53 years and whose mother the Queen will be buried with her wedding ring - made of Welsh gold - made so she would 'always carry a piece of Wales' with her.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her son Charles in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on June 30, 2022

Millions of people across the UK are also being urged to fall silent for two minutes during the closing moments of the Queen's funeral on Monday - as part of a double moment of nationwide reflection honouring Her Majesty.

The two-minute silence will be held at 11.55am on Monday, during the closing chapter of Her Majesty's state funeral - echoing a one-minute tribute scheduled for 8pm the night before.

Buckingham Palace also confirmed further details of the Queen's funeral which will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am.

The Queen's coffin is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster - the queue for which is currently approximately 4.2miles long with an estimated wait time of at least 9 hours.

The host said they were 'about 30 minutes away from sitting down together' when she was told Camilla and Prince Charles - now King Charles III - had flown to Balmoral Castle to be with his mother, Queen Elizabeth

Jenna Bush Hager, 40, was overcome with emotion as she revealed on the Today show Thursday that her interview with Camilla, now Queen Consort, was postponed

Charles, the former Prince of Whales, was seen leaving Dumfries House and heading to Balmoral as he and his siblings raced to be by their mother's side in her final moments

A continuous vigil of Her Majesty's coffin is kept by the King's body guards which will last until 6.30am on the morning of the Queen's funeral.

At 7.30pm today, the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will hold the Vigil of the Princes ceremony like they did in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh just days ago.

The senior royals are expected to replicate the ceremonial act they performed in Edinburgh, where they 'took guard' of their late mother's coffin for 10 minutes.

Each stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed as part of the royal cortege known as the 'Vigil of the Princes'.

It is understood that the ban on Prince Andrew wearing military uniform, which has seen him opt for a morning suit for public appearances this week, will be lifted as an exception for the final vigil held in London.
She attended the lying in state service for Her Majesty on Wednesday

The Queen's distant cousin Zenouska Mowatt has shared a video as she watched mourners queueing to pay their respect to the monarch's coffin at Westminster Hall.

The 32-year-old, who works as the Head of Marketing for royal-warrant holder Halcyon Days, is the granddaughter of the late Queen's beloved cousin and confidante Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Earlier this week, she joined the rest of the royal family as they attended the lying in State of the late Queen, who died last Thursday at her home of Balmoral.

And it appears the monarch is still heavily on Zenouska's mind, as she shared a video on Instagram of the long queue of those waiting to pay their own tribute to the Queen.

The Queen's distant cousin Zenouska Mowatt has shared a video as she watched mourners queueing to pay their respect to the monarch's coffin at Westminster Hall

Earlier this week, she attended the lying in state service, where she was seen in a dignified black outfit.

Accompanying it was a black pleat grosgrain ribbon disc hat with bow, priced at 1,249 from the Rachel Trevor Morgan collection. She also held a Dior handbag.

Miss Mowatt - the daughter of Marina Ogilvy - was also seen last year at the funeral of the late Prince Philip.

She is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, making her Her Majesty's first cousins twice removed.

Zenouska, who is the granddaughter of Princess Alexandra and a distant cousin of the Queen, filmed the mourners queuing to pay their respects to the Queen for her years of service

Stunning and colourful floral tributes marked the path that the queue followed, which stretched on for miles

Zenouska is the key part of the social set, and is known friends with Kinvara Balfour, film producer and niece of the Duke of Norfolk, and Tiggy Pettifer, formerly Legge-Bourke, the nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry.

She was present at one of the Queen's final engagements earlier this year at Windsor Castle, where the two were seen enjoying a sweet moment together.

The Queen was visited by Zenouska and the company she works for, luxury artefacts by British craftwork firm Halcyon Days, which is held in high esteem by the royal family and has three Royal Warrants.

Sweet images from the engagement showed the Queen and Zenouska sharing a smile with one another as they chatted through various artefacts from the company.

She was present at one of the Queen's final engagements earlier this year at Windsor Castle, where the two were seen enjoying a sweet moment together

The Queen was visited by Zenouska and the company she works for, luxury artefacts by British craftwork firm Halcyon Days, which is held in high esteem by the royal family and has three Royal Warrants

Zenouska is expected to join the rest of the royal family in mourning the Queen at the state funeral on Monday.

Plans for the event have now been released.

King Charles III will walk behind the oak coffin as it is moved from the Houses of Parliament to the abbey

The hour-long service will be attended by royals and other VIPs, and televised around the world

At 1pm, the coffin will be transported to Wellington Arch via The Mall past Buckingham Palace.

Zenouska was pictured standing behind Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank earlier this week

The Queen will then be carried to Windsor, where she will be buried at St George's Chapel by Prince Philip.

It will be the first funeral service at the Abbey - which was the background to much of the Queen's astonishing life, from her marriage to her beloved Duke of Edinburgh to the Coronation - for a British monarch since that of King George II in 1760.

The funerals of kings and queens have been at St George's Chapel in Windsor since the reign of George III.

However, in a break with convention, Her Majesty - who died at Balmoral last Thursday aged 96 - decided her funeral should be in the much bigger setting of Westminster Abbey.

Around 2,000 guests including Prime Minister Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden will attend the service, which is expected to be one of the most watched live events in history.

Scotland Yard has now been tasked with organising the most significant security arrangement in British history for the funeral.
Kate Middleton may have dropped many hints about feeling broody for having a fourth baby - but yesterday it was William who was snapped fawning over babies during his royal walkabout at Sandringham.

The new Prince and Princess of Wales , both 40, appeared deep in thought yesterday as they took part in a walkabout at the Norfolk estate.

The royal couple were seen slowly looking down at a sea of floral tributes in Sandringham, while the Prince pointed down at individual cards and objects.

And when they went on to speak to royal fans in the crowd, it appeared to be the number of babies in the crowd who caught both William and Kate's attention.

The Prince of Wales was seen cooing over one young baby, and putting a hand out onto the little boy to stroke his shoulder.

Kate Middleton, 40, may have dropped many hints about feeling broody for having a fourth baby - but yesterday it was William who was snapped fawning over babies during his royal walkabout at Sandringham

When they went on to speak to royal fans in the crowd, it appeared to be the number of babies in the crowd who caught both William and Kate's attention

William, who is himself a father of three, playfully chatted to the little baby with a smile on his face.

During the chat, Prince William joked that Paddington has 'knocked the Corgi off the top spot' and that the Queen's beloved pets 'won't take that very well'.

Meanwhile Kate, who is known for her love of children and her natural motherly way with little ones, also appeared drawn to a number of young babies in the crowd.

After spotting the moments online, royal fans quickly went wild for the interactions, with one writing: 'Feeling broody, Wills? Dont let Kate catch you!'

Kate, who is known for her love of children and her natural motherly way with little ones, also appeared drawn to a number of young babies in the crowd

It's far from the first time the couple have been seen cooing over babies during the period of mourning this week.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were both seen chatting with a young mother during their walkabout in Windsor last Saturday.

Meanwhile mother-of-three Kate, who has recently inherited the title Princess of Wales, is a natural with children and is often seen making a fuss of little ones while she's out and about at public appearances.

In June this year she was spotted asking a royal fan, Marianne Provoost, if she could hold her baby during an outing to Newmarket Racecourse, Cambridge.

A video of the sweet moment showed the Princess smiling at and chatting with the baby, who she asked if she could hold, telling her mother: 'I love babies.'

The Prince of Wales was seen cooing over one young baby and the mother, and puta hand out onto the little boy to stroke his shoulder

William, who is himself a father of three, playfully chatted to the young mother and little baby with a smile on his face

Meanwhile, Prince William was seen loitering nearby, watching his wife as she cuddled the tot, and Kate was certainly in no hurry to go when he urged her to move on.

As Kate handed four-month-old with Ms Provoost telling the duchess: 'Enjoy your day and enjoy your children.'

The video clips shows Prince William appear to gently tap his wife on the arm, saying: 'It's time to go'.

However, she took her time saying goodbye to Marianne, before handing the child back.

It was not surprising given the Duchess' recent comments about potentially having a fourth child.

During her visit to Copenhagen's Children's Museum earlier this year, Kate admitted she felt 'broody' after meeting with two eight-month-old baby boys and their parents.

She joked that husband Prince William worries about her working with under-one-year-olds because she returns home wanting 'another one'.

During the walkabout yesterday, Kate revealed Prince George 'understands the loss' of his great-grandmother - while his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis 'less so'.

Elsewhere, the royal spoke to one wellwisher about how her children have been coping since the loss of their grandmother last week at Balmoral.

Speaking to BBC's Jo Black today, the unnamed wellwisher, who was amongst the crowd standing outside the estate today, said: 'My daughter asked her how the children were doing, and Kate thanked her and said yes, they were doing well and they were being looked after at school, so that was a nice exchange.'
Sophie, Countess of Wessex has been described as a 'savvy peacemaker' who may be tasked with 'soothing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the Firm.'

The 57-year-old royal, who has been married to Prince Edward, 58, since 1999, will share a car with the Duchess of Sussex at the Queen's funeral on Monday.

It follows the pair being driven together behind Her Majesty's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall earlier this week.

Now according to royal expert Camilla Tominey, writing in the Telegraph, the job of making sure the 'Sussexes are made to feel part of this weeks somber proceedings' appears to have fallen to Sophie.

The job of 'making sure the 'Sussexes are made to feel part of this weeks somber proceedings' appears to have fallen to Sophie (pictured)' according to royal expert Camilla Tominey

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, (left) will share a car with the Duchess of Sussex (right) during the Queen's funeral on Monday. Here they are pictured sharing a car during the procession of the Queen's coffin earlier this week

According to a former aide, Sophie (center) is 'made for the role of mediator' and is down to Earth (pictured with the Princess of Wales, left, and the Duchess of Sussex, right)

The royal expert cites reports of previous times the Countess is believed to have 'stepped in to soothe tensions,' including after the funeral of Prince Philip last year, when she is said to have sought out Prince Harry and spoken with him for some 30 minutes.

Additionally, other reports say Sophie was the first royal to visit the Sussexes following the birth of their son Archie in 2019, driving to the Frogmore Cottage home.

Speaking about the visit, a source told the The Times, that Sophie is 'normal' and has empathy that perhaps others in the Firm 'don't naturally have.'

They said: 'She did the right thing. She got in the car and went over. She has got the empathy and warmth that maybe people who grew up in that family dont naturally have. Normal people would think: this is what you do. You go; you make sure the new mum is OK and see the baby.'

And a former aide of the Countess told the Telegraph that 'Sophie is made for the role of mediator.'

They said: 'That's why she's the Queen's favorite daughter-in-law - she's down to earth and just gets on with it.

The Countess of Wessex (pictured here in Manchester Cathedral on September 15, lighting a candle in memory of Her Majesty) is said to be a 'savvy peacemaker' by royal expert Camilla Tominey

Sophie (pictured in Edinburgh on September 12, following the procession of the Queen's coffin to St. Giles' Cathedral) has been seen looking emotional following the death of the Queen, with whom she was incredibly close

'Like Meghan, shes not only had a professional life before royalty but she also knows what it feels like to be vilified in the press. She understands what Harry and Meghan are going through.'

When Sophie and Meghan share a car on Monday, they will travel behind members of the royal family walking on foot.

Her Majesty's coffin will travel by ceremonial procession along a detailed route through London and then Windsor before she is laid to rest.

King Charles III will one again lead his family members - including Princes William and Harry - walking behind the Queen's coffin when it is moved Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex also shared a car during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth earlier this week

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, greeted members of the public in St. Ann's Square in Manchester Wednesday

After the service the Queen's coffin will be returned to the gun carriage by the bearer party and a procession will travel to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park.

The King and the royal party will take up their same places behind the coffin as when they escorted it to the Abbey, while the Queen Consort and Princess of Wales will travel to the site by car as will the Duchess of Sussex and Countess of Wessex.

The Queen's state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a 'fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign' before she is laid to rest beside her late husband, Buckingham Palace revealed.

The King and the Queen's three other children will also hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening.

Charles III and the Royal Family have said they 'wish to send their sincere gratitude for the messages of condolence received from around the world', adding they have been 'deeply moved by the global response and affection shown for the Queen as people join them in mourning the loss of Her Majesty.'

King Charles looks tearful as he marches with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence earlier this week

The coffin of the Queen rests in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster

Two hundred everyday heroes - including NHS staff who excelled during the pandemic and volunteers recognized in the Queen's Birthday Honors list in June - will be part of a 2,000-strong congregation gathered at Westminster Abbey for the final farewell to the long-reigning monarch on Monday.

Britain's bravest military heroes awarded the Victoria Cross - the highest and most prestigious award of Britain's honors system introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria during the Crimean War - or the George Cross, have also been asked to attend.

Minute-by-minute guide to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19 6:30 a.m. - Doors will close to the public for the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall. 8 a.m. - The doors of Westminster Abbey will open to the congregation to take their seats for the state funeral service. Heads of state and overseas government representatives, including foreign royal families, governors-general and realm prime ministers will gather initially at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and travel under collective arrangements to Westminster Abbey. 10:35 a.m. - Just after 10.35am, a bearer party, found by The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, will lift the coffin from the catafalque. It will then carry it in procession from Westminster Hall to the Royal Navy's state gun carriage, which will be positioned outside the building's North Door. 10:44 a.m. - The gun carriage, drawn by 142 Royal Navy service personnel, will set off at 10.44am. The King, members of the royal family, members of the King's Household and Household of the Prince of Wales will follow the coffin. 10:52 a.m. - The procession arrives at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey where the bearer party will lift the coffin from the state gun carriage and carry it inside for the state funeral service. 11 a.m. - The state funeral service begins. 11: 55 a.m. - The Last Post will sound followed by a national two-minute silence. 12 p.m. - Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen's Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately noon. The coffin will be carried to the state gun carriage. 12:15 p.m. - The procession will set off for Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, following the route of Broad Sanctuary Parliament Square (south and east sides), Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards including Horse Guards Arch, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Queen's Gardens (south and west sides), Constitution Hill and Apsley Way. 1 p.m. - The procession will arrive at Wellington Arch. The bearer party will lift the coffin from the state gun carriage and place it in the state hearse. The state hearse will then depart on its journey to Windsor as the parade gives a royal salute and the national anthem is played. The King and the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales and members of the royal family will depart for Windsor by car. 3:06 p.m. - The state hearse will approach Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor, and join the procession, which will have been formed up and in position. 3:10 p.m. - The procession will step off. The route will be: Albert Road, Long Walk, Cambridge Gate, Cambridge Drive, George IV Gate, Quadrangle (south and west sides), Engine Court, Norman Arch, Chapel Hill, Parade Ground and Horseshoe Cloister Arch. 3:20 p.m. - The door of St George's Chapel will open for the congregation for the committal service. 3:25 p.m. - Members of the royal family who will not join the procession will arrive at St George's Chapel for the service. 3:40 p.m. - The King and other royal family members who are walking in the procession will join it at the quadrangle on the north side as it passes into Engine Court. 3:53 p.m. - The procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St George's Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister. The bearer party will lift the coffin from the state hearse, from where it will be carried in procession up the West Steps. 4 p.m. - The committal service will begin. The length of the service is not yet known but when it ends, the King and members of the royal family will depart from the Galilee Porch for Windsor Castle. It marks the end of public ceremonial arrangements. 7:30 p.m. - A private burial service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended by the King and members of the royal family. The Queen is to be buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. Advertisement

They will join royals, politicians and world leaders in the historic church at 11am. The King will lead his family in marching behind the Queens coffin when it is moved Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.

He will walk with Anne, Andrew and Edward. Behind will be the Queens grandsons Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales, and behind them, the late monarchs son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Queens cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.

It is not yet clear in which order the family will walk in their lines, though earlier this week Princes William and Harry walked side-by-side as the Queen's coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. MailOnline has asked for clarification on the order.

All guests must arrive from 8am and moving elements of the funeral will include the sounding of the Last Post at 11:55 a.m. followed by a two-minute silence in the Abbey and throughout the UK as the service nears its end at midday.

Symbolic artifacts, the Sovereigns Orb and the Sovereigns Scepter With Cross will be placed on top of the Queen's coffin. The orb is presented to British monarchs during their coronation, in a tradition dating back to Charles IIs coronation in 1661. Meanwhile, the scepter, a three-foot-long staff which represents the monarchs power in the secular world, will also be displayed.

The Queen's state funeral will 'unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths', according to The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, the man in charge of the historic day that will see Her Majesty buried with Prince Philip and her parents at Windsor on Monday evening.

The Duke of Norfolk said it was 'both humbling and daunting' to have the 'honor and great responsibility' to run an event that will be watched by billions of people around the globe. He said: 'The events of recent days are a reminder of the strength of our Constitution, a system of government, which in so many ways is the envy of the world'.

The Duke laid out his plans and revealed that the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will mount a 15-minute vigil around the Queen's coffin as it lies in state in the ancient Westminster Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The siblings did the same thing in Edinburgh earlier this week in a ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes.

Buckingham Palace also revealed a minute-by-minute breakdown of the state funeral - the first that Britain has hosted since Winston Churchill died in 1965.

On the morning of the State Funeral, the Lying-in-State will end at 6:30 a.m. as the final members of the public are admitted.

The doors of Westminster Abbey will open at 8 a.m. as the congregation of 2,000 VIPs begin to take their seats, three hours before the service begins at 11am.

At 10:35 a.m., Her Majesty will be carried on the the gun carriage that conveyed her mother and father to their funerals from Westminster Hall, arriving at 10:52 a.m. Her son, the new King, will lead the procession behind.

Moving elements of the funeral will include the sounding of the Last Post at 11:55 a.m. as the service nears its end, followed by a two-minute national silence which will be observed by the abbey congregation and by millions across the UK.

Four billion people globally are expected to tune with the BBC and ITV broadcasting all day in the UK.

The Reveille - the traditional bugle call that awakens soldiers at dawn - and then the National Anthem will take place, and finally a Lament played by the Queen's Piper which will bring the service to a close at noon, when the coffin will be carried from the Abbey.

At 12:15 p.m. the Queen's children and members of the Royal Family will walk behind her coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty begins her journey to Windsor to be laid to rest next to her beloved husband Prince Philip.

The Queen's coffin will be returned to the gun carriage by the bearer party and a procession, including Prince William and Prince Harry side-by-side again, will travel to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park.

The King will once again lead his family in marching behind the Queen's coffin when it is moved. He will walk with Anne, Andrew and Edward, and behind the quartet will be the Queen's grandsons Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales. Just like yesterday, they will be followed by the late monarch's son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Queen's cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.

The Queen's coffin will be carried during the procession on a 123-year-old gun carriage, pulled by 98 Royal Navy sailors using ropes in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria.

She will be accompanied on her final journey by a massed Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force - numbering 200 musicians.

The Procession is formed of seven groups, each supported by a service band. Mounties from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will lead, immediately followed by representatives of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, NHS, along with detachments from the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at Queen Elizabeth's coffin procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall this week

William and Harry showed solidarity by both walking on foot behind their late grandmother's coffin during her lying in state procession this week

Her Majesty's hearse will arrive at the Long Walk at 3:15 p.m., where the public will be able to give their final respects. The procession of senior royals, which will have been formed up and in position after being driven to Windsor, will again walk behind the hearse into the grounds of the castle.

There will be a televised ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor at 4 p.m. on Monday. Some 800 people, including members of the Queen's Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service. As the coffin is lowered into the royal vault the Sovereign's Piper will play a lament and walk slowly away so the music fades.

The Queen is to be buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The King will scatter earth on his mother's coffin at 7:30 p.m. at a private family service.

Her Majesty will be buried next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her father King George VI and mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, for eternity.
Queen Consort Camilla has paid tribute to the people of Wales by wearing a replica of her late mother-in-law the Queen's leek brooch on a visit to the nation.

Camilla, 75, wore the copy of the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch on her lapel as she accompanied her husband King Charles on his first trip to Wales since he acceded the throne.

King Charles, 73, who was the longest ever serving Prince of Wales, is meeting with politicians and officials in Cardiff today as part of his journey around all UK nations as the new monarch.

Queen Consort Camilla wore a replica of the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch on a visit to Llandaff Cathedral for a service of prayer and reflection this morning

The original Welsh Guards Leek Brooch was gifted to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 and was most recently worn by the late monarch at a scaled-back Trooping the Colour in 2020

Diana, Princess of Wales also owned a replica of the brooch which she wore on occasions involving the Welsh Guards (pictured at a parade of the First Battalion of the Welsh Guards in 1990)

The original Welsh Guards Leek Brooch which was designed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 using the drawings of the Welsh Guardsmen.

It was presented to the late monarch as a regimental gift, and was funded by the guardsmen themselves who each paid 12 and a half pence.

In the decades that followed the Queen made sure to wear the brooch at most events involving the Welsh Guards.

Most recently, she sported the heirloom at the New Colours to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle in 2015, and also at a scaled-down Trooping the Colour in 2020 in the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Princess Diana, who held the title of Princess of Wales, also wore a replica of the brooch while watching a parade of the First Battalion of Welsh Guards in London in 1990, when Britain's Queen Elizabeth presented the regiment with New Colours.

The Queen Consort wore all black as she arrived in Cardiff during the period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, but paid homage to Her late Majesty with the brooch

The King and Queen visited the Senedd in Cardiff following their trip to Llandaff Cathedral where they had attended a service of prayer

Queen Consort Camilla wore the brooch today as she visited Llandaff Cathedral with her husband King Charles III on his first visit to Wales since he acceded the throne

The late monarch, pictured at Trooping the Colour in June 2020, wore the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch several times over her 70 years on the throne

The late monarch was gifted the leek brooch in 1960 by the Welsh Guards, who designed it from their own drawings and paid for it themselves (pictured at trooping the colour 2020)

Today marked King Charles's first visit to Wales since he became the monarch, after previously serving as Prince of Wales for 53 years.

He and Queen Consort Camilla were welcomed with cannon fire and cheers as they arrived in the nation.

The royal couple landed in Cardiff Airport at approximately 11.15am before getting into the waiting Royal limousine to take him to Llandaff Cathedral for a service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen.

Cheers from the thronged well-wishers on his route to the cathedral turned to full-throated screams as the King's gleaming maroon Rolls-Royce swept through the city.

On arrival at the cathedral, His Majesty was warmly greeted by Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and faith leaders before being ushered inside.

The congregation, which included Prime Minister Liz Truss and Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland, sang Welsh hymns including the much-loved Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer.

The Archbishop of Wales, the Right Reverend Andrew John, paid tribute to the Queen, saying how she 'had the ability to relate to the man or woman on the Clapham Omnibus, or here, the Merthyr Tydfil Omnibus'.

The service finished with a rendition of the national anthem, God Save The King, before Charles was escorted to sign the visitors' book.

The Royal connection to Wales is strong, with Charles having been invested as Prince of Wales in 1969, whilst his mother the Queen will be buried with her Welsh gold wedding ring - made so she would 'always carry a piece of Wales' with her.
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A schoolgirl who was anxious to meet the new monarch gleefully gave Queen Consort Camilla a bunch of daffodils - before surprising her with a handshake.

Five-year-old Keira Hillebert, whose parents are from Atlanta, Georgia, met the King and Queen at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, where the royal couple attended a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen.

Camilla received the posy from the schoolgirl then reached out to shake her mother's hand. But the little girl, who was looking on, didn't want to miss out on her big chance and decided she wanted a handshake from the Queen Consort, too.

She reached out her hand to touch Camilla's, as if trying to pull it away from the bouquet. Realising what the little girl was hoping for, the Queen Consort quickly put the flowers into her other hand and obliged with a handshake.

The sweet interaction, which was captured by waiting news cameras, prompted giggles from the girl's mother.

The little girl was waiting outside Llandaff Cathedral to meet the King and the Queen Consort with a beautiful posy of flowers. She presented the blooms to Camilla while keeping hold of her mother's hand

The Queen Consort turned to shake hands with the girl's mother, as King Charles looked on. But the little girl didn't want to miss out on her moment...

... so she reached out for Camilla's hand, pulling it away from the flowers so she could shake it (left). The Queen Consort happily obliged and shook the girl's hand, much to her delight (right)

The sweet exchange took place outside Llandaff Cathedral, following a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen

King Charles, who has five young grandchildren of his own, appeared to see the funny side and laughed with the girl's mother and Camilla as she ran between the royals.

Keira recently got her British citizenship and received her British passport on the day the Queen died.

Her mother, Krisi, said: 'I shook Queen Camilla's hand and then Keira thought she was supposed to do the same so she grabbed Camilla's hand and said 'I'm Keira!'

'She then ran off, saying she was cold. They were so lovely and sweet with her and Camilla asked if she had been practising her curtsy because she did it so well.'

The King and the Queen Consort have spoken to countless well-wishers and mourners who have turned out to pay their respects since the death of the Queen last week.

They have been met by crowds in Edinburgh, London, Belfast, and now in Cardiff, as they tour the UK ahead of Her Majesty's funeral on Monday.

The King and the Queen Consort were greeted by thousands of well-wishers as they arrived in Cardiff for their first visit to Wales since the death of the Queen.

They were driven through the streets of the capital to Llandaff Cathedral, having landed nearby in a helicopter.

As the new King set foot on Welsh soil, a gun salute was fired by reservists from 104 Regiment Royal Artillery at Cardiff Castle several miles away.

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen meeting schoolchildren following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen meeting schoolchildren following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III greeted schoolchildren outside Llandaff Cathedral as he attended a service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

King Charles III greeted schoolchildren outside Llandaff Cathedral after attending a service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

Charles and Camilla were met at the landing site by the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith.

When they arrived at the cathedral by car, they were greeted Vice Lord Lieutenant Sir Brooke Boothby, whose wife, Lady Boothby, is close friends with Camilla.

The King was wearing a black morning suit and the Queen Consort a black skirt, suit jacket and hat. Camilla also wore a silver leek brooch, a symbol of Wales, which was a gift from the Queen.

Sir Brooke introduced the royal couple to Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford, High Sheriff of South Glamorgan Rosie Moriarty-Simmonds and Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland, as well as other dignitaries and interfaith leaders.

Camilla commented to Mr Drakeford that they had 'brought the sun' with them, adding that it 'might be the last day of sunshine for a while'.

The First Minister replied: 'We ought to enjoy it then.'

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

The King is seen being cheered by thousands as his car makes it way to Llandaff cathedral today

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort waved as they arrived to receive a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd in Cardiff today

Guided inside the packed cathedral by the Dean of Llandaff, Michael Komor, and Archbishop of Wales Andy John, the King and Queen Consort were led in procession down the aisle by the chaplain to a fanfare before the congregation sang a hymn.

Prime Minister Liz Truss arrived earlier, wearing a long black coat and a black fascinator, and sat in the front row next to Mr Drakeford, Senedd Speaker Elin Jones and Mr Buckland.

A service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth II then got under way, including the singing of psalms by Llandaff Cathedral Choir and a reading in Welsh and English by Mr Drakeford, taken from the First Book of Kings.

In his address, the Archbishop said the Queen has 'graced the life of Wales with love, dignity and courage'.

He added that she was a 'monarch who could surprise and delight us', with the ability to bring people together in difficult circumstances, such as her visit to the site of the 1966 Aberfan disaster, where 144 people lost their lives when a coal tip collapsed on a primary school.

King Charles and the Queen Consort are seen during the service of remembrance for the Queen at Llandaff Cathedral

Charles is seen standing next to the Queen consort as hymns are sung during the service at Llandaff Cathedral

Charles looks solemn as he listens to readings at Llandaff Cathedral during the service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

Prayers recorded by a number of faith leaders including John Minkes, from the South Wales Jewish Representative Council, Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed, from the Muslim Council of Wales, and Bishop of Llandaff June Osborne were then played.

Music was played by Royal Harpist Alis Huws and Catrin Finch, the first ever harpist chosen by the then-Prince of Wales.

Ending the service, the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, was sung, followed by a trumpet fanfare and a rendition of God Save The King. Before leaving, Charles and Camilla signed the cathedral's visitors' book.

The royal couple were then greeted by more than 40 pupils from five primary schools around Cardiff.

Dexter Garland and Ella Noble, both 10, from St Julian's Primary School in Newport, handed Charles and Camilla a mug each with their own artwork printed on them.

The school opened in the year Queen Elizabeth's reign began 70 years ago.

Ella said: 'The Queen said she appreciated it and would make sure to have a cup of tea in it. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the best experience of my life.'

Charles and Camilla then went on a walk around the Cathedral Green to meet members of the local community and were greeted by loud cheers, and cries of 'God Save The King'.

They were handed gifts and flowers, and many people thanked them.

Some people had gathered early in the morning to get a glimpse of the royal visitors, with the first arriving at around 3.30am.

The King and Queen Consort then headed to the Senedd, before processing through the city to Cardiff Castle.

Before departing the Senedd, the King and Queen Consort met members of the Senedd in the Neuadd.

King Charles III made a speech in Welsh, giving his response to the messages of condolence to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, expressing how 'deeply grateful' he was.

On leaving, pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Hamadryad in Butetown, Cardiff met the couple and Osian Powell, 11, presented Camilla with a posy.

The royal couple then did a walkabout outside meeting wellwishers.

There was a small amount of booing from a few protestors but this was quickly drowned out by people singing God Save The King.

It is the first time Charles has returned to the country as monarch, after serving for 64 years as the Prince of Wales, a title bestowed on him by his mother when he was nine years old.

Wales is the last destination on the tour of nations which the couple embarked on after Charles was proclaimed King, travelling more than 1,500 miles around the UK in his first week on the throne.

The royal visit is being televised for people wishing to stay at home.
Nine-year-old TikTok star Everleigh Rose's dad, Tommy Smith, has suddenly died at age 29.

Everleigh's mother, Savannah LaBrant, 29, shared the devastating news via Instagram on Thursday, while asking her followers to 'pray' for her nine-year-old daughter amid the tragic loss.

'Our hearts are incredibly heavy as we process the loss of Everleighs dad, Tommy. He loved Everleigh immensely,' she wrote, alongside a touching photo of the pair.

'As we navigate through this difficult time we kindly ask for privacy so that our family may continue to love on Ev, pray, and grieve with her. Your prayers for Everleigh are so very appreciated.'

Nine-year-old TikTok star Everleigh Rose's dad, Tommy Smith, has suddenly died at age 29. They are seen together before his death

Everleigh's mother, Savannah LaBrant, 29, shared the devastating news via Instagram on Thursday, while asking her followers to 'pray' for her nine-year-old daughter amid the loss

'Our hearts are incredibly heavy as we process the loss of Everleighs dad, Tommy. He loved Everleigh immensely,' she wrote, alongside a touching photo of the pair

Savannah dated Tommy from 2012 to 2016, and she gave birth to Everleigh in December 2012.

Savannah (seen with Everleigh) dated Tommy from 2012 to 2016, and she gave birth to Everleigh in December 2012

Savannah went on to wed YouTube star Cole LaBrant in July 2017, and together, they have welcomed three more kids - Posie, three, Zealand, two, and Sunday, three months.

The couple has become well-known on the web for sharing videos of their daily lives alongside their four children, and has racked up 13.1 million subscribers on YouTube and 29.3 million followers on TikTok.

Tommy's cause of death was not shared, however, his obituary claimed that it happened 'unexpectedly.'

'Tommy gained his wings unexpectedly,' it said. 'He was a father, son, brother, grandson, family and friend to all.

'His love of living life to the absolute fullest along with his free spirit will be missed immensely.'

Tommy's girlfriend, Courtney Santaella, also posted a heartbreaking tribute to the father-of-one, writing that her heart was 'broken into a million pieces.'

'I feel numb and cant think of words to say other than I wish this was a horrible nightmare,' she wrote.

Savannah went on to wed Cole LaBrant in July 2017, and together, they have welcomed three more kids - Posie, three, Zealand, two, and Sunday (not pictured), three months

Tommy's cause of death was not shared, however, his obituary claimed that it happened 'unexpectedly'

Tommy's girlfriend, Courtney Santaella (seen with Tommy and Everleigh), also posted a tribute to the father-of-one, writing that her heart was 'broken into a million pieces'

'What I do know for sure is that I would not be the woman I am today without you. You taught me so much and I am forever thankful that you came into my life and that we were able to make so many amazing memories together.

She said she wouldn't 'be the woman she is today without Tommy,' adding that she will be 'forever thankful' for the 'amazing memories' they made together

'I will cherish those and hold them so tightly to my heart the rest of my life. I know youre dancing and cracking jokes in heaven now.'

While the entire family has gained worldwide attention for documenting their dynamic, Everleigh has especially become an internet sensation - with her and her mom often sharing cute dance videos to TikTok that rake in millions of views.

She also has her own Instagram page, where she has more than five million followers.

It appeared as though Everleigh was close with her father before his death; back in July, she posted a video talking about how thankful she was to have two dads.

'One made me, and one raised me,' she said, adding, 'I love it.'

In a YouTube video posted in 2018, Savannah gave insight into where her relationship stood with Tommy following their split, and she explained that they were 'friends' and focused on 'co-parenting,' adding that he was 'great' with Everleigh.

Savannah and Cole have become well-known on the web for sharing videos of their daily lives alongside their four children, and has racked up 29.3 million followers on TikTok

While the entire family has gained worldwide attention for documenting their dynamic, Everleigh (seen with her dad) has especially become an internet sensation

However, the LaBrant family has faced numerous controversies in the past. In April, Savannah and Cole were slammed for comparing abortion to the Holocaust a 'tone-deaf' documentary

The LaBrant family has faced numerous controversies in the past. In April, Savannah and Cole were slammed for comparing abortion to the Holocaust a 'tone-deaf' documentary released on their channel.

About one-minute into the video, the death counts from various genocides throughout history popped up on the screen as Cole discussed abortion.

It listed the 1994 Rwandan genocide - which left 800,000 people dead - and the 1975-1979 Cambodian genocide - which saw 3,000,000 deaths, according to the video.

It then showed the death toll from the Holocaust, which is believed to be around 11 million people, before it cut to the amount of abortions that have taken place in the U.S. - seemingly comparing the two figures.

The video claimed that more than 61 million people have undergone abortions in America since it was first legalized in 1973, however the couple didn't state where the data came from.

Many people furiously criticized the LaBrant family for collating the tragedy to abortion, and they took to social media to share their dismay.

Back in 2019, they faced fury again after they played a cruel April Fool's Day prank on Everleigh, then six - pretending that they were giving their dog away and leaving her in tears.

About one-minute into the video, the death counts from various genocides throughout history popped up on the screen as Cole discussed abortion

It then showed the death toll from the Holocaust, which is believed to be around 11 million people, before cutting to the amount of abortions that have taken place in the U.S.

The video claimed that more than 61 million people have gotten abortions in America since it was first legalized in 1973, but didn't state where the data came from

Back in 2019, they faced fury again after they played a cruel April Fool's Day prank on Everleigh, then six - pretending that they were giving their dog away and leaving her in tears

One year before that, they were slammed after they were caught pretending to be forced to evacuate their home during the California wildfires - which left thousands of people with no where to live.

One year before that, they were slammed after they were caught pretending to be forced to evacuate their home during the California wildfires

The video began with Cole talking to his viewers, telling them there was a 'huge fire' right by the couple's house and that they 'might need to evacuate.'

Later, it showed Cole and Savannah all packed up with their necessities, before they went to pick up Everleigh from her grandmother's house.

They told Everleigh in the vlog that they were going 'far, far away' from the fire and that she didn't have to be scared anymore.

However, when neighbors claimed that their community was never told they had to leave their homes, many people were outraged.

There were also no mandatory evacuations listed for Ladera Ranch - where the LaBrants lived - on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group website.

'I just think it's really sad they would exploit a situation that's as serious as a fire that so many people were evacuated from, just so they could get more likes or more hits on their channel,' a neighbor told Fox 11 at the time.
Former President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that the country will confront "issues... the likes of which perhaps we've never seen" if he is charged for his handling of sensitive materials after leaving office, implying that such a move by the Justice Department might incite violence from Trump's followers.

The former president claimed an indictment would not prevent him from running for president again and that Americans just wouldn't stand for his prosecution.

Trump: US Will Have "Big Problems"

"If anything like that happened, I would have no reason not to run," Donald Trump remarked in an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt. The presenter inquired as to what Trump meant by issues.

"I believe they'd have major issues. There are significant issues. I just don't believe they'd put up with that. "They will not stand by and watch this final fraud," Donald Trump stated.

It's not the first time Republicans have suggested widespread chaos if the DOJ charges Trump. Last month, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham made headlines when he warned there would be riots in the streets if Donald Trump is prosecuted for mishandling confidential material.

Graham's statements were criticized as irresponsible and shameful, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed the comments from radical Republicans were dangerous.

Hewitt seemed to interpret Donald Trump's remarks as a signal of impending trouble, asking the former president how he would respond if the legacy media accused him of instigating violence, according to Politico.

Meanwhile, in a court filing Monday, Donald Trump argued against allowing the Justice Department to study papers taken from Mar-a-Lago before a special master independently evaluates the materials, calling the inquiry unusual and unwise.

Trump's attorneys opposed the government's two choices for special master in a separate filing Monday, without saying why. Trump's attorneys contended that Cannon could hear their accusations in private.

The government is requesting that the court appoint either Barbara Jones, a former federal judge in Manhattan who served as a special master in the investigations of Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen or Thomas Griffith, a retired federal appeals court judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Raymond Dearie, a former senior federal judge in Brooklyn who previously served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and Paul Huck Jr., a former deputy attorney general in Florida, were nominated by Trump's attorneys.

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In a filing on Monday, the Justice Department stated its support for the nomination of any of its candidates or Dearie. According to government attorneys, each nominee has the extensive judicial experience, having ruled over federal criminal and civil cases, including those involving national security and privilege considerations.

However, the government opposed Huck because of a lack of comparable expertise. Cannon has not established a timetable for naming the special master she approved last week.

The Justice Department notified her that it will appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, the department requested Cannon to ease the ban on investigators reading the materials because individuals who probe criminal cases are also involved in the intelligence review.

In their brief Monday, Trump's attorneys said Cannon's decision to appoint a special master may bring order from chaos in the probe, which they said intended to criminalize Trump's holding off his presidency documents, USA Today reported.

Trump asserted on Thursday that he had declassified every official material he brought to Mar-a-Lago while refusing to explain whether he was aware the records were federal government property.

In their defense of the former president, Trump's lawyers have often used the Presidential Records Act. The government shall reserve and keep total ownership, custody, and control over presidential documents,' according to the legislation.

Trump's staff claims that the legislation empowers him to declare any government document, even sensitive documents, as his personal property. The assertion that a section of the legislation that states that the presidential records of a former president must be available to the such former president or the former president's chosen agent provides him fundamental ownership of the papers.

The legal team has not expressly said that he designated the records as his personal property, merely that he may have done so to persuade the government to drop a criminal action, as per Daily Mail.

Related Article: Donald Trump Refused To Leave White House After 2020 Election Loss to Joe Biden, Claims New Book

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Kanye West has revealed that he has never read a book - and insists that the world needs to 'outlaw stairs' to 'maximize our existence' in a bizarre new interview - while sharing his Elon Musk-inspired vision for his new $15,000-a-year private Christian school, Donda Academy.

Kanye, 45, sat down with Alo Yoga's CEO and co-founder Danny Harris for the sportswear brand's new podcast, Mind Full, during which he compared reading to eating 'Brussels sprouts' and said he thinks humans are eventually going to learn to communicate without speaking - like 'Jedi' from Star Wars.

He also hit back at people who have called him 'crazy,' claiming that it 'hurts his feelings' and insisting that while some critics might not think he's 'right' about some things, he thinks he's just 'not right now.'

The rapper also claimed that he believes society should cater more to elderly people by eliminating all stairs and replacing them with ramps instead, since 'we'll all turn to old-folks' one day.

'We haven't designed our world up to this point to maximize our existence on this planet as a species,' he explained.

Kanye West has revealed that he never read a book, and claimed that the world needs to 'outlaw stairs' to 'maximize' our existence in a baffling new interview

Kanye, 45, sat down with Alo Yoga's CEO and co-founder Danny Harris for the sportswear brand's new podcast, Mind Full, during which he compared reading to eating 'Brussels sprouts'

Kanye said he thinks humans are eventually going to learn to communicate without speaking - like 'Jedi' from Star Wars

'I'm really big on outlawing stairs. We can have up-ramps but not up-stairs. Everything should be designed like an old-folks home.

'If we're lucky, we'll all turn to old-folks. Why, while we're in the position of power to determine what the world looks like and how it functions, are we all selfishly designing and not considering how it should be in the future?'

The rapper also claimed that he believes society should cater more to elderly people by eliminating all stairs and replacing them with ramps instead, since 'we'll all turn to old-folks' one day

Kanye, who split from his wife-of-eight-years, Kim Kardashian, 41, in February 2021, ranted about how people are taught to not be 'expressive' from a young age, and are told to 'use their words' rather than show their emotions.

He also explained that he is now 'practicing and learning a new style of language,' in which he doesn't use words that he feels are 'classist.'

He said people should talk more like Yoda from Star Wars, and only use words that they 'absolutely need.'

The fashion designer shares four kids with the reality star - North, nine, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, three; he added that he thinks that his grandkids or great-grandkids will one day get to the 'level of language' where they don't have to speak at all, but instead, just look at one another, like 'straight Jedi.'

'We had this one moment earlier, where Danny asked me about the fabrics and I didn't even have to say a word. We were communicating with a head nod, like straight Jedi,' he shared.

'That was the one moment that showed where we'll get to, where our great-grandkids or grandkids will get to.'

Kanye, who professed to spending more time watching Star Wars than he did focusing on school, also revealed that he has never read a book.

'I actually haven't ready any book,' he stated. 'Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me. And talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.'

'We haven't designed our world up to maximize our existence,' Kanye (seen in 2015) explained. 'I'm really big on outlawing stairs. Everything should be designed like an old-folks home'

'Why, while we're in power to determine what the world looks like and how it functions, are we not considering the future?' Kanye (pictured with ex-wife Kim Kardashian in 2014) asked

Kanye also explained that he is now 'practicing and learning a new style of language,' in which he doesn't use words that he feels are 'classist'

Kanye made headlines in recent weeks, after it was revealed that he had opened his own school in Simi Valley, California, which is dedicated to 'preparing students to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators by providing them with a world-class education that includes a rigorous core curriculum, and an emphasis on sustainability, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving,' according to its website.

Donda enrollment is believed to cost $15,000 per year, but a statement on its website claims that 'everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation.'

The school currently offers core classes in Mathematics, English Language, and Arts and Science, alongside regular Christian worship and two obligatory 'enrichment classes.'

These include Visual Arts, Film, World Language, Choir, and Parkour - a form of exercise that typically involves running, climbing, and vaulting with graceful, fluid motions from one point to another.

However, a Rolling Stone probe of the school unveiled a number of abnormalities, including a lack of detail regarding the curriculum compared to similar schools.

Information from two sources also indicated that families of those enrolled in the school have been mandated to sign nondisclosure agreements.

During the podcast, Kanye defended his Donda Academy, insisting that the institute is helping to grow the confidence of 'future leaders.'

'I have to be able to throw my version onto the curriculum,' he said. 'The standard curriculums that are there, they show you how to be in today's society and all of that, but we have to balance them.

He added that he thinks that his grandkids or great-grandkids will get to the 'level of language' where they don't have to speak, but instead, just look at one another, like 'straight Jedi'

Kanye (seen with his kids) made headlines in recent weeks, after it was revealed that he had opened his own private Christian school in Simi Valley, California

During the 36-minute podcast, Kanye (seen with Kim and his kids) defended his new school, Donda Academy, insisting that it is helping to grow the confidence of 'future leaders'

'We have to allow for self-confidence. So many schools take away from the confidence that these future leaders have for themselves. Those less confident leaders lead on lying as opposed to leading on the truth first.

'We have to educate the critical mass on esteem, on religions - all the religions. We have to educate the critical mass on yoga, financial literacy, we have to expose information.

'We have to educate on physics - how do things actually work? How do pipes and water actually work? Our school is around engineering.

'Our school is going to expose the engineering of food, shelter, clothing, automotive, computer, hardware and software, financial literacy, and just as a shoutout to Elon [Musk], rocket science.'

Throughout the 36-minute interview, Kanye also referred to himself as the 'black Brad Pitt' or 'black Leo,' and added that he feels he is never wrong, but instead, ahead of his time.

'It's not that I'm not right, sometimes I'm just not right now,' he said. 'I have to be here because it's not a good thing to be too ahead because then you lose the audience.'

Earlier this month, the 45-year-old furiously posted screengrabs of a text argument between him and Kim over where their children should go to school, which he captioned simply with a popcorn emoji.

The kids currently attend a posh private school in Los Angeles, but Kanye evidently wanted them to be transferred to his own newly opened Donda Academy.

In the texts, Kanye raged at Kim, 'You don't have say so of where the kids go to school,' before asking, 'Why [do you] get [a] say. 'Cause you half white?'

He said his institution, which requires all students to sign NDAs, focuses on 'physics' and 'engineering,' and teaching kids 'how things actually work'

Kanye added that the school is set to 'expose' children to 'the engineering of food, shelter, clothing, automotive, computer, hardware and software, financial literacy, and as a shoutout to Elon Musk, rocket science.' They are seen earlier this year

Throughout the interview, Kanye (seen in 2019) referred to himself as the 'black Brad Pitt' or 'black Leo,' and added that he feels he is never wrong, but instead, ahead of his time

Earlier this month, the Kanye posted screengrabs of a text argument between him and Kim over where their children should go to school. They currently go to a private school in LA, but Kanye evidently wanted them to attend Donda Academy

He also aimed a jibe at Kim's mother Kris Jenner, whom he referred to as 'Kris Jong Un' a couple of years ago.

Kim retorted by sending him a message from Kris herself, who begged him to stop berating her because of how much it 'stresses' her at her age of 66.

'Y'all don't have so so over my black children and where they go to school. They will not do playboy and sex tapes,' Kanye fired back, taking a jab at Kim's star-making porn video and her Playboy cover. 'Tell your Clinton friends to come get me. I'm here.'

Days later, however, Kanye returned to Instagram to reveal that he and Kim had seemingly worked things out.

'Hi guys I'm baaaaack. Sorry to take so long to post I just had a good meeting with Kim about the schools,' he updated.

The father-of-four spoke briefly about his highly controversial breakup from Kim during the podcast, explaining that she raises their children 80 per cent of the time, while he watches them 20 per cent of the time.

He also addressed people who have called him 'crazy' over the years, stating, 'People shame the concept of mental health. It is the lowest form of discrimination.

'Even a crazy person can call you crazy. It's an interesting weight to carry. It's like a mark of the beast on my ego.

'I can do something crazy in the best way, but if a random person on the street says, 'That was crazy,' I feel like s**t for a little bit.

'It hurts as a human being, it hurts my feelings. Then I start to talk about how I made all this money to try to compensate for people downing me.'
King Charles has met with the wives and mothers of victims of the Aberfan disaster - a tragedy that was said to have devastated his mother the Queen.

On his first visit to Wales since ascending the throne, the King and Queen Consort attended a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle, where they had tea with the members of The Aberfan Young Wives Club.

The club was set up shortly after the disaster as a group of solidarity for the women in their thirties who had lost children and partners in the avalanche. Over the years the group has met up every week and often takes trips - with its members meeting the Queen several times.

King Charles met with members of the Aberfan Young Wives Club at Cardiff Castle today on his first trip to Wales since ascending the throne

Queen Elizabeth II visited the Welsh mining town with Prince Philip eight days after the tragedy occurred after initially staying away

The Aberfan disaster, which occurred on 21 October 1966, killed 116 children and 28 adults in the village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, when a spoil tip collapsed and thousands of tonnes of coal waste slid down a mountain and covered Pantglas Junior School.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the Queen waited eight days to visit Wales to meet with people who had been affected - a decision she was always said to have regretted.

Although Prince Philip went to Aberfan the following day, it is thought the Queen felt it was best to stay away so she didn't distract from the rescue efforts for people trapped under the waste.

Since then, she maintained a relationship with the people in the Welsh mining village and continued to visit over the years - even sending them a message via her son, Charles, in 2016 to mark 50 years since the tragedy.

The King met with the women who lost both partners and children in the Aberfan disaster on 21 October 1966

While at a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle, the King met with the women, who formed a support group following the tragedy which killed 116 children and 28 adults

The King showed his priority for issues that were important to his mother, the Queen, who always helf the people of Aberfan close in her heart

Queen Consort Camilla joined the King in meeting the women, who had travelled to London several times to meet Queen Elizabeth II

In the message, she praised 'the remarkable fortitude, dignity and indomitable spirit' of the village's people.

When the late monarch did eventually visit Aberfan with Prince Philip in 1966, she was pictured looking incredibly solemn and distressed by what had happened and even shed tears over the tragedy.

Although many criticised the monarch's decision to wait more than a week before visiting the mining village, its residents appeared to be comforted by her presence.

Jeff Edwards, who was eight years old when he survived the landslide, told the South Wales Echo in 2002: 'She came when she could and nobody would condemn her for not coming earlier, especially as everything was such a mess.'

Coun Edwards, who had been one of only four children in his class to survive the tragedy, also told the newspaper the Queen had continued to visit Aberfan several times since 1966.

'The people here admire her and I think they have a strong affinity with her,' he said.

Netflix show The Crown enraged royal fans when it depicted the Aberfan disaster in series three, in which Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth was pictured faking tears.

Royal biographers and fans hit back and insisted the monarch was truly moved by the tragedy, and that her tears were very much real.

After first believing it would be best not to distract from the rescue efforts at Aberfan with a royal visit, the Queen did eventually go to the town where she met with residents amid the destruction of the avalanche

The Queen was visibly moved by the disaster and was pictured looking extremely emotional as she walked through the rubble

Speaking in 2020, royal biographer Penny Junor said the Queen showed 'her humanity' in visiting the people in the Welsh mining village.

She told ITV's Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals: 'When she actually arrived she spoke with families and there was one woman who'd lost seven members of her family.

'The Queen just sat with [a resident], quietly, saying nothing, for half an hour.'

Royal historian Robert Hardman also suggested Her Majesty refused to visit the Welsh mining village until she could control her heartfelt emotions.

He told the documentary: 'Everyone I've spoken to says that the Queen was really worried that she would let the side down. She didn't want to go there and make things worse for these families.

'She was a young mother, Prince Edward was a baby, she knew she was going to be as overwhelmed as everybody else was. And the last thing people want is a sobbing Queen on their shoulder.'
Netflix's new movie about Marilyn Monroe, entitled Blonde, contains a graphic scene in which she is brutally raped by President John F. Kennedy, which has left some viewers disturbed.

The flick, starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, Caspar Phillipson, and Julianne Nicholson, was recently released in theaters and is set to hit the streaming platform on September 28, 2022; and while it showcases some true aspects of the late Hollywood starlet's life, it is said to be a fictionalized take, based on the 2000 novel written by Joyce Carol Oate.

The movie garnered backlash after it was announced that it had received a NC17 rating back in August - which means children under 17 cannot watch the movie, even under adult supervision - especially because de Armas said she 'didn't understand' why it was given such a severe warning.

However, now, it has been revealed that the movie contains multiple depictions of sexual assault and violence - including a horrifying fictional scene in which JFK, played by Phillipson, forces the actress to perform oral sex on him before pinning her down and raping her.

Netflix's new movie about Marilyn Monroe, entitled Blonde, contains a graphic scene in which she is brutally raped by President John F. Kennedy, which has left some viewers disturbed

The flick, starring Ana de Armas (pictured), Adrien Brody, and Caspar Phillipson, was recently released in theaters and is set to hit the streaming platform on September 28

While it showcases some true aspects of the late starlet's life, it is said to be a fictionalized take, based on the 2000 novel written by Joyce Carol Oate. De Armas is seen in the movie

During one part of the movie, secret service agents were seen dragging Marilyn into a hotel room, where President JFK (played by Phillipson) was waiting for her in bed.

'Am I glad to see you, baby. Its been one Hell of a day,' he told her, before he took her hand and put it down her pants.

The president then grabbed the back of Marilyn's head and forced her to perform oral sex on him for over a minute-and-a-half, while the camera focused on her shocked face - during which he called her a 'dirty s**t' and told her things like, 'Baby, dont be shy, come on.'

'Just dont puke. Dont cough. Dont gag. You have to swallow,' a voice inside of Marilyn's head could be heard saying, before JFK ejaculated in her mouth.

Afterwards, the president proceeded to throw Marilyn down on the bed and jumped on top of her as she let out a loud scream.

The scene then cut to her waking up in bed with bruises all over her body, before she ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Vulture described the moment as 'incredibly tense, disturbing, extremely uncomfortable, and exploitative,' while people on Twitter called it 'sickening' and 'unnecessary.'

'The graphic rape scene in Blonde is not for the sake of art. Its for the sake of making up fantasies of a dead woman who once said to not make her a joke,' wrote one Twitter user.

It has now been revealed that the movie contains a scene in which JFK pins Marilyn down and rapes her. JFK and Marilyn are seen together, alongside his brother Robert Kennedy, in 1962

The graphic scene also shows the president forcing Marilyn to perform oral sex on him while calling her a 'dirty s**t.' De Armas is seen in the movie

'I have nothing against biopics that lean into the more farcical, but making up rape scenes to add to the story that is supposed to be critiquing sexualization just feels exploitive,' said someone else.

'Like, how are you critiquing the sexualization and dehumanization of Marilyn when you are falsifying events doing just that when they, as far as we know, never happened?'

Another person added: 'I'm sorry, but it's exploitation. The woman is dead and you're using it as an excuse to show her nude half the time and make it practically a torture porn film.

'The men who seem to support this film really seem to just want to see Ana De Armas nude. Yeah, great analysis of Marilyn's life.'

'I can't believe Ana De Armas thinks Marilyn would be happy with this RAPE FANTASY FANFIC written about her and made into a movie,' read another tweet.

'This whole book could've been written without using Marilyn as a character. Let the woman rest in peace, Hollywood.'

The movie also reportedly features a scene in which film producer Darryl F. Zanuck rapes Marilyn, as well as a vaginal point-of-view shot.

Vulture described the scene as 'incredibly tense, disturbing, extremely uncomfortable, and exploitative,' while people on Twitter called it 'sickening' and 'unnecessary'

The movie first garnered backlash in August after it was announced that it had received a NC17 rating - especially because de Armas said she 'didn't understand' why

She said: 'I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde'

Director Andrew Dominik previously defended the film to Screen Daily, stating, 'Its a demanding movie. If the audience doesnt like it, thats the f**king audiences problem. Its not running for public office.

De Armas echoed his sentiment, telling L'Officiel magazine, 'I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde.

'But to tell this story, it is important to show all these moments in Marilyn's life that made her end up the way that she did.

'It needed to be explained. Everyone (in the cast) knew we had to go to uncomfortable places. I wasn't the only one.'

It has been rumored that Marilyn had a consensual love affair with the President, which was revealed in the previous Netflix documentary, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes.

She famously sang Happy Birthday to him in a very seductive manner at a dinner party in 1962 - but just a few short months later, she was found dead.

For decades, people have speculated that Marilyn, who died from a 'probable overdose' at the age of 36, was killed over her secret romantic relationships with the president - and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
Andrew had not been allowed to wear the uniform until today's ceremony

Prince Andrew, who is no longer a working royal, wore his military uniform

The Duke of York stood guard around his mother's coffin with his siblings

Prince Andrew wore his military uniform as he joined his siblings for a 'final vigil' around his late mother's coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.

The Duke of York, 62, was pictured arriving at the vigil in London with his younger brother, Prince Edward, in his full uniform after King Charles lifted a ban on him wearing the outfit.

On Monday, the Queen's children took part in a similar Vigil of Princes ceremony at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, where they stood around their mother's coffin.

Prince Andrew, 62, who is no longer a working royal, was permitted by his eldest brother King Charles III to wear his military uniform as he stood guard over his mother's coffin

Andrew (pictured) joined his siblings at a ceremonial vigil that replicated that of the Vigil of Princes on Monday night

During that ceremony Prince Andrew was not wearing his military uniform as he is no longer a working royal.

As the Queen's children, along with Prince William and Prince Harry, followed the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Tuesday, neither the Duke of York nor the Duke of Sussex were wearing their uniforms - instead dressed in suits.

However as Andrew replicated the ceremonial act with his siblings this evening, in which they 'took guard' and surrounded their mother's coffin, the Falklands War veteran was allowed to wear his military uniform.

It is thought King Charles lifted the ban on Andrew's dress as a 'mark of respect for his mother'.

This evening the King, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood guard over their mother's coffin in silence for 10 minutes while members of the public filed past.

The Queen's children arrived at Westminster Hall where they stood guard over their mother's coffin in silence for 10 minutes, while members of the public filed past

Prince Andrew was pictured wearing his military uniform as he arrived at Westminster Hall with his brother, Prince Edward, to attend a vigil in honour of his mother the Queen

Princess Anne was also pictured arriving at Westminster Hall with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence

Meanwhile other members of the Royal family including Prince Edward's wife Sophie Wessex, Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, and Prince Andrew's daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, watched on in the stands.

The new Queen Consort Camilla was also present in the stands as the family paid their respects to the late monarch.

Princess Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, appeared visibly moved as he put his hands to his face while watching the ceremonial vigil.

As King Charles lifted the ban on both Andrew and Harry wearing their military uniforms, it is also expected the Duke of Sussex will be allowed to wear it at a separate vigil for the Queen tomorrow night, in what was labelled a victory for 'common sense'.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will reportedly join the Queen's six other grandchildren in a special 15 minute vigil at Westminster Hall.

It is believed the eight grandchildren will pay respects to the Queen by standing in silence beside Her Majesty's coffin - in a scene which will mirror the Vigil of the Princes.
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Members of the royal family were pictured looking solemn and emotional as they watched the Queen's children guard her coffin in a vigil on Friday night.

King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward repeated their ceremonial Vigil of Princes that they had first carried out at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh as their mother the Queen lies in state.

As the children gathered again to pay their respects to their mother at Westminster Hall in London, where the Queen will remain until her funeral on Monday, other members of the royal family, including Queen Consort Camilla, watched in solemn silence from the stands.

Prince Andrew, the Queen's second son, was permitted to wear his military uniform as he paid his respects to his mother, after King Charles lifted a ban on the Duke of York donning the outfit as he is no longer a working royal.

Members of the royal family watched on during the Vigil of Princes in Westminster Hall. Pictured L-R: James, Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Windsor, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Mike Tindall, Zara Tindall, Mia Tindall, Lena Tindall

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi appeared visibly moved as he watched over the vigil next to Princess Eugenie (centre) and Princess Beatrice (right)

Peter Phillips pictured in the stands alongside his daughters Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips

As Andrew, 62, who served in the Falklands, wore the uniform and stood around his mother's coffin, his daughters Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32, watched their father pay his respects.

They were joined by Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, who appeared visibly moved by the vigil and put his hand to his face, as if he was wiping away tears.

Also in the stands watching the vigil were Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, who had served as the Queen's equerry from 1986 and developed a close relationship with Her late Majesty.

Sir Tim has been by the Princess Royal's side since her mother passed away on 8 September, accompanying Anne in the car journey from the Balmoral Estate to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh behind the Queen's coffin.

Her son Peter Phillips, 44, was also present, with his two daughters Savannah and Isla.

Other members of the Princess Royal's family could be seen in the stands watching, including her daughter Zara Tindall, 41, her husband and former rugby player Mike, 41, and their two eldest children Mia, eight, and Lena, four.

Members of the royal family looked solemn as they watched in silence while the Queen's children took part in the vigil, with Mike Tindall bowing his head

Members of the public filed past Her late Majesty's coffin while her children stood around in silence with their heads to the floor to pay their respects

Members of the public who witnessed the ceremony had been queueing for hours outside in a line that stretches all the way back to Southwark Park

King Charles (pictured forefront), Princess Anne (right) Prince Andrew (back centre) and Prince Edward (back left) entered Westminster Hall to stand guard over their mother's coffin in a ceremonial Vigil of Princes

Prince Andrew (back left) was allowed to wear his military uniform to take part in the ceremony after wearing a suit for a similar vigil in Edinburgh on Monday evening

The young girls, who had their hair tied back in French plaits, leaned over the edge of the stands to get a better look at what was happening below.

Other young royals present at the vigil were Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and her younger brother James, Viscount Severn, 14.

Prince Edward's children were accompanied by Sophie Wessex, 57, whom it was announced will receive many of the Queen's former royal patronages following her death.

Sophie appeared to be fighting back tears last Saturday as she stepped outside the Balmoral Estate to look at tributes and messages of condolence that had been left by members of the public to the late monarch.

The mother-of-two was said to have an incredibly close relationship with her mother-in-law and referred to her as 'mama' - and royal sources told the Mirror she was likely to become patron of the Women's Institute and Dog's Trust.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, his wife Sophie and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, leave Westminster Hall

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla depart Westminster Hall after holding vigil over the late Queen's coffin

Members of the Royal Family watched from nearby stands as the Queen's children held another vigil over her coffin

Prince Andrew, the Queen's second son, was permitted to wear his military uniform as he paid his respects to his mother, after King Charles lifted a ban on the Duke of York donning the outfit as he is no longer a working royal

Members of the public were still able to pass by as the Vigil of Princes took place inside Westminster Hall

As the Queen's grandchildren including Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attended the vigil, King Charles's children Prince William and Prince Harry did not appear to be in attendance.

However the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex are expected to attend another, first-of-its-kind vigil to pay their respects to their grandmother at Westminster Hall tomorrow night, in which they will be joined by their cousins.

The partners of each of the Queen's grandchildren are not expected to attend, but in another gesture of respect from King Charles, Harry will be allowed to wear his military uniform despite no longer being a working royal.

Harry and William will be joined by their cousins, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, the children of the Princess Royal.

The Duke of York's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will also attend - while the Earl of Wessex's children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, will stand near the middle of their grandmother's coffin.

The vigil is expected to last around 15 minutes.
A larger-than-life painting of the late Queen Elizabeth has been described as 'the second worst thing' to happen to the monarchy in the last week.

The huge mural which was created by artists Jignesh and Yash Patel covers an entire wall of the Hounslow East Metro Tube Station but has earned little praise.

In fact the artwork, which many describe as being 'more than a little off', has been mercilessly roasted since a picture was shared online.

'I am sure they meant well but Christ on a bike it is awful,' one monarchist wrote on Facebook.

A larger-than-life painting of the late Queen Elizabeth has been described as 'the second worst thing' to happen to the monarchy in the last week

The artist posted this picture before starting the job - to let his community know his intentions - but many argue the finished work looks nothing like what was promised

While others said it is better if you 'squint a little or a lot'.

The painting took the two artists six days to create.

'This artwork will not only give the tribute to the Queen but also will be a piece of art that will be enjoyed by thousands of people across the UK for many years to come,' Jignesh said.

But people struggled to see the Queen in the image.

'It looks more like the Queen mother, did someone send them the wrong image or have they just never seen her before and decided to make it up?' one person asked.

'Just me or is this a hastily repurposed tribute to Charlie Drake?' another laughed.

While many pointed out the resemblance to former US President Donald Trump.

Some people stood up for the artists and said the work was 'quite good'.

The artists argue the picture that went viral doesn't do the finished piece justice

'Better than nine out of ten people could do, it is recognisably the Queen,' one man said, only to be teased.

The Patels posted a picture of their intended mural on September 11, telling the community they were excited to make the loving tribute to the Queen.

They also explained they have been entered into the Guinness World Records five times as artists.

The artists defended their work online and explained the photo which went viral was the 'unfinished piece'.

But others doubled down and commented on the artists' completed work letting them know they 'were not impressed'.
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Britain's preeminent medical journal was today accused of giving hardline Covid scientists too much clout and risking being one-sided with its 'Covid inquiry'.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) last week launched a multi-part series delving into the Government's handling of the pandemic. Editors pledged articles would analyse both the successes and failures.

Yet so far, almost all the published pieces have leaned heavily on members of a left-wing group of experts called Independent SAGE, which has repeatedly criticised No10 for ditching restrictions too early.

The self-appointed panel famously lobbied for a Christmas lockdown last year and called for mask mandates to be brought back during April's Omicron resurgence  despite both waves fizzling out naturally without crippling the NHS.

Influential members of Independent SAGE, which include an active Communist party member nicknamed 'Stalin's nanny', have also previously likened children getting Covid to child abuse.

The BMJ, a 180-year-old publication, defended its decision to feature the group so heavily, despite pleas from top experts to widen its net and end its dependence on 'similarly-minded' voices.

Scientific arguments on how best to deal with Covid have drastically changed since the start of the pandemic in early 202, with vaccines blunting the threat of the virus by morphing it into something that closer resembles flu  a seasonal virus the country lives with every year.

Professor Karol Sikora, a world-renowned oncologist and one of the first to publicly warn of the collateral effects of lockdowns, said there was a risk of the BMJ presenting too much from one side of the debate.

'Denying lockdown harms is futile and regardless of whether you agreed with every restriction, the vast damage is undeniable,' he told MailOnline.

'We need a comprehensive discussion on what went right and what went wrong.

'Investigations conducted by participants purely from one side of the debate will achieve very little'.

The BMJ's editor in chief Dr Kamran Abbasi (left) has defended the publications heavy use of Independent SAGE members in its recent series of Covid articles. These members include Professor Martin McKee (right) from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The prestigious British medical Journal has been criticised for leaning too heavily on a members of a left-wing group of academics called Independent SAGE in its recent Covid coverage

Fury as The Lancet sensationally claims Covid may have leaked from an AMERICAN lab The Lancet, one of the world's most prestigious medical journals, has sensationally claimed Covid may have leaked out of a US lab. Unveiling the results of a two-year investigation into the origins of the pandemic, the magazine's team tasked with uncovering the truth stated it was 'plausible' the virus could have emerged in America. It echoes the rhetoric of Beijing's disinformation crusade, which attempted to divert attention away from the infamous Wuhan site by pointing the finger at a military base in Maryland. While mentioning the secretive laboratory located just miles away from the 'ground zero' of the pandemic, it said independent teams have also 'not yet investigated' US labs. Authors argued the country's National Institute for Health  responsible for carrying out research into some of the world's deadliest pathogens  had 'resisted disclosing details' of its work. Even when discussing the possibility the virus emerged naturally from an animal, the Lancet team said this may be in a creature located 'outside of China'. Virologists told how they were 'shocked at how fragrantly' the report ignored crucial evidence regarding the virus's source. It was described as one of the Lancet's 'most shameful moments.' Advertisement

Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist at Nottingham Trent University and former Government adviser, said the BMJ was relying too much on its close personal relationships with members of the group.

'The BMJ has often relied on people it has close personal relationships with in its Covid inquiry,' he said. 'This has been a problem throughout the pandemic with the BMJs coverage.'

He also said the Independent SAGE group, made up of a variety 26 experts from health and statistics fields, have been keen to attack other scientists' methods during the pandemic in the BMJ but didn't apply the same standards to their own work.

'They are very eager to criticise other scientists for misinformation without applying the same critical eye to their own contributions,' he said.

Independent SAGE famously lobbied for a Christmas lockdown when Omicron burst onto the scene  but quietly softened its stance after the milder variant subsided naturally and the NHS was not overwhelmed.

It also only abandoned its controversial Zero Covid stance earlier this year.

The group had heaped praise on China for its draconic attempts to suppress the virus, an approach credited with crippling economies.

Professor Dingwall also said comments from Independent SAGE members that likened a child catching Covid as comparable to child abuse had been 'rightly described as disgraceful'.

Professor Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the real SAGE, wrote on Twitter that the BMJ's recent Covid pieces were 'strange' and using a group of 'overlapping authors' created a risk of bias.

Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at the University of Reading, said Independent SAGE members may be upset about how Government didn't take their advice during the pandemic. However, he argued it was a mistake to think the advice from scientists was to blame for aspects of the UK's pandemic response.

'Ultimately, SAGE consisted of a group of high-profile academic medics and scientists who will have had differing views, but who were perfectly able to interpret data to tell politicians what it meant; it is a mistake to think they directed government,' he said.

'Independent SAGE are a self-appointed body of well-meaning academics who no doubt cared about the problem, but their opinions carry no more weight that anyone elses.

'Clearly it would not be feasible for government to canvass the opinions of every medic and scientist.'

Professor Trish Greenhalgh (left) an Oxford University doctor specialising in primary health care and member of Independent SAGE, wrote a BMJ article on slamming 'scientific elitism' in the Covid response, while Dr Deepti Gurdasani (right), an ex-member of the group wrote a sperate piece accusing those in power of 'weaponizing children' during the pandemic

Independent Sage members like Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician at University College London and Dr Kit (Christian) Yates have both co-authored a piece in the BMJ in its recent Covid coverage

Professor Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the real SAGE, also voiced his concerns on the the BMJ's recent Covid pieces saying they were 'strange' and that using a group of 'overlapping authors' created a risk of bias

Another critic of the BMJ's recent Covid articles, Dr Jake Dunning, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Oxford, said the journal risked coming across as 'the Independent SAGE newsletter'

Professor Paul Hunter, a public health expert based at the University of East Anglia, said the zero Covid arguments previously put forward by Independent SAGE were severely flawed.

'So far I have profoundly disagreed with much that members of Independent SAGE have said over the last 18 months and consider it not consistent with what most infectious disease experts with a track record prior to Covid believe,' he said.

But, he agreed that Government wasn't broad enough with who it asked for scientific advice, adding the UK relied 'too heavily on modellers during much of the pandemic'.

However, Professor Hunter drew the line at criticising the scientists involved as they only provided advice within their filed of expertise, as was appropriate.

'Blaming scientists for this is not appropriate,' he said.

'You decide which scientists to seek advice from and those scientists give advice within their area of expertise... and the modellers did just that.'

The BMJ, considered one of the most trustworthy scientific publications, has released five pieces under its 'Covid inquiry' since it was launched at the end of August.

One was an introductory editorial, authored by its editor-in-chief Dr Kamran Abbasi, Independent SAGE's Professor Martin McKee and Professor Kara Hanson, an expert in health system economics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

As an advisor for the BMJ's series of Covid articles, Professor McKee helps decide what articles appear.

In the editorial piece, the trio themselves acknowledge that 'evidence is socially constructed and can be highly contested'.

Writing in the journal, they said the series would 'explore how information was misused, abused, and manipulated to feed an ideologically driven infodemic'.

'Many mistakes were made,' the three authors added. 'This is forgivable when dealing with a new virus, but what is unforgivable is that they weren't corrected as knowledge and experience accumulated. It is important to consider whose science counts and why.'

They also launched a scathing political attack on No10's handling of the pandemic.

'Our conclusion is clear: with the toll approaching 200,000 excess deaths the UKs response should have been much better,' they said.

'One message is universal and unequivocal: scientists and health workers on the front line of the response, and therefore the public, were too often let down by politicians.

'True to a phrase first used to describe British infantrymen in the first world war, scientists and health workers during the Covid pandemic of 2020-21 were "lions led by donkeys"'.

On the same date, two analyses were published.

One's main author was Independent SAGE's Professor Trish Greenhalgh, an Oxford University doctor specialising in primary health care and an established critic of the Government's pandemic response.

It looked at the history of the hugely-contested debate on Covid being airborne, a fact originally dismissed by the World Health Organization but later accepted across the board.

Writing in their paper, the team claimed that the delay 'contributed to shocking levels of care home deaths' and 'exacerbated toxic discourse on masking'.

One factor Professor Greenhalgh said could be to blame was 'scientific elitism', with infection control scientists dismissing the concerns from experts in airflow due to the 'youth' of this field of science.

The authors wrote that 'UK policymakers seemed to favour narratives from a narrow group of scientific advisers'.

The second piece published on same day listed eight authors, of which seven were active or former Independent SAGE members, including Professors Greenhalgh and McKee.

These included: Dr Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London; Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician at University College London (UCL); Dr Christian Yates, a mathematician at the University of Bath; Professor Susan Michie, a psychologist at UCL; and Professor Gabriel Scally, a public health expert at the University of Bristol.

The article accused politicians and scientists of 'weaponizing children' in an 'ideological battle' where any restrictions like closing schools or wearing masks in classrooms was framed as 'an unacceptable attack on their freedom'.

They argued the UK was international outlier in its policies towards children and education during the pandemic.

According to the authors, this included both failing to keep infected children out of school through adequate testing, ensuring there was adequate sickness leave for parents and not implementing policies like improved ventilation in schools to stop children from being exposed to the virus in the first place.

They also criticised the Government's own research into infections in schools, which seemingly found children were not a great risk of infection in education settings.

It called one 'highly flawed' for being too short and pointed out another was done at times when infections and class attendance was low.

The article prompted backlash from about a dozen European scientists who wrote to the BMJ arguing the authors' arguments were flawed, and that they used unreferenced and emotional statements like 'weaponizing children'.

Dr Gurdasani, a former Independent SAGE member and lead author of the article, accused critics of the piece of attempting to 'to smear and destroy credibility' of her article and its authors by personal attacks, in comments on social media.

A third analysis, published last week, involved no Independent SAGE members.

Its authors argued that scientific advice sought by Government should be more independent to ensure experts are not restricted to only answering questions posed by politicians as well as more transparent so this process can be more widely scrutinised.

The latest piece, published by the BMJ yesterday, was penned by Professor Pagel and Dr Yates and discussed how scientific modelling should change in future pandemics.

Models predicting the spread of the Covid were produced by teams of scientists and their dire projections of the NHS being overwhelmed were responsible for the Government's endless on/off cycle of restrictions.

Professor Pagel and Dr Yates argued, for the next pandemic, modellers will need to draw from a 'much wider range of sources', and that during the Covid response 'expert input was sometimes too narrow'.

It did not, however, delve into the lack of economic modelling, a major criticism of Whitehalls approach because of the inevitable impact restrictions had on the nations finances.

Writing in the journal, the pair said the topic was 'beyond the remit' of their analysis, adding: 'The inquiry might like to consider separately whether and how economic modelling could have been part of the SAGE remit.'

The BMJ's Covid coverage has already prompted some scientists to ask the publication to pull from a broader group of experts for future articles.

In response to the editorial penned by Independent SAGE's Professors McKee and Hanson, a group of scientists said the journal had much to contribute to the debate about what happened during the pandemic.

However, the experts which include Dr Robert Hughes, an expert in global health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Dr Jake Dunning, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Oxford, said the journal needed to involve more scientists who did not describe themselves as 'similarly minded'.

'It is not a "false balance" when a plurality of voices  with radically different interpretations of complex choices  are included,' they said.

'That should mean including not just Independent SAGE members, but also other professionals who have appraised the available evidence differently.'

They added that: 'In the absence of this we will continue to miss opportunities to improve knowledge and reduce unnecessary harm.'

In a social media post today, Dr Dunning added that the BMJ was risk of coming across as 'the Independent SAGE newsletter'.

In response to the criticisms, the BMJs editor-in-chief said it is 'entirely normal' for some people to disagree with articles they publish, and insisted there was 'nothing unusual' in its heavy use of Independent SAGE authors.

'They are respected scientists and they have written for us before,' Dr Abbasi said.

'Other authors in the series dont work with Independent Sage.

'We dont rule people in or out on the basis of their association with Independent SAGE.'

He added the journal will continue to publish on Covid and dismissed concerns they were stifling debate with featuring Independent SAGE members so frequently.

'We arent closing off the debate by publishing these articles,' he said.

'Readers can post responses to any of our articles and the ones that contribute to the debate, and are free of abuse and personal attacks, are generally published within 24 hours.

'The debate will continue  and we want it to.'

The latest Covid data suggests the virus continues to be in retreat with the outbreak has collapsed to its smallest size in almost a year.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 770,800 people in England were carrying the virus on any given day in the week to August 28  equivalent to one in 70 people.

The figure marks a 14 per cent downturn on the previous week and is the lowest logged since mid-September 2021, ahead of that autumn wave.

Cases also trended downward in Wales (31,500), while rates appeared to be on the rise in Scotland (104,000) and Northern Ireland (38,000), although the statisticians said the pattern was uncertain.

 An earlier version of this article stated that the authors of the BMJ publication did not mention the lack of economic modelling during the pandemic. In fact, it was referenced briefly in the paper, which noted that the topic was not within its scope and suggested that the inquiry might like to separately consider whether it could have been part of SAGEs remit. The article has been amended accordingly.
A man needed to have a ring cut off of his penis using an electric grinder after his 'experiment' went wrong.

The unidentified 38-year-old, of Indonesia, went to hospital with 'severe penile pain' and swelling.

He confessed to medics that the ring, made of metal, had been stuck on his member for 10 hours.

After being quizzed about his unusual injury, the man also admitted that it got stuck during an 'experiment with friends'.

The unidentified 38-year-old, of Indonesia, went to hospital with 'severe penile pain' and swelling. Pictured, a generic angle grinder

Writing in the journal Urology Case Reports, doctors said he was easily able to slip it on and off.

'However, it got stuck at some point and his penis started to hurt,' wrote the team at Dr Soetomo General Academic Teaching Hospital in Surabaya.

WHAT IS PENILE RING ENTRAPMENT? Penile ring entrapment is a rare but often dangerous urological emergency that could cause mechanical and vascular complications. According to medics, a prolonged entrapment of more than 30 minutes could lead to irreversible damage. They have devised a grading system to indicate the severity of penile ring entrapment: Grade 1: Edema of distal penis or partial division of corpus spongiosum and urethrocutaneous fistula Grade 2: Complete division of corpus spongiosum and constriction of corpus cavernosum Grade 3: Gangrene, amputation, fistula or separation of corpora Grade 4: Complete separation of corpus cavernosa Grade 5: Gangrene or amputation Advertisement

The man told doctors who treated him that he could still urinate, but it had become uncomfortable to do so.

Surgeons chose to remove the ring using an electric grinder, which are often relied on to cut through metal.

Doctors able to pull the ring off after it was broken, releasing the man's member.

Cutting metal creates heat, so the mans penis had to be sprayed with 'continuous saline injection' to cool it down during the procedure.

Medics also inserted a metal plate between the ring and penile skin to prevent burn or pressure injury.

Writing in the journal, doctors explained that penis rings reduce blood flow through the veins, which causes the penis and testicles to swell.

The medics said young men often use rings 'to sustain' an erection.

However, prolonged entrapment of more than 30 minutes could lead to irreversible damage, experts warn.

Keeping the ring on for too long  also known as penile strangulation  can lead to gangrene, when body tissue turns black and dies. In rare cases, amputation may be needed.

While each case of penis ring entrapment is managed individually, depending on the patients case, they noted that several patients may not be admitted to the emergency room in time due to a lack of awareness or shame.

Although there is no universally established method for penile strangulation management, ring cutting using an electrical grinder is the most commonly used method.
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Covid may be on the brink of flaring up again, leading experts claimed today amid signs that the virus has already bounced back in parts of England.

Official figures released today showed the nation's outbreak is smaller than it has been for nearly a year, with just 705,000 people in England thought to be infected  roughly one in every 75.

It marked a 9 per cent drop on the Office for National Statistics' previous weekly estimate.

While cases have been plunging nation-wide since mid-July, scientists predict they will inevitably spike again over the coming weeks as people spend more time indoors, pupils return to classrooms and students head back to uni.

Separate NHS data also show Covid admissions are already rising in the South West, prompting fears that a similar trend could crop up across the rest of the country.

But experts have said there is no need to panic. Professor Paul Hunter, one of the country's most respected Covid commentators, from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline that cases 'look as though they've plateaued at the moment'.

British Medical Journal faces backlash from leading scientists for publishing ANOTHER 'one-sided' Covid inquiry piece Britain's preeminent medical journal was today accused of giving hardline Covid scientists too much clout and risking being one-sided with its 'Covid inquiry'. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) last week launched a multi-part series delving into the Government's handling of the pandemic. Editors pledged articles would analyse both the successes and failures. Yet so far, almost all the published pieces have leaned heavily on members of a left-wing group of experts called Independent SAGE, which has repeatedly criticised No10 for ditching restrictions too early. The self-appointed panel famously lobbied for a Christmas lockdown last year and called for mask mandates to be brought back during April's Omicron resurgence  despite both waves fizzling out naturally without crippling the NHS. Influential members of Independent SAGE, which include an active Communist party member nicknamed 'Stalin's nanny', have also previously likened children getting Covid to child abuse. The BMJ, a 180-year-old publication, defended its decision to feature the group so heavily, despite pleas from top experts to widen its net and end its dependence on 'similarly-minded' voices. Scientific arguments on how best to deal with Covid have drastically changed since the start of the pandemic in early 202, with vaccines blunting the threat of the virus by morphing it into something that closer resembles flu  a seasonal virus the country lives with every year. Advertisement

He added: '[The] big issue is how many cases we will see as we move towards Christmas. We would expect to be seeing it going up.'

Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday (September 19) and ceremonial events held over the last week to mark her passing sparked suggestions that the massive crowds could fuel the spread of the virus.

However, Professor Hunter said he does not believe the events will 'play much of a role' in rising rates.

Following the Platinum Jubilee in June, 'although cases went up, they went up too soon to be due to the Jubilee and it was probably more to do with the school holidays and people going overseas, rather than mass gatherings', he told MailOnline.

The Women's Euros, considered another source of mass gathering, had barely 'any real impact' on rates either, he added.

Weekly estimates published by the ONS, which are closely watched by the Government, are considered the most accurate way of tracking the shape of the UK's outbreak.

Unlike the toll of reported infections, which has been wildly inaccurate since the mass testing scheme was wound down in April, it doesn't rely on Britons testing themselves and reporting the result.

Cases also fell in Wales (28,200, down 11 per cent) and Northern Ireland (33,700, down 12 per cent), although the ONS weren't entirely confident in the overall trend.

However, in Scotland, prevalence rose to 113,500  a 9 per cent increase on the previous week.

The figures  reflecting the week ending September 5  are based on swabs from a representative sample which includes thousands of people.

When broken down by region, it showed that cases were rising in South West and Yorkshire (prevalence of 1.5 per cent) and The Humber (1.3 per cent).

Separate NHS England statistics released yesterday also show a sharp increase in the average number of Covid hospital admissions in the South West, compared to the previous week.

Between September 5 and September 12, the regions admissions rose by almost a fifth (18.9 per cent) from an average of 43 per day to 52.

But, in total, an average of 519 Covid-infected people were admitted to hospitals with the virus in England in the week to September 12  eight times lower than levels seen at the peak. Not all of these patients are necessarily ill with the virus.

Meanwhile, the figures also reveal there were 4,540 people in hospital with the virus in the week to September 14  the lowest level in three months and seven times lower than the peak of 34,000 in January 2021.

Despite the expected rise in the coming weeks, Liz Truss's Government is unlikely to bring back any curbs after her old boss Boris Johnson chose the 'living with Covid' approach.

Under the blueprint designed to free Britain from its Covid shackles in a post-lockdown world, mandatory isolation rules, free testing and work from home guidance was scrapped.

Ministers instead put their confidence in vaccines, which have drastically blunted the threat of the virus over time, morphing it into something that closer resembles flu  a seasonal virus the country lives with every year.

Last week saw the official launch of the Covid autumn booster programme, which is now open to the over-65s, carers and pregnant women.

Some 26 million people in the UK will be offered their booster top-up in the coming months.

And according to data released by NHS England, as of yesterday (September 15), more than 550,000 had already received their jab.

Health officials have stressed getting any booster is more important than the type of vaccine used, as they say the new bivalent vaccines probably only offers marginally better protection.

The approach is in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the panel of top experts advising the Government on the roll-out.

It said the top-up campaign is needed to keep immunity high this winter and protect the NHS from another spike in admissions as it attempts to tackle its record backlog amassed during the pandemic.
More than fourteen rabbits have died from a highly contagious virus that can be spread by humans, environmental authorities have warned.

Veterinarians in Connecticut and South Carolina disclosed the sudden deaths from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type-2 (RHDV2) in feral herds this week, with thirteen in Connecticut dying within a day of each other.

The virus is a 'serious threat' to rabbits, killing seven-in-ten of those it infects, and leaving them suffering bloody noses and mouths and struggling to breathe.

Humans cannot catch the virus, experts say, but they can transmit the disease via hands or shoes. Owners are being told to wash their hands with warm soapy water before going to rabbitries and not let their pets interact with wild rabbits.

The case marks the first time the virus has been detected in South Carolina. It reached the U.S. in 2018 and has since spread to 19 states across both the western and eastern coasts of the country.

Rabbits are being killed by a virus that is fatal to 70 percent of those it infects (fil photo)

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture revealed the sudden die-off in Hartford County, near New York, in feral rabbits  classified as domesticated rabbits that have escaped.

And in South Carolina the Clemson University Veterinary Diagnostic Center revealed the RHDV2 diagnosis in the Grenville area, in the north of the state.

Both said the remaining members of the herd have now been quarantined in hutches to avoid the disease spreading to other groups.

It is not clear how the rabbits became infected, although the virus can be transmitted through bedding, water and hay that was touched by infected rabbits.

It is known in domestic populations in Connecticut, but has not previously been detected in wild herds.

Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins University, told DailyMail.com people are 'not impacted' by the disease.

'It is only an infection of [rabbits],' he said, adding that 'humans are not known to be susceptible'.

Rabbits infected with the virus may suffer lethargy, conjunctivitis, difficulty breathing and have bloodstained noses or mouths.

Death occurs within one day to two weeks of becoming infected.

There is no cure for the disease, with authorities instead relying on prevention methods to stop the virus spreading.

It is already known in wild rabbit populations across the western United States.

But it has also been detected among domestic rabbits on both sides of the country, suggesting a risk that it may now be spreading.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that those concerned about the disease spreading to their rabbits should always wash their hands with warm soapy water before entering their rabbit area.

It also says all equipment should be sanitized before being returned to the rabbitry, and any new rabbits added to the herd should be quarantined for 30 days to ensure they do not have the disease.

Owners should also avoid allowing pet or wild rabbits to interact, and should not allow visitors to handle their rabbits without wearing protective gear such as gloves and shoe covers.
Indiana passed a near-total abortion ban, the first in the United States since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, with narrow exceptions despite widespread criticism.

Lawmakers passed the legislation that bans most procedures in a special session in early August. It also includes narrow exceptions for rape, incest, and certain serious medical complications and emergencies.

Indiana's Near-Total Abortion Ban

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statement soon after lawmakers approved the bill, saying that he was signing it into law as part of a promise he had made to "support legislation that made progress in protecting life." The Indiana governor said that the law includes "carefully negotiated exceptions to address some of the unthinkable circumstances a woman or unborn child might face."

Several reproductive rights groups, including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and others, are now challenging Indiana's law in state court. A hearing, in that case, is scheduled for Sept. 19, four days after the law's effective date.

Abortion providers in the state will not be able to offer the procedure in most situations and Whole Woman's Health of South Bend said it would be forced to stop providing abortions. However, they said that they would continue operating their clinic there to provide "support to all who seek abortion services, and to continue its activism and organizing to roll back cruel, unjust anti-abortion laws," as per NPR.

Furthermore, the group also noted that affiliates in other several other states, including neighboring Illinois, would continue to offer medication abortion, where the pills are legal, and to help patients travel for abortions.

Read Also: Republicans Begin To Back Away From Restrictive Abortion Bans Amid Widespread Criticism

Indiana's near-total abortion ban will affect patients well beyond the state, said Tamarra Wieder, the state director for Planned Parenthood in neighboring Kentucky. In that region, there is currently no abortion access as a result of two anti-abortion laws that took effect in June.

According to CNN, under the newly-passed law, abortion clinics are no longer considered state-licensed facilities and cannot provide abortions. The legislation now requires that all abortions be performed in a licensed hospital, or an ambulatory outpatient surgical center majority owned by a licensed hospital.

Widespread Criticism

Abortion providers who perform the surgery in violation of the law are subject to a criminal penalty of up to six years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000. The state already prohibits medication abortion after eight weeks of postfertilization age.

Last month, abortion providers and a nonprofit that operates a pregnancy resource center in the state have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the ban from taking effect. They argued that the law "will infringe on Hoosiers' rights to privacy, violate Indiana's guarantee of equal privileges and immunities, and violate the Constitution's due course of law clause through its unconstitutionally vague language.

Due to the near-total abortion ban in Indiana, patients will most likely head to Ohio or Illinois, where they will face waiting lines that have varied from several days to weeks. On Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced that it had added abortion services at its clinic in Champaign, just across the Indiana border, the Washington Post reported.



Related Article: Graham Promises Vote on 'Abortion Ban' If GOP Retakes House, Senate After Midterm Elections

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A Cincinnati man has re-discovered the nose ring he lost five years ago  lodged in his lung.

Joey Lykins, 35, was rushed to the ER late last month with a severe cough and a feeling that 'something was blocking [his] airways'.

Doctors feared these were warning signs of pneumonia, but X-rays showed the groundskeeper actually had a 0.6-inch  which he had worn in his septum  embedded inside the upper left lobe of his lung.

Lykins believes he inhaled the piece of metal during his sleep, saying that one morning five years ago he woke up to find it was missing and after 'turning my bedroom upside down' decided it was lost and bought another.

There are several anecdotal reports of people swallowing or inhaling nose piercings online, often after they have been loosened. Experts say this is normally 'safe', but jewelry that's larger, pointed or has a rough texture could get stuck or tear tissue.

Joey Lykins, 35, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, was shocked when doctors showed him the above scan revealing the nose ring in his lungs. He was taken to the ER after developing a serious cough that doctors thought was pnuemonia

Lykins (pictured above with another septum piercing and in hospital) believes he inhaled the septum retainer during his sleep. He said one morning five years ago he woke up to find it wsa missing and, after turning his room 'upside down' bought another

The septum retainer  which the groundskeeper had previously worn for three to four years  is now being kept as a souvenir. It is shown above after having been removed

Lykins said his wife Jennifer, 41, was 'dumbfounded' by the discovery. He is a big fan of piercings and has about 12 on his body

Lykins suggested that he may have swallowed the jewel  which he'd been wearing for three to four years beforehand  during his sleep.

Knocks to the nose can loosen jewelry and cause it to 'pop out' into one nostril. This could then be inhaled through the nasal cavity, or fall into the mouth where it could be swallowed or inhaled.

What are the risks with nose piercings? Doctors warn that nose rings pose several risks to the body. These are: Allergic reaction : In some cases people may be allergic to part of the jewelry  such as nikel;

: In some cases people may be allergic to part of the jewelry  such as nikel; Skin infections : The tear created for the piercing may become infected, especially if the equipment used was not properly sanitized. This could cause redness, pain, swelling and a puss-like discharge. In serious cases, it can also lead to scarring;

: The tear created for the piercing may become infected, especially if the equipment used was not properly sanitized. This could cause redness, pain, swelling and a puss-like discharge. In serious cases, it can also lead to scarring; Inhaling : In some cases the jewelry can be breathed in. This could risk it becoming lodged in the throat, or tearing tissue;

: In some cases the jewelry can be breathed in. This could risk it becoming lodged in the throat, or tearing tissue; Bloodborne disease : If the equipment used is contaminated, it could give a patient hepatitis;

: If the equipment used is contaminated, it could give a patient hepatitis; Trauma : Jewelry can get caught or torn out, damaging surrounding tissue and potentially leaving someone needing stitches. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Doctors were unsure why the jewelry had triggered the cough now rather than five years ago, although this could be because the scar tissue surrounding it had grown too large or due to it being moved slightly inside the lung.

When Lykins was first brought the scans, he exclaimed: 'Are you kidding me? I've been looking for that!'

Three days after the scan at The Christ Hospital, in Cincinnati, he returned for the piercing  which was surrounded by scar tissue  to be removed.

Doctors put him under anesthetic and performed a bronchoscopy, a procedure normally used to help diagnose infection, clear blockages or remove objects from the lungs.

In the procedure, a pipe is slowly passed down the patient's throat and into the affected lung.

It can then latch onto the object and is then gently pulled back up to remove it.

Lykins said he was keeping the metal bar  that cost about $8  as a souvenir.

'I'm glad it didn't puncture my lung,' he said.

'It had never caused me problems, I've coughed but I never thought too much of it.

'I didn't know what was going on but I never though that's what it was. I've never heard of it happening before.'

Lykins  who has 12 piercings  said when he told wife Jennifer, 41, about the scan she was 'dumbfounded' and insisted on seeing the X-ray images.

He suffered no complications from the surgery.

Lykins is not the first person to suffer this bizarre phenomena.

A medical report from the American College of Chest Physicians in 2020 records a case where a 26-year-old woman's nose ring became stuck in the tube leading to her right lung.

The woman said she was loosening the ring when she suddenly sneezed, and sucked it into her windpipe.

The above shows the septum retainer inside the lungs and how it looked after it was removed

Lykins pictured with wife Jennifer, 41, at their home in Cincinnati, Ohio

X-rays revealed it had become lodged in her right bronchus  the tube leading to her lung. It was removed using a bronchoscopy.

Dr Niket Sonpal, a physician at Touro College in New York, previously told New York-based beauty publication Byrdie local publication that it is normally safe to swallow nose jewelry unless it has a pointed end or rough texture.

'Odds are, these types of jewelry will also pass through the digestive system without issue,' he said, 'but the risk of damage to the tissue of the internal organ they must travel through is more present.'

He warned that swallowing a barbell was more risky because it was long and had a pointed edge on one end, which could harm tissue.
Regular vape users could be putting themselves at risk of suffering obstructions to their lungs' airways and asthma like symptoms, a new study finds.

Researchers at Harvard University found that chronic vapers were suffering severe lung damage after years of using the devices - a worrying prospect as prevalence of the devices grows among teenagers and young adults.

Nearly 10 percent of Americans - and more than one-in-four high schoolers - are regular e-cigarette users, according to official figures. The devices have been the target of regulators during the Biden administration, with many fearing that their proliferation will cause a surge in lung issues like cancer, popcorn lung, and COPD in the coming decades.

Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at John's Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, told DailyMail.com that these findings are not surprising, but should serve as a warning that vaping can cause significant lung damage and carries more risks than many may believe.

A study finds that people who used e-cigarettes regularly for three or more years suffered damage to their airways of their lungs, and symptoms similar to asthma (file photo)

'Our investigation shows that chronic pathological abnormalities can occur in vaping exposure,' Dr David Christiani, a professor of medicine at Harvard and senior author of the study, said in a statement.

Researchers, who published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence on Monday, performed case studies of four chronic vape users for the study.

Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at John's Hopkins, warns that younger vape users are potentially causing permanent damage to their lungs by using the devices

Each had between a three-to-eight year history of using the devices, and all were suffering from some sort of chronic lung disease.

The patients all underwent clinical evaluations that included chest imaging, tests of their lung functions and a lung biopsy - where small amounts of tissue are removed and tested for cancer or other disease.

All of the patients were suffering from some form of lung damage. They suffered from small airway obstructions, similar to what a person may suffer when they have asthma.

Galiatsatos said that these types of obstruction can make it hard for a person to exhale, leading to them developing a chronic cough.

Researchers also found a protein in the mucus layer of the lungs, which can obstruct the lung's airways.

'All four individuals we studied had injury localized to the same anatomic location within the lung, manifesting as small airway-centered fibrosis with constrictive bronchiolitis, which was attributed to vaping after thorough clinical evaluations excluded other possible causes,' Dr Lida Hariri, an associate professor at Harvard and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Luckily, the damage was not irreversible. When a person stopped vaping for one to three years, some of the damage was undone as their body healed.

Expert warns that up to 95% of people who develop severe 'popcorn lung' as a result of vaping will DIE within five years While some may see vape and e-cigarette devices as safe alternatives to cigarettes, experts warn that users can develop the devastating condition 'popcorn lung' - and that those who suffer the most severe case are unlikely to survive. Bronchiolitis obliterans, the official medical diagnosis for popcorn lung, occurs when a person's lungs become significantly scarred due to the inhalation of dangerous chemicals or via an infection of some sort. Experts are warning that many users of electronic nicotine devices - like Juuls - are developing the condition at alarming rates, especially at younger ages where these types of conditions are rare. Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University tells DailyMail.com that those who suffer the most severe cases of the condition will likely die from respiratory failure within five years of it developing. Controversy around these devices has reemerged in recent weeks after the Food and Drug Administration chose to pull Juul products from shelves, before allowing the company temporary reprieve as it reevaluated its decision. Advertisement

'We also observed that when patients ceased vaping, they had a partial reversal of the condition over one to four years, though not complete due to residual scarring in the lung tissue,' Hariri explained.

The findings are still worrying for Galiatsatos, though. as many younger vape users are significantly damaging their lungs before they are even finished developing.

'The lungs are still growing [in younger age groups],' he explained.

younger age groups],' he explained.

'Your lungs really continue rolling up until about the age of 35. So if you're introducing things that are causing pulmonary symptoms that early, you're setting up to be chronic patients.

'Maybe there's a reversibility to it, if we can get them off the products, but if they continue to use it we're looking at a permanent damage that may be irreversible.'

Vaping and e-cigarette use among younger Americans has been described as a 'crisis' by leading health officials, like Dr Sunjay Gupta.

Around two million U.S. teenagers report using the devices regularly - with the number having spiked in recent years.

Many are unaware of the dangers of the devices either. While use of e-cigarettes has not been linked to cancer in the same way that cigarettes have, Galiatsatos warns that other conditions like 'popcorn lung', COPD and asthma could strike frequent vapers.

'There are plenty of other scary non cancer things that can happen to the lungs when you introduce noxious chemicals,' he explained.

'That should always gain our concern. Right? Chronic lung diseases are a top three causes of global deaths around the world.'

Preventing spikes conditions tied to nicotine use have become a priority for U.S. regulators in recent years.

To limit rises in teen smoking, the FDA banned fruit flavored e-cigarette devices, and forced each company to apply individually to allow their products to remain on shelves.

Juul Labs, whose products became the face of the dangerous underage smoking trend after they shot to popularity in the 2010s, had its application rejected by the FDA in June.

The devices were temporarily pulled from shelves before the FDA issued a stay on its decision to give the agency time to review more scientific evidence.
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Dacia is best known for selling some of the cheapest cars on the market fitted with sparse levels of equipment, but its latest creation goes a step further by having no doors, windows or even a windscreen.

It's called the Manifesto and is a concept vehicle that the car maker won't ever produce but highlights features you will soon see in its motors and signals its intention to grow its off-road model line-up in the future.

The all-wheel-drive buggy is electric powered and designed for outdoor adventure types. It would be ideal for campers, with a small removable battery that can be ejected from the back of the vehicle and used to power a kettle or portable stove, a detachable headlight that becomes a torch and seat covers that double as sleeping bags.

A car for campers: This is the Dacia Manifesto Concept - a stripped-out electric buggy designed with adventure types in mind. The manufacturer says it's a 'lab for ideas' and won't be produced, but some of the features will be used in future models

The vehicle is a one-of-a-kind fully-operating concept - and will likely remain that way.

Dacia refers to the Manifesto Concept as a 'lab for ideas' for features it will likely bring to market in the next few years.

Its French parent company, Renault, has this week outlined the direction for the brand going forward, earmarking a continued focus on low-cost mobility with cars that feature only the 'essentials' to make them robust and capable of off-road adventures.

The buggy appears to fit many of the criteria, though it does raise a few questions about what should be deemed an 'essential'.

While we'd argue that doors are a necessity, as well as windows and a windshield, Dacia says that by not having these features the Manifesto has 'no barriers between the passengers and the environment' so that they can be 'fully immersed in nature'.

It shouldn't scare off any wildlife as it approaches, with the one-off concept powered by an electric drivetrain - though no details about the battery size, electric motors, range or charging times has been released by the Romanian outfit.

Dacia's parent company, Renault, has put forward a proposal for the brand heading into the next decade, saying it will expand into the off-road market but continue to be affordable by offering only 'essential' equipment...

The Manifesto does raise a few questions about what is deemed 'essential'. While we'd argue that doors are a necessity, as well as windows and a windshield, the buggy has none of these

It has been created with campers in mind, offering a vehicle with 'no barriers between the passengers and the environment' so that they can be 'fully immersed in nature'

Instead, Dacia puts a greater focus on the features it offers - some of which have never before been seen.

That includes its seat covers, which can be detached from the chair and used by the driver and their passengers as sleeping bags. Even the headrests detach to be used as pillows.

The single headlight unit can also be lifted out of the vehicle and used as a camping torch that will light up a fairly sizeable site.

It also has a small battery pack that ejects out of the back of the buggy. It is stored under the hard-wearing work surface, which the Manifesto has instead of a conventional boot.

This provides a handy charging solution for those who might need to power their phones or cooking equipment while on an outdoors holiday, hiking or taking part in an expedition.

Some of the headline features are clever, but unlikely to ever see the light of day. That includes these seat covers, which can be detached and become sleeping bags. Even the headrests can be removed to be used as little pillows

The single headlight unit can also be lifted out of the vehicle and used as a camping torch. It should produce a strong enough beam to light up a fairly sizeable site

It also has a small battery pack that ejects out of the back of the buggy (can be seen here to the bottom left)

The small battery can be unclipped from the vehicle and used as a handy charging solution for those who might need to power their phones or cooking equipment while on an outdoors holiday, hiking or taking part in an expedition

While these features are unlikely to ever see the light of day in a mass-produced Dacia, there are some elements that could make the cut for future vehicles.

This includes a dashboard that allows users to integrate their smartphone into the dashboard. While this isn't an entirely new idea, Dacia's design does make it look like the device is part of the cabin.

It appears this will be the direction going forward for the brand, with a smartphone operating the navigation and controlling the radio meaning the company doesn't need to fit its no-frills vehicles with expensive screens and software.

Also debuting in the Manifesto is the 'YouClip' system - a variety of attachments that act as cup holders and storage solutions that can be placed in various positions around the vehicle's interior. 'This pioneering idea will be built into future Dacia models,' the brand confirms.

While a lot of the features are unlikely to be seen in a production Dacia, others might be retrofitted across its range at a later day. This includes the YouClip' system - a variety of attachments that act as cup holders and additional storage solutions

The Dacia's dashboard is made from cork, meaning explorers who don't want to use a sat-nav can pin a map to it instead

Should Dacia take the highly-unlikely decision to make the Manifesto a reality, it would certainly be able to take campers to locations most vehicles couldn't reach, thanks to its generous ride height, four-wheel-drive system and tough construction

On return from the boggiest of trips, the entire vehicle - inside and out - can be jet washed, with the interior 100% waterproof and made mostly from recycled materials

The external bungee straps for holding additional luggage might be a little too extreme to make it to production, though, as may be the exposed storage compartments on the bonnet below where the windscreen should be, which are covered with waterproof sheets.

A new modular roof rack system is also debuted, which can be adjusted and reconfigured to carry different loads - another feature that could be seen on production models further down the line.

Should Dacia bosses take the highly-unlikely decision to make the Manifesto a reality, it would certainly be able to take campers to locations most vehicles couldn't reach, thanks to its generous ride height, four-wheel-drive system and tough construction.

It also has airless tyres, so you don't have to be worried about a puncture leaving you stranded at the top of a mountain.

The Manifesto features airless tyres - technology that is being developed by the major tyre manufacturers. It would mean a driver wouldn't have to worry about a puncture leaving them stranded at the top of a mountain

The main body parts are a plastic material called Starkle, which is polypropylene with a flecked effect to make it look more appealing

This modular roof rack system also debuts on the Manifesto, which can be adjusted and reconfigured to carry different loads - another feature that could be seen on production models further down the line

On return from the boggiest of trips, the entire vehicle - inside and out - can be jet washed, with the interior 100 per cent waterproof and made mostly from recycled materials.

The main body parts are a plastic material called Starkle, which is polypropylene with a flecked effect to make it look more appealing, while the dashboard is made from cork, meaning explorers who don't want to use a sat-nav can pin a map to it.

Commenting on Manifesto, David Durand, Dacia's design director said: 'As well as being a designer object, Manifesto Concept encapsulates our vision and combines a wide range of innovation  some involve extreme implementation, but they are still affordable for customers. We will be using a few of them on future Dacia models.'

The vehicle is a one-of-a-kind fully-operating concept - and will likely remain that way. That might be a disappointment to seasoned campers who want an eco-friendly car

The one-of-a-kind working buggy has an electric drivetrain, though Dacia doesn't provide any information about it. In fact, it says the vehicle can be an EV or fitted with a combustion engine, but this isn't important because it's a design concept only

These external storage compartments, which are covered with a zipped-in waterproof sheet, are unlikely to be featured on a Dacia anytime soon

David Durand, Dacia's design director says the Manifesto's wide range of innovation will be used on future models, though might involve 'extreme implementation'

Lionel Jaillet, product performance director, added: 'We want to build a range of products that strengthens our brand promise, focusing on the essentials and adapting our vehicles for outdoor activities.

'Beyond our models, we are also working on innovative features that match our customers need and lifestyles even more closely.'

Dacia says it has sold more than 7.5 million cars in the 18 years since the brand was relaunched under the ownership of Renault. It now ranks third in Europe for sales to private customers.
Following a summer when the nation has been bludgeoned by the cost of living crisis, it looks the wrong moment for Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to be flying kites about freeing up bankers bonuses.

It could be considered immoral to be advocating such a policy at present.

The public has never forgiven the bankers for nearly bankrupting Britain in 2007-08, triggering anti-bank protests at St Pauls.

Global banks that have made their homes in London, such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan operate in the remuneration free-for-all universe of New York, Hong Kong and Singapore

In current circumstances, pay restraint should be the imperative, especially at the big domestic banks Lloyds and NatWest.

International banks that have made their global homes in London, such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, together with British counterparts Barclays and HSBC, operate in the remuneration free-for-all universe of New York, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Having broken free from Brussels, it makes little sense for the UK to abide by bonus-capping rules made in the EU.

The policy places the City of London and financial services, the most significant export-generating and taxpaying sector of the UK, at competitive disadvantage.

Critical financial teams may as well work in Frankfurt, Paris or Dublin. The bank bonus debate has to be seen in the wider context of bolstering financial services and growth.

The incoming Lord Mayor of London, Nick Lyons, a former Lehman banker and chairman of insurer Phoenix, tells The Spectator that he doesnt favour a bonfire of regulations.

He does want to see the Bank of Englands prudential arm end its adherence to an EU-imposed rulebook. Lyons advocates making it easier for UK insurers and pension funds to lend longer term to infrastructure projects such as new nuclear.

At present the UK is dependent on overseas funding for projects such as the super-generator at Hinkley in Somerset and the Thames Tideway.

There are a wealth of areas where London could be held back if it insists on keeping regulation parallel to the EU.

As one of the worlds most trusted legal centres, the City has also become a global hub for providing litigation finance, which, among other things, offered the wherewithal for successful actions against Volkswagen over cheating on emissions data.

The EU is seeking to bring in legislation which would severely constrain operations.

Britain needs to discourage any moves away from current self-regulation.

The timing of Kwartengs bank bonus initiative, nevertheless, looks untimely.

When predecessor George Osborne tried something similar in 2014, he was turned back by an adviser to the European Court of Justice.

Osborne argued that the cap would drive bankers out of Europe and only serve to bolster basic pay at the expense of bonuses, distorting reward systems.

Pay envy and red tape recently saw Reckitt Benckisers valued chief executive Laxman Narasimhan leave Britain for sunnier uplands in the US.

Fat-cat pay isnt fair and is wildly overdone. But when it comes to global executives and bankers, the UK can no longer be an island and must live or die in a global marketplace.

Pay gusher

Shell boss Ben van Beurden looks set for a golden goodbye, having already earned 80million as chief executive of the FTSE 100s biggest beast.

The optics in an energy crisis are not good. It was Van Beurden who rightly saw the value of natural gas when he bought BG Group (former exploration arm of British Gas) in 2016.

His successor Wael Sawan offers a break with the past.

Choosing a Lebanese-born Canadian brings to an end Shells Anglo-Dutch leadership model.

It seems that the FTSE can do diversity at the highest level in the manner of the top offices of state.

At 48, Sawan moves into the chief executive seat at a tricky juncture. War in Ukraine has given a boost to fossil fuels at a time when Sawan has been focusing on investment in low carbon energies.

One bit of advice. Avoid making glib jokes about cash machines.

Skin deep

Two years after e-beauty retailer The Hut Group (THG) came to the London market with a valuation of 5billion, it is now worth just 500million.

Sales forecasts have been lowered for this year, there has been an outflow of cash of 271million and the company is bolstering its board with the addition of former Cineworld finance director Dean Moore. That is unlikely to be a confidence booster.
Shell confirmed yesterday that their chief executive Ben Van Beurden is to leave after nine years at the helm.

Shell boss Ben van Beurden will be handed a lucrative exit package when he departs later this year  on top of the 80million he has been paid so far as chief executive.

The oil giant confirmed yesterday that Van Beurden will leave after nine years at the helm.

Stepping down: Ben van Beurde will be handed a lucrative exit package when he departs later this year  on top of the 80m he has been paid so far as chief executive

The 64-year-old will be replaced by Shells gas and renewables boss Wael Sawan as it aims for a greener future.

Van Beurdens exit has been under discussion for months. It follows the appointment of chairman Sir Andrew Mackenzie in May last year.

He has been paid 78.6million up to 2021 and is in line for a maximum 13.8million for this year, on top of which he will receive an exit package worth millions of pounds, the Mail understands.

Pay arrangements for new boss Sawan, a 48-year-old Shell veteran, will be disclosed in next years annual report. Profits have been booming after Russias invasion of Ukraine pushed up oil and gas prices  and amounted to a record 9.5billion in the second quarter alone.

But the company, like rivals, is preparing for a future in which the world tries to wean itself off fossil fuels in the fight against climate change.

Under Van Beurden, Shell has committed to halve emissions by 2030 and become a carbon net zero business by 2050.

But last year the company lost a legal case brought by climate activists when a Dutch court ordered it to cut emissions faster.

It is also seen by many in the industry as playing catch-up to rival BP, which has vowed to make a raft of investments in more sustainable energy sources by 2025.

The appointment of Sawan as chief executive appears to reflect an intensifying focus on the transition.

For a group whose renewable strategy has been somewhat vague, though grand sounding, this is a clear marker that Shell intends to change this, said Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown.

Change wont happen overnight but its reasonable to think that at least tweaks to the existing renewable strategy could be on the cards.

Dutchman Van Beurden, who joined Shell in 1983, will stay on as an adviser until next June.

He has steered the company through two oil price slumps, most recently after the pandemic in 2020, when he cut the dividend for the first time since the Second World War.

He said: It has been a privilege and an honour to have served Shell for nearly four decades and to lead the company for the past nine years.
Three years after savers in Neil Woodfords flagship fund were locked out of their nest-eggs, they are starting to get answers.

The City watchdog this week said it was likely to force Link, the firm responsible for supervising Woodfords management of his funds, to pay a penalty of up to 306million.

This might seem like small recompense for investors who have lost around 1billion since the Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF) was shuttered by Link in 2019.

Payout: The City watchdog this week said it was likely to force Link, the firm responsible for supervising former Neil Woodford funds, to pay a penalty of up to 306m

The fund was frozen after a flood of investors tried to pull their money out, following a run of poor performance on Woodfords behalf.

Of the 3.7billion in the fund, investors have received 2.5billion. There is 118.5million which remains tied up in assets which are yet to be sold.

The remaining 1billion disappeared.

Here, we explore some of the parties involved, and whether they can be pursued . . .

Neil Woodford

Though it was Woodford himself who caused a problem for investors, ploughing too much of their money into risky, illiquid stocks which couldnt be sold in a rush, there is little opportunity for savers to target him directly.

It was Link, rather than Woodford, who had a duty to investors  a distinction which became ever more frustrating as victims saw the 62-year-old renovating his multi-million pound holiday home in Devon while they were nursing their losses.

A lawsuit led by investors against the fallen fund manager seems unlikely, but he and his key employees have been scrutinised by the FCA.

Three years after this probe began, savers will be hoping that the watchdog will soon announce its result  and slap a fine on the fallen fund manager.

LINK

Given that Link was responsible for supervising Woodfords management of WEIF on behalf of savers, it is perhaps unsurprising that it was first in the firing line.

Now part of Australian-listed Link Group, but formerly part of outsourcer Capita, the firm has previously been forced to pay out 32million and 66million to investors involved in the Arch Cru and Connaught fund debacles.

After featuring heavily in the Financial Conduct Authoritys (FCA) probe into the Woodford scandal, it is likely to face a 306million penalty  but shared between around 300,000 investors, this wont equate to much.

Link is also being pursued by law firms Leigh Day and Harcus Parker, who have joined forces on behalf of around 13,000 WEIF investors to take Link to court.

Meriel Hodgson-Teall, a solicitor at Leigh Day, said the FCAs suggested penalty was nowhere near enough to compensate the many thousands who suffered huge and life-changing financial losses investing in this fund.

The lawyers are claiming that Link failed in its duties to investors leading up to the suspension of the fund, and broke FCA guidelines.

Savers can still join the case. But Hodgson-Teall warned that the FCA may not allow them to claim part of the 306million if they are also hoping to get legal damages.

The FCA is yet to confirm the details of the Link redress package, but Woodford victims could be left with the tricky decision of whether to take the money which the FCA extracts from Link or to pursue the firm in court in the hope of a bigger pay-out.

Hargreaves Lansdown

The UKs largest investment platform also attracted ire during the Woodford debacle as it continued to recommend WEIF right up until the funds suspension.

Savers who relied on Hargreaves Lansdowns (HL) Wealth 50 best-buy list for advice were furious when WEIF shuttered.

Just a month before, HLs then-head of research Mark Dampier predicted the beleaguered Woodford was set to turn a corner. Dampier has since retired.

HL is also a target of the FCAs probe, though the regulator has not yet announced whether it plans to penalise HL as it has Link.

Boss Chris Hill apologised to clients, but HL is still facing a lawsuit brought by litigation company RGL Management, which works with lawyers to build a case, on behalf of clients.

The Mail understands RGL is due to file its claim  which will also target Link  within weeks.

Unfortunately, savers are unlikely to be able to sign up to multiple legal cases, so will have to choose between RGL and Leigh Day/Harcus Parker.

Home: Woodford has been renovating his multi-million pound holiday home in Devon Salcombe, Devon (pictured)

Northern Trust

A Lesser-known party which became embroiled in the Woodford disaster was Northern Trust (NT), WEIFs so-called depositary.

In a similar way to how Link was supposed to keep Woodford in check, NT was charged with keeping an eye on Link.

Questions arose over whether NT challenged Link over Woodfords steady accumulation of hard-to-sell stocks. Again, it will be up to the FCAs probe to assess whether NT went awry.

Guernsey's stock exchange

The International Stock Exchange (TISE), an obscure stock market operating on Guernsey, found itself in the limelight after Woodford used it to list stocks held by WEIF.

Woodford had snapped up several early-stage companies which were not listed on a stock market  a risky venture since these businesses are harder to sell in a hurry, and have to comply with fewer governance requirements.

For this reason, FCA rules state that they must only constitute 10pc of a funds holdings. But Woodford found himself repeatedly breaching this cap. Rather than getting rid of the stakes, he listed them on TISE in a cynical attempt to dodge FCA rules.

TISE was criticised by some industry insiders for not running further checks on Woodford.

The exchange has claimed it did nothing wrong, and blamed the FCA for failing to act fast enough when it reported concerns.

It could feature in the FCA probe, although Guernseys regulator  the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC)  would have to lead any investigation. The GFSC declined to comment.
Shares in The Hut Group crashed to record lows as it sounded the alarm over sales and saw the shock walkout of two top directors.

The embattled online retailer said Zillah Byng-Thorne and Andreas Hansson had resigned with immediate effect.

And THG said sales and profits would be lower than expected this year as costs spiral and consumers cut back on spending.

Sales drop: THG founder and chief executive Matt Moulding (pictured with wife Jodie) has lost as much as 1.26bn on his own 22% stake, which is now worth around 115m

Shares fell 18.4 per cent, or 9p, to 40p.

It is the latest in a series of blows for the business which has now lost more than 90 per cent of its value since joining the stock market two years ago.

At the time The Hut Group  now known as THG  was seen as the darling of the stock market, floating its shares at 500p a piece. They briefly topped 800p, leaving the company worth almost 10billion.

But it has been hit by a slew of corporate governance concerns and questions about its lofty valuation, leaving it worth around 500million.

That has seen THG founder and chief executive Matt Moulding lose as much as 1.26billion on his own 22 per cent stake, which is now worth around 115million.

Byng-Thorne was one of two directors who walked out of the boardroom yesterday alongside Hansson, who joined last October.

Her departure after nine years is a blow to the already-struggling firm as the 47-year-old is one of the UKs most successful chief executives.

Byng-Thorne is credited with turning around publishing giant Future and has helped its shares soar around 1000 per cent in the past eight years.

Joining the board after her departure is Dean Moore, the former finance chief at Cineworld, which filed for bankruptcy in the US this month. Also joining is former Microsoft senior manager Gillian Kent.

The boardroom shake-up came alongside THG results for the first half of the year in which sales hit a record 1.1billion.

But the firm behind brands including Lookfantastic and Myprotein was pummelled by soaring costs of whey and other materials. It lost 89.2million in the first half of the year, five times higher than in the same period a year ago.

THG said sales growth would stall in the second half of the year as the mounting cost of living prompts customers to rein in spending. It said sales growth will now be as high as 15 per cent, down from an earlier forecast of up to 24 per cent.

Meanwhile, its profit forecast for the year was also slashed from being in line with last years 161million to between 100million and 130million.

Despite the most recent crash Moulding said he is still confident the business can deliver long-term value for shareholders.

The bleak update comes just months after Moulding rejected a series of takeover bids that would have valued THG as much as 2billion.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: THG declared it had made substantial progress, but investors who have suffered a 92 per cent share price loss since the company joined the stock market may think otherwise.
The takeover of British satellite group Inmarsat by a US rival has been given the all-clear by the Government.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg waved through the 5.6billion acquisition by Viasat, saying it is no threat to security. The move will stoke fears about a hollowing-out of British industry as overseas predators swoop on assets.

Those fears look set to be stoked next week with French conglomerate Schneider Electric mulling a bid for tech group Aveva ahead of a deadline on Wednesday.

Surprise: Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg waved through the 5.6billion acquisition by Viasat, saying it is no threat to security

The Government had been monitoring the Inmarsat takeover under the National Security and Investment Act, which lets ministers block deals.

Viasat chief executive Mark Dankberg said: 'The clearance is another important step forward to closing the deal.'

But analyst Russ Shaw, of Tech London Advocates, said: 'I was surprised and I am interested to see what the Business Secretary does next. His attitude could be, 'Let's get the Government out the way and let the market do their thing.' Early signs are he's not an interventionist.'

Inmarsat is Britain's leading satellite company. It is the largest provider of in-flight wifi for airlines and is a major player in internet connections for ships.

And it is still being investigated by competition regulators, with a decision expected by October 5 on whether to refer the deal for a more in-depth probe.

Meanwhile, Aveva and Schneider are talking about Schneider acquiring the 40 per cent of Aveva it does not already own. A September 21 deadline has been imposed by the UK takeover watchdog.
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As the nation mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96, preparations are underway for the ten-day mourning period to end with the monarch's burial and final resting place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, an annex of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Her mother and father are buried there, as are the ashes of her sister. Prince Philip's coffin, which was interred in the nearby royal vault following his death last April, will also be moved and put next to the Queen's. Here's everything you need to know about the resting places of the British royal family, and the somber ceremonies leading to their interment.

Pictured: The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and scepter Lies in State on the catafalque as members of the public move past in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, in London.

What is the Royal Vault?

The Royal Vault is a burial chamber located 16 feet beneath St. George's Chapel on the Windsor Castle grounds in Berkshire.

The stone-lined vault measures 70 feet long and 28 feet wide. There is enough room inside it to hold 44 bodies  32 coffins on shelves along the vault's two sides, with space for an additional 12 coffins in the center. Its entrance is closed off by an iron gate.

King George III ordered the excavation and building of the Royal Vault in 1804, with construction on it being completed in 1810. The vault was designated as the final resting place for both senior and minor members of the Royal Family following its completion.

The Royal Vault (pictured) under St. George's Chapel has enough room in it to house 44 members of the Royal Family. Prince Philip was the most recent Royal to have been interred in the vault, which is 16 feet below the chapel and secured by an iron gate.

George III became the first British King to be interred in the Royal Vault following his death on January 29, 1820. His remains were placed in the vault on February 16, 1820, after his state funeral.

There are currently 25 senior and minor members of the Royal Family  including Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 - resting in the Royal Vault. Over the last 200 years, several Royal Family members have been uprooted from their original burial grounds to be moved into the Royal Vault, while others have only been housed inside it on a temporary basis, before their remains were moved to new, final resting grounds elsewhere.

Where is the Royal Vault located?

The Royal Vault is 16-feet under St. George's Chapel on the Windsor Castle grounds and is situated beneath the chapel's alter.

During funerals, a slab of black-and-white, diamond-shaped stone flooring is removed to provide access to the vault. The coffin is then lowered through the hole in the floor into the Royal Vault by an electric lift.

Once the Royal Vault lift reaches the bottom of the shaft, the coffin is moved down a corridor and into the vault itself. The coffin is then interred in the vault, placed either on one of the shelves or on a plinth inside.

Prince Philip's coffin, draped in his standard, Navy cap and sword given to him by the Queen's father when they married 73 years ago, is shown being carried inside St. George's Chapel during his funeral. He would be placed on the purple-velvet covered lift (left) and later lowered into the vault.

St. George's Chapel has been the burial place for British Royals since the 15th century. Included amongst the Royals who have been buried beneath the chapel's aisles are Henry VIII, Charles I and Edward VII.

Before the chapel at Windsor became the go-to resting place for the British monarchy, members of the Royal Family were traditionally buried in London's Westminster Abbey.

Can you visit the Royal Vault?

No, visitors aren't allowed inside the Royal Vault at Windsor Castle. However, the public can attend services - for free - at St. George's Chapel itself.

Outside of church service times, the chapel is open to those who have purchased a visitor ticket to Windsor Castle.

Several British monarchs and their kin are buried under the aisles of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, so while visitors can't sneak a peek at the Royal Vault itself, it is possible to see memorial markers for King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, King Edward IV and King Charles I, among others.

The layout of St. George's Chapel reveals where British monarchs have been buried since the 15th century, when the chapel became the final resting place of the Royal Family. They had previously been buried in London's Westminster Abbey.

Does the Royal Vault smell?

Details about the Royal Vault's ventilation practices are unknown, but it's likely that there is at least some degree of natural, detectable odor inside it. Whether it's the scent of decay or just a general mustiness, is something only vault caretakers can reveal.

The Royal Family does go the extra mile to preserve the bodies of their loved ones in an effort to prevent decay and - presumably - the buildup of odors over time.

It's traditional for British Royals to be buried in lead-lined coffins because they are airtight and thus better at stopping moisture from seeping into the coffins, which in turns slows the rate - and smell - of decomposition.

Princess Diana's airtight lead-lined coffin was said to have weighed a quarter of a ton  or 500 pounds  and it's believed that Prince Philip's coffin, made of English oak and lined with lead, weighed a similar amount.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is carried into The Palace of Westminster by guardsmen from The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II.

The desire to keep the vault relatively smell-free serves a secondary purpose - it's not uncommon for members of the Royal Family to be only temporarily housed in the vault before being moved to a final resting place. As such, it is beneficial for all involved to preserve the bodies as long as possible, so that when the vault is opened and bodies are added or subtracted as needed, it remains a dignified, and not ghastly, experience.

Among the most recent Royals to have been temporarily housed in the Royal Vault was Prince Philip's mother, Princess Alice. She entered the vault following her death in December 1969. But, in August 1988, her remains were taken out of the vault so that they could be buried at Jerusalem's Church of Mary Magdalene, according to her wishes.

Members of the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, are seen carrying Prince Philip's lead-lined, traditional English oak coffin on the day of his funeral at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family relies on lead-lined caskets for their airtight properties, which help preserve the bodies inside.

Prince Philip himself was placed in the Royal Vault following his April 2021 funeral, but he is expected to be moved to the King George VI Memorial Chapel so that he can rest side-by-side with wife Queen Elizabeth II.

What's inside the Royal Vault?

The Royal Vault contains the coffins and remains of 25 members of the Royal Family. The coffins are generally arranged on shelves built into the vault walls. Some of the coffins are laid on stone tables in the center of the room.

There is a plinth near the entrance to the vault, on which the newest coffins are first placed, before being moved to one of the shelves - which are gated off by Victorian ironwork - or another area within the vault.

At the far end of the vault there is a small altar.

Why wasn't Princess Diana buried in the Royal Vault?

Although Princess Diana was given a Royal funeral, she was not a princess by birth and  because she was divorced from Prince Charles  she wasn't technically a member of the Royal Family at the time of her 1997 death, either.

Queen Elizabeth II (left) and Princess Diana (right) are pictured traveling to the opening of Parliament in London in November 1982. Although she was the 'people's princess,' Diana was not a Royal at the time of her death and so she was not eligible to be buried in the Royal Vault.

Instead of being laid to rest in the Royal Vault, it was decided that Diana would be buried at Althorp House, the Spencer family home in Northamptonshire. The original plan had been for her to be buried in the Spencer family vault at a nearby church, but the idea was scrapped due to security concerns given the public's reaction to her untimely death.

To allow Princes William and Harry unfettered, private and secure access to visit their mother's grave, Earl Charles Spencer decided that it would be better for his sister, Diana, to be buried on an island in the center of an ornamental lake on the Althorp House grounds.

In burying Diana on an island, it was said that it would also prevent members of the public from trying to vandalize her grave, stalk the site or victimize her further in death.

Who is buried in the Royal Vault?

There are currently 25 members of the Royal Family in the Royal Vault under St. George's Chapel. Aside from British Kings, there are also Royal wives, children and even an exiled foreign king.

The first to be placed in the Royal Vault was King George III's daughter, Princess Amelia, who died at age 27 in November 1810, the same year construction in the vault was completed. George III's sister, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, was interred in the vault in 1813.

King George IV's daughter, Princess Charlotte and her stillborn son were added to the vault in 1817. The princess had died in the immediate aftermath of delivering the child. George III's wife, Queen Charlotte, and a stillborn daughter of the king's son, Prince Ernest Augustus, were placed in the vault following their deaths in 1818.

In 1820, George III and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Queen Victoria's father, were interred in the vault. The bodies of George III's sons - Prince Alfred, who died in 1782, and Prince Octavius, who died in 1783 - were moved into the vault that same year so that they could rest alongside their father.

King George III (pictured) commissioned the excavation and building of the Royal Vault under St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. He, his wife, nearly all of their children and several of his grandchildren are interred inside the vault.

Princess Elizabeth, daughter of William IV, was added to the vault upon her death in 1821, as was Prince Frederick, Duke of York and a son of George III, following his death in 1827.

Two other British Kings, George IV and William IV, were placed in the Royal Vault following their respective deaths in 1830 and 1837. Their sister, Princess Sophia, was added in 1840, as was William IV's wife, Queen Adelaide, in 1849.

Several foreign-born and bred extended Royal Family members were also given resting grounds in the Royal Vault over the years.

Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein - son of Princess Christian aka Princess Helena - died in 1876 and was buried in the vault. Exiled King George V of Hanover, grandson of George III, was placed in the vault upon his death in 1878. And, George V's granddaughter, Victoria von Pawel Rammingen, was added in 1881, as was her mother, Princess Frederica of Hanover in 1927, the year after her 1926 death.

Prince Philip (left) was buried in the Royal Vault following his April 2021 death. His coffin will be removed from the vault so that he and Queen Elizabeth can rest side-by-side in another burial area in St. George's Chapel. The couple is pictured together in 2007.

The bodies of Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck and George III's granddaughter, and her husband, Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, were added to the vault in 1897 and 1900 respectively. They were Queen Mary's parents.

The most recent permanent Royal residents of the vault are Princess Mary Adelaide's father - and George III's son - Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge. Although they died in 1850 and 1889 respectively, they were moved from their original resting place into the vault in 1930.

Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, is the 25th and most recent member of the Royal Family to be housed in the Royal Vault. His body was put in the vault on April 17, 2021. Now his body will be moved to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, to join the Queen for eternity.

Where will Queen Elizabeth II be buried?

Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, inside the St. George Chapel. Her husband, Prince Philip, will be removed from his current resting place in the Royal Vault, and placed beside the Queen beneath the memorial chapel.

The memorial chapel was named for her father, King George VI and built between 1968 and 1969, next to the north quire aisle.

George VI, the Queen Mother and their daughter, Princess Margaret  Elizabeth II's sister  are the only people buried in the chapel now.
ABC health guru Norman Swan copped a social media smackdown from a leading medical researcher after tweeting an old article about Covid health complications.

Melbourne University Professor Fiona Russell, who is considered an eminent authority in child medicine and infectious diseases, told Dr Swan he needed to talk to 'qualified people' about Covid effects after he tweeted a two-year-old article.

It was a stinging putdown for Dr Swan, who is the National Broadcaster's pandemic pundit of choice and has a dedicated taxpayer-funded podcast on Covid called Coronacast, where he's interviewed as an expert voice on the virus.

Dr Norman Swan has been the ABC's Covid pundit of choice during the pandemic and is the expert voice on a podcast devoted to the virus

Prof Russell was replying to Dr Swan's tweet of a Washington Post article from April, 2020, which was headlined: 'Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying of strokes'

'This is not a benign virus,' Dr Swan wrote in the tweet.

'Wishful thinking won't make it go away. Currently on a stuffy plane. Few masks.'

Prof Russell said the outdated article failed to account for current circumstances or recent research.

Dr Swan has attracted considerable flack on Twitter for posting an article about Covid complications that dates back to April 2020

'Norman this article is Apr20,' Prof Robson wrote.

'We have high uptake of vaxx & most ppl have already been infected.

'There is no solid evidence to show reinfections are worse in vaxxed ppl or kids-actually the opposite.

'The public deserve to hear from qualified ppl on these topics. Pls talk to them.'

Prof Russell, a leading researcher in child medicine and infectious diseases, did not hold back when criticising a tweet from Swan

Prof Russell tweeted that Dr Swan needed to talk to people who were qualified on the effects of Covid on younger people

Melbourne Urology specialist Dr Ranjit Rao also pointed out the article was dated.

'Stop scaring public Norman,' Dr Rao tweeted

'If you're that worried, stop flying and leave everyone to make their own risk assessment.'

Another Twitter user tweeted pictures of Dr Swan unmasked at various public events.

'Yet not a single mask being worn by you in any of these pictures of you interacting with the public. Do as I say, not as I do,' the tweet said.

Melbourne urology specialist Dr Ranjit Rao also took issue with Swan tweeting an old article

Another tweeted pictures of Dr Swan signing a book he authored but again without a mask.

'Wishful thinking won't make it (Covid) go away. Only book signings make it go away,' the user tweeted.

Some twitter users accused Dr Swan of being selective in telling people to wear mask

Dr Swan (pictured left) got a medical degree from Aberdeen University in 1976 but has spent 30 years as health reporter and commetator

Dr Norman Swan has been approached for comment.
A far-right Swedish party, founded by neo-Nazis in the 1980s, won a narrow majority in the country's parliament on Wednesday, marking a historic political overhaul for the region.

The major political shift in the Scandinavian country comes amid a decades-long history of welcoming refugees but is now grappling with a crime wave linked with immigration. Center0left Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson conceded defeat with 99.9% of the vote from the weekend elections counted on Wednesday.

Far-Right Swedish Party Wins Majority

On the other hand, populist Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson declared victory for the four-party bloc. He said that his party would be "a constructive and driving force" in the work of rebuilding safety in the country, adding that it was "time to put Sweden first."

The bloc, which includes the Sweden Democrats, is the country's second-largest party and won a narrow majority in parliament. However, there were a few votes left outstanding but they are not enough to sway the final outcome.

In a statement, Prime Minister Andersson said that "the preliminary result is clear enough to draw a conclusion that her center-left forces had lost power. She became the country's first female prime minister last year and led the country in its historic bid to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as per the Associated Press.

Despite Andersson's popularity, anxiety in the country has grown due to high crime rates in segregated districts that are home to large numbers of immigrants who have failed to integrate into Swedish society. Some people blamed the prime minister's Social Democrats, who have been in power for eight years.

Read Also: Prince Andrew Unexpectedly Receives Chance To Keep Royal Title Under King Charles III's Reign; Duke Is Protected by UK Authorities

Ulf Kristersson, the leader of Sweden's third-largest party, the Moderates, is considered to be the leading figure in the right-wing bloc and a possible prime minister. He thanked the voters for their trust, saying, "Now we will get Sweden in order."

According to CNBC, the nationalist party campaigned on law-and-order issues following a rise in the number of gun violence in the country. They vowed to bring in longer prison sentences and reduce immigration rates. Sweden, which is home to roughly 10.5 million people, is known for being one of Europe's most progressive states and consistently ranks among the happiest nations worldwide.

Concern for the Years Ahead

On Wednesday, Andersson spoke during a news conference, announcing her intention to resign, and said that the right-wing bloc of parties had a one or two-seat advantage. She said that while it was a thin majority it was still a victory.

The prime minister said that most opinion polls showed that the elections would be close, which means it was not a surprise that it resulted how it did. Andersson said, "I knew that could happen but of course, I am concerned with how the development will be in the coming years."

On the other hand, in Italy, polls show a coalition led by the far-right is poised to win national elections on Sept. 25. Which has the leader of the neofascist Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, positioned to become the nation's first far-right leader since Benito Mussolini, Democracy Now reported.



Related Article: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping Meet! US Official Sends Strong Warning to China Amid Support for Russia

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Qantas has been called out for having dirty planes, lounges, and poor-quality food.

The complaints come as the once-proud national carrier's reputation, and that of its budget airline Jetstar, sits at an all-time low.

Customers' plans have been constantly interrupted by Qantas and Jetstar cancellations, flight delays, lost and damaged luggage, refund nightmares, and some have even been stranded at airports.

On Reddit, a passenger posted a photo of food crumbs and dirt under their seat on an 8:30am flight from Sydney to Melbourne.

On reddit, a Qantas passenger posted a photo of food crumbs and dirt under their seat on board the aircraft

'Qantas cleanliness has really fallen off the cliff. Or has it always been like this?,' the poster said in a note with the photo in the Sydney sub Reddit.

'Yep, I can't remember not seeing this,' a woman replied.

The Reddit post about cleanliness in planes sparked a lively debate, with flyers generally agreeing Qantas planes are messier than they once were - although others said people expect too much on such a busy route.

'Cleanliness has declined!' a woman replied.

'I used to fly only Qantas and quite regularly. But my last flight I found a half eaten sandwich and muffin in the seat.

'And the seats were all sticky. Lucky I had antibacterial wipes but the next few hours my friend and I felt nasty sitting in those seats.'

Several cleaners chipped in, saying cost-cutting and fast-turnarounds on flights mean they don't have enough time to do a thorough cabin clean.

'I briefly worked at an Australian airport cleaning planes and we were given very little time to clean them before the next departure,' he said.

'The tray tables were not disinfected (nor anything else in the cabin for that matter), however this was just before Covid. We only vacuumed the floor and picked up the rubbish.

Standards of cleanliness and food quality in Qantas's Business lounges, mostly used by frequent flyers, have come in for sustained criticism

'It was disgusting, and I even got looked at funny when I asked to use disposable gloves to pick up rubbish which includes snotty tissues, plastic water bottles, food and so on.'

Plenty of replies defended Qantas and the airline's cleaners.

'It can only be grubby passengers who make a mess like that,' a man said.

Another wrote: 'If people knew how to feed themselves without dropping half their food on the floor, it wouldn't be like that now, would it?'

After recent criticism over 'dirty and overpriced' Qantas lounges, Perth project manager who pays up to $1,200 for a business class ticket sent Daily Mail Australia photos of stained chairs in the Qantas lounge at Brisbane airport

'I used to treat all domestic flights like catching the bus or train. Set yourself low expectations and you won't be disappointed, one commenter said.

'So long as everyone is courteous and polite, I just sit down, shut up and get off in an hour or so.'

Others were more direct.

One said: 'I think you've nailed it. Domestic flights are just buses.'

'That's not even that bad. Do you expect a quarantine level clean in every nook and cranny by the underpaid airline staff after every flight?'

'I love how Qantas regulars think they're getting some exclusive limo service. Especially the Sydney-Melbourne route. It's a f***ing bus. Get over yourselves.'

The state of the planes wasn't the only thing passengers were complaining about.

The new complaints come as the once-proud national carrier's reputation, and that of its budget airline Jetstar, sits at an all-time low following passenger and staff outrage over its many problems

Photos of the Qantas lounge showed fabric-covered chairs with noticeable stains, a table that hadn't been wiped and an air vent covered with a thick layer of dust.

'Out of the eight seats free in the lounge, I think six are what I would call dirty,' Ken Holden, a project manager and platinum frequent flyer, told Daily Mail Australia.

'I wouldn't let my dog sleep on those seats.

'It's not up to standard. You'd at least expect a seat in a business lounge to be clean and presentable.

'Don't they pay Alan Joyce a lot of money to keep the place tidy?' he quipped.

Mr Holden said it wasn't a one-off, and he regularly finds Qantas lounges unclean.

'If a Japanese business person turned up in lounges like this, they'd be appalled.'

'My flights can cost $1200 from Perth to Townsville, which is exorbitant. The least they can do is give us a clean lounge to sit in.'

Qantas defended itself in a statement to Daily Mail Australia saying plenty of frequent flyers who used its lounges were satisfied.

The airline also said all its aircraft are cleaned between flights and at the end of each day.

Previously frequent flyers unleashed on online review websites to call out the failing standards of food, cleanliness and service inside the exclusive lounges.

On productreview.com.au, Qantas lounges scraped to an average of 1.3 stars from 77 reviews, with many noting the airline had deteriorated from previously good standards.

'Why can't I give 0 stars?' one member complained.

A TikTok video displayed the buffet selection at Qantas's international business lounge

Passengers have savaged Qantas in reviews of the airline's premium lounges, labelling them 'dirty and overpriced', 'embarrassing' to Australia and 'one of the greatest rip-offs of all time'

'Filthy as always,' a Sydney man wrote after being confronted by rubbish on seats and 'sticky tables and dirty carpet' inside the lounge.

'One would think that Qantas would at least ensure a clean Qantas club, considering it is their premier attraction at any airport.'

A consistent complaint was how poorly the lounges reflect on Australia's leading airline.

'If this is truly Australia's premium carrier, then I am embarrassed,' one man wrote after facing a choice of 'choice of a green leaf salad and boiled potatoes, a watered down pumpkin soup or a self-made ham and cheese toastie' in Brisbane.

'I have watched the gradual decline of the Q club for several years.'

One customer said of the Qantas Lounge in Sydney that the buffet area was 'messy and uncomfortable. Nothing was refilled and seem no one do cleaning' (Pictured, a photo from a review on airlinequality.com)

Perth businessman Ken Holden claimed the standard of cleanliness in Brisbane's Qantas Business lounge is 'a disgrace'

Qantas has previously responded to customers complaints saying many passengers are happy with its food and their experiences in their business lounges.

On Thursday, farmers joined the Qantas pile-on, accusing the airline of being 'unAustralian' for not selling Australian produce on flights.

NSW Farmers CEO Pete Arkle said Qantas passengers were being offered cheese and crackers from New Zealand, something he said was 'hardly in the spirit of Australia'.

Daily Mail Australia approached Qantas for comment on Thursday.
Australians have been told to prepare their homes for more rain and flooding after it was revealed not enough homeowners were taking steps to protect their properties.

NRMA released its fourth Wild Weather Tracker report on Thursday revealing only 37 per cent of residents had prepared their homes for wild weather in winter.

It came despite unseasonably high rainfall and damaging winds that led to 26,515 people claiming home and vehicle damages.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a wetter than average spring with more heavy rainfall and possible flooding to cause even more damage.

The report found the worst wild weather affected regions in New South Wales and Queensland and rated states on how well prepared they were.

Australians have been told to prepare their homes for more rain and flooding after it was revealed not enough homeowners were taking steps to protect their properties

The biggest wild weather events were related to winter's unseasonably wet weather that caused storms and floods (pictured, northwest Sydney residents looking at floodwater)

Almost 12,000 NSW NRMA customers claimed insurance on their weather-damaged vehicles in the last three months (pictured, a car submerged in floodwater on Sydney's outskirts)

NRMA Insurance meteorologist Dr Bruce Buckely urged homeowners to start preparing for the worst.

'Over the next few months we will see multiple severe weather drivers reinforcing each other, including La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, which are likely to bring a much wetter than average spring across the eastern states and through South Australia,' he said.

'This is a rare coincidence of climate drivers that favour bursts of very heavy rainfall capable of producing flash and river flooding through spring and early summer.

'The impacts of a changing climate means that wild weather can strike anywhere at any time but taking a few small steps to both reduce our level of risk and prepare for how we will respond can make a big difference when it happens,' Dr Buckely said.

Queensland was the best-prepared state with 44 per cent of residents having an emergency plan in place, 45 per cent stocked with an emergency kit and 37 per cent well acquainted enough with their neighbours to help in emergencies.

Data shows the worst affected towns in Queensland this winter were Rockhampton, Caboolture, Toowoomba, Nerang and Bundaberg North.

The regions where wild weather hit the hardest were the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Logan-Beaudesert and Ipswich.

NRMA's winter wild weather report found 26,515 suffered weather damage to their homes or vehicles in the last three months (pictured, a Millers Forest NSW resident at her flood-damaged home)

Only 37 per cent of Australians prepared for wild weather conditions, despite continual warnings of harsh storms and floods (pictured, SES rescuing a baby in NSW's Hunter Valley)

WORST AFFECTED WILD WEATHER TOWNS IN NSW AND QLD NSW Campbelltown

Wagga Wagga

Port Macquarie

Dubbo

Wollongong QLD Rockhampton

Caboolture

Toowoomba

Nerang

Bundaberg North Advertisement

Mackay, Isaac and the Whitsundays were the best prepared Queensland regions with a readiness score of 71 out of 100, and Central Queensland was the least prepared with a score of 60 out of 100.

NSW was found to be the second-most prepared state this winter.

The report found the towns with the worst wild weather damage were Campbelltown, Wagga Wagga, Port Macquarie, Dubbo, Wollongong, Liverpool, Coffs Harbour, Goulburn, Orange and Blacktown.

The worst affected Sydney suburbs were Campbelltown, Liverpool, Blacktown, Engadine, Castle Hill, Ingleburn, Sydney CBD, Prestons, Casula and Penrith.

The NSW regions with the most wild weather damage were Illawarra, Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Goulburn-Yass, South West Sydney, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Mid North Coast, Riverina and Outer West Sydney and Blue Mountains.

Nearly 7,700 homes in NSW claimed damage from wild weather in the last three months on top of almost 12,000 vehicles.

Despite the clear threat of stormy weather and flash floods, only 39 per cent of NSW residents took steps to protect themselves.

Data showed just 36 per cent of people have an emergency kit and 42 per cent have an emergency plan.

The Far South Coast was found to be the most prepared region with a score of 77 out of 100 while the Southern Tablelands were the least prepared with a 56 out of 100.

Rockhampton (welcome sign pictured) was found the be the town hardest hit by wild weather in Queensland this winter

NSW's Blue Mountains was one of NSW's most weather affected regions this winter (pictured, a landslide at Katoomba's train tracks following heavy rain)

South Australia was found to be the third most-prepared state, followed by Western Australia and then the ACT.

The biggest wild weather events recorded for winter were related to unseasonably wet weather, including storms and flooding.

Nation-wide, only 37 per cent of Australians have taken steps to prepare for wild weather in the last three months which is 11 per cent less than winter last year.

When asked why they hadn't taken precautions 42 per cent said they didn't believe their suburb would be affected by wild weather, 27 said they didn't know where to start and 22 per cent said it was difficult to find time to prepare.
A group of university students staged an event called 'It's good that the Queen is dead' to celebrate the death of the British monarch, who they described as 'one of the biggest dole bludgers'.

The University of New South Wales 'Socialist Alternative' group, which has more than 1,200 followers on Facebook, set up the event called, 'It's good that the Queen is dead - A Socialist Forum'.

'If you're also disgusted by the barrage of mainstream condolences for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, come join the UNSW socialists for a forum about why it's good to see her go!' the group said in publicity for the event.

It described the Queen was 'one of the biggest dole bludgers, sponging off workers' taxes while they choose between heat and food this winter, and oversaw one of the bloodiest empires in the world, second only to the US in its colonial and imperialist violence'.

A group of university students say 'It's good that the Queen is dead' as they set up an event to celebrate the death of the British monarch

The University of New South Wales 'Socialist Alternative' group set up an event for Thursday called, 'It's good that the Queen is dead - A Socialist Forum'

Alexander Voltz, a spokesperson for the Australian Monarchist League, told Daily Mail Australia both the university and the community should be repulsed by the actions of the Socialist Alternative group.

'The Australian Monarchist League is absolutely repulsed to have learnt that a University of New South Wales student society called UNSW Socialist Alternative yesterday hosted an event on campus called 'It's good that the Queen is dead  A Socialist Forum',' Mr Voltz said.

'The University of New South Wales should, quite frankly, be embarrassed by the ignorance of its students.

'So too should the general public be appalled that the university's administration permitted a venue  likely at the expense of compulsory student amenities fees  for this anarchistic celebration to take place.'

Alexander Voltz (pictured) a spokesperson for Australian Monarchist League, said said the university and community should be repulsed by the the Socialist Alternative group's actions

Mr Voltz said the university should be appalled that the students acted in such 'obscene fashion' following the death of the Queen who he described as 'a great lady, but a human being who was the very personification of courage, benevolence and wisdom'.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) told Daily Mail Australia it did not shy away from controversy and will continue to support freedom of speech.

'Our university is a place where many different views and opinions are expressed and vigorously debated,' said a spokesperson for UNSW.

'We do not shy away from what is controversial and expect those engaged in these debates to treat others with respect.

'UNSW supports freedom of speech within the law and has an unequivocal commitment to freedom of speech.

'We will continue our efforts as a university community to ensure our campuses support freedom of speech in a safe and respectful environment.'

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) told Daily Mail Australia it does not shy away from controversy and will continue to support freedom of speech

UNSW Socialist Alternative club member Shovan Bhattarai told Daily Mail Australia the meeting was put on because the group were outraged by the positive coverage about who the Queen was instead of focusing on the British Empire's 'crimes'.

'The last week has been an eye opener for many students at UNSW who have come up to our information stalls to tell us all the crimes of the British Empire they've learned since Lizzy kicked the bucket,' she said.

'The jewels in the crown that sat on her head and the dozens of castles she owned are all testimony to the stolen wealth from the colonies and the drain the royals have been on the public purse today.

'Here in Australia, Indigenous people continue to suffer oppression that started with the invasion of Australia by Britain. So to see government buildings lower the Aboriginal flag - a symbol of resistance to oppression - to half mast was sickening.'

Another member of the group, Cherish Kuehlmann, told Daily Mail Australia the public holiday to commemorate her death is the only good thing to come of her reign.

'We need to abolish the monarchy. It represents everything that's wrong about the stark inequality and the lack of democracy in the world today,' she said.

'Her death giving us a public holiday is the only good thing she's done. On September 22 we will be joining hundreds of protesters in Sydney demanding justice for first nations people.'

In a Facebook post the group claimed the Queen's reign was characterised by colonialism, imperialism, oppression and exploitation

In a Facebook post the group claimed the Queen's reign was characterised by colonialism, imperialism, oppression and exploitation.

The Queen 'oppressed and stole from millions of Britain's colonial subjects, from Asia to the Middle East', the group said.

The event description finishes with the sentence, 'Come along to hear why we should celebrate the Queen's death.'

The UNSW Socialist Group have connections to the much larger 'Socialist Alternative'- Australia's largest Marxist group.

Marxism is a philosophy named after Karl Marx, a German philosopher whose theories about the clash between capital and the working class informed much of the 20th century's political history.

UNSW Socialist Alternative club member Shovan Bhattarai told Daily Mail Australia the meeting was put on because the group were outraged by the positive coverage about who the Queen was instead of focusing on the British Empire's 'crimes'

Socialist Alternative says its goal 'is to overthrow capitalism, while organising to fight against oppression in the here-and-now'.

The UNSW Socialist Alternative also promote the digital newspaper known as 'Red Flag' - a left-wing news source established by Socialist Alternative in 2013.

'The monarchy embodies all the reactionary values of the capitalist order, in particular the idea that certain people are born to rule and that low-born people should respect their betters,' one article reads.

When the Queen's death was announced an article was published in Red Flag titled 'Right royal parasite is dead'.

The article goes on to say the Queen lived 96 years of luxury and was 'a first-class bludger who contributed nothing to the common weal and represented all that is reactionary about the society in which she and her parasitic brood exist.'

The article wraps up with the line, 'After a lifetime of bludging off the public, Queen Elizabeth is gone at last. But the monarchy is not about to fade away.

UNSW Socialist Alternative says its goal 'is to overthrow capitalism, while organising to fight against oppression in the here-and-now'

The University of Queensland's student-funded publication Sempre Floreat also post a story titled 'Goodbye the Queen of nothing, really'.

'This sickening display of solidarity for one of the richest people on the planet, who literally inherited her title, and who wielded little genuine authority or power, seems to be nothing more than a collective delusion or mass hysteria,' the article read.

'We are supposed to believe that a person whose entire existence was predicated on being a purely token, empty symbol of the British nation, was somehow extraordinary or that there is any way whatsoever that her life of idle luxury can be compared to the vast majority of humanity.'

Mr Voltz said the University of Queensland should 'hang its head in shame' for allowing the publication in a newspaper funded by students' compulsory union fees.

'The article included phrases such as "sickening display of solidarity", "monument to social parasitism" and "banality of evil",' Mr Voltz said.

Mr Voltz asked monarchists who provide support to the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland and Central Queensland University to 'suspend their generous philanthropy' until they publicly take steps to 'curtail the ideological and commercial abuses which they seemingly perform with alacrity'.
Fahad Khan says that people need to make a place for themselves at a university

Medical student's TikTok video tells how he was shunned at

A student who was shunned by selective and private school snobs at a university Open Day purely because of his post code and humble educational background has revealed how he overcame disadvantage to study medicine.

In a powerful TikTok, Fahad Khan described in detail how he was excluded by his peers when visiting Sydney University in 2016 because he did not attend a private or selective school.

Mr Khan, 23, attended Arthur Phillip High School in Parramatta, in Sydney's west, and admits it was a school with 'not the best reputation'.

'We had some things where a student shot up a police station,' Mr Khan told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's a real life experience when you go there  it's definitely not like Sydney Boys Grammar or Sydney Girls, or James Ruse.'

Of the 300 students in Mr Khan's Year 12 group he said only about 50 sat the exam to go to university.

Mr Khan went to the University of NSW to study neuroscience and is now at the University of Western Sydney doing his medical degree

He and his two brothers and one sister were raised in a single-parent household.

'We came from a very humble background, we lived in government housing for pretty much most of my life, we just got out of it a year or two ago,' he said.

'Four kids and a single mum  originally from Pakistan but all the kids were born here.'

He credits a family GP for inspiring his mother, Sahiba, to go to university.

'Before that no one from my family went to university or barely any did so it was a bit of a jump,' he said.

'My GP really helped our family and we were going through a lot of hardship and she basically influenced mum to go get a university education.

'The inspiration was to do something that people don't believe you can do.

'During my mum's time the belief was that we can't go to university but once I saw that I thought that university was an option than I thought that being a doctor was an option.'

Mr Khan grew up in a single-parent household with two brothers and one sister in western Sydney

Mr Khan offered these words of advice to those who doubted they could study at university.

'You can definitely make your place in university if it isn't already there for you,' he said.

'I felt like a fish out of water at university because most of the people from my school didn't go on to higher education but I took every opportunity there was with both hands and ran with them.

'Once you've made a space for yourself, make sure you go back and help those from a similar background to yourself.

'If you've taken the elevator up then make sure you send it back down to those who need it like you did.

'I guess just seeing that with our mum really inspired me and my siblings.'

Mr Khan's oldest brother has a Masters degree, his other brother has a university degree and his younger sister is studying at the University of Melbourne.

Having overcome obstacles in pursuing his own dream Mr Khan now dedicates himself to helping others from similar circumstances.

A family GP inspired Mr Khan to think that he could go to university and become a doctor

While he offers paid tutoring to get people into medical courses Mr Khan says he has given away close to $10,000 worth of free tutoring to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He said one of those he tutored came from a single-mother household like himself and recently got into a medical course.

'When my followers message me with some financial or other issues then I try my best to help them where I can,' he said.

Mr Khan hopes that when fully qualified he can provide health care to disadvantaged communities.

'I definitely want to do indigenous health because I've got some experience with that,' he said.

'I've always been passionate about helping disadvantaged communities and the indigenous community is one of the most disadvantaged so that's definitely on the cards.'

Mr Khan said since posting the clip on TikTok he has been getting private messages from others who've had similar experiences.

'They said, 'Thank you for posting that video because I thought I was strange',' Mr Khan said.

'They thought maybe the people were treating them that way because there was something inherently wrong with them.

'But they told me 'after I read the comments I thought this is a legitimate thing and maybe (they were being shunned) just because I am not from the dominant class and area that's in the university'.'

Mr Khan, who was a 17-year-old in Year 12 at the time, says during a medicine studies information session at Sydney University attendees were asked what high school they attended.

All those who went to a private and selective school, which was everybody except him, grouped to talk to the university medical students on the other side of the room.

When Mr Khan asked to be included he was told another medical student was coming that he could hang out with, which did not happen.

Mr Khan provides free tutoring to those from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them get into university

A spokesperson for the University of Sydney said Mr Khan's story was 'dismaying'

'We are deeply committed to diversity and to helping talented students realise their potential, whatever their social, cultural or financial circumstances,' a spokesperson said.

'We are dismayed by the experience Fahad Khan describes.

'We work hard to ensure everyone is accepted and has equal opportunities on our campuses.

'But we also know we need to do more to attract, support and retain students who have traditionally been under-represented and under-served in higher education.'

Mr Khan said he couldn't say if things had improved at University of Sydney in terms of it being more widely accepting but he had heard from friends it is 'a little bit better'.

Eventually Mr Khan went to the University of NSW, which is in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where he completed a degree in neuroscience.

He is now in his third year of studying medicine at the University of Western Sydney.

Mr Khan said that the University of NSW was nowhere near as unwelcoming as University of Sydney but he still sometimes felt 'like a fish out of water' there.

He said sometimes people tried a little too hard, such as one classmate who would gush how much 'she loved Muslims a lot because I am Muslim'.

On another occasion he learnt that he had a distinctive regional accent.

'I was in class and someone yelled out from the other side of the room, 'Who's the person from western Sydney?',' Mr Khan said.

Mr Khan started looking around wondering who the person was and how they were identified.

'They said (to me) 'we can hear your Western Sydney accent' and I said 'is there a western Sydney accent?',' Mr Khan said

At first Mr Khan felt so out of place that he began messaging a friend that they should either come to his university or he transfer to Western Sydney 'because I didn't feel like I was at home at UNSW,' he said.

'Eventually I ended up finding a bunch of friends and it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life,' Mr Khan said of his time at UNSW.
Russian-born Anna Sorokin went by the name of Anna Delvey and posed as a wealthy German heiress to scam her way into New York's high society from 2013 to 2017. Sorokin, 31, was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after being convicted of eight grand larceny and theft of services charges for swindling banks, hotels and friends out of $275,000 in a 10-month spree.

After serving nearly four years, she was released in February 2021 for good behavior.

In no time the 'German heiress' went back to her previous posh lifestyle. She rented a swanky apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan, and did the media circuit, boldly telling one reporter 'crime pays, in a way.' She signed a deal with Netflix to advise on its production of Inventing Anna, a miniseries based on her life. A judge allowed her to sign the lucrative deal as a way to pay back her victims.

Just six weeks after enjoying her freedom, she was arrested by immigration agents for allegedly overstaying her visa and has been in ICE custody in Orange County, New York, ever since.

Sorokin writes from that detention center to tell of the horrors of the American immigration system.

Russian-born Anna Delvey- real name Sorokin - says that the US immigration system is broken

Sorokin continues to languish in ICE custody in a New York jail after she was arrested for overstaying her visa in March 2021

Sorokin has appeared via video from the prison for interviews and surprised Columbia journalism students last month when she appeared as a virtual guest at their Intro to Reporting class

I am used to being in places I want to get out of. Metaphorically and literally. This cell where I have spent 18 months foundering in the sinkhole of America's immigration system checks off both of those boxes.

But the real tragedy here isn't my story: It's what I've seen and heard happening  and more pointedly, not happening  to people whose greatest offense is an expired visa and a desperate desire to escape violence and persecution in their home countries.

In the Orange County, N.Y. jail where I await my fate, female detainees are tossed in with the general criminal population, often without ever appearing before a judge. Pundits call the unchecked commingling of civil immigration policy and criminal law 'crimmigration,' but there's no clever term for the consequences behind the bars where a Honduran mother frantic to contact her family is locked up with a convicted murderer who starved her seven-year-old to death.

We're all the same.

As of July, there were some 1.86 million pending immigration cases in the United States, with only 50 immigration courts to handle the backlog. A vast majority of these people  myself included  were picked up for overstaying visas, not illegally crossing any border.

Once you're in ICE custody, what happens next is left entirely to ICE. Disturbingly arbitrary nature of the civil immigration detention system allows for immigrants to be held indefinitely without ever having a judge review whether bond or electronic monitoring was an appropriate alternative to detention.

Any prior contact with the criminal justice system whether a serial killer or shoplifter  is grounds for 'mandatory detention' as a perceived threat to national security or public safety. The justification will likely fall under broadly defined 'aggravated felonies' or wildly subjective 'crimes of moral turpitude.'

ICE has the discretion to release detainees on bond (with or without electronic monitoring) or lock them up while an order for deportation is processed. That takes an average of three years, according to data tracked by Syracuse University.

Sorokin writes that immigrant mothers frantic to contact their families are locked up with convicted murderers

'The jail I'm housed at is famous for its understaffing issue. To help alleviate that issue, in the last few weeks alone, 61 immigrants were removed from this facility without notice and transferred to a facility in Mississippi, where ICE can detain them at a lesser cost,' Sorokin writes

Despite their low risk to public safety, over 2/3 of the immigrants apprehended by ICE each day are incarcerated, according to the non-profit Detention Watch Network. Yet, by ICE's own account, those released and monitored either electronically or otherwise have a 96% success rate of complying with ICE directives, abiding by U.S. laws and reporting for all court dates.

Imprisonment simply makes no sense.

But it does make billions of dollars.

Sorokin, 31, was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after being convicted of eight grand larceny and theft of services charges for swindling banks, hotels and friends out of $275,000 in a 10-month spree

With an annual budget of $2.8 billion from the federal government to house detainees, ICE pays private companies like GEO group and Core-Civic to lock thousands up in vast detention centers, while county or regional jails are paid to take smaller numbers. There's no such thing in ICE as the United States Constitutional right to legal representation. No one will be appointed if you can't afford a lawyer.

Another way these companies then maximize their gains is by denying basic medical care. Unless it's an obviously life-threatening emergency, an inmate wanting care is told to drop a medical request slip inside a 'sick call' box and then wait up to three months before being seen.

The jail I'm housed at is famous for its understaffing issue. To help alleviate that issue, in the last few weeks alone, 61 immigrants were removed from this facility without notice and transferred to a facility in Mississippi, where ICE can detain them at a lesser cost.

Now those detainees are far from their local support systems of friends or loved ones, and those who were lucky enough to have lawyers have been stripped of the ability to communicate with them readily and in person. Hearings held remotely are not opportune for defendants to consult with their attorneys during the proceeding.

My conviction  still under appeal  was for larceny and theft of services, but ICE deems me a community threat and a flight risk. I never inflicted physical harm, and my chances of disappearing under an assumed identity are zero given that my face and voice consistently remained in the news and headlines over the past years.

I spent more than two years in prison and paid restitution in full, and the New York State Parole Board determined that I was not a flight risk or a threat to anyone and released me eight months early for good behavior.

After I was released, ICE placed me on supervised release and commenced my deportation case. I checked in with an ICE officer regularly.

Inexplicably, six weeks after my release, without any violations or any change in my case status, ICE re-arrested me and held me without even allowing me a bond hearing before an immigration judge. It was only after my attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court that a cursory bond hearing was granted.

Eighteen months later, continuing being a ward of the world's largest immigration detention system and trying to navigate a confusing and sometimes contradictory process to secure the right to stay in the U.S. is frustrating, but I know I'm one of the lucky few: I'm a white European woman with the education and resources to hire lawyers and advocate for myself when needed; I have a support network of loved ones who know where I am and are able to reach me because they can pay for the texts and collect calls permitted on our jail-issued tablets.

I'm fluent in English, which spares me the cruel indifference those with language barriers endure all the time from ICE officers who turn their backs when they hear foreign languages.

Sorokin sold the rights to her life story to Netflix for $320,000. Above, actress Julia Garner plays Delvey in the series 'Inventing Anna'

My language proficiencies overcome those barriers and I have tried to help people who have no idea what to do once they land here. However bad I think my situation is, I know others have it far worse.

There's a poster on the wall by the phones here, offering inmates a long list of help hotlines. Sometimes people ask me to call for them and translate.

The numbers that still work are always answered by recordings, though: Offices only staffed one day a week between 2 and 4 p.m., one is closed indefinitely due to Covid, another represents only non-detained immigrants. Leave a message and no one ever gets back to you.

I checked just the other day to see if anything had changed recently. First, the City Bar Justice Center advised me to 'press 1' if I was a minor, '2' for abused woman or crime survivor and '3' if had a fear of returning to my country of origin. I tried '3' and was told no one was available to take my call.

The Legal Aid Society, the American Bar Association and Catholic Charities yielded no actual human being or ability to record messages.

Discouraged, I made one last try, figuring if anything would work, it would be the listing under Human Rights.

'Thank you for calling Human Rights,' I heard. 'We're not available to take your call.' I was instructed to leave my name and number, with the promise of a return call. I waited for the beep but instead heard yet another disembodied voice.

'This message box is full,' Human Rights said. 'Good-bye.'

If my life until now is to have the meaning I would like for it to have, the mistakes of the past and lessons learned will help guide me to being a better person and having a consequential impact. My experiences, along with my determination, can play a part in calling attention to and, perhaps, repairing a broken system that so many of our 'leaders' have simply failed to do.
The elaborate ceremonies held since the Queen's death have been breathtaking in their magnificence and grandeur.

The Accession Council to proclaim King Charles. The thanksgiving service at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. The poignant procession as Her Majesty was laid in state.

But even these will be eclipsed by Elizabeth II's state funeral. The most spellbinding and distinguished of all the occasions, it will truly be fit for a Queen.

The greatest constitutional monarch this country  indeed, the world  has seen, she performed her challenging and demanding role faithfully and devotedly for 70 years. This is the least we can do for her.

The elaborate ceremonies held since the Queen's death have been breathtaking in their magnificence and grandeur

The thanksgiving service at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. The poignant procession as Her Majesty was laid in state. But even these will be eclipsed by Elizabeth II's state funeral. The most spellbinding and distinguished of all the occasions, it will truly be fit for a Queen

The late monarch's coffin will be borne on a 123-year-old gun carriage for a powerfully symbolic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, before she makes her final journey to Windsor Castle, where she will be buried alongside her beloved husband Philip.

The logistics, of course, will be formidable. But in a victory for common sense, officials have decreed that the Queen's coffin will take byroads, not the motorway, to her resting place, giving hundreds of thousands more a chance to line the route.

With 30-hour queues to file past her coffin at Westminster Hall, and millions cramming into London for the funeral, many wouldn't otherwise get the chance to say farewell.

By pragmatically amending arrangements, it means if mourners cannot go to the monarch, she can come to more of them.

Scrap the bonus cap

On the face of it, there is bad timing, worse timing and the Chancellor saying he wants to scrap the cap on bankers' bonuses.

With families being pummelled by the cost of living crisis and the Government urging pay restraint, the plan seems like a PR disaster.

Not long ago, bankers' reckless greed brought Britain's financial services to the brink of collapse, so queasiness at them again being allowed to shamelessly plunder vast rewards is understandable.

If Kwasi Kwarteng is determined to hit the accelerator on growth, he must improve the City's global competitiveness

But if Kwasi Kwarteng is determined to hit the accelerator on growth, he must improve the City's global competitiveness.

By unshackling it from EU bonus-capping regulations, the Treasury will make the Square Mile more attractive to international talent and investment  ultimately making us more prosperous.

Yes, critics warn that uncapped bonuses could lead to the kind of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crash. But new and tougher penalties should deter irresponsibility and misconduct.

Mr Kwarteng should ignore the Left's outraged howls and dig his heels in on this policy. His job is to make the right calls for the economy  not to wilt before banker-bashing populism.

The New York Whines

Like a demented stalker, the once-esteemed New York Times newspaper has a very unhealthy obsession with Britain.

Ever since we voted for Brexit, the sanctimonious Left-wing rag has launched a fusillade of gratuitous attacks against us.

In a litany of laughably negative stories, it says we dine out on boiled mutton, huddle round bin fires for warmth  and we're so racist we drove out Meghan.

The Grey Lady's even turned her ghoulish gaze on the Queen, poisonously  and falsely  denouncing the dead monarch as a symbol of colonialism.

Now it moans that UK taxpayers struggling to heat homes must foot the bill for the state funeral for... the head of state. What an amazing scoop!

What sticks in the craw is the paper's sickening hypocrisy. Firstly, American taxpayers themselves are paying huge sums to fly President Biden here for the service.

And second, how has it the audacity to portray Britain as a Dickensian dystopia, when swathes of the US are crime-plagued, poverty-stricken, racially-riven hellholes?
A Capitol rioter who wore an anti-Semitic 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt over a Nazi shirt while storming the building has been jailed for 75 days.

Robert Keith Packer, 57, from Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, which carries a maximum sentence of six months of imprisonment.

Packer told the FBI he was about 10 to 12 feet away from rioter Ashli Babbitt when a police officer fatally shot her as she tried to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker's Lobby.

His sweatshirt depicted an image of a human skull above the words 'Camp Auschwitz.' The word 'Staff' was on the back.

It also bore the phrase 'Work Brings Freedom,' a rough translation of the German words above the entrance gate to Auschwitz, the concentration camp in occupied Poland where Nazis killed more than 1 million men, women and children.

A Capitol rioter who wore an anti-Semitic 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt over a Nazi shirt while storming the building has been jailed for 75 days

Robert Keith Packer, 57, from Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

Assistant US Attorney Mona Furst said she learned on Wednesday that Packer also wore an 'SS' T-shirt - a reference to the Nazi Party paramilitary organization founded by Adolf Hitler - under his sweatshirt on January 6.

Packer was not sentenced over his clothing, which was 'incredibly offensive', US District Judge Carl Nichols said.

Defense attorney Stephen Brennwald acknowledged Packer's attire was 'seriously offensive' but argued it shouldn't be a sentencing factor because he has a free speech right to wear it.

'It's just awful that he wore that shirt that day. I just don't think it's appropriate to give him extra time because of that because he's allowed to wear it,' he said.

Packer remained silent during court proceedings and refused to address Judge Nichols during sentencing by video conference.

'It seems to me that he wore that sweatshirt for a reason. We don't know what the reason was because Mr. Packer hasn't told us,' Nichols said.

Photographs of Packer wearing the sweatshirt went viral after the attack on the Capitol.

When FBI agents asked him why he wore it, he 'fatuously' replied, 'Because I was cold,' a federal prosecutor said in a court filing.

Packer 'attacked the very government that gave him the freedom to express those beliefs, no matter how abhorrent or evil they may be' when he joined the mob supporting then-President Donald Trump, the prosecutor said.

Packer told the FBI that he was about 10 to 12 feet away from a rioter, Ashli Babbitt, when a police officer fatally shot her

Packer 'wanted to support the subversion of our republic and keep a dictatorial ruler in place by force and violence,' Furst told the judge.

Brennwald added that Packer was offended and angry to be labeled a white supremacist 'because he doesn't see himself that way at all.'

The defense lawyer said Packer wanted him to sue House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for linking him to white supremacy during a press conference several days after the riot.

Packer declined to speak during Thursday's hearing because he didn't want his words 'splashed out there' on social media, his lawyer told the judge.

'He told the agents he heard the shot and saw her fall back from the window she was trying to climb through,' Furst wrote in a court filing.

Furst said Packer didn't express any remorse during his FBI interview.

'He was more interested in relaying how he received hate mail and how he was 'hounded' by the media for interviews,' she added.

Packers younger sister, Kimberly Rice, wrote a letter asking the judge for leniency. She said her brothers sweatshirt 'could be considered in poor taste' but added that 'freedom of expression' isnt a crime.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 75 days of incarceration followed by 36 months of probation. Brennwald sought a probationary sentence with no jail time.

FBI agents arrested Packer a week after the riot. He has remained free while awaiting sentencing.

Packer is a self-employed pipe fitter. Prosecutors say he has a lengthy criminal record, with approximately 21 convictions, mostly for drunken driving and other motor vehicle violations.

More than 870 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct on Jan. 6. Approximately 400 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses. Over 250 riot defendants have been sentenced, with roughly half getting terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 10 years.
The Biden administration is sending another $600 million in military aid to Ukraine, the State Department announced on Thursday, as the U.S. rushes more weapons to fuel Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia.

The White House said it was the 21st time that the Defense Department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine.

The package will include more of the same types of ammunition and equipment that have helped Ukrainian forces beat back the Russian forces in portions of the east and south.

'With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future,' said Antony Blinken, Secretary of State.

'The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table when the time is right.'

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, is pictured on Thursday, as he announces an additional $600 million in aid to Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen drive a tank in the recently-retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, on Wednesday

He tweeted: 'I have directed another $600 million drawdown to expedite our 21st shipment of arms and equipment from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine, as its defenders push back Russian invasion forces. The United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine.'

The decision to move on new aid quickly - on the heels of a nearly $2.9 billion infusion of aid and financing support announced last week and more than $3 billion announced in late August - underscore the U.S. intent to ensure that Ukraine can sustain its stunning counterattack that was launched early this month.

That most recent funding included $2.2 billion in long-term military financing announced that Blinken announced during a visit to Ukraine last week, and a $675 million weapons package announced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Europe that same day.

The $2.2 billion that Blinken announced in Kyiv is for Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO members and regional security partners, that are potentially at risk of future Russian aggression, the U.S. said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a surprise visit on Wednesday to the newly recaptured town of Izium

A Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on a destroyed Russian APC at the checkpoint near the recently-retaken area of Izium on Thursday

A burned Russian APC in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Thursday amid the Russian retreat

Moscow's recent rout in northeast Ukraine was its largest military defeat since the withdrawal of Russian troops from areas near Kyiv more than five months ago.

The latest package of weapons systems brings the total amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine to nearly $15.9 billion since President Joe Biden took office.

U.S. officials watching the counteroffensive have been careful not to declare a premature victory, noting that Russia still has substantial troops and resources.

And they are wary of what Russian President Vladimir Putin may do to turn the tide.

But U.S. leaders also have made clear that the precision weapons and rocket systems provided by the U.S. and allies - including the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile, or HARM - have been key to the dramatic shift in momentum.
A teenager has reeled in a record catch after a four hour struggle with the fish weighing more than double his bodyweight.

Victorian teen, Ryan 'Crumb' Gazzola caught the whopping 135.4-kilogram southern bluefin tuna off Gunnamatta beach on the Mornington Peninsula last Saturday.

The mammoth fish was first sighted and tagged more than 29 years ago off the coast of Esperance in Western Australia.

The fish was just 52 centimetres long when tagged in 1993 by CSIRO, and at the time it was caught by Mr Gazzola measured 195 centimetres, making it the longest time 'at liberty' catch in Australian history for the species.

Victorian teen, Ryan Gazzola (pictured) caught a whopping 135.4 kilogram southern blufin tuna off Gunnamatta beach on the Mornington Peninsula last Saturday

The fish was just 52 centimetres long when tagged in 1993 and at the time it was caught was 195 centimetres - making it the longest time 'at liberty' catch in Australian history

CSIRO scientist told Dr Campbell Davies told The Age tuna have an expected lifespan of about 40 years, but this fish had been in the wild past its average life expectancy.

CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist Campbell Davies told 9News Melbourne there had never been a tagged fish recaptured in Australia after such extended period of time.

'Anybody that gets to catch a fish of that size and that age is a very lucky bloke,' he said.

'I was very surprised when I heard of the re-capture.'

CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist Campbell Davies (pictured) said there had never been a tagged fish recaptured in Australia after such extended period of time.

The Carrum teen now says he plans to have the tail of his record catch displayed in his room.

'I am getting the tail mounted to have it in my room so everyday I can look at it and think, I can't believe this actually happened,' Mr Gazzola said.

'This is something that I could only dream of. Everything that has happened since that day, it's just getting better and better, it's just been remarkable.'

The 17-year-old said reeling in the tuna was just 'unbelievable'.

The CSIRO stopped its tagging program in 2005.
Florida's governor accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud' - as California's governor said he should be investigated for possible kidnapping.

Ron DeSantis on Wednesday chartered a plane to send 50 people, mainly Venezuelans, to the exclusive Massachusetts holiday island.

The move sparked outrage among Democrats and human rights groups, who accused him of playing politics with peoples' lives and tricking the migrants with promises of expedited work permits if they boarded the plane.

On Thursday night, CNN reported that the migrants were in Texas, and then flown to Martha's Vineyard. Many said they had no idea where they were going.

Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida who is now seeking to unseat DeSantis, called him a 'monster' for 'using children as a stunt'.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, wrote to the Department of Justice to request that DeSantis be investigated for kidnapping.

But DeSantis, widely considered to be contemplating a run for the White House in 2024, was defiant.

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, is seen on Thursday defending his role in flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard

DeSantis flew in the two planes without giving any warning, sparking criticism from Democrats - including New York Mayor Eric Adams

School buses were used to get the group of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to the church that provided shelter

'We take what's happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the president of the United States, who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border,' he said on Thursday.

'And you have had millions and millions of people pouring across illegally  a record amount of fentanyl coming into our country. It is absolutely killing Americans in record numbers.

'Of course you have criminal aliens, but just the sheer number of people is just not the way you run a country.'

Many of the migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally hope to travel to Florida, which has a large and well-established Hispanic community.

DeSantis, however, emphasized on Thursday that his state was not a welcoming place for those in the country illegally.

He said he had decided - like the governors of Texas and Arizona, who pioneered the transportation of migrants - to pay for their journey to a state that offered protection to illegal immigrants.

In 2017, Massachusetts' top state court ruled that Massachusetts court officers do not have the authority to arrest someone suspected of being in the U.S. illegally if that person is not facing criminal charges, effectively giving the state sanctuary status.

Migrants are seen receiving food and supplies from local volunteers on Wednesday

The Venezuelan arrivals are seen in the affluent town on Wednesday

'If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place [to settle], our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction,' DeSantis told the crowd.

'And yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures.'

DeSantis said it was ironic that those politicians who backed sanctuary cities then complained about migrants arriving in their states.

'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening,' he said.

'And it just shows you that their virtue-signaling is a fraud.

'Now what would be best is for Biden to do his damn job and secure the border.'

Newsom, meanwhile, announced that he has formally requested the Department of Justice to investigate what he calls 'inhumane efforts' by the governors of Florida, Texas and Arizona to transport migrants away from their states.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said that DeSantis should be investigated for kidnapping

Newsom tweeted his letter, which reads: 'I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act.'

In a letter to Merrick Garland, the attorney general, he said he was 'horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props.'
The European Union proposed a $140 billion windfall tax on some energy companies in an attempt to shield consumers from rising energy prices.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed capping the profits of renewable and nuclear electricity producers and taxing the windfall earnings of oil and gas companies. The announcement comes as profits at power generators using wind, solar, and nuclear energy have ballooned because their tariffs are linked to the wholesale price of natural gas.

$140 Billion Windfall Tax

The price of the latter soared to a record high in March after Russia invaded Ukraine, now sitting at about 550% up on year-ago levels. Europe has already sanctioned Russian oil and coal exports after the beginning of the invasion, prompting Moscow to slash supplies of gas in return.

On Wednesday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc would conduct a "deep and comprehensive reform" to decouple the cost of gas from the price of electricity. She said that companies are making revenues they have never accounted for or even dreamt of, as per CNN.

Von der Leyen added that it was wrong to receive extraordinary record profits benefiting from war and on the back of consumers. The EU Commission's proposals still need to be debated and adopted by EU member states before they go into full effect.

The bloc could potentially introduce a cap of $180 per megawatt hour on the electricity produced by renewable energy firms, said the Commission in a statement. Currently, Europe's benchmark wholesale gas price is $212 per megawatt hour.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping Meet! US Official Sends Strong Warning to China Amid Support for Russia

According to the Economist, to calculate what is excessive, the EU uses an average of the company's profits over the past three years as the benchmark. If in 2022, the profit is more than 20% higher than that benchmark, a third of anything above that threshold must be paid to governments.

Addressing Soaring Energy Prices

The choice of benchmark period is controversial since it includes 2020 and 2021, the years of the coronavirus pandemic when demand crashed and energy prices were very low. In a brief moment in April 2020, the price of oil was negative. The EU Commission's plan could face other opposition too, as an Italian windfall tax introduced in March 2022 is currently being challenged in court.

For renewable energy resources, calculating excess profits is more complicated as the cost of generating electricity varies depending on what energy is used. In European electricity markets, the price of power each hour is set by the most expensive power plant that is needed to meet demand.

While the system works relatively well, it was not built for this sort of crisis as high gas prices are coinciding with shortfalls in nuclear power generation, many reactors are closed for repair, and hydroelectric-power generation, due to drought.

Von der Leyen's plan does not include an earlier idea to cap Russian gas prices as EU countries are divided over whether broader gas price caps would help or harm efforts to secure winter supplies. Some diplomats are optimistic that deals could be struck at a meeting of EU energy ministers on Sept. 30, Reuters reported.



Related Article: Far-Right Swedish Party Wins Narrow Majority in Parliament in Historic Political Overhaul

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An Australian university has introduced a plan to give students who score 40 per cent and above a second chance to pass their subject.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst, NSW, told staff on Wednesday that they will be implementing a new trial that will allow students who end their subject with a mark between 40 and 49 per cent to get a second opportunity to get the score required to pass.

The pass threshold is 50 per cent.

The School of Social Work and Art, which includes education students, said the move allows students who narrowly failed to sit another assessment within ten days, providing them with another opportunity to pass.

The Head of the School, Sally Totman, said the trial aims to improve both the retention and success rates of students at CSU.

Charles Sturt University are implementing a new trial allowing students who end their subject with a mark between 40 and 49 per cent to get a second chance to pass

Head of the School Sally Totman (pictured) said the trial aims to improve both the retention and success rates of students at CSU

Several academics are outraged by the change, report the Sydney Morning Herald.

In one email to Ms Totman, an academic questioned whether the move was one that encouraged academic potential or is it just a money grab?

'As an institution, does CSU intend on ensuring every graduate is competent and proficient to carry out the role their CSU qualification suggests they are? Or, do we just want to make sure they're back on campus, adding to their HECS debt, next semester?' they wrote.

'When I fail a student, I actually mean it. It is not an easy thing to do. The pressure to pass students who don't deserve it (to the detriment of those who work hard and have earned the honour) has passed endurance.'

Andrew Norton, a higher education professor at the Australian National University, said the benefit of the doubt was often given if students slightly missed the 50 per cent pass mark but extending that to 40 is a 'serious fail'.

Many academics are outraged with the move, emailing Ms Totman complaints such as whether the move is one that encourages academic potential or one that is just a money grab

'One response to this will be that more people will get 39. It's also, obviously, a lot of extra work for academics,' he said.

David Boud, professor and director of the Centre for Research in Assessment at Deakin University, said the move wasn't too far-fetched and somewhat mirrored that of the United Kingdom, where students are often allowed to re-sit exams at the end of summer break.

'If they get close to the boundary, they deserve another chance to have a go,' he said.

'There's almost no assessment anyone does in higher education that you can measure to any degree of precision.'
A Texas doctor who has been accused of injecting drugs into IV bags that lead to the death of a colleague and resulted in medical emergencies in almost a dozen patients, may have deliberately tampered with them because he was unhappy he was being investigated by his surgery center.

Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. was arrested on Wednesday one week after the Texas Medical Board suspended his license.

The board declared his 'continued practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to the public welfare.'

Ortiz's arrest comes after Dallas police opened an investigation into the death of Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, an anesthesiologist at Surgicare North Dallas, who died in June from cardiac arrest minutes after administering herself with an IV bag she had taken home from work.

Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly tampering with IV drugs, leaving one colleague dead and putting about a dozen others in danger

A toxicology report found her body contained the same drug in the IV bags Ortiz handled.

The Medical Board's report found that the IV bag which killed Kaspar was one that had been handled by Ortiz.

'On June 21, 2022, a fellow physician from the Surgicare facility took one of the IV bags home with her when she was sick to rehydrate,' it read, 'When she inserted the IV at home she almost immediately had a heart attack and died.'

Authorities said footage showed Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. - an anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas - tampering with IV bags, and that the bags were found to have small holes in them and to have been spiked with an anesthetic that is fatal if taken intravenously.

'Ortiz was seen on surveillance footage depositing single IV bags into a warmer in the hall outside operating rooms. Investigators found when he put a bag in the warmer, a patient would suffer serious complications shortly after,' according to a report from the Texas Medical Board.

Authorities said footage showed Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. - an anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas - tampering with IV bags

Authorities say Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. tampered with IV bags at Surgicare North Dallas, leading to the death of a doctor

'Inspection of the IV bags found tiny holes in the plastic wrap around the bags. Tests on the bags found they contained a lethal dose of the local anesthetic bupivacaine, but were not labeled as such, according to the board.

An affidavit seen by The Daily Beast suggests a motive for Ortiz's alleged crimes.

Earlier this year, Ortiz was placed under investigation and faced a disciplinary inquiry against him after a patient stopped breathing under his care during a routine procedure.

The 59-year-old anesthesiologist is set to make his initial court appearance on Friday morning and has been charged with tampering with a consumer product causing death and/or serious bodily injury and other counts.

The affidavit explains how following investigations there 'appears to be a likely correlation between Ortiz coming under scrutiny for medical errors and the adverse events affecting other anesthesiologists' patients' at the surgery center.

The original investigation by the surgery began in May when a patient, identified as G.A., stopped breathing.

The surgery explained how Ortiz 'deviated from the standard of care by failing to maintain the patient's airway and failing to document critical aspects of the incident.'

Ortiz was aware of the investigation into his handling of the incident and expressed his unhappiness telling another doctor how he believed the center was attempting to 'crucify' him.

In the affidavit seen by the Beast reveals how a fellow doctor said that Ortiz losing his job at the center 'would be financially 'devastating' to him.

The Daily Beast has also gone further in its investigation of Ortiz and found how the state medical board reprimanded him after he shot his neighbor's dog in 2018.

The board have also alleged how he had a 'history of violence against women.'

The board also reprimanded Ortiz for failing 'to meet the standard of care for one patient' in November 2020 at North Garland Surgery Center.

A patient needed CPR and had to be transported to hospital after Ortiz carried out anesthesia.

Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, died of cardiac arrest in June after she brought an IV bag home from work and hooked herself up to it because she was feeling dehydrated

The Board also noted Ortiz's tampering appeared to be responsible for an incident two months later when an 18-year-old boy also nearly died after being hooked up to the IV during a routine surgery.

'Tests were also run on the remaining contents from an IV bag given to an otherwise healthy patient who had a heart attack during a routine surgery. The tests indicated the IV fluid contained drugs that could and would be fatal when given intravenously,' the report read.

The boy was rushed to intensive care after suffering a huge spike in his blood pressure during his operation. He was placed on a ventilator for a week before being released from the hospital.

Authorities obtained two IV bag that were used during the teen's surgery and found some with small puncture holes.

Surgicare North Dallas ceased its operations in recent weeks after the discovery of an IV bag that 'appeared to have been compromised,' the facility said in a statement

A testing of the fluid found the contents contained epinephrine, or the hormone adrenaline, as well as bupivacaine and lidocaine which cause his 'heart to beat out of control and his blood pressure spiked to around 200/150.'

The facility made the link between the incident involving Kaspar and the teen concluding they were 'likely not isolated and were likely part of a pattern of intentional adulteration of IV bags used for procedures,' the affidavit says.

Staff 'determined that there were approximately ten other suspected incidents since late May 2022 where patients experienced unexpected cardiovascular complications during otherwise unremarkable surgeries.'

The issues also appeared to occurred when patients needed a second IV bag from the 'warmer' which is used to heat up the temperature of bags used during surgery.

'Other cardiovascular incidents involving suspected compromised IV bags occurred on or around July 7, 15, and 18; and August 1, 4, 9, and 19,' the filing continues.

It was also noted how when Ortiz was on vacation between July 23 and 28 there were no issues, yet following his return, cardiac incidents suddenly ramped up once again.

Surveillance footage from August sees Ortiz leaving an operating room with an IV in his hand as he walks past a warmer.

Ortiz 'then turned and quickly placed the IV bag into the warmer' and 'looked both directions' in the hallway before quickly walking away.

'A short time later, Ortiz opened the warmer and looked inside, then quickly closed the warmer,' according to the affidavit.

A nurse then took an IV bag from the warmer on a patient undergoing cosmetic surgery and 'developed severe hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias', forcing her to be moved to hospital.

A number of other similar episodes were documented which saw Ortiz place an IV bag in the warmer with patient later seeing their blood pressure spike or undergoing medical emergencies.

A nurse also spoke of 'unusual' instances whereby the Ortiz would fetch his own IV bag from the warmer to use in surgery while waving away another bag brought by the nurse.

'The nurse said that it was unusual for Ortiz to engage in this practice, as doctors at [the facility] did not typically obtain their own IV bags.'

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham made a statement while announcing Ortiz's charges, noting how the physician 'surreptitiously injected heart-stopping drugs into patient IV bags, decimating the Hippocratic oath.'

'A single incident of seemingly intentional patient harm would be disconcerting; multiple incidents are truly disturbing.'

Ortiz graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine in 1989, and completed his residency in anesthesiology in 1993. It is unclear how long he had been with Surgicare North Dallas.

Melanie Kaspar's Dallas home where she died in June after administering herself with an IV bag she had taken home from work

The Medical Board described Ortiz as a 'continuing threat to public welfare.'

'Dr. Ortiz was a part of an ongoing criminal investigation following serious cardiac complications and one patient's death connected with Ortiz's presence at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas facility from May through September 2022,' the report read.

Surgicare North Dallas ceased its operations in recent weeks after the discovery of an IV bag that 'appeared to have been compromised,' the facility said in a statement.

The hospital could not be reached for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

The company which owns the surgery facility, Baylor Scott and White, also could not be reached, but previously said in a statement it was working with the investigation.

'We remain focused on assisting investigators,' the statement said, 'There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our patients.'

An obituary for Kaspar described her as a 'loving' person who always lived life to the fullest

An obituary for Kaspar described her as a 'loving' person who always lived life to the fullest.

'No words can adequately contain Mel. She was a whirling dervish and did nothing at half measure,' the obituary read.

'Melanie was a woman of integrity and honor. She was genuine and unapologetically herself. She had a style all her own.'

Numerous testimonials on another obituary described her as a dedicated and caring doctor who always knew how to put patients at ease.

'She was a most compassionate anesthesiologist and co worker,' wrote a former colleague, 'She loved her work and touched so many lives during her time in the operating room.
Lachlan McLaren, 16, died saving his girlfriend's life. It was his birthday

The girlfriend of a selfless schoolboy who died when he pushed her out of the path of an out-of-control ute has told a court: 'I lost a part of myself that day'.

Lachlan McLaren was walking Ella Mahony home through Mentone, in Melbourne's south-east, after her shift at Woolworths on the afternoon of August 15 last year.

As they walked, 32-year-old unlicensed driver Christopher Hennessey came hurtling down the wrong side of the Nepean Highway, in a white ute while high on ice.

The Year 10 Mentone Grammar boy shoved Ms Mahony out of the way and copped the full impact of the crash. He died that day, his 16th birthday.

In her victim impact statement on Wednesday, Ms Mahony told the Victorian County Court that she had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder since the tragedy.

'I lost Lachie and part of myself that day, two things I will never get back,' her statement read, according to Seven News.

Ella Mahony is pictured outside court on Wednesday. Since the accident, she has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder

Mr McLaren's mother, Michelle, told the court she sat with her son's lifeless body for hours - willing his eyes to open.

'I had to walk away and leave my baby in a box and it shattered my heart into a million pieces,' she said.

His father, Carey, told the court he has been blinded by rage his son's death.

'I don't know who I am anymore,' he said.

Lachlan McLaren died as he walked his girlfriend, Ella Mahony, home in Mentone, in Melbourne's south-east, on August 15 last year (crash scene pictured)

Hennessey had driven 800 metres on the wrong side of the highway before he ploughed into the teens.

He was subsequently charged with culpable driving causing death.

Hennessy was found guilty and appeared court via video link on Wednesday - keeping his head down as victim impact statements were read out.

The 32-year-old will be sentenced on Monday.
Vice President Kamala Harris' model stepdaughter Ella Emhoff was spotted out and about on a rainy evening in New York City together with her boyfriend Sam Hine.

Emhoff could be seen walking through the streets with her arm tightly wrapped around Hine who held the umbrella over the couple.

Emhoff, the 23-year-old daughter of the vice president's husband, Doug Emhoff, has been one of the most buzzworthy personalities of New York Fashion Week where she has been spotted on and off the runway.

Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff and her boyfriend Sam Hine were seen heading to the Vogue party in Manhattan as part of New York Fashion Week

The couple shared a kiss as they held hands in front of the cameras

The 23-year-old daughter of the vice president's husband, Doug Emhoff has been one of the most buzzworthy personalities of NYFW where she has been spotted on and off the runway

Emhoff is currently in a relationship with GQ fashion writer Sam Hine, 28

Emhoff could be seen putting her arm tightly around Hine as they braved a summer rain shower

Hine appears to appreciate all of Emhoff's qualities. 'What always impresses me most about everything she does is she has her own way and through the lens of personal style,' he gushed

Later in the evening the umbrella was away and the couple stood holding hands looking very serious

Earlier this week the former Parsons fashion design student, walked the runway at the Maisie Wilen show where she wore a dress inspired by a green screen.

After catching the world's attention by stunning at the inauguration last year, Emhoff, who was studying design at Parsons at the time, soon became a top model - signing with agency IMG, releasing her very own knitwear collection, attending the Met Gala, posing for well-known magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue, and walking in shows for big brands like Balenciaga and Proenza Schouler.

She is currently in a relationship with GQ fashion writer Sam Hine, 28, who praised her ability to be unapologetically herself to People magazine.

'What always impresses me most about everything she does is she has her own way and through the lens of personal style,' he gushed.

On Tuesday the former Parsons Fashion Design student, walked the runway at the Maisie Wilen show in a head-to-toe balaclava dress inspired by a green screen

Ella Emhoff closes the Maisie Wilen fashion show New York Fashion Week

'You know, others, they wear whatever and in this position, they do what people tell them to do, and she is no pushover you know, she knows herself really, really well and what's going on inside.

'She does herself and that's the message. She is a true individual. And that's the most important. That's what being an icon really is.'

The first gentleman's daughter grew up in Los Angeles, California, but after heading to New York for school, she fell in love with the Big Apple.

'I wasn't expecting to stay after college, but after creating a really strong community and life here, I couldn't leave,' she told Vogue Runway.

'What initially drew me to New York was the freedom that I felt people had here, especially in the way people dress and present themselves.

'I always felt a little embarrassed in LA expressing myself in the way that I wanted. Except for when I was in middle school. I really went for it then.

'There's so many amazing people doing really cool things [in the city]. It's hard to not want to surround yourself with it at all times.'

Ella was skyrocketed into fashion fame practically over night when she was pictured during President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021

After catching the world's attention at the the inauguration last year, Ella, who was studying design at Parsons at the time, soon became a top model. She is seen with her brother, dad, and stepmom, Vice President Kamala Harria

When it comes to Ella's future, she said she's living in the moment, and keeping her plans 'loose and open.' She is seen with her stepmom, Kamala Harris

Ella, who has already featured in a Vogue shoot in the past and featured in Balenciaga's show in Paris in 2021, is the daughter of Doug Emhoff's first marriage with Kerstin Emhoff before the couple divorced in 2008

Just over 200 miles away in Washington D.C., two buses of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris' home in residential Washington on Thursday morning in the bitter political battle over the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been busing migrants out of Texas to cities with Democratic mayors as part of a political strategy this year because he says there are too many arrivals over the border to his state.

Abbott tweeted that he'd sent the buses that arrived Thursday: 'We're sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border.'

About two dozen men and women stood outside the U.S. Naval Observatory at dawn, clutching clear plastic bags of their belongings carried with them over the border, before moving to a nearby church. Harris' office had no immediate comment.

Two buses of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border were dropped off near Vice President Kamala Harris' home in residential Washington on Thursday morning

Migrants from Central and South America were dropped off in Washington, DC. Texas Governor Greg Abbott dispatched buses carrying migrants from the southern border to Harris' home

The steady flow of migrant buses has caused a scramble in Washington, with Mayor Muriel Bowser calling for federal intervention and a coalition of NGOs forming to handle the new arrivals, backed by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Thursday morning's surprise drop-off outside Harris' residence suggests governors like Abbott were looking for creative new ways to make their political point - with the District of Columbia as the playing field.

Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, called the move 'inhumane' and accused Abbott of 'using human beings, babies, families, as political pinatas'

The steady flow of migrant buses has caused something of a scramble in Washington

About two dozen men and women stood outside the U.S. Naval Observatory at dawn, clutching clear plastic bags and pillows, before moving to a nearby church

Speaking to reporters outside Harris residence, Garcia said the two busloads of migrants from Texas were 'dumped like human garbage' in Washington on Thursday. He also said many of the migrants were being 'tricked into signing these releases,' - something the Texas government has denied.

After migrants seeking asylum cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they spend time in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility along the border until they are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases.

Republicans say Biden's policies encourage migrants to vanish into the U.S.; Democrats argue the Trump-era policy of forcing migrants to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico was inhumane.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew two planes of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday. And last week, Governor Abbott sent about 75 migrants to Chicago.
Anthony Albanese has made an odd request to observers when his little white dog relieved himself in the park in front of the world's media.

The embarrassed Prime Minister was spotted on the grounds of The Lodge in Canberra playing fetch with Toto, who decided that with camera crews watching on, it was the ideal time to take a toilet break.

As Mr Albanese went to pick up Toto's mess, his team of minders directed photographers not to capture the humbling moment.

Anthony Albanese has made an odd request to observers when his little white dog relieved himself in the park in front of the world's media.

Toto, a cavoodle, was with Mr Albanese as he greeted diplomats from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and African and Pacific Island nations (Pictured, Mr Albanese and Jacinda Ardern pose with Toto on a previous occasion)

Then off-camera, the PM set an excellent example for dog-owners everywhere by bending down to scoop the poop in a plastic bag.

Mr Albanese invited diplomats from more than 20 Commonwealth nations to mourn the Queen's passing at The Lodge.

Toto, a cavoodle, was with Mr Albanese as he greeted the high commissioners from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and African and Pacific Island nations.

The dog sat in on several informal meetings with the high commissioners and leaders in recent days too.

'Theyre coming to pay their respects and to commemorate the contribution of Queen Elizabeth to the Commonwealth,' Mr Albanese said of a reception held at The Lodge.

Mr Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will fly to London this weekend to attend a state funeral for the Queen at Westminster Abbey.

That begins at 8 pm on Monday Sydney and Melbourne time.

He will return in time for Australia's newest public holiday, which is an official day of mourning for the Queen.
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This is the sweet moment an eight-year-old was left 'crying with joy' as Princess Kate picked her from the Sandringham crowd to place her Corgi toy tribute to the Queen among the carpet of flowers.

The new Princess of Wales, 40, was yesterday at the late monarch's Norfolk residence looking at the sea of tributes to the Queen and chatting to crowds with husband William.

She spotted and spoke to schoolgirl Elizabeth Sulkovska, who was clutching a bouquet of flowers and a corgi teddy, and invited her to walk alongside her to leave her own personal gift to Her Majesty.

The eight-year-old sobbed and had tears in her eyes as she recalled the moment: 'I went with her to put the flowers and the corgi down. She said, "Where do you think we should lay the flowers?" and I said "We should put them there".'

Elizabeth's headteacher, Gregory Hill from Howard Junior School in King's Lynn, added: 'Elizabeth was overwhelmed, she cried with joy at being chosen. It's just a wonderful, amazing opportunity.'

Mr Hill said that the death of the Queen has also 'touched a young generation.'

He said: 'The older generation obviously knew the Queen for longer but young children that haven't experienced the Queen for long on the throne still are greatly moved by her passing, and really want to do their best to celebrate her life and legacy and never forget her.'

Princess Kate and William - who will visit an army training centre in Surrey later today to meet troops taking part in the funeral arrangements - had both noticed a Paddington Bear tribute that pupils from Howard Hill Junior School had made and said that the logo on the badge was the same as their school uniform.

With King Charles III enjoying a much-deserved rest at his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire yesterday, the rest of his family took up the mantle - with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, hugging mourners in Manchester and Princess Anne visiting Glasgow.

The new Princess of Wales, 40, was at the late monarch's Norfolk residence looking at the sea of tributes to the Queen with husband William. She also spoke to crowds and spotted schoolgirl Elizabeth Sulkovska, eight, clutching a bouquet of flowers and a corgi teddy

The eight-year-old, who was in the crowd with friends, was then chosen by Kate to walk up to the sea of tributes and lay her own among them

The Princess of Wales, carrying a bouquet, guides young Elizabeth over to where she can leave a stuffed corgi toy

Catherine, the Princess of Wales talks to and comforts Elizabeth as she views the flowers left in tribute to the Queen

The eight-year-old sobbed and had tears in her eyes as she recalled the moment: 'I went with her to put the flowers and the corgi down. She said, "Where do you think we should lay the flowers?" and I said "We should put them there".'

During the Sandringham visit with her husband William, Kate was asked by Jo from Norfolk how her children Louis, Charlotte and George were coping after losing their great-grandmother

Prince William joked that Paddington has 'knocked the Corgi off the top spot' and that the Queen's beloved pets 'won't take that very well' when visiting mourners in Sandringham today

One well-wisher, Gemma Schultz, spoke to William after he noticed her baby wearing a top with Paddington on it and commented about the bear's popularity following the Queen's skit with the marmalade sandwich-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June

The Prince joked: 'I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won't take that very well.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales inspecting flowers left by well-wishers outside Sandringham in Norfolk this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales thanked well-wishers at Sandringham this afternoon in a post on their Twitter account

William and Kate, both 40, began yesterday's visit by stepping out of a dark Range Rover near to the estate's historic Norwich Gates where they warmly greeted by huge crowds who had waited behind metal barriers to see them.

One well-wisher, Gemma Schultz, spoke to William after he noticed her baby wearing a top with Paddington on it and commented about the bear's popularity following the Queen's skit with the marmalade sandwich-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June.

The Prince joked: 'I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won't take that very well.'

Following the discussion, Gemma told BBC News that William and Kate were 'nice and genuine people', adding: 'We spoke to William and we spoke to Kate, they both said about his little outfits, how nice they were... All the things that they are doing for everyone is just so nice.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who stayed for almost an hour, chatting to royal fans young and old, looked deep in thought as they read the messages on the sea of floral tributes that have been left behind at the gates to the royal residence.

William told a woman waiting in the crowds that yesterday's procession was 'very difficult' and 'brought back a few memories' of walking behind his mother Diana's coffin, before - close to tears - saying to her: 'Don't cry now, you'll start me off'.

William was also heard telling a mourner the Queen was 'everyone's grandmother', and saying Prince George, nine, understood that she had died but Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, less so. Meanwhile, Kate told a woman she would burst into tears if she read too many sympathy cards.

Fran Morgan, 62, spoke to Kate as she and William spoke to the vast crowd that had come to see them at Sandringham, the Queen's estate in Norfolk. Recalling their conversation, Mrs Morgan said: 'She said she couldn't believe how many cards and flowers there were. But she also said: ''I can't read them all or I would cry''.'

One visitor who missed the entire visit was three-month old Eddie Shakespeare who fell asleep just as the Royal couple arrived.

His mother Maisie, 27, from Cambridgeshire, said: 'I was going to wake him up and show him to Kate, but I didn't have the heart. She thanked me for coming and said that all the sympathy meant a lot to her and William. I'm glad I came, but as for Eddie, I'll just have to tell him about it when he's older!'

Kate was pictured speaking to a mother and her young child in the crowd as she met mourners at Sandringham yesterday

William also spoke to crowd members, telling them that it was a hard time for the family and had reminded him of his mother's 1997 death. Pictured: William speaks to the schoolchildren Kate also met

Kate chats to a member of the crowd who had gathered to meet her and Prince William outside Sandringham in Norfolk

A small baby looks on with a look of concern as the Princess of Wales chats with people in the crowd at Sandringham

Kate points to something in the distance - as a young girl copies her - during her walkabout in Norfolk this afternoon

Prince William smiles as he speaks to a mother and her infant son who have come to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II

Prince William gestures as he speaks to a young woman, clutching a baby, as the crowds assemble at Sandringham

Royal fans scrambled to take photographs and record the historic moment as the new Princess of Wales greeted members of the public outside Sandringham Estate today

Kate clutches onto flowers as she and a royal fan share a smile together as she joined her husband to greet members of the public at Sandringham House today

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, view floral tributes placed outside the Sandringham Estate following the death of Queen Elizabeth II

The Princess of Wales told a well-wisher she would burst into tears if she read too many sympathy cards

The Prince of Wales told a woman at Sandringham today that yesterday's procession was 'very difficult' and had reminded him of walking behind his mother Diana's coffin

Kate chatting to mourners while carrying several bouquets of flowers. Hundreds have piled up at the estate in recent days

The Prince and Princess of Wales delighted those in attendance at Sandringham House as they looked over the assembled tributes and shared their memories of the late Queen Elizabeth II

Royal fans of all ages were treated to an appearance by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Sandringham House

Kate greets an excited royal superfan who had come to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales with her family today

Kate and William warmly grabbed outstretched hands, accepted bouquets of flowers and spoke with those who had patiently waited hours to meet them

Prince William gently touches Kate's back as they inspect the sea of flowers left in memory of Queen Elizabeth II

Prince William cuts a forlorn figure as he looks over the swathes of bouquets left at the gates of Sandringham House

In Manchester, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, met Josh, a young mourner who was waiting to see her with his mother, Sue.

Recounting the moment they met, Sue said: 'She just said ''nice to meet you, do you want me to take your flowers?'' Then Josh said ''can I have a hug?''. They hugged, then he asked for a photo. The bouquet is signed from Josh but it's got my name on it as well.'

Asked what the moment felt like, Josh - who is non-verbal - replied: 'Happy.'

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the Princess Royal chatted to crowds outside Glasgow City Chambers. Handed a bouquet by a young girl, she said: 'Theyre not for me are they?' to which the girl replied, 'They're for you'. Anne, clearly touched, took the flowers and thanked her.

The Royal Family are preparing to lay their beloved mother and grandmother to rest on Monday in a state funeral.

King Charles will lead Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward to Wellington Arch from Westminster Abbey, with Prince William and Harry behind.

Other royals will follow by car for the funeral conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
Washington, D.C. has become America's work from home capital - as 48.3 percent of employees worked remotely in 2021, new Census data revealed.

The U.S. Census Bureau's latest findings showed that DC has paved the way for remote work, with Seattle following close behind with 46.8 percent of employees working from home.

San Francisco had 45.6 percent of its labor force working remotely, while Austin and Atlanta had 38.8 and 38.7 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Memphis, El Paso, Texas and Wichita, Kansas, all trailed at the bottom with only 10 percent of employees working from home.

Overall, the US reported that nearly 18 percent of its workforce was enjoying remote work, nearly three times the pre-pandemic rate.

'Work and commuting are central to American life, so the widespread adoption of working from home is a defining feature of the Covid-19 pandemic,' Census Bureau statistician Michael Burrows said in a statement on Thursday.

'With the number of people who primarily work from home tripling over just a two-year period, the pandemic has very strongly impacted the commuting landscape in the U.S.'

The US Census Bureau found Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta are leading the work from home lifestyle, while Memphis, El Paso, Texas and Wichita, Kansas, all trailed behind with about 10 percent of its workforce working from home

Following the surge of work from home culture during the height of COVD, 2021 saw three times as many people working from home than before the pandemic

Washington, D.C. nearly mirrored the national remote work average prior to the pandemic, reporting about 6 to 7 percent of its labor force working from home between 2017 and 2019.

Among metro areas with a population of over 1 million, the capital ranked third in remote work with 33.1 percent, just below the San Jose metro-area at 34.8 percent and the San Francisco Bay Area at 35.1 percent.

Washington, Maryland, Colorado and Massachusetts all ranked among the highest percentage of home-base workers in the US, with all four states reporting about 24 percent of its labor force working from home in 2021.

Mississippi ranked at the bottom with only 6.3 percent of employees working from home, up from 3.1 percent in 2019.

Louisiana followed with 8.4 percent, and Wyoming reported nearly 8.9 percent.

William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, told the Washington Post that the latest work from home number correlates with college education.

Washington D.C. and Seattle both rank among the nation's most-highly-educated cities, with 63 percent and 68 percent, respectively, of people 25 and older having a bachelor's degree or higher.

San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta followed closely behind, matching up with the recent remote-work figures.

'These are by and large magnets for younger, well-educated, computer-savvy adults often tied to the tech industry who are well positioned to work from home,' Frey told the Post.

Fear of the coronavirus, which was primarily responsible for the surge in work from home culture, has plummeted, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest report finding that in August, only 6.5 percent of people worked remotely due to COVID

It matches a survey from the Pew Research Center earlier this year, which revealed that upper-income workers who have a four-year college degree are more likely to work from home than those who don't have a bachelor's.

The survey showed that 65 percent of college graduates were more likely to say their work can be done remotely compared to 53 percent of their counterparts.

Fear of the coronavirus, which was primarily responsible for the surge in work from home culture, has plummeted, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest report finding that in August, only 6.5 percent of people worked remotely because of COVID.

Upper-income workers who have a four-year college degree are more likely to work from home than those who don't (right) as more Americans who can work from home are working from home since the pandemic (left)

The latest data from the Census Bureau came from the 2021 American Community Survey, which was released on Thursday.

The survey typically relies on responses from 3.5 million households to provide 11 billion estimates each year about commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities, military service and employment.

The estimates help inform how to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending. Response rates significantly improved from 2020 to 2021.
An ingenious new invention from a little Australian company using a product commonly found in children's toys could save thousands of lives.

Tarmac Linemarking from Victoria's Gippsland is trialling its new photoluminescent lines on a 1kilometre stretch in the state's southeast - with the results going viral.

The coating of the lines projects a light that it absorbs and stores through the day, creating a brighter marking at night.

An ingenious new invention from a little Australian company using a product commonly found in children's toys could save thousands of lives

The photoluminescent lines have a clear advantage over the current markings when driving through dark roads

John Emanuelli from Tarmac Linemarking said he has been inundated with requests since the trial started, particularly by councils and businesses looking to illuminate pathways.

'There's been a lot of interest since the trial run, it's a great product,' he told News.

The regional Aussie company believe the product can be used for dark carparks, sidewalks and boat ramps as well as increasing the safety on roads.

The coating of the lines projects a light that it absorbs and stores through the day, creating a brighter marking at night

The program is one of the Victorian government's 70 trials being conducted, spending $4million on innovative new ideas.

The state government are also looking at introducing LED-lit pavements near intersections and improving reflective markings.

'This treatment will make it easier for drivers to see the linemarkings or signage and provide stronger definition coming up to intersections and curves, giving drivers more time to react and preventing them from veering from their lane,' Regional Roads Victoria said.

'This will be particularly beneficial for people who are not familiar with driving through the area.'

The regional Aussie company believe the product can be used for dark carparks, sidewalks and boat ramps as well as increasing the safety on roads

The images, published by Tarmac Linemarking, have been shared 100,000 on Facebook times while a Reddit post has been up-voted 47,000 times.

'OMG I hope this is going to be Australia wide, that looks awesome!!' a woman commented.

'What an awesome idea! We need these on every road,' a man said.

'Would be great if this was Australian wide, when it's dark, wet, it's hard to see the lines so on roads would be fantastic,' another added.

Tarmac Linemarking said cloudy days would see the lines less pronounced than following a sunny period but the glow would be strongest during the dangerous dusk period.
The queue of mourners inside Westminster Hall was yesterday doubled to two lines each side of the Queen's coffin after concerns over delays.

Since the early hours of yesterday morning officials have directed queuers to form two columns either side of the late Queen's coffin, adorned with the Imperial Crown, so twice as many people can pay their respects at once.

The huge volume of people wanting to pay their final respects to Her Majesty led to the decision to double the rate of flow, ensuring as many who wished to pay their respects were able.

Thousands of people are standing in nine-hour queue from Westminster stretching nearly five miles eastwards along the Thames to Southwark Park.

The queue had further snaked even further through Southward Park, which a source said is the 'end of the queue', as of around 1am this morning according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport's queue tracker.

As mourners stand beside the Queen lying-in-state, as she will do until her funeral on Monday, many solemnly bow their heads as a show of respect to the late monarch, some stop and pray or pause in a moment of silence and reflection.

SINGLE LINES: The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it Lies in State inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday evening

DOUBLE LINES: Members of the public yesterday were split into four queues, two either side of the Queen's coffin (split shown with red arrows), to speed up the flow of mourners after concerns over too few being able to pay their respects to the late monarch before her funeral on Monday

Aerial pictures of the queue to see the Queens coffin in Westminster hall

The queue to see the Queen lying-in-state is currently 4.9 miles long stretching from Westminster to Southwark park - it expected to take nine hours to reach the front of the queue

Just after 5am yesterday an official in Westminster Hall can be seen directing mourners into four lines, two each side of the coffin, following a changing of the guard.

The queue to pay respects to Elizabeth II is stopped every 20 minutes as the guards at each corner of the coffin can change.

Before the split lines were introduced, it was feared delays would mean that only 100,000 people would be able to enter the hall before the Queen's funeral - as opposed to the 350,000 which are expected to attend, a former senior official told the Times.

Well-wishers were yesterday warned that they must join the queue by 12.30am on Sunday in order to see the coffin, sources have today claimed. The Queen will lay in state until 6.30am on Monday, the day of the state funeral.

The line to say farewell to the Queen snakes through Bermondsey in south London

It is estimated the number of people set to make the trip could hit more than 350,000, with people from all over the world expected to visit London

Parliamentary sources also revealed they had stopped six well-wishers have attempted to smuggle their pets into Westminster Hall.

The pet owners had apparently tried to hide their dogs under their coats as they entered the mourning area, it was today claimed. Others have been seen bringing their babies to see the Queen lying in state.

Meanwhile, pictures show paramedics appearing to treat exhausted well-wishers, some who have queued throughout today, to see the Queen lying in state.

It comes after a soldier guarding the coffin fainted during his stint. Today one mourner was seen falling as he walked down the stairs of historic Westminster Hall towards the Queen's coffin.

Ahead of what is expected to be a peak point this weekend, more than 1.7million people have gone online to view the Government's live queue tracker on YouTube which shows the end of the line as people wait patiently to enter Westminster Hall to see the Queen's coffin.

Paramedics have been called to treat people (pictured yesterday) waiting in the nine hour queue to see the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall

Mourners early this morning had been waiting in line for around nine hours to see the Queen

The procession which took Queen Elizabeth's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall arrived at 3pm yesterday

A source said: 'Southwark Park has been designated as the end of the queue. There have been barriers set up to facilitate a zig-zag queuing system.

'Anyone at the end of that queue in the park can expect to wait for up to 30-hours to see The Queen in state.

'We have to have a cut-off point, a time when we'll have to unfortunately start turning people away.

'That time will depend on the volume of the crowd and the flow rate on the route. At the moment around 2,000 people are being let into Westminster Hall an hour.

'Currently that time will be either very late on Saturday night or extremely early on Sunday morning. But the Metropolitan Police will have the final say.

'We've obviously been preparing for this and anticipated that the crowd would come this far...just not this soon.'

Pesach Neussbaum, who flew to the UK from Montreal, Canada, on Wednesday, described seeing the Queen's coffin this evening as a 'very special and extraordinary' experience after queuing for nearly six hours.

He said: 'I was thinking that even if I did not get there to Westminster, and it turned out to be too far for me to walk, that I was still paying my last respects to the Queen.

'I just continued for five-and-a-half hours and to see it through makes me feel fulfilled. My wife Shari - who is back in Canada - is the biggest fan of Queen Elizabeth. I figured that if my wife were here, she would want me to continue.

'The Queen is an inspiration not just to myself but the entire world.'

With his medals proudly decorating his jacket, Stephen Swallow, 64, who served with the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters regiment, joined the queue at 10pm last night.

He only reached Westminster Hall to see The Queen lay in state at 7am, having travelled from his home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire yesterday.

Mourners (pictured in the early hours of Wednesday morning) have been been waiting in line for around nine hours to see the Queen

Members of the public wait in a huge queue to pay their respects to Queen as her coffin lies in state inside the Palace of Westminster

He said: 'It was exhausting and I felt my legs about to buckle at one point but I felt it was my duty to come here.

'I bought a small chair when my legs got really heavy and I just about managed to get through it by talking to others about The Queen and the Royals.

'As soon as I got out of Southwark tube station last night I joined the queue and stayed with the same group of people all night.

'When I eventually reached the hall, it was very quick and very sombre. I didn't just come for myself but for my two sons who were also in the military and couldn't make it.

'I bowed my head when I got to the coffin, said thank you for all The Queen's years of service and now I'm heading home. It's been a long, tiring night and I'm exhausted.'
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, in its continuous exploration of the Red Planet, has collected and stored samples of rocks made up of minerals and "organic matter" that suggests potentially habitable conditions in the past.

The discoveries could potentially preserve traces of past microbial life, said researchers on Thursday. The soil samples were gathered at the base of an ancient river delta fanning out from the rim of Jezero Crater.

Discovery of Organic Matter on Mars

However, to determine whether such "potential biosignatures" include actual traces of past life on Mars, scientists will have to wait for a NASA European Space Agency mission at the end of the decade to collect them and bring them back to Earth for detailed laboratory analysis.

A Perseverance return sample scientist at the University of California, David Shuster, said that the samples that the rover collected have ingredients for life in terms of the environmental setting.

Experts said that the material was transported long ago into Jezero Crater by water and deposited into a 25-mile-wide lake with fine particles that settled out amid phases of evaporation. These are factors that combine to "have high potential for biosignature preservation," as per CBS News.

Shuster said that if those conditions existed pretty much anywhere on Earth at any point in time over the last three and a half billion years, it was safe to say, or at least assume, that biology would have done its thing and left its mark in the rocks in Mars for scientists to observe.

Read Also: Research Suggests Shift in Jupiter's Orbit Could Allow More of Earth's Surface To Nurture Life

The Perseverance rover, which cost $2.4 billion, landed in Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, and has spent the last year and a half working its way toward the base of a fan-like delta cutting through the time where water once rushed in to fill a broad, now-vanished pool the size of Lake Tahoe.

According to CNN, a Perseverance project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Ken Farley, said that the rocks they have been investigating on the delta have the highest concentration of organic matter that they have so far discovered on the mission.

Previously Habitable Conditions

The fan-shaped geological feature preserves layers of Martian history in sedimentary rock, which formed when particles fused together in this formerly water-filled environment. The rover worked to investigate the crater floor and discovered evidence of igneous, or volcanic, rock.

During Perseverance's second campaign to study the delta over the past five months, it found rich sedimentary rock layers that add more to the story of Mars' ancient climate and environment.

Farley said that the delta, with its diverse sedimentary rocks, contrasts beautifully with the igneous rocks, formed from the crystallization of magma, discovered on the crater floor. He said that "this juxtaposition provides us with a rich understanding of the geologic history after the crater formed and a diverse sample suite.

SHERLOC scientist Sunanda Sharma of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California said that the discoveries suggest that when the lake was evaporating, both sulfates and organics were deposited, preserved, and concentrated in the area, Space reported.



Related Article: A Core Principle of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Passes Most Stringent Test Yet

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Social media gun influencer and Iraq war veteran Neal Currey, 42, committed suicide on Saturday, according his wife, after a long struggle with the post-traumatic stress syndrome from his time at war.

Casey Currey, who has her own prominent Instagram, Twitter and Facebook presence, posted on Instagram that the lingering memories in Afghanistan and Iraq weighed heavily on her husband and he waged an 'internal war which was not unlike combat.'

'Despite his incredible ability to fight and persevere, Neal unfortunately and ultimately lost this war and took his own life on September 10th and tragically became one of the many in a long line of statistics that has come to be a long-term and painful reminder of the costs of our twenty-plus years at war,' Casey Currey, 30, wrote on the platform.

Neal Currey, 42, Iraq War veteran turned gun shop owner and social media influencer killed himself September 10, his wife says, over trauma he suffered during the war

Neal Currey, 42, was able to compartmentalize his psychological trauma that he suffered during the Iraq War, his wife Casey Currey said, but it eventually became too much

A much younger Neal Currey (right) during his time as an Army Ranger. He joined the military after the terror attacks on 9/11

Neal Currey, who was a former Army Ranger served four tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a member of a private security force.

In an emotional Instagram post, his wife, Casey revealed that the 'perfect life' that followers saw on social media disguised a more painful reality.

'Although Neal lived what many considered to be the 'perfect life,' it is also important that people know that there was another side of him that reminds all of us that life is never a perfect as it seems and that the struggles we face in life, especially those of soldiers who have seen the horrors and trauma of combat, are real no matter who we are and what our lives seem like on the exterior,' the crushed spouse wrote.

She said that her husband kept that side hidden from most people and even tried to 'compartmentalize' his pain.

In an emotional letter to his fans and friends, Casey Currey revealed the trauma hidden behind the 'perfect life' that he presented on Instagram

'Neal struggled, like many of you with the unseen wounds that follow soldiers home from war and continue to live within the recesses of their psyche for the rest of their lives, long after the battles are over and the accolades of their service go silent,' she said. 'Although Neal was able to compartmentalize this part of his life most of the time, the struggle would periodically surface and became an internal war which not unlike combat, sees days of triumph and days of loss.'

Currey, who came from a family of adventurous outdoorsmen, grew up in Utah helping his father who was an international white water rafting guide.

After his service in the military, he moved back to the Provo, Utah area were he launched his Ready Gunner gun shop.

His rugged All-American looks, perfect body and goofy videos - mostly involving high-powered weaponry - made him an Instagram hero to gun enthusiasts.

'To know Neal was to love him. We have lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend. We will never be the same without Neal in our lives,' the wife wrote.

In another post, she wrote: 'I cannot begin to show my thanks for the outpouring of love and support for our family.

'I know this has left a gapping hole in everyone's heart.'

A viewing for Currey will be held on September 16, followed by his funeral a day later.

The couple, who lived in Lindon, Utah, outside of Provo, had one child together, and both raised four children from Neal's previous relationship.

Social media gun influencer and Iraq war veteran Neal Currey, 42, died Saturday, according to a post by his wife on Instagram

Currey, 42, and his wife Casey Currey, 30, in the desert. Neal died on Saturday, September 10 of unknown causes

Neal Currey, left, with his wife Casey Currey, 30, ran the popular Ready Gunner gun shop, which runs classes and training in handling weapons (pictured here with rapper Post Malone)

'I cannot begin to show my thanks for the outpouring of love and support for our family. 'I know this has left a gapping hole in everyone's heart,' his wife Casey wrote on Instagram

Only three days ago, he posted a video of himself riding a surfboard in the wake of a power boat on Lake Powell during a family vacation in Southern Utah.

He came from a family of adventurers, according to Coffee or Die magazine.

His grandfather Jack was a white water rafting river guide on the San Juan River, developing the vessels that are still referred to as J boats. His father Stephen was an outdoorsman too, taking river rafting international by being the first to navigate the Upper Yangtze River in China, the Upper Ganges in India and the Caura River in Venezuela.

The younger Currey boasted setting foot in every continent before he joined the military, according to the coffee lifestyle magazine, often paddling a supply and luggage raft in the rear.

Spurred by the terror attacks on 9/11, Currey joined the Army at the age of 24 and served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2006.

It was during one of his tours that he discovered that his father, who was planning a trip to the Arctic, had come down with cancer, according to the profile in Coffee or Die.

The Curreys cut a glamourous profile of a beautiful couple who loved family, the great outdoors and guns

Neal Currey, top center, cut a rugged, but fun-loving figure on Instagram to help promote his gun shop - Ready Gunner

Casey created viral videos for this gun shop Ready Gunner, like this one in which he fires a machine gun on a skateboard

Currey used to joke about his love for guns on Instagram

'From diagnosis to the funeral it was 40 days,' Currey told the publication. He vowed to make his father proud.

After the military, he remained a gun enthusiast, starting Ready Gunner, gun shop and shooting range and then co-founded Black Rifle Coffee in Orem, Utah.

Currey and his wife Casey cut the perfect image of a Western family on Instagram.

The square-jawed, muscular former soldier seemed ready made to be Instagram famous, posting jokey videos - like the one of him firing a machine gun on a skateboard.

There's no mistaking his stance on the Second Amendment. In nearly every post, Currey can be seen with a different type of high-powered rifle and in some posts, a shopping cart full of them.

Casey had her own following, as the 'Miss America' of the gun community, under the social media moniker @BuffCookie, posting bikini photos that show off her figure.

She said that she took comfort in all the guns in her house.

Neal and Casey joke around about a 50 mm machine gun on Instagram. His cause of death remains a mystery

In previous interviews, Casey said that America is suffering from a mental health crisis, not a gun problem.

'We don't have a gun problem in our country, we have a mental illness problem. That should be our main focus,' she said.

The couple have five children, four of his, one of hers.

'I like the comfort of knowing that if something happens we can protect ourselves,' she said. 'Fear comes from the unknown. Firearms and firearm safety are very well known in our family.'

'They know they are not a toy and are to be taken very seriously. Proper firearms handling is so important, and the earlier you teach it the better,' she added.

Neal Currey became so enthralled with guns and social media that he started a third company, 2A Media, which was geared on helping spread a positive message about guns on social media.

The most important image that he could present, he said, was that of a good father.

'We're not here forever,' he said. 'I learned that early. I just want my kids to look back and be proud of their dad.'
Russia has slammed a decision not to invite any Russian officials to Queen Elizabeth's funeral as 'profoundly immoral', Kremlin officials have said.

The Kremlin's spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said Russia still forwarded her sympathy to the British people despite the snub.

In a statement released to the Tass news agency, Ms Zakharova said: 'The British Foreign Office informed the Russian embassy in London of its decision to refrain from inviting Russia, including senior embassy officials, to attend mourning ceremonies following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.'

Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, pictured, has condemned Britain for banning Vladimir Putin from the Queen's funeral on Monday

President Vladimir Putin has been banned from Monday's funeral, although President Xi of China, left, has been invited or can send a representative to London in his place

Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, pictured here earlier this week during a plenary session of the European Parliament sitting in Strasbourg is expected to come to London to attend the funeral

She continued: 'We believe that the UKs attempt to take advantage of a national tragedy that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world in order to settle scores with us during the days of mourning is deeply immoral.'

Ms Zakharova said the decision to block Russians from the funeral was 'particularly cynical' because of the role played by the Queen during the Second World War.

She said the British army 'fought against the Nazis and their Ukrainian collaborators Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich.

'And now, British elites are on their side. However, Moscow continues to honor the memory of all veterans who contributed to the Victory.

'The unifying image of Queen Elizabeth II, who has not interfered with politics as a matter of principle during her reign, has not become an obstacle to London's dissenting attacks, which are subject to accomplishing their own conjectural objectives.

'For our part, we express our profound condolences to the British people for the great loss than befell them.'

According to The Sun, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska will be among mourners at Monday's funeral.

Though, the Government have been criticised for inviting the Chinese government to send a representative to the funeral given the human rights abuses of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province in the far west of the country.

Tory MP Tim Loughton last night told the BBC that Britain 'can't possibly have official representatives of the Chinese government attending such an important occasion'.

The Chinese ambassador to the U.K. is banned from Parliament after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year over their stance on China.

It is not clear whether President Xi Jinping, currently meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan, will attend Monday's state funeral. Media reports suggest Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan may attend.

Russia, Belarus and Myanmar were not included in the funeral invitation list.
Heavy rain and strong winds will batter most of Australia over the weekend following a night of wild weather that saw residents rescued from floodwaters.

State Emergency Service rescued 14 people on Thursday night, including seven who were saved on flooded roads in the New South Wales central west.

Six of those were drivers who ignored road closure signs, while one was camping on a riverbank.

Much of Victoria, South Australia, ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and southern NSW will experience rainfall and strong winds between Friday and Monday.

While Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Brisbane can expect more wet conditions, Sydney is set to see sunshine until the middle of next week.

Rain and high winds look set to dampen the weekend in much of Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and southern NSW between now and Monday

Several people had to be rescued from flooded roads overnight after ignoring warnings as much of Australia prepares for a wet and windy weekend (Pictured, six people had to be rescued from vehicles on NSW's Mitchell Highway)

Torrential rain in the NSW central west on Thursday closed the Mitchell Highway for a 66km stretch between Wellington and Molong and saw heavy falls further north.

'We've had a fair bit of rainfall over inland NSW and southern Queensland and band of rain and thunderstorms yesterday and overnight,' said Christie Johnson, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.

Mount Lindesay, east of Narrabri, saw NSW's heaviest rain fall with 77 milimetres. Both Narrabri and Gunnedah, 100km south, had 50mm.

Several river systems in the NSW central west are subject to flood warnings, including the Lachlan River west of Condobolin and Macquarie River at Warren.

The NSW central west faces more rain next week and further risks of flooding.

'From the middle of the week a rain bearing system looks like moving across NSW, likely to be on the western slopes of the divide, but it will be widespread and could mean further river rises.'

The NSW SES pleaded with motorists to make 'smart, safe decisions' and to check forecasts and for road closures.

Several river systems in the NSW central west are subject to flood warnings, including the Lachlan River west of Condobolin and Macquarie River at Warren

Heavy rain began on Thursday and was set to continue through Friday and Saturday for many parts of NSW

'The NSW SES reminds people to never drive, ride or walk through flood water. If you find a flooded road, stop, turn around and find another way,' Greg Nash, spokesperson for the NSW SES told Daily Mail Australia.

'Pushing through a flooded road isnt worth the risk.

'Be aware that yesterday's rain will impact a number of river systems around the state and river heights may change quickly.'

Heavy rain around inland southern Queensland has a major flood warning in place for the Balonne river which could threaten the small town of Dirranbandi.

Most cites in the eastern states face wet, windy and cold weather this weekend, Ms Johnson said.

'A series of cold fronts and troughs will push through the south-east of the county including Victoria, Tasmania, south-east South Australia and southern NSW,' she said.

They will bring lower temperatures, gusty winds and potential for thunder for much of Victoria and into the southern slopes of the great dividing range in NSW.

'Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide could see showers both days, and Canberra too.'

Many towns along the inland western slopes of the Great Dividing Range are copping heavy rain and that will continue this weekend

Ms Johnson said with snow down to 1,100m the alpine ski resorts could see heavy snowfalls of up to 50cms.

'It could mean good snow conditions for the school holidays,' she said.

'But Sydney looks like it could see a fair bit of sunshine until the middle of next week.'

Even Perth could see rain this weekend, although Ms Johnson said a change bringing strong winds and warm temperatures on Monday could create an extreme bushfire risk.

The west should see another cool change in the middle of next week bringing showers.
A Perth man who allegedly threatened to kill Premier Mark McGowan and urged a violent overthrow of the government is back behind bars for allegedly creating new social media profiles.

Counter-terrorism police allegedly found evidence of the profiles when examining Jamon Allan Hartzer's phone as part of a bail compliance check.

He was arrested on September 7 and remanded to appear in a Perth magistrates court on Friday, federal police said.

Hartzer, 43, was arrested in October 2021 for allegedly threatening various public officials including Mr McGowan, amid heated debate about COVID-19 restrictions, vaccine mandates and border closures.

The Perth man is charged with four offences including making threats to kill, injure or harm any person and urging violence against the constitution.

Jamon Allan Hartzer, 43, was arrested in October 2021 for allegedly threatening various public officials including WA premier Mark McGowan

Counter-terrorism police allegedly found evidence of Hartzer creating new social media profiles when examining his phone as part of a bail compliance check

The latter charge encompasses the intentional urging of others to overthrow the federal constitution or governments by force or violence. The maximum jail term is seven years.

Federal police say there is no ongoing threat to the community relating to the investigation into Hartzer.

Mr McGowan closed his electorate office in November due to death threats against he and his staff.
The Queens personal piper accidentally revealed he was a true Scotsman when the wind lifted his kilt in front of her, he said yesterday.

Scott Methven, 48, said he was briefly exposed while playing the bagpipes on a windy morning outside Windsor Castle and said the Queen later joked about the incident.

One very windy morning, while I was playing at Windsor Castle, my kilt was blown up and, being a true Scotsman, I was briefly exposed, said Mr Methven in The Spectator magazine.

When he returned to the Castle one of the Queens aides joked about the incident.

He added: Later, while I was escorting Her Majesty, she asked me if it had been a particularly cold morning.

The Queens personal piper Scott Methven, 48, accidentally revealed he was a true Scotsman when the wind lifted his kilt in front of her, he said yesterday

The former Pipe Major served as the Queens personal piper from 2015 to 2019, playing outside her window each day at 9am at the various palaces as part of the Royal Household.

He said: The Queen was not only disarmingly quick-witted and someone who liked to joke but she was also caring and devoted to her staff.

He left the Army after 25 years in 2019 and now teaches the bagpipes.

Mr Methven said: The Queen was not only disarmingly quick-witted and someone who liked to joke, but she was also caring and devoted to her staff.

Working alongside her I was able to get to know her sense of humour and the ease with which she spoke to everyone.

On my first day in post when I was feeling a little nervous, Her Majesty asked me if I was settling in.

Mr Methven said he was briefly exposed while playing the bagpipes on a windy morning outside Windsor Castle and said the Queen later joked about the incident

I responded that I was getting lost in the Palace and she laughed and set that she used to get lost with Princess Margaret all the time when they were children.

The Queen, who was famously petite at around 5ft 3ins, also joked about Mr Methvens height.

He said: She once joked that I was the first piper to hold the post whom she didnt have to look up to  a jibe at my 5ft 6in height.

Mr Methven was the 15th Queens Piper, after Queen Victoria created the role in 1843, having enjoyed the sound of the bagpipes while on holiday in Taymouth Castle.

He has previously spoken about the Queens personal kindness to him and his family after his wife Morven was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The couples children were allowed to stay at Balmoral Castle and were cared for by royal nannies, while Mr Methven cared for his wife in hospital, and his five-year-old son Fearghas (corr) played with Prince George.

Mr Methven was the 15th Queens Piper, after Queen Victoria created the role in 1843, having enjoyed the sound of the bagpipes while on holiday in Taymouth Castle

The Queen also sent a basket of strawberries and muffins to the nurses on duty, and Mr Methven said his son had frequently spoken to the Duke of Edinburgh about his love of red squirrels.

Following his wifes diagnosis, he said the Queen had told him to put family first.

He said: I was standing with the Queen and she said If youre not here in the morning and you dont play the bagpipes, then I know youre away. Dont wait to ask anyone, just go home if your family need you because its family first.

He added: She grabbed me by the arm again and said, You know Pipes, if anyone has a problem with that you tell them that I said it was OK to go.

Mr Methven served in Northern Ireland and on two tours of Afghanistan before leaving the Army in 2019, and now teaches bagpipes.
Five teenagers have been seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash - just days after five classmates were killed in a horror smash.

The latest crash happened on Stoney Creek Road, Beverly Hills in Sydneys south-west early on Friday morning.

About 6am emergency services were called to the location after reports a Honda Accord had crashed into a pole.

The latest crash involved an 18-year-old driver and teen passengers aged between 15 and 16 happened on Stoney Creek Road, Beverly Hills in Sydneys south-west early on Friday morning

Two female passengers, both aged 16, and two male passengers, aged 15 and 16, were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while the 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries

Two female passengers, both aged 16, were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and taken to St George Hospital in stable conditions.

The 16-year-old is understood to have hip and chest injuries, while the other female has a head injury.

Two male passengers, aged 15 and 16, were also treated at the scene and taken to Liverpool Hospital in stable conditions.

The 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries and was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory testing.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden told media on Tuesday that investigators are considering whether speed was the cause of the crash.

He said police were at present unsure about the status of the driver's licence.

'Early indications are the status is ambiguous at the moment,' he said.

The 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries and was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory testing

A male passenger in the back seat of the car was trapped after the smash. 'Emergency crews worked to free him, while paramedics and the aeromedical team treated the other patients on the side of the road,' NSW Ambulance Inspector Anna Lennard said

NSW Ambulance Inspector Anna Lennard told the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader that said the two females were in the back seat with one of the males, who became trapped in the accident.

'Emergency crews worked to free him, while paramedics and the aeromedical team treated the other patients on the side of the road,' she said.

'Incidents involving young people are always confronting for our crews. We've recently seen a terrible tragedy on our roads and we encourage everyone to drive safely.'

Officers from St George Police Area Command established a crime scene.

Specialist police from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A local resident told 9News the impact of the crash had caused dust to fall from the ceiling inside.

'I heard a loud bang about 6am this morning, it woke me up, I had a peak out the window and saw the crash,' one nearby resident said.

'It was really confronting, not a good thing to see.'

The scene of the accident at Buxton where five teens died on September 6

Friends gather at the scene at Buxton, in Sydney's south-west, where five classmates from Picton High School aged between 14 and 16 were killed in a horror crash on September 6

The incident comes just days after a horror smash at Buxton near Picton in Sydney's south-west that killed five teens aged between 14 and 16.

Tyrell Edwards, 18, faces five charges of dangerous driving after his five passengers, were killed in the high-speed crash on the night of September 6.

The three girls and two boys killed in the accident were all friends from Picton High School.

Antonio Desisto, Tyrese Bechard, Summer Williams, Lily Van De Putte and Gabriella McLennan - all aged between 14 and 16 - died when a Nissan Navara ute veered off the road in Buxton.

The driver, Edwards, escaped the smash with non life-threatening injuries.

The first of the teens' funerals, for Tyrese Bechard, took place at a church in Picton on Thursday (pictured), with Lily Van de Putte's funeral to follow on Friday

Members of Tyrese Bechard's family are seen after the 15-year-old's funeral at Picton on Thursday

The first of the teens' funerals, for Tyrese Bechard, took place at a church in Picton on Thursday, with Lily Van de Putte's funeral to follow on Friday.

'We have a direct correlation with what happened just days ago at Buxton,' Asst Cmnr McFadden said about the eerie similarity of the Beverly Hills crash with the one at Buxton.

'We are most fortunate we didn't lose another five lives.'

Police are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or information about the Beverly Hills incident to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Border checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom will remain suspended despite legal threats from Brussels, the government has told the EU.

The European Commission has brought formal proceedings against the British government.

However, ministers have said goods subject to checks under the Northern Ireland protocol such as food will be waved through to the province.

The EU is said to want a negotiated settlement over the protocol, The Times reported, meaning retaliatory action is unlikely to be immediate.

Prime Minister Liz Truss has hinted she wants to see a deal reached but has said she will not stop legislation which would allow ministers to unilaterally override elements of the Northern Ireland protocol if an agreement is not made.

Previous speculation that Ms Truss could trigger Article 16 and suspend parts of the protocol now seems unlikely, with both sides looking for a settlement.

The decision not to bring back border checks means goods including sausages and dairy products can be moved to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK without being stopped

Prime Minister Liz Truss has hinted she wants to see a deal reached but has said she will not stop legislation which would allow ministers to unilaterally override elements of the Northern Ireland protocol if an agreement is not made

However, the EU is likely to impose trade sanctions on Britain if the bill is passed into law.

Legal action was brought forward by the bloc after the bill was published, leading to accusations the UK was not abiding by the 2020 agreement with the EU.

The decision by ministers not to bring back border checks means goods including sausages and dairy products can be moved to Northern Ireland without being stopped.

It also means pets can be brought to Northern Ireland without the need for an animal health certificate.

The EU has suggested it could make concessions in negotiations, but it is not likely to meet all the UK's demands.

Informal talks between the Prime Minster and EU leaders are expected in the next few days in the build-up to the Queen's funeral on Monday.

The government has not commented on the situation due to the official period of mourning.
The Queen Consort has reportedly been nursing a broken toe throughout her execution of duties at the King's side.

Camilla suffered the injury prior to the Queen's death and has been in 'quite a lot of pain', according to The Daily Telegraph.

A source told the newspaper she has just been 'getting on' with the job of supporting the King during an emotionally and physically gruelling week.

'It is unfortunate timing to say the least but she's been an absolute trouper,' the source reportedly told the paper.

Camilla, Queen Consort, right, pictured with her husband King Charles III, left, has been reportedly nursing a broken toe over the past week

Camilla, pictured, is due to visit Wales later today with her husband and attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral before receiving condolences at the Welsh parliament, the Senedd

The PA news agency approached the King's spokesman for comment on his wife's condition and was told: 'We won't comment on medical conditions.'

It comes as the royal couple are due to visit Wales later today - the King's first visit since he ascended to the throne.

The King and Camilla will attend a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral before receiving condolences at the Welsh parliament, the Senedd.

He will later hold a private audience with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and the presiding officer at Cardiff Castle, although a protest against the monarchy is expected outside.

Charles will then attend a reception hosted by the Welsh Government, before returning to Buckingham Palace in the evening to host faith leaders in the Bow Room.
Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson and Jesse Watters hit back against woke documentary filmmaker Ken Burns for his tone deaf comparison between sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard and the Holocaust.

Burns, who was making the talk show rounds to tout his three-part series exploring the U.S. action and inaction during the Nazi atrocities during World War II, couldn't help but see the correlation between the genocide and a political maneuver by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Republican made headlines on Thursday morning after sending a plane of migrants to the tony vacation spot off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a regular vacation spot of the Kennedys.

On CNN on Thursday, host John Berman asked Burns to draw parallels between Nazi death camps and the preppy vacation island.

Fox News host facetiously called Martha's Vineyard a 'death camp' but suggested that the migrants who landed there are better off than they were in El Paso

Ken Burns, who has a new documentary out about the Holocaust, said that sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard was a move 'straight out of the authoritarian playbook'

Members of a group of 50 migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard pal around the parish house at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Migrants from Venezuela pose for selfies in Martha's Vineyard after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew them up the the tony New England island

Residents of Martha's Vineyard gather on the sidewalk with migrants from Venezuela who were flown up to the Massachusetts island on Thursday

Volunteers speak with Venezuela migrants at the St. Andrew's Episcopal Church parish

'It's the abstraction of human life. If you can use a human life, that is as valuable as yours or mine or Lynn's' he said referring to his filmmaking partner Lynn Novick. 'And put it in the position of becoming a political pawn in someone's authoritarian game -this is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. What's so disturbing about DeSantis is to use human beings - to weaponize human beings for a political purpose.'

Carlson could hardly contain his bemusement over the tortured comparison.

'Everything is relative,' he said, tongue firmly in cheek, 'Martha's Vineyard may be a modern day death camp, but compared to where illegal aliens usually go, it doesn't look that bad.'

Carlson took the next few minutes - 'just for fun' - to compare images of border towns with the leafy preppy island.

'On your screen you will see images shot recently in America's border towns - which are completely overrun under Joe Biden's immigration policy - you will notice, if you look carefully, chaos, violence and filth,' the Fox host said.

Next he flashed an image of a seaside deck in Martha's Vineyard, with green hills and sweeping views of the horizon.

'Now we will take you to Martha's Vineyard. It's hellish, perhaps, but in a very different way. Families eating together on balconies overlooking the water, women doing their shopping in quaint little towns on their bicycles, couples strolling on the boardwalk. Sailboats. It doesn't look that bad.'

Carlson skewered CBS News next for its complaint that 'Martha's Vineyard is not an urban, metropolitan area with robust social services infrastructure...There's no Justice Department immigration court where immigrants can attend asylum hearings.'

But the host agreed. And that's the point, he said.

'That's kinda the whole idea. That's why DeSantis sent the illegal aliens to Martha's Vineyard. People who make and advocate for certain policies should, at some point, have to live with those policies, but until now they haven't had to.'

Watters could barely contain his contempt for Burns' hyperbole.

'Yeah. 50 migrants arriving on a gorgeous island off the coast of New England is exactly like Hitler slaughtering 6 million Jews,' he said, facetiously.

'I think liberals think hot dusty streets of El Paso, Texas are much better suited for Hispanics. They wouldn't fit in around the Kennedy compound. It's ironic because the real human rights abuses on the island happened at Cappaquiddick, he said, referring to late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy's deadly car accident, that killed Mary Jo Kopechne, a young campaign worker.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott also made the news when he sent two busloads of migrants from Texas to the home of Vice President Kamala Harris.

DeSantis and Abbott say their policies are designed to show Democrats in Washington and Massachusetts the extent of the problem faced by border states.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Abbott and DeSantis' actions sending migrants up north 'cruel' and 'inhumane'

President Joe Biden denounced Republican governors as 'unAmerican' for the way they were playing political games with migrants, after dozens were dumped outside the vice president's official residence and others were flown to Martha's Vineyard.

It marked the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter row over the thousands of people crossing the border daily.

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.

Biden hit back as he addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala.

'Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props,' he said.

'What they're doing is simply wrong. It's unAmerican. It's reckless.

'And we have a process in place to manage migrants at the border.

'We're working to make sure it's safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts.'

White House Press Secretary said the administration was doing its best at the border, and blamed problems on the Trump administration.

'What I can tell you is the record and the process that we have been using to make sure that we do our best to secure the border,' she said during her daily briefing.

'We do our best to make sure that we fix a broken system that was left behind by the last administration.'

And she condemned the actions of Republican governors.

'I'll keep saying that it is inhumane. It is cruel, what they're doing to children and to families,' Jean-Pierre said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent two buses full of migrants to Washington, DC outside of the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris

'I'll keep saying that it is inhumane. It is cruel, what they're doing to children and to families,' Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre saved venomous words for DeSantis in particular, whose Martha's Vineyard passengers were primarily people fleeing the oppressive Maduro regime.

Sending asylum-seekers there, she said, is a 'cruel, inhumane way to treat people who are fleeing communism.'

Harris ignored questions from reporters about the migrants who were bussed to her Washington DC residence on Thursday morning. Asylum-seekers claimed they strolled across the border easily - days after she insisted it was 'secure.'

Harris made the declaration in a Sunday interview and has now found herself in the midst of an attack by Abbott against Democrat immigration rules.

She was asked her thoughts on the situation by a pool reporter after giving a speech at the United Against Hate Summit, at the White House.

Harris appeared caught of guard when she was quizzed by a reporter regarding the situation outside her own home in Washington DC

But she chose to ignore the question, and carried on walking to her next meeting in Blair House across from the White House.

One unidentified man filmed outside the Naval Observatory on Thursday told Fox News: 'The border is open, not closed. Everybody believes that the border is open.

'It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.'

His words come just four days after Harris told NBC News: 'The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system, in particular over the last four years before we came in, and it needs to be fixed.

'We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration.'

But the vice president's words were made to seem hollow, thanks to Abbott's decision to dispatch from Eagle Pass, Texas to the nation's capital.

Many migrants who arrived from Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia and Mexico told Fox News that they thought the border was open

The GOP leaders say they're keen for liberals who espouse 'sanctuary cities' to experience the full effects of uncontrolled immigration, which has hit Texas border cities including Del Rio and El Paso very hard.

Those who arrived on the bus said that they had travelled from Venezuela, with many women, children and families smiling as they got off the vehicles.

Abbott appears to have directly retaliated to Harris' comments about border security, by sending the latest load of migrants close to her home in DC.

The Texas governor has sent hundreds of the migrants to Washington, DC, New York City and Chicago in recent weeks, but has yet to publicly comment on this latest escalation.

Gov. DeSantis, meanwhile, bragged about sending two planes of migrants to affluent Martha's Vineyard.

Areas targeted by GOP governors all bill themselves as migrant-friendly 'sanctuary cities,' with Abbott saying he's keen to show them the scale of the challenge his border cities are facing from the ongoing influx.

In a statement he said: 'The Biden-Harris Administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years.

'Our supposed Border Czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, has yet to even visit the border to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement, even going so far as to claim the border is 'secure.'

'Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. until President Biden and Border Czar Harris step up and do their jobs to secure the border.'

One of the migrants told reporters that the border is 'open' and 'everybody belives that the border is open' in a blow to Harris' comments and President Biden's immigration policy

Nearly 100 migrants arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning from Texas, close to the Vice Presidents home by the Naval Observatory

Gov Abbott appears to have directly retaliated to Harris' comments, by sending the latest load of migrants close to her home in DC

Abbott argues that the border towns of his state of Texas is overwhelmed, and those in New York and DC should be the ones dealing with the crisis.

Eric Adams has slammed the Republican party for their 'inhumane' decision to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard with no warning, and branded Abbott as a 'rogue' Governor.

He said: 'The Republican party they have created a blueprint that all of them are starting to follow. It's inhumane.

'For the Governor to send immigrants to Martha's Vineyard without any coordination is just creating real crisis and that is the problem that we shared to our lawmakers in Washington this is a blueprint that you are going to see start unfolding.'

On Wednesday, Adams admitted that shelters in the Big Apple are at 'breaking point' after the Texas Gov bused nearly 11,000 people into the city.

Abbott recently clashed with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the decision, with Lightfoot branding him as a 'racist'.

She sparked outrage last week after deciding to move migrants from Chicago to a neighboring Republican suburb.

The bus reportedly came from Del Rio in Texas, with some of the migrants unaware of where they were heading

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced in the summer that he would be sending buses of hundreds of immigrants, mostly from South America, to northern states due to the southern border crisis

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation

The Del Rio section of the border, which includes Eagle Pass, has doubled its number of migrant encounters from the previous year to over 376,000 since October 2021

El Paso, Texas on September 14: The federal government has been releasing hundreds of migrants onto the streets of El Paso, as the NGOs and charities that normally assist them once they are released have been too overwhelmed and unable to take any more people

Of the 147 migrants who arrived last Wednesday, Lightfoot ordered 64 of them to be taken to a Hampton Inn hotel in Burr Ridge, where they will be housed for at least the next 30 days.

Republican Mayor of Burr Ridge, Gary Grasso, directed his anger at Lightfoot and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for using the migrants as 'political pawns.'

He said: 'We are very unhappy that nobody from the city, from the state called and told me.'

Mayor Muriel Bowser, of Washington DC, last week declared a public emergency over the buses continuing to arrive from Texas and Arizona.

It will set aside funding to accommodate migrants as well as create the Office of Migrant Services (OMS).

The OMS will provide temporary accommodation, urgent medical needs, transportation and other services for those arriving.

Bowser has twice asked that the National guard be activated to assist with the thousands of migrants arriving at the capital, but they have both been denied by the Pentagon.

Brianne Nadeau, a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, has slammed the governors of Texas and Arizona for the city's public migrant emergency.

Republican Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso criticized Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for using the refugees as 'political pawns' and moving them to the GOP suburb after arriving in her city

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed credit for sending two planes full of migrants to affluent Martha's Vineyard

Immigration crisis by the numbers. There have been nearly 5 million unauthorized border crossings under President Joe Biden

She said: 'So, it's been said, but it's worth reiterating, that the governors of Texas and Arizona have created this crisis.

'And, the federal government has not stepped up to assist the District of Columbia.

'So we, along with our regional partners, we'll do what we've always done. We'll rise to the occasion.'

DeSantis has also become embroiled in the ongoing war against the Democrats after sending two planes of migrants to Martha's Vineyard.

The affluent area is home to prominent liberals such as the Obamas, Oprah Winfrey and Larry David.

DeSantis bragged that he was responsible for the planes, with a spokesman for his office adding that it was 'part of the state's relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.'

They took aim at the Democrat run areas, saying that Massachusetts, New York and California with 'better facilitate' the care of the migrants.

In their statement they directly accused those in charge of 'inviting' the illegal migrants to the country by 'incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states''

Each plane is understood to have been carrying around 50 Venezuelan migrants, before they were helped into shelters

More than half of Americans think there is an 'invasion' while another one-third expressed worry over being 'replaced' by illegal immigrants

His office also took aim at President Bidens open border policies, in a direct echo of Gov Abbott's complaints.

They added: 'As you may know, in this past legislative session the Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants from this state consistent with federal law.'

At the same time as these new arrivals, humanitarian crisis is deepening in the Texas border town of El Paso.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

Border Patrol facilities and shelters in the west Texas town have been overwhelmed in recent days, leading to a flood of so-called 'street releases'.

Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a GOP US Representative, said: 'We've never seen anything like this. It's a scene that you would see in a third-world country, not in the streets of El Paso.'
A former deputy Nevada attorney general who ran for the state Supreme Court and was later affiliated with the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel has been arrested in Reno as a suspect in a 1972 homicide in Hawaii.

Tudor Chirila Jr., 77, was being held Thursday in the Washoe County Jail without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from another state.

In a criminal complaint accusing Chirila of second-degree murder, Honolulu police said DNA evidence linked him to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Nancy Anderson.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser first reported that Chirila was arrested Wednesday - five decades after police say he stabbed the teen more than 60 times and left her body in her Waikiki apartment on January 7, 1972.

Anderson had moved to Hawaii in October 1971 and was working at a McDonald's restaurant after graduating from high school the year before in Bay City, Michigan, the newspaper said.

Tudor Chirila Jr., 77, was being held Thursday in the Washoe County Jail without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from another state

Honolulu police said DNA evidence linked him to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Nancy Anderson

It wasn't immediately clear if Chirila had an attorney or will be appointed one. Jail records don't indicate when hes scheduled to make his initial court appearance.

The criminal complaint filed this week in district court in Hawaii said police had reopened the cold case multiple times since the killing and received a tip in December that Chirila could be a suspect.

In March, police obtained a DNA sample from Chirila's son, John Chirila of Newport Beach, California, that identified him as the biological child of a DNA sample found at the crime scene, according to the criminal complaint.

On September 6, Reno police served a search warrant and collected a DNA sample from Tudor Chirila at his Reno apartment.

Two days later he tried to commit suicide, and on Wednesday was booked into the county jail in Reno, the Reno Gazette Journal reported Thursday.

Over the years, police in Hawaii investigated multiple suspects, including door-to-door knife salesmen who were there to to try to sell knives hours earlier, the newspaper said.

Police say he stabbed the teen more than 60 times and left her body in her Waikiki apartment on Jan. 7, 1972

But the salesmen volunteered fingerprints and passed polygraph tests.

Other potential suspects questioned over the years included Anderson's former boyfriends and the property manager where she lived.

Chirila, a longtime attorney in Reno, Carson City and the Lake Tahoe area, served as a deputy attorney general in the late 1970s and ran unsuccessfully for the Nevada Supreme Court in 1994.

In a 1998 federal indictment, U.S. prosecutors in Reno identified him as the former president of a company, A.G.E. Corp., that served a front for Nevada brothel boss Joe Conforte.

The indictment accused Conforte and others of being part of an elaborate conspiracy to defraud the government in bankruptcy proceedings when the Mustang Ranch east of Reno was seized by the IRS, sold for back taxes in 1990 and illegally repurchased by Conforte and his cohorts.

The government claimed Conforte hid his assets during bankruptcy proceedings to cheat the government and buy back the legal brothel under hidden ownership, The Associated Press reported at the time.

Testifying as a government witness, Chirila acknowledged he knew the corporation was owned and controlled by Conforte, who had disappeared and was believed to be a fugitive in South America when the case went to trial in 1999.

Chirila filed suit against Conforte in 1998 seeking $14million in damages, alleging Conforte wrongly fired him for cooperating with federal prosecutors.
American writer salutes Chinese poetry with whiskey

Xinhua) 10:48, September 16, 2022

BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- During the recent Mid-Autumn Festival, 79-year-old Bill Porter grabbed a glass of whiskey while enjoying the full moon, and recited an ancient Chinese poem outside his house in the United States.

"How rare the moon, so round and clear! With cup in hand, I ask of the blue sky," Porter read the lines from "Prelude to Water Melody," an ancient Chinese poem written by Su Shi, a famous poet of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

With a profound love for Chinese poetry, Porter has translated some 2,000 Chinese poems into English and published a series of books related to Chinese poetry and philosophy in the past decades.

"To me, the beauty about ancient Chinese poems is that the lines of poetry are usually short, with five or seven Chinese characters," he said. "Because they are short, they are ambiguous. You have to read it many times before you can discover its meaning. It's like an adventure."

"Moreover, many ancient Chinese poems are in-depth and connected to the heart," he added.

Porter has also forged a close bond with the ancient Chinese poets.

"I don't just like the poems on the page. I like these poets. I like who they were, what they did with their lives, and how they used poetry as part of their lives," Porter said.

Among Porter's favorite poets were Su Shi, reputed for his optimism and open-mindedness in the face of life's setbacks, and Tao Yuanming, an Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) poet famous for his pursuit of free spirit and an idyllic lifestyle.

Seeing the Chinese poets as his dear friends, Porter once traveled across China to visit their former residences, birthplaces and graves. He brought bottles of bourbon and rye whiskey with him, for he knew that many of the poets were drinkers.

Porter recalled that when he was seeking the grave of Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Mu in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a farmer took him to the grave, and then he was joined by the locals.

"About seven or eight farmers were standing around me when I was pouring whiskey and then reading Du's poems," Porter said. "The farmers also knew the poems and joined me chanting them."

"I visited around 40 poets in 2012 and 2013," he said. "They were writing from their heart. I love them, so I have to pay my respects."

Currently, Porter is translating more poems by Tao Yuanming, and his translation work "Poems of the Masters" will be released in China soon.

Porter said people in his country are becoming more interested in the Chinese language and culture, and he will continue working to introduce the beauty of the traditional Chinese culture to Westerners.

"The traditional Chinese culture is like a treasure chest," he said. "I would like to share the treasure I found with others."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Ukraine discovers hundreds of graves outside Izyum days after retaking it from Russia.

In a woodland outside the town, advancing Ukrainian soldiers found wooden crosses, with the majority bearing numbers. Authorities said that some of the tombs would be exhumed on Friday, BBC reported.

Early reports indicate that some of the fatalities may have perished from shelling and a lack of access to healthcare, while it is yet unclear what happened to them buried in Ukraine mass graves.

Additionally, some indicators suggest some of the tombs may house Ukrainian soldiers. More than 400 victims were allegedly buried there, according to regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko, who spoke to the BBC.

Russia exploited the invasion of Izyum as a crucial military base to resupply soldiers from the east in the early stages of the conflict.

It was also utilized to launch strikes into the Donetsk area and Kupyansk, located around 48 kilometers (30 miles) north of Izium, and a rail hub for resupplying, as per a CNN report.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his evening speech that "required procedural measures" have started in the region.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that the world must know "what is really happening" and the outcomes of the Russia Ukraine war .

"Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum... Russia leaves death everywhere," he said. "And it must be held accountable for that."

The Ukrainian president was alluding to purported Ukraine mass graves discovered this spring at Bucha, close to Kyiv, the country's capital, and also close to Mariupol, a significant port in the country's southeast that is currently under Russian occupation.

Largest Mass Grave in European History

The mass burial found in Izium, a former Russian front-line bastion, is the largest one to be found in Europe since the 1990s Balkan conflicts' aftermath.

After tens of thousands of Russian soldiers abandoned their guns and ammunition and fled the region, Ukrainian forces retook Izium.

Read Also: EU's Proposed $140 Billion Windfall Tax Aims To Shield Consumers From Soaring Energy Prices

Volodymyr Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted in English: "For months a rampant terror, violence, torture, and mass murders were in the occupied territories."

He posted a photo of a woodland scattered with wooden crosses on sludgy ground.

Mass graves are being discovered in Izyum after liberation from the russcists. The current largest burial sights has 440 unmarked graves.@ZelenskyyUa : "The necessary procedural actions have already begun there. More information - clear, verified - should be available tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/IipipvFJpb  Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 15, 2022

"Anyone else wants to 'freeze the war' instead of sending tanks? We have no right to leave people alone with the Evil," he added.

The Russian government did not immediately respond to news of the mass gravesite, according to Reuters.

It has previously denied that its forces had committed crimes. Moscow says it is disarming Ukraine in a "special military operation."

Region Undergoing Stability

Oleh Kotenko, Ukraine's commissioner for missing persons, said search activities for "fallen heroes" are progressing carefully.

Zelensky visited Izium on Wednesday and told reporters he was "shocked" by the quantity of "destroyed buildings" and dead persons.

In addition, Zelensky praised international nations for sending prosecutors and investigators to Ukraine to look into allegations of breaches of human rights by occupying forces and promised that all occupied territories will finally be liberated.

Particularly in the northeast and south of the nation, Ukrainian soldiers have been engaged in a protracted military onslaught.

Zelensky stated Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had reclaimed 8,000 square kilometers (3,088 square miles) this month, with half the region still undergoing "stabilization."

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: Volodymyr Zelensky's Car Gets Hit in Scary Collision, Accident Under Investigation

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Gruesome details have emerged of a car crash where five teenagers were seriously injured, in an accident eerily similar to the one that killed five schoolmates last week.

Five teenagers suffered injuries after a Honda Accord, allegedly driven by an 18-year-old, smashed into a power pole on Stoney Creek Road, Beverly Hills in Sydney's south-west at about 5.30am on Friday.

Witnesses told Daily Mail Australia that the driver of the car wandered around, dazed and agitated, immediately after the crash, muttering 'What have I done? What have I done?'

Two female passengers, both 16, lay on the footpath beside the car, one unable to speak while the other screamed out with a bleeding cut on her neck.

Witnesses reported the 18-year-old driver of the car wandering around dazed and agitated immediately after the crash, muttering 'What have I done? What have I done?'

Three of the injured teen passengers were sitting on the footpath after the accident, with another trapped in the backseat of the Honda Accord until he was later freed by emergency services. Sheets brought by neighbours to cover the female passengers after the accident can be seen on the ground behind the car

Beverly Hills resident Glen Norrish described the chaotic scene of the accident that occurred in front of his house on Stoney Creek Rd at 5.30am on Friday morning

Glen Norrish, who lives in the house in front of where the car crashed, said he was woken just after 5.30am by an 'almighty bang' and wandered out to see the driver, the two injured girls and another young man sitting by his letterbox, leaning against the fence with his leg bleeding.

Mr Norrish said another young man was stuck in the middle of the back seat.

'The car was sort of smoking, I was ready to grab the fire extinguisher,' Mr Norrish said.

Mr Norrish said he told the two girl teenagers to stay awake.

'One had a pretty bad cut on her neck, the other was just laying there and I kept on saying 'keep your eyes open'.

'This is a bad stretch of road but (I believe) speed was involved.

'The girl with the cut on her neck who was screaming, I think she also hurt her neck.

'The damage on that fence, they were going fast.'

Mr Norrish said the car hit a tree and then the brick fence of the house next door, sending brick fragments flying into his house.

He said the second girl on the ground had an injured hip and couldn't walk.

'They looked really young, they were just dressed casually.

'I thought straight away maybe one of the three in the back was wearing a seat belt.

'The driver would have been saved by the air bags.

'There's no gutter where the car hit and it would have just been flying up the road.

'It's about 12 months since they made this a clearway and there's trucks and semis speeding up the road all the time.

'We need speed cameras here bad.'

The latest crash involved an 18-year-old driver and teen passengers aged between 15 and 16 happened on Stoney Creek Road, Beverly Hills in Sydney's south-west early on Friday morning

Two female passengers, both aged 16, and two male passengers, aged 15 and 16, were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while the 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries

Two female passengers, both aged 16, were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and taken to St George Hospital in stable conditions.

One of the girls is understood to have hip and chest injuries, while the other female has a head injury.

Two male passengers, aged 15 and 16, were also treated at the scene and taken to Liverpool Hospital in stable conditions.

The 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries and was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory testing.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden told media on Tuesday that investigators are considering whether speed was the cause of the crash.

He said police were at present unsure about the status of the driver's licence.

'We have a direct correlation with what happened just days ago at Buxton,' Asst Cmnr McFadden said about the eerie similarity of the Beverly Hills crash with the one at Buxton.

'We are most fortunate we didn't lose another five lives.

'We shouldn't be aspiring to be driving like these absolute idiots on the road.

'We need to make sure that as a community, we are doing everything we can to prevent these incidents taking place.'

The 18-year-old driver sustained only minor injuries and was taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory testing

A male passenger in the back seat of the car was trapped after the smash. 'Emergency crews worked to free him, while paramedics and the aeromedical team treated the other patients on the side of the road,' NSW Ambulance Inspector Anna Lennard said

NSW Ambulance Inspector Anna Lennard told the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader that said the two females were in the back seat with one of the males, who became trapped in the accident.

'Emergency crews worked to free him, while paramedics and the aeromedical team treated the other patients on the side of the road,' she said.

'Incidents involving young people are always confronting for our crews. We've recently seen a terrible tragedy on our roads and we encourage everyone to drive safely.'

Officers from St George Police Area Command established a crime scene.

Specialist police from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A local resident told 9News the impact of the crash had caused dust to fall from the ceiling inside.

'I heard a loud bang about 6am this morning, it woke me up, I had a peak out the window and saw the crash,' one nearby resident said.

'It was really confronting, not a good thing to see.'

The scene of the accident at Buxton where five teens died on September 6

Friends gather at the scene at Buxton, in Sydney's south-west, where five classmates from Picton High School aged between 14 and 16 were killed in a horror crash on September 6

The incident comes just days after a horror smash at Buxton near Picton in Sydney's south-west that killed five teens aged between 14 and 16.

Tyrell Edwards, 18, faces five charges of dangerous driving after his five passengers, were killed in the high-speed crash on the night of September 6.

The three girls and two boys killed in the accident were all friends from Picton High School.

Antonio Desisto, Tyrese Bechard, Summer Williams, Lily Van De Putte and Gabriella McLennan - all aged between 14 and 16 - died when a Nissan Navara ute veered off the road in Buxton.

The driver, Edwards, escaped the smash with non life-threatening injuries.

The first of the teens' funerals, for Tyrese Bechard, took place at a church in Picton on Thursday (pictured), with Lily Van de Putte's funeral to follow on Friday

Members of Tyrese Bechard's family are seen after the 15-year-old's funeral at Picton on Thursday

The first of the teens' funerals, for Tyrese Bechard, took place at a church in Picton on Thursday, with Lily Van de Putte's funeral to follow on Friday.

Police are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or information about the Beverly Hills incident to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Journalist Keith Olbermann on Thursday ridiculed CNN's decision to relaunch their morning show with Don Lemon, calling it a 'sh**storm' and accusing new CNN boss Chris Licht of being stupid.

Olbermann responded with deep cynicism to CNN's announcement of the new show.

Lemon will move from his 10pm show to the new 6-9am slot, and will be accompanied by Poppy Harlow, current host of the midmorning show, and White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

Olbermann, a podcaster who from 2003-11 worked for MSNBC, said the new show was a silly idea from Licht - who was at MSNBC from 2005-11.

He described his former colleague as an idiot, saying he 'used to eat paste'.

Keith Olbermann is pictured at MSNBC in 2010, the year before he left the network. He said on Thursday that he was unimpressed by the latest move from CNN's new boss Chris Licht

Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins will co-host the new morning show, it was announced on Thursday

Poppy Harlow will be the third member of the team for the new morning show

Olbermann tweeted: 'Chris Licht (who, when we worked together at msnbc, I believed used to eat paste) has now surrounded Don Lemon with an ex-Daily Caller 'journalist' and somebody who last month demanded an apology from Biden to Republicans.'

Collins worked at the Daily Caller for three years on leaving college, and joined CNN in 2017.

Harlow asked the White House press secretary if Joe Biden would apologize for calling pro-Trump Republicans 'semi-fascists'.

Olbermann said: 'The @CNN s***storm is here.'

Olbermann, a noted left-leaning commentator, referenced reports that Licht was trying to move CNN away from its Trump-critical position, and make it more centrist.

Chris Licht, new CNN chief, worked with Olbermann at MSNBC until 2011

He added that the current morning show host Brianna Keilar was unable to salvage her job by criticizing Biden for posing with Marines - a critique Olbermann said was a Republican talking point.

'And @brikeilarcnn's cut-and-pasted complaint about Biden's marines, and doubling and tripling down on this pathetic and hypocritical conservative talking point, did not save her,' Olbermann said.

'You can never be sufficiently doctrinaire for TV Fascists like Licht and John Malone.'

Malone, a billionaire media mogul and influential Warner Bros. Discovery board member, is said to be the driving force behind CNN's overhaul.

Keilar will be moved to another slot in CNN's schedule, as will her co-host John Berman.

Lemon on Thursday night said he was asked to do the show and jumped at the chance, and denied that he had been pushed out after eight years helming his evening program.
The battle over Anne Heche's estate is heating up as her oldest son claims actor James Tupper is manipulating him and his half-brother to seize control of their mother's will.

Homer Laffoon, 20, had filed a petition to be in charge of his mother's estate and that he and his half-brother, Atlas Heche Tupper, 13, be listed her sole heirs after Heche failed to leave behind a will following her death last month.

James Tupper, Atlas' father and Heche's ex, however, claims Heche nominated him to be in charge of her estate via email back when they were dating in 2011, Page Six reported.

'My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children,' he claimed she wrote in his legal filings.

Anne Heche's eldest son Homer Laffoon , 20, (right) has applied to be in charge of the late star's estate after she died without a will. He wants him and his half-brother Atlas Heche Tupper, 13, (left) to be listed as her sole heirs

Atlas' father, actor James Tupper (right), however, claims he was named in charge of Heche's estate via email back when they dated in 2011

In his legal filings, Tupper says Laffoon (pictured with Heche last year) is too young, unemployed and was estranged from his mother and half-brother

Laffoon (left) has hit back against his half-father, claiming Tupper is stopping him from communicating with Atlas by taking control of the teen's phone

Tupper also claims that Laffoon 'is not suitable'' to run the estate because he is too young, unemployed and was estranged from his mother at the time of her death.

The actor goes on to accuse the 20-year-old, the son of real estate broker Coleman Laffoon, of changing the locks on the apartment Heche shared with Atlas, allegedly preventing the younger brother from getting his belongings.

Tupper has said that the two half-brothers have not had any contact since the day Heche died.

Laffoon has hit back against Tupper, claiming the actor is keeping him away from Atlas by controlling the 13-year-old's phone.

Laffoon's attorneys told TMZ that they are confident the oldest son will be the winner in court after it appointed him temporarily in charge of the estate on Thursday.

A representative for Tupper did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Pictured: Tupper (right) together with Heche and Lafoon (center) as she holds a young Atlas

Tupper has accused Laffoon of changing the locks on the apartment Heche shared with Atlas (above), preventing the younger brother from getting his belongings

In his original petition to the court, Laffoon says that it is unclear how much money or property Heche, 53, had to her name before she died.

In the filing, Laffoon lists his mother's personal property and her annual income as 'unknown'.

He is also asking the court to be named as the legal guardian of his brother.

The court will have to dig into Heche's finances to determine the value of her estate, and what properties she owns.

In 2021, it was reported that she was selling her Los Angeles Silver Lake Cottage for around $2million with co-star and ex-partner Thomas Jane.

She has also been previously reported to have owned another home in the Hancock Park-Wilshire area of Los Angeles - a mansion priced at around $4million.

A photo before the August 5 crash shows Heche at the wheel with a bottle in the cup holder

Heche died from injuries sustained in a fireball car crash last month in Los Angeles

Heche died following an August 5 crash in Los Angeles. The actress slammed her Mini Cooper into a house, causing an explosion.

Blood tests showed that the actress had cocaine and fentanyl in her system when the high-speed crash occurred, but officials confirmed that she had not been drinking alcohol - despite being pictured with a vodka bottle in her cupholder.

She was left badly burned and in a coma. Heche's life support machine was turned off on August 14, and she was cremated on August 18.

A coroner ruled on August 17 that Heche died from inhalation injury and burns, and the death was ruled an accident.

The mother-of-two also had a fractured sternum caused by 'blunt trauma,' according to information on the website of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The Emmy-winning film and television actor was removed from life support at a burn center.
When questioned about his actions, Koubeck said that he was 'having a bad day' and never intended to hurt the officer

The officer was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries

Shortly into the altercation, four good Samaritans show up out of nowhere to help subdue Koubeck

After refusing a series of commands, the suspect David Koubeck, 64, is shown to become physically violent with Willoughby Police Officer Stacee Wright

On Saturday, a man being pulled over for speeding became immediately aggressive with a female police officer in an Ohio suburb

A shocking new video shows an unruly perp attacking a police officer in Willoughby, Ohio, on Saturday.

As the group descends on the unruly suspect, one of the good Samaritans can be heard telling him: 'You don't do that to a woman.'

The suspect, David Koubeck, 64, was pulled over for speeding by Officer Stacee Wright, 30, on September 10 along Lost Nation Road in Willoughby in suburban Cleveland.

The video shows Koubeck being immediately dismissive of Wright as he exits the vehicle without permission, saying that he needed to go to the back of the car to get his driver's license from the back.

Koubeck was driving a 2009 black Chevrolet Malibu when he was pulled over.

The suspect in the altercation, David Koubeck, later told investigators that he was 'having a bad day.'

From there, Wright radios for backup, advising that the suspect had left his car. Wright demands that Koubeck sit on the curb, an order he disobeys. He yells: 'I'm not sitting! I'm not sitting!'

Koubeck continues to raise his voice to Wright while ignoring another command to put his hands on the car.

The suspect put his finger in the Wright's face and ignore her commands to back away while pushing her.

From there, the two engaged in a physical struggle, with Koubeck appearing to get the upper hand after catching Wright by surprise.

All of a sudden, four good Samaritans appear as if from nowhere to aid Wright and quickly subdue Koubeck.

A voice can be heard in the video telling Koubeck: 'You don't do that to a woman. Do you understand me?'

Shortly after the group became involved, another officer showed up and helped to take Koubeck into custody.

Here the suspect can be seen leaving his car before being asked to, according to another officer, this can be seen as a 'red flag'

Officer Wright ordered the man to take a seat on the curb. He raised his voice as he defied the order

Eventually, the suspect lays his hands on the officer and the two begin wrestling

Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of good Samaritans arrive on the scene to aid the officer

Wright was taken to University Hospital's Lake West Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.

Willoughby Det. Sgt. Michael Sevel told WKYC about the incident saying: 'His behavior was aggressive towards her, he refused several commands of hers, all of these are red flags.'

He said: 'Were thankful it ended the way it did, because it could have ended worse.'

Sevel also said: 'It just makes us extremely proud to work for Willoughby, where theres good people willing to put their safety on the line. They had no idea what they were stepping into, they could have been risking their lives to help that officer.'

According to the Lake County Herald News, Koubeck later told authorities that he was 'having a bad day.' He denied punching the Wright and said that he was trying to comply, adding that he never meant to hurt her.

In a Facebook post, Willoughby Police Chief Jim Schultz thanked those who helped out and asked those who pulled over to come forward.

The chief wrote: 'I would like to personally thank several great Samaritans and our wonderful community for their quick action and support.'

He went on: 'I am so proud of our community and the tremendous support we receive on a day-to-day basis. Saturday was another awesome example. I greatly appreciate it! Thank you!'

In an interview with the Lake County News-Herald, Chief Schultz referred to the officer who was attacked as being 'very good at her job' and 'a fighter.'

He added: 'I am sure she would have handled the situation, but if nobody stopped and helped, it may have escalated.'

Following the Facebook post, Schultz said that the four men who helped out had come forward and that none wanted to be publicly recognized.

He said: 'They are very private people and basically said they stopped because it was the right thing to do.'

As a result of the incident, Koubeck has been charged with assault on an officer, resisting arrest, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt. He will appear in court on September 22.
President Biden said the U.S. and South Africa have the 'same value set' during a meeting with corrupt South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on Friday.

Ramaphosa's government has remained neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the African president himself has been accused of stealing millions of dollars.

'United States and South Africa and your government have the same value set,' Biden said. 'I've long been inspired by the long struggle for freedom and justice.'

'South Africa has quite a voice on the world stage,' Biden added. 'We have a lot to talk about. A lot is happening around the world,' Biden said, before press were ushered out of the room.

South Africa abstained from a United Nations vote condemning Russia's actions and called for a mediated settlement. Biden, however, made no mention of his counterpart's reserved stance in the brutal war during a media appearance ahead of the duo's official meeting.

Ramaphosa stands accused of stealing millions and hiding it at a game farm. About $4 million in cash was stolen from Ramaphosas Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February, and former intelligence officer Arthur Fraser has accused him of money laundering, kidnapping and corruption.

Ramaphosa denied the allegations, saying that the funds were private, not public.

President Joe Biden shakes hands with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ramaphosa thanked Biden for the help the U.S. provided them in the fight against Covid-19, including the vaccines he made available.

Biden at one point seemed to subtly recognize that the two countries have their differences.

'We really need to make sure we fully understand one another,' said Biden, who heaped praise on Ramaphosa for his country's leadership on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change and other issues.

The administration has been disappointed that South Africa and much of the continent have declined to follow the U.S. in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden shakes hands with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Joe Biden shakes hands with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Vice President Kamala Harris greets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Vice President's official residence in the U.S. Naval Observatory compound in Washington, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

During Sec. of State Antony Blinken's visit to South Africa last month, the nation's international relations minister Naledi Pandor accused the U.S. and other Western powers of focusing on the Ukraine conflict to the detriment of crises around the globe.

'We should be equally concerned at what is happening to the people of Palestine, as we are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine,' she said.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, has sought to underscore that Russias blockade of Ukraines Black Sea ports has led to scarcities in grain, cooking oil and fertilizer - resulting in disproportionate impact on Africans.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks as he is welcomed by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Vice President's official residence in the U.S. Naval Observatory compound in Washington, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

South Africas neutral position is largely because of the support the Soviet Union gave during the Cold War era to Ramaphosas African National Congress in its fight to end apartheid, South Africa's regime of repression against the Black majority that ended in 1994. South Africa is seen as a leader of the several African countries that will not side against Russia.

Biden and Ramaphosa were expected to talk Russia-Ukraine in the closed door portion of their meeting.

'As the conflict has evolved, we are eager to hear South Africa's perspective on how do we reach a just conclusion to the conflict, and what are the means to do that,' a U.S. official said ahead of the meeting.

Other discussions included trade, investment, infrastructure, climate and energy, and health issues.
A hacker claiming to be 18 years old breached Uber's computer network Thursday, prompting the app-hail to shut down its company's system after the cyberattacker barraged employees with obscene images and messages.

Uber workers were confronted by images of an male private parts and a message that said, 'F**K YOU DUMB WANKERS,' according to Sam Curry, an engineer at Yuga Labs who communicated with the hacker.

The tech company has asked law enforcement to investigate the hacker, identified only by the Telegram handle Tea Pot.

There was no indication that transport company fleet of vehicles or its operation was in any way affected.

Uber announced on Twitter that they had been hacked and were reporting the incident to law enforcement. The hacker sent messages to the ride-hail company workers, letting them know that their company computer system had been infiltrated. Some workers mocked the hacker, thinking it was some kind of joke

The hacker gained control of the account through HackerOne, a firm that helps companies work with security researchers, staff said.

'They pretty much have full access to Uber,' Curry told The New York Times. 'This is a total compromise, from what it looks like.'

That includes obtaining complete access to the Amazon and Google-hosted cloud environments where Uber stores its source code and customer data, he said.

Tea Pot was able to infiltrate the system by sending a worker a text claiming to be from the company's IT team and convincing them to share their password, according to the Times.

Once he was in, he sent a message alerting the staff that their system had been compromised.

A hacker claiming to be 18 years old breached Uber's computer network Thursday, prompting the app-hail to shut down its company's system

Uber employees initially thought the episode was a joke and 'instead of doing anything, a good portion of the staff was interacting and mocking the hacker'

'I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach,' the message said, according to the Times.

Uber employees initially thought the episode was a joke and 'instead of doing anything, a good portion of the staff was interacting and mocking the hacker,' according to a text sent to Curry by a company worker.

Curry said he spoke to several Uber employees who said they were 'working to lock down everything internally' to restrict the hacker's access, including the company's Slack internal messaging network, he said.

The hacker was able to infiltrate the system by sending a worker a text claiming to be from the company's IT team and convincing them to share their password

Uber employees received this text message from the company's IT department after the hack

'URGENT: All Uber employees should stop using Slack until further notice. We are working to resolve an issue and will send additional updates.'

He said there was no indication that the hacker had done any damage or was interested in anything more than publicity.

'My gut feeling is that it seems like they are out to get as much attention as possible,' Curry said.

The hacker had alerted Curry and other security researchers to the intrusion by using and an internal Uber account to comment on vulnerabilities they had previously identified on the company's network through its bug-bounty program, which pays ethical hackers to identify vulnerabilities.

The saboteur also said that Uber should pay their drivers more.

The hacker provided a Telegram account address and Curry and other researchers then engaged them in a separate conversation, sharing screenshots of various pages from Uber's cloud providers to prove they broke in.

The Associated Press attempted to contact the hacker at the Telegram account where Curry and the other researchers chatted with them, but no one responded.

One screenshot posted on Twitter and confirmed by researchers shows a chat with the hacker in which they say they obtained the credentials of an administrative user and then used social engineering to access Uber's internal network.

Uber said via email that it was 'currently responding to a cybersecurity incident. We are in touch with law enforcement.' It said it would provide updates on its Uber Comms twitter feed.

The company suffered another crippling hack in 2016, but lied about it and tried to cover it up, according to the Times.

In that instance, the hackers stole the information for nearly 600,000 riders and drivers and then extorted $100,000 out of the company in exchange for the data.

Uber's cybersecurity chief at the time was fired afterward and charged with obstructing justice for not disclosing the breach to Federal Trade Commission.
At least six people are being treated after they were exposed to a mysterious substance inside a Gold Coast building.

Emergency services were called to an employment centre located on Nind Street, in Southport, at 2.30pm on Friday.

Two people have been rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital while another four people were treated for respiratory difficulties at the scene by paramedics.

At least six people are being treated after they were exposed to a mysterious substance on the Gold Coast

Emergency services were called to a business located on Nind Street, in Southport, at 2.30pm on Friday

The incident was reportedly sparked by a fumes leak involving an air conditioning system.

The building has since been evacuated and the cause of the leak is currently being investigated by Queensland Fire and Emergency Service.
A habitual criminal who left a man to die after a road traffic collision has been jailed after a witness drew their own sketch of the driver for police.

Danny Smith, 44, of Chigwell, Essex, crashed into 20-year-old Saleem Ahmed, who was riding a Yahama motorcycle, in Redbridge on December 17 last year.

Saleem, who had been on the way home after visiting his brother in Romford, was treated by members of the public and paramedics at the scene of the crash but died at the scene.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the fatal collision, which occurred at about 9.20pm.

Smith's vehicle had been spotted 30 minutes prior to the collision being driven in an erratic manner.

A witness drew their own sketch of the driver of the car, which later turned out to be key in identifying him.

This sketch, drawn by a member of the public of the driver of the suspect vehicle, helped police identify Smith as the person suspected in the fatal collision

Smith bears an uncanny resemblance to the person drawn by the witness in the sketch

Saleem Ahmed, 20, was returning from spending time with his brother when he was hit by Smith's vehicle in Redbridge in December 2021

In a separate investigation, detectives from the Met Police had been investigating a number of burglary offences.

Two days prior to the fatal road traffic collision, Smith gained entry into the home of an elderly female in Havering under false pretences, claiming that he had damaged her fence and would like to fix it.

Once inside, he pushed and threatened her before stealing cash and personal items.

On 1 February 2022, he had attended the home of an elderly man in Ilford and gained entry under false pretences before stealing a quantity of cash.

On 5 February, police received a report of a male who had stolen a vehicle from a car showroom in Romford whilst pretending to show interest in purchasing it.

On 7 February, Smith was seen by officers in Waltham Forest driving erratically. When prompted to stop for police, he attempted to escape by reversing into a police vehicle.

Assisted by a dog unit, Smith and a passenger in the vehicle were detained and arrested.

Enquiries revealed that the vehicle was on false plates and it was same one that had been stolen from the showroom in Romford.

After his arrest, police realised Smith was also wanted in connection with the fatal crash as the sketch from the member of the public bared an uncanny resemblance him.

At court, Smith pleaded guilty to a number of offences including causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving whilst disqualified and causing death by driving while unlicensed/uninsured.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to stop after a road accident, charges of robbery, burglary, handling stolen goods, criminal damage to property of a value of more than 5,000 and the theft of a motor vehicle.

Danny Smith, 44, pleaded guilty in court to a range of offences including causing death by dangerous driving

Finally he admitted dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Saleem's family said in a statement: 'My son was taken in such cruel circumstances, that for years to come it will affect us all as a family, our friends and our community.

'I will forever be thankful to the witnesses on the night of the incident; the help they gave to my son, comforting him as he passed away and to the ones who helped bring Danny Smith to justice, I will be forever grateful.

'The support we as a family have had from the Police throughout has been second to none.

'Nothing will ever bring Saleem back, but knowing that a dangerous criminal is back where he belongs and can no longer ruin other lives, which is what we fought so hard for. To my darling Son, we love you forever'.'

Smith was sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison and must serve at least 12. He was also disqualified from driving for 23 years and five months.
China hit back today after the Parliamentary authorities banned its delegation from viewing the Queen's coffin.

All heads of state visiting London for the funeral on Monday have been invited to pay their respects to the late monarch in Westminster Hall before her funeral.

China's president Xi Jinping was invited to Monday's event but is instead sending a delegation led by vice-president Wang Qishan.

However, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has denied a request for the Chinese group to enter the ancient heart of British democracy.

Sir Lindsay has maintained that Chinese state officials should not be able to enter Parliament after sanctioning MPs for condemning human rights abuses against Uighurs.

The step drew a sharp response from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning today. Although stressing she had no official information, Mao said that as host the UK should 'follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests'.

Asked about Liz Truss's view on the issue, a No10 spokeswoman said: 'Admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament.'

MPs subject to reprisals from China, including Tory former leader Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton, have slammed the 'extraordinary' decision to extend an invite to the funeral.

An insider told POLITICO that the Chinese delegation being allowed inside Westminster Abbey but not Westminster Hall would demonstrate that Parliament was again 'taking a significantly tougher stance against Beijing' than the rest of the state.

All heads of state visiting London for the funeral on Monday have been invited to pay their respects to the late monarch in Westminster Hall before her funeral - but a delegation led by vice-president Wang Qishan (pictured signing a condolence book) is believed to be banned from Parliament

Representatives of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have not been invited to Monday's funeral, while Syria, Venezuela and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are also being snubbed

MI5 previously issued an unprecedented warning that an alleged Chinese spy has infiltrated Parliament to interfere in UK politics - and allegedly boasted of lobbying 'more than 480 MPs'.

And China's ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang has been barred from Parliament since 2021 after MPs and peers were sanctioned by Beijing.

Angry Tory MPs have pointed out that Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have been banned from the funeral.

They argue that China should be blacklisted like other countries facing claims of human rights abuses.

The House of Commons has declared that Uighurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region are being subjected to genocide.

A number of them have written to Sir Lindsay and his Lords counterpart, Lord McFall of Alcluith, to seek assurances that Parliament's ban will be upheld.

However, Vice-President Wang is set to attend the Westminster Abbey service on Monday along with other world leaders such as US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said it was 'astonishing' that Chinese officials would be welcomed at the Queen's funeral on Monday

China's Vice-President Wang Qishan is set to attend the Westminster Abbey service along with other world leaders such as US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron

In a letter to Sir Lindsay earlier this week, Sir Iain and Mr Loughton, along with crossbench peer Lord Alton and Labour's Baroness Kennedy, warned against giving the delegation access.

'We are greatly concerned to hear that the Government of China has been invited to attend the state funeral next week, despite other countries Russia, Belarus and Myanmar being excluded,' they wrote.

'Given that the United Kingdom Parliament has voted to recognise the genocide committed by the Chinese Government against the Uighur people it is extraordinary that the architects of that genocide should be treated in any more favourable way than those countries who have been barred.'

Sir Iain said it was 'astonishing' that Chinese officials would be welcomed at the Queen's funeral and described it as 'project kowtow all over again'.

'How can they ban Belarus, Russia and Myanmar and not say no to China?' the ex-Cabinet minister said.

'They have a huge record of human rights abuses, including what we believe to be genocide, smashing churches and persecuting Christians.'

Mr Loughton said it was 'inconceivable that at such an important and sombre occasion as the state funeral of the Queen, that representatives of the Chinese Communist Party should be invited to attend on the same basis of other nations who have not been condemned for their genocidal acts'.

According to the South China Morning Post, Vice-President Wang is expected to arrive in London on Sunday ahead of the Queen's funeral.

On Saturday, China's President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to King Charles on his accession to the throne.

He said he was ready to work with the new monarch to improve mutual understanding and friendship between the UK and China.

Representatives of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have not been invited to Monday's funeral, while Syria, Venezuela and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are also being snubbed.

North Korea, Nicaragua and Iran have been invited only at ambassadorial level.

No10 said invitations to the Queen's funeral were a matter for Buckingham Palace.

'It is for them to set out their guest list and, as is convention, those we have diplomatic relations with are invited in the main,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
Arrest warrants have been issued for two men over the stabbing murder of a man in Brisbane, with another pair already charged.

Levi Johnson, 23 was set upon by a group of men outside a gym car park in the southern suburb of Mansfield on Monday.

Two cars boxed in his vehicle before four men got out and started smashing his windows. Mr Johnson ran away but two men caught up with him nearby, and he was stabbed multiple times.

Comanchero bikie associate Levi Johnson (pictured), 23, was set upon by a group of men outside a gym car park in the southern suburb of Mansfield, Brisbane on Monday

'It certainly is something that was ferocious, it happened extremely quickly and they were indeed passionate about completing their task,' Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham told reporters on Friday.

Two men have been arrested and charged with Mr Johnson's murder.

Police believe another two, Thomas Myler, 35, and Kyle Martin, 24, were also involved in the attack and are hiding in Brisbane's eastern suburbs.

Police services nationwide have been notified of arrest warrants for the pair, and Queensland Police allege both were part of the 13 Kings gang at the time of the attack.

Authorities have received 27 Crimestoppers reports of the possible locations of Myler and Martin in the past 24 hours.

They urge the pair to hand themselves in and ask the public for any dashcam footage of two car parks at the Carindale shopping centre.

Police believe another two, Thomas Myler (right), 35, and Kyle Martin (left), 24, were also involved in the attack and are hiding in Brisbane's eastern suburb

CCTV footage released by police on Friday shows Martin (pictured) at the Carindale shopping centre before the attack

CCTV footage released by police on Friday shows Martin at the Carindale shopping centre before the attack.

'We say that the four individuals met at a location nearby, that they observed the victim, Mr Johnson, for some time, waited for him to depart a particular location and then follow him where they eventually cornered him in the car park of the gym at Mansfield or Carindale,' Det Supt Massingham said.

Police appeal for anyone with dashcam footage from the Creek Road car park between 12.30pm and 2.10pm on Monday to come forward.

Police appeal for anyone with dashcam footage from the Creek Road car park between 12.30pm and 2.10pm on Monday to come forward. They also seek any dashcam footage from the Winstanley Street car park between 11.05am and 1pm to come forward

They also seek any dashcam footage from the Winstanley Street car park between 11.05am and 1pm to come forward.

'This is a significant strategy that will certainly help us identify the final movements of these individuals just before and after the offence took place,' Det Supt Massingham added.

Police say any associates of the pair assisting in harbouring them can be charged with accessory to murder, which carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment.
President Joe Biden accused state Republican authorities of playing politics with human beings by criticizing them for sending migrants north this year in defiance of his administration's immigration policies.

Hours before Biden's remarks, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Republican governors. As a nasty, calculated political gimmick, Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott sent migrants to Martha's Vineyard and Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington, DC.

Biden Says Republicans Use Migrants as 'Props'

Jean-Pierre called the conduct of the governors of Florida and Texas shameful, accusing them of using immigrants as political pawns, which is irresponsible and erroneous in every way. DeSantis deployed two flights hauling migrants to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday night, according to his administration. Abbott claims that his state dispatched two buses full of migrants to Harris' home in the capital on purpose, and they showed up on Thursday morning.

Approximately 50 migrants came to Martha's Vineyard on two planes on Wednesday, according to the area's Democratic state senator from Massachusetts, Julian Cyr. On Thursday morning in Washington, dozens of migrants were left standing on the pavement and in the grass in front of the gated US Naval Observatory.

The governors' actions-who are both vehement opponents of the Biden administration-are, the most recent in a string of initiatives by Republican governors to transport migrants to progressive cities and states in protest of what they claim are insufficient federal efforts to secure the southern border.

It was very worrisome, according to Jean-Pierre, because the migrants were misinformed about where they were being taken and what would be given to them when they arrived, as per CNN. Biden's statements came in response to a question about migrants being sent to Martha's Vineyard after remarks praising a tentative agreement by railway unions to avoid a strike earlier in the day.

Democrats were the ones who first began the movement of migrants, flying them in the middle of the night from border housing facilities to various locations across the nation. According to Fox News, neither Joe Biden nor the White House brought up this issue.

Read Also: Xi Jinping Is All Set To Hold Meeting with Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan; Will Russia, China Discuss War Against US?

GOP Leaders Urge Democratic Cities To Feel Migrants Surge's Effects

The Texas border cities of Del Rio and El Paso, among others, have been particularly severely struck by unchecked immigration, something the GOP leaders say they want liberals who support sanctuary cities to fully feel.

Many migrant women, kids, and families grinned as they exited the vehicles. Those who arrived on the bus claimed to have traveled from Venezuela. Abbott's current shipment of migrants appears to have been Abbott's direct response to Harris' remarks on border security. Harris lives in Washington, DC.

The Texas governor has recently dispatched hundreds of the migrants to Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC, but has not yet made any public remarks regarding this most recent escalation.

Gov. DeSantis boasted that he had flown two planeloads of migrants to wealthy Martha's Vineyard. Abbott claims he is eager to demonstrate to GOP governors the scope of the issue his border cities are suffering from the continuous influx. All of the areas targeted by GOP governors advertise themselves as sanctuary cities that welcome migrants. Abbott contends that the situation should be handled in New York City and Washington, DC, rather than the Texas border towns, which he claims are overburdened.

The Republican Party has been under fire from Eric Adams for their "inhumane" plan to transport refugees to Martha's Vineyard without prior notice, and Abbott has been dubbed a "rogue" governor. Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, and Abbott recently spat over the choice, with Lightfoot calling him a racist. Last week, she provoked anger by deciding to relocate migrants from Chicago to a nearby Republican suburb, according to Daily Mail.

Related Article: Donald Trump Claims US Government Will Have 'Big Problems' if He's Indicted Over Mar-a-Lago Documents

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This is the dramatic moment police detained a man less than a mile from the queue for the Queen - after two police officers were stabbed.

Footage shot by taxi driver Youssef Boucetta, 27, shows a man being pinned to the ground near Leicester Square at around 6am today.

The cabbie says one officer was heard 'screaming 'I've been stabbed'' before he used his jacket to help.

A female police officer suffered potentially life-changing injuries while her colleague was stabbed in the neck after they were attacked by a 'frenzied' knifeman in London's West End this morning.

A young female police officer suffered a serious stab wound through a vein in her arm, leading to 'massive blood loss' which may be life-changing, while the other officer was stabbed three times in the neck and once in the chest, but should make a full recovery, Scotland Yard said.

Mr Boucetta was on his way to pick up a passenger from Heathrow Airport when the incident took place in front of him.

He said: 'I was there when the stabbings happened. It was very disturbing, especially seeing the female officer had been stabbed.

'I was just out on a job heading to pick someone up at Heathrow airport. First of all I saw this female officer appear from around the corner with blood on her arm.

'She was screaming 'I've been stabbed, I've been stabbed', so I quickly got out my car with my jacket and wrapped it around her.

'Then these two male officers came around the corner.

'More police officers appeared from McDonalds. They surrounded the guy and Tasered him like five times because he had a knife.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said today: 'This attack on serving police officers in Soho overnight is utterly appalling.

'These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country.'

Police forensics officers inspect a bloodstain outside a branch of Shake Shack

A knife found at the scene of the stabbing in Leicester Square

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

The scene in Shaftesbury Avenue, central London, where two male police officers were stabbed by a man at around 6am

The officers - both attached to the Met's Central West Command Unit - were carrying out routine duties and were not part of the wider policing operation in place following the death of the Queen.

They were attacked while on patrol, after being called to reports of a man with a blade near Leicester Square around 6am this morning.

A Taser was deployed on a man in his 20s, described as being of north African origin, who was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker. He was taken to hospital and is now being held in custody.

It happened in the area of Haymarket and Coventry Street, before the man was stopped near the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Great Windmill Street.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the attack in is not thought to be linked to terrorism, or the death of the Queen.

Speaking at Scotland Yard on Friday morning, Sir Mark said that both officers are now in a stable condition.

He said the female officer challenged the man after suspecting him of carrying a knife, and he stabbed her in the arm before attempting to flee.

'Her colleague chases down the offender, catches him - a tussle ensues - that officer is stabbed three times in the neck and once in the chest,' Sir Mark told reporters.

Police officers at the scene in the West End this morning following the stabbing hours earlier

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

'He's very seriously injured - other colleagues join the scene.

'There's a violent struggle with a fairly frenzied individual - tasers deployed, PAVA spray is deployed and then an officer uses his baton - eventually the offender is subdued and arrested. The two officers were rushed to hospital.'

He added: 'We remain concerned that the injuries to the young woman officer's arm may still be quite serious and may potentially be life-changing but that's yet to be worked through.'

Horrifying footage from the scene shows an officer leaning against the side of a wall as three others attend to him and attempt to bandage his shoulder following the attack.

A large blood stain was visible on the white wall of the 'Shake Shack' bar where the officers were attacked.

A hotel worker witness told MailOnline: 'The policemen got the knife off him to start with and it fell in the floor. But he managed to pick it up again and started lashing out. He got them both before they managed to stop him. I think they used a taser.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned what he described as an 'utterly appalling' attack, and urged anyone with information about what happened to contact police.

Police tape cordons off part of London's West End this morning following the stabbing

Police officers at the scene in the West End this morning following the stabbing hours earlier

The alleged knifeman was reportedly behaving erratically when officers approached him.

He was initially compliant before pulling out a knife and launching a frenzied attack on the two officers, it was reported.

The incident was initially a completely routine stop with unarmed officers attempting to try and help him before they were stabbed.

In a media briefing following the stabbing, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said a knife has been recovered from the scene and an investigation was underway.

'An incident such as this is always something we're very mindful of at major events and operations,' Mr Cundy added.

In the aftermath of the stabbing, officers from outside the West End rushed into the city centre as the capital prepares to host the Queen's funeral - considered the most challenging event police and the security services have faced in peacetime.

Mr Khan said he had spoken with new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley about the 'awful incident' and remained in close contact with him.

He continued: 'Attacks against the police will not be tolerated and any perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted.

Police vans near London's Leicester Square at the scene of the stabbing this morning

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

'I urge anyone with information to come forward to ensure the perpetrator of this disgusting attack feels the full force of the law.'

Much of London's West End has been cordoned off following the stabbing.

Crime scene investigators could be seen working outside a Shake Shack burger restaurant, located opposite the M&M's World shop in Leicester Square.

The cordon meant nearby West End theatres such as the Lyric were inaccessible this morning.

Police vans parked at Piccadilly Circus blocked motorists from driving down Shaftesbury Avenue.

Guests at the nearby Thistle Trafalgar Square hotel on Whitcomb Street were told by police they would be unable to return to their rooms today if they ventured beyond the cordon.

More than 10,000 officers are said to be on duty in London at the moment - including from Scotland and Wales - as the nation mourns Queen Elizabeth II.

There is also the added challenge of protecting the hundreds of thousands of people queuing to see the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall until Monday morning.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline today: 'An investigation is under way after two officers were stabbed in central London.

'On Friday, September 16 at around 6am police encountered a male with a knife in the area of Leicester Square.

'Two officers received stab wounds and are currently being treated in hospital. We await further updates on their conditions. Their families are aware.

'Taser was deployed and male was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker. He was taken to a hospital for treatment where he remains at this time.

'Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing. The incident is not being treated as terror related.'

Police vans parked at Piccadilly Circus blocked motorists from driving down Shaftesbury Avenue

Debris on the ground after the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said the service was called to reports of an incident in Great Windmill Street, near Shaftsbury Avenue at 6.01am.

They added that three ambulances, a medic in a response car and London's air ambulance were dispatched to scene and that three people were treated and taken to hospital.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was 'concerned' about the attack.

Haymarket is one of the main roads in the West End, running north from Pall Mall close to The Mall to Piccadilly Circus. It contains a number of major theatres and cinemas as well as a plethora of bars, restaurants and clubs.

Nickie Aiken, MP for Cities of London & Westminster, which covers Soho, added: 'I'm appalled to learn of the senseless attack on two police officers while on duty in Soho.

Crime scene investigators could be seen working outside a Shake Shack burger restaurant, located opposite the M&M's World shop in Leicester Square. The cordon meant nearby West End theatres such as the Lyric were inaccessible this morning

'I've spoken to the borough commander and my thoughts are with the officers, their families and colleagues.

'Every day police officers across the country put themselves forward to keep us safe and secure. They run towards danger as we flee from it.

'We owe them all our thanks for their duty and their bravery. An attack on an officer is an attack on all of us.'

Tourists have told of their shock at encountering such violence in the centre of London.

Lee Roberts, 23, from Leeds told MailOnline: 'I can't believe it. Policemen being stabbed in Leicester Square? It's awful!'

Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council also said: 'I am deeply concerned to hear of the injuries to two police officers in the West End, one of whom is said to be seriously hurt.

'Our thoughts are with the officers and their families, and we will offer any support we can. This shocking incident shows once again the risk police officers run in carrying out their duties.

'At a time when we are expecting the West End to be busier than ever, Westminster City Council supports the police in keeping our streets safe.'
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King Charles III was cheered by thousands of adoring fans, showed off his Welsh language skills and even spoke to a goat mascot during what was a successful first trip to Wales as monarch.

The King was joined by the Queen Consort as he first attended a service of remembrance for his mother the Queen at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, where he was joined by the Prime Minister Liz Truss and Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford.

The congregation sang Welsh hymns including the much-loved Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer, whilst the Archbishop of Wales said in a tribute how the Queen 'had the ability to relate to the man or woman on the Clapham Omnibus, or here, the Merthyr Tydfil Omnibus'.

In what was a packed day, Charles and Camilla went on to be greeted by adoring school children and thousands of other Royal fans, before he gave a historic speech in Welsh to the Senedd and spoke of how close Wales was to his mother's heart.

His final stop was Cardiff Castle, where he had a private meeting with Mr Drakeford and then had a chance encounter with Sheinkin IV, the goat mascot for the Royal Welsh Third Battallion.

After shaking hands with adoring fans who flocked in their thousands to greet their new king, Charles and Camilla departed for the royal helicopter, which flew them to London.

There were a small number of anti-monarchy protesters gathered outside Cardiff Castle earlier, with one sign reading: 'We serve neither king nor Kaiser but Wales!'

Later, Charles is set to lead his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward for a family vigil in front of their mother's coffin as it lies in state in Westminster Hall.

Charles said in his speech in the Senedd: 'I am deeply grateful for the words of condolence which so movingly paid tribute to our late sovereign, my beloved mother The Queen.'

The King continued: 'Through all the years of her reign, the land of Wales could not be closer to my mother's heart.

'I know she took immense pride in your many great achievements, even as she also felt you deeply in great times of sorrow. It must surely be counted the greatest achievement to belong to a land that inspired so much devotion.

'I am resolved to honour that same example in the spirit of the words I always try to live my own life - Ich dien - I Serve.'

King Charles III was seen meeting schoolchildren following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen meeting schoolchildren following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

King Charles III was seen greeting members of the public following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff on Friday

The Queen Consort meeting members of the public who cheered as she and the King did a walkabout as she and her husband left Cardiff Castle in Wales

The Queen Consort and King Charles had a fantastic reception in Cardiff today where they met and chatted with members of the public

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort waved as they arrived to receive a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd in Cardiff today

A little girl gave the Queen Consort a bouquet of flowers outside Llandaff Cathedral today, after King Charles arrived in Wales for the first time as monarch

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort meet Sheinkin IV, goat mascot for the Royal Welsh Third Battallion, at Cardiff Castle

King Charles III and the Queen Consort leave Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, following a service of prayer and reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth II

As she left the cathedral, the Queen Consort was presented with a posy by five-year-old Keira Hillebert, whose parents are from Atlanta, Georgia, in the US

A demonstrator holds up an anti-monarchy sign outside Cardiff Castle as King Charles arrives during his first visit as monarch

The King went on: 'I take up my new duties with immense gratitude for the privilege of having been able to serve as Prince of Wales.

'That ancient title dating from the time of those great Welsh rulers... I now pass to my son William whose love for this corner of the Earth is made all the greater by the years he himself has spent here.'

Official speaks of pride at holding ceremonial mace as King Charles III visits Senedd A security officer has spoken of his pride at carrying the mace during King Charles III's visit to the Senedd. Shahzad Khan, 47, from Cardiff, repeated the ceremonial role he first performed at the official opening of the sixth Senedd in October last year, which was the Queen's final trip to Wales. Charles and the Queen Consort have travelled to Cardiff for the next leg of a home nations tour following the Queen's death, after visits to Northern Ireland and Scotland. They were at the Senedd on Friday for a motion of condolence from members of the Senedd, and also attended a service of reflection at Llandaff Cathedral and a reception at Cardiff Castle. Mr Khan, who is a member of the Welsh Parliament's security team, said: 'I was very honoured to be the mace-bearer when the Queen visited the Senedd last year and I was lost for words when I was asked to do it again. 'I have a specific memory of the meeting - just looking at her as she entered the room was an amazing feeling and you could feel the whole room shift. 'I'll keep that memory in my heart forever. 'Being the mace-bearer this time is in very sad circumstances, but myself and my family are proud of my role in this historic moment. 'It will feel very different doing it as it's a very sombre moment, but it's also a privilege to be part of the transition to the reign of the new King.' Advertisement

Amid the cheering that arose as Charles and Camilla arrived by motorcade at Cardiff Castle following their visit to the Senedd, anti-monarchy protesters could be heard booing while holding signs reading 'We want a democracy, a Welsh republic'.

Despite intending to be a silent protest by a number of groups under the banner Real Democracy Now, the rally also at times broke into song led by members of the Cor Cochion, a socialist choir based in Cardiff.

The former Prince of Wales and the Queen Consort landed in Cardiff just before 11.15am before getting into the waiting Royal limousine to take him to Llandaff Cathedral.

Charles, who was the Prince of Wales for more than 53 years, flew by helicopter from Highgrove, where he has spent the last 24 hours mourning his mother the Queen.

As she left the cathedral, the Queen Consort was presented with a posy by five-year-old Keira Hillebert, whose parents are from Atlanta, Georgia, in the US.

Keira recently got her British citizenship and received her British passport on the day the Queen died.

Her mother, Krisi, said: 'I shook Queen Camilla's hand and then Keira thought she was supposed to do the same so she grabbed Camilla's hand and said 'I'm Keira!'

'She then ran off, saying she was cold. They were so lovely and sweet with her and Camilla asked if she had been practising her curtsy because she did it so well.'

The royal couple were then greeted by more than 40 pupils from five primary schools around Cardiff.

Dexter Garland and Ella Noble, both 10, from St Julian's Primary School in Newport, handed Charles and Camilla a mug each with their own artwork printed on them.

The school opened in the year Queen Elizabeth's reign began 70 years ago.

Ella said: 'The Queen said she appreciated it and would make sure to have a cup of tea in it.

'It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the best experience of my life.'

Charles and Camilla then went on a walk around the Cathedral Green to meet members of the local community and were greeted by loud cheers, and cries of 'God Save The King'.

They were handed gifts and flowers, and many people thanked them.

Some people had gathered early in the morning to get a glimpse of the royal visitors, with the first arriving at around 3.30am.

A lone male voice at one point shouted over the crowd: 'We pay 100 million a year for you, and for what?'

September 16 is also Owain Glyndwr Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of the 'rebel' who is seen as the last native-Welsh Prince of Wales.

Harpist speaks of pride at playing in front of Charles A former royal harpist has spoken of her pride at playing in front of King Charles III to mark his first visit to Wales as monarch. Claire Jones played a specially composed piece as the King and the Queen Consort made their way through the Senedd to hear a motion of condolence. The piece, Gorymdaith i'r Frenin Siarl, which means A Procession for King Charles, was written by Ms Jones's husband Chris Marshall. Joining her in playing were Cerys Rees and Nia Evans, from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. 'It was such a privilege to be his official harpist for four years and during that time I performed over 180 times for the royal family, including one-to-one for Her Majesty the Queen and for many state occasions for Her Majesty over the years,' Ms Jones said. 'The performance at the Senedd was a very special moment as I performed my husband's music for His Majesty King Charles.' Mr Marshall said: 'I am truly honoured to compose this special work for such a momentous occasion, the arrival of King Charles III in Wales. 'The music is a stately, sombre procession which represents the ascension of the monarch to the throne.' Ms Jones is one of Britain's best known classical harpists and served as the official harpist to Charles as Prince of Wales between 2007 and 11. She became a household name for her performance at the wedding of the new Prince and Princess of Wales. Advertisement

Llandaff Cathedral was severely damaged in Glyndwr's rebellion against English monarch Henry IV, which began in 1400.

Laura White, 55, said the atmosphere outside Cardiff Castle was 'awesome.'

She said: 'I can remember the 25th jubilee and I was a Browny sat around on a cold pavement for hours but eventually we caught a glimpse of the Queen and it was all worth it.

'I have only recently moved back to Cardiff and I knew I just had to be here today.

'The atmosphere is awesome. Everyone is here for a good time and just wants to wish the new King well.'

Bruce McGee, 79, and Fay Price, 70, are visiting the UK from Long Beach, California, and were fully caught up with royal fever.

Mr McGee said: 'We didn't know what to expect but it is amazing. The Brits are very proud people.'

Ms Price said: 'We just had to be here today when we knew this was happening. It's not often you get the chance to see a real life King.'

Sisters Julie Morris and Wendy Huish joined the throngs of people lining the streets outside the Castle.

Foster carer Ms Morris, 72, said: 'We were very sad when the Queen died because she's just always been there. She was an institution.

'But having a king is very exciting. It's strange even saying it 'King Charles' but he was such a good Prince of Wales.

'We're here today for our mum really, her name was Jean Allen and she was very, very patriotic. She would have been one of those people who camped out overnight to be first in line.'

Sister Ms Huish said: 'It's a lovely day to be part of.'

Jonny Lynch, 29, of Aberdare, said: 'I have seen the new king now twice since he's been crowned as I was in London this week and it was very special to be here today.

'I put my crown on especially as I wanted to dress up for the occasion and it great to see his car go past.'

Anne Grainger, 58, from Cardiff, travelled to London on Friday to pay her respects to the Queen before making the return journey back to Cardiff to welcome the new King.

She said: 'I just wanted to be here today. It means a lot. I'm here to show him we're your people and we're here for you.'

Mother Clare Windsor brought her twin sons Jack and Andrew, nine, to the castle from Flintshire, North Wales, catching the train at 4.22am.

She told BBC Wales: 'It's a part of history, and I wanted to bring the boys to be a part of that because it won't happen again.

'It's a sad occasion. King Charles has waited his whole life for this, but it's still really sad. I hope he will be a good King, we'll just have to wait and see.'

Team GB legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson was one of those invited to welcome the King at the castle.

She said the ceremony was 'about looking back at the life of her majesty in terms of service and devotion but also looking forward to the future.'

'We have a new king and perhaps a new way of doing things. It's a chance for society to think about what we want from our monarchy.'

The Royal connection to Wales is strong, with Charles having been invested as Prince of Wales in 1969, whilst his mother the Queen will be buried with her Welsh gold wedding ring - made so she would 'always carry a piece of Wales' with her.

First Minister Mark Drakeford believed the protests taking place under the banner Real Democracy Now would not disrupt the monarch's visit, claiming it will be a 'footnote' to the main proceedings.

King Charles, with the Queen Consort, speaks after receiving a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd in Cardiff

King Charles III greeted schoolchildren outside Llandaff Cathedral after attending a service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

King Charles arrives at Cardiff Castle after speaking in Welsh at the Senedd today. The visit is Charles's first to Wales as monarch

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arriving at Cardiff Castle in Wales amid cheers from crowds behind barriers

Small children are seen wearing costumes as they wait for King Charles to arrive at Cardiff Castle this afternoon

King Charles III greeted schoolchildren outside Llandaff Cathedral as he attended a service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

King Charles III was greeted with cannon fire and cheers as he arrived on Welsh soil for the first time as monarch today

On arrival at the Llandaff Cathedral, His Majesty was warmly greeted by Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and faith leaders before being ushered into the cathedral

King Charles walked next to the Queen Consort Camilla as he made his way into Llandaff Cathedral for the service

Reservists from 104 Regiment Royal Artillery fire a royal gun salute from Cardiff Castle, to mark the arrival of King Charles III in Wales

Charles is seen standing next to the Queen consort as hymns are sung during the service at Llandaff Cathedral

Hundreds are seen gathered in the cathedral for the service, which marks King Charles's first visit to Wales as monarch

Prime Minister Liz Truss was also among the congregation. She sat next to Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford

King Charles and the Queen Consort are seen during the service of remembrance for the Queen at Llandaff Cathedral

Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort attend a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth II

Charles looks solemn as he listens to readings at Llandaff Cathedral during the service of prayer and reflection for the late Queen

He said: 'People have a legitimate right to protest and there are a variety of views'. He also urged South Wales Police to deal with any protests in a 'proportionate' way and respect free speech.

The Royal fans outside the cathedral included Sally Davis, Principal at nearby Howells school, who said: 'I am delighted to be here this morning with my girls from years five and six.

'This is a historic moment and I wanted the children to be here. The whole school has turned out and they are gathered along the route to the cathedral.

'It's a historic moment in time and a day we will all remember for the rest of our lives.'

Nearby, social worker Jane Rhys-Blades, her physiotherapist wife Sue, and their eight-year-old daughter Gabriella, savoured the atmosphere in Llandaff High Street as the new King's Rolls-Royce cruised by at 11.22am, silently against the noise of the crowds.

Ms Rhys-Blades said: 'I wouldn't have missed being here today for anything. We've been waiting for a few hours because, well, it's a historic moment, isn't it?' Sue said: 'this is a memory we will have for the rest of time.

'We wanted to be here so that Gabriella can one day tell her children about this. I've still got a book at home that my father gave me from when he attended King George Vl's coronation. These things matter.'

Archbishop John said in his address: 'Her ability to influence, to utilise soft power - no less significant, no less authoritative - illustrates the wise and careful thought she brought to her role.

'Prime ministers found that she was a trusted confidante. Her attention to matters of government, her knowledge of world events and the longevity of her reign gave her an unmatched perspective and ability to see the distant scene.'

His final stop was Cardiff Castle, where he had a private meeting with Mr Drakeford and then had a chance encounter with Sheinkin IV, the goat mascot for the Royal Welsh Third Battallion

Pictured, the Queen Consort and King Charles meeting Sheinkin IV, the goat mascot for the Royal Welsh Third Battallion at Cardiff Castle on Friday afternoon

He added: 'We also saw a monarch who could surprise and delight us. We will never look at a jar of marmalade again in the same way, nor watch Mr Bond without remembering 2012 and that extraordinary leap into the void.

'Her late majesty was also a towering figure on the world stage, embodying a continuity and stability, but, perhaps more than that, values - values which are shared across nations and cultures.'

The Archbishop said of her ability to connect with people: 'And in Wales, that skill was never more evident than when she visited Aberfan in 1966 - that community finding her presence deeply consoling - and Her Majesty would return four more times to that community.'

He also quoted from the Queen's final Christmas broadcast last year, in which she spoke of the depth of her personal faith and recounted how the story of Jesus's birth is 'universally appealing'.

It came after Mr Drakeford spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about the expected protests, saying that this was not the week that such objections and debate needs 'to surface'.

'But people have that right and I think it will be exercised with restraint and it will be a footnote to the dominant feelings of the day,' he said.

Mr Drakeford also stressed that he had confidence in the police to deal with protests in a 'proportionate' way, amid questions about the handling of demonstrators in other parts of the UK.

'It should be proportionate. It should recognise the rights that people have.

'I have every confidence in the South Wales Police who have dealt with this sort of event many times very successfully.'

The Welsh First Minister indicated that he did not expect the new Prince of Wales to follow in the footsteps of his father and learn Welsh.

Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 'nobody will be expecting miracles' from Prince William on the language, admitting that it could be a 'challenge' to learn as an adult.

'The language is a very important part of Wales, spoken by thousands of people every day as part of their everyday lives. It's not necessarily the easiest language to acquire later on.

'The incoming Prince of Wales will want to recognise the importance of the Welsh language and the part it plays in shaping the identity of a contemporary Wales.'

He said the Welsh people would understand and 'appreciate' any interest in the language show by the prince.

The King is seen being cheered by thousands as his car makes it way to Llandaff cathedral today

King Charles III will be greeted with cannon-fire as he sets foot on Welsh soil for the first time as monarch today as he comes to Cardiff. First Minister Mark Drakeford says the protests will not ruin the event

A raft of police officers have just arrived in Llandaff. The cathedral is the first stop on the Royal couple's tour of Cardiff today.

People wait outside Llandaff Cathedral ahead of Wales' National Service of Prayer and Reflection for Britain's Queen Elizabeth

'I don't think anybody will expect somebody to have a suddenly acquired fluency in the Welsh language.'

'Nobody will be expecting miracles.'

Mark Drakeford said he has spoken to the new Prince of Wales but not discussed the investiture proceedings directly.

Royal insiders say 'common sense has prevailed' as Palace gives green light for Prince Harry to wear uniform in special vigil at Westminster Hall Prince Harry, who served in the British army for a decade including two tours of Afghanistan, has so far worn a morning suit with military medals to public events. However Prince Andrew, who also stepped back frontline royal duties in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, is set to be given special dispensation to wear his colours on Friday night A decision to allow Prince Harry to wear his military uniform during a special vigil in honour of the Queen was last night branded a victory for 'common sense'. It comes after reports claimed that Princes William and Harry are set to take part in a special vigil in honour of the Queen on Saturday. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will reportedly join the Queen's six other grandchildren in a special 15 minute vigil at Westminster Hall. It is believed the eight grandchildren will pay respects to the Queen by standing in silence beside Her Majesty's coffin - in a scene which will mirror the Vigil of the Princes. The special memorial saw King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, stand guard at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh earlier this week. Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward will repeat the vigil at Westminster Hall on Friday night. But it will now reportedly be followed by a separate event by the grandchildren on Saturday. In a further twist, the Duke of Sussex will be allowed to wear military uniform at the event following a Palace U-turn, according to The Mirror. Prince Harry had, up until this point, been prevented from donning military colours, following his decision to step back from frontline royal duties. Advertisement

However, he appeared to strongly suggest that the investiture need not follow the pattern set by the ceremony that saw Charles made prince of Wales in 1969.

'The Wales of 2022 is very different to the Wales of 1969.

'I don't think looking back at that event and thinking of it as some sort of pattern that you would wish to pick up and copy, I don't think that would be the right way to go about things.

'I think the new Prince of Wales will want to take time to establish himself in that role, to work out where he can make the most contribution to creating a successful Wales of the future.'

Of his conversation with Prince William, Mr Drakeford said: 'He did say to me that he wanted to take on his new responsibilities slowly, that he wanted to give time for his own knowledge of Wales the things that matter in the Wales of today, to be fully established, for him to think about where his own contribution could most powerfully be made. And I thought that was very sensible as an approach.'

The Welsh First Minister said that he did not think Friday's proceedings would offer an opportunity for a meeting with the new Prime Minister.

Mark Drakeford told Sky News: 'I think it's unlikely that there'll be that opportunity.

'As you can imagine, these occasions are very carefully worked out in advance and every moment is accounted for.

'The new Prime Minister will be Llandaff today. I doubt it will be an opportunity for a first meeting with her.'

Cardiff Castle is one of three locations Charles will visit during his day-long tour of the capital, and where he will meet charitable organisations and faith leaders after having a private audience with First Minister Mark Drakeford.

Those attending the rally are expected to stand and hold signs with slogans such as 'Why a Monarchy?' and 'Real democracy now'.

Campaigners say they want the Welsh public to consider whether a future without the monarchy is possible.

They have called on the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council to ask South Wales Police to respect their democratic right to protest, following the arrests and threats of action against people holding signs saying 'Not my King' in other cities.

Activist and former Senedd Member for Plaid Cymru Bethan Sayed said: 'As soon as King Charles III decided to announce that Prince William should become Prince of Wales, so soon after the death of the Queen, many of us felt compelled to respond.

'We must discuss the future of Wales, and what we want that to look like.

'People tell us that now is not the time to discuss this issue, however, when the monarchy passes from the incumbent to a new King, now is exactly the time to discuss this matter.

'It is about fairness, equality, and the Wales we want to shape for future generations.'

Speaking to PA, Ms Sayed added: 'It is still a difficult time and we totally appreciate that. We all have family who've passed away.

'So we have no intention of causing issues but we want our rights to hold and express a different view to be respected.

'Because that is entirely legitimate if we actually call ourselves a democracy.'

A number of groups are joining to lead the protest under the banner Real Democracy Now, including trade unions, Welsh independence organisations and republicans.

However, Ms Sayed said anyone was invited to join including those wanting to protest against imperialism.

Adam Johannes, a left-wing campaigner and recent organiser of recent cost of living protests in Cardiff, said: 'Personally my own mother passed away not so long ago so I have every empathy with a family in its personal grief.

'But when we have these parades, these huge public events, they are in a sense political acts.

'And yet one side of the debate is told 'now is not the time', meanwhile all kinds of things are being rushed through like the announcement that Prince William will be the new Prince of Wales.

'So when there are these events, which it feels to us are almost like PR events to sure up support for the monarchy, we think it's legitimate to also make our voices heard.'

A representative of Labour for an Independent Wales Representative, said: 'Soon 67% of Welsh people will live in fuel poverty while the royals inherit millions, tax free.

'Our democracy is weakened by their presence and so, ultimately, we push for an independent, socialist, Republic of Wales.'

Trade Unionist Cerith Griffiths said: 'A lot has changed since Queen Elizabeth was crowned over 70 years ago.

'Significantly, Wales now has its own Parliament and can pass legislation that makes a difference to those who live in Wales.

'In 2016 several aspects of the Trade Union Act were dis-applied in Wales but now the Westminster government is overruling those decisions taken by an elected Welsh government.

'If we truly value democracy, then we need to have a debate about the role of the monarchy and whether them enabling the government of another country overruling the democratic decisions taken here in Wales really is fit for the 21st century.'

A petition calling for an end to the Prince of Wales title has gathered more than 25,000 signatures in less than a week.

Leader of pro-independence party Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, has said a debate on the subject should be held 'in due course'.

The party believe that in an independent Wales, people should have the right to vote on whether or not to keep a member of the royal family as head of state.

A petition against continuing with the Prince of Wales title has now hit 25,000 signatures, just under a week since it was started.

Pro-independence party Plaid Cymru There will be time, in due course, for a public debate surrounding the title of the Prince of Wales.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for their first face-to-face talks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine on Thursday, hailing their strategic ties in defiance of the West.

Sitting across from each other at two long rounded tables and flanked by aides, the two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan.

The meeting was part of Xi's first trip abroad since the early days of the pandemic. For Putin, it was a chance to show Russia has not been fully isolated despite Western efforts.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also quoted Xi as saying China is willing to work with Russia to support 'each other's core interests'

It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Putin saw Xi in early February for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, days before the Russian leader launched the military offensive in Ukraine

'China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil,' Xi told Putin at the talks.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also quoted Xi as saying China was willing to work with Russia to support 'each other's core interests'.

Putin took a clear broadside at the United States, which has been leading efforts to support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia.

'Attempts to create a unipolar world have recently acquired an absolutely ugly form and are completely unacceptable,' Putin said.

'We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis,' Putin told Xi, while reiterating Moscow's backing for China on Taiwan.

'We adhere to the principle of one China. We condemn the provocation of the US and their satellites in the Taiwan Strait,' Putin said, after a US Senate committee on Wednesday took the first step towards Washington directly providing billions of dollars in military aid to Taiwan.

The REAL Axis of Evil: How nuclear-armed Russia, China and...

It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Putin saw Xi in early February for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, days before the Russian leader launched the military offensive in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has touted the SCO summit in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand as showing there is an 'alternative' to Western-dominated international institutions.

The SCO - made up of China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - was set up in 2001 as a political, economic and security organisation to rival Western institutions.

The leaders of those countries were to attend, as well as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

Putin met the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan earlier Thursday, as well as with Raisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

With both Raisi and Sharif he said ties were 'developing positively', while the Iranian leader told Putin that US-backed sanctions on both countries would only make their relationship 'stronger'.

'The Americans think whichever country they impose sanctions on, it will be stopped. Their perception is a wrong one,' Raisi said.

For Putin, the summit comes at an important time, as his forces face major battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and amid a continued Western push to make Russia an international pariah.

For Xi, it is an opportunity to shore up his credentials as a global statesman ahead of a pivotal congress of the ruling Communist Party in October.

The Chinese leader also met Thursday with Belarus's strongman leader Lukashenko, who was quoted by state news agency Belta as thanking Xi for China's 'serious support in these difficult times'.

Lukashenko has been shunned by Western leaders after a fierce crackdown on the opposition two years ago and for backing Russia on Ukraine.

Chinese state media said Xi would also meet Erdogan on Friday.

For Xi, it is an opportunity to shore up his credentials as a global statesman ahead of a pivotal congress of the ruling Communist Party in October

Taiwan's foreign ministry said the two countries were inflicting harm on 'international peace, stability, democracy and freedom'

Formerly Cold War allies with a tempestuous relationship, China and Russia have drawn closer in recent years as part of what they call a 'no-limits' relationship acting as a counterweight to the global dominance of the United States.

The two countries have also stepped up military cooperation, with China sending hundreds of troops to take part in military exercises last month in Russia's far east.

The defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday that Russian and Chinese warships were on a joint patrol in the Pacific and planning a live-fire artillery exercise at sea.

Other global leaders sounded alarm about deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said China and Russia 'share a vision for the world that is starkly at odds with the vision that's at the center of the international system, the vision that has been at the center of the international system for the past eight decades.'

Taiwan's foreign ministry said the two countries were inflicting harm on 'international peace, stability, democracy and freedom'.

Putin was also set to hold talks Friday with Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Security was tight in Samarkand - a city of grand tiled mosques that was one of the hubs of Silk Road trade routes between China and Europe - with a huge police presence on the streets and armoured vehicles parked downtown.

At the dawn of the millennium, the West was facing a new threat far removed from the previous century's enemies of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

Rather than grand territorial ambitions, these new dangers came from hostile countries wanting only to wreak havoc and instil fear in the US and Europe, through terrorism and nuclear sabre-rattling.

A hangover from imperialism and Soviet allegiances, the countries were said to be united by a hatred of the West and being seemingly hellbent on destruction.

In 2002, George W. Bush described the trio of North Korea, Iraq and Iran as an 'axis of evil' in a bid to shore up support for his War on Terror and pinpoint a common enemy.

But what actually united the countries beyond their common anti-West ideology was in fact their limited scope and their over-inflated capabilities.

Iraq, as was later discovered, did not possess any weapons of mass destruction, North Korea's nuclear programme was in its infancy, and Iran would go on to sign the nuclear deal to lift sanctions imposed on the country.

But now, a new Axis of Evil is forming which presents a much more terrifying threat to Western security and democracy, and its leaders are meeting today.

Xi Jinping, right, Vladimir Putin, centre, and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh attend today's talks in Uzbekistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation today

Putin shakes hands with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi as he looks to forge a new world order with anti-Western leaders

Russia, China and Iran are threatening a new 'world order', breaking up the West through cyber attacks, election interference, territorial landgrabs, bare-faced aggression, propaganda and nuclear stockpiling.

Unlike the threats two decades on, the current axis is led by a genuine superpower in China, with Russia also capable of unleashing chaos on a global scale, and its leader having shown himself to be a war-mongering despot does little to allay the fears.

Iran remains a junior partner, but flanked by the two allies, it presents a triptych of terror that looks to reshape the world as we know it.

When Putin travelled to Iran in the summer, Kremlin loyalist Yevgeny Popov said they were forming a new 'Axis of Good' which raised eyebrows in the West.

The countries' three respective presidents, Putin, Xi Jinping and Ebrahim Raisi also met in Uzbekistan today for talks aimed at boosting ties between their countries.

While they were flanked by other nations at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the West knows that it is the triumvirate represents the real danger.

A Russian missile strike destroys a flat in Bakhmut, Donetsk today, as it continues its savage war in Ukraine

Bodies of civilians in plastic bags lay in a mass grave in Bucha discovered by Ukrainians in April

While they were flanked by other nations at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the West knows that it is the triumvirate represents the real danger

Iran is not a full member, but moved a step closer today by signing a memorandum of obligations to join the Asian security pact.

In a very thinly-veiled hint of his plans, Putin today blasted what he described as an 'ugly' effort by the US and its allies to maintain their perceived global domination.

'Attempts to create a unipolar world have recently taken an absolutely ugly shape. They are absolutely unacceptable for the vast majority of countries on the globe,' the Russian president said in opening remarks ahead of his meeting with Xi.

Xi added that China, together with Russia, will 'set an example of a responsible world power and to play a leading role to take the rapidly changing world on a track of sustainable and positive development.'

Raisi said during his meeting with Putin today: 'Iran is determined to boost its ties with Russia, from economic to aerospace and political fields.

'The cooperation between Tehran and Moscow can significantly neutralise the limitations imposed on our countries by the U.S. sanctions,' he said.

Earlier this week, a Chinese diplomat said Beijing is willing to shape the international order together with Russia in a 'more just and rational direction', further signalling their intent to form an 'entente terrible'.

While the countries had been forging relationships for some years, the fulcrum in global geopolitics came on February 24 when Putin ordered his inhumane invasion which used the West and NATO's expansion eastwards as a pretext.

When Putin travelled to Iran in the summer, Kremlin loyalist Yevgeny Popov said they were forming a new 'Axis of Good' which raised eyebrows in the West (pictured today)

Iran unveiled the Khaibar-buster missile earlier this year and boasted of how it could reach Israel and US bases in the Middle East

The Iranian Army launches a drone carrying a missile during military drills, with Russia expected to receive a shipment

For years, Russia was seen as a more benign and outward looking country compared to its totalitarianism of much of the 20th century.

Moscow opened its arms to the West and its riches and the West received them in kind, turning much of London into a playground for oligarchs and their billions.

But that all changed when troops stepped across the Ukrainian border, bringing the sceptre of World War III closer than it had been in decades.

War crimes committed by Putin's forces have seen residential buildings targeted, civilians tortured and raped, children separated from their families and sent to Russia, summary executions and use of banned weapons, it has been claimed.

His savagery has united most of the world in a coalition of collective condemnation, as Ukraine flags fly over much of the West.

But elsewhere, countries have remained remarkably tight-lipped about the blatant violence, hoping it could secure them a seat at Putin's table and keep relations strong.

Putin's aggression not only revealed his desire to restore Russia to the 'glories' of the expansive Soviet Union, but also acted as a signal to the West and its protocols.

It showed his intent to act completely in his own interest without regard for how much it would disrupt the global food chain, economy, energy and refugee situations.

Russia test launched the Sarmat ICBM in April and has issued constant nuclear threats towards the West

His constant threats towards NATO powers and his nuclear sabre-rattling only adds to the potential outbreak of full-scale global conflict.

The war has already redrawn the map, with Baltic countries lining up to join NATO, re-erecting the Iron Curtain that was long thought to be torn down for good.

On top of his bellicose actions on the ground, Putin is also engaged in a war of information, espionage and politics.

Persistent cyber attacks and election interference are deliberately intended to upset democratic norms in the West.

It was claimed only this week that Russia has spent 250million since 2014 trying to influence foreign elections in more than two dozen countries.

Unlike declared efforts by foreign governments to lobby for preferred initiatives, Russia's covert influence involved using front organisations to funnel money to preferred causes or politicians, the US intelligence cable alleges.

Putin was spending huge sums 'in an attempt to manipulate democracies from the inside,' the US official said.

Ukrainian soldiers sit atop a tank in Izyum, Kharkiv Region, eastern Ukraine, today

State Department spokesman Ned Price called Russia's covert funding an 'assault on sovereignty.'

'It is an effort to chip away at the ability of people around the world to choose the governments that they see best fit to represent them, to represent their interests, and to represent their values,' he said.

The coordinated attack on institutions is all part of Putin's plan to undermine the West and shore up his authorities regime, sowing seeds of discord abroad while strengthening his own position at home.

Russia's alliance with China has been brought into sharp focus by the war.

Once bitter Cold War enemies, Beijing and Moscow have stepped up cooperation in recent years as a counterbalance to what they see as US global dominance.

When Putin and Xi met at the Winter Olympics before the invasion, the countries stressed their friendship 'has no limits'.

It was reported in March that senior Chinese officials asked Putin to hold off on invading Ukraine until after the 2022 Winter Olympics.

But China does still have something to lose from their alliance, with trade with Europe and the United States a major driver of China's economic growth, even as its estrangement with the US and its appetite for energy have led it to deepen ties with Moscow.

When Putin and Xi met at the Winter Olympics before the invasion, the countries stressed their friendship 'has no limits' (pictured today)

Military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a Chinese military parade

Beijing has not condemned Moscow's invasion, and provided diplomatic cover by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.

Moscow is also looking for new markets and suppliers to replace the major foreign firms that left Russia following the invasion.

Beijing is Moscow's largest trading partner, with trade volumes last year hitting $147 billion, according to Chinese customs data.

The Russian military also announced sweeping military drills in the country's east that will involve forces from China last week, another show of increasingly close ties.

This summer, they unveiled the first road bridge linking the two countries, connecting the far eastern Russian city of Blagoveshchensk with the northern Chinese city of Heihe.

Last week, Beijing's top legislator Li Zhanshu became the highest-ranking Communist Party politician to travel to Russia since the Ukraine invasion.

Li on his visit hailed an 'unprecedented level' of trust and cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) vehicles carry out drills off the coast of Zhangzhou, the mainland's closest city to Taiwan

It was also feared that Russia's moves in Ukraine would trigger similar action from China in Taiwan.

Beijing claims the disputed island as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary.

China says it plans to annex Taiwan under the 'one country, two systems' format applied in Hong Kong, which critics say has been undermined by a sweeping national security law that asserts Beijing's control over speech and political participation.

The concept has been thoroughly rejected in Taiwanese public opinion polls in which respondents have overwhelmingly favoured the status-quo of de-facto independence.

Tensions rose last month when a visit by US Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan triggered the biggest military activity ever seen around the island in a show of Chinese might.

Any provocation from China would likely see US involvement, another very real threat to global order from the superpower.

A Chinese armoured rocket launcher pictured practicing live-fire drills near Taiwan last month

Jinping's heavy investment in Africa with his Belt and Road Initiative also shows his desire to usurp Western hegemony.

The pursuit of a 'new Silk Road' trade route between Asia and Europe is the flagship of President Xi Jinping's plans for Chinese expansion.

It is made up of a 'belt' of six overland corridors that direct trade to and from China and a maritime 'road' of shipping routes and seaports from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Pillars of the BRI already built include freight rail links from Wuhan to Lyon and Chengdu to Prague.

Author Johnathan E. Hillman, an adviser to the US State Department, wrote: 'By limiting outside scrutiny, the initiative's lack of transparency gives Chinese companies an edge in risky markets, and it allows Beijing to use large projects to exercise political influence.'

The multitrillion-dollar initiative involves hundreds of projects, most of them built by Chinese contractors and financed by loans from Chinese state-owned banks, across an arc of 65 countries from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

The Chinese government calls the initiative 'a bid to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future'.

Other observes and critics, however, see it as a push for the country's position as a global economic power with a China-centred trading network while burying some countries under massive debt.

Meanwhile, Iran's importance to the 'new world order' was underlined by Putin's decision to embark on his first trip beyond the borders of the old Soviet Union since the Ukraine war.

Without sanctions relief in sight, Iran's tactical partnership with Russia has become one of survival.

Iran has rapidly advanced its nuclear program since former President Donald Trump abandoned the atomic accord and reimposed crushing sanctions.

Putin arrived in Iran in June to forge a fearsome new alliance, with both sanction-hit countries united by their hatred for the West

Iran has unveiled a new missile that is capable of hitting nearby US bases and targets within its arch-enemy Israel

Backed into a corner by the West and its regional rivals, Iran is ramping up uranium enrichment, cracking down on dissent and grabbing headlines with optimistic, hard-line stances intended to keep the Iranian currency from crashing.

Fadahossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament's influential committee on national security and foreign policy, described Russia as Iran's 'most strategic partner'.

His comments belied decades of animosity stemming from Russia's occupation of Iran during World War II - and its refusal to leave afterward.

Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov called Iran 'an important partner for Russia', saying the countries shared 'a desire to take their relations to a new level of strategic partnership.'

During June's meeting, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said of the Ukraine invasion: 'War is a violent and difficult issue, and the Islamic Republic is in no way happy that civilians get caught up in it, but concerning Ukraine, had you not taken the initiative, the other side [NATO] would have taken the initiative and caused the war.'

Russia has also obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite US warnings to Tehran not to ship them, according to Western intelligence officials.

Facing economic sanctions and limits to its supply chain due to its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has increasingly turned to Iran as a key partner and supplier of weapons.

Iran's foreign minister, Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, said Tehran had 'various types of collaboration with Russia, including in the defence sector.'

Earlier this year, Raisi also expressed his desire for closer cooperation with China.

Raisi told China's Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe that Tehran sees its ties with Beijing as strategic.

Closer cooperation would serve to confront what the Iranian president described as US unilateralism as talks to revive Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers have stalled.

'Confronting unilateralism and creating stability and order is possible through cooperation of independent and like-minded powers,' Raisi was quoted as saying.

Wei in turn said improving ties between Iran and China would provide security, 'particularly in the current critical and tense situation.'

A Russian delegation visited an Iranian airfield on June 8 and July 5 to inspect the drones which could be used to direct artillery fire and destroy Ukrainian military hardware

Iran and China have increased their military ties in recent years, with their navies visiting each other's ports and holding joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean.

In 2021, Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement that covered a variety of economic activities from oil and mining to promoting industrial activity in Iran, as well as transportation and agricultural collaborations.

Iran is not only relying on Chinese and Russian influence, but is also building its own arsenal of weaponry designed to terrorise the West.

Unveiled early this year, the Khaibar-buster, a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors led by Prophet Mohammed in the early days of Islam, has a range of 900 miles and runs on solid fuel, state media reported.

The missile has high accuracy, is manufactured completely domestically, and can defeat missile shield systems, the report said, although this information has not been independently verified.

Armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri described it as a strategic, 'long-range' missile.

He said during the unveiling: 'The enemies of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic do not understand anything but the language of power and force'.

Iran has the largest arsenal of missiles in the Middle East.

While we are in an age of information and cyber warfare, the threat of a nuclear apocalypse may seem slim despite the constant warnings.

But the combined powers of Russia, China and Iran now possess the capabilities to completely disrupt the West, as we have already seen in the past two years.

Covid, whose true origins remain unknown but emerged from China, proved how easy it is to turn the world upside down which enemies of the West will have noted.

The unholy trinity are already colluding to reset the world in their favour and the West should not take this for granted as it faces being broken up and overtaken with a new authoritarian order that endangers the values we hold so dearly.
The final picture of a 28-year-old nurse killed in a tragic car accident in Colorado along with her aunt and a driver has been revealed after the car slid off a notoriously dangerous mountain road and plummeted hundreds of feet.

Tourists Diana Robles, 28 and Ofelia Figueroa-Perez, 60, from Yuma, Arizona, and hired driver Don Fehd, 72, all died when their 2022 Jeep Gladiator tumbled over the the edge of Ouray County Road 361, also known as Camp Bird Road, around midday on September 12.

Robles was pictured on a nearby gondola just before the deadly crash, and reportedly sent the picture to friends before not responding, causing them to panic and find out the horrifying truth.

The jeep, which was heading towards Ouray from the Yankee Boy Basin area, drifted off the road and immediately plummeted 100 feet to the bottom before rolling 140 feet down a rocky embankment coming to final rest on its roof near the bank of Canyon Creek.

Fehd was in the driver's seat and was thrown from the vehicle, while the bodies of Robles and Figueroa-Perez were found still in their seats, police said.

It was the second deadly crash in the area in a week, with another Arizona resident killed and his wife injured when their all terrain vehicle suffered a similar disaster near Imogene Pass, the Daily Press reported.

Diana Robles, 28, was pictured here for the final time before she was killed when her hired jeep plunged over a cliff when taking Colorado's challenging Camp Bird Road

The jeep was crushed completely during the crash, and can be seen here being recovered from the steep cliff it fell about 100 feet off of before rolling a further 140 feet

Robles, from Arizona, was sightseeing in the state when she decided to take on the challenging road with the help of an experienced driver, Don Fehd

Robles was riding with her aunt, Ofelia Figueroa-Perez, 60, (pictured above) who was also killed in the crash

Jeep driver Don Fehd, 72, (pictured), was thrown from the vehicle during its fall from the cliff and landed near the banks of Canyon Creek

Camp Bird Road (stock image) is a totally unpaved 'narrow, picturesque mountain road,' according to Dangerous Roads, and those who venture along it should have a 'four-wheel drive and no fear of heights'

The incident took place on County Road 361 (Camp Bird Road) near milepost 3.1 in Ouray County in south west Colorado

Robles and Figueroa-Perez, who were niece and aunt and both worked as nurses at Yuma Regional Medical Center, had gone to the Colorado mountains for a getaway.

'We are in a loss for words and in disbelief,' family member Diana Figueroa wrote on Facebook.

'We know they are in the merciful hands of our Lord as they themselves being nurses had healing hands in every life they touched.'

Fehd was 'quirky and genuine' with guests who climbed into his jeep, said Jeff Lindberg, the owner of the tour company.

The driver would ask passengers where they were from and exclaim 'I was from there!' before they could finish their answer.

Robles and Figueroa-Perez had hired the jeep and Fehd as part of a tour with Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours.

According to the State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis, alcohol, drugs, weather, and speed were not suspected factors in the incident, with both customers wearing their seatbelts.

Ouray County Coroner Colleen Hollenbeck said Robles intended to call a friend to talk about the trip after snapping a picture on the trail, but that call never came.

Instead, the friend called around frantically and then saw social media posts about the crash, which eventually led to her calling and finding out about the deaths from Hollenbeck.

It is unknown whether Fehd was also wearing his seatbelt.

Camp Bird Road is a totally unpaved 'narrow, picturesque mountain road,' according to Dangerous Roads, and those who venture along it should have a 'four-wheel drive and no fear of heights.'

Hollenbeck said jeep tours such as the one they embarked on play a crucial role in the local area's economy.

The vehicle was found upside down after rolling for 140 feet down a steep hill, and driver Don Fehd was thrown from the car

The stunning views the trail offers are what attracts many tourists but steep drops and perilous roads are a constant risk

The vehicle in question was a white 2022 Jeep Gladiator, rented from Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours (file photo)

It is home to the iconic Imogene Pass, a mountain pass 13,000 feet above sea level - and the second highest drivable pass in Colorado - that Robles had reportedly taken a snap of.

'The route demands 100 percent concentration,' Dangerous Roads say and has a 15mph speed limit.

Cathleen Wolff, the Chaplain and Spiritual Care Manager at Yuma Regional Medical Center, paid tribute to her two lost colleagues.

'Our YRMC family is in shock and colleagues are deeply grieving the sudden loss,' she said.

'Losing two beautiful caregivers is a tremendous loss. The pain we feel as an organization is immeasurable.'

The cause of the crash is under investigation, with the Colorado State Patrol seeking any information from members of the public.
A drunk staff sergeant who 'smirked' after putting his hand up a young female soldier's dress and squeezed her bottom has been convicted of sexual assault.

Staff Sergeant Adam Porter, 42, was told this afternoon that he will likely be dismissed from the armed forces after 24 years of service.

A court heard the father-of four told the shocked woman 'it feels nice doesn't it' as he pinched her left buttock, before he quickly backtracked and said: 'I shouldn't have done that should I?'

Moments earlier the Ssgt Porter had spotted the junior soldier wearing 'a very revealing dress' and allegedly said 'you're going to get me into trouble'.

He admitted to having had a bottle of white wine, tequila shots and opening a bottle of port. He told the court he 'could have accidentally brushed her'.

SSgt Porter, of the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, was today found guilty of one charge of sexual assault.

Assistant Judge Advocate General Darren Reed told SSgt Porter that discharge from the forces was 'to be expected' after the board deliberated for two hours 45 minutes before finding him guilty.

Addressing SSgt Porter at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, he said: 'Dismissal is probably, almost a guaranteed part of your sentence - so you need to be prepare yourself for that.'

SSgt Porter's sentencing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Staff Sergeant Adam Porter, 42, (pictured at Bulford Court Martial) has been convicted of sexual assault after he put his hand up a young female soldier's dress and squeezed her bottom

The court heard the incident took place at a pub as soldiers from the regiment enjoyed their first post-Covid work celebration.

Prosecutor Colonel Grant Davies said: 'SSgt Porter touched the complainant in a sexual way without her consent.

'She was in a knee length, floaty dress and saw SSgt Porter, who was quite likely intoxicated.

'He said words to the effect of "you're going to get me into trouble".

'She was at the bar when SSgt Porter came and stood next to her and a round of drinks were bought. Shortly after, he put his hand under her skirt onto her buttock, squeezed and said words to the effect of "feels nice doesn't it".

'She was shocked - and then Porter said words to the effect of "I shouldn't have done that should I".'

The female soldier, who was much more junior than SSgt Porter, told the court she had work the next day so 'didn't want to get too drunk' that evening.

SSgt Porter has been told he will likely be dismissed from the army, after serving for 24 years

The junior female soldier said she had a normal conversation with SSgt Porter earlier in the evening and they were having shots at the bar.

At which point he was allegedly drunk and slurring his words and began pointing at females and making crass statements.

She said: 'Then SSgt Porter said "I'm going to f*** you" [to me]. He said "you're going to get me into trouble". I think it was in a flirty way... that I needed to stay away from him.'

After the shots the other people went away and the woman was left alone with SSgt Porter at the bar.

She continued: 'I was facing the bar and he put his hand up my dress. Then I felt him squeeze my bum and then he took his hand away.

'I recall him smirking while he did it.'

She said SSgt Porter squeezed her left buttock for 'two or three seconds' with his right hand.

'It was a skin on skin contact,' she added, and SSgt Porter reportedly used his 'full hand' to 'cup' her bottom.

'He pulled his hand away and said "it feels nice that doesn't it",' she added.

'Two seconds later he quickly went into saying "I shouldn't have done that should I?" - because he knew it was wrong.

'I was a bit shocked and didn't know what to do.'

SSgt Porter said: 'I could have accidentally brushed her - or it's certainly feasibly that I touched her'

The court martial heard a formal complaint wasn't raised until three months later when one of her friends told a senior officer.

When asked why she hadn't complained sooner the female soldier said she 'didn't trust' her chain of command at the time, saying they were mostly male, friends and 'cliquey'.

A Lance Bombardier who had been in the pub that night told the court SSgt Porter was being 'very flirtatious' with the female soldier and whispering in her ear at the bar before groping her.

He said: 'I was stood at the bar and she was stood to the right of me - and SSgt Porter came to the right of her.

'I saw his hand go up her skirt and I believe she was groped.'

The court heard that when interviewed by military police, SSgt Porter claimed he simply 'may have tapped her to remind her to buy a round'.

SSgt Porter, who has one daughter with his partner, and three from their previous relationships, told the court he 'didn't remember' any contact between the two of them that evening and insisted it had not happened.

The senior soldier, who had drunk a bottle of white wine, several tequila shots and cracked open a bottle of port, admitted he was 'well on his way' after the shots.

He explained the pub was small and packed, saying: 'I could have accidentally brushed her - or it's certainly feasibly that I touched her - if that occurred it would have 100 per cent been accidental.'

When asked how his seniority could affect their dynamic, he said: 'The three stripes and the crown can be daunting.'

Prosecuting Col Davies said: 'Regardless of whether you were wearing your uniform touching [a junior rank] - or anyone - is utterly wrong.

'She has no reason to lie - neither does [the eye witness].'

SSgt Porter said his relationship with the complainant before the incident had been 'amicable'.

When asked about what she had been wearing, SSgt Porter said: 'She was wearing a very revealing dress.'
A British man accused by Denmark of masterminding a massive tax fraud has been ordered by a Dubai court to pay Copenhagen's tax authority 1.1billion, court filings show.

The order by the Dubai Court of Appeal against Sanjay Shah comes as part of a civil case filed four years ago by Denmark's tax authority, which has been pursuing him as part of their investigation into one of the country's largest tax fraud cases.

The elaborate scheme, which ran for three years from 2012, involved foreign businesses pretending to own shares in Danish companies and claiming tax refunds they were not eligible for.

The 52-year-old hedge fund manager has maintained his innocence in past interviews with journalists but never appeared in Denmark to answer accusations.

A local Emirati court on Monday ruled that Shah would not have to face extradition to the Scandinavian country.

But Danish prosecutors and Dubai's attorney general appealed the ruling, meaning Shah could well be returned to Denmark to answer directly for his alleged crimes.

Monday's court ruling for Sanjay Shah, 52, can be appealed by prosecutors

The Danish tax authority, Skattestyrelsen, filed its civil case against Shah in 2018 through a local Dubai law firm.

In its decision on Wednesday, the Dubai Court of Appeal said Denmark had sought 1.9 billion dollars (1.67bn) from Shah and his alleged accomplices.

Dubai police arrested Shah in June after the UAE and Denmark signed an extradition treaty, but the financier's lawyer Ali al-Zarooni argued in past closed-door hearings that Denmark had 'breached' the rules of international extradition treaties in unspecified ways.

The Dubai court's decision on Monday not to extradite Shah came as a surprise to Danish prosecutors, but it appears the hedge fund manager could still be extradited should the decision be overturned.

Al-Zarooni today said that Shah continues to deny any wrongdoing and that he would oppose extradition, citing missing 'formalities' in the Danish request.

'We will strongly defend the position of Mr. Shah and reject the extradition,' he said, adding that Shah remains detained.

Shah's lifestyle on Dubai's luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years has sparked outrage in Denmark.

During his time in Dubai, the hedge fund manager ran a centre for autistic children that shut down in 2020 as Denmark tried to extradite him.

He also oversaw a British-based charity, Autism Rocks, which raised funds through concerts and performances.

Dubai police Brigadier General Jamal Al Jallaf said Shah was accused of a fraud that allegedly saw foreign businesses pretend to own shares in Danish companies and claim tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

'The fraud scheme, known as ''cum-ex'' trading, involved submitting thousands of applications to the Danish Treasury on behalf of investors and companies from several countries around the world in order to receive dividend tax refunds,' Brig Gen Al Jallaf said.

Shah's lifestyle on Dubai's luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years has sparked outrage in Denmark

In a joint statement, Denmark's justice and foreign ministries in June praised Dubai's arrest of Shah, whom they described as a target of the country's prosecutors since 2015.

The trader previously had had his 14.7million Hyde Park mansion seized by Denmark after being accused of the fraud.

A spokesman for Shah at the time called Denmark's move 'gesture politics'.

Shah's arrest comes as pressure grows on Dubai, the region's financial hub, over its alleged weaknesses in combating illicit finance.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, has long invited the wealthy, including disgraced public figures, to invest in the country without questioning where they made their money.

In recent months, however, the UAE has arrested several suspects wanted for major crimes, including two of the Gupta brothers from South Africa, accused of facilitating vast public corruption and draining state resources with former president Jacob Zuma.
Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are set to renew a push to convince Japan's SoftBank to list a British-based chip designer in London.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor are hopeful that a fresh charm offensive could persuade SoftBank to list Arm - whose technology is at the heart of most smartphones and smart devices worldwide - in the UK.

The Cambridge-based company was bought by SoftBank for $32billion (28billion) in 2016.

The Japanese giant is now planning to take Arm public after a $40billion (35billion) takeover attempt by American multinational Nvidia collapsed earlier this year.

Arm licences its tech to phone giants such as Apple, Samsung and Huawei with the firm boasting that it powers 95 per cent of premium smartphones across the world.

According to the Financial Times, the Government will push for high-level talks with SoftBank bosses after the national period of the mourning for the Queen ends next week.

The newspaper reported that SoftBank executives had previously begun talks with UK officials about a possible rare dual listing in both London and New York.

The PM and Chancellor are hopeful that a fresh charm offensive could persuade SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, to list Arm in the UK

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are ready to push for high-level talks with SoftBank bosses after the national period of the mourning for the Queen ends next week

The Government is plotting a bonfire of red tape in the City of London, dubbed 'Big Bang 2.0', including the possible scrapping of the banker bonus cap

Former PM Boris Johnson had spearheaded the lobbying effort to convince SoftBank to list Arm in London earlier this year, prior to his ousting from Number 10.

Mr Johnson's administration had previously intervened in the proposed Nvidia takeover of Arm on national security grounds.

Should Arm end up being listed in London, it would provide a huge boost to Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng's hopes of re-energising the City of London as they aim to revive economic growth.

They are plotting a bonfire of red tape, dubbed 'Big Bang 2.0', including the possible scrapping of the banker bonus cap.

Mr Kwarteng has so far stood firm amid a backlash at the suggestion he could drop the rules - which mean bonuses cannot be more than twice salaries - to boost the City.

There are concerns that the cap, which the UK signed up to as an EU member after the 2008 financial crash, is hampering London's ability to compete with other major financial centres.

The Bank of England has signalled its support for scrapping the cap after it pointed out it had never supported the policy when it was introduced.

'The Senior Managers Regime and remuneration rules requiring deferral of bonus payments are more effective tools for ensuring bankers take proper account of risks,' a spokesperson said.
A 'terrifying' stalker who left his victim too scared to leave her home after he drove past it up to 15 times per day - forcing her to wear a bodycam for her own protection - has avoided jail.

'Obsessed' Anthony Laslett, 28, showed a 'complete lack of empathy' as he followed Anabell Holland around in his van and repeatedly smirked at her, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

She handed Laslett a 28-week jail sentence suspended for 18 months, 150 hours of unpaid work and 45 probation days.

Laslett, of Addington Street, was also ordered to pay 1,000 compensation at 100 a week.

Mr Laslett followed his victim around in a van - terrifying her so much that she resorted to using a body-worn camera for protection.

Miss Holland's ordeal began when she rejected the stalker's attempts to strike up a romance, with the 28-year-old then pestering her.

The victim was left terrified after Mr Laslett smirked at her from the same vehicle three times on a day in January this year, prosecutors said

Mr Laslett, a managing director for an electrical firm, left Canterbury Crown Court smiling after being handed a suspended prison sentence.

Moments before, the stalker could be seen weeping in the dock, while promising a judge he would leave Miss Holland alone, or face prison.

The court heard Miss Holland was forced to secure a temporary stalking order against Mr Laslett last year, in a bid to shut down his advances.

But while pining for attention, Mr Laslett trampled over the court ruling by following her on TikTok, days before Christmas.

Mr Laslett, a managing director for an electrical firm, left Canterbury Crown Court smiling after being handed a suspended prison sentence

He then used his Vauxhall to swoop near her Margate home 15 times in one day, despite being fitted with a tracker system to help authorities trace his movements.

And she was left terrified after Mr Laslett smirked at her from the same vehicle three times on a day in January this year, prosecutors said.

The 28-year-old stalker breached the order a final time by entering Bugsy's Tenpin Bowling in Ethelbert Crescent in June, and was arrested shortly afterwards.

Miss Holland, who attended the hearing remotely, told the court in a statement: 'I'm in pure fear of Anthony Laslett. He makes me so scared that I don't want to go out.

'I don't go out. I spend most of my time at home apart from seeing my mother.

'It has got to that point now where I would rather video-call people than go out because I'm scared.'

Miss Holland added she walks outside with a video camera in case he is following her, and feels 'jumpy and paranoid'.

She added: 'During this last year and a half, dealing with a stalker has really affected my life and the things I do.'

Laslett originally denied the crimes in a police interview but admitted four stalking offences before a trial.

Kerry Waitt, mitigating, said Laslett 'accepts there is no future in a relationship' with Miss Holland and assures he 'will not be pestering her in the future'.

'It is clear there has been difficulty with Mr Laslett accepting and understanding the impact of his behaviour.

'I would suggest the defendant's behaviour, his fixation, his failure to realise the consequences is, in part, attributable to his underlying mental health issues, in particular his autism.'

Judge Catherine Brown said suspending Laslett's sentence would allow her to enforce more stringent measures.

It would provide more help to protect Miss Holland and anyone else he fixates on, while increasing the chance of rehabilitation.

She told Laslett his 'terrifying' behaviour showed a 'complete lack of empathy' as he 'altered [Miss Holland's] life in significant ways'.

'You had never been more than friends, you wanted more, she did not, and you did not accept that and it is clear you became obsessed.'
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A Swiss artist has projected into the sky photos of the Queen and Prince Philip 'together for ever' in a dazzling tribute to the late monarch.

The magnificent pictures show 'the queen on her way to heaven' as she holds hand with Prince Phillip on clouds in the sky over mountains in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

The project by Gerry Hofstetter is titled 'travelling to the stars - The Queen of England on the way to heaven'. The artist has used the billowing clouds as a canvas on which to light up a final tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death.

Three months ago, during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Hofstetter projected images onto famous Swiss mountains in partnership with the British embassy in Switzerland.

Gerry Hofstetter, a Swiss artist has projected photos of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, 'together for ever' into the sky in a dazzling tribute to the late monarch.

The project is titled 'travelling to the stars - The Queen of England on the way to heaven'. The artist has used the billowing clouds as a canvas on which to light up a final tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death

The magnificent pictures show the queen as she holds hand with prince Phillip on clouds in the sky over a mountains in Lauterbrunnen of Switzerlan

One well-wisher spotted a cloud figure that reminded them of Her late Majesty on one of her beloved horses last week.

The image taken last Sunday in Wembley, north-west London, mirrored photos of a young Elizabeth riding in royal uniform.

In another occasion a woman shared an image of a cloud formation resembling the queen floating over an English town, captured just an hour after the monarch passed away.

'Driving home and Lacey starts shouting OMG! I panicked. Then she pointed this image out in the clouds,' Leanne Bethell who took the picture said on Facebook.

A well-wisher spotted a cloud figure that reminded them of Her late Majesty on one of her beloved horses last week

Horse lover: Princess Elizabeth in 1951 represents the King at a trooping ceremony
Russia's lower house of parliament will consider summoning Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to face questioning over his disastrous military campaign in Ukraine.

It is virtually unknown for the State Duma to summon a defence minister to account for himself.

But Russia's armed forces have been openly criticised by military commentators this week after losing control of large parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv region to a lightning advance by Ukrainian forces.

Shoigu, who has held the defence post for 10 years, is said to have been 'sidelined' by Vladimir Putin following Russia's failures in Ukraine.

Senior lawmaker Sergei Mironov, a strong supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and head of the small pro-Kremlin 'Just Russia' party, was quoted in the Kommersant newspaper as saying that the State Duma Council, which manages the chamber's business, would discuss the matter on Monday.

Russia's lower house of parliament will consider summoning Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) to face questioning over his disastrous military campaign in Ukraine

Russia's armed forces have been openly criticised by military commentators this week after losing control of large parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv region to a lightning advance by Ukrainian forces. Pictured: Iuriy Usatyi, a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, on Thursday

Under Shoigu's leadership, Ukraine claims a staggering 54,050 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began. An estimated 250 aircraft, 4,690 armoured personnel vehicles and 2,199 tanks have also been destroyed, according to Ukraine's Defence Ministry. Pictured: Ukrainian serviceman repair a captured Russian tank in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Thursday

Mironov had tweeted on Wednesday that his party had proposed the session with Shoigu 'so that the deputies can speak with him behind closed doors and ask all the questions that interest us and the citizens'.

Russia's defeat in the Kharkiv region was its biggest since it was driven back from an advance on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the first weeks of the invasion, which began on February 24.

Under Shoigu's leadership, Ukraine claims a staggering 54,050 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began.

An estimated 250 aircraft, 4,690 armoured personnel vehicles and 2,199 tanks have also been destroyed, according to Ukraine's Defence Ministry.

Following Ukraine's extraordinary counter-offensive, Kyiv's men are now in control of vital supply lines running into the eastern Donbas region and are looking to press the advantage by attacking Russian positions there.

A second counter-attack towards the city of Kherson is also continuing to make progress, with some Russian troops said to be negotiating their surrender after running out of ammunition.

But Ukrainian soldiers discovered a mass burial site hundreds of graves close to Izym after their rapid counteroffensive liberated the northeastern city and other swaths of the Kharkiv region.

Ukraine has uncovered a mass grave site in woodland near the city of Izyum, which was occupied by Russian forces until last week when it was liberated in a lightning counter-attack

Prosecutors spent yesterday sweeping the area for explosives and have now begun exhuming the pits so that bodies can be taken away for forensic examination to see how exactly the hundreds of people died

Kremlin officials 'have hit the vodka', with Putin 'worried by drinking among his inner circle' as senior staff 'fret about disastrous Ukraine war' Vladimir Putin is worried that several of his aides and senior political supporters have began drinking excessively since he began his war on Ukraine, according to a new report. Putin is especially troubled by heaving drinking among 'certain people from his inner circle', Russian independent media outlet Meduza claimed, as Kremlin elites reach for the bottle in futile attempts to calm their nerves. 'People have been relieving their stress this way since February,' a source from inside the Kremlin said. 'Ministers, their subordinates, and even some deputy prime ministers, presidential administration and Security Council members, state corporation heads, and governors [have begun to drink more].' Senior officials are taking to the bottle to deaden the angst to such an extent that there has been a collapse in discipline, with some slurring their words in public and turning up late to important events, it is alleged. Meduza explained: 'The main reason for the stress is the domestic damage caused by Russia's war in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed  and that Putin believes the bureaucrats should have an easier time coping.' Putin did not inform many senior officials of his intention to mount a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. Many rightly thought the strategy was mad, it appears. They spent the subsequent months in 'shock and confusion'. 'They took to the bottle [in February] and some of them don't want to stop,' said one source. 'Discipline has started to suffer... Some [officials] have missed important events. 'Others have slurred their words and said things that don't make sense in official settings. The general public has already started to notice.' Putin has not yet fired any henchmen for turning to the bottle, but this is not ruled out, said the revealing report. For now the warmonger will continue to 'hint' that he wants the offenders' behaviour to change rather than firing them. But he let his anger over the boozing be known by lecturing two unsuspecting regional governors on the need to tackle alcoholism in their regions. Neither governor believed that alcoholism was rampant in their constituencies, but it was Putin's way of signalling the issue to his subordinates. Alexander Avdeyev, governor of Vladimir region, was told in a video link lecture by Putin that he should act on the area's 'growing struggle with alcoholism'. 'You can't ban anything, you can't just raise prices excessively, [and you can't just impose] excise taxes,' instructed Putin. Instead there should be 'healthy lifestyle propaganda' aimed especially at men. The bemused regional official was ordered to 'develop infrastructure for people to exercise and give cultural institutions the attention they deserve'. Advertisement

Investigators say some of the graves appear to be of civilians while others bear military symbols. Some of the pits are marked only with numbers. It is not yet clear how the people died, but the Ukrainians say some were likely killed fighting while others may have been caught in shelling and died from their wounds.

There was also at least one mass grave, with a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

'Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address overnight.

Russian forces left Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid the stunningly rapid Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Wednesday, Zelensky made a rare trip outside the capital to watch the national flag being raised over Izium's city hall.

Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said Thursday night that other evidence found after Kyiv's sweeping advance into the Kharkiv region included multiple 'torture chambers' where both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were detained 'in completely inhuman conditions.'

'We have already come across the exhumation of individual bodies, not only with traces of a violent death, but also of torture - cut off ears, etc. This is just the beginning,' Enin said in an interview with Ukraine's Radio NV.

'All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time,' Enin said, in a reference to a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered following the Russian army's withdrawal from the area in March.

Meanwhile, the devastating defeats for Russia has meant that several of Putin's aides and senior political supporters have turned to drinking excessive amounts of alcohol to calm their nerves about the war.

Putin is now troubled by heaving drinking among 'certain people from his inner circle', Russian independent media outlet Meduza claimed.

'People have been relieving their stress this way since February,' a source from inside the Kremlin said.

'Ministers, their subordinates, and even some deputy prime ministers, presidential administration and Security Council members, state corporation heads, and governors [have begun to drink more].'

Senior officials are taking to the bottle to deaden the angst to such an extent that there has been a collapse in discipline, with some slurring their words in public and turning up late to important events, it is alleged.

Meduza explained: 'The main reason for the stress is the domestic damage caused by Russia's war in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed  and that Putin believes the bureaucrats should have an easier time coping.'

Putin did not inform many senior officials of his intention to mount a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.

Meanwhile, in news that will frustrate the Kremlin, Ukrainian forces cut Russia's supply lines in Kupiansk, a northeastern railway junction city.

Putin has yet to comment publicly on the battlefield setback suffered by his forces this month. Ukrainian officials say 3,400 square miles have been retaken, territory about the size of the island of Cyprus.

The speed of the advance has bolstered Ukrainian morale and bolstered its case for more weapons from Western allies.

After a week of rapid gains in the northeast, Ukrainian officials have sought to dampen expectations that they could continue to advance at that pace. They say Russian troops that fled the Kharkiv region are now digging in and planning to defend territory in neighbouring Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

'It is of course extremely encouraging to see that Ukrainian armed forces have been able to take back territory and also strike behind Russian lines,' NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told BBC radio.

'At the same time, we need to understand that this is not the beginning of the end of the war. We need to be prepared for the long haul.'

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new $600 million arms package for Ukraine, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and artillery rounds. The United States has sent about $15.1 billion in security assistance to Kyiv since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion.

Russian forces shelled Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and other towns in the northeast on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

More than 90 missiles and artillery shells hit the neighbouring Sumy region on the border with Russia, according to its governor, Dmytro Zhyvytsky.

On the Russian side, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said the Ukrainian army shelled the town of Valuyki near the border.

'Anti-aircraft defences went into action but there is some destruction on the ground,' he said on Telegram. This included a power substation put out of commission and private homes and vehicles set on fire.

Reuters was not able to verify the reports.

In Uzbekistan on Thursday, Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since the two men signed a 'no limits' friendship pact three weeks before the start of the war.

In his public remarks, Putin gave a rare hint of friction with Beijing over the war: 'We understand your questions and concern about this. During today's meeting, we will of course explain our position,' Putin told Xi.

Xi did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks, nor was it mentioned in a Chinese account of the meeting. China has so far trod a careful path, condemning Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting Moscow's military effort.
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is reportedly working to mend broken relationships with the royal family and is thinking about moving back to the UK with her husband, Prince Harry, and their children Archie and Lilibet.

Following an enthusiastic reception from the general population during a walkabout at Queen's tributes, Meghan Markle is prepared to return to Britain. Additionally, the former 'Suits' actress is gradually mending her fractured bond with senior royals.

Meghan Markle Might Skip Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral

Meghan Markle was ready and willing to interact with the public, according to royal analyst Neil Sean. She was scared of how the public may judge her, especially in the UK, but all of her worries suddenly vanished.

Sean added that Meghan Markle now feels vindicated because the British public likes her in a video posted to his YouTube account. Prince Harry is concerned that, given rumors of escalating discord between Meghan Markle and the royal family, he may have to attend Queen Elizabeth II's burial alone, as he did for Prince Philip.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have attracted attention ever since they arrived in the UK on September 5-both positive and unfavorable, and much more so since they participated in memorial services for Her Majesty. After Wednesday's mourning service honoring the former Queen, several people were against even shaking hands.

Following her and Prince Harry's participation in a walkabout with Prince William and Kate Middleton on Saturday, September 10, in front of Windsor Castle, accusations of racism against the former 'Suits' actor also arose. To say the least, the couple's attendance at official royal engagements has received negative attention.

The 41-year-old was reportedly prohibited by King Charles III from going to see Her Majesty on September 8 while she lay dying. It is claimed that he told his son over the phone that having her at Balmoral Castle would not be proper. According to the early reports, the Sussex couple will reportedly go to Balmoral together. The Duke of Sussex finally visited the estate two hours after Buckingham Palace announced the Queen's passing as a result of the back and forth.

Now, it's thought that Meghan Markle might find all of this to be too much for her to take and opt to leave her husband in the UK. According to reports, the Duke of Sussex is concerned that his wife would completely miss Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and fly back to California to be with their children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.

Fox News reported that Meghan Markle "thinks that she should travel back to the US ahead of the burial and leave Harry with his family to attend it and that given the reception that she has gotten, Prince Harry is scared of being left alone with a family that was once so close.

There is no word on whether Meghan Markle will return to California, but Prince Harry feels insecure and alone without her. Meghan Markle, meanwhile, is of two thoughts. If she departs, she is viewed as showing no respect at all for the monarchy - a no-win position. The funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will occur on September 19, as per The News.

Read Also: King Charles III: Nearly 100 Royal Palace Staff Face Layoffs as Part of Plan To Slim Down Monarchy

Meghan Markle Spotted Off-Camera

On Wednesday, while the Royal Family paid respect to the late Queen at Westminster Hall, it was observed that Meghan Markle and three senior royal women were exhibiting awkward and tense body language.

Meghan's awkward interactions with Kate, the Princess of Wales, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Queen Consort Camilla were noted by Rebecca English, the Royal Editor of the Daily Mail. Even if they were unaware of the royal family rift, she said, everyone might sense that something is somewhat odd here.

The body language was intriguing to witness for five to ten minutes, according to English, who also noted that Meghan Markle's posture as she faced the coffin was self-consciously awkward.

Sophie Wessex, who is known as a peace-maker in the family," broke the ice with Meghan, according to Ms. English, and "introduced her into the fold. While her spouse Prince Harry lowered his head, the Duchess handled herself with amazing respect," according to English, as she knelt before the Queen's coffin, according to Express.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Spotted Somber as Couple Joins Royal Family To Receive Queen Elizabeth II's Coffin

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Convicted drug smuggler 'Cocaine' Cassie Sainsbury has slammed persistent rumours she met her wife behind bars - and insists her partner is not a jailbird.

Sainsbury, 27, says she only hooked up with Tatiana, 34, in the middle of last year, more than 12 months after she was freed from jail.

And she demanded an end to the constant speculation, saying it was 'really damaging to her wife's name and reputation'.

Cassie Sainsbury met the love of her life Tatiana (right), 34, after being released from prison, with their relationship beginning mid-last year and the pair were married in March this year

The Aussie served three years in jail after she was caught at Colombia's Bogota Airport with 5.8kg of cocaine hidden inside her suitcase as she tried to board a flight to London in April 2017.

She was sentenced to six years in prison but was released early in 2020.

The pair were married in March this year in a glamorous ceremony on a private island in Colombia.

But Sainsbury insists she only met Tatiana after her release - and contrary to the gossip and rumourmongers, Tatiana has not done any time in prison.

'My wife was never in prison,' she said in a revealing question and answer session on Instagram on Friday.

Speculation about Tatiana's (pictured right, with wife Cassie) past has become a recent talking point as to whether she had previously spent time in prison

Sainsbury was asked whether her wife Tatiana had previously been in prison during a Q&A on her Instagram story on Friday

'My wife would never have been able to get an Australian visa if she had a criminal history.

'I would actually love if everyone stopped saying that she was in prison, that she was a convicted felon because it is actually really damaging for her name and her reputation.'

Sainsbury also hit back to people questioning her accent, which now appears to have a Spanish twang to it.

'I've actually heard this many times that I have an accent, that I put on an accent, but I personally don't feel like I have an accent,' she said.

'It would probably be that over the last five years, the only times I would have spoken English was when I was teaching it or when I speak to family and apart from that I would be speaking fluent Spanish all the time.

'And obviously pronouncing Spanish is different from speaking English and I'm guessing the accent kind of took over on that side of things.'

Sainsbury was caught with 5.8kg of cocaine hidden in 18 headphone boxes (above) on a flight to London from Bogota, Colombia in April 2017

Sainsbury was also asked about her weight loss, to which she replied: 'It's been nearly 44kg and still counting.

'I follow my own guidelines, I follow my own tips and tricks that I've learnt over the years which has helped me lose it and maintain it off.

'Even with all my Australian binge-eating in the last few weeks, I have actually managed to keep losing weight which is really good.'
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New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern has visited the Queen's coffin after becoming one of the first world leaders to arrive to London for the 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace this weekend - ahead of the late monarch's funeral on Monday.

The Kiwi prime minister was pictured looking solemn as she paid her respects to Her Majesty - who was her country's Head of State throughout her 70-year reign - inside Westminster Hall on Friday afternoon.

Ms Ardern will be one of 500 dignitaries to be officially welcomed by King Charles III on Sunday when the who's who of the global elite - including presidents, emperors and royal families - will gather at the Palace from around 6pm.

US President Joe Biden, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - Olena Zelenska - and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain are expected to be among the guests at the star-studded affair, which will be the largest meeting of world leaders for a generation.

It is not yet known when each leader will arrive but footage shared online shows a motorcade similar to Biden's making its way through Camden yesterday afternoon. It was spotted at around 3.15pm heading towards central London while being led by four police motorbikes. MailOnline has contacted the US Embassy for comment.

It comes after a leaked document suggested all foreign leaders would be forced to take coaches from a secret location in west London to Westminster Abbey for the funeral due to 'tight security and road restrictions' - however Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Emperor Naruhito are among those expected to be granted an exemption for 'security reasons'.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian president Sergio Matarella and Canada's Justin Trudeau may also be exempted, as one government source told the Times it clearly would not be appropriate to ask G7 leaders to 'take a bus'.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials reportedly sent 1,000 handwritten invitations - for both the reception and Monday's funeral - to heads of state to almost every country in the world bar Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.

Ms Ardern confirmed she will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Liz Truss before the Queen's funeral, but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will 'share the sorrow that New Zealand has' with the new monarch.

'I'll simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences,' the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

'At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, that's first and foremost.'

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern was pictured visiting the Queen's coffin on Friday after being one of the first world leaders to arrive ahead of Monday's state funeral

Ms Ardern appeared solemn as she paid her respects to the late monarch at Westminster Hall on Friday

New Zealand PM appears pensive as she pays her respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall on Friday

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured in London today) has arrived in London ahead of the 'reception of the century', which will see the who's who of the global elite - including presidents, emperors and royal families - gather at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the Queen's funeral

Floral Tributes are left at Green Park next to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II before her funeral preparations get underway

President Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armored Beast to the Queen's funeral next week while 'lesser' world leaders will be asked to take the shared bus, as is standard protocol

Biden's motorcade The Beast crosses a bridge on the way to his summit with Putin in Geneva. It is believed it will make an appearance in London this weekend as the leader of the free world arrives for the Queen's funeral

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh arriving at London Stansted airport on Thursday

What will happen at the 'reception of the century' on Sunday and who will be there? King Charles III is set to play host to hundreds of world leaders, dignitaries and VIPs at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday. The grand reception will see them formally welcomed by the new king in a gathering of world leaders not seen in decades. It is not clear if Harry and Meghan or Prince Andrew will attend, but all 'working members' of the Royal Family will be there. Kate, who is now the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and the Earl and Countess of Wessex will also be present. Male guests must wear lounge suits while women must opt for morning dress, without hats or decorations, in keeping with the sombre tone of the event. The roughly 500 attendees will meet in the picture gallery and state apartments at 6pm, where they will be served drinks and canapes, reports the Telegraph. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials reportedly sent 1,000 handwritten invitations - for both the reception and Monday's funeral - to heads of state to every country in the world bar Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus and Myanmar. In terms of other royals, those expected to show up include: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco. King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden are also on the list. The former king of Spain Juan Carlos, who could soon face trial in the UK for harassing a former lover, and former Queen Sofia, have also been invited. US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron lead the big names of world leaders set to attend, joined by Canada's Justin Trudeau and Australia's Anthony Albanese. It is believed the Empress Masako of Japan, who retreated from public view around 20 years ago, will also attend alongside Emperor Naruhito. Other world leaders include: - Droupadi Murmu, President of India - Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria - Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania - Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan President - Maia Sandu, President of Moldova - Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany - Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korean President - Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil - Andrzej Duda, President of Poland - Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy - Charles Michel, President of the European Council - Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commission - Egils Levits, President of Latvia - Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad and Tobago - Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister - Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland - Katalin Novak, Hungarian President - Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland - Micheal Martin, Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland - Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica - Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize - Susan Dougan, Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines - Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Advertisement

Ms Ardern, who said she is planning to attend the Queen's lying in state at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral, also confirmed she will meet with Liz Truss.

The visiting PM said the Queen's death and new King will be the 'focus of conversation' when she and Ms Truss meet.

She said she will also likely discuss Ukraine and the UK's free trade agreement with New Zealand.

'I am sure we will also transact our relationship as well, but it is all within the context of the week of mourning that the UK is currently in,' she said.

Meeting William will be an opportunity to repay his support of New Zealand in 2019, when the royal flew to the country following the Christchurch massacre, Ms Ardern said.

'The Prince of Wales has always been there for New Zealand in its times of grief,' she said.

'He's been there for us in our times of grief and so this is a time for us to be there for him and his family too.'

Several hundred dignitaries from around the world will be in London to pay their respects to the Queen, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

No 10 declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queen's death, during which politics is likely to come up.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'There won't be formal bilaterals in the way we normally recognise them.

'But we will have a significant number of world leaders, heads of state in the country. She will be meeting a small proportion of those over the weekend.

'These will be opportunities to discuss memories of Her Majesty, but in some instances it will be the first time they've met since she became Prime Minister.'

A UK meeting with US President Joe Biden, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Truss's expected visit to New York for a UN summit next week.

Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Minister's country residence of Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnson's exit.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his country's condolences in a call to the King.

Mr Macron tweeted about the 'unbreakable' ties between France and the UK as he promised to 'strengthen' the relationship between the UK and France by 'following the path' of the late Queen.

It is unclear whether he will be among the world leaders Ms Truss will meet, but if they do it will be a chance for her to clear up where their relationship stands.

During her campaign to become Tory leader, she sparked controversy by saying the 'jury's out' over whether Mr Macron is a 'friend or foe'.

There have also been suggestions she could speak to Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on the margins of the funeral, amid strained relations between the two countries over the continuing row about the Northern Ireland Protocol.

About 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey - which can hold about 2,000 people - at 11am on Monday.

Representatives from the Commonwealth realms - the nations which had the Queen as head of state - will also be able to attend the committal service in Windsor Castle.

Male dignitaries at the funeral will be advised to wear morning dress or dark lounge suits with a black tie, with dark day dresses and hats for female mourners.

National dress may also be worn, while serving military officers can wear ceremonial uniforms without swords.

The leaders of most Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the funeral.

Ms Ardern's Canadian and Australian counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Anthony Albanese, have also confirmed their attendance.

But India's prime minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Uzbekistan on Friday morning for a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin there this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with President Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain will be among the hundreds to attend the 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace on Sunday

France's Emmanuel Macron (left) and Canada's Justin Trudeau (right) will be among the world leaders heading to London this weekend ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday

Everyday Brits could find themselves paying their respects to the Queen alongside Joe Biden and other world leaders Everyday Brits paying their respects at the Queen's coffin may find themselves doing so next to the likes of US President Joe Biden or France's Emmanuel Macron. The roughly 500 world leaders who are visiting the UK ahead of the late monarch's funeral on Monday have been invited to visit her as she lies in state at Westminster Hall. Between Saturday and Sunday afternoon they will be invited to say their goodbyes, but there will be 'no disruption' to the public viewing. Sources told the Telegraph that the VIPs will be given time slots and be facilitated alongside the public queue. It means mourners who have queued for hours on end could end up paying their respects alongside the King and Queen of Spain or Canada's Justin Trudeau. Advertisement

Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending, along with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London for what will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in place of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President of Moldova Maia Sandu has also announced she will visit on Sunday and Monday, while the prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina arrived to London Stansted on Thursday afternoon.

Invitations to the Queen's funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine. Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.

China's president Xi Jinping was invited to Monday's event but is instead sending a delegation led by vice-president Wang Qishan.

But House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has denied a request for the Chinese group to enter the ancient heart of British democracy.

Sir Lindsay has maintained that Chinese state officials should not be able to enter Parliament after sanctioning MPs for condemning human rights abuses against Uighurs.

MPs subject to reprisals including Tory former leader Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton have slammed the 'extraordinary' decision to extend an invite to the funeral.

MI5 previously issued an unprecedented warning that an alleged Chinese spy has infiltrated Parliament to interfere in UK politics - and allegedly boasted of lobbying 'more than 480 MPs'.

And China's ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang has been barred from Parliament since 2021 after MPs and peers were sanctioned by Beijing.

Angry Tory MPs have pointed out that Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have been banned from the funeral.

They argue that China should be blacklisted like other countries facing claims of human rights abuses.

The House of Commons has declared that Uighurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region are being subjected to genocide.

A number of them have written to Sir Lindsay and his Lords counterpart, Lord McFall of Alcluith, to seek assurances that Parliament's ban will be upheld.

However, Vice-President Wang is set to attend the Westminster Abbey service on Monday along with other world leaders such as US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Chinese leader then decided not to attend a dinner with Putin and other world leaders, citing Covid precautions

But Xi was more measured, refusing to condone the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Putin was very clear in his support for China's interests and claim to Taiwan

They spoke Thursday about strengthening their strategic ties in defiance of West

Putin and Xi are in Uzbekistan for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit

Chinese leader Xi Jinping refused to attend dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin and 11 others heads of states at a regional security summit yesterday.

Xi, who is making his first foreign trip since the beginning of the pandemic, is attending a meeting this week of the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

However, he was absent from group photographs published late on Thursday when the leaders, including Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, went for dinner.

An Uzbek government source later confirmed Xi's absence and said the Chinese delegation cited its Covid-19 policy as the reason.

The snub comes just hours after Putin and Xi met to hail their strategic ties in defiance of the West amid Russia's widely condemned war in Ukraine and China's claim on self-governed Taiwan.

While Russia has fully backed China's claim to Taiwan, Xi has expressed hesitancy over Putin's military exploits across the border, something which Putin acknowledged during talks yesterday.

'We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis,' Putin told Xi.

'We understand your questions and concern about this. During today's meeting, we will of course explain our position.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) speaks to fellow leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin(2-R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Chinese President Xi is nowhere to be found

It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Putin saw Xi in early February for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, days before the Russian leader launched the military offensive in Ukraine

Earlier in the day, the eastern leaders were pictured sitting across from each other at two long rounded tables flanked by aides as they discussed their nations' partnership in the face of Western sanctions.

For Putin, it was a chance to show Russia has not been fully isolated and he quickly set about denouncing Western attitudes, particularly those of the United States which has been leading efforts to support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia.

'Attempts to create a unipolar world have recently acquired an absolutely ugly form and are completely unacceptable.

'We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis,' Putin told Xi, while reiterating Moscow's backing for China on Taiwan.

'We adhere to the principle of one China. We condemn the provocation of the US and their satellites in the Taiwan Strait,' Putin said, after a US Senate committee on Wednesday took the first step towards Washington directly providing billions of dollars in military aid to Taiwan.

Xi meanwhile took a slightly more measured tack, confirming his nation's willingness to strengthen ties while avoiding an overt proclamation of support for Putin's war in Ukraine.

'China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil,' Xi told Putin at the talks.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also quoted Xi as saying China was willing to work with Russia to support 'each other's core interests'.

Beijing's support is widely seen as essential for Moscow, which needs markets for its energy exports and sources to import high tech goods as it faces sanctions imposed by the West.

The last time the two men met they signed a 'no limits' friendship agreement between their two countries.

Three weeks later, Russia invaded Ukraine.

Putin (L) and Xi (R) met yesterday to hail their strategic ties in defiance of the West amid Russia's widely condemned war in Ukraine and China's increasingly threatening stance on self-governed Taiwan

Members and other leaders attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022

Ian Bremmer, political science professor at Columbia University, said the Kremlin chief's recognition of Chinese hesitancy to support the war in Ukraine was 'the first public sign of Putin recognising pressure to back down'.

'Russia has become a pariah to the G7 because of their invasion. China wants no part of that,' he wrote on Twitter, referring to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.

White House spokesman John Kirby meanwhile said China should reject Russia's invasion.

'The whole world should be lined up against what Mr Putin is doing,' Kirby told CNN.

'This is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Mr Putin.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later told reporters that the talks behind closed doors with China had been excellent.
China is set to impose sanctions on the CEOs of Boeing Defense and Raytheon over their involvement in the US sale of arms to Taiwan.

The sanctions on Boeing Defense, Space, and Security CEO Ted Colbert and Raytheon Technologies Corp boss Gregory Hayes are in response to the State Department on September 2 approving the sale of military equipment to Taiwan.

Those sales include 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, of which the respective principal contractors are Boeing Defense, a division of Boeing, and Raytheon.

Raytheon Technologies Corp boss Gregory Hayes has been sanctioned by China over sales to Taiwan

Boeing Defense, Space, and Security CEO Ted Colbert has also been hit by the financial penalties

Colbert and Hayes will be sanctioned 'in order to protect China's sovereignty and security interests' said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning citing 'their involvement in these arms sales'.

Mao did not elaborate on what the sanctions would entail or on how they would be enforced.

'The Chinese side once again urges the U.S. government and relevant entities to...stop selling arms to Taiwan and U.S.-Taiwan military contacts.'

The Pentagon announced the package in the wake of China's aggressive military drills around Taiwan following a visit last month by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Taipei in years.

China has previously sanctioned Raytheon, Boeing Defense, and unspecified individuals involved in arms sales to Taiwan.

Ordnance crew members shoulder a AIM-9 Sidewinder missile on board the USS Abraham Lincoln

Taiwan will also spend some $355 million to buy 60 Harpoon Block II missiles which can track and sink incoming vessels if China launches an assault by water

Friday's announcement marks the first time Beijing identified and imposed sanctions against individuals from these companies.

Beijing considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan a wayward province it has vowed to bring under control, by force if necessary.

Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying only its people can decide their future, and vows to defend itself if attacked.

The package -- the largest for Taiwan approved under President Joe Biden's administration -- includes $665 million for contractor support to maintain and upgrade a Raytheon early radar warning system in operation since 2013 that would warn Taiwan about an incoming attack.

A US-made 155mm howitzer firing during a drill at Penghu islands in Taiwan in August

Pelosi, center, walks with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022

Taiwan will also spend some $355 million to buy 60 Harpoon Block II missiles which can track and sink incoming vessels if China launches an assault by water.

The arms also include $85.6 million for more than 100 Sidewinder missiles, a mainstay of Western militaries for their air-to-air firepower.

Ahead of the visit of Pelosi, who is second in line to the White House, Biden officials quietly made the case to China that she did not represent the administration policy as Congress is a separate and equal branch of government.

The weapons approval, by contrast, clearly comes from the Biden administration although it is consistent with sales since 1979 when the United States switched recognition to Beijing but agreed to maintain Taiwan's capacity for self-defense.

Biden, on a trip to Tokyo in May, appeared to break with decades of US policy by saying the United States would defend Taiwan directly if it is attacked although his aides later walked back his remarks, insisting that US policy remained ambiguous.

Taiwanese soldiers operate a Oerlikon 35mm twin cannon anti-aircraft gun at a base in Taiwan's southeastern Hualien county on Thursday

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Chinese military helicopter gunships fire rockets during joint war games held by Russia and China

China considers Taiwan a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

According to Chinese state media, a little over half of Taiwan's residents would take up arms if the communist nations invaded the island.

While nearly 60 percent of citizens do not believe that the US military declare war on China if an invasion were to occur.

The same article included the words: 'Despite their potential threats, the US weapons will not change the military power balance across the Taiwan Straits as the PLA has an absolute advantage.'

The article said that any new military technology would be the primary targets of the Chinese if conflict were to occur.

China's nationalists set up a rival government in Taiwan in 1949 after losing the mainland's civil war although the island has since blossomed into a vibrant democracy and major technological hub.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised growing questions on whether China may follow suit in Taiwan and whether the island is equipped to defend itself.

In a July appearance, CIA chief Bill Burns said that Chinese President Xi Jinping was still determined to assert control over Taiwan but that Russia's woes in Ukraine may have prompted Beijing to wait and make sure it can have an overwhelming military advantage.

On the same day as China's new threat, the embassy also responded to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's statement on the treatment of ethnic Muslim groups in the Xinjiang region of the country.

Blinken, referencing a recent UN report, called on the Chinese government to 'immediately cease committing these atrocities' against the Uyghur people.

The Chinese embassy said in a statement that the initial UN report 'smears and slanders China.' The press release accused the US of wanting to 'stir up chaos in Xinjiang.'

The statement went on to say: 'China firmly opposes US interference in China's internal affairs through Xinjiang-related issues. What the US should really focus on is its own human rights abuses.'
Dockworkers in Los Angeles claimed more than $2.1million in fraudulent health insurance payments that in fact went to strippers to perform sex acts on them, the Fed allege.

Ten people, including eight workers at the Port of Long Beach plus 'conspiracy ringleader' Sara Victoria and another woman, have been hit with federal charges over the scam.

Victoria, 46, of San Pedro, was charged Wednesday with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to a plea agreement signed by Victoria, between January 2017 and August 2021, she owned and operated three healthcare businesses that offered patients chiropractic services, acupuncture treatments, and also sexual services.

The California Attorney's Office allege that Victoria concocted the scheme with the dockworkers as she knew that their health insurance plan covered all chiropractic services with no deductible or out-of-pocket expenses.

Victoria scoured the Long Beach strip clubs for women to recruit to provide sex acts for the dockworkers, who were then reimbursed through the fraudulent invoices that she would file for chiropractic services and physical therapy.

Mastermind Sara Victoria, 46, scoured the Long Beach strip clubs for women to recruit to provide sex acts for the dockworkers, who were paid through the fraudulent invoices. Pictured: The Port of Long Beach in Long Beach where the dockworkers worked

Eight dockworkers were charged in relation to the conspiracy, who all reached plea agreements. Pictured: The port across the bay from Long Beach

She would also file claims under the names of family members including spouses and children of the dockworkers, none of whom received the services specified.

This allowed the clients to continue to enjoy the services of the strippers even after maxing out the visits covered by their insurance for chiropractic services.

Victoria also paid cash kickbacks to the dockworkers as part of the scheme, who also reached plea agreements.

In total, Victoria submitted approximately $2,110,920 in claims to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union  Pacific Maritime Association (ILWU-PMA) benefit plan, for which the plan paid approximately $551,810.

Victoria is expected to enter a guilty plea as part of her plea deal, where she will face a statutory maximum sentence of 12 years in federal prison.

Eight other defendants signed plea agreements on conspiracy to commit health care fraud charges.

One defendant charged was Cameron Rahm, 39, of Pico Rivera, a Long Beach longshoreman and ILWU member.

Rahm was one of the customers of Victorias businesses, and agreed to have her submit fraudulent claims in exchange for sex acts.

He also allegedly lied to FBI agents investigating this case when he denied allowing anyone to bill his health insurer for sexual services.

If convicted of all charges, Rahm would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and health care fraud counts, and five years in federal prison for the false statements count.
Up to 400 violent criminals are being shipped off to fight for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine after recruiters promised them a pardon in exchange for six months of service.

Prisoners from penal colonies who signed up for the deal were seen filing into prison vans destined for a 'training camp' in the south of Russia, video footage has shown.

After perfunctory military instruction the murderers, sex offenders, burglars and other convicts will be sent to the front line following the mass jail release.

Deserters have been warned they will be shot - but those who survive six months will be pardoned by Putin and allowed to resume their lives no matter how heinous their crimes.

The Russian leader and his military commanders are scrambling to recruit as many new fighters as possible without having to introduce mass conscription in a desperate attempt to reinforce dwindling troop numbers across the border.

It comes as close Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads up the infamous private army known as the Wagner Group, personally travelled to a prison in the Mordovia region to deliver a speech encouraging inmates to sign up as mercenaries earlier this week.

Prisoners from penal colonies in Tambov region are seen being shuttled to combat training camps before being shipped off to Ukraine

Head of the PMC Wagner Group of mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin is pictured amid a recruitment drive at a prison in Mordovia

Prigozhin said that Ukraine's lightning counteroffensive near Kharkiv this past weekend - which saw Russian troops abandon their positions in an en-masse retreat - was a 'disgrace' his private army could reverse

Prigozhin, 61, did not mince his words and threatened to recruit prisoners' children should they refuse the offer.

'The first sin is deserting. No-one deserts, no-one gives up, no-one surrenders. Youll be taught what to do regarding surrender.

'Two grenades which you must have on you. One grenade for our foes, and one for yourself.

'Those who do not like this send your own children to the front,' Putin's crony declared.

'It's either the PMC [Private Military Company] and prisoners, or your children. It's up to you.'

Those who die on the front line 'will be buried as heroes', Prigozhin told the inmates.

So far Putin has baulked at launching a full-scale mobilisation of new recruits, but there are rumours he is poised to announce partial conscription in certain regions.

Prigozhin meanwhile indicated to loyalist Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that Ukraine's lightning counteroffensive near Kharkiv this past weekend - which saw Russian troops abandon their positions in an en-masse retreat - was a 'disgrace' his private army could reverse.

'They are patriots and cannot allow the disgrace of their Motherland,' Prigozhin claimed.

'Secondly, they are professionals of the highest level and many of them have gone through dozens of wars, preparing themselves for the greatest day when their beloved Motherland will have to be defended.'

Prigozhin graduated as a trusted Kremlin fixer and gained the moniker 'Putin's chef' after being his personal cook at several banquets (Putin left, Prigozhin right)

Yevgeny Prigozhin (middle) pictured with other Wagner Group fighters at LNR at the beginning of August 2022

He went on to describe his mercenaries as 'warriors, unlike many Kremlin critics who never leave their plush cars'.

They would not 'use Chanel perfume and drive in Nappa leather cars, but climb basements and trenches to keep the situation under control'.

'Of course, if I were a prisoner, I would dream of joining this friendly team in order to be able not only to redeem my debt to the Motherland but also to repay it with vengeance.'

Prigozhin, who graduated as a trusted Kremlin fixer and gained the moniker 'Putin's chef' after being his personal cook at several banquets, is also tasked with overseeing several so-called 'troll farms' - hordes of workers and volunteers who manipulate social media networks to publish a sea of pro-war propaganda inside Russia and abroad.

While Putin's chef continues his whirlwind recruitment tour of Russian prisons, defence minister Sergei Shoigu faces being summoned to a Russian parliament hearing amid his forces' dismal performance in eastern Ukraine.

It is virtually unknown for the State Duma to summon a defence minister to account for himself.

But Russia's armed forces have been openly criticised by military commentators this week after losing control of large parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv region to a lightning advance by Ukrainian forces.

Shoigu, who has held the defence post for 10 years, is said to have been 'sidelined' by Vladimir Putin following Russia's failures in Ukraine.

Russia's lower house of parliament will consider summoning Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) to face questioning over his disastrous military campaign in Ukraine

Russia's armed forces have been openly criticised by military commentators this week after losing control of large parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv region (Pictured: A Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on destroyed Russian APCs near the recently retaken area of Izyum, Ukraine, on Thursday)

Under Shoigu's leadership, Ukraine claims a staggering 54,050 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began. An estimated 250 aircraft, 4,690 armoured personnel vehicles and 2,199 tanks have also been destroyed (Pictured: Ukrainian serviceman repair a captured Russian tank in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on Thursday)

Senior lawmaker Sergei Mironov, a strong supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and head of the small pro-Kremlin 'Just Russia' party, was quoted in the Kommersant newspaper as saying that the State Duma Council, which manages the chamber's business, would discuss the matter on Monday.

Mironov had tweeted on Wednesday that his party had proposed the session with Shoigu 'so that the deputies can speak with him behind closed doors and ask all the questions that interest us and the citizens'.

Russia's defeat in the Kharkiv region was its biggest since it was driven back from an advance on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the first weeks of the invasion, which began on February 24.

Under Shoigu's leadership, Ukraine claims a staggering 54,050 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began.

An estimated 250 aircraft, 4,690 armoured personnel vehicles and 2,199 tanks have also been destroyed, according to Ukraine's Defence Ministry.
Number of migrants who have crossed the English Channel in 2022 now stands at 29,716

The number of migrants reaching the UK by crossing the English Channel is soaring after 617 people were intercepted on Thursday alone - including 38 who were found in the sea after their tiny dinghy sank during the journey.

In the nine months of 2022 so far, 29,716 migrants are known to have attempted the 21-mile crossing in 757 separate incidents.

That figure is already more than the 28,526 who arrived on UK shores in 2021. In 2020 there were just 8,410.

Border Force vessels and RNLI lifeboats carried out rescues at sea throughout the day in 14 separate incidents.

Migrants are helped down from an RLNI boat after being rescued in the English Channel on Thursday. In total, 617 people attempted the journey on Thursday

In the nine months of 2022 so far, 29,716 migrants are known to have attempted the 21-mile crossing in 757 separate incidents. That figure is already more than the 28,526 who arrived on UK shores in 2021. In 2020 there were just 8,410

Immigration enforcement officers carry migrant children to safety following a rescue in the Channel on Thursday

The majority were brought into the harbour at Dover, Kent, to be entered into the immigration system.

Weather conditions in the Channel deteriorated on Thursday and remain dangerous today, which is expected to prevent any further crossings for the next few days.

But there are concerns that as the UK heads into autumn and winter the journey will become only more perilous.

Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, said she is 'deeply concerned' about the sheer number of arrivals.

'It's vital to see the small boats crisis brought to an end as the seas will become colder and rougher as we head into autumn and winter,' she said.

Fourteen separate boats were found in the Channel on Thursday - each carrying around 44 people

Migrants are helped down from an RLNI boat after being rescued in the English Channel on Thursday to be taken into an immigration processing facility

A young girl wearing a life jacket is carried to safety on the shores of Kent on Thursday after being rescued from the Channel

A group of migrants stand in line on stony Dungeness beach in Kent on Thursday after being plucked from the English Channel

Rescue crews lead a dinghy full of migrants to shore and provide a ladder to help them get down

'Action is needed now to avoid further tragic loss of life on the English Channel.'

Last month, Government officials said it was remarkable there had not been any drownings or other serious incidents so far this year.

The Coastguard confirmed there were no reported deaths on Thursday, despite the risk to the 38 migrants whose dinghy deflated during the journey.

A Coastguard search and rescue helicopter assisted and remained at the scene as all passengers were rescued between 6.17am and 7.07am.

A group of male migrants gather on Dungeness beach in Kent as they roll cigarettes and put their hoods up amid the wet weather

A group of migrants gaze at the shores of Kent as they approach on an RLNI rescue boat after being pulled from the waters on Thursday

Migrants form a single file line after being handed brown and blue blankets upon being brought ashore in Kent on Thursday

A small child wrapped in a blue blanket was among the 617 people rescued off the coast of the UK on Thursday

The Dungeness lifeboat brought a separate group of about 40 people ashore on the pebble beach near Lydd on the Romney Marsh in Kent at 2pm.

The migrants arrived with blankets wrapped around their shoulders and wearing orange ponchos after battling cold and wet conditions at sea.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) data suggests there was an average of 44 people per boat during the latest crossings- with 617 people pulled ashore along with 14 boats.

But the data does not include any people who manage to avoid detection, or where there have been reports of people making the crossing but no actual encounters with Border Force.

A staggering 4,673 have been detained by Border Force so far this month alone.

A migrant wades through the water off Dungeness beach in Kent after he was rescued out at sea on Thursday, as a second man (right) clutches a black bin bag with all his possessions

A man carries a young child as he is brought to shore in Kent on Thursday after coming into trouble while making the crossing on a small boat
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Mourners determined to pay their respects to Her Majesty have brought their dogs and loved ones' ashes to see the Queen's coffin, while veterans have made moving final salutes to the late monarch.

One member of the public has been spotted with a dog wrapped under her arm inside Westminster Hall at the Queen's lying-in-state on Friday morning.

Captured on Daily Mail TV's live feed of the Queen's lying-in-state at 10.40am, a woman can be seen holding what appears to be a chihuahua, as she queues to pay her respects to the late monarch.

Yesterday, a parliamentary source told the Daily Mail that officials have stopped six mourners from entering Westminster Hall after they were caught trying to smuggle in their pet dogs hidden under coats.

While pets are not permitted inside Westminster Hall, guide dogs, hearing dogs and other official assistance dogs are allowed inside.

Woman seen carrying a small dog inside the Queen's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall today

Man makes moving final salute at the Queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall on Friday morning

Veteran salutes Queen's coffin on Friday morning as he pays his respects to the late monarch, who died last Thursday

Meanwhile, a veteran was seen making a heartbreaking final salute to the Queen's coffin as he paid his respects to Her Majesty on Friday Morning.

The gentleman, dressed in military uniform, was seen making the gesture of respect inside Westminster Hall after queuing for hours to pay tribute to the Queen, who died last Thursday at her Balmoral estate, aged 96.

Another mourner queuing through the night told the BBC how she brought her mother's ashes to pay her respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

A woman named Mandy travelled from Manchester with her family to queue to see her Majesty lying-in-state.

She said they had started queuing at around 8pm yesterday and paid their respects at around 4.45am.

Mandy (pictured right) told the BBC she had brought her mother's ashes to the Queen's lying-in-state

Describing herself as from 'royalist family', Mandy said she decided to bring her late mother's ashes with her because she was 'really patriotic'.

Having attended Charles and Diana's wedding and the Queen Mother's funeral with her own mother, Mandy said she 'vowed' that she would attend the Queen's funeral.

She said: 'I brought my mothers ashes actually, because we lost my mum as well two years ago and she was really patriotic, a royalist.'

On Friday morning, the queue for the Queen's lying-in-state, dubbed 'the Elizabeth line', was shut for at least six hours after reaching nearly five-miles long.

The queue is currently closed for 'at least six hours' after Southwark Park reached capacity on Friday morning

Those at the end of the queue would have at least a 14-hour wait to pay their respects to Her Majesty, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sports' queue live tracker.

The Government said in an update just before 10am: 'Southwark Park has reached capacity.

'Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.'

On the third day of the Queen's lying-in-state, those stood in the queue which hugged the south bank of the River Thames were told the wait time had swelled to 'at least 14 hours' and 4.9 miles to Southwark Park in Bermondsey.

The Government had warned just an hour earlier: 'If the park reaches capacity, entry to the queue will be paused. If you have not yet set off to join, please consider waiting until numbers have reduced.'

And the line for people to go through Westminster Hall has now been doubled to two lines each side of Her Majesty's casket amid concerns over delays.

Since the early hours of yesterday morning, officials have directed mourners to form two columns either side of the late Queen's coffin, adorned with the Imperial Crown, so twice as many people can pay their respects at once.

The huge volume of people wanting to say farewell to Her Majesty led to the decision to double the rate of flow, ensuring as many who wished to pay their respects were able.

The queue - which people have been joining since Monday and which opened on Wednesday at 5pm - is now taking mourners more than half a day to complete but many have been saying the long wait was worth it.

Mourners said there was 'breathtaking' serenity awaiting them in Westminster Hall where 'you could hear a pin drop' in the silence.

The 'queue of all queues': Access to the queue in Southwark Park was closed after it reached capacity on Friday morning

Meanwhile, those queuing for hours have told about the community spirit they have felt while waiting for their moment to pay respects to the Queen, with many making 'friends for life' and planning to go to the pub together afterwards.

Rupi Chawlia, 45, from Wiltshire, told MailOnline she was 'going for a drink' with people she had met in the queue after paying her respects to Her Majesty yesterday.

'We made some new friends in the queue and we're going for a drink,' she said. 'It's been great, the socialising aspect of it, and that's what really made the time go by.

Kim Rickard, 61, from West Sussex said that she just wanted to 'say thank you' to the late monarch

'You're chatting to people, about your lives, any connections you may have had with the royal family which we found out today some of us have met the Queen. I have, I've been to one of her tea parties.

'It's her legacy, the community coming together. For me, it's one big celebration of her wonderful role'.

Charlotte Minchell, 66, from Bromley, said she got talking to people in queue and was happily surprised to find she was surrounded by people who 'share the same values'.

She said: 'You talk to people around you and it was quite interesting, because we all seem to share the same values. The other thing that surprised me is everyone seemed to have some sort of connection the Queen, some event in their life or personal reason for being here. It was lovely.'

Kim Rickard, 61, from West Sussex, also made friends while waiting for six hours in the queue and said her group of four were planning to go for a drink after leaving Westminster Hall.

She said: 'We were all congregated at the back of the queue at Southwark Cathedral, and straight away started talking from that point on.

'We've been wondering together, it was a good group. And because six hours is quite a long time, it was good to have that sort of group camaraderie through the whole thing.'

'I think we're going to sit down and have a cup of tea now. I don't know if we'll keep in touch but it's all part of it, isn't it? Everyone's here for the same reason.'
A 'happy-go-lucky' mother and her teenage son who had no known history of drug use were found dead in their beds from an overdose which a coroner said 'may never be explained.'

Jenny Smith, 37, and her 17-year-old son Joseph were found at their home near Sefton Park in Liverpool, on February 22, 2022.

The pair were 'very much against drug use', did not drink and Ms Smith, 'wouldn't take anything that wasn't prescribed to her,' the inquest heard.

Toxicology tests showed the pair had both died from a massive overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

The coroner said it was, 'unclear as to why Jenny and her son consumed an excessive amount of the drug that was not prescribed to them.'

Ms Smith had gout and had previously suffered from psychotic episodes and Gilbert's syndrome, an inherited liver disorder.

Ms Smith was found under a duvet in the main bedroom, while Joseph was found on a makeshift bed on the living room floor.

Coroner Anita Bhardwaj said the deaths of both mother and son raised questions that would likely never be answered.

Jenny Smith (right), 37, and her 17-year-old son Joseph (left) were found at their Marmion Road home, near Sefton Park in Liverpool, on February 22, 2022

At the inquest at Gerard Majella Court yesterday, the coroner said: 'We don't know what has happened. There appears to be a piece of the jigsaw that is missing, that we are never going to know, and the only people who did know are Jenny and Joseph.

'There are so many unanswered questions.'

Ms Smith, a former victim support worker, was last seen by a neighbour at around 10am on February 18, in the communal area of the flat block where she lived with her son.

On February 20, Ms Smith's father, Malcolm Smith, who lives in America, called Merseyside Police and asked them to check on his family, as he had not heard from them for several days.

Police visited the property on February 20 and 21, but nobody came to the door. Phone calls to both Ms Smith and Joseph's mobile phones also went unanswered.

When officers returned at 11am on February 22 and found that a note they had posted to Ms Smith the previous day had not been touched, they forced entry to the flat, and found the bodies of both Ms Smith and Joseph.

Ms Smith's father Malcolm said: 'It was very much a shock to me that they had even touched anything like (fentanyl) because they were very much against drug use. Jenny in particular was the kind of person who wouldn't take anything that wasn't prescribed to her.

At their inquest at Gerard Majella Court (pictured) yesterday coroner Anita Bhardwaj said the tragic deaths of both mother and son raised questions that would likely never be answered

'Jenny was quite happy-go-lucky; she enjoyed life. She didn't get out as much as she could because she suffered from gout. She did mix with people though, she wasn't a total loner.

'Joseph was exactly the same, very happy-go-lucky, very studious. He looked after his nan when she was not well.

'They were both good, ordinary people. It was a complete and utter shock to me that they should take fentanyl.'

The court heard that no evidence of suspicious circumstances had been found either at the scene or during the post-mortem examinations.

Malcolm said: 'Joseph wanted to join the police force, then he wanted to do dog handling, then he thought about going into forensics, before he finally decided to go into computer coding. He absolutely loved video games, especially Grand Theft Auto, which they were both into in a big way.

'I can't imagine either of them to have ever experimented with drugs. It was very rare that either of them would take a drink. Joseph would have the odd one, a little glass of wine at Christmas. But neither of them were really into anything like that.'

Handing down a narrative conclusion, Ms Bhardwaj said: 'It's unclear as to why Jenny and her son consumed an excessive amount of the drug that was not prescribed to them.'

Addressing Malcolm, she added: 'They were clearly both intelligent young people and it must have been a shock to hear what had actually happened, and then when the toxicology came through, what the cause of death was.

'It seems such a loss of two young lives who clearly had future plans and a future ahead of them. I can only say there appears to be a piece of the jigsaw puzzle missing as to why they did what they did, but unfortunately we're never going to know the answer.'

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A ring of steel will surround Westminster Abbey for the Queen's funeral in the biggest security operation in Scotland Yard's near-200 year history as it was revealed today that there have been 34 arrests in the lead up to the event.

At least 10,000 police officers including 2,000 from around the UK will be guarding central London and the Queen's 23 mile route to Windsor Castle on Monday. Many roads and bridges will be shut to traffic and 23-miles of barriers put up to control crowds and keep key areas empty or secure.

The Met's DAC Stuart Cundy, the man in charge of the operation in the capital, said the force would use 'all tools and tactics available' to protect the Queen's coffin, the Royal Family, hundreds of VIPs and world leaders and the 1million people expected to head to the capital to mourn.

The Queen's hearse will travel on A-roads and avoid the M4 from London to Windsor People watch the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, following her death last Thursday, after leaving RAF Northolt in London on Tuesday. The Queen's final journey after the funeral on Monday will avoid motorways and stick to slower A-roads  giving thousands more Britons the chance to pay their last respects as her coffin passes The Queen's final journey after the funeral will avoid motorways and stick to slower A-roads  giving thousands more Britons the chance to pay their last respects as her coffin passes. The Daily Mail understands the hearse carrying her from Westminster to Windsor will not travel on the M4, which would be the quickest route. Sources revealed last night that it will be driven on the A30 and is likely also to go on the A4. One insider said: 'All the other royals will be going on the M4.' Travelling along A-roads west out of London to Berkshire means it will be easier for mourners to line up and pay respects. The choice of route comes after warnings that up to 350,000 mourners are going to miss out on the opportunity to visit her lying-in-state in Westminster due to massive waits in the queue. Former Tory Cabinet minister David Jones, who called for an extended post-funeral route, said last night: 'I think it's very important that as many people as possible have the opportunity to pay their last respects while in sight of the coffin. So it's sensible that it's not going all the way along the motorway, as people would not be able to do that there. The blueprint for the procession is based on the one used for the Queen Mother who was buried in Windsor in 2002. The route taken from London to Northamptonshire after Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 was lengthened at the 11th hour due to the huge outpouring of grief over her death. Advertisement

The senior officer told reporters the 'hugely complex' policing operation is the biggest in the force's history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day.

Rank-and-file will line the streets supported by armed officers on the ground and snipers on rooftops. Helicopters and CCTV will help commanders watch crowds from the sky.

Mr Cundy said: 'This will be the largest single policing event that the Met Police has ever undertaken. As a single event this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense.'

He added that 34 people have been arrested as part of the policing operation in the lead up to the Queen's funeral. The senior officer called the number recorded by Friday morning 'relatively few', and said none were for protesting.

Drones are known to be used in major operations while facial recognition software has been used in London. DAC Cundy declined to rule out using them, citing operational reasons, but added they would use 'all tactics and tools' they needed to protect the capital.

He said that he wanted the crowds to keep an eye out for drones because there is a no-fly zone over the funeral and London procession.

Motorbike escort riders, the Met's horse-mounted branch, dog teams and the marine unit will be in place. The force will also use more than 22 miles of barriers in central London alone to control crowds and keep key areas secure.

It came as Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the policing operation for the funeral as 'enormous', adding that his officers are being supported by 'pretty much every force across the country' who are all 'relishing the opportunity'.

After the stabbing of two police officers in the West End this morning, DAC Cundy said that while it was not related to terrorism or the Queen's death - it reinforced that the Met must be prepared for a major incident such as a terror attack, a crowd crush or protesters disrupting the event.

He said: 'Who knows what might occur over the coming days. If anyone sees anything, hears anything, or thinks that something is out of the ordinary please speak to one of the hundreds if not thousands of officers that they'll see so we can respond accordingly'.

Anyone coming to Windsor to see the Queen's coffin arrive on Monday afternoon will be subject to searches and scanning through weapons arches before they arrive at the castle.

He said that there had been 34 arrests in London linked to the Queen's death and events  but DAC Cundy insisted none were protesters.

During the 2012 Olympic Games in London up to 10,000 police officers were on duty per day.

Stuart Cundy said that, following the death of the Queen, in mutual aid alone - officers who are drafted in from outside forces to help - there will be 20,000 officer shifts throughout the week and 2,000 officers in a single day at the peak.

It will also be the largest global protection operation that the force has dealt with, as hundreds of VIPs are expected to attend the funeral on Monday.

Police in central London as part of what Scotland Yard says is the biggest operation in their history following the death of the Queen

Mounted police, pictured on The Mall, are one of the specialist units that will protect the public and royals

More than 22 miles of roads in London will be guarded by the police on the day of the funeral

Police spotters and top brass on top of Buckingham Palace as part of the security operation

More than 2,000 officers from outside the Met are currently protecting the capital

The morning at 6am a female police officer suffered potentially life-changing injuries while her colleague was stabbed in the neck after they were attacked by a knifeman in London's West End this morning.

The Met Police officers were attacked while on patrol, after being called to reports of a man with a blade near Leicester Square around 6am this morning.

A young female police officer suffered a serious stab wound to her arm which may be life-changing, while the other officer was stabbed three times in the neck and once in the chest, but should make a full recovery, Scotland Yard said.

A Taser was deployed by arriving officers on a man aged in his 20s, described as being of north African origin, who was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker. He was taken to hospital.

Detectives have launched an investigation but the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

It happened in the area of Haymarket and Coventry Street, before the man was stopped near the junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and Great Windmill Street.

Police officers at the scene of the stabbing near London's Leicester Square this morning

Police officers at the scene in the West End this morning following the stabbing hours earlier

Horrifying footage from the scene of the stabbing shows an officer leaning against the side of a wall as three others attend to him and attempt to bandage his shoulder following the attack

Horrifying footage from the scene shows an officer leaning against the side of a wall as three others attend to him and attempt to bandage his shoulder following the attack.

A large blood stain was visible on the white wall of the 'Shake Shack' bar where the officers were attacked.

A hotel worker witness told MailOnline: 'The policemen got the knife off him to start with and it fell in the floor. But he managed to pick it up again and started lashing out. He got them both before they managed to stop him. I think they used a taser.'

Police officers from around the country are relishing the opportunity to help support the Queen's funeral, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said.

'It (the Queen's funeral) is an enormous policing operation,' he told the PA news agency.

'We now build in the resources over the weekend towards Monday. We've got Metropolitan Police officers supported by pretty much every force across the country.

'The number of officers deployed is heading to a point where it will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester - it will be heading into the high numbers of thousands of officers deployed.

'And within that you've got the very visible officers lining routes and patrolling the crowds supported by any number of specialists, counterterrorism specialists, firearms officers, search officers - the whole range of skills that we have in the organisation all dedicated to supporting this event and ensuring that it is safe, and trying to do it in an unobtrusive way as possible because this is obviously a solemn occasion and we want to present that opportunity for everyone to reflect and mourn as is proper on Monday.'

Sir Mark added: 'The operation (this week) has been going fantastically well, and it's great to see the spirit of officers.

'I think the sense in all the officers I speak to - whether they're Met officers or from around the country - is that everyone feels just immensely privileged to be able to take this opportunity to play a small part in supporting the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and actually they're really relishing and proud of that opportunity.'

Transport chiefs unveil plans for Queen's funeral: Elizabeth line to run overnight, buses to stop for two minute's silence, THREE Tube stations closed and slam-door trains brought back into service as drivers are told to get petrol before bank holiday

The Elizabeth line will run overnight, buses will pull over during the silence and heritage slam-door trains will help boost rail capacity next Monday as up to one million mourners descend on London for the Queen's funeral.

Transport for London also announced today that three major central Underground stations will be closed on Monday morning to prevent overcrowding and warned that services are expected to be 'extremely busy'.

Many buses will be diverted due to road closures, while Tube passengers will be prevented from starting or ending journeys at Westminster, St James's Park and Hyde Park Corner stations for 'most of the morning' on Monday.

Transport bosses said they 'will aim to reopen stations' after the funeral at Westminster Abbey - which will be at around noon - to help people leaving the area. Green Park station will be exit-only between 10am and 8pm.

TfL also announced that buses will pull over 'if it is safe and practical to do so' and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence on Monday at around 11.55am.

Meanwhile the RAC warned motorists to fill up their cars with fuel before Monday when hundreds of petrol stations at the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons will shut for the day until some reopen at 5pm.

And the AA issued a 'traffic warning' for Windsor and Central London, urging people to travel by public transport if they want to want proceedings and 'not expect to park anywhere near the procession route' if they drive. It also told people to pre-book any limited parking and to switch off their sat-navs and follow signs installed by the AA.

The recently-opened Elizabeth line will run a special service with a train every five minutes on the central section from Paddington to Abbey Wood on Sunday, while the east and west sections of the line will operate as normal.

Elizabeth line services will also run overnight between Paddington and Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. In addition, some taxi ranks in central areas will be suspended but temporary ranks have been set up.

Old-fashioned slam door charter trains from Lancashire-based West Coast Railways (WCR) are also being brought in to run a daily service from Lancaster and Preston to Euston, taking an extra 500 passengers a day to the capital.

WCR is better known for running the Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig which passes the Glenfinnan viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter films and also operates one of the last remaining Pullman carriages.

And Avanti West Coast, which has been hit by major staff shortages, will run an extra service from Manchester to Euston with specialist train firm Locomotive Services Limited but under Avanti livery, reported the Daily Telegraph.

All Network Rail managed stations in London - including King's Cross, London Victoria, London Waterloo, London Liverpool Street, Charing Cross and Euston - will be open 24 hours a day to provide shelter for people overnight.

Many shops, restaurants and toilets will also stay open at these stations through the night, with some services running into the night from operators including Great Western Railway, Southeastern and Chiltern Railways.

Some stations will have empty 'welfare trains' in platforms to offer passengers shelter and a seat while they wait for a service. However, Network Rail said these trains will not be advertised because they are provided as a 'last resort' resource with customers invited to join by station staff and priority given to the elderly and vulnerable.

The recently-opened Elizabeth line will run every five minutes on the central section from Paddington to Abbey Wood on Sunday. Services will also run overnight between Paddington and Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield

Transport for London has announced that buses will pull over 'if it is safe and practical to do so' and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence on Monday at around 11.55am

Old-fashioned slam door charter trains from Lancashire-based West Coast Railways (WCR) are also being brought in to run a daily service from Lancaster and Preston to London Euston, taking an extra 500 passengers a day to the capital

Transport for London has issued this map showing where all the Underground stations are in Central London, in relation to the lying-in-state queue which opened at 5pm on Wednesday and will run until 6.30am on Monday, the day of the funeral

Teams at The AA have been preparing road signs for the Queen's funeral which will be in place in Windsor and London

London Victoria coach station will be closed on Monday  with most National Express coaches due to depart from or arrive at Victoria using Wembley Stadium instead, while rival operator Megabus will switch to Hillingdon.

TfL said that areas around Westminster, Waterloo and Trafalgar Square as well as along the South Bank will be 'exceptionally busy' on Monday.

What Underground, train and bus services will run in London for the Queen's funeral on Monday? Transport for London has issued the following guidance for travel over the next few days: Underground Tube services will run as normal but some stations will be busier than usual. Some short-term safety measures such as queuing, closures, non-stopping or changes to the way customers enter or exit a station may come in. Green Park station is exit only between 10am and 10pm until Monday due to the high demand expected. TfL is asking people to avoid the station if possible to keep capacity for customers who need step-free access. Passengers will be prevented from starting or ending journeys at Westminster, St James's Park and Hyde Park Corner stations for 'most of the morning' on Monday. Charing Cross, Embankment, Victoria, Lancaster Gate, Waterloo and Marble Arch will all be busier than usual The Night Tube and Night Overground will run as normal on Friday night and Saturday night Elizabeth line Elizabeth line services will run overnight between Paddington and Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, but not in the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood The Elizabeth line will also run a special service with 12 trains per hour on the central section on Sunday Buses Road closures mean some buses will stop short of their destination, be on diversion or run a reduced service. TfL has announced that buses will pull over 'if it is safe and practical to do so' and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence on Monday at around 11.55am. Walking TfL said the 'best option' for passengers arriving at mainline railway stations will be to continue their journey on foot rather than use public transport Cycling Some cycle routes will be impacted by road closures, such as C3. Santander Cycles will operate as normal, but some docking stations may be closed. Roads Road closures will be in place across the weekend, and will significantly rise on the day of the funeral. These closures will remain into next week (see box below). Taxi and private hire Taxi and private hire services will be affected by the road closures and some taxi ranks will be suspended. Some temporary ranks are in place around Central London. Coaches London Victoria coach station will be closed on Monday. Most National Express coaches are due to depart from or arrive at Victoria using Wembley Stadium instead, while rival operator Megabus will switch to Hillingdon. River services River services will be operating as normal Advertisement

Services across the Underground, Overground, Docklands Light Railway, London Trams and the Elizabeth line will also take part in the two silences.

TfL said: 'Announcements to customers will be made just before the minute silence and services will continue to run.'

It added that taxis and private hire drivers and passengers are 'also invited to observe' the silences.

Transport chiefs said the 'best option' for passengers arriving at mainline railway stations will be to continue their journey on foot rather than use public transport.

London's transport commissioner Andy Byford said TfL is 'working around the clock' to ensure mourners travelling around the capital can pay their respects to the Queen.

He went on: 'It is going to be extremely busy in London on Monday and there may be short-notice changes and queues to enter stations as a result of the large number of people travelling.

'We will be running a safe, reliable and frequent service to help ensure that everyone can travel home safely after paying their respects.

'We would encourage people to consider making use of the wide range of facilities open across London for refreshments after the state funeral.

'As well as allowing time to continue to pay respects, this will help ensure smoother journeys home for everybody.'

There are fears that a 'New Year's Eve-type mass exodus' after the funeral cortege leaves Westminster will cause severe congestion at Tube and mainline stations, a rail industry source said.

Many Central London Tube stations will be much busier than usual, and TfL said there could be 'some short-term safety measures such as queuing, closures, non-stopping trains or changes to the way customers enter or exit a station may be necessary'.

They added that disabled customers can approach staff so that they can avoid queuing to enter a station.

The Underground stations likely to be much busier than usual are Westminster, Charing Cross, Embankment, Victoria, Waterloo, St James's Park, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch.

Tfl confirmed the normal Night Tube and Night Overground services will run on Friday and Saturday night.

Bank holiday off-peak fares will apply and concessionary travel will be valid for use on TfL services all day. Taxis will not charge the Bank Holiday rate for journeys made on Monday, with taxi fares remaining at normal rates.

Santander Cycles will operate as normal, but some docking stations may be closed around Green Park, St James's Park, Whitehall and Westminster.

TfL added: 'Central London will be very busy and it may be too crowded to cycle in some areas.'

Road closures and bus diversions will continue well into next week as the removal of barriers and other event infrastructure is expected to take several days.

More than 100 Heathrow Airport flights will be cancelled to prevent aircraft noise disturbing proceedings at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.

The west London airport announced that 15 per cent of its 1,200 flights due to take off or land on Monday will be disrupted. British Airways - the most-affected airline - will cancel 100 short-haul flights due to the restrictions. Virgin Atlantic said it will cancel four flights.

Meanwhile mourners travelling to London by train for the Queen's funeral are being urged to stay for lunch to avoid overcrowding.

People visiting the city on Monday to pay their respects to the Queen should 'take a picnic, spend time in London, raise a glass to Her Majesty and keep reviewing live travel information', a rail industry source said.

Roads around Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament are all set to be shut until at least the start of next Tuesday - including Whitehall, Birdcage Walk, The Mall, Constitution Hill, Northumberland Avenue and Marlborough Road

There is expected to be a significant impact on roads in Kensington and Chelsea in West London next Monday - with the local authority there warning that roads from Kensington High Street south will not be accessible on the day of the funeral

The Metropolitan Police released this graphic showing road closures today, but these are set to widen by next Monday

A full weekday timetable will operate, with about 250 additional services, including some overnight trains.

Road closures announced for the Queen's funeral WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL The following roads around Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament are all set to be shut until at least the start of next Tuesday: Birdcage Walk

Buckingham Gate

Constitution Hill

Horse Guards Avenue

Horse Guards Road

Marlborough Road

Northumberland Avenue

The Mall

Victoria Embankment

Victoria Street

Westminster Bridge

Whitehall ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA The following roads will be closed from 6am until later in the day when police deem it safe for them to reopen: Cromwell Road

Queen's Gate

Most other major roads

All the bridges Advertisement

TfL said that most Tube lines will remain open for an additional hour on the night after the funeral, to ensure people can 'travel around the capital safely'.

The last services on several lines will leave central London at about 1am, compared with midnight normally.

The rail industry is confident there will be enough capacity to cope with the number of passengers, particularly as there will be few commuters due to Monday being a bank holiday.

Restrictions on the use of off-peak tickets will not apply. Network Rail said its London stations have seen a 9 per cent increase in usage in recent days compared with the same period last week.

Stationary trains are being used as overnight waiting areas at stations such as King's Cross and Waterloo.

TfL said nearly 115,000 more Tube journeys were made to or from eight stations in the centre of London on Wednesday compared with the same day last week.

A total of 696,468 entries and exits were recorded at Charing Cross, Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, St James's Park, Victoria and Westminster stations.

That was up 20 per cent on the total of 581,740 during the previous Wednesday.

Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy said: 'We are doing all we can to help people travel to commemorative events, pay their respects and celebrate the extraordinary life of Her Majesty the Queen.

'The railway is going to be extremely busy on Monday particularly on routes into London. This is the biggest public transport operation since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and we're working closely with all train operators to run extra trains through the day and into the night.

'To help us provide the best possible experience and avoid lengthy queues at stations we're asking people not to rush home after the funeral and the processions, but to take their time and experience London on this memorable day.'

National Highways will pause planned closures of motorways serving London until after the funeral.

People are now queuing to see the Queen's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall until Monday, on the route shown above

There is also an accessible queue route for those wanting to see the Queen's lying-in-state, which is shown in this map

A screening site has been set up at Hyde Park which can be used by people to watch the Queen's funeral next Monday

Martin Fellows, who is leading the organisation's planning for the mourning period, said he wants to make journeys 'as straightforward as possible'.

Rail firms put on 200 extra services and run overnight trains Trains will run through the night in and out of London from tonight to help mourners visiting the capital to pay their respects to the Queen over the coming days, with around 200 daily rail services added to timetables. Operators such as Southeastern, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway confirmed they will all run overnight services to and from London Victoria, Marylebone and Paddington stations respectively in the next few days. And mourners waiting for the next departure in the early hours of the morning are expected to be invited to sit on stationary trains at stations such as Charing Cross, Euston, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Victoria. Southeastern will run overnight services every two hours from today until next Monday from Victoria to Dartford, Gillingham, Orpington and Ashford; Charing Cross to Orpington and Tunbridge Wells; and St Pancras to Ashford. Chiltern will operate two additional overnight trains every day until Monday from Oxford to Marylebone, leaving at 1.35am and arriving at 3am; then a return journey leaving Marylebone at 3.15am and arriving at Oxford at 4.38am. Great Western Railway said extra services in the very early morning and late evening will be laid on next Monday to take people towards London and back home again. It added that all services 'are expected to be extremely busy'. The extra trains are now being displayed on journey planners such as Trainline, but a rail industry source warned that the limited number of overnight services means they are 'not something people should be relying on'. Advertisement

He said: 'We're expecting the roads to be busy throughout the period. We've deployed extra resources from early (Wednesday) morning, but we will do so right the way through until after the funeral.'

Mr Fellows said some of the worst potential congestion hotspots on motorways are the M25 and roads feeding into London such as the M1, M3, M4, and M11.

He advised motorists to 'allow plenty of time for your journey' and make sure their vehicle is 'well prepared' as 'it will be very frustrating for people to break down if they're on their way to pay their respects'.

Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have unveiled plans for major road closures, with severe disruption expected to motorists and bus passengers as entire areas are blocked off.

Roads around Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament are all set to be shut until at least the start of next Tuesday - including Whitehall, Birdcage Walk, The Mall, Constitution Hill, Northumberland Avenue, Horse Guards Avenue, Horse Guards Road, Victoria Street, Buckingham Gate, Marlborough Road and Victoria Embankment.

Westminster Bridge will also remain closed. While pedestrians and cyclists are set to be allowed to move through most of the areas, the closures will impact public transport - and the council said bicycles may be removed.

The council also warned pedestrian access to some areas will be affected as it tries to 'minimise the impact on residents, businesses and local communities'. It added that it was allowing resident permit holders of affected zones A, D and G to park in resident bays in other zones across Westminster until 8.30am next Wednesday.

There will be a significant impact on roads in Kensington and Chelsea in West London - with the local authority there warning that roads from Kensington High Street south will not be accessible on the day of the funeral.

Queen's Gate and Cromwell Road  as well as most other major roads across the borough and all the bridges - will be closed on Monday from 6am until later in the day when police decide it is safe for them to reopen.

The local authority said there will be 'significant traffic' on Monday and told residents they will have 'restricted access which will make it very difficult to move around the borough and get out of the borough'.

It added: 'This will include any vehicles which may be needed to conduct deliveries to homes and businesses. Residents are encouraged not to use their cars on this day.'

The council has also asked all contractors and utility companies to complete or temporarily close down works in the borough before Sunday and for no works to take place on Monday. They may then resume from Tuesday.

The AA, which is providing signs to direct mourners and provide information on road closures and diversions, advised people to travel by public transport if possible.

AA president Edmund King said: 'People planning to travel into Windsor and London should be prepared for delays.

'With traffic building and car parks beginning to fill up in Windsor, we strongly urge well-wishers to use public transport to help keep traffic moving.'
A number of US government publications expected to provide light on the President Joe Biden administration's and regulators' intentions regarding digital assets have been keenly anticipated by the cryptocurrency industry. The majority of the records are now public, but the situation is still unclear.

The Treasury Department's three reports, which were all released on Friday, largely urge the government to keep assessing the risks associated with cryptocurrencies, carry out enforcement actions as planned, and move the development of a digital dollar forward without suggesting the US should adopt one.

Biden Administration Releases First-Ever Framework for Crypto Regulation

The reports are in response to President Joe Biden's executive order on digital assets, signed in March, which instructed federal agencies to examine various aspects and problems surrounding the cryptocurrency ecosystem and offer recommendations for how the US can both lead the global digital asset sector and address any risks to consumer protection or monetary stability posed by the developing industry. Agencies will release a total of 21 reports.

Over the past few months, reports from the Treasury Department, the Justice Department, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have all been released. Friday saw the release of three further Treasury reports as well as what the White House referred to as its first-ever framework for the responsible development of digital assets.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese stated that the various studies express concerns about consumer protections and illegal activity and offer solutions for the government to address these problems, per Finance.

Gary Gensler, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, stated in a speech last week that most crypto projects in the US are now operating in violation of federal securities law and pose a risk to the well-being of typical investors by failing to follow disclosure regulations.

Read Also: USA Railroad Strike Prevented After Joe Biden's Warning, 20 Hours of Negotiation; Full Details of Agreement Revealed

Biden Urges Congress To Penalize Unlicensed Money Transmit

Between Biden's executive order and Friday's claims, there have been several months of tremendous stress on the cryptocurrency markets, with prices of bitcoin ether and other digital assets dropping and a number of crypto companies declaring bankruptcy.

Many investors in the US and other countries have suffered financially as a result of the failures of projects, including Terra, Celsius, and Voyager. These investors made sizable investments before seeing the value of their tokens plummet or having their accounts frozen.

The administration also expressed concern over the potential for digital assets to facilitate illegal finance, such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and other crimes. It was also implied that Biden was considering whether to suggest to Congress that laws like the Bank Secrecy Act, intended to combat financial crime, be updated to take into account crypto innovation.

According to the reports, there is some hope that the sector for digital assets would promote financial innovation and possibly result in new goods and services that will reduce payment costs and broaden financial inclusion.

The president is also considering whether to ask Congress to increase the fines for unauthorized money transmission or to change some federal laws to enable the Department of Justice to pursue crimes involving digital assets in any location where a victim of those crimes is discovered.

The fact sheet states that Treasury will finish its assessment of the risk of illegal finance related to decentralized finance by the end of February 2023 and its examination of non-fungible coins by the end of July 2023.

The market for digital assets is plagued with crime. The Federal Trade Commission's research shows that since the beginning of 2021, more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency has been lost to fraud.

A fraudulent crypto pyramid and Ponzi scam that garnered more than $300 million from millions of retail investors worldwide, including in the US, was the subject of 11 charges, the SEC announced last month. Meanwhile, in February, US authorities made their largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrencies when they confiscated $3.6 billion worth of bitcoin in connection with the 2016 breach of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, Market Watch via MSN reported.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping Meet! US Official Sends Strong Warning to China Amid Support for Russia

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A Maori king from New Zealand, Killing Eve star Sandra Oh and a Birmingham mum almost stabbed to death by her ex-lover are among those set to attend the Queen's State Funeral next week.

More than a million people are expected to pack into London to witness the historic spectacle, which is expected to become the most-watched televised event in history, being viewed by as many as 4billion people.

The royal King Kiingi Tuheitia, 67, is among the VIPs flying in to attend Her Majesty's send-off on Monday, where he will join world leaders and unsung heroes from across the Commonwealth.

Joining him will be Canadian actress Sandra Oh, best known for her starring role in the BBC hit series Killing Eve, who will join in a procession of national honours as part of Monday's ceremony.

The 51-year-old will join a delegation as a member of the Order of Canada alongside musician Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medallist swimmer Mark Tewksbury.

Also rubbing shoulders with world leaders at the service in London's Westminster Abbey will be courageous mother and knife crime campaigner, Natalie Queiroz, from Birmingham.

Maori King Kiingi Tuheitia is among the guests invited from across the Commonwealth to witness the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday

Brave Birmingham mother Natalie Queiroz, pictured left, will be rubbing shoulders with world leaders and celebrities at the Queen's funeral, including Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh. Natalie was invited to the sovereign's send-off for her work tackling knife crime.

The mum-of-three was made an MBE for her tireless work teaching children about the dangers of knife crime.

It was a mission inspired by her own nightmare ordeal in 2016, which saw her being attacked by her former partner Babur Karamat Raja in a frenzied and bloody assault.

Natalie was eight months pregnant at the time when Raja plunged a 12-inch carving knife into her chest and stomach during a relentless nine-minute attack.

Miraculously Natalie and her daughter, now six, survived the terrifying assault. Raja was later jailed for 18 years for attempted murder and attempted child destruction.

Another VIP invited to the sovereign's send-off is lifeboat volunteer Guy Addington, who met the Queen in 2011.

Since being based with the RNLI in Margate, Kent, Guy is credited with saving 13 lives at sea during his 27 years with the charity, which led to him being made an MBE in June.

The procession which took Queen Elizabeth's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall arrived on Wednesday

Mourners early this morning had been waiting in line for around nine hours to see the Queen

'It's an unbelievable honour and a massive privilege. It's probably the most amazing, most surreal thing that has happened to me,' the 44-year-old told The Mirror.

Also made an MBE in June, alongside Guy, was fellow RNLI volunteer Lynn Spillett, 62, from Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Mrs Spillett was recognised for services to the RNLI in Torbay, Devon, where in the seven years when she was chairwoman of fundraising the branch raised more than 700,000.

Since losing her husband to coronavirus, she has moved back to her home in Sussex and is fundraising for the RNLI in Littlehampton, as well as volunteering at Arundel Castle one day a week.

She said: 'The Queen was the RNLI's patron for 70 years; she was very much, we all think, part of the RNLI family so it's a huge loss to us.

'Her death was a huge shock. To think after 70 years she's just not going to be there any more.

'The royal family have lost a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, but I think everyone feels like she was our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

'To be invited to the funeral and to be able to pass on my condolences myself and be part of the goodbye to her is just an amazing thing - just unbelievable.'

Also on the guest list include some of the Commonwealth's most decorated military heroes, who have all received either the Victoria Cross or George Cross for bravery.

The VC and GC Association said 17 of the 23 recipients of the accolades will be in attendance at the service on Monday, including one from New Zealand and four from Australia.

Seven will be involved in the Procession of the Orders of Chivalry, including Colour Sergeant Johnson Beharry VC, who was awarded Britain's highest military honour for twice saving colleagues while under fire in Iraq.

Colour Sergeant Johnson Beharry was awarded Britain's highest honour for bravery, the Victoria Cross, and will be among a group of more than two dozen celebrated Commonwealth veterans at the funeral

The Victoria Cross is the highest decoration of military valour in the British honours system, while the George Cross is the highest civilian gallantry award.

C/Sgt Beharry, 43, of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, said: 'I am deeply saddened at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

'She was an extraordinary role model and an inspiration to many. In every engagement that I have had with her she showed great compassion, humility and pure warmth.

'Pinning upon me the Victoria Cross is among the fondest memories that I will hold very closely to my heart.

'I feel very humble and honoured and indeed fortunate to be included in her funeral procession.'

Those representing the George Cross are Jim Beaton GC CVO, Tony Gledhill GC and Major Peter Norton GC.

Major Norton, 59, chairman of the VC and GC Association, said: 'In January 1983 I swore an oath of allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors; almost 40 years later, over 30 of which have been spent in uniform, I hold that allegiance still to be true.

'For me, Queen Elizabeth II was the boss and I enjoyed every single year in her service.

'Being awarded the George Cross by her was the greatest of honours and it was subsequently a privilege and joy to have met her on so many occasions.'

King Charles III (furthest left) will symbolically lead the final ceremony honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II, and will be joined by his siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex who will all play central roles in the historic 'Vigil of the Princes'

King Charles III, Anne, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward each stood on one of the four corners of the coffin in a ceremony known as the 'Vigil of the Princes' as the Queen lay in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, earlier this week

He was awarded the George Cross in 2006 after checking for an improvised explosive device (IED) near Baghdad the year before, leading to the loss of his left leg, severe injuries to his right leg, abdomen, back and left arm.

Mr Beaton, 79, was awarded the George Cross for helping to foil a gunman's attempted kidnap of Princess Anne in 1974, and he was shot three times protecting the Queen's daughter.

He said: 'It was a privilege to work for Her Majesty. I have many very fond memories.'

Mr Gledhill, 84, is a former police officer who was awarded the George Cross in May 1967 for an act of bravery for pursuing a recklessly driven car.

He told the PA news agency: 'I'm a real royalist so it will be an honour to be involved in the procession, we have rehearsals and various other things in the next few days.

'It's something I'll be very proud of.'

Corporal Bill (Willie) Apiata VC, 50 - pictured - will be representing the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, and will be walking alongside Mark Donaldson VC, 43, from Australia in the procession.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest reigning monarch who was on the throne for 70 years, died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced at 6.30pm on Thursday

Meanwhile, Corporal Bill (Willie) Apiata VC, 50, will be representing the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, and will be walking alongside Mark Donaldson VC, 43, from Australia in the procession.

Bill became New Zealand's first recipient of the VC since the Second World War after risking his life in a daring bid to save a critically-injured comrade in Afghanistan, in 2004.

The special forces hero was part of an SAS troop on patrol when they were ambushed by 20 enemy soldiers, who blasted the team with machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

Under withering fire, Bill put his own life on the line to pick up his fallen comrade, who was spurting blood from an arterial bleed and in danger of dying.

Courageous Bill heaved his fellow trooper onto his shoulder and carried him 230ft across open ground, under intense enemy fire, with his citation saying: 'That neither he nor his colleague were hit is scarcely possible.'

Also part of the delegation from New Zealand is Jacinda Amey who received a bravery award for her efforts in saving the life of a snorkeller who was attacked by a shark.

The nightmarish mauling took place in April 1992 in sub-Antarctic waters off remote Campbell Island.

The 23-year-old Jacinda had been snorkelling with other members of a Meteorological Service team on Campbell Island, 600km south of Invercargill, when a 13ft white pointer shark attacked and ripped off the right arm of fellow swimmer Mike Fraser at the elbow.

Buckingham Palace has also invited Australian Victoria Cross winner, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, along with the three other recipients of Australias pre-eminent military honour, Keith Payne, 89, Mark Donaldson and Daniel Keighran.

Chris Waller, a horse trainer who looked after many of the Queens horses said he was 'humbled' to be invited.

As the other swimmers turned to shore, Jacinda Amey stayed transfixed in horror, watching her colleague punching the shark on the nose, hitting it with the stump of his arm and his smashed left hand.

Risking her own life, she managed to tow him to shore, while the shark prowled nearby. She was later awarded the New Zealand Cross, the highest bravery award the country offers to civilians.

Buckingham Palace has also invited Australian Victoria Cross winner, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, along with the three other recipients of Australias pre-eminent military honour, Keith Payne, 89, Mark Donaldson and Daniel Keighran.

Mr Roberts-Smith was awarded his VC for his actions during the 2010 battle of Tizak in southern Afghanistan.

Hour-by-hour guide to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19 6am-8.30am: Last vigil at Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall At dawn on the last day of national mourning, the King's bodyguards will begin their final vigil at the Queen's oak coffin in the Houses of Parliament. It will then close at 8.30am in preparation for the procession. 9am: Big Ben will strike Big Ben will strike clearly, before the bell's hammer is covered with a thick leather pad to muffle its strikes for the rest of the day, out of respect and deference to the late monarch. 10.30am: Queen's coffin is carried from House of Parliament to Westminster Abbey The Queen's coffin will be moved onto the state gun carriage which will be outside the north door of Westminster Hall. From there, it will be pulled by naval ratings using ropes instead of horses from the Hall to Westminster Abbey. Enormous crowds of mourners are expected to line the streets in Westminster as King Charles and senior members of the Royal Family follow the coffin as they did at the funeral for Princess Diana and for Prince Philip. The military will also join the procession. The coffin arrives at 10.52am before being carried into the Abbey. 11am: The Queen's coffin is carried to the High Altar Around 2,000 guests including members of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Liz Truss, former British premiers, foreign dignitaries including US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and possibly Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and other VIPs, will fill the Abbey and watch as the Queen's coffin is moved down the nave to the High Altar, before the nation falls silent. 11am-12pm: The state funeral at the Abbey The state funeral will be led by the Dean of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is being televised and is expected to be beamed to millions around the world - and could well be one of the most watched live events in human history. Royal experts believe that the choice of the Abbey could be both because it is so big - it has a capacity of 2,000 though can hold as many as 8,000 - and more live TV broadcasts have already been held there. It is also believed that it could be a better place for large crowds to gather to pay their respects, since it is in Central London. And the Abbey was the setting for many of the most important events of the Queen's life - from her Coronation to her wedding to Prince Philip. The Princess Royal and the Duke of York, and the Queen's sister Princess Margaret, were also married there. Other royal funerals have been held at the Abbey, including Princess Diana's in 1997 and the Queen Mother's in 2002. The funeral of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Philip's uncle, was also held there in 1979. At the end of the service, the Last Post and Reveille will be played. There will also be a national two-minute silence. 12pm-1pm: Queen's coffin is carried to Wellington Arch via The Mall The Queen's coffin will then be placed back on the state gun carriage, before the royal funeral procession will solemnly move through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Constitution Hill and The Mall, past Buckingham Palace, to arrive at Wellington Arch at 1pm. 1pm-4pm: The coffin is transported to Windsor Then the coffin will be transported to Windsor, where the Queen spent much of the last years of her life, to her final resting place at St George's Chapel via the Long Walk, arriving at 3.15pm. 4pm: Queen will be buried at St George's Chapel by her husband Prince Philip The committal service conducted by the Dean of Windsor will then begin, and will also be televised around the world. Before the last hymn, the Imperial State Crown, sceptre and orb will be removed from the Queen's coffin by the crown jeweller. Then at the end of the service, a lament will be played by a lone piper as the coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, where she will be buried alongside her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, her beloved parents, and her sister Margaret. 7pm: King Charles will attend private family burial service at chapel King Charles and his closest family will return to the chapel for a private family burial service, where - as the late Queen did for her father - the monarch will scatter earth upon the coffin. Advertisement

Speaking of his invite to the Queen's funeral, the Aussie hero said it was a 'great honour to be able to be there for this sad occasion'.

'I have a very deep respect for Her Majesty and everything that she has sacrificed in her life and what she has achieved,' he told The West Australian . 'She has been a magnificent monarch, she has been a stoic leader, and importantly she was also a lovely lady.'

The others attending the funeral are Matt Croucher GC, Corporal Dan Keighran VC, Dom Troulan GC QGM, Kevin Haberfield GC, Kim Hughes GC, Captain Sam Shephard GC, Chris Finney GC, Corporal Josh Leakey VC and Keith Payne VC.

Among the other guests invited from the Australian delegation includes Chris Waller, a horse trainer who looked after many of the Queens horses.

The Sydney-based trainer, 49, was in regular contact with Her Majesty - who was renowned as a keen horse racer.

Waller told Sky News: 'It is a huge honour, overwhelming [to go the funeral]. I've been inundated with messages and well wishes.

'It's just a very humbling experience that's about to take place, all for an amazing lady I had the pleasure of meeting a few times and chatting to on the phone.

'She could relate to every single person in the world.

'It's a very sad moment but we're all in awe of what she's done for everybody and the leader she's been.'

Invites have also been sent out to the great and good of the UK, who will join world leaders inside Westminster Abbey.

Among them is Robert Lodge, a veteran who was made an MBE in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours.

The pensioner, of Weeley Heath in Essex, was blown away to receive an invite to the monarch's funeral - an honour which he said sparked 'a special feeling'.

The 71-year-old retired soldier said a 'lady from the Cabinet Office rang me and explained that they wanted some recent recipients of the MBE to attend'.

'In an instant the answer was yes, of course," the Robert added. 'That's a special feeling to get that invite.'

Mr Lodge, who joined the Army as an 18-year-old gunner and rose to the rank of Captain in 27 years of service, was honoured for his work with the Red Cypher charity.

The charity supports past and present members of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery and is so named because 'our cap badge is a royal cypher with a red backing', Mr Lodge said.

Mr Lodge met the Queen in Germany in 1984 when she visited a gunner parade in Dortmund.

'She was friendly, straight-talking as everyone knows her to be and a wonderful person,' he said.

'When I joined the Army in 1969 as an 18-year-old, you swear allegiance to the Queen or the Crown and her successors, and when you do that you start to understand what it is you're getting involved in.

'The Queen was our captain general and King Charles will be our captain general on and on.'

Mr Lodge said he was 'very sad' when he learned about the Queen's death.

'When I was invited to the funeral, it's a duty and I feel privileged, and, "Why me?", but absolutely blown away with the fact I've been invited," he said.

Speaking of his invite to the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday morning, the former Army officer added: 'It's an honour and a privilege. I just feel very humbled.'

Joining Mr Lodge will be father-of-two Pranav Bhanot, who was among the army of pandemic heroes supporting the needy during the height of the coronavirus outbreak.

The charitable father-of-two, of Chigwell in Essex, helped deliver 1,200 free meals and was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his efforts.

The lawyer, 34, also gave 'free pro-bono advice for people who had cancelled weddings, couldn't get deposits back, people who lost their jobs because they got made redundant', he said.

Mr Bhanot, a councillor on Chigwell Parish Council, was told of his invite to the funeral last Saturday afternoon when he was called by a private number 'while trying to put my little two-year-old to sleep'.

'I don't normally answer private numbers but I did on this occasion,' he said.

'It was from the Cabinet Office and they invited me to the state funeral.

'I didn't believe it, to be quite honest with you.

'I still don't really believe it as the invite hasn't actually come in yet.

'But very grateful.

'I feel completely out of place because all the headlines are saying there are going to be world leaders and presidents but it will give me a really nice opportunity to pay my respects to someone I hugely admired.'

He said he has received few details to date, other than to 'wear a dark suit, which I went out to buy yesterday lunchtime'.

Mr Bhanot helped set up a support group to try to 'get food and prescriptions to those that were self-isolating and couldn't leave their properties' during Covid-19.

He said that when he learned he was to be made an MBE he 'didn't think I deserved it to be honest'.

'I was very taken aback, very grateful,' he said. 'It was the last thing I ever expected.

'It's a huge honour.'

In all, 183 volunteers from across the UK are being invited to the sovereign's funeral - with many of them having provided a lifeline to people during the pandemic.
The college girlfriend of Elon Musk has raised $165,000 from auctioning off personal items and photos from their time together in order to pay for her stepson's college tuition.

Jennifer Gwynne, 48, of South Carolina, put up a birthday card from the Tesla billionaire - in which he calls her 'Boo-Boo' - which sold for $16,643, a dorm room picture of Musk laying upside down for $21,889 and a 14k-gold necklace Musk gifted to her in 1994 for $51,008 among other items.

Gwynne also sold 18 separate photos of her and Musk during their college romance at the University of Pennsylvania, including images of her and Musk eating out and hanging out with friends.

The pair dated for one year in 1994 when they were both resident advisers in the same dorm. Musk broke it off after he graduated and moved to California, with keeping in touch over the phone seeming like a 'waste of time' to him, according to Gwynne.

'We broke up just before he started conquering the world,' Gwynne said.

One photo from May 1995 shows Musk and Gwynne smiling sweetly on a bench outside the school's freshman dorms. It sold for $2,733.

Jennifer Gwynne, 48, (pictured) of South Carolina put up personal items and photos from her relationship with Elon Musk in the mid nineties that fetched $165,000 in auction, which she said will go towards her stepson's college tuition

The couple in May, 1995, not long before he moved to California and the romance came to an end - this photo sold for $2,733

After leaving UPenn in 1995, Musk attended Stanford - but only for two days. Musk recently put this photo - which sold for $9,375 - as his Twitter profile picture

Musk with friends at dinner as a baby-faced college student

The photo was taken by Musk's mother, Maye, according the auction house RR Auction. She took the photo during a trip to visit her son in Philadelphia.

'As I remember, the three of us were planning to drive to NYC to see the musical 'Tommy.' The whole trip was a lovely gift from Maye,' Gwynne told the auction company.

'But as we were getting ready to leave, something on Elon's car broke. So we ended up spending five or so hours at an auto parts store so Elon could fix the issue himself. He did. We made it to NYC and had a wonderful time.'

Another pic of Musk in brown leather jacket behind the wheel of a BMW, poorly exposed and out of focus, sold for $1,155.

'We were heading out to see Pulp Fiction on one of our first dates off campus,' according to a description by Gwynne on the auction house's website.

Although the tech titan and his college days sweetheart have not spoken since they broke up 27 years ago, Musk updated his Twitter profile picture to one of those of him up for auction in an apparent show of support.

The picture shows a 23-year-old Musk from 1994 in a Judge Dredd t-shirt in a fourth-floor study hall in one of the Quad towers at the University of Pennsylvania. It sold for $9,375.

Gwynne got the idea to auction off the photos and items - which she had carefully stored for many years - after reading about an auction of test papers that Musk had graded with a simple 'EM'.

She realized the mementos that she had in her possession were of far more value to fans of the world's richest man.

Love's young dream: Elon and Jennifer together in 1994. She said he only ever wanted someone to 'be with him' and 'support him'

'He was very intense... very focused. Even back then, he was talking about electric cars,' Jennifer says today of her famous first love

'We were physical when we needed to be... but there wasn't any hand-holding or anything like that,' she says. This photo sold for $1,969

Musk with one of the group's college friends. Jennifer talks fondly of their road trips and times 'hanging out' in their dorm

Gwynne, who is now married with a stepson and living in South Carolina, told DailyMail.com that their romance was a 'sweet' one but was lacking in affection or 'PDA' - because Elon largely resisted both.

They broke up when he moved to Palo Alto in 1995, around the same time he became serious with his first wife, Justine, whom he'd also been seeing behind her back, she says.

'We met in the fall of 1994. I was a junior and he was a senior... we were in the same dorm and we worked together.

'His shy nature attracted me at first... he used to be my type,' Gwynne said. She described Musk as 'sweet, kind, smart and engaging.'

Then a budding entrepreneur bursting with ambition and ideas, she said she 'always knew' he would 'go places'.

'He was very intense, very focused on his studies. Back then he was always talking about electric cars... he was definitely going somewhere. He just saw school as a stepping stone.'

The photos show the pair on road trips, drinking champagne and hanging out with friends.

Elon, joking around with friends while at UPenn in the early 1990s - this photos sold for a whopping $11,794

Elon was 'always going places', says Jennifer, who said he seemed to view school as a 'stepping stone' for where he really wanted to be

Out on the town and dressing down: A young Elon Musk dressed for a black tie event, which sold for $6,336, and right, with some Minute Maid OJ

In some, Elon appears hunched over an early computer. In others, he is dressed in black tie for formal college events.

While he resisted 'PDA', Gwynne reveals that he won her over with a Chinese take-out from a local, off-campus restaurant called Beijing.

'When he is courting you, you know he is interested, but he wasn't extremely affectionate.

'We were physical when we needed to be... but there wasn't any hand-holding or anything like that. He liked to be together. He just liked having someone there with him, someone to support him.'

She describes visiting his mother Maye - a 'wonderful and stunning woman' - when she lived in Toronto, and also meeting Elon's siblings Kimbal and Tosca.

'[Maye] was wonderful, very sweet, very gracious and really included me in conversations. She was wonderful.

'She came to Philadelphia at the end of the school year and she took us to New York to see Tommy on Broadway.'

She never met his father, Errol, but remembers Elon telling her they didn't 'get along'.


Train drivers are to resume their strikes next month in the long-running dispute over pay impacting the Conservative party conference in October and the London Marathon.

Britain's rail passengers will suffer more travel misery next month after drivers in the Aslef union at 12 train operators agreed to walk out on October 1 and 5.

Train operators have already started to suspend their ticket bookings on the days of strikes.

The strikes will affect travel to and from the Conservative party conference in Birmingham which is due to take place between October 2 and 5.

Runners hoping to get to London for the London Marathon on October 2 will also be impacted by the strikes as routes into and around the city will be affected.

A planned strike by drivers on September 15 was called off as a mark of respect following the Queen's death.

Travel chaos is set to return on October 1 and 5 as train drivers from 12 train operating firms will walk out amid a pay dispute

Train driver from a dozen companies are set to strike next month according to PA (pictured ASLEF General Secretary, Mick Whelan)

The drivers' union Aslef will not be making any comment or public comment until after the Queen's funeral next week.

Industrial disputes in the rail industry and other sectors, including post and telecoms, have led to a summer of strikes, which are set to resume in the coming weeks.

A rail industry source said: 'It is quite frankly incredible and utterly disrespectful that the Aslef leadership has chosen to announce strike action to train operators today.

'This is a time when the entire rail family is working hard to support the hundreds of thousands of people who wish to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen during this time of national mourning.'

The 12 companies taking part are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railways, Hull, LNER, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, Transpennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

LNER has already suspended ticket sales for those dates, Managing Director David Horne said: 'This morning we have been notified by the ASLEF trade union of further days of strike action on Saturday 1 October and Wednesday 5 October.

'We have suspended ticket bookings for these dates - we will review our plans and confirm asap which LNER services will run on these days.'

Industrial disputes in the rail industry and other sectors including post and telecoms have led to a summer of strikes, which are set to resume in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union boss Mr Lynch said the walkout of rail workers was 'suspended' as the union joins 'the whole nation in paying its respects'.

However, in a show of respect to Queen Elizabeth II RMT general secretary Mr Lynch said: 'RMT joins the whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth.

'The planned railway strike action on 15 and 17 September is suspended.

'We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.'
A head chef at an award-winning gastropub was fired after 'double-dipping' his fingers into sauce, plating up other customers' unused gravy and serving mussels 'unfit for human consumption,' an employment tribunal heard.

Max Murphy, 53, was sacked from The Malt Shovel at Barston, in Solihull, West Midlands, after the restaurant's owners uncovered a catalogue of 'shocking' food hygiene practices in his kitchen.

They included putting wet fish next to desserts and preparing vegan food next to raw chicken.

Max Murphy, 53, was sacked from The Malt Shovel at Barston, West Midlands, after the restaurant's owners uncovered a catalogue 'shocking' food hygiene practices in his kitchen

In an old interview for Birmingham Living, Mr Murphy spoke of his love for different flavour combinations and described his cooking style as organised rustic charm.

'The emphasis is on flavour and the presentation is rustic but in an ordered way. While we have classics on the menu such as a gorgeous steak and chips, I like to put some unusual flavours together, too,' he said.

Under his leadership, the pub was awarded two AA rosettes and won praise for its seafood from TV chef Rick Stein.

But after an investigation into his behaviour, bosses at the village pub fired him for gross misconduct.

Mr Murphy, who had worked at the pub for more than 20 years, took them to the tribunal claiming that rather than being sacked he should have been given another chance.

But his claim of unfair dismissal was thrown out by Employment Judge Katherine Hindmarch in late August, after she ruled that there were 'serious issues' with his behaviour.

Staff members told how the chef served mussels stored in a fish drawer that 'stank' and that 'were clearly dead', washed and rinsed his fingers in a container which held utensils and regularly reused gravy from customers' Sunday lunches.

The hearing in Birmingham was told that Mr Murphy had worked at the pub for 21 years, joining as a junior chef and becoming the head chef in 2006.

Owners of The Malt Shovel at Barston, a village in the West Midlands, investigated Mr Murphy after reports from staff members

In 2018, the pub was bought by new owners Eric and Heidi Cahill, who initially only visited the business two or three times a month.

However, the tribunal was told that they became more involved when the pub reopened in April 2021 following the Covid pandemic.

When they started attending on a daily basis, the hearing was told staff reported concerns about unhygienic practices in the kitchen which led to Mr Cahill starting an investigation in May 2021.

The following month Mr Murphy was summoned to a disciplinary meeting conducted by Mrs Cahill at which 14 allegations were set out.

The tribunal heard that among the practices he was found to be in breach of were 'cross contamination'.

He was also found to have stored food 'inappropriately' as well as regularly leaving a food store unlocked overnight so fish and other deliveries could be left there out of hours.

'(Mrs and Mrs Cahill) had obtained witness statements from staff members regarding mussels being in a fish drawer that 'stank and were clearly dead and unfit for human consumption', despite them being 'in service' earlier that day,' the tribunal heard.

Mr Murphy's claim of unfair dismissal was thrown out by Employment Judge Katherine Hindmarch following an employment tribunal

'Mrs Cahill concluded (Mr Murphy) did not understand the appropriate way to store mussels and if these mussels were dead by evening they could not have been fit to serve that lunchtime. They should not have been served and should have been disposed of earlier.'

Mr Murphy was also found to have been 'double dipping', or putting his fingers into a sauce and tasting it, then dipping his fingers into it again.

'(Mr and Mrs Cahill) again had witness statements from staff who had seen this,' the tribunal said.

'During the investigation, (Mr Murphy) said he usually used a spoon and 'generally doesn't use his fingers' and 'if I do use my fingers, I use a different finger if I dip again'.

'Mrs Cahill upheld this allegation. She again found this to be an inappropriate and unhygienic practice.'

Regarding the accusation of reusing gravy, the tribunal heard: '(Mr and Mrs Cahill) had witnesses who said (Mr Murphy) regularly emptied unused gravy (reusing after a customer meal) into a pot to be used for another customer.

'At the disciplinary hearing (Mr Murphy) said he was in fact measuring wasted gravy/jus so they could measure usage. He denied placing the gravy/jus into a pot for re-use.'

The hearing was told Mrs Cahill did not believe his explanation and upheld 10 of the 14 allegations against him. He was dismissed the following day.

At the tribunal Mr Murphy brought claims of unfair and wrongful dismissal. He said the decision to fire him was 'severe' and that he should have been given an opportunity to 'rectify any shortcomings'.

The panel disagreed, however, and said he had been 'grossly negligent'.

The pub was awarded two AA rosettes and won praise for its seafood from TV chef Rick Stein

Judge Hindmarch said that the role of head chef 'clearly has responsibility for the development and nurturing of other staff members in the kitchen and for health and safety/hygiene practices.'

She said: 'As a business providing food and drink, these standards are rightly high as any lapse can result in customer complaint, reputational harm and - worse case scenario - customer ill-health.'

She added that the business 'was right to be concerned about the various hygiene concerns being raised and to investigate this.

'The witness statements it obtained, and the photographic evidence supported its findings. In cross examination (Mr Murphy) accepted that the allegations were serious.

'(The business) had clear rules for kitchen hygiene and (Mr Murphy) had undergone relevant training in July 2020.

'Mrs Cahill concluded that (the business) could no longer trust (Mr Murphy).'

The Malt Shovel at Barston has been contacted for comment.
Sarah Ferguson was seen for the first time today since the Queen's death, as she joined ex-husband Prince Andrew at Windsor.

The Duchess of York was pictured looking at floral tributes left in memory of the late monarch outside the castle this morning.

The mother-of-two, known as Fergie, missed out on the Balmoral walkabout with her daughters earlier this week and also didn't attend the funeral procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

However, the Duchess is thought to have been invited to the funeral on Monday.

She was last seen glued to her phone at Venice airport on Thursday ahead of the announcement of the death of her former mother-in-law, whom she called her 'greatest mentor'.

Fergie was married to the Queen's 'favourite son' for 10 years before they split in 1992 and divorced in 1996, but has continued to live with the Duke in their home of the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

She previously described them as 'the happiest divorced couple in the world', living under the same roof, but with their own rooms. 'We support each other like pillars of strengths,' she added.

The 62-year-old recently vowed to stand by the prince after he stepped back from frontline royal duties and was stripped of his military titles and patronages in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, and described him as 'a very good and kind man'.

Sarah Ferguson was seen for the first time today since the Queen's death, as she joined ex-husband Prince Andrew at Windsor

The Duchess of York was pictured looking at floral tributes left in memory of the late monarch outside the castle this morning

Sarah Ferguson was seen for the first time today since the Queen's death, as she joined ex-husband Prince Andrew at Windsor

The mother-of-two, who shares her two daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie with Andrew, has sparked a raft of royal scandals over the years.

She famously fell out with the Duke of Edinburgh after she was photographed having her toes sucked by her financial adviser in the south of France five months after splitting from Andrew.

Philip had described the duchess as 'odd' and 'pointless', and would even ask for her to leave Balmoral, the royal estate in Scotland, during holidays before he arrived.

The Duchess was said to be a 'bag of nerves' at meeting Philip. Despite their much-publicised feud, the mother of the bride had to stand behind the left shoulder of her former father-in-law for photographs in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

She did not attend Prince Philip's funeral amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and didn't join her family at the memorial service earlier this year either.

While more than 1,500 guests packed into Westminster Abbey to remember the Duke of Edinburgh, including members of the Queen's extended royal family, one notable absentee was the Duchess.

Despite tensions with Prince Philip, it was known that Fergie was significantly closer to the Queen, and she is believed to have been a shoulder of support following the Duke's death at the age of 99 last April.

Since then, she was allowed somewhat back into the fold - visiting the Queen's Scotland retreat Balmoral with her ex-husband in August last year.

The Duchess had been invited to the Deeside castle in previous years, but had stayed for just a few days until the Duke of Edinburgh joined the Queen.

Royal watchers believed that the Queen, who had a soft spot for her former daughter-in-law, was more receptive to the idea of Sarah returning to a more prominent role within the Firm after the Duke's death.

Fergie recently vowed to stand by her ex-husband after he was stripped of his military roles and patronages, describing him as 'very good and kind'.

She made the comments during an interview with Iain Dale on LBC following Andrew's settlement with Virginia Giuffre over sexual assault claims earlier this year.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York look at floral tributes laid by people near Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York look at floral tributes laid by people near Windsor Castle, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth

Discussing her first historical novel, Her Heart For A Compass, she added that she was thankful their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, 'have got him'.

Asked about maintaining a good relationship with Andrew after their divorce, Ferguson said: 'He's a very good and kind man. He really understands the art of communication with me and trust.

'We really do communicate, compromised with compassion. I will stand by him. It's an incredible friendship and not just co-parenting, it's just real.

'Thank goodness the girls have got [him]. He's very Naval and 'this is how it's done' and very royal life and then they have the river running by which is me.'

Fergie also spoke to Times Radio and was asked whether she would still choose to marry the duke if she could turn back time.

She gushingly replied: 'Oh, yes - he's a very good and kind man'.

Referring their wedding day, she added: 'And it was an exceptional day, July 23 1986. And it was just extraordinary.'

Following news of the Queen's death, Fergie wrote on social media: 'I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.

'She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years.

'She has given her whole life selflessly to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.

'To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express.'

The Duchess of York looked serious as she left Venice on Thursday, following a glitzy appearance at the film festival

And the Duchess was among the first to publicly pay tribute to her former mother-in-law the Queen following her death aged 96

This evening, Andrew is set to be given special dispensation to wear his military colours, when the Queen's four children will hold another vigil.

He will join King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward in standing guard, having also done so at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh earlier this week.

The exception was made for the Duke of York to wear uniform for the vigil at Westminster Hall as a 'final mark of respect' for his mother.

He is expected to wear the full military dress uniform of a Vice Admiral of the Navy - the only military rank that he still holds.

The senior royals are expected to replicate the ceremonial act they performed in Edinburgh, where they 'took guard' of their late mother's coffin for 10 minutes.

Each stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed as part of the royal cortege known as the 'Vigil of the Princes'. It was the first time the tradition has taken place since 2002.

There have been two such ceremonies in the past: in 1936, with the death of King George V in 1936, and in 2002, during the Queen Mother's funeral.

That vigil was attended by the royal's four grandsons - King Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and the Earl of Snowdon.
A convicted Moldovan killer who came to Britain after serving 10 years for murdering his girlfriend has been found guilty of the 'evil and depraved' rape and attempted murder of a stranger he left for dead in an alleyway.

Sergiu Boianjiu, 38, was found guilty of attempted murder and rape today at Northampton Crown Court.

The Moldovan national, who lived in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was caught on CCTV camera in February after he raped a young woman before repeatedly stamping his head on her.

Footage recovered by police also showed Boianjiu, who thought he had killed the victim, leaving the scene to fetch a wheelie bin in which he tried to hide her apparently lifeless body.

Moldovan national, Sergiu Boianjiu, 38, was found guilty of attempted murder and rape today at Northampton Crown Court. The criminal came to the UK after serving in 10 years behind bars for killing his girlfriend in 2002

The images also showed the badly-injured woman - who Boianjiu wanted to 'eliminate' as a potential witness - being discovered by a passer-by after several hours lying in the rain and cold.

The two-week trial was told that the woman was attacked near a church as she walked home from a night-out in Wellingborough at around 5am.

She was subjected to a 40-minute ordeal, suffering a life-threatening brain injury, and could remember nothing of being attacked in what prosecutors described as acts of 'desolating wickedness'.

The criminal came to the UK after serving 10 years behind bars for the murder of his girlfriend in 2002.

It emerged during the trial that the heavily-built construction worker was convicted of theft from a school and 'deliberate murder' at Moldova's Riscani district court on October 9 2009.

During his closing speech to the jury, prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC said: 'The ugly truth here is that this exceptionally dangerous man, for his own selfish reasons, chose to carry out an attack of quite desolating wickedness against a complete stranger.

'His intention was to rape and ultimately to kill her. His behaviour was evil and depraved.'

Mr Aspden said Boianjiu, whose victim spent several days in an intensive care unit, was arrested sitting in a friend's car, hours after returning to his shared occupancy home.

Jurors deliberated for more than three hours before convicting the defendant of attempted murder and rape.

He was found not guilty of a second rape charge, despite already admitting the attempted rape.

Boianjiu appeared to show no emotion as he was found guilty while sitting in the dock.

Jurors deliberated for more than three hours before convicting the defendant of attempted murder and rape. Boianjiu appeared to show no emotion as he was found guilty while sitting in the dock

Sentencing Boianiju to a minimum of 26 years in jail, Judge David Herbert KC told him: 'You repeatedly stamped on her head whilst she remained unconscious.

'It it clear from the evidence that after delivering a further six blows you believed you had successfully killed her.'

The judge said the evidence showed Boianjiu was thinking clearly as he tried to cover up the offence at the scene, searching for evidence that might incriminate him.

Judge Herbert added: 'Your offending is aggravated by a conviction for intentional murder in Moldova. My assessment of you from all the evidence before me is that you are an extremely dangerous man.'

Commenting on the inquiry, senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Liz Wilcox, said: 'I welcome the lengthy sentence handed out to Sergiu Boianjiu today as it means that he is no longer able to harm anyone else.

'This case has been very traumatic for the young woman involved and I hope today's sentencing provides her with some closure. She has shown exceptional courage throughout our investigation and I hope that, with the help of her great support network, she will be able to continue to move forward.

'Sergiu Boianjiu presents an extraordinary danger to women.'
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A woke homelessness director in Marthas Vineyard has brazenly claimed that the 50 migrants flown in by Gov DeSantis will have to move somewhere else because there is no room on the billionaire enclave.

DeSantis flew in 50 migrants on two planes to affluent Marthas Vineyard Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, on Wednesday, sparking a meltdown from the liberal leadership on the island  who declared it a humanitarian emergency.

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island cannot support the migrants - where the median home price is nearly $1m- because it is facing a shortage of affordable housing.

The median house in Martha's Vineyard is worth almost $800,000, according to the census, and the median household income is $77,370 - well above the national average of $67,521.

She told reporters that at some point they have to move somewhere else, because the island is suffering from a housing crisis.

Belcastro added: We certainly dont have housing, were in a housing crisis on this island. We cant house everyone who lives here and works here. We dont have housing for 50 more people.

The 50 migrants have since been put on a bus by Gov. Charlie Baker, and given a police escort to Joint Base in Cape Cod 32 miles away from Martha's Vineyard - and will be travelling on the ferry to get to their destination.

State Senator Julian Cyr, a Massachusetts Democrat representing Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, admitted that they had implemented emergency hurricane plans in response to the new arrivals.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets Texas border town of El Paso amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

Florida Gov DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly illegal migrants to President Bidens home state of Delaware.

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.

Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez has now declared that DeSantis administration is planning to send any illegal migrants from Florida to Delaware.

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island is facing a shortage of affordable housing, with the median home price at about $1 million. She told reporters that at some point they have to move somewhere else, because the island is suffering from a housing crisis

State Senator Julian Cyr, a Massachusetts Democrat representing Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, admitted that they had implemented emergency hurricane plans in response to the new arrivals

Lt Gov Jeanette Nunez has now declared that DeSantis administration is planning to send any illegal migrants from Florida to President Biden's home state of Delaware in an escalation in the immigration war against Democrat cities

DeSantis sent two planes of 50 migrants to the affluent island yesterday, and is now threatening to send more to Delaware - following in the 'blueprint' of Texas Gov Greg Abbott

When asked about the historic wave of Cuban migration to South Florida, Nunez told WURN: Thats why the governor has worked with the legislature, to secure funding to make surethat people that are coming illegallythat they dont stay here with their arms crossed, thinking about what they will be able to do.

We are going to send that person, frankly, to Delaware, the presidents home state.

This is going to be worse than Mariel, worse than everything that happened when we saw the impact of the 80s and to do nothing is not an option.

Speaking on Thursday DaSantis accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'.

He said: 'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening.

It comes after Gov Greg Abbott sent 101 of illegal migrants outside of VP Kalama Harris home in Washington DC yesterday  just days after she declared that the border was secure.

Harris declared on Sunday that the border is secure in an interview and has now found herself in the midst of an attack by Gov Greg Abbott against Democrat immigration rules.

She yesterday refused to answer questions about the sensational escalation, as Abbott continues his campaign against so called sanctuary cities.

One unidentified man filmed outside the Naval Observatory on Thursday told Fox News: 'The border is open, not closed. Everybody believes that the border is open.

'It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.'

Gov Abbott appears to have directly retaliated to Harris' comments, by sending the latest load of migrants close to her home in DC

President Biden yesterday branded the republican governors as unAmerican for the way they were playing political games with migrants.

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, is seen on Thursday defending his role in flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard saying his critics concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation

Abbott has bussed in thousands of migrants who crossed the border into Texas from Mexico to New York, Washington DC and Chicago in the past few months.

President Biden yesterday branded the republican governors as unAmerican for the way they were playing political games with migrants.

The GOP leaders say they're keen for liberals who espouse 'sanctuary cities' to experience the full effects of uncontrolled immigration, which has hit Texas border cities including Del Rio and El Paso very hard.

Both Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried, who are looking to oust DeSantis from his role in November, slammed the comments made by his administration.

Crist said: Gov. DeSantis's proposal to forcibly transport Cuban refugees out of Florida is reckless, inhumane and a betrayal of our deepest values as Americans.

They deserve better than to be treated as his political pawns to curry favor with the extremist base of the Republican Party.

Fried added: Wildly inappropriate words from Ron DeSantis LG. Fleeing communism and tyranny to a state rich with family and culture only to be deported north by bus is cruel and wrong.

A spokesman for DeSantis office took credit for flying the two planes into affluent Marthas Vineyard  which is home to the Obamas, Oprah and Larry David.

They said: States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as sanctuary states and support for the Biden administrations open border policies.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Governors Abbott and DeSantis' actions sending migrants up north 'cruel' and 'inhumane'

The Del Rio section of the border, which includes Eagle Pass, has doubled its number of migrant encounters from the previous year to over 376,000 since October 2021

Keith Chatinover, a Democrat county commissioner for the area, made comments previously that he would love to make the area a haven for immigrants.

His comments came in response to Sen Ted Cruz's pushing a bill for Democrat-led areas to become post of entry for processing migrants.

But he now appears unhappy at having his wish granted, and has retweeted attacks against the Florida governor of being a fascist and human trafficker for sending migrants to the billionaires' enclave.

He told the MVTimes in October 2021: 'I would love Martha's Vineyard to become a haven for new immigrants to this country, but Senator Cruz has no idea what he's talking about regarding a 'border crisis.'

But now he is being called out for the comments, after branding DeSantis a 'fascist' for escalating the immigration war with Democrat-run areas.

Cruz tweeted that he was 'confused' over Chatinover slamming DeSantis for flying the illegal immigrants into the area.

Chatinover tweeted that he does 'support refugee resettlement' but has an issue when they are not given 'advance notice' to 'adequately help' the migrants.

He added that the chaos of the situation for the Republicans to 'prove a point' was a 'blatant disregard' for human rights.

Chatinover retweeted someone else who called DeSantis 'fascist scum' who said he should be 'prosecuted for human trafficking.'

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, wrote to the Department of Justice to request that DeSantis be investigated for kidnapping.

In a letter to Merrick Garland, the attorney general, he said he was 'horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props.'

Nearly 100 migrants arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning from Texas, close to the Vice Presidents home by the Naval Observatory

Keith Chatinover, a county commissioner for Martha's Island, made the comments in response to Sen Ted Cruz's pushing a bill for Democrat-led areas to become post of entry for processing migrants

DeSantis flew in the two planes without giving any warning, sparking criticism from Democrats - including New York Mayor Eric Adams

School buses were used to get the group of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, to the church that provided shelter

He wrote: 'I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act.'

Other Democrats have slammed the Republican blueprint of sending migrants to other cities with little warning, with New York Mayor Eric Adams slamming it as inhumane and branding Abbott as a rogue Governor.

On Wednesday, Adams admitted that shelters in the Big Apple are at 'breaking point' after the Texas Gov bused nearly 11,000 people into the city.

Abbott recently clashed with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the decision, with Lightfoot branding him as a 'racist'.

She sparked outrage last week after deciding to move migrants from Chicago to a neighboring Republican suburb.

Of the 147 migrants who arrived last Wednesday, Lightfoot ordered 64 of them to be taken to a Hampton Inn hotel in Burr Ridge, where they will be housed for at least the next 30 days.

Republican Mayor of Burr Ridge, Gary Grasso, directed his anger at Lightfoot and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for using the migrants as 'political pawns.'

Mayor Muriel Bowser, of Washington DC, last week declared a public emergency over the buses continuing to arrive from Texas and Arizona.

It will set aside funding to accommodate migrants as well as create the Office of Migrant Services (OMS).

The OMS will provide temporary accommodation, urgent medical needs, transportation and other services for those arriving.

More than half of Americans think there is an 'invasion' while another one-third expressed worry over being 'replaced' by illegal immigrants

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said that DeSantis should be investigated for kidnapping and wrote a letter to the DOJ

Many migrants who arrived from Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia and Mexico told Fox News that they thought the border was open

Bowser has twice asked that the National guard be activated to assist with the thousands of migrants arriving at the capital, but they have both been denied by the Pentagon.

Brianne Nadeau, a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, has slammed the governors of Texas and Arizona for the city's public migrant emergency.

At the same time as these new arrivals, humanitarian crisis is deepening in the Texas border town of El Paso.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

Border Patrol facilities and shelters in the west Texas town have been overwhelmed in recent days, leading to a flood of so-called 'street releases'.

Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a GOP US Representative, said: 'We've never seen anything like this. It's a scene that you would see in a third-world country, not in the streets of El Paso.'

It has led to scenes of misery, with hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets without access to toilets or showers, and residents say that the 'smell of human waste is overwhelming in the area.'

The situation in El Paso comes after the Biden administration officially extended special protections for Venezuelans, known as Temporary Protected Status, that shield some of them from deportation.

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation.

Just shy of 200,000 illegal immigrants were intercepted crossing the southern border in July, according to the most recent CBP figures available.
Police investigating the death of a 14-year-old schoolgirl who is believed to have killed herself after receiving messages on social media have 64,000 pieces of information to examine, an inquest review heard yesterday.

Mia Janin, who attended the Jewish Free School, sent a voice message to a friend ahead of returning to school from the Covid-19 lockdown in which she said she was 'mentally preparing herself to get bullied'.

Tragically, she took her life on March 12, last year, with her dad Mariano Janin expressing concern that she had received venomous messages on social media which may have tipped her over the edge.

It is known that she had accessed a social media app just hours before her death, but her family are still waiting to know what she sent or received.

Mr Janin described Mia as a 'bubbly' girl who had just been invited on a holiday to Greece with her best friend from school

Janin became the third pupil at the Jewish state school in North London to kill herself since 2017 when she took her own life one day after returning to school following lockdown last year

During a pre-inquest review hearing at Barnet Coroner's Court yesterday, Detective Inspector Gail Steele said that police officers had gained access to Mia's phone and a download was in process.

Speaking via video-link, said: 'In relation to the phone, I've spoken to one of the people reviewing it and they've said if you printed out the information from the phone it would amount to 64,000 pages of information.

'So, as you can see the task is quite great.'

In a previous hearing, it was revealed that pupils at JFS were ordered to delete a Snapchat group involving Mia and other students by teachers, just five days after she took her life.

Mariano, who lost his wife four months after Mia's death, has previously implored pupils and parents of Mia's school, the Jewish Free School, to come forward with information.

During a previous interview with ITV's Good Morning, Mias father Mariano told Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: 'I believed she had a really bad day at school, first day.

He also believes that parents should be able to access any messages or videos their children may have seen on social media sites before they died.

Under current laws, social media forms such as Meta and TikTok are not required to hand over their data.

Speaking via video-link, Mia's dad said: 'I think it would be helpful to contact the social media platforms as we spoke about in the last hearing.'

During a previous interview with ITV's Good Morning, Mias father Mariano told Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: 'I believed she had a really bad day at school, first day.

'And then by social media, because she was until late night online, but the problem is we need access to the phone.'

Mia, who was a Year 10 pupil, had asked her parents if she could move schools the evening before her death, and her family believed that she was being bullied.

She is the third student at JFS to commit suicide since 2017, with the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell sparking an emergency Ofsted investigation into the largest Jewish school in Europe.

The report downgraded JFS from 'good' to 'inadequate' after it emerged that many pupils were subjected to bullying with little intervention from staff. Molly had similarly killed herself after viewing messages on social media.

During a recent inquest review hearing on September 2, senior Coroner Andrew Walker ordered senior executives at Meta and Pinterest to appear at her inquest to provide evidence.

At today's hearing, DI Steele said that following communication with Mia's family, additional enquiries were made of staff at JFS.

She added: 'Two have declined to give information and we are waiting on a third who does not work there anymore.'

Two teachers at the school and the rabbi had been contacted but had refused to give statements.

Jewish Free School in Kenton, North London, was branded 'inadequate' in an emergency Ofsted inspection following Mia's death last year

New laws introduced before Mia's death, schools had been given powers to delete social media accounts and records.

Meanwhile, a change.org petition was created in June 2021 by a fellow pupil, who wrote that Mia had been 'brutally bullied for such a long time' and urged for mental health improvement at the school.

She said: 'Since then all JFS did was bring in counsellors for a week and then leave us to our own devices.

'We had an assembly on the same day introducing our interim head teacher and not once did they mention Mia or bullying or prioritising mental health but acting like the school will become a military site where all they care about is behaviour punctuality and uniform.'

As of September 2022, the petition has received over 6,000 signatures.

In response, the Headteacher of JFS, Dr David Moody, who joined the school after Mias death, told MyLondon: 'The school is unable to comment about an ongoing police investigation, but as the new Headteacher of JFS, I am confident that all possible information has been made available to the police to support them in reaching a conclusion.'

'OfSTED have recently graded JFS as a good school and were pleased with the sustained changes enacted by both Governors and the new leadership team.'

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mariano said: 'This whole experience has been a nightmare that is too horrible to explain.

'Every day feels as though I am living in slow motion.'

He implored: 'Parents with information - please take it to the coroner. We need to know what happened for the sake of other children as well as for Mia.'

Due to the 'extensive' examination of Mia's phone data, and the potential need to contact other witnesses, an inquest date has now been set for March 29 and March 30, 2023.

https://www.change.org/p/jewish-free-school-prioritising-mental-health-at-jfs
Lara Logan, the former CBS News reporter and Fox Nation host, has claimed First Lady Jill Biden 'knows that her husband has dementia' and is 'lying to the whole country about it.'

Logan, who was ousted from Fox Nation late last year, made the assertion in an interview with Newsmax TV on Thursday, without offering evidence. President Joe Biden, 79, has strenuously rejected similar allegations in the past.

'Youre never going to see the New York Times doing an article about the fact that Jill Biden is propping up her husband,' Logan told the network's host Eric Bolling.

'I mean, if you want to know something that is truly reprehensible and disgusting, is here is this woman who knows that her husband has dementia, and yet shes lying to the whole country,' she added.

Scroll down for video

Lara Logan, the former CBS News reporter and Fox Nation host, has claimed that First Lady Jill Biden 'knows that her husband has dementia'

President Joe Biden walks with First Lady Jill Biden at the British Embassy last week. The president and his supporters reject claims he's not mentally fit

Logan continued: 'Shes lying to her own base, lying to her own supporters. I mean, if theres anything nauseating about what anyones spouses are doing, its really quite extraordinary to watch this woman trying to cover up with for the absolute embarrassment that passes for a cognizant human being in the president today.'

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Friday morning.

Logan has been a frequent guest on Newsmax since she was reportedly 'quietly benched' by Fox News in December, after comparing Dr. Anthony Fauci to Nazi concentration camp torturer Josef Mengele.

Since then, no new episodes of her show have aired on the network's streamer Fox Nation, and she has not appeared as a guest on Fox News.

Logan has said she 'was definitely pushed out' by Fox execs over her remarks.

A Fox News spokeswoman told DailyMail.com that Logan was never directly employed by Fox Nation, which licensed her show from an outside production company.

'We didnt commission the show and there are no new episodes available,' the spokeswoman said.

In August, Logan made headlines by pushing claims that US Border Patrol agents were distributing Social Security numbers to immigrants at the border.

A spokesperson for the Border Patrol responded that the agency does not hand out Social Security numbers, nor does it have the authority to.

Biden signs the condolence book at the British Embassy in Washington to pay his respects following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as First Lady Jill Biden looks last week

Fox News host Tucker Carlson (above) claimed in July that President Joe Biden takes 'pills' to boost his cognitive performance before public appearances

Logan is far from the first person to question President Biden's mental fitness.

In July, Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed Biden takes 'pills' to boost his cognitive performance before public appearances, claiming he had spoken 'directly' to a witness who saw the alleged medication on the 2020 campaign trail.

List of Biden's medications The White House physician's medical report on Biden does not mention any cognitive issues, and only lists the following medications: Eliquis (Apixaban): Blood thinner for irregular heart beat

Blood thinner for irregular heart beat Crestor (Rosuvastatin): For high cholesterol

For high cholesterol Dymista (Fluticasone/azelastine): Nasal spray for allergies

Nasal spray for allergies Allegra (Fexofenadine): Over the counter for seasonal allergies

Over the counter for seasonal allergies Pepsid (Famotidine): Over the counter for acid reflux Advertisement

'His staff, supervised by Dr. Jill, his wife, was giving him pills before every public appearance. Checking the time, and at the certain hour giving him a dose of something,' Carlson said.

According to the latest report from his White House doctor, Biden takes prescription medication for an irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol and seasonal allergies.

None of those medications are considered cognitive enhancers.

White House Physician Kevin C. O'Connor did not mention any cognitive issues in the November report, and wrote that Biden 'is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.'

Nevertheless, Biden has a lifelong history of verbal gaffes and, as he approaches 80, even some Democratic strategists have begun to question whether he should seek re-election in 2024.

If re-elected to the presidency, Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.

The New York Times reported this summer that Biden's health is a 'sensitive topic' throughout the White House.

However, more than a dozen current and former senior officials and advisers 'uniformly reported' Biden is mentally engaged in his role as president.

They told the Times he asks 'smart questions' during meetings, grills his aides on points of dispute and helps them revise weak points in his speeches.
King Charles III appeared to bring his own pen to a Welsh cathedral today just days after being left furious by a string of ink mishaps during his visit to Northern Ireland earlier this week.

The Monarch and the Queen Consort arrived in Wales today in their first visit since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Royal couple made their way to Llandaff Cathedral to attend a prayer and reflection service for his late mother and Britain's longest serving head of state.

Today the King was filmed calmly signing the paper in the cathedral before passing his pen and the book to his wife.

Both of them were in Wales in their final stop during their tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Hundreds of royalists and tourists went down to the cathedral to see the new King and Queen Consort.

One Twitter user said: 'Pleased to see that King Charles now appears to be using his own fountain pen with completely satisfactory results.'

Another added: 'Charles brought his own pen to Wales. Obviously learning fast...'

And one more user wrote: 'I love how King Charles III brought his own pen this time after 'leaking pen incident' in [Northern] Ireland. Bless him.'

King Charles III signing the visitor's book at Llandaff Cathedral days after being left furious by string of ink mishaps. He was accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort

Twitter users reacted to the news that King Charles finally brought his pen to sign the visitors' book during his tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom

His Majesty appeared more composed at his latest visit to Wales and was spotted putting away his own pen. The Royal couple arrived in Wales via helicopter this morning in an official visit as part of a UK-wide tour

The King popped his own pen back in his pocket before walking back down the aisle. They were greeted with cheers and celebrations as part of their UK-wide tour to the four nations

The King's decision to carry his own fountain pen comes days after a few drops on ink soured the mood at Hillsborough Castle, Belfast, earlier this week.

His Majesty appeared flustered by dripping ink as he tried to sign a book towards the end of his visit.

Charles complained about the pen he was using to sign his name, announcing he 'can't bear this bloody thing' as he appeared to furiously rub the ink from his fingers.

The Queen Consort later suggested it was leaking and asked for a replacement, as the King briskly turned on his heels and left the room flanked by aides.

King Charles, sitting inside the royal residence of Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, appeared frustrated by the dripping ink as he tried signing a book towards the end of his visit

Charles complained about the pen he was using to sign his name, pronouncing he 'can't bear this bloody thing' as he appeared to furiously rub the ink from his fingers

The faulty instrument was swiftly removed and replaced by flustered courtiers before Camilla sat down to sign the book herself from inside the historic residence

The faulty instrument was swiftly removed and replaced by flustered courtiers before Camilla sat down to sign the book herself from inside the historic residence.

The incident came days after viewers of Charles' historic accession to the throne found themselves distracted when the he furiously gestured to one of his aides to remove a pot of ink.

The clip at Hillsborough Castle begins with Charles asking what the date was, as he prepares to sign a visitors book in front of cameras.

Venting his frustration as the pen begins to malfunction, the new King exclaims: 'God I hate this [pen]' as he hands it over to the Queen Consort.

He adds: 'I can't bear this thing... every stinking time'.

It comes days after viewers of Charles' historic accession to the throne found themselves distracted when the new monarch suddenly gestured furiously to one of his aides to remove a stray ink pot

The new monarch was visiting Northern Ireland on the latest leg of his royal tour of the United Kingdom in the wake of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles enjoyed an emotional first trip to Northern Ireland as the new monarch after he and the Queen Consort inspected a remarkable show of flowers and were met with roars of approval as the people of Belfast today greeted their new sovereign with open arms.

The royals' trip began with deafening chants of 'God Save the King' as they exited their blacked-out BMW to meet adoring crowds on the latest leg of their royal tour of the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

From official dignitaries to GirlGuides and Scouts to local residents, Charles and Camilla charmed all in their path; warmly grabbing onto outstretched hands, accepting bouquets of flowers and speaking with those who had patiently waited hours to meet them.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort arrive at Belfast City Airport today as the King continues his tour of the home nations

Shouts of 'God save the King' were heard and at one moment a corgi in the crowd (pictured above) snuggled up to Charles when its owner held it up during the walkabout by the royal couple in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland

The royals were met with huge roars of approval as they exited their blacked-out BMW and started their walkabout, grabbing onto outstretched hands, accepting flowers and speaking with those who turned out to greet them

King Charles III waves to the crowd as he inspects the sea of flower tributes at Hillsborough Castle and prepares to give a brief speech to assembled guests, including representatives from all sides of the political spectrum

A local corgi, famously his late mother's favourite breed of dog, was even seen snuggling up to King Charles as he shook hands with well-wishers, before he received a 21-gun salute as they entered the grounds of Hillsborough Castle - the province's official residence of the reigning monarch and members of the Royal Family.

It comes days after viewers of Charles' historic accession to the throne found themselves distracted when the new monarch suddenly gestured furiously to one of his aides to remove a pot of ink.

As he went to sign the historic Proclamation, the King frantically motioned to an aide to move a pen box from his desk, which viewers described as 'far too small' for the huge document and stationery.

Despite the gravity of the moment, viewers could not help but find the apparent difficulty the King had with the pen amusing.

Charles asked a nearby aide to get the box off the table so he could sign the second part of the large document.

The fountain pen set he used to sign the momentous document was a gift from his sons Princes Harry and William.

Some viewers joked the new King 'stole' the pen after spotting him put it in his pocket before taking it out again.
A federal court has appointed Raymond Dearie, a senior US district judge competent in national security matters, as an impartial arbiter to review FBI materials confiscated from Donald Trump's Florida residence.

US district judge Aileen Cannon appointed Dearie as a special master in the court dispute between Trump and the DOJ over official records the former president maintained at his Florida property, The Guardian reported.

The previous president had suggested two candidates for the position, and the US justice department had stated that it would not object to Dearie's nomination.

Judge Cannon-DOJ Clash

In her ruling, Cannon also rejected the justice department's requests, including its insistence that prosecutors be permitted to continue their examination of the documents while the case was in progress and their argument that the inquiry was urgent because of the records' extremely sensitive and secret information.

The Justice Department contended that the September 5 order hampered the intelligence community's examination of national security threats posed by unlawful keeping of the records.

On Thursday, Cannon reiterated that her decision did not prevent the administration from briefing members of Congress or from continuing to evaluate the seized data for intelligence classification and national security assessments, according to NBC News.

She said that while Dearie's suggestions were being reviewed, the order restricted the government from utilizing confiscated documents for criminal investigations, such as presenting them to a grand jury or using them for witness interviews.

Read Also: Joe Biden Slams Republican Governors After Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott Send Migrants to Democrats Cities

The administration will probably appeal Thursday's verdict. The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals will hear an appeal of Cannon's prior ruling, according to the Justice Department's court statement last week.

What Are Dearie's Duties?

A special master is a lawyer appointed by a court to supervise a particular case's portion.

According to CNN, Dearie will oversee the Justice Department's analysis of evidence from Trump's Florida home and resort and filter out privileged materials.

However, there have been differences between Donald Trump and the Justice Department on other crucial elements of the special master review, such as how long it should last, who should pay for it, and what kinds of documents are covered by it.

Dearie has until November 30 to complete his assessment of possibly confidential papers, per Cannon.

The DOJ wanted the procedure completed by October, but Trump's team requested a 90-day timeline.

According to Cannon's timeline, the study will be finished after the midterm congressional elections, thereby ensuring that the Mar-a-Lago inquiry would go gradually for the next two months, pending intervention from a higher court.

She gave Dearie the order to go through confidential documents that may be privileged.

Trump's legal team has generally maintained that the appointment of a special master is required to guarantee that the Justice Department releases any of his personal papers taken during the search at Mar-a-Lago.

According to the former President's lawyers, his constitutional rights were infringed, and protected information was possibly taken.

Donald Trump hasn't specified what he wants a special master to screen out beyond protected and "potentially privileged materials."

Trump's legal team had also proposed Jones Day lawyer Paul Huck Jr. as a special master. But the DOJ said he doesn't appear to have comparable expertise as Dearie and two former federal judges the department put forth.

Related Article: Donald Trump Claims US Government Will Have 'Big Problems' if He's Indicted Over Mar-a-Lago Documents

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The mother of an eight-year-old schoolgirl picked out of the crowd to lay flowers for the Queen by Princess Kate has told how her daughter cried tears of happiness at meeting a 'real life Princess'.

In a touching moment the new Princess of Wales asked Elizabeth Sulkovska if she would like to lay a bouquet and Corgi toy she had with her by the gates at Sandringham, while she and husband William chatted to crowds.

The new Princess of Wales, 40, was yesterday at the late monarch's Norfolk residence looking at the sea of tributes to the Queen and chatting to crowds with husband William.

She spotted and spoke to schoolgirl Elizabeth Sulkovska, who was clutching a bouquet of flowers and a corgi teddy, and invited her to walk alongside her to leave her own personal gift to Her Majesty.

The eight-year-old sobbed and had tears in her eyes as she recalled the moment: 'I went with her to put the flowers and the corgi down. She said, 'Where do you think we should lay the flowers?' and I said 'We should put them there'.'

As she placed the flowers on the ground Kate tenderly put an arm on her shoulder to reassure Elizabeth as she was left in tears by the meeting which drew applause from the crowd.

Elizabeth's mum, Viktorija, 44, from nearby Kings Lynn, had no idea her daughter had been so lucky  with the first she knew what had happened was when she was called by headteacher Gregory Hill, from the Howard Junior School.

Courier driver Viktorija told MailOnline: 'I knew the school was going to Sandringham to lay flowers but I had no idea Kate had personally picked Elizabeth to lay some flowers by the gates. It was only when the school called me an told me that a TV crew wanted to interview her that I found out what happened.

'When she came home Elizabeth was so happy, she was crying tears of joy and she told me that Kate was very nice and that she was so happy to have met a real life Princess.

'She is an eight-year-old girl and princes and princesses are the things she loves.

'I'm so proud of her and we had a joke that she is called Elizabeth and I am called Viktorija and maybe we should have named my eldest son William or Charles and then we would have been a copy of the royal family.'

Viltorija, who moved to Norfolk from Latvia, in 2009, and has a grown up son and a teenage daughter, added:' The children were all so jealous, after seeing Elizabeth on the news and we have told all the family in Latvia who just can't believe it.

The new Princess of Wales, 40, was at the late monarch's Norfolk residence looking at the sea of tributes to the Queen with husband William. She also spoke to crowds and spotted schoolgirl Elizabeth Sulkovska, eight, clutching a bouquet of flowers and a corgi teddy

The eight-year-old, who was in the crowd with friends, was then chosen by Kate to walk up to the sea of tributes and lay her own among them

The Princess of Wales, carrying a bouquet, guides young Elizabeth over to where she can leave a stuffed corgi toy

'We are all so proud of her and will be keeping all the newspapers with her picture. Elizabeth asked if we could go to the funeral in London or the lying in state but the queue seems so long and I don't think it would be fair on her to wait 30 hours.

'We don't have a royal family in Latvia but we are big fans of the British royal family and the news of the Queen's death has been covered in Latvia and we are all very sad about it.

'I'm sure Elizabeth will never forget the day she met the Princess and we will have to get the pictures of her meeting Kate framed.'

Elizabeth's headteacher, Gregory Hill from Howard Junior School in King's Lynn, added: 'Elizabeth was overwhelmed, she cried with joy at being chosen. It's just a wonderful, amazing opportunity.'

Mr Hill said that the death of the Queen has also 'touched a young generation.'

He said: 'The older generation obviously knew the Queen for longer but young children that haven't experienced the Queen for long on the throne still are greatly moved by her passing, and really want to do their best to celebrate her life and legacy and never forget her.'

Princess Kate and William - who will visit an army training centre in Surrey later today to meet troops taking part in the funeral arrangements - had both noticed a Paddington Bear tribute that pupils from Howard Hill Junior School had made and said that the logo on the badge was the same as their school uniform.

With King Charles III enjoying a much-deserved rest at his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire yesterday, the rest of his family took up the mantle - with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, hugging mourners in Manchester and Princess Anne visiting Glasgow.

Elizabeth's mother, Viktorija, 44, (pictured left with her daughter) from nearby Kings Lynn, had no idea her daughter had been so lucky  with the first she knew what had happened was when she was called by headteacher Gregory Hill, from the Howard Junior School. Pictured right, Elizabeth with her teenage older sister

Catherine, the Princess of Wales talks to and comforts Elizabeth as she views the flowers left in tribute to the Queen

The eight-year-old sobbed and had tears in her eyes as she recalled the moment: 'I went with her to put the flowers and the corgi down. She said, 'Where do you think we should lay the flowers?' and I said 'We should put them there'.'

During the Sandringham visit with her husband William, Kate was asked by Jo from Norfolk how her children Louis, Charlotte and George were coping after losing their great-grandmother

Prince William joked that Paddington has 'knocked the Corgi off the top spot' and that the Queen's beloved pets 'won't take that very well' when visiting mourners in Sandringham today

One well-wisher, Gemma Schultz, spoke to William after he noticed her baby wearing a top with Paddington on it and commented about the bear's popularity following the Queen's skit with the marmalade sandwich-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June

The Prince joked: 'I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won't take that very well.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales inspecting flowers left by well-wishers outside Sandringham in Norfolk this afternoon

The Prince and Princess of Wales thanked well-wishers at Sandringham this afternoon in a post on their Twitter account

William and Kate, both 40, began yesterday's visit by stepping out of a dark Range Rover near to the estate's historic Norwich Gates where they warmly greeted by huge crowds who had waited behind metal barriers to see them.

One well-wisher, Gemma Schultz, spoke to William after he noticed her baby wearing a top with Paddington on it and commented about the bear's popularity following the Queen's skit with the marmalade sandwich-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June.

The Prince joked: 'I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won't take that very well.'

Following the discussion, Gemma told BBC News that William and Kate were 'nice and genuine people', adding: 'We spoke to William and we spoke to Kate, they both said about his little outfits, how nice they were... All the things that they are doing for everyone is just so nice.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who stayed for almost an hour, chatting to royal fans young and old, looked deep in thought as they read the messages on the sea of floral tributes that have been left behind at the gates to the royal residence.

William told a woman waiting in the crowds that yesterday's procession was 'very difficult' and 'brought back a few memories' of walking behind his mother Diana's coffin, before - close to tears - saying to her: 'Don't cry now, you'll start me off'.

William was also heard telling a mourner the Queen was 'everyone's grandmother', and saying Prince George, nine, understood that she had died but Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, less so. Meanwhile, Kate told a woman she would burst into tears if she read too many sympathy cards.

Fran Morgan, 62, spoke to Kate as she and William spoke to the vast crowd that had come to see them at Sandringham, the Queen's estate in Norfolk. Recalling their conversation, Mrs Morgan said: 'She said she couldn't believe how many cards and flowers there were. But she also said: ''I can't read them all or I would cry''.'

One visitor who missed the entire visit was three-month old Eddie Shakespeare who fell asleep just as the Royal couple arrived.

His mother Maisie, 27, from Cambridgeshire, said: 'I was going to wake him up and show him to Kate, but I didn't have the heart. She thanked me for coming and said that all the sympathy meant a lot to her and William. I'm glad I came, but as for Eddie, I'll just have to tell him about it when he's older!'

Kate was pictured speaking to a mother and her young child in the crowd as she met mourners at Sandringham yesterday

William also spoke to crowd members, telling them that it was a hard time for the family and had reminded him of his mother's 1997 death. Pictured: William speaks to the schoolchildren Kate also met

Kate chats to a member of the crowd who had gathered to meet her and Prince William outside Sandringham in Norfolk

A small baby looks on with a look of concern as the Princess of Wales chats with people in the crowd at Sandringham

Kate points to something in the distance - as a young girl copies her - during her walkabout in Norfolk this afternoon

Prince William smiles as he speaks to a mother and her infant son who have come to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II

Prince William gestures as he speaks to a young woman, clutching a baby, as the crowds assemble at Sandringham

Royal fans scrambled to take photographs and record the historic moment as the new Princess of Wales greeted members of the public outside Sandringham Estate today

Kate clutches onto flowers as she and a royal fan share a smile together as she joined her husband to greet members of the public at Sandringham House today

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, view floral tributes placed outside the Sandringham Estate following the death of Queen Elizabeth II

The Princess of Wales told a well-wisher she would burst into tears if she read too many sympathy cards

The Prince of Wales told a woman at Sandringham today that yesterday's procession was 'very difficult' and had reminded him of walking behind his mother Diana's coffin

Kate chatting to mourners while carrying several bouquets of flowers. Hundreds have piled up at the estate in recent days

The Prince and Princess of Wales delighted those in attendance at Sandringham House as they looked over the assembled tributes and shared their memories of the late Queen Elizabeth II

Royal fans of all ages were treated to an appearance by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Sandringham House

Kate greets an excited royal superfan who had come to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales with her family today

Kate and William warmly grabbed outstretched hands, accepted bouquets of flowers and spoke with those who had patiently waited hours to meet them

Prince William gently touches Kate's back as they inspect the sea of flowers left in memory of Queen Elizabeth II

Prince William cuts a forlorn figure as he looks over the swathes of bouquets left at the gates of Sandringham House

In Manchester, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, met Josh, a young mourner who was waiting to see her with his mother, Sue.

Recounting the moment they met, Sue said: 'She just said ''nice to meet you, do you want me to take your flowers?'' Then Josh said ''can I have a hug?''. They hugged, then he asked for a photo. The bouquet is signed from Josh but it's got my name on it as well.'

Asked what the moment felt like, Josh - who is non-verbal - replied: 'Happy.'

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the Princess Royal chatted to crowds outside Glasgow City Chambers. Handed a bouquet by a young girl, she said: 'They're not for me are they?' to which the girl replied, 'They're for you'. Anne, clearly touched, took the flowers and thanked her.

The Royal Family are preparing to lay their beloved mother and grandmother to rest on Monday in a state funeral.

King Charles will lead Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward to Wellington Arch from Westminster Abbey, with Prince William and Harry behind.

Other royals will follow by car for the funeral conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
Hillary Clinton has slammed Ron DeSantis for sending 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard as 'literally human trafficking'.

The former secretary of state lashed out at the Florida Governor, claiming the move was 'inhumane' and only exacerbated the border crossing crisis.

She later admitted 'nobody wants open borders' and called for politicians to 'come together' to chuck more cash at the issue.

DeSantis this week flew the 50 migrants from Venezuela to the exclusive enclave in Massachusetts.

Another group of migrants was deposited in front of Vice President Kamala Harris' Naval Observatory residence in Washington DC.

It sparked uproar among local residents who claimed there was no space for them among the million dollar mansions.

On Friday the migrants were taken by bus and ferry from Martha's Vineyard to Cape Cod, where they will stay in a military base.

Hillary Clinton criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' move to send a group of migrants to the tony liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard, where she vacations, during a Friday appearance on Morning Joe. She also talked about abortion and the Mar-a-Lago raid

A group of nearly 50 migrants from Venezuela who were flown to the island of Martha's Vineyard off Cape Cod, Massachusetts in a move organized by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

.@HillaryClinton on abortion bans: "This is dystopian, this is the Handmaid's Tale writ large...and I fear women are going to be harmed and unfortunately die because of this terrible decision." https://t.co/69xOggZC1V pic.twitter.com/VHkJt8ShvF  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) September 16, 2022

Clinton, who holidays on Martha's Vineyard, took to the airwaves to slam the move this morning.

She said: 'You have laid out the craziness of the time in which we're living, where some politicians would rather not only have an issue but exacerbate it to the extent of literally human trafficking, as you said.

'Nobody wants open borders, who has any idea of how governments and countries work, but nobody wants inhumane, terrible treatment of human beings either.

'And what we should have been doing is to come together to reform change and better fund the system by which we deal with these issues.'

The 50 migrants who arrived at Martha's Vineyard are now being shipped off on a 32 mile trip to a military base in Cape Cod on Friday

She took aim at GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been sending migrants to northern cities, saying he would rather have an 'issue' than 'be part of the solution.

Clinton also expressed disgust when discussing the case of a Louisiana woman forced to travel to New York for an abortion because her fetus lacked a skull.

'This is dystopian, this is the Handmaid's Tale writ large,' she remarked on MSNBC's Morning Joe. 'You know 'pro-life' means you honor life, and that includes the life of the mother. And it includes absolutely making decisions that are in the best interests of women,' she later said.

Clinton expressed optimism that abortion rights will motivate women and men to vote in the November midterms.

'And so I think this election, this midterm election is going to have a lot of energy from women and men who don't want the government, don't want politicians like [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott or someone else coming into their lives, into the intimacy of their relationship and telling them that they have to carry a child to term - that is forced birth, regardless of the circumstances,' Clinton said.

She pointed out that a lot of women are registering to vote for the first time - along with young people.

'And we saw what happened in the special election in New York, we saw what happened with the referendum in Kansas and the Congressional election in Alaska,' Clinton added.

Democrats and abortion rights persevered in all three elections - two in traditionally red states.

Clinton was asked former President Donald Trump's treatment of classified documents during her nearly 30-minute appearance on MSNBC's morning show.

Gov. Charlie Baker made the decision to move the illegal immigrants just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaire's enclave, with some residents reportedly left reeling

'This is the worst example of arrogance and just a a sense of impunity that I can remember in recent history from anybody in a high position,' she said of Trump.

Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign was weighed down by accusations she mishandled classified documents due to her use of a private email server during her time at the helm of the State Department.

'At the end of the day, I had zero classified materials, and all the fuss that was made about what I did and the rest of it. At the end of the day, after FBI investigations, two State Departmenet investigations - one under Tillerson, one under Pompeo - frankly looking for something to hold me accountable for, there was nothing there,' she said.

When Clinton has made similar comments distinguishing herself from Trump, The Washington Post's fact-checker has said she's 'technically correct,' however some classified information, without markings, was found in the contents of her State Department inbox.

The JBCC joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, and was used as a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

The former Democratic nominee also expressed disgust at the Republicans who called to 'lock her up,' but have defended Trump when troves of classified documents were found during the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago last month.

'You know, I served with a number of the people who say these kinds of things and honestly, you know, I don't know how they can live with themselves,' she said. 'I don't understand how they can be in thrall to such a fraud and such a con artist as Donald Trump. I don't get it.'

'I don't know what he has on them, I don't know what they expect to get from him, I don't understand their fear. It's a mystery to me,' she continued.

Like other Democrats, including President Joe Biden, Clinton said Trump was a danger to democracy.

She said anti-democratic regimes 'get started by a demagogue and authoritarian, basically demanding fealty and not just to himself, but to his version of reality.'

'We saw that start on the afternoon of the inauguration where, you know, alternative facts about the size of the crowd became the argument the White House was making to overlook the fact that there wasn't that big a crowd and it continues to today,' she noted.

Now, Clinton continued, Republicans are 'siding with this outrageous, and I believe probably illegal use of classified material.'

'So it's a mystery to me, but it is a dangerous mystery that you have the Republican Party still enabling the fantasies and the power hungry dreams of the former president,' she said.
Alex Jones once again claimed that the judge from his Sandy Hook trial who ordered him to pay $45million in damages is a George Soros operative because she has 'purple and blue hair.'

During a rant on Steven Crowder's YouTube show, Jones made a rambling argument that Judge Maya Guerra Gamble 'admits' she is a tool of the liberal megadonor on Facebook.

Although Crowder told Jones he mostly agreed with him, he did push back on his claim that Gamble admitted being a Soros operative on her Facebook page. Crowder warned Jones that would be an accusation the media will 'take out of context.'

Jones continued to argue that Gamble has 'purple, blue hair and has all these Soros-funded PACs on the site. And she gets money out of the packs that are funded by Soros.'

He accused the city of Austin, where the ruling was made, of being a 'Soros bastion' but Crowder again clarified that Gamble did not literally call herself a Soros operative.

However, Jones did eventually calm down enough to agree that Gamble 'did not say 'I am a Soros operative.' You're correct.'

Crowder responded by joking, 'You dont know if Soros paid for her blue hair dye. We cannot confirm nor deny, but well assume so.'

On his own show just days after the ruling, Jones claimed the trial against him was 'coordinated and run' by billionaire philanthropist Soros and 'operatives.' He did not identify the other 'operatives' by name.

The host also accused Gamble of being a 'blue-haired SJW' and insinuated that she was corrupt and 'altered the record of the trial.' 'SJW' stands for Social Justice Warrior.

Infowars' founder Alex Jones believes that the judge from the July trial that ruled he had to pay $45million to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting was a George Soros operative

The host has previously accused Judge Maya Guerra Gamble (pictured) of being a 'blue-haired SJW' and insinuated that she was corrupt and 'altered the record of the trial.' 'SJW' stands for Social Justice Warrior

Speaking with conservative YouTuber Steven Crowder, Jones argued that Gamble 'admits' she is a tool of the liberal megadonor on Facebook

Gamble, who appears to have light hair coloring in press photos but not visibly blue or purple hair, is a liberal judge whose stated positions are 'taking guns from abusers,' ruling in a 'courtroom with compassion' and 'ending discrimination.'

Her website's list of supporters does not include Soros or his Open Society Foundation. It does include her region's chapter of Our Revolution, a group that typically calls for the banning of the kind of spending Soros does.

She is supported by many local Democratic Party organizations, which are often either directly or indirectly supported by the Hungarian-American billionaire.

The suit where Gamble ruled against Jones will see him be forced to pay nearly $50million in damages to the family of slain six-year-old Jesse Lewis.

Lewis was among the 20 children who were shot dead by crazed gunman Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Another six people were killed in the massacre.

For years Jones claimed on his InfoWars platform that the shooting in Newton was a 'false flag' operation perpetrated by the US government to further gun control.

This is the first of three trials that Jones will face in relation to his claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. Last year, he was found guilty of defaming the families of the victims.

Two others are set for September, one in Texas and one in Connecticut, where the shooting took place. A total of eight families will be represented in the Connecticut trial.

In their lawsuits, the families and FBI agent William Aldenberg say that they have been subject to harassment, abusive comments on social media and even death threats because of the hoax conspiracy.

Some of the plaintiffs say strangers have videotaped them and their surviving children. And some families have moved out of Newtown to avoid threats and harassment.

'I can't 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,' Neil Heslin, Jesse Lewis' father, testified during the Texas trial.

The Connecticut lawsuit alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the state Unfair Trade Practices Act. The families claim when Jones talked about Sandy Hook, he boosted his audience and raked in more profits from selling supplements, clothing and other items.

A parent with two children confers with an official on the day of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012

The victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre are pictured here: starting on the top row, from left to right, are Ana Marquez-Greene, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Emilie Parker, and Noah Pozner; Jesse Lewis, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Charlotte Bacon and Chase Kowalski; Daniel Barden, Jack Pinto, Catherine Hubbard, Dylan Hockley and Benjamin Wheeler; Grace McDonnell, James Mattioli, Avielle Richman, Rachel Davino and Anne Marie Murphy; Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Dawn Hochsprung and Nancy Lanza

Twenty children, between the ages of six and seven years old, and six adults were killed when 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree - with their families now setting their sights on Jones for his troubling assertions that the massacre was carried out by 'crisis actors'

A parent walks away from the Sandy Hook Elementary School with her children following a shooting at the school in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012

Veronique De La Rosa, mother of Noah Pozner, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, wipes away tears during a news conference in Trumbull, Connecticut on February 15, 2022

The families have not asked for any specific amount of damages, some of which may be limited by state laws. There are no damage limits, however, under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.

In all the Connecticut and Texas cases, Jones and his lawyers repeatedly failed to turn over records as required to the families' attorneys. In response, judges handed down one of the harshest sanctions in the civil legal world  they found Jones liable for damages by default without trials.

Jones, who runs his web show and Infowars brand in Austin, Texas, also faces a third trial over the hoax conspiracy in another pending lawsuit by Sandy Hook parents in Texas.

Pitbull defense attorney, Norman Pattis, seen here, said that his client Alex Jones will take the stand in his defense this week

In a reversal from what he said on his show for years following the shooting, Jones now says he believes the massacre was real.

But he continues to say his comments about the shooting being a hoax involving crisis actors to encourage gun control efforts were protected by free speech rights.

During a deposition in the case in April, a defiant Jones insisted he wasn't responsible for the suffering that Sandy Hook parents say they have endured because of his words.

He also has said the judges' default rulings against him  finding him liable without trials  were unfair and suggested they were part of a conspiracy to put him out of business and silence him.

'If questioning public events and free speech is banned because it might hurt somebody's feelings, we are not in America anymore,' he said at the deposition. 'They can change the channel. They can come out and say I'm wrong. They have free speech.'

At the Texas trial, however, Jones testified that he now realizes what he said was irresponsible, and did hurt people's feelings and he apologized.

The judge, who found Jones liable for damages, is the same judge who oversaw Sandy Hook families' lawsuit against gun maker Remington, which made the Bushmaster rifle used in the school shooting. In February, Remington agreed to settle the lawsuit for $73 million.
A prominent Ohio police union has criticized Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan's candidacy for Senate, given his past comments that were critical of law enforcement - and his own history of disorderly conduct with officers.

With less than eight weeks until the November midterm elections, Ryan has attempted to moderate his image to appeal to Ohio's swing state voters. That includes casting himself as more pro-police than his Republican opponent, JD Vance.

But Ryan has had multiple run-ins with the law in the past. In February 1995, the yet-to-be-lawmaker was cited for disorderly conduct after a different bar patron's scuffle with police saw him throw cups of alcohol at the cops.

And in 2012, while he was already serving in the House of Representatives, Ryan was arrested for public intoxication in Virginia after a staffer's wedding - though that charge was later dismissed.

'Given Tim Ryan's track record of calling police officers the new Jim Crow and voting to eliminate qualified immunity, it's not surprise that this is the way he carries himself around law enforcement,' Columbus Fraternal Order of Police President Jeff Simpson told DailyMail.com.

'This trend of confrontational police encounters is not limited to his earlier years. Shamefully, this has been an ongoing problem with Mr. Ryan during his career in Congress.'

Simpson added, 'It's just another indication that Tim Ryan lacks respect for the badge and all that it represents. He's wrong for Ohio.'

Rep. Tim Ryan is running for retiring GOP Senator Rob Portman's seat against Republican JD Vance. DailyMail.com recently uncovered a 1995 police report in which a young Ryan is accused of throwing beer at police and hurling vulgarities while officers were attempting to control an unruly bar patron

Ryan's comments about 'the new Jim Crow' were not about police specifically but rather the infrastructure of US justice as a whole. He said during a speaking event at Georgia's Paine College in 2019, 'I believe that the current criminal justice system is racist. I believe in my heart that it's the new Jim Crow, a new version of it.'

But decades before, Ryan did take direct aim at the police - literally.

In the early hours of February 11, 1995, Ryan shouted 'vulgarities' at officers as they attempted to drag an unruly woman off the premises in Bowling Green, Ohio. Ryan accused them of violating her civil rights.

He also hurled beer at officers during the ordeal, according to a court filing from the time that was obtained recently by DailyMail.com.

At the time he also attempted to 'get out of trouble by claiming that his father was a friend of a Bowling Green administrator,' according to an archived article in the Akron Beacon Journal.

In 1999, while in law school, Ryan attempted to have his record expunged - but failed to convince a judge that he was 'rehabilitated.'

Columbus Fraternal Order of Police President Jeff Simpson told DailyMail.com, 'Given Tim Ryan's track record of calling police officers the new Jim Crow and voting to eliminate qualified immunity, it's not surprise that this is the way he carries himself around law enforcement'

He attempted to argue that his community service and work for his local US House member, Rep. Jim Traficant, was reason enough to prove his record should be sealed and the charge expunged.

Just three years later Traficant was convicted of 10 felony charges including bribery and racketeering. Ryan was elected as Traficant's successor.

Then in 2012, another run-in with the law came after police in Virginia observed Ryan was 'unsteady on his feet.'

The police report, obtained by DailyMail.com, states that Ryan and the people he were with told officers they were returning to their hotel from a wedding. Cops reported smelling alcohol and that Ryan had 'glassy bloodshot eyes.'

'He stated that he only had a couple beers and that he had difficulty walking because he had back problems,' the police report states.

Ryan refused to take a breathalyzer test and was put in the back of a police vehicle where he became 'increasingly uncooperative' including complaining that he was too tall for his seat.

The misdemeanor charge was later dismissed, according to a decade-old Washington Post story on the incident.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Ryan's campaign for comment on the charges and the Fraternal Order of Police's statement but has not heard back.

Fast-forward to 2022, and Ryan is locked in a tight race with his Donald Trump-backed opponent to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman.

Ryan is up against Trump-backed author and venture capitalist JD Vance in November's race

A new poll from Emerson College Polling/The Hill shows author and venture capitalist JD Vance leading Ryan by four percent.

Both Vance and Ryan have traded barbs about the other's comments about law enforcement.

Ryan has hammered Vance for calling to 'abolish' the bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, equating it to Vance wanting to 'defund the police.'

The Republican author and venture capitalist, however, has seized on Ryan's voting record showing his support for ending qualified immunity protections for the police.

He also criticized Ryan for incorrectly initially blaming police for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger who was profiled and killed by white racists earlier that year.

Ryan also voted against a resolution to condemn calls to 'defund the police' that Republicans had attempted to introduce when the landmark George Floyd Justice In Policing Act was passed.
Liz Truss is set to meet Joe Biden and other world leaders for private talks before the Queen's state funeral next week.

The US president is among the senior figures due to fly into London for the ceremony on Monday.

And a number are holding meetings with the PM, who only took charge in Downing Street last Tuesday.

Tomorrow Ms Truss will meet the premiers of Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the Chevening country residence.

On Sunday, she will meet Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street.

As a mark of respect to the former monarch no details or photographs of their discussions will be released, and there will be no press conferences.

US president Joe Biden (left) is among the senior figures due to fly into London for the state funeral on Monday. He will hold talks with Liz Truss (right) on Sunday

On Sunday, Ms Truss will meet Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau (pictured), Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street

China demands 'manners' from UK over ban on viewing Queen lying in state China hit back today after the Parliamentary authorities banned its delegation from viewing the Queen's coffin. All heads of state visiting London for the funeral on Monday have been invited to pay their respects to the late monarch in Westminster Hall before her funeral. China's president Xi Jinping was invited to Monday's event but is instead sending a delegation led by vice-president Wang Qishan. However, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has denied a request for the Chinese group to enter the ancient heart of British democracy. Sir Lindsay has maintained that Chinese state officials should not be able to enter Parliament after sanctioning MPs for condemning human rights abuses against Uighurs. The step drew a sharp response from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning today. Although stressing she had no official information, Mao said that as host the UK should 'follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests'. Asked about Liz Truss's view on the issue, a No10 spokeswoman said: 'Admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament.' Advertisement

French president Emmanuel Macron is also due to be at the funeral, but it is understood he plans to hold talks with Ms Truss on the fringes of the UN general assembly in New York next week.

The state funeral will see several hundred dignitaries from around the world in London to pay their last respects to the Queen, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

They will join members of the royal family, British prime ministers past and present, and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey - which can hold about 2,000 people - at 11am on Monday.

No guest list has been released yet, but Mr Biden was among the first to declare he will be attending with his wife, Jill.

Mr Albanese announced that he will not be travelling alone, tweeting that at Buckingham Palace's invitation, he and Governor-General David Hurley will be accompanied by '10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities'.

Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy's Sergio Mattarella, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro are among the presidents attending, along with the European Commission's Ursula von der Leyen.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia, are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also expected to travel to London in what would be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

China hit back today after the Parliamentary authorities banned its delegation from viewing the Queen's coffin.

All heads of state visiting London for the funeral on Monday have been invited to pay their respects to the late monarch in Westminster Hall before her funeral.

China's president Xi Jinping was invited to Monday's event but is instead sending a delegation led by vice-president Wang Qishan.

However, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has denied a request for the Chinese group to enter the ancient heart of British democracy.

Sir Lindsay has maintained that Chinese state officials should not be able to enter Parliament after sanctioning MPs for condemning human rights abuses against Uighurs.

The step drew a sharp response from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning today. Although stressing she had no official information, Mao said that as host the UK should 'follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests'.

Asked about Liz Truss's view on the issue, a No10 spokeswoman said: 'Admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament.'
A Florida homecoming queen who says her life was ruined after she and her vice-principal mom were accused of rigging the election to win her the crown is launching a lawsuit claiming her civil rights were violated.

Emily Rose Grover, 19, said she and her mother, Laura Carroll, 52, were falsely arrested in March 2021 for allegedly hacking privileged Tate High School student information to cast hundreds of fake votes to win her school's 2020 homecoming court crown.

Grover pleaded no contest in exchange for the charges being dropped after she completed a supervised program that included 100 hours of community service, though her attorney says this does not prove her guilt.

Now, she plans to file a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Escambia County School District over the incident, which also resulted in her initial college acceptance and full ride to the University of West Florida being rescinded.

Recently, Grover filed a notice of intent in Escambia County to reclaim her name and prove her innocence. She's 'trying to get back to a semblance of normalcy,' said attorney Marie Mattox.

Grover celebrates her homecoming win in October 2020 with her father, Bubba Grover

Grover and Carroll  who was subsequently fired from her assistant principal job at Bellview Elementary school  stand accused of using a school-district employee account to cast 246 fake votes.

The mother and daughter duo were hit with a litany of charges: offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices; unlawful use of a two-way communications device; criminal use of personally identifiable information; and conspiracy to commit the offenses.

The conspiracy charge is a first-degree misdemeanor while the others are third-degree felonies.

Prior to the charges being dropped, each was looking at a possible 16-year sentence. Carroll was initially freed on a $6,000 bond and her daughter on a $2,000 bond.

Emily Grover, 18, was arrested in March 2021 for allegedly hacking Tate High School's homecoming queen contest. Her admission and scholarship to Florida Western University were subsequently rescinded

Emily's mom, Laura Carroll, a former vice principal, was also arrested for helping her daughter pull off the homecoming heist and fired from her job at Bellview Elementary School

Emily's (center left) status as homecoming queen would soon fall into question and become the subject of an ethics inquiry that culminated in criminal charges, an expulsion, and her mother losing her job as a vice principal. She is pictured here with her mother Laura Carroll (center right), sister Faith Grover (right), and father Bubba Grover (left)

'She needs to be able to start her life over without this wreckage of the past and be able to live a normal life that she intended to live.' Mattox told Wear-TV.

One way she is doing that is by accepting a bid to join the Alpha Delta Pi sorority at the University of West Florida, where her acceptance with a full-ride scholarship was originally rescinded following the scandal.

One girl, Baylee Sanders, with whom Grover attended church, told the New York Post she was surprised Grover had been accepted into a sorority at her new school.

'Normally, from what Ive heard, they are the hard-ass sorority. But then theyll take in a girl who has been arrested and [had] four charges!'

Sanders, 23, also recounted Emily's 'mean girl' persona before her big bust.

'From what the other girls in the [friend] group said around her is that she was more of a mean girl in school, popular, etc. The way they made it sound was just like in the movie Mean Girls. Shes nice to people to their face but then talks behind their back,' she said.

A spokesperson for the sorority told the outlet that by 'the time Emily Grover pursued membership in Alpha Delta Pi, she had been fully cleared of all charges.

Grover and Carroll seen in their mugshot pictures following their arrests for hacking the Tate High School homecoming competition

Grover's attorney, Marie Mattox, who has filed a notice of intent to sue Florida law enforcement, says the teen's civil rights were violated when she was arrested and a full investigation will clear her of any criminal wrongdoing

Tate High School in Pensacola, Fla., where Grover and Carroll allegedly cast 246 votes from their personal devices in favor of Grover's homecoming queen campaign

As she re-acclimates to a 'normal' life, Emily recently accepted a bid from the University of West Florida's Alpha Delta Pi sorority, of which her sister, Faith, is a member

'This is a black cloud that is traveling with Emily everywhere she goes,' says her attorney, Marie Mattox, who added that if a 'thorough' investigation had been conducted, the conclusion would have been that Grover 'didn't engage in any criminal activity' and 'was not involved at all in casting any votes.'

Mattox added that her client remains 'very, very fragile' following the ordeal.

'Her life literally stopped for almost two years. She then had to reevaluate her life, put a hold on everything and had to come back from this horrible experience and work her way into living a regular life,' she told the Post.

Initially, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents discovered evidence of unauthorized access to student information via Carroll's administrator account.

The Daily Mail previously covered Grover's case.

At the time, multiple Tate students and peers of Grover's told the media that the teen had long bragged about being able to access privileged information via her mother's account.

'I have known that Emily Grover logs into her mom's school account in order to access grades and test scores since freshman year,' one student said in a statement to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

'She looks up all of our group of friends grades and makes comments about how she can find our test scores all of the time.'

Another said: 'She did not seem like logging in was a big deal and was very comfortable doing so.'

Ultimately, investigators discovered that Carroll had accessed 372 high school records since 2019, 339 of which were Tate students.

At the time, Carroll had district level access of the school boards program, authorities said, and was up-to-date on her annual training on 'Staff Responsible Use of Guidelines for Technology.'

The system contains information about students' grades, medical histories, test scores, attendance, disciplinary actions, personnel information, emergency contacts, schedules, and student ID numbers. It was linked to an application called Election runner, with which students could cast their votes for homecoming court.

In an interview with Good Morning America last year, Grover said that even when the school removed the hundreds of votes it labeled as having been fraudulently cast, she was still the homecoming queen candidate who garnered the most votes.
A third man wanted for the murder of a man brutally stabbed in a Brisbane street has been arrested as the manhunt for the final suspect continues.

Wanted man Thomas Myler, 35, was cornered by police during a raid by police at a home in Wellington Point on Friday night.

It is understood the raid of the Skinner Avenue home involved teams of specialist police and the dog squad.

A third man wanted for the murder of a man brutally stabbed Comanchero bikie associate Levi Johnson in a Brisbane street on Monday, has been arrested as the manhunt for the final suspect continues. Wanted man Thomas Myler (pictured), 35, was cornered by police during a raid by police at a home in Wellington Point on Friday night

Comanchero bikie associate Levi Johnson (pictured), 23, was set upon by a group of men outside a gym car park in the southern suburb of Mansfield, Brisbane on Monday

A number of other people at the home are also being questioned.

Myler has been on the run for four days and is the third man arrested over the death of Levi Johnson who was fatally stabbed outside a gym car park in the southern suburb of Mansfield on Monday.

Two cars boxed in his vehicle before four men got out and started smashing his windows. Mr Johnson ran away but two men caught up with him nearby, and he was stabbed multiple times.

The manhunt for Kyle Martin, 24, continues, with police calling for his surrender.

'It certainly is something that was ferocious, it happened extremely quickly and they were indeed passionate about completing their task,' Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham earlier told reporters.

Police services nationwide were notified of arrest warrants, and Queensland Police allege Myler and Martin were part of the 13 Kings gang at the time of the attack.

CCTV footage released by police on Friday shows Martin at the Carindale shopping centre before the attack.

CCTV footage released by police on Friday shows Kyle Martin (pictured), 24, at the Carindale shopping centre before the attack. Police are calling for him to surrender as the manhunt is ongoing

'We say that the four individuals met at a location nearby, that they observed the victim, Mr Johnson, for some time, waited for him to depart a particular location and then follow him where they eventually cornered him in the car park of the gym at Mansfield or Carindale,' Det Supt Massingham said.

Police appeal for anyone with dashcam footage from the Creek Road car park between 12.30pm and 2.10pm on Monday to come forward.

They also seek any dashcam footage from the Winstanley Street car park between 11.05am and 1pm to come forward.

Police appeal for anyone with dashcam footage from the Creek Road car park between 12.30pm and 2.10pm on Monday to come forward. They also seek any dashcam footage from the Winstanley Street car park between 11.05am and 1pm to come forward

'This is a significant strategy that will certainly help us identify the final movements of these individuals just before and after the offence took place,' Det Supt Massingham added.

Police say any associates of Martin assisting in harbouring him can be charged with accessory to murder, which carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment.
The woman in charge of Putin's 'bogus referendum' which would see citizens in occupied Ukraine vote on whether to join the Russian Federation was killed today in an evident sabotage attack.

Lyudmila Boyko headed the election commission in Berdyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and had been preparing to implement the Kremlin's plans for a poll.

But she was slain alongside her husband Oleg Boyko, himself a senior local official official in the Russian-installed local government, in an explosion close to their home.

It came as the Prosecutor General of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic Sergey Gorenko was killed in another blast which destroyed his office and also killed his deputy, Yekaterina Steglenko.

All four victims of the deadly attacks were in their 40s.

Russia blames both explosions on operations authored by Ukrainian saboteurs.

Lyudmila Boyko (left) was a top election commission official in Russian-occupied Ukraine. Her husband Oleg (right) was a senior government official in the same area

Prosecutor General of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic Sergey Gorenko (left) was killed in another blast which destroyed his office and also killed his deputy, Yekaterina Steglenko (right)

Military officers and emergency services workers are pictured outside the General Prosecutor's office in Luhansk today after an explosion killed the general prosecutor and his deputy

'This is a heavy loss for us, for all those who have not come to terms with the criminal Kyiv regime and continue to fight its nationalist manifestations,' said Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee [IC] and a close Putin ally.

'We will provide all possible assistance to investigate this monstrous crime.

'I have already instructed the investigators of the Russian IC to open a criminal case and investigate all the circumstances of the incident.

'I express my deep, sincere condolences to the relatives, friends and colleagues.'

Though Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any sabotage attacks, Ukrainian actors appear to have launched several such operations to prevent pro-Russian governments in occupied territory from becoming entrenched.

On September 6, military commander Artem Igorevich Bardin, appointed by Moscow to oversee Berdyansk and the surrounding region, was maimed in a car bombing.

The explosion rocked a tree-lined street in the city centre, close to the administration building and also injured civilians.

That attack came just a week after another regional official Ivan Sushko was blown to death in a car bombing alongside Alexander Kolesnikov, deputy head of the Berdyansk traffic police.

Footage from Berdyansk (pictured) showed the burning wreckage of a car said to belong to Artem Igorevich Bardin, the military commander appointed by Moscow to oversee the city and the surrounding region

Ivan Sushko, a 40-year-old father-of-one who was a pro-Russian local government official in Berdyansk, was killed in a car bombing in August

Ukraine and the West say there is no hope of free and fair referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine.

Putin used a referendum - the outcome of which was widely disputed and assumed to be manufactured - to justify the annexation of Crimea and the peninsula's subsequent incorporation into the Russian Federation in 2014.

The blasts targeting Russian-installed local officials in southern Ukraine come as Ukrainian authorities made a harrowing discovery in the northeast of the country.

At least ten torture chambers and a mass grave site containing at least 450 bodies were found by officials who returned to Izyum, a city in the Kharkiv region, and Balaklya, a town close to Izyum which was liberated this past weekend following a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Ukraine's police chief Igor Klymenko said that most of the people buried in the mass graves are civilians, with some of the graves marked only with numbers.

Other graves bear military symbols, suggesting that soldiers are buried there.

Prosecutors spent yesterday sweeping the area for explosives and have now begun exhuming the pits so that bodies can be taken away for forensic examination to see how exactly the hundreds of people died

Hastily-dug graves at the woodland site are marked only with wooden stakes and pieces of paper bearing a number, as Ukraine begins exhuming the site to gather evidence of war crimes

The head of the prosecutor's office in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv said that some of the bodies unearthed from the mass burial site showed signs of torture, with some buried with their hands tied behind their backs or ropes around their necks.

Izyum resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in the individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building.

He said he pulled some of them out of the rubble 'with my own hands'.

Zelensky hinted at war crimes in a speech overnight when he compared Izyum to Mariupol and Bucha, two cities where Russia has systematically exterminated civilians.

'We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum,' he said.

'Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable.'

The chief police investigator for the region of Kharkiv, Sergei Bolvinov, said that the bodies will be exhumed and taken away for forensic examination.
One of Australia's most infamous murderers is finally set to walk free from prison on parole after protesting her innocence from behind bars for 13 years

Susan Neill-Fraser, 65, was convicted of murdering partner Bob Chappell aboard their yacht, Four Winds, at Sandy Bay, Tasmania, on Australia Day, 2009.

Neill-Fraser has always maintained her innocence throughout her 13 years at the Mary Hutchinson Women's Prison at Risdon Vale.

She also consistently refused to apply for parole as she would have to admit her guilt - but the parole board has decided to set her free on licence without a confession.

Susan Neill-Fraser (left), 65, has been granted parole after spending the past 13 years at the Mary Hutchinson Women's Prison at Risdon Vale, after she was convicted of murdering partner Bob Chappell (right) aboard their yacht, Four Winds, at Sandy Bay, Tasmania on Australia Day, 2009

Neill-Fraser (pictured) has maintained her innocence following her sentencing in 2010

Police have never managed to find Mr Chappell's body or a possible murder weapon.

No explanation has ever been given for how the DNA of Meaghan Vass, who was then a homeless 15-year-old girl, ended up on the yacht, ABC News reported.

Ms Vass is alleged to have told several different versions of her story over the years, including that she was never even on the yacht.

This infamous case attracted strong interest through books and TV documentaries across Australia as well as internationally.

Neill-Fraser was known to be a 'model prisoner' during her time, who had made pavlovas for fellow inmates for birthdays, provide legal advice and help with reading.

Neill-Fraser (pictured) chose not to apply for parole throughout her sentence, as she wanted to leave prison with a full exoneration

Meaghan Vass's DNA was found aboard the yacht (pictured) but she told the original trial she was not on the boat

But in September last year, Neill-Fraser was put in solitary confinement for five days, with all privileges revoked after writing about 'a day in the life' of a female prisoner.

Her day to day experiences were later published on a supporter's website, in breach of strict prison rules.

She also went on a hunger strike in 2017 when she was moved to medium security after contraband was allegedly found in her cell.

The contraband, according to her daughter Sarah Bowles, was a pair of pre-approved kids' craft scissors as well as a tube of make-up, purchased from the prison canteen.

Neill-Fraser had two failed appeals against her conviction in 2017 and 2021.

She also lost an effort last month to overturn her conviction in the nation's highest court after the High Court refused her application for leave to appeal.
A tragic mystery has struck an Oklahoma community as a toddler was found dead half a mile from his home after vanishing in the middle of the night.

Ares Muse, 2, was found in the evening of Monday September 12 after he had gone missing from his home in Okemah the night before, according to the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthouse Police Department.

He was last seen in his home, which is located on tribal land, at about 1.30am after he crawled into bed with his parents, according to his father, who has not been named in reports.

The website for the funeral service name the parents as Nikita Muse and Betty Flanagan.

When they woke up around 6.30am, Ares was no where to be found, and Nikita reported him missing.

Young Ares had reportedly managed to pass through three locked doors to escape his home, according to Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation.

The cause of death has not been made clear.

Ares Muse, 2, (pictured) was found dead in the evening of Monday September 12 after he went missing from his home in Okemah the night before

His father Nikita (pictured with Ares) claimed that the boy crawled into bed with himself and the boy's mother at 1.30am on Sunday night, but was missing at 6.30am the following morning

Ares was found half a mile away from his family home (pictured) 12 hours after he was reported missing

Although authorities have not yet deemed the death criminal in nature, an official investigation is under way and the boy's family is cooperating with law enforcement officers

A multi-agency search got under way, scouring the surrounding wooded area near Cromwell for 12 hours using every resource they had including drones, boats, people on horseback and those with dogs

A multi-agency search got under way, scouring the surrounding wooded area near Cromwell for 12 hours using every resource they had including drones, boats, people on horseback and those with dogs.

The boy's body was found around 6.30pm half a mile away, devastating first responders who had held out hope for a happy conclusion.

Although authorities have not yet deemed the death criminal in nature, an official investigation is under way and the boy's family is cooperating with law enforcement officers.

'We talked all day long about wanting a good outcome, and we didn't get that,' Salsman said.

'It's unfortunate, but that doesn't take away from the effort and from how we need to be there in our hearts and minds for this family.'

Multiple agencies from the tribal, local, state, and federal levels were involved in the search and investigation, said Eric Foster of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

'We hate to be able to give news like this, it's very unfortunate. But we do come together,' Foster said.

Pictured: Ares on a motorbike with his father. Young Ares had reportedly managed to pass through three locked doors to escape his home, according to Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation

'And we had a lot of citizens reach out as well wanting to help, and that's just Oklahoma and we are proud to be a part of that.'

Ares was the 'family's pride and joy', according to his grandmother. He loved helping his father and the process of dying Easter eggs.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the costs of the funeral services, according to the page. So far it has raised $1,340 out of a goal of $5,000.

'Ares was a sweet boy. Just short of his 3rd birthday. He loved his mom, dad and sister very much and was a second son to his aunt,' the description reads.

'The hole that is left in all our hearts will never be filled. '

The funeral service will be held on Monday, September 19, at the Springfield Methodist Church of Okemah.
The BNB chain is now in collaboration with Google Cloud.

Binance and Google are working hand in hand to empower Web3 and blockchain startups. This partnership aims to support all the technological initiatives in the Web3 and blockchain industries.

It plans to support developers, startups, products, and apps through the assistance provided by Google Cloud.

The blockchain, NFTs, and other decentralized projects have seen a massive push in the past few years, which both companies are trying to help cultivate.

Binance, one of the most prominent cryptocurrency exchange platforms, uses its own native smart contract blockchain called the BNB chain.

The BNB Beacon Chain and the BNB Smart Chain were merged into a single entity in February of 2022, which resulted in the formation of the BNB Chain.

BNB Chain and Google's Partnership

Binance's startup projects supported by the BNB Chain will now be able to access the Google for Startups cloud program.

According to CoinDesk, the investment director of BNB Chain, Gwendolyn Regina, stated, "Google Cloud is a very good Web2 player and has really done a lot of Web3 stuff."

"It's important for us to just work with big players who have big visions, and we share the same DNA and same visions."

With the rewarded access that Google will provide to developers, designers, and engineers as a result of the partnership, these professionals will be able to make their products and services even more impressive.

This will assist start-ups in scaling their requirements for cloud computing and business design and will also ensure that they receive the appropriate technological tools for their foundational infrastructure.

In addition to that, the startups that stand to gain the most from these joint partnerships will have the opportunity to receive mentorship from business people associated with Web3 and the blockchain.

According to Crypto Briefing, this venture will benefit all of the projects based on the BNB Chain. There are estimated to be 1,300 projects that will utilize this new partnership, and they range from NFTs, blockchain, cryptocurrency, metaverse, DeFi, and decentralized applications.

This is not the first time that Google has expressed interest in going into the industry of Web3. The tech company has previously been working with blockchain projects like Polygon, Ontology, Bakkt, Dapper Labs, and many more.

Read Also: Tesla Is Building More Factories To Increase Production To 20 million EVs by 2030

BNB Chain's Support from Google Startup

Google will now open its doors in providing the projects under the Binance blockchain the same support and tools in its Google for Startups Cloud Program.

Since Google is such a massive platform with numerous service offerings, it has developed a specialized program to assist new businesses by providing them with privileged access to tools that will speed up their growth.

The technology, services, and support that are provided by the Google Cloud program will now enable Web3 and blockchain-related services to grow in a sustainable manner.

According to Google for Startups, the builders who participate in this program will be eligible for product credits as well as the resources stated below:

Free Google Cloud and Firebase usage with credits of up to $100,000 for the first year.

A Google credit worth $500 that will grant entrepreneurs access to their hands-on labs and online courses.

Exclusive marketing services from Google for selected startups.

Special offers and a wide variety of discounted services.

Most importantly, it will grant access to business and tech support. Google will assist these Web3 and blockchain startups with a dedicated Startup Success Manager.

Related Article: Binance 2022 Price Prediction: After Beating Top Cryptocurrencies, What's Next for the Altcoin?
This is the shocking moment Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked a teenage activist outside the US Capitol.

The congresswoman, 48, lashed out at 18-year-old Gen Z protestor Marianna Pecora as she marched in front of her during a protest yesterday.

She appeared furious with the young demonstrator for filming while grilling her about gun legislation.

Greene shared the footage herself on Twitter and slammed the activist and the group she was with as 'foolish cowards'.

Pecora has since said she is consulting lawyers about whether to purse legal action against the congresswoman.

'Excuse me,' she says again, appearing to take aim at the back of Pecora's leg. 'Get out of the way, excuse me'

'You can't block members of Congress,' Greene's communications director Nick Dyer says

The footage starts as Greene and Voters of Tomorrow leave a news conference as a pair of activists heckle her on gun violence.

18-year-old Mariana Pecora is the deputy communications director of Gen Z activist group Voters of Tomorrow

At one point, an activist walks in front of her and Greene kicks the 18-year-old to get her out of the way.

'How does the second amendment prevent gun violence?' Marianna Pecora says, chuckling as she films Greene's reaction.

'Excuse me,' Greene says, appearing to step on Pecora's heel. 'Excuse me,' she says again, appearing to take aim at the back of Pecora's leg. 'Get out of the way, excuse me.'

'You can't block members of Congress,' Greene's communications director Nick Dyer says.

'Did she literally just tweet out the video of her kicking me?' Pecora, deputy communications director of the progressive group Voters of Tomorrow, responded to Greene's video.

The activists said they are considering legal action.

'To answer the most prevalent question about pressing charges: we're talking to our legal team and keeping our options open,' Meyer tweeted in a post retweeted by Pecora.

'Excuse me,' Greene says, appearing to step on Pecora's heel

'How does the second amendment prevent gun violence?' Marianna Pecora says, chuckling as she films Greene's reaction

Engaging with a different protester, Santiago Meyer, Greene says 'You're a coward is what you are!'

'Go move to another country where they take away your guns,' Greene says repeatedly

Engaging with a different protester, Santiago Meyer, Greene says 'You're a coward is what you are!'

'Go move to another country where they take away your guns,' Greene says repeatedly.

'You have a free choice go somewhere else we have the Second Amendment here. I'll always defend myself, I'll defend my children, I'll defend my home ,especially from people like you.'

The viral video on Greene's account has over 1.2 million views.

'These foolish cowards want the government to take away guns & the rights of parents to defend their children in schools,' the Georgia Republican wrote on Twitter.

'You have to be an idiot to think gun control will create a utopian society where criminals disarm themselves and obey the law. 'Gun-free' zones kill people.'

Asked for comment on the 'kicking' allegation, Greene's spokesman Dyer told DailyMail.com: 'It's ridiculous and sad that the media is reporting on a lie.'
Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has finally addressed the horrors of the assassination attempt she experienced on September 1 when a Brazilian man's loaded gun got jammed after he allegedly pulled the trigger inches from her face.

Fernandez had just arrived at her residence in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta after attending court hearings on her corruption trial - in which prosecutors are seeking a 12-year prison term for allegedly directing taxpayer money to a friend - when Fernando Sabag, 35, squeezed through a crowd of supporters and tried to kill her.

'I feel that I am alive because of God and the virgin,' Kirchner said Thursday after attending a conference with religious leaders at the Senate.

'The most serious thing is not what could have happened to me. The most serious thing was having broken a social agreement that we had since 1983,' she said, referring to when the South American nation returned to democracy after seven years under the dictatorship of the National Reorganization Process.

She added: 'To recover democracy was to recover life and rationality that we can discuss politics. Eradicate that violence.'

Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (right) met with members of Argentina's religious communities on Thursday and took time out to address for the first time the assassination attempt she survived on September 1

Fernando Sabag, a 35-year-old Brazilian national, has been accused of attempting to murder Kirchner. On Thursday, a federal court judge ordered him held in pretrial detention along with his girlfriend and accomplice, Brenda Uliarte

Text messages recovered from the cellphone of Brenda Uliarte revealed that in April she purchased the gun her boyfriend, Fernando Sabag, allegedly used to try to kill Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Kirchner served as first lady to her husband Nestor Kirchner, who served as president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, and then as president herself from 2007 to 2015.

'What happened the other day was a break from that. All political leaders want to be president, like all priests want to be Pope. I was president twice,' she said.

'The maximum ambition that a politician has I already had twice. And in addition to that my partner was also president. Those are not the things that seduce me or the things that encourage me. The only thing that encourages me is to see if we can get out.'

Kirchner said she was thankful for the political backers who sprung into action and restrained Sabag with no police officers in sight.

'Not only did they stop him, but they also prevented him from reassembling the gun when the first shot missed. They did not take justice into their own hands, nor did they lynch him,' she said.

'They did what was appropriate, they called the law, the police. It is necessary to put a lot of institutionalism and a lot of democratic respect to rebuild.'

A surveillance camera showed Brenda Uliarte (center) was standing near the residence of Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner when her boyfriend tried to assassinate her on September 1

The Bersa .32 gun that was recovered from the scene and 100 bullets police found in the gunman's home

Kirchner hopes that Argentines 'reflect' on the failed attempt on her life because the country as a whole has the 'the obligation to return to a path that cost Argentina a lot.'

Sabag and his Argentine girlfriend, Brenda Uliarte, 23, are among four people who have been arrested in connection to the botched assassination.

According to court records, Uliarte purchased the Bersa .32 on April 22 from a woman named 'Serena.'

Investigators uncovered a message she sent from her cellphone that said, 'I have a gun, I bought it because my ex is unbearable.'

Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner shares a hug with a religious leader during a meeting at the Senate on Thursday where she spoke for the first time about the assassination attempt she survived on September 1

Fernando Sabag declined to tell investigators why he tried to assassinate Kirchner

On July 4, she texted Agustina Diaz, who is also under arrest, and told her, 'I am going with the gun and I am going to shoot Cristi.'

Sabag previously told the court that Uliarte was never involved in the plot, but declined to answer questions about his motives.

Both Sabag and Uliarte have been charged with attempted aggravated murder with the use of weapons, treachery and premeditated concurrence of two or more people.

On Thursday, federal judge Maria Capuchetti ordered Sabag and Uliarte held in pretrial detention.

While investigators have discovered evidence from Uliarte's cellphone that links implicates her and Sabag, many in Argentina believe the assassination attempt was a hoax.

A poll conducted by DC Consultores, published Thursday, found that 58.4 percent agreed that the September 1 incident was made up.

The study, which polled over 1,700 people, also showed that 18.5 percent believed the incident 'was an act of madness by Sabag' while 18.9 percent said it was an actual assassination attempt.

Data gathered by Reputacion Digital, an agency that monitors social media networks and the Internet, found that 61.19 percent of the conversations generated on 28 Twitter accounts between August 31 and September 6 did not believe there was an assassination attempt on Kirchner.
A man and woman have been killed in a horrific two car crash on an outback road near Dubbo but three young children were pulled alive from the wreckage of one of the vehicles.

About 4pm on Friday, emergency services responded to a call-out to Goolma Road, 77 odd kilometres east of the regional centre of Dubbo in central west NSW.

Crews arrived to find the wreckage of two vehicles which had collided.

A 29-year-old man driving a Ford Falcon ute and a 63-year-old female passenger in a Toyota Landcruiser Prado were pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency teams, firefighters and rescue specialists, then worked together to pull an adult man, woman and three young children from the smashed-up Toyota.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Craig Hall said it was a 'very distressing scene'.

Survivors were treated beside the wreckage by paramedics before the three children were airlifted to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney.

A woman in her 20s was taken to Mudgee Hospital with abdominal pains.

Two have died and five more have sustained serious injuries in a rural car crash, three children were airlifted to hospital from alongside the wreckage on Goolma Road (pictured)

'Paramedics called for blood supplies to be sent from Mudgee Hospital and we had four rescue helicopters on scene,' said Inspector Hall, reported the ABC.

'Incidents such as these are always confronting, but particularly so when children are involved.'

NSW Ambulance Inspector Craig Hall said it was a 'very distressing scene' and four helicopters were required to airlift the survivors to hospital

Police said their investigators are still working to understand the nature of the crash on the two lane regional highway.

'Officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District established a crime scene, which will be examined by specialist officers from the Crash Investigation Unit,' said police.

'An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is underway.'

The extensive rescue effort included crews from Fire and Rescue NSW and the VRA.

Traffic between Wellington and Gulgong, located at each end of Goolma highway, was diverted to other local highways.
During a guest appearance on 'The View' on Wednesday, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams - once a pro-lifer raised in a religious home - said she supports abortion 'until the time of birth' in some cases.

When asked by the show's new conservative host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, if she believed there should be any limitation on abortion, Abrams said: 'Viability is the metric and that if a woman's health or life is endanger then viability extends until the time of birth.'

Abrams added that abortion is a 'medical decision not a political one' and called various state-imposed limitations on the practice 'arbitrary.'

She also did not specify what she believes constitutes a woman's health, or how limitations should be placed on abortion, if not by law.

Georgia Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, shares her views on abortion during a recent episode of 'The View'

Abrams, who lost to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) in 2018, has previously said she was not always in the pro-choice camp; throughout her collegiate career and into law school, Abrams said she did not believe in abortion and criticized a friend who considered having one.

Her views shifted, however, once she began to mull running for office, according to an New York Times profile of Abrams.

She admitted as much on CNN's State of the Union in August, saying she began to reevaluate her religious upbringing and her pro-life position began to change in college.

'I was anti-abortion until I went to college. And, there, I met a friend who has my shared faith values, but we started having conversations about what reproductive care and abortion care really is,' she said.



Abrams did not receive pushback or any follow up questions following her non-specific answer regarding her views on abortion limitations during a recent appearance on 'The View'

Abrams leaving 'The View' taping in New York City on September 14

In defense of her current position, Abrams said: 'This is about a woman's right to control her body. This is about a woman's right to experience and determine her future. And that, for me, as a matter of faith, means that I don't impose those value systems on others.'

If elected, Abrams said she will work to overturn Georgia' current abortion ban, which limits abortions to up to six weeks.

'What I understand is that the majority of Georgians do not like this law. It is an extreme ban. It is dangerous, and it affects women across the spectrum,' she has said.
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Illegal immigrants who were flown in unannounced to Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday are now being moved to a military base in Cape Cod.

The 50 migrants have been put on buses by Gov. Charlie Baker to travel the 32 miles to Joint Base in Cape Cod (JBCC) just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaires enclave.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew in the immigrants from Venezuela on Wednesday, sparking a widespread cry of outrage from the liberal leaders of the small island in Massachusetts.

It was declared a humanitarian emergency, with the island leaders responding in the same way as a hurricane.

On Friday morning three buses pulled up outside of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown to take the mostly Venezuelan migrants on the first leg of their journey to the ferry.

They will be travelling from the elite island of billionaires with holiday mansions - including multi-million homes owned by the Obama's and Oprah - to the military base on the mainland, escorted by police.

Lisa Belcastro, a homelessness director in the area said on Thursday that the island cannot support the migrants - where the median home price is nearly $1m- because it is facing a shortage of affordable housing.

The median house in Martha's Vineyard is worth almost $800,000, according to the census, and the median household income is $77,370 - well above the national average of $67,521.

She told reporters that at some point they have to move somewhere else, because the island is suffering from a housing crisis.

The JBCC joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, conducting airborne search and rescue missions, and intelligence command and control.

The 50 migrants who arrived at Martha's Vineyard are now being shipped off on a 32 mile trip to a military base in Cape Cod on Friday

HAPPENING NOW: Migrants, flown into Marthas Vineyard by Fls governor, are boarding buses. Theyll be heading to Joint Base Cape Cod, according to officials. 125 Mass National Guard members are being activated to assist. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/RLwxNPu8GM  Emilie Ikeda (@EmilieIkedaNBC) September 16, 2022

Gov. Charlie Baker made the decision to move the illegal immigrants just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaires enclave, with some residents reportedly left reeling

The JBCC joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, and was used as a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

On Friday morning three buses pulled up outside of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown to take the mostly Venezuelan migrants on the first leg of their journey to the ferry

A busload of Venezuelan migrants who were flown to the Vineyard by the state of Florida are now on the mainland after a ferry ride - theyre headed to Joint base cape cod for temporary housing. pic.twitter.com/2lQNZn6Lfg  Jonathan Hall (@JHall7news) September 16, 2022

Baker said in a statement: JBCC is a facility already designated by MEMA as an emergency shelter in Barnstable County, and its existing infrastructure provides a safe temporary accommodation appropriate for the needs of families and individuals.

Additionally, the facility can provide dedicated space for access to legal services and other essential services such as basic healthcare.

He confirmed that the migrants will be living in dormitory-style spaces at the base, and families will not be separated.

Baker added that it has previously been used as a shelter for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and was home to a field hospital when the COVID pandemic started.

He is also activating 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to help with the relief efforts, with police escorting the buses to the ferry port on the island Friday morning.

According to Baker, Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation to the migrants.

They were all ordered to get on buses for the hour and a half trip from the island to Cape Cod.

Jhorman Cuicas, one of the migrants, told The MV Times he wished that he could stay.

According to Baker, Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation to the migrants

They were all ordered to get on buses for the hour and a half trip from the island to the military base in Cape Codm where they will be given 'dormitory-style' accomodation

BREAKING: Buses of about 50 Venezuelan migrants arrive at the ferry port on Marthas Vineyard by police transport. They are about to be transported to Joint Base Cape Cod for temporary housing provided by the state #WBZ pic.twitter.com/TZ4XPnCWtY  Kristina Rex (@KristinaRex) September 16, 2022

Baker added that it has previously been used as a shelter for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and was home to a field hospital when the COVID pandemic started

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island is facing a shortage of affordable housing, with the median home price at about $1 million. She told reporters that at some point they have to move somewhere else, because the island is suffering from a housing crisis

Migrants riding Ferry from Marthas Vineyard heading to Joint Base Cape Cod. Thankful for all theyve received so far. #7News pic.twitter.com/JYWNBs7Bsy  Dan Hausle (@dhausleon7) September 16, 2022

Senator Susan Moran said: Using vulnerable populations as pawns in a political game is heinous; this we can agree on regardless of political party.

I have been meeting with local and state agencies over the last 24 hours to ensure we are doing everything we can tosupport both the immigrants and the local officials who are on the front lines of responding to their needs.

This morning it was announced that the men, women and children who recently arrived from Venezuela will be moved temporarily to Joint Base Cape Cod where we can better address these challenges.

In Massachusetts, we treat all people with dignity and respect.

The move comes after DeSantis accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'.

He said: 'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening.

DeSantis sent two planes of 50 migrants to the affluent island yesterday, and is now threatening to send more to Delaware - following in the 'blueprint' of Texas Gov Greg Abbott

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation

State Senator Julian Cyr, a Massachusetts Democrat representing Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, admitted that they had implemented emergency hurricane plans in response to the new arrivals.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets Texas border town of El Paso amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

It comes after the residents of the wealthy island were left reeling, with locals and officials quick to voice their outrage at the move.

But now they have been criticised for being unable to handle the 50 migrants in their affluent home town for less than two days.

St. Andrew's is also just over three miles away from the Obama family's $11.75 million vacation compound, which is situated on the coastal outskirts of Edgartown.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joked about how the town's wealthy liberals might react to the migrants saying: 'These are all sanctuary cities until they're in their sanctuary. I doubt they will embrace them.'

Florida Gov DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly illegal migrants to President Bidens home state of Delaware.

It comes after the residents of the wealthy island were left reeling, with locals and officials quick to voice their outrage at the move

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.

Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez has also declared that DeSantis administration is planning to send any illegal migrants from Florida to Delaware.

It comes after Gov Greg Abbott sent 101 of illegal migrants outside of VP Kalama Harris home in Washington DC yesterday  just days after she declared that the border was secure.

Harris declared on Sunday that the border is secure in an interview and has now found herself in the midst of an attack by Gov Greg Abbott against Democrat immigration rules.

She yesterday refused to answer questions about the sensational escalation, as Abbott continues his campaign against so called sanctuary cities.

One unidentified man filmed outside the Naval Observatory on Thursday told Fox News: 'The border is open, not closed. Everybody believes that the border is open.

'It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.'

Karine Jean-Pierre took aim at DeSantis and Abbott during a press conference today, urging other Republicans who do not agree with their blueprint to speak up.

She said: This is an issue and we have been clear about this, this is an issue that is inhumane it is abhorrent and we should not be using people, migrants, who are fleeing communism as a political pawn.

VP Harris has remained silent on the issue when she entered the Naval Observatory on Friday, after refusing to answer questions on the issue on Thursday.

However her husband Doug Emhoff said: I do have a reaction. I think it was shameful. These are human beings. These are people.

They needed to be treated with dignity and kindness and respect and they werent.

And we have so-called leaders in this country who, rather than focusing on whats good for the public within their own states, theyre using people as pawns for a political stunt.

Keith Chatinover, a Democrat county commissioner for the area, made comments previously that he would love to make the area a haven for immigrants.

His comments came in response to Sen Ted Cruz's pushing a bill for Democrat-led areas to become post of entry for processing migrants.

But he now appears unhappy at having his wish granted, and has retweeted attacks against the Florida governor of being a fascist and human trafficker for sending migrants to the billionaires' enclave.

He told the MVTimes in October 2021: 'I would love Martha's Vineyard to become a haven for new immigrants to this country, but Senator Cruz has no idea what he's talking about regarding a 'border crisis.'

But now he is being called out for the comments, after branding DeSantis a 'fascist' for escalating the immigration war with Democrat-run areas.

Cruz tweeted that he was 'confused' over Chatinover slamming DeSantis for flying the illegal immigrants into the area.

Chatinover tweeted that he does 'support refugee resettlement' but has an issue when they are not given 'advance notice' to 'adequately help' the migrants.

He added that the chaos of the situation for the Republicans to 'prove a point' was a 'blatant disregard' for human rights.

Chatinover retweeted someone else who called DeSantis 'fascist scum' who said he should be 'prosecuted for human trafficking.'
Dressed in iconic uniform, they lined up to say final farewell to late Monarch

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners paid their respects at the Queen's lying-in-state

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners paid their final respects at Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state on Friday afternoon.

Dressed in their iconic scarlet coats, paired with tricorn hats and white gloves, the veterans were seen entering Westminster Hall to honour Her Majesty.

Upon entering the Hall, the Chelsea Pensioners removed their hats as they lined up to say their final farewell to the late monarch.

As they left the Palace of Westminster, they were met with cheers and a round of applause from bystanders.

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their iconic scarlet uniforms, were seen lining up to enter Westminster Hall on Friday afternoon

Chelsea Pensioners seen leaving the Palace of Westminster after paying their respects to the Queen

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their iconic scarlet uniforms, paid their respects to the Queen at her lying-in-state on Friday afternoon

The Chelsea Pensioners filled much of Westminster Hall as they bid their final farewell to the late monarch on Friday

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their iconic scarlet uniforms, paid their respects to the Queen at her lying-in-state on Friday afternoon

The Chelsea Pensioners were praised by members of the public for filing past the Queen's coffin 'without stopping and holding up the queue'.

One person said: 'Look how dignified the Chelsea Pensioners were, they were able to pay their respects without stopping and holding up the queue.'

A second person posted: 'Oh how wonderful, theyve let all the Chelsea Pensioner in together.#QueenLyingInState'.

Another said the queue was 'very special for many reasons', adding it was a 'bonus seeing the Chelsea Pensioners and the changing of the guard'.

People reacted to the Chelsea Pensioners paying their respects to the Queen on Friday afternoon

Earlier this week, the Chelsea Pensioners swapped their scarlet uniforms for sombre navy blue as they held a Drumhead Service of Remembrance to honour the late monarch.

The special commemorative event was held at the Royal Chelsea Hospital on Tuesday, and saw around 150 men and women gather to remember their commander-in-chief, who led Britain's Armed Forces for 70 years.

During the service, the Pensioners stood as a bugler played 'The Last Post', a tradition of military funerals in Britain, which was followed by a one-minute silence.

The service concluded with the Chelsea Pensioners singing 'God Save The King'.

Following the Queen's death last Thursday, the governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, said the veterans 'held their Queen in the very highest regard' and were 'all immensely proud to serve and protect their country under her 70-year long reign'.

Her first investiture as monarch was with Korean War hero Bill Speakman, who later became a Chelsea Pensioner.

They remained acquaintances throughout his life, until he passed away in 2018.

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their iconic scarlet uniforms, paid their respects to the Queen at her lying-in-state on Friday afternoon

Around 100 Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their iconic scarlet uniforms, paid their respects to the Queen at her lying-in-state on Friday afternoon

The Queen had a longstanding relationship with the Chelsea Pensioners, having first visited the Royal Chelsea Hospital as Princess Elizabeth in 1947.

General Sir Adrian Bradshaw described the late monarch as a 'regular and much-loved visitor to the Royal Hospital', first attending as sovereign at an army dinner in 1956, and subsequently to view the Chelsea Pensioners at Founder's Day on several occasions.

Her Majesty's last visit was in 2014 attending the London Regiment WWI Commemoration.

She also regularly attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which is held at the hospital annually, with her wider family.

'Her Majesty The Queen will be profoundly and very sadly missed by our community here at the Royal Hospital,' Sir Bradshaw added.
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Troops from New Zealand taking part in the Queen's state funeral today performed the Haka in front of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

William and Kate spent the afternoon at Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey, meeting soldiers from the Commonwealth who are participating in Monday's historic event.

There are 28 Australian troops, 64 Canadian soldiers and 25 from New Zealand taking part in the funeral service - for which rehearsals were taking place on site during the royals' visit.

The couple were greeted with a performance of the ceremonial Maori dance by 25 members of the New Zealand Defence Force, after which William appeared to nod in acknowledgment.

Earlier on the visit, they discussed how 'strange' it has been going from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee to her funeral in a matter of months.

William, talking with troops from Australia, was heard saying the difference between the celebrations in June and the funeral preparations shows 'the highs and lows of it all'.

Meanwhile, Kate, who was speaking with Canadian military personnel, said: 'Going from that (the Jubilee) to this in a few months is very strange.' She was also heard discussing 'lack of sleep' with the troops.

The heir to the throne also enjoyed some rugby banter with an Australian soldier, as he referenced the Wallabies' narrow 39-37 defeat to New Zealand yesterday.

He said: 'You played the All Blacks? Gave them a run for their money. They (New Zealand) are a bit too good at the moment.'

Today's visit is Kate's second to the centre in less than a year, after she wore a helmet and posed in an army tank in pictures she posted on Armed Forces Day.

Pirbright is acting as a holding area for service personnel based outside London, where troops can train, eat and sleep before moving into the capital to deliver 'ceremonial support' to the funeral'.

The centre houses 750 service personnel across Defence, and Commonwealth Realm Defence Forces and has previously been used for soldiers involved in The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Troops from New Zealand taking part in the Queen's state funeral today performed the Haka in front of the Prince and Princess of Wales (left)

The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at Army Training Centre Pirbright in Surrey to meet troops from the Commonwealth who are to participate in the Queen's state funeral

William and Kate are using the visit to speak to soldiers from countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand to take part in Monday's historic event

The Princess of Wales meets troops from the Commonwealth at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright

Prince William and Kate Middleton , the Prince and Princess of Wales, meet troops from the Commonwealth at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, meets with soldiers at ATC Pirbright this afternoon

William and Kate, both 40, began the visit by stepping out of a dark Range Rover near to the estate's historic Norwich Gates where they warmly greeted by huge crowds who had waited behind metal barriers to see them

Catherine, Princess of Wales meets with military personnel at Army Training Centre Pirbright

Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales meet Australian, Canadian and New Zealand troops at ATC Pirbright

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

It comes after the couple yesterday chatted with crowds at the late monarch's Sandringham residence in Norfolk and looked over the sea of tributes left in her memory.

William and Kate, both 40, began the visit by stepping out of a dark Range Rover near to the estate's historic Norwich Gates where they warmly greeted by huge crowds who had waited behind metal barriers to see them.

One well-wisher, Gemma Schultz, spoke to William after he noticed her baby wearing a top with Paddington on it and commented about the bear's popularity following the Queen's skit with the marmalade sandwich-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June.

The Prince joked: 'I was saying, I think Paddington might have knocked the Corgi off the top spot now. The Corgis won't take that very well.'

Following the discussion, Gemma told BBC News that William and Kate were 'nice and genuine people', adding: 'We spoke to William and we spoke to Kate, they both said about his little outfits, how nice they were... All the things that they are doing for everyone is just so nice.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales, who stayed for almost an hour, chatting to royal fans young and old, looked deep in thought as they read the messages on the sea of floral tributes that have been left behind at the gates to the royal residence.

William told a woman waiting in the crowds that yesterday's procession was 'very difficult' and 'brought back a few memories' of walking behind his mother Diana's coffin, before - close to tears - saying to her: 'Don't cry now, you'll start me off'.

William was also heard telling a mourner the Queen was 'everyone's grandmother', and saying Prince George, nine, understood that she had died but Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, less so. Meanwhile, Kate told a woman she would burst into tears if she read too many sympathy cards.

The Princess of Wales visited Pirbright only last year, and echoed Princess Diana as she smiled in a helmet while posing in an army tank to mark Armed Forces Day.

The 40-year-old shared photos of herself helping out in an armoured vehicle on a visit to the academy, where she met new recruits last November.

The centre houses 750 service personnel across Defence, and Commonwealth Realm Defence Forces and has previously been used for soldiers involved in The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Kate wore a black coat and hat for the visit with her husband to the training centre in Surrey today

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

Today's visit is Kate's second to the centre in less than a year, after she wore a helmet and posed in an army tank in pictures she posted on Armed Forces Day

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

Kate, pictured today, used the Instagram account she shares with Prince William to write a personal message marking the occasion

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright

The new Prince and Princess of Wales speak to personnel at the Army Training Centre Pirbright today

The Princess of Wales at the Army Training Centre (ATC) Pirbright in Guildford, Surrey, meeting troops from the Commonwealth who have been deployed to the UK to take part in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

GUILDFORD: The Army Training Centre Pirbright is located in Surrey. The visit comes as the country continues to mourn Queen Elizabeth II

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales meet with military personnel at Army Training Centre Pirbright

The Prince and Princess of Wales at the Army Training Centre (ATC) Pirbright in Guildford, Surrey, meeting troops from the Commonwealth

William and Kate walk with troops from the Commonwealth at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright

The pictures evoked memories of the late Princess as they bore an eerie resemblance to when she also donned a helmet as she drove a tank while visiting the Royal Hampshire Regiment at Tidworth in 1998.

Kate used the Instagram account she shares with Prince William to write a personal message marking the occasion.

In a heartfelt message, she wrote: 'Today on Armed Forces Day, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past and present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land and in the air, here in the UK and around the world. Thank you for all you and your families' sacrifice to keep us safe.'

She added: 'Last year, I was honoured to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits.

'It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all, and I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy and @RoyalAirForceUK in due course.'

To show she personally had posted the message, she signed off with a 'C'.
The prescient email Anne Heche sent to ex James Tupper in 2011 naming him executor of her estate has been revealed.

'FYI in case I die tomorrow and anyone asks,' Heche's cut and dry email begins. 'My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children.'

The email, obtained by DailyMail.com, was included in Tupper's legal filing as he battles Heche's son Homer Laffoon, 20, for control of her estate.

Laffoon filed a petition to be in charge of his mother's estate and that he and his half-brother, 13-year-old Atlas Heche Tupper (whose father is James Tupper), be listed as her sole heirs.

Laffoon says his mother, who tragically died last month, failed to leave behind a will.

However, Tupper, 57, claims in his filing that Heche's email from January 25, 2011 makes it clear that all assets go to him.

Anne Heche sent an email in 2011 to her ex James Tupper that names him executor of her estate, DailyMail.com can reveal. Her eldest son Homer Laffoon is fighting to control her estate

Tupper claims the 2011 email proves that he should be in charge of the estate. 'FYI in case I die tomorrow and anyone asks,' Heche's email begins. 'My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children'

Anne Heche's eldest son Homer Laffoon , 20, (right) has applied to be in charge of the late star's estate. He wants him and his half-brother Atlas Heche Tupper, 13, (left) to be listed as her sole heirs

The email from Heche has the subject line 'WILL' and is addressed to Tupper and copied to attorneys Kevin Yorn and Melodie Moore.

Anne Heche's emailed 'will' names James Tupper as executor Kevin and Mel, FYI in case I die tomorrow and anyone asks. My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children. They will be divided equally among our children, currently Homer Heche Laffoon and Atlas Heche Tupper, and their portion given to each when they are the age of 25. When the last child turns 25 any house or other properties owned may be sold and the money divided equally among our children. If all of my family, James Howard Tupper, Atlas Heche Tupper and Homer Heche Laffoon die together my assets will go to Eliot Bergman, my nephew, to be divided among my nieces and nephews equally. Thanks so much. May this go into my records as my word until further papers are drawn up. Thanks so much, Anne Heche Advertisement

'My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children.'

It says that her assets will be divided equally among her two sons and that their portions are given to them at 25 years old.

In the event that her two sons and Tupper all pass, Heche turned her assets over to her nephew Eliot Bergman, to be divided equally among her nieces and nephews.

'May this go into my records as my word until further papers are drawn up,' Heche ends the email.

It appears no further paperwork was ever filed.

Heche's eldest son, Homer Laffoon claims Tupper is manipulating him and his half-brother to seize control of their mother's will.

Tupper claims in his filing that Laffoon 'is not suitable' to run the estate because he is too young, unemployed and was estranged from his mother at the time of her death.

The actor goes on to accuse Laffoon - who is the son of real estate broker Coleman Laffoon - of changing the locks on the apartment Heche shared with Atlas, allegedly preventing the younger brother from getting his belongings.

Tupper has said that the two half-brothers have not had any contact since the day Heche died.

Laffoon has hit back against Tupper, claiming the actor is keeping him away from Atlas by controlling the 13-year-old's phone.

Laffoon's attorneys told TMZ that they are confident the oldest son will be the winner in court after it appointed him temporarily in charge of the estate on Thursday.

In his legal filing, Tupper says Laffoon is too young, unemployed and was estranged from his mother and half-brother

In his original petition to the court, Laffoon says that it is unclear how much money or property Heche, 53, had to her name before she died.

In the filing, Laffoon lists his mother's personal property and her annual income as 'unknown.'

He is also asking the court to be named as the legal guardian of his brother.

The court will have to dig into Heche's finances to determine the value of her estate and what properties she owned.

In 2021, it was reported that she was selling her Los Angeles Silver Lake Cottage for around $2million with co-star and ex-partner Thomas Jane.

It was also previously reported that she owned another home in the Hancock Park-Wilshire area of Los Angeles - a mansion priced at around $4million.

A photo before the August 5 crash shows Heche at the wheel with a bottle in the cup holder

Heche died from injuries sustained in a fireball car crash last month in Los Angeles

Heche died after an August 5 crash in Los Angeles. The actress slammed her Mini Cooper into a house, causing an explosion.

Blood tests showed that the actress had cocaine and fentanyl in her system when the high-speed crash occurred, but officials confirmed that she had not been drinking alcohol - despite being pictured with a vodka bottle in her cupholder.

She was left badly burned and in a coma.

Heche's life support machine was turned off on August 14, and she was cremated on August 18.

A coroner ruled on August 17 that Heche died from inhalation injury and burns, and the death was ruled an accident.

The mother-of-two also had a fractured sternum caused by 'blunt trauma,' according to information on the website of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The Emmy-winning film and television actor was removed from life support at a burn center.
Russian nuclear-powered submarines fired cruise missiles in the Arctic on Friday as part of military drills designed to test Moscow's readiness for a possible conflict in its icy northern waters.

The drills, named Umka-2022, took place in the Chukchi Sea, an eastern stretch of the Arctic Ocean that separates Russia from the U.S. state of Alaska.

Russia sees its vast Arctic territory as a vital strategic interest and has been building up its military capabilities in the region for years, raising alarm bells in the West.

Russia's defence ministry said on Friday two nuclear-powered submarines - the Omsk and Novosibirsk - fired anti-ship cruise missiles from the Chukchi Sea, hitting targets at a distance of 250 miles.

It published a video on social media which it said showed the missiles being launched from vessels situated at points of the Northern Sea Route - a commercial transport channel Russia is promoting as an alternative option for cargo ships travelling between Europe and Asia.

Moscow has continued a programme of high-profile military exercises even as the bulk of its land forces are engaged in the war in Ukraine.

A still image from video, released by the Russian Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be a Russian nuclear-powered submarine sailing during the military drills Umka-2022 in the Chukchi Sea

Russian nuclear-powered submarine launches an anti-ship cruise missile during the military drills Umka-2022 in the Chukchi Sea in this image released September 16, 2022

Earlier this month Moscow conducted war games in the Russian Far East with some 50,000 troops taking part.

Those exercises came just as a lightning Ukrainian counter-offensive that forced Russian troops to abandon swathes of territory in the eastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine was getting underway.

That resounding defeat triggered a significant shift in the Russian media's portrayal of the conflict, with some nationalists and chief propagandists expressing disquiet about their forces' failures.

Russia's lower house of parliament will next week decide whether to haul Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in to face questioning over the disastrous military campaign, further illustrating the discontent at the shocking loss of territory in Kharkiv.

Shoigu's ministry nonetheless defended the necessity of this week's Arctic drills, describing them as a test of Russia's 'ability and readiness to defend the Russian arctic by military means'.

In addition to the missile launches from nuclear-powered submarines, Russia's 'Bastion' coastal missile system also fired missiles at sea-based targets at a distance of 180 miles from the Chukchi peninsula - Russia's easternmost territory.

Russia sees its vast Arctic territory as a vital strategic interest and has been building up its military capabilities in the region for years, raising alarm bells in the West (a land-based launch is pictured today)

The warship Marshal Krylov is pictured sailing in the Chukchi sea between Russia's easternmost territory and Alaska

Russia's lower house of parliament will consider summoning Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) to face questioning over his disastrous military campaign in Ukraine

Russia's militarisation of the Arctic region has caused disquiet in Western capitals, other Arctic nations and among environmental groups.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last month Russia's military buildup in the Arctic presented a 'strategic challenge' for the NATO alliance.

Meanwhile in Ukraine, more evidence of Russian torture chambers and mass graves containing the bodies of Ukrainian citizens were uncovered in and around Izyum after officials canvassed the recently liberated city.

Ukraine's police chief Igor Klymenko said that most of the people buried in the mass graves are civilians, with some of the graves marked only with numbers.

Other graves bear military symbols, suggesting that soldiers are buried there.

The head of the prosecutor's office in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv said that some of the bodies unearthed from the mass burial site showed signs of torture, with some buried with their hands tied behind their backs or ropes around their necks.

Prosecutors spent yesterday sweeping the area for explosives and have now begun exhuming the pits so that bodies can be taken away for forensic examination to see how exactly the hundreds of people died

Hastily-dug graves at the woodland site are marked only with wooden stakes and pieces of paper bearing a number, as Ukraine begins exhuming the site to gather evidence of war crimes

Izyum resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in the individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building.

He said he pulled some of them out of the rubble 'with my own hands'.

Zelensky hinted at war crimes in a speech overnight when he compared Izyum to Mariupol and Bucha, two cities where Russia has systematically exterminated civilians.

'We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum,' he said.

'Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable.'

The chief police investigator for the region of Kharkiv, Sergei Bolvinov, said that the bodies will be exhumed and taken away for forensic examination.
A lodger who murdered his landlady after she told him to move out has been jailed for 18 years.

Mohsen Saadi, 57, stabbed 42-year-old care worker Peninah Kabeba, known as Penny, 12 times at her home in Sutton, south London, on May 27, last year.

He denied murder but was found guilty by a jury at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday.

He had been living at Ms Kabebas home for a short period prior to the incident.

Mohsen Saadi, 57, stabbed 42-year-old care worker Peninah Kabeba, known as Penny, 12 times at her home in Sutton, south London, on May 27, last year.

Saadi, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years at Kingston Crown Court, pictured

Police were called to the home on Park Road, Cheam at 9:55pm after neighbours reported hearing a disturbance followed by Saadi leaving.

Officers found Ms Kabeba inside and provided first aid prior to the arrival of the London Ambulance Service and Londons Air Ambulance, but despite their best efforts she was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:34pm.

A neighbour who had called the police kept Saadi in his sight and directed police to him.

Detective Sargent Marc Gadd, who led the investigation, said the neighbours actions were crucial in enabling a swift arrest.

Sgt Gadd said: Saadi is a vile man who took Pennys life in an act of senseless gratuitous violence.

I know this has been an incredibly difficult time for Pennys family and friends but I hope the fact Saadi will now spend a significant amount of time in prison brings them some peace.

Saadi, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Google lost an appeal over a record fine of $3.99 billion imposed on the tech giant by the European Commission regarding an antitrust violation linked to its Android operating system.

Google was charged by the EU court of restraining competition. The court upheld that the tech giant is using its Android dominance to "forcibly require phone makers to include apps for Google services," as per CNET.

EU Court Charges Google with $3.99 Billion Penalty

Google made an appeal to challenge the 2018 fine. However, the European Court of Justice's General Court "mostly confirmed" the 2018 decision of the EU's Executive Commission to fine the tech giant with more than 4.125 billion euros or $3.99 billion.

The tech giant had allegedly suppressed competition, and reduced consumer choice by using its Android dominance, as per AP.

The decision of the EU court showed that EU regulators has succeeded in "taking a global lead in controlling the power of big tech companies."

The EU court said that it is only appropriate to charge Google with 4.125 billion euros penalty "in order better to reflect the gravity and duration of the infringement."

The said fine is slightly lower than the original 4.34 billion euros penalty. According to the EU court, some of its reasonings are different "in certain respects" than that of the commission's.

However, Google said in a statement that: "We are disappointed that the Court did not annul the decision in full."

According to the company, Android did not provide less choices for everyone. Instead, it has provided more options. Moreover, Google claimed that Android has provided support to thousands of successful businesses in Europe.

The 4.125 billion euros fine is just one of three antitrust penalties that European Commission charged to Google between 2017 and 2019. The three penalties have a total of $8.5 billion.

With these penalties, EU is considered at the forefront of the move to "rein in tech giants."

Read Also: Google Offers To Pay Developers $90 Million To Settle Antitrust Lawsuit

Google Has Broken EU's Rules

According to the EU court, they found out that Google's agreements with phone makers restrained competition.

Moreover, since companies such as Huawei, Samsung, and LG are heavily dependent on Android, Google's agreement reduced choices for consumers.

According to CNET, the company's agreements stipulated that the phone makers should preinstall certain Google apps and search tools, including the Google Play Store, on Android devices. This gives Google an advantage to keep its dominance in search.

The court said that Google has broken EU's rules when it required smartphone makers to have a bundle of Google apps preinstalled in the device. Another violation of Google is it prohibited them from selling devices that have an altered version of Android.

While the bundle has 11 apps, the regulators focused only on Google Search, Chrome and Play Store, the three apps having the largest market share.

To address the issues Google employed certain changes. One of these changes is giving the European Android users a choice of browser and search app.

Related Article: Google Will Face Multistate Antitrust Lawsuit Over Ad Dominance, Judge Rules
Extinction Rebellion protesters who brought London to a standstill and blocked London Fire Brigade HQ cannot use the Human Rights Act to avoid prosecution a judge ruled today.

Emma Cooper, 31, Jamie Russell, 48, and Luke Mallett, 25, were part of a 300-strong march that blocked Vauxhall Bridge on April 10 this year, Westminster Magistrates Court heard today.

'Extinction Rebellion started from 10am that morning. Approximately 200 to 300 were marching and split between Vauxhall bridge and London Bridge,' said prosecutor Aaron McCalister.

'Both bridges were blocked. These are critical transport infrastructure links into London.'

Access to both the London Fire Brigade Headquarters and St Thomas's Hospital were blocked.

Extinction Rebellion climate activists who brought London to a standstill earlier this year will not be able to rely to the Human Rights Act to avoid prosecution. File photo of Extinction Rebellion protesters blocking Lambeth Bridge in central London on April 10 this year

Extinction Rebellion demonstrate at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park on April 10

Activists sitting down on Lambeth Bridge on April 10 with a banner reading 'FOR HEALTH'S SAKE: STOP FINANCING FOSSIL FUELS'

'National rail and transport hubs became congested as a result. Officers had been trying to understand the intentions of the protesters to mitigate their actions. Extinction Rebellion were not forthcoming.

'Protesters sat across all carriageways of the bridge and monopolised use of the highway to them.

'By 16:00 hours police were operating with 92 bus routes along with other public transport infrastructure that transports 3,000 passengers per hour.'

Cooper, of Yoxall, Staffordshire, and Russell of Shrewsbury, Shropshire denied being part of a public assembly contrary to a condition not to, imposed by senior police officers.

Both said they anticipate to rely on their Article 10 and 11 freedom of expression and freedom of assembly under the Human Rights Act.

But District Judge Michael Snow gave the direction that they could not rely on the arguments.

'The issue of proportionality conviction under Art 10 and 11 cannot be argued,' he said.

File photo showing Extinction Rebellion activists blocking traffic on Vauxhall Bridge on April 18, 2019

Police officers talk to climate change activists occupying Oxford Circus on April 18, 2019

Their trial date has been set for 16 November at City of London Magistrates Court.

Luke Mallett, of Canterbury, Kent, pleaded guilty to being part of a public assembly in breach of a police condition.

He was let off with a six-month conditional discharge.

The judge told Mallett: 'I recognise you do not take this issue frivolously... This is a serious issue of the community at large.'
Lindsey Graham called Donald Trump a 'lying motherf***er' during the Ukraine impeachment scandal, a new book has claimed.

But the senator said the then president was 'a lot of fun to hang out with', according to The Divider: Trump in the White House 2017-2021.

The book, by journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, also quoted him as saying Trump could get away with murder and the GOP would still back him.

They claimed Graham said "he could kill fifty people on our side and it wouldnt matter' when they bumped into him outside a DC steakhouse in 2019.

Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly backed up Donald Trump's claim that he could commit murder and still have an ardent fan base and called the former president a 'lying motherf***er' who is nonetheless 'fun to hang out with'

'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters, okay?' Trump famously said

'He could kill fifty people on our side and it wouldn't matter,' the South Carolina Republican told journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser according to their new book 'The Divider,' obtained by The Guardian.

'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters, okay?' Trump famously said during a campaign stop in Iowa in 2016. 'It's, like, incredible.'

Graham had been recalling a story to the husband-and-wife author duo about Trump boasting of his closeness to evangelical pastors he'd met with the day before in 2019. 'Those f***ing Christians love me,' Trump had told Graham.

Graham stood by his assertion that it would be 'insane' to impeach Trump for his July 2019 phone call with the Ukraine president, but admitted he knew the former president's faults.

'He's a lying motherf***er,' Graham said, adding that still, Trump was 'fun to hang out with.'

Graham and Trump's fraught back-and-forth relationship has been mystifying to onlookers, beginning with Graham refusing to back Trump in 2016 and deeming him racist and crazy.

But Graham became one of the former president's closest allies during his presidency. Still, he voted to certify the 2020 election results against Trump's wishes and blamed him for the January 6th Capitol riot.

'Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view he's been been a consequential president. But today, first thing you'll see. All I can say, is count me out, enough is enough,' Graham at the time.

Graham has defended Trump in the wake of the FBI raiding his Mar-a-Lago home, issuing a warning that there would be 'riots in the streets' if the former president were indicted.

Other revelations in Glasser and Baker's forthcoming tell-all include that Trump was persuaded by an old college friend, New York cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, that buying Greenland was a good idea and the former president was reportedly so paranoid that Iran would retaliate for the US killing of its top general, Qasem Soleimani, that he told guests at a Mar-a-Lago holiday party in 2020 he was leaving early in fear of an assassination attempt by Tehran.

Rarely restrained in his commentary either in public or in private, Trump also reportedly told people around him that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was an example of why women should be careful with plastic surgery and said he would not pick Nikki Haley, his United Nations ambassador, as a running mate because she had a 'complexion problem.'

In other excerpts of the book, Trump belittled his son-in-law Jared Kushner as only being concerned about his 'New York liberal crowd.'

Melania Trump reportedly told her husband he was 'blowing' the United States COVID-19 response, a new report suggested on Wednesday.

'You're blowing this': New book reveals Melania Trump criticized her husband's handling of COVID - and his top general feared he would authorize a strike on Iran as presidency ended

Melania Trump told her husband he was 'blowing' the United States COVID-19 response, a new report suggested on Wednesday.

The former first lady had been 'rattled by the coronavirus and convinced that [Donald] Trump was screwing up,' the book claims according to CNN.

In a phone call with former Trump ally Chris Christie, Melania reportedly recalled telling him that she said to her husband, 'You're blowing this.' She apparently pleaded with Christie to help convince Trump to take the pandemic more seriously.

She said she told Trump, 'This is serious. It's going to be really bad, and you need to take it more seriously than you're taking it.'

But he did little more than brush her off, according to the book.

''You worry too much,' Trump replied. 'Forget it.'

That and other explosive revelations from Trump's presidency are revealed in a forthcoming book from New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker and New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser, 'The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021.'

Among the bombshells were also concerns held by Trump's top general, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley, that the ex-president would order an attack on Iran on his way out the White House door.

And according to the authors, it was one of Trump's staffers who gave him the idea.

'Milley at the time told his staff it was a "What the f*** are these guys talking about?" moment,' the book claims.

Melania Trump reportedly told her husband of the pandemic, 'This is serious. It's going to be really bad, and you need to take it more seriously than you're taking it'

Trump reportedly told his wife to 'forget it' in response to her concerns

Trump was reportedly so paranoid that Iran would retaliate for the US killing of its top general, Qasem Soleimani, that he told guests at a Mar-a-Lago holiday party that he was leaving early in fear of an assassination attempt by Tehran.

But that's not the only time the ex-president has inspired national security fears among his advisers.

After Trump publicly sided with Russia's Vladimir Putin over US intelligence agencies that accused the Kremlin of meddling in American elections, the national intelligence director privately wondered to 'associates' about what the two leaders' relationship was.

'I never could come to a conclusion. It raised the question in everybody's mind: What does Putin have on him that causes him to do something that undermines his credibility?' then-DNI Dan Coats allegedly said.

In the Middle East, Trump is reported to have given Jordan's King Abdullah II such a shock by offering him the West Bank that the monarch told a friend he believed he was having a heart attack.

Trump also invoked his National Security Council after a billionaire friend of his suggested purchasing Greenland from Denmark, a plan which eventually fell apart after public ridicule.

The former president himself told the forthcoming book's authors that buying the territory would not have been 'that different' than his high-profile real estate purchases for the Trump Organization.

'I said, "Why don't we have that?'" Trump said of Greenland.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley reportedly told his staff that he had 'a "What the f*** are these guys talking about?" moment' when a former Trump staffer advised the president to attack Iran

'You take a look at a map. I'm a real estate developer, I look at a corner, I say, "I've got to get that store for the building that I'm building," etc. It's not that different.'

And while Trump's foreign chops were recognized by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's nomination of him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the book claims that the ex-president had a hand in pushing that, too.

A former senior Trump aide told the authors, 'The President asked Abe over dinner to nominate him.'

Other revelations include newly-uncovered messages by top Trump officials that depicts the White House in a state of chaos during the 2018 midterm elections.

'Ok for the first time I am actually scared for the country. The insanity has been loosed,' then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote to a colleague.

She also apparently said that Trump's secretaries of Defense, Education and Labor were all threatening to resign.

Looking ahead to his future potential 2024 campaign, the former president did not say if he would run but poured cold water on the chances that he would run with Mike Pence again.

The reason was Pence's failure to stop the 2020 election results - Trump's defeat - from being certified by Congress.

'It would be totally inappropriate,' Trump told the authors. 'Mike committed political suicide by not taking votes that he knew were wrong.'
A third of the accounts Donald Trump has reposted on Truth Social in the past month have promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory, an analysis has found.

The posts include sharing the movement's slogans, videos or imagery, while about one in 10 accounts shared include QAnon language or links in their profile bios.

On Tuesday, Trump reposted a mocked-up image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words: 'The Storm is Coming.'

In QAnon lore, the 'storm' refers to Trump's final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live TV.

As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it.

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words 'The Storm is Coming.' A third of the accounts Trump reposted on his Truth Social website in the past month have promoted QAnon

He's published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn't know much about QAnon, he couldn't disprove its conspiracy theory.

Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, 'Is that supposed to be a bad thing?'

'If I can help save the world from problems, I'm willing to do it,' Trump said.

Trump's recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state.

In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a 'q drop,' one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance.

In QAnon lore, the 'storm' refers to Trump's final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania.

The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled 'WWG1WGA,' an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for 'Where we go one, we go all.'

Online, Q adherents basked in Trump's attention.

'Yup, haters!' wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. 'Trump re-truthed Q memes. And he'll do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until *everyone* finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!'

'Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots,' a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. 'He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.'

The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group.

Jacob Chansley, holding a sign referencing QAnon, speaks as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather to protest about the early results of the 2020 presidential election in Phoenix, Arizona in November 2020

'These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal,' Bloom told the AP on Thursday. 'That's why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.'

On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil.

When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has 're-truthed' them in their bios.

By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they've been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon's use of language and symbols.

It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about 'the storm' as a particularly frightening example.

'The 'storm is coming' is shorthand for something really dark that he's not saying out loud,' McIntosh said. 'This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability.'

Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense.

Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it's a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement.

A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence.

QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election.

Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA.

Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters.

Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss.

On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter.

A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon.

'I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet,' she told the newspaper.

The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power.

Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it.

That's forced much of the group's activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump's struggling platform, Truth Social.
Customs and Border Protection has denied claims that they asked a 32-year-old cat sitter from Australia traveling from LAX airport to Canada if she had an abortion.

Madolline Gourley says she had a nightmare experience on June 30, 2022 when she landed at the Los Angeles International Airport en route to Canada where she was cat and house sitting.

She told DailyMail.com during her nearly six-hour interrogation that her passport was confiscated, bank records were sifted through, mugshot and fingerprints were taken, and two frisks were conducted, amongst a series of other searches and filmed questioning.

But she says the most bizarre part of the ordeal was when one of the female immigrations officers asked if she were pregnant, or if she 'had a recent abortion'.

'The question was odd. I was on my way to Canada for holiday and these guys pulled me in because of suspicion that I was entering the country to work illegally but meanwhile they are asking me inappropriate questions,' she said.

'I told them 'No! Why didn't they ask if I had epilepsy or diabetes? she said.

Madolline Gourley, 32, said she had a nightmare experience on June 30, 2022 when she landed at the Los Angeles International Airport. She told DailyMail.com that her passport was confiscated she was detained and spent hours at LAX being interrogated by several different immigration officers

Gourley says the most bizarre part of the ordeal was when one of the female immigrations officers asked if she were pregnant, or if she 'had a recent abortion'

Jaime Ruiz, public affairs for the US Customs and Border Protection/US Department of Homeland Security told DailyMail.com said 'the abortion word was never used.' He said, 'the officers involved acted with integrity, respect, professionalism, in accordance with US Law and Regulations'

Jaime Ruiz, public affairs for the US Customs and Border Protection/US Department of Homeland Security sent DailyMail.com a lengthy statement that includes their policies and denied the claims made by Gourley.

'We don't use the word abortion ever. We say termination of pregnancy. You can go back to the policy act it never mentions the word abortion,' Ruiz said.

He went on to explain the immigration officer spoke to the CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility but said he was unable to provide further information about the case.

'We cannot reveal details because of privacy act, but we are confirming an investigation was done and we did not find any wrongdoing,' he said.

'The officers involved acted with integrity, respect, professionalism, in accordance with US Law and Regulations.'

He continued, saying, 'the story has been taken out of context' and that the incident had 'nothing to do with politics or anything. Nothing to do with abortion today. It is totally unrelated. The abortion word was never used.'

Gourley said she was trying to remain hopeful and thought she would eventually be cleared to get onto the plane to Canada. She said the last time she came to the United States was in January and stayed until April

Gourley was traveling using an ESTA - Electronics Systems for Travel Authorization- similar to a VISA. She says she had never had a problem before. But the visa-waiver program prohibits any pet-sitting, house sitting or childcare in exchange for room and board

Gourley said she thought she would eventually be cleared to get onto the plane to Canada, as she had never had issues before. In January, she came to the United States, stayed until April and had no issue.

But, Gourley was escorted by an immigration officer to the plane that was taking off 15 minutes after she was told she was being deported.

Gourley was traveling using an ESTA - Electronics Systems for Travel Authorization- similar to a VISA. She says she had never had a problem before. But the visa-waiver program prohibits any pet-sitting, house sitting or childcare in exchange for room and board.

It has been nearly three months since the incident took place and Gourley is still upset with how she was treated, describing the immigration officer as 'hostile and rude.'

'How can they say the female officer 'acted with integrity, respect, professionalism' when she yelled at me on several occasions?' she asked. 'Is yelling at a traveler considered professional in this line of work?'

In response to the CBPs statement about her complaint, she insists they said 'abortion' and told Daily Mail she still doesnt understand why its routine to ask about pregnancy and loss of pregnancy questions.

'Do [men] get asked if they're sperm donors or have recently undergone surgery for prostate cancer? she asked.

Gourley plans to consult with a lawyer on how she was treated when it came to her reproductive status.
Nancy Pelosi has demand Russia be held accountable for the 'atrocities against children' and 'using the rape of women as a weapon of war' in Ukraine.

The House Speaker, appearing at the G7 Summit in Berlin, tore into Vladimir Putin's regime for its brutal invasion of the country.

She said it must be confronted over horrific crimes such as weaponizing hunger by the rest of the world.

Pelosi also accidentally revealed she was planning a trip to Armenia and praised the billions in aid the US has poured into Ukraine.

It comes as fighting continues as Kyiv's forces launch a blistering counteroffensive towards its eastern and southern borders.

'Russia must be held accountable, accountable for the atrocities they are committing against little children,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday before talks with Germany's foreign minister

Pelosi made her comments at a G7 meeting of speaker in Berlin, where she accidentally revealed she was planning a trip to Armenia and praised the billions in aid the U.S. has poured into Ukraine.

'Russia must be held accountable, accountable for the atrocities they are committing against little children, using rape as a weapon of war, hunger as a tool of war, and the rest, but they must be held accountable,' she said.

'And it was encouraging to hear how Ukraine is documenting the crimes against humanity that are taking place there now,' she said, referencing investigations of what was uncovered after the Russians were pushed out of Buccha and other towns.

She spoke after Ukraine had achieve substantial territorial gains after slicing through Russian positions in the northeast and in the south of the country.

It was her biggest statement on the diplomatic stage since her trip to Taiwan, which infuriated Beijing and prompted China to launch a series of military exercises and other moves the U.S. called 'provocative.'

She also committed the U.S. and allies to reconstructing Ukraine, which has been bombarded by Russian munitions, often by 'dumb' bombs rather than precision weapons, as well as apparently deliberate attacks on infrastructure.

'And Ukraine must be rebuilt. In Congress, we've had in the House 'seize and freeze.' Seize the assets  the Russian assets, freeze the assets, and then use them to rebuild Ukraine. It's going to take a lot of money. Hopefully, it will be soon when the guns are silent, but we must be ready when they are,' she said.

Pelosi met with Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at a G7 Speakers Summit. Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk of Ukraine, President Barbel Bas of the German Bundestag and President Roberta Metsola of the European Parliament were also there

Pelosi called out Russian 'atrocities' in Ukraine

She accused Russia of using rape as a weapon of war

Rescuers remove the rubble at a building destroyed in a Russian missile attack on central Dnipro, central Ukraine

Russian attacks have flattened infrastructure and killed civilians. Here a Ukrainian national guard serviceman walks on the destroyed Russian APC's at the checkpoint near the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 15

She said there was 'solidarity in the G7, enthusiasm to make sure we do everything possible,' and pointed to votes in Congress for $50 billion in total assistance.

The Pentagon on Friday said military assistance since February has now topped $15 billion.

Pelosi took a question about whether she would call on her own government to do more and for Germany to take a 'leadership role.'

Germany drew notice for announcing it would buck longstanding postwar tradition and send military support outside its borders, but also has been pushed by Ukraine for being slow with deliveries.

Pelosi did not mention Germany, where she was speaking, in her response.

'Thank you for your question. And it affords me the opportunity to acknowledge leadership of our President, President Biden. He is personally, on a day to day, hour to hour basis, very concerned about what happens in Ukraine,' she said, again pointing to $50 billion in support.

We all know people of Ukraine are fighting to preserve not only their democracy, but ours. It's a small price for us to pay, as I have said, for us as we go about our business and worried about the price of energy and the rest,' she said.

Pelosi got asked about a Saturday trip to Armenia, where she apparently plans to look into a two-day cease fire after fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

'It was not known to me that my travel plans were in the public domain. Oh, you overheard me. Oh okay, all right. Well, in any event, tomorrow we will be visiting Armenia, because we've had an ongoing invitation from the Armenians,' she said. She said she wouldn't discuss the details of her visit.
More than two million undocumented immigrants will be arrested trying to cross into the U.S. in 2022.

And Democrats don't bat an eye.

But fly 50 migrants to one of the wealthiest places in America, spotted with multi-million dollar mansions, surrounded by the mega-yachts of the rich and famous and Democrats lose their minds?

What a joke!

I am a Democrat and the former Majority Leader of the California State Senate. The first woman to ever hold that position. I am also a proud Latina.

I am telling you that if the Democratic party thinks that Latinos are outraged by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard  they are dead wrong!

On Friday, the governor of Massachusetts dispatched the National Guard to whisk away these 50 migrants to a military base in Cape Cod that once housed hurricane disaster victims.

But what about the hundreds of migrants sleeping on the street of El Paso, Texas? Or the countless other migrants, sleeping outside in cities and towns across the U.S./Mexico border?

This Democratic stronghold - where the Obamas now reside - couldn't stomach having 50 brown migrants in their midst without declaring an emergency and shipping them out of town within 24 hours.

Liberals want open borders  just not in their immaculate backyards.

Overwhelming rural, poor, and largely Latino communities along the southern border are expected to absorb the costs of unprecedented migratory streams in a wide-open border, but Martha's Vineyard cannot? (Above) Charities hand out supplies to migrants on streets of El Paso, Texas on September 15, 2022

Overwhelming rural, poor, and largely Latino communities along the southern border are expected to absorb the costs of unprecedented migratory streams in a wide-open border, but Martha's Vineyard cannot?

Spare me!

This Democratic stronghold  where the Obamas now reside  couldn't stomach having 50 brown migrants in their midst without declaring an emergency and shipping them out of town within 24 hours.

Liberals want open borders  just not in their immaculate backyards.

While smug liberals and virtue-signaling progressives pretend that their immigration policies are 'compassionate,' Latinos know they are just cruel, naked politics.

Good for Governor DeSantis, and Governor Greg Abbott in Texas and Governor Doug Ducey in Arizona for sending this powerful message by making Democrats shoulder their 'fair share' of the burden of a broken immigration system.

After all, isn't it the Democrats who scream about the rich shouldering their 'fair share'?

Let the folks in Martha's Vineyard, Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C. get a taste of what it feels like to live in a New World border-less state.

Remember that the 2020 Democratic presidential primary contest was essentially a bidding war in which each candidate proposed progressively more permissive border policies.

In one debate, all but one of the 10 Democratic candidates onstage said they would decriminalize illegal border crossings.

Now Biden is now delivering on these promises. And Republican governors have finally called their bluff.

The Democratic Party thought these policies would win the hearts and minds of Latinos everywhere. How wrong could they have been?

The brutality of an ever more complex human smuggling operation on the southern border has turned Latinos, and especially south Texas Democrats, against the party.

What is not addressed by Democrats' 'compassion' is that they are incentivizing desperate peopleincluding families giving up their childrento get into the US.

After the Biden administration said it would not rapidly expel unaccompanied minors, Reuters reported that approximately 10,000 children illegally crossed into the United States in February 2021, almost twice the number that had crossed the previous month.

I am telling you that if the Democratic party thinks that Latinos are outraged by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard  they are dead wrong! (Above) Author and former California State Senator Gloria Romero

On Friday, the governor of Massachusetts dispatched the National Guard to whisk away these 50 migrants to a military base in Cape Cod that once housed hurricane disaster victims (above).

According to their report three human smugglers told Reuters they have been encouraging parents to send their children to the U.S.-Mexico border alone due to the shift in U.S. policy.

'It's good to take advantage of the moment, because children are able to pass quickly,' Daniel, a Guatemalan smuggler told the news outlet. 'That's what we're telling everyone.'

Latinos know the horrors of the Democrat-condoned open-border system.

We know that the Mexican cartels have transformed this naked political power-play into a lucrative drug smuggling and human trafficking operation.

Crossers must pay thousands of dollars to a smuggler, enduring rape and sexual violence along the way. 'The Rape Tree' is not urban legendbut rather real symbols whereby trees along the border are 'decorated' with the panties and undergarments of women being smuggled after they have been raped.

We have video evidence of horrific death by suffocation of migrants trapped in trucks in soaring desert heats, unable to get out.

Once upon a time, progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to the border and had themselves photographed crying at the conditions they saw.

Where are they now?

Increasingly Latinos have also realized that if we have been treated as pawns by anyone  it is the Democratic Party.

Our votes come in handy at election time but over the years, the needs and values of Latinos have been ignored and we have increasingly been insulted.

President Biden has never visited the southern border despite serving decades in public office.

The Border Czar, Vice President Harris, only visited El Paso -- not exactly considered the border -- when she was shamed into going

The First Lady, Jill Biden, recently referred to Latinos as 'tacos'.

Democratic operatives, including mainstream press that has shilled for Democrats, have referred to this revolt of the taco people as being 'far right', or 'not the real deal'.

But recently, Democrats in south Texas were stung when one of the strongest Democratic-controlled seats overwhelmingly voted for a Trump-supporting Latina Republican, Mayra Flores, to defeat their handpicked Democrat.

Predictably, the campaign of the Democratic challenger to Rep. Flores called her 'Miss Frijoles'.

This was the first time in over a century that a solid Democratic district with an overwhelming Latino electorate had turned their backs on the Democratic Party. And this won't be the last time.

The Latino agenda is an American agenda.

We want opportunitynot guaranteed outcomes. We want prosperitynot a redistribution of wealth. We want our values respectednot ridiculed.

We celebrate motherhoodnot Birthing Peoplehood (in fact, Latinos of Mexican descent celebrate two Mother's days!).

Latinos may be divided on reproductive rights, but overwhelmingly reject infanticide and growing Democratic support for abortion on demand even up to birth.

Latinos are entrepreneurial we believe in the American Dreamand value citizenship.

While we want the respect of the authorities, we reject the radical 'defund the police' movements as we tend to be disproportionate victims of violent crime.

Let the folks in Martha's Vineyard, Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C. get a taste of what it feels like to live in a New World border-less state.

We want jobsnot handouts. We want school choicenot mandated enrollment in government schools which generationally have failed to deliver quality educations.

What we don't want: insulting unserious proposals just ahead of national elections to preserve Democratic Party hegemony in Congress.

Make no mistake about it: many are happy with what is going on.

Democrats control all branches of government in Washington, so why don't Democrats put forward a comprehensive immigration bill?

Quite frankly, because immigration and their 'compassion' has become too good a fundraising issue to abandon now.

They have become the party of 'manana' when it comes to Latinos.

Que verguenza! What a shame!

The hypocrisy of their 'sanctuaries' has been exposed in their ultimate NIMBYism (not in my backyard).

Latinos need to remember their obvious disgust towards these migrants when we go vote in November.

Latinos have had enough of being used as pawns.

We love our country, value citizenship, want a fair immigration system, and protected by secure borders on all shores. There's nothing 'racist' about that. Good for you DeSantis  keep the flights coming.

If they won't go to the border, bring the border to them.
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Dozens of modest properties and homes are available for rent on AirBnb on Marthas Vineyard, DailyMail.com can reveal, despite the island's main homelessness expert claiming there was no affordable housing in which to place migrants.

Private rooms and small guest stays are on offer for $180 a night, which could have been used as a stop gap for the migrants to be housed.

Lisa Belcastro, homelessness director of the island, yesterday claimed that the affluent area has a housing crisis.

Speaking after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planeloads of migrants to the pretty coastal town, Belcastro claimed that the island cannot support the addition of 50 more people.

Belcastro, who herself lives in a lavish four bed and four bath $3.6million property in a secluded part of the island, is one of the liberal officials who declared it a humanitarian emergency  reacting as they would to a hurricane.

Her claims were backed by Gov. Charlie Baker, who said that Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation to the migrants.

Earlier today he announced plans to ferry the illegal immigrants across to the mainland to military Joint Base in Cape Cod  32 miles away.

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island is facing a shortage of affordable housing, with the median home price at about $1 million. She told reporters that at some point they have to move somewhere else, because the island is suffering from a housing crisis

The 50 migrants who arrived at Martha's Vineyard are now being shipped off on a 32 mile trip to a military base in Cape Cod on Friday

The median house in Martha's Vineyard is worth almost $800,000, according to the census, and the median household income is $77,370 - well above the national average of $67,521.

Properties available on the website range from $180 a night to $10,000 for more lavish multi million homes.

They could be used to house the migrants  but it is clear they would not fall into the affordable housing category.

The Island Housing Trust has also set up a system for one, two and three-bedroom single-family home townhouses in the area  with properties on at least 14 streets available.

It is unclear if it was an option to use the homes, which are sold from between $150,000 and $300,000 to households earning between $35,000 and $100,000.

Marthas Vineyard also has a rental assistance programme, which runs across the six Island towns, for residents making less than the 80per cent area median income.

Belcastro, who herself lives in a lavish four bed and four bath $3.6million property in a secluded part of the island, is one of the liberal officials who declared it a humanitarian emergency

The JBCC joint-use base where the migrants are now being taken is home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, and was used as a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

DeSantis sent two planes of 50 migrants to the affluent island yesterday, and is now threatening to send more to Delaware - following in the 'blueprint' of Texas Gov Greg Abbott

On Friday morning three buses pulled up outside of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Edgartown to take the mostly Venezuelan migrants on the first leg of their journey to the ferry

Residents also appeared to be turning on each other, slamming their neighbours for failing to allow the migrants to access their summer rentals.

One resident wrote on social media that immigration authorities are supposed to be taking them off the island for processing so they will no longer be in our backyard.

Others continued to bemoan the housing problems, writing: The Vineyard has an acute housing crisis. Everyone needs to be working together.

Some residents found themselves in the firing line for asking about fitting new locks on their property shortly after the migrants landed.

Lisa Belcastro did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets Texas border town of El Paso amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

Florida Gov DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly illegal migrants to President Bidens home state of Delaware.

Properties available on the website range from $180 a night to $10,000 for more lavish multi million homes. They could be used to house the migrants  but it is clear they would not fall into the affordable housing category

The author herself lives in a $3.6 million property, which boasts a swimming pool as well as four bedrooms and bathrooms in a secluded part of the island

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took aim at DeSantis and Abbott during a press conference today, urging other Republicans who do not agree with their blueprint to speak up.

She said: This is an issue and we have been clear about this, this is an issue that is inhumane it is abhorrent and we should not be using people, migrants, who are fleeing communism as a political pawn.

DaSantis accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'.

He said: 'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening.

It comes after Gov Greg Abbott sent 101 of illegal migrants outside of VP Kalama Harris home in Washington DC yesterday  just days after she declared that the border was secure.

The migrants were ordered to get on buses for the hour and a half trip from the island to the military base in Cape Cod where they will be given 'dormitory-style' accomodation

Harris declared on Sunday that the border is secure in an interview and has now found herself in the midst of an attack by Gov Greg Abbott against Democrat immigration rules.

She yesterday refused to answer questions about the sensational escalation, as Abbott continues his campaign against so called sanctuary cities.

One unidentified man filmed outside the Naval Observatory on Thursday told Fox News: 'The border is open, not closed. Everybody believes that the border is open.

'It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.'

VP Harris has remained silent on the issue when she entered the Naval Observatory on Friday, after refusing to answer questions on the issue on Thursday.

However her husband Doug Emhoff said: I do have a reaction. I think it was shameful. These are human beings. These are people.

They needed to be treated with dignity and kindness and respect and they werent.

And we have so-called leaders in this country who, rather than focusing on whats good for the public within their own states, theyre using people as pawns for a political stunt.
COVID lockdowns and remote learning was severely detrimental to kids, with one expert saying it hurt everything from reading and writing to basic social skills.

The National Center for Education Statistics conducted a study on 9-year-old students over the two years since the pandemic began. They found test scores in reading fell five points, while in math they fell seven points.

The US Department of Education called this the largest drop in reading test scores since 1990, while in math, it was the first time they'd ever recorded a lower average.

Tony Kinnett, a former education exec with Chalkboard Review and Indianapolis Public Schools, said that students are now coming back to in-person learning 'several grade levels behind' and called it an 'unmitigated disaster.'

Kinnett told Fox News Thursday, 'Its not as if these kids are coming back and picking up where they left off even. Theyve regressed because theyve just had no academic rigor of any kind over the last year, year and a half.'

COVID lockdowns and remote learning was severely detrimental to kids, with one expert saying it hurt everything from reading and writing to basic social skills

Testing scores in reading for 9-year-old students in 2022 dropped from 220 (on a scale of 500) to 215 during lockdown

Testing scores in math for 9-year-old students in 2022 dropped from 241 (on a scale of 500) to 234 during lockdown. It's the first major decrease in math scores in the 50 years they've been recorded

Some experts suggest that the downturn had begun before the pandemic, but the long lockdowns and lack of in-person classes made things worse.

Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, said, 'I think that that is likely another one of those downstream negative consequences of having schools unnecessarily shut down for years in some cases.'

A DOE study further showed that 84 percent of public school officials said the pandemic affected students' behavioral development negatively and over a third said it caused more fighting, bullying and threats of violence.

Tony Kinnett, a former education exec with Chalkboard Review and Indianapolis Public Schools, said that students are now coming back to in-person learning 'several grade levels behind.' and called it an 'unmitigated disaster'

Some experts suggest that the downturn had begun before the pandemic, but the long lockdowns and lack of in-person classes made things worse

Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at Parents Defending Education, pointed out that kids learn key behavioral development from schools in addition to reading and writing.

She said, 'All of these things have taken such a massive tumble and it doesnt really seem like a lot of the powers that be are talking about that.'

Kinnett argued that the first step is for school districts to admit that closing schools was a mistake.

He said, 'If you don't actually point out where the gap is, you're not going to move forward. So many want to say that, oh, well, it's not learning loss, it's actually structural racism or non-affirmation or well, kids are just stressed, you know, COVID was really hard on them mentally. There's so much of that it's hard to say, OK, the problem is they didn't learn for a year, and they were on their phones for a whole year.'
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Shocking night vision footage shows the moment more than 500 migrants sneaked across the southern border into Texas - despite Kamala Harris claiming it was 'secure'.

The jaw-dropping thermal imaging video showed sprawling lines of people queuing in Mexico before slowly making their way into Eagle Pass overnight.

The three huge groups were spotted marching over rough terrain while being herded by what appeared to be a lesser number of guides.

The footage is the latest damning indictment against the Biden administration's failed attempts to crack down on the number of migrant crossings - which is believed to have been around two million so far this year.

It also makes a mockery of Vice President Harris, who earlier this week claimed in a TV interview the border was 'secure' and tried to blame Donald Trump's administration for the crisis.

It comes as the White House is reportedly locked in a furious battle with Homeland Security over the crossings, with tempers said to be flaring in both camps.

Meanwhile Illegal migrants who were flown in unannounced to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts on Wednesday were being moved to a military base in Cape Cod following an outcry from Democrats and locals.

Elsewhere in the migrant crisis today:

New thermal imaging shows thousands of migrants swarming the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas

The new video, shared by Fox News, shows streams of migrants in three long lines waiting for their chance to cross the border into the US

More video from our brand new @FoxNews night flying drone with thermal imaging from early this morning. Within just 2 hours in Eagle Pass, TX this AM, we saw 3 large groups totaling 500+ crossing illegally in three spots.

450,000+ illegal crossings in this sector so far this year pic.twitter.com/wkKeTcOBGB  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 16, 2022

Kamala Harris claims southern border is sealed ... despite crossings closing in on two million Vice President Kamala Harris insisted the U.S.-Mexico border is secure in a jumble of words on her 'Meet the Press' interview Sunday. Harris blamed the Trump administration for a 'broken' immigration system. 'I think that there is no question that we have to do what the president and I asked Congress to do, the first request we made: pass a bill to create a pathway to citizenship,' Harris said. 'The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system, in particular, over the last four years before we came in, and it needs to be fixed.' 'We're going to have two million people cross this border for the first time ever. You're confident this border is secure?' interviewer Chuck Todd pressed the vice president in the interview. 'We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation including ours in our administration,' Harris replied. 'But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix,' she added, calling for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The vice president's public remarks are often riddled with run-on sentences that are hard to follow. 'You need to get to go and need to be able to get where you need to go to do the work and go home,' she said in another jumble at a transportation speech in mid-July. President Biden appointed Harris to tackle the 'root causes' of immigration, but so far border agents have made over 2 million border apprehensions, an all-time record, this fiscal year, which ends in October. That number surpassed the already-historic 1.7 million encounters in fiscal year 2021. Harris tried to shift blame onto Congress and Texas, where she gave the interview, instead of the administration. Advertisement

The new video, shared by Fox News, shows streams of migrants in three long lines waiting for their chance to cross the border into the US.

The mostly black and white footage, taken on a thermal imaging camera, shows them slowly start to move towards the city of Eagle Pass.

The clip ends as they turn a corner before appearing to make their way up a hill and over the border. The area is under siege by migrants, with more than 450,000 crossing in the region alone so far this year.

The number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border is nearing 8,000 per day, according to data obtained by NBC. DHS considers its resources to be at capacity when the number is only 5,000 per day.

It comes as officials have been hosting high-level meetings on the matter where DHS officials have presented drastic options such as flying migrants to the country's northern border to alleviate overcrowding in the south.

DHS officials have also grown frustrated at the White House's reluctance to take a page out of the GOP playbook and transport migrants to cities in the U.S. that aren't along the border.

White House officials have reportedly said when migration reaches 9,000 per day they will begin what they call 'interior processing,' busing or flying migrants to cities with shelters that can house them as they await their immigration court dates.

The plan would ideally be more organized than when Republican governors in Texas, Arizona and Florida have dropped off migrants in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago and Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

Documents obtained by NBC News show some DHS officials have told the Biden administration it needs to begin securing planes and planning for interior processing now.

It comes as illegal immigrants who were flown in unannounced to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday were moved to a military base in Cape Cod.

The 50 migrants have been put on buses by Gov. Charlie Baker to travel the 32 miles to Joint Base in Cape Cod (JBCC) just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaire's enclave.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew in the immigrants from Venezuela on Wednesday, sparking a widespread cry of outrage from the liberal leaders of the small island in Massachusetts.

It was declared a humanitarian emergency, with the island leaders responding in the same way as a hurricane.

On Friday morning three buses pulled up outside of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Edgartown to take the mostly Venezuelan migrants on the first leg of their journey to the ferry.

They will be travelling from the elite island of billionaires with holiday mansions - including multi-million homes owned by the Obama's and Oprah - to the military base on the mainland, escorted by police.

Lisa Belcastro, a homelessness director in the area said on Thursday that the island cannot support the migrants - where the median home price is nearly $1m- because it is facing a shortage of affordable housing.

The median house in Martha's Vineyard is worth almost $800,000, according to the census, and the median household income is $77,370 - well above the national average of $67,521.

She told reporters that at 'some point they have to move somewhere else', because the island is suffering from a 'housing crisis'.

The JBCC joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, conducting airborne search and rescue missions, and intelligence command and control.

The 50 migrants who arrived at Martha's Vineyard are now being shipped off on a 32 mile trip to a military base in Cape Cod on Friday

HAPPENING NOW: Migrants, flown into Marthas Vineyard by Fls governor, are boarding buses. Theyll be heading to Joint Base Cape Cod, according to officials. 125 Mass National Guard members are being activated to assist. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/RLwxNPu8GM  Emilie Ikeda (@EmilieIkedaNBC) September 16, 2022

Gov. Charlie Baker made the decision to move the illegal immigrants just 48 hours after they landed in the billionaire's enclave, with some residents reportedly left reeling

The JBCC joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, and was used as a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

On Friday morning three buses pulled up outside of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Edgartown to take the mostly Venezuelan migrants on the first leg of their journey to the ferry

A busload of Venezuelan migrants who were flown to the Vineyard by the state of Florida are now on the mainland after a ferry ride - theyre headed to Joint base cape cod for temporary housing. pic.twitter.com/2lQNZn6Lfg  Jonathan Hall (@JHall7news) September 16, 2022

Baker said in a statement: 'JBCC is a facility already designated by MEMA as an emergency shelter in Barnstable County, and its existing infrastructure provides a safe temporary accommodation appropriate for the needs of families and individuals.

'Additionally, the facility can provide dedicated space for access to legal services and other essential services such as basic healthcare.'

He confirmed that the migrants will be living in 'dormitory-style spaces' at the base, and families will not be separated.

Baker added that it has previously been used as a shelter for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and was home to a field hospital when the COVID pandemic started.

He is also activating 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to help with the relief efforts, with police escorting the buses to the ferry port on the island Friday morning.

According to Baker, Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is 'not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation' to the migrants.

They were all ordered to get on buses for the hour and a half trip from the island to Cape Cod. Jhorman Cuicas, one of the migrants, told The MV Times he wished that he could stay.

According to Baker, Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is 'not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation' to the migrants

They were all ordered to get on buses for the hour and a half trip from the island to the military base in Cape Codm where they will be given 'dormitory-style' accomodation

BREAKING: Buses of about 50 Venezuelan migrants arrive at the ferry port on Marthas Vineyard by police transport. They are about to be transported to Joint Base Cape Cod for temporary housing provided by the state #WBZ pic.twitter.com/TZ4XPnCWtY  Kristina Rex (@KristinaRex) September 16, 2022

Baker added that it has previously been used as a shelter for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and was home to a field hospital when the COVID pandemic started

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island is facing a shortage of affordable housing, with the median home price at about $1 million. She told reporters that at 'some point they have to move somewhere else', because the island is suffering from a 'housing crisis'

Migrants riding Ferry from Marthas Vineyard heading to Joint Base Cape Cod. Thankful for all theyve received so far. #7News pic.twitter.com/JYWNBs7Bsy  Dan Hausle (@dhausleon7) September 16, 2022

Senator Susan Moran said: 'Using vulnerable populations as pawns in a political game is heinous; this we can agree on regardless of political party.

'I have been meeting with local and state agencies over the last 24 hours to ensure we are doing everything we can tosupport both the immigrants and the local officials who are on the front lines of responding to their needs.

'This morning it was announced that the men, women and children who recently arrived from Venezuela will be moved temporarily to Joint Base Cape Cod where we can better address these challenges.

'In Massachusetts, we treat all people with dignity and respect.'

The move comes after DeSantis accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'.

He said: 'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening.'

DeSantis sent two planes of 50 migrants to the affluent island yesterday, and is now threatening to send more to Delaware - following in the 'blueprint' of Texas Gov Greg Abbott

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation

State Senator Julian Cyr, a Massachusetts Democrat representing Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, admitted that they had implemented emergency hurricane plans in response to the new arrivals.

Nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets Texas border town of El Paso amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

It comes after the residents of the wealthy island were left reeling, with locals and officials quick to voice their outrage at the move.

But now they have been criticised for being 'unable to handle' the 50 migrants in their affluent home town for less than two days.

St. Andrew's is also just over three miles away from the Obama family's $11.75 million vacation compound, which is situated on the coastal outskirts of Edgartown.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joked about how the town's wealthy liberals might react to the migrants saying: 'These are all sanctuary cities until they're in their sanctuary. I doubt they will embrace them.'

Florida Gov DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly illegal migrants to President Biden's home state of Delaware.

It comes after the residents of the wealthy island were left reeling, with locals and officials quick to voice their outrage at the move

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.

Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez has also declared that DeSantis' administration is planning to send any illegal migrants from Florida to Delaware.

It comes after Gov Greg Abbott sent 101 of illegal migrants outside of VP Kalama Harris' home in Washington DC yesterday  just days after she declared that the border was 'secure'.

Harris declared on Sunday that the border is 'secure' in an interview and has now found herself in the midst of an attack by Gov Greg Abbott against Democrat immigration rules.

She yesterday refused to answer questions about the sensational escalation, as Abbott continues his campaign against so called 'sanctuary cities'.

One unidentified man filmed outside the Naval Observatory on Thursday told Fox News: 'The border is open, not closed. Everybody believes that the border is open.

'It is open because we enter. We come in free, no problem. We came illegally, not legally.'

Karine Jean-Pierre took aim at DeSantis and Abbott during a press conference today, urging other Republicans who do not agree with their 'blueprint' to 'speak up'.

She said: 'This is an issue and we have been clear about this, this is an issue that is inhumane it is abhorrent and we should not be using people, migrants, who are fleeing communism as a political pawn.'

VP Harris has remained silent on the issue when she entered the Naval Observatory on Friday, after refusing to answer questions on the issue on Thursday.

However her husband Doug Emhoff said: 'I do have a reaction. I think it was shameful. These are human beings. These are people.

'They needed to be treated with dignity and kindness and respect and they weren't.

'And we have so-called leaders in this country who, rather than focusing on what's good for the public within their own states, they're using people as pawns for a political stunt.'

Keith Chatinover, a Democrat county commissioner for the area, made comments previously that he would 'love' to make the area a 'haven' for immigrants.

His comments came in response to Sen Ted Cruz's pushing a bill for Democrat-led areas to become post of entry for processing migrants.

But he now appears unhappy at having his wish granted, and has retweeted attacks against the Florida governor of being a fascist and human trafficker for sending migrants to the billionaires' enclave.

He told the MVTimes in October 2021: 'I would love Martha's Vineyard to become a haven for new immigrants to this country, but Senator Cruz has no idea what he's talking about regarding a 'border crisis.'

But now he is being called out for the comments, after branding DeSantis a 'fascist' for escalating the immigration war with Democrat-run areas.

Cruz tweeted that he was 'confused' over Chatinover slamming DeSantis for flying the illegal immigrants into the area.

Chatinover tweeted that he does 'support refugee resettlement' but has an issue when they are not given 'advance notice' to 'adequately help' the migrants.

He added that the chaos of the situation for the Republicans to 'prove a point' was a 'blatant disregard' for human rights.

Chatinover retweeted someone else who called DeSantis 'fascist scum' who said he should be 'prosecuted for human trafficking.'

Return to sender! NYC is relocating migrants to Florida, after city's immigration boss claimed that's where they'd rather be

New York City officials are going to fly out migrants to Florida after claiming many of them did not want to come to the Big Apple.

The Commissioner of Immigration Affairs for the city says that a lot of the migrants being bussed from Texas by Gov Greg Abbott are coming from Venezuela.

Manuel Castro claims that the majority of illegal immigrants that have arrived to New York want to go to Florida because of their large community of Venezuelans.

His comments come just days after Mayor Eric Adams was seen with celebrities during New York Fashion Week, shortly after telling reporters that the cities shelters were at 'breaking point'.

Adams was snapped partying at the exclusive members-only club Aman New York in the Crown Building last night.

Castro told Fox News: 'Many want to go to places like Florida where the largest community of Venezuelans live.

'We're helping them get to their actual final destination. We're doing our best. All states and all cities have a role to play here, not just New York and Chicago and other places.'

Adams was snapped partying at the exclusive members-only club Aman New York in the Crown Building last night amid the escalating immigration war

Manuel Castro claims that the majority of illegal immigrants that have arrived to New York want to go to Florida because of their large community of Venezuelans

The system has become so overwhelmed that city hall has had to contract hotel rooms to house the thousands coming into the city

The mayor was seen living it up with tennis legend Serena Williams, Vogue's editor Anna Wintour and Anne Hathaway at the Michael Kors runway show in the Manhattan-based venue Spring Studios.

New York City law requires the city to provide housing for anyone who requests it, with Castro adding that around 7,300 asylum seekers currently remain in the system.

The system has become so overwhelmed that city hall has had to contract hotel rooms to house the thousands coming into the city.

In a statement on Wednesday, Adams whined about Abbott's busing policy that has inundated the city with thousands of migrants and left a group of 60 without access to a shelter on Monday.

He said: 'In this new and unforeseen reality, where we expect thousands more to arrive every week going forward, the city's system is nearing its breaking point.

'As a result, the city's prior practices, which never contemplated the bussing of thousands of people into New York City, must be reassessed.

'While some may want to use these extraordinary circumstances as an opportunity to play an unproductive game of gotcha, we remain focused on supporting each of these individuals and families who need our city's help.'

So far Texas have sent 11,000 migrants by bus to the Big Apple, with the latest group arriving from El Paso.

Adams was seen parting with celebrities Anne Hathaway, Anna Wintour and tennis legend Serena Williams during New York Fashion Week

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city was nearing it's breaking point amid an influx of 11,000 migrants being bussed over from Texas in protest of the country's border policy

New York City law requires the city to provide housing for anyone who requests it, with Castro adding that around 7,300 asylum seekers currently remain in the system

The city has seen such an influx of immigrants that its shelters were forced to reject nearly 1,000 people, who were pictured sleeping on the city streets.

When announcing that he was sending migrants to New York, Abbott said: 'New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city.

'I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.'

Texas' border town of El Paso has ben launched into a humanitarian crisis amid a surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

Border Patrol facilities and shelters in the west Texas town have been overwhelmed in recent days, leading to a flood of so-called 'street releases'.

Congressman Tony Gonzalez, a GOP US Representative, said: 'We've never seen anything like this. It's a scene that you would see in a third-world country, not in the streets of El Paso.'

Since last Wednesday, 932 migrants have been released in what are commonly known as 'street releases' and Border Patrol calls 'provisional releases'

US Customs and Border Protection says that in the El Paso sector, encounters with people crossing the border illegally have averaged about 1,300 per day since the start of September

It has led to scenes of misery, with hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets without access to toilets or showers, and residents say that the 'smell of human waste is overwhelming in the area.'

The situation in El Paso comes after the Biden administration officially extended special protections for Venezuelans, known as Temporary Protected Status, that shield some of them from deportation.

Migrants in Eagle Pass, 450 miles east along the border, were also reported to have killed a guard dog and begun eating animals in desperation.

Just shy of 200,000 illegal immigrants were intercepted crossing the southern border in July, according to the most recent CBP figures available.

Hillary Clinton says Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard is 'literally human trafficking' and 'inhumane' - but admits 'nobody wants open borders'

Hillary Clinton has slammed Ron DeSantis for sending 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard as 'literally human trafficking'.

The former secretary of state lashed out at the Florida Governor, claiming the move was 'inhumane' and only exacerbated the border crossing crisis.

She later admitted 'nobody wants open borders' and called for politicians to 'come together' to chuck more cash at the issue.

DeSantis this week flew the 50 migrants from Venezuela to the exclusive enclave in Massachusetts.

Another group of migrants was deposited in front of Vice President Kamala Harris' Naval Observatory residence in Washington DC.

It sparked uproar among local residents who claimed there was no space for them among the million dollar mansions.

On Friday the migrants were taken by bus and ferry from Martha's Vineyard to Cape Cod, where they will stay in a military base.

Hillary Clinton criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' move to send a group of migrants to the tony liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard, where she vacations, during a Friday appearance on Morning Joe. She also talked about abortion and the Mar-a-Lago raid

A group of nearly 50 migrants from Venezuela who were flown to the island of Martha's Vineyard off Cape Cod, Massachusetts in a move organized by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

.@HillaryClinton on abortion bans: "This is dystopian, this is the Handmaid's Tale writ large...and I fear women are going to be harmed and unfortunately die because of this terrible decision." https://t.co/69xOggZC1V pic.twitter.com/VHkJt8ShvF  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) September 16, 2022

Clinton, who holidays on Martha's Vineyard, took to the airwaves to slam the move this morning.

She said: 'You have laid out the craziness of the time in which we're living, where some politicians would rather not only have an issue but exacerbate it to the extent of literally human trafficking, as you said.

'Nobody wants open borders, who has any idea of how governments and countries work, but nobody wants inhumane, terrible treatment of human beings either.

'And what we should have been doing is to come together to reform change and better fund the system by which we deal with these issues.'

She took aim at GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been sending migrants to northern cities, saying he would rather have an 'issue' than 'be part of the solution.

Clinton also expressed disgust when discussing the case of a Louisiana woman forced to travel to New York for an abortion because her fetus lacked a skull.

'This is dystopian, this is the Handmaid's Tale writ large,' she remarked on MSNBC's Morning Joe. 'You know 'pro-life' means you honor life, and that includes the life of the mother. And it includes absolutely making decisions that are in the best interests of women,' she later said.

Clinton expressed optimism that abortion rights will motivate women and men to vote in the November midterms.

'And so I think this election, this midterm election is going to have a lot of energy from women and men who don't want the government, don't want politicians like [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott or someone else coming into their lives, into the intimacy of their relationship and telling them that they have to carry a child to term - that is forced birth, regardless of the circumstances,' Clinton said.

She pointed out that a lot of women are registering to vote for the first time - along with young people.

'And we saw what happened in the special election in New York, we saw what happened with the referendum in Kansas and the Congressional election in Alaska,' Clinton added.
Talks are under way to send the Prince and Princess of Wales  and their family  on an official tour Down Under next year, Australia's prime minister has confirmed.

Anthony Albanese said that a royal visit is on the cards for William and Kate  and it is hoped that they will bring their children George, Charlotte and Louis, probably during the school holidays.

Discussions on when the new King will make his first official visit to Australia as head of state have not begun. Mr Albanese told ITV: 'There have been some preliminary discussions about the now Prince and Princess of Wales visiting Australia.

'And of course the Royal Family have always been welcome visitors here in Australia and they would be again.'

Anthony Albanese said that a royal visit is on the cards for William and Kate. Pictured: The royal couple on a previous visit to Australia in 2014

According to Anthony Albanese, there have been 'preliminary discussions' about William and Kate visiting Australia. Pictured: William and Kate in Australia in 2014

The last time William and Kate visited Australia was in 2014. They took along nine-month-old Prince George, whose popularity was such that he was dubbed the 'republican slayer'.

Asked if that status made him 'nervous' to extend the invitation to the couple's children, Mr Albanese said the young royals were more than welcome. 'I think I would hope that if they visit, they bring their children with them,' he added.

Mr Albanese, who will meet the King this weekend ahead of Monday's funeral, has not ruled out holding a referendum on the republic if he is re-elected. But he said it was 'inappropriate' to discuss it while commemorating the Queen.

The prince and princess had planned to visit Australia in the wake of the country's devastating January 2020 bushfires but had to cancel due to the pandemic.

It is hoped that the royal couple will bring their children Charlotte, George and Louis on the trip to Australia. Pictured: The family in June during Trooping the Colour
Samsung has officially announced that it will participate in the RE100 renewable energy effort and will spend $5 billion in order to reach its goal of having net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.

Samsung is Pushing Forward Actions to be Carbon Negative

In a recent announcement, Samsung said that it would be participating in the RE100 project, which is an effort to persuade major corporations all around the world to jointly pledge to use only renewable sources of energy.

According to an article published by Engadget, the South Korean Electronics Corporation said that it plans to spend $5 billion over the next seven and a half years as part of its participation in the said program. Through this, it expects to see a net zero level of carbon emissions by 2050.

A year ago, 10% of Samsung's 17.4 million tons of total greenhouse gas emissions were attributed to its DX department. The company's consumer electronics operations, which comprise the manufacturing process of the company's smartphones and displays, are under the control of this division. The remainder of these million tons of emissions come from the company's semiconductor and component operations which produced 90% of its carbon output.

As a consequence of this statistic, Samsung recognizes that it must spend a large amount of labor on its chip department. As a result, the business plans to create technologies that may significantly lower the quantity of gaseous emissions generated by this sector. It aims to create a technology for alternative energy and consumption with the purpose of capturing and storing greenhouse gas emissions and transforming them into an extra energy source.

In response to the worries of its investors over the firm's put off towards engaging in matters such as renewable energy, Samsung's Kim Soo-jin, the head of its ESG, said, "We are a company that manufactures directly, so there are various, layered challenges."

However, Kim recognizes that since Samsung is a substantial technological corporation, it should participate in environmental efforts. This is also due to the fact that its involvement would have a considerable effect considering its business influence.

Read Also: Elon Musk's Starlink Internet is Now Available in Antarctica

Microsoft's Greenhouse Output Reduction Goal 2030

Two years ago, Microsoft announced a similar objective as it aimed to reduce greenhouse gas output by 2030. In a report made by Engadget on the said year, the firm's president and vice chairperson, Brad Smith, believes that those who have the capacity to go faster and farther in terms of carbon reduction should go ahead of the curve.

Smith said that Microsoft has finally chosen to start on an ultimate vision and a radical approach to remove its carbon effect in light of the information mentioned above and the fact that 2019 was the second warmest year on record.

Microsoft cautions that such progress will take time, but it has vowed to help this effort by increasing its internal carbon price to include supplier and value chain emissions. Additionally, it has established a $1 billion climate innovation fund to encourage carbon-cutting solutions and has mandated carbon removal from supply chain partners to account for emissions fully.

Smith was critical of the earlier efforts made by Microsoft and claimed that achieving carbon neutrality is not enough of an accomplishment. According to him, achieving balance does not address issues; as a result, they have established a target to achieve negative carbon status by 2030 and a net-zero level by 2020.

Related Article: Samsung Galaxy Phone Not Connecting to Wi-Fi? 5 Ways to Fix Your Device
A nun who kissed the Earl of Wessex hand and that of his wife Sophie has said she 'just had to do it' after becoming 'overcome with emotion'.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Sister Clare Champion, 59, was joined by three other nuns from her Brigidine convent as they met Edward and Sophie.

They had waited more than three hours outside Cambridge Gate at Windsor Castle to lay flowers and say a prayer for the Queen and were just about to leave when they heard the royal couple were arriving.

TV cameras caught the moment as Sister Champion, who has been a nun since she was 20 years old, kissed Edward and Sophie on the hand.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline Sister Clare Champion, 59, was joined by three other nuns from her Brigidine convent as they met Edward and Sophie. Pictured: Sister Clare kisses Edward's hand

Sister Clare, pictured with the other three nuns, said that she was 'overcome with emotion' and had to kiss both of the royals on the hand

She said: 'I told them both how all the sisters were sorry for their loss and I thanked them for what the Queen did and what they were doing.

'I was just so overcome with emotion that I had to kiss them both on the hand, I hope they didn't mind but they seemed lovely people.

'I said we all adored the Queen because she was such a deeply faithful woman and very wise - none of us could get to London so we decided to come to Windsor instead.'

The nun, pictured clasping Edward's hand, said that the royals seemed 'lovely people' after she met them today

Sophie was pictured taking flowers brought in tribute to the Queen to place among the sea of others

Sister Champion, who was once held hostage for two days in the Holy Land in 2006, added:' I told Edward and Sophie we were praying for the Queen and her family.

'We had quite a long chat and I said everyone was very grateful for what his mum had done and what her family are doing now.

'I said we are feeling your loss and he said so was he and everyone in the family and he said everyone will eventually feel a loss of someone dear to them.'

She was seen kneeling as she viewed other floral tributes and laid some down that were given to her by members of the public

It comes after Sophie and Edward yesterday met crowds in Manchester.

Sophie met and embraced Josh, a young mourner who was waiting to see her with his mother, Sue.

Recounting the moment they met, Sue said: 'She just said ''nice to meet you, do you want me to take your flowers?'' Then Josh said ''can I have a hug?''. They hugged, then he asked for a photo. The bouquet is signed from Josh but it's got my name on it as well.'

Asked what the moment felt like, Josh - who is non-verbal - replied: 'Happy.'

Referencing the Queen, his mother added: 'She's like a grandma isn't she, she's always been there. Were going to tell nanny and aunty Paula [about the experience of meeting Sophie].

In Manchester, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex , met Josh, a young mourner who had gathered in Manchester with his mother, Sue

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, embraces young Josh, as she views floral tributes in St Ann's Square, during a visit to Manchester

The Earl and Countess of Wessex view tributes as they visit Manchester Cathedral where they lit a candle in memory of Queen Elizabeth II

This is the touching moment the Earl and Countess of Wessex lit candles at Manchester Cathedral in memory of the Queen

Sophie and Edward also viewed floral tributes in St Ann's Square and a book of condolence at the Central Library.

The couple travelled to Manchester a day after they paid their respects with the rest of the royal family at Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying in state.

Members of the public have flocked to the cathedral since the monarch's death to sign a book of condolence and light a candle.

The earl and countess were invited by the Dean of Manchester, the Very Rev Rogers Govender, and the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, to each light a candle.

They were also shown photographs of the Queen's last visit to the cathedral, to mark the 600th anniversary celebration of the collegiate church in July 2021.
Recently, just before the Queen died, I made a nostalgic journey to the magical Outer Hebridean island of Berneray where just over 30 years ago I spent a week, almost alone apart from a small film crew, with King Charles.

Of course he was Prince Charles in those days and had invited me to Berneray to make a 60-minute documentary for ITV about his love for the Western Isles, Scotland and the Gaelic people.

There is nowhere in the world that means more to Charles than these windswept islands on the very edge of the United Kingdom.

There are no palaces on Berneray, which has a population of just 186, but Charles was more than happy to 'rough it' in a modest crofter's home, where his attic bedroom was no bigger than a Balmoral cupboard and the family's black cat had to be shooed off his single bed every night because, it is little known, our new King doesn't like cats.

Charles enjoyed hearty simple meals with his hosts Gloria and Donald 'Splash' McKillop.

We ate traditional Scottish fare, tatties and mince, at the kitchen table, which Charles wolfed down so fast he often mischievously took to spearing the potatoes from my plate.

Away from it all: The then Prince Charles and Selina Scott on Berneray

Selina Scott on Berneray

Although Charles was, by now, in his fourth decade he mostly seemed as happy as a schoolboy without a care in the world. But just as quickly as an Atlantic gale can hit Berneray's shores, turning sunshine to darkness, he could sink into introspection.

When the camera stopped turning we often took long walks on the three-mile deserted West beach, where the foaming ocean rollers made their first landing since America, and he would sometimes talk with what felt like dread at what destiny had determined his life would be.

'Selina you are very lucky. You don't have your life mapped out for you for every minute, for every hour, for every day,' he said.

These were the days when his marriage to Diana was breaking up and he often sought refuge from the pain and confusion he clearly felt by taking his paints and canvas to the rocks, seeking to capture the elusive beauty of Berneray and its sense of sadness, which seemed at the time to match his own turmoil.

Our cameraman said he had never seen a man so sad

I have never forgotten what our cameraman, Alistair Watt, told me one day as he observed Charles through the lens of his TV camera. That he 'had never seen a man so sad'.

Alistair's observation struck a deep chord with me. Earlier, Charles confided his innermost thoughts and fears in a way that he has never publicly expressed since, having learnt through much criticism and hurt to be more guarded.

'Let me tell you there are many times I feel totally trapped,' he told me. 'I lack a great deal of confidence, so it is quite a struggle. I could quite happily decide to lead a much quieter existence and make speeches which were purely replete with platitudes but I don't think that is going to get anybody anywhere.'

I asked him 'why do you feel trapped?'

He described the pressures of privilege and responsibility that came with his birth and added: 'I have a very well developed conscience, I suppose, which is always needling me. I look around and see so many people in far less fortunate positions than I am in, and I feel: 'Here I am in this position. What can I do to the best of my ability to improve their lot?'

'Well, I must admit that Buckingham Palace and even my own advisers sometimes ask me to tone down my views before airing them in public.

'There are certain things that might have been written at two o' clock in the morning, which, on closer inspection, I must admit might prove a little hazardous.

'However, I keep them in because I have always felt intuitively, perhaps with a sixth sense that, no, I will stick to that because I actually believe that it will strike a chord. And very often it has done.

'I actually feel  my trouble is that I feel very strongly about things. I can't help it. I don't know where it comes from. I just do. And I have  I find that  I must express it.'

Although these words were said long ago, in a place far from the protocol of monarchy, where he felt possibly more secure and less vulnerable than anywhere else on earth at that time, and although we are all entitled to change our minds, I believe he still holds fast to much of what he said then.

And it is very instructive about the kind of King that Charles will become.

Documentary: Charles and Selina in 1992's A Prince Among Island

I suppose it was inevitable on my return to Berneray last month, and the beach where he talked so frankly, that I would be reminded of his words and our time on the island. I was there to film once again the lonely beauty of this remote island for ITN, to reconnect with the crofters and talk to Gloria McKillop, now 90 years old, about the time the Prince came to stay. (Donald McKillop died in 2009.)

We were due to travel to Dumfries House, the Ayrshire Georgian mansion with its priceless Chippendale furniture that Charles saved for the Scottish nation.

Charles wanted to show the islanders how the Dumfries Estate, now run on heritage-led principles and practice, was inspired by the Berneray crofters, whose organic farming of the machair, a rare landscape of sand, shell and grass, had so impressed him.

Inevitably the Queen's death has delayed what will be a joyous reunion. Though the film of Berneray will go ahead. ITN is due to broadcast my return to the island early next week following the coverage of the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey, a ceremony which will inevitably be the most dramatic and emotionally charged in our collective lifetime.

Charles became heir to the throne aged three, seven decades ago. Now that his life-long apprenticeship is over, will he carve his name into the history books?

Although he has pledged, like the Queen, that there will be no more critical interventions in political affairs (he has let it be known, for example, he thinks the Government's decision to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda is an appalling mistake) he also declared in his diary of 1970 that 'to be just a presence would be fatal'.

I don't have a crystal ball but having observed Charles at private gatherings in his homes, as a guest at his 50th birthday party at Highgrove, as well as in three 60-minute television interviews I have carried out one-to-one with him, two of them for American networks, I find it hard to believe he will be able to restrain himself, as he has promised, from letting his views and passion be known.

The dignity Charles has shown since the Queen's death, in the depth of his grief, has been deeply moving.

It's my duty to worry about the country,' he said

The graceful solemnity as he walked with his brothers and sister from Holyroodhouse up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to St Giles' Cathedral, following on foot behind his mother's flag-draped coffin, the silence only broken by the muffled drumbeat of marching boots, touched us all, as did the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

His address to the nation was remarkable in its warmth and reassurance.

In a poll this week, 63 per cent of the country said he would be a good king, a significant jump from only 39 per cent in March who thought he would impress as a monarch.

And yet . . . and yet . . . despite the control he showed to the public I felt I could still sense beyond the mask the vulnerability I had seen at close quarters so long ago.

As I watched the lone piper and the honour guard of the Royal Company of Archers as the hearse left the Palace of Holyroodhouse, steeped as it is in so much turbulent Scottish history, I remembered again the sensitive young man whose destiny has finally arrived.

Charles first visited Berneray as a small child when he sailed with his parents on their summer holiday cruise round the Western Isles, stopping for picnics on deserted beaches far away from the pressures of Court.

I think it was because he felt so secure on Berneray with his happy childhood memories and the kindliness of the crofters, who treated him not exactly with a lack of deference but no undue ceremony, no forelock tugging and fawning, that he felt comfortable enough to disclose his innermost thoughts.

Our conversation ranged from the ribbing he took when he confessed that he talked to plants to help them grow to his views on architecture and his feelings about his place in the world.

What really struck a chord was when he said: 'I have had this extraordinary feeling for years and years, ever since I can remember really, of wanting to heal and make things better.

'I feel more than anything it is my duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country . . . to try to find a way of improving them if I possibly can.'

It was this sense of the intuitive, I think, that compelled him to make his warm inclusive reference to Harry and Meghan in his moving speech to the nation, when many people in Britain feel, with Harry's tell-all book imminent, the couple pose the biggest immediate threat to the stability of the Firm.

Few would deny Charles in what, at 73, is the autumn of his years, the chance for fulfilment and happiness. His life, at times, far from being strewn with rose petals, has been a roller coaster.

Despite what to outsiders will look like a gilded life of power, privilege and luxury, Charles as we all know has experienced much of the pain and unhappiness that at some time most of us go through.

He can however be irritable and stubborn. Especially when people don't 'get it' meaning they don't get him.

I have witnessed moments when he has been challenged. His initial response is not to immediately get into a heated argument but the signs of his displeasure are obvious. He grimaces, pushes his tongue into his cheek and those around him wait for the fall-out which, for the unfortunate, can mean the cessation of a relationship.

His endeavour is what the monarchy needs

Though whatever his other failings his courtesy has never been in doubt. The first time I met Charles I was just 25, and the tourist officer for Rothesay and the island of Bute. He was not much older than me and the dashing captain of a naval frigate that had just docked at Rothesay. In a hurry to get back to his ship his driver almost ran me down on the pier. The next thing I heard was a screech of brakes when Charles ordered the driver to stop and apologise.

Today he feels vindicated by his prophetic campaigns, especially over climate change which has led, in turn, to a calmer and more confident Charles.

The day when Charles felt he was an imposter  'like those people who think they are Napoleon I sometimes wonder if I am really the Prince of Wales' he once mused to me  are long gone.

What are the challenges ahead? With Scottish nationalism rampant, his job will be to help hold the Union and the Commonwealth together and keep laying the foundations for peace in Northern Ireland, as well as seeking greater harmony between the increasingly diffuse faiths in the country.

It seems likely, given his passion for protecting rural England, that he will take objection to the new Prime Minister's lifting of restrictions on fracking which he believes will scar the countryside and set communities against one another.

But, as I have already mentioned, how to express objections now he has promised not to? That will be the challenge for him.

I believe he will be a good King, though obviously time sadly will deny him the opportunity to establish the kind of greatness of his mother.

Charles has often infuriated people with his publicly expressed views but despite all of the criticism he has suffered, he has always stuck to his guns and continued to advocate what he believes in.

It is this sense of personal endurance and endeavour that is exactly what the monarchy needs to survive.
A nephew of the notorious drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was gunned down at an outdoor event where residents were celebrating Mexicos Independence Day.

Edel Guzman, 36, was shot early Thursday morning at the main square in the Chihuahua municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo.

He was taken to a local hospital and died while doctors were attempting to save his life.

Ministry and military sources confirmed to the Mexican newspaper Jornada that Edel Guzman was the nephew of the jailed co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Edel Guzman (pictured), the nephew of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, was shot and killed at a festival in the northern state Mexico state of Chihuahua on Thursday while residents were celebrating Mexico's Independence Day. Two individuals are under police custody as part of the investigation

A nephew of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was murdered early Thursday morning in Guadalupe y Calvo, a city in the northern state of Chihuahua

The sources also said authorities arrested two individuals who were allegedly involved in the shooting.

DailyMail.com reached out to the Chihuahua State Attorney Generals Office for comment.

Edel Guzman was known as El Cunado or 'The Brother-in-Law,' a nickname that was given to him by El Chapo well before Mexican security forces arrested him in 2016 and then extradited him to the United States, where he is now serving a life sentence.

A nephew of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who was identified by authorities as Edel Guzman, was shot and killed Thursday at the main square in the northern city of Guadalupe y Calvo

One of the two individuals who were taken into custody Thursday in connection with the murder of one of El Chapo's nephews

Authorities also recovered a gun that was used in the murder of Edel Guzman, the nephew of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

He is the second nephew of El Chapo who has made headlines in the news in less than a year.

Aurelianao El Guanito Guzman seen on video firing multiple shots into the ceiling at a bar in Culiacan, Sinaloa on December 12, 2021.

El Guanito, the youngest son of Aureliano El Guano Guzman-Loera, let off at least eight shots and then aimed his gun at another individual before leaving the bar.

The frightening footage showed another member of El Guanito's party firing at least two more shots and another man could be seen pointing his gun towards the crowd as customers scrambled for safety.

One man was wounded in the leg and face.

Additional footage also showed three men confronting the police outside the bar. The group ordered the cops to stand down and lower the weapons. They then sped off in five vehicles.

El Guanitos father is wanted by the United States for drug trafficking. The State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.
Boos from anti-monarchy protesters could be heard over the hundreds of cheering well-wishers who greeted the King and Queen Consort at Cardiff Castle.

Around 40 demonstrators gathered outside the castle walls on Friday with banners displaying messages such as 'Abolish the Monarchy' and 'Democracy Now'.

It is the first negativity the King has encountered during his tour of the devolved nations as the new monarch.

Some protesters held giant Owain Glyndwr flags as the visit fell on the day that celebrates the legacy of the rebel who is considered to be the last native-Welsh Prince of Wales.

A group of demonstrators held banners calling for a Welsh Republic during King Charles and Camilla's visit to Cardiff this afternoon

One man held up a sign inspired by the Irish anti conscription movement during WWI claiming 'We serve neither King nor Kaiser but Wales'

Others called for the ending of the title Prince of Wales which has recently been passed from King Charles to his eldest son William

Many wore T-shirts bearing the words 'Yes Cymru' - the slogan of independence campaigners.

Despite the protests, the reception for Charles and Camilla was largely positive, with 150 primary school children chanting 'King Charles, King Charles' ahead of his arrival.

The atmosphere was also welcoming around Llandaff Cathedral where members of the public chanted 'God save the King' and showered the couple with flowers and gifts.

However, a lone male voice at one point shouted over the crowd: 'We pay 100 million a year for you, and for what?'

At Cardiff Castle, six-year-old Nia Harvey-Pugh handed the Queen Consort a drawing she had done of the royal couple, with the message 'To Queen, from Nia'.

The youngster had been queueing since 7am after being granted a day off school to meet the royals.

Nia managed to hand the drawing to Camilla as the couple did a walkabout, with all members of the public allowed inside the castle grounds giving them a warm reception.

Others held up posters claiming that the new Monarch was 'Not My King'

Others suggested that King Charles should pay inheritance tax following his mother's death

But as they made their way into the castle walls earlier in the day, following their visit to the Senedd, anti-monarchy protesters could be heard booing while holding signs reading: 'We want a democracy, a Welsh republic'.

Although it was meant to be a silent protest by a number of groups under the banner Real Democracy Now, the rally also at times broke into song led by members of the Cor Cochion, a socialist choir based in Cardiff.

Campaigners, led by former Senedd member Bethan Sayed, said they want the Welsh public to consider whether a future without the monarchy is possible.

A petition calling for the end of the use of the Prince of Wales title by the British monarchy has gathered almost 30,000 signatures in a week.

When Charles and Camilla left the Senedd, there were a small number of boos from a few protesters but these were drowned out by people singing God Save The King.

A petition calling for the end of the use of the Prince of Wales title by the British monarchy has gathered almost 30,000 signatures in a week

Opinion polls taken over the years have consistently shown a majority of people in Wales support having a Prince

On leaving, the couple met pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Hamadryad in Butetown, Cardiff, and Osian Powell, 11, presented Camilla with a posy.

The royal couple then did a walkabout outside, meeting well-wishers.

Inside the Senedd, Charles said Prince William, whom he appointed to be the new Prince of Wales last week, had a 'deep love' for the nation.

He added the title dated back to 'those great Welsh rulers like Llywelyn ap Gruffydd' whose 'memory is still rightly honoured'.

Opinion polls taken over the years have consistently shown a majority of people in Wales support having a Prince.
A woman and her 10-year-old son were last night found dead by police at their home in Leeds in what is feared to be a murder-suicide.

Police officers were called to a house in Holbeck, West Yorkshire at 9pm yesterday after hearing concerns from neighbours.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police found a 30-year-old woman and her son dead in a flat. Formal identification is yet to take place.

West Yorkshire Police are continuing their investigation and a scene remains in place at the scene on Cross Ingram Road.

They said they were looking into the full circumstances of their deaths but were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

West Yorkshire Police at the scene in Leeds after police found the bodies of a mother aged 30 and her son aged 10

West Yorkshire Police are continuing their investigation and a scene remains in place at the scene on Cross Ingram Road

A spokesperson for the force said: 'At about 9pm last night, officers were attending an address in Cross Ingram Road, Holbeck, Leeds, following concerns being raised about the welfare of the occupants.

'A woman and a child were found dead inside the flat. Although formal identification has not yet been completed, they are believed to be a 30-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son, who both lived at the address.

'While enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of their deaths, officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. A scene remains in place at the address.'
Experts have called for a 'rethink' over rules which mean Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice are now among the stand-ins for King Charles.

If the monarch is ill or abroad, they are among five 'Counsellors of State' who can act for him  despite none of the trio being working royals.

The Queen's loyal daughter Princess Anne and son Prince Edward are not on the list.

The counsellors are the sovereign's spouse, the Queen Consort, followed by the next four people over the age of 21 in the line of succession. These are Prince William, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, and Beatrice, 34, who can take on the monarch's duties despite being ninth in line to the throne.

But none of the last three is a working royal, while the idea of disgraced Prince Andrew or US-based Prince Harry stepping into King Charles's shoes has raised eyebrows.

Beatrice moved up the list to join the five counsellors of State upon the death of the Queen.

Controversy: Andrew with daughters Eugenie and Beatrice

It is rare for Counsellors of State to be needed. But in May, Charles and William stood in for the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament. Pictured: King Charles III and Prince William, Prince of Wales during the procession of the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth as it moved from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament for her lying in state on September 14

The counsellors are the sovereign's spouse, the Queen Consort, followed by the next four people over the age of 21 in the line of succession. These are Prince William, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, and Beatrice, 34, who can take on the monarch's duties despite being ninth in line to the throne

Princess Anne, who is one of the hardest working royals and was exceptionally close to her mother, is 16th in line to the throne, while Prince Edward is 13th.

It is rare for Counsellors of State to be needed. But in May, Charles and William stood in for the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said that even before the Queen died, the situation was 'extremely unsatisfactory', as Andrew and Harry were both unlikely to be called upon to act as a counsellor, which left just Charles and William to deputise.

He said: 'What it needs is a radical rethink. What you need is someone like the Princess Royal or the Earl and Countess of Wessex. I would have thought that was a more practical solution to this because they're all senior working royals and there is no controversy.'

Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, founder and director of the British Monarchists Society, said: 'Princess Anne is continuously one of, if not the hardest-working royal. She is proven reliable, trustworthy, and duty-bound. The rules as they apply now are fair going forward, but Anne deserves it.'
SAS units will support thousands of officers in Britain's biggest ever policing operation for the Queen's State Funeral on Monday.

Scotland Yard said yesterday there had already been 34 arrests as the force, swelled with reinforcements from around the country, braces for a security operation that will dwarf that of the 2012 Olympics.

At least 2,000 officers from neighbouring forces will be on duty beside their Met colleagues throughout the day to form a ring of steel around the capital.

And specialist units from the SAS are expected to be on hand to assist in the event of an attack.

A police officer looks through the sight of a sniper rifle from the roof of St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where Queen Elizabeth II is lying at rest

A police sniper team stands guard on the roof of at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, before a prayer service the late monarch

An armed police officer stands guard as people leave a Service of Prayer and Reflection for Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London last Friday, September 9

Former head of royalty protection Dai Davies said: 'The SAS and those trained in anti-terror quick reaction will also be involved.

'They will be strategically placed in military barracks and around the capital and will be there as the ultimate line of defence should there be an attack.

'The biggest risk will be the lone wolf or knife attacks from individuals, which are harder to predict. There is always the risk of a car attack too, though there will be barriers that make this more difficult.'

Scotland Yard would not confirm the number of officers who will be deployed across the capital but new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it 'will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester'.

Scotland Yard is said to be concerned that the police shooting of Chris Kaba could lead to public disorder during the weekend. A demonstration organised by Mr Kaba's family is set to take place today in Parliament Square before moving to Scotland Yard.

With hundreds of thousands of people descending on the capital  as well as foreign dignitaries, world leaders, VIPs and the Royal Family itself  the complexity of security arrangements will be beyond anything seen in Britain before, Met deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said.

Thousands of high-visibility officers will be lining the streets alongside plain-clothes colleagues who will mingle with crowds, as sniffer dogs are deployed at transport hubs.

Snipers will be deployed on rooftops and hundreds of London's 2,500 firearms officers will be equipped with Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and Glock 17 pistols.

Thousands of high-visibility officers will be lining the streets alongside plain-clothes colleagues. Pictured: Armed police officers patrol the streets ahead of the procession to carry the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday

Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officer numbers 'will be well beyond the total size of a force like West Midlands or Greater Manchester' on Monday

The force has used more than 22 miles of barriers in central London to control crowds and keep key areas secure.

Drones are banned in central London and police have already spoken with 11 people for flying the machines in the past week.

'This will be the largest single policing event that the Met Police has ever undertaken,' Mr Cundy said.

'As a single event, this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense.'

Mr Cundy urged members of the public to be the force's 'eyes and ears' and report anything suspicious immediately.
Office workers in New York City returning to their workplaces is on the rise - with more than half going back in after Labor Day.

New York workers have been slower to go back to their desks than in other cities following the pandemic and rise in working from home.

The number of people riding the subway surpassed 3.7million for the first time since March 2020 this week, according to the MTA.

Weekday ridership on the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad reached pandemic-era highest in the last two weeks.

Offices in New York reached 52 per cent capacity this week, leaping from 38 per cent the week before.

The city became busier after the start of schools Labor Day, with more parents being able to return to the office.

City officials and employers have been begging workers to return since the recent lifting of mask mandates in subways, taxi's and ride-sharing.

Offices in New York reached 52 per cent capacity this week, leaping from 38 per cent the week before

City officials and employers have been begging workers to return since the recent lifting of mask mandates in subways, taxi's and ride-sharing

Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, said: 'We have a long way to go, but we're already proving many of the more catastrophic predictions wrong.'

Mayor Eric Adams has been scathing in his criticism of the workers who have yet to return to the office.

He famously scolded them for 'staying home in your pajamas all day', with some lawmakers claiming the lack of a hybrid option as a reason employee's have left.

At a press conference this week he said: 'Time to come back.' I'm really happy to hear corporate leaders starting to say that.'

Wall Street banks have been pushing their employees for a return to the office since last year, but they have intensified the calls in recent weeks.

Subway ridership on weekdays is still only 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, which has cause d a major financial crisis for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Wall Street banks have been pushing their employees for a return to the office since last year, but they have intensified the calls in recent weeks

Goldman Sachs has about 10,000 New York City employees and requires them to come into the office five days a week.

They announced that from this month employees no longer needed to mask or participate in testing to enter its offices.

Google, which has around 12,000 New York employees, encourages their staff to spend three days a week in the office.

In the time between February and August there has been a 65 per cent increase in transaction volume from quick-service restaurants, according to Square.

Subway ridership on weekdays is still only 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, which has cause d a major financial crisis for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Britain and the Royal Family are gearing up for perhaps the most spellbinding spectacle in this island's history.

All eyes will be on London on Monday as the Queen's State Funeral unfolds in majestic style.

The elaborate ceremonies have been decades in the planning  and this weekend the final touches are being made to the momentous occasion.

Hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen are conducting last rehearsals for the magnificent procession that will sweep through the capital.

Day of reverence and spectacle: Resplendent in red, soldiers rehearse in the Mall for the Queens funeral on Monday

Members of the military take part during an early morning rehearsal in London on Thursday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of her funeral on Monday

Hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen are conducting last rehearsals for the magnificent procession that will sweep through the capital

And the royals themselves are spending the weekend adding their own special touches to the lead-up to the funeral.

Today, The Queen's eight grandchildren will perform a unique vigil at her coffin lying in state.

Prince William and Prince Harry will stand at the head and foot, with their cousins Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn at the flanks.

They will stand heads bowed for 15 minutes as a mark of respect to their grandmother, mimicking the vigil held by a grieving King Charles and his siblings last night.

Both William and Harry will be in military uniform, after the King gave permission for his youngest son  despite convention dictating he should wear civilian clothing because he is not a working royal.

King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex depart after they held a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall

Prince Harry (left) and Meghan (second left) Duchess of Sussex, Prince William (second right) and Kate (right), Princess of Wales leave Westminster Hall in London on Wednesday

It is considered the latest move towards reconciliation between the King and Harry, whose relationship has become strained since he quit as a working royal.

Foreign dignitaries, the world's kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and a host of VIPs, will begin to arrive in the UK from today ahead of the funeral.

And they will be welcomed to an extraordinary reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday night to be hosted by the King. Some, such as New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern, will have travelled for more than 24 hours before what is set to be one of the largest official state receptions in history.

Then on Monday, London will host the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965. Most people will never have seen anything like it, and a formidable operation is under way to ensure as many as possible can get to events or watch them on screens.

Four giant screens have been erected in Hyde Park, and dozens more are being set up in towns and cities across the UK.

Hyde Park prepares to screen the Queen's funeral on Monday as four gian screens are set up

New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern (pictured leaving parliament after visiting the Queen lying-in-state on Friday), will have travelled for more than 24 hours before what is set to be one of the largest official state receptions in history

Rail operators are adding services to London, and transport chiefs are making plans to cater for possibly millions of extra people descending on the capital.

They are also organising for London buses to pull over at 11.55am  when the nation will come to a standstill for the two-minute silence to honour Her Majesty.

The late monarch's coffin will be borne on a 123-year-old gun carriage for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Later, she will make her final journey to Windsor Castle, where she will be buried alongside her husband Philip.

The momentous set of events will truly be fitting for a Queen who meant so much to so many.
New Orleans overtook St. Louis as the US murder capital in the first half of this year, as the city struggles with its lowest police staffing level in modern history amid a crisis of officer morale.

In the first six months of 2022, New Orleans recorded 41 murders per 100,000 population, a higher homicide rate than any other US city, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

By comparison, the first-half murder rate per 100,000 was 11.5 in Chicago, 4.8 in Los Angeles and 2.4 in New York City.

In New Orleans, the homicide rate has soared 141 percent compared with 2019, while shootings are up 100 percent, carjackings up 210 percent and armed robberies up 25 percent, according to the city's Metropolitan Crime Commission.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell arrives by horseback for the Krewe of Zulu roll in March. The city now has the highest murder rate in the US, according to a new analysis

In New Orleans, the homicide rate has soared 141 percent compared with 2019, while shootings are up 100 percent, carjackings up 210 percent and armed robberies up 25 percent

Members of the New Orleans Police Department investigate a carjacking scene on N. Pierce St. that resulted in an elderly woman's death in New Orleans in March

A separate analysis from Rochester Institute of Technology ranked St. Louis as the US murder capital last year, with a full-year murder rate of 61 per 100,000.

New Orleans would easily top that if the current 2022 trend holds, with a full-year murder rate of 82, compared to the city's second-place rate of 56 last year.

Because the FBI has not released its nationwide Unified Crime Report since the 2019 reporting year, comparing the murder rates in different cities has become fraught with difficulty at times.

However, the sources available show that violent crime rates have soared in many cities across the country, a surge that follows psychological and financial stress from the pandemic as well as police cutbacks in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

In New Orleans, the police budget has actually increased significantly in 2022, rising to $215 million from $178 million in 2021.

It's about $570 per resident, approaching the city that spends the most per capita on police, New York, where the outlay for the massive police department is about $653 per resident.

Investigators search the crime scene of a shooting at Xavier University in New Orleans in May

Mayor LaToya Cantrell blames a decade-old pact with the Justice Department that she says has made it difficult to recruit new police officers by putting them under a federal microscope

Hoping to beef up its meager police department, New Orleans officials last week announced a three-year $80 million plan offering raises for all officers, free health care and $30,000 in incentive payments for new hires.

Some in New Orleans have blamed soaring crime rates on Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who was re-elected last year, accusing her of failing to be tough on crime.

But Cantrell blames a decade-old pact with the Justice Department that she says has made it difficult to recruit new police officers by putting their actions under microscopic scrutiny.

New Orleans is facing a police staffing crisis, with the department under 1,000 cops for the first time in modern history, down from more than 1,300 a few years ago.

The city is losing about 100 officers a year to retirement and resignation, around 10 percent of the current force of 989, said City Council President Helena Moreno in July.

'You cannot operate a department that's made for roughly 1,400 officers when it has less than a thousand,' Moreno said at a city council meeting, according to WWL-TV.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson talks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in New Orleans last month, after the city petitioned to end a decade-old consent decree granting federal oversight of its police department

The staffing crisis is long running, dating back a decade, to when then-Mayor Mitch Landrieu imposed a two-year hiring freeze.

Landrieu, who took office in 2010, invited a Justice Department investigation into the city's police department, after deadly police shootings of civilians following Hurricane Katrina cast renewed scrutiny on the scandal-plagued department.

It led to a DOJ consent decree that was approved by a federal judge in January 2013, putting the city's cops under federal oversight.

The agreement remains in effect after almost a decade, and Cantrell has said the bureaucratic demands it imposes add to the workload and contributed to declines in morale and manpower.

But a federal judge appeared skeptical of the city's request to terminate the agreement during a status hearing last month.

Capt. Michael Glasser, head of the Police Association of New Orleans, said other factors are more damaging to the morale of rank-and-file officers.

He cited an overzealous 'public integrity bureau' - the police internal affairs agency that the police union has accused at times of using false information against officers.
Months ago, Elon Musk warned his Tesla team that failing to work at least 40 hours per week would result in termination. Now, several employees are confronting challenges due to the company's inadequacy in terms of resources and capabilities to cater to in-person workers' needs.

Tesla's Inability to Supply Adequate Work Resources is Affecting Its Employees

CNBC reported in June that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, sent two emails to the Tesla staff, warning them about the possible termination if they did not comply with working requirements. In the email, he instructed his employees to appear for a minimum of forty hours per week physically, or else he would assume that they have resigned from their positions.

As the source would describe, Musk is notorious for pushing his workforce to meet extraordinarily aggressive production quotas, as indicated in a separate CNBC report.

Now, another recent CNBC story said that Tesla does not currently have the space or resources to move all of its staff. This was due to the fact that it did not build enough offices or purchase enough equipment in Nevada and California to satisfy its directive governing working hours.

In reality, there is even a severe lack of dongles and charging lines in several Tesla workplaces. The company's inability to install sufficient meeting space and phone booths to serve every one of its workers forced employees to conduct their discussions outdoors.

Due to a lack of available work resources, Tesla dictated that its employees in the San Francisco Bay Area report to work just twice a week, which was a change from the company's original plan, which called for them to work three days per week. The company's challenges in the Bay region are moved by the scarcity of seats, workspaces, parking places, and other amenities.

As a consequence of all of these factors, a decrease in workers' enthusiasm has been noted, particularly within teams that had previously let workers do their jobs from home. This is particularly true as indicated in the weekly reports on absence by conducting monitoring operations inside the company.

Read Also: Samsung Will Spend $5 Billion to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050

Apple Ordered Its Staff to Return to Office Starting September

Similar to Tesla, Apple has also sent notice to its employees regarding announcements of return-to-office policies. The Guardian reported in August that the Cupertino giant's CEO, Tim Cook, has reached out to its workforce, saying that in an effort to restore the idea of in-person teamwork, starting in September, Apple workers will be forced to report to work at least three days each week.

In a week, workers are expected to work onsite every Tuesday and Thursday, while their third-day onsite schedule will vary depending on which team they will belong to. This policy was made clear by Cook through a memorandum he released.

Despite the fact that Apple was an early pioneer in the realm of remote work, the company's long-term ambition is for all of its workers to resume working in person. He reminded staff that the ability of the company's personnel to interact with each other physically had been a significant missing part of the company since 2020. Cook mentioned such when he advised employees to return to the office three days a week starting in June 2021.

Even if some of its employees disagree with the organization's goals for its working environment, which resulted in the resignation of its former director of machine learning, Ian Goodfellow.

Related Article: Tesla Increases Hiring in Preparation To Semi Electric Truck Release
Republican Arkansas gubernatorial hopeful Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that she had surgery for thyroid cancer - but planned to continue on in her race for governor.

'During a check-up earlier this month, my doctor ordered a biopsy on an area of concern in my neck and the test revealed I had thyroid cancer,' the former White House press secretary said in a statement.

'Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free.'

Sanders thanked her doctors and nurses and said she planned to return to the campaign trail 'soon.'

Republican Arkansas gubernatorial hopeful Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that she had surgery for thyroid cancer - but planned to continue on in her race for governor

Jared Kushner (left), photographed with Sanders (center) in June 2019, revealed in his memoir that he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer during his time working in the Trump White House

President Donald Trump (right) stands at the rally podium alongside Sanders (left) in June 2019 after she announced she would be stepping down as White House press secretary

Sarah Huckabee Sanders' gubernatorial campaign put out a statement from the candidate about her cancer diagnosis and surgery Friday

Sanders' diagnosis comes after Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump and a former top White House adviser - revealed he battled thyroid cancer while working in the last administration.

The 41-year-old husband of Ivanka Trump wrote about his cancer battle in Breaking History, a White House Memoir, which was released last month.

Earlier this month he was spotted out boating with Ivanka and their kids with a bandage on his throat following a second thyroid surgery.

A doctor for Sanders told the Associated Press he expected the gubernatorial hopeful to be back on her feet in the next 24 hours.

Following the surgery, Dr. John R. Sims said the ex-White House spokeswoman will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine and will have to be monitored long-term.

He said that Sanders had Stage 1 thyroid carcinoma, which is the most common type of thyroid cancer and has an 'excellent' prognosis.

'I think it's fair to say she's now cancer free, and I don't anticipate any of this slowing her down,' Sims said.

Sanders is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who twice ran for the Republican nomination for president.

She worked for her father's presidential campaign before becoming a campaign aide to Trump during his 2016 bid.

She became White House press secretary in July 2016, following the resignation of Sean Spicer.

Sanders held the job until July 2019.

She had always held higher political ambitions and in January 2021 she announced she would run for governor of Arkansas - the same position formerly held by her dad.

Sanders is on the ballot against Democrat Chris Jones.

The state tends to flip-flop between Republican and Democratic governors, though in recent presidential cycles has been solidly red.
King Charles today affirmed his commitment to his role as a religious leader, saying his work must include 'protecting the space for faith itself'.

The newly crowned Monarch, who as King is now the head of the Church of England, also said it was his 'duty to protect the diversity of our country'.

He made the comments during a reception with 30 religious leaders from various faiths at Bucking Palace on Friday.

During the reception, he said he valued differences which people live by, adding: 'I have always thought of Britain as a "community of communities".

'That has led me to understand that the Sovereign has an additional duty - less formally recognised but to be no less diligently discharged.

King Charles (pictured here meeting with faith leaders during a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday) today affirmed his commitment to his role as a religious leader, saying his work must include 'protecting the space for faith itself'

The newly crowned Monarch, who as King is now the head of the Church of England, also said it was his 'duty to protect the diversity of our country'. Pictured: King Charles III speaks to Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday

He made the comments during a reception with 30 religious leaders from various faiths at Bucking Palace on Friday (pictured)

'It is the duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practise through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.'

The King told the reception in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace how much their words of condolence meant to him after the death of his mother the Queen last week.

He added: 'I also wanted, before all of you today, to confirm my determination to carry out my responsibilities as Sovereign of all communities around this country and the Commonwealth and in a way which reflects the world in which we now live.'

Charles said his own Christian beliefs 'have love at their very heart' and that they 'bound' him to respect those following other religious paths.

He said: 'As a member of the Church of England, my Christian beliefs have love at their very heart.

'By my most profound convictions, therefore - as well as by my position as Sovereign - I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals.

'The beliefs that flourish in, and contribute to, our richly diverse society differ. They, and our society, can only thrive through a clear collective commitment to those vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for others which are, to me, the essence of our nationhood.

'I am determined, as King, to preserve and promote those principles across all communities, and for all beliefs, with all my heart.

King Charles delivers a speech to faith leaders during a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday

King Charles III meets with faith leaders during a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday

Britain's King Charles III (R) talks with The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (L), as he meets with faith leaders during a reception at Buckingham Palace

'This conviction was the foundation of everything my beloved mother did for our country, over her years as our Queen.

'It has been the foundation of my own work as Prince of Wales. It will continue to be the foundation of all my work as King.'

The King described himself as a 'committed Anglican Christian' who at his coronation will take an oath relating to the settlement of the Church of England.

He noted he has already 'solemnly' given an oath at his accession ceremony which pledges to maintain and preserve the Protestant faith in Scotland.

There was a gentle ripple of applause as the King left the Bow Room at the palace, stopped for a second, waved and left.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev David Hoyle, and Rev Helen Cameron of the Free Churches Group, were among those who attended the reception.

Imam and Islamic scholar Dr Asim Yusuf and Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy were also among the guests.
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Having held the title for longer than anyone in its 855-year history, the monarch formerly known as the Prince of Wales came to Cymru today to hang up his feathers and his 'Ich Dien' motto.

And in doing so, he also assured his Welsh subjects that when it comes to his love of Wales, nothing is going to change.

'It was a privilege to be Prince of Wales for so long. Now my son William will bear the title. He has a deep love for Wales,' said the King, stressing that this ran in the family.

'Like my beloved mother before me, we all share a love for this special land.'

All of this was said in Welsh, by the way. Note, too, the use of the word 'land' instead of 'principality', a word which sticks in the craw of Welsh nationalists.

Today marked the end of the King's fast-track tour of all the home nations. It had always been his plan, immediately upon his accession, to visit all the capitals of the kingdom to underline the monarchy's duty to promote the 'U' in UK. At the same time, however, it is also his duty to embrace and celebrate separate national identities and aspirations. A handful of demonstrators turned up in Cardiff today to make it clear that they do not want a monarchy of any sort.

Grateful: The King shakes hands with a young boy after the cathedral service

Welsh pride: Excited schoolchildren wait for the King to arrive at Cardiff Castle

One sign read: 'We want a democracy, a Welsh republic.' Other protesters, however, had banners honouring Welsh national hero Owain Glyndwr, who was no less posh or royal than the Windsors back in the day.

Nor was he known for his walkabouts, unlike the King whose schedule ran way over time yesterday as he repeatedly glad-handed his way down various crush barriers despite a lot of eye-rolling and watch-checking from his nervous aides.

The protests were tiny, largely well-behaved and, in the words of the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, a 'footnote'.

The overwhelming majority of those who turned out across Cardiff were delighted to see the first visit of the man they had always called Prince of Wales return as King of Wales.

Even the royal pen worked properly  not least because the King had brought his own.

The day started with an appropriately sombre atmosphere: A service of prayer and reflection for the life of the late Queen at Llandaff Cathedral. Unsurprisingly, the music was of the highest order, with the finest rendition of God Save The King we have heard since last week's grim news, courtesy of the trumpeters of the Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh and full organ.

That followed on from the de facto Welsh anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau or Land Of My Fathers.

For you: The Queen Consort receives a bouquet of flowers from five-year-old Keira Hillebert watched by her mother Krisi outside Llandaff Cathedral yesterday

Keira Hillebert, pictured with her parents Krisi and Jordan, got a handshake from the Queen Consort after presenting her with a bouquet of flowers

William, the new Prince of Wales and Catherine, new Princess of Wales, walk during their visit to meet with soldiers at ATC Pirbright today

In the King's case, it could equally be called Land Of My Mother's Dogs, so said the Llywydd or presiding officer of the Senedd, Elin Jones. Recalling the special parliamentary session held to honour the late Queen, she said: 'As you may imagine, there were many mentions of corgis  her constant, lifelong Welsh companions.

'And of course, the members here representing Pembrokeshire were particularly keen to champion her preference for the Pembrokeshire corgi.'

This, she added, had always been a source of jealousy among fans of the Cardiganshire corgi, not least herself as the Senedd member for Cardiganshire.

The formal message of condolence was proposed by Mr Drakeford who spoke of the late Queen's reign, 'unrivalled in its length and its reach'.

He also observed that the Senedd had met on a Sunday for the first time in its history in order to pay tributes to the Queen.

The King replied that it had been a privilege to honour his Welsh motto, 'Ich Dien'  'I serve'  and he would continue to abide by it.

King Charles III meets with members of the public at Cardiff Castle during a visit today

The King and Queen Consort waved as they moved outside to greet members of the public in the waiting crowd

Camilla, Queen Consort meets with members of the public at Cardiff Castle today

King Charles III and First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford meet with Royal Patronages and members of faith communities at a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle today

His speech was delivered half in Welsh and half in English, something which impressed many of the Senedd members who had not been expecting a 50:50 mix.

Though he spent a term studying Welsh in Aberystwyth in his student days, that was more than half a century ago. I am told that the King had been taking extra Welsh tuition in the run-up to today from his Welsh-speaking deputy private secretary Dr Grahame Davies.

It means that there is now a fluent Welsh-speaker at the highest echelons of Buckingham Palace.

The King was also reunited with some old faces from his days as Prince of Wales. Dr Manon Antoniazzi, who used to run the Welsh and cultural operations at Clarence House, is now chief executive of the Senedd.

And, for much of the visit, the King was serenaded by Claire Jones. Fifteen years ago, he had appointed her as official harpist to the Prince of Wales.

Charles III speaks to the wives of victims of the Aberfan disaster at a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle today

King Charles III meets with Royal Patronages and members of faith communities at a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle today

King Charles III arrives at Cardiff Castle to conduct audiences in Wales today

The King left via a walkabout through a large crowd of well-wishers. Ogwen Williams, 49, remembered being 'dragged through the rain to see Charles and Diana' shortly after the royal wedding in 1981. She still looks back fondly on the day and had dragged her own children along to see the new monarch. 'He's going to be a great King,' she added.

Ex-soldier Hannah Jarvis, from Abergavenny, had brought her children, Harriet, eight, and Hugo, six, for similar reasons. Meeting the Queen during her days in uniform had been one of Hannah's 'proudest days of my life' and she had been 'terribly upset' by the news. Yesterday was definitely lifting her spirits.

The royal party moved on to Cardiff Castle where the King conducted audiences before a reception for Welsh charities and cultural organisations.

These included a group called the Wives of Aberfan, established in the mining village which suffered one of the worst peacetime disasters in British history. In 1966, 144 people, 116 of them children, perished when a mountain of colliery spoil collapsed on to the village school.

The Queen visited soon afterwards and was so shocked and moved that she would return several times in later life.

Camilla, Queen Consort is seen during a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle today

King Charles III meets with members of the public at Cardiff Castle today

'I really do believe she came as a mother that day, to sympathise and empathise,' said Denise Morgan, 67, adding that the Queen had been dutiful to the very end.

'She made a pledge to be our Queen all those years ago and I really think she kept to that commitment, even up until two days before she died.

'To actually meet the Prime Minister and work almost up until the last, it's a fine testament to her.'

Back at the Senedd, members held a reception to celebrate the visit. Many talked excitedly of meeting the new Prince and Princess of Wales in the near future, though any investiture is likely to be a subject of debate.

'I think he should come to the Senedd first to listen to what sort of event the people of Wales might want,' said David Rees, deputy presiding officer and Labour MS for Aberavon. He fondly recalled the investiture of the last Prince of Wales because his family had bought a colour television on which to watch it in 1969.

'The TV signal bounced off the local steelworks and everything was in double vision,' he laughed.

The car carrying King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrives at Cardiff Castle to conduct audiences today

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort meet Shenkin IV, goat mascot for the Royal Welsh Third Battallion, at Cardiff Castle today

As for the new Prince of Wales's grasp of Welsh, Mr Drakeford said that 'nobody will be expecting miracles' but that people would 'appreciate' it if Prince William took an interest in the language.

It was a particularly exciting day for Conservative MS Natasha Asghar. Her parents had met the King as Prince of Wales when her father was an MS and her grandparents had met him when her grandfather was Mayor of Brent. 'We have pictures of him all over the house,' she said. Now they have even more.

As the King returned to London for tonight's Westminster vigil, he heard a sound not heard since he was a small boy, a chorus of extremely excited schoolchildren lining the streets of Cardiff singing: 'We want the King'.

The fabled 'welcome in the hillsides' clearly still applies, Prince of Wales or not.
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Palace officials yesterday extended the route of the Queens final journey  to enable more people to bid her farewell.

Instead of taking the motorway to her resting place in Windsor Castle, she will follow A-roads.

Last night the exact course was revealed, allowing tens of thousands of well-wishers to choose a spot along the route.

They will be able to catch a last glimpse of Her Majesty between 1pm and 3pm, after the service at Westminster Abbey.

First the Queens coffin will be borne by an extraordinary procession of the State Gun Carriage through London to Wellington Arch, where it will be transferred to the State Hearse at 1pm. Other members of the Royal Family will then travel along the M4 to Windsor, where a second ceremony will be held at St Georges Chapel.

The route of the Queen's final journey has been announced and her funeral cortege will use A-roads rather than motorways so as many people a possible can see her coffin

The Queen's final journey will see her taken from Westminster Hall to Windsor where she will be reunited with Prince Phillip

People have been queuing through the night to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Hall. Those unable to attend this vigil will have a final chance to see her coffin as it is brought from Westminster to Windsor

King Charles III last night stood in silence at the head of his mother's coffin as members of the public looked on

But if the former monarch had been driven via the motorway, mourners wanting to say their goodbyes would have been unable to line the route.

The Daily Mails Robert Hardman was among those saying earlier this week that the post-funeral route should be extended so more Britons could say farewell. Now the palace has disclosed the route. From Wellington Arch, it will go along the south side of Hyde Park via South Carriage Drive before turning down Queens Gate, and then along Cromwell Road.

The cortege will follow the A4 through west London, going along Talgarth Road via the Hammersmith Flyover, and along the Great West Road.

Just before Heathrow, the hearse will switch to the A30 Great South West Road, and travel around the south side of the airport.

It will process along London Road, still the A30, and Staines Road, before crossing the M25 to Windsor Road (the A308) for the final leg to Windsor along a countryside stretch of the River Thames.

The route will take the Queens coffin through 25 miles of London streets and villages in Surrey and Berkshire. Last night a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: The route to Windsor is planned with the public in mind.

The news confirms suggestions that the Queens coffin would not travel on the M4, which would have been the quickest route, giving thousands more Britons the chance to pay their last respects as her coffin passes.

Travelling along A-roads west out of London to Berkshire means it will be easier for mourners to line up along the road.
A group of migrants expressed their joy at reaching the Cape Cod military base and enjoying a warm meal on Thursday after being shipped away from Martha's Vineyard.

One of the 50 Venezuelans whisked from Martha's Vineyard to the Joint Base Cape Cod has been filmed expressing delight at eating his local food 'for the first time in three months'.

The unidentified young man, dressed in a gray top and green jacket looked overjoyed, just hours after arriving at the key military establishment.

He spoke after a local Venezuelan restaurant delivered traditional fare of arepas, black beans, rice and plantain to the migrants.

In the video obtained by DailyMail.com, he said: 'We have had three months without Venezuelan food. This is like a blessing. Thank you.'

Other young men around him broke out into a chorus of 'thank you, thank you, thank you'.

The moment of respite comes after a tumultuous week for the migrants, who were shipped to Massachusetts from Florida as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis' protest of US border policies.

Upon arriving at the wealthy Martha's Vineyard, home to many liberal elites, the city claimed to have a housing crisis and was unable to provide shelter for the migrants, who were moved 32 miles away to the military base.

Pictured: A group of 50 migrants enjoyed Venezuelan dishes at the Cape Cod military base

The meals included sweet plantains (left) as well as rice and beans (right)

It was a warm meal for the migrants who were relocated from Martha's Vineyard to the Joint Base Cape Cod, Pictured: A mom carrying her kids to be bussed off to the base

Martha's Vineyard declared an emergency over the migrants and called in the National Guard, prompting the immigrants to be moved 32 miles away to Cape Cod

Restaurant owner Katuiska Daliende delivered the food to the military base on Thursday, but did not take the video.

She told DailyMail.com exclusively: 'The people inside told me they would like the opportunity to work, to work, to work.

I have no idea if they have family in the United States. I don't believe they know how long they will be at the base. They all looked happy.'

The joy expressed by the migrants comes after days of confusion that began when they were brought to a Florida airport to be shipped off to Massachusetts.

A spokesperson for DeSantis said in a statement that the trip was part of the state's 'relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.'

DeSantis had been following the cue of his Texas and Arizona counterparts, who are busing scores of migrants who crossed into the US illegally to New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

The Florida governor sent the group of 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard, where officials immediately bemoaned the situation, calling in the National Guard to relocate the group because the city allegedly had no shelters available.

US Rep Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, accused DeSantis of orchestrating a political ploy with the lives of the migrants.

'Playing politics with people's lives is what governors like George Wallace did during segregation,' Moulton said, referring to Wallace's tactics of tricking black Southerners to move north. 'Ron DeSantis is trying to earn George Wallace's legacy.'

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also took aim at DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a press conference today, urging other Republicans who do not agree with their blueprint to speak up.

She said: This is an issue and we have been clear about this, this is an issue that is inhumane it is abhorrent and we should not be using people, migrants, who are fleeing communism as a political pawn.

Carlos Munoz hugged Larkin Stallings (left) in Martha's Vineyard as the group prepared to be moved to the military base miles away

The migrants are momentarily settling down after days of confusion that began when they were brought to a Florida airport to be shipped off to Massachusetts

After declaring a national emergency, the migrants boarded a boat to leave Martha's Vineyard

They're now staying at the Joine Base Cape Cod until they can find a more permanent shelter

DailyMail.com, however, found that dozens of modest properties and homes are available for rent on AirBnb on Martha's Vineyard.

Private rooms and small guest stays are on offer for $180 a night, which could have been used as a stop gap for the migrants to be housed.

Lisa Belcastro, homelessness director of the island, yesterday claimed that the affluent area has a 'housing crisis'.

Speaking after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planeloads of migrants to the pretty coastal town, Belcastro claimed that the island cannot support the addition of 50 more people.

Belcastro, who herself lives in a lavish four bed and four bath $3.6million property in a secluded part of the island, is one of the liberal officials who declared it a 'humanitarian emergency'  reacting as they would to a hurricane.

Her claims were backed by Gov. Charlie Baker, who said that Martha's Vineyard, with a population of 15,000, is 'not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation' to the migrants.

Lisa Belcastro claims that the island is facing a shortage of affordable housing. Belcastro, who herself lives in a lavish four bed and four bath $3.6million property in a secluded part of the island, is one of the liberal officials who declared it a humanitarian emergency

Speaking on Thursday DaSantis accused critics of his move to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard of 'virtue signaling', saying their concern for the welfare of the migrants was a 'fraud'.

He said: 'The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they go berserk, and they're so upset that this is happening.

It comes after Abbott sent 101 of illegal migrants outside of VP Kamala Harris home in Washington DC yesterday  just days after she declared that the border was secure.

Texas has seen the brunt of the flood of new migrants arriving at the border, and nearly 1,000 migrants have been released to sleep on the streets of El Paso due to the surge of illegal crossings that is overwhelming Border Patrol facilities.

DeSantis is now upping the escalating immigration war again in Democrat-run areas by threatening to fly illegal migrants to President Bidens home state of Delaware, as Lt. Gov Jeanette Nunez doubled down on the plan Thursday.

Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the Biden administration as they try to make immigration the theme of November's midterm elections.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was confronted as he got off a flight on Thursday by a Democrat who challenged him for not supporting stricter gun laws following the Uvalde, Texas shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, in May.

In a 90 second video which was posted to social media by Twitter user @Nathan_VBB, a Washington D.C. resident who is a supporter of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, Cruz can be seen removing his bag from the overhead bin just as the man strikes up conversation.

'Hey, we're in Houston? I thought we were going to Cancun?' the man jokes in a swipe at Cruz's behavior in February 2021 when he fled to Cancun, Mexico, just as people in Texas dealt with electrical power outages and very cold weather.

Cruz does not appear to hear the barb but as soon as he removes his headphones, the man makes his move.

'Senator, thank you for everything you've done since Uvalde. All those podcast episodes must have raised a lot of money for you.' the man says sarcastically.

A man confronted Texas Senator Ted Cruz at the end of a flight on Thursday as he was preparing to get off the plane

Cruz was caught by the Beto supporter just as he was getting his bags down from the overhead

Twitter user @Nathan_VBB challenged why the senator did not support stricter gun legislation in the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting

The Texas Senator was traveling on board a flight from Washington D.C. to Houston, Texas

Cruz is the co-host of a show called Verdict on which he revealed he would be voting against a bill protecting same-sex marriage at the federal level.

The senator says that he tried to pass school security legislation, but said Democrats do not support increased security guards and metal detectors at schools.

Cruz says that he had attempted to pass the 'most significant school safety bill ever' on Wednesday, but 'your party objected to it.'

The Securing Our Schools Act of 2022 was to have sent billions of federal dollars toward police officers and mental health counselors in schools but it was blocked by Democrats on the Senate floor Thursday.

Initially the man muttered something about Cancun - relating to Cruz's winter vacation there in 2021 when he left Texas residents freezing, but he had his headphones in and didn't hear

Cruz says that he tried to pass school security legislation earlier this week, but said Democrats do not support increased security guards and metal detectors for schools

'What work were you doing?' Nathan can be heard asking on the recording. 'How did you have time when you were recording your s**t ton of podcast episodes?'

Other passengers them jump it to tell him to listen to what Cruz has to say and to 'let him fly in peace' but Nathan presses on asking if he knows the names of the Uvalde victims.

'You can fly in peace when children can be buried in peace!' he retorts.

Cruz then hesitates before going on to answer that he does know their names - although he does not specifically name any and brings up the School Safety bill once again.

'But you don't know. You don't care about the facts. You're a partisan and that's OK,' Cruz says, turning around.

'You're not a partisan?' the passenger asks before the clip comes to an end.

The video was captioned: 'Senator Cruz was on my flight, and I asked him to name any of the Uvalde victims. He couldn't.'

It has been viewed nearly 230,000 times.

The Uvalde, Texas school shooting killed 19 children and two teachers

A memorial outside of Robb Elementary School for the 21 lives taken by a gunman in Uvalde seen earlier this month as students and parents began the new school year

The confrontation comes after Cruz faced criticism following a meeting he had Thursday with Kimberly and Felix Rubio, the parents of Robb Elementary shooting victim Alexandria 'Lexi' Rubio.

During the meeting with Cruz, the parents showed Cruz a photo of their 10-year-old girl in her casket.

Kimberly claimed Cruz took a look at the photo of their daughter before going on to turn down the couple's requests to support a new gun reform measure.

Cruz says he supports increasing law enforcement presence on school campuses.

The post sparked angry reactions from other Uvalde parents, including Brett Cross, whose 10-year-old son Uziyah Garcia was killed in the shooting. 'It's time to vote this motherf--ker out as well. Heartless piece of s***! His solution? More cops? 376 waiting 77 minutes wasn't enough? F*** you!'

The confrontation comes after Cruz faced criticism following a meeting he had Thursday with Kimberly and Felix Rubio, seen left, the parents of Robb Elementary shooting victim Alexandria 'Lexi' Rubio. They asked Cruz to bring in gun control, but he declined

A parent who lost their child in the school shooting tweeted their disappointment in Cruz
MPs staff have inundated Commons authorities with complaints that they do not get priority access to see the Queen lying in state in the Palace of Westminster.

While many parliamentary workers  including peers, MPs themselves, cleaners and cooks  are able to skip the queue, those working for MPs are not.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was seen paying his respects yesterday alongside his wife Helena and three of their sons.

Typical complaints by MPs staffers about the queue-jumping passes include: Ive worked here for 30 years and this is an insult, according to the Politico website. But another said the anger about cleaners and cooks oozes snobbery.

MPs have been criticised for their ability to skip the queue to visit the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall. Pictured: Tory MP Jacob Rees Mogg

Prime Minister Liz Truss, pictured ahead of Labour's Sir Keir Starmer, led a procession of MPs past the coffin

Ordinary member of the public have been forced to queue out overnight to see the Queen

Downing Street said that the queue system is going to plan, despite entries having to be paused for six hours after it reached maximum capacity.

House of Commons authorities told staff they understood the significant disappointment felt by many members of staff, and have been inundated with complaints. But in an update to staff, seen by The Spectator, they said: Unfortunately, based on the projected numbers we are expecting to join the queue over the coming days, it is not possible to open up access further without the risk of impacting access for queuing members of the public.

The absolute priority is to ensure as many members of the public as possible are able to pay their respects, many of whom have travelled from across the country and queued, often over nine or ten hours. We do not in any way wish to jeopardise their ability to pass through Westminster Hall.

The special access for MPs  who can also bring in up to four guests  has provoked criticism.

Members of the public waiting in line have branded it an abuse of privilege. But the Commons said some MPs had used their guest passes to take their staff in, and said they would closely monitor the allocation of tickets.

Parliamentary authorities did not respond to a request for comment last night.
Last night the annual Ig Nobel awards took place, marking another year of weird and wonderful scientific achievements getting the recognition they deserve.

This year's winners include a study into the sex lives of constipated scorpions, an experiment involving a moose crash-test dummy, and research into why ducklings swim in a line behind their mother.

An annual spoof on the Nobel Prize, the Ig Nobel Awards honour research that 'makes you laugh then makes you think'.

The awards are usually held at Harvard's Sanders Theatre, but 2022 marked the third consecutive year of the ceremony being held online due to Covid.

Winners were awarded in 10 categories for their achievements, and received a certificate, a homemade trophy and a defunct $10 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at some of the most weird, amusing and gruesome research to be awarded in Ig Nobel history since the very first ceremony in 1991.

Here are some of the best winners of the Ig Nobel awards, which have taken place every year since 1991

Researchers in Japan found that gel spilled out from follicles of banana skin when crushed underfoot - largely to blame for its slippery reputation

WHAT ARE THE IG NOBEL AWARDS? The Ig Nobel Prize is a 'spoof' award run by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research. It was first awarded in 1991 to celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. The aim is to 'honour achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.' Winners are awarded under 10 categories, which can change year by year. The name of the award is a pun on the Nobel Prize, which it parodies, and on the word ignoble (not noble). The Ig Nobel Prizes are presented by Nobel laureates in a ceremony at the Sanders Theater, Harvard University. For the past three years they have been held online due to coronavirus. Advertisement

BANANA SKIN FRICTION

In 2014, a team of experts from Japan were awarded the Physics prize for shedding light on whether banana skins really are as slippery as they're portrayed in cartoons.

The team measured the amount of friction between a shoe and a banana skin  as well as between a banana skin and the floor  when a person steps on a banana skin that's on the floor.

Following experiments that duplicated 'the actual situation of a slipping accident', they found that friction was lowered about one sixth by the lubricating effect of the banana skin.

They also found that gel spilled out from follicles of banana skin when crushed underfoot was largely to blame for its slippery reputation.

'The lubricating ability of banana skin can be proved excellent,' they concluded.

INTRA-VAGINAL MUSIC

The Obstetrics prize in 2017 was awarded to Spanish researchers for experiments that involved a bizarre intravaginal device.

Babypod is a small speaker that's placed inside the vagina to play music to the baby in the womb.

Researchers found that a developing human fetus responded more strongly to music played inside the mothers vagina through the device than to music played from a speaker perched on the mothers belly.

Researchers demonstrated how a small, silicone speaker is inserted like a tampon and plays music directly to the fetus

Responses from the babies were quantified by recording facial movements identified using ultrasound.

According to the team, the fetuses responded to music transmitted intravaginally by moving their mouth and tongue, 'as if they were trying to speak or sing'.

NAMED COWS MAKE MORE MILK

In 2009, the Veterinary Medicine prize was awarded to researchers from Newcastle University for a discovery that gave dairy farmers a potential method of increasing milk yields.

Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson discovered that cows who have names give more milk than cows that are nameless.

In his acceptance speech, Dr Rowlinson said: 'We undertook a series of studies on young dairy cattle which showed benefits of positive treatment during rearing. From a survey came the finding that cows with names gave more milk.'

His research partner was unable to travel because she recently gave birth, so she sent a photo of herself with her new daughter dressed in a cow suit.

Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson from Newcastle University discovered that cows who have names give more milk than cows that are nameless

HOMOSEXUAL NECROPHILIA IN DUCKS

Of all the Ig Nobel winners since the inaugural ceremony in 1991, one of the most well-known is the winner of the Biology prize in 2003.

Kees Moeliker, a Dutch biologist and director of the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, was awarded for describing the first scientifically reported case of homosexual necrophilia in the Mallard duck.

As recounted in his paper, Moeliker heard a male duck fatally colliding with the glass wall of the museum before seeing it being raped 'almost continuously for 75 minutes' by another male.

This image from Kees Moeliker's research paper shows front and back views of the unfortunate victim

'Dissection showed that the rape victim indeed was of the male sex,' he says in the paper. 'Gonads seen and preserved.

'To the best of my knowledge, this case is the first described case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard.'

Since becoming an Ig Nobel champion, Moeliker has given a TED talk, entitled, 'How a dead duck changed my life'.

BIG FEET, LARGE PENIS?

The 1998 prize for Statistics was awarded to two researchers for their report, 'The Relationships Among Height, Penile Length, and Foot Size'.

Study authors Jerald Bain of Toronto's Mt. Sinai Hospital in and Kerry Siminoski of the University of Alberta wanted to see whether 'folk myth' that men with large feet have a big penis has 'any basis in fact'.

After measuring height, penis length and shoe size of 63 'normally virilized men', the duo concluded that the correlation between the measurements was a weak one.

'Height and foot size would not serve as practical estimators of penis length,' they wrote in their report, published in Annals of Sex Research.

BRA FACE MASKS

More than a decade after the Covid pandemic started, researchers from Chicago showcased an ingenuous two-in-one invention.

Dr Elena Bodnar and colleagues won the Public Health award for their bra that can quickly convert into a two protective face masks.

Dr Bodnar demonstrated the bra mask on three Nobel-award winning scientists in attendance

The mask could be quickly administered in less than 30 seconds in the case of a gas leak or even as protection against viral particles.

Dr Bodnar, originally from Ukraine, demonstrated the innovation on a trio of Nobel-award winning scientists in attendance at that year's ceremony.

In her acceptance speech, she said: 'Isn't that wonderful that women have two breasts, not just one? We can save not only our own life, but also the life of a man of our choice next to us.'

POO KNIVES

Under the Materials Science category in 2020, Metin Eren from Kent State University in Ohio was awarded for fashioning a knife out of frozen human faeces.

Eren and his team aimed to recreate the story of an Inuit man in Canada who fashioned a knife out of his own excrement to butcher a dog.

They used real human faeces, frozen to -50C, and filed it to a sharp edge before trying to cut meat with it  without much success.

An Ig Nobel award winning researcher concluded that 'knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work'

When they tried to slice meat, the knife-edge 'simply melted upon contact, leaving streaks of faecal matter'.

'The poop knives failed miserably,' Eren said. 'There's not a lot of basis empirically for this fantastic story.

'The point of this was to show that evidence and fact checking are vital,' he said of his research, which was published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

STARGAZING DUNG BEETLES

In 2013, researchers from Sweden and South Africa were given the Biology/Astronomy prize for showing that 'dung beetles use the Milky Way for orientation'.

The experts strapped small cardboard caps over the eyes of dung beetles to obscure their vision as they moved with their dung balls.

It was already known that dung beetles roll their dung balls along the ground in straight lines.

But the researchers found that their ability to do this was severely impeded when they obscured their vision with small cardboard caps over their eyes.

After strapping cardboard over the eyes of dung beetles, researchers were awarded for discovering that when the insects can't see the starry sky their ability to walk in a straight line is impeded

The team said dung beetles orient to the starry sky to move along straight paths, and do not orientate to the individual stars, but to the Milky Way.

'This finding represents the first convincing demonstration for the use of the starry sky for orientation in insects and provides the first documented use of the Milky Way for orientation in the animal kingdom,' they said in their paper.

PATENTING THE WHEEL

In a few instances, Ig Nobel awards have been given to governments and official bodies for spectacular fails or astonishing incompetence.

In a spectacular example of why it's important to check things before giving them the all clear, the 2001 Technology award was given to the Australian Patent Office for granting an innovation patent for the wheel.

The award was given jointly to the patent office and John Keogh, a freelance patent lawyer based in Victoria, Australia.

In an attempt to test Australia's new national patent system, Keogh successfully patented the wheel, by dressing it up in fancy language as a 'circular transportation facilitation device'.

Years later, Innovation Patent #2001100012 was quietly revoked by the patent office.
The sex lives of constipated scorpions, cute ducklings with an innate sense of physics, and a life-size rubber moose may not appear to have much in common.

But they all inspired the winners of this year's Ig Nobels - the prize for comical scientific achievement.

Held less than a month before the actual Nobel Prizes are announced, Thursday's 32nd annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony was a prerecorded affair for the third year in a row, webcast on the Annals of Improbable Research magazine's website.

The winners, honoured in 10 categories, also included scientists who found that when people on a blind date are attracted to each other, their heart rates synchronize, and researchers who looked at why legal documents can be so utterly baffling, even to lawyers themselves.

A bizarre study into the sex lives of constipated scorpions was one of the winners of this year's spoof 'Ig Nobel' awards (stock image)

Master of Ceremonies Marc Abrahams poses with the 2022 Ig Nobel prize at his office in Cambridge, Mass

WHAT ARE THE IG NOBEL AWARDS? The Ig Nobel Prize is a spoof award run by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research. It was first awarded in 1991 to celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. The aim is to 'honour achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.' The name of the award is a pun on the Nobel Prize, which it parodies, and on the word ignoble (not noble). The Ig Nobel Prizes are usually presented by Nobel laureates in a ceremony at the Sanders Theater, Harvard University. Advertisement

Even though the ceremony was prerecorded, it retained much of the fun of the live event usually held at Harvard University.

As has been an Ig Nobel tradition, real Nobel laureates handed out the prizes, using a bit of video trickery: The Nobel laureates handed the prize off screen, while the winners reached out and brought a prize they had been sent and self-assembled into view.

Winners also received a virtually worthless Zimbabwean $10 trillion bill.

Curiosity Ig-nited? Learn more about some of the winners:

GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW

'Science is fun. My sort of a tagline is you're not doing science if you're not having fun,' said Frank Fish, a biology professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania who shared the physics Ig Nobel for studying why ducklings follow their mothers in single-file formation.

He explained that the behaviour is designed to conserve energy - the ducklings are drafting, much like stock cars, cyclists and runners do in a race.

'It all has to do with the flow that occurs behind that leading organism and the way that moving in formation can actually be an energetic benefit,' said the appropriately named Fish, whose speciality is studying how animals swim.

He shared the prize with researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, who found that the ducklings actually surfed in their mother's wake.

Scientists from the University of Strathclyde found that swimming in a line behind their mother helps to reduce drag, and actually propels the ducklings forwards

The science of love wins Ig Nobel Prize We're often told that copying body language and mannerisms on a first date are surefire signs that your date is interested in you. But according to researchers in the Netherlands, in-sync sweating and heart rates are much better indicators of a romantic attraction. In a blind date setting, experts fitted male and female participants with eye-tracking glasses and other devices to measure behavioural and physiological signals. They found no significant link between physical attraction and copying body language  either smiling, laughing, direct eye contact, head nods or hand gestures. A stronger indicator of attraction was 'physiological synchrony'  in-sync sweating and heart rates  which they say is 'a precursor of deeper emotional understanding'. These biological signals, which are covert, unconscious and difficult to regulate, may help people 'align emotionally' when they first meet, the researchers say. Read more Advertisement

THAT SYNCING FEELING

Eliska Prochazkova's personal experiences inspired her research on dating that earned her and colleagues the cardiology Ig Nobel.

She had no problems finding her apparent perfect match on dating apps, yet she often found there was no spark when they met face-to-face.

So she set people up on blind dates in real social settings, measured their physiological reactions and found that the heart rates of people attracted to each other synchronised.

So is her work evidence of 'love at first sight'?

'It really depends, on how you define love,' said Prochazkova, a researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands. 'What we found in our research was that people were able to decide whether they want to date their partner very quickly.

'Within the first two seconds of the date, the participants made a very complex idea about the human sitting in front of them.'

A CRUEL STING

Solimary Garcia-Hernandez and Glauco Machado of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil won the biology Ig Nobel for studying whether constipation ruins a scorpion's sex life.

Scorpions can detach a body part to escape a predator - a process called autotomy. But when they lose their tails, they also lose the last portion of the digestive tract, which leads to constipation - and, eventually, death, they wrote in the journal Integrated Zoology.

'The long-term decrease in the locomotor performance of autotomized males may impair mate searching,' they wrote.

Eric Martinez, who also has a law degree from Harvard University, shared the literature Ig Nobel with Francis Mollica and Edward Gibson for analyzing what makes legal documents unnecessarily difficult to understand

THAT'S A MOOSE, DUMMY

Magnus Gers won the safety engineering Ig Nobel for making a moose 'crash test dummy' for his master's thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which was published by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute.

Frequent moose vs. vehicle collisions on Sweden's highways often result in injuries and death to both human and animal, Gers said.

Yet automobile makers rarely include animal crashes in their safety testing.

'I believe this is a fascinating and still very unexplored area that deserves all the attention it can get,' he said.

'This topic is mystical, life threatening and more relevant than ever.'

Magnus Gers won the safety engineering Ig Nobel for making a moose 'crash test dummy' for his master's thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which was published by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute

CAN YOU SPEAK LEGALESE?

Anyone who has ever read a terms of service agreement knows that legal documents can be downright incomprehensible.

That frustrated Eric Martinez, a graduate student in the brain and cognitive science department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who also has a law degree from Harvard.

He, Francis Mollica and Edward Gibson shared the literature Ig Nobel for analysing what makes legal documents unnecessarily difficult to understand, research that appeared in the journal Cognition.

'Ultimately, there's kind of a hope that lawyers will think a little more with the reader in mind,' he said.

'Clarity doesn't just benefit the layperson, it also benefits lawyers.'
Tech fans around the world set up camp outside Apple Stores in the early hours of this morning to be the first to get their hands on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.

The flagship device has been officially released today, causing large queues to form before major shops opened in Singapore, Thailand and Japan.

However no such lines were found in the UK, as Apple is only allowing buyers who have pre-ordered their device to pick it up in stores today after they opened at 8am.

The temporary restricted retail experience is due to the country being in a national mourning period following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

These rules will remain in place on Saturday and Sunday, and all shops will be closed on Monday, the day of the Queen's state funeral.

Tech fans around the world have been queuing outside Apple Stores in the early hours of this morning to be the first to get their hands on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Pictured: Customers queue outside the Apple Store in Guangzhou, China

In Bangkok, those who have pre-ordered a device reportedly began waiting outside Apple Store Central World from 4pm ICT on Thursday

In Tokyo, Japan, about 30 people were waiting outside the Apple Store Omotesando before it opened at 8am JST today, The Japan News reported

The iPhone 14 range has been officially released today, causing large queues to form before major shops opened around the world. Pictured: Apple Orchard Road, Singapore

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced four variations of the iPhone 14 at the company's 'Far Out' launch event on September 7. Pictured: Apple Orchard Road, Singapore

HOW MUCH DOES THE IPHONE 14 SERIES COST? iPhone 14 - 849 iPhone 14 Plus - 949 iPhone 14 Pro - 1,099 iPhone 14 Pro Max - 1,199 Advertisement

Elsewhere in the world, fans have reportedly been queuing outside Apple Stores for up to 12 hours.

The iPhone 14 range was released in more than 30 countries today, including the United States, UK, Australia, China, France, Japan and Thailand

In Bangkok, those who have pre-ordered a device reportedly began waiting outside Apple Store Central World from 4pm ICT on Thursday.

Some slept in their cars for the opportunity to be one of the first to pick up an iPhone at Dubai Mall in UAE, according to The National.

Dr Mohannad K, a 37-year-old dentist, told the publication he arrived at the mall at 4:30am with 22,000 Dirhams in cash ready to get some new tech.

He said: 'I have owned every iPhone since its launch, and used to import the early models from America.

'The purple colour was the one I wanted. I arrived extra early, but the security would not let me in so I had to sleep in my car.

'By 6.30am, everyone was queuing already so I had to run to make the line. It was a big rush at 7am.'

Queues were also beginning to form the day before the device's release outside the Apple Store on Orchard Road in Singapore.

According to 8world, a separate line of about 200 people who had been turned away by Apple employees formed outside a nearby electronics and furniture store.

Some hopefuls even flew in from Vietnam to purchase the new model, as it is not to be made available in their home country until next month.

In Tokyo, Japan, about 30 people were waiting outside the Apple Store Omotesando before it opened at 8am JST today, The Japan News reported.

Some slept in their cars for the opportunity to be one of the first to pick up an iPhone at Dubai Mall in UAE, according to The National. Dr Mohannad K, a 37-year-old dentist, told the publication he arrived at 4:30am with 22,000 Dirhams in cash ready to get some new tech

Monday has been declared a Bank Holiday in the UK to allow workers to mourn the Queen, but businesses are able to decide for themselves whether they close.

While iPhone fans may not have been standing in a line, the same cannot be said for mourners who wish to attend the Queen's lying-in-state.

Thousands of people who want to pay their respects to the monarch have formed a queue that has reached over five miles in length.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said this morning that public should now expect to spend 14 hours waiting to enter Westminster Hall.

DCMS is broadcasting the location of the end of the queue live on YouTube to allow mourners to find the back, but it will be capped if it reaches 10 miles in length.

Some have taken to social media to joke about how the line to to see the Queen's coffin could confuse Brits hoping to get hold of the iPhone 14.

One Twitter user said: 'The queue around London to buy the new iPhone is crazy!'

Another added: 'They should open an Apple Store inside Westminster Hall and combine the queue for the Queen with the queue for the iPhone 14.'

Westminster Hall will remain open for the occasion until 6:30am on Monday 19 September - the same day as the Queen's funeral.

Normal working practice will resume at UK Apple Stores on Tuesday September 20, and those who have not pre-ordered an iPhone 14 can go into the shop to buy one.

Thousands of mourners who want to pay their respects to the monarch have formed a queue that has reached over five miles in length.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said this morning that public should now expect to spend 14 hours waiting to enter Westminster Hall

Some people have taken to social media to joke about how the line to to see the Queen's coffin could confuse Brits hoping to get hold of the iPhone 14

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced four variations of the iPhone 14 at the company's 'Far Out' launch event on September 7.

These were the standard iPhone 14 model, the iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

These boast an array of flashy features, including improved camera technology, 'Always On' display and satellite connectivity.

The standard model retails for 849 and comes with a 6.1-inch screen, while the Plus costs 949 and has a 6.7-inch screen.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro has a 6.1-inch screen and costs 1,099, while Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen and costs a mammoth 1,199.

They are more expensive, largely, because they have more advanced cameras and a sophisticated pill-shaped notch at the top of the screen, called 'Dynamic Island'.

The new iPhone range boasts an array of flashy features, including more advanced camera technology, 'Always On' display and satellite connectivity. Pictured: The first shoppers were greeted with a round of applause by staff at Apple Sanlitun, Beijing, China

The standard model retails for 849 and comes with a 6.1-inch screen, while the Plus costs 949 and has a 6.7-inch screen. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro has a 6.1-inch screen and costs 1,099, while Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen and costs a mammoth 1,199. Pictured: Apple Sanlitun, Beijing, China
California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed into law a bipartisan bill geared towards "protecting children's wellbeing, data, and privacy when using online platforms" such as social media. California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act or AB 2273 was drawn up by Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Republican Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham.

Describing the new children's online safety bill as an "aggressive action" in order to protect kids online, Gov. Newsom said in a press release that the bipartisan bill "requires online platforms to consider the best interest of child users and to default to privacy and safety settings that protect children's mental and physical health and wellbeing."

New California Children's Online Safety Bill Places Responsibility on Tech Companies

Gov. Newsom's newly signed children's online safety bill places limits on the type of data tech companies collect on their users who are minors and sets the highest default privacy settings for underage users. AB 2273 also requires that tech companies providing online services must not collect data such as names, addresses, and geolocations, nor must they encourage children to disclose sensitive personal data.

Back in 1998, the Children's Privacy Protection Act established protections for the privacy of those under the age of 13 who use services geared towards children. The recently passed California children's online safety bill expands on this legislation to provide more robust protections for children, Axios reported. The report added that the state is the first in America to establish a children's online safety bill, which many states would likely use as a template for similar laws and which had been lobbied against by tech companies such as TikTok, Snap, Twitter, Google, and Amazon even before Gov. Newsom signed it into law.

Read Also: Apple's Child Protection Feature Explained: Is It Breaching Users' Privacy?

Tech Industry Criticizes California's Children's Online Safety Bill as Rights Group Applauds Governor

Rights groups and parental groups see the passing of California's children's online safety bill as a win for the protection of kids online as it seeks to hold tech companies accountable for their actions and for ensuring a child's safety while using apps and platforms. Parental review company Common Sense Media said via its CEO Jim Steyer that the bill is "a very important step" in protecting children in California and across the US, The Hill reported.

However, digital rights groups are criticizing the California bill, arguing that because it requires tech companies to identify their child users, this may lead to the violation of users' privacy. Fight For the Future, a nonprofit advocacy group for digital rights, argued that the bill was "so vaguely and broadly written" that it will allow "more surveillance" in the guise of protecting users' privacy, Engadget reported. They insisted that age verification, which requires inputting one's age or birthday, is a violation of "freedom of expression," especially for journalists, activists, and whistleblowers.

California's newly established children's online safety bill comes amidst bipartisan efforts to hold tech companies accountable for the protection of minors when using social media platforms and apps. Just this summer, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act amidst broad support from both Democratic and Republican leaders, the Washington Post reported.

Related Article: Instagram Found Violating Children's Privacy by Irish Regulator; Is Fined $402M
It has been searching for clues about possible ancient alien life on Mars.

And now NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered organic matter 'treasure' that could help determine if extraterrestrials did in fact ever exist on the Red Planet.

The collection of organic matter from the Jezero Crater, which likely once held a lake and the delta that emptied into it, suggests it had potentially habitable environments 3.5 billion years ago.

These organic molecules contain carbon that are widely considered to be the building blocks of life.

The US space agency said Perseverance had collected four samples from the ancient river delta since July 7, bringing the total count of scientifically compelling rock samples to 12.

Discovery: NASA's Perseverance rover (pictured) has discovered organic matter 'treasure' that could help determine if extraterrestrials did in fact ever exist on the Red Planet

WHAT IS ORGANIC MATTER? Organic molecules consist of a wide variety of compounds made primarily of carbon and usually include hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They can also contain other elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. While there are chemical processes that produce these molecules that don't require life, some of these compounds are the chemical building blocks of life. The presence of these specific molecules is considered to be a potential biosignature  a substance or structure that could be evidence of past life but may also have been produced without the presence of life. Advertisement

'The rocks that we have been investigating on the delta have the highest concentration of organic matter that we have yet found on the mission,' said Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The rover has taken measurements and samples in an area called Skinner Ridge.

This is made of layered sedimentary rocks, some of which contain materials that were most likely transported from miles away by running water billions of years ago.

'With the samples we're taking now in this more sedimentary area, we're of course right at the heart of what we wanted to do to start with,' said NASA science lead Thomas Zurbuchen during a press conference.

The sedimentary rocks contain complex organic molecules called aromatics, along with clays and sulphate minerals. The latter can be produced when water interacts with rocks.

There are no definite signs of life, or biosignatures, in these materials but scientists are encouraged that they are looking in the right place.

'While the detection of this class of organics alone does not mean that life was definitively there, this set of observations does start to look like some things that we've seen here on Earth,' said Sunanda Sharma at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California during the press conference.

'To put it simply, if this is a treasure hunt for potential signs of life on another planet, organic matter is a clue.

'And we're getting stronger and stronger clues as we're moving through our delta campaign.'

David Shuster, of the University of California, Berkeley, added: 'This is really important that this has sulphate in it and also clays, because that means that this rock has high potential for biosignature preservation, meaning that if there were biosignatures in this vicinity when that rock formed, this is precisely the type of material that will preserve that for us to study when [the samples] come back to Earth.'

It is not the first time Perseverance has found organic matter on Mars, but this time the detection was in an area where life may have once existed.

'In the distant past, the sand, mud, and salts that now make up the Wildcat Ridge sample were deposited under conditions where life could potentially have thrived,' Farley said.

'The fact the organic matter was found in such a sedimentary rock  known for preserving fossils of ancient life here on Earth  is important.

The US space agency said Perseverance had collected four samples from the ancient river delta since July 7, bringing the total count of scientifically compelling rock samples to 12. This image shows the holes from the first successful sample taken by the rover

'However, as capable as our instruments aboard Perseverance are, further conclusions regarding what is contained in the Wildcat Ridge sample will have to wait until it's returned to Earth for in-depth study as part of the agency's Mars Sample Return campaign.'

During its first science campaign, Perseverance explored the crater's floor, finding igneous rock, which forms deep underground from magma or during volcanic activity at the surface.

'The delta, with its diverse sedimentary rocks, contrasts beautifully with the igneous rocks  formed from crystallisation of magma  discovered on the crater floor,' said Farley.

'This juxtaposition provides us with a rich understanding of the geologic history after the crater formed and a diverse sample suite.

'For example, we found a sandstone that carries grains and rock fragments created far from Jezero Crater  and a mudstone that includes intriguing organic compounds.'

NASA and the European Space Agency are planning to return the rock samples to Earth around 2033.
Ever wondered what your dog is thinking when it gazes at the TV, seemingly fascinated by the News At Ten?

Scientists have discovered that your pooch probably isn't focused on Huw Edwards specifically, but more what the people on screen are doing.

Study dogs at Emory University in Georgia, USA had their brains scanned by an MRI machine while watching a half-hour video of stimulating content.

This included clips of dogs running around, humans interacting with each other, vehicles passing by, and a cat in a house.

Data from the MRI was fed into an artificial intelligence (AI) called Ivis, which correlated brain activity with whether an action or object was shown on screen.

Results showed that dogs are vastly more visually attuned to actions in their environment, rather than who or what is performing those actions.

Scientists have found that dogs are vastly more visually attuned to actions in their environment, rather than who or what is performing those actions (stock image)

Study dogs at Emory University in Georgia, USA had their brains scanned by an MRI machine while watching a half-an-hour video of stimulating content. Pictured: Daisy takes her place in the fMRI scanner. Her ears are taped to hold in ear plugs that muffle the noise of the machine

Neuroscientist Erin Phillips said: 'While our work is based on just two dogs it offers proof of concept that these methods work on canines.

'I hope this paper helps pave the way for other researchers to apply these methods on dogs, as well as on other species, so we can get more data and bigger insights into how the minds of different animals work.'

Dogs possess only two types of cone cells in their eyes and can only perceive the colours blue and yellow.

This is vastly different to humans, who have three types of cone cells and can visualise the whole colour spectrum.

However, canines also have a higher density of motion-sensitive vision receptors than us.

Scientists believe dogs could visually perceive the world differently to humans in these ways because they need to be more aware of threats in their environment.

It could also be because they are more reliant on their other senses as, while humans are very visually oriented, dogs' olfactory senses are much more powerful.

For the study, dogs were shown specially designed movies in three 30 minute sessions for a total of 90 minutes while relaxing in the fMRI machine. A: Example frames from video clips shown to the participants. B: Bhubo, a four-year-old Boxer-mix, watching videos while undergoing awake fMR

The researchers at the Canine Cognitive Neuroscience Lab wanted to discover if there were any other differences between how canine and human minds reconstruct what they see.

They recruited Bhubo, a four-year-old male Boxer-mix, and Daisy, an 11-year-old female Boston terrier-mix, to participate in a study.

Both pooches had been trained to enter and lie inside an fMRI machine completely unrestrained, so were able to have their brains scanned while awake and alert.

'They didn't even need treats!' said Ms Phillips.

For the study, Daisy and Bhubo were each shown specially designed movies in three 30 minute sessions for a total of 90 minutes while relaxing in the fMRI machine.

The movies contained video clips that the researchers thought a dog might find interesting enough to watch for an extended period.

They were filmed by the researchers using a gimbal - a pivoting camera support - and a selfie stick to allow them to shot footage from a 'dog's perspective'.

The clips showed dogs running around and humans interacting with dogs, giving them pets or treats, or waving a toy towards the camera itself.

Other activities included vehicles passing by, humans hugging or eating, a deer crossing a path, a cat in a house, and dogs walking on leashes.

As the dogs watched their movies, an MRI scan was taken of their brains that visualised neural activity.

Ms Phillips said: 'It was amusing because it's serious science, and a lot of time and effort went into it, but it came down to these dogs watching videos of other dogs and humans acting kind of silly.'

For comparison, two humans were also shown the videos while lying in the fMRI machine and undergoing a scan.

The movies contained video clips that the researchers thought a dog might find interesting enough to watch for an extended period. Pictured: Bhubo and his human, Ashwin Sakhardande, preparing for a movie

Brain regions important for the discrimination of objects and actions that were used to train the AI for human (A) and dog (B) participants

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW DOGS AND HUMANS SEE THINGS Colour - Dogs possess only two types of cone cells in their eyes and can only perceive the colours blue and yellow. Humans have three types of cone cells and can visualise the whole colour spectrum. Motion detection - Dogs have a higher density of motion-sensitive vision receptors than humans. Perception of actions and objects - The results of this study show that dogs are much more attune to actions than the objects performing them, whereas humans do not prioritise either. Scientists believe these differences are because dogs must be more able to detect dangers in their environment, and are more reliant on their powerful olfactory senses than humans. Advertisement

Next, the video data was segmented by timestamps, and each clip was given classifiers to identify what was being shown on screen at the time.

The classifiers included objects, such as dogs, humans, vehicles, or other animals, or actions, such as sniffing, eating, or playing

This information, as well as the dog and human MRI data, was fed into the neural network Ivis, and the results were published this week in Journal of Visualized Experiments.

Ivis had been trained to map the brain activity to the two classifiers, which it was able to for both with 99 per cent accuracy using the human data.

However, it was only successful in finding correlations with the action-based classifiers for the canine data, and it did this with between 75 and 88 per cent accuracy.

This suggests that dogs' brains prioritise what is going on in front of them over who or what is involved - a stark difference to how the human brain works.

'We humans are very object oriented,' said corresponding author Professor Gregory Berns.

'There are 10 times as many nouns as there are verbs in the English language because we have a particular obsession with naming objects.

'Dogs appear to be less concerned with who or what they are seeing and more concerned with the action itself.'

He added: 'It makes perfect sense that dogs brains are going to be highly attuned to actions first and foremost.

'Animals have to be very concerned with things happening in their environment to avoid being eaten or to monitor animals they might want to hunt.

'Action and movement are paramount.'

In future, the researchers want to map brain activity to olfactory input, as dogs have a much larger proportion of their brain devoted to processing olfactory information.

They also wish to conduct more detailed research into the vision perception of dogs, and potentially other animals.

Professor Berns said: 'We showed that we can monitor the activity in a dog's brain while it is watching a video and, to at least a limited degree, reconstruct what it is looking at,

'The fact that we are able to do that is remarkable.'
Russia said private satellites being used by the U.S. and its allies could become legitimate military targets amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The remarks - made this week by Konstantin Vorontsov, a member of the Russian Foreign Ministry and head of the country's delegation to the United Nations - came during a working group meeting in Geneva about reducing threats and increasing cooperation in space.

Vorontsov stated the Russian delegation 'would like to underline an extremely dangerous trend that goes beyond the harmless use of outer space technologies and has become apparent during the events in Ukraine.'

According to the UN's English translation of the statement, Vorontsov said that the uses of commercial and civilian satellite assets by the United States and its allies throughout the ongoing invasion of Ukraine 'constitute indirect involvement in military conflicts' whether they realize it or not and that so-called 'quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation.'

Russia said private satellites being used by the U.S. and its allies could become legitimate military targets amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. Above: Starlink satellites in space

Shortly after its February invasion, SpaceX (founded by Elon Musk, above) sent multiple shipments of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to boost coverage and connectivity after Russia's attacks on the country's infrastructure

U.S. officials have said that Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system is giving Ukrainian forces the edge in winning the drone war as the country harnesses the technology to track down invading Russians - even in Ukraine's infamously remote regions. Above: A man runs in front of a house burning after being shelled in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv, on March 4, 2022

'At the very least,' the statement continues, 'this provocative use of civilian satellites is questionable under the Outer Space Treaty, which provides for the exclusively peaceful use of outer space, and must be strongly condemned by the international community.'

Russia's comments arrive at a time when it's being pushed back by Ukraine's army and tensions are rising between the U.S. and the Vladimir Putin-led regime.

American officials have said that Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system is giving Ukrainian forces the edge in winning the drone war as the country harnesses the technology to track down invading Russians - even in Ukraine's infamously remote regions.

Beyond the Starlink network's military applications, Ukrainians are also using it to bring high-speed connections to camps for displaced people in the country's western villages where many have fled.

The Starlink terminals, which are tiny and connected to a dish-style antenna (above), require very little electricity to operate and can even be powered by a car's cigarette lighter, making them quite easy to operate in the war-torn country

Thanks to Starlink, members of Ukraines 93rd mechanized brigade are able to let loved ones know they are safe through daily encrypted satellite messages after the local cellphone network was severed during heavy shelling, according to Politico

The Starlink network 'rapidly' fought off a Russian jamming attack in April, the Pentagon disclosed, and noted that a U.S. military response to counter the attack would have taken much longer

Members of Ukraines 93rd mechanized brigade are able to let loved ones know they are safe through daily encrypted satellite messages after the local cellphone network was severed during heavy shelling, according to Politico.

'Thank you, Elon Musk,' Oleksiy told Politico soon after logging on through Starlinks satellites to discover the Biden administration would be sending long-range rockets to the Ukrainian army in its fight with the Russians.

Shortly after its February invasion, SpaceX sent multiple shipments of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to boost coverage and connectivity after Russia's attacks on the country's infrastructure.

There were soon 150,000 active daily users of Starlink in the country and a total of 15,000 terminals were in use.

The Starlink network 'rapidly' fought off a Russian jamming attack in April, the Pentagon disclosed, and noted that a U.S. military response to counter the attack would have taken much longer.

Dave Tremper, from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, praised SpaceX for its agility, particularly 'in the way that Starlink was able to upgrade when a threat showed up.'

The Starlink terminals, which are tiny and connected to a dish-style antenna, require very little electricity to operate and can even be powered by a car's cigarette lighter, making them quite easy to operate in the war-torn country.

The U.S. Air Force gave SpaceX a $1.9 million contract for Starlink services in Europe and Asia which noted that the system is 'the only low-Earth orbit satellite network provider that is currently being used in a contested environment: Ukraine,' Politico first reported.

The Russian delegation's statement reportedly went on to warn the United Nations against the adoption of 'fragmented, non-inclusive rules for regulating space activities, that do not take into account approaches of all UN Member States and seek to ensure space dominance of a small group of states.'

Russia then said U.S. member states should 'focus on assuming national and international obligations to not place weapons of any kind in outer space (including in orbit around the Earth and on celestial bodies) and prohibit the threat or use of force against or with space objects, as well as introduce a complete and comprehensive ban on strike weapons in outer space for use against space objects.'

Even so, the communist country has appeared eager to cut ties with the U.S. and its allies in other space-related matters - as it unveiled last month a model of what its own planned space station would look like once it abandons the International Space Station.

Roscosmos showed off a model of the planned space station - which will have four modules during its first phase and eventually expand to six with a service platform - at a military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow.

Yuris Borisov, head of the Russian space agency, said Russia will quit the ISS after 2024 and that it is working on its own space station.

Russian state media have suggested the first stage could be launched in 2025-25 and no later than 2030, with the final stage planned for 2030-35.

The U.S. Air Force gave SpaceX a $1.9 million contract for Starlink services in Europe and Asia which noted the system is 'the only low-Earth orbit satellite network provider that is currently being used in a contested environment: Ukraine,' Politico reported. Above: Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen speaking with SpaceX founder Elon Musk

Roscosmos showed off a model of its new space station (above) - which will have four modules during its first phase and eventually expand to six with a service platform - at a military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow
Billionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes was long known as Sydney's most eligible bachelor.

But there's a new kid in town snapping at the heels of the Merivale boss.

Meet Julian Tobias - the handsome 43-year-old Eastern Suburbs socialite, who is rising up the ranks of Sydney's bar tsars, threatening the likes of Hemmes and playboy publican Stu Laundy.

How Sydney bar tsar Julian Tobias, 43, (pictured left) went from selling real estate to running the hottest clubs - and why he's the city's most eligible bachelor

Tobias made his first foray into the nightlife business almost two decades ago when he launched Potts Point institution The Club.

He later established Ssh Room, a bar so exclusive it is only accessible by a password at the door.

In 2010, Tobias and his business partner Adam Abrams opened The Island, Australia's first floating beach club in Sydney Harbour.

A year later, the pair dipped their toes into the beverage business, launching the now-popular brand C Coconut Water.

The notoriously private venue owner, who recently split from his model girlfriend Charlotte Coquelin (pictured), confirmed this week he's still on the market

The pair were together for five years and share a cute Pomeranian pooch

They remain on friendly terms, with Tobias praising Coquelin as she walked the runway at Sydney Fashion Week last year. (Pictured left: Tobias and Coquelin in happier times, and right: Tobias' Instagram post about his now-ex while watching her at Sydney Fashion Week 2021)

Coquelin is an in-demand model

Five years later, Tobias and Adams enjoyed even more success with the launch of cleaning service company Whizz Technologies.

The company attracted the support of rich-lister backers, including Goldman Sachs Australia boss Simon Rothery, Tony Gandel, Alex Waislitz's Thorney Investment Group, and former KPMG executive Jon Adgemis.

Whizz Technologies is now eyeing an IPO in early 2023, which, if successful, should propel Tobias into a new financial stratosphere.

The one-time Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist made headlines in 2014 when he began dating Canadian actress and Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev (pictured in April 2019)

In 2016 he moved on with Instagram megastar Alexis Ren (pictured in NYC in September 2016)

More recently, Tobias once again expanded his venue empire by unveiling Potts Point speakeasy Sussudio.

The venue was opened in April during Fashion Week, and has already become the ultimate destination for Sydney's fashionable elite.

Named after the Phil Collins hit of the same name, Sussudio boasts a 'secret club within the club', and has earned a reputation for being one of the hardest velvet ropes to slink past due to its strictly enforced door policy.

Tobias (pictured here with friends) continues to rise up the ranks of Sydney's bar tsars, threatening the likes of Merivale baron Justin Hemmes and playboy publican Stu Laundy

Tobias made his first foray into the nightlife business almost two decades ago when he launched Potts Point institution The Club

Tobias, who recently spent $5.5million on a Bondi Beach penthouse, told Daily Mail Australia he was feeling 're-energised' since launching Sussudio.

'I would say Sussudio has really reignited my passion for nightlife again... being able to create a space that I'm happy with and to be able to play the kind of music that I love,' he said.

He is planning to unveil more venues in the coming months, including a Mexican cantina-style restaurant which will open on Darlinghurst Road.

After that, he will open a 'Tel Aviv-inspired supper club' and another restaurant-cum-brasserie concept similar to his popular eatery Bedouin in Double Bay.

In 2010, Tobias and his business partner Adam Abrams opened The Island, Australia's first floating beach club in Sydney Harbour

Tobias spent $5.5million on this Bondi Beach penthouse in late 2021

Meanwhile, Tobias is single and ready to mingle after recently splitting with his stunning model girlfriend Charlotte Coquelin.

He confirmed to Daily Mail Australia he's still on the market.

Tobias remained humble when quizzed on how he feels about being called Sydney's most eligible bachelor.

More recently, Tobias once again expanded his venue empire by unveiling Potts Point speakeasy Sussudio (pictured

'I'm not quite sure I live up to that,' he said with a smile.

'But it is a compliment. I guess, on a rainy day, I will take it.'

Tobias split from Coquelin last year following a five-year romance.

The exes remain on friendly terms, with Tobias praising Coquelin as she walked the runway at Sydney Fashion Week last year.

The venue (pictured) was opened in April during Fashion Week, and has already become the ultimate destination for Sydney's fashionable elite

Tobias has been linked to a string of high-profile and very beautiful women over the years.

The one-time Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist made headlines in 2014 when he began dating Canadian actress and Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev, before moving on with Instagram megastar Alexis Ren in 2016.

Tobias, who began his career as a model himself, began dating Coquelin a year later, and the pair soon became one of the city's most talked-about couples.
Anne Heche's memoir titled Call Me Anne is scheduled to be released in January, it was revealed on Friday.

The book will cover her Hollywood career as well as her relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres, and her friendships with Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin.

The Six Days, Seven Nights actress died after suffering injuries during a fiery crash in Mar Vista, California on August 14. She was 53-years-old.

New book: Anne Heche's memoir titled Call Me Anne is scheduled to be released in January, it was revealed on Friday

Heche worked on the memoir over the past year. It is a sequel to the memoir Call Me Crazy, published in 2001.

Start, an independent publisher based in Hoboken, New Jersey, shared the excerpt this week with The Associated Press.

The book's publisher, Jarred Weisfeld, says that he signed a deal with Heche in May and that she had turned in a manuscript shortly before she died.

She will also write about having Harrison Ford as a mentor, along with stories about Alec Baldwin, Ivan Reitman and Oliver Stone, among others.

She wrote it before she died: The book's publisher, Jarred Weisfeld, says that he signed a deal with Heche in May and that she had turned in a manuscript shortly before she died. Heche at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City in 2017

The book's release was first announced by Publishers Weekly. Heche had mentioned writing a memoir during a podcast earlier this year, in which she promised that 'some of the truths' about her and DeGeneres would be included.

The actor shared candid thoughts on her relationship with stand-up DeGeneres in the late 1990s, when they were among Hollywood's first openly gay couples.

'I was labeled "outrageous" because I fell in love with a woman. I had never been with a woman before I dated Ellen,' Heche wrote in Call Me Anne, which is from Start Publishing.

She comes up: The book will cover her Hollywood career as well as her relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres; seen in 1999

They had a very close bond: Anne will also discuss her friendship with Harrison Ford; seen in the movie 6 Days. Seven Nights from 1998

Heche, whose films included Donnie Brasco and Wag The Dog, was a successful film and TV star.

In her lifetime, Heche said that Hollywood effectively blacklisted her because of her being with DeGeneres, who around the same time made television history by having her character in the sitcom Ellen come out as gay.

'I did not, personally, identify as a lesbian,' she said.

'I simply fell in love! It was, to be clear, as odd to me as anyone else. There were no words to describe how I felt,' Heche wrote in her book.

'Gay didn't feel right, and neither did straight. Alien might be the best fit, I sometimes thought.

'What, why, and how I fell in love with a person instead of their gender, I would have loved to have answered if anyone had asked, but as I said earlier, no one ever did. I am happy that I was able to tell you in this book - once and for all.'
Tahlia Giumelli had to defend her attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis on Thursday after she was accused of 'jumping on a social media trend'.

The NRL WAG, 29, who is married to South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess, was forced to justify her condition as a growing number of Australian female celebrities come out with ADHD.

After being asked about her medication during an Instagram Q&A, Tahlia said: 'I get asked this a lot either via these questions or DMs. I'm going to be honest, I do take medication but I won't share what I take or the psych I see.'

Tahlia Giumelli (pictured) had to defend her attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis on Thursday after she was accused of 'jumping on a social media trend'

She continued: 'It's not a one-size-fits-all box and my specialists' names are personal information I wish to keep to myself.

'Just to be clear, medication also doesn't miraculously fix the problem. I still have to work hard each day.

'I've had people inbox me asking me if I'm jumping on a social media trend with an ADHD diagnosis, and I'm here to tell you no.'

The NRL WAG, 29, who is married to Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess, was forced to justify her condition after being asked about her medication during an Instagram Q&A. Tahlia joins a growing list of Australian female celebrities who have come out with ADHD

Tahlia went on to say she was 'recommended to seek a diagnosis' during Covid lockdowns.

Despite living an 'amazing life', the model said she had faced difficulties in the past which she could now better understand thanks to her diagnosis.

'Having a diagnosis was honestly enough for me to be like, "Oh, okay, wow, that's why things were so hard." The diagnosis was life-changing for me,' she explained.

Tahlia went on to say she was 'recommended to seek a diagnosis' during Covid lockdowns. Despite living an 'amazing life', the model said she had faced difficulties in the past which she could now better understand thanks to her diagnosis

Tahlia insisted she had shared her condition publicly to 'show people how normal it is', but still wants to keep some aspects of her journey private.

She is the latest in a skyrocketing number of high-profile Australian women to go public with an ADHD diagnosis.

TV and radio presenter Em Rusciano, 43, came out as both autistic and suffering from ADHD last November, while actress Tammin Sursok, 39, shared her diagnosis on social media, telling her followers it was her 'weakness and superpower'.

The wife of NRL star Tom Burgess (right) is the latest in a skyrocketing number of high-profile Australian women to go public with an ADHD diagnosis

In an emotional Instagram post in June, feminist author Clementine Ford, 40, said she'd been diagnosed with both ADHD and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) by a specialist psychiatrist.

Abbie Chatfield, 27, revealed she had 'finally' been diagnosed back in May, and has spoken openly and repeatedly about the disorder on her podcast.

Other Aussie celebs to come out recently with the disorder include Married At First Sight's Clare Verrall and Jessika Power, sexologist Chantelle Otten, influencer Belle Lucia, and podcaster Lucy Jackson.
Emma Hernan and Chelsea Lazkani looked fashionable on the Selling Sunset set Thursday.

Hernan, 30, wore a low-cut pink garment with an added fun twist on the professional pantsuit.

Her top had long sleeves and ended in a tiny miniskirt that stopped just below her waist.

Fashionable: Emma Hernan and Chelsea Lazkani looked fashionable on the Selling Sunset set Thursday

Emma's chest was accentuated by the top which she left open revealing her tanned skin.

She walked in bright pink high heels, and her stylish blonde locks perfectly framed her smiling face.

Chelsea Lazkani, 29, wore a racy corset over dark gray bodysuit accented with pink for the shoot.

Low-cut: Hernan, 30, wore a low-cut pink garment that took a fun twist on the professional pantsuit

Tan: Emma's chest was accentuated by the top which she left open revealing her tanned skin

The whole ensemble clung to her body with pink accents covering her chest and running down the sides of her legs.

Lazkani's dark brown hair fell in straight waves down the sides of her beaming face.

The pair seemed to enjoy their time on set together with Emma wrapping her arms around Chelsea, and the dynamic duo holding hands.

Heather Rae Young was pictured with her growing baby bump on set as well though one familiar face will not be shooting this season.

Having some fun: The pair seemed to enjoy their time on set together with Emma wrapping her arms around Chelsea, and the dynamic duo holding hands

The latest: Christine Quinn will not be returning to the Netflix series Selling Sunset. The Dallas native, 33, came to a 'mutual decision' with the streaming service and producers, insiders told TMZ Wednesday. She was pictured at an event in LA this past April

The beginning of filming for Selling Sunset's sixth season came a few weeks after it was announced that Christine Quinn would not return to the show.

Insiders told TMZ back in August that Quinn, 33, will be working on other endeavors involving modeling and real estate.

She has inked a deal with IMG Models and is taking jobs modeling and making personal appearances at fashion industry functions, sources told TMZ.Quinn is also working with RealOpen, her husband Christian's real estate firm.

Hernan was asked outside The Oppenheim Group's Los Angeles office about Quinn's departure from the series, to which she said, 'I heard about that ... we'll see what happens.'

Asked if she thought Quinn's exit would negatively impact the series, Hernan told TMZ, 'I think the show does very, very well - we have a lot of amazing people.'
She is known for being open and honest with body issues on social media.

And Cassidy McGill has now taken a stand against creepy men who send unwanted nude photos to women, also known as cyber flashing.

The Love Island Australia star took to Instagram on Thursday to share an example of two unsolicited photos she had been sent by the same man.

Love Island Australia star Cassidy McGill (pictured) has taken a stand against creepy men who send unwanted nude photos to women, also known as cyber flashing

Cassidy edited the photos to avoid offending her followers, but the images she received were not censored in any way.

She covered the man's intimate parts with a vomit emoji to express her disgust.

'Every time I receive a d**k pics, I feel violated. Please stop sending them to me. It's disgusting,' she wrote.

Cassidy took to Instagram on Thursday to share an example of two unsolicited photos she had been sent by the same man

Cassidy is no stranger to posting bikini snaps and risque photos; however, this is never an invitation to send unwanted sexual photos.

Often her social media posts are simply to encourage other young women with similar body types to feel confident and embrace themselves.

As the digital space grows larger, cyber flashing is gaining more and more attention, with many people pushing for it to become a criminal offence.

Cassidy is no stranger to posting bikini snaps and risque photos; however, this is never an invitation to send unwanted sexual photos

Cyber flashing is only illegal for those under the age of 18, as it is covered by child exploitation laws in Australia and the UK.

Despite cyber flashing not being a criminal offence in itself, there are multiple areas in which cyber flashing could be classed as stalking, menace, causing offence or intent to insult a person.

Anyone who needs support can call 1800 RESPECT, the Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Moonage Daydream (15, 135 mins)

Verdict: A starman and an oddity

Rating:

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (12A, 118 mins)

Verdict: Full of treasures

Rating:

David Bowie was a rock star like no other, and Moonage Daydream is a fittingly singular documentary, ostensibly about his remarkable life but really more like a journey, one lasting well over two hours, through his relentlessly mercurial mind.

The last film I saw about Bowie was the hopelessly misconceived 2020 biopic Stardust, with a disastrously miscast Johnny Flynn as the man himself, an exercise doubly hamstrung by the refusal of the Bowie estate to allow the use of his music.

Moonage Daydream, by striking contrast, gives writer-director Brett Morgen the opposite problem.

David Bowie was a rock star like no other, and Moonage Daydream is a fittingly singular documentary, ostensibly about his remarkable life but really more like a journey, one lasting well over two hours, through his relentlessly mercurial mind

The notoriously protective guardians of Bowie's legacy have allowed him access into every nook and cranny, including all the concert footage and all the interview archive, so his headache was almost certainly what to leave out.

It also means that Bowie effectively narrates the film himself. He was a willing interviewee, cheerfully introspective and requiring little prodding to philosophise about music, art, religion, indeed pretty much anything. He has nothing to say about rugby league, but that might be about it.

In truth, not everything he says in Moonage Daydream (borrowing the title of his 1971 song) is immune to the charge of pretentiousness. But there are plenty of cherishable insights.

Classic film on TV Paddington (2014) Eight years isn't very long to secure classic statue, but Paul King's film is such a delight - and the doughty Peruvian bear won our hearts anew with his antics alongside our late, beloved Queen earlier this year. Saturday, BBC1, 7pm Advertisement

I especially loved his definition of what every day should yield for a human being... that at the end of it we should be satisfied that we 'took from it, and gave back to it, as much as possible'. He fulfilled that equation more than most of us in his 69 years.

The film focuses mainly on the 1970s and early 1980s, from Bowie's Ziggy Stardust years to his global 1983 Serious Moonlight tour.

There are a few stark omissions; we hear him rhapsodising about his 1992 marriage to the Somali supermodel Iman, but his first marriage to Angie Barnett, and his experience of fatherhood, are overlooked.

Nor has Morgen selected that memorable clip of Bowie wisely and with amazing prescience explaining to a sceptical Jeremy Paxman, at the dawn of the internet age, just how the World Wide Web would change the way we live. It pops up often on social media, aptly, and is always a treat.

Maybe the director (whose credits include documentaries about the Rolling Stones, Kurt Cobain and, a trifle incongruously, the primatologist Jane Goodall) regarded it as too familiar. After all, one of the primary joys of the archive material in this film is how little we've seen before.

Another joy, for anyone who gets a kick out of studying the interviewer's art, is watching Russell Harty, Michael Parkinson, Dick Cavett, Valerie Singleton and Mavis Nicholson trying hard  and in some cases failing hard  to get a grip on this unique, androgynous, driven, formidably gifted being.

Harty went in at floor level. 'Are those men's shoes, or women's shoes, or bisexual shoes?' he asks, a trifle desperately. 'They're shoe shoes, silly,' replies Bowie.

The last film I saw about Bowie was the hopelessly misconceived 2020 biopic Stardust, with a disastrously miscast Johnny Flynn as the man himself, an exercise doubly hamstrung by the refusal of the Bowie estate to allow the use of his music

Mind you, that implies a down-to-earthness that hardly reflects the film. Morgen has filled it with hundreds of wildly disparate images, from crazy, swirling psychedelia to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing up a storm, from surreal animated sequences to the streets of Cold War Berlin. At first it seems unnecessarily distracting and weird, but gradually you realise that it illustrates, rather brilliantly, just how Bowie ticked.

The life story of another creative genius is documented by focusing on his most famous composition in Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song. Cohen died, as coincidentally Bowie did, in 2016. And actually there are other parallels; both men wrote at least as well as they sang, and both had incredibly fertile, restless minds. This excellent film by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine is much more conventional than Moonage Daydream but, for Cohen fans, it is similarly full of treasures.

I greatly enjoyed the analysis of Hallelujah's lyrics as: 'one part biblical, one part the woman he slept with last night'.

The life story of another creative genius is documented by focusing on his most famous composition in Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

The film cleverly sheds light on Cohen's complex personality by tracing the trajectory of the song, from its outright rejection by the combative head of Columbia Records, Walter Yetnikoff ('Leonard, we know you're great, we just don't know if you're any good,' he said), to its use on the 2001 movie Shrek and its extraordinary triumph in the UK charts in December 2008. Alexandra Burke's version reached No.1 that Christmas, with Jeff Buckley's version at No.2, and Cohen's 1984 original at No.36.

Since then, it has become a standard at weddings and funerals, and poignantly rang out at a memorial service in Washington DC last year for more than 400,000 American victims of the pandemic. So much for Yetnikoff's judgment.

But then, that's showbiz.

Watch out! Jackie Brown is back in town...

Jackie Brown (15, 154 mins)

Rating:

In From The Side (15, 134 mins)

Rating:

Quentin Tarantino fans will be delighted to see that there's a 25th anniversary re-release of his 1997 crime thriller Jackie Brown, being screened from today in more than 200 cinemas nationwide.

And if you're really hot on your Tarantino detail, you might also have noted the coincidence of Jean-Luc Godard dying this week. The great French director was a major influence on Tarantino, who named his production company, A Band Apart, after Godard's 1964 classic Bande a Part.

What Godard in turn thought of Jackie Brown is, as far as I know, undocumented. Either way, it stands alone in Tarantino's credits as the only one of his films that did not originate in his own head; it is based on the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch. Crafted as a homage to the so-called 'blaxploitation' movies of the 1970s, it stars Pam Grier, a veteran of those films, in the title role (pictured).

She plays an air stewardess who works for ruthless Los Angeles gun-runner Ordell Robbie (Samuel L Jackson), using her job to smuggle large sums of cash for him, but in the end swindling him.

Crafted as a homage to the so-called 'blaxploitation' movies of the 1970s, it stars Pam Grier, a veteran of those films, in the title role (pictured)

The last time I watched Jackie Brown on TV, I confess I needed sub-titles. Jackson's dialogue in particular is delivered at such speed that it's not always easy for a British audience to follow.

That service won't be available in cinemas, but I'm looking forward to it all the same. It's a long, occasionally ponderous, but compellingly stylish and witty film, with a marvellous soundtrack and a top-notch supporting cast led by Robert De Niro, with Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, Robert Forster and, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, Danny DeVito.

Another of this week's releases, In From The Side could hardly be more different. A low-budget debut for writer-director Matt Carter, it's about a love affair between two players at a gay London rugby club, both of whom are in committed relationships with other men.

It's an intriguing backdrop to a tale of infidelity, but it would be better suited to a four-parter on TV. The film lasts well over two hours and needs a much earlier final whistle.
Just days after the first trailer for The Little Mermaid brought waves of racist trolls out of the woodwork, star Halle Bailey is finding support from another big-screen mermaid: Daryl Hannah.

Hannah, 61, played the mermaid Madison in the 1983 smash hit movie Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and she showed her support for 22-year-old Bailey on Twitter.

Hannah's praise comes just after Jodi Benson - the voice actress who portrayed the original Ariel in the animated classic - showed her support as well.

Trolls: Just days after the first trailer for The Little Mermaid brought waves of racist trolls out of the woodwork, star Halle Bailey is finding support from another big-screen mermaid: Daryl Hannah

Support: Hannah, 61, played the mermaid Madison in the 1983 smash hit movie Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and she showed her support for 22-year-old Bailey on Twitter

'The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!' Hannah tweeted along with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork.

The tweet got over 4.5K retweets and over 42K likes in just under a day after it was posted on Wednesday evening.

Bailey herself hasn't responded to Hannah, or the original voice of The Little Mermaid, Jodi Benson, 60, who showed her support on her Instagram story.

Black: 'The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!' Hannah tweeted along with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork

'Halle, you were absolutely amazing! 'I'm SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel,' Benson began.

'It was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo and to the brilliant director, Rob Marshall... I'm so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!!' Benson concluded.

Halle reposted the image to her Instagram Story with the caption: 'Thank you so much... this means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us.'

Amazing: 'Halle, you were absolutely amazing! 'I'm SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel,' Benson began

Repost: Halle reposted the image to her Instagram Story with the caption: 'Thank you so much... this means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us'

The trailer first debuted at the D23 Expo in Anaheim last weekend, with Variety reporting on Tuesday that the video amassed over 104 million global views.

By comparison, it amassed far more views than many other recent Disney live-action adaptation hits such as Cruella (68 million views), Beauty and the Beast (94 million views), Aladdin (74 million views) and Maleficent 2 (62 million views).

However, the trailer also made headlines for amassing over 2 million 'dislikes,' compared to the 865K likes.

Trailer: The trailer first debuted at the D23 Expo in Anaheim last weekend, with Variety reporting on Tuesday that the video amassed over 104 million global views

Dislikes: However, the trailer also made headlines for amassing over 2 million 'dislikes,' compared to the 865K likes

The massive number of dislikes has now broken the record of dislikes for a major studio film, surpassing the 1.6 million dislikes for 2016's Ghostbusters trailer.

Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebs like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped.

The film, which also stars Jonah Hauer-King, Art Malik, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy, with Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina in voice roles, hitss theaters on May 26, 2023.

Support: Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebs like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped
We Are China

Grand welcome ceremony for Xi held by Kazakh president

(People's Daily App) 16:29, September 16, 2022

President Xi Jinping attended a welcome ceremony held by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Ak Orda Presidential Palace in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

(Produced by Chen Xiangru, Di Jingyuan and Xie Runjia)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
It seems Microsoft's assurances to regulators didn't work after all.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently announced it would be moving the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft to its second phase to investigate it thoroughly.

Microsoft previously wanted to avoid this development through the blog post it previously published at the start of September, which was assuring regulators that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard would benefit everyone.

UK Competition and Markets Authority Referral Details

The CMA mentioned in its announcement that it is referring to the upcoming acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for an "in-depth investigation" (or Phase 2, as the CMA calls it); it believes the deal may negatively affect the UK market by " a substantial lessening of competition."

This decision follows the CMA's intention of investigating the acquisition deal on Sept. 1, which gave Blizzard the chance to offer "acceptable undertakings" to address the regulator's concerns over the acquisition.

The CMA also gave Microsoft until Sept. 8 to do so, but the company declined, leading to the regulator referring the issue to its second phase, per Engadget.

As a result, Microsoft can expect a significant delay to the merger deal it has with Activision Blizzard, with the CMA possibly demanding Microsoft more compromises for the merger to go through.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's President, mentioned the company is prepared to cooperate with the CMA to have the merger proceed and to address its concerns on the matter. He also reiterated Microsoft's stance in its previous blog post, saying that it wants people to have "more access to games, not less.

Read More: Walmart Now Lets You Be Your Own Model With Its Improved Virtual Try-On Technology

You may remember that Microsoft Gaming's CEO, Phil Spencer, published a blog post saying that it is committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day it launches elsewhere.

It also showed how beneficial its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is for the gaming industry, citing its acquisition of Mojang Studios and its Minecraft game, which continues to be available on multiple platforms.

"We believe that a thorough review will show that the combination of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will benefit the [gaming] industry and players," Spencer said in the blog post. "For all the players and game developers out there, you remain at the center of everything we do, and we will continue to listen to your feedback and do everything we can to nurture this industry we all love."

Sony's Reaction To CMA's Decision

Sony mentioned in an emailed statement to GamesIndustry.biz that it welcomes the CMA's decision to further investigate Microsoft's acquisition of Microsoft.

According to the popular tech giant, the acquisition deal would have "major negative implications" for gamers and the gaming industry's future.

"We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality gaming experience, and we appriciate the CMA's focus on protecting gamers," Sony added.

Sony previously called Microsoft's offer to let Call of Duty remain on the PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and itself had ended as "inadequate."

The company said that the deal failed to consider the period's impact on gamers using PlayStation consoles.

Related Article: Microsoft's Latest Blog Post Assures Regulators Its Activision Blizzard Deal With Benefit Everyone
Viola Davis was a sight to behold in her cover shoot for ELLE Brasil's September issue, which was released on Thursday.

The Academy Award-winner, 57, appears on four striking covers captured by Marcos Florentino and Kelvin Yule of the photography team, MAR+VIN.

In a sit-down interview conducted by journalist Adriana Ferreira Silva, Davis discussed her latest film The Woman King -- which she previously deemed her 'magnum opus.'

Wow! Viola Davis was a sight to behold in her cover shoot for ELLE Brasil's September issue, which was released on Thursday

Photographed in black-and-white, The Help actress radiated femme fatale energy with an avant-garde hat by Cecilio Leather Designs atop her head.

It was tilted up, concealing one of her eyes with its wide, contorted brim.

She smoldered for the camera while seemingly going topless and wearing her raven tresses swept up off her neck.

In another cover, Davis exuded edgy glamour in a curve-clinging sleeveless dress by the luxury brand Loewe.

The unique garment, which retails for $1,300, was made of nude-toned velvet with a sexy black glove print that ran across the bust and diagonally down the front.

Davis stood tall in a pair of black Schiaparelli sandals with shiny gold hardware on the instep.

The Academy Award-winner, 57, appears on four striking covers captured by Marcos Florentino and Kelvin Yule of the photography team, MAR+VIN

Discussion: In a sit-down interview conducted by journalist Adriana Ferreira Silva, Davis discussed her latest film The Woman King -- which she previously deemed her 'magnum opus'

The South Carolina native had her tresses parted to one side and styled in a voluminous updo that sat on the back of her head.

Her large brown eyes were dusted in black eyeshadow with a pair of fluffy faux lashes added for extra drama.

Her lips were painted a glossy berry shade and her already stunning features were sculpted with contouring powder and highlighter.

Davis oozed confidence as she posed with her hands clasped behind her back and her head facing forward.

Continuing the jaw-dropping glamour, Davis wowed in a fluffy head piece made of black ostrich feathers by Piers Atkinson.

The Woman King: Davis' new film The Woman King is a historical epic based on true events from the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was the 'most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries,' according to the official synopsis on IMDB

It created the illusion of a gravity defying ponytail.

She posed with her lips pursed and with her chin resting on her shoulder.

A pair of dazzling Bottega Veneta earrings hung from Davis' ears.

Last but not least, the Ma Rainey's Black Bottom star modeled a futuristic black latex in a busty peplum top with a matching shrug and skintight skirt from Atsuko Kudo Couture.

Davis' new film The Woman King is a historical epic based on true events from the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was the 'most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries,' according to the official synopsis on IMDB.

She expressed before a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival that The Woman King holds a special place in her heart.

Meaningful: She expressed before a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival that The Woman King holds a special place in her heart; seen at TIFF on September 9

'You know what? I feel like my entire life, Ive allowed myself to be defined by a culture, Ive allowed myself to be defined by the naysayers. Ive been dropped in a profession thats defined by depravation,' she explained, reported Deadline; Davis seen in The Woman King (2022)

'You know what? I feel like my entire life, Ive allowed myself to be defined by a culture, Ive allowed myself to be defined by the naysayers. Ive been dropped in a profession thats defined by depravation,' she explained, reported Deadline.

Davis then expressed that she finally has now come to know who she is, and her latest project helped her on that path.

'And so, a lot of times, you just allow other people to define you. At 57 years old, Ive come to the realization that I can define myself.'

The talented actress revealed that she believed deep down that The Woman King was her, 'magnum opus,' adding, 'But its my magnum opus because its everything I ever dreamed it could be.'

A magnum opus is an important, creative work of art, or is also known as the most important work created by an artist.
Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys has defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, saying it took courage for them to stand side by side with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle on Saturday despite hostility from the public and the press.

'I can't help but think that would have been a really threatening environment for Harry and Meghan, or at least daunting,' Jeffreys said on Friday.

The 36-year-old was discussing how Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had put on a united front with William and Kate as they took the Long Walk to meet grieving members of the public following the Queen's death last Thursday.

Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys has defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, saying it took courage for them to stand side by side with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle on Saturday (pictured) despite hostility from the public and the press

Jeffreys had expressed support for the Sussexes earlier in the week, after the royal couple faced backlash over the release of Prince Harry's new memoir.

Harry drew the ire of royal critics after reports claimed his autobiography will still be published as planned in November despite Queen Elizabeth's death.

It has since been claimed the book won't be published until next year.

Reacting to the criticism on Wednesday, Jeffreys said the 'negativity' being levelled against the Sussexes had made her physically ill.

'I can't help but think that would have been a really threatening environment for Harry and Meghan, or at least daunting,' Jeffreys (right, with co-host David Campbell) said on Friday

'I am starting to feel sick about the negativity around Harry and Meghan this time,' she said during an interview with feminist commentator and author Jane Caro.

'History is repeating [itself] in so many ways with Harry, whose grief as a child was owned by others,' Jeffreys added, referring to the media frenzy surrounding the death of his mother Princess Diana in August 1997 when he was 12 years old.

'Once again it is been owned again, and he is being criticised for grieving in a way that others aren't happy about.'

Jeffreys (left) had expressed support for the Sussexes earlier in the week, after the royal couple faced backlash over the release of Prince Harry's new memoir. (Right: Harry and Meghan are pictured at Windsor Castle on Saturday, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II)

Harry drew the ire of royal critics after reports claimed his autobiography will still be published as planned in November despite Queen Elizabeth's death. It has since been claimed the book won't be published until next year. (The Sussexes, right, are pictured with the Prince and Princess of Wales, left, at Windsor Castle on Saturday)

Reacting to the criticism on Wednesday, Jeffreys (right, with Campbell) said the 'negativity' being levelled against the Sussexes had made her physically ill

Caro agreed, saying: 'I am actually really over the "hate Harry and Meghan" stuff. I think it's nasty.'

'Here is a bereaved young man who has such tragedy in his life. When he lost his mother, I will never forget that little boy marching behind that coffin with that message that said "Mummy". I feel like, can we all back off?' she added.

Caro said Harry likely has 'no control' over when is memoir is released due to his contract with publisher Penguin Random House, and has therefore been unfairly accused of being insensitive.

Feminist commentator and author Jane Caro (left) agreed with Jeffreys, saying: 'I am actually really over the "hate Harry and Meghan" stuff. I think it's nasty'

'Here is a bereaved young man who has such tragedy in his life. When he lost his mother, I will never forget that little boy marching behind that coffin with that message that said "Mummy". I feel like, can we all back off?' Caro said. (Pictured: Harry and Meghan arriving at Buckingham Palace in a hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday)

The segment ended with a warning from Jeffreys about the so-called 'narrative' surrounding the Sussexes' feud with The Firm.

'It will be very interesting to see how history looks back on all of this, and the narrative around it,' she said.

It comes as speculation continues to swirl about Harry's memoir.

The segment ended with a warning from Jeffreys about the so-called 'narrative' surrounding the Sussexes' feud with The Firm. 'It will be very interesting to see how history looks back on all of this, and the narrative around it,' she said. (Pictured: Harry and Meghan in New York City on November 10, 2021)

Royal commentator Tom Bower, whose biography of Meghan Markle was released earlier this year, on Wednesday claimed the Duke of Sussex was 'insisting' on the original release date of his memoir being honoured.

'I am told tonight that Harry is insisting that his book is published in November,' he told GB News.

'Apparently the publishers are not too certain, but he says if they don't publish it will be a breach of contract. That's what I'm told. It's extraordinary. But on the other hand, it fits the bill, because Harry and Meghan's finances depend entirely on the book and on Netflix.'

'And also, I think they are convinced they're in the right and they want to get their own back,' Mr Bower added.

Royal commentator Tom Bower, whose biography of Meghan Markle was released earlier this year, on Wednesday claimed the Duke of Sussex was 'insisting' on the original release date of his memoir being honoured. (Pictured: Meghan and Harry in Sydney on October 19, 2018)

However, a source close to the Duke has since denied Bower's claims. Penguin has previously announced Harry will be donating proceeds from the book to charity.

Penguin Random House has described the book as 'a heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time'.

The publisher's website says: 'Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.

The publisher's website says: 'Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him. (Pictured: William and Harry at Windsor Castle on Saturday)

'Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous, and uplifting human story.'

Harry said he hopes his story will 'help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think'.

Penguin Random House has not yet released a statement on whether the explosive release will be delayed in light of Queen Elizabeth's death.

However, a source close to the Sussexes told The Telegraph this week the memoir will not be published until next year.
Toni Garrn looked incredible on Thursday as she helped raised funds for her charity at a Super Flea Market in Berlin, Germany.

The model, 29, donned a recycled strapless Balenciaga top as she set up rails of pre-loved clothes to sell in a bid to support her Toni Garrn Foundation.

The peach chiffon top featured a long asymmetrical hem which Toni teamed with a pair of oversized black trousers.

Charity: Toni Garrn, 29, looked incredible on Thursday as she helped raised funds for her charity at a Super Flea Market in Berlin, Germany

The stunner, who is married to Hollywood heartthrob Alex Pettyfer, slipped her feet into a comfy pair of trainers while her blonde hair fell to her shoulders poker straight.

The pre-loved fashion event also featured musical performances as well as talks and cocktails.

With all proceeds going to finance the final stage of the new secondary school dorm and maternity block in Wioso, Ghana.

Raising funds: The model donned a recycled strapless Balenciaga top as she set up rails of pre-loved clothes to sell in a bid to support her Toni Garrn Foundation

Stylish: The stunner, who is married to Hollywood heartthrob Alex Pettyfer, slipped her feet into a comfy pair of trainers while her blonde hair fell to her shoulders poker straight

The Toni Garrn Foundation was founded in 2016, to support girls' education initiatives in Africa. With the goal of empowering the individual and with them their family and local community.

Her husband of 20 months, Alex Pettyfer was absent from the event.

The newlyweds recently married again at a second ceremony on the Greek island of Paros.

Drinks: The pre-loved fashion event also featured musical performances as well as talks and cocktails

Good cause: All proceeds will go to finance the final stage of the new secondary school dorm and maternity block in Wioso, Ghana

The couple had been holidaying with their 14-month-old daughter Luca Malaika in the European country, and Toni revealed in July that she and Alex, 32, said 'I do' once again at a beach-front ceremony.

The pair first said I do in an intimate ceremony in Toni's hometown of Hamburg in November 2020.

Sharing a short clip of the pair on Instagram, Toni wrote: 'Yesterday felt like the most beautiful dream. Collecting all pictures.. stay tuned.'

Helping hand: The Toni Garrn Foundation was founded in 2016, to support girls' education initiatives in Africa

Toni wore an elegant backless white wedding dress with a floor-length veil pinned on to her blonde hair.

She held a bunch flowers as she stood in front of Alex on a rocky outcrop by the calm azure water.

Alex and Toni, born Antonia, will also celebrate the first birthday of their cherubic child in mid-July.

The couple originally began dating in 2018 before co-starring as Liam and Olivia in Agata Alexander's 2021 sci-fi directorial debut Warning alongside his father Richard Pettyfer.

Congratulations! Toni and her husband of 20 months, Alex Pettyfer recently married again at a second ceremony on the Greek island of Paros

They tied the knot in her hometown of Hamburg in Germany 10 months after their Christmas engagement.

Toni and Alex were first linked in 2019 on February 24 when they attended Elton John's Oscar party together, but did not confirm their romance until later in the year.

Two weeks later, the couple worked together on the film Warning, alongside Alex's father Richard Pettyfer, Rupert Everett, Thomas Jane, Alice Eve and Annabelle Wallis.

This engagement is thought to have been third time Alex has popped the question, as he was reportedly engaged to Riley Keough and Marloes Horst.

Alex was also rumoured to have been engaged to Dianna Agron, who he dated for less than a year in 2010, but the couple denied the claims.

Toni also has a list of high profile exes, including Enrique Murciano, Alexander Skarsgard and Chandler Parsons.

The Vogue cover girl famously dated Leonardo DiCaprio for 18 months between May 2013 and December 2014, and the pair sparked reconciliation rumours in 2017 when they were spotted out together on several occasions.
Netflix has released two new images of Evan Peters playing Jeffrey Dahmer ahead of the limited series from Ryan Murphy, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The shots show the St. Louis native, 35, in the the role of the infamous serial killer - who murdered 17 people between 1978 and 1991 - donning glasses with a striped retro polo shirt with a belt and blue jeans.

Peters is glaring forward in the promotional images as he's playing Dahmer, who worked at a Milwaukee chocolate factory.

The latest: Netflix has released two new images of Evan Peters playing Jeffrey Dahmer ahead of the limited series from Ryan Murphy, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

The limited series will retell the story of Dahmer from the perspective of his victims, and explore major mistakes Wisconsin police made in handling the probe of the notorious mass murderer, who made national headlines for acts of cannibalism and necrophilia involving his victims.

The show also features actors Niecy Nash, Penelope Ann Miller, Shaun J. Brown, Colin Ford, and Richard Jenkins, with directors Paris Barclay, Carl Franklin, and Janet Mock.

Miller and Jenkins will play the roles of Dahmer's parents, while Nash will portray Dahmers neighbor Glenda Cleveland, who tried in vain to report his bizarre behavior to authorities.

Peters has past worked with Murphy on a number of projects, including nine of 10 seasons of American Horror Story, as well as the series Pose.

Glare: Peters is glaring forward in the promotional images as he's playing Dahmer, who worked at a Milwaukee chocolate factory

Teaser: Netflix last month released a back head shot of Peters in the role of the murderer

Crime: Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was beaten to death by another inmate in November of 1994 at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin

Peters in April told Variety about the painstaking task he had taken of researching Dahmer in depth for the role.

'I've read so much, I've watched so much, I've seen so much, and at a certain point, you've got to say, "All right, that's enough,"' he said. 'There are beautifully written scripts. You can have all the backstory you want, but at the end of the day we're not making a documentary.

'It's more about maintaining the idea and the through line of why you're telling the story and always having that as your guiding light.'

Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was bludgeoned to death with a metal bar in November of 1994 by Christopher Scarver, another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin.

Flashback: Dahmer was seen in court during his trial

Career: Peters has past worked with Murphy on a number of projects, including nine of 10 seasons of American Horror Story, as well as the series Pose. He was snapped in LA in March

The gruesome story of Dahmer has past been chronicled in the 2002 movie Dahmer, in which Jeremy Renner played the titular role; as well as 2017's My Friend Dahmer, in which Ross Lynch played a teen version of the nascent serial killer.

Murphy has excelled chronicling 1990s true crime sagas, with past American Crime Story projects including 2018's The Assassination of Gianni Versace and 2016's The People Vs. OJ Simpson.

Murphy is collaborating on the project with Ian Brennan. The limited series is slated to arrive on the streaming service later this year.
Christy Turlington and Edward Burns looked effortlessly elegant on Thursday while attending The Kering Foundation's Caring For Women dinner in New York City.

The 53-year-old supermodel wore a sleeveless black lace gown that featured small side cutouts and a frilly high collar.

Christy completed her look with open-toed black heels and accessorized with sparkling earrings.

Fundraising event: Christy Turlington and Edward Burns looked effortlessly elegant on Thursday while attending The Kering Foundation's Caring For Women dinner in New York City

She accentuated her natural beauty with light makeup including pink lipstick.

Christy had her dark hair pulled black and also carried a small black purse.

Edward, 54, looked dapper in a tuxedo with bow tie.

He was clean shaven in his formal attire and smiled while embracing his wife Christy upon arrival.

Sleeveless gown: The 53-year-old supermodel wore a sleeveless black lace gown that featured small side cutouts and a frilly high collar

Cute couple: Edward, 54, looked dapper in a tuxedo with bow tie

Christy was among the crop of supermodels who became prominent in pop culture in the 1990s.

She joined Kate Moss, 48, recently at New York Fashion Week as they both attended Fendi's star-studded runway show.

They both saw the heights of their careers during a heralded time where a choice few models did their part to be elevated to supermodel status in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

Black heels: Christy completed her look with open-toed black heels

Priorities: Christy was among the crop of supermodels who became prominent in pop culture in the 1990s but put her career on the backburner to raise her family with the actor

Christy has look-alike daughter daughter Grace, 18, and son Finn, 16, with Ed.

Grace earlier this year landed her first magazine cover, in which she sported a $6,400 red lace sheath dress by Prada and a 'Graceland' trucker hat.

Christy celebrated the milestone achievement by posting the issue of POP Magazine, featuring her lookalike, with a heartfelt caption.

Natural beauty: The mother-of-two accentuated her natural beauty with light makeup including pink lipstick

Supermodel look: Christy, shown on the catwalk during New York Fashion Week in 1995, was among the crop of supermodels who became prominent in pop culture in the 1990s

'Can't take any credit or responsibility for this, other than having birthed this wonder to the world and given her the family name she carries with its full meaning and representation,' she captioned the image. 'Once again, welcome to the world @graciebrns I love you, Kiddo.'

Grace was photographed by Clara Balzary for the cover shoot, and with her light brown hair, arched brows, and green eyes, she was the spitting image of her mother.

Multi-talented Ed created, wrote, directed and stars in the Epix comedy drama Bridge And Tunnel that premiered in January 2021 and was renewed in July 2021 for a second season that concluded last month.

Christy and Ed have been married since June 2003.
Bindi Irwin is voicing a character in a Marvel television show.

The conservationist, 24, has recorded a voice-over for the character Isla Coralton, who is an oceanographer, on the next episode of Spidey and his Amazing Friends.

The computer-animated children's show, which features young versions of the Marvel superhero characters, airs on the Disney Junior network.

Bindi Irwin is voicing a character on the next episode of Spidey and his Amazing Friends

Bindi said Isla was the perfect role for her because they both 'love wildlife and wild places' and are 'passionate' about making a difference.

'Being an enormous Marvel fan, it is an honour to be part of the extraordinary world of Spidey and his Amazing Friends,' she said in a video posted to Instagram.

'I have an eight-month-old daughter [Grace Warrior]. We watched a couple of episodes and she already enjoys it, which is incredible.'

Bindi added: 'It is so important to empower the next generation to love our planet.

The conservationist, 24, has recorded a voice-over for the character Isla Coralton (left), who is an oceanographer

'To have that respect for all living creatures and the environment that they call home.

'And I think that this series does a really, really good job at introducing those ideas.'

It comes after Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell, 25, took their daughter Grace Warrior to Lady Elliot Island in Queensland on Wednesday.

The computer-animated children's show, which features young versions of the Marvel superhero characters, airs on the Disney Junior network

There, the child was seen walking unassisted as the family strolled around several locations on the island before standing on the water's edge to watch the sunset.

Lady Elliot Island is the same place the Irwin family visited King Charles III during his last royal tour of Australia.

Charles, then the Prince of Wales, spent a day with the Irwins during his tour in 2018.

In a video posted to Instagram, Bindi said Isla was the perfect role for her because they both 'love wildlife and wild places' and are 'passionate' about making a difference

'I have an eight-month-old daughter [Grace Warrior]. We watched a couple of episodes and she already enjoys it, which is incredible,' she added

They likely found in Charles a kindred spirit, as he has long advocated for wildlife conservation and other environmental issues long before it was politically trendy.

Bindi's younger brother Robert Irwin, 18, said at the time he was 'truly honoured' to meet Charles who was joined on the trip by his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and speak to 'such a passionate and influential person' about the Great Barrier Reef.

The next episode of Spidey and his Amazing Friends premieres Friday on Disney+

It comes after Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell, 25, took their daughter Grace Warrior to Lady Elliot Island in Queensland on Wednesday
Viola Davis looked chic while walking the red carpet at the Washington, D.C. screening of The Woman King on Thursday.

The 57-year-old actress wore a short black dress that stopped high on her thighs.

She accessorized with a bright yellow scarf, and she stood in tall black high heels.

Fashionable: Viola Davis looked chic while walking the red carpet at the Washington, D.C. screening of The Woman King on Thursday

The How to Get Away with Murder star brushed her hair over to the right. The short locks ended high on her neck.

She was joined by her husband of almost 20 years Julius Tennon at the event who wore a sleek all black suit.

Davis led a number of her co-stars down the red carpet at the event including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress Shelia Atim.

Splash of color: She accessorized with a bright yellow scarf, and she stood in tall black high heels

Night out: She was joined by her husband of almost 20 years Julius Tennon at the event who wore a sleek all black suit

The 31-year-old star decided on a stylish lime green dress with a long skirt. The dress was cut out on the sides and near her neck.

Her long arms hung down at her sides and rested on the beautiful plated skirt.

She stood on tall back high heels, and her hair was cut short, dyed blonde, almost white.

The team: Davis led Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress Shelia Atim and director Gina Prince-Bythewood down the red carpet

Group photo: The entire group took a photo together before heading into the screening

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood also attended the event, stepping out in a blue ensemble.

The 53-year-old wore an aquamarine colored pantsuit and dark orange high heels.

She parted her hair in the middle and let curly brown locks brush the top of her slender shoulders.

Alternate history: The Woman King is a 'historical epic that is based in alternate history of The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries,' according to the film's IMDb page

Great early reviews: Early reviews have the movie holding a 96% on review aggregator The Woman King

The entire group took a photo together before heading into the screening.

The Woman King is a 'historical epic that is based in alternate history of The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries,' according to the film's IMDb page.

Davis and Atim star alongside John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu in the film which is set for release on Friday, September 16.

Early reviews have the movie holding a 96% on review aggregator The Woman King.
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Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly led the cast arrival at a Disney+ premiere event for the Star Wars spinoff series Andor on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Diego, who plays the show's titular character, cut a stylish figure in a fitted black suit and matching dress shirt.

For some contrast, the Mexican actor donned a silky charcoal toned tie.

Arrivals: Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly led the cast arrival at a Disney+ premiere event for the Star Wars spinoff series Andor on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Diego plays the show's titular character, while Adria and Genevieve O'Reilly nabbed key supporting roles

Diego paraded the red carpet in a pair of black leather shoes.

His brunette hair was slicked back and his facial hair neatly groomed.

Adria Arjona, who plays the role of mechanic Bix Caleen, looked ethereal in a strapless white gown.

The Morbius actress, 30, accessorized with a shiny gold choker necklace with a jade accent that coordinated with the studs in her ears.

Her raven hair was parted down the middle and worn in a sleek bun.

Stylish: Diego cut a stylish figure in a fitted black suit and matching dress shirt. For some contrast, the Mexican actor donned a silky charcoal toned tie

Classic: Diego paraded the red carpet in a pair of black leather shoes

Big wig: Diego posed with the President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy

Genevieve O'Reilly sizzled in a black satin one-shoulder gown that flattered her toned physique.

The skirt had contrasting panels of flowy semi-sheer fabric that transitioned from off white to a periwinkle blue.

Her blonde hair was swept back and a pair of dazzling diamond earrings were fastened to her ears.

Ethereal: Adria Arjona, who plays the role of mechanic Bix Caleen, looked ethereal in a strapless white gown

Matching: The Morbius actress, 30, accessorized with a Tiffany & Co. gold choker necklace with a jade accent that coordinated with the studs in her ears

The 45-year-old actress plays the role of Mon Mothma, who is the leader of the Galactic Senate's Loyalist faction.

Pro wrestlers Mercedes Varnado and Trinity Fatu made jaws drop as they hit the red carpet in a ab-baring looks.

Mercedes modeled a Star Wars-inspired silver chest plate and black low-rise skirt, while Trinity wowed in a iridescent cut-out dress with a criss-cross neckline.

The Mandalorian star Emily Swallow looked pretty in a bubblegum pink mini dress and blue velvet heels.

Sizzling: Genevieve O'Reilly sizzled in a black satin one-shoulder gown that flattered her toned physique

Jaw-dropping: Pro wrestlers Mercedes Varnado and Trinity Fatu made jaws drop as they hit the red carpet in a ab-baring looks. Mercedes modeled a Star Wars-inspired silver chest plate and black low-rise skirt, while Trinity wowed in a iridescent cut-out dress with a criss-cross neckline

Pretty in pink: The Mandalorian star Emily Swallow looked pretty in a bubblegum pink mini dress and blue velvet heels

Back in black: Erin Kellyman, 23, looked effortlessly cool in a spliced black and gray blazer with matching trousers. Ramona Young, 24, went hell for leather in a strapless vinyl dress with a sexy slit up one leg

Erin Kellyman, 23, looked effortlessly cool in a spliced black and gray blazer with matching trousers.

Ramona Young, 24, went hell for leather in a strapless vinyl dress with a sexy slit up one leg.

Mario Lopez oozed confidence as he highlighted his muscles in a tight black button-up shirt styled with blue jeans.

Swagger: Mario Lopez oozed confidence as he highlighted his muscles in a tight black button-up shirt styled with blue jeans

Gussied up: Nina Gold, who is the casting director that curated the series' all-star cast, posed up in a pair of stylish brown pants and a quirky button-up shirt. Fiona Shaw, who plays Maarva Andor, the title character's adopted mother, looked radiant while posing for photographers in a blue floor-length gown

Monochrome: Kyle Soller donned a stylish fitted navy blue suit and a blue dress shirt that he left unbuttoned at the top

Nina Gold, who is the casting director that curated the series' all-star cast, posed up in a pair of stylish brown pants and a quirky button-up shirt.

Fiona Shaw, who plays Maarva Andor, the title character's adopted mother, looked radiant while posing for photographers in a blue floor-length gown.

Kyle Soller donned a stylish fitted navy blue suit and a blue dress shirt that he left unbuttoned at the top.

Andor follows Cassian Andor, a character who first appeared in the 2016 movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Plot: Andor follows Cassian Andor, a character who first appeared in the 2016 movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The series takes place prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and will serve as a prequel to the film in the early days after the Galactic Republic became the Empire.

The show will be the latest in a long line of Star Wars content released to Disney+. Obi-Wan Kenobi was released in May and the television show Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson is also set for release in the near future.

Andor is slated for a Wednesday, September 21, release date on Disney+.
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While the mysterious Adar and his Orcs continue to ravage the Southlands, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) finally find some common ground with the people of Numenor in Episode 4 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, entitled The Great Wave

The last episode found Galadriel and Halbrand brought to the island kingdom - once friendly to elves but no longer, as they tried to find a way to continue their mission.

The fourth episode - marking the halfway point of the eight-episode series - finds Galadriel and Halbrand finally finding some allies to their cause.

Common ground: While the mysterious Adar and his Orcs continue to ravage the Southlands, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) finally find some common ground with the people of Numenor in Episode 4 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The episode begins in Numenor, where Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai Robninson) gathers with her court, meeting the young babies of the kingdom.

She meets with the young mother (Laura Medes) who says she will name the child Alinel, as Miriel tries to bless the child when a rumbling is heard.

Miriel tries to put the women at ease, stating, 'Sometimes our island just needs a stretch,' though the rumbling continues even greater.

Babies: The episode begins in Numenor, where Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai Robninson) gathers with her court, meeting the young babies of the kingdom

Stretch: Miriel tries to put the women at ease, stating, 'Sometimes our island just needs a stretch,' though the rumbling continues even greater

The rumbling winds make way for a tidal wave of water, rushing over the mountains that guard the kingdom, as bridges and buildings crumble... before it's revealed to be one of Miriel's nightmares.

She wakes up to one of her chambermaids saying it is a 'perfect day' and asking what business she would like to start her day with.

The episode cuts to the streets of Numenor, where the wounded Tamar (Jason Hood) bemoans the queen calling Galadriel and Halbrand to court.

Tamar: The episode cuts to the streets of Numenor, where the wounded Tamar (Jason Hood) bemoans the queen calling Galadriel and Halbrand to court

'Elf's mate attacks four guildsmen and Miriel has her up for tea?' Tamar says, as Earien (Ema Horvath) walks by and overhears.

Tamar tells a group of his guildsmen, 'And while the elf whispers poison in our Queen's ear, who's speaking for us?'

Meanwhile, Kemen (Leon Wadham) seeks out his father, Chancelor Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle), who tells Kemen to keep his voice down.

Father and son: Meanwhile, Kemen (Leon Wadham) seeks out his father, Chancelor Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle), who tells Kemen to keep his voice down

'Statecraft is the art of attending to small matters as diligently as grand ones,' Pharazon tells the youngster.

Kemen jokes that he was only trying to be clever, while Pharazon adds, 'Cleverness is for men of small ambition. I'd much rather it if you were wise, my son.'

Pharazon finally asks what is the trouble, as Kemen says they may have a 'squall on our hands.'

Squall: Pharazon finally asks what is the trouble, as Kemen says they may have a 'squall on our hands'

The episode cuts back to Tamar, who is still speaking to a growing crowd about the possibility of elves taking their jobs.

'I say the Queen's either blind or an elf lover,' Tamar says, as one worker adds, 'Just like her father,' as Earien looks on solemnly.

The crowd starts chanting, 'Elf lover!' for a few moments, before Pharazon enters their fray.

Crowd: The episode cuts back to Tamar, who is still speaking to a growing crowd about the possibility of elves taking their jobs

Earien: 'I say the Queen's either blind or an elf lover,' Tamar says, as one worker adds, 'Just like her father,' as Earien looks on solemnly

Enter Pharazon: The crowd starts chanting, 'Elf lover!' for a few moments, before Pharazon enters their fray

'And if the elf were here now, what would she see? Men of Numenor or a gaggle of mewling children?' Pharazon asks.

'We are sons and daughters of the Edain, of Elros Tar-Minyatur, whose house conquered Morgoth himself,' Pharazon tells the crowd.

'But now one Elf, a castaway, could threaten us? Look down, each of you, at the guild crests you bear. The heritage of mighty hands. Of men who laid the Sea Wall, who raised Armenelos, triumph of our civilization, but now one elf could threaten us?' Pharazon asks, the crowd now putty in his hands as he takes the steps.

Gaggle: 'And if the elf were here now, what would she see? Men of Numenor or a gaggle of mewling children?' Pharazon asks

Conquered: 'We are sons and daughters of the Edain, of Elros Tar-Minyatur, whose house conquered Morgoth himself,' Pharazon tells the crowd

'My friends, trust in me, for by the calluses on my hands, I swear that Elven hands will never take Numenor's helm,' he says to much applause.

'She will remain, as always, a kingdom of Men,' as the crowd erupts and Pharazon calls for drinks all around.

Pharazon greets many in the crowd and hugs Tamar, still sporting a black eye from the attack, as Kemen approaches Earien, saying there isn't a person here he doesn't know, which Earien adds is 'impressive.'

Drinks: 'She will remain, as always, a kingdom of Men,' as the crowd erupts and Pharazon calls for drinks all around

Kemen jokes, 'I was going to say it's infuriating,' as he hands a glass of wine to Earien that is from the vineyards near Meneltarma that is supposed to make one 'forget their worries.'

This finally makes Earien crack a smile, though she says, 'My troubles have been too hard-won.'

He says that she must be the new apprentice and introduces himself, but before she can say her name, her boss finds her and off she goes, though she gives a glance back at Kemen.

Infuriating: Kemen jokes, 'I was going to say it's infuriating,' as he hands a glass of wine to Earien that is from the vineyards near Meneltarma that is supposed to make one 'forget their worries.

Apprentice: He says that she must be the new apprentice and introduces himself, but before she can say her name, her boss finds her and off she goes, though she gives a glance back at Kemen

The episode cuts to the Queen's chambers, where she's looking over the ancient papers from Galadriel, saying, 'You vex me, Elf,' while Elendil (Lloyd Owen) is by her side.

Miriel adds, 'I welcome you as a guest and you gallop off to our countryside to steal ancient scrolls whilst your Southlander companion assaults our citizenry.'

'He is understandably quick to temper. His people are dying,' Galadriel says, explaining that she believes Halbrand is 'no common brawler' but the 'lost heir in exile to the throne of the Southlands.'

Vex: The episode cuts to the Queen's chambers, where she's looking over the ancient papers from Galadriel, saying, 'You vex me, Elf,' while Elendil (Lloyd Owen) is by her side

The Queen Regent jokes, 'And I suppose Elendil here is a Rhunic emperor,' while causes him to chuckle and say he's just a 'petty lord.'

Galadriel says that Halbrand's people are 'leaderless' but with her backing they might 'unite behind his banner and fight.'

Galadriel explains that Sauron was once her people's enemy as much as he was hers, adding, 'I call on you to finish the task left undone.'

Petty lord: The Queen Regent jokes, 'And I suppose Elendil here is a Rhunic emperor,' while causes him to chuckle and say he's just a 'petty lord'

'To reforge the alliance between Numenor and the Elves and fight with me to save the men of the Southlands before Sauron claims the lands as his own,' Galadriel says, causing Miriel to give Elendil a glance.

Miriel says she hears many proposals and hers is the most ambitious she's heard in weeks... though, 'Nevertheless, Numenor has chosen another path.'

Galadriel quietly says, 'Not all Numenor,' as a frustrated Miriel says, 'King or carpenter, the Southlander will face judgment. This audience has ended.'

Alliance: 'To reforge the alliance between Numenor and the Elves and fight with me to save the men of the Southlands before Sauron claims the lands as his own,' Galadriel says, causing Miriel to give Elendil a glance

Judgment: Galadriel quietly says, 'Not all Numenor,' as a frustrated Miriel says, 'King or carpenter, the Southlander will face judgment. This audience has ended'

As Miriel walks away, Galadriel says she has 'no choice' but to ask for another audience, 'one with Numenor's true ruler. Your father, the King.'

Miriel angrily says she should not speak of matters she does not understand and Galadriel says she should stand aside, 'so I may present my proposal with one who has the authority to answer it.'

Elendil tries to step in, saying, 'Lady Galadriel, that is quite enough,' as Miriel asks with what authority she speaks.

No choice: As Miriel walks away, Galadriel says she has 'no choice' but to ask for another audience, 'one with Numenor's true ruler. Your father, the King'

'Or are you a castaway, grasping for a handhold in a tempest?' Miriel asks, as Galadriel says, 'There is a tempest in me!'

'It swept me to this island for a reason. And it will not be quelled by you, Regent,' Galdriel says... as the episode cuts to her being locked in a cell.

Halbrand, a few cells down from her, jokes, 'Don't tell me. Tavern brawl?'

Tempest: 'Or are you a castaway, grasping for a handhold in a tempest?' Miriel asks, as Galadriel says, 'There is a tempest in me!'

Locked: 'It swept me to this island for a reason. And it will not be quelled by you, Regent,' Galdriel says... as the episode cuts to her being locked in a cell

'Sedition,' Galadriel answers, as Halbrand can't help but laugh.

The episode cuts back to the high seas where Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and his friends are taking their sea trials.

Their sail-master tells them they've nearly made it, and in a few more days, 'I'll have the pleasure of calling you all shipmates.'

Trials: The episode cuts back to the high seas where Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and his friends are taking their sea trials

Shipmates: Their sail-master tells them they've nearly made it, and in a few more days, 'I'll have the pleasure of calling you all shipmates'

As the sail-master tells them all to pull, Isildur once again hears a mysterious female voice calling his name.

He finds himself drifting off again as the sail master keeps telling them to pull... as the line pops loose as Isildur helpss his friends Ontamo (Anthony Crum) and Valandil (Alex Tarrant) pull the line in.

The sail-master demands an explanation, and while they all try to take the blame, Isildur steps in front of all of them and says he 'let it slip.'

Slip: The sail-master demands an explanation, and while they all try to take the blame, Isildur steps in front of all of them and says he 'let it slip'

'I've seen you ease that halyard proper a hundred times. That was deliberate. You're off the Sea Guard, all three of you!' the sail-master proclaims, which stuns his friends.

Isildur explains that he thought the sail-master would only dismiss him, after telling them about 'the west' that his brother always talked about.

Isildur apologizes, but an enraged Valandil says, 'You just set our whole lives on fire!' as Ontamo says he thinks he will be sick.

Fire: Isildur apologizes, but an enraged Valandil says, 'You just set our whole lives on fire!' as Ontamo says he thinks he will be sick

Isildur says he will speak to his father and try to get them both reinstated, when Valandil says, 'Leave it to you to get kicked out of something you never earned in the first place.'

Valandil approaches Isildur, saying his whole life he has wanted on that boat, and he did everything he could to earn it.

'What did you do? What have you ever done but brood and blabber about your dead mother?' Valandil says, leading Isildur to punch his friend in the face, as Ontamo holds back Valandil.

Father: Isildur says he will speak to his father and try to get them both reinstated, when Valandil says, 'Leave it to you to get kicked out of something you never earned in the first place'

Punch: 'What did you do? What have you ever done but brood and blabber about your dead mother?' Valandil says, leading Isildur to punch his friend in the face, as Ontamo holds back Valandil

The episode cuts back to Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who, the last time we saw him at the end of Episode 3, was being captured by Orcs after discovering their tunnels.

Adar makes his way to Arondir, Orcs bowing at his feet as we finally see the face of Adar (Joseph Mawle) for the first time.

Much to Arondir's surprise, Adar appears to have elf ears, as Adar kneels before the Orc named Magrot, who is lying on the ground in pain.

Orcs: The episode cuts back to Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who, the last time we saw him at the end of Episode 3, was being captured by Orcs after discovering their tunnels

Face: Adar makes his way to Arondir, Orcs bowing at his feet as we finally see the face of Adar (Joseph Mawle) for the first time

Pain: Much to Arondir's surprise, Adar appears to have elf ears, as Adar kneels before the Orc named Magrot, who is lying on the ground in pain

Adar smiles at the Orc... before thrusting a blade into him, watching the Orc die in front of him.

Adar wipes the black blood from the blade, as other Orcs start taking his armor before removing his corpse.

Adar is left with Arondir, who discretely picks up a sharp rock, as Adar asks Arondir in Quenya (one of many Elvish languages), 'Where were you born, soldier?'

Die: Adar smiles at the Orc... before thrusting a blade into him, watching the Orc die in front of him

Born: Adar is left with Arondir, who discretely picks up a sharp rock, as Adar asks Arondir in Quenya (one of many Elvish languages), 'Where were you born, soldier?'

A confused Arondir answers, 'Beleriand,' as Adar asks if he was born, 'by the mouth of the river?'

Arondir asks in Quenya, 'Who are you?' as Adar says in English, 'I went down that river once, when I was young. I remember, the banks were covered in sage blossoms, miles of them.'

Arondir asks in English why the Orcs call him father, as Adar takes a seat near Arondir, but before he can answer, a warg growls behind him, as Adar gets closer and Arondir readies his rock.

Confused: A confused Arondir answers, 'Beleriand,' as Adar asks if he was born, 'by the mouth of the river?

Seat: Arondir asks in English why the Orcs call him father, as Adar takes a seat near Arondir, but before he can answer, a warg growls behind him, as Adar gets closer and Arondir readies his rock

'You have been told many lies. Some run so deep, even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all, would all but require the creation of a new world,' Adar explains.

'But that is something only the gods can do, and I am no god, at least not yet,' Adar says cryptically.

'What are you?' Arondir asks again, as Adar says, 'Go to the old men who have taken refuge in the old watchtower. Deliver to them a message.'

Lies: 'You have been told many lies. Some run so deep, even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all, would all but require the creation of a new world,' Adar explains

Arondir asks, 'What message?' though we don't hear what the message is, as the episode cuts to the watchtower where Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) is helping lead her people to safety.

She asks Treadwill (Peter Tait) where this latest group is from, and he says Iorbad, as Bronwyn notes they have gathered every village from there to Orodruin.

Bronwyn goes to Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) who shows them the last of the potatoes as Bronwyn says they have to cut rations again, though she clearly doesn't know how they'll eat.

Safety: Arondir asks, 'What message?' though we don't hear what the message is, as the episode cuts to the watchtower where Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) is helping lead her people to safety

Message: She asks Treadwill (Peter Tait) where this latest group is from, and he says Iorbad, as Bronwyn notes they have gathered every village from there to Orodruin

Bronwyn's son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) suggests sending a small party back to town to bring back whatever is left of Waldreg's root cellar.

Theo says he'll go if no one else will do it, but Bronwyn protests, saying they will forage the hills first, telling Treadwill to 'gather the hunters.'

Theo argues that he's sick of seeing everything go to tatters, though his mother says, 'You can either help me or you can make it harder.'

Suggest: Bronwyn's son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) suggests sending a small party back to town to bring back whatever is left of Waldreg's root cellar

Hunters: Theo argues that he's sick of seeing everything go to tatters, though his mother says, 'You can either help me or you can make it harder'

Hunters: Theo says he'll go if no one else will do it, but Bronwyn protests, saying they will forage the hills first, telling Treadwill to 'gather the hunters'

Theo takes matters into his own hands anyway, recruiting Rowan (Ian Blackburn) as they find a group of dead sheep with flies buzzing around them.

Rowan starts to head back as Theo hides his evil dagger and grabs Rowan by the arm, telling him to stop being a 'soft-belly' as they head back into town.

They come back with a cart full of roots as Theo suggests they stop by the tavern because there might be more food.

Rowan: Theo takes matters into his own hands anyway, recruiting Rowan (Ian Blackburn) as they find a group of dead sheep with flies buzzing around them

Soft-belly: Rowan starts to head back as Theo hides his evil dagger and grabs Rowan by the arm, telling him to stop being a 'soft-belly' as they head back into town

Theo insists this place is 'deserted' as Theo hands his bags to Rowan and says he'll go inside.

Rowan takes a look around the village, finding rotting animal carcasses all around.

Theo heads inside the tavern and finds a bushel of grain or oats, scooping it back into the burlap sack... when he hears something.

Tavern: Theo heads inside the tavern and finds a bushel of grain or oats, scooping it back into the burlap sack... when he hears something

The sun is hidden by a cloud as a terrified Rowan takes off running with the cart, leaving a bushel behind.

Back in the tavern, Theo is attacked by an Orc, but when he brandishes the broken sword, the Orc stops in his tracks.

'Where did you get that?' the bewildered Orc asks, as Theo jabs the bottom end into his forearm... as the sword starts to forge itself with black magic... which stuns the Orc.

Sword: Back in the tavern, Theo is attacked by an Orc, but when he brandishes the broken sword, the Orc stops in his tracks

Orc: 'Where did you get that?' the bewildered Orc asks, as Theo jabs the bottom end into his forearm... as the sword starts to forge itself with black magic... which stuns the Orc

He says, 'Give it here,' but Theo slashes his hand with it and runs outside.

The orc runs out and says he 'found the hilt,' saying 'a boy has it' and he's 'hiding here somewhere' as we see Theo is hiding in the well.

The Orc tells the others to fan out and says nobody sleeps until he's found. Theo is nearly found in the well but he disappears under water until the Orc leaves.

Hiding: The orc runs out and says he 'found the hilt,' saying 'a boy has it' and he's 'hiding here somewhere' as we see Theo is hiding in the well

The episode cuts back to Eregion - Realm of the Elven-Smiths - which we first saw in the second episode, Adrift.

The early beginnings of a massive tower are seen, as Elrond (Robert Aramayo) marvels at it.

'Elves and dwarves working together. Remarkable. It is everything you said it would be,' he tells Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards).

Marvel: The early beginnings of a massive tower are seen, as Elrond (Robert Aramayo) marvels at it

Celebrimbor marvels at Elrond for a moment, saying he was a 'the very image of your father,' as Elrond wasn't aware they had met.

Celebrimbor pours them both a drink and says he met Elrond's father many times, adding he had a way of, 'seeing far off.'

Celebrimbor remembers that his father once said that Celebrimbor's future would one day be in his son's hands, adding he said it, 'very casually.'

Father: Celebrimbor marvels at Elrond for a moment, saying he was a 'the very image of your father,' as Elrond wasn't aware they had met

Casually: Celebrimbor remembers that his father once said that Celebrimbor's future would one day be in his son's hands, adding he said it, 'very casually'

Celebrimbor says he had forgotten about that until this very moment, as Elrond asks what is bothering him... and he finally reveals it's Durin (Owain Arthur).

Celebrimbor thinks Durin is either avoiding him or hiding something.

Elrond decides to visit Disa (Sophia Nomvete), who asks if Elrond had tried asking Durin's work teams but they keep 'putting him off.'

Bothering: Celebrimbor says he had forgotten about that until this very moment, as Elrond asks what is bothering him... and he finally reveals it's Durin (Owain Arthur)

Disa: Elrond decides to visit Disa (Sophia Nomvete), who asks if Elrond had tried asking Durin's work teams but they keep 'putting him off'

She wonders if he might have a girlfriend but Elrond insists she's the only woman for him as she jokes, 'I know. Who'd have him?'

Disa asks if she's tried the Golden Stairs of the Three-Door Guard as she remembers he's mining quartz...but Elrond doesn't buy it.

He tells her there is no secret worth hiding with deception as she warns him about calling a dwarf dishonest in her own home.

Not buying it: Disa asks if she's tried the Golden Stairs of the Three-Door Guard as she remembers he's mining quartz...but Elrond doesn't buy it

Dishonest: He tells her there is no secret worth hiding with deception as she warns him about calling a dwarf dishonest in her own home

He catches her in the lie, noticing his chiseling axe is still there and asking why she's preparing his favorite meal when the quartz mine takes two full days to descend to.

She calmly explains why he didn't bring his axe and how it doesn't take him as long to climb... but we see she was lying anyway, as Disa meets up with Durin.

'Quartz Chasm. Not bad, not bad,' Durin tells Disa, though she hopes he believed her since he's not easily convinced.

Not bad: 'Quartz Chasm. Not bad, not bad,' Durin tells Disa, though she hopes he believed her since he's not easily convinced

They start flirting a bit before Durin tells her that they are, 'making good progress in the old mine' before they go their separate ways... as we see Elrond is watching them both from afar.

'The old mine below the Mirrormere,' he says, as two dwarves ask him if he's lost, and he says he knows exactly where he's going.

Elrond heads down into the mines himself, though he stops when he feels a breeze.

Old mine: 'The old mine below the Mirrormere,' he says, as two dwarves ask him if he's lost, and he says he knows exactly where he's going

Breeze: Elrond heads down into the mines himself, though he stops when he feels a breeze

He goes up to what appears to be a wall, though he gives a secret knock and the wall opens, revealing a secret mine.

Elrond pulls a curtain back, revealing some sort of sparkling gem embedded within the rock, when Durin finds him.

'I knew it! Come to spy on me, elf?' Durin asks, as Elrond asks what this place is, though Durin thinks it's the reason his father sent him in the first place... though that is clearly not the case.

Spy: Elrond pulls a curtain back, revealing some sort of sparkling gem embedded within the rock, when Durin finds him

No spy: 'I knew it! Come to spy on me, elf?' Durin asks, as Elrond asks what this place is, though Durin thinks it's the reason his father sent him in the first place... though that is clearly not the case

Elrond insists he wants nothing that's in that chamber but he does care for him and his friendship, though, 'secrets do not become it.'

Elrond asks what this all means and Durin says, 'I need your oath,' asking him to swear not to tell anything he's about to tell him to another living soul.

During places his hand upon a slab of the cave, adding that dwarven anger can outlast elven memory and if he breaks his promise, 'the power of this stone will doom you and your kin to sorrow to your last day on this Middle-earth.'

No secrets: Elrond insists he wants nothing that's in that chamber but he does care for him and his friendship, though, 'secrets do not become it'

Elrond walks to the stone and places it upon it, swearing on the memory of his father, Earendil the Mariner.

'Anything you tell me here will end in my ears alone,' Elrond tells him, as Durin opens the chest we saw him open a few episodes ago.

'Disa detected it during a routine gold-seaming,' Durin says while pulling out a piece of what he says is, 'a new ore.'

Swear: 'Anything you tell me here will end in my ears alone,' Elrond tells him, as Durin opens the chest we saw him open a few episodes ago

'Lighter than silk, harder than iron, as weaponry it would best our proudest blades,' Durin tells Elrond while turning the shimmering stone.

'As species, it might be dearer than gold,' Durin says, as Elrond says it's strange how the stone catches the light as During thinks it could be 'a new era for our people.'

Elrond asks why all the secrecy and Durin says it is 'perilous to mine' and his father has 'restricted every efforts in the name of caution.'

Stone: 'Lighter than silk, harder than iron, as weaponry it would best our proudest blades,' Durin tells Elrond while turning the shimmering stone

Elrond asks to hold the stone, asking what he calls the miracle ore, as Durin says, 'in our tongue, gray glitter, in yours, something like mith-raud,' as Elrond corrects him saying it would be mithril.

Durin asks if he really came all this way for Eregion and he says that 20 years is far too long to stay away, 'even for an Elf.'

Elrond hands the stone back to Durin, but he says to keep it as a 'token of our friendship.'

Token: Elrond hands the stone back to Durin, but he says to keep it as a 'token of our friendship'

Suddenly, the mines start to rumble as Durin tries to go in to save the four dwarves still in the mine.

The episode cuts back to Numenor, where Earien is sitting by herself, making an intricate drawing of one of the buildings, when she's called back to work.

She stands up and runs right into Kemen, spilling her mop bucket on him.

Dinner: He offers to do the floors and she take the goblets and whoever finishes first will buy dinner

He offers to do the floors and she take the goblets and whoever finishes first will buy dinner.

She says she's not in the habit of going off with any strange young men and he says that's wise and if he sees any he'll tell her, which causes her to smile.

Galadriel is seen pacing in her cell while Halbrand is amused, trying to give her some advice about battling 'men' not orcs.

Strange men: She says she's not in the habit of going off with any strange young men and he says that's wise and if he sees any he'll tell her, which causes her to smile

Amused: Galadriel is seen pacing in her cell while Halbrand is amused, trying to give her some advice about battling 'men' not orcs

He suggests she finds something they most fear - and while Galadriel suggests to 'exploit it' - Halbrand suggests, 'give them a means of mastering it. So that you can master them.'

She tells him that she asked the Queen Regent to fight for her people, but he says that isn't what angered her so much, as she admits it was demanding to speak with her father, 'the king in the tower who no one has seen in years.

Pharazon interrupts them by stating the Queen Regent has rendered her decision, stating she is to be shipped back to the Elves under armed escort, tonight.'

Mastering: He suggests she finds something they most fear - and while Galadriel suggests to 'exploit it' - Halbrand suggests, 'give them a means of mastering it. So that you can master them

Decision: Pharazon interrupts them by stating the Queen Regent has rendered her decision, stating she is to be shipped back to the Elves under armed escort, tonight.

A group of knights flank her as one opens the cell, but she quickly overtakes the knights and locks them in her former cell.

Pharazon starts to draw his sword as Halbrand says he wouldn't advise that but Pharazon says he can't very well let her leave.

'You could. If you knew exactly where she was going,' Halbrand says as Pharazon puts his sword away.

Open: A group of knights flank her as one opens the cell, but she quickly overtakes the knights and locks them in her former cell

Wouldn't advise: Pharazon starts to draw his sword as Halbrand says he wouldn't advise that but Pharazon says he can't very well let her leave

Earien finds her brother Isildur, saying she just had a dinner and asks where his uniform is, as he reveals he got them all dismissed.

'Well you've won. Now you can go West,' she says, as Isildur says he just ruined his friends' lives and shamed their family name, 'I don't deserve to go west... plus father won't let me take Berek.'

Suddenly a commotion erupts as the guards reveal the elf has escaped, which causes Isildur to smile.

Don't deserve: 'Well you've won. Now you can go West,' she says, as Isildur says he just ruined his friends' lives and shamed their family name, 'I don't deserve to go west... plus father won't let me take Berek'

Galadriel scales the tower herself, finding the Queen Regent Miriel at her father Tal-Palantir's (Ken Blackburn) side, stating he no longer answers to 'your Majesty.'

We see the frail old man in bed for the first time, as Miriel says it would be wise to go to her ship willingly, as Tal-Palantir wakes up, as Miriel goes to his side.

Galdriel says,' Forgive me,' as Miriel says that, 'Few know the extent of his decline' and she should like to keep it that way.

Not answer: Galadriel scales the tower herself, finding the Queen Regent Miriel at her father Tal-Palantir's (Ken Blackburn) side, stating he no longer answers to 'your Majesty'

First time: We see the frail old man in bed for the first time, as Miriel says it would be wise to go to her ship willingly, as Tal-Palantir wakes up, as Miriel goes to his side

Galadriel says it is time for a truce and her father was loyal to the elvish ways but she is not and she wants to know why.

Miriel leads her deeper into the tower, saying after his coronation, he thinks they provoked the anger of the Valar and return to their old ways.

She says the people rebelled when he chose to renew relations with the elves and she was chosen to rule in his stead and promise to quell the storm.

Truce: Galadriel says it is time for a truce and her father was loyal to the elvish ways but she is not and she wants to know why

Storm: Miriel leads her deeper into the tower, saying after his coronation, he thinks they provoked the anger of the Valar and return to their old ways

Miriel says that first night as all of Numenor slept, he brought here here, as she removes a cloth revealing a blue dome.

'Palantir,' Galadriel says, as Miriel adds, 'Seven Seeing Stones there once were, the other six either lost or hidden.'

'This one was passed to my father, and with it, a secret,' Miriel says, asking Galadriel to place her hand upon it.

Dome: Miriel says that first night as all of Numenor slept, he brought here here, as she removes a cloth revealing a blue dome

Hand: 'This one was passed to my father, and with it, a secret,' Miriel says, asking Galadriel to place her hand upon it

Miriel starts to warn her, but Galadriel insists she has touched palantiri before, though Miriel says, 'But you have not touched this one.'

Galadriel places her hand on it, as the glass ball starts to crack, as we see Galadriel being consumed by the same tidal wave that consumed Miriel in her nightmare.

Miriel says it was Numenor's future that she saw, though Galadriel says many visions will never come to pass.

Nightmare: Galadriel places her hand on it, as the glass ball starts to crack, as we see Galadriel being consumed by the same tidal wave that consumed Miriel in her nightmare

Vision: Miriel says it was Numenor's future that she saw, though Galadriel says many visions will never come to pass

'It has already come to pass. The vision begins with your arrival,' Miriel says, adding the Valar can take the isle away should their path lead to darkness.

Miriel says she will announce tomorrow that Galadriel is gone and their crisis is over, though Galadriel insists she needs their help to destroy Sauron.

Galadriel insists if the evil in the Southlands is left unchecked it will spread but the Queen Regent insists her decision is final.

Help: Miriel says she will announce tomorrow that Galadriel is gone and their crisis is over, though Galadriel insists she needs their help to destroy Sauron

'A decision based in fear,' Galadriel says, adding she knows what it's like to be the only one.

'Perhaps neither of us have to bear that burden alone. I beg of you, Miriel, choose not the path of fear, but that of faith. Stand with me. Let Numenor fight alongside the elves once more,' Galdriel sayss.

'Faith may bind one heart, Galadriel, but it is too fine a thread to hang a kingdom. I'm sorry,' Miriel says.

Burden: 'Perhaps neither of us have to bear that burden alone. I beg of you, Miriel, choose not the path of fear, but that of faith. Stand with me. Let Numenor fight alongside the elves once more,' Galdriel sayss

Back in the Southlands, Tredwill tells Bronwyn that the woods were bare when Rowan enters with the cart... but Theo is not with him.

Theo is still hiding in the well, waiting for nightfall to climb out and try to make his escape, taking the grains he left behind.

He manages to keep avoiding the Orcs and is about to escape when he's caught by an orc, asking where the sword is.

The Orc is about to cut off his arm...when a sword is plunged through him... wielded by Arondir, who offers his hand to the lad.

The elf and the lad run through the woods together, though Theo is hobbled by his injuries, as a number of Orcs chase them.

Arondir manages to even catch an arrow meant for Theo, as hordes of Orcs descend upon them.

Arondir: Arondir manages to even catch an arrow meant for Theo, as hordes of Orcs descend upon them

Suddenly, Theo sees his mother Bronwyn running through the woods, as she escapes with her son and Arondir, who keeps the Orcs at bay with his bow and arrow.

They escape into a clearing, but none of the Orcs follow as the sun starts to rise, allowing Arondir, Bronwyn and Theo to escape.

Disa is at the center of a dwarven ceremony when the mountain starts to rumble.

Rumble: Disa is at the center of a dwarven ceremony when the mountain starts to rumble

Elrond asks what that was, and Disa says it was a plea to the mountain to release the miners still alive.

She starts to wonder if Durin would be alive had Elrond not gone down there and apologizes for lying to him.

Durin arrives and says all of them have been pulled out alive, but his father is shutting down the whole vein, though Disa says to give him time.

Plea: Elrond asks what that was, and Disa says it was a plea to the mountain to release the miners still alive

'Sometimes I wish I could tell him what I truly think of him,' an enraged Durin says, wishing he could never trade words with the old goat again.

Elrond says his father single-handedly sailed to Valinor and convinced the Valar to join the war and vanquish Morgorth.

Elrond wonders if his father would be proud of what he accomplished what he's done with his legacy or disappointed at the many ways he's failed.

Father: Elrond says his father single-handedly sailed to Valinor and convinced the Valar to join the war and vanquish Morgorth

He says he realized he would give anything to have one last conversation with his father, and tells Durin not to waste any time he has left with his own father.

Disa hopes Elrond can settle something, the truth about how they met, though Durin says he saved Elrond from two hill trolls.

'Then I fear I have but no choice but to amend your husband's account. There were three trolls. And it was I who saved him,' Elrond says as Durin scoffs.

Settle: Disa hopes Elrond can settle something, the truth about how they met, though Durin says he saved Elrond from two hill trolls

'You wouldn't remember your face if you were gazing in a mirror,' Durin says, as Elrond continues that Durin's screams were, 'so high-pitched I thought it was a child.'

Durin goes to see his father, asking for forgiveness, saying he was proud and stubborn and wrong.

'Our people believe that when a new dwarf-king is crowned, the voices of all his forebearers flow into him, sharing with him their counsel and wisdom, even their mistakes,' King Durin (Peter Mullan) says.

Wrong: Durin goes to see his father, asking for forgiveness, saying he was proud and stubborn and wrong

Child: 'You wouldn't remember your face if you were gazing in a mirror,' Durin says, as Elrond continues that Durin's screams were, 'so high-pitched I thought it was a child.

Mistakes: 'Our people believe that when a new dwarf-king is crowned, the voices of all his forebearers flow into him, sharing with him their counsel and wisdom, even their mistakes,' King Durin (Peter Mullan) says

'But you, you need not wait for that day to hear my voice. For ever am I with you, my son, even in anger. Sometimes in anger most of all. There is nothing to forgive,' King Durin says.

Prince Durin says Elrond has invited him to go to Lindon, asking if he should accept.

King Durin asks what his intuition tells him, and he says, 'There's more at work,' as the King says, 'Good, my son. Good. Go to Lindon, find out what.'

Voice: 'But you, you need not wait for that day to hear my voice. For ever am I with you, my son, even in anger. Sometimes in anger most of all. There is nothing to forgive,' King Durin says

Go: King Durin asks what his intuition tells him, and he says, 'There's more at work,' as the King says, 'Good, my son. Good. Go to Lindon, find out what'

Bronwyn approaches Arondir, thanking him for saving her son, placing her hand on his wrist.

'I have a message, from the one who commands our enemy. That your people may live if you forsake all claim to these lands and swear fealty to him,' Arondir says.

Bronwyn asks what happens if they refuse and he says Adar is, 'coming for Ostirith,' as Bronwyn shudders, looking over her people below.

Thanks: Bronwyn approaches Arondir, thanking him for saving her son, placing her hand on his wrist

Message: 'I have a message, from the one who commands our enemy. That your people may live if you forsake all claim to these lands and swear fealty to him,' Arondir says

Coming: Bronwyn asks what happens if they refuse and he says Adar is, 'coming for Ostirith,' as Bronwyn shudders, looking over her people below

Theo waits for everyone to be out of sight as he pulls out his hilt before Waldreg arrives with a flask, saying he 'deserves a nip' after what he's been through.

'Go ahead, take it. Just like you took that hilt from me barn,' Waldreg says, sitting across from Theo.

Waldreg lifts up his sleeve, showing marks from the hilt, as Theo shows his fresh burn marks, as Waldreg asks if he knows what it is.

Nip: Theo waits for everyone to be out of sight as he pulls out his hilt before Waldreg arrives with a flask, saying he 'deserves a nip' after what he's been through

Hilt: 'Go ahead, take it. Just like you took that hilt from me barn,' Waldreg says, sitting across from Theo

Sleeve: Waldreg lifts up his sleeve, showing marks from the hilt, as Theo shows his fresh burn marks, as Waldreg asks if he knows what it is.

'It is no sword. It is a power. Fashioned for our ancestors by his master's own hand. A beautiful servant. He who was lost, but shall return. Have you heard of him lad? Have you heard of Sauron?' Waldreg asks, as Theo pulls his hand back.

Waldreg says he must have seen it in the sky, a few weeks back, as Theo says, 'The starfall,' which Waldreg says means his time is near.

'And it is to you and me lad, to be ready,' Waldreg says, telling him to save his strength for what's coming.

Seen it: Waldreg says he must have seen it in the sky, a few weeks back, as Theo says, 'The starfall,' which Waldreg says means his time is near

Hand: 'It is no sword. It is a power. Fashioned for our ancestors by his master's own hand. A beautiful servant. He who was lost, but shall return. Have you heard of him lad? Have you heard of Sauron?' Waldreg asks, as Theo pulls his hand back

Ready: 'And it is to you and me lad, to be ready,' Waldreg says, telling him to save his strength for what's coming

The episode cuts back to Adar, who is told 'they found it, it's in the tower.'

The episode cuts back to Galadriel, who gets on her ship with Elendil telling her to go in peace as she gets on a small rowboat, glancing at the Queen Regent.

Pharazon approaches the Queen Regent, saying the people will be relieved, saying they will gather in the plaza to hear her announcement as they go.

Peace: The episode cuts back to Galadriel, who gets on her ship with Elendil telling her to go in peace as she gets on a small rowboat, glancing at the Queen Regent

Relieved: Pharazon approaches the Queen Regent, saying the people will be relieved, saying they will gather in the plaza to hear her announcement as they go

As Miriel walks, the white petals from the tree start falling, as she watches in awe, seeing Elendil as they watch Galadriel's boat leave.

There is a voice-over flashback from the premiere where Miriel says, 'The faithful believe that when the petals of the White Tree fall, it is no idle thing, but the very tears of the Valar themselves, a living reminder that their eyes and their judgment are ever upon us.'

Awe: As Miriel walks, the white petals from the tree start falling, as she watches in awe, seeing Elendil as they watch Galadriel's boat leave

Petals: There is a voice-over flashback from the premiere where Miriel says, 'The faithful believe that when the petals of the White Tree fall, it is no idle thing, but the very tears of the Valar themselves, a living reminder that their eyes and their judgment are ever upon us'

The episode cuts to the plaza where Miriel says there is a fateful hour where they must decide who they will be.

'I would neither command nor invite you to any danger I myself would not face. And so I've decided to personally escort the Elf back to Middle-earth,' Miriel says, as Galadriel enters before them all.

'To aid our mortal bretheren, who are now besieged in the Southlands,' she adds, as Pharazon says their ships will depart in 10 days.

Fateful hour: The episode cuts to the plaza where Miriel says there is a fateful hour where they must decide who they will be

Elendil says the expeditionary force will be made up of brave sons and daughters from across fair Numenor, asking who will fight... though none of the men step forth right away... before Isildur's friends volunteer first, with Isildur behind them... as the crowd all steps forward, men and women alike, as the episode comes to an end.

The new episodes will roll out simultaneously across the globe, with the first two episodes dropping on Thursday at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET/2 AM UK.

The final six episodes will roll out weekly at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET/5 AM UK, with the finale of the eight-episode season arriving Thursday, October 13 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Friends: Elendil says the expeditionary force will be made up of brave sons and daughters from across fair Numenor, asking who will fight... though none of the men step forth right away... before Isildur's friends volunteer first, with Isildur behind them... as the crowd all steps forward, men and women alike, as the episode comes to an end

History: The show made history long before the first two episodes debuted on Thursday evening, since it's considered the most expensive series ever

Estate: Amazon also struck a deal with the Tolkien Estate and the Tolkien Trust where they are believed to have given the green light for upwards of five seasons of the show

Production: With an estimated production commitment of between $100 million and $150 million per season, Amazon is expected to shell out $1 billion for the production costs and the rights, when all is said and done

Characters: There will be characters fans will recognize, though, most notably Galadriel, played in the LOTR movies by Cate Blanchett, with the much younger version played Morfydd Clark

Teased: 'We also thought fans might like to know that her character is traveling from far to the eastfrom the lands of Rhun' Weber teased

New episodes: The new episodes will roll out simultaneously across the globe, with the first two episodes dropping on Thursday at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET/2 AM UK
Chrissy Teigen has revealed that her late son Jack's passing in September 2020 was the result of a life-saving abortion, not a miscarriage as she originally stated.

The wife of John Legend, 36, explained that she made the 'difficult decision' to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks after coming to terms with the fact that she nor Jack would likely survive.

'Let's just call it what it was: It was an abortion. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago,' confessed Chrissy, according to THR.

The couple had previously said that Jack died as a result of complications caused by a partial placental abruption, which is when the placenta detaches from the womb depriving the baby of oxygen and causing heavy bleeding in the mother.

Explanation: Chrissy Teigen has revealed that her late son Jack's passing in September 2020 was the result of a life-saving abortion, not a miscarriage as she originally stated; Chrissy seen in March

Chrissy is currently pregnant with her and John's fourth child. They share daughter Luna Simone, six, and son Miles Theodore, four.

She spoke candidly about coming to terms with her 2020 abortion while appearing at Propper Daley's 'A Day of Unreasonable Conversation' summit on Thursday in Beverly Hills.

'Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions,' the star began.

'It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn't either without any medical intervention.'

'Difficult decision': The wife of John Legend, 36, explained that she made the 'difficult decision' to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks after coming to terms with the fact that she nor Jack would likely survive

'Let's just call it what it was: It was an abortion. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago,' confessed Chrissy, according to THR

Although she'd long considered Jack's death a miscarriage, Chrissy said that it was her husband John who helped her realize that she'd actually had an abortion.

The revelation came amid the shocking Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, which protected the right to an abortion, this past June.

Chrissy admitted that it came as a 'shock' to her.

'I fell silent, feeling weird that I hadn't made sense of it that way. I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage, all the headlines said it was a miscarriage.

'And I became really frustrated that I didn't, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion,' she admitted.

Expecting: Chrissy is currently pregnant with her and John's fourth child

Family: They share daughter Luna Simone, six, and son Miles Theodore, four; the family seen in April

Important: @chrissyteigen on ending a pregnancy that wasn't viable & endangered her life -- and how she thought of it as a miscarriage, not an abortion. This was me too (different issue, same result). I also never put 2&2 together until recently. #UnreasonableConversation pic.twitter.com/S3vmG1qwXm  Vicki Shabo (@VShabo) September 16, 2022

In the final weeks of her pregnancy with Jack, Chrissy used Instagram to report on her concerning complications.

Specifically, the Cravings founder was experiencing uncontrollable bleeding. She was forced to wear adult diapers and was put on bed rest.

On September 30, 2020, Chrissy returned to the platform to report that doctors were unable to get her bleeding under control despite multiple blood transfusions.

'We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn't enough,' she penned, before revealing that Jack did not survive.

'To our Jack - I'm so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn't give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you,' read another portion of Chrissy's post.

Along with her heartbreaking text, Chrissy included a slideshow of black-and-white photos of herself in a hospital bed as she and John grieved their child.

One shot showed the couple crying and cradling their deceased son, while another featured a distraught Chrissy sitting on the edge of her hospital bed with tears streaming down her face.

Heartbreaking: On September 30, 2020, Chrissy returned to the platform to report that doctors were unable to get her bleeding under control despite multiple blood transfusions

Not long afterwards, she revealed she would be unable to carry a child again, writing on Instagram: 'I love being pregnant, so so much, and I'm sad I never will be again.'

In a blog post published to Medium in October 2020, Chrissy described how the partial placental abruption dramatically changed the course of her pregnancy.

'At this point I had already come to terms with what would happen: I would have an epidural and be induced to deliver our 20 week old, a boy that would have never survived in my belly (please excuse these simple terms),' she penned.

In another excerpt she recalled the moment that the doctor told her that Jack would not survive and that the pregnancy was also putting her own life in danger.

'After a couple nights at the hospital, my doctor told me exactly what I knew was coming  it was time to say goodbye. He just wouldn't survive this, and if it went on any longer, I might not either.'

In honor of Jack, Chrissy and John planted a tree in their house for him in Thai tradition.

'It's important for us in Thai tradition that we always embrace the ones we've lost, and they're never, ever gone.

'This tree being planted inside the home, the whole reason why I wanted it was so Jack's ashes could be in that soil and he could be with us all the time and grow through the beautiful leaves in this tree,' she said.

Earlier this year, Chrissy informed fans that she was undergoing IVF treatment -- despite previously claiming she would not be able to conceive again.

She completed the treatment in March and by August, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their fourth child together.

Miracle: She completed the treatment in March and by August, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their fourth child together

'It's been very hard keeping this in for so long!' she exclaimed in a pregnancy announcement post shared to Instagram in early August
The Bell Canada subsidiary Bell Technical Solutions (BTS) is the latest victim of the Hive ransomware gang, according to the BleepingComputer.

According to a new entry in its data leak blog, Hive ransomware gang claimed that it was responsible for the attack that happened on August 20, 2022. However, Bell Canada didn't issue a statement when the breach of its network happened, as per the Bleeping Computer.

Hive Ransomware Gang Access Company's Employees Files

Hive ransomware group has accessed a number of personal information of the Canadian telecommunications company's employees, according to Mobile Syrup.

BTS specializes in installing Bell services for residential and small business customers. The company has more than 4,500 employees.

As per Mobile Syrup, the attack was able to access information of the employees, including "files related to finances, recruitment, birthdays, and COVID-19 information, along with other data."

As of this writing, BTS' website, bellsolutionstech.ca, is offline. But after the incident, Bell Canada posted a cybersecurity alert on its own website.

"We became aware that some operational company and employee information was accessed in a recent cybersecurity incident targeted at Bell Technical Solutions," Bell Canada said in a statement.

According to the company, the threat actors gained access to information of residential and small business customers, including the name, address and phone number. These are from customers in Ontario and Quebec who booked a technician visit.

Moreover, necessary steps were already taken by the company to contain the situation.

Likewise, Bell Technical Solutions assures that the hackers did not access the database that contains customer information such as credit and debit card numbers, banking, or other financial data.

Read Also: Conti Ransomware Has Shut Down Sites Used for Data Leaks, Negotiations with Victims

Investigation in Bell Canada Breach is Ongoing

Hive ransomware gang has been actively operating since June 2021. Dozens of organizations have been victims of the attacks.

The group leaked their victims' data online when the victims refused to pay the ransom.

In May 2022, another company, Romania's Rompetrol gas station, became a victim of Hive ransomware gang, and threat actors asked for a multi-million ransom, as per a separate report of the BleepingComputer.

Because of the "complex cyberattack" in May, Rompetrol had to shut down its websites. The company also halted the operation of the Fill&Go service at gas stations.

Meanwhile, in November 2021, electronics retail giant MediaMarkt also became a victim of a Hive ransomware attack, according to another report by the BleepingComputer. The threat actors demanded an initial ransom of $240 million.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Hive ransomware gang uses double extortion to force their victims to pay the ransom. They would steal valuable files before encryption. Then, they would threaten them with data leaks to force them to pay.

The investigation regarding the Hive ransomware attack at Bell Canada is currently ongoing. Because of this, Bell Senior Communications Manager Jacqueline Michelis cannot provide more details about the incident.

According to BTS, they had already notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner regarding the breach in their company.

Meanwhile, customers are warned of being possibly targeted by phishing attacks following this incident.

Related Article: Less Ransomware Victims are Choosing to Pay Hackers for Their Stolen Info, Statistics Show
Casper Van Dien, known for his iconic role in 90s classic, Starship Troopers, supported his daughter, Grace Van Dien, at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.

The talented actor, 53, walked the red carpet with his daughter and the two posed for a few adorable photos together.

The budding actress, 25, has followed in her father's footsteps and recently starred as Chrissy Cunningham in season four of Netflix's Stranger Things.

Proud father: Casper Van Dien, 53, supported his daughter, Grace Van Dien, 25, on the red carpet of the premiere of her latest film at TIFF on Thursday

Grace opted for a chic, all black ensemble to attend the red carpet screening of her newest thriller titled, Roost.

She donned a fitted, black mini dress with thin straps which she paired with sheer, black tights.

The beauty chose to slip into a pair of Mary Jane heels to complete her overall look for the exciting evening.

To accessorize her elegant ensemble, the Stranger Things actress added a black choker and a pearled headband in her blonde locks along with a pearl bracelet.

Talented actor: The star is known for his role in the Starship Troopers franchise which began in the 1990s

Beautiful: The Stranger Things actress looked elegantly chic in a fitted black mini dress and Mary Jane heels

The 90s heart throb matched his daughter's ensemble by wearing a black suit along with a matching black dress shirt.

The actor opted for a pop of color along with his black suit by adding a leopard print tie and dress shoes of the same pattern.

The father daughter duo appeared to be in good spirits as they posed for a brief photo session. Casper was also pictured with his current wife, Jennifer Wenger, after the two tied the knot in 2018.

He was previously married to actress, Carrie Mitchum, who is also Grace's biological mother.

Happy moment: Grace was seen giving a big hug to her father as they stopped for pictures together

Sweet moment: Casper was seen taking photos and sharing a quick kiss with his wife, Jennifer Wenger, on the red carpet

During an interview with VAR Magazine, Grace explained that she gained her first experience with acting when her father asked her to do voice acting work for a Starship Troopers video game.

'He just asked if I would make a few noises of army soldiers,' adding that the experience, 'was fun.'

It wasn't until years later that she discovered a deeper passion for acting. 'I didnt start being active with my acting until I was graduated from high school for about a year.'

'I wanted to be a writer my whole life and occasionally my dad would throw me in some of his projects for fun but it wasnt until we worked together on Sleeping Beauty that I discovered how much I love acting.'

The 2014 live-action remake of the Disney classic had cast Grace as the lead role of Aurora, while her father directed the film and played the character, Stefan.

Passion: During a past interview with VAR Magazine, Grace explained that she started to take acting more seriously after she graduated from high school

Early experience: Grace explained that one of her first roles was a small voice acting job for a Starship Troopers video game

Grace and her family were in attendance at the film festival to celebrate the screening of her newest thriller, Roost.

In the movie, the talented actress portrays the character of Anna, with the premise following, 'a young love affair that becomes a menacing game of cat and mouse,' according to IMDB.

Alongside Grace, other cast members include Summer Phoenix, the youngest sister of Joaquin Phoenix, and Veronica Mars alum, Kyle Gallner.

During an interview with ET Canada in July, Casper weighed in about his daughter's success in the industry, including her recent Stranger Things role.

'I was just really grateful to watch her and I'm so proud of her and I'm a lucky dad,' he expressed.

Special premiere: Grace was pictured with her Roost co-star, Summer Phoenix, who also donned an all black ensemble
A Sydney-based sex worker shared his verdict on the TV series American Gigolo, saying that the Stan hit is 'very accurate'.

Samuel Hunter is often put up in five star hotels by his wealthy clients, just like the character Julian Kaye, played by Jon Berenthal, is in the raunchy thriller.

The male escort, who is in his early forties, was even taken on 10-day trip to Phuket recently to accompany a woman on an exotic getaway.

Sydney-based sex worker Sam Hunter (pictured) shared his verdict on the TV series American Gigolo, saying that the Stan hit is 'very accurate'

Jon Berenthal (pictured) plays male escort Julian Kaye in the hit Stan series

He also spends many of his days drinking cocktails with his well-paying clients.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Sam said his lifestyle is 'exactly as you'd expect it to be, and exactly the opposite'.

The escort, who only has female clients, has been a full-time sex worker for two years.

While admitting that he's held hundreds of different jobs, including working for a sex shop and writing blogs for a brothel, his interest in gigolo work peaked when he started working for a charity called Touching Base, which put disabled people in touch with sex workers.

While he's never seen the 1980 film American Gigolo, Samuel notes the Richard Gere classic is 'on his to-watch list'.

The escort, who only has female clients, has been a full time sex worker for two years

The remake seems to be a sequel of sorts to the original movie, which starred a young Richard Gere as an escort called Julian Kaye who was framed for murdering a woman.

In the new show, the dashing Julian - now played by Jon, 45 - emerges from jail after being exonerated for the killing and goes right back to work.

'It's interesting that Richard Gere broke out in American Gigolo and then went on to play the other side in Pretty Woman,' Samuel adds.

Then and now: The show (right) seems a sequel of sorts to the original movie, which starred a young Richard Gere (left) as an escort called Julian Kaye framed for murdering a woman

While in the film and TV adaptations, the gigolos deal with some unsavoury clients, Sam has found that women seeking his services have never caused him trouble.

'They usually get in touch from my website, and they'll read every part of my website,' he explained.

'I can check their socials and their WhatsApp easily to make sure they are who they say they are,' he added.



Sam also revealed that due to being a male sex worker, his lifestyle is 'very different' to the women in his industry.

About a quarter of Samuel's clients are married, and it's these ones that tend to book him for two hours - at a rate of $600

'The biggest difference is women can see multiple clients a day, but I limit it to just one.

'But women tend to get booked for shorter amounts of time, whereas most of my bookings are for a few hours or overnight.'

Is prostitution legal in Australia? Prostitution legislation is a State and Territory responsibility and differs throughout Australia. ACT: Under The Prostitution Act 1992, brothels are legal, but sex workers are required to register with the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS). NSW: Brothels are legal in NSW under the Summary Offences Act 1988 NT: Brothels are illegal under the Prostitution Regulation Act 2004 QLD: Brothels are legal and licensed by the Prostitution Licensing Authority SA: Brothels are illegal in South Australia, under the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 and the Summary Offences Act 1953 WA: The current legislation is the Prostitution Control Act 2000. Prostitution itself is legal, but many activities associated with it, such as pimping and running brothels, are illegal. VIC: Brothels are legal if registered with the state TAS: Prostitution is legal, but it is illegal for a person to employ or otherwise control or profit from the work of individual sex workers Advertisement

About a quarter of Samuel's clients are married, and it's these ones that tend to book him for two hours - at a rate of $600.

The package, called 'the business', is designed for 'something brief in a hectic life', with Samuel 'mixing up a cocktail' before 'play time'.

Most of his clients are in their early forties and are regulars, booking him overnight, or even multiple days at a time.

'I've got a dad bod, so most women that like me are 35 or older,' Samuel said.

'In July, I had a 10 day trip to Phuket, which was very glamorous,' he continued.

'Most of my clients are repeats. At any time I have between three and ten regulars, the only ones who aren't are couples who just want to try something as a one off'.

Samuel is also very open about his lifestyle, with his friends and family supporting what he does.

'I told my mum,' he explained.

'She was a bit apprehensive at first, but now she's fine with it. She always jokes with me about getting back to the grind. With the emphasis on grind.'

He also argues that it's 'absolutely possible' to have a relationship while being a sex worker, but he chooses not to have one.

'My clients get the best version of myself. They don't get the guy that sits around drinking coffee and looking at my phone all morning. And I get the best version of them too, which you don't see in relationships.

'Most do want "play time" it's rare that they only want company.'

Unlike many modern businesses, Samuel can't rely on Google search traffic to find him as the search engine doesn't allow sex workers to advertise.

Instead, he advertises through two male escort websites, but most of his business comes direct from his own website.

American Gigolo is airing on Stan Australia now
She never puts a foot wrong when it comes to her fashion choices.

And Emma Watson was on fine form once again on Thursday as she cut an ethereal figure while gracing the red carpet at The Kering Foundation's first-ever Caring for Women dinner in New York City.

The Harry Potter actress, 32, wowed in a backless, white lace gown with a flowing skirt as she joined the likes of Salma Hayek, Karlie Kloss and Jodie Turner-Smith at the glitzy event.

Glam: Emma Watson was on fine form on Thursday as she cut an ethereal figure while gracing the red carpet at The Kering Foundation's first-ever Caring for Women dinner in New York City

Emma's stunning dress featured a pretty floral motif and a scalloped edge, with the star showing off her toned back with the keyhole detail.

The film star teamed her angelic dress with towering black heels and a spiky clutch bag, while she also added a smart black blazer to the look.

Her brunette locks were swept into a sleek, side bun while she highlighted her features with a radiant make-up palette.

The Kering Foundation is a charitable organization that helps women impacted by violence by raising awareness and supporting survivor-centered services like the ones featured at Thursday's dinner.

What a beauty: Emma's stunning dress featured a pretty floral motif and a scalloped edge, with the star showing off her toned back with the keyhole detail

This first-ever dinner benefitted three of the Kering Foundation's 'partner organizations' that work to provide support to victims of gender-based violence, as reported by Variety.

The three survivor organizations include: the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), Ms. Foundation For Women and Global Fund For Women.

Salma co-chaired the event with her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Pulp Fiction star Samuel L. Jackson, artist Julie Mehretu and American feminist Gloria Steinem.

While Emma made a very successful turn on the red carpet, her love life is going just as swimmingly as she's currently dating Brandon Green, the 29-year-old-son of disgraced tycoon Sir Philip Green.

Flawless: The film star teamed her angelic dress with towering black heels and a spiky clutch bag, while she also added a smart black blazer to the look

Lovely in lace: Harry Potter star Emma stunned in a sheer white lace gown

Details: The sleeveless bodice had slender cut-outs near the neck and just below the bust. The skirt was flowing and stopped at her ankles which allowed her to show off her black platform sandals

Last month the couple enjoyed a scenic break to Venice, Italy, where they were snapped enjoying the sights.

Emma and Brandon were first pictured together last September when they disembarked from a helicopter in Battersea, London.

It was previously revealed by The Daily Mail that Brandon has entirely different career aspirations than his father, instead sharing Emma's interest in the environment.

A source said that he became invested in saving the planet after his father's Arcadia Group empire  which included Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Burton  crumbled.

What a line-up: Emma was seen posing alongside Gloria Steinem and Salma Hayek Pinault at the dinner

Here comes the girls: Emma smiles alongside Deborah J. Vagins, Kiesha Preston and Cindy Southworth (L-R)

What a night: Emma put on an animated display as she got involved in the evening's events

Dazzling: The Beauty and the Beast actress accessorised her look with silver earrings, rings and a bracelet

What fun: The thespian was seen laughing away as she enjoyed her night

They confirmed: 'He got very interested in biodiversity and saving the oceans. He does a lot of charity work with both Monaco's Prince Alberts foundation and Princess Charlene's foundation.

'He is very into fitness and gets involved with galas and charities that help the planet. He does frequent beach clean-ups and whatever he can to help.'

Their relationship comes after Emma's split from businessman Leo Robinton, who shares a striking resemblance to her new beau.

The Harry Potter star dated Californian business owner Leo from August 2019 until their split two years ago.

Although it appears that shes happily coupled-up now, Emma previously said she is content being 'self-partnered'.

'I never believed the whole "I'm happy single" spiel,' she told Vogue in 2017. It took me a long time but Im happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.

Catch-up: The beauty was seen in conversation with Salma's husband Francois-Henri Pinault
Harrison Ford first cracked that famous bullwhip as Indiana Jones back in 1981, and he promises that the forthcoming instalment will be his last.

The 80-year-old Hollywood icon, who will star in the fifth film which doesn't yet have a title, told the crowd at D23 Expo in Florida: 'This is it! I will not fall down for you again!'

Fans are suggesting the new film should be called Indiana Jones And The Fountain Of Eternal Youth, because the actor, has been digitally de-aged for at least some of the action.

Final film: Harrison Ford first cracked that famous bullwhip as Indiana Jones back in 1981, and he promises that the forthcoming instalment will be his last

The technology has advanced enormously since Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981 and Disney now appear to have used motion capture technology which allows Ford to be portrayed on screen as a man in his 20s or 30s.

Harrison - who plays the titular archaeologist in the long-running franchise - was snapped on set with dots on his face  and a stunt double was seen riding a horse through a tickertape parade in 'New York' (actually Glasgow).

In the footage shown at D23, the man on the horse was 'young Indy', and he was protecting his beatnik goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

Ford appeared a tad emotional when he said: 'I'm very proud to say that this one is fantastic. Indiana Jones movies are about fantasy and mystery, but they're also about heart. We have a really great story to tell, as well as a movie that will kick your a**.'

Emotional: The 80-year-old Hollywood icon, who will star in the fifth film which doesn't yet have a title, told the crowd at D23 Expo in Florida: 'This is it! I will not fall down for you again!'

The trailer has not yet been released online but the release date has been confirmed as June 30, 2023.

It is described as an action-packed nostalgic movie that uses a digitally-enhanced, younger looking version of the actor for certain flashback scenes.

The musical score will be composed by the legendary, John Williams who scored the original soundtrack 40 years ago.

Highly-anticipated: The trailer has not yet been released online but the release date has been confirmed as June 30, 2023

Temple Of Doom went on to become a global hit, though some viewers found the film too dark and violent, and it was pivotal in the creation of the PG-13 rating for films that were too mature for children but didn't qualify for an R rating.

Despite its financial and critical success, others criticized the film for what they found to be racist depictions of Indian and Chinese cultures.

After appearing in Steven Spielberg's film, Quan was on screen the following year in the cult film The Goonies, which was based on a story by Spielberg and was directed by Richard Donner.

But despite playing prominent parts in two cultural major films, opportunities for the Vietnamese-born actor began to dry up in the late 1980s and 1990s.

After giving up on an acting career in the late 1990s, he enrolled in the University of Southern California's film program to explore new opportunities.

He worked as a fight choreographer on 2000's X-Men, and he served as acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's assistant director on his science fiction romance 2046.

After the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Quan thought Hollywood was more accepting of Asian actors and began actively pursing projects again.

He starred in last year's surprise indie hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, which also earned widespread praise for its star Michelle Yeoh.

The multitalented actor was on hand on Saturday at D23 to promote the upcoming second season of Loki, which he will be appearing in with Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Tracy Grimshaw was overcome with raw emotion while reporting live from Westminster Hall this week.

The normally stoic A Current Affair host put on a rare show of vulnerability after seeing Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.

'Wow, okay, where to start,' the 62-year-old said as she struggled to hold back tears, her voice breaking.

Tracy Grimshaw (pictured) was overcome with raw emotion while reporting live from Westminster Hall this week

After a long pause, Grimshaw took a deep breath and went on: 'It's very moving in there. I was going to come out and be very journalistic and give you all the history.

'The history of the building and the history of the Queen's association with that building,' she continued, before struggling to hold back a sob.

'I'm not going to do that. I'm going to take a moment,' Grimshaw said, tears in her eyes, and turned her back to the camera.

The normally stoic A Current Affair host put on a rare show of vulnerability after seeing Queen Elizabeth II lying in state (pictured)

'Wow, okay, where to start,' the 62-year-old said, as she struggled to hold back years, her voice breaking. After a long pause, Grimshaw took a deep breath and went on: 'It's very moving in there. I was going to come out and be very journalistic and give you all the history'

As she faced away from the lens, Grimshaw could be heard emitting a sob and a nervous laugh as she attempted to compose herself before continuing.

'After all these years and she's still doing her duty. And I really think she'd just like to get back to her husband,' she added once she regained her composure.

The King and the Queen's children will hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening.

'I'm going to take a moment,' Grimshaw said, tears in her eyes, and turned her back to the camera. As she faced away from the lens, Grimshaw could be heard emitting a sob and a nervous laugh as she attempted to compose herself before continuing

'After all these years and she's still doing her duty. And I really think she'd just like to get back to her husband,' she added once she regained her composure

Princes and William and will walk together in the procession of the Queen's funeral on Monday morning.

Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday September 19.

King Charles III will walk behind the oak coffin as it is moved from the Houses of Parliament to the abbey.

The hour-long service will be attended by royals and other VIPs, and televised around the world.

The King and the Queen's children will hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening. The late Queen is pictured

At 1pm, the coffin will be transported to Wellington Arch via The Mall past Buckingham Palace.

The Queen will then be carried to Windsor, where she will be buried at St George's Chapel alongside Prince Philip.

The Queen's state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a 'fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign' before she is laid to rest beside her late husband.

Grimshaw flew over to London to witness Wednesday's procession of the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

The TV icon appeared in a rare Instagram photo with ABC News Breakfast's Lisa Millar, 53, on Wednesday while in London covering Queen Elizabeth II's death.

The King and the Queen's children will hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening

Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday September 19

In the photo, shared by Millar, the pair looked are seen smiling and sharing a laugh together outside Buckingham Palace.

'Finally got to say congratulations to Tracy Grimshaw for an amazing career,' Millar wrote.

'Just needed to get to the other side of the world to catch her!'

Grimshaw, who has her own Instagram account but hasn't posted since April, is yet to like or comment on Millar's post.

The Queen's state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a 'fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign' before she is laid to rest beside her late husband

Earlier this month, Grimshaw announced she will be departing A Current Affair after 17 years as anchor and that her final night on the show will be in November.

She explained she was 'tired' after decades of shift work and insisted she hadn't been pushed out by a 'boys' club' at Channel Nine.

'I've basically been a shift worker for 26 years, driving to work before dawn for nine years on the Today show, and the past 17 years driving home after dark here on A Current Affair and it's time for less of that daily obligation,' she said at the end of the show on Monday night, September 5.

Tracy flew over to London to witness Wednesday's procession of the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. The TV icon appeared in a rare Instagram photo with ABC News Breakfast's Lisa Millar, 53, on Wednesday. Pictured together

'Finally got to say congratulations to Tracy Grimshaw for an amazing career,' Millar wrote. 'Just needed to get to the other side of the world to catch her!'

Grimshaw concluded: 'I'm around until November then I'm going to take a long holiday, but it's business as usual until then. See you tomorrow night.'

In January 2006, she took over from Ray Martin as host of A Current Affair, her most well-known news role.

'She put me to shame,' Martin said. 'She's so good. I love what she does and I love watching her.'

Earlier this month, Grimshaw announced she will be departing A Current Affair after 17 years as anchor and that her final night on the show will be in November

A young Grimshaw started her career as a reporter in Nine's Melbourne newsroom in 1981.

The beloved television journalist celebrated 40 years at Channel Nine in October last year.

Deborah Knight, Georgie Gardner, Brooke Boney and Sylvia Jeffreys are among the frontrunners who could replace Grimshaw as the host of A Current Affair.
Lena Dunham looked nothing short of sensational in a metallic copper gown on Thursday as she attended a special screening of her new film Catherine Called Birdy in New York.

The 36-year-old filmmaker and actress dazzled in the shimmering sleeveless gown which featured a scoop neck detail as she was supported by some of the film's high-profile stars including Andrew 'hot priest' Scott.

Lena, who directed the medieval comedy, based on Karen Cushman's 1994 novel, styled her brunette locks in back-combed soft waves while she enhanced her features with a glam a palette of make-up.

Golden girl: Lena Dunham looked sensational in a metallic copper gown on Thursday as she attended a special screening of her new film Catherine Called Birdy in New York

Finishing her stylish look, the beauty added a pretty gold pendant and stored her belongings in a lilac crossbody bag.

The Girls star looked in great spirits as she posed alongside Andrew, 45, who stars as Lord Rollo in the film, and Laurie Simmons.

Andrew, who gained prominence with his turn as the priest in Fleabag and as Jim Moriarty in BBC series Sherlock, opted for a blue Argyle sweater and ivory trousers.

Fab: The 36-year-old filmmaker and actress dazzled in the shimmering sleeveless gown as she was supported by some of the film's high-profile stars including Andrew 'hot priest' Scott (L)

Andrew and Lena were also seen posing alongside Bella Ramsey, who plays the lead role of Catherine in the film.

While other attendees at the event included Krustyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher.

Lena's film, which is based on the classic children's novel of the same name, stars 18-year-old Bella Ramsey as the title character, a teenage girl living in 13th-century England.

Lovely: The Girls star looked in great spirits as she posed alongside Andrew, 45, who stars as Lord Rollo in the film, and Laurie Simmons

Glam: Finishing her stylish look, the beauty added a pretty gold pendant and stored her belongings in a lilac crossbody bag

What a trio: Andrew and Lena were also seen posing alongside Bella Ramsey, who plays the lead role of Catherine in the film

New adaptation: Bella Ramsey stars as the titled character in Catherine Called Birdy, a teenage girl in 13th-century England who's father Sir Rollo (Scott) wants to marry her off to a wealthy man to pay off his debts; seen with Alwyn, who plays her sympathetic uncle

When her father, Sir Rollo (Scott) is in danger of losing everything thanks to his extreme spending, he tries to marry her off to a wealthy man, though she leans on a series of playful pranks to save herself from being wed to someone she despises.

Joe Alwyn costars as Catherine's beloved uncle, while Billie Piper, Russel Brand and Ralph Ineson are among the all-star cast.

Catherine Called Birdy will have a limited release in US and UK theaters starting on September 23, before it will be available to stream on Prime Video starting on October 7.

Looking good: Lena, who directed the medieval comedy, based on Karen Cushman's 1994 novel, styled her brunette locks in back-combed soft waves

Looking sharp: Andrew, who gained prominence with his turn as the priest in Fleabag and as Jim Moriarty in BBC series Sherlock, opted for a blue Argyle sweater and ivory trousers

Strike a pose: Head of Amazon Studios Julie Rapaport looked lovely in a chic checked blazer, while Krustyna Hutchinson turned heads in bright blue leather trousers

Cute: Andrew and Bella shared a sweet hug on the red carpet

Style: Bella opted for a casual look, donning a dark navy shirt and checked red trousers
Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd has paid tribute to her late mother ahead of her latest romantic comedy film Ticket To Paradise.

The actress, 30, who stars alongside George Clooney and Julia Roberts, said that she 'needed to be funny to survive' after growing up with the 'funniest woman of all time,' her mum.

Billie takes on the role of Wren in the film, who's best friends with Lily (Kaitlyn Dever), the daughter of George and Julia's bickering divorced couple.

Exciting: Carrie Fisher 's daughter Billie Lourd, 30, has paid tribute to her late mother ahead of her latest romantic comedy film Ticket To Paradise

Billie, whose father is American talent agent Bryan Lourd, describes herself as 'the ultimate third-wheel queen'.

'I grew up with the funniest woman of all time - my mom - and so not being funny would just mean that I was not accepted in my family. So I needed to be funny to survive.'

Lourd, who is expecting her second child, was previously in the film Booksmart; and has just been announced as the lead in a forthcoming comedy called & Mrs, alongside Aisling Bea.

Family: The actress has said that she 'needed to be funny to survive' after growing up with the 'funniest woman of all time,' her mum (Billie pictured with Carrie Fisher in 2015)

The film, which premiered in London last week, has delayed its cinema release until next week following the death of the Queen.

Ticket To Paradise reunites Julia Roberts and George Clooney who appeared together in the Ocean's Eleven trilogy.

The official synopsis reads: 'Academy Award winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts reunite on the big screen as exes who find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once made'.

Ticket To Paradise opens in cinemas on September 20.

Back together: The film reunites Julia Roberts and George Clooney who appeared together in the Ocean's Eleven trilogy

It comes as Billie revealed she is pregnant with her second child on Wednesday, as she debuted her bump at the Ticket To Paradise premiere in London.

The actress, who wed Austen Rydell in March, was every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she cradled her bump in a pink sequin dress, paired with a pastel tulle shrug.

The beauty rested her hands on her blossoming bump before joining beau Austen for a snap.

She wore her tresses in a sleek and straight style and sported a radiant palette of make-up.

Cute: It comes as Billie, who wed Austen Rydell in March, revealed she is pregnant with her second child, as she debuted her bump at the Ticket To Paradise premiere in London

Billie and Austen became engaged in June 2020 after four years together.

The couple had one break-up during their relationship, but reunited soon after, three months after the engagement, Billie and Austen welcomed a son, Kingston Fisher.

Austen cut a dapper figure on the red carpet in a grey suit which he layered over a crisp white shirt and teamed with a striped tie.

The actress was every inch the glowing mother-to-be as she cradled her bump in a pink sequin dress, paired with a pastel tulle shrug

Speaking about her son Billie told SiriusXM show Quarantined with Bruce last year: 'He's not technically a quarantine baby, and I want to make that known because a lot of people are having trendy quarantine babies.

'Kingston was conceived before quarantine. He's technically just a Caribbean baby.'

People reported the actress wed her beau in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico following a nearly two year long engagement.

Billie's father, talent agent Bryan Lourd, purchased a block of rooms at the hotel venue for wedding guests, an insider told the site.
Married At First Sight's Olivia Frazer revealed on Friday that she has been blocked from posting live videos to Instagram.

The OnlyFans model, 28, shared a photo explaining the situation to confused fans wondering why she hadn't hosted a live session recently.

The photo captured Instagram's ban message and it was grim news for the influencer.

Married At First Sight's Olivia Frazer (pictured) revealed on Friday she has been blocked from posting videos to Instagram

The blonde explained recent content she posted had been removed for breaching Instagram's guidelines and she was banned from posting live videos as a result.

Fortunately, there was some good news as she said the ban was only temporary.

It is unclear what specific content got Olivia booted but she has recently been ruffling feathers on Instagram by sharing raunchy photos and videos to promote her OnlyFans account.

The blonde explained recent content she posted had been removed for breaching Instagram's guidelines and she was banned from sharing live videos as a result

She also recently engaged in a war of words with fellow MAFS bride Jessika Power.

Olivia recently accused Jessika of talking about her to 'stay relevant' which prompted Jessika to post an upset video retort.

It follows Olivia being permanently kicked off TikTok in July after several users complained about her posts.

She took to Instagram to air her side of the story: 'My TikTok got deleted. People are meaner [on TikTok] than they are here [on Instagram].'

It is unclear what specific content got Olivia booted but she has recently been ruffling feathers on Instagram by sharing raunchy photos and videos to promote her OnlyFans account

Her troubles on Instagram and TikTok do not reflect her soaring popularity on other social media platforms, namely OnlyFans.

The MAFS bride joined the subscription-based adult site in May, and quickly rose to the top 0.02 per cent of all creators on the platform.

She told Daily Mail Australia in June she had earned a massive $10,000 within 12 hours of signing up for the website.

The former teaching assistant said the popularity of her account made her 'a good investment for OnlyFans'.

Olivia revealed in July she had been permanently banned from TikTok after users complained about the content she posted
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Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby cut sombre figures on Friday as they filmed a segment for Tuesday's episode of This Morning at London's Westminster Hall.

The This Morning presenters donned all black ensembles, with Holly, 41, in a face mask, as they made their way into the historic building where the late monarch lying in state following her death last week.

With reports that the now 5-mile long queue has been closed for six hours, boosting the wait time till 'at least 14 hours', the TV duo joined a separate queue for press and were taken into a press gallery.

A source told MailOnline: 'They did not get to pay their respects to the Queen in the same way as queuing members of the public but they filmed in a section put aside for press.

'This Morning's Friday show has been cancelled in favour of rolling ITV news coverage in the lead-up to the Queen's state funeral. The programme will be back on screens on Tuesday.'

Paying respects: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield cut sombre figures as they filmed a TV segment for This Morning at Westminster Hall on Friday - as grieving Brits queued for up to 14 hours to view the Queen's coffin

Phillip, 60, opted to wear a smart black suit and tie for the visit, with the presenter sporting a glum look on his face as he followed behind his co-star.

Meanwhile, Holly was elegant in an understated black dress with silver button detailing along the front.

It comes after their fellow ITV daytime star Susanna Reid queued for more than seven hours to view the Queen's coffin on its first day being on public view at Westminster Hall the day before.

Unlike Holly and Phil, she was not in attendance in a work capacity and went with family members who would not have been permitted to go into the press gallery.

Low-key: The This Morning presenters donned all black ensembles, with Holly in a face mask, as they made their way into the historic building to view the late monarch lying in state following her death last week

The Good Morning Britain Host, 51, took to Twitter to announce that she and her mother Sue had paid their respects to the late monarch as she lay in state.

She described the 'historic' moment as 'majestic and peaceful' as she revealed she had joined mourners in the massive queues, which had reached five miles in length.

She wrote: 'Evening - along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history - witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.'

Attendance: The segment will air on Tuesday's episode of This Morning - a day after the Queen's funeral (pictured on This Morning on Monday)

Update: People are queuing to see the Queen's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall until Monday, on the route shown above

Susanna said she had waited for more than seven hours to see Her Majesty's coffin as she offered advice to others wanting to pay their respects.

She continued: 'If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm - 7 hours 20 mins.

'Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.

TV work: A source told MailOnline: 'They did not get to pay their respects to the Queen in the same way as queuing members of the public but they filmed in a section put aside for press'

Attire: Phillip, 60, opted to wear a smart black suit and tie for the visit, with the presenter sporting a glum look on his face as he followed behind his co-star. Holly was elegant in an understated black dress with silver button detailing along the front'

'Don't carry too much in a bag - water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route.

'Also plenty of toilets. I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.'

Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight.

Dedicated: It comes after their fellow ITV daytime star Susanna Reid revealed that she queued for more than seven hours to view the Queen's coffin on its first day being on public view at Westminster Hall on Thursday

Grief: Susanna described the 'historic' moment as 'majestic and peaceful' as she revealed she had joined mourners in the queues, which had reached five miles in length

Many more are expected to join the queue over the weekend - in a sign of the huge demand from people to say their final goodbye to the popular monarch.

It is estimated the number of people set to make the trip could hit more than 350,000, with people from all over the world expected to visit London to pay their respects.

However, it's since been reported on Friday that the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state has been closed for at least six hours.

Sombre: The Good Morning Britain Host, 51, took to Twitter to announce that she and her mother Sue paid their respects to the late monarch as she lay in state

Queuing: Susanna also revealed she had waited for more than seven hours to see Her Majesty's coffin as she offered advice to others wanting to pay their respects

The Government said in an update just before 10am: 'Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.'

On the third day of the Queen's lying in state, those stood in the queue which hugged the south bank of the River Thames were told the wait time had swelled to 'at least 14 hours' and 4.9 miles to Southwark Park in Bermondsey.

The Government had warned just an hour earlier: 'If the park reaches capacity, entry to the queue will be paused. If you have not yet set off to join, please consider waiting until numbers have reduced.'

Meanwhile, Amanda Holden made her way to Westminster Hall on Friday to chat to members of the public who were queuing to view the Queen's coffin.

Long day: Susanna (pictured with her mother) wrote: 'We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm - 7 hours 20 mins'

The presenter, 51, who usually fronts Heart FM Breakfast, swapped the studio for the crowds of sombre Brits for the news show.

Sharing clips from her visit to Instagram, the TV personality penned that there were 'Friendships forged forever in shared grief' among the crowds.

Amanda cut a solemn figure as she joined the crowds, some of which who had waited for over ten hours to pay their respects.

On Monday, Holly told how she was 'really touched' by messages her children wrote to the Queen following her death and admits she urged them to write letters as a means of processing the news.

The presenter, 41, encouraged her three children with producer husband Dan Baldwin  Harry, 13, Belle, 11, and Chester, seven  to put down their feelings in writing after a visit to Buckingham Palace on the weekend to pay their respects.

Crowds: Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight

Huge waiting times: Sources told how mourners could be prevented from seeing the Queen lying in state if they arrive at the end of the queue in Southwark Park after 12.30am on Sunday

Speaking on This Morning, she reflected on the impact of the Queens death with her co-host Phil before reading their messages to viewers.

Willoughby said she had urged her children to write to the Queen as a way of processing the news.

Speaking about how she had explained the ideas of service and duty to youngest child Chester, the presenter added: 'I was trying to explain to him that whatever her passions and her loves (were) from being a little girl, this was where she was destined to go, what she was destined to do.

'Friendships forged forever in shared grief': Amanda Holden, 51, took to Westminster Hall on Friday as she chatted to crowds who were waiting hours to view the Queen's coffin

Shared grief: Sharing a video to her 1.8M followers as she looked out, the star wrote: 'My privilege to talk to some of you queuing and coming out of Westminster Hall this morning. The atmosphere and camaraderie was incredible .. friendships forged forever in shared grief'

'All of her own passions had to be put on the backburner for her country. Chester, he loves football but that would not be something he would get to do and it was giving him that level of understanding.'

Mourners have already been pictured in tears as they pay their respects, as well as making the sign of the cross and standing in prayer.

Pictures showed paramedics appearing to treat exhausted well-wishers, some who have queued throughout the day on Thursday, to see the Queen lying in state.

Respectful: Fellow stars have also taken to Westminster over the past few days, with Heidi Range sharing pictures of her daughter Aurelia laying flowers at the scene

Heartfelt: As the singer paid tribute, she wrote: 'Pleased that we were able to pay our respects today'

There he is: Eamonn Holmes dressed all in black as he shared an Instagram snap of himself outside an empty Buckingham Place

The broadcaster penned: 'Lots of you look and feel as lost as I do in this picture. Everything is changing . What's going on in The World ? Strange times. Sad times, Here's to new better times soon'

It comes after a soldier guarding the coffin fainted during his stint. One mourner was seen falling as he walked down the stairs of historic Westminster Hall towards the Queen's coffin.

Ahead of what is expected to be a peak point this weekend, more than 1.7million people have gone online to view the Government's live queue tracker on YouTube which shows the end of the line as people wait patiently to enter Westminster Hall to see the Queen's coffin.

Thousands have already managed to see Her Majesty's coffin, draped in the royal standard, as members of the royal guard stand in vigil around it.

Reflection: On Monday, Holly told how she was 'really touched' by messages her children wrote to the Queen following her death

Therapeutic: Willoughby said she had urged her children to write to the Queen as a way of processing the news (pictured, son Harry's message)

Moving: Willoughby said that reading them back after the visit had really touched her (pictured, daughter Belle's letter to the Queen)

Respects: The presenter visited Buckingham Palace with her three children at the weekend, after which she encouraged them to put their feelings down on paper

But sources told MailOnline how mourners could be prevented from seeing the Queen lying in state if they arrive at the end of the queue in Southwark Park later than 12.30am on Sunday.

Organisers have designated the bottom of the 63-acre park as the end of the line to see Elizabeth II's coffin in Westminster Hall, more than five miles away.

The estimated waiting time for those joining in the park, where snaking airport-style queues have been set up, is 30 hours.

That means that people have until 12.30am on Sunday with which to join the line before the time The Queen lays in state officially ends at 6.30am on Monday, the day of the state funeral.

On Thursday - the first full day of the Queen's coffin being on public view - the queue had already reached Bermondsey Wall, half a mile from the park, by 3pm today.

A source said: 'Southwark Park has been designated as the end of the queue. There have been barriers set up to facilitate a zig-zag queuing system.

'Anyone at the end of that queue in the park can expect to wait for up to 30-hours to see The Queen in state.

Paying respects: A child places flowers for Queen Elizabeth at the Green Park memorial next to Buckingham Palace this evening as thousands queue

'We have to have a cut-off point, a time when we'll have to unfortunately start turning people away.

'That time will depend on the volume of the crowd and the flow rate on the route. At the moment around 2,000 people are being let into Westminster Hall an hour.

'Currently that time will be either very late on Saturday night or extremely early on Sunday morning. But the Metropolitan Police will have the final say.

'We've obviously been preparing for this and anticipated that the crowd would come this far...just not this soon.'
She's had a heartbreaking few months following the unexpected deaths of her newborn daughter Lorena and ex Jake McLean, as well as the alleged attack on her on the day of her baby's funeral.

But Lauren Goodger is beginning to find some sense of normality again as she treated herself to an early birthday present by splashing out on 17,000 worth of jewellery.

It comes after she announced that she had now found her 'fire and drive' as she shared a glamorous selfie with 'fresh lip filler' and adjusted to 'normal life.'

Bling bling: Lauren Goodger is beginning to find some sense of normality again as she treated herself to an early birthday present by splashing out on 17,000 worth of jewellery and lip fillers (pictured)

The former TOWIE star, who turns 36 on Monday, opted to go on a spending spree at luxury jewellery brand Cartier, showing off her new purchases on Instagram on Friday.

Filming her red Cartier bags after heading to Selfridges, Lauren showed fans her 18ct rose-gold, diamond encrusted Cartier Juste Un Clou Bracelet, which retails at 10,800.

While also displaying 18ct rose-gold Love ring which was adorned with diamonds and costs 6,300.

Treat: The former TOWIE star, who turns 36 on Monday, opted to go on a spending spree at luxury jewellery brand Cartier, showing off her new purchases on Instagram on Friday

Captioning her post, Lauren wrote: 'Happy birthday to me. Something I've wanted for a long time.

'It's my birthday Monday. I've kept it quiet but now I've treated myself.'

Clearly happy with her new purchases, the TV personality added: 'I'm so in love'.

It comes as Lauren bravely returned to work on Thursday following an incredibly tough period of her life.

Pricey: Filming her red Cartier bags after heading to Selfridges, Lauren showed fans her 18ct rose-gold, diamond encrusted Cartier Juste Un Clou Bracelet, which retails at 10,800

Cheering herself up: Lauren splashed out over 10,000 on a dazzling bracelet, while also displaying 18ct rose-gold Love ring which was adorned with diamonds and costs 6,300

Lauren looked sensational in a glowing snap as she slipped into a bold vest top and opted for a radiant full palette of makeup.

Taking to her Story, she also shared her 'lip top up' as she pouted with her newly filled lips in the clinic.

She penned: 'My first day back to work today shooting. After taking a break for my mind after everything Ive been through, I decided to find that fire & drive in me.'

Lauren continued: 'Slowly and bit by bit Lauren is coming back may I never be the same again but I'm adjusting to normal life and it feels good thank you. make up @makeupwithamanie.'

It comes as said she is on the 'hardest journey' after tragically losing her newborn baby Lorena in July during birth due to complications.

The former TOWIE star revealed she can 'feel Lorena with me' as she took to Instagram to share a sweet post.

Glowing! She penned: 'My first day back to work today shooting. After taking a break for my mind after everything Ive been through, I decided to find that fire & drive in me'

The reality star said she believes the newborn is 'watching over and guiding' her as she shared a black and white snap holding her daughter's feet.

She penned: 'I feel Lorena with me today. thank you for showing me the way and this is the hardest journey but I know your watching over and you are guiding mummy.'

Lorena was born with two knots in her umbilical cord, tied around her neck and despite ten doctors fighting to save her, she passed away shortly after her birth.

Feeling like herself: Taking to her Story, she also shared her 'lip top up' as she pouted with her newly filled lips in the clinic

As she grieved the loss of her newborn, Lauren was allegedly assaulted on the day of her baby's funeral.

Her boyfriend Charles Drury, 25, was later arrested and bailed following the incident.

She also went through a 'horrendous whirlwind' dealing with the death of both Lorena and her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean - who lost his life when his car plunged 70ft off a cliff in Turkey in July.

Now, the reality star has admitted that she 'lost herself completely' and wanted to get back to her pre-pregnancy self after falling pregnant with Lorena just eight weeks after giving birth to her first daughter Larose, 13 months.

Tough: It comes as said she is on the 'hardest journey' after tragically losing her newborn baby Lorena last month during birth due to complications

Taking to her Instagram Story on Sunday, she wrote: 'I've been through a lot lately and still have my hard days or night I wake up crying etc.

'But I am so strong and I have a little princess who I need to show how to be kind, strong and an independent women etc.

'I've had 2 babies back to back and my body I feel I hated I wasn't me I lost myself completely.'

'I've lost some weight now (baby weight) and I've just gone back to the gym (today).'

'So I've started a new page @laurengoodgerbodyx. I'm not a nutritionist I'm not a PT everything I show is my own.

'Things I will show... my cooking my training & my body and I am also not selling nothing it's just for fun.'
Actor Ha Jung-woo plays the role of a businessman involved in a drug crime investigation in the Netflix new original series, "Narco-Saints." Courtesy of Netflix



Yoon makes directorial debut for series with longtime friend Ha



By Lee Gyu-lee



Actor Ha Jung-woo and director Yoon Jong-bin, who went to the same school, have had quite a long-term relationship both professionally and personally, getting their careers off the ground together with the film "The Unforgiven."





Director Yoon Jong-bin of the series "Narco-Saints" / Courtesy of Netflix

Picking up their partnership as actor and director since the period film "Kundo: Age of the Rampant" (2014), the two have reunited for Netflix's new original series "Narco-Saints."



"There's no other director who had filmed me more than director Yoon. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. So he knows what would come out as convincing (in acting) and what wouldn't. It's like he has a user's manual of me," Ha said in an interview with The Korea Times, held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tuesday.



Inspired by a true story, the action crime series, which was released on Sept. 9, revolves around entrepreneur Kang In-gu (Ha), who travels to the South American country, Suriname. He starts a fish trading business, dreaming of achieving success for his family back in Korea. However, his plans soon take an unexpected turn when he meets a Korean priest, Jeon Yo-hwan (Hwang Jung-min), who secretly uses In-gu's business to smuggle drugs to Korea.



After finding out that Yo-hwan is actually a Korean drug lord, In-gu becomes part of a secret government mission to take him down with agent Choi Chang-ho (Park Hae-soo).









Yoon said he initially declined to direct the series, which originally was offered to be made as a film.



"(The real-life story) interested me. But I just had finished the crime film 'Nameless Gangster,' and after I finished filming 'The Spy Gone North,' Ha brought (the series) up again  and people were telling me that 'this is the story that you are best at,'" he said. "I felt that this is the type of genre that the audiences want from me and that was the start of it."





A still from the series "Narco-Saints" / Courtesy of Netflix
Halle Bailey admits she felt under 'pressure' to do the best possible job after taking on the iconic role of Ariel in an upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid

The actress, 22, has been a lifelong fan of the 1989 Disney original - based on Hans Christian Andersen's Danish fairytale - and didn't want to disappoint fans with her portrayal of the redheaded mermaid.

But her casting sparked an inevitable outcry from a minority of fans, with some claiming she was unsuitable for the role because of her ethnicity.

She told E! News: 'I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I've treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself.

'Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl.'

Under pressure: Halle Bailey has revealed the 'pressure' she felt taking on the iconic role of The Little Mermaid's Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake

The actress also insisted that she gave her '110% percent' to the film and is proud of herself and her performance in the forthcoming adaptation.

The film, which also stars Jonah Hauer-King, Art Malik, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy, goes on general release from May 26, 2023.

Just days after the first trailer for movie brought waves of racist trolls out of the woodwork, Halle found support from another big-screen mermaid in Daryl Hannah.

Big fins to fill: The actress revealed that she had been a fan of the 1989 Disney original and didn't want to disappoint fans with her portrayal of the red headed mermaid

The blonde beauty, 61, played the mermaid Madison in the 1983 smash hit movie Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and she showed her support for the young actress on Twitter.

'The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!' Hannah tweeted along with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork.

The actress's praise comes just after Jodi Benson - the voice actress who portrayed the original Ariel in the animated classic - showed her support as well.

Original: She said : 'I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I've treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself' (a scene from the original movie pictured)

Popcorn ready: The film, which also stars Jonah Hauer-King, Art Malik, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy, with Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina in voice roles, hits cinemas on May 26, 2023

The tweet got over 4.5K retweets and over 42K likes in just under a day after it was posted on Wednesday evening.

Bailey herself hasn't responded to Hannah, or the original voice of The Little Mermaid, Jodi Benson, 60, who showed her support on her Instagram story.

'Halle, you were absolutely amazing! 'I'm SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel,' Benson began.

Support: Hannah, 61, played the mermaid Madison in the 1983 smash hit movie Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and she showed her support for 22-year-old Bailey on Twitter

Black: 'The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!' Hannah tweeted along with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork

'It was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo and to the brilliant director, Rob Marshall...

'I'm so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!!'

Halle reposted the image to her Instagram Story with the caption: 'Thank you so much... this means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us.'

Amazing: 'Halle, you were absolutely amazing! 'I'm SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel,' Benson began

The trailer first debuted at the D23 Expo in Anaheim last weekend, with Variety reporting on Tuesday that the video amassed over 104 million global views.

By comparison, it amassed far more views than many other recent Disney live-action adaptation hits such as Cruella (68 million views), Beauty and the Beast (94 million views), Aladdin (74 million views) and Maleficent 2 (62 million views).

However, the trailer also made headlines for amassing over 2 million 'dislikes,' compared to the 865K likes.

The massive number of dislikes has now broken the record of dislikes for a major studio film, surpassing the 1.6 million dislikes for 2016's Ghostbusters trailer.

Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebs like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped.

Famous friends: Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebs like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped
Original Heartbreak High star Salvatore Coco this week gave the Netflix reboot his tick of approval.

The 47-year-old actor appeared on the TV Blackbox podcast and decisively said he 'loved' the new series.

The Two Hands actor also dismissed claims about the show being too 'woke'.

Original Heartbreak High star Salvatore Coco (pictured on the series with co-star Ada Nicodemou) this week gave the Netflix reboot his tick of approval

He said: 'I thought it was fantastic. There were concerns about it being too "woke" and too predominant with the LGBT points of view.

'But no, it touched on the topics and wasn't in your face. It was quite subtle,' he added.

Salvatore said while Netflix would never be able to fully recreate the hit 90s show, he was a fan of 'the approach they have taken with the reboot.'

Salvatore decisively said he 'loved' the new series. Pictured: The reboot cast

He concluded by saying: 'It's a new fresh take on it with new people, I really like it.'

Salvatore played high school hustler Con Bordino on the original series from 1994 - 1997.

Heartbreak High was the popular nineties teen drama series that saw students tackling racism, human rights and other real-life issues, at the fictional Hartley High.

Salvatore (pictured in 2019) dismissed claims about the reboot being too 'woke' and said it 'wasn't in your face'

Earlier this year Netflix announced they would revive it for a new generation.

The reboot has been described as a 'woke' update of the '90s high school drama that made Callan Mulvey and Ada Nicodemou household names.

According to Que Minh Luu, Netflix's Director of Content in Australia and New Zealand, 'Making Heartbreak High for today's generation of Australians has been a long-standing dream.'

Original cast members of the 90s mega-hit Heartbreak High including (back) Barbara Gouskos, Danny Raco, Lara Cox, Abi Tucker, (front) Hugh Baldwin, Scott Major and Rel Hunt all appeared at the premiere of the Heartbreak High reboot in Sydney earlier this month
Kate Beckinsale wowed as she attended the Prisoner's Daughter press day during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.

The actress, 49, looked sensational in a plunging bustier dress with a voluminous skirt and hand-painted violet flowers to the event at The Supper Suite.

She was joined by her co-star Brain Cox, who takes on the role of her on-screen father and ex-convict who is granted compassionate leave after a cancer diagnosis.

Stunning: Kate Beckinsale, 49, wowed as she attended the Prisoner's Daughter press day during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday

Kate's stunning ensemble by Bach Mai showed off her incredible figure whilst she opted to boost her height with a pair of hot pink Valentino heels.

She styled her caramel locks into a curled ponytail and wore smokey eyeshadow to complete her look.

Scottish actor Brain, 76, looked slick in tan suede jacket and patterned polo shirt that he teamed with dark blue jeans and matching shoes.

Glowing: The actress looked sensational in a plunging bustier dress with a voluminous skirt and hand-painted violet flowers to the event at The Supper Suite

Coming soon: She was joined by her co-star Brian Cox, who takes on the role of her on-screen father and ex-convict who is granted compassionate leave after a cancer diagnosis

News about Prisoner's Daughter's development was revealed to the public by Deadline last January, when Kate signed on to appear in the movie.

The film is centered on a terminally ill former convict whose violent past comes back to haunt him while he attempts to reconnect with his daughter and grandson.

In addition to Kate and Brain, the movie stars performers such as Tyson Ritter, Jon Huertas and Ernie Hudson.

Co-stars: Kate styled her caramel locks into a curled ponytail and wore smokey eyeshadow to complete her look

Polished: Scottish actor Brain, 76, looked slick in tan suede jacket and patterned polo shirt that he teamed with dark blue jeans and matching shoes

Director Catherine Hardwicke previously spoke to Deadline and expressed that her feature would tell a potentially troubling, yet moving story.

The filmmaker described Prisoner's Daughter as 'a raw, personal look at a deeply fractured family.'

Catherine then remarked that she began working on the project with a set intention in mind.

'I want to fully immerse the viewer in Kate's character's intense world as she, her father and her young son try to heal generational family trauma and find a new way forward,' she said.

Plot: Director Catherine Hardwicke previously spoke to Deadline and expressed that her feature would tell a potentially troubling, yet moving story

New film: The filmmaker described Prisoner's Daughter as 'a raw, personal look at a deeply fractured family'

Producer Marina Grasic went on to state that she and her collaborators were excited to be able to collaborate with both Hardwicke and the movie's star.

'We are honored to be working with Catherine and Kate  artists that can bring this important and inspiring story to life,' she said.

Sam Okun, who also produced the feature, commented on the impressiveness of Mark Bacci's screenplay.

'Everyone that has read Mark's powerful and dramatic script has been blown away by his emotional storytelling,' he said.
He played the role of Lenny Wallace in EastEnders from 1996 to 1999.

But actor 11219561 has now trained as a meteorology and fans were delighted when he hosted the weather during Friday's Good Morning Britain.

However viewers were left flabbergasted to learn the hosts age with one writing: 'B****y hell he's 60!'.

'B****y hell he's 60!': GMB viewers couldn't believe former EastEnders actor Des Coleman's age as he returned to host the weather on Friday

Des donned a black suit, to honour the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, after previously standing in for both Laura Tobin and Alex Beresford.

And fans were delighted to see him back with one writing: 'Always good to see Desmond presenting the weather, absolute legend'.

While another added: 'People think they're cool and then see Des Coleman doing the weather and realise what cool really is'.

Flashback: He played the role of Lenny Wallace in EastEnders from 1996 to 1999 (pictured in 1998 with co-star Pasty Palmer)

New role: Following his time on the soap Des also appeared in Casualty before working for BBC News and now ITV News Central where he regularly presents the weather forecast in the Midlands

One more commented: 'Always a ray of sunshine when Des Coleman is on my TV' and another said: 'Waking up to Des Coleman on GMB doing the weather has put me in a good mood for this Friday ahead'.

During his time on the BBC series his character lived in a squat with pal Huw Edwards (Richard Ellis) and made landlord Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) life a misery.

Following his time on the soap Des also appeared in Casualty before working for BBC News and now ITV News Central where he regularly presents the weather forecast in the Midlands.

Cheeky chappy: During his time on the BBC series his character lived in a squat with pal Huw Edwards (Richard Ellis) and made landlord Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) life a misery

Smart: Des wore a smart black suit for his appearance as the country continued its period of mourning following Her Majesty The Queen's death

It comes after GMB host Susanna Reid revealed that she queued for more than seven hours to view the Queen's coffin on its first day being on public view at Westminster Hall on Thursday.

The 51-year-old took to Twitter to announce that she and her mother Sue had paid their respects to the late monarch as she lay in state.

She described the 'historic' moment as 'majestic and peaceful' as she revealed she had joined mourners in the massive queues, which had reached five miles in length

Delighted: Viewers rushed to social media delighted to see Des back presenting the weather

She wrote: 'Evening - along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history - witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.'

Susanna has spoken about her mother in the past and revealed she worked as a nurse and a health visitor for mums and their newborn babies for over five decades.

She said they had waited for more than seven hours to see Her Majesty's coffin as she offered advice to others wanting to pay their respects.

Dedicated: Susanna Reid (pictured right) has revealed she queued for over seven hours to view the Queen's coffin for its first day being on public view at Westminster Hall on Thursday

She continued: 'If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm - 7 hours 20 mins.

'Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.

'Don't carry too much in a bag - water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route.

'Also plenty of toilets. I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.'

Grief: Susanna described the 'historic' moment as 'majestic and peaceful' as she revealed she had joined mourners in the queues, which had reached five miles in length

Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight.

Many more are expected to join the queue over the weekend - in a sign of the huge demand from people to say their final goodbye to the popular monarch.

It is estimated the number of people set to make the trip could hit more than 350,000, with people from all over the world expected to visit London to pay their respects.

Mourners have already been pictured in tears as they pay their respects, as well as making the sign of the cross and standing in prayer.

Pictures showed paramedics appearing to treat exhausted well-wishers, some who have queued throughout the day on Thursday, to see the Queen lying in state.
Kimberley Garner showed off her impeccable sense of style as she head to a swanky Private Members club in Mayfair, London on Friday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, put on a very leggy display in a brown denim mini skirt at the 5 Hereford Street club.

She teamed the skirt with a black bodysuit and wrapped up in a long cream coat, while sporting a pair of brown ankle boots.

Chic: Kimberley Garner showed off her impeccable sense of style as she head to a swanky Private Members' club in Mayfair, London on Friday

Kimberley opted for a bronzed makeup look which accentuated her natural features and styled her golden locks straight.

The swimwear designer appeared in high spirits as she gave a wave while walking into the venue.

Despite now enjoying huge fame as a swimwear designer, Kimberley has previously revealed how she used to pretend to be an intern when she first started the business as nobody took her seriously.

Stylish: The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, put on a very leggy display in a brown denim mini skirt at the 5 Hereford Street club

Looking good: She teamed the skirt with a black bodysuit and wrapped up in a long cream coat, while sporting a pair of brown ankle boots

However, the property heiress insisted she's more than just the face of her line Kimberley London and is involved with every aspect of creating her sell-out swimwear range.

She told MailOnline: 'I think people sometimes think that Im only the face, but I am responsible for every bit of the business.

'I was 18 when I started my first company - I came up with an idea, stayed up for days learning how to register the company and teaching myself. It became very successful overnight.'

She explained: 'However, as I was only 18, no one ever imagined it was mine. I was a young blonde girl with a soft voice.

'No one would take me seriously or realise it was my company. So, I pretended to be the Intern!

'I handled all the meetings, phone calls, and emails for the company. When it became a success, I put all the revenues into starting Kimberley London.'

She explained: 'However, as I was only 18, no one ever imagined it was mine. I was a young blonde girl with a soft voice.

'No one would take me seriously or realise it was my company. So, I pretended to be the Intern!

'I handled all the meetings, phone calls, and emails for the company. When it became a success, I put all the revenues into starting Kimberley London.'

Beauty: Kimberley opted for a bronzed makeup look which accentuated her natural features and styled her golden locks straight

Stream every episode ever of Made In Chelsea only on Hayu in Australia.
John Farnham's son Robert has listed his stylish Melbourne townhouse on the market.

The 42-year-old musician hopes to get between $1.6 - $1.7 million for the three bedroom townhouse property located on the fringe of Melbourne's CBD.

Real Estate agent Richard Winneke said the modern townhouse will be attractive to many potential buyers.

John Farnham's son Robert (pictured, bottom left) has listed his stylish Melbourne townhouse on the market. Also pictured is his father John (bottom right), mother Jillian (top left) and brother James (top right)

Mr. Winneke told Nine: 'It is a fantastic location, fully renovated, very high quality.

'It has a double garage, a dog park at the end of the street and is very quiet and conveniently close to everything,' he added.

The well kept property features a stylish combination of modern architecture, including spacious and innovatively designed rooms, and traditional trappings such as a paved courtyard.

Robert hopes to get between $1.6 - $1.7 million for the three bedroom townhouse property located on the fringe of Melbourne's CBD (pictured)

'It has a double garage, a dog park at the end of the street and is very quiet and conveniently close to everything,' the home's real estate agent revealed

The Richmond property will head to auction at 11am on Saturday.

It follows Robert Farnham sending his father a heartfelt Father's Day message earlier this month by wishing him a speedy recovery from his cancer surgery.

Robert shared the touching tribute to his famous dad as the Aussie icon continues to recover.

The property features a stylish combination of modern architecture, including spacious and innovatively designed rooms, and traditional trappings such as a paved courtyard

He posted a sweet throwback photo of a beaming John holding a young Robert up to a microphone on Facebook.

Robert captioned the snap with a heartfelt message: 'Youre my hero. You got this. Love you.'

John is currently stable in the ICU and will remain in hospital for some time as he recovers.
Hailey Bieber showed off her taut tummy in yet another stylish ensemble in New York on Thursday, a day after celebrating her fourth wedding anniversary to Justin Bieber.

The 25-year-old model and influencer looked effortlessly cool in a revealing white crop top, beige jacket and matching skirt as she went about her day in the Big Apple.

Hailey was spotted just the night before leaving the Harry Styles concert in NYC and headed to dinner to meet hubby Justin, where she was surprised with a huge bouquet of roses.

Effortless: Hailey Bieber shows off taut tummy in a crop top as she steps out in NYC... after receiving roses from hubby Justin Bieber for fourth anniversary

For that outing, she wore her long, dark hair over her shoulders with thick gold hoop earrings, shimmering eye shadow, blush, and a glossy nude lip.

The couple shared sweet tributes on Instagram to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary on Sept 13.

Justin posted, Happy Anniversary to my best friend and wifey @haileybieber .. thanks for making me better in every way.

Making an entrance: The 25-year-old model and influencer looked effortlessly cool in a revealing white crop top, beige jacket and matching skirt as she went about her day in the Big Apple

Runway ready: Hailey showed off her taut tummy in yet another stylish ensemble in New York on Thursday

Hailey commemorated the special day with a carousel of pictures from over the years, writing '4 years married to you. the most beautiful human Ive ever known love of my life. Thank God for you.'

The lovebirds tied the knot in secret at a New York City courthouse in September 2018.

Last week the beauty sizzled in a new Victorias Secret Swim campaign, where she showed off her perfect figure in a series of racy images in a bright blue string bikini.

The wife of the pop star played with her hair and displayed her washboard abs in the snaps she shared with fans last Thursday.

Special day: Hailey was surprised with 100 roses to celebrate her anniversary with Justin Bieber after attending the Harry Styles concert

Earlier: Before receiving the surprise bundle of roses, the model left the concert wearing a black spaghetti mini dress with a Harry's House backstage pass around her neck

Short skirt, long coat: For part of the evening, she carried a blue handbag and added dark glasses in the casually classy outfit that flattered her long legs

The Rhode skincare founder announced earlier this year that she had signed with the lingerie brand via Instagram, writing I am so happy to announce that I am joining @victoriasecret #VSCollective - a platform for strong women to use their voice in an authentic way. Looking forward to partnering with VS on this journey and all to come!

The stunner has previously told Elle magazine that she eats incredibly clean and has a salad for lunch most days.

'On a regular day, breakfast is usually eggs or oatmeal, some type of healthy protein, or a smoothie. Lunch is usually salad, fish, grilled veggies, or maybe a sandwich... I love a good kale Caesar salad [but with] no croutons.'

Health food nut: The stunner has previously told Elle magazine that she eats incredibly clean and has a salad for lunch most days to maintain her lean physique

She added: 'Dinner is usually kind of along the same lines [as lunch]; some sort of vegetable, or pasta, like a gluten-free pasta.'

In an interview with Vogue Australia, Hailey credited her toned figure Pilates.

'I really like doing hot Pilates... It's 45 to 50 minutes of straight-up sweating, and I come out looking like a drenched tomato. I used to be a dancer, so the reason I like Pilates is because it's very similar body strength.'
Drew Barrymore has spoken again about how decadent her childhood was with very few rules.

When talking to pal Rob Lowe of St Elmo's Fire fame on her new podcast Drew's News on Friday, she said drugs and alcohol were fine but not sugar. And the beauty - who is a mother of two - added that she had to sneak treats when her mother was not looking.

The talk show host was a child star who worked on Firestarter and ET so she had to keep her weight down.

What a life! Drew Barrymore has spoken again about how decadent her childhood was with very few rules. When talking to pal Rob Lowe on her new podcast Drew's News on Friday, she said drugs and alcohol were fine but not sugar. And the beauty added that she had to sneak treats when her mother was not looking; left in June, right in 1984

In 1989, Barrymore, then 14, detailed to People magazine how she had her first drink at 9, smoked pot at 10 and started using cocaine at 12. By 13, she had twice gone drug rehabilitation treatment.

The conversation began when Rob said that kids that don't eat sugar come with a warning sign.

Rob: 'So when you are worried about your kids having too much desserts or too much sugar. I always knew there was trouble when a kid would come over and say, "My parents dont let me have sugar."

'I knew I would find that kid huffing sugar. I just knew it. Beware of the kid who tells you his parents dont let him have sugar. Keep an eye on that kid.'

Just a kid: In 1989, Barrymore, then 14, detailed to People magazine how she had her first drink at 9, smoked pot at 10 and started using cocaine at 12. By 13, she had twice gone drug rehabilitation treatment; seen in 1982

Tough start: Seen here in 1987 at age 12; she had already made several films by this time

Drew then shared, 'By the way you are so right, you are so right because my mom wouldnt let me eat sugar. Studio 54 and weed and alcohol totally fine but dont touch that sugar.

Rob interjected, 'That makes perfect sense.'

And the siren continued, 'And I did, I snuck chocolate in the closet. All the other habits were out in the open but the sugar was an in the closet thing. Literally I would hide it in a box in my closet and just'

Still a stunner: Barrymore poses at Lea Michele's first performance in Funny Girl on Broadway at The August Wilson Theatre on September 6 in New York City

It is well known that Drew did not have an easy childhood.

The actress opened up even more to Howard Stern about her past, telling him just how hard it really was after becoming a model at age two and a movie star with 1982's blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at age seven.

The mother-of-two told the shock jock that her very own mother, Jaid Barrymore, admitted her to a psychiatric ward when she was only 13 years old.

Rough time: The visit was not short either. Drew had to stay for 18 months. 'I used to laugh at those like Malibu 30 day places,' she told the radio personality. 'Malibu was sort of the opposite of the experience I had. I was in a place for a year and a half called Van Eyes Psychiatric.' Seen on her show this week

The visit was not short either. Drew had to stay for 18 months. 'I used to laugh at those like Malibu 30 day places,' she told the radio personality.

'Malibu was sort of the opposite of the experience I had. I was in a place for a year and a half called Van Eyes Psychiatric.

'And you couldn't mess around in there and if you did, you would get thrown either in a padded room or get put in stretcher restraints, and tied up.'

This comes months after Paris Hilton talked about being held at Provo Canyon School in Utah during her documentary This Is Paris.

Drew did admit that she had too many 'resources' at her disposal.

'I was going to clubs and not going to school and stealing my mom's car and, you know, I was out of control. So, you know, sometimes it was as humorous as that and sometimes I was just so angry that I would go off and then I'd get thrown in the thing,' she shared.

She was sometimes placed in a padded room with her hands tied behind her back so she could cool down, it was explained.

Party time. Seen in the 90s with Eric Erlandson. Drew did admit that she had too many 'resources' at her disposal. 'I was going to clubs and not going to school and stealing my mom's car and, you know, I was out of control,' she shared

A hot career: Barrymore, Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey in Boys On The Side in 1995; directed by Herbert Ross

'I asked myself like why is this happening. And I thought, maybe you need the craziest form of structure because everything was so accessible available and screwed up in your world that maybe it's going to take something like this for you to kickstart the rest of your life,' she said.

'And that didn't come for probably about six to eight months. The first six to eight months I was just so angry. I couldn't see straight.'

Now she knows why her mother made the decision she did.

'I think after, you know, 30, years of therapy, and a lot of soul searching and having kids myself, you know, I think she created a monster,' she said.

Jaid had made Drew work at a young age. That meant late nights on set and also parties.

Drew only got better when she forgave her mother for what she had done.

'She probably felt like she had nowhere to turn. And I'm sure she lived with a lot of guilt for years, about creating the monster but then I think she lived in a lot of pain that I also wouldn't talk to her for a long time,' she said.

It also showed her what kind of mom she wanted to be. She has two daughters with ex Will Kopelman.

'I said to my own daughter... something came up and I said I'm not your friend. I'll never be your friend; I'm your mother. And I had a mother who was a friend, and we're not going to do that,' she shared.

But she does not want to blame her mom anymore.

A siren: Seen at the Harper's Bazaar Icons and Bloomingdale's 150th anniversary party at Bloomingdale's on September 9 in New York

'I can't have her feel bad anymore. I'm sure she's already made the crap out of herself for having a daughter who wouldn't speak to her. I mean, the pain that I went through from thatI felt so guilty. Denying my mom access to me, it felt like I was cutting off the source of life. It was as hard of a feeling as I've ever experienced. Definitely the worst pain I've ever known.'

And she also touched on her split from Will and how she resorted to eating and drinking to much during their divorce, but her friends urged her to take care of herself.

Drew shares her daughters with ex-husband Will Kopelman from whom she split in 2016 after four years of marriage.

The two have been amicably co-parenting Olive and Frankie ever since.
Maura Higgins was furious to find out her nephew was being bullied and so turned up at his school on Thursday.

Documenting the moment on Instagram the Love Island star, 31, arrived to collect the schoolboy and put an end to the taunting only to bombarded by an enormous crowd of excited pupils.

Despite attempting to keep a low profile the model's car was surrounded by hundreds of children, all thrilled to spot the star.

'Remember kids, be kind': Maura Higgins took to Instagram on Friday she turned up at her nephew's school after finding out he was being bullied - and got mobbed

She said: 'When you get a phone call to say he's being bullied at school yesterday...so you make sure you're on the school pick up today.'

Before adding: 'Remember kids be kind, PS: I'm not a regular aunty, I'm a cool aunty.'

Maura looked gorgeous in the clip as she donned figure hugging work out gear with her brunette tresses scraped back into a bun.

Fans: Documenting the moment, the Love Island star arrived to collect the schoolboy to make sure that he was OK - and no doubt got him some 'cool points' along the way

Spotted: Despite attempting to keep a low profile the model's car was surrounded by hundreds of children, all thrilled to spot the star

It comes after reports Maura is the frontrunner to present ITV's Big Brother reboot next year.

The star is believed to be the producers' top choice due to her resume of TV gigs on Glow Up Ireland and Dancing On Ice.

A source told The Sun: 'Producers are determined to distance themselves from former Big Brother names but the former favourite, Mo Gilligan, is now busy in the States.

Be kind: She said: 'When you get a phone call to say he's being bullied at school yesterday...so you make sure you're on the school pick up today

Surrounded: Excited fans all surrounded the car trying desperately to get a glimpse of the influencer

'Now bosses are looking at female stars who have the strength to hold the show together, while also the warmth to gently quiz contestants in the way that Davina McCall and Emma Willis did so well.

'Maura is a homegrown ITV talent who has all that - plus of course looks great on screen.'

MailOnline has contacted Maura's representatives and ITV for comment.

It was announced during last month's Love Island final that Big Brother would be revived by ITV after a five year hiatus.

But according to The Mirror TV bosses promise that the reboot will feature everything viewers loved about the original series and 'won't be like Love Island'.

A source told the publication: 'There will be a diverse casting across a range of ages, which is what made so special. It won't be like Love Island, where the contestants are all young social media influencer types  they want 'all walks of life

They went on to say: 'There will absolutely be no outside influence  just like in the original series  so they won't get a day off every week like they do in the villa'.

'It will have everything viewers came to love about the retro series, with nominations, a public vote and live evictions, but they want it to appeal to a new generation'.

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.

The show started as a social experiment in 2000 - going on to become a firm fixture of popular culture.

All stars: The show started as a social experiment in 2000 and went on to become a firm fixture of popular culture (series one winner Craig Phillips seen with Davina McCall in 2000)

Ordinary members of the public entered the iconic house, skyrocketing to fame as they were watched 24/7 by the British public. while a celebrity version of the show with famous housemates also ran from 2000.

The experiment captured the hearts of millions, who could even tune in to the 24h live feed during the night.

It first aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010 and was hosted by Davina McCall, 54, before it moved to Channel 5 until 2018 where it was presented by series two winner Brian Dowling, 43, and later Emma Willis, 46.
Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres were never friends and O'Donnell is finally opening up about their subtle rivalry.

The 60-year-old dropped by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen this week and was asked why she and DeGeneres, 64, have such a frosty relationship.

Despite having a lot in common - both had successful daytime talk shows, both female comics, both out lesbians - the stars never got on.

Her side of the story: Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres were never friends and O'Donnell is finally opening up about their subtle rivalry on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

O'Donnell was more or less persona non grata on The Ellen DeGeneres Show during its long tenure but was finally asked to appear as a guest in season 19.

'We had a little bit of a weird thing, and after my show went off the air and hers was coming on the air,' Rosie explained to Andy.

'Larry King was on with Ellen and he said 'What ever happened to Rosie O'Donnell? Her show went down the tubes! She came out as a lesbian and disappeared!''

'And Ellen said, and I'm quoting, "I don't know Rosie. We're not friends."'

'We had a little bit of a weird thing, and after my show went off the air and hers was coming on the air,' Rosie explained to Andy.

At the time, Rosie was watching the interview at home with her ex-wife Kelli Carpenter.

'I was in bed with Kelli and I said "Did I just hear that? Or was that a hallucination, auditory voice in my '' she recollected. 'And that's what happened. And it hurt my feelings like a baby. And I never really got over it.'

Nearly more than a decade later, Rosie was finally asked to come on Ellen's show as a guest, she revealed, but to make it 'a little less awkward' there was talk of bringing on someone with her.

Ultimately that idea didn't fly but O'Donnell seem s not to harbor ill will towards Ellen.

'Larry King was on with Ellen and he said 'What ever happened to Rosie O'Donnell? Her show went down the tubes! She came out as a lesbian and disappeared! And Ellen said, and I'm quoting, "I don't know Rosie. We're not friends."'

'I was in bed with Kelli and I said "Did I just hear that? Or was that a hallucination, auditory voice in my '' she recollected. 'And that's what happened. And it hurt my feelings like a baby. And I never really got over it.'

'I wish her all good things in her life and that she should be well,' she said.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, a once very popular daytime chat series, aired from 1996 to 2002. Ellen's talk show seemingly replaced Rosie in 2003 and went on for 19 seasons until ending in a scandal.

DeGeneres caught flack for her behavior on and off set, leading to a massive toxic workplace scandal that spurred a company investigation and decline in ratings.

Ellen received bad publicity after employees of her show complained about poor treatment from the show's execs as the coronavirus forced her to film the show from home

'I wish her all good things in her life and that she should be well,' she said.

A pileup of professional problems for DeGeneres - who encouraged people to 'Be kind' on her show - sprouted in March of 2020, after comedian Kevin T. Porter went viral after asking his followers to post 'insane' tales of 'Ellen being mean' in a charitable effort for Los Angeles Food Bank.

The tweet inspired hundreds of responses, snowballing into more bad publicity for the star as employees of her show complained about poor treatment from the show's execs as the coronavirus forced DeGeneres to film her show from home.

In July of 2020, Buzzfeed published a pair of reports speaking with current and former employees for the show who said that the program was plagued by a toxic work environment rife with bullying, sexual misconduct and racist remarks.

Warner Bros.'s parent company WarnerMedia subsequently launched an internal probe of the show, saying that findings indicated 'some flaws in the shows daily management' and 'deficiencies related to the shows day-to-day management.'

In August of 2020, Warner Bros. announced that executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman had 'parted ways' with the show prior to its 18th season.

When DeGeneres returned to the air in September of 2020, she apologized over the scandal over things 'that never should have happened.'

DeGeneres announced she was ending her show in May of 2021, telling fans that she intuitively felt it was time to wrap things up in its 19th season.
Hyundai Card headquarters / Courtesy of Hyundai Card









By Anna J. Park







As the CEOs of both Hyundai Card and Hyundai Commercial stepped down from their posts recently without completing their terms, market attention is now focused on Chung Tae-young, vice chairman at Hyundai Card and Hyundai Commercial, as to the reasons for the CEOs' sudden resignations and the vice chairman's future moves with the firms.







The two departed CEOs were both appointed in April last year. Back then, Chung Tae-young stepped down from his long-held CEO role at Hyundai Commercial. But he decided to co-lead Hyundai Card with its newly appointed CEO, while maintaining his CEO position at the card firm, focusing on the company's new ventures and future strategic plans.







However, in just a year and a half after the appointment, the two CEOs decided to leave their positions without stating clear reasons behind their sudden resignations.







Lee Byung-hui, who led Hyundai Commercial from April last year to last month this year, stepped down from the leading position for unidentified personal reasons. Considering his term as CEO was supposed to last until March 2024, he left the position after serving only about half of the term.







Kim Deok-hwan, who led Hyundai Card from April last year to early this month, also decided to step down for personal reasons. His departure was surprising, as there were high expectations when he became the youngest CEO appointed to lead a local card company last year.







Hyundai Card and Hyundai Commercial Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young





Kim's month-long absence from the firm in Seoul during the month prior to his resignation also raises questions about the reason for his decision to leave.







While both former CEOs didn't specify their reasons for leaving, some speculate whether their resignations had something to do with an internal conflict with Vice Chairman Chung. Although Hyundai Card officials strongly denied any rumors in the market, questions still remain.







Chung also seems to have complicated thoughts regarding the CEOs' departures.







"Every single day is precious and hard. When a day passes smoothly without an issue, I wonder why; when something happens, I also wonder why it is so rough," he wrote on Facebook earlier this week, after the news about the two CEOs' resignations broke out.







With the two previous CEOs leaving, Hyundai Commercial is currently preparing to appoint a new CEO through a candidate recommendation committee. Meanwhile, Hyundai Card has now returned to Chung Tae-young's sole leadership from the previous joint leadership.







Market watchers view that Chung's leadership will now be put to the test again, as the card company faces important tasks related to its planned introduction of Apple Pay here later this year, raising company net profits and stabilizing company morale and structures.







Hyundai Card posted a net profit of 155.7 billion won ($112 million) during the first half of this year, which is a 14.6 percent fall from the same period last year. With this poor performance, Hyundai Card's league table fell to fourth place among local card companies for the first time in nine years.



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Jenna Coleman cut a casual figure as she filmed scenes for her upcoming Prime Video series Wilderness in New York on Thursday.

The Doctor Who star, 36, appeared deep in concentration as she was joined by co-star Oliver Jackson-Cohen, 35, who is son of fashion designer Betty Jackson.

Jenna plays Liv in the 'twisted love story' who upon finding out about her husband Will's (played by Oliver) affair, decides to seek revenge in one of America's secluded national parks.

Causal: Jenna Coleman, 36, cut a casual figure as she filmed scenes for her upcoming Prime Video series Wilderness in New York on Thursday

The Victoria actress donned a dark hoodie and jeans for the outdoor shoot as she slipped her feet into a pair of black patent boots.

Her character wore a natural make-up look while her brunette tresses cascaded to her shoulders in an open curl.

Jenna used a large shoulder bag as a prop and later answered her phone during the tense scene.

Costume: The Victoria actress donned a dark hoodie and jeans for the outdoor shoot as she slipped her feet into a pair of black patent boots

Co-star: The Doctor Who star appeared deep in concentration as she was joined by co-star Oliver Jackson-Cohen, 35, who is son of fashion designer Betty Jackson

Upcoming: Jenna plays Liv in the 'twisted love story' who upon finding out about her husband Will's (played by Oliver) affair, decides to seek revenge in one of America's secluded national parks

Oliver looked dapper in a camel trench coat which he layered over jeans and a simple black T-shirt.

The handsome actor completed the look with a pair of brogues while neatly parting his hair to one side.

The official synopsis reads: 'A novel by B.E. Jones, Wilderness is the story of British couple Liv and Will who seem to have it all: a rock-solid marriage and a glamorous new life in New York thousands of miles from their provincial hometown, yet who are still young enough to feel that their whole lives are ahead of them'.

Sunnies: The character wore a natural make-up look while her brunette tresses cascaded to her shoulders in an open curl

Props:Jenna used a large shoulder bag as a prop and later answered her phone during the tense scene

'Until Liv learns about Wills affair. Heartbreak is swiftly followed by another emotion: fury. Revenge is her only option, and when Will proposes a trip around America's epic National Parks to give their relationship a fresh start, Liv knows just how to get it'.

The show also stars included Pretty Little Liars' Ashley Benson, Six Feet Under's Eric Balfour and Sherwood actress Claire Rushbrook.

The series is expected to hit the streaming service later this year.

Coffee break: The actress later grabbed a coffee during a break in filming

Not long: The series is expected to hit the streaming service later this year

Jenna also plays occult detective Johanna Constantine in the highly-anticipated Netflix series The Sandman.

The streaming service described The Sandman as 'a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven.

'The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic  and human  mistakes he's made during his vast existence.'

New show: Jenna also plays occult detective Johanna Constantine in the highly-anticipated Netflix series The Sandman (pictured with co-star Tom Sturridge)

Netflix also announced that Star Wars star Mark Hamill, 70, will voice the character of Merv Pumpkinhead.

Elsewhere Gwendoline Christie, 43, stars as ruler of hell Lucifer, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, 35, as Dream's sister Death and Boyd Holbrook, 40, as living nightmare and main antagonist The Corinthian.

The Sandman series by Neil was published by DC Comics with the original series running for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996.
Netflix released the official trailer for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on its YouTube channel on Friday.

In the clip, the titular serial killer, portrayed by Evan Peters, claimed the lives of several victims and became the focus of a high-profile manhunt while affecting the lives of several individuals he did not target.

The limited series was created by Ryan Murphy and it is currently set to premiere on the streaming service later this month.

New visuals: Netflix released the official trailer for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on its YouTube channel on Friday

The trailer begins with Dahmer bringing one of his many victims back to his apartment.

Upon entering the residence, the individual makes a comment about an odd smell, and a drop of blood is seen underneath the bottom of a power drill, after which the serial killer locks the front door.

Dahmer is then seen visiting a club, and after he offers drinks to several other victims, his neighbor Glenda Cleveland, portrayed by Niecy Nash, asks him: 'What do you do in there?'

As the serial killer tortures and dismembers his potential partners, Cleveland continues: 'The smells, power tools going all hours of the night, I hear screaming coming from your apartment.'

Synopsis: In the clip, the titular serial killer, portrayed by Evan Peters, claimed the lives of several victims and became the focus of a high-profile manhunt while affecting the lives of several individuals he did not target

Unlucky: The trailer begins with Dahmer bringing one of his many victims back to his apartment

Suspicion: Dahmer is then seen while visiting a club, and after he is seen offering drinks to several other victims, his neighbor Glenda Cleveland, portrayed by Niecy Nash, asks him: 'What do you do in there?'

She was later seen having a conversation with Dahmer, who presented her with a sandwich stuffed with suspicious-looking meat, and the criminal instructed her to 'eat it now.'

After he was shown caressing both a victim and a mannequin, Cleveland objected to eating the sandwich.

The serial killer described the contents of the dish as simply 'meat' and expressed that he 'tried to do a nice thing' for her.

Portions of Dahmer's traumatic childhood were featured in the clip, and his father, played by Richard Jenkins, appeared to be troubled by his son's activities.

Ominous: She was later seen having a conversation with Dahmer, who presents her with a sandwich stuffed with suspicious-looking meat, and the criminal instructs her to 'eat it now'

Not what it seems: After he was shown while caressing both a victim and a mannequin, Cleveland objected to eating the sandwich, to which the serial killer simply described the contents of the dish as 'meat'

Family problems: Portions of Dahmer's traumatic childhood were featured in the clip, and his father, played by Richard Jenkins, appeared to be troubled by his son's activities

One of the loved ones of one of the cannibal's victims was then shown lashing out in a courtroom during his trial, after which he interacted with what appeared to be a severed and preserved head.

Cleveland subsequently spoke to a police officer, and exclaimed: 'I called you for months and it's too late! Y'all came too late!'

The trailer ends with Dahmer staring at his neighbor and ominously demanding: 'Eat it.'

Legal drama: One of the loved ones of one of the cannibal's victims was then shown lashing out in a courtroom during his trial, after which he interacted with what appeared to be a severed and preserved head

Missed opportunity: Cleveland subsequently spoke to a police officer, and exclaimed: 'I called you for months and it's too late! Y'all came too late!'

Pure evil: The trailer ends with Dahmer staring at his neighbor and ominously demanding: 'Eat it'

Netflix previously released two images of Peters playing Jeffrey Dahmer ahead of the limited series' release.

The shots show the St. Louis native in the the role of the infamous serial killer - who murdered 17 people between 1978 and 1991 - donning glasses with a striped retro polo shirt with a belt and blue jeans.

Peters is glaring forward in the promotional images as he's playing Dahmer, who worked at a Milwaukee chocolate factory.

An inside look: Netflix previously released two images of eters playing Jeffrey Dahmer ahead of the limited series' release

The limited series will retell the story of Dahmer from the perspective of his victims, and explore major mistakes Wisconsin police made in handling the probe of the notorious mass murderer, who made national headlines for acts of cannibalism and necrophilia involving his victims.

Peters has past worked with Murphy on a number of projects, including nine of 10 seasons of American Horror Story, as well as the series Pose.

Peters in April told Variety about the painstaking task he had taken of researching Dahmer in depth for the role.

Glare: Peters is glaring forward in the promotional images as he's playing Dahmer, who worked at a Milwaukee chocolate factory

Teaser: Netflix last month released a back head shot of Peters in the role of the murderer

Crime: Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was beaten to death by another inmate in November of 1994 at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin

'I've read so much, I've watched so much, I've seen so much, and at a certain point, you've got to say, "All right, that's enough,"' he said. 'There are beautifully written scripts. You can have all the backstory you want, but at the end of the day we're not making a documentary.

'It's more about maintaining the idea and the through line of why you're telling the story and always having that as your guiding light.'

Dahmer in 1992 was convicted of 16 murders he'd been charged with, and sentenced to 16 life sentences in prison. He was bludgeoned to death with a metal bar in November of 1994 by Christopher Scarver, another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin.

Flashback: Dahmer was seen in court during his trial

Career: Peters has past worked with Murphy on a number of projects, including nine of 10 seasons of American Horror Story, as well as the series Pose. He was snapped in LA in March

The gruesome story of Dahmer has past been chronicled in the 2002 movie Dahmer, in which Jeremy Renner played the titular role; as well as 2017's My Friend Dahmer, in which Ross Lynch played a teen version of the nascent serial killer.

Murphy has excelled chronicling 1990s true crime sagas, with past American Crime Story projects including 2018's The Assassination of Gianni Versace and 2016's The People Vs. OJ Simpson.

Murphy is collaborating on the project with Ian Brennan. The limited series is slated to arrive on the streaming service on September 22.
Penelope Cruz cut a glamorous figure as she walked the red carpet at the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain on Friday.

The actress, 48, is set to receive a Spanish National Cinematographic Award for her contribution to the cinema on Saturday.

And she looked stunning as she posed for photographers at the event, wearing a sheer black dress with intricate lace detail and a thigh-high front split.

Glitterati: Penelope Cruz, 48, cut a glamorous figure as she walked the red carpet at the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain on Friday

Penelope's gown featured a low cut neckline and the skirt reached nearly down to the ground.

She added a few inches to her stature by wearing a pair of black heels and carried a matching clutch purse with her.

The screen star wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features and accessorised with some glitzy silver pendulum earrings.

In style: She looked stunning as she posed for photographers at the event, wearing a sheer black dress with intricate lace detail and a thigh-high front split

She appeared in a playful mood as she posed alongside Argentinian actor Juan Diego Botto, 47, who looked dapper in a black suit.

He wore a white shirt which he left unbuttoned at the collar and opted for a pair of smartly polished black shoes.

The pair were seen greeting fans as they walked along the red carpet, stoping to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

Larking about: She appeared in a playful mood as she posed alongside Argentinian actor Juan Diego Botto, 47, who looked dapper in a black suit

All stars: Penelope and Juan Diego posed alongside fellow Spanish actor Luis Tosar, 50, at the bash

Fashion focus: Luis looked smart in a grey suit which he teamed with a black top, with the trio chatting as they walked along the red carpet

Shimmering: Penelope's dress glistened in the daylight as she posed on the red carpet, with the star opting for a glamorous look with her make-up

Greeting their public: The pair were seen greeting fans as they walked along the red carpet, stoping to pose for pictures and sign autographs

Accolade: The actress is set to receive a Spanish National Cinematographic Award for her contribution to the cinema on Saturday

Small talk: Penelope and Juan Diego were in good spirits as they chatted after heading inside the venue

Strutting her stuff: Penelope looked every inch the Hollywood siren as she walked the red carpet at the event

Penelope was also joined at the event by her lookalike younger sister, fellow actress Monica Cruz, 45.

Monica showed off her chic sense of style in a in a black dress with a plunging neckline.

The tiered circle skirt flared out as she posed on the red carpet while posing for pictures.

Strike a pose: Penelope put on a leggy display as she walked the red carpet at the event, with the split in her dress revealing her pins

Fresh faced: The star showed off her clear complexion as she posed on the red carpet at the event in Spain

Out on the town: Penelope gave onlookers a wave as she posed inside the event in Spain on Friday

Posing up: The star gently rested her hand on her shoulder as she posed for the hoards of photographers

Winning smile: Penelope looked content as she posed for pictures at the event

Family affair: Penelope was also joined at the event by her lookalike younger sister, fellow actress Monica Cruz, 45

She wore a pair of gold platform heels to boost her height and carried a small rose gold clutch with her.

Monica wore her hair back in a ponytail and opted for a pair of small gold hoop earrings.

Her sister Penelope exuded chic in an all-black ensemble earlier in the day as she attended a screening for her new thriller-drama On The Fringe during San Sebastian Film Festival.

Looking good: Monica showed off her chic sense of style in a in a black dress with a plunging neckline

Stylish: Penelope was the picture of chic in geometric patterned jeans as she attended a screening for her new thriller On The Fringe earlier in the day

On-screen: On The Fringe is a film on family, love and solidarity - linking the stories of three separate characters who all go on 24 hour long life-shaping journeys in a race against the clock

The actress donned a pair of dark jeans with a geometric pattern print, tucking a black blouse with gold button detailing into the straight leg trousers.

Juan Diego Botto's Spanish-Belgian flick On The Fringe features the Vanilla Sky star as leading lady Azucena and is up for the City of Donostia Audience Award at the 70th annual film festival.

Penelope stars in the film, also called En los Margenes, alongside Spanish actor Luis Tosar.
Kanye West is rumored to be dating supermodel Candice Swanepoel.

The romance rumors have swirled after the rapper shared a photo of Swanepoel wearing his futuristic YZY SHDZ YR 3022 for Gap sunglasses.

The image, from his new ad campaign, was posted to Ye's social media accounts amid multiple reports that the rapper mogul and the the 33-year-old South African model are getting romantic.

According to insiders, Kanye and Candice have been getting close lately and have already taking two loved-up trips together, The Sun reported.

New couple alert? Kanye West rumored to be DATING Candice Swanepoel after Kim Kardashian's ex shares snap of model wearing his YZY glasses

'Kanye and Candice have been seeing a lot of each other and he's been introducing her as his girlfriend,' a source told The Sun. 'He was hung up on Kim for a long time but he finally seems to be moving on.

They added that Kanye and Candice have secreted away on to trips together to the UK and NYC.

'So far things have been kept quite casual with Candice because they are both really busy and they don't want to rush into anything,' the source said. 'But things are a lot more promising than they were with Irina or Julia.'

Kanye has had no shortage of dates since splitting from wife Kim Kardashian with high profile trysts with Julia Fox and Irina Shayk.

Love is in the air: Kanye may have found a new muse in rumored new girlfriend Candice Swanepoel and just shared a photo of her wearing his futuristic YZY SHDZ YR 3022 for Gap sunglasses

Modelizer: According to insiders, Kanye and Candice have been getting close lately and have already taking two loved-up trips together, The Sun reported

'Kanye and Candice have been seeing a lot of each other and he's been introducing her as his girlfriend,' a source told The Sun. 'He was hung up on Kim for a long time but he finally seems to be moving on (Kanye and Candice pictured in this artfully blurry snap this week)

Meanwhile, another insider who spoke with ET also confirmed the romance: 'Kanye and Candice are dating and their relationship is new.'

Adding: 'They like each other and are happy with how things are going so far. They've connected over fashion and creativity. Kanye is excited about Candice.'

Insiders also spotted the pair getting cozy at a recent party for Kanye's fashion line, flirting, taking pictures together and leaving in the same SUV, according to TMZ.

In the newest image shared by the designer, Candice is seen close up wearing a pair of his yet-to-be-released YZY SHDZ.

They consist of a futuristic plastic shield held together by a bungee cord complete with a foam-padded nose bridge.

Candice is among the many who posed for the new campaign including Chantel Jefferies, Chris Rock and most notably his ex Kim Kardashian and their daughters North, nine, and Chicago, four.

Interestingly, the Kardashian-Wests share a mutual appreciation for Kanye's rumored new love. Back in April, Candice slipped her supermodel body into some SKIMS for one of Kim's campaigns for her clothing line.

Meanwhile, Kanye is set to launch his sunglasses at Gap whilst terminating their partnership.

Overlap: Interestingly, the Kardashian-Wests share a mutual appreciation for Kanye's rumored new love

Will this be a problem: Back in April, Candice slipped her supermodel body into some SKIMS for one of Kim's campaigns for her clothing line

The artist's lawyers sent a letter to the company on Thursday to notify them of the termination, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The letter alleged that Gap breached their agreement by not releasing apparel as planned, or opening stores.

On Thursday, Kanye shared what appeared to be the letter to his Instagram page.

The contract with Gap, signed in June 2020, is good for for another eight years.

The multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artist, who is also feuding with Adidas, still has until 2026 before his deal with the sportswear brand runs out.

It is unknown what his next endeavor is, and unclear what brands will work with the rapper, although he did say he plans on going solo and opening his own stores, without a company 'standing in between me and the audience.'
The lawyer said he has two eyewitnesses who reiterate Rocky's claims that Relli was not actually hit by bullet fragments and that shots were not even fired

A$AP Rocky claims he did not shoot friend A$AP Relli during an argument in Hollywood and has branded it an extortion attempt after pleading not guilty to charges in a Los Angeles courthouse last month.

The 33-year-old rapper's - born Rakim Athelaston Mayers - lawyer Joe Tacopina told TMZ on Friday: 'Rocky didn't commit a crime.

'It was an extortion attempt by a former associate, who threatened to make false criminal accusations if Rocky didn't pay him.'

Last month Rocky - who is the boyfriend of singing superstar Rihanna and father of her four month-old baby boy - pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to shooting at a former friend and music partner during an argument.

'It was an extortion attempt by a former associate': A$AP Rocky claims he did not shoot friend A$AP Relli during an argument in Hollywood and has branded it an extortion attempt his lawyer Joe Tacopina told TMZ on Friday after pleading not guilty to charges in a Los Angeles courthouse last month (pictured)

Charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, Rocky - real name Rakim Mayers - is facing up to four years in jail on each charge if hes convicted.

Tacopina told the publication that he has two eyewitnesses who reiterate Rocky's claims that Relli was not actually hit by bullet fragments and that shots were not even fired.

The lawyer claims that Rocky's friend had made up the story in a 'get-rich-quick scheme.'

Tacopina told the publication that he has two eyewitnesses who reiterate Rocky's claims that Relli (pictured) was not actually hit by bullet fragments and that shots were not even fired. He also claimed it was a 'get-rich-quick scheme'

Tacopina believes that both the civil and criminal cases against Rocky are 'slam dunks' as he told TMZ: 'What will become abundantly clear in the upcoming months, based on facts and evidence, is that Rocky is innocent of these charges.'

At his criminal court arraignment on August 17 in downtown LA, the hip-hop artist showed up in dark blue suit and tie, with his hair braided in corn rows, and flanked by several dark-suited minders

When Judge Victoria Wilson asked Mayers how he wanted to plead today, his attorney, Sara Caplan, entered a plea of not guilty to both charges.

Serious: On August 17, A$AP Rocky - boyfriend of singing superstar Rihanna and father of her three month-old baby boy - appeared in Los Angeles court to plead not guilty

The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, who is charged with two counts of assault with a firearm stemming, arrives to his court appearance in Los Angeles

Rap star ASAP Rocky arrives at a Los Angeles court on Wednesday with a suit on after being charged with felony assault with a firearm

When Judge Victoria Wilson asked Mayers how he wanted to plead today, his attorney, Sara Caplan, entered a plea of not guilty to both charges

Rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to shooting at a friend during an argument. The shooting occurred in November 2021, when his girlfriend, Rihanna, was four months pregnant

The judge continued Mayers $550,000 bail and scheduled a pre-trial hearing November 2.

And she issued a protective order, meaning that Mayers must not attack or harass his alleged victim - fellow rapper Terell Ephron - or contact him or come within 100 yards of him.

Judge Wilson also ruled that Mayers could not own or possess any firearms and ordered him to hand in any guns he already has.

The charges arise from an altercation in Hollywood last November 6 between Mayers and Ephron - whose stage name is ASAP Relli and who was a member with Rocky in the ASAP Mob rap group that started in Harlem in 2006.

Prosecutors say that during the argument, Mayers pointed the handgun at Ephron, then fired it twice toward him, injuring his hand.

Ephron this week filed a civil assault and battery lawsuit in LA against Mayers in which his attorneys say that Mayers, pulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of (Ephron) and fired multiple shots.

Rocky appears in court to enter a plea of not guilty. The judge continued Mayers $550,000 bail and scheduled a pre-trial hearing November 2

Charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, Rocky - real name Rakim Mayers - is facing up to four years in jail on each charge if hes convicted

Ephron's attorneys Jamal Tooson (L) and Brian Hurwitz (R) the attorneys for A$AP Relli speak to the media outside the courthouse in Los Angeles

Adding that Ephron was in fear for his life, the suit says that Ephron was struck by bullet projectile/fragments causing him injuries that required medical attention.

Ephron claims the rapper shot him in the area of Selma and Argyle Avenues in Hollywood following an argument.

Mayers is accused of approaching Ephron on the street around 10.15pm on November 6 and firing a handgun at him three or four times.

One of the bullets reportedly grazed the Ephron's left hand and he later sought medical treatment.

In court today, attorney Caplan asked that the protective order the judge issued against Mayers be mutual - that Ephron should also be ordered not to attack or harass Rocky and stay 100 years away from him - because Mayers is also in danger.

But Judge Wilson restricted the protective order to apply only against Mayer and told Caplan that if a case was subsequently brought against Ephron we can deal with that then.

Mayers was arrested April 20 at LAX airport as he stepped off a private plane from Barbados where he had been on vacation with then-pregnant Rihanna, 34.

The case is still being investigated by the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Unit.

A$AP Rocky leaves the courthouse after his arraignment in Los Angeles

Rapper A$AP Rocky, also known as Rakim Mayers, leaves after his arraignment hearing on charges of assault with a firearm, at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles

Cops held him for a few hours on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, then released him on $550,000 bail and sent the case to the LA District Attorney to prosecute.

It wasnt till Monday of this week - August 15 - that LA DA George Gascon decided that the charges were serious enough to press for felony status, rather than misdemeanor which would have meant only a maximum of one year jail time for each count.

Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood, said Gascon after announcing the charges.

My office conducted a thorough review not the evidence in this case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted.
Orlando Bloom has signed up to join the cast of the film adaptation of Gran Turismo opposite David Harbour.

The actor, 45, has reached an agreement for the Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions movie, which will be helmed by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, according to Deadline.

While details of the star's role are yet to be announced, the script - which comes from Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) - is based on a true story, following a teenage Gran Turismo player who used his gaming skills to become a professional racecar driver.

Hollywood heavyweight: Orlando Bloom, 45, has signed up to join the cast of the film adaptation of Gran Turismo opposite David Harbour (pictured in September 2021)

It comes after emerged fellow actor David Harbour, 47, is also set to star in the big screen adaptation of the beloved video game franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Stranger Things star David is set to play a retired driver who teachers the youngster to drive.

The first game was released in 1997, and is reportedly the top selling Sony franchise of all time.

Movie magic: It comes after emerged fellow actor David Harbour, 47, is also set to star in the big screen adaptation of the beloved video game franchise (pictured in 2018)

It follows Uncharted - another PlayStation video game adaptation which starred Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland - while there is a TV adaptation of The Last of Us on the way.

In a statement, PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash said: 'As one of PlayStations longest standing and most beloved franchises, its great to be partnering with Columbia Pictures again to bring Gran Turismo to life in an exciting way.

'We cant wait for audiences to see Neills vision of this inspiring true story of gamer turned professional race car driver.'

Asad's PlayStation Productions colleague Carter Swan will produce alongside Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti.

Meanwhile, game creator Kazunori Yamauchi joins Hall as executive producers.

The film is set to be released on August 11 next year.
She recently confirmed her split from ex-boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen.

And Abbie Chatfield is taking her single life in stride as she admits to uploading more and more racy pictures and videos to Instagram.

The 27-year-old bragged about her recent 'thirst traps' during her radio show Hot Nights with Rohan Edwards on Thursday.

Abbie Chatfield, 27, is taking her single life in stride as she admits to uploading more and more racy pictures and videos to Instagram

The TV and radio host explained what she had recently shared online, she said: 'I am obviously single.'

'I wouldn't say I've got a roster, but because of that I've uploaded some pretty racy stuff lately,' at this point co-host Rohan completely agreed.

On Saturday Abbie uploaded a video of herself dancing to FKA twigs with the caption 'thirst trap' and she explained she got 'a few bites from that one'.

Abbie recently confirmed her split from ex-boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen (photographed)

Abbie went on to talk about what she is referring to as the 'creme de la creme' of posts and apparently 'people loved it'.

The Bachelorette star wore a raunchy sheer bodycon dress which left little to the imagination.

'Do we think this photo will last longer on the gram than tommy lee's c**k did?' Abbie said.

'I wouldn't say I've got a roster, but because of that I've uploaded some pretty racy stuff lately', at this point co-host Rohan completely agreed

During her radio chat Abbie went on to talk about how her thirst traps went international, she said: 'The beauty of having people that you speak to not in Australia, is that when you wake up it keeps coming.'

The split from Konrad was just six months after announcing they were in an open relationship.

Two separate sources confirmed the break-up to Daily Mail Australia, revealing Konrad had told co-stars on the set of Ten's series The Challenge he was single.

The former Bachelorette star then reportedly hooked-up with Bachelor alum Megan Marx during filming of the show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

'Oh, my gosh! The drama is insane. Konrad is sleeping with Megan [Marx],' one insider revealed.

'Konrad said he was single and his relationship with Abbie was over because she broke up with him.'

The source claimed Konrad and Megan couldn't keep their hands off each other once the cameras were rolling.
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Korean Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul, left, ooks at a B-52 strategic bomber at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, in this photo released by Seoul's defense ministry. Yonhap



A key high-level deterrence dialogue of South Korea and the United States opened in Washington, D.C., on Friday, following a nearly five-year hiatus, in a culmination of their accelerating joint efforts to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.



The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), a gathering of the allies' vice-ministerial defense officials and diplomats, took place at the State Department amid concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang carrying out a nuclear test or other provocative acts.



The EDSCG had not been held since its second and last session in January 2018, when the then liberal Moon Jae-in administration pushed for an initiative to promote inter-Korean rapprochement and cooperation.



Seoul's vice defense and foreign ministers  Shin Beom-chul and Cho Hyun-dong, respectively  attended the session, with the U.S. represented by Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, and Bonnie Jenkins, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.



The high-profile event came a week after the North revealed its codification of an assertive nuclear policy that leaves open the possibility of a preemptive strike to be unleashed in case of a regime security threat.



The EDSCG is meant to discuss ways to enhance the credibility of America's extended deterrence, its stated commitment to mobilizing a full range of military capabilities, including nuclear options to defend its ally.



In an interview with Yonhap News Agency earlier this week, Seoul's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said the EDSCG gathering would touch on a raft of issues, such as the sharing of intelligence, crisis-period communication, allied defense exercises and the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets.



The reactivation of the EDSCG followed a Seoul summit deal in May between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden. The two leaders reaffirmed "the commitment of the U.S. to deploy strategic U.S. military assets in a timely and coordinated manner as necessary, as well as to enhance such measures and identify new or additional steps to reinforce deterrence in the face of DPRK destabilizing activities," the allies' joint statement read, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)








A chronology of ancient Korean history excluding two ancient Korean kingdoms  Goguryeo and Balhae  before it was pulled from an exhibition held in the National Museum of China. Captured from Weibo





By Lee Yeon-woo







The National Museum of China has removed a chronological table from an exhibit after claims were made that it is a distortion of Korean history through arbitrary exclusion of some ancient Korean kingdoms.







"The National Museum of China informed us by diplomatic channels that they decided to remove the chronology from the 'Auspicious Metals from the Orient: Ancient Bronzes of China, Korea, and Japan' exhibition," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea said, Thursday.







The Chinese national museum also sent an email to the National Museum of Korea, confirming that the item had been removed from the exhibit. The chronological table of China and Japan showcased at the exhibition was also taken down, according to the National Museum of Korea.







The Korean chronology at the exhibition raised controversy as the Chinese museum excluded two ancient Korean kingdoms  Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668) and Balhae (A.D. 698-926)  but included other kingdoms such as Baekje (18 B.C.-A.D.660.) and Shilla (57 B.C.- A.D. 935). Some questioned whether China deliberately excluded Goguryeo and Balhae because their main territories at those times covered current North Korea and some parts of China.







The National Museum of Korea strongly criticized China's act, claiming the National Museum of China arbitrarily edited the chronology they provided and warned every lent relic on exhibit will be withdrawn if the chronology is not rectified.







"China has assured that this incident had no ulterior intention. We clarified we were on the same page of the 'Korea-China verbal agreement over historical issues of 2004' by taking necessary measures before the issue becomes more complicated," the foreign ministry said.







However, some criticize it as an insincere measure since China didn't publicly admit or correct its mistakes but rather choose to remove the table altogether.







"We cannot simply feel relieved. Taking down the table without any apology or promise to correct it means they are not admitting their attempts to distort history. It's just a maneuver to avoid the issue at hand," Seo Kyoung-duk, an academic activist and professor of Sungshin Women's University wrote on Facebook, Friday.







He also pointed out the importance to realize China's attempts to distort Korean history and culture, and prepare systematic strategies for the future.







"For upcoming international exhibitions we send our relics to, we will prepare systems to examine any possible distortions and misleading or nonfactual information in advance, and to request clarifications in the event of any issue," the National Museum of Korea said.


Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae, leftmost, confers honorary citizenship of Naju City, South Jeolla Province, to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi Hogan during a banquet held at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Naju City





By Lee Yeon-woo







Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi Hogan have become honorary citizens of Naju City, South Jeolla Province, according to the city.







Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae presented plaques to the couple during a banquet held at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Thursday.







Yumi Hogan, a Korean American, was born in Naju. As the first lady of Maryland, it is known that she has played an active role in promoting regional exchanges between Naju and the U.S. state of Maryland.







In 2016, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in various sectors such as education, farming, culture and tourism. They agreed to support students from Naju to study English in Maryland colleges, expand the export outlets of Naju pears, its local specialty, and promote "jjok," a Korean natural dyeing method.







She also made efforts to create an exchange program between the Nature Dyeing Culture Center of Naju and Maryland Institute College of Art in 2016. Her affection for her hometown is so deep that she personally prepares various lectures and field trips to broaden the experience of the visiting students from Naju.







"We are sincerely thankful to the governor and the first lady for not forgetting our city and putting efforts to communicate and cooperate with Naju. Please feel free to visit your hometown anytime," Yoon said.







Honorary citizenship in Naju is given to foreign nationals, Korean residents abroad and people who live in other regions but have contributed to developing the city and advancing the local government. Larry and Yumi Hogan are the 10th and 11th honorary citizens of Naju.


In one of the pleas filed in the top court, the petitioner said the high court has "erred in creating a dichotomy of freedom of religion and freedom of conscience wherein the court has inferred that those who follow a religion cannot have the right to conscience." (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider listing pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict which had dismissed petitions seeking permission to wear hijab inside classroom.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submissions of senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for one of the petitioners, that the plea needed an urgent hearing.

"I will list it. Wait for two days," the CJI said.

Several petitions have been filed in the apex court against the Karnataka High Court verdict holding that wearing of hijab is not a part of the essential religious practice which can be protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.

The high court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi, seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom.

The prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction, constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to, the high court had said.

In one of the pleas filed in the top court, the petitioner said the high court has "erred in creating a dichotomy of freedom of religion and freedom of conscience wherein the court has inferred that those who follow a religion cannot have the right to conscience."

"The high court has failed to note that the right to wear hijab comes under the ambit of the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is submitted that the freedom of conscience forms a part of the right to privacy," it said.

The plea said the petitioner had approached the high court seeking redressal for the alleged violation of their fundamental rights against the state government order of February 5, 2022, issued under Sections 7 and 133 of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.

The high court had maintained that the government has the power to issue impugned order dated February 5, 2022, and no case is made out for its invalidation.

By the said order, the Karnataka government had banned wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges, which the Muslim girls had challenged in the high court.

Challenging the February 5 order of the government, the petitioners had argued before the high court that wearing the Islamic headscarf was an innocent practice of faith and an Essential Religious Practice (ERP) and not a mere display of religious jingoism.

The petitioners had also contended that the restriction violated the freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(A) and Article 21 dealing with personal liberty.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Karnataka government on pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia issued notice to the state on the pleas and posted them for hearing on September 5.

The bench pulled up some of the petitioners, who sought adjournment in the matter, and said it would not permit "this kind of forum shopping".

Several petitions have been filed in the apex court against the Karnataka High Court verdict holding that wearing of hijab is not a part of the essential religious practice which can be protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.

The high court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi, seeking permission to wear hijab inside classroom.
These cheetahs will be the first of the few in the founder population that will be reintroduced in the 744 sq km national park in Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.  Pixabay

Bhopal/New Delhi: Eight cheetahs from Namibia are set to leave for their new home in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in a chartered flight on Friday, unfolding a historic event.

Five female and three male cheetahs will make an 11-hour, transcontinental journey from Namibia's capital Windhoek to Kuno National Park on September 16 and 17, a press release by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a wildlife conservation body that is coordinating the cheetah reintroduction project in India, has said.

"The mission to move the cheetahs will begin on the afternoon of Friday, September 16, with the transfer of cats from the CCF centre to the Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek, Namibias capital.

After a brief ceremony to acknowledge Namibias donation and the significance of the mission, the cheetahs will be loaded onto a private B747 jet.

According to details released by the CCF, "The plane will fly overnight and land in Jaipur, India, by daybreak. The cheetahs will be transferred from Jaipur to Kuno National Park by helicopter."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release the cheetahs in Kuno National Park on September 17, coinciding with his 72nd birthday.

The introduction of cheetahs in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the worlds first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.



The Prime Ministers Office said that cheetahs will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems in India. This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, benefiting the society at large.



"This effort, in line with the Prime Ministers commitment towards environment protection and wildlife conservation, will also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and ecotourism activities," the PMO said.

These cheetahs will be the first of the few in the founder population that will be reintroduced in the 744 sq km national park in Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.

The key objective of the reintroduction of cheetahs into the park is to have a wild meta-population of cheetahs in the country in the next 15 years.

The eight Namibian cheetahs arriving in Kuno are aged between two and five-and-a-half years.

A CCF statement said that each animal has been vaccinated, fitted with a satellite collar and kept in isolation in the CCF centre in Otjiwarongo, Namibia.

The CCF said that the Boeing 747 "jumbo jet" aircraft that is transporting the eight cheetahs to India is a passenger jet. It has been modified to carry cages containing the cheetahs.

Veterinarians will accompany the cheetahs during their journey to monitor their health.

"For more than 12 years, I have consulted with the Government of India and their scientists on how to bring cheetahs back to their landscape, and now, it is happening!" Dr Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the CCF, as quoted in the press release.

The cheetah reintroduction project by the Government of India was mooted in 2009.

Thrilled at the prospect of the state receiving rare wild guests, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a Twitter post said, "With the arrival of Cheetahs, the Trinity of Tigers, Leopards and Cheetahs will be complete in Madhya Pradesh."

Cheetahs went extinct in India in 1952, officially.
President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, during the latter's visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps



China's top legislator stresses 'mutual respect' in 'sensitive matters' with S. Korea



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea during his meeting with Li Zhanshu, China's third-most-powerful official and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in what appears to be a tug-of-war between the two countries' leaders over who will visit whom first.



According to the presidential office, Yoon had a meeting with Li, who arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a three-day visit, and told the chairman that "President Xi's visit (to South Korea) will be a cornerstone for the next 30 years of South Korea-China relations."



Li responded that he would pass on the invitation to Xi, but added he expects "President Yoon to visit China at his time of convenience."



This is not the first time that Yoon has invited Xi to Seoul. In May, when Yoon began his term as president, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan passed on Xi's invitation to Yoon to visit China, and Yoon also said he expected Xi to visit Seoul. In August, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin visited China and delivered Yoon's invitation to Xi to visit Seoul.



At the time, it was seen as a diplomatic discourtesy in South Korea, because Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in had visited China twice while Xi has never paid a visit to Seoul since 2014. Last December, Suh Hoon, national security adviser for former President Moon, and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi also said it was time for Xi to pay a visit to South Korea.



During Friday's meeting, Yoon and Li also discussed the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, to which China has been expressing its opposition.



Yoon told Li that the two countries should communicate closely to avoid the matter of THAAD becoming a setback in bilateral relations. Li also acknowledged the necessity for close communication on "sensitive matters," according to the presidential office.





Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, left, speaks during a joint press conference with South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo after their meeting in Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps



Before meeting Yoon, Li said in a press conference that the spirit of "mutual respect" is important in addressing "sensitive matters" with South Korea, referring to Seoul's recent move to normalize the THAAD system.



During the conference after meeting Seoul's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, Li said he and Kim "shared their thoughts that the two sides should address sensitive problems based on the spirit of respecting each other's key major interests" for the sake of productive and healthy bilateral relations.



Ever since South Korea deployed the missile defense system in 2017, China has been expressing its opposition, more recently urging Seoul to uphold the so-called "Three Nos" policy, which refers to no additional THAAD deployments, no South Korean integration into a U.S.-led regional missile defense system and no trilateral alliance with the U.S. and Japan.



The mutual respect Li was referring to has been widely acknowledged as China's expression that the THAAD battery hurts Beijing's interests, thus Seoul should show respect on this.



"The terminology has widely been using in cordial remarks between the two countries' leaders and ranking diplomats, but the two countries have been using it for different purposes," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. "While China wants to be respected on its claim, South Korea is using the term of mutual respect, asking China to accept that South Korea needs THAAD to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."



During his meeting with Speaker Kim, Li also said that "President Xi Jinping has evaluated that China-South Korea relations were able to make their achievements because they have maintained the values of mutual respect, mutual trust and reciprocal magnanimity."



The concept of mutual respect has been the keyword in Seoul and Beijing's recent diplomatic overtures, as South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol administration is putting greater emphasis on expanding its ties with the United States, triggering concerns that this may sour South Korea's relations with China, its largest trading partner.



As a tactic to address this dilemma, South Korea has been stressing the value of mutual trust. Foreign Minister Park Jin, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi last month, stressed that the two sides can have healthy relations even though there may be differences in their values and socio-political systems.



During Li's meeting with speaker Kim, they recognized the progress in bilateral relations over the past three decades and discussed how they should develop them further in the future.



Meanwhile, speaker Kim said he proposed a trilateral meeting between the parliamentary heads of South Korea, China and Japan, as a way to strengthen exchanges between high-ranking officials of the countries.



"Chairman Li and I have shared the recognition that the two countries' legislative bodies should make contributions to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia amid the flexible geopolitical circumstances," Kim said. "Li responded that he will seriously consider the proposal, and I will soon communicate this with Japan in an appropriate manner."



Li also said in the press announcement that the two sides recognized that the peace and safety of the Korean Peninsula should be protected through conversations and negotiations, and "the establishment of a peace scheme on the peninsula serves each country's common interests."



Also on Friday, Li paid a visit to LG Science Park in southwestern Seoul's Gangseo District, which accommodates the R&D departments of LG Group's eight major affiliates including LG Energy Solution, the world's No. 2 EV battery maker in terms of sales.
VIJAYAWADA: Paritala village, the first republic in the erstwhile Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, is all set to celebrate 75 years of its Independence from Nizam rule on Saturday, September 17.

Paritala, situated on Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway had been the first to announce its sovereignty during the Independence movement.

Recalling its history, locals say there had been seven villages in Paritala Taluk when it was ruled by Nizams of Hyderabad. The area had precious diamonds. But representatives of Nizam took away all the riches, leaving barely anything for villagers.

After Mahatma Gandhi launched the freedom movement, people of Telangana rebelled against the Nizam under the leadership of Mallikarjuna Rao. Led by Mallikarjuna Rao, they attacked a police station on November 12, 1947 and decamped with guns and ammunition. While such rebellious attacks continued, on November 15, 1947, under the leadership of Madiraju Devaraj, Paritala proclaimed itself as an independent republic and hoisted the national flag.

During that time, rebels from Paritala received support from Jayaprakash Narayan, N.G. Ranga, Prakasam Pantulu, Swami Ramananda Theertha, Kakani Venkataratnam and many other national leaders.

Finally, Nizams rule ended on September 17, 1948. Paritala villagers say at a function scheduled on Saturday, they will educate the younger generations about the first Republic of Andhra Pradesh.
SAMARKAND: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the historic Uzbek city here along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping.

It is for the first time that Xi and Modi came face-to-face since the border standoff between India and China escalated following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

The summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries.

Ahead of the deliberations at the restricted format of the summit, leaders of the permanent members of the grouping posed for a group photo.

At the venue of the summit, Modi was warmly greeted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

After the summit, Prime Minister Modi is set to have separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi.

Modi arrived here on Thursday night on an around 24-hour visit.

Hours before departing for Samarkand, Modi said he was looking forward to exchanging views at the summit on topical regional and international issues as well as on reform and expansion of the grouping

"At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation," Modi said.

"Under the Uzbek chairship, a number of decisions for mutual cooperation are likely to be adopted in areas of trade, economy, culture and tourism," he said.

The SCO is holding its first in-person summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented such high-level gatherings.

The summit in Samarkand will have two sessions - one restricted session which is only meant for the SCO member states and then there will be an extended session that is likely to see the participation of the observers and the special invitees of the chair country.

Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Russia Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: In a reflection of time-tested India-Russia ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an important bilateral meeting after the conclusion of the SCO Summit on Friday with Russian President Vadimir Putin during which he stressed the importance of dialogue, democracy and diplomacy.

Modi spoke about how to advance on the path to peace  an obvious reference to efforts to end the Ukraine conflict  even as he flagged New Delhis concerns about the global energy, food and fertiliser crises following the Ukraine conflict that he said had affected developing countries the most. Modi said the bilateral meeting gave him a chance to listen to Russias viewpoint on the conflict and crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: PTI)

Prior to that, Modi held a surprise bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been extremely critical of India on the Kashmir issue for the past several years, sparking speculation of a reapproachment between India and Turkey which is a close friend of Pakistan. Modi also had a bilateral meeting with the SCO Summit host Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

At the start of his bilateral meeting with Modi, the first after the Russias military offensive against Ukraine that started in February this year, in response, President Putin said he knew about Indias concerns regarding the global impact of the Ukraine conflict but blamed the Ukranian leadership which he said was not ready for peace and which wanted to resolve the issue on the battlefield.

President Putin invited Modi to visit Russia and referred to the additional supplies of Russian fertilisers to the Indian market at New Delhis request even as he pushed for visa-free tourist exchanges.

Modi thanked both Russia and its rival Ukraine for helping to evacuate thousands of Indian students who had been stranded there at the start of hostilities early this year. Modi also spoke about the decades-long historic friendship between India and Russia (and its earlier incarnation as the Soviet Union), adding that for many decades we were with each other and that the whole world knows about the India-Russia friendship.

Modi spoke about the high-profile political journeys of President Putin and himself that he said had begun at roughly the same time more than two decades ago when President Putin assumed office in Russia and when Modi had become Chief Minister of Gujarat.

MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, PM @narendramodi met President Vladimir Putin of Russia on sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation and discussed various regional and international issues, including global food & energy security, terrorism & the current situation in Ukraine. The PMO tweeted, PM@narendramodi held talks with President Putin in Samarkand. The two leaders had productive discussions on a wide range of subjects aimed at further strengthening India-Russia ties. @KremlinRussia_E".

Prior to the meeting with President Putin, Modi met theTurkish President following which he tweeted, Met President @RTErdogan and reviewed the full range of bilateral relations between India and Turkey including ways to deepen economic linkages for the benefit of our people. The MEA Spokeperson also tweeted, Useful discussions between PM @narendramodi and President @RTErdogan of Turkiye in Samarkand. Leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanged views on regional & global developments. The PMO also tweeted, PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors. @trpresidency

On the bilateral meeting with the Uzbek President and SCO Summit host Shavkat Mirziyoyev, New Delhi issued a statement that said: The two leaders touched upon priority areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly trade, economic cooperation and connectivity. They stressed the need to make concerted efforts to diversify the trade basket and enter into long-term arrangements to promote trade and investment. Connectivity was considered key to unlock the potential in this regard, including greater usage of the Chabahar port and the International North South Transport Corridor.

The leaders emphasised cooperation in fields like Information Technology, healthcare, higher education etc., based upon Indias developmental experience and expertise. Opening of Indian educational institutions and partnership between Uzbek and Indian universities was welcomed.

New Delhi added, Regional issues, including Afghanistan were discussed. The leaders were unanimous in their view that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for terrorist activities. The leaders attached great importance to the outcomes of the First India-Central Asia Summit held in January this year.
HYDERABAD: The government has declared general holiday on September 17, Saturday, for government offices and education institutions (private, aided and state-run) across the state on Telangana National Integration Day (Telangana Jateeya Samaikyata Dinotsavam). Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao directed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to issue orders in this regard on Friday. The CS subsequently issued a government declaring the general holiday.
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Assaduddin Owaisi during his party's Tiranga rally on the eve of National Integration day (Chalo Mir Alam EidghaQooumi Ekjehti) in Hyderabad on Friday. (Image: DC)

HYDERABAD: AIMIM president and Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi said on Friday that contrary to the BJPs claims, the MIM was a successor to freedom fighters Turrebaaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin and not Qasim Rizvi.

Owaisi was addressing a public rally after the partys bike rally as part of TS national Integration Day celebrations.

Owaisi said Turrebaaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin sacrificed their lives while fighting the British during the revolt of 1857, while Rizvi was the head of Razakar army. He asked the BJP not to create problems between Hindus and Muslims based on the narrative of calling MIM as descendants of Rizvi.

As part of the celebrations, MIM held a Tiranga bike rally from Masjid-e Abubakar in Chandrayangutta, where all MIM MLAs and corporators offered prayers to Tegalkunta in Old City.

The MP said as per a report, about 40,000 Muslims were killed during Operation Polo. However, he said the example he wanted to give of that day was that of Hindus saving the lives of Muslims by hiding them in their houses. He urged the youth to read history rather than spend time on phones or TikTok.

People who did not even break a sweat for the independence movement are celebrating Liberation Day. We dont want any certificates of loyalty from the BJP-RSS, it can be thrown in the dustbin, he told the rally.

He questioned the Centres decision to declare the birthday of Raja Hari Singh, the last ruling king of Jammu and Kashmir, a public holiday, as Mahatma Gandhi had blamed the king for committing atrocities against Muslims.

The MIM chief said former Governor General of India C. Rajagopalachari wanted September 17 to be celebrated as National Thanksgiving Day, and slammed people who were terming it as Liberation Day.'
It has been 75 years since Telangana (then Hyderabad state) people have been liberated from the tyranny of autocratic Nizam rule through the Indian government's police action, but present-day governments are not ready to celebrate the occasion and commemorate the sacrifices of those martyrs, who laid down their lives for the land.

Unfortunately, spineless politicians, narrow-minded priorities and vote bank politics have kept the most important historical moment, in the lives of Telangana people, under the wraps. But 'truth' cannot be hidden forever and sooner or later, it will reach those who are entitled to it.

Successive governments in between and TRS Sarkar now, have been hell-bent on not celebrating or even calling September 17, as the 'Liberation Day". Why are the leaders of these political parties so frightened about the Liberation Day? Why is it that they have been ignoring the long pending peoples demand to celebrate September 17 officially as the Liberation Day?

The standard refrain that we hear from these politicos is that the minority community will be offended. This is nothing but gross humiliation of Komuram Bheem, Shoibulla Khan and others who fought against the tyrannical rule of Nizams and stood against the atrocities of the Razakars. Because, those who participated in Telangana rebellion not just fought the tyrannical Nizam, but the feudal chieftains, Doras and Patels, who exploited and oppressed people belonging to poor and downtrodden sections.

Many legendary revolutionaries like Doddi Komarayya, Ravi Narayana Reddy, Chakali Ilamma and others took on not just autocratic Nizam but also the feudal landlords and chiefs spread all over Telangana, who brutally oppressed people and looted them.

Thus the very idea of 'celebrating Liberation Day will hurt Muslims' emotions,' reeks of murky vote bank politics psyche, ignorance of facts and is a huge disservice to the history and culture of Telangana. Because the Liberation Day is seen as a triumph of people's movement against the autocratic Nizam, Razakar Militia and feudal oppression in Telangana and it is not against any particular community.

Both during Telangana Armed Struggle and during the Operation Polo (police action taken up by Indian Union under Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the annexation of Hyderabad state into Indian Union) the aim was to put an end to the Nizam's feudal monarchy and make Telangana part of a democratic India.

Those who participated in the Telangana rebellion comprised of people belonging to all communities and sections, and their sole aim was to free Telangana from the shackles of Nizam and his feudal landlords, who ruthlessly implemented his firmans to fill the coffers, at the expense of people belonging to disadvantaged sections.

In fact both during the Telangana rebellion and during the Operation Polo, many intellectuals and influencers from the Muslim community also stood against the Nizam and the Razakars and made efforts for the Liberation of Hyderabad state, as atrocities started to become unbearable and unrest engulfed the region. In fact Razakars, the militia of Nizam has not just attacked Hindus but it oppressed even many Muslim intellectuals and leaders, who opposed Nizam's tyrannical rule and excesses of Razakars.

The legendary journalist Shoaibullah Khan was brutally murdered by Razakars for writing against Nizam rule and supporting Hyderabad state's annexation to Indian Union.

Due to political opportunism, all the governments, which came into power in the region, tried to suppress the truth and facts and mislead people regarding Hyderabad Liberation Day. In this process, they have disregarded the suffering and sacrifices of people and also humiliated all those who struggled valiantly and selflessly against a very authoritative dictator and feudal landlords but also distorted history indiscriminately.

While the AIMIM tried to polarise minority community votes by portraying the Telangana Armed Struggle and the Operation Polo as those taken up against the Muslim community, the successive governments never questioned it or took steps to correct it. Because the minorities were treated as a vote bank and it was found convenient to support the AIMIM's fake propaganda for political benefits.

Now even after the formation of Telangana, TRS founder and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is also committing the same mistake that successive governments have committed all through the decades. Instead of presenting the facts before the public and revealing the real history behind Sep 17 Liberation Day, KCR is bowing to AIMIM's pressure for sheer vote bank politics and misleading people.

The actions opposing Liberation Day symbolise outdated thought processes, fake propaganda, prejudice and crooked politics. These politicians who try to position themselves as champions of the minority community, however, have done the least for the community.

When compared to other communities, minorities in Telangana have been languishing in poverty with no access to even basic education, health and employment opportunities. These so-called politicians, who play with the emotions of minorities seeing them as a pure vote bank, ironically turn mute when it comes to the development and empowerment of minorities.

But new India deserves better politics and truthful perspectives, and authentic history. It is high time we present before the Telangana population, irrespective of religion, caste and economic conditions, that all those martyrs who laid down their lives in Telangana Armed Struggle fought the Nizam, Razakars and feudal chieftains and it is because of their selfless and courageous fight that today we are able to live respectful and free lives. In fact, legendary personalities like Shoaibullah Khan, Makhdoom Mohiuddin and others from the Minority community galvanized people against Nizam and Razakars and championed the idea of annexation of Hyderabad state into the Indian Union.

So, let's keep aside petty politics and strive for a united and harmonious Telangana. The Union government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to take up year-long official celebrations to commemorate Hyderabad Liberation Day on Sep 17 Parade Grounds. Union minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest. These official celebrations are an effort to take the truth behind Hyderabad Liberation Day to every household in Telangana and commemorate the sacrifices of martyrs who laid down their lives and dreamt of a Telangana without discrimination, suppression and inequalities. In addition to paying rich tributes to the Telangana Martyrs, let us also pledge to redefine the history and dispel the fake propaganda that the Telangana Armed Struggle was against the tyrannical ruler and anarchic Feudalism but not against a community or religion.

Further, these liberation day celebrations should also awaken the people to fight against the present dictatorship rule which is similar to erstwhile Nizams rule in Telangana and strive towards restoring democratic Telangana with social justice, equality and liberty.
HYDERABAD: The three-day state-sponsored Telangana National Integration Day celebrations began on a grand scale across the state on Friday. Rallies were taken out in all the 119 Assembly constituencies to mark the commencement of the celebrations.

Ministers, MLAs, collectors, SPs, police commissioners and other officials, students, youth and women took part in the rallies to mark the 75 years of merger of the erstwhile Nizam-ruled Hyderabad State with the Union of India on September 17, 1948.

The rallies saw participation of about 15,000 people in every constituency, totalling to about 20 lakh people throughout the state.

People from different walks of life participated holding national flags. They raised slogans of Jai Telangana and Jai Bharat. The participants danced to the drum beats and a few of them also took out motorcycle rallies.

TRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, participating in a rally at Sircilla, said at a public meeting that there was a need to protect Telangana from disintegrating in the name of caste and religion. He said people should be alert about the leaders provoking them with religious overtones. Finance minister T. Harish Rao took out a rally in Siddipet and addressed a public meeting.

He said Telangana State was maintaining communal harmony since its formation but 'communal forces' are now trying to divide people based on religion and instigate communal violence. He cautioned people that if communal forces are allowed to rule the state, it will only lead to destruction and bloodshed.

In Hyderabad, ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mohd. Mahmood Ali, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, MLA Danam Nagender, mayor Gadwal

Vijayalakshmi, GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar, Hyderabad collector Amoy Kumar, GHMC corporators and other officials participated in the rally along with students and locals from Prasad's Imax to People's Plaza on Necklace Road.

The AIMIM held a bike rally in the Old City on Friday. The rally, led by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and attended by thousands of locals and party workers, started from Mir Alam Idgah grounds and culminated into a public meeting at Teegalakunta.
HYDERABAD: BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday criticised K. Chandrashekhar Rao for ignoring the administration of the state and people's affairs while focusing solely on politics, claiming that where Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked 18 hours per day, Rao slept 18 hours per day.

As part of his fourth phase of the Praja Sangrama Yatra, which entered its fifth day on Friday, Sanjay paid visits to the Cantonment areas and the Malkajgiri Assembly constituency. He blamed the TRS government for the lack of civic amenities in the region, including roads, sewage systems, and drinking water.

Sanjay claimed that none of the welfare schemes of the Modi government were implemented in the cantonment area and accused the Telangana administration of failing to address local civic issues. He claimed that the TRS government had failed to provide the people with the 2.4 lakh houses that the Centre had approved for the state.

Assuring the residents of the cantonment that he would take the responsibility to get adequate funding to improve the area, Sanjay promised to secure `700 crore from the Centre for the development of the cantonment if his party was elected to power in the upcoming elections.

Does the CM consider cantonment to be a part of the country? Are the people who live here from Pakistan or Bangladesh? People are having a lot of issues because they cannot access basic necessities. People no longer trusted CM, and the TRS party is on a ventilator," he remarked.

Since the Telangana government's motive to occupy the lands in the cantonment area had failed, Sanjay alleged that the CM and his administration neglected the residents of the cantonment.

Further, he accused the TRS government of spreading false propaganda over the allotment of Cantonment lands to the state government. While the Centre had allowed the construction of the new state secretariat in the Bison Polo Ground in Secunderabad, the TRS government lied and claimed that permission had not been granted. I am ready for a debate on Cantonment lands, he challenged.
When India was on the brink of Independence, the countrys leadership had the humongous task of integrating princely states into the Union of India. On a glorious September day in 1948, Hyderabad witnessed history in the making, with Operation Polo paving the way for its integration into the Indian Union. It made the 17th of September a red letter day, as there are very few parallels to draw comparisons with the feats achieved by the Telangana people and the then government of India.

When the British decided to withdraw from India, 584 princely states were given the option to either accede to India or Pakistan or remain independent. A majority of them acceded to the Indian Union, barring Jammu & Kashmir, Junagadh, and Hyderabad. The post-partition realities ensured heavy contestation over accession. Landlocked and lying in Indias heart, Hyderabad was one of the largest princely states in terms of size and population, holding immense strategic importance for the newborn nation. As we enter the 75th year of integration of Hyderabad, it is worthwhile to recognise the contributions of Indias political leadership and the struggle of lakhs of Telangana brethren who yearned for freedom and integration with India.

The government of India made several concessions in their negotiations with the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, even providing time extensions to his administration on the accession question. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership, before it finally resorted to military means, accounted for all possible measures to allow for dialogue. He ensured his governments adherence to the principles of the Standstill Agreement of November 29, 1947, even while the Nizam's administration failed to keep its end of the bargain.

Even when Mountbatten spoke about Hyderabads allegations that essential goods were not allowed to reach them, PM Nehru and Home Minister Sardar Patel feigned ignorance, suggesting that the economic blockade was localised. When Mountbatten raised the issue of the government of India's plans for military action with Nehru and Patel, the leaders once again dismissed the idea, calling it routine military exercises. By maintaining discretion, Nehru and Patel showed their astute leadership qualities. With Indias patience running thin with the Razakars violence, and the Nizam was just biding his time to negotiate from a position of strength, the Indian Army began Police Action, named Operation Polo, under the command of Maj. Gen. J. N. Chaudary, on September 13, 1948.

As we enter the 75th anniversary of the integration, the BJP and the TRS are appropriating history, denying recognition to the thousands of people associated with the Telangana armed struggle and their fight for freedom. During the Telangana movement, KCR questioned why Hyderabads integration was not celebrated. However, as Telanganas Chief Minister, he demeaned the sacri1ces of the martyrs of the armed struggle. On the other hand, the BJP and its ideological predecessor, the Jan Sangh, did not even exist when the struggle was underway. Now, the BJP is defiling a sacred struggle by communalising the event. The two parties attempts to forcefully 1t into history shows their thirst for power and dominance.

Do the BJP and the TRS understand what the roots of the armed struggle are? Who led the struggle against whom? It was a struggle against the Nizams unjust rule and the excesses committed by Doras, Deshmukhs and the Razakars. This was a unified struggle of all sections of the society, and led by the Hyderabad State Congress and the Communists in their capacities. Stalwarts like Ravi Narayan Reddy, valiant women like Chakali Ailamma and Mallu Swarajyam played a historic role in this movement. Journalist Shoaibullah Khan, who was the editor of the news paper Imroze, published out of Burgula Rama Krishna Raos house, was brutally murdered because he wrote against the tyranny of the Razakars. Peoples poets like Makhdoom Mohiuddin and Kaloji Narayan Rao supported the struggle through their writings. This was a struggle against injustice and feudalism and the Indian Armys timely intervention ensured a quick end to the war, ensuring the Nizams surrender.

The BJP and the TRS are both disrespecting the sacrifices made by the Congress, Communists and Telangana civil society, by holding competing events and using the sentiments of the Telangana people for mere show of strength. Moreover, both parties failed the people of the state with their non-performance in sectors like health, education, and even social justice. The BJP is denying Telangana its rightful share and is cancelling the projects sanctioned by the Congress. The TRS is doing away with all the symbols that rallied the people of Telangana in the agitation for a separate state.

The time to ditch religion, caste based politics has come, and so did the time to stay true to the people's aspirations and beliefs. A new flag and Telangana talli figurine are being launched to better represent the culture and history of the state. I urge the BJP and the TRS to do away with power politics and be mindful of the spirit of integration of Telangana and its statehood, which were historic events spearheaded by the Congress party.
Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss, leaves from Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland, on September 6, 2022, after meeting with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and being invited to form a Government. (Photo: AFP)

O Bachchoo, why not help the destitute

 Add to your karma, thats beyond dispute.

We hear the loud cries of both Faith and Hope

The voice of Charity is somehow mute

 From OK Jahn Ali, by Bachchoo

Mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II, events and political decisions have come to a halt. Apart from tributes to the Queen and gathering to listen to the platitudinous and predictable speeches from King Charles III who sincerely vows to carry on in the noble traditions of his gentle mother, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have been at a standstill. Business has to wait.

Undoubtedly, the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, while performing the duties of a dutiful mourning leader of government, has been thinking about and contemplating the solutions to the massive problems and dilemmas that she has inherited from the Boris Johnson government.

The first huge problem she will face as the new occupant of 10 Downing Street is what to do with the horrible kitsch wallpaper, designed by someone called Lulu Little that has been plastered on the walls of the Prime Ministers residential space at No. 10 and in the connected top flat of No. 11 Downing Street. This wallpaper was, if you remember, gentle reader, commissioned by Mrs BoJo, otherwise known as Carrie Antoinette, who articulated her contempt for the taste of the previous PM, Theresa May, calling it John Lewis crap, or words to that effect.

(Carrie Antoinette actually let them eat cake at BoJos birthday in an illegal gathering in Downing Street at the occasion labelled Partygate!).

Forgive me, gentle reader, I am absolutely aware that though this may occupy a sector of Liz Trusss intellect, for what that may be, she has very many more pressing problems to address. Let me count the frays. Where shall I start?

There is the cost-of-living-crisis which means, in the statistical calculation of the media, that 40 per cent of the population of Britain will feel the pinch of poverty immediately and in the months to come.

Then there is the price-of-energy crisis, which will affect the poor who wont be able to simultaneously afford food and heating their homes all through the coming winter. Liz and her chamcha chancellor of the exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, of Ghanian parentage but rich enough to go to school in Eton and then to Cambridge, have announced that they will cap the price of energy to households at something in excess of 2,500 a year. This is double the price that most people pay and this cap will cost the UK Treasury 100 billion, which Ms Truss and her chamcha KK will borrow, adding to the national debt which future years and generations will have to bear.

Their argument, and this seems to be the answer to everything that Liz and chamchoo have proposed, is that they will cut taxes and that will stimulate growth in the economy and that will tackle the debt. As we used to say in the Peeping Toms Society of Poona (PTSP)  dekha jayega  roughly translated as we shall see.

Right! Ive only hit on one of poor Lizs problematic inheritances. Theres the absolute collapse of the National Health Service, the free medical treatment to which every citizen has been entitled since the 1945 Labour government of Clement Attlee brought it in after the Second World War. Its something generations of the British rely upon and its survival and progress has to be embraced and guaranteed by any party wishing to win an election. The NHS is today, in the way of true situational allegory, waiting to be admitted to A&E  Accident and Emergency  hanging about, perhaps fatally, for hours in an ambulance at the gates of an over-populated hospital with a shortage of 50,000 nurses and 10,000 doctors, to be admitted and not given a bed.

Will cutting taxes to boost the economy solve that? Discuss!

Then there is the Northern Ireland Protocol. This part of the UK doesnt have a functioning government because the Protestant Party, the DUP, who have the second largest elected representation in the Northern Ireland parliament, refuses to enter it until the Westminster government reneges on and reverses the part of the international treaty that BoJo signed called the Northern Ireland Protocol. I wont bore you with the details but Suella Braverman, now the home secretary (under Liz-how-long-will-she-last?), was the attorney-general under BoJo and said she would defy international law and the European Unions justifiable wrath to reverse the agreement her principal signed. Perhaps principle is not the appropriate word in this context. (You idiot, the spelling is different!  Ed)

And then there is Rwanda  to which place the previous home secretary Priti Clueless and the present one Suella Cowardman want to send asylum seekers who come across the English Channel in risky boats to seek refuge and a new life. The prevalent opinion, even among right-wing commentators, is that this policy is legally doomed as even the British courts will be presented with evidence that the refugees sent to Rwanda are being coerced into military formations and sent to fight in neighbouring African countries as Rwandas government has undertaken the role of ideological watchfulness.

So thats a dead duck. My advice to Liz, in the face of these dilemmas and a myriad more, is forget all that and simply concentrate on getting rid of the Lulu Little kitsch (kitsch defined as a lot of effort without any artistic vision.)




South Korea on Friday handed over to China 88 sets of the remains of Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War in the ninth such repatriation, Seoul's defense ministry said.







South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon, Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhenggu and other key officials attended the event at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.







The remains were excavated from former battle sites between 2019 and 2021, including 51 sets from the Arrowhead Ridge inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, the ministry said. The rest were retrieved from other parts of the country.







Seoul has repatriated 913 sets of the remains of Chinese troops, including the latest ones, since 2014, when the two countries agreed on the repatriation project.







Lee portrayed the repatriation ceremony as a "humanitarian event symbolizing the two countries' friendly cooperation," according to the ministry.







This year's event gained greater attention, as Seoul and Beijing mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties this year.







The war broke out as the North, backed by China and the then Soviet Union, invaded the South. It ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. (Yonhap)










The signing of a tripartite peace accord among the Union government, Assam state government and eight tribal outfits in the state on Thursday not only marks another milestone in the efforts to bring peace in the Northeast but also underscores the role negotiations play while seeking solutions to vexed issues.

As per the latest accord, members of the rebel groups, who have been living in designated camps after signing a ceasefire agreement in 2012, will now be free to pursue their political demands in a peaceful manner. On their part, the governments at the Centre and in the state will work for the uplift of the tribal population by investing in infrastructure and by protecting their cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities. There is also a provision to rehabilitate armed cadres. With this, all rebel outfits except the powerful faction of the banned Ulfa and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation are onboard the peace wagon in the state.

Two years ago, a tripartite agreement in which three National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions were a party was signed to end the insurgency which cost thousands of lives in the last five decades.

The Nagaland peace process is making slow progress as it has hit on contentious issues such as a separate Constitution and a flag for the Nagas; integration of all Naga-dominated areas into a Greater Nagaland. The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) had walked away from the talks after the Centres interlocutor refused to accommodate these key demands. A delegation led by the Nagaland chief minister was in Delhi this week to take the process forward.

The peace agreements together have resulted in thousands of rebels laying down their arms and in the reduction of insurgency-related incidents in the region. The Union government has responded positively to the developments and in April this year revoked the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act from several areas of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

Attempts to find decades-old border disputes between the North-eastern states have also gained momentum of late. Assam has launched a series of negotiations with its neighbours Meghalaya and Manipur to settle the long pending border disputes. In March, Assam and Meghalaya signed an agreement to end disputes over six of the 12 contested locations between the two states; committees have been appointed to work out solutions for the rest. The chief ministers of Assam and Mizoram will be meeting later this month in Delhi seeking solution to the border dispute between the two states.

The disputes between the states have often resulted in the destruction of properties and disruption of normal life of a large section of people who fight a daily war to keep themselves afloat, given the backwardness of the region. The people who have been divided by borders within the same country engage in internecine fights to mutual detriment but talks and peace are the only viable options they should pursue.

The peace efforts and their success in the Northeast should persuade the Union government to follow the path in other parts of the country, too, instead of depending on the might of the State. If the strategy pays in the Northeast, it should pay elsewhere, too.
Ukraine said on Friday it had counted 450 graves at just one burial site near Izyum, which was seized back by Ukrainian forces. (Photo: Twitter

GENEVA: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' office said on Friday it wanted to send a team to Izyum to verify Ukrainian allegations that a mass grave had been found after recapturing the city from Russia.

"Our colleagues in Ukraine are following up on these allegations, and they are aiming at organising a monitoring visit to Izyum to determine the circumstances of the death of these individuals," spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell said.

She added that the team was hoping to visit the northeastern city "soon".

Ukraine said on Friday it had counted 450 graves at just one burial site near Izyum, which was seized back by Ukrainian forces during a lightning counter-offensive across the south and east that has claimed back large swathes of territory.

AFP journalists on the scene said on Friday that hundreds of graves topped with white crosses and marked with numbers are located in forests outside the recaptured city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blamed Russian forces for what he said was a "mass grave" discovered in the area.

Throssell described the reports as "shocking", adding the UN team would be looking to ascertain whether those who died were civilians or military personnel, and the cause of any of the deaths.

"It's important that the circumstances of the deaths of the people who may be in these collective graves be established," she said.

Russia has been accused of carrying out attacks on civilians that amount to possible war crimes, particularly in towns outside the capital Kyiv.
IZIUM (UKRAINE): Ukrainian authorities found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday night.

A mass grave of people was found in Izium in the Kharkiv region. The necessary procedures have already begun there. More information  clear, verifiable information  should be available tomorrow, Zelenskyy said in his nightly televised address.

Associated Press journalists saw the site in a forest outside Izium on Thursday. A mass grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. It was surrounded by hundreds of individual graves with only crosses to mark them.

Zelenskyy invoked the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass civilian graves and evidence of alleged war crimes. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium.

Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it. The world must bring Russia to real responsibility for this war, he said.

Russia's forces left Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid a stunning Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy made a rare trip outside Ukraine's capital to watch the raising of the national flag at Izium's city hall.

Sergei Bolvinov, a senior investigator for Ukrainian police in the eastern Kharkiv region, told British TV broadcaster Sky News that a pit contained more than 440 bodies was discovered near Izium after Kyiv's forces swept in. He described the grave as one of the largest burial sites in any one liberated city.

We know that some (of the people buried in the pit) were shot, some died from artillery fire, from so called mine-explosion traumas. Some died from airstrikes. Also, we have information that a lot of bodies have not been identified yet Bolvinov said.

Ukraine's deputy interior minister, Yevhen Enin, said Thursday night that evidence of the occupying Russian troops setting up multiple torture chambers where both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were detained in completely inhuman conditions was found in cities and towns recaptured during Kyiv's sweeping advance into the Kharkiv region.

We have already come across the exhumation of individual bodies, not only with traces of a violent death, but also of torture - cut off ears, etc. This is just the beginning, said in an interview with Ukraine's Radio NV. His description matched at least half a dozen reports made by Kharkiv regional police representatives since last weekend.

He claimed that among those held at one of the sites were students from an unspecified Asian country who were captured at a Russian checkpoint as they tried to leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Enin did not specify where the students were held, although he named the small cities of Balakliya and Volchansk as two locations where the alleged torture chambers were found. His account could not be immediately verified independently.

All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time, Enin said, in a reference to a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered following the Russian army's withdrawal from the area in March.

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy said that during the five months the Russians occupied the region, they only destroyed, only deprived, only took away. They left behind devastated villages; in some of them there is not a single undamaged house. The occupiers turned schools into garbage dumps, and churches - shattered, literally turned into toilets.
The European Commission unveiled a raft of new rules on Friday to ensure media independence after growing fears of state meddling in eastern EU countries such as Hungary and Poland.

Brussels has grown increasingly worried about the weight of the state on news and media in a growing number of EU countries, with public television in Hungary widely seen as a mouthpiece for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Media pluralism is also a concern in the Czech Republic where former prime minister Andrej Babis owns a major media group and has been accused of subverting press freedom after he used his newspapers to attack the integrity of other news outlets.

The European Media Freedom Act will provide "common safeguards... to guarantee that our media are able to operate without any interference, be it private or public," said EU commissioner Thierry Breton.

"We're proposing a regulation which will apply across the board in Europe in the same way and according to the same rules," he said.

One of the main components of the law will be a new authority that will allow the EU's 27 countries to have an eye on media mergers that would affect the plurality of media ownership.

It will also demand that funding of state media be "adequate and stable" in order to prevent governments using budget allocations to pressure publicly owned media companies and newsrooms.

The regulation, which needs to be approved by EU member countries and the European Parliament, would also require that national governments pass laws that adequately guarantee the protection of journalistic sources.

The European-wide watchdog will be composed of national regulators that would ensure the proper enforcement of the law across the EU.

They would also coordinate the EU's response to non-EU media, a key source of concern after the difficulty of aligning a united response to the presence of Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded television channel, in the days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We want it to apply as quickly as possible... because we consider it to be a matter of great urgency," said EU commission Vice President Vera Jourova.
The Supreme Court said on Thursday it is not the "interpreter" of the Holy Quran and it has been argued before it in the Karnataka hijab ban matter that courts are not equipped to interpret religious scriptures.

The apex court, which was hearing arguments on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijabs in educational institutions of the state, made the observation after a counsel for one of the petitioners said the judgement under challenge is touching upon the Islamic and religious perspective.

"The one way is to interpret the Quran.... We are not interpreters of the Quran. We cannot do it and that is the argument raised also that the courts are not equipped to interpret religious scriptures," a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia said.

Also Read | Muslims welcome in Garba pandals if Quran allows idol worship, says MP minister

The top court heard submissions of several lawyers, who appeared for the petitioners and argued on various aspects including the wearing of hijab being a matter of privacy, dignity and also autonomy, and whether the practice of wearing it is essential or not.

One of the advocates argued the way the high court interpreted the matter on Islamic and religious perspective was a "wrong assessment".

"The high court might have said anything, but now we are taking an independent view in the appeals," the bench maintained.

Advocate Shoeb Alam argued that wearing hijab is a matter of one's dignity, privacy and autonomy.

"On one end, I have my right to education, right to go to school, right to get inclusive education with others. On the other hand, there is my other right, which is right to privacy, dignity and autonomy," he said.

Alam said the impact of the government order (GO) banning hijab in educational institutions with prescribed uniforms is that "I will give you education, give me your right to privacy, surrender it. Can the state do it? The answer is an emphatic 'no'."

He said the state could not come up with a GO asking a person to surrender her right to privacy at the doorstep of the school.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal suggested that the matter should be referred to a Constitution bench.

"Wearing of a hijab is the expression of what you are, who you are, where are you from," he said.

Sibal said the question is if the right to wear hijab is available to a woman at a public place, is her right extinguished when she enters a school.

"You cannot destroy me," he argued, adding that hijab was now a part of the persona and also a part of the cultural tradition.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said the most important issue in this case was whether the practice of wearing hijab was essential to the religion or not.

He contended once the practice has been established, it is covered by Article 25 of the Constitution.

Article 25 of the Constitution deals with freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

Gonsalves argued the high court judgement was a verdict where the perception was of the "majority community", where the minority point of view was seen "very partially and very wrongly".

"It is basically a majoritarian judgement. The judgement read as a whole is basically from a majoritarian perspective point of view. It does not conform to the kind of constitutional independence that a judgement ought to have," he said, while arguing the apex court should set aside the judgement on this ground alone.

Gonsalves wondered, "What is the difference? If you can wear a turban, why cannot you wear a hijab?".

"The 'dress', 'undress' arguments is unfortunate because Muslim girls are in fact undressed if they are told to take off the hijab by the security guard," he said.

While hearing the hijab controversy, the Supreme Court recently asked if the right to dress would also mean a right to undress.

The remark by Justice Gupta was in response to an argument that the right to dress forms part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.

Gonsalves argued that constitutional morality, in the context of minority rights, is the ability to see an issue through the eyes of the minority.

"It has to be cultivated. A person from the majority may not get the answer quickly, may not understand the intensity of feelings quickly," he said.

Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for one of the petitioners, said the second largest religion that is practised across the world is Islam.

She said across the country, the people practising Islam recognise wearing hijab as a part of their religious and cultural practice.

At the outset, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the bench he would take a little longer time to argue the case.

"This is too serious a matter. I would like to assist your lordships to the best of my ability," he said.

Dave said the court should have referred this matter to a larger bench.

"My endeavour is to persuade your lordships as to why this judgement is required to be set aside. This matter is far too serious than a uniform," he said, adding, "this matter requires very serious attention by your lordships. Your lordships are the custodian of the fundamental rights of the citizens."

The arguments in the matter will continue on Sept. 19.

The state government's order of Feb. 5, 2022 by which it had banned wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges, was referred to in the apex court.

Several pleas have been filed in the top court against the March 15 verdict of the high court holding that wearing hijab was not a part of the essential religious practice that can be protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Bibhudatta Pradhan

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russias Vladimir Putin and attends a summit with Chinas Xi Jinping on Friday, hell need to avoid looking too chummy with the USs two top adversaries.

Modis face-to-face meeting with Putin will take place Friday in Uzbekistan, where a host of leaders are gathering for a summit of the Chinese-founded Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group intended to counter the US-led global system. At that event, hell also rub shoulders with Xi, whom Modi hasnt met in person since late 2019.

With Russias war in Ukraine in its seventh month, India has emerged as one of the biggest swing nations. The US and its allies have so far largely avoided pressuring New Delhi over its close ties with Russia, a key supplier of weapons and energy. Thats partly to keep Modi on its side against China in part through the Quad, a grouping that also includes Japan and Australia.

Also read: Modi-Xi talk speculations reach crescendo as PM arrives for SCO summit

Modi so far has managed to thread the needle between the two sides while advancing Indias own interests. Hes sought cheaper oil and much-needed weapons, to counter Beijings aggression along their disputed Himalayan border and more investments from the US and its allies seeking to diversify supply chains away from China.

But whether he can keep that up is another question. The early tolerance for Indias position, along with its insistence that it would take time to unwind its deep security relationship with Russia, is beginning to run into greater resistance as the US and its allies ramp up efforts to impose a cap on the price for Russian oil to cut Putins income.

Indias neutral public positioning on the invasion has raised difficult questions in Washington DC about our alignment of values and interests, said Richard Rossow, a senior adviser on India policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Such engagements -- especially if they trigger new or expanded areas of cooperation that benefit Russia -- will further erode interest among Washington policy makers for providing India a pass on tough sanctions decision.

So far, the Biden administration has signaled its not interested in sanctioning New Delhi over its recent decision to buy the S-400 missile defense system from Russia. Turkeys purchase of the same system deeply damaged US ties with the NATO ally.

Yet friction points are emerging. India has been pushing back on a price cap on Russian oil suggested by the US as its crude imports surged five times to cross $5 billion in the three months to the end of May.

Last week, the White House approved a $450 million package to upgrade the F-16 fighter jet fleet of Indias historic rival Pakistan -- a move New Delhi opposed.

And India also angered Japan by recently joining the Russia-led Vostok-2022 military exercises held around a group of islands known as the southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan -- a territorial dispute that dates back to the end of World War II. India ended up scaling back its participation in the war games -- especially staying out of naval drills -- out of deference to Japan, but it left a mark.

One Japanese official, who asked not to be named discussing a sensitive topic, asked whether India would be comfortable if Japanese troops had participated in drills with Pakistans military but merely skipped exercises in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Indias Foreign Ministry didnt respond to a request for comment. Japans Foreign Ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment made outside of office hours.

The challenge for India is managing a declining relationship with Russia, nurturing a growing relationship with the US and securing its interests on all sides as a growing power, said Indrani Bagchi, chief executive officer of the Ananta Aspen Centre, a research group on international relations and public policy. No matter how much India wants to maintain the Russia relationship, this is going to get more difficult as time goes by.

A State Department spokesperson said the US has reiterated its hopes that India will not choose to align itself with Moscow, or the consequences of Russias war against Ukraine.

We have expressed concern at the highest levels about actions which could undermine international efforts to pressure Russia to end its war on Ukraine, the spokesperson said.

Modi appears aware of the optics toward the US. He flew into Uzbekistan late on Thursday, missing an official dinner to kick off the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit that wouldve produced plenty of photo opportunities with both Xi and Putin, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named.

At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, Modi said in a brief statement before heading to Uzbekistan.

Indias partners in the West will be closely watching the tone of any statements after Modis meeting with Putin. One particular area of interest is trade: In the first seven months this year, Indias imports from Russia stood at a little over $13 billion compared with just $2 billion a year earlier, according to Commerce Ministry figures. Indias exports to Russia dipped to $700 million in the same period compared to $950 million a year earlier.

While Indias historical connection with Russia will be tough to break, officials in New Delhi are more wary of China. The no limits friendship reached by Xi and Putin earlier this year also may factor into Indias long term strategic planning as tensions with China continue to simmer along their contested Himalayan border despite a recent pull-back of troops.

Increasingly there are suggestions that Russia will largely follow China, especially after the Ukraine crisis, said Harsh Pant, a professor of international relations at Kings College London. And that is going to be one big part of the puzzle that India will have to solve.
While blaming Pakistan for "sufferings and destruction" of people of Kashmir, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad Thursday appealed local militants to shun the path of violence.

Pakistan has been a key player in sufferings and destruction of people of Jammu and Kashmir. The neighboring country has failed to save their own nation (but) are relentlessly trying to lead people of J&K towards disharmony, Azad, who last month quit Congress to form his own party, said while addressing a public gathering in south Kashmirs Anantnag.

Also Read | Article 370 did not obstruct Jammu and Kashmir's development, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

73-year-old Azad, who has been holding public rallies across Jammu and Kashmir after ending his five-decade association with the Congress, said the nations which walked on the path of militancy became its victims itself and lost whole generations of to the vicious cycle of death and bloodshed.

He appealed local militants to shun gun and live a peaceful life for themselves, their families and for the nation. Gun culture has only proved disastrous and has only given pain and despair to all, Azad, who was also the chief minister of J&K, said.

On restoration of J&K special status under Article 370, which was abrogated by the Center in August 2019, Azad said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the power to restore it.

I cant convince the prime minister about the restoration of Article 370 but he is the man who has power and mandate to restore it, he said.

Meanwhile, Azad has reportedly received threats from The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashker-e-Toiba outfit. He responded to the threat in Anantnag rally today by saying that he had not met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval before coming to Kashmir.

Threat posters that appeared on social media platforms said Azad was a traitor and accused him of being a political chameleon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday tacitly nudged Islamabad to allow India to avail the transit facility through Pakistan for better connectivity, even as he called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to build reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in the region.

Modi referred to the disruptions in supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which resulted in food and energy crises around the world. The SCO must make efforts to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. This will require better connectivity, as well as it will be important that we all give each other full right to transit, the prime minister said at the summit of the eight-nation bloc at Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

Track the latest news and updates from the SCO summit here

He apparently sought to send out a subtle message to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also attended the conclave and was sitting just across the table, when his counterpart in New Delhi delivered his remarks.

Islamabad in the past repeatedly played spoilsport and blocked New Delhis regional connectivity initiatives, steadfastly refusing to allow trucks from India to transit through Pakistan to Afghanistan and Iran as well as to the Central Asian states.

Pakistan also blocked connectivity initiatives within the SAARC to link India and the other South Asian nations with Central Asia and beyond. New Delhi last year responded to a call by the World Food Programme (WFP) and agreed to send wheat to Afghanistan in the wake of the acute food crisis in the conflict-ravaged country. Islamabad, however, took months to finally agree to allow trucks to carry grains from India and pass through the territory of Pakistan to Afghanistan.

It was only on February 22 this year that Pakistan finally allowed the trucks of Afghanistan to use its territory to transport the first consignment of wheat and medicines from India to the impoverished country now ruled by the Taliban.

India supports greater cooperation and mutual trust among the SCO members, the prime minister said, addressing the summit of the bloc, which is led by China and Russia and seen as a counterweight to NATO. India and Pakistan joined the organisation as members in June 2017.

It was the first summit of the organisation after Russia started its military operations in Ukraine and drew flak from the United States and other western nations.

As regional connectivity initiatives are being blocked by Islamabad, New Delhi has been exploring alternative options, including investing in Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port in Iran. The India Ports Global Limited has taken over port operations at the Shaheed Behesti Port in Chabahar in December 2018 and has been handling cargo since then. The port opens up a sea-land connectivity between India and Afghanistan as well as Central Asia and beyond, bypassing Pakistan. Afghanistan had also started using the port facility to send its first export consignment to India early 2020.

Modi on Friday argued for promotion of cultivation and consumption of millets to mitigate the food crisis around the world. Millets are a superfood that has been grown for thousands of years, not just in SCO countries, but in many parts of the world, and is a traditional, nutritious, and low-cost alternative to dealing with the food crisis, the prime minister said. The year 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets. We should consider organising a 'Millet Food Festival' under the SCO.
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said speaking Hindi gives her "shivers" and she speaks the language with hesitation.

Speaking at an event organised by the Hindi Vivek Magazine, Sitharaman referred to a previous speaker's announcement that her speech will be in Hindi.

"Addressing an audience in Hindi gives me shivers," a candid Sitharaman said, explaining the circumstances that have led to this condition.

Sitharaman said she was born and attended college in Tamil Nadu which was in the midst of an agitation against Hindi and also witnessed violent protests against Hindi.

Also Read | FM Sitharaman compares India Inc to 'Hanuman', asks why it is hesitant to invest in manufacturing

Students opting for either Hindi or Sanskrit as the second language, even those who stood in merit lists, did not get scholarships given by the state government because of their choices of languages, the Union Cabinet minister claimed.

Sitharaman said while it is difficult for a person to learn a new language after attaining adulthood, she could pick-up her husband's mother tongue Telugu but could not take up Hindi may be due to past happenings.

"I speak Hindi with a lot of 'sankoch' (hesitation)," she said, admitting that the fluency with which she can speak is affected.

The finance minister, however, continued speaking in Hindi and finished the entire speech which lasted over 35 minutes in Hindi.

Sitharaman said India could have achieved the position as the fifth biggest economy in the world earlier itself, but for the imported philosophy of socialism which depended on centralised planning.

She termed the 1991 economic reforms undertaken by the then Congress government as "aadhe-adhure reforms" (half-baked reforms), where the economy was not opened in the right way but as per the strictures imposed by the IMF.

No progress happened till the BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee took on the PMship and his focus on infrastructure building, roads and mobile telephony helped us a lot.

Ten more years were lost after the corrupt UPA government came to power, where the focus was making personal gains and the country's interests were left behind, she claimed.

After his ascent to the PM's post, Narendra Modi initiated fundamental path-breaking reforms which also include the direct benefit transfer scheme that has ensured transparency in public delivery without leakages, Siharaman said, adding that benefits of up to Rs 2 lakh crore have occurred as a result of the scheme.

The policy decisions have also laid the foundations for the emergence of a big lender like SBI which can serve the credit needs of the economy quickly, she said.

The Modi regime has also taken the right decisions to be away from businesses where the government should not be, Sitharaman said, pointing out that Air India was facing losses of Rs 20 crore per day till it was privatised.
A Mid Ulster Distrct councillor has travelled to Brussels as the only elected representative from Northern Ireland to attend a 'good relations' meeting at EU headquarters.

Mid Ulster SDLP councillor Martin Kearney attended the Committee of Regions event in his role as President of the NI Local Government Association (NILGA).

The Committee has been operating for over two years, established as an initiative to maintain good relations with local and regional government after Brexit.

The Carntogher representative described the three-day visit as a 'truly special occasion'.

As the only elected representative from Northern Ireland invited to this Meeting this was a truly special occasion getting to visit and speak at the European Parliament, he said.

As a former teacher I can vividly recall that both Ireland and Great Britain joined The Common Market as it was then known, on the same day in 1973 that I started my first teaching post.

Sadly that is no longer the case. The European connection was much valued and a great educational experience.

I had the opportunity to contribute to the debates on both the Peace Plus Programme and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The overall objective of this Peace Programme will be to build peace and prosperity and ensure that this Programme will leave a lasting and tangible legacy across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The NI Protocol was at the centre of discussions, with each European grouping contributing to a debate on the findings of a recent 170-page report.

The findings on trade both between Northern Ireland and Ireland as well as Northern Ireland and Great Britain merited much discussion, said Cllr Kearney.

One significant finding that the Northern Ireland economy is expected to be 2.6% smaller is therefore of great concern and we must do everything to support our businesses and secure jobs as a result.

Flexibility in delivery of the Peace Plus Programme will be the key for success in these difficult times.

NILGA regrets the UK Government and the EU have not been able to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of all in Northern Ireland.

They would urge all parties to focus their efforts on finding common ground, because the ramifications of political and economic instability ate of great concern to us all.
FA-50 light attackers / Korea Times file





By Kang Seung-woo







Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Poland have signed a contract worth an estimated $3 billion (4.1 trillion won) to follow July's deal to export 48 FA-50 light attackers, according to the state-run arms procurement agency, Friday.







The signing ceremony took place in Minsk Mazowiecki, Friday (local time), where the aircraft will be stationed, with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak in attendance as well as Eom Dong-hwan, the minister of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), and KAI CEO Kang Goo-young.







The FA-50 is a variant of KAI's T-50 supersonic trainer jet, co-developed with Lockheed Martin using some of the U.S. firm's technologies, including the avionics system and engine. It has been exported to Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand. The Republic of Korea Air Force has been operating 60 FA-50s since 2014.







The signing was a follow-up arrangement to Poland's "framework" contract, under which the Central European country will procure 980 K2 tanks from Hyundai Rotem and 648 K9 howitzers from Hanwha Defense as well as 48 FA-50 fighter jets  one of the country's most important and largest defense orders in recent years.







Hyundai and Hanwha inked the executive contracts last month with Warsaw's Armament Agency.







According to DAPA, 12 planes will be delivered by the end of next year, while the remaining aircraft will be shipped from 2025.







After the FA-50 export, the Korean government and KAI plan to ensure a high level of cooperation between the two countries on the operation and maintenance of the weapon system.







"The Air Force will strengthen cooperation with the Polish Air Force by transferring the FA-50 operational know-how to the Polish Air Force and providing education and training programs," DAPA said in a press statement.







"KAI plans to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul center and an international flight training school capable of comprehensive maintenance of FA-50s after consultation with the Polish side."







According to KAI, the ripple effect on the industry via the export deal will reach some 10 trillion won, along with the creation of relevant employment.


Counsel for the next of kin of two Derry men shot dead in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984 have said they are concerned about the delay in identifying soldiers involved in the incident.

At a preliminary hearing today into the deaths of William Fleming (19) from the Waterside area of Derry and Danny Doherty (23) from Creggan, the Coroner Mr Justice Ian Huddleston was told that only four soldiers had been spoken to so far.

Fiona Doherty QC for the Coroner said that one of the military witnesses, Soldier A who has been identified as having fired shots during the incident should be designated as a properly interested party and so be given disclosure and this was done.

She said that they were working on contacting the other 'lettered soldiers'.

As far as she knew Soldiers B, G and I had been contacted.

Counsel for the next of kin said they were concerned at the delay and suggested that the Ministry of Defence could assist.

She also raised concerns about the delay in submitting Public Interest Immunity applications after being told that it will be the end of October before some of these reports will be ready.

The barrister suggested that perhaps the Coroner could impose 'a strict timetable' to ensure matters progress.

The Coroner said that he was not minded to do that but was in favour of more frequent reviews 'so we can keep on track'.

The hearing was also told that 'progress had been made' as regards civilian and police witnesses.

Counsel for the next of kin also raised the issue of motorcycle helmets the dead men were wearing at the time.

Counsel for the Coroner said that as far as could be ascertained the helmets had been returned from Forensic Service of Northern Ireland to Waterside police and subsequently were 'no longer available.'

Another preliminary hearing was scheduled for October 14.

A date has been fixed for the inquest into the deaths of the two men who were shot dead in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984 by the SAS for April 17 next year in Banbridge.

A previous hearing had heard that William Fleming had been shot four times in the head and 56 times to the body while Danny Doherty had been shot three times to the head and 21 times to the body.
Derry Magistrate's Court heard today how after a car was stolen from a house in the Balmoral Avenue area of Derry a bank card was used on a number of occasions.

Ryan Michael Harkin (30) of Glenabbey Close in Derry admitted a series of charges connected to the incident that occurred on November 5 2020.

The court heard that police were called by the injured party to report his car had been stolen during the night.

He said he still had his main set of keys but a spare key kept in the house was missing as was his wife's wedding ring.

CCTV was examined and a man could be seen approaching the car and 'using a mobile device' to open it.

He then was seen going round the rear of the property before returning and driving away.

The injured party's wallet was in the car and one of his bank cards was used to but tobacco products.

On the two occasions the card was used staff in the outlets noticed the driving and the condition of the vehicle with a tyre described as being almost 'completely off.'

The vehicle was recovered that afternoon with one tyre missing.

The defendant was identified from the CCTV and was arrested later but refused to be interviewed.

Harkin was jailed for nine months and fined 600.
The co-founder of a free food facility in County Derry has moved to clarify the misunderstanding that they operate as a food bank.

Jo Loney, co-founder of Dungiven Community Fridge in 2018, has hit out at descriptions of the facility as a food bank.

The 'community fridge' hit the headlines this week as it was revealed Mrs Loney's husband, Rev. Mark Loney had urged it to close on Monday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

In an email sent to Derry Now, Mrs Loney said the facility was for those 'who do not want to see food wasted'.

As a co founder of Dungiven Community Fridge which was established in September 2018; please be advised of the rationale behind it, she wrote.

It is NOT A FOOD BANK. It is there for anyone and everyone to use who do not want to see food wasted and to use it for good.

I do not know how many times we have to keep stating this before people get that message! People who are in paid employment can use it equally with people that are not currently.

It is of no relevance other than that their common aim is to reduce food waste and use it for good.

Mrs Loney told The Irish News during the week that she thought the facility should close.

I would expect a bit of decency, she said.

Like for example if the Pope died I would expect any cross community facility to close as well and I would be endorsing that.

Dungiven continued to make headlines today, and was the subject of a 40-minute discussion on BBC's The Nolan Show this morning involving former DUP MLA Jim Wells and commentator Phil Kelly.
Families of two IRA men shot dead by the SAS have expressed concern that a timeline has slipped for disclosing sensitive state files ahead of an inquest.

Danny Doherty, aged 23, and William Fleming, who was 19, were killed by soldiers in the grounds of Gransha Hospital in Derry in 1984.

It has been alleged the republicans, who were from Derry, were planning to attack an off-duty member of the UDR when the SAS ambushed them, firing almost 60 shots.

A six-week inquest into the killings is due to begin next April.

It has been scheduled amid continued uncertainty over whether some outstanding inquests may not get the chance to be heard due to planned Government laws intended to prevent future legacy probes.

The PSNI and Ministry of Defence are in the process of examining sensitive documents ahead of an anticipated Public Interest Immunity (PII) hearing to consider whether certain materials should be withheld from the inquest on national security grounds.

The PSNI previously signalled it would have completed the required preparatory work for a PII hearing by mid-September.

At a preliminary inquest hearing in Belfast on Friday, a barrister for the PSNI told coroner Mr Justice Ian Huddleston that timeline had not been met.

Mark Robinson KC cited increased demands on personnel dealing with legacy inquests.

These matters can take time simply because of the complexities of the material involved, he said.

Peter Coll KC, representing the MoD, also told the court that more work was required on the PII preparatory process.

He compared it to at times wading through treacle.

Both the PSNI and MoD barristers expressed confidence that the start date for the inquest could still be met.

The coroner replied: For reasons I need not rehearse its important that that remains the position.

The Government is currently putting controversial legacy laws through Parliament.

The draft legislation would offer immunity from prosecution for people accused of Troubles offences, as long as they cooperate with a new truth recovery body, and also halt future civil cases and inquests linked to killings during the conflict.

The Coroners Court in Northern Ireland is working its way through a schedule of legacy inquests related to the Troubles, some covering incidents from 50 years ago.

While many of the inquests have concluded, several have yet to begin.

A barrister for the next of kin of the two men, Leona Askin, said the families were very concerned at the prospect of delay.

Were concerned about delay and would ask that your lordship would put in place a strict timetable that these matters be complied with, she said to the coroner.

Justice Huddleston said he intended to schedule more regular review hearings to monitor progress of the disclosure process.

I am not enthused by the timetable we have discussed this morning, he added.

The next hearing was listed for October 14.
Oregon ocean change report highlights innovative monitoring and research Tweet September 16, 2022 NEWPORT, Ore  The Oregon Coordinating Council on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia (OAH Council) released its 2022 Biennial Legislative Report yesterday. Oregon legislators received the report that highlights actions taken by the Council that are outlined in the State's OAH Action Plan along with goals for the next biennium. Most notably, the report spotlights vital research to increase our understanding of the causes and impacts of OAH thanks to a $1.9 million legislative investment from House Bill 3114. The bill's funding marked a major milestone for Oregon in our efforts to combat OAH and create a sustainable future for Oregon's coastal resources and communities. A few examples of HB 3114-funded research projects that improve the State's ability to document ocean change include enhanced monitoring at: Oregon marine reserves, adding to the value of the reserves as scientific reference sites. Oregon State University researchers are leading this effort with help from existing partnerships and new fishing industry partners.

Hatfield Marine Science Center to study long-term oceanographic climate trends in Yaquina Bay. Scientific data collected in real time will be on display to the public at the Visitor's Center.

Netarts Bay at Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery to record changes in ocean acidification. Monitoring the bay's ocean conditions is critical to maintain adequate water quality in the hatchery and support Oregon's robust juvenile oyster production for the seafood industry. The report includes information on a unique and innovative approach to understanding ocean change: a "fisherman's app." The idea for the app stemmed from fishermen-scientist roundtable events hosted by the OAH Council. If successful, this pilot project would let any ocean user report ocean observations to scientists in real time using their smartphone or tablet. The biennial report is available online and includes ocean condition updates and development of an OAH communications plan to expand public awareness. Formed by the Oregon 2017 Legislature, the OAH Council works to better understand OAH and provide science-based recommendations to the State on actions that can be taken to support sustainability of Oregon's ocean as OAH intensifies. Click here to view ODFW online news releases. ###
Where to Watch / Stream Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 Online Watch Now View Netflix Plan

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About Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 was released on Sep 16, 2022 and was directed by Brian Young .This show is available in English language. Abigail Cowen, Hannah van der Westhuysen and Precious Mustapha are playing as the star cast in this show. You can watch the show online on Netflix, as long as you are a subscriber to the video streaming OTT platform. Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 scores a 6.6 digit binge rating out of 10 and is a good show to watch in the genre.

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Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 - Star Cast And Crew A Abigail Cowen Actor

Fate: The Winx Saga Season and Episode Details Season 1 Release Date : Jan 21, 2021 Season 1 Season 2 Release Date : Jan 01, 1970

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Hong Kong, Sep 16 (IANS) Chinese conglomerate Tencent has laid off all of the editorial staff at Fanbyte, an online gaming publication owned by it.

Some of the staff members at Fanbyte posted their ordeal on Twitter, saying the website's editor-in-chief, head of media, features editor, social editor, news editor, graphic designer, podcast producer and authors were sacked.

"Fanbyte employees were laid off slowly, one by one, over the course of several hours," reports TechCrunch.

The Fanbyte Instagram bio with a display name 'forgot the keys?' read: "Tencent made $35 billion in net income last year and laid off almost every member of child company Fanbyte! Please support the staff elsewhere".

A Fanbyte employee Merritt K tweeted on Friday: "I see a lot of empathy going out to everyone who was fired today but let's please also spare some thought for the people who had to fire everyone one by one over the course of countless hours, drawing out the delicious psychological torture."

Tencent did not make an official comment on the development.

Last month, Tencent fired 5,500 employees, after posting a revenue of $19.8 billion in the June quarter, down 3 per cent which was the first decline since going public.

Tencent downsized its workforce for the first time since 2014.

The company attributed the weak performance to "fewer big game releases, lower user spending, and the implementation of minor protection measures".

(Except for the headline, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited)

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in
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AUBURN  Neely Station, at 1433 Eighth St. N.E. in Auburn, sold for nearly $44.4 million, according to King County records.

The sellers were Goodman Real Estate and associated investors, which acquired the property in 2012 for almost $14 million.





. . .
88 martyrs' remains returning to China from South Korea

(People's Daily App) 16:38, September 16, 2022

A Y-20 military transport aircraft is bringing home the remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Unionized financial workers join a rally in central Seoul on Sept. 16 as the Korean Financial Industry Union goes on a one-day general strike demanding a wage hike. Yonhap





Some 13,000 unionized financial workers held a large-scale rally in central Seoul on Friday, calling for a wage hike and a 4.5-day workweek as the nationwide financial industry union went on a one-day general strike.







The Korean Financial Industry Union (KFIU) affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country's two umbrella unions, launched a single-day general walkout on the day, its first strike in six years.







The trade union, covering South Korea's mainstream private and state banks and other financial institutions, said some 100,000 workers from around 7,000 workplaces nationwide were to join the strike.







They demand a 5.2 percent wage hike, the pilot implementation of a 4.5-day workweek and other welfare benefits.







On Friday morning, some 13,000 members and officials of the KFIU, financial workers and civic and labor activists gathered together at Gwanghwamun Square to make their voices heard.







"We should safeguard the common good of financial services against employers who are dying to reduce the number of stores and employees, and increase dividends to stockholders," Park Hong-bae, KFIU chairman, said during the rally.







The strikers planned to launch a street march toward the presidential office in Yongsan following the rally.







The morning demonstration caused heavy traffic jams around Gwanghwamun Square, slowing down the traveling speed of vehicles around the area to as low as 12 kph as of 10 a.m.







The union has said it will launch another general strike on Sept. 30. (Yonhap)










Govt aids local production of critical components of SU-30MK1 aircraft and1500 HP battle tank engine

The centre will provide assistance of Rs5.5 crore to Ghaziabad Precision Products Private Limited (GPP) out of Rs14.2 crore total project cost for indigenous manufacture of accessory components of SU-30MK1 aircraft as also valve train components of 1500 HP battle tank engine and regular BEML engines.

To supplement this public-private endeavour, Technology Development Board, a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, is supporting the efforts of Ghaziabad Precision Products Private Limited (GPP) for development by critical machining and inspection process of accessory components of SU-30MK1 aircraft such as Rotary Pipe Union and Cover, respectively, valve train components of 1500 HP battle tank engine as also valve train components of regular BEML engines.

The Technology Development Board has signed an agreement with Ghaziabad Precision Products Private Limited, (GPP), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh for development by critical machining and inspection process of accessory components of SU-30MK1 aircraft.

The project involves the setting up of a facility for the development and supply of critically machined accessory components of Sukhoi-30MKI to Hindustan Aeronautic Ltd (HAL) and valve train components of 1500 HP 12V, 25 litres capacity diesel engine of Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) being developed by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi and regular Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) engine to BEML.

GPP is a registered vendor of both HAL and BEML and through this project will be actively participating in the process of import substitution for some of the components.

To help in the development of indigenous manufacturing ecosystem under Make in India initiative of the GOI, TDB has been supporting many imported technologies for wider domestic applications, to enhance local capacity building for such critical machine components and services through private manufactures across sectors, viz, defence, health and pharma, automobile and drone manufacturing etc, TDB secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said.

The Narendra Modi government has ramped up efforts towards facilitating global investments in India and strengthening local manufacturing in the defence sector. One major area of focus towards indigenisation has been the defence sector, as several policy initiatives and reforms to encourage indigenous design, development has been taken up under the flagship Make in India initiative, in order to reduce dependency on imports of defence equipment.

As part of this, the ministry of defence has launched the SRIJAN portal to promote indigenisation by the industry. About 19,509 defence items, which were earlier imported, have been uploaded on the portal for indigenisation till date. Out of these, the Indian industry has shown interest for indigenisation of 4,006 defence items so far. With these initiatives, the expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46 per cent to 36 per cent, thereby reducing import burden, in the last three years, ie, from 2018-19 to 2020-21. Further, the value of production of public and private sector defence companies have increased from Rs79,071 crore to Rs84,643 crore in last two years, ie, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
People moving to Ireland face a severe housing crisis and will struggle to find accommodation, the French embassy has warned its citizens.

The Dublin-based embassy posted advice, titled lodging with a warning sign next to it, on its website.

It wrote: Ireland is currently experiencing a severe housing crisis.

New arrivals, including students, face significant difficulties in finding accommodation.

The strong demand and the saturation of the rental market have led to a sharp increase in rents, which are currently much more expensive than in Paris, including shared accommodation.

It is therefore advisable for people planning to settle in Ireland to allow sufficient time for this search for accommodation (which can take several weeks).

The embassy warned of scams on various advertising sites and called for great vigilance when looking for accommodation.

It also advised against signing a contract or paying a deposit without visiting the accommodation and meeting the owner or estate agency.

It is essential to have solid financial guarantees and, if possible, certificates of payment of rent from your previous owners (reference letter) in order to be able to present a rental file, it added.

Also note that many rental contracts prohibit pets.

In addition to the classic hotels, there are B&Bs (bed and breakfasts) in Ireland.

It is advisable to consult the list in the yellow pages of the directory, or to request it from the Irish tourist office.

Youth hostels can also offer a solution for more modestly priced accommodation, usually in a shared room.

It comes after gardai warned students in Cork to be on the guard against accommodation fraud.

A French student who moved to Cork to study was targeted by fraudsters over a room apparently available for rent.

They handed over 3,000 euro before realising  after turning up at the property  the man she gave the money to was not actually the landlord.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar described the accommodation crisis as a serious situation, saying it has never been this bad.

Students often struggle to find accommodation around this time of year, Mr Varadkar said.

But Ive never seen it this bad quite frankly, and there are two reasons for it.

There are more students than ever attending higher and further education from a greater range of diverse backgrounds, never was the case before.

That is happening at a time when we dont have enough accommodation.

So what are we doing about it? More student accommodation on campus, which is really important, increase in the supply of new homes.

We built about 25,000 new homes this year, more than any year in 10 years, and as well as that really promoting things like the rent-a-room scheme.

If someone has a spare room they can earn up to 14,000 euros without paying any tax and potentially providing accommodation for students.

The French Embassy are warning students about the accommodation crisis in Ireland.International students have been misled on the availability in accommodation in Ireland  an issue we warned @SimonHarrisTD about and yet still no action to protect students. pic.twitter.com/EOpR49q2ez  Beth O'Reilly (they/them) (@BethOReilly) September 15, 2022

Those are the kind of things that were doing.

Beth OReilly, president of the Union of Students in Ireland, said international students have been misled on the availability in accommodation in Ireland.

She said the issue was previously raised with Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris.

Still no action to protect students, Ms OReilly posted.

Colleges and the Department of Higher Education are more than happy to keep international students in the dark as they are the primary money maker in the sector  allowing colleges to profit and the government to continue underfunding our universities and colleges.

Up until a few weeks ago, the Education In Ireland site displayed hugely outdated information on the cost of living in Ireland  saying rent was 425 euro per month for students. When we brought this up as an issue the figures on the page were deleted  not updated.

Our international students deserve the full story before they choose to study in Ireland. They should be aware of all of the costs associated with studying here, as well as the abysmal accommodation situation.

Ill be reaching out to more embassies in the coming weeks to encourage them to display similar warnings. Hopefully more will follow suit in helping to educate students on the accommodation crisis.

The Department of Housing and Department for Higher Education has been contacted for comment.
Liz Truss is to meet a number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau when they visit Britain for the Queens funeral.

Downing Street on Friday detailed the head-to-heads confirmed so far for the Prime Minister this weekend, ahead of the state funeral.

She will meet privately with her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the Governments Chevening country residence on Saturday, a No 10 spokesperson said.

On Sunday, she will meet Mr Martin, Mr Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street.

Ms Truss has met Mr Biden as foreign secretary but this will be their first meeting since she became Prime Minister.

It will take place against a backdrop of disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol and difficulties working towards a trade deal with the White House.

The protocol is also likely to come up when she speaks to Mr Martin amid strained relations between the two countries over post-Brexit arrangements.

The head-to-head with Mr Biden, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Trusss visit to the UN General Assembly next week although No 10 did not rule out another bilateral there.

In a phone conversation with His Majesty King Charles III last night, I expressed Frances condolences on the death of his mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I will attend the funeral in London on Monday.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2022

It is likely that the summit in New York will be where Ms Truss meets French President Emmanuel Macron, rather than during his visit to the UK.

Mr Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his countrys condolences in a call to the King.

He tweeted about the unbreakable ties between France and the UK as he promised to strengthen the relationship between the UK and France by following the path of the late Queen.

A meeting between the pair could be a chance for Ms Truss to clear up where their relationship stands after she sparked controversy by saying the jurys out over whether Mr Macron is a friend or foe during her campaign to become Tory leader.

Ms Truss and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also understood to be arranging a meeting while both attend the UN summit, where they are expected to discuss the dispute between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Truss is not expected to meet Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan, who is set to attend the state funeral on Monday instead of leader Xi Jinping.

Chinas official delegation is expected to be barred from attending the Queens lying in state in Westminster Hall by the Commons Speaker, while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing.

No 10 earlier declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up.

Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Ministers country residence of Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit.

As well as her head-to-heads with world leaders on Sunday, Ms Truss will have an audience with the King before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace.

Ms Ardern will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister before the Queens funeral.

The New Zealand prime minister confirmed the meetings but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will share the sorrow that New Zealand has with the new monarch.

Ill simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences, the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, thats first and foremost.

Ms Ardern also said the Queens death and new King will be the focus of conversation when she and Ms Truss meet.

She said she will also likely discuss Ukraine and the UKs free trade agreement with New Zealand.

I am sure we will also transact our relationship as well, but it is all within the context of the week of mourning that the UK is currently in, she said.

At the Palaces invitation, 10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the Prime Minister and Governor-General on September 19. Here's more about who they are: (1/11)  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 13, 2022

As a member of the Commonwealth, New Zealand will bring 10 additional guests from the community, including the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, according to a Foreign Office source.

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey  which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Uzbekistan on Friday morning for a meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin there this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with President Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italys President Sergio Mattarella and Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending.

But Downing Street declined to confirm reports that Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska, President Volodymyr Zelenskys wife, will travel to the funeral.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London for what will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in place of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Invitations to the Queens funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine.

Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.
Vaccine adapted for the Omicron variant of Covid-19 will be available as booster jabs from next month to those who are eligible, the Department of Health has said.

Doses of the adapted bivalent vaccines have already been delivered to Ireland.

Adapted bivalent Covid-19 boosters include components of the original virus strain of Sars-CoV-2 and the Omicron variant.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended that bivalent mRNA vaccines be made available for people aged 12 years and older who are eligible for a booster vaccine.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has accepted the recommendations, which were endorsed by the interim chief medical officer Professor Breda Smyth.

 Pleased to announce that vaccines adapted to Covid variants will be introduced to our #COVID19 Booster programme from next month. Everyone eligible for a booster/primary vaccine course should get vaccinated as it remains the best protection from severe illness. #ForUsAll pic.twitter.com/G81pxHtj1w  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) September 16, 2022

First booster doses are being offered to children aged five to 11 with weak immune systems, and people aged 12 and older.

A second booster is being offered to a variety of people ahead of the winter period, including people aged 50-64, and those aged 12 or older with conditions that could put them at high risk of Covid-19.

Women who are more than 16 weeks pregnant, those aged 12 or older living in long-term care facilities, and healthcare workers are also eligible for a second booster.

Mr Donnelly said the adapted vaccines will play a significant role in Irelands autumn/winter vaccination campaign.

He added: Officials in my Department have secured access to adapted bivalent vaccines through participation (in partnership with the European Commission and other Member States), in the EUs Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.

Doses of bivalent adapted vaccines have already been delivered to Ireland thanks to provisions of Purchase Agreements negotiated by the Commission as part of the EUs Covid Strategy.

Prof Smyth stressed: It is really important that anyone yet to receive any course of Covid-19 vaccine does so as soon as possible and that anyone for whom a booster dose is recommended makes arrangements to receive that booster.

The HSE will include bivalent booster vaccines in the vaccination programme from early October, when the flu vaccine programme is due to begin.

From next month, anyone who is eligible for both a flu vaccine and a Covid-19 booster can receive them at the same time from participating GPs and pharmacies, so long as it has been at least four months since their last Covid-19 vaccine or infection.
Irish premier Micheal Martin is to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday, before attending the Queens funeral the following day.

Ms Truss will also meet US President Joe Biden, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, and Polands President Andrzej Duda at 10 Downing Street on the same day as Mr Martin.

The Taoiseach is expected to offer Ms Truss his condolences on the death of the late monarch, ahead of the state funeral at which hundreds of the worlds dignitaries are expected to attend.

Mr Martin has met Ms Truss in person briefly since she became prime minister earlier this month.

They were seated next to one another during a memorial service for the Queen at St Annes Cathedral in Belfast on Tuesday.

The meeting comes as the British Government is expected to continue with its Bill to give ministers the power to unilaterally scrap parts of the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol, which was jointly agreed by the UK and EU in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

As foreign secretary, Ms Truss introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which Ireland and the EU have criticised as breaching international law.

The issue is expected to ramp up ahead of a deadline at the end of October to form a new Northern Ireland Executive, which the DUP has so far blocked in protest over the protocols implementation.
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A blanket ban on keeping pets in rented accommodation should be ended, according to a Labour senator.

Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has demanded Government take action on the issue.

As people receiving homes in Approved Housing Bodies report being asked to choose between a roof over their head or their family pet, Senator Moynihan said a common sense approach must be taken to pets in rented accommodation.

Senator Moynihan said: When it comes to housing, Government consistently fails to take a common sense approach to the issues that affect people. Renting needs to work for people. We shouldnt have a bizarre situation where people are asked to choose between a roof over their head or their family pet.

"Anyone with a pet knows that they are a member of the family, and whether you own your home or are renting your home, pets should be treated the same. Labours Renters Rights Bill would end the blanket ban on pets in rented accommodation and bring Irelands rental rights into the 21st century," Senator Moynihan said.

This is an issue affecting so many renters, from single people to families who want the company and companionship of a pet in their home. Ive been particularly struck by a number of elderly people who have contacted my office. Many are asked to give up their beloved pet when moving into supported living situations. We cant have a situation where people feel they have to take the risk of turning down a home rather than giving up their beloved cat or dog. Its unfair, when with the flick of a pen, Government could end this blanket ban.

Last year, the UK Housing Minister introduced a Model Tenancy Agreement which ends the blanket pet ban. Now, landlords can only ban animals where there is good reason, such as in smaller properties or flats where it may be impractical. The Minister has the power to implement the same change here.

Pets play a huge role in many peoples lives. They provide companionship and emotional support, enhancing overall wellbeing. They're our friends and our family. With a greater number of people renting now than ever before, we have to explore ways that allow responsible owners have their pets and companions in their rented homes. Renting needs to work for people," Senator Moynihan added.
In this file photo, a researcher holds up a bottle of SKYCovione at the lab of SK Bioscience in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on July 13. Yonhap



Korea on Friday authorized the use of SKYCovione, a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine developed by SK Bioscience Co., for booster shots against the coronavirus in addition to its use as primary inoculations.



The decision was announced by Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il at the meeting of the government's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.



Hospitals and clinics will be allowed to administer SKYCovione vaccines as third and fourth inoculations from Sept. 26.



The state-run Center for Infectious Disease Research said earlier this month it has confirmed SKYCovione's efficacy in neutralizing the BA.1 and BA.5 coronavirus omicron subvariants when used after two prior vaccine jabs.






The suspect in the shocking murder of a female subway worker inside a subway ladies' restroom in Seoul said Friday he is "very sorry" as he made his first appearance before reporters to attend a court hearing.



The 31-year-old suspect in the murder of a female Seoul Metro employee at Sindang Station on Line No. 20 shows up for a court hearing at the Seoul Central District Office on Sept. 16 two days after the alleged murder. Yonhap





The suspect in the shocking murder of a female subway worker inside a subway ladies' restroom in Seoul said Friday he is "very sorry" as he made his first appearance before reporters to attend a court hearing.







The 31-year-old Seoul Metro employee, surnamed Jeon, was apprehended Wednesday evening at Sindang Station on Line No. 2 after allegedly stabbing his female colleague in her 20s to death in the subway station's ladies' room.







The case shocked the nation as it was revealed the killing took place one day before a court was set to sentence him on charges of stalking her. The two had known each other since entering Seoul Metro the same year.







Wearing shorts and slippers with a sling over his left arm, Jeon was brought in a police car to the Seoul Central District Court at 2:06 p.m. for an arraignment hearing aimed at determining whether to issue a formal arrest warrant for him.






In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that has now killed over 1 million Americans, the federal government has allocated billions of dollars in funding for schools. Known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), the funds were distributed in three separate tranches:

ESSER I  On March 27, 2020, Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) Fund.

ESSER II  The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, 2021, was signed into law on December 27, 2020, and provided an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund.

ESSER III  On Thursday, March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law. It was an unprecedented $1.9 trillion package of assistance measures, including $122 billion for the ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund. Funds are provided to SEAs and LEAs to help safely reopen and sustain the same operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Nations students.

This year, under ESSER III, Michigan received $3.7 billion in funds to distribute to local educational agencies (LEAs), which includes some charter schools. LEAs must provide equitable services to students and teachers in non-public schools as required under the CARES Act.

The Michigan Education Justice Coalition (MEJC) has put together a guidance for putting these funds to work:

The Michigan Education Justice Coalition (MEJC) has authored a set of key values titled the Healthy and Healing Schools Platform. These values guide the vision MEJC holds for building a system of public schools that provides public access to quality educational options and positive learning environments for ALL children in Michigan. Now is a unique time to leverage ESSER funds to implement systems, structures, and resources to ensure our children get the best education possible. This document serves as a set of recommendations for LEAs to allocate ESSER funds based on the Values defined in the Healthy and Healing Schools Platform.

Between April 19, 2021, and June 30, 2021, MEJC surveyed Michigan residents statewide through an online survey in English, Spanish, and Bangla. The top five priorities they uncovered were:

Mental health services Special education Early childhood education Family support services Overcoming the technology gap

The least popular items were more police in schools and more standardized testing.

MEJCs priorities, which are explained in detail in their report, focus on these specific items:

Academics and the right to a quality education Providing summer, after-school learning and enrichment opportunities Addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English language learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care Improving student attendance and engagement

Family and community engagement

Connecting with families to inform them of available opportunities



Implementing Restorative Practices

Wellness preparedness and response to COVID-19

Acquiring new digital tools to assist in teaching, scheduling, and collaboration, and training staff for implementation



Improved indoor air quality



Supporting teachers in modifying curricula for virtual learning



Increasing support staffing (such as librarians and technology help desk personnel)



Improving and updating technological infrastructure



Purchasing new educational technology



Flexible and alternative classrooms



Outdoor classrooms can be created & deconstructed in moments

Mental health support

Implementing evidence-based programs to support social and emotional learning, resilience, and trauma sensitivity



Designing classrooms and other in-school spaces to promote relationship building and mental wellness



Offering mental health support for students, families, and staff



Access to daily physical activities

School climate

Professional development for school staff

Continued staff employment

Hiring extra substitute teachers to support flexible scheduling



Offering more generous sick leave to encourage staff to stay home when they do not feel well



Continuing to employ current staff

MEJC is offering these recommendations in the hopes that school boards will adopt them and are urging school districts around the state to hold townhall meetings where they can hear from parents and be transparent about the process and how the funds will be spent.

This funding presents a unique opportunity for schools to close education funding gaps and fill needs that have gone largely unmet due to massive defunding of public schools over the past two decades. Heres hoping school districts will be open to their suggestions and adopt them in ways that truly benefit both students and educators in Michigan.

[Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages]
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

The extreme rainfall that flooded one third of Pakistan this summer, killed nearly 1,500 people, devoured 1.7 million homes and impacted more than 33 million people was most likely made worse by the climate crisis.

Thats the conclusion of World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists who use peer-reviewed methods to analyze whether or not individual extreme weather events bear the fingerprints of climate change.

Our evidence suggests that climate change played an important role in the event, although our analysis doesnt allow us to quantify how big the role was, report co-author Friederike Otto from Imperial College London said, as BBC News reported.

New @wxrisk study: Climate change exacerbated extreme rainfall responsible for devastating Pakistan floods but historically rooted vulnerability and inequality also play a crucial role. https://t.co/hiwzPi6OSl pic.twitter.com/3ylPxH6B4s  Dr Friederike Otto (@FrediOtto) September 15, 2022

The research team, from Pakistan, India, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, South Africa, New Zealand, the U.S. and the UK, looked at two main aspects of the heavy rainfall that devastated Pakistan, which saw three times its usual August rainfall this summer.

The yearly maximum of 60-day mean rainfall over the Indus River basin from June to September. Looking at observations, they found that this rainfall was around 50 percent more intense now than it would have been without the current 1.2 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. The yearly maximum five-day-mean rainfall over the hardest hit regions of Sindh and Balochistan from June to September. Observations indicated that this rainfall was approximately 75 percent more intense than it would have been without current warming.

However, there was uncertainty in these results, and things got even more complicated when the researchers started looking at climate models, as these showed less of a climate impact than the observations. That said, some models indicated that the five-day rainfall could have become 50 percent more intense because of global warming.

This discrepancy suggests that long-term variability, or processes that our evaluation may not capture, can play an important role, rendering it infeasible to quantify the overall role of human-induced climate change, the study authors wrote.

The study authors also acknowledged the role of other factors including inequality, building near flood-plains and problems with infrastructure and river management that made the impacts of the flooding worse.

The worst damage was not actually from the rainfall itself, but from dam and barrage related issuesThe disaster was a result of vulnerability constructed over a number of years and it shouldnt be seen historically as the outcome of just one kind of sudden or sporadic weather event, study co-author Dr. Ayesha Siddiqi of Royal Holloway, University of London said at a press conference attended by Carbon Brief.

All of this paints a less clear picture of climate changes role than other World Weather Attribution studies like the one that found that a deadly spring heat wave in India and Pakistan was 30 times more likely because of the climate crisis.

The role of climate change in heatwaves is much larger than in extreme rainfall when it comes to [increasing] likelihood, Otto told Reuters.

Still, Otto told BBC News that the flooding in Pakistan corresponded to previous predictions of what would happen to the region as the planet warmed. And further predictions serve as another argument to both reduce emissions and fix on-the-ground problems with construction, dams and environmental injustice that made the rains impact so much worse.

Both current conditions and the potential further increase in extreme peaks in rainfall over Pakistan in light of human-caused climate change, suggest that there is an urgent need to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather in Pakistan, the study authors wrote.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

In a move that sets a new precedent for corporate leadership in the age of climate change, billionaire founder of sportswear brand Patagonia Yvon Chouinard has announced that he is giving away his entire company to fight the climate crisis and safeguard nature.

Earth is now our only shareholder, a message from Chouinard on the companys website says, If we have any hope of a thriving planet  much less a business  it is going to take all of us doing what we can with the resources we have.

Before founding Patagonia in 1973, Chouinard was a rock climber in California who slept in his vehicle and ate damaged cans of cat food that he bought for five cents apiece, according to The New York Times. He still doesnt own a cellphone or a computer.

In his message on Patagonias website, Chouinard wrote that he began crafting climbing gear for himself and his friends before expanding to apparel. Eventually, in the face of planet warming and environmental devastation, the company began to shift their business model.

We needed to find a way to put more money into fighting the crisis while keeping the companys values intact, Chouinard said on the website. Truth be told, there were no good options available. So, we created our own Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, well use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth.

All of Patagonias voting stock  which represents two percent of the total  as well as all of the decision-making power for the company, moves into a trust to preserve the companys purpose and values. Chouinard has donated all of the remainder of the companys nonvoting stock to nonprofit the Holdfast Collective, dedicated to protecting nature and combating the ecological crisis.

The Holdfast Collective will use every dollar received to fight the environmental crisis, protect nature and biodiversity, and support thriving communities, as quickly as possible, Chouinard said in a statement, as The Guardian reported.

Eighty-three-year-old Chouinard, along with his wife, children and lawyers for Patagonia, have come up with a way to organize the company so that it remains for-profit, with all of its earnings going toward endeavors to help the environment.

Instead of going public, you could say were going purpose. Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming Posted by Patagonia on Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Another possible option would have been to sell the company and donate the proceeds, but that might have meant the loss of the values of the company and Patagonias employees potentially losing their jobs, Chouinards message said.

Another path was to take the company public. What a disaster that would have been. Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility, the message went on to say.

The companys new structure is intended to show that the traditional belief that investors wont understand any objectives of a corporation other than profits is not the only way, board chair of Patagonia Charles Conn wrote in Fortune.

Instead of exploiting natural resources to make shareholder returns, we are turning shareholder capitalism on its head by making the Earth our only shareholder, Conn wrote. Investors already look to many company attributes when allocating capital. Over time, the market will continue to work and responsible purpose-led companies will attract more investment, better employees, and deeper customer loyalty. This is not woke capitalism. Its the future of business if we want to build a better world for our children and all other creatures.

When Chouinard was listed by Forbes as a billionaire, it upset him.

I was in Forbes magazine listed as a billionaire, which really, really pissed me off, Chouinard said, according to The New York Times. I dont have $1 billion in the bank. I dont drive Lexuses.

Patagonia started giving one percent of its profits to environmental organizations in the 1980s, The Guardian said, and was one of the first B Corporations, which requires a company to [d]emonstrate high social and environmental performance, according to the website of nonprofit B Lab.

Hopefully this will influence a new form of capitalism that doesnt end up with a few rich people and a bunch of poor people, Chouinard told The New York Times. We are going to give away the maximum amount of money to people who are actively working on saving this planet.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Major fossil fuel company Shell has announced its new CEO, and he is the current head of its renewable energy department.

Wael Sawan, current head of the companys integrated gas and renewables division, will take over for out-going CEO Ben van Beurden on January 1, 2023.

Its been a privilege to work alongside Ben and Im honoured to take over the leadership of this great company from him, Sawan said, as The Guardian reported. We will be disciplined and value-focused, as we work with our customers and partners to deliver the reliable, affordable and cleaner energy the world needs.

Sawan, who was born in Beirut, raised in Dubai and studied in the U.S. and Canada, began working for Shell in 1997, as energy correspondent Alex Lawson wrote in an analysis for The Guardian. Before taking over his current job last year, he has run more fossil-fuel focused projects including Qatari oil and gas and the Houston-based deepwater division.

Its not like hes just a renewable guy, Transversal Consulting founder Ellen Wald told AP News. Hes still an oil and gas person, but I do think the fact that he was in this (renewables) division before moving to CEO shows how integral they see this to the future of the company.

Under van Beurden, the company set out a pathway to reaching net zero by 2050, Lawson noted. Some industry experts see Sawans appointment as a signal that the company is seeking to solidify its commitments. This year, the company only spent around 12 percent of its capital expenditures on renewable electricity and alternative fuels like hydrogen, The Guardian reported.

For a group whose renewable strategy has been somewhat vague, though grand sounding, this is a clear marker that Shell intends to change this, Hargreaves Lansdown lead equity analyst Sophie Lund-Yates said, as The Guardian reported. Change wont happen overnight, but its reasonable to think that at least tweaks to the existing renewable strategy could be on the cards.

However, other people familiar with Shell are not so sure that Sawans appointment signals a major change in the companys business model.

Credit Suisse Asset Management, one of Shells top five shareholders, told Reuters that they were familiar with Sawan and that he would likely continue the course charged by van Beurden.

The shift is likely to be more of a continuation than revolution of the strategy put in place by van Beurden, RBC Capital analysts added, as Reuters reported.

His appointment also comes as new documents have thrown the climate commitments of Shell and other major oil and gas companies into doubt. Internal documents subpoenaed as part of a U.S. House of Representatives investigation showed companies like Shell and Exxon internally dismissing their public-facing pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

An email sent by a Shell employee in October 2020 said that the companys pathway to net zero has nothing to do with our business plans.

Yet Sawan and Shell may be forced to change regardless of their inventions. A Dutch court has ordered the company to reduce emissions more quickly than planned. The company has appealed, according to Reuters, but there are no guarantees it will succeed. If it does not, the company will have to cut emissions by 45 percent by 2030, and Sawan could still be at the helm by that date, Lawson noted.

He has to make bold decisions to explore new business models instead of new oil and gas. If he fails to deliver deep emissions cuts, he puts the company at great financial risk, Follow This founder, Mark van Baal told Lawson. Perhaps the greatest financial risk comes from litigation. Oil, coal and gas companies will be held liable for the staggering costs of devastating climate change.




Dr. Eckel highlights phytogenics as future of animal nutrition

Dr. Eckel's World Tour 2022 recently kicked off with a well-attended event in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The series focuses on the use of phytogenic additives for profitable, sustainable animal production. Dr. Andreas Lewke, managing director of Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition (Thailand), welcomed around 50 participants from all over Asia to the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, and over three days, academic and industry experts shared and discussed the most promising innovations and solutions for effective ruminant feeding, poultry production and aquaculture.

Dr. Eckel recognises that producers worldwide need to find solutions to utilise resources as efficiently as possible, in order to meet the demand for animal protein while still remaining profitable. Such solutions are what the company's first world tour conference seeks to address.

In his keynote address, vice president Dr. Bernhard Eckel posed the central question of how industry players can secure a global food supply for a growing population in the face of current challenges. He showed how phytogenic additives can be used to achieve the United Nations' sustainability goals and even increase production.

Professor Carsten Malisch from Aarhus University in Denmark outlined the various potential uses of plant secondary compounds and provided exciting insight into his current research on tannins and their benefits to animal nutrition, particularly in the area of reducing emissions in ruminant feeding.

Dr. Tirawat Rairat from the Department of Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University in Thailand explained the urgency to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture and phytogenic additives as the better choice.

Dr. Eckel's Muhammad Umar introduced Anta Phyt, a phytogenic from its product portfolio, and its possible applications. He also presented compelling trial results demonstrating its effectiveness. Veterinarian and entrepreneur Dr. Forouzandeh Boroujerdi from Mavicarno Co. Ltd in Iran corroborated this outcome with her experience of using Dr. Eckel's product Anta Phyt in poultry.

Dr. Viktor Eckel concluded the series of talks with a presentation on the company's phytogenic additives portfolio.

During the event, both participants and the speakers examined the most promising solutions and exchanged practical experiences. They agreed that, in addition to the technical information, the exchange between the various countries and regions was particularly valuable.

According to Dr. Eckel, all attendees at the conference came to a unanimous conclusion that it is only through production methods that make the most efficient use of resources and promote healthy animal production, and phytogenic additives are the key to this development.

The World Tour 2022 will head to Surabaya, Indonesia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and, just before EuroTier, Braunschweig, Germany.



- Dr. Eckel
A sign reading "Women Friendly Seoul" is displayed on the wall near a restroom in Seoul Metro's Sindang Station, Friday, where a female subway worker had been killed two days earlier by a male ex-colleague who was accused of stalking and harassing the victim. Yonhap



Yoon vows to enhance protection for stalking victims



By Lee Hyo-jin



A murder case of a female subway worker by a male ex-colleague, which was committed one day before he was to be sentenced on charges of stalking the victim, has triggered public fury over the government's poor response to repeated stalking murders.



The 31-year-old former Seoul Metro employee, identified only by his surname Jeon, allegedly stabbed the 28-year-old woman multiple times with a weapon in a restroom at Sindang Station on Seoul Metro lines 2 and 6, around 9 p.m., Wednesday. The victim was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead after two hours.



Wearing a disposable sanitary cap, Jeon waited for over an hour in the subway station for the victim to show up and followed her as she entered the women's room to patrol the facility. He later told police that the act was premeditated and he had prepared the weapon in advance.



The two used to be colleagues after joining the city's metro operator in 2018, until Jeon was forced to quit in Oct.13, 2021, after facing allegations of stalking, harassment and voyeurism against the victim.



The woman filed a police report against Jeon on Oct. 7, 2021. But a court ended up rejecting a request for an arrest warrant, citing a low risk of him fleeing or destroying evidence.



However, Jeon continued harassing the victim even as the police investigation was ongoing, forcing the woman to file another complaint on Jan. 27 of this year.



The tragic incident came just one day before Jeon's sentencing hearing. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison term for Jeon.



This is not the first time Korea has seen stalking crimes result in the death of the victim.



In November 2021, a woman in her 20s was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Kim Byung-chan, in Jung District, Seoul, after he had been stalking her for several months following their breakup. In March of that year, Kim Tae-hyun brutally killed a woman whom he had stalked, along with her mother and younger sister who were present at the time.





Measures to prevent stalking crimes will be discussed: Prime Minister Han Gov't, ruling party to consider reviewing all stalking cases reported to police Subway murder suspect says 'very sorry' as he shows up for hearing on arrest warrant Public anger is mounting over the government's repeated failures to prevent stalking murders despite the legislation of an anti-stalking bill last October.



Preventable crimes



Jeon, a murder suspect accused of stabbing his ex-colleague to death, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court to attend an arrest warrant hearing, Friday. Yonhap

Lee Woong-hyuk, a professor of police science at Konkuk University, viewed that the latest murder was potentially preventable, had the law enforcement authorities and court taken more active steps to separate the victim and the perpetrator.



"The court should have issued the arrest warrant. Even though there was a low risk of Jeon fleeing, the judge should have taken into consideration the possible harm the suspect could inflict on the victim. The police, for their part, could have used other measures stipulated in the anti-stalking bill to physically detain him for at least a month," he told The Korea Times, Friday.



"Stalking murders show similar patterns and thus can be prevented with preemptive response measures. However, the problem is that the authorities do not seem to understand the seriousness of the matter. Stalking is a serious crime which often escalates into physical violence and heinous offenses."



President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed that his administration will enhance protection measures to stem stalking crimes.



"The news (on the murder of the subway worker) is shocking the public," he told reporters, Friday. "Even though a bill aimed at preventing stalking crimes was enacted last year, many people are pointing out that it is insufficient to protect the victims. I will order the Ministry of Justice to introduce additional measures so that such crimes will never gain a foothold again."



For his part, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon visited Sindang Station on Thursday evening. During the unscheduled visit, he told reporters that he "feels deep responsibility to have failed to protect" the victim.



Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks during a briefing at Gwacheon Government Complex in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap

His ministry announced that it will make revisions to the anti-stalking bill in an effort to rectify loopholes in the current system.



Under the bill, those accused of stalking can be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fined up to 30 million won. Also, stalking with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to five years in prison or up to 50 million won in fines.



However, civic groups have been criticizing the law as ineffective in addressing the core nature of stalking crimes that affect the daily lives of the victims and those around them.








Alaska receives US$49 million grant for aquaculture development

The Build Back Better programme funded by the American Rescue Plan has provided a US$49 million grant to Alaska state, US, to develop the state's aquaculture sector, Fish Information & Services reported.

Southeast Alaska, specifically Kodiak and Prince William Sound, is where the majority of Alaska's aquaculture industry is found. The Kenai Peninsula also saw some operations. Alaska Public Media reports that a lot of businesses specialise in growing algae and shellfish.

According to Tim Dillon, the project's local coordinator, the mariculture cluster is soliciting feedback from Alaskan entrepreneurs to determine where funding is most needed.

The cluster has identified eight different projects, including a US$15.9 million equipment and technology plan for mariculture and a US$9.3 million funded revolving loan fund.

Dillon expressed satisfaction over the US$9.3 million invested in workforce development.

US President Joe Biden said that a crucial element of the project was workforce creation. The grants from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge will lead to the creation of jobs close to where people currently reside.

Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, said the grants, which total US$1 billion in funding for 21 projects, are the Department of Commerce's largest investment in a single community. She said the mariculture project was one out of the 529 applications the department received.

- Fish Information and Services




Taiwan imposes one-week ban on local movements of pork from Kinmen

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) has imposed a one-week ban on the transport of pork products from Kinmen to other parts of the country after a pig carcass, which washed up on the outlying island, tested positive for African swine fever (ASF).

In a press release on September 15, the Kinmen County government said a coast guard patrol found the carcass of a 50-60-kilogramme pig on the shoreline near Jinning Township's Housha Village on September 13.

Disease control officials collected samples from the carcass, and then burned and buried it on site, but testing by the COA's National Inn Septembstitute for Animal Health showed it had been infected with ASF, the county government said.

In response to the positive test result, veterinarians were sent to inspect eight pig farms located within a three-kilometer radius of where the carcass was found, but determined that all of the animals were in good health, according to the statement.

As a precaution, however, the COA has prohibited the transport of live pigs, as well as fresh and processed pork or pork products from Kinmen to other parts of Taiwan, with effect from September 15 through September 21, the statement said.

The county government added that it is not unusual to find pig carcasses among garbage that occasionally washes ashore in Kinmen, due to its close proximity to China.



- CNA




Korea should prepare to gradually end COVID-19 emergency response system in a step toward the people's return to normalcy amid a moderate declining trend of the virus, an adviser said Friday.







Korea reported 51,874 new COVID-19 cases, including 348 from overseas, earlier in the day, bringing the total to 24,316,302, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.







Jung Ki-suck, a civilian adviser to the government task force on the pandemic, made the case for dealing with the pandemic in a normal manner from an emergency response system, citing the transition in major countries.







"We should prepare an exit strategy" from the COVID-19 pandemic, Jung said in a briefing, adding major countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, have lifted indoor mask mandates except for several facilities.







The World Health Organization has also declared the end of the pandemic is in sight.







Jung said Korea should not be left behind when the global pandemic ends to bolster the nation's trade-dependent economy, saying global trade could return to normal in the next six months.







In April, Korea removed almost all social distancing rules to support the people's return to normalcy, including private gathering limits and business hour curfews.







Jung said Korea could handle COVID-19 like a seasonal flu, considering its medical response system and a downward trend of the fatality rate and proportion of critically ill patients.







Korea's COVID-19 fatality rate has recently dropped to 0.04 percent, compared with 2.1 percent in the early stages of the pandemic.







On Friday, Korea reported 60 COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 27,725. The fatality rate stood at 0.11 percent.







The number of critically ill patients stood at 516, up 25 from the previous day.







Separately, the government said it will give a green light to use the nation's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, SKYCovione, as a booster shot. Developed by SK Bioscience Co., the vaccine was previously allowed only to be administered as one of the two main inoculations. (Yonhap)










Microsoft Teams stores authentication tokens in unencrypted plaintext mode, allowing attackers to potentially control communications within an organization, according to the security firm Vectra. The flaw affects the desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux built using Microsoft's Electron framework. Microsoft is aware of the issue but said it has no plans for a fix anytime soon, since an exploit would also require network access.

According to Vectra, a hacker with local or remote system access could steal the credentials for any Teams user currently online, then impersonate them even when they're offline. They could also pretend to be the user through apps associated with Teams, like Skype or Outlook, while bypassing the multifactor authentication (MFA) usually required.

"This enables attackers to modify SharePoint files, Outlook mail and calendars, and Teams chat files," Vectra security architect Connor Peoples wrote. "Even more damaging, attackers can tamper with legitimate communications within an organization by selectively destroying, exfiltrating, or engaging in targeted phishing attacks."

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Attackers can tamper with legitimate communications within an organization by selectively destroying, exfiltrating, or engaging in targeted phishing attacks.

Vectra created a proof-of-concept exploit that allowed them to send a message to the account of the credential holder via an access token. "Assuming full control of critical seatslike a companys Head of Engineering, CEO, or CFO  attackers can convince users to perform tasks damaging to the organization."

The problem is mainly limited to the desktop app, because the Electron framework (that essentially creates a web app port) has "no additional security controls to protect cookie data," unlike modern web browsers. As such, Vectra recommends not using the desktop app until a patch is created, and using the web application instead.

When informed by cybersecurity news site Dark Reading of the vulnerability, Microsoft said it "does not meet our bar for immediate servicing as it requires an attacker to first gain access to a target network," adding that it would consider addressing it in a future product release.

However, threat hunter John Bambenek told Dark Reading it could provide a secondary means for "lateral movement" in the event of a network breach. He also noted that Microsoft is moving toward Progressive Web Apps that "would mitigate many of the concerns currently brought by Electron."
If a traveler's phone, tablet or computer ever gets searched at an airport, American border authorities could add data from their device to a massive database that can be accessed by thousands of government officials. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaders have admitted to lawmakers in a briefing that its officials are adding information to a database from as many as 10,000 devices every year, The Washington Post reports.

Further, 2,700 CBP officers can access the database without a warrant and without having to record the purpose of their search. These details were revealed in a letter Senator Ron Wyden wrote to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, where the lawmaker also said that CBP keeps any information it takes from people's devices for 15 years.

In the letter, Wyden urged the commissioner to update CBP's practices so that device searches at borders are focused on suspected criminals and security threats instead of allowing "indiscriminate rifling through Americans' private records without suspicion of a crime." Wyden said CBP takes sensitive information from people's devices, including text messages, call logs, contact lists and even photos and other private information in some cases.

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While law enforcement agencies are typically required to secure a warrant if they want to access the contents of a phone or any other electronic device, border authorities are exempted from having to do the same. Wyden also pointed out that travelers searched at airports, seaports and border crossings aren't informed of their rights before their devices are searched. And if they refuse to unlock their electronics, authorities could confiscate and keep them for five days.

As The Post notes, a CBP official previously went on record to say that the agency's directive gives its officers the authority to scroll through any traveler's device in a "basic search." If they find any "reasonable suspicion" that a traveler is breaking the law or doing something that poses a threat to national security, they can run a more advanced search. That's when they can plug in the traveler's phone, tablet or PC to a device that copies their information, which is then stored in the Automated Targeting System database.

CBP director of office of field operations Aaron Bowker told the publication that the agency only copies people's data when "absolutely necessary." Bowker didn't deny that the agency's officers can access the database, though  he even said that the number was bigger than what CBP officials told Wyden. Five percent of CBP's 60,000 personnel have access to the database, he said, which translates to 3,000 officers and not 2,700.

Wyden wrote in his letter:

"Innocent Americans should not be tricked into unlocking their phones and laptops. CBP should not dump data obtained through thousands of warrantless phone searches into a central database, retain the data for fifteen years, and allow thousands of DHS employees to search through Americans personal data whenever they want."

Two years ago, the Senator also called for an investigation into the CBP's use of commercially available location data to track people's phones without a warrant. CBP had admitted back then that it spent $500,000 to access a commercial database containing "location data mined from applications on millions of Americans mobile phones."
President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, poses for a photo with new Prosecutor General Lee One-seok after presenting him with a letter of appointment at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 16. Yonhap









Han Ki-jeong, new chief of Fair Trade Commission

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday appointed the new prosecutor general and chief antitrust regulator.







The appointments of Lee One-seok as prosecutor general and Han Ki-jeong as chief of the Fair Trade Commission came after the National Assembly missed two deadlines to adopt confirmation hearing reports for the nominees amid objections from the main opposition Democratic Party.







Parliamentary consent is not required for the appointment of senior officials other than the prime minister.







Lee and Han are the 12th and 13th people, respectively, to be appointed without either a confirmation hearing or the adoption of a confirmation hearing report since the launch of the Yoon administration in May.







Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work Friday that he planned to appoint the two later in the day.







"The government's formation has been long delayed, and I believe the people have already made their decisions on these people's qualifications and competence through the confirmation hearings," he said.







Yoon later presented letters of appointment to both officials at the presidential office. (Yonhap)










16 September 2022

EPO Vice-President for International and Legal Affairs Christoph Ernst met with Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs Melanie Huml to discuss how the EPO can support the Bavarian government to foster innovation and strengthen growth in Bavaria. The Minister's visit took place on the fringes of a two-day conference of the Europe Direct and European Documentations Centres of Germany and Austria organised by the Representation of European Commission in Germany and taking place at the EPO's premises.

Vice-President Ernst outlined that, as a major actor and employer in Munich in the field of innovation, the EPO is already successfully co-operating with industry and universities. The EPO has every interest in further supporting the Bavarian government and the Munich authorities in their endeavours to strengthen innovation locally. "By processing about 190 000 patent applications annually, the EPO is a major contributor to economic growth in Europe," he noted.

Recognising the need to further raise local awareness of the EPO's role as a truly European institution headquartered in Munich, Minister Huml expressed her interest in promoting patent knowledge in academic circles. Noting that a patent is often the sole asset of young inventors starting a business and micro enterprises (fewer than 10 employees), she stated that: "A patent should not only be regarded as a legal instrument."

Both sides agreed that even closer co-operation should be envisaged, especially also in view of forthcoming 50-year anniversary of the signature of the European Patent Convention (EPC), which took place in the Bavarian Parliament (Maximilianeum). There was also a consensus on the need to enhance the benefits of the EPO's presence for innovative businesses and young inventors in Bavaria.
The slowdown in the growth of life expectancy, schooling, and income has become a major challenge.

The Human Development Report 202122, brought out by the United Nations Development Programme, shows that Indias global rankings have gone down from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2021. This is not surprising as the growth in Indias Human Development Index (HDI) values have decelerated faster than the global values during the pandemic. Indias HDI values, which were stagnant in 2019, fell marginally in 2020the first year of the pandemicand the fall accelerated almost threefold to -1.4% in 2021. However, at the global level, the fall in HDI indicators was stemmed in 2021 at 0.4%, which is marginally lower than in 2020. This sharp deterioration in Indias HDI values by implication tends to have declining impact on that of both South Asia and medium HDI countries, which include India. The regional numbers show that the highest decline in HDI values in 2021 was in South Asia (0.9%) primarily on account of Indias poor performance. The highest improvement in HDI values was in Europe and Central Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific, where it registered some marginal growth. However, while the HDI values in the Arab countries remained stagnant, it continued to fall in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Crypto could use a bit of good news these days. And on Wednesday, it got some.

Ethereum, the most popular crypto platform, appears to have successfully upgraded its software architecture from a type of blockchain known as proof of work, which it has run since its inception in 2015, to a type of blockchain known as proof of stake.

This upgrade, which came to be called, simply, the merge, is already being heralded as a watershed moment in the history of crypto.

Early Thursday, as the first proof-of-stake transactions were verified, dozens of Ethereum developers gathered on a celebratory Zoom call hosted by the Ethereum Foundation.

This is the first step in Ethereums big journey towards being a very mature system, Vitalik Buterin, Ethereums founder, told the group. To me, the merge symbolizes the difference between early stage Ethereum and the Ethereum weve always wanted.

And many crypto fans hope that it will turn things around for the crypto movement, which has been besieged in the past year by trillions of dollars in losses, a string of major scams and hacks, and a new wave of regulatory scrutiny.

Im not so sure it will. But before I tell you why, lets review some of the reasons that crypto supporters are celebrating.

First, it was far from a given that the merge would work. Switching a blockchains so-called consensus mechanism  the way that it processes and verifies new transactions  is terrifyingly complex. (Some crypto developers have compared it to swapping out a spaceships engine midflight.) Before the merge, nobody had tried such a maneuver on a crypto platform anywhere near Ethereums size, and it took years of testing and research (and many, many delays) for developers to get confident enough to attempt one. Ethereum, which is open source, hosts hundreds of billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency transactions, NFT collections and DeFi protocols, all of which could have been irreparably broken if the merge hadnt gone according to plan.

Something could still break in the coming days. But the merge appears to have gone as smoothly as Ethereum fans could have hoped.

The second reason crypto fans are happy about the merge is that the new Ethereum blockchain is much more environmentally friendly than the old one. Ethereum used to be secured by a network of high-powered computers that competed against one another to solve cryptographic puzzles, burning vast amounts of energy in the process. Now, it will be secured by a process known as staking, which involves investors agreeing to deposit their crypto coins in a shared pool in exchange for a chance to earn financial rewards.

There are other benefits to the merge  its expected to make Ethereum faster and more efficient in the long run  but the environmental footprint is the big, immediate improvement. According to crypto researchers, the new Ethereum blockchain will consume 99.95 percent less energy than the old one. Thats a huge change  comparable to the entire nation of Portugal going off the grid, according to Digiconomist, a website that tracks crypto's energy consumption. And it should help industry advocates make the case that crypto can be green.

Third, many crypto fans are optimistic that the merge will be good for the value of Ether, Ethereums native cryptocurrency. For reasons that are too complicated to get into here, running the Ethereum blockchain requires destroying (or burning) billions of dollars worth of Ether every year. The new Ethereum blockchain will still burn Ether, but it wont need to create as much new Ether to pay out rewards to participants. That means that the overall supply of Ether could shrink, increasing the value of existing coins. In addition, miners  the people who ran those giant, energy-guzzling server farms under the old proof-of-work system  will no longer be forced to sell some of their Ether to pay their electricity bills, which could result in more stable prices.

Ive talked to a number of crypto industry leaders about the merge, and the general feeling they express is one of cautious optimism. Its been a brutal year in crypto, but now that Ethereum has neutralized one of the most common objections to crypto  the enormous environmental toll  they hope that at least some skeptics will come around. Regulators wont object as strenuously to Ethereum 2.0, they believe, and companies that experiment with NFTs and other Ethereum-based technologies wont face as much backlash.

But Im doubtful that the merge will solve cryptos problems overnight  and it may introduce some even thornier ones.

For starters, its not clear to me that Ethereums energy use was the biggest obstacle to mainstream crypto adoption. Its true that a lot of people who are opposed to crypto on principle tend to cite environmental concerns as a strike against it. But these days, a lot of people are skeptical of crypto for reasons that have nothing to do with energy. Maybe they know someone who lost a fortune betting on Dogecoin or Luna. Maybe all the stories of hacks and scams have scared them away. Maybe theyre intimidated by cryptos complexity, or put off by the lack of obvious uses for it. Or maybe theyre just philosophically opposed to a new form of money that doesnt have the backing of a government.

Right now, the biggest threat to crypto  in the United States, at least  is that the people who are in charge of regulating the industry seem to want to ban it. These regulators are worried about stablecoins, Ponzi schemes, state-sponsored ransomware attacks and investors losing their money to opaque crypto-lending schemes.

The merge doesnt address any of that. And while you might be able to change some politicians minds about crypto by telling them that Ethereum now uses 99.95 percent less energy, Im not sure it will move the needle at all with the people whose opinions matter most. For example, Gary Gensler, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, didnt mention environmental concerns at all in an opinion essay he wrote for The Wall Street Journal last month about why the crypto industry should be more tightly regulated.

The merge could also stoke internecine tensions within the crypto community. Already, there are some Bitcoin fans  maxis  who believe that Ethereums switch to a proof-of-stake algorithm was a calculated P.R. move designed to make Ethereum look good while throwing Bitcoin under the bus. (Bitcoin, which runs on a proof-of-work system, has no plans to switch to a new consensus mechanism, so its energy consumption is likely to stay high, at least for the foreseeable future.)

Because it is secured by investors staking large pools of Ether, rather than by networks of puzzle-solving computers, the new Ethereum could also increase the crypto industrys overall centralization, giving more power to large firms like Coinbase, Kraken and Lido  and potentially making it easier for governments to crack down on Ethereum itself, by pressuring those firms to censor certain transactions. (Coinbases chief executive, Brian Armstrong, has already said he will shut down the companys Ethereum-staking business rather than comply with government censorship requests, if it comes to that.)

And, of course, the merge wont put money-losing crypto investors back in the black or recover the assets lost by investors in failed crypto projects like Luna and Celsius Network.

Make no mistake, the merge was a technological marvel, a genuine boon to the environment and a testament to the power of cooperative open-source development. Im glad that it happened, and the developers who toiled away for years to make it work should feel proud of how smoothly it went.

But crypto will need more than a successful merge to turn its fortunes around. Sorry to take the fizz out of the champagne.

Kevin Roose

: nytimes.com
Despite big promises to move rapidly away from coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, many countries around the world continue to rely heavily on coal production and imports for their energy needs. This is not surprising from the likes of China and Australia, who make no secret of their reliance on coal, but is more worrying when coming from European states that just last year announced aims of weaning themselves off coal by the middle of the decade. An increase in coal production, import and export figures this summer suggests that the world is far from over its coal addiction. Chinas coal imports climbed this summer as it opted to purchase discounted Russian supplies following Europe and the U.S. move away from Russian energy. In July, China imported 15 percent more coal from Russia than the previous year, an estimated 7.42 million tonnes, making it the highest import level in five years. Many expect China to continue increasing its import of cheap Russian coal as it stockpiles supplies for the winter months. The countrys demand for coal already rose this summer as China faced a record heatwave.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the U.S. and E.U. imposing sanctions on Russian energy, Putin introduced significant discounts on its oil, gas, and coal to appeal to alternative markets. Russian thermal coal traded at $150 a tonne in late July, dramatically lower than supplies from Australias Newcastle port, which cost around $210 a tonne on a free-on-board (FOB) basis.

Not only have Chinas coal imports from Russia risen in recent months but so have the countrys production levels. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China mined 2.19 billion tonnes of coal from January to June, an increase of 11 percent year on year. While many worry that this reliance on coal will negatively impact Chinas decarbonisation goals, experts in the sector believe that China is still on target to stop market expansion within the next few years, with Chinas president, Xi Jinping, announcing strict controls on coal for the 14th Five Year Plan period (20212025).

As well as China, Australia has also seen growth in its coal market. Australian coal stocks have gone up by around 150 percent, to reach $5.47, since the start of the war on Ukraine. Australian coal producer Whitehaven has seen its shares increase by 200 percent since January. Although analysts worry that the stock is highly speculative. One Australian stock analyst Under, Peter Chilton, explained: Its a good company but theres been a great deal of share price exuberance, which is not sustainable.

Despite its distance, many European powers are now turning to Australia to fill the gap caused by sanctions on Russian coal. In addition, Australia continues to provide several Asian countries with their coal supplies. Other major Australian coal producers New Hope, Terracom, and Yancoal, have all also seen an increase in their share prices in recent months. This has shocked many analysts who were expecting coal shares to drop following an increase in the number of climate pledges made by governments worldwide after the COP26 climate summit last November.

But its not only traditional coal-producing states that are relying on coal, as many European powers seem to be going back on their climate promises by welcoming coal once again in the face of scarcity and rising prices. In a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), published last month, the organisation warned that global coal demand could once again hit an all-time high, with E.U. consumption rising by an estimated 7 percent, adding to a 14 percent increase in 2021. Many European countries are now expecting to continue using high levels of coal until at least 2023, as they face gas shortages and rising energy costs.

In Germany, the financial officer of energy firm RWE, Michael Muller, said that the company will continue to burn more coal in the short-term to meet the countrys energy demand as it faces severe gas shortages. Germany has already recommissioned some of its coal-fired power plants, and RWE is expected to boost production further. Muller stated, RWE is actively supporting the German government, or European governments, in managing the energy crisis. He added, so were also bringing back additional coal capacity to manage that situation.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., which pledged to close the doors of all its coal plants a year earlier than anticipated by 2024, energy firms are now being asked to ramp up their coal production to help the country avoid blackouts in the winter months. The closure of a coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire will now be delayed and several other plants will be on standby to provide the National Grid with more power if required. At present, the delays are not threatening the U.K.s 2024 goal, but if Europe sees energy shortages and high prices continue into the next year this could soon change.

As traditional coal-producing countries continue to rely heavily on the fossil fuel, several European countries are also increasing their coal usage in the face of energy shortages. The war in Ukraine and severe weather conditions across Europe this summer have seen state powers that previously pledged to rapidly move away from coal coming to rely on coal-fired power plants once again.

Felicity Bradstock

: Oilprice.com
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The AutoSens Award celebrates the best and brightest working at the cutting-edge of innovation in ADAS and autonomous vehicle technology. At the event in Brussels earlier this week, Veoneer and emotion3D were honored with the AutoSens Award in the category Most Innovative In-Cabin Perception Application.

It is a fact that a car crash impacts people in different ways as body factors play a role in accident injury severity. In fact, a female occupant is 73% more likely to suffer from serious injuries than seatbelt-wearing male occupants, according to the University of Virginia. Only when the Restraint Control System can distinguish between the occupant's individual characteristics, optimal protection for everybody can be achieved.

The Smart-RCS uses a touchless 3D imaging sensors to derive precise real-time information about each occupant: situational factors like body position and body crash dynamics as well as body physique, age and sex so that the smart-RCS computes the optimal airbag deployment strategy tailored to each individual occupant.

"We are deeply honored for receiving the AutoSens Award for our Smart-RCS - saving lives when the unthinkable happens, says Jacob Svanberg, CEO of Veoneer.

For more information please contact:

Thomas Jonsson, EVP Communications & IR,

thomas.jonsson@veoneer.com, tel +46 (0)8 527 762 27

Veoneer HoldCo, LLC. is an automotive technology company, a world leader in active safety and restraint control systems, focused on delivering innovative, best-in-class products and solutions to our customers. Our purpose is to create trust in mobility. Veoneer is a Tier-1 hardware supplier and system integrator with products being part of more than 125 scheduled vehicle launches for 2022. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Veoneer has 6,100 employees in 11 countries. The Company is building on a heritage of close to 70 years of automotive safety development.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/veoneer/r/veoneer-and-emotion3d-recognized-for--most-innovative-in-cabin-perception-application-,c3631934

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Ukrainian lightning-fast counter-offensive has once again debunked the myth about the 'undefeated Russian army'.The weapons and ammunition that the Russian army has left behind can only compare to the number of soldiers that Russian officers did not evacuate from the lines of the Ukrainian breakthrough. Military humiliation of the 'second army in the world' will become a catalyst for Putin's regime downfall  many experts from different countries are sure of that.
President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to reporters as he arrives at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 16. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday he instructed the justice ministry to come up with improvements to the anti-stalking law following the shocking murder of a subway worker by a colleague inside a subway station restroom.



The 20-something victim was killed inside a ladies' restroom at Sindang Station on Line 2 on Wednesday after being stalked by the suspect for years.



"The news is causing great shock to the people," Yoon said as he arrived for work. "The anti-stalking law was enacted last year, but many said it wasn't enough to protect victims. I told the justice ministry before leaving on my trip to remedy the system and fully ensure that victims are protected so as to leave no room for such crimes."



Yoon is set to depart Sunday on a three-nation tour of London, New York and Canada.






Palo Alto, CAJotham S. Stein, author of the award-winning book Negotiate Like a CEO: How to Get Ahead with Lessons Learned from Top Entrepreneurs and Executives, was interviewed by Ken Johannessen on his podcast show, Stories & Scoops. Johannessen is a veteran radio talk show host who is well known for entertaining and informative interviews.

Recent awards for Negotiate Like a CEO are Best Business Book at the Los Angeles Book Festival and Outstanding Creator Awards and Best in Career category at the Firebird Book Awards.

Listen to the entire interview of Jotham S. Stein on Ken Johannessen's Stories & Scoops podcast at https://soundcloud.com/expertclickradio/jotham-stein-author-of-negotiate-like-a-ceo-interviewed-by-ken-johannessen

Expert Click Radio  Jotham Stein, Author of 'Negotiate Like a CEO,' Interviewed by Ken Johannessen on 'Stories & Scoops'

What does it mean to negotiate like a CEO? How important are employment agreements? How can you learn to protect yourself and your family if the worst does happen? These are all questions that Jotham S. Stein addresses in his book Negotiate Like a CEO, with the goal of equipping individuals with the tools they need to safeguard themselves in business and employment.

Negotiate Like a CEO isn't afraid to get into the weeds about what you need to do to help your career. Stein peppers each chapter with captivating stories of employees who have found themselves in tight situations with their employerstories that many readers will find familiar. He follows each example with insider insights on how to navigate the situation and save yourself from heartache.

"Jotham has helped me throughout my career, from setting up strong employment agreements to securing stock compensation to protecting the management team during the sale of my company. Jotham is a guy you want in your corner. His book should be required reading for anyone who thinks 'this could never happen to me'." Andy Cohen, founder and former CEO, Caring.com

"As a hi-tech Silicon Valley attorney Stein is brutally honest in assessing a situation and advising his clients. In Negotiate Like a CEO you'll learn to be aware, to recognize potential employment pitfalls, and how to protect yourself. You'll also learn that you may have more leverage than you might think, either now or as you advance in your career." Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer

"As a CEO and multi-time Silicon Valley executive, I was very fortunate to learn from Jotham early in my career the great importance of the protective employment offer letter. Employment law is very complex and with this book you can learn from the best." Bonnie Crater, co-founder and CEO, Full Circle Insights; former SVP salesforce.com; former SVP Genesys; former VP Oracle; former VP Netscape

Watch the book trailer at https://bit.ly/NegotiateLikeaCEOtrailer





About: Jotham S. Stein, author of the award-winning book Negotiate Like a CEO, is the principal of the Law Offices of Jotham S. Stein P.C. He has more than two decades of experience representing entrepreneurs and C-Suite executives, board members, venture capitalists, private equity principals, and investment bankers as well as less senior employees of all size companies.

Stein is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Princeton University. He is admitted to practice in California, Illinois, New York, Colorado, and the District of Columbia as well as the United States Supreme Court, and several United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts. He is also a member of multiple bar associations, including the American Bar Association. Stein is the author of Executive Employment Law: Protecting Executives, Entrepreneurs and Employees, a how-to guide for practitioners.

Stein's new book, Negotiate Like a CEO, is an enthralling look at how top entrepreneurs and executives protect themselves and how you can too. You can find out more about Jotham Stein at NegotiateLikeaCEO.net.

Negotiate Like a CEOASIN: B09TG125BQ, Published by Political Animal Press, Feb. 24, 2022, 294 pages, available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.

Media Contact: For a review copy of Negotiate Like a CEO or to arrange an interview with Jotham S. Stein, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 248-705-2214. Reach Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist
Friday, September 16, 2022

Ferrari, From the Other Side

Ever wonder how Ferrari became so popular when annual sales were under 100 cars in the early 1970s?

Ferrari of Los Gatos opened its doors in 1976, and by the early 1980s, annual sales were

more than a thousand, and the dealership became number one in North America, maybe the

world.

So how does a Ferrari dealer go from being number one in North America to suddenly losing

everything in the blink of an eye?

The revealing answer is in The Dealer: How One California Dealership Fueled the Rise of

Ferrari Cars in America.

Now you can find out what happened on that quiet corner of East Main Street and Pageant Way in Los Gatos, California.

The Dealer

Ferrari of Los Gatos fueled sales so quickly that Enzo Ferrari took notice. He brought the

American dealers to Italy more than once to show his appreciation and let them see a side of

Ferrari few have ever experienced.

Unfortunately, in 1988 when Enzo passed, others thought North American dealers were no

longer needed. One dealer, Brian Burnett, decided that Ferrari of Los Gatos would prove them

wrong.

He fought to save Ferrari of Los Gatos and help the other dealers as well. The Dealer includes stories from owners Brian Burnett and Richard Rivoir, their employees, customers, and other dealers, as told to author Jim Ciardella.

Order your copy of The Dealer at jimciardella.com



Midlife Classic Cars Interview

Listen to Jim discuss details of his new book The Dealer with Chad of Midlife Class Cars.

In this interview, Jim shares his experience buying his first Ferrari, what led him to write the

book, his college experience at sixty years old, and how he became good friends with Brian

Burnett.



Chad asks the questions we all want answers to, so you dont want to miss this interview!
Celebrate the Birth of the Burger

on National Cheeseburger Day!

September 18th is National Cheeseburger Day, or so say the powers that decide these national days.

But did you know September 18th marks a more important hamburger anniversary? Historical evidence points to Friday, September 18th, 1885 as the day the burger was born!

Wouldn't your audience be delighted to learn:

Why did two young Ohio brothers decide to switch from their unique pork sausage patty sandwich and use ground beef instead?

How did Charles and Frank Menches merit a prime location at the Erie County Fair despite their age and experience?

What gave Frank the idea to name the Brothers' new invention the "Hamburg Sandwich"?

And other fascinating facts about the day that has become known as "Birth of the Burger Day"!

Hamburgers are a favorite fast food and reporters love to include a fact or two about this popular American sandwich. Don't get caught repeating one of the fabled myths about the origin of the hamburger. Carosa's book, Hamburger Dreams: How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack the Case of America's Greatest Culinary Mystery, has over 300 thoroughly researched footnotes that explain the history of the mystery behind who really sold the first hamburger!


Turkish Airlines has seen its passenger numbers fully recover on its flights between Istanbul and Zagreb during the first half of the year despite a notable change in the structure of its passengers on the route. The Turkish carrier welcomed 78.589 travellers on board its Zagreb flights during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 5.9% on the pre-pandemic 2019, or an additional 4.368 passengers. During the six-month period, Turkish Airlines held a 6% share of all customers using Zagreb Airport. The airline operates double daily flights between the two cities and faces no direct competition on the route. Turkish Airlines has seen its passenger numbers fully recover on its flights between Istanbul and Zagreb during the first half of the year despite a notable change in the structure of its passengers on the route. The Turkish carrier welcomed 78.589 travellers on board its Zagreb flights during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 5.9% on the pre-pandemic 2019, or an additional 4.368 passengers. During the six-month period, Turkish Airlines held a 6% share of all customers using Zagreb Airport. The airline operates double daily flights between the two cities and faces no direct competition on the route.





Turkish Airlines Zagreb performance, H1 2022





Turkish Airlines General Manager for Croatia, Ugur Cantimur, has said the majority of travellers flying between Istanbul and Zagreb are foreigners, with the rate of Turkish passengers being relatively low. Up until the pandemic, 60% of customers on the route were transfers from the Far East. However, with many markets in Asia still closed and demand for travel in the early stages of recovery, most passengers on the route are now transfers from the United States. Passengers from Miami, New York and Los Angeles are increasingly using Turkish Airlines to reach the Croatian capital. Despite the lower feed from the East, Turkish Airlines has benefited from less competition from Gulf carriers, with Qatar Airways more than halving its operations to Zagreb and Emirates relegating its service onto Flydubai.





Turkish Airlines operates flights to Dubrovnik in addition to Zagreb and has previously considered introducing flights to Split, although those are now off the table until demand for travel fully recovers. The carrier commenced operations to the Croatian capital back in 1998 with two weekly services. This August, Turkish Airlines became the largest network carrier in the world in terms of available seats on international routes. Competition in the global aviation industry is intensifying again as the effects of the pandemic wane. Our target was to surpass our performance in 2019, and we have succeeded, the Chairman of Turkish Airlines Board and Executive Committee, Ahemt Bolat, said. Turkish Airlines increased its number of destinations from 315 in August 2019 to 335 as of last month, with its fleet expanding from 343 to 387 aircraft.




The makeup of the Montana Legislature for its 2023 session wont be decided until November, but Bozeman officials are already working on which issues theyd like to push in Helena.

Unsurprisingly, high up on the citys priority list is getting approval for a local option sales tax  a perennial priority for the city that never seems to find much favor in the state house.

City commissioners discussed their legislative priorities during their meeting on Tuesday.

Mike Veselik, an economic development program manager with the city, presented a laundry list of items the city would prioritize lobbying on, support or keep an eye on during the session, which is scheduled to begin in January.

Near the top of the citys draft priority list is to defend local control. During the 2021 session, the Legislature passed a bill prohibiting inclusionary zoning, which was a housing policy that made up the core of Bozemans affordable housing program.

We continue to watch that list of powers denied to cities grow at each legislative session, Veselik said. The more that we can do to stop that list from growing, the more flexibility you all have to govern in the city.

The city is also going to try again on getting a local option sales tax through the Legislature, which has been a consistent goal for Bozeman.

The city is too big to qualify for the resort tax that is in place in Big Sky and a handful of other towns, but Bozeman officials have in the past tried to argue that tourists put pressure on the citys infrastructure without contributing in sales tax revenue.

Veselik said the city would consider offering up a 3% local option tax on luxury items

What were trying to tax is the $400 fishing trip not the $4 filet-o-fish you get at McDonalds, Veselik said. We want to look at what are those things that are non-essential items and things that maybe a tourist would come to consume when they enter into our community.

Veselik said they would propose for a portion of the revenue to go toward rural communities, some for property tax relief and the rest for infrastructure, housing or public safety related projects.

Deputy Mayor Terry Cunningham said he would support marketing the idea as a tourist tax rather than a luxury tax.

(A) highly targeted tourist tax going strictly to property tax relief is our best chance at getting anything done, Cunningham said. I think otherwise the common feeling among the legislature would be Oh, this thing again.

Also high on the citys list is to push for sustainability issues like encouraging green energy and policies to support housing development. Veselik rattled off a slew of other issues for the city to keep its eye on, including defending tax increment financing policies, exploring additional taxes for second or vacation homes and affordable child care.

During Tuesdays meeting, commissioners talked about other issues they would like to see on the citys list. Commissioner Christopher Coburn mentioned protecting abortion access and LGBTQ rights as priority issues.

The commission is slated to take a final vote on the priorities in October. Veselik said city staff recommends the commission meet with state legislators after the election to go over the priorities.

Mayor Cyndy Andrus said she thinks the city should have a focused agenda in the state capital.

I just would caution us to think about this as we move into those discussions with our legislators and really think about what it is that is important to us, Andrus said.
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Disparities in school spending have been a point of contention in the American public education system for decades. Because public schools typically receive the bulk of their funding from local sources such as property taxes, wealthy districts are often better funded than poorer ones.

While studies have shown that higher per pupil spending can improve student outcomes, there are countless other factors - both inside the classroom and outside of it - that can impact a student's likelihood of success. One of them is financial security at home.

For students from low-income families, setbacks can be more difficult to recover from due to limited supporting resources. A recent report published by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce found that children from low-income households who receive high scores on standardized aptitude tests in kindergarten have only a 3 in 10 chance of graduating from college and landing a good entry-level job as a young adult. Meanwhile, children from well-off families who score poorly on the same tests have a 7 in 10 chance.

This study suggests that even if per-pupil spending were equal across the thousands of school districts in the United States, students in high-income areas would still have a considerable advantage.

Of active districts in Montana with at least 100 students, Blue Creek Elem - located in Yellowstone County - ranks as the wealthiest. Households in the district have an average annual income of $114,007, compared to the statewide average of $76,834, according to five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 American Community Survey.

Despite the strong local tax base, education spending in the district is lower than the state average. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, per pupil spending in the district was $8,557 in the 2018-2019 school year, the most recent year of available data, compared to an average of $11,984 across all schools in Montana.
Rep. Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 16. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday ordered the government to scrap a contentious plan to build a state guest house at the new presidential compound.



Earlier in the day, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) slammed the government for requesting a massive budget for the project, saying the administration is squandering taxpayers' money on the unnecessary presidential office relocation.



"After returning Cheong Wa Dae to the people, we tried to prepare a facility for state events, befitting national dignity, as the nation's future asset, not the presidential office's property. It is disappointing that the government failed to fully explain this purpose," Yoon was quoted as saying by Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public affairs.



Yoon ordered the cancellation of the project to make sure it does not cause concern to the people, she added.



The DP said the government had requested a more than 87.8 billion won (US$62 million) in funding for the construction, much more than the 49.6 billion won that the government had originally said would be necessary to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae.



DP floor leader Rep. Park Hong-geun said it is wrong to spend such a large amount of money at a time when ordinary people are struggling with economic hardships, and the party, which controls the National Assembly with 169 out of 299 seats, will cut all of the requested budget.



"The presidential office has once again deceived the people suffering from economic hardships," Park said.






Harvest of cereals and oilseed rape in Britain is now all but complete, according to the latest data, with the occasional crops left unharvested in Scotland.

Harvest was complete in England and Wales - bar a small area in the North East - by the end of August, or week 8, AHDB's report says.

The remaining area of crops in the North East and parts of Scotland were gradually cleared over the following three weeks.

Overall harvest progress in 2022 was earlier than in any of the previous five years, even with the slow finish in parts of Scotland and the North East.

The relatively early harvest of 2018 was the closest, with 85% complete by the end of week 7, compared to 95% complete in 2022.

However, the 2018 harvest saw an even more drawn out conclusion, with the last crops harvested in week 11, AHDB says.

After an extended dry period over the summer months, rainfall has been received across most of Britain.

However, the intensity and frequency of rainfall is highly variable, the report says, with flooding in some regions, while others have received below average levels.

Given harvest was complete for most areas, the recent rainfall had little impact on progress or quality, the levy board explains.

However, in occasional crops in the North East, Yorkshire and Scotland, rainfall has increased the need for drying.

Overall, limited amounts of ergot have been found in wheat and barley samples from central stores.

Though in AHDB's latest update, there has been increasing reports of ergot noted in the East Midlands in winter wheat and spring wheat samples, as well as small amounts found in winter and spring barley samples.

Recent rainfall has allowed germination of weeds and volunteers in stale seedbeds, which is being controlled via cultivation or pre-drilling glyphosate application.

Where land was cultivated before rainfall, there was rapid wearing of metal on ploughs and cultivators, which has incurred extra costs for some. Recent rainfall has eased cultivation and reduced costs.

Planting of winter OSR started in late August and progressed into September with establishment aided by recent rain.

The drilling of winter cereals started in week ending 13 September on lighter land with little to no grass weed issues.
Warrenton, VA (20186)

Today

Rain. High 56F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 46F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Sri Lanka has recently extended its multiple entry tourist visa scheme to five years for 35 countries





Indians love Sri Lanka; our neighbouring country is easy to get to, offers experiences that are great bang for our buck, and is familiar enough but also different enough to make for a great vacation.



Sri Lanka has been through a rough phase in terms of tourism. Even before the pandemic shut down world travel, the island nation had suffered the horrible Easter bombings, and, more recently, has been ravaged by the monsoon.



Now, Sri Lanka is ready to welcome travellers. In fact, the country needs the tourism footfalls to help it out of its current economic crisis.



To this end, Sri Lankas Tourism Minister Harin Fernando recently announced that the country will now offer travellers a five-year multiple entry visa. Previously, the country issued single entry visas for a stay period of six months, as well as a multiple entry visa for one year, and a digital nomad visa for foreigners engaged in remote work valid for three months.



(The) Cabinet agreed to extend five-year multiple entry tourist visas for 35 countries to help boost repeat tourism in Sri Lanka, he is quoted to have said. A tourist can stay in Sri Lanka for six months in one stretch with this scheme.



He added that Sri Lanka expected 1 million tourists to arrive this year.





Heres Why You Should Consider Sri Lanka For A Holiday

Sri Lanka is beautiful: Colombo, the capital, is replete with good food and great experiences, as well as impressive architecture, and it works as a springboard for further discoveries. An hours drive away, Galle is a fascinating microcosm and cocoons the Galle Fort, which is UNESCO World Heritage listed, the Maritime Archaeology Museum, and the Dutch Reformed Church. Beach destination Unawatuna (main image) has great stays in every budget, seaside cafes and, again, good food, Mirissa offers whale- and dolphin-watching (look for ethically-run tours that will not traumatise the animals), while Weligama is where you will see the famous stilt fisherman, who will pose for your photographs for a small fee. Farther afield are the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sigiriya (above), the wildlife havens of Yala National Park and Udawalawe National Park, and the spiritual town of Kandy. Even the less explored North is worth a dekko, and you will find watersports opportunities in plenty there.



Sri Lanka is good value for money: You will find prices reasonable and all the experiences paisa vasooli. Accommodation and food are available at every price point.



Sri Lanka is easy to get to: Wherever you are in India, youre not too far from our neighbour down south.



Images: Shutterstock



Also Read: Vietnam Wants You To Visit. Heres Why You Should Go
German fashion manufacturer and retailer Gerry Weber International AG premiered Home of Gerry, its new store concept at the Galeria Mokotow in Warsaw on Thursday. The fashion group now operates a total of 10 stores in Poland. The modern store is designed in light colours.

Angelika Schindler-Obenhaus, chairwoman and CEO, and Anja Hecht-Meinhardt, managing director retail, welcomed around 40 guests to their store in one of Warsaw's largest and most popular shopping centres, the company said in a media release.

German fashion manufacturer and retailer Gerry Weber International AG premiered its new store concept in Warsaw, at the Galeria Mokotow on Thursday, September 15. The fashion group now operates a total of 10 stores in Poland. The modern store is designed in light colours. Gerry Weber is one of the largest fashion and lifestyle companies in Europe.

Schindler-Obenhaus said: "The international market is very important for us. I am delighted that we are celebrating the international premiere of our new store concept here. On the streets of Warsaw, you can feel the pulsating life and a lot of energy. You meet a lot of fashion-loving women here."

Hecht-Meinhardt said: "We have a beautiful, modern store here. A store that is as wonderful and as changeable as our fashion. And a great, highly motivated team. Now we are looking forward to many great customers whom we can inspire and who will be happy to come back."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will offer $500 million to Bangladesh as budget support on soft conditions, country director of the Manila-based lending agency in Bangladesh Edimon Ginting recently said after meeting planning minister MA Mannan at the latters office. Other lenders would come forward as co-financiers, he told reporters.

The budget support will also support the governments agenda to accelerate implementation of policies on climate change, he was quoted as saying by Bangla media reports.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will offer $500 million to Bangladesh as budget support on soft conditions, Edimon Ginting, country director of the Manila-based lending agency in Bangladesh, recently said after meeting planning minister MA Mannan at the latter's office. Other lenders would come forward as co-financiers, he told reporters.

Mannan said the loan will help rehabilitate the flood-affected population.

ADB had earlier pledged to offer $9.05 billion to Bangladesh over the next three years. This support would be aimed at ensuring necessary preparation to make a successful graduation from the least developed country (LDC) status in 2026.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gogo Inc. (GOGO), a provider of broadband connectivity services for the business aviation market, said that it has agreed to repurchase 1.50 million shares of Common Stock owned by affiliates of BlackRock Inc., in a private transaction, for an aggregate purchase price of $18.35 million or $12.23 per share. The closing of the Repurchase will take place on or before September 21, 2022. The Repurchase is expected to be funded with cash on hand. Gogo also announced that BlackRock inadvertently acquired beneficial ownership of more than 4.9% of Gogo's common stock, exceeding the threshold stipulated in Gogo's Agreement, dated September 23, 2020. Gogo Thursday requested that BlackRock divest sufficient shares of Common Stock to take its beneficial ownership below 4.9%. Following completion of such requested share divestiture, BlackRock shall be deemed not to be an 'Acquiring Person' under the Plan. Based on information provided by BlackRock, Gogo estimates that after the closing of the Repurchase, BlackRock would need to divest another approximately 100,000 shares of Common Stock in order to divest enough shares of Common Stock so as to not be deemed an 'Acquiring Person' under the Plan. 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.
China slammed for excluding Goguryeo and Balhae from chronology



A state-run museum in China has invited strong criticism here for distorting Korean history about two ancient kingdoms  Goguryeo and Balhae. The National Museum of China in Beijing excluded the two kingdoms in its chronology of ancient Korean history during an exhibition titled "Auspicious Metals from the Orient: Ancient Bronzes of China, Korea and Japan." It is being co-hosted by the National Museum of Korea and Tokyo National Museum until Oct. 9.



In addition to Gojoseon, Korea's first kingdom, the chronology refers to other kingdoms such as Silla, Baekje, Gaya, Goryeo and Joseon, which were all located on the Korean Peninsula. But it omitted Goguryeo (37 B.C.  A.D. 668) and Balhae (698-926), which also occupied the northeastern area of today's China, including Manchuria.



More perplexingly, the Chinese museum claimed that the "distorted" chronology was provided by Korea, a claim rebuffed by the Korean museum. "The Chinese side arbitrarily edited the data we offered. We have called on it to make prompt corrections and an apology," it said in a press release. The Chinese museum cannot avoid criticism as its seemingly reckless move will undermine the trust between Seoul and Beijing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also lodged a strong protest, asking for immediate correction of the relevant information.



China has been taking flak for distorting ancient Korean history, as part of the "Northeast Project," claiming that Goguryeo and Balhae were counted among its provincial governments. For one thing, Chinese President Xi Jinping triggered anger after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in April 2017, from which Trump later quoted Xi as saying the entire Korean Peninsula "used to be a part of China."



It is unimaginable for the Chinese side to have skewed Korea's history during an exhibition held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, despite the need to cherish the value of mutual respect in accordance with international norms. China should give a thorough explanation regarding the exclusion of Goguryeo and Balhae from the chronology.



Yet, it is totally improper for Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning to describe the matter as a mere academic issue, rebuffing the need to hype it up politically. China should bear in mind that anti-China sentiment will flare up here should it fail to make a sincere apology and pledge not to repeat such an incident. China vowed to make efforts to prevent "bilateral ties from being damaged due to the history issue" during a 2006 summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and Chinese leader Hu Jintao. But it has failed to abide by the pledge.



A sense of antipathy toward China is feared to spread quickly among young Koreans, in particular, unless China shifts its attitude. Relevant Korean authorities should also take responsibility. Though the exhibition kicked off July 26, the Korean museum and the Korean Embassy in Beijing were unaware of the misleading chronology for almost one month.



It is also necessary to review the role of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, which was set up in 2005 with the task of coping with China's possible distortions of history. The organization has been the target of public criticism as it has failed to present tangible consequences thus far regarding China's repeated attempts to distort history.




FederalTaxCredits.org launched a new ERTC rebate eligibility and calculator tool which allows employers to find out if they qualify for pandemic relief funds. The company has also established a fast rebate service to help employers claim their rebates.

La Center, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - September 15, 2022) - FederalTaxCredits.org launched a new easy-to-use tool which allows small and medium-sized businesses that have not claimed their Employee Retention Tax Credits to find out if they are eligible for rebates. The eligibility assessment can be completed in approximately one minute, without sharing any proprietary business information.

For more information about ERTC eligibility, or to use the assessment tool, please visit https://federaltaxcredits.org.





ERTC Tax Credit Calculator Tool Launched By FederalTaxCredits

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/137257_80e093a34403ab20_001full.jpg

The new assessment tool is available with no cost, and no obligation, to any business, startup, or non-profit organization with less than 500 full-time employees on average. By answering 10 simple questions employers can determine if they qualify, and how much they may be eligible for in rebates.

Employers who have already received a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program may also be eligible for rebates and can use the company's new 15 Minute Refund program to apply. The fast rebate service is available through a partnership with a firm of ERTC specialist CPAs and can be found on https://federaltaxcredits.org.

The new program guarantees each employer their maximum allowable rebate, and audit-proof documentation compiled by the ERTC CPA team. To ensure refunds are processed as soon as possible, completing claims made through the 15 Minute Refund program is the sole focus of the specialty CPA firm.

After completing the new eligibility assessment, employers will receive a link to a secure server, where they can complete their claims with the help of the CPA team. To have their rebate calculated, employers will be asked to upload their 941 returns, raw payroll data, and if they have also enrolled in the PPP program, their PPP loan documents.

After completing the new eligibility assessment and 15 Minute Refund program, the CPA team will handle each client's paperwork, and help them file an amendment to their 941 returns. The updated fast rebate service is risk-free to all clients, and there is no charge for any company that does not qualify for and receive a rebate.

To learn more about the no-cost eligibility assessment, or the 15 Minute Refund program, please visit https://federaltaxcredits.org.

Contact Info:

Name: Paul Kohn

Email: paulk@federaltaxcredits.org

Organization: FederalTaxCredits.org

Address: 1315 W E Pl., La Center, WA 98629, United States

Phone: +1-360-641-7709

Website: https://federaltaxcredits.org/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137257
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British drug major AstraZeneca plc (AZN.L, AZN) announced Friday that Beyfortus (nirsevimab) has been recommended for marketing authorisation in the European Union for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus or RSV lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants during their first RSV season. Beyfortus, being developed jointly by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, has been recommended by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use or CHMP of the European Medicines Authority. If approved, Beyfortus would be the first and only single-dose passive immunisation for the broad infant population, including those born healthy, at term or preterm, or with specific health conditions. The company noted that the recommendation is based on CHMP's positive opinion on results from the Beyfortus clinical trial programme that demonstrated protection against RSV disease during the RSV season with a single dose. Beyfortus clinical development programme includes the MELODY Phase III, MEDLEY Phase II/III, and Phase IIb trials. RSV is the most common cause of LRTIs and a leading cause of hospitalisation in all infants. Beyfortus (nirsevimab) is an investigational long-acting antibody designed for all infants for protection against RSV disease from birth through their first RSV season with a single dose. AstraZeneca and Sanofi jointly develop the drug using AstraZeneca's YTE technology. For More Such Health News, 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.
Presscontact:

Victoire Grux

Tel.: +33 6 04 52 16 55

Email: victoire.grux@capgemini.com

Capgemini amongst the first companies globally to have its net zero targets validated according to the SBTi's new Net-Zero Standard

The Group has set more ambitious short-term and long-term carbon reduction targets, including achieving a 90% reduction in all carbon emissions across scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2040, and is contributing to defining new methodologies to drive climate action

Paris, September 16, 2022 - In keeping with its continued commitment to fight climate change in line with the latest climate science, Capgemini participated, throughout 2019-2021, in the Science Based Target initiative1, leading to its publication in October 2021. Accordingly, Capgemini is announcing the validation by SBTi of its new long-term (2040) and short term (2030) net zero carbon reduction targets.

Capgemini's new targets are:

The Group's new long-term net zero target is to achieve a 90% reduction in all carbon emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2040 compared to a baseline of 2019 2 ;

; Its near-term (2030) scope 3 targets for commuting and business travel have been strengthened to a 55% reduction per employee from a 2019 baseline (compared to 50% per employee reduction from a 2015 baseline);

Its scope 1 and 2 targets (80% absolute reduction by 2030) as well as scope 3 supply chain targets (50% absolute reduction by 2030) have also been strengthened by revising the baseline year from 2015 to 2019.





"The climate crisis demands bold actions, such as the new targets we have set for the Group, leading to a 90% absolute carbon reduction covering our entire value chain," said Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of the Capgemini Group. "Transitioning to a low carbon economy will also require more innovation and collaboration with our partners, clients and suppliers. We welcome the clarity and transparency the new SBTi Standard brings to the field and will continue to work with partners like SBTi and Forum for the Future, and to accelerate the journey towards an inclusive and sustainable future."

Contributing to the global conversation on carbon measurement

In addition to reducing its own carbon footprint, Capgemini has the ambition to help its clients save at least 10 million tons of CO 2 e by 2030, through a new framework of sustainability offers. To measure its progress, the Group has developed an internal measurement tool3, and has just published a new report, " Measuring impact: a methodology to inform transformative project design ", with international sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future . The report, which will be presented at New York Climate Week 2022, explores the GHG Impact Methodology created by Capgemini. This methodology provides guidance for professional services organizations on measuring the carbon impact of the sustainability transformation projects they deliver for clients. It is designed to enable more accurate and meaningful decision-making during the project design phase as well as providing an accurate impact calculation at the end of a project.

Becoming a net zero business

Capgemini was one of the first players in its sector, as early as 2016, to set SBTi validated science-based targets in terms of carbon emission reductions. These were reached in January 2020, ten years earlier than targeted and ahead of COVID lockdowns. Since then, the Group has rolled out a ten-point global program spanning across business travel, employee commuting, office and data center energy, as well as the emissions from purchased goods and services.

The Group has proactively engaged with its top 100 suppliers, which uses digitalization and the exploitation of measured and projected data to monitor and manage energy performance across its campuses in India, which account for about a quarter of the Group's energy footprint. With an estimated 20% reduction in energy consumption since its launch, the ECC is making a material contribution to its sustainable development initiatives.

The Group's efforts in cutting carbon emissions, mitigating climate risks and developing the low-carbon economy have been recognized earlier this year through its position in CDP's A-list .

To find out more about Capgemini's Environmental Sustainability policy or read the 2021/2022 Environmental Sustainability report, please visit https://www.capgemini.com/about-us/csr/environmental-sustainability/environmental-sustainability-reports/

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 350,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of 18 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Capgemini is a proud supporter of Climate Week NYC

Climate Week NYC is the time and place where the world gathers to showcase amazing climate action and discuss how to do more. Run by the international non-profit Climate Group , in partnership with the United Nations and the City of New York, Climate Week NYC annually brings together voices from across the spectrum to debate and implement climate action. With over 500 events taking place as part of the official events program and hosting the most significant leaders from business and government, Climate Week NYC is one of the largest annual climate summits of its kind attracting global awareness and participation.

1 The SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard is the world's first framework for corporate net-zero target setting in line with climate science. It includes the guidance, criteria, and recommendations companies need to set science-based net-zero targets consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.

2 With the final 10% of residual emissions neutralized through high-quality carbon removal solutions.

3 Capgemini's Carbon Impact Calculator was developed to measure the reduction of CO 2 e emissions delivered through its client projects. It enables client engagement teams to accurately calculate and report the environmental impact of their projects on client carbon emissions. It includes functionality for calculating the impact of fuel, electricity, delivery, data center, and water.

Attachment
Learn How Decision Intelligence Can Turn Enterprise Data into New Lines of Business and Revenue Streams

The Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Pyramid Analytics (Pyramid), Avi Perez, will deliver a session with Will Blake, Chief Technology Officer of CRU, a global provider of business intelligence and consulting services for the global metals, mining and fertilizer industries, at Big Data LDN (London) on Wednesday 21st September at 12:40 p.m. BST at Olympia London. This historic Victorian exhibition space was founded in 1886 and is steps away from the TfL Kensington (Olympia) station.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005057/en/

CRU is a global provider of business intelligence and consulting services for the global metals, mining and fertilizer industries. The headquarters of CRU is located in the heart of London. Will Blake, Chief Technology Officer, will discuss how CRU uses prescriptive analytics and Decision Intelligence from Pyramid within its data analytics pipelines, better equipping customers to tackle key decisions within the commodity markets.

Key Points:

CRU is a leading London commodities consultancy, relied upon by its clients for expert insight and data on the global metals, mining and fertilizer industries.

Pyramid Analytics is the provider of the Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform, the only purpose-built, unified Decision Intelligence Platform.

Will Blake and Avi Perez will discuss how CRU uses prescriptive analytics and Decision Intelligence from Pyramid within its data analytics pipelines, better equipping customers to tackle key decisions within the commodity markets.

This panel discussion will take place from 12:40 p.m. 1:10 p.m. BST in the Modern Analytics Theatre at Big Data LDN.

Join us at stand 435 to meet the Pyramid team, see demos of the Pyramid Platform, and learn how Decision Intelligence can transform your relationship with data.

Register for your free tickets and find out more about the session here.

Why Attend

Big Data LDN is a major annual event for the UK data and analytics community, regularly bringing together more than 9,000 leading industry experts and practitioners from around the world for two days packed with seminars and exhibits at the Olympia in the heart of London.

Wednesday September 21,12:40 p.m. 1:10 p.m. in the Modern Analytics Theatre.

Decision Intelligence and Prescriptive Analytics: How CRU uses Pyramid to Drive its Data Analytic Solutions and Help Businesses Make More Informed Decisions

Presenters: Will Blake, Chief Technology Officer at CRU, and Avi Perez, Chief Technology Officer at Pyramid Analytics

Abstract: This session will be a discussion between two CTOs, both experts on data analytics. It will explore how CRU uses the Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform within its data analytics pipelines, supporting market analysis and commodity price assessments

Blake and Perez will reveal how CRU restructured its approach to analytics, phasing out siloed approaches that relied on different tools and used the Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform within its data analytics pipelines

Crucially, Decision Intelligence is founded on the principle of helping anyone secure data-driven insights to make faster, more intelligent decisions. CRU put this principle into action, using prescriptive analytics and Decision Intelligence to tackle major challenges such as reducing carbon emissions and other ESG initiatives. In so doing, CRU continues to transform commodity market data into a valuable business asset.

Decision Intelligence is the Next Big Data Analytics Innovation

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an increasingly important analytics technology. But AI to date is limited to highly-trained practitioners, and until now, there has been no easy way to integrate the essential AI components of Data Prep, Business Analytics, and Data Science. The Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform meets this need: its Decision Intelligence solutions go beyond traditional business intelligence tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Qlik, and Tableau. The Pyramid Platform lowers the skills barrier by automating the highly technical work needed to prepare and analyze data and create and share reports and dashboards," said Blake.

In particular, the Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform delivers data-driven insights for anyone to make faster, more intelligent decisions. The Pyramid Platform provides instant access to any data, enables automated governed self-service for any person, and serves any analytics need, from the simple to the sophisticated. By uniquely combining Data Prep, Business Analytics, and Data Science with AI guidance in a single environment, the Pyramid Platform reduces cost and complexity while accelerating growth and innovation. This enables a strategic, organization-wide approach to Business Intelligence and Analytics

Decision Intelligence is High-Growth Segment of Augmented Analytics

The growth potential of Decision Intelligence is enormous. Gartner predicts that "more than 33%" of large organizations will be using Decision Intelligence by 2023. Similarly, worldwide spending on big data and business analytics (BDA) solutions was forecast to reach $215.7 billion in 2021, an increase of 10.1% over 2020, according to a recent update from IDC. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for global BDA spending over the 2021-2025 forecast period is predicted to be 12.8%.

Pyramid is helping to define this growing market.

About Pyramid Analytics

Pyramid is what's next in analytics. Our unified decision intelligence platform delivers insights for anyone to make faster, more intelligent decisions. The Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform provides direct access to any data, enables governed self-service for any person, and serves any analytics need in a no-code environment. The Pyramid Platform uniquely combines Data Prep, Business Analytics, and Data Science in a single environment with AI guidance, reducing cost and complexity while accelerating growth and innovation. The Pyramid Platform enables a strategic, organization-wide approach to Business Intelligence and Analytics, from the simple to the sophisticated. Schedule a demo.

Pyramid Analytics is incorporated in Amsterdam and has regional headquarters in global innovation and business centers, including London, New York City, and Tel-Aviv. Our team lives worldwide because geography should not be a barrier to talent and opportunity. Investors include H.I.G. Growth Partners, Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), Sequoia Capital, and Viola Growth. Learn more at Pyramid Analytics.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005057/en/

Contacts:

UK

Alex Izza

Resonance

+44 759 189 9654

pyramidanalytics@resonancecrowd.com

US

Heather Racicot

Resonance

+1 360-632-5616

pyramidanalytics@resonancecrowd.com

Chas Kielt

Vice President of Global Corporate Communications, Pyramid Analytics

617.687.3371

chas.kielt@pyramidanalytics.com
FREDERICTON, NB, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Introhive, the fastest-growing AI-powered customer intelligence solution, today announced a partnership with OpenFin, the operating system (OS) for enterprise productivity, empowering joint financial services customers on their workspaces and driving productivity.

Introhive allows the automatic extraction of valuable data, surfacing it to salespeople and offering intelligence about their customers, helping firms to grow revenues, shorten sales cycles and find new sales opportunities.

The partnership will enable joint customers to gain even more valuable and actionable insights, making them more accessible, automated and directly embedded in workflows. In the data arms race, sales can easily identify the next best action and are immediately able to perform that action.

OpenFin's web-based OS has become the de facto standard in financial services for powering next-generation applications, digital experiences and employee productivity at enterprise level, for both staff and clients at enterprise scale. The software is now used at more than 3,800 banks, wealth and asset management firms in more than 60 countries. With OpenFin, Introhive pushes intelligence, saving the sales team time they would have spent pulling relevant data themselves. This results in improved productivity and efficiency for end users, leading to better commercial results and more empowered employees. This in turn benefits firms in financial services and across all industries and fosters further innovation by all involved.

We are proud to join forces with a leader in the financial services space. Our partnership, which combines our class-leading platforms to help our mutual customers truly know their customers by providing easily digestible, accessible and actionable data through the OpenFin interface or directly in Salesforce CRM said Alan Panezic , Chief Product Office, Introhive. "Our sophisticated AI-powered platform frees salespeople to build relationships and experience peak performance enabling them to focus on what matters most - building relationships with their valued customers."

Introhive's end-to-end platform will help institutions using OpenFin to increase new cross-sell revenue opportunities and improve sales teams and customer experience, all while decreasing time to close business.

"Our partnership with Introhive strengthens our offering by providing a connected experience with no silos. By empowering users in their workspace with the best possible tools for productivity we can help them get the most out of data through integration and synthesis. This has a powerfully positive impact through better, smarter conversations which improve speed to sale," saidMazy Dar CEO, OpenFin. "Introhive's customer intelligence insights and OpenFin's elevated workspaces use AI to put the hard work in, so our customers don't have to and can focus on their client relationships to grow their portfolios"

This partnership will help capture all relevant data by providing customer intelligence that many firms do not have today in CRM or available in a transparent way across business units. By showing interactions across the firm, silos are broken down and the next best actions are crystal clear.

To learn more about this exciting partnership, email: partners@introhive or visit us at Dreamforce, Booth #214

About Introhive

Introhive is the fastest-growing AI-powered customer intelligence solution, with the single largest deployment of its kind in the world. Trusted by some of the world's most recognizable brands, including PwC, Clark Nexsen, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, CBRE, Colliers International, and Plante Moran, the company has been recognized with 2019, 2020 and 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Canada Awards, 2020 and 2021 Deloitte Fast 500 North America Awards, 2020 and 2021 MarTech Breakthrough Awards, and is Great Place to Work certified in Canada. Introhive's AI-powered SaaS platform seeks to enable organizations to realize the full value of their relationships across the business and to leverage untapped data to drive revenues and increase productivity while simultaneously improving the customer experience. Introhive has grown to 350+ employees with 10 global office locations, supporting 250,000+ customers in over 90 different countries around the world. Learn more at www.introhive.ai

About OpenFin

Move Fast. Break Nothing. OpenFin is The Operating System of Finance, enabling app distribution, workspace management and workflow automation. Used by 90% of global financial institutions, OpenFin deploys more than 3,500 desktop applications to more than 3,800 buy-side and sell-side firms. OpenFin investors include Bain Capital Ventures, Barclays, CME Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, HSBC, ING Ventures, J.P. Morgan, NYCA Partners, Pivot Investment Partners, Standard Chartered and Wells Fargo Strategic Capital among others. The company is based in New York with an office in London and a presence in Hong Kong and Singapore.

https://www.openfin.co/

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Introhive

Angela Ferreira

angela.ferreira@introhive.com
Partners Group / Key word(s): Mergers & Acquisitions

Partners Group to sell a 20% stake in 731.5 MW Dutch offshore windfarm



16.09.2022 / 09:00 CET/CEST



Baar-Zug, Switzerland; 16 September 2022 Borssele III / IV benefits from highly visible, long-term contracted cashflows

Partners Group has guided the windfarm through construction to full operational status

Borssele III / IV is another example of Partners Group's focus on thematic investing in next-generation infrastructure Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, has, on behalf of its clients, agreed to sell a 20% stake in Dutch offshore windfarm Borssele III / IV ("Borssele") to Swiss Life Asset Managers on behalf of its investors. Borssele is a fully operational offshore windfarm located 55 kilometers from the Port of Vlissingen in the Netherlands. The windfarm is comprised of 77 turbines and benefits from a feed-in premium regime, which provides highly visible, long-term contracted cashflows. Borssele began operations in 2021. The windfarm is designed to generate 3,000 GWh of energy annually, which is enough to power approximately 825,000 Dutch households. Partners Group invested in Borssele in June 2018 as part of its thematic approach to investing in infrastructure assets that benefit from decarbonization trends. During its holding period, Partners Group has transformed Borssele by successfully implementing several value creation initiatives, alongside other shareholders. This included ensuring the windfarm's construction was completed within budget. David Daum, Managing Director, Private Infrastructure Europe, Partners Group, says: "Through our thematic investing approach, we identified offshore wind at the right time as a key contributor towards achieving global net-zero goals in a high growth market. We invested in Borssele before construction had started, contributed to the set-up of an independent organisation to handle daily operations, and guided the project through difficult conditions during the COVID pandemic to full operational status. Borssele now generates the equivalent of 2.3% of Dutch electricity demand." Borssele's other shareholders are Shell, Eneco, INPEX, and Luxcara. Partners Group's Private Infrastructure business has USD 21 billion in assets under management and has made over 130 investments in 18 countries globally. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Partners Group was advised by Rothschild & Co as its financial advisor and Clifford Chance LLP as its legal advisor. About Partners Group Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested USD 185 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With USD 131 billion in assets under management as of 30 June 2022, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,600 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Partners Group media relations contact

Henry Weston Phone: +44 207 575 2593

Email: henry.weston@partnersgroup.com

End of Media Release




LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British drug major AstraZeneca plc (AZN.L, AZN) announced Friday that its Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab, formerly AZD7442), a long-acting antibody combination, has been recommended for marketing authorisation in the European Union for the treatment of COVID-19.



The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use or CHMP of the European Medicines Agency has recommended the drug to treat adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kg, with COVID-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.



The CHMP based its positive opinion on results from the TACKLE Phase III COVID-19 treatment trial. It was showed that one intramuscular or IM dose of Evusheld provided clinically and statistically significant protection against progression to severe COVID-19 or death from any cause compared to placebo.



The recommended dose of Evusheld for treatment in the EU is 300mg of tixagevimab and 300mg of cilgavimab, administered as two separate, sequential IM injections.



Michel Goldman, Professor, Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and former Executive Director of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative, said, 'For high-risk patients, there is a major need for tolerable and effective therapies that can be used to block COVID-19 progression and prevent poor outcomes. As we head into the autumn and winter months when COVID-19 infections may rise, Evusheld represents an important new treatment option to protect patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus against severe disease and death.'



Evusheld was granted marketing authorisation in the EU for pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) of COVID-19 in a broad population of adults and adolescents earlier this year. It is already available in a majority of countries in Europe.



AstraZeneca said it expects the European Commission to shortly complete its review of the CHMP positive opinion to determine whether to grant marketing authorisation for treatment of COVID-19 in appropriate populations.



Evusheld is being developed with support from the US government, including federal funds from various agencies.



Evusheld, formerly known as AZD7442, was discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and licensed to AstraZeneca in June 2020. Under the licensing deal terms, AstraZeneca will pay single-digit royalties on future net sales.



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September 16, 2022

Global consensus data recommends the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in many peripheral vascular disease (PVD) procedures

Philips Engagement Hub at TCT to feature a range of physician-led discussions, in-depth symposia, and hands-on trainings that address some of today's most pressing cardiology challenges

Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips (TCT) annual meeting (Boston, USA, September 16-19). In addition, the company will present key clinical data, including global consensus data which highlights the importance of IVUS for both arterial and venous procedures.

"At Philips, we are fully focused on supporting physicians to improve the health and well-being of the patients they serve. Some of the most ground-breaking work we are doing to achieve this is happening in cardiology," said Chris Landon, General Manager, Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. "TCT attendees will have the opportunity to see first-hand our complete set of solutions designed to provide clinicians with the diagnostic and therapeutic devices they need to optimize the workflow and improve outcomes for each individual patient."

An interactive cardiology experience with Philips at TCT 2022

Visitors to TCT 2022 will have access to Philips' latest solutions, plus opportunities to engage with clinical experts and experience innovative cardiac solutions. Philips will be hosting hands on demonstrations, symposia and discussions on topics that range from how to start an ultra-low contrast PCI program, to amplifying gender equality in medicine. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn more about Philips Azurion , the next generation image-guided therapy platform, Philips Interventional Applications Platform - IntraSight , which optimizes lab performance with its imaging, physiology and co-registration tools, and the Philips iFR (Instant Wave-free Ratio) with its evidence-based methodology that improves outcomes, saves time, and reduces patient discomfort. Philips iFR is the only resting index to earn a Class IA guideline recommendation from the ACC/AHA/SCAI and ESC based on clinical evidence of its accuracy [1, 2].

Philips' latest technology advancements in diagnostic, interventional and monitoring solutions at TCT 2022 include:

Philips 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter - VeriSight Pro (https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/resources/landing/ice-catheter-verisight) : Used with Philips' premium cardiology ultrasound systems EPIQ CVx and CVxi, the VeriSight Pro offers superior 2D and 3D live-image guidance for a wide range of procedures in structural heart disease and electrophysiology.





(https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/resources/landing/ice-catheter-verisight) Used with Philips' premium cardiology ultrasound systems EPIQ CVx and CVxi, the VeriSight Pro offers superior 2D and 3D live-image guidance for a wide range of procedures in structural heart disease and electrophysiology. Simplifying coronary and peripheral atherectomy and lead extraction procedures with Philips Laser System - Nexcimer (https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCIGTDPHLLSRSYSTM/laser-system-hcigtdphllsrsystm) : The only system compatible with catheters that have Level I clinical data for ISR atherectomy and that can also support lead extraction procedures (the removal of pacemaker or defibrillator leads around the heart) [3,4].





(https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCIGTDPHLLSRSYSTM/laser-system-hcigtdphllsrsystm) The only system compatible with catheters that have Level I clinical data for ISR atherectomy and that can also support lead extraction procedures (the removal of pacemaker or defibrillator leads around the heart) [3,4]. Philips live fluoroscopy-echo fusion imaging - EchoNavigator 4.0 (https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCOPT08/echonavigator): Used with the Philips Image Guided Therapy System - Azurion - and Philips' premium cardiology ultrasound system - EPIQ CVxi, the new EchoNavigator Release 4.0 empowers heart teams with greater control of live fusion imaging plus new anatomical modeling and transeptal guidance during minimally-invasive structural heart disease procedures.

Published clinical data presented at TCT 2022

IVUS consensus and large-scale, real-world data summary: On Saturday, September 17, at 11:30am ET in the Philips Engagement Hub, Eric A. Secemsky, MD, Interventional Cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, will review two critically important data sets released in late 2021 that highlight the importance of IVUS for both arterial and venous procedures, including the new consensus document from 30 global vascular experts, which recommends routine use of IVUS as a preferred imaging modality in all phases in many peripheral vascular disease."

New study validates ambulatory monitoring as a valuable, cost-neutral tool

Many patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (SAS) are treated with a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) - a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a diseased aortic valve with a prosthetic valve. As an alternative to open-heart aortic valve replacement surgery, TAVR treatment offers several benefits for symptomatic SAS patients, including reduced length of hospital stay and an increased likelihood of home discharge [5].

A recent study, " Costs and Outcomes of Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry Monitoring Post-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement ," published in the August issue of the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, examined the impact that using Philips MCOT (Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry) had on patient outcomes and value of high-quality care following TAVR procedures. The study revealed that MCOT-monitored TAVR hospital patients were more than 16% more likely to receive a permanent pacemaker through a scheduled physician referral than unmonitored patients (100% MCOT vs 83.5% non-MCOT), helping to avoid unplanned readmissions [6]. The study illustrates that prescribing MCOT to patients post-TAVR may provide an opportunity for improved health outcomes or cost savings by monitoring for arrhythmic disturbances, and, if detected, allowing for timely intervention via pacemaker and the avoidance of costly and dangerous emergency care.

For the full calendar of events, as well as general information about Philips' presence at the show, visit www.philips.com/TCT . Visit the Philips Engagement Hub to experience innovative cardiac solutions and follow the TCT2022 conversation on @PhilipsLiveFrom throughout the event.

Refer to full Philips Laser System device labeling and instructions for important safety information. Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

[1] Lawton J. et al. 2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization. JACC. 2022;79

[4] Dippel et al. Randomized Controlled Study of Excimer Laser Atherectomy for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-stent Restenosis: Initial ISR Results (2015). JACC 8(1): 92-101.

[5] Arora S, Strassle PD, Kolte D, et al. Length of stay and discharge disposition after transcatheter 283 versus surgical aortic valve replacement in the United States. Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2018;11(9). 284 doi:10.1161/circinterventions.118.006929.

[6] Belinda A Mohr, PhD1, et al. Impact of Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry Post-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement on Costs and Outcomes: A Medicare Claims Analysis. J. Comp. Eff. Res. 2022. https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/cer-2022-0112.

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha

Philips Global Press Office

Tel.: +31 610 558116

E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com

Fabienne van der Feer

Philips Image Guided Therapy

Tel: + 31 622 698 001

E-mail: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips.

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sep. 13, 2022, Qidi Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Qidi") announced the completion of an angel round financing of RMB 100 million (14.44 million USD), with Joy Capital as the leading investor, Matrix Partners China and Meridian Capital as the co-investors.

Founded in December, 2021, Qidi is a scientifically and technologically innovative enterprise that takes the 24/7 smart glasses as the core and aims at catering to the customers with its unique Vertical Integration Pattern. Starting from the full-link integration of underlying technologies, Qidi focuses on creating hands-free revolutionary smart glasses, which safeguards a trouble-free journey worldwide for the users.

An optimal solution from Qidi: "Clever" glasses & Vertical Integration Pattern

A pair of ideal smart glasses that is suitable for long-time wearing often faces many challenges, such as the weight, comfort of wearing, battery life and heat dissipation, while in the meantime, as a daily-wear item, the glasses should be both high-tech and fashionable.

The smart glasses are made of different units, which delicately harness a series of key technologies on optics, displaying techniques, interaction, algorithm, and operating system. If we just adopt the logic of "smart glasses" and the development model of supply chain technology integration, as well as mixing intelligent functions all in one, it'll easily turn the "smart glasses" into "a clumsy helmet."

The founder of Qidi stresses that, "The most distinctive feature of smart glasses is that they can perceive the environment and recognize everything from the first perspective, and provide instant feedback in front of the uses' eyes, while at the same time, the hands-free service that they provide can raise efficiency to a great extent."

The guiding principle on Qidi's product development is to inject "intelligence" to the glasses - that is, with the users' daily needs being satisfied, the smart glasses are equipped with intelligence, which aims at the three basic properties that users concern, that are - flexibility, popularity, and fashion. Besides, the smart glasses have undergone in-depth innovation on the weight, battery life, and comfort of wearing, and dioptric adjustment is also available, which can truly realize a trouble-free journey worldwide for the users.

Qidi has a vertical integration pattern, that is to perfectly match the top-level designs that suit the terminal ends with the basic operation system, drive system and algorithm, and fundamentally resolve the technological problems.

The key members in Qidi are from China's leading technology companies, such as Huawei and DJI, who have rich pioneering experiences in related industries. It is a well-experienced and well-integrated team, and the founder has successfully launched several flagship products with a sales volume of over ten million, and has deep understanding and pre-judgement of user needs, product development, and technology innovation.

"We have focused on making flagship phones all along, so the pursuit of high quality, elegant design and extreme user experience has become the gene of our team," says the founder of Qidi, "It's been more than ten years since we dealt with smart glasses. Based on our understanding of the core technologies, we believe that the tipping point of the relevant technologies is just around the corner. We hope to take on the role of China's technology innovator to explore a new definition of smart glasses, and make the perfect product that the users want, and ultimately take it as a lever to push forward a real smart society."

Mia Lu

+86-15021452275

ya.lu@singularly.net
MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Binance, the world's largest blockchain ecosystem, recently partnered with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to share its insights and experiences in preventing cybercrime using blockchain forensics with the various law enforcement agencies.





The seminar was designed by Binance and conducted by the company's Asia Pacific Head of Intelligence and Investigations, Jarek Jacubcek. During the 2 days-long seminar, Jacubcek covered the technical aspects of interactions with and between exchanges, cryptocurrency tracing, common cybercrime activities, investigative techniques, prosecution of financial crimes, and forensics report development using open-source intelligence tools.

Jarek Jacubcek, a former member of the Garda, the Irish National Police, and Europol's Cybercrime Centre, joined the Binance team in May and is tasked to take down malicious activities in the crypto ecosystem with the help of law enforcement agencies across the region.

The seminar was also graced by the presence of CICC Usec. Alexander K. Ramos, CICC Deputy Director Mary Rose Magsaysay, and PCol. Armel Gongona, Deputy Director of Administration of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group.

"We are here to increase the technical capacity of our law enforcement and to help the judicial system appreciate cryptocurrency and how it is used as digital evidence in the judicial system. We are doing this because we need the public reassured that our law enforcement system is catching up to high tech criminals. We welcome cryptocurrency transactions so that the public may be able to use it for their economic activities' says Mary Rose Magsaysay, Deputy Executive Director, CICC.

Binance on Cybersecurity

Binance has a strict KYC policy that imposes a zero-tolerance approach to double registrations, anonymous identities, and obscure sources of money. Binance's KYC processes are compliant with AML/CFT rules in over 200 jurisdictions.

Binance does not allow users to trade on its platform without passing KYC checks that include country of residence and personal identification information. Jacubcek notes "Our primary objective over the past 18 months has been to assemble a globally recognized security and compliance team, consisting of more than 500 people from across the globe."

At the same time, Jacubcek notes that while exchanges like Binance do its share of ensuring that their platform is secure, users also need to take responsibility and cyber hygiene seriously.

'Cryptocurrency give users power. All of a sudden, people have ownership of the funds. They can send funds from one person to another. But with the power comes responsibility. So, people should be very careful about their sensitive data and their cryptocurrencies when they're making these transactions. With more education, consumers will appreciate the importance of personal data hygiene and better cybersecurity practices," says Jacubcek.

Aside from the recent training session held in Quezon City, Binance also delivered workshops for law enforcement agencies and banking professionals in Germany (BKA, LKA, prosecutors), Canada (mixed Law Enforcement audience), Italy (Guardia di Finanza), Paraguay (prosecutors) and Brazil (Brazilian Federal Police and Prosecutors) to help facilitate investigations of cybercrimes around the world.

To protect their users, Binance has one of the world's largest insurance funds called SAFU (secure asset fund for users) with holdings of $1 billion[1] held transparently in two separate wallets that are auditable by the public at any time. The funds can be used to payout to users should their accounts be subject to hacks.

[1] Based on January 2022 cryptocurrency prices

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American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) Chairman James Kim, front row fourth from left, and National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Kim Chang-gi, front row third from left, pose with participants in a meeting at the Plaza Hotel Seoul, Friday. AMCHAM said its members requested more favorable tax treatment for foreign businesses here, so as to transform Korea into a regional headquarters in Asia. Courtesy of NTS
Increase in space explorations along with allocation of huge funds by private players and government authorities for space exploration activities will boost the global reusable launch vehicle industry trends.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Reusable Launch Vehicle Market by Vehicle Weight (Up to 4000 lbs, 4000 to 9000 lbs, Over 9000lbs), by Reusable Type (Partially Reusable, Fully Reusable), by Configuration (Single Stage, Multi Stage), by Application (Commercial, Defense), by Type (Orbital, Sub Orbital), by Landing Systems (Braking, Horizontal, Vertical, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025-2035." As per the report, the global reusable launch vehicle market is estimated at $1.38 billion in 2025, and is set to reach $3.56 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2026 to 2035. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios.





Download Report (344 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/11035

Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities

The rise in space exploration activities witnessed in the private sector and a surge in government funding for space exploration missions drive the growth of the global reusable launch vehicle industry. However, the huge costs of manufacturing reusable rockets and high fuel emissions due to the rise in the number of space missions can curtail the growth of the global market. Nevertheless, the surge in space tourism and massive demand for satellite data is slated to generate new growth opportunities for the global industry in the foreseeable future.

Covid-19 Scenario:

Revenue crunch and growing maintenance costs during the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the growth of the global reusable launch vehicle industry.

The dip in GDP of countries such as the UK, the U.S., France , Germany , India , and China leading to low investment in the aviation and defense industry during the COVID-19 period severely affected the expansion of the global market.

, , , and leading to low investment in the aviation and defense industry during the COVID-19 period severely affected the expansion of the global market. Travel restrictions during COVID-19 times and the cancellation of international conferences and trade fairs due to the swift spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus resulted in a huge impact on the growth of the global market.

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The partially reusable segment to dominate the global market in terms of revenue by 2035

Based on the reusable type, the partially reusable segment is set to contribute the highest market share in 2025, accounting for more than 90% of the global reusable launch vehicle market share. Reportedly, this segment is predicted to contribute majorly toward overall market share by 2035. The growth of the segment over the forecast period can be attributed to an increase in the development of the fully reusable launch vehicle to achieve cost-effective, reliable, and on-demand space access. However, the fully reusable segment is predicted to register the fastest CAGR of nearly 25.4% from 2025 to 2035. The segmental growth over the next ten years can be credited to the surge in the use of a partially reusable launch vehicle to significantly reduce launching costs.

The multi stage segment to dominate the global market in terms of revenue by 2035

On the basis of configuration, the multi stage segment is expected to contribute the highest market share in 2025, accounting for more than 90% of the global reusable launch vehicle market share. Reportedly, this segment is predicted to contribute majorly toward overall market share by 2035. The growth of the segment over the forecast period can be attributed to the surge in the advancement of multi-stage launch vehicle by various aerospace companies. However, the single stage segment is predicted to register the fastest CAGR of nearly 21.8% from 2025 to 2035. The segmental growth over the next ten years can be credited to an increase in demand for single stage launch vehicle due to its advantages such as reduced complexity.

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The commercial segment to dominate the global market share by 2035

In terms of application, the commercial segment is predicted to contribute the highest market share in 2025, accounting for more than half of the global reusable launch vehicle market share. Reportedly, this segment is predicted to contribute majorly toward overall market share by 2035. The growth of the segment over the forecast period can be attributed to the rise in the use of orbital reusable launch vehicle to transport a spacecraft beyond Earth's atmosphere, either into orbit around Earth. However, the defense segment is predicted to register the fastest CAGR of nearly 11.0% from 2025 to 2035. The segmental growth over the next ten years can be credited to an increase in the use of sub orbital reusable launch vehicles for applications such as space tourism, commercial imaging, film & television.

Asia-Pacific to dominate the global market growth in 2035

By Region, Asia-Pacific is predicted to contribute notably in 2035. The region is slated to account for nearly two-fifths of the global reusable launch vehicle market in 2025. The growth of the market in the region over the forecast timespan can be attributed to the evolution of rocket manufacturing technologies which led to the development of cost and time-efficient reusable rockets. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to record the fastest CAGR of 12.5% from 2026 to 2035. The report analyzes other segments such as Europe, LAMEA, and North America.

Major market players

Ariane Group

Blue Origin

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

European Space Agency

Galactic Energy

ISRO

I-space (Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Co., Ltd.

LinkSpace Aerospace Technology, Group

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NPO-Energia (S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation)

Orbex

PLD Space

Relativity Space

Rocket Lab USA , Inc.

, Inc. State Space Corporation

ROSCOSMOS

SpaceX

United Launch Alliance, LLC

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The report analyzes these key players in the global reusable launch vehicle market. These players have implemented key business strategies such as strategic expansion, new product launches, alliances, and joint ventures for enhancing market penetration and reinforcing their position in the industry. The report helps the target audience in determining the market performance, performance of each segment, product portfolio development in the market, and contributions made by each player to the market expansion.

Similar Reports We Have on Aerospace Industry:

Space Launch Services Market by Payload (Satellite, Human Spaceflight, Cargo, Testing Probes, and Stratollite), Launch Platform (Land, Air, and Sea), Service Type (Pre-Launch and Post-Launch), Launch Vehicle (Small [Less than 300 ton] and Heavy [Above 300 ton]), and End-User (Government & Military and Commercial): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2031.

Expendable Launch Vehicle Market by Payload (Rocket, Missile, and Satellites), Application (Commercial and Military), End Use (Communication, Navigation, Surveillance, and Orbital Spaceflight): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031.

Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Systems Market by Technology (Satellite Manufacturing, and Satellite Launch Systems), By End User (Commercial, and Military), By Application (Communication Satellite, Military Surveillance, Navigation Satellite, Earth Observation Satellite, and Others), By Satellite Type (LEO Satellites, MEO Satellites and GEO Satellites): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2021-2031.

Spacecraft Market by Type (Manned Spacecraft and Unmanned Spacecraft) and Application (Commercial, Military & Defense): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031.

Spaceplane Market by End Use (Within Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond Earth's Atmosphere), Orbits (Orbital and Sub-orbital), and Application (Commercial and Military): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031.

One-man Flight Vehicle Market by Type (Destruction and Non-destruction), Application (Spying, Smuggling, and Trespassing), and System (Missile Effectors, Electronic Countermeasure, and Laser System): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2031.

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.

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At the Forbes Social Awards, Italian Company Pomilio Blumm With Offices Throughout Europe, is Commended as a Leading Communication Agency

ROME, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Forbes Social Awards showed the ever-increasing impact of public institutions on the health of society and economics. An impact made even more relevant if we consider the challenging times when this edition was held, after years of the Pandemic and after months of the war in Ukraine, meaning new problems for public institutions while the pre-existing ones are even more urgent, requesting new efforts for public communication and in the dialogue with citizens. Among the communication agencies, Pomilio Blumm had the lion's share, thanks to its communication strategies which showed resilience in the new international reality for the EU. The Italian Agency is not new to such a feat, in a few years it has become the most commissioned agency in the EU, and is expanding also in other continents, with new offices and new projects. Pomilio Blumm is considered by the Financial Times among the fastest growing agencies, and recently announced a doubling turnover. To become one of the most important competitors in Europe for global institutional communication the company relies on advanced research centres, and has among its customers the European Central Bank, the EU Commission and the EU Parliament.



The institutions whose campaigns are "powered" by Pomilio Blumm are also the most interesting projects. EU-LISA, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice was awarded for the "innovative approach focused on the realisation of concrete digital information systems, producing multimedia applications as interactive publications [] to convert highly technical and complex concepts into appealing communication for the general public."

The Italian Government (MAECI and ITA) was awarded for the nation branding campaign "Italy is simply extraordinary: beIT, promoting the 'Made in Italy' brand in support of Italian exports. It has a global dimension, putting Italy in the focus of an international public in original and innovative ways, and also Italy's values and talents, its skills and its extraordinary potential. [] The project, based on the development of documentary and editorial content with an innovative profile, has involved exceptional testimonials, both from young talents and the most established stars, not least of them Giorgio Armani."

DG NEAR, meaning Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, won the prize for the Young Europeans Ambassador Campaign in the Western Balkans "for the commitment to building this young and fresh team of people ready to make a real impact on EU-Balkan relations." The G20 of Culture in Rome was also awarded, the summit on culture of the 20 largest economies in the world, for "the spectacular organisation of the Culture Ministerial Meeting, held in Rome, in an exceptional setting, in the centre of the Colosseum arena." EFSA, the European Agency for Food Safety was awarded for the "One Conference, the product of an articulated and unified vision that took shape in Brussels by bringing together, under the helm of food safety, the visions of the main European agencies working on food and health safety." EUIPO, the European Union Intellectual Property Office, was awarded for "its design awards, celebrated in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. The award raised awareness of the design protection system in the EU, and promotes design as a valuable intellectual property right that underpins the European economy." Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, was awarded for its activities; the agency promotes, coordinates and develops European border management in line with the EU fundamental rights charter and the concept of Integrated Border Management. A special mention was awarded to DGCOMM, for its super-partes inspiration of EU values to EU institutions.

The protagonist of the ceremony was Eike Schmidt, the director of the Uffizi in Florence, one of the most prominent museums in the world awarded for its communication. Schmidt explained the importance of Renaissance values for Europe and reminded how the mission of the museum in Florence is to have a "revolution in culture thanks to new methods of communication, but also a revolution in communication thanks to the artworks of our museum which we make come alive."

For more information:

LaPresse SpA Communication and Press Office Director

Barbara Sanicola - barbara.sanicola@lapresse.it +39 02 26305578 M +39 333 3905243

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/16906946-ecc8-42b7-9f9a-4234b06f59a3

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalma Capital announces today the completion of GMR Coal Resources Pte Ltd's 30% divestment in Indonesia's PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk ("PT GEMS") to PT Radhika Jananta Raya ("PT RJR"), a subsidiary of PT ABM Investama Tbk ("ABM"), for $420 million plus deferred consideration.





Commenting on the landmark deal for the firm, Mishal Kanoo, a member of the Board of Directors of Dalma Capital, said "Dalma Capital is proud to have advised GMR Group on its divestment in PT GEMS, thereby supporting the Group's initiatives towards a more sustainable future in the area of green energy," reinforcing their continued strategy of focusing on the core infrastructure business.

Mr. Kanoo further added that "this transaction serves as a display of Dalma Capital's continued persistence towards bolstering our growing M&A practice, solidifying our position as one of Dubai's fastest growing independent investment banking practices with robust M&A capabilities and a unique ability to advise on large-scale global transactions in challenging economic environments and industries under the leadership of Dalma's founder, Zachary Cefaratti."

About GMR Group:

GMR Group is an India-based global infrastructure conglomerate primarily engaged in the development, maintenance and operations of airports, power generation, highway development, special economic zones, and construction business, including engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting activities. The Group consists of several key companies, including key listed companies like GMR Infrastructure Limited and GMR Power and Urban Infra Limited.

About PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk:

PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk (IDX: GEMS), established on May 13, 1997, is a holding of 18 subsidiary companies and is an Indonesia-based bituminous coal mine operator, owning and operating five coal mining concession areas in Indonesia covering an aggregate area of 66,000 hectares in South and Central Kalimantan, Jambi, and South and West Sumatra. GEMS has been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since November 17, 2011. The Company's flagship mine, PT Borneo Indobara, located in South Kalimantan, still has 14 years remaining on its concession and approximately 1 billion mt of coal reserves.

About PT ABM Investama Tbk:

PT ABM Investama Tbk (IDX: ABMM) is an Indonesia-based integrated energy company for strategic investment, engaged in providing integrated mining solutions across the mining value chain. ABM provides solutions that focus on four main business units which are coal mining, mining contractor services, integrated engineering services and logistic support. ABM has been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since December 6, 2011.

About Dalma Capital Management Ltd:

Dalma Capital is a global alternative investment management platform and advisor with strong capabilities in investment banking and asset management. Established in 2011 and headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, Dalma Capital has been one of the fastest growing independent financial services businesses in the DIFC. Dalma Capital is authorized and supervised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the "DFSA") under a prudential category 3c license.

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Dalma Capital Management Limited

info@dalmacapital.com

ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC

Dubai, UAE, 9361
SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A high-tech solar technology specialized global enterprise Jolywood has added a brick to its success ladder with the debut of the new product brand NIWA, which was launched on September 12.

NIWA is a new brand focused on the residential solar market. With the theme "NIWA, all N-Type, Power your Home," the company launched the brand globally amid a grand ceremony. The launching coincided with the 8th anniversary of the listing in Shenzhen.





"NIWA has applied the key technology of J-TOPCon 2.0 to make the solar module have high efficiency, low attenuation, and high availability. Advantages such as relying on, low-temperature coefficient, high double-sided rate, lightweight, etc. It is more suitable for the residential distributed photovoltaic systems." says Ni Jianxiong, head of solar module technology R&D of Jolywood.





"The key to coping with the climate and energy crisis is to speed up the energy transition and adjustment by reducing reliance on non-renewable energy and turning to green and sustainable renewable energy." remarked the company's Chairman Lin Jianwei.

Meanwhile, Jolywood "NIWA" has more than 260 rooftop PV distributors and installers overseas, with customers widely distributed in over 20 countries and regions, mainly in Europe and the Asia Pacific.

"The annual sales and development capacity of NIWA PV modules and power generation systems will exceed 10 GW, and the users will reach 1 million, making "NIWA" a world-famous brand of N-type PV modules and power generation systems," he shared the ambitions, adding that NIWA will turn 100 million yuan into N-type photovoltaic component products and photovoltaic power generation systems.

With long time cooperation from overseas customers greetings from EC Group, IBC Solar, Integra Solar, Prosun, ECO SUN and Raytech, they were all addressed, Jolywood was Pioneering enterprises with N-Type Technology and produces very good quality products for years, they believe that Jolywood will continue to move forward in technological development and products innovations, and keep one of the leading positions regarding the N-type technology development.

NIWA is already a popular word, which has strong R&D and strength in both products and systems. It is expected that the brand will provide efficient, reliable, and beautiful N-type products for the industry.

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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.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 16, 2022 / NuGen Medical Devices Inc. (TSXV:NGMD)(OTCQB:NGMDF) ("NuGen' or the "Company"), a leader in needle-free drug delivery, is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Gironda to the Company's Advisory Board.

Greg Gironda has over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience. Currently, Greg is the managing partner of Pharmacense, a company that provides corporate development and strategic planning services for life science companies. Prior to Pharmacense, Greg held various strategic planning and business development roles at companies like King Pharmaceuticals, Labopharm, EMD Serono, Neura Therapeutik, and Genentech.

"Greg brings a wealth of experience in needle-free and pharmaceutical technology to the table, making him an ideal fit for our Company as we continue to develop next-generation needle-free injection devices," said Michael Wright, CEO of NuGen. "His addition as an advisor is evidence of NuGen's focus on enhancing and broadening the skillset of its advisory team."

While at Serono (EMD Serono), Greg was the first to launch a combination needle-free device, cool.click and a biologic, Saizen recombinant growth hormone. To support this combination, Greg established a team of reimbursement specialists called Connections for Growth, the GHMonitor, a clinical registry for patients on Saizen and cool.click and the Nurse Network, a team of nurses throughout the U.S. that trained both pediatric endocrinology nurses and Saizen patients. He also developed extensive training materials on the use of the cool.click needle-free device and a direct-to-patient campaign.

With the introduction of the cool.click and Saizen combination, Greg was able to grow Saizen's market share from <1.0% to 20% even though Saizen was the fifth entry into the growth hormone market and was competing against notable growth hormone competitors like Genentech, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Pharmacia (now a part of Pfizer). He also went on to assist Serono's affiliate countries in launching cool.click in Europe and Asia.

About NuGen Medical Devices

NuGen is an emerging specialty medical device company developing the next generation of needle-free technologies and other innovative medical delivery products. The company's products, which include the InsuJet and PetJet needle-free injection systems, are designed to improve the lives of millions of people and animals. NuGen continues to receive approval in numerous countries, including Canada. NuGen's products are designed for use in several important fields including, but not limited to, diabetes, veterinary medicine, and vaccines.

For More Information visit: www.nugenmd.com

Twitter: @NuGenMD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nugenmd/

For further information, please contact:

Michael Wright

President and CEO

NuGen Medical Devices Inc.

mw@nugenmd.com

(833) 285-2666

Investor Relations Contact:

Kin Communications Inc.

NGMD@kincommunications.com

(604) 684-6730

Twitter: @KinComm

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.

This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include the Company's 2022 objectives of securing additional distribution and sales agreements, making submissions for regulatory approvals and capitalizing on additional market opportunities. These 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 projected in the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: NuGen Medical Devices

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/716220/NuGen-MD-Welcomes-Greg-Gironda-to-its-Advisory-Board
LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Today Vaculug has launched its 2021 Sustainability Report. This is the first in its 72-year history. Vaculug has pledged to publish this report annually as part of its sustainability strategy formulated in partnership with the University of Oxford and University College London.

Vaculug is also the only independent retreader in the world to pledge Net Zero by 2030. Moreover, as part of Vaculug's sustainability strategy it has also pledged to donate 1 for every tyre sold to improve educational opportunities for children. Vaculug believes that sustainability is not just about improving the environment but also sustaining communities and building them up through education.

Vaculug Chairman Haarjeev Kandhari commented that "We are very proud to launch our first Sustainability Report in 72 years. This issue is front and centre of every decision we take at Vaculug. We are very thankful to our partners at Oxford and UCL who have helped us navigate this journey and helped us to set our carbon baseline. Throughout this process we have also developed a better understanding of our DNA as a company and more importantly our "Why". This is very clearly to improve the world for future generations through sustainable business practices. We recognise that sustainability is more than just the environment. As such we have also decided to donate 1 for every tyre we sell to educate the next generation. We want to ensure children have a better future by providing access to a solid education to support their aspirations. We want to work with underprivileged children of all ages - from primary school to university - ensuring that they receive not only an education but mentors to help them make the most of their opportunities."
BEDFORD, NS / ACCESSWIRE/ September 16, 2022 / Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (the "Company") (TSXV:SSE)(FRA:S6Q1) announced today a second and final closing of its private placement of up to $300,000. The second closing of the private placement consisted of the issuance of 5,880,000 units at a price of $0.025 per unit for gross proceeds of $147,000. Each unit consisted of one common share and a warrant to purchase an additional common share at an exercise price of $0.05 per share on or before September 15, 2025.

The securities issued pursuant to the first closing of the private placement have a hold period expiring January 16, 2023.

The Company raised a total of $264,250 on the private placement.

About Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Silver Spruce Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior exploration company which has signed Definitive Agreements to acquire 100% of the Melchett Lake Zn-Au-Ag project in northern Ontario, and with Colibri Resource Corp. in Sonora, Mexico, to acquire 50% interest in Yaque Minerales S.A de C.V. holding the El Mezquite Au project, and up to 50% interest in each of Colibri's Jackie Au and Diamante Au-Ag projects. Silver Spruce has signed Definitive Agreements to acquire100% interest in the MysteryAu project in the ExploitsSubzone Gold Belt, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Pino de Plata Ag project in western Chihuahua, Mexico. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. continues to investigate opportunities that Management has identified or that have been presented to the Company for consideration.

Contact:

Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Michael Kinley, CEO

(902) 402-0388

mkinley@silverspruceresources.com

info@silverspruceresources.com

www.silverspruceresources.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.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements," 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, statements regarding the private placement.

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 mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. 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.

SOURCE: Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/716277/Silver-Spruce-Announces-Second-Closing-of-Private-Placement-for-147000
Xi meets Pakistani PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif

Xinhua) 16:55, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday Morning at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future.

The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin, Xi said, adding that no matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each other's trustworthy strategic partners.

China will work with Pakistan to advance their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and accelerate the building of a closer community with a shared future between the two countries in the new era, he said.

Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.

It is important to expand cooperation in such areas as industry, agriculture, science, technology and social welfare to create new impetus for the CPEC's development, he said.

Xi also said China hopes that Pakistan will provide solid protection for the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan as well as the lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses.

China commends Pakistan for taking the lead in actively supporting the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and will work with Pakistan to promote the implementation of these two initiatives, said Xi, adding that the two sides need to enhance communication and collaboration within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral platforms to voice the developing countries' rightful opposition to bloc confrontation and commitment to multilateralism.

Sharif expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for its timely and valuable support as Pakistan has been affected by the serious flooding.

He noted that President Xi is a leader of strategic foresight, and under Xi's strong leadership, China has secured great achievements in its development and made important contributions to peace and development in the region and the wider world.

The Pakistani people hold President Xi in high esteem and view China as an eternal, great friend of Pakistan, he added.

Pakistan wishes the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success, said Sharif.

Pakistan is firmly committed to the one-China policy, and firmly supports China's position on issues concerning its core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, he said, adding that Pakistan is resolutely opposed to the attempt of certain forces to undermine China's sovereignty and to interfere in its internal affairs.

The Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable and unparalleled, said Sharif, adding that Pakistan will make its best efforts to protect the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan, continue its active participation in the Belt and Road cooperation and make CPEC a model of mutually beneficial cooperation.

He added that Pakistan will work with China to take their bilateral relationship to a new height.

Relevant departments of the two countries signed documents on cooperation in railway, e-commerce and other areas.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Poongsan Group Chairman Ryu Jin / Courtesy of Poongsan Group

By Park Jae-hyuk







Poongsan is facing a growing backlash from minority shareholders over its plan to split off its flagship munitions business so the parent firm can focus on copper product manufacturing, according to industry officials, Friday.







Earlier this month, Poongsan abruptly announced the split-off plan for Poongsan Defense, arguing that the structural reform will ultimately enhance both the company's enterprise and shareholder values. It emphasized that its enterprise value has been underestimated due to the trend of global institutions shunning investments in the arms industry amid the growing importance of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria.







However, Poongsan has faced speculation that it decided to push ahead with the split-off to preemptively avoid a forthcoming financial regulation, because its announcement was made a few days after the government unveiled plans to protect minority shareholders of companies that split off their lucrative businesses to be listed on the stock market. There has been a tendency that a parent firm's stock price declines after listing a new subsidiary that was split off from the parent.







Poongsan's headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Poongsan





In response, a group of Poongsan's minority shareholders opened a website earlier this week protesting the company's plan.







They have been trying to acquire a 0.5 percent stake to make a shareholder proposal that Poongsan would have to carry out a spin-off instead of the planned split-off. A spin-off distributes shares of a new subsidiary to existing shareholders.







Poongsan's minority shareholders also joined hands with the minority shareholders of DB HiTek and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE). DB HiTek is rumored to be considering splitting off its semiconductor design unit. KSOE finished splitting off Hyundai Heavy Industries and listed the shipbuilding subsidiary on the stock market last year.







According to Poongsan's regulatory filing, Poongsan Defense will not be listed on the stock market.







Investors, however, appear to be skeptical of the promise, given that the company's stock price fell below 28,000 won ($20) from above 30,000 won after its announcement of the planned split-off.







"Poongsan is highly likely to break its promise in the future, so the market has remained skeptical about its value," Korea Stockholders Alliance leader Jung Eui-jung said. "Minority shareholders should be up in arms against major shareholders."







A Poongsan spokesman said that the company will make efforts to convince the minority shareholders.







"We plan to hold a meeting with them next month," he said. "We already held a conference call with securities analysts and received positive reviews from them."







NH Investment & Securities analyst Byun Jong-man ruled out the possibility of deterioration in Poongsan's enterprise value at this moment, saying that the parent firm will hold a 100 percent stake in the new subsidiary, which will remain unlisted.







Hyundai Motor Securities analyst Park Hyun-wook also supported Poongsan, saying that the company plans to specify in its articles of association that the new subsidiary cannot be listed on the stock market, unless the parent firm's shareholders agree.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Huntsman Corp. (HUN) said the company now expects third quarter adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations to be between $260 million and $280 million. Previously, the company estimated third-quarter adjusted EBITDA between approximately $310 million and $355 million, excluding Textile Effects. The company said it remains on track to exceed previously announced cost optimization and synergy program and expect to deliver an annualized run rate of approximately $170 million by year-end. Also, the company is evaluating further cost reduction and optimization opportunities. Peter Huntsman, CEO said: 'Huntsman is feeling the same pressures as others in the industry as we are being impacted by persistent and extraordinary cost of energy in Europe, together with lower than expected demand across segments in our portfolio, primarily within Polyurethanes and Performance Products. The economy in China continues to lag our expectations due to continued Covid-related lockdowns. While the United States remains our most resilient market, demand in residential housing has slowed.' Shares of Huntsman Corp. are down 5% in pre-market trade on Friday. 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

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Project envisages investment of USD 20 billion, employment to 100k people

AHMEDABAD, India, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move that aims to put India on the global silicon map and make the country self-sufficient in the critical area of semiconductors and displays, Vedanta, the world's sixth largest diversified natural resources group, signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the Government of Gujarat to set up a semiconductor fab unit, a display fab unit and a semiconductor assembling and testing unit in the key industrial state, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make the country a hub of futuristic technologies.

The project, which will be taken up by the Vedanta-Foxconn JV announced earlier this year, envisages a total investment of USD 20 Billion and an employment potential of around 100,000 people. Vedanta will hold 60% of the equity in the JV while Foxconn will own 40%. The JV will look at setting up a semiconductor manufacturing plant in the next two years.

The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnav, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal, Vedanta's Global Managing Director, Display and Semiconductors, Akarsh Hebbar, Mr. Brian Ho, VP, Foxconn Semiconductor Group and a host of other dignitaries.

The project will attract electronics ecosystem players across the value chain entailing manufacturers of highly sophisticated and sensitive equipment, materials (high purity Gases, chemicals, wafers, photomasks), equipment service providers etc.

The proposed semiconductor manufacturing fab unit will operate on the 28nm technology nodes and the display manufacturing unit will produce Generation 8 displays catering to small, medium and large applications.

On this occasion, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnav, said: "The project is in line with Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision for achieving self-reliance in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. I congratulate Vedanta and Foxconn for taking this initiative and bringing the semiconductor plant to India."

Semiconductors and displays are critical to establishing India as an electronics hub and will help attract suppliers and device assemblers to setup base in India. The Indian semiconductor market was valued at $27.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of nearly 19% to reach $64 billion in 2026.

Speaking on the occasion, Vedanta Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal, said: "We are delighted to announce that Gujarat will be the location for our display and semiconductor fab ventures. The state is well known globally for being a manufacturing hub and I hope that India's upcoming, cutting-edge electronics ecosystem will thrive, with every state benefitting to develop their electronic manufacturing hubs. We are privileged to take one step further in supporting Prime Minister Modi's vision of aatmanirbhar Bharat in this strategic sector."

The decision to set up the project in Gujarat comes after Vedanta and Foxconn announced in February that they will form a joint venture company in India.

Vedanta has a presence in electronics and technology business through group companies Avanstrate Inc. and Sterlite Technologies.

Hon Hai Technology Group ("Foxconn") is the world's largest electronics manufacturer. Hon Hai is also the leading technology solution provider, and it continuously leverages its expertise in software and hardware to integrate its unique manufacturing systems with emerging technologies.

Mr. Brian Ho, VP, Foxconn Semiconductor Group, said, "I am delighted that the semiconductor plant will come up in the industrial state of Gujarat. We applaud the efforts made by the Government of Gujarat, home of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to attract semiconductor development and upgrade government efficiency. Gujarat is recognized for its industrial development, green energy, and smart cities. The improving infrastructure and the government's active and strong support increases confidence in setting up a semiconductor factory. We look forward to working with our partners and the Gujarat leadership to further enhance the infrastructure required to cater to the ambitious semiconductor project."

The broad plans for a semiconductor unit in India were announced after the COVID-19 pandemic upended global supplies of crucial electronic components used in everything from smartphones to cars. India has vowed to spend $30 billion to overhaul its tech industry and build local chip supply chains to avoid being dependent on foreign producers.


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound fell sharply against its major counterparts in the European session on Friday, as U.K. retail sales declined more than expected in August, suggesting that the economy is falling into a recession.



Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the retail sales volume declined 1.6 percent month-on-month, in contrast to July's 0.4 percent increase. Economists had forecast a moderate 0.5 percent decline.



Likewise, retail sales excluding auto fuel were also down 1.6 percent after rising 0.4 percent in July. Sales were expected to ease 0.7 percent.



Non-food stores sales volumes fell 1.9 percent and food store sales decreased 0.8 percent. Automotive fuel sales volumes slid 1.7 percent.



On a yearly basis, retail sales decreased for the fifth straight month in August. Sales decreased 5.4 percent, following July's 3.2 percent fall. Economists had forecast an annual drop of 4.2 percent.



Sales excluding auto fuel slid 5.0 percent versus a 3.1 percent decrease in the previous month. This was also faster than economists' forecast of -3.4 percent.



European markets are mostly lower, tracking a sell-off in Asia and on Wall Street, amid warnings from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that the global economy is heading into a recession.



The World Bank said on Thursday that the world's three largest economies-the United States, China, and the euro area-have been slowing sharply and even a moderate risk to the global economy over the next year could tip it into recession.



The pound touched 1.1350 against the greenback, a level unseen since 1985. The pound is likely to face support around the 1.11 level.



The GBP/JPY pair fell to a 10-day low of 162.74. Immediate support for the pound may be found around the 157.00 level.



The pound depreciated to 1.0948 against the franc for the first time since 1974. If the pound extends drop, 0.93 is possibly seen as its support level.



The pound weakened to 0.8772 against the euro, its lowest level since February 2021. On the downside, support is seen near the 0.89 level.



Looking ahead, University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index for September is due in the New York session.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Aquanow is pleased to announce that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OYAK Securities to provide digital asset services in Turkey and neighboring countries. The project scope includes developing the digital asset ecosystem and preparatory work for the necessary regulations to be established.

"Building on our successes has been one of the company's primary objectives," said Phil Sham, Aquanow Chief Executive Officer. "OYAK is a demonstrated innovator, responsible fiduciary, and trusted advisor in Turkey. We are proud to have been selected by this industry leader and look forward to collaborating with the team to explore digital asset use cases in compliance with the legal regulations to be implemented in the country."

OYAK Securities provides financial services to corporations and individuals with the objective of being a leader in sectoral developments. The group emphasizes an innovative and creative attitude in all its dealings, while maintaining strict adherence to regulations. OYAK Securities is one of the first brokerage institutions authorized by the Capital Markets Board of Turkey as the "Broadly Authorized Intermediary Institution" with the highest number of operating licenses (January 2015).

Aquanow is leading innovation at the intersection of blockchain and financial markets. For more information, please visit www.aquanow.io.

About Aquanow

Aquanow is a leading infrastructure and liquidity provider that enables institutional and enterprise use-cases for digital assets. Each month, billions of dollar value pass through our platform enabling a broad range of financial services for our clients. We serve an international customer base that includes the world's fastest-growing financial institutions, internet platforms, and progressive businesses.

Aquanow is privately funded and guided by experienced financial executives and professional traders.

About OYAK Securities

Founded in 1982 as an affiliate of the Ordu Yardimlasma Kurumu (Army Aid Foundation), OYAK Securities, a brand identified with trust, quality, power and prestige in the sector, serves both corporate and individual customers. With its stable market share, widespread sales and distribution network, strong local customer portfolio, innovative and creative attitude in corporate finance deals, good relations with international investment banks, strong financial structure, extensive sectoral experience and past experience and professional leadership; OYAK Securities offers around 190,000 individuals and corporates, national and international customers brokerage, corporate finance, financial consultancy and investment consultancy services in capital market instruments, with 13 branches.

For more information, click here.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005053/en/

Contacts:

Media

Kerry Quintiliani

Corporate Ink for Aquanow

aquanow@corporateink.com

617.969.9192
LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UPL Ltd. (NSE: UPL & BSE: 512070 LSE: UPLL) ('UPL') a global provider of sustainable agricultural solutions, today announced that its post-harvest business, DECCO, through a subsidiary has acquired the business of TeleSense, the world's leading provider of remote monitoring solutions for crop storage and transportation, to advance its mission to reduce food waste and support food supply chain sustainability. TeleSense will join DECCO in the OpenAg network, a platform pioneered by UPL, committed to Reimagining Sustainability for global agriculture.

TeleSense uses scalable sensor technology on an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to monitor temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in stored grain and other crops. It uses fixed and portable sensors to monitor the condition of stored food commodities, automates the early detection of potential issues such as hotspots, excess moisture, and pests and mitigates spoilage, quality degradation, and food waste. The TeleSense app provides users with alerts to effectively manage crop quality, reduce waste, ensure safety, and improve operational efficiency. Adding TeleSense technology to DECCO's portfolio complements its robust range of gas monitoring, safety and detection devices as well as fumigants.

DECCO is a global leader in providing post-harvest solutions to reduce food waste and enhance the freshness of fruits and vegetables across the food supply chain. The acquisition of TeleSense follows a successful strategic collaboration formalised between UPL and TeleSense in January 2021. It continues DECCO and the wider OpenAg network's ongoing commitment to investing in and scaling technologies that improve food security, advance the sustainability of the sector, and reinforce farmers and grower resilience.

Jai Shroff, Global CEO of UPL Ltd., said: "The last six months have seen the challenge of food security attract global attention, but one important aspect has been overlooked: food waste. More than 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year - as much as a third of all food produced for human consumption - much of it before it reaches consumers. UPL's commitment to Reimagining Sustainability is not just about helping farmers grow food, but also storing and preserving it. Our acquisition of TeleSense furthers our ability to produce constant innovation of smarter and safer solutions to minimise waste at the heart of the food system."

Naeem Zafar, the co-founder of TeleSense, Inc. said: "TeleSense's vision was to revolutionise the way that food is stored by bringing the latest digital technologies to solve age-old problems. DECCO shares this vision, and we have seen first-hand the benefits of collaboration and of combining complimentary technological offerings. We are excited to have joined DECCO and to be embarking on a new chapter to improve post-harvest innovation around the world."

Francisco Jose Rodriguez Nogueron, President & CEO of DECCO Worldwide, added: "We are delighted to welcome TeleSense to UPL's OpenAg network. By joining forces, we are creating an unrivaled post-harvest solution set that will enable growers, storages, packers, and processors alike to maximise quality preservation and prevent food losses."

Notes to editors:

Beatriz Portela

Global Head of Marketing

DECCO Worldwide Post-Harvest Holdings, BV.

beatriz.portela@upl-ltd.com

Reina Roets

Global Head of Marketing Communications

UPL Ltd.

Reina.roets@upl-ltd.com

Radhika Arora

Head of Investor Relations

UPL Ltd.

Radhika.Arora@upl-ltd.com

About UPL

UPL Ltd. (NSE: UPL & BSE: 512070, LSE: UPLL) is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products and solutions, with annual revenue exceeding $6bn. We are a purpose-led company. Through OpenAg, UPL is focused on accelerating progress for the food system. We are building a network that is reimagining sustainability, redefining the way an entire industry thinks and works - open to fresh ideas, innovation, and new answers as we strive towards our mission to make every single food product more sustainable. As one of the largest agriculture solutions companies worldwide, our robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 14,000 registrations. We are present in more than 130 countries, represented by more than 10,000 colleagues globally.

For more information about our integrated portfolio of solutions across the food value chain including seeds, post-harvest, as well as physical and digital services, please visit upl-ltd.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter , Instagram and Facebook.

About DECCO

DECCO, a UPL company, is the global leader in providing postharvest solutions to reduce food waste and enhance the freshness of fresh fruits and vegetables all along the food supply chain from harvest to the kitchen. DECCO delivers value every day to packers, shippers, supermarkets and consumers with customised coating, decay control, sanitization and disinfection products, application technology, on-site service and 90+ years of postharvest expertise. Over 200 dedicated DECCO employees operate in over 40 countries. For more information please visit deccopostharvest.com or follow us at LinkedIn.

About TeleSense

TeleSense is digitising the post-harvest grain supply chain. Utilizing advanced IoT, real-time environmental monitoring, and cloud-based AI technology, TeleSense provides managers with actionable insights about their stored crops, so that they can make more profitable storage and transport decisions quickly and easily. The company's wireless sensors and app work together to continuously monitor crops and automatically send issue alerts to users, mitigating spoilage, infestation and quality degradation. TeleSense also retrofits traditional temperature cable systems to integrate them with its fully wireless software ecosystem. For more information, please visit www.telesense.com.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Datametrex AI Ltd. (TSXV: DM) (FSE: D4G) (OTCQB: DTMXF) (the "Company" or "Datametrex') is pleased to announce that the Company is launching Smart Factory AI technology, which is based on AI, big data, and server automation operating system technologies. The Company is preparing for the first initial release in the United States with room for expansion internationally.

Additionally, the Company has received Purchase Orders ("P.O") for approximately $200,000 CAD from various multinational companies including Lotte Data Communication Co., Ltd. ("Lotte"), Woongjin Co. Ltd ("Woongjin"), and Kolon Benit ("Kolon").

The Smart Factory Manufacturing Market size is projected to reach USD 727 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12%. The growth is greatly influenced by businesses able to minimize cost and labor of operations and manufacturing. (Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/07/12/2478454/0/en/Smart-Manufacturing-Market-Size-is-projected-to-reach-USD-727-Billion-by-2030-growing-at-a-CAGR-of-12-Straits-Research.html)

In a recent survey, 75 percent (75%) of respondents say smart manufacturing would increase their company's competitiveness with increased productivity. (Source: https://www.sme.org/aboutsme/newsroom/press-releases/2022/sme-cesmii-release-2022-smart-manufacturing-market-survey/)

Smart Factory Manufacturing simplifies company's needs by eliminating human error by utilizing ICT technologies which can streamline production and processing while maintaining sustainability, safety, and product quality. Smart Factories benefit manufactures by creating faster and more cost-efficient processes to get products made.

Benefits of Smart Factory Manufacturing:

Better Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

Smart manufacturing improves productivity and engagement by making it easier for employees to communicate. Information can be personalized and customized to better align with the company's manufacturing goals.

Improved Data Insights

Digital information allows for better resource usage and optimizes operational plant performance. You get more data, faster. Real-time reporting creates better problem-solving solutions and improves productivity.

Maximized Efficiency

The smart factory reduces human manual handling by leveraging automation. The factory becomes more efficient because production can be real-time responsive.

Better Safety and Quality Control

Since smart manufacturing systems capture data automatically, businesses use data to increase safety and quality. You can customize automatic reporting structures and build quality control routines into the system.

Minimize Human Errors

Easier and more-direct machine instructions, inline quality checks, and real-time monitoring can reduce the number of human errors to nearly zero.

(Source: https://www.tetrapak.com/en-us/insights/cases-articles/12BenefitsofSmartManufacturing)

"The size of Smart Factory market is expected to grow more than 60% this year compared to 2020. Applying our technology in the Smart Factory market is another milestone and accomplishment for Datametrex. We are thrilled to expand our machine learning technology to help businesses improve. Additionally, Datametrex is proud to be able to provide our AI technology services to some of the most notable IT and AI companies. Providing AI tools to help our clients optimize their business and alleviate risk factors is at the core of what our technology provides," said Marshall Gunter, CEO of the Company.

About Datametrex

Datametrex AI Ltd. is a technology-focused company using artificial intelligence (AI) to create progressive solutions for the cyber security, telehealth, and electric vehicle (EV) verticals. Datametrex's mission is to provide tools that support companies in fulfilling their operational goals with predictive and preventive technologies.

For additional information on Datametrex and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.datametrex.com.

For further information:

Investor Relations & Communications

Priya Monique Atwal, Director of Communications

Email: investors@datametrex.com

Tel: 416-901-5611 x 204

Marshall Gunter, CEO

Email: mgunter@datametrex.com

Tel: 514-295-2300

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 Statements

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Bid. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137351
TOKYO, and PRAGUE , Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After the recent typhoon Hinnamnor, another typhoon named Nanmadol is bearing down on Japan and South Korea. The Japanese, Australian and European forecast models, which are graphically visualized by Windy.com, agree on the approximate path of the hurricane towards Japan. But Nanmadol will also have a big impact on the weather in South Korea.

The typhoon is currently reaching wind speeds around 200 km/h (category 4) and a pressure of 965 hPa and has the potential to cause damage mainly due to strong winds and heavy rains. Landfall is expected to occur on the southwest coast of Japan. The typhoon's direction will be refined by all models before Sunday. Based on the latest data, the typhoon can hit the south of Japan as a category 2 on The Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

The general public can follow the hurricane's progress on Windy.com, which is also used by emergency teams, rescue centers, sailors, pilots, and professional athletes. The Hurricane Tracker tool is provided by Windy free of charge for all models (JMA, BoM-a, ECMWF). The different models differ in their calculation of hurricane direction, Windy displays local forecasts in the first place, for Japan it is the JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency).

Windy.com was originally created as a weather forecasting app for kiters, surfers, and other extreme sportsmen who need to know an accurate forecast of not only the weather but especially the development of weather conditions for their hobby. Gradually, however, the app has become an essential part of the professional lives of people whose lives depend on accurate weather forecasting. We're talking about sailors, pilots, firefighters, or just people in emergency staff during natural disasters. During hurricanes, images from Windy.com have become an integral part of news coverage and information for residents in affected areas.
Total passenger traffic continued to recover reaching 83.2% of August 2019 traffic levels

Armenia and Ecuador above pre-pandemic levels; Brazil and Argentina at 98% and 80%, respectively

Aircraft movements above 90% of pre-pandemic figures across all countries of operations

Corporacion America Airports S.A. (NYSE: CAAP), ("CAAP" or the "Company") a leading private airport operator in the world, reported today a 76.0% YoY increase in passenger traffic in August 2022, reaching 83.2% of August 2019 levels.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005064/en/

Passenger Traffic Monthly Performance (vs. 2019) (Graphic: Business Wire)

Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Highlights (2022 vs. 2021) Statistics Aug'22 Aug'21 % Var. YTD'22 YTD'21 % Var. Domestic Passengers (thousands) 2,130 2,142 -0.6% 22,918 11,673 96.3% International Passengers (thousands) 3,554 987 260.3% 14,489 4,148 249.3% Transit Passengers (thousands) 629 458 37.2% 3,765 2,904 29.6% Total Passengers (thousands) 6,313 3,587 76.0% 41,172 18,724 119.9% Cargo Volume (thousand tons) 26.8 25.8 4.1% 221.7 204.2 8.5% Total Aircraft Movements (thousands) 69.3 48.2 44.0% 472.6 287.4 64.5% Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Highlights (2022 vs. 2019) Statistics Aug'22 Aug'19 % Var. YTD'22 YTD'19(1)(2) % Var. Domestic Passengers (thousands) 2,130 4,265 -50.1% 22,918 27,219 -15.8% International Passengers (thousands) 3,554 2,683 32.4% 14,489 16,416 -11.7% Transit Passengers (thousands) 629 644 -2.3% 3,765 4,902 -23.2% Total Passengers (thousands) 6,313 7,592 -16.8% 41,172 48,538 -15.2% Cargo Volume (thousand tons) 26.8 32.4 -17.2% 221.7 245.8 -9.8% Total Aircraft Movements (thousands) 69.3 77.1 -10.1% 472.6 497.3 -5.0%

(1) Note that preliminary passenger traffic figures for 2019, as well as January 2020 for Ezeiza Airport, in Argentina, were adjusted to include additional inbound passengers not accounted for in the initial count, for an average of approximately 5% of total passenger traffic at Ezeiza Airport and 1% of total traffic at CAAP, during that period. Importantly, inbound traffic does not affect revenues, as tariffs are applicable on departure passengers. (2) Cargo volumes in Uruguay were rectified from January 2019 to June 2020, to reflect all cargo passing through the cargo terminal, instead of air cargo only.

Passenger Traffic Overview

Total passenger traffic grew 76.0% compared to the same month of last year, driven by increases across all countries of operations, particularly in Argentina, Italy and Brazil, supported by a continued recovery in travel demand following the gradual lifting of travel restrictions across all countries of operations. Overall passenger traffic recovered to 83.2% of August 2019 levels, from 78.9% in July, with international and domestic passenger traffic reaching 83.2% and 80.9% of August 2019 levels, respectively.

In Argentina, total passenger traffic continued to recover increasing 181.4% YoY and reaching 79.5% of August 2019 levels, up from the 75.8% posted in July. International passenger traffic improved to 69.6% of pre-pandemic levels, compared with 68.0% in July, showing a continued recovery since the full re-opening of borders on November 1, 2021 and the lifting of travel requirements. Domestic passenger traffic increased sequentially reaching 83.0% of August 2019 levels, up from the 78.7% posted in July.

In Italy, passenger traffic grew 66.7% YoY reaching 89.2% of August 2019 levels, slightly down from the 91.3% posted in July. Passenger traffic benefited from the summer season and trends are expected to improve further in the coming months, also reflecting the lifting of travel restrictions effective June 1, 2022. Domestic traffic again exceeded pre-pandemic levels, boosted by a strong performance at Pisa Airport.

In Brazil, total passenger traffic increased 28.0% YoY, and reached 97.7% of August 2019 levels, up from 84.6% recorded in July. Domestic traffic, which accounted for 61% of total traffic, stood above 96% of pre-pandemic levels whereas transit passengers reached August 2019 levels.

Total passenger traffic in Uruguay, where traffic is largely international, increased 164% YoY and reached 67.6% of August 2019 levels, slightly above the 65.6% posted in July.

In Ecuador, passenger traffic exceeded, for the first time, pre-pandemic levels of August 2019 and increased 54.3% YoY. International passenger traffic improved to 96.2% of pre-pandemic levels, supported by routes to Europe, as well as the US and Panama, whereas domestic passenger traffic exceeded August 2019 pre-pandemic levels by 7.7%.

In Armenia, where traffic is entirely international, passenger traffic surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the fourth consecutive month, at 114.1% of August 2019 figures, improving from the 111.4% and 112.4% recorded in June and July, respectively. On a YoY basis, passenger traffic increased 30.0%.

Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements

Cargo volume increased 4.1% YoY and stood at 82.8% of August 2019 levels, or at 84.2% when adjusting for the discontinuation in Peru. Close to 70% of cargo volume came from Argentina and Brazil, which reported volume declines of 12.2% and 47.8% versus August 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Cargo volumes in Uruguay, Armenia and Italy were above pre-pandemic levels, whereas Argentina and Ecuador stood at 87.8% and 85.7%, respectively.

Aircraft movements increased 44.0% YoY reaching 89.9% of August 2019 levels, or at 93.5% when adjusting for the discontinuation of operations in Peru. Around 70% of aircraft movements came from Argentina and Brazil, which reached 90.0% and 95.4% of August 2019 levels, respectively. Aircraft movements in all countries of operations were above 90% of August 2019 levels, with Armenia exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 28.0%.

Summary Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements (2022 vs. 2021)

Aug'22 Aug'21 % Var. YTD'22 YTD'21 % Var. Passenger Traffic (thousands) Argentina(1) 3,080 1,095 181.4% 20,889 6,405 226.1% Italy 804 482 66.7% 4,410 1,278 245.0% Brazil 1,433 1,120 28.0% 10,024 6,948 44.3% Uruguay 117 44 164.0% 880 177 396.3% Ecuador 423 274 54.3% 2,740 1,400 95.7% Armenia 456 351 30.0% 2,229 1,424 56.6% Peru 221 -100.0% 1,092 -100.0% TOTAL 6,313 3,587 76.0% 41,172 18,724 119.9% (1) See Footnote 1 in previous table. (2) See Footnote 2 in previous table.

Cargo Volume (tons) Argentina 15,147 13,741 10.2% 119,660 108,330 10.5% Italy 977 1,110 -12.0% 9,792 9,565 2.4% Brazil 3,559 4,967 -28.3% 35,579 39,954 -10.9% Uruguay(2) 2,568 2,301 11.6% 21,950 19,756 11.1% Ecuador 2,514 2,058 22.1% 22,695 14,389 57.7% Armenia 2,072 1,333 55.4% 11,995 10,361 15.8% Peru 268 -100.0% 1,873 -100.0% TOTAL 26,837 25,778 4.1% 221,672 204,228 8.5% Aircraft Movements Argentina 35,748 19,754 81.0% 243,240 130,334 86.6% Italy 7,568 6,080 24.5% 46,192 20,651 123.7% Brazil 12,754 10,828 17.8% 93,107 69,526 33.9% Uruguay 1,959 1,666 17.6% 17,525 9,018 94.3% Ecuador 7,172 5,394 33.0% 51,121 33,848 51.0% Armenia 4,123 2,830 45.7% 21,416 13,047 64.1% Peru 1,606 -100.0% 10,942 -100.0% TOTAL 69,324 48,158 44.0% 472,601 287,366 64.5%

Summary Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements (2022 vs. 2019)

Aug'22 Aug'19 % Var. YTD'22 YTD'19 % Var. Passenger Traffic (thousands) Argentina(1) 3,080 3,875 -20.5% 20,889 29,151 -28.3% Italy 804 902 -10.8% 4,410 5,569 -20.8% Brazil 1,433 1,467 -2.3% 10,024 12,464 -19.6% Uruguay 117 173 -32.4% 880 1,490 -40.9% Ecuador 423 418 1.2% 2,740 3,053 -10.3% Armenia 456 400 14.1% 2,229 2,092 6.6% Peru 358 -100.0% 2,311 -100.0% TOTAL 6,313 7,592 -16.8% 41,172 56,130 -26.6% (1) See Footnote 1 in previous table. (2) See Footnote 2 in previous table.

Cargo Volume (tons) Argentina 15,147 17,247 -12.2% 119,660 146,445 -18.3% Italy 977 827 18.1% 9,792 8,494 15.3% Brazil 3,559 6,823 -47.8% 35,579 62,505 -43.1% Uruguay(2) 2,568 2,280 12.6% 21,950 18,816 16.7% Ecuador 2,514 2,933 -14.3% 22,695 27,044 -16.1% Armenia 2,072 1,773 16.8% 11,995 11,606 3.4% Peru 540 -100.0% 3,340 -100.0% TOTAL 26,837 32,423 -17.2% 221,672 278,250 -20.3% Aircraft Movements Argentina 35,748 39,702 -10.0% 243,240 301,737 -19.4% Italy 7,568 8,379 -9.7% 46,192 53,583 -13.8% Brazil 12,754 13,370 -4.6% 93,107 106,054 -12.2% Uruguay 1,959 2,084 -6.0% 17,525 20,071 -12.7% Ecuador 7,172 7,423 -3.4% 51,121 55,102 -7.2% Armenia 4,123 3,221 28.0% 21,416 17,636 21.4% Peru 2,894 -100.0% 20,165 -100.0% TOTAL 69,324 77,073 -10.1% 472,601 574,348 -17.7%

About Corporacion America Airports

Corporacion America Airports acquires, develops and operates airport concessions. Currently, the Company operates 53 airports in 6 countries across Latin America and Europe (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Armenia and Italy). In 2021, Corporacion America Airports served 35.7 million passengers, or 42.4% of the 84.2 million passengers served in 2019. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange where it trades under the ticker "CAAP". For more information, visit http://investors.corporacionamericaairports.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005064/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations Contact

Patricio Inaki Esnaola

Email: patricio.esnaola@caairports.com

Phone: +5411 4899-6716


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Government has announced $600 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine, the latest tranche of military support to strengthen the country's fight against the Russian invasion.



The aid, which marks the twenty-first drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since September 2021, includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories.



Capabilities in this package include additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); 36,000 105mm artillery rounds; 1,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds; Four counter-artillery radars; Four trucks and eight trailers to transport heavy equipment; Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems; Mine clearing equipment; Claymore anti-personnel munitions; Demolition munitions and equipment; Small arms and ammunition; Night vision devices, cold weather gear, and other field equipments.



So far, the United States has committed more than $15.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion on February 24.



The United States is the major donor among more than 50 countries that are providing military assistance to support Ukraine's defense capabilities in the prolonged war.



Ukraine's forces are utilizing them so effectively as they continue their successful counter-offensive against the Russian onslaught, stunning the Russians in the eastern and southern borders.



President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed earlier this week that Ukraine has retaken more than 6,000 sq km of its territory from Russian control in September alone, thanks to the sophisticated weapons provided by its allies and consistent reinforcement as requested by the President.



'The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table when the time is right,' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.







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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Infinity Stone Ventures Corp. (CSE: GEMS) (OTC Pink: TLOOF) (FSE: B2I) (the "Company" or "Infinity Stone") is pleased to announce that its technical team has identified a new zone and received a new round of assays for its Zen-Whoberi Project (the "Property"), with one grab sample grading 15.5% copper, during its presently ongoing reconnaissance program, most recently reported on August 12, 2022(1).

New Zone with 15.5% Copper Identified

During the Company's ongoing reconnaissance program over the past month, the technical team has identified a new zone which has yielded high-grade copper results, along with anomalously high gold, silver, nickel, and cobalt in grab samples.

The Company has received assays for samples taken at the newly discovered Centauri Zone. Out of a total of three samples taken at this zone, one sample of mineralization returned grades of 15.5% Cu, 14.9g/t Ag, 0.40g/t Au, 0.114% Ni, and 216ppm Co. The other two samples taken from the newly-identified zone yielded 2.12% and 0.70% Cu. *

The results were obtained from grab samples collected in a new stripped area which targeted a strong anomalous copper zone that was obtained from the detailed soil sampling survey undertaken earlier this summer (reported on August 12, 2022). The soil anomaly was also coincident with a magnetic anomaly. The Centauri Zone is located 250 metres east of the Cran-Bornite showing.

The Centauri Zone was stripped in late August 2022. The stripped area measures about 15-20 metres long by 5-7 metres wide and revealed a rusty and folded quartz feldspathic gneiss. The gneiss is medium to coarse grained and has a dark grey colour. It is mainly composed of blue-colored quartz with minor quantities of feldspar, biotite, and diopside. It is locally magnetic and contains about 5% sulphides consisting of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and bornite. Mineralisation is mostly disseminated within the gneiss, but can also appear as chunks near the contact with a carbonatite dyke that crosscut the gneiss at the southwest end of the stripped area.

Further work will attempt to determine if the presence of carbonatite dikes played a role in the mineralization process, which may have served as a conduit for the circulation of deep-seated mineralized fluids.

Other stripping work is presently underway in an additional anomalous zone determined from the soil sampling.

* Cautionary Note: Grab samples are selective in nature and mineralization and grades are not necessarily reflective of the mineralization hosted by the property.

Figure 1. Centauri Zone - Contact zone between carbonatite and gneiss units.

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Current Work Program - Recap

As announced on August 12, 2022, the soil geochemical survey of 950 samples taken on the Property revealed two new anomalous copper zones and two new anomalous nickel-cobalt zones. The cobalt zone is located 800 metres north of the known mineralization on the Property, and trends roughly east-west for at least one kilometre and 100 metres in width.

To date, the technical team has already successfully identified multiple instances of visible gold and copper mineralization in outcrops. The work program has included resampling of known outcrops, the discovery of the Centauri Zone, as well as the discovery of a new mineralized zone measuring at least 275 metres in length by 30 metres width, which has been named the Nebula Zone.

About the Zen-Whoberi Project

The Zen-Whoberi property is located north of Mont Laurier, Quebec, in the central metasedimentary belt of the Grenville geological province. Mineralization occurs within a skarn and as disseminated sulphides (pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and bornite) in calc-silicate rocks.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Case Lewis, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a director of the Company.

References

(1) Infinity Stone Ventures news release dated August 12, 2022: "Infinity Stone Provides Update on Soil Sampling at Zen-Whoberi and Announces Appointment of Case Lewis to Board of Directors"

https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2022-08-12/infinity-stone-provides-update-on-soil-sampling-at-zen-whoberi-and-announces-appointment-of-case-lewis-to-board-of-directors

About Infinity Stone Ventures

Infinity Stone's mission is to be a diversified, single source supplier for the critical energy metals being used in the clean energy revolution alongside its established SaaS solution portfolio. The Company's primary business units include HealthCheck (Stratum Health Technologies LLC) and its energy metals portfolio. Infinity Stone is meeting the demand from battery and wind turbine manufacturers, nuclear and hydrogen energy producers, and energy metals speculators by acquiring 100% interest in critical mineral deposits and occurrences in stable mining-friendly jurisdictions, close to final use destinations in North American manufacturing hubs.

To register for investor updates please visit https://infinitystone.ventures.

Infinity Stone Ventures Corp.

Zayn Kalyan

CEO and Director

zayn@altuscapital.ca

Direct: 778-938-3367

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "projects", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including statements respecting future exploration work. Although forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of Company believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements may also be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company, including those described in the Company's public filings available on www.SEDAR.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137395
People wearing traditional Japanese clothes walk in a street in Tokyo in this July 2020 photo. AP-Yonhap



By Baek Byung-yeul



Prices of airline tickets from Korea to popular tourist destinations in Japan are soaring as Tokyo signals the resumption of visa-free travel as early as October. Given Japan had been a favorite destination for Korean travelers before the coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of travelling to Japan is expected to increase even more if the neighboring country officially allows visa-free travel, according travel agency officials here, Friday.



Although the Japanese government did not make an official announcement yet, local media there have been reporting that their country could allow foreign tourists to travel freely and enter the country without visas as early as October and abolish the maximum limit on the number of foreigners entering the country a day.



If the plan becomes official, tourists will be able to travel to Japan more easily than they have been allowed to until now, being able to visit only through package group tour programs since June.



"Demand for travel to Japan is soaring in line with expectations that the COVID-19 pandemic is getting weaker and visa-free travel to Japan could be possible. Japan has traditionally been a country guaranteeing a high level of satisfaction that makes Korean tourists want to visit there again," a spokesman for local travel agency, Modetour, said.



"We presume that Japan would become the hottest tourist destination for Korean tourists this year once the visa-free travel is normalized there," he added.



On Naver Flight, a popular airline ticket reservation system of the portal site, Naver, airline tickets for round-trip flights from Seoul to Fukuoka on Friday, Oct. 7, and returning on Monday, Hangeul Day, designated as a national holiday, will be priced between 378,000 won ($270.8) and 610,000 won.



Given a round-trip flight to Fukuoka was priced at around 200,000 won before the pandemic, the fare has doubled. Fukuoka, which takes less than 100 minutes by airplane from Seoul, has been a popular destination for Koreans along with Osaka and Tokyo.



"Many Koreans are trying to book tickets departing to Japan in October in advance, expecting that visa-free travel will be available. As overseas travel is still in the recovery stage after the pandemic, the price of airline tickets could increase due to low supply and high demand for a while," the official added.



Data from ticket reservation site, Interpark, also showed that the number of airline reservations for Japanese cities jumped 343.3 percent on Sept. 13 from a month ago. Of the total international flight reservations, the Japan route accounted for 16.5 percent, the second highest after the Southeast Asia route that accounted for a 49.9 percent share this month, which can be interpreted as a strong signal that expectations of traveling Japan is rapidly growing.


Civil engineering company, KK Civil Engineering moves to transform the landscape of Australia by providing innovative civil engineering solutions

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Today, Koda Kassira, founder of the KK Civil Engineering Company, announced its plans to further develop the landscape and streetscape view of Australia using modernized construction materials. A structured plan centered on the provision of well-constructed scenery to business owners and solving the problem of potholes, drainage, and sewage in New South Wales by constructing new projects to facilitate easy movement of goods and services and speedy access to health care.

KK Civil Engineering

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As a Local Government Approved Contractor, the company beams its construction torchlight mainly in New South Wales, especially its landscapes, streetscape, drainages, and adding other utilities and lighting. Their policies have continued even after the completion of Bunnerong Road Matraville Streetscape Upgrade; the construction of Calbina Road Earlwood and relocation of its utility services; the Steel Park Cycleway - Marrickville; the design and construction of Mount Street, Coogee - Roundabout; all in New South Wales including recent construction projects like the Sydney Water Road Restoration Program and the City of Parramatta Council Minor Works.

Since its establishment in 2001, the civil engineering company has been at the forefront of providing innovative engineering solutions across various sectors in New South Wales, Australia, with plans for more in years to come. Their projects largely provide coordination with residents, clients, and local businesses.

KK Civil Engineering leverages its position as a Local Government Approved Contractor and general contractor to provide in-depth information on areas in New South Wales that need reconstruction.

When interviewed, CEO and Founder of KK Civil Engineering, Koda Kassira put it this way, "We strive to ensure our clients are delighted with the service we provide. We work with our clients to achieve their goals and objectives, thus ensuring we achieve our goals and objectives."

About Koda Kassira

Koda Kassira is the CEO of the company, KK Civil Engineering since its inception in 2001. He earned the Local Government Approved Contractor showing expertise by providing needed data and completing projects awarded to him across Australia, including asphalting every road, footpath and driveway, and streetscape.

About KK Civil Engineering

KK Civil Engineering puts in its over 2 decades of knowledge to provide Australia with ground-breaking and innovative ways of road construction, storm drainages, and gutters.

Since its establishment in March 2001, KK Civil Engineering continuously delivers comprehensive civil works for local government councils, state government, and utility authorities.

Visit https://kkcivil.com.au/ to find out more about KK Civil Engineering.

Media Contact

Company Name: KK Civil Engineering - Koda Kassira

Contact Person: Koda Kassira

Email: info@kkcivil.com.au

Country: Australia

Website: https://kkcivil.com.au/

Hurstville Central Plaza

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137080
John Burke to Retire as CMO Bacardi

Ned Duggan Promoted to CMO Bacardi and Kathy Parker Expands her Portfolio

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, today announces moves within its global marketing leadership. John Burke, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Bacardi and President of Bacardi Global Brands Limited, will retire after more than 28 years with the company at the end of 2022. During his tenure, he led many of the company's leading brands, including most recently BACARDI rum, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouths and sparkling wines, and DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005301/en/

Ned Duggan will be promoted to Global Chief Marketing Officer of Bacardi and President of Bacardi Global Brands Limited. (Photo: Business Wire)

"John is an incredibly strategic marketer who has helped us reinvigorate many brands and keep consumer at the heart of everything that we do. He played an important role in creating a disciplined marketing organization focused on building capabilities and driving brand equity over the years," says Mahesh Madhavan, Chief Executive Officer of Bacardi Limited. "Under his leadership, we have seen many magical moments for our brands. He leaves us having imprinted his mark in our story and a legacy he can be very proud of."

"I am incredibly grateful for the many opportunities I have been given in my lifetime at Bacardi. I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from some remarkable people, and I hope I have been able to help them in return. I have loved nurturing our brands to make them stronger and see them grow," says John Burke. "I am very proud of what we have achieved together and wish Bacardi good fortune and continued success for the future."

Following John's retirement, Ned Duggan will be promoted to Global Chief Marketing Officer of Bacardi and President of Bacardi Global Brands Limited. Since 2017, Ned has led BACARDI rum, first in market execution in North America and later globally from Bermuda as SVP. In addition to his continued leadership of BACARDI rum, he will add MARTINI, DEWAR'S, WILLIAM LAWSON'S, D'USSE Cognac, among others. Ned's ascension is the culmination of a 17-year-tenure at Bacardi that began as an Assistant Brand Manager. His career has spanned assignments at regional and global levels working on many company brands, including DEWAR'S, GREY GOOSE, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, OXLEY, ST-GERMAIN, D'USSE, and others. Ned, who will relocate to London, will report to CEO Mahesh Madhavan and joins the Global Leadership Team (GLT).

"I am incredibly honored and humbled to assume the role of CMO at Bacardi," says Ned Duggan. "I have spent my career at this company, learning from the best and I am thrilled to enter this next phase of my journey working to further develop and grow our renowned portfolio."

Kathy Parker, President CMO of GREY GOOSE vodka and the tequila portfolio, which includes PATRON and CAZADORES, will add BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin to her remit following John's retirement. Kathy is a member of the company's Global Leadership Team and reports to CEO Mahesh Madhavan.

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRON tequila, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF vodka. Founded more than 160 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs more than 8,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit http://www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005301/en/

Contacts:

Jessica Merz, VP Global Corporate Communications

jmerz@bacardi.com
The "Head-Up Display (HUD) 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.

The global head-up display market is expected to reach US$ 40.32 Bn by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 21.9% from 2022 to 2030.

Companies Mentioned

Nippon Seiki

Yazaki Corporation

Johnson Controls Inc.

Continental AG

Denso Corporation

Delphi Automotive Plc

Rockwell Collins

BAE Systems Plc

Garmin Ltd.

MicroVision Inc.

Elbit Systems Ltd.

Thales Group

Growing demand for avionics in military aviation and rising adoption of HUDs in civil and commercial aircraft has collectively spurred the demand for head-up displays in the aviation segment. In addition, escalating demand from automotive sector has further fueled market momentum.

Strong growth in the premium and luxury car segment has provided the much needed impetus to the market growth. Government regulations promoting vehicle safety are also expected to support the market growth in the coming years.

These factors are expected to contribute towards a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.9% during the forecast period 2022 2030. Although high upfront cost and lack of awareness have collectively weighed down the market growth, the penetration of the head-up display technology is expected to gradually increase as the technology unearths applications across multiple verticals.

Europe was the largest automotive head-up display market in 2021, accounting for around one third of the global market revenue. The dominance is majorly on account of the large size of the luxury and premium car market in the region. In addition, the growth in the region is also bolstered by the presence of German auto makers such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz in the region. High technology acceptance and adoption in the U.S. has paved the way for the growth of HUD technology in North America.

However, Asia Pacific is poised to witness comparatively higher growth during the forecast period. Rising standard of living, increase in discretionary expenditure, and increase in per capita ownership of premium cars represent economic variables conducive to the future growth of automotive technologies in Asia Pacific and RoW countries.

In 2021, the aviation segment comprising both defense and commercial aviation was the largest application segment in the global head-up display market. Head-Up Displays are majorly used to raise situational alertness among flight crew/aircrew while carrying out different operations including take-off and landing.

In addition, head-up displays are also used in aircrafts for wide range of activities such as event detection and ground navigation. Greater adoption of avionics for tracking and navigation applications is expected to boost the demand for head-up displays, especially in the defense sub-division. Over the forecast period 2022 2030, head-up displays are poised to witness alarming adoption among automotive segment.

The advancements in technologies have resulted in the development of low-cost interactive and mobile HUDs, extending their demand beyond primary and luxury car segments. In addition, rising demand for smart and safer vehicles is expected to stimulate the demand for head up displays in the automotive segment. The incorporation of head-up displays in automotives has brought dynamism to the automotive industry and is quickly changing the way cars are manufactured, designed, and used by consumers

With the emergence of varied technologies including laser display, holographic display, volumetric display, mobile interactive display, and pico-projector based display, the head-up display market is all set to attain potential growth in the coming years. Increased demand for avionics coupled with the growing fleet size of helicopters, airplanes, and mobile land vehicles has been instrumental in driving the demand for head-up displays in developed markets such as North America and Europe.

Although the demand for head-up displays has been majorly concentrated among developed markets, there exist robust growth opportunities for the market in emerging economies of Asia Pacific. This is primarily on account of the latent demand, especially in the automotive segment.

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Head-Up Display (HUD) market?

What are the key investment pockets with respect to product segments and geographies currently and during the forecast period?

Estimated forecast and market projections up to 2030.

Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period?

Which market segment holds a larger market share and why?

Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Head-Up Display (HUD) market?

Which is the largest regional market for Head-Up Display (HUD) market?

What are the market trends and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East Africa?

Which are the key trends driving Head-Up Display (HUD) market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Head-Up Display (HUD) market worldwide?

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/igba6p

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005453/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Middletown, Connecticut--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Professor Gary Yohe announces his intentions to launch a collection of publications that consists of 33 articles designed to express expert opinions on climate change. Its content is based on scientific findings and intel from years of expertise in the field, which spans over 4 decades.

Amid the widespread concern surrounding the heat waves experienced across the globe, and the staggering mortality rate of climate change which accounts for millions of deaths annually, the collection is aimed at enlightening people about the climate crisis and proffering solutions.

This body of work is descriptive with each point raised; it is backed up with relatable scenarios to help the readers learn more about climate change. It consists of 7 segments with the 1st focused on the overview of the global climate threats, the 2nd - 6th section contains the publications and the last that includes details on the steps required to propel the climate change movement.

The 33 essays are grouped under five categories. These are:

The Gathering Storms - provides data-driven projections of the challenges concerning the climate's future and advice on the required climate policy changes;

Climate Change and the COVID-19 Virus - highlights the impact of the pandemic on the fight against global warming;

The Yale project for the campaign season - focuses on the ambiguous statements of the political candidates about climate action;

Early Months of the Biden-Harris administration - sheds light on the impactful initiatives the government can employ to curb global warming; and

The Ongoing Challenge - which suggests the collaborative efforts global leaders should take to protect the climate and gives a thorough analysis on the impact of the war-induced energy crisis stalling the shift from fossil fuels.

Each chapter covers an essay and includes a prologue highlighting the inspiration behind it and summarizes the key points. They also have an afterword explaining the notable events which occurred after they wrote it.

Commenting on this collection, Prof. Gary Yohe stated, "There was an election coming up in the United States, so we felt writing articles to sensitize the nation on climate change would be important. We wrote the essays, and they started to gain recognition in the media. Eventually, the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, and we realized there were parallels regarding emerging research on the climate, the pandemic and existing policies surrounding climate change. These occurrences inspired the decision to update and re-write the articles to form a collection of impactful essays."

About Prof. Gary Yohe

Prof. Gary Yohe is a seasoned Professor of Economics and Environmental studies at Wesleyan University. He's also an expert in microeconomic theory, natural resources and environmental economics. Besides this, he has been carrying out extensive research on the economics of climate change and integrated assessment modeling and was actively involved with the IPCC as a senior member when they received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize award with Al Gore.

Media Contact

Contact Person: Prof. Gary Yohe

Email: gyohe@wesleyan.edu

Website: www.gyohe.faculty.wesleyan.edu

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137438
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) -Iconic Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ICM) (OTCQB: BVTEF) (FSE: YQGB) (the "Company" or "Iconic") is pleased to provide an update on the 2022 drill program at the Bonnie Claire Lithium Project (the 'Project' or 'Property'), located in Nye County, Nevada. After the completion of the first core hole (BC2201C), the Company upgraded access allowing three drill rigs on the Property.

Iconic Minerals Ltd CEO, Richard Kern, comments: "Over the last year the Company faced permitting delays, and shortages of drill rigs; however, despite these delays, we have successfully retained three drill rigs, which has expedited our exploration program which will be completed before the end of the year as part a Prefeasibility Study".

Drill Hole BC2201C

Core hole BC2201C reached a final vertical depth of 2001 feet (610 meters), which had a piezometer inserted for groundwater study; all samples not collected for engineering use were submitted to ALS in Reno for geochemical analysis. Logging has been completed and two thick zones of dark green claystone usually indicative of lithium-rich sediments, have been identified. Initial assay results are expected within a couple weeks.

Drill Hole BC2202C

Core hole BC2202C is located 1,759 feet (536 meters) west of BC2201C. The hole is further out on the playa than BC2201C to test whether higher grade lithium (+1000 ppm Li) is closer to the surface than holes near the margins of the alluvial cover. As of September 14th, the rig had drilled to 1,443 feet (440 meters) and will drill to a total depth of approximately 2,000 feet (610 meters). Although not logged yet, dark green claystone was encountered within 25 feet (7.6 meters) of the surface.

Drill Hole BC2203C

Close to the completion of BC2201C, a second core rig arrived on site and is set up 1,840 feet (561 meters) south of BC2201C. This drill hole is also located further out on the playa than BC2201C and will also test whether higher grade lithium (+1000 ppm Li) is close to the surface. The hole has been completed to a total depth of 1,998 feet (609 meters). The drill hole is currently being prepared for geophysical logging. The core shows dark green claystone commencing at 17 feet (5 meters) below the surface.

Drill Hole BC2201

This mud/rotary drill rig is on site and has drilled to 80 feet (24 meters) and set casing. Soft ground caused by rare monsoonal thunderstorms delayed deployment of the very large mud/rotary drill rig. Construction of upgraded drill roads over several days finally allowed access to the drill site. This vertical hole will be drilled to a depth of approximately 2000 feet (610 meters) and is located 20 feet (6 meters) from BC2201C. This hole will be geochem sampled and compared with assays from the adjacent core hole (BC2201C). Based on previous drilling, the Company anticipates that the core lithium values may be 10-15% higher than the mud/rotary hole (see Company's Technical Report on the Bonnie Claire Project dated xxx). Once drilling is complete, downhole geophysics will be conducted to determine high permeability zones along with other data. Water samples will be collected and analyzed and Barr Engineering will perform pumping tests on the permeable zones identified. This well will also be used as a water source for future drilling.

Qualified Person

Richard Kern, Certified Professional Geologist, a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Kern is not independent of the Company as he is the Chief Executive Officer of Iconic.

Bonnie Claire Property

The Bonnie Claire Property is located within Sarcobatus Valley, which is approximately 30 km (19 miles) long and 20 km (12 miles) wide. Quartz-rich volcanic tuffs containing anomalous amounts of lithium occur within and adjacent to the valley. Drill results from the salt flat have included lithium values as high as 2550 ppm Li and a 1560 foot (roughly 475 meter) vertical intercept that averaged 1153 ppm Li. The current 43-101 resource from the PEA report for borehole mineable portion of the resource is 3,407 million tonnes grading 1,013 ppm Li or 18,372 million kilograms of lithium carbonate equivalent. (though this is a resource, not a reserve, and has not yet proven economic viability). The gravity low within the valley is 20 km (12 miles) long, and the current estimates of depth to basement rocks range from 600 to 1,200 meters (2,000 to 4,000 feet). The current claim block covers an area of 74 km2 (28.6 mi2) with potential for brine systems and further sediment resources.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

SIGNED: "Richard Kern"

Richard Kern, President and CEO

Contact: Keturah Nathe, VP Corporate Development (604) 336-8614

For further information on Iconic, please visit our website at www.iconicminerals.com. The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedar.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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements with respect to the Option, the Joint Venture, the amount of the Offering, the expected use of proceeds from the Offering and the future business plans and exploration 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: "will", "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that investor interest will be sufficient to close the Offering, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals required for the Option Agreement and the future development of the Company's projects in a timely manner.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, including on the Smith Creek Property, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium and gold, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the business, financial condition and exploration and development activities of the Company, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including of the TSX Venture Exchange in respect of the Option Agreement and the Offering, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management's Discussion and Analysis and filed with the Canadian Securities Authorities. 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.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137445
SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first national-level import-themed trade fair, has continued to provide a platform for sharing market opportunities in China with BRI nations.





The CIIE, which was launched in 2018, comprises a business exhibition, a country exhibition and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum.

The expo has been growing in scale and influence - the area of its business exhibition increased from 270,000 square meters in 2018 to 366,000 square meters in 2021, while the first three editions helped channel about $30.5 billion of foreign investment into 622 projects.

The fifth edition of the CIIE will be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to10 this year as scheduled. As usual, a slew of companies will be attending the expo for the first time - they include global metals and mining giant Rio Tinto Group and Japanese multinational semiconductor company Renesas Electronics Corp.

The CIIE has become the preferred place for companies to announce new creations. During the past four editions, exhibitors have debuted more than 1,500 new products, technologies and services.

The CIIE has further opened up the huge Chinese market and made a profound difference in the world, especially in least developed countries, those in Central and Eastern Europe and those involved in the BRI.

Mamani, for example, an alpaca craftsman from Peru, used to make a living by selling alpaca artworks at his roadside stall, earning less than $20 a day. Because of the CIIE, orders from China now generate a monthly income of $50,000 for him, and stable jobs for another 200 or more craftsmen just like him. "Without the orders from China, many craftsmen like me will be unemployed," he said.

The expo's strong spillover effects have drawn more attention.

In the fourth CIIE, many products from Trinidad and Tobago have attracted Chinese consumers' attention. "We are expecting to attend the fifth CIIE this year to exhibit our special goods," said Analisa Low, who assumed her post as the ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to China, in a recent interview.

In terms of the Business Exhibition, the fifth CIIE will again feature six exhibition areas - Food and Agricultural Products, Intelligent Industry and Information Technology, Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products, Consumer Goods, Trade in Services, and Automobiles.

In addition, a series of sideline events such as promotional activities in foreign countries, signing ceremonies and forums, have made the CIIE more than just a six-day expo, but also a means to turn exhibitors into investors.

Be sure to browse the official website of the CIIE for more information about the upcoming fifth edition: https://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/.

Contact:Ms. Cui Yan

Tel.:0086-21-968888

Email:ciie2022@ciie.org

Website:http://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ciieonline

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ciieonline

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Luxury electric car maker Tesla Inc. (TSLA) is now facing a proposed class action lawsuit, that accuses the accusing Elon Musk's company of 'misleading the public' by falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. The complaint accused Tesla and Musk of having since 2016 deceptively advertised the technology as fully functioning or 'just around the corner' despite knowing that the technology did not work or was nonexistent, and made vehicles unsafe. 'Although these promises have proven false time and time again, Tesla and Musk have continued making them to generate media attention, to deceive consumers into believing it has unrivaled cutting-edge technology, and to establish itself as a leading player in the fast-growing electric vehicle market,' reads the lawsuit. Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, announced that it filed a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for people who since 2016 bought or leased Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. Tesla vehicles rolls out with with an ADAS known as Autopilot. However, the vehicle owners can upgrade the system for versions with more features, for a cost. Tesla also sells Enhanced Autopilot and the so-called Full Self-Driving software. FSD is currently priced at $15,000. 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.
FN Media Group Presents USA News Group News Commentary

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- USA News Group - How frequent fliers are fed is about to change, as many of the airline industry's top carriers are upgrading their menus in the near future. The moves are being attached to recovery efforts, as the industry bounces back from its recent heavy losses since 2020. Among the more noticeable changes have come from American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) which has actively been upgrading its food sources for things like greens, while others such as Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (OTCPK:ICAGY) subsidiary British Airways, Air Canada(TSX:AC) (OTCQX:ACDVF) and Onex Corporation (TSX:ONEX) (OTCPK:ONEXF) subsidiary WestJet, which all recently began offering a new high-protein snack mix from newly-public Pangea Natural Foods (CSE:PNGA) (OTCQB:PNGAF) based out of Vancouver, Canada.

According to former airline executive Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group: "Food is one of the most tangible signals of what an airline thinks of its customers."

Which is why Onex Corporation (TSX:ONEX) (OTC:ONEXF) subsidiary WestJet became the latest to improve upon its snack offerings, and rid itself of the cliched joke "What's the deal with airplane peanuts?".

WestJet will now be offering Pangea Munchie Mix from Pangea Natural Foods (CSE:PNGA) (OTC:PNGAF), which consists of non-GMO superfoods including dried cranberries, yogurt chips, roasted cashews, almonds and pumpkin seeds.

"We are very excited about the momentum we have built with a number of airline partners carrying Pangea's Munchie Mix." says Pangea CEO Pratap Sandhu, "The launch of this partnership is yet another way the Pangea Munchie Mix will become the snack of choice for travelers. We look forward to making Pangea's healthy, GMO-free products readily available to customers not just in Canada and the United States, but globally."

The Pangea Munchie Mix will be available to WestJet's business class passengers on the global carrier's fleet of aircrafts. The airline operates Canada's second largest airline with a fleet of over 160 planes, serving 109 destinations in 24 countries.

Previously, Pangea had announced the on-boarding of Pangea Munchie Mix on two other major airlines, namely Air Canada(TSX:AC) (OTC:ACDVF) and Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (OTC:ICAGY) subsidiary British Airways.

"The global airline catering business is estimated to be worth US$21 billion by 2024, and Pangea is looking forward to playing a role in the industry," added Sandhu, citing an analytic report from earlier this year. "Between British Airways, Air Canada and now WestJet, Pangea's Munchie Mix will be available on over 650 airplanes worldwide. For us, this is just the beginning."

Pangea was recently added to British Airways' fleet of over 230 airplanes, serving 13 domestic UK destinations, and 192 international destinations in 76 countries, as well as to Air Canada's scheduled passenger service that flies directly to 51 Canadian airports, 46 destinations in the United States and 67 airports in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, and flying up to 438 daily flights between Canada and the United States alone.

Along with their Plant-Based Patties and Old Fashioned Ghee, Pangea manufactures their Munchie Mix in-house at their Vancouver Lower Mainland facility, which has been approved by both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Far and away the largest airline fleet in the world is under American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) which has already solidified its place as being friendly to vegetarians and vegans, with about 23% of their customers choosing to pre-order a vegan meals with the carrier.

But to maintain a healthy menu for such a large fleet comes with its own balance of challenges. When it comes to in-flight meals, greens and salads are among the most difficult dishes to serve on board. However, the airline is currently offering salads on more flights today than compared to before the pandemic began.

"We have to be very choosy about what type of greens we offer," said American Airlines spokeswoman Leah Rubertino. "Arugula, for example, is not our friend."

Beyond salads with fresh greens, American Airlines is also offering high-quality vegetarian a "fiesta grain bowl" with rice, quinoa, black beans, cauliflower, corn, and zucchini.

Each of these major airlines are making concerted efforts to improve their images with vegan and vegetarian customers, after recent incidents emerged through social media. These included an alleged serving of just a bottle of water for a "vegan meal" on Air Canada, while WestJet took criticisms for not having enough meat, British Airways for serving butter and cheese in a "vegan meal", and American Airlines allegedly serving bugs.

"A lot of the airlines have really upped their game and I think committed to some consumer protections in writing that they hadn't previously," said Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg in an interview with CNN. "We're going to continue to work with them."

Industry wide, consumer complaints are up nearly 270% from above pre-pandemic levels, according to Trottenberg's department's report for Q2 2022.

For More Information, please visit:https://usanewsgroup.com/2022/09/01/skyrocketing-demand-for-clean-label-natural-foods-fuels-this-stocks-incredible-potential/

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HOUSTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International Studies Professor and East Asia Scholar Dr. Hans Stockton has started a new professional chapter taking on a newly expanded leadership role as Associate Vice President for International Relations and Engagement at University of St. Thomas. The development of this post coincides with UST's launching of its eight-year strategic plan "Greater Things." Two of the four focal points of that plan are to leverage international partnerships and be known worldwide for innovative Catholic education.





Expanding a Bridge for Global Connection

In his new role, Stockton will expand upon UST's long tradition of serving as a bridge of encounter and dialogue that connects the UST campus and the world.

"We will accomplish this by more deeply cultivating current international relationships, establishing new relationships and engaging the UST campus and community," he said. "Central to this will be securing the resources to serve our international students and making an international experience possible for all Celts."

Creating a Convenient Resource for Students and Faculty

Along with creating this position to raise UST's profile globally, the University combined the Office of International Student and Scholar Services with the UST Study Abroad Office. The result is a new Office of International Services & Study Abroad located in Crooker Hall.

"Students and faculty will have a one-stop shop to visit for assistance on matters of international partnerships, studies abroad and student and faculty mobility," Stockton said.

"A big part of my job is to increase the number and variety of international partnerships such that students and faculty from any discipline will have options. At the same time, we want to increase the opportunities for international students to study at UST."

Capitalizing on a Legacy of Experience and Accomplishments

Over his 20-year tenure beginning in 2002, Stockton taught and served in many administrative roles, including director of study abroad for ten years, as well as the director of UST's Center for International Studies for ten years.

"I became Study Abroad director in summer 2001," he said. "My second month as director was the 9/11 attacks, so that was an intense start to my new position."

As an international studies scholar, Stockton's research, teaching and professional development place him in the best possible vantage point for expanding international relations. His expertise, talents and resources for this engagement encompass a robust global network of universities, scholars and governments, well-developed entrepreneurial and cross-cultural communication skills, and the ability to speak to and connect with diverse international audiences.

Leveraging his East Asia expertise, he was the founding director of UST's Taiwan & East Asia Studies Program from 2017-2022 and founding director of the Mandarin Center of UST & WZU from 2021- 2022.

"Joining him on the international recruiting side is Ryan Konkright, who is a natural fit to rounding out Hans' team," Vice President for Marketing and Admissions Student Services Jeff Olsen said. Konkright has served the University as Director of Admissions for several years. Dora Zhang, director of International Student and Scholar Services, is also on Stockton's team.

Moving Forward: Excited and Grateful

"The support and mentoring over two decades by faculty and staff colleagues, various UST administrators and community friends gave me the confidence to engage the wide world around UST and garner some successes," he said. "Equally important have been generations of Celts who contributed their energies and talents to our international initiatives. As Center director, I had the pleasure of negotiating a variety of international memorandums of understanding. Also, I hosted a wide-range of visitors from partner universities, local and foreign governments, local consular corps and international companies.

"I'm excited and thankful for this new opportunity to commit full time to building international education and relationships for UST," Stockton said, "but stepping away from the Center after two decades has been an adjustment. My faculty and staff colleagues, students and alumni will continue to hold a special place in my heart."

For more information about the International Relations and Engagement Office at University of St. Thomas, contact stockth@stthom.edu

About University of St. Thomas

University of St. Thomas is a comprehensive university, grounded in the liberal arts. Committed to the unity of all knowledge, UST offers programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional, and skills-based disciplines. Graduates of the University of St. Thomas think critically, communicate effectively, succeed professionally and lead ethically.

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EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Chair of Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), is pleased to announce the appointment of Bob Dhillon to the Board, effective October 1, 2022.

"We are very pleased to welcome Bob Dhillon as an AIMCo Board member," said Mark Wiseman, Chairperson of AIMCo. "He shares our vision of delivering sustainable long-term performance to AIMCo's clients through scale, sophisicated investment capabilities, and sound corporate governance. His experience and leadership will be a significant compliment to our experienced Board."

Based in Calgary Alberta, Mr. Dhillon is an experienced senior executive with an extensive career in the real estate and financial services industries. As President & CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp (MEQ), he has spent 22 years providing consistent year-over-year, double digit returns through continued organic growth to MEQ investors. Mr. Dhillon is also the owner of National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard approved merchant-processing business in the financial services sector.

In addition, Mr. Dhillon was appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada in 2021 for his achievements in business and for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education, awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012 for his dedication and accomplishments in his work and community, and has been the Honorary Consul General of Belize for Canada since 1999.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Lethbridge, 2019, and an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Lakehead University, 2017.

Both Mr. Roger Renaud and Dr. Kenneth Kroner have been reappointed to the board following their term expiry. The appointment of Mr. Bob Dhillon fills the vacancy left by Mr. Bob Kelly who will be leaving the board effective September 30, 2022.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to extend our sincerest gratitude to Bob Kelly for his dedication to AIMCo." added Mark Wiseman. "His contributions during his tenure have ensured AIMCo's continued evolution towards excellence serves the best interests of our clients, and of all Albertans."

In accordance with the Alberta Investment Management Corporation Act, the Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the management of the business and affairs of AIMCo. Guided by this mandate, the Board sets the strategic direction of the Corporation and oversees the development and implementation of policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day conduct of AIMCo's business. All directors are appointed to the Board by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and are fully independent of management.

ABOUT ALBERTA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $160 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 32 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. For more information about AIMCo please visit www.aimco.ca or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Media Inquiries: mediarelations@aimco.ca

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bob-dhillon-appointed-to-the-alberta-investment-management-corporation-board-301626532.html
SK Group and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / Korea Times files

By Park Jae-hyuk







SK Group and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won became the only Korean business leader to have met with incumbent Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to industry officials, Friday.







Chey and Kishida reportedly discussed ways to boost bilateral economic cooperation, during their meeting on Thursday evening on the sidelines of Asia Business Council's forum in Tokyo. Kishida delivered a keynote speech at the event for the CEOs of Asian companies to promote friendship.







The SK chairman is said to have initially sought to have an exclusive meeting with the Japanese prime minister at his residence, but the Japanese government reportedly refused the proposal, citing unsolved diplomatic friction with the Korean government.







As the head of the civilian committee to support Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030, Chey also seems to have asked the Japanese government to vote for Busan and share how it succeeded in being selected as the host for the World Expo 2025 in Osaka.







In May, the chairman asked Japanese lawmakers to support Busan during a luncheon with them in Seoul. He also met with leaders of Japan's business lobby groups the following month.







Chey will depart for the U.S. on Saturday to preside over SK Group's event in Washington, D.C., next Tuesday and to inspect the conglomerate's operations there. He will also ask political and business leaders in the U.S. to support Busan's World Expo bid.







In July, he participated in a teleconference with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House and announced his company's plan to invest an additional $22 billion in the world's largest economy. Biden expressed his gratitude to SK Group at that time, calling the chairman by his English name, "Tony," in a friendly gesture.


Pierre Vacances-Center Parcs Group (Paris:VAC) announces the completion and success of its capital and financial restructuring transactions.

With a completely renewed governance, the Group has the necessary resources to implement its Strategic Transformation Plan "Reinvention".

SUCCESS OF RESTRUCTURING TRANSACTIONS

The injection of new money, the restructuring of the debt and the new financing of the Group were finalized in the context of the definitive completion today:

Equity contribution of approximately EUR 200 million;

Massive debt reduction with, in particular, the conversion of EUR 555 million of debt into equity;

Issuance and free allocation of 42,321,972 warrants to subscribe for the Company's shares (the " Shareholder Warrants ") for the benefit of all its shareholders 1 who can prove that their shares were registered on August 5, 2022;

") for the benefit of all its shareholders who can prove that their shares were registered on August 5, 2022; Issuance of 41,934,100 warrants to subscribe for the Company's shares (the " Creditor Warrants ") upon their detachment from the new shares issued in the context of the above-mentioned conversion capital increase;

") upon their detachment from the new shares issued in the context of the above-mentioned conversion capital increase; Issuance and free allocation of 39,107,134 warrants to subscribe for the Company's shares (the " Guarantor Warrants ") to Alcentra and Fidera, which have been exercised by them today, giving rise to the issuance of the same number of new ordinary shares of the Company; and

") to Alcentra and Fidera, which have been exercised by them today, giving rise to the issuance of the same number of new ordinary shares of the Company; and Implementation of new financing for a maximum aggregate principal amount of circa EUR 300 million.

The general meeting of the shareholders' of September 30, 2022, will close the restructuring transactions.

After completion of the restructuring transactions, the breakdown of share capital and voting rights is as follows:

Shareholders Non diluted basis 1

(following full exercise of the

Guarantors' Warrants) 2 Diluted basis 3 Number of shares and

theoretical voting rights % in share capital

and theoretical

voting rights 4 Number of shares and

theoretical voting rights % in share capital

and theoretical

voting rights 4 Alcentra 115,325,307 25.4 119,864,934 22.3 Fidera 110,099,132 24.2 113,058,741 21.0 PGE Creditors 5 53,867,903 11.9 70,153,544 13.0 Pastel Holding (Atream's affiliate)6 40,000,000 8.8 40,000,000 7.4 Free float 134,981,734 29.7 195,032,575 36.2 Treasury shares 7 8 98,267 0.0 98,267 0.0 Total 454,372,343 100 538,208,061 100

1 The transition from the non-diluted basis to the diluted basis results from the full exercise of the Shareholders' Warrants, Creditors' Warrants and the Guarantors' Warrants. 2 The Guarantor's Warrants will be delivered on 16 September 2022. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 The breakdown of the capital and voting rights of Pastel Holding is as follows: (i) Pastel Performance (another AIF controlled by Atream) holds 25.1% of the capital and 50.1% of the voting rights of Pastel Holding, (ii) France Investissement Tourisme 2 (Specialized Professional Investment Fund (Articles L. 214-154 and following of the Monetary and Financial Code) managed by its management company Bpifrance Investissement) holds 47.1% of the capital and 31.3% of the rights of Pastel Holding, and (iii) NOV Tourisme Actions Non Cotees Assureurs Caisse Des Depots Relance Durable France (Specialized Professional Fund (AIF not approved by the AMF) managed by Montefiore Investment) holds 27.9% of the capital and 18 .6% of the voting rights of Pastel Holding. 7 Excluding treatment of fractions. 8 Treasury shares are deprived of voting rights.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW GOVERNANCE

The completion of the restructuring transactions is associated with a complete renewal of the Board of Directors, which is now chaired by Mr. Georges Sampeur and composed as indicated below. Mr. Georges Sampeur has informed the Company that he will acquire from Fidera and Pastel Holding as well as on the market, shares of the Company for a total amount of EUR 1 million.

In addition, the Board of Directors, meeting today, renewed the term of office of Mr. Franck Gervais as Chief Executive Officer for an indefinite period.

Name Date of beginning of term Date of the end of term (following the general meeting

convened to approve the

financial statements for:) Mr. Franck Gervais,

Chief Executive Officer 16 September 2022

(decision of the general meeting held on 8 July 2022) 30 September 2024 Alcentra Flandre Limited 16 September 2022

(decision of the general meeting held on 8 July 2022) 30 September 2024 Fidera Limited 16 September 2022

(decision of the general meeting held on 8 July 2022) 30 September 2024 Mr. Pascal Savary 16 September 2022

(decision of the general meeting held on 8 July 2022) 30 September 2024 Mr. Georges Sampeur Chairman 16 September 2022

(by cooptation***) 30 September 2024 Mrs. Christine Declercq Referent Director 16 September 2022

(by cooptation**) 30 September 2024 Mrs. Delphine Grison 16 September 2022

(by cooptation**) 30 September 2024 Mrs. Claire Gagnaire 16 September 2022

(by cooptation**) 30 September 2024 Mr. Emmanuel de Pinel de la Taule 30 October 2020

(elected by the employees) 30 October 2023**** Mrs. Claire Linssen 9 November 2020

(appointed the European Works Council) 9 November 2023****

Independent director within the meaning of the Afep-Medef Code. Approval to intervene during the General Meeting of 30 September 2022. Director representing the employees of the Company. The term of office of directors representing employees is set at three years from the date of their election or appointment.

Information on the four new directors whose cooptation will be subject to the ratification of the shareholders at the general meeting of 30 September 2022 pursuant to article L. 225-24 of the French Commercial Code, provided for by article R. 225-83 of the said Code, are available on the Pierre et Vacances website, at the following address: www.groupepvcp.com (Finance General Meeting General Meeting section 30 September 2022).

Georges Sampeur, Chairman of the Board of Directors said:

"I am extremely honoured to succeed Gerard Bremond as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pierre Vacances-Center Parcs Group.

Measuring all the responsibility of inheriting 55 years of an adventure that has marked French and European tourism, I would like first of all to pay tribute to its founder for his entrepreneurial vision.

A new era is beginning for the Group in a troubled economic context, but I am convinced of its ability to find solutions that will satisfy its customers, employees, partners and shareholders.

I will give my full support to the management team and its CEO Franck Gervais to succeed in the recovery plan initiated in recent months.

I also thank the Group's new shareholders for their confidence."

Franck Gervais, CEO, said:

"We have successfully completed the final stages of our financial restructuring, which is essential for the future of the Group.

Thus, we will be able to accelerate the deployment of our strategic plan "Reinvention" initiated in 2021 and oriented towards a new reinvented local tourism that is more sustainable, 100% experiential, modern and supported by our four tourism brands (Center Parcs, Pierre Vacances, maeva and Adagio).

This strong and radical strategic shift currently underway should enable the Group to improve its performance and return to sustainable profitability.

I would like to express my gratitude to Gerard Bremond for what he has built and accomplished over the past 55 years as the Group's founder, as well as for his confidence in me since my arrival in the Group.

I congratulate and thank the Group's new shareholders Alcentra, Fidera and Atream for their involvement and their investment, which has given the Group a new life. A new era is now beginning for the Group, and I am delighted to be able to lead it alongside our new Chairman, Georges Sampeur, whose experience and legitimacy in the sector will bring a lot to the Group."

Gerard Bremond, founder of the Pierre Vacances-Center Parcs Group, said:

"In 55 years, since the creation of the resort of Avoriaz, the Pierre Vacances-Center Parcs Group has gradually become the European leader in local tourism.

I congratulate the 12,000 employees of the Group and its CEO Franck Gervais, for their commitment and professionalism.

Today, I am delighted with the transfer of financial control and governance of the Group to the consortium of Alcentra, Fidera and Atream.

While respecting the Group's values and brands, I am confident in the skills and personality of my successor, Georges Sampeur, to lead the Group into a bright future."

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 Shareholder Warrants allocated to the Company in respect of its treasury shares were automatically cancelled, in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 225-149-2 of the French Commercial Code. Taking into account the 98,267 treasury shares, 420,343 Shareholder Warrants were allocated to the Company and automatically cancelled, thus reducing the number of outstanding Shareholder Warrants as a result of the settlement-delivery operations from 42,321,972 to 41,901,629, it being specified that, in the context of the settlement-delivery of the Shareholder Warrants and for technical reasons, 64 additional Shareholder Warrants are issued, allocated and delivered today. Thus, the number of Warrants outstanding as a result of the settlement-delivery operations is ultimately increased from 41,901,629 to 41,901,693.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005571/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations and Strategic Operations

Emeline Laute

+33 (0) 1 58 21 54 76

info.fin@groupepvcp.com

Press Relations

Valerie Lauthier

+33 (0) 1 58 21 54 61

valerie.lauthier@groupepvcp.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Transatlantic Mining Corp. (TSXV: TCO) (the "Company") is pleased to announce it will recommence drilling at the Golden Jubilee Mine and associated claims in Granite County, Montana USA. This drill program will follow on from an initial set of drilling results from a program undertaken earlier this year and announced in March 2022. The program will comprise of a total of 2,000 metres of drilling which will target the mineralized structure down dip and along strike from the existing drillholes and mine development.

In addition, geophysics field work of 5,300 line metres has already been completed on the property. This is currently being interpreted and analysed with the objective of identifying new drill targets.

September 2022 Drilling Set Up







Figure 1: Reverse Circulation Drilling Rig Set up to drill Golden Jubilee Vein



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4652/137538_9c9ace0c04e8ab2c_001full.jpg

About Golden Jubilee

The 22 Golden Jubilee claims (Figure 2) are situated in Granite County, Montana USA and have had a number of previous owners. There has been only limited exploration and mining on a vein located on the Red Lion Line, which is a structure known to continue over a regional strike of 7 km in length. The Golden Jubilee Mine is located in mountainous country at an elevation of approximately 2,350 m.

Figure 2: Plan View and Area with new Geophysical Ground data capture



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4652/137538_rfigureii.jpg

The Geophysical lines include Induced Polarisation and Resistivity lines on 50 m spacing with 5,300 line metres now completed. This is currently being analysed for geological responses over the property.

Drilling

The following long section (Figure 3) highlights the intersections obtained from historical drilling as well as the drilling undertaken in March 2022 at the Golden Jubilee Project.

Figure 3: Long Section looking North West on Golden Jubilee Vein



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4652/137538_figureiii.jpg

The Company has recommenced its first drilling campaign into the Golden Jubilee deposit after reporting five assay results in March 2022, including Hole 1611 10.7 metres at 9.9 g/t Au (including 3.7 m at 18.46 g/t Au) (Table 1). The Company is fully funded to complete this program with an additional 2,000 metres planned to be drilled. The mineralization has been interpreted down dip and along strike from previous intersections and the assay results provide sufficient encouragement to engage in further drilling. Exploration Permits have been received to allow further holes to be drilled once this 2,000m is complete. The gold mineralization intersected by the diamond drilling is within an iron rich replacement and sulphides zone and shear; along with associated quartz. Some characteristics of the mineralization include:-

The drilling intersections are shallow between 30 and 80 metres from surface.





The contacts to the mineralization are in competent marbleised limestones.





There is new evidence for multiple parallel mineralized structures.

"The first phase of drilling confirmed the presence of geology conducive to hosting gold mineralization as well as an extension of mineralized structure. This supports and underpins the potential for deeper and strike extensions to the high grade mineralization observed at the Golden Jubilee in combination with existing high grade production and processing information," commented, Bernie Sostak, CEO of Transatlantic Mining.

Historical Production

Although some mining occurred prior to 2000 there are few productions records in existence. Table 2 contains the results from a bulk sample taken in 2000 and the more recent 10,000 t parcel mined in 2014.

Period *Analysed/**Processed at Tonnes Grade ( g/t Au) Au Gravity % Recovery Au Total % Recovery September 2000 *Barrick-Golden Sunlight 447 64.7 g/t Au NR 96.7 % July- September 2014 **Phillipsburg Mill 3,864 10.47 g/t Au 47 % 78.2 % September - November 2014 **Barrick -Golden Sunlight 5,908 8.05 g/t Au NR 88.5 %

NR= Not recorded separately

Table 2: Recent Trial Mining and Processing of the Golden Jubilee Mine 2000 and 2014

Historical Drilling

Previous exploration drilling has included 37 holes drilled prior to 2013 (Table 3) where the gold mineralisation and vein had been observed to be approximately 2.5 m wide with an 80-degree dip. Enrichments and wider mineralisation widths have been observed on geological cross structures striking at an obtuse angle to the Red Lion vein trend.

Review by Qualified Person (* Note Table 1,2,3 )

Aslam Awan PhD CP MAusIMM (CP Geo) is the Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 responsible for having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Mr Awan is the Principal for AAA GeoConsultants :

(*)The diamond drill HQ core samples were crushed in whole to plus 70 % passing 2 mm and then split and pulverised with analysis for gold and silver at the Christofferson Laboratory, Smelterville, Idaho USA. The Laboratory is an independent assay and umpire laboratory that follows industry techniques with blanks and standards inserted on batches of 25 with the sample being pulverised and analysed with a 30 gram fire assay charge and a gravimetric finish. True widths were estimated based on the dip cross section width of the mineralisation at 1.0 g/t Au cutoff ( Table 1). Table 3 are historical holes drilled and assayed

Further announcements will be made in regard to the activities as they transpire.

About Transatlantic Mining Corp.

Transatlantic Mining (TSXV: TCO) is an emerging precious and base metal explorer. The Company has a focus on converting projects into mines within stable mining jurisdictions. The Company currently has property interests including an 80% Joint Venture position on the Monitor Copper-Gold project in Montana-Idaho (USA) and 100 % of the Golden Jubilee Gold Project with its associated mining rights. The Company has also a lease to purchase arrangement for the Miller Gold Mine in Montana to 100% ownership.

For further information please contact: Bernie Sostak +61 (0) 439 904 044

Email :bsostak@transatlanticminingcorp.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

Table 1(*): March HQ Diamond drill assay results for gold at > 1.0 g/t Au



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4652/137538_table1.jpg

Table 3: Historical Drill assay results for gold at > 1.0 g/t Au



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4652/137538_table3.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137538
Foreign currencies are traded on the global decentralized forex market  the largest and most liquid financial market of them all. During the weekdays, it is active around the clock, and currency equal to 6.6. trillion USD is traded during an average trading day.

The most traded currencies on the global forex market are the United States dollar (USD), the Euro (EUR) and the Japanese yen (JPY). All three represent huge economies.

Examples of major players in the forex market are central banks, private banks, hedge funds, institutional investors, financial companies, and large corporations that need certain currencies to pay their foreign purchases or receive payments in foreign currency when they sell their products.

In the 21st century, the advent of the internet and electronic trading has made it possible to be active in the forex market even as a small-scale hobby trader with a tiny bankroll. Thanks to retail forex brokers who cater to micro and nano traders, you can get started with as little as $10.

Currency pairs

To understand the forex market, it is important to understand the concept of currency pairs.

Example: The currency pair EUR/CAD consists of the base currency Euro and the quote currency Canadian dollars.

On the forex market, you purchase one currency and pay with another currency.

Which are the most highly valued currencies right now?

Even though the United States dollar and the Euro are the two most traded currencies by volume and total value, it does not mean that they are the currencies with the highest price in relation to other currencies.

At the time of writing, 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) does, for instance, trade for 3,24 USD, and if you want to purchase 1 Bahraini dinar (BHD) you have to pay 2,65 USD.

Below, we will take a look at a few currencies that (in 2022) all have a market price exceeding 1 USD.

The Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)

This is the official currency of Kuwait and is currently the strongest currency in the world. It was introduced in 1961 when it replaced the Gulf rupee. Upon its launch, 1 Kuwaiti dinar was equivalent to 1 sterling.

Due to the countrys rich oil reserves, the export economy of Kuwait is very strong. Kuwait is highly dependent on its oil exports, which account for over 80% of the GDP. Kuwait has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world, and there is no income tax.

The Kuwaiti dinar has been pegged to different foreign currencies in the past and is today pegged to an undisclosed basket of currencies.

The Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Just like Kuwait, Bahrain is located in the Middle East, and its economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and export of its oil. Bahrains oil and gas industry accounts for around 85% of the countrys revenues.

The Bahraini dinar became the official currency of Bahrain in 1965 when it replaced the Gulf rupee at 1 BHD = 10 Gulf rupees. With that said, Saudi Arabian riyals are also considered legal tender in Bahrain, and the exchange rate is fixed at 1 BHD = 10 riyals.

Since 1980, the BHD has been pegged to the SDR, an international reserve asset (not a currency) created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Omani rial (OMR)

Located on the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman has a fairly diversified economy compared to many other nations in the region, but the oil and gas sector still represents around 30% of the nominal GDP.

The Omani rial replaced the Gulf rupee in 1970 but was then called the Saidi Rial, a name that remained until 1972.

The Omani rial is pegged to the USD at $2.60.

The Jordanian dinar (JOD)

The Jordanian dinar is the official currency of Jordan and is also a legal tender in the West Bank region.

The Jordanian dinar was introduced in 1950, replacing the Palestinian pound. It is currently pegged to the IMFs SDRs.

Unlike the situation in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, Jordan does not derive most of its GDP from oil. Notably, it was also the first Arab country to establish a free trade agreement with the United States. Jordan joined the World Trade Organization in 2000 and signed the Jordan-United States Free Trade Agreement that same year. The country enjoys advanced status with the European Union.

Sterling (GBP)

The sterling is the official currency of the United Kingdom and its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and one pound is subdivided into 100 pence. The term British pound is popular in colloquial use but is not the currencys official name.

Sterling is the fourth most-traded currency in the world, after USD, EUR and JPY. It is one of the five currencies that forms the basket of currencies used to calculate the value of the IMFs SDR.

Algorithmic forex trading

A notable difference between 20th-century forex trading and 21st-century forex trading is the proliferation of algorithmic trading in our century.

Algorithmic trading relies on specialized software to open and close positions when certain market conditions are met. The software is programmed with a set of very specific rules in accordance with the wishes of the trader. Examples of points included in the programming are asset, price, quantity and timing.

One of the reasons why algorithmic trading has become so popular is that it reduces the human work hours required to analyse the market and manually put in orders. This translates into lower costs in terms of salaries and similar.

Algorithmic trading software can rapidly analyse huge amounts of market data, spot opportunities, and place orders. Among other things, this makes it possible to efficiently exploit arbitrage opportunities even when they arise from minute price deviations. Trading software can also be used to quickly identify and exploit opportunities for so-called triangular arbitrage, where one currency is converted back into itself through multiple different currencies.

Market fragmentation

Algorithmic trading has been criticized for augmenting existing power differences between the various market participants. When only certain traders have the resources to obtain and use the most sophisticated trading software solutions, it can result in fragmentation within the market and impact liquidity.

Examples of different types of algorithmic trading on the forex market

Statistical algorithmic trading, also known as algorithmic strategy trading. The software identifies suitable trading opportunities based on the statistical analysis of historical time series data.

Algorithmic execution strategies aim to execute a pre-defined objective, e.g. to rapidly carry out a trade or decrease market impact.

Auto-hedging. Trading rules are generated by the software to reduce a traders exposure to risk.

What is high-frequency trading (HTF)?

High-frequency algorithmic trading is much faster than other forms of algorithmic trading. It is characterized by trade orders being executed at an extremely high rate and pace. Successful HTF traders typically utilize specialized software to make trades within milliseconds of a new price movement.

High-frequency trading is known to exacerbate market flash crashes, with one early and notable example being the stock market crash of May 6, 2010. Many experts have warned that HTF can have a similar impact on the forex market under similar conditions, even though there are certain fundamental differences between the forex market and the stock markets.

To prevent HFT software from exacerbating market crashes, they can be monitored by humans or programmed to suspend trading automatically during market turbulence. Of course, simultaneous suspension of trading by numerous large market participants could in itself result in problems for the market, as liquidity would drop sharply.

Can retail traders do algorithmic trading?

Yes, algorithmic trading is within reach even for small-scale retail traders on the forex market. Several different retail platforms offer it, either as a built-in service or by permitting and supporting third-party software solutions.

Before you risk any real money, we suggest you try it out using a free demo account filled with play money. Many brokers will allow you to open such an account with them, and it is a great way to learn more about algorithmic trading without losing your hard-earned cash while figuring things out.
Tridek-One, a Paris, France-based biotech startup specialized in the research and development of CD31 agonists to restore the immune balance, raised 16M in funding.

The round was led by Pureos Bioventures with participation from Bpifrance, InnoBio2 fund, Bioqube Ventures, AdBio partners and Advent Life Sciences.

The company intends to use the funds to identify development candidates against auto-immune diseases, to conduct IND-enabling studies and to further build the organization.

Laurence de Schoulepnikoff is a seasoned pharma and biotech professional with broad experience in transactions and R&D operations. She has worked in VC-funded biotech start-ups and mid-size private companies as well as large corporate organizations. De Schoulepnikoff joined Tridek-One from AMAL Therapeutics, a Swiss biotechnology company focused on therapeutic cancer vaccines, where she spent the last three years as chief business officer and chief operating officer. AMAL was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019. She will now be leading Tridek-Ones strategy and development, and strengthening its general organization.

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Giuseppina Caligiuri and Pr. Antonino Nicoletti, researchers at INSERM Unit 1148 (Paris, France), and led by newly appointed CEO Laurence de Schoulepnikoff, Tridek-One is a private biotechnology company that develops first-in-class immune checkpoint agonists to restore the immune balance in patients living with auto-immune diseases. It was formed out of INSERM (Paris, France), and backed by a group of international investors that includes Pureos Bioventures, AdBio partners, Bpifrance, Advent Life Sciences and Bioqube Ventures.

Following the fundraising, Klaus Breiner of Pureos Bioventures, and Benoit Barteau of Bpifrance, are joining the companys board of directors. Erik van den Berg, CEO of AM-Pharma, joins as independent chairman of the board of directors.

FinSMEs

16/09/2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15. AP-Yonhap



Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday for his "balanced" approach to the Ukrainian crisis and blasted Washington's "'ugly"' policies at a meeting that followed a major setback for Moscow on the battlefield.



Speaking at the start of talks with Xi in Uzbekistan, Putin said he was ready to discuss unspecified '"concerns'" by China about Ukraine.



"We highly appreciate the well-balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis," Putin said, facing Xi across a long table.



"We understand your questions and your concerns in this regard, and we certainly will offer a detailed explanation of our stand on this issue during today's meeting, even though we already talked about it earlier," he added.



Putin's rare mention of Chinese worries comes as Beijing has been anxious about the impact of volatile oil prices and economic uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine that has dragged on for nearly seven months.



The two met on the sidelines of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization that includes India, Pakistan and four ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia. The security alliance was created as a counterweight to U.S. influence.



A Chinese government statement issued after the meeting didn't specifically mention Ukraine, but said Xi promised ''strong support'' to Russia's ''core interests.'' While the statement gave no details, Beijing uses ''core interests'' to describe issues such as national sovereignty and the ruling Communist Party's claim to Taiwan, over which it is willing to go to war.



Speaking after the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the assessments of the international situation by Moscow and Beijing ''fully coincide. We don't have any differences.''



He added that both countries ''will continue coordinating our actions, including at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.''



Lavrov described the talks as ''excellent,'' saying they were ''very businesslike and concrete, involving a discussion of tasks for various ministries and agencies.''



The Biden administration described the Putin-Xi talks as part of a rapprochement that has worried Washington.



'We've made clear our concerns about the depth of China's alignment and ties with Russia,'' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, adding that Thursday's meeting ''is an example of that alignment,'' but declined to comment further.



Xi's government, which said it had a ''no-limits'' friendship with Moscow before the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, has refused to criticize Russia's military actions. Beijing and India are buying more Russian oil and gas, which helps Moscow offset Western sanctions imposed over the invasion.



Observers say Russia will likely grow increasingly reliant on China as a market for its oil and gas as the West moves to establish a price cap on Russian energy resources and potentially cut their imports altogether.



In trying to strengthen an alliance with China, Moscow has strongly backed Beijing amid tensions with the U.S. that followed a recent visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.



''We condemn the provocations of the U.S. and its satellites in the Taiwan Strait,'' Putin told Xi.





Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, talk during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday. AP-Yonhap
On the morning of 16 September local time, President Xi Jinping met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

President Xi pointed out that in recent years, China-Turkiye relations have maintained a momentum of growth, with steady progress in practical cooperation and effective collaboration against the pandemic. Facts have shown that sound relations between China and Turkiye serve the long-term interests of both countries, and have important significance for deepening the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries. Currently, the international community is faced with multiple opportunities as well as challenges. China and Turkiye, both being major developing countries and emerging markets, share much common interests in defending their respective rights and interests, pursuing development and rejuvenation, and safeguarding international justice. China is ready to work with Turkiye to elevate the strategic cooperative relations to a higher level.

President Xi underscored that the two sides need to enhance political mutual trust, earnestly respect each others core interests, and consolidate the political foundation of China-Turkiye strategic relationship of cooperation. It is important to focus on development cooperation, make good use of the various bilateral cooperation mechanisms and respective strengths, work for more fruits in the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and contribute to the security of the global industrial and supply chains as well as food and energy security. The two sides need to advocate true multilateralism, uphold international equity and justice, and strengthen cooperation in multilateral organizations including the United Nations, the G20, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

President Erdogan noted the important progress in Turkiye-China relations in various areas and expressed the readiness to work with China to leverage bilateral mechanisms such as the inter-governmental cooperation committee to promote even more fruitful trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. Given the strong complementarity between Turkiyes Middle Corridor plan and the Belt and Road Initiative, it is hoped that intensified efforts can be made to build synergy between the development strategies of the two countries to boost common development and rejuvenation. He also reiterated Turkiyes firm commitment to the one-China principle.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting.




On August 1, 2022 local time, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe.



Rahmon asked Wang Yi to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to President Xi Jinping and wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a complete success. Rahmon said since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Tajikistan have respected, trusted and supported each other, and the Tajik side has been very responsive to the major initiatives and proposals put forward by the Chinese side. Tajikistan wishes to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations to carry forward the fine tradition of good-neighborliness and friendship between the two countries, further deepen strategic communication, and lift the Tajikistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

Rahmon thanked China for providing Tajikistan with a new batch of vaccines, lending a helping hand whenever Tajikistan is in need, and for the long-standing and strong support for Tajikistans effort to improve infrastructure and enhance peoples livelihood. Rahmon noted that China has become one of Tajikistans biggest economic, trade and investment partners, and bilateral cooperation in various fields is advancing at a faster pace. Tajikistan hopes to see the two sides hold a successful meeting of the Joint Committee on Economy and Trade, further scale up bilateral trade, accelerate the implementation of key cooperation projects on connectivity, production capacity and energy, among others, and expand cooperation in new emerging areas like digital economy, e-governance and artificial intelligence. Tajikistan will provide facilitation for Chinese enterprises to invest in Tajikistan.

Wang Yi conveyed the cordial greetings of President Xi Jinping to President Rahmon, saying that the guidance of the two heads of state is the political advantage and the biggest guarantee for stable and long-term development of China-Tajikistan relations, and that mutual understanding and respect, and mutual trust and support are the fine traditions followed by both sides. Growing by leaps and bounds, China-Tajikistan relations have reached the highest level in history. As the two presidents have announced, China and Tajikistan will work jointly to build a community of development and a community of security, which reflects the unique positioning and strategic value of bilateral relations. On issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, the two sides have always stood together and had each others back. Chinas appreciates Tajikistans enduring commitment to prioritizing relations with China in its diplomatic agenda, and supporting China-proposed initiatives and propositions. Likewise, China is also a trustworthy and reliable partner that Tajikistan can fall back on, and stands ready to work together with Tajikistan to implement the important common understanding reached between the two presidents, take stock of the successful experience of the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, and set new goals for China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership, thereby creating a brighter future for the two peoples.

Wang Yi said the China-Tajikistan economic and trade exchanges have expanded considerably despite an unfavorable environment, fully demonstrating the resilience and potential of the relationship. China will work together with Tajikistan to foster greater synergy of development strategies, ensure successful implementation of key cooperation projects, and share experience in digital economy, green development and artificial intelligence. China will also expand agricultural cooperation with Tajikistan across the whole industrial chain, import more quality agricultural products from Tajikistan, continue to provide vaccine support to Tajikistan in accordance with its needs, and help Tajikistan enhance public health capacity building.

The two sides shared the view that security cooperation embodies the high-level strategic mutual trust between the two countries. Both sides will continue to work jointly to respond to the traditional and non-traditional security challenges, guard against all risks and hidden dangers, and safeguard regional peace and stability. The two sides are also ready to enhance 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 Central Asia+China Cooperation.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Afghan issue.

On the same day, Chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan Rustam Emomali met with Wang Yi.

During his visit to Tajikistan, Wang Yi also held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Together, they signed cooperation documents between the two foreign ministries, and attended the inauguration ceremony of the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan and the handover ceremony of China-aided COVID-19 vaccines to Tajikistan.
CCTV: President Xi Jinping arrived in Samarkand and began his state visit to Uzbekistan yesterday. Could you share more information with us?



Mao Ning: At the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan, President Xi Jinping arrived in Samarkand on the evening of September 14 and began his state visit to Uzbekistan. At the airport, he was warmly greeted by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who held a grand welcome ceremony for him. President Xi held official talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and attended a welcome banquet. It is especially worth mentioning that he accepted the Order of Friendship conferred by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, which is the highest honor conferred by Uzbekistan on foreign individuals. This is the first time of awarding the Order. The two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement Between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan and decided to deepen the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era and build a community with a shared future at the bilateral level. Relevant departments of the two governments signed multiple cooperation documents covering agriculture, digital economy and green development, among others.

Yesterday in Samarkand, President Xi also had bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and attended the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia.

President Xi had a fruitful state visit to Uzbekistan. The bilateral talks were candid and deep-going. The meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia was positive and results-oriented.

Parties expressed their readiness to further step up strategic communication and coordination with China, and show respect for each others independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and firm support for each others core interests and major concerns. They stressed their commitment to the one-China principle.

Parties made it clear that they attach high importance to the high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and stand ready to form greater synergy between the BRI and their national development strategies. Relevant departments of China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (the section in Kyrgyzstan).

Parties spoke highly of the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations important role in upholding regional peace, security and stability. They said the authority and impact of the SCO has continued to increase and they were looking forward to positive outcomes of the SCO Samarkand summit.

Parties highly commended the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative proposed by the Chinese side and expressed readiness to jointly work with China to implement them to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Parties said that in the face of an increasingly complex international landscape, we should strengthen solidarity and coordination, respect the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, pursue UN-centered multilateralism and jointly uphold international justice and fairness.

Parties expressed congratulations to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and wished the meeting every success.

AFP: During yesterdays meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to extend mutual support on issues concerning each others core interests. Does this include Chinas support for Russia on the Ukraine issue?



Mao Ning: On September 15, President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand to exchange views on China-Russia relations and international and regional issues of shared interest. China and Russia offer each other strong support on issues concerning each others core interests. As each others largest neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era, China and Russia have always followed the guidance of the common understandings between our two heads of state in growing bilateral relations and advancing exchange and cooperation in various sectors. If theres anything more you wish to know, Id like to refer you to our readout.

MASTV: Spokesperson of the Taiwan authorities said on September 15 that Taiwan will send three persons to attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Do you have any comment? Is China still going to send someone to attend Abes state funeral?



Mao Ning: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The one-China principle is a widely accepted norm in international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community. China urges Japan to abide by the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan and the serious political commitments it previously made, handle relevant matters in strict accordance with the one-China principle, and refrain from providing any platform or opportunity for Taiwan independence elements to take advantage of the occasion for political manipulation.

As for Japans invitation to China for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, China and Japan are in communication over this. I do not have any information to offer at the moment.

Dragon TV: Armed conflicts broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops at the border between the two countries recently. Does China have any comments?



Mao Ning: Azerbaijan and Armenia are both Chinas friendly cooperation partners. We hope the two sides will observe the agreed ceasefire, avoid further escalation of the situation and resolve tensions and differences through political dialogue so that there can be peace and stability in the region and the people can live in peace.

AFP: Will President Xi meet with Prime Minister Modi today? If yes, what will they discuss?



Mao Ning: I have no information to offer.

Global Times: After the US announced a planned arms sale worth $1.106 billion to Taiwan on September 2, the Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China will firmly defend our own sovereignty and security interests. Do you have any updates about that?



Mao Ning: US arms sales to Chinas Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982. The arms sales gravely undermine Chinas sovereignty and security interests, and severely harm China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the sales.

To defend Chinas sovereignty and security interests, the Chinese government has decided to sanction Gregory J. Hayes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and Theodore Colbert III, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, who were involved in the latest arms sale.

China once again urges the US government and relevant parties to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, stop arms sales to Taiwan and military contact with Taiwan, and stop creating factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait. China will continue to take all necessary measures in light of the situation to firmly defend its own sovereignty and security interests.

Beijing Daily: On September 15, the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and a delegation of the OPCW Executive Council paid a virtual visit to China and exchanged views with China and Japan on Japans abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) in China. Can you share more information about the visit?



Mao Ning: At the joint invitation of China and Japan, Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW, and Ziad M.D. Al Atiyah, Chairperson of the Executive Council of the OPCW and Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the OPCW, led a delegation of more than 40 members to visit China virtually on September 15 for the specific issue you mentioned. The delegation consists of diplomatic envoys posted in the OPCW from more than 10 countries including Russia, Malaysia and Kenya and representatives from the US, the UK and Germany.

During the visit, Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li met with Director-General Arias and elaborated on Chinas position and concerns on issues related to accelerating the destruction of Japanese ACWs. The delegation was briefed by officials from China and Japan on the overall situation and destruction progress of Japanese ACWs. They also visited virtually the largest burial site of Japanese ACWs discovered so far, which is located in Haerba Ling in Dunhua City, Jilin Province. The visit yielded good results. The delegation believes that great importance should be attached to the issue of Japanese ACWs, and efforts should be made to complete their total destruction as soon as possible, undo the harm to China, and build a world free of chemical weapons.

I want to stress that Japanese ACWs are a major issue left over from history. Japan made an unequivocal, solemn commitment to China and the international community on this issue. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The destruction process of Japanese ACWs has seriously lagged behind, and missed the deadlines for the destruction many times. We hope that the Japanese side will take seriously Chinas grave concerns and the strong appeal of the international community, show the political will to fulfill its international obligations and the political courage to redress its historical crimes, and earnestly increase input to completely and thoroughly eliminate the harm of ACWs as soon as possible and return a clean land to the Chinese people.

AFP: President Xi met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye earlier today. Did they discuss human rights issues in Xinjiang, especially regarding the Uyghurs detained there?



Mao Ning: Before answering your question, let me make it clear there is no so-called arbitrary detention of Uyghurs or human rights issues in Xinjiang. As to this bilateral meeting, Id refer you to the press release the Chinese side has put out.

Bloomberg: Theres a report that the UK Parliament refused Chinese delegation access to the Parliament building to attend the lying-in-state of the former Queen Elizabeth II. Can you confirm that this happened? And do you have any comment on this matter?



Mao Ning: I havent seen the report you mentioned. I want to point out that the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is an important activity of the UK. Foreign delegations attend the activity at the invitation of the UK side to show respect to the late Queen and the importance they attach to the UK. As the host, the UK side is certainly familiar with diplomatic protocols and proper manners of receiving guests.

RIA Novosti: A delegation from the Czech Republic will visit Taiwan on Sunday. Whats the Foreign Ministrys comment?



Mao Ning: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The Taiwan question is Chinas internal affair. It concerns Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity and bears on Chinas core interests. We firmly oppose all forms of official interaction between the Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. We firmly oppose external forces attempt to use the Taiwan question to interfere in Chinas internal affairs. The Chinese government and people have unwavering resolve and commitment to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the Czech politicians to earnestly abide by the one-China principle, refrain from sending any wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces, and avoid inflicting further damage to the political foundation of the development of bilateral relations.

Reuters: A British Foreign Office source told Reuters that a Chinese leader is expected to attend Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral on Monday. Does the foreign ministry have any comments?



Mao Ning: China is considering sending a high-level delegation to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. We will release information in due course. Please check back for updates.

AFP: President Xi Jinping met President Ebrahim Raisi today. Did President Xi urge his counterpart to revive the JCPOA? Is China ready to support Iran's SCO membership when issues related to the JCPOA are unresolved yet?



Mao Ning: China has put out a readout about the meeting between President Xi and President Raisi and you may refer to that.

Reuters: The President of Mongolia said on Thursday while meeting with President Xi and President Putin that he supports the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Russia to China via Mongolia. However, this specific point did not appear in the Chinese readout of this trilateral meeting. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on these remarks made by the Mongolian President?



Mao Ning: The readout of the meeting of the heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia says the three countries agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.
On the morning of 16 September local time, President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

President Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future. The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin. No matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each others trustworthy strategic partners. China will work with Pakistan to advance their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and accelerate the building of a closer community with a shared future between the two countries in the new era.

President Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects. It is important to expand cooperation in such areas as industry, agriculture, science, technology and social welfare to create new impetus for the CPECs development. China hopes that Pakistan will provide solid protection for the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan as well as the lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses. China commends Pakistan for taking the lead in actively supporting the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and will work with Pakistan to promote the implementation of these two initiatives. The two sides need to enhance communication and collaboration within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral platforms to voice the developing countries rightful opposition to bloc confrontation and commitment to multilateralism.

Prime Minister Sharif expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for its timely and valuable support as Pakistan has been affected by the serious flooding. He noted that President Xi is a leader of strategic foresight, and under President Xis strong leadership, China has secured great achievements in its development and made important contributions to peace and development in the region and the wider world. The Pakistani people hold President Xi in high esteem and view China as an eternal, great friend of Pakistan. Pakistan wishes the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success. Pakistan is firmly committed to the one-China policy, and firmly supports Chinas position on issues concerning its core interests including Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Pakistan is resolutely opposed to the attempt of certain forces to undermine Chinas sovereignty and interfere in its internal affairs. Pakistan-China friendship is unbreakable and unparalleled. Pakistan will make its best efforts to protect the security of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan, continue its active participation in the Belt and Road cooperation and make CPEC a model of mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan will work with China to take their bilateral relationship to a new height.

Relevant departments of the two countries signed documents on cooperation in railway, e-commerce and other areas.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting.




Office Pride of Huntsville Recognized With Community Service and Brand Ambassador Awards

Franchise Wins Fourth Consecutive Four Million Dollar Club Award

September 16, 2022 // Franchising.com // PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services of Huntsville owners Lee and Melissa Weeks received Office Prides Salt & Light Award for community service at the national franchise systems annual owners retreat, which was held Aug. 24-27 in Nashville. Melissa Weeks also was presented with the Beverly McQueen Brand Ambassador Award.

Additionally, Office Pride of Huntsville earned a fourth consecutive Four Million Dollar Club award from the national franchise system. The Four Million Dollar Club is reserved for owners who reach the milestone of billing $4 million in a single calendar year. Franchise owner Lee Weeks became the first Office Pride franchisee to join the Four Million Dollar Club in 2019.

The Salt & Light Award was given primarily for the Weekses charity work supporting Lincoln Village Ministries in downtown Huntsville. Lee and Melissa Weeks recently became ambassadors for the organization, which is bringing holistic change to a Huntsville neighborhood by supporting schools and the children in them, renovating houses and more, all in the name of showing the love of Christ to the people. The Weeks family and their business support Lincoln Village Ministries fundraisers and provide their cleaning supplies free of charge.

We believe we will be known by how we treat people, by our true, genuine actions, Melissa Weeks said. Our actions speak louder than any words.

Melissa Weeks also received Office Prides brand ambassador award for her grace and faith during a battle with cancer. The award nomination said her response to any good news was To God Be the Glory, and that was her response at the awards dinner.

SOURCE Office Pride

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Members of the public pay their respects as they walk past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, London, Thursday. AP-Yonhap





Thousands of mourners waited for hours Thursday in a line that stretched for almost 5 miles (8 kilometers) across London for the chance to spend a few minutes filing past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin while she lies in state. King Charles III spent the day in private to reflect on his first week on the throne.







The queue to pay respects to the late queen at Westminster Hall in Parliament was at least a nine-hour wait, snaking across a bridge and along the south bank of the River Thames beyond Tower Bridge. But people said they didn't mind the wait, and authorities brought in portable toilets and other facilities to make the slog bearable.







''I'm glad there was a queue, because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere,'' health care professional Nimisha Maroo said. ''I wouldn't have liked it if I'd had to just rush through.''







A week after the queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after 70 years on the throne, the focus of commemorations was in Westminster  the heart of political power in London. Her coffin will lie in state at Westminster Hall until Monday, when it will be taken across the street to Westminster Abbey for the queen's funeral.







Buckingham Palace on Thursday released details about the service, the first state funeral held in Britain since the death of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. Royalty and heads of state from around the world are expected to be among the 2,000 people attending, with a smaller burial service planned for later Monday at Windsor Castle.







Late Monday, the queen will be buried in a private family service at Windsor alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.







The guest list for the state funeral is a roll-call of global power and pomp, from Japan's Emperor Naruhito and King Felipe VI of Spain to U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and the prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.







Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  who first met the queen when he was a child and his father Pierre Trudeau was Canada's leader  said the queen was ''one of my favorite people in the world.''







''Her conversations with me were always candid, we talked about anything and everything, she gave her best advice on a range of issues, she was always curious, engaged and thoughtful,'' he said at a special session of the Canadian parliament in Ottawa.







People walk in a queue to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the lying-in state, in Westminster Hall in London, Thursday. AP-Yonhap





After a day of high ceremony and high emotions on Wednesday as the queen's coffin was carried in somber procession from Buckingham Palace, the king was spending Thursday working and in ''private reflection'' at his Highgrove residence in western England. Charles has had calls with Biden and Macron and has been speaking to a host of world leaders.







Prince William, the heir to the throne, and his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, visited the royal family's Sandringham estate in eastern England on Thursday to admire some of the tributes left by well-wishers. The couple walked slowly along metal barriers as they received bouquets from the public.







William told well-wishers that walking behind his grandmother's coffin on Wednesday was ''challenging'' and ''brought back memories'' of the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana after her death in 1997, when William was 15.







''I said how proud his mother would have been of him, and he said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother's funeral,'' Jane Wells, 54, said after meeting the prince Thursday.







The queen left Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for the last time, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall.







Charles, his siblings and sons marched behind the coffin, which was topped by a wreath of white roses and the queen's diamond-studded crown on a purple velvet pillow. The military procession underscored Elizabeth's seven decades as head of state.







Her lying-in-state, meanwhile, allowed many Britons to say a personal goodbye to the only monarch most have ever known.







It's also a huge logistical operation, with a designated 10-mile (16 kilometer) queuing route lined with first aid points and more than 500 portable toilets. There are 1,000 stewards and marshals working at any given time, and 30 religious leaders from a range of faiths to talk to those in line.







Monica Thorpe said she walked for two hours to get to the back of the line and join the queue.







''People were just walking and walking and the policemen were like 'Keep going, keep going.' It was like the yellow brick road,'' she said.







Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the Church of England, wore a high-visibility vest emblazoned with the words ''Faith Team'' as he spoke to mourners. Welby, who will deliver a sermon at Elizabeth's funeral on Monday, paid tribute to the queen as ''someone you could trust totally, completely and absolutely, whose wisdom was remarkable.''







People old and young, dressed in dark suits or jeans and sneakers, walked in a steady stream Thursday through the historic hall, where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where previous monarchs have lain in state.







After passing the coffin, most mourners paused to look back before going out through the hall's great oak doors. Some were in tears; others bowed their heads or curtseyed. One sank onto a knee and blew a farewell kiss.







Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say goodbye.







''Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic,'' he said. ''And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didn't bow  I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen." (AP)


A Ukrainian serviceman searches for land mines at a burial site in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine on Sept. 16. AFP-Yonhap



Ukrainian authorities were expected to begin recovering bodies Friday from a mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces, a delicate task that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would help show the world ''what the Russian occupation has led to.''



The site, containing hundreds of graves, was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces retook the northeastern city and much of the Kharkiv region, breaking what had largely become a stalemate in the nearly seven-month war.



To bolster the offensive, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid Thursday for Ukraine, including more of the weaponry that has helped its troops seize the momentum.



Associated Press journalists who visited the burial site Thursday saw graves amid the pine trees, marked with simple wooden crosses. Most were numbered _ and the count went into the 400s.



It was not clear who was buried in many of the plots or how all of them died, though witnesses and a Ukrainian investigator said some were shot and others were killed by artillery fire, mines or airstrikes.



There was at least one mass grave, with a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.



In his nightly televised address on Thursday, Zelenskyy said ''more information _ clear, verifiable information'' about the burial site was expected Friday.



''The necessary procedural actions have already begun there,'' he said. ''We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to.''



Zelenskyy invoked the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass graves of civilians.



''Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium,'' he said. ''Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it.''



The marking of individual graves with wooden crosses differed from some other burial sites discovered earlier in the war and seen by AP reporters _ including some around Kyiv that are being investigated as sites of possible war crimes. Bodies found outside the capital in the town of Bucha and elsewhere after Russian forces withdrew had been dumped together and buried without markers.



Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building.





Ukrainian servicemen prepare to search for land mines at a burial site in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine on Sept. 16. AFP-Yonhap
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KlimaDAO, the leading solution for carbon credits on the blockchain, has commissioned an analysis into the Base Carbon Tonne (BCT) pool by AlliedOffsets, an expert provider of data and market intelligence for the Voluntary Carbon Market.

The Base Carbon Tonne, developed by the Toucan Protocol, and utilized by the KlimaDAO ecosystem has been the single biggest source of identifiable demand for voluntary carbon credits from the Verra registry in the past 12 months. It represents a pool of live, commoditized carbon credits. The credits within the pool can be used to claim an environmental benefit by "retiring" them using KlimaDAO's on-chain retirement aggregator tool.

The Base Carbon Tonne pool sits alongside four other pools of tokenized carbon credits on the Polygon blockchain, including nature-specific pools from C3's Nature Base Offset, Moss' MCO2, and Toucan's Nature Carbon Tonne, as well as C3's renewable energy focussed pool Universal Base Offset.

The carbon credits are hosted on the public Polygon blockchain, which means all transactions of these tokenized carbon credits can be transparently tracked once they have been bridged using infrastructure provided by Toucan or C3. This process has therefore exposed carbon credits within the voluntary carbon market to unprecedented levels of transparency - stimulating debate and analysis of credits contained within the pool.

The report finds that over 9 million tonnes of carbon credits contained within the BCT pool are currently being traded for $5 or more off the blockchain, within the legacy market. Whereas on the blockchain where prices and transaction fees are transparent, these carbon credits are trading for $1.55, representing a 70% discount for on-chain carbon retirements.

The full write-up of the report by KlimaDAO can be viewed here.

BCT carbon credit projects are widely used by corporates.

In addition to the 19.6 million carbon credits that have been bridged for Base Carbon Tonne, the 309 carbon projects contained within the BCT pool have to date also provided 90.9 million carbon credits for environmental benefit claims (i.e. offsets) for off-chain entities and individuals. Of these, according to the analysis, roughly 44.3 million have been retired from a variety of corporate organizations such as Delta Airlines, Telstra, and Brisbane City Council. 46.6 million have been retired with 'no data', meaning it is not possible to say for whom the credits were retired, and for what reason.

Base Carbon Tonne primarily supports renewable energy projects across the globe.

The Base Carbon Tonne pool contains carbon credits from 309 Verra projects from 19 developing nations across the globe; it has a total supply of 19.6 million tokenized carbon credits. The Base Carbon Tonne pool primarily contains renewable energy carbon projects with vintages from 2008 to 2015. The credits included within the pool disproportionately support carbon projects in Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Turkey, and Vietnam, when comparing the data with average carbon credit retirements.

Sy Zygy of KlimaDAO said, "This report gives clear insights into the composition of the Base Carbon Tonne pool. It shows that the carbon credits contained within the pool are an important part of the voluntary carbon market, particularly for corporations looking to manage their carbon strategies. With the price of on-chain carbon being lower than that of off-chain prices, there is a strong opportunity for existing carbon credit purchasers to source their demand on-chain, transparently and in just a few easy clicks."

Lars Kroijer of AlliedOffsets said, "Working with KlimaDAO on this project has helped bring much-needed transparency to this segment of the market. In the future, we hope to increase the amount of data available for all carbon credit transactions to enable the market to function more efficiently and transparently."

About KlimaDAO

KlimaDAO is an on-chain scaling solution for the Voluntary Carbon Market. By combining tokenized carbon credits with a blockchain-enabled techstack, KlimaDAO aims to open up the market to greater transparency and efficiency.

If you are a business looking to offset your carbon footprint, get started here.

About AlliedOffsets

AlliedOffsets' Premium Dashboard allows researchers, individuals, and businesses to access information on projects across various registries, in order to make the market more transparent and available to all.



Media Inquires

Natacha Rousseau

press@klimadao.finance



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Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp. (OTCQB: VSBGF) (CSE: VSBY) (Frankfurt 5VS) (VSBLTY), a leading software provider of security and retail analytics technology, today announced that it is partnering with Perpetual Media, LLC to provide programmatic advertising to Winkel Media in Latin America. Winkel Media is an in-store media technology company that is a joint venture of VSBLTY, its Latin American partner Retailigent Media and Anheuser-Busch InBev. The technology company developed the first retail Digital Out of Home (DOOH) network in Latin America.

The VSBLTY/Perpetual Media partnership offers an enterprise a programmatic marketplace that will power the Store as a Medium (SaaM) initiative with omni-channel tools to monetize all a retailers digital inventory. VSBLTY will be using its proprietary computer vision technology, shared with Perpetuals open real time bidding (OpenRTB) marketplace, for increased attribution and advertising value. As part of the agreement, VSBLTY will have category exclusivity for computer vision.

The initial launch will rely on the expertise of supply-side platforms (SSPs), connected to Perpetuals publisher technology and the demand-side platform (DSP) marketplace. This move, along with media buy-in from existing direct CPG and ad agency relationships, will provide an end-to-end revenue generation program for the network. Initially, the LATAM media network will access advertising demand through integrations with Place Exchange and Hivestack, with additional demand partners being onboarded in the future.

Winkel Media is targeting to have the technology installed throughout Latin America, with expansion to 50,000 stores in 30+ countries over the next five years.

In announcing the agreement, VSBLTY Co-founder & CEO Jay Hutton said, These types of partnerships are the logical next step for us as we seek to realize the full capabilities of computer vision and analytics while optimizing revenue generation within the Store as a Medium model. VSBLTY will deliver both PMP sponsorship deals and OpenRTB programmatically from a single CMS to increase margin and transparency and deliver proof of performance with a vertically integrated ad tech stack, activated through supply path optimization.

Brandon Wilton, Perpetual Media Founder & CEO, added, Perpetuals publisher tech is a perfect fit for the VSBLTY SaaM use case. It will create digital parity with a programmatic marketplace that provides a seamless path for advertisers by tapping into the existing ad infrastructure of programmatic demand by working with DSPs, SSPs, ad agencies and brands from around the world.

VSBLTY technology provides enhanced customer engagement and audience measurement using machine learning and computer vision. Its industry leading VisionCaptor and DataCaptor software combine motion graphics and interactive brand messaging with cutting-edge computer vision measurement and insights. VSBLTYs AI driven software Vector provides enhanced facial recognition that is crucial to strengthening today's security requirements when recognizing weapons or suspicious persons in a crowd.

Investor Relations

CHF Capital Markets

Cathy Hume, CEO, +1-416-868-1079, x251

cathy@chfir.com

Harbor Access

Jonathan Paterson, 475-477-9401

Jonathan.Paterson@Harbor-Access.com

Graham Farrell, +1-416-842-9003

Graham.Farrell@Harbor - Access.com

CONTACT: Linda Rosanio, 609-472-0877

lrosanio@vsblty.net

About VSBLTY (http://vsblty.net/)

Headquartered in Philadelphia, VSBLTY (OTCQB: VSBGF) (CSE: VSBY) (Frankfurt: 5VS) (OTC: VSBGF) (VSBLTY) is the world leader in Proactive Digital Display, which transforms retail and public spaces as well as place-based media networks with SaaS-based audience measurement and security software that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning. Its proprietary technology effectively integrates with other digital retail solutions, including QR codes and mobile applications. The firm is also recognized for pioneering the implementation of the Store as a Medium program that enables brands to reach customers when and where buying decisions are being made while producing a new revenue stream for retailers.

About Perpetual Media (https://perpetualmedia.tv/)

The Los Angeles-based software company has created the first and only people-based one-to-one programmatic RTB, digital out-of-home engagement platform. It is a fully vertically integrated, proprietary, and patented technology platform, built from the ground up to advance DOOH, and available for any glass, anywhere, anytime. Perpetual operates their software platform for casino and gaming, convenience, ATM and retail, fitness and other consumer environments. Perpetual is also a developer of their own O&O national distribution network for digital out-of-home and digital place-based advertising.

CONTACT: Brandon Wilton, 310-299-9440

brandon@perpetualmedia.tv
English French

PRESS RELEASE

September 15th, 2022

Aeroports de Paris SA,

August 2022 traffic figures

Groupe ADP1 total traffic is up by 9.7 million passengers in August 2022 compared to August 2021, with 29.8 million passengers welcomed for the entire network of operated airports. It stands at 83.3% of the August 2019 group traffic.

Since the beginning of the year, Groupe ADP total traffic is up by +101.2% compared to 2021, at 177.7 million passengers, standing at 75.4% of the group traffic over the same period in 2019.

Unless otherwise indicated, the following changes are expressed in comparison with August 2021.

Regarding the Paris Aeroport:

August 2022 traffic is up by 3.4 million passengers, with 9.2 million passengers welcomed. It stands at 88.0% of the August 2019 Paris Aeroport traffic. In August 2022, ParisCharles de Gaulle welcomed 6.0 million passengers (+2.5 million passengers), at 80.5% of the August 2019 traffic, and Paris-Orly 3.1 million passengers (+0.9 million passengers), at 107.2% of the August 2019 traffic.

Since the beginning of the year, traffic in Paris Aeroport is up by +34.1 million passengers compared to 2021, at 55.7 million passengers, at 76.0% of the traffic over the same period in 2019.

In July and August, traffic at Paris Aeroport totaled 18.2 million passengers, at 87.2 % of the traffic over the same period in 2019.

At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, all terminals are currently open to passenger traffic except Terminal 1, under renovation. At Paris-Orly, all sectors are open.

In August 2022:

International traffic (excluding Europe, including French Overseas Territories) was up by 1.9 million passengers compared to 2021, at 85.6% of the August 2019 traffic. All the destinations are growing: North America +668,092 passengers, at 85.8% of the August 2019 traffic, Asia-Pacific +170,724 passengers, at 37.9% of the August 2019 traffic, Latin America +105,901 passengers, at 74.1% of the August 2019 traffic, the Middle East +245,388 passengers, at 86.9% of the August 2019 traffic, Africa +528,463 passengers, at 101.0% of the August 2019 traffic;

European traffic (excluding France) was up by 1.4 million passengers, at 91.6% of the August 2019 traffic;

Traffic within mainland France was up +143,462 passengers, at 84.0% of the August 2019 traffic;

Traffic with the French Overseas Territories (included within the international traffic) was up by +136,024 passengers, at 112.6% of the August 2019 traffic.

The number of connecting passengers stood at 828,199 passengers up by +303,080 passengers, at 76.6% of the August 2019 traffic. The connecting rate stood at 19.2% down by -0.5 point.

Regarding Groupe ADP's international platforms:

Passenger traffic at TAV Airports, 46.4%-owned by Groupe ADP, is up by +2.2 million passengers in August 2022, at 10.8 million passengers, standing at 87.0% of the August 2019 traffic. It is up by 62.0% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2021, at 77.7% of traffic over the same period in 2019.

Passenger traffic at GMR Airports, 49%-owned by Groupe ADP since August 2020, is up by +3.1 million passengers in August 2022, at 7.2 million passengers, standing at 82.7% of the August 2019 traffic. It is up by +90.7% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2021, at 77.6% of traffic over the same period in 2019.

Passenger traffic at Amman Airport, 51%-owned by Groupe ADP, is up by +276,827 passengers in August 2022, at 942,286 passengers, standing at 89.5% of the August 2019 traffic. It is up by +103.9% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2021, at 83.4% of traffic over the same period in 2019.

Passenger traffic at Santiago de Chile Airport, 45%-owned by Groupe ADP, is up by +655,301 passengers in August 2022, at 1.5 million passengers, standing at 75.9% of the August 2019 traffic. It is up by +139.7% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2021, at 70.9% of traffic over the same period in 2019.

All the Group's hubs are open to commercial flights. However, local restrictions may apply, particularly to international flights at Group airports.

In the context created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the international sanctions imposed on Russia, the group is monitoring the situation to assess its short, medium, and long-term consequences. In 2019, traffic with Ukraine and Russia amounted to 1.4% of Paris Aeroport's total traffic, as well as to 17.1%2 of TAV Airports' total traffic, at 27.9%2 of TAV Airports' international traffic. At this stage, although air traffic between Russia and Ukraine on one part, and the airports operated by Groupe ADP located in Turkey is significantly impacted3, the Group does not anticipate, in the absence of any significant change in the situation, that the consequences of the conflict will challenge its financial forecasts and traffic hypotheses for 2022 full year.

Passengers August 2022 Change 22/21

(in passengers) Jan. - Aug 2022 % change 2022/2021 Last 12 months % change 2022/2021 Paris-CDG 6,020,196 +2,470,312 36,875,542 +178.9% 49,849,811 +183.9% Paris-Orly 3,134,012 +892,032 18,822,296 +125.3% 26,191,284 +125.0% Total Paris Aeroport 9,154,208 +3,362,344 55,697,838 +158.1% 76,041,095 +160.4% Santiago de Chile 1,525,630 +655,301 11,896,466 +139.7% 16,946,838 +147.6% Amman 942,286 +276,827 5,139,090 +103.9% 7,177,982 +145.4% New Delhi 5,008,011 +1,987,828 37,107,540 +84.2% 54,104,928 +84.2% Hyderabad 1,641,476 +620,771 11,990,372 +81.3% 17,364,966 +71.6% Cebu 535,150 +464,683 3,187,645 +378.1% 3,837,878 +349.0% Total GMR Airports 7,184,637 +3,073,282 52,285,557 +90.7% 75,307,772 +86.7% Antalya 5,186,193 +871,976 20,424,505 +64.3% 29,998,205 +73.2% Almaty 732,657 +161,466 4,518,881 +16.1% 6,729,067 +25.1% Ankara 860,264 -71,544 5,615,762 +32.3% 8,400,503 +46.7% Izmir 1,202,638 +132,223 6,588,417 +44.0% 9,674,750 +52.0% Bodrum 754,736 +98,943 2,770,711 +39.6% 3,698,483 +39.6% Gazipasa 91,138 -654 490,546 +47.9% 751,588 +68.1% Medina 574,593 +460,282 3,765,103 +327.9% 4,643,225 +268.2% Tunisia 267,025 +174,665 978,585 +206.6% 1,183,664 +177.5% Georgia 467,308 +121,903 2,295,054 +82.3% 3,227,707 +141.9% North Macedonia 306,616 +69,240 1,549,440 +82.5% 2,091,815 +97.6% Zagreb(4) 348,381 +153,388 1,976,818 +187.9% 2,694,608 +202.0% Total TAV Airports 10,791,549 +2,171,888 50,973,822 +62.0% 73,093,615 +70.5% Other Airports 237,892 +175,150 1,725,379 +337.6% 1,957,861 +256.8% Total Groupe ADP(5) 29,836,202 +9,714,792 177,718,152 +101.2% 250,525,163 +104.1%





Aircraft Movements August 2022 Change 22/21

(in movements) Jan. - Aug 2022 % change 2022/2021 Last 12 months % change 2022/2021 Paris-CDG 39,403 +10,571 262,199 +84.9% 370,500 +85.0% Paris-Orly 19,037 +3,836 126,728 +91.8% 179,209 +90.9% Total Paris Aeroport 58,440 +14,407 388,927 +87.1% 549,709 +86.9% Santiago de Chile 10,022 +3,225 81,175 +90.2% 116,267 +94.1% Amman 6,945 +1,243 45,849 +74.5% 66,181 +103.3% New Delhi 33,775 +10,790 253,027 +50.6% 374,329 +52.3% Hyderabad 12,634 +3,257 94,343 +42.7% 138,359 +36.9% Cebu 5,212 +4,373 29,230 +266.0% 35,496 +237.6% Total GMR Airports 51,621 +18,420 376,600 +55.6% 548,184 +53.4% Antalya 28,795 +6,113 122,838 +70.6% 178,460 +78.2% Almaty 6,012 +538 41,179 +13.3% 61,700 +17.3% Ankara 5,423 -1,411 39,888 +19.5% 61,886 +34.5% Izmir 7,144 +599 42,019 +34.9% 62,301 +37.8% Bodrum 4,362 +312 17,875 +34.7% 24,703 +36.5% Gazipasa 648 -81 3,535 +25.6% 5,474 +44.9% Medina 3,890 +2,453 30,446 +168.4% 38,915 +151.7% Tunisia 1,784 +1,063 7,158 +140.2% 8,993 +113.9% Georgia 4,102 +280 22,890 +40.9% 33,460 +72.8% North Macedonia 2,186 +203 12,808 +35.2% 18,324 +47.8% Zagreb(4) 4,061 +975 27,538 +65.1% 40,468 +73.0% Total TAV Airports 68,407 +11,044 368,174 +49.9% 534,684 +56.9% Other Airports 2,032 +1,030 14,605 +84.3% 18,472 +65.3% Total Groupe ADP(5) 197,467 +49,369 1,275,330 +65.1% 1,833,497 +67.3%





Geographic split

Paris Aeroport (Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly) August 2022

Change 22/21

(in passengers) Share of total traffic Jan.  Aug 2022 change 22/21

(in passengers) Share of total traffic France +143,462 12.3% +3,493,976 14.8% Europe +1,364,290 45.2% +16,619,750 45.4% Other International

Of which +1,854,592 42.6% +14,006,214 39.7% Africa +528,463 14.1% +3,813,972 12.4% North America +668,092 12.2% +4,750,603 11.2% Latin America +105,901 2.4% +1,198,236 3.0% Middle-East +245,388 5.3% +1,963,212 5.2% Asia-Pacific +170,724 2.6% +870,760 2.2% French Overseas Territories +136,024 6.0% +1,409,431 5.7% Total Paris Aeroport +3,362,344 100.0% +34,119,940 100.0%





Paris Aeroport (Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly) August 2022 Change

2022/2021 Jan.  August 2022 % change 2022/2021 Connecting Passengers(1) 828,199 +57.7% 5,638,433 +126.3% Connecting rate 19.2% -0.5 pt 20.3% -2.8 pts Seat load factor 86.7% +10.0 pts 81.1% +15.3 pts

(1) Departing passengers

Investor Relations: Cecile Combeau, Eliott Roch - +33 1 74 25 31 33 - invest@adp.fr

Press contact: Justine Leger, Head of Medias and Reputation Department +33 1 74 25 23 23

Groupe ADP develops and manages airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2021, the group handled through its brand Paris Aeroport more than 41.9 million passengers and 2.1 million metric tons of freight and mail at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, and more than 118.1 million passengers in airports abroad. Boasting an exceptional geographic location and a major catchment area, the Group is pursuing its strategy of adapting and modernizing its terminal facilities and upgrading quality of services; the group also intends to develop its retail and real estate businesses. In 2021, group revenue stood at 2,777 million and net income at -248 million

Registered office: 1, rue de France, 93 290 Tremblay-en-France. Aeroports de Paris is a public limited company (Societe Anonyme) with share capital of 296,881,806. Registered in the Bobigny Trade and Company Register under no. 552 016 628.

groupe-adp.com

1 Group traffic is accounted for on a like-for-like basis, restated for the following changes: the acquisitions of Delhi, Hyderbad, Mactan Cebu and Almaty airports, and the non-renewal of the technical assistance contract (TSA) for Mauritius airport.



2 Including Almaty and Zagreb airports.



3 In the first half of 2022, traffic in the Turkish airports of TAV Airports was up +100.8% compared to 2021, at 70.8% of 2019 traffic levels. Although traffic with Russia and Ukraine represents 36.3% and 5.6% of their respective 2019 levels, totaling 1.5 million passengers, the recovery in the Turkish airports of TAV Airports is supported by other routes. See section 2.1 of the 2022 half-year financial report.



4 Groupe ADP and TAV Airports have, a shareholding of 21% and 15%, respectively, in Zagreb Airport. To be compliant with TAV Airports presentations, Zagreb Airport traffic figures are integrated into the TAV Airports group traffic figure.



5 Group traffic is accounted for on a like-for-like basis, restated for the following changes: the acquisitions of Delhi, Hyderabad, Mactan Cebu and Almaty airports, and the non-renewal of the technical assistance contract (TSA) for Mauritius airport. For the last 12-months traffic, Mauritius traffic is not taken into account. If Mauritius traffic was taken into account until December 31st, 2021, last 12-months traffic for Groupe ADP would be up by +104.2%.

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Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses



LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Tuya Inc. ("Tuya" or the "Company") ( NYSE: TUYA) investors that a class action has been filed on behalf of investors. Tuya investors that lost money on their investment are encouraged to contact Lesley Portnoy, Esq.

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (a) a material portion of Tuya's China-based customers were engaged in the widespread and systematic manipulation of reviews and product offerings in violation of Amazon.com's terms of use; (b) prior to the initial public offering, a consumer investigation and data breach had exposed an illicit fake review scheme being perpetrated by many of Tuya's clients, among others, which included, inter alia, the exposure of 13 million records of organized fake review scams linked to over 200,000 Amazon account profiles; (c) as a result of (a) and (b) above, there was a substantial risk that a material portion of Tuya's significant customers would be barred from using Amazon.com's platform, negatively impacting Tuya's business, revenue, earnings, and prospects; and (d) as a result of (a)-(c) above, the registration statement's representations regarding Tuya's historical financial and operational metrics and purported market opportunities and expected growth did not accurately reflect the actual business, operations, financial results, and trajectory of the Company at the time of the initial public offering, and such statements were materially false and misleading and lacked a reasonable factual basis.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
South Korea, Seoul, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per a new report by Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the global demand for neurology devices is anticipated to reach a valuation of US$ 13 billion by 2027.



The prevalence of several neurological conditions as well as cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke, migraine, and headache is increasing across the world, which is driving up demand for neurology devices. Growing preference for minimally-invasive procedures and ongoing innovations in neurology equipment are also increasing market value.

With the support of non-invasive, image-guided neurology technologies, neurovascular issues such as tumors, cavernous malformations, and stroke are addressed. The market for neurology devices is expanding as a result of many key variables, including an increase in head traumas, high rates of stress in young people, an increase in the geriatric population, and a large patient base.



Get Sample PDF of This Research Report with Detailed Table of Content:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=7702

Rising patient awareness regarding the availability of treatment and reimbursement for neurovascular illnesses, particularly in emerging countries, are factors that will accelerate market expansion.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in neurology is anticipated to support market expansion. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems that employ AI and advanced signal processing methods can assist physicians in analyzing and understanding physiological signals and images more accurately.

New Market Entrants Focused on Advancements in Neurological Medical Devices

A condition known as hydrocephalus causes an abnormal accumulation of intracranial fluid in the brain cavities. The implantation of a shunt to drain the surplus accumulation is one of the traditional treatments for chronic hydrocephalus. Data on intracranial pressure is continuously monitored and collected by newer systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.

New companies offer neuromodulation solutions to help patients manage their discomfort from neurological illnesses. Aspiring market players are working on developments in neurological medical devices.

A French start-up, Neurallys , offers a sensor that requires little to no surgery to treat hydrocephalus. Along with the intracranial fluid drainage valve, the pressure sensor is embedded, continuously monitoring and gathering real-time intracranial pressure data. In the situation of any irregularities, the sensor warns physicians and communicates the data via a smartphone.





Speak to Analyst:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=7702

Key Takeaways from Market Study

Worldwide demand for neurology devices is expected to rise at a CAGR of 6.2% through 2027.

The global neurology devices market is currently valued at US$ 9.6 billion.

The market in Canada is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period (2022-2027).

Sales of interventional neurology devices are predicted to increase at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2022 to 2027.

The market in Germany is set to increase at a CAGR of 4% through 2027.





Key Segments in Neurology Devices Industry Research

By Product : Cerebrospinal Fluid Management Devices Interventional Neurology Devices Neurosurgery Devices Neurostimulation Devices

By End User : Hospitals Ambulatory Surgery Centers Neurology Clinics

By Region : North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa







Quick Buy: Neurology Devices Market Research Report

https://www.factmr.com/checkout/7702

Winning Strategy

Top companies are engaged in the introduction of magnetic stimulation technology as a result of innovations in neurostimulation and neuromodulation techniques. Key market players are collaborating with research organizations to increase their presence and contribute to the creation of modern as well as safe processes.

For instance,

In April 2022, an updated version of Abbott's NeuroSphere myPath digital health app was released. Abbott neurostimulation devices are used by patients to treat their chronic pain, and the functionality of the app improved to help doctors better monitor their patients during this process.





Competitive Landscape

Key producers of neurology devices are focusing on innovation by manufacturing and releasing new products as part of their strategy to maintain their position in the neurology devices market on a worldwide scale. To diversify their product offerings, top neurology medical device companies are concentrating on getting new devices approved.

For instance :

In 2020, Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. obtained Exceptional Recognition for its PoNS equipment as a potential treatment for gait deficiency caused by multiple sclerosis symptoms.





Key Companies Profiled

Johnson & Johnson

Medtronic, Inc.

Penumbra, Inc.

Smith & Nephew PLC

Stryker Corporation

Abbott Laboratories, Inc.

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Boston Scientific Corporation

More Valuable Insights on Offer

Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global neurology devices market, presenting historical demand data (2017-2021) and forecast statistics for the period of 2022-2027.

The study divulges essential insights on the market on the basis of product (cerebrospinal fluid management devices, interventional neurology devices, neurosurgery devices, neurostimulation devices) and end user (hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, neurology clinics), across five major regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and MEA).

Check out more related studies published by Fact.MR Research:

Neurointerventional Devices Market: The neurointerventional devices market was worth US$ 2.3 Bn in 2020, and is predicted to expand 2.1X by the end of the decade. North America dominates the global market, global demand for neurointerventional treatment devices is predicted to increase at a robust CAGR of 8% through 2031. The proliferation of technology in surgical procedures has completely changed the way diseases are dealt with and treated. The prevalence of brain tumors, aneurysms, and strokes majorly influence the neurointerventional treatment market.

Neurology Diagnostics Devices Market: At the end of 2021, the global neurology diagnostics devices market was valued at US$ 8.24 billion and is anticipated to reach US$ 21.1 billion by 2032, expanding at a high CAGR of 8.9% over the 2022-2032 time frame. As per a detailed industry analysis by Fact.MR, market research and competitive intelligence provider, CT Scanners dominated the global market in 2021 accounting for 37.3% market share.

Nerve Ablation Devices Market: The global market for nerve ablation devices market is estimated to be a growing market, as the industry players are coming up with a new innovative versions of nerve ablation devices, to reduce the pain while inserting the microelectrodes and also looking for increase the treatment area which can be more accurate for targeted nerve for pain. The nerve ablation devices market is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to the increasing number of patients suffering from pain.

ENT Medical Devices Market: The global ENT medical devices market is gaining traction and is likely to ascend at around 5.5% CAGR during the forecast period of 2021 to 2031. While the advanced healthcare sector and growing awareness about health have resulted in an increasing geriatric population, it has surged the demand for ENT medical devices, owing to the rise in ENT-related issues in elderly people.

Wireless Portable Medical Devices Market: Fact.MRs wireless portable medical devices industry analysis reveals that the global market was valued at US$ 15 Bn in 2020, and is projected to top US$ 33 Bn by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 11%. Demand for monitoring devices is projected to expand at a CAGR of 11% reaching a valuation of around US$ 16 Bn, with that for medical therapeutic devices also surging at 11%.

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GLENDALE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By distinguishing hemp and marijuana, the 2018 Farm Bill included language supporting the legality of HHC. Hemp is defined in the Farm Bill as cannabis plants comprising 0.3% THC or lower by dry weight. Cannabis plants comprising more than this quantity are classified as marijuana, which is not yet federally legal. This has resulted in the widespread development of hemp-derived products and a thriving hemp market! According to this reasoning, HHC extract is legal as long as it is derived from hemp. All of it formulates discussion around HHC products and vapes a topic to revisit and get educated given the myths and controversies around HHC.

HHC Vapes Producing Mild Euphoria:

Most of the discussion around HHC vapes have been really mixed and confusing. The fact that it is legal to consume and make use of HHC vapes, all of it has been presented for the public in a mixed platter. Following the overwhelming success of delta-8-THC as a legal alternative to the more tightly controlled availability of delta-9-THC, the cannabis industry has been on the lookout for other, fewer cannabinoids to compete in the diverse cannabis market. Hexahydrocannabinol, abbreviated as HHC, is one of the latest and most promising.

HHC, unlike more common cannabinoids like delta-9-THC or CBD, has not been extensively researched, but there is some hopeful research. Some synthetic analogues of hexahydro cannabinol (HHC) "strongly prevent breast cancer cell-triggered angiogenesis and tumor growth," according to a 2011 study. In 2007, Japanese researchers published a paper describing the remarkable analgesic effects of HHC in mice. However, it is presumably too early to tell whether HHC is an efficient treatment agent.

This has been a particularly exciting time for cannabis enthusiasts all over the world. As they become accustomed to one type of cannabinoid, such as cannabidiol (CBD), another appears. These various versions each have their own set of advantages, and users can't get enough of them. HHC-O is the latest hemp-derived cannabidiol to arrive on the market. However, most people are unaware of what it is. So, what exactly is HHC-O, and how is it causing such a stir in the hemp industry is the concern of this article.

HHC is the brother of THC, which has long been recognized to science but has only recently been widely mentioned by cannabis users. HHC is a mild cannabinoid that naturally exists in cannabis but in insufficient quantities to warrant extraction. Because HHC is still in its early stages of commercial production, it is not widely known.

By changing the chemistry of the molecules, often these cannabinoids can be modified into other cannabinoids. Commercial HHC, like delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC, is created in a laboratory using chemical processes from hemp-derived CBD. HHC has a massive legal benefit over Delta 8 and Delta 10 in that it is not labeled as THC.

Hollyweed, A Complete Vape Shop:

Recognized brands such as Hollyweed have been successful in making a breakthrough with their HHC products. Offering a wide range of HHC products, Hollyweed presents an online catalogue of mixed variety consisting of HHC flowers, pre rolls, carts, oils etc. the most renowned of all has been the HHC vapes.

Customers at Hollyweed continue to work because they are committed to producing high-quality products that are suitable for a wide range of lifestyles. Hollyweed promotes wellness by facilitating the six pillars of wellness: spiritual, emotional, environmental, physical, intellectual and social, which they believe promote individual wholeness. Vape cartridges are a widely known way for consumers to incorporate cannabinoids into their wellness regimen. Vapes are portable and convenient, and they come in a variety of styles, making them a customer friendly way for many people to enjoy the advantages of substances like HHC. In terms of popularity, HHC may be the new kid on the block.

For individuals who want to consume cannabis legally, Hollyweed, the well-known wellness-focused business, has just unveiled their new product, the HHC Carts. These vapes are practically a separate chemical on their own, even though they are made from hemp just like any other hemp-based product. They help people get more energized while also promoting a calm time.

Vapes are also an excellent way for consumers to quickly obtain a soothing dose of HHC! The effects of an HHC vape can be felt as soon as 30 seconds after breathing, but it may take up to one minute to feel the full effect. Aside from that, vapes are delicious and true to the flavours of the strains from which they are extracted, so you can enjoy the most deliciousness without having to smoke. Vaping is also significantly more discreet than other methods of consumption because it produces no lingering odours and should only require one puff to begin working.

The hemp plant and all of its derivatives are now legal on a federal level, only if the plant or items manufactured from it contain more than 0.2 percent delta-9-THC. HHC isn't technically THC, so it shouldn't be subject to government regulation as many believe.

Although HHC comes naturally in cannabis, this is not where commercial HHC comes from. It's a lab-created product made by hydrogenating hemp-derived cannabinoids under pressure with a catalyst like palladium. The National Cannabis Industry Association describes the outcome as a "semi-synthetic" cannabis compound.

HHC may be banned soon, so one must get HHC vape soon. As with Delta-8-THC, the legal situation will likely shift once HHC becomes popular, especially if it continues to threaten the legal cannabis market. But, for the time being, HHC is probably a limited market to attract attention which would predictably boost in the near future.

Contact Details:

Riya Tyagi

riya@blueribbonmedia.com
Dallas, Texas, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global wound irrigation market is expected to achieve a market value of USD 352.75 Million with an estimated CAGR of 3.75% by 2029.

The ability to boost the wound healing process and prevent wound infections will boost the global wound irrigation market. Wound irrigation helps to eliminate debris and quickly recover dead cells. A wound irrigation system makes use of medical fluid that can provide quick recovery of damaged cells and bruises. Wound irrigation helps to eliminate residual cells and surface bacteria. The wound irrigation process helps to prevent infection and keeps the wound hydrated.

Wound irrigation steps are generally very simplified and can even be learned by someone from a non-medical background. The reduction of bacteria from the wound surface helps to maintain a moist environment resulting in faster recovery. The ability to reduce bioburden by eliminating the accumulated debris significantly drives the global wound irrigation market..

Furthermore, the extreme rate of diabetic foot ulcers will increase the demand for wound irrigation systems. The wound irrigation market can be classified into battery-operated and manual irrigation types systems. A manual wound irrigation system provides precise flow to the desired wound location and helps to eliminate inaccuracy. Manual irrigation systems help to recover hard-to-heal wounds and work well on deep surgical wounds. A battery-operated irrigation system helps to reduce infectious contamination and is very easy to use.

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Global Wound Irrigation Market Scope:

Metrics Details Study Period 2019-2029 Market Size in 2029 USD 352.75 Million Segment Covered by Product, by Method, By Region, by Product Covered Manual, Battery-operated by Method Covered Chronic Wounds, Burns, Surgical Wounds, Traumatic Wounds Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa and South America Key Players Profiled B. Braun Medical Inc., Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet, BSN Medical, Bionix, Teleflex, Inc., Centurion Medical Products, IrriMax Corporation, Bionix Development Corporation, Westmed, Inc

Wound irrigation systems are majorly used for chronic and burn-caused diseases. Nerotic tissue can be efficiently removed with the help of a battery-operated wound irrigation system. The rising demand for advanced wound recovery techniques will boost the global market growth. The ability to rapidly eliminate contaminants and bacteria from the wound will significantly maximize demand for the battery-operated wound irrigation systems.

The global market has achieved greater heights owing to recent developments and innovations. Pixalere healthcare collaborated with Sanara Medtech to impart enriched skin and wound care services with the help of the latest technology. United states food and drug administration clearance was given in 2021 by Irrimax as an antimicrobial wound lavage resource. Surgiphor was launched by Beckton Dickson in 2021 to help remove debris from wounds with negligible cytotoxicity. The latest developments along with collaborations made serve as a crucial factor to drive global market growth. TVA medical was acquired by Beckton Dickson and company in 2018 to facilitate patients requiring Hemodialysis.

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A patent application of Innovation Skane was acquired by Molnlycke Healthcare AB in 2019 to better detect bacteria in wounds. The major collaborations made and products launched will boost the global market growth.

A significant proportion of the global market will be captured by North America in 2030. The latest technologies in the healthcare industry will significantly boost the regional market. The presence of major market players and their collaborations made will serve as a crucial factor for the growth of the wound irrigation market. The expansion of surgical procedures significantly adds to the growth of the market. The expanding number of diabetic patients contributes to the growth of the wound irrigation market.

Important Points from Table of Contents:



1. Introduction

2. Research Applicationology

3. Market Outlook

4. Wound Irrigation Market by Product, 2018-2028 (USD Million)

5. Wound Irrigation Market by Application, 2018-2028 (USD Million)

6. Wound Irrigation Market by Region 2018-2028 (USD Million)

7. Competitive Landscape

8. Company Profiles

8.1. B. Braun Medical Inc.

8.1.1. Overview

8.1.2. Types Portfolio

8.1.3. Recent Initiatives

8.1.4. Company Financials

8.2. Stryker Corporation

8.3. Zimmer Biomet

8.4. BSN Medical

8.5. Bionix

8.6. Teleflex, Inc.

8.7. Centurion Medical Products

8.8. IrriMax Corporation

8.9. Bionix Development Corporation

8.10. Westmed, Inc.

9. Appendix

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About Us:

Adroit Market Research is a global business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps.
September 16, 2022

Global consensus data recommends the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in many peripheral vascular disease (PVD) procedures

Philips Engagement Hub at TCT to feature a range of physician-led discussions, in-depth symposia, and hands-on trainings that address some of todays most pressing cardiology challenges

Amsterdam, the Netherlands  Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, will showcase its latest innovations and cardiology solutions designed to strengthen clinical confidence, build efficiency throughout the care pathway and improve cardiac care experiences at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting (Boston, USA, September 16-19). In addition, the company will present key clinical data, including global consensus data which highlights the importance of IVUS for both arterial and venous procedures.

At Philips, we are fully focused on supporting physicians to improve the health and well-being of the patients they serve. Some of the most ground-breaking work we are doing to achieve this is happening in cardiology, said Chris Landon, General Manager, Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. TCT attendees will have the opportunity to see first-hand our complete set of solutions designed to provide clinicians with the diagnostic and therapeutic devices they need to optimize the workflow and improve outcomes for each individual patient.

An interactive cardiology experience with Philips at TCT 2022

Visitors to TCT 2022 will have access to Philips latest solutions, plus opportunities to engage with clinical experts and experience innovative cardiac solutions. Philips will be hosting hands on demonstrations, symposia and discussions on topics that range from how to start an ultra-low contrast PCI program, to amplifying gender equality in medicine. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn more about Philips Azurion , the next generation image-guided therapy platform, Philips Interventional Applications Platform  IntraSight , which optimizes lab performance with its imaging, physiology and co-registration tools, and the Philips iFR (Instant Wave-free Ratio) with its evidence-based methodology that improves outcomes, saves time, and reduces patient discomfort. Philips iFR is the only resting index to earn a Class IA guideline recommendation from the ACC/AHA/SCAI and ESC based on clinical evidence of its accuracy [1, 2].

Philips latest technology advancements in diagnostic, interventional and monitoring solutions at TCT 2022 include:

Philips 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter  VeriSight Pro : Used with Philips premium cardiology ultrasound systems EPIQ CVx and CVxi, the VeriSight Pro offers superior 2D and 3D live-image guidance for a wide range of procedures in structural heart disease and electrophysiology.





Used with Philips premium cardiology ultrasound systems EPIQ CVx and CVxi, the VeriSight Pro offers superior 2D and 3D live-image guidance for a wide range of procedures in structural heart disease and electrophysiology. Simplifying coronary and peripheral atherectomy and lead extraction procedures with Philips Laser System  Nexcimer : The only system compatible with catheters that have Level I clinical data for ISR atherectomy and that can also support lead extraction procedures (the removal of pacemaker or defibrillator leads around the heart) [3,4].





The only system compatible with catheters that have Level I clinical data for ISR atherectomy and that can also support lead extraction procedures (the removal of pacemaker or defibrillator leads around the heart) [3,4]. Philips live fluoroscopy-echo fusion imaging  EchoNavigator 4.0 : Used with the Philips Image Guided Therapy System - Azurion - and Philips premium cardiology ultrasound system  EPIQ CVxi, the new EchoNavigator Release 4.0 empowers heart teams with greater control of live fusion imaging plus new anatomical modeling and transeptal guidance during minimally-invasive structural heart disease procedures.

Published clinical data presented at TCT 2022

IVUS consensus and large-scale, real-world data summary: On Saturday, September 17, at 11:30am ET in the Philips Engagement Hub, Eric A. Secemsky, MD, Interventional Cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, will review two critically important data sets released in late 2021 that highlight the importance of IVUS for both arterial and venous procedures, including the new consensus document from 30 global vascular experts, which recommends routine use of IVUS as a preferred imaging modality in all phases in many peripheral vascular disease (PVD) procedures, published in the August 2022 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions as  Appropriate Use of Intravascular Ultrasound During Arterial and Venous Lower Extremity Interventions .

New study validates ambulatory monitoring as a valuable, cost-neutral tool

Many patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (SAS) are treated with a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)  a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a diseased aortic valve with a prosthetic valve. As an alternative to open-heart aortic valve replacement surgery, TAVR treatment offers several benefits for symptomatic SAS patients, including reduced length of hospital stay and an increased likelihood of home discharge [5].

A recent study,  Costs and Outcomes of Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry Monitoring Post-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement , published in the August issue of the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, examined the impact that using Philips MCOT (Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry) had on patient outcomes and value of high-quality care following TAVR procedures. The study revealed that MCOT-monitored TAVR hospital patients were more than 16% more likely to receive a permanent pacemaker through a scheduled physician referral than unmonitored patients (100% MCOT vs 83.5% non-MCOT), helping to avoid unplanned readmissions [6]. The study illustrates that prescribing MCOT to patients post-TAVR may provide an opportunity for improved health outcomes or cost savings by monitoring for arrhythmic disturbances, and, if detected, allowing for timely intervention via pacemaker and the avoidance of costly and dangerous emergency care.

For the full calendar of events, as well as general information about Philips presence at the show, visit www.philips.com/TCT . Visit the Philips Engagement Hub to experience innovative cardiac solutions and follow the #TCT2022 conversation on @PhilipsLiveFrom throughout the event.

Refer to full Philips Laser System device labeling and instructions for important safety information. Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

[1] Lawton J. et al. 2021 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Coronary Artery Revascularization. JACC. 2022;79(2):e21-e129.

[2] 2018 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on myocardial revascularization: The task force on myocardial revascularization of the European society of cardiology (ESC) and European association for cardio-thoracic surgery (EACTS). Eur Heart J. 2018;00:1-96.

[3] Philips Laser System Data Sheet Specifications.

[4] Dippel et al. Randomized Controlled Study of Excimer Laser Atherectomy for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-stent Restenosis: Initial ISR Results (2015). JACC 8(1): 92-101.

[5] Arora S, Strassle PD, Kolte D, et al. Length of stay and discharge disposition after transcatheter 283 versus surgical aortic valve replacement in the United States. Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2018;11(9). 284 doi:10.1161/circinterventions.118.006929.

[6] Belinda A Mohr, PhD1, et al. Impact of Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry Post-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement on Costs and Outcomes: A Medicare Claims Analysis. J. Comp. Eff. Res. 2022. https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/cer-2022-0112.

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha

Philips Global Press Office

Tel.: +31 610 558116

E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com

Fabienne van der Feer

Philips Image Guided Therapy

Tel: + 31 622 698 001

E-mail: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum  from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2021 sales of EUR 17.2 billion and employs approximately 79,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter .

Attachments
Dublin, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Satellite Services Market by Type (LEO, MEO, and GEO), Communications (Voice and Data), Solutions, Applications, Segments (Consumer, Enterprise, Industrial, and Government), and Industry Verticals 2022 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Select Report Findings:

Coupled with drone solutions, LEO-based satellites will change the face of modern communications as anywhere communications become a reality for virtually any application and industry vertical

The global satellite service market will spawn economic development value up to 50 times the combined cost of capital expenditures to deploy infrastructure and operational expenses to maintain systems

Satellite markets are rapidly expanding beyond traditional market verticals such as government, maritime, and aerospace to include many enterprise B2B and consumer-facing business applications and services

Emerging satellite solutions are poised to cover a substantial percentage of the globe that was previously economically or even physically unreachable, creating market development opportunities for emerging economies

Various Internet of Things and People (IoTP) solutions will emerge as satellite services provide the ability for combined M2M and people-oriented services to provide IoTP solutions that leverage the interaction between people and things as well as interrelationship between the physical world and the cyber world on a global scale.

The business drivers for satellite communications and applications are clear. Satellites provide coverage in areas where terrestrial wireless cannot. In fact, land-based wireless-only covers roughly 14% of the globe. Certain verticals, such as the maritime industry, require global coverage. This will be especially important as shipping begins to adopt autonomous transport as vessels will continue to require ship-to-shore communications as well as a new need for signaling with onboard ship sensors for navigation and ship controls.

The asset management industry also requires satellite systems for coverage in support of fleet tracking, supply chain management, and general asset tracking needs. The advent of advanced Internet of Things (IoT) solutions leveraging machine-to-machine communications and other supporting technologies enables anytime, anywhere, any type of asset tracking. Satellites provide seamless M2M communications for the IoT-based asset tracking market.

While GPS provides the bulk of this today, it is not the best solution for latency-sensitive applications and/or those that require high bandwidth. There is a market need for additional satellite types to provide bandwidth on demand, uninterrupted connectivity, and support for mission-critical operations that require ultra-reliable communications. This is similar to the business case for 5G in private networks such as industrial applications that are time-sensitive. While 5G is poised to dramatically increase terrestrial radiodensity, coverage is not a strong suit, and thus the need for satellites to fill in the holes. Satellites will also be an option for 5G backhaul.

Satellite services also provide coverage for business solutions that are often problematic and/or in remote areas such as mining operations, deep-water, and agriculture in third-world countries. Satellite services are also important in certain industries that require continuous network coverage such as oil & gas, transportation systems involving hybrid networks for autonomous vehicles, and other mission-critical services. In addition to providing continuous coverage in areas not practical by terrestrial systems, satellites may also provide continuous service in the event that terrestrial systems have a service outage.

One of the additional drivers for LEO vs. GEO is that there is a limited number of orbital slots available for GEO satellites. However, LEOs are not the perfect solution as there are concerns about plans from the likes of SpaceX, OneWeb, and even Amazon to collectively launch thousands of satellites into orbit rendering the earth's atmosphere a sea of machines. To partially deal with this issue SpaceX requested permission from the FCC to adjust the orbital spacing of its satellites to facilitate three orbital planes rather than one, which they claim will accelerate deployment by taking advantage of a wider service area.

Key Topics Covered:





1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Introduction

3.0 Satellite Services Industry

4.0 Satellite Services Case Study

5.0 Satellite Companies

6.0 Satellite Service Market Analysis and Forecasts 2022 - 2030

7.0 Satellites Market for 5G Applications and Services 2022 - 2027

8.0 Conclusions and Recommendations

Companies Mentioned

Airbus Defense and Space

Amazon

Antrix Corporation Limited

Apstar

ARA Antenna Research

Arabsat

Ariane Group

AsiaSat

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp

Blue Origin

Blue Sky Network

Boeing Defense; Space and Security

Campbell Scientific, Inc.

Casic

China Satcom

Cobham plc.

Commercial Space Technologies Ltd

Communications & Power Industries LLC

Comtech PST Corp

Comtech Telecommunications Corp

Cosmos International

Digisat International Inc.

EchoStar Mobile Limited

Eric Communications

Ericsson Inc.

Eurockot Launch Services

Eutelsat

Fleet Space

General Dynamics Mission Systems

Gilat Satellite Networks

GK Launch Services

Globalstar Inc.

Holkirk Communications Ltd

Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation

Inmarsat PLC

Intelsat General

Iridium Communications

ISRO

ISS-Reshetnev

Kepler Communications

L3 Harris Technologies

LeoSat Enterprises

Lockheed Martin

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Launch Services

NASA

Newtec CY NV

Northrop Grumman

OHB SE

OneWeb Satellites

ORBCOMM Europe Holding BV

Orbital Tracking Corp

Planet Labs

Qualcomm Inc.,

SatCom Global Ltd

SES

Singtel

Sky Perfect

Space Star Technology

Space Systems/Loral

SpaceX

Synertone

Telesat

Telstra

Thaicom

Thales Alenia Space

Thuraya

United Launch Alliance

Vector

ViaSat

Virgin Galactic

VT iDirect

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New York, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Geospatial Analytics Market by Component, Solution, Service, Type, Technology, Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Application, Vertical and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04648405/?utm_source=GNW

SMEs in developing nations are now able to use IoT sensors due to the growing internet penetration. When paired with geospatial data, machine data from devices, vehicles, and equipment used throughout the company can be collected and processed by these IoT sensors to help businesses make better decisions.

The integration of geospatial analytics with other technologies such as ML, IoT, and more, the market for geospatial analytics had experienced tremendous growth. Technologies such as location intelligence and geographic information systems can stimulate the development of new enterprises, which enables allows new firms to disrupt the market and enables market leaders to function at a higher level.



The Network & Location Analytics segment to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period

By type, the geospatial analytics had been segmented into surface & field analytic, network & location analytics, geovisualization, and other types (geocmputation, geosimulation and more).Among all the Network & Location Analytics segment to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



It examines geographic data for a specific region and time.Additionally, it aids in gathering information such as criminal incidences, store locations near roadways, traffic information, and more.



Businesses in the logistics and transportation sector frequently employ network and location analytics to resolve challenging routing issues.It can also utilize it to increase on-field sales.



Due to trends including the development of IoT, increased emphasis on market and competitive intelligence, and the expansion in spatial data across verticals, the network & location analytics market is expanding quickly.



The Data Integration & ETL solution is register to grow at highest CAGR during the forecast period

By solution, the geospatial analytics had been segmented into geocoding & reverse geocoding, data integration & ETL, report & visualization, thematic mapping & spatial analysis, and other solutions. The Data Integration & ETL solution is register to grow at highest CAGR of 13.8% during the forecast period. The structured and unstructured data generated needs to be integrated so that it can be restored whenever user require it. ETL is used to retrieve, transform, and import data from various primary transactions into a central location, such as the companys data warehouse. These related tasks are completed by using the data integration & ETL solutions. Data integration solutions are needed to aggregate data from several heterogeneous sources for business intelligence (BI) and to improve customer services. This is one of the key factors fueling the expansion of the data integration and ETL market. The data integration & ETL is expected to grow at highest CAGR in the Asia Pacific region.



Among applications, the Surveying application is anticipated to register the largest market size during the forecast period

Surveying is a method for calculating the distance and angles between two points on the surface of the earth.It is crucial to the development of infrastructure, transportation, urban planning, smart cities and also determines land boundaries.



One of the key factors driving the demand for surveying applications is the demand for surveying in planning and construction. The surveying segment is estimated to account for a larger market share and is projected to grow form USD 11, 877 million in 2022 to USD 20,823 million by 2027, at a CAGR of 11.9% during the forecast period.



Breakdown of primaries

In-depth interviews were conducted with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), innovation and technology directors, system integrators, and executives from various key organizations operating in the geospatial analytics market.

 By Company: Tier I: 62%, Tier II: 23%, and Tier III: 15%

 By Designation: C-Level Executives: 38%, D-Level Executives: 30%, and Managers: 32%

 By Region: APAC: 35%, Europe: 15%, North America: 40%, MEA: 5%, Latin America: 5%

The report includes the study of key players offering geospatial analytics solutions and services.It profiles major vendors in the global geospatial analytics market.



The major vendors in the global geospatial analytics market include Esri (US), Precisely (US), Caliper Corporation (US), Blue Marble Geographic (US), Google (US), eSpatial (Ireland), HexagonAB (Switzerland), TomTom (Netherlands), Trimble (US), Maxar Technologies (US), RMSI (India), Maplarge (US), General Electric (US), Bentley Systems (US), Fugro (Netherlands).



Research Coverage

The market study covers the geospatial analytics market across segments.It aims at estimating the market size and the growth potential of this market across different segments, such as components, solution, technology, deployment mode, organization size, application, type, vertical, and region.



It includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies.



Key Benefits of Buying the Report

The report would provide the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall geospatial analytics market and its subsegments.It would help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights better to position their business and plan suitable go-to-market strategies.



It 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/p04648405/?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.



__________________________
Dublin, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis By Technology, Product, and Application" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The North America non-lethal weapons market is expected to grow from US$ 2,133.91 million in 2021 to US$ 3,055.40 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2028.



Developed and developing nations experienced a significant rise in military expenditure. For instance, according to the data published by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2020, military expenditure experienced a rise of 2.6% compared to 2019.

This growth is attributed to the military and law enforcement agencies increasing their acquisition of modern equipment and weapons. A few of the major acquisitions of non-lethal weapons observed over the years. For instance, in June 2017, American Systems, Applied Research Associates, Applied Technologies, and Booz Allen Hamilton received contracts worth US$ 50 million for supplying non-lethal weapons from the US Department of Defense.

The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program coordinates non-lethal weapon developments, acquisitions, and deployment among the military services. The rise in procuring non-lethal weapons across developed and developing nations to increase the adoption of non-lethal weapons by military and regional law enforcement bodies is fueling the growth of the non-lethal weapons market over the years across the region.



With the new features and technologies, vendors can attract new customers and expand their footprints in emerging markets. This factor is likely to drive the North America non-lethal weapons market . The North America non-lethal weapons market is expected to grow at a good CAGR during the forecast period.



North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Segmentation

The mechanical and kinetic segment dominated the market in 2020 and electromagnetic segment is expected to be fastest growing during forecast period. Based on product, the market is segmented into direct contact weapons and directed energy weapons.

The direct contact weapons segment dominated the market in 2020 and directed energy weapons segment is expected to be fastest growing during forecast period. Based on application, the market is segmented into law enforcement agencies, military, and personalized applications.

The law enforcement agencies segment dominated the market in 2020 and military segment is expected to be fastest growing during forecast period. Based on country, the North America non-lethal weapons market is segmented into the US, Canada, and Mexico.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1 Study Scope

1.2 Research Report Guidance

1.3 Market Segmentation



2. Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology

3.1 Coverage

3.2 Secondary Research

3.3 Primary Research



4. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Landscape

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Porter's Five Force Analysis

4.3 Ecosystem Analysis

4.4 Expert Opinion



5. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market - Key Industry Dynamics

5.1 Market Drivers

5.1.1 Rise in Acquisition of Non-lethal Weapons

5.1.2 Increased Investments in the Development of New Non-Lethal Weapons

5.2 Market Restraints

5.2.1 Severe Consequences Related of Using Non-Lethal Weapons

5.3 Market Opportunities

5.3.1 Legalization of Non-Lethal Weapons for Personal Applications

5.4 Future Trends

5.4.1 Inclusion of Advanced Technologies with Non-Lethal Weapons

5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints



6. Non-Lethal Weapons Market - North America Analysis

6.1 North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Overview

6.2 North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Forecast and Analysis



7. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Analysis - By Technology

7.1 Overview

7.2 North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Breakdown, by Technology, 2020 and 2028

7.3 Chemical

7.4 Acoustic

7.5 Electromagnetic

7.6 Mechanical and Kinetic



8. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Analysis - By Product

Overview

8.1 North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Breakdown, by Product, 2020 and 2028

8.2 Directed Contact Weapon

8.2.1 Overview

8.2.2 Direct Contact Weapon: Non-Lethal Weapons Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million)

8.3 Directed Energy Weapon



9. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Analysis - By Application

9.1 Overview

9.2 North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market Breakdown, by Application, 2020 and 2028

9.3 Law Enforcement Agencies

9.3.1 Overview

9.3.2 Law Enforcement Agencies: Non-Lethal Weapons Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million)

9.4 Military

9.5 Personalized Application



10. North America Non-Lethal Weapons Market - Country Analysis

10.1 Overview

10.1.2 North America: Non-Lethal Weapons Market, by Key Country



11. Industry Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Market Initiative

11.3 New Product Development



12. Company Profiles

Axon Enterprise, Inc

Byrna Technologies Inc.

Combined Systems, Inc.

Condor Non-Lethal Technologies

FN Herstal

ISPRA by EL Ltd.

Lamperd Less Lethal

NonLethal Technologies, Inc.

PepperBall

Rheinmetall AG

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c1wn6s

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Ketamine was safe, well-tolerated with 100% of patients treated with ketamine demonstrating reduction in dyskinesias as measured by the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS)

UDysRS showed a 51% reduction from baseline during Infusion 2 (p=0.003), 49% at 3-week (p=0.006) and 41% at 3-month (p=0.011) post-ketamine



Planning a Phase 3 clinical study to allow for FDA approval of KETARX (ketamine) for Parkinsons disease under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway

TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (the Company or PharmaTher) (OTCQB: PHRRF) (CSE: PHRM), a leader in specialty ketamine pharmaceuticals, today announced that the Phase 1/2 clinical Study of ketamine in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinsons disease was presented as a late-breaking abstract presentation at the MDS International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders. The congress is being held in Madrid, Spain and virtually between September 15 and 18, 2022.

Fabio Chianelli, CEO of PharmaTher, commented: We are pleased to see the first presentation of the data from the Phase 1/2 study of ketamine demonstrating ketamines safety and tolerability with clinically meaningful efficacy that supports further investigation in a proposed Phase 3 clinical study as a potential new treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinsons disease patients. With these data and the recent US Notice of Allowance of the patent application for ketamine in the potential treatment of Parkinsons Disease and motor disorders, we are now focused on obtaining an agreement with the FDA to pursue approval under 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway with a potential Phase 3 clinical study for ketamine in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with Parkinsons disease.

Presentation Details:



Abstract title: Subanesthetic infusion of ketamine produces long-term reduction in levodopa-induced dyskinesia

Abstract number: LBA-3

Session: GPT 5, Late-Breaking Abstracts

Presentation Date & Time: September 15, 2022, 1:00  2:30 p.m. CEST

Location: France Gallery, Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel and Conference Center

The Phase 1/2 study was an open-label, dose-finding trial to test the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of low-dose ketamine infusion to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinsons disease and to find an effective dose-range suitable for outpatient use. Two 5-hour low-dose ketamine infusions were given within a one-week period. The clinical study outcomes measured reduction of dyskinesia, captured with the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS"), and effects on parkinsonian symptoms, captured with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).

The study enrolled 10 subjects with moderate to advanced Parkinsons disease with a target infusion rate being 0.30 mg/kg/hr. These data highlight that ketamine was safe, well-tolerated, and demonstrated that 100% of subjects treated with ketamine had a reduction in dyskinesias as measured by UDysRS indicating possible efficacy with a large effect size that warrants further investigation in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study. UDysRS showed a clinically meaningful reduction from baseline through 3 months.

Infusion 2 3-weeks post Infusion 3-months post Infusion UDysRS

Percent Reduction 51% (p=0.003) 49% (p=0.006) 41% (p=0.011) UPDRS

Percent Reduction 27% (p=0.057) 28% (p=0.026) 5% (p=0.258)

The maximum tolerated infusion rate ranged from 0.20-0.30 mg/kg/hr which was dependent on either discomfort due to dissociation or hypertension. There were no adverse events post-infusion. Analyses of the patient diaries and the pharmacokinetic data are ongoing.

The late-breaking abstract, LBA-3: Subanesthetic infusion of ketamine produces long-term reduction in levodopa-induced, presented at MDS International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders is available on the meeting website.

Based on these data, the Company is preparing to engage the FDA to establish the next steps for a planned Phase 3 clinical study to allow for the Companys proprietary ketamine intravenous product, KETARX, approval for Parkinsons disease under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway.

As previously announced, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has provided a Notice of Allowance for patent application No. 15/574,346, titled Compositions and Methods for Treating Motor Disorders, which includes claims intended to cover ketamine in the potential treatment of Parkinsons Disease and motor disorders that cause involuntary or uncontrollable movement or actions of the body (the Patent). A Notice of Allowance is issued after the USPTO makes the determination that a patent should be granted from an application. A patent from the recently allowed application is expected to be issued in the coming months. In August 2020, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with the University of Arizona to develop and commercialize the Patent.



Ketamines Potential In Parkinsons Disease



Parkinsons disease is a debilitating disorder that affects an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. and 10 million people worldwide. The global Parkinsons disease market is expected to grow from USD $5 billion in 2019 to USD $7.5 billion by the end of 2025 [360iResearch 2020] and it is estimated that the potential market opportunity for LID Parkinsons disease to be over USD $3 billion in the U.S. alone.



Ketamine is an FDA-approved N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-modulating (NDMA) drug that is widely used as an anesthetic agent either alone or in combination with other anesthetic agents [Smith et al, 1987; Pacheco et al, 2014]. The possible therapeutic effect of low-dose ketamine on levodopa-induced dyskinesia was noted in a retrospective analysis of Parkinsons disease patients who received ketamine for pain relief. During this analysis, it was observed that the patients experienced an improvement in LID lasting several weeks beyond treatment [Sherman et al, 2016]. These results were corroborated in a test of low-dose ketamine in a rodent LID model, and this possible effect has also been examined in a controlled study [Bartlett et al, 2016]. Ketamine may also have additional benefits in the treatment of pain [Niesters et al, 2014] and depression [Diamond et al, 2014; Murrough et al, 2013], which are frequent comorbidities of Parkinsons disease.



About Parkinsons Disease



There is currently no cure for Parkinsons disease, although some drug combinations are used to treat the disease symptoms. Although the etiology of Parkinsons disease is not fully understood, it is thought to result from loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons in the Substantia nigra and their striatal projections, leading to dopamine deficiency in the striatum [Schapira and Jenner, 2011]. This ultimately affects the cortico-striatal system that controls movement. As a progressive neurogenerative disorder of the central nervous system that primarily affects the motor nerve system, symptoms of Parkinsons disease may emerge slowly and include tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability [Paulson and Stern, 2004]. Also, patients may experience non-motor symptoms such as autonomic dysfunction (orthostatic hypotension, constipation, bladder dysfunction), psychiatric (depression), cognitive and sensory symptoms (pain) [Olanow, et al, 2009]. These non-motor symptoms become more common as the disease progresses. Treatments, including levodopa and dopamine agonists, which restore the dopamine deficits in the brain, have been employed for almost 50 years. However, with continued treatment using levodopa, dose-limiting motor side-effects often emerge. This includes the emergence of abnormal involuntary movements termed Levodopa Induced Dyskinesias, which can be identified in about 50% of patients within five years after initiation of levodopa treatment and in almost all patients within ten years post-treatment initiation. These side effects often limit further dose increases in dopaminergic therapy.



There can be no assurance that the FDA will support any potential request for an expedited path to approval or further development for ketamine in the treatment of Parkinsons disease.

About PharmaTher Holdings Ltd.

PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (OTCQB: PHRRF) (CSE: PHRM) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel uses and delivery forms of ketamine to treat mental health, neurological and pain disorders. PharmaThers product portfolio consists of KETARX (ketamine) delivered by intravenous injection, intradermal microneedle patch, and subcutaneous pump administration. Learn more at PharmaTher.com .

For more information about PharmaTher, please contact:



Fabio Chianelli

Chief Executive Officer

PharmaTher Holdings Ltd.

Tel: 1-888-846-3171

Email: info@pharmather.com

Website: www.pharmather.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "potential", "aim", may and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (the "Company") current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Company is not obligated 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 laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Company's management's discussion and analysis for the three and nine month periods ended February 28, 2022 and 2021 ("MD&A"), dated April 25, 2022, which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction.
Dublin, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Commercial Greenhouse Market by Type (Glass, Plastic), Product Type (Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers & Ornamentals, Nursery Crops), Equipment (Hardware, Software & Services), & Region (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, Row) - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The global commercial greenhouse market is estimated to be valued at USD 35.5 billion in 2022. It is projected to reach USD 61.6 billion by 2027, recording a CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period.

The North America region is estimated to record the highest CAGR of 12.3% during the forecast period.

The commercial greenhouse market in North America is growing at a CAGR of 12.3% due to the rising demand in large economies, such as US, Canada, and Mexico countries. The industrial organization and technology of commercial greenhouse manufacturing industry are changing rapidly in North America. The US is the fastest-growing commercial greenhouse country in North America due to an increase in cultivation. One of the major players of greenhouse films in North America is Berry Global, Inc. (US). Greenhouses are becoming more popular in the region as they increase yield and enhance the quality of crops while lowering the need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The climatic variations and prolonged drought in some parts of the US, such as California and other western states, have led to the increased use of greenhouses and mulching by farmers.

Plastic greenhouse had the largest market share of 59.9% in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% by 2027.

Plastic used in commercial greenhouses is made in a manner that makes it more durable than regular plastic. This specially made plastic can resist tearing and withstand extreme weather conditions. Greenhouse plastics are mainly made from three types of plastics: polyethylene plastic, polycarbonate plastic, and polymethyl methacrylate.

The market for plastic greenhouses is escalating due to the rise in environmental concerns across the world, and their higher yield capacity. The leading players in the market are focused on developing cost-effective and high-quality products to tap the huge unaddressed opportunities in developing regions. This can be witnessed from the increased spending on research and development and growing number of new product approvals. The market for polycarbonates is projected to grow at a high rate because the material offers better thermal efficiency, toughness, longevity, and durability.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Growing Demand for Food and Climate Change Challenges

Need for Higher Yields Using Limited Space and Water

Government Initiatives to Promote Smart Agricultural Practices

Restraints

Deployment of Expensive Systems in Commercial Greenhouses

Limited Variety of Crops Suited to Greenhouse Farming

Opportunities

Increase in Demand for Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture Applications

Rising Preference for Vegetables and Fruits in Developing Countries

R&D Initiatives to Improve Greenhouse Farming Methods

Growing Worldwide Environmental Concerns

Challenges

Lack of Temperature Control Systems to Maintain Optimum Crop Production Conditions in Warm Regions

Risk of Equipment Failure and Delays in Learning Curve of Growers

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Industry Trends

7 General Energy Systems Supplying Commercial Greenhouses

8 Commercial Greenhouse Market, by Type

9 Commercial Greenhouse Market, by Equipment

10 Commercial Greenhouse Market, by Product Type

11 Commercial Greenhouse Market, by Region

12 Competitive Landscape

13 Company Profiles

14 Adjacent & Related Markets

15 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Argus Control Systems

Agra-Tech, Inc.

Ammerlaan Construction

Berry Global

Certhon

Decloet Greenhouse Mfg. Ltd.

Everlight Electronics

Europrogress

Heliospectra Ab

Hort Americas

Harford

Logiqs B.V.

Lumigrow

Luiten Greenhouses

Ludy Greenhouse Manufacturing Corporation

Nobutec B.V.

Plastika Kritis SA

Richel Group

Rough Brothers, Inc.

Signify Holding

Stuppy Greenhouse

Sotrafa

Saveer Biotech Ltd.

Top Greenhouses

The Glasshouse Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y35dru

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TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Entourage Health Corp. (TSX-V:ENTG) (OTCQX:ETRGF) (FSE:4WE) (Entourage or the Company), a Canadian producer and distributor of award-winning cannabis products is pleased to announce the appointment of James Afara as the Companys Chief Operating Officer (COO).



A results-driven leader with an exceptional track record, James brings over 15 years of operations and supply chain experience to Entourage, serving most recently as its Senior Vice President of Strategic Sourcing, Quality Assurance and Cultivation. His promotion comes at a pivotal time as the Company integrates all functional teams in cultivation, tissue culture, production, operations and supply chain under one leader, to align core competencies and resources for maximum output.

Our commercial success will always be driven by our ability to scale production of our award-winning Color Cannabis, Saturday and Starseed Medicinal products. Over the past few months, James has demonstrated operational excellence in building disciplined strategies to meet our aggressive sales demand, while leading a team that consistently executes to plan, said George Scorsis, CEO and Executive Chairman. With his proven track record, business acumen and strong management outlook, James is perfectly suited to oversee all functions related to bringing saleable products to market, from seed to sale - straight through to distribution. With the addition of James, we have solidified and further strengthened our management team that will be pivotal to meeting our revenue and profitability goals in the near term.

James Afara, Chief Operating Officer, added: Entourage has an excellent reputation for producing top-shelf flower and innovative products, as well as consistently meeting fulfilment and delivery commitments. Im proud to be expanding my mandate alongside this industrys top professionals  and leading the very best cultivation and operations team in the business. We are already noting positive results and driving value  the benefits of which will eventually be passed along to our consumers, patients and shareholders.

Prior to joining Entourage in late 2021, James served as the COO at CannTx Life Sciences. A professional engineer by trade, James is widely recognized for his business analytics strategies that helped commercialize proprietary tissue culture remediation services and brought forward automated-operations activities for cannabis produced both in small batches and at scale. Over the past 15 years, James held manufacturing-related leadership roles of increased responsibilities at SteriPro Canada and Maple Leaf Foods. James holds a Bachelor of Science, Biochemical Engineering Degree from Western University and has also completed Leadership Certification courses from the Ivy School of Business.

Mr. Scorsis concluded: On behalf of the Entourage team, Id also like to acknowledge and whole-heartedly thank Jeff Keyes, SVP of Operations, for his dedication to optimizing our operations over the past three years. Under Jeffs watch, our provincial partners applauded Entourage for its stellar production record, routinely naming the Company as a top performer and shining example of efficiency and operational excellence. Jeff recently advised he was stepping down to pursue a manufacturing-focused role outside of the Company. We wish Jeff all the best in his new pursuits and will always be indebted to him, for his contributions to our success.

Visit Entourages website here to access the latest Company updates.

About Entourage Health Corp.

Entourage Health Corp. is the publicly traded parent Company of Entourage Brands Corp. (formerly WeedMD RX Inc.) and CannTx Life Sciences Inc., licence holders producing and distributing cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouse and processing facility located on 158-acres in Strathroy, ON; a fully licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, ON processing facility, specializing in cannabis extraction; and a micropropagation, tissue culture and genetics centre-of-excellence in Guelph, Ontario. With its Starseed Medicinal medical-centric brand, Entourage has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseeds industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with employers and over 10 union groups complements Entourages direct sales to medical patients. Entourages elite adult-use product portfolio includes Color Cannabis, Saturday Cannabis and Royal City Cannabis Co. sold across eight provincial distribution agencies. It is the exclusive Canadian producer and distributor of award-winning U.S.-based wellness brand Marys Medicinals sold in both medical and adult-use channels. Under a collaboration with The Boston Beer Company subsidiary, Entourage is also the exclusive distributor of cannabis-infused beverages TeaPot in Canada, which launched in select provinces in summer 2022.

For more information, please visit us at www.entouragehealthcorp.com

Follow Entourage and its brands on LinkedIn

Twitter: Entourage, Color Cannabis, Saturday Cannabis, Starseed & Royal City Cannabis Co.

Instagram: Entourage, Color Cannabis , Saturday Cannabis , Starseed & Royal City Cannabis Co.

For further information, investor or media inquiries, please contact:

Marianella delaBarrera

SVP, Communications & Corporate Affairs

416-897-6644

marianella@entouragecorp.com

investor@entouragecorp.com

media@entouragecorp.com

Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon Entourage's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of Entourage to implement its business strategies; the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; crop failure; and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Entourage does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Entourage to predict all such factors. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Entourages disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

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
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN), the nonprofit statewide health information network, today announced that it is partnering with PointClickCare Technologies, the largest post-acute electronic medical record vendor in the country, to advance and deepen healthcare collaboration, care coordination, andinteroperability by offering access to realtime insights at any stage of a patients journey.

Although Michigan has experienced widespread adoption of certified health IT systems over the last several years, many long-term care facilities and emergency medical service providers are not yet able to comprehensively leverage the states health information shared services utility.

PointClickCare will exchange post-acute health information throughout our shared digital infrastructure at an unmatched pace and scale, helping to tie the gaps of post-acute care into the integration and connection of the care continuum, said Dr. Tim Pletcher, DHA, Executive Director of MiHIN. Over 250 new post-acute providers and case managers will now be afforded the equitable ability to exchange real-time data via the state network. We anticipate this partnership will support optimized care delivery, safety, and coordination for patients, and will significantly improve outcomes and lower costs associated with particularly vulnerable populations.

Through our collaborative partnership, over 75 percent of all post-acute facilities in Michigan will now have access to valuable patient insights as they move through the healthcare system and the ability to breakdown silos and liberate information on patients, said Ben Zaniello, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at PointClickCare. This partnership is the next step to delivering more effective, comprehensive data in the state and will equip participating Michigan hospitals with unprecedented context on emergency department patients at the point of care.

As part of the partnership, MiHIN will be able to offer PointClickCares Emergency Department Optimization (EDO) platform to hospitals across the state of Michigan, enabling emergency departments to access realtime insights, ranging from prior patient encounters histories to interorganizational patient care plans, to support highrisk patients across the healthcare continuum. The tool will be particularly beneficial to those clinicians delivering care to increasingly complex and vulnerable patient cohorts such as expectant mothers, those experiencing health inequities, those that are being transitioned from post-acute facilities, and those impacted by the opioid crisis.

MiHIN and PointClickCare are calling upon hospitals in Michigan who are interested in accelerating the responsive, HIE-enabled capabilities of their Emergency Departments (ED) to provide feedback and input to the broader network. Providers and groups using the statewide digital infrastructure are also encouraged to collaborate to explore a new Use Case with MiHIN, termed Alert and Query, that looks to harness alert notifications to trigger a query to a long-term care facility in order to gather and present the most actionable prior information to the ED.

To provide feedback or request additional information, Michigan quality improvement and population health directors and leaders are encouraged to contact Joanne Jarvi, Senior Director of Outreach and Market Communications, at joanne.jarvi@mihin.org.

###

About Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services

The Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN) is Michigans state-designated entity for the technical, legal, secure, and private exchange of health information. Breaking down disparate and siloed data systems, the digital network is dedicated to transforming the healthcare experience, improving quality, decreasing cost and solving for health. MIHIN is a 501C3 non-profit, socio-technical collaboration that includes the State of Michigan, Health Information Exchanges, health systems, hospitals, care providers, behavioral health clinics, FQHCs, PIHPs, health plans/payers, pharmacies, post-acute care, hospices, and the Governors Health Information Technology Commission. For more information, visit https://mihin.org

About PointClickCare

PointClickCare is a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to realtime insights at any stage of a patients healthcare journey. PointClickCares single platform spans the care continuum, fostering proactive, holistic decisionmaking and improved outcomes for all. Over 27,000 longterm postacute care providers, and 2,700 hospitals use PointClickCare today, enabling care collaboration and valuebased care delivery for millions of lives across North America.

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LAS VEGAS, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BLUETTI, a leading company of clean energy storage systems, has recently launched a crowdfunding initiative on Indiegogo for its newest flagship product AC500. At the time of writing, BLUETTI has raised $5 million in two weeks under the aegis of 1,300+ backers. Crowdfunding is expected to hit a record high by the end of Oct. 15, 2022.

Stretch Goals & Gifts

BLUETTI AC500 has received tremendous support as it pulls in $2 million in the first seven hours. In response to the passion, BLUETTI has set its stretch goals shortly. When the funding reaches the following values, backers will get some gifts for free.

$6 million: Travel coffee mug

$8 million: BLUETTI T-shirt

$10 million: 1-year extended warranty (4 years in total)

$12 million: 2-year extended warranty (5 years in total)

As it hits $4 million now, a 100W USB-C Charging Cable is available for every backer.

Limited Chance

The price of BLUETTI AC500 on Indiegogo is tiered and adjusted over time. Due to the limited sales quota, the earlier orders are placed, the better the prices can be. There are discounts on Indiegogo ranging from 40% to 13% off. Moreover, freight costs and consumption tax are exempted for backers from the US and Japan. People who spot and seize the opportunity will benefit from the early bird prices.

Home Power Backup AC500

With modular design, this 5,000W solar generator allows users to expand its capacity to a staggering 18,432Wh (connected with 6*B300S batteries) to satisfy different needs. Featured with the split phase bonding function, two AC500 units can be combined to generate a massive 10KW output power when integrated into the home grid (Home Integration Kit is also added into this sale), making it a reliable home backup for unexpected blackouts, such as the recent power outage in Bullhead City, which left nearly 40,000 residents in the dark.

Foldable Solar Panel PV400

This 420W solar catcher is BLUETTI's recent masterwork in solar power systems. Made of monocrystalline silicon and coated with ETFE, it can achieve a high cell efficiency of up to 23.4% and 95% light transmittance. With a fold-and-go style, it can be easily transported from place to place, converting sunlight wherever and generating power whenever needed.

About BLUETTI

From the very beginning, BLUETTI has tried to stay true to a sustainable future through green energy storage solutions for both indoor and outdoor use while delivering an exceptional eco-friendly experience for everyone and the world. BLUETTI is making its presence in 70+ countries and is trusted by millions of customers across the globe.

For more information, please visit BLUETTI online at https://www.bluettipower.com

Press Contact

Amanda@bluetti.com

Contact Information:

amanda yan

Integrated Marketing for Bluetti

amanda@bluetti.com

+8615013559696



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English Lithuanian

LITGRID AB (company code 302564383, registered office address Karlo Gustavo Emilio Manerheimo g. 8, Vilnius) hereby informs that on 16 September 2022 it received the opinion of the Audit Committee of UAB EPSO-G dated 29 August 2022 on the transaction LITGRID AB intends to enter into with a related party. Having assessed all the information provided by LITGRID AB, the Audit Committee of UAB EPSO-G, in accordance with Art, provides an opinion (decision) on the agreement between LITGRID AB and Baltic RCC OU on the provision of Information Security Management Services (hereinafter referred to as the "Transaction"):

(i) The Transaction is concluded under market conditions, as the pricing of the services is based on the cost-plus method;

(ii) the Transaction is fair and reasonable in relation to all shareholders of LITGRID AB, as it is necessary to implement the cyber security requirements in the company under its control, and the services are provided at a pricing that is in line with market conditions.

The individual authorized by LITGRID AB to provide additional information:

Jurga Eivaite

Communications project manager

phone: +370 613 19977

e-mail: jurga.eivaite@litgrid.eu
NEWARK, Del, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A recently published study by FMI expects the global military communication market to augment at an 11% CAGR from 2022 to 2032. By the end of the said assessment period, a valuation of US$ 110.74 Billion is expected for the market. Demand for strong connectivity and interoperability is changing the dynamics of the military sector across the globe. This has led to using technology based services and systems for enhancing military communications.



From 2017 to 2021, the industry experienced noteworthy growth, registering a value CAGR of 6% and closing at US$ 35.14 Billion. War situations, increasing demand for connectivity in battleground along with the need for constantly staying aware are driving the growth of the market. Moreover, technological advancements and development of various devices is propelling the growth of military communication market.

The penetration of 5G network along with rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning is shaping the military communication market. Research and development are underway to understand the requirements of land, navy and air force military to offer technologically-driven communications. This, in turn, is expected to contribute to the growth of the market.

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Key Takeaways from the Market Study

By component, systems are expected to possess 55% market share for military communication market in 2022.

By application, situational awareness is expected to hold 40% market share for military communication market.

By end user, land force is expected to hold 45% market share for military communication market in 2022.

U.S. is expected to possess 45% market share for military communication market in 2022.

U.K. is expected to possess 40% market share for military communications in 2022.

India is expected to procure 35% market share for military communications market in 2022.

Increasing demand for interoperability along with data accessibility and management is driving the growth of military communications. Moreover, penetration of 5G network, IoT devices and sensors is further augmenting the demand for military communications. states an FMI analyst

Market Competition

Key players in the military communications market are General Dynamics Corporation, Airbus S.A.S., QinetiQ Group PLC, BAE Systems PLC, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rockwell Collins Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Company, Thales Group and Harris Corporation

In May 2022, General Dynamics Corporation was awarded a US$ 49.9 Million contract modification under existing navy contract for continued procurement, manufacturing, delivery of Digital Modular Radios.

Harris Corporation, a key player in the military communication market is focusing on developing technologically advanced systems that are especially designed for military forces. These systems will help military forces to improve connectivity on a larger scale.

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More Insights Available

FMI, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global military communications market, presenting historical analysis from 2017 to 2021 and forecast statistics for the period of 2022-2032.

The study reveals essential insights on the basis of Components (systems and services), by Applications (ISR, Situational Awareness, Command & Control), by End User (Air Force, Land Force, Naval Force) across five major regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa).

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary

1.1. Market Overview

1.2. Market Analysis

1.3. FMI Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Introduction

2.1. Market Definition

2.2. Market Taxonomy

3. Market Background

3.1. Macro-Economic Factors

3.2. Forecast Factors  Relevance & Impact

3.3. Value Chain

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Drivers

3.4.2. Restraints

3.5. Opportunity Analysis

To Continue TOC

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16 September 2022

Change of ownership in merger of mobile payment providers



Following a dialogue with the European Commissions Directorate-General for Competition, the owner banks behind the planned merger of the three mobile payment providers MobilePay, Vipps and Pivo have reached the decision that OP Financial Group in Finland will not be a co-owner and that Pivo will not be part of the merger.

Towards the end of the second quarter of 2021, Danske Bank announced an agreement with OP Financial Group in Finland and the consortium of banks behind Vipps in Norway to merge the three mobile payment providers MobilePay, Vipps and Pivo.

During this summer, however, the Commission expressed concerns about both MobilePay and Pivo being part of the merger, since this would result in the merger of two sizeable players in Finland. The Commissions immediate view was that the merger would thus adversely affect competition in the mobile payment space in Finland.

Consequently, the owner banks have agreed to proceed without OP Financial Group as co-owner. This also means that OP Financial Groups mobile wallet Pivo will not be part of the merger. The planned merger, as amended, has been filed to the Commission and awaits approval.

MobilePay in Denmark and Finland will still merge with Vipps. The parties ambition to create a mobile payment wallet across borders has not changed. Both Danske Bank and the Norwegian banks behind Vipps would have preferred the merger, as planned, to include OP Financial Group and Pivo, but we respect the Commissions concerns and now hope for a swift approval, says Christian Bornfeld, Head of Personal Customers at Danske Bank.

The merger is still the right decision

Danske Bank and the banks behind Vipps remain convinced that the merger of Vipps and MobilePay should go ahead, since it will create one of the most complete mobile wallets in Europe. When created, the new joint company based on Vipps and MobilePay will have almost 11 million users and more than 400,000 physical shops and webshops as customers who combined carry out about 900 million transactions each year. It will also employ 600 highly qualified employees.

The name of the new company will be Vipps MobilePay AS. The ambition is to provide easy payment solutions based on the day-to-day needs of users and business customers.

The new company, Vipps MobilePay, will invest considerably in growth and development in Finland even though Pivo is no longer part of the merger. Our ambition is still to be the market-leading solution for mobile payments in Finland, with the same strong market penetration as in Denmark and Norway. It is also our ambition to enter into more agreements with distribution partners in Finland and in other countries, says Claus Bunkenborg, CEO of MobilePay.

As previously communicated, the new company will keep its well-known brands, MobilePay and Vipps. So MobilePays personal users and business customers in Denmark and Finland will experience only very limited changes, and will see new and innovative solutions becoming available at an even faster pace than before.

Changes in ownership shares

In connection with OP Financial Group withdrawing from the agreement, the ownership ratio between Danske Bank and the Norwegian banks will remain the same. This means that instead of an ownership share of 25%, Danske Bank will have an ownership share of 27.8%, while the consortium of banks behind Vipps will have an ownership share of 72.2% instead of 65%.

The changes in ownership shares do not materially affect Danske Banks previously communicated expectations. The one-off gain on the transaction is expected to be approximately DKK 400 million on the basis of the merger and the distribution of shares in the new parent company. The merger continues to be subject to approval by the relevant authorities, including the EU Commission. We continue to expect final approval in the second half of 2022.

No management changes

The decision to headquarter the new company, Vipps MobilePay, in Oslo stands, and the company will be subject to supervision by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority.

Rune Garborg, the current CEO of Vipps, will also still become the CEO of the new company. Claus Bunkenborg will become Deputy CEO. Kjerstin Braathen, current chairperson of the board of directors of Vipps and CEO of the largest bank in Norway, DNB, will become chairperson of the board of directors of the new company. All other members of the management team and members of the board of directors will be announced once the transaction is approved and the deal final.

Danske Bank

Contact:

Peter Kjrgaard, Head of Press, MobilePay, tel. +45 25 42 42 02

Danske Bank, Media Relations, tel. +45 45 14 14 00





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New York, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bahai communities of nine countries yesterday delivered a letter addressed to His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, expressing their concerns at the discrimination, restrictions, and human rights violations that Bahais in Qatar have experienced for decades, and asking him to intervene in the situation.

The letters were delivered by hand by representatives of the Bahai communities of Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States,to the Embassies of Qatar in their respective countries.

The nine communities decided to act on behalf of fellow Bahais living in Qatar after observing worsening discrimination and restrictions against the community in that country. Millions of Bahais live in almost every country of the world and see themselves as part of a global community working together for the well-being of one common human race.

The Bahai International Community (BIC) has repeatedly raised the alarm over a pattern of discrimination and human rights violations suffered over decades by the Bahais in Qatar, said Diane Alai, a BIC Representative to the United Nations. Now the move by nine national Bahai communities, to convey their own concerns to the Emir of the State of Qatar, speaks to the gravity of this moment. Humanity is in danger of seeing the elimination of yet another religious minority from a Middle Eastern country.

The presence of the Bahais in Qatar predates the independence of the State of Qatar by some decades. Members of the Bahai Faith in Qatar, citizens and residents alike, have been a natural component of the society of Qatar and an active part of its development. But despite this long presence they have experienced decades of discrimination due to their religious beliefs.

The Qatari authorities have exerted systematic attempts, over many years, to remove Bahais from Qatar by blacklisting and deporting them, and denying them business licenses or work permits even when they had already received offers of employment from Qatari companies. A number of Bahais have also been denied certificates of good conductdespite having done nothing wrongwhich then disqualifies them from employment or other aspects of life.

A few Bahais in Qatar have even faced unspecified and false criminal and national security charges.

The blacklisting and expulsions have separated married couples and families and have forced some Qatari citizens to leave their homeland so as not to be separated from their non-Qatari spouses. Bahais in Qatar have also been barred from serving in sensitive sectors, in particular the education sector, despite having worked in and contributed over decades to the medical sector, banking, engineering, sports, media, entrepreneurship, public policy, oil and gas, the crafts and trades, the legal system, health and safety and the arts.

The discrimination bears a striking resemblance to the treatment Bahais have faced in Iran and Yemen. Most of the Bahais in Qatar who have faced blacklisting and deportation were born and raised in the country, in families that have been there for generations, and have known no other home.

A 2019 report by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on minority issues and freedom of religion or belief said that Qatar was undermining human rights in the areas of religion and culture, referring to the situation of the Bahais, in what appears to be a disturbing pattern of discrimination against individuals based on their religion or belief.

The Special Rapporteurs added that they were especially concerned over the deportation and blacklisting of individuals based on their adherence to a minority religion.

And earlier this year, in June, a fact sheet released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said that Qatars Bahai community faces limitations on freedom of religion or belief that are becoming increasingly systematic.

Bahais in Qatar love their country and only want to contribute to its progress, said Ms. Alai. And Bahais the world over hope that His Highness, the Emir, can intervene on behalf of their fellow Bahais before they are erased from his land.
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The famous, and long-awaited, Tokyo Game Show returns Sept. 14-17, 2022, after a hiatus due to COVID-19, and MegaFans, the world's first mobile esports community, is in full attendance for the entire event. CEO Jeff Donnelley has flown to Japan to build business and games that bridge the East and West, Web2 and Web3, all at once.

Jeff Donnelley, CEO of MegaFans and veteran gaming executive with 25 years of marketing experience for world-class brands such as Ubisoft, DraftKings and now MegaFans, is launching an aggressive campaign to build partnerships and collaborations with game developers, publishers, blockchain crypto and NFT businesses throughout Japan and East Asia. "The market is hot and ready to explode," says Donnelley. "Asia is developing some of the best IP (Intellectual Property) in the world, and they are anxious to expand westward now. Add the blockchain X factor and we are looking at massive, unprecedented opportunity."

MegaFans has been collaborating with several game developers in Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and China since the beginning of 2022. The plan, according to Donnelley, is to solidify an open exchange for the entire gaming industry, especially around blockchain games and products that include cryptocurrency and NFTs, both of which MegaFans has been fully immersed in since 2021, as part of their corporate growth strategy.

Gaming has proven to be one of the main onramps for growth and early adoption in the blockchain sector. Blockchain gaming has grown 2000% year over year through Q1 2022 and isn't slowing compared to the entire blockchain sector. Game developers are able to use the MegaFans infrastructure to create an esports environment, with tournaments that offer Web3 prizes such as cryptocurrency and NFTs.

Megafans is an infrastructure platform for game developers, offering software as a service (SaaS) with their esports software development kit that enables live tournaments inside games to generate revenue, as well as increase retention and player lifetime value (LTV) - the ultimate key performance indicator of gaming.

MegaFans is using blockchain, crypto, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a play-to-earn environment for gamers, collectors, and developers. To learn more, visit www.Megafans.io. To download games, visit https://linktr.ee/megafans_esports.

MegaFans (Mobile Esports Gaming Fanatics) is using blockchain, cryptocurrency and NFTs in a play-to-earn environment for gamers, collectors and developers, where 3 billion daily active users can play, compete and win prizes. MegaFans offers turnkey solutions for game publishers that increase monetization and retention by enriching the players' experience and their communities. MegaFans' mantra is "Esports for All!", which focuses on underserved markets around the world. They use a leaderboard format that features multiple tournaments simultaneously, to an infinite number of players globally, no matter what skill level or geo-location. Links to MegaFans' social media and company channels can be found at https://linktr.ee/megafans_esports.

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Amogys novel ammonia-to-power system passed initial safety reviews with Lloyds Register, a key step in development for use in maritime vessels

Approval in Principle for Amogys ammonia cracking technology advances the companys scaleup efforts to provide zero-emission power to ships

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A mogy Inc ., a pioneer of emission-free, energy-dense ammonia power solutions has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyds Register, a maritime classification society responsible for ensuring new maritime technologies meet safety requirements. This accomplishment represents a significant milestone in certifying Amogys ammonia-to-power system for maritime applications, which will be demonstrated for the first time in a maritime vessel in 2023.

The AiP covers an ammonia power system that generates electricity from liquid ammonia to power maritime vessels. This is achieved by cracking the liquid ammonia to hydrogen, and using the produced hydrogen to generate electrical power through proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Following this achievement, Amogy will continue the technology qualification and type approval processes, which would make the ammonia-to-power system fit for use on maritime vessels.

Amogy, backed by investors including Amazon , SK , and Saudi Aramco , has plans for a world-first zero-emission, ammonia-powered maritime demonstration in 2023. This follows previous successful demonstrations of this technology in a drone and a tractor . Furthermore, Amogy is working with industry partners across the ammonia and shipping value chains to evaluate its power solutions for commercial use in upcoming newbuild and retrofit vessels. This AiP will strengthen the companys position to commercialize this technology.

This important milestone is further validation in Amogy as we continue to work towards full commercialization of our innovative ammonia technology in the maritime industry, said Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy. As we get closer to bringing our system to market, it is critical to solve unique safety challenges for the design and operation of ammonia-fueled vessels, and our team is committed to working with key partners, such as Lloyd's Register, to enable its safe adoption by the industry.

Globally, shipping accounts for approximately 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is expected to climb up to 10% by 2050 if no solution is implemented. Decarbonizing this hard-to-abate industry remains a challenge due to the size and operational requirements associated with global shipping. Ammonia offers a significant potential to enable future zero-emission shipping, as the material presents high energy density and favorable economics, supported by existing transportation and storage infrastructure globally.

About Amogy

Amogy offers ammonia-based, emission-free, high energy-density power solutions to decarbonize transportation for a sustainable future. Founded in 2020 by four MIT PhD alumni with a shared vision, Amogy aims to enable the decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector, accelerating the global journey towards Net Zero 2050. The company has been invested in by Amazons Climate Pledge Fund, AP Ventures, SK Innovation, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures and DCVC. To date, Amogys scalable ammonia-powered, zero-emissions energy system has been demonstrated with success in a drone and heavy-duty tractor. More info at: www.amogy.co.

Media inquiries:

For Amogy:

amogy@fischtankpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6720cce3-f443-4627-918b-062450aad787
New Delhi, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United States Pet Insurance Market is flourishing at a significant growth rate mainly due to the increasing veterinary medical costs, growing consumer awareness, and the widespread use of expensive medical procedures and medications in the country- https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/united-states-pet-insurance-market

BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated the size of United States Pet Insurance Market at USD 1.94 billion in 2021. Also, BlueWeave forecasts United States Pet Insurance Market to expand at a double-digit CAGR of 10.6% between 2022 and 2028 to reach a size of USD 3.85 billion by 2028. Major growth factors for United States Pet Insurance Market include an increase in pet ownership, growing need to lower financial risk, and the high cost of veterinary treatment. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, up to 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the United States each year. Most of those are dogs, numbering over 3.3 million.

United State Pet Insurance Market - Technology Advancements

Insurance plans with the highest levels of coverage and the lowest costs are typically available from private carriers. Numerous innovative pet retention programs are made possible by top insurance. As a result, the pet insurance market in US will grow. During the projected period, the United States pet insurance market is forecast to rise because of the rising demand for pet insurance policies and the growing need for financial security in the event of a surge in uncertainties. Additionally, the growth of the pet insurance market is being positively impacted by the rise in the number of veterinary clinics throughout the course of the forecast period. Furthermore, it is expected that increased government activities related to pet insurance as well as the integration of technology into current service lines and product lines would present substantial prospects for expanding market growth over the course of the projection period.

Warburg Pincus Company completed the acquisition of the pet plan insurance firm in 2019. Through this acquisition, Warburg's assets and finances are now available to the pet plan. The titan of investment has invested a sizable sum in the pet plan, which is expected to aid in business expansion, the creation of new products, and enhanced customer support. In order to give policyholders access to pet professionals in real-time, the Embrace Pet Insurance Company teamed up with the paw support firm in October 2021. The veterinary specialists advise pet owners on the best ways to utilize the resources available for veterinary treatment. Paw Support provides email, video chat, and online chat services that are available around-the-clock to assist pet owners with a range of pet-related questions. Growing adoption of companion animals is expected to drive market growth. Because there is a rising concern for animal healthcare, the market for pet insurance is developing. Pets are increasingly bought for companionship and are commonly looked at as family members, with the trend changing from being a pet owner to being a pet parent.

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Segmental Coverage

United States Pet Insurance Market

According to animal type, the United States Pet Insurance Market is split into three categories: dogs, cats, and other animals. Due to their popularity across the country, higher care costs and greater risk of accidents, the dogs segment accounts for the majority of the market share for pet insurance. Businesses provide dog insurance plans that can cover a variety of dog breeds. The cats segment is could grow significantly in the coming years. By policy coverage, the market is segmented into accident-only, accident and illness, and others. The accident and illness insurance segment is expected to hold the highest market share during the forecast period, mainly due to the factors that enable the insurance to cover the biggest number of illnesses and mishaps.

Impact of COVID-19 on United States Pet Insurance Market

During Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of sectors across the world including the United States witnessed significant losses. It can be ascribed to the enormous disruptions that various precautionary lockdowns and other limitations that were imposed by governments across the country caused in their respective production and supply-chain operations. The US pet insurance industry was also affected by Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Additionally, consumer demand has now decreased as people have been more intent on cutting down non-essential expenses from their individual budgets, as the general economic condition of the majority of people has been adversely impacted by Covid outbreak. During the forecast period, the aforementioned factors are also anticipated to have a negative impact on the profit line of the United States pet insurance companies. However, it is projected that the United States pet insurance market would recover post Covid-19 pandemic era.

Dont miss the business opportunity in the United States Pet Insurance market. Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth.

Competitive Landscape

Pet insurance is not as generally known as other forms of insurance, as it is a fairly new form of insurance, with the first policy issued in 1982. With an emphasis on the US request and some of the major players, such as ASPCA Pet Insurance, FigoPet Insurance, Pet Plan Insurance, TrupanionInc., Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, Embrace Pet Insurance, EnviroServ Waste Management Ltd., Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, and PetFirst. For cats and dogs, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to creatures (ASPCA) provides accident only, accident and illness, and preventative care. Major pet insurance companies in the United States provide innovative insurance plans to expand their product base and market reach.

Recent Developments

More than 20 million Chewy consumers will be able to choose from an exclusive lineup of pet wellness and health insurance products thanks to a partnership between Trupanion and Chewy in December 2021. With the help of this strategic alliance, clients will be able to choose between wellness programs, preventive care, and all-inclusive insurance policies for illnesses, accidents, and chronic disorders. This collaboration improved the range of healthcare services and goods. Petplan was purchased by Warburg Pincus in October 2019. Through the acquisition, Warburg Pincus' funds and resources were made available to Petplan. With the help of this transaction, Warburg Pincus was able to significantly increase its investment in the pet insurance industry and hence PetPlan's operations.

Scope of the Report

Attributes Details Years considered Historical Data  20182021 Base Year  2021 Estimated Year  2022 Forecast Period  20222028 Facts covered Revenues in USD million Market Coverage United States Product Service/Segmentation By Policy Coverage, By Animal Type, By Sales Channel Key Players Agria Pet Insurance, Anicom Holdings Inc., Dotsure Ltd., Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., Hollard Insurance Co. Ltd., JAB Holding Co Sarl, Oneplan Underwriting Managers Ltd., Petplan Iberica S.L, and Proto Seguro Companhia de Seguros Gerais

By Policy Coverage

Accident Only

Accident and Illness

Others

By Animal type

Dogs

Cats

Others

By Sales Channel

Agency

Broker

Others

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BOULDER, Colorado, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spectra Logic, a global leader in data management and data storage solutions, today announced that Spectra Vail, a distributed multi-cloud data management software, was awarded Best of Show by TVB Europe at the IBC 2022 tradeshow. TVB Europe is a leading media outlet serving traditional broadcast media.

Spectra Vail Multi-Cloud Data Management Software

Spectra Vail centralizes data management across on-premises and multi-cloud architectures, enabling data access and placement within a single global namespace. Vail delivers policy-based data orchestration, streamlining workflows and reducing overall costs and complexities for organizations that want to leverage the power of the cloud. With Vail, organizations can take advantage of cloud services no matter where data is created or stored, whether in the cloud or on-premises.

In addition to the 2022 Best of Show award by TVB Europe, Vail software has received four other industry awards this year:

NAB Product of the Year Award in the Cloud Computing and Storage category

Award in the Cloud Computing and Storage category Storries Cloud Product of the Year Award

Award DCS Storage Innovation of the Year Award Finalist

Award Finalist Cloud Computing Award Finalist for Best Cloud Migration Solution

We are thrilled to have our latest multi-cloud data management software, Vail, recognized by so many industry torchbearers, said Betsy Doughty, Spectra Logic vice president of corporate marketing. Todays accolade is further validation of Vails exceptional features that enable organizations to leverage the power of the cloud and on-premises storage to accelerate and accomplish business goals.

About Spectra Logic

Spectra Logic develops a full range of Attack Hardened data management and data storage solutions for a multi-cloud world. Dedicated solely to data storage innovation for more than 40 years, Spectra Logic helps organizations modernize their IT infrastructures and protect and preserve their data with a broad portfolio of solutions that enable them to manage, migrate, store and preserve business data long-term, along with features to make them ransomware resilient, whether on-premises, in a single cloud, across multiple clouds, or in all locations at once. To learn more, visit www.spectralogic.com.

Follow Spectra Logic on social media:

Twitter: @spectralogic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spectralogic

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spectra-logic

Instagram: @spectralogic

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Spectra and Spectra Logic are registered trademarks of Spectra Logic Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

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TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PIMCO Canada Corp. (PIMCO Canada) today announced the 2022 September cash distributions for the ETF series (ETF Series) of the PIMCO Canada mutual funds that distribute monthly (Funds). Unitholders of record of the ETF Series, at the close of business on September 23, 2022, will receive per-unit cash distribution payable on or about September 30, 2022.

Details of the per-unit cash distribution amount are as follow:

Fund Name Ticker Cash Distribution per Unit PIMCO Monthly Income Fund (Canada) PMIF $0.06917 PIMCO Monthly Income Fund (Canada) US$ PMIF.U US$ 0.07241 PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Fund (Canada) IGCF $0.04966 PIMCO Global Short Maturity Fund (Canada) PMNT $0.03959 PIMCO Low Duration Monthly Income Fund (Canada) PLDI $0.0596

The Manager, PIMCO Canada administers and manages the PIMCO Canada ETFs, and retains Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO), to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds.

About PIMCO

PIMCO was founded in 1971 in Newport Beach, California and is one of the worlds premier fixed income investment managers. Today we have offices across the globe and 3,000+ professionals united by a single purpose: creating opportunities for investors in every environment. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those identified by the expressions expect, intend, will and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Funds. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect the Funds, PIMCO Canadas and/or PIMCOs current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, market factors. Although the Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. The Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement or information whether as a result of new information, future events or other factors which affect this information, except as required by law.

No offering is being made by this material. Interested investors should obtain a copy of the prospectus, which is available from your Financial Advisor.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

All investments contain risk and can lose value. For a summary of the risks of an investment in a specific fund, please see the risks of mutual funds section of the prospectus.

Investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund are not expected to be the same as those made by any other PIMCO-advised Fund, including those with a similar name, investment objective or policies. A new or smaller Funds performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long-term. New Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. A Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions for cash, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant share purchases for cash, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so, which may adversely affect performance.

Funds can offer different series, which are subject to different fees and expenses (which may affect performance), having different minimum investment requirements and are entitled to different services.

The products and services provided by PIMCO Canada may only be available in certain provinces or territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose.

PIMCO Canada has retained PIMCO LLC as sub-adviser. PIMCO Canada will remain responsible for any loss that arises out of the failure of its sub-adviser.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. This material contains the current opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. 2022, PIMCO

PIMCO Canada Corp. 199 Bay Street, Suite 2050, Commerce Court Station, P.O. Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2, 416-368-3350

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With the largest U.K. shipment of TAAT to date now set to arrive this quarter, the Companys U.K. TAAT distributor plans to expand the brands footprint into other markets in the southeastern region of the country.



LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to announce that it has dispatched a full-container shipment of TAAT to the United Kingdom, marking the Companys largest U.K. shipment to date at approximately three times the amount of product sent previously. This shipment will be used to further expand distribution of TAAT outside of the Greater London area into additional markets in the southeastern region of the United Kingdom, which the Company is presently coordinating with Green Global Earth (GGE), its U.K. wholesale partner.

TAAT Chief Executive Officer Michael Saxon commented, So far, 2022 has been an adventure as we expanded internationally into the United Kingdom. Certain challenges we have faced in the supply chain are customary, especially for a new product like TAAT. We believe we are at the end of those early-stage hurdles and we can begin to ship more regularly to the U.K., as our first international market. I was in London earlier this week working directly with our partners at GGE to plan how exactly we will carry out our upcoming expansion within the United Kingdom, and I will be returning later this year to discuss our plans for 2023.





TAAT Chief Executive Officer Michael Saxon (left) is pictured with GGE Chief Executive Officer John Hilton (right) at the InterTabac trade show in Dortmund, Germany. Mr. Saxon and Mr. Hilton are currently aligning the resources of TAAT and GGE to optimize growth-stage commercialization of TAAT products in the United Kingdom as GGE prepares to receive its largest shipment to date from the Company.

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.

In a press release dated July 22, 2022 , TAAT announced that it had received a third reorder from GGE, who was particularly enthusiastic about receiving TAAT made with Beyond Tobacco V3. Adult smokers in the United States and the United Kingdom have indicated that the experience of smoking V3 is enjoyable and bears a greater resemblance to the experience of smoking regular tobacco, despite containing no nicotine. As of this writing TAAT is primarily sold in South London; a presence that the Company and GGE intend to leverage to organically establish an expanded footprint in new markets in nearby regions.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC.

Michael Saxon

Michael Saxon, CEO and Director

For further information, please contact:

TAAT Investor Relations

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatglobal.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER.

About TAAT Global Alternatives Inc.

TAAT develops, manufactures, and distributes alternative products in categories such as tobacco, hemp, kratom, and other emerging CPG segments. Its flagship product is a nicotine-free/tobacco-free combustible with a patent-pending base material formulation, sold in several thousand U.S. stores. With over CAD $80 million in overall gross revenue annually, TAATs facilities include an operations centre in Nevada, as well as a distribution centre and multiple convenience stores in Ohio.

For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the anticipated performance of TAAT in the tobacco industry, in addition to the following: Final delivery of the full-container shipment of TAAT to the United Kingdom, anticipated expansion of TAAT outside of Greater London, potential outcomes from marketing and commercialization efforts for TAAT in the United Kingdom targeted towards adult smokers and the retailers from which they would ordinarily purchase tobacco products. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco markets; (iii) changes to the regulatory landscape applicable to the Company's business; and (iv) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms

Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by TAAT Global Alternatives Inc. can be found under the Company's profile on http://sedar.com .

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ae91b47-69c4-45c8-8187-168ea8c5668e
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Japan Smaller Capitalization Fund, Inc. (NYSE: JOF) (the Fund) announced that it will hold its annual meeting of shareholders (the Meeting) on November 21, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., Eastern Time. The Meeting will be held virtually. The record date for determining shareholders entitled to participate in the Meeting is September 23, 2022.



The Fund invests primarily in the securities of smaller capitalization companies in Japan and is designed for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation. The Manager of the Fund is Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc., which is based in New York. Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. is a subsidiary of Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd., which is one of the largest investment advisory companies in Japan in terms of assets under management and which serves as the Investment Adviser to the Fund.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Workers at two unionized Berezan liquor stores will be receiving a 9.76% wage increase following a mediation at the BC Labour Relations Board Thursday that settled a complaint filed by the Service Employees International Union Local 2.



The wage increase will be retroactive to September 1, which was the date a wage increase was implemented at seven other Berezan stores.

Winning this settlement is a step in the direction of transparency and fairness, said Clair Poule a supervisor at the Port Moody location. These values are super important in any team effort, and some of the larger goals we are hoping to achieve through collective bargaining. It is common for supervisors to be non-management employees in the sector.

The settlement also requires the company to post the notice at all the non-unionized stores in a conspicuous location and send an email to all employees advising them that the Kelowna and Port Moody stores will be receiving the same increase.

Berezan Hospitality Group operates nine liquor stores across BC as well as a ski resort, casinos and other businesses. Three liquor store locations won their union with SEIU Local 2 in August and early September.

Following the unionization of the first two stores - Kelowna and Port Moody  Berezan Management extended a 9.76% increase to all the non-unionized locations, which took effect on September 1.

In response, SEIU Local 2 filed an Unfair Labour Practice at the BC Labour Relations Board, alleging that the timing of these wage increases, and exclusion of the unionized workers, was discriminatory to the unionized stores and meant to discourage the non-unionized employees from joining SEIU.

Nonetheless, just one day after the wage increases took effect, workers at a third location in Surrey filed to unionize with SEIU.

Making sure that workers across the company are treated fairly in terms of the wage increase is important, but issues like safety, procedure, favouritism, adequate staffing and others remain. We look forward to discussing these unresolved matters in bargaining, said Cody Dilullo at the Kelowna location.

Moving forward, I hope that Berezan accepts the outcome of unionization and collaborates with their employees to improve the workplace for everyone, said Marissa Iacobucci, an employee at the Port Moody location. We hope that Berezan locations and other liquor stores recognize the significance of this win and continue to advocate for themselves without fear.

SEIU local 2 represents workers across British Columbia in the liquor production, distribution and retail industry including Mission Hill Winery, Westgate Liquor Store, Molson-Coors Beverage Company, Turning Point Brewery, Granville Island, and Okanagan Springs.




County in China's Hebei produces 2 million straw hats per year

People's Daily Online) 17:38, September 16, 2022

Employees make straw hats at a company engaging in straw plaiting in Qingxian county, Cangzhou city, north China's Hebei Province. (Chinanews.com/Yin Xiangping)

Known for the craft of straw plaiting, Qingxian county in Cangzhou city of north China's Hebei Province can produce 2 million straw hats annually.

The county's straw hats have been exported to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and other countries and regions, creating an annual revenue of $4.6 million. More than 10,000 people in the county are currently working in the industry.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
Helmut Marko's search for a possible replacement for Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri is not over, as Marko held a conversation with Nyck de Vries on Friday.

Article continues under ad

Sources report to Motorsport-Total.com, that Nyck de Vries visited the Red Bull advisor's office in the Austrian city of Graz on Friday afternoon. There is no further information about the content of the conversation (yet). The 27-year-old Dutchman has clearly left a good impression on several people in the paddock following his strong Formula 1 debut at Monza, so Marko among them.

Strong debut

The FE champion unexpectedly had to fill in for Alexander Albon at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, who was struggling with acute appendicitis and required surgery. De Vries made it to Q2 in qualifying and was allowed to start from P8. During the race, he managed to hold on to that spot. Eventually, he crossed the finish line in ninth place, putting him directly in the points. Moreover, he also made a lot of people doubt the future of the disappointing Nicholas Latifi at the team given his fine performance on debut.

Exit for Herta

Red Bull waged a weeks-long battle to secure a super licence for Colton Herta. On Friday, Marko confirmed that Red Bull had given up that battle. Herta's arrival was reportedly triggered by the possible departure of Pierre Gasly, who may become the successor to Fernando Alonso's departure to Aston Martin. De Vries' arrival would be a very strong entry for the team and a nice win for Marko. De Vries was a Mercedes junior for many years, but now that the Formula E season is over, he no longer has any contractual obligations towards the marque. The 27-year-old Fries is also in the interest of Alpine, should Pierre Gasly be unable to make the switch. He will complete a test in the French marque's 2021 car this month. Williams is also interested in De Vries as Latifi's replacement.


On the 7th anniversary of Coeur de Ville, a series of activities such as concert, expos, carnivals, and fashion shows were organised at each of the three malls to celebrate the occasion which was also marked by the rebranding of the three malls notably at Grand Baie, Flacq and Tamarin. The new logo was unveiled by the group CEO, Pascal Tsin on Friday 9 September at Coeur de Ville Grand Baie.

The fashion shows executed by the group Next Supermodel by Train 2 Gain, were one of the highlights of the show. Around 25 models of mix age groups and genders performed on different themes in front of enthusiastic crowds at the three locations. Some robust brands sponsored of this fashion festival including Mado, Phydra, OneEye, Body & Soul, Quicksilver, CitySports, Cashmere Vogatti Collection, Brasila, Elle M, La Mia Luce, Vespa, Miss Bonheme, Cabanna, Koyratty Collection, Desi Belle, Saheli, Eshan Boutik, Fe, Beauty and Fair Forever, Maybelline, Note and Ayurdevic Hai and Spa.

A bridal round orchestrated by Ailleurs Elegance and Mecca Club was the highlight of the entire 3 days show as family and friends turned up in numbers to encourage the models.

Dr Harrish Bheemul, the group CEO, was extremely satisfied with the outcome, We have been preparing for such shows for some time now, and the results were amazing. Its really recomforting to see a group of individuals who dream to be part of fashionista but with minimum experience of the industry, work towards making it happen. With different types of training they have received, they are today able to catwalk in front of any audience with a good level of confidence. This is true empowerment.

Next Supermodel candidates are expected to prepare for several shows till the end of the year with the Diwali Festival already scheduled for October.

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LiquidPiston announced a $1.7-million Phase II award from the US Army to continue the development of the companys Hybrid Electric X-Engine (HEXE) propulsion system. (Earlier post.) The Phase II award is a result of successful completion of a Phase I xTechSearch Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award previously announced.

LiquidPistons HEXE propulsion system, prototyped and demonstrated at the end of Phase 1, will deliver fuel-efficient power as well as advanced take-off and inflight capabilities to meet the Armys Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) goals, including compatibility with military-grade heavy fuels such as JP8.

The hybrid system changes the concept of operation, allowing quiet, electric-only cruise in addition to electric-assist sprint and climb modes.

LiquidPistons X-Engine utilizes the breakthrough thermodynamic concepts of the companys patented High-Efficiency Hybrid Cycle (HEHC) in a totally re-imagined compact rotary engine architecture that overcomes the limitations of the traditional Wankel rotary engine.





The result is a purpose-designed power source for a hybrid-electric propulsion platform where portability, efficiency, low maintenance and jet fuel compatibility all work to overcome current range and payload shortcomings. In particular, the X-Engine propulsion system can toggle power between all-electric, engine-only, or a combination of bothall on demandwhile being able to restart the engine in-air on jet fuel.

The system recharges batteries in flight, so that the batteries can be sized to provide power vertical takeoff and landing as well as up to 30 minutes of quiet (electric) cruise. The HEXE VTOL system allows the Army to launch and land in small areas, and set up and stow quickly.

Additionally, by combining electric and engine power on the main propeller shaft, the system achieves increased flight velocity (electric-assist sprint) and climb rates as well as optimized hybrid-electric range.

One of the Armys major areas of focus for modernization is Future Vertical Lift (FVL). Over the past few years, Army xTech judging panels have repeatedly recognized LiquidPistons technological developments in holding great promise for supporting critical Army requirements for FVL modernization. We are pleased to see their efforts advance with this Army Phase II SBIR program. Zeke Topolosky, Strategic Partnerships Office, US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory

LiquidPiston has more than 70 patents related to thermodynamics and advanced engine design that will enable a new family of engines and generators that are lightweight, compact, highly efficient and portable. This Phase II contract builds on more than 10 years of R&D with DARPA, the Army, and industry leaders to improve the maturity of the X-Engine technology.
Xiaomi will soon unveil its first phone with a 200MP camera and, unlike the 12S Ultra, it will be available in the West. That is the Xiaomi 12T Pro and it will be joined by a vanilla 12T model.

Both phones will have flat 6.67 AMOLED displays with 1,220 x 2,712px resolution (which you may have seen labeled as 1.5K, it falls between FHD+ and QHD+). The displays will have 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 5.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro (left) and 12T (right) differ mainly in the choice of chipset and main camera

The batteries will be the same too with 5,000mAh capacity and 120W fast charging (wired, no word on wireless). While these two are fairly premium models, Xiaomi will reportedly cut costs by switching from a metal frame (like on the 12/12S) to a plastic frame. Anyway, where the two phones differ is in the main cameras and the chipset.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro will have a 200MP camera with a fairly bright f/1.69 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). This is probably the same Samsung HP1 sensor (1/1.22) that is in the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, except the Moto puts it behind a narrower f/1.9 aperture.

The Pro model will also be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset that was also used in the 12S phones. Here it will be paired with 8/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB storage.



Xiaomi 12T Pro

The vanilla Xiaomi 12T will have a 108MP main camera instead with an f/1.65 aperture (but no OIS, by the looks of it). The 12T and 12T Pro will share the remaining camera modules and they arent particularly impressive  there will be an 8MP ultra wide camera, a 2MP macro cam and a 20MP selfie camera on the front.

Instead of a Qualcomm chip, the 12T will be powered by a Dimensity 8100 Ultra, though its not clear how that differs from the regular 8100. It will be paired with 8GB of RAM (no 12GB option) and 128/256GB storage. Have a look at the Redmi K50 Ultra, it has very similar hardware except that it is based on the 8+ Gen 1 chip.



Xiaomi 12T

As you can imagine, the Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro will come with different price tags too, but the rumored value is less than you would pay for a Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro, respectively.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro is rumored to cost 850 in Europe (that converts to 67,500). For comparison the Xiaomi 12 Pro goes for 900 right now on mi.com. Of course, that one has a 50MP main, 50MP ultra wide and a 50MP 2x tele cameras, plus a QHD+ LTPO AMOLED panel, but it does use the older 8 Gen 1 chipset and has a smaller 4,600mAh battery (also with 120W charging).

The Xiaomi 12T should cost 650 (52,000), which is again just south of what a Xiaomi 12 costs from the official store (700). However, that one had an 8 Gen 1 chips, which should outperform the Dimensity (even if it does run hot). It does come with a smaller, slower battery (4,500mAh, 67W) and a different camera setup (50+13+5MP), though.

The Xiaomi 12T is expected to go official next week and the Pro will go into a 200MP war against the Moto Edge 30 Ultra (which sells for 900).

By the way, a couple of weeks ago some Xiaomi 12T Pro renders surfaced and they were paired with images of a Redmi Pad tablet. There is no guarantee that the Pad is coming next week too, but well keep an eye out for it.

Source (in German)
Brown tree snakes from Guam are helping researchers study the potential ecological impact of Burmese pythons in southern Florida.

Just as the invasive snakes decimated the bird population on Guam, Burmese pythons that had been released into the wild by exotic pet owners are negatively impacting the ecology of Everglades National Park, according to a University of Cincinnati press release.

The Everglades ecosystem is changing in real time based on one species, the Burmese python, Ian Bartoszek said in the university news release.

Bartoszek, environmental science project manager for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, is co-author of a recent study led by University of Cincinnati biology professor Bruce Jayne.

Jayne had prior experience studying brown tree snakes as part of a team that discovered its unique method of climbing cylindrical objects such as trees and power poles.

The method, which they called lasso locomotion, involves the snake wrapping its body around the tree and then wiggling up.

In the most recent study, published Aug. 25 in the journal Integrative Organismal Biology, Jayne and his team used 19 brown tree snakes captured on Guam as part of their research on the gape, or maximal size of the mouth opening, of the two invasive species.

They found that even accounting for the difference in size, Burmese pythons had a larger gape, mostly due to super-stretchy skin between their lower jaws.

Its that larger gape, more than their overall size, that allows pythons to swallow prey up to six times larger than similar-sized snakes.

The stretchy skin between left and right lower jaws is radically different in pythons. Just over 40% of their total gape area on average is from stretchy skin, Jayne said in the press release. Even after you correct for their large heads, their gape is enormous.

By also studying the dimensions and weight of potential prey, the scientists hoped to be able to predict the maximum size of prey the snakes could eat, based on their size.

In a lab experiment, however, a brown tree snake was unable to swallow a rat that it should have been able to eat based on its size.

The study cited two likely reasons: a localized bulge in the rat abdomen and an inability to move the jaws over bumps created by the bases of the hind limbs.

The study went on to note that there wasnt enough detailed field observations for brown tree snakes to provide further insights into the largest prey that the snakes actually eat.

You can read the full study at bit.ly/3ROYSxS.
The medical licensing board will have to hunt for a new physician to fill the post of Dr. Scott Shay, who has to step down due to continued absences at the boards monthly meetings.

Shay was appointed to fill an absence on the Guam Board of Medical Examiners in 2020. His term was set to expire in May of 2024. However, the local Physicians Practice Act requires any board member who misses three consecutive meetings to be removed.

According to medical board records submitted to the Legislature, Shay hasnt attended a meeting since January. He did attend the majority of board meetings held last year.

During a meeting this week, Dr. Nathaniel Berg, medical licensing board chair, said Shay keeps wanting to serve and wanting to be here, but his schedule, it would appear, does not allow that to happen.

I submitted the attendance of Dr. Shay to the governors office, said Health Professional Licensing Office administrator Zenia Pecina. And the recommendation is that we remove him as a member because he has not shown up.

Berg suggested members having difficulty attending meetings be asked if they wished to remain on the board. That includes Dr. Luis Cruz, who for personal reasons has had issues with attendance, according to Berg.

Board member Dr. Annette David suggested internal medicine specialist Dr. Edward Blounts be contacted to fill the soon-to-open slot.

I think he would be willing. Ive spoken to him in the past and hes willing to serve, David said.

Members have complained before about the difficulty in recruiting board members. Except for one public representative, members all must be doctors.

The medical licensing board is responsible for licensing every Guam doctor and investigating and ruling on complaints of malpractice and misconduct against licensees. Members receive a $50 stipend for each meeting they attend, capped at $100 a month.

Theres been recent public outcry about the handling of complaints and increasing pressure from the Legislature to improve operations.
Visitor arrivals for Guam inched closer to the 200,000 mark for fiscal 2022, with an additional 37,835 passenger arrivals in August amid eased travel pandemic protocols, new data from the Guam Visitors Bureau shows.

Fiscal year-to-date arrivals reached 188,887  far exceeding GVBs forecast of 85,000 to 130,000 for 2022  and with still one month to go.

Tumon and other popular tourist attractions are no longer nearly ghost towns like they were in most of 2020 and 2021, but economy and tourism experts said it would take years for the visitor industry to come close to the record-breaking 1.6 million posted in pre-pandemic 2019.

Arrivals for August continue to show an improvement in our recovery efforts. We are tracking to end the fiscal year well above our initial projection of 130,000 visitors, and one of those factors that contributed to GVB exceeding forecast expectations is our free COVID testing program, Nico Fujikawa, GVB director of tourism research and strategic planning, said.

Last months arrivals dipped by nearly 8% compared to the 41,091 that the island welcomed in July.

Despite a slight decrease, August arrival numbers remained the second-highest for monthly arrivals so far this fiscal year.

But it is still just a tiny portion of the record-high August 2019 arrivals of 159,856.

Korea leads

The Korean market continues to lead visitor arrivals, with 24,751 in August alone, followed by Japan with 2,916. GVB is hopeful of more arrivals from Japan in the coming months. Arrivals from other states, including military-related movement, were at 5,808, GVB data shows.

57% of (August) Korean visitors stated this was their first trip to Guam, GVBs data shows.

With more pandemic restrictions lifted and more airlines resuming their pre-pandemic routes, arrivals ramped up in May with 20,008 versus Aprils 11,318.

Tourism picked up even more in June, before reaching even higher arrivals of 41,091 in July.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended Guams tourism. Military-related arrivals, however, prevented a total shutdown throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
The military and the Guam Power Authority are now looking at alternative sites to build a large solar farm because the original proposed site, on military land at South Finegayan, could be used for a missile defense system instead.

Delays

GPA General Manager John Benavente in July told the Consolidated Commission on Utilities that the 40-megawatt solar farm, which had been delayed because of a years-long procurement project, now needs a new location because the land no longer is available.

ENGIE Solar, which won the bid for the project, bowed out because of the lengthy delay, stating it no longer can guarantee its bid price of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, Benavente reported.

Although GPA already buys power from two large solar farms, the ENGIE project was to be the first to use significant battery storage to allow solar energy to be used at night.

According to Joint Region Marianas, Benavente and GPA legal counsel Graham Botha met with the military this week on Nimitz Hill to discuss the future of the project.

Defense needs

Defending Guam is going to take a significant amount of upgrades to our base infrastructure, which means that some of the real estate we were hoping to lease to GPA is now needed to meet developing critical mission requirements, Joint Region Commander Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson said in a statement posted on social media.

A 40-megawatt solar farm will need a lot of land to operate. The recently completed 60-megawatt Mangilao solar farm, which was built by Korea Electric Power Corporation, sits on 271 acres.

The Missile Defense Agency has been examining military-held property in Guam to build a $900 million, 360-degree missile defense system for the island. According to the Navy, the defense system likely will be built at several different locations.

Federal property

According to Joint Region, the military and GPA are now taking a hard look at various sites located on federal property, for the purpose of building renewable energy projects such as solar farms.

We know how important renewable energy and alternative sources of power are for the island community, Nicholson said. We remain committed to our partnership with GPA, and will continue to work with the local government to identify future locations that might be viable for the (energy lease agreements).
Guam Police Department officers are investigating a shooting that occurred the morning of Sept. 16, 2022, at Tanguisson Beach. This story is developing.
Local nonprofit Prutehi Litekyan wrote the Guam Environmental Protection Agency this week, urging regulators to deny Andersen Air Force Base a permit to openly dispose of hazardous munitions along Guams northern coastline.

The request comes weeks ahead of a court date that will determine whether the nonprofits lawsuit seeking the shutdown of munition disposal units at Andersen will proceed.

Prutehi Litekyans letter points to stricter regulations on the open burn and open detonation of munitions handed down by U.S. EPA in June.

As (U.S. EPA) reaffirmed in its recent memorandum regarding open burning and open detonation permitting, OB/OD cannot be permitted unless the facility demonstrates that no safe alternatives exist, environmental law firm Earthjustice wrote on behalf of the nonprofit. Andersen AFB has not made this required demonstration, and its draft permit thus fails to comply with federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements and must be denied.

Renewal pending

Andersens permit to operate open burn and open detonation units at Tarague, in place since 1980, is subject to a three-year renewal and is now pending before Guam EPA.

Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Koenig, public affairs officer for Joint Region Marianas, on Friday said the military was unable to comment on the matter due to the ongoing litigation.

Base officials have asserted the disposal units, located above the islands primary source of drinking water, satisfy existing safety and environmental requirements.

Prutehi Litekyan took the Air Force, Department of Defense and their respective leadership to court in January in a push to see the units shut down pending further environmental analysis. District Court of Guam Chief Justice Frances Tydingco-Gatewood on Sept. 26 is set to decide whether the case should be thrown out.

The memo from U.S. EPA carries enough weight to see the application shut down before the lawsuit proceeds, Prutehi Litekyan maintains. U.S. EPA stated there are no significant barriers to the full-scale deployment of alternative technologies for the demilitarization of the vast majority of the conventional waste munitions, bulk energetics, and associated wastes, Prutehi Litekyan stated in its letter.

Court records show detonations at Tarague are ongoing.

Alternatives

Rather than demonstrate why alternatives to open burning and open detonation arent viable, Andersen in its application summarily dismisses the option of alternatives, asserting  with no supporting analysis whatsoever  that alternatives are not viable on a large scale, the nonprofit stated in its letter.

Alternative technologies, like closed detonation chambers, identified by the National Academy of Sciences in a 2019 review, present cleaner options, Prutehi Litekyan wrote.

Andersens permit application notes significant research and development has been done by the Defense Department to find alternatives, but while some alternatives have progressed beyond the conceptual or laboratory scale, most are still years away from being a viable alternative.

Larger explosives wouldnt be suitable for alternative methods of disposal, the permit application states. The list of pre-evaluated ordnances that may be disposed of at Tarague range from 12-gauge shotgun cartridges to the MK117 bomb  an out of use 750-pound explosive first deployed in the Vietnam War.

Prutehi Litekyan in its letter points out that U.S. EPA specifically prohibits the open disposal of small arms less than .50 caliber. Permits for the burn and detonation of non-explosive waste should also be denied, the memo states. The Andersen burn pit has been out of use since 2002, but may be reactivated.

Under its existing authority, GEPA can and must do what is right for the people and environment of Guam  deny Andersen AFBs permit application immediately, Prutehi Litekyan wrote.(tncms-asset)b55fed9e-3585-11ed-a120-f3881347a2c1[1](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)b174eb12-3585-11ed-8b8a-7fb0c675458b[2](/tncms-asset)
Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio wrapped up his trip to Honolulu for the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders this week with a Thursday meeting with representatives of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees military operations throughout the Pacific.

This is just continuing to make sure that our dialogue with the Department of Defense continues, Tenorio said in a PDN interview in Honolulu on Wednesday. Among the topics he planned to discuss with military leaders were:

Affordable housing : The housing situation on Guam is one of the issues, of course, that were looking at, because of the impact that service members have, and the number of service members have when theyre living in the residential community.

: The housing situation on Guam is one of the issues, of course, that were looking at, because of the impact that service members have, and the number of service members have when theyre living in the residential community. Jobs : Were forecasting an increase in jobs, especially ship repair jobs, he said. It is clear that the Department of Defense is looking at assigning more of those kinds of activities to Guam.

: Were forecasting an increase in jobs, especially ship repair jobs, he said. It is clear that the Department of Defense is looking at assigning more of those kinds of activities to Guam. Tenorio said one of the administrations efforts in this area would be to ensure that these kinds of jobs are going to be available to the local population and trying to make sure that we align our resources so that were investing in developing the workforce and understanding perhaps whats being forecasted the timelines for this kind of work to be done.

Health care: I think that there should be health care buildup running concurrently with the military buildup that is happening, Tenorio said. Theres a big portion of people that are involuntarily leaving Guam and the other islands for other areas that have access to better health care and specialty health care.

He said hell be trying to get the U.S. government know that theres opportunities, investment in medicine and health care on Guam, including supporting the planned new medical complex.

Earlier this week, Tenorio and 19 other Pacific island government leaders at the conference also had the opportunity for discussions with a high-level U.S. delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Later this month, President Joe Biden will meet with Pacific islands leaders at the White House for the first U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit, according to a Sept. 13 State Department fact sheet.

Biden invited Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga and Fiji to take part in the summit, according to a Sept. 2 Associated Press report.

The focus on the Pacific Islands comes during a time of increasing tensions in the region with China, including the Solomon Islands new security pact with Beijing, which some fear could lead to a Chinese naval base being constructed about 2,000 miles southeast of Guam.

In response, the U.S. is emphasizing its commitment to the region and expanding aid programs that reflect a mix of military and political concerns with health and climate issues, according to the State Department.

Despite the welcome announcement of millions of dollars available to the islands, a lot of the (Pacific island) countries are saying that the funds remain inaccessible and unavailable for their use because of the level of bureaucracy that is involved in accessing the funds, Tenorio said. And this is just not exclusively for the United States; it is for the international community.

As home to the U.S. militarys westernmost outpost in the Pacific, national policy experts have said Guam plays a unique geostrategic role, which lends it a unique perspective among the regional leaders.

I think thats helpful for us to be able to let them know that the people of Guam are really carrying this burden of peace. Not only for ourselves, but for the entire region and its stability, Tenorio said.

The conference provided a renewed opportunity to engage and network with the other 19 Pacific Island leaders, Tenorio said, adding that in prior years, you know, a lot of our friends within the region have been telling us that the Guam voice is missing in some sectors because were not members of Pacific Islands Forum and elsewhere.
Dr. Delores Lee, Todu Guam Foundation clinical director, gives a checkup to Ava-Jo Taimanglo, 7, during a medical outreach at the Inalahan Mayors Office in July 2022. Dr. Ramel Carlos writes of the need to address the physician shortage throughout Guam and the U.S. in his letter to the editor.




Haiti - Gonaives : Protesters loot Caritas and WFP warehouses





Thursday morning in Gonaives (Dept. Artibonite), 3rd day of protest against the increase in the prices of petroleum products, high prices and the Prime Minister among others https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37648-haiti-flash-the-new-fuel-prices-are-in-effect-anger-is-growing.html , demonstrators attacked and looted a warehouse of the international Catholic NGO Caritas, located behind the bishopric of the city and took everything (among other things : beans, bags of rice, cooking oil as well as mattresses, beds and computer equipment.)



After the Caritas looting scene towards the middle of the day the population attacked and looted depots of the World Food Program (WFP), the largest humanitarian organization in the world.



The interventions of the security forces who made great use of tear gas to try to disperse the demonstrators did not prevent the looters from seizing food supplies in a wild frenzy.



In a note, the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations confirms that a warehouse in Gonaives, Haiti, was looted and that adjacent offices were set on fire specifying "The warehouse contained 1,400 metric tons of food intended for school meal programs and to Haiti's most vulnerable families and children. The personnel of the organization have been taken care of and are safe [...]"



"This incident is simply unacceptable. The looted food was intended to feed nearly 100,000 school children until the end of the year and to provide emergency aid to the most vulnerable families in Haiti" lamented Jean-Martin Bauer , Director of WFP in Haiti who recalled "WFP is in Haiti to support vulnerable communities with urgent needs, while strengthening local production and livelihoods through our long-term resilience initiatives."



S/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2022/09/15

The official non-English Netflix figures for September 5th to September 11th have "Narco-Saints" doing OK with 20.6 million hours viewed for fifth place. Contrast with 31.64 million hours viewed for "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" in first place, 21.48 million views for "Young Lady and Gentleman" in fourth place, 16.84 million views for "Alchemy of Souls" in sixth place, and 9.97 million views fr "Little Women" in seventh place. "Narco-Saints" is the only one of these dramas produced directly by Netflix.

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If I had to guess I'd also say that "Narco-Saints" is also almost certainly the most expensive of these five dramas, given the location shooting and high profile of the stars. For all that glitter, "Narco-Saints" has gotten remarkably little attention in English language press, as did "Squid Game" despite it finally getting a chance to shine at the Emmys. The release of the official trailer or "Decision to Leave" in the United States has gotten considerably more attention by comparison.

Anyway! In the third episode of "Narco-Saints" the story has finally seemed to actually start. The runtime mostly consists of In-goo trying to coyly gain Pastor Jeon's trust by not wanting to actually do business with him. While Pastor Jen readily accepts that the civilian who he hoodwinked into taking the rap for drug trafficking is actually in position to make a big drug deal, he's far more suspicious of Agent Choi, the actual facilitator of the deal.

And that's pretty much all that happens. "Narco-Saints" is a cinematic story, but only seems to have about a movie's worth of actual plot. The extra time to ruminate over the plot actually hurts the impact a surprising amount. Why? Well, because some twists seem too obvious. In-goo gets mad at Agent Choi for tipping off Dutch authorities the fish were filled with drugs. But how would Agent Choi know that unless he already had a man in Pastor Jeon's organization?

More relevantly, why would In-goo assume that Agent Choi knew about any of that? The main explanation I can think of is just that In-goo is inexplicably hypercompetent, to a point that's honestly kind of distracting. No matter how much In-goo is menaced by alligators, he never seems credibly threatened or in over his head. This kills nearly all of the dramatic stakes in "Narco-Saints" and puts a lot of pressure on the story's mystery elements- which frankly speaking, just aren't well-written enough to carry the story on their own.

Review by William Schwartz

___________

"Narco-Saints" is directed by Yoon Jong-bin, written by Kwon Seong-hwi, Yoon Jong-bin, and features Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Yeon-seok, Choo Ja-hyun. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/09/09~Upcoming, Fri on Netflix.
Published on 2022/09/15 | Source

New stills added for the upcoming Korean movie "Devil in the Lake" (2022)

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Directed by Tak Se-woong

With Park Ha-na, Heo Jin, Jung Young-joo,...

Synopsis

Bo-yeong moves into the mansion of the previously wealthy grandmother, Wang, as a caregiver with a dangerous intention.



Mother Kim, the only blood relative of Wang who hired Bo-yeong, sets conditions such as 'Do not bring anyone, especially children', and 'Do not go near the reservoir'.



Ominous and bizarre signs continue in grandmother Wang's huge mansion located next to a reservoir called 'Gwimot', where people are dying, and Bo-yeong finds out that foreigners who have visited the place have suffered a mysterious death...

Release date in Korea : 2022/10
Police on Wednesday confirmed that the series of frauds and computer break-ins continued throughout the summer, having started in May.

POLICE OFFICERS in Eastern and Western Uusimaa are investigating 53 cases of means of payment fraud and roughly 150 cases of computer break-in in connection with a long-standing vulnerability in the online banking services of S Bank.

The perpetrators, for example, exploited the vulnerability to access the online banking services of other customers, use their log-in credentials to access other online services and to make unauthorised payments, indicates a press release issued by S Bank on Tuesday. The system error, it said, enabled a small group of customers to log in to the online banks of others in certain circumstances.

The error was rectified immediately upon its detection, on 5 August.

Klaus Geiger, the detective chief inspector in charge of the pre-trial investigation at Western Uusimaa Police Department, said the case is unusual because the suspects reside and committed the offences in Finland. Another unusual aspect is that the suspects did not need to deceive the victims to commit the wrongdoings.

The series of offences under investigation is completely different to the so-called phishing frauds that have occurred across the nation, which are orchestrated from abroad by misleading the victims, he said in a press release.

The perpetrators are tentatively suspected of aggravated means of payment fraud, aggravated money laundering and computer break-in. Two of them are currently in pre-trial detention, while a few others have been in police custody or under arrest during the pre-trial investigation.

Geiger told Helsingin Sanomat that the suspects were friends with one another. The entire group of perpetrators had known each other one way or another, he said.

Although the victims reside all over the country, the investigation is being carried out by police in Eastern and Western Uusimaa. The officers will be contacting all victims in the case in the coming days.

Also S Bank has indicated that it has been or will shortly be in contact with all the victims.

Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday wrote about a man who notified the bank of several unauthorised withdrawals and loans taken out on his account in May. He also filed a report of an offence, but he was later told that the pre-trial investigation had been discontinued after police concluded that there was reason to believe the offences had taken place overseas, beyond their jurisdiction.

The man told the newspaper that while police instructed him not to pay any bills linked to the misappropriated money, the bank insisted that the bills would have to be paid because the withdrawals were the consequence of careless handling of log-in credentials.

It remains unknown why it took nearly four months for the bank to detect the error.

Every case like this is too much, but one explaining factor is that the error affected such a limited group. Now that the error has been located, its easier to look into the cases. Nowadays criminals are targeting a lot of activity at banks through digital channels, for example. We didnt see the whole scope immediately, Hanna Porkka, the acting chief executive of S Bank, said to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
OP on Wednesday estimated in its latest market review that house prices will decrease as a consequence of high interest rates and lethargic economic growth. The high rate of inflation, meanwhile, will lower the real prices of houses noticeably in both 2022 and 2023.

HOUSE PRICES in Finland will decrease by one to three per cent in 2023, predicts OP Financial Group.

The peak in the real estate market is behind us, demand has petered out and price development has become increasingly muted. The market mood is being weighed down particularly by rising interests, but also by eroding economic confidence and increases in costs, the financial services provider summarised.

The Finnish real estate market was in a fairly good situation at the beginning of the year, even though it had already cooled down significantly from the red-hot year that was 2021. Market activity continued to decline in the summer, with the number of sales falling particularly in recent months.

Although average house prices have continued to creep up, the year-on-year increase will not amount to more than one or two per cent, according to OP Financial Group.

House prices increased by an average of 1.7 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of the year, driven by rises outside the largest population centres in Finland. While the six largest cities saw the prices creep up by 1.4 per cent, other regions reported an average increase of 2.3 per cent.

In Helsinki and Vantaa, house prices rose by less than one per cent between April and June.

Economist Joona Widgren reminded that house prices have tended to swing more violently in both directions in and around Helsinki.

When they go down, they go down more in the capital region than the whole country on average. When they go up, they go up more in the capital region than elsewhere in the country. This seems to hold true also this time, he noted.

Although house prices rose in nearly all provinces in the first half of the year, economists caution against using the development to draw any conclusions about the mega-trend of urbanisation.

The effects of rising interests and housing costs are already widely manifested in the real estate market. The market activity has decreased significantly from earlier parts of the year as a consequence of the uncertainty that is reflected in, for example, the latest consumer confidence indicator of Statistics Finland.

The indicator showed that significantly fewer households are considering buying a house.

Rising interests and costs are giving buyers something to chew on. The rise in housing costs is naturally directly affecting the ability of buyers to pay, said Widgren.

As the costs creep up and demand decreases, construction is expected to slow down. Although the number of residential construction projects set for completion this year remains high, economists are expecting the number to drop notably next year compared to the record highs of recent years. Between April and June, the number of building permits granted for residential units was 13 per cent lower than the corresponding period in 2021.

Construction is decreasing as a result of the rising costs of both construction and construction materials. The declining demand for new flats is worsening the situation further, and the near future looks fairly bleak for construction, analysed Widgren.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
So far, about 132,000 students have paid the fee for autumn term 2022. Some 140,000 students have yet to pay it.

Higher education students must pay the student healthcare fee on their own initiative using the OmaKela e-service. The due date for the autumn term is 30 September 2022.

In the week ending 11 September, Kela sent a letter to students who according to the information available to Kela had registered as attending for the autumn term 2022 but had not yet paid the healthcare fee. The letter reminds the student of the obligation to pay the fee and provides instructions for how to pay it. The letter can also be read in the OmaKela e-service.

The letter will not be sent to students who have paid the fee or who have not registered as attending.

The 2022 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 35.80 per term

In 2022, the student healthcare fee in higher education is 35.80 euros per term. Students are not billed for the fee but are expected to pay it unprompted. Students who do not pay the fee by 30 September 2022 will get a letter from Kela reminding them of it. They will also be charged a EUR 5 late fee.

The fee is used to finance healthcare services for higher education students. The State finances 77% of the costs for healthcare services for higher education students and the rest, 23%, are financed through the healthcare fee. Students who have registered as attending are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service.

Students can pay the healthcare fee for the spring term 2023 as soon as it has been confirmed, which will be at the end of November at the earliest.

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HT

Source: Kela
County Board of Health honored as most outstanding in N.C.

The Henderson County Board of Health has been awarded the 2022 Outstanding Board of Health by the Association of North Carolina Boards of Health.

The board received the 2022 ANCBH Outstanding Board of Health Thursday, among the 85 boards of health in North Carolina, for proactive accomplishments including expansion of public health capacity, strategic planning for behavioral health and substance use priorities, progress with local tobacco policy, communications with the public and prioritization of community partnerships.

We are honored to be recognized by the Association of North Carolina Boards of Health for this award, said the board's chair, Dr. Maggie Hayes. We have a great group of professionals who are committed to our mission of promoting, protecting and advancing the health and wellness of our community.

This is the third time the Henderson County Board of Health has won the Outstanding Board of Health award, with past honors in 2015 and 2018.

The Board of Health is appointed by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and operates as the governing body of the Department of Public Health. The board has the statutory authority to protect and promote the public health of Henderson County.
Memorandum of obligations on Iran's SCO membership signed at Samarkand summit

Xinhua) 20:22, September 16, 2022

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A memorandum of obligations on Iran's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) membership was signed at the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held here on Friday.

The meeting also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners, and adopted a series of resolutions, including a Comprehensive Plan for the Implementation of the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for 2023-2027.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Bianji)
The Kessler Collection celebrated the highly-anticipated grand opening of its second property in South Carolina, Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville, today. Adding to its portfolio of artistically inspired boutique hotels, the newest hotel offering is a boutique modern lodge overlooking the iconic waterfalls and Falls Park on the Reedy River.

Located in the heart of Greenville, the seven-story property features signature Bohemian interiors designed to reflect the natural beauty of the area. The lodge offers 187 luxury suites and guestrooms, breathtaking views and gathering areas, Kessler's signature Poseidon Spa, $2 million worth of curated artwork, including a Grand Bohemian Art Gallery and upscale dining.

Providing scenic views from the iconic Grand Bohemian Lodge, Between the Trees restaurant is named for its distinctive location overlooking Greenville's waterfalls at Falls Park. Refined and approachable, Between the Trees features modern lodge cuisine, seasonally influenced and classically prepared under the direction of acclaimed Michelin Star Chef Nicolas Abello. Creating classic dishes with modern interpretations, the menu highlights include local agriculture and fish, beef and game, regionally sourced cheeses and artfully refined desserts prepared by an in-house pastry chef. With an engaging open kitchen and full bar, guests are greeted with a warm and inviting atmosphere for both indoor and outdoor dining with inspiring views of Falls Park on the Reedy. Guests can enjoy an intimate or group dining experience around one of the four fireplaces, in a 1,000-bottle wine room or the private dining room featuring an exterior glass wall that opens up to views and sounds of nature.

Overlooking the Liberty Bridge and falls, Sprit & Bower is an upscale bar featuring an outdoor verandah and terrace offering a variety of seating for both dining and lounging, two fireplaces, and a stone firepit; all perfect for sharing good conversation, cocktails and regionally inspired small plates from a shareable menu. Inside features a warm and handsome interior and a display of Spirit & Bower's curated bourbon and whiskey collection with some of the rarest and most coveted spirits in the country. A sleek and elevated stone bar opens up to the exterior, engaging guests and connecting the inside with the beauty and sounds of Falls Park.

Designed to capture the architectural expression of a grand park lodge, the property's beautiful interior space features an extensive collection of Native American and Western art from Richard's private collection of art, gracious gathering areas overlooking Falls Park, and new green space creating a gateway to the Reedy River.

Grand Bohemian Lodge is wandering distance from all the best things to do in Greenville, including a quaint Main Street, bustling art scene, local boutiques, craft breweries and the 22-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail for running, biking and walking. Named Southern Living's The South's Best City on the Rise, Greenville is a year-round playground for guests of all ages.

Hotel website
Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth, the legendary island escape on Saint Barthelemy, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chef Cedrik Ollivault as Executive Chef. Chef Ollivault will be responsible for overseeing the culinary program of Rosewood Le Guanahani, including its signature dining venue, Beach House St. Barth.

Citing his parents' passion for cooking as one of his main inspirations, Chef Ollivault brings his French heritage and techniques to the resort with an authentic style of cooking that lets the food's true flavors shine through.

Prior to joining Rosewood Le Guanahani, Chef Ollivault worked at One and Only The Palm in Dubai, Disney cruise's prestigious Remy restaurant by Arnaud Lallement, Hotel Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa and the spectacular The Brando in French Polynesia. Originally from the northwestern region of Rennes, France, Chef Ollivault attended the CCI Professional School of Rennes while simultaneously training and working at L'Escu de Runfao, the Michelin starred restaurant of Chef Alain Duhoux. During his three years there, he rose from apprentice to Sous Chef and his career was launched. This is a full circle moment for Chef Olivaut who, as a young chef, spent a summer honing his cooking skills in St. Barth.
In his new role at Hotel Arts Barcelona, The Ritz-Carlton veteran will handle all the aspects of running the landmark property including, but not limited to, the day-to-day management of its award-winning restaurants, bars, spa, and the rooms division.

Boasting an impressive background in luxury hospitality, the 32-year-old hotelier joins Hotel Arts from The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong in China - a Forbes 5 star-rated hotel with a Michelin-starred speciality restaurant. His previous experiences in China also include a stint as Director of Beverage & Food at W Shanghai - The Bund, where he was in charge of the Food & Beverage division and music and event programming, and at The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu as Director of Food & Beverage.

While with The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai which Mr. Bhatti joined in 2013, he worked his way up from the position of Food & Beverage Service Manager to Assistant Director of Food & Beverage in just four years. There was also a brief stint at The Ritz-Carlton, Sanya, his first international property, and jobs in prestigious hotels in his native Austria before that.
Pedro Colaco is the CEO and President of GuestCentric Systems, which he Co-Founded in October 2006. He boasts a proven track record of driving successful product development, marketing, sales and channel management efforts in the global market. Prior to his current role, he was Vice President of Product Management and Marketing at Corvil, a software start-up funded by Apax Partners and Cisco Systems. During his tenure at Corvil he built a global Product Management and Marketing organization to support a sales team of over 60 professionals focused on the financial industry in New York City and London. Pedro is a multi-lingual advisor and thought leader across the international travel tech landscape, speaking five languages and having lived in four countries throughout his career.
VICE-PRESIDENT and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga has said Zimbabwe should be the preferred destination for healthcare services.

He made the remarks in a speech read on his behalf at the official opening of this years Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe annual stakeholders conference in Victoria Falls by his deputy John Mangwiro.

Chiwenga said there was need for an overhaul of the health sector so as to avoid outbound travels for health care services.

Government wishes to see quality services in public sector facilities and good outcomes. Our country should be a preferred destination for healthcare services/in-bound medical tourism as well as reverse the outward-bound trips for healthcare services. This is why renovating and re-equipping is a priority area for which we keenly invite the Private Sector to be part of, he said.

His remarks come at a time when the country has been subjected to attacks over its poor health system that has forced many citizens to seek medical care services in South Africa, India and China.

Ironically, Chiwenga is one of the government bureaucrats, among them President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, who often fly out for medical treatment in other countries.

Chiwenga said government was committed to eliminating the challenge of mental health in the country.

As government, we look forward to seeing aggressive programmes on prevention and as well as a deliberate focus on mental health which has not received requisite attention over the years, he said.

Therefore, as you structure your packages, you should provide for both prevention and efficient management of non-communicable diseases which have become a silent killer. Mental health is a time bomb, which has been exacerbated by alcohol and drug abuse. Newsday
Global, local and in tune with the times

Hospitality from the perspective of developers, investors, owners and hotel operators: what is the current state of play in the hotel industry, how is it coping with the crisis, what solutions are being adopted, how will the market develop and what changes are in store? From student housing to conventional hotels and senior living concepts, we cover all parts of the hospitality spectrum. We have invited the who's who of the hospitality industry to discuss the latest insights and developments - both from a global perspective and with a specific focus on the DACH region and the Swiss real estate sector. You can also look forward to the latest insights from the industry, captivating keynotes and talks on hospitality trends while making the most of the opportunity to expand and consolidate your own personal network.

Brand new event meets tried-and-tested expertise

The Swiss Hospitality Investment Club is a new fixture on Switzerland's hospitality industry event calendar - even so, as the innovative reimagining of the Zurich Hospitality Summit it's the product of many years of experience. For the first time, four strong partners are working together to bring the new format to life: hospitality connect, Bratschi, Claus Jacobs Networks and Monoplan all extend a very warm welcome to the Swiss Hospitality Investment Club.

This event is organized by hospitality connect

For more information please contact Tanja Millner

+43 676 622 1680
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Travel Association welcomed President Bidens tour of the Detroit Auto Show as part of an ongoing effort to build a more sustainable future for travel mobility.

Travelers make trips by car more than any other mode of transportationapproximately 89% of domestic overnight trips taken in 2019 included an automobile.

By visiting the Detroit Auto Show, President Biden observed first-hand the private sector investments that are making road travel more environmentally friendly. It is imperative for the administration to continue encouraging the construction of electric vehicle infrastructure to enable communities across the United States to stay connected.

President Bidens visit to the Detroit Auto Show is an opportunity to highlight that the future of car travel is electric. Travel by car is by far the most popular mode of domestic travel89% of domestic overnight trips taken in 2019 included an automobileand thats why, as electrification infrastructure is deployed, it is done with the traveler in mind. Making cars more environmentally friendly is essential to meeting climate goals, said Tori Emerson Barnes, Executive Vice President for Policy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Travel Association.

American travelers increasingly prioritize sustainability," added Barnes. "More than one in five say that they would travel more by car if their personal vehicle produced fewer carbon emissions than it does today. By encouraging the manufacture of electric vehicles and nationwide installation of EV charging stations, the Biden administration can shape the future of sustainable travel in the United States. For this transition to benefit travelers, the economy and our planet, it will be necessary for industry leaders and government decision makers to continue working together.

In July, U.S. Travel established the Sustainable Travel Coalition, making a commitment to identify and promote proactive policies to help the travel and transportation industries achieve their goals.

U.S. Travels upcoming Future of Travel Mobility conference in Washington on September 20 will bring together key policymakers and global business leaders to spotlight emerging travel innovations.

About U.S. Travel Association

U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry. Travelers in the United States are estimated to spend $1.1 trillion in 2022 (still 10% below 2019 levels). U.S. Travel advocates for policies to accelerate an even recovery across the travel industry and restore economic and job growth for this essential contributor to our nation's success. Visit ustravel.org for information and recovery-related data.
Key Takeaways

New guide provides industry-first analysis of global remote work initiatives.

Calls for low-cost and expeditious remote worker visa program.

Proposes model tax and financial incentives for remote workers and employers.

Recommends essential amenities like internet connectivity and community support for workers and their families.

Airbnb today published a guide for governments and destinations outlining recommendations for how communities can benefit economically from the rise in remote workers. Airbnbs Guide to Live and Work Anywhere: How Communities Can Benefit from Remote Workers is based on Airbnbs insights, data and experiences in partnering with 20 destinations that are embracing the potential of remote work, as well as a review of remote worker programs worldwide.

Where policy-makers once had to fight to attract entire companies (or even industries), today governments and destination marketing organizations must consider how to recruit individuals and families who can work remotely and how to ensure that the benefits of remote work are felt by the wider community, said Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Airbnb. The best approach is one that not only attracts remote workers, but also integrates them into communities so that all residents can benefit from this rising trend.

Since the start of the pandemic, remote work has surged around the world and the trend is also evident on Airbnbs platform, with many guests choosing to live and work in a location for extended periods of time. Long-term stays (28 days+) continue to be Airbnbs fastest-growing category by trip length, more than doubling from Q1 2019.1

Remote workers represent a huge socio-economic opportunity for destinations and host communities. For example, Tulsas remote worker incentive program generated nearly $20 million in additional local gross domestic product and approximately $1.6 million in induced state and local tax revenue in 2021 alone, with every dollar spent on the incentive program resulting in $2.38 in new induced labor income locally.

To reap the benefits of remote working, Airbnbs Guide to Live and Work Anywhere provides recommendations for:

Improving visa processes and streamlining tax compliance

Encouraging remote workers to support local businesses

Immersing remote workers and their families into host neighborhoods.

The remote work revolution has particular promise for smaller cities and rural communities, many of which have been hurt by macroeconomic trends in recent decades. Since the pandemic started in March 2020, globally, more than 8,100 cities and towns have received their first-ever Airbnb bookings  including over 1,300 in the US. In 2021, domestic nights booked by US guests on Airbnb for stays in rural areas grew 110 percent compared to 2019, while Airbnb Hosts in rural counties in the US earned over $3.5 billion over the year.

In partnerships with 20 global destinations, Airbnb continues to evolve the experience for remote workers for guests, Hosts and host communities alike. This month, dedicated remote work hubs for Tampa Bay and Tulsa were activated. Later this month, well launch hubs for Salzkammergut (Austria), Thailand, Cape Town, and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy).

Click here to download the report.

1. In Q2 2022, long-term stays of 28 days or more remained our fastest-growing category by trip length compared to 2019. Long-term stays increased nearly 25% from a year ago and by almost 90% from Q2 2019.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

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TROY, Mich. - With average daily room rates at hotels in North America now averaging nearly $150roughly 15% higher than pre-pandemic levels,1hotel guests have become more critical than ever of the decor, amenities and food and beverage options provided by the worlds largest third-party hotel management companies. According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark,SM released today, customer satisfaction declines 4 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, as higher prices drive increased scrutiny.

It is no secret that many of the major hospitality companies have put off upgrades and deferred maintenance while they were in survival mode during the pandemic, said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. Now, however, as demand has climbed above pre-pandemic levels and consumers are paying record rates for hotel rooms, expectations are rising rapidly. Now is the time for hotel operators to invest in the maintenance and renovations that improve quality in the eyes of guests.

Following are additional key findings of the 2022 study:

Overall satisfaction declines as bar gets higher: On average,overall guest satisfaction among the largest third-party management companies is 837 this year, which is down 4 points from a year ago. The decline is driven by lower satisfaction with room cost and fees; decor/furnishings of guest room; and variety of food and beverage.

On average,overall guest satisfaction among the largest third-party management companies is 837 this year, which is down 4 points from a year ago. The decline is driven by lower satisfaction with room cost and fees; decor/furnishings of guest room; and variety of food and beverage. Busy front desk staff carrying heavy load: Guest satisfaction with front desk staff increases slightly this year, with these personnel earning high marks for speed of check-in, courtesy and knowledge. However, prior to reaching the front desk, fewer than half of hotel guests (48%) indicate being greeted by staff, which is down 10 percentage points from 2021.

Guest satisfaction with front desk staff increases slightly this year, with these personnel earning high marks for speed of check-in, courtesy and knowledge. However, prior to reaching the front desk, fewer than half of hotel guests (48%) indicate being greeted by staff, which is down 10 percentage points from 2021. Bringing true hospitality back: Beyond investments in maintenance, fixtures and furnishing updates, service training for staff is an area in which third-party management companies can have an immediate positive effect on the guest experience. When guests say hotel staff makes them feel like a valued guest, overall satisfaction scores are 139 points higher. When staff shows concern for guest needs or warm, sincere treatment, satisfaction scores rise 135 points.

Benchmark Ranking

Davidson Hospitality Group ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction, with a score of 875. Atrium Hospitality (870) ranks second and Crestline Hotels & Resorts (856)

ranks third.

The North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark, now in its third year, evaluates guest satisfaction with branded hotels that are operated by the largest third-party management companies. It is based on six factors (in alphabetical order): arrival/departure; cost and fees; food and beverage; guest room; hotel facilities; and services and amenities. The benchmark includes third-party hotel operators with more than 14,000 rooms under management and is based on 3,804 guest responses for branded hotel stays from May 2021 through May 2022.

For more information about the J.D. Power North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/travel-and-hospitality/third-party-hotel-management-guest-satisfaction-benchmark.

1STR Market Recovery Monitor, June 2022.

Source: J.D. Power

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Geno Effler

+1 714 621 6224

J.D. Power
Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh is nurturing the next generation of Khmer hospitality personnel via a new collaboration with Cambodias National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI).

The property, the newest international branded luxury hotel in Cambodias capital, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the NIEI. Through the agreement, which will span the next two years, the hotel will provide resources, workshops, training, technical and curriculum consultation to NIEI in order to develop candidates. It will also offer internships to NIEI students to help build their skills in key areas of hospitality.

One of Cambodias most potent attributes is the natural hospitality of its people, said Juan Mercadante, the general manager of Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh. By refining skills through internships at our hotel, we can really maximize this human capital and offer these students invaluable experience and opportunities to grow their careers.

The new arrangement between Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh and the NIEI is in line with the Hyatt RiseHY initiative. RiseHY is a new global program designed to pair the hospitality industrys career opportunities with young people who need them. As part of the initiative, Hyatt hotels around the world will commit to hiring 10,000 Opportunity Youth  people ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working  by 2025.

According to the International Labour Organization, more than 40 percent of the worlds young people are either unemployed or living in poverty.

We understand the challenges young people face, and Hyatt hotels are uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. Hospitality is one of the few industries where entry-level opportunities often lead to fulfilling, life-long careers that can change the trajectory of someones life, said Malaika Myers, chief human resources officer, Hyatt. With the launch of RiseHY, Hyatt hotels will harness the power of technology in ways our industry has never done before, to scale career opportunities, bringing awareness to hospitality careers and setting up candidates for success from the start as it expands training programs as a path for employment.
Expedia Group today announced its new global social impact and sustainability strategy to advance a travel ecosystem that is responsible, open, and accessible to all. Combining the companys mission, purpose, and values with its traveler-centric mindset, the Open World social impact and sustainability strategy is focused on three priorities  increasing access for underserved travelers, democratizing the travel economy, and innovating sustainable solutions for the future of travel.

Earlier this year, the company announced its Open World technology platform  created for partners of all sizes to leverage and configure products and services needed to succeed in the travel ecosystem. Aligned with this innovation, and the belief that travel is a force for good, the next iteration of Open World extends to the traveler experience, community engagement, and environmental impact.

Travel is transformative. It broadens horizons, strengthens connections and changes perspectives. With our new Open World social impact and sustainability forward-looking plans, we will further our mission to power travel for everyone, everywhere, said Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Expedia Group. Travel needs to lighten its footprint on the planet, and everyone should be able to experience it and receive the associated benefits. Now is the time to innovate the existing model. We have a responsibility to enable a stronger, more sustainable industry.

The Open World social impact and sustainability strategy will tackle inequities in travel, accelerate meaningful change for the mosaic of travelers and communities that power the global industry, and ensure a healthy planet.

Expedia Groups social impact and sustainability strategic framework includes:

Inclusive pathways for underserved travelers

Unfortunately, historic and social barriers still too often limit equitable and accessible travel. Per Expedia Group Media Solutions recent Inclusive Travel Insights Report1, demand is increasing as consumers are seeking more inclusive travel offerings when searching and booking. Expedia Group is increasing its own capabilities to improve the experience of underserved travelers by identifying and helping to lessen gaps. For example, Expedia.com has made improvements to accessibility filters to include options like elevators, service animal accommodations, roll-in showers, sign-language staff availability, and also expanded search features for travelers such as LGBTQIA+ welcoming properties.

Whats Next?

To ensure more people are able to experience all that travel has to offer, Expedia Group will focus a portion of its giving to provide grants to impact-driven organizations working to remove barriers to travel for underserved communities around the world. 

Economic advancement for communities underrepresented in travel

Expedia Group is strengthening economic opportunity across the travel ecosystem to ensure more people and communities can benefit from the industrys growth and associated benefits. Using the power of its technology platform to help diversify the business of travel, Expedia Group will support small and local businesses, particularly those focused on improving the representation and experience of underrepresented travelers.

Whats Next? To help diversify the business of travel and meet traveler demand for more responsible options, Expedia Group will soon launch a program aimed at start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses in travel.

Prosperous planet for generations to come

Expedia Group recognizes the environmental toll that todays travel industry often has on the planet and is committed to mobilizing its vast network of travelers, partners, and peers to innovate more sustainable business models and empower travelers to make more responsible choices. Fostering a healthy planet and a travel industry that mitigates and adapts to climate change is central to the Open World social impact and sustainability strategy.

Expedia Group recently joined the Travalyst Coalition and signed the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism. Under the Glasgow Declaration, Expedia Group has committed to deliver plans that will support the global goals of cutting emissions in half over the next decade and allowing the travel industry to reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050. The Travalyst Coalition enables these goals by allowing travel companies like Expedia Group to deliver unified sustainability frameworks and methodologies to travelers across the globe.

Whats Next? Expedia Group is currently developing a long-term climate action plan and associated roadmap for greening its own operations while driving industry-wide change. A new program being developed in partnership with The Travel Foundation will offer training and practical guidance to destination marketing organizations (DMOs), enabling them to lead the way on climate action in tourism and catalyze meaningful change at a local level.

These three priorities build upon Expedia Groups foundation and ongoing commitment to philanthropy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Expedia Group led programs including the Give the World a Shot initiative  a joint endeavor with UNICEF to enhance COVID-19 vaccination rates in communities around the world  as global, equitable access to the vaccine is in line with traveler values and essential to reopening the world to travel. Expedia Group donated approximately $10.5 million  vaccinating three million people and moving the travel industry one step closer to recovery.

Learn more about Expedia Groups past impact work in its 2021 Global Impact Report and latest Inclusion and Diversity Report. For additional information, visit www.expediagroup.com/who-we-are/Impact--Sustainability.

The research for the Inclusive Travel Insights Report was conducted in collaboration with Wakefield Research, which included an online survey of 11,000 representatives, general population adults ages 18+ in 11 global markets  Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the UK and U.S.  fielded between February 11 and March 6, 2022.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group's product and technical strategy and offerings; Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem. The Expedia Group family of brands includes: Expedia, Hotels.com, Expedia Partner Solutions, Vrbo, trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif, ebookers, CheapTickets, Expedia Group Media Solutions, CarRentals.com, and Expedia Cruises.

Use our mobile app or visit expedia.com to plan your journey with us.

 2022 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Expedia and the Airplane logo are trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Mangwe Constituency MP, Hlalani Mgunis daughter Simphiwe Mguni has won a US$1 000 first place prize at the Second Edition of Matebeleland South Tourism Innovation Challenge Prize Giving and Youth Capacitation Program held at Peters Motel in Beitbridge recently

The competition which is for participants from age groups between 20 and 30 years is organised by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) in order to urge youth to come up with initiatives and ideas on promoting tourism.

Matelebeland South Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dlamini Maseko was the guest of honour. She said she was happy to see youth coming up with brilliant ideas.

Mguni beat five other competitors in a programme where participants were required to come up with projects ideas that are innovative to the tourism industry.

The purpose of this competition was for youths to come up with the best projects to spice up and innovate tourism, said Bertha Mutowembwa, an area manager of ZTA.

The project that carried the day for Mguni, a Law student at Western Cape University was titled; Social Media Campaign. She encouraged the use of social media to advertise food and all the scenery in order to realise increased sales in businesses.

The second prize went to Leslie Obert Boora, an Information and Marketing Systems student with Midlands State University who lives in Beitbridge. He received a certificate for his project titled VAKATSHA.

The third prize went to a team of students from Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic studying for a diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management. They ran a project called Food Tourism. Its objectives were to woo tourists travelling from South Africa to Victoria Falls on ROVOS train to buy local food on the journey.

The awards were sponsored by ZTA. Masvingo Mirror
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Bidwell House to Present Three-Part Lecture on Gravestones

MONTEREY, Mass.  The Bidwell House Museum will present three-part lecture and walk series about gravestone making in 18th and 19th century western Massachusetts on Sept. 24 and on Oct. 1 and 8

All three talks will be held at 1 p.m. the Bidwell House Museum and live streamed via Zoom. For the last two talks, attendees have the option to purchase a ticket for just the talk or the talk and cemetery walk together.

First, on Sept. 24, former Director of the New Haven Museum and Connecticut Landmarks, William Hosley, will present "Reflections on the Marble Corridor" about the stone cutting industry along the Taconic Ridge (todays Rte 7) that was a hive of activity in the 18th and 19th century.

Then on Oct. 1, local author John Hanson will present his talk "A Field Guide to New England Gravestones" where he will show you how to read and interpret the iconography of early gravestones. His talk will be followed by a walk at the Old Center Cemetery in New Marlborough.

Finally, on Oct. 8, historical archaeologist, Bob Drinkwater, will present his talk "That the Dead be not Forgotten" where he will share material from his book, In Memory of Susan Freedom: Searching for Gravestones of African Americans in Western Massachusetts. His talk will also be followed by a cemetery walk in Monterey.

Due to limited seating, tickets must be purchased in advance on the Museum website, https://www. bidwellhousemuseum.org/events/ . All Zoom participants will receive a link to access the lecture a couple of days in advance.
National Grid to Host Customer Energy Assistance Pop-Ups

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  National Grid is launching a series of customer energy assistance pop-up events across Massachusetts to provide customers with information on available assistance and help them prepare for the winter season.

Beginning Sept. 20 at McCann Technical School in North Adams, National Grid and other partners will be hosting customer energy assistance pop-ups, at which customers can meet with National Grid representatives. All events will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. More information about energy fairs can be found at ngrid.com/mapopup.

Those attending can sign up for bill payment programs, hear about options for direct energy assistance, schedule energy audits speak to customer service representatives and meet with regional assistance program leaders. Six more events will be held between October and December in other areas throughout the

state, including Worcester, Dorchester, Lowell, Fall River and Brockton.

With energy costs rising due to events across the globe and the winter heating season fast approaching, we understand the impact this increased financial burden can have on our customers and communities, said Helen Burt, Chief Customer Officer at National Grid. We want to help our customers take action now to reduce their energy costs, manage their energy bills, and secure the energy assistance they need. There are numerous programs available

through National Grid, the state and community-based organizations that can help customers, today. We recognize this winter is going to be tough for a lot of people throughout our communities. Through our Customer Winter Savings Initiative, we are here to help customers and want to do everything we can to support them in managing this challenge, during this extraordinary economic time.

In locations where National Grid provides only electric or gas service while another utility provides the other, representatives from both utilities will be available. In addition, agencies such as rental assistance organizations, the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, and other agencies that assist low- and moderate-income families and

individuals will be available in some locations.

Dates and locations for energy fairs are:

 Tuesday, Sept. 20  Charles H. McCann Technical School, North Adams

 Tuesday, Oct. 25  Worcester Public Library, Worcester

 Thursday, Oct. 27  Dorchester, location to be determined and announced

 Thursday, Nov. 10  Brockton, location to be determined and announced

 Tuesday, Nov. 15  Citizen Center, Haverhill

 Thursday, Dec. 1  City Hall, Fall River

 Tuesday, Dec. 6  Lowell, location to be determined and announced
Vt Fish & Wildlife Warns About Rabbit Virus

MONTPELIER, Vt.  Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, a highly contagious virus capable of affecting rabbits and snowshoe hare, is appearing in states close to Vermont and Massachusetts and may show up here according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

There have been no cases in either state but Connecticut Department of Agriculture this week confirmed an outbreak in Hartford County that killed 14 domestic rabbits. The disease has also been found in New York State and New Jersey.

The department does not think this virus, designated RHDV2, is present in Vermont at this time, but it is thought to be spreading eastward from the western United States. The virus does not affect other wildlife, humans or pets, except rabbits.

It spreads through direct contact with infected rabbits or indirectly through contact with contaminated surfaces.

Sudden mortality in healthy rabbits occurs with this virus, and infected rabbits may be lethargic, reluctant to move, or have blood coming out of the nostrils or mouth.

The disease has caused die-offs in wild rabbits in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah beginning in 2020 and was first detected in domestic rabbits in New York that same year.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the virus is spread through exposure or contact with an infected rabbit's excretions or blood. It can survive and spread from carcasses, food, water, and any contaminated materials and people can spread the virus indirectly by carrying it on their clothing and shoes.

There is no U.S. approved vaccine although Connecticut approved the sale of an unlicensed vaccine under emergency authorization last year.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources recommends isolating pet and domestic rabbits from any possible contact with their wild cousins. Any new or returning rabbits to a colony should be quarantined for 14 days and watched closely; handlers should take sanitary precautions and use separate equipment to prevent any possible contamination between colonies.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife advises hunters not to harvest rabbits that appear sick.

"If you find a wild dead rabbit and it's not obvious what killed it, please contact us," said David Sausville with Fish and Wildlife.

"When hunters are field-dressing rabbits, wear disposable gloves, securely bag entrails and other remains, and dispose of them in the trash. Do not discard remains where other animals may have access to them."

Similar to all wild game preparation, you should wear disposable gloves and refrain from eating, drinking and smoking while handling and cleaning game. Meat should be cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165 degrees and all surfaces in contact with meat should be cleaned and disinfected.
The former Sweet Brook nursing home was approved to become an inpatient rehabilitation and treatment center for substance abuse disorders.

Williamstown ZBA OKs Recovery Center at Former Sweet Brook

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  After discussion over four meetings, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved an application to operate a chemical dependency rehabilitation facility in the former Sweet Brook nursing home on Cold Spring Road.

It was unanimously approved on Thursday with conditions related to fencing and landscaping.



"We've been revisiting this now [for] several months, we've asked the petitioner to work with with the abutter, they've done so and they've come back with a proposal that appears to make both parties happy," Chair Andrew Hoar said.



"And again, this is a special permit for a change of use. I think this board at this time has gone way beyond due diligence."



Williamstown Recovery Realty LLC intends to use the building as an inpatient chemical dependency and co-occurring disorder treatment facility with Williamstown Recovery LLC as the operator. The facility aims to provide medical supervision, assessment, and clinical services for adult men and women with substance abuse issues.



It will fall under the same use as the previous nursing home and will not require any change to the current utilities.



The property falls under RR3 for institutional use and its use as an inpatient behavioral health-care facility required a special permit from the ZBA. Only superficial interior improvements are proposed to transform it to the new use.



Partner Sean Stewart in this meeting revealed that Moresi & Associates will act as the property managers and that it has already begun to address a number of minor items including a stop-work order and the replacement of a faulty sprinkler head.



"Moresi & Associates were the property management firm that managed that property for the prior owners so they're quite familiar with with the facility and the land," Stewart added.



He thanked the board for supporting the project and said it is an unmet need that will benefit both residents and the broader community.



The applicant had been negotiating details of the site plan with attorney Karla Chaffee, who represents the assisted living facility that abuts the property. She affirmed that the plan represents the entities' agreement and asked the board to add a condition incorporating the plan and requiring maintenance as a condition of approval.



The special permit's approval was continued last month so that the two could reach an understanding about the fencing and landscaping plans.



Stone Hill Road resident Paul Haklisch has consistently voiced concerns about the applicant's qualifications and returned to this meeting.



He began by clarifying that everyone wants to abate the drug-use problem in Berkshire County and acknowledged that it is the state's responsibility to approve the operating authority of the applicant, which the board has reminded him of.



But Haklisch challenged that the board has a responsibility with respect to granting special permits.

He read from Section 70-8.4 of the town bylaw that states "Special permits shall be granted only if the special permit granting authority determines that the proposal's benefits to the Town will outweigh any adverse effects for the Town or the vicinity."



"As I've said in prior meetings, what could be more adverse to the community than an operator with no experience running a drug rehabilitation center in a residential neighborhood with a high school just down the road?" he asked.

"I want to just say from a personal note, I started off as a fairly skeptical view of the application and that through the various months and meetings that we've had with the applicant, I have been convinced that this will be run adequately and that will be beneficial to the community," board member Robert Mathews said.

"And I wanted to recognize that Mr. Haklisch, his concerns are valid and that they're real concerns and if he still shares those concerns after this meeting and after this process, that he should share them with the licensing board because most of his concerns I feel are more appropriately directed towards those boards."




iciHaiti - Insecurity : The Dominican Republic closes its embassy and consulates in Haiti





Thursday, September 15, 2022, the Dominican Republic decided to close its Embassy in Port-au-Prince as well as its 4 Consulates in Haiti (Anse-a-Pitres, Belladere, Cap Haitien and Ouanaminthe) due to the socio-political crisis and of the increase in violence Haiti.



As part of this measure, all civilian personnel and diplomatic were also evacuated.



Only special forces will remain to protect the premises.



The heliport of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic has been authorized to remain open in order to assist other foreign missions that must leave the country.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37651-haiti-notice-the-embassies-are-closing-one-after-the-other.html



IH/ iciHaiti


















CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) interim spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere was yesterday issued with a warrant of arrest by Harare magistrate Taurai Manuwere.

This is despite the fact that the courts had released her passport to allow her to meet former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in New York, in the United States.

Mahere, through her lawyer Chris Mhike, had filed an application for the release of her passport saying she would be attending the Presidential Centre for Wen Development strategic review session scheduled for September 14 and 15 in New York City.

Mahere is a pioneer fellow of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf initiative.

She said the initiative is designed for the development of young women and the advancement of democracy, adding that her participation would benefit Zimbabwes standing as a constitutional democracy.

However, Manuwere said Mahere knew very well that she was supposed to be in court yesterday.

The remand of the accused who is absent must be consensual with the State and now the State is opposing it. The accused should be called three times and a warrant of arrest be issued, Manuwere said.

Mahere is expected to appear in court on September 30, where her ruling is expected to be delivered on the charge of communicating falsehoods. Newsday
UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe students say they are living in fear and skipping lectures amid strong suspicion of an ongoing police witch-hunt to bring to book suspects behind recent demonstrations that rocked the institution of higher learning following a massive fees hike.

Tuition fees at the university went up ten-fold to hit $500 000 for undergraduates and almost double for masters students.

Allegations are that the police, working with the ruling Zanu PF-linked Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (Zicosu), are targeting students affiliated to the opposition.

Students who spoke to NewsDay Weekender on condition of anonymity said they had to run from the institution after receiving threats and tip-offs.

Students are being arrested one by one by police. Two of our classmates received calls to hand themselves to the police. They are being sold out by Zicosu students who are in support of the fee hike. Its actually bad, one female student said, requesting not to be named.

I was threatened today (Thursday) and phoned my parents to come and pick me up, I am now home. We need a safe environment and not these threats that are happening.

Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) president Benon Ncube confirmed that most students were now living in fear at UZ.

We have heard of that problem, especially those that belong to the union. A number of students are afraid. On Wednesday and Thursday, others were arrested on campus after they were suspected to have organised the demonstration, he said.

Usually, when there is a situation like this, they (our members) are usually sold out. So, they probably have a list of those alleged to have participated in the demonstrations.

In most cases, its the Students Representative Council (SRC) members and those that belong to Zinasu that are targeted.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: I am not aware of the alleged witch-hunt. Anyone who alleges that the police are in a witch-hunt against students should prove those allegations.

Our advice is that students and their leadership must follow the law in whatever they do, simple!

Zicosu president Pijiwest Nhamburo denied reports that his members were involved in the alleged witch-hunt.

We are not a terror gang. There is nowhere where you find our members participating in a witch-hunt.

We have not received reports of them doing that. Our duty is to represent the students and make sure that their campus life is fine, he said.

In contrast, students are getting threatening messages from their colleagues who are continuously mobilising for demonstrations. They have been calling and seeking for protection since they want to attend lectures. We have since alerted the authorities.

Added Nhamburo: From the onset, we made it clear that we are not in support of the demonstration. By the time they were demonstrating, we were at the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education lobbying for the downward review of the fees. We have since engaged the government and the administration at UZ to review the fees downwards.

Nhamburo accused Zinasu of politicising students issues.

They try to bring political issues where they are not supposed to. The fees issue is a genuine problem which needs genuine engagement. Its only through engagement that we get positive results and not through confrontation, he said.

UZ vice-chancellor Paul Mapfumo told NewsDay Weekender that normalcy had been restored at the institution.

Which witch-hunt and who is doing that? I am hearing that from you, students are attending their classes.

If you come right now, you can be in class. I am walking around their lecture rooms right now and they are moving freely, Mapfumo said.

I dont know where those details are coming from, he added.

Sixteen students were arrested on Monday and five on Wednesday for participating in the demonstrations. They were later released. Newsday
Every week the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is compiling a list of the top news articles from across the world in which it is mentioned. Check all the international media coverage of IFJ, divided by language, in the period from September 10th to September, 16th 2022.
Concerns for press freedom in Malaysia have been raised after media advocacy group Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) received reports of alleged political interference in the appointment of a new group editor of english-language newspaper New Straits Times (NST). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns any attempt to infringe on the independence of media outlets and calls on the Malaysian government to respect press freedom in Malaysia.

Malaysia's prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has sought to distance himself from claims of political interference in the media. Credit: Nhac Nguyen / AFP

On 13 September, the NST, a subsidiary of the Media Prima group,announced it had appointed Farrah Naz Karim as the newspapers new group editor, effective from September 15, replacing Ahmad Lokman Mansor.

Shortly after the announcement, Geramm said it had received reports raising concerns over alleged political interference in the publication, with former finance minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh involved in Karims appointment.

Geramm also expressed concern over the fate of the outgoing editor Mansor and called on the Malaysian government and the NST to support the efforts of journalists and media workers in protecting the independence of news outlets in Malaysia.

Media Prima group chairperson, Syed Hussian Aljunid, defended the appointment of Karim, stating that the decision was based on her extensive experience in newsroom operations and represented part of an effort to boost the paper's visibility and readership.

Media Prima is neither owned nor does it report to any political party, whether in the manner suggested in recent news reports or otherwise, Aljunid said in a statement.

Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob declined to comment directly on the matter, but told reporters on August 15 that the media are free to report so long as the reporting is accurate and credible.

Media unions, advocacy groups and journalists have expressed concern at the allegations' future implications for the media and democracy in Malaysia.

The IFJ said: The alleged government interference in the appointment of a new editor at the New Straits Times reflects a deteriorating situation for the independence of the media in Malaysia. The IFJ condemns any attempt to exert political influence over the media and calls on the Malaysian government to safeguard press freedom.
A Yangon court has sentenced journalist Htet Htet Khine to three years in prison under incitement charges, as disturbing crackdowns on press freedom continue under Myanmars military regime. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the courts decision and calls on the junta to protect the rights of journalists and media workers in Myanmar.

Htet Htet Khine, a former BBC television presenter, was sentenced to three years in prison on September 15, after she was convicted of incitement under Section 505(a) of the Myanmar Penal Code for allegedly disseminating false information designed to foster public animosity towards the military government.

From 2016 until 2020, Khine presented the BBCs Khan Sar Kyi (Feel It) program, which covered the devastating impacts of prolonged conflict in Myanmar.

Htet Htet Khine and fellow journalist Sithu Aung Myint were arrested by the military junta in Yangon in August 2021. Khine was initially charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act for working with an outlawed radio station and sheltering Myint from police.

Following her sentencing, Khines family members said they feared for her safety and reiterated that the charges against her were unlawful. In a statement, BBC Media Action also expressed concern for Khines safety and said that the sentence ran counter to basic principles of human rights and freedom of expression.

Since the military coup in February 2021, at least 120 journalists have been detained, according to Reporting ASEAN. Last month, a freelance photographer was arrested by junta troops and former photojournalist Ko Zaw Zaw was sentenced to three years in prison. On July 30, Aye Kyaw, a photographer and activist known for covering anti-junta protests, died in police custody.

The IFJ said: The unlawful charges against Htet Htet Khine are yet another blatant attempt to silence critical voices and stifle press freedom in Myanmar. The IFJ urges Myanmars military to immediately release Khine and respect the right of all journalists to report without fear of persecution.
The Conselho de Imprensa (Press Council) of Timor-Leste (CITL) has expressed its serious concerns at the misleading representation of the situation of press freedom in Myanmar at the recent Dili Dialogue Forum by a representative of the Myanmar Press Council, following consultation with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The IFJ welcomes this action from the CITL and condemns the juntas continued misrepresentation and repression of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Myanmar.

The Dili Dialogue Forum, held on August 25 and 26, was attended by chairs of press councils from Timor-Leste, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar. Credit: Conselho de Imprensa de Timor-Leste

The Dili Dialogue Forum 2022 , the CITL s annual international conference held from August 25-26 for the first time since 2019, brought together representatives from the Press Councils of Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand, as well as media practitioners and experts from the region, including IFJ Asia-Pacific legal advisor Jim Nolan.

During the event, the IFJ raised concern at the attendance of U Aye Chan, a representative of the Press Council of Myanmar, whose presentation presented a favourable depiction of press freedom in Myanmar, contrary to the picture described by international press freedom and human rights bodies.

Chan failed to disclose that in early 2021, half of the members of the Myanmar Press Council resigned, stating that they were unable to perform their duties of protecting press freedom, upholding media ethics, or protecting the safety of fellow journalists under the Tatmadaws oppressive regime. The 15 resignations from the Press Council were in response to censorship requirements issued by Myanmars military and real concerns over the safety of journalists following legal and physical threats.

In a statement, the CITL acknowledged its respect of all speakers rights to freedom of expression during the forum but said Chans presentation was totally misleading and reflects more the political position of the military Junta, Tatmadaw, than the real situation of press freedom in Myanmar.

The CITL also rejected the account of the Dili conference given by Chan in a piece published by the Myanmar News Agency on August 29, which stated that event attendees expressed their astonishment over the presentation at the forum in comparison with the fake news of Myanmar mentioned in the international media.

The IFJs representative, Jim Nolan, said: Chans presentation was a series of barefaced lies designed to promote the Tatmadaw dictatorship and deny the widespread acknowledgement of Media repression in Myanmar.

Since the military coup in Myanmar, many journalists and media workers have been driven into exile , with others have faced physical attacks, harassment, imprisonment, and torture. The nations independent media has been shuttered, with the junta forcibly closing the offices of media outlets and revoking broadcasting licenses.

The IFJ said: The IFJ welcomes the action taken by the Press Council of Timor-Leste and the exclusion of Tatmadaw appointed representatives of the Myanmar Press Council from future regional events. The claims made regarding the situation of press freedom in Myanmar are highly concerning, and the Myanmar Press Council must be condemned for abdicating its role as a supporter and advocate of a free press.
Heads up, OnePlus fans! Its your time to be part of a community that never settles as OnePlus Philippines launches its exclusive online community  the OnePlusFam.

Join the online community of the fastest-growing smartphone brand worldwide to get exciting deals and exclusive perks

Are you curious about this exclusive online community? Here are some other exciting reasons why you need to join the OnePlusFam:

Bringing OnePlus brand closer to Filipinos

OnePlus wants nothing but the best for Filipino tech-savvy consumers. As OnePlus takes over the local smartphone scene, they created the #OnePlusFam community to show love and appreciation to the growing OnePlus community.

The OnePlusFam aims to bring together tech-savvy smartphone enthusiasts nationwide. With this community group, it aims to foster an online community where OnePlus fans can meet and share the same enthusiasm for OnePlus with other members of the OnePlus Fam.

OnePlusFam members are also free to open discussions and post OnePlus-related content via the exclusive OnePlusFam community Facebook group. Plus, they will be the first to know about the latest news, events, and promotions of OnePlus. Exciting perks, giveaways, big discounts, contests within the online community, and exclusive access to offline events, such as product talks, await those who will become official members of the OnePlusFam.

How to join the OnePlusFam

To be part of the OnePlusFam, you just need to follow these three easy steps:

Visit the OnePlus Philippines official Facebook page and look for the pinned post, which you need to share. Tag 3 friends and use the hashtag #OnePlusFam Join the official OnePlusFam community page.

Select participants will proceed to the next step and get a Php500 OnePlus Lazada voucher. If you pass the final step, you can get a chance to have a free OnePlus phone and merch, get big discounts, and exclusive access.

Other exciting deals and promos will also be posted on the OnePlusFam community page in the coming months. So, hurry! Join this promo now and be part of the #OnePlusFam!

For updates and detailed promotion mechanics, visit OnePlus official Facebook page at OnePlus Philippines.
Many Filipinos started freelancing full-time due to the pandemic. Since then, they have discovered and taken advantage of the job flexibility and earning from multiple income streams. These trends along with other key insights on the state of the gig economy in the country was discussed in the webinar held by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Payoneer Philippines.

(Left to Right, Top to Bottom) Payoneer Marketing Manager Jen San Antonio, freelancer Bernadette Dias, Z Studios Digital Marketing Agency CEO and Founder Vanya Tantoco and Regional VP for Payoneer Southeast Asia Miguel Warren discussed gig economy trends in DICTs Tech Trends webinar.

According to DICTs Philippine Online Freelancing Industry Study, 43.4% of Filipino freelancers have only been in the freelancing industry for less than a year while 26% have only been part of the gig economy for 1-2 years. However, despite being new in the industry, this new breed of freelancers are not just exploring the local landscape but the international scene as well.

The study shares that 42.9% of Filipino freelancers have overseas clients. This is not surprising since according to Payoneer and GCashs study called The Philippines Freelance Market 2022 Report, freelancers who serve both local and international clients earn 57% more per hour than those who just work with local clients.

The emergence of the gig economy has resulted in changes in the current workforce. With greater work-life balance and independence, freelancers were able to work with a diverse range of clients both locally and internationally. said Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia Miguel Warren during the webinar.

Upskilling and growing your portfolio

The DICT study found that 58.78% of Filipino freelancers were skilled as virtual assistants. About 43% of the respondents claim to have social media marketing skills and 34.8% of them claim to be knowledgeable on content creation. Digital marketing, web research, customer service and tech, as well as, web development and design, online teaching and tutoring, and project management were also among the skill sets mentioned by respondents.

Nurturing skillsets has also been made easy with the wealth of information available online. In fact, 83% of Filipino freelancers self-study to improve their skills by enrolling in free online courses. Aside from a variety of educational opportunities online, theres also plenty of job resources to choose from such as onlinejobs.ph, indeed, guru, truelancer, craigslist, flexjobs, and upwork.

As freelancing thrives on variety, especially among clientele, transactions can get a bit tricky and this is where Payoneer strives to help and empower freelancers locally and globally. Payments haven't always kept up as the world has become more digitally connected. There are numerous obstacles to overcome. Payoneer offers flexibility and accessibility with cross-border payments, making it easier for freelancers to be paid. Warren noted.

Financial stability, family, and flexibility

When asked about the major advantages of freelancing, respondents have the following on top of the list: financial stability, more family time, personal and professional growth, flexibility, and source of additional income.

Given the many benefits of freelancing, many Filipinos now prefer this flexible livelihood option that suits their lifestyles better than traditional employment.

When I got into it, I realized that theres no traffic, I can work from home, I continued learning the ropes and eventually realized that I can make a career out of this, shared new freelancer Bernadette Dias.

With the pandemic, doing freelance work is now more acceptable and open. Many people realized that they can provide their families with their needs, as much as a traditional job but even so much better, shared seasoned freelancer Vanya Tantoco. Tantoco is also the CEO and Founder of Z Studios Digital Marketing Agency.

Tantoco and Dias also noted that digital platforms have made it easier to find jobs and get paid. As the Philippine government continues to promote entrepreneurship and digital innovation, the study recommends that freelancing communities that foster collaboration with government agencies, LGUs, vendors, and interest groups need to be funded and supported.

Learn more about the gig economy in the Philippines by downloading the Philippines Freelance Market 2022 Report at paynr.co/PH-freelance-report-2022.
Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, hosted its Asia Channel Summit in Thailand, sharing its channel roadmap, latest solutions and a thought leadership panel discussion with over 200 partners across Asia, including Southeast Asia region, South Korea and Japan. The summit was held from August 17 to 19 at the Avani+ Hotel in Bangkok and is the first in-person conference for partners in the region since global lockdowns in 2020.

Asia Channel Summit is first in-person conference for Asia partners since 2019

Over the past few years, we have seen how technology has transformed the way people do business, not just in Asia but all over the world. Today, technology is a driving force, an enabler, of many of our day-to-day transactions. The Vertiv Asia Channel Summit is an excellent venue for us to gather all our partners to learn from each other and understand the trends that are shaping our world in the next normal, said Daniel Sim, senior director for channel business at Vertiv Asia. It has been quite some time since we have met with our partners in the region, and nothing beats in-person meetings. I am truly excited to meet all of our partners in person.

During the conference, Vertiv executives unveiled Vertivs channel roadmap in Asia for the coming years, sharing updates to the Vertiv Partner Program, including the Vertiv Incentive Program, and new product launches that channel partners can offer to their customers.

A highlight of the conference was the Solutions Gallery, a showcase of Vertivs latest core-to-edge solutions, including the Vertiv Liebert GXT5 Lithium-Ion double-conversion on-line UPS and the Vertiv Edge Lithium-Ion UPS; the Vertiv Liebert CRV4 in-row cooling solution; the Vertiv Geist rack power distribution units (rPDUs) and rack transfer switch; and the Vertiv Power Insight and Vertiv Environet Alert monitoring software.

It was great to see all of our partners gathered here in Bangkok, said Pichet Ketruam, country manager for Vertiv Indochina. Being able to hold physical events again reminds us that businesses are now moving forward despite the pandemic. As businesses around the globe navigate the new normal, Vertiv will continue to work with its channel partners in providing IT solutions that support the digital transformation essential for organizations to thrive in todays economy.

During the event, a panel discussion with key Vertiv thought leaders was also held, covering the latest trends that are shaping the industry today. Among Vertivs key initiatives that aim to drive channel growth are the Vertiv e-commerce program, new incentives programs, enablement activities, IT bundling promos, and social media community management.

Meanwhile, Vertiv also recognized its outstanding partners for 2021. Among the organizations that were recognized from the Philippines were as follows:
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan will include discussions on energy security, according to India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday, reported by ET.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and others will attend the two-day meeting in the Silk Road city of Samarkand.

It occurs at the same time as a substantial increase in Russian oil, coal, and fertilizer imports into India, a crucial market for Moscow as it looks to expand after Western sanctions were put in place as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

A security pact between Russia, China, and former Soviet governments in central Asia gave rise to the SCO in the 1990s. With the addition of India and Pakistan five years ago, it became the largest regional organization in the world, representing more than half of the Eurasian landmass and 40% of the global population.

Putin and Modi will meet on Friday, according to the Kremlin, and talk about commerce, especially food sales and Russian fertilizer imports.

According to data from industry sources, refiners in India increased imports to a record 757,000 barrels per day in AprilAugust from 20,000 bpd a year earlier. Prior to the Ukraine crisis, refiners in India rarely purchased Russian oil.

Russia, which leads the SCO oil production, has surpassed the US to become India's fourth-largest coal supplier.

According to data from the Indian consultancy Coalmint, India's imports of coal increased to 9.35 million tonnes in the six months since the invasion, nearly doubling the 4.83 million tonnes imported during the same period in 2021.

According to the website of the Indian commerce ministry, India's imports of fertilizers from Russia increased to $1.03 billion in AprilJuly 2022 from $150.28 million during the same period in 2021.

In order to mitigate the effects of the devaluation of international currencies, the Reserve Bank of India developed a method to settle international commerce in rupees in July. This action was perceived as facilitating trade with Russia.

However, since the conflict in Ukraine started, India's exports to Russia have decreased. According to government figures, they decreased from April to July by nearly a third from the corresponding time in 2021.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
By releasing a full draft of the criteria recommended for them to acquire capital and placing the responsibility for selecting suitable RRBs on their sponsor banks, the government has started the process of listing regional rural banks (RRBs).

According to the draft guidelines published on Wednesday, RRBs wishing to raise capital through an IPO must have had a net worth of at least Rs300 crore during the previous three years. Additionally, they must have capital adequacy beyond the legal requirement of 9%.

Additionally, the sponsor banks were urged by the Ministry of Finance to identify RRBs that could raise money.

There are currently 43 RRBs supported by twelve commercial banks. The Regional Rural Bank Amendment Act, 2015 allowed these banks to access the capital market in addition to their current owners, which are the various state governments, sponsor banks, and the federal government, who hold shares in each RRB in the ratio of 50:35:15.

To date, no RRB has used the capital market.

The government advised against any bank filing for an IPO while having accrued losses. According to the draft, these banks must have an operating profit of at least Rs15 crore for at least three of the five years just before the share sale, with a 10% return on equity and a 0.5% return on assets.

It stated that as part of the capital raising process, these institutions should create a three-year capital roadmap.

According to the draft guidelines, the RRBs would be able to generate capital by selling shares to major banks, state-owned insurers like Life Insurance Corporation of India, private insurers, pension funds, and mutual funds through book building.

The Reserve Bank of India has previously given RRBs the option to issue perpetual debt instruments as another way to obtain regulatory capital and has made these instruments eligible for inclusion as extra tier-1 capital, subject to certain restrictions.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
Indias is expected to take a tougher diplomatic position to drive home its message to UK and Canada that they need to do much more to curb anti-India activities of some radical Sikhs and Muslim organisations living in the two western countries.

Both External Affairs Minister S. Jaishakar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are reported to be formulating tougher diplomatic measures against both the countries to let them know that they cannot take India for granted.

The tougher stand will make it clear to both countries that it cannot be business as usual with New Delhi unless concrete steps are taken to stop anti-India activities.

The political leadership in both UK and Canada have been turning a blind eye to these extremist Sikh groups and been allowing them to collect funds to fuel a separatist movement against India.

According to sources, New Delhi has demanded answers from Canada on the outcome of various complaints about hate crimes and anti-India activities being carried out in Canadian territory.

New Delhi has lodged a strong protest with the UK authorities over the incidents of vandalisation of Hindu temples and symbols in Leicester and also expressed its displeasure to Canada as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not do anything to stop an illegal referendum on Khalistan in Brampton on September 18, conducted by a proscribed organisation Sikhs For Justice.

Rise Of Radical Islam In The UK Communal tensions spread in Leicester as radical mobs vandalized a Hindu temple & injured 16 police officers. They attacked and looted an Indian restaurant Street Taste. The radicals also tore down a Hindu flag in front of the police (1/7) pic.twitter.com/WuC3XU9i4I  INDIA NARRATIVE (@india_narrative) September 20, 2022

On the other hand, he has been vocal in opposing Russias attempt to conduct a referendum in Ukraine. New Delhi is upset over the double standards being adopted by Trudeau and is likely to take stronger

Trudeau had responded to the Indian missive sent to him September 16 to take action against SFJ saying that in Canada people were free to express their views and beliefs in a peaceful manner. No action could be taken against them till they created a law and order problem.

BAPS Swami Narayan mandir in Brampton was recently vandalised by Khalistanis evoking a strong reaction jointly from the Hindu community and the Ontario Sikh Gurdwara Council. The police registered a case and were searching for the miscreants.

Canada: Khalistani terorist group members vandalized BAPS #SwaminarayanMandir in #Toronto, they also made anti-India pro Khalistan graffiti on the mandir walls. pic.twitter.com/97mMQnIEvF  The Tall Indian (@HinduHaterKMKB) September 15, 2022

On September 18, a miscreant in black clothes scaled up to pull down the saffron flag of a Hindu temple in East Leicester as a cheering crowd watched the mischievous act in the presence of the police and raised slogans of Allah-u-Akbar.

This was followed by a chain of violent incidents wherein properties and vehicles of the Hindu community were damaged. Rumours were spread that a Mosque had been vandalised. The police arrested 47 people who were part of a mob that damaged Hindu properties and vehicles. Clashes had also taken place between the Hindus and Muslims on August 28 after the India-Pakistan match in Dubai. The videos of the old incident were still doing the rounds.

#Watch: After attacking a Hindu temple in Leicester, radical mobs are now trying to attack the Durga Bhawan Hindu temple in Birmingham, climbing temple walls and raising slogans pic.twitter.com/Vs6S2b4LYx  INDIA NARRATIVE (@india_narrative) September 21, 2022

At the same time there is a lot of resentment also amongst the larger Punjabi community against the radical elements.

Pro-India, California-based Punjabi Sukhi Chahal, said in an interview on New Dateline Punjab YouTube channel that the Sikh community settled abroad needs to stand up against the Khalistani forces if it wants long-term peace and progress.

A journalist revealed that it was for the first time the Hindu community gathered in large numbers in Brampton to participate in a sammelan. This was being viewed as a silent message to Khalistanis.

Also Read: Smethwick temple in Birmingham faces assault even as calm returns to Leicester
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarkashs joint maritime exercise with the patrol ships of the Nigerian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) earlier this week marked a new level of strategic convergence between both the nations on the crucial west coast of Africa.

The first joint operational deployment by India and Nigeria in support of anti-piracy operations in the GoG witnessed INS Tarkash, currently on operational deployment in the region, carry out exercises with Nigerian Navys NNS Kano, Osun, Sokoto and Nguru.

INS Tarkashs third visit to Lagos since 2017 not only strengthens bilateral naval ties but also furthers the Indian Navys operational philosophy of Mission Based Deployments under which ships are regularly deployed in maritime areas of interest to India to ensure that the national interests are protected.

Nigeria remains a country of immense significance for India with both countries having enjoyed robust ties. India is also the largest importer of Nigerian petroleum products.

India, which will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year starting in December, has also decided to invite Nigeria as a guest country to its G20 meetings and Summit.

INS Tarkash had also recently been to Togo, the first visit ever by an Indian Naval Ship to the country.

The exercise in the Gulf of Guinea, said the Indian defence ministry, provided an opportunity for reinforcing inter-operability between the Indian and Nigerian navies in various facets of maritime operations.

The focus was on anti-piracy operations, assistance to vessels in distress, SAR drills as well as anti-air and anti-surface operations besides enhancing skills for maritime interdiction and counter-piracy operations.

We are planning joint patrols with the Nigerian Navy to counter the menace of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, Captain Abraham Samuel, Commanding Officer of INS Tarkash, told local media after the ship arrived at Port Lagos.

Stretching from Senegal to Angola with an approximate coastline of 6000 km, the Gulf of Guinea remains an important shipping zone transporting oil and gas, as well as goods to and from central and southern Africa.

About 13,000 vessels  including tankers, cargo ships, and fishing trawlers  transit the vast and diverse region annually for maritime trade.

Pirates, armed robbers, and several groups continue to operate off Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, and Gabon, targeting these vessels thus posing a major threat to the maritime security and the economic development of the region.

The region, believes the Indian Navy, has also certain non-traditional maritime challenges, and the deployment of INS Tarkash is aimed to enhance professional interactions, exchange best practices in tackling common threats, and further interoperability with navies of friendly countries.

Keeping with Indias stated policy towards maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and vision SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has also shown its full commitment to the countries along the East Coast of Africa and the Western IOR.

Also Read: Afghan situation pushes India and Central Asia to step up counter-terror drive
Pakistani spy agencies have reportedly arrested Gulzar Imam, one of the top Baloch rebel commanders fighting for a separate Balochistan homeland. Imam had recently formed the Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) after merging the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch Army (UBA) to create one of the biggest armed groups in Balochistan.

If the news is true, this would be a big setback to the seven-decade long Baloch liberation struggle.

Journalists tracking terrorism in the Af-Pak region say that the rebel leader was trapped by one of the friendly Muslim nations in the Balkan region. What is still not known is whether he has been handed over to the Pakistani spy agencies or not.

Pakistan security officials claim that Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, leader of #Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), has been arrested in Turkey where he had arrived from Iran. pic.twitter.com/cZDyMfTYWs  SAMRI (@SAMRIReports) September 15, 2022

Various theories are doing the rounds about Imams detention in the friendly Muslim country. The only common link among a plethora of reports is that Turkey has helped its close Muslim ally Pakistan in the arrest.

Amid swirling speculation of his arrest and whereabouts, one of the latest reports said that Imam was arrested in Turkey after his arrival from Iran.

Another report says that Imam was in Balochistan but was lured to undertake a travel to Turkey where he was arrested by the Turkish authorities.

Yet another report says that he was caught by Turkey while trying to enter Greece.

Geopolitical analyst Mark Kinra told India Narrative: Pakistans spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) does a lot of propaganda and there have been instances in the past where it claimed that Dr Allah Nazar Baloch had died. He was, however, alive. As of now no journalist from inside Balochistan has commented nor any Baloch freedom group has said anything on Imams detention as yet.

Multiple sources confirmed that a top #Baloch rebel leader has been trapped & arrested by Pakistani intelligence with the help of a friendly Muslim nation lately. He was reportedly trapped & detained in the Balkan region. A massive blow to an insurgent group. #Balochistan  Kiyya Baloch (@KiyyaBaloch) September 14, 2022

In one of his last interviews Imam had said that Pakistans democracy is a sham and reinforced his point that his organisation does not want to accept greater autonomy under Pakistan. Provincial autonomy is not the solution to the Baloch national problem, complete national independence is the genuine solution to the problems of the Baloch people, he told Indian journalist Manish Rai.

He added that all Baloch freedom fighters have a roadmap for a post-independence Baloch State. Imam told the interviewer: I can say that we are fighting for a free, independent, democratic, and welfare state based on secular and enlightened values. Where all citizens, irrespective of color, race, sex, creed, and religion, will have equal rights. The independent state will maintain friendly relations with its neighbors and will work for the restoration of peace in the region and the world.

Imams much-speculated arrest comes on the heels of deaths of three Baloch activists by drowning in different parts of the world. If Pakistan has managed to swing the arrest of a Baloch rebel, this should come as a stark warning to the dozens of Baloch rebel chiefs and activists in various parts of the world, notably Europe.

Also Read: Top Pak general killed in downed helicopter ordered enforced disappearances: Baloch insurgents

In depth: How Baloch armed organisations are keeping Pakistani army on the tenterhooks
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday that the Indian Ocean region should be open to all for freedom of navigation. He also said that Sri Lanka was open to the navies of all countries, hinting at a possibility that Chinese ships are likely to pay a visit to Sri Lankan ports in the future.

Wickremesinghe added that Sri Lanka does not want to be part of any big power rivalry in the Indian Ocean region and lamented the fact that geopolitics had made Sri Lanka a punching bag. In a bid to defend the visit of a Chinese research ship to the Hambantota port, he also said that the Chinese operate around 17 ports in the Indian Ocean including the Hambantota Port.

So, what has prompted Wickremesinghe to launch a tirade about the Indian Ocean not being free and open? Is he sending a signal to China which has kept mum about restructuring debt despite numerous requests to Beijing since Foreign Minister Wang Yis visit to Colombo in January 2022.

Dhananjay Tripathi, Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at South Asian University, Delhi, told India Narrative says: The timing of his statement is a bit confusing because the world including Japan are helping Sri Lanka come out of the crisis. It is possible that Wickremesinghe is posturing keeping Beijing in mind because China has not said anything about restructuring the loans it gave to Sri Lanka.

An agreement over restructuring of bilateral loans is important to Colombo as this is one of the requisites for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bail out agreement. But China has been evasive over restructuring its infrastructure loans that enabled Colombo to build the Hambantota port, an international airport that lies unused, the Lotus Tower and similar other projects.

Without a Chinese nod over bilateral debt restructuring, Sri Lankas IMF bail out could face hurdles. Japan and India are in agreement over restructuring their debts and paving the way for IMF support. Japan has even taken a lead in trying to organise a meeting of Sri Lankas creditors.

This year Colombo weathered a major economic challenge with New Delhis $4 billion support. It enabled the country to pull back from the brink of a major humanitarian disaster after it had little forex for importing essential commodities including food and oil.

India too has hinted that it does not intend to continue financial support to Sri Lanka as it has given enough. Media reports in Sri Lankan newspapers have said that India now hopes the IMF will take over.

Indias statement is not borne out of frustration. It is just fanciful to think that India alone will keep helping Sri Lanka in its financial crisis while the world watches. India has responded well as a neighbour at a time when financial crisis was as its peak. Now, the international community has to pitch in and help, says Tripathi.

The island nation has hired international consultants to help it restructure its debt with its major bilateral lenders. But Sri Lanka is still learning how to placate a silent China and balance itself between powers.

Also Read: Sri Lanka seeks compensation, wants Chinese fertiliser firm blacklisted

With billions of dollars, Indias Neighbourhood First policy comes to the aid of South Asia
Marvel is facing massive backlash after it announced Captain America: New World Order, a film scheduled to be released in 2024. The movie will star Israeli actress Shira Haas as Sabra, the first Israeli Superhero Marvel is set to introduce to the world. People have already tagged this as highly problematic. Here's what's happening.

Shira Haas as Sabra is going to be the first Israeli to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Haas has gained recognition across the world after she featured in Netflix's internationally acclaimed series Shtisel. Now, she is all set to essay the role of Sabra.

Also Read: Kim Kardashian Gets Mercilessly Trolled After She Expresses Her Wish To Be In A Marvel Movie

Who is Marvel superhero Sabra?

Twitter

Sabra is a former spy of the Israeli security agency Mossad who was first introduced in the Marvel comics in 1980s. She was born in Jerusalem, Israel and raised in a special Kibbutz by the government to nurture her special abilities, including super speed and strength. She used her abilities for the services of the state.

What is the controversy about?

The name of Marvel's first Israeli superhero is problematic. Sabra is also the name of Palestinian refugee camp where the 1982 Sabra and Shatila Massacre took place and killed over 3,500 civilians - mostly Palestinians and some others who were Lebanese. The refugees that resided in the camp were Palestinians, who were forced to flee the country due to conflict with Israel.

People are criticising Marvel's choice to introduce Sabra

Yes I know.



But WE don't.



My point is why is #Marvel so insensitive?

That massacre was horrific...Jews and non Jews were in the streets in the US protesting it.



Believe it or not: There are those of us still alive who remember it.



Why can't the comic book people?#Sabra https://t.co/44tT7JfC3H  Bonnie Greer (@Bonn1eGreer) September 15, 2022

The Palestinians at large are unhappy with Marvel. This has caused a huge uproar all over the world.

"Something I never thought I'd tweet, but Marvel calling an Israeli superhero "Sabra" is because Jews born in the region have been referred to as "Sabras" (a local fruit, prickly on the outside, soft on the inside) since the 30s. It's not referencing the Sabra & Shatila massacre," read a tweet.

Another fan said, "Israels Marvel superhero Sabra has many powers, including demolishing Palestinian homes with her mind and assassinating Palestinian children with her laser beam eyes".

Something I never thought I'd tweet, but Marvel calling an Israeli superhero "Sabra" is because Jews born in the region have been referred to as "Sabras" (a local fruit, prickly on the outside, soft on the inside) since the 30s. It's not referencing the Sabra & Shatila massacre. pic.twitter.com/gryr7UIj03  Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) September 12, 2022

Israels Marvel superhero Sabra has many powers, including demolishing Palestinian homes with her mind and assassinating Palestinian children with her laser beam eyes pic.twitter.com/5mye32ZH7f  Matthew (@MatthewJohn666) September 10, 2022

Marvel fans: "Hey can we get more Jewish representation in the MCU? Yall have a bit of an erasure problem"

MCU: *Announces Sabra, an Israeli propaganda superhero, for Captain America: NEW....WORLD.... ORDER....*  Cap'n Wonder (@CaptainWonder99) September 10, 2022

throw that whole movie away i'm so serious, there's no way they made that happen, also announcing it in the month of the 40th anniversary of the sabra and shatila massacre? big fck you marvel https://t.co/FbbcrT87jM   (@djarinculture) September 11, 2022

Marvel really took ten steps forward with the Muslim rep and then proceeded to take ninety steps back by announcing an Israeli superhero based on an islamophobic comic book. Whats worse is they named her Sabra, obviously referring to the Sabra and Shatila massacre.(1/3)  Mezka | is being torn apart by her draft (@MezkaMazeed) September 13, 2022

The new marvel superhero is an Israeli mossad agent named Sabra. Can someone explain to me why they keep using the name Sabra? The first thing pretty much every Palestinian remembers when we read or hear Sabra,is the massacre of Sabra Shatilla, it feels deliberate   Demographic Threat    (@ynPaliAmerican) September 11, 2022

please read this. sabra as a character cannot be separated from her origins which are as a character created for a specific country that is israel. her existence within the mcu shows that marvel studios supports the colonization of palestine. https://t.co/vrdAT4ozoh  zi  (@oofouchoww) September 13, 2022

This is how Arabs are presented in Sabras first appearance in Marvel comics. The word Palestinian is never used. An Arab child in the comic who is an illiterate liar and thief is killed by black veiled bombers so Sabra can cry over them. Literally shoot and cry propaganda. pic.twitter.com/qh10S9VzsF  Khaldoun Khelil Ennie  #freePalestine (@kkhelil) September 11, 2022

Sabra was created by Marvel just a year before the Sabra & Shatila massacre. Its a testament to how little Americans know or care about what Israel does that the character was never shelved due to the associations, it endured and now is even passing into the MCU. https://t.co/cRo5ZyRiTI  Trash Night Heron (@hyphy_republic) September 11, 2022

I hope they include this passage from the comics :) https://t.co/aZy9HX6465 pic.twitter.com/8l9o9k7nu2  Xavier's Online (Hustler Arc)  (@xaviersonline) September 11, 2022

Her superpower is immunity to international law. https://t.co/nuSkMh7PaT  Nora Zeid (@itsnorazeid) September 11, 2022

I'm fuming over this. Way to glorify war criminals @MarvelStudios @Marvel.

And Sabra?As in Sabra&Shatila? The massacre that was carried out by Israeli terrorists?This can't be real.@shirahaas if you have an ounce of morality you will drop out if this.#Palestine #_ pic.twitter.com/duINZrONBc  Amy Arsamakova (@amyarsamakova) September 11, 2022

(For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)


The special flight carrying eight cheetahs from Namibia will land in Gwalior on Saturday, for arguably the most ambitious wildlife reintroduction programme India has seen till now.

The arrival of the cheetahs -- five females and three males from Namibia is seen as noting shot of a celebration in the country.

ANI

Cheetahs to be reintroduced to historic range

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release these cheetahs in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.



The 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' was conceived in 2009. A plan to introduce the big cat in the KNP by November last year had suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hope is that the 'reintroduced' big cats will repopulate the 'historic ranges' of cheetahs that went extinct in India around 70 years ago.

Reuters

But that is easier said than done and many wildlife experts and conservationists have raised questions about the viability of the entire exercise.

Reintroduction or introduction of an alien spices?

They point out that while it is being termed as reintroduction - implying that the cheetahs are merely being brought back, what is really happening is the introduction of an exotic spices to the wild, which violates the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

While cheetahs existed in India, they were not genetically the same as the ones being brought from Namibia, and thus they are an alien/invasive species.

The only surviving Asiatic cheetah population is found in Iran.

AP

Cheetahs have never been reintroduced outside Africa

Even if we look beyond this technicality, it should be noted that the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) which India has partnered with to reintroduce the big cats has not done anything of this sort outside the African continent.



'Project Cheetah', is the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

Cheetahs v/s leopards in the wild

Another question many have asked is if the African cheetahs will be able to survive in the wild in India, competing with leopards and tigers for territory and prey.

Reuters

Last month India had asked to replace three of the eight cheetahs that were originally marked to be relocated to MP after it emerged that they were captive-bred and they were not able to hunt wild prey.

Following this, it was reported that the captive-bred ones will be replaced with wild ones and the quarantine and translocation clearance for the new ones from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora could delay their arrival in India.

Twitter/ India in Namibia

Once the cheetahs reach India, they will be kept under quarantine and observed, giving them time to get acclimatised before they are released into the wild. Even in the wild, their movements will be monitored 24x7 using radio collars to keep them safe from poachers and other threats.



Leopards are said to be the biggest threat the African cheetahs are likely to face in the wild. And KNP is known to have a dense leopard population as high as 9 per 100 sqkm.

Reuters

But even the enclosure for their acclimatisation had a leopard problem and in August two elephants were deployed to chase away the big cats.



Human-cheetah conflict unlikely

It is not just leopards that have been displaced from their homes. Twenty-five villages in KNP will be resettled over the years.

While chances of cheetahs attacking humans are rare, the same cannot be said about domestic animals.

Keeping this in mind the government has promised adequate compensation if cheetahs kill livestock such as goats, sheep and calves.

BCCL

Cheetahs - the new tourist attraction

The arrival of cheetahs will be a boost to the MPs' tourism sector.



People here are very enthusiastic. We are constructing a resort at Morawan on around two acres land which will have 14 rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant and other amenities for tourists, Rishiraj Singh Palpur, who belongs to an erstwhile royal family, told PTI.

"Even though cheetahs have not reached yet, the value of land nearby has grown by a lot. Tourism will grow, and cars, hotels, landowners and locals all will benefit from this," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told ANI.

He however added that the first priority is the safety of the cheetahs and only after that increasing tourism to KNP will be considered.

For more on the news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
A group of trekkers has claimed that they have discovered a virgin lake in the Himalayas in Uttrakhand after spotting it on Google Earth.

They came across an unexplored lake in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand in July 2021 while exploring trekking locations on Google Earth.

Google Earth

Accidental discovery

"It was in July 2021 when one of our group members, Vinay Negi, on a different trek route, spotted a random image of a lake over Nandikund on Google Earth," Abhishek Panwar, one of the six trekkers who made the discovery told The Times of India.



After some research, they were convinced that the waterbody they came across is not known to the outside world and decided to explore it.

Nobody knew about the lake

"We spoke to old-time trekkers who know the upper reaches of Rudraprayag district well. However, they were also unaware of any such lake near Nandikund," Negi told The Times of India, adding that "in order to be sure, we checked old satellite maps of 1986 and 1992, and found traces of the lake on those maps as well".

BCCL

According to Panwar, Negi then made a "digital route" from Madhmaheshwar to the lake, about 60 km in distance, involving almost a week's travel.



How they found the lake

After months of research on August 27, the six friends - Abhisekh, Aakash, Vinay, Lalit Mohan, Arvind, and Deepak set out in search of the lake.

On September 1, the team reached the spot where they had located the virgin lake on the map.

Abhishek Panwar

Virgin Lake In the Himalayas

According to them, the lake is about 160m in length and 155m wide with turquoise, crystal-clear water at an altitude of 16,500 feet.



They said that on the trekking route, they also came across other lakes including Kasni Tal, Asit Tal, Sunder Tal, Naina Tal and Sujal Sarowar that were discovered in the past.

Abhishek Panwar

"Reaching the pristine lake summit and observing it physically was one of the most magical moments of my life," Panwar said.

The young trekkers are now exploring the tourism potential of their discovery.

For more on the news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Australia is notorious for being a home to many wild and peculiar creatures. One fisherman recently found a shark in the deep blues with striking features. Unusual for regular sharks, this sharks features are all together different. See the picture here.

Bizarre deep sea shark shocks the world   pic.twitter.com/5CEYszLBYO  Halal Homer (@halalhomer_) September 16, 2022

The shark has bulging eyes and bizarre teeth

The shark has a protruding white mouth, bulging eyes and a pointed nose. The fisherman who caught the fish is Trapman Bermagui, from Sydney. He was baffled when he caught the shark from 2,133 feet underwater. Talking about the fish, Trapman said, It's a rough skin shark, also known as a species of endeavour dog shark. These sharks are common in depths greater than 600 meters. We catch them in the wintertime usually, Newsweek reported.

The disagreement on sharks species

Dean Grubbs, associate director of research at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, told Newsweek, "In my deep-sea research, we have caught quite a few of them in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Bahamas. Ours have come from depths of 740 to 1160 meters (~2,400 to 3,800 feet), so a bit deeper than this report. They are in the family Somniosidae, the Sleeper Sharks, the same family of the Greenland Shark, but obviously a much smaller species."

Screengrab Facebook

However, Christopher Lowe, professor and director of the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab, disagreed. He said, "Looks to me like a deep-water kitefin shark, which are known in the waters off Australia. It looks like Dalatias lata to me; however, we discover new species of deep-water shark all the time and many look very similar to each other, Newsweek reported.

The shark discovery created curiosity among people

Shocked by surfaced pictures of the deep sea shark, people started speculating about the fish with curiosity, A user wrote, It might be a goblin shark known to be deep water. Another added, These look soooo prehistoric.

Screengrab facebook

Amazed by the bizarre shark, a user also wrote, it doesnt look real

What do you think about his discovery?

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram
Incidents of electric scooters catching fire have become a recurring theme. This, quite understandably, has created apprehensions among e-bike owners, who are worried about their safety.

Ola CEO asks what accessories buyers want with electric scooter

Amidst questions over the safety of EVs, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal took to Twitter to ask people about the accessories they did want along with the Ola S1 electric scooter.

NBT

"What accessories would you like to have along with the Ola S1?" Aggarwal tweeted.



As you would expect, people threw in a host of things, including backrests scooter covers and et al. However, given Ola electric scooter's poor track record at safety, many users suggested a fire extinguisher to go with the Ola S1 electric scooter.

What accessories would you like to have along with the Ola S1?  Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) September 15, 2022

Among other recommendations, people suggested foot rest for the pillion rider, a phone holder for navigation, a home charging kit and back support.

Here's how people responded

Lol. The first thing that came to my mind was Portable Fire Extinguisher.  https://t.co/RbhcQ1TxLx  Vignesh Mallya (@v_mallya) September 15, 2022

I came here to see fire extinguisher. Twitter NEVER disappoints. https://t.co/YUyv0JTYYT  Gokul  (@gokulns) September 15, 2022

This guy had a more practical suggestion

And then things got real snarky

Lollypop...that's what Ola customers have been getting till now https://t.co/Fmao6WqBwH  Prashant Paleja (@caprashant1) September 15, 2022





For the last few months, there have been several instances of electric two-wheelers, including those manufactured by Ola, catching fire. The spate of EV fires has put the spotlight on the safety and reliability of such vehicles.

Ola electric scooters involved in fire incidents

Earlier in April, Ola was forced to recall 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers, in the wake of incidents of vehicles catching fire.

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said at the time that world-class agencies have been hired to find out why the Ola electric scooter caught fire. However, despite his assurances, social media has been filled with complaints about the companys two-wheelers malfunctioning, catching fire or even breaking into two.

In May, a Twitter user Sreenadh Menon took to the microblogging website to share a picture of his Ola electric scooter which was broken into two parts.

@OlaElectric @bhash

The front fork is breaking even in small speed driving and it is a serious and dangerous thing we are facing now, we would like to request that we need a replacement or design change on that part and save our life from a road accident due to poor material usd pic.twitter.com/cgVQwRoN5t  sreenadh menon (@SreenadhMenon) May 24, 2022

Tagging Bhavish Aggarwal, Menon wrote, "The front fork is breaking even in small speed driving and it is a serious and dangerous thing we are facing now, we would like to request that we need a replacement or design change on that part and save our life from a road accident due to poor material used."

To this, Ola Electric replied, "Hi, were going to connect with you over call shortly, so we can look into this and get back to you."

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Split Decision In What Expenses Entravision Will Need To Cover In Arizona Channel Change.
Addressing the numerous insurance executives in attendance, Carnegie-Brown said the event was a chance to look forward to a hopeful future while looking back on what he called a cherished life.

[The Lutine Bells] note provided a moment for us all to remember, reflect, and revere the life that offered so much comfort and inspiration to so many of us over so many years  as Im sure it will continue to do in the years ahead, he stated.

The Queen made three official visits to Lloyds: in 1952, 1986, and 2014. On that first visit  the same year as her own accession  Her Majesty charged Lloyds with embodying the highest qualities of British commerce: keenness and efficiency, with a real and deep public spirit.

The Lloyds chair went on to say: We continue to embrace that responsibility today. Her words are indelibly written in our history and will be cherished by all at Lloyds for years to come. But as we remember the legacy of one monarch, we also welcome the accession of another.

A single ring of the Lutine Bell signified the start of what was described on LinkedIn as a moving and emotional gathering, while two rings at the end acclaimed King Charles III.

It represents the start of a new chapter in our shared history  and for Lloyds, a chance to recognize the beginning of another historic partnership, declared Carnegie-Brown, who sees the relationship with the Royal Family as an enduring one.

That partnership already has firm foundations, as Lloyds has been privileged to host His Majesty, while Prince of Wales, on several occasions  most recently, in June last year to launch the Insurance Task Force of his Sustainable Markets Initiative, which we were honored to be invited to chair.

He added: As His Majesty takes on the great burdens of state at this time of sadness and loss, we offer our support and condolences to him and to his family. For our part, we will continue to carry the baton of building a braver and more sustainable future, as championed by His Majesty and charged to Lloyds and others through the work of his Sustainable Markets Initiative.

Meanwhile Lloyds chief executive John Neal spoke with a focus on gratitude and the sense of duty.

Neal told the attendees: Gratitude turns our attention away from what we lack and towards what we have. Im determined to keep that idea front and center as we say goodbye to a cherished leader and prepare to welcome a proven public servant.

So today  Im grateful for a life well lived, as His Majesty so eloquently put it. Im grateful for the family and friends to reflect on that life with. And Im grateful for the promise of another life bound in duty to serve others, as our incoming King has pledged to all who call the United Kingdom home, or a home away from home. Long may he reign; and long live the King.

As part of the ceremony, London Market Association CEO Sheila Cameron read the poem For The Hardest Days by Clint Smith.

On September 19, the day of Her Majestys state funeral, the Lloyds building in the UK and Lloyds global offices will be closed.
The Sun Herald reported that according to the settlement, the $12 million payment represents restitution for damage, which was or may have been caused by a violation of law or potential violation of law on the part of State Farm. The insurer, however, has not admitted any liability in its handling of claims related to Hurricane Katrina.

State Farm had originally paid the settlement in February 2021, but Attorney General Lynn Fitch chose not to disclose details of the agreement. It was only after The Sun Herald recently filed a public records request to secure a copy of the settlement that news of the settlement came to light.

It was noted that the settlement does not appear anywhere on the electronic case file on the lawsuit.

The Associated Press said that the lawsuit was originally filed in 2015 by former Attorney General Jim Hood. Sometime after the lawsuit was filed, State Farm lost a state Supreme Court appeal seeking to have the case dismissed.

This development comes months after State Farm Fire and Casualty agreed in July to pay the federal government $100 million in restitution for its alleged mishandling of Katrina-related flood insurance claims.

Read more: State Farm subsidiary agrees to $100 million settlement

It was noted that in the federal case, the jury decided that State Farm defrauded the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by billing it $250,000 for flood damage to a policyholders home  despite wind causing said damage, and the NFIP is only allowed to cover for flood damage.

The Sun Herald chose to investigate what became of Mississippis lawsuit against the State Farm subsidiary after news of the federal statement broke out.
FTV Capital made the investment as part of a recapitalization. The company is a sector-focused equity firm with close to 25 years of experience investing in technology enabled services.

The California-based company has developed process management products and services for the insurance value chain. A team of insurance experts delivers the services backed by technology, such as its PatraOne platform. The goal of the company is to reduce the burden and cost of administrative and operational tasks by doing them quicker and with more accuracy.

Patra, launched in 2005, touts more than 235 customers in 650 offices across the US and Canada. They are primarily top agencies and wholesalers.

Boost Insurance

A veteran Allianz executive and venture investor is joining Boost as chief underwriting officer.

Boost is a licensed MGA focused on an insurance infrastructure platform.

Emy Donavan was most recently at Fin Capital as a venture partner leading the insurance segment in multiple funds. Before Fin, she developed experience as a senior underwriting executive over 20 years, including as the global head and CUO of cyber, technology and media at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.

In her new job, Donavan will oversee Boosts program underwriting, product development and portfolio management in collaboration with the companys insurtech and embedded partners. Shell also focus on development and execution of Boosts reinsurance and risk capital markets strategy.

Accelerant

Accelerant named Pete Horst as its chief technology officer, and hell lead the companys global platform strategy and development.

Accelerant is an Atlanta-based insurtech that launched in 2018 and writes small and medium-sized commercial business. The company specializes in a carefully selected and managed network of members in the managing general underwriter and program administrator space across the US, UK and Europe.

Previously, Horst was vice president of engineering for business analytics platform Qlik, where he brought their platform to the cloud as an enterprise SaaS offering. Before that, he held software development and engineering roles at IBM and Cognos.

In his new job, hell lead functions covering Accelerants proprietary data and technology platform. The software is designed to help members better understand risk, benefit from insights, and handle operational and regulatory complexity.

Socotra

Socotra, maker of a platform for technology-driven insurers, launched a new online marketplace.

The Socotra App MarketPlace is out of the gate with 30 app publishers. It is built on a platform thats cloud-native and propelled by APIs, with a goal of helping insurers instantly connect to apps that improve the insurance value chain. Those areas include data providers and platforms, rating, document, payment processing, claims user interfaces, customer communications, e-signatures and third-party app publishers.

Participating companies include Betterview, Earnix, Experian and Relativity6, among others.

App marketplaces are the best engine for software innovation, Socotra founder and CEO Dan Woods said in prepared remarks. Today marks the very beginning of the rapid-connection age in insurance IT.

InsurTech Hartford

InsurTech Hartford said it is now accepting entries for its annual Innovation Challenge via its website.

The Connecticut-based organization helps propel innovation and the growth of new companies in the industry. Its membership includes startups, agents and brokers, insurers, service providers and investor constituents.

InsurTech Hartfords innovation challenge is designed to highlight groundbreaking ideas from entrepreneurs, students and experienced professionals from the broader insurance industry.

The group invites innovators to submit insurtechs for consideration by a panel of experts. Then comes an eight-week process of gathering and reviewing submissions. Candidates will also participate in pitch sessions in front of a panel of judges.

Finalists present to a global audience on Nov. 10 during a virtual awards ceremony, at which the group will introduce challenge winners in several different categories.

Winners in each category get cash prizes up to $10,000. In addition, insurers, brokers and other industry stakeholders can participate by sponsoring customizable prize funds, which lets them tailor a winning innovation to solve specific business needs as well as for the wider insurance industry.

ProNavigator

The insurtech ProNavigator has raised $10 million in new growth financing that will help accelerate US and Canadian sales and product development. Plans also call for more hiring.

Graphite Ventures and previous investor Luge Capital co-led the round. EDC, Tactico and CIBC Innovation Banking also participated.

The company developed a management platform focused on the insurance industry designed to help clients manage and use their documents that sit outside policy management systems or AMSs. It relies on artificial intelligence and natural language processing to instantly, automatically and accurately retrieve important insurance information.
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP  A lawyer for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones Infowars empire acknowledged on the witness stand Wednesday that the show and website spread falsehoods about the Sandy Hook school shooting.

I dont think that we disagree that there were false statements made, Brittany Paz testified at a civil trial involving Jones claims that the nations deadliest school shooting was staged as a pretext to tighten gun regulations.

Paz said she believed Jones didnt personally investigate the massacre. Nonetheless, he and Infowars repeatedly and falsely said it was a hoax, propped up by actors posing as grieving parents. Multiple Infowars videos featured what Paz called the crisis actor theory.

You mean `lie? plaintiffs lawyer Christopher Mattei said, to objections from Jones attorney.

Theyre not actors. Correct, Paz ultimately responded.

Soon after the killings, Jones disseminated the notion that one slain childs father was reading a script devised by the government or media to shape public opinion, and Jones said the claim needs to be looked into.

Later on, another young victims father told Infowars in an email that the families were distraught at being harassed over the lies about the supposed hoax and crisis actors. An Infowars employee replied that the company was distancing itself from the claims. But another Infowars employee continued to develop the theory, Paz testified.

The jury is tasked only with determining what Jones has to pay to eight victims families and an FBI agent _ a judge already found the Infowars host liable for damages, by default. She made that determination after he failed to turn over documents as ordered during the lawsuit.

Jones is expected to testify eventually but hasnt attended the trial so far. On his Infowars web show Wednesday, he called the proceeding a show trial meant to squelch dissent. He has cast the case as part of a dark campaign against him, his audience and Americans free speech rights under the First Amendment.

We knew they were using Sandy Hook to get the Second, but now theyre using it to kill the First, he said. The trial comes about a month after a Texas jury ordered him to pay nearly $50 million to the parents of a child killed at Sandy Hook.

Jones lawyer, Norm Pattis, has urged the Connecticut jury to keep any damages minimal, arguing that the families are making overblown claims of harm.

The families say the emotional and psychological harm was profound and persistent. Relatives say they were subjected to social media harassment, death threats, strangers videotaping them and their children, and the surreal pain of being told that they were faking their loss.

Its hurtful. Its devastating. Its crippling. You cant grieve properly because youre constantly defending yourself and your family and your loved ones, Carlee Soto Parisi testified Tuesday.

Her sister, teacher Vicki Soto, was among the 26 people killed on Dec. 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty victims were children.

Soto Parisi described seeing social media comments claiming that she was a crisis actor, that her sister wasnt shot or didnt exist, and that the massacre never happened. She testified about getting ominous social media messages with gun emojis and finding a note on her door from a stranger saying she needed to go to church.

And one time, she said, a conspiracy theorist showed up and shouted, This never happened! at a fundraising run that the family holds in Vicki Sotos honor.

The families argue that Jones trafficked in lies to boost his audience and, with it, customers for Infowars merchandise. Data shown in court Wednesday charted spurts in people viewing his websites and social media accounts after he started talking about Sandy Hook.

By 2016, Jones show aired on 150 affiliate radio stations, and the Infowars website got 40 million page views a month, according to statistics that the company used to pitch advertisers. Paz, whom the defense hired to testify on the companys workings, said she believes Jones has made hundreds of millions of dollars in the decade since the Sandy Hook slayings.

Jones now acknowledges the shooting was real. At the Texas trial, he testified that he realizes what he said was irresponsible, and he apologized.

He insists, however, that his comments were protected free speech.

I dont apologize for questioning it, he said on his show Wednesday. I apologize if, out of context, I hurt somebodys feelings.

___

Peltz reported from New York.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Toxic torts, which are lawsuits alleging damage to human health or the environment caused by specific substances, are increasingly common in the United States. They can cost defendants hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars. But such risks are no longer a US-only concern. With a recent settlement between the Belgian government and 3M Co. of St. Paul, Minn., the risk of big-money damages arising from past and present use of noxious substances has now reached Europe.

The case involves so-called forever chemicals, so named because of their very long persistence in the environment  including in bodies. Belgium reached a settlement with 3M in which they will pay $581 million in remediation costs, compensation, and fines as a result of its historical contamination of the ground around Zwijndrecht. Thats where, until 2002, 3M manufactured the forever chemical known as PFOS. It was found in the nearby soil in 2018, and subsequently in the bloodstreams of local residents, in very high concentrations.

For decades PFOS, properly called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, has been widely used to make textiles and paper products resistant to both oil and water. Commercial and consumer applications range from firefighting foams to denture cleaners. Unfortunately PFOS is toxic, persists in the environment, and bioaccumulates in people and animals. PFOS is no longer manufactured in the US, but is still used in a few applications. It is imported in its pure state for a limited number of uses, as well as arriving stateside as a component of hundreds of manufactured products.

Some insurers are adopting PFAS exclusions, and many others no doubt wish they had done so years ago, since PFAS have been used since the 1940s.

Scientists have been researching the health effects of PFOS and similar chemicals for many years. Their findings, combined with the extremely long life of the substances, led them to worry they will pose a risk to human health and the environment for decades to come. In response to such concerns, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued two Significant New Use Rules in 2000 that require companies to inform them before they manufacture or import identified PFOS-related substances. At the same time, 3M announced that it will phase-out production voluntarily. In 2009 the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants added PFOS as a restricted substance.

The conclusion of scientific research published since 2016 has been almost unanimous: PFOS causes direct injury to organs of the endocrine system, and/or causes deviations from normal endocrine metabolism. That can lead to myriad deleterious conditions including cancer and systemic metabolic disease.

For insurers, PFOS  along with other PFAS chemicals like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and thousands of other fluorinated chemicals  is a looming liability disaster. Commercial carriers may face worrying aggregations. Fortunately, though, the litigation risk so far has been limited. Mass torts alleging bodily injury by everyone exposed to Scotchgard-treated carpets or Teflon frying pans have not yet occurred, for two reasons. First, even with the current state of the science showing that PFAS can cause bodily injury generally, it remains quite difficult to prove that in a particular individual. Second, scientific evidence directly linking bodily injuries to specific PFAS-containing products is not significant (not yet, at least).

What Is the No. 1 Emerging Litigation Risk? Forever Chemicals, Says Praedicat

Showing that defendants contaminated the water has been the most successful legal strategy. In February 2017, Dupont and its spin-off company Chemours settled more than 3,000 lawsuits brought by Ohio and West Virginia residents who claimed they were sickened by drinking water contaminated with PFOA, which is used, among other things, to make Teflon.

Drinking-water suppliers across the US have filed lawsuits against manufacturers and users of PFOS. Their goal is to recover the costs of removing the chemical from the water supply. In 2018, for example, the state of Minnesota settled with 3M for $850 million to clean up water contaminated with PFOS. 3Ms settlement in Belgium indicates that Europe is making similar moves to get land and water cleaned up.

Scientists have been studying PFAS exposure and the resulting bodily injury to humans which increases the likelihood of litigation. Higher concentrations of PFAS in blood have been associated with a wide spectrum of endocrine system diseases including Type II diabetes, thyroid disorders, altered body mass index, and metabolic syndrome.

Researchers have also found exposure to PFAS during pregnancy to be harmful. Maternal blood levels which are high PFAS have been linked to miscarriage and pre-term birth of babies. The detrimental effect of PFAS on reproduction is also observed in males with lower sperm count and altered sperm morphology. Recent studies have shown PFAS may be responsible for a weakened immune system in humans. Persistent infections have been associated with PFAS as well as contributing to lower response from vaccines including diphtheria, hepatitis, influenza, rubella, and tetanus.

That means that while PFAS matters heat up in Europe, they could get worse in the US. The EPA under the Biden administration is planning to set a maximum level for PFAS in drinking water this fall. That would force utilities nationwide to install expensive treatment systems. We estimate they could seek to recover $164 billion in costs if the standard is set at 70 parts per trillion, and $410 billion at 7 ppt. And thats just for remediation; bodily injury lawsuits could result in damages totaling billions more.

Some insurers are adopting PFAS exclusions, and many others no doubt wish they had done so years ago, since PFAS have been used since the 1940s. In Europe, Belgiums enormous 3M settlement is almost certain to prompt additional exclusions. This could lead to coverage issues, even for some companies for whom litigation may only be a remote but worrisome risk. We hope this could encourage more forward-looking carriers to grasp the opportunity to write back PFAS coverage on a named-peril basis for downstream users who cannot be clearly causally linked to human illness, or who use PFAS in ways less likely to lead to human exposure. Either way, insurers should carefully manage aggregations of any innovative coverages as Europes PFAS-contaminated-water floodgates have opened.

Editors note: Culver City, Calif.-based Praedicat is an emerging risk analytics and liability modeling company for casualty insurers and global industrial companies. The Praedicat team contributes an exclusive series of articles for Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management. These articles aim to alert the casualty insurance community to growing risks of concern and to areas where potentially insurable risks lie beneath hyped theories linking products to human harm.

Some of the articles in the series include:

Topics Trends Europe Numbers
Hong Kong: Customs signs pact with Cambodia

Commissioner of Customs & Excise Louise Ho today signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia Customs to strengthen intelligence exchanges between Hong Kong and Cambodia to combat cross-border crimes.

Signed with Director General of the General Department of Customs & Excise of Cambodia Kun Nhem, the MOU is the first agreement signed digitally by Hong Kong Customs in a virtual meeting with another customs administration.

The MOU steps up information sharing to promote closer ties in trade facilitation and creates a business-friendly environment for legitimate trade activities, the Customs & Excise Department said.

Currently, 29 similar co-operative instruments have come into effect between Hong Kong Customs and other customs administrations, including the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and 28 overseas customs administrations.

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China's tax revenue shrinks in first 8 months thanks to tax cuts

Xinhua) 20:39, September 16, 2022

BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's tax revenue narrowed in the first eight months of the year as the country has stepped up tax cuts to boost market vitality.

The country's tax revenue totaled some 11.32 trillion yuan (about 1.63 trillion U.S. dollars) during the January-August period, down 12.6 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Finance shows.

China raked in approximately 2.83 trillion yuan in value-added tax (VAT) during the period, shrinking 37.6 percent from the year-earlier level.

The country launched a large-scale VAT credit refund campaign this year to ease financial burdens on taxpayers. The country's accumulated tax refunds, tax and fee cuts, and tax and fee deferrals this year topped 3.3 trillion yuan by Aug. 31, according to the State Taxation Administration.

Excluding the impact of the VAT credit refunds, China's tax revenue grew 1.1 percent from a year earlier.

The purchase tax on automobiles dropped 30.5 percent year on year in the first eight months, as the government decided in late May to halve the car purchase tax for certain passenger vehicles.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Bianji)
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced the Kansas Insurance Department recovered $4.12 million in insurance funds for Kansans in the first eight months of 2022.

When Kansans call the Insurance Department, we work diligently to help make sure they receive the benefits they are entitled to under their insurance policy, said Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.

If a dispute arises between a policyholder and an insurance company, regardless of the type of insurance, the Kansas Insurance Department investigates the complaint with the consumer and the company and works to ensure the insurance policy is followed and benefits are paid accordingly.

The insurance claims process can be complicated for consumers and if you are having an issue, I want to hear from you, said Schmidt.

Source: Kansas Insurance Department
This content was originally published in Harris Brickens China Law Blog. It is republished here with permission.

No matter what I do as a lawyer to try to protect my clients IP and trade secrets from China, there remain many ways the Chinese government can steal them. And it is very difficult for the average (or even above average) company to prevent this. Your biggest China IP risk is  and I hate to say this  your own employees.

Let me explain.

The CCP is incredibly powerful and ruthless. Most of you already know this. If the CCP wants your IP, it will use its power and ruthlessness to get it. How does it do that when you are not even located in China or you are always extremely careful about what you reveal of your IP in China? Very simple. It leans on your employees to force them to turn over your IP.

I will explain all of this using Canola oil and Meng Wanzhou, the University of Washington, NGOs, and alleged criminal law violations as examples. Lastly, I will summarize a recently released report by Safeguard Defenders (a human rights group based in Madrid, Spain) on how China is officially stepping up its persuasive techniques outside China.

1. Canola Oil/Meng Wanzhou

In 2018, Huawei CFO (and daughter of its owner) Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian authorities and held for extradition to the United States. At the time of Ms. Wanzhous arrest, China was Canadas leading importer of canola oil. Within months of Ms. Wanzhous arrest, canola sales from Canada to China were essentially non-existent. See No doubt, they are retaliating: Canadian canola hits Chinese delays after arrest of Huaweis Meng Wanzhou. How did the CCP accomplish this without clearly and unequivocally violating the WTO? It did this by instructing its ports to slow down canola oil clearances and by leaning on the Chinese companies that bought canola oil. How does the CCP lean on canola companies? It does that by making clear to them that patriotic companies dont buy canola oil and by indirectly letting company owners know that they and members of their immediate and extended family are at risk if they keep buying. How do we know this? Because Chinese companies have told us this sort of thing. Usually these risks are mostly financial and relate to things like taxes and pensions, etc.

2. The University of Washington

Before COVID I attended a China event. At that event, there was a panel discussion in which one of the panelists  a Chinese national  was absurdly pro-China. By absurdly pro-China, I mean that he would angrily seek to refute anything remotely critical of China by talking about the United States. Each time he would do that, all of the Chinese students in the audience would stand up and cheer. But they would not do this quite in unison. Two students who themselves always looked angry would stand up and cheer first and then everyone else would follow, all while those two students would scan the crowd to see who was standing. These two students were CCP plants. How do I know this? One, it was obvious. Two, two students I knew subsequently told me that they felt compelled to stand up because they knew these two students were watching to make sure that they (and all the other Chinese students) stood up and those that didnt would almost certainly be reported to the CCP.

3. NGOs

People are constantly reaching out to me to tell me that they are convinced that the NGO of which they are a member (think local Chinese business groups) have been infiltrated by the CCP. They tell me these things in confidence, but the information they give leaves little doubt that this is true. Im talking about local Chinese-American business and cultural groups. I was in one in Seattle but I eventually left it after becoming convinced that it had been severely compromised. The last straw for me was when a high level officer of a massive Chinese tech company gave a keynote address comparing its problems in the United States to Facebooks and Googles problems in China and pretty much everybody just nodded along, as though the two countries were at all alike in how they treated foreign tech companies. At the conclusion of a four-month investigation, Newsweek had this to say about CCP influence on U.S. NGOs:

Experts say the election-related activity is just a small part of a much larger and deeper campaign of influence and interference by China thats been taking place over many yearsand is a far more worrisome threat long-term. Interviews with some two dozen analysts, government officials and other U.S.-China specialists, as part of a four-month investigation by Newsweek, suggest there are myriad other ways in which the Communist Party of China (CPC) and other government-linked entities have been working, through multiple channels in the U.S. at the federal, state and local level, to foster conditions and connections that will further Beijings political and economic interests and ambitions.

Those channels include businesses, universities and think tanks, social and cultural groups, Chinese diaspora organizations, Chinese-language media and WeChat, the Chinese social media and messaging app, says John Garnaut, an Australian political analyst and expert on global CPC interference. Separately, Newsweek has identified about 600 such groups in the U.S., all in regular touch with and guided by Chinas Communist Partya larger-scale version of a pattern found in other countries around the world.

See 600 U.S. Groups Linked to Chinese Communist Party Influence Effort with Ambition Beyond Election.

4. Alleged Criminal Law Violations

Worst of all is how the CCP harasses and brutalizes its enemies outside China. In Chinas New Tool to Chase Down Fugitives: American Courts, The Wall Street Journal explains how the CCP uses threats to convince/force Chinese nationals to return to China:

Beijing has been deploying aggressive means to go after expatriates like Mr. Peng, sometimes dispatching teams of agents abroad to threaten them in efforts to force them to return home and face corruption charges. On Friday, a senior Justice Department official defended the Trump administrations decision to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston in part by citing Chinas alleged use of its consulates as a base of operations to harass fugitives. The Chinese Embassy in Washington called the accusations groundless fabrications.

Indeed, the CCP has gone so far as to threaten to put someones infant child up for adoption in China if the father did not return to China for a criminal law trial:

In the summer of 2017, a few months after the couple arrived in California, a Discipline Commission official from Hunan turned up with people whom Mr. Peng in filings referred to as a hit squad. They staked out the couples Chinese friends in California and threatened to detain one friends family members in China unless she provided Mr. Pengs phone number, according to the filings.

The official, Chen Jian, called Mr. Peng telling him that a squad of 20 local agents and Triads stood ready to spirit the couple to China, the filings say. Mr. Peng told the official that he wouldnt return and that he and his wife had applied for asylum in the U.S., they say.

The Journal couldnt locate Mr. Chen, and the Hunan Discipline Commission, where Mr. Chen was a member, didnt respond to questions directed at Mr. Chen.

Discipline Commission agents turned to the couples son, taking him from his daycare in October 2017 to an orphanage, and conveyed to Mr. Peng that the boy would be put up for adoption if Mr. Peng didnt return, according to court filings by Mr. Peng.

State Department and other U.S. officials got involved within weeks, according to court filings and people familiar with the episode, because the child had been born in the U.S. and was thus an American citizen. After weeks of wranglingand with President Trump due in China for a summitthe boy was returned to the grandparents, according to the filings and the people familiar with the episode. While the son has been in the grandparents care, Chinese authorities havent allowed any visits from U.S. consular officials, or allowed him to be reunited with his parents, the filings say.

Someone smashed windows at the couples new home outside Los Angeles in the spring of 2018, a court filing by Mr. Peng says, adding that the couple believe it was a house-warming gift from China telling them they know where they live.

5. Safeguard Defenders Report on CCP Overseas Persuasion

Safeguard Defenders just released report  Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild  details CCP overseas influence operations and it is a chilling must-read.

Among other things, the report details how the CCP pressures overseas Chinese through means of intimidation, harassment, detention or imprisonment. It also details how China is setting up overseas police stations to better carry out these tactics. Perhaps most importantly, it also describes how the government targets children and relatives in China to accomplish its overseas goals.

Chinas documented tools for persuasion operations include denying the targets children in China the right to education, and other limitations on family members and mandating that relatives in China that do not help overseas police persuade targets should be investigated and punished.

It also reveals the Chinese government plans to establish at least 54 police-run overseas police service centers across five continents to carry out policing operations on foreign soil (including in Spain).

Lastly, it details a new law set to go into effect on December 1 that will establish full extraterritoriality over Chinese and foreigners globally for certain crimes.

In other words, the Chinese government intends to formally extend its reach well outside its own borders.

6. Your Businesss IP is Similarly Threatened

If you are wondering what (if anything) the above has to do with your business, here goes. The point of the above is that the Chinese government has all sorts of methods it ruthlessly uses to achieve its desired results and it that includes gaining access to your IP. Suppose you have a Chinese employee. Now lets just assume  as is very likely the case  your Chinese employee loves working for your company, is incredibly loyal to your company and quietly but resolutely dislikes Xi Jinping and the CCP. In my experience, all of these things are more likely than not going to be true as most Chinese living in places like the United States or Australia or Spain or wherever do so because they like those places more than they like China.

Here though is where the problem can arise. Suppose your employee has parents or young relatives in China. Now suppose that person is threatened by one of the many CCP operatives in your country, and told that unless they do just this one thing, their parents pension will be cut or their cousin will be fired from his plum government job or their nephews will never get to go to a good university. And suppose also that your employee is told that it is a shame that they will never be allowed to go back into China (or even without being told this they realize that they never should go to China again) and that their elderly parents are in China and this means they will never see them again. Now put yourself in the shoes of your employee and tell me that you would not at least consider turning over just one small piece to the CCP under these circumstances.

And this is how your IP is always at risk of being stolen by China. Not everyones, of course, because in addition to being ruthless, the CCP is also smart. And it being smart means that it will not risk an operative getting arrested and jailed and the political fall-out that goes with that for just any IP. In other words, if your companys key IP is a better way to make a rubber ducky, your company is almost certainly safe. But if you are making solar panels, self-driving cars, semiconductors, or just about anything of moderate-to-great value to the CCP because of its economic or military value, your company is indeed at risk.

If your company does not already have strong trade secret and IP protections in place, now would be the time to start.

Topics China
General Motors self-driving technology unit Cruise plans to expand its driverless ride service to include Phoenix, Ariz. and Austin, Texas, in 90 days, Cruise Chief Executive Kyle Vogt said on Monday.

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference, Vogt also said the loss-making Cruise unit aims to hit $1 billion in revenue by 2025or half its current level of annual investment from GM.

In June, Cruise started charging for self-driving car rides in San Francisco at night, using Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles. Cruise operated as many as 70 driverless AVs concurrently in San Francisco, and plans to double or triple the number by the end of the year, Vogt said.

Vogt said its operations in Austin and Phoenix will initially involve a small number and will be revenue-generating, with a plan to scale up operations next year.

Cruise has obtained all the permits necessary for using the driverless cars for ride-hailing and delivery services in Phoenix, where it has already tested its self-driving delivery service with Walmart, one of its investors.

Alphabets Waymo is already operating a driverless taxi service in suburban Phoenix. In San Francisco, Waymo gives autonomous rides free of charge to a limited number of people with safety drivers on board.

Some investors are backing away from riskier bets on technology and reassessing how soon robot vehicles of any kind will be deployed in large scale on public roads.

Vogt said the self-driving car industry has swung back from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism, but this will change.

I think people are going to be caught off guard by how quickly AVs [autonomous vehicles] go from the first ride that youve taken to available pretty much everywhere, he said.

Cruise recalled and updated software in 80 self-driving vehicles after a June crash in San Francisco that injured two people.

Vogt acknowledged some rough spots weve got to keep working on but said AV technology was no longer the main bottleneck.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Joe White; editing Deepa Babington and Stephen Coates)
A rape victim whose DNA from her sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime on filed a lawsuit against the city.

During a search of a San Francisco Police Department crime lab database, the womans DNA was tied to a burglary in late 2021. Her DNA had been collected and stored in the system as part of a 2016 domestic violence and sexual assault case, then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin said in February in a shocking revelation that raised privacy concerns.

This is government overreach of the highest order, using the most unique and personal thing we have  our genetic code  without our knowledge to try and connect us to crime, the womans attorney, Adante Pointer, said in a statement.

The revelation prompted a national outcry from advocates, law enforcement, legal experts and lawmakers. Advocates said the practice could affect victims willingness to come forward to law enforcement authorities.

Federal law already prohibits the inclusion of victims DNA in the national Combined DNA Index System. There is no corresponding law in California to prohibit local law enforcement databases from retaining victims profiles and searching them years later for entirely different purposes.

California lawmakers last month approved a bill that would prohibit using the DNA profiles collected by police from sexual assault survivors and other victims for any purpose other than aiding in identifying the perpetrator. Local law enforcement agencies would also be prohibited from retaining and then searching victim DNA to incriminate them in unrelated crimes under the legislation, which is pending before Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Boudin said the report was found among hundreds of pages of evidence against a woman who had been recently charged with a felony property crime. After learning the source of the DNA evidence, Boudin dropped the felony property crime charges against the woman.

The police departments crime lab stopped the practice shortly after receiving a complaint from the district attorneys office and formally changed its operating procedure to prevent the misuse of DNA collected from sexual assault victims, Police Chief Bill Scott said.

Scott said at a police commission meeting in March that he had discovered 17 crime victim profiles, 11 of them from rape kits, that were matched as potential suspects using a crime victims database during unrelated investigations. Scott said he believes the only person arrested was the woman who filed the lawsuit.

The woman filed the lawsuit under the alias of Jane Doe to protect her privacy, Pointer said The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they choose to be named.

California allows local law enforcement crime labs to operate their own forensic databases that are separate from federal and state databases. The law also lets municipal labs perform forensic analysis, including DNA profiling, and use those databases, without regulation by the state or others.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
Ireland is one of just two nations that have failed to apply for a key European Commission funding initiative aimed at ensuring continuity of energy supply in the wake of the Russia/Ukraine war.

The REPowerEU programme was established in March 2022 with a view to funding explorations of renewable energy sources and bolstering the European Unions energy supply chains following Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

It did so by applying emergency measures to boost the existing commission funds and by allowing member states to re-apply for substantial additional funding for their own energy programmes.

The initiative is expected to inject funding into the clean energy transition of 210bn by the year 2027.

The biomethane section of REPowerEU has a budget of 35bn alone. Irelands potential funding from that budget is estimated at 800m in capital funding and a further 1.3bn in future supports.





The deadline for applications for phase one of the programme was early April.

Biomethane is a natural gas alternative made from agricultural and food waste via a process known as anaerobic digestion.

Its widespread use would be expected to reduce emissions across the economy, while also contributing to the decarbonisation of the agri-food sector.

Luxembourg is understood to be the only other country that has to date declined to apply for funding.

Energy consultant and former MEP Kieran Hartley described Irelands failure to apply for REPowerEU as costly missed opportunity.

It would have given Ireland the opportunity to guarantee security of supply and guarantee a fixed price of energy from indigenous sources, Mr Hartley said.

Kieran Hartley said the failure was a 'costly missed opportunity' for Ireland. Picture: Denis Minihane

He added that it is not just the case that Ireland can reapply.

Countries which have already applied will be ahead of Ireland, will be producing energy at lower prices, and will be able to offer cheaper energy to their manufacturing industries, he said.

In response to a query as to why Ireland has not applied for the funding, a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said it is considering potential proposals for funding under this mechanism.

This work is being carried out as part of the broader budget process, they said, adding that any such funding would be in addition to what is already included in Irelands National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Last month, Italy was approved for a 4.5bn grant from REPowerEU towards increasing Italian biomethane production.

Speaking at the time the European Commissions Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the scheme will help the EU to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition.
Homeowners are having to pay up to 20% more to insure their properties as the cost of rebuilding homes has risen by more than 50,000 in the past year.

Householders already struggling with the spiralling costs of living are being quoted hundreds of euro more than last year to renew their buildings and contents insurance.

While the surge is being blamed predominantly on skyrocketing costs in construction, umbrella body Insurance Ireland said other factors also contribute.

The costs of repair and materials are only some of the factors in the assessment of risks and calculation of premiums by insurers, it said.

Under competition law, Insurance Ireland is not in a position to say if the increase of costs on these parameters will lead to a general increase in premiums.

However, Daragh Cassidy of Bonkers.ie says the ban on "price-walking" could also be contributing to the rise. Price walking or the "loyalty penalty" is where insurers had previously charged loyal, long-term customers higher rates than new customers.

Now it means that, all things being equal, customers will be charged the same when renewing for the first time, compared to those renewing for the fourth or fifth time. Mr Cassidy said:

It means the kinds of people who previously negotiated new deals, or had threatened to leave, have to be charged the same price as someone who never threatened to leave.

However, Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty, who had long called for a price-walking ban, said it is more likely that the increase in construction costs is to blame.

The hike in home insurance premiums comes as new figures published by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) show that the national average rebuild costs of a house have increased by 21% in the last year.

The typical rebuild cost for a three-bed, semi-detached, 98m sq house in Cork is now 228,920, the SCSI said, 48,584 more than it would have been in 2021. The cost has gone up by 56,000 in Waterford.

The increase in the price of building materials, coupled with supply-chain difficulties, played a major role in these increases, according to Kevin Brady, who chairs the SCSIs Quantity Surveyors Professional Group.

Although pricing pressures on certain materials such as timber, plasterboard, and insulation have eased slightly, rising fuel and energy costs are continuing to affect the supply chain, he said.

This is a direct result of the war in Ukraine and is leading to a sustained increase in the price of energy-intensive materials such as concrete, aggregates [infill material], steel, and paint. Coupled with these material price increases, ongoing labour shortages show no sign of abating and are also pushing up rebuild costs.

Mr Brady said this drives home the need for homeowners to review their house insurance. If they are not adequately insured, householders may have to meet some of the rebuilding costs themselves if something were to occur.

He said that in a case where a house is insured for 270,000 but the rebuilding cost is 360,000, they could face the 90,000 shortfall.

Similarly, if there is a partial loss, which costs 60,000 to repair, the insured party would only receive 45,000 and would have to provide the balance of 15,000. This is something many homeowners may not be aware of.

With families facing huge increases in their energy bills and the price of the average food shop, a spike in home insurance will only place them under further pressure, according to Dermott Jewell of the Consumers' Association of Ireland.

Weve always got to be cautious and careful in this, he said.

The inability to insure is one of the worst disasters to affect any household [should it be needed]. Its important its set at an affordable rate, particularly in the current environment.
A young woman who has a protection order against her ex-partner claimed that he followed her on a long corridor at their shared workplace putting her in fear.

Defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, put it to the complainant during a trial at an in-camera hearing of Cork District Court: At no stage did you say, Stop following me or I will call the guards'.

The young woman said: He is a very violent man. I was told to avoid him if he approaches and to keep walking and just ring the guards

He is a very sadistic man. You dont know what I have been through.

When Judge Colm Roberts referred to the complainant being upset in court, Mr Buttimer said his client was also very upset and referred to the fact that the young man had been shaking in the witness box before taking the oath to give evidence. He has no previous convictions of any kind.

Names and details that would identify the parties cannot be published as the trial took place at an in-camera hearing for a charge under the Domestic Violence Act.

The defendant denied breaching the Protection Order putting his ex-partner in fear. He said they both work in the same place and it was coincidental that he was walking on the same corridor at lunchtime on Wednesday, September 14.

He said that all he said to her was to use her Christian name and say the word, Sorry. He said he was saying sorry for the fact that their relationship had ended due to circumstances related to his drinking.

The complainant said: I just thought it was bad timing that we bumped into each other. I kept walking but he kept up pace with me. I felt very intimidated He kept following me out of (the premises).

I got panicked. I didnt know the outcome I was petrified something might happen.

Mr Buttimer asked his client why he did not turn around and walk in the opposite direction when he found himself on the same corridor as his ex-partner. He replied: That is my mistake.

Judge Colm Roberts said after hearing from both sides: I dont doubt her evidence is honest. I dont doubt she was genuinely in fear. I do doubt the fear was caused by his actions on this occasion. I think the fear is from past events.

Reasonable doubt

I have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that actions by the defendant on this occasion were a deliberate breach of the order and to cause fear.

What causes me reasonable doubt is the complainants own evidence that she was giving him the benefit of the doubt at the time (when she first encountered him on the work corridor). She was saying she felt it could have been a possibility of a misunderstanding.

The judge said the issue was not whether he was guilty of something in the past in the relationship but whether he was guilty on this occasion of breaching a protection order.

Dismissing the case, the judge said to the defendant: When someone gets a protection order that means they dont want to talk to you. Judge Roberts repeated to the complainant that he did not doubt her honesty and sincerity.
Two police officers are in hospital after being stabbed in central London, the Metropolitan Police force has said.

Scotland Yard said two male officers were attacked by a man in the Leicester Square area at around 6am, and both are currently being treated by medics.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker.

This attack on serving police officers in Soho overnight is utterly appalling. These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country. 1/4  Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) September 16, 2022

Taser was deployed and a male was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker, the Met said.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment where he remains at this time.

Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.

This attack on serving police officers in Soho overnight is utterly appalling. These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack, and called for anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

He said: This attack on serving police officers in Soho overnight is utterly appalling.

These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country.

My thoughts and prayers are with them, their loved ones and police colleagues following this disgraceful attack.

Our police officers run towards danger to protect others and keep us safe and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

I have spoken with the new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley about this awful incident and remain in close contact.

Attacks against the police will not be tolerated and any perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted.

I urge anyone with information to come forward to ensure the perpetrator of this disgusting attack feels the full force of the law.
Burma AA Outpost Attack Sparks Heavy Myanmar Junta Shelling: Residents

Arakan Army fighters. / The Irrawaddy

Clashes broke out between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Paletwa Township, Chin State, on Thursday after an attack on a junta outpost.

The AA attacked the hilltop base near Temawa village to the east of the Kaladan River in a pre-dawn raid.

Junta troops at Meewa Hill and near Tinma village shelled the area and tensions remain high in the township, according to residents.

Deafening shelling started this morning. I heard the AA seized the Temawa outpost, a Paletwa resident told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

The regime bombed the hill with a fighter jet and a helicopter on Thursday, according to residents.

The Temawa outpost overlooks the Paletwa-Kyauktaw gravel road. Tarring was abandoned after fighting broke out in 2018.

The two sides also clashed in Taungup Township, Rakhine State, on Friday when AA fighters attacked junta troops loading food onto a ship at Shwe Lin Yone jetty.

A Taungup resident told The Irrawaddy that shelling was audible.

The new jetty in western Taungup was built by the regime after last years coup for trade with Bangladesh.

Since early August the AA has been fighting junta troops in northern Maungdaw Township and Paletwa. The ethnically Rakhine armed group has reportedly seized five junta outposts in Paletwa and two in Maungdaw, along with many weapons.

The AA on Wednesday warned that major clashes could break out across Rakhine as the regime is bringing in reinforcements and weapons by military ships, trucks and helicopters but also civilian ferries and buses. AA troops would carry out security checks, it announced.

The group instructed bus and ferry operators to report their timetables, warning that it would not take responsibility for unreported boats and buses.
Burma Displaced Children Among Civilians Killed in Myanmar Junta Shell Strike

Relatives mourn a girl killed by junta artillery at Mwe Taw Buddhist Temple in Moebye on Friday. / Supplied

Four displaced civilians, including two children, were killed on Friday morning when a Myanmar junta shell hit a temple in Moebye, southern Shan State, according to rescuers.

A junta shell hit the Mwe Taw temple in the town amid ongoing clashes with resistance groups and the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF), the Moebye Rescue Team said.

Two girls, aged six and 10, were killed.

The shells were fired where no clashes had taken place to deliberately kill civilians, said a team member.

The rescue group said at least 3,000 people had been displaced in Moebye. Fridays shelling would probably increase the numbers leaving their homes although they did not know where safe to go, the group said.

Since clashes re-erupted in Moebye on September 8, at least five people have been killed and more than 20 injured. A seven-year-old was killed when a shell hit Ave Mater Dei Catholic church in Moebye.

Since September 8, the junta has used regular airstrikes and many Moebye residents have taken shelter in religious buildings and schools.

They know civilians are hiding in churches, monasteries and pagodas but they continue to attack. It is shameful and they will pay for it, said Khu Re Du, a KNDF spokesman.

About 300 people were sheltering at Mwe Taw temple on Thursday but most had now left amid fears of further fighting, residents said.

At least 100 houses and religious buildings had been destroyed by the junta.

The Karenni Human Rights Group has reported at least 260 civilian causalities in neighboring Kayah State since the 2021 coup.
Burma Myanmar Ethnic Armies AA and UWSA Leaders Meet to Build Relations

Mongla, eastern Shan State, in 2019, where this months meeting between the Arakan Army and United Wa State Army took place. / The Irrawaddy

New leaders of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and deputy commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army Brigadier General Nyo Tun Aung recently met in Mongla, eastern Shan State.

Brig-Gen Nyo Tun Aung, 41, traveled from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters in Laiza to Mongla to meet the UWSAs new deputy leader, Bao Ai Chan, also known as Bao Junping, 41.

Bao Ai Chan is a nephew of long-time UWSA chairman Bao Youxiang and was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief UWSA in August. Bao Youxiangs son, Bao Ai Kham, who is in his 30s, was appointed deputy general secretary.

The new Wa leaders are well-educated and speak fluent Burmese and Chinese while older leaders spoke only Wa and Chinese, according to sources.

The Wa media said the meeting aimed to establish personal ties between the allies and deepen cooperation.

The AA has been fighting for federal power in Rakhine State and refused to attend peace talks with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. Myanmars military and the AA agreed an informal ceasefire ahead of the November 2020 general election after around two years of fighting in Rakhine State and neighboring Paletwa Township in Chin State.

But fighting has recently broken out across much of Rakhine State and in Paletwa.

The regime is conducting air strikes against the AA in Maungdaw Township near the Bangladeshi border. The AA might have asked the UWSA for tactical advice and anti-aircraft weapons, according to observers.

UWSA liaison officer Nyi Rang in Lashio, Shan State, told The Irrawaddy that he could not give details of the meeting.

The UWSA has reportedly held similar meetings with the powerful Taang National Liberation Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

An ethnic affairs analyst said: The meeting aimed to build ties between younger leaders of the UWSA and AA. As the AA leadership is also young, there can be closer cooperation. The UWSA sees the AA as important, partly because it could offer access to the Indian Ocean.

The AA might have requested weapons and ammunition from the UWSA, said the analyst.

The KIA has previously supplied the AA but the KIA has to supply the resistance groups now and also fight the regime. So the AA might be looking for new sources, he added.

A Rakhine politician, who asked for anonymity, said: There are no discussions with the regime. The UWSA, MNDAA and KIA helped create the AA. The AA is happy to build an alliance with the UWSA and does not worry about souring its relations with the regime. It keeps chasing its ambition no matter what others think.
Burma Myanmar Junta Blocks UN and Humanitarian Access in Northern Rakhine State

A road in Mrauk-U, one of six Rakhine State townships where land and water transport has been temporarily blocked by the junta. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has ordered the United Nations (UN) and international NGOs operating in six townships of Rakhine State to halt their operations, as access to those areas has been temporarily blocked due to escalating clashes between junta forces and local ethnic armed organization the Arakan Army (AA).

An internal memo sent to an aid agency working in western Myanmars Rakhine State said that access to the townships of Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon has been temporarily blocked by the junta since Thursday until further notice.

Regime forces and the AA have been fighting in northern Rakhine State and neighboring Paletwa Township in Chin State since last month.

They [the regime] indicated that no movement or distribution will be allowed in those townships. In other townships, only the distribution of Non-Food Items (NFIs) will be allowed, the memo said, adding that the block on humanitarian operations will have huge implications for the local population and that there are also staff safety and security concerns.

The block on movement and aid distribution came one day after the AA announced on Wednesday that it would now check all vehicles [land and water] for security reasons, as the junta has been reinforcing and resupplying its forces by all means, including using civilian transport.

We have to carry out these checks as there is the possibility of more heavy fighting throughout Rakhine given the growing intensity of clashes in Rakhine and Paletwa, the AAs announcement warned.

In recent weeks, the Myanmar military has lost two outposts to the AA, including one near the border with Bangladesh in Maungdaw Township. Since then the junta has been launching air and artillery strikes in northern Rakhine and Paletwa Township in Chin State.

On Thursday, the junta-controlled Department of Inland Water Transport ordered boat companies to halt their services to the six townships affected.

Earlier this month, the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said in a statement that an escalation in fighting across Rakhine State and in Paletwa Township is driving an increase in the number of displaced people and creating a growing humanitarian crisis.

Security has been tightened in many areas across the state, with waterways and roads blocked in northern Rakhine, while the transportation of medical supplies and food into Paletwa has been restricted.

These measures have limited peoples movement and are obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance, said UNOCHA in the statement.

As of September 5, almost 9,600 people had been newly displaced within Rakhine and Paletwa Township, according to UN figures, bringing the total number of people displaced by past and present conflict between the AA and the Myanmar military across Rakhine and Paletwa to nearly 84,000.
Burma NUG Rejects Save the Childrens Statement on use of Schools as Military Bases

Bags and books left behind at an NUG-run village school after the children fled a junta raid in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region in August 2022.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has rejected Save the Childrens recent statement calling on both resistance groups defending civilians from junta atrocities and regime troops to refrain from using schools for military purposes.

Three NUG ministries  Education, Women, Youths and Children Affairs and Human Rights said that the global charitys statement could lead to international misunderstanding over the battle to end military dictatorship in Myanmar.

On September 9, Save the Children issued a statement regarding the report The Impacts of Attacks on Education and Military Use in Myanmar by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA).

In the statement, Save the Children stated that the number of attacks on schools in Myanmar in 2021 increased to over 190. It said that the Myanmar military and resistance groups used education facilities primarily as bases, but also as detention sites, to store weapons and as fighting positions.

Save the Children said such use of schools increased the risk of violence and urged all parties to protect students, educators, schools and universities during armed conflict and to avoid using schools and universities for military purposes.

The NUG said the GCPEAs report describes the scale, magnitude and methods of the military regimes violations of the right to education and the destruction done to schools, and found that those widespread crimes had been committed intentionally and systematically.

It is extremely dangerous to put two starkly different degrees of violation in the same tone as though both parties committed the crime equally, and that could result in the international misinterpretation of the Myanmar peoples rejection of the junta and demand for federal democracy, the NUGs ministries stated.

Since the coup, regime troops have occupied several schools and universities as base camps.

The junta has also killed over 140 children, as well as carrying out raids, attacks and airstrikes on schools, detaining children and holding the children of wanted activists as hostages.

However, the regime has repeatedly spread propaganda saying that attacks on school were carried out by resistance fighters who have taken up arms to defend civilians against the junta.

Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) in several cities said that they target regime forces only and will not launch attacks that could harm innocent civilians.

The NUGs military code of conduct, its interim education programs, as well as other NUG announcements, make clear that the NUG has clearly called on PDFs to avoid targeting schools or using education facilities at all costs, the ministries said.

NUG processes and mechanisms also provide a means by which any violation of NUG rules on education facilities can be reported and action taken against violators, the NUG ministries said in their statement.

Last month, the civilian government asked 12 international organizations including Save the Children to issue a full apology to the people of Myanmar for signing an open letter that appeared to legitimize the junta.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) letter, which was also apparently signed by Save the Children, Amnesty International and other organizations, addressed junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as the Honorable Prime Minister of the Government of Myanmar and mentioned the right to education in Myanmar.

In addition, the letter referred to the juntas foreign minister Wanna Maung Lwin as HE Minister of Foreign Affairs and regime official Kyaw Zeya as Ambassador Extraordinary to France and permanent delegate to UNESCO.

After the letter went viral on social media and sparked outrage in Myanmar, HRW tweeted its deep regret for the mistake. Save the Children and Amnesty International both said that they had no knowledge of the letter.
Commentary Increasingly Isolated, Myanmar and Russian Butchers Embrace

--

At last, his wishes were fulfilled.

Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing held his first, and long-awaited, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Moscow-organized Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Russias main eastern provincial capital, last week.

Min Aung Hlaing insisted Putin was a leader of the world, and praised the architect of the Ukraine invasion for bringing stability to the international arena. And we would describe you not just as the leader of Russia, but also as a leader of the world, because you are controlling and organizing stability all over the world.

Worshipping at Putins feet, he gushed, With your help, the country is developing intensively One can say that when you started to rule the country, Russia moved to a leadership position globally.

So it is now official: Myanmar has joined the Russia camp. Myanmars traditional active, independent and non-aligned foreign policy was buried alive in Vladivostok.

Even before the coup, Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia several times and Moscow sent a high-level military delegation shortly before the takeover on Feb. 1, 2021. Since then, it has only increased its deliveries of military hardware, cementing its status as a major ally and arms supplier of the Myanmar military. Myanmar, meanwhile, has publicly supported Russias invasion of Ukraine from the outset.

Myanmar can never ignore China, its giant neighbor, but the isolated Naypyitaw regimes forging of a broader alliance with Moscow represents a fundamental shift in the countrys foreign policy.

During Min Aung Hlaings latest visit, the regime and Russian state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom signed a roadmap for further nuclear energy cooperation including the possible implementation of a modular reactor project in Myanmar.

Myanmar already buys oil from Russia and at the forum, Min Aung Hlaing invited local businessmen to invest in the country, claimingfalselythat it is now fully under his control. He also suggested replacing US dollars with Chinas yuan, Russias ruble and Indias rupee for use in commercial and financial transactions.

The talks between Myanmar and Russia covered wider economic cooperation including direct flights between the two countries to boost tourism and the oil and gas trade. We will see whether such cooperation actually materializes.

The two countries relations moved into higher gear in recent months after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs brief visit to Naypyitaw in August. Myanmar and Russian leaders hailed the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations and Lavrov called Myanmar a friendly and longstanding partner when visiting Naypyitaw

At the Vladivostok forum, Putin became one of the first international leaders to meet Min Aung Hlaing since the militarys power grab in 2021. Seated next to the Russian president, Min Aung Hlaing remarked, Our relations are developing positively.

Back in Myanmar, his audience with a powerful world leader has raised Min Aung Hlaings profile in the hardline military camp. The state-run newspapers touted the success of the trip and showered him with praise, covering the event as if it was the news of the century. Min Aung Hlaing is a leader who enables Myanmar to stand tall on the international stage, crowed one mouthpiece.

As expected, the regimes opponents and a majority of Myanmar citizens jeered at the claim. To most, Putin and Min Aung Hlaing are a match made in hell. Since the coup, Myanmar citizens have been on the receiving end of Russian jet fighters and helicopters, which the Myanmar military has used to attack not only resistance fighters but also civilians, including entire villages. Ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar are on edge over Moscows continuing delivery of military hardware and its order of six SU-30 multiple role fighter jets, two of which have been delivered.

To those in Myanmar, Putin and Min Aung Hlaings handshake in Vladivostok is a menacing sign and can only mean one thing: more trouble for the country.

The meeting is evidence of the Kremlins desire to counter its deteriorating ties with Western capitals, as well as Western sanctions, by pivoting towards Asia, Africa and the Middle East, where it is looking to sell oil and/or military hardware, and upgrade ties.

No matter how much someone would like to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do this, Putin told the forum.

Such words are music to Min Aung Hlaings ears. His regime also faces Western sanctions and increased isolation. Myanmar, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has been shunned from ministerial-level meetings and annual summits in its own region since last year. In a departure from its non-interference policy, the regional grouping has been speaking up on the escalating conflict in Myanmar. Putins backing will give Min Aung Hlaing confidence to defy the Wests bullying, tighten his control over the country and legitimize his rule.

Behind their mutual embrace and defiant posturing, however, Putin and Min Aung Hlaing share a common problem.

Putin faces increasing sanctions and wrath from the US and Western Europe. At the forum, the Russian president showed determination and defiance of the West. While the Russian economy hasnt collapsed as many predicted, he faces enormous pressure from outside. This week, when Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan, Putin said he was aware of Chinas questions and concerns about the war in Ukrainean indication that Xi is unlikely to offer Putin more concrete support.

At home in Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, too, faces greater pressure every day.

As his military resorts to ever more grave human rights violations and war crimes, Myanmars economy is in trouble, foreign investors have fled the country and most analysts anticipate a protracted civil war scenario.

In July, the International Court of Justice ruled that a landmark case accusing the Myanmar military of genocide against Rohingya Muslims can go ahead.

For all his talk, Min Aung Hlaing has neither taken full control of, nor restored a sense of normalcy to, the country.

To the contrary, local and international media and other observers agree that his regime is in fact losing territory to the armed resistance groups that have taken up arms against his rule.

Even former UN experts on Myanmar said in a recent analysis that revolutionary forces have effective control over 52 percent of the territory of the country. The regime is increasingly in defensive mode.

Putin and Min Aung Hlaing loudly reject the sanctions imposed on them, willfully ignoring the reasons for them. In the case of Russia, it was the invasion of Ukraine. As for Myanmar, the regime overthrew an elected government and has committed gross human rights violations, summary executions and war crimes against the civilian population and resistance forces.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskys recent message to Putin was inspirational.

After Ukrainian troops swept through the northeastern region of Kharkiv, sending occupying Russian forces fleeingand prompting Russia to attack civilian power infrastructure with missile strikeshe said: Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst are not as scary and deadly for us as your friendship and brotherhood. He added: History will put everything in its place. And we will be with gas, light, water and food and WITHOUT you!

Myanmar, too, can look forward to a day when it is happy againto a Myanmar without Min Aung Hlaing, war criminals and thugs.
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Gabriel Shipton says he is getting conflicting signals from the Labor government about his brother's case.

Mexico has awarded WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange the keys to its capital, Mexico City, in its latest move to celebrate the Australian's journalism and pressure the Biden administration to act on the pending extradition case.

But while a country so far away, and on the US border too, is doing this, it is passing strange that Australia, the country of which Assange is a citizen, is doing little or nothing to push for his freedom, his brother, Gabriel Shipton told iTWire on Friday.

Shipton, who is in Mexico at the moment, said there had been conflicting messages from the Albanese government which had, prior to being elected, hinted that quiet diplomacy would be undertaken to gain Assange's freedom.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hinted before the election that Assange's protracted judicial proceedings should be ended. When he was asked about it after the election, he responded that diplomacy was not conducted over a megaphone.

@Claudiashein leading the way by presenting the keys to Mexico City to Julian Assange. #FreeAssangeNow . pic.twitter.com/ewqKNxf9Ik  Gabriel Shipton (@GabrielShipton) September 14, 2022

Shipton said Albanese's words about his brother were more or less "an election promise". But at the beginning of August, when Labor Senator Don Farrell had been contacted to inquire if any moves had been made towards freeing Assange, he had said Australia could not interfere in court proceedings of other countries, a similar statement to that which was made by the previous Morrison government on more than one occasion.

Assange is being held in the maximum security Belmarsh Prison in the UK, pending a decision on his request to appeal to the UK High Court against his extradition to the US which was approved by then British Home Minister Priti Patel on 17 June.

Shipton said no decision was expected this year as the US had sought 12 weeks, four more than it normally is given, to respond to Assange's arguments seeking permission for a High Court appeal.

He said he had last seen Assange in July; the prolonged court process was clearly wearing down the WikiLeaks founder, Shipton said, adding that he was simply amazed at the resilience that he (Assange) had shown so far.

Shipton said he had spoken to independent Australian MP Andrew Wilkie some time ago and been advised that a group known as the Friends of Julian Assange, which consisted of 31 MPs before the 21 May election, was being reconstituted to continue the campaign for Assange's release.

Mexico City honors Julian Assange with keys to the city - https://t.co/iMJZ1QLwfM #OANN pic.twitter.com/qKtPdSBBGV  One America News (@OANN) September 15, 2022

He said supporters were continuing to lobby the Australian government to do something about Assange, pointing out Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had raised the issue both with US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Lopez Obrador has also extended an offer of asylum to Assange.

In August, lawyers acting for Assange filed a suit against the CIA, its director at the time Mike Pompeo and security firm UC Global for allegedly spying on the WikiLeaks publisher and his visitors while he was taking refuge in the Ecuador embassy in London.

The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the plaintiffs for the alleged violation of their rights.

It also seeks the removal of any information held by the CIA which was collected from them during their visits to see Assange and prevention of the release of any this information to a third party.

Gabriel Shipton says he is getting conflicting signals from the Labor government about his brother's case.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview Thursday she wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.

"That Putin must lose this war and must face up to his actions, that is important to me," she told the TV channel of German news outlet Bild.

There was no doubt that war crimes had been committed in Ukraine, said von der Leyen, who also visited Kyiv Thursday.

"Therefore we support the collection of evidence" with a view to possible proceedings at the International Criminal Court, she said.

"That is the basis of our international legal system, that we punish these crimes. And ultimately, Putin is responsible," she said.

Asked whether Putin would one day be brought before the court, she responded: "I believe it is possible."

During her visit to Ukraine for talks on closer integration with the European Union, von der Leyen pledged that the war-torn country would have Europe's support for "as long as it takes".
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday in Kyiv that war-torn Ukraine would have Europe's support for "as long as it takes", as the country's president announced the discovery of a mass grave in a town recaptured from Russia.

Von der Leyen's trip coincided with a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his increasingly close ally Chinese leader Xi Jinping in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, where the men hailed their strategic ties in defiance of the West.

She said Thursday's visit was her third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this one was different.

"We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making," she told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"But what we can tell you is that you'll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes," she said.

Highlighting the toll of the conflict, Zelensky said in his evening address that a mass grave had been found in Izyum after the town was recaptured.

"We want the world to know what the Russian occupation has caused," he said, without giving details on the number of bodies found or their cause of death.

A regional police official, Sergei Botvinov, told Sky News that a burial site with around 440 graves had been discovered in Izyum, with some of the dead shot and others killed in shelling.

Von der Leyen had earlier said she wants Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.

"That Putin must lose this war and must face up to his actions, that is important to me," she told the TV channel of German news outlet Bild.

- 'Sanctions are here to stay' -

Upon arriving in the country, she said her discussions with the Ukraine's leaders would be about "getting our economies and people closer."

Kyiv gained EU candidacy status in June at the same time as ex-Soviet Moldova, which borders Ukraine and like its neighbour has had Russian troops stationed in an eastern breakaway region.

The historic candidacy vote angered Moscow, which has tried to retain political and military influence in both countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February by hitting Russia with economic penalties.

Many members of the bloc have supplied Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces in recent weeks recapture swathes of territory.

Germany's defence minister pledged more weapons on Thursday, saying Berlin will provide armoured vehicles and rocket launch systems but not the battle tanks sought by Ukraine.

Von der Leyen said just ahead of her trip that the successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia would remain and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow.

"I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay," she told the European Parliament.

The Kremlin maintains that Russia has weathered the economic penalties and Moscow has responded by reducing or halting entirely gas flows to European countries.

With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to source alternative supplies, agree plans to cut consumption and roll out financial support in the face of skyrocketing prices.

- Putin praises Xi's stance -

Ukrainian energy facilities, including Zaporizhzhia -- Europe's biggest atomic plant -- have been hit by Russian strikes.

The UN nuclear agency on Thursday asked Russia to withdraw its troops from Zaporizhzhia, diplomats said.

Ukraine's forces have posted slow but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front, adding that the military situation "remains extremely difficult."

Local officials in the region around Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih reported fresh Russian strikes Thursday after attacks damaged a dam and saw dozens of homes flooded.

In the eastern Donetsk region, which has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, fresh shelling killed two civilians and left another 13 wounded.

At the meeting in Uzbekistan, Putin blasted attempts to create a "unipolar world" and praised China's stance on the conflict.

"We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told Xi.

Beijing has not explicitly endorsed Moscow's invasion but it has steadily built economic and strategic ties with Russia over the six months of the war.

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About 450 graves were counted at one burial site near the eastern Ukraine city of Izyum which was recently recaptured by Kyiv's forces, a senior presidential aide said Friday.

"Four hundred and fifty graves... This is just one of the mass burial sites discovered near Izyum. In the occupied territories, rampant terror, violence, torture and mass murders have been reigning for months," Mykhaylo Podolyak said.

He published a photo on social media showing rows of wooden crosses and recently dug mounds in a wooded area, along with the claim.

The statement comes after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address to the nation that a "mass grave" had been discovered near Izyum.

But he did not give details about the number of bodies that had been discovered or any indication whether they were civilians or military personnel, or the cause of any of the deaths.

Russia has been accused of carrying out attacks on civilians that amount to possible war crimes, particularly in towns outside the capital of Kyiv.

Dozens of civilians bearing signs of extrajudicial killings were found in places like Bucha, outside the capital, after they were recaptured by Ukraine's forces in March.

The recapture of Iyzum and swathes of territory in the eastern Kharkiv region has delivered a serious blow to Russia's ambitions to capture and hold the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine.
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Philippe Sands is back on the literary scene with the release of his new book The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britains Colonial Legacy. In it, he recounts the defence before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the rights of the people of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean whose population was forcibly expelled by Britain in the early 1970s. A story of the British colonial past that still resists the present. A story of how one fights for decolonisation in the 21st century in a court that is imbued with the political, national and cultural identities of its judges.

"Every international judge comes to their case with baggage. And the baggage includes their own personal background, their own history, their own ideas, their own culture, their own ideology, their own nationality and their own colour," Sands says. "These things do really matter."

The decolonisation of the Chagos Islands and the new world order

In 1973, the UK forcibly displaced the population of Chagos islands, so that it could be used as a US military base. Most of the Chagossians resettled in Mauritius. While the case went onto the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in 2017 the country petitioned the United Nations to seek an advisory opinion for the Chagos people before the International Court of Justice. Two years later, the ICJ found that the UK administration of the Chagos archipelago was unlawful and the UN voted for the UK to leave the island. But the UK does not accept the ruling.

In discussing how this case was litigated over the last 10 years, how it was designed and which legal strategy was implemented, Sands wants the readers to understand how international courts actually function and how the race and cultures of the different judges come into play.

The lawyer tells how he and his team took into account the composition of the court when drafting their questions and building their arguments. "Look at the composition of the panel. Who is the majority? Three white Anglo-Saxon men - from the Commonwealth. Who is the dissent? A black man and a German one. It may be that it is entirely coincidental. Or it may not.

There is little doubt about his opinion. "There is an issue of identity and race," he says. "There is a political element, there is a national element, and you've got to be acutely aware of it. And this reality - which shakes the myth of impartial and independent justice - often nestles in the dissenting opinions of judges. To understand how international justice works, he warns, "you need to read dissenting opinions".

The Chagos case illustrates the tipping of the balance of power between small states and big powers. It illustrates the inevitable end of the British occupation of the archipelago. "The position is untenable. It's over for the British. The only question is when it will be sorted", he warns. "The decision by the ICJ signaled a different world order.

Ukraine: coming news on a special court on the crime of aggression?

Sands' family history also links him intimately to Ukraine. He told it in his best-selling book "East West Street: On the origins of genocide and crimes against humanity". The day after the Russian invasion last February, Sands became the main promoter of the creation of a special tribunal on the crime of aggression. And he is not giving up.

"Why do we need another court?" to try Russia's crime of aggression, ask podcast hosts Janet Anderson and Stephanie van den Berg. "In this case it is the most important of all the crimes. It is the crime from which all other crimes flow. I think it will be a travesty if in five years' time we have trials in The Hague or in Kiev or other parts of the world of a group of relatively low-level military or paramilitary types for heinous acts committed on the territory of Ukraine but the top table gets off scot-free," replied Sands. "There will soon be an announcement of the establishment of a new office of a special prosecutor for the crime of aggression in Ukraine," he reveals, "and it must be in The Hague. According to him, "the longer this dreadful conflict goes on, the more possible this development becomes. And it is the political evolution of some major European powers that will, once again, tip the balance.
Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday said more than 210 people were killed in border fighting this week, with Yerevan blaming Baku forces for atrocities in the nemesis worst fighting in two years.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will travel to Yerevan on Saturday after this weeks escalation largely dashed recent western efforts to push Baku and Yerevan closer to a peace deal.

Neighbors in the Caucasus have fought two wars  in 2020 and in the 1990s  over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan.

Both sides accuse each other of provoking the clashes, which erupted on Tuesday and ended overnight with international mediation on Thursday.

On Friday, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry revised the death toll among its troops to 77 from a previously reported 71.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: At the moment the death toll is 135.

Unfortunately, its not the definitive number. There are also many injured, he said at a cabinet meeting.

Armenias rights ombudsperson, Kristina Grigoryan, later said a civilian was also killed and six injured in shelling from Azerbaijani forces.

Armenian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduard Asryan accused Azerbaijani troops of committing atrocities and said they mutilated and dismembered the bodies of dead Armenian soldiers.

This is a terrible atrocity, a violation of international humanitarian law, he told foreign diplomats in the city of Jermuk.

 International Mediation 

Grigoryan said the clashes also forced hundreds of Armenian civilians to flee their homes.

Azerbaijan has targeted peaceful residents, she said  a claim Baku flatly denies.

It was the worst fight since the two countries fought a six-week war in 2020, and Armenias closest ally Moscow is distracted by its nearly seven-month war in Ukraine.

Armenias Security Council said the violence ended late Thursday thanks to international mediation after earlier attempts by Moscow to negotiate a ceasefire failed.

A delegation from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)  a Moscow-led grouping of ex-Soviet republics  arrived in Yerevan on Thursday evening, the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

Armenia is a member of the CSTO, but Azerbaijan is not.

On Tuesday, Armenias Security Council asked for military assistance from Moscow, which has a treaty obligation to defend Armenia in the event of a foreign invasion.

With Moscow increasingly isolated on the world stage following its invasion of Ukraine in February, the European Union had taken a leading role in brokering the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 transport clamping point 

At EU-brokered talks in Brussels in April and May, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to push ahead talks on a future peace deal.

They last met in Brussels on August 31 for talks mediated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

The talks also focus on demarcations and the reopening of transport links.

The issue of securing a land transport link between Turkish-speaking Azerbaijan and its ally Ankara via Armenian territory has emerged as the primary sticking point.

Azerbaijan insists that Yerevan relinquish jurisdiction over the land corridor that would run along Armenias border with Iran  a demand the Armenian government rejects as an affront to the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The six-week fighting in 2020 claimed the lives of more than 6,500 soldiers from both sides and ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire.

Under the deal, Armenia ceded parts of territory it had controlled for decades, and Moscow dispatched about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to oversee the fragile truce.
After 16 episodes, tvN's crime thriller K-drama "Adamas" starring Ji Sung has come to an end, leaving viewers hopeful for another season.

Meanwhile, the weekday drama's viewership rating sees a slight jump from its previous episodes.

'Adamas' Viewership Rating

Ji Sung's K-drama comeback features twin brothers ha Woo Shin and Song Soo Hyun who embark on their dangerous mission of finding the truth about their step-father's death.

After 22 years, the siblings unite to uncover the murder weapon down as the Adamas.

As cited by Nielsen Korea, "Adamas" episode 16 concluded with an average nationwide rating of 3.358 percent. It is a minimal increase from its previous 2.869 percent.

'Adamas' Episode 16 Recap

The finale episode began with Song Soo Hyun telling SIH head Kang Hyuk Pil and his brother about his plan to attack Team A's base after he sees the opportunity that all of Haesong's men will be at Chairman Kwon's funeral.

'Adamas' episode 16 also featured how Kim Seo Hee convinced the SIH boss to use his connection to protect Ha Woo Shin, Choi Tae Sung, Lee Chang Ho, and the rest of the team against Team A.

After the authorities successfully arrested Team A, Prosecutor Song was nowhere to be found. Ha Woo Shin then recalled that he is set to infiltrate Team A's base at the chairman's funeral.

At the base center, a sniper was aiming at the prosecutor, who happens to be Team A's leader, Mr. Lee.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Ji Sung Reveals Why It's Challenging to Play Dual Role in 'Adamas'

At this point, Song Soo Hyun and the chairman's right hand have an intense battle. Mr. Lee gets the upper hand after shooting the prosecutor on his arm.

He mentioned that he is longing to see him suffer and beg for his life after killing and torturing his brother.

After this scene, he brought Song Soo Hyun to a secret hideout to end his life.

Is Prosecutor Song Dead?

The authorities tracked the prosecutor's GPS but ended up in a lake. With no trace of his location, Ha Woo Shin and Kim Seo Hee are hopeful that Song Soo Hyun is still alive.

With this, Ha Woo Shin, along with Choi Tae Sung are more than determined to hunt down Mr. Lee.

At the B site, Ha Woo Shin prevented Mr. Lee from escaping. During their face to face encounter, Team A's leader revealed how he killed Song Soo Hyun, who begged him to spare his life.

He tells Ha Woo Shin that he made the prosecutor suffer just like he did to his younger brother.

Because of anger, he shot Mr. Lee both on his legs but did not reveal Song Soo Hyun's location and the new master of Team A.

Eun Hye Soo Ends Kwon Hyun Jo

With Kwon Hyun Jo, the chairman's son, getting away with her plan, Eun Hye Soo had a negotiation with Team A's gunwoman, Sun.

Since she is eager to kill her sister, Secretary Yoon, who is also Kwon Hyun Jo's mistress, she tells Sun to make them suffer and end either one of them.

Surprised by what she saw, Secretary Yoon saw Hyun Jo struggling for life. Sun tells her sister that he will be in a coma and will be his lifelong caretaker.

In addition, Eun Hye Soo is now officially Haesong's chairman with Team A and even Ms. Kwon, the former chairman's longtime aide sees her as their new master.

In the latter part of the scene, Hye Soo was admiring the Adamas in front of her.

This comes after she made a deal to end Mr. Lee and in exchange, he will give the Adamas.

On the other hand, Kim Seo Hee saw a letter that states Song Soo Hyun is alive and instructed Ha Woo Shin to find the Adamas.

In the last scene, Ha Woo Shin is smiling brightly while holding the real Adamas.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
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Kennesaw State awarded grant to research, develop advanced interstate tolling system

KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 16, 2022

Faculty members at Kennesaw State University are embarking on a four-year project to develop a connected vehicle system for the Atlantic City Expressway in New Jersey, thanks to a grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

The grant is part of an $8.74 million award to the South Jersey Transportation Authority and is the largest award to date for Kennesaw States Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The goal of the project is to transform the Atlantic City Expressway into a smart and connected corridor using cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology, which uses either direct communication or conventional cellular networks, similar to 5G technology in cell phones.

Sunanda Dissanayake, left, and Parth Bhavsar This is a large, collaborative effort that will modernize how drivers in the United States use tolls, said Ian Ferguson, dean of the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. Its especially exciting that faculty members from civil engineering, computer engineering and electrical engineering, as well as other universities and government agencies, will use their expertise to address this need.

Kennesaw State is more than 600 miles from New Jersey, but a connection through transportation engineering systems sparked the partnership. Assistant professor of civil engineering Parth Bhavsar previously taught at Rowan University in New Jersey and has remained close with the director of its Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES). Kennesaw State is working with Rowan University, Clemson University, the University of Alabama and West Virginia University on this project.

This is the future, said Sunanda Dissanayake, chair of KSUs Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an internationally renowned traffic expert. We have to be smart about transportation because the systems we have now will someday be insufficient.

Bhavsar will lead Kennesaw States team of researchers to develop technology that will eventually remove the need for toll booths and stickers, like Georgias Peach Pass.

Your car will be equipped with technology that will communicate with infrastructure devices and other vehicles, Bhavsar explained. This is important for anyone who drives because we can use this technology to decrease travel times and plan for the future of autonomous vehicles.

The U.S. DOT wants the primary focus of the project to be deploying and evaluating compatible technology to support future connected and automated vehicles traveling on the Atlantic City Expressway (ACE). Bhavsar said his team will also develop an infrastructure in-loop for the entire length of the ACE, which will allow future researchers to gather travel data collected along the expressway and test new algorithms.

In addition, Kennesaw State researchers will develop pavement distress detection modules to monitor pavement performance over time, and the Burruss Institute will assist with user-perception surveys. Other faculty members involved in the project are research assistant professor of computer engineering Billy Kihei, associate professor of computer science and Director of Research Computing Ramazan Aygun, and associate professor of electrical engineering and Graduate Program Coordinator Sumit Chakravarty.

The U.S. DOT also wants the team to perform a cost-benefit analysis to track where taxpayer money is going and the future return on investment, Bhavsar said.

The research team will work on developing this technology over the next two years, while the third and fourth years will be for deployment and evaluation. They hope this technology can serve as a model to use around the country in the future.

 Abbey OBrien Barrows

Photos by Judy Pishnery

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The universitys vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
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Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and their allies will rally in DC, London, and Edinburgh this September to demand bold, urgent governmental action for the millions of people living with ME, long COVID, and other infection-associated, chronic diseases.

As researchers continue to find many similarities between ME and long COVID, the history of ME offers crucial lessons for approaching long COVID and some pathways toward more effective research and care.

The primary symptoms of MEpost-exertional malaise, unrelenting fatigue, and cognitive dysfunctionalso appear in many long COVID cases. In fact, preliminary studies estimate nearly half of long COVID patients meet the diagnostic criteria for ME.

Also known as ME/CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome, ME drew the Centers for Disease Controls attention almost 40 years ago, when it was identified as a chronic, mononucleosis-like illness with persistent viral activity.

As more cases emerged, however, some influential scientists attributed patients symptoms to dysfunctional illness beliefs. In the following decades, the funding for ME research went largely toward psychological treatments for a physiological illness.

Studies have since found that ME patients were frequently mistreated or misdiagnosed, and often misbelieved.

I am one of those patients. Despite my professional expertise in medical rhetoric, I spent a decade shuffling between clinicians who attributed my symptoms to stress. They insisted I stop worrying and resume my usual activities.

As my symptoms escalated, I experienced flares of acute inflammation that sent me to the emergency room three times in a matter of months. I went from daily physical activityincluding weightlifting competitions and jiujitsu tournamentsto sometimes feeling so weak that I could not speak. I did not yet know that exertion can exacerbate ME, and I had continuously pushed myself into worse states of debility.

While many researchers have found physiological underpinnings in MEincluding neuroinflammation, mitochondrial abnormalities, immune irregularities, and chronic infectionspsychological models continued to dominate public understanding.

Those models enabled public health officials to de-prioritize a condition that leaves 385,000 U.S. Americans homeboundand that now has an estimated economic impact of $149 to $362 billion.

In 1999, Congress found that the CDC misdirected $12.9 millionover half the funds dedicated to ME researchto addressing other conditions. Recent research finds that ME remains the most underfunded disease in the National Institutes of Health, receiving only 7.3 percent of the expected resources relative to its disease burden.

The largest study on ME to date, known as the PACE trial that began recruiting patients in 2005 and was completed in 2010, established a misleading narrative of ME as a psychological disorderone that PACE investigators claimed could be treated by cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy. Many researchers and advocacy groups spent the last decade contesting the flawed methods of the study.

PACE investigators used overbroad definitions for ME that likely included many participants without ME altogether. They changed their outcomes mid-trial so that it was possible for patients to count as recovered while leaving the trial with a less functionality than when they entered.

The trials main investigators also had financial and consulting relationships with disability insurance companies and had advised companies that rehabilitative therapies like those tested in PACE could help ME/CFS claimants get off benefits and back to work.

While it is possible for psychological conditions to cause physiological symptoms, other studies found that PACEs recommended treatments not only failed to improve symptoms of ME, but even harmed patients. In many cases, applications of CBT and GET have worsened patients conditions.

The CDC stopped recommending CBT and GET for treating ME in 2017, and the U.K.s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence followed suit in 2021.

But since then, PACE investigators have begun positioning themselves as experts in long COVID, insisting on the need to further fund CBT research. Other studies have also revived arguments about patients illness beliefs as the root of their symptoms. They join some other psychologists and physicians pushing to categorize long COVID as psychological disorderdespite consistent evidence of its physiological basis.

To be clear: Therapy might be a helpful tool for some patients with chronic illness, but it cannot be the sole method of addressing pathological and physiological abnormalities.

The belief that patients just need to change their mindset has trivialized many peoples suffering and deprived them of life-sustaining resources. Faced with this public skepticism, long COVID patients are often denied insurance coverage and disability benefits.

Opportunists have taken advantage of patients despair by offering psychological interventions that not only worsen symptoms in a majority of patients, but have also caused tremendous psychological distress, feelings of self-blame, and even attempted suicides.

Many have called much of the past three years unprecedented, but ME provides critical precedents for approaching long COVID. Responses to long COVID should draw from and build on relevant clinical findings from ME research.

The history of the PACE trial cautions against recommending exercise for those with post-exertional malaise. It also shows the necessity of pursuing standardized and accurate disease definitions.

Findings of metabolic abnormalities, immune dysfunction, vascular dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, viral reactivation, and other irregularities in ME have already proven applicable in cases of long COVID. These directions merit further attention in long COVID research.

Finally, if ME patients and researchers have a voice in governmental responses to long COVID, investigators of both conditions can build from one anothers findings and provide faster relief to millions of patients worldwide.

V. Jo Hsu is an assistant professor of rhetoric and writing.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
China to advance digitalization of risk management for hazardous chemicals

Xinhua) 20:40, September 16, 2022

BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to promote the digital, networked and intelligent transformation of safety-risk management for hazardous chemicals, an official said Friday.

The digitalization of hazardous chemicals management has been piloted in 80 relevant workplaces since last year, Song Honglin, an official with the Ministry of Emergency Management, told a press conference.

Song said that the digitalization of the double prevention mechanism has been fully carried out in major hazard source firms, with 5,551 of them already completing construction, accounting for 82 percent of the whole.

Full coverage of all the hazard source firms will have been completed by the end of this year, Song said.

The ministry has conducted the intelligent transformation of work-safety monitoring, supervision and law enforcement to prevent and defuse major safety risks and ensure the safety of people's lives and property, ministry official Wei Pingyan said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Bianji)
Green-Schools National Walk to School Week begins on Monday, September 19 for five days. Taking place in the new calendar slot of September, this years Walk to School Week (WTSW) joins European Mobility Week and the international Walk21 Conference at TU Dublin in celebrating walking, active transport, and sustainable solutions to congestion at schools around Ireland.

Green-Schools is Irelands leading environmental management and education programme for schools. Promoting long-term, whole-school action for the environment Green-Schools is a student-led programme with involvement from the wider community.

The Green-Schools Travel Programme works in partnership with schools to promote active, sustainable travel on the journey to school. Green-Schools Travel Officers will be busy working directly with schools next week on WOW Days (Walk on Wednesday), conducting walkability audits, promoting active travel and delivering workshops in schools focused on giving students and the schools wider community the tools to change habits, build better ones and create a school environment that is accessible and enjoyable for all.

This years new WTSW-focused resource for primary schools Investigate & Create allows students the opportunity to capture their experience of walking to school and bring this to their classroom for further discussion.

Following the recent release of the Green-Schools Speedweek Report, WTSW organisers are keen to remind everyone of the straightforward steps they can take to create more welcoming front of school environments for students.

Ciara Norton, Manager of the Green-Schools Travel Programme outlines:

Next week is about enjoyment for children and young people of all ages who might already walk to school or those who need a gentle nudge to start the school year off on foot (or by scooter/bike/public transport). We are really looking forward to visiting schools around the country and seeing the great ways that school communities are promoting walking and other active journeys.

I would like to call on everyone  not just parents and guardians  to consider their behaviour when driving near a school: slow down, park considerately. Speed limits around schools are not obeyed as our recent Speedweek Report showed. I would also ask those who must drive to schools to turn their engines off and stop idling, for improved air quality for all.

With National Walking Day also taking place on September 25, the week ahead creates a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to consider incorporating walking into their everyday journeys and for vital discussions to be had about how we can transform our communities to welcome walkers.

Learn more at: https://greenschoolsireland.org/event/walk-to-school-week-2022/
Good news for Kilkennys top teen music talent as the 2022 Top Security/Frank Maher Classical Music Awards is now open for entries.

With a 5,000 prize for the winner, it is the largest such competition for secondary schools in Ireland. The closing date for entries is Friday, October 7 and Marty Whelan is master of ceremonies for the competition night in Dublin at the end of October.

Last years winner, 18-year-old pianist Stan OBeirne (pictured) was at the photocall to launch details of the 2022 competition. He has been awarded an Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholarship at UCD, which allows top performing students to develop their artistic talents while at the same time pursuing an academic degree.

Stan said,

Winning the Frank Maher Award in 2021 was fantastic to have on my application for the UCD Scholarship. It means that I can study for my academic degree yet be supported in my piano studies at the highest level. I can continue entering competitions, performing in concerts and festivals and taking part in other events. It gives me so many options careerwise.

The Top Security/Frank Maher Classical Music Awards were created in 2001 by Emmet ORafferty, chairman of the Top Security Group, to honour the memory of his late teacher, Fr Frank Maher, a pioneer in the nurturing of musical talent in secondary schools. They went nationwide in 2012.

Emmet said,

The Awards are now into their eleventh year of national competition, and we never cease to be delighted at the high calibre of teenage talent that it attracts Were proud to be able to support them at a key time in their lives and were very much looking forward to meeting this years crop of talented finalists.

The award entrants are a rollcall of rising young Irish classical music talent. All the winners have received national and international recognition for their achievements, and many have used their prize money as a springboard to fund their studies at some of the worlds most renowned music colleges and institutions. These include Juilliard School, MUK Vienna, Barenboim-Said Akademie, Royal College of Music, Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique et de Danse and Kronberg Academy.

The awards are open to sixth year post-primary students of string, woodwind, brass and piano. The 5,000 top prize will be used by the winner to attend a recognised place of tuition, a course of study in Ireland or abroad or on a purchase necessary for the development of their talent. The remaining finalists will each receive a 300 bursary.

The competition night is October 28 in Dublin with Marty Whelan as master of ceremonies.

Further information, rules and application form at www. frankmaherclassicalmusicawards .com
A suspected Kinahan cartel associate, described as one of Europes biggest money launderers by European authorities, has been arrested in Spain as part of a multi-agency investigation.

It is understood that the man arrested is John Morrissey, who was among those named and sanctioned by US authorities earlier this year in an attempt to dismantle the Irish Kinahan crime gang.

Photos released by authorities show a topless man, whose face is blurred, being arrested in Malaga on Monday while surrounded by members of Irelands An Garda Siochana, the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA), and Spains Guardia Civil.

The EUs law enforcement agency Europol said on Thursday that the arrested man is considered a high-value target for his alleged involvement in a number of high-profile criminal cases across Europe.

In a statement, Europol said that the arrested man and his associates are suspected to have been in charge of moving large amounts of cash between criminal organisations in different countries.

The money was transferred using an informal method that doesnt involve money being physically moved.

Over a year and a half it is believed that more than 200 million euro was laundered using this method.

The Guardia Civil said that the organisation in Spain had the capacity to launder up to 350,000 euro a day.

Three of Mr Morrisseys associates were also arrested, two in Spain and one in the UK, with 11 property searches being carried out in both countries as part of the year-and-a-half long investigation.

Europol has said that the main members of the organisation in Spain had created a brand of vodka promoted in nightclubs and restaurants in Costa del Sol to disguise the source of their earnings.

It is also alleged that they founded a company in the UK, dependent on another company based in Gibraltar, in order to hide the identity of the administrators of the companies that were being used to launder the illegal profits.

One of the suspects arrested ran a car dealership, and is suspected by Europol of providing vehicles to the criminal organisation in which he had built concealed compartments to transport the large amounts of cash undetected.

The Guardia Civil led what was called a complex investigation, and worked with Gardai, the NCA, and the Dutch National Police (Politie), with international activity coordinated by Europols European Financial and Economic Crime Centre.

It comes months after US authorities offered a five million dollar reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the Kinahan cartel leaders.

The US Treasury department imposed sanctions against senior members of the Kinahan crime gang, including Christy Kinahan Snr and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr.

Also named and sanctioned by the US department were Sean McGovern, Ian Dixon, and Bernard Clancy as well as Mr Morrissey.
MEXICO  Employees from Platinum Health Systems, the company that bought Noble Health earlier this year, received an email last Thursday telling them that the company terminated their positions at the Audrain and Callaway Community Hospital, former employees told KOMU 8.

"This is to inform you that your current position with Noble pursuant to which you provided services at Noble Health Audrain [Callaway] Community Hospital, is being severed effective Friday, September 9th, 2022," Platinum Health Systems said in the email. "Your termination was not foreseeable, we are providing this notification with as much advanced notice as has proved practicable. This termination is permanent with no recourse. The medical facility will be shuttered."

This comes after Noble Health suspended services at the Audrain and Callaway Community Hospitals in March. Noble Health then laid off 175 of their employees at the two hospitals. Platinum Health, a Texas-based company, then assumed control of both hospitals and nine of its clinics in April.

But after a promise to reopen, months went by and signs were still covered, doors remained locked and employees left unpaid.

A former Audrain Community Hospital employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said she's frustrated and disappointed that this is the final outcome.

"We need a hospital, we were trying our hardest and then Platinum just came in close to the deadline of getting our license back and told us we were all terminated and the hospitals were gonna shut down and clinics were gonna shut down," the employee said. "And they were leading us on like they were going to reopen and reopen, and then nothing. They closed us completely down."

The employee said the staff hasn't received paychecks for 12 weeks. After Platinum bought Noble, they promised to pay back the three checks Noble owed its employees, but they never did, the employee said. They also owe employees what they took out of their checks for insurance.

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Under Missouri law, a company has seven days to give severance pay to their employees once they are terminated. It's been six days, and Audrain Community Hospital employees have not received pay.

For the last 12 weeks, employees have dug into their savings.

"We hate to see the hospital go. But I mean, we had to do what we had to do," the employee said. "Some people had to stop working to go get another job so they could survive. And then the ones that hung in there, we were just pulling out of our savings accounts and managing from that."

MU Health Care opened an urgent care and family medicine clinic in Audrain County earlier this week. The employee said it's more important now than ever for rural communities to have access to immediate health care.

"We lost two hospitals, one in Fulton and one Audrain," the employee said. "Now depending on where you live, Columbia or Moberly, or Jeff City may be the closest one, and we're talking hour 45 minutes to an hour away. That can matter if you're really, really sick."

The employee said besides the letter from Platinum last week, they haven't heard anything when they reached out to them.

The staff said if they do not receive pay within the seven days, they will begin to take legal action.

KOMU 8 reached out to the director of Platinum Health but has not heard back at the time of publishing.
The German government has seized control of three Russian-owned oil refineries to secure supplies of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.
Mr. Happy, a Blandings turtle, is one of the residents at the Nature Center at Pokagon State Park. A program on this state endangered species is today at 2 p.m. at Pokagon. This photo is from August 2019.
BLACKPINK member Jennie sparked concern after she was seen in tears at Incheon International Airport. Many have speculated on the reasons why she was in tears. Keep on reading for all the details.

BLACKPINK Jennie Spotted Crying in Airport

On the afternoon of September 15, the four members of BLACKPINK were seen leaving for Los Angeles, USA, through Incheon International Airport.

On this day, Jennie was seen wearing a navy knit zip-up and gray pants. She styled her look with black sunglasses, a tote bag, and white sneakers. The idol looked comfortable yet stylish with her airport fashion.

Her long straight hair added to her unique atmosphere, showing off her alluring charisma this fall.

Jennie occasionally waved to fans and reporters. However, unlike other members, she was caught turning her head away from the cameras. She was also seen covering her eyes despite wearing sunglasses.

Fellow BLACKPINK member Rose was even seen checking up on her as they posed for photos. This has led many to believe that the "SOLO" songstress was crying at the airport.

Internet Users Speculate BLACKPINK Jennie & BTS V Broke Up

Following BLACKPINK's appearance at the airport, several outlets released articles such as, "Rose, 'Jennie, are you hurt somewhere?'," "Rose, worrying about Jennie," and "BLACKPINK Rose, who is worried for Jennie."

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: BTS V & BLACKPINK Jennie Met While in New York? Idols' IG Photos Gain Attention

The articles led many to believe she was crying at the airport while leaving the country, sparking speculation that something heartbreaking must have happened. Most people think she was dumped by BTS's V.

While their relationship was never confirmed, several dating photos of Jennie and V were leaked online in August. Since then, the two idols have been embroiled in dating rumors.

Others pointed out that during the time Jennie and EXO's Kai broke up, she appeared puffy at the airport. People speculated at the time that she cried all night. Many believe the same thing happened this time.

Comments concerning the situation read,

"She 100% got dumped by V." "In the past, when she got dumped by Kai, she cried all night, and her face was so puffy when she came out." "The boomerang hit her back." "Looks like she got dumped this time too. She dumped G-Dragon and rebounded to V, but now she got dumped."

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

For more K-Pop news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Alexa Lewis
Chandigarh, September 16: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked leading German company Verbio Group to explore future collaboration opportunities with the state in the renewable energy sector.

The chief minister on Thursday called on founder and CEO Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG Claus Sauter, during his visit to Berlin.

The chief minister said that Verbio Group has a strong association with the state as its Indian subsidiary Verbio India has recently commissioned one of largest biofuel (Biomethane/Bio-CNG) production units in India with 33 TPD (tons per day) of Bio-CNG capacity at Sangrur.

Mann said that the bio-CNG project of 80,000 m3/day capacity will produce biogas by the anaerobic digestion process and is a great way to solve the problem of stubble burning. Indian Diplomats Upset With CM Bhagwant Mann's False Claim on BMW Setting Up Manufacturing Plant in Punjab.

Further, Mann, while sharing his vision and policies for the growth of the industrial ecosystem in the state, invited the Verbio Group to extend their association with Punjab and establish more product verticals in the State.

The chief minister and CEO Sauter discussed the group's project in the state and its contribution in managing the agri-residue of the State. PM Narendra Modi Birthday: Goa Raj Bhavan To Disburse Financial Aid to 72 Patients Each of TB, Cancer and Dialysis; Check Details.

Mann also assured the CEO of support and cooperation from the Punjab Government to solve any issues for their project adding that he is committed to a win-win solution for farmers, the environment and the entire ecosystem.

The Chief Minister also invited Sauter and the Verbio management to the Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit on February 23-24, 2023 to share their experience of working in Punjab and explore future collaboration opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

Meanwhile, the Verbio Group appreciated the support extended by the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (Invest Punjab) in the execution of their project and also discussed their future expansion plans in the State.

Verbio is a leading independent manufacturer of bio-energy in Europe and every year, Verbio's plants produce around 660,000 tonnes of biodiesel, 260,000 tonnes of bioethanol, and 900 gigawatt-hours of biomethane. It manufactures biofertilizers and animal feed for agricultural use as well as high-value raw materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food processing industries.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
More than USD 7 million (around INR 59 crores) will be shelled to beef up the security for the Queen's funeral on September 19. According to New York Post, protecting Queen Elizabeth's funeral will be the most expensive single-day operation in UK history, costing over USD 7.5 million. TIFF 2022 to Hold Special Screening of Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) as Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

To secure the unprecedented number of foreign leaders, who are expected at the funeral on Monday, the British Mi5 and Mi6 intelligence agencies, London's Metropolitan Police, and the Secret Service will work together. "This is the biggest policing operation that the United Kingdom policing has ever undertaken," New York Post quoted Simon Morgan, a former Royal security officer, as saying. Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton May Wear Veils to Queen Elizabeths Funeral, Heres Why!

"When you look at the other events, they were big -- the Prince and Prince of Wales' wedding in 2011 was the biggest -- but in comparison to this, you can't compare it," he said. William and Kate's 2011 wedding had heavy police deployment. According to New York Post, Police costs for the 2011 wedding were an estimated USD 7.2 million. London will be covered with heavy security -- from marksmen and observers perched on rooftops and observation points, to police dispersed among the crowd -- with police and intelligence officers anticipating a "substantial threat of terrorism," Morgan said.

The online new portal reports that parts of the city are already cordoned off and it's likely that more streets will shut down ahead of the funeral. Despite the fact that 750,000 people are expected to attend the funeral -- considerably more than at Will and Kate's wedding -- Morgan, who currently oversees the London-based, private international security company Trojan Consultancy, predicted that London will essentially "shut down" for the late Queen's memorial.

New York Post further reports that extremist environmental activist groups like Extinction Rebellion, which has been organizing large-scale protests across England with the intention of obstructing daily life, are being closely monitored by British authorities. Royal protection has also been given to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who lost their right to taxpayer-funded security when they quit their royal duties. Most dignitaries planning to attend will likely take shared buses, but some, like President Biden, will make their own arrangements.

(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, Sep 12 (PTI) A 15-day blood donation drive will begin Saturday on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urging citizens to register on the Aarogya Setu app or e-Raktkosh portal for donating blood.

The 'Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav' will continue till October 1 which is observed as National Voluntary Blood Donation Day.

Also Read | Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Says 'Decisive Moment for India's Politics'.

According to an official source, the drive aims to collect close to one lakh units of blood on a day besides raising awareness about the need for regular non-remunerated voluntary blood donations. One unit translates to 350 ml of blood.

Mandaviya will donate blood at a camp set up at Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday.

Also Read | Women May Be More Emotional, Shouldnt Be Apologetic, Says Justice Asha Menon.

"Tomorrow, on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav is going to start across the country. Let's donate blood and join the service of humanity. You can use the Aarogya Setu app or eraktkosh.in to register," he said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the health minister urged people to take a pledge to donate blood, saying countless precious lives can be saved with their contribution.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others  Mahatma Gandhi. With this spirit join Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav beginning on September 17. Every blood donor is a life-saver," he wrote on Twitter.

According to the official source, the main purpose of the drive is to create a repository of voluntary blood donors so that anyone in need can get help on time and minimise the need for replacement blood donation.

Every blood bank is being encouraged to organise at least one blood donation camp as part of the mega drive.

Registrations have begun for voluntary blood donation on the Aarogya Setu portal under 'Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav' which calls on people to donate blood and be a part of the prime minister's mission for humanity, the official source said.

People who wish to donate blood can also register on the e-Raktkosh portal, the source added.

There are more than 3,900 blood banks in the country with adequate storage and processing capacity.

So far, 3,600 blood banks have linked with the e-Raktkosh portal and efforts are on to rope in the remaining with the same portal, the source said.

A normal healthy person has 5-6 litres of blood in their body and one can donate blood after every 3 months, an official said.

After donation, the shelf-life of blood is 35 to 42 days. The blood is also processed into components like plasma, red blood cells and platelets.

Frozen Plasma can be used for up to one year, while red blood cells can be used for up to 35-42 days. Platelets need to be used within five days, the official added.

All ministries and departments of the Government of India, states and Union Territories, various non-government and community-based organisations and other stakeholders will be involved in the event.

States have been requested to widely disseminate information about the drive to all medical colleges, hospitals, healthcare organisations, blood banks and other stakeholders for their active participation.

A live dashboard will be operationalised on the e-RaktKosh web portal to track the number of blood units collected from each state and Union Territory from September 17 to October 1.

(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, Sep 16 (PTI) A gym owner has been arrested for allegedly trying to extort Rs 1 crore from his Delhi-based relative in the name of jailed gangster Neeraj Bawana, police said on Friday.

The gym owner's associate has also been arrested, they said.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu Shocker: Pastor Arrested for Impregnating Minor Girl at Orphanage in Chennai.

The accused have been identified as Pankaj (25) and Sashi alias Rahul (25), both residents of Rohtak district in Haryana, they said.

Pankaj owns a gym and was under debt burden since the Covid lockdown following which he decided to extort money from his relative, police said, adding that a case was registered in this connection on August 24.

Also Read | Diabetes Drug Sitagliptin Launched by Govt, Its Combinations at Rs 60 per Pack of 10.

The complainant alleged that he was receiving threat-cum-extortion calls from various international numbers and the caller had been demanding Rs 1 crore in the name of jailed gangster Neeraj Bawana, police said.

The complainant also received calls from two Indian numbers, they said.

The police found that two mobile phones were snatched from two different places by the accused, a senior police officer said.

After identifying Pankaj on September 8, the police conducted a raid on Monday morning and nabbed him, the officer said.

The accused disclosed that he owned a gym in Haryana's Kalanaur. During Covid lockdown, he incurred huge losses and had a debt of Rs 90 lakh, police said.

Pankah, along with his accomplice Sashi and Sanju, conspired to extort money from one of his relatives who hails from a well-to-do family in Delhi, by threatening people using the name of Neeraj Bhawana, the officer said.

Initially, Pankaj installed an application -- global voice call -- on his phone and called his relative demanding Rs 1 crore. Later, the accused snatched a phone from a person in Gurugram and made the extortion call, police said.

When the complainant did not give money, they snatched one more phone called him again to demand money, the officer said.

Based on Pankaj's disclosure, Sashi was also arrested, police said, adding that efforts are on to nab Sanju.

(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, Sep 16 (PTI) A court here has rejected the bail plea of an accused in a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying the charges were serious and the alleged offences attracted severe punishment.

The court also said there were chances that the accused could influence public witnesses in the case.

Also Read | Sonali Phogat Murder Case: CBI Team Arrives in Goa To Probe BJP Leader's Murder Mystery.

Keeping in view the severity of the allegations and charges, I do not find the applicant to be entitled to bail at this stage. Hence, the application is rejected, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala said in an order dated September 15.

The court was hearing the bail plea of accused Ranjeet Singh Rana, who was charged with being a part of a riotous mob that assaulted the complainant Abdul, besides setting ablaze his two-wheeler in the Karawal Nagar area on February 24, 2020.

Also Read | Delhi ACB Conduct Raids at AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan's House and Other Locations, Seizes Rs 12 Lakh and Unlicensed Weapon.

According to the prosecution, a person from the mob had attacked the complainant with a sword, causing severe injuries and thereafter several people assaulted him with blunt weapons, looted Rs 2,500 cash, and left him for dead.

 In this case, complainant Abdul identified the photograph of the applicant as one of the culprits and thereafter, he was arrested in this case. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is no evidence of accused Ranjeet Singh Rana in the incident, the court said.

The court further said that the charges and allegations are apparently serious and the alleged offences are punishable with severe punishment.

Chances of influencing the public witnesses also, cannot be ruled out in such cases, the court added.

Karawal Nagar police station had filed a charge sheet against the accused under various provisions of the IPC, including rioting, armed with a dangerous weapon, disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant, every member of the unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of the common object and voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery.

A supplementary charge sheet was also filed later under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 395 (punishment for dacoity) of the IPC. PTI MNR

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 16 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested six people in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two teenage Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The two Dalit sisters were found hanging from a tree.

Also Read | Gurugram Shocker: Spa Operator Among 4 Booked for Pushing 14-Year-Old Girl Into Prostitution.

"Junaid, Suhail and Hafeezur Rehman were reportedly arrested during an encounter with the local Nighasan police and SWAT team in the Nighasan police station area on Thursday morning. Following their interrogation, the other accused Karimuddin, and Chhotu Gautam was also arrested," Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Prashant Kumar said.

As per the police, a 315 bore pistol, 2 live cartridges and an empty shell have been recovered from the main accused Junaid's son Israel.

Also Read | NHRC Asks Assam Govt To Pay Compensation of Rs 25,000 to 13-Year-Old Minor Boy Assaulted at Police Station in Morigaon.

ADG Kumar further said that as soon as the matter came to the notice of the police late in the evening, a team immediately rushed to the spot.

"Apart from the local police, IG Range Laxmi Singh from Lucknow was immediately rushed to the spot. Prompt action was taken under the leadership of SP, Lakhimpur, Sanjeev Sinha and raids were conducted at different places to arrest the culprits, he added.

The accused have been booked under Sections 302, 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act.

This comes a day after the two girls were found hanging from the tree in the Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday.

Protests broke out after the news came to light with the father of the deceased demanding justice for his daughters stating that the "culprits should be hanged". He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for one of the family members.My daughters were abducted from the house and then they were raped and murdered. I demand justice, and the culprits should be hanged," said the victim's father.

The post-mortem reports confirmed that both girls were raped and strangulated.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Suman told ANI over the phone citing the report that the two minors were murdered after being raped.

"The girls were yesterday lured to farms and raped by Sohail and Junaid. After the girls wanted the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul, and Junaid strangulated and killed them, they then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged the girls for eliminating any proof," SP Sanjeev Suman said. As per Suman, all the accused persons other than Chotu hailed from Lalpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri.

All forensic evidence was examined. The post-mortem of the bodies was video graphed and then the bodies were handed over to the family for cremation, the police said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
By Payal Mehta

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Telangana where state leaders will apprise him about the kind of support that the Bharatiya Janata Party is getting in the state during a crucial core group meeting in Hyderabad.

Also Read | CUET 2022: Universities To Use 'Normalised' CUET Scores for Preparing Merit Lists, Not 'Percentile', Says UGC Chief M Jagadesh Kumar.

Sources said that on Saturday, Shah will meet the top leaders of the state including state party chief Bandi Sanjay, several party MPs and key office bearers from the state. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Telangana BJP in-charge and party general secretary Tarun Chugh will also be part of this meeting.

Sources said that in the meeting, Shah will discuss with the state leaders the kind of support that the party is getting on the ground and how to build on to it. He will also provide guidance to the state unit on strengthening the organisation in the coming months.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Absconding Pastor Held a Year Later After He Impregnated Minor Girl in Chengalpet.

The first and the most immediate task for the BJP in Telangana will be the preparation for the high-profile bye-election to the Munugode constituency. Last month, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, the sitting MLA from the seat resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

While Gopal Reddy is certain to get the BJP ticket for the bypoll, it is interestingly a high-profile poll for which the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Congress so far have been adopting a wait-and-watch policy.

While the Election Commission is yet to declare the election, it is set to become the semi-final before the final Assembly polls next year.

While in Hyderabad, Shah will participate in Telangana Liberation Day celebrations at Parade Ground, Hyderabad on Saturday.

Later on the day, he will participate in Sewa karyakram on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday. He will distribute interact with Divyangs and distribute equipment. He will also distribute toilet cleaning machines in government schools and community hostels.

Telangana will go into elections at the end of next year and it is on the top of the agenda as far as BJP is concerned.

The ruling TRS and BJP are engaged in a bitter war as the buildup to the 2023 state assembly polls in Telangana continues.

Top BJP leaders including state chief ministers like Himanta Biswa Sarma and Yogi Adityanath continue to tour the state to keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao seemed not to be leaving a single inch of the ground, especially to the BJP.

Even as he continues to meet political leaders across the party Saket in a bid to set up an anti-BJP front. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Guwahati, September 16: 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is a "booster dose" for the Congress and a "decisive and transformational moment" for the politics of the country, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said here on Friday.

The 3570-km 'padyatra' is being undertaken by Rahul Gandhi from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over five-and-a-half months to galvanise Congress cadres and strengthen the organisation, giving it new energy, Ramesh along with his Rajya Sabha colleague Digvijay Singh said at a press conference. Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi Begins 4th Day of Kerala Leg on Spiritual Note by Paying Respects to Sree Narayana Guru.

"The yatra is a booster dose for the Congress and a decisive and transformational moment for the politics of the country. Workers will reach out to people at block, district and state level, thus enhancing the organisational strength of the Congress," he said.

Hitting out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his remark that India was already united and there was no need to reunite it by undertaking a yatra, Ramesh said, "I want to tell him that the country is breaking for three reasons primarily -- economic inequalities, social polarisation and political autocracy."

He alleged that price-rise, unemployment, GST imposition on staple food products and other economic policies of the BJP-led Centre have led to the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.

On the political front, "constitutional offices are being weakened, the rights of the states curtailed", with the "autocratic ways of the prime minister and the Union home minister leading to divisive politics", he said.

Asked about Congress leaders leaving the party, the Rajya Sabha member said that these can be classified into two categories -- the first are those who took everything from the party for 30-40 years and then left for their selfish reasons.

"The second are those who need the BJP washing machine to clean stains (corruption charges) to survive in politics. The Assam chief minister falls in this category," the Congress leader alleged.

"He was with us for some years and before that with 'tukde tukde' organisations. It was late chief minister Hiteswar Saikia who saved him. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others," the former Union minister stated.

Asked about the pending elections for the post of Congress president, he said that the grand old party was the only one in the country which allows such polls and any member to contest it.

Referring to the yatra, the AICC general secretary in-charge of communication, publicity and media said that the route from Kanyakumari to Kashmir was zeroed upon after taking into consideration security and geographical aspects.

The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', led by Rahul Gandhi, is set to cover 12 states with the average age of the participants being 38. In Assam, the yatra will begin on November 1 -- from Dhubri in the West to Sadiya in the east  with several local and national leaders undertaking it, he added.

"Next year, we may plan a Yatra from Porbandar in the west to Parshuram Kund in the east, depending on the outcome of this present one," Ramesh added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Sep 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have used the occasion of his birthday to launch 'seva' and development initiatives since 2014. This year, he will release cheetahs brought from Namibia in a Madhya Pradesh national park in a boost to the country's wildlife, and interact with women self-help groups.

While Modi will travel to Madhya Pradesh on his 72nd birthday on Saturday, his party will embark on a fortnight-long nationwide drive of public outreach with initiatives like blood donation, helping the poor and disabled, and cleanliness measures, and also observe a "unity in diversity" programme.

BJP general secretary Arun Singh said party functionaries in one state will adopt any other state under the programme to promote its language and culture for a day. An e-auction of gifts the prime minister has received is set to begin from Saturday. Proceeds from the auction will be used for 'Namami Gange', the clean Ganga campaign. Cheetah Project: Re-Introduction of Cheetahs in India Biggest Event in Decade for Wildlife, Says Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

On his birthday, Modi will also participate in a self-help group (SHG) meeting with women SHG members/community resource persons at Karahal, Sheopur, after releasing eight cheetahs in the Kuno National Park. The release of wild cheetahs is part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify India's wildlife and its habitat, his office has said.

The introduction of the cheetah in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project, it said. Here is a snippet of major events held on his birthday since Modi assumed the highest executive office in 2014. Different ministries and state governments, especially those run by the BJP, organise their own initiatives to mark the day. Hyderabad Liberation Day 2022: Amit Shah To Kick Off Celebrations on PM Narendra Modi's Birthday, Distribute Equipment to Divyangs.

2021: Over 2.5 crore Covid vaccine doses, a record, were administered across the country.

2020: Amid COVID-19 concerns across the country, the BJP focussed on 'seva' (welfare) programmes to help people.

2019: The prime minister spent the day in Gujarat. He visited the Sardar Sarovar Dam to witness the landmark of the Narmada river dam reaching a height 138.68 metres for the first time.

2018: He visited his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. He visited a school and interacted with students. He also visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

2017: The prime minister inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. He also visited the family of Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh to express his condolences on his death.

2016: He visited Navsari in his home state to attend a function where aid was distributed to differently-abled persons. He also spent time with tribals in Limkeda and later inaugurated drinking water and irrigation projects in the parched region of Dahod district.

2015: The prime minister had visited Shauryanjali, a military exhibition to mark the golden jubilee of the Indo-Pak War of 1965.

2014: Modi had hosted a dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad.

The prime minister has often travelled to Gujarat on his birthday to seek the blessings of his mother Heeraben.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Sep 16 (PTI) For the nation's healthy and empowered future, children should be well-fed and free from malnutrition, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday.

In his address while launching a National Nutrition Month programme at Lok Bhawan, Adityanath said if a teenager girl or child is well nourished, then society and the nation will move towards achieving the goal of becoming healthy and empowered.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Birthday 2022: Tamil Nadu BJP Plans Slew of Events, To Gift Gold Rings to Newborns.

According to an official statement, the chief minister inaugurated 501 anganwadis and laid the foundation of 199 such centres. He also released a nutrition manual for the capacity building of anganwadi workers.

He also launched a mobile app, "Sahyog", for collaborative supervision of anganwadis.

Also Read | Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP, Says Unemployment at All Time High, but Govt Only Interested in Protecting Rich Men'.

The chief minister performed "annaprashan" of two children.

He said 1.7 crore children strengthen their foundation through anganwadis in the state.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chandigarh, Sep 16 (PTI) Mahesh Chauhan, a leader of the BJP's ally JJP, along with several of his supporters, joined the saffron party in Gurugram on Friday, with state BJP chief O P Dhankar welcoming them into the party-fold.

Talking to reporters in Gurugram, Dhankar said Chauhan was a key aide of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala.

Also Read | Stray Dog Menace: Father Carrying Air Gun Escorts Children to School Amid Rising Incidents of Attacks by Dogs in Kerala (Video).

Replying to a question, he asserted that the BJP-JJP alliance is on strong footing and "will remain so".

Later, in a tweet in Hindi, Dhankar said, "Bhai Mahesh Chauhan, a resident of Bhora Kalan, who was a special assistant to the deputy chief minister and one of the founding members of the Jannayak Janata Party, along with his supporters, joined @BJP4Haryana at the party office in Gurugram today."

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Former ACS Awanish K Awasthi Appointed Advisor to CM Yogi Adityanath.

Chauhan said he had no issues with his previous party, but wanted to join a national outfit and maintained that he had good relations with JJP president Ajay Singh Chautala for nearly three decades.

Chauhan told reporters in Gurugram that he was impressed by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) policies and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

"I have quit the JJP and joined the BJP," he said.

Chauhan said nearly 250 JJP workers, of whom 42 were office-bearers of the party who resigned from their posts 10 days ago, joined the BJP along with him.

Talking to reporters in Chandigarh, senior JJP leader Digvijay Singh Chautala said Suresh Kumar was appointed as a special assistant in the deputy chief minister's office recently in place of Chauhan, who was inactive.

He said Chauhan was expelled from the party on September 1.

"Someone who has been expelled is free to go anywhere and join any outfit, whether it is the BJP or the Congress. Therefore, to say that Chauhan has quit our party will not be correct," Digvijay Chautala said.

The JJP, which has 10 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, had extended support to the BJP and later, joined the coalition government after the saffron party fell short of a majority on its own in the 2019 polls, winning 40 seats.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, September 16: Former Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish K Awasthi has been appointed as the advisor of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government said on Friday.

Awasthi served as the ACS to the Uttar Pradesh government. He retired from the post on August 31, and today, 16 days after his retirement, he was again shown faith by the UP CM. Yogi Adityanath Govt in Uttar Pradesh to Add 352 Additional PICUs in 72 Districts to Ensure Better Health Facilities for Children.

Awasthi has been an ex-IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre of the 1987 batch. He has served in various posts for the government and CM Yogi has again shown faith in his trusted advisor for help in the state government projects.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (PTI) Over 100 employees' unions in Gujarat on Friday called off their proposed 'mass casual leave' protest for Saturday after the state government accepted most of their demands.

Also Read | PM Modi Thanked All the Member States of SCO for Endorsing Varanasi as the First Ever SCO   Latest Tweet by ANI.

These unions represent teachers, panchayat health workers, revenue employees and have been protesting for the re-introduction of the old pension scheme (OPS) in the state.

Also Read | Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Says 'Decisive Moment for India's Politics'.

After a meeting with five ministers of the BJP government here, Samyukt Karmachari Morcha president Digvijaysinh Jadeja said the mass leave stir scheduled for Saturday had been called off as the government had accepted majority of their demands, except that of bringing back OPS.

However, the state government announced that employees who had joined before April 2005 will get benefits of the General Provident Fund and old pension scheme.

"State government employees were staging protests across the state over 15 major demands, mainly the old pension scheme. This demand still stands and we will continue to pursue it in the future. After state government accepted most other demands, we decided to call off the mass casual leave stir," Jadeja told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Bhikhabhai Patel, president of another umbrella organisation Rashtriya Samyukt Morcha, also expressed satisfaction and announced member unions will not participate in the mass CL programme on Saturday.

"Though our demand for OPS has not been accepted, we are happy that employees who had joined before 2005 will now get benefits under that scheme. This decision by the government will benefit nearly 70,000 state government employees," Patel told reporters.

After the meeting, government spokesperson and education minister Jitu Vaghani announced that employees who had joined before April 2005 will get benefits of the General Provident Fund and old pension scheme instead of the new pension scheme.

"Moreover, as sought by unions, the state government's contribution in CPF (contributory provident fund) has now been increased from 10 per cent to 14 per cent. In case of an employee's death, the state will give a family pension as per the rules formed by the Union government in 2009," said Vaghani.

He said a decision on the old pension scheme will be taken at an appropriate juncture as it is a policy matter.

Key demands that were accepted by the government include increasing medical allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 and implementing all the pending allowances on the lines of Central government employees under the 7th Pay Commission, said Vaghani.

In case of an employee's death during service period, the state government will now pay a lump sum compensation of Rs 14 lakh instead of current Rs 8 lakhs to the family.

In a relief to employees appearing for departmental exams for getting promotion, Vaghani announced there won't be a paper on English from here on.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, Sep 16 (PTI) The High Court of Karnataka has dismissed over a dozen petitions challenging the delimitation carried out to carve out 243 wards in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Birthday 2022: Tamil Nadu BJP Plans Slew of Events, To Gift Gold Rings to Newborns.

The judgement will, however, be pronounced on September 21. The single judge Bench of Justice Hemanth Chandanagoudar dismissed the 14 petitions including those filed by politicians like Congress MLAs B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and Sowmya Reddy and BJP MLA M Satish Reddy.

The court observed that if there are any lapses or mistakes, they can be rectified before the next elections. It has, thereby, agreed to the stance of the State Election Commission (SEC) that elections have to be held immediately as per the latest delimitation even if there are lacunae. The SEC is expected to release the final list of voters for the BBMP election on September 22. The petitions by Sowmya Reddy and Khan claimed that the number of wards in their respective Assembly constituencies were reduced and there was politics behind it. But the court was told that wards in other Assembly segments held by their party MLAs had increased. Satish Reddy claimed areas of his constituency were added to wards of other constituencies. The government defended the delimitation process stating that the average population of each ward was at 34,750 with a deviation of 10 per cent on either side. While increasing the number of wards from 198 to 243, the 2011 census data has been used by the government.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Former ACS Awanish K Awasthi Appointed Advisor to CM Yogi Adityanath.

The hearing of the petitions challenging the August 3 reservation list for the 243 wards of BBMP was adjourned to September 21. The same Bench is also hearing these batch of petitions. The court directed the authorities to submit the details of the criteria that was adopted to come up with the reservation list. The reservation list reserves 81 seats for backward classes, 28 for SCs and 4 for STs. Across the 243 wards, 126 are reserved for women.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bongaigaon (Assam) [India], September 16 (ANI): As the COVID cases have now subsided, the respective governments have decided to reopen the India-Bhutan border from September 23.

"Government of Bhutan has officially announced that international border with India will be opened on Sept 23 as Covid cases have subsided. We prepare to open the border and give visitors a good experience, said Tashi Penjore, the Himalayan kingdom's Director (law and order) of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.

Also Read | Gurugram Shocker: Spa Operator Among 4 Booked for Pushing 14-Year-Old Girl Into Prostitution.

In the regional headquarters of Sashastra Seema Bal located at Chaprakata in the Bongaigaon district of Assam, a general meeting was held between Tashi Panjore, the Director of Law and Order Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the Commandant of the 15th Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal and in-charge of Regional Headquarters Neeraj Chand and all the SSB officials.

During that meeting, the neighbouring country Bhutan closed the India-Bhutan international gate for COVID in 2019. Now, almost 4 years later the borders will be reopened on September 23, 2022.

Also Read | NHRC Asks Assam Govt To Pay Compensation of Rs 25,000 to 13-Year-Old Minor Boy Assaulted at Police Station in Morigaon.

Tashi Penjore, Director of Law and Order Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bhutan, Deputy Commissioner of Bhutan, Superintendent of Police, and several officers were present at SSB Headquarters today regarding the same subject. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kohima (Nagaland) [India], September 16 (ANI): Nagaland Minister of Higher Education and Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along on Thursday welcomed Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda to begin his second-day official tour in the state.

The Nagaland Minister took to twitter to express his 'optimism in the day' and wrote, "It is a pleasure and honour to have our Hon'ble National BJP President Shri. @JPNadda Ji at my official residence this morning."

Also Read | Samsung Launches 7th Edition of Its Pan-India Campus Programme.

'Had an interaction on certain topics along with 30th Alongtaki Mandal as we warm up to begin his 2nd-day official tour to Nagaland. #OptimisticFriday," he added.

Nadda has been on his two-day visit to Nagaland ahead of the state's Assembly elections slated to be held next year.

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The BJP's national president is scheduled to visit the Baptist Church in Kohima today which will be followed by a meeting with close to 1,800 prominent citizens and intellectuals in Dimapur.

He will also hold a meeting with the BJP core committee of the state.

Nadda's visit to Nagaland came at a very significant time when the BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) will soon be finalising the number of seats they will be contesting in the next year's Assembly polls.

The Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently visited the national capital and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the pending Naga Accord issue.

Rio led the 11-member delegation meet with the Home Minister in Delhi on Monday, demanding a final solution to the decades-long pending issue ahead of next year's polls.

The sources have said that the Centre asked the Nagaland leadership to convince the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) to resolve the remaining issues that have led to the delay in the Naga peace process.

At present, Nagaland is an Opposition-less government. In September last year, the name of the government in Nagaland was altered and the government is now called the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) consisting of NDPP, BJP, Naga People's Front (NPF) and Independent MLAs.

The Congress which was ousted in 2018 in the state polls has given a call to all the like-minded parties to come together to oust the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

The election to the 60-member Assembly of Nagaland is expected to take place in February 2023.

The Nephiu Rio-led alliance ousted the Congress party in the last elections and NDPP president took oath as CM and BJP leader YV Patton took oath as Deputy Chief Minister. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) Union Health Minister Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya on Friday said that a web portal has recently been created to provide information on the blood types available in the banks across the country, thus giving a momentum to the voluntary blood donation movement.

The minister, who is a physician, told a virtual press meet from Delhi that 7,017 NGOs joined hands to float eRaktKosh.in for giving out all necessary information on blood availability, as part of the Centre's 'one nation, one platform' initiative.

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"Once someone logs into the portal and clicks on a particular state and then a district, one can see the blood banks accessible in that area and the specific contact details," Mandaviya said at the meet attended by regional reporters from different cities, including Kolkata.

To a question, he also said that the portal would further help set up a national registry, where all information regarding blood availability and requirement would be collated.

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The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed to make the country free of tuberculosis by 2025. "The rate for TB eradication, however, has not reached expected levels as of now. We have to ensure there is not one person suffering from TB in all spheres of society. Currently, there are 13 lakh TB patients in the country, he maintained.

Mandaviya asserted that India was praised by the entire world for its COVID-19 management and its response to the pandemic.

The country earned praise for its vaccination management, although "some people politicised the drive", he said.

The media, nonetheless, played its role "truthfully" by disseminating the right information, 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)
Coimbatore (TN), Sep 16 (PTI) Power tariff in Tamil Nadu is cheap compared to other States, State Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji said on Friday.

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The picture would be clear if one compared the tariff paid in 2010 and the revised one and also the tariff in other States, he told reporters here.

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The previous regime increased the tariff by 64 per cent, whereas the present DMK government hiked only Rs 55 per two months for 63 lakh consumers, he said.

As far as the powerloom job working unit owners are concerned, the weavers in Tamil Nadu are getting the cheapest power compared to other States and only 70 paise is increased in the revised tariff, he said adding that they can also compare the rates during the AIADMK period with the present rate, Senthil Balaji said.

The revised power tariff of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO) came into effect last Saturday despite opposition by various political parties.

The new tariff, approved by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), however, retained the existing scheme of providing 100 units free to domestic, multi-tenements, old age homes and handlooms consumers.

To a question on DVAC raids on the premises of former AIADMK Minister S P Velumani, he said one should compare the affidavit filed by those in power in 2016 in their Assembly election nominations with the ones in 2021 and the increase in the assets.

The DMK, in its manifesto, had promised to take action against those who indulged in corruption, said Senthil Balaji, who inaugurated the breakfast scheme for students of Class 1 to five.

(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], September 16 (ANI): President of India Droupadi Murmu on Friday expressed condolences on the death of nine people in the Lucknow wall collapse incident due to overnight rain.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of people in Lucknow due to wall collapse. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured people a speedy recovery," a tweet from the Rashtrapati Bhavan read in Hindi.

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#PBNSTeleprint 16 September 2022  03 Pm Bulletin  Latest Tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services.

Nine people have died and two others were injured after a wall collapsed in Lucknow due to heavy rainfall in the area in the last 24 hours.

All injured in the said accident were rushed to the Civil Hospital for treatment where the doctors declared their condition stable.

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After the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead.

He also instructed to give the relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the persons who died due to wall collapse and directed for proper treatment of the injured persons.

Joint Commissioner Piyush Mordia informed that the boundary wall of a hut in the Dilkusha area, where the labourers were residing, collapsed due to heavy overnight rains which resulted in the death of nine and injuries to two people.

Meanwhile, the city has been witnessing water logging problems in many parts due to heavy rainfall. Commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected waterlogging issues after heavy rain lashed the city.The district administration has asked the people to contact Lucknow Municipal Corporation Control Room for any civic problem like water logging, tree fall etc.

The administration has also advised the people to drink boiled water and get bleaching powder and chlorine tablets from the nearest health centres.

The administration has directed all government hospitals, PHC and CHC to be on high alert. (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, September 16: A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases eight cheetahs brought from Namibia in a Madhya Pradesh national park, the Congress said Friday the proposal for 'Project Cheetah' was prepared in 2008-09 and approved by the then Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

The opposition party also said that in 2013, the Supreme Court had stayed the project, and in 2020, that the apex court allowed it, paving the way for the cheetahs to come ot India. Cheetah Reintroduction Project: Tiger-Faced Customised Jet Reaches Namibia To Bring Cheetahs to Indias Kuno National Park on PM Narendra Modi's Birthday (Watch Video).

"The proposal for 'Project Cheetah' was prepared in 2008-09. Manmohan Singh's government gave approval to it. The then Forest and Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, went to Cheetah outreach centre in South Africa in April 2010," the Congress said in a tweet.

In 2013, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme and in 2020 allowed it, the party said, adding that now the cheetahs are coming. The Congress also tweeted a picture of Ramesh at the Cheetah Outreach Centre in South Africa in 2010.

In a tweet, Ramesh shared an article he had written in a daily a few weeks ago that gave a history of why and how today's event of the cheetah's arriving in India was made possible. In his piece, Ramesh had also talked about his visit to the Cheetah Outreach Centre in Cape Town and the efforts under the programme back then.

Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. The cheetahs that would be released are from Namibia and have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year.

Prime Minister Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh on September 17 and at around 10:45 AM he will release the cheetahs in the Kuno National Park, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The release of the wild cheetahs by the prime minister in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify India's wildlife and its habitat, the statement said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jaipur, Sep 16 (PTI) A 14-year-old girl was allegedly sold by her mother's live-in partner for 3 lakh and married to a 40-year-old man in Rajasthan's Dholpur, police said.

The girl said her husband used to physically torture her and sexually assaulted her several times. She was also shamed and mentally harassed by her husband and in-laws for not being able to conceive, they said.

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The victim in her statement claimed that she was sold in December 2021.

A zero FIR has been lodged under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and other relevant sections in Jawahar circle police station in Jaipur, and sent to Dholpur, Jawahar Nagar SHO Radharaman Gupta said.

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He said the minor, who hails from a remote village in the Dholpur district, was found by the members of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) and handed over to the police.

She has now been sent to the city's government shelter home after a medical examination, the official said.

Manish Sharma, director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, "This incident highlights the plight of victims of child marriage and the pain they go through early in their life. It is high time that child marriage is looked at as a major crime against children rather than an acceptable social practice."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Xi attends restricted session of SCO Samarkand summit

Xinhua) 20:42, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states before the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO at the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. Xi attended the restricted session here on Friday. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday attended here the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The meeting was chaired by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and attended by leaders of SCO member states including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The leaders exchanged views on SCO development and major international and regional issues bearing on the political and economic situation in the region.

At 9:55 a.m. local time, Xi and leaders of other SCO member states arrived at the Samarkand Congress Center and received warm welcome from Mirziyoyev.

The leaders took a group photo before the restricted session started.

In his statement, Xi spoke highly of Uzbekistan's hard work and important contribution to preparing for the Samarkand summit and advancing SCO's development under its presidency.

Xi pointed out that since the founding of the SCO more than twenty years ago, it has upheld the Shanghai Spirit and succeeded in exploring a new path for the development of international organizations. There is much we can draw on from its rich practices, he said.

It is important to forge political trust, Xi said, adding that guided by the vision of forging enduring friendship and peace among the SCO member states, the member states respect each other's core interests and choice of development path and support each other in achieving peace, stability, development and rejuvenation.

Noting that it is important to pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said that the SCO member states accommodate each other's interests, stay true to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, enhance synergy between our respective development strategies, and keep to the path of win-win cooperation toward common prosperity.

It is important to treat each other as equals, the Chinese president said, adding that the SCO member states are committed to the principle of equality among all countries regardless of their size, consensus-based decision-making, and addressing issues through friendly consultations. The SCO member states reject the practice of the strong bullying the weak or the big bullying the small, he noted.

Noting that it is important to advocate openness and inclusiveness, Xi said that the SCO member states stand for harmonious coexistence and mutual learning between different countries, nations and cultures, dialogue between civilizations and seeking common ground while shelving differences. We are ready to establish partnership and develop win-win cooperation with other countries and international organizations that share our vision, he said.

Xi stressed that the world today is not a peaceful place. Rivalry between two sets of policy choices -- unity or division, cooperation or confrontation -- is getting more acute. This brings shocks to world peace and stability and is detrimental to the long-term development of the region.

In the face of the complex situation, Xi urged the SCO member states to keep the SCO on the right course, deepen cooperation in various fields, and continue to foster a favorable environment for the development and rejuvenation of member states.

Xi outlined several priorities going forward.

First, staying committed to the Shanghai Spirit and enhancing solidarity and cooperation. It is important that the SCO stay true to its founding mission, increase mutual trust, and join forces to cope with the complex changes in the external environment. Member states need to continue to support each other on matters concerning each other's core interests and major concerns and serve as a strong backing for each other's development and rejuvenation.

Second, maintaining strategic independence and safeguarding regional stability. Member states need to advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and reject any attempt to create bloc confrontation and damage regional stability. Bearing in mind the security needs of countries in the region, they should build consensus on security cooperation, and work together to protect sustained stability and security in the region. The SCO should enhance its law enforcement cooperation and prevent terrorist and extremist forces from jeopardizing regional security.

Third, pursuing inclusiveness and shared benefits in promoting development cooperation. Member states should actively promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, ensure the stable and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains, and encourage the orderly flow of resources and factors of production, so as to realize greater economic integration and development in the region. They should redouble efforts to promote complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and other national development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives to stimulate the dynamism for growth in participating countries.

Fourth, advancing the SCO expansion process and strengthening SCO institutions. An increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. This fully demonstrates the power of SCO's vision and the widely shared confidence in its future. The SCO should seize the opportunity and step up its work to expand the ranks of cooperation and augment the effective force for international equity and justice.

Xi noted that the Communist Party of China would soon convene its 20th National Congress to draw up a blueprint for China's development in the next stage, adding that no matter what changes may take place in the international landscape, China will remain firm in its commitment to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and continue to see the SCO as a priority in its diplomacy.

China stands ready to draw on its own development to contribute to the development of countries in the region and to a better life for the people in the countries, Xi said.

Wang Yi was present at the event.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Bianji)
New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order in the petition filed by the Times Now anchor Navika Kumar seeking clubbing of the multiple FIRs and complaints registered against her over the remarks made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma about Prophet Muhammed on a debate aired by the channel.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and Krishna Murari heard the matter and reserved the order.

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On August 8, the apex court granted interim protection to Kumar from any coercive action concerning the FIRs while issuing notice in the petition.

Kumar had approached the top court seeking clubbing and quashing of multiple FIRs lodged against her in different States over remarks made in the channel show telecast on May 26.

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Kumar's counsel had earlier told the apex court that a debate was happening on Gyanvapi Mosque and Kumar even tried to "douse the fire".

In her plea, Kumar has sought that either the FIRs against her in different States should be quashed, or they be clubbed together and transferred to one state i.e. Delhi.

The apex court on July 19, provided interim relief to Nupur Sharma and directed that no coercive steps be taken against her in the multiple FIRs registered against her in several States over her remarks on Prophet Mohammed during a television channel debate on May 26. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad, Sep 16 (PTI) Veteran Gujarat politician Shankersinh Vaghela called on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao here on Friday and extended his support to TRS supermo's foray into national politics.

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The former Gujarat Chief Minister said he was ready to work under Rao, an official release from the CM's office said.

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The Congress party, which is supposed to be an alternative in the current political situation, is suffering from lack of leadership and also is 'failing' to unite all in implementing the necessary political strategies to counter the misdeeds of the BJP, the release quoted Vaghela as saying.

In this context, there is a necessity for a leader like you to unite the like-minded opposition parties in the country. All of us are ready to work under your leadership. I came to Hyderabad to meet you only after we decided together. Further, I was sent to you by them. You have our outright support, Vaghela said.

Both leaders discussed at length several national level key issues for about 5 hours in Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of Rao.

The conversation between them revolved around the progress made by Telangana, which stood as a role model in the country and the current political situation, it said.

The central government, which is supposed to stand by Telangana after its creation in 2014, is acting against it, the former Gujarat CM alleged.

Accusing the BJP of 'hatching conspiracies' to subjugate opposition-ruled states in the country through its dictatorial attitude, Vaghela said the NDA government at the Centre should be overthrown, according to the release.

Vaghela's meeting with Rao comes close on the heels of former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy meeting the Telangana CM here.

KCR's office recently stated "very soon, the formation of a national party and formulation of its (national party) policies will take place."

The TRS, in its Foundation Day event in April this year, had adopted a resolution resolving that the party should play the key role in national politics in the larger interest of the country as the BJP is exploiting "communal sentiments" for its political convenience.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) West Bengal Speaker Biman Banerjee Friday expressed displeasure over ruling and opposition lawmakers carrying posters inside the House as a mark of protest.

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Such acts are tantamount to violation of rules and regulations of the Assembly, he said.

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Banerjee's comment comes a day after the Assembly session witnessed chaos as legislators of the ruling TMC and opposition BJP carried posters inside the House.

"Every party has its political agenda. Just like the opposition party, the ruling party too has its agenda. But bringing in posters inside the House is not allowed by its rules and regulations. Despite being told repeatedly (not to carry posters), they have been defiant," he said.

The Bengal Assembly has been witness to chaotic situations several times since the beginning of this year.

"At times I feel that I should enforce the rules and regulations strictly, but that might lead to the business of the House being hampered," he said talking to reporters.

"I feel the opposition must behave responsibly. The ruling party should behave more responsibly," the speaker added.

During the budget session in March, the TMC and BJP legislators came to blows in a shocking display of political animosity. Both sides had engaged in fisticuffs, leading to the hospitalisation of some of the legislators after heated arguments over killings in Birbhum.

On March 22 at least four houses were set on fire and ten people were reported killed in Bagtui village in Rampurhat in the aftermath of the death of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh.

(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, Sep 16 (PTI) CSB Bank on Friday said Pralay Mondal has been appointed as the regular Managing Director and CEO of the bank for three years following the RBI's nod.

Mondal was the interim MD and CEO of the bank previously.

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He has been appointed as the regular MD and CEO pursuant to the approval received from the Reserve Bank of India on September 15, 2022, the bank said in a statement.

His appointment, approved by the bank's board on Thursday, is for a period of three years with effect from September 15, 2022.

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Mondal had joined the bank as President (Retail, SME, Operations and IT) on September 23, 2020 and was appointed as Deputy Managing Director with effect from February 17, 2022.

He held the position of interim MD & CEO of the bank with effect from April 1, 2022 till date, in the absence of regular MD and CEO.

A career banker with 30 years of experience, Mondal has been working to enhance retail franchise distribution and branches of CSB Bank, among others.

Prior to joining CSB Bank, he was Executive Director & Head of Retail Banking at Axis Bank. He has previously worked with Yes Bank, HDFC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Wipro InfoTech and Colgate Palmolive.

His achievements include pioneering efforts in doorstep banking and direct sales, creating deep geography distribution, and building and scaling of retail businesses, among others.

(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, Sep 16 (PTI) Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh owed Rs 4,832 crore to cane farmers as on September 1 for the crushing season 2021-22 ending later this month.

However, Rs 30,368.73 crore or 86.27 per cent of the total due has been paid, according to Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

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The minister informed the same to BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali in a letter dated September 8, which was later posted on the social media platform Twitter by the latter.

The cane crushing season runs from October to September.

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Ali had raised the issue of sugarcane arrears in Lok Sabha on August 5.

In response to the same, the minister stated that out of a total payable of Rs 35,201.22 crore for 2021-22 marketing year (October-September), mills in Uttar Pradesh have paid Rs 30,368.73 crore to the farmers.

At present, an amount of Rs 4,832.49 crore is yet to be paid by mills to cane farmers.

The figures are based on the data collected by the state government as on September 1.

Further, Jyoti informed that Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd has paid Rs 263.60 crore, while an amount of Rs 238.09 crore is yet to be paid by the sugar mill.

Notices have been issued to the mills for the clearance of dues at the earliest, she said.

The minister said that the UP government is conscious and committed to ensure the payment of cane dues to the farmers.

In a tweet, Ali said that all mills are exploiting sugarcane farmers.

The government is not listening to the farmers demand on clearing their cane dues, he said, in a roughly translated tweet in Hindi.

"Why are sugarcane farmers being forced to commit suicide?" 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)
Dhaka [Bangladesh], September 16 (ANI): Bangladesh is suffering from the unethical behaviour of Chinese companies as the country authorities have found many cases of tax evasion by Beijing-based firms or their subsidiaries in Dhaka.

The Chinese companies trading in Bangladesh have been continuously engaging in tax evasion and smuggling of items ranging from cigarettes, and alcohol, among other items. The unscrupulous behaviour of Chinese companies is causing heavy loss to the exchequer of Bangladesh, reported Bangladesh Live News.

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There is always a question mark on their integrity. The multilateral financial institutions, especially the World Bank, are also keeping an eye on their functioning. Though Beijing projects itself as a reliable economic partner, its activities are fraught with corruption and criminality.

The saga of fraudulent activities of Chinese companies in Bangladesh does not seem to cease. In the latest incident, the BD authorities seized a container imported by the Chinese company 'Zong Sine Textile Industries Limited'.

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The declared item in the container was supposed to be textile dyestuff; however, when the container was opened, it was found to be filled with around 900 packages of foreign cigarettes. Had the container passed undetected, it would have resulted in the loss of around Taka 7 crore to the Bangladesh government, Bangladesh Live News reported.

This is not the first time foreign brand cigarettes have been smuggled into Bangladesh. In an earlier case of illegal import of foreign cigarettes, Tianye Outdoor (BD) Co Ltd (TOCL), a subsidiary of Chinese company Comefly Outdoor Co Ltd was found to be involved (Feb 2022) in tax evasion and tax fraud to the tune of BD Taka 21 crore and 57 lakh.

During a routine physical inspection, the Bangladesh officials recovered high-duty foreign cigarettes from consignments which had otherwise been declared to contain cotton yarn from China. Chinese companies somehow find ways to circumvent the laws of the land through export-prohibited/concealed items to Bangladesh, reported Bangladesh Live News.

In July 2022, a significant consignment from China containing over 2700 cartons of foreign liquor was confiscated on the Chittagong-Dhaka highway in a special operation by Bangladesh (BD) authorities that prevented revenue loss of around Taka 60 to 70 crore to the Bangladesh government.

In another case of smuggling of prohibited items, the Bangladesh law enforcement agencies recovered 19 tonnes (788 packets) of Sodium Cyclamate (SC), concealed under the label of Soda Ash Light in May 2022. The consignment had originated from CNTAO Qingado Port, China and arrived in Chittagong.

SC is basically one type of condensed sugar, which is 30 to 50 times sweeter than the ordinary one. The consumption of SC increases the risk of contracting cancer, reported Bangladesh Live New.

Earlier in January 2022, a Chinese company Digi Anti Fake Company had reportedly supplied counterfeit band rolls (a thin ribbon wrapped on bidi and cigarette packets) resulting in fraudulent tax evasion of Taka 250 crore for Bangladesh.

The company was also found involved in printing counterfeit Bangladeshi passports, ballot papers, national identity cards, birth registration certificates etc. Chinese companies suffer from a poor image of corporate ethics. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Samarkand [Uzbekistan], September 16 (ANI): A few hours before he celebrates his 72nd birthday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a warm interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on Friday.

The two leaders discussed a range of subjects including the sensitive issue of the conflict in Ukraine. Putin even acknowledged Indian concerns and even made a candid remark about the situation in the east European country.

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"I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine and also about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there," Putin told PM Modi.

However, on one aspect the Russian president held back.

Also Read | SCO Summit 2022: PM Narendra Modi Meets Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand.

President Putin said he cannot offer advance birthday wishes to Prime Minister Modi, who is about to celebrate his birthday on Saturday.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand on Friday, during which Putin said that he "knows PM Modi is about to celebrate his birthday tomorrow, but he cannot offer congratulations in advance."

"Tomorrow my dear friend, we know you are about to celebrate your birthday, but as per Russian tradition, we never offer congratulations in advance so I cannot do that now," Putin said.

However, Putin extended his warmest regards and hoped that the ties between the two countries would continue to develop..

"...but I would like you to know that we know about that and we wish you all the best and we wish all the best to a friendly Indian nation and we wish prosperity to India under your leadership. The relations between India and Russia are developing, they have the nature of a strategic partnership and they continue to develop very rapidly," Putin added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate his 72nd birthday on September 17 and has a packed schedule for the day. He will deliver important speeches at four diverse events related to wildlife and environment, women empowerment, skills and youth development and next-generation infrastructure.

His visit to Samarkand in Uzbekistan is also important as India is set to take over as the next chair of the SCO. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit.

Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO Presidency in 2023 during the meeting of the expanded circle of the Heads of SCO.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Samarkand [Uzbekistan], September 16 (ANI): On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with some of the leaders of the grouping and apprised them of the situation in the flood-ravaged country and vowed cooperation in key sectors like trade and investment.

PM Sharif on Thursday arrived in Uzbekistan on a two-day visit to attend the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS).

Also Read | Russian Forces Tortured Ukrainian Detainees, Often to Death, Captured Medic Tells US Lawmakers.

In a tweet, Shehbaz Sharif wrote, "It was a long but productive day in Samarkand. In my meetings with leaders of our friendly countries, we agreed on enhancing trade & investment. I explained the flood ravages due to climate change. Food & energy shortages present a real challenge to our shared development agenda."

This comes as the Monsoon rains have submerged a third of Pakistan, claiming more than a thousand lives since June and unleashing powerful floods that have washed away swathes of vital crops and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes.

Also Read | Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton May Wear Veils to Queen Elizabeths Funeral, Heres Why!.

Pakistani Officials have blamed climate change, which is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather worldwide.

Ahead of the SCO Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a bilateral meeting. After the meeting with Putin, Shehbaz Sharif also held a bilateral meeting with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon.

The two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues. The prime minister thanked Tajikistan for its support to the flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods, reported Pakistan's local media outlet Geo TV.

Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 and India will assume the annual rotational presidency of the SCO at the end of the Samarkand Summit.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).

The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan. With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. (ANI)

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Washington, Sep 16 (PTI) Asserting that the people of Pakistan need America's help, a US lawmaker has introduced legislation to provide more help to the country that has been devastated by recent floods.

The cash-strapped nation has been struggling with the worst floods in the past 30 years, leaving more than 1,400 dead and 33 million people affected since early June.

Also Read | Russian Forces Tortured Ukrainian Detainees, Often to Death, Captured Medic Tells US Lawmakers.

A third of the country is submerged in water and one in every seven persons is badly affected by the floods that have led to an estimated USD 12 billion in losses that have left about 78,000 square kilometres (21 million acres) of crops under water.

The people of Pakistan need our help. The Pakistani Americans have risen to their call. So many in my Congressional district are providing and offering to help send medical care if you will, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, co-chair of the Pakistani Congressional Caucus said in her remarks in the House of Representatives.

Also Read | Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton May Wear Veils to Queen Elizabeths Funeral, Heres Why!.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Jackson-Lee said that it is very important for the US Congress to go on record in recognising the devastation that the people are facing every single day.

Would you imagine, even in the trials and tribulations that we have in the United States, that you have populations of people who are isolated by dirty water and that there are people who are living in the outlying areas with no shelter whatsoever, she said.

The people are hungry, the lack of food is rising. The pregnant women are fearful for the unbelievable challenges they have in giving birth, she said.

Madam Speaker, I am calling upon Congress, as I introduce this legislation dealing with the devastation of the floods in Pakistan, to join me in supporting the legislation and, as well, recognising the dire conditions that our friends in Pakistan are having, Jackson-Lee said.

Pakistan, she said, has been a friend and has helped the US in the evacuation of Afghan refugees; helped in the war on terror, where they lost the Pakistani military in the war on terror.

And, of course, the huge and very engaging Pakistani diaspora, Pakistani Americans who are both respected and, of course, energised to be collaborative with their government here in the United States to try to save the lives of babies and children, women and men, people who are sick, who need kidney transplants, who can't get their medicine, it is imperative that we rise up to this occasion, she said.

Jackson-Lee has just returned from Pakistan after a 10 days visit with the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. I could see water as far as the eye could see. The devastation is overwhelming: 33 million people displaced, more than 600,000 homeless, but more than that, hungry, she said.

She thanks the Biden administration for its initial support of the UN fund of USD 30 million and the additional funding of USD 20 million.

After our briefing in Islamabad and working with the administration, the United States military joined in delivering 300,000 tents, she said.

To my colleagues, more is needed. I will be introducing legislation that reflects the delegation's work and, as well, their efforts; and that is, we need additional funding for these devastating conditions, said the Democratic Congresswoman from Texas.

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Samarkand [Uzbekistan], September 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Friday shared India's perspective on the regional and international situation and the issues of regional peace and security including in Afghanistan, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Friday.

Addressing a special briefing on PM Modi's visit to Uzbekistan, the foreign secretary highlighted the Afghanistan situation, terrorism, aspirations of Central Asian regions and connectivity.

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"PM Modi shared India's perspective in the regional and international situation and the regional peace and security issues, including the issue in Afghanistan. Issues of development and the region and all over the world are a matter of agenda item under the SCO discussions," he said higlighing key interventions of PM Modi.

Kwatra also said that PM Modi also emphasised on the centrality and aspirations and needs of the Central Asian Republics in the SCO.

Also Read | SCO Summit 2022: PM Narendra Modi Meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sidelines of Summit in Samarkand.

"Need for greater cooperation to fight terrorism in the region, and in this context, he (PM Modi) emphasised role that SCO can play including through the work of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) organisation," he said.

PM Modi also emphasised the need for better regional connectivity, which is essential for great economic and trade corporation between India and other SCO member countries, India and Central Asia.

"...and in this context the entire membership including the prime minister welcomed the inclusion of Iran as the member state of SCO during this summit. Chabahar and another important project for regional connectivity along with India north-south transport corridor were also mentioned in Prime Minister's interventions," Foreign Secretary noted.

Addressing further, Kwatra said that Prime Minister also reiterated his support for the ongoing expansion of the organisation. and in this context, "we welcomed Iran and Belarus as new member states, of course, the two are in different stages of the process in terms of their onboarding as a member state, and also the inclusion of UAE, Maldives, Bahrain, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners of the SCO.

Meanwhile, PM Modi thanked all the member states of SCO for endorsing Varanasi as the first ever SCO tourist and cultural capital during the upcoming year 22-23.

Meanwhile, a large number of documents were signed at both levels -- Heads of State in government and at the function level.

"Among the outcomes of the meeting, the leaders adopted a statement in response to climate change. SCO has also decided to create a special working group on startup and innovation," he said. (ANI)

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Samarkand, September 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit here and the two leaders discussed issues of bilateral and mutual interests.

Prime Minister Modi earlier attended the 22nd SCO summit, which was hosted by President Mirziyoyev in this historic Uzbek city of Samarkand. Also Read | Bilawal Bhutto on India's SCO Presidency in 2023, Says 'No Decision Yet on Pakistan's Participation in Next Summit'.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

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Samarkand, Sep 16 (PTI) The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) plans to prepare a single list of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups whose activities are banned on the territories of the member states, with an aim to counter the threat posed by them to the region.

In a joint declaration issued at the end of the annual Summit of the eight-member bloc in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand, the leaders of the SCO member states, strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Also Read | SCO Summit 2022: PM Narendra Modi Meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sidelines of Summit in Samarkand.

"In accordance with their national laws and on the basis of consensus, the member states will strive to develop common principles and approaches to the formation of a single list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organisations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states," said the Samarkand declaration signed by the leaders of the member states on Friday.

Briefing reporters later, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that each of the SCO member states was very very clear in recognising the threat that this challenge poses to the region and beyond.

Also Read | Shashi Kapoors Son Kunal Kapoor Shares Throwback Pic Featuring King Charles III on Sets of Ahista Ahista.

To counter the threat of chemical and biological terrorism, the SCO members called for the compliance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. "They stress the importance of the early destruction of all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons," the declaration said.

On Afghanistan, the member states called for creating an inclusive government in the war-torn country, which is now ruled by the Taliban.

"The member states consider it extremely important to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives of all ethnic, religious and political groups of Afghan society," the declaration said.

The grouping also advocated the formation of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs.

On Iran, the declaration said that the SCO member states consider it important to sustainably implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and called on all participants to strictly fulfill their obligations for its comprehensive and effective implementation.

The SCO also called for creating a transparent international energy market and reducing the existing trade barriers.

"We call on the countries of the world to jointly create an open, transparent and efficient international energy market, reduce trade barriers, avoid excessive volatility in world energy commodity prices, maintain a healthy, stable and sustainable international energy market," the declaration said.

The SCO member states called for more effective World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a key forum for discussing the international trade agenda and adopting the rules of the multilateral trading system.

The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

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Colombo, Sep 16 (PTI) A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former president Maithripala Sirisena as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings in which 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed.

The Colombo Fort magistrate's court, which pronounced the judgement, accused Sirisena of neglecting intelligence reports on the impending attack leading to the bombings.

Also Read | SCO Summit 2022: Indian Economy Expected To Grow by 7.5% This Year, Says PM Narendra Modi.

Sirisena, 71, will now have to appear in court on October 14.

The former president was earlier held as responsible for the attack by a probe panel he was forced to appoint following pressure from the Catholic Church and the relatives of the victims.

Also Read | China: Massive Fire Engulfs Skyscraper in Changsha City, No Deaths Reported (See Pics and Videos).

He had denied the allegation.

On April 21, 2019, nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 270 people.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, September 15: UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar on Thursday said that the results for Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG will be announced on September 15 by 10 pm. The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the CUET UG 2022 examination result today, September 16. Last week, Kumar said that CUET scores will be published on or before September 15. Candidates who appeared for the CUET UG 2022 exam can visit the official website of CUET UG at cuet.samarth.ac.in.

It must be noted that candidates can check their CUET UG 2022 scorecards using their application number and date of birth. This year, around 14.9 lakh candidates registered for the debut edition of the CUET UF 2022 examination. Of the 14.9 lah students, a total of 60 percent of candidates appeared for the CUET UG exam. CUET-UG Results 2022: NTA To Announce Common University Entrance Test Result on cuet.samarth.ac.in at 10 PM Today.

Check Tweet:

Steps To Check CUET UG 2022 Result:

Visit the official website of CUET at cuet.samarth.ac.in

Click on the "CUET UG 2022 Result" link

Enter using your login credentials

Click on submit

Your CUET UG 2022 Result will be displayed on the screen

Take a printout for future reference

Candidates who clear the CUET UG 2022 exam will have to apply separately in order for admission on the official websites of various universities. Meanwhile, Delhi University has already started its admission process. The CUET UG 2022 exams were held in six phases from July to August 2022. The CUET UG 2022 examination was conducted at 489 examination centres across 259 cities in India and 10 cities outside the country. Besides the CUET UG 2022 result, the NTA will also release the final answer keys of CUET UG.

For more details, candidates can check the official website of CUET at cuet.samarth.ac.in or call the helpline numbers of NTA at 011-40759000 and 011-69227700.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2022 07:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The injured have been admitted to the Civil hospital. The deceased include three men, three women and three children. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs four lakh each for the kin of the deceased.
A Chennai-based pastor who was running an orphanage was arrested by the police for impregnating a teenaged girl. The pastor, Charles (58) had raped the minor girl who was admitted to his orphanage.
Professor Alok Kumar, the secretary of SMF, a statutory body that monitors the conduct of para-medical institutes in the state, said that Remote Sensing Application Centre (RSAC) in the city will be contacted for the same. Hospitals of para-medical institutes are often not on the same campus.
#Goa Police have arrested one octogenarian #US citizen for allegedly possessing 12 grams of LSD liquid and 45 grams of MDMA drugs worth Rs 12 lakh. pic.twitter.com/nyBxoc4WyY IANS (@ians_india) September 16, 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 Lao, #Vietnamese and Cambodian armies completed five-day disaster rescue exercises in Lao capital Vientiane, Lao News Agency (KPL) reported.



The disaster rescue exercises between the three nations was completed on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported. pic.twitter.com/qcihny12Fk IANS (@ians_india) September 15, 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.)
Samarkand, Sep 16: On the sidelines of the ongoing 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during which they discussed bilateral matters.

Xi said that China and Pakistan "are close neighbours linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future" Xinhua news agency reported. SCO Summit 2022: As World Faces Post-COVID Challenges, Shanghai Cooperation Organisations Role Very Important, Says PM Narendra Modi.

Calling the two nations "strategic partners", the President said the two sides "must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects".

He also stressed on the need to expand cooperation in areas such as industry, agriculture, science, technology and social welfare. SCO Summit 2022: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Struggles To Put On Headphones During Bilateral Meeting With Russian President Vladimir Putin (Watch Video).

On his part, the Prime Minister thanked China for providing "timely and valuable" support to Pakistan in the wake of the catastrophic flooding which has so far killed more than 1,500 people and affected over 30 million others.

Calling China "an eternal, great friend of Pakistan", Sharif said his country was "firmly committed to the 'one-China policy'", and also backed Beijing's position on issues pertaining to "Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong".

Following the meeting, officials of the two countries also signed documents on cooperation in railway, e-commerce and other areas.
What was supposed to be a concert celebrating Guatemala's Independence Day turned to tragedy after a massive stampede crushed many people, leading to the deaths of at least nine individuals, with over 20 people injured.

According to the Associated Press, the rock concert was organized by a local beer maker and held on a field often used for events such as this. It kicked off in the city of Quetzaltenango on Wednesday without incident, but a stampede happened the very next day.

One concertgoer told the AP that the stampede happened late in the night, and she was concerned because there were still children attending that fatal concert. It is unclear if any of those children were caught up in the stampede.

Area Around Field Where Stampede Happened Closed Off, Only Had 2 Access Points

The incident happened as Guatemalan rock band Bohemia Suburbana closed the show. Some people were already trying to leave while others were still trying to enter. However, one concert-goer stated that there were only two access points into the concert area, and both were very small.

The entire area was closed off, and the people were funneled into these small access points. This is further complicated by the rain which resulted in the venue becoming muddy, making some people fall, while others could not move.

CBS News reported that videos are now circulating social media, showing the stampede. It showed that bodies piled on top of one another, and shouting can be heard as people screamed to stop pushing,

READ NEXT: Guatemala Migrant Smuggling Probe Launches as Investigators Follow Money Trail

Firefighters and the Guatemalan Red Cross rushed to the scene immediately and confirmed that at least nine people died, with over 20 injured. The Red Cross also noted that those who were injured have now been stabilized.

Several people suffered fractures, while Reuters reported that six people have been hospitalized after the stampede.

So far, the Guatemalan government has not yet revealed the names of those who passed away during the incident. However, reports stated that relatives of those who went to the concert have arrived to identify the nine dead bodies.

Quetzaltenango Official Says Concert Organizers Had Little Crowd Control and Security

Quetzaltenango, where the concert stampede happened, held the second largest independence celebration in Guatemala. It happened on the country's very Independence Day and was supposed to be the highlight of the evening as the country celebrated 201 years of independence from Spanish rule.

Amilcar Rivas, who serves as the Quetzaltenango city manager, said that the organizers of the concert "did not have a grip on security and crowd control." However, the official admitted that they did have a permit to hold the Independence Day concert.

The Independence Day celebrations were long awaited by Guatemalans, who were forced to hold off their Bicentennial Independence Day celebrations for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ NEXT: Guatemalan and Honduran Soccer Fans Brawl in Streets of Guatemala City After Soccer Match, Police Use Tear Gas

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Guatemala concert stampede leaves at least 9 dead, 20 injured - Global News
Republican Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott are using the current immigration crisis to get back at their primary political opponents - the Democrats.

Earlier today, Abbott shipped off two busloads of immigrants to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in the Naval Observatory in Washington DC.

Abbott, who is mitigating the Texas border for months already, has been sending migrants to Democratic-led cities and states in the country unannounced  sending state and city officials scrambling for resources.

Texas Border Migrants Shipped Off to Vice President Kamala Harris

According to Fox News, two buses full of migrants coming from Del Rio, Texas arrived near the Naval Observatory in Washington DC earlier this morning, September 15.

The Naval Observatory is the official residence of the Vice President of the United States. Kamala Harris, a Democrat, currently resides at the estate.

The move to ship off migrants to the residence is one of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's ways to mitigate the immigration crisis and troll his political opponents across the country.

The fleet of immigrants that arrived in DC was reportedly composed of over 100 Mexicans, Colombians, Uruguayans, and Venezuelans.

Non-government organization Sanctuary DMV welcomed the migrants to the drop-off point but revealed later on that they would be settling in a local church nearby.

Vice President Kamala Harris has not yet issued any comments on Thursday morning's ruckus on her residence. The Vice President recently claims that the border is "secure" despite rampant illegal border crossings in the area.

Meanwhile, Harris was not the only Democratic key official this week that was on the receiving end of migrants from the border.

READ NEXT: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Sends 2 Planes Full of Migrants to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts

Martha's Vineyard Surprised Over DeSantis' Planeful of Migrants

Last Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis followed Texas Governor Greg Abbott's plan as he sent two planefuls of migrants from his home state to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusets, the Western Journal reports.

Martha's Vineyard is situated on Massachusets' elite secluded coastline, where Obama's summer estate is located.

In a statement, DeSantis' office confirmed that the planes did come from Florida, in his instructions. He noted that it was part of the state's relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to "sanctuary destinations."

"States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states,'" DeSantis sarcastically doubled down on President Joe Biden's "open" border policies.

Democrats have decried Gov. DeSantis' move to do this. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Julian Cyr called it a "cruel ruse that manipulates families that are seeking a better life."

Meanwhile, the White House, especially President Joe Biden is taking drastic measures to mitigate the crisis. Reuters reported that the president is now enacting Title 42, the same COVID-19 expulsion order that he publicly vowed to eradicate.

Biden is asking for Mexico's help to accept migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua following a huge influx that he hopes to rapidly expel into the country.

READ MORE: Mexico: Joe Biden Facing Major Headache with Soaring Migrants Crossing

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ivan Korrs

WATCH: Busloads of Migrants Arrive at VP Harris Home - From Bloomberg Markets and Finance
The Vatican and Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega have never seen eye-to-eye for decades. With Ortega's government cracking down on dissenters, including members of the Catholic Church's clergy, Pope Francis declared he wants to have a dialogue with the Nicaraguan government.

The first Pope from Latin America revealed that the Vatican was recently in contact with the Nicaraguan government and talked to them about the recent crackdowns on the Catholic Church. These actions included the expulsion of nuns from Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity religious order from the country, forcing the Vatican ambassador, the Papal Nuncio, out of Nicaragua, and the recent arrest of a well-loved Bishop critical of Daniel Ortega.

In a statement, Pope Francis said, "There is dialogue. That doesn't mean we approve of everything the government is doing, or disapprove of it. There is dialogue." He also stressed that while he does not approve of what is going on in Nicaragua, the Vatican is not prepared to sever contact or relations with the South American country.

Pope Wants Sisters of Charity Order to at Least Return to Nicaragua

The expulsion of the entire Catholic religious order known as the Sisters of Charity, which was founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta herself, was one of the main points of contention between the Vatican and the Nicaraguan government.

Speaking from the Papal Plane, the Pope expressed his hopes that the order be at least allowed to return and continue their charity work for the poor of Nicaragua. According to the Associated Press, he said that the nuns were great revolutionaries of the Gospel and are not making war against anyone.

He added he cannot understand why they were expelled from Nicaragua and hopes they can go back one day. Reuters reports that these nuns have been working with Guatemala's poor for over three decades already.

The Pope also called the expulsion of Papal Ambassador Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag a "serious diplomatic" incident. The Argentinian said that he was a very capable diplomat who had recently been appointed as the head of the Vatican's embassy in West Africa.

READ MORE: Nicaragua: Nicaraguans Fleeing From Daniel Ortega Administration Posts Challenge for Costa Rica's Asylum System

Nicaragua's Crackdown of Daniel Ortega's Critics

Nicaragua has cracked down on clergy members of the Roman Catholic Church by arresting priests, forcing some into exile, and taking over Church-owned radio and TV stations.

Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa, a known critic of Ortega, was besieged inside his home by police for several days, not allowing him outside, even to celebrate Holy Mass. It ended with police arresting him and several other priests.

However, Ortega isn't just cracking down on the Church, but also on civilians, as Nicaraguan police often raid independent media outlets, forcing an exodus of independent journalists from the country, with many fleeing to Costa Rica and reporting about the events in Nicaragua from there.

Daniel Ortega also repressed his political opposition, jailing all those who attempted to run against him in last year's elections, as well as replacing democratically-elected mayors who were part of opposition parties with members of his own Sandinista Party.

READ MORE: Pope Francis Worried For Nicaragua After Bishop's Arrest

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Nicaragua accused of cracking down on Catholic groups - Al Jazeera English
Former President Donald Trump has warned that criminal charges against him would unleash "big problems."

According to Business Insider, Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday that he does not think the "people of the United States would stand for it," as they discussed his potential indictment.

The former president added that there would be "problems in this country the likes of which perhaps we've never seen before." Hewitt then said that Trump's comments could be taken as condoning violence, to which Trump replied that it was not inciting and was just stating his "opinions."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin had denounced the former president's latest remarks, saying his comments were "careless" and that "inflammatory rhetoric has its consequences."

The Justice Department is probing into Trump's mishandling of classified government documents after leaving the White House with several other investigations involving the former president.

READ NEXT: Donald Trump's Surprise Washington D.C. Visit Sparks Arrest Rumors; Here's What the Ex-President Said

Donald Trump on Possible Indictment

Donald Trump also told Hugh Hewitt that he believes he did not do anything wrong, so the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not indict him. He added that he "would have no prohibition" to run for president again in 2024 even if he's indicted.

To clarify Trump's position, Hewitt asked the former president if the indictment "would not take him out of the arena," to which Trump replied that "it would not," according to The Washington Post.

The former president has repeatedly made hints that he would run for the presidency again in 2024. Last month, Senator Lindsey Graham said there would be "riots in the street" if the former president is prosecuted. Trump seemed to endorse the notion as he shared a link to a video of Graham's comments on his Truth Social account.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre scrutinized the comments, saying it was "such dangerous" statements about violence from "extreme Republicans." However, she did not name Graham.

Critics also described Graham's remarks as "irresponsible" and "shameful." Trump's comments on Thursday came hours before officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Homeland Security department briefed Republicans and Democrats about threats against federal officials.

Justice Department Investigates Donald Trump

A special master has been selected to serve as an independent arbiter to review the materials that the FBI confiscated from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

The special master will be Senior Judge Raymond Dearie. The Department also endorsed his appointment. CNN reported that an intelligence community review of the documents had been postponed since last week.

Trump has filed a lawsuit asking for a special master - a third-party attorney - two weeks after the Justice Department had searched his Mar-a-Lago residence. The special master will oversee the review of evidence gathered from the Mar-a-Lago estate in the criminal probe.

Prosecutors are looking at least three possible crimes against Trump, such as violations of the Espionage Act, illegal handling of government records, and obstruction of justice.

Investigators got more than 100 documents marked as classified during the search in Mar-a-Lago. The documents were obtained after Trump's representatives were served a subpoena in May, ordering them to return all such documents to the government.

In his court filing for the special master case, Donald Trump said his constitutional rights had been violated during the search.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Admits He Didn't Win Presidential Election 2020 During Interview With Presidential Historians

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Donald Trump Warns Of "Big Problems" if He's Indicted - From CBS Evening News
Florida Judge Aileen Cannon has finally named the special master for the independent review of the documents that the Department of Justice (DOJ) recovered on Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate last month.

Cannon earlier granted Trump's request to get a third-party reviewer of the Mar-a-Lago documents that reportedly contained highly-sensitive government information.

Because of the special master's involvement, the DOJ investigation on the issue has been temporarily halted, despite pushback from the said government agency.

Donald Trump's Special Master Finally Revealed

Judge Raymond Dearie was named Donald Trump's special master on the Mar-a-Lago issue on Thursday. As defined by the former president, the special master is tasked to be the person who will review the documents that the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized on his Mar-a-Lago estate last August 8.

The classified White House documents were marked differently with "confidential," "secret," and "top-secret" labels. According to The Guardian, Dearie, a former federal prosecutor who served as the chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, New York City for years, was one of the two candidates that Trump's team has suggested for approval.

Last Tuesday, the DOJ noted that they would not oppose Cannon's appointment of Dearie as the special master. Dearie served as a U.S. attorney in Brooklyn before becoming a Reagan appointee in 1986.

Assuming senior status, the 78-year-old judge has had a reduced caseload since 2011 and was the chief judge in Brooklyn from 2007 to 2011. The DOJ has affirmed Raymond Dearie's appointment, saying he was qualified to be the special master on the case.

The Justice Department opposed the appointment of Florida's former deputy attorney general Paul Huck, while Trump's camp has denied the two unnamed federal judges that the other party has suggested.

READ NEXT: Senate Intelligence Committee Demands FBI Briefing on Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Raid | Here's Why

What Will The Special Master Be Doing?

Raymond Dearie will be tasked with deciding whether the documents that the FBI has recovered from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida are "privileged" or not.

The former president has continued to point out that the said documents found in the mansion cover "attorney-client confidentiality" or through an "executive privilege," CBS News reported.

The National Archives, through a letter sent to Trump's legal counsel Evan Corcoran, noted that the said "executive privilege" does not exist. According to National Archivist Debra Steiland Wall, the Biden administration would not be honoring the former president's protective claims of executive privilege over the documents.

The letter noted that the DOJ found "no precedent for an assertion of executive privilege by a former president against an incumbent president to prevent the latter" from obtaining from the National Archives records that belong to the government. Thus, it added that the FBI should be given access to the documents "in a matter of days."

On Thursday, Cannon rejected the DOJ's demand to immediately continue its review of the records because the documents' nature was highly classified, according to Reuters. The judge ordered the temporary halting of the investigation until the independent review concludes.

"The court does not find it appropriate to accept the government's conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion," Cannon noted.

Cannon had directed Raymond Dearie to prioritize reviewing the classified records first and complete his review of all the seized materials by November 30.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Hid Classified Government Documents, New Unsealed Mar-a-Lago Affidavit Implies

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Written by: Ivan Korrs

WATCH: Federal Judge Raymond Dearie Selected as Special Master - From CBS New York
Mexico has arrested retired Army general Jose Rodriguez Perez after he was accused of being involved in the disappearance and deaths of the 43 Ayotzinapa students.

According to The Washington Post, Rodriguez Perez was among the officials recently arrested for allegedly participating in or covering up the crime that involved 43 students from a rural teachers' college in Ayotzinapa town who disappeared on their way to a demonstration eight years ago.

Only the remains of three students have been recovered. According to Mexico's deputy security minister, the retired Army general is one of the highest-ranking military officers arrested in the case.

Warrants for three others were also issued this week. Two of those people were already detained, while one remains a fugitive. Assistant Public Safety Secretary Ricardo Mejia said Thursday that four arrest warrants had been issued against members of the Mexican Army.

"There are three people arrested, among them the commander of the 27th infantry battalion when the events took place in Iguala in September 2014," Mejia told reporters.

Rodriguez Perez was a colonel in Iguala city on the night the Ayotzinapa students were abducted in 2014. Mexico's undersecretary for human rights Alejandro Encinas earlier said that six of the missing students "were turned over" to Rodriguez Perez.

Encinas noted that the six students were "killed and disappeared on orders" of Rodriguez Perez. He added that state and federal officials neglected to stop the kidnapping and rescue the students even though they could do so.

READ NEXT: Mexico Arrests Former Top Prosecutor Leading the Investigation Into Disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa Students

High-Profile Arrests Regarding Ayotzinapa Students' Case in Mexico

Last month, the former top prosecutor who led the investigation into the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students was arrested. Former prosecutor Jesus Murillo Kuram was arrested outside his residence on charges of forced disappearance, torture, and obstruction of justice.

According to Al Jazeera, Murillo was considered to be the architect of the so-called "historical truth" version of events that they reported in 2015 under the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto.

The official 2015 report noted that drug cartel members killed the 43 missing students, and their remains were burned at a rubbish dump. The report was widely rejected by the public, especially the relatives and officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The investigation into the disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students was reopened in 2018 when President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won the presidency. Authorities said Murillo, who was a former attorney general from 2012 to 2015, was brought to a Mexico City jail.

Case of the Missing 43 Ayotzinapa Students in Mexico

On the night they disappeared in 2014, the Ayotzinapa students were on their way to a protest in Mexico City. They commandeered several buses to get there.

According to The New York Times, it was a tradition at their college that was usually tolerated by the authorities and bus companies. But their stunt turned into a night of terror and violence which involved law enforcement officers and other armed men.

Soon after taking the buses in Iguala town in Guerrero state, the students were intercepted by municipal police officers and other armed men, who shot some of them and took away others after forcing them off the vehicles. Little is known about what happened after that incident.

By dawn, six people were dead in Iguala, dozens were wounded, and the 43 students had disappeared. The families of the missing Ayotzinapa students have long accused the Army of playing a role in the disappearance and likely killing of their loved ones.

READ MORE: Mexico: 90,000 People Have Disappeared Without a Trace Amid Drug War

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: What Happened to the 43 Ayotzinapa Students? - From AJ+
A nephew of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera was reportedly gunned down in Mexico's Chihuahua state on Thursday morning.

According to Borderland Beat, Edel Guzman Martinez, 36, a resident of Badiraguato town in Sinaloa state, was shot repeatedly while he was in the main square of Guadalupe y Calvo in Chihuahua.

Authorities said El Chapo's nephew was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died minutes later. His body was reportedly riddled with bullet wounds.

According to local reports, Guzman Martinez was among the two men murdered in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality that day. The second man was found dead in the vicinity of the La Minita neighborhood with a stab wound to the neck hours after El Chapo's nephew was killed.

The man, who was between 25 and 30 years of age, remains unidentified. No other details were known at this time.

READ NEXT: El Chapo Case: Chicago Twin Pedro Flores Tied to Sinaloa Cartel Says Prosecutors Gave His Family Immunity Against Prosecution

Another El Chapo's Nephew Shot Dead in Mexico

El Chapo's nephew Enrique Homero Guzman Rocha was found dead inside a car in Culiacan city in Sinaloa state in July 2020. His bullet-riddled body was found in an abandoned red Toyota Corolla on a road to El Ranchito in Culiacan.

According to Daily Mail, investigators said family members of the 45-year-old man identified him before his remains were sent to forensic experts. Sinaloa authorities have not made arrests nor offered a motive for the killing of El Chapo's nephew at the time.

Guzman Rocha reportedly survived an assassination attempt on July 2019 when several gunmen chased his vehicle in Pemex at Culiacan town. However, his girlfriend died in the attack.

El Chapo's nephew, who suffered a gunshot wound, was able to flee from the armed men at the time by driving into an oil company parking lot. In December 2011, Guzman Rocha's brother, Juan "El Juanon" Guzman, was killed along with another man after armed men kidnapped them.

During El Chapo's trial in New York in January 2019, a former lover of the jailed drug lord said El Chapo allegedly ordered the hit for betraying him.

El Chapo's mistress, Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez, told the court that the Mexican drug kingpin "did not react" after hearing the tragic news and said that "whoever betrayed him was going to die, whether they were family or women."

El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel

El Chapo is currently imprisoned in one of the most secure prisons in the U.S. The infamous Sinaloa Cartel boss was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and extradited to Mexico, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder and drug trafficking.

But in 2001, the Mexican drug kingpin escaped from prison. He was arrested again in 2014 in Sinaloa and again escaped from prison through a tunnel the following year.

In January 2016, Mexican officials announced that El Chapo had been captured again. He was extradited to the U.S. the following year. El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison in Colorado after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.

But even when he's behind bars, the Sinaloa Cartel remained one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking syndicates. The Mexican drug cartel has been known for carrying out assassinations, murders, and torture to protect its turf. Sin

The Sinaloa Cartel seems to have taken its style from Colombia's Cali Cartel by creating strong connections to Mexico's political and economic elite. It has also successfully penetrated government and security forces in areas where the cartel operates.

InsightCrime reported that the Sinaloa Cartel's most powerful contacts have traditionally been in the National Action Party. Some sources claimed that the party helped account for the drug cartel's growth in the last decade.

READ MORE: Arellano Felix Cartel Leader Benjamin Arellano Felix Pleads California Judge for Early Release From Prison

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: 'El Chapo' Found Guilty by Jury in Brooklyn Federal Court - From ABC News
It looks like Guadalajara Cartel founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo will still have to spend more time in prison even after being granted house arrest.

According to Infobae, Felix Gallardo will have to remain in Puente Grande prison in Jalisco state until September 23 as his release from jail on Thursday was suspended.

Milenio reported that Jose Antonio Perez Juarez, the general director of Prevention and Social Reintegration of Jalisco, said the proceeding to transfer the Guadalajara Cartel founder to his Zapopan home was deferred as the National Guard admitted that it did not have the capacity to do it due to lack of personnel.

READ NEXT: Guadalajara Cartel Founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo to Remain in Prison Even After Being Granted House Arrest | Here's Why

Lawyer of Guadalajara Cartel Founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo Accuses Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Postponing His House Arrest

The postponement in placing Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo under house arrest had certainly not made his lawyers happy. One of his lawyers, Teresa Vallejo Perez, accused Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodriguez of ordering the process to be suspended.

Vallejo Perez noted that she will hold the secretary and "all of Mexico" responsible if her client dies. The lawyer said the secretary intends to build an image that his client is an evil man who will be sacrificed for political gains.

Vallejo Perez further noted that the National Guard agents had already told her there was no danger to the public or possibilities of escape and had sufficient personnel for the transfer of the Mexican drug lord to the address indicated in the file.

She said the agents had also checked Felix Gallardo's ankle monitor and verified that it worked correctly. The Mexican drug lord must wear an ankle monitor for authorities to know where he is.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder's lawyers, wife, and son waited more than three hours for the formal release of Felix Gallardo from prison on Thursday, but it did not materialize.

Guadalajara Cartel Founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo Granted House Arrest

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was allowed on Monday to continue his sentence from home as his health deteriorated. However, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) challenged the order issued by a judge on the same day.

The FGR argued that the judge had only ruled on his 40-year sentence and not his separate 37-year sentence. According to reports, another judge still needs to rule concerning his 37-year sentence.

Felix Gallardo is currently serving two prison sentences that add up to his 76-year-old age. He was arrested in April 1989 for the kidnapping and killing of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.

In the same year, a court sentenced the Guadalajara Cartel founder to 40 years in prison for crimes that included stockpiling weapons, drug trafficking, murder, bribery, and money laundering. However, after serving 28 years, a 2017 retrial sentenced him to an additional 37 years for the death of Camarena.

In granting him house arrest, the judge said the Mexican drug lord could serve the remaining three years of his sentence for drug trafficking and possession of weapons in a private home due to his advanced age and health problems. And after he completed it, the judge noted that Felix Gallardo will have to begin serving his sentence for the murder of Camarena.

In his first interview from prison, the Guadalajara Cartel founder told Telemundo last year that his health was terrible and that his family was already digging a hole under a tree for him to be buried.

He also said he does not have hopes of getting out of prison. He noted that he had lost all hope of being released and believed he would die in prison. Felix Gallardo is currently blind in one eye and deaf in one ear and often needs an oxygen tank in order to breathe.

Felix Gallardo, also known for his aliases "El Jefe de Jefes"(The Boss of Bosses) and "El Padrino" (The Godfather), has once worked with Rafael Caro Quintero, another Guadalajara Cartel co-founder, who has been named to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Felix Gallardo also oversaw lieutenants like young Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who later became the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was also known to work with Amado Carrillo Fuentes for the fleet of airplanes used to move drugs for his Juarez cartel.

READ MORE: Sandra Avila Beltran Net Worth: How Wealthy Is the 'Narco Queen' Dubbed as Mexico's 'Queen of the Pacific?'

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Miguel Felix Gallardo: The Dark Story - From Humans of History
Kildare history lovers are encouraged to explore the Dublin Festival of History's free programme of events next week.

The Festival features a mix of in-person, hybrid and online events this year.

Dublin Festival of History  brought to the public by Dublin City Council and organised by Dublin City Libraries in partnership with Dublin City Council Culture Company  is now in its tenth year.

It will play host to an international and Irish line-up of speakers, as well as walks, tours and exhibitions.

Three weeks of more than 130 free-to-attend events will be held across 71 venues, with special events for children also set to take place, offering something for everyone.

The festival will shine a light and fresh perspectives on topics such as the centenary of the Irish Civil War, trailblazing female figures, and queer activism in 1970s and 1980s Ireland.

The festivals Big Weekend is happening on Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of October, at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152-60 Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

The line-up for it includes in-person talks and seminars that will also be livestreamed, allowing people in Kildare to also tune in online.

EVENTS

Some of the highlights of The Big Weekend include:

The Van Gogh Sisters  Willem-Jan Verlinden

Dutch-born art historian and writer Willem-Jan Verlinden will be discussing his historical biography that brings Vincent Van Goghs three sisters out from their brothers shadow, poignantly portraying their dreams, disappointments and grief. He will uncover the previously neglected voices of his sisters Anna, Lies and Willemien, with whom Vincent had intimate and sometimes turbulent relationships.

The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Myth of the Lost  Sarah Churchwell

American professor and author Sarah Churchwell will be discussing her razor-sharp examination of Margarets Mitchells 1936 epic novel Gone with the Wind. Churchwell traces the novel and films relationship to the myth of the Lost Cause and how they foreshadow the controversies in America today, from race riots to Trump.

Sister Against Sister: Women and the Irish Civil War

Why did Cumann na mBan reject the Treaty and what role did women play in a war where their contribution led to over 500 women being imprisoned by their former comrades? Why were women denounced as furies, with measures enacted by the Free State to force their return to the home? Leading historians Dr Siobhra Aiken (Queens University Belfast), Dr Leeann Lane (DCU), Dr Mary McAuliffe (UCD), Dr Margaret Ward (Queens University Belfast) and Dr Fionnuala Walsh (UCD) will reflect on events leading to the Irish Civil War and the contribution made by women to the war  from both sides of the divide.

The Extraordinary Life of Rose Dugdale  Sean ODriscoll

Irish journalist and author Sean ODriscoll will talk about the English heiress Rose Dugdale, who devoted her life to the IRA and who is the subject of his latest book. Presented to the Queen as a debutante in 1958, trained at Oxford as an economist, where she had a love affair with a female professor, in 1972 Dugdale travelled to Ireland and joined the IRA.

The Celts: A Sceptical History  Simon Jenkins

British writer Simon Jenkins will be discussing how theories of Celticism continue to fuel many of the prejudices and misconceptions that divide the peoples of the British Isles to this day. In his latest book, he sets out that the history of the Celts is the history of a misnomer, pointing out how the word keltoi first appears in Greek and applied generally to aliens or barbarians.

Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World  Kate Mosse

Award-winning British novelist and writer Kate Mosse will talk about her alternative feminist history of the world and personal memoir about the nature of womens struggles to be heard, about how history is made and by whom. Her latest book tells the stories of female inventors and scientists, philanthropists and conservationists, authors and campaigners, such as Sophie Scholl, Mary Seacole, Cornelia Sorabji, Helen Suzman, Shirley Chisholm, and Violette Szabo, as well as passages about the life of her great-grandmother, Lily Watson.

The Stand with Eamon Dunphy Podcast

Writer and broadcaster Eamon Dunphy will be bringing his podcast, The Stand, which he launched in 2016, to a live audience, promising lively and informative conversation.

Ali at Croke Park

To mark the 50th anniversary of Muhammad Alis fight at Croke Park, the GAA Museum will present an evening of conversation and talks about this memorable sporting occasion, with guest speakers Dublin Historian-in-Residence James Curry and journalist and lecturer Dave Hannigan. Attendees will also have a chance to see Alis shorts and glove which are on display in the museum alongside a ticket from the fight.

Gay and Lesbian Activism in the Republic of Ireland, 1973-93

Academic and author Patrick McDonagh will trace the emergence of visible gay and lesbian communities across the Republic of Ireland and their impact on public perceptions of homosexuality.

How to be a Historian: Childrens Tour

The GPO Museum will run a Young Historians Tour for children, who will be shown how to use evidence, such as photographs and artefacts on display in the museum, and their imagination to reconstruct the past. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Although all Dublin Festival of History events are free, but booking may be required.

Full programme details, along with information about how to book, is available online at www.dublinfestivalofhistory.ie.

The festival is taking place from Monday, September 26 to Sunday, October 16.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Dublin City Council Culture Company runs cultural initiatives and buildings across the city with, and for, the people of Dublin.

The organisation collaborates with people, communities, cultural organisations, businesses, and Dublin City Council to embed cultural experiences and increase cultural participation throughout Dublin.

The Dublin Festival of History partners with a number of organisations.

These include: Richmond Barracks, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Irish Historic Towns Atlas: Royal Irish Academy, Irish Research Council, Irish Film Institute, GAA Museum, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), Acadamh na Lianna, The Edward Worth Library, National Library of Ireland, Chester Beatty, National Library of Ireland, 14 Henrietta Street, Irish Manuscripts Commission, Kilmainham Gaol Museum, Irish Society for Archives, Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again, Registry of Deeds Archive Services, Grangegorman Histories, Central Bank of Ireland Archives, Dublin City Council, the National University of Ireland, Dublinia, Friends of Medieval Dublin, Fingal Festival of History, Rathfarnham Castle, The Pearse Museum and Little Museum of Dublin.
A new documentary about Eat The Peach, which was filmed in Kildare, is being screened this month.

Eat The Peach, which was released in 1986, was shot on location in the Bog of Allen on the Kildare / Offaly border as well as in Dublin, Meath and Wicklow.

The story follows two young men who are inspired by an Elvis Presley movie to create a Wall of Death stunt for a motorcyclist to ride around.

The Artist & The Wall of Death documentary based on the movie is now being shown at the Irish Film Institute Festival (IFI) in Dublin from September 21 to 25.

When Glaswegian performance artist, Stephen Skrynka, learns that a life-long obsession with building and riding a Wall of Death was shared with Michael Donohoe and Connie Kiernan (who built a wall in 1979 and inspired the film Eat the Peach), he heads to their farm in Granard, Co Longford with an audacious proposal: construct a new Wall of Death with him and take it on tour.

Though the Wall is painstakingly constructed, a painful argument between the trio brings the endeavour skidding to a halt.

Devastated, Stephen returns to Glasgow to lick his wounds, emerging mid-pandemic to fight another day.

This documentary explores the relentless determination of an artist to realise his dream.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Maurice OBrien and producers John Kelleher and Grant Keir.
TD Marian Harkin has called on the government to follow the example of many EU countries and introduce a 0% VAT rate on newspapers in budget 2023.



We all know that newspapers, particularly local newspapers have been struggling for quite a number of years and many titles have gone out of business, she said. Newspapers staffed by professional journalists play a vital role in making sure that, as a society, we are informed by reliable, fact-checked news and information. This is crucial for a healthy society and a healthy democracy.



The Sligo Leitrim TD went on to say that newspapers must be helped in every way to weather current storms, especially the threat from the relatively unregulated social media sector and certain platforms purporting to be legitimate sources of news.

The mushrooming of social media has had many benefits, but it has also led to an unending stream of unregulated news and comment. This has muddied the waters and leaves it more difficult for people to tell the difference between fact, fantasy and downright untruths, she said.



Ms Harkin says that local newspapers are a particularly important part of local communities and local political life, It is vital the stories that matter locally are told and made available to local audiences and local readership. Community initiatives, community successes and community problems need reliable forums where they can be presented and aired factually and professionally.



Denmark, Austria, the UK and other European countries have applied 0% or low VAT rates to protect and support their indigenous newspapers in the digital age. Our newspapers should also be assisted in their adjustment to the new reality. With advertising revenues falling and a decline in circulation they need to be able to reinvent themselves. It takes money to make the digital transition, meanwhile, monetising digital newspapers is an on-going struggle, she said.



If we want to avoid what is happening in other countries, where democracy is being endangered and society is being riven apart by rumour, misinformation and conspiracy theories, a simple measure like dropping VAT on newspapers is a low-cost first step.
The 2022 North West STOP annual general meeting will take place in the Community Centre, Drumkeerin on Friday night, September 23 at 7.30pm.

Everybody is welcome to attend. All who will be attending are asked to please confirm your attendance by Wednesday, September 21, if possible. A cheque presentation ceremony will take place just before the AGM gets underway at 7.30pm.

Regarding the cheque presentation ceremony from all the outstanding and voluntary fundraisers, North West STOP requests that anyone who has raised funds for us this year and has not had the chance to attend a cheque presentation with us is welcome to join us from 7.30pm. Please adhere to Covid-19 guidelines at this time. Light refreshments will be served on the evening.

Meanwhile North West STOP has scheduled its annual Odd Socks Day for Friday, October 14.

However, all who wish to participate in the North West STOP Odd Socks Day fundraiser can do so on any day between Monday, October 10 and Sunday, October 16, if Friday, October 14 is a suitable day for them to do so.

North West STOP appeals to everyone to please help us make it (Odd Socks Day) a success this year by getting your workplace involved or by sharing (the Odd Socks Day fundraising event) with friends and colleagues.

A fundraising pack is available from North West STOP by phoning 071-0856070 or by contacting Oddsocks4stop @gmail.com.
The Sligo Baroque Music Festival,takes place next weekend Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th of September 2022, is a wonderful opportunity to hear Baroque Music of the highest calibre. The annual Festival, a distinctive feature in Sligo's musical calendar, has been running since 1995 without a break. This year's programme, devised around the theme of the elements of nature, offers a packed weekend with eleven events spread across several venues, presented by Irish and International musicians. Performers will also be reaching out to visit Sligo schools and colleges during the festival.

Opening on Culture Night (Friday 23rd September) with a free concert in The Hawks Well Theatre, Sligo Baroque Orchestra play Rebels Les Elemens dance suite, with its spine-tingling prelude representing the primordial chaos from which the universe was formed; and an inspirational young musician from Ukraine, Maria Viksnina, will present the Torban for the first time ever in Ireland as a solo classical instrument, playing pieces from 18th century Ukraine.

A free concert of Handel's famous and beloved Water Music takes place on Saturday on the riverside at The Garavogue Platform, Stephen Street. This opportunity to enjoy an outdoor performance of movements from the Water Music performed by Sligo Baroque Orchestra and Sligo Academy of Music is for everyone who likes music  even if you dont know yet that you like baroque!

The Swiss-based ensemble A Corte Musical, who have recorded several award-winning CDs, will present two concerts - Il Canto Della Sirena, inviting us to discover music dedicated (or even attributed) to mermaids and sirens, and Mediterranea, a musical journey along the coasts from Portugal to Italy.

Other events will include The Geminiani Ensemble with French baroque sonatas; Gaynor, Power and Walsh with a blend of uilleann pipes, baroque violin and flamenco guitar; lectures on musical notation and the composer/astronomer William Herschel, and a festival supper between concerts!

Full details of the festival programme are available on the website www.sligobaroquefestival.com and tickets are available now.
ESB Group has reported a significant increase in profits for the first half of the year, as customers face soaring energy bills.

The electricity company saw revenues of 3.7 billion euro in the first six months of 2022, a 1.5 billion euro increase on the same period last year.

Profit after tax and exceptional items rose to 390 million euro  almost three times higher than last years figure.

According to the firms half-year results, it made a profit of 128 million euro in the first six months of 2021.

The significant increase in profits reflects soaring energy prices in international markets and rises in consumers bills.

It comes as the Government said it will introduce a windfall tax on the soaring profits of energy firms.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said the tax will be backdated to before the energy crisis, meaning profits for the full year will be targeted.

In a statement published alongside its interim financial results, ESB said: ESBs generation and supply businesses are required to operate separately, so increased profits from ESBs generation business cannot be used to offset costs incurred by Electric Ireland.

However, group profits are invested in critical networks, renewable generation and other important energy infrastructure, as well as used to pay tax and dividends to the Government.

It said that, over the past 10 years, ESB has invested more than 10 billion euro in energy infrastructure and paid more than 1.2 billion euro in dividends.

Chief financial officer Geraldine Heavey said: Volatility and high wholesale market prices continue to be a feature of energy markets in 2022.

In the first six months of 2022, ESB delivered an operating profit before exceptional items of 357 million euro and capital investment of 532 million euro.

This provides the basis for continued strong investment in energy infrastructure to decarbonise electricity, improve resilience and empower customers in line with our 2040 net zero strategy.

Speaking to reporters in Shannon, Co Clare, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that the Government will use the extra dividend obtained from the ESB profits in order to help consumers, as well as the windfall tax measures that form part of the EU plan to tackle the energy crisis.

The Government is the shareholder on behalf of the Irish people, Mr Martin said.

We have the capacity through the dividend, for example, the dividend that we receive from the ESB so that we can recover that.

Obviously from the scale of the profits on the back of the energy crisis, I think the Government can look forward to a much higher dividend than will have been the case prior to the crisis. And we can use that to underpin the Governments efforts to reduce pressures on households and also protect jobs and thats what were going to do in the cost-of-living package next week and in the Budget.

Thats what were going to do. Well do that with the ESB profits. But also through the windfall measures that will be taken at a European level but that will apply to Ireland, will also give some revenues back.

We have a surplus to the end of the year. That will provide the firepower certainly in the medium term to enable us to help people who need help because of rising electricity bills, rising energy costs and general inflation now that is part of the economy because of the war in Ukraine.

And the huge problem on the European continent in terms of gas supplies brought about by the war and the wider economic pressures that are coming from it.

Mr Martin said that it had been made clear that instead of price caps on energy bills, energy credits, windfall tax revenue and cost-cutting measures would be the ways the Government will aim to help people.

When asked about a cost of living protest in Cork due to take place on Saturday, Mr Martin said: We live in a democracy, I value peoples right to protest. Its a fundamental right every citizen in our country has.

I understand the pressures that people are under because of the energy crisis brought about by a war on Ukraine, not by the Irish Government or any domestic policy.

But fundamentally brought about by a terrible war on Ukraine and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin weaponised energy. And that is why we have extraordinary increases in energy prices, the likes of which we have never seen.

(Its) not the fault of this Government, or governments across Europe, but because of what has transpired No, there is no question, its the war thats driven prices.
The future general director of Electricite de France (EDF), who will probably be Luc Remont, will need plenty of courage. The head of Schneider Electric's international activities is expected to take over the reins of a strategic company, France's main electricity producer and provider. The French government, which owns 84% of the shares, will soon be buying back the remaining shares, and will order the construction of six to 14 EPR nuclear reactors. Courage will be necessary for dealing with a supervisory authority that will require him, among other challenges, to carry out this nuclear program while avoiding the failures  budgetary and timely  of the only EPR currently under construction, in Flamanville. Otherwise, like his predecessor Jean-Bernard Levy, he will face the wrath of President Emmanuel Macron.

The new boss will soon discover (if he does not already know) that EDF is not like any other company. What other listed public company could the government have deprived of 10 billion o finance the 4% increase cap on French electricity bills, while the company holds 43 billion debt and is planning tens of billions in investments in the near future?

Read more Six questions about soaring electricity prices

Mr. Levy had to comply. But he made an appeal to reverse the decision, and, with no response from the government, took the issue to the Council of State, claiming 8.3 billion euros. Without success. Mr. Levy's recent clash with Mr. Macron will be a lesson for the new CEO. A leader of a public company is like a minister: "you shut your mouth or you resign," as former minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement famously put it.

After the government decided to advance his departure by six months, Mr. Levy went public at the end of August, blaming the ongoing shutdown of 30 nuclear reactors out of France's 56 on the state's plan to close 12 units, after the two that were closed in Fessenheim. "We didn't hire people to build 12, we hired them to close 12," he protested.

Read more Subscribers only France's nuclear fleet receives another blow

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"Absolutely unacceptable," retorted Mr. Macron, convinced that he "restored planning to the sector" in 2018 by pushing back the phase-out from 2025 to 2035, and then removing this deadline. Operation and maintenance are the responsibility of EDF, and their failure is the fault of the outgoing CEO, as far as the president is concerned.

But planning  which includes planning new power plants needed for the industry in the long term  is the state's responsibility. At the highest level of the government, since the stakes of financing and reactor supply and safety are so high. The announcement of the new EPRs was kept back until February 2022, on the eve of the presidential election.

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WARM tributes have been paid following the passing of a 102-year-old County Limerick woman.

Bridget Connolly, from Meanus, Limerick, passed away peacefully on September 6, in the exceptional care of St Itas Hospital, in Newcastle West.

Last year, Bridget made headlines, being the first person to receive the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the West Limerick community nursing home.

Speaking at the time, she was delighted as she hoped to see the Limerick hurlers win another All-Ireland, following their previous successes in both 2018 and 2020, which she enjoyed so much.

Little did Biddie, as she was fondly known, think that she would see her beloved Treaty boys do it not once but twice more, under the proud watchful eye of her favourite Limerickman, JP McManus.

One dear friend of Bridget, who visited her for many years described the sharpness of her intellect and memory as amazing all the way up to her final days at the age of 102.

She could talk about growing up, she could talk about being an adult, she could talk about current affairs. She would know who won in Listowel or Cheltenham, such was her love for horseracing, her friend recalled.

Staff at St Itas took tremendous care of Bridget in her final years and described her as a bit of a revolving door who would call in, get patched up and be out the door again until next time.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Bridgets close friend informed that despite being one of the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the county, Bridget didnt bother going for her second shot.

Biddie thought one was enough, her friend recalled adding a truism that someone once told her, you dont live to this age by being healthy, you do it by being stubborn.

The County Limerick woman, who was described as quirky with that trademark Irish dry wit of her generation was also a very private person.

She is predeceased by her siblings Fr John, Fr Tom, Frank, Stephen, and Mary, who only passed in 2009 after the pair were living together at the same residence in the village.

While she did not marry or have children, Bridget leaves a long line of dear friends and grieving neighbours, who sadly mourn her passing.

A kind and thoughtful person always, said one touching tribute, written from the small village of Meanus, 19km from Limerick city, where Bridget proudly called home.

Another described her as a lovely neighbour, recalling fondly many visits to Bridgets home in Meanus when they were young.

Her Requiem Mass was held in St. Marys Church, Meanus, on Friday September 9 at 12 noon, followed by a burial, where Bridget was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.

Such a lovely lady. Had the pleasure of taking care of Bridget in UHL, and St Itas. Will always love and remember you, one last tribute said.

May her gentle soul rest in peace.
WORK ON a multi-million euro traffic management plan for a Limerick town will begin by the end of the year.

Plans to improve traffic management in Abbeyfeale were first announced in 2018 when local councillors were told that Transport Infrastructure Ireland would be funding the project.

However, over two years after the plans were agreed and signed off on, ground has yet to be broken.

Kieran OGorman, senior executive engineer at Limerick City and County Council told councilors of the Newcastle West municipal district at their most-recent monthly meeting that workers should be on site for the first phase of the plan in December.

The work is expected to take 24 to 30 months to complete as construction will take part on different parts of the project at separate times.

The first phase of works involves the demolition of Riordan's Pub on the main street of the town.

One of the conditions of the proposed plans was that Limerick City and County Council would purchase and demolish Riordans to make way for 24 off street parking spaces.

This month there are plans to put the demolition work out to tender, with people on site in December and demolition to begin in January.

Following the demolition of the premises, tender will go out in the first quarter of 2023 for work on the main part of the plan with workers expected on site by the second quarter of the year.

The plans originally caused some consternation and dismay with locals and businesses however, local representatives say the majority now support the plan.

The cost of implementing the plan has also risen from 4.8 million to nearly 15 million.

Limerick City and County Council have pledged 1 million to the project while Transport Infrastructure Ireland will give 8 million through their Pavements and Road Safety departments.

While 9 million has already been secured for the project, 6.5 million of Pathfinder funding from the European Innovation Council has also been applied for.

Mr O'Gorman told councillors that as part of the plan, they will look at rationalising signage in the town as there are currently hundreds of signs erected that are not needed.

It has also been proposed that the speed limit on the main street in the town would be reduced from 50km/h to 30km/h as part of the project.
A VIGIL was held in Limerick to remember the three children who lost their lives in Dublin.

Eight-year-old twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley and their older sister Lisa Cash, 18, died last week after being attacked and stabbed at their family home in Tallaght on the southside of the capital city.

Their brother Andy Cash, 24, has been charged with murder and remanded in custody.

The vigil was organised by Ellen Duffy of the Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention Group (LTSP), which patrols the banks of the Shannon providing support to those people who may be in distress.

The Moyross woman said: As a grandmother and a mother and a member of LTSP, I organised it. It was a heartfelt moment for all of us. We care about people who have lost their lives so young. Its just heartbreaking.

A small group of LTSP volunteers gathered on Limericks riverside for the vigil on Wednesday night last.

Elsewhere, a message of hope emanated from Arthurs Quay Park on Saturday as people remembered loved ones who have lost their lives to suicide.

As dusk arrived in the city, people gathered to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, an annual awareness day which aims to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicide.

A moment of silence was observed at 8pm to remember loved ones who have died by suicide. Its a scene which was reflected worldwide.

The vigils organiser was Amanda Clifford, of ABC for Mental Health.
FOUR community-based organisations across Limerick have been chose to represent the city and county in the 2022 Pride of Place compeition.

Limerick City and County Council has announced the four nominees are St. Munchins Community Centre, Limerick; West End Youth Centre, Limerick; Glenroe/Ballyorgan Community Council and Adare Womens 2020 Club.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the competition which is run on an all-island basis in conjunction with local authorities North and South.

The awards, which are are supported by Irish Public Bodies (IPB) in association with Co-operation Ireland, aims to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that communities make to society along with generating awareness, respect and inclusion for every facet of society.

The purpose of the competition is to acknowledge the work being done every day by communities recognising the endeavours of local people to create civic pride and make their communities great places to live.

For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, the judges were able to meet 'in person' with nominated groups who demonstrated the work of the group, their accomplishments and its impact on their community.

Congratulating the four Limerick groups, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Francis Foley said: Each one of them embodies the community spirit and can-do attitude synonymous of communities across the city and county in creating civic pride and making their communities great places to live. These four Limerick projects demonstrate how people can come together to shape, change and improve the daily lives of people in their communities. They also demonstrate real partnership with the Council and show that all sections of the community can be included.

Eileen Humphreys, Urban and Rural Community Development at Limerick City and County Council added: "Pride of Place connects the efforts and actions of communities, their representatives and the local authority to honour the unique partnership and community spirit which is evident throughout Limerick.

Limerick has an impressive track record in the competition with the The Childrens Grief Centre, Lough Gur Development Co-operative Society, Draw Out, Rathkeale Pre-Social Cohesion Project, Limerick Civic Trust and Kilmeedy among the groups and projects previously honoured.

The 2022 winners will be announced at a ceremony in January 2023.
THE TAOISEACH has officially opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for a ground-breaking clinical stage gene therapy company in Shannon.

MeiraGTx Holdings today formally unveil its GMP manufacturing facility in Shannon, Ireland. An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, said that great strides are being made in the area of gene therapy.

Todays unveiling is testament to the companys continued commitment to Shannon and the Mid-West and speaks to the considerable skills and ability of the Irish workforce, he said.

The facility, online since earlier this year and stretching over 150,000 square feet, is the first commercial-scale gene therapy manufacturing site in Ireland.

The site contains three facilities, one for viral vector production for clinical and commercial supply, a facility to manufacture plasmid DNA  the critical starting material for producing gene therapy products and thirdly, a Quality Control (QC) hub performing advanced biochemical quality control testing.

The Shannon site allows MeiraGTx to accelerate the development and delivery of gene therapy treatments to patients facing a wide range of both genetic and non-hereditary disorders

These range from inherited vision loss, salivary-gland conditions, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, to potentially diabetes, obesity, and some cancers.

The facility, which is set to employ 100 people in its current phase, with the potential for that to increase to over 300, has been located in Shannon due to its proximity to a number of world-class bioscience institutions, as well as partner companies in the healthcare sector.

Alexandria Forbes, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MeiraGTx, said: MeiraGTxs Shannon facility is unique, not only in Ireland but globally, as it streamlines gene therapy development, testing and manufacturing capabilities together in-house.

This significantly reduces the time to patients for advanced therapeutic products, with months or potentially years saved.

The Shannon facility has been designed to address these challenges in order to provide access to transformative potential medicines to patients as well as be ready for significant future expansion.

CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan noted that in 2020, MeiraGTx announced its intention to locate this globally unique GMP manufacturing facility in Shannon.

Ireland remains committed to winning jobs and investments across the country and MeiraGTxs decision to locate in the Mid-West demonstrates the regions reputation as a key location for the next generation of biopharmaceutical manufacturers, he added.
IRISH Water has sent out a warning of possible water discoloration in Limerick City from Monday.

The statement said that the essential repair works between Clareville Water Treatment Plant and Newcastle Reservoir may lead to the discoloration for a period of time.

Works are scheduled for Monday, 19 September 2022 and may take up to 48 hours for any discoloration to clear across the network.

Irish Water and Limerick City & County Council recommend running the kitchen tap for a few minutes to see if the water returns to a clear colour.

If the water does not run clear, contact Irish Water Customer Care Team 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and it will be investigated.

For further information please visit Irish Waters supply and service section on their website here.

Irish Water urges the public not to drink discoloured water.

Duane OBrien, Operational Lead with Irish Water, said, Our expert engineers in Irish Water and Limerick City and County Council have been repairing a significant large leak on the network and will now be reintroducing this pipeline into operation.

Whilst this may result in water discoloration for a 48-hour period, it has allowed us to strengthen the water network and provide a clean and safer water supply for our customers, he said.

Irish Water understands the inconvenience when a planned outage occurs and thanks customers for their patience while we complete these essential works, he added.
New Delhi: Trade and economic relations between ASEAN and India are recovering post the impact off the Covid-19 pandemic, according to minister of state for commerce and industry Anupriya Patel and minister of commerce of Cambodia H.E. Pan Sorasak.

The two ministers co-chaired the 19th Asean-India Economic Ministers Meeting on Thursday.

The recommendations made by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) to enhance the ASEAN India economic partnership were also taken into consideration.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic and work towards a sustainable post-covid-19 recovery. They welcomed ASEAN and India to forge collective actions in securing a robust supply chain connectivity to maintain the flow of essential goods and services through the launching of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Upgrade Negotiations, mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination, vaccines production, public health surveillance, and medical technologies in moving forward with the post-pandemic recovery responses and facing future health crises.

Patel briefed the meeting about the progress made by India in overcoming the pandemic with the current focus on vaccinating all eligible citizens. 2 billion vaccine doses including booster doses have been administered by July 2022, 18 months after the vaccination scheme was initiated."

She also shared the steps taken by India in liberalizing and simplifying the FDI policy. The changes have resulted in ever-increasing volumes of FDI inflows, setting new records. She invited ASEAN countries to invest in India and become a partner in the success.

Patel reiterated Indias commitment to supporting a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN and also to equitable and sustainable trade which balances the aspirations of both the partners.

The Ministers endorsed the scope of the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses, as well as responsive to the current global and regional challenges including supply chain disruptions. They also activated the AITIGA Joint Committee to undertake the review of AITIGA expeditiously.

Economic ministers or their representatives from all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam attended the meeting.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Mumbai-based PSL Group on a complaint from Canara Bank, its directors and a few public servants for allegedly cheating Canara Bank to the tune of 428.50 crore by defaulting on credit repayments, the probe agency said in a statement.

Searches were conducted at seven locations on Thursday including Mumbai, and Kutch in Gujarat at the premises of the accused which led to the recovery of incriminating documents and articles.

Those booked by the CBI include PSL Ltd and its director Ashok Yoginder Punj, Alok Yoginder Punj, Rajender Kumar Bahri, Chitranjan Kumar Jagdishchadra Goel, and other known and unknown persons.

According to the CBI, it has been alleged that the accused entered a conspiracy from 2009-2016 to cheat Canara Bank and approached the bank for sanction of various credit facilities and misrepresented the books of accounts, misutilised the funds of the bank and diverted receivables from its debtors.

It was further alleged that the loan amount received from the bank was utilised for purposes other than it was sanctioned causing a loss of 428.50 crore to the bank," the statement reads.
The Supreme Court has suggested that the Centre assists the medical students who had returned to India from war-torn Ukraine to create a web portal giving details of the foreign universities, day after the government informed it that the students cannot be accommodated into the Indian universities. The Supreme Court has suggested that a portal is created where they could complete their courses as per the government's academic mobility programme.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that there should be a transparent system and the web portal should specify complete details of the fees and the number of seats available in the alternate foreign universities from where they could complete their courses.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought time to get instruction from the Centre on the suggestions of the Supreme Court bench.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on September 23.

The top court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by students, who are undergraduate medical students of first to fourth-year batches in their respective foreign medical colleges/universities, primarily seeking transfer to medical colleges in India in their respective semesters. The students were forced to leave Ukraine in February after Russia declared a war on the country.

On Thursday, 15 September, the Centre filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court mentioning that they cannot be accommodated in medical colleges in India for lack of provisions under the law.

In the affidavit, the Central government said that the students opted to study in foreign countries due to two reasons - poor merit in NEET and affordability. The government said if they allow poor merit students in premier Indian medical colleges may lead to other legal actions from the candidates who could not get seats in these colleges.

It is humbly submitted that in case these students with poor merit are allowed admission in premier medical colleges in India by default, there may be several litigations from those desirous candidates who could not get seats in these colleges and have taken admission in either lesser known colleges or have been deprived of a seat in medical colleges," the affidavit said.

It, however, had said that to aid and assist the Indian students who returned from Ukraine and could not complete their MBBS courses, NMC issued a Public Notice dated September 6, indicating that it would accept completion of their remaining courses in other countries (with the approval of parent university/Institution in Ukraine).

(With agency inputs)
A group of Chinese government representatives have reportedly been denied access to the ancient hall in Parliament where Queen Elizabeth II is lying-in" state. After Beijing sanctioned seven British lawmakers in 2021 for speaking out against China's treatment of its Uyghur minority in the far-western region of Xinjiang, the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom has been barred from Parliament for a year.

Also Read: US, India share very close defence relationship: Pentagon

Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, rejected a request to allow Chinese officials access to Westminster Hall, a senior member of parliament with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO. The Queen will be in a lying-in state until her funeral on September 19. The Commons and Lords speakers have control over Westminster Hall, which is a portion of the Palace of Westminster. Hoyle has declined to comment on the report.

While the report first appeared in POLITICO, the BBC has also reported it. Hoyle is understood to have refused" the request for access over Chinese sanctions that happened in 2021, it added.

Also Read: This country has overtaken Russia to be India's No. 2 oil supplier in August

As the host of the Queen's burial, the UK should follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, who claimed not to have read the report.

Also Read: India-China disengagement: Chinese troops starts withdrawing from east Ladakh

On September 19, the Queen's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey rather than Parliament, and a Chinese delegation is anticipated to attend it. The funeral's organisers have not released a guest list, so it is unknown whether anyone from China will attend. Concerned that the Chinese government has been invited to the queen's state burial, the sanctioned British lawmakers wrote to officials this week.

These countries will not attend the Queens funeral

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, and other Kremlin officials have been put on a blacklist as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. Belarus and Myanmar are also not invited to the ceremony. Iran will only send one ambassador to represent it. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not anticipated to attend the event either.

(With agency inputs)

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The United States government announced on Wednesday it will send $600 in military aid to Ukraine. The new package comes amidst a rapid counteroffensive by Kyiv that has taken back large portions of the country back from Russia.

Reports indicate it will 21st time that the US defence department will send military aid to Ukraine and that the package could include more of the same types of ammunition and equipment that helped the Ukrainian forces beat the Russian forces in parts of east and south.

After the announcement of new package, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as reported by news agency AP said, With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future,"

The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraines hand at the negotiating table when the time is right,"

With this package, the total amount of aid from the U.S. to Ukraine will reach $15.9 billion ever since President Joe Biden took office. Earlier, the U.S. had announced a $2.9 billion infusion of aid and financing support last week and more than $3 billion in funding was announced in the month of August. The most recent round of funding was announced by Secretary of State Blinken on his visit to Ukraine last week where $2.2 billion in long-term military financing was announced.

Ukraine has launched a successful counteroffensive, especially in the northeast which has led to Russia's second biggest defeat in more than 6 months-long war. Earlier, the Russians had failed to take control of Kyiv at the start of the war and had to eventually retreat from their positions.

The U.S. has been wary of declaring a premature victory as it watches at how Russia with substantial troops and resources looks to turn the tide. Washington has, however, been quick to make it clear the weapons provided by it and its allies including precision weapons and rocket systems the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile, or HARM have been instrumental in changing the momentum of the war.

With inputs from agencies
As I loaded my laptop, iPad and toiletries back into my carry-on bag after passing through airport security, the fellow packing up next to me commented on one of my gadgets. Before I knew it, we were deep in conversation about our respective experiences in the tech world. After two years without business travel, I was ravenous for the excitement of establishing a new professional connection.
6 min read . Updated: 16 Sep 2022, 01:50 AM IST

Max Colchester, The Wall Street Journal

Even the British love of queues will be tested as tens of thousands line up to say farewell to the monarch
Lawrence says if one of her birds became sick with the Avian Flu she would have to contact the Department of Agriculture for testing and they would have to put down her entire flock of endangered birds.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Bradley County Medical Examiner identifies the pilot as William Edward Gist and the passenger as Beth Ann Gist.
A tragic event occurred at Callow, Co Mayo on August 2, 1922, which resulted in the death of two soldiers of the Free State Army.

The police barracks in Swinford, now part of the Gateway Hotel, had been occupied by soldiers of the national army when it came under attack by anti-treaty forces.

A company of reinforcements en route from Ballina was ambushed at Callow and their commanding officer, Lt Comdt Michael Skelly from Clonmore, Killashee, Co Longford and Vol. Joseph Traynor from Tempo, Co Fermanagh, were shot and killed. Comdt Skelly was aged 23 and Vol. Traynor was just 20.

On August 14 last, Fr John Durkin celebrated a Mass of Remembrance in St Thomas Church, Callow for all those involved in the War of Independence and the Civil War. Some of Comdt Skellys relatives travelled from Donegal and from Longford for the Mass. There are no known relatives of Vol. Traynor.



Locals provided refreshments after the Mass and then the group visited the site of the ambush, located about a mile west of the church, where a plaque had been inserted in the parapet of a bridge to commemorate the two men.

Ernie Skelly, nephew of Michael Skelly laid a wreath at the plaque while Gerry OSullivan, a well known piper from New York who has Killasser roots, played some airs.

It was a fitting ceremony which remembered all involved at that turbulent time, all of them no doubt believing that they were serving the best interests of their country.
Every day can be an uphill challenge for Jack and Jill families and, this October, the charity is urging people to climb or walk a local hill in solidarity with the Longford families currently under its care as part of the eighth annual Up the Hill for Jack and Jill fundraising challenge, proudly supported by Abbott.

This is a significant year for the Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation, as it celebrates 25 years of funding and providing specialist in-home nursing care and respite support for children with severe to profound neurodevelopmental delay, up to the age of six.

This includes children who may have a brain injury, cerebral palsy, a genetic diagnosis or other undiagnosed condition.

Another key part of the service is end-of-life care at home for all children up to the age of six who require it, irrespective of diagnosis.

The nationwide charity has reached its own summit in 2022 by providing support to 412 children, the highest number in its 25-year history.

Indeed, Jack and Jill has provided support to 25 Longford families since it was first established.

To meet its steep care commitment, the charity is asking people across Longford to support local families in their community by going Up the Hill for Jack and Jill.

With Jack and Jill, there is no means test, no waiting list and no unnecessary red tape.

The core nursing team devises a home nursing care plan that is tailored around the child and the familys needs, with the charity funding and providing up to 80 hours support each month.

Jack and Jills funding model relies heavily on public donations to mobilise over 500 nurses and carers at community level and, in 2021, they delivered almost 110,000 hours of in-home nursing care and respite support.

Everyone Needs a Break

Jack and Jill Liaison Nurse Manager for Longford, Cathy Keighery, says every parent needs a break: Its a privilege to be a part of the lives of Jack and Jill families.

These are ordinary parents facing the extraordinary care needs of a child with a complex medical condition; a child who may not be able to walk or talk, who may be tube-fed or oxygen-dependent, requiring intensive, around-the-clock care, at home.

But everyone needs a break, and thats where we come in, literally, into the home, to give them relief and we are very proud to walk this care journey with them.

For Carmel Doyle, CEO, Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation, charity really does begin at home:

Every year, its an uphill challenge to raise the money we require to provide our service. But, like the families we support, we just keep going, with a gentle push from the people who donate in the knowledge that their support means so much to local children.

With Jack and Jill, charity really does begin at home and our Up the Hill challenge is all about community. Every 18 raised funds one hour of in-home nursing support, allowing Jack and Jill parents to grab 40 winks, go for a walk with their other children, or get a coffee, knowing that their precious child is being well cared for at home, where they belong. That sense of community really matters, now more than ever.

Sean Langan, Site Director from Abbott, explained why the global healthcare company is proud to be supporting Jack and Jill:

At Abbott, we are passionate about helping people in Ireland, and around the world, to realise their full potential. This idea is at the core of our business and drives our commitment to support the communities in which we work.

The Jack and Jill team embodies this same principle and has inspired us through their compassionate care for children and families across the country. We are delighted to be supporting this years Up the Hill campaign and hope that this enables more people to live better lives.

3 Simple Steps to Go Up the Hill for Jack and Jill

Step 1  Register today for just 18 per person at JackandJill.ie, which will support one hour of specialist in-home nursing care for a local Jack and Jill family. Your pack will include a colourful, eco-friendly, Up the Hill banner

Step 2  Choose your Hill. Theres a local hill around the corner to suit your fitness level and ability, and whether you go high or go low, its the taking part that keeps Jack and Jill on the go!

Step 3  Grab some friends, family, neighbours or colleagues, pick a date that suits and make it a day out to remember. Bring a picnic to celebrate when you get to the top and remember to take a photo with your Up the Hill banner and tag Jack and Jill on social media with #UptheHill22 so everyone can see you!

For more information on Up the Hill for Jack and Jill 2022, visit www.jackandjill.ie or telephone Jack and Jill at 045 894538.
The March for Life taking place in Dublin next Saturday, September 17 has been described by organisers as an extremely important event given that it coincides with the Governments Three-Year Review of the abortion law nearing its end.

Autumn Lindsey, spokesperson for Students for Life of America and Rachel MacKenzie, the well known media contributor on abortion from England are both scheduled to speak at the march.

Autumn Lindsey first came to prominence in 2017 when she made a rebuttal video that was watched by millions in response to a Teen Vogue article in favour of abortion, while Rachel Mackenzie speaks about the deep regret she feels regarding the two abortions she had and the need for women to be informed about positive alternatives prior to any abortion happening.

The line-up of speakers on the day will also include pro-life Oireachtas members.

Speaking about the event, Ray McIntyre from Longford said, On September 17, we are urging families and supporters of all ages from Longford to join us in Dublin where well unite with pro-life Oireachtas members to seek proper representation for the pro-life viewpoint at the decision making table, to make way for policies that will help reduce Irelands spiralling abortion rate.

Mr McIntyre added, In the first three years since the new abortion law was introduced, 20,718 Irish abortions have taken place. This is a national tragedy that demands urgent action to ensure that women contemplating abortion are fully informed about positive alternatives prior to any abortion happening. We are encouraging all pro-life supporters to attend the march to send a loud and clear message to the Government on this hugely important issue.

You can find out more at www.marchforlife.ie or by phoning 01-662 9275
Crime, Business & Finance

By Chris Boyle Published: September 16 2022

Recent Announcement to Provide Financial Relief in Student Loans Triggers Uptick in Scams.

Governor Kathy Hochul today issued a warning to consumers about scammers taking advantage of the recent student debt relief plan to steal borrowers' money and personal information. Scammers are creating a sense of urgency by impersonating government agencies and promising immediate student loan relief. Borrowers are reminded that it's important to stay vigilant, well-informed and prepared for any fraud related to this new relief plan. Yesterday, Governor Hochul signed legislation to expand and simplify access to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program statewide. This new legislation establishes what qualifies as full-time employment for the purposes of accessing PSLF, and allows public service employers to certify employment on behalf of workers, eliminating substantial barriers to applying for and accessing the program.

"New Yorkers work hard for every dollar they earn and the student loan forgiveness plan will be critical to helping reduce the pressures of mounting debt," Governor Hochul said. "Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals and scammers are using this as an opportunity to take advantage of others. Today, we're putting scammers on notice: we will not let you take advantage of hard-working New Yorkers. I urge everyone to remain vigilant and stay informed to stop these bad actors in their tracks."

What You Need to Know About the Federal Student Relief Plan:

On August 24, 2022, the Biden Administration announced a three-part plan to help working and middle-class federal student loan borrowers. The plan includes:

A final extension of the student loan repayment pause through December 31, 2022, and loan forgiveness of up to $20,000 for qualified individuals Improving the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and creating a new income-driven repayment plan to reduce future monthly payments for lower- and middle-income borrowers. Reducing the cost of college to protect future students.

The U.S. Department of Education is working quickly to implement the improvements to student loans, but many details will be forthcoming. The Department of Education recommends logging in to your StudentAid.gov account to ensure your contact information is up to date and to sign up for alerts for when new information becomes available.

How to Avoid a Student Loan Forgiveness Scams:

Seek trusted information and sources. Only go to ".gov" websites when seeking assistance. The U.S. Department of Education recently launched a webpage to provide borrowers with a one-stop location for accurate and up to date information about the program. Upon accessing the site, borrowers will find not only general information but also a detailed Frequently Asked Questions section that provides facts about the student debt relief plan. Don't trust any person or program who promises you early or special access, or guaranteed eligibility. You might be contacted by a company saying they will help you get loan discharge, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt relief for a fee. They may also offer to help you apply early. The loan forgiveness application will launch in early October and early access is not possible, and you never have to pay for help with your federal student aid. If you receive any of these offers, it's a scam. Don't give your personal information, Federal Student Aid ID or social security number to anyone who contacts you. Nobody from the Department of Education will be calling you or texting you about this initiative. Make sure you work only with the U.S. Department of Education, and never reveal your personal information or account password to anyone. Genuine emails to borrowers will only come from noreply@studentaid.gov If you encounter a scam, report it. Contact the official Federal Student Aid website to file a complaint, or contact the Federal Trade Commission. The U.S. Department of Education offers additional tips and resources here

Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said, "As many New Yorkers struggle to pay back their student loans, scammers are preying upon these borrowers in desperate need of immediate student loan relief. The New York State Division of Consumer Protection is reminding borrowers to only use trusted government websites and to not respond to unsolicited offers to obtain forgiveness, as student loan forgiveness scams have arisen after the recent federal government forgiveness announcement."

State Senator Kevin Thomas said, "It's a shame that the excitement and demand for this long-awaited Federal student debt relief has created a new window of opportunity for scammers to exploit those seeking assistance. I'm urging New Yorkers seeking assistance to remain vigilant and only use trusted ".gov" websites to access student debt relief information."

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein said, "I urge New Yorkers to be on the lookout for scams related to student loan forgiveness. As we fight to make forgiveness available to more New Yorkers, we're unfortunately seeing scammers attempting to take advantage of borrowers. The good news is there are ways to protect yourself. I applaud Governor Hochul for making student loan forgiveness a priority and protecting student borrowers from predatory scams."

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides voluntary mediation between a consumer and a business when a consumer has been unsuccessful at reaching a resolution on their own. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any time at https://dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection
Local News, Crime

By Long Island Published: September 16 2022

A 14-year-old male made threats on social media stating that he was going to bring weapons to his Junior High School

Suffolk County Police arrested a teenager after he made a school threat on social media last night.

A 14-year-old male made threats on social media stating that he was going to bring weapons to the R.C. Murphy Junior High School, located at 351 Oxhead Road, Stony Brook and harm students and faculty.

Following an investigation, Sixth Squad detectives arrested the juvenile last night at his residence. He was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for evaluation. He was charged with making a Terrorist Threat and arraigned at Family Court in Central Islip today.
16th September 2022

Runtime 47:07





London South East were delighted to host an extended investor Q&A with Angus Energy (ANGS) CEO George Lucan. For followers of Angus this is an amazing opportunity to hear a huge amount of detail about Salfleetby, processing, the gas price, hedging, the Weald, fracking and much more. And no, the company won't be sold as it is uniquely positioned for growth thinks George.

Angus Energy is an independent onshore oil and gas development company focused on advancing its portfolio of licensed UK assets, including the flagship project Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire which is now delivering gas into the National Grid.

Angus Energy is a story of success the hard way. CEO George Lucan inherited some disparate oil licences in the Weald and then transformed the companys fortunes by buying 51% of Saltfleetby, which was once Britains most productive onshore gas field.

Over three difficult years George has raised the money to get Salfleetby into production. And now in September 2022 Saltfleetby is putting gas into the National Grid and Angus is just about to start receiving consistent revenue streams creating a base for growth.



And yesterday we did something a little different. Overnight we collected over 35 questions from our Angus Energy bulletin board investors and put them to George yesterday afternoon in a conversational and very interesting Q&A session which we publish here in full.
(Alliance News) - Capita PLC shares rose on Friday after the company reported that it won a contract extension with Barnet Council and disposed of its subsidiary Pay360 Ltd to Access PaySuite.

Shares were trading 6.6% higher at 27.20 pence each on Friday morning in London.

The London-based outsourcing services secured a contract extension with the north London council that is worth GBP42.7 million.

With indexation and potential additional work, however, the contract could be worth up to GBP57 million, it added.

The extended contract begins at the start of September 2023, which is when its current 10-year deal with Barnet Council is scheduled to end.

Under the contract, Capita will provide human resources and accounts payable services, as well as IT and customer services, and revenue and benefits services, for a further year to the end of August 2024.

Separately, Capita said it agreed to dispose of Pay360 to the division of Access Group.

The deal values Pay360 at GBP150 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis. This represents a 14.3 times multiple of its 2021 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation of GBP10.5 million.

Capita expects to receive gross proceeds of GBP156 million upon completion. The sale will help reduce its debt, provide additional liquidity, and allow it to enhance its digital offerings for clients, the company said. Further, the disposal is part of Capita's strategy to build a more focused and sustainable business for the long term, it said.

Pay360 is a Financial Conduct Authority-regulated payments business with roughly 2,500 customers.

"The sale is a great opportunity for the new owners to help Pay360 realise its full potential, and our colleagues at Pay360 will also benefit from the focus that this change of ownership will bring. Capita will utilise the cash proceeds of the sale to benefit our digital offerings for clients and further reduce net debt," Chief Executive Jon Lewis commented.

Capital had net debt of GBP710.4 million on June 30, down from GBP879.8 million on December 31 last year.

By Abby Amoakuh; abbyamoakuh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Spain's King Juan Carlos is back in the headlines again after he accepted an invitation to attend the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, in London on Monday.

The former Spanish monarch is now living in self-imposed exile in the Gulf states after a series of very public scandals in Spain which saw him adbicate in favour of his son, King Felipe.

He will travel directly from Abu Dhabi to London without stopping off in Spain. It is unclear whether his wife, Queen Sofia, who lives in Spain, will also attend.

King Juan Carlos was suspected of tax fraud and was also accused of receiving a massive bribe in relation to a big export order won by a Spanish company. He has since been cleared but he is still a controversial figure in Spain, where he once enjoyed massive popularity. It has been reported that the Spanish government attempted to persuade the monarch not to attend.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia will also be attending the funeral.
Kate the Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Westminster Hall (Danny Lawson/Pool Photo via AP)

Kate the Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Westminster Hall (Danny Lawson/Pool Photo via AP)

A body language expert claims that Kate Middleton gave Meghan Markle cold looks over the weekend at Windsor Castle to "freeze" her out.

According to Australia's Seven News, Katia Loisal said, "Quite unlike the confident Meghan we know, Meghan appeared ill at ease throughout this encounter, which is not surprising given the recent criticism that she has faced."

She remarked that Prince William, Middleton's husband, looked to make an effort with his sister-in-law, but asserted that the newly installed Princess of Wales' glares appeared to be an attempt to "freeze out" Markle.

Meghan Markle awkward moment with ceremonial flowers

"On numerous occasions Meghan looked over at Kate, however, the gaze wasn't reciprocated," Loisal said. "Middleton instead seemed to "look through" Markle," she added.

Loisal believes Middleton was successful in her seeming intent to make Markle uncomfortable.

"Meghan's hand lifted hesitantly as if to wave, but stopped midair, rather pausing to adjust her hair, her head and gaze lowered, before looking up and giving a quick wave, her arm coming back to rest in front of her body in a partial arm barrier," the body language expert explained.

Internal family turmoil according to body language experts

According to Judi James, a body language specialist, there were "no signals of affection" between Middleton, Markle, and her husband, Prince Harry, and William when they were together.

The two couples hadn't been seen together in public since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdown, so their reunion at London's Windsor Castle on Sunday was significant.

Middleton and Markle avoided making eye contact with one another as they greeted the throng who had assembled to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8.

The "Suits" alum said Middleton made her cry before her 2018 wedding, which fueled feud rumors between the two over the years.

When Harry and Markle infamously resigned from their official duties in January 2020 and relocated to California, they sharply divided the royal family.
Xi meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye

Xinhua) 20:54, September 16, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Trkiye at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Trkiye on Friday morning at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi pointed out that in recent years, China-Trkiye relations have maintained a momentum of growth, with steady progress in practical cooperation and effective collaboration against the pandemic.

Facts have shown that sound relations between China and Trkiye serve the long-term interests of both countries, and have important significance for deepening the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, Xi said.

Currently, the international community is faced with multiple opportunities as well as challenges, Xi noted.

He pointed out that China and Trkiye, both being major developing countries and emerging markets, share many common interests in defending their respective rights and interests, pursuing development and rejuvenation, and safeguarding international justice.

China is ready to work with Trkiye to elevate the strategic cooperative relations to a higher level, Xi said.

Xi underscored that the two sides need to enhance political mutual trust, earnestly respect each other's core interests, and consolidate the political foundation of China-Trkiye strategic cooperative relations.

It is important to focus on development cooperation, make good use of the various bilateral cooperation mechanisms and respective strengths, work for more fruits in the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and contribute to the security of the global industrial and supply chains as well as food and energy security, Xi said.

The two sides need to advocate true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, and strengthen cooperation in multilateral organizations including the United Nations, the G20, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Xi added.

Erdogan noted the important progress in Trkiye-China relations in various areas and expressed the readiness to work with China to leverage bilateral mechanisms such as the inter-governmental cooperation committee to promote even more fruitful trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Given the strong complementarity between Trkiye's "Middle Corridor" plan and the Belt and Road Initiative, it is hoped that intensified efforts can be made to build synergy between the development strategies of the two countries to boost common development and rejuvenation, he said.

He also reiterated Trkiye's firm commitment to the one-China principle.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Bianji)
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Sharing a Laugh with a Robot

Erica's Sense of Humor

It's not as if robots can't detect laughter or even emit a chuckle at a bad dad joke. Rather, the challenge is to create the human nuances of humor for an AI system to improve natural conversations between robots and people."We think that one of the important functions of conversational AI is empathy," explained lead author Dr Koji Inoue, an assistant professor at Kyoto University in the Department of Intelligence Science and Technology within the Graduate School of Informatics. "Conversation is, of course, multimodal, not just responding correctly. So we decided that one way a robot can empathize with users is to share their laughter, which you cannot do with a text-based chatbot."In the shared-laughter model, a human initially laughs and the AI system responds with laughter as an empathetic response. This approach required designing three subsystems - one to detect laughter, a second to decide whether to laugh, and a third to choose the type of appropriate laughter.The scientists gathered training data by annotating more than 80 dialogues from speed dating, a social scenario where large groups of people mingle, or interact, with each other one-on-one for a brief period of time. In this case, the matchmaking marathon involved students from Kyoto University and Erica, teleoperated by several amateur actresses."Our biggest challenge in this work was identifying the actual cases of shared laughter, which isn't easy, because as you know, most laughter is actually not shared at all," Inoue said. "We had to carefully categorize exactly which laughs we could use for our analysis and not just assume that any laugh can be responded to."The type of laughter is also important, because in some cases a polite chuckle may be more appropriate than a loud snort of laughter. The experiment was limited to social versus mirthful laughs.The team eventually tested Erica's new sense of humor by creating four short two- to three-minute dialogues between a person and Erica with her new shared-laughter system. In the first scenario, she only uttered social laughter, followed only by mirthful laughs in the second and third exchanges, with both types of laughter combined in the last dialogue.The team also created two other sets of similar dialogues as baseline models. In the first one, Erica never laughs. In the second, Erica utters a social laugh every time she detects a human laugh without using the other two subsystems to filter the context and response.The researchers crowdsourced more than 130 people in total to listen to each scenario within the three different conditions - shared-laughter system, no laughter, all laughter - and evaluated the interactions based on empathy, naturalness, human-likeness and understanding. The shared-laughter system performed better than either baseline."The most significant result of this paper is that we have shown how we can combine all three of these tasks into one robot. We believe that this type of combined system is necessary for proper laughing behavior, not simply just detecting a laugh and responding to it," Inoue said.There are still plenty of other laughing styles to model and train Erica on before she is ready to hit the stand-up circuit. "There are many other laughing functions and types which need to be considered, and this is not an easy task. We haven't even attempted to model unshared laughs even though they are the most common," Inoue noted.Of course, laughter is just one aspect of having a natural human-like conversation with a robot. "Robots should actually have a distinct character, and we think that they can show this through their conversational behaviors, such as laughing, eye gaze, gestures and speaking style," Inoue added. "We do not think this is an easy problem at all, and it may well take more than 10 to 20 years before we can finally have a casual chat with a robot like we would with a friend."Source: Eurekalert
U.S. military training for Taiwan could be stepped up under a proposal making its way through Congress.

The mandate for a "comprehensive training program" between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries is included in a sweeping bill passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. Known as the Taiwan Policy Act, the bill would be a far-reaching deepening of U.S.-Taiwan relations and seeks to escalate U.S. military, diplomatic and economic support for the island that could be a flashpoint in any war between the United States and China.

"We saw that in Ukraine, my Ukraine Freedom Support Act that I passed back several years ago, which was a significant part of training the Ukrainians, has paid off now as they try to fight for their freedom," committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who sponsored the bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Military.com when asked about the importance of training Taiwan's military. "And so I think that's a very important part. History has shown us that a domestic force well-trained and committed to fight for their country can make all the difference."

Read Next: Marine Corps Planning for Wars Where Robots Kill Each Other

While the bill advanced out of committee, its path forward to final passage is unclear. Menendez said he wants to include a "significant amount" of his measure -- at the very least the military elements -- in the annual defense policy bill pending in Congress, though there are procedural hurdles to doing so and the White House has expressed broad concerns about some of the non-military aspects of the bill.

U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan have been running hot for months, but threatened to boil over this summer after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited the island, the first House speaker to do so since Newt Gingrich in 1997. Pelosi's visit infuriated Beijing, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province and considers "reunification" a top priority. China ratcheted up military exercises around Taiwan after the trip, but Pelosi's visit was followed by several more trips from lawmakers in both parties as Congress seeks to signal support for the island.

Officially, the United States maintains a policy of "strategic ambiguity" around Taiwan where Washington remains purposefully vague about whether it would come to the island's defense if China invades. Still, the United States overtly provides support for Taiwan to defend itself, chiefly through arms sales, as required under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

Any more direct military support is often kept quiet because of the strategic ambiguity policy. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed in an interview with CNN last year that a small number of U.S. troops were on the island training Taiwanese forces. But U.S. defense officials routinely sidestep questions about U.S. military training in Taiwan.

The bill approved by the Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday would require the departments of State and Defense to "establish or expand" a training program that is designed to "achieve interoperability," "familiarize the militaries of the United States and Taiwan with each other" and "improve Taiwan's defense capabilities."

The training should entail tabletop exercises, war games, full-scale military exercises and "an enduring rotational United States military presence that assists Taiwan in maintaining force readiness," according to the bill text.

In addition to military training, the bill seeks to shore up Taiwan's defense through $6.5 billion over five years in a form of aid known Foreign Military Financing, which provides grants and loans for other countries to buy U.S.-made weapons. The funding would still be subject to the annual appropriations process, meaning even if the bill becomes law, U.S. military aid to Taiwan may not reach that amount.

The bill was approved by the committee in a bipartisan 17-5 vote after watering down some of the diplomatic provisions to assuage White House concerns.

China has already reacted angrily to the bill, while Taiwan has thanked the committee for "conveying staunch support" for upgrading U.S.-Taiwan ties.

What comes next for the bill remains murky. Asked whether he would support attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., who is responsible for shepherding the defense bill through the upper chamber, said he still needs to review the Taiwan measure to see if it's consistent with the Pentagon's goals and abilities.

The Senate's NDAA already has several provisions meant to strengthen Taiwan's defense, including one to state that U.S. policy is to "maintain the ability of the United States Armed Forces to deny a fait accompli against Taiwan in order to deter the People's Republic of China from using military force to unilaterally change the status quo with Taiwan."

Reed also noted procedural hurdles to attaching separate bills to the NDAA, including needing sign off from House stakeholders. House lawmakers in both parties have expressed strong support for Taiwan, but House Democrats have sometimes been less hawkish than their Senate counterparts on foreign policy in general.

Asked about U.S. military training for Taiwan, Reed expressed hesitation at doing so openly, saying the United States has to weigh whether that could just "accelerate the crisis."

"The Taiwanese themselves have to pull together a much more effective training program," he told Military.com. "We can help with our training, but when it's mandated by law, when it's so open and obvious, that tends to get an emotional reaction from the Chinese."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: As US and China Warily Eye Each Other, Taiwan Could Be the Flashpoint
After a long mission in Europe, a soldier returned to his Fort Stewart barracks only to discover mold had completely consumed his room. The infestation wasn't only on the walls; his bags and bed turned black and green, encrusted in mold. Most of his belongings were ruined.

Broken air conditioners in the sweltering, humid Georgia heat; poor ventilation; and little to no barracks maintenance have created a decades-long breeding ground for mold, which soldiers repeatedly try to clean to no avail.

"This is the reason a lot of us are getting out," the soldier who found his room blanketed in mold and who is leaving the Army in a few months told Military.com. "We can't live like this.  It's up to junior soldiers to get this stuff out to [the press] or on social media, and that's the only way senior leaders are going to know they failed."

Photo of mold on the ceiling of a barracks shared by a Fort Stewart, Georgia, soldier. (Courtesy photo)

Read Next: Lawmakers Want to Increase Military Training for Taiwan as Tensions with China Intensify

The barracks' halls and doors will suddenly appear painted black with mold. In soldiers' rooms, the mold spreads quickly onto mattresses and gear if they must leave for extended periods of time and don't constantly combat the crud.

Military.com spoke with more than 20 soldiers, mostly junior enlisted troops but also commanders and senior noncommissioned officers.

All of them spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak to the press. In every interview, troops described disgusting conditions that would get an apartment or restaurant in the civilian world condemned.

They painted a picture of senior leaders blasting platoon-level NCOs for not being harder on their soldiers to clean; young soldiers being told to buy their own cleaning and protective supplies to scrub mold, stretching their already thin paychecks; and the service's arm in charge of maintaining facilities on post almost never responding to problematic living conditions.

Photo of mold on the ceiling and walls of a barracks shared by a Fort Stewart, Georgia, soldier. (Courtesy photo)

Officials at Fort Stewart have no plans to relocate soldiers living in moldy barracks -- an issue that has plagued the Army as a whole for years -- and units will have to wait more than a decade for new dorms that are less likely to become a breeding ground for mold to be built, long after all soldiers currently stationed at the base have retired or moved.

Exposure to mold leads to a wide range of health issues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including stuffy noses, headaches, fatigue, wheezing, itching, and fungal and respiratory infections in more extreme cases. A World Health Organization study in 2009 found a link between mold exposure and memory loss, lethargy and the development of asthma in children. Mold can also make someone susceptible to more severe allergic reactions related to other allergies.

Army officials declined to make any senior service leaders available to discuss the mold issues reported by soldiers at Fort Stewart. The issues at the base come after press coverage of mold issues, first detailed by Military.com, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Army press officials struggled to answer basic questions about what the service would do to address the problem.

A week after Military.com contacted Army press officials with details of accounts from soldiers about the pervasive mold problem, Fort Stewart held a so-called "stand down day" to teach NCOs how to tackle mold issues and issued a press release after being told Military.com planned to publish this story. That statement had few details on how the garrison is combating mold. Even soldiers on leave were encouraged to attend mold remediation training virtually, and leaders opened every barracks room for a sudden inspection, according to multiple text messages reviewed by Military.com. Commanders at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, also had widespread barracks inspections this week after Military.com interviewed soldiers stationed there about moldy conditions.

'Operation Eradicate Mold'

After Military.com began asking questions, garrison leaders at Fort Stewart launched "Operation Eradicate Mold," which tasks soldiers to clean mold every other day from 11 a.m. to noon, according to an internal memo and text messages reviewed by Military.com. Platoon-level NCOs are then expected to inspect all rooms. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth inspected barracks at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Tuesday.

"We can clean all day, but this [mold] is going to grow back," one staff sergeant at Fort Stewart told Military.com. "This isn't because my guys left a pizza box out too long. This is an actual infrastructure issue."

Mold issues are nothing new to the service and frequently draw scrutiny from Congress and lengthy complaints from junior troops online, but it is rare that garrison leaders publicly advocate for additional resources or otherwise acknowledge problems.

Photo shared by a Fort Stewart, Georgia, soldier of mold on a bed in the barracks. (Courtesy photo)

"Soldiers often need to file complaints with Congress, the Army secretary or the press," said Katherine Kuzminski, director of the military, veterans and society program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

"The cultural part of the military is hardship breeds character," she added, noting that complaints from junior enlisted soldiers are rarely taken seriously, and that troops often fall under leaders who lived in similarly bad conditions and have either forgotten about the experience, or believe others should live in the same conditions they did.

Behind many of the mold issues that are springing up across the service are the old barracks known as VOLAR buildings, constructed under the Army's Project Volunteer Army program in the 1970s. That effort aimed to construct barracks with high-quality living quarters, giving soldiers amenities like kitchen appliances and more privacy. They were a major upgrade from World War II-style barracks in which entire platoons would share an open room, a design the Army relied on during most of the 20th century.

"Base location decisions were largely made when large swathes of land were for an affordable price," Kuzminski said. "But these locations are more susceptible to increasing temperatures. The more modern barracks are approaching the age [where] they need regular upkeep. It's gotten to the point where it's beyond updating the HVAC system."

But that move for better barracks after the service transitioned to an all-volunteer force would go on to haunt the Army. Many service leaders believe the barracks' shoddy construction and aging air conditioning units are the underlying cause of the mold issues.

In August, Fort Bragg started evacuating some 1,200 soldiers from similar barracks amid serious mold issues. The 12 Smoke Bomb Hill barracks there that were deemed to be unlivable are set to be demolished next year, with new barracks replacing them five years ahead of schedule.

However, that move was made only after the issue drew the ire of lawmakers, concerns from Wormuth, and media scrutiny. Army bases do not have excess barracks in most cases, so relocating soldiers is a difficult move for garrison leaders. Fort Bragg officials are giving soldiers housing allowances and letting them live in on-post hotels free of charge.

But Fort Stewart leadership is not considering such a move. Fort Bragg's relocation effort is the most dramatic action any base has taken. The move will put strains on the base for most of the rest of the decade, making it unlikely to become a precedent for other garrisons. Senior leaders there have to find space where they can place troops, which is expected to take months. And simply giving all displaced soldiers a housing allowance would stretch an already limited real estate market in surrounding Fayetteville, North Carolina.

At Fort Stewart, officials say there is no need to relocate any troops.

"The team was able to go into that battle rhythm and get the rooms cleaned. We haven't gotten any requests or identified [a need] for that," Command Sgt. Maj. Quentin Fenderson, the 3rd Infantry Division's top enlisted leader, told Military.com in an interview Thursday about moving soldiers out of the infested barracks.

There are 535 VOLAR barracks in the Army's inventory, 30 of which are at Fort Stewart. However, mold issues are not exclusive to those old living quarters, or even barracks. Military housing across the country had long suffered from poor conditions, including at Fort Belvoir, Virginia ,where at least a dozen families have been displaced due to subpar housing conditions, including mold and rodent and roach infestations, according to reporting from Task & Purpose.

Fenderson said the rooms are being cleaned, yet Military.com has reviewed dozens of photos and videos from soldiers and FaceTimed with other sources at Fort Stewart since early September, showing that the mold persists.

Fenderson partly blamed the humid conditions of Georgia. However, Military.com found little evidence of systemic mold issues in other industries in the South, including housing for college students, hotels and gyms. He also pointed to the standard revolving door of leadership on base, including platoon-level NCOs, who move on and then the next person must be brought up to speed on the mold issue. Perceived blame against lower-level NCOs is something that has drawn the ire of the rank and file at Fort Stewart.

"The problem is we get a change of leadership that comes into the formation," Fenderson said. "We need to make sure all leaders are trained."

But training on mold mitigation and cleaning has been virtually nonexistent. Fort Stewart officials pointed to a civilian certification program for soldiers to learn how to combat mold, but could not answer questions on how many troops have been certified. In interviews, no soldiers, including a commander on the base, had ever heard of such a training program. Mitigation is often rudimentary, such as issuing dehumidifiers, which can only slow down the rate of mold growth. The CDC says humidity levels indoors need to be below 50%. Two soldiers said their dehumidifiers read their rooms at around 70% humidity.

Painted with Mold

Most Fort Stewart soldiers interviewed said that their company-level leadership is often sympathetic. But commanders on that level have relatively little influence over living conditions. In some cases, junior soldiers told Militay.com that their commanders or NCOs would buy gallons of bleach, gloves and other cleaning supplies because getting it from the Directorate of Public Works, or DPW, which oversees facilities, is too difficult -- effectively creating a situation in which soldiers are using their own income to subsidize DPW's work.

One noncommissioned officer detailed the barracks their soldiers live in as looking like it's painted with mold, with the walls and doors almost completely covered.

"When I first moved here originally, I noticed the mold. It [kept] growing, I kept cleaning it, and it kept coming back. It got worse and worse, to the point where it is today," the NCO told Military.com. "All we get told is to put in work orders."

Photo shared by a Fort Stewart, Georgia, soldier of mold on a barracks door. (Courtesy photo)

Those work orders go to DPW, which has about a 10-person staff who are in charge of maintaining facilities at Fort Stewart. But the NCO, and all other soldiers interviewed, could not think of a single anecdote in which DPW performed mold mitigation, which sometimes can include removing parts of ceilings and walls. In virtually all cases, soldiers were told their mold issue was not categorized as a priority in DPW's internal system and that they needed to clean it themselves.

"A DPW [worker] came into [the] room with basically a hazmat suit on, respirator  the whole white getup," one junior infantry soldier told Military.com, describing a mold issue being inspected. "They're like, 'Yeah that's pretty bad, you should clean this up,' and left."

Soldiers are often told to clean with bleach they should buy themselves. Yet the Occupational Safety Health Administration, or OSHA, and the Environmental Protection Agency both say bleach shouldn't be used to routinely treat mold. While bleach can scrub away mold, the spores still exist in many cases and will just grow back. In some instances, bleach can make a mold problem worse due to the water in it eventually evaporating after use. Troops interviewed also said they are not given proper protection gear such as gloves, goggles or respirators, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DPW officials at Fort Stewart told Military.com that they have done plenty of mold mitigation and cleanup, which includes the use of hydrogen peroxide. Fort Stewart Director of Public Works, Jamie Heidle, described efforts in several buildings. However, none of those buildings was among the eight barracks from which Military.com reviewed photos or interviewed soldiers who were residents. Officials also refuted claims soldiers aren't properly equipped with all the supplies they need to do their own cleanup.

"Every soldier is provided the equipment they need to clean up," Fenderson said. "Sometimes, you have leaders that don't do the right thing. Some will identify a problem, but because they have [something else] they see as a higher priority, it doesn't [get fixed]."

The Army as a whole allocates roughly $1 billion per year on barracks construction, maintenance and renovation. Fort Stewart's 30 VOLAR barracks are all set for major renovations, costing about $15 million per building. The base has also been approved for the construction of new barracks consisting of 372 rooms, but it's unclear how many buildings that will end up being. All that new construction and renovation won't be completed until at least 2035.

But that might not be enough money to keep maintaining old barracks while building enough new ones. On Tuesday, Wormuth told Stars and Stripes that the Army has underinvested in housing.

"With everything that we were doing in the last 20 years, where the focus was so much downrange, you know, we probably were not paying as close attention to our own infrastructure, as we are right now," she said.

Army officials with direct knowledge of construction efforts blamed federal bureaucracy and tangling with Congress. One Army official said a single barracks takes, on average, at least five years to complete. For comparison, the Pentagon was built in 16 months during World War II.

As for Fort Stewart, Fenderson, who is effectively in charge of soldier welfare for the 3rd Infantry Division, says the base doesn't need more resources and felt satisfied with the decade-long timetable for barracks construction and renovations.

"The Army has a plan in terms of how things are budgeted, and it's working out," he said. "We have a responsibility to make sure soldiers have everything we need, and I think we're getting after it."

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Mold Issues, Poor Housing Conditions for Troops Are Rampant. What Can Congress Do?
A group of men targeted Navy sailors on Tinder by posing as women seeking a romantic relationship to trick the sailors into handing over thousands of dollars as part of a bank fraud scheme, prosecutors say.

Samari Smith, 20, of Newport News, Virginia, is the third man to plead guilty in connection with the plot to defraud the Navy Federal Credit Union, involving at least four other men including his brother, according to U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

While prosecutors say dozens of Navy sailors were victims of the overall scheme, Smith was personally involved with targeting four Navy sailors on Tinder, while pretending to be women named Arial, Ariella, Larina, and Elaine, court documents show.

Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Sept. 13 and faces up to 30 years in federal prison, a news release from the attorneys office says.

McClatchy News contacted Smiths attorney for comment on Sept. 14 and was awaiting a response.

Beginning in April 2021 through August of that year, Smith worked with a group of men, led by his brother Tequan Smith, to find Navy servicemen and account holders with the Navy Federal Credit Union, court documents state.

As part of the scheme, prosecutors say the men pretended to be Navy Federal Credit Union workers and reached out to account holders to get their banking information. With this information, the men would secretly gain access to the victims bank accounts in an act known as phishing, court documents state.

Another part of the scheme was to pose as women on dating apps and find Navy sailors who were subsequently lied to further, prosecutors say.

Smith and his co-conspirators asked the victimized Sailors to withdraw and turnover funds  often under the guise of helping a relative in the Navy who was trying to send them money, prosecutors said in the release.

In one instance, on April 13, 2021, Smith and others used Tinder and matched with a Navy sailor, who held the rank of a petty officer third class, while posing as a woman named Ariella, court documents state. Then, they began texting after exchanging phone numbers.

Afterward, the Navy sailor was notified of a fraudulent bank charge by who he thought was a Navy Federal Credit Union worker  but it was actually Smith and others, according to court documents. As a result, the sailors account was compromised.

Smith and others, while pretending to be Ariella, had told the sailor that a sister in the Navy needed help transferring money, court documents state.

When they had gained access to the sailors bank account, they transferred $10,000 from his savings account to his checking account while telling the sailor that the money belonged to the made-up sister in the Navy, federal investigators say.

The sailor then met with Smith at a casino where he withdrew his own $10,000 and gave it to him, court documents state. The whole time, the sailor believed he was helping the sister in the Navy transfer money.

The four sailors stationed in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area lost $40,000 in total after Smith targeted them in similar ways, according to prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the broader fraud conspiracy led by Smiths brother caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud loss to dozens of Navy sailors, prosecutors say.

Smiths sentencing is set for Jan. 27, according to the release.

Newport News is about 70 miles southeast of Richmond.

2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
YEREVAN, Armenia  The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Friday she plans to make a weekend visit to Armenia, where a cease-fire held for a second day after an outburst of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan that killed more than 200 troops from both sides.

Pelosi told reporters in Berlin she would to travel to Armenia on Saturday with a delegation that includes Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., who is of Armenian descent. Pelosi declined to give further details about the trip, saying that traveling members of the Congress dont like to be a target.

In any case, it is all about human rights and the respecting the dignity and worth of every person, she said.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the situation on the border with Azerbaijan has remained quiet since the cease-fire took effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday, and no violations were reported.

The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities in nearly two years.

Armenia and Azerbaijan traded blame for the shelling, with Armenian authorities accusing Baku of unprovoked aggression and Azerbaijani officials saying their country was responding to Armenian attacks.

Speaking in parliament Friday, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that at least 135 Armenian troops were killed in the fighting, revising his earlier statement that 105 died in combat. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said Friday it had lost 77.

Edvard Asryan, the chief of the General Staff of the Armenian armed forces, said at a briefing for foreign ambassadors in Yerevan that the Azerbaijani forces had forged 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) into Armenian territory near the town of Jermuk, a spa resort in southern Armenia.

Asryan said that the Azerbaijani troops also went 1-2 kilometers (about 1 mile) into Armenian territory near the village of Nerkin Hand in the Syunik province and the village of Shorja in the Gegharkunik province.

He noted that the Azerbaijani forces have remained in those areas.

The ex-Soviet countries have been locked in a decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed broad swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories held by Armenian forces. More than 6,700 people died in the fighting, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement. Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers under the deal.

Pashinyan said his government has asked Russia for military support amid the latest fighting under a friendship treaty, and also requested assistance from the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization. The security grouping of ex-Soviet nations responded by deploying a team of top officials to Armenia.

Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia's Security Council, said the government in Yerevan was dissatisfied with the security alliance's response so far and expected the organization to offer military and military-political assistance to protect Armenia's sovereignty.

Pashinyan called Russian President Vladimir Putin when the hostilities erupted, and they had another call Friday to discuss the situation.

Yerevans plea for help has put the Kremlin in a precarious position as it has sought to maintain close relations with Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, and also develop warm ties with energy-rich Azerbaijan.

Putin met Friday with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand.

Aliyev thanked Putin for helping halt the fighting and said the most important thing now is to save the process of normalization of ties from collapse. Putin voiced satisfaction that the cease-fire has held, but noted the situation remained tense.

Speaking at the summit earlier in the day, Aliyev accused Armenia of a large-scale military provocation that derailed efforts to negotiate a peace treaty. The Armenian provocation has dealt a heavy blow to the process of normalizing ties between our countries, Aliyev said.

The Russian leader also held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has strongly backed Azerbaijan, but neither of them mentioned the fighting in their opening remarks at the start of the meeting.

Pashinyan told lawmakers earlier this week that Armenia was ready to recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity in a future peace treaty, provided that it relinquishes control of areas in Armenia its forces have seized.

The opposition saw the statement as a sign of Pashinyans readiness to submit to Azerbaijani demands and recognize Azerbaijans sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. Thousands of angry protesters besieged the governments headquarters and the country's parliament during the past two days, accusing Pashinyan of treason. Protests were also held in other Armenian cities.

___

Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

Putin May Not Have China's Support

Earlier this week, as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, it looked as though he was hoping to receive more support from the Chinese government than he has over the last six months. Since the outbreak of the war, China has refused to take sides in the conflict and reportedly denied a request from the Kremlin to provide military support.

Since then, China has doubled down on its potential plans to invade Taiwan, and Putin's efforts to pull together a coalition of countries hostile to the West  including Iran and North Korea  seemed to indicate he was working toward getting China on board, too.

On Thursday, however, the Russian president conceded that the Chinese president has concerns about the war in Ukraine.

What Putin Said

During the first meeting between the two leaders since the war broke out in February, the Russian president referred to President Xi as a "comrade" and "dear friend." The discussion took place in Samarkand, a city in Uzbekistan, and gave the two leaders an opportunity to discuss the war in Ukraine and, inevitably, Russia's significant losses in Kherson.

"We understand your questions and concern about this. During today's meeting, we will, of course, explain our position; we will explain in detail our position on this issue, although we have talked about this before," Putin said.

Russia's TASS news agency reported that Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to the Chinese Communist Party for their "balanced position" on the war in Ukraine, a sign that, perhaps, Russia wants to ensure that China at least remains neutral  likely a massive disappointment for a floundering Russian president losing yet more troops, tanks, and weapons on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine.

Putin stressed his belief in the partnership and friendship between the two countries, and while he may not have received the support he wanted from China on the Ukraine issue, he alluded to a world where the West can no longer be trusted.

"The world is undergoing many changes right now; the only constant is the friendship and mutual trust between Russia and China," Putin said.

Following the talks, during which Putin sat at the opposite end of a horseshoe-shaped table, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov painted a picture of a positive and fruitful discussion.

"Our assessments of the international situation coincide completely  there are no discrepancies at all," Lavrov said. "We will continue to coordinate our actions including at the forthcoming U.N. General Assembly."

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments' approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

This article originally appeared on 19fortyfive.com.
War prisoners are expected to just survive day to day.

But some prisoners say screw that and find ways to make the prison easier for their peers and more frustrating for their enemies.

1. A Navy Officer Saves His Camp from Both Japanese and U.S. Attacks.

Cmdr. Richard Antrim (U.S. Navy)

The Japanese in World War II considered surrender dishonorable and expected Americans to fight to the death. So when they started taking American prisoners, they were exceptionally cruel. Cmdr. Richard Antrim was in a prison camp when a guard began savagely beating a prisoner. Antrim tried to convince the guards to discuss the mans case, but they couldnt understand one another.

The camp commander ordered 50 lashes for the offending prisoner. When the prisoner collapsed only partway into the lashing, Antrim asked that he be allowed to take the rest of the punishment. The camp commander ceased the punishment instead and gained respect for the naval officer.

He allowed Antrim to begin overseeing prisoner work details. Antrim used this new trust to redraw the pans for trenches for the prisoners, creating the letters US in the sand so that Allied bombers would know to avoid those trenches during bomber raids. Antrim was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life for his fellow prisoner and a Bronze Star for redrawing the trenches.

2. Special Forces Officer Beats Up His Executioners and Escapes with the Help of His Beard.

Then-1st Lt. James N. Rowe was the military adviser to a group of South Vietnamese civilian irregulars who stumbled into an ambush in 1963. Rowe was captured in the fighting and spent the next five years in captivity.

Col. James Nick Rowe (U.S. Army)

He attempted escape three times but was recaptured each time. The North Vietnamese decided to execute him and took him into the jungle on New Years Eve in 1968. Luckily, an American helicopter came by at that moment, and Rowe beat up his guards. He flagged down the helicopter whose pilot initially thought he was an enemy fighter until he saw Rowes beard and decided it looked American.

Rowe went on to play a key role in the development of the Army training program that prepares soldiers to evade the enemy and survive captivity.

3. Senior Officer in Hanoi Hilton Beats Himself with a Stool and Cuts His Scalp and Wrists to Resist North Vietnamese Propaganda Attempts.

Vice Adm. James Stockdale was leading his carrier group back to the USS Oriskany after a bombing run over North Vietnam. He was downed by anti-aircraft fire, broke his back and dislocated his knee, and was sent to the infamous prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton. There, as the senior officer, he took over efforts to build morale and resist Vietnam efforts to create propaganda.

Vice Adm. James Stockdale (U.S. Navy)

When the Vietnamese attempted to use him in a parade for foreign journalists, Stockdale slashed his own scalp and beat himself with a stool, bruising himself so severely that he was useless for propaganda purposes.

Later, he learned that another prisoner had been tortured to death and slashed his own wrists to convince his captors that Americans would rather die than give up information. The captors then ceased their torture.

For his efforts, Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976, three years after his release.

4. Double Amputee Begins His Escape Attempts While His Second Prosthetic Leg Was Still Damaged.

Douglas Bader had to fight his way into the cockpit in 1939 since he left the Royal Air Force in 1931 after a crash that took both of his legs. He spent the first 18 months of the war commanding formations of RAF fighters before he was downed and captured.

Douglas Bader (Royal Air Force photographer Devon S A)

One prosthetic was damaged in the incident, but Bader still attempted to escape the prison on the damaged leg. After the Nazis, who saw Bader as a celebrity, allowed him a replacement leg air dropped by the British, he made a few more attempts and was sent to the inescapable Colditz Castle.

Bader didnt spend all of his time in prison attempting to escape. He also regularly baited the guards until they aimed their pistols at him, just to hurt their morale. He once refused to go to roll call saying, My feet would get cold in the snow.

5. French General Escapes an Inescapable Prison to Celebrate Hitlers Birthday.

French Gen. Henri Giraud was experienced at escaping German prison camps, having slipped out of one in North Africa during World War I. When he was captured in World War II, he faced more challenging conditions at Konigstein Castle, which sits 240 meters above the surrounding valley and had thick stone walls.

Gen. Henri Giraud (Wikimedia Commons/Records of the Office of War Information)

Giraud spent two years planning and preparing for his escape. He convinced the guards to teach the prisoners German, smuggled in the clothing worn by the local populace and spent a year creating a 150-foot rope from thin twine.

He slipped down the rope, out of the prison and onto a train on April 17, 1942, over Hitlers birthday weekend. Hitler ordered him assassinated, but he escaped to North Africa and rejoined the war.

6. Holocaust Survivor Escaped His Korean War Prison Camp Every Night to Forage for Food for Fellow Prisoners.

Hungarian-American Tibor Rubin was a Korean War hero before he was captured, once holding a hilltop for 24 hours on his own against determined Chinese attacks.

Tibor Rubin (Wikimedia Commons)

When he was captured in a later engagement, the Chinese offered to send him home to Hungary instead of keeping him prisoner. Rubin had been saved from a concentration camp when he was a child by American troops and stayed in the prison.

He began sneaking out of the camp every night and back in every morning, stealing food and medical supplies from Chinese soldiers and local farms. His actions were credited with saving the lives of 40 other prisoners, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

7. Czechoslovakian Draftee Escapes Prison Hundreds of Times to Visit His Girlfriend.

Horace Greasley was a British soldier taken prisoner by the Germans early in World War II. While that is a horrible start to a love story, Greasley managed to turn it around by wooing the daughter of the quarry manager at the camp.

A thin but defiant Horace Greasley stares down Heinrich Himmler during a prison inspection. (Wikimedia Commons)

A year later, he was transferred to another camp. Rather than let the romance die, he began sneaking out of his camp to visit the young Rosa Rauchbach.

He would visit his girlfriend overnight and then sneak back into his own camp. The arrangement ended with the war when the pair separated and Greasley returned to Britain. In the above photo, Greasley stares down Heinrich Himmler like its no big deal.

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Between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon was embroiled in a country-wide civil war that saw its rival religious, ethnic and nationalist populations form armed militias and shifting alliances. The fighting inflamed regional tensions and provoked international responses.

One of these was a peacekeeping mission of American, British, French and Italian forces called the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF). Deployed as part of an agreed cease-fire after a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent invasion of Lebanon in 1983, the MNF spent almost a year and a half in the Lebanese capital.

The MNF was responsible for training the Lebanese military, restoring the country's central government in Beirut and overseeing the withdrawal of all foreign forces in Lebanon. A massive suicide bomber attack on the Marine Corps Barracks in October 1983 wiped away any success the MNF could claim, and led to the eventual withdrawal of American forces in March 1984.

Here are a few surprising, harrowing details about the Beirut Barracks Bombing.

1. The bomb was the largest non-nuclear explosion since World War II.

A truck filled with 12,000 pounds of TNT drove up to the American compound, crashed through the gates and into the Battalion Landing Team Headquarters building, where it exploded. According to the official Defense Department report on the bombing, the building itself was lifted from its foundation by the blast. It then imploded on itself. Those who survived the explosion were crushed or trapped by the rubble.

FBI investigators found the bomb was "gas enhanced," using bottles of oxygen and propane to introduce a gas multiplier effect, giving it more destructive power than a conventional explosive. In the final report, the FBI called it the "largest non-nuclear blast they've ever examined."

2. It was the single deadliest day for the U.S. military since the Tet Offensive.

On the first day of the 1968 Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, 246 American troops were killed in the surprise attack. The death toll of the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing would come close to matching that number, killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three U.S. soldiers -- 241 troops in all.

Marine Gen. P.X. Kelley and Col. Tim Geraghty take Vice President George H. W. Bush on a tour around the site of the Beirut barracks bombing two days after the explosion. (U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Randy Gaddo)

3. There were actually two suicide bombing attacks.

At almost the same time as the first truck was driving into the Marines' BLT headquarters, a second truck drove into the French Multinational Force Headquarters building. The destruction of the nine-story building killed 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three from the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment. The French hadn't seen that kind of single-day losses since the end of the Algerian Revolution in 1962.

4. No one knows for certain who was responsible.

The official U.S. government report on the incident concludes the bombing "was a terrorist act sponsored by sovereign states or organized political entities for the purposes of defeating U.S. objectives in Lebanon." It doesn't say which entities are responsible.

A little-known group called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, but in a 2001 interview with PBS' "Frontline," former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger reiterated that the U.S. didn't know who really perpetrated the attack.

In a 2003 lawsuit against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that the Islamic Jihad was actually a front for Hezbollah, which is a "tool" of the Iranian government. The court held Iran responsible for the attack.

5. The CIA may have attempted revenge for the attack.

In March 1985, a 440-pound car bomb meant to kill Shia cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a spiritual inspiration for Hezbollah, exploded in Beirut. Fadlallah escaped the blast, but a number of his bodyguards were killed.

The bombing has been linked by writers and reporters to various organizations, including the CIA, CIA-backed militias in Lebanon, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and even Saudi Arabia. The truth behind the bombing may never be fully known, as it could have been just an attack from a rival group in the ongoing civil war at the time.
The family of a Marine who lost his life during a final mission in war-torn Afghanistan has created a retreat space for warriors to address service member mental health issues and honor their son.

On Aug. 26, 2021, a terrorist detonated a suicide bomb at the Kabul airport, killing 13 U.S. service members, including Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz.

"He was actually kind of shy, but anybody who spent any amount of time with him gravitated to him because of his personality. Once he got to know you, it was on," said Jared's father, Mark Schmitz. "I can't tell you how many people have called him his best friend because that's just how close they got to him very quickly."

When he was a sophomore in high school, Jared began to seriously discuss enlisting in the military. By the following year, he was training to become a Marine and shipped off shortly after graduating.

"He really found himself even before he went to boot camp," said his stepmother, Jaclyn Schmitz. "You could see so much personal growth in him, and he was so proud to be going in this direction."

'The Knock at Our Door'

As the war in Afghanistan began to wind down, with a pull-out day announced, Jared's scheduled combat deployment was canceled.

The Taliban quickly retook most of the country within weeks as U.S. forces began their withdrawal. Panicked Afghans feared for their lives and poured into the airport in an effort to evacuate.

Jared's 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, unit was tasked with holding the line for the humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan. When the bomb went off, Mark and Jaclyn weren't worried. They'd both spoken to Jared after a particularly long 96-hour shift, and Jared told them he and the guys would be on the airstrip next.

"Then came the knock at our door at 2:40 a.m.," Mark said.

Jared was killed alongside a Navy corpsman, a soldier and 10 other Marines. Reports indicate military leadership at the airport became aware of security concerns and a potential attack. Despite the risk, the rescue mission continued. Less than an hour after the brief, the suicide bomb detonated at Abbey Gate.

"It's so senseless. It didn't need to happen and it shouldn't have happened," Mark said. "For me it just feels like there's no closure from this."

But Mark said his Christian faith has helped his family through their grief.

"It's given us the strength from within to pick ourselves up every day," he said. "Knowing that he's around us constantly. I see signs all the time."

A Clear Mission

In the weeks following Jared's death, condolences and checks continued to arrive.

"It didn't seem right. How could we accept this money from Jared's death? We didn't know what to do," Jaclyn said. "There [were] so many mixed emotions at that point. But we knew we wanted to start a nonprofit, but we just didn't know what the mission was yet."

Through spending time with Jared's fellow Marines, seeing some of their troubles in the aftermath of the bombing and hearing about several suicides within the battalion, the mission became clear.

The Freedom 13 was born from a desire to offer sanctuary to America's warriors, starting with 2.5 acres of riverfront property in their home-state of Missouri. The nonprofit will provide homes for troops, post-traumatic stress support, recreational retreats and service dogs, according to its website.

Though building has not yet commenced, the plans are to create around 20 housing structures for veterans and their families.

"There'll be a lot of camaraderie going on there," Mark said. "A lot of guys that don't know each other. One guy may be from the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine, whatever, sitting around the campfire, just sharing stories, and hopefully, leaning on one another."

In February 2022, the nonprofit held its first pub crawl fundraiser in honor of what would have been Jared's 21st birthday. What started as a local event spread throughout the country, with nearly 200 bars and pubs in 25 states participating.

"We received so much support for it that we'll be doing it annually. He'll be 21 forever," Mark said.

Creating the sanctuary space is just the beginning, they said. Both dream of offering similar retreats across the country. It's a legacy they hope Jared would be proud of.

"The Freedom 13 stands for free and we want people to have that freedom to just check out for a week and reboot," Mark said. "Doing this nonprofit has, for me personally, been so therapeutic because it's given me purpose. It gives me a reason to wake up every day, beyond just taking care of a family and going to work and doing the things I have to do. I'm doing it all and for the love of my son. It helps me remember all the good and I just feel like he's still here."

The Freedom 13 will be free for all veterans and will give them a chance to reboot, recharge and build some new veteran relationships along the way. Visit www.thefreedom13.org to learn more about the mission.

Read the original article on MilitaryFamilies.com.

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Former TV3 News Presenter Joyce Midley-Quainoo has taken her love for God to a new level with the release of Straight Outta Love: an uplifting message of hope, grace, and Gods truest love.

In her first-ever published book, Joyce shares, A relationship knit together out of love that holds forever into eternity. She writes that God wants to have a relationship with you and explains with biblical verses why you must be motivated by the love of God to do all things.

Joyce presents a heartfelt message in hopes of empowering others in their faith walk at a time when the world is still healing from the devastating effects of #Covid19, the pain of losing #QueenElizabeth of the United Kingdom, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in addition to all the negative reports about the economies of nations across the world.

Joyce Midley-Quainoo has been spotted on some occasions preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ after she resigned from TV3. In Straight Outta Love, she also shares her personal struggles working as a journalist. Her goal is to empower readers to identify the power in Gods love and connect it to the success of their daily lives.

A Statement from the publishers, Christian Faith Publishing, described Straight Outta Love as an impactful message of Gods love that will encourage and inform.

Consumers can purchase Straight Outta Love online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.
Information reaching this website from Sokoban in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region indicates that a high powered government delegation on Wednesday September 8, 2022 rushed to the town to calm nerves of the angry residents.

This followed the recent massive demonstration residents of Sokoban staged over the deplorable state of their road networks.

During the demonstration, the angry residents vow to prevent any politician from campaigning in their area. That was not all, they also indicated their resolve to vote out the ruling NPP if their roads are not fixed before the 2024 general elections.

But barely two weeks after the demonstration, government have been making frantic efforts to address the situation.

On Wednesday a government delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Roads And Highways, Hon Stephen Pambiin Jalulah, former MP for Ejisu Juaben Constituency and officials from the Ghana Highways Authority met the youth and elders at Sokoban in a close door meeting.

According to credible sources close to the meeting, the engagement was all about measures to fix the road. The government officials assured residents that the roads would be fixed before the 2024 elections.
Political tensions are high in the Greater Accra NDC as Michael Kwetey Tetteh continues to give the renowned Ade Coker a hot chase over the Greater Accra NDC chairmanship position.

Mr. Michael Tetteh Kwetey, a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant and former Constituency Chairman of Ningo-Prampram, is reportedly set to contest the Greater Accra Regional Chairmanship position of the NDC.

In information available to this portal reveals that his intention may end the political career of the three-term Ade Coker who in a statement claimed he is an institution for young party people to study.

In a statement signed by Mr. Nunoo Godwin Darko, special aide to the business mogul, responding to some criticisms leveled against the former Ningo Prampram chairman, he states that Ade Coker is synonymous with non-performance, inexperience, failure, and an institution with no viable track record.

The media battle between the two political bigwigs of the NDC in the Greater Accra Region has started after it was reported that several delegates and influential people in the area were supporting Mr. Micheal Kwetey Tetteh, a young philanthropist and business mogul, to be their next regional chairman.

Read full statement below:

I came across a rejoinder scantily and pathetically put together to again attack and denigrate the hard earned reputation of Mr. Michael Tetteh Kwetey, a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant and former Constituency Chairman of Ningo-Prampram, by yet another misguided sponsored attack dog from the panic-gripped camp of the NDCs Greater Regional Chairman, Mr. Joseph Kobina Ade-Coker.

It is unfortunate to note that,after thirty years of uninterrupted, stable democracy in Ghana since 1992, and as social democrats,the opposition National Democratic Congress' Greater Accra regional chairman,Ade Joseph Coker, is still behaving like a monarch.

The three-time NDC regional chairman of Greater Accra has decided to see his position as a royal position whereby he is always having sleepless nights devising and deploying any available means to shun other committed, experienced, loyal, and hardworking party faithfuls from contesting, especially after hearing of the business tycoon and philanthropist, Mr. Michael Kwetey Tettey, who has a track record of adopting certain constituencies across the country and helping them materially and financially to renew their strength.

In the said rejoinder, Mr. Ade Coker was blindly and blatantly praised and referred to as an institution from which young NDC party members should learn, but the writer forgot to substantiate that many have tried to study at his institution and discovered that he is full of non-performance, inexperience, failure, and an institution with no viable track record.

For the records, in the Greater Accra region, the NDC was able to secure eighteen (18) seats during the chairmanship of Ade Coke's predecessor out of twenty-seven (27) seats. However, after Ade Joseph Coker was elected as chairman, seven additional seats were created before the 2012 general election, bringing the total to thirty-four (34) seats. The NDC party won only thirteen (13) seats in the 2016 general election and lost five (5) more seats to the NPP.

Therefore, it is obvious that only those with weak mathematical backgrounds and hungry bootlickers will be seen praising a demagogue like Chairman Ade Coker. His underperformance has not, however, led to a significant improvement in adding more seats to the previous ones.

If his poster boy's assertion that Mr. Ade Coker has thirty years of experience in party politics but he cannot provide the Greater Accra Region NDC with a means of paying its own office rent or secure a plot of land for an ultra-modern party office, then his experience is as useless as President Nana Addo's economic management team.

I urge him to desist from the undemocratic practices and allow young, faithful, experienced, and hardworking members of the party who have gone through the mill to contest and build the party from the grassroots, making it more appealing to the Ghanaian masses for easy wrestling of power from the non-performing NPP government in 2024.

Nunoo Godwin Darko

Special Aide to Mr. Micheal Kwetey Tetteh.
16.09.2022 LISTEN

Even before the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) opens nominations for people in the party to contest for various executive positions, it appears the race for the Deputy National Youth Organizer will be keenly competitive as Voltarians, particularly those in the Akatsi South branch start to throw their heavyweights behind Mr. Bright Honu Nodokpo.

Mr. Bright Nudokpo Honu, in a statement declaring his intention, states that his decision is borne out of his desire to help the NDC wrestle power from the NPP government.

"Comrades, Ghana is at a crossroad and the only hope left for the masses is the comeback of the National Democratic Congress which the youth wing must play a pivotal role in securing us victory," he stated.

He added that the NDC can only win the crucial 2024 general election if dedicated, loyal, vibrant, and courageous youths are elected to bridge the gap between the elders and the youth as well as attract many young folks to the party.

Read full statement below:

DECLARATION TO CONTEST AS DEPUTY NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS

Comrades, Ghana is at a crossroad and the only hope left for the masses is the comeback of the National Democratic Congress which the youth wing must play a pivotal role in securing us victory.

As a political party, we have no excuse to allow the N.P.P to continue destroying the future of this nation, and also overburdening the masses with the current economic hardship.

For us to deliver the nation from the inept NPP government, we need courageous patriots to lead the youth front, represent the interest of the youth, bridge the gap between the elders and the youth and attract many young folks to our great National Democratic Congress.

Upon a thorough introspection and undisputed commitment to see the NDC return to power come January 7th 2025, I present myself to contest, represent and protect the interest of the youth at the grassroot by upholding party values that inure to the benefit of all.

Let us reorganize with the right blend of leaders at the National Congress come December 2022 and

No Electoral commissioner, court, invincible forces clothed in national security service uniform can match the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the youth in December 2024 general election.

As I embark on this journey to earnestly serve the NDC, I seek for your support, prayers, and counsel in the fight to kick the NPP out of power.

Eyezu Eyeza Emefa MiaMia Mia.

#NewHope4TheGrassroot

#YouthPower

Bright Nudokpo-Honu

14/09/2022.
The Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has indicated his commitment to the total transformation of the constituency.

According to the Deputy Majority Leader, the 'Effutu Dream' is geared towards improving the lives of the people to contribute to national development.

Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin said this when he commissioned a well-equipped health center for Worabeba Community last Tuesday.

"A situation where people walk long distances to access healthcare delivery is a thing of the past. We cannot continue to see people suffer in an attempt to access healthcare. It is upon this that am striving to make lives meaningful for the people in the Effutu Municipality. The provision of such facilities is a service to humanity.

"When I became a Member of Parliament, the rural communities were abandoned and left to their own, but today, am proud to say from Nsuekyir to Worabeba, we have a road to boost economic growth and development in this fishing community.

"Am also proud to say today, through my efforts and support, from Sankor to Gyangyanadze road was constructed. Similarly, from Nsuekyir to Gyahadze, we have done the road and many more to be done for the Rural Communities. Am happy to be associated with the commissioning of Worabeba Health Center.

"The ongoing construction of a community center would soon be completed and handed over to the community, and also start construction of a library facility so the children in this community can have a library to study.

Ours is Effutu Dream, the Effutu Dream is a never-say-die-spirit that does not know NPP or NDC, the Effutu Dream is to serve every human being in Effutu," he stated.

Afenyo-Markin noted that the Effutu Dream was determined to take Effutu to the promised land.

"Our dream is to transform Effutu and make it a unique destination for business, education, healthcare and everything. We must come together to realize this noble dream. If we don't do that, it will become a mirage," he stated.

He urged Ghanaians to be honest with everything they do bearing in mind the welfare of the people who should be beneficiaries of their stewardships.

"National development depends on all of us. We must have the collective efforts to work in unity of purpose, honesty and be disciplined in wherever we find ourselves, we have to leave a better legacy for our generation yet unborn." Hon. Afenyo-Markin emphasized.

He stressed the need for the staff of the Ghana Health Service who would be working in the facility to cultivate the culture of maintenance to last longer.

Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin gave authorities of the Health Center Ghc10,000.00 as seed money to purchase the needed drugs for the clinic to start operation awaiting accreditation from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The Chief of Worabeba Community, Nana Boama II thanked the Member of Parliament for transforming the lives of the people in the community through infrastructure development.

He disclosed that the community can now improve the accessible road network, health center and other socio-economic facilities to improve their lives.

"Worabeba is a fishing community, hitherto, we had to walk through the lagoon linking us to the other communities, it was extremely dangerous to send our fishing produce to market centers especially nursing mothers who had to carry their babies and goods to cross the lagoon. It was an unbearable situation.

"It took the bravery of Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, our workaholic Member of Parliament to construct a road for us. Today, traders from across the country come here to buy from us, thus boosting the local economy. We will continue to thank him," Nana Boama II stated.

Effutu Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Zubeiru Kassim who chaired the occasion noted that the Assembly has a strong relationship with the Member of Parliament to fully implement programmes and activities.

Present were the Assembly Member for Nsuekyir Electoral Area, Hon. Solomon Sampah, officials from the Effutu Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Health Service and Service Commanders from the Security Agencies.
The Director of Public Relations at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ruth Maafo, has outlined interventions the government of Ghana is currently rolling out to boost coconut production and export in Ghana.

Speaking in an interview with this reporter ahead of the 2nd International Coconut Festival, Mrs Maafo, stated that coconut from Ghana is in high demand globally and thus the country's position as the world's 9th leading producer can be further enhanced if programmes such as the Coconut Revitalization Programme and Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) are sustained across the country.

"Every part of the coconut is beneficial. Through the International Coconut Festival Ghana, we are putting the spotlight on Ghanaian businesses in the coconut value chain while helping them to connect with the relevant stakeholders and investors."

She said the 3-day event is also intended to encourage more Ghanaians to venture into the coconut sector and ultimately boost production and export.

The 2022 edition was launched on Friday, August 12 at Alabokazo in the Ellembele District of the Western Region.

In her address, the CEO of GEPA, Dr. Asabea Asare, assured stakeholders in the coconut industry of GEPA's commitment to supporting the industry to achieve an expected annual revenue of USD2.8 billion in exports.

This year's event will take place from the 20th to the 23rd of September at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

Other activities include seminars, mentorship for young people and sessions with women in coconut.

In 2019, GEPA, partnered with ACG to hold the first ever International Coconut Festival in Ghana, which brought together exhibitors as well as major players to promote the coconut business.

The government of Ghana added coconut to the National Tree Crop Development Authority (NTCDA), which was established in 2019 and mandated to develop and regulate production, processing, marketing and export of coconut and other selected tree crops.

According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database for the year 2017, Ghana ranked 14th on the list of the world's top coconut producers with 383,960 metric tonnes produced in 2017 alone.

The country's export of desiccated coconut alone amounted to 21.9 million dollars in 2021 from 6.3 million dollars in 2020 and 3.8 million dollars in 2019, making Ghana 9th in global export of dessicated coconut.
15.09.2022 LISTEN

The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) and the Concerned Lotto Agents Association of Ghana (CLAA) have expressed their disapproval of the decision by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) to outsource 5/90 lottery to Keed Limited, arguing that this would lead to job losses.

We, private lotto operators are not opposed to digitization of lottery operation as it's a growing trend. But to outsource 5/90 lottery to ONE company Keed Limited (KGL) will result in millions of Ghanaians losing their jobs, they said in a press statement.

The two Associations argue that private lotto operators and lotto agents millions in numbers across the country and are most likely to lose their jobs if the NLA goes ahead with its decision.

They are therefore calling on the NLA to critically examine the potential consequences on the economy and rescind its decision as a matter of urgency, saying; the current state of the economy will make job losses extreme unbearable in a system with no government welfare (such as unemployment benefits, council flat, food stamp, child care etc).

The private lotto operators accused the NLA of failing to regularize lotto operations to reduce unlawful practices and ensure that those of us who have paid for our license can operate at our optimum level and in turn contribute our quota to NLA and Ghana's economy.

It added, We the private lotto operators suggested to NLA to tax the writers by charging one hundred and twenty cedis (Gh.c 120) per lotto kiosk and all writers who pay will have a sticker embossed on their kiosk. There are over 2million writers in the private lotto sector. Can you imagine the revenue that NLA will generate through our writers? In the last five years, several petitions and letters have been written to NLA to enforce this suggestion but to no avail.

Licencing

According to them, they began negotiations with the NLA under the leadership of Mr. Ameyaw in 2020 to register and issue them with licences to operate lottery.

Every operator paid one million cedis (Gh.c 1,000,000) and per NLA's request had to procure POS terminal machines, software, servers, draw machines etc. These proposed changes by NLA were capital intensive and cost us greatly. We were given a ten-year agreement for renewal of licence to help us recoup our investment but when the current NLA, MD Mr. Samuel Awuku assumed office he has pretended that there is no agreement of this sort, they added.

They are calling on the NLA to reinstate the 10-year tenure licence renewal in the new agreement, which they believe would help them recoup their capital investment. They argue further that lottery is a game of chance and you can make a loss in the first year through massive wins. This prompts you to borrow to keep business afloat, how are you going to payback your debtors if you cannot operate after the first year?

The private lotto operators also want the NLA to furnish them with the new licence agreement for their perusal, an invitation to sign the agreement and issue them with their licences with a commencement date starting from the day of signing of the agreement.

We also insist that every year we are allowed to renew the licences for our operations. The fee for the renewal must be made clear and the incremental amount should not be more than 10 percent of the initial fee, they stated.

They asked the NLA to be open to implementing suggestions from private lotto operators on how to generate more revenue for the government and desist from granting a monopoly to KEED (KGL) and its subsidiaries. The NLA should be open to a mechanism that includes private lotto operators in the digitization of the lotto process.

Please find below the full text of the Press Release

THE DANGER OF JOB LOSSES

THE ROLE OF NLA DIGITALIZATION AND PRIVATISATION AGAINST PRIVATE LOTTO OPERATORS AND WRITERS.

The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) and the Concerned Lotto Agents Association of Ghana (CLAA) have a reaction to a press release by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) on issues regarding lottery operations in the country.

We (GLOA and CLAA) are therefore here to clarify issues raised and set the record straight.

LICENCE

We started negotiations with the National Lottery Authority (NLA) under the leadership of Mr. Ameyaw in 2020 to register us for licence to operate lottery. Every operator paid one million cedis (GHc 1,000,000) and per NLA's request had to procure POS terminal machines, software, servers, draw machines etc. These proposed changes by NLA were capital in nature and cost us greatly. We were given a ten-year agreement for renewal of licence to help us recoup our investment but when the current NLA, MD Mr. Samuel Awuku assumed office he has pretended that there is no agreement of this sort.

Mr. Awuku invited us this year to renew our licence at a fee of two million cedis (GHc 2,000,000) with the promise to announce the operators who have fully paid and then call us to sign an agreement.

However, NLA only presented us with a page for our signature and the entirety of the agreement document was not given to us. Some members of GLOA signed the document under duress with the promise from NLA that any issues that arise out of the agreement will be addressed later. Other members of GLOA refused to sign and have written to the NLA to furnish them with details of the new agreement but to no avail. Thus, as we speak some members of GLOA have paid their licence fee but are yet to receive it.

NLA AS A REGULATOR

NLA has failed to regularize lotto operations to reduce unlawful practices and ensure that those of us who have paid for our license can operate at our optimum level and in turn contribute our quota to NLA and Ghana's economy.

We the private lotto operators suggested to NLA to tax the writers by charging one hundred and twenty cedis (GHe 120) per lotto kiosk and all writers who pay will have a sticker embossed on their kiosk. There are over 2million writers in the private lotto sector. Can you imagine the revenue that NLA will generate through our writers? In the last five years, several petitions and letters have been written to NLA to enforce this suggestion but to no avail.

We even provided NLA with the GPS location for the lotto kiosk to aid them in the process but nothing came out of it.

LOSS OF JOBS

We, private lotto operators are not opposed to digitization of lottery operation as it's a growing trend. But to outsource 5/90 lottery to ONE company Keed Limited (KGL)will result in millions of Ghanaians losing their jobs.

Private lotto operators have a total of over two million writers who stand to lose their jobs. The LA also has over six thousand writers and thousands of employees who will be affected as well. Let's not forget the thousands of associated parties such as drivers, check point workers, printing company's workers, carpenters, etc. who will be out of jobs.

It is interesting to know that NLA will overlook the potential job loss and its impact on the economy, just to satisfy the selfish interest of a selected few.

The current state of the economy will make job losses extreme unbearable in a system with no government welfare (such as unemployment benefits, council flat, food stamp, child care etc).

WHY MONOPLISE DIGITALIZATION OF LOTTO AND WHY KGL?

The question remains "Who are the real owners of the KGL" "what has been their contribution to the lotto industry and the Ghanaian economy"? This is more of a personal interest by some government officials to the detriment of hardworking Ghanaians and the economy at large.

There is also the unjust treatment of the 15 registered private lotto companies by NLA. These companies paid millions of cedis for the past two years with the promise by NLA to regulate lotto operations. Most of these companies have been operating for over twenty years and have made their contribution not only to the Ghanian lotto industry but the economy as well. Why now grant autonomous power to a new company that is barely two years old?

NLA asked private lotto companies to invest in POS terminal, software for integration by NLA etc. These infrastructures needed to make our operations digital cost us millions of cedis only for NLA to now outsource solely to one company.

This government promise to provide job, but all they are doing is taking jobs from millions of Ghanaians to satisfy the selfish interest of a small group of people.

We are so surprised at director of NLA's response to the activity of KGL digital operations and trying to overemphasize their contribution without recourse to the massive support from private lotto operators. It's high time NLA management defines their role as a regulator rather than fraternizing with KGL digital operators. The NLA should be transparent with Ghanaians about which powers are behind KGL's operations, can it be that the NLA has relinquished its powers to KGL? The public must be made aware if that's the issue at hand since NLA belongs to the people of Ghana.

COST OF DIGITAZATION

NLA claims to have about six thousand writers and it agrees that it will need about three million cedis (GHc 3,000,000) to cushion them during the digitization process. Private lotto operators have over two million writers and will need more.

If we recall rightly the Director General explanations that KGL has pledged 55 million cedis annually to the government. This comes at a cost of loss of jobs to millions of Ghanaians, over 3 million cedis in settlements and blow back on the already fragile economy.

There are 15 private lotto companies who paid 1.5 million each to operate under Act.722 and additional 500,000 each for Act. 844. Thus, the total contribution by these private lotto

operators is nothing less than 30 million cedis yearly. This money is not a pledge and have actually been paid to the NLA. It is interesting to note that besides the massive monetary

contribution by private lotto operators, there will be no loss of jobs to millions of Ghanaians that would definitely happen with outsourcing to KGL.

Is it not better to let private lotto operators work and provide jobs to Ghanaians and also pay millions of cedis to the government than selfishly outsource to KGL and cause loss of jobs to noble Ghanaians?

There is also the cost involved in settlements under the monopoly process. The government will pay millions of cedis to its employees who are about to lose their livelihood.

NLA'S RESPONSIBILITY TO THE VETERANS (VAG)

The private lotto operators contributed five hundred thousand cedis (GHc 500,000) each for operation under Act 844. lin the absence of the contractual agreement VAG has with NLA, they would have received a total of seven million, five hundred thousand cedis (GHc 7,500,000) directly from private lotto operators this year compared to the GHc 1,440,000 cedis NLA paid to the Veterans Association.

It has come to our attention that NLA wants to digitalize VAG games and grant monopoly of this to a subsidiary company of KGL. NLA is also exploring VAG games which will not be 5/90 and such games are highly unpopular in the lotto industry and will not generate enough revenue.

Currently, the private lotto operators rank in more money for the National Lottery Authority, and this is why they are able to meet their obligations to the state including Finance Ministry as well as their corporate social responsibilities etc.

CONCLUSION

The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) and the Concerned Lotto Agents Association of Ghana (CLAA) would like to urge the National Lottery Authority (NLA) to desist from giving KGL and its subsidiaries monopoly to operate lotto and be open for us to make suggestions on how to improve lotto operations and generate more revenue for the nation.

We therefore demand the following;

NLA reinstate the 10-year tenure licence renewal in the new agreement. This is to help us recoup our capital investment. It should be noted that lottery is a game of chance and you can make a loss in the first year through massive wins. This prompts you to borrow to keep business afloat, how are you going to payback your debtors if you cannot operate after the first year? NLA should furnish us with the new licence agreement for our perusal. NLA should invite us to sign the agreement and issue us with a licence with a commencement date starting from the day of signing of the agreement. We also insist that every year we are allowed to renewa the licences for our operations. The fee for the renewal must be made clear and the incremental amount should not be more than 10 percent of the initial fee. NLA should address unlawful practices and enforce policies on commission to be paid to the writers and the prizes to be paid to the winners. NLA should desist from granting monopoly to KEED (KGL) and its subsidiaries and be open to a mechanism that includes private lotto operators in the digitization of lotto process. NLA should be open to implement some suggestions from private lotto operators on how to generate more revenue for the government.

SIGN:

GENERAL SECRETARY

GHANA LOTTO OPERATORS ASSOCIATION (GLOA)

SIGN:

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

CONCERNED LOTTO AGENTS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA (CLAA)
Hungary is no longer a "full democracy" and the EU needs to do everything to bring it back into line with European values, the European Parliament said Thursday.

MEPs voted 433 in favour, 123 against, to now describe Hungary  ruled by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin  "a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" in "serious breach" of EU democratic norms.

The vote was largely symbolic and does not change the course of EU decision making, which requires unanimity of all 27 member states  including Hungary  to adopt major issues, such as sanctions on Russia.

Backsliding

With their vote, the EU lawmakers roundly adopted a parliamentary report that said Hungary has been backsliding on democratic and fundamental rights since 2018 through the "deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government".

The report said lack of action by EU institutions, including the commission which is tasked as "guardian" of the EU treaties enshrining democratic standards, had exacerbated the degradation.

While EU countries are treading a careful line around Hungary because of the need to win its assent on major decisions, diplomats privately are frustrated with Orban's cosy relationship with the Kremlin and his blocking of further sanctions on Moscow.

The commission has likewise been careful to avoid overt criticism, but unease over Hungary's swerve away from rule of law, particularly in failing to curb corruption, is becoming more evident.

Fight for democracy

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday, in her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, that the EU "must fight for our democracies".

She said her EU executive would work to protect the member states "from the external threats they face, and from the vices that corrode them from within," notably calling out corruption although not naming Hungary directly.

She pledged legislative action to step up the fight against corruption, including against "illicit enrichment, trafficking in influence and abuse of power".

Her EU justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, told MEPs in a debate on rule of law breaches in Hungary that the commission "shares a large number of concerns expressed by the European Parliament" regarding Budapest.

The European Parliament in 2018 launched a procedure against the risk Hungary posed to European democratic values.

In theory, the mechanism can lead to Hungary losing its right to vote in the Council of the EU, where member states adopt decisions affecting the bloc.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Mr Kofi Agyepong, says that the unemployment rate among Ghanaian youth keeps soaring due to a lack of relevant skills to take up existing job opportunities.

To that effect, he said, the youth were losing out on jobs, especially in the artisanal sector to artisans from neighbouring countries.

You want the best of masons to put up a building for you, you want the best of P.O.P done for you in your house, you want the best of plumbers to fix your pipes, and even painting, and you are directed to artisans from Togo because they deliver the best of these services, he said.

Mr Agyepong has, therefore, called for a change in the pattern of investments to ensure that more resources go into enhancing the Technical and vocational skills that will stay with our youth forever.

Speaking at the 2022 Job Fair in Sunyani, he said the situation was so dire that he doubted the capacity of the YEA to find young competent technicians in large numbers to fill up job vacancies that may be available.

I have been asking myself since I took over the agency if Tullow Ghana Limited asks me to supply them with 200 trained and certified electricians today, will I be able to provide them? If AngloGold Ashanti requests YEA to provide them with 500 trained and certified industrial machine engineers, will I be able to provide them?

If the Ghana Water Company requests 100 trained and certified plumbers for employment today, can I provide them? he said.

He commended the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GCC) together with the GIZ, who through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has organised the fair.

He further commended the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations for their continuous support in reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

The CEO also urged young job seekers, while being relentless in their job hunt, to continuously upgrade their skills as they aspire to achieve their dreams.

Take every advantage of the fair and reach out to as many employers as you can. I entreat you to treat this event as just what it is: a job fair, not some sort of funfair, he added.
The Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North Constituency, Dr. Kwamena Minta Nyarku has donated a double axel trip of sand, stones, street lights and 50 bags of cement to Apewosika M/A Basic School.

He also donated a water reservoir (polytanks) to Dehia, Brabedze and Apewosika communities.

This according to the MP was to redeem a pledge he made to the school and the inhabitants of the various communities during his tours when such needs were brought to his attention.

The school benefited from a double load trip of sand, stones, 4 street lights to illuminate the school at night and 50 bags of cement to support the ongoing PTA project.

Receiving the donation on Thursday, 15th September, 2022 on behalf of the school, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chair, Mr. John Mensah Sarbah Duncan thanked the Member of Parliament for the kind gesture but asked for more.

He revealed that the PTA was doing a project for the school and requested for assistance from the MP. "He promised to assist us and today he came to donate these trips of sand and stones and 50 bags of cement to us. The MP added some street lights to help illuminate the school's compound and to that, we're very grateful".

The PTA chair furthered that their elation is premised on the fact that the school suffers from theft due to the absence of a night security guard. "The street lights given us by the MP would help put the thieves at bay so the school can have some respite".

The Apewosika M/A School headteacher, Madam Elizabeth Brew, the PTA and the teachers present were very appreciative of the kind gesture from their Member of Parliament.

Dr. Minta Nyarku on his part encouraged the students to study hard to make the constituency very proud. "With the help of God and as and when resources are available, I shall support the school in whatever capacity I can," he assured the students and the PTA.

Later, the Cape Coast North MP donated 450,000 litres and 500,000 litres of water reservoir (polytanks) to the Apewosika, Dehia and Brabedzie communities respectively to help ease their water problems.

Opinion leaders of the various communities upon receiving the Polytanks thanked their Member of Parliament and wished him God's guidance and blessings in all his endeavours.

The entourage of the Member of Parliament was made up of his PA Ebenezer Domey, Theophilus Cobbinah popularly known as Sisco and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) Cape Coast North executive members.
A general who became a graft buster and turned on his political patron, Angolan President Joao Lourenco was sworn in for a second term on Thursday but faces dwindling popularity in a country struggling with problems.

Nicknamed JLo, the 68-year-old secured a new five-year tenure in the tightest-ever vote held in the oil-rich country.

Lourenco leads the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party, which has ruled for nearly five decades.

In the August 24 ballot, the MPLA suffered its worst performance while its long-term rival, UNITA, surged.

Lourenco's victory was declared just 24 hours after he buried his predecessor, long-time ruler Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Spain in July.

Handpicked by dos Santos, Lourenco took the helm in 2017. That year his party won with a comfortable 61 percent of the vote. This time he notched up just 51 percent.

Lourenco has struggled to live up to the promise of his first term. By Michele Spatari (AFP)

In his acceptance speech before a crowd of selected delegates in the oceanside capital, Lourenco recycled his old promises of economic reforms and job creation.

But he made no mention of his long touted anti-graft campaign.

The election outcome reflected fading support for the historic ruling party, especially among young people clamouring for jobs and a better life.

Political purgatory

Squared-faced with small-eyes, Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco was born in Lobito in western Angola. He often displays an emotionless face when in public.

As a young man, he fought the colonial power Portugal and then after independence took part in the civil war that erupted between the MPLA government and UNITA rebels.

He fought as part of the MPLA in the post-independence civil war. By - (AFP)

Lourenco studied in the former Soviet Union, which trained many rising young African nationalists during decolonisation.

He became political chief of the armed wing of the MPLA in the civil war -- a Cold War proxy conflict that drew in Cuban forces to fight alongside the MPLA, while CIA-backed militias did battle against them.

The ex-artillery general ascended through the MPLA hierarchy, leading the party in parliament before becoming deputy speaker.

Yet his ambition almost ended his career.

Unable to hide his angling for the top job, he was sidelined by dos Santos around the turn of the century.

In 2014, he was brought back from the cold and appointed defence minister. Three years later he eased himself into the top job.

Anti-graft drive

After winning the 2017 elections, Lourenco quickly turned on his predecessor, starting an anti-corruption drive to recoup the billions allegedly embezzled by dos Santos' family.

Inheriting an economy deep in recession, he launched ambitious reforms to diversify government revenue and privatise state-owned firms.

After winning the 2017 elections, Lourenco quickly turned on his predecessor dos Santos. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP)

Lourenco has trumpeted his successes, but many of Angola's 33 million people still wallow in poverty.

His anti-graft push has also been criticised as selective and politically motivated, fuelling divisions within the MPLA.

Dos Santos's death worsened his woes, triggering a public spat with the veteran revolutionary leader's children -- several of whom face graft investigations.

Even so, Lourenco's change in tack from the previous regime has won praise abroad.

He has become the go-to mediator in Africa -- whether dealing with the crisis in the Central Africa Republic or brokering talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

But analysts say he is following his predecessor's footsteps in cracking down on dissent at home.

He is married to Ana Dias, a former planning minister who also represented Angola at the World Bank. They have six children.
The Founder and leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Percival Kofi Akpaloo has assured Ghanaians that the economy will be stabilized when his party wins the 2024 general elections.

He said the LPG will implement and bring out the best strategies, policies, interventions and work hard to develop the country by fixing the enormous challenges confronting it.

"The LPG after taking over will fix the countrys economy and related challenges, including unemployment, insecurity, irregular supply of electricity for the betterment of the citizenry, " he told Accra-based Kingdom FM.

He called on the people to vote massively for the LPG during the election to help them solve the economic crisis hindering the progress of the country.

The LPG, he noted, had laid down measures, policies, and innovations to bounce the country back to recover the economy from the doldrums.
EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that Ukraine would have the backing of Brussels 'for as long as it takes' as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears its seventh month. The comments came during her visit to Kyiv, her first since the country became a candidate for bloc membership in June.

"We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making... but what we can tell you is that you'll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes," she told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky thanked von der Leyen, who was visiting Kyiv for the third time since the beginning of the invasion, for her "personal presence in the life of our country and your personal support of Ukraine."

Ukraine is eager to join the European single market ahead of a decision on whether to grant Kyiv full EU membership, Zelensky said.

"For us, a pressing issue is the question of Ukraine joining the EU single market while we're on the way to EU membership status. I'm sure it will happen and it will be one of our country's most important victories".

The two spoke about Ukrainian energy facilities repeatedly hit by Russian forces and a European energy crisis as Moscow halts of disrupts vital supplies.

"We should help each other" on energy, the Ukrainian president said, adding they were "thankful for having joined European power grids"..

"It's in everyone's interest: European countries can get cheap electricity from Ukraine" and "we'll be able to get money for salaries and social payments in such difficult times".

Von der Leyen also confirmed the 5 billion euro aid package for Ukraine, proposed by the Commission at the beginning of September.

Moscow on edge

"So much has changed. Ukraine is now an EU candidate," Von der Leyen said on social media, ahead of her visit.

Ukraine gained EU candidacy status in June at the same time as ex-Soviet Moldova, which borders Ukraine and like its neighbour has had Russian troops stationed in an eastern breakaway region.

The historic vote angered Moscow, which has tried to retain political and military influence in both countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine by hitting Russia with waves of economic penalties.

Many members of the bloc have also supplied Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces in recent weeks recapture swathes of territory from Russia.

Sanctions to stay

Von der Leyen said that the successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would remain and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow.

"I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay," she told the European Parliament during her annual State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

The Kremlin maintains that Russia has weathered the economic penalties and Moscow has responded by reducing or halting entirely gas flows to European countries.

With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to source alternative supplies, agree plans to cut consumption and roll out financial support in the face of skyrocketing prices.

The EU Commission leader's trip coincides with a highly-touted meeting between the leaders of Russia and China in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan for a regional summit that Moscow and Beijing have said offers an alternative to Western global influence.

Military gains

Meanwhile, Ukraine and its allies however have been buoyed by gains in the eastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia over recent days and Zelensky promised an overall Ukrainian "victory" while visiting the crucial hub of Izyum recaptured this week.

Ukraine's forces have also posted slower, but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front and that the military situation there "remains extremely difficult."

Military observers have credited the success of Ukraine's pushback into the east to Western-supplied arms, particularly long-range precision artillery, and on the training of Ukrainian forces by Western allies.

The Ukrainian military announced on social media Wednesday that some 5,000 Ukrainian military personnel had been trained as part of a joint programme with the United Kingdom.

(with newswires)
US climate envoy John Kerry on Thursday urged African countries to help overcome divisions between rich and poor nations at the upcoming UN COP27 talks.

Meeting African environment ministers, Kerry acknowledged the historic role of wealthy countries in stoking climate change but said tackling today's emissions was a global problem.

"There are some folks unfortunately who are willing to sort of allocate responsibility in a sort of historical... way," he said at talks in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

"(They are) pointing a finger at us -- 'what you guys created, you guys need to clear'," Kerry said.

"Well, guess what: Mother Nature does not measure where the emissions come from -- they don't have a label of one country or another."

The United States is the world's richest country and its second biggest emitter of heat-trapping carbon dioxide.

But the first place goes to China, which joins developing economies in a negotiating bloc at the UN climate talks.

Kerry pointed to the worsening impact from climate change on Africa.

"(The) climate crisis here in Africa is more acute than it is in some other parts of the world," Kerry said.

"This year has seen devastating floods in South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda that just killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands.

"Meanwhile, the Horn of Africa is in its fourth year of drought, with more than 18 million suffering from food insecurity as a consequence."

Money and emissions

COP27 -- the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- will take place at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh from November 6-18.

The annual climate parlays are dominated by often fierce debate on national pledges on emissions curbs and on funding.

Wealthy countries have previously promised billions of dollars to help poorer nations avert carbon emissions and build resilience against climate change.

On Wednesday, a bloc of the world's poorest countries said they would urge COP27 to push ahead with another envisioned area of climate finance -- a fund to compensate vulnerable nations for damage such as floods and rising seas.

Ministers and experts from the 46-nation Least Developed Countries (LDC) bloc, also meeting in Dakar, said setting up a funding mechanism for the proposed fund was of "crucial importance."

Kerry took a swing at former president Donald Trump, who ditched the UN's landmark 2015 agreement on climate change.

"President (Joe) Biden has brought unprecedented resources to the table, joining the Paris Agreement again on Day One after the miserable decision of a president who didn't know the science," he said.

Kerry, a former secretary of state, also pointed to the United States' help for Africa, which last year amounted to $8.2 billion in humanitarian and climate adaptation aid.

"I will say to you bluntly: the developed world needs to do more... but we need you to also be at the table to do the things that make the difference to be able to deploy the funding and make it work," he said.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Afigya Kwabre North in the Ashanti region, Collins Adomako-Mensah says he was disrespected by a waiter at a pub in Kumasi because of some Chinese nationals.

Speaking on the Accra-based Metro TVs Good Morning Ghana show on Wednesday, September 14, the NPP legislator revealed that he was prevented from a seat at a pub by the waiter only to realise that the same seat was given to some Chinese nationals who came after them.

Three weeks ago I was in Kumasi and myself and a few friends decided to go to a pub to have a drink. Ten minutes after we sat one of the gentlemen approached and told us we had to get up and move to a new place, Collins Adomako explained.

He added they know I am an MP. After a little argument, we moved and ten minutes later some Chinese guys entered to take the seats and they were treated with all the courtesies.

His comment follows the trial of the popular Chinese galamsey queen, Aisha Huang and some accomplices on Wednesday at the Accra Circuit Court.

Meanwhile, the notorious illegal miner pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The presiding judge, His Lordship Bright Acquah adjourn the case to September 27.
Aside Aisha Huang's saga, one of the most heated debates is the allegation that former President John Dramani Mahama received GHS15,612,319 as ex-gratia, a claimed made by NPP Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC.

This was after the former President said at a yam festival in Ho that a next NDC government will abolish the payment of ex-gratia to save the public purse.

In reaction, Abronye DC said the former President's comment was mere rhetoric because he (former President) has received the aforementioned amount as an end-of-service package in 2013 and 2017.

Let me reiterate my position that Mr. John Mahama indeed received GH14 million as ex gratia in 2013 which was credited into his Agricultural Development Bank Account.

Since 2017, it is important to note that Mr. John Mahama has since received an end-of-service package of GH 15,612,319, Abronye DC said in a statement.

In reaction, a statement from the office of the former President refuted the claim stating that we urge the public to ignore the unintelligent rants of the said Kwame Baffoe who has gained notoriety for fabricating and propagating falsehood on behalf of Nana AkufoAddo against John Mahama. His claims are false.

In the midst of the 'dog fight', the Executive Director for the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has hinted that the fact-checking agency known as Fact-Check Ghana will settle the matter.

In a tweet today, September 15, sighted by Modernghana News, Mr. Braimah wrote, NPP says Mahama has been a beneficiary of that state loot called ex-gratia and other benefits. NDC says Mahama has not. So who is telling the truth and who is deceiving Ghanaians? Well, will let you know soon.
An American global economic analyst at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Prof. Steve H. Hanke has spoken about the fate of the Ghanaian Cedi.

The popular economist who has for the past months studied the economy of this country has asserted that the Cedi is not bouncing back anytime soon.

He added in a tweet spotted by Modernghana News today, September 16, that the Cedi has seen a depreciation rate of over 41% against the USD since January 2020.

Databank Research says the Ghanian Cedi will stabilize in a few weeks. That's just WISHFUL THINKING. Since Jan 1, 2020, the cedi has depreciated over 41% against the USD. Remember my 95% Rule: 95% of what you read in the press is wrong or irrelevant, his tweet reads.

This was a reaction to the current research by Databank that the local currency will, in a few weeks, bounce back.

Its Weekly Currency Report issued on Monday noted that in the coming weeks, we expect the cedi to find a cushion on the back of expected forex inflows from the $1.3 billion cocoa syndicated loan.

The Databanks report added, last week, the BoG allotted $25 million across the 7-day to 75-day tenors against total bids of US$107.75 million.

"The resulting bid-to-cover ratio of 4.31x (versus 4.38x in the previous auction) shows a marginal relaxation of demand pressures, although the wide demand-supply disparity persists."
Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini has opined the best way to fight illegal mining known as galamsey as a country.

The former Minister believes that putting aside political differences as citizens and fight together is the only way stamp out galamsey.

While speaking on the Accra-based Joy News channels PM Express on Thursday, September 15, monitored by Modernghana News, the former Tamale Central legislator asserted that failure to stop galamsey as a nation will lead to disaster as the natural vegetation and resources will be destroyed and depleted soon.

All political parties must agree that we have to fight galamsey and not use it as an avenue to score cheap political points.

We are exacerbating poverty by not fighting galamsey, he stressed.

He continued I was quite surprised that recently 838 changfang machines were found on river Offin and the DCE is still in office. When you are applying the law, you must do so with blinded eyes.

Following the re-arrest of notorious Chinese galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang, the fight against galamsey has received renewed attention.

Many, including the deputy NDC General Secretary, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, believe she is a bankroller for the ruling NPP, which explains why they have been unable to stop or prosecute her.

Aisha Huang, who was repatriated in 2018, was caught engaging in the activity after allegedly sneaking into the country a year or two ago.

She and three others will reappear in the Accra High Court on September 27.
Ben Ephson, Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper and political analyst has stated that the 2020 general election was a perfect opportunity for the opposition NDC to win.

He explained that many of the illegal miners were angry with the NPP including other businessmen such as road contractors.

However, the pollster revealed that Mr. John Mahama and his NDC were unable to win because they were unable to explain their plans for the Free SHS policy.

Speaking on the Accra-based Joy News' PM Express On Thursday, September 15, monitored by Modernghana News, about "the galamsey war and the political cost factor," he noted that many were afraid the NDC would scrap the policy.

It was a chance for the NDC to win. NDC lost the elections because of their inability to say what they were going to do with the Free SHS but definitely, galamsey cost the NPP some seats because of the apathy.

About 30% per cent of Ghanaian swing voters who are in favour of the Galamsey voted against the NPP parliamentary candidates but for Nana Akufo-Addo because primarily they feared the NDC will cancel Free SHS when they come, the pollster explained.

The ruling party, with 169 seats after their victory in the 2016 general elections, lost 35 seats to the NDC and an independent candidate.

According to the pollster, the fight against galamsey also contributed to the poor electoral performance of the NPP in the 2020 general elections.

Galamsey is a lucrative business and supporters of the NPP who are active galamsey participants didn't come out to vote for the NPP, they were apathetic and that is why the NPP lost a lot of parliamentary seats. Nana Addo also won marginally, about half a million votes because of this, he said.
On a sandy street in a northern Malian town, armed guards take turns at a checkpoint next to two unmarked pickup trucks as dusk falls and the sky slowly fills with stars.

The men are not army troops but fighters from the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) -- a predominantly Tuareg alliance that fought the state for years before signing a peace deal in 2015.

It has since taken charge of the strategic town of Kidal.

Kidal lies in remote northern Mali, more than 1,500 kilometres from the capital Bamako. By SOULEYMANE AG ANARA (AFP)

It is this group, rather than the government, that maintains security there, runs the prisons and issues pardons, an AFP correspondent found during a rare visit.

The fact that Kidal is still controlled by the ex-rebels continues to pose a sovereignty issue and remains a source of irritation for Bamako -- including for the current junta.

"In Kidal, armed groups play a more important role" in administration than the state, a panel of UN experts said in August.

Peace deal

A former French military post dating back to the early 20th century, Kidal is a mosaic of right-angled streets and flat buildings set in the desert dust.

Northern Mali was the starting point of a jihadist campaign in 2012 that three years later spread to the country's centre and neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

It lies more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the capital Bamako and hundreds of kilometres from the cities of Gao and Timbuktu.

It is a crucial stopover between Mali and Algeria.

When an insurrection broke out in 2012, the region was one of the first in Mali to fall into the hands of the rebels, both separatists and Salafists.

It was taken over by the CMA in 2013 following military intervention by France, and has remained in their hands despite a 2014 attempt by the Malian army to regain control.

Mbarick Ag Akli, a Tuareg dignitary from Gao, attending talks among ex-rebels in Kidal in August. By SOULEYMANE AG ANARA (AFP)

In 2015, the rebels signed the so-called Algiers peace agreement with pro-government armed groups and the state.

Instead of independence, it offered them more local autonomy and the chance to integrate their fighters into a state-run "reconstituted" army that would operate throughout the north and maintain security in Kidal.

But the agreement has only been implemented in fragments.

About 600 "reintegrated" soldiers were redeployed to Kidal in 2020, but they hardly ever leave their camps, according to the UN.

Today, there is a state governor in Kidal but no national police force or justice system.

Law and justice

Ibrahim Ag Moustapha, the commander of the detachment deployed at the crossroads, said his men were there to spot "drunken behaviour," vehicles "without lights" and those "holding military equipment".

The ex-rebels decide whether suspects will be brought to justice -- under Islamic, rather than state, law.

On a recent visit to an Islamic court, judges known as cadis were ruling on a land dispute, with the Koran placed on a low table around which the judges and the defendants sat on mats.

Nearly 130 cases had been heard there over the previous two months, Moulaye Ag Sidi Lola, a member of the council of judges, told AFP.

He said the judgments handed down by the cadis are "independent" of the CMA.

"In the Tuareg environment, people have always had recourse to the cadi," Ag Moustapha, the commander, said.

"Even in colonial times, there was the cadi; the system has never changed."

Convicts are detained in a prison secured by the CMA, with 36 people being held there as of early September.

Some may be pardoned -- again by the ex-rebels -- usually before Eid-al-Adha or Ramadan, Sidi Lola said.

The CMA "did not inherit the previous means of state," said lghabass Ag Intalla, the group's president and a central figure of the former rebellion. "We resorted to our own means".

'Uncertain' calm

In the meantime, regular citizens, who come from the same communities as the CMA, appear committed to the armed group's cause.

Fighters from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), part of the CMA alliance, pose for a picture during the August talks. By SOULEYMANE AG ANARA (AFP)

The colours of the former rebellion are painted on walls lining the streets of Kidal. A skeletal army tank -- a souvenir of old battles -- serves as a roundabout.

If there are discordant opinions, they are not expressed publicly.

"The patrols are very effective," said Hartata Ag Baye, a pharmacist downtown who says he is happy to be able to stay open late, something that would be impossible in many parts of northern Mali.

The situation is "calm" in Kidal, said Attiyoub Ag Intalla, the head of a civil society group, but it remains "uncertain".

Further south, the areas of Gao and Menaka have for months been plagued by fighting between the army, armed groups and jihadists, with civilians caught in the crossfire.

The violence could "come here", the civil society leader worried. Displaced people are already pouring in, he said.
President Joe Biden on Friday will welcome South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House, part of a renewed US courting of the developing world power after its caution in condemning Russia.

The visit by Ramaphosa comes a month after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his own trip to South Africa, where he vowed that the United States will do more to listen to Africans.

Successive US administrations have focused much of their energy in Africa on countering the growing influence of China, which has become the continent's dominant trading partner.

But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered a new front in the US battle for influence in Africa, where many nations have been reluctant to embrace the West in its campaign to punish and pressure Moscow.

"There are reasons for the perspectives that exist and one should never, I think, try to pretend that there aren't histories," said South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.

She pointed to the former Soviet Union's championing of anti-apartheid forces compared with periods of Western cooperation with South Africa's former white supremacist regime.

"I think we've been fairly clear, in our view, that war doesn't assist anyone and that we believe the inhumane actions we have seen against the people of Ukraine can't be defended by anybody," she said this week at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

Ukrainians living in South Africa demonstrated in the summer of 2022 in front of a Johannesburg hotel where a Russian business delegation was staying. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP/File)

"But what we have said is that a lot of the public statements that are made by leading politicians are not assisting in ameliorating the situation, because the first prize must be to achieve peace."

The United States has sought to highlight the invasion's role in soaring food prices, as Ukraine was one of Africa's largest suppliers of grain.

Russia has sought to blame food scarcities on Western sanctions, an argument dismissed by the United States, which says it is not restricting agricultural or humanitarian shipments.

Common ground

South Africa's top diplomat broke with the usual polite bipartisanship of foreign dignitaries visiting Washington, not mincing words on Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who notoriously referred to nations in the developing world with an epithet.

"We relate very well, I think probably better, with the Democrats than the Republicans," she said. "You will recall how President Trump described Africa and no one has apologized for that as yet."

Ramaphosa's visit comes a month after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his own trip to South Africa, where he vowed that the United States will do more to listen to Africans. By Andrew Harnik (POOL/AFP/File)

Trump was the first US president in decades not to visit sub-Saharan Africa. Biden has not yet visited but has pledged a renewed interest, including with a summit of African leaders planned in Washington this December.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden would speak to Ramaphosa about increasing trade and investment as well as efforts to combat climate change, a key priority for the US administration.

Like other developing nations, South Africa -- whose eastern Mpumalanga province has one of the world's largest concentrations of coal -- argues that industrialized nations should bear the brunt of efforts to cut emissions due to their historic responsibility for climate change.

Wealthy nations at last year's Glasgow climate conference promised $8.5 billion of financing to South Africa to transition away from coal.

Ramaphosa's Washington visit comes amid political woes at home, three months before a party conference at which he will seek a new term.

The South African leader risks impeachment if a new independent panel established by parliament finds that he took part in an alleged cover-up of a heist at his luxury farmhouse.
British Monarch, King Charles III has officially invited His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene to attend the state funeral ceremony of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

An invitation was also sent out to the wife of Asantehene, Lady Julia Osei Tutu.

By the invitation, Otumfuo will attend the Queen's Lying-In-State, the King's Reception, State Funeral Services and the Foreign Secretary's Reception.

The event will take place on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Somewhere in 2000, Asantehene was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II during a three-week visit to the United Kingdom where he visited the British Parliament House, Windsor Castle, and other places.

Also in 2018, Prince Charles now King Charles III visited the Asantehene when he came to Ghana.

Queen Elizabeth II, queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other sovereign countries died on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96, after 70 years of reigning as queen.

Buckingham Palace earlier announced that the Queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors became concerned for her health.

Following further evaluation this morning, the Queens doctors are concerned for Her Majestys health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision, a statement said, adding: the Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.

According to the BBC, the announcement comes after the Queen, 96, pulled out of the Privy Council on Wednesday, with doctors advising her to rest.
Senior Lecturer with the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has lambasted the handlers of President Akufo-Addo who provide him with information on economic issues.

Reacting to the Presidents uncertainty on whether Chinese national Aisha Huang was deported or she fled years ago for her illegal mining activities, Prof. Gyampo says the handlers of the President are an embarrassment.

Speaking on Stone City FM, the President said he cannot tell for sure what happened to the woman who has become popular and known for galamsey.

Im not still sure whether she was in fact deported, or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it, he said.

According to Prof. Gyampo, the statement by the President is shocking especially when he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

In a post on Facebook, the UG Political Science Lecturer said, Why should a whole President of ours, and C-in-C say this? What info cant he get if he wants to? The handlers of the President are a monumental embarrassment to the old man.

When Aisha Huang faced court with three others, she was denied bail and remanded to Police custody for two more weeks.

She will reappear with three other suspects on September 27.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has warned that it will go after entitie charging dollars or any other foreign currency for the services they render without permission.

Speaking to Joy News in an interview, Dr. Joseph France who is the Head of Financial Stability at BoG has disclosed that the Central Bank is ready to crack the whip.

He explained that although some institutions are permitted to deal in forex because they are net forex earners, any other company not permitted to do so must desist from such an act.

We flush out some of these when we get to know of them. We have limited institutions that deal in forex. For instance, when you go to the oil and gas companies, I mean, net foreign exchange earners, theyre not licensed to deal but theyre permitted to deal in forex because theyre net forex earners, like the mining companies, the oil and gas companies.

Some limited institutions like some limited hotels and so on are permitted to deal in forex. Its not everybody who is supposed to deal in forex for which you advertise. So when these things come to our attention, we go after such persons to make sure that they stop, Dr. Joseph France shared.

He further called on the public to report companies that charge in dollars and foreign currencies to the BoG for necessary action to be taken against them.

So I put a challenge out there that once you get to know of somebody, we get reports and we act on them. So we tell the public that anybody who is pricing in dollars please report because its actually a crime to be pricing in dollars. The foreign exchange act makes it that. So you report to us and well also report to the security agencies. Or report to the security agencies and the person will be stopped, he said.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has kicked against the Energy Minister's insistence on keeping the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Limited Company (BOST) margin in the petroleum price build-up.

The Minister at the annual general meeting of BOST on Wednesday indicated that there are no plans of taking off the 9 pesewas BOST margin on petroleum products due to the effective utilization of the proceeds by the company.

Reacting to the Minister's position, Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah said if BOST keeps to its original mandate, there will be no need for maintaining the BOST margin in the petroleum price build-up.

I totally disagree with the Minister when he says that the margin will not be taken off bearing in mind the very fact that, the private BDCs also have depots where products are stored, and they do not get any margin but operate leanly. So perhaps this conversation must be had in a broader manner, he stressed.

Government has in recent times come under fire to remove the BOST margin, to cushion petroleum consumers against high fuel prices.

But sector minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said government has no plans of taking off the margin on petroleum products.

He said the BOST margin has come to stay. I can promise that the BOST margin on petroleum products is not being taken off anytime soon. We will use the BOST margin efficiently and effectively to protect the citizens of this country against the vagaries of private sector interest, which has always been about profit.

The BOST margin was implemented on the price build-up in 2011 to cover the maintenance and expansion of infrastructure at the state company.

In December 2019, it was increased to 6 pesewas from 3, and was later increased again to 9 pesewas in 2021 after several demands by BOST.

Back then, stakeholders in the energy sector asked the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to withdraw the increment. They argued that Ghanaians were already facing difficult times due to high petroleum price build-up and fuel prices.

Taxes and levies contribute to almost half of the final ex-pump prices of fuel.

citinewsroom
Families of some 16 persons who died on the property of Shaanxi Mining Company in the Talensi district of the Upper East region say for nearly three years, the company has refused to compensate them despite a directive from the Minerals Commission.

The mining company in 2019 was found culpable for an explosion that claimed 16 small-scale miners lives at its concession.

The Shaanxi now Earl International was fined $40,000 after investigations were conducted by the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission for various infractions that resulted in the accident at its enclave.

Relatives of the victims at a press conference are calling on the Mineral Commission and government to come to their aid and direct the mining company to compensate them.

According to them, the mining company since its existence for the past 10 years has caused many youths to lose their lives without any compensation.

Albert Naa who spoke to the media on behalf of the relatives said These and many lives have been lost due to the negligence and unsafe mining practices at Shaanxi. We are bold to state that Earl Internationals presence in Ghane has had a negative impact on the population and the environment.

Earl International (Shaanxi) has been mining for over 10 years with nothing to show with respect to jobs for the youth, infrastructural development, and local enterprise development for the community members. At this point, we can say that Shaanxis poor health and safety standards have caused the death of many illustrious sons and daughters in Talensi.

He stressed "It must be noted that it is not only galamsey that is a danger to human life and the environment. Large-scale mining companies such as Earl International, Cardinal, and Cassius could cause far serious devastation to lives and the environment if their operations are not monitored and regulated with all the seriousness it requires.

They reiterated their call on the Minerals Commission and the Regional Minister to as a matter of urgency ensure that there is proper compensation and resettlement for all the communities that are affected by Earl Internationals (Shaanxi) operations.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Everyone knows that Ghana is the most peaceful nation in West Africa and that it has the friendliest people to foreigners of any nation on the continent. Although Ghanaians hate themselves, the greeting "Akwaaba," which welcomes visitors to Ghana is conspicuously written at destination points at the airport.

Ghana is ruled by tribalism to such an extent that I occasionally wonder what function religion serves in this country, despite the existence of countless religious organizations and church leaders. No Ghanaian who commits similar offenses abroad will go free from penalty or incarceration, especially in light of the crimes the Chinese perpetrate in Ghana with impunity.

The white man is frequently accused of racism and prejudice by an African or a Black man in Europe or the United States of America, but we need to ask ourselves: How much do we love each other here in Ghana? How frequently do Ghanaians criticize one another based on their origins before entertaining foreigners? If that isn't ignorance or hypocrisy, it's craziness.



The NPP government treats foreigners better than Ghanaians because doing illegal business with them makes it straightforward to gain a fortune through corruption.

Africans are still looking for their identity decades after slavery. Black people continue to experience suffering as if they are not human beings in both Europe and the United States of America. The situation for Africans should have improved, but it never does because Africans are split by tribalism and hatred. Since the Europeans witness what an African does to another African, it inspires them to harm Africans in several wicked ways that go unnoticed.

A man who purportedly claimed to be a municipal guard for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly was seen on film kicking a woman. I have no idea what Maame Achiaa, the victim, did to deserve such horrific abuse. How on earth could a man treat a woman in such a way is the question. Are there no appropriate ways to call her if even she has broken the law?

If a country's judicial system is unsound, it may descend into violence and criminality. I never stop writing an article about Ghana's corrupt judiciary system. No matter how corrupt the legal system is in Europe or the US, it nevertheless provides strong service to ensure that criminals don't get away with their crimes, because of this, individuals, even politicians, are imprisoned in developed nations for their crimes.

Nothing works in Ghana because people take advantage of the weak foundation of the judicial system to commit significant crimes in our nation with impunity. Why do we permit foreigners to commit crimes in Ghana without consequence when Ghanaians cannot do it elsewhere without facing jail time?

Due to selfishness and tribalism, the current government in Ghana, which has irreparably damaged this nation, keeps gaining popularity. Akufo Addo has the gall to say that he will ensure that the NPP wins the elections in 2024 despite his tremendous corruption, which includes the theft of COVID funding, and despite not winning the 2020 elections.

Such words pose a threat to democracy because the president's statement means that even if he is not going to win the 2024 elections, as happened in 2020, he would still ensure that the NPP wins. No sane person in Ghana objected to the president's careless statement, not even the Attorney General, Godfred Dame.

The attorney general, however, has taken action against John Mahama, the former president of Ghana, for criticizing the judiciary over the wrongdoings that are harming the nation and its citizens. If these occurrences go unchecked daily, what can you as a Ghanaian expect from the NPP government?

I'm very perplexed by the damage that Akufo Addo's administration has inflicted on our country and its citizens. They never bring up their inefficiencies, which caused the banks to fail, or the embezzlement of public funds, particularly the COVID funds that were deposited in overseas accounts.

They don't discuss the failed E-Levy, which resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs nationwide, nor do they discuss the high unemployment rate or the fact that patients, including expectant mothers, die in hospitals. Instead, what I hear is the breaking of the 8th cycle. This demonstrates Akufo Addo's wickedness.

Akufo Addo has nothing to give Ghana since he is an opportunist, not a wise leader. His wickedness has made him unpopular, bringing him more disgrace than prosperity, and it will stay that way. My main concern is the embarrassment that will surround those who support him and the additional harm he will inflict on Ghana before stepping down from office.

Since it's simple to conduct shady business dealings with foreigners to amass wealth, the NPP administration treats them better than Ghanaians. It is time for Ghanaians who love their country to ensure that foreign criminals are deported and that any foreigner acting suspiciously is reported; this would help to reduce corruption and criminal activity in the nation.
The Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Student Planners, held a symposium and exit summit on the theme Environmental Justice as a Means of Achieving Sustainable City Development.

The event was hosted at the Casely Hayford Building Ground floor on Friday, 26th August 2022.

Prof. Clifford Amoako, Head of the Department of Planning, in his welcoming address, indicated that the Department would be elevated into a School of Planning after approval by the University's Academic Board.

Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, while making a presentation on the theme disclosed that an Alumni of the Department of Planning is a planner for the City of Toronto. He therefore commended the department for producing planners who can work globally.

He indicated that the urban poor are mostly affected when the environment is depleted. He noted that the urban poor and young families who cannot afford to rent in reputable neighbourhoods endure the consequences of environmental injustice such as water pollution, perennial flooding and among others.

The Director General indicated that environmental justice occurs when people have the right to participate in the governance and use of resources in their local community. He further added that environmental justice is enshrined in relevant documents and even the constitution. He further noted that environmental injustice begins to thrive when planners compromise on the ethics of his or her profession."

Ending his speech, he charged all planners to Create a Ghana where there's a real optimization of resources to make the country a better place for the citizenry. He noted that this will require the need to view professional planning practice from integrated and multidisciplinary perspectives.

Dr. Stephen Appiah Takyi-Patron of GASP-KNUST, Gideon Adu Sarfo, the GASP President, Pln Mohammed Alhassan, President of Ghana Institute of Planners, Dr Owusu Amponsah, Department of Planning Postgraduate Programme Coordinator, Dr.(Mrs) Gifty Adom Asamoah, Department of Planning Undergraduate Programme Director, Prof Michael Poku-Boansi, KNUST Vice-Dean, School of Graduate Studies Dr. Mrs Beatrice Sarpong-Danquah, Lecturer at the Department of Accounting and Finance and Mrs. Beatrice K.Osei-Bonsu, Chief Development Planning Officer, REPO (Ashanti) were among the invited guests who attended the event.
Thousands of young women and teenage girls will dance before the new king of South Africa's Zulu nation on Saturday, defying critics of the tradition and a row over the legitimacy of the royal succession.

Every September, tens of thousands of women, known locally as maidens, descend on the royal palace in the mountain town of Nongoma in the southeast KwaZulu-Natal province, to perform a reed dance.

During the ceremony, each girl will present a tall reed to the new king which, legend has it, will wilt if the holder is not a virgin.

The ceremony is a traditional rite of womanhood, rooted historically in an occasion for the king to select new wives among his subjects.

The newly crowned head of South Africa's largest ethnic group is the 47-year-old King MisuZulu Zulu, also known by his official title as MisuZulu kaZwelithini.

He was recognised as monarch at a traditional ceremony last month following the death last year of his father King Goodwill Zwelithini, who had reigned for 50 years.

A succession row involving two factions of the royal family rumbles on, however.

First since Covid

This year's festivities are eagerly awaited -- it will be the first time the dance will take place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I can't wait for this weekend. I am so excited -- it's been a long time since we have all been together as girls," Thembalami Dumakade, 23, told AFP.

Prior to the dance, the participants will have their genitalia inspected, a practice condemned by rights advocates who say it is demeaning and an invasion of privacy.

"The girls have the right to partake in the virginity testing if they want, it is their bodies. Those who are telling us our traditions are dated are entitled to their opinion," said Nomagugu Ngobese, one of the virginity testers, told AFP by telephone.

"But it is our culture, we do not have to consult with anyone about it."

Virginity is a precondition to partake in the dance.

This year's event is also clouded by the ongoing succession battle.

Those opposed to King MisuZulu ascending the throne have warned of "bloodshed" if the reed dance goes ahead, according to local media reports.

'Only one king'

"We have tight security on our side. Everything will go ahead as normal and we will be welcoming maidens from all corners of our country," the royal family's spokesman, Prince Thulani Zulu, told AFP.

"People are free to say what they want. It is a democracy after all. They can claim to be kings, but there is only one king".

One faction of the royal family believes Misuzulu is the rightful heir as his late mother, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu the third queen consort and sister to Eswatini King Mswati III, was a royal princess.

But Prince Simakade, the late king's first-born son who was born out of wedlock, has been championed by dissenting relatives by virtue of being the eldest son and therefore the rightful heir.

Simakade on Wednesday filed an urgent court application seeking to dethrone his half-brother, according to local media.

The first-born son also challenged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to recognise Misuzulu as the rightful Zulu monarch.

"I promise I will work to unite the Zulu nation," MisuZulu, who has not addressed the succession tussle publicly, vowed during his coronation speech last month.
The Nkonya Senior High School (NKOSEC) 1993 Foundation, has organised a training workshop for some selected youth of Nkonya in bee-keeping to help improve the local economy.

It is also aimed at whipping up the interest of the community and the general public in the vocation for economic reliance.

The Foundation, Forestry Commission and United Nations World Food Programme are championing the support programme.

The participants were drawn from the Nkonya-Tepo and Nkonya-Ntumda communities of the District.

Mr Joseph Bekoe, Executive Director, NKOSEC 1993 Foundation, during a training workshop in Nkonya, said it was meant to empower participants to venture into bee-keeping towards enhancing the socio-economic development of the District.

He said as part of supporting the programme, a total of 600 bee-hives with protective attires would be supplied to the bee-keepers to enhance production.

Mr Bekoe expects that the living standards of the participants would improve, while their dependents and community progress if they become financially empowered.

He tasked participants to take the lessons into practice and achieve its intended purpose.

Mr Solomon Wakemeh, Executive Director, Federation of Ghana Bee-Keepers and the facilitator, said bee-keeping was a lucrative job, which people should venture into.

He said although lucrative, lack of capital was keeping people from venturing into it.

Mr Wakemeh appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and Non-Governmental Organisations to assist individuals, who were in the business of bee-keeping.

He sensitised the participants on the types of bee equipment needed for beekeeping, the ideal location to keep bees, hive preparation, and dos and don'ts during beekeeping.

Mr Wakemeh said there was a ready market for the product hence no need for bee-keepers to worry.

He also touched on the importance of bee-keeping including job creation.

Mr Owusu Bibi, a former Assemblyman for Nkonya Tepo Electoral Area, called on the youth to venture into beekeeping and earn a good living.

He said he had released 20-acre farmland to the Foundation to cultivate cashew.

Mr Bibi said their vegetation was good for bee-keeping hence the call on all to go into the venture.

Madam Agnes Atsu, a participant pledged to religiously practice the lessons being imparted, so as to reap the benefits from the venture.

She said she would also share knowledge acquired with others and advised them to go into it.
MR. ADU HANSON ADDRESSING THE GATHERING

16.09.2022 LISTEN

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) in collaboration with the Bono East regional office of the Lands Commission has held a Community Land Clinic in Atebubu.

According to Mr. Michael Okine, the Coordinator for the Land and Corruption in Africa project, the increasing need for land use, has led to its administration becoming fraught with many irregularities which amount to corruption.

He said efforts to address these irregularities and to ensure the adherence to regulations in the land acquisition process led to the project which also runs in 6 other African countries namely: South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Madagascar.

He shared the findings of a sentinel survey conducted in the municipality prior to the public engagement which revealed among others, the high cost of land, extortion and multiple allocations as some of the acts of corruption in the land acquisition process in the municipality with chiefs and local authorities as the worst offenders.

Mr. Benjamin Adu Hanson, the regional director of the Lands Commission took participants mainly drawn from farmers and trade groups, heads of departments, traditional authorities and the media through the types of land ownership, the land registration process and its importance stressing the need to document all land transactions notwithstanding the intended use.

He also touched on the preparation of base maps, layouts and land demarcations adding that land transactions are guided by law hence the need to involve the Commission in such arrangements making references to the new land act 1036, the 1992 constitution, the environmental protection act 1994 act 490 and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority act 925 as laws governing land acquisition in Ghana.

Mr. Hanson together with some officials from his outfit provided answers to a number of questions key amongst which were, the land registration process, witnesses to land acquisition, the role of the Commission in disputes, the role of the Stool Lands Secretariat and the difference between stool and family lands.

Most participants were grateful to the organizers for the insights which they hoped will guide them in any future dealing with land matters.

Present were members of the Social Auditing Club, a local affiliate of the Ghana Integrity Initiative.
16.09.2022 LISTEN

The Victoria and Albert museum in the United Kingdom are returning to Ghana, the Asante gold regalia because the spirits have been haunting them.

A historian and linguist at Manhyia Royal Palace in the Ashanti Kingdom, Teacher Kwadwo Sarfo Kantanka has told Sompa Tv in an interview that the spirits in the gold ornaments are giving them sleepless nights and therefore their decision to return the ornaments back to the rightful owners (Asanteman).

According to the historian, the king of Ashanti Kingdom, H.R.M Otumfour Osei Tutu the 2nd has had discussions with them on the return of the objects taken from the Ashantis in the olden days.

Recall.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is likely to return Asante gold regalia to Ghana after a recent visit there by its director Tristram Hunt. These treasures had been seized during a British punitive raid in 1874.

Although international attention is now focused on the restitution of Benin bronzes to Nigeria from European and American collections, items from the Asante kingdom are arguably of equal significance. Together, Benin and Asante (now in Ghana) represent two of the greatest West African cultures. A return of treasures to Ghana by the V&A will inevitably increase pressure on the British Museum, which holds a much larger Asante collection.

The British colony of the Gold Coast was expanded in 1872 and conflicts then intensified with the Asante kingdom, which lay to the north. In January 1874 British troops entered Kumasi, the Asante capital. Queen Victorias forces looted and blew up the palace of the king (Asantehene), Kofi Karikari. They then demanded 50,000 ounces of gold, nominally to recover the expenses of the punitive raid. The seizure of the gold regalia stripped the Asante king of his symbols of government. Tensions continued over many years and further treasures were seized during later military campaigns in 1896 and 1900.

Hunt, in the V&As latest annual review, writes: I visited Ghana to begin conversations about a renewable cultural partnership centred around the V&A collection of Asante court regalia, which entered the collection following the looting of Kumasi in 1874. We are optimistic that a new partnership model can forge a potential pathway for these important artefacts to be on display in Ghana in the coming years.

On his visit in February, Hunt held discussions with both the Ghanaian ministry of tourism, arts and culture and the current Asante king, Osei Tutu II.

Most UK national museums are not normally able to deaccession, in the V&As case because of restrictions incorporated in the 1983 National Heritage Act. Hunt favours a loosening of this prohibition and with next years 40th anniversary of the act, he would like to see a debate over deaccessioning.

For the present, the V&A can only offer a long-term loan of Asante treasures, but eventually such loans might lead to a transfer of legal ownership. We can report that the V&A-Ghanaian discussions were partly facilitated by Ivor Agyeman-Duah, a Kumasi-born historian of Asante art and architecture. He served as an adviser to John Kufuor, a former president of Ghana (2001-09), and was a former director of the Ghana Museums & Monuments Board.

One of the sensitive issues that needs addressing is whether treasures returned from Britain should be displayed in the national capital, Accra, or the Asante capital, Kumasi.

Agyeman-Duah tells The Art Newspaper that he believes it is important that looted Asante objects should be returned to where they were seized: It is appropriate that they go to the palace in Kumasi.

The venue there would be the Manhyia Palace Museum, a building erected in 1925, which served as the royal residence until 1970. In 1995 it became a museum. It has been closed since last year for refurbishment, including upgrading security and environmental conditions, which will pave the way for international loans.

The greatest part of the V&As Asante collection comprises 13 pieces of looted Asante court regalia. These were sold by the British army through the London crown jeweller Garrard.

They include a decorated gold pectoral soul disc, shaped like a flower, which would have been worn by priests involved in the ritual purification of the kings soul. There is a also a pear-shaped pendant, either worn or possibly attached to a state sword or stool. The remaining pieces of regalia are of gold.

The British Museums collection of Asante objects is much larger, including 105 items that were seized in 1874. Of these, 83 were purchased from the crown agents for the colonies, 12 from Garrard and ten elsewhere. A further 12 pieces were acquired after an 1896 raid.

Among the most poignant objects in the British Museums collection is a large gold soul disc. When acquired by the Marquess of Exeter in 1874 he had it framed by Garrard in an impressive gold surround, made in London. On the reverse it is inscribed, along with the aristocrats crest: The gold ornament in the centre of this dish is a portion of the indemnity paid by the Ashanti King Coffee Calcalli to Her Majestys Forces. This transformed a sacred Asante religious object into an English war trophy. Perhaps surprisingly, the object was bought by the British Museum from the owners descendants in 1973, nearly a century after the looting.

The Wallace Collection has a stunning gold Asante trophy head which is the largest known piece of historic gold work made in Africa, outside Egypt. This was bought by Richard Wallace in 1874.

Londons National Army Museum owns an important ceremonial bowl which stood outside the royal mausoleum. This was once erroneously said to have been used to collect the blood of beheaded sacrificial victims, a reflection of British colonial attitudes in the 19th century.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery is believed to own an important Asante gold rams head. It is set on an elaborate stand, made in London in 1875, which includes three Atlantean figures of Africans.

When The Art Newspaper asked for further information, we were told that the regiment do not circulate details relating to their private property.

Other Asante pieces are in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Leeds Museum and the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford.

In 1974, the centenary of the looting, the then Asante king, Opoku Ware II, asked for the return of regalia and other items removed from our country by British expeditionary forces in 1874, 1896 and 1900. Although that claim was made nearly 50 years ago, it now looks likely that the V&A will be taking the bold step of leading the way in acceding to this request.

The V&A is not commenting further, although an announcement is likely later this year.

A British Museum spokesperson says that a formal claim was received in 1974. Since then there have been several spoken requests, most notably by the current Asantehene, during the visit of the deputy director of the British Museum to Kumasi in 2010. The spokesperson says that there is a cordial working relationship with the Asante Royal Court through the Asantehene and the Manhyia Palace Museum committee.

Discussions have been held with the Asantehene, with both parties expressing the ambition that objects from the British Museum collection might travel on loan to the Kumasi museum.

Source http://www.sompaonline.com/Eric Murphy Asare
Staff of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as well as high-level representatives of African governments, the African Union, UN agencies, and the diplomatic corps in Ethiopia have celebrated the trailblazing leadership of outgoing ECA Executive Secretary and UN Under-Secretary-General, Dr Vera Songwe.

During a farewell event organized at the ECA compound in Addis Ababa, Mr Antonio Pedro, Acting Executive Secretary, highlighted Dr. Songwes historical role as the first  and only woman to have led the ECA.

Mr. Pedro noted Dr Songwes transformative work at the organization stating, In the five years of Dr. Songwes tenure, the Economic Commission for Africa has strengthened its position as Africas voice on the global landscape.

Reflecting on her time at the ECA, the former Executive Secretary herself, underscored the collaborative nature of her work at the organization.

She said, it has been an incredible opportunity and learning experience to work with each one of the staff and each one of the partners to tackle challenges that sometimes seemed incredibly insurmountable. Dr Songwe also noted the joy of being a part of an institution that provides tangible and measurable support to African Member States.

Ethiopian State Minister for Political and Economic Diplomacy, Tesfaye Yilma, attested to the former Executive Secretarys reliable and supportive leadership skills stating, She has exceptionally steered the work of the ECA in the face of economic and health crises brought on by Covid-19 and other global challenges and suggested a way out.

Mr. Yilma also highlighted the crucial support Ms. Songwe and the ECA have provided to Ethiopia's ongoing economic reform, tax reform and green legacy.

The farewell celebrations included video statements from leadership voices across the continent and friends of the ECA, including UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-lweala, IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, US Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy, Dr. John Nkemgasong, and more.

They all lauded Dr Songwes leadership and expressed hope that she will continue playing an active role in helping Africa achieve its growth agenda.

Under her leadership, ECA played a key role in promoting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at national, subregional and continental levels; advocating for adequate resources to finance Africas COVID-19 recovery initiatives; fostering public-private partnerships; and promoting local manufacturing to ensure sustainable economic growth and reduce growth volatility in Africa.

Dr Songwe also played a role in negotiating the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal to reintegrate Ukrainian grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers back into the global markets.

The former UN Under-Secretary-General was also praised by the dean of the diplomatic corps in Ethiopia; the Bureau of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Minister; and several private sector leaders who all lauded her collaborative leadership and steadfastness.

ECAs Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist, Hanan Morsy, thanked attendees for being present to celebrate a unique African leader and champion.

Dr Morsy underscored the former Executive Secretarys trailblazing leadership to the ECA and continent, stating you are a purpose-focused leader, capable of choosing your own path and knowing how to strategically move from vision to execution.

Ms. Songwe stepped down on 1 September 2022 after five years of dedicated service to the ECA and Africa.
The driver of Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, the leader and founder of World Miracle Outreach, has been fined GH2,160 for illegallly using strobe lights in breach of the countrys traffic regulations.

The vehicle was intercepted at the airport bypass for what the police indicate was his third arrest.

The renowned evangelist indicated that he wasnt in the country when news about his car went viral, a situation he wasnt happy with.

The La Motor court sentenced the driver, including 17 other drivers, for various traffic offences on September 15, 2022.

The least fine that was slapped on the drivers arrested was GH300.

Dr. Tettehs vehicle has since been moved from the Airport police station and the strobe lights have been removed as directed by the court.

War Against Indiscipline campaign

The War Against Indiscipline (#WAI), an initiative of Citi TV in partnership with the police, was reignited earlier this week.

The #WarAgainstIndiscipline  Be the change campaign is aimed at helping to avert the increasing loss of lives through road crashes.

The station began the campaign against all forms of indiscipline in the country in May 2019.

The exercise took the nation by surprise when it partnered with the Ghana Police Service to arrest errant drivers, process them for court, and have them fined.

The campaign was also targeted at putting regulatory bodies on their toes to ensure that the various road safety laws are enforced.

In 2019, the campaign accrued to the state over GH258,000 .

On Tuesday, seven recalcitrant drivers were fined varied sums between GH1,000 and GH2,400 for breaching road regulations as part of the War Against Indiscipline campaign.

---citinewsroom
16.09.2022 LISTEN

The Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior, Mr Peter Lanchene Toobu, has narrated how he has been having sleepless nights since President Nana Akufo-Addo said he did not know whether the Chinese galamsey queen, Aisha Huang was deported or she fled.

According to the MP, the statement continues to haunt him everywhere he goes as a security officer now serving as MP.

He said in terms of intelligence, the president is the chief intelligence officer who receives daily briefings from the various sector heads of the security architecture of the country.

He said the president as the head of the National Security Council receives briefings from the defence, interior ministers among others.

He maintained that matters of security are so deep that one has to be circumspect when commenting on them.

Speaking in an interview with Mr Emmanuel Quarshie, host of the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Friday, September 15, 2022, Mr Toobu said "I was taken by surprise when I heard the president express his ignorance about the situation of the Chinese national who evaded immigration authorities after allegedly being deported for her involvement in galamsey.

"I shudder to comprehend this is a statement coming from the CommanderinChief of the Ghana Armed Forces," he added.

According to him, the president has no locus to speak that way because in security matters every briefing is premised on three principles  confidentiality, competence and trust.

"It is the reason people who man such positions are very trusted people," he noted.

He queried whether what happened between the president and his security chiefs was a matter of incompetence.

"If this is the case, then the people who briefed him on the alleged deportation of Aisha Huang must be fired," he posited.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has branded Nana Akufo-Addo as 'President Im-Not-Aware' following his recent comment that he was not sure whether Chinese galamsey queen Aisha Huang was deported in 2018 or fled after her arrest in connection with illegal small-scale mining activities.

The Chinese national is currently facing two fresh charges  mining without a licence and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a valid licence.

She was arrested with three others: Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun.

In May 2017, Aisha Huang became a household name for her notoriety in the galamsey business which gave her the nickname Galamsey Queen.

She was charged with three counts of undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); providing mining support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, and contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).

However, the government suddenly discontinued the case and allegedly deported her in December 2018.

However, she is believed to have re-entered Ghana through the Togo border to engage in the same illegal business for which she was arrested and deported.

The Attorney General says she would be prosecuted for her previous and current crimes.

Speaking on her recent arrest, President Akufo-Addo said: Im not still sure whether she was, in fact, deported or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back, noting: There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.

But whichever way it is, shes become the sort of nickname for all that galamsey represents, the President added during an interview in Ho, Volta Region on Tuesday, 13 September 2022.

At a recent press conference, the opposition National Democratic Congress alleged that Aisha Huang is a financier of the governing New Patriotic Party, thus, the administrations kids gloves attitude toward her.

The Deputy General Secretary of the biggest opposition party, Dr Peter Boamah Otukonor, told journalists that the Akufo-Addo governments lacklustre approach to prosecuting the Chinese illegal miner betrays the administrations complicity in her trade.

If shes not a financier of the NPP, I wonder how somebody who is supposed to have been deported  and the [former] Senior Minister Osafo Maafo, said that she has been deported  all of a sudden, the President is playing dumb and saying that he doesnt know that the woman has been deported; and I think it is becoming one too many and becoming a worrying trend, Dr Otokunor noted on Thursday.

You have a sitting president, who always says that he is not aware of businesses that he himself has undertaken. The president has issued an executive instrument and he says he is [not] aware. He has written letters of authority and he says he is not aware corruption appears under him, everybodys talking about it, and he says he is not aware.

Today, Aisha Huang, he is saying that he is not aware that Aisha Huang was deported. Very soon, he will say that he is not aware he is the president of this country.

Source: ClassFMonline.com
Gabriel Sarpong, the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry staff who was arrested for impersonating Deputy Minister George Mireku Duker has been arraigned before court.

Mr. Sarpong who is an Information Technology (IT) Expert at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources was recently arrested for using the name of the Deputy Minister to extort money.

He is said to have extorted monies to the tune of GHS200,000 from illegal miners while engaging in illegal mining activities himself.

After his arrest, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku Duker left him in the hands of the security agencies to deal with him.

Having been arraigned before court, the accused has pleaded guilty to defrauding by false pretences which is the 2nd count after he denied any wrongdoing in the first charge of falsely pretending to be a public officer.

In court, the lawyer for the accused, Muda Ade Lawal prayed the court to hand his client a non-custodial sentence by way of mitigation.

On his part, the prosecutor ASP Evans Kesse left the sentencing to the court with the argument that the accused is not known to the law.

At the end of the hearing today, September 16, the court presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah sentenced Gabriel Sarpong to 15 months in prison with hard labour for defrauding by false pretences.
Godfred Yeboah Dame

16.09.2022 LISTEN

Bearing last minute changes, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame will today level fresh charges against the Chinese illegal miner, EN Huang otherwise known as Aisha Huang.

The charges against Miss Huang, is in respect of her current offence as well as those she committed before her deportation from Ghana in 2018.

The Attorney General assured that he will initiate prosecution when he called for the case docket from the Police.

News of Aisha Huang's re-arrest in Ghana after she was reportedly deported somewhere in 2018 for her involvement in illegal mining commonly called in Ghana as galamsey left many shocked and disappointed.

Prior to her deportation, many Ghanaians called for her to rather be jailed.

However, the Senior Minister at the time, Yaw Osafo Maafo, justified the decision, arguing that jailing the galamsey queen had diplomatic consequences for Ghana in its quest for economic support from China.

Reports indicate that Aisha came to Ghana from a neighbouring country through a land border, Togo.

Upon her arrival, she also acquired a Ghana card in February 2022 with a new name, Huang En.

Aisha Huang, has been slapped with two charges: mining without a licence, and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a valid licence.

The Accra Circuit Court 9 had denied the galamsey queen bail.

The notorious illegal miner is standing trial with three other Chinese nationals; Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun, all charged with mining without a valid license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a permit.

The Prosecution said it needed time to finish off the investigation when they last appeared in court on September 14.

Already, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has backed the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to prosecute persons found to be engaging in illegal mining in the country.

Speaking at the 2022 Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) last Monday, he noted that since the onset of the 4th Republic, some 29 years ago, Ghana has witnessed the longest period of stability and economic growth in our sixty-five (65) years of nationhood.

According to the President, during this period of the 4th Republic, we have witnessed sustained growths in the size of the economy; rising levels of per capita real incomes; systematic expansion of the private sector.

He noted also that, in the period of the 4th Republic, we have taken strong measures to try to protect our lands, water bodies and the environment from the menace of environmental degradation and climate change; ensured that efforts to meet the most basic elements of social justice, i.e. education from kindergarten through to secondary school, and accessible healthcare to all our citizens, are ongoing.

President Akufo-Addo, to this end, assured members of GBA of my full support to the Attorney General in his determination to prosecute Aisha Huang and her collaborators, who, apparently, insist on flouting our laws against galamsey and illegal mining.

The President continued, I expect if they are found guilty, that the courts will apply the full vigour of the new amended Act 995, which has increased substantially the punishment for breaches of the law.

---DGN online
Frank Raji and Fati Lily Soale

16.09.2022 LISTEN

A directive for the Director of Finance and General Administration to act as Chief Director at the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is causing apprehension and anxiety among the civil servants at the ministry.

As a result, some of the staff have begun whispering that this is a grand scheme to undermine the sovereignty of the civil service.

They have accused the sector minister, Ebenezer Kojo-Kum, of trying to manipulate the Civil Service by directing Fati Lily Soale, to act as Chief Director of the ministry, when the Head of Civil Service has appointed another person.

In August 2022, Nana K. Agyekum-Dwamena, who heads the Civil Service, reassigned Frank A. Raji, a director at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, to the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ministry to act as Chief Director.

The posting was to take effect from Thursday, September 1, 2022, but the officer could not assume duty because the office was put under lock and key.

Subsequently, the staff were notified in a letter signed by the sector minister that he had directed Ms. Fati Lily Soale to stand in as the Acting Chief Director for the ministry until further notice.

The minister, in a memo dated August 17, 2022, also directed the Project Benefit, Monitoring and Evaluation (PBME) Director to take over the Finance and General Administration Directorate with immediate effect.

This is to enable control and effective discharge of the responsibilities of the schedule, part of the letter stated.

This follows the retirement of the Chief Director, Benjamin Afful, whose contract appointment as Chief Director ended on August 16, 2022.

He was expected to hand over the bureaucratic leadership of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to the incoming Director, and who shall act as the Chief Director on August 29, 2022.

But DAILY GUIDE sources indicated that Frank A. Raji was prevented from taking his office, while staff at the directorate, including the Secretary, were relocated, amidst victimisation.

---Daily Guide
THE MURDER of a certain Munira Moro at her new home in Abeka, Accra, ten days after her wedding, has prompted many valid questions among not only family members of the deceased, but the country as a whole.

In a social media-driven world, the news made it quickly online and has attracted equal attention especially, among Ghanaians in the Diaspora. While Ghana is nowhere near some countries where murders by bandits is now a feature, occasional occurrences such as this, sends fears down the spine of the citizenry. Many sometimes feel the case could get cold and abandoned as it were. It is such an apprehension which justifiably informed the decision to the deceased's elder brother to ask that there should be no burial until forensic procedures are exhausted.

The good thing, however, is that such gruesome murders hardly get cold. We are hopeful that our experienced detectives will soon make headway in their investigations.

Munira, said to be a Customs officer, is popular in her original area of Maamobi near Nima. Why did her killers do what they did? Can people do such a thing without being under the influence of a cocktail of drugs?

When we spoke to the brother of the deceased, it was clear that he needed the intervention of a psychologist.

He was devastated and close to breaking down as he narrated the story about the state in which he saw his sister when we spoke to him.

We do not seek to downplay the efforts of detectives in getting to the root of the matter and therefore, making important arrests, we would, nonetheless, hasten, however, to add that important questions should be posed.

Why did the killers dump the dead body in the room of the first wife?

The confidence in some of us that the police will soon find the killers should not be dimed. Much as we appreciate the importance of not divulging information at this early stage of investigations, this should be done as soon as arrests are made, and it is safe to do so. We are suggesting that a mouth-watering bounty is put on the head of the killers and this should be sufficiently publicised.

Sometimes, we wonder whether there are citizens of this great country of religious people, Christianity and Islam, who can, on their own or acting on the instructions of others, embark upon such a gruesome operation of killing another person, in this case, a young lady.

We have stated it before and would proceed to repeat it; security is a shared responsibility. We often ignore this fact and put our individual and state security asunder.

Let us proffer information to the law enforcement personnel who have been trained to extract valuable clues from the information they receive from the public.

Which strange persons were noticed in the neighbourhood and what was their mood? Has the deceased any issues with some persons which somebody in the family or outside knows about?

Let us all assist in exposing the killers of Munira Moro, whose death is not only pathetic but underscores the importance of all of us being security conscious.
The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has assured the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) of its support in rebranding the office of the association in Accra.

The bank has also pledged its commitment to building the capacities of journalists across the country.

Addressing Executives of the GJA during a visit on Thursday, 15 September 2022, the Managing Director of the bank, John Kofi Mensah, reiterated the banks support for the GJA Awards scheduled to be held in November 2022.

The GJA executives' visit forms part of plans to cooperate with key partner institutions to explore opportunities for the development of the association as well as the various institutions.

President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour appealed to the bank to assist the association in its pursuit to rebrand the GJAs headquarters; Accra International Press Centre.

He further appealed to the bank to aid the GJA build the capacities of journalists and boost its support for the upcoming GJA awards.

Mr Dwumfour commended the bank on its support for media.

He assured the bank of the associations commitment towards the bank in promotion of Agribusiness.

The Managing Director of the bank, on his part, acknowledged the role of the media in promoting Agribusiness and stressed the importance of the development of the human capital of the media.

We want to say that we want to see your human capital development, we want to support you in those areas to support your good citizenship with mother Ghana, the Managing Director of the ADB stated.

He also called for a stronger relationship between the bank and the GJA.

We want to assure you that as it was, we are going to do the same and even more together with you so that we can move higher, he added.
Former Health Minister, Samuel Nuamah Donkor, has been described by the Rawlings' family as an amazing man and a cadre who stood stoutly by his beliefs and principles.

Speaking on behalf of the Agyeman-Rawlings family during a visit to commiserate with the former Minister's family, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle said, He had a really good heart and he gave everything and impacted on lives that you will never know about. It was shattering news to hear about his loss.

There were not that many people that we could count on who we knew, that our dad cared about so much and trusted. He never moved away even when the old man passed. He stayed close and offered his counsel and advice, said Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings, who led the family delegation to the home of the late Samuel Nuamah Donkor in Peduase on Friday.

The parliamentarian and first daughter of late President JJ Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, said Nuamah Donkor was a cadre through and through who suffered for his beliefs but still stood by what he believed in.

We wanted to move together in rebuilding what we believed in. We spoke about it all, but man proposes and God knows best. We wish that the Grace of God will strengthen you, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings consoled the late minister's wife, children and family.

Former Minister for Information, Fritz Baffour, who was part of the Agyeman-Rawlings family delegation, eulogised his former colleague as a true cadre and part and parcel of the political movement that changed Ghana for good.

Fritz Baffour described Nuamah Donkor's tenure at the State Transport Company as exemplary. He said even the current present government respected his performance and that was evident of the impact he had on everybody, everywhere he worked.

One of the children of the departed, Samuel Nuamah Donkor Jnr, who spoke on behalf of his family, said the family was still in discussions on the date of the one-week commemoration as well as the funeral, and will formally inform the Rawlings family when details are finalised. He expressed gratitude for the visit.

Other members of the Agyeman-Rawlings delegation were Amina Agyeman-Rawlings, Mr. Isaac Tetteh, Naval Capt. Hilary Afeku Amenyo, Gameli Agbotui and Kobina Andoh Amoakwa.

Mr. Fritz Baffour, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and Amina Agyeman-Rawlings signed the book of condolence opened in memory of the departed former Health Minister.
Ghana today declared the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak that was confirmed nearly two months ago. It was the first time the highly infectious haemorrhagic fever was detected in the West African country.

Ghanas Ministry of Health made the declaration after no new cases were reported over the past 42 days, or two incubation periodsthe time between infection and the onset of symptoms. In total, three confirmed cases, including two deaths were recorded in the outbreak declared on 7 July 2022 after laboratory confirmation of the virus that affected the countrys Ashanti, Savannah and Western regions. A total of 198 contacts were identified, monitored and completed their recommended initial 21-day observation period which was then extended for another 21 days out of an abundance of caution by the Ghanaian health authorities.

The health authorities, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and other health partners, swiftly rolled out outbreak control measures, stepping up disease surveillance, testing, contact-tracing, clinical care as well as raising public awareness and working with communities to support disease prevention efforts. Marburg is a highly infectious disease in the same family as Ebola and has a high fatality rate of between 24% and 88%.

Marburg is a frightening disease as it is highly infectious and lethal. There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments. Any outbreak of Marburg is a major concern, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. Despite having no previous experience with the disease, Ghanas response has been rapid and robust. Lives have been saved and peoples health protected thanks to an effective disease detection system that helped to quickly identify the virus and enabled prompt response to curb the spread of infection.

The Marburg outbreak in Ghana was the second of its kind in West Africa. Guinea reported a single case in an outbreak that was declared over in September 2021. In Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Genomic sequence analyses of the Marburg virus by Senegals Institut Pasteur and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana suggest that this latest outbreak is related to the case reported in Guinea in 2021. However, further investigations are needed to fully understand the origin of the outbreak, which may be due to a shared animal reservoir or to population movements between the two countries. WHO is supporting the health authorities to carry out ecological studies to increase understanding of the disease and help anticipate and prevent future outbreaks.

Resurgence of Marburg can occur and WHO is working with Ghanas health authorities to maintain surveillance and improve detection and response to potential flare-up of the virus. Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Illness begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and malaise. Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic signs within seven days.
16.09.2022 LISTEN

A Community Police Attendant with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has gotten himself into trouble after he was caught on camera assaulting a trader.

The assault which went viral happened at the Kejetia Market.

The city guard who has been identified as Bright Agyei in the viral video is seen assaulting the trader as bystanders tried to stop him.

In a state of anger, the KMA staff said to be with the former Community Protection Agency under the Youth Employment Agency is seen kicking the trader on the floor.

With no official complaint made, reports gathered indicate that action is yet to be taken against the Community Police Attendant.

The trader, Madam Achiaa is reported to be a widow with five children She hawks on the street within the Central Business District.

The KMA is also yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Watch videos below:
Collins Adomako-Mensah

16.09.2022 LISTEN

Collins Adomako-Mensah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Afigya Kwabre North, has called for a collective approach to combat the illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey in the country.

Unlike the usual partisan approach to the fight, the MP believes this is a serious matter that must be addressed as citizens ready to save their country.

The legislator stated on Accra-based Peace FM's Kokrokoo morning show that the country's partisan approach to such an important issue has made the illegal miners continue their activities with impunity.

We don't even know how to discuss the issue now. You brought up a very, very subject of politicization. When we're talking about this and it turns into NPP/NDC discussion, the real kingpins sit in their rooms, drink tea, laugh and ridicule us," he laments

The MP continued I'm not for the politicization of it, and from what I've seen and the report I have seen, I don't sympathize with any illegal miner.

The two leading political parties (NPP and NDC), according to Adomako-Mensah, should understand that certain things are not treated with politics but seriousness.

"understand that there are certain things we have to take politics out, if we don't do that we will not make any headway".

The fight against galamsey has received renewed attention following the re-arrest of notorious Chinese galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang.

Many, including the NDC's deputy general secretary, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, believe she is a bankroller for the ruling NPP, which explains why they have been unable to stop or prosecute her.

Aisha Huang, who was repatriated in 2018, was caught in the act after allegedly sneaking into the country.

On September 27, she and three others will reappear before Court.
Peter Lanchene Toobu

16.09.2022 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West Constituency, Peter Lanchene Toobu has expressed shock about President Akufo-Addos uncertainty about the deportation of Aisha Huang.

Speaking to Stone City FM in an interview this week during his tour of the Volta Region, the President said he is not sure if the Chinese illegal mining kingpin was deported in 2018 or if she fled.

"I'm not still sure whether she (Aisha Huang) was in fact deported or whether she fled the country the first time, and has now come back, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo shared.

Reacting to the Presidents comments, Wa West MP Peter Lanchene Toobu says he is blown away.

According to the MP who is also a Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior, the comments by President AKufo-Addo are baffling especially when he is the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

In his view, the uncertainty of the President indicates that he is ignorant about the entire case against Aisha Huang.

I was taken by surprise when I heard the president express his ignorance about the situation of the Chinese national who evaded immigration authorities after allegedly being deported for her involvement in galamsey.

I shudder to comprehend this is a statement coming from the CommanderinChief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Peter Lanchene Toobu told Accra FM in an interview.

The Wa West MP believes that people who briefed the President on the deportation of the Chinese national should be fired immediately.

If this is the case, then the people who briefed him on the alleged deportation of Aisha Huang must be fired, Peter Lanchene Toobu stressed.
The West African state of Guinea on Friday announced that the long-awaited trial over a 2009 massacre will begin on September 28, 13 years to the day after an event that marked a turning point in its history.

The proceedings will "revisit our history" and ensure "we all come out of this trial with a new vision of Guinea, where impunity will no longer have its place," Justice Minister Alphonse Charles Wright said at a press conference.

He said he hoped for a "process of reconciliation."

On 28 September 2009, a group of NGOs and opposition parties organised a rally at a stadium in the capital Conakry.

Thousands gathered there to protest against the possible presidential candidacy of then-junta leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, who had seized power in a December 2008 putsch.

Camara's government sent in the army, which carried out a bloody crackdown in and around the compound.

At least 157 people were murdered and 109 women raped, according to a UN international commission of enquiry.

The victims' testimonies are harrowing, with the UN enquiry concluding that the massacre was a "premeditated act" by the junta.

Long wait

A judicial investigation ended in December 2017 and dozens of defendants, including Camara, were referred to a court.

Despite recurring commitments under former president Alpha Conde's regime, victims and relatives have been waiting for the trial ever since.

The incident marked a turning point in the West African state's history. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)

Human rights defenders have also been pushing for the trial, as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC), which sent a delegation in early September to assess preparations.

"Since investigations opened before the Guinean courts in February 2010, many victims have died, some are sick and live in the most precarious conditions," the African Francophone Coalitions for the International Criminal Court, a civil society network, said in a statement on Thursday.

"To this sad fact, we must add the situation of women repudiated by their husbands and those infected with HIV, following the rapes of which they were victims, without forgetting the orphaned children who have lost their schooling, who have now become adults."

Anniversary

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, head of the ruling junta, had called in mid-July for the trial to begin before the massacre's anniversary.

"The Minister of Justice... has been able to do everything possible to ensure that Guinea has the technical capacity to meet its international commitments to promote and protect human rights," Wright said Friday.

He had previously suggested the trial could begin on September 26 but said it was not confirmed.

The date was pushed back to September 28, "at the request of the ICC prosecutor, who requested to be present here on the 28th to attend the opening of this trial," the minister said.

Camara, who had been exiled in Burkina Faso since he renounced power in 2010, returned to Guinea in December 2021.

He had said he was ready to face justice, but has since returned to Burkina.

The massacre was a key factor in the rise of Conde, who a few months later became Guinea's first democratically elected president since independence from France in 1958.

Conde himself was overthrown in a coup in September 2021, which came on the back of protests against his bid for a third term in office.
Some netizens on social media are tipping Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for President in 2028.

The campaign started from a Twitter handle identified as Crypton Mccony following the legislators post after visiting the British High Commission in Accra to sign the book of condolences in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Netizen wrote, President for 2028. save this so when it happens you will remember. Thank u, Sir.

Another adds I am always behind you with prayer for your performance and care you have. May Allah Almighty bless and guide u, ameen.

Brief background of Okudzeto Ablakwa

Okudzeto Ablakwa, appointed Deputy Minister of Information in Prof. Mills' administration in 2009 became perhaps Africa's youngest serving Deputy Minister of State at the age of 28.

He is currently a Member of Parliament for the people of North Tongu, as well as the Minority Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

He is married to Mrs. Nuhela Seidu Ablakwa, a lawyer with two children, a daughter and a son.

From 2005 to 2006, he served as President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) while studying at the University of Ghana Legon.

Hon. Ablakwa graduated from the University of Ghana in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy.
The leadership of the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) has registered displeasure with the management of the various Colleges of Education, across the country for directing trainee teachers to pay an amount of GHS 370 as first semester examination fees.

This follows a directive from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), asking all final year students of Colleges of Education to pay a first-semester examination fee of GHS370.

A statement issued by the TTAG leadership, Thursday, 15 September 2022, referring trainees to the letter, directed that they halt payment of the GHS370.00 indicated as the first-semester examination fee until further notice.

It urged all local and sector executives of TTAG to ensure first-semester year trainees adhere strictly to this directive until they hear from the National Secretariat on this issue.

It also entreated all students to remain resolute and count on its indefatigable leadership.

Source: classfmonline.com
The life and times of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II provide great lessons in selfless public service and leadership worthy of emulation in the modern era, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated.

Speaking at a Thanksgiving Service For The Life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, jointly organized by the Anglican Communion, Ghana and the British High Commission Dr Bawumia, who represented President Akufo-Addo at the event, recalled Ghanas historic relations with the Commonwealth and the Queen, before and even after Ghana gained her independence in 1957.

As a member of the Commonwealth, Ghana has had a historic relationship with the UK, and by extension Her Majesty the Queen. The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been received here with heavy hearts, prompting His Excellency the President to direct that all official flags in Ghana fly at half-mast for seven days.

The high points of Ghanas relationship with her majesty were in the years 1961 and 1999 with her official visits. Indeed, in her 1961 visit, a special high-life tune was composed in her honour called Welcome Your Majesty.

Her famous dance with Ghana's first President and influential Pan-Africanist, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah at a farewell ball in Accra in 1961, was described by scholars as both symbolic and significant to the Commonwealth.

While acknowledging that the late monarchs passing came as a shock to the world, Dr Bawumia emphasized that her 96-year-old long life and 70 years of reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Realms and as head of the Commonwealth are worth celebrating.

Her Majesty the Queen showed remarkable leadership in an era marked by strong anticolonial and independence waves in the African continent (1950s and 60s). It is, therefore, not surprising that under her reign the Commonwealth saw such a huge transformation.

In these roles (Queen of the United Kingdom and the Realms and as head of the Commonwealth) Her Majesty had a yeomans task of overseeing the transition of Great Britain from the tensions of the post-World War II era, especially the Cold War, playing an instrumental role in granting independence to former British colonies, one of which is our beloved Ghana, and contributing immensely to the relative peace the world has enjoyed since the end of the second world war.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate a great woman who was an embodiment of virtue, courage and affection, it is my prayer that God will accept her gentle soul to a peaceful rest.

Once again, on behalf of H.E. the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and all Ghanaians, I wish His Majesty King Charles III, the Royal Family, the people of the United Kingdom and the entire Commonwealth my deepest condolences.

In a short sermon, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel S.M Torto, urged Ghanaians to embrace a life of service, noting that the late monarchs dedication to serving others had had a major impact on the UK, the Commonwealth, and the rest of the world.

Let us learn to serve. We must be of service to our nation. Do not wait for someone to begin before you join. Be of service to yourself, your family, and the nation at large.
Chinese national, Aisha Huang has been remanded into prison custody by an Accra High Court today, Friday, September 16.

The arrested 47-year-old woman was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday to face charges of illegal mining and trading of minerals without a valid license.

Having pleaded not guilty to the offences, she was remanded into police custody to reappear on September 27.

Today, there has been a different twist to the case of the Chinese galamsey kingpin.

According to the information gathered, Aisha Huangs case was taken to the Accra High Court today.

During a virtual hearing of her case at the High Court Criminal Division 5, four new charges have been slapped on her.

The charges proffered against her include undertaking a mining operation without a license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in the mining operation, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited from entry.

Sources say Aisha Huang through her lawyers pleaded not guilty to all charges.

She is said to have been subsequently remanded into prison custody to reappear on October 12.
The President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology of Ghana (IET), Engineer Henry Kwodwo Boateng, has cautioned engineers not to take jobs beyond their expertise.

He urged them to collaborate with other engineers with such expertise to execute projects for the satisfaction of clients.

Engineer Henry Kwodwo Boateng who was speaking to Citi News in Takoradi during the induction of 50 new engineers into the fold of the Institution of Engineering and Technology of Ghana, warned that engineers who are found to be responsible for shoddy engineering work would have their licenses withdrawn.

As engineers, the country needs us, and we have to professionally execute projects in the interest of our clients and the nation. Where a shoddy work is alleged, it would be investigated and when proven so, your licenses and membership could be withdrawn if necessary to safeguard society, he said.

While commending the 50 newly inducted members of the Institution of Engineering and Technology of Ghana, Mr. Boateng advised the inductees to abide by the tenets of the profession and its regulations as catalyst for the development of the country.

Now that the Engineering Council Regulation, L.I. 2410 (2020) has been finally passed by Parliament, we are hopeful that the engineering council would work hard to ensure that the practice of engineering and technology would continue to be done with the highest possible standards in Ghana, he added.

Speaking on the code of ethics of the engineering profession, the Pro Vice Chancellor of Cape Coast Technical University, Prof. Samuel Ansah who is also an Ethics Committee Member of the IET urged the newly inducted engineers to uphold professionalism to succeed.

An Engineer practitioner should be professional to avoid expulsion and have regard for the environment. You should guard against activities that threaten the safety of clients or the public. Don't accept commissions or allowances from contractor's clients.

Avoid conflict of interest situations. You shouldn't be the medium of payment but only issue certificates of payment and avoid reviewing or taking others jobs unless there is a formal closure to the previous engineer's contract, he advised.

The Executive Secretary of IET, Eng. Seth Ayim on his part asked the new members to demonstrate good stewardship in the various responsibilities that would be handed to them as engineers to move Ghana's development forward.

The Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Takoradi Technical University, Evangelist Prof. Joe Turkson representing the Vice Chancellor as the host of the induction event, reminded the new engineers that they are required to protect and upload the constitution of the IET and the profession.

---citinewsroom
16.09.2022 LISTEN

Management of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) says it has set up a committee to investigate the alleged assault of a hawker by a worker under the Community Protection Agency module under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

The personnel has been identified as Bright Agyei. The incident was captured in a video that has gone viral, where the woman was seen rolling on the floor after she was allegedly hit by the KMA officer.

In a press release issued by the management of KMA, it indicated that the victim of the assault was sent to the hospital for treatment and has since been discharged.

Authorities at KMA have condemned the act and have disassociated themselves from it.

They added that the committee that would be set up will determine the appropriate sanctions to be meted out to the said officer.

Find below the full statement

---citinewsroom
17.09.2022 LISTEN

Lawyer Nkrabea Effah Dartey, Lead Counsel for Aisha Huang says police are prosecuting her client with laughable evidence.

He described them as chop bar evidence.

According to him, the prosecution has resorted to hearsay as evidence.

Speaking on Wednesday September 14, 2022 in an interview with Dr Cahs in the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FMs afternoon political show Dwabrem, he stated, Rumours are not admissible in law. If you hear some people talking at a chop bar, dont use it as evidence in court. My client as they are claiming have never engaged in any illegal mining activities in Ghana so lets leave the rest to court.

He continued, Facts on the charge sheet as presented by police show clearly that the state has no case against my clients.

"I suspect strongly the police are delaying court hearing because deep down in their conscience, they know they have no concrete facts to bring my client to book.

Meanwhile, Chinese national, Aisha Huang has been remanded into prison custody by an Accra High Court today, Friday, September 16.

The arrested 47-year-old woman was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday to face charges of illegal mining and trading of minerals without a valid license.

Having pleaded not guilty to the offences, she was remanded into police custody to reappear on September 27.

Today, there has been a different twist to the case of the Chinese galamsey kingpin.

According to the information gathered, Aisha Huangs case was taken to the Accra High Court today.

During a virtual hearing of her case at the High Court Criminal Division 5, four new charges have been slapped on her.

The charges proffered against her include undertaking a mining operation without a license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in the mining operation, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited from entry.

Sources say Aisha Huang through her lawyers pleaded not guilty to all charges.

She is said to have been subsequently remanded into prison custody to reappear on October 12.
National high-tech industrial development zones will continue to be used to make new breakthroughs in core technologies, nurture quality talent, enhance global outreach and support China's socioeconomic development, officials said on Wednesday. National high-tech development zones have been used to boost China's innovation-driven development strategy. Since 2012, President Xi Jinping has paid over 20 visits to these zones, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. As of 2022, there are 173 national high-tech development zones, 84 more than in 2012. China has also established 23 indigenous innovation demonstration zones, 20 more than in 2012, that are supported by these high-tech development zones. The gross domestic product of high-tech development zones grew from 5.4 trillion yuan ($782 billion) in 2012 to 15.3 trillion yuan in 2021.These zones contributed to 13.4 percent of China's GDP in 2021 while only using 2.5 percent of the nation's construction land. Wu Jiaxi, deputy director of the ministry's department of research commercialization and regional innovation, said the high-tech zones have proved to be resilient to risks and can achieve growth despite global uncertainties in recent years. From January to July, the 173 national high-tech development zones achieved a gross industrial output worth 17.5 trillion yuan, an 8.1 percent growth compared to the same period last year. This output generated 27.4 trillion yuan of revenue, a 7.1 percent increase over the same period last year. Wu said the ministry will continue to provide policy support for high-tech zones to achieve stable growth, and encourage investment in key areas such as digital technologies, energy, advanced materials, chemicals and biopharmaceuticals. National high-tech zones are home to 84 percent of China's State Key Laboratories and 78 percent of the national technological innovation centers. As a result, high-tech zones have become a key hub for quality science and technology talent, Wu said. The ministry will continue to support high-level talent working in these zones. For instance, the national high-tech zone in Changsha, Hunan province, will invest 1 billion yuan over the next three years to attract talent. Small and medium-sized tech companies are key contributors to the growth of national high-tech zones, he said. This will require the ministry to support these companies with tax breaks, new investments and help them commercialize their scientific and technological output. Li Youping, deputy director of the ministry's Torch High Technology Industry Development Center, said that over the last decade national high-tech zones have been a key pillar for economic growth, innovation, employment and entrepreneurship, talent training and international trade. The number of national high-tech zones whose annual revenue reached above 100 billion yuan has grown from 54 in 2012 to 97 last year, he said. By the end of 2021, national high-tech zones were home to over 4,400 research institutions with over 5.63 million researchers, which was 2.5 times higher than that in 2012. The total research and development budget in these zones has more than tripled in the last decade, surpassing the 1 trillion-yuan milestone in 2021. The number of high-tech companies in national high-tech zones also increased from less than 20,000 in 2012 to 115,000 last year, Li said. With these resources, high-tech zones have made numerous breakthroughs in quantum technologies, high-speed rail, the Beidou satellite navigation system, the C919 passenger jet, 5G telecommunication and other fields with strategic significance, Li said. China's first artificial intelligence chip, first quantum communication satellite, first vaccines for COVID-19 and many other breakthroughs were achieved by scientists and companies working in high-tech zones, he added. Many of these high-tech products are entering foreign markets. The total exports from high-tech zones made up about 3.2 percent of China's total exports in 2012. The figure had risen to 24.4 percent in 2021. More than 47,000 foreign researchers are currently working in these high-tech zones, along with 211,000 Chinese experts who returned home after studying abroad. "These high-tech zones have become a crucial platform for opening-up, innovation and cooperation," Li said. National high-tech zones had established over 2,200 overseas research institutions by the end of 2021, a 4.6-fold increase compared to 2012, and over 77 percent of them have implemented policies to support internationalization. "In the future, national high-tech zones will focus on high quality, high standards and new technologies," Li said. "These zones will become the vanguard for high-quality development and make more contributions to China's transformation into a scientific and technological powerhouse."


September 16, 2022 Ukraine - Dissecting Some War Propaganda News Items Last night a Reuters headline claimed: Mass grave of more than 440 bodies found in Izium, Ukraine -police

bigger Many media, who republish the Reuters feed, repeated that headline: Kyiv: Ukrainian authorities have found a mass grave of more than 440 bodies in the eastern city of Izium that was recaptured from Russian forces, a regional police official said on Thursday, adding some of the people had been killed by shelling and air strikes. Serhiy Bolvinov, the chief police investigator for Kharkiv region, told Sky News that forensic investigations would be carried out on every body. "I can say it is one of the largest burial sites in a big town in liberated (areas)... 440 bodies were buried in one place," Bolvinov said. "Some died because of artillery fire ... some died because of air strikes," he said. Thousands of Russian troops fled Izium at the weekend. Notice the wording. It is a 'large burial site' with '440 bodies in one place'. That does not have to mean a mass grave with 440 bodies but could also describe a graveyard with a total of 440 people buried there. And indeed an AP video team visited the site and their video shows quite a different scenario (h/t Tore). In a wooded area there are a large numbers, maybe one hundred or two, of single graves with orthodox and other crosses. There is also one grave that has a cross which says that 17 soldiers were buried there.

bigger In the AP video several soldiers and investigators are moving around. One Ukrainian soldier says he saw a video that the Russians made when the soldiers were buried in that one mass grave. From it, he says, he estimates that more than 17, maybe 25 or 30, he says, were buried in that grave. The video he refers to is likely this one (h/t Elena Evdokimova) which was published on May 8. It seems to show the same graveyard with that one mass grave. One sees civilians with red cross armlets collecting and burying bodies of dead soldiers. I count a total of 17 dead bodies but there may be one or two more. One Russia soldier is around and explains what is happening. The title in Russian translates to: Ukraine refuses to take away the bodies of dead soldiers. Russian military bury them in mass graves

bigger There is also a link to a Russian news site called Giport or Hyport which says (machine translated): Ukraine refuses to take the bodies of the dead soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Russian military is forced to bury them in mass graves Ukraine again refuses to take away the bodies of its dead soldiers, who have to be buried in mass graves. The Russian side several times offered the enemy to take the bodies for burial by organizing a corridor for medical workers, but did not receive a response from the Ukrainian command. Some time ago, the bodies of dead soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were collected by Russian soldiers on their own and transported to the morgue under mortar shelling from Ukraine. As a result, Ukraine did not take them from the morgue either. Today, Russian servicemen had to bury the dead soldiers in mass graves. According to one of the soldiers involved in the burial, the bodies of the killed soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were taken from the front line a week ago. He said that negotiations with the current government of Ukraine were unsuccessful. The Ukrainian side simply refused to take the bodies, so the Russian Armed Forces buried the dead on their own in one of the city cemeteries. If the current Ukrainian authorities took the bodies of their fighters, their relatives could say goodbye to them in a human way. And now they were buried in plastic bags in mass graves. But this is better than becoming food for the beast, as it would happen if it were not for the Russian military. At least the relatives will at least have a chance to find the dead by going through the procedure of taking DNA. This is not the first such story. Back in March, we wrote that Ukraine refuses to make contact and take the bodies of dead servicemen from the territories of the LPR and DPR. As a result, all of them were also buried in mass graves. Some had nameplates, other soldiers remained unidentified. The Reuters headline was 100% false. That may have been because the editor misinterpreted what the Ukrainian police investigator said. Or it intentionally exaggerated the case to increase the propaganda value of that news item. I suspect the latter to be the case. There is otherwise nothing unusual with that graveyard. During a war people on both sides die. Civilians suffer as much as soldiers while fighting around them is going on. The city had been heavily defended by the Ukrainians and it took the Russian military the whole of March to take it. A lot of the buried casualties were likely killed by artillery fire. There is no way to tell from which side that fire had came. That the graveyard is in the woods and not in some open place also makes sense. With camera drones around and being in reach of hostile artillery one would not want to be caught while shuffling graves in open fields. The trees give at least some protection from being seen from above. A different obvious propaganda fake was published in today's Washington Post: The letters left behind by demoralized Russian soldiers as they fled The 10 handwritten letters, dated Aug. 30, were left behind in a two-story residential house where Russians were squatting and later found by Ukrainian soldiers who provided the letters to The Washington Post for review. They paint a portrait of dejected troops desperate for rest and concerned about their health and morale after months of fighting.

...

The similar style in which the 10 letters were written suggests the troops, weary and disheartened, banded together to draft them. The letters caught the attention of Ukrainian soldiers when they first arrived in Izyum, which the Russians abandoned hastily in retreat, and some were shared on social media. The authenticity of the letters has not been confirmed by independent forensic experts ... One can tell right away that the story makes little sense. The Russian security forces that were in Izium after the initial fighting were from the Rosguardia (Rosgvardiya), the National Guard of Russia which is more like a border police force with some additional tasks. There was little fighting in Izium after the end of March. The guards station there were regularly supplied. In that context they had no reason to feel like "dejected troops desperate for rest and concerned about their health and morale". The Rosguardia were evacuated without losses by Russian military forces before the Ukrainians surrounded and recaptured the city. That the ten letters were written in 'similar style' makes it likely that they were written by the same team of Ukrainian intelligence that uses the Washington Post and other media to spread their lies to the public. They intend to portray the Russian military as an exhausted and morally broken force. Neither seems to be the case. While I wrote the above Reuters published a new piece that changes its earlier reporting but does not correct it: Around 200 wooden crosses seen at site near Ukraine's Izium

bigger It in fact repeats the earlier false claims that the AP report had debunked: IZIUM, Ukraine (Reuters) - Around 200 wooden crosses were found on Friday at a site near Izium in northeastern Ukraine, Reuters witnesses said, possibly marking a second mass grave in an area recaptured in recent days by Ukrainian forces. Men in white overalls have begun exhuming bodies at the site, located on the edge of a cemetry in the northwest of Izium, the witnesses said. Some 20 white body bags were visible. Ukrainian authorities earlier reported the discovery of a mass grave containing around 440 bodies in the city of Izium, a frontline Russian stronghold until Ukraine's counter-offensive across the Kharkiv region during the past week. It is not the 'fog of war' that clouds such new reporting. It is the propaganda that was ordered up to incite the 'western' population against Russia and its citizens and soldiers. Without further backup and and proof one can not, and should not, believe any news item coming from the Ukrainian and other wars. Posted by b on September 16, 2022 at 12:43 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
There's good news for bald men - while you have less hair, you have more intelligence, success, and masculinity.



In a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, Barry University Professor Dr Frank Muscarella asked participants to rate men on their perceived honesty, intelligence, and social status.

While baldness was decreased a man's perceived physical attractiveness, it raised their overall status.

"I speculated that male pattern baldness evolved as an appeasement signal and signalled benign, non-threatening dominance," he told the Daily Mail.



"There is a large body of literature that shows that although women like physically attractive men, they are also very attracted to signs of high social dominance."

His findings are backed by another study from a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, which found bald men are often seen as more dominant and successful.

"Men with shaved heads will fare better economically in negotiations," the study said.

This study found the bald men are rated more attractive overall.

And another study at the University of Saarland found bald men tend to be seen by women as more intelligent and wiser.



However there is a catch. You have to be completely bald for the perception to apply - with men with bald spots or patterned baldness seen as weaker.

Source
Francis Santos, acting superintendent of the Guam Department of Education, discusses GDOE funding and initiatives during a meeting of the Rotary Club of Guam Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Guam.
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Yves here. Earlier in the week, we posted an article from John Helmer on Russias plans to develop, or perhaps more accurately ramp up, domestic aircraft production. Readers had a robust debate, with some arguing that Russia would never get there, and certainly could not compete with Airbus and Boeing. Others said theyd actually flown on Russian planes. They werent a plush ride but they did get from point A to point B.

So its an open question as to how far Russia might get and how long it will take to build a domestic commercial fleet. And they are unlikely to attract much in the way of foreign buyers. But remember, no one thought Japanese could ever build cars that would be globally competitive in the 1960s. But Russia may not be that ambitious over a long time frame, and in particular, they may not have the inclination to cater to fussy customer/passenger requirements.

By contrast, Helmers article on the Russian comedy industry argues that on a current basis, sanctions have helped not just domestic content producers but even broadcasters.

By John Helmer who has been the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to have directed his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

Never mind that King Solomon said proverbially three thousand years ago, a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

With seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, Solomon realized he was the inventor of the situation comedy. If not for the sitcom as his medicine, the bodily and psychological stress Old Solly had to endure in the bedroom would have killed him long before he made it to his death bed at eighty years of age, after ruling his kingdom for forty of them.

After the British sitcom died in the 1990s, the subsequent stress has not only killed very large numbers of ordinary people. It has culminated today in a system of rule according to which a comic king in Buckingham Palace must now manage the first prime minister in Westminster history to be her own joke.

Even the Norwegians, the unfunniest people in Europe, have acknowledged that the only way to attract the British as tourists, was to pay John Cleese of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers to make them laugh at Norway itself. This has been a bigger success for the locals than for the visitors, boosting the fjord boatmans life expectancy several years ahead of the British tourists.

In fact, Norwegian scientists studying a sample of 54,000 of their countrymen have proved that spending the state budget on public health and social welfare will only work effectively if the population is laughing all the way to the grave. The cognitive component of the sense of humour is positively associated with survival from mortality related to CVD [cardio-vascular disease] and infections in women and with infection-related mortality in men  Norwegian doctors reported in 2016. Never mind the Viking English: the Norwegian point is the same as Solomons that a sense of humour is a health-protecting cognitive coping resource  especially if youve got cancer.

The Russians understand this better than the Norwegians or the British. Laughter is an antidote to the war propaganda coming from abroad, as Lexus and Vovan have been demonstrating. The Russian sitcom is also surviving in its classic form to match the best of the British sitcoms, all now dead  Fawlty Towers (d. 1975), Black Adder (d. 1989), You Rang MLord? (d. 1988), Jeeves and Wooster (d. 1990), Oh Dr Beeching! (d.1995), and Thin Blue Line (d. 1996).

The Russian situation comedies, alive and well on TV screens and internet streaming devices across the country, are also increasingly profitable business for their production and broadcast companies  not despite the war but because of it. This has transformed the Russian media industrys calculation of profitability by removing US and European-made films and television series, as well as advertising revenues from Nestle, PepsiCo, Mars, and Bayer. In their place powerful Russian video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform companies like Yandex (KinoPoisk), MTS (Kion), Mail.ru (VK), and Ivi (Leonid Boguslavsky, ProfMedia, Baring Vostok) are now intensifying the competition for audience with traditional television channels and film studios for domestic audiences. The revenue base of the VOD platforms is less vulnerable to advertisers, more dependent on telecommunications subscriptions.

Russian script writers, cameramen, actors, designers, and directors are now in shorter supply than ever before, and earning more money. Its the Russian New Wave, claims Olga Filipuk, head of media content for Yandex, the powerful leader of the new film production platforms; its controlling shareholder and chief executive were sanctioned last year.

The stock characters of the situation comedy are more or less the same across Europe and North America  in-laws, girlfriends, boyfriends, policemen, schoolmates, co-workers, petty criminals. The ideology is profoundly different, and thus the point of the comedy, the laugh lines. This contrast is now sharpening as American influence, which took over Russian media during the Yeltsin period, is erased. This revolution in mentality is replacing the Yeltsin generation; they are the ones now advertising their opposition to the Kremlin in New York, Paris, and Berlin. They are out of work; their replacements in Moscow are capitalising on their departure.

Turning sitcom plots into laughs is difficult; sustaining the audiences at constant quality over years is almost impossible. The best of the British ones were able to sustain the inventiveness for no more than two or three seasons. Those British sitcoms which have lasted for much longer  Hi-de-Hi, for example, an early creation of the authors of You Rang MLord? and Oh Dr Beeching!, lasted for eight seasons, 1980-1988, while Fools and Horses ran for seven seasons; Dads Army for nine; Steptoe and Son for eight. Doc Martin has been running for nine, with a final tenth still to come, but the series stopped being a comedy half-way through.

The leading Russian television channels which produce comedy series are CTC (in Cyrillic STS) owned by the National Media Group, and TNT owned by Gazprom Media. TNT holds 100% of the rights to comedy series made by Comedy Club Production and shares rights with TNT to shows by Good Story Media . By the end of 2021, TNT was reporting that it had increased the number of new shows or premieres, and was drawing modest increases in both its young and middle-aged audiences. Increasing comedy was the key to audience growth, TNT announced.

Audience rating websites agree that the most popular domestic comedy series for 2021 were: Vacation , Girls with Makarov, Vampires of the Middle Lane, Al-Kapotnya, Happy End , Two , and Policeman from Rublevka.

Top: Vampires of the Middle Lane; bottom  Girls with Makarov; Al-Kapotnya; and Policeman from Rublevka. Al-Kapotnya is a play on words, combining Al Capone and Kapotnya, a district of southeastern Moscow with a reputation for criminal gangsterism like Chicagos Southside when Capone controlled it.

The rapid growth of video streaming has transformed the domestic media industry in just two years, triggering a rapid increase in demand for new film series while the number of writers, directors, actors, and technicians has remained the same. This has helped double the rates of their pay, according to Olga Filipuk who runs KinoPoisk (Film Search) for Yandex. The online platforms have changed the TV series production market, she says. Three or four years ago, the series were ordered only by the big TV channels, and the producers depended on the moods or tastes of their managers.

If you had a historical series, adds Sergei Kornykhin, an independent Moscow film producer, you could take it to Channel One or VGTRK. A comedy series, if its complicated, that was TNT. If it was family oriented, thats CTC. You were given a price, and you worked within that. US media industry publications didnt begin to notice the transformation of the Russian media industry until mid-2021, two years after the revolution had begun in Moscow. For example, between June and September of last year Yandex launched this PR campaign for its video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform unit KinoPoisk: https://variety.com/ and https://www.screendaily.com/ and click.

THE NEW RUSSIAN VIDEO ON DEMAND PLATFORMS

Source: https://kion.ru/

Source: https://corp.ivi.ru/en/

THE MOST POPULAR SERIALS ON RUSSIAN ONLINE PLATFORMS, FIRST HALF 2021



The numbers indicate the percentage for each serial selected by measured VOD audience; title in bold; the platform brand in caps. Source: https://www.kommersant.ru/

One consequence of the growth of demand for films and the shortage of people to make them has been a sharp increase in student demand for film schools. Western media have been reporting the exit abroad of Moscow media personalities, television presenters, and reporters; they have failed to notice the boom in applications to the Moscow Film School (MHSK) and a dozen other television production and film training institutes; the latter far outnumber the former, and will shortly replace the Yeltsin media generation entirely. Kinopoisk and the National Media Group are subsidizing the new trainees and the schools.

The immediate pressure from the production companies for broadcast content and the overfilled order books at the studios mean that, as one TNT producer has commented, everyone who is able to roll a camera is busy. There is simply nowhere to put a new billion dollars of investment. For the time being, the investments already made by the players are outstripping the income they receive, so now is the time to experiment with new niches and sub-genres, and new investments are possible. New investment is being held back by the big corporations already engaged until the subscription lists for their platforms reach a stable level of 10 million, industry sources calculate.

At that point, investors will be more confident of investment payback. Thats when everyone will start laughing all the way to the bank.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 992 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year,, and our current goal, expanding our reach.

Given EC President Ursula von der Leyens apparent allergy to basic transparency, she is the last person in Brussels to be leading the EUs roll out of so-called corruption sanctions.

On Wednesday (Sept.14), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her State of the European Union speech. Predictably enough, it was heavy on the war in Ukraine (which Ukraine and its allies, including the EU, are handily and heroically winning) and light on the boomerang effects of the EUs ever-escalating sanctions against Russia, which risk tipping the blocs economy and many of its industries over the edge. The speech also mentioned the Commissions plans for a European Sovereignty Fund, a European Critical Raw Materials Act and a European Hydrogen Bank.

Von der Leyen extended an invitation to join the EU not only to Ukraine but also to Georgia, the two countries whose prospective NATO membership has represented a big, fat red line for Moscow since at least 2008, as well as Moldova and the western Balkans. Toward the end of her speech, she set her sights on corruption. And this is where things got really interesting. The EU, she said, needs to tackle corruption head on abroad, by applying so-called corruption sanctions. But that is not enough, said vdL. It also needs to eliminate corruption at home (presumably meaning everywhere in the EU except Brussels), which it intends to begin doing by suspending billions of euros of EU funds earmarked for Hungary, Russias closest EU ally, over corruption allegations:

If we want to be credible when we ask candidate countries to strengthen their democracies, we must also eradicate corruption at home. That is why in the coming year the Commission will present measures to update our legislative framework for fighting corruption. We will raise standards on offences such as illicit enrichment, trafficking in influence and abuse of power, beyond the more classic offences such as bribery. And we will also propose to include corruption in our human rights sanction regime, our new tool to protect our values abroad. Corruption erodes trust in our institutions. So we must fight back with the full force of the law.

The EU will not be the first Western power to project its values abroad in this way. It will, as almost always, be following the US lead. In its Global Magnitsky Act of 2016 Washington granted itself powers to sanction foreign government officials worldwide who are deemed to be human rights offenders or involved in significant corruption. Offenders can have their assets frozen or find themselves barred from entering the U.S (NCs in-house legal expert Jerri-Lynn wrote a piece about it at the time). Three years later, the UK government passed its own Magnitsky amendment to its Sanctions and Money-Laundering Bill.

Nice Timing

But what makes von der Leyens declaration of total war on corruption particularly noteworthy is that it came just two days after the EUs court of auditors released a report flagging up vdLs own repeated violations of basic rules and procedures in her opaque dealings with Pfizer BioNTech. As Politico noted on Monday, the EUs negotiations with Pfizer are looking less and less like normal business and more and more like a Whodunnit:

For all the other vaccine deals struck by the EU between 2020 and 2021, a joint team comprising officials from the Commission and seven member countries conducted exploratory talks. The outcome was then taken to a Vaccine Steering Board made up of representatives from all 27 EU member states who signed off on it. But this established procedure was not followed in the case of the EUs biggest contract, the Court of Auditors says. Instead, von der Leyen herself conducted preliminary negotiations for the contract in March, and presented the results to the steering board in April. Meanwhile, a planned meeting of scientific advisers, organized to discuss the EUs vaccine strategy for 2022, never took place, the court writes. Unlike with the other contract negotiations, the Commission refused to provide records of the discussions with Pfizer, either in the form of minutes, names of experts consulted, agreed terms, or other evidence. We asked the Commission to provide us with information on the preliminary negotiations for this agreement, the reports authors write. However, none was forthcoming.

Even by the Commissions usual standards, this total lack of transparency or accountability is highly unusual, a senior auditor who helped lead the investigation and who requested anonymity told Politico: This comes up almost never. Its not a situation that we at the court normally face.

As I previously reported (here and here), vdL is already in hot water due to her refusal to disclose the content of her text messages with senior Pfizer executives, including the companys CEO Albert Bourla. None of those communications have been made public. When the EUs ombudsman Emily OReilly got involved in the matter in late 2021, urging the Commission to conduct a more thorough search for the text messages in question, the Commission played for time before finally declaring that it cannot and does not need to find the text messages.

Due to their short-lived and ephemeral nature, text messages in general do not contain important information relating to policies, activities and decisions of the Commission, wrote European Vice Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova.

The Biggest COVID-19 Vaccine Contract

As I noted in a previous piece, text messages may be ephemeral  especially if you delete them as quickly as possible  but the results of them are not. In the case of the Commissions negotiations with Pfizer BioNTech impact every EU citizen, for the simple reason that it is they who are picking up the bill. As a result of von der Leyens furtive communications with Pfizer, the Commission secured its third  and by far, largest  contract with Pfizer BioNTech, for 1.8 billion doses of the vaccine. As the European Court of Auditors notes, it was the biggest COVID-19 vaccine contract signed by the Commission and will dominate the EUs vaccine portfolio until the end of 2023.

After Pfizers negotiations with vdL, the price of its vaccine shot up from 15.50 to 19.50  all paid for with public funds. In total, the contract is worth up to 35 billion, which even for Pfizer is a princely sum.

VdLs European Commission, working together with the governments of EU Member States, has done everything it can to get those shots into as many arms as possible. It created the worlds first region-wide COVID-19 certificate, which many EU member governments then used to make life a living hell for millions of vaccine-reluctant citizens. Some of those governments have since revoked mandatory vaccine certification, for the simple reason that it has very little impact on transmission of the virus.

Yet the Commission has extended the validity of its certificate until the end of June 2023. That was after 385,191 EU citizens responded overwhelmingly negatively to the idea in an EC-commissioned survey. In other words, the Commission asked what EU citizens thought of its plan and then completely ignored what they had to say.

Which brings us back to the present. Three days ago, the EU authorized Pfizer BioNTechs biavalent vaccine with BA.4 and BA.5 spike proteins, despite the fact it has not yet been tested for safety or efficacy on a single human being. It is as yet unclear to what lengths EU Member States will go to get this new vaccine into peoples arms. With vaccine stockpiles rising so high that some governments, particularly in Eastern Europe, have been asking for a reduction in the amounts being ordered, the pressure to shift the stock is already mounting.

Meanwhile, VdLs dodgy behavior has been called out by both the EUs Court of Auditors and the EUs Ombusdman Emily OReilly, who described the Commissions refusal to disclose the texts between vdL and Pfizer as maladministration. VdLs behavior is all the more galling given VdLs own statement in her Political Guidelines that if Europeans are to have faith in our Union, its institutions should be open and beyond reproach on ethics, transparency and integrity.

Impressively Free of Morals

Von der Leyen was also called out this week by German MEP and political satirist Martin Sonneborn for the EUs confounding decision to replace gas provided by Russia, a country waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, with gas provided by Azerbaijan, a country that is waging a brutal war of aggression against Armenia and which is far behind Russia in terms of democracy, press and civil liberties (h/t Guurst). Here is the money quote from Sonneborns blistering speech:

When you started your service here, I thought you were just incompetent and a bit criminal; I now know you are also impressively free of morals.

Here is the full speech, which is well worth 90 seconds of your time:

This is not the first time VdL has been caught deleting sensitive messages and documents. In December 2019, less than a month into her new job at the helm of the EUs executive branch, it was revealed that a mobile phone she had used as German defence minister had been wiped clean of all data. That data was believed to include information pertaining to contracts awarded by her defense ministry to external consultants, including Mckinsey & Co, without the proper oversight.

Given von der Leyens apparent allergy to basic procedural transparency, she is the last person in Brussels to be leading Europes fight against corruption, both within and beyond EU borders. Indeed, it is highly debatable whether the Commission itself is in any position to preach to the world about corruption given the breakneck speed of its revolving doors and the extent to which it remains in thrall to lobbies and business associations. Perhaps it should get its own house in order before launching a global war on corruption.
By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher

Its easy to think of good reasons to contribute to Naked Capitalism. I was reading it long before I started to write, and I know that I have benefited from the work of the whole Naked Capitalism community. This work is more essential than ever.

When the current conflict (or current phase in the conflict) in Ukraine began earlier this year, the Western censorship machine went into overdrive, blocking or silencing news and views from Russia. Alongside news outlets, Western businesses and state institutions launched a boycott of anything, and anyone, Russian. Russian athletes, filmmakers, and artists have been fired or banned from public life, and long-term academic research collaborations cancelled.

In Australia, this process of rapidly transforming public discourse fit a long-established pattern that has escalated over time. Instead of legislating, or issuing a directive, the Australian government openly pressured state institutions and big businesses to prosecute in this censorship campaign.

Amongst other interventions, the Former Communications Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to Meta, Apple, TikTok, Twitter, Snap, Reddit, Google, and Microsoft on behalf of the government to request that they stop disseminating Russian state media.

Australia already has one of the most concentrated media ownership landscapes in the world, and the above tech giants control most of the Australian traffic on the internet. All it took was a few letters and a couple of phone calls from the Liberal government minister and the entire Australian media sphere, local and international, across multiple platforms, agreed to cooperate in censoring Russia.

This isnt about liking Russia or not, its about the government using its tools to shape public opinion. Weve seen these approaches deployed in other recent crisis responses, like the mass surveillance and endless conflicts of the War on Terror.

In parallel to the censorship, much of the Western propaganda was equally and confusingly blunt. While Russian state media was knocked off YouTube, DW, the German state-owned broadcaster, took the extraordinary step of changing the name of its channel so that it began Russia invades Ukraine LIVE.

This was just one aspect of the propaganda campaign against Russia but it was indicative of the stakes. The Western powers have committed to total information warfare.

Any pretense of the free market of ideas has been entirely replaced by the information battlefield that we as Naked Capitalism readers now inhabit. The bombardment of comes from every direction. Mainstream news outlets and government mouthpieces shower us with lies from above, something they have always done, but with a technologically enhanced capacity that is always increasing. Social media, often cooperating freely with the state, assaults us with more nonsense, with the added touch of appearing more organic, homely, and unhinged. When I went to buy (extremely expensive) petrol the other day, a screen on the pump started giving me unprompted news about the conflict in Ukraine.

When lies permeate so much of society, it is impossible to avoid them. One cant simply not buy the newspaper or change the dial when the news comes on. We are exposed to literally thousands of advertisements every day. Corporate interests try to take and maintain hegemonic control over what we know of the past and what we expect from the future. They mold and manipulate the ways we engage with the present. Working hand in hand with governments, they crush dissenting voices and inundate us with so much useless pantomime and self-interested deception that the few rare attempts to analyze and criticize the Capitalist system are at constant risk of being washed away in the flood.

But nobody can ignore the effects of this miasma of corporate propaganda. Whether it be the forever wars, the climate crisis, the catastrophic responses to Covid-19, or the current self-induced economic crisis, the effects of an economic system and society running on lies are tangible to working people the world over. In these circumstances, even the simpler lies, the lies that we repeat to ourselves and rely on to keep going every day, are being exposed, with catastrophic consequences. Lies like, these pills will make you well (and arent addictive either!), the water is safe to drink in America, well be able to stay warm this winter, or people dont starve to death in modern Britain.

To protect against the worst effects of this system, to try to change it, we need to cut through the lies from all sides before they harm us. We cant build anything for the future if we operate with intentionally faulty information. If youve already accepted this mission, please go to the donations page to support our effort to navigate this hall of mirrors.

More than ever, in the face of ongoing health and energy crises, we need to make intelligent choices. We cannot possibly do so without honest analysis.

To do this, we need to fight back against the barrage of deception. This is not something we can do alone. On the information battlefield, Rambo might manage to pick off a few stray fabrications, but hed soon be blown apart by one of the various well-oiled and organized propaganda machines.

We must be organized to fight organized lies. We need to come together and highlight the nonsense, analyze it, pull it apart, show our work (and theirs). We all do that all the time here at Naked Capitalism, whether in the articles or in the comments. We push and pull against each other, put forward ideas and analyses, find, share, and assess information (and its origins). We all bring together different expertise, local knowledge, and personal experience of the same rotten system to highlight its dangers and damages, and hopefully change it. So please support this process! Donate!

Please contribute what you can to Naked Capitalism. I know the many blind-spots in my worldview that it has helped me enlighten, and I know full well that I wouldnt have otherwise addressed them.

I know, as do you all, the time it takes to unpick one tiny fabrication when it has resources behind it, and we live in a world where lies are a dime a dozen, mass-produced and nearly fully automated. Without a community, without a team of people, without a platform, I might be able to counter some small portion of the mass deception I encounter personally, but I know I would give up in most cases. And giving up normally means either accepting the mainstream narrative, or indulging in an unexamined fringe conspiracy theory, either of which just serves to prop up the system.

As governments, tech companies, and big businesses pool their resources to prosecute wars on working people the world over, we have to work together to fight back. In many parts of the world we have been physically isolated from each other in recent years, banned from coming together to protest the decisions of governments or businesses locally. We cannot afford to be digitally isolated from one another as well, to lose our capacity to work together against the onslaught of lies, to concede yet another battleground. Please contribute what you can to Naked Capitalism so that we can continue the fight together.
(Natural News) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up its efforts to influence American media, as part of its multi-billion-dollar campaign to shape global opinion toward its favor.

A Sept. 8 report from Freedom House titled Beijings Global Media Influence showed the extent of this campaign. It revealed that the Chinese regime and its proxies were using more sophisticated, covert and coercive tactics to propagate pro-Beijing narratives, spread disinformation, and block unfavorable news.

Freedom House President Michael J. Abramowitz said in a press release that Beijing is doubling down on its campaign to control how it is portrayed in the world and to bend foreign media to its will. He added that these efforts seek to silence criticism of the regime and convert independent media into shills for the CCP.

Of the 30 countries examined in the report, Chinas media influence efforts were found to be high or very high in 16 countries. Eighteen countries also faced increased influence efforts from 2019 until 2021. The U.S., U.K. and Taiwan were among the nations with very high influence efforts, meaning that the CCP was ramping up its propaganda in these countries.

For instance, Chinese state media have paid reputable U.S. outlets to publish content that portrayed the regime in a positive light. Advertorials from state-run media outlets such as China Daily or Xinhua have also appeared in Time, the Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY and Foreign Policy. Filings from the Department of Justice revealed that China Daily has paid at least $7 million to various publications to carry their inserts from January 2019 to October 2021. (Related: Voice of the CCP? USA Today takes money from Beijing-linked newspaper to push communist propaganda in America.)

Even American radio stations were not exempt. According to the report, there had been two radio stations in Washington and New York City that were paid to broadcast programming from state-run China Radio International.

Beijing also utilizing social media to control narrative

Moreover, the report stated that Beijing also continued to leverage social media in a bid to amplify pro-CCP talking points. The Chinese Consulate General in New York was said to have paid social media influencers to promote the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and any good things in U.S.-China relations.

The CCP has increased its disinformation campaigns on social media platforms around the world since 2019 by using a network of fake accounts to spread false narratives. Over the years, thousands of these fake accounts had been found on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Many of these accounts had been taken down for manipulating discussion on an array of topics involving China, such as pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and U.S. relations with Taiwan.

Moreover, the report also found Chinese-linked disinformation networks wading into U.S. domestic issues, stoking more confusion on hot-button topics such as the governments pandemic response, radical tensions and political divisions over the 2020 presidential elections.

But despite the CCPs gargantuan media influence, most democratic countries are pushing back against this propaganda campaign. This resistance hindered Beijings attempts to sway public opinion, with sentiment toward China or its government declining in most countries examined.

Freedom House Research Director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan Sarah Cook  also a co-author of the report  said many democracies are proving far from helpless in the face of Beijings media influence efforts. She remarked that journalists and civil society groups are creatively doing their part to hinder the CCPs efforts.

This is a critical moment. Governments and societies worldwide should increase transparency and protections for press freedom and free expression, Cook said. More democracy, not less, is the answer to Beijings campaign to control news and information around the world.

Visit CommunistChina.news to know more about how China is trying to control free media worldwide.



Watch the video below to see how the CCP is attempting to propagate pro-Beijing narratives.

This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

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American newspapers were paid millions to push Communist Chinese Party propaganda.

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Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FreedomHouse.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden appointed Dr. Demetre Daskalakis  an avowed Satanist  to helm the nations monkeypox response.

Daskalakis also serves as the director for HIV prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to this, he served in the New York City Department of Health under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Daskalakis graduated from Columbia University with a biology degree. He later attended the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and did both his residency and fellowship at the Harvard Medical School. Daskalakis also gained an additional masters degree in public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Despite his excellent educational background and his efforts in HIV and other diseases affecting the LGBT community, a quick search of Daskalakis social media profiles showed disturbing information. These included his penchant for pentagrams and other symbols related to Satanism.

Daskalakis Facebook profile showed him alongside his partner Michael MacNeal at their goth gym in New York. It was based on the former gay nightclub Monster Cycle, which had taken over an old church in Manhattan. The establishments social media posts were rife with references to Satanism, the devil, burning crosses, pentagrams and more.

The newly-appointed monkeypox coordinator also sported tattoos reflecting the unholy. I have learned there is light even in the darkest places, said one of his tattoos. Other tattoos on Daskalakis showed the corpse of a dead creature, a serpent, a head with three eyes and what appears to be a saintlike figure or a depiction of Jesus Christ across his stomach.

His profile also showed images depicting an Ouija board ceremony with a lit crucifix depicting Jesus Christ, laying on a pentagram, among others.

Moreover, MacNeal and Daskalakis also appear to have been married in a dark and occult ceremony in 2013. Prior to meeting his partner, Daskalakis did not seem to have a penchant for the occult that he now publicly promotes.

Daskalakis has not addressed the speculation around his alleged religious beliefs or his public shirtless photos. Instead, he maintained his focus on dealing with the monkeypox outbreak.

Following his appointment, Daskalakis spoke about the importance of being aware of how monkeypox circulates among the LGBT community without linking it to identity. (Related: Monkeypox is a gay disease spread by seminal fluid, not merely skin contact, study finds.)

He also said the number of monkeypox infections appears to be slowing down, especially in major metropolitan areas. The new monkeypox czar attributed the decline to at-risk populations changing their sexual behaviors and lauded the success on the part of local health officials to vaccinate at-risk individuals.

Appointment met with criticism

Some conservatives expressed their opinions about Daskalakis and criticized Biden for his decision regarding the appointment.

Benny Johnson, host of The Benny Report on Newsmax, wrote on Twitter: Meet Demetre Daskalakis. Demetre was just appointed by Joe Biden to be the official White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator. Demetre proudly wears the official symbol of the Church of Satan: The Pentagram. Joe Biden appointed a Satanist to the White House.

Johnson also noted that the Baphomet Pentagram is the official, copyrighted symbol of the Church of Satan and has long been associated with various occult beliefs, including Satanism, which reveres the accomplishments of humanity and encourages believers to embrace physical wants and desires.

Its ubiquitous in his social media. Demetre has Pentagram tattoos. So its a fair question: Did Joe Biden appoint a Satanist? Johnson posited on his Twitter account.

The criticism from conservatives purportedly forced Daskalakis to turn his Instagram page private.

Follow Satanism.news for more news related to Satanism.



Watch the video below to know more about Demetre Daskalakis as the new Satan-worshipping monkeypox czar.

This video is from the TruthParadigm channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Twitter.com

DailyCaller.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Multiple reports are alleging that the Chinese Communist Party is harvesting the DNA of Tibetan citizens.

Gathering genetic information is important for law enforcement authorities currently engaged in criminal investigations, or for scientists conducting research. For a state like China to gather DNA en masse raises major ethical and privacy concerns regarding consent and the exploitation of ethnic minorities. It also raises questions about whether the information will be used for genetic surveillance. (Related: China collecting DNA from millions of men and boys for large-scale genetic surveillance project.)

One report published by Citizen Lab, a research institute of the University of Toronto, alleges that this DNA harvesting campaign by the CCP has been ongoing since at least June 2016. The report further states that the DNA of at least one-third of the entire population of Tibet  or over one million people  has already been harvested and documented.

Without external checks on the Ministry of Public Securitys power, police in Tibet will be free to use a mass DNA database for whatever purpose they see fit, read the Citizen Lab report.

Another report by the New York-based nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch alleged that the regime is arbitrarily collecting DNA even from children at kindergartens. The group also claimed that residents have no right to refuse to give DNA samples to the communist authorities.

Human Rights Watch further pointed out that authorities collecting DNA are not focusing on individuals but targeting entire communities. In a supposedly autonomous region where around 86 percent of the population is Tibetan, the targeting of entire communities likely to be populated with ethnic Tibetans raises serious red flags about the possibility that the ethnic minority may be racially profiled.

This is not unique to Tibet. Chinese authorities have also been collecting large amounts of DNA samples from the indigenous Uyghur population of Xinjiang. Other reports from Xinjiang even indicate that law enforcement-linked researchers have been developing facial mapping technology using the DNA samples collected from Uyghurs.

Tibet government-in-exile warns DNA harvesting may be used to suppress dissent

The Central Tibetan Administration, the government-in-exile representing the overthrown nation of Tibet based in Dharamshala in northern India, said that the CCPs mass DNA harvesting efforts indicate the extent of Beijings surveillance state.

Tenzin Lekshay, the spokesperson for the government-in-exile, added that the DNA sampling is a long-term tactic to control the Tibetan population.

The [Chinese regimes] escalation of the illicit collection of Tibetans DNA samples for the purpose of crime detection originates from its desperate attempts to establish legitimacy to rule Tibet, and therefore such efforts are solely meant to secure their stability, Lekshay said in a statement.

China is a surveillance state where they are putting so much money on internal security. Inside Tibet, China installed more security cameras than doors and windows, he continued.

The expansion of the surveillance state has meant that fewer and fewer Tibetans have been able to escape the communist regime for neighboring countries like India, Nepal and Bhutan, unlike in previous years.

Chinas collection of genetic samples without consent violates Tibetan rights under international law and strengthens its already ruthless surveillance regime, he said.

Tsering Passang, chairman of the pro-Tibetan Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities, warned that the communist regime is using genetic surveillance technology to expand its effort to repress the local Tibetan population.

The mass DNA collection is probably their last resort to control Tibetans through biotechnology, said Passang. He added that the DNA sampling shows that the Chinese regime believes it still needs to hold an iron grip over the still-restive Tibetan population.

Learn more about what China is doing in CommunistChina.news.

Watch this clip from InfoWars as host Harrison Smith talks about the coming Chinese digital total surveillance state.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

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Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves takes stand for Tibet, faces huge backlash from Chinese netizens.

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The United Nations is now partners with the Chinese Communist Party; turned over names of Chinese dissidents to the regime.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.org

Axios.com

NIUSSP.org

TheEpochTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Once again, the FBI is proving that it is a politicized protectorate of the Washington political establishment and the deep state.

Internet sleuth Techno Fog noted online last week that the bureau is refusing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information about the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The anonymous blogger, who claims to be an attorney and also writes a popular Substack column, requested every record linked to any interviews the FBI conducted with Epstein, going on to suggest that the bureau, which has recently  and credibly  been accused of becoming politicized, may be hiding something after a FOIA request was denied.

The records responsive to your request are law enforcement records; there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records, and release of the information could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, the bureau said, according to a reply posted online by the Twitter personality.

We asked the FBI for the Jeffrey Epstein interview transcripts. The FBI response: providing the Epstein records would interfere with law enforcement proceedings. Either the FBI is lying or something is up. (Bet on FBI lies)https://t.co/izwxxdo3KV  Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) September 9, 2022

The Daily Wire noted further:

Epstein, the mysterious creep who kept a bevy of underage girls at his Caribbean island compound, who was known to socialize with powerful leaders and luminaries including former President Bill Clinton, died under mysterious circumstances in 2019 while being held at the Manhattan Correctional Center on sex trafficking charges. Officials ruled his death a suicide at the time.

The FBI has acknowledged through prior records releases that Epstein had been an informant.

Epstein has also provided information to the FBI as agreed upon, said a note in a document the FBI previously released through its information vault in 2018.

As Big League Politics added, Techno Fog also suggested that because of Epsteins informant status, that is likely why he avoided charges for molesting underaged girls for so long.

Wait. Was pedophile Jeffrey Epstein an informant for Muellers FBI? From the 5/24/18 FBI Vault release: Epstein has also provided information to the FBI as agreed upon. Is that why he escaped serious charges for molesting over twenty girls? pic.twitter.com/K4suAumD85  Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 24, 2018

There were other hints and rumors that he worked with the US government to recover stolen funds, the sleuth added.

In his latest Substack entry, Techno Fog says that the FOIA request was made out of a suspicion that the FBI and Epstein worked together on several occasions. The sleuth also hinted that the denial of the request is akin to an admission that the FBI actually has additional records as he also cast doubt about whether they were under protection as part of an ongoing investigation.

Its more likely that the Epstein records might embarrass the FBI, Techno Fog wrote. The DOJ and FBI have been known to abuse the FOIA law enforcement exemption to hide investigative materials from public release. Weve seen them do it. And theyre doing it again.

According to CharlieKirk.com:

Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of procuring underage girls for Epstein last year and is currently serving a 20-year sentence. But notably, no one who was reportedly involved with any of the underaged girls aboard Epsteins private jet or on his private island has been publicly identified by authorities or charged with any crimes.

Were exceedingly doubtful that the release of the Epstein records would interfere with enforcement proceedings, Techno Fog wrote. Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted and Epstein is dead. The only potential tie might be from a grand jury investigation into other possible co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein. But that was from the summer of 2020 and we rightly assume no charges were brought against whoever was being investigated.

Epstein was a scumbag, but the FBI is obviously preventing information from coming out because its likely many of his clients were powerful people. Like Bill Clinton.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

CharlieKirk.com

BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Gun control groups are pulling back the curtain to reveal that their plan to add a firearm and ammunition-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun retailers isnt about tracking guns. Its about tracking you.

(Article by Larry Keane republished from NSSF.org)

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times columnist who proposed this idea years ago, penned a column outlining the next steps. That revealed that the pressure campaign by federal lawmakers, state attorneys general, state lawmakers and activist banks on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to create a unique MCC for gun retailers was just the beginning.

It was never about gathering data to aide law enforcement. It is, and always has been, a concerted effort to pressure credit card companies to deny lawful purchases of firearms and put every single gun purchaser on a watchlist.

Since the federal government is forbidden by law from creating and maintaining a searchable database of gun owners, this task is being outsourced to private industry.

An international body of unelected bureaucrats, not accountable to the American public, is setting the conditions that will allow credit card companies to track, categorize and report suspicious purchases to law enforcement. This is the definition of an Orwellian society.

How We Got Here

Sorkin proposed the idea of cutting off gun purchases by throttling the use of credit cards in 2018, when he published a column titled, How Banks Could Control Gun Sales If Washington Wont. NSSF warned then of the dangerousness of this proposal. Sorkins idea is that enough financial pressure could be applied to credit card giants to deny lawful gun sales. Swipe, insert chip or tap just simply wouldnt work for those attempting to legally purchase a firearm or ammunition.

This idea was backed by gun control front-woman Shannon Watts. Antigun politicians like U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) who introduced legislation that would require the Treasury Departments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) to give guidance to banks so they can report suspicious financial activity. The bill is fraught with civil liberty violations and not just those freedoms protected by the Second Amendment. Privacy rights  specifically those related to finances  would go by the wayside.

Amalgamated Bank, a socially-responsible bank, pressured the ISO for the specific MCC to categorize firearm retailers. Thats the same bank that refuses to do business to anyone in the gun industry but bankrolls the Democratic National Committee and Political Action Committees including Biden-Harris Democrats, Ready for Hillary (which is Hillary Clintons Super PAC), Sen Elizabeth Warrens (D-Mass.) Warren Democrats and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) PAC, among others.

How It Works

The new MCC would apply to firearm retailers sales where the customer uses a credit card to pay. The code would allow credit card giants to monitor transactions at firearm retailers. In other words, someone buying new waders, boots, bibs, decoys, calls, bags, a shotgun and ammunition would all be specifically coded in a total lump sum the credit card companies could examine. The credit card giants wouldnt be able to peer into the shopping basket to see that of the thousands of dollars someone might spend at the beginning of a hunting season would be mostly for gear, only a large purchase totaling thousands of dollars. That could raise a flag as a suspicious purchase. They could deny the transaction. They would report the transaction to law enforcement and a law-abiding gun owner could be put on a watchlist, like the terrorist watchlist or the governments No Fly list. They could expect a visit from law enforcement asking them about their purchase, or attempted purchase.

How They Want It To Work

Thats just the beginning. Sorkin detailed plans to snap the door closed. Credit card giants need to do more than adopt the code, Sorkin said they need to enforce it. That would require the credit card companies forcing sporting goods stores like Academy to ring up gun and ammunition separately at the gun counter and utilize the gun store MCC. Sorkin also wants payment processors to develop software algorithms that would automatically flag suspicious purchases. Those looking for a definition of what would be suspicious should be wary that Amalgamated Bank is already working on this. Banks, if Sorkin has his way, would be the arbiters of approving or denying the purchase.

Thats putting unelected bureaucrats in control of Second Amendment freedoms. Antigun billionaire Michael Bloombergs Everytown for Gun Safety is heralding the move they say would prevent  an extremist building an arsenal. It could also prevent law-abiding gun owners from purchasing a handgun to protect themselves. Giffords gun control group tweeted, Next steps: Well work with @Visa, @Mastercard, & @AmericanExpress to ensure bad actors are not exploiting our nations financial system to carry out mass shootings and illicitly traffic firearms. Since Giffords goal is to ban guns, bad actors would seem to include every lawful gun purchaser. Brady United, another gun control group, also glommed onto the bad actors descriptor, lumping all gun purchasers as potential criminals.

This assault on privacy and Second Amendment rights isnt through. NSSF will work with Congress, state legislatures and attorneys general to battle back and protect the industry and those it serves. This new gun store MCC will not protect America from criminals but it does serve the demands of gun control zealots to chill and then kill lawful gun ownership in America.

Read more at: NSSF.org
(Natural News) When Charles III, the new King of England, visited the body of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, people chanted God save the king.

They should have chanted God, save the world.

Just over a year ago, Charles declared war on humanity by calling for a global military action to cut carbon emissions around the planet, which could kill more than three billion people. He made the war declaration during one of the World Economic Forum (WEF) events, saying that he will create more money than there is already in the world to have this radical transformation of carbon.

Since the 1970s, Charles had been outspoken about how society must deal urgently with the dangers of pollution. For more than five decades, he had been consistent in his campaign for the environment.

Tony Juniper, a former chief of Friends of the Earth and now head of Natural England, advised Charles for several years, saying that the king is possibly the most significant environmental figure of all time.

As king, many are questioning whether or not his environmental politics will continue. It has always been understood that his relative freedom as the Prince of Wales would end as soon as he took the crown.

Charles IIIs reign comes as global temperatures are toppling heat records, with average temperatures rising 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 150 years, reshaping weather extremes and politics in Britain. The country that led the world to industrialization over a century ago by burning coal, now has one of the most aggressive plans to reduce carbon emissions in the world.

Charles is now king of a nation reeling from painful energy prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war. He is facing the risk of his people shivering in their homes in the winter due to the dwindling natural gas supplies.

King Charles III and WEF

In 2020, at the WEF annual gathering in Davos, then-Prince Charles launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which aims to get business leaders to invest in environmentally friendly operations. Since then, over 500 CEOs have pledged their support for the initiatives Terra Carta, or Earth Charter, which was launched last year.

In a video released to mark the launch of the Great Reset in 2020, he talked about green policies that could add problems to businesses and individual freedoms worldwide.

We have no alternative, because otherwise, unless we take the action necessary and we build again in a greener and more sustainable and more inclusive way, then we will end up having [more] pandemics and [more] disasters accelerating global warming and climate change, he said back then, parroting the same lines of the WEF that say global interventions in business practices and consumption habits are needed to avert impending disaster.

He also proposed that the world seize the opportunity presented by the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to create a more circular bio-economy that gives back to nature as much as we take. (Related: Conservatives warn that globalist cabals Great Reset will undo global economies, worsen problems.)

He also endorsed a major WEF proposal  carbon pricing  designed to hurt the middle and lower classes by driving up the cost of businesses, which will eventually pass down expenses to consumers, who will carry the burden of the green policies if businesses arent forced to shut down for lack of profit.

Meanwhile, over 1,100 scientists and professionals worldwide have signed a World Climate Declaration that said there is no climate emergency. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and exists naturally.

Visit GreatReset.news to know more about the WEF agenda that could kill nearly half the planet.

Watch the video below to know more about the dangerous globalist agenda that the new King of England is pushing forward.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

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Globalists goal of depopulating the world guided by principles literally set in stone  the Georgia Guidestones.

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Sources include:

Brighteon.com

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(Natural News) Planned Parenthood (PP) is a mass murderer of the highest order  killing hundreds of thousands of babies annually, proudly flaunting its infanticide and earning big bucks in return.

Data from the Guttmacher Institute revealed that PP posted a record total of 383,460 abortions in 2020. This constituted 41 percent of the 930,160 total abortions done in the U.S. for that year.

For a clearer picture of how many these Planned Parenthoods innocent victims, they are slightly less than the current population of Tampa, Florida (394,809) and New Orleans, Louisiana (392,031). However, they are more than the residents of Cleveland, Ohio (367,786), Honolulu, Hawaii (353,706) and Anaheim, California (348,936).

In 2019, PP killed 354,871 babies in abortions, which is nearly 30,000 babies less than those murdered in 2020.

For all these abortions, PP  categorized as a nonprofit  earned a whopping $1.714 billion last year. Taxpayer dollars amounting to $633.4 million further bolstered its income, according to the organizations 2020 annual report.

PPs income broken down for the 2020-2021 fiscal year reflected a huge windfall. Its revenue from donations amounted to $353.9 million, while it netted $634 million from government grants and reimbursements. The organization made a net profit of $133.7 million for the aforementioned fiscal year.

To sum up, it was another banner year for the abortion giant, which already boasts 17 million supporters worldwide.

Planned Parenthoods dark past

Back in 2015, PP received backlash following undercover footage of some of its doctors discussing the ins and outs of selling aborted baby parts to prospective buyers. The videos touched on bargaining over fetal organs and offering suggestions on how the organization can get out of trouble in the event the topic of illegally selling baby organs develops.

Five years later in 2020, PP was accused of causing more black deaths than any organization in America, which it quickly denied. Until now, it gets away with the mass murder of the unborn.

Abortion became a hot issue again in the U.S. after the Supreme Courts overturn of the Roe v. Wade ruling, returning the right to decide on abortion issues to the states in the process. (Related: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, sending issue of abortion back to states where it always belonged.)

Following the controversial ruling, a gunman attempted to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh but did not succeed. Police arrested Nicholas John Roske, 20, during the early morning hours of July 8 near the magistrates residence in Maryland.

Leftists also made good on their threat of night of rage riots, including the firebombing and vandalism of crisis pregnancy centers in Wisconsin and New York. Extremist pro-abortion group Janes Revenge took credit for the violent attacks on these centers, which occurred from May to July 2022.

To appease pro-abortion advocates somewhat, President Joe Biden signed an executive order promoting abortion on demand. According to the fact sheet about the executive order, the Department of Health and Human Services is directed to protect and expand access to medication abortion.

Visit Abortions.news for more stories about Planned Parenthood and its legacy of infanticide.

Watch this video below that talks about why abortion is murder.

This video is from the Battle Axe of Yah channel on Brighteon.com.

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Biden promises that your tax dollars will be used by HHS to transport women across state lines for baby killing abortion Uber.

Sources include:

LifeNews.com

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(Natural News) Texas A&M University (TAMU), the largest public university in the U.S., faces a class-action lawsuit over its alleged race-based hiring practices. The institution based in College Station, Texas was reserving faculty positions and earmarking huge bonuses for minorities  both mentioned in the complaint.

The lawsuit, filed by conservative nonprofit America First Legal, named University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) finance professor Richard Lowery as the plaintiff. The UT Austin faculty member argued that TAMUs hiring programs violate three different civil rights laws: the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause, which bars public universities from using racial preferences in nearly all situations; the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits race discrimination in contracting; and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race discrimination at federally funded universities.

Lowerys lawsuit asked a Texas district court to put an end to TAMUs diversity programs. It also asked the bench to appoint a court monitor to ensure TAMUs diversity office does not aid or abet violations of the nations civil rights laws.

These discriminatory, illegal and anti-meritocratic practices have been egged on by woke ideologues who populate the so-called diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public and private universities throughout the United States, Lowerys lawsuit stated.

The existence of these offices is subverting meritocracy and encouraging wholesale violations of civil-rights laws throughout our nations university system. University administrators think they can flout these federal statutes with impunity because no one ever sues them over their discriminatory faculty-hiring practices and the Department of Education looks the other way.

Back in July, TAMU set aside $2 million worth of bonuses under its ACES Plus Program to be given to hires from under-represented minority groups. According to a July 8 memo from TAMUs Office of Diversity, eligible minority groups could receive a maximum of $100,000 in bonuses. The office added that African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians qualify for the program.

Other universities following TAMUs footsteps in anti-white discrimination

An email thread between two TAMU professors also showed that the ACES Plus Program also encompassed the universitys Mays Business School. Certain slots on the schools faculty were reserved for the aforementioned minorities, as per the email exchange. (Related: Science position at Canadian university reserved for women, transgenders, non-binaries and two-spirit persons.)

The tertiary institution at the Lone Star State is not the only one practicing this discrimination in hiring. Back in April 2021, George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia announced its faculty hiring plan that openly indicated racial quotas. The plan was blasted by law professors, who argued that racial quotas were blatantly illegal under federal law.

GMU President Gregory Washington acknowledged the criticism, but said it would not deter him from prioritizing ethnicity over credentials in hiring.

If you have two candidates who are both above the bar in terms of requirements for a position, but one adds to your diversity and the other does not, then why couldnt that candidate be better, even if that candidate may not have better credentials than the other candidate? Washington said.

Study after study has proven that the most diverse organizations, which recognize the importance of maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment, are the best performing organizations.

Writing for Liberty Unyielding, lawyer Hans Bader blasted the GMU president for his arguments justifying racism in hiring faculty members.

Washington attributes GMUs limited number of Black and Hispanic staff to the effects of structural racism. But the fact that GMUs faculty are whiter than its student body does not show discrimination, he wrote. The faculty have special qualifications that students do not, and most faculty were hired at a time when applicants were whiter than they are today, due to Americas changing demographics.

PublicEducation.news has more on American universities practicing racial discrimination in the hiring of faculty members.

Watch this OAN report about Connecticut school official Jeremy Boland, who admitted to discriminating against conservatives when hiring teachers.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Bizarre hiring practices prove how universities cease to be centers of knowledge and are now social justice indoctrination centers.

Minneapolis teachers union negotiates clause requiring white educators to be laid off first as reparations for past discriminations.

Sources include:

FreeBeacon.com

WordPress.AFLegal.org 1 [PDF]

WordPress.AFLegal.org 2 [PDF]

LibertyUnyielding.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The head of the Texas Public Policy Foundation believes that it would be a good idea for the state government of Texas to declare an invasion at the southern border to protect its people and the sovereignty of the state from cartel forces and their allies.

Greg Sindelar, the CEO of the think tank, said the foundation is advocating for the invasion declaration under Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution. It is also calling on the federal government to enact certain policies to protect American sovereignty, including designating many Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

The time for Texas to act is long overdue, said Sindelar at the 80th annual assembly and convention of the American Society of Mexico in Mexico City.

Since President Joe Biden implemented significant policy changes at Americas southern border, nearly five million people have been apprehended or evaded capture entering the United States. Texas, which shares the largest portion of the southern border with Mexico at 1,254 miles, received the most illegal immigrants. (Related: Texas BUSES first batch of illegals to self-proclaimed sanctuary city Chicago.)

Sindelar noted how important it is for Texas to maintain its strong economic relationship with Mexico. The country is Texas largest trading partner, with more than $660 billion in total trade in 2021. Sindelar also noted how Texas and Mexico are bound by a common heritage, a common border and a common future.

But this special relationship is being threatened by Mexican drug cartels, whose massive control over Mexican police and military forces and local and federal governments constitutes a direct threat to Texas and our way of life.

22 Texas counties have already declared an invasion at the southern border

As of Sept. 14, 22 of the 254 counties in Texas have signed declarations that the state is being invaded at the southern border.

The four latest counties to pass invasion declarations are Jasper and Madison County in eastern Texas and Throckmorton and Wichita County in northern Texas.

The counties cited the constitutional authority of the state and the responsibility of the federal government to protect the sovereignty of Texas and to defend Texans and other Americans. They said the rising cartel violence, illegal immigration, human trafficking and drug smuggling are all a result of the policies of the Biden administration.

Our southern Texas border is suffering a criminal invasion in the form of illegal human trafficking, as well as drug and weapons smuggling, the counties wrote.

Jasper County signed its resolution on Sept. 6 and it expresses support for Operation Lone Star and additional measures to secure the Texas border and protect Texas communities. Madison, Throckmorton and Wichita counties signed their resolutions between Aug. 29 and Sept. 6 and called for additional measures to secure the border, stop the invasion at the border and protect our communities.

The four counties labeled Mexican drug cartels as paramilitary, narco-terrorist organizations that have exploited the current weakness of Americas southern border for their own gain and to the detriment of Texan communities.

They added that their invasion declarations are a way for them to step up where the federal government has failed in meeting its constitutional obligation to ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, execute the laws and protect each state against invasion.

The four counties also expressed support for suffering border counties and Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts border security efforts through Operation Lone Star, an anti-illegal immigration and anti-illegal drug trade operation. They encouraged the governor to use his full authority under the Texas and American constitutions to take the necessary steps  to secure the Texas border and stop the invasion at the border.

Learn more about the invasion at the southern border at InvasionUSA.news.

Watch this clip from Next News Network discussing how over 5,000 illegal immigrants were arrested over the Labor Day weekend.

This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

So-called Sanctuary City declares public emergency over migrants being bused to DC.

4.9 Million illegal aliens blew past the US border in the 18 months since Biden was installed in office.

While Americans go hungry, Democrats demand millions in food handouts for illegal aliens.

Bidens border policy is creating the largest child smuggling epidemic in human history, warns former White Hosue advisor.

National Guardsmen posted along harrowing US-Mexico border says Bidens policies are endangering Americans more than ever.

Sources include:

JustTheNews.com

TheCenterSquare.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) According to Ohio-based lawyer Tom Renz, faith without freedom is not faith but slavery.

He told this adage to Leah and Michelle Svensson, the Resistance Chicks, during the Sept. 11 episode of Headline News: The Resistance Chicks on Brighteon.TV. Renz also hosts his own show on the network titled Lawfare with Tom Renz.

Its uncomfortable for a lot of Christians to think about the practical application, because everybody likes to look at it: God can wave His magic wand, and He can, the attorney said.

But you see, one of the most core and foundational aspects of faith is freedom. So, faith without freedom isnt faith  thats slavery.

The Svensson sisters also asked Renz regarding his remarks about the Holy Bible being the greatest strategic book that a person can use.

He explained that as a lawyer, he was asked to win the fight for American culture, its law, the people, their way of life and everything about America that was under attack. While his work centered around the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), Renz admitted that his work is really about freedom, culture and God.

Renz continued that people already have a good manual which could help them fight the enemy in the form of the Holy Bible. He added that the Bible is divinely inspired and that people can learn from the Scriptures by reading them. One strategy from the Bible that Renz himself uses is differentiating between good and evil.

According to Renz, people need to know the enemy first and then figure out how to deal with the problem in order to vanquish it for good. The enemy, he said, has tried to undermine goodness and faith.

Renz: People with faith always do the right thing for others

Furthermore, the lawyer from Ohio added that people who have faith would always do the right thing for others. In contrast, those devoid of faith and do not believe in God are often selfish and only think of what they can get from others. Working together for a common cause and choosing goodness, according to Renz, is much better than seeking ones self-interest. (Related: HIS Glory with Pastor David Scarlett: Pastor Artur Pawlowski says Americans should never give up their rights  Brighteon.TV.)

We, the free worshipers of God, choose to believe in Him. And because we choose to believe in Him, we can unify. We can unify and we will work together because its the right thing to do. But underlying that is always freedom. Its a recognition that we choose to do it because its right, not because we have to do it.

Renz told the Svenssons that his purpose is to facilitate positive change not just as a lawyer, but as a freedom fighter. He continued that the people who came to him, which he now represents, were fighting for the freedom they have lost.

To this end, he has served as legal counsel in three major cases centering on the COVID-19 lockdowns, mask mandates and under-reported vaccine deaths in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Back in July 2021, Renz announced plans to file a federal lawsuit based on a whistleblowers revelation that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had been covering up deaths in VAERS. According to the whistleblower, as many as 45,000 fatalities linked to the vaccine were reported to the system  a far cry from the CDCs claims of only 10,991 deaths that time.

Renz also set his sights on three Big Tech companies  Google, Facebook and Twitter  for their censorship, making them complicit with causing death. He warned: I cannot wait to sue you, over and over again.

Follow Awakening.news for more news about the great revival happening in America.

Watch the Sept. 11 episode of Headline News: The Resistance Chicks below. You can catch Headline News: The Resistance Chicks every Friday at 6-7 p.m. and every Sunday at 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

The Resistance Chicks Leah and Michelle Svensson talk about the power of prayer in changing a nation  Brighteon.TV.

Pastor Leon Benjamin and Ohio lawyer Tom Renz talk about fear and faith amid the pandemic  Brighteon.TV.

Lawfare with Tom Renz: Health freedom fighter Pam Popper discusses the importance of people coming together as one  Brighteon.TV.

HIS Glory: Prophetic voice Joseph Z encourages America to stand up against rampant anti-life culture  Brighteon.TV.

Nathaniel Pawlowski tells Karen Kingston: The Church has to be involved in politics and fight for the nation  Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

BibleScienceForum.com
New York, US (PANA) - As risks of conflict-induced famine and widespread food insecurity continue to rise, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator urged the Security Council on Thursday to address the interlinked crises, and work towards establishing lasting peace in affected regions
(Natural News) The Russians continue to threaten us with nuclear annihilation. Why are so few people in the western world alarmed by this? I think it is because our leaders are assuring everyone that the Russians are all talk and that the odds of a nuclear war actually happening are extremely low. Meanwhile, both sides just continue to take steps to escalate the war in Ukraine. We are engaged in an extremely bizarre game of nuclear chicken, and both sides truly believe that the other side will blink first. And so we continue to creep closer and closer to a cataclysmic nuclear conflict, and once the missiles start flying there will be no turning back.

(Article by Michael Snyder republished from EndOfTheAmericanDream.com)

I simply do not understand why our leaders are not taking Russian threats more seriously.

The Russians warned that they would take military action in Ukraine if an agreement to avoid war could not be reached, and that is precisely what happened.

And now the Russians are repeatedly threatening us with nuclear war. In fact, Dmitry Medvedev just warned that if the U.S. does not back down our land will be on fire and the concrete will melt

If the West continues its unrestrained pumping of the Kiev regime with the most dangerous types of weapons, Russias military campaign will move to the next level, where visible boundaries and potential predictability of actions by the parties to the conflict will be erased and the conflict will take on a life of its own, as wars always do, Medvedev argued. And then the Western nations will not be able to sit in their clean homes, laughing at how they carefully weaken Russia by proxy. Everything will be on fire around them. Their people will harvest their grief in full. The land will be on fire and the concrete will melt, Medvedev wrote, before citing a Bible verse from Revelations 9:18.

In case you are wondering, this is what Revelation 9:18 says

A third of mankind was killed by these three plaguesby the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which came out of their mouths.

Medvedev also addressed the fact that U.S. politicians dont seem to be taking Russian threats very seriously

Yet still the narrow-minded politicians and their stupid think tanks, thoughtfully twirling a glass of wine in their hands, talk about how they can deal with us without entering into a direct war. Dull idiots with a classical education, Medvedev wrote.

When I read that statement, I immediately thought of National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

He is one of the chief warmongers in the Biden administration, but most Americans dont even know who he is.

Personally, I am shocked that someone like Sullivan can even get a job in Washington, but at this point he is one of the key architects of our foreign policy. There are times when Sullivan makes John Bolton look like a radical anti-war peace activist in comparison, and Biden considers his advice to be highly valuable.

That is quite frightening, because if Sullivan has his way we are likely to end up in a nuclear war with Russia.

At this point, the Russians do not believe that they are fighting a war with just Ukraine.

All over Russian television, there is talk about the vast numbers of British and American soldiers that are now on the front lines of the conflict

Watching Russias channels over the last 24 hours reveals two trends. The first is that talk of Ukrainian Nazis has decreased  instead its now about shared past and history of two nations. Second, they simply cannot accept theyre losing to Ukrainians; instead, they talk about fighting a huge force of British and American soldiers, or as they often call them: Anglo-Saxons.

Officially, the U.S. and UK governments have not sent any troops to Ukraine.

But somehow tens of thousands of highly trained U.S. and British fighters are now involved.

Many of them are uploading videos of their exploits to social media, and this is something that even the Daily Mail is admitting

In a compilation of footage uploaded to social media, soldiers with British accents can be heard speaking to one another while wearing blue armbands to identify themselves as Ukrainian forces. One clip appears to show soldiers moving POWs through a compound, while others show soldiers hurling grenades, running to take cover, and climbing through windows.

Whether these troops were officially sent by the U.S. and UK governments doesnt really matter.

What matters is that the Russians now believe that they are fighting troops from NATO countries that have been armed with NATO equipment.

If the Russians perceive that this is the big showdown with NATO, they may decide that it is better to go for the jugular sooner rather than later.

Because the side that strikes first has the best chance of surviving a nuclear war.

In a scenario in which the Russians decide to strike first, they would move large numbers of their super silent black hole submarines into position just off our coastlines.

This is something that I have warned my readers about over and over again.

These submarines would simultaneously launch their nukes, and within just a couple of minutes a host of key strategic targets would be destroyed all over the country.

Our missile silos and our air bases would be among those strategic targets, but once his advisers finally got him out of bed the president would inevitably order a strike of our own.

Unfortunately, Minuteman III missiles that went into service in the 1970s still form the backbone of our strategic nuclear arsenal, and Russia has the most advanced anti-missile systems on the entire planet.

The Russian S-400, A-135 and S-500 anti-missile systems would likely intercept much of what we throw at them, but inevitably some targets would be hit.

But overall, the Russians would hurt us a whole lot more than we hurt them, and they know this.

So why wont we take the threats that they are making more seriously?

Of course there are ultimately no winners in a nuclear war, and that is what western leaders are banking on.

As I have discussed previously, studies have determined that only about 20 percent of the U.S. population would die immediately if there was a full-blown nuclear exchange with Russia.

But the ensuing nuclear winter caused by such a conflict would result in billions of people starving to death worldwide.

So I am pleading with leaders on both sides of this war to find a peaceful way out of this mess while they still can.

Unfortunately, both sides have become absolutely obsessed with winning the conflict in Ukraine, and it appears that it is just a matter of time before it goes nuclear.

Read more at: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com
(Natural News) Thousands of nurses in Minnesota walked out of their jobs on Sept. 12 in protest of hospital under-staffing. The health workers lamented that being overworked by their employers have exhausted them and harmed patient care.

The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) described the three-day strike, which involved 15,000 participants, as one of the largest in U.S. history. Aside from nurses in the Gopher State, MNA also represents nurses in North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. The nurses strike also highlighted the shortages of health workers across the country, worsened by the pandemic.

The strike affected at least 13 hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. According to the nurses labor union, it had been negotiating a new agreement with hospital executives for more than five months. Moreover, nurses had been working without a contract for weeks.

MNAs negotiating team remarked in a statement that its member nurses were understaffed and overworked. It added that hospital executives have already driven nurses away from the bedside by their refusal to solve the crises of staffing and retention in our hospitals. (Related: Result of TYRANNY: Aussie hospitals struggling to fill staff vacancies, senior nurse reveals.)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) expressed his support toward the strike. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, he tweeted, calling for fair scheduling and higher wages.

Several hospitals affected by the strike also issued responses.

Twin Cities Hospital Group (TCHG) said it had asked the nurses union to join them in mediation  to no avail. The network oversees four hospitals where nurses are striking.

A trained mediator can help parties focus on the key elements needed to move forward together, TCHG said in its website. However, the nurses union has rejected all our requests for mediation.

Meanwhile, Allina Health said it had been planning a strike for months. The network, which also owns four hospitals affected by the nurses strike, said on its website that it was making every effort to minimize disruptions to patient care.

MNA, hospitals back to the negotiating table

The three-day strike is set to end on Sept. 15, with striking nurses returning to their jobs on that day. The health workers expressed hope that hospital executives and the MNA will go back to the table to draft a new contract.

The union is pushing for new three-year contracts that include salary increases of up to 30 percent, better staffing and improved safety protections. Hospital officials, however, called these demands too expensive and unrealistic. They instead offered raises of about 12 percent, alongside promises to address concerns regarding staffing and workplace safety.

Hospital officials also denounced the MNAs decision to strike, arguing that it does not benefit anyone. No negotiation sessions were held during the strikes duration, as executives were focused on maintaining operations.

At least one hospital later said it looked forward to resuming negotiations.

Now we look forward to returning to the bargaining table, said a statement from Allina Health. We are scheduling a bargaining session to continue working with the MNA on a contract agreement that recognizes both the contributions of our nurses, and our commitment to our patients and communities.

During the strike, MNA President Mary Turner made it clear that nurses would continue to fight. According to her, nurses fear that their very profession is at risk. Turner noted that other large groups of workers are also pushing for better pay and working conditions.

We are the tip of the spear for all workers across the nation, the union president said during a speech outside Southdale Hospital in the city of Edina, Minnesota.

Collapse.news has more about hospital systems across the U.S. being impacted by staffing shortages and employee strikes.

Watch this video about the more than 30,000 nurses from the Kaiser Permanente health network that went on strike in November 2021.

This video is from the Bit channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

NY hospital stops delivering babies as workers resign over vaccine mandates.

Hong Kong hospital workers go on strike to demand closure of border with China.

Nurses union in Canada warns COVID-19 vaccine mandates will lead to extreme staffing shortage.

Arkansas hospital offering $25,000 signing bonuses to attract new nurses as COVID-19 strains hospitals.

Massive nurse shortage hits Houston  Weeks after 150 unvaccinated nurses and hospital workers were fired.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

MSN.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Twenty one years ago, terrorists took over US planes and flew them into skyscraper buildings in New York City, shocking the nation and killing at least 3,000 people. Afterwards, most Americans were afraid to board planes, wondering if it would happen to the one they were on. So, the authorities took action to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. Many US planes featured US marshals aboard to protect the cockpit and the pilots. Flight deck doors were built to keep out terrorists or anyone else who decided to go crazy and try to take over flying a jumbo jet. Oddly, we dont really even hear about terrorists attacking the United States anymore, or even being a threat, but theres a new form of terrorism, and its killing WAY more US citizens than died on 9/11.

Big Pharma domestic terrorists use deadly biological warfare against US citizens, including children, under the guise of medicine

The War on Terror is being fought by thousands and thousands of US citizens right now, but its not the type of war most Americans recognize at all. The Americans who are fighting this war are natural health advocates, and everybody else seems to be the naive or brainwashed victims of biological warfare and domestic pharma terrorism.

As thousands of Americans have been brainwashed by a mainly fear-based pandemic, they get injected, over and over again, with spike protein prions that cause blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, spontaneous abortions and sudden adult death syndrome (SADS). In their minds, a terrorist is someone from another country, who hates American, and commits horrific violent acts to kill people and destroy our way of life. Yet, thats exactly what the COVID clot shots have been designed to do, not to mention all of the pandemic mandates that destroyed peoples lives and livelihoods.

The deadly Fauci Flu jabs have already killed over 750,000 people in the United States alone. Thats 250 times the number of people who died on 9/11 at the hands of terrorists. How can we stop THESE pharma terrorists, who operate right here every day on US soil, and who most Americans believe are helping them fight the pandemic?

We need health marshals on every corner, preventing people, including teens, children, babies and pregnant women, from getting stabbed with neurotoxins and blood-clotting nanoparticles. We need to arrest all the pharma terrorists who designed, implemented and recommended this form of biological terrorism for our people. Wheres the outrage? Wake up America.

Theres a Trojan Horse full of terrorists invading the USA and killing off the populace in droves, and people are inviting them right in

Imagine standing next to a plane youre about to board and inviting known terrorists to hop aboard with you. Wouldnt that just be pure insanity? Yet, 270 million Americans have invited Big Pharma, the most corrupt of institutions on the planet, to invade their bodies with millions of toxic spike proteins, and its a war being waged against their own health, but they dont even realize it.

The problem is that most Americans think their own government, including the FDA and CDC, have their health and safety in mind, but its just the opposite, especially since the scamdemic began. Now, the domestic terrorists have weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and they are called vaccines. No planes need to be hijacked to kill off the masses, and no buildings need to be destroyed by demolition to accomplish this mass-population-reduction agenda. Its simple. Convince the masses they will die from a virus thats going around, and then inject them all with biological weapons that kill them off, and they never even recognize the enemy or the weapons being used against them.

Save the children! Stop the toxic vaccine madness. Keep your truth news in check by adding Preparedness.news to your favorites list and tuning in daily for updates on real news about surviving and thriving in the near future, and news thats being scrubbed from MSM and social media as you read this.

Sources for this article include:

Censored.news

NaturalNews.com

OneMileAtaTime.com
(Natural News) Larry Schweikart warned that the history books being taught to children in schools may be presenting a distorted left-wing history of the U.S., with the goal of undermining the unity of the nation.

Schweikart is a celebrated historian who authored several popular books, including A Patriots History of the United States, which he wrote in response to a similar book of so-called American history written by a socialist.

During an interview with Dr. Alan Keyes on the Brighteon.TV program Lets Talk America, Schweikart pointed out how modern historians and the history books they have written that are being taught in schools are radically distorting American history to paint the U.S. in a bad light. (Related: Woke academics are destroying American history with left-wing bias, new study finds.)

When you lie, there are different variations of lying, as you know one of them is not telling the whole truth, he pointed out. Schweikart noticed how history books only tell facts that align with the political beliefs of the historians that wrote them.

For example, Schweikart noted how elementary and high school history textbooks talk about how White settlers killed all the buffalo during the settlement of the American west just for the sake of killing them, while claiming that Native American tribes used all of the buffalo.

Thats true, but in the broader sense, its kind of a lie. They didnt use all of the buffalo, noted Schweikart.

We are, of course, in the midst of a kind of Cold War, (the) communist takeover of the United States, commented Keyes. What is the chief weapon being used? Lies Lies mostly about our history then put into a lot of gobbledygook like critical race theory to convince us that thats fundamental, and we must be at one anothers throat at all times.

All of this, Keyes pointed out, is meant to bring America toward the disintegration of the union, both in terms of governmental union, but especially in terms of the union of our people.

[This union] is successful because it was founded on premises that encompassed all of humanity, said Keyes. We have actually successfully attracted people of every race, color, creed and kind to the United States to join in an experiment that, at the end of the day, is not about one people. It is about one race, which is to say, the human race, and how they can establish a kind of government that [is] in favor of peace, order and mutual self-respect.

Homeschooling important way to teach kids real history

The massive amount of lies about American history being taught in schools is just the tip of the iceberg, according to Schweikart.

He noted that most traditional history lessons are structured around boring reading comprehension and memorization tasks that leave kids with an understanding of when and where historical events happened and the people involved, but not why and how they happened.

To prevent kids from being taught a distorted, left-wing view of American history that leaves them without learning any of the positive things that the U.S. has accomplished, Schweikart recommends homeschooling kids and crafting a special curriculum for them that emphasizes using historical sources and sticking to the facts.

He also recommends using his book, A Patriots History of the United States, which has been studied in thousands of high school and college classrooms across America and is considered a very popular go-to guide for actual American history.

Learn more about actual U.S. history and the attempts to revise it at RealHistory.news.

Watch the Sept. 13 episode of Lets Talk America with Dr. Alan Keyes, featuring Larry Schweikart.

Lets Talk America with Dr. Alan Keyes airs Monday to Friday at 2-3 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

The Right Side with Doug Billings: Resistance Chicks call on Americans to educate themselves about the countrys true history  Brighteon.TV.

ReFounding America with Dr. Peter Breggin: Americans must educate their children about what they read, says author Deborah DeGroff  Brighteon.TV.

Woke Left rewriting history at Founding Fathers estates, downplaying their accomplishments and portraying them as slave-owning racists.

Woketard crybullies invade HISTORY as Crusader Kings game developer forced to inject homosexual marriage into 15th century simulation.

BAN HISTORY! Illinois lawmaker wants to stop schools from teaching history because the subject is now racist.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

WildWorldOfHistory.com
(Natural News) A controversial social media creator by the name of Andrew Tate has been axed from the internet for speaking his mind about the plight of modern men, the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) scamdemic, and more.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Tate himself said in an interview with Fox News Tucker Carlson  watch below  every social media platform banned him all at once and without warning. He also saw his online banking accounts shuttered as punishment for rocking the boat.

Our full interview with Andrew Tate is now streaming exclusively on @foxnation  plus unlock free sign-up offers only at https://t.co/voL1YtzIDW pic.twitter.com/H0JatA1320  Tucker Carlson Today (@TuckerToday) August 26, 2022

One of his videos that has since gone viral shows Tate talking about modern-day slavery and the plight of humanity as people strive for success in a debt-based Ponzi scheme that has never served their interests.

People started to realize how money is made, Tate said about how the advent of the internet started a mass awakening. People started to realize its all a scam.

Tate, a self-made millionaire, also spoke of cryptocurrency and how it is outpacing global reserve currencies. This is waking people up to the notion that there is no need for corrupt central banks anymore  as if they were ever truly needed in the first place.

Tate might be annoying, but his speech is still free speech

During his discourse with Carlson, Tate exemplified a lot of braggadocio about what the plandemic restrictions really started to ramp up, he and his friends traipsed off to Sweden, one of the only countries in the world that never had any lockdowns.

Tate and his friends would party it up in Scandinavia, and afterwards travel to Germany where some of the worst restrictions in the world were enforced with an iron first. He would then show his followers the difference.

During his travels, Tate also encountered plenty of tyranny and abuse at airports and on commercial airplanes, prompting him to buy his own private plane that never required face masks, distancing, or any other insanity.

Instead of enjoying these luxuries all to himself and his inner circle, Tate would post on social media about it, riling up his fan base to demand that such restrictions be dropped  and this is why he was ultimately banned from social media. (Related: Remember when Donald Trump promised to put an end to radical left social media censorship?)

Another topic Tate often speaks about that upsets the powers that be is the unfair way men are treated in todays society. Women are routinely sent to the front of the line where they receive all the attention and praise while men are all but ignored unless they are someone famous with lots of money.

Discussing mens issues is a major no-no in todays Jezebelian world, and Tate now knows full well what happens to people when they deviate from the script.

At the same time, Tate can be rather garish in his verbal displays and he is not exactly a positive role model when it comes to how he made his fortune.

I think Tate has a lot of good things to say, but in an objective sense the dude is still super sleazy, expressed one commenter at Revolver.news.

He made his first million running a camgirl business; openly brags about sleeping with over a thousand women; flaunts his cars in the most ostentatious way possible etc. Obviously shouldnt be banned and hopefully he can cool down on the physical pleasures, but being banned in itself doesnt make you a good person by default.

More of the latest news about social media tyranny can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

Revolver.news

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) People who were branded as disinformation purveyors say the new documents showing coordination between Big Tech and President Joe Bidens administration is an important step in combating the collusion.

(Article by Zachary Stieber and Enrico Trigoso republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

As one of the Disinformation Dozen, I am thrilled to see that both Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeffrey Landry of Louisiana have had the courage to take a stand against the massive and well orchestrated censorship that has attempted to silence me, my colleagues and, quite frankly, hundreds of others. It is about time, Dr. Christiane Northrup, an obstetrician-gynecologist, told The Epoch Times in a text message.

Schmitt and Landry, both Republican attorney generals, brought a suit against the administration for alleged violations of the First Amendment in pressuring social media companies to censor users. The documents came as a result of discovery in the case.

In 2021, a nonprofit called the Center for Countering Digital Hate claimed that just 12 peopledescribed as the disinformation dozenwere responsible for most of the anti-vaccine content on social media.

The White House took the report and used it to pressure Big Tech to suppress alleged misinformation and disinformation.

Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on July 16, 2021, that the administration was in regular contact with social media platforms and was focused on getting them to step up enforcement.

We have recommendedproposed that they create a robust enforcement strategy that bridges their properties and provides transparency about the rules, she said. Theres about 12 people who are producing 65 percent of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. All of them remain active on Facebook, despite some even being banned on other platforms, including Facebookones that Facebook owns.

Behind the scenes, Facebook responded to the pressure, the new documents show.

A Facebook official, whose name was redacted, told White House officials in a July 23, 2021, email after a Facebook-White House meeting that we talked about the speed at which we are all having to iterate as the pandemic progresses.

I wanted to make sure you saw the steps we took just this past week to adjust policies on what we are removing with respect to misinformation, as well as steps taken to further address the disinfo dozen: we removed 17 additional Pages, Groups, and Instagram accounts tied to the disinfo dozen (so a total of 39 Profiles, Pages, Groups, and IG accounts deleted thus far, resulting in every member of the disinfo dozen having had at least one such entity removed), the Facebook employee wrote.

We are also continuing to make 4 other Pages and Profiles, which have not yet met their removal thresholds, more difficult to find on our platform. We also expanded the group of false claims that we remove, to keep up with recent trends of misinformation that we are seeing, the worker added.

The documents also showed that over 50 administration officials and 12 agencies were involved in the censorship effort, regularly pressuring Facebook, Twitter, and Google to take action.

Astonished

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chairman of Childrens Health Defense (CHD) and another person included in the disinformation dozen, said the documents surprised him.

Im astonished that any elected Democrat would be so estranged from our nations history and values as to consider it acceptable for a president to pressure publishers to censor his critics, Kennedy told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

Its shocking that a U.S. president would involve the FBI and Homeland Security in efforts to quash dissent. Has no one in the White House read Thomas Paine or Orwell or Huxley or Heinlein or Arthur Koestler or Hannah Arendt or Solzhenitsyn? What do they think the lessons were that we were supposed to have learned from Watergate? From McCarthyism? From Vietnam? he added. The framers placed the right of free expression in the First Amendment precisely to guarantee Americans our sacred right to criticize our government. The First Amendment is not there to safeguard popular speech or government-approved speech. The framers specifically wanted to protect speech that the government finds inconvenient or even detestable. And they included no pandemic exception in the Constitution!

Kevin Jenkins, the co-chair of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, also welcomed the release of the documents.

The truth is coming out every day! This important lawsuit gives us a voice as we continue to battle for the soul of the country. When I was placed on the Disinformation 12 list, it reminded me of a dark historical period when great men and women of their time were attacked and vilified by the same government thats attempting to censor us from spreading the truth like a mantra, Jenkins told The Epoch Times in a message.

We are turning their narrative of misinformation into a movement of truth! he added.

Facebook, Google, Twitter, and the White House have not responded to requests for comment.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Another public school teacher has been busted propagandizing students with left-wing hate.

According to photos and other information posted online and reported by The Washington Examiner, the English teacher from Madison High School in San Diego was giving a lesson on fascism (what happened to teaching English?) and compared the Republican Party to the ideology, though by any fair definition, todays left-wing Democrat Party is the textbook definition of the authoritarian belief system. A photo taken by a student shows that the teacher wrote on the dry-erase board that the modern-day Republican Party and white, Christian, heterosexuals comprise fascists.

Immediately, I walk in and notice on the board, it says, The Republican Party is the fascist party, and it does not fit the mold of a Democratic Party,' a student told the outlet. Its the first thing I saw when I came in.

The student snapped a photo of the board, which read: As it is currently constituted, the Republican Party is now a fascist organization that no longer fits the category of a conventional Democratic Party.

The outlet reported further:

But the teacher didnt stop there. He continued with his radical left-wing indoctrination by listing whites, Christians, and heterosexuals as groups that are fascist. The student took a picture during the class that shows how the teacher defined fascist. On the classrooms white dry-erase board, the teacher wrote the word fascist, underlined it, and listed the words: Trump, heterosexual, white, Christian, and hatred of foreigners, immigrants, and minorities, among others.

If this isnt a teacher intentionally spreading hate and instructing students to fear or loathe half the country (or more), then nothing is.

Then, he goes to this board and writes fascist on it, and this really struck me. He immediately made the comparison of the Republican Party to the Nazi Party. And that was really offensive to me, the student said. He listed the Republican Party and the Nazi Party as similar. And thats just ridiculous, and I took offense to that. So I took a picture of it.

The teacher, who was not named, went on to insult and denigrate other groups of Americans (and Democrats love to preach about how they are the party of love, unity, and tolerance  when they prove constantly that they are none of those things).

He goes on to insult white people and Christian people, automatically putting them under  that theyre automatically fascist, the student said.

He just kind of put up that theyre fascists, and they support a fascist government, the student said. Immediately  he didnt even ask the class about it. He just made the assumption right away that whites and Christians automatically support a fascist government.

And what, exactly, does this lesson have to do with the English curriculum?

We were supposed to be learning how to make an argument for an argumentative essay, the student said. And the first thing he turns to is that. Then, he just got to the definition of fascism and what he thinks. He put down the Nazi Party and the modern-day Republican Party, which is just ridiculous.

The Washington Examiner noted further:

This is the dangerous kind of indoctrination that occurs in schools today. Parents who lack alternatives to public schools must be vigilant. What happened in this classroom wasnt education. It wasnt teaching about the sins of our countrys past  a justification left-wingers often use to brainwash students subtly to parrot their own political beliefs. No, this was overt indoctrination through bullying high school students at a public school in California. Taxpayer money was used to teach students that fascists are akin to whites, Christians, heterosexuals, or Trump supporters.

Democrats have declared war on half the country. This is not going to end well.

Sources include:

WashingtonExaminer.com

HeadlineUSA.com
(Natural News) Facebook has proven once again that the platform is not only part of the deep state, but also the all-powerful national security apparatus that has become a modern-day version of all-intrusive Big Brother.

According to New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, the platform has been spying on users and reporting them to federal officials if they express doubts about the 2020 election or any anti-government sentiments in private chats. And of course, all of the spying has been taking place outside of the constitutionally mandated process.

Under the FBI collaboration operation, somebody at Facebook red-flagged these supposedly subversive private messages over the past 19 months and transmitted them in redacted form to the domestic terrorism operational unit at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, without a subpoena, Devine wrote, citing Justice Department sources who blew the whistle on the spying.

Said a source on condition of anonymity, It was done outside the legal process and without probable cause. The source added: Facebook provides the FBI with private conversations which are protected by the First Amendment without any subpoena.

Devine noted further:

These private messages then have been farmed out as leads to FBI field offices around the country, which subsequently requested subpoenas from the partner US Attorneys Office in their district to officially obtain the private conversations that Facebook already had shown them.

But when the targeted Facebook users were investigated by agents in a local FBI field office, sometimes using covert surveillance techniques, nothing criminal or violent turned up.

Keep in mind that government dissent  that is, speaking negatively about a particular government policy, law, or action  was a specific reason for why the founders wrote the First Amendment, to ensure citizens were not persecuted for criticizing those in power. Conversely, it was against English law to speak out about the British monarchy.

It was a waste of our time, said one source quoted by Devine who referenced a flurry of subpoenas during a 19-month period following Joe Bidens placement in the White House. The directive likely came from the FBI brass, which has been criticized again recently as being wholly politicized against conservatives.

Following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building, the regime and Democrat lawmakers, along with their media allies, put out the narrative that what happened was an insurrection, the FBIs domestic terrorism caseload was supposed to match that alleged threat level. Only, as Devine points out, the threats earmarked by Facebook on the sly never arose to any appreciable threat level. And of course, according to whistleblowers who spoke to Devine, all of the flagged personal communications were those of conservative right-wing individuals.

They were gun-toting, red-blooded Americans [who were] angry after the election and shooting off their mouths and talking about staging protests. There was nothing criminal, nothing about violence or massacring or assassinating anyone. As soon as a subpoena was requested, within an hour, Facebook sent back gigabytes of data and photos. It was ready to go. They were just waiting for that legal process so they could send it, the whistleblower added.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in a fiery letter to FBI Director Chris Wray this week that whistleblowers who have contacted him and other Republicans are spilling the beans about an overly politicized bureau.

The Daily Wire reported:

Jordan began by noting that as far back as July 27 he had written to Wray about whistleblower disclosures that FBI officials were pressuring agents to reclassify cases as domestic violence extremism even if the cases did not meet the criteria to be classified as such, and said that Wray had refused to respond.

This whistleblower information suggests that the FBI opened an investigation into an American citizen  and deemed him a potential threat  simply because he exercised his First Amendment right to speak out in protest of the government, Jordan said. It seems clear that this is an instance where an FBI employee reported something because it didnt align with their own Woke ideology. I think this is a primary example of how woke and corrupt the FBI has become.

The FBI needs to be defunded, not local police departments. And Facebook should be fined into oblivion.

Sources include:

DailyWire.com

NYPost.com
(Natural News) The lead advisor to globalist kingpin Klaus Schwab says elite figureheads from all around the world have developed a technological Noahs ark that they believe will save them from a soon-to-arrive global mass extinction event.

Yuval Noah Harari took part in a discussion recently at the Warwick Economics Summit in Great Britain. He revealed that the globalist leaders in charge of the planet right now are planning to escape  or so they think  what is soon to come upon the world.

Harari explained that while billions of peons are perishing from a series of planetary catastrophes that are soon at the doorstep, the globalists will engage their fake Noahs ark concept, which is just transhumanism under a different name. (Related: Remember when the Pentagon admitted to building new transhumanist technology for the military to turn soldiers into machine-hybrid robots?)

Technology is obviously the key, Harari said while referring to the upcoming events as climate change and calling them the most pressing threat facing humanity.

We need people to work on the technological aspects, but we need the politicians to direct it in the right way for the benefit of the greatest number of people and of the entire ecosystem.

Covid plandemic was dress rehearsal for upcoming mass extinction event, according to CNNs Bill Weir

During the discussion, CNNs Bill Weir, who hosted the event, brought up the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic, describing it as a dress rehearsal for the coming climate crisis.

As a quick note: the calamities that the globalists know are coming  and that, in some cases, they are deliberately engineering  are included under the banner of climate change. In fact, the term climate change is the umbrella term that the globalists use when referring to what is coming.

According to Weir, the only way to overcome climate change, in this context, is to trust the science. Harari talked about this as well, reiterating that technology is the solution to outsmarting climate change  but it will only be made available to a select few.

Humanity might divide into a majority  maybe  of people who would suffer tremendously, and a minority that will have the resources, the wealth, [and] the technology to protect themselves, and even flourish in some kind of technological Noahs Ark, is how Harari put it.

They really are bringing their agenda right out into the open with this kind of rhetoric. The picture of what they are doing is becoming clearer by the day, and it is about as dystopian as it gets.

The goal is to become immortal through man-made means, which this writer can assure you will never happen. Try as they might to outsmart their own mortality, these globalists are going to be wailing and gnashing their teeth when the plan does not come to fruition as they intend.

Your bunkers will be your tombs, one commenter wrote about what the future holds for the globalists.

Oh please, these elites will never survive without people to serve them, wrote another about how the plan is already dead on arrival.

In the book of Revelation, God tells us that those living in their caves when the judgment comes will be tombed there, added another, reiterating the comments made by the previous commenter.

Science is Satan, wrote another plainly, simply, and straight to the point.

Others pointed to additional verses from the Bible that talk about this very thing happening in the end days as those in power seek, but fail, to avert the coming judgment.

As the elites try in vain to save themselves from divine judgment by turning themselves into non-human robots, we will keep you informed about their latest foolish endeavors at Transhumanism.news.

Sources for this article include:

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Indias government revealed that more than 67,000 cattle have died since the outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in July  with 46,000 fatalities in the northwestern state of Rajasthan alone.

Footage of an aerial shot that showed several dead cows went viral on social media, stirring anger among netizens. Following the footages spread, netizens accused the Rajasthan state government of doing nothing to protect cattle.

Federal Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minster Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala confirmed the spread of the LSD virus in several states  including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. He added that he has visited five states to assess the situation and oversee containment operations. According to Rupala, New Delhi is monitoring the situation and also continuously issuing advisories to the affected states. (Related: Thousands of cattle die in Kansas as attack on Americas food supply continues.)

The federal minister also took the opportunity to promote the goat-pox vaccine, which is already available in the country, as very effective. Rupala further encouraged state government to expedite the animal vaccination process.

Jatindra Nath Swain, secretary for the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, advised the proper dosage of the goat-pox vaccine for animals. One milliliter (ml) of the vaccine should be given to infected cows, but high-risk animals should be given three ml. According to Swain, 15 million doses of the goat-pox vaccine have been administered in affected states  a far cry from Indias total cattle population of around 200 million.

The secretary added that there is a sufficient supply of goat-pox vaccine in the country, and that two vaccine makers have the capacity to produce 40 million doses a month.

LSD outbreak in India could be an attack on Asias food supply

A virus of the capripox genus is responsible for LSD. It spreads rapidly among cows and buffaloes through blood-sucking vectors like mites, mosquitoes and ticks. The disease also causes reduced milk yield and difficulty in eating.

The main symptoms in animals are fever, discharge from the eyes and nose, salivation from the mouth, soft blisters like nodules all over the body  eventually leading to the animals death.

First reported in Zambia in 1929, LSD subsequently spread to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Southeastern Europe. In Asia, the disease was first reported in Bangladesh in 2019. China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Myanmar later reported LSD cases in their respetive countries.

According to a 2021 report of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), LSD outbreaks occur as epidemics several years apart. There is no known specific reservoir of the virus, and it is also not known where and how the virus survives between epidemics, the FAO report said.

India, the worlds largest milk producer, had a cattle population of 192.5 million in 2019, as per the 19th Livestock census. But according to authorities, there has not been any impact on milk production so far while the minister told local government units to follow the protocol of burying dead cattle.

Analysts are now worried that in addition to cattle dying due to extreme heat in some parts of the United States, a massive number of cows are also dying due to the said virus in South Asia. They cant help but wonder if this marks the start of an imminent food supply attack in this part of the globe or if the virus is another fearmongering effort to carry out vaccination in animals. Various videos on alternative media portals claim that all these cattle died after being vaccinated with the goat pox injection.

Visit FoodCollapse.news for more news about possible attacks on worldwide food supply.

Watch the below video that shows tens of thousands of dead cows sprawled across the desert area in Rajasthan.

This video is from the Wake Up channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

WORKING THEORY: Mass die-off of cattle in Kansas could be due to deadly magnetosphere rifts that let intense solar radiation through, warns David DuByne.

Intense DROUGHT driving Texas ranchers to sell off cattle herds.

Oklahoma cattle producers warn drought conditions could push beef prices to $50 a pound.

US crops, cattle herds at risk due to intense heat and dry conditions.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

Twitter.com

India.com

Brighteon.com
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
(Natural News) To encourage compliance with the countrys new strict energy dictates, some entity in Switzerland  the government claims it is not involved  is blanketing the nation with posters calling on residents to rat out their neighbors for overheating their homes and committing other energy crimes this winter.

As we reported the other day, the Swiss government is threatening to fine and even jail the Swiss people for turning up their thermostats too high, or for heating their swimming pools and saunas in violation of the governments prohibition on energy usage this winter. The new posters apparently aim to enforce these new restrictions through snitching.

Western sanctions against Russia have indeed created a very serious problem for much of Europe, which has decided to stop buying Russian energy as an affront to Vladimir Putin. The result, though, will be the total decimation of Europes economy, not to mention the hordes of freezing Europeans who might not even make it to next spring.

Does the neighbor heat the apartment to over 19 degrees? Please inform us, reads an English translation of one of the poster concepts spotted at a transit station.

Nineteen degrees, in this context, means Celsius. For our American readers, that translates to a 66.2-degree cap using our numerical system, a fairly low indoor temperature that for some will require wearing extra layers of clothing inside the house during the colder months.

Swiss government denies all involvement with poster campaign

In a statement, Swiss Energy Department official Simone Hug stressed that the poster campaign was not launched by the government  though we wonder: who is responsible, then?

There are no such federal posters, nor do we call for people to be exposed, Hug said, adding that the Swiss government is currently in the process of investigating who is behind the posters.

According to Hug, the posters do not even exist, and images suggesting otherwise are just a meme that someone created using a blank template. Others, though, say that the posters are real.

Either way, the Swiss government has decided to criminalize the overuse of energy, which is clearly part of the globalists playbook for the Great Reset. By depriving Western nations of energy, the globalists are starving out entire Western economies.

Putin, meanwhile, is probably laughing his way to the bank as Western sanctions have done next to nothing to hurt the Russian economy, comparatively speaking.

Even if the posters are fake, Economic Minister Guy Parmelin has stated that the Swiss government itself is planning to be the biggest snitch of all with random spot checks that will be used to force compliance with the new dictates.

A spokesperson told Blick that the message behind the posters, real other otherwise, is still true.

If the infringement was reported and checked and could then be proven, action could be taken against violators, the spokesperson told the media.

Precisely, checks are not excluded, especially if one is denounced by a disgruntled neighbor or a neighborhood vigilante who is a little too zealous, this person added. In these cases, whoever heats up to 20 degrees instead of 19 can expect a fine.

If a complaint is filed in this direction, the police must act, added the director of the Swiss police.

In the comments, someone summed up this latest fiasco and the governments doublespeak as follows:

Its fake, but if you do it, we will start enforcement action against violators. So which part of it is fake then? The owner of the ad doesnt matter if the content is true.

As the global economy collapses by design at the hands of the globalists, we will keep you up to date with the latest at Chaos.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Gonzalo Lira, the Ukraine-based, Chilean-born American who has made waves with his uncensored videos (see his YouTube channel here) and roundtable discussions about Russia and Ukraine, joined me for an epic 2+ hour interview late last night. We discussed topics like:

 Why Ukraines counter offensive was a victory for Russia

 Description of the losses of Ukraines military men and equipment

 Why western politicians and media talking heads are incompetent and wrong

 Suicide sanctions and the self-inflicted annihilation of Europe

 How Western Europe will be reduced to an impoverished wasteland

 Why Putin prefers to AVOID escalation of this war

 The destruction of European industry, followed by finance

 Details on the expected wave of civil unrest across Europe, and the weaponization of government to brutally repress public protests

In summary, he described the coming winter of energy scarcity and economic collapse as causing the economic annihilation of Europe, adding that in the aftermath of this coming collapse, Western Europe would be transformed into an impoverished, desperate region of the world, utterly lacking the financial, economic and industrial power dominance it has enjoyed in recent history.

Western leaders are utterly disconnected from reality and incapable of making decisions in the interests of their own people

Whether you agree or disagree with Gonzalo Lira, his ideas are intellectually well formed and presented without any attempt whatsoever to conform to political correctness or government agendas. Thats why I invited him for an interview, after all. With all the official voices of ignorance, incompetence and absurdity dominating western media, White House press conferences and the allowable window of conversation on Big Techs platforms, its refreshing to hear someone say what they actually think rather than virtue signaling someone elses twisted conclusions.

What Gonzalo and I agree on is that most of the political leaders in western nations are disconnected from reality and utterly incompetent in their actions. They not only lack any real understanding of economics and war, they fail to grasp fundamental concepts of cause and effect. They are furthermore rather arrogant, yet completely unaware that their absurd ideas simply dont work  such as, Hey, lets punish Russia with economic sanctions!

As Gonzalo lays out in this interview, what makes the whole thing worse is that Western leaders refuse to course correct when things turn against them. Instead, they double down (or triple down) on stupidity, wondering why things are collapsing all around them (like Germanys heavy industry, which is vanishing by the day due to sky-high energy prices).

Its one thing to merely be stupid. Its an entirely different thing for national leaders to think theyre rulers of the world while simultaneously demonstrating repeated acts of stupidity with no self-awareness of their incessant failures.

Western Europe will not survive the incompetence of its virtue-signaling, suicidal leaders

As we published yesterday, Europe now faces a dark winter of collapsing industry, mass unemployment, insane energy prices, food scarcity and civil unrest. Finnish Economist Tuomas Malinen warns of an economic apocalypse thats about to get rolled out across Western Europe, all stemming from the economic sanctions inflicted upon Russia by NATO / western nations in an attempt to destroy Russia. (Hear my full interview with Malinen at this link on Brighteon.)

The effort backfired in spectacular fashion, leaving European nations facing a winter with desperate scarcity conditions affecting food, fertilizer, energy, metals, industrial chemicals and more. As Malinen explained, European banks will face a wave of loan defaults as Europeans industrial economy plunges into bankruptcy. Those loan defaults will threaten the solvency of European banks, and the inevitable defaults will spread to North American banks that have exposure to European debt. The presences of debt derivative instruments  and the rapidly failing Euro currency  only add to the risk of widespread financial defaults at three levels: 1) Private sector, 2) Financial institutions, 3) National governments.

As Gonzalo Lira points out in our interview, below, this devastating collision for Western Europe has already happened, and its just a matter of the devastating effects playing out in slow motion. None of this can be stopped. Even worse, European leaders arent even attempting to stop it, because they are doubling down (or tripling down) on stupid.

We are watching the suicide cult of Western Europe plunge the dagger into its own heart, all while being terrified about the sight of blood. The sheer stupidity, arrogance and utter incompetence of the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and other European countries is truly staggering, even to those of us who routinely observe and document government insanity around the world. (And yes, I fully recognize the stupidity of Americas occupying government regime is also epic, even comic. Joe Biden doesnt get a pass either)

This is not from Gonzalo, but from my own analysis, Western Europe in 2023 is going to look a lot like Sri Lanka in 2022.

Part 1 published today, part 2 coming tomorrow

Today we publish part one of the interview (this part is about an hour in duration). I have added a 7-minute introduction to provide context and to explain why my regular podcast format did not appear today.

Tomorrow we will publish the remainder of the interview  about 1 hour and 20 minute in duration  which gets into more issues of philosophy and ethics while delving into some of the background and personal history of Gonzalo Lira himself (including hints about his new book series that he promises will get him deplatformed everywhere, which is of course highly intriguing).

You can hear the first hour of this epic interview here:

Brighteon link: Brighteon.com/63f0b0f4-1628-4b23-a29a-a3328ebb62ac

(Big Tech platforms do not allow you to share Brighteon links because Big Tech companies are run by fascists who despise free speech.)

Bitchute link: https://www.bitchute.com/video/Gbe9qpQKSIbu/

Rumble link: https://rumble.com/v1kbd89-situation-update-sep-16-2022-the-economic-annihilation-of-europe-gonzalo-li.html

Audio podcast link:

http://healthrangerreport.com/situation-update-sep-16-2022-the-economic-annihilation-of-europe-gonzalo-lira-and-mike-adams

You are free to re-post this full interview on your own channel, on any platform. Spread the word.

Note that we also cover news about Russia at RussiaReport.news

Discover more interviews and podcasts each day at:

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(Natural News) A former employee for social media giant Twitter revealed that staff members were afraid that a Chinese agent among their ranks could collect user data.

Peiter Mudge Zatko, who served as Twitter head of security until his termination in 2021, testified before lawmakers during a Sept. 13 hearing that some employees feared that Beijing would be able to have its hands on user data.

He revealed that in the week before his firing, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told the company that an agent of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) was on its payroll. It was not immediately clear if the aforementioned agent, working for the communist countrys main espionage agency, was still working at the tech giant.

Zatko also recalled a conversation with another Twitter executive regarding the Big Tech company being infiltrated by foreign agents. The executive simply dismissed concerns, saying: Well, since we already have one  what does it matter if we have more? (Related: Former top Twitter security exec blows whistle to help Elon Musk: Platform is major national security risk full of bots pushing social engineering agenda.)

The former Twitter employees testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed the seriousness of the social media companys security issues. The platform had been previously criticized for lax security, most especially in 2020 when hackers managed to seize high-profile accounts. Zatko, himself a hacker in his younger days, was recruited by Twitter following this breach.

Zatko also referenced a story by Reuters detailing internal clashes between two main factions within the company. One faction wanted to maximize the advertising revenue opportunity from Chinese advertisers. The other faction expressed concern about doing business with China amid rising geopolitical tensions.

According to Zatko, Twitter was reluctant to turn away from China as the fastest-growing market for ad revenue.

This was a big internal conundrum, he testified. In a nutshell  if we were already in bed, it would be problematic if we lost that revenue stream.

Grassley: Security breaches render Agrawal unfit to be Twitter CEO

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, confirmed the FBIs warning to Twitter about the MSS agent during the Sept. 13 hearing.

The Republican lawmaker noted that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal refused to appear before his colleagues, as the tech bigwig feared his appearance could jeopardize his companys case against Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The social media network and Musk are set to meet in court in October over whether the latters $44 billion takeover deal should be completed.

According to Grassley, many of Zatkos allegations directly implicated Agrawal. He added that he does not see how Agrawal can maintain his position at Twitter going forward if the claims were indeed true.

Aside from testimonies, Zatko also submitted more than two pages of links to supporting documents. These included exchanges between him and the Twitter CEO and an assessment of mis- and disinformation on the platform.

Meanwhile, the company has insisted that Zatko was fired for ineffective leadership and poor performance. His allegations, it added, were purportedly designed to malign the social media site.

A Twitter spokesperson later remarked that the Sept. 13 hearing only confirms that Zatkos allegations are riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies. They reiterated that Twitters hiring process is independent of foreign influence. Moreover, the spokesperson stated that access to data is managed through background checks, and monitoring and detection systems.

Despite the smears from his former employer, Zatko does not regret his decision to testify. Im basically risking my career and reputation. If something good comes from this five or 10 years down the road, it will have been worth it, he said.

Head over to DorseyWatch.com for more stories about Twitter.

Watch Peiter Zatko reveal to Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) that an absurd number of Twitter employees can access the accounts of Republicans on the platform below.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Facebook, Twitter and Big Tech make their money in China.

Social media giant Twitter announces layoffs amid snags in Elon Musk deal.

90% bots: Elon Musk reveals Twitter is a military grade psy-op to brainwash the masses.

Twitter proves its in bed with Communist China after censoring scientist who alleges COVID-19 was created in a Wuhan lab.

90 percent bots: Billionaire Elon Musk puts his purchase of Twitter on hold until company can prove its not a deep-state mass psychosis operation.

Sources include:

SCMP.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) An elderly woman was killed and four other civilians were injured Monday, Sept. 12, as Ukrainian forces shelled the town of Logachevka in Russias Belgorod Region, near the Ukraine border. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov relayed this information on his Telegram channel.

According to Gladkov, the injured had been taken to a local hospital. The dead woman and three of the injured were Ukrainian citizens.

Residential dwellings were partially destroyed and cars and power lines damaged because of the attack.

All residents of the village have been evacuated. Many went to their relatives. Those who have no one to go to  27 people  were accommodated in Valuki, said Gladkov. The most frequently asked questions are how to feed domestic animals. We will do it with the military police and National Guard servicemen.

Valuki is the districts administrative center. The Russian military responded to the shelling with an airstrike that forced the Ukrainian troops to leave their position and disperse.

Meanwhile, Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Russian Federation Investigative Committee (RFIC), instructed to open a criminal case about the shelling of the Belgorod region.

Bastrykin instructed to initiate a criminal case, record all traces of criminal activity and take measures aimed at identifying the persons involved in the commission of this crime, the RFIC said.

Moscow has already warned Kyivs forces to refrain from attacking settlements and border checkpoints in Russias regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk.

The attacks mainly involved drones and mortars and have hit both infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in the destruction of infrastructures and homes, injuries and several civilian deaths.

In August, a boy lost his hand after trying to disassemble ammunition that he found in his village in Belgorod. In May, a truck driver was killed by a mortar strike in Kursk.

Zaporizhzhia power plant fully stopped as a safety measure

Operations of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS) in Ukraine have been fully stopped as a safety measure, the state agency in charge of the plant Energoatom said on Sept. 11.

Reuters reported that as per the agency, the plant is completely stopped after they disconnected the number six power unit from the grid. Preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state.

The back-and-forth shelling between Russia and Ukraine was blamed for the looming danger.

Back in August, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Vassily Nebenzia submitted photographic evidence to the UN Security Council of Kyivs attacks on ZNPS, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world. (Related: Russian envoy submits photo evidence of Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.)

Despite the false statements of the Kyiv regime and its backers, Russia has not placed heavy weapons on the territory of the ZNPS and does not use the station for military purposes, the diplomat said during the emergency session of the UN. He added that Moscow is not using the nuclear power plant as a military base and the attacks involved NATO-supplied weapons.

The Russian government has also been sending notices to the Biden administration to stop encouraging Ukraine to attack ZNPS and to cease further provocation. One wrong move could eventually result in a direct clash of nuclear powers.

Visit WWIII.news for more news related to the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Watch this video about artillery duels between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Fears of radiation leak emerge amid shelling of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Biden wants to continue pouring tens of billions of dollars down the Ukraine money pit while Americans suffer.

USA & NATO send weapons to Ukraine to kill Russians, just like Fauci and China built bioweapons to KILL Americans.

Billions of dollars worth of American arms and aid disappear into a black hole once they enter Ukraine.

Sources include:

RT.com 1

TASS.com

TellerReport.com

Reuters.com

RT.com 2

Brighteon.com
Magnificent the eyes to look at the recent images of a stellar nursery in the Orion Nebula captured by the James Webb Telescop. The image could show details about the stars birth and planetary form. The new discovery will help scientists understand what is more beyond the stars

Orion Nebula is said to be 1,500 light-years away. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's website, it is the closest large star-like forming region to planet earth.

Furthermore, NASA said that the Orion Nebula is enormous with a cloud of dust and gas, which shows an image of star formation with young stars shaping the nebula. The photos reveal beauty clouded with gas and dust but hinder the discovery of stars' birth.

In CNN's report, the article has called the new image 'breathtaking' as taken from James Webb Space Telescope. The new amazing images show structures inside the nebula and a central protostar with a disk of dust and gas.

The report also added that the image helps scientists understand what transpired during the million years of the Milky Way's evolution, according to Els Peeters, Western University astrophysicist.

Also Read: Solar Flare Alerts Raised After a Powerful Eruption on Sun's Farside Sunspot

Peteers said that the new observations allow them to figure out how massive stars transform the dust and dust cloud from which they are born.

She added that they are blown away by the images of Orion Nebula, which they started the project in 2017.

Images of Orion Nebula

Despite the difficulty of capturing an image with a large amount of stardust, Webb Telescope detected infrared light, allowing them to see beyond the layers of a large dust cloud.

According to the CNN report, the images are considered the sharpest and most detailed nebula in the Orion constellation of 1,350 light-years away from Earth.

In a News Release, Olivier Berne said observing the Orion Nebula was challenging; however, Webb found observations of distant and faint galaxies, including Jupiter and Orion, with the brightest in the infrared skies. Berne is also a French National Center for Scientific Research research scientist.

Moreover, an associate professor at Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), Emilie Habart, said that the images unfold the heritage of the interstellar planetary systems.

International collaboration with more than 100 scientists from 18 countries will study the images to advance the knowledge about the Orion Nebula. They are called known as PDRs4Al.

James Webb Space's first image

On December 25, 2021, the project James Webb Space Telescope,(JWST), was launched. According to the JWST for Scientists, it is a NASA flagship observatory being developed to help scientists observe planetary evolution, solar systems, exoplanetary systems, and star formation. JWST is a partnership of ESA (European Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and NASA.

James Webb Space Telescope's first images with full-color images and spectroscopic data were made available in a televised broadcast on July 12, 2022, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland.

You can visit their website here to learn more about the NASA program on space missions.

Related Article: NASA Rover catches Amazing Image of Cat Loaf Rock on Mars

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News
Since the Queen has passed, people are seeing her likeness in strange cloud formations and somewhat feeling her presence through elements such as a double rainbow.

Double Rainbow Over Buckingham Palace

A double rainbow was seen over Buckingham Palace at the time of her passing, and the skies opened in a symbolic downpour. According to the people, the atmosphere appears to have reflected the nation's mood over the past few days.

The public gathered to mourn the Queen's passing and noticed a double rainbow.

According to reports, the rainbow appeared just before the demise of Queen Elizabeth II was revealed.

A double rainbow today over Buckingham Palace  They say a double rainbow symbolizes a transformation in life and when it appears after someone passes it is a gateway to heaven. Rest In Peace #QueenElizabeth pic.twitter.com/uXhdjYHTUQ  Jennifer Valentyne (@JennValentyne) September 8, 2022

Young Elizabeth and Her Beloved Horse

A supporter has just noticed a cloud figure that looks like Her Late Majesty riding one of her cherished horses.

The picture, which was taken on Sunday in north-west London's Wembley, is similar to pictures of a young Elizabeth riding in a royal uniform.

It comes after pictures of several clouds that looked like the Queen wearing her recognizable hats. The cloud was spotted by Eki Eguae, 37, as he was returning from a local store. When Eki showed his colleagues the cloud image, he said he could not help but imagine the Queen watching over London, Daily Mail reports.

Cloud over London resembles late monarch on a horse https://t.co/F9FTXyLbYW via @MailOnline



"It must be Her Majesty The great Queen Elizabeth II

Wow! The miracle of God is unfathomable! Amazing! I believe it! I want to believe it!"  The Great Rose. (@TheGreatRose2) September 14, 2022

The Queen Wearing a Hat

In Telford, Shropshire, on A4169, the incident occurred.

Leanne Bethell, a resident of the UK, claimed to have seen the cloud while traveling home. The woman shared a photo of the cloud on social media right away.

Leanne claimed that her daughter Lacey, who repeatedly yelled "oh my God," was the one who first noticed the formation. According to Leanne, not long after the announcement, they were on their way home, and her daughter, age 11, was yelling and screaming.

Leanne added that she had to stop and take some pictures after her daughter pointed to the sky and informed her mother that it was the Queen.

The peculiar cloud, which resembles the Queen's face, is visible among sun rays. In addition, it appears that Queen Elizabeth II's famous hat, which she frequently wore, is also depicted on the cloud.

A double rainbow today over Buckingham Palace  They say a double rainbow symbolizes a transformation in life and when it appears after someone passes it is a gateway to heaven. Rest In Peace #QueenElizabeth pic.twitter.com/uXhdjYHTUQ  Jennifer Valentyne (@JennValentyne) September 8, 2022

Read also: Queen Elizabeth's Lifestyle Shows Her Love for the Environment As She Reuse Wrappers, Advocate for Climate Action

Another Rainbow, Windsor Castle

At the Queen's Windsor Castle home outside of London, another rainbow was spotted. Such images were widely shared on social media, and many people expressed their condolences there.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history as well as a figure instantly recognizable by billions of people worldwide, passed away on Thursday at the age of 96, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

Following the queen's record-breaking 70-year reign, her eldest son Charles, 73, assumes the throne immediately according to centuries of tradition, ushering in a new, less secure chapter for the royal family, ARY News reports.

Related article: Strange Cloud Patterns Above Alaska Have Sparked a Flurry of Conspiracies
The two potential "drop zones" have been identified for space debris from a Chinese rocket that is about to fall back to Earth and these designated drop zones are near populated areas of the Philippines.

The Long March 7A (CZ-7A) rocket, which was launched that day from the Chinese Wenchang Space Launch Center, was the culprit, according to a rocket debris notice from the Philippines Space Agency on September 13.

For the Love of HQ Comms

The Zhongxing-1E satellite, which China claims will offer top-notch communication services such as television as well as data transmission, was the target of the rocket launch.

Rockets are typically built to perform controlled descents after releasing payloads into orbit. This will burn up in the atmosphere over a designated area of Earth, like an unpopulated oceanic island.

The Negligible Risks

However, the risk to people is rising. Scientists estimated in July that in the next ten years there is a 10% chance that one or more people will die as a result of space debris deorbiting and colliding with the ground.

Until now, this risk has been minimal, but as government agencies and numerous companies from the private sector launch more rockets, the likelihood of an accident is rising. Southern latitudes have a particularly high risk.

It is unknown exactly when or where the debris from the 200-foot Long March 7A, which launched the satellite into orbit, will re-enter the atmosphere.

Read also: Charred SpaceX Dragon Debris Crash on Australian Sheep Farm

The Philippine Space Agency

According to the Philippine Space Agency, which has been closely monitoring the rocket debris, the space junk may fall as close as 52 kilometers from Santa Ana or as far as 71 kilometers from the Philippine city of Burgos.



While it is unlikely that CZ-7A's debris will fall on land features or populated areas in Philippine territory, the space agency added that falling debris still poses a significant risk to ships, fishing boats, aircraft, and other vessels that will move through the designated crash sites or drop zones.

Two Long Marches From China

China's space activities have previously raised concerns about uncontrolled re-entry into the atmosphere of rocket debris. A Chinese Long March 5B rocket's 22.5-ton core stage touched down in Philippine waters on July 30. Debris was also discovered in Malaysia.

Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, said on Twitter that There were no reported casualties, but debris did land close to villages, and the outcome might have been different if the space debris had crashed a few hundred meters farther away.

So, CZ-5B recap: signficant debris falls in Kalimantan, Indonesia and Sawarak, Malaysia (both on Borneo). No casualties or property damage reported, but debris is near villages and a few hundred metres either way could have been a different story.  Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) August 1, 2022

The problem was that the remnants of the rocket were not directed in a controlled manner back towards Earth, so it was a waiting game to see when and if the space debris would be slowed down enough by atmospheric drag to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere-a process that is difficult to predict in advance.

The fourth mission of that new-generation model was carried out by the Long March 7A rocket on September 13. The said fourth mission was launched by China for the first time in June 2016, Newsweek reports.

Related article: Uncontrolled Chinese Rocket Set to Crash on Earth Next Week
A skinny wolf was observed acting unusually in Minnesota for several days, which experts have characterized as unusual animal behavior given the wolf's lack of concern and indifference to people.

Little to no fear at all is being displayed by the young wolf toward humans. This is highly unusual for these animals claims a Facebook post from the Voyageurs Wolf Project (VWP), which studies wolves and their prey in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem.

The organization said that some people have unsuccessfully attempted to startle it and get it off the road. The wolf is not acting violently or otherwise hostile toward people. Its disregard for people over several days is not typical behavior, though.

Voyageurs National Park

The area in and around Voyageurs National Park, a sizable protected area encompassing almost 220,000 acres throughout northern Minnesota close to the Canadian border, is part of the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' most recent population estimates indicates that there are more than 2,600 wolves in the state.

The young wolf was mentioned in a post on the Voyageurs Wolf Project's Facebook page, along with images that were posted during various sightings by the Ash River somewhere south of the park over the previous four days.



Hungry Wolf, Indifferent Wolf

Some of the witnesses claimed to have seen the wolf chasing and devouring grasshoppers close to the road.

Although wolves don't typically eat grasshoppers, this is the most difficult time of year for the predators, and they will look wherever they can for food, according to the VWP. The wolf in question appears to be nearly skin and bones in several pictures, despite the project's claims that it appears to be in good health.

According to VWP, wolves at this time of year often appear much skinnier than this wolf does. The fact that wolves hunt more sparingly now than in the winter may seem counterintuitive. The project claimed that rather than the availability of prey, the most important factor is the toughness of the animals they hunt.

VWP claimed in a previous Facebook post that pup starvation is caused by prey vulnerability-or lack thereof-rather than by a lack of available prey. In all areas of the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, there is enough prey to support wolf packs, but wolves cannot just go out and kill prey whenever they want at any time of the year.

Instead, wolves can only kill prey that is weak to attack. For instance, a wolf's territory may contain 1,000 deer during the summer, but if every deer is in excellent physical condition, only very few deer would be in a weak condition or "available" to wolves. However, in the winter, when the 1,000 deer are weaker physically, wolves may have access to a sizable number of weaker deer.

The VWP stated that the wolf seen over the past few days' unusual indifference to humans cannot be explained by the possibility that it is hungry.

According to VWP, nearly every wolf at this time of year is starving to death and shrinking in size. In essence, many are slowly starving while attempting to survive until the fall and winter, when hunting success increases. However, even when extremely hungry, typical wolves do not behave in this way.

Read also: 11 Newborns Join Whaleback, Lessen Wolfpacks, Adding to Scarce Wolf Numbers in California

Other Possible Causes

The VWP clarified that it is uncertain at this time whether the wolf has a disease and there could be other explanations for the wolf's unusual behavior. Some people commenting on social media speculated that the wolf may have a disease.

VWP hopes that in this situation, the wolf is simply left alone and eventually returns to the forest, acting like a typical wolf and avoiding humans.

According to some comments left on the wolf's photographs, the animal looks more like a coyote than a wolf. The VWP, however, asserted that this was untrue.

VWP explains that numerous physical characteristics of the animal, such as its size and body structure overall, the length of its legs in relation to its body size, and its blockier-looking face than that of a coyote, make it simple to identify it as a wolf. Coyotes have a "squattier" body type than wolves, who are leaner and have lengthier legs like this wolf.

The project added that It can be difficult to tell young wolves from coyotes sometimes. During the summer, many people mistake small wolves for coyotes because, at that time, wolves have light, thin coats, according to the VWP.

VWP also said that wolves look different with their light summer coat as compared to their thick winter coat. Furthermore, the wolves in the region are on the smaller side and do not resemble the large wolves that you see in northern Canada or western North America, Newsweek reports.

Related article: "Conflict Between Wolves and Humans" Becomes the Reason Behind Swedish Government's Decision to Cull Wolf Population by Half
Following hurricanes Danielle and Earl last week, Tropical Storm Fiona shaped up in the Atlantic on Wednesday night. It is currently moving toward Puerto Rico and the northeastern Caribbean islands, where some areas are under a Tropical Storm Watch.

Between Friday and Sunday, Fiona's wind and rain effects are anticipated to move from the northeastern Caribbean islands through Puerto Rico and Hispaniola to the west.

As of Thursday at noon, Tropical Storm Fiona had sustained winds of 50 mph and higher gusts. To make more thorough observations, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is en route to Fiona on Thursday afternoon.

Fiona in the Caribbeans

Tropical Storm Fiona is generating a large area of thunderstorms and showers, primarily to the east of its center or circulation, and is centered under 500 miles due east of the northeastern Caribbean islands.

A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph is referred to as a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center selects a name for a developing tropical storm from one of six alternating lists.

Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings

In some island nations in the northeastern Caribbean, tropical storm watches and warnings have been issued in advance of the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona's strong winds and torrential rain.

A Tropical Storm Warning indicates that within the next 36 hours sustained winds of at least 39 mph are anticipated. The NHC issues a warning that tropical-storm-force winds will start on Friday night in the warning areas.

A tropical storm watch indicates that sustained winds of at least 39 mph could occur within the next two days or 48 hours. By Friday night, the watch areas could experience winds equivalent to a tropical storm, according to the NHC.

Later on Thursday, further west along Fiona's path, more watches and warnings are anticipated.

Tropical Storm Fiona Forecasts

Fiona is predicted to make a general westward turn until late Saturday before reversing course to the west-northwest on Sunday.

The British, US, and Puerto Rican Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico, will be in Fiona's path from late Saturday into Sunday. Fiona will first move throughout the northeastern Caribbean islands by Friday night and early Saturday.

Fiona may gradually strengthen over the coming days, but current trends indicate that it won't become a hurricane over the next five days as it maintains its tropical storm status through Tuesday.

Read also: Flash Flood Warning Issued Over Areas of Rhode Island, Cars Advised to Turn Around

What are the impacts of Tropical Storm Fiona?

By Friday afternoon or evening, strong winds and lots of rain are expected to reach the northeastern Caribbean islands. From Saturday night into Sunday morning, they are expected to spread to Puerto Rico, the British and US Virgin Islands, and the rest of the region. On Sunday as well, eastern Hispaniola is probably going to experience the wind and rain from Fiona.

All of Puerto Rico and the USVI are now under flood watches that will last from Friday evening to Monday afternoon.

The British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the northeastern Caribbean islands are all expected to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Fiona. Across eastern Puerto Rico, isolated rainfall amounts of up to 10 inches are possible.

Between 4 and 8 inches of rain are predicted for eastern Hispaniola, with isolated maximum totals that could reach 12 inches.

The FOX Forecast Center noted that because Puerto Rico's soils have been saturated by recent rain, Fiona's heavy rain could cause flooding in cities and small streams as well as disastrous mudslides.

Flash and urban flooding, as well as isolated mudslides in areas of higher terrain, will be a threat to other Caribbean islands through Hispaniola, FOX Weather reports.

Related article: Tropical Storm Fiona Becomes 6th Storm of Season as It Forms Over Atlantic
A Mediterranean shipping company has rerouted its vessels to protect blue whales on the coast of Sri Lanka after a conservation group's recommendations.

To protect large blue whales on the coast of Sri Lanka, the largest container line company has decided to reroute its ships after conservation groups' research recommendations.

Research on the blue whale population shows that adjusting the shipping lane could reduce by 95% the risk of vessels colliding or striking a whale, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said.

The MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company said that the action was in response to recommendation research by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), environment groups, and universities.

They have modified navigation guidance based on the recommendations.

Also Read: Why Whale Stress Significantly Dropped After 9/11

As a result of the action, the MSC vessels passing through the Sri Lanka coast will reroute and travel about 15 nautical miles to the south from their vessels' previous route.

Hope to become a permanent policy

According to the MSC's statement to Business Insider, the largest shipping company has taken a significant step to help protect blue whales and other cetaceans on the waters off the coast of Sri Lanka.

The Marine Mammal Center said cetaceans refer to dolphins, whales, and porpoises, which are entirely aquatic.

Moreover, the International Fund for Animal Welfare praised the new navigation rerouting of MSC, adding that whales are off the southern coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.

With ships passing the coastal water, there is a high risk of collision in the area where most whales congregate.

The World Wildlife Fund on the threat to whales said that collisions with ships and bycatch hurt the whale population.

The world's busiest shipping lines and ferry lanes overlap with coastal areas where whales travel, breed, nurse, and give birth.

In addition, the oil and gas development can result in noise, causing a disturbance in whale communications.

The animal welfare agency also noted that the rerouting has no impact on other shipping companies.

However, the environmental advocates hope the decision could be permanent changes.

The director of marine conservation in IFAW added that the small changes in MSC significantly affect the endangered blue whales.

She said that whales suffer from a collision.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Entrup, the director of International Relations at OceanCare, reiterated that rerouting is a key hope for blue whales in the Sri Lanka coastal waters.

He added that the Sri Lankan government must take appropriate action and move the shipping lane out from all shipping vessels.

Endangered species

According to the World Wildlife Fund, whales travel over the world's oceans.

They communicate with mysterious and complex sounds. What is more impressive is the size of a blue whale: reaching lengths of more than 100 feet, and they can weigh up to 200 tons.

However, the WWF said there is a growing concern about the situation of whales. The migrations of animals such as whales reveal a pressing environmental issue of ocean peril.

The WWF added that despite whales' gigantic size, six out of 13 great whale species are considered vulnerable and threatened.

Ultimately, whales contribute to fighting the worsening environmental issue of climate change. They capture an estimated 33 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Related Article: Why Do Dead Whales Explode? Experts Warn People to Run If They See This on the Beach

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Posted by Jay on at 06:45 PM CST

Dark Horse has sent out solicitations for their December 2022 titles, including 3comics!(of 12)On Sale: 12/7/2022Amanda Deibert (W), Lucas Marengon (A/C), Michael Atiyeh (C), TBD (Cover A), and Cary Nord (Cover B)On sale Dec 7FC, 32 pages$3.99OngoingOn Kashyyyk, its a time of celebration, but is anywhere safe from the Dark Side?In need of a break from her duties to the Resistance, Rey accepts Chewbaccas invitation to journey to his home planet for the annual Life Day celebration. But unknown to either of them, this party has a crasher; a vicious bounty hunter dispatched by the First Order!Theres blasters and battles and Wookiees galore, in Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #4!(of 8)On Sale: 12/28/2022Daniel Jose Older (W) and Toni Bruno (A/C/Cover)On sale Dec 28FC, 32 pages$3.99OngoingHer secret safe for now, Jedi Padawan Sav Malagan begins to adjust to her life undercover on a ship full of pirates. But after coming face-to-face with the explosive consequences of her actions, Sav begins to wonder where her loyalties lie: with the Jedi Order, or her new friends?(of 4)On Sale: 12/28/2022Star Wars: The Nameless Terror #1 (of 4)George Mann (W), Eduardo Mello (A), Ornella Savarese (A), and Eduardo Mello and Ornella Savarese (Cover)On sale Dec 28FC, 32 pages$3.99MiniseriesEven in the shining light of the High Republic, there are shadows lurking in the galaxy.A Jedi mission to the planet Dalna suddenly comes under attack by unknown assailants. As the knights retreat to an ancient structure, it quickly becomes clear that they are far from safe.Something evil stalks the ruins, a ruthless predator, an unknown terror, a Nameless Fear!
A September heat wave will make residents of the Central US feel summer-like temperatures once again similar to July, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

The forecast suggested that the extreme weather will build over the south-central parts of the US this coming weekend and may persist until next week.

This comes after US meteorologists suggested the upcoming fall season may not be felt yet across the country.

September Heat Wave

Temperatures will increase from 10 to 20 degrees above the normal average like two months ago as the heat dome manifests and strengthens, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

Anderson added that record-high temperatures could be challenged for some locations from mid- to late September this year.

Also Read: Power Companies Use Heat Wave as a 'Super Bowl' of Energy Use as Temperatures Could Reach Over 100 Degrees Fahrenheit

What is a Heat Wave?

A heat wave or heat dome is a period of abnormally hot weather that usually lasts for two or more days.

Temperatures should be beyond the historic average in a particular area for it to be considered as a heat wave, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As an example, the NOAA said if the state of Maine's temperatures reached 95 degrees during summer days, it might be considered a heat dome.

On the other hand, a 95 degree temperature in the Death Valley in summer is only unremarkable.

Dangerous Heat

The US agency considers heat waves to be no laughing matter.

In fact, it calls the extreme heat as a "dangerous heat" similar to the attribution being used by the National Weather Service (NWS) and its sub-agency the Weather Prediction Center (WPC).

The US weather authorities considered it as a serious weather phenomena, which can result not only in infrastructural disruption but also heat-related illnesses like heat stress, heat stroke, and hyperthermia which can lead to death.

Heat wave is mainly caused by trapped air.

During the 2012 heat wave, air was confined over most pars of North America for an extended period of time, as opposed to circumnavigating the global.

Instead, the air remained stationary over the Great Plains region of the US, the NOAA said.

The reason behind the phenomenon was due to a high-pressure system from Mexico which traveled northward between June 20 and June 23 of that year.

The dense air prevented ground air from rising, prohibiting the occurrence precipitation.

Kansas Heat Wave Cow Deaths

Back in June, Kansas was one of the many states in the Central US which experienced the catastrophic effects of a heat wave.

This became evident after approximately 3,000 cows in Kansas during extreme temperatures in the region.

Other reports indicated that around 10,000 cattle died from the unusually hot weather, which was also covered by Nature World News two months ago.

State authorities and industry members have linked the deaths to so-called heat stress caused by extreme humidity and extreme heat, as cited by Reuters.

Initial sources at that time said temperatures even reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, evening during evening hours, which prevented the livestock to cool down their body temperatures.

Related Article: NWS Issues Multi-Weather Forecast for Heat Wave, Severe Storm, and Flooding This Week
The remnants of Typhoon Merbok is being forecasted to be Alaska's strongest storm in over a decade.

Recently hovering over the Pacific Ocean, meteorologists said the former typhoon has moved toward the Bering Sea and to the Alaskan coast.

The greatest risk from the looming storm is flooding of coastal areas due to a storm surge as waves are driven by powerful winds.

Alaska's Strongest Storm

The National Weather Office (NWS) in Fairbanks on Thursday, September 15, posted on Twitter that "a very significant storm" is expected to hit western Alaska from Friday to Sunday, September 16 to September 18.

 A very significant storm is anticipated for western Alaska Friday into Sunday. Prepare for significant coastal flooding (potentially the highest values in over a decade) and strong winds.



Visit https://t.co/wWyHaEriQB for the latest information. pic.twitter.com/9Az2iOVWBn  NWS Fairbanks (@NWSFairbanks) September 14, 2022

In the tweet, the NWS warned the public to prepare for coastal flooding or coastal erosions and strong winds, highlighting it could potentially be the strongest storm in Alaska for over a decade.

The weather hazards could start as early as Friday evening.

The US weather agency also noted that major concerns involve potential flooding on critical infrastructure, including several roads such as the Nome-Council Road.

In addition, wind gusts could reach as high as 75 miles per hour and damage power lines, leading to possible power outages or power shortages.

Also Read: Weather Update: NWS Says Tropical Storm Colin Navigates Away from East Coast, Severe Weather Threatens Multiple Areas

Typhoon Merbok

The looming threat is because of the remnants of Typhoon Merbok as it starts to move toward the southern Bering Sea on Thursday night, September 15, before it becomes the anticipated most impactful storm in the state since 2011.

NWS Fairbanks Meteorologist Jonathan Chriest said the system could be a powerful one with a potential impact likely challenging the catastrophe from the so-called "Bering Sea Superstorm" back in 2011, as cited by CNN.

Chriest told CNN that Merbok is the first storm since 2011 that they have high confidence in terms of comparing it to the 2011 storm.

This week's approaching threat is reportedly expected to reach a magnitude unlike anything seen before in the month of September.

The 2011 Alaska superstorm is also referred to as the "November 2011 Bering Sea Cyclone," the most powerful extratropical cyclone to impact the state in recorded history.

Potential Disruption

The NWS meteorologist placed emphasis on Nome-Council Road, which runs along the coast of Alaska.

With this, the route has a high chance of being washed out, putting risk for hundreds of hunters in the mountains since the hunting season started in September.

Aside from strong winds, heavy rain and inland flooding is also possible for communities near the coast of Alaska.

Landslides or avalanches may also occur due to runoff on mountains.

Coastal Flood Warning

NWS Fairbanks also issued a coastal flood warning, mainly along the coast from the Bering Strait to Hooper Bay, as cited by the KTOO Public Media.

The warning shows that sea levels could rise between 3-8 feet above the average high tide line along the Bering Strait coast, affecting multiple areas near the following:

Nome

Golovin

Elim to Koyuk

Shaktoolik to Stebbins

St. Michael to Hooper Bay

The agency indicates that Merbok is a major storm and the likelihood of coastal flooding is high.

Related Article: Storm System Threatens Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Ohio Valley with Rain Showers and Thunderstorms
Citizens are enjoying tofu-themed dishes

Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "The method to make tofu was invented by Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Han Dynasty." Huainan is the birthplace of tofu and the hometown of Chinese tofu culture.

September 15 is Liu An's birthday and the day to commemorate his invention of tofu. On the same day, the 2022 China Huainan Tofu Cuisine (Banquet) Exhibition Competition hosted by Huainan Catering and Cooking Industry Association and Huainan Municipal Tourism Association was held in Huiyun Tofu Restaurant. Twelve catering companies brought their delicate tofu dishes to participate in the competition.

It is understood that the event is divided into two categories: group competition and individual competition. The winners will be awarded the honorary titles of Huainan Tofu Cuisine (Banquet) Demonstration Restaurants and Skill Inheritors, respectively.





Citizens are enjoying tofu-themed dishes

Citizens are enjoying tofu-themed dishes

Citizens are enjoying tofu-themed dishes

Source: Anhuinews.com/Huaihe Morning Post

Edited and translated by Zheng Chen
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Arm has introduced the next generation of its Neoverse high performance core technology, and Nvidia will be one of the first licensees to offer it out of the gate.

Arm introduced the Neoverse N-Series processors for data center use in 2019, along with the Neoverse E-Series for edge computing and the Neoverse V-Series for high performance computing (HPC).

For Neoverse V2, Arm is claiming higher per-thread performance at half the power consumption of its x86 competitors. Dermot ODriscoll, vice president of product solutions at Arm, said on a conference call with journalists that the main aim of V2 is improved performance for cloud and single-thread workloads while balancing power consumption.

We engage in close collaboration with the key cloud HPC and wireless infrastructure players, so we really understand their workloads and challenges, ODriscoll said. Almost everything we do is to enable a customization specific to market needs, driven by our close collaboration with customers on their requirements for the future designs.

The updated Neoverse V2 processor cores, code-named Demeter, are due in 2023 and will outperform the first generation in per-thread performance for cloud, hyperscale and HPC workloads. The new V-series core will feature a high bandwidth, low-latency mesh interconnect system with up to 4TB/sec of bandwidth.

Nvidia taps latest Neoverse version for Grace chip

With the introduction of the V2 cores came the announcement of a licensee: Nvidia, which will use the V2 core in the Grace processor, announced last spring. Nvidia is planning a combined Grace chip with its Hopper GPU connected by high-speed link, as well as a SuperChip that consists of two Grace dies also connected by high-speed interconnect.

We're seeing a new kind of data center that's designed to take massive amounts of data and create artificial intelligence for business decisions. These data centers are like AI factories at Nvidia, said Ian Buck, vice president of accelerated computing at Nvidia, during the media briefing.

We were very impressed with V2 SPECfp and SPECint performance in order to keep up with the data parallel operations that are happening on top of the GPU itself. Also, its power performance is excellent. Its performance-per-watt of a core itself, combined with Grace's LPDDR memory, is showing upwards of two times the perf-per-watt performance compared to alternatives, he added.

Nvidia's GTC event will be held next week, during which the company will disclose more information on Grace and other technologies.

Additional Neoverse cores to be updated

In addition to the V2 cores, Arm says that it will update the N-series and E-series next year, but it did not go into detail. The new core designs are in development and will be available to partners later next year.

The N-series is designed for applications where thread count is important, while the E-series is designed for data plane processing applications, such as 5G RAN, edge networking, and other forms of network acceleration.
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Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
The director of the New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA, Gloria Yen will be honored with the Claire Szoke Distinguished Service Award Saturday at this years Immigrant Welcome Awards ceremony in Urbana.
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Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
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Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks
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File photo Prime Minister Narendra Modi, responding to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu's request, has agreed to inaugurate 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project Prime Minister Narendra Modi, responding to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu's request, has agreed to inaugurate 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project. This is northeast India's largest power plant and the region's first greenfield airport at Itanagar, officials said on Friday.



A official of Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Khandu apprised Modi about the Kameng Hydro Electric Project, executed by the state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) with an estimated cost of around Rs 8,000 crores and about the greenfield airport, commissioned by the Airport Authority of India at a cost of Rs 650 crore.



The Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project is the largest in the northeastern region and it would be a boon for the power sector in the country, especially the northeastern states and provide power for grid stability.



The Chief Minister said that the Director General of Civil Aviation has issued the necessary licence on September 7 to operationalise the greenfield airport, which was recently renamed by the state government as "Donyi Polo Airport".



The Donyi Polo Airport is the first airport in Arunachal Pradesh with capabilities of landing big aircraft, he added.



"With the operationalising of this airport, Arunachal Pradesh would be connected directly with New Delhi. The long - cherished dream of the people of my state to see the state Capital in the air-map of India has ultimately come true," Khandu said in a statement.



The Donyi Polo Airport airport in Itanagar would be Arunachal Pradesh's third airport after Pasighat and Tezu airports, and northeast's 16th airport.




Researchers have discovered a 380-million-year-old heart  the oldest ever found  alongside a separate fossilized stomach, intestine and liver in an ancient jawed fish, shedding new light on the evolution of our own bodies.

The new research, published today in Science, found that the position of the organs in the body of arthrodires - an extinct class of armored fishes that flourished through the Devonian period from 419.2 million years ago to 358.9 million years ago - is similar to modern shark anatomy, offering vital new evolutionary clues.

Lead researcher John Curtin Distinguished Professor Kate Trinajstic, from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences and the Western Australian Museum, said the discovery was remarkable given that soft tissues of ancient species were rarely preserved and it was even rarer to find 3D preservation.

"As a palaeontologist who has studied fossils for more than 20 years, I was truly amazed to find a 3D and beautifully preserved heart in a 380-million-year-old ancestor," Professor Trinajstic said.

"Evolution is often thought of as a series of small steps, but these ancient fossils suggest there was a larger leap between jawless and jawed vertebrates. These fish literally have their hearts in their mouths and under their gills - just like sharks today."

This research presents  for the first time  the 3D model of a complex s-shaped heart in an arthrodire that is made up of two chambers with the smaller chamber sitting on top.

Professor Trinajstic said these features were advanced in such early vertebrates, offering a unique window into how the head and neck region began to change to accommodate jaws, a critical stage in the evolution of our own bodies.

For the first time, we can see all the organs together in a primitive jawed fish, and we were especially surprised to learn that they were not so different from us. However, there was one critical difference  the liver was large and enabled the fish to remain buoyant, just like sharks today. Some of today's bony fish such as lungfish and birchers have lungs that evolved from swim bladders but it was significant that we found no evidence of lungs in any of the extinct armored fishes we examined, which suggests that they evolved independently in the bony fishes at a later date." Kate Trinajstic, Professor, Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences

The Gogo Formation, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia where the fossils were collected, was originally a large reef.

Enlisting the help of scientists at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation in Sydney and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France, researchers used neutron beams and synchrotron x-rays to scan the specimens, still embedded in the limestone concretions, and constructed three-dimensional images of the soft tissues inside them based on the different densities of minerals deposited by the bacteria and the surrounding rock matrix.

This new discovery of mineralized organs, in addition to previous finds of muscles and embryos, makes the Gogo arthrodires the most fully understood of all jawed stem vertebrates and clarifies an evolutionary transition on the line to living jawed vertebrates, which includes the mammals and humans.

Co-author Professor John Long, from Flinders University, said: "These new discoveries of soft organs in these ancient fishes are truly the stuff of palaeontologists' dreams, for without doubt these fossils are the best preserved in the world for this age. They show the value of the Gogo fossils for understanding the big steps in our distant evolution. Gogo has given us world firsts, from the origins of sex to the oldest vertebrate heart, and is now one of the most significant fossil sites in the world. It's time the site was seriously considered for world heritage status."

Co-author Professor Per Ahlberg, from Uppsala University, said: "What's really exceptional about the Gogo fishes is that their soft tissues are preserved in three dimensions. Most cases of soft-tissue preservation are found in flattened fossils, where the soft anatomy is little more than a stain on the rock. We are also very fortunate in that modern scanning techniques allow us to study these fragile soft tissues without destroying them. A couple of decades ago, the project would have been impossible."

The Curtin-led research was a collaboration with Flinders University, the Western Australian Museum, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's nuclear reactor, Uppsala University, Monash University's Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute and the South Australian Museum.
Indiana high school students with disabilities who spent 80% of their educational time in general education classrooms scored higher on state reading and math assessments and were better prepared for postsecondary education and employment opportunities than their peers in less inclusive settings, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.

We are currently in a time when the experience of 'community' is being stressed in multiple ways in our society. Changing and elevating our expectations of what students with disabilities are capable of lies at the heart of people with disabilities contributing to and benefitting from being a part of our community experience, beyond K-12 education. Including students with disabilities in their school communities with their general education peers is an important place to begin this transformation. These results show that it is as much a moral and ethical question as it is an educational one." Hardy Murphy, study co-author and clinical professor, School of Education at IUPUI

The study, conducted by IU's Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, one of seven research centers at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, was recently published in the Journal of Special Education.

Led by Sandi Cole, lead author on the study and director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, researchers used statewide student and school demographic and outcome data to investigate the relationship between high- and low-inclusion educational settings and the academic outcomes of students with disabilities. High inclusion was defined as 80% or more educational time spent in the general education classroom. Low inclusion was defined as less than 80% of educational time spent in the general education classroom.

The new study is the second phase of their 2020 study, which looked at special education placement and academic outcomes for Indiana students in third to eighth grades with primary disabilities including cognitive, learning and emotional disabilities; autism spectrum disorder; blindness; and deafness. In that study, students who experienced more inclusion demonstrated significantly higher achievement on state assessments than students experiencing less inclusion -- regardless of the disability category.

Given the previous study's finding in favor of high inclusion related to student success, the new study assessed whether the same pattern existed for high school students with disabilities, focusing on a cohort of Indiana students who were eighth graders in 2013 and graduated high school in 2018. A statewide comparison of student achievement in English/language arts with a cohort sample size of 23,796 and math scores with a sample size of 23,940 students in low- and high-inclusion placements was initiated using ISTEP+, the state assessment tool used for all students in Indiana. Students identified for the state's alternative assessment (approximately 1% of students with disabilities) were excluded from the study. Additionally, because diploma type often reflects the curriculum path of high school students, the study used this data to investigate relative differences in preparedness for post-secondary transition related to placement.

Key findings of this study include:

Comparisons of 10th grade ISTEP scores yielded highly significant results. Students with disabilities who spent 80% or more time in the general education classroom scored an average of 24.3 points higher in English/language arts and 18.4 points higher in math than their peers in low-inclusion settings.

Students with disabilities in high-inclusion settings were 22% more likely than their peers in low-inclusion settings to graduate with a Core 40 diploma by passing the state assessment rather than receiving a waiver. Researchers said this suggests these students were more prepared for successful post-secondary educational and employment opportunities.

"It is clear from these two studies that place matters," Cole said. "By using a propensity matching methodology, we can state with great certainty that students with disabilities have better outcomes in inclusion settings than their peers in more segregated settings. As we noted in the paper: 'We cannot, as a society, afford to continue to support policies and practices that result in academic failure, limited post-secondary options and continued separation and marginalization based on disabilities. We can, however, accept the ambitious agenda to transform educational systems to create inclusive school environments, maximize student participation and increase the achievement of students with disabilities.'"
insights from industry Dr. Jonathan Kirk Deputy Chair: Cell and Molecular Physiology

Loyola University Chicago

In this Interview News Medical is talking to Dr. Jonathan Kirk about the First Hand Experience in the Field of Clinical and Applied Mass Spectrometry and the Masters Program he is launching to make it a more accessible field. In this Interview News Medical is talking to Dr. Jonathan Kirk about the First Hand Experience in the Field of Clinical and Applied Mass Spectrometry and the Masters Program he is launching to make it a more accessible field.

Can you provide an overview of mass spectrometry?

Mass spectrometry is a technique that allows us to measure the mass of individual particles and molecules. A mass spectrometer instrument generates an isotopic signature, a kind of fingerprint, that can identify compounds and their structure. This means you can take complex samples, like blood, soil, a hotdog, a plant, or almost anything, and discover what it is made of at the molecular level.

This may sound relatively simple, but when you start applying this technology to scientific questions in many different fields, it becomes clear that it is very powerful.

How has this field grown over the past decade?

Mass spectrometry has reached a point where it is robust enough to unlock new capabilities in many fields. For example, NASAs new Artemis Space Program has a mass spectrometer, MSolo, that can operate in space and will be used to identify molecules on the moon's surface. New innovative instrumentation is sensitive enough to detect biomarkers in a blood spot on a postcard that can be mailed to the lab so that patients who live far from a hospital can be remotely monitored. With computational breakthroughs like AI and machine learning, the big data generated by massive mass spectrometry screens can reveal novel drug targets to treat diseases. The field continues to grow rapidly, which opens up new opportunities to advance areas of discovery.

In which fields of science is mass spectrometry most useful?

Mass spectrometry is most useful in biomedical research. Mass spectrometry is critical to many areas, such as Environmental Science, Food Science, Forensic Science, Pharma, and even newer areas of rapid growth like the cannabis industry.

Mass spectrometry allows scientists in these areas to look deeper into a sample than ever before to identify soil contaminants, the optimal strain of cacao, the presence of a drug in a drink, or the structure of a new drug. It is less about which field it is most beneficial to and more about the wide breadth of fields that training in mass spectrometry can open.

Image Credit: Loyola University Chicago

Can you explain what the aims of the Master of Science in Clinical and Applied Mass Spectrometry (CAMS MS) Program are?

As the use of mass spectrometers continues to grow, many labs, industries, and hospitals have realized that while it is easy to buy a mass spectrometer, it is challenging to find someone to run it. The traditional training models significantly cause this shortage of mass spectrometrists. Scientists have only been able to learn about mass spectrometry by earning a Ph.D. in a mass spec lab or learning on the job. These options are time-consuming and keep the number of scientists trained in mass spectrometry very low.

CAMS-MS aims to train students in one year on how a mass spectrometer works, how to use one, and how to design a mass spectrometer experiment. Students will receive both theoretical background and technical hands-on experience. The goal is that after one year in the CAMS program, students will be able to be employed in a mass spec position.

Who is this program targeted towards?

CAMS is a hybrid, flexible program. The didactic classes are interactive online courses that students can work into their schedules. These classes involve virtual interaction with the faculty on the students terms. The two hands-on lab experiences are intensive three-week rotations with multiple scheduling options throughout the year.

CAMS is thus designed for almost anyone, including undergraduates looking to specialize in a high-paying science career, industry veterans hoping to move into an exciting and growing field, international students that want to take advantage of global industry opportunities, and many others.

How unique is this course, and what does it offer that other master's programs do not?

This is the first program to specifically offer training in mass spectrometry. Other MS programs tend to offer broader education in biotechnology or similar fields. These are great options, but they fail to prepare their students for a specific technical field such as mass spectrometry. Moreover, as MS technology is used across so many areas of science and industry, our specialized program provides many opportunities for students to pursue.

Why is this the right time for a program like this?

There is great demand out there for scientists trained in mass spectrometry. The technology and instrumentation are mature, and many fields have recognized the power and potential of mass spectrometry. Thus, the timing for CAMS is perfect for two reasons. First, the demand for trained mass spectrometry scientists means our program can prepare students for an immediate career. Second, mass spec technology is a cutting-edge approach in science, and the frontier is an exciting place to be.

Can you explain some of the benefits graduates will take away from the course?

This is not just a technical certificate program; this is an academic master's degree. Students will learn foundational physics and chemistry to understand how and why a mass spectrometer works. In addition, students will participate in a capstone project with a faculty mentor and clinical collaborator to develop their own cutting-edge project.

They will also get intensive hands-on small group experience using the newest mass spectrometers available. They will prepare samples, run the instrument, analyze the data, and interpret the results. This combination of courses, capstone, and hands-on experience will prepare students for the exciting mass spectrometry field.

Can you describe some of the hands-on experience via operational training that the program delivers?

Students will be able to work directly with the newest mass spectrometers available on the market. We offer class sizes of only five students so that each gets individualized training and opportunities to perform mass spectrometry experiments from beginning to end. Students will also learn troubleshooting and simple repairs to the mass specs. These flexible yet intense hands-on training experiences, led by a mass spectrometrist with over a quarter century of experience, will directly prepare students for their future careers in the field.

Why may science graduates and those already working in the field of scientific research need this boost to advance their careers in the field of mass spectrometry?

Modern science is almost overwhelmingly complex. To make important discoveries, scientists must work as part of a team, where each member is an expert in one piece of the project. Thus, specialization and developing expertise are critical for modern scientists. Furthermore, mass spectrometry is a rapidly growing field that offers cutting-edge opportunities. CAMS is an excellent chance for current scientists to add new techniques to their skillset and open new fields and industries in which to work.

What are some challenges facing the mass spectrometry field, and how could this course help graduates face and overcome these?

The biggest challenges are the shortage of scientists trained in mass spectrometry, which this program was developed to address. Furthermore, as mass spectrometry grows more powerful, the datasets become more massive. How to derive knowledge and insight out of big data is thus a pressing challenge in the field. CAMS students will receive training in the analysis and bioinformatics of mass spectrometry. They will be key players in the teams developing next-generation AI and machine learning platforms to analyze these datasets.

What are your current research projects?

My lab uses mass spectrometry to understand what happens to patients with cardiovascular disease at the molecular level. The technology reveals mechanisms that drive heart failure, diabetes, arrhythmias, and other all-too-common diseases in the world. With this information, we can discover new drug targets that could help reduce mortality.

Could you describe how mass spectrometry has shaped your research?

For my research, the most exciting thing about mass spectrometry is the power of discovery. I can take a sample from a specific disease, and the mass spec can tell me all the molecules that differentiate between diseased and healthy tissue. We may not even have names for some of those molecules yet. This scientific discovery allows us to follow entirely new investigation tracks.

About Dr. Jonathan Kirk

Dr. Jonathan Kirk is the director of the Clinical and Applied Mass Spectrometry Master of Science program at Loyola University. Dr. Kirk began working at Loyola in 2015 as part of the Physiology department and quickly emerged as a leader when it came to identifying the educational needs of students.

Having studied Bioengineering at Washington State University and University of Pittsburgh, he went on to complete his Postdoc at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he trained in Mass Spectrometry with Dr. Jennifer Van Eyk. Since that time, Dr. Kirk has continued to develop his expertise in Mass Spectrometry and was one of the primary parties responsible for identifying the significant lack of proper education for those who want to work in this exciting scientific field.

Throughout his life, Dr. Kirk has been a natural problem solver. Since childhood he has loved solving puzzles and pursuing education and that is a large part of what has brought him to become the architect of Americas first dedicated Masters program in Mass Spectrometry - especially one that offers so much flexibility and individualized mentoring for the students.

When asked, Dr. Kirk said that the best advice for students is Failure is temporary, success is cumulative.

About Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus

Loyola University Chicago's Health Sciences Campus is comprised of about 980 faculty members and more than 2,200 students committed to excellence in health sciences education, practice, and research.

Our mission is to advance the University's commitment to a socially just world by developing health care leaders and improving human health through education and research grounded in Jesuit, Catholic values. We expect our graduates to lead lives of consequence in the spirit of the Jesuit's call to become women and men for others, especially for those most in need.

Our campus is comprised of many different departments, institutes, centers, and schools. And we are only as strong as each of our individual parts. All of our units, including the Stritch School of Medicine, Niehoff School of Nursing, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, biomedical programs of The Graduate School, and our health sciences research enterprise, must work collectively to move forward in the ever-changing higher education, research, and health care landscapes.

We cannot enhance our position without our clinical partners at the Loyola University Health System and Trinity Health. This partnership allows our students to learn under the expertise of physicians who deliver compassionate and uncompromising care. It also brings our education and research to the point of care and allows us to be at the leading edge of science and health care research.

Our research enterprise, which occupies the 225,000-square-foot Center for Translational Research and Education, focuses on new discoveries and improving health with an emphasis on eliminating health disparities. Working collaboratively, we will train health care leaders and researchers who are capable of and committed to the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis  care of the whole person.
Africa lagged in genome sequencing during the first two years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, with increased funding, over 100,000 genomes have now been sequenced from this continent.

A new study sums up the results of genomic surveillance so far, indicating how the variants of concern of the virus have spread while indicating future directions for response readiness.

Introduction

Africa appeared to be relatively spared of high cases and deaths during the ongoing pandemic, with approximately 11 million cases out of a global total of over 600 million and a quarter of a million deaths out of over 6.4 million deaths worldwide.

However, as the virus continued to change and mutate, new variants emerged that showed, in some cases, higher transmissibility and infectivity or virulence. Immune escape mutations were identified in some variants, making them capable of increased spread even among vaccinated or previously infected populations. These were called variants of concern (VOC), and so far, there have been five of them  Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron.

Of these, Beta and Omicron were first detected in Africa, though the other two also caused significant cases on this continent. In response to the growing threat posed by the emergence of VOCs, samples were collected from multiple sites for sequencing. However, in April 2020, only 20 African countries had this capability.

As global supply chains petered out, these efforts stopped towards the end of the year. After the first 10,000, an analysis showed some missing areas, in response to which increased funds poured into the building of increased infrastructure and training staff for genomic surveillance.

Both the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) and the regional office of the WHO in Africa (or WHO AFRO) shared the responsibility for this, aided by many other individuals and organizations. The result was that another 90,000 sequences were uploaded from April 2021 to March 2022.

To put this in perspective, less than 4000 sequences of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 12,000 influenza sequences have been uploaded so far, despite their presence in Africa in alarming numbers for many years.

The current study, published in Science, explores the contribution of genomic sequencing to the scientific understanding of COVID-19 in this continent and also introduces global public health measures via the ability to pick up new variants early enough.

What did the study show?

The data demonstrates multiple waves of infection, different in scale and period from country to country. After the first two waves, dominated by B.1 and Alpha variants, however, Delta and Omicron swept across Africa in grim succession.

Different strains predominated in various parts of Africa, such as C.36 and C.36.3, which caused 40% of infections in Egypt, vs. B.1.160 lineage in Tunisia. In both cases, these gave way to Delta during the third wave.

In South Africa, Beta dominated the second wave instead of Alpha. Interestingly, though the C.1.2 variant showed signs of immune escape, it failed to make a significant impact against the Delta background.

Other lineages that competed with Alpha included B.1.525 and A.23.1, which were finally outcompeted by later emerging VOCs. The differences in lineage by region could be due to virus genetics, human mobility, competition between co-circulating lineages, and immunity levels.

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Delta caused the greatest impact, causing over a third of all infections in Africa, according to many analysts. Beta caused about one in seven, and Alpha only about 4% overall. Omicron, which is still spreading, caused over a fifth of all infections, as judged by genomic sequencing.

Unlike the earlier VOCs, Omicron became prominent against a background of high infection and vaccination rates, with high associated immunity levels. Along with its lower intrinsic virulence, Omicron has led to fewer deaths than other VOCs, corresponding to the lower South African mortality rate during this wave.

The first part of the pandemic was caused by strains belonging to the B.1 clade, or ancestral viruses, which were then replaced by the first cluster of VOCs from late 2020 onwards: Alpha, Beta, and then, in 2021, Delta and Omicron. While Alpha and Beta circulated mostly in distinct regions of Africa, Delta and Omicron dominated infections in Africa beginning soon after their emergence.

The data comes from combining epidemiologic data with genomic sequencing data, along with information on the temporal and size-related characteristics of these waves. However, some countries have tested only one in ten million population, while others have tested over 10,000 per ten million, indicating grossly heterogeneous testing rates.

Interestingly, countries with high testing rates have reported higher case rates as well, but under-reporting continues to be a reality, as in the rest of the world. Increased reporting was achieved largely by the use of relatively inexpensive sequencing technology.

There is an urgent need to increase sequencing capacity, with 16 countries still lacking local sequencing facilities while many others have limited capacity. Three premier sequencing centers, and multiple regional sequencing hubs, have been set up to help consolidate resources in a few countries to maximize sequencing across the whole continent. These centers helped mostly sub-Saharan countries by handling the whole of the local sequencing efforts in some countries like Angola and Namibia, but also cooperating with local sequencing efforts during waves.

Other facilities outside Africa have also been pressed into service to increase surveillance, especially for West and North African countries.

Ultimately, a mix of strategies from local sequencing, collaborative resource sharing among African countries and sequencing with academic collaborators outside the continent helped close surveillance blind spots.

Even with low levels of sequencing, representative sampling over time has helped maintain genomic surveillance and detect variants in time, including Beta and Omicron. Moreover, the turnaround time is being reduced progressively from, for instance, ~180 days to 50 days from October 2020 to one year later.

This is favored by using local sequencing networks compared to regional or external facilities, which indicates the need to invest in the latter. The travel bans that followed the detection and reporting of the Beta and Omicron VOCs show how countries could hesitate to report such data in the future. If sequencing can be performed only outside the country, this will inevitably lead to the absence of surveillance in such situations.

Thus, encouraging local sequencing capacity will help generate timely and regular data for local and regional decision making. This would allow emerging variants to be detected early enough to allow time to interrupt their spread.

For example, Beta was detected three months after its origin, but for Omicron, it was within five weeks. Moreover, the World Health Organization declared the latter a VOC within 72 hours of depositing its sequence in the database.

Sequencing efforts should be built up, not just for SARS-CoV-2 but other new or re-introduced pathogens, including Ebola, measles, and H1N1 influenza. According to Africa CDC, over 200 infectious disease outbreaks occur annually in this continent.

Beyond the current pandemic, continued investment in diagnostic and sequencing capacity for these pathogens could serve the public health of the continent well into the 21st century.
The first study to treat moderate-to-severe eczema in infants and children 6 months to 5 years old with a biologic drug (monoclonal antibody) rather than immune-suppressing medications shows the drug was highly effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe eczema, report researchers involved in a new multi-site international phase III study led by Northwestern Medicine.

A 16-week course of dupilumab, a medication that targets a key immune pathway in allergies, resulted in more than half the children having at least a 75% reduction in signs of eczema and highly significant reductions in itch with improved sleep.

This is the first large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a monoclonal antibody in any skin disease, including eczema, in children as young as six months. The study, which included 31 sites in Europe and North America, was published in The Lancet.

Study: Dupilumab in children aged 6 months to younger than 6 years with uncontrolled atopic dermatitis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Image Credit: Aisylu Ahmadieva / Shutterstock

"Preschoolers who are constantly scratching, awake multiple times a night with their parents, irritable and markedly curtailed in their ability to do what other children their ages can do improved to the extent that they sleep through the night, change their personalities and have a normal life -- as babies and children should," said lead study author Dr. Amy Paller, chair of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by red, dry, often oozing skin and itch that can profoundly affect the lives of affected patients and their families.

An estimated 19% or more of all children under six years of age have eczema, and 85 to 90% of individuals affected overall with eczema have the onset of disease during the first five years of life.

The children's debilitating itch leads to sleep disturbance, poor neurocognitive development, and, on average, a full night of sleep lost per week.

"The ability to take this drug will significantly improve the quality of life for infants and young children who suffer tremendously with this disease," Paller said. "Atopic dermatitis or eczema is so much more than just itchy skin. It is a devastating disease. The quality of life of severe eczema -- not only for the child but also parents -- is equivalent to many life-threatening diseases."

As a result of this study, this medication is now available to infants and preschoolers as young as six months. In addition, it has "an outstanding safety profile" and does not even require any laboratory tests before starting the medication, Paller said.

Although one-half to two-thirds of young children with eczema have mild symptoms, which can be handled with steroid ointment and moisturizers, the other one-third or more have a moderate-to-severe disease and require more aggressive management.

"Up to now, all we have had to treat more severe eczema is immune-suppressing medications, such as oral steroids, which we try to avoid in children, because they are associated with so many side effects and thus are not a preferred treatment for a chronic skin disease," Paller said. "The potential long-term impact on the development of the immune system in young children is also of concern with these immunosuppressants."

During the past few years, a new medication called dupilumab, the first "biologic" drug to treat eczema in a targeted manner, meaning a narrow attack on just what scientists have found is causing the manifestations of the disease in the skin. This medication was effective and safe in studies with adults, adolescents, and other school-aged children.

"But the group in whom we worry the most about safety -- those under 5 -- had not been tested and were unable to get this medication," Paller said.

The parent or a health care provider gives the child a monthly shot to administer the medication.

"The effect for most of these younger children is dramatic and at least as good as we've seen with the risky immunosuppressant medications," Paller said.

Potential added benefit by treating associated allergies

This medication has also been shown to be effective for treating asthma, gastrointestinal manifestations of allergy, and other allergy-mediated problems but is not yet approved for these indications in infants and young children.

In fact, 66% of children in this trial had developed eczema during the first six months of life. In addition, by the time of initiating the dupilumab, more than 80% had already developed at least one allergic disorder, such as asthma or food allergy.

"By treating more aggressively to calm the immune system activation in these young children with early, severe eczema, we may also reduce the risk of their developing a range of allergic problems, changing their life beyond improving eczema," Paller said. "These associated allergic issues most often begin after the eczema starts."

Children were randomized to receive either a placebo injection or the dupilumab (weight-based dosing) every four weeks for 16 weeks. Only children who were not responding adequately to topical medications were allowed to enroll, and they had to be highly severe, even with the topical medications.

As a result of the study, Paller said, scientists and physicians can start to understand better the relationships between eczema and a variety of allergic disorders. In addition, they can consider the possibility of using this medication for other conditions that affect these very young children.

The trial was sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi, who jointly developed dupilumab.
Commissioner of Customs & Excise Louise Ho (right) signs the MOU of co-operation with Director General of the General Department of Customs & Excise of Cambodia Kun Nhem.

Commissioner of Customs & Excise Louise Ho today signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia Customs to strengthen intelligence exchanges between Hong Kong and Cambodia to combat cross-border crimes.

Signed with Director General of the General Department of Customs & Excise of Cambodia Kun Nhem, the MOU is the first agreement signed digitally by Hong Kong Customs in a virtual meeting with another customs administration.

The MOU steps up information sharing to promote closer ties in trade facilitation and creates a business-friendly environment for legitimate trade activities, the Customs & Excise Department said.

Currently, 29 similar co-operative instruments have come into effect between Hong Kong Customs and other customs administrations, including the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and 28 overseas customs administrations.


File phjoto To commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday , the BJP will observe "Seva Pakhwada" (a fortnight of service) from September 17 to October 2 across the country. To commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday , the BJP will observe "Seva Pakhwada" (a fortnight of service) from September 17 to October 2 across the country.



The highlight of the event would be a series of exhibitions charting Prime Minister Modi's journey from childhood to becoming the Prime Minister and showcasing his ideals and achievements.



BJP national general secretary Arun Singh told mediapersons that party chief J.P. Nadda would inaugurate the exhibition on Saturday at the party headquarters here.



"This exhibition on the Prime Minister's life's journey would showcase his spirit of selflessness and service towards the nation. While Mr Nadda will inaugurate the exhibition tomorrow here at the party headquarter, similar exhibitions would be inaugurated by chief ministers in all capitals of BJP-ruled states. In districts across the country, BJP MPs and MLAs would do the same," Singh said.



Seminars to discuss the Prime Minister's works and ideas would also be held in all districts of the country, he added.



Apart from this, to portray the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' during this period, people would be encouraged to adopt food and attire from each others' states.



"People of Rajasthan would be encouraged to adopt for a day, food habits and traditional attire of people from other states who reside there," Singh said.



"Unity in diversity has always been there in India. It is not like Rahul Gandhi, who has undertaken Bharat Jodo Yatra," the BJP leader said, taking a jibe at Congress party's pan India march for promoting national unity.



Singh further said that under Seva Pakhwada, several public oriented activities would be undertaken.



Blood donation camps and free health check up camps would be held during this period in 964 districts of the country.



"Free medical implants would be given to physically challenged people and free COVID booster dosage would be administered to those who can't go to hospitals," the BJP leader informed.



TB patients would be adopted for a year, where one patient each would be adopted by a party member.



"Their daily needs would be taken care of for a period of one year so that such patients should feel that party workers are there to provide them all kinds of help," Singh told mediapersons.



This adoption of TB patients is being done in line with the Prime Minister's vision of making India TB free before 2025, he informed further.



"Lok Sabha MPs who are ministers, would travel to their constituencies during the fortnight and participate in various programmes lined up for the occasion. Rajya Sabha MPs and those who are ministers would be delegated by their respective states. However some Rajya Sabha MPs would be sent to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Kerala also," Singh said.



Social activities like Peepal tree plantation at all booths, Swachchta Abhiyan at public places and Shram Daan at Amrit Sarovars would also be conducted during this period.




Geneva: The acting UN human rights chief on Monday urged European Union member states to avoid backtracking on their efforts to develop renewables and energy-efficiency projects at a time when soaring energy prices have prompted some to ramp up use of and search for fossil fuels.

Nada al-Nashif, the acting UN high commissioner for human rights, laid out rights concerns about more than 30 countries, regions and territories including Ethiopia, Ukraine, Myanmar and Haiti in an opening speech to the latest session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Beyond expressing concerns about the direct impact of Russia's war in Ukraine, she noted how the war has dented exports of food and fuel from those two countries, who are major producers of both, forcing EU states, for example, to scramble to boost their energy sources.

In the face of soaring energy prices which threaten to impact the most vulnerable as winter approaches, some EU member states are turning to investments in fossil fuels infrastructure and supplies, al-Nashif said.

While such an impulse was understandable, she warned of the long-term consequences of boosting use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming and called for faster development of energy-efficiency projects and renewables.

There is no room for backtracking in the face of the ongoing climate crisis, she said.

In Germany, the EU's biggest economy, use of carbon-spewing coal rose as a share of the country's total electricity production in the first half of 2022 compared with a year earlier. The Dutch government this summer issued permits for a joint gas exploration project with Germany.

EU nations have been looking to tap new sources of natural gas to help them wean themselves off supplies from Russia.

Al-Nashif made only passing reference to a report raising concerns about China's controversial campaign to fight terrorism and extremism in Western Xinjiang that could at times have amounted to crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other minorities.

It was released in the waning minutes of the tenure of former rights chief Michelle Bachelet. Beijing lashed out at the report, calling it part of a plot by Western nations to block China's rise.

Al-Nashif has held the temporary post since the term of former Chilean President Bachelet expired on Aug 31. Her successor Austrian diplomat and UN veteran Volker T rk -- takes over the job in coming days.

The four-week autumn session at the council, which brings together 47 UN member states, is expected to take up country situations in many places including Afghanistan, Congo, Myanmar, Ukraine and Venezuela. (AP)


Begusarai police Police in Begusarai have arrested all the four accused in the shooting spree earlier this week that left one dead and 10 others injured Police in Begusarai have arrested all the four accused in the shooting spree earlier this week that left one dead and 10 others injured



The police have also released photographs of the main accused, Keshav Kumar alias Naga, who was planning to escape to Ranchi but was arrested from the Jhajha railway station on Thursday night.



During interrogation, he revealed the names of other three accused -- Sumit Kumar, Youraj, Arjun Kumar.



Following the development, Begusarai SP Yogendra Kumar released Keshav's photograph and also appealed to people to come forward if they had any information.



The SP is slated to address the media later in the day during which he will give exact details about the motive of the accused.



The shootout took place on Tuesday.



The two assailants on bike opened fire at Godhna village under Bachwara police station. One Nitish Kumar sustained bullet injury in the incident.



The attackers then went to Begusarai-Muzaffarpur NH 28 and fired at Ayodhya Chowk falling under Teghra police station injuring one Dipak Kumar.



The accused then reached Adharpur village on NH 28 and shot at a finance company employee Vishal Solanki. Then they reached Pipra Malti Chowk under Barauni police station and killed a person named Chandan Kumar. Another person was injured at the same place.



After the fourth incident, the attackers left NH 28 from zero miles and went towards NH 31 connecting Patna.



They opened fire on a 45-year-old man named Bharat Yadav at Barauni Thermal Power Chowk.



After travelling some distance, the accused shot at Prasant Kumar Rajak (35) and Ranjeet Yadav (25) and Jito Paswan (37).



The attackers travelled 30 KM on NH 28 and NH 31 during one hour of carnage and then disappeared.




Are you on the Bahrain voters list? Visit www.vote.bh to make sure

Are you on the Bahrain voters list? Visit www.vote.bh to make sure

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The voters lists for the Parliamentary and Municipal Elections 2022 are now available for review on the elections committee website and in person.

In case of discrepancy, voters could file appeals through the national eGovernment portal, which operates round the clock, the call centre and the supervisory committees. The voters list is available on www.vote.bh.

Authorities further said the online appeal system is for filing appeals against voters and candidates lists and election results. Anyone whose name is absent in the voters list or spotted an error has the right to request the supervisory committees to record his name or correct the data.

Four supervisory committees have started receiving the voters to verify their names in the lists that remain open until the 21st of this month.

The amendments will be through judicial supervision, and the decisions of supervisory committee judges can be appealed before a competent court, said Nawaf bin Mohammed Al-Maawda, the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Chair of the High Elections Committee.

The President of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (LLOC), Executive Director of the Elections, Chancellor Nawaf Abdullah Hamza, urged all to encourage their family members to ensure their names are on the list to exercise their constitutional right.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The National Bank of Bahrain has announced the resignation of Yaser Alsharifi from his position as Group Chief Strategy Officer. During his five-year tenure, Alsharifi has been instrumental in leading the banks strategy, transformation and innovation efforts by heading the project management office and business development arm, as well as the Banks operations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Alsharifi has been an integral member of NBBs senior leadership team since 2017, and has helped to pave NBBs growth and transition into one of the leading banks in the Kingdom. During his tenure, and under his guidance, NBB celebrated pivotal milestones across key business verticals, including regional expansion and digitalisation.

Alsharifis extensive industry experience and strategic acumen have been critical in driving NBBs digital transformation strategy and helping the bank achieve its business objectives.

NBB extends its heartfelt appreciation to Yaser Alsharifi for his distinguished efforts and instrumental role in supporting the banks transformation journey, and in helping to cement NBB as an industry leader across the region. The bank wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.
Downer EDI Limited (Downer) announced today that its subsidiary, Spotless Facilities Services Pty Ltd, had been awarded a contract to provide maintenance services across the SA Housing Authority social housing portfolio in the Adelaide metropolitan area.

The contract is valued at approximately $630 million over seven-and-a-half years, with Downer scheduled to commence work from January 2023.

Under the contract, Downer will deliver reactive maintenance, vacant restoration and minor works projects to 27,000 social and public housing dwellings. Works will include plumbing, electrical, roofing and painting, as well as refurbishment and upgrade works, providing crucial maintenance services for public housing residents.

The Chief Executive Officer of Downer, Grant Fenn, said the win demonstrates Downers capability as the leading social housing maintenance services provider.

This contract further expands our footprint in the sector across Australia and New Zealand, and will increase our investment and capability in South Australia, Mr Fenn said.

We look forward to working closely with the SA Housing Authority to provide these vital services for the people of South Australia.

Downer awarded South Australian Housing Authority contract

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GATINEAU, QC, Sept. 15, 2022 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves to be able to heat their home with affordable, reliable, and clean power. Today, the Government of Canada is following through on its commitment to deliver practical solutions to home heating affordability, especially for Atlantic Canadians, while continuing to fight climate change.

This afternoon, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault; along with and Members of Parliament from across the Atlantic, announced an important step forward. The Government of Canada will invest up to $250 million over four years through the Low Carbon Economy Fund (LCEF) to help make home heating more affordable for families across the country. With a focus on lower-income households, this funding will help homeowners who currently use home heating oil move to more affordable and greener home heating sources, like electric heat pumps. At current energy rates, switching from heating oil to a heat pump has the potential to save homeowners thousands of dollars per year in heating bills. Approximately $120 million of the overall funding will go to people in Atlantic Canadian provinces, where using oil for home heating is much more common. Early estimates indicate that clean energy transitions funded by this LCEF allocation could help 10,000 to 25,000 homes nationwide, with over 40 percent of those in Atlantic Canada.



Households' home heating needs and realities differ across the country. This new investment will therefore be delivered to Canadians by allocating funding to provincial and territorial governments, which can use their allocations to extend or expand current energy efficiency programs that support the transition from home heating oil to cleaner systems.

Making life affordable while fighting climate change is a core priority of the Government. By investing in Canadian families, the Government is putting money back in people's pockets, keeping our air clean, and growing the economy.

Quotes

"By helping households transition from home heating oil to more affordable and greener heating sources, we can help Canadians save thousands of dollars on yearly energy bills, all while fighting climate change. We committed to Atlantic Canada that we would come to the table with more help for home energy costs, and today we are delivering on that promise."

 The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Heating and cooling our homes more efficientlywith technology like electric heat pumpscosts Canadians less money and reduces pollution. We're pleased to help Canadians do just that."

 The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources

"Our government is committed to helping Canadians with the impacts of climate change and the rising cost of living. This new initiative will help Atlantic Canadians realize savings on their heating costs while reducing their carbon footprinta win for our environment and our economy. We will continue working with provinces and territories to make life more affordable and build an economy that works for everyone."

 The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"Atlantic Canadians are particularly vulnerable to global increases in fuel costs, caused by the war in Ukraine and a worldwide disruption in energy markets. Half of our households in the Atlantic region still use home heating oil, and the cost of transitioning to a new, energy efficient electric heat pump can be really daunting. This investment is crucial toward helping our residents with the costs of that transition and is just one step among the many our government is making to reduce emissions while supporting affordability."

 Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for KingsHants and Chair of the Atlantic Liberal Caucus

Quick facts

Of the $250 million home heating oil envelope, up to $118.4 million is earmarked for Atlantic Canada . Allocations by province will be finalized pending final confirmation with each jurisdiction.

home heating oil envelope, up to is earmarked for . Allocations by province will be finalized pending final confirmation with each jurisdiction. The Low Carbon Economy Fund is an important part of Canada's clean growth and climate action plans, including through the Emissions Reduction Plan, helping to put Canada on a path to meet its emissions reduction target for 2030 and work toward a net-zero future.

clean growth and climate action plans, including through the Emissions Reduction Plan, helping to put on a path to meet its emissions reduction target for 2030 and work toward a net-zero future. The Low Carbon Economy Fund supports energy efficiency projects in provinces and territories across Canada , which helps save money by lowering energy costs.

, which helps save money by lowering energy costs. In Atlantic Canada , 305,900 homes out of 1,022,256 currently use oil, an expensive and carbon-intensive fuel, for their home heating systems.

, 305,900 homes out of 1,022,256 currently use oil, an expensive and carbon-intensive fuel, for their home heating systems. Programs offered by provinces to support the transition away from oil heating systems have a very high uptake and are oversubscribed.

Homeowners will be able to combine this funding with other programs, such as the Canada Greener Homes Grant. By taking advantage of funding programs from different levels of government, some households could see up to 100 percent of their eligible expenses covered, 75 percent of which could be covered through federal initiatives alone.

Since its launch in 2021, the Canada Greener Homes Grant has supported 19,000 Canadians, including more than 3,400 in Atlantic Canada , with grants and interestfree loans for cost-saving and energy-efficient retrofits such as windows, doors, heating systems, solar installations, and more.

Associated links

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

For further information: Contacts: Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations: Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]
Haryana Governor Honours Rajya Sabha MP Kartik Sharma with the title Champion of Change Haryana- 2021

The Champions of Change event was organized by the Intera...

2 October, 2022

Read more
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The respective governments have resolved to reopen the India-Bhutan border as of September 23 as COVID cases have now abated.

Due to a decline in Covid cases, the government of Bhutan has formally announced that the international border with India will open on September 23.

Tashi Panjore, the Director of the Ministry of Home Affairs Law and Order Department of the Himalayan monarchy, stated, We are getting ready to open the border and provide visitors with a positive experience.

Tashi Panjore, the Commandant of Sashastra Seema Bals 15th Battalion, Neeraj Chand, and all other SSB officials met in a general session at the organizations regional headquarters, which is located at Chaprakata in Assams Bongaigaon district.

Bhutan, a neighbour, said that it would close the international gate between India and Bhutan for COVID in 2019. On September 23, 2022nearly 4 years from nowthe borders will be reopened.

The same topic was discussed today at SSB Headquarters by Tashi Penjore, Director of Law and Order Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bhutan, Deputy Commissioner of Bhutan, Superintendent of Police, and several other personnel.
The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have faulted the Federal Governments approach amidst the protracted industrial action by the Academic Staff...





The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have faulted the Federal Governments approach amidst the protracted industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, since seven months ago.





They called on the Federal Government and the ASUU to find a quicker and better way of resolving the crisis so that public universities would reopen again.





This was disclosed in a communique issued at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Sacred Heart Pastoral/Retreat Centre, Orlu, Imo State, 8  16 September, 2022.





Part of the communique read: The protracted strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since 14 February 2022 is unacceptable. ASUU has cited the non-implementation of agreements by the Federal Government as the cause. We know that efforts have been made to resolve the matter.





However, we believe that a resort to courts may not be the best and fastest way to solve the problem. Therefore, we renew our call on the Federal Government and the ASUU to find a quicker and better way of resolving the matters under contention so that public universities will reopen.





The Bishops also urged governments to make adequate policies and provide the enabling environment for the creation of more jobs, as it would reduce the level of poverty, insecurity and unrest in the land.
Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has refuted allegations that his princ...





Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has refuted allegations that his principal planned to travel to Europe for medical care.





Ibe claimed that barring any last-minute change, the former Vice President will travel to Europe on a personal business trip.





A statement by Ibe said his principal would be travelling immediately after his meeting on Friday in Lagos, with the leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) alongside the PDP vice presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.





Mr Ibe explained in the statement that Todays trip is in continuation of an earlier business trip of 3 weeks ago.





He said, At the conclusion of his European trip, the former Vice President will also use the opportunity to visit his family in Dubai.





The Media Adviser stated that Atikus trip is for business and family purposes and has nothing to do with medicals as being insinuated in some quarters.





Recall that the platform on which the PDP presidential flag bearer will be running for the top seat in the land constituted its campaign council recently, appointing the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom as leader of the team.





This is coming despite the initial announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that campaigns for the 2023 general elections will kick off on September 28.
Bashir Bulabuduwaye, a senior member of Boko Haram, has reportedly surrendered to troops of the Nigerian army. Bulabuduwaye was said t...

Bashir Bulabuduwaye, a senior member of Boko Haram, has reportedly surrendered to troops of the Nigerian army.

Bulabuduwaye was said to have surrendered alongside his family members on Monday in Banki, Bama LGA of Borno state.

According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, Bulabuduwaye was Boko Harams chief executioner who has killed at least 1,000 people who were captured and sentenced to death by the group.

A source told the publication that Bulabuduwaye was known to be an official who carried out sentence of death on condemned persons, captured military men and civilians when Abubakar Shekau was leader of the group.

Bulabuduwaye reportedly formed a camp in Kote village of Banki, where he was hiding with other fighters.

He was said to have surrendered due to the sustained offensives launched by troops of operation Hadin Kai.

It was difficult for him to access food and other logistics, coupled with the flooding which already ravaged most of their settlements. He also feared battlefield elimination by ISWAP, a source was quoted.

Recall that Christopher Musa, commander of operation Hadin Kai, had said Boko Haram leaders are surrendering because they want to live a normal life.
A Federal High court in Gusau, Zamfara State has nullified the primary election that brought in Dauda Lawan Dare as the Peoples Democratic P...





A Federal High court in Gusau, Zamfara State has nullified the primary election that brought in Dauda Lawan Dare as the Peoples Democratic Partys Governorship candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections.





The Presiding Judge, Justice Aminu Bappa explained that the court granted all the prayers of the plaintiffs and cancelled the election of Dauda Lawan Dare as the partys flag bearer for the 2023 general elections.





This court has granted the prayers submitted in this honourable court by the plaintiffs and hereby ruled in their favour the judge added.





The 109-page judgement will be presented to the counsels of both the plaintiffs and the dependants.





Speaking with newsmen immediately after the ruling, the counsel to all the plaintiffs, Barrister Ibrahim Aliyu said the court has nullified the election of Dauda Lawan Dare as the PDP governorship candidate according to the prayers they submitted before the court.





We believe in justice because the Court has seen reasons to nullify the election of Dauda Lawan Dare as PDP candidate in Zamfara state





We had in our prayers urged the court to nullify the election which was characterised by a series of irregularities and we are happy that our prayers have been granted
One of the prominent legal luminaries in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Chief Karimu Oladele Latunji, is dead. It was gathered that the lega...





One of the prominent legal luminaries in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Chief Karimu Oladele Latunji, is dead.





It was gathered that the legal practitioner died in the early hours of Friday.





He died at the age of 92.





Latunji attended N.A. Olubadan School for his elementary education from 1939-1946. He moved to Ibadan Grammar School for his secondary education from 1949-1954.





He was, until his death, a senior partner of Chief KO Latunji and Co.
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has faulted the poll predicting the likely victory of Labour Party presidential...

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has faulted the poll predicting the likely victory of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, during next years election.

It can be recalled that a poll conducted by Ngozi Okonjo Iweala Polls and commissioned by the Atedo N. A. Peterside Foundation showed Obi would win if Nigerias presidential election was held today.

The poll which was conducted this month points to a three-horse presidential race between Obi, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

But in a statement on Thursday signed by its Director, Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, the campaign council said the NOI poll was inconsistent with reality.

The statement read, The attention of the APC Presidential Campaign Council has been drawn to a poll conducted by the NOI polls which made wild and incredible permutations on the presidential elections.

We are unperturbed by these dubious and unreliable statistics because our research shows that NOI Polls have been off the mark at critical election periods in recent times.

For example, preparatory to the March 2015 presidential elections, NOI published in October 2014 the results of a Viability Poll which used the concepts of Familiarity and Net Favourability Position to survey.

In the results, NOI claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan has the best overall familiarity rating at 99% and Net Favourability Probability of 25.

By contrast, NOI dismissed the then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari as a borderline candidate who needed  huge public relations to shore up his performance.

But when the Nigerian people went to the polls, who won? The APC candidate and now President, Muhammadu Buhari.

This is not the only instance when the NOI has turned its political bias in an election period to fraudulent statistics.

Towards the 2019 presidential elections, and knowing fully that President Muhammadu Buhari was going for re-election for a second term in office, the NOI pollsters embarked on another abracadabra. In June 2017, they issued the results of another poll, that Nigerians prefer a middle-aged president claiming that this poll was inspired by the election of Macron as the president of France and the campaign of the Not Too Young To Run. According to the predictable bias, NOI claimed that 64% said they would prefer to vote for a presidential candidate between the ages of 40 and 50 years and 15% preferred candidates between 51 and 60.

In short, for a presidential candidate in his 70s running for re-election, NOI results meant certain defeat. But when the Nigerian people went to the polls on February 23, 2019, the man the NOI polls had tried to bully with statistics out of the race won again.

It is significant that at the time NOI was generating the unrealistic figures to boost the ego of President Jonathan, a more serious and independent team of pollsters- Neo-Telligence based in the United Kingdom used geo-demographics and public sentiment analysis to forecast the emergence of President Buhari. By contrast, their empirical analysis showed that two years before the 2015 presidential elections, Goodluck Jonathans public approval rating on corruption, insecurity and the economy had nosedived across most of the battleground states.

Our objective profiling of NOI Polls as an anti-APC research organisation is grounded on the aforesaid facts and that is why we believe this present report is, in the language of Nigerians, *wuruwuru to the answer.

The NOI has chosen the preferred candidate and has decided to use fake, dubious statistics to package him to the Nigerian voters.

We know as a matter of fact, the owners of NOI and where their political interest lies and wish to advise NOI to stop polluting the political system with irresponsible, unscientific and biased polling so that we dont expose the puppeteers pulling its strings.

Our party is putting every necessary machinery in motion to win the federal elections with a margin that will be too wide to contest. Our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu recorded the highest votes of a senator across the country under the Social Democratic Party in July 1992. He will do it on a nationwide scale on February 25, 2023.
The Peoples Democratic Party PDP has constituted its presidential campaign Organisation, Thursday evening.

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP has constituted its presidential campaign Organisation, Thursday evening.

The organisation will be chaired by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

The National Organising Secretary of the party, Capt. Umar Bature, who signed the document confirmed to newsmen.

The organisation will be deputised by the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed  for the northern region. The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, will deputise for the organisation in the South.

The list also has Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, as its Director-General.

Others are Sen. Liyel Imoke as Deputy Director-General Operations, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, Deputy Director-General administration, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Deputy Director-General Technical and systems, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Deputy Director-General, Research and Strategy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has given political parties September 28, 2022 for official commencement of national campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections.
Locally reported news and sports

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addresses the launch ceremony for the mass entrepreneurship and innovation week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2022. He also announced the launch of the week. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday stressed continuous efforts to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and pool wisdom and strengths to nurture market entities and foster new economic drivers. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the launch ceremony for the mass entrepreneurship and innovation week in Beijing. He also announced the launch of the week. Speaking highly of the booming development of entrepreneurship and innovation in China, Li noted that new market entities and startups create the majority of the 13 million new urban jobs every year. Coupled with reforms to streamline administrative procedures, China's push for mass entrepreneurship and innovation has nurtured market entities, Li said. The country's market entities have topped 160 million in number, nearly tripling from a decade ago and underpinning China's market-oriented economy, Li said. Mass entrepreneurship and innovation have promoted the integrated development of large, medium-sized and small enterprises, and prompted the growth of new economic drivers, Li said. He also noted that emerging industries, new business models and new business forms have seen their share in China's total economic output continue to increase in recent years. Noting that entrepreneurship and innovation require a stable economic environment, Li said China introduced timely a policy package this year and made full use of its policy toolkit to steer the economy back on track. "China's tax refunds and tax and fee cuts this year clearly exceeded those of 2020," he said. He urged more efforts to continue protecting market entities' property rights and legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law, and to fully implement tax and fee cuts, rent reduction and exemption and other favorable measures. Li also inspected several companies' entrepreneurship and innovation projects via video link, and encouraged them to make new achievements in innovation. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addresses the launch ceremony for the mass entrepreneurship and innovation week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2022. He also announced the launch of the week. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, communicates with representatives of entrepreneurs at the main venue in Hefei of east China's Anhui Province via video link during the launch ceremony for the mass entrepreneurship and innovation week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2022. Li addressed the launch ceremony for the mass entrepreneurship and innovation week in Beijing. He also announced the launch of the week. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)
A 15-year-old girl was babysitting her two younger brothers Friday morning when a fire broke out in their home in unincorporated Gretna, killing all three of them, family members said.

Yusra Badra was 15, Ali Aysheh was 7, and Mohammed Aysheh was 2, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office. Autopsies were still underway Friday afternoon.

"They were very good kids," said Ibtisam Esmail, a cousin. The 15-year-old "took care of her brothers.

'No indication of anything suspicious'

Dan Wallis, the state fire marshal, was at the scene Friday while investigators searched for a cause at the two-story brick home in the 500 block of Lynnmeade Road (map).

"To my knowledge, there's no indication of anything suspicious," he said.

+14 Photos: 3 siblings killed in house fire in unincorporated Gretna A 15-year-old girl was babysitting her two younger brothers Friday morning when a fire broke out in their home in unincorporated Gretna, killi

Children found by staircase

The fire broke out at 9:32 a.m., officials said, and is believed to have started on the first floor. When firefighters arrived at 9:35 a.m., they found the 7-year-old boy inside the home at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, according to the fire marshal's office.

The 2-year-old boy was found at the top of the stairs, officials said, and the 15-year-old girl was girl was found lying on top of him.

Firefighters pulled them from the home and it wasn't immediately clear if they were conscious at that point, officials said.

Dr. Jerry Cvitanovich, the Jefferson Parish coroner, said one child died at the scene and two others died at the hospital.

The parents remain at the hospital, Lopinto said.

"We've dispatched our chaplain service to them," he added.

West Bank fire chief Don Robertson said the house is effectively destroyed, with significant fire, smoke and water damage.

'Tough on any fireman'

Firefighters from several departments responded to the blaze.

The Terrytown Volunteer Fire Department was the first on scene, and they escalated the response to a second alarm, which brought units from the David Crockett Fire Department in Gretna and the Harvey Volunteer Fire Co., authorities said. The blaze was out at 9:50 a.m.

Robertson, the West Bank fire chief, said grief counselors from the New Orleans Fire Department would be meeting with firefighters at the station Friday afternoon.

"It's tough on any fireman  a veteran fireman  to have three fatalities, especially three children," he said. "There are some young firefighters on the Terrytown Fire Department that were here from arrival with less than a year on the job. So we want to be able to make sure that they can get their concerns out and talk to somebody that can help them so they don't keep it inside like they used to do in the old days.

Check back for more on this developing story.
Starbucks is closing its New Orleans flagship coffee shop on the corner of Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue, citing concerns over security and the safety of its employees.

The Seattle-based chain said Thursday that the store, which was opened with great fanfare just nine years ago, would close permanently on Oct. 2. It is located on the ground floor of the historic building at 700 Canal Street owned by The Pickwick Club.

Starbucks spokesman Sam Jefferies said the closure comes as part of a national review the chain announced in July in the form of a letter from its joint heads of operations, Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelsen. They said then that they recognized a rising level of threat their employees felt in some of their outlets and promised to either fix the issues or close them down.

"We said we wanted to work with local leaders and be flexible using different tools to make premises safer, but if that didn't work that we would have to consider closures," Jefferies said. "That is what we have had to do in this instance."

Davon Barbour, who took over as the CEO of the Downtown Development District of New Orleans in December, said the closure of a national outlet like Starbucks at such a high-profile location is unfortunate, especially at a time when New Orleans is making headlines for surging crime and a staffing crisis in its police department.

"The closure of the Starbucks is a recognition of those public safety challenges, despite the fact we continue to see investment in businesses downtown," Barbour said.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration did not respond to a request for comment.

The coffee shop on Thursday had a smattering of customers, one barista and a security guard in the middle of the afternoon and its decor was a shadow of the carefully curated apothecary look it sported when it opened in 2013. At the time, CEO Howard Schultz had visited the store and had taken a personal interest, slowing down its opening so that special care could be taken to preserve historic features.

But commissioned art and carefully placed antiques no longer adorn the shop. The backroom was closed off to the public and was being used as office space, with staff laptops on top of the 12-foot-long community table "made from wind-fallen trees" that was once for customers.

A small sign on the door of the Canal Street store directed customers to nearby outlets two blocks away in the Sheraton Hotel or at other locations in the Central Business District.

A 'high incident store'

After publication of an earlier version of this story, Jefferies said that Starbucks did, in fact, keep an incident log at the store but the company declined to share any data on the number or types of threats faced by staff. But he said the decision to shutter the location was taken after consulting with staff, managers and "local leaders".

"This is certainly, unfortunately, a high incident store," he said.

New Orleans is not the first nor the only city to see Starbucks closures because of security concerns. Shortly after the letter to staff was written in July, the company said it would be closing 16 stores for security reasons: a half-dozen each in the greater Los Angeles and Seattle areas; two in Portland, Oregon; and one in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

At the time of those closures, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he had personally witnessed incidents at some of the closing locations and promised to bolster police resources.

Starbucks also has been battling efforts across the country by some of its employees to form unions at shops, including the Maple Street location in New Orleans. The workers at the Canal Street location had not filed an application with the National Labor Relations Board to form a union.

Shootings on Canal, a main thoroughfare in downtown New Orleans, are not uncommon. A woman was killed and a man and a dog were injured in a shooting near the University Medical Center on Canal Street last month. In July, two men were injured in a shootout near Roosevelt Way. In 2019, seven people were shot near the McDonald's restaurant directly across the street from the Starbucks.

The rise in crime rates, especially murders and carjackings, have led many businesspeople in New Orleans to voice concerns over their safety and that of their employees and customers. In July, a group of businesses banded together with community organizations to form the Nola Coalition, aiming to both bolster support for the New Orleans Police Department and provide money for a wide range of programs for at risk youth.

Under the Nola Coalition banner, the Police and Justice Foundation funded a team of consultants to advise the NOPD. This week, they recommended that hundreds of NOPD officers be reassigned to patrol duty to deal with the crisis.

"I am disheartened to hear we're losing a flagship store in one of the most historic locations in the city," said Kelisha Garrett, chief operating officer of the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which promotes small businesses and is part of the Nola Coalition. "But valiant efforts are being made by the community as a whole to curtail and counteract the current issues plaguing the city as it relates to crime."

David Rubenstein, one of the third generation that owns Rubenstein's men's clothing store directly opposite the Starbucks across St. Charles Avenue, said the issues for businesses mainly have to do with occasional harassment of customers by people on the street and homeless people who sometimes sleep in doorways.

He thinks the talk of crime might be overblown.

"Yes, there are problems downtown as on any major downtown street," he said. "I just don't want people to think all of Canal Street is collapsing and going out of business because of the crime issue."

Barbour at the DDD has been pushing a "Quality of Life" agenda since he started in his job. This includes offering businesses on Canal Street a $3,000 improvement grant so that they can fix up their properties and add better lighting.

"It matters for a community to set standards, to say 'This is who we are,'" Barbour said. "Allowing properties to be abandoned and not have adequate lighting sends the message that nobody cares and this is a place where you can do what you want."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from Starbucks about how they monitored security incidents at the Canal Street location. Also, to include a paragraph to say workers at Canal Street had not filed an application to unionize.
The Bridge City Center for Youth is seen in Bridge City on Friday, June 17, 2022. About 20 juveniles being detained at the Bridge City Center for Youth took over parts of the building Thursday night, prompting Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputies and SWAT members to be sent in to restore order, authorities said. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
In a Bourbon Street memorial service, the New Orleans Police Department paid tribute Thursday night to one of its most famous officers, Ace, a horse as adept at dancing as it was at crowd control.

With the police mounted and canine units lining on one side of the 100 block, in front of the Hustler Hollywood erotica store, and standing officers on the other side, in front of the Krystal daiquiri shop, Ace's longtime partner, officer Joseph Jones, rode a different police horse, Dude, down the aisle.

The True Blue Brass Band softly played a dirge. The other officers saluted. Jones placed a photo of Ace at a temporary memorial - a Police Department truck and horse trailer festooned with flowers, other photos and Ace's harness - then rode back up the aisle.

Between sobs, Jones tried to address the gathering. "This is going to be really short," he said, as comrades comforted him with pats on the back. "You're missed. ... Love you, Ace. New Orleans loves you."

Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson was present as well, to extol Ace and the force's other four-legged officers: "They are our partners."

Ace, 20, died Aug. 31 after developing colic.

The horse and Jones had become YouTube sensations with a dance routine in 2012. As they began their shift on Bourbon each day, they'd dance with the street musicians and second-line in the French Quarter, attracting the attention and admiration of tourists and local residents alike, the Police Department said.

Ace once even made a surprise appearance at the Bourbon Street Drinkery when, overcome by the music inside, he stuck his head in the bar to jam to "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X, before continuing his patrol.

In 2019, a video of Ace doing the Cupid Shuffle at a Police Department summer camp went viral.

Juanita Stretz, who has worked at the police barn in City Park since the 1980s, said Ace stood out among the 15 horses stabled there, not only for his dancing but because he was extremely friendly, especially with children.

"Ace was a good animal, but he was fearless," Stretz said. That's an especially important attribute in crowd control.

"He is going to be missed."
3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition

Amateur Radio DXpeditions (ARD) is said to be making great progress for the upcoming 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition, only four months left until ashore on Bouvet.

One major milestone is the shipping of the Container from Norway that is scheduled on September 18th. From Oslo the container will be shipped to Falkland Island where a team of local hams lead by Don VP 8 ON will make an effort to inspect the content before arrival of the team.

The 3Y0J team is currently busy packing all equipment at the staging site at Oslo airport, where they, for the next few weeks, will finalize the packing of equipment. This will end an extremely busy period, 12 months of purchasing, assembling, testing, and packing the equipment. The team has worked hard, and ultimately shipping the container will complete this intensive period of work that will enable the goal to activate the rare #2 DXCC Bouvet.

Rest assured this sounds like a well-planned DXpedition!

WIA
Radio amateurs in Ukraine

Radio amateurs in Ukraine appear to be diligently maintaining radio silence as the state of emergency declared there just prior to the Russian military invasion remains in effect.

A February 24 decree from President Volodymyr Zelensky included a ban on the operation of amateur radio transmitters for personal and collective use. The Ukraine Amateur Radio League reported this past week that it has received many messages of encouragement from the worldwide amateur radio community.

The LRU informed international amateur radio organizations about Russias military invasion of Ukraine, said the message from UARL Vice President Anatoly Kirilenko, UT3UY. To date, there have been many reports from radio amateurs around the world in support of Ukraine.

The IARU has adopted a neutral stance. IARU is an apolitical organization focused on promoting and defending amateur radio and the amateur radio services, the IARU said. The amateur radio service is about self-instruction in communications and friendship between people. IARU Region 1 has said it continues to monitor the development and expects all radio amateurs to follow their national laws and regulations.

IARU Region 1 also re-posted part of an advisory from the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) HF Committee on February 27. Any radio amateur currently transmitting from Ukraine is risking his or her life. If you hear a Ukrainian station, do not broadcast its call sign, location, or frequencywhether on the band, in a cluster, or on social media. You may be putting lives at risk. The DARCs overarching advice: In the current situation, the best we can do is listen.

WIA
Indigenous women and girls in Canada continue to face disproportionate levels of violence and insecurity rooted in colonialism.

by Tanupriya Singh

Violence against Indigenous women is escalating like never before, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) has warned. A series of tragedies have rocked the city of Vancouver (unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh lands) in recent months, including the discovery of the body of a 14-year-old Indigenous child, Noelle OSoup, in May.

Apathy and injustice prevail among the authorities while the intersecting crises of MMIWG2S+ [missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and others], the colonial child welfare system, homelessness, and the opioid crisis are literally killing our people, said Kukpi7 (Chief) Judy Wilson, UBCIC secretary-treasurer, according to a press release by the organization.

A report by Statistics Canada released in April 2022 stated that 56 percent of Indigenous women have experienced physical assault, while 46 percent have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. Photo  Mert Alper Dervis / Anadolu Agency ]

Noelle OSoup was found in an apartment approximately a year after she went missing from a group home in Port Coquitlam, while under the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), British Columbia. Reports on the circumstances of her disappearance and the investigation into her death have revealed negligence by both the police and the government. The major investigative oversight occurred despite multiple visits to, and apparent inspections of, the single room occupancy unit where Noelle OSoups remains would finally be discovered, stated Global News. Her case, unfortunately, is more the rule rather than the exception in Canada.

An Ongoing Genocide

In 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG) released its final report, declaring that the violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual) people amounted to genocide.

The NIMMIWG emphasized that this genocide had been empowered by colonial structures evidenced notably by the Indian Act, the Sixties Scoop, residential schools, and breaches of human and Indigenous rights, leading directly to the current increased rates of violence, death, and suicide in Indigenous populations.

The inquiry found that Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or [go] missing than any other women in Canada, with the figure soaring to 16 times when compared to white women in the country.

A report by Statistics Canada released in April 2022 stated that 56 percent of Indigenous women have experienced physical assault, while 46 percent have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. Constituting approximately 5 percent of Canadas population of women, Indigenous women accounted for 24 percent of all women homicide victims between 2015 and 2020, according to the Statistics Canada report.

The likelihood of experiencing violence seems to be higher in cases where Indigenous women live in rural and remote areas, if they have a disability, have experienced homelessness, or have been in government care81 percent of Indigenous women who have been in the child welfare system have been physically or sexually assaulted in their lifetime, according to Statistics Canada.

Across multiple generations, Indigenous peoples were and continue to be subjected to the detrimental harms of colonialism, acknowledged the report. Not only are Indigenous children disproportionately represented in Canadas child welfare system (52.2 percent), but advocates have also found that more children have been forcibly separated from their families now than during the brutal Indian residential schools period.

Along with its final report, the NIMMIWG also made a key intervention in prevailing definitions of genocide, stating that In actuality, genocide encompasses a variety of both lethal and non-lethal acts, including acts of slow death, and all of these acts have very specific impacts on women and girls.

This reality must be acknowledged as a precursor to understanding genocide as a root cause of the violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada, the NIMMIWG added, [n]ot only because of the genocidal acts that were and still are perpetrated against them, but also because of all the societal vulnerabilities it fosters, which leads to deaths and disappearances.

The Police Dont Protect Us

The remains of Noelle OSoup were found in Downtown Eastside (DTES), a neighborhood referred to as ground zero for violence against Indigenous women. Residents face disproportionate levels of manufactured and enforced violence, poverty, homelessness, child apprehension, criminalization, and fatal overdoses.

Approximately 8,000 women live and work in DTES, where the rates of violence have been more than double compared to the rest of Vancouver, according to data provided by the police.

Indigenous women have an acute vulnerability to violence, and yet the institutional response has been to stigmatize the women in DTES for having high-risk lifestyles.

Harmful stereotypes that are perpetuated against Indigenous women are used as an ongoing tool of colonization to enforce their vulnerability to violence, stated Christine Wilson, director of Indigenous Advocacy at the Downtown Eastside Womens Center (DEWC), in an interview with Peoples Dispatch.

In 2019, the DEWC published Red Women Rising, a historic report produced in direct collaboration with 113 Indigenous survivors of violence and 15 non-Indigenous women in the DTES who knew Indigenous women who have experienced violence, have gone missing, or have overdosed. Red Women Rising was published in response to the final report of the NIMMIWG.

Echoing the argument put forth in Red Women Rising, Wilson reiterated that the criminal justice system constructs Indigenous women as risks that need to be contained, which leaves them unsafe and exacerbates inequalities. Widespread bias within the policing system has not only influenced whether police take Indigenous womens complaints seriously, Wilson explained, but also whether Indigenous women approach the police at all.

The police dont protect us; they harass us, stated DJ Joe, a resident of DTES, in the report by DEWC. Native women face so much violence but no one believes a Native woman when she reports violence.

In cases involving missing or murdered women, there is a lack of proper investigation and adequate resources, Wilson stated, adding that family members of victims were subjected to insensitive and offensive treatment, alongside general jurisdictional confusion and lack of coordination among the police.

Police have also been actively hostile and abusive toward Indigenous women in Canada. They continue to be targets of sexual violence by police forces, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which has been deployed on contract policing services in 600 Indigenous communities.

Lack of police and judicial protection also overlaps with criminalization, thereby exacerbating violence against Indigenous women and girls. Wilson added, Indigenous women are more likely to be violently attacked by their abusers and then more likely to be counter-charged by the police, compared to non-Indigenous women.

Colonial Patriarchy Poses the Highest Risk

As Red Women Rising outlined, Settler-colonialism intentionally targets Indigenous women in order to destroy families, sever the connection to land-based practices and economies, and devastate relational governance of Indigenous nations.

The report identified [m]ultiplying socioeconomic oppressions within colonialism, including loss of land, family violence, child apprehension, and inadequate services, which worked to displace Indigenous women and children from their home communities.

Forty-two percent of women living on reserves lived in houses requiring major repairs, according to the report, and nearly one-third of all on-reserve homes in Canada were food insecure, with the figure soaring to 90 percent in some areas. Meanwhile, 64 percent of Indigenous women lived off-reserve, in areas such as DTES.

Displacement is closely linked to housing insecurity, with all members of DEWC having experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.

The violence that Indigenous women face is tied to poverty, which in turn magnifies vulnerability to abusive relationships, sexual assault, child apprehension, exploitative work conditions, [and] unsafe housing, stated the Red Women Rising report.

Not only are Indigenous women disproportionately criminalized for poverty-related crimes, but Indigenous families are also investigated for poverty-related neglect eight times more as compared to non-Indigenous families. [H]igher stressors associated with living in systemic poverty such as drug dependence and participation in street economies are used against Indigenous women in order to apprehend Indigenous children, thus perpetuating the colonial cycle of trauma and impoverishment, the report pointed out.

As a result, activists argue that what is needed is an assertion of Indigenous laws and jurisdiction, and restoration of collective Indigenous womens rights and governance, and individual support for survivors such as healing programs.

Red Women Rising had made 200 recommendations to address violence against Indigenous women. Meanwhile, the NIMMIWG had issued 231 Calls for Justice, stressing that they were legal imperatives, not recommendations. However, in the three years since the release of both these reports, the Canadian government has made little progress.

While there have been crucial acknowledgments on the subject of violence against Indigenous women, Wilson told Peoples Dispatch, now we need actions. We need funds for reparations, we need housing, and we need clean water on the reserves.

This article was produced in partnership by Peoples Dispatch and Globetrotter.

Tanupriya Singh is a writer at Peoples Dispatch and is based in Delhi.
U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie will serve as the independent arbiter to review documents that were taken from former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago home, according to a federal judges order on Thursday.

Dearie, 79, was the only candidate for the special master role that both Trumps team and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed on. In a separate order, Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the DOJ to stop its review of the materials that were taken from Trumps Florida residence last month, while the DOJ has indicated it will appeal.

With the order, Dearie will review all of the materials seized during the FBI raid and will have to verify documents in a property inventory to reflect the property seized. The judge also is tasked with carrying out a privilege review of the items that were taken and has to inform the court if there are privilege disputes between the parties.

Dearie was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 for New York. He retired in 2011 and is now a senior judge in the district.

Dearie was the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He became the chief judge of the Eastern District from 2007 to 2011, and he remains an active judge on senior status.

Notably, he served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court for several years. He was one of several judges who approved warrants for the FBIs surveillance targeting former Trump aide Carter Page in 2016 as part of the bureaus Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which triggered Trumps allegations of malfeasance against the federal law enforcement agency.

Federal investigators ultimately determined that an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, altered an email to support the surveillance application. After pleading guilty, Clinesmith received a sentence of 12 months probation; he was ultimately spared prison time.

A separate judge released more portions of the affidavit used to secure the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, showing that some of the documents seized at Trumps home were labeled FISA, indicating they relate to information that was derived from foreign sources. Its not clear if those documents pertained to the Page investigation, though Trump and a former top aide of his, Kash Patel, have indicated that he declassified records relating to Crossfire Hurricane.

Praise

After the special master ruling Thursday, Dearie was praised by lawyers who had argued cases in front of him.

The judge is one of the few judges who both sides want to appear in front of. He is held in the highest regard by attorneys. Hes someone who actually listens to the lawyers and considers what they have to say before he makes a decision, Lindsay Gerdes, a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor, told Politico.

He works incredibly well with parties, but doesnt tolerate nonsense, Richard Garbarini of Garbarini Fitzgerald P.C. told the news outlet. He will not allow parties, or attorneys, to play games, or play fast-and-loose with the rules.

Before Thursdays order, the DOJ had proposed Barbara Jones, a Clinton appointee and former federal judge, and former federal appeals court judge Thomas Griffith. Trumps team, meanwhile, also proposed Florida-based attorney Thomas Huck.

Trumps lawyers objected to both the DOJs submissions, while government prosecutors objected to Huck but agreed with the Dearie proposal.

At the same time, while the DOJ submitted its picks in the special master case, it simultaneously asked Judge Cannon to throw out the order. Prosecutors argued that a special master is unnecessary because the DOJs filter team already carried out a preliminary review of the Mar-a-Lago documents, while the order would impede its investigation of Trump.

From The Epoch Times
The sudden concern in the mainstream media about protecting informants in order to take down Trump is short-sighted. The U.S. has a long and sordid history of using corrupt, lying informants to launch disastrous policies like the Iraq War.

by Leonard C. Goodman

Whatever your feelings about former President Trump, there are reasons to be skeptical when government officials say it was necessary to raid his Florida home to recover classified documents that threatened national security.

Like the former president, I was once accused by the government of mishandling classified information connected to my representation of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. There was nothing in my clients file that posed any danger to national security. My client was an innocent shopkeeper who was sold to the Americans back in 2003 when the U.S. was paying bounties to corrupt Afghan warlords to turn in Al Qaeda or Taliban fighters, and then shipping those men 8,000 miles to our newly built prison camp in Cuba. The government decided to classify every document in the detainee files as secret, not to protect national security, but so it could lie with impunity and tell the American people that the prisoners at Gitmo were the worst of the worst, and terrorists captured on the battlefield.

I never revealed any classified information. I got into trouble after writing an article criticizing the governments practice of classifying certain evidence above the security clearance level of the detainees lawyer, making it impossible to challenge. Following a hearing at the Department of Justice, I was allowed to keep my security clearance long enough to see my client released back to his home and his family after 12 years of unjust imprisonment.

A worker closes the door of a freight elevator at the basement of Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, August 25, 2016. [ Photo  Reuters/Carlo Allegri ]

I was never in serious legal jeopardy. But the experience opened my eyes to the ways that our government abuses its power to classify information as secret to protect its own officials from embarrassment or criminal exposure. Since 9/11, the people most aggressively pursued for mishandling classified materials are whistleblowers, not traitors.

Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange revealed official crimes such as the murder of unarmed Iraqi civilians and journalists. Daniel Hale revealed that our drone assassination program regularly slaughters innocent civilians, contrary to public statements about surgical strikes. John Kiriakou revealed inconvenient facts about our torture program. Edward Snowden revealed an illegal mass surveillance program. All these truth-tellers were aggressively pursued under the Espionage Act. Assange may die in prison for telling the truth about the crimes of our leaders.

While Trump may not fit the mold of a selfless whistleblower, there is still cause for concern. First, the official justifications for the raid on Mar-a-Lago are highly suspect. Initially we were told that Trump possessed classified documents relating to nuclear weapons that he might sell to a foreign government like Saudi Arabia. This shocking accusation has been quietly dropped. Now we are told that the government has grave concern that Trump might blow the cover on clandestine human sources described in the mainstream media as the lifeblood of our intelligence community. Disclosure could jeopardize the life of the human source, a former legal adviser to the National Security Council told the New York Times.

This second justificationto protect sourcesis also dubious. The DOJ has been in negotiation with Trumps lawyers since he left the oval office with his boxes of documents. If the government was just concerned about protecting its informants, a deal could have easily been struck wherein government lawyers would go to Mar-a-Lago and redact the lines in the documents that identify informants without the need for a full-blown raid.

The sudden concern in the mainstream media about protecting informants in order to take down Trump is short-sighted. The U.S. has a long and sordid history of using corrupt, lying informants to launch disastrous policies like the Iraq War. In 2002-03, we were told by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Powell that the government had solid intelligence that the Iraqi regime possessed mobile production facilities for biological and chemical weapons. Had ordinary Americans then had access to the intelligence reportsleaked years later, after the disastrous war was in full flightwe would have learned that the solid intelligence about mobile weapons labs came from a single informant named Curveball, who had been described by his handlers as crazy and probably a fabricator and his intelligence as highly suspect. Had some brave patriot leaked these reports in real time, millions more Americans would have taken to the streets in 2002 to stop the planned invasion of Iraq.

The media should be demanding more information from our government, especially about its use of informants, and not more secrecy. It is a basic rule of journalism that governments lie, and they often bribe (and sometimes torture) informants to support those lies.

Many innocent men, including my client, were sent to Guantanamo Bay on the word of informants who were bribed with large cash rewards. If these informants are the lifeblood of our intelligence service, then that service should be defunded.

A more plausible explanation for the Mar-a-Lago raid was provided by two high-level U.S. intelligence officials who told Newsweeks William M. Arkin that the true target of the raid was a personal stash of hidden documents that Justice Department officials feared Donald Trump might weaponize. This stash reportedly included material that Trump thought would exonerate him of any claims of Russian collusion in 2016 or any other election-related charges. Trump was particularly interested in matters related to the Russia hoax and the wrong-doings of the deep state, one former Trump official told Newsweek.

This explanation is corroborated by former senior director for counterterrorism Kash Patel, who prepared a key House report that revealed significant intelligence tradecraft failings in connection with the Intelligence Communitys Assessment on Russian interference. But the CIA has blocked the release of Patels report by classifying it as secret.

Kash Patel, who is a current board member of Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), began his career in government under President Obama as a national security prosecutor and later held several positions in the Trump administration. In April 2017, he was picked to lead a team of investigators for the House Intelligence Committee, chaired by Republican Devin Nunes (now CEO of TMTG), and tasked with evaluating the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian interference. Although the media touted the ICA as the consensus view of all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies, it was in fact a rushed job completed in the final days of the Obama administration by a small group of CIA analysts led by then-CIA Director John Brennan.

Patels team obtained and reviewed the key documents underlying the ICAs conclusions, and interviewed around 70 witnesses under oath. His demands that intelligence agencies produce relevant documents caused a stir among deep state officials unaccustomed to being called to account for their actions. As the Washington Post reported, Democrats criticized the unusual direct requests to the agencies by Patels team of investigators. Patel, a former public defender, apparently believed that even the intelligence community should be subject to the rule of law.

In March 2018, Patels team produced a report that found serious flaws in the CIAs Russia investigation and called into question the intelligence communitys key claims that Russia ordered a cyber-hacking and interference campaign to help Trump. The CIAs response to Patels report was to classify it as secret and block its release.

During the next three years, Patel and others, including then-President Trump and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, pushed for declassification of Patels report on the ICA. But the heads of the intelligence agencies continued to obstruct, claiming that releasing the report would compromise intelligence sources and methods and cause harm to national security, including specific harm to the military. Trump eventually backed down.

Then in December 2020, according to the Post, Trump tried to fire Gina Haspel as CIA director for resisting efforts by Trump and Patel to declassify Patels report. But once again, Trump backed down and the document still remains under lock and key. Not surprisingly, in its article about Patels battle with the intelligence community, the Washington Post sides with the CIA, describing CIA Director Haspel and her colleagues, who demanded that Patels report criticizing their work be kept secret, as courageous officialswho sought to protect the government.

Patel has publicly voiced his frustration with the CIA for blocking release of his report on the ICA. I think there were people within the IC [Intelligence Community], at the heads of certain intelligence agencies, who did not want their tradecraft called out, even though it was during a former administration, because it doesnt look good on the agency itself, Patel said in an interview. Patel also said he has been threatened with criminal prosecution just for talking to the media about his classified report. The power of government officials to say, we have classified your report and if you even talk about it to the media we might put you in jail, is the power of a despot.

In an interview with the Grayzones Aaron Mate, Patel disputed the claim that releasing his report harms national security, noting that his committee released similar reports of its other investigations and we didnt lose a single source, we didnt lose a single relationship, and no one died by the public disclosures we made, because we did it in a systematic and professional fashion.

For example, in January 2018, Patel authored a report that showed serious abuses by the FBI in the Carter Page investigation, which caused a former FBI lawyer to plead guilty to falsifying information that was used to apply for warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. This report criticizing the FBI was released to the public, suggesting that it is still permissible to criticize the FBI, but not the CIA.

Patels public statements suggest his agreement with Newsweeks report that the true motivation for the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago was seizing documents relating to the Russia investigation that Trump took with him when he left the White House. In a recent interview with Real Clear Politics, Patel noted that the same corrupt FBI government gangsters, the same agents that were involved in Russiagate, the same counterintelligence agents that were involved in making the bad false call on Hunter Bidens laptop, are also involved in the raid on President Trumps home, with the intent to make sure the American public never gets the full story on Russiagate.

The saga of the Mar-a-Lago raid sheds some light on the important question of who really controls what we are permitted to see about the inner workings of our own government. While the sitting president may in theory have unilateral authority to declassify and release information to the American people, the deep state bureaucracy still holds the power to obstruct the president. As one former bureaucrat told CNN, the process for declassification must include signoff from the agency that classified the information in the first place in order to protect the intelligence-gathering process, its sources and methods.

Whatever one thinks of Trump, is it really in the public interest to have a deep state controlling what information gets out to the public? In 1953, the CIA directed a military coup that overthrew democratically elected Iranian leader Mohammad Mosaddegh, and in 1973, the CIA helped overthrow democratically elected Chilean leader Salvador Allende. These leaders were targeted not because they were unfriendly to the American people but because they were unfriendly to international oil and copper interests that wanted to exploit those countries resources. And while the people of Iran and Chile knew in real time who was responsible, the American people were kept in the dark for decades until key historical documents were finally declassified.

Many scholars believe the CIA was complicit in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Yet 60 years later, thousands of key documents remain redacted or under seal. President Trump came to office promising to release those records, as required by the JFK Records Act. But deep state bureaucrats opposed the release, claiming it would cause potentially irreversible harm to our Nations security. Trump backed down, quite possibly recalling the fate of the last president to go to war with the CIA.

Its not necessary to side with Trump to oppose excessive secrecy. Its our government. We have a right to see whatever secrets Trump had hidden in his basement. And if government bureaucrats are truly concerned that one of their informants might be outed, they can redact those few lines from the reports. But show us the rest.

This article is distributed in partnership with Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

Leonard C. Goodman is a Chicago criminal defense lawyer with a reputation for taking on and winning difficult cases. He has earned freedom for dozens of men and women wrongfully convicted or wrongfully held, including an Afghani man detained twelve years at Guantanamo Bay, without charges. Other past clients include a former Illinois Governor and a former Town president. Goodman is an adjunct professor of law at DePaul University College of Law, where he teaches Federal Criminal Law.
The pandemic sunk blood supplies to the lowest level in more than a decade.

Franciscan Health seeks to fix that. The health care system aims to rectify critical shortages at upcoming blood drives.

Franciscan Health Dyer will host blood drives from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. Sept. 22 and Nov. 23 at the Reginald Board Room 1A. Franciscan Health also will host blood drives from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Franciscan Health Michigan City, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Franciscan Health Crown Point and from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 at Franciscan Health Fitness Centers Chesterton.

It's estimated one pint of blood can save up to three lives.

Our area is facing the worst blood shortage in more than a decade due to a drop in blood drives caused by the COVID pandemic, said Joanna Benignetti, manager of volunteer services for Franciscan Health Dyer. The decline has contributed to a 62% drop in drives held across the country. As a result, life-saving blood that is supplied to our hospitals may become a challenge.

The donations will benefit Versiti Blood Center, which supplies blood to 63 hospitals in Northwest Indiana and Illinois.

A heartfelt thanks to all donors who continue to better patient outcomes in the communities we serve, Benignetti said. There is no substitute for the gift of blood donation. It is precious, perishable and the need for it is vital.

Franciscan employee Michele Frankovich has been donating for as long as she can remember.

I do it because I like to help others, Frankovich said. Its the right thing to do. God created our precious bodies and if I can share some of it to make someone else better, I will. A lot of people just dont like needles, but I think of the pain Jesus went through for us and I do it.

Donors must bring photo IDs and wear masks. They should eat meals and drink water before donating.

Appointments can be scheduled in advance but walk-ins also are welcome.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 219-864-2037, email june.long@franciscanalliance.org or visit www.versiti.org/IL.
Great Lakes cargo shipments to ports including the deepwater Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan and the Port of Chicago on Lake Calumet are down 8.85% through the end of August.

Ships ferried 19.18 million tons of cargo across the Great Lakes and through the St. Lawrence Seaway through Aug. 30, as compared to 21 million through the same period last year, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. Transits have nonetheless ticked up by 1.1% to 2,211 through the end of August, up from 2,187 through the same period last year.

Through the end of August, steel shipments have risen by 4% to 1.3 million tons of steel. Grain shipments are up 30% to 557,000 metric tons.

Much as it has throughout my 27 years of service to the Seaway Development Corp., Great Lakes port activity in August highlights the critical role that the Seaways maritime supply chain plays in delivering steel in support of the Midwest manufacturing sector, said Craig Middlebrook, deputy administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. The resilience of this shipping lane is a testament to the innovation and investment made by the bi-national Seaways and our Great Lakes ports to maintain the Seaway System as one shippers can rely on.

Ports of the Great Lakes traded with 23 countries in August, down from 27 in July. Massive seafaring ships called salties pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to Midwestern and Canadian ports on the Great Lakes.

Shipments of potash are up 267%, scrap metal 29% and petroleum products 40.16% on the Great Lakes through the end of August.

We are optimistically looking forward to a strong finish to the shipping season with the continued positive impact of international trade throughout the Great Lakes region, Chamber of Marine Commerce Bruce Burrows said. While U.S. grain shipments have grown considerably, we anticipate a surge this fall in Canadian grain as the new harvest starts to be shipped.
CROWN POINT  Lake County prosecutors filed an upgraded charge of murder Thursday against a Gary father accused of causing his 1-year-old daughter's death.

Casey L. Burnett, 22, of Gary, was being held without bail Friday at the Lake County Jail.

His daughter, Kylee Burnett, 18 months, died Wednesday at University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital after suffering injuries late Sept. 8 or early Sept. 9 that were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office and Lake Criminal Court records.

Kylee spent several days on life support at the Chicago hospital. Doctors told police she had suffered severe hypoxic injury to the brain and herniation, extensive retinal hemorrhages and lacerations to her liver and spleen.

Burnett pleaded not guilty earlier this week to charges of aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, both level 3 felonies.

Prosecutors added a murder charge after Kylee's death, and a magistrate entered a not guilty plea on Burnett's behalf Friday. A public defender was appointed to represent him.

According to court records, Kylee's mother went to work about 8:45 p.m. Thursday, leaving Kylee and her older brother at home with Burnett.

Burnett's relative, who visited the home that night and helped care for the children at times, told police Burnett was alone with both children for about 20 minutes at one point, court records state.

When the children's mother arrived home early from work, she and Burnett went into Kylee's bedroom and found the child unresponsive, records state.

The mother told police the baby was lying facedown in her crib, with her head on a pillow and blankets completely covering her body.

The mother called 911, attempted to drive her daughter to a local hospital and flagged down a Gary Fire Department medic while en route, records state.

Medics took the child to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus, and she was later transferred to Comer Children's Hospital.

Burnett agreed to speak with detectives, according to court records.

He told them he gave the children melatonin about 11 p.m. to help them sleep. He claimed he put his daughter down on her stomach and covered her halfway with a blanket and allowed his son to play with a cell phone.

Burnett said he went downstairs but returned about five minutes later to check on the children after hearing movement. He discovered his daughter was out of bed, so he put her back in bed by placing her flat on her stomach, covering her halfway on her back, turning out the light and closing the door, he told police.

Burnett said when he and Kylee's mother found Kylee unresponsive, he thought Kylee must have moved the blanket because it wasn't how he left it, records state.

Burnett repeatedly denied causing his daughter's injuries. He declined to submit to computer voice stress analysis, telling police he was in shock and "wasn't in the right state of mind to participate."
CROWN POINT  A judge called a 34-year-old man convicted of murdering three people and setting their home ablaze in 2019 "the worst of the worst" and sentenced him Thursday to 205 years in prison.

Reginald J. Carter received a maximum sentence, including consecutive terms of 65 years for each murder victim and another 10 years for arson.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez said he reviewed Carter's presentence investigation report but found no reason for leniency.

Carter was welcomed into the home of his girlfriend, Yoasha Carter, 26; her cousin Dwayne Jones, 33; aunt Nefretiri Jones, 51; and other family members, and he violated their trust by killing them, the judge said.

He poured accelerant on two of the bodies and lit them on fire, causing significant destruction to their remains.

"And if that wasn't bad enough, Carter set the entire house on fire, causing the victims to lose everything," he said.

Yoasha Carter and Reginald Carter shared the same last name, but they were not related.

A jury found Reginald Carter guilty after a weeklong trial in August.

Yoasha Carter, Nefretiri Jones and Dwayne Jones were each shot to death Oct. 25, 2019, inside their home in the 3500 block of West 20th Avenue. The fire was started with gasoline.

Yokeca Mitchell, one of Yoasha Carter's sisters, said she felt sorry for Reginald Carter.

"You had a family that opened their doors to you when yours wouldn't," she said.

Reginald Carter could have started a new life with Yoasha Carter, but instead he "sat there and plotted," Mitchell said.

"May God have mercy on your soul," she said.

Defense attorney John Cantrell said Carter was maintaining his innocence.

"While I respect the jury's verdict, I generally disagree with it," he said.

Vasquez granted Carter's request to appoint a public defender for an appeal.

Carter declined to give a statement.

In a brutal act of domestic violence, Reginald Carter shot the mother of his child to death and killed her family members in an attempt to avoid accountability, Lake County Supervisory Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Jatkiewicz said.

He had eight prior felony convictions before the triple murder and failed every time he was given an opportunity for supervision or parole.

Jatkiewicz, who tried the case with Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal, said Reginald Carter deserved a longer sentence because he violated the family's trust.

He lived as a member of Yoasha Carter's family.

"When you are part of a family, there is an implicit level of trust that no harm will come to you in your own home," she said.

Jatkiewicz asked for a 102-year sentence.

Vasquez said Reginald Carter's criminal history started at age 18.

He said the murders and arson were "absolutely horrible" and described the defendant's decision to show up at the crime scene while the fire was still burning as "pure manipulation."

"The jury didn't buy it, and law enforcement didn't, either," the judge said.
For the first time in five years, two of the justices asking questions during oral arguments Thursday at the state Supreme Court hailed from Northwest Indiana.

New Justice Derek Molter, a Newton County native, was participating in his first question-and-answer session as a member of the state's high court, while Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, originally from Crown Point, is the court's third-longest tenured member with 2,285 days on the bench.

Molter asked four questions during the 45-minute oral argument period that focused on the validity of an involuntary manslaughter conviction from the South Bend area.

All sides agreed St. Joseph Superior Judge Jeffrey Sanford committed error by not allowing the county prosecutor and defense attorney to personally question prospective jurors, as required by Indiana Trial Rule 47(D).

Molter's questions from the bench centered on whether that error was harmless to the defendant and his conviction should stand. He also puzzled over how a defense attorney might go about showing this type of error violated the client's right to a fair trial.

The questions posed by the justices don't always get definitive answers by the attorneys participating in oral arguments.

Often, the questions are used to spark conversations among the justices through the attorneys that, along with written arguments and the trial record, shape the court's ruling.

In this case, Justice Christopher Goff suggested he's disinclined to overturn all the work that went into securing a conviction, but the Supreme Court also can't countenance a county judge simply ignoring the rules of jury selection and upholding the convictions that follow.

"If we've got repeated violations of this rule, how long can we say, 'Eh, it's all right?'" Goff asked.

Justice Mark Massa appeared to agree: "These are the Indiana rules of court, not the suggestions."

Slaughter said he was prepared to argue the rule is poorly worded and might not apply. But he backed off that contention when Deputy Attorney General Nicole Wiggins conceded Sanford erred by denying attorneys the opportunity to question prospective jurors in favor of the trial judge asking all the questions during the jury selection process.

A decision by the state's high court is likely to be issued early next year.

Molter was selected by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb in June to succeed Justice Steven David on the Supreme Court following David's Aug. 31 retirement.

The 40-year-old was serving on the Indiana Court of Appeals at the time of his elevation to the state's highest court. Molter previously was a partner at the Ice Miller law firm in Indianapolis, where he primarily worked on state and federal appellate litigation.

That work included serving as counsel to the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority and representing the Lake County Council in its ongoing separation of powers dispute with the Lake County Board of Commissioners.

Slaughter was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2016 by Republican Gov. Mike Pence to succeed former Chief Justice Brent Dickson, a Hobart native.

In his first year on the bench, Slaughter served alongside Justice Robert Rucker, a Gary native, whose 18-year tenure on the Supreme Court partially overlapped with Dickson's 30 years and ended with Rucker's retirement in 2017.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush also has Region ties. She lived in Munster for a few years as a child but generally is associated with Lafayette.
VALPARAISO  The potential for a plea agreement is in the works for a 62-year-old Portage man accused of murdering his elderly mother by beating her with a sledgehammer.

Defense attorney Mark Chargualaf told the court during a hearing in the case Friday morning that he was working on mental health evaluations for the accused, Charles Trumble, on which a plea agreement hinges.

He was granted a one-week delay to see if that plea could be put into writing and approved by Trumble.

A follow-up hearing was set for Sept. 23 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer.

The court was told in January that a third mental health evaluation of Trumble was pending.

Trumble has notified the court of his intention to pursue an insanity defense at trial.

When asked during a past court hearing whether he was suffering from any mental issues, Trumble had responded, "Well, I think we all do at some level."

Trumble also refused to be sworn in for the hearing, saying his religion does not allow that. He did not elaborate.

Trumble, who remains locked up at Porter County Jail, is accused of murdering 91-year-old Dixie Trumble on Feb. 23, 2020, at the Portage home the pair shared.

He reportedly told police he killed his elderly mother because "he is about to be exposed for committing awful crimes" and wanted to shield her from the information, according to charging documents.

Officials said they are unaware of what crimes Charles was referencing.

Charles reported the beating, and when police arrived, they said they found Dixie lying on her back in the living room with Charles lying on his back next to her with a cell phone in his hand.

While a police officer performed CPR on Dixie, he said he heard Charles say, "My mom was a distinguished woman. I am about to be in trouble for some really bad stuff, and I killed her so she wouldn't be exposed to it."

A short-handled sledgehammer was found on the floor near Dixie's body, police said.

Police said Charles voluntarily waived his constitutional rights and admitted to killing his mother.
CROWN POINT  Prosecutors filed a motion this week to dismiss child molesting charges against a Schererville man, records show.

John W. Vaught, 65, was accused of molesting a 4-year-old girl in July 2021 during a visit to a Region park while he was caring for her.

Because of results the state recently received from an Indiana State Police laboratory, the state was unable to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Infinity Westberg wrote in court filings.

Police opened an investigation in July 2021 after the girl returned home and talked to a relative about touching her "privates," according to court records.

The girl's mother took her to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with being sexually assaulted, records state.

The girl later told a detective at the Lake County Sheriff's Department Special Victims Unit that Vaught touched her genital area while they were in a portable toilet at a park, records state.
LAPORTE COUNTY  Police chased a man in a semi-truck up U.S. 231 after he refused to stop for a traffic violation Friday morning, according to the Indiana State Police.

Dimitri Robinson, 43, of Merrillville, was driving a 2015 Kenworth at 9:30 a.m. on U.S. 231 near 600 County Road North. Two troopers patrolling the area attempted to stop Robinson, and he fled.

Troopers initiated a pursuit northbound, which lasted approximately 8-10 miles. When they arrived at the intersection between U.S. 231 and State Road 18, Robinson came to a stop.

Multiple vehicles from the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, White County Sheriffs Department and Farney's Towing arrived on scene to assist.

Robinson was arrested and taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail in Lafayette. Preliminary charges include resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, a level six felony.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A Louisiana judge has thrown out air quality permits for a Taiwanese companys planned $9.4 billion plastics complex between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, a rare win for environmentalists in a heavily industrialized stretch of the Mississippi River often referred to as Cancer Alley."

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality brushed off its environmental justice analysis while violating the Clean Air Act and the agency's duty to protect the public, District Judge Trudy White wrote.

Opponents of the plans called Wednesday's ruling in Baton Rouge a victory for environmental justice. FG LA, the local Formosa Plastics affiliate, said Thursday that it would appeal.

Stopping Formosa Plastics has been a fight for our lives, and today David has toppled Goliath, said Sharon Lavigne, who founded the group Rise St. James in 2018 to fight plans for the plant. The judges decision sends a message to polluters like Formosa that communities of color have a right to clean air, and we must not be sacrifice zones.

The judge, who is Black, wrote that for Lavigne and other residents, the blood, sweat and tears of their Ancestors is tied to the land once dominated by plantations where enslaved people labored.

Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing the ruling and has no immediate comment, press secretary Gregory Langley said in an email Thursday.

FG LA wants to build 10 chemical plants and four other major facilities on 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) in St. James Parish near Welcome, a mostly Black community of about 670.

FG respectfully disagrees with Judge Whites conclusion, the company, which intervened in the lawsuit to support the department, said in a statement emailed Thursday. We believe the permits issued to FG by LDEQ are sound and the agency properly performed its duty to protect the environment in the issuance of those air permits.

The complex is among current and proposed facilities involved in an Environmental Protection Agency investigation of whether state health and environmental agencies have discriminated against Black residents. And the Army Corps of Engineers has been reviewing its environmental assessment of Formosa's wetlands permits since August 2021, under orders from a civilian Pentagon official.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and local officials have promoted the project, saying it could generate 1,200 permanent jobs and millions of dollars in taxes.

White's 35-page ruling said Louisiana's environmental justice analysis ignored EPA evidence that cancer risk from industrial pollution already makes Welcome one of the most burdened communities in the United States.

LDEQ never weighed the impacts associated with the 13.6 million tons per year of greenhouse gases that LDEQ has authorized ... against the purported benefits of the project, and the added environmental burden to already over-burdened majority-Black communities, she wrote.

And, she wrote in bold italics, the agency "must take special care to consider the impact of climate-driven disasters fueled by greenhouse gases on environmental justice communities and their ability to recover."

Nikki Reisch, director of the climate and energy program at the Center for International Environmental Law, called the ruling a win for environmental justice, for climate justice, and for human rights.

It sends a clear message to the government of Louisiana and to the Formosa Plastics Group and to states and corporations everywhere: You cannot write off communities or edit out the reality of environmental racism and climate change," she wrote.

The judge also wrote that the permits would go against EPA standards for 24-hour exposure to soot, also called fine particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide, which contributes to ozone formation.

A new source must provide computer models to show that it wont cause or contribute to violations of the standards or of allowable increases, she wrote. But she said that under FG LAs modeling the violations are not even close in some instances.

The state acknowledged this but argued that EPA memoranda let it could allow contributions below a level LDEQ determines significant.

It cant do that, White ruled.

She said the department violated its duty to protect the public by dismissing threats to health as unrealistic "when the record shows the opposite.

The companys air quality model shows that emissions would increase violations of air quality standards even if it complied with the permit, and doesnt explain how that would avoid a requirement to avoid harm to the maximum extent possible, White wrote.

To follow AP's coverage of climate and the environment, go to https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

To follow AP's coverage of plastics manufacturing, go to https://apnews.com/hub/plastics-manufacturing.
On a winter afternoon, amid stacks of books, rolls of blueprints and custom-made racing bikes hung from the rafters in his elegantly disarrayed Midtown office, he seems as though he might break into laughter at any time. Clients often have an identity that is related to where they live and how they live, and their home represents them, he says. But I feel Im very lucky with my childhood. It made me not care what others think. It gave me the luxury just to have fun.

His life has been defined by profusion since the beginning, a template for navigating towering personalities and lavish surroundings. His father was a lawyer who represented the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and befriended the writer and director Pier Paolo Pasolini and the author and editor Giorgio Bassani. Cicognanis mother, Princess Helen Wolkonsky, was distantly related to the novelist Leo Tolstoy and became one of the filmmaker Federico Fellinis entrees to the world of La Dolce Vita. (Her Russian father appears uncredited in the 1960 film.) When the architect was growing up, his closest friend, Carlo Perrone  now the deputy chairman of a group that owns several Italian newspapers, including La Repubblica  used to spend summers with his grandfather the Parisian art patron Charles de Noailles at his estate in Fontainebleau. Cicognani would visit him there a few weeks each summer, where people like Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Jacques Grange would come for formal dinners.

In New York, Cicognanis surrogate parents were the aristocratic Italian photographer Camilla McGrath and her Midwestern-born husband, Earl, a record producer and art gallerist, in whose living room Mick Jagger and Joan Didion mixed with the Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun and the artist Cy Twombly. Cicognani Kallas first real commission, in 1985, was an East Hampton beach house for Jann Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone, and his then-wife, Jane. Cicognani and the actor and model Isabella Rossellini, who wrote the foreword to his 2020 monograph, have been friends for decades; together, they remodeled her 19th-century compound in Bellport, N.Y. I think one reason we are so comfortable with each other is that we both came from households with Italian fathers and foreign mothers, which was unusual in Rome, he says. There are a lot of things we dont even have to say out loud, we just understand.
You would think that those of us in the anti-Trump camp would have at one point stepped back and asked some elemental questions: What are we trying to achieve? Who is the core audience here? Which strategies have worked, and which have not?

If those questions were asked, the straightforward conclusion would be that most of what we are doing is not working. The next conclusion might be that theres a lot of self-indulgence here. Were doing things that help those of us in the anti-Trump world bond with one another and that help people in the Trump world bond with one another. Were locking in the political structures that benefit Trump.

My core conclusion is that attacking Trump personally doesnt work. You have to rearrange the underlying situation. We are in the middle of a cultural/economic/partisan/identity war between more progressive people in the metro areas and more conservative people everywhere else. To lead the right in this war, Trump doesnt have to be honest, moral or competent; he just has to be seen taking the fight to the elites.

The proper strategy in this situation is to scramble the identity war narrative. Thats what Biden did in 2020. He ran as a middle-class moderate from Scranton. He dodged the culture war issues. Thats what the Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman is trying to do in Pennsylvania.

A Democratic candidate who steps outside the culture/identity war narrative is going to have access to the voters who need to be moved. Public voices who dont seem locked in the insular educated elite worldview are going to be able to reach the people who need to be reached.

Trumpists tell themselves that America is being threatened by a radical left putsch that is out to take over the government and undermine the culture. The core challenge now is to show by word and deed that this is a gross exaggeration.

Can Trump win again? Absolutely. Im a DeSantis doubter. I doubt someone so emotionally flat and charmless can win a nomination in the age of intensive media. And then once Trump is nominated, he has some chance of winning, because nobody is executing an effective strategy against him.
Uber discovered its computer network had been breached on Thursday, leading the company to take several of its internal communications and engineering systems offline as it investigated the extent of the hack.

The breach appeared to have compromised many of Ubers internal systems, and a person claiming responsibility for the hack sent images of email, cloud storage and code repositories to cybersecurity researchers and The New York Times.

They pretty much have full access to Uber, said Sam Curry, a security engineer at Yuga Labs who corresponded with the person who claimed to be responsible for the breach. This is a total compromise, from what it looks like.

An Uber spokesman said the company was investigating the breach and contacting law enforcement officials.
Whatever its form, Remember This serves as a remarkable showcase for Strathairn, who moves fluidly among characters and time periods. He leaps onto a table at one point and off it at others. Throughout, he manages to communicate both Karskis extraordinary moral strength and his passionate reactions to what he sees. Because Karski has feelings. He is, as Strathairn depicts him, much more than a camera or a stylus  he is a man profoundly changed by what he witnesses.

Strathairn delivers an expert performance, but it is also an unshowy one, never calling attention to itself at the expense of the content. This restraint renders Remember This perhaps most affecting and effective in the tension between the coolness and expertise of its form and the hot horror of its subject. It is in the space between these poles that the particular evil of the Holocaust is conveyed and understood, that unimaginable suffering is imagined. Allied leaders  Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anthony Eden  wouldnt be convinced of the truth, despite Karskis efforts. But we in the audience are, which grants us a squirmy moral superiority, even as the show asks us, gently, to examine what we are doing in our own lives to oppose hate.

This is most likely the lesson the title refers to. And Strathairns Karski articulates it this way: There is no such thing as good nations, bad nations. Each individual has infinite capacity to do good, and infinite capacity to do evil. We have a choice.

Karski, who became a celebrated professor at Georgetown and received, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, died in 2000, which means that he lived long enough to see Holocaust minimization and outright denial come back into vogue. But this doesnt seem to have worried him. These voices are weak, he says in the play. They have no future. As I tell my students, we have a future because we are speaking the truth.
A former police detective in Kansas who had long been suspected of raping and terrorizing Black women as he patrolled the streets of Kansas City has been indicted on federal charges that he repeatedly sexually assaulted two women over several years while on duty, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

The former police officer and captain, Roger Golubski, 69, who was arrested on Thursday, faces six federal counts of civil rights violations, according to federal prosecutors, who say he sexually assaulted two women multiple times from 1998 to 2002. If convicted, Mr. Golubski would face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

Ophelia Williams, one of the two women whom the Justice Department contends Mr. Golubski raped, said by phone on Thursday night that an arrest was not enough for her. I want him to get convicted, said Ms. Williams, 60.

The Justice Department, which did not name the victims, said in a news release that Mr. Golubski raped the other victim in his vehicle.
Ardenis Nazareth, newly arrived from Venezuela, was standing in a McDonalds parking lot across the street from a San Antonio shelter a few days ago contemplating his next steps.

After a monthslong odyssey through seven countries he had finally made it to the United States. It was time to banish from his thoughts the worst moments  when he was robbed at gunpoint and people dropped dead of exhaustion beside him as they crossed a lawless jungle, and when he watched helplessly as his friend was swallowed by the turbulent waters of the Rio Grande, just before touching U.S. soil in Texas.

Now Mr. Nazareth had one objective in mind: make money to support the two young daughters he had left behind.

That is when a well-dressed woman who introduced herself as Perla handed him and about 30 other migrants gift cards for the fast-food restaurant, which they gladly accepted. Then she made an enticing offer: a free flight to a sanctuary, he recalled, where there were people to help them get on their feet. The place was called Massachusetts.
Two years after Asian American voters played a pivotal role in the presidential election, a coalition focused on building Asian American political power and engagement is launching a new $10 million midterm mobilization effort in critical battleground states.

The Asian American Power Network, a coalition of organizations seeking to activate Asian American voters around progressive issues and candidates, is kicking off the initiative across six swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The network is also training its eyes on three competitive House districts in California  two in Southern California and one in the Central Valley.

Asian American voters have been progressive in some recent presidential elections, Nadia Belkin, the executive director of the network, said. Its no secret, though, that some of the Asian American voters do tend to be more swingy in the midterms. Thats why our group is spending a lot of time on the ground.

Organizing our community, she added, requires a cultural understanding and nuance.

The network is an effort to support state organizations that are working on year-round engagement of Asian Americans.
WASHINGTON  President Biden convened a summit meeting at the White House on Thursday to denounce white supremacy and other forms of bias, calling on Americans to speak out against prejudice and taking a veiled swipe at former President Donald J. Trump for in his view countenancing hate-fueled violence.

In America, evil will not win, will not prevail, the president told a selected audience that included activists and family members of victims of hate-motivated attacks. And white supremacists will not have the last word.

Mr. Biden has long said he decided to run for president after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 turned violent and Mr. Trump said there were very fine people on both sides of the protest and the counterprotest. To reinforce that theme, Mr. Biden was introduced on Thursday by Susan Bro, whose daughter, Heather Heyer, was killed by a driver during the Charlottesville protest.

The United We Stand meeting, however, showcased the challenges of Mr. Bidens vision of unity. No nationally prominent Republican elected officials took part, although the White House did recruit Ana Navarro, a longtime Republican commentator and critic of Mr. Trump, and some Republican mayors to speak. The event also showcased various nonpartisan and bipartisan efforts, including a new organization established by former presidential aides to address what the group called a rising tide of hate-fueled violence in America.
Judge Cannon also clarified her temporary ban on the Justice Departments investigation. While the department could not present the seized documents to a grand jury or ask witnesses about their contents, she said, the F.B.I. could continue to investigate the movement and storage of seized materials, including documents marked as classified, without discussion of their contents.

Still, Judge Cannon, whom Mr. Trump appointed in November 2020, declined to back down on having the special master vet those documents, too  and making the F.B.I. wait, at least for now, to have full access to them in its investigation.

In her order, Judge Cannon took pains to describe herself as mindful of the traditional reluctance of the judicial branch to intrude on executive authority in national security matters. But she wrote that her court could not abdicate its control over questions of privilege and does not find the governments argument sufficiently convincing as presented.

Among other things, she went on, the government had not suggested there was any identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from Mr. Trumps retention of the materials. Instead, she added, the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.

In naming Judge Dearie as special master, Judge Cannon did not address an issue the Justice Department had flagged in saying it was open to his appointment: As a semiretired judge on senior active status, he occasionally hears cases, and active judges are not supposed to have outside employment.

Judge Cannon said Mr. Trump would pay the entire cost of Judge Dearies compensation and expenses, along with the cost of support staff or advisers he needs, given that Mr. Trump had requested a special master.

Asked about the possibility of being indicted in the investigation, Mr. Trump told a conservative radio host on Thursday that there would be problems in this country the likes of which perhaps weve never seen before.
WASHINGTON  Days after Russias humiliating rout in northeastern Ukraine, the Biden administration said on Thursday that it would send an additional $600 million in military supplies to Ukraine, including more artillery ammunition.

The new shipment  which will also include counterartillery radar, counterdrone systems and mine-clearing equipment  continues the Pentagons recent trend of sending large amounts of ammunition that Ukraine needs to carry out heavy fighting in the countrys south, east and northeast.

The latest drawdown of military goods from Pentagon stockpiles  the 21st since the invasion began in February  was announced just hours after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, held their first face-to-face meeting since the war began, amid signs that Moscow lacked the full support of its most powerful international ally following Ukraines stunning comeback in the countrys northeast.

We are delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraines forces are utilizing so effectively as they continue their successful counteroffensive against Russias invasion, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement. President Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.
President Biden plans to nominate a career diplomat, Lynne M. Tracy, as his next ambassador to Russia, a source familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.

Ms. Tracy currently serves as the U.S. ambassador to Armenia. If confirmed by the Senate, she would succeed John J. Sullivan, who left Moscow earlier this month and plans to retire. Her pending nomination was reported by CNN.

Ms. Tracy would arrive in Moscow at the darkest moment for U.S.-Russian relations since the Cold War. The war in Ukraine has virtually halted diplomacy between America and Russia, although both countries continue to operate thinly staffed embassies in one anothers capitals. U.S. officials have said that maintaining some ties is important to avoid misunderstandings and protect vital interests.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Tracy served as deputy chief of mission, or the second-ranking official, at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 2014 to 2017. She has also been senior adviser for Russia affairs in the State Departments Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and has worked at U.S. diplomatic outposts in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.
President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged on Thursday that China had questions and concerns about Russias war in Ukraine, a notable, if cryptic, admission that Moscow lacks the full backing of its biggest, most powerful partner on the world stage.

Mr. Putin met Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, on Thursday in their first in-person meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine, and as Mr. Xi traveled abroad for the first time since the start of the pandemic. But rather than put on a show of Eurasian unity against the West as Russia struggled to recover from last weeks humiliating military retreat in northeastern Ukraine, the two leaders struck discordant notes in their public remarks  and Mr. Xi made no mention of Ukraine at all.

We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis, Mr. Putin said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard.

It was a moment, on the sidelines of a regional summit in Uzbekistan, that showed the daunting political straits Mr. Putin finds himself in nearly seven months into his invasion of Ukraine. On the battlefield, Russia has lost more than 1,000 square miles of territory this month, rendering the prospect of a decisive victory over a Western-armed Ukraine as remote as ever. At home, Mr. Putin is facing unusual criticism from some supporters over his slow military progress.
Responding to a report that former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico met with officials in Moscow this week, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday that private citizens should not negotiate prisoner exchanges with the Russian government.

The spokesman, Ned Price, was asked at a press briefing about a CNN report that Mr. Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has a long history of brokering the release of detained Americans from foreign countries, had traveled to meet with Russian leaders this week.

The Biden administration has been working for months to win the release of two Americans imprisoned in Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. In June, the United States offered to release a notorious Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence, in exchange for Ms. Griner, a W.N.B.A. star, and Mr. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and corporate security professional, both of whom the United States says have been wrongfully imprisoned.

Asked about the CNN report, which did not provide details about Mr. Richardsons talks, Mr. Price initially declined to comment. But upon further questioning, he seemed to confirm the visit, saying that this trip was not coordinated in advance with the embassy.
Clement Cheroux, the chief curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art, will return to his native France to direct the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, a photography institute in Paris. His departure, announced Thursday by the French foundation, comes after just two years at MoMA, during which the museum was closed for the coronavirus pandemic and its programming was disrupted.

During Cherouxs short tenure, which began in the summer of 2020, the department acquired works by Deana Lawson, Sara VanDerBeek and other new talents, as well as important archival collections, such as Marilyn Nances photographs of FESTAC 77, the renowned 1977 African arts festival. Two significant photography exhibitions, both curated by Cherouxs colleague Roxana Marcoci, are now on view: a retrospective of the German artist Wolfgang Tillmans and a showcase of women photographers.

The photography department at MoMA has continued to reshuffle its collection displays, which now commingle artistic disciplines. The museums first gallery, formerly home to Cezannes Bather and van Goghs Starry Night, currently examines how early photography captured the changing nature of cities in 19th-century Europe and America.

The Cartier-Bresson Foundation was established in 2003 to conserve the archives of Henri Cartier-Bresson and his wife, the photographer Martine Franck, as well as to provide an exhibition space to other photographers. In 2018 it moved from an artists studio in Montparnasse to its current home in the Marais, and this November it will open new exhibition galleries that will expand the foundations home by a third.
Jorja Fleezanis, a dynamic violinist and dedicated teacher who was one of the first women to serve as concertmaster of a major symphony orchestra in the United States, died on Sept. 9 at her home in Lake Leelanau, Mich. She was 70.

The Minnesota Orchestra, in which Ms. Fleezanis played from the first chair for two decades, said the cause was a cardiovascular event.

The concertmaster holds a key position with an orchestra, with considerable responsibility for defining its sound. Ms. Fleezanis was a cornerstone player in the Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska, its music director from 2003 to 2022, said in a phone interview.

You need to be hearing the whole score and acting as second in command to the conductor, Ms. Fleezanis explained to The Boston Globe this year. You need to understand all the possible interpretive ways the conductor can go at that moment, so youre prepared to make a sharp left, or a gentle left. And you create that unification, that sense of ensemble, almost instantaneously.
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.

Florida Man Owns the Libs

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida took credit for sending two planes filled with migrants to Marthas Vineyard from Texas on Wednesday. His communications director said it was part of a state program to transport undocumented immigrants to so-called sanctuary destinations.
Attempts to ban books are accelerating across the country at a rate never seen since tracking began more than 20 years ago, according to a new report from the American Library Association.

So far in 2022, there have been attempts to ban or restrict access to 1,651 different titles, the group found, up from challenges to 1,597 books in 2021, the year with the highest number of complaints since the group began documenting book challenges decades ago.

Book banning efforts have grown rapidly in number and become much more organized, divisive and vitriolic over the past two years, splitting communities, causing bitter rifts on school and library boards, and spreading across the country through social media and political campaigns.

Public libraries have been threatened by politicians and community members with a loss of funding for their refusal to remove books. Members of the Proud Boys, an extremist right-wing group, showed up at a school board meeting in Illinois, where book access was on the agenda, and at a drag queen story hour in California. Librarians have been accused of promoting pedophilia. In its recent analysis, the library association cited 27 instances of police reports being filed against library staff over the content of their shelves.
Local officials estimate that as many as 1,000 people died in Izium, many from a lack of medicine and medical care.

We have a terrible picture of what the occupiers did, in particular, in the Kharkiv region, Andriy Kostin, Ukraines prosecutor general, said in a statement. In fact, now such cities as Balaklia, Izium are standing in the same row as Bucha, Borodianka, Irpin.

Among the bodies already exhumed were a family  a mother, a father, a daughter and two grandparents  killed in Russian bombardments in the spring, Ukrainian officials said. The mass grave appeared to be where soldiers were buried.

Residents of Izium contacted by The Times have described terror at the hands of Russian troops. One man said he was tortured and held with his wife and teen son in a basement for two days.

The account could not be immediately verified, but it is supported by the well-documented behavior of Russian forces during their brief occupation of areas outside Kyiv and other northern cities.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Ubers chief executive, said in court on Friday that he had fired Joe Sullivan, the former Uber security chief who is on trial over a 2016 security breach, because he could no longer trust him.

He was my chief security officer, and I could not trust his judgment anymore, Mr. Khosrowshahi said of Mr. Sullivan in a San Francisco federal court. I thought the decision not to disclose the breach was the wrong decision.

Mr. Khosrowshahi was a star witness at the trial of Mr. Sullivan, who has been accused of obstructing justice for failing to disclose the 2016 breach, which affected the Uber accounts of more than 57 million riders and drivers. Mr. Sullivans lawyers have argued that Ubers management team, led by Mr. Khosrowshahi, unfairly targeted him as the company worked to recast its image after the freewheeling reign of its former chief executive, Travis Kalanick.

But Mr. Khosrowshahi painted a different picture during his testimony, which came a day after Uber said it was investigating a new breach of its network.
The German government has taken over the Russian oil giant Rosnefts subsidiary in Germany, an action aimed at securing critical energy supplies as Europe moves toward a ban on imports of Russian crude later this year, the economy ministry said on Friday.

The move, which involved placing Rosneft Deutschland in a trust for at least six months, is designed to ensure the continued operation of Rosnefts three refineries in Germany, including PCK Schwedt, which supplies gas, heating oil and jet fuel to the city of Berlin and nearby areas, the government said.

After decades of depending on Russia as its main source of energy, and since Russias invasion of Ukraine, Germany has struggled to find alternative sources of fossil fuels to power its industrial economy. While much of the focus has been on the importance of natural gas, oil from Russia accounted for more than a third of all crude imported by Germany, much of it flowing directly to facilities in the countrys former eastern states through Cold War-era pipelines.

Berlin has scrambled to buy oil from other providers, including Norway and Kazakhstan, as it sought to boycott Russian crude. But as long as a key refinery remained in Russian hands, it struggled to move forward with plans to cease imports through the Druschba, or Friendship, pipeline that delivered oil from Russia directly to the plant in Schwedt.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ohio  Michael French trudged through a thicket of prickly bramble, unfazed by the branches he had to swat away on occasion in order to arrive at a quiet spot of hilly land that was once mined for coal. Now, however, it is patched with flowering goldenrods and long yellow-green grasses and dotted with tree saplings.

The sight, he acknowledged, would seem unimpressive to most. Yet it might be Mr. Frenchs most prized accomplishment. To him, the young trees symbolize what could be a critical comeback for some of the countrys vanishing forests, and for one tree in particular, the American chestnut.

I dont see it how most people see it, he said. I look at this and I see how its going to be in 80 to 100 years.

By then, Mr. French envisions that the chestnut, a beloved tree nearly wiped out a century ago by a blight-causing fungus, will be among those that make up an expansive forest of native trees and plants.
But when it comes to where the money for Patagonias climate action will come from, and how it is likely to be spent, the Chouinard gift stands apart. Rather than endow a school or give away a lump of cash, the Patagonia founder has relinquished the company and pledged its future profits toward things like protecting undeveloped land and supporting regenerative agriculture. And because the Holdfast Collective is a 501(c)(4) group under tax rules, a special designation for organizations that focus primarily on social welfare, it can spend money on political efforts. That means Patagonias profits could soon be put to use shaping policy on climate issues.

This responds to a lot of criticism people have been making of climate giving, which is that it needs a bit more political bite, and you need to invest in political solutions to make progress, Callahan said. That is going to give it unusual power in the climate space.

Leah Stokes, a climate policy expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that more funding for climate action was necessary, and that the Patagonia gift was welcome news. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, and we need funding so that we can create the political and policy change thats necessary, she said.

And given Patagonias record of funding grass roots activists, Stokes said the new money coming from the Holdfast Collective will make sure that theres a diversity of groups that are getting support, including ones with varying political positions that use different strategies.

Patagonia has yet to reveal details of its strategy, so how the money is actually spent remains to be seen. But the prospect of more than $100 million a year in donations, and the Chouinards relinquishment of their family fortune, is one of the biggest moves yet in the emerging field of climate philanthropy.

Every country has to work together and every single person has to make it their number one priority, Chouinard told me when I interviewed him last month. Thats what we have to do to save the planet. Each one of us has to dig down deep and say, OK, what can I do?

Ill be interviewing Laurene Powell Jobs and John Doerr onstage on Oct. 12 in San Francisco at a New York Times event, where well continue the conversation. So stay tuned.
Lesson Overview

Featured Article: Mississippi Crisis Highlights Climate Threat to Drinking Water Nationwide by Christopher Flavelle, Rick Rojas, Jim Tankersley and Jack Healy

For nearly seven weeks, the roughly 150,000 residents of Jackson, Miss., did not have access to safe drinking water after severe rains and flooding overwhelmed crumbling systems. On Sept. 15, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi announced that a boil-water advisory had finally been lifted.

In this lesson, you will learn about the water crisis in Jackson and how climate change combined with aging infrastructure and underinvestment are pushing city water systems across the nation into failure. Then, in Going Further activities, we provide opportunities to learn more about how to help the residents in Jackson and to inform others about the crisis and other threats to our countrys water systems.

Warm-Up

Part I:

Water.

How often do you think about water  and the vital role it plays in our lives?

Before reading the article, take a few minutes to reflect on water and your everyday life. Then, make a list of all the ways that you and your family use water on a typical day and week.
The Innocents

Stream it on Shudder.

This supernatural thriller from the writer-director Eskil Vogt, about children with powers they dont know how to handle, is intensely creepy and atmospheric, but also humane and heartbreaking. Its one of my favorite horror films of the year.

The movie begins as Ida (Rakel Lenora Flottum) and her autistic sister, Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), move with their parents into a Norwegian housing complex. There the girls meet kids with paranormal skills, including Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim), who can hear peoples thoughts, and Ben (Sam Ashraf), a bullied preteen whose ability takes a deadly form that sets up the films devastating final act.

Its not often that a horror film brings tears to my eyes, but thats what happened during a scene in which Ben wrestles with a horrific act he commits because of something within himself that he doesnt understand. Its a testament to Vogts empathy as a director that this scene, nothing more than a shot of a boy and his feelings, was the films scariest. As Vogt told me in an interview in May: I dont think Ive been as scared as an adult as I was as a kid.
Some have taken this seriously, and some are like, theyre not going to raid a re-enactment, said Scott Wilson, the volunteer fort coordinator at Fort Tribute, an educational interpretive center about nine miles from the St. Lawrence River that concentrates on the 6,000 men from that area who fought in the Civil War.

Sometimes you write a law and youre writing it so broadly, you forget pieces, he said. If youre not interested or dont know a whole lot about re-enacting, whether its the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War or the Civil War, this is probably not on your radar.

The law in question was passed after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down a longstanding New York statute that had set strict limits on carrying guns in public. In response, Gov. Kathy Hochul called the Legislature back to Albany for an emergency session, and lawmakers passed a new law that designated locations as sensitive areas where people would be prohibited from carrying guns.

The sensitive areas listed in the law locations included parks and playgrounds, along with museums, theaters and performance venues  all of which re-enactors say appear to apply to them. One off-limits location was even identified by name: Times Square, although it did not figure in any major military battles.

I think this was not a well-thought-out law, said Jim Lennon, the president of the Long Island Military Preservation Association, which is involved with the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage, N.Y. We do programs regularly that consist of us displaying firearms, rifles, all legally possessed. But now we cant do that anymore. I think this law is a knee-jerk reaction to be able to say they did something.
A high-profile disaster, he said, can set a field back by 10 years.

Genetics is contributing to conservation efforts in other ways, too.



An ambitious project of more than 100 scientists led by the biologist Brad Shaffer at UCLA is currently working to catalog the genomes of about 230 animal and plant species across California. The goal is to create a map of the states genetic diversity and identify hot spots: areas of high diversity that should be prioritized for protection, or of low diversity that might need a boost from assisted breeding programs. Marine biologists at the Carnegie Institute for Science are taking a similar approach to coral in the Great Barrier Reef, identifying genes that seem to make some corals more resistant to rising ocean temperatures with the idea that populations with these genes could be prioritized for conservation.

Phillip Cleves, who leads the coral project, said he doesnt see this type of work as playing God. Instead, its more like taking the process of natural selection off autopilot. As species face a host of unnatural obstacles, Mr. Cleves said his goal is to leverage existing genetic variation to raise the odds that as many as possible can survive whatever the climate of the coming century will throw at them.

Our role as biologists, as stewards of ecosystems, is to predict how life will find its way, and make sure we do everything we can to facilitate that, he said.

For Mr. Shaffer, the efficient use of resources could also mean inviting wild species into closer contact with humans. Cities already host many thriving nonnative wild species, from endangered Mexican parrots that now flock around Los Angeles to dozens of nonnative reptile species slithering around Miami.

You might argue theres no such thing as a natural system anymore, he said. Im looking out my window on an urban forest, and I dont think a single tree is native.

Up to now, these infiltrations have occurred by chance or accident. But, in the future, Mr. Shaffer thinks they could be part of an intentional design.

As natural habitats diminish, he argues, scientists should consider relocating some endangered species into urban arks. After careful study of potential conflicts with native species (including people), nonnative species could be released in cities to reside in parks and backyards, on rooftops and window ledges, and in water bodies. From there they could take their food and shelter from natural resources and infrastructure that, as Mr. Shaffer wrote in the journal Nature, although built for humans, happens to also fulfill the nonnative species ecological needs.
Since April, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has bused over 7,900 migrants from the state to Washington, D.C. In August, he began sending migrants to New York. Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is getting in on the act, sending two planeloads of migrants to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts. To hear Mr. Abbott tell it, hes calling the bluff of blue-state mayors who claim to welcome undocumented immigrants. Its also part of a not-so-secret Republican plan to whip up anger against Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.

Politics aside, one thing is clear: Our immigration system has long been overburdened and outdated, and the asylum process is a big part of whats not working. The number of new asylum claims filed in U.S. immigration courts ballooned to 156,374 in 2022  with four months left to go  from 32,895 in all of 2010. Thats partly because conflict and Covid created mass migration across the globe. Immigration courts have not been able to keep up with the surge of newcomers. In 2010, there was a backlog of about 100,000 asylum cases pending. Today, that number has swelled to more than 660,000. When other kinds of cases, such as deportation orders, are included, the backlog in immigration courts climbs to over 1.8 million.

The numbers reflect a recent spike in migration. Over the past two years, about a million people have been allowed into the country to await hearings in immigration court, according to a recent report by my Times colleague Eileen Sullivan. Each person has been given a year to file an asylum claim. Thats not just a Biden-era phenomenon: A similar number were admitted by the Trump administration during a 24-month period in 2018 and 2019, the last big surge in migration.

Combined, those numbers have broken the system. Although asylum hearings are supposed to be held within 45 days of an application being filed, the current wait time for an asylum hearing averages nearly four and a half years, according to researcher data compiled at Syracuse Universitys TRAC center. The longer it takes to resolve a case, the harder it can be to remove people whose asylum claims have been denied, as has happened in over half of asylum cases last year. Its projected that more than 745,000 deportation proceedings will be initiated in 2022, more than twice as many as in any other year with the exception of 2019. The long delays in resolving asylum cases have become a serious, self-perpetuating crisis: Those delays incentivize people to file unfounded asylum claims, knowing that it will buy them years, even if they are eventually deported.
I revile any concept of equity that allows for appointing Black people to positions over more highly qualified non-Black ones.

I know that racism exists both on the personal and structural levels. But I also feel deep disappointment that the tenor of our times seems to encourage some Black people to exaggerate racisms effects, to enshrine a kind of charismatic defeatism as a substitute for activism. And then there are those who outright fabricate having suffered racist mistreatment. I also worry that these kinds of things desensitize many observers from acknowledging the real racism that exists.

I think reparations are important  and happened already, decades ago with the Great Society, affirmative action, the expansion of welfare benefits in the late 1960s and the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which encouraged banks to extend credit in low-income neighborhoods. I would not stand implacably opposed to new reparations today in the form of various kinds or even cash payments but am highly skeptical that a critical mass of Black commentators would accept them as true compensation. I cant help thinking the race debate would stay where it is now.

I condemn notions that there are white ways of thinking (such as being precise and stressing individualism) and Black ones (such as being intuitive and stressing the communal), such that Black people resisting assimilation is taken as a kind of higher wisdom. That vision of Blackness would birth no useful inventions, yield only the occasional out-of-the-box insight and is alarmingly close to tacky, Dionysian depictions of Blackness, such as those in Norman Mailers The White Negro.

I consider it anti-intellectual performance art to retool educational institutions as antiracist academies that center the discussion of discrimination and other abuses of power in the instruction of all subjects.

Now that Ive laid out a primer on my opinions, people who write me seeking support should keep in mind that quite a few Black people consider my stances on race to be a revolting kind of heresy.

Rather, as I have learned in my now lengthy experience with this kind of criticism, its that those who disagree with me feel  or perhaps have been taught to feel  that opinions like mine amount to giving white people a pass on racism, that they distract whites from engaging in the kind of thinking and activity that will help Black America. As such, they do not think of people like me as having opinions different from theirs but legitimate. They think opinions like mine are dangerous. I can imagine that to my critics, white people writing me for counsel is exactly what Black America doesnt need. I am basing this on 25 years of receiving this kind of critique from various directions.
But the argument for significantly ramping up the production of nuclear power  especially in places where overall energy consumption isnt growing, like in the United States and Europe  falls short. Thats because the nuclear industry has long been hobbled by two problems that its boosters cant really wish away: Nuclear is far slower to build than most other forms of power, and its far more expensive, too. And now there is a third problem on the horizon. As battery technology improves and the price of electricity storage plummets, nuclear may be way too late, too  with much of its value eclipsed by cheaper, faster and more flexible renewable power technologies.

In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels  the goal set in the Paris Agreement to avert the worst effects of global warming  experts say that we need to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions to a net of zero by 2050. Responding to such a climate emergency with nuclear power is like calling on a sloth to put out a house fire. The 63 nuclear reactors that went into service around the world between 2011 and 2020 took an average of around 10 years to build. By comparison, solar and wind farms can be built in months; in 2020 and 2021 alone, the world added 464 gigawatts of wind and solar power-generation capacity, which is more power than can be generated by all the nuclear plants operating in the world today.

The nuclear industry has been notorious for cost overruns and delays. The only nuclear reactors under construction in the United States  a Westinghouse project at the Plant Vogtle power station in Georgia  were started in 2013 and projected to be finished in 2017. They are still not done  and an initial budget of $14 billion has more than doubled to over $28 billion. In 2017, utilities in South Carolina canceled two reactors midway through construction after cost projections ballooned from $11.5 billion to more than $25 billion.

And after all this build time, you get a very expensive source of energy. In a common energy industry measure known as levelized cost, nuclears minimum price is about $131 per megawatt-hour, which is at least twice the price of natural gas and coal, and four times the cost of utility-scale solar and onshore wind power installations. And the high price of nuclear power doesnt include its extraneous costs, such as the staggering price of disasters. Cleanup and other costs for the 2011 Fukushima disaster, caused by an earthquake and a tsunami off the Japanese coast, may approach a trillion dollars.

Nuclear boosters say that these problems can be solved. There was much talk at the conference about streamlining regulations and reducing costs and build times by constructing smaller, more advanced and less disaster-prone reactors. Once we start building more, the industry will start seeing the benefits of scale and efficiency, several industry insiders told me.
The short story behind the now-averted railroad strike is this: The largest freight railroad carriers in the country were willing to cripple the transportation infrastructure of the United States rather than allow their workers to take the occasional day off to see a doctor or attend to their families.

Heres the longer story: This week, unions representing tens of thousands of railway workers were poised to strike in protest of poor working conditions and low wages. Their complaints were straightforward. The two largest freight railroad carriers  Union Pacific and BNSF Railway  were using attendance policies that punished workers for taking time off from the job. Engineers and conductors face penalties for taking any time off, The Washington Post explained in its report on the labor dispute, including weekends, outside of holidays and preplanned vacation, even in the case of emergencies.

The fact of the matter is that a decade of corporate cost-cutting, including smaller crews for longer trains, has placed railroad workers under incredible pressure. Not only are they unable to take time for emergencies or sudden illnesses, but they are almost always on call, with just a few hours notice before they have to take a shift. For them, the tight schedules and stiff punishments translate to strains on their finances, families and health.

What makes these conditions worse is that they come at a time when rail carriers are posting record profits as a result of demand during the pandemic. As NBC News reports, BNSF had a net income of nearly $6 billion in 2021, up 16 percent from the previous year. Union Pacific, likewise, had a net income of $6.5 billion, which was also up 16 percent from the previous year. Other freight companies, like CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, have posted large gains as well. But this windfall has not stopped the carriers from trying to wring as much labor as possible out of a steadily shrinking work force.
Beginning in earnest in the last 10 days, the counteroffensive in the countrys northeast seems to have taken the Russian troops  their attention perhaps distracted by a monthslong buildup of Ukrainian forces in the southern Kherson region  by surprise. Rather than fight, they fled, leaving behind hundreds of vehicles, ammunition and documents. In Izium, for example, a friend of mine who commands a division of paratroopers found 10 handwritten letters from Russian soldiers requesting to resign from the Russian military forces on the Ukrainian territory due to the physical and moral exhaustion.

This wreckage of defeat puts paid to the notion of Russian military excellence. But it also ought to reframe how the war is viewed. For the past few months, Western experts have been asking the same question: how to deal with Ukraines fatigue amid a war of attrition. Besides annoying Ukrainians  no matter how tired you are, you cant resign from defending your country  the fretting was pointless. A counteroffensive, Ukrainians knew, was a matter of time. The question was whether it would succeed.

It did, and the world now has a vision of Ukrainian victory, not just valiant resistance. Discussion of negotiations and a deal  despite Vladimir Putin giving not the slightest sign he would play along  will surely now subside, in favor of renewed support. Compassion and empathy are excellent motivators, but trust and belief are better ones. Now, within the country and among its backers, theres talk of victory and what it would take to get there.

Yet the real significance lies within Ukraine itself. If the northern Kharkiv region  now reclaimed but for a few villages  had remained occupied, there would have been a constant threat of Russian forces encircling the Ukraine-held territory in the Donbas. Claiming back the northern areas gives Ukrainian forces more chance of repelling and ultimately reversing Russias advances in the east. Whats more, it allows them to concentrate anew on the southern Kherson region.

More profoundly, the counteroffensive showed that the Ukrainian army is capable not just of defense but also of attack. This is a major change. After all, the entire premise of the war effort so far has been to defend the country against invaders  often, as around Kyiv, Chernihiv and Odesa, with great success. Now the army, supplied with high-grade weaponry, has proved its ability to attack, and can regard its task with renewed confidence. That President Volodymyr Zelensky felt safe enough to visit Izium, a town barely 10 miles from the frontline, just four days after its liberation is a marker of the optimistic mood throughout the country.
Emily Clark, who, with her husband, owns Clark & Co., a custom homebuilder in Idaho, has witnessed the evolution of the pantry over the past decade. As the open-concept kitchen evolved into an extension of the living room  with open shelves and windows replacing upper cabinets, and kitchen islands looking increasingly like dining furniture rather than working countertops  the pantry has been given an increasingly bigger role, too, reimagined as a well-appointed and highly stylized room for prepping, cooking and cleaning.

Once you start expanding and adding the dishwasher, then its like, Well, what if I put a baking center back there? Ms. Clark said. Cloistered away in a private work space, I can prep my cookies and put them in the oven with all of the measuring cups and mixing bowls. And then I can bring my beautiful warm cookies out of the oven into my serving kitchen, she said.

The Supersize Comeback

Amanda Lantz, an interior designer in Indiana, said that every one of her new construction projects included a back kitchen, a marked change from 2019 when none had one. She sees the coronavirus pandemic as a catalyst. People were stocking up more. You were cooking more, you were using your kitchen more, she said, referring to the height of the pandemic. So then, when theyve gone to build the next house, theyve felt that they dont have enough space.

Homeowners want the pantry to look pretty, too. After all, home organizing has become a competitive sport  cue Khloe Kardashians backlit beige pantry, a shrine to packaged goods. The expectations are now high for a room that once housed brooms and large packages from Costco. People want to walk in and shop their pantry, Ms. Clark, the homebuilder, said.
The results have been submitted for publication in a scientific journal and are under review.

This is a bold and innovative study, said Yuan Chang Leong, a cognitive neuroscientist at University of Chicago who was not involved in the work.

The results jibe with previous research showing people who share beliefs tend to share brain responses. For example, a 2017 study presented volunteers with one of two opposite interpretations of Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes, a short story by J.D. Salinger. The participants that had received the same interpretation had more aligned brain activity when listening to the story in the brain scanner.

And in 2020, Dr. Leongs team reported that when watching news footage, brain activity in conservatives looked more like that in other conservatives than that in liberals, and vice versa.

The new study suggests that the degree of similarity in brain responses depends not only on peoples inherent predispositions, but also the common ground created by having a conversation, Dr. Leong said.

The experiment also underscored a dynamic familiar to anyone who has been steamrollered in a work meeting: An individuals behavior can drastically influence a group decision. Some of the volunteers tried to persuade their groupmates of a cinematic interpretation with bluster, by barking orders and talking over their peers. But others  particularly those who were central players in the students real-life social networks  acted as mediators, reading the room and trying to find common ground.

The groups with blowhards were less neurally aligned than were those with mediators, the study found. Perhaps more surprising, the mediators drove consensus not by pushing their own interpretations, but by encouraging others to take the stage and then adjusting their own beliefs  and brain patterns  to match the group.

Being willing to change your own mind, then, seems key to getting everyone on the same page, Dr. Wheatley said.
Modern science, and especially the latest archeological discoveries, has shown that the African continent is the cradle of humankind. Its people were developing slowly and steadily at their own pace until some external forces invaded the continent and carted away its able bodied men and women to strange lands where they were forced to toil for generations building the emerging economies of another continent. Some have referred to this process as an exchange or perhaps a kind of trade, but could it be described as such when humans, treated like nothing but property, were exchanged for goods such as guns and gin. No wonder Walter Rodney, in reference to his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, argued that it was a combination of power politics and economic exploitation of Africa by Europeans that eventually led to the poor state of African political and economic development as became evident in the late 20th century. Although the author did not state his intention "to remove the ultimate responsibility for development from the shoulders of Africans... [He believes that] every African has a responsibility to understand the [capitalist] system and work for its overthrow." Similarly, Frantz Fanons The Wretched of the Earth provides insights into how the developmental strides of Africa were distorted. The psychiatrist provided a psychological and psychiatric analysis of the dehumanizing effects of colonization upon the individuals and the nations of Africa, and discussed the broader social, cultural, and political implications of establishing a social movement for the decolonization of a person and of a people. It has been many decades since colonization ended on the African continent, but the continent has not fully healed from this past trauma and continues to search for a path to continue from where its development was disrupted. Perhaps this search may have at last come to an end with the support of a country that had also once witnessed a dose of colonization and whose people has since healed from this inhumane history, having emerged from the ruins of colonization and wars to become the fastest growing economy on the planet. That country is none other than the Peoples Republic of China. China has presented Africa with a way out of its constant state of underdevelopment by offering a friendly win-win international development springboard in the form of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). At the opening ceremony of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted the observations of an ancient Chinese scholar, who stated that: Only with deep roots can a tree yield rich fruit; only filled with oil can a lamp burn brightly. Xi noted that history follows its own rules and logic, and that with a similar fate in the past and a common mission, China and Africa have extended sympathy to and helped each other throughout all the past years. He said: Together, we have embarked on a distinctive path of win-win cooperation. Marching on this path, China has followed the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. China has stood with African countries. Together, we have worked in unity and forged ahead, said Xi. The words of President Xi is the moving spirit behind the FOCAC. Since the 2015 FOCAC Johannesburg Summit, China has fully implemented the 10 cooperation plans adopted at the Summit. A large number of railways, highways, airports, ports and other infrastructure projects as well as a number of economic and trade cooperation zones have been built or are under construction. Mutual cooperation on peace and security, science and technology, education, culture, health, poverty reduction, and people-to-people exchanges has been deepened. The massive financing pledged by China has been either delivered or arranged to be delivered. These 10 cooperation plans have brought huge benefits to the African and Chinese peoples. They have fully demonstrated the creativity, rallying power and efficiency of China-Africa cooperation, and have lifted the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to new heights. China has meanwhile promised to build an even closer-knit China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. It has even gone a step further to launch an industrial promotion initiative and a China-Africa economic and trade expo in China to encourage Chinese companies to increase their investment in Africa, in addition to building and upgrading a number of economic and trade cooperation zones in Africa. China also has a plan to support Africa in achieving general food security by 2030, working with Africa to formulate and implement a program of action to promote China-Africa cooperation on agricultural modernization. China has continued to strengthen cooperation with African countries in local currency settlement and has made good use of the China-Africa Development Fund, the China-Africa Fund for Industrial Cooperation, and the Special Loan for the Development of African SMEs. The list is endless. Every series of important cooperation plans proposed by China during each FOCAC Summit has been effectively implemented, which has provided a great boost to the economic and social development of Africa and which has been highly praised by the African people and the international community. China-Africa trade and cooperation have both blossomed. A number of major Chinese-assisted infrastructure projects have been completed, including the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, Kenya's standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Nairobi, and Cote d'Ivoire's Soubre hydropower plant. These projects provide much needed transport and energy infrastructure to help further develop local industries. The facts are there for everyone to see that Africa has finally and gradually started moving towards a promising mode of development thanks to the fellow brother that China has proven itself to be. Michael Olugbode is a journalist with the Nigerian newspaper This Day.
The shoot was the (years in the making) brainchild of the polymathic artist and frequent T contributor Shikeith, who was inspired to pay homage to the filmmaker Marlon Riggss groundbreaking 1989 documentary, Tongues Untied, a paean to Blackness, maleness, gayness and the community and affinity that exist among and between Black gay men. The next day, Shikeith and a few of the shoots subjects gathered at The New York Times Building to discuss what had transpired on set. While all of them treasured the experience of being among their peers  the word nourishment came up again and again, a recognition of the need to have fellow artists with whom they shared not just a racial lineage but one of sexuality and sexual identification  so, too, did a certain frustration: at the reductionism of always being defined by what makes them othered in the culture at large; at not getting to be just an artist, first and last. As the painter Adam Pendleton said at one point, A project like this is almost a double-edged sword, in the sense that any instance where youre identified is a terrible moment, actually. When youre claimed as something  when youre named as something  thats not necessarily a moment of celebration or liberation.
In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when theyre looking for a place for lunch, they dont go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram, Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president, said at a technology conference in July.

Google has incorporated images and videos into its search engine in recent years. Since 2019, some of its search results have featured TikTok videos. In 2020, Google released YouTube Shorts, which shares vertical videos less than a minute long, and started including its content in search results.

TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance, declined to comment on its search function and products that may be in testing. It said it was always thinking about new ways to add value to the community and enrich the TikTok experience.

Doing a search on TikTok is often more interactive than typing in a query on Google. Instead of just slogging through walls of text, Gen Z-ers crowdsource recommendations from TikTok videos to pinpoint what they are looking for, watching video after video to cull the content. Then they verify the veracity of a suggestion based on comments posted in response to the videos.

This mode of searching is rooted in how young people are using TikTok not only to look for products and businesses, but also to ask questions about how to do things and find explanations for what things mean. With videos often less than 60 seconds long, TikTok returns what feels like more relevant answers, many said.

Alexandria Kinsey, 24, a communications and social media coordinator in Arlington, Va., uses TikTok for many search queries: recipes to cook, films to watch and nearby happy hours to try. She also turns to it for less typical questions, like looking up interviews with the actor Andrew Garfield and weird conspiracy theories.
The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history and, for many, a symbol of musical theater, will drop its famous chandelier for the last time in February, becoming the latest show to fall victim to the drop-off in audiences since the pandemic hit.

The closing is at once long-expected  no show runs forever, and this ones grosses have been softening  but also startling, because Phantom had come to seem like a permanent part of the Broadway landscape, a period piece and a tourist magnet that stood apart from the vicissitudes of the commercial theater marketplace.

But in the year since Broadway returned from its damaging pandemic lockdown, the theatergoing audience has not fully rebounded, and Phantom, which came back strong last fall, has not been selling well enough to defray its high weekly running costs.

The show will commemorate its 35th anniversary in January, and then will play its final performance on Broadway on Feb. 18, according to a spokesman. The cast, crew and orchestra were informed of the decision on Friday.
REDDING, Calif.  Times are grim in the cowboy far north of California. Wildfires rage. Covid-19 lingers. Drought has stripped most of the snow from Mount Shasta and shrunk Shasta Lake.

But other business has consumed the Shasta County Board of Supervisors meetings.

Weve been duped! one resident charged during an epic six-hour debate in July over the certified results of the June primary election. We need to get rid of all electronics in our voting! another exhorted during a two-hour August outcry over rigged equipment. This week, a woman in a We, the People T-shirt invoked David and Goliath, and a self-described citizen journalist said voters were being controlled via nasal swabs coated with nano smart dust in Covid-19 tests.

This is a national moment, said a woman warning that Novembers election could be hijacked by Wi-Fi. Were going to keep coming back till we get what we want.

In most of California, their claims would have been dismissed immediately: State law prohibits most of the election reviews they have called for and there has been no evidence of voter fraud in the primary election. But Shasta County, population 180,000, has become a riveting California exception, a red pocket where far-right activists aligned with former President Donald J. Trump have taken charge of a government long overseen by establishment conservatives.
The green light to lift the advisory was based on results of the state health departments tests of 120 water samples on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr. Reeves said. The quantity of water and the water pressure have also been restored, he said.

We can now announce that we have restored clean water to the city of Jackson, he said.

But he also expressed caution, saying that future work was needed to make the water system sustainable. I do believe it is very important that we set expectations up front, Mr. Reeves said. While we have restored water quality, the system is still imperfect.

It is possible, although I pray not inevitable, that there will be further interruptions, he said. We cannot perfectly predict what may go wrong with such a broken system in the future.

Residents have contended with frequent boil-water notices in Jackson, which is the states largest city and has an 80 percent Black population, and with disruptions in service for years, because of aging and inadequate infrastructure and what some say is a failure to devote resources to fix the problem.

Dr. Robert Luckett, a civil rights historian and professor at Jackson State University, said as white families left Jackson over the decades, state funding had not adequately addressed its infrastructure needs.
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  Fungus was growing in a new $10 million tiny-house village being assembled at Camp Justice, the military court compound at Guantanamo Bay that has been troubled by mold for years. So plans to house lawyers assigned to the Sept. 11 case there have been postponed until late next year.

Elsewhere on the base, an M.R.I. device suffered a catastrophic failure from neglect during the pandemic, according to court testimony. The military now intends to lease one through a process that could drag on for months.

At a third site, construction of a $115 million dormitory is a year behind schedule. It is meant to house soldiers assigned to the prison, an operation that employs 41 guards and civilians for each detainee.

More than 20 years have passed since the George W. Bush administration brought the first detainees to this remote outpost in southeast Cuba four months after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It was a makeshift, temporary mission, and it is still being run that way  expeditionary style, as the military calls it.
Congress passed that law  overriding the veto of President Richard M. Nixon  a quarter-century into the Cold War, a period giving rise to what is sometimes called the imperial presidency, during which the authority of the legislative branch to control when to go to war had seriously eroded. Among other things, the resolution states that presidents may only deploy forces into hostilities to repel an attack on the United States or with Congresss prior permission.

Many legal specialists have since come to see the resolution as a largely failed effort at reining in presidential war-making powers. Executive branch lawyers have found ways to allow subsequent presidents to unilaterally deploy troops, while Congress has largely acquiesced.

Against that backdrop, several memos deepen the understanding of how executive branch lawyers sought to interpret the law in ways favorable to what the presidents they worked for wanted to do, creating precedents subsequent presidents would build upon.

In 1975, for example, Communist North Vietnam re-invaded South Vietnam. Ford wanted to send troops back to Saigon to evacuate both Americans and Vietnamese whose lives were in danger because they had worked with Americans.

Scalia, then the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, said the president could. While the resolutions narrow limit for when a president may dispatch troops into hostilities without congressional authorization would clearly prevent all of the action contemplated, he wrote, it should not be interpreted as binding law.

And though it would be illegal for Ford to unilaterally return troops to Vietnam to enable Americans to be permanently stationed there or for the sole purpose of evacuating South Vietnamese citizens, Scalia wrote, the president had constitutional authority to do so to evacuate Americans. While they were there, they could extract South Vietnamese, too, he added.

Ms. Hathaway said, I think theres a good case to be made that this memo marks the beginning of the end of the War Powers Resolution.
This year, crossings through the brutal jungle path are on track to break that record, and the vast majority of the migrants are Venezuelan.

Daniel Cooper Bermudez, the director of Hearts on Venezuela, an organization meant to create awareness of the countrys humanitarian situation, said that U.S. politicians were using Venezuelan migrants as a political maneuver.

In a country that claims to be a representative of freedom and a promoter of human rights for the population, there should be coherence inside and outside Venezuela, he said.

And in Maracaibo, several people said that the migration flow would only continue given the dire situation in Venezuela that shows no signs of abating.

Two bricklayers in the city, a father and a son, left for the United States on Friday.

Yudi, the wife and mother of the bricklayers, said they had left because they could no longer afford to buy food. (Yudi, fearful that sharing her story would cause her family to be deported if they made it to the United States, asked that only her first name be used.)

We are afraid of what might happen to them, but nothing of what they were paid for their work was enough for anything, she said. Sometimes you have to take risks.

Oscar Lopez contributed reporting from Mexico City.
BEIJING  As Xi Jinping, Chinas leader, visited Central Asian countries this week, he stepped off planes to rousing performances by rows of dancers, musicians and ceremonial guards. Uzbekistans leader called him the greatest statesman, Chinese state media declared, while the leader of Turkmenistan praised his wise leadership. They draped him in medals.

For Beijing, the pomp and fanfare that greeted Mr. Xi, as well as the effusive rhetoric of his counterparts, served to show that China is not isolated despite coming under pressure from the United States and much of the West for its human rights violations and threats to Taiwan. Such messaging by Chinas propaganda apparatus carries more urgency as Mr. Xi prepares to extend his power and elevate his authority at a Communist Party congress next month.

In the narrative presented by Beijing, Mr. Xi is the reliable global leader that other countries look to for support in a world made turbulent by American hegemony. Even Vladimir V. Putin, Russias autocratic leader, seemed almost deferential in his meeting with Mr. Xi on Thursday, acknowledging that China had questions and concerns about Russias war in Ukraine.
Follow the latest news on Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral.

HONG KONG  Many people lining up outside the British Consulate General here this week were mourning not just the death of Queen Elizabeth II but the loss of what the city once was.

They were there to leave flowers, a portrait of the queen or a Union Jack, and to sign a book of remembrance for Elizabeth, who was Hong Kongs head of state for 45 years when it was a British colony. The consulate said more than 10,000 people had paid their respects in the week ended Friday, when temperatures neared the mid-90s.

When mourning the queen, we are mourning the lost Hong Kong, said Cathleen Cheung, 30, a social worker who went to the consulate on Friday.

Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before it returned to Chinese control in 1997 under a policy of one country, two systems. Since then, China has chipped away many of the citys freedoms, including of speech, assembly and political dissent. A national security law passed in 2020, after massive protests roiled the city the year before, shattered what remained of the citys pro-democracy movement.
BEIJING  Infected patients quarantined alongside those who tested negative. No food for hours, despite repeated requests. Lines of buses, loaded with people, waiting late into the night to drop them off at makeshift isolation centers.

These are the scenes described by residents of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, who have been locked down for one month as officials try to contain a coronavirus outbreak.

Lockdowns, including of entire cities, have become almost commonplace in China, which remains bent on eliminating the coronavirus even as the rest of the world tries to live with it. But the recent calls for help out of Tibet, as well as Xinjiang  two border regions where the Chinese government has put in place highly repressive controls  speak to how desperate conditions have become there, where many residents are usually intimidated into keeping quiet.

Yet the incentive for the authorities to hold fast and silence discontent is also stronger than usual. The Chinese Communist Party is slated to hold a major political meeting next month, where its leader, Xi Jinping, is almost certain to extend his tenure. In the run-up, it is crucial for officials to ensure that the effort to achieve zero Covid, which Mr. Xi has declared a personal priority, appears smooth and successful.
The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email.

Visitors to New York often remark that it feels like stepping into a film set. To walk through Central Park is to trace the footsteps of Harry and Sally, Spider-Man or various Muppets. Momentary glimpses of the Chrysler Building or the New York Public Library work almost as an establishing shot: This is New York City, baby.

Melbourne has little such on-screen cachet. Its skyline barely sticks in the memory. Instead, those architectural aspects that linger are on a far smaller scale: the lacy ironwork that fringes cottages and terraced houses; the unusually broad streets of the central city; the independent cinemas spread across town  the Astor, the Palace, the Sun Theatre  with their grand facades and gently creaking seats.

And while people in New York celebrate its cycles of boom and bust, ask Melburnians about their citys recent history and many draw a blank. It barely features in school curriculums, which take a broader approach. Even at the municipal museum, the wing dedicated to the citys history dwells on its colonial roots, before galloping through the last century.

A new documentary, The Lost City of Melbourne, goes some way to explaining why the city looks the way it does. In less than 90 minutes, the movie retraces Melbournes architectural history, eulogizing some of the magnificent 19th-century buildings felled in the name of glass-fronted progress in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
ROME  At least nine people died and four others were missing after a rainstorm on Thursday night dumped more than a foot of water on a coastal area of central Italy, officials said on Friday, turning streets into rivers, blocking bridges and highways, and leaving thousands without electricity or gas.

The downpour swept through a swath of the central Marche region, passing from inland towns in the Apennines toward the seaside city of Senigallia, and swelling rivers that deposited mud and debris in their path.

In a post on social media, firefighters said that they had rescued dozens of people who had taken refuge on their roofs or in trees, after what one national official described as a water bomb hit the area.

The storm was just the latest destructive weather event in Italy across a summer that has also included one of the worst droughts in recent history. Officials said the intense rains, flash floods and droughts that have taken a severe toll on the countrys agricultural sector underscored the need to address global warming.
I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible, he said. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its abandonment of the negotiation process, he added.

Mr. Modis comments came a day after President Xi Jinping of China  in his first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin since the invasion began  struck a far more subdued tone than the Russian president, and steered clear in his public comments of any mention of Ukraine. The muted Chinese support was a sign that Russia lacks the full backing of its most powerful international partner as it tries to recover from a humiliating rout in northeastern Ukraine last week.

With Russia under Western sanctions, India and China have been pivotal financiers for Moscow, including by purchasing Russian energy at a discount  putting themselves in the middle of the messy war with Ukraine and a geopolitical standoff with the West. Both countries have also provided Mr. Putin relief against resolutions at the United Nations, with India abstaining from votes critical of Russias aggression even as it expressed concern about the violence.

Indias steady relationship with Moscow long predates its recent expansion of ties with the United States. Russia has remained the main source of cheaper arms for Indias military, which is increasingly stretched in a hostile region.

From the start of the war, India has sought to carve a middle path in the Ukraine crisis, attempting to maximize its leverage on the global stage without limiting its economic opportunities. It has ignored American and European entreaties not to buy Russian oil, framing its purchases of discounted Russian crude as a necessity at a time of rising food and fuel prices  even as Ukraines top diplomat said the discount has to be paid by Ukrainian blood.
Indeed, many royal watchers and historians look to the prince and his wife as the real future of the British monarchy, thanks in part to the familys own careful image construction around the pair, casting them as a symbol of the next generation.

This is a very transitional monarchy, Arianne Chernock, a professor of history at Boston University and an expert on the modern British monarchy, said of the new reign of King Charles III, who is 73. I think were going to have to wait honestly until William and Kate, until we see more significant updating. But always, of course, also attuned to and mindful of tradition.

In the days since his grandmothers death, William has exhibited a respect for royal tradition as well as an instinct for positive imagery. Last Saturday, he issued a personal statement honoring his grandmother, emphasizing not only their personal relationship but also the impact she had on shaping his and Kates view of what the monarchy should be. He also took a very visible walk that day with his brother Harry and Harrys wife, Meghan, projecting a sense of comity between two siblings whose relationship has been tense since last year.
Chinas quiet ambivalence about aspects of Russias war in Ukraine has long been understood by Moscow, but ties between the two countries remain strong  even if it was notable that President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged Beijings concerns publicly, American officials said Thursday.

Whats striking is Putins admission that President Xi has concerns about Russias war against Ukraine, Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said a few hours after the two leaders met in Uzbekistan. Those concerns shouldnt be a surprise, he said, but added: It is somewhat curious that President Putin would be the one to admit it.

Mr. Putin appears to have felt that publicly acknowledging Chinas concerns would send a reassuring message to it and other countries that support Moscow, according to U.S. officials.

But there is little chance of any sort of break between Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi.

Fundamentally, both leaders want to challenge the power of the United States and its allies, and each sees the other as a useful weapon against American influence in the international order. Some U.S. analysts say Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin see similarities between Russias ambitions in Ukraine and Chinas view of Taiwan.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Unions top official, reassured President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine during a wide-ranging meeting Thursday in Kyiv that his country is still progressing toward membership in the bloc.

In a discussion that also touched on Europes rising energy prices and military aid, Ms. von der Leyen told Mr. Zelensky that the entry process will most likely be long and difficult. But, she added, the possibility exists that Ukraine could join the E.U.s internal market before acquiring full member status, a potential boon for Ukraines battered economy.

I note determination, huge progress on this path, she said. We will support you with all our capabilities.

It was Ms. von der Leyens third trip to Ukraines capital since Russia invaded in February. She has become an unexpected wartime leader, recasting the typically bureaucratic role of European Commission president, and has vowed that the bloc will continue to support Ukraine. In her State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday, she reiterated her stance against Moscow and laid out a plan to help Europe withstand the major energy crisis unleashed by Russia.
Follow the latest news on Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral.

LONDON  Shortly before 8 p.m. on Friday, King Charles III took up his post at one end of the catafalque in Westminster Hall, standing a last vigil over the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, along with his sister and brothers.

It was a deeply personal moment, but like so many during the kings hectic first week on the throne, one bathed in the glare of television cameras. Many of those moments have been majestic and poignant, not least in Cardiff, where Charles, who until last week was the Prince of Wales, traveled on Friday.

The king shook hands and took flowers from children, an echo of last week at Buckingham Palace, where a woman in the crowd kissed him. He addressed the Welsh Senate in Welsh, speaking of his love for this corner of earth. He laughed softly as he chatted with well-wishers, looking refreshed after a day out of public view Thursday at his country house in Gloucestershire.

Yet there have been a couple of other moments  both involving uncooperative fountain pens, as it happens  that revealed a less poised sovereign. In one, he impatiently gestured for aides to move an inkwell and tray of pens out of his way. In another, he sputtered, Oh God, I hate this! after a pen leaked on his fingers.
NABLUS, West Bank  The short life and bloody death of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi encapsulated why both Palestinians and Israelis fear that a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank will not end soon.

Mr. al-Nabulsi, 18, was the son of a senior intelligence officer in the Palestinian Authority, the body that administers parts of the West Bank in close coordination with Israel.

But the younger al-Nabulsi took a different path, taking up arms against Israel instead of quietly working with it. Last month, the young gunman was killed in a shootout with Israeli soldiers, one of more than 80 Palestinians, as well as two Israeli army and police officers, killed in the West Bank this year.

As a father, it was hard for me to tell him not to get involved in this, said his father, Col. Alaa al-Nabulsi, 53. What else could I tell him? That its OK to live a life of humiliation?
Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, canceled all meetings and public appearances last week after falling gravely ill and is currently on bed rest under observation by a team of doctors, according to four people familiar with his health situation.

Ayatollah Khamenei, 83, had surgery sometime last week for bowel obstruction after suffering extreme stomach pains and high fever, one of the people said. The four people, two of whom are based in Iran, including one who has close ties with the countrys Revolutionary Guards, requested anonymity for discussing a sensitive issue like Ayatollah Khameneis health.

Ayatollah Khamenei underwent the surgery at a clinic set up at his home and office complex and is being monitored around the clock by a team of doctors, the person familiar with the operation said. The ayatollahs condition was considered critical last week but has improved, and he is currently resting, the person said. His doctors remain concerned that he is too weak to even sit up in bed.

As supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei wields huge authority in Iran and would be the final arbiter on issues like the nuclear deal that is currently being negotiated with the United States. A former president of Iran and protege of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the revolution that led to the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Khamenei assumed the position of the countrys top religious, political and military authority in 1989.
Employers already had some leeway to give workers a grace period  a couple of months or so past the deadline  to use the money in their F.S.A. or to let them carry a few hundred dollars into the next plan year. But during the height of the pandemic, many people delayed in-person doctor visits and didnt spend all the money. The federal government temporarily relaxed the rules in 2020 and 2021, allowing employers to extend spending deadlines by up to a year, or to let workers roll over their entire balance into the next year.

Employees didnt have to worry about use it or lose it, Mr. Durso said.

Now the more generous rules are expiring, and some workers may be caught off guard, said Rachel Rouleau, chief compliance officer for Health-E Commerce, the parent of FSAstore.com, which sells F.S.A.-eligible items. Workers should check their F.S.A., she said, to see if they have cash that must be spent by Dec. 31  or, if their employer offers a grace period, typically by March 15, 2023.

Its unclear how many workers may be affected by the expiration of the expanded F.S.A. flexibility. Not all employers offered extensions and rollover waivers. Federal data suggest that about 16 million workers contribute to an F.S.A., said Jake Spiegel, research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

For 2020, about two-thirds of Willis Towers Watsons clients adopted more generous carry-over provisions into 2021 for health care F.S.A.s and dependent care spending accounts, which let workers set aside money for child care, Mr. Durso said. For 2021 into 2022, about a third loosened the rules, he said.

Ms. Rouleau offered a hypothetical example to illustrate how the more generous carry-over rules could have affected a worker with a Dec. 31 spending deadline. (She cautioned that the example was possible but unlikely, since most account holders spend more than half their annual election.)
2016

A judge grants a new trial.

In the hearings, Mr. Syeds defense team argued that his original defense had been grossly negligent and presented the testimony of the alibi witness. The team also questioned why the original lawyer had not questioned the reliability of the cellphone tower records.

A judge in Maryland granted a new trial in June, and the state appealed the ruling. Ms. Lees family expressed pain and outrage at the decision to grant a new trial, saying that they continue to believe justice was done when Mr. Syed was convicted of killing Hae.

Lawyers asked for him to be released on bail; the motion was denied.

2018

Mr. Syed wins another appeal.

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the decision to grant Mr. Syed a new trial and vacated his conviction, agreeing that he had received ineffective legal counsel. He remained incarcerated.

2019

Marylands highest court denies the new trial.

Reversing the decision from 2018, Marylands highest court, the Court of Appeals, ruled in a 4-to-3 decision that while the original defense lawyer had been deficient, Mr. Syed was not prejudiced by that deficiency. It denied him a new trial and reinstated his conviction.

In November, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear his case.

A four-part HBO documentary beginning in March, The Case Against Adnan Syed, revealed that DNA tests performed at the request of Mr. Syeds new lawyers did not find anyone elses DNA on Ms. Lees body or belongings.
There may be further complications. Because no court has ever ruled that a president, current or former, can use executive privilege to block criminal investigators from the Justice Department from gaining access to executive branch materials, Judge Dearie may need to develop a new legal analysis to evaluate any such claims.

Moreover, there may be page-by-page complexities to sort through, like if Mr. Trump has handwritten notes of his deliberative thinking on a particular sheet of an otherwise unprivileged document.

What will happen now?

The special master has 10 days to consult with lawyers for both sides and then provide Judge Cannon with a schedule establishing a timeline for the overall review, deadlines for either side to make arguments about particular documents that may be in dispute, and then time for him to adjudicate any disagreements. Both sides will then have five days to object to his proposed calendar.

On Friday, Judge Dearie ordered lawyers for both sides to meet at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon. He also invited them to submit docketed letters ahead of time proposing agenda items for discussion.

What about the documents with classification markings?

The documents marked as classified are supposed to be up first  and they could present an immediate complication.

The order directs Judge Dearie and the two sides to prioritize processing the 100 or so documents with classification markings. Judge Cannon made that concession to the Justice Department, which had objected to her injunction blocking criminal investigators from full access to that material, saying that it is endangering national security.

Judge Cannon suggested that Judge Dearie could make an interim report about that portion of the injunction, after which she would consider adjusting it even before the full review is done. The idea seems to be to prevent her intervention from delaying the F.B.I. too severely from regaining full access to those records in its investigation.
Kupi Khop is a unique type of coffee served in an upside-down glass on a glass plate and sipped through a straw. For obvious reasons, its also known as Indonesian upside-down coffee.

If you ever find yourself on the West Coast of Aceh, in Indonesia, you owe it to yourself to enjoy a Kupi Khop coffee. The unique serving method alone makes it worth a try, as even if you dont enjoy coffee, you can at least share it on Instagram or on whatever other socials you prefer. Kupi Khop consists of coarsely ground robusta coffee brewed in a glass that is then turned upside down on a glass saucer. A plastic straw is then used to gradually extract the coffee from the glass without it spilling uncontrollably.

Photo: Si Gam/Wikimedia Commons

Coffee shops have been coming up with all sorts of gimmicks to get a leg up on the competition, but Kupi Khop is much more than a marketing gimmick. It has been officially declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage (WBT) of West Aceh Regency, and its history can be traced back centuries.

Serving coffee in an upside-down glass doesnt really make sense, but the fishermen of Aceh who first came up with this unusual serving method were actually on to something. Enjoying coffee while fishing was not the simplest affair back then the thermos hadnt been invented. You had to leave your cup and check the lines or try to bring in a fish, and that meant the coffee often went cold before you returned. But keeping it covered meant it stayed warm for longer, not to mention free from dust, insects, and other impurities.

So how does one enjoy upside-down coffee? Lifting the glass off of the saucer would just cause the coffee to spill and make a big mess. Thats where the straw comes in. Its usually slid under the lip of the upside-down glass when the drink is brought to the table, but locals have learned to slide it under the glass themselves, without lifting the glass from the saucer.

Once the straw is in place, all you have to do is blow gently into the straw, increasing the pressure inside the glass and causing coffee to ooze from it. When a puddle forms around the glass, you just use the straw to sip the liquid. Then just repeat the process as many times as necessary. This way, the coffee stays warm for longer, just like it did hundreds of years ago.
The superstitious manager of a Chinese education company has come under fire for rejecting people with 5 as the last digit of their phone number.

Chinese news outlets have been reporting the bizarre case of an education company in Shenzhen, Guangdong that allegedly rejects job applications of people who have 5 as the fifth digit in their phone numbers, because the boss considers it back luck. Such applicants are advised to change their phone numbers if they are truly interested in working at the company. The bizarre condition, which has nothing to do with competencies or work ethics, has sparked a heated online debate in China, where superstition is still a big part of daily life.

Photo: James Sutton/Unsplash

The hashtag Company Doesnt Hire People Whose Phone Number Has 5 as 5th Digit spread like wildfire soon after the case made news in China, with many scratching their heads about how an education company could have such a ridiculous recruiting policy. However, there were also comments from superstitious folks who seemed to understand and agree with the managers decision.

Whats On Weibo recently reported that one blogger by the name of Jimenjun, who specializes in astrology and numerology, explained how the bizarre hiring condition was most likely inspired by the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching or Yi Jing, also known as the Book of Changes, which includes the theory of multiple 5s being considered unfavorable.

Jimenjun added that a person with 5 as the fifth digit in their phone number might easily clash with their superiors and also bring bad luck to their boss.

My mum told me that it would be best if my phone number did not contain a 0 or 5, so theres not a single 5 in there, one Weibo user commented on the story.

Photo: Ralph Hutter/Unsplash

Generally, the feedback on the unnamed companys hiring policy has been negative. Many believe that regardless of whether a manager is superstitious, such practices have no place in the modern world and that the rejection of candidates on their phone numbers could be considered discrimination.

Its the 21st century, and there are still such superstitious bosses. Why dont you just hire a fortune-telling Feng-shui Master? one person commented.
Ana di Pistonja, also known as Baba Anujka or the Banat Witch, was an accomplished amateur chemist who used her skills to kill as many as 150 people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Baba Anujkas origins are shrouded in mystery. Some sources claim that she was born in 1838, in the Banat region of modern-day Romania, but her life was tied to the Yugoslavian village of Vladimirovac, in the Voievodina Province of present-day Serbia. As the daughter of a rich cattleman, she is said to have had a comfortable childhood and good education, but became a misanthropist in her early 20s, after being seduced by an Austrian officer who eventually left her with a broken heart and a syphilis infection. She found refuge in the field of chemistry and became known as a local healer and witch who could make anyone disappear for the right price

After isolating herself from the world for a few years, Ana di Pistonja allegedly married a landowner with whom she had five children. Unfortunately, only one of them reached adulthood. Her husband, who was reportedly much older than her, died 20 years into their marriage, and it was after his death that she became the Banat Witch.

Following her husbands death, Anujka turned one wing of their home in Vladimirovac into a chemistry laboratory where she started experimenting with various mixes. She soon became known as a healer and herbalist among the people of Banat, but she also dabbled in more controversial potions. She would help soldiers get out of military service by giving them poison to make them ill, and wives rid themselves of their husbands with so-called magic water.

According to a surprisingly detailed Wikipedia entry on the Yugoslavian amateur chemist, when told about a marriage problem, Anujka would ask her client, How heavy is that problem?, which meant, What is the body mass of the victim?. She would then calculate the dose of arsenic necessary to make the problem pass away without anyone realizing that they had been poisoned.

Baba Anujka would give the magic water to her clients, who were mostly women, and instructed them to give it to their husbands, who would usually die after about eight days. The old woman is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of at least 50, and up to 150 people.

By the 1920s, the magic water business of the Banat Witch had become so lucrative that she was able to hire a sales agent whose sole job was to find potential clients and bring them to the chemist. Of course, few understood the scientific process behind her product, so most of her clients reportedly believed that she had some kind of supernatural power that helped her magically kill people.

All this notoriety made Baba Anujka a lot of money, but inevitably drew more attention to her deadly business. In 1924, one of her regular clients, Stana Momirov, used magic mater to kill her husband Lazar Ludoski, and when an uncle of her second husband died in similar circumstances, authorities started asking questions. In December of 1926, Ana di Pistonja sold magic water to Sima Momirov and his wife Sofija, who intended to kill Simas 70-year-old father, Nikola. They succeeded, but their deed became part of the Momirov Trials, in which Baba Anujka was accused of being an accomplice in the murders of Lazar Ludoski and Nikola Momirov.



Despite denying ever having sold magic water to Stan and Sima Momirov, the analysis of the victims bodies found traces of arsenic, and the testimonies of her clients won the popular herbalist a sentence of 15 years in prison. She was 90 years old when the sentence was passed, but she somehow made it eight more years behind bars, before being released because of her advanced age.

Baba Anujka spent the last two years of her life in her home in Vladimirovac. She died on September 1st, 1938. at the age of 100, but her reputation as one of the most prolific serial killers in human history became legend.
The St. Louis Economic Partnership is looking to hire a strategic communications firm to promote diversified economic growth to advance the quality of life in the county and city of St. Louis, which has a combined population of just over 1M people.
AN Offaly councillor has claimed the number of people coming into Ireland is crippling councils in the country.

Cllr John Foley said he didn't want to be controversial and he appreciated there was a war going on but he believed it's something that needs to be sorted at a top level.

Why are we allowing so many in? asked the Independent councillor from Edenderry.

We are only a small country and there is only so much we can do to facilitate.

He said it was very hard when someone would say to him Well, I'm on the housing list for so many years.

We just can't cater for them... I'm not against anyone coming in but we have a situation where it's gone into thousands and we really don't have the facilities in any county in Ireland for them at the minute, he told a meeting of Edenderry Municipal District on Wednesday afternoon.

So I think there has to be joined up thinking at Government level to say look, there's no point in bringing in all these people if they're living on the street or living rough or whatever.

The councillor said authorities higher up than Offaly needed to look at the matter because it needed to be dealt with now.

Responding, Sharon Kennedy, director of service with Offaly County Council and district manager for the Edenderry area, said there were relatively small numbers of Ukrainian citizens in Offaly in comparison to other counties on a pro rata basis.

Thus far we've been able to appropriately assist them with their accommodation needs, said Ms Kennedy.

She said private contracts had been entered into between landlords and hotels and the international protection accommodation service.

The pledged accommodation that came in through the Irish Red Cross was also now being worked through and the council had also entered into an agreement with the Peter McVerry Trust.

Ms Kennedy insisted that the council was satisfying its requirements to provide services for those needing social housing and the Ukrainian community.

We didn't want any conflict or any difficulty in that regard because obviously we've to continue to make sure that our own, the people that are on our housing list, are appropriately taken care of, she told the meeting.

She also pointed out that the Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board had provided accommodation at the Birr Outdoor Education Centre.

That has made a huge difference to us in terms of the response from Offaly.

She said the council was trying to manage an appropriate, balanced and responsible response.

We've a moral obligation to help those who are in serious need of our help while at the same time maintaining momentum in Housing for All delivery.

She said she was confident Offaly would continue to achieve its joint requirements so there would not be tensions as a consequence of this humanitarian crisis.

She also thanked all the other agencies which were helping with education, language and transport, especially the Offaly Volunteer Centre and Offaly Local Development.

Offaly can be very proud of what we're doing, she said.

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail, supported Ms Kennedy's comments and said he knew the owner of apartments at Riverside, Portarlington where 180 Ukrainians are being accommodated.

It is a difficult situation for them because I see them there in the estate and the children are trying to integrate into the schools locally, said Cllr Fitzpatrick.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said the Ukrainians were being facilitated in centres around the country and he knew Ms Kennedy's insistence was that the council also must look after people that have been on the housing list for a long term of time and waiting.
A CURATE in Tullamore parish, Fr Luke Ohiemi, has been appointed as curate with pastoral duties in Clara and in Tubber parishes.

The Nigerian native will be resident in Horseleap with a shared ministry between the two parishes.

In a tribute, Tullamore parish priest Fr Joseph Gallagher said: He has been with us here in Tullamore for the past six years and we will miss him. He has been very much part of our parish during very challenging times and we have appreciated his dignified and prayerful presence among us.

Fr Gallagher added: His ministry to young people in our schools, to couples preparing for marriage, to the sick at home and in hospital, to the needy, to families in time of bereavement, to prayer groups, his patient listening and thoughtful advice, these have all been part of his committed and gentle ministry.

We wish him well in his new appointment and may God continue to bless him and his work.

In 2015 Fr Ohiemi, Diocese of Idah, Nigeria was appointed by the Bishop of Meath to minister in Kinnegad parish while pursuing post-graduate studies in Maynooth.

Subsequently he was based in Tullamore where he became a popular figure in local circles.
This is sick! exclaims a very excited 10-year-old Poppy as were being shown how to move the electric beds up and down in our super fancy campervan.

Were in Poole to pick up our home on wheels for the weekend, and are heading to the Jurassic coast in Dorset. Rosie, 13, cant wait to unpack and fill all the cubby holes and compartments, and were all looking forward to a bit of a road trip.

With the stress of airports, Covid and flight cancellations, were happy to holiday at home, but hiring something like this takes the staycation to a whole new level.

Were renting it from Camplify  which is to motor homes what Airbnb is to houses. Our camper is a deluxe Roller Team T-Line 700. Brand new in April (its done less than 3,000 miles), the front seats swivel round to the table and back seats, where the girls are sitting as we nervously drive away.

I wont be doing any of the driving. Its scary enough being a passenger as my husband James wangs this enormous beast through the town centre and I attempt to work out how to keep the sat nav on, while catching flying water bottles and stopping things making clanking noises. But once were out of town and James gets into the groove of driving a 23ft vehicle, it starts to feel more relaxing.

Were staying at Pilsdon View  a friendly campsite, run by Terry and April, who do the rounds every night, delivering fire drums and wood, so we can gather round, keep warm and toast marshmallows for our smores.

With rave reviews online, its a great set-up, with showers better than lots of us have at home, flushing toilets, hot water and a decent washing-up area. Theres no electric hook up here, and noise is discouraged late at night, meaning its popular with families. The small play park, bouncy hoppers and unicycles keep kids busy, and theres an on-site van selling hot breakfasts in the morning, and burgers and hot dogs by night.

As we drive in, our names are all on a welcome board, and as we leave one day, April comes running after the camper, telling us our skylights are open (this isnt allowed when youre driving were such novices).

But were here to explore, and Dorset is full of sublime sandy beaches, lush countryside and endless skies, whatever the weather. To really take in the views, we head to West Bay and climb aboard a Dash of Lyme RIB Lyme Bay Charter (19pp; lymebayribcharter.co.uk ). Uncontrollable shrieks and giggles fall out of our mouths, as skipper Milo reads the crowd, providing the perfect balance of thrills to chills as we skid and bump over the waves. Speeding through the ocean, the stunning surroundings form one of the most beautiful coastlines Ive ever seen. Sheer cliff faces overlook sandy shores, until we reach the highest point of the south coast, Golden Cap.

The adrenaline making us hungry, we nip over the road to Baboo Gelato (baboogelato.com)  an ice cream kiosk with a backstory so captivating, you might never buy a Mr Whippy again.

We dont think ice cream is done well in Britain, director Sam Henbury tells me, whose wife Annie set up the business in 2015. After studying at the Gelato University (yes, really) in Bologna, Italy, Annie set about making ice cream properly, using more milk than cream, so its lower in fat and with a fuller flavour, because theres less air in gelato  all the more reason to have a second scoop.

They wanted to sell it from kiosks manned by people who care, like Ruby, who hands me an enormous cone spilling over with award-winning maple and pecan gelato (4.50 for two scoops). She lives in Leeds, but heads down to Dorset every summer to work at Baboo.

Its an emotional product, Sam continues. When you eat ice cream, you create family memories youll remember forever. Life can be very joyless  we want to bring the joy; ice cream is an affordable luxury. I completely concur, as we sit on picnic benches by the river, eating ice creams almost the size of our heads.

If youre looking for something more substantial, the Watch House Cafe (watchhousecafe.co.uk) sits right on the beach at West Bay, offering a great brunch menu, pizzas, seafood, and even DJs on a Thursday night (mains around 15). Its beach chic vibes ooze out of the wooden slatted shack, with plants and giant glass bulbs hanging from the ceiling and whirring windmills at the window. The four-hour bottomless brunch (daily, 11am) is an absolute bargain at 26.50, and especially popular at the weekends.

Back in the van, we weave our way through beautifully quaint villages as we meander round Dorset: the bustling market town of Bridport, pretty Abbotsbury, the undulating coastal roads taking us past Ringstead and Martinstown.

Stomping over stones at Chesil Beach, kitesurfers zip through the sea while paddleboarders attempt not to wobble off, as tiny boats sail by. We head over the road to Chesil And Fleet Nature Reserve and discover Ferrybridge sand flats, an area thats vital for bird and marine life. Sea gulls bathe in pools of water, while a watchful heron waddles alongside them.

Sea spurge sprouts up from the ground, reaching up to baby blue skies framed with candy floss clouds. The water zigzags through the ground next to a sea of pebbles. The girls charge to the top, jumping in the fresh air and taking smiley selfies, as they stare into the Atlantic on the other side. The breeze blows the cobwebs away as nature ignites our souls.

Another day, we walk from The Smugglers Inn at Osmington, down the pathway to the coast where we scramble over rocks and into the sea. There are only three other people on this part of this beach. I sit on a craggy boulder watching the light dance across the water like a glitter ball, while Poppys shape-shifting shadow dances in the warm, evening sun.

We drive the van over to Weymouth  a busy seaside town with plenty of rides, sandcastles and sticks of rock. But grown-ups might prefer the vista in Rockfish, Mitch Tonks fish restaurant (www.mitchtonks.co.uk/rockfish), which sits opposite the seafront.

Decorated in sea shades of turquoise and white with maps of the world adorning the walls, their own-brand Rockfish Sea Cider (4.95, made by Salcombe brewery) is super quaffable and slides down beautifully with some sourdough and salty seaweed butter.

We tuck into a feast of salt and pepper halloumi (7.95), freshly-caught haddock (18.95) and sea bass (26.96), chargrilled calamari (17.95) and mountains of chips. Delightfully intriguing curried mushy peas (2.95) are an absolute must, too.

On our final morning, were woken to the sound of summer raindrops on a tin roof. It seems a fitting end to our first van escape. Our bodies are tired from late-night campfires and early starts, but we all agree Poppy was right, van life is pretty sick.

How to plan your trip

Camplify (camplify.co.uk) is one of the largest campervan and motorhome sharing communities globally. The Super Lux 6 Berth Motorhome is available to hire from 149 per day, sleeping up to six people.

Pilsdon View Camping can be booked via pitchup.com and costs from 18.50 a night for a non-electric grass tent or motorhome pitch for two people. The site also has bell tents and yurts from 40 for two people.
LOCAL Offaly-based business The Factory has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Energy Awards 2022 for the award in the Small and Medium Business category.

They are among the cohort of energy-conscious businesses, colleges and communities that have been selected for their dedication to an energy-efficient way of working. The annual awards recognise and reward excellence in sustainable energy in business, communities, research, buildings, renewables and the public sector. A total of 33 applicants across 10 categories have been shortlisted. Winners will be announced at the national awards ceremony in October, this will return in person for the first time in three years following online ceremonies during Covid.

The successful finalists were chosen for their innovative sustainable energy solutions, inspiring energy action among colleagues and peers and their dedication to the climate action movement.

Congratulating the entrants and finalists, Fergus Sharkey, Head of Business Supports and Transport with SEAI said: It is the 19th year of the Energy Awards and each year the SEAI team, and our external VIP Judges, continue to be blown away by the quality of entries, and the grassroots climate action underway in all pockets of our society. We received 107 entries from businesses, communities, and organisations across the country who are leading the movement, reshaping our communities and businesses, and encouraging every one of us through their action. With the urgent need to accelerate climate action in the context of energy supply constraints and rising costs, their work is more important now than ever and we hope they can provide an example to others.

This years categories include Energy Team or Manager of the Year, Excellence in Energy Research and Innovation, Inspirational Energy Community, Energy in Buildings, Public Sector, Large Business, Small and Medium Business, Innovative Deployment of Renewable Energy, Transport and Residential Energy Upgrades.

For more information on the SEAI Energy Awards 2022 and full details on the finalists projects, visit www.seai.ie/energyawards .

The Factory is an eco-print and graphic design studio. The Factory is now generating 65% of its electricity on-site via wind and solar power. It has installed LED lighting, an air-to-water heating, a solar PV array, a small wind turbine and invested in an electric vehicle for local deliveries. Other measures implemented include a four-day work week and managing five acres of land for biodiversity. The Factory is determined to make its sustainable energy journey fully transparent, and it has shared its journey and results on social media. The data shows how small businesses can be more sustainable and the Factory wants to empower similar businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
WE hear a lot about biodiversity these days. What is it anyway and why is it getting so much attention? Biodiversity - or biological diversity  is the term given to the variety of all life on Earth. People depend on Biodiversity in their lives in ways that are not always apparent or appreciated. We rely on it to provide us with food, fuel, medicine and other essentials that we simply cannot live without.

However, despite its importance, biodiversity loss is happening at unprecedented rates, impacting human health worldwide. An example is the decline at an alarming rate of our pollinating insects, especially bees. It is estimated that over one third of our food crops worldwide rely on pollination by insects with bees providing 70% of this. Without effective pollination we could face lower production and higher food costs.

Biodiversity is being lost because of human activities  land use change, pollution, habitat loss, poor water quality, chemical waste contamination and climate change all contribute to biodiversity loss and can pose considerable threats to human health. It is therefore, now imperative that every individual, every community, large and small takes action to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity.

Lorrha Development Association became increasingly aware of the biodiversity crisis, mainly through their involvement with the Tidy Towns competition over the years. As a response to this awareness, they have been giving the Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality category of the competition top priority. Their actions to protect biodiversity have included planting pollinator-friendly flowers and shrubs, taking steps to manage some grassy areas for wildlife, situating nesting boxes and planting wildflower areas. They held a Biodiversity Day in 2019 to raise awareness. The local schoolchildren were involved in this and have over the years been involved in related projects.

More recently, they made a successful application to the Community Foundation for Ireland for funding to employ an ecologist who has, since the beginning of this year, been working with the local community, doing the necessary surveys and preparation to develop a Community Biodiversity Action Plan.

As part of this preparation they organised a Biodiversity workshop during the recent Heritage Week. This workshop took place in Friars Park, Lorrha, facilitated by ecologist Anne-Marie and attended by a sizeable group of people who all enjoyed a lovely sunny Sunday morning in the outdoors. The children among them were thrilled to discover a variety of mini-beasts  a grasshopper, a beetle, a spotted ladybird, a worm and a hairy molly. They found wildflowers such as forget-me not, fumitory, speedwell and scarlet pimpernel.

All these living things, plants and animals as well as humans, do not live in isolation. We are all linked in what is known as the web of life. Under the guidance of Anne-Marie they discussed and made plans for enhancing the existing biodiversity in the park, the pollinator-friendly plants they would plant in the beds, enhancement of the wildflower area already there and a community orchard with a variety of apple trees and a couple of benches so visitors to the park can sit and relax in an oasis of calm and peace. The children were delighted to help when they were invited to take up standing positions so they could visualize where the apple trees would be growing. Assuming that their Community Biodiversity Action Plan wins approval, they look forward to making a further successful application next year, for funding towards its implementation.

In conclusion  in the face of report after report on the deteriorating health of our planet, the loss of biodiversity and the melting of Greenlands icesheet, it is all too easy to feel powerless. The task we feel is too great. But remember  Our Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference! Everyone can do their bit to protect Biodiversity and help halt the damage being done to our plants and animals and the landscape, waters and habitats in which they live.
An Ottawa police officer has been charged with misconduct for allegedly donating money to the Freedom Convoy occupation last February. On Thursday, Const. Kristina Neilson made her first disciplinary appearance to face a single count of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act.
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Royal expert Victoria Murphy explains why Prince Edward's statement in tribute of his late mother the Queen has come after that of his siblings.
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Despite expert's observation of Meghan Markle's awkward body language during tribute for Queen Elizabeth II, an analyst believes that the Duchess of Sussex aims to repair ties with the Royal Family to return to UK with Prince Harry and their children.
City A.M. 20 Sep 2022

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A leaked video appears to show a close ally of President Vladimir Putin offering pardons to Russian prisoners if they fight in Ukraine - but warning they will be shot dead if they desert when they get there.
Ontario schools must celebrate and memorialize the life of Queen Elizabeth, including holding a moment of silence on the day of her funeral, according to directives from Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
Germany is taking control of three Russian-owned refineries in the country to ensure energy security before an embargo on oil from Russia takes effect next year, officials said Friday.
During a meeting with India's Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Uzbekistan security summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to end the Ukraine conflict 'as soon as possible,' without saying how.
Several Russian councillors have called for President Vladimir Putin to resign, but their protest is seen as largely symbolic.
MBABANE  Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo says the continued random shooting and killings of security officers has absolutely nothing to do with politics of change or political reforms.

In a press statement released yesterday, Nxumalo said what was becoming clearer with each new incident was that the killing of members of security forces was a franchised money-making criminal activity sponsored by faceless criminals who benefitted financially from this scheme at the expense of emaSwati. Nxumalo said government condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing senseless attacks on members of the countrys security forces, with the latest incident being that of a police officer who was shot while on duty along the Yithi Abantu Highway on Tuesday evening.

Threats

He said government would like to warn that such threats caused anxiety to the nation and were part of the reasons that continued to derail the envisioned national dialogue, which all emaSwati were looking forward to. Nxumalo said government wished that such threats may be completely eliminated in order to allow emaSwati to live in peace and harmony as the case had always been. He further, on behalf of government, wished the injured police officer a speedy recovery. The governments spokesperson added that in line with His Majestys command, government, within the limited resources available, would continue providing the necessary support to the countrys security forces and the required protective gear and other essential materials while they execute their duties.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, said the unwarranted attack on the law enforcer undermined the rule of law as it was an unprovoked shooting which could have ended in tragedy. Furthermore, he said it was disturbing and it brought fear to the citizens, which was something which undermined the peace and stability of the country. Earlier this week, a traffic police officer from Matsapha Police station was shot in the lower abdomen. He survived the shooting incident and is currently recuperating.

This is not an isolated incident as State security officers have been a target of faceless people who kill them. There has not been any arrest so far in any of the killings.
In his first public comments about Ukraine's recent successes, Putin says he is in "no hurry".
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Migrants who arrived in Martha's Vineyard this week were bused to Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, taking a ferry off the wealthy island enclave.
Game Of Thrones star Owen Teale has said King Charles has hit the ground running as he praised the new monarch for his understanding and passion of the role the theatre plays in society.
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LOBAMBA  The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has demanded a turnaround strategy from ESWACAA following a deficit of E1.3 billion.

The Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA) incurred a net loss of E162 206 790 for the year ended March 31, 2021 and a net loss of E176 912 022 in the year ended March 31, 2020 and as such, the accumulated deficit stood at E1 348 832 659 as at March 31, 2021. The figures reflected in the compliance audit report as the Ministry of Public Works and Transport made its appearance before the PAC yesterday. Members of the committee were shocked by the deficit, given that the authority receives a grant from government in each financial year and they demanded the aviation regulator to present a turnaround strategy. Prior to the PACs demand, ESWACAAs Director Corporate Services Zanele Mavuso said due to their heavy reliance on governments subvention, they were dealt a huge blow at the height of COVID-19 as government changed its priorities in terms of funding allocation and there was also less activity in the aviation industry.

Cost

She also stated that they invested a lot on human resource, especially because they had to maintain a certain international level which came at a huge cost. Our infrastructure is also aging and we constantly spend a lot of funds maintaining it, she said. As much as the committee welcomed the explanation, they wanted to find out what the authority was doing to help the situation and also lessen their heavy reliance on government subvention. Mtfongwaneni MP Roy Fanaroukis, said if the authority continued to operate with such a high deficit, they would be in a similar situation with South African Airways (SAA), which had to be sold as it was financially crippled. You need to give us a clear turnaround strategy because you cant carry on like this. The sad thing is that it will be government bailing you out with the taxpayers money when there is nothing being done, Fanaroukis said.

This was also influenced by the auditor generals comment on the matter, reflected in the compliance audit report, where he stated that this meant the entire investment made by the shareholder (government) was at risk of being drained and the shareholder might be indebted to rescue the public enterprise.

Madlangempisi MP Strydom Nxumalo, also wanted to know if the company had a strategy to sell this mode of transport to emaSwati, to which Mavuso responded to the affirmative. Mavuso explained to the committee that the regulator was working on a strategy that sought to lessen their reliance on government and she was hopeful that by this coming December, it would be complete. She added that the strategy would include collecting proceeds from the local aviation space to boost their revenue. AG Timothy Matsebulas concern on this matter was that the authority was reliant on the subvention grant from government and in the financial year under review, the authority received a subvention grant amounting to E124 099 661, which indicates a decrease of E10 281 791 (eight per cent), from the previous years subvention of E134 381 452. The ministrys controlling officer, as reflected in the compliance audit report, concurred with the AGs observation and he stated that the authoritys reliance on the subvention grant from the Government of Eswatini was correct.

Priorities

He further stated that this was true for most of the Civil Aviation authorities all over the world, particularly within Africa and the Authority was advised that the reduction (from the allocation in the Appropriation Act 2021) was necessitated by changing government priorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Authority suffered a reduction of about E7.5 million in landing, overflight, parking and permit fees while airport tax collections were reduced by about E2.3 million as a result of the reduced activity that was necessitated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The controlling officer further stated that they were convinced that with the relaxed restrictions, a timely and full release of the government subvention and the improved aviation activities the authority should post better financial results beyond the 2021 financial year and this item has been a source of concern even to the authoritys leadership, hence the special mention of its going concern as stated in note 14 of the respective financial statements.
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Emirates Post, the official postal operator in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), held its first e-commerce annual conference on September 15 to bring together industry leaders and clients to share ideas and discuss trends in the sector.

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The inaugural event was held at the Emirates Post Group headquarters in Dubai in the UAE. The conference discussed the main trends in the e-commerce industry, including brand tactics for faster growth, different ways organizations can adapt to benefit from continued digital acceleration, how to meet the complexities of e-commerce head-on, and what new e-commerce strategies and technologies leaders need to evaluate in 2022 to succeed in the years ahead.

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The conference was designed to provide industry leaders and representatives from across the retail, fin-tech, marketplaces and D2C sectors with the opportunity to learn from digital commerce brands, working in areas such as social commerce, online payment, online retail and digital advertising. Companies including Visa, Deloitte, Act Global, RMC Group, Anchanto, Mumzworld, Lals Group, Noon and Drink Dry spoke on these subjects. Software as a Service (SaaS) technology firm Anchanto was the partner sponsor.

Peter Somers, CEO of Emirates Post, said, With the growth opportunity of the e-commerce market in the UAE and the region, this conference offered attendees the platform to innovate and inspire, to learn how successful brands are rising through the ranks, following the trends and capitalizing on digital opportunities to strategically beat the competition and maximize conversions in unconventional ways.

Following the successful outcome of todays event, we look forward to hosting this e-commerce conference annually. Through this unique event we aim to connect top industry players to discuss the current trends, challenges and the way forward for a combined outlook and action plan to mitigate issues confronting this sector.

Vaibhav Dabhade, CEO of Anchanto, said, This conference will pave the way for exciting deliberations between leaders of the most successful companies in the region. With global enterprises running operations on our SaaS solutions for the past five years, we believe our prolific experience can enable businesses in the UAE to scale their success in the region. We at Anchanto are very pleased to have partnered with Emirates Post for this unique event and shared our global expertise in e-commerce and logistics domains with the participants.
Photo: (Photo : Pexels)

A child's world expands as they grow up and starts to go to school. Relationships with other people become more important for the child, including the friends they make at school. Friendships are beneficial for the child as it helps with their self-esteem. When a child has friends, they would feel they belong, and if one of their friends needs extra help, lending a hand would make them feel good, per Raising Children.

Friendship helps children develop essential life skills they would need to get along with others and sort out conflicts and problems. Children with these skills are less likely to have social and emotional crises later in life.

Dr. Michael Whitehead, a marriage and family therapist in Twin Falls, Idaho, said that most kids have friends, on average, between seven and nine. Usually, these are people they commonly meet with regularly. A child's number and quality of friendships can vary due to personality type, emotional regulation skills, and prosocial behaviors such as friendliness.

Read Also: How the Upcoming Disney Film 'Little Mermaid' Are Making Little Black Girls Feel Included

Why is friendship among children important?

Renata Klabacha, licensed marriage and family therapist in Chicago, Illinois, said that friendship plays a vital role in child development and throughout their lifespan. Childhood friendship is salient as it provides children with companionship, support, peer-level social interaction, and the opportunity to explore not just inside the basic unit of society but also with the circle of friends.

The study "Social Relations and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Friends" showed that having friends who have the same period of birthyear helps children feel good about themselves. Particularly, having a friend who showers them with positive action and affirmation and enhances self-worth makes them feel good.

According to Very Well Family, having at least one good friend as a kid is associated with having healthier mental health as an adult. The study further stated that solid childhood friendships are linked to developing healthy prosocial skills.

Having a friend you call your best friend has many benefits, including reduced loneliness and anxiety. A child with a best friend would likely engage in school activities and know self-worth.

Childhood friendships contribute to children's quality of life

Some kids find it hard to find friends; as a result, they wouldn't be excited to go to school and are more likely to be socially anxious as they have difficulties making and keeping friends. Parents must encourage their children to make friends and teach them to be friendly so they won't have trouble garnering friends. However, they should not be forced if they don't feel comfortable being friendly. Parents should tell them they can go to them anytime.

Parents can also ask the child's teacher about their observations to track the improvements in their child's ability to engage.

Dr. James Youniss, a professor of psychology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, noted that parents should avoid getting too involved in their child's social life and allow them to flourish even without their presence, just them and their friends.

Friendships serve as a great support system for the child, and truthfully, it dramatically impacts mental and physical health, per Exchange Family.

Related Article: Boosting Teenagers' Confidence: How to Help Teenagers Have a Healthy Body Image
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images / John Moore)

A 13-year-old Florida girl speaks her truth through a 40-page picture book she wrote about the story of her mother getting deported and the fear and sadness she felt from being suddenly away from her.

Estela Juarez tells the story of her mother Alejandra, who was deported to Mexico after U.S. officials discovered she was an undocumented immigrant, in her book entitled "Until Someone Listens." The book, co-written by Lisette Norman, was published by Macmillan on September 13. It was a recollection of Estela's painful childhood memories, from learning that her mom was living in the country without papers because someone from the government came to their house one day to witnessing her deportation. Her mother had to leave their family for Mexico, an experience she described as having ripped them all in half to eventually living apart. She likened herself to a cloud, "a gloomy cloud that sits and stays" every day in that situation.

The book is currently printed in both English and Spanish editions with a cover showing an animated illustration by Teresa Martinez of a cartoon version of Estela in a pink shirt, shorts, and sneakers bravely standing in front of numerous media microphones and recorders. It signifies Estela's public fight and advocacy on behalf of her mother.

'My mother, a wildflower'

"Some see people like my mom as ugly weeds that need to be plucked out of the dirt. But they're not weeds. They're wildflowers, all with pretty shapes and colors, each one a different kind of beauty," Estela wrote in her book.

Alejandra's story became famous through media reports in the past years. A Mexican native and still 18 years old then, she illegally crossed the southern border into the United States to escape the dangerous living conditions in her country. But she was apprehended and was given the option by Customs and Border Patrol agents of going to detention or being released, provided she signed some paperwork. She opted for the latter, not knowing that she had signed a waiver to any right to citizenship or a U.S. visa in the future because she could not read. She returned to Mexico but soon crossed back into the U.S. again.

Estela revealed that her mother was able to attend high school after arriving in the U.S. and later worked as a waitress and was aspiring to become a lawyer. Alejandra eventually met her husband, Cuauthemos "Temo" Juarez, a former Marine and a U.S. citizen, and they settled in Davenport with their two daughters, Pamela, now 20, and Estela.

She was cited in a 2013 traffic stop during the Obama Administration yet was not considered a priority for deportation since she does not have any criminal records. She was just ordered instead to report twice a year to an immigration office, as reported by The Ledger.

Then 2016 arrived, Donald Trump was elected president and started a "zero-tolerance" policy on undocumented immigrants. Alejandra was found on the deportation list. She was taken out of the U.S. and back to Mexico on August 3, 2018, despite the pleas of her family and the efforts of U.S. Representative Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee.

After living apart from her family for three years, Alejandra, now 43, was granted one-year humanitarian parole last year, which was fortunately extended just recently until May of 2023. She is now back with her entire family living in Davenport.

Read Also: The Trump Effect: Immigrants Rushing To Attain Legal Citizenship To Vote In November's US Presidential Elections

'She is on fire'

Estela's mother is fighting for a permanent stay in the country. She expressed to Today Parents that she and her family don't know what will happen, but one thing is certain, she is holding on.

The story of Alejandra gained attention when it was one of the stories featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary entitled "Living Undocumented." This documentary also became the reason for Estela to be invited to the virtual National Democratic Convention, where she read a statement in her bedroom addressed to then President Trump. She shared that her father voted for him, yet his immigration policies tore her family apart.

The teenager didn't know it would become big and start a way for her to bring her mother back with them. Now when she remembers it, she is grateful that she became a part of it and was given the opportunity to speak and be heard.

After everything that has happened, being exposed to her mother's story and the stories of deportation of other families, Estela shared that she has it in her heart now to become an immigration lawyer. This is because of her strong desire to reach out and help other families, knowing that even with the publication of her book, immigration laws haven't changed much. She wants to help and see mothers and fathers reunited with their children in the U.S.

Her mother couldn't help but admire Estela's resilience and strength. She is the mother of a teenager she describes as a girl "on fire."

Related Article: ICE Deports Single Dad To Mexico, Leaves 3 Children; What Will Happen To His Kids Without Any Parent?
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Pets carry germs and infections that can cause illness to both parents and children. Different animals also bear various health risks. The most common illness your child might catch from a pet is stomach illness and food poisoning. Some animals carry a more harmful disease that can also affect a child's health, HSE reported.

Infants and children as young as five years old are more prone to get sick from germs that pets or animals usually bear. Young ones often touch surfaces that may be contaminated with animal feces and would put their hands in their mouths.

In terms of having a dog pet, usually standing at approximately eye level with the dog, study shows young ones are more likely to be bitten in the head and neck. Adults reach down to pet a dog which can make them sustain bite injuries to the hand or arm. Furthermore, some pets might get jealous of a new baby. Parents need to ensure the safety of the child first before the pet.

Pitbulls and Rottweilers are considered dangerous breeds of dogs, but sometimes some parents allow dogs around children. Daily Mail suggests that no dog breed is ever safe to be left alone with a child. Whether dogs are well-trained, they will still follow their natural instincts once they feel threatened.

Read Also: How the Upcoming Disney Film' Little Mermaid' Are Making Little Black Girls Feel Included

How pets may threaten the child's entire health?

According to a RAND (Research and Development), nonprofit organization, Corporation Study, owning a dog or cat in the home does not boost children's mental and physical health. The study was published online by the journal, Anthrozoos, and is the largest-ever study to determine the beliefs circulating that pets can improve children's health by increasing both physical activities and strengthening young ones' empathy skills.

Layla Parast, a statistician at RAND and co-author of the study, revealed that there is not enough evidence supporting the claim that having dogs or cats at home benefits children's mental and physical health.

"The study analyzed information from more than 2,200 children who lived in pet-owning households in California and compared them to about 3,000 households without a dog or cat." The garnered data was collected as a portion of the California Health Interview Survey, an annual survey that questioned whether participants had pets, along with many health questions, per Daily News.

How having pets negatively affects children?

The study determined that children from pet-owning families tended to have Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

On the other hand, a pet's hair bears dander, an animal protein, which normally causes the irritant. It can also acquire things such as dust mites, pollen, mold, and others that are common asthma triggers. Generally, health care providers do not recommend that people with asthma have a cat or dog in the house due to the risks of asthma attacks.

While many previous studies show pet ownership helps children become healthier, RAND researchers stand firmly with their studies and believe their findings are more relevant and credible due to the large analyzed sample size. Further research is crucial to provide a more comprehensive picture of the pet-health link, the RAND researchers added.

Dr. Leni K. Kaplan of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine told American Kennel Club that pet owners should not let dog kiss or lick a person's mouth, nose, and eyes as pathogens, salmonella and E.coli, can be transmitted.

Related Article: 11-Year-Old Boy Says He's Happy To Be Alive Recalling Moments a Bull Shark Bit Him
Photo: (Photo : ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Healthy teens are more prone to having irregular heartbeats after breathing in fine particulate air pollution, according to the first major study of its impact on otherwise young, healthy individuals.

The alarming findings have raised concern among researchers because heart arrhythmias appear to be triggered even when air pollution is within standard air quality limits. Heart arrhythmias can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death and heart disease, according to Heart.org.

Doctors monitored the air breathed and the heart activity of more than 300 healthy American teenagers over 24-hour periods. Doctors found that higher concentrations of fine particles called PM2.5s increased teens' risk of irregular heartbeats for the next two hours. Similar effects have been found previously in older adults.

Healthy teens having irregular heartbeats due to air pollution

The researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Heart Association that this is the first study that reports the association between cardiac arrhythmias and PM2.5 air pollution among otherwise healthy adolescents.

Vehicle exhausts and combustion in the construction and manufacturing industries are major sources of PM2.5s, which are particles smaller than 2.5 microns. Once PM2.5s are inhaled, these particles can reach deep into the lungs and even the blood vessels, where they can cause inflammation that drives disease.

Dr. Fan He, the lead author of the study at Penn State College of Medicine, said that the results were striking, given that healthy teenagers are usually considered low risk for cardiovascular diseases. He added that their findings suggest air pollution could trigger arrhythmias and contribute to sudden cardiac death among the youth, devastating events for their families and larger communities.

Read Also: Virginia Therapist Mom Shares Things She Will Never Do With Her Own Children

Participants given heart monitors and mobile air sampling kits

The researchers examined the impact of particulate air pollution on 322 healthy teens about seven years after enrolling, aged 6 to 12, in the Penn State Child Cohort study. The participants were given mobile air sampling kits, and heart monitors to carry around for 24 hours, whether outside or indoors, active or sedentary.

The monitors provided to the participants captured two types of arrhythmia that can make people feel their heart has skipped a beat. The first one is driven by premature contraction of the heart's upper chambers. The second one is driven by a sudden contraction of the lower chambers or ventricles. While premature ventricular contractions are rarely treated unless they cause symptoms, they can raise the risk of stroke, heart failure, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death later in life.

According to the study, the risk of premature ventricular contractions within two hours of exposure increased by 5 percent for every ten micrograms per cubic meter increase in PM2.5. He told the Guardian that the effect was alarming as it was seen even at an average daily PM2.5 level of 17 micrograms per cubic meter. An intermediate daily level of 35 micrograms per cubic meter is considered low-level pollution in the United Kingdom.

Related Article: Local Dad Creates Group For Las Vegas Fathers To Build Community in Nevada Where They Share Parenting Tips
Photo: (Photo : Franz P. Sauerteig)

According to Inside Edition, Alabama Police Department are after a 22-year-old Alabama woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend and cut their one-year-old child. Mobile officers responded on Saturday, at Manchester Park Apartments on Springhill Avenue, at approximately 11:03 in the morning, to a domestic violence report but only discovered a male stabbing victim and a child with a minor cut in the area where they received the report.

The man and the toddler were now treated for their injuries and the suspect has now been identified as Decara Cordier. The Alabama woman allegedly stabbed her boyfriend while he was holding their child, injuring the baby during the attack. The 22-year-old woman immediately fled the scene before officers arrived and are wanted on two charges of domestic violence assault, according to the Mobile Police Department.

Authorities now ask anyone with information on Cordier's whereabouts to call the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-1700.

Read Also: Grandmother Pleas for Return of Stolen Tandem Bike; Her 12-Year-old Grandson With Special Needs Uses It

Men can also experience domestic violence with their partners

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about one in four women and almost one in ten men have encountered contact with sexual and physical violence and stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported several forms of Intimate Partner Violence or IPV-related impact. Annually, more than twelve million both men and women become victims of rape, physical violence, and stalking in the United States.

More than 43 million women and 38 million men faced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Another woman from West Valley was accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death at the Glendale apartment and is now facing murder charges. Glendale Police Department has responded just south of Northern Avenue to a reported stabbing Monday night. According to authorities, one of the neighbors quickly called 911 after the suspect, Raeann Tyree Antonio, 24 years old, confessed to her bloody murder and stabbed her boyfriend to death.

The Glendale Investigators believed that there was some sort of argument inside her apartment before authorities arrived. The victim has been identified as Nathaniel Richard Yardley and was found with multiple stab wounds. The 29-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital but later pronounced dead due to his injuries. According to court records, Antonio is facing second-degree intentional murder charges and bail was set at $1 million, per AZ Family.

What to do when you're experiencing domestic violence

According to authorities, the person who is experiencing abuse may not be in place to speak with law enforcement regarding the abuse, denying the abuse might be safest for the person being abused especially if the abusive individual is around or present. Authorities suggest not calling police quickly regarding the violence as it could upset the abusive partner especially when a concerned neighbor or friend called authorities. The abuser might severely harm their partner when the police leave, thus, it's not a recommendable move.

The first thing to do is recognize what are the abuses done to you and eventually leave your abusive partner and just report the incident if you're no longer in the same place with the abusive individual.

Although violence in men is not usually common, it cannot be denied that domestic violence does also happen in men. Men who are being abused may seem anxious to please their intimate partner and just follow what their partner says and does, Mankind says.

Related Article: Recognizing Red Flags in a Relationship; Getting Out of an Abusive Relationship
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/ Inzmam Khan)

Depression is a condition found only in adults. This was psychiatry's general consensus up until the mid-1990s, Tamsin Ford, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge, UK, stated.

However, it has since become obvious that adolescence is a very crucial period for mental health. Research by JAMA Psychiatry on the Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions DSM-IV Disorder stated that about half of the Americans will meet the criteria for a DSM-IV disorder at one point in their lives, but with first onset usually in childhood or adolescence.

DSM-IV is defined as a clinically significant psychological or behavioral pattern or syndrome that occurs in a human being like anxiety disorders, mood disorders, impulse-control disorders, substance use disorders and other disorders. The study further stated that preventions or early treatment of these disorders need to focus on the youth.

According to Willem Kuyken, a psychiatrist at the University of Oxford, UK, even if study showed that children as young as three years old can be diagnosed with depression, typical onset is in the early teenage years, the period of intense brain development.

Half of all mental-health disorders begin by age fourteen, and a whooping seventy-five percent start in the mid-20s. Kuyken further added that a young person that faces depression or anxiety is often a sign that he/she might face lifelong challenges with symptoms.

Interventions in school unsuccessful

Another study on adolescence mental health showed a troubling trend where rates of depression among teens and young adults in the United States have risen much more quickly than older age groups since 2009.

Another troubling news is that sixty percent of these young Americans with depression do not receive any mental health treatment at all, says Tamar Mendelson, the director of the Center for Adolescent Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. In fact, even in those states that have the best access to mental health , one out of three young people go without treatment or intervention.

Given this with the added fact that few only have access to treatments that are expensive and time-consuming, Kuyken said that schools have become an "appealing target" where interventions can be done, especially that kids spend most of their time in this place.

Unfortunately though studies have shown that school interventions are not successful. Similar studies have revealed that young people benefit the most from those 90-minute one-on-one or group sessions that take place in clinics or other health-care settings.

Preventions and interventions in school are seen to be complicated due to its variable environments - it is small, lacks control groups, and only has a short-term follow-up.

Read Also: Loneliness in Youth Affects Long-Term Mental Health, Study Proves

Shift the focus

Kuyken proclaimed in an interview with Nature that interventions should probably need to shift focus from schools to "structural societal issues" that strains kids' mental health during those vital periods when they learn how to build relationships and function in the world.

"We might need a radical rethink of how we think about the promotion of mental health in young people. It's not just about preventing mental-health problems in children. It's about setting people up for life," the psychiatrist emphasized.

To be more effective, efforts of prevention and intervention should ultimately focus more on poverty, violence, homelessness, food insecurity and other structural problems that can affect the mental health of a child. As Kuyken proclaimed, it might be that the focus should not be on the teen's resilience but on what caused his/her distress in the first place. Is it going to school without having breakfast? Or, is it the inability to do homeworks and research work because they do not have wifi at home? It is important to get to the root of the problem before the intervention should begin.

Related Article: Spotting Depression In Children, According To Experts
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images / Pool)

Attention Upper-Eastsiders, here's one secret our Gossip Girl is so ready to tell - Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are officially pregnant.

A fourth child is on the way for Lively and Reynolds, adding to their family of five with daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and Betty, 3, ENews reported.

The Hollywood star and fashion icon shocked the public when she debuted her baby bump yesterday during her appearance at the 10th Forbes Power Women's Summit.

Lively, an image of woman power, walked the red carpet in a sequined long-sleeved mini dress and posed with her baby bump on display. This is the first time the actress revealed her fourth pregnancy excitedly saying, "I just like to create. Whether that's baking or storytelling or businesses or humans, I just really like creating."

Ryan Reynolds on sabbatical for kids

To date, there is still no comment or statement from the couple regarding the newest addition to their family.

Back in December last year, it can be recalled that the 45-year-old Deadpool actor took a break from acting to spend time with their kids. In an interview with LinkedIn News Senior Editor at Large Jessi Hempel, Reynolds declared that the biggest thing for him right now is not wanting to miss this growing time with his kids.

According to People, the actor also stated that as their children are getting older, their lifestyle has become challenging, and yet he is totally enjoying being a "present dad."

He continued to share that he loves taking his children to school in the morning and picking them up after.

The children are having a normal schedule now that they are in school already, and this is what they aim for as parents, for their children to "live life as a normal human." Reynolds believes that this is essential for their development. Thus, this is also the reason why the couple has decided to keep their daughters away from the public eye.

Read Also: Celebrity Moms: Blake Lively's Husband Ryan Reynolds Gives Best Labor & Post-Birth Advice

'Find me a better friend...'

While both continue to champion in the parenting game, Lively and Reynolds also continue to ace in the romance section.

After more than ten years of being together, boyfriend and girlfriend in 2010 and married in 2012, the public has seen how much they have fallen more in love with each other.

Asked about the secret to their marriage, Reynolds expressed that they have liked each other as friends, and now that they are married, they like each other even more so. In other interviews, the two have always been proud of the friendship that they have built before coming together as husband and wife and even after.

In an after a day Valentine's post, Lively took to Instagram a photo of them laughing together with the caption, "Find me a better friend. I'll wait..."

Reynolds, on the other hand, greeted her wife on the same media on her birthday with the sweetest message. The actor described his wife as "spectacular," - too spectacular that he does not know anymore if she were born or invented.

Related Article: Deadpool' Star Ryan Reynolds Planning To Publish Parenting Book? Blake Lively's Husband Drops Comical Parenting Tips On Twitter
MANZINI  Civil servants who tendered their resignations from public service unions (PSUs) can submit the letters to the employer to stop the subscriptions.

This was said by the Attorney General (AG), Sifiso Mashampu Khumalo, when sought for comment on what could be the recourse for the civil servants who were no longer keen to have the PSUs of Swaziland bargaining on their behalf on labour-related matters. The AG was engaged subsequent to that this publication yesterday reported that despite tendering resignation letters to their unions, some civil servants were disappointed to learn that their subscriptions were deducted for this month and would not get the three per cent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) and one per cent once-off, which was awarded to un-unionised civil servants.

The civil servants were members of the four unions forming the PSUs, which are: National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP). These unions collectively represent about 21 535 workers, based on their membership updates from the 42 686 civil servants recorded in the Establishment Register for the financial year 2022/23. It is worth noting that not all civil servants are eligible to be part of unions as there are those classified as un-unionisable workers in the civil service. These are public workers in management, members of the security forces and politicians.

Collectively, civil servants (unionised and un-unionised) draw their salary from a wage bill which was projected to be around E7.3 billion at the end of the past financial year (March 31, 2022). The aspiration to resign from the unions by some civil servants is subsequent to a collective agreement signed on June 27, 2022 by the Government Negotiation Team (GNT) and the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA), which saw un-unionisable civil servants being awarded three per cent CoLA of the monthly basic salary across the board which was backdated to April 1, 2022. In addition to this, they received a once-off payment of their one per cent of annual basic salary across the board.

Failing

This resulted in those who are under the banner of PSUs being left out as at the time, the GNT and the unions were failing to agree on their agenda for the year. The act of awarding a certain faction of personnel seemingly brought panic among those paying subscriptions to unions, resulting in others tendering resignation letters from their various unions. Meanwhile, Khumalo said the civil servants had a right to get a letter from their unions confirming that they had resigned and if they were without them, they could alternatively submit a copy of their resignation letters to the employer to stop the deduction of subscriptions to the unions they had resigned from. A last resort, Khumalo said, could be litigation, which he said was costly to the aggrieved. He said those who had resigned could submit to a court of law that they had resigned and, therefore, they should not have subscriptions deducted from their salaries.

On the other hand, SNAT Secretary General (SG) Sikelela Dlamini was on Wednesday quoted by this publication saying members who tendered resignations from his organisation were advised to get clearance letters from SNATs co-operative. This, he said, was to ensure that they were not indebted to the organisation. He said they were also asked to go to SNAT Burial to check if they did not owe anything from there as well. He was quoted saying out of the 50 members who resigned from SNAT, only one member returned with the desired clearance letter, which was then forwarded to the relevant offices within government in order to stop the monthly subscriptions from the resigned members salary. On the other hand, Dlamini advised their members to stay put in their organisations as the three per cent they were seeking was minimal to the benefits that they stood to lose if and when they resigned.

He also emphasised that unionised civil servants were also guaranteed CoLA once negotiations on the item were concluded by the PSUs and the GNT.

They were expected to ensue on Wednesday; however, the negotiations were postponed at the 11th hour, to September 21, 2022 as members of the GNT were engaged in other commitments.
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A shocking report claims that EVGA, a 20-year veteran of the GPU market and one of Nvidias biggest partners, is exiting the graphics card business entirely. As one of the most visible brands selling graphics cards to consumers, its exit from the marketplace will have huge ramifications going forward. EVGA will continue to sell its current supply of graphics cards, but will not design new hardware as Nvidia debuts its GeForce RTX 4000 series of GPUs.

The report comes from GamersNexus, a reliable source (and a friend of the PCWorld team) in a 30-minute expose. The video cites interviews directly with leaders at EVGA and quotes founder and CEO Andrew Han and chief branding officer Joe Darwin. PCWorld finds no reason to doubt the veracity of the information presented.

Update (9/16/2022, 4:40pm): EVGA has confirmed GamersNexus report in an official post in its community forum.

GamersNexus founder Steve Burke quotes EVGA sources on why the company made this decision. According to EVGA, long-simmering discontent between the company and its most crucial supplier have led to a definitive falling out. Apparently, this was known by Nvidias leadership as far back as April. EVGA complains that it was consistently given product information far too late in the development cycle, even failing to disclose the price of chips until the MSRP of Nvidia-branded graphics cards was announced to the public.

EVGA also claims that Nvidia restricts its partners from selling cards to retailers beneath price floors for some models and above price ceilings for others. This is a common practice in the electronics industry meant to maintain the perception of market value, but EVGA says the policy has kept the company from creating unique high-end designs at more profitable price points. EVGA representatives also complained that Nvidias self-branded Founders Edition cards are priced to undercut cards from third-party suppliers, directly competing with companies like EVGA, Asus, Gigabyte, and Zotac at an unfair advantage. EVGA claims that the current dip in the GPU market is causing them to lose hundreds of dollars per video card for high-end designs. Its known that many of Nvidias GPU manufacturing partners have similar complaints, if not so passionately expressed.

According to GamersNexus, EVGA has made the decision to completely exit the graphics card market, not merely divorce itself from Nvidia as a business partner. The company has stated unequivocally that it has no interest in building new graphics cards based on chip designs from AMD or new competitor Intel. Nvidia graphics cards represent a whopping 78 percent of EVGAs current business, and GamersNexus quotes the company in saying that it does not plan to expand into new product lines. That means an inevitable shrinking and downsizing of the California-based corporation, currently employing approximately 280 people worldwide. Darwin claims that no layoffs are planned at the moment and workers will be moved to other departments, though the companys leaders expect employee attrition as this news breaks.

At the time of writing, EVGAs non-graphics card products include other desktop PC components like power supplies (20 percent of its remaining sales) and motherboards, cooling hardware, and a few cases, plus gaming mice, keyboards, and video capture cards. EVGA has stated that it intends to keep the company together and is not looking for a merger or acquisition.

Existing EVGA graphics card owners will reportedly continue to receive customer service, and the company has GPUs and parts in reserve for RMA and warranty repair purposes. Though some engineering samples of EVGA-branded RTX 4000 cards exist, retail products will not be produced or sold, and the existing supply of EVGA RTX 3000 cards is expected to be sold off before the end of 2022.
The Board of Egbin Power Plc has announced the appointment of Mokhtar Bounour as Chief Executive Officer of the foremost privately run the thermal plant in sub-Saharan Africa that powers over 20 million homes and businesses.



Bounour's appointment, the Board said, would accelerate Egbin's ongoing transformation and propel the company's energy mix transition towards enhanced environmental sustainability.



A Sahara Power Group Company, Egbin's turnaround has trebled from a generation threshold of about 300mw when it was acquired in 2013 to almost 1000mw, following fresh investment in overhauls, technology and human capital. The company has also achieved 670,000kg of CO2 emission eliminated by reducing fossil energy consumption, 14.1% reduction in Energy Intensity of electrical energy, and over 1000 trees planted to safeguard the environment.



"With an installed capacity of 1320MW, our plan is to expand Egbin's capacity using a mix of alternative clean energy sources. We are delighted to have Mokhtar join us to sustain our continuing transformation programme and our commitment to bringing more energy to life responsibly, " said Kola Adesina, Group Managing Director, Sahara Power Group.



Adesina stated that Bounour would also lead plant optimisation strategies and spearhead the companys Emissions Reduction and Resource Efficiency targets.



Speaking on his appointment, Bounour said he was delighted at the opportunity to steer the future of the "iconic African power plant", noting that his interactions with the Board indicate that "the future holds a firm promise of unparalleled growth and sustained world-class performance in Egbin."



Bounour holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, a Masters's Degree in Management and Leadership, Business Administration and International Relations.



He has worked in Europe for the better part of his career, and prior to joining Egbin Power Plc, Bounour led Fertiberia Spain as CEO of Fertial and thereafter, became Business Development Director for Africa, Middle East and Turkey.



With 24 years of experience across Africa, Europe and Middle East, Bounour has led multi-functional teams in EPC construction, Operations and Maintenance, Power generation and Fertilizers plants. He is multilingual, being fluent in French, English and Spanish - an attribute that is expected to further propel diversity at Egbin Power which has employees from different nationalities.



His experience cuts across setting strategic direction for revamping, rehabilitation and management of change, contracts management, formulation, integration and auditing with the implementation of effective customer coordination. Others include, sales, business development projects, engineering and turnover acceptance policies, procedures and systems management for organizations.



Egbin's clean energy commitment manifests in several decarbonising projects, including enabling its employees to contribute to carbon-emission reduction through daily commuting on the company's electric buggies, bicycles and scooters, leaving employees healthier and the environment cleaner.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has pledged to support the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to build the capacities of journalists in the country as well as the rebranding of the Accra International Press Center.



The Bank which has been a partner of the GJA since 2018, has also reaffirmed its support for the upcoming GJA Awards which will be held on November 12, 2022, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City.



The Managing Director of the ADB, Mr. John Kofi Mensah, made the remarks when the Executives of the GJA paid a courtesy call on the Bank yesterday in Accra.



This visit forms part of the GJAs plan to collaborate with key partner institutions to explore opportunities for the development of the GJA and the various institutions.



Mr Kofi Mensah, Managing Director, ADB

At the meeting, the GJA President, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour called on the ADB to support the Association in its quest to rebrand the headquarters of the GJA which is the Press Centre.



He also called on the Bank to uplift its support towards the GJA Awards and as well help the Association build the capacities of journalists.



The GJA President who acknowledged the support of the ADB towards the media commended the Bank, especially on the part of its corporate social responsibilities, and assured the bank of the GJAs commitment towards the bank in the area of promoting Agribusiness.



For his part, Mr. Kofi Mensah who noticed the critical role of the media in promoting Agribusiness noted that the human capital development of the media was also critical.



We want to say that we want to see your human capital development, we want to support you in those areas to support your good citizenship with mother Ghana, he said.



Mr. Kofi Mensah also assured that the ADB will support the GJA to rebrand the International Press Center when it gets details of the project.



He also called on the GJA to support the ADB to promote Agribusiness and also called for a deepened relationship between the two institutions.



We want to assure you that as it was, we are going to do the same and even more together with you so that we can move higher, he added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ayawaso West Assembly has come under intense fire after illegally demolishing a structure in a prime area at East Legon in the Greater Accra Region on Wednesday.



The most shocking aspect of the exercise is that the Estate Developer, Nana Ofori Boasiako, has already been granted a permit by the Assembly. Furthermore, the MCE, Sandra Ahenkorah, signed all of the documents confirming Nana Oforis ownership of the property and land.



When the media arrived on the scene, the entire fence surrounding the land, as well as the culverts installed for the drainage system to allow the free flow of water, had been demolished.



In a press conference, Nana Ofori Boasiako, CEO of Incant 2 solution Homes, described the demolition as illegal and ill-motivated.



He said he couldnt understand why the Assembly that issued him a permit to develop the land would later turn and demolish his project, running into millions of cedis.



I applied to the Ayawaso West Assembly that I want to cover the culverts and do it to international standards to allow for easy flow of the drainage, he said.



The government is supposed to do this drainage system, but Ive taken it upon myself to do it so that I can develop my office apartment without impediments.



He went on to say that the demolition was illegal and unacceptable, asking, How can the MCE issue me a permit to develop and then come and demolish the project?



Giving the background to the land acquisition, the enraged Estate Developer emphasized that he legitimately purchased that parcel of land from the owners years ago for $140,000 with no dispute.



He went on to say that the land adjacent to the Araya Islamic School, as well as all lands stretching to Lagos Avenue, are all part of the Airport Extension, and that anyone who owns land within that enclave must apply for regularization of the land at the Lands Commission because it belongs to the state.



Nana Ofori, who presented all documents to support his claim, stated that he applied to the Lands Commission for the regularization of the land, which was granted at a cost of GHC780,000.



As a result, he claims that no one can claim ownership of the land, resulting in the demise of his project.



According to him, his caretaker called him late last year and informed him that a top businessman and his boys were on the site.



He stated that when he learned of this, he went to the Lands Commission to determine who was the rightful owner of the land.



He stated that the data available at the Lands Commission confirms his ownership of the land, and that his inquiries with the family who sold the land to him revealed that the land had not been sold to anyone other than him.



Later, the CEO of Incant 2 Solutions Home stated that he had petitioned the Secretary to the President, the Presidency, and the Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mr. Lord Commey, to intervene and prevent Sandra Ahenkorah, MCE of Ayawaso West Wuogon, from engaging in illegalities.



He hinted that he had instructed his attorneys to sue the Assembly and the police for the illegal demolition of his project.

Source: Atinkaonline









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District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South District, Clement Opoku Gyamfi, has called on government to declare a state of emergency to fight the activities of illegal mining (galamsey).



According to the DCE, the nation must fight galamsey like they did against Coronavirus disease through a concerted effort by getting every citizen and the media actively involved.



Clement Opoku Gyamfi, speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, admitted that the galamsey fight is a hard nut to crack but the nation cannot give up.



He believed a state of emergency will get every individual and all the State authorities as well as the media focused on achieving victory over the illicit business.



"The nation will be in trouble should the media give up. If the Police gets fed up with the fight of galamsey, it won't augur well for the country. Ghana Armed Forces and Immigration Service, don't give up . . . Our teachers must teach the school children the effects of galamsey activities," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A cohort of 50 winners of the 2022 Xplorer Prize, which honors young scientists working full-time in China, was unveiled Thursday, with the youngest awardee born in the 1990s.

This year the field of medical sciences has been newly included in the award category, and five clinical researchers were honored.

Each winner will be awarded a total of 3 million yuan (about 430,000 U.S. dollars) over the next five years by the Tencent Foundation, according to the organizers.

The Xplorer Prize was jointly initiated in 2018 by Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma and 14 scientists to support full-time science professionals under the age of 45, based in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, in 10 areas of fundamental science and cutting-edge technologies, including mathematics and physics, advanced manufacturing, and energy and environmental sciences.

Wang Guangyu, an awardee in the category of Information and Electronics Technologies, is the first prize winner born in the 1990s. Her research work focused on translating Artificial Intelligence tech into medical treatment.

Mai Peiran (Pui In Mak), a semiconductor scientist, is the first awardee from Macao. Material scientists Yin Xiaobo and Fan Zhiyong from Hong Kong were awarded for their contributions to advanced interdisciplinary studies.

As of 2022, the Xplorer Prize has funded 200 promising young scientists, according to the organizers.
MBABANE  Former Siphofaneni Member of Parliament Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane will not be allowed to make any address during the thanksgiving service of his wife, MP Nomalungelo LaZwide Simelane tomorrow.

It has been reliably gathered that yesterday morning, the Lubombo Regional Administrator (RA) Themba Msibi, Lubombo Police Regional Commander (RC) Charles Magagula held a meeting with Siphofaneni Indvuna Yenkhundla Mzimela Simelane. In an interview with this publication yesterday, Mzimela confirmed having met with the said officials at the RA offices in Siteki around 11am. Mzimela said at the meeting, he was basically representing his MP LaZwide, who was invited by the RA and the regional commander to discuss the upcoming thanksgiving service scheduled for tomorrow. He said LaZwide could not make it to the meeting due to other commitments, which included preparations for the event.

Meeting

Mzimela stated that upon arrival at the RAs offices, he was told that the meeting was meant to address security issues during the event as such gatherings often required police presence since they attracted people from other areas. He said they also informed him that since the event would be held at the inkhundla centre, which was a government structure, there was a need for security. The indvuna yenkhundla mentioned the meeting requested to see the programme for the event, which gave details on who would be the speakers because some people would not be eligible to speak during the event. He said among these people who would be barred from making an address on the day was the former MP (Gawuzela), who was expected to address the gathering virtually.

Declared

Gawuzela was declared a fugitive from the law after he skipped the country following a warrant of his arrest which was issued against him.

Mzimela said it was emphasised during the meeting that the former MP should not address the gathering. He said there were some sensitive issues discussed during the meeting that he was not comfortable sharing with the media as that may get him into trouble. However, he said he was comfortable to share that he was told that Bishop Mpendulo Nkambule should not speak politically-related issues during the gathering or else he should not speak at all. Mzimela said it was stated that Nkambule should not speak anything inciting during the event. He said it was also stated that Nkambule should get a neutral ground where he could speak politics, not at the inkhundla centre. When sought for comment, the MP, LaZwide, stated that it was her first time to see an ordinary thanksgiving that attracted a lot of interest from such supposedly esteemed officials.

She said she had always known that under the Tinkhundla System, the best place for people to air their views was at the tinkhundla centres. I am still shocked at what the indvuna told me, that some voices do not deserve to be heard, said LaZwide. The MP said she could only assure that nothing was hidden and she would forward the programme to them as per their request. No one will be coming to insult anybody there, hence I do not understand what the fuss is all about, she added. LaZwide said she had not forgotten that the event was postponed from the initial September 3 date. She said she was starting to worry if this was done because she was a woman MP or what.

She said over the past months, she saw other MPs hosting events in their constituencies where there was not much attention from government. Maybe this is to do with gender, but I am still to see as the events unfold. I urge mostly Siphofaneni electorate and all those who supported us to come in numbers as this is their day, said the MP. In a previous interview, Msibi said they were not against LaZwides event because she was a woman. He said they actually supported and acknowledged women coming into power.

Enjoy

Nonetheless, the MP said come tomorrow, it would be a great day and people should come to enjoy themselves with their friends. A great day it shall be, she emphasised. When sought for comment, the former MP, Gawuzela, said he was shocked to hear about such, that the people were not supposed to hear his voice. He said after all, he had not planned to speak during the event. He said putting his face on the poster of the event was enough as the people knew the message by merely looking at his face. He said the RAs office was just afraid hence the move to stop him from speaking. Gawuzela said he had spoken enough with the people and his voice was now in the veins of the people, not only Siphofaneni people but the entire country.

He said to prove that he had not planned to speak during the event, by the time it took place he would be in a plane, hence there was no way he could address the gathering. The former MP said, therefore, he was not worried about the move by the RAs office to silence his voice during this event.

However, he assured the people that whenever he wanted to speak to them, he would do just that, without asking for permission from anyone. The RAs office cannot decide whom I speak to or who speaks to me, he is not God, said Gawuzela. Lubombo Regional Police Headquarters Commander Magagula, said they attended the meeting after being invited by the office of the RA.

Comment

However, he asked not to comment about the agenda of the meeting, stating that the office of the RA was suitable for doing that. Efforts to get a comment from the RAs office proved futile as the RA, Msibis cellphone was not available on the network for the better part of the evening yesterday. The last call made to Msibi was at 7:36pm. Also, efforts to get the Lubombo Regional Secretary (RS) Jane Simelane were also unsuccessful as she did not answer her phone. Bishop Nkambule said such a move by the RAs office meant that he had not seen the programme because he (Nkambule) would not be part of the service tomorrow. Nkambule said the event clashed with his other appointment outside the country.
Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah says the government should sanction security operatives to shoot people, albeit not fatal, who engage in illegal mining (galamsey).



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' Thursday morning, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah believed if shoot-to-kill is considered too drastic an option, shooting illegal miners in the leg is a far more beneficial approach to ending galamsey.



He noted that seemingly treating galamseyers with kid gloves doesn't work, thus admonished the government to "use force . . . We can give 1,000 and over reasons why we can't do it. We can give all the reasons until we hold some people responsible".



"For me, I say they should shoot them in their legs. If you maim someone by shooting their legs off, he/she will lack the ability to engage in galamsey the next day," he added.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Black Star Square is fast deteriorating as Ghanas habitual neglect of key state edifices extend to the foremost public gathering space in the national capital, Accra.



As a result, the integrity of the facility has been compromised making the eight stands a deathtraps for attendees of the many national programmes that are held there.



When the Ghanaian Times visited the 30,000 sitting capacity square, also known as the Independence Square, over the last one week, it observed cracks in the concrete slaps which serve as seats with corroded rods in the beams, caused by the breeze from the sea some 200 metres south of the facility.



Across all eight stands, there were visible signs of leaking roofs, broken seats, hanging live electrical wires and faded colour paintings disfiguring the facility.



Most of the roofing over the middle stand of the three on the west which borders the Births and Deaths Registry was completely wiped off exposing the facility to the vagaries of the weather with the others hanging by a thread and blown by the wind occasionally.



The two stands beside the VIP section do not have seats as people would have to sit on the unpolished concrete slabs.



One could also see corroded iron rods firming the 24 inches woods bearing the aluminum roofing sheets indicating that a heavy storm could wipe off the roofing.



The Ghanaian Times also noted that the concrete bridges that linked the stands and the inner perimeters were broken and improvised with a wooden one.



The facility now also serves as home for the homeless; not only man but birds with their droppings littered over the place, their nests hanging in between pillars as they chirped in and out of the place.



The stairs were all littered with polythenes and other waste from previous activities which has not been7\ cleared. The seats that were not broken had traces of water gathered on them from the leaking roof.



However, the national flag with the black star in a white circle and the Coat of Arms at either end of each stand retain their sharp looks glowing in the faded paintings.



The Ghanaian Times was unable to access the VIP section as officers from the National Security outfit stationed there would not permit even a passage behind the two-tier facility.



For the human inhabitants like Michael Annan, and Ibrahim Musa, that is the only home they have known for more than five years.



Speaking in the broken language Michael said since his uncles wife hounded him out of the house some five years ago, the square has since been his abode as he puffs his cigarette away.



His new brother, Musa, said since leaving Walewale in 2020 and briefly staying with his cousin at Agbogbloshie until the demolition of the place in 2021, the Independence Square has been his home. A distant away from them, another group of young men were cooking as some were sorting out shirts and polishing shoes they have bought from secondhand clothes dealers for the market.



A highly placed source at the Public Works Department, Prestige, former managers of the facility, told the Ghanaian Times that a comprehensive audit of the facility had been submitted to the Ministry of Works and Housing in 2016 but little has been done to restore its integrity.



In the past, we were given money to keep the place in shape until no cash syndrome hit us and eventually the management of the place assigned to the Office of the President, the source which spoke on condition of anonymity confided.



When contacted, the Estates Manager at the Office of the President, Barbara Mills-Tetteh, requested that a letter was addressed to the Chief Director, Office of the President, for green light for the appropriate person who can speak on the matter.



Constructed in 1961 to coincide with the first visit of the now late Queen of England, Elizabeth II, a year after Ghana gained its republican status, the ground has remained the number one rallying point for national events.



Until 2019 when a rotational policy was introduced in respect of the commemoration of Independence Day, the ground, also known as the Independence Square, has hosted the annual Workers Day parades, the EidUl-Fitr and EidUl-Adha Islamic prayers, Christian and social gatherings.



Despite this importance, the square has not seen any major maintenance in recent times leaving it to decay and which poses danger to lives who may patronise the place in the future.

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh









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Bearing last minute changes, the Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame will today level fresh charges against the Chinese illegal miner, EN Huang otherwise known as Aisha Huang.



The charges against Miss Huang, is in respect of her current offence as well as those she committed before her deportation from Ghana in 2018.



The Attorney General assured that he will initiate prosecution when he called for the case docket from the Police.



News of Aisha Huangs re-arrest in Ghana after she was reportedly deported somewhere in 2018 for her involvement in illegal mining commonly called in Ghana as galamsey left many shocked and disappointed.



Prior to her deportation, many Ghanaians called for her to rather be jailed.



However, the Senior Minister at the time, Yaw Osafo Maafo, justified the decision, arguing that jailing the galamsey queen had diplomatic consequences for Ghana in its quest for economic support from China.



Reports indicate that Aisha came to Ghana from a neighbouring country through a land border, Togo.



Upon her arrival, she also acquired a Ghana card in February 2022 with a new name, Huang En.



Aisha Huang, has been slapped with two charges: mining without a licence, and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a valid licence.



The Accra Circuit Court 9 had denied the galamsey queen bail.



The notorious illegal miner is standing trial with three other Chinese nationals; Jong Li Hua, Huang Jei and Huaid Hai Hun, all charged with mining without a valid license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a permit.



The Prosecution said it needed time to finish off the investigation when they last appeared in court on September 14.



Already, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has backed the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to prosecute persons found to be engaging in illegal mining in the country.



Speaking at the 2022 Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) last Monday, he noted that since the onset of the 4th Republic, some 29 years ago, Ghana has witnessed the longest period of stability and economic growth in our sixty-five (65) years of nationhood.



According to the President, during this period of the 4th Republic, we have witnessed sustained growths in the size of the economy; rising levels of per capita real incomes; systematic expansion of the private sector.



He noted also that, in the period of the 4th Republic, we have taken strong measures to try to protect our lands, water bodies and the environment from the menace of environmental degradation and climate change; ensured that efforts to meet the most basic elements of social justice, i.e. education from kindergarten through to secondary school, and accessible healthcare to all our citizens, are ongoing.



President Akufo-Addo, to this end, assured members of GBA of my full support to the Attorney General in his determination to prosecute Aisha Huang and her collaborators, who, apparently, insist on flouting our laws against galamsey and illegal mining.



The President continued, I expect if they are found guilty, that the courts will apply the full vigour of the new amended Act 995, which has increased substantially the punishment for breaches of the law.

Source: daily guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Captain (rtd) Nkrabea Effah Darteh, the lawyer for the embattled Chinese galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, has said that Ghanaians perceptions of her client as a galamsey kingpin is not true.



In an interview with Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9 FMs Epa Hoa Daben socio-political talk show, he reiterated that En Huang, popularly known as Aisha Huang has the right to be represented by a lawyer.



People are presenting Aisha Huang as a notorious galamsey kingpin. That is not true but even assuming and for the sake of arguments, she has the right of any individual to a lawyer, he said.



Lawyer Darteh, referencing Aishas 2018 cases, indicated that she has never been convicted of engaging in illicit mining, hence cannot be referred to as a galamsey kingpin.



He furthered, she was on trial and the Attorney General said the trial should stop. Which means she has never been convicted of any offense in Ghana. So Aisha Huang is not an ex-convict. She has not been trailed and convicted of any offense.



However, Aisha Huang is likely to spend up to 20 years behind bars if found convicted of her most recent accusations.



Aisha pleaded not guilty to two charges at the Circuit Court in Accra on September 14, 2022, and has been remanded into lawful custody.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The newly crowned British Monarch, King Charles III has officially invited His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene to attend the state funeral ceremony of the late Queen Elizabeth II.



An invitation was also sent out to the wife of Asantehene, Lady Julia Osei Tutu.



By the invitation, Otumfuo will attend the Queens Lying-In-State, the Kings Reception, State Funeral Services and the Foreign Secretarys Reception.



The event will take place on Monday, September 19, 2022.



Somewhere in 2000, Asantehene was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II during a three-week visit to the United Kingdom where he visited the British Parliament House, Windsor Castle, and other places.



Also in 2018, Prince Charles now King Charles III visited the Asantehene when he came to Ghana.



Queen Elizabeth II, queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other sovereign countries died on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96, after 70 years of reigning as queen.



Buckingham Palace earlier announced that the Queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors became concerned for her health.



Following further evaluation this morning, the Queens doctors are concerned for Her Majestys health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision, a statement said, adding: the Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.



According to the BBC, the announcement comes after the Queen, 96, pulled out of the Privy Council on Wednesday, with doctors advising her to rest.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Founder of Danquah Institute, Gabby Otchere-Darko, has expressed concerns over what he says are lies being told about him.



According to him, the lies are because his cousin, Nana Akufo-Addo is the President of Ghana and believes the lies will wipe out once his [Akufo-Addos] term of office ends.



In a post on his Facebook page, he said the situation is so bad that he doesnt know what to do, stating he received about three such lies last week.



Expressing the frustration he said claims were that he, among other things, benefitted from the $750 million Afreximbank loan.



Below is the full post:



Lies Of Ones Everyday Life



It is surely surreal the stretch of lies that are weaved around people and, even more scaringly, believed by the many, discerning people included. Let me just share three that I heard about me only last week. If you have also heard any of the three, please confess!



Last Friday, a decent, elderly woman who loves me as a son and I admire so much, came to my office, on her way out of the country, and said she gets eternally worried the stuff she gets to hear about me and that I should be careful. That, I am accused of all manner of things and people are just out there to destroy me. I said to her, I know, but I struggle to respond to the rumours for fear of giving them oxygen. So, I asked, what was the latest.



She said word on the street was that I took $37m of the $750m Afreximbank loan Ghana received recently for my personal use and it took fervent pleadings from the Okyenhene, a deputy finance minister and the VP for me to bring it back after Ato Forson exposed it (albeit falsely) as allegedly missing!



The day before that, I was called to see one big man I respect who had heard that I was sitting somewhere insulting and accusing him falsely over something. A mutual friend, an MP, was kind enough to take me to the big man. I told them it could not have been me. Never!



The big man called the witness (my accuser) on the phone and put him on speaker. To my utter befuddlement, the false witness swore that it was me, and it happened at a specific place a couple of months ago and that there were other witnesses! He even added that he confronted me!



Me? I had not been to the place he mentioned, even though it is a notorious joint close to my office. But, he started getting rather agitated, insisting he spoke nothing but the truth. I calmly asked him to playback the incident and mention names of the other witnesses.



He said, he couldnt tell those I was talking to but he sat close by with a friend. I asked for the name he would not disclose to me. But that he overheard me loud and clear and actually walked up to me and had heated exchanges with me! This kind of lie was new to me! A whole new level!



So what did I say to him? He said I threatened to call the IGP to arrest him! Oh wow! As to why I would threaten to get the IGP to drop his workload to arrest a man who only challenged me over an insult from me, the man, a graduate, did not think it was bizarre.



Just after that call, the MP recalled a similar lie told about him years ago when his influence was much higher and mentioned that he had also heard that I, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, got arrested at Heathrow Airport, London, with 30m or so which I was carrying from Ghana. I told him that was not news. I first heard that lie just weeks before the 2020 elections. Then the figure was 40m (as stakes were then higher). A whole fake news item with an automated voice and pictures of cash were added for effect and circulated, even though no name was mentioned; but the gossip making the rounds was completed with my notorious name for good measure.



This makes the Aisha case looks like childplay. You may ask, so how did I travel with so much money and expected to get away with it and indeed got away with it after being caught? Easy! The story is that I had to get Ghanas Attorney-General (sorry Sister Gloria) and the GRA boss (not sure which one) to write to the British authorities to provide evidence that I earned the cash legitimately! No wonder the cedi wobbled a bit before the last elections!



It is as if we have lost comprehension of the value of money. From where would I have picked up that kind of cash? The truth is I have never been stopped anywhere for carrying any cash, not even cedis, and there has never been a reason for me to be stopped.



The big question as always is this: how do you fight such a big lie? This fake incident has been told to me a few times by very decent people and one even said the person who told him said he first heard it through a diplomatic source! Now, I suppose that gives it a credible tag of authenticity!



What are you going to do about these lies, Gabby? A worried family member recently asked. I answered: frankly, I do not know.



But, I guess I will have to live with it until at least my cousins term in office comes to an end on January 7, 2025. That is but only my hope!

Source: Facebook/d.Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama has challenged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demonstrate the political will to fight illegal gold mining, popularly known as galamsey.

That, he said, was because some of his appointees were complicit in the illicit activity.



If you go to the districts, they talk about community mining but the NPP executives and the District Chief Executives (DCEs) are the ones doing the community mining.



How can you expect him to fight galamsey when his own people are involved in it? he said.



The former President made the statement in an interview on TV3 last monday.



His own people



According to Mr Mahama, the Presidents own loyalists and party members had been found to be engaging in the activity because the partys executives had had concessions to illegally mine gold in forest reserves.



It is close to home and thats why he cant deal with it, he emphasised.



The former President, therefore, said the President had failed in his fight against illegal mining because the government was aware of who the perpetrators of the activities were but had failed to take action.



They all know who is doing it. The Changfang machines are there, its not something that you can put in a handbag so how come you cant find the machines that are washing all that mud into our river bodies, he explained.



Territorial integrity



Touching on the issue of Aisha Huang, Mr Mahama said the countrys territorial integrity was at stake if foreigners were allowed to penetrate without check.



Anybody who is engaged in illegality must be sanctioned. Ghanaians who are engaged in illegal mining are languishing in prisons, they have been sentenced and jailed, he added.



Mr Mahama, therefore, said Ghanaians would feel cheated if the woman who had been accused of illegal mining was let go without prosecution.



If youre a Ghanaian and you are engaged in an illegality in China, youll face the full rigours of the law and I do not doubt that there are some of our citizens in jail in China, he added.



He also used the opportunity to address claims that he received an ex gratia of GH 14 million in 2014



The only payment that was made to me by the government was my salary arrears of GH 230,000 in 2013, Mr Mahama explained.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Some Branch Executives and members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kwahu Afram Plains North have issued a 5-day ultimatum to their leaders over some important issues which might affect the party if not addressed.



Addressing journalists in Donkorkrom on Monday, 12th September, 2022, the Branch Chairman for Kwaekese Bampoe, Mr. Ayitey Sampson raised concerns over the NDC decision to inaugurate the branch registration exercise to record database of its members nationwide.



Speaking on behalf of the grass roots, he stated; "Unfortunately, this beautiful initiative of the NDC here in the Kwahu Afram Plains North is annihilating the party and will wreak more havoc on the fortunes of the party in the coming elections and beyond."



He accused the constituency Chairman, Secretary and some other executives saying "these executives are engaged in acts that are only pernicious or pervasive but will lead to what no political party will wish in the long run. While some Branches have been denied access to their registration books for the two weeks window registration, others who were fortunate to access their books have had names of their members cleaned using correction fluid".



Read below press release from the NDC members at Afram Plains North:



Press Release



Fmr. President Mahama, Father, leader of the NDC and the Ultimate Hope of the Ghanaian People, National Chairman Hon. Ofosu Ampofo, General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National and Regional Executives, Party Fathers and Mothers, and All other well-meaning Party Stalwarts.



We members of the National Democratic Congress Afram Plains North welcome you men and women of the Press to this very important and urgent address.



This is the first time in the life of Afram Plains North NDC since 1992 that we branch executives have assembled the pain and anguish to use this medium in the channeling of our grievances. Afram Plains Is the food basket of the nation and also the Vote basket of the National Democratic Congress.



In addition to the perennial problems that have bedeviled Afram Plains over the years, theres now a colossal systemic failure on the part of the NDC in Afram Plains North; a Party that should be the ultimate alternative for the rotten Nana Akufo Addo-Bawumia leadership is now at a midlife danger in Afram Plains North.



THE ISSUES



1. PROBLEMS WITH THE BRANCH REGISTRATION BOOKS



It was an outright clarity of thought when the NDC decided to inaugurate the Branch Registration to grab a database of its members nationwide. Unfortunately, this beautiful initiative of the NDC here in the Kwahu Afram Plain North is annihilating the party and will wreak more havoc on the fortunes of the party in the coming elections and beyond. The Constituency Chairman, the Secretary, and some other executives are engaged in acts that are not only pernicious or pervasive but will lead to what no political party will wish in the long run.



While some branches have been denied access to their registration books for the two weeks window registration, others who were fortunate to access their books have had the names of their members cleaned using correction fluid. Even more alarming are cases where various pages of some branches were strategically torn away. All these self-inflicted discrepancies authored by some of the Constituency executives are targeted to disenfranchise their victims at the branch levels. To those cabals at the center of this heinous crime against party members, they have only one agenda, to eliminate perceived members who stand against their clandestine, unlawful, and evil agenda.



To the NDC party at large, these victims are unable to pay their dues because their names have been cleaned, their ID Numbers changed and hidden from them.

Upon all the petitions that have been forwarded to the National Secretariat for redress, all of them yielded but nothing. No one has responded to us or even tried to call us in a bid to assuage feelings. The National leadership shares equally in the pollution of the guilt of these cabals, consciously associating with them and refusing to purify them.



2. REFUSAL OF NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DELEGATIONS TO MONITOR THE TWO WEEKS WINDOW REGISTRATION



Ladies and Gentlemen, Men and women of the Press. We want to explain this clearly to Former President Mahama who serves today as the father and leader of the NDC in opposition. This will help Mr. Mahama to understand why the NDC is in opposition today. Since 1992, the Afram Plains North has had a smooth transition of power from one NDC Member of Parliament to the other by free, fair electioneering procedures. To the best of our knowledge, the Current Member of Parliament Hon. Betty Krosby Mensah is eyeing a third term after 8 successful years in parliament. It is apparent also that some National, Regional, and Constituency executives are aiding her third term. Those executives at National and Regional fronts are sacrificing party procedures and have technically refused to be present in the constituency for the two-weeks limited registration exercise. Despite all other 32 constituencies within the Eastern region have had a smooth registration plan for the Branch elections, only Afram Plains North was treated as if the party was under martial law. All attempts to get these National And Regional delegations to work in the constituency ended in stone. They blatantly refused to be here indicating that a higher authority was remotely controlling them. The Limited Two weeks window registration exercise ended on the 8th of September. A political quagmire?



3. COLLATION OF A NEW BRANCH DELEGATE REGISTER



It is an ordinary reality and a natural law of succession in which one generation plays out its role and yields the stage for another, as a way of advancing the course of the human experience. Well, maybe not as much in Afram Plains North Here, there appears the notion of a divine right to leadership, which transcends the categories of time, and persists among a coterie, a chosen breed, even in the face of changing norms and times. A monstrous phenomenon that encourages the creation of hate for the NDC party in which angry thousands of youths are cross carpeting to the Npp here at Northern Afram Plains.

After having successfully blocked the Regional and national teams from monitoring the registration of new members in a bid for the Branch elections, the member of Parliament Hon. Betty Krosby Mensah and her Constituency Secretary along with others have moved across all the Branches to collate their delegate register. An exercise that is illegal, and unlawful in the absence of a new election of branch executives. How did we arrive here as a party?



4. SEVERE DIVISION AND APATHY



Hardworking men and women of the Press, fellow party members, we would like to take this opportunity to remind His Excellency Former President Mahama and everyone else who wishes well for the NDC of the results of both NDC and NPP in the 2016 and 2020 Parliamentary elections.





2016 Election

Betty Krosby Mensah NDC

...18,121 votes



Isaac Okoree NPP

.....4,795 votes





2020 Election

Betty Krosby Mensah NDC

....18,543 votes



Isaac Okoree NPP

8,605 votes.



In 4 years, the NDC candidate added only 422 votes to what she got in 2016. While the Npp candidate added whopping 3,810 votes. Similarly, President Mahama who was not a resident of the Constituency harvested 21,793 in 2020. An extra vote of 3, 250 more than the NDC candidate who is a resident of the Constituency. Are these figures pointing something out to the political elites?



Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, the story at Northern Afram Plains NDC are not good. Theres mediocrity, theres nepotism, theres ineptitude, theres incompetence, theres propaganda, and theres a dictatorship. Every year we are losing our members to the Npp due to these self-inflicted divisions.



Things have fallen apart and the center cannot hold anymore. Under the watch of the Constituency Chairman, and Constituency Secretary, NDC Afram Plains North has gone from being a failed party to a dead one. Theres no conscience in Constituency, Theres no conscience at the Regional level. Theres no conscience at the National level.The result is a party groping in the dark, a party at a crossroads, and members being thrown into unprecedented confusion.



Although the NDC here at Afram Plains North has habitually been plagued by bad leadership and corporate ineptitude, it has never been this bad. The party has never been divided along ethnic and religious lines as they are today.



The tension in the party is palpable with another poor -performance seemingly imminent. Theres anger, theres anxiety, and theres age-long resentment. There is something to be learned from the Political evolution in Hohoe Constituency in the Volta region where we kept our pot unwatched and our food now burns. The woes of Hohoe indeed started all this way until today when we have auctioned that seat to the NPP. We are not prophets of doom but the writings are clear on the wall.



We are fairly certain Ladies and Gentlemen, that when the Party attends to these seeming divisions and mafiarism intelligently at Afram Plains North, we could regain our past glory and power by finding a man who understands the subtle alchemic art of appealing to the people.



We use this medium to appeal to His Excellency Former President Mahama to help in these times of seething vortex of disagreements by assuaging feelings. It is also our plea that Mr. Mahama himself would ponder over the implications of these atavistic and anti-villain proclivities. As social democrats, we will be available for any committee that will be inaugurated with the foresight to rebrand and unite the party here at Afram Plains North. A committee that will work with systemic methodology, sangfroid disposition, and calculation minds, as cool as Cucumber.



Ladies and Gentlemen, Men and Women of the Press, Thank you and thank everyone for coming. God bless us all and the NDC.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has scolded Ex-President John Dramani Mahama for claiming the Judiciary's image is broken under the current leadership.



John Mahama, speaking at a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Lawyers Conference, claimed the Judiciary has become a mockery to the public.



So badly has the image of our Judiciary deteriorated that many of our citizenry openly make mockery of our justice system and of our justices. The phrase Go to Court is these days met with derisive laughter, instead of hope that one will truly get justice.



There is, therefore, the urgent need for the Ghanaian Judiciary to work to win the trust and confidence of the citizenry, and erase the widely held perception of hostility and political bias in legal proceedings at the highest courts of the land.



Unfortunately, we have no hope that the current leadership of our Judiciary can lead such a process of change. We can only hope, that a new Chief Justice will lead the process to repair the broken image that our Judiciary has acquired over the last few years, he said.



But Kwamena Duncan, in reply, says the former President should be the last person to be talking to Ghanaians.



"The last person who should be talking is former President Mahama . . . There is not a single sector of managing this country that you will place President Mahama and say that, look, we give him some thumbs up. Not one! I tell you that he has got space to talk today [it is ] because clearly and it is not in doubt we have challenges," he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.



He expounded that Mahama's regime was characterized by various scandals that makes him irredeemable.



"He was a disaster of a President," he exclaimed.



" . . that President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia should step aside and Mahama should come and pick it up today, are you telling me that he has a certain magic wand?", he asked.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia North constituency, Collins Owusu Amankwah, has asked former President John Dramani Mahama to behave like a statesman and also learn to keep quiet.



According to him as a former President, it is not everything that he has to come out and complain when he can officially write to the seat of government to have the problem addressed.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that though the former President may be exercising his constitutional right to freedom of speech, it is not everything that he must come to complain for official documents to be released to counter his claim or otherwise from the government in power.



He must understand that somethings are of National Security interest and that they must be brought to public domain for discussion for further documents or classified documents to be released and discussed like nobody's business.



"When was the last time you heard former President John Agyekum Kuffour come out to complain about his entitlements, even when he was in opposition and the NDC was in power? Even when things didn't go as planned, he went through the formal process without making a public outcry about it."



" . . the former President draws his emoluments and other entitlements from the Consolidated Fund which makes him deal with the Controller and Accountant General directly, so if there are lapses or default in payment, and as a former President, he knows how to follow protocol for such matters to be addressed. You don't have to score political points with everything," he said.



He reiterated that the former President should understand that despite his current position, he should first admit that he is a former President and a Statesman and everything he says will string chords which will warrant response from government or agencies which is not good for his caliber as a former President.



"So I will plead with the former President to kindly behave like a Statesman and know when to speak to voice out his grievances," he added.



Watch video below





Former President John Dramani Mahama has described as "absolute lies" claims by the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC, that he (Mahama) received an ex-gratia of GH14 million in 2013 and GH15 million in 2017.According to Mr. Mahama, in 2013 the only payment made by the government to him in 2013 through the Accountant General was GH230,000."No ex-gratia, I was paid 230,000 as salary arrears in 2013," Mr Mahama said in an interview on TV3.Mr. Mahama said he was willing to show his bank statements to the press in his defence, adding that the only privileges he had received since leaving office was his monthly pension.

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.

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Islamabad, Sep 16 (UNI) At least 22 people were killed and nine others injured in heavy monsoon rain-triggered flash floods in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.



According to a report released by the NDMA on Thursday, six children and 10 women were among those who lost their lives in separate flood-related incidents during the cited period.
A former National Political Activist, James Kwabena Bomfeh has dared former President John Dramani Mahama to give up his emoluments and other perks linked to his ex gratia.



The former President recently granted an interview to TV3 and claimed aside his monthly pension, he hasn't been paid his emoluments and other privileges.



I receive only my monthly pension, like President Kufuor or President Rawlings was receiving until he died. That is all I get.



I pay the electricity bill for my house, for my office. I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the state does not pay me anything for accommodation.



They havent given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay for my own fuel, the state doesnt give me fuel. I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills. I pay for my own air tickets when I travel, the former President said.



Mr. John Mahama, also in a recent public event, pledged the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will review Article 71 which backs the payment of ex gratia.



"I want to assure all Ghanaians that the next NDC administration, as I have recently said, will revisit the matter of Article 71 emoluments, especially the issue of ex gratia payments and the size of government, to cut down on expenditure as a way of protecting our scarce resources", he said.



But James Kwabena Bomfeh, who is currently the Editor of National Forum newspaper, slammed the former President for not coming clear on his stance on the payment of ex gratia and emoluments to Article 71 office holders.



Responding to Mr. Mahama's remarks during "Kokrokoo" show on Peace FM, he asked; "What do you stand for? Constitutionalism, rule of law, democracy or what?"



Mr Bomfeh believed the former President had a golden opportunity to amend the constitution since it was during his tenure as Vice President, and subsequently President of the Republic, that a Constitutional Review Committee was set up, but he failed to implement the Committee's recommendations.



"I want to remind His Excellency, the former President [that] if there was anybody who had the golden opportunity as President to amend, review or alter any provision in this constitution, you were the one."



"Mr. former President, sincerely, are you telling me that if you meant and you stood for something that you are claiming today you stand for, four years and half; between July 24, 2012 and January 6, 2017, you set up a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee...but you didn't effect the changes", he stated.



Kabilla challenged the former President to follow the example of Togbe Afede and relinquish his emoluments and privileges "if it is indeed his commitment that the emoluments and so forth should be cancelled".



"...he should forgo them now. Togbe Afede set an example recently by giving back some money he was entitled to; former President John Dramani Mahama can do same if he's committed and he stands for something."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Deputy Chief of Staff, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, has asked the police to arrest and impound any vehicle embossed with Office of the President stickers.



This follows the arrest of a foreign national identified as Ghaadour Hishan-Hassaan. Hassaan was detained by the police at Accra Airport for driving a vehicle with an unauthorized sticker of the Office of the President on it.



In a text sent during Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' Mr Bossman wrote: "Jubilee House and for that matter, the presidency does not give stickers to any official. We have a way of coding our vehicles which I shall not disclose for security reasons. Please in the name of the constitution's letter, the police should arrest and impound any vehicle which bears any sticker purporting to be from the office of the President; no matter the status or office of the occupants of such vehicles"



Kwami Sefa Kayi, host of the programme, read the text:





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.

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Childrens author Yasmin John-Thorpe (left) and Martina Zamecnik of the 360 Learning Academy with some of the books the the author donated to the academy.
B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson speaks during a news conference, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. More grim statistics from the BC Coroners Service show the rate of toxic drug deaths has doubled since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
People walk in a queue to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the lying-in state, in Westminster Hall in London, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. The Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four full days before her funeral on Monday Sept. 19. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Guatemala City, Sep 16 (UNI) At least nine people were killed and about 20 were injured after a stampede at the end of a concert celebrating Guatemalan Independence Day in the western city of Quetzaltenango, the local Red Cross confirmed.



According to its reports on social media on Thursday, the Guatemalan Red Cross and volunteer firefighters "stabilized more than 20 injured people and nine died at the scene."



The stampede occurred at one of the exits of the fairgrounds at the end of the outdoor concert, and Guatemalan authorities are investigating the causes.



September 15 marks the 201st anniversary of the independence from Spain of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

UNI/XINHUA PRT
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Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ripped Gov. Greg Abbott for his cruel stunt of busing migrant adults and children to Vice President Kamala Harriss residence.

Video:

Karine Jean-Pierre, "The fact that Fox News and not the Department of Homeland Security, the city or local NGOs were alerted about a plan to leave migrants, including children, on the side of a busy DC street makes clear that this is just a cruel, premeditated political stunt." pic.twitter.com/Gyph9WUM98  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 15, 2022

The White House Press Secretary said:

Republican governors interfering in the process and using migrants as political props is shameful, reckless, and just plain wrong.

.

The fact that Fox News and not the Department of Homeland Security, the city, or local NGOs were alerted about a plan to leave migrants, including children, on the side of a busy DC street makes clear that this is just a cruel, premeditated political stunt.

This is what they are doing.

And a couple more things, the migrants, including children, who arrived in Marthas Vineyard were misled about where they were being taken and what would be provided when they arrived is also deeply alarming. The children that Governor Abbot abandoned in Marthas Vineyard, the children that Governor DeSantis abandoned as well deserve better, and they deserve better.

The Press Secretary does not speak for the Department of Justice, so she cant say that what DeSantis and Abbott are doing is illegal. The DOJ will make that determination.

Both DeSantis and Abbott have White House ambitions, and they are both up for reelection in November.

Trump taught his MAGA party that cruelty toward migrants and children is politically beneficial with Republican voters. The issue is that the electorate is much larger than the Republican Party. Abbott and DeSantis may get away with these stunts in their respective states, but they will pay the price nationally because the other lesson they should have learned from Trump is cruelty to migrants and children is not a general election-winning strategy.
Dhaka, Sep 16 (UNI) Major Bangladesh opposition party BNP has announced protests across the country on Sunday accusing Awami League leaders and activists of attacking its programs at various places including Pallabi Mirpur in the capital.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the agitation program at a press conference at BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan Friday.

Fakhrul said there was an attack on a gathering in Dhaka Thursday, and in protest of the incidents that happened all over the country, demonstrations will be held on September 18 in all cities, districts and upzilas, including Dhaka city, and the party office in Nayapaltan here.
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CNN has published new excerpts from a new book, The Divider, by New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker and New Yorker staff writer and CNN global affairs analyst Susan Glasser. The book sheds light on many areas where the country was much closer to disaster than we on the outside knew, including a possible bombing at the end of the term and the fact that Trumps intelligence director wondered what Putin had on Trump.

The book describes the end of the term as one fraught with tension, including deep concerns among Trumps national security team, led by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and others, that Trump would start a military conflict  perhaps a bombing campaign  with Iran in the waning days of his presidency or that he could stumble into a nuclear war with North Korea.

From CNN:

One administration official told Trump before the 2020 election that if he lost, he should strike Irans nuclear program, the authors report. Milley at the time told his staff it was a What the f are these guys talking about? moment, they write. Now, it seemed frighteningly possible.

The tensions with Iran even permeated the walls of Mar-a-Lago. Trump told guests at a cocktail party over the holidays in 2020 that he was leaving early to return to Washington because of fears Iran may be trying to assassinate him to avenge the US killing of the countrys top general a year earlier.

It is so ironic that Trump was worried about Iran trying to assassinate him after he practically forced COVID into the White House and into himself to the point that he came much closer to dying than the media knew at the time and  during the same Christmas 2020 period, Trump was making plans to lay siege on the Capitol to try to steal the 2020 election.

Another revelation from the book comes out of the disastrous 2018 Helsinki trip, during which Trump sided with Putin over his own intelligence agencies. Trumps own Director of National Intelligence, the guy who is supposed to know these things, wondered what Putin had on Trump:

I never could come to a conclusion. It raised the question in everybodys mind: What does Putin have on him that causes him to do something that undermines his credibility? Dan Coats, the then-director of national intelligence, reflected to associates afterward, according to the book.

So during the Trump administration, he had his military leaders terrified that he would stumble into a war in the last days of his administration just to go out with a bang. During the middle of his term, his own intelligence people assumed Putin had something on Trump but didnt know what it might be even thought the same question was in everyones mind.
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Legal experts expressed their contempt and disgust as they called Judge Cannons ruling for Trump terrible.

Here is George Conway on CNN:

Conway: This ruling is absolutely a disgrace. And I don't think it's going to take very much to overturn it. Barr told The New York Times that the original motion by Trump's lawyers was a crock of

shit, a crock of shit. This opinion is worse than that.. pic.twitter.com/Y9eHVrQTZ6  Acyn (@Acyn) September 16, 2022

Conway said, This ruling is absolutely a disgrace. And I dont think its going to take very much to overturn it. Bill Barr told The New York Times that the original motion by Trumps lawyers was a crock of sh*t, a crock of sh*t. This opinion is worse than that.

Barbara McQuade pointed out that Cannon rejected the idea that documents labeled classified are actually classified, Instead, she completely rejected that argument. And even said something that I found really disturbing, which was, the mere fact that these documents have classified markings does not mean they are classified. She also rejected an un-refuted affidavit that was submitted to the FBIs director of counterintelligence. There is no contrary evidence to suggest that what he is saying is false when he says that the criminal investigation is inextricably intertwined with the national security assessment.

Video of McQuade:

Barbara McQuade and Melissa Murray say that the one bright spot in the Judge Cannon ruling for Trump is that she stuck to the DOJ's deadline and told the special master to review the classified documents first so that the investigation into Trump can continue. pic.twitter.com/es6pTwFPLV  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 16, 2022

Glenn Kirschner tweeted:

Judge Cannon just proved how dangerous the Trump/McConnell degradation of the federal judiciary is. She actually said she doesnt accept that the documents bearing classified markings are classified documents. Echoes of Trump: many people are saying theyre NOT classified.  Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) September 16, 2022

Joyce Vance tweeted:

Judge Cannon appoints a special master & refuses to lift the injunction prohibiting DOJ from using classified documents to further the criminal investigation, also impeding intelligence community review of the damage Trump has done. Next, 11th Circuit for appeal. Terrible ruling. pic.twitter.com/F8l5jYdgjq  Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) September 15, 2022

The consensus is strong among legal experts that Judge Cannons ruling was terrible or worse. The ruling should be overturned on appeal, but it is going to the 11th Circuit where the majority of judges are Trump appointees.

As the nation has witnessed for years, many Trump-appointed judges have no trouble ruling against the former president, so it may not matter that he appointed them, but what Judge Cannon has done is author one of the worst rulings in recent American judicial history.
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Pennsylvania GOP candidate for governor Doug Mastriano was registered to vote in New Jersey until 2021.

According to New Jersey Globe:

Gubernatorial candidate Douglas Mastriano was a registered voter in New Jersey for 28 years until July 2021 when election officials changed his status to inactive.

Records show that Mastriano voted from his familys Hightstown home from 1982, when he turned 18, through the 2010 general election. He remained on the voter rolls until a sample ballot was returned roughly six months after the death of his mother last year.

Republicans In Pennsylvania Have A New Jersey Problem

Mastriano wont have the same issue that Oz has had because he is a far right-wing true believer. He was also the runaway choice of Republican voters in the GOP in the gubernatorial primary.

However, outside of Ozs background, it would be difficult to find a candidate who has less of a relationship with Pennsylvania values than someone who spent most of their life voting in New Jersey. The latest polling shows Mastriano trailing by 11 points to Attorney General Josh Shapiro, so his New Jersey roots are far from his biggest problem, but it is definitely not helping him with the voters of the Keystone State.

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By law and in technical terms, Marianna Pecora is a professional woman doing her duty as deputy communications officer for a political advocacy group called Voters of Tomorrow. In the eyes of most Americans, however, Pecora is a kid. a freshman in Congress, applying her skills, intellect, and voice to strengthen Americas democracy, something this country encourages and needs. And yesterday, Congresswoman and presumed adult, Marjorie Taylor Greene, appeared to intentionally kick Pecora while doing her job. Today, the political community is discussing the possible legal consequences for Taylor Greene. This writer cannot figure out why there arent louder calls to kick her out of Congress.

To some, the incident is that serious.

For those that havent seen the video. This is the video that appears to show it was intentional. There is another angle below but in this video the kick is at :40-50 in the 2:00 video:

.@RepMTG just told @santiagomayer_ to go to another country if he and @VotersTomorrow want to stop children dying in school. She also kicked @MariannaPecora. pic.twitter.com/ierrATgeUb  Brayden Karpinski (@Braykarp) September 15, 2022

And another angle:

Did Marjorie Taylor Greene step on a person and then tell them to get out of the way? pic.twitter.com/hoTCXualYh  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) September 15, 2022

From the Washington Post comes a description of the incident:

Excuse me, Greene says while at first appearing to step on demonstrator Marianna Pecoras foot.

Excuse me, Greene says again, this time after appearing to intentionally draw back her foot and aim for Pecoras leg.

Oh my God, Pecora, 18, is seen saying in the videos. And Pecoras description from the same story: Its honestly, like, really disheartening to think that a bunch of kids can hold themselves with better composure than a sitting member of Congress, Pecora said. Weve been sitting in meetings all week with both Democrats and Republicans. Nobody has been anything but respectful. Everybody has been just so incredibly attentive, and taken us seriously and had, like, really productive conversations with us. Except for Marjorie Taylor Greene. Mayer said he and Pecora have not yet discussed whether they will press charges against Greene. Pecora, he said, was physically okay after being kicked, if slightly shaken. Its kind of just been chaos, Mayer said. Shes  just kind of shocked that a member of Congress would try to kick her. The excuse? You cant block members of Congress, Greenes communications director, Nick Dyer, told Pecora, even though Greene was engaging her in conversation. There are three possible consequences that MTG might face. Pecora could press criminal charges for assault and battery. A battery is an unwanted touching. Additionally, adults are not supposed to kick other adults. Pecora could have been seriously hurt had she been tripped. Criminal charges are on the table. Pecora could file a civil suit for an intentional tort. An intentional tort doesnt require big medical bills in order to win large awards. She could sue Taylor Greene for kicking her and embarrassing her. And even though no one is talking about it yet, this writer believes that the GOP must address this. This is not normal. This cannot be normalized as just another incident of Marjorie being Marjorie. If a man kicked Pecora, there would likely be even more serious talk, even including possible expulsion from Congress. She should, at the very least, be sanctioned. The view from behind makes it clear enough that it was intentional that the response better not be, You do not get in front of a member of Congress. Moreover, the statement You do not get in front of a member of Congress could be entirely true, and yet the mistake doesnt allow that member of Congress to kick someone who isnt threatening a person in any way. The kick is all abuzz on Twitter. It should be a bigger buzz in the GOP House Caucus.
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NY Attorney General Letitia James has rejected Trumps settlement offer and the stage is now set for the former president and at least one of his kids to be sued for fraud.

Via: The New York Times:

The New York attorney generals office has rebuffed an offer from Donald J. Trumps lawyers to settle a contentious civil investigation into the former president and his family real estate business, setting the stage for a lawsuit that would accuse Mr. Trump of fraud, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The attorney general, Letitia James, is also considering suing at least one of Mr. Trumps adult children, the people said. Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have all been senior executives at Mr. Trumps company, the Trump Organization.

Eric Trump was the figurehead at the top of the Trump Organization while Trump was in office, and he has drawn intense scrutiny from the New York AGs office, so if a Trump kid is going to be sued for fraud, he is the most likely suspect.

The potential fraud case differs from the tax crimes charges that the Trump Organization faces in Manhattan. AG James has been investigating the Trump Organization for lying on loan applications about the value of assets, and documents reveal that the acts of fraud go back years.

No one will go to prison for a civil lawsuit, but as Jamess action against the NRA demonstrates, the lawsuit can be a crippling blow to the target. If Trump loses, his business could face severe financial penalties and be banned from operating in New York state.

Trumps decades of potentially criminal activity have caught up to him, and he is starting to face the reality that justice is coming for him at the local, federal, and state levels.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis of using the tactics of human smugglers.

Video:

The White House Press Secretary said:

Two Republican governors lured 100 asylum seekers, including children, onto planes and buses with false premises, and then abandoned them on a busy road thousands of miles away with nothing but ziplock bags of their belongings in hand. These were children. They were moms. They were fleeing communism. And what did Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott do to them? They treated them like political pawns, treated them like chattel in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.

Why else would Gov. DeSantis have spent the time to charter a flight to take migrants out of a different state  not even his state, a different state  and hire a videographer to capture footage of that flight, but not bother to let Massachusetts authorities know that migrant children in need of food and shelter were about to land on their doorstep.

These vulnerable migrants were reportedly misled about where they were headed, told they would be headed to Boston, misled about what they would be provided when they arrived, and promised shelter, refuge, benefits, and more. These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers, Jean-Pierre said. And for what? A photo op?

Abbott and DeSantis are pulling an election-year stunt. They both are running for reelection, and they both have 2024 presidential ambitions. Each man is wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer money in their respective states on political stunts that play well on Fox News.

The White House cant openly say that DeSantis and Abbott are breaking the law because that determination has to be made by the Justice Department, but state officials like California Gov. Gavin Newsom have already requested that the DOJ review what Abbott and DeSantis are doing.

The Republicans will be facing some fallout for this stunt, and the White House is galvanizing public opinion to ensure that their cruel and inhumane actions are defined for the nation.
The Aiken County Planning Commission reconsidered Sept. 15 a request involving the plan for the Weeping Willows subdivision and approved it with contingencies.

The vote was 5-0, with one member, Dennis Gmerek, abstaining.

Chairman Grace Vance also didnt vote.

As a result of the Planning Commissions action, the applicant, Turner Development LLC of Washington, D.C., can increase the density of development in a section of the nearly 175-acre Weeping Willows site, which is located between North Augusta and Clearwater.

Sixty-eight townhomes will be constructed in that area. The previous proposal called for 32 single-family residences.

At its August meeting, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 against a motion to approve the request with contingencies.

There were questions about several items during the public hearing and discussions among Planning Commission members in August, said Aiken Countys chief planning officer, Joel Duke.

Concern was expressed about whether a subdivision document was in order, he explained, and whether it reflected any previously approved or proposed changes.

There also was a question about whether the traffic analysis reflected any previously approved or proposed changes.

In addition, there was concern about the possibility that there were graves of slaves on the Weeping Willows property.

Duke told the Planning Commission on Sept. 15 that the document in question and the traffic analysis both had been updated and submitted to the Aiken County Planning and Development Department.

Tracey Turner of Turner Development reported to the Planning Commission on Sept. 15 that there is no documented slave grave on the Weeping Willows land.

Last October, the Planning Commission unanimously approved, with contingencies, a request to change the zoning designation for the Weeping Willows property from Urban Development to Planned Use District (PUD) Type A.

Then, this past March, the Planning Commission unanimously approved both the preliminary plat (design) for the subdivision and a PUD Type A amendment.

The request made at the August meeting, which the Planning Commission reconsidered Sept. 15, also was a PUD Type A amendment.

The Weeping Willows site is bounded by Old Aiken Road and Jefferson Davis Highway/U.S. Highway 1.

In addition to townhomes and single-family residents, apartments will be built on the property.

The Planning Commission meets at the Aiken County Government Center in Aiken.

In other action Sept. 15, the panel unanimously approved by 6-0 votes two requests for one-year preliminary plat extensions for subdivisions that are scheduled to be built.

One of the extensions was for section one of Clearwater Preserve on Jefferson Davis Highway, which also is known as U.S. Highway 1.

There will be 98 lots on approximately 71 acres, according to the meetings agenda.

The applicant was Beazley Development Company Inc. The engineer is Southern Partners Inc.

The other extension was for Arbor Ridge on Columbia Highway North, which also is part of U.S. Highway 1, near Aiken.

There will be eight lots on 10 acres.

The applicant was J & E Properties. The engineer is C.E. Dudley.

The rule is that youre supposed to complete the final plat prior to the two-year time period granted on the preliminary plat, Duke said. Neither project had actually come to completion with all of what was approved in the preliminary plat (by the Planning Commission).

Also Sept. 15, the Planning Commission voted 6-0 against a request for a variance involving the construction of a private road on property located in the Dry Branch Road area south of Aiken and near New Ellenton.

The applicant was Ernest Odom.
The Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Fire Department is working to make sure Aiken County never forgets the people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The fire department partnered with Murphy Auto Group to bring the Tunnel to Towers Sept. 11 Never Forget mobile exhibit to Christian Heritage Church located at 285 Ascauga Lake Road near Graniteville. The exhibit will be on display Thursday through Saturday.

Sept. 11, 2001, was the date of a terrorist attack perpetuated by al Qaeda against the United States. Terrorists flew planes into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and a third plane into the Pentagon.

A fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field after the passengers fought back against the terrorists who took control of the plane. It is thought the fourth plane was to strike another federal building in the Washington, D.C., area.

In all, 2,977 (not including the 19 hijackers) people died in the attacks including 343 members of the Fire Department of New York.

The Tunnel to Towers foundation was started in honor of fallen firefighter Stephen Siller in honor of his memory and sacrifice.

The mobile exhibit travels around the country to make sure no one forgets the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and to educate children on the event.

The exhibit will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The fire department will also offer free barbecue sandwiches donated by Atomic City Smokers. The Aiken County Sheriff's Office will also attend the event.

For more information on the local event, visit the fire department's Facebook page at facebook.com/GVWFire.

For more information on Tunnel 2 Towers, visit t2t.org.
Horse Creek Academy is working toward expanding its playground and making it more inclusive, and it needs help from the community.

The charter school is in the running for the Legacy of Play Contest after being nominated by the Kiwanis Club of Aiken. The contest, which is through the Kiwanis International Club and Landscape Structures Inc., will award $25,000 in playground equipment to be used toward a playground project, said Sarah Morris, the assessment and community relations director at HCA.

+11 Horse Creek Academy, South Aiken Baptist Christian School return to classes Monday A new school year for Horse Creek Academy means a new chapter as all four buildings on campus are now in use.

We are the only entity in Aiken nominated for the contest, Morris said.

There are three nominees from South Carolina, including Horse Creek, with the other two being in Greenwood and Rock Hill.

If Horse Creek Academy wins, Morris said the $25,000 will go toward its playground renovation project, which includes making the playground more accessible to students with different needs.

If we get it it will help us cover phase two of our renovation and that includes a new play structure, and we really want that structure to have a ramp on it for wheelchair and walker access, Morris said. It would also cover a swing set (with an adaptive swing).

+3 Aiken County schools works to address bus driver shortage Aiken County Public School District is continuing to take steps to recruit bus drivers.

According to the Kiwanis International website, any school that enters the contest and continues with its plans will get complimentary playground equipment designed with inclusion in mind.

Dustin Ennis, the vice president of the Kiwanis Club of Aiken, said the club nominated Horse Creek Academy because the school has grown and what they have is outdated. The club has partnered with the school through the K-Kids program for elementary school, the Builders Club for middle school and will incorporate the Key Club with the high schoolers.

We wanted to do everything we can do support that facility and help them with that, Ennis said.

+8 Aiken Tech hosting pinning ceremony for medical programs Aiken Tech College recognized students in its medical coding and medical assisting program Friday with a pinning ceremony.

Morris said they are excited for the competition because getting $25,000 would be a big help because playgrounds are not cheap.

Even though most of our learning takes places in the classroom a lot takes place through play. We're excited about it, Morris said.

There is also a long-term goal of opening this playground up for the public to use with a low cost facility rental, Morris said.

Voting for the competition opens on Sunday and people can vote online at play.kiwanis.org. The voting period ends Sept. 30 and then the top 10 recipients of the popular vote will be determined. Kiwanis International will pick the winner from the top 10, Morris said.

The winner will be announced Oct. 13.

For more information about Horse Creek Academy's plans for its playground, visit www.kiwanis.org.
Washington, Sep 16 (UNI) Two buses carrying migrants were sent from Texas to just outside US Vice-President Kamala Harris's residence here in DC, amid a growing political row over immigration ahead of the midterm polls.

Texas Republican governor said the move on Thursday was intentional and called for tighter immigration policies. It comes a day after Florida sent migrants to a Massachusetts island.

Both states appear to be escalating a tactic which has seen Republican states send migrants to Democratic areas.
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COLUMBIA  Verizon Wireless will work with the University of South Carolina to research and test new uses for the wireless provider's 5G network technology in the health care, manufacturing and infrastructure industries.

The partnership to create an Innovation Experience Hub, one of five such Verizon university centers in the country, is the latest corporate deal inked by USC and its Office of Economic Engagement.

The state's largest university system also has partnerships with IBM, Siemens, Yaskawa Motoman Robotics and Nephron Pharmaceuticals in which its students and researchers work with partner companies' technologies to help solve problems for industry and help those businesses innovate.

Our relationship with Verizon exemplifies the benefits of partnerships between the University of South Carolina and the business community, USC President Michael Amiridis said. This aligns with our focus on expanding research opportunities that solve problems and accelerate discoveries.

The Innovation Experience Hub will be housed within USC's McNair Center, which Verizon has equipped with a private network that increases capacity and speeds for transferring large data.

"South Carolina industries for many different sectors can engage with us to explore emerging technologies in an atmosphere that minimizes risk for the corporation and allows them to assess the impact of new business solutions that we provide," Amiridis said.

The school will begin using the 5G connectivity immediately to improve some of the existing uses it has helped develop in manufacturing, including a visual inspection tool that detects defects in painted car parts used by automobile manufacturers in the state.

USC also will begin testing how 5G can enhance remote health monitoring for real-time analysis of patients' vital signs. The school will market technology, which its nursing students helped develop, to hospitals so facilities can digitally keep track of vital equipment and will study 5G uses in drone-based visual inspections and analysis of roads, bridges and buildings.

"At Verizon, we believe that 5G is the backbone of the economy's digital future and we couldn't be more excited about bringing its power to this research community," Verizon Business Senior Vice President of 5G Acceleration Jennifer Artley said. "We can accelerate innovation for entire industries and we can transform how companies operate and grow."

Some of the technologies that will be put to use in the center, include artificial intelligence, computer vision and augmented reality, Artley said.

Students benefit from getting to train on the latest technologies and many are often hired by industry partners upon graduation, said Bill Kirkland, executive director of USC's Office of Economic Engagement.

"The student experience here is incredible because they've helped build the solutions," Kirkland said.

Other universities working with Verizon in this way include Wichita State University, which focuses on 5G related manufacturing uses; Arizona State University, which focuses on the use of virtual reality in teaching; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which focuses on robotics; and Emory University, which focuses on health care.

Kirkland said Verizon reached out to USC to create a similar program in South Carolina after seeing the school's work with other major corporations.

Verizon will be able to combine its technology with that of other USC partners, like IBM, to sell a full suite of products to companies that come to the school seeking aid with a problem.

"South Carolinas economic success has been built by our talented entrepreneurs and innovators, making one of our states premier research universities the ideal partner for Verizon on this project, Gov. Henry McMaster said. Combine this with the expertise of our university researchers and the power of private sector innovation, and we can achieve great things for businesses large and small across South Carolina."
COLUMBIA  In 2023, fresh fruits and vegetables could come right to Columbia residents' front doors.

The city is considering creating a mobile food market as a way to help fill in gaps in areas where few options exist for fresh food. It's meant to be an interim measure as the city works to reopen grocery stores in parts of town with low access.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies low-access areas as those where the nearest grocery store is more than one mile away for urban areas, or 10 miles away for rural areas. In 2015, the most recent data available, around 20 percent of South Carolina residents were both low-income and had low access to food, according to data from the USDA.

That includes large swaths of Columbia, the USDA's Food Access Research Atlas shows.

A committee of council members gave initial support to the idea at a Sept. 13 meeting and passed it along to the Office of Business Opportunities to come up with a more concrete plan.

"I think that it's time for this particular project to come to fruition," Councilwoman Tina Herbert said at the meeting.

The concept is in the beginning stages, so specifics like what vehicle will deliver the food are still up in the air, said Food Policy Committee member Ashley Page Bookhart. The committee's initial proposal was around $300,000, but she said she'd be willing to compromise in bringing beginning costs down to get the program started sooner.

The general idea is for the city to contract an outside agency to drive through neighborhoods lacking grocery story access to sell fresh produce, meat and other food staples.

"That mobile grocery store is kind of that grocery store on wheels that can bring fruits, that can bring vegetables, that can bring other kind of staple items ... right to neighborhoods," Page Bookhart said.

It's a similar idea to the Lowcountry Street Grocery, a mobile farmers' market in Charleston that delivers fresh produce to food deserts. It also follows an online map the Food Policy Committee created and the city launched in June that shows people where to find food options.

These types of services aim to overcome barriers people might face in getting to the store without the cost of a traditional delivery service. While grocery shopping, people typically have to drive to the store, walk around and transport their purchases home. For those without reliable transportation, this can make getting food difficult, Page Bookhart said.

"A mobile (market) takes all that away, and it can go right there, almost to your doorstep," Page Bookhart said.

It's not a permanent solution to food deserts, Page Bookhart said. The long-term goal is to drive more grocery stores to open in areas that lack access. But having a mobile market can act as a stopgap while the city works to attract these businesses.

"We really started to have conversations of, 'While we're also trying to work on bringing in permanent grocery store fixtures, are there some innovative ways we can think outside the box and think about how we can still make sure communities that have faced food access loss can still get access to healthy, fresh food?'" Page Bookhart said. "And so, that's kind of where that mobile market concept came about."

The mobile market would target communities where grocery stores have closed, particularly in areas to the north of downtown. Around 70 percent of people in North Columbia had low food access in 2015, according to a Food Policy Committee report.

Councilman Joe Taylor said he liked the market concept and hoped going forward the city's business-friendly initiatives would entice more permanent options to reopen in low access areas.

"I think what you're looking at here is pretty cool," Taylor said to Page Bookhart at the meeting. "... I would just ask that you all consider, as part of your process as you look forward, City Council's passed, I think, some pretty amazing business-friendly type approaches since January that would really help if people wanted to open corner stores, neighborhood stores, small grocery stores."

From here, city staff will work to come up with a plan to bring back to council members. The council will then decide whether it wants to move forward. Page Bookhart said she was optimistic that some sort of mobile market would be up and running by next year.

"I can hope that in 2023, you will see this mobile van, this mobile bus, this mobile trailer, whatever kind of vehicle comes out, there will be a mobile market riding around within Columbia, South Carolina," she said.

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COLUMBIA  Among empty beer cans, used diapers and soiled clothing scattered across a wooded area in the outskirts of Columbia was a sign reading Anything helps, God bless written in black marker.

Used syringes and other narcotic paraphernalia was cleaned up before the press were invited to see what was left of an illegal homeless camp, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.

See what they spent their money on, Lott said, pointing out the hundreds of beer cans dumped across the woods.

The sheriff says up to around 50 people, including small children and even babies, may have lived in the wooded area he called a village off Old Forest Road by Interstate 77 and the Columbia Fire Department.

After talking with the property owner and giving those at the encampment notice to leave, Lott arranged to bring a bulldozer in to clear the area.

Clifford Fisher, a deputy who also runs the Owens Fisher Construction Company, used heavy equipment at the site on Sept. 16 to knock over trees and destroy what was left of the camp.

We reached this point because an issue with trespassing has turned into a public safety concern, Lott said in an earlier statement. The property is covered with used needles, narcotic paraphernalia and trash. The owner decided that measures needed to be taken to remove the trees and the trash so the visibility would deter the individuals from returning.

Children werent found at the camp, but Lott said there was evidence they had been there.

There were used diapers as well as the seats and steering wheel to a plastic pink car. A childs size white costume dress was on the ground along with other clothes that may have belonged to a little girl.

Its atrocious that a young child still in diapers is living in a place like this, Lott said.

Those at encampments like the one on Old Forest Road are considered to be the chronically homeless who are not seeking services in shelter and only make up a small portion of the homeless population, according to Lila Anna Sauls who runs the nonprofit Homeless No More.

Encampments typically have unsanitary conditions, and Sauls supported the sheriffs decision to bulldoze the property.

You can't have children living that way, Sauls said. Its not appropriate to have children living in tents where there are syringes on the ground.

Crime linked to the camp

The Old Forest Drive is patrolled by the Columbia Police Departments South Region. According to the department, those at nearby businesses have voiced concerns about stolen shopping carts, panhandling, trespassing, aggressive begging and pedestrians unlawfully in the roadway.

"We've seen a spike in crime associated with homeless camps, and that has really pushed us to do what we need to do," Lott said.

More than 100 shopping carts were stolen from a busy shopping complex across the street, which included a Walmart, according to Columbia police. The department then had several meetings with Walmart management.

Columbia police searched the wooded area and found dozens of shopping carts, many filled with personal belongings or debris. The carts were sterilized and then returned to the stores.

Officers offered an assistance program to those at the camp, but only a small number accepted, according to the Columbia Police Department.

More encampments

While the camp on Old Forest Drive is now empty, Lott said he suspects many just found another camp nearby. He added that hes in the works to clear out another encampment.

This is not the only homeless camp in Richland County and the City of Columbia, Lott said. There are others.

He said more homeless people are in the area, mentioning a man seen walking on the median by the highway exit. Others in the area are seen walking with shopping carts.

By the Walmart across the street, a Romanian woman with two young girls stood by the shopping complexs main exit, holding a sign asking for money for her motel and gas to make it across the country. She said she was trying to get to California.

The sheriff said there arent many options for help in the outskirts of the city, but said those who want assistance could take a bus downtown where there are outreach organizations and homeless services.

The City of Columbia has been working on plans to tackle the ongoing problem of homelessness. Within the next two months, the city plans to turn its Inclement Weather Center into a rapid shelter to offer short-term housing for those in need.

By partnering with the company Pallet Shelter, the city will create a village of 50 single-occupancy homes for those transitioning to a more permanent living situation.

The citys initiative is step 1 for easing the homeless situation, Saul said, adding that theres a need for services as well as outreach workers who go out to encampments to offer services.
GEORGETOWN  Security at polling sites during elections falls to the poll workers and managers, not law enforcement, members of the Georgetown County elections board learned Sept. 15.

In South Carolina, it is illegal to have law enforcement officers at the polls during elections, Aphra McCrea, director Voter Registration and Elections, told board members.

"I spoke with Chris Whitmire (deputy executive director of the state Election Commission) and he said by law we can't have law enforcement there," she said.

Board member Jay Sherman said a July shooting near the Howard Center made him question the security of polling locations.

What about the precincts? Should we have a police officer at each of these places? I think there needs to be some security. I think its wrong not to have it, he said.

But McCrea said law enforcement officers are prohibited from being at the polls by state law.

Section 7-13-160 of the South Carolina Code of Laws states that Peace officers shall enter polling place only on request or to vote.

No sheriff, deputy sheriff, policeman or other officers shall be allowed to come within the polling place except to vote unless summoned into it by a majority of the managers. On failure of any sheriff, deputy sheriff, policeman or other officer to comply with the provisions of the preceding sentence, the managers of election, or one of them, shall make affidavit against such sheriff, deputy sheriff, policeman or other officer for his arrest.

Section 7-13-140 of the state code also grants election managers with limited police powers.

Managers of election are clothed with such police powers as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The managers shall possess full authority to maintain good order at the polls and to enforce obedience to their lawful commands during an election and during the canvass and counting of the votes. All peace officers shall answer all such calls for help in preserving the peace as may be made by the managers of election.

Federal and state laws provide guidance on the roles that police and other uniformed officers can have at polling places on Election Day or during in-person early voting, according to the National Policing Institute website, policinginstitute.org.

State laws vary on allowing police to be present at polling places for the purpose of law enforcement. The purpose of the regulations on law enforcement is to prevent intimidation or interference with freedom of elections, according to the National Policing Institute.

I talked with Horry County about what they have done, McCrea said, and their poll workers are instructed to call 911. They also have the sheriffs office on standby.

We had a meeting with the sheriff and she is right, board chairman James Sanderson said. We cannot have law enforcement officers in the precincts.

Sanderson said training the poll workers and making sure everyone knows who to contact in case of an emergency is the best solution.

I feel like it is something you shouldnt have to worry about, he said. You shouldnt be worried about your safety when you go to vote.

McCrea said the next poll workers training session would be held Oct. 24 to Oct. 29 and she would add in a PowerPoint slide instructing workers on who to call in case of an emergency.

Sanderson asked if the poll workers couldnt also receive a laminated card or sheet with the emergency contact information to have with them during the election.
GREENVILLE  Food Network star and Greenville native Tyler Florence returned to his hometown ahead of the upscale food festival event Euphoria, which runs the course of Sept. 15-18.

The celebrity chef spoke to a small gathering of media at Soby's New South Cuisine downtown on the festival's first day ahead of a $275 multi-course wine dinner. The discussion centered mostly on growing up in Greenville and the influence of its culinary scene and how much it has changed.

The Euphoria event, which features special tastings and classes, music and the like, is mostly sold out but has a few spots remaining.

For more than 15 years, Florence has appeared on the Food Network in various productions including his signature show, "Tyler's Ultimate," along with regular guest spots on multiple major network talk shows. He is owner and executive chef of Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco and has been a James Beard Foundation semifinalist.

Before TV fame, Florence studied at Johnson & Wales University culinary school in Charleston and made his way to New York City, where he rose in the ranks as prestigious chef.

Before becoming a professional chef, Florence, who grew up just outside Furman University, said he learned Southern cooking from his grandmother and ticked off a list of what were staples of dining in Greenville.

The Peddler steakhouse, which sits up on a hill off Poinsett Highway and was the classic prom-date establishment, offered him what he said was his first experience of a steak wrapped in bacon.

Restaurants like the Peddler, along with the Fish Market and Stax Peppermill, represented an experience of Southern fine dining at the time, when "at 5 p.m. it was showtime."

It was while working at the Fish Market that Florence said he learned the exact hand placement for carrying a tray. He said he served as a cook at Little Caesar's pizza and used to wear the mascot uniform in downtown Christmas parades.

One major influence in choosing his career path, he joked, was a chef who rode a Harley and attracted a host of female admirers.

If the Upstate is defined by a cuisine, Florence said it would be Carolina-style barbecue, one of the four pillars of barbecue style along with Memphis, Kansas City and Texas.

Arriving at the Charlotte airport, Florence said he insisted he and his support staff drive Interstate 85 and visit whatever establishment got great reviews on the collective rating site Yelp.

The city and the path there is worth the drive, he said.

"Greenville is there," Florence said, after earlier in the day visiting Greenville County School District culinary classes. "It's not to be messed with, and don't miss it, don't drive by it."
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Generally cloudy. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
CONWAY  A former Coastal Carolina University student who gave birth to a baby boy and hid his body in woods outside of Conway more than a decade ago pleaded guilty to a lesser charge just weeks before her murder trial was set to begin.

Jennifer Sahr, now 34 years old and living in Florida with a husband and two children, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in an Alford plea agreement at a Sept. 15 hearing after reaching an agreement with state prosecutors and her defense team.

In an Alford plea, defendants maintains their innocence but admit that the prosecution's evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial.

Sahr was originally charged with one count of homicide by child abuse and could have faced life in prison if convicted in the scheduled October trial featuring a former cold case where authorities at the onset could not determine the parents of the newborn who was found off S.C. Highway 544 in 2008 and later named Baby Boy Horry.

Local authorities investigated the cold case for over a decade before announcing that scientific evidence provided them with a new lead in the case, resulting in the March 2020 arrest of Sahr by federal marshals in the North Myrtle Beach area.

The State Law Enforcement Division confirmed at the time that Sahr was the boy's biological mother from a supplied DNA sample, according to Horry County authorities.

With the Sept. 15 guilty plea of voluntary manslaughter in a Horry County courtroom, Sahr now faces anywhere from two to 30 years behind bars after waiving her constitutional right to a jury trial and agreeing to be sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Paul Burch, who will decide her fate at a later date.

More details about the case were disclosed during the nearly two-hour hearing by 15th Judicial Circuit Chief Deputy Solicitor Scott Hixson and Sahrs attorney Morgan Martin, however both the state and the defense disagreed on whether the infant was alive after birth.

Im going to take us back in time around December 4 of 2008, Hixson said in the hearing.

Hixson said around five electric line workers who were clearing rights of way off of tree-lined Meadowbrook Road near CCU on a 28-degree day in December found a cardboard box containing a Bath and Body Works tote bag.

Inside of that bag was a full-term, dark-hair male, Hixson said, while adding that the unlined two-lane road is about 2 miles from CCUs campus.

The state argued the infant was alive when he was born while Sahrs defense said there is no clear evidence to make such a confirmation.

Martin said that his client did not realize that she was pregnant before giving birth to the baby around Dec. 4, 2008. Sahr originally went to the CCU campus medical clinic because she wasnt feeling well while feeling numbness in her hands and feet.

While giving birth at her residence in excruciating pain and after losing an extreme amount of blood, Sahr reportedly passed out for an undetermined amount of time, according to Martin.

When she did get some wits about her, she saw no signs of life with the child, Martin said. No sound, no movement, no crying, no nothing.

She should have called somebody. She was wrong in what she did. She did take the child and leave it where it was found.

Martin played a Power Point presentation showing aspects of Sahrs life growing up in Vermont as well as her academic achievements at CCU. Additionally, pictures of Sahr with her husband and two children were displayed on the TV screen for the court.

Its a story, I think, thats worth telling, said Martin in the courtroom where Sahrs mother, father and husband were present.

Hixson responded by flashing enlarged photographs of Baby Boy Horry for only the judge to see.

My responsibility is to represent the citizens of Horry County, whether 80 years old or eight hours old, Hixson said. And I did not have a chance to talk to that child. Its an absolute tragedy across the board.

Others who addressed the court during the hearing included Baby Boy Horrys father, Ronald Woodham III, Sahrs father and Horry County Coroner Robert Edge.

When informed, Woodham III said. My world stopped spinning.

The judge requested a pre-sentence investigation that will take 45-60 days to complete before he levies a sentence, because he said this is a unique case while thinking about Sahrs two children and the effect of any punishment on their lives.

Yes, theres got to be some punishment, Burch said. Theres got to be a dose of mercy. But these two children are the most important people on the face of the earth.

Earlier in the hearing, Hixson reflected on "Baby Boy Horry" and how the county rose up over the years to memorialize the infant. Baby Boy Horry is buried at Hillcrest Cemetery near Coastal Carolina University where a memorial headstone was erected in his honor.

This young man would have been 13 years old by now, Hixson said. And every year, Robert Edge had a memorial service for this person. Its a birthday and a memorial at the same time.

And every year for 13 years, Ms. Sahr had an opportunity to come forward and say I want to make this right.

Sahr, who remains on bond and on house arrest in Florida, was also given an opportunity at the end to address the court.

I will live with it for the rest of my life, she said.
MYRTLE BEACH  St. James Elementary School was recognized Sept. 16 with a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School Award, one of only five schools in the state to receive the honor this year.

The Myrtle Beach elementary school was one of 297 schools across the nation to be awarded the National Blue Ribbon School award this year.

The school received the award from the U.S. Department of Education for exemplary high performance, ranking in the top 15 percent on state assessments for English language arts and mathematics.

"Today is such an honor," said Principal Felisa David. "It speaks to the tenacity, the perseverance and resilience of our school community."

St. James Elementary School is the 15th school in the Horry County School District to receive the National Blue Ribbon School award. The most recent winners have included Ocean Drive Elementary in 2020; Ocean Bay Elementary in 2019 and HCS Early College High School in 2017.

S.C. Education Superintendent Molly Spearman nominated the school for the award.

The other four schools in South Carolina that received the award for 2022 are Brashier Middle College Charter High School in Simpsonville; Fairfield Magnet for Math and Science in Winnsboro; Gold Hill Elementary School in Fort Mill; and Mitchell Road Elementary School in Greenville, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

David said that the students who tested and received those top scores had to overcome several challenges over the past three years, including Hurricane Florence in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic starting in early 2020.

St. James Elementary School had 826 enrolled students at the time of being tested.

During the 2021 school year, students had to adapt to three different ways of receiving instruction  a hybrid model that featured in-person and virtual instruction, an all-virtual model and the traditional in-person model, which they returned to by the end of the school year.

David and Assistant School Principal Heather Daminov acknowledged, though, that staff and students are still feeling the lingering effects of the past two pandemic years, mainly in regards to students' social and emotional development.

Per a 2020 study by the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, many mitigation measures for limiting the spread of viruses like COVID-19  like social restrictions, shutdowns and school closures  can cause higher levels of stress in parents and children. This can lead to potential emotional and mental developmental delays, post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders and depression in children, depending on the severity of the stress.

Because the students and staff had to overcome these challenges, Daminov said that the national award is a way to honor all that the school's students and staff persevered through over the last school year.

"I think it's great validation for the hard work that our teachers do every day that they don't get the recognition for," Daminov said. "We have great teachers, we have great staff, we have great children, first of all, and a great support system within our families here at St. James Elementary."

This latest award comes after the Horry County School District consistently outperformed the state in two standardized state assessments in 2021. They included the S.C. College-and-Career Ready Assessment and the S.C. Palmetto Assessment of State Standards.

Both tests were administered in the spring of the 2021-22 school year, and they measure student achievement in English language arts, mathematics and science for grades 3-8.

In SC READY, the percentage of Horry students who scored at the highest performance levels in English language arts ranged between three and seven percentage points higher than the state.

Then, the percentage of Horry students who scored at the highest performance levels in mathematics ranged between six and 10 percentage points higher than the state.

SC PASS is the standardized state assessment for science for students in the fourth and sixth grades. The percentage of Horry students who scored at the highest performance levels ranged between six and eight percentage points higher than the state.

The Horry County Board of Education discussed the assessment scores with District Superintendent Dr. Rick Maxey during a work session on Sept. 12.

Maxey said that, although the district needs to improve in some areas, he is proud of how the schools have recovered after the past two pandemic years.

"When you consider the fact that we have had interruptions the past couple of years due to pandemic conditions, I extend congratulations and gratitude to our schools, teachers, principals, all our staff that have come together to help our students regain the ground that they may have lost," Maxey said.

Over the past 39 years, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has awarded approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

Schools are awarded in one of two performance categories  Exemplary High-Performing Schools, which are among their state's highest performing schools, and Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools, which are among state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps.

These categories are determined based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates.

Nationwide, up to 420 schools may be nominated for the award each year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Islamabad, Sep 15 (UNI) Pakistani health officials are warning of a looming health crisis in the country after devastating floods which affected 33 million people and left nearly 1,500 dead since the middle of June.

As rescue and evacuation efforts continue in parts of the country, health experts are reporting a surge in dengue, malaria and severe gastric infections.

Many displaced people are living near stagnant water. Dengue fever is already claiming lives and cases are increasing by the day, the BBC reported.

About 3,830 cases of dengue fever have been reported by health officials in southern Sindh province, with at least nine deaths, but there are concerns this may be a conservative estimate.

"Overall the situation in Sindh is very bad, we are organising medical camps all over the province. Most of the cases we are seeing now are of dengue patients followed closely by malaria," Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association, told the BBC.

"The dengue burden is the same all over the province and it's increasing daily. When we checked with the laboratories, the suspected cases are around 80 per cent of tests being done."

Shoro, who has been treating scores of dengue patients at Agha Khan hospital in Karachi, fears the situation is only going to worsen in the coming weeks.

UNI ING
CHARLESTON  Despite pushback from the neighborhood, the city's Public Safety Committee passed a rezoning that would allow multifamily affordable housing units in Liberty Hill, a historic African American community increasingly facing gentrification.

The matter, which involves installing affordable housing in a community trying to revitalize itself, drew tense discussions during the meeting among community members and elected officials.

In a 5-3 vote Sept. 15, the committee  which includes all City Council members  approved a request to rezone a lot in Liberty Hill from single-family residential to multifamily. The Charity Foundation, a church nonprofit located in Liberty Hill, is seeking to have 4843 Lecque St. rezoned in order to place a duplex on the property that would house two residents with special needs.

But opponents to the rezoning say multifamily units have had a negative impact on the neighborhood, mainly crime. The neighborhood doesn't need more renters, but rather more homeowners, residents said.

The decision will go before City Council for a final vote next week.

Intense disagreement over the proposal was put on display during the Sept. 15 meeting, where more than a dozen people from the neighborhood packed out the small conference room in City Hall to express both opposition and support for the rezoning.

The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers, pastor of the charity and board chairman for the foundation, said the foundation's goal for the site is to provide a place to live for those with disabilities.

A member of the church, who is also a Liberty Hill resident, has special needs and is living in "really desperate conditions," Rivers said. The foundation created a covenant that ensures the land will only be used to house those with disabilities, and also prevents the foundation from selling the land.

"There's a great need for folk who have special needs to have decent housing that they can afford," Rivers said.

Rivers also insisted the foundation is not going to build an apartment complex. Regarding the effort to provide affordable housing, Rivers said it's not realistic to expect every resident in a neighborhood to be a homeowner. He cautioned those in the room against attempting to decide what kind of people can live in a community.

"We have to be careful that our privilege doesn't start to show," Rivers said.

Discussion about the matter lasted almost an hour. Several times, council members reminded guests to direct their questions to the committee, not individuals in the crowd.

At one point, conversation between the elected officials got heated. Mayor Keith Summey and Councilwoman Virginia Jamison raised their voices at one another after the mayor asked those in the room who lived in Liberty Hill to stand. In response, Jamison requested those in the crowd who owned property in the neighborhood to stand.

After some back-and-both between the two city officials, Jamison walked to the mayor and whispered something in his ear, to which Summey shouted: "I am not biased."

"I have a right to ask any question of these folks because they have a right to ask me the same question," Summey said.

Both Summey and Jamison seemingly agreed in their end goal, though, both voting to reject the rezoning, although to no avail.

At least one other guest at the meeting spoke in favor of the rezoning. But there was steep opposition. Those who expressed dissent said several times they are not opposed to the idea of housing individuals with disabilities, but said they are simply not in favor of adding multifamily units to the neighborhood as it seeks to revitalize itself.

Condida Joy, former Liberty Hill Improvement Council president, recalled the neighborhood's former vibrancy.

During the mid-1900s, the predominantly Black neighborhood that had been founded by freedmen in 1871 had grown into a hub of single-family residences and locally owned businesses.

Joy said the neighborhood's decline came in the '80s when public housing was established in the neighborhood  an act Joy said was done against the wishes of the residents. Drugs and criminal activity soon followed, she said.

Joy pleaded for council members to help the neighborhood preserve itself by not allowing any more multifamily units that she said would welcome more crime in Liberty Hill.

"We don't want to see that happen again," she said, telling City Council members, "we need your help in helping us preserve Liberty Hill."

Valarie Harper Young is president of the Liberty Hill Improvement Council, which has been working recently to repair homes as well as encourage Liberty Hill natives to invest in the community. She said the rezoning would open the door for more rental units at the Lecque site in the future, regardless of what the foundation says are its current plans.

Young pointed to the neighborhood's crimes. Lecque Street has seen two homicides since July 2021, according to North Charleston Police Department. Young added that the apartment complex across the street from the proposed Lecque Street lot has seen several physical altercations.

There are already hundreds of people who live nearby, Young said. New multifamily units would create more problems, Young said.

"That means, with the density, its going to cause more crime," Young said.

Young also expressed concern over who would eventually manage the Charity Foundation's multifamily units years from now. More than a dozen people from local organizations stood in solidarity with Young during the meeting.

Young said the issue is also generational wealth. The improvement council would like to see more young couples owning houses in Liberty Hill because homeownership creates wealth that can be passed down to descendants.
DANIEL ISLAND  Schools on the Philip Simmons campus were briefly locked down Sept. 16 while authorities searched for two suspicious persons.

The elementary, middle and high schools  all located within a short distance from each other on the island  were reported to be on lockdown around 3:30 p.m., according to Charleston police.

The lockdowns were lifted around 4 p.m., a school district spokeswoman said.

Berkeley County sheriff's deputies and school officials were investigating a possible weapon at the high school before the lockdown, Cpl. Carli Drayton said. One student was detained during the investigation, but another one fled from officials at the school's campus.

The student was later apprehended, Drayton said, and investigators recovered two firearms from the juveniles.

"The school is secured and there are no students in danger," according to the corporal.

Berkeley County sheriff's deputies were dispatched around 2:45 p.m. Charleston police officers were also dispatched to the school, which falls under the city's jurisdiction but is staffed by deputies.

Roughly two dozen squad cars from both law enforcement agencies were seen racing to the scene from Interstate 526 with their lights flashing.
A pair of lawsuits opposing the removal of Confederate- and antebellum-themed monuments in Charleston were dropped this week.

The American Heritage Association helped fund one lawsuit filed by descendants of John C. Calhoun opposing the city removing his statue from Marion Square in 2020.

The AHA also filed a separate lawsuit opposing the removal of a Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway marker on Upper King Street, as well as the renaming of Memminger Auditorium to Festival Hall.

The highway marker and auditorium lawsuit was dropped Sept. 13. The Calhoun lawsuit was dropped Sept. 15. Both had been filed in state circuit court.

AHA President Brett Barry declined to comment on the status of the Calhoun case, despite the descendants' request for dismissal. He said he would give further comment soon. The case could be filed again.

"Charleston monuments are an integral part of the city's historical and artistic American landscape," Barry told The Post and Courier. "Both the American Heritage Association and members of the Calhoun family look forward to commenting on the destruction of U.S. Vice President Calhoun's monument and the associated lawsuit in the coming weeks."

When on display, the 125-year-old statue had depicted Calhoun, a congressman and vice president, atop a 115-foot pillar and pedestal. Calhoun died a decade before the formation of the Confederacy. He is also remembered as a strong defender of slavery, at one point delivering a speech calling it a positive good.

A Los Angeles-based art gallery requested to borrow the statue as a part of an exhibit that would display decommissioned monuments alongside contemporary art inspired by the figures and the time period. The potential loan of the statue to the California art exhibit was part of the legal argument against its removal. His descendants argued it was created with the intent that it would stay in South Carolina.

The city is in talks with the South Carolina State Museum to take the statue instead.

In the Lee and Memminger case, the AHA sued S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson along with the city of Charleston, contending Wilson should have followed through on his threats to sue the city.

In a letter to Mayor John Tecklenburg, Wilson wrote in February the removal of the Robert E. Lee marker violated the state's Heritage Act, which protects certain historic monuments. He said he would sue the city if it did not return the marker to its original location. So far, he has not filed any case against the city. The letter made no mention of Festival Hall.

The hall's original namesake, Christopher Memminger, served as treasury secretary of the Confederacy. A staunch secessionist and advocate for slavery, Memminger also helped establish Charlestons public school system. The auditorium, which is managed by Spoleto USA, has been referred to as Festival Hall since 2020.

The stone-and-metal monument to Confederate Gen. Lee, was removed in July 2021 and placed in storage. The request originally came from campus officials and was later backed by the school district.

It was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and donated to the school in 1947, the monument states. The thumb-shaped marker stands several feet tall and was one of several such markers that were placed on state roads during the middle part of the 20th century by the UDC.

The website Historic Columbia includes a description of that citys Lee marker on Gervais Street thats nearly identical to the one removed from the Charleston school.

It also has a description of why the marker is there.

Through public monuments and educational programs, the UDC glorified the Confederacy, explained secession as a political act rather than a defense of slavery, and vilified the federal governments empowerment of African Americans during Reconstruction, the website states, adding the UDC in South Carolina celebrated the Confederacy by designating a series of roads that crossed the state from Charleston to Greenville to Lee.

At the time that the lawsuit was filed, city attorneys argued that the removal of the marker does not violate the Heritage Act and stuck by their position.

"As city attorneys have made clear from the start, there was never a violation of the Heritage Act," Charleston city spokesman Jack O'Toole told The Post and Courier on Sept. 16. "And now that these lawsuits have been dropped, the city can start moving forward once again with plans for these historical items to be displayed in an appropriate public setting here in our state."

Barry added that both cases can be taken up in court again, should Wilson, or anyone else, choose to file a lawsuit.

"The claim by the city that the Robert E. Lee memorial does not fall under the Heritage Act is laughable," Barry said. "We voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice."

So far, no new cases on the matter have been filed.

"No decision has been made," a spokesperson for Wilson told The Post and Courier when asked whether Wilson still plans to sue.

Editor's note: this article has been updated to correct the status of negotiations between the city of Charleston and the South Carolina State Museum over displaying the decommissioned statue of John C. Calhoun.
COLUMBIA  Candidates for lieutenant governor and state education superintendent have agreed to participate in a debate hosted by The Post and Courier and South Carolina ETV and S.C. Public Radio.

The debate for lieutenant governor between incumbent Republican Pamela Evette and Democratic challenger attorney Tally Parham Casey will be held Oct. 11 from 8 to 9 p.m.

The debate for education superintendent between Democrat Lisa Ellis and Republican Ellen Weaver will be held Nov. 2 from 7-8 p.m.

The election is Nov. 8.

Both debates will be broadcast live from SCETV in Columbia and will be braodcast across SCETV and S.C. Public Radios statewide networks. In addition, coverage of each debate will be streamed live on the SCETV website and social media platforms.

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The lieutenant governor candidates are running as part of a ticket selected by the gubernatorial candidates. Evette, an Upstate businesswoman, has served as Gov. Henry McMaster's choice for the last four years, while Casey, an attorney who was the S.C. Air National Guard's first female fighter pilot, is the pick of Democratic nominee Joe Cunningham.

In the superintendent's race, incumbent Republican Molly Spearman is not seeking reelection. That leaves the seat open for candidates Weaver, who heads the think tank Palmetto Promise Institute, and Ellis, who previously led the teacher advocacy organization SC for Ed.

The Post and Courier and SCETV also will host a debate for the 2022 gubernatorial candidates  McMaster and Cunningham  on Oct. 26 from 7 to 8 p.m.

The debates are not open to the general public for in-person attendance.
PACOLET  Most of the police department in Pacolet has resigned after what the former chief said were conflicts with town administrators.

John Alexander resigned Sept. 14 as head of the department in the town of about 2,500 on the western edge of Spartanburg County.

Three officers, including Lt. Daniel Gipson, also resigned from the police department. Town Councilman Daniel Hood told The Post and Courier a reserve officer also resigned.

That left the town with only one full-time officer.

Law enforcement services are being provided for the town by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office as town leaders work to find an interim chief.

Alexander notified town officials of his plans to resign on Sept. 10. During a news conference Sept. 15, Alexander explained he resigned due to conflicts with town administration over how the department should operate.

"It hurts to see that it has come to this point over something that should have been avoided but that is not in my hands nor my place to judge," Alexander stated in his resignation letter. "I know the road ahead for Pacolet will be rough for a while but I hope and pray that it will finally find its way and be the town it has the potential to be."

Alexander was named interim chief in February 2020 and was eventually named to the job. During the news conference, Alexander said he did his best to rebuild the police department and hire officers who cared about the community.

Residents who attended a Pacolet Town Council meeting on Sept. 15 expressed frustrations, even shouting after the board adjourned with no formal discussion held on the future of the police department.

Mayor Ned Camby told The Post and Courier the Appalachian Council of Government will provide assistance in hiring an interim chief and rebuilding the police department.

Hood said the resignations were due to "differences and ideas of leadership between the police department and town administration."

Town Administrator Patrick Kay released a statement on Sept. 14 on behalf of the mayor and council members.

"The Town of Pacolet has notified the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Department and we have requested assistance during this time of turbulence," the statement read. "The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Department has committed to understanding our time of need and will take the necessary action to provide equal coverage as they have always done in the past."

Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo said deputies patrol three zones in the Pacolet area. A deputy provided security at the Town Council's meeting on Sept. 15.

"Only difference now will be we will (be) answering calls in their city limits," Bobo said.

Several residents told The Post and Courier the resignations were a sign of poor leadership and that they preferred any differences between the town administration and department be solved.

Rita McGaha has lived in Pacolet for 70 years and hopes officials will move forward and hire new officers to better serve the community. She was among about 20 people who attended the Town Council meeting.

"I understand they may have some reasons for not saying anything about it tonight but I hoped we would have known something," McGaha said after the meeting.

Pacolet residents Christy Jordan and Daryl Camby said they are also hopeful about the town's future as it works to hire new officers. Camby said more needs to be done to reduce crime. Jordan added a new start may be what the town needs.

"There is already enough crime going on in this town," Jordan said. "This change may end up making things better."
Samarkand, Sep 16 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin called Pakistan a "priority partner" in Asia and said that gas supplies to Pakistan are possible with part of the necessary infrastructure already in place.

Putin held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.

"I would like to note that we see Pakistan as a priority partner in Southeast Asia and Asia as a whole. Relations between our countries are developing absolutely positively, and we are pleased about that," said Putin to Sharif according to a Kremlin readout.

Putin said that there are very interesting and large-scale projects, namely the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline project, which involves building the infrastructure needed for the delivery of LNG.

"The objective is to deliver pipeline gas from Russia to Pakistan. This is possible as well, in view of the fact that some infrastructure is already in place in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan," the Russian President said.

"We need to settle the Afghan issue. There are problems with political stability there, but I hope this problem can be settled as well, because we have good relations with the people of Afghanistan," added Putin.

Putin said that regrettably the trade between Russia and Pakistan has subsided somewhat because of the pandemic.

"But the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission is scheduled to take place in Karachi this autumn. I hope that our colleagues on both sides will not only find ways to restore mutual trade but also to increase it," he said.

In response, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan want to build relations because Russia is a superpower.

"Your Excellency, we want to build our relations with your great country with full commitment and full dedication, because you are a superpower," said Sharif.

"I have come here with my delegation with this proposal for your kind consideration, Mr President. We need to further cement our relations. We need to further build our relations in the field of energy, in the field of trade, in the field of investment and of course other strategic areas," the Pakistan Prime Minister added.

Shahbaz Sharif said told Putin that "You are a man of action. You decide, and then you implement."

I want to assure you that I want to work closely with you for our mutual benefit, Sharif added.

UNI ASU
The strategy of Greg Abbott and others to send illegal aliens to sanctuary cities around the country was a stroke of genius. Not that it was original: for at least the last five or six years, a friend has been emailing me to the effect that illegals should be sent to Marin County, Nancy Pelosis San Francisco mansion, and, above all, Marthas Vineyard. That, he said, would bring the open border problem to a screeching halt.

And it may. Ron DeSantiss master stroke of sending two planeloads of aliens to Marthas Vineyard has made liberal heads explode. The irony is evident to everyone. These places are sanctuaries for illegal aliens, but if they actually see a few of them they panic. Their yards boast All Are Welcome Here signs, but it turns out that some are more welcome than others.

Rasmussen finds that most people approve of Governor Abbotts shipping illegals to sanctuary cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C., by 52% to 36%. Those 36% are diehard Democrats who think it is fine for Texas to try to deal with one million aliens, but an outrage if a liberal city has to take on a few hundred.

Unlike most Americans, liberals dont appreciate the irony. Their reaction has been priceless. The White Houses Press Airhead Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, thinks what Abbott and DeSantis are doing is terrible. She also thinks Ted Cruz is the Governor of Texas:

KJP: "Using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless, and just plain wrongif these governors truly care about border security, they should ask Texas *governor* Ted Cruzwhy [he] voted againstrecord funding for DHS." pic.twitter.com/H8sA9J6RWV  Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 15, 2022



By the way, if KJP thinks it is shameful to use migrants as political pawns, one can only imagine how outraged she would have been if she had known that the Democrats were using families ostensibly separated at the border as political pawns. Too bad she missed that one.

Of all the crazed liberal reactions, this is one of the nuttiest. Sending some illegal aliens to Marthas VineyardI wish I could afford to live thereis kinda like the Holocaust:

As for what is going on at the Vineyard, Americas paper of record comes through as usual:

Marthas Vineyard Resident Calls Police To Report A Hispanic In The Neighborhood Not Operating A Leaf Blower.

For a non-satirical update on events, the New York Post headlines: Marthas Vineyard in chaos after DeSantis ships migrants to liberal enclave.

The liberal enclave of Marthas Vineyard was thrown into chaos by the arrival of two planeloads of migrants sent to the Massachusetts island by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to local reports. Members of the West Tisbury Select Board were told about the unexpected development during a Wednesday night meeting at which Town Administrator Jennifer Rand said shed been receiving furious texts from residents, the MV Times reported.

Ill bet they were furious! Not just anyone can live on Marthas Vineyard. Maybe the Vineyard folks can ship the unwanted illegal aliens to a more downscale location, like the Hamptons. Or else the illegal immigrants, of whom there are only around 50, could all stay at Barack Obamas $12 million estate. There is plenty of room there, and I understand his mansion has 10 bathrooms. That would be more than enough. But dont hold your breath.

In all seriousness, if there is anything that could motivate Democrats to accept United States sovereignty, this is probably it.

UPDATE: I forgot to add that Governor Abbott also bused around 100 illegals to Kamala Harriss Washington, D.C., residence, the Naval Observatory. This was in response to Harriss absurd claim that the southern border is secure. No way, say the illegals themselves: the border is open! Lets have more of this, until the Democrats say Uncle.

UPDATE: Will the Obamas come through for their illegal friends? Some are doubtful:
Yesterday Punchbowl News featured an insidery report on Chuck Schumer speaking to a few of his Democratic colleagues over dinner at a DC restaurant. This morning Punchbowl features an insidery report on Nancy Pelosi sharing concerns internally with her Democratic caucus:

During a closed-door meeting of House Democrats on Wednesday morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi relayed to her members something shes been hearing from donors. Donors have been asking Pelosi why more House Democrats dont donate to the DCCC. Pelosi, famous for her fundraising prowess, was trying to make the point that it doesnt send a good message to donors if members arent doing their part to keep the House majority. Put more bluntly, Pelosi was complaining about her Democratic colleagues not ponying up their dues to the DCCC. * * * * * The statistics are surprising, to say the least. Ninety-eight House Democrats have paid less than half of their dues. Even worse, this doesnt include Frontliners, who are essentially exempt from funding the DCCC because they need that money for their own races.

The Schadenfreude takes a timeout:

As of July 31, the DCCC has raised more than $252 million this cycle, with more than $118 million in cash on hand, according to its FEC report. However, the committee has already reserved tens of millions of dollars in TV ads, with every vulnerable incumbent clamoring for more help as Pelosi and Democratic leaders defend their razor-thin majority.

We get down to a few interesting cases:

 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), who has north of $6 million in the bank, hasnt given a dime to the committee. The DCCC has her down for having raised $1,000 for the committee and $145,000 raised or given to Red-to-Blue candidates and Frontliners. Ive contributed at the beginning of the term by essentially providing over a quarter million in direct donations. Its been kind of documented, but I try not to put grassroots money and commingle it with big money. In other words, AOC doesnt like how the DCCC raises money  from lobbyists, corporate executives and the like  so count her out. AOC also didnt like how [DCCC chairman Sean Patrick Maloney] decided to run in Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones district following New Yorks chaotic redistricting process. She endorsed SPMs primary opponent (who lost, of course.) Jones was defeated handily by Dan Goldman, the former Donald Trump impeachment counsel who put $4 million from his own pocket into the race.  Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents a safe seat in Minneapolis, said Im not one of those when we asked if shed pay dues. Omar hasnt given a dime of the $150,000 shes expected to donate. Omar spent heavily in a Democratic primary and has $471,000 in the bank as of her July 20 FEC report.

Whole Punchbowl News morning newsletter here.
Drawing on the White House party line, Politico Playbook PM headlined last nights edition GOP govs migrant stunts return to center stage. The reference was of course to the flight of illegal aliens from Florida to Marthas Vineyard (thanks, Governor DeSantis) and the busing of illegal aliens from Texas to the Vice Presidents DC residence at the Naval Observatory (thanks, Governor Abbott).

The governors seek to draw attention to the opening of our southern border by the Biden administration. It is the kind of political protest (or whatever) that one might think only 60s radicals turned Democrat could manage. Indeed, it is straight out of the Rules For Radicals playbook. The media response puts an exclamation points to its bite and brilliance.

Let it all hang out. Make the man live with it, baby!

I understand that the illegal aliens voluntarily undertook the trips they were offered. This morning Reuters strives to make the case that they were misled. So far as we know, not a single one was harmed in the process.

How brilliant are these protests? CNN (perfect!) brought in Ken Burns (perfect!) to liken the DeSantis variant to, well, you know what. This is coming straight out of the authoritarian playbook, Burnsexplained.

What we find in our all films is that the themes that we engage in the past are present today, he concluded. And so when you look at the story that were telling of the U.S. and the Holocaust, you understand that the time to save a democracy is before its lost. We promise you. Im sure our own Jewish Community Relations Council and all the like organizations will get right on it.

To answer my own question, I have a two-part answer. A protest or demonstration is a stunt when it is devastatingly effective and undertaken by Republicans or conservatives.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Oliver Alawuba, has said that the bank is well positioned to lead the African banking market and increase capital inflows into Nigeria.

Mr Alawuba said this during the visit of the banks new executives to the Nigerian Exchange Limiteds head office in Lagos.

He explained that the banks consistent investment in strengthening its digital channels has placed it in the right position to meet the growing demand of its customers across Africa and beyond.

He explained that the banks foray into the larger African market continues to yield largely for the organisation, as activities in the African market account for over 50% of the banks profitability, with room for more opportunities.

As it stands, UBA can lead in Nigeria and in Africa, and we the new management are here to ensure that UBA takes the leadership position in every country we operate in, he said.

The bank CEO also informed the Stock Exchange of the banks willingness to partner with the NGX to achieve its goals of unifying Africa, adding that other African countries look to Nigeria to play a significant role in the continents developmental journey.

As a bank, we can do a lot together with the NGX in the area of making sure that millennials and GenZ can key into the opportunities we have, he said.

While welcoming the newly appointed executives to the Exchange, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited, Temi Popoola, commended the UBA Board, led by its Chairman, Tony Elumelu.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, on Thursday said the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project will create wealth, and improve the standard of living of countries with the African region.

Mr Kyari said this during the signing ceremony of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Memoranda of Understanding.

The agreements were between

NNPC, ONHYM and ECOWAS;

NNPC, ONHYM and SMH; and

NNPC, ONHYM and PETROSEN

ONHYM is the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines of Morocco.

At the event which was held in Morocco, Mr Kyari said the gas pipeline project will also help in the mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission.

He described the event as a very important milestone in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project as it reaffirms the commitment of stakeholders to deliver on the project.

He explained further that the NNPC is well positioned to progress the project by leveraging on its experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as the countrys vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

From inception of the project to this stage, Mr Kyari said concerted efforts have been made by the Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco which led to the very commendable achievements recorded.

He expressed appreciation to King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Muhammadu Buhari for entrusting NNPC Ltd with this strategic project.

He said, As you are aware, our countries stand to benefit immeasurably from the execution of the project which extends beyond the supply of gas to energize the countries along the route.

Some of the benefits include creation of wealth and improvement in standard of living, integration of the economies within the region, mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission.

I am glad to say that NNPC is well positioned to progress the project by leveraging our experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as our vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

On our part, NNPC Limited will facilitate the continuous supply of gas provide other enablers such as the required land for the first compressor station for the pipeline to be deployed in Nigeria which is among the thirteen stations earmarked along the pipeline route.

On behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I would like to thank you all as we continue to strengthen our partnership for the benefit of our countries.

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and was conceived during the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016.

The NMGP Project is aimed at monetization of Nigerias abundant natural gas resources, thereby generating additional revenue for the Country, diversification of Nigerias gas export routes and elimination of gas flaring.

It will also assist in supplying gas to Morocco, 13 ECOWAS countries and Europe, integration of the economies of the Sub-region, improvement of living standards of people of the Sub-region, creation of wealth and poverty alleviation, assisting in the fight against desertification through sustainable and reliable gas supply as well as providing avenue for other countries along the pipeline route to develop and export their gas.

The pipeline is a 48 Inch X 5,300 Km (Offshore from Barss Island-Nigeria to Dakhla-Morocco) and 56 X 1,700 Km (onshore from Dakhla-Morocco to MEP), with a total length of about over 7,000 Km and about thirteen Compressor Stations.

The pipeline will originate from Brass Island (Nigeria) and terminates at North of Morocco, where it will be connected to the existing Maghreb European Pipeline (MEP) that originates from Algeria (via Morocco) to Spain.
The campaign councils of three leading presidential candidates in the 2023 general election have dismissed a recent opinion poll that put the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, ahead of them.

In the result of the poll conducted and released by ANAP Foundation, on Thursday, Mr Obi, was ranked first, beating Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Both Messrs Tinubu and Atiku shared the second position, while Mr Kwankwaso came a distant fourth position in the poll.

In the percentage rating, the LP candidate got 21 per cent while the APC and PDP candidates garnered only 13 per cent each from the poll said to have been conducted across the six geo-political zones in the country.

The researchers did not disclose the methodology and the number of people that participated in the poll.

Speaking on Politics Today a programme on Channels Television, on Thursday, the spokespersons of the campaign councils of the NNPP, PDP and APC, took turns to tear the outcome of the poll, saying it is laughable.

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Abdulmumin Jubril, the spokesperson of the NNPP presidential campaign council, said the programme gave credence to the poll which should have been ignored.

Against the projection of the poll that Mr Kwankwaso, a former two-term governor of Kano State, lost the north, Mr Jubril said his principal has the region on lockdown and will garner the rest of the needed votes from the other parts of the country to win the February presidential election.

Let me say this, NOI poll clearly projected that Jonathan would win the 2015 election but he lost, which included many other works (NOI) has done. There is no work that they have done, where you can say that the projections are right or anything.

Well, that is the extent that I will go in giving any recognition to that statement. It is absolutely false and is not a representation of the reality on ground, particularly if you are talking about the northern part. I have said this repeatedly, Rabiu Kwankwaso has the northern part on lockdown, in a matter of three to four months, the fact will emerge, he argued.

Weighing the chances of both Messrs Tinubu and Atiku against Mr Kwankwaso, Mr Jubril described the APC presidential candidate as a good person (pilot) in a bad party (aeroplane) called APC.

He said Mr Obi and supporters are divisive but admitted to the chance of Atiku picking a fair number of votes across the country in the election.

Its mere hallucination, concocted trash  Bwala, Onanuga

In his reaction, the PDP campaign spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, said Mr Obi is basking in the euphoria of social media hallucination.

He dismissed the result of the poll and vowed to throw a party if the LP candidate is able to win just three states in the South-east, widely considered to be his stronghold.

Mr Bwala dismissed the poll on the ground that it failed to provide size of the participants, methodology and the margin of error which are basics in conducting a poll.

I know they said it is a random sampling. But then, because of the result I am tempted to believe that this polling was carried out online because Peter Obi has a measure of people who are very active for him online much more than the other candidate and I will tell you why.

There was an algorithm and data analytics that was carried out that came up with the finding that 57.5% of people who follow Peter Obi and engaged for him on social media do not live in Nigeria. In fact, the majority of whom are bots on Twitter, they are not real human beings.

If you take away 57.5% of the people who are active for him, who probably live abroad and they dont have voters card they are likely not to come to vote, then what it means is that Peter is basking in the euphoria of hallucination and this (poll) result is a true reflection of that, he argued.

Mr Bwala said Atiku is the only candidate among the four that is accepted across the regions.

He supported his assertion by saying that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be on the ballot in the coming elections and this will be in favour of Atiku presumable as far as the north is concerned.

He said the PDP presidential candidate lost the 2019 election to Mr Buhari by over two million votes when the APC was more united.

Concocted

The spokesman of the APC presidential campaign council, Bayo Onanuga, in his brief reaction, said the poll that gave Mr Obi a lead was concocted and meant for the trash can.

He noted that Mr Tinubu, believed to have an edge in the South-west, had only 18 per cent according to the poll.

If you look at it, the reason why you have to dismiss this is this, the NOI poll gives our candidates 18% in the South-west, that is our own base. You dont need to do any opinion poll to know that that is the stronghold of our candidate. And they went to the North-east and gave our candidate 18 per cent again, whereas the same people gave Peter Obi 64 per cent in the South-east. You can see that there is no logic in this thing, Mr Onanuga argued.
Nigerias main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has named the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, as the Director General of its 2023 Presidential Campaign Organization (PCO). The party also named the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, as the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

The party has Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate in the election slated for 25 February, next year. Atiku was the countrys vice president between 1999 and 2007.

Mr Tambuwal was earlier in the week rumoured to have stepped down as the chairman of the partys governors forum amidst the internal crisis rocking the party.

With Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State at the forefront, the crisis rocking the party has been tied to the imbalance in sharing of party positions, a reason there has been calls for the removal of Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman for a southern person.

Both Messrs Ayu and Atiku are from the north.

The PDP, in a document released on Thursday, by its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, listed a total of 326 persons as members of the campaign team.

According to Mr Bature, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, was appointed as the Vice Chairman (North) of the PCC.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was appointed as the Vice Chairman (South) of the same council.

Liye Imoke and Adewale Oladipo have also been appointed as Deputy Director General Operations and Administration respectively.

Both Raymond Dokpesi and Okwesilieze Nwodo are to serve in the capacity of Deputy DG Technical and Systems and Research and Strategy respectively.

Mr Wike and other governors of the party are members of the team.
About 14 communities in Anka area of Zamfara State have contributed at least N19 million and a canoe to terrorists operating in the areas between Anka and Bukkuyum as protection levies.

A reporter, Yusuf Anka, who is from the area, told PREMIUM TIMES, that many communities in Anka contributed to pay the protection levy to the terrorists.

He said the terorrists imposed the levy on the communities just before the start of the rainy season.

He said the terrorists requested the protection levy to allow residents of the communities cultivate their land for the start of the planting season.

Mr Anka said residents of the communities had no option than to gather the said amount to avoid being attacked by the terrorists while working on their farms or even in their villages.

The communities were all under Anka and have been asked to mobilise the money for protection. Some communities have paid theirs two months ago, others are just paying now. But the total paid have reached N19 million and a canoe, said Mr Anka, who had done extensive research on terrorism in the North-west including the recent documentary for the BBC Africa Eye, Titled The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara.

He said the canoe was bought by Yar Sabaya community. Anka is surrounded by two rivers and other smaller bodies of water.

The bandits asked the different communities to gather the money so that they (bandits) would allow them to work on their farms without attacks. This was not the first time they were asked to pay these levies, Mr Anka added.

He said the villages who have paid up so far are: Jargaba N1.6m, Birnin doki N1m, Tangaram N1.5m (and later added the sum of N2.5m), Jarkuka N1.5m, Tuntuja N500,000, Tsafta N1m, Tudun magaji N2m, Kadaddaba N820,000, Tudun kudaku N950,000, Gargam N1m, Kwanar Maje N900,000, Yar tumaki N1m, Bawar Daji N1.7m, Tungar Liman N6m and Makakari N430,000.

A community leader in Anka who asked not to be named for security reasons, said they were aware of the protection levies imposed by the terrorists.

Everyone in this town (Anka) knows that the bandits are exploiting innocent residents of local communities. They know how important the rainy season is to our people, so they would continue to ask them for such levies to allow them go to farms, he said.

But he feared that the terrorists could still harm the residents especially during harvest.

Protection levies is not the best option because they (terorrists) could still attack these people while theyre harvesting their farm produce and possibly ask for their share. But then, you cant ask them (residents) not to give the terorrists what theyre asking since there is no alternative to that, he said.

Zamfara State is one of the most terrorised states in Nigerias troubled North-west region.

Terror gangs in the entire region engage in cattle rustling, kidnap for ransom, and armed robbery. Thousands have either been killed or displaced by the activities of these terror gangs.

The police spokesperson in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, didnt respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the protection levies paid by the communities.
The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has held on to the corpse of a 12-year-old girl, Glory Ekeleyede, over the inability of her parents to offset the hospital bill.

Ekeleyede, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered, died in the hospital on 15 July during an illness.

NAN learnt that the cost of her treatment accumulated to N400,000.

A source said the inability to pay forced the hospital to seize the remains of the deceased teenager.

The bereaved father, Samson Ekeleyede, 66, lamented that his daughters ailment had thrown the family into a financial crisis.

He said the family borrowed to pay hospital bills and other sundry expenses.

The peasant farmer, whose wife is a petty trader, said the family barely eats again as all their resources had been expended on their daughter before she passed on.

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I learnt tailoring but that is not what I am doing. I am doing small jobs outside to feed my children. My wife sells tomatoes and pepper in the market and that is how we have been managing, he said.

On the effort he had made since the death of the child, Mr Ekeleyede said the child died on the 15th of July and since then she has been in the mortuary.

I went to plead with them; they said its not their making. They said I have to pay. They said they used oxygen and that is why the money is high. You used oxygen; the oxygen did not work.

If the child is alive now, its another thing. But they said till I pay, they will not release her body to us to bury it. I have been going there, but they refused.

I told one of my fathers in the church. He was very touched and he wrote a letter to the government. He said I should take it to the office of the deputy governor.

That time the governor was on leave; he was the one acting. The day I took it there was when Governor Obaseki returned from his leave. I gave it to the PRO.

That is the person my father in the church said I should give it to. I think he also mentioned it to the wife of the deputy governor. Since then, we have been waiting, but nothing has happened.

When contacted on the matter, the spokesperson of the UBTH, Uwaila Joshua, said Theres presumption that when you receive care, you are to pay for it.

(NAN)
Disney Original is making a documentary on Anthony Madu, a Nigerian ballet dancer.

Mr Madu became famous in 2020 after a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral.

The upcoming documentary Madu captures the events after uploading a 44-second video of Anthony dancing in the rain.

Nigerian director Joel Kachi Benson, who won the Venice Award in 2019 for his virtual reality documentary Daughters of Chibok is directing the feature project alongside Oscar nominee Matt Ogens.

Disney Original Documentary was announced at the D23 Expo, unveiling its future projects.

Chance of a lifetime

Making the announcement, Marjon Javadi, Vice President of Disney Original Documentary, said that Anthony comes from a community with limited opportunities.

The documentary, he said, is a lifetime chance for Mr Madu to pursue his dream.

Anthonys journey is beautiful, full of courage, growth and acceptance. We aim to share unique, diverse and global perspectives with audiences full of magic and heart, Javadi said.

In a joint statement, Joel Kachi Benson and co-director Matt Ogens said, Our shared journey is about curiosity and creating an understanding of different cultures through our connection with each other.

They described their experience on the project as a journey of discovery, growth, belonging and acceptance.

Making his voice heard is our ultimate drive, and we believe Anthonys extraordinary story will make the most captivating, emotional, and riveting film either of us has told, they added.

Background

Madu, who was 11 then, mesmerised many viewers worldwide with his pirouettes and leaps.

The video eventually fetched him a scholarship at the 100-year-old Elmhurst Ballet School in the U.K.

Footage of the feature documentary was shown to audiences at the D23 Expo held in California, USA, from 9 September through 11th.

Madu is part of a growing slate of films from Disney Original Documentary.

It is produced by Jamie Patricof, Katie McNeill and Rachel Halilej of Hunting Lane Films, while Marjon Javadi oversees the project for Disney Original Documentary.

2:Anthony Madu, a Nigerian ballet dancer who became famous in 2020 after a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral.
Mumbai, Sep 16 (UNI) The BSE Sensex remained under pressure for the third session on Friday, as it dropped 338.54 points at 59,595.45 in opening trade, on selling in IT, Telecom, Auto and Bankex stocks.



The Nifty too slid 115.10 points at 17,762.30.



The Sensex registered days high and low at 59,720.56 and 59,395.81 points respectively.



The Nifty recorded days high and low at 17,820.85 and 17,716.10 points respectively.



The Mid Cap fell by 0.13 while Small Cap by 0.09 per cent respectively.







In 30 scrips, 6 advanced while 24 declined.



The losers were M& M by 2.25 per cent to Rs 1267.75, Tech Mahindra by 2.20 per cent to Rs 1058.65, TCS by 1.62 per cent to Rs 3053.95, Wipro by 1.30 per cent to Rs 409.70 and Axis Bank by 1.39 per cent to Rs 779.90.



The gainers were IndusInd Bank by 2.97 per cent to Rs 1231.55, Sun Pharma by 0.86 per cent to Rs 881.25, Bajaj finance by 0.52 per cent to Rs 7424 and Asian Paints by 0.41 per cent to Rs 3408.



UNI NV PRT
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to the concerns raised by some Nigerians over a suspected compromise of voter registration.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how a Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) shared with journalists copies of national voter registers containing questionable names and other mismatched bio-data information.

This was followed by a trend on Twitter where Nigerians expressed dissatisfaction with past perceived inconsistencies in the operations of the commission.

They thereby reiterated their plans to #OccupyINEC offices nationwide on 27 September to express their grievances.

INEC, in a statement released almost 48 hours after issues of mismatched identities of voters started gaining traction, faulted the CUPP for taking its findings to the public rather than approaching the commission for clarification.

In the statement signed by its spokesperson, Festus Okoye, on Thursday, INEC said it was still cleaning its system after the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in July.

He added that it is until the commission concludes the cleaning exercise before the final voter register will be published for people to raise complaints.

It is important to reiterate that no new registrant has yet been added to the Register of Voters for the 2023 General Election or will be included until these supplemental activities have been completed in line with the law.

For the avoidance of doubt, we restate the main components of these activities. First, the Commission is conducting a comprehensive Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup of the registration data by scrutinising every record.

Based on the Electoral Act 2022, any record that does not meet all the criteria for inclusion as stipulated in Section 10, including the appearance in person by the registrant at the registration venue with proof of identity, age and nationality and our business rules requirements of adequate number of fingerprints and clear pictures will be invalidated.

Further, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, after the ABIS and clean up, the Commission shall appoint a period of seven days during which the register will be published for scrutiny by the public for objections and complaints, he said.

In an interview with Channels Televisions Politics Today programme shortly after issuing the statement, Mr Okoye argued that beyond the identification of multiple registrants, the commission also engaged in adjudication.

According to him, the adjudication process is expected to resolve situations where names in the system are not in tune with passport photographs and gender.

Mr Okoye could not, however, explain how questionable names got into the voters register in the first place and how the commission intends to avoid its reoccurrence in future.
The police in Osun State on Thursday paraded five suspects in connection with the murder of the manager of a Mobil Petrol Station in the state, Fatai Adigun.

The suspects are Adamo Aliyu, 24; Damilola Kayode, 22; Yusuf Idris, 22; Odewunmi Sodiq, 26; and Adeshina Ayomide, 38.

The police said the suspects were arrested through a joint operation with hunters and forest security in the state.

Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, told journalists the suspects invaded the petrol station situated in Ikire area of the state and murdered the 55-year-old station manager.

Mrs Opalola said the suspects also searched the managers office and carted away N100,000 after killing him.

She said one of the suspects, Mr Aliyu, made a confessional statement that they carried out the operation on 28th August.

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The police spokesperson explained that the suspects conspired to kill the manager after an employee, Adeshina Ayo, defrauded the petrol station N2.1 million.

The suspects said they hit the station manager on the head with a spanner and he died on the spot.

Mr Aliyu said he and his friend, Mr Idris, have been engaging in armed robbery since their childhood.

Idris and I have been engaging in armed robbery from our childhood. Whenever we want to go for an operation, I used to smoke Indian hemp, he said.

We were initially hired to kill the petrol manager and the person paid us N250,000. We went there immediately and murdered him, he said.

I held an axe and a stick while the other person held a spanner, when we entered his office, my friend hit the spanner on the managers head, we left him in the pool of blood. I searched his office and found a bag containing N250,000. We also stole a motorcycle, he added.

The suspect said he used his share from the operation to buy alcoholic drinks and Indian hemps.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, is billed to travel to Europe on Friday (today).

A statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, on Friday, said the trip is for business and family purposes.

Mr Ibe explained that his principals trip is in continuation of an earlier business trip 3 weeks ago.

He also said the 2023 presidential hopeful, who is scheduled to meet the leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) before leaving Nigeria, will cross to Dubai in the United Arab Emirate to see his family after visiting unspecified countries in Europe.

He will be travelling immediately after his meeting on Friday in Lagos, with the leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) alongside the PDP vice presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, the statement said.

Todays trip is in continuation of an earlier business trip of 3 weeks ago.

At the conclusion of his European trip, the former Vice President will also use the opportunity to visit his family in Dubai.

His trip is for business and family purposes and has nothing to do with medicals as being insinuated in some quarters.

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The PDP candidates last trip abroad was in August when he met with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and other governors in London.

The meeting was to resolve the crisis in the party triggered by the outcome of its primary election in May and the choice of its vice presidential candidate.

Atikus current trip comes barely 24 hours after the composition of his campaign council for the coming election.

With the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State as the Director General of the campaign organisation and council respectively, 324 more persons, including party governors, made the list.

The trip also comes barely two weeks to the commencement of campaigns for the 2023 elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the campaigns to begin on 28 September.

While Atiku did not disclose any plan to meet any of his political allies in Europe, PREMIUM TIMES reported the sudden trip of the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, to the same region.

Mr Ayu, currently under pressure from key members of the party to resign, travelled out of the country on Wednesday amidst the crisis rocking the party.

Mr Wike is leading some party members and governors demanding the resignation of the partys chairman and replace by a new leader from the southern part of the country.

This, they believe, will correct the imbalance in the leadership composition of the party.

Just like Atiku, the embattled chairman will be spending the next two weeks in an unnamed country in Europe. He was not in the country when the campaign team was announced.
Gunmen on Friday killed a member of Ebubeagu operatives in Mkpuma Ekwa-oku, a community in Izzi Local Government Area of the Ebonyi State, Nigerias South-east.

The victim, Sunday Izhikpa, was shot dead on Friday at his duty post in the area.

A resident in the area, Victor Ogbaga, who spoke with reporters in Abakaliki, said the slain ma hailed from Nduakparata Igbeagu Community in the council area of the state.

He was killed by the gunmen at his duty post, Mkpuma Ekwa-oku in Izzi.

His corpse has been evacuated from the scene, where he was murdered this morning, Mr Ogbaga stated, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The police spokesperson in the state, Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the killing of the operative.

He also confirmed that the victim was shot on Friday morning by the gunmen.

Yes, I have called the personnel of Ebubeagu and he said that the attack was true, said Mr Anyawu, a superintendent of police.

Ebubeagu was set up in 2021 by governors of the five states in the South-east to help in the fight against insecurity in the region, which has witnessed deadly attacks linked to the Biafra agitation by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra.

The security outfit has been accused of extrajudicial killings across the South-east.

Reports suggest that Ebubeagu and IPOB may be involved in a supremacy battle in the region.

The latest killing comes six months after gunmen killed a member of the Ebubeagu operatives in Nduogbuovu, a community in Izzi Council Area.

Gunmen, in January, killed and then beheaded another member of Ebubeagu operative in Ekpelu, a community in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has reacted to the recent poll conducted by the NOI polls which placed Peter Obi of the Labour Party ahead in the presidential race.

The poll, commissioned by ANAP Foundation, was conducted this month and suggests a three-horse presidential race between Mr Obi, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The NOI poll gave Mr Obi a 21 per cent chance of winning the 2023 presidential election if it were to be conducted today; while Messrs Tinubu and Atiku are both tied in second place at 13 per cent.

However, in a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, one of the spokespersons of the APC campaign council on Thursday, the campaign team rejected the outcome of the poll.

Mr Onanuga said the poll made wild and incredible permutations on the presidential elections.

Furthermore, Mr Onanuga questioned the statistical methodology of the poll and accuracy of past polls by NOI.

He stated that the council is unperturbed by these dubious and unreliable statistics because our research shows that NOI Polls have been off the mark at critical election periods in recent times.

For example, preparatory to the March 2015 presidential elections, NOI published in October 2014 the results of a Viability Poll which used the concepts of Familiarity and Net Favourability Position to survey.

In the results, NOI claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan has the best overall familiarity rating at 99% and Net Favourability Probability of 25.

By contrast, NOI dismissed the then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari as a borderline candidate who needed  huge public relations to shore up his performance, he said.

In addition, Mr Onanuga accused the organisation behind the poll as anti-APC, noting that the owner of the platform has an ulterior motive for the poll.

According to Mr Onanuga, the poll deployed fake statistics to arrive at the outcome.

Our objective profiling of NOI Polls as an anti-APC research organisation is grounded on the aforesaid facts and that is why we believe this present report is, in the language of Nigerians, *wuruwuru to the answer.

The NOI has chosen the preferred candidate and has decided to use fake, dubious statistics to package him to the Nigerian voters.

We know as a matter of fact, the owners of NOI and where their political interest lies and wish to advise NOI to stop polluting the political system with irresponsible, unscientific and biased polling so that we dont expose the puppeteers pulling its strings, Mr Onanuga said.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Barry Ndiomu, a retired major general, as the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Mr Ndiomu replaces Milland Dikio, a retired colonel.

A presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, announced Mr Ndiomus appointment in a press statement he issued on Thursday evening. No reason has been given for Mr Dikios sack.

Mr Ndiomu hails from Odoni in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was admitted to the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of 29th Regular Combatant Course, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1983.

He held several command and staff appointments in the course of his military career before he retired in December 2017.

Gen Ndiomu also trained as a lawyer, and is an alumnus of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Badagry, Harvard Kennedy School, and George C Marshall Centre for European Security Studies, among others, the statement said.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established by President Musa YarAduas administration in 2009 as part of the governments measures to reduce militancy in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Its aim was to persuade militants to give up their arms for amnesty and reintegration.

Thirty-thousand former militants had been enrolled into the programme so far. Sixty-five per cent of them are currently under training, while 65 per cent have been successfully reintegrated, according to the information on the programmes website.

About 113 former militants had been helped to secure employment in maritime, welding and fabrication companies at home and abroad, then chairman of the amnesty programme, Kingsley Kuku, had said in 2012.

Godwin Abbe, a retired major general and former military administrator of Akwa Ibom State, was the first chairman of the programme from 2009 to 2010.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reacted to the recent position taken by the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) over the no work, no pay policy of the Nigerian government against the striking union.

COPSUN had knocked ASUU for not suspending the ongoing strike, saying the strike option is obsolete.

The lecturers that abandoned classes for almost an academic session are clamouring for salaries they did not work for, the Pro-Chancellors called on the Federal Government to be courageous to enforce the extant rule on no work no pay as failure to apply rules in the past led to impunity in our society, the group said in a communique issued at the end of its quarterly meeting on Wednesday.

ASUU responds

However, in its response to the position, ASUU described COPSUNs position as a double-speak and accused it of mischief.

In a statement by the convener of ASUUs Rapid Response Team, Ade Adejumo, a professor, the union said the responsibilities of the academic is way beyond teaching, noting other major activities including research and community service.

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The union said the two other responsibilities never stopped even as the strike lingers.

It is very worrisome that COPSUN has condemnably reduced the work of a lecturer to that of teaching! Hence, its position that academics on strike dont deserve to be paid, it said.

ASUU added that it is illogical for COPSUN, which it claimed has several times opposed ASUUs struggle to align with it in kicking against proliferation of universities by state governments, to turn around to condemn the same conduct of the government.

ASUU also berated COPSUN for blaming ASUU for the prolonged strike and elongated academic calendars in Nigerian universities, saying the governments failure to fund the universities and uphold the agreements it had signed freely with the union has been the major driver of the strikes.

It added that COPSUN should rather be worried about the state of the public universities rather than the elongated academic calendar.

It said: If COPSUN is sincere about its position on these issues, it is thus a categorical imperative for the body, if it desires to be taken serious by all right thinking Nigerians, to eat the humble pie and join our union to collectively struggle to achieve these progressive goals without which our public universities are mortally doomed.

It is, to say the least, disappointingly sad that COPSUN which is justifiably saddened that Nigerian public universities have experienced elongated academic calendars since 1999, lacks the courage to put the blame squarely where it property belongs, that is, the failure of government to fund these universities properly as well as governments irresponsible disregard for the sanctity of agreement it freely entered with universities

ASUU went further to condemn COPSUNs comment that agreements signed with the federal government would not be binding on the state-owned universities.

The lecturers union wondered why COPSUN has not rejected policies by federal regulatory bodies such as the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC).

ASUU said it is a union that upholds its responsibility, and it is to see to the welfare of our members.

It said: As pro-chancellors of state universities, they are always eager to run to Abuja to collect money from TETFUND which was brought into existence by ASUU, but they hate the union with passionThe logical conclusion of COPSUN here is for them to tell the federal government to excuse them from accessing all the interventions from TETFUND.

If we may ask further, are the perks of office that most of these pro-chancellors enjoy not centrally determined?

What is expected of COPSUN at this critical juncture is to borrow a leaf from their colleagues at the federal universities by calling on the government to do the needful to address issues in ASUUs demands rather than stoking the embers of a simmering blaze as they have done here.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obunike Ohaegbu, said comments by the party National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, on cameras immediately after the party convention was ill-advised.

Mr Ohaegbu, a lawyer, stated this on Thursday in a live television programme Focus Nigeria on AIT.

Mr Tambuwal, was one of the PDP presidential aspirants. He, however, made a last minute withdrawal and urged his supporters to vote for former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at the convention.

Buoyed by the withdrawal, Atiku floored Governor Nyesom Wike and other aspirants in the race to emerge the party presidential candidate.

Hours after the convention, Mr Ayu visited the Sokoto governor at his Abujas residence to apparently thank him for stepping down for Mr Atiku.

Mr Ayus arrival at Mr Tabuwals residence was captured in a video clip.

Thank you, thank you. You are the hero of the convention, Mr Ayu told his host, Mr Tambuwal.

Mr Ohaegbu said although Mr Ayus comments are not bad but making it on camera was ill advised.

It was ill-advised for the national chairman immediately after the national convention to have gone to Mr Tambuwals house with cameras.

I had no problem with him visiting anybody and the comments he made but making those comments on cameras was not ideal.

I could have scuttled primary - Wike

Governor Wike, who came second the primary conducted in May, was not happy that Mr Tambuwal was accorded a second opportunity to address the delegates where he withdrew from the race and endorse Mr Atiku.

Speaking at a reception organised in his honour in Port Harcourt, Mr Wike vented his anger on the party leadership for allowing Mr Tambuwal to speak the second time, which he said was a violation of guidelines and procedure.

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If I wanted to scuttle the convention, I would have done that and I told them. There are people you think are human beings but are not human beings.

I have never seen how people can violate procedures and guidelines. Somebody had spoken, it is only at that point he was speaking that he can say I have withdrawn. You dont call him back, Mr Wike said, referring to Mr Tambuwal.

After the primary, the PDP has been enmeshed in a crisis which, as many feared, could affect its performance in the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Wike, backed by some other governors, is calling for Mr Ayus resignation to achieve a regional balance, since the party chairman and Mr Atiku are both from northern Nigeria.

Mr Ohaegbu weighed in on the calls for Mr Ayus resignation.

Our (PDP) Constitution, Chapter 6 Section 45 (2) said in the case of national chairman, he shall hand over to the (we are talking about if he resigns or removes) deputy national chairman from his region (part of the country) who shall without prejudice to Section 47 conclude his tenure.

So what the candidate was saying is that anybody who wants PDP to go for national convention now doesnt want us to win the election because the only way the national chairman of the party will move from north to south is for you to flip everything again.

If Ayu promised hes going to resign, well and good if Ayu resigns, are you going to get what you want to get, if Ayu resigns, the deputy national chairman from the North will still take over, that is what our law says, Mr Ohaegbu said.
The governments of the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali are using Wagner, the shadowy Russian private military company believed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as an agent for attacks against civilians, new research suggests.

And the CARs President Faustin-Archange Touadera is going further by deploying Wagner as a deniable proxy in such attacks, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) report. This apparently echoes Russias use of the paramilitary organisation in other theatres of war such as Ukraine and Syria.

Private military companies  aka mercenaries  have featured in African politics since independence. Many governments have resorted to hired guns as their security forces battle to secure control over all their territories, largely due to weak governance and failed security sector reform.

And Wagner has not been the only one. In 2019, for example, after Wagner failed to contain the Islamic State-affiliated insurgency in northern Mozambique, it was replaced by a South African-based private military company Dyck Advisory Group.

Concerns about the role of such companies in conflict situations extend beyond Africa. The United Nations (UN) Working Group on the use of mercenaries said in March this year it was alarmed by the growing use of mercenaries and mercenary-related actors in armed conflicts around the world. The UN was particularly worried about the propensity of such groups to indiscriminately target civilians.

This is the problem ACLED hones in on. It has calculated that civilian targeting accounts for 52 per cent and 71 per cent of Wagners involvement in political violence in the CAR and Mali respectively. In both countries, this exceeds the rate of civilian targeting by state forces or major insurgent groups.

In the CAR, the percentage of civilian targeting was 17 per cent for the main Coalition for Patriots of Change/Union for Peace and 42 per cent for the rebel coalition (from 1 January 2018 to 31 July 2022). In Mali, civilian targeting represented 20 per cent of the involvement of state forces in political violence and 27 per cent for the main rebel force (from 1 December 2021 to 31 July 2022), ACLED says.

Intriguingly, ACLED found that when Wagner was operating independently of CAR state forces, 70 per cent of their engagements targeted civilians, compared to just 22 per cent when working alongside state forces. In Mali, by contrast, Wagner soldiers mostly deployed alongside state forces  but this drove an increase in civilian targeting involving state forces. ACLED recorded about 500 civilian deaths resulting from joint operations involving Wagner and Malian state security forces.

ACLEDs interpretation of this data is that despite hiring Wagner, Touadera still depends on Western aid and is trying to mask the abuse of civilians by leaving it largely to Wagner. By contrast, the Malian junta that took power in a coup last year is indifferent to the opinions of the international community, having expelled former partners such as France, and so is not trying to camouflage its abuse of civilians.

Wagner, which Western intelligence believes is operated by Putins close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, has served as a deniable proxy for clandestine Russian military activity since 2014. That was when its forces surreptitiously entered Ukraines eastern Donbas region to fight Ukraines military. Wagner operatives were believed to be among the little green men  the incognito Russian forces who conducted the campaign.

Since then, Wagners activities have proliferated across the Middle East and Africa, including in Syria, Libya, Mozambique, the CAR and now Mali. Some reports suggest they have been active also in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Madagascar, Zimbabwe and Sudan, ACLED says.

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But Wagners role in expanding Russias global influence has come under much closer scrutiny since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. On 30 March, for example, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom Parliament launched an inquiry into states use of private military contractors, with particular attention to Wagner.

And in April, the United States (US) House of Representatives passed the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, which was largely inspired by Wagners growing African presence. The legislation would authorise US sanctions against Russian entities like Wagner and African governments and other bodies doing business with them.

Interestingly South Africas government has been lobbying hard against this bill, which it believes was intended to punish African states for not supporting United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine. Pretoria diplomats claim privately they have succeeded and the bill wont enter into force. President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to raise the issue again in his meeting with US President Joe Biden in the White House today.

Wagner began operating in the CAR in 2018. Though some accusations of human rights abuses emerged as early as 2019, it was generally seen as playing a positive role from late 2020. The company helped prevent the Coalition for Patriots of Change, led by former president Francois Bozize, from toppling Mr Touadera. However, after that, Wagner helped Mr Touadera control civilians in previously rebel-held areas, much of it targeting the Fulani people and Muslims more generally, who were suspected of rebel sympathies.

In Mali, ACLED notes, Wagner began operating from the end of 2021 as the country moved away from its traditional security partners such as France. This coincided with a scaling-up of operations against Islamist militants, including multiple deadly attacks targeting civilians by government troops and Wagner.

Allegations of human rights abuses against civilians in the CAR, especially by Wagner operatives, are not new. The UN has reported on them several times. In October 2021, for example, a group of UN experts said: Civilians, including peacekeepers, journalists, aid workers and minorities in the [CAR] have been violently harassed and intimidated by so-called Russian instructors from the Wagner Group.

ACLED adds to this analysis by suggesting that both the CAR and Mali governments are using Wagner as a useful foil to shift attention from abuses committed by state security forces against civilians  notably Fulani communities stigmatized for their perceived connections with armed insurgencies.

The African Unions Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa outlaws mercenary activity  but only seems to apply to mercenaries acting against states. Wagner, by contrast, has been hired by the governments of the CAR and Mali.

Nevertheless, the reports by ACLED, the UN and others show that what is really at stake here is not which combatant it is backing, but how it treats those perennial victims of such power struggles  the innocent civilians.

Peter Fabricius, Consultant, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).
Chinas official delegation is expected to be barred from attending Britains Queen Elizabeth IIs lying in state ahead of the state funeral.

Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle will prevent them entering Westminster Hall while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing, a parliamentary source told the PA news agency.

Two sanctioned Tory MPs, Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton, have been raising concerns about the delegations possible attendance, saying it was extraordinary they had received an invitation.

Hoyle was upholding his position on barring Chinese state officials while the parliamentarians remain sanctioned, the source said, confirming the story first reported by the Politico website.

A House of Commons spokesman said, We do not comment on security matters, while Hoyles spokesman also declined to comment.

In a letter to Hoyle earlier this week, Duncan Smith and Loughton, along with crossbench peer David Alton and Labours Helena Kennedy, warned against giving the delegation access.

We are greatly concerned to hear that the government of China has been invited to attend the state funeral next week, despite other countries  Russia, Belarus and Myanmar  being excluded.

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Given that the United Kingdom parliament has voted to recognise the genocide committed by the Chinese government against the Uighur people, it is extraordinary that the architects of that genocide should be treated in any more favourable way than those countries who have been barred, they wrote.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is not scheduled to attend the Westminster Abbey funeral on Monday, instead sending his deputy, Wang Qishan.

Xi met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan on Thursday.

Last September, Hoyle and his counterpart in the upper chamber, John McFall, blocked Chinese ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, from visiting parliament.

The speaker of the House of Commons argued at the time it would not be appropriate for the ambassador to meet at the Commons while seven British parliamentarians remain sanctioned.

Six months earlier, China imposed sanctions on seven parliamentarians, also including Conservative members of parliament (MPs) Tom Tugendhat, Nusrat Ghani and Neil OBrien.

They are all vocal critics of Beijing, having spoken out against the treatment of the Uighur people in Xinjiang.

China hit the parliamentarians with sanctions shortly after Britain  along with the U.S., Canada and European Union  placed sanctions on Chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses in the countrys autonomous north-west territory.

The government has increasingly signalled a willingness to take a harder line against China and, as foreign secretary, Liz Truss was seen as a key voice pushing for a tougher stance.

(PA Media/dpa/NAN)
New Delhi, Sep 2 (UNI) In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 75th Regional Committee session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia will be held in Bhutan from Monday to discuss emerging health and other key issues.



The annual governing body meeting of WHO, the highest decision making body, will be held from September 5 to 9.

It will be attended by Health Ministers, senior officials and health partners. They will deliberate on key issues to achieve universal health coverage and health security through stronger primary health care in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, a WHO statement said.



Monitoring progress and accelerated plan for noncommunicable diseases, progress towards meeting the End TB goal, accelerating elimination of cervical cancer; and strengthening health workforce education and training are among other key issues to be taken up at the session," it said.



The progress made on the resolutions adopted at previous sessions will be reviewed, including a regional plan of action for healthy environments for healthier populations; strategic plan to address the double burden of malnutrition; ending preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality; elimination of measles and rubella by 2023; and strengthening emergency medical teams.



Home to one-fourth of the global population, the region has been focusing efforts around eight regional flagship priorities since 2014 -- to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023; address non-communicable diseases through multi-sectoral policies and plans; accelerate reduction of maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality; advance universal health coverage; reverse antimicrobial resistance; scale-up emergency risk management capacities; eliminate neglected tropical diseases; and to end TB.



The region eradicated polio in 2014 and eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2016.



The Maldives and Sri Lanka have eliminated both measles and rubella while Bhutan, North Korea and Timor-Leste have achieved measles elimination.



The Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand have eliminated lymphatic filariasis while Nepal and Myanmar have eliminated trachoma.



India is yaws-free. Sri Lanka and the Maldives have eliminated malaria. Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand have controlled Hepatitis B.



Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time that the regional committee session is being held in person. The last two annual meetings  hosted by Nepal in 2021 and Thailand in 2020  were virtual.



UNI JA SY MR
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja has fixed Monday for the hearing of a suit filed by the Nigerian government against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the unions ongoing strike.

The judge, H.I Hamman, adjourned the suit on Friday after hearing both parties comments.

The judge had earlier on Monday ordered the federal government and ASUU to file and exchange their written submissions and fixed today, Friday, for a further mention of the case.

However, at Fridays proceedings, the Nigerian governments lawyer, James Igwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), appealed to the court to immediately go on with the hearing of the suit as it is a matter of national interest.

He had filed an interlocutory application seeking an order to restrain ASUU from continuing with its ongoing strike pending the hearing and determination of substantive suit.

But the counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana, another SAN, objected to the court hearing on the grounds that the suit was only scheduled for today, Friday, for mention and not hearing.

The judge, therefore, adjourned the hearing for the interlocutory injunction until Monday, 19 September.

SERAPs Application

Earlier, the lawyer to the Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Ebun-olu Adegboruwa, also a SAN, urged the judge to hear his clients application to be joined as a second defendant in the case filed against ASUU by the Nigerian government.

Mr Adegboruwa, therefore, asked the court to strike out its earlier suit on the same issue of strike and allow it to be joined in the federal governments suit.

The ASUUs referenced suit filed on 12 September sought to compel the federal government to honour its agreements with the union.

The governments counsel, Mr Igwe, objected to the application for the hearing of the ASUUs application to be joined as a party in the newer suit, saying he was only served with the application around 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The judge, H.I Hamman, granted the application to strike out the earlier suit and adjourned SERAPs application to be joined with ASUU as a defendant in the federal governments suit to next Friday.

Background

When its efforts to get ASUU to return to class failed, the Nigerian government through the Ministry of Labour and employment referred the dispute to the NICN.

ASUU embarked on an initial four weeks strike on 14 February, demanding the government to honour the agreements it had entered with the union.

After several meetings without resolution, ASUU continued to extend its strike by a certain period until 29 August when it extended the strike indefinitely.

In its referral, the government wants the court to determine the legality or otherwise of the strike.

It also wants the court to determine whether ASUU members are entitled to emoluments for the period they have been on strike.

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It asked the court to interpret in its entirety the provisions of Section 18 LFN 2004, especially as it applies to the cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour and Employment and conciliation is ongoing, a statement from the Ministry of Labour said on Sunday.

The Nigerian government added that it wants the court to adjudicate on the propriety or otherwise of the strike.

It asked the court to interpret in its entirety the provisions of Section 18 LFN 2004, especially as it applies to the cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour and Employment and conciliation is ongoing.

The government also requested an order of the Court for ASUU members to resume work in their various universities while the issues in dispute are being addressed by the NICN in consonance with the provisions of Section 18 (I) (b) of the TDA Cap T8. LFN 2004.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to give more concessions to striking university lecturers.

The pro-chancellors stated this at a meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

They were led by Nimi Briggs, an emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State, according to a statement by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

The pro-chancellors asked the president to reconsider the federal governments No Work, No Pay stance, saying the academic staff will have to make up for the time lost despite the strike, he said.

Mr Briggs had led the governments side to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

At the meeting with the president on Friday, he commended the government for concessions already made to the striking lecturers, including the offer to raise salaries by 23.5 per cent across the board, and 35 per cent for professors.

He, however, asked for further inching up of the salary, in view of the economic situation of the country, Mr Adesina wrote.

The President said without necessarily going back on what is already established policy, I will make further consultations, and Ill get back to you.

Mr Briggs was said to have added that despite the pall cast by more than seven months of industrial action, the future of university system in the country is good, citing as an example the recent listing of the University of Ibadan among the first 1,000 universities in the world, a development occurring for the first time.

The statement by Mr Adesina said the Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nana Opiah, said all the concessions made by the government were to ensure that the industrial action comes to an end, but ASUU has remained adamant.

Backstory

The Nigerian government had said it would not pay ASUU for the period it embarked on strike, insisting on the No Work, No pay rule.

ASUU, which commenced industrial action on 14 February, also said it is not suspending the strike until its members salaries are paid and its demands met.

In reaction to the governments stance, ASUU extended its already six-month-old strike indefinitely on 29 August.

The government has also referred the dispute to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) which is currently presiding over the matter.

The suit seeking to restrain ASUU from going on with the strike will be heard on Monday.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
A breakaway faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)  Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), has said it is consulting its lawyers on the possibility of being joined in the suit between the Nigerian government and the striking ASUU.

After almost seven months that the public universities have been shut nationwide, the government recently referred its dispute with ASUU to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) as all efforts to reach a middle ground had failed.

CONUA, led by its National Coordinator, Niyi Sunmonu, appeared at the industrial court in Abuja, Nigerias capital territory on Friday to witness the proceedings.

The faction of the academic staff, which had consistently dissociated itself from the ongoing industrial action, said its presence in the court was necessary since the outcome of the proceedings would affect its members.

Why we were in court  Sunmonu

Though Mr Sunmonu said the union has not completed its registration to grant it official recognition by the government, it was considering how it could be part of the matter to argue its independence and dissociation from the lingering crisis.

He said: Because we are still awaiting our certificate of recognition as a union, we cannot join in the suit for now. But we have come to the court today to observe proceedings.

However, we are still discussing with our counsel to see which point of the law can actually make us to join in the suit.

Meanwhile, the matter between the government and ASUU was on Friday adjourned to Monday for hearing.

On no work, no pay

Mr Sunmonu, a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, said its union members have never been on strike, saying that they were only not teaching in some schools because other unions also declared strike.

He said it would be unfair for the government to apply the no work, no pay policy on all lecturers because its members were working before the non-academic staff unions on the campuses commenced their industrial actions.

The CONUA boss said at the Obafemi Awolowo Universities (OAU), Ile-Ife, for instance, its members had continued to work even when ASUU commenced strike, and insisted that its union is an interested party in the ongoing legal tussle.

Backstory

ASUU embarked on an initial four-week strike on 14 February, demanding the government to honour the agreements it had entered with the union.

After several meetings without resolution, ASUU continued to extend its strike until 29 August when it declared the industrial action indefinite.

Meanwhile, CONUA, which was formed in OAU in 2018, is a product of leadership crisis within the institutions chapter of ASUU.

The faction which currently awaits its registration documents from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, is claiming to have chapters in more than 16 public universities nationwide.

Its coordinator, while taking part in PREMIUM TIMES Twitter Spaces programme recently, said CONUA is committed to exploring other options to drive home its demands rather than the incessant strikes that have not earned us the desired results.

Mr Sunmonu said some of the options being considered include legislation and legal pathways.
Lagos residents took to social media on Friday to lament their experiences with law enforcement agents in the state over alleged traffic offences.

The state government on Thursday auctioned 134 forfeited and abandoned vehicles at the Taskforce compound in Alausa, Ikeja.

An aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, on Friday, said the owners of the impounded vehicles ran away and failed to turn up for court process.

Reactions

While several social media users backed the governments action, others described it as harsh.

Ismail Oduneye, a lawyer, shared via his Twitter handle that he was a victim in 2016.

I remember back then in 2016, a drunk driver drove on a one-way road while myself and my colleague were on a bike and this drunk person hit us and ran away, leaving my colleague dead after 3 days while I sustained a gruesome injury in my leg, he said.

Sir, I sincerely have no iota of pity on these Lawbreakers who paint emotional sympathy after committing offences relating to road trafficking. I am sure my colleague who died 6 years back, his parents would find it hard to forget his death.

@fimiletoks said people who drive against traffic in Lagos, especially on the highways are murderers until proven otherwise.

Your car will be forfeited to the government and auctioned to normal people. You can tell the judge that you left jollof rice on fire at home hence the need to drive against traffic

@Ogbeni_Skrtel said: My leaders brother-in-law was knocked down by a car driving against traffic over a year ago. Its to the glory of God that the Egbon is still alive and as of that, he cant walk by himself again till today.

Hard for me to say the punishment is too severe mehn.

Tunde Aluko also narrated a sad experience of how his uncle was knocked down by someone driving against traffic.

My uncle died after almost 4yrs of total memory loss, he remembered nothing till his last day, he was knocked down by someone riding against traffic, if your vehicle is impounded for driving against traffic or youre even jailed for life, zero sympathy!

@I_AM_ILEMONA, shared his displeasure at the public auction.

He said he was once fined N25,000 for driving against traffic flow after he was misdirected by a LASTMA officer.

In a state where there are some roads with no signs indicating it is one way?

I have been a victim of a LASTMA official directing me down a road in Bariga that was one way then being among the people that administered my N25k fine. LASTMA officials routinely lie that people jumped traffic lights.

@Omogbajabiamila in his post said that the state government enforced traffic offences in mafia-style.

He also shared a video of a part of Lagos that has no one-way signage.

In the video, an unidentified man had taken a one-way unknowingly and was confronted by a LASTMA official.

The man insisted that he wasnt aware because there was no signage to direct road users. However, the officer said he had flouted the traffic law.

Similarly, Adetutu Balogun claimed that the auctioned vehicles were bought by government cronies.

Lagos state government of Emilokan is selling them to their friends, she said. Nigeria is a crime scene!

Unconstitutional

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, described the public auction of the vehicles as unconstitutional because the offenders were not given an opportunity to be heard in court.

Any law that empowers the government to confiscate and/ or auction the vehicle or other property of a citizen for an alleged offence (s), without a fair hearing and due process is unconstitutional and void, the lawyer said.

Such a law offends the fundamental rights to fair hearing and property.

The court of law will declare such a law inconsistent with the provisions of 36 and 43 of the Constitution which guarantees the rights of every person to fair hearing and ownership of property, respectively. Lagos State Government claims that Mobile Courts permitted the auctions.

That is not a sufficient answer to the constitutionality issues arising from the auctions.

The lawyer queried the procedures followed in securing the orders for forfeiture from the mobile court.

He also said that since traffic infractions are criminal offences, then offenders must first be tried in court before punishment can be imposed.

If the owners or drivers of some of the vehicles didnt appear in court, and were not convicted, as alluded to by agents of the Lagos State Government, should we infer that they were tried in absentia? How did the Mobile Courts assume jurisdiction over the cases? Who were the parties?

Or should we assume that the orders authorizing the vehicles to be auctioned were made in civil proceedings, and not in criminal cases? The basis of the auction is that offences were committed. Where are the charge sheets? Those vehicles most likely had license plate numbers.

Mr Effiong asked if the state government took any steps to locate the owners of the vehicles through their licensed number plates before auctioning their vehicles.

To those defending the auctioning of the vehicles because it has been claimed that Mobile Court authorized it, have you been to the Lagos State Mobile Court before?

From my experience, the Mobile Court operates basically like a revenue court. I wont say more than that.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appointed a former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, as a member of the partys 2023 Presidential Election Campaign Council, despite being detained in London over alleged organ harvesting.

Mr Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were on 23 June arrested in the UK by London Met Police and charged with conspiracy to traffick a child to the United Kingdom to harvest his organs.

The allegation offence is in violation of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, according to the countrys authorities.

The couple has a daughter, Sonia, who has a kidney-related disease and has been on dialysis for some time, the prosecutors said. The police added that they believe the plan was to use an organ from the boy on their daughter who needs a kidney transplant.

In a turn of events, David Nwamini, the alleged victim of trafficking, told doctors he was 15 and was coerced by the Ekweremadus into donating his kidney.

However, the Nigerian government said all its records show that Mr Nwamini was not a minor but 21 years old.

While his wife has been granted bail on stringent conditions, Mr Ekweremadu, whose bail application was rejected for being a flight risk, remains in custody in London.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the senator is expected to appear in court again on 31 October in continuation of his trial.

But the PDP, in a document, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, listed Mr Ekeremadu as part of the 325 members of the campaign council.

Mr Ekweremadu, who represents Enugu West District in the Senate, is a member of the PDP.

He hails from Mpu, a community in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-east Nigeria.

The Senator is number 27 on the list of members of the council.

The document was signed by Mohammed Bature, the national organising secretary of the party.

The Akwa- Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, was appointed as the chairman of the council, according to the document.

His Oyo State and Bauchi State counterparts, Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed will serve as the vice chairmen for the southern and northern regions of Nigeria, respectively.

The Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, was appointed as the Director-General of the council.

Wike also makes list

Beyond Mr Ekweremadu, another surprise figure who made the list was Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. His appointment comes in the face of a lingering disagreement with the PDP leadership and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Mr Wike was a presidential aspirant of the PDP. He lost the partys primary to Atiku.

He had expected to become the vice-presidential candidate but was ditched by Atiku who, instead, picked Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

The Rivers State governor was infuriated by Atikus action. He refused to congratulate Mr Okowa.

He has accused the party of betraying him and breaching its constitution.

He subsequently demanded the resignation of the partys National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu  a criterion he said must be met before he supports Atiku in next years poll.

It is not clear, for now, if Mr Wike will accept his appointment into the council given that Mr Ayu is yet to resign as the partys national chairman.

The political campaign for the 2023 general elections is expected to kick off on 28 September.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the accession of King Charles III to the throne has been dominating airwaves in an unprecedented fashion. This has prompted a race to understand more about the new Head of the Commonwealth containing 2.4 billion people across the world, drawing Muslims into the vortex, too. Among this coverage has been the curious fondness and appreciation he has shown for Islam over the years.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions; whoever Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none that can lead him to the right path.

I testify and bare witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allah, alone, without any partners. And I testify and bare witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. As for whats after:

My dear brothers and sisters! On Thursday 8th September, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. As you all know, she was the longest reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, having celebrated her platinum jubilee earlier this summer, completing 70 years on the throne. In her wake she leaves behind four children, eight grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. Her eldest son now accedes to the throne as King Charles III, the new head of the British monarchy and the Commonwealth.

During her reign she witnessed 15 Prime Ministers, beginning with Winston Churchill and ending with Liz Truss. Her reign saw the slow degradation of British power from the twilight of the colonial era to a new post-colonial Britain. During her long life, she lived through times of prosperity and security for many in the United Kingdom as well as times of war, crisis, and recessions.

However, her legacy is not without controversy. Whereas Prime Minister Liz Truss credited her devotion to duty as an example to us all, as reported by Scottish Daily Express, others have seen her death as a moment to remind us of the role the British monarchy has played in colonialism.

For example, Uju Anya, an associate Professor of Second Language Acquisition at Carnegie University, tweeted on Thursday afternoon that:

If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star.

Also Julius Malema, a politician, youth leader and activist from South Africa, had this to say on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, as reported by Pan African Daily TV:

We do not mourn the death of Elizabeth, because to us her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in this country and Africas history. If there is really life and justice after death, may Elizabeth and her ancestors get what they deserve.

Queen Elizabeth was on the throne when UK colonial administration committed one of the many heinous crimes of British colonialism in East Africa during the Mau Mau rebellion, killing tens of thousands to perpetuate British occupation all in the name of the Crown. Despite numerous opportunities to offer an official apology, the Queen was not forthcoming.

Whilst it can be easy to get swept up in these discussions, I will reminds us of the important lessons that we as Muslims should take from her passing. How should Muslims react at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II?

There are three lessons that I wish to draw to the attention of my Muslim brothers and sisters, from the death of anyone, not just the Queen:

First, we should recollect that we are all going to die; that Allah created death in order that we reflect upon the reality of this life, that we pause and ponder over what we have prepared for the real life that comes after death. Death is the biggest challenge presented to humanity by Allah Almighty. It is the end of this life; every individual will start another life following it. A wise person would take the opportunity to reflect on how s/he has spent this transient life in preparation for the everlasting life to follow. Thats why the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Remember death frequently.

The reason for this is given in another narration of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). We are informed that death strikes a balance; if you are in a difficult situation, remembering death will remove that feeling of difficulty from you. And yet if you have a carefree life, then remembering death will remind you of the reality of this fleeting life. Allah Almighty says in the Noble Quran:

Every soul will taste death.

Allah also said in reference to the Prophet (Peace be upon him):

You are going to die and all of them are going to die.

So this is the first point of reflection. Do not lose sight of the fact that whatever ups and downs, whatever joys and sorrows, whatever disputes and disagreements all of which you will forget, do not forget that you are going to die and the death of the Queen  or of anyone else  should remind us of the reality of this life.

The second lesson is that Allah almighty decreed that the Queen died at 96 years of age and her husband died when he was almost a hundred. This is Allahs decree. He chooses whether you have a long life or a short one but whatever your situation you will surely die in the end. Even if you live for a hundred years you will die, even if you are a king, a queen, a governor, a president, a minister, a senator, a local government chairman or the most wealthy person, you are not going to live forever, this is another important lesson we should take from the passing of the Queen or any other seemingly powerful person. When we look at these people we ask, where is their wealth, where is their power, where are their supporters? Have any of these things protected them against death and will they help them whilst they are in the grave? The answer is NO!

The final thought is that people feel sad upon the passing of those who are close to them. Sometimes we also feel a sadness for those who are not so close to us but have some connection to our lives. This is not reprehensible in of itself. It depends on how you react.

For example, people may repeat the traditional Islamic invocation uttered on news of persons death:

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raajiuun (meaning: truly we belong to Allah and to Him we shall surely return).

Can this be said with regards to the death of a non-Muslim such as the Queen?

Respected servants of Allah! I do not think there is an issue here. It is simply uttering a truth that applies to mankind, rich and poor, believer and non-believer, that every human belongs to Allah and every single one will return to Him to be judged. There is no direct supplication in this statement. It may become an issue if there is an implicit supplication made for the salvation of a deceased non-Muslim.

In this regard, what about praying for their salvation? In terms of praying for Allahs mercy for a deceased unbeliever, from an Islamic perspective, saying Oh Allah have mercy on this person who died as a non-Muslim, this is not permitted. This is by the consensus (Ijma) of all Muslim scholars. This is not contradicted by saying Allah is the most merciful because the understanding of Allahs mercy must be understood in light of the rest of the Islamic scriptures. Allah Almighty says in the Noble Quran:

It is not befitting for the Prophet and the believers to seek forgiveness for the polytheists

Here polytheists refers to all those who died as non-Muslims. Allah further says in the Quran that anyone who dies as a non-Muslim, he is either a polytheist or an unbeliever. Therefore we are not allowed to supplicate for those who have died as non-Muslims. We know that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had his uncle who was the most beloved person to him, when he died the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not pray for him whatsoever.

Furthermore it is not sufficient that the deceased are those who believe in Allah Almighty and are monotheist like Unitarians. Allah sent Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as a Messenger to all mankind. Those who do not believe in him and follow his message remain unbelievers even if they are Unitarians. They are not considered Muslims which is why the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

No one hears about me, whether he is a Jew or Christian, and he does not believe in me and in my message, except he will enter the fire of hell, he is not Muslim.

May Allah give us the wisdom to understand our religion and apply it in different contexts, ameen.

My dear brothers and sisters! Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the accession of King Charles III to the throne has been dominating airwaves in an unprecedented fashion. This has prompted a race to understand more about the new Head of the Commonwealth containing 2.4 billion people across the world, drawing Muslims into the vortex, too. Among this coverage has been the curious fondness and appreciation he has shown for Islam over the years.

Yes, the new kings appreciation of Islam is well established for those who have followed his career over the long years of his time as Prince of Wales. His positive attitude towards Islam, is indeed something rare in the governing classes of the United Kingdom and is undoubtedly appreciated by Muslims, particularly considering the overabundance of Islamophobes in the ruling establishment attempting to make daily life more and more difficult for Muslims across the board.

In a speech given at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies  of which he is a patron  King Charles gave a speech entitled Islam and the West, in which he sated that:

It is odd, in many ways, that misunderstandings between Islam and the West should persist. For that which binds our two worlds together is so much more powerful than that which divides us. Muslims, Christians  and Jews  are all peoples of the Book. Islam and Christianity share a common monotheistic vision: a belief in one divine God, in the transience of our earthly life, in our accountability for our actions, and in the assurance of life to come. We share many key values in common: respect for knowledge, for justice, compassion towards the poor and underprivileged, the importance of family life, respect for parents. Honour your father and your mother is a Quranic precept too. Our history has been closely bound up together.

King Charles goes on to say:

If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilisation owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure which stems, I think, from the straitjacket of history which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from Central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history. For example, we have underestimated the importance of 800 years of Islamic society and culture in Spain between the 8th and 15th centuries. The contribution of Muslim Spain to the preservation of classical learning during the Dark Ages, and to the first flowerings of the Renaissance, has long been recognised. But Islamic Spain was much more than a mere larder where Hellenistic knowledge was kept for later consumption by the emerging modern Western world. Not only did Muslim Spain gather and preserve the intellectual content of ancient Greek and Roman civilisation, it also interpreted and expanded upon that civilisation, and made a vital contribution of its own in so many fields of human endeavour  in science, astronomy, mathematics, algebra (itself an Arabic word), law, history, medicine, pharmacology, optics, agriculture, architecture, theology, music. Averroes and Avenzoor, like their counterparts Avicenna and Rhazes in the East, contributed to the study and practice of medicine in ways from which Europe benefited for centuries afterwards. Islam nurtured and preserved the quest for learning. In the words of the tradition, the ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr. Cordoba in the 10th century was by far the most civilised city of Europe. We know of lending libraries in Spain at the time King Alfred was making terrible blunders with the culinary arts in this country. It is said that the 400,000 volumes in its rulers library amounted to more books than all the libraries of the rest of Europe put together. That was made possible because the Muslim world acquired from China the skill of making paper more than 400 years before the rest of non-Muslim Europe. Many of the traits on which modern Europe prides itself came to it from Muslim Spain. Diplomacy, free trade, open borders, the techniques of academic research, of anthropology, etiquette, fashion, various types of medicine, hospitals, all came from this great city of cities.

It is here King Charles highlights a sentiment rarely appreciated in the Western world:

Medieval Islam was a religion of remarkable tolerance for its time, allowing Jews and Christians the right to practise their inherited beliefs, and setting an example which was not, unfortunately, copied for many centuries in the West. The surprise, ladies and gentlemen, is the extent to which Islam has been a part of Europe for so long

King Charles is not only praising what Islam has bought to the Modern European world, but emphasising that Islam is an intrinsic part of European history, and its growth was influenced by Islam:

first in Spain, then in the Balkans, and the extent to which it has contributed so much towards the civilisation which we all too often think of, wrongly, as entirely Western. Islam is part of our past and our present, in all fields of human endeavour. It has helped to create modern Europe. It is part of our own inheritance, not a thing apart. Islam can teach us today a way of understanding and living in the world which Christianity itself is the poorer for having lost. At the heart of Islam is its preservation of an integral view of the Universe. Islam  like Buddhism and Hinduism  refuses to separate man and nature, religion and science, mind and matter, and has preserved a metaphysical and unified view of ourselves and the world around us.

He has also praised many Muslim scholars and authors such as Rene Guenon, Seyyed Nasr and Martin Lings. In particular, when Martin Lings book A Return to the Spirit was published after his death, King Charles wrote a letter of admiration in which he praises a book written by a prominent English convert, about the last Prophet sent to mankind:

One of Martin Lings greatest legacies was his remarkable biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Kings Charles is not a closet Muslim, but clearly literate in some aspects of Islamic thought probably unparalleled in the history of the British Monarchy, being described as an Islamophile by some:

Others have been questioning this special pleading for King Charlies appreciation of Islam. While he appears to be in little need of such good will, the same cannot be said for other prominent figures in UK public life who have likewise expressed an appreciation for many aspects of Islam but have also been publicly maligned.

Dr Salman Butt, a journalist, warns that:

Its good to celebrate positive news, but important not to fall into some traps, such as using events like these as a plaster to cover over a weakness that we might feel: requiring validation from a powerful or famous non-Muslim. If we do feel that, we need to take a step back and build our appreciation for Islam with knowledge and, more importantly, good deeds; since Ibadah (worship) increases our intelligence and reflective capabilities, and strengthens our Iman (Faith) and character.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Safar 19, 1444 AH (September 16, 2022).
while one cannot simply wave away personal experience and years of social conditioning, those of us, who must be in the majority, who desperately want something better for Nigeria must struggle with our fears, suspicions and set them aside in the knowledge that we have not been served by decades of division. If the candidate we support wins  this candidate will be the president of all Nigeria, not part of Nigeria

Senator Remi Tinubu trended for a few days on Twitter a few weeks ago because of an old video shot around the 2019 general election when she commented about Igbos who live in Lagos along the lines of: If you are not for us, if you prove difficult, as much as we love you, you will be chased out. As can be expected for a platform known for wrath and witty takes, the commentary on the post was scathing.

Now, whether Senator Tinubus comments were made in jest or not, as it is being claimed, the history shared by the Igbos and Yorubas, particularly as it relates to politics and elections, makes the timing of the re-release of the video, on the eve of another election, suspicious. It does not help that her comments follow a pattern. On the eve of the 2015 elections, the Oba of Lagos threatened, in colourful language, a group of Eze Ndigbos who paid him a courtesy visit: If they did not support the APC gubernatorial candidate Ambode, then they were going against the Crown and would end up in the Lagoon.

The comments were controversial when made and widely condemned and both would probably be much more circumspect in their choice of words today. Who benefits then from fanning grievances between Igbos and Yorubas, especially when no group can win elections on its own without collaborating with others?

There are already fears that the 2023 presidential election is going to deepen our ethnic divisions, considering that the three major candidates, of APC, Labour and PDP (going by social media energy and news coverage), represent the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. Obi cannot win without the support of millions of voters across the country, including from and in the South-West, but portraying him as the Igbo candidate is designed to trigger age old narratives. Likewise, remarks like Senator Tinubus reinforce anecdotes about how the Igbo are ill-treated  particularly in Lagos, evoking stories from the civil war about property appropriation, as well as recent stories of election disruptions in predominantly Igbo neighbourhoods. These will make it harder for Tinubu to appeal to Igbos or indeed to other Nigerians, especially since his candidacy is wrapped up with Yoruba nationalist rhetoric about it being his turn and the turn of the Yoruba. And the narrative that Fulani supremacy is bubbling  the underlying subtext to Wikes populist crusade for justice  safe in the knowledge that not even Buhari, with his famed 12 million votes, could win the presidency of Nigeria with only the votes of his base.

We suffer from ethnic based politics in Nigeria, carefully planted by the British and watered from the rivalry between Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe. In addition to all the wonderful things he was responsible for, including championing free basic education, Awolowo is credited with being the progenitor of ethnic politics in Nigeria. The cracks began in 1941 with the Nigerian Youth Movement and then became full blown 10 years later when Azikiwes National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was poised to win a majority in the western regional parliament and thrust Azikiwe into the premiership of the western region. Through a combination of tribal mobilisation and other inducements, Awolowo used his party, the Action Group to stage a political coup by getting NCNC loyalists to defect on the floor of the assembly. Part of what did the trick was Awolowos appeal to tribal solidarity, firm in his belief that the path to national harmony was through regional/ethnic representation. Unfortunately, Azikiwe, hurt, inadvertently buttressed Awolowos theory by running back to the Eastern Region and the rest is history. Despite several attempts to collaborate, starting with the post-1959 elections all the way to 1983 elections, they never successfully collaborated and it is the mistrust and betrayal between these two men that millions have carried over into our present-day politics.

Georg Hegel said, we learn from history that we do not learn from history.

At least two things should happen as a fall out of the issues raised by Senator Tinubus video. One, that more of us take every opportunity to demand that presidential candidates share their plans to build social cohesion and ensure reparative justice. This could be in the form of debates, town halls or even policy papers  not glib statements but details on the best way we can repair and preserve our trust in each other and our institutions.

Today, the cries of tribal solidarity continue and for the younger generation bearing the strange burden of too little and too much history, the best way to sway them is to scare them. Over the years, to keep the embers of distrust glowing, we have come up with easy to remember, lazy, stereotypes about each other, keeping ourselves at arms length, unable to collaborate to push off the knees pressing on our necks, while Uzodinma, El-Rufai, Fayemi, Wike, Makinde and Tambuwal love it up and plot for their futures in the APC, PDP or whatever party they will find their way to in the future.

We can expect more videos to be unearthed between now and election day and more stories to inflame ethnic solidarity  and while one cannot simply wave away personal experience and years of social conditioning, those of us, who must be in the majority, who desperately want something better for Nigeria must struggle with our fears, suspicions and set them aside in the knowledge that we have not been served by decades of division. If the candidate we support wins  this candidate will be the president of all Nigeria, not part of Nigeria and we need their win, through a legitimate election, to be accepted and we need every president to be responsible for and accountable to all Nigerians, not just those who vote for them.

At least two things should happen as a fall out of the issues raised by Senator Tinubus video. One, that more of us take every opportunity to demand that presidential candidates share their plans to build social cohesion and ensure reparative justice. This could be in the form of debates, town halls or even policy papers  not glib statements but details on the best way we can repair and preserve our trust in each other and our institutions.

Two, we can use this opportunity to revisit our past and discuss, analyse and tell the truth; the same way others have used the death of Queen Elizabeth II to excavate the horrors of colonialism. We can revere and honour Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello et al., without following their insecurities  they left lasting wisdom for us in their books, writings and actions. For instance, Ziks views about the universal fraternity of mankind are useful today, not only for Nigeria but for a world torn apart by the pandemic and the insatiable greed of corporates and states, and Awos insistence on universal education and universal healthcare should be a call to action to shape the focus of government at every level. And considering the widening inequality, Aminu Kanos empathy for the talakawa, his humanism and campaign for education and equality of classes and people are needed even more than ever.

Lets dig out these views and spread them everywhere  and give toxic ethnic solidarity a rest and a good place to start is with how we campaign and vote in the 2023 presidential elections.

Ayisha Osori is the author of Love Does Not Win Elections.

Note to readers: historical references are from Chris Ngwodos Fate of the Union  a must read for everyone
If Ndigbo are serious about re-defining our ways and re-inventing the South-east in order to remain politically relevant in Nigeria, we need to understand where the rain started beating us. Over the past few years, we have spent a great deal of time fighting the enemy from without, whereas the real sources of our pain and misery are from within.

But while young Igbo and young people from other tribes are enthused by his emergence as a presidential candidate and rally round him (Peter Obi), some prominent Igbo politicians treat him as a huge joke; something of a Charlie-Charlie on the national political stage. They dismiss his quest in prose that shocks me.

The above is an excerpt from the article titled Ndigbo and 2023, written by Dan Agbese. In this piece, he challenged the people to own their blame for, as he stated, failing to parley their business acumen into political wisdom. When it comes to accurately diagnosing the root cause of Ndigbos political woes in Nigeria, this ace columnist and one leg of the now defunct Newswatch magazines powerful tripod, hit the bullseye.

Contrary to what many Ndigbo would like to believe, the biggest chunk of the problems confronting the region and its people are mostly from within. Today, there is a complete leadership vacuum and for a long time now, the ship of South-east Nigeria has been sailing on auto-pilot (not to be confused with the killer squad of Simon Ekpas IPOB that bears the same name). Unlike the period preceding the Nigerian-Biafran civil war when the region brimmed with visionary servant-leaders, the likes of M.I. Okpara, our current crop of political leaders is a pitiful assemblage of decapitated clowns.

The reason why this is the case is not far-fetched. Most of the political office holders are beneficiaries of stolen mandates. The unmerited privileges they enjoy today were not earned by embodying great characters or competence but rather, the lack of it. Its an open secret that just a few years back, most of the current political actors were bland men who, left on their own, couldnt even win a local council seat. They owe their current status to the strength of personal weaknesses as yes-men ever ready to kowtow to the unconscionable demands coming from their godfathers. A good number of them, before being rigged into office, were led to swear oaths of unconditional loyalty and the guarantee of steady returns on investments to their masters.

Leading the pack are the governors. The South-east governors continue to carry on as glorified hustlers on the national stage. Their leadership, or lack of it, in the states, do not extend beyond shameful misappropriation of lean public resources. They distrust each other and are highly suspicious of one another, which is why organising around issues that bothers on our regional interest seems like an impossibility. They sing in tunes that please their masters in Abuja or elsewhere and can stand each other only to the extent of posing for occasional photo ops.

The Professor George Obiozor-led Ohaneze that is well positioned to fill the leadership vacuum, is seriously handicapped due to lack of operational funds. The same rogue governors who should help in that regard through the voluntary contributions of individual states, are unfortunately led by a man who consistently and openly works against Igbo interest. He only identifies with the group goal to the extent that it feathers his own political nest and lashes out when Ohaneze is not submitting itself as a ready tool to be explored for personal political ends. His politics is contrarian and he is often seen playing his state against the rest.

The more dangerous of them you would find, are not vocal. They maintain a deafening silence, yet are working round the clock behind the scene to thwart the peoples dream and aspiration. Though heavily invested in their nefarious agenda, there is also a clear understanding among them of a huge price to pay for openly disparaging a man whose candidacy offers a little ray of hope for millions of Nigerians

Since the emergence of Peter Obi on the national stage and with the groundswell of support he enjoys across ethnic and religious lines, these individuals with vested interests, and known for mercantile opportunism, have been in a foul mood. Members of a disparate group that normally would not agree on the most basic issue suddenly found their mojo using the hatred for Obi as a rallying point.

Its not hard to understand why the Igbo political class are spiteful, lashing out and pouring their venoms on Peter Obi. Obi, the man known for his lifestyle and politics of frugality, is seen as a stab in the neck and cannot guarantee their continued relevance in the raging tsunami of political change. His brand of politics poses an existential threat to a political class that is cowardly, myopic, asinine and which worshipped in the shrine of unparalleled greed. They mortgage the Igbo interest on a whim and are quick to stake their political future with their principals outside of the region. This group is incapable of strategising beyond a narrow-minded parochial interest. They are often happy to ingratiate themselves in order to feed off crumbs and leftovers.

The more dangerous of them you would find, are not vocal. They maintain a deafening silence, yet are working round the clock behind the scene to thwart the peoples dream and aspiration. Though heavily invested in their nefarious agenda, there is also a clear understanding among them of a huge price to pay for openly disparaging a man whose candidacy offers a little ray of hope for millions of Nigerians, trapped in a life of utter despondency by the nations current situation. They are smart enough to realise that the Obi movement has become more or less a moving train that crushes whoever dares to stand in its way. But the unwise neither cares about history nor has any use for its lessons.

Born on 14 January, 1741 to middle class parents in Norwich, Connecticut, Benedict Arnold apprenticed with an apothecary. When the American War of Independence, otherwise known as the Revolutionary War, broke out in April 1775, however, he was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic Ocean. But like many of his age at the time, he joined the growing Continental Army outside of Boston, and quickly distinguished himself by acts of bravery.

During the war, Arnold proved himself to be not just a brave soldier but a skilled leader. He led campaigns at Lake Champlain, Ridgefield and Saratoga, and gained the support of George Washington. He took part in the attack on British Quebec, which though was unsuccessful, earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Over the next several years, however, his life changed.

He got divorced, married a second time and he and his new wife embraced a lavish lifestyle, racking up a mountain of debt in the process. A once highly respected and distinguished soldier could not resist the lure of greed and his life went south.

The daily actions and inactions of many South-east politicians today, especially the governors, mirror the treasonous path of Benedict Arnold. The only difference is that unlike Mr Arnold, who was once a hero, these clowns hardly offered anything of value to the people, both in the past and present.

In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, which today is the home of the prestigious United States Military Academy. Instead of leading his unit to fight, he contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and its men. But his plot to betray the Hudson Valley fortress of West Point was discovered and Arnold was exposed. Arnold fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Connecticut and Virginia. The turncoat later relocated to England, but the British never fulfilled all they had promised him.

He died on 14 June, 1801, at the age of 60, after being sick for just four days. Arnold was so full of regrets and legend has it that on his deathbed, he said, Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May God forgive me for ever having put on another, The once highly decorated American general of the Revolutionary War is today remembered as the worst traitor of all time. Arnold was ready to barter his honour and sell his country for a morsel of the enemys bread.

The daily actions and inactions of many South-east politicians today, especially the governors, mirror the treasonous path of Benedict Arnold. The only difference is that unlike Mr Arnold, who was once a hero, these clowns hardly offered anything of value to the people, both in the past and present.

If Ndigbo are serious about re-defining our ways and re-inventing the South-east in order to remain politically relevant in Nigeria, we need to understand where the rain started beating us. Over the past few years, we have spent a great deal of time fighting the enemy from without, whereas the real sources of our pain and misery are from within.

In faraway America, our lettered sister and a tenured professor at Carnegie Mellon university, ignited a global debate about the British monarchy and her legacies with a simple tweet that ended in May her pain be excruciating. I wondered what she would say of our brothers and sisters back home, selling us out, over and over again.

Osmund Agbo, a public affairs analyst is the coordinator of African Center for Transparency and Convener of Save Nigeria Project. Email: Eagleosmund@yahoo.com
The police in Anambra State have arrested a 26-year-old suspect who allegedly uses charms to defraud Point of Sale (PoS) operators in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The suspect, Chisom Nweke, who was arrested on Thursday, hails from Umuawulu, a community in the Awka South Local Government Area of the state.

The police said the suspect has confessed to using charms to defraud some PoS operators in Awka and other neighbouring communities.

The suspect is a member of a criminal gang that specialises in the crime, the police said.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the (arrested) suspect cuts plain white paper in the size of money and gives it to the PoS operators for deposit, Mr Ikenga said.

The PoS operators, acting under the influence of the suspects charm, would accept the plain white paper as money from the suspect.

The police spokesperson said operations were ongoing to track down other members of the gang.

Rising PoS fraud

There have been rising cases of PoS fraud across Nigeria in recent times.

Several persons have been arrested by security agencies in the country over PoS fraud.

In August 2021, a PoS fraud suspect, who was arrested in Ondo State, narrated how he used an online application he downloaded from the internet to defraud unsuspecting PoS operators in the area.

In July 2022, another PoS fraud suspect was arrested for allegedly attempting to defraud a PoS operator at Oko New International Market, Asaba, Delta State.

PoS terminals were introduced in the country in 2012 to promote the Central Bank of Nigerias cashless policy. Its popularity rose after the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns which prevented people from going to their banks for physical transactions.

With PoS machines, customers are able to withdraw money, make transfers and make deposits without visiting their banks.

The number of PoS terminals in Nigeria grew from 155, 000 in 2017 to about 1.1 million in April 2022, according to Statista.
UW Oboist Jennifer Stucki to Perform Sept. 25

Jennifer Stucki

Oboist Jennifer Stucki will perform Sunday, Sept. 25, as part of the University of Wyoming Department of Musics Faculty Recital Series.

Stucki, an oboe instructor at UW, will perform a diverse collection of works by all-female composers on both the oboe and English horn. Her performance will take place at 3 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. The recital is free and open to the public.

Stucki maintains a diverse career that includes performing solo, orchestra and chamber ensemble work; organizing various collaborative arts projects; and teaching.

A recent migrant from Chicago to Denver, she performed as principal oboist with the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra; second oboe and English horn with the Racine Symphony Orchestra; and was a member of the Sapphire Woodwind Quintet. Additionally, she has performed with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater pit orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. From 2005-09, she was principal oboist for the U.S. Navy Band and part of the Fair Winds Woodwind Quintet.

She was acting principal oboist with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra for the 2019-2020 season, and she has performed with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra and the Fort Collins Symphony. She is the oboist with the Colorado-based woodwind quintet WW5.

Stucki has taught privately for over 10 years and has held previous teaching appointments with Colorado Christian University and Elmhurst College in Illinois. Her students have been accepted into Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern School of Music.

For more information, call Kathy Kirkaldie, UW Fine Arts coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or email kirisk@uwyo.edu.
The police in Ebonyi State on Thursday reunited a three-year-old missing boy with his mother, Theresa Nweke, in Abakaliki.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the child was handed over to his mother by the police spokesperson in the state, Chris Anyanwu.

Mr Anyanwu, superintendent of police, told reporters the boy was rescued from a 20-year-old child-trafficking suspect.

He said the female suspect (name withheld) lived at Evuma Road in Afikpo-North Local Government Area of the state.

READ ALSO:

Mr Anyanwu commended the team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, led by a superintendent of police, Miliscent Amadi, for the feat.

The boys mother is from Umuagwa in Port Harcourt.

She left her son with her neighbours and that was how he got missing.

His mother and the child are here and she has proved beyond reasonable doubt that she is his biological mother.

We are here today to hand over the baby to his mother, Mr Anyanwu said.

The police spokesperson said the suspect claimed she was the biological mother of the boy but later sold him.

The command is still investigating the matter and we shall leave no stone unturned to get to the root of how the boy got missing, he said.

The childs mother thanked God and the police for the boys rescue.

Narrating the incident, she said she regularly handed over the boy to the suspect to look after him because they were neighbours.

I usually kept him with them whenever I was going to work. I work in a restaurant. I thank God that I have seen him alive, Ms Nweke said.

(NAN)
Hours after students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, locked the school gate in protest against the institutions ban on commercial vehicles and motorcycles on campus; the management reversed the action.

I.T Agboola, the Registrar of the institution, announced the reversal in a memo dated 15th September.

This is to explain that the ban on students vehicles and motorcycles entering the campuses of the polytechnic is completely lifted, the memo stated.

In view of the above, students vehicles and motorcycles are now allowed into the campuses, however, they should maintain law and order.

Earlier on Thursday, the students had shut the school gate in protest against the hardship inflicted on them by the ban.

They occupied the school entrance and prevented the lecturers and other staff of the polytechnic from accessing their offices.

They also demanded the immediate suspension of the schools Chief Security Officer, alleging that he has no leadership quality to head the polytechnic security unit.

READ ALSO:

They carried placards with inscriptions such as CSO must go, Our cars should move freely, enough is enough CSO among others.

Adepoju Olusegun, President of the Student Union Government, who led the protest, said students of the polytechnic are fed up with the hardship they go through on transportation.

Mr Olusegun demanded an immediate lift of the ban on students vehicles and commercial motorcycles.

The union president also demanded a constant power supply on campus, adequate maintenance of hostel buildings and replacement of faulty appliances in classrooms

We want total lift of the ban on students vehicles and commercial motorcycles, 24/7 illumination on campuses that was paid outrageously for, adequate maintenance of school hostels and replacement of faulty appliances, he said.

The student leader also urged the polytechnic management to involve the students in the decision on policies and development of the institution.

But Shola Lawal, the Polytechnic Public Relations Officer, had said the ban was due to the insecurity challenges facing the country.
The Lagos State Taskforce has auctioned 134 vehicles confiscated for various traffic offences.

Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Taskforce spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that the enforcement team in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice auctioned 134 forfeited and abandoned vehicles at the Taskforce compound in Alausa, Ikeja.

Mr Abdulraheem said the vehicles were seized for various traffic offences ranging from driving on one-way to willful obstruction of traffic flow across various parts of the state.

The exercise, he said, was witnessed by members of the public.

The Taskforce chairperson, Shola Jejeloye, said that he does not determine the fate of seized vehicles.

My role as a police officer is to carry out enforcement exercises, one of which is confiscation of vehicles for traffic offences, and handing them over to the mobile court for judgement. I dont determine the fate or outcome of any vehicle brought before the magistrate in court, Mr Jejeloye was quoted as saying.

Some of the cars being auctioned here were confiscated for obstruction of traffic which only attracts a fine but some people never showed up to claim these cars thats why they have been forfeited to the State Government after the stipulated period and then auctioned.

Mr Jejeloye urged members of the public to desist from committing crime or traffic offences as no one would be spared if found wanting.

He warned that this exercise would serve as a deterrent to other road users who flout traffic law, adding that they would be made to face the consequences.

At the event, the Lagos State Special Offenses Mobile Court, coordinator, Arinola Ogbara-Banjoko, described the exercise as seamless and well organised. He said that all the vehicles on display had gone through due process of the court of law before being forfeited to the state government for varying offences.
An official of the Lagos State government, Jubril Gawat, has laid bare the reasons the state government sold vehicles impounded for various traffic offences.

Mr Gawat, a media aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said on Friday via his Twitter handle that the owners of the impounded vehicles ran away and failed to turn up for court process.

THREAD: FACTS about the Lagos State Auction Process that happened yesterday. 1. The Lagos State Taskforce in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice auctioned 134 forfeited and abandoned vehicles at the Taskforce compound in Alausa, Ikeja. pic.twitter.com/5Unkku6P76  Jubril A. Gawat (@Mr_JAGs) September 16, 2022

The state government had, on Thursday, auctioned 134 forfeited and abandoned vehicles at the Taskforce compound in Alausa, Ikeja.

Mr Gawat said the state government followed due process in accordance with the law before carrying out the auction exercise.

Some of the cars being auctioned here were confiscated Not for ONE WAY Alone, there are other offences that attract just a fine but some people ran away from the Court Process, thats why they have been forfeited to the State Government after the stipulated period (BY LAW), he said.

The Coordinator of The Lagos State Special Offenses Mobile Court was present at the Auction venue, she says exercise is seamless and well organised and also disclosed that all 134 vehicles on display had gone through due process of the COURT OF LAW before being forfeited.

The Taskforce chairman, Shola Jejeloye, urged the public to desist from committing crime or traffic offences as no one would be spared if found wanting.

Trending videos

In one of the trending videos captured at the public auction, a man broke down in tears and was begging the bidders to stop bidding for his vehicle.

According to the Vanguard newspaper, a widow, Dorothy Dike, and her son, Osinachi Ndukwe, wept as they begged for price reduction while the vehicle they bought N1.8 million on hire purchase was being auctioned for N450,000.
China has experienced "sweeping, historic and transformative changes" in its environment in the past decade, thanks to the unprecedented efforts to promote ecological civilization from the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, said Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu. "The country has made remarkable miracles in ecological improvement and green development," he said in a news conference organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee on Thursday. Ecological civilization is a concept promoted by Xi for balanced and sustainable development that features harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature. "The nation has been on a track of development that ensures increased production, higher living standards and healthy ecosystems. It has made significant steps forward in building a 'Beautiful China'." China has been the country with the fastest progress in improving air quality, Huang noted. The 74 key major cities where the monitoring of PM2.5particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or lesswas started in 2013, for example, have so far seen their annual average density of the pollutant with health hazards decrease by 56 percent, he said. The country extended PM2.5 monitoring to all the 338 cities above prefecture level across the country in 2015. Last year, the average PM2.5 concentration across the country stood at 30 micrograms per cubic meter, compared with 46 mcg per cubic m in 2015, the minister continued. The minister especially highlighted the significant air quality improvement in the capital. Holding a photo of star trails taken with a building in the Forbidden City in the foreground, he said, "To succeed in taking such a photo, there must be extremely high air quality and transparency. Thus, this photo is a real reflection of the air quality improvement in Beijing in recent years. "Now blue sky dotted with white clouds has become something very normal. It's no longer a luxury," he said. Huang said the achievement happened following consistent efforts to transform the structure of energy consumption, industry and transportation. In the past decade, he said, about two-thirds of the growth in energy consumption in the country has been met by clean energy. He also noted marked progress in controlling coal consumption during the time, saying the number of coal-fired boilers and furnaces has declined from 500,000 to 100,000 and over 27 million rural households in northern China have said farewell to coal as a source for heating in winter. The minister mentioned water pollution control as one of the other major areas where marked achievement has occurred. The country has essentially eradicated the black and odorous water bodies that existed in 295 major cities, he said. Previously pointed out as prominent environmental problems by residents, many of the water bodies have been transformed into beautiful scenery. "During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, China built 99,000 kilometers of new sewage pipe network, more than twice the length of the equator," he said. Huang vowed unremitting efforts to further improve the country's environmental quality. Despite huge improvement, environmental and ecological quality in the country remain at a medium and low level, he said. There are still gaps between the current quality and people's ever-growing needs for a better living environment.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev today announced the creation of what he called the Samarkand Solidarity Initiative for Common Security and Prosperity, to promote an international dialogue "free from geopolitical rivalry, ideological contradictions and disputes."

"Since ancient times, Samarkand has been a centre of spiritual, economic, cultural and scientific exchange between peoples living in the space from East Asia to North Africa, the Middle East and Europe," President Mirziyoyev said. "Over the centuries, a special culture of fruitful communication between representatives of different civilisations has been created here."

He announced the organisation of an international forum to be held in Samarkand in 2023.

The ancient city of Samarkand was where the process of Central Asian regional rapprochement was launched. In 2017, a ministerial conference on Central Asia was held in the city under the auspices of the UN. During the conference, President Mirziyoyev launched an initiative on what he termed good neighbourliness.

The process received UN support. In 2018, a UN General Assembly resolution was adopted entitled "Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian Region".

At the just-ended SCO session, delegates welcomed the President's initiative. Their final communique stated:

"They welcome the Samarkand initiative of solidarity for the sake of common security and prosperity' put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, aimed at ensuring peace and stability, broad international cooperation and promoting the sustainable development of mankind."

The initiative is regarded as being pursuant to the UN's Year 2000 Millennial Declaration which calls on governments to encourage, endorse and support dialogue among civilizations.

President Mirziyoyev said he would soon share a detailed "Programme of Action" with all Uzbekistan partners.

"Its goal is to involve in the global inter-civilizational dialogue all those who are not indifferent to our common future, who are ready, despite disagreements, to seek agreed approaches and solutions, who share the principles of the 'Samarkand spirit'," he said.

"We propose to jointly consider the issues of practical implementation of this initiative at the international Samarkand forum next year with the participation of political leaders, authoritative representatives of the public, business, academic and expert circles."

SOURCE Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, London
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a Ministerial roundtable at the Global AI Summit, member states of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) agreed to adopt the Riyadh AI Call for Action Declaration (RAICA), which seeks to use AI technology to benefit people, communities, nations, and the world as a whole.

The declaration was signed by all members of DCO including Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Jordan, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia.

Day two of the Global AI Summit

The call to action aims to advance the DCO's commitment to identify and address present, emerging and future humanitarian issues in the field of AI. The declaration highlights the different ways AI can be used as a tool to benefit the lives of millions of people around the world by improving the quality of work, developing better designed public policies and nurturing efficiencies into the ecosystem.

Deemah Al Yahya, Secretary General of DCO, said: "DCO was created with the ethos of establishing an inclusive digital economy through collaboration across diverse entities at all levels. The RAICA declaration is this idea put into practice. By signing this declaration all DCO member states are reaffirming their shared desire to usher in a brighter future for all by harnessing the huge potential of AI to improve the lives of people around the world."

The declaration highlights seven key pillars that will help to bring this future into reality. Each is comprised of principles that seek to address methods to ensure that benefits of AI are enjoyed by all while harming none.

Close the digital divide

Empower underprivileged communities

Promote digital development

Ensure fairness and non-discrimination

Drive innovation in AI

Combat climate change by using AI

Engage in international collaboration and cooperation

DCO has developed a series of action areas to help these pillars to be implemented. To do this the member countries will push to provide all individuals with the resources they need to obtain AI literacy; work with organizations to identify how to employ AI to advance human rights; improve digital infrastructure; adopt comprehensive AI ethical guidelines; develop AI-supported initiatives to address global challenges; use AI to reduce human impact on the climate; and setup multilateral collaboration to accelerate AI accessibility across nations.

To view the full declaration, visit www.dcoinsights.com/RAICA

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1899010/SDAIA.jpg

SOURCE SDAIA
SEATTLE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Maude's Award Recipients were announced today, honoring three organizations with $25,000 and five Individuals with $5,000 each. Maude's Awards was created in 2019 by Richard Ferry (Cofounder: Korn-Ferry) in honor of his beloved wife of 65 years. In 2013, Maude was diagnosed with dementia. Richard continues the journey to discover and share innovations addressing challenges of persons living with dementia and their care partners. More information here: The Awards  Maude's Awards (maudesawards.org)

ORGANIZATIONS

I'm Still Here (ISH)  Winchester, MA - ISH redefines what it means to live with dementia, replacing the predominant "despair" narrative with "hope"  soliciting, identifying, and supporting programs that, through engagement, promote the inherent dignity of people living with dementia. The focus is Nonpharmacological approaches that inform and educate individuals and communities, and thus reduce the stigma so often associated with dementia.

Elderwise  Seattle, WA  The Elderwise mission is to enrich the lives of caregivers and adults living with dementia through teaching and demonstrating the philosophy and practice of Spirit-Centered Care. Our adult day program models this way of thinking and our education program teaches this approach. We highlight working from one's own essence and recognizing the essence of others, regardless of cognitive changes.

Jewish Family & Children's Service (JF&CS) Waltham, MA; Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) -Charlottesville, VA - The JF&CS Memory Cafe Percolator and Dementia Action Alliance together lead "Living Well with Dementia at the Cafe", to help memory cafes foster leadership and empower participants living with dementia. Achievements include a written cafe coordinators' guide, and "Cafe Chats: Living Well with Dementia," featuring trained advocates presenting at a memory cafe.

INDIVIDUALS

Dana Territo  Baton Rouge, LA - The Memory Whisperer is Dana's byline for her weekly column she's written since 2013 in Louisiana's The Advocate Newspaper. It answers reader's questions on all things Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. "I feel the information I provide assists caregivers and affected individuals in navigating the journey of dementia. Moreover, I am supporting and advocating for this population."

Bonnie Erickson  Billings, MT - "I, along with several others with a dementia diagnosis, co-founded the non-profit National Council of Dementia Minds. We are the first national organization completely governed by people living with a dementia diagnosis. Our presentations are shared free of charge to medical students, medical professionals, policy makers, researchers, care facilities, families and our beloved care partners."

Pam Nolte  Seattle, WA  "The facilitator of a respected memory loss program in Seattle contacted me in 2010 to ask whether Taproot Theatre would create an improv class for individuals with memory loss. I developed, guided and, along with other professional actors, have taught those improv classes for Taproot since then, adding brain science to the training of teachers in this program."

Hailey Richman  Plainview, NY - "Kid Caregivers is a nonprofit organization which supports children who are acting as caregivers. Our mission is to help young people learn coping skills and improve the lives of adults living with Alzheimer's disease. Our Puzzle Time program pairs young people with seniors. Together, they solve jigsaw puzzles which stimulates the brain, and provides a sense of accomplishment."

Mary Crescenzo Topanga, CA - Mary's innovation includes her pioneer work in arts engagement and dementia through her multidisciplinary approach to "Care Through the Artssm". As author of The Planet Alzheimer's Guide: 8 Ways the Arts Can Transform the Life of Your Loved One and Your Own, Mary's advocacy continues as public speaker, playwright of Planet A, and in creative writing work with care partners.

For more information, visit: https://maudesawards.org/2022-awardees/

Contact: Julie Furlong, [email protected]

SOURCE Maude's Awards
Completes acquisition of Ambuja Cements and ACC

Largest acquisition in India's Infrastructure and Materials space valued at USD 6.50 billion

Infrastructure and Materials space valued at Post the transaction, Adani will hold 63.15% in Ambuja Cements and 56.69% in ACC (of which 50.05% is held through Ambuja Cements)

The combined market capitalization of Ambuja Cements and ACC is USD 19 billion as on date

as on date With this acquisition, Adani is now India's second largest cement manufacturer (capacity 67.5 MTPA)

second largest cement manufacturer (capacity 67.5 MTPA) Enhanced corporate governance with 100% independent directors on Audit Committee and Nomination & Remuneration Committee

Two new Board committees  Corporate Responsibility Committee and Public Consumer Committee  comprising solely of independent directors, will drive ESG assurance and consumer-first approach

AHMEDABAD, India, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adani Family, through Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd ("BidCo"), a special purpose vehicle, has successfully completed the acquisition of Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd. The transaction involved the acquisition of Holcim's stake in Ambuja and ACC along with an open offer in both entities as per SEBI Regulations.

The value of the Holcim stake and open offer consideration for Ambuja Cements and ACC is USD 6.50 billion, which makes this the largest ever acquisition by Adani, and also India's largest ever M&A transaction in the infrastructure and materials space. Post the transaction, Adani will hold 63.15% in Ambuja Cements and 56.69% in ACC (of which 50.05% is held through Ambuja Cements).

"What makes cement an exciting business is the headroom for growth in India, which exceeds that of every other country well beyond 2050," said Mr Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group. "Cement is a game of economics dependent on energy costs, logistics and distribution costs, and the ability to leverage a digital platform to transform production as well as gain significant supply chain efficiencies. Each one of these capabilities is a core business for us and therefore provides our cement business a set of unmatched adjacencies. It is these adjacencies that eventually drive competitive economics. In addition, our position as one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world will help us manufacture premium quality green cement well in line with the principles of a circular economy. All of these dimensions put us on track to become the largest and most efficient manufacturer of cement by no later than 2030."

Currently, Ambuja Cements and ACC have a combined installed production capacity of 67.5 MTPA. The two companies are among the strongest brands in India with immense depth of manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure, represented by their 14 integrated units, 16 grinding units, 79 ready-mix concrete plants and over 78,000 channel partners across India.

The Board of Ambuja Cements approved an infusion of INR 20,000 Cr into Ambuja by way of preferential allotment of warrants. This will equip Ambuja to capture the growth in the market. The actions will significantly accelerate value creation for all stakeholders, in line with the Adani Group's business philosophy.

Both Ambuja Cements and ACC will benefit from synergies with the integrated Adani infrastructure platform, especially in the areas of raw material, renewable power and logistics, where Adani Portfolio companies have vast experience and deep expertise. Ambuja and ACC will also benefit from Adani's focus on ESG, Circular Economy and Capital Management Philosophy. The businesses will continue to be deeply aligned to UN Sustainability Development Goals with clear focus on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

In line with the Adani Portfolio's governance philosophy, the board committees of both Ambuja Cements and ACC have been reconstituted. The Audit Committee and the Nomination & Remuneration Committee now comprise 100% independent directors. Further, two new committees have been constituted  the Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Public Consumer Committee  both comprising 100% independent directors to provide assurance to the board on ESG commitments and maximise consumer satisfaction. Also, a Commodity Price Committee has been constituted, comprising 50% independent directors, to strengthen risk management.

The transaction was financed by facilities aggregating to USD 4.50 billion availed from 14 international banks. Barclays Bank PLC, Deutsche Bank AG and Standard Chartered Bank acted as Original Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners to the transaction. Barclays Bank PLC, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank AG, MUFG Bank and Standard Chartered Bank acted as Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunners to the transaction. In addition, BNP Paribas, Citibank, Emirates NBD Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, ING Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Qatar National Bank acted as Mandated Lead Arrangers for the transaction.

Barclays Bank PLC and Deutsche Bank AG acted as M&A advisors to BidCo, with Standard Chartered Bank acting as the Structuring Advisor, and ICICI Securities and Deutsche Bank AG acted as merchant bankers to the open offer by BidCo for Ambuja Cements and ACC.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Latham and Watkins LLP acted as M&A counsel to BidCo. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Latham and Watkins LLP also acted as legal counsels to BidCo for the financing with Allen & Overy LLP and Talwar Thakore and Associates acting as legal counsels to the lenders.

About the Adani Portfolio

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, the Adani Group is the largest and fastest-growing portfolio of diversified businesses in India with interests in Logistics (seaports, airports, logistics, shipping and rail), Resources, Power Generation and Distribution, Renewable Energy, Gas and Infrastructure, Agro (commodities, edible oil, food products, cold storage and grain silos), Real Estate, Public Transport Infrastructure, Consumer Finance and Defence, and other sectors. Adani owes its success and leadership position to its core philosophy of 'Nation Building' and 'Growth with Goodness'  a guiding principle for sustainable growth. The Group is committed to protecting the environment and improving communities through its CSR programmes based on the principles of sustainability, diversity and shared values.

Further information at www.adani.com.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1716106/Adani_Group_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Adani Group
New Members NVIDIA, DuPont and GlobalFoundries Join Analog Devices, IBM, Microsoft, Micron, MIT, Synopsys and Others to Stand up an NSTC Innovation Hub in as Little as Six Months

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition (ASIC) today announces its expansion to include members representing all stages of the chipmaking supply chain, enabling the coalition to stand up semiconductor R&D facilities in as little as six months.

ASIC is a group of companies, universities and nonprofits united to advocate for an effective, efficient innovation hub of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) that are funded through the recently-passed CHIPS and Science Act. New members of ASIC include NVIDIA, DuPont and GlobalFoundries, which join Analog Devices, IBM, Microsoft, Micron, MIT, Synopsys and others to advance U.S. semiconductor R&D leadership and improve the pathway from research to manufacturing.

The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act is designed to strengthen U.S. semiconductor leadership, including through funding research. The law provides $11 billion for the U.S. Department of Commerce to invest in semiconductor research and development, including establishing the NSTC and NAPMP to deliver the latest groundbreaking chip R&D. If selected by the Department of Commerce, ASIC would rapidly open a fully-operational hub for the technology network and establish university and company-led "Centers of Excellence" to support the hub's operations.

ASIC has the ability to stand up an NSTC innovation hub in as little as six months, and implement programs across the country that support U.S. workforce development and small business growth. Its key capabilities include:

An ambitious technical agenda: The 200+ members of the ASIC Technical Team have a broad range of expertise, ranging from advanced packaging to memory to design. The team is proposing an open ecosystem to address the chip industry's most pressing challenges all aspects of semiconductor design.

The 200+ members of the ASIC Technical Team have a broad range of expertise, ranging from advanced packaging to memory to design. The team is proposing an open ecosystem to address the chip industry's most pressing challenges all aspects of semiconductor design. Leadership in workforce development and skills: ASIC members include nearly 30 leading colleges and universities, including MIT , Purdue University , the State University of New York ( SUNY ), including SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute . The ASIC Workforce Development Committee convenes these and other members to apply expertise on key themes such as semiconductor career awareness, skills gaps for R&D and manufacturing in new employees, and priorities for national-level workforce development resources.

ASIC members include nearly 30 leading colleges and universities, including , , the ( ), including SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and . The ASIC Workforce Development Committee convenes these and other members to apply expertise on key themes such as semiconductor career awareness, skills gaps for R&D and manufacturing in new employees, and priorities for national-level workforce development resources. Resources for startups and small businesses: ASIC is applying lessons learned from its members' accelerators and incubators to support small businesses in the semiconductor industry. ASIC would create an Investment Office within an NSTC to fund startups' innovations.

ASIC is applying lessons learned from its members' accelerators and incubators to support small businesses in the semiconductor industry. ASIC would create an Investment Office within an NSTC to fund startups' innovations. Existing state-of-the-art infrastructure: ASIC will have use of the Albany NanoTech Complex, a product of $15 billion in public and private investment, including from ASIC members. Albany NanoTech now hosts more than 2,700 industry experts, staff, students and faculty who have leveraged the center to produce semiconductor innovations such as the world's first two nanometer node chip, announced by ASIC member IBM in 2021.

"An advanced research initiative like the NSTC requires a technology network led by industry in close collaboration with government and academia, and it must have proven chip innovation results, expansive partnerships and state-of-the-art facilities. That's exactly what ASIC brings to the table," said Dr. Douglas Grose, spokesperson for ASIC.

"Analog Devices is pleased to be engaged in the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition to accelerate innovation and manufacturing strength in the next generation of semiconductor technologies. This collaboration, with key players across leading technology ecosystems, will be crucial to achieving the objectives from the NSTC and NAPMP of strengthening economic competitiveness and security of the domestic supply chain as well as bolstering the talent pipeline," said Rebecca Diaz, Vice President of Government Affairs at Analog Devices.

"The CHIPS and Science Act will have a profound impact on the U.S. semiconductor industry," said Gregg Bartlett, Chief Technology Officer at GlobalFoundries. "GF is proud to be a member of the ASIC coalition to establish the NSTC, and to drive innovations in chip manufacturing and throughout the domestic semiconductor ecosystem. Our participation in the NSTC brings focus to innovation in pervasive, feature-rich chips for automotive, wireless communications, defense, and other markets essential to the economy, supply chains and national security."

"The historic passage of the CHIPS and Science Act demonstrates the United States' commitment to not only investing in domestic chip manufacturing, but also the science and technology research needed to deliver groundbreaking chip R&D," said Mukesh Khare, VP, Hybrid Cloud at IBM Research. "Now, ASIC members are ready to meet this moment with expertise to drive the innovation necessary to stand up a National Semiconductor Technology Center hub in as little as six months and support a diverse and equitable semiconductor workforce."

"The CHIPS and Science Act outlines a bold vision for the NSTC to accelerate semiconductor research and development while reinvigorating our industry's workforce," said Scott DeBoer, executive vice president of technology and products at Micron. "Memory will play a critical role in the innovation of leading-edge technology and building U.S. leadership in the semiconductor industry will further enhance American economic competitiveness and national security. As the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory, we look forward to working with the Department of Commerce, industry peers and academia to make the NSTC vision a reality."

"The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act in Congress marks significant progress towards ensuring that the tech industry can continue to innovate towards helping organizations and individuals achieve more  which includes an innovative semiconductor industry and ensuring a resilient semiconductor supply chain," said Rani Borkar, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Hardware Systems and Infrastructure at Microsoft. "As part of the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition, we look forward to collaborating with partners across the industry ecosystem to take the next step in semiconductor research and development."

"The passing of this legislation and its potential impact on technology and science is monumental." said Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Dean of the MIT School of Engineering. "It's thrilling to join hands in a coalition that aims to explore pathways to drive transformative research, unlock emerging technologies, train the workforce and coalesce industry and education to pursue new growth and potential across sectors."

"NVIDIA is eager to work with the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition and its members to help advance chip research and development," said Joe Greco, Senior Vice President of Engineering at NVIDIA.

"EDA and IP enablement is fundamental to semiconductor research, design and manufacturing and is a key strength of the U.S.," said Deirdre Hanford, chief security officer at Synopsys. "We are collaborating closely with other leading organizations as part of the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition steering committee to ensure that the CHIPS and Science Act investments accelerate the pace of semiconductor innovation, domestic manufacturing and high-tech workforce development."

ASIC is defining and executing a research and development agenda focused on impact to facilitate successful and consistent "lab-to-fab" transfers and ensure the network is sustainable for long-term contributions to U.S. semiconductor leadership. The coalition is primed to stand up the NSTC and NAPMP quickly due to pre-existing infrastructure and relationships across the industry that would collectively serve as the foundation for these critical projects.

About the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition

The American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition (ASIC) represents more than 100 businesses, startups, universities and nonprofits dedicated to bringing the best research and development to the National Semiconductor Technology Center and the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program. Learn more about ASIC and its members at http://asicoalition.org.

SOURCE American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Beacon Global Strategies (BGS), a leading strategic advisory firm focusing on global public policy, government procurement, and geopolitical risk analysis, announced four new members to its growing team. Mr. Glenn Gerstell, Lieutenant General Michael S. Groen (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.), Mr. Paul Kilbride and Mr. Louis Lauter will bring further depth and breadth to Beacon's market leading practices helping companies navigate national security decisionmaking and emerging trends for disruptive technologies.

"BGS continuously strives to provide the highest quality services to its clients, and that requires working alongside the people with the deepest experience in the areas most relevant to our diverse client base," said Andrew Shapiro, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at BGS. "We are excited to welcome these accomplished individuals, who epitomize this effort. Their strategic insights and unique perspectives are already making real differences for our clients, and we feel fortunate to add them to our ever-growing team of elite leaders."

Glenn S. Gerstell joins BGS as Senior Advisor. Prior to joining BGS, Mr. Gerstell served as the general counsel of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Security Service (CSS) from 2015 to 2020. He has written and spoken widely on issues at the intersections of technology and national security. Prior to joining the NSA, Mr. Gerstell practiced law for almost 40 years at the international law firm of Milbank, LLP, where he focused on the global telecommunications industry, and served as the managing partner of the firm's Washington, D.C., Singapore, and Hong Kong offices. Mr. Gerstell served on the President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which reports to the president and the secretary of homeland security on security threats to the nation's infrastructure, as well as on the District of Columbia Homeland Security Commission. Earlier in his career, he was an adjunct law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and New York Law School. A graduate of New York University and Columbia University School of Law, Mr. Gerstell is a Senior Advisor (Non-Resident) with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) International Security Program, serves on the Future of Encryption Committee for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and is an elected member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the NSA Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.

Lieutenant General Michael S. Groen joins BGS as Senior Advisor and will be supporting the National Security Technology Practice. General Groen (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) served over 36 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career as the Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), where he led the transformation of U.S. Joint warfighting and departmental processes through the integration of Artificial Intelligence. Prior to his role at JAIC, he served in the Intelligence Community through multiple assignments. He served in the National Security Agency overseeing Computer Network Operations, and as the Director of Joint Staff Intelligence (JSJ2), working closely with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency and senior leaders across the Department. He is an experienced Marine commander and multi-tour combat veteran. General Groen is a graduate of Calvin College, and has earned Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Paul Kilbride joins BGS as Vice President. Prior to joining Beacon, Mr. Kilbride served as a Professional Staff Member on the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations  Subcommittee on Defense (HAC-D). In this role, he was responsible for overseeing a portfolio that included the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Geospatial-intelligence Agency (NGA), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and the Military Intelligence Program (MIP). Prior to joining HAC-D, Mr. Kilbride served as a senior program examiner with the Intelligence Programs Branch in the National Security Division of the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). From 2012-2018, he oversaw all aspects of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) budget and, before that, had oversight responsibility for DIA and the MIP. Mr. Kilbride began his career in public service with OMB in 2008 in the Homeland Security Branch, where he oversaw the Federal Emergency Management Agency  to include disaster response, preparedness, and continuity of government activities. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and earned his Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Harris School.

Louis Lauter joins BGS as Vice President. Mr. Lauter joins BGS after serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, where he advised the Secretary of Defense on all legislative matters, supported the confirmation of political appointees and managed congressional engagement across the Department of Defense. Previously Mr. Lauter served in the Obama Administration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs from 2015-2017 as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and the team chief for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, he served as the vice president for congressional and government affairs at CSIS where he led the think tank's outreach to Congress. Before joining CSIS, Mr. Lauter worked for Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and then for Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) where he led the Congressman's work on the House Armed Services Committee and the U.S.-China Working group. Mr. Lauter is a Senior Associate (non-resident) at CSIS. He holds a Master's degree in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington. Mr. Lauter has been awarded both the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.

About Beacon Global Strategies

Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies is a leading strategic advisory firm, with over 70 staff and expert advisors, that provides clients an in-depth understanding of national security decision-making to advance objectives and solve problems in Washington and abroad. The Beacon team brings experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.

SOURCE Beacon Global Strategies
EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Today, the Chair of Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), is pleased to announce the appointment of Bob Dhillon to the Board, effective October 1, 2022.

"We are very pleased to welcome Bob Dhillon as an AIMCo Board member," said Mark Wiseman, Chairperson of AIMCo. "He shares our vision of delivering sustainable long-term performance to AIMCo's clients through scale, sophisicated investment capabilities, and sound corporate governance. His experience and leadership will be a significant compliment to our experienced Board."

Based in Calgary Alberta, Mr. Dhillon is an experienced senior executive with an extensive career in the real estate and financial services industries. As President & CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp (MEQ), he has spent 22 years providing consistent year-over-year, double digit returns through continued organic growth to MEQ investors. Mr. Dhillon is also the owner of National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard approved merchant-processing business in the financial services sector.

In addition, Mr. Dhillon was appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada in 2021 for his achievements in business and for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education, awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012 for his dedication and accomplishments in his work and community, and has been the Honorary Consul General of Belize for Canada since 1999.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Lethbridge, 2019, and an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Lakehead University, 2017.

Both Mr. Roger Renaud and Dr. Kenneth Kroner have been reappointed to the board following their term expiry. The appointment of Mr. Bob Dhillon fills the vacancy left by Mr. Bob Kelly who will be leaving the board effective September 30, 2022.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to extend our sincerest gratitude to Bob Kelly for his dedication to AIMCo." added Mark Wiseman. "His contributions during his tenure have ensured AIMCo's continued evolution towards excellence serves the best interests of our clients, and of all Albertans."

In accordance with the Alberta Investment Management Corporation Act, the Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the management of the business and affairs of AIMCo. Guided by this mandate, the Board sets the strategic direction of the Corporation and oversees the development and implementation of policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day conduct of AIMCo's business. All directors are appointed to the Board by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and are fully independent of management.

ABOUT ALBERTA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $160 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 32 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. For more information about AIMCo please visit www.aimco.ca or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

SOURCE Alberta Investment Management Corporation
BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In his first trip overseas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping went to Central Asia to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), held this year in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

Calling it "China's most important event of head-of-state diplomacy on the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that it shows the great importance China attaches to the SCO.

At the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO on Friday, President Xi noted that the SCO has been an important constructive force in international and regional affairs.

He called on the group to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, strengthen unity and cooperation, and promote the building of an even closer SCO community with a shared future.

The Shanghai Spirit carried forward

The Samarkand SCO summit takes place at a time when the world is witnessing the combined impact of a pandemic unseen in a century, a de-globalization trend and other complex factors, with the global economic governance system facing challenges.

The Shanghai Spirit, named after the Chinese city in which the group was founded and as its undergirding values and guidelines, features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development.

On Friday, Xi said what can be drawn upon from the group's rich practices includes political trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, equality, openness and inclusiveness, and equity and justice, which fully embodies the Shanghai Spirit.

It has been shown that the Shanghai Spirit is the source of strength for the development of the SCO, and also the fundamental guide the SCO member states must continue to follow in the years to come, he said.

"We owe the SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," he pledged.

Beyond security

At a time when geopolitical conflict and nontraditional security threats such as extremism and terrorism are on the rise, the SCO plays an important role in safeguarding regional security and joint prosperity. Yet its role goes beyond security.

During his speech, Xi called for the SCO members to strengthen practical cooperation among themselves. He said that China is ready to work with all other stakeholders to pursue the Global Development Initiative proposed by China and jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the summit, statements on safeguarding international energy and food security were also adopted. Xi pledged that China will provide developing countries in need with emergency humanitarian assistance of grain and other supplies worth 1.5 billion yuan.

The Chinese president also urged the group to fully implement the cooperation documents in such areas as trade and investment, infrastructure, supply chains, scientific and technological innovation, and artificial intelligence.

Warning against an "obsession with forming a small circle," Xi reiterated the importance of upholding true multilateralism to improve global governance and ensure that the international order is more just and equitable.

Vision for the future

Since its founding in 2001, the SCO has had an extraordinary journey. To date, the organization has eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners.

In terms of geographic scope and population, the SCO is the world's largest regional organization, covering approximately 60 percent of the land area of Eurasia and 41 percent of the world's population. Its members accounted for 24 percent of global GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank.

And the SCO is still growing. At Friday's summit, a memorandum of obligations on Iran's full SCO membership was signed; the procedure for Belarus' accession was started; MOUs granting Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners were signed; agreements were reached on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the UAE, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners.

Noting an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family, the Chinese president said it fully demonstrates the power of the SCO's vision and the widely shared confidence in its future.

In conclusion of his speech, Xi called on all countries to act in the Shanghai Spirit, work for the steady development of the SCO, and jointly build the region into a peaceful, stable, prosperous and beautiful home.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-09-16/Xi-Jinping-delivers-speech-at-SCO-summit-in-Samarkand-1dnrViKtBks/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 90 Miles and a Dream Productions, LLC in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month announced today the launch of "Good Things Will Come: No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga," a 38 min. documentary which tells the little-known story of the "Pedro Pan" airlift of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children out of Communist Cuba in the early '60s.

90 Miles and a Dream Productions, LLC announced the launch of Good Things Will Come: No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga, a documentary about the Pedro Pan airlift of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children out of Communist Cuba in the early 60s.

The film follows the stories of two "Pedro Pan" children, Guillermo Vidal and Ric Prado, that came to America from Cuba as 10- and 11-year-old child refugees. They share their memories of a homeland quickly overtaken by Communist totalitarianism, the resultant chaos and destabilization that led their parents to make an unthinkable choice to send their children alone to a foreign country, and the trials and tribulations that faced them when they were sent to an orphanage in Pueblo, Colorado.

The airlift now known as "Operation Pedro Pan," was a joint covert operation between the US State Department, the Catholic Church, and courageous citizens on both sides who utilized underground networks to coordinate the efforts. The secret "Operation" ran for a two-year span and was at the time believed to be the largest migration of unaccompanied children in the world.

Both contributors interviewed in the film devoted their careers to American public service reaching the highest echelons of government, in order "to make their (parents') sacrifice worth it" as stated in the film by Ric Prado, who retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general.

Guillermo Vidal went on to become Denver's 44th and first foreign-born mayor. "Fortunately for me the American Dream was available. Imagine, I was an orphan at one time and became Mayor of Denver. This trip from orphan to Mayor, who would imagine that was possible?" Guillermo says in the film.

Ric says about the project: "It is my honor to be part of this project documenting the miracle that is the Pedro Pan program and the heartache that was part of the somber decision of sending our kids to freedom."

The documentary is currently under consideration for inclusion in several film festivals.

Visit www.goodthingswillcome.com for updates on future screenings.

About 90 Miles and a Dream Productions, LLC

90 Miles and a Dream is the production company of Janelle Bosek whose mother came as a 9-year-old to the US through Operation Pedro Pan and inspired this documentary.

Media Contact:

Janelle Bosek

[email protected]

347-419-0270

SOURCE 90 Miles and a Dream Productions, LLC
$78 Billion Annual Cost for Limited-English Proficient Students Revealed in New Report by FAIR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that one in ten students in our nation's public schools are considered Limited English Proficient (LEP), requiring an annual expenditure of $78 billion to provide remedial English language instruction. Moreover, the surge of illegal migration instigated by Biden administration policies  including an unprecedented number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs)  is outpacing the nation's education system's ability to hire enough teachers qualified to meet the needs of LEP kids.

It's also worth noting that due to an approximately two year delay in releasing official enrollment and detailed cost data in most states and school districts, the figures in this report are accurate as of the 2020 school year, and do not include education costs incurred by the millions of illegal aliens who have entered the country since President Biden took office. Because of this, the true cost today is almost certainly at least several billion dollars more than the estimates detailed in this report.

"By almost every metric, America's education system is already failing our kids whose critical skills lag behind those of almost every one of our global competitors," noted Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Meanwhile, schools all across the country are being burdened with a surge of new non-English-speaking kids by Biden administration policies that virtually assure admission to UACs and anyone who enters illegally in the company of a minor."

The report, The Elephant in the Classroom: Mass Immigration Imposing Colossal Cost and Challenges on Public Education, finds that there are currently only 370,000 teachers qualified to deal with the educational needs of LEP students, and that an additional 76,000 instructors will be needed over the next five years just to keep pace with the consequences of the Biden administration's open border policies. Worse yet  for the children themselves and the future of our nation  only about 4 percent of LEP students are proficient in math by the time they complete 12th grade, and only about 3 percent are English proficient by the time they complete high school.

"As a nation, we are failing to adequately educate the next generation of workers and taxpayers  even those for whom English is their native tongue. At the same time, our immigration policies are adding millions of LEP students, whose academic prospects are even more abysmal. Under the Biden administration, our failing educational system is being asked to cope with our failed immigration policies, which is a recipe for disaster," concluded Stein.

Among the key findings of The Elephant in the Classroom: Mass Immigration Imposing Colossal Cost and Challenges on Public Education:

5.1 million students in American public schools were classified as LEP in 2020. That figure represents about 10 percent of all K-12 enrollment.

The additional cost to American taxpayer to educate LEP students is $78 billion a year, an increase of $18.8 billion just since 2016. This estimate does not include additional costs, like free or subsidized meals that they may qualify for.

a year, an increase of just since 2016. This estimate does not include additional costs, like free or subsidized meals that they may qualify for. All but 9 states now have more than 10,000 students designated as LEP, and 26 states have more than 50,000 LEP students. California and Texas now exceed 1 million LEP students.

and now exceed 1 million LEP students. The large influx of new illegal LEP students under the Biden administration amounts to an unfunded federal mandate on state and local governments. As a result of a narrow 1982 Supreme Court decision, all K-12 students must be provided a taxpayer-funded public education.

The full report, The Elephant in the Classroom: Mass Immigration Imposing Colossal Cost and Challenges on Public Education, can be found here.

Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]



ABOUT FAIR



Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
HONG KONG, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first World Design Cities Conference (WDCC) organized by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government officially opened on 15 September. As a strategic partner of the WDCC, Fosun presented its various industries and brands at the conference, focusing on urban design, intangible cultural heritage design, folk design, fashion design and product design, to showcase Fosun's innovative ideas and creative designs in terms of products, content, scenarios, etc.

Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai Municipality inaugurated the opening ceremony. Xu Xiaolan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Wu Qing, Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipality, and Qu Xing, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) delivered speeches. Zhang Wei, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipality, attended the opening ceremony. With the theme of "Vision in Perspective", WDCC aims to create a world-class cooperation and exchange event in the field of design. Through various activities, the 4-day conference will demonstrate the cross-sector integration trend, innovation-driven development and ubiquitous empowerment of design. It will also showcase Shanghai's active integration into the global creative network, and its determination and mission to build platforms, share opportunities and create a shared future with creative cities.

A number of creative design projects and international cooperation projects, including the "Oriental Aesthetics Design Demonstration Hub" presented by Yuyuan, a subsidiary of Fosun were officially launched at the opening ceremony to promote the construction of Shanghai into a world-class "city of design". As the birthplace of Shanghai folk culture and Shanghai-style culture hub, Yuyuan has continuously bring industries such as jewelry fashion, cultural commerce, cultural food and beverages, wine industry, national watches and cultural creative industry together in recent years, demonstrating the unique temperament of oriental aesthetics and laying a foundation for the construction of the oriental aesthetics design demonstration hub. As Yuyuan has become the primary entity of the precious land plot on Fuyou Road, Huangpu District, the "Grand Yuyuan" connecting to Yuyuan is about to launch. In the future, Yuyuan will leverage Fosun's global industrial resources to build an "Oriental Aesthetics Design Demonstration Hub", offering amazing experience to create happier lives for families and providing development momentum for the city.

As the official exhibitors of this year's WDCC, Shede Spirits, Tom Tailor, WEI, St Hubert, Silver Cross, Dongjia, Wanbang Hanfang, Babytree and other brands in the Fosun ecosystem are presented at the exhibition hall to showcase the good products of Fosun.

Xu Xiaoliang, Co-CEO of Fosun International, said, "Since its establishment 30 years ago, Fosun has dedicated itself to strengthen its business presence and create innovative products to build a happy ecosystem centered around Health, Happiness, Wealth and Intelligent Manufacturing for families worldwide. Standing at a new starting point, we propose 'Sharing Happiness', hoping to join hands with customers, partners, investors, governments, and all parties in the society to create a happy ecosystem and share happiness. We also hope that through the design concept of oriental aesthetics, we can provide exceptional experience to create happier lives for families, contribute to building Shanghai into a world-class city of design and enhance the soft power of Shanghai!"

SOURCE Fosun
DUBLIN, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "High-Performance Alloys Market By Material Type, By Product Type, By Alloy Type, By Application, and By Region Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global high-performance alloys market size is expected to reach USD 15.64 Billion in 2030 and register a revenue CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period, according to the latest report. The demand for high-performance alloys has been constantly on the rise owing to their increased adoption in various end-use industries, such as aerospace & defense, power generation, and oil & gas, among others. The aerospace industry is one of the major consumers of these alloys due to the need for materials with higher strength and resistance to heat and wear.

The increased demand for high-performance alloys from the power generation industry is also expected to boost market growth over the forecast period. These materials are used in power plants for boiler tubes, heat exchangers, and other components that are exposed to high temperatures and pressures. The oil & gas industry is another major consumer of these alloys due to the need for materials that can withstand the harsh operating conditions in this sector.

Rise in demand for lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and strong materials in the automotive and aerospace industries is anticipated to fuel the growth of the high-performance alloys market.

High-performance alloys are extensively used in jet engines, gas turbines and other critical applications in the aerospace industry. The rising demand for aircrafts from the commercial and military sectors is anticipated to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Moreover, the lightweight and corrosion-resistant properties of high-performance alloys make them ideal for use in medical devices and implants. The rising demand for minimally invasive surgeries is projected to create significant opportunities for market players over the next few years.

Developing such alloys is heavily dependent on advancements in the field of materials science and engineering. As a result, high-performance alloys market is growing at a significant pace globally. High-performance alloys are those capable of withstanding extreme conditions such as high temperatures, corrosive environments, or mechanical stress. These alloys are often used in aerospace, chemical processing, and energy generation applications.

Some Key Highlights From the Report

Titanium segment is expected to register a rapid revenue growth rate over the forecast period due to the high specific strength and corrosion resistance of titanium alloys. Titanium alloys are widely used in defense, aerospace, medical, and oil & gas industry due to their excellent mechanical properties.

The aluminum segment is expected to grow at a significant rate over the forecast period owing to its growing demand from various end-use industries such as automotive, transportation, and aerospace. Aluminum alloys have high strength-to-weight ratio, which makes them suitable for various applications where weight reduction is required.

The nickel-based segment is expected to hold the largest market share over the forecast period due to its superior mechanical properties such as high tensile strength, creep resistance, and corrosion resistance. Nickel-based alloys are widely used in the aerospace and power generation industry.

The stainless steel segment is expected to grow at a rapid pace over the forecast period due to its superior corrosion resistance property. Stainless steels are widely used in the food & beverage, medical, and construction industry.

For the purpose of this report, the publisher has segmented the global high-performance alloys market based on material type, product type, alloy type, application, and region:

Material Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)

Aluminum

Titanium

Magnesium

Nickel

Steel

Others

Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)

Non-Ferrous

Platinum Group Metals

Refractory

Superalloys

Alloy Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)

Wrought Alloy

Cast Alloy

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)

Aerospace

Automotive

Industrial

Oil & Gas

Electrical & Electronics

Industrial Gas Turbine

Others

Regional Outlook

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Market Synopsis



Chapter 2. Executive Summary



Chapter 3. Indicative Metrics



Chapter 4. High-Performance Alloys Market Segmentation & Impact Analysis



Chapter 5. High-Performance Alloys Market By Material Type Insights & Trends



Chapter 6. High-Performance Alloys Market By Product Type Insights & Trends



Chapter 7. High-Performance Alloys Market By Alloy Type Insights & Trends



Chapter 8. High-Performance Alloys Market By Application Insights & Trends



Chapter 9. High-Performance Alloys Market Regional Outlook



Chapter 10. Competitive Landscape



Chapter 11. Company Profiles

Companies Mentioned

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated

Carpenter Technology Corporation

Haynes International Inc.

Hitachi Metals Ltd.

Outokumpu Oyj

Precision Castparts Corp.

The Timken Company

VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation

Nippon Yakin Kogyo Co. Ltd.

Materion Corp

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/613g3a

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is now paying his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 pandemic to Central Asia, and to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. This major diplomatic activity has drawn attention around the globe and charmed the key multilateral event in Samarkand with frequent bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO members and key partners across the Eurasia continent.

By Thursday, heads of state and leaders of other countries Xi has already met in his ongoing trip include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The regional partners and key members of the SCO expressed support to China-proposed initiatives on global development and security, and reaffirmed support to the one-China principle.

Experts said the reason why China chose Central Asia as the destination of the first foreign visit by its top leader since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is that China has attached greater importance on or even prioritizes relations with neighbors, developing countries and the multilateral or international organizations like the SCO.

China is paying great efforts via the head-of-state diplomacy to better form a stable and certain international environment to serve not only its own development but also the shared peace and prosperity of the region and the majority of international community, said analysts.

Popularity and charm

During the meeting with Putin, Xi said China is ready to work with Russia in extending strong support to each other on issues concerning their respective core interests. China is also willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation in such areas as trade, agriculture and connectivity, Xi added.

Thursday's face-to-face in-depth communication between the top leaders of China and Russia - two neighboring major powers and key SCO members with global influence - is not only important to the stable development of the bilateral relations, but also of great benefits to regional peace and stability, experts said.

In 2013, Xi firstly initiated the Silk Road Economic Belt, a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), during his visit to Kazakhstan. The initiative has already benefited many countries' development around the globe in the past 10 years. This time, Xi's key diplomatic activity to Central Asia will also bring new significant long-standing influence to not only the region but also the world, experts said.

Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for SCO Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday that China and Central Asian countries are friendly neighbors and close partners, and the situation of the region will directly affect the stability and development of China's western territory, adding it's also significant to China's energy security and the construction of the Belt and Road. So China choosing this region for the first head-of-state foreign visit since 2020 proves that China attaches great importance to the ties with regional partners, said Deng.

Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Kazakhstan's political turmoil earlier this year, regional peace and stability are under threat, and the conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia in recent years also increase the risks and concerns to the region, it's important for China, as a major power with notable national strength and economic capability, to play a greater role in promoting cooperation and boosting interconnectivity to better link East Asia, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, experts said.

"This is why the Chinese president is so popular among the region and countries from other regions with great interests to seek membership or partnership with the SCO, as the frequent bilateral and multilateral meetings showed the great charm of China's head-of-state diplomacy," Deng noted.

Xi has received warm welcomes and hospitality with highest respects in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. On Wednesday afternoon, Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle, or "Altyn Qyran" Order, awarded by Kazakh President Tokayev at the Ak Orda Presidential Palace in Nur-Sultan, Xinhua reported. The Order of the Golden Eagle is the highest order Kazakhstan awards individuals in recognition of their significant contribution to Kazakhstan's national development and friendly external relations.

Tokayev delivered remarks before awarding the order. He noted that Xi's visit is a tremendous honor to Kazakhstan, according to Xinhua.

Xi put forward the great initiatives including Belt and Road cooperation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and has made outstanding contribution to building a new type of international relations, Tokayev said, adding that the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forward by Xi are of particular strategic significance in resolving risks and challenges faced by today's world.

On Thursday, Xi received the highest friendship award - Friendship Order - from Uzbek President Mirziyoyev. This is the first time that the order has been awarded since it was set up in March 2020, according to China Central Television.

Mirziyoyev held a grand welcoming ceremony for Xi at the airport on Wednesday evening. Nearly a hundred national flags of China and Uzbekistan were waving in the breeze. The hundred-meter-long carpet was flanked by valiant honor guards, Xinhua reported.

Head-of-state diplomacy

The SCO Summit is an important multilateral international event for the Chinese top leader to attend ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October and the G20 Summit later this year.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday that the SCO is a new type of an international organization that upholds new ideas and views on security, development and international relations.

The SCO is playing a key role for member states to solve border issues, to jointly counter terrorism, separatism and religious extremism, also known as "three evils," and to boost economic cooperation and interconnectivity, so it's a great public good for the international community that China and other founding members contributed to, Wang said.

"At the moment, the world is still facing the threat of the old ideas like the Cold War mentality, the bloc-to-bloc confrontation, and decoupling between major economies, so the SCO is offering a significant alternative to the future international order and the ties between major powers," Wang said, noting that this is also a key reason why the Chinese top leader has chosen the timing of the SCO Summit to conduct his first foreign visit since 2020.

The face-to-face summit allows leaders of member states to have more direct conversations and a full exchange of views, which is of great significance for the members to reach consensus and take joint actions on major international and regional issues in the context of the current unstable international situation, Deng said.

"Popularity of the Chinese head of state during the trip also proves that many countries have great confidence in China's development, and they hope China could play a greater role to guide the future of the regional development," Deng noted.

SOURCE Global Times
DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A spokesperson for Greg Lindberg provided the following update regarding the exit of his North Carolina insurance companies from rehabilitation:

Lindberg states that there is a "ready and willing" buyer for his NC insurance companies who has offered to pay "several hundred million dollars" for these companies so that they can be sold and exit rehabilitation immediately. At the time of sale, policyholders will be able to access all their benefits, Lindberg says. "The North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) has yet to respond to a Letter of Intent from a highly qualified buyer for my North Carolina insurance companies," Lindberg says. "My insurance companies successfully exiting rehabilitation utilizing our recommendations will prove that the allegations about liquidity and questions about our financial strength have been false since day one," Lindberg says.

insurance companies," Lindberg says. "My insurance companies successfully exiting rehabilitation utilizing our recommendations will prove that the allegations about liquidity and questions about our financial strength have been false since day one," Lindberg says. Lindberg also reports that he has authorized the "immediate sale" of several of Global Growth's portfolio companies that will generate well over $1 billion of proceeds that can be used to purchase affiliated assets from the North Carolina insurers as part of the rehab exit plan. "We are not waiting for the NCDOI," Lindberg says. "We are proceeding now with sale transactions that will result in the immediate rehab exit of my North Carolina insurers." Lindberg notes that the proposed 7-year rehab plan by the NCDOI is being litigated in court. "7 years is unacceptable," Lindberg says. "The way I see it, everyone wants these companies out of rehab now so policyholders can access their benefits immediately," Lindberg says.

of proceeds that can be used to purchase affiliated assets from the insurers as part of the rehab exit plan. "We are not waiting for the NCDOI," Lindberg says. "We are proceeding now with sale transactions that will result in the immediate rehab exit of my insurers." Lindberg notes that the proposed 7-year rehab plan by the NCDOI is being litigated in court. "7 years is unacceptable," Lindberg says. "The way I see it, everyone wants these companies out of rehab now so policyholders can access their benefits immediately," Lindberg says. Lindberg also says that third party lenders are "ready and willing" to provide financing that will result in the immediate paydown of over $150 million in affiliated loans to the North Carolina insurers. "Blocking these loans directly impacts policyholders and keeps the North Carolina insurers from exiting rehabilitation," Lindberg says.

in affiliated loans to the insurers. "Blocking these loans directly impacts policyholders and keeps the insurers from exiting rehabilitation," Lindberg says. Lindberg says that his North Carolina insurers would have reduced their percentage of affiliated assets below the new 10% North Carolina statutory limit way back in December of 2018 had the governing parties been actually interested in protecting policyholders. "In August of 2018 Global Growth was very close to closing an $600 million financing that would have paid down affiliated assets below 10% of total assets," Lindberg says. "In fact, the lender that was providing this $600 million loan expressed to the NCDOI that the financing was looking "strong" and there were already "orders in the book." Unfortunately, this financing, along with several other financing attempts, were withdrawn or halted as a result of the investigation.

insurers would have reduced their percentage of affiliated assets below the new 10% statutory limit way back in December of 2018 had the governing parties been actually interested in protecting policyholders. "In August of 2018 Global Growth was very close to closing an financing that would have paid down affiliated assets below 10% of total assets," Lindberg says. "In fact, the lender that was providing this loan expressed to the NCDOI that the financing was looking "strong" and there were already "orders in the book." Unfortunately, this financing, along with several other financing attempts, were withdrawn or halted as a result of the investigation. Lindberg says that at the end of 2018, his team was in discussions with another large lender to provide up to $1 billion in financing as part of this lender's purchase of his North Carolina insurers. "In December of 2018 however, I was informed that someone from 'the government' called this lender and told them not to underwrite any loans to us," Lindberg says. "This type of behavior only serves to undermine Global Growth and none of this helps policyholders," Lindberg says.

in financing as part of this lender's purchase of his insurers. "In December of 2018 however, I was informed that someone from 'the government' called this lender and told them not to underwrite any loans to us," Lindberg says. "This type of behavior only serves to undermine Global Growth and none of this helps policyholders," Lindberg says. Despite these challenges, Lindberg says that the Global Growth companies have worked diligently to re-establish credit market access. Global Growth companies have closed over $1.2 billion of third-party financing so far this year, Lindberg reports. "Through it all, Global Growth has proven its resiliency, businesses are performing very well, and lenders are making loans to Global Growth companies," Lindberg says.

Lindberg notes that Mike Causey ran for the position of North Carolina Insurance Commissioner five times before winning by less than 1% of the vote. Lindberg says that he had supported Causey's opponent. "From my perspective, the root of this problem is politics. All my insurance companies were seeking was fair and equitable regulation," Lindberg says.

After the government accused Lindberg of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously agreed that his conviction violated his Constitutional rights and must be vacated.

Lindberg says he will "continue to fight until every policyholder is paid out."

SOURCE Greg Lindberg
New York fashion brand, HIROMI ASAI, develops men's wears all made of Japanese Kimono textiles since 2017. HIROMI ASAI unveiled Spring/Summer 2023 collection on New York Fashion runway in September 2022. This collection is named THE KIMONO  RAINBOW MARRIAGE, which represents variety of wedding styles, inspired by Japanese traditional craftsmanship. All items of SS23 collection will be on sale soon at Flying Solo, the boutique in SoHo, New York, and the Flying Solo online store.

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New York based fashion brand, HIROMI ASAI, (www.hiromiasainy.com) has been trying to revive the essence of Japanese Kimono for modern luxury fashion. The designer, Hiromi Asai, first presented Kimonos on runway at the New York Fashion Week in 2016. Then, HIROMI ASAI develops men's wears made of Japanese Kimono textiles, which were presented at Pitti Uomo, New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, and/or Paris Fashion Week every season since 2017. HIROMI ASAI has been getting international acclaim.

HIROMI ASAI SS23 New York Fashion Week - THE KIMONO - RAINBOW MARRIAGE HIROMI ASAI SS23 New York Fashion Week - THE KIMONO - RAINBOW MARRIAGE

HIROMI ASAI presented Spring/Summer 2023 (SS23) collection on runway at New York Fashion Week on September 10, 2022. The collection title is "THE KIMONO  RAINBOW MARRIAGE." HIROMI ASAI respects Japanese tradition and evolves traditional Japanese textiles to worldwide high fashion by progressive forms with all details inspired by Kimono. HIROMI ASAI also highlights assorted styles of wedding fashion and proposes alternative options which satisfy all the customers worldwide. Japanese craftsmen, who usually manufacture textiles for authentic Kimono by various traditional techniques, and Hiromi Asai developed new textiles for this collection. The collection was tailored by Japanese unparalleled techniques. HIROMI ASAI SS23 collection could be recognized as treasures created by Japanese artisanship. Cumulatively, HIROMI ASAI demonstrates luxury fashion with unique prominent textiles and sophisticated designs.

All collection outfits can be seen in HIROMI ASAI web site (www.hiromiasainy.com/ss23).

HIROMI ASAI belongs to the boutique and showroom in SoHo, New York; Flying Solo (flyingsolo.nyc), which highlights independent and emerging fashion brands, and grows to the US largest fashion platform and retail for independent designers. All the HIROMI ASAI Spring/Summer 2023 collection will be available on sale at Flying Solo or online (flyingsolo.nyc/designer/hiromi-asai) in mid-October 2022

"This collection was named THE KIMONO, as we created this collection as the culmination of what we did in several years. The subtitle of this collection is RAINBOW MARRIAGE. Hearing many requests for a variety of wedding styles from a variety of customers, I design this collection as the NEXT wedding dresses for all," Ms. Hiromi Asai said. "We are always respectful to Japanese tradition, but the essence of Kimono is in the fabrics rather than the form. I convince that we are evolving Japanese traditional textiles to luxury high fashion which people worldwide love and enjoy wearing."

HIROMI ASAI Spring/Summer 2023 collection is unveiled next at the Paris Fashion Week at La Galerie Bourbon, Paris on October 2, 2022.

DETAILED INFORMATION OF SALES and SHOWROOM

For Sales

Flying Solo, The Store

420 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA

646-982 1133

https://flyingsolo.nyc

Also available at Online Store

https://flyingsolo.nyc/designer/hiromi-asai

For PR

Flying Solo PR - The Copper Room

419 Broome St, New York, NY 10013, USA

https://www.the-copper-room.com

HIROMI ASAI WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA

HP: https://www.hiromiasainy.com

HIROMI ASAI SS23 collection: https://www.hiromiasainy.com/ss23

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiromi.asai

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modeandclassic

Media Contact:

Hiromi Asai

646-242-4156

[email protected]

SOURCE HIROMI ASAI - Mode & Classic LLC
Plaza and sculpture are tributes to those who feed the world; anchors outdoor meeting space at global headquarters

AUSTIN, Minn., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, unveiled "The Inspired People Plaza" at its global headquarters in Austin, Minn.

Hormel Foods Corporation dedicated The Inspired People Plaza complete with a two-ton, 25-foot-tall fork sculpture at its global headquarters in Austin, Minn. The plaza and sculpture are tributes to those who feed the world.

The centerpiece of the plaza is a 1-ton, 25-foot-tall fork sculpture created by Artist Gordon Huether. The statue is clad with nearly 20,000 forks, representing and donated by Hormel Foods team members worldwide. It is located on the front lawn of 1 Hormel Place and serves as the anchor of the new outdoor plaza. The plaza's name is a nod to the company's purpose statement, Inspired People. Inspired Food.

The sculpture is rich with meaning, including being emblematic of the 131-year-old Hormel Foods Corporation. "Food is at the center of all we do and who we are. Food has the power to change lives, lift up communities and bring people together. Our team of 20,000 inspired people donated the forks to create this visionary work of art, representing the power that food has to make a difference in the world. This sculpture is dedicated to them and to the community of Austin, our hometown since 1891," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, Hormel Foods.

The project had its genesis nearly two years ago. Deanna Brady, executive vice president of Refrigerated Foods, was one of the company leaders interested in finding a way to honor the part food plays in nourishing bodies, and also minds and spirits. "It can transform lives, build communities and change the world," she said.

"When you think about the special moments in our lives, food is there. There is incredible power in it  the sharing, the creating, the sitting down and talking. We're honored to be part of that," Brady said.

Armed with a purpose, the team began its search for an artist to bring the vision to life. The search brought them to Napa, Calif., and the studio of Gordon Huether. For 40 years, Huether has produced multimedia works of art, especially large, public installations that spotlight cities, regions, companies, universities and more. His wife and business partner, Darcy Huether, was born in Austin, Minn., and several of her relatives previously worked for Hormel Foods. For her, it was a sign the partnership was meant to be.

"To me, it speaks a lot about the values of Hormel Foods that art is important to life, and about their vision in wanting to create a major public artwork to brand their headquarters and embody the company ethos," Gordon Huether said.

Once the design was determined, the call went out for team members to send in all manner of forks "for a future surprise." Nearly 20,000 forks cover the surface of the sculpture, one for every Hormel Foods global team member.

The 2,000-pound, 25-foot-tall fork sculpture was transported from Napa to Austin on an 18-wheel truck.

The sculpture and the Inspired People Plaza was dedicated at a company event on Thursday, Sept. 15, on the front lawn of the Hormel Foods world headquarters.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $11 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

ABOUT GORDON HUETHER

Based in Napa, California, Gordon Huether Studio specializes in large-scale, site-specific permanent art installations. Huether has received hundreds of private and public art commissions during his 30+ year career. While Huether's original core skills were in glass design, the award-winning artist has extensive experience working with many other media including steel, repurposed salvaged materials, resins, and composite materials in a wide variety of interior and exterior settings. His public installations can be seen across the United States and internationally. His fine artwork has been exhibited at museums and galleries and is included in private collections. For more information, visit www.gordonhuether.com.

Contact:

Media Relations

Hormel Foods

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
BANGALORE, India , Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Human Microbiome Market is segmented by Type (Gastrointestinal Tract Human Micobiome, Urogenital Tract Human Micobiome), by Application (Diagnosis, Treatment): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20222028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Biological Sciences Category.

The global Human Microbiome market size is projected to reach USD 1544.9 Million by 2028, from USD 384.9 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 21.7% during 2022-2028.

Major factors driving the growth of the Human Microbiome Market:

The crucial factors that are responsible for the growth of the global Human Microbiome Market are the continuous rise in the number of lifestyle diseases, the rising focus on human Microbiome therapies, rapidly growing technological advancements in next-generation sequencing and metagenomics, etc.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE HUMAN MICROBIOME MARKET

The growing occurrence of lifestyle diseases provides the scope for healthcare professionals to rely on microbiome-based diagnostic tools. It is being used extensively for identifying the signatures of certain microorganisms, in turn, driving the growth of the microbiome market. The procedure usually involves recognizing DNA, RNA, metabolites, and proteins in combination with other biomarkers such as genetics to detect a particular disease and make a detailed prognosis.

Many culture-independent PCR techniques have evolved that enable quantitative and qualitative microbial identification. This has established metagenomic studies for detecting genes that allow microbes to influence hosts in unexpected ways fueling the expansion of the human microbiome market. A wide array of information is available such as pathogen surveillance, host-microbe interactions, and biotechnology. Potential links between the gut microbiome and diseases such as depression have been proposed. The biggest benefit of metagenomics lies in its nucleic aid extraction which can be done from any material in the environment.

The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in the efficiency of therapeutic compounds. Several studies estimate that the number of microbes present inside the human body can be beneficial for treating many diseases such as cancer and adopting novel therapies. This presents lucrative opportunities for drug developers and vaccine manufacturers surging the growth of the human microbiome market. Several key companies are getting funds to fasten the process of development of therapeutic drugs.

Public and private players in the healthcare industry are collaborating to expand their infrastructure for tackling the prevalence of diseases like diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Microbes are a rich source of enzymes that can be beneficial for novel therapeutics thereby gaining increasing government funds and grants to accelerate research initiatives. This will bolster the growth of the global human microbiome market. Additionally pharmaceutical and biotech companies are investing heavily in the development of the market.

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HUMAN MICROBIOME MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type, the gastrointestinal tract human microbiome segment will dominate in the human microbiome market share due to the increasing focus of industry players to develop therapeutic solutions for gut health disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disorder.

Based on application, the diagnostics segment will witness considerable growth in the human microbiome market share due to innovations in genome mapping and the emergence of metagenomics technologies.

Based on region, North America will be the most lucrative market owing to rising cases of lifestyle diseases, easy funding for microbiome research, and awareness of preventative healthcare procedures.

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Key Companies:

Vedanta

Seres Therapeutics

Second Genome

Rebiotix

ActoGeniX

Enterome BioScience

AvidBiotics

4D Pharma Research Ltd

Enterologics

Metabogen

Metabiomics

Ritter Pharmaceuticals

Osel

Symberix

Miomics

Symbiotix Biotherapies

MicroBiome Therapeutics LLC

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SIMILAR REPORTS:

- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Skin Microbiome Modulator market size is estimated to be worth USD 579.8 Million in 2021 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 579.8 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 17.0% during the review period.

- The global Genomics market size is projected to reach USD 31240 Million by 2027, from USD 15120 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 10.8% during 2021-2027.

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- The global anti-microbial coatings market was valued at USD 4.0 Billion in 2019 and is anticipated to reach USD 11.6 Billion by 2027. The market is projected to experience growth at a CAGR of 13.3% from 2020 to 2027.

- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Organ-on-a-Chip market size is estimated to be worth USD 80 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 581.2 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 39.1% during the review period.

- The global Nutrigenomics market size is projected to reach USD 20990 Million by 2027, from USD 10770 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 9.5% during 2021-2027.

- In 2020, the global DNA Sequencing market size was USD 13380 Million and it is expected to reach USD 48700 Million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 20.4% during 2021-2027.

- The global metagenomics market was valued at USD 176 Million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 523 Million by 2024 at a CAGR of 16.8% from 2018 to 2024.

- The Global Bioinformatics Market Size is USD 8,614.29 Million in 2019, and is projected to reach USD 24,731.61 Million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 13.4% from 2020 to 2027.

- The global Pharmacogenomics Technology & Theranostics & Companion Diagnostics (CDx) market size is projected to reach USD 8514.8 Million by 2028, from USD 5180.8 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2022-2028.

- Global NGS Based Diagnostics Market Insights and Forecast to 2028

- The Live Cell Imaging Market is anticipated to grow at the rate of 8.9% CAGR by 2027.

- China Agrigenomics Market Report & Forecast 2021-2027

- The global Clinical Microbiology market size is projected to reach USD 4081.4 Million by 2028, from USD 3171.1 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 3.6% during 2022-2028.

- Global Automated Cell Imaging System Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- The global cancer diagnostics market size was valued at USD 168,600.04 Million in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 280,590.21 Million by 2028, registering a CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028.

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During Huntsman's (NYSE: HUN) second quarter earnings conference call, the Company provided third quarter adjusted EBITDA guidance of between approximately $310 million and $355 million, excluding Textile Effects. The Company now expects third quarter adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations to be between $260 million and $280 million. As previously announced, Huntsman will begin reporting Textile Effects as discontinued operations following the announced agreement to sell the division to Archroma, a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners.

Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President, and CEO commented:

"Huntsman is feeling the same pressures as others in the industry as we are being impacted by persistent and extraordinary cost of energy in Europe, together with lower than expected demand across segments in our portfolio, primarily within Polyurethanes and Performance Products. The economy in China continues to lag our expectations due to continued Covid-related lockdowns. While the United States remains our most resilient market, demand in residential housing has slowed.

"We remain on track to exceed our previously announced cost optimization and synergy program and expect to deliver an annualized run rate of approximately $170 million by year-end. Given the current operating environment, we are evaluating further cost reduction and optimization opportunities and we are actively moving product into Europe from our facilities in the United States and Asia."

About Huntsman:

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2021 revenues of approximately $8 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.

Social Media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Huntsman_Corp

Facebook: www.facebook.com/huntsmancorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/huntsman

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain information in this release constitutes 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 statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Huntsman companies' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, volatile global economic conditions, cyclical and volatile product markets, disruptions in production at manufacturing facilities, reorganization or restructuring of Huntsman's operations, including any delay of, or other negative developments affecting the ability to implement cost reductions, timing of proposed transactions, and manufacturing optimization improvements in Huntsman businesses and realize anticipated cost savings, and other financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Huntsman Corporation
GARYSBURG, N.C., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 14, 2022, Firefighters from several departments attended a meeting to learn about toxic PFAS found in their turnout gear that could be impacting their health.

The meeting was organized and co-hosted by Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) and included a presentation by Kevin Ferrara, a retired US Air Force firefighter, internationally known for his work on this issue. Ferrara commented that "military firefighters were deceived for decades about toxic firefighting foam; leadership knew but said nothing. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when will my doctor tell me I have cancer because of my exposure to toxic PFAS? As veterans and firefighters, we never asked or expected to be sickened by those we trusted to protect us, let alone the protective clothing we wear."

Bryan Brice of The Law offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr. Brice Legal Firm and Annemarie Pantazis of Wilder-Pantazis Law Group provided additional information regarding legal options, as well as state and federal resources for firefighters and their families. Brice, speaking of chemical companies like Dupont, 3M, and Chemours stated, "We need to hold the chemical companies and those responsible accountable for the high cancer rates and other injuries caused by the unconscionable level of PFAS in firefighter turnout gear."

Therese Vick, North Carolina Healthy Communities Campaign Coordinator for BREDL and the mother of a firefighter said, " Firefighters risk their lives to protect us. The turnout gear they need to protect them should not pose a threat to their health. Our hope is to bring this information to the men and women of the fire service, the public, and decision makers."

#PFAS #firefighters #foreverchemicals

CONTACT: Therese Vick (919) 345-3673 [email protected]

SOURCE Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Inc
Grocer opens new spoke serving the southern region and celebrates more than 160 new associates

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's largest grocery retailer, today announced the official opening of a new spoke in Birmingham, Alabama. Serving as a last-mile cross-dock location, the new spoke will operate as a seamless extension of the regional fulfillment center in Atlanta, making Kroger Delivery available to more customers in the greater Birmingham area. Kroger was joined by the local community to officially open the spoke and celebrate the new associates.

"Kroger Delivery starts by bringing the shopping experience to wherever our customers are, whether they are using the Kroger app or browsing our weekly ad at Kroger.com. Here, customers can access our seamless experience that promises an extensive assortment, thousands of digital coupons, and an entirely personalized shopping trip," said Bill Bennett, Kroger Vice President, and Head of E-commerce. "Through this zero-compromise service, customers can get fresh, affordable groceries brought to their door through a best-in-class white glove delivery experience, enabled by our refrigerated trucks, and amazing trained drivers. This cutting-edge technology sets a new unmatched standard for grocery delivery."

Local shoppers also have access to the newly launched Boost by Kroger annual membership program. For either $59 or $99 per year, Boost provides customers with benefits like unlimited free delivery on orders of $35 or more and two Fuel Points for every $1 spent on groceries and general merchandise purchases through Delivery, Pickup and in-stores. Kroger estimates the membership can save customers more than $1,000 per year on fuel and grocery delivery.

The approximately 50,000-square-foot facility will work in conjunction with the Atlanta fulfillment center, increasing the network's reach to customers up to 90 minutes from the hub. The facility is located on West Oxmoor Drive in Birmingham's Jefferson County and will employ more than 160 associates.

"For people who live in food deserts, getting groceries can be a real challenge. Eliminating the distance to the grocery store from the doorstep can positively impact our citizens who are most in need of healthy food options. As a community we are excited about Kroger choosing Birmingham for this expansion and are eager to partner with them in exploring more ways to solve for food deserts," said Cornell Wesley, Director, Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, City of Birmingham.

"The Birmingham Business Alliance team was proud to assist Kroger with their momentous launch in the Birmingham market. Kroger's commitment to being a champion employer for our community has been evident since day one, and we are looking forward to supporting their continued success here," said Emily Jerkins Hall, President & Chief Operating Officer, Birmingham Business Alliance

Kroger Delivery Explained

The expansion to Birmingham represents an extension of a partnership between Kroger and Ocado Group, a world leader in technology for grocery e-commerce. In 2018, the companies announced a collaboration to establish a delivery network that combines artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and automation in a bold new way, bringing first-of-its-kind technology to America.

The delivery network relies on highly automated fulfillment centers. At the hub sites, more than 1,000 bots move around giant 3D grids, orchestrated by proprietary control systems. The grid, known as The Hive, contains totes with products and ready-to-deliver customer orders. As customers' orders near delivery times, bots retrieve products from The Hive and present them at pick stations for items to be sorted for delivery, a process governed by algorithms that ensure items are intelligently packed. For example, fragile items are placed on top, bags are evenly weighted, and each order is optimized to fit into the lowest number of bags, reducing plastic use. Bags are also recyclable, reflecting Kroger's commitment to its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment to rid its communities of hunger and waste.

Kroger's end-to-end cold solutions keep groceries fresh once loaded into customized refrigerated delivery van, which can store up to 20 orders. Powerful machine learning algorithms optimize delivery routes, considering factors such as road conditions and optimal fuel efficiency. Vans may travel up to 90 miles with orders from the hub and spoke facilities to make deliveries. Associates at the spoke facility will deliver orders within their service area, adding ZIP codes as demand grows.

Kroger currently operates customer fulfillment centers in Monroe, OH, Groveland, FL, Forest Park, GA (Atlanta), Pleasant Prairie, WI, Dallas, TX and Romulus, MI (Detroit), with additional customer fulfillment centers slated for California, Frederick, MD, Phoenix, AZ, Cleveland, OH, Charlotte, NC, Aurora, CO (Denver), as well as South Florida and the Northeast.

Media Assets

To download Kroger Delivery photography and video, visit here .

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names . We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site .

About Ocado Group

Ocado Group is a UK based technology company admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange (Ticker OCDO). It provides end-to-end online grocery fulfillment solutions to some of the world's largest grocery retailers and holds a 50% share of Ocado Retail Ltd in the UK in a Joint Venture with Marks & Spencer. Ocado has spent two decades innovating for grocery online, investing in a wide technology estate that includes robotics, AI & machine learning, simulation, forecasting, and edge intelligence.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.
The primary reasons propelling the global Molecular Quality Controls Market are the increasing number of licensed medical laboratories, the expansion of third-party quality controls, and the growing inclination for external quality assessment support.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. , Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Verified Market Research recently published a report, "Molecular Quality Controls Market" By Product (Instrument-Specific Controls, Independent Controls), By Analyte Type (Single-Analyte Controls, Multi-Analyte Controls), By Application (Infectious Diseases, Genetic Testing), By End-User (Clinical Laboratories, Hospitals), and By Geography.

According to the extensive research done by Verified Market Research experts, the market was valued at USD 147.2 Million in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 240.87 Million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 7.27% from 2021 to 2028.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample/?rid=7672

Browse in-depth TOC on "Molecular Quality Controls Market"

202 - Pages

126  Tables

37  Figures

Key Developments

In June 2021 , SeraCare collaborated with the International Quality Network for Pathology to develop, manufacture, and deliver a range of highly characterized cell line genomic DNA and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded standards with substantiated low, mid, and high levels of mutational burden within their exome regions.

, collaborated with the International Quality Network for Pathology to develop, manufacture, and deliver a range of highly characterized cell line genomic DNA and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded standards with substantiated low, mid, and high levels of mutational burden within their exome regions. In May 2021 , Bio-Rad has entered into a global partnership with Roche Diagnostics to provide its customers with a full line of InteliQ products and Unity QC data management solutions, as also customer training and equipment services.

Global Molecular Quality Controls Market Overview

Molecular quality controls can be used to assess the efficacy of in vitro nucleic acid testing processes for viral load tests, universal health care illnesses, and infections caused by sexually transmitted diseases. The primary goal of these quality controls is to evaluate molecular diagnostic products for faults and to notify management authorities. This determines the decision to reveal the product or not.

The increasing number of licensed clinical laboratories, increased usage of third-party quality controls, and a growing preference for external quality assessment help are the primary factors driving the global Molecular Quality Controls Market. The number of laboratory tests performed has increased as the prevalence of various diseases around the world has increased. Both the public and private sectors are increasing the number of laboratories to meet this requirement. Clinical laboratories in most countries are accredited by regulatory authorities such as the International Organization for Standardization and other similar standards to perform diagnostic tests. The appropriate authorities assess a laboratory's competency and quality system in comparison to predetermined standards during the accreditation procedure. Additionally, the creation of molecular diagnostic tools for the detection of cancer and infectious disorders. Increases in the number of accredited clinical laboratories, the adoption of third-party quality controls by end users, and the demand for external quality assessment support all contributed to the market's expansion.

Key Players

The major players in the market are Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Seracare Life Sciences, Inc., Roche Diagnostics, Zeptometrix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott Laboratories, Theranostica, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Microbiologics, Inc., Qnostics, Grena Think Medical, and Quidel.

Verified Market Research has segmented the Global Molecular Quality Controls Market On the basis of Product, Analyte Type, Application, End-User, and Geography.

Molecular Quality Controls Market, By Product

Instrument-Specific Controls



Independent Controls

Molecular Quality Controls Market, By Analyte Type

Single-Analyte Controls



Multi-Analyte Controls

Molecular Quality Controls Market, By Application

Infectious Diseases



Genetic Testing



Oncology



Other Applications

Molecular Quality Controls Market, By End-User

Academic & Research Institutes



Clinical Laboratories



IVD manufacturers and Contract Research Organizations



Hospitals



Other

Molecular Quality Controls Market, by Geography

North America



U.S





Canada





Mexico



Europe



Germany





France





U.K





Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





India





Rest of Asia Pacific



ROW



Middle East & Africa

&



Latin America

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Pharmacokinetics Services Market By Type (Small Molecules Services, Large Molecules Services), By Application (Small and Medium Enterprise, Large Enterprise), By Geographic Scope And Forecast, By Geography, And Forecast

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Top 10 Point-Of-Care Molecular Diagnostics Companies supplying improved testing methods

Visualize Molecular Quality Controls Market using Verified Market Intelligence -:

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VMI provides a holistic overview and global competitive landscape with respect to Region, Country, Segment, and Key players of your market. Present your Market Report & findings with an inbuilt presentation feature saving over 70% of your time and resources for Investor, Sales & Marketing, R&D, and Product Development pitches. VMI enables data delivery In Excel and Interactive PDF formats with over 15+ Key Market Indicators for your market.

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SOURCE Verified Market Research
Show pursues CarbonNeutral Event certification for the first time among other

initiatives to further integrity, sustainability and purpose in the marketplace

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Informa Markets' Natural Products Expo East, part of the New Hope Network family of brands, is set to return for its second year at its new home at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. Celebrating its 37th occurrence, the event is expected to draw 1,100 exhibitors and more than 20,000 registered attendees to reconnect with colleagues, learn from experts and see first-hand the latest innovations coming soon to retail stores.

The show floor will be filled with brands that highlight the future of food and wellness and a robust agenda of live and virtual education sessions will span topics from social sustainability to the future of organic to consumer insights and a plan for retail success. Keynotes will include the State of Natural & Organic presentation and a talk by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist, policy expert, co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab and co-creator and co-host of the Spotify/Gimlet podcast How to Save a Planet.

The show environment will continue to foster New Hope's values of integrity, sustainability and purpose. In addition to best-in-class health and safety protocols, Natural Products Expo East will feature new, returning and expanded initiatives.

Show highlights include:

First Time Carbon Neutral Certification

New Hope Network's sustainability commitment extends this year as Expo East will seek to achieve CarbonNeutral Event certification for the first time. Efforts entail reducing the event's greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and compensating for the remaining carbon emissions the show emits (from travel, hotel stays, energy-use, waste, etc.) through the purchase of high-quality ICROA-approved carbon offsets.

This certification is administered by Climate Impact Partners, a global standard to deliver clean, conclusive, and transparent carbon neutral programs for over 20 years. The carbon footprint of the event is verified by a third-party company, Bureau Veritas.

"I'm excited that Natural Products Expo East will pursue this certification as an extension of our comprehensive sustainability program. As a cornerstone of the natural products industry and a leader in event sustainability, we must continue to build upon our efforts and ensure the impacts of our trade shows are in line with our core values," said Lacey Gautier, Vice President of Events, Informa Markets' New Hope Network. "We have worked to reduce our carbon footprint for many years and this certification further solidifies our commitment to ensuring the environmental impacts of our trade shows are as minimal as possible and unavoidable emissions are offset through reputable carbon reduction projects."

"I'm always very excited about Expo East. In my mind, it's the people that make up our natural products community," shared Michael Kanter, Co-Founder of Cambridge Naturals. "At this show I get to connect with passionate, purposeful people (new and old colleagues) from all over the country and world who not only want to grow their businesses, but also have a deep interest in creating a better planet, country and healthier hometowns. That's a big deal for me!"

Food Sustainability Summit In Partnership with Food Tank

New this year, Natural Products Expo East will host Food Tank's Food Sustainability Summit, a fast-paced afternoon where attendees will hear from leading sustainability experts and change makers tackling food waste, climate change, conventional agriculture and more. Taking place Friday, Sept. 30 from 2:00 to 6:00pm ET, the agenda will include a screening of the short film The Art of Sustaining, a panel discussion and reception, all fostering discussion and engagement on the topic of what a more sustainable tomorrow looks like. Portions of the event will also be livestreamed.

Social Sustainability

Accessibility, diversity, inclusion and community are at the forefront when planning for Natural Products Expo East. New Hope Network will activate on its Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) values and again partner with (included), a membership collective for BIPOC executives in the CPG space, to continue to advance diversity and inclusion throughout the event. Highlights from these efforts include conference session collaborations, complimentary Natural Products Expo Virtual (NPEV) memberships for (included) members, networking events and onsite exhibit space and tabletop features.

Project Potluck, whose mission is to help People of Color build successful companies and careers in CPG, is also an integral partner to the show, advancing both organizations' goals to increase access, visibility and representation and develop the next generation of CPG leaders.

The Natural Products Expo ETHOS Initiative (Equality, Trustworthy, Humanity, Open-Hearted, Safety) is intended to help prevent harassment and ensure the safest, most inclusive event environments possible at the shows. Efforts include sexual harassment training for all New Hope Network staff prior to arriving in Philadelphia, making educational sessions available pre-show for all attendees and exhibitors on the Natural Products Expo Virtual platform, an alcohol-free zone at both live concerts, a "see something, say something" campaign and a partnership with WOAR in Philadelphia whose mission is to end sexual violence.

"Hosting an inclusive, safe and successful event is our top priority as we look ahead to gathering the natural products community in Philadelphia for Natural Products Expo East," continued Gautier.

Natural Products Expo East is produced by New Hope Network and is co-located with BioFach America and Harvest Festival.

Industry members unable to travel to Philadelphia are invited to participate through the Natural Products Expo Virtual platform. New on-demand content will be added following the in-person show.

Follow @NatProdExpo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Visit @Natural Products Expo on LinkedIn to join in on ongoing conversations. Natural Products Expo is a business-to-business trade show and is not open to the public.

About New Hope Network

New Hope Network is at the forefront of the healthy lifestyle products industry. With solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers, the network offers a robust portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services. Through all its actions, New Hope Network aims to cultivate a prosperous high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that creates health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet.

For more information visit www.newhope.com.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

SOURCE New Hope Network
DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Statemind , a leading blockchain security auditing firm, announced it's now live. The debut of the new company launch coincided with a major splash across the crypto industry. Statemind discovered a critical vulnerability and prevented an estimated $350M+ in damages, and would have been the third-largest DeFi hack in history according to rekt leaderboard .

Statemind Discovery Spread Across Crypto Development Community

Statemind

After an independent review of custom precompiles in some of the most popular cryptocurrency protocols, Statemind discovered a critical vulnerability and immediately reported the findings anonymously through ImmuneFi.

Precompiled contracts are a compromise used in the EVM to provide more complex library functions that are not suitable for writing in opcode. They are usually used for complex operations such as encryption, hashing, etc.

Due to demand from the cryptocurrency community, Statemind stepped forward to claim the discovery. The development community expressed gratitude to Statemind for saving each blockchain its reputation  and large sums of money.

Avalanche Vulnerability Worth $350M+ Is The Third-Largest In DeFi History

Victims across Avalanche include Abracadabra at $300M worth of MIM tokens and an additional $3M in user funds; Nereus Finance with nearly $60M in NXUSD tokens; and $100K in funds from SUSHI lending. An unknown impact related to the Boba Network is still being calculated as damages are assessed.

Due to the significant complexity and associated losses prevented, the vulnerability is ranked the third-largest in DeFi history when compared to the damages done by similar vulnerabilities. Statemind is proud to have contributed to protecting the cryptocurrency community and ensuring the highest standards in code across the industry.

With proactive code review, blockchain security auditing can save blockchain developers substantial headaches and costs. Current Statemind clients include LIDO, 1INCH, and Yearn. Finance. Users can rest assured that the client's code is clean of any critical issues and that funds are safe.

About Statemind

Statemind has more than 100,000 LoC worth of Solidity and Vyper experience. Combined, the blockchain security auditing firm has secured over $10B in TVL.

To learn about Statemind, visit the statemind.io website or follow Statemind on Twitter .

Contacts:

King Eezzy, [email protected]

Alsu Irkabaeva, [email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900906/Statemind.jpg

SOURCE Statemind
DRESHER, Pa., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascensus whose technology and expertise helps millions of people save for retirement, education, and healthcareannounced the results of the Newport/PLANSPONSOR Executive Benefits survey report and have found that employers are increasingly turning to nonqualified retirement plans to attract and retain key talent and senior leaders. The report can be downloaded here.

The biannual report represents the retirement industry's broadest and most comprehensive employer view of nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans, and tracks insights and trends from hundreds of the nation's leading firms.

"With easily accessible compensation data, prevalent remote work opportunities, and improved video meeting technologies, employers must evaluate benefit offerings that will attract top talent," said Mike Shannon, Newport's senior vice president, nonqualified consulting. "This year's survey revealed a fundamental shift towards offering a nonqualified plan as a critical benefit to retain key talent and attract senior leaders in today's highly competitive talent marketplace," Shannon noted.

Key findings:

The survey revealed a substantial increase in the number of nonqualified plans being implemented for small and mid-sized companies ( $500 million of revenue) in order to stay competitive and ahead of the compensation and benefits curve. (50% in 2020 vs 80% now).

of revenue) in order to stay competitive and ahead of the compensation and benefits curve. (50% in 2020 vs 80% now). Plan sponsors are more often using corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) as a financing strategy due to sizable asset/liability management advantages, (63% in 2020 vs 77% now), as well as a combination of COLI and mutual funds.

Virtually all plan sponsors (91%) outsource some or all of their plan management to a third-party administrator (TPA) based on the need for a high degree of customization and flexibility as well as the IRC 409A risk mitigation required for plan recordkeeping and administration. (This is up from 86% in 2020).

Fifty-seven percent of employers are using compensation (base salary and total compensation) to determine eligibility, up from 37% in Newport's previous survey in 2020.

The questionnaire was developed jointly by PLANSPONSOR and Newport and sent to a cross-section of organizations, including PLANSPONSOR subscribers, Fortune 1000 companies, and various other l for-profit and tax-exempt companies. Data collection included responses from 350 unique companies and organizations. The report can be downloaded here.

Shannon noted that employers leverage the benchmark data from the report with executive leadership when considering plan design features. Additionally, financial advisors use the report to help their clients benchmark plans and offer insight into current market competitiveness. The value of the data is enhanced by Newport's in-depth analysis, observations, and annotations by its expert nonqualified plan consultants.

"Ascensus and Newport completed our merger in April of this year and this report represents one of the earliest examples of our ability to bring even greater insights and expertise to a broader group of clients, advisors, and partners," said David Musto, president and CEO of Ascensus. "It's just one component of our long-term commitment to the nonqualified and qualified retirement market segments and a valuable tool for employers striving to strengthen and maintain their key and leadership ranks."

About Ascensus

Ascensus is a market-leading enabler of tax-advantaged savingsproviding technology, services, and expertise that help more than 15 million people save for retirement, education, and healthcare.

We are a premier savings program service provider, third-party administrator, and government savings facilitator. Our platforms, industry knowledge, and data-based insights enhance the growth and success of our partners, their clients, and savers through co-branded, private-labeled, and governmental partnerships.

Ascensus offers comprehensive qualified and nonqualified retirement plan solutions, third-party retirement plan administration, 529 education and ABLE savings program administration, health savings and COBRA administration, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance solutions, and fiduciary and total rewards services.

The company's brands include Ascensus; Newport, an Ascensus company; PAi, an Ascensus company; and FuturePlan by Ascensus. Ascensus has more than $706 billion in assets under administration and employs more than 5,600 associates as of June 30, 2022.

For more information, visit ascensus.com and newportgroup.com .

About PLANSPONSOR

PLANSPONSOR is the nation's leading authority on retirement issues and benefits programs. PLANSPONSOR provides comprehensive news and commerce services dedicated solely to helping America's retirement benefits decision makers navigate the complex world of retirement plans and benefit programs on behalf of their employees or clients. PLANSPONSOR is an Institutional Shareholder Services publication. For more information, please visit http://www.plansponsor.com.

About Institutional Shareholder Services

Founded in 1985, Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (ISS) empowers investors and companies to build for long-term and sustainable growth by providing high-quality data, analytics and insight. ISS, which is majority owned by Deutsche Borse Group, along with Genstar Capital and ISS management, is a leading provider of corporate governance and responsible investment solutions, market intelligence, fund services, events and editorial content for institutional investors and corporations, globally.

SOURCE Ascensus
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ultra-Micro (UMi) Holding of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (IDX: BBRI) with PT Pegadaian and PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) have proven successful in improving people's welfare and accelerating financial inclusion.

More than 23.5 million customers with IDR 183.9 trillion outstanding financing have been integrated by the UMi Holding entities. This achievement is in line with one of the priority agendas of Financial Inclusion in the G20 Presidency in Indonesia.

The Ultra-Micro (UMi) Holding of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. with PT Pegadaian and PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM)

In August 2022, the integration of services of the UMi Holding entities or co-location of Gerai Senyum reached 1,003 outlets with the initial target of 978. The number of new savers reached 6.85 million, while the initial target was 3.3 million. PNM Mekaar customers joining BRILink reached 40,121.

BRI President Director Sunarso said that there have been positive results as BRI, Pegadaian, and PNM are reaching all business segments efficiently. "The key is to synergize. BRI, Pegadaian, and PNM have been focused on dealing with MSMEs, targeting 55 million ultra-micro customers in Indonesia."

In addition, with the assistance targeted to help individuals who are not yet bankable, customers are given the choice of accessing pawn-based capital through Pegadaian or taking loans from BRI through the Kupedes product.

The development is inseparable from the resources of the UMi Holding entities. BRI Group has a network covering 6,500 micro-outlets, 3,600 PNM outlets, 4,000 Pegadaian outlets, and more than 530,000 BRILink agents. Furthermore, BRI Group has more than 63,000 financial advisors strengthening the micro payment ecosystem.

Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir explained how the UMi Holding has empowered people's economy. "First, state-owned enterprises ensure MSMEs get appropriate financing and assistance. Second, maintaining the supply chain like how we consolidate BRI, PNM, and Pegadaian, ensures MSMEs level up from the ultra-micro class; through PNM's loan of IDR 1 million to IDR 4 million, going up to Pegadaian's loan of IDR 20 million to IDR 50 million."

The UMi Holding has proved that the state's presence is necessary to lift the people's economy and how large companies and corporations must synergize with all business actors.

For more information about Bank BRI, visit www.bri.co.id.

SOURCE PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk (BRI)
The growing use of mobile equipment and the need for improving voter experience drive the growth of the global online voting system market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Online Voting System Market by Offering (Solution, Service), by Deployment Model (On-premise, Cloud), by End-user (Government, Universities and Colleges, Enterprises): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." As per the report, the global Online Voting System industry was estimated at $292.7 million in 2021, and is set to reach $736.8 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities

The growing use of mobile equipment and the need for improving voter experience drive the growth of the global online voting system market. In addition, ease in counting and benefits offered to physically disabled people by the online voting system will further boost the growth of global market. However, a lack of understanding about voting software and growing security concerns related to online voting is anticipated to hinder the global market growth. Nonetheless, a surge in technological breakthroughs witnessed across the government sector along with enforcement of strict government laws is projected to create new growth opportunities for the global market in the years ahead.

Download Report Sample (320 Pages PDF with Insights) at:

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/9250

Covid-19 scenario:

The online voting system market experienced stable growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to the massive use of fraud detection solutions and online support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of countries encouraged online voting by making special arrangements for online voting to avoid physical contact and the spread of infection.

A large number of countries have started adopting online voting due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases such as France and the UK.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the online voting system market:

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/9250

The solution segment to dominate the global market in terms of revenue by 2031

Based on the offering, the solution segment contributed to the highest market share in 2021, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global online voting system market share. Reportedly, this segment is predicted to contribute majorly toward overall market share by 2031. The growth of the segment over the forecast period can be attributed to the ability of new solutions in helping businesses make important decisions by gathering the input of a group systematic and verifiable way. However, the service segment is predicted to register the fastest CAGR of nearly 10.7% from 2022 to 2031. The growth of the segment over the assessment period is due to the focus of the services on fulfilling client requirements such as reduced costs and enhanced software performance.

The on-premise segment to hold the major market share over 2022-2031

On basis of the deployment model, the on-premise segment contributed to the highest market share in 2021, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global online voting system market share. Furthermore, the same segment is anticipated to dominate the market growth over the forecast period. The growth of the segment over the forecast timeline can be attributed to the facilities provided by on-premise solutions such as full control over privacy including own company data. However, the cloud segment is predicted to register the highest CAGR of 11.0% from 2022 to 2031. The growth of the segment over the forecast timeline can be due to the low upfront cost of deploying a cloud that does not require any prior investment.

The enterprises segment to dominate the global market by 2031

In terms of the end-user, the enterprises segment contributed to the highest market share in 2021, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global online voting system industry share. Moreover, the same segment is set to make notable contributions toward the global market share during the forecast period. The growth of the segment over the forecast timeframe can be attributed to the ability of various enterprises in offering secured online voting services and helping voters to do online voting from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, the government segment is predicted to register the highest CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period. The expansion of this segment over the forecast timeline is due to the government offering online voting services to disabled people in their households.

North America to retain global market domination over 2022-2031

By Region, North America contributed notably toward the global online voting system market share in 2021, and is projected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The region accounted for more than two-fifths of the global online voting system market share in 2021. The growth of the market in the region over the forecast timespan can be credited to higher spending on digitalization among the enterprises in the region and better cybersecurity solutions resulting in humungous demand for an online voting system in the North American countries. However, the Asia-Pacific online voting system market is set to record the highest CAGR of 12.1% during 2022-2031. The growth of the regional market over the forecast period can be attributed to the high acceptance of online voting in this region which is witnessing massive digital and economic growth.

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Major market players

Avante International Technology, Inc.

Australian Electoral Commission

benel Solutions

Clear Ballot Inc.

Dominion Voting Systems Corporation

ElectionBuddy Inc.

ezvote

Hart InterCivic Inc.

Insightrix Research Inc.

POLYAS

Skypunch Technology Inc.

Smartmatic

nVotes

Votebox

Votem Corp

BallotReady

Democracy Live Inc.

The report analyzes these key players in the global online voting system market. These players have implemented key business strategies such as strategic expansion, new product launches, alliances, and joint ventures for enhancing market penetration and reinforcing their position in the industry. The report helps the target audience in determining the market performance, performance of each segment, product portfolio development in the market, and contributions made by each player to the market expansion.

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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.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the progress America has made throughout its history, race relations continues to be a plaguing theme for the nation. Award-winning author Jack Lessenberry's provocative book, Reason vs. Racism: A Newspaper Family, Race and Justice, provides an inside look at how one family approached racism in America through journalism. Lessenberry has written for the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Vanity Fair.

Centered around a newspaper family, Reason vs. Racism is the fascinating story of the Block family and how they dealt with race and fairness over the years, covering issues such as slavery, Jim Crow, the newspaper's relationship with Abraham Lincoln, and more. Highlighted in the book are stories about undercover work to expose racism, and even a politician involved with the Klu Klux Klan.

The Block family and Block Communications (owner of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Toledo Blade, and several other entities) wanted to take an honest look at how they handled race relations through their publications. So, they charged investigative writer Jack Lessenberry with the task of researching and examining their history. Lessenberry didn't gloss over his findings; he shares the raw truth in his riveting accounts in the book.

Released in 2020, this book is still a must-read for 2022/23 as this nation goes through a current period of heightened racial awareness and tension.

"I am very concerned about how divided our country is on race. I believe this book provides needed education as it addresses issues of fairness and how our papers have handled stories and hiring practices," says John Block, publisher of the Toledo Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "In our current environment, our hope is to create meaningful dialogue around race in America."

Reason vs. Racism: A Newspaper Family, Race and Justice is available on Amazon.

About Block Communications:

Block Communications, Inc., (BCI) is a 118-year-old privately held diversified media holding company headquartered in Toledo, OH. It has primary operations in cable television, newspaper publishing, high-speed Internet and residential telephone services. Publications owned by Block Communications, Inc. include The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Toledo Blade.

SOURCE Block Communications
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ren, a leading innovator in reshaping today's philanthropic economy, today announced it received prestigious recognition in the 10th annual Best in Biz Awards International program, an independent global business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications.

Ren is the winner of a silver award in the Company of the Year  Americas category. The award highlights Ren's ongoing commitment to serving as an innovator and forward-thinking leader in charitable giving services.

Winners in this year's Best in Biz International program were determined based on scoring from an independent panel of judges hailing from a wide spectrum of top-tier publications and media outlets and representing a total of 15 countries from all continents. Each year, only editors, writers, and contributors to business, consumer, financial, trade, and technology publications, as well as broadcast outlets and analyst firms, serve as judges in Best in Biz Awards. The program's uniqueness stems, in part, from this unparalleled composition of its judging panels, enabling it to best leverage the judges' objectivity, experience, and unmatched expertise to determine award winners.

"Ren is honored to receive this recognition from independent judges around the globe," said Joe Fisher, President and CEO at Ren. "We are a trusted partner to financial institutions, advisors, and charities. We arm them with services, expertise, and modern solutions they need to maximize the impact of charitable giving."

Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards has made its mark as the only independent business awards program judged each year by a who's who of reporters and editors. For more information, visit http://intl.bestinbizawards.com.

About Ren

Ren is a driving force that powers people, ideas, and institutions for good. As a leading independent philanthropic solutions provider in North America, Ren supports more than $20 billion of assets and delivers the expertise, standards, and technology necessary to power growth and scale throughout the philanthropic economy. The country's most elite financial services firms, nonprofit organizations, and community foundations rely on Ren to provide online access for donors, professional advisors, and staff to manage their planned gifts, including charitable trusts, donor-advised funds, pooled income funds, endowments, and private foundations. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Ren holds a SOC 2 Type 1 certification that underscores its commitment to trust, security, compliance, and transparency. Visit www.reninc.com.

Company Contact:

Mona Hall

[email protected]

SOURCE Ren
FORTIFYING CLOUD APPLICATION TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SEIDOR, a leader in business technology consulting  today announced the acquisition of digital transformation company Opentrends.

SEIDOR enhances its expertise in the adoption of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities and the Connected Car. Both companies are consolidating their commitment to innovation, design and digital product development, the main focus of Opentrends.

SEIDOR acquires OPENTRENDS fortifying its cloud application transformation strategies. Tweet this

Opentrends has a high degree of specialization in the public sector and large multinational companies, in areas including banking, automotive, education, manufacturing and retail.

SEIDOR also expands its offering with Opentrends' digital agency, which operates as Failfast.design and specializes in user experience (UX), visual design (UI), creativity and digital content.

Opentrends management will lead the new business unit resulting from the operation dedicated to the development of advanced applications in the cloud, which will have a team of 500 professionals. The new unit's aggregate annual revenue exceeds 50 million dollars. In words of Josep Benito, CEO of SEIDOR, "the integration of the Opentrends management team and consultants in SEIDOR allows us to continue driving our growth in specialized areas, such as the development of cloud applications and digital transformation, offering customers the best technology services today, as well as strengthening our international capillarity, thanks to our direct presence in India and USA".

Xavier Buscalla, CEO of Opentrends Inc. and director of SEIDOR's new business unit, said that "our integration with SEIDOR realizes a prime opportunity to grow our business and provide higher value, with a focus on application architecture and the transformation of solutions in the cloud". "This merger gives recognition to our successful track record, and will also accelerate the professional development of both Opentrends and SEIDOR teams".

About SEIDOR

SEIDOR is a technology consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of solutions and services in innovation, customer experience, ERP, analytics, employee experience, cloud, workplace and cybersecurity. With a turnover of 606 million euros and over 7,500 highly qualified professionals, SEIDOR has a direct presence in 41 countries in Europe, Latin America, USA, Middle East, Africa and Asia, serving more than 8,500 customers. The consulting firm is a partner of main technology leaders, including SAP, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Salesforce, Google, AWS and Cisco. www.SEIDOR.com

About OPENTRENDS

Opentrends, Inc. is a global digital transformation firm with a unique approach to designing software around users first and systems second. It has established a successful track record with many of the world's top companies and now holds full trust in its ability to design, develop and deploy complex software innovations and drive growth. Located in Palo Alto, Barcelona, Madrid, and Kerala, Opentrends provides custom software development, integration, and adoption of advanced technological solutions across sectors. www.opentrends.us

CONTACT U.S.

Marc Corsi | +1 415-896-1515| [email protected]

Tatiana Gely | +1 408-675-1670| [email protected]

SOURCE Opentrends
LAKE FOREST, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Single Pass, Inc. CEO, Bill Colone, announced the initiation of the clinical evaluation for the Kronos Electrocautery device designed to improve the safety of co-axial biopsy procedures. The single-use, disposable device uses battery current to heat the probe tip to cauterize the tissue damaged by the biopsy tools to prevent bleeding. Successful liver and renal biopsy procedures were completed with Duplex ultrasound and CT imaging confirmation of total tissue channel cauterization with no evidence of bleeding. The procedures were performed under the guidance of Dainis Krievins, MD, PhD, Professor and Director: Institute of Research at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga Latvia.

Single Pass Kronos Device Kronos Device cauterizing during a liver biopsy procedure

Said Colone "We are thrilled with the initial clinical results of the Kronos device as the desired clinical outcomes were achieved and confirmed. We believe the Kronos device will not only improve the safety of co-axial biopsy procedures, but will also significantly lower procedure and hospitalization costs by reducing adverse events and allowing patients to be discharged much earlier than non-treated patients. The results from this safety study, expected to be completed by the end of October, will be used to support our regulatory submissions."

Added Professor Krievins "The Single Pass device produced excellent clinical outcomes. Our Interventional Radiology staff is impressed that the biopsy channels were completely blood free after cauterization with confirmation by multiple imaging modalities. Our confidence for performing co-axial biopsy procedures without potential bleeding issues has increased."

The Single Pass patented device was invented by Dr. Peter Sunenshine, Chief, Neurointerventional Surgery and Dr. Kevin Hirsch, Chairman of Radiology, both of Banner Health in Phoenix, Arizona. The company was initially funded in 2021 by a seed round led by Tech Coast Angels of San Diego (now NuFund Venture Group) along with several individual TCA members, physicians and the co-founding management team. Upon completion of the clinical evaluation, both the 510(k) and technical file will be submitted for the purpose of obtaining US regulatory clearance and the CE Mark respectively.

Contact Information:

Bill Colone  CEO

Single Pass, Inc.

Lake Forest, CA USA

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1-602-618-3377

Web: www.singlepass.co

SOURCE Single Pass, Inc.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The scholarship program that was recently launched by Francis Santa is a scholarship program that is directed towards young aspiring student entrepreneurs who want to seriously pursue their career paths in the future. This scholarship program is opening its doors for applications towards any eligible students which are university students who are currently enrolled in a course that is intended to help them with the path to becoming an entrepreneur. Additionally, the doors for these applications are also open to high school students who have a desire to become an entrepreneur and are graduating with plans on attending university for their ambition to become an entrepreneur. The student that will be chosen will be awarded scholarship funds that will go towards financing their university studies as it intends to cover both education and tuition fees.

Francis Santa hopes that this scholarship program will allow any aspiring entrepreneur the opportunity to become successful in the future through the opportunities it will open. The scholarship will not only serve as his way of giving back to the community but also bring awareness of the struggles of entrepreneurs and the rising costs of education that makes it difficult for students to overcome as well as nurture the next generation of successful entrepreneurs.

The scholarship program is intended to allow the chosen student to attend university and help with finances. This allows them all the time they need to focus on their academics rather than juggling between academics and their finances. Francis greatly sympathizes with this and understands the central role of education and wishes that this scholarship will allow him to give back to a future entrepreneur. Francis Santa himself was able to become a successful entrepreneur thanks to his time at the University of Hartford which allowed him to become the CEO and founder of his own business in 2014, Business Image Lift.

Interested students can grab the opportunity for this scholar and head on over to the official Francis Santa scholarship page. The page will contain everything they need to learn about the scholarship as well as explore tidbits of Francis' own life. The scholarship website will also contain the list of requirements alongside any updates as well as the place where you need to submit your scholarship application.

SOURCE Francis Santa Scholarship
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy energy industry press releases from PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the energy and natural resources industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest energy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNenergy on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ulrich medical USA, Inc., a privately held medical device company focused on developing and commercializing musculoskeletal implant technologies in the United States, today announced it will relocate its US headquarters to Plano, Texas. Its current location is in Chesterfield, Missouri.

"We believe it's in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports ulrich medical USA's strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers and distributors achieve new heights and beyond," said President and CEO, Hans Stover.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was an easy choice to support our growth initiatives. Tweet this ulrich medical USA's New HQ in DFW Metroplex

The combination of the recent Sales Agency Agreement with a premier global orthopedic leader and continued organic growth are driving the need for a larger facility. Therefore, the decision was made to expand in a more business-friendly environment like that of Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was an easy choice, as it has an abundance of well-educated, talented people and attractive communities which should support ulrich medical USA's growth objectives for years to come. The company will begin transitioning its headquarters to Plano in the first quarter of 2023.

About ulrich Medical USA

ulrich medical USA is privately held, celebrating its 110th year as a family-owned company. Recognized as a leader in vertebral body replacement, ulrich is dedicated to remaining independent and continuing to develop a complete spine solutions portfolio that results in superior patient outcomes for years to come. ulrich medical's global headquarters is in Ulm, Germany.

SOURCE ulrich medical USA
DALLAS, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global B2B marketplace and US-based supplier GreenDropShip has developed an online platform to spur emerging natural brands' growth by helping consumers connect with qualified online merchants. GreenDropShip is best known for offering innovative solutions in the rapidly growing eCommerce space as it relates to groceries, personal care, home goods, and baby products.

Demo of upcoming Marketplace

This tech innovation sprang from a need for emerging natural and organic brands to maximize their footprint and find top merchants for their products. As eCommerce continues to expand at a booming pace, this marketplace will create a dynamic network that will simplify breaking into the general market for up-and-coming brands. It will give emerging brands the ability to publish their listings, including their information, images, and pricing, and distribute them to merchants in real-time.

The strong demand from GreenDropShip's existing base of merchants to find products to sell made it evident to founder Allen Kaplun that there was a gap in the market. The most promising brands will use the marketplace to showcase their products to a growing consumer base. Due to its extensive functionality and GreenDropShip's large base of merchants, the marketplace will play an integral role in the future of eCommerce.

Once the brands have registered as "vendors", they'll each have a micro-site as part of the marketplace network. On this site, they can showcase their brand as well as set their own policies, shipping terms, prices, and inventory. Plus, they'll be able to publish their content across GreenDropShip's network of Shopify merchants as well as those integrated with the site.

This marketplace will also have full integration with GreenDropShip's Shopify app , making it easy to start, grow, market, and manage a retail operation with services optimized for reliability and a superior shopping experience for consumers. Additionally, GreenDropShip has partnered with the payment processor Stripe to make transactions between vendors and merchants as secure and convenient as possible.

According to GreenDropShip co-founder and CEO Allen Kaplun, "The upcoming marketplace gives emerging brands in the natural products space an opportunity to showcase their line directly to our ever-expanding base of online merchants. This is a potential target market neither side would have connected with otherwise."

To help finance the development process, GreenDropShip has partnered with Republic, a leading global FinTech company that specializes in equity crowdfunding, operating multiple online investment platforms, and providing asset management. An equity crowdfunding campaign has just launched to allow investors to own a stake in the company as progress continues.

Any vendors in the natural products space who are interested in signing up or learning more about the upcoming marketplace can visit GreenDropShip's website .

About GreenDropShip:

GreenDropShip is a US-based supplier with thousands of natural and organic products from specialty, gourmet, and premium brands. This extensive selection includes groceries, vitamins, supplements, baby products, beauty & body care items, and household supplies. GreenDropShip also supports data integration and marketplace fulfillment orders with its extensive base of online merchants.

SOURCE GreenDropShip
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WindRose Health Investors, LLC ("WindRose"), the New York-based healthcare private equity firm, announced today that it has completed an investment in Third Wave Recovery Systems, LLC ("TWRx" or the "Company"), a provider of rebate administration services for hospitals, long-term care (LTC) facilities, and select specialty physician groups. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In conjunction with WindRose's investment, TWRx acquired SRX, LLC ("SRX"), a leader in pharmaceutical rebate management services for the skilled nursing and LTC industry. The Company appointed a new executive team to lead the combined entity, including CEO Ed Lagerstrom, former President of UnitedHealthcare Networks.

"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate alongside WindRose with talented healthcare executives on a disruptive business model," said Mr. Lagerstrom. "TWRx is positioned as a market leader, predicated on transparency, compliance, and trusted partnerships with its customers."

WindRose's investment in TWRx will support the Company's strong momentum in the rebate administration marketplace. With WindRose's investment, industry knowledge, and broad array of relationships across the healthcare industry, TWRx is well-positioned to continue its rapid growth trajectory. Eric Moskow, M.D., co-founder of TWRx, will continue to lead the Company as its Chairman and will remain a significant shareholder.

"TWRx's mission has always been to establish strong industry relationships to understand what's really affecting outcomes and cost in the market," said Dr. Moskow. "As we meticulously considered our long-term strategic options, we determined that SRX and TWRx were a natural fit. WindRose's investment validates our belief in the impact of the TWRx platform, and we are excited to have them as a partner going forward."

"The acquisition of SRX cements TWRx as the premier platform within the rebate and prescription drug management space," said Alex Buzik, Partner at WindRose. "We believe that the Company will continue to build upon its existing service offering to create further value for its clients. We are excited to partner with Dr. Moskow, Ed, and the rest of the TWRx team as they solidify TWRx as the highest quality rebate management company in the industry."

McDermott Will & Emery LLP acted as legal advisor to WindRose and Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C. acted as legal advisor to Third Wave.

About WindRose Health Investors

WindRose makes equity investments in companies that operate within the services sectors of the healthcare industry. The firm focuses on companies with profitable business models and a demonstrated ability to deliver cost-effective solutions. WindRose manages over $2.6 billion in investments. WindRose is based in New York City and invests in companies throughout the United States. For more information, please email us at [email protected].

About Third Wave Recovery Systems, LLC

TWRx is a rapidly expanding pharmaceutical rebate manager offering market-differentiated services to LTC facilities, hospitals, oncology practices, and other specialty provider groups. The TWRx platform that leverages advanced technology, analytics and nationwide industry contracts to assess and reduce the net-cost of its client's drug spend. For more information, please visit https://www.thirdwaverx.com/.

Media contacts:

Lisa Baker, [email protected], (603) 868-1967 or

Megan Bowman, [email protected], (616) 780-1610

SOURCE WindRose Health Investors, LLC
Windward's Maritime AI platform is driving digital transformation in the commodity trading industry by mitigating trade and sanctions compliance risk

LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Windward (LSE: WNWD), the leading Maritime AI company, announced today that it has signed agreements with three Swiss commodity trading companies. The companies, involved in the trading of oil and gas, petrochemicals, bulk products, fertilizers, and soft commodities, will use Windward's platform to enhance due diligence and vessel screening processes, and to mitigate trade and sanctions compliance risk.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has brought turbulence to the commodity trading industry with sanctions against Russia evolving on a regular basis. New regulations set by the US, EU, and G7 will create even further complications with price caps set on crude oil starting in December 2022 and oil products in February 2023. These regulations identify and list deceptive shipping practices which are being increasingly used by vessels to evade sanctions.

Since the beginning of the conflict, there has been a drastic increase in Russian vessels engaging in dark activity and using ship-to-ship transfers to transport goods including allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain, making it even more difficult for businesses to ascertain legitimate and 'clean-conscious' deals. In light of the new sanctions, all service providers involved in maritime trade ranging from traders to insurers now need a comprehensive awareness of risk related to all entities they do business with.

The three Swiss commodity traders will use Windward's platform to enhance their due diligence and screening processes to mitigate all maritime related risks including sanctions risk, compliance risk, and risk associated with third parties including customers, vendors, employees, contractors, and others. Windward's platform analyzes numerous factors including vessel behaviors, ownership structures, company risks, and others, predicting in real-time which companies and vessels are likely to be high risk, and which are safe to conduct business with.

"No matter where in the world a company trades, it's increasingly becoming more complex and the risks involved are becoming greater," said Ami Daniel, Co-founder and CEO of Windward. "The upcoming cap on Russian oil prices complicates the process even further, adding more risk factors that traders must look out for including new companies in high risk regimes and abnormal patterns. As sanctions continuously evolve and geopolitical tensions turn into real-life trade issues, companies need the help of advanced technology and AI to efficiently monitor, screen, and vet their business partners to successfully mitigate risk."

Windward's Maritime AI solution is powered by advanced machine learning and behavioral analytics models, empowering its clients across the government, finance, shipping, energy sectors, and beyond to optimize business practices and efficiently navigate all aspects of maritime risk in real-time.

About Windward

Windward (LSE: WNWD), a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, is the leading Maritime AI company, enabling organizations to achieve business and operational readiness. Windward's AI-powered solution allows stakeholders including banks, commodity traders, insurers, and major energy and shipping companies to make real time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions, providing a 360 view of the maritime ecosystem and its broader impact on safety, security, finance, and business. For more information visit: https://windward.ai/ .

Media Contact

David Hoffman

Headline Media

[email protected]

+972-52-842-1955

SOURCE Windward
Conversational AI platform receives differentiated rating in product vision and use cases criteria in report by Independent Research Firm

TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ada, on a mission to help the world's most innovative brands automate their most valuable interactions, today announced its inclusion within Forrester's latest conversational AI industry report, The Forrester New Wave: Conversation Automation Solutions, Q3 2022. Forrester's New Wave report evaluates emerging technologies and helps B2B marketers to select the right partner for their conversation automation solution needs. In response to the growth of the B2B Conversation Automation Solution (CAS) market over the last five years, as brands seek to exceed customer expectations without increasing costs, Forrester identified and evaluated 10 service providers across 10 criteria.

Ada received a differentiated rating  the highest score possible  in two criteria: product vision and use cases. Customers praised Ada's solution's comprehensive, customizable offering, with bots that are easy to train and on the org chart. The report also states that Ada "supports inbound and outbound event-triggered conversations in more than 100 languages."

"Forrester's coverage of the Conversation Automation Solution space is timely, as we increasingly see strong interest from brands around the world who are seeking to vastly improve the way they efficiently connect with and serve their customers," said Mike Gozzo, Chief Product Officer at Ada. "We're very pleased to be recognized as a strong performer by Forrester and continue to be devoted to our mission of empowering brands to treat each of their customers like a VIP through purposeful automation."

The criteria for the report included use cases, conversation design, conversation delivery, conversation agents, orchestration, human-machine collaboration, performance insights, product vision, roadmap, and market approach. For these criteria, vendors were expected to meet or exceed industry benchmarks to offer comprehensive and purpose-built conversational solutions that anticipate and address the needs of B2B organizations interacting with diverse and empowered audiences throughout the customer lifecycle.

Ada recently unveiled several key updates to its platform. At Ada Interact, the company's flagship customer event, Ada announced it was launching automated voice interactions, enabling CX leaders to design and deliver seamless AI-powered phone support from the same no-code builder customers are already using to build chat and messaging experiences. With these new capabilities, brands could enable customers to begin an interaction on voice, get detailed information via SMS, and then receive the call transcript via email.

Meanwhile, Ada's Smart Search tool became available to all brands using Salesforce Knowledge, with an added feature to support multilingual articles. With these and additional updates to legacy features, brands are better empowered to deliver value immediately, ensuring a seamless experience for customers, no matter their preferred language of interaction. , Ada's industry-leading machine learning capabilities were further boosted with improvements to Training Suggestions, which significantly speeds up time-to-value by reducing the time and effort needed to train and maintain an AI platform.

For a copy of The Forrester New Wave: Conversation Automation Solutions, Q3, 2022 report, please visit: https://bit.ly/3S36U64

To learn more about Ada, visit: www.ada.cx.

About Ada

Ada is an Automated Brand Interaction company that bridges the gap between brands and the people they care about. The world's most innovative brands, like Zoom, Facebook, and Square, use Ada's award-winning platform to automate their most valuable interactions, bringing a true VIP experience to every customer. The digital-first company was born in Canada and now serves brands and people worldwide.

SOURCE Ada
TAKE IT AS IT COMES Out Today via Petrol Records/UMe

BYRON BAY, Australia, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the release of their stunning single and music video "Oops I Love You" which Atwood Magazine describes as a "delicious earworm" " Australian siblings The Buckleys have now released their new EP TAKE IT AS IT COMES today via Petrol Records/UMe . Injecting a heavy dose of 70s old school AM radio flair to their infectious pop-country sound heard on their debut album, Daydream,"Take It As It Comes feels, as lead vocalist/bassist Sarah Buckley describes, "like a really natural evolution for us and we're really excited for people to hear it."

The Buckleys

The EP's five songs takes the band into new territory, expanding the scope of their "hippie country" debut and adding a healthy dose of meticulously-crafted pop that comes from the natural chemistry of the sibling band. Kicking off with the cheery title track "Take It As It Comes," it bubbles with youthful effervescence and positivity, embracing the importance of gratitude for accepting what life hands you.

Cracking the Australian Top Ten on Australian Country Radio charts at #5, the first single "Oops I Love You" has been spreading its widespread appeal across the globe. Clout Magazine praises, "the trio's latest example of their charming sound and charisma, as it fizzes with an insatiable, feel-good bounce and sense of adventure." It's All Indie calls the track "stunning," adding "this is by far one of the most exciting new Country-based acts we've heard in a while."

"The songs featured on this EP, we really feel embody who we are and what we want to say in this moment, personally and artistically," Sarah adds. The EP is rounded out by the midtempo aching pop of "What Ya Gonna Do About It," sentimental ballad "Fool Me", and the swing and twang of the traditional smokiness of "Love Me Wrong."

Proceeding to tackle the U.S. market, The Buckleys' Stateside highlights include a performance on The ACM Weekly and add on Radio Disney Country with their single "I'm Comin' For Ya (Love)," and a CMT Music USA add for their video "Breathe." The band created a groundswell Down Under with each of their four released singles charting in the Top Five of Australian country radio. Their first single "Daydream," catapulted the trio into the limelight, scoring a #1 single on Australian country radio, which was followed by the second single, "I'm Comin' For Ya (Love)," which reached #3. Their worldwide debut single "Money" reached #2 and its follow up "Breathe" at #3.

The Buckleys are Sarah, Molly and Lachlan Buckley. Take It As It Comes is out now via Petrol Records/UMe.

Take It As It Comes

EP Tracklist

"Fool Me Again"

"Love Me Wrong"

"Oops I Love You"

"Take It As It Comes"

"What Ya Gonna Do About It"

The EP will be delivered in Standard & HD.

Band Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok | Merch

About UMe

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the global catalog and special markets division of Universal Music Group. Working closely in concert with UMG's record labels, territories and operating companies, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, an emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives and creating opportunities in new technologies.

About Petrol Records

Petrol, founded in 2000, is the world's most successful first all-digital record company and the first independent label to sign a worldwide distribution agreement with Apple Inc.'s iTunes. Petrol's numerous chart and sales successes over the years in various musical genres, together with Christopher M. Murphy's other multimedia endeavors, resulting in Murphy receiving the New South Wales Premier's Expo Award for Arts & Entertainment and being named Australian Entrepreneur of the Year by Business Review Weekly for his many achievements. In 2008 Murphy received a Grammy nomination for his documentary on the street music of Cuba (now referred to as 'Reggaeton'). In 2009, Petrol signed INXS' classic catalog to the label and in 2017, INXS were awarded for achieving 50 million worldwide sales. With iTunes alone, Petrol has achieved more than 180 #1's, more than 700 Top 10, and more than 1,600 Top 100 positions. In addition to Murphy's Grammy nomination for a cutting-edge documentary, and following the # 1 rated television mini-series in 2014, Petrol broke all records with six albums in the Top 10 & INXS were recently named ARTIST of the DECADE in Australia for their highest selling album The Very Best, which has also just been awarded DIAMOND status by ARIA. Murphy succumbed to lymph0ma in January 2021 but his legacy continues with the label and future releases. With millions of records sold worldwide and ranking as one of the world's most successful independent labels, Petrol continues to succeed in the marketplace.

SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises
DE PERE, Wis., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Caravel Autism Health, a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of young children on the autism spectrum, celebrated the grand opening of a new clinic this week. The new clinic at 1511 West Main Avenue in De Pere serves families across the Green Bay area, providing evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis therapy. ABA therapy helps children with autism develop skills, create connections with others, and gain confidence. Rooted in positive reinforcement, ABA therapy is recognized for its effectiveness by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Caravel has its roots in Wisconsin. In 2009, the company's founders opened their first clinic in Green Bay. This new clinic model was designed to meet the specific needs of children on the autism spectrum and achieve helpful and demonstrable outcomes for children and families. Since then, the Caravel team has been working in communities across Wisconsin and in five other states to bring ABA therapy to communities where families struggle to find high-quality autism treatment programs.

"At Caravel, we change lives," explained Caravel CEO Mike Miller. "ABA therapy helps children reach their greatest potential, but there is a shortage of providers. We're investing in new clinics so that we can bring resources and expertise to families who need this specialized care."

The De Pere center is led by clinic director Cierra Smith, MS, BCBA, who has been part of the Caravel team since 2010. "We see the impact of ABA therapy every day as we work with our kids, so we're incredibly excited to be opening another clinic for families in northeast Wisconsin," explained Smith.

In addition to customized ABA therapy, the autism specialists in De Pere offer evaluation, diagnosis, and family support services. Caravel invites parents of young children and others with questions about autism diagnosis and ABA therapy to call 920-282-8790 or visit caravelautism.com.

About Caravel Autism Health

Since 2009, Caravel Autism Health has been devoted to helping families navigate the challenges of childhood autism. Our team of clinical experts specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of children on the autism spectrum. Caravel's research-based and data-driven programs are designed to provide better outcomes that help children with autism reshape their development and embrace new ways of interacting with the world.

SOURCE Caravel Autism Health
Automotive Powertrain Manufacturers Focus on Innovation as Shift towards EV Gains Momentum

The latest survey by Fact.MR provides a compilation of first-hand information about the factors affecting the growth in automotive powertrain market. It also offers refines sales projection across various market segments in terms of position, vehicle type, and powertrain type. The report also offers detailed information about the price points of automotive powertrain manufacturers for coming decade..

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global automotive powertrain market, valued at US$ 435.3 Million in 2022, is likely to reach US$ 719.3 Million in 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% between 2022 and 2032. Increased spending on electric vehicles (EVs), combined with recovery in automotive production are likely to be the key factors that will drive the market during the assessment period.

Government's introduction of pollution control norms and other stringent regulations for emission control are likely to necessitate the demand for powertrain systems. Furthermore, the rising need for advanced driving experience is influencing manufacturers to incorporate such systems in their business model to cater to the flourishing demand in the market.

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As automotive production is on an upswing, the U.S., India, and Mexico are expected to be the most lucrative countries with increasing number of automotive vehicles being manufactured. For instance, according to The Federal Reserve, overall industrial production increased 0.9% in March 2022. Further, Mexican automotive production went up 31% in August as per Administrative Registry of the Light Vehicle Automotive Industry.

Moreover, automotive industry players are focusing on developing more efficient engines, drivetrains, transmissions and drive shafts to reduce fuel consumption. Hence, leading manufacturers are introducing sophisticated emissions-control technologies that are being used in next generation automobiles.

Additionally, global initiatives such as the Paris Climate Accord have prompted various countries across the globe to enact stricter emission laws on new vehicles. Citing this trend, Fact.MR opines, the auto industry is likely to show a greater interest in electric mobility space over the next decade, which in turn, is likely to augur well for the automotive powertrain manufacturers.

Key Takeaways:

By position type, all-wheel drive is likely to remain the preferred option in the market, accounting for nearly 45% market share in 2022.

By powertrain type, gasoline segment is expected to maintain its dominance, expanding at 3.9% CAGR during the assessment period.

The U.S. is likely to remain one the leading markets for automotive powertrain manufacturers through 2032

China and India powertrain market are likely to grow at a brisk pace during the assessment period.

and powertrain market are likely to grow at a brisk pace during the assessment period. By vehicle type, compact vehicles are likely to grow at a robust pace, owing to growing sales in developing countries.

Growth Drivers:

Growing shift toward electric vehicles and hybrid technologies is likely to provide an impetus to the market during the assessment period.

Increasing focus toward cleaner technology is influencing OEMs to invest in better equipment, thereby boosting the prospects of powertrain manufacturers.

Growing focus on fuel efficiency is likely to drive innovation in light weighting of components, which in turn, is likely to increase demand for modern powertrains.

Restraints:

High cost of investment required in upgrading automotive powertrains is likely to remain a bottleneck during the assessment period.

The ongoing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine have put pressure on supply of wire harnesses, a key component in powertrain manufacturing.

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Competitive Landscape:

Key players are expanding their presence in the global automotive powertrain market by engaging in mergers and acquisition activities or establishing new facilities. Further, leading players are partnering with pioneers in electric vehicle technology to consolidate their position.

For instance,

American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) and REE Automotive announced that they have agreed to develop an exciting new electric propulsion system for e-Mobility. In May 2021 , REE Automotive is in the process of merging with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corporation a special purpose acquisition company, to become a publicly listed company

, REE Automotive is in the process of merging with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corporation a special purpose acquisition company, to become a publicly listed company In May 2021 , Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEML), a subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd, and Ford India Private Ltd (FIPL), entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Gujarat for the potential acquisition of FIPL's Sanand facility.

Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR

General Motors Magna Powertrain Ltd.

Delphi Automobile LLP

General Motors

JTEKT Corp.

GKN plc.

Toyota

BorgWarner Inc.

Hyundai

Ford Motors

Volkswagen Group

Other Key Players

More Valuable Insights on Automotive Powertrain Market

In its latest study, Fact.MR offers a detailed analysis of the global automotive powertrain market for the forecast period of 2022 to 2032. This study also divulges key drivers and trends promoting the sales of automotive powertrain through detailed segmentation as follows:

By Position Type:

Front Wheel Drive

Rear Wheel Drive

All Wheel Drive

By Powertrain Type:

Gasoline

Diesel

Hybrid

Battery Electric Vehicle

Fuel Cell

By Vehicle Type:

Compact

Mid-Sized

Premium

Luxury

Light Commercial

Heavy Commercial

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Oceania

& Oceania MEA

Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=EB&rep_id=346

Key Questions Covered in the Automotive Powertrain Market Report

What is the anticipated market size of the automotive powertrain market in 2022?

At what rate will sales in the global automotive powertrain market grow until 2032?

Which are the factors hampering the demand in the automotive powertrain market?

Which region is expected to dominate the global automotive powertrain market during 2022-2032?

Which are the factors driving sales in the automotive powertrain market during the forecast period?

Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Automotive Domain

Hybrid Powertrain Systems Market: A combination of an electrical powertrain and a gasoline powertrain is another way to describe hybrid powertrain systems. Recent market growth has been boosted by the introduction of new prototypes due to the use of improved technology in hybrid powertrain systems, which have led to product acceptance by end users.

Automotive Electric Power Steering Market: The worldwide automobile electric power steering market is anticipated to experience a significant boost in sales due to improved fuel economy and low emissions. Additionally, the global automotive electric power steering market will benefit from significant growth in the Asian and European auto industries as well as technological advancements in traditional vehicle steering.

Automatic Train Protection Signaling Market: Rising automation in the train, metro, and other sectors is anticipated to fuel demand for autonomous train protection signaling. By the end of 2028, it is predicted that factors including train detection, train separation, route interlocking, and over speed protection will present a lucrative potential for the global market for autonomous train protection signaling.

Check it Out More Reports by Fact.MR on Automotive Industry

https://www.factmr.com/industry/automotive

About Fact.MR

Fact.MR is a market research and consulting agency with deep expertise in emerging market intelligence. Spanning a wide range  from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare, technology, chemical and materials, to even the most niche categories. We are committed to deliver insights that help businesses gain deeper understanding of their target markets. We understand that making sense of the vast labyrinth of data can be overwhelming for businesses. That's why focus on offering insights that can actually make a difference to bottom-lines.

Specialties: Competition Tracking, Customized Research, Syndicated Research, Investment Research, Social Media Research, Business Intelligence, Industry Analysis, Thought Leadership.

Contact:

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SOURCE Fact.MR
LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BenevolentAI ("BenevolentAI" or the "Company") (Euronext Amsterdam: BAI), a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company, is pleased to announce the full agenda for its upcoming analyst/investor event and interim results being held in London between 14:00  17:00 BST (09:00  12:00 ET) on Tuesday, 27 September 2022.

The event will be held in person at the offices of FTI Consulting (200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London, EC1A 4HD, United Kingdom) and will also be accessible via webcast with a presentation recording made available on the Company's website shortly afterwards.

At the event, BenevolentAI's executive leadership team will lead sessions about the Company's approach and technology and its positioning within the wider AI drug discovery market, as well as talking about the Company's pipeline and business model. The event will also include an overview of BenevolentAI's interim results for the period ended 30 June 2022. Presentations will be given by BenevolentAI's executive leadership team in addition to Professor Tom MacDonald of Immunology at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London.

The full agenda is as follows:

Presentation Speaker Opening remarks and overview Joanna Shields, CEO Market overview  AI-enabled drug discovery Dr Ivan Griffin, COO The BenevolentAI business model Dr Ivan Griffin, COO Our approach and technology Dr Daniel Neil, CTO Drug discovery and pipeline review Dr Anne Phelan, CSO / Professor Tom MacDonald Interim Results 2022  H1 review and financials Nick Keher, CFO Closing remarks and outlook Joanna Shields, CEO

To register your interest in attending either in person or virtually, please contact FTI Consulting at [email protected] or +44 (0) 20 3727 1000.

ABOUT BENEVOLENTAI

BenevolentAI (AMS: BAI) is a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. Through the combined capabilities of its AI platform, scientific expertise, and wet-lab facilities, BenevolentAI is well-positioned to deliver novel drug candidates with a higher probability of clinical success than those developed using traditional methods. BenevolentAI has a consistently proven track record of scientifically validated discoveries. The Benevolent Platform powers a growing in-house pipeline of over 20 disease programmes, spanning from target discovery to clinical studies, and it maintains successful collaborations with AstraZeneca, as well as leading research and charitable institutions. BenevolentAI is headquartered in London, with a research facility in Cambridge (UK) and a further office in New York.

SOURCE BenevolentAI
National Comprehensive Cancer Network's #NCCNPolicy Summit, featuring White House Moonshot Coordinator and representatives from CDC, NCI, and USPSTF, examines critical need for improvements in cancer prevention and early detection across the United States.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) hosted a policy summit to examine practice changes and trends in legislative and regulatory efforts that affect patient access to cancer screening and risk reduction. Speakers included Danielle Carnival, PhD, Coordinator, White House Moonshot Initiative; Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Philip Castle, PhD, MPH, Director, Division of Cancer Prevention, Senior Investigator, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI); and Carol M. Mangione, MD, Chair, United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Barbara A. Levey & Gerald S. Levey Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

During the summit, speakers and panelists explored the current landscape for cancer screening and early detection, along with the continued evolution of risk identification and risk-reduction strategies. The conversations were dominated by several hot topics in health care, including:

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Screening Access

Equity and Disparities

Social Determinants of Health

Personal, Practice, and Population-Level Interventions (e.g. smoking cessation, human papillomavirus vaccination)

Lifestyle Factors (e.g. exercise and nutrition)

Potential Benefits and Harms of Novel Technology (e.g. multi-cancer early detection)

Digital User Experience (e.g. telehealth)

Updated Screening Guidelines

Coverage and Reimbursement

For panel member Maimah Karmo, Founder & CEO, Tigerlily Foundation, the conversation was particularly personal: "I am Black woman who was diagnosed with aggressive, Stage 2B breast cancer at a young age. I am alive today because I had a mother who educated me about my body, breast health, and about the importance of self-advocating. Due to early detection, I found a lump early, and even though I was dismissed by a healthcare provider, I insisted upon screening and a biopsy, which led to my diagnosis and treatment, and I am alive today. I made a promise to God that I would do everything in my power to ensure young women and women facing disparities had every access to education, screening, and resources that enable them to be proactive with their health, and have a high quality of care and life. This work, Tigerlily, is my living legacy. I am living proof that early detection can save lives."

"There is significant evidence supporting the fact that screening saves lives," noted Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "Appropriate screening allows us to detect cancer at earlier stages, when there are more options for treatment and a higher likelihood for better outcomes. Sometimes screening can even prevent cancer by identifying pre-cancerous cells. This is why it is so important to address any setbacks in policy, communication, or resources that could result in people missing out on evidence-based, guideline-recommended cancer screenings."

"We know a great deal about how to advance health and prevent cancer and other chronic diseases; the challenge now is more about implementation than discovery," said panel member Ernest Hawk, MD, MPH, Vice President and Division Head of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "Impactful prevention has to be intentionally designed and must consistently reach all, especially those most in need, in order to achieve benefits across the lifespan. Effective implementation begins with communication, but cannot end there. It must be strategically prioritized and implemented through combinations of evidence-based actions operating at multiple levels and motivated by both personal and shared social responsibilities to effectively promote health and wellness."

Addressing Disparities

The theme of disparities in care and how to address them continued during discussions throughout the day, with a particular focus on communication, outreach, and the allocation of resources.

"Racial and ethnic minorities and other socially- and economically-disadvantaged groups continue to experience a disproportionate share of avoidable deaths from cancer," pointed out Chyke Doubeni, MBBS, MPH, Chief Health Equity Officer, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "As we address ongoing public health threats, it is critical to direct resources to under-resourced communities to make evidence-based cancer preventive services accessible to people regardless of individual social or economic circumstances. We should focus on eliminating social and structural barriers that limit access to early detection and treatment and pay attention to how the 'digital divide' could deepen inequities. Insurance coverage should be provided for all follow-up tests needed to get the benefits of screening."

"It's all about equity. Everyone in every community deserves to be screened for cancer and not have to worry about challenges and barriers getting in the way," said Nikia Clark, Senior Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Cancer centers must meet people where they are. Start with the basics of providing tailored cancer information to communities most in need, work with community stakeholders and organizations to help champion the effort and prioritize funding and resources for outreach initiatives for community engagement that will lead to earlier detection and lowering cancer risk."

Looking Toward the Future

Speakers examined how cancer treatment and prevention has become more personalized over time, and where it is headed from here.

"Evolving genetic and genomic testing technologies are allowing individual cancer risks to be more precisely quantified; one-size-fits-all prevention approaches are being replaced by tailored strategies," explained Michael Hall, MD, MS, Chair, Department of Clinical Genetics, Fox Chase Cancer Center. "Our improving understanding of genetic risks, environmental factors, and social determinants of health, combined with knowing a person's history of adverse exposure (such as smoking or human papillomavirus) allows us to tailor to individuals and populations. This helps make sure limited public health resources are focused on the greatest needs, while sparing lower-risk individuals from unnecessary medical procedures. Genetic risk stratification is the long game for effective and efficient cancer prevention."

Lisa Schlager, Vice President, Public Policy for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) agreed: "Prevention and early detection are critical as we strive to reduce the U.S. cancer burdenespecially in underserved, underrepresented populations. While we don't know why many people get cancer, those affected by hereditary cancers are the poster children for prevention and early detection. NCCN has comprehensive guidelines on how to manage individuals withor at increased risk ofhereditary cancers, who can be identified based on personal or family history of disease. We must be innovative and do more to facilitate effective risk stratification, identifying those at increased risk of cancer and ensuring that they have affordable access to the recommended screening and risk-reducing interventions. Ultimately, this will reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes."

"One of the most important challenges in fighting cancer occurs well before diagnosisensuring effective screening," said Eric Gratias, MD, FAAP, Chief Medical Officer, eviCore. "Even though early detection often leads to better outcomes, many patients still don't get the regular screenings that they should. At eviCore, we're focused on working with health plans and providers to break down barriers to care by providing patients with proactive education and hands-on support to make sure they get the right cancer screenings on the right schedule."

The summit featured Clifford Goodman, PhD, The Lewin Group, as moderator. Dr. Carlson introduced the program while NCCN Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer Wui-Jin Koh, MD provided closing thoughts. Kate Mevis, Executive Director, U.S. Federal & State Vaccine Policy at Merck, Inc. provided perspective on the role of vaccination in cancer prevention.

The NCCN Policy Program will be hosting its annual Patient Advocacy Summit on December 2, 2022, examining Best Practices and Policies for Addressing the Health Needs of LGBT+ Cancer Patients and Survivors. Visit NCCN.org/summit for more information, and join the conversation with the hashtag #NCCNPolicy.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information and follow NCCN on Facebook @NCCNorg, Instagram @NCCNorg, and Twitter @NCCN.

Media Contact:

Rachel Darwin

267-622-6624

[email protected]

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network
BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Development and security are the common concerns of all countries, the pursuit of which is hampered by once-in-a-century global changes intertwined with the unprecedented pandemic.

In the Uzbek city of Samarkand, leaders from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries along with multiple observer countries and dialogue partners are meeting in person from September 15 to 16, setting an example of how countries can better work with each other in the face of global challenges.

Having committed to building a community of a shared future, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a series of initiatives for global development and security, contributing Chinese wisdom to solving the pressing problems now facing mankind. His proposals have been greeted with praise from the international community, not least the SCO countries.

Common security, development for all

At April's Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), an idea taking security as the guiding principle, mutual respect as the fundamental requirement, indivisible security as the important principle and building a security community as the long-term goal, in order to foster a new type of security that replaces confrontation, alliance and a zero-sum approach with dialogue, partnership and win-win results.

During his bilateral meetings with world leaders in Samarkand, the Chinese president reiterated that countries should support each other on issues concerning sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and other core interests, echoing the GSI.

Xi also urged efforts to safeguard the security interests of the region as well as the common interests of developing countries and emerging markets during his talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying China and Russia need to enhance coordination under multilateral frameworks including the SCO, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and BRICS to promote solidarity and mutual trust among the various parties.

"In the face of changes of the world, of our times and of history, China will work with Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and play a leading role in injecting stability into a world of change and disorder," Xi told Putin.

At the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in 2021, Xi put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI), which emphasizes openness, coordination and sharing.

Xi, during his bilateral meetings in Samarkand, repeatedly voiced China's willingness to expand cooperation with other countries and build stronger synergy between respective development strategies so as to help achieve common development and prosperity.

Leaders endorsed the GSI and GDI during their talks with Xi. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov on Thursday said he viewed both as important initiatives for promoting world peace and development, while President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov said the initiatives were conducive to achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

Usher in a better future

This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Kazakhstan as well as between China and Uzbekistan. On Wednesday and Thursday, President Xi paid state visits to both two countries, bringing bilateral ties to a higher level.

Both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have been a part of the ancient Silk Road linking Asia and Europe. Now the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi has carried forward that spirit across the Eurasian continent, bringing SCO members even closer.

The import and export of goods between China and Kazakhstan totaled $25.25 billion in 2021, up 17.6 percent year on year, and the trade volume between China and Uzbekistan amounted to $8.05 billion in 2021, up 21.6 percent from 2020, showing bilateral cooperation has withstood the test of the pandemic and shown strong resilience.

The unbreakable friendship between China and Kazakhstan will contribute to the growth of positive and progressive forces in the world and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi told Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday.

Tokayev hailed Xi's visit as a new milestone in the history of Kazakhstan-China relations, adding the BRI has become an important engine driving the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Thursday called the Chinese president's state visit "historic," saying it would help consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, chart a course for future cooperation, and elevate the bilateral partnership to a new height featuring new vitality and new prospects.

Xi further noted that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each other's security and stability, and called for efforts to building a more just and equitable international governance system during talks with other leaders.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-09-16/China-offers-solutions-to-fix-deficit-in-global-security-development--1dmIiiQWTeg/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In May 2022, Changhong launched its new Android Smart TV G7N series in Indonesia. Following the launch, the series has been received enthusiastically in the market and by consumers.

Changhong's New G7N Series Android Smart TV Gains Popularity in Indonesia

With impressive sales, the series soon claimed the top spot on the smart TV product ranking of Indonesia's largest e-commerce platform Shopee. It also achieved outstanding sales on platforms such as Lazada, Tokopedia, Jd.ID, Akulaku and Blibli. Meanwhile, videos about user experiences of the series posted on TikTok by Indonesian celebrities and influencers have gained over 3 million views.

G7N is an intelligent voice TV product series developed by Changhong. It comes equipped with the Android 11 operating system and over 5,000 apps available for users to choose from. All television products in the series support 2.4G/5G dual WiFi bands, ensuring a more stable wireless signal and higher transmission speed. With HDR 10 video image decoding technology, the series delivers more realistic visual effects. By working with dbx-tv acoustic engineers, the G7N series also offers the best sound experience. The series comes in the most popular sizes in the Indonesian market -- 32", 40", and 43", while its bezel-less design allows for a larger screen.

Since its launch, the G7N series is currently a best seller in Indonesia, thanks to both consumers' recognition of the product and their trust in the Changhong brand.

Founded in 1958, Changhong is an integrated multinational conglomerate that brings together consumer electronics, core device development and manufacturing. The more-than-six-decades-old brand is valued in 2022 at approximately US$27 billion and has been named as one of the World's 500 Most Valuable Brands multiple times over the last ten years.

In 1998, Changhong became the first Chinese brand to enter the Indonesian market. With over 20 years of development in the market, Changhong now boasts a comprehensive manufacturing base on the archipelago, integrating production, warehousing, sales, logistics and after-sales services. The company sells TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers, through Indonesia's many mainstream online and offline channels. Changhong has been selected by Indonesian consumers as the most popular home appliance brand numerous times.

To meet consumer demand for smarter, high-end products, Changhong launched the CHiQ brand in 2014 and introduced it to the Indonesian market in 2021. The brand is dedicated to providing consumers with smarter home appliances and services to create a comfortable, environmentally friendly, smart and fun home environment. Today, the CHiQ brand has entered more than 30 countries and regions in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas, and has expanded its presence on more than 40 e-commerce platforms, with product categories covering TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, monitors, portable air conditioners, batteries, and floor sweepers, among others.

Changhong plans to continue to grow its footprint in the Indonesian market, with more debuts of differentiated and intelligent products, along with ongoing enhancement in product quality and services, to provide Indonesian consumers with increasingly comprehensive and smart life solutions.

SOURCE Changhong
Over 500,000 Miami residents will be able to subscribe and receive crucial updates, city news, information about municipal services, emergency alerts, and more  straight to their smartphones via a single app.

MIAMI, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplicity Tech Inc. announces today that the City of Miami has added Simplicity to its list of social networks to enhance the way it communicates with residents. With the Simplicity app, Miami residents can access a range of important city information in English or Spanish in a single app.

"Simplicity adds another important layer for our city to connect with our residents and deliver them important information in a timely and engaging manner. I am glad to see more innovation emerge that focuses on enhancing communication between municipalities and residents," commented Mayor of Miami Francis X. Suarez.

Simplicity app is a "city in your phone" where people can see all critical city updates, emergencies, outages, road closures, city events, and more. The app is currently used by over 100 cities, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago suburbs. The city of Cleveland, the City of Denver, and other major cities are launching the app in the upcoming months.

With the Simplicity app, municipalities and residents can combat the growth of misinformation on social media, improve the speed of information sharing, and reduce the environmental impact of printed materials. The app lets residents choose the type of alerts they want to receive, including updates from various municipal agencies and departments critical to residents' daily lives, such as the health department, updates about road closures, upcoming events, and emergency notifications.

Simplicity's CXO Miguel Gamino Jr. said the company was proud to be working with one of America's most vibrant cities. "Miami's been the center of a lot of tech development, and we are excited to join in and help the city serve its diverse community of residents."

Gamino, a former CTO of New York City, joined Simplicity as CXO and Founding Partner in July 2022.

About Simplicity Tech Inc.

Simplicity Tech Inc. is a technology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Chicago and Bratislava, Slovakia. Its Simplicity application helps municipalities and residents fight misinformation and stay informed about the most critical updates affecting their communities. Following its successful launch in Silicon Valley, the company raised over $10M in seed funding for further expansion. For more information, visit www.onesimplicity.com

Contact:

Mariia Ternovskaia

[email protected]

SOURCE Simplicity Tech Inc.
HILLSDALE, Mich., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: CNBB) (the "Company") today announced that after a comprehensive search, Joseph R. Williams has agreed to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, County National Bank (the "Bank"), which will be effective upon his first day of employment with the Company, anticipated to be in early October, 2022. Mr. Williams is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank.

Mr. Williams stated, "I am excited to join CNB full time. They understand community banking and I am looking forward to serving alongside a great executive team. Our focus will be community impact, employee development, client experience, and shareholder return. I am honored and humbled to be part of a great team and build upon the tremendous foundation that has been developed over the last 88 years."

Mr. Williams becomes the President and CEO of the Company with nearly 40 years of banking experience, most recently with Old National Bank (Acquired United Bank and Trust) where he served as its Lenawee County Market President after serving as President and CEO of United Bank and Trust. Mr. Williams will bring to the chief executive officer role substantial experience and leadership skills in the areas of retail and mortgage banking, commercial credit, financial management, wealth management and franchise growth through market development. Mr. Williams has a long and distinguished history of community service, including the last two years serving as President and CEO of the Lenawee Community Foundation and many other endeavors in the areas of healthcare, youth services and the Kiwanis.

Craig S. Connor, Chairman of the Board of the Company and the Bank, remarked, "Our entire board of directors is so very pleased with the selection of Joe as our new President and CEO. He is a talented, experienced and knowledgeable community banker with a track record of strong leadership, team building, and service to the community. The future for all our stakeholders: customers, employees, communities and shareholders just became a little brighter."

About CNB Community Bancorp Inc.

CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX:CNBB) is a one-bank holding company formed in 2005. Its subsidiary bank, County National Bank, is a nationally chartered full-service bank, which has served its local communities since its founding in 1934. CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered in Hillsdale, Michigan and through its subsidiary bank offers banking products along with investment management and trust services to communities located throughout South Central Michigan.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release and other releases and reports issued by the Company may contain "forward-looking statements." The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company is including this statement for purposes of taking advantage of the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

SOURCE CNB Community Bancorp, Inc.
DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalma Capital announces today the completion of GMR Coal Resources Pte Ltd's 30% divestment in Indonesia's PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk ("PT GEMS") to PT Radhika Jananta Raya ("PT RJR"), a subsidiary of PT ABM Investama Tbk ("ABM"), for $420 million plus deferred consideration.

Dalma Capital Management Ltd

Commenting on the landmark deal for the firm, Mishal Kanoo, a member of the Board of Directors of Dalma Capital, said "Dalma Capital is proud to have advised GMR Group on its divestment in PT GEMS, thereby supporting the Group's initiatives towards a more sustainable future in the area of green energy," reinforcing their continued strategy of focusing on the core infrastructure business.

Mr. Kanoo further added that "this transaction serves as a display of Dalma Capital's continued persistence towards bolstering our growing M&A practice, solidifying our position as one of Dubai's fastest growing independent investment banking practices with robust M&A capabilities and a unique ability to advise on large-scale global transactions in challenging economic environments and industries under the leadership of Dalma's founder, Zachary Cefaratti."

About GMR Group:

GMR Group is an India-based global infrastructure conglomerate primarily engaged in the development, maintenance and operations of airports, power generation, highway development, special economic zones, and construction business, including engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting activities. The Group consists of several key companies, including key listed companies like GMR Infrastructure Limited and GMR Power and Urban Infra Limited.

About PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk:

PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk (IDX: GEMS), established on May 13, 1997, is a holding of 18 subsidiary companies and is an Indonesia-based bituminous coal mine operator, owning and operating five coal mining concession areas in Indonesia covering an aggregate area of 66,000 hectares in South and Central Kalimantan, Jambi, and South and West Sumatra. GEMS has been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since November 17, 2011. The Company's flagship mine, PT Borneo Indobara, located in South Kalimantan, still has 14 years remaining on its concession and approximately 1 billion mt of coal reserves.

About PT ABM Investama Tbk:

PT ABM Investama Tbk (IDX: ABMM) is an Indonesia-based integrated energy company for strategic investment, engaged in providing integrated mining solutions across the mining value chain. ABM provides solutions that focus on four main business units which are coal mining, mining contractor services, integrated engineering services and logistic support. ABM has been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since December 6, 2011.

About Dalma Capital Management Ltd:

Dalma Capital is a global alternative investment management platform and advisor with strong capabilities in investment banking and asset management. Established in 2011 and headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, Dalma Capital has been one of the fastest growing independent financial services businesses in the DIFC. Dalma Capital is authorized and supervised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the "DFSA") under a prudential category 3c license.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141022/712528

Dalma Capital Management Limited

[email protected]

ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC

Dubai, UAE, 9361

SOURCE Dalma Capital Management Ltd
Season Two Content Features Brand Integrations

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Designer Home Tours', the YouTube media brand that gives an inside look into the luxury design world launches its second season today, September 16th, 2022. The channel hit 1M views across its videos in the first 100 days and the second season will debut the company's first brand partnerships with companies including The Rug Company and Artistic Tile .

Designer Home Tours (Photography Credit: Raquel Langworthy)

A variety of geographies and property types will be toured through Season Two; ranging from beach houses in New Jersey and the Hamptons to family homes in Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco. Designers include the industry's marquee names such as Vicente Wolf, Sasha Bikoff, Brian Paquette, WorkshopAPD and Ghislaine Vinas and are designed for audiences interested in learning more about the thought, ideas and problem solving that goes into creating a well designed home. Christina Kim, a designer in New Jersey will tour a beach house for the launch episode today, and additional episodes will launch each week for the following 12 weeks.

This new media opportunity has proved a powerful one for brands, who are interested in utilizing video but see little opportunity in the editorial space. While the series has been exclusively shot on an iPhone, the company invests in professional editors overseen by Executive Producer Ammar Shallal, and has launched strategic YouTube workshops for brands looking to create content that performs on the channel.

"The pace of Designer Home Tours' growth has been impressive to see, and it speaks to the quality of the content and to the public's thirst for this type of programming. It's a natural fit for Artistic Tile, and just the sort of authentic platform we are seeking in our advertising," said Michael Epstein, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Artistic Tile.

"We were happy to see the success of Season One and are excited to continue to explore what great content looks like in the design space - that includes more episodes focused on brands and their stories as well as showhouses" says Laura Bindloss, founder of Designer Home tours and New York based public relations and social media agency, Nylon Consulting .

The series will release episodes weekly.

SOURCE Designer Home Tours
Get a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. The FREE sample report is available in PDF format

Electromyography (EMG) Devices Market 2022-2026: Scope

The electromyography (EMG) devices market report covers the following areas:

Electromyography (EMG) Devices Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the electromyography (EMG) devices market, including Allengers Medical Systems Ltd., Ambu Inc., American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Biometrics Ltd, BioRESEARCH Associates Inc., Bittium Corp., BTS S.p.A., Cadwell Industries Inc., Clarity Medical Pvt. Ltd, Compumedics Ltd., Contec Medical Systems Co. Ltd., DEYMED Diagnostic sro, Dragerwerk AG and Co. KGaA, EMS Handels Gesellschaft mbH, Magstim EGI, Medtronic Plc, Natus Medical Inc., NCC Medical, Nihon Kohden Corp., and Noraxon USA Inc.

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Electromyography (EMG) Devices Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

End-user

Hospitals and Clinics: The hospitals and clinics segment will be the largest contributor to market growth during the forecast period. EMG devices can also be used in NCS and IONM. Stationary EMG devices have the ability to store the profiles of multiple patients, have in-built storage of reference values for normative motor unit potential, and provide easy generation of reports. During the forecast period, the demand for EMG devices will continue to grow owing to the rising prevalence of various neuromuscular diseases and injuries and the increasing number of people with disability caused by stroke.



Rehabilitation Centers



Homecare

Geography

North America : This region will account for 40% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growth of this region is attributed to factors such as advanced healthcare services offered in the US and Canada , a large number of patients with neuromuscular diseases, and innovations in EMG devices. However, market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. The US is the key country for the electromyography (EMG) devices market in North America .

: This region will account for 40% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growth of this region is attributed to factors such as advanced healthcare services offered in the US and , a large number of patients with neuromuscular diseases, and innovations in EMG devices. However, market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. The US is the key country for the electromyography (EMG) devices market in .

Europe



Asia



Rest Of World (ROW)

Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a FREE PDF Sample Report

Electromyography (EMG) Devices Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026

Detailed information on factors that will assist electromyography (EMG) devices market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the electromyography (EMG) devices market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the electromyography (EMG) devices market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of electromyography (EMG) devices market vendors

Related Reports

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Electromyography (EMG) Devices Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 8.66% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 509.82 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.97 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 40% Key consumer countries US, Germany, France, Japan, and China Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Allengers Medical Systems Ltd., Ambu Inc., American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Biometrics Ltd, BioRESEARCH Associates Inc., Bittium Corp., BTS S.p.A., Cadwell Industries Inc., Clarity Medical Pvt. Ltd, Compumedics Ltd., Contec Medical Systems Co. Ltd., DEYMED Diagnostic sro, Dragerwerk AG and Co. KGaA, EMS Handels Gesellschaft mbH, Magstim EGI, Medtronic Plc, Natus Medical Inc., NCC Medical, Nihon Kohden Corp., and Noraxon 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, 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.

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Table Of Contents

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 End-user



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Modality



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 18: Five forces analysis - Comparison between2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 19: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 20: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 21: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 22: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 23: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 24: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by End-user

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 25: Chart on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 26: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 27: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 28: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

5.3 Hospitals and clinics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 29: Chart on Hospitals and clinics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Data Table on Hospitals and clinics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 31: Chart on Hospitals and clinics - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 32: Data Table on Hospitals and clinics - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Rehabilitation centers - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 33: Chart on Rehabilitation centers - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Data Table on Rehabilitation centers - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Chart on Rehabilitation centers - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 36: Data Table on Rehabilitation centers - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Homecare - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 37: Chart on Homecare - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Data Table on Homecare - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Chart on Homecare - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 40: Data Table on Homecare - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 41: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million)

6 Market Segmentation by Modality

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 42: Chart on Modality - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Modality - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Modality

Exhibit 44: Chart on Comparison by Modality



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Comparison by Modality

6.3 Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 46: Chart on Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Stationary - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Stationary - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.4 Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 50: Chart on Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Portable - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Portable - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Modality

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by Modality ($ million)

7 Customer Landscape

7.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 55: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

8 Geographic Landscape

8.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 56: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

8.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 58: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 59: Data Table on Geographic comparison

8.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 60: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 62: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 64: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 66: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 68: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 70: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 72: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 73: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 74: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 75: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.7 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 76: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 77: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 78: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.8 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 80: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 81: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 82: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 83: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.9 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 84: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 85: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 87: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.10 France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 88: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 89: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 91: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.11 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 92: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 93: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 95: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

8.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 96: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

9.1 Market drivers

9.2 Market challenges

9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 97: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

9.4 Market trends

10 Vendor Landscape

10.1 Overview

10.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 98: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

10.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 99: Overview on factors of disruption

10.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 100: Impact of key risks on business

11 Vendor Analysis

11.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 101: Vendors covered

11.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 102: Matrix on vendor position and classification

11.3 Allengers Medical Systems Ltd.

Exhibit 103: Allengers Medical Systems Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 104: Allengers Medical Systems Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 105: Allengers Medical Systems Ltd. - Key offerings

11.4 Ambu Inc.

Exhibit 106: Ambu Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 107: Ambu Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 108: Ambu Inc. - Key offerings

11.5 American Association of Neuromuscular

Exhibit 109: American Association of Neuromuscular - Overview



Exhibit 110: American Association of Neuromuscular - Product / Service



Exhibit 111: American Association of Neuromuscular - Key offerings

11.6 Cadwell Industries Inc.

Exhibit 112: Cadwell Industries Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 113: Cadwell Industries Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: Cadwell Industries Inc. - Key offerings

11.7 Compumedics Ltd.

Exhibit 115: Compumedics Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 116: Compumedics Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Compumedics Ltd. - Key offerings

11.8 Magstim EGI

Exhibit 118: Magstim EGI - Overview



Exhibit 119: Magstim EGI - Product / Service



Exhibit 120: Magstim EGI - Key offerings

11.9 Medtronic Plc

Exhibit 121: Medtronic Plc - Overview



Exhibit 122: Medtronic Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 123: Medtronic Plc - Key news



Exhibit 124: Medtronic Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 125: Medtronic Plc - Segment focus

11.10 Natus Medical Inc.

Exhibit 126: Natus Medical Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 127: Natus Medical Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: Natus Medical Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 129: Natus Medical Inc. - Key offerings

11.11 Nihon Kohden Corp.

Exhibit 130: Nihon Kohden Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 131: Nihon Kohden Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 132: Nihon Kohden Corp. - Key offerings

11.12 Noraxon USA Inc.

Inc. Exhibit 133: Noraxon USA Inc. - Overview

Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 134: Noraxon USA Inc. - Product / Service

Inc. - Product / Service

Exhibit 135: Noraxon USA Inc. - Key offerings

12 Appendix

12.1 Scope of the report

12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 136: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 137: Exclusions checklist

12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 138: Currency conversion rates for US$

12.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 139: Research methodology



Exhibit 140: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 141: Information sources

12.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 142: 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
Acquisition adds 107 Remotely Operated Stores to the Extra Space Storage Platform

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Extra Space Storage Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively "Extra Space" or the "Company") (NYSE: EXR) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of multiple entities doing business as Storage Express ("Storage Express"), which own 107 remote storage properties across Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky. The acquisition includes all Storage Express assets, including trademarks, contracts, licenses, intellectual property and 14 future development sites. Total consideration for the acquisition was approximately $590.0 million. The Company also purchased E-Tracker, a storage software operating platform, which supports Storage Express locations, as well as Bargold Storage Systems, LLC, which was acquired by Extra Space in June 2022.

"We are excited about the merger of these two great companies and the expansion of our national portfolio and operating platform," commented Joe Margolis, Chief Executive Officer of Extra Space Storage. "In addition to increased scale, this acquisition provides a new growth channel for Extra Space Storage to add smaller, remote-managed stores in both new and existing markets through acquisition and third-party management. I want to thank the employees of both companies for their hard work and strong execution on this transaction."

The Company also announced today that its board of directors appointed Jefferson Shreve to the board, effective immediately. Mr. Shreve is the Founder and Owner of Storage Express, and currently is serving as the Chairman of the Self-Storage Association (SSA) Board of Directors. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University, his MBA from Purdue's Krannert School, and his Master of Arts from the University of London.

"I want to welcome Jefferson Shreve to the Extra Space Storage board. Jefferson has been a pioneer in remote managed storage strategies, and we are excited to add his deep industry expertise as a director," commented Ken Woolley, Chairman of the Extra Space Storage board of directors.

The transaction was funded in part by the issuance of $125.0 million in operating partnership units, with the balance in cash drawn from its credit facilities.

Transaction Advisors

Latham & Watkins LLP acted as Extra Space Storage's outside legal counsel in connection with this transaction.

Forward-Looking Statements :

Certain information set forth in this release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning the benefits of store and platform acquisitions, developments, favorable market conditions, our outlook and estimates for the year and other statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs, the competitive landscape, plans or intentions relating to acquisitions and developments and other information that is not historical information. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "estimates," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "anticipates," or "intends," or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. The Company may also make additional forward-looking statements from time to time. All such subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, by the Company or on its behalf, are also expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in or contemplated by this release. Any forward-looking statements should be considered in light of the risks referenced in the "Risk Factors" section included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and various assumptions. The Company's expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith and the Company believes there is a reasonable basis for them, but there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs and projections will result or be achieved. All forward-looking statements apply only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About Extra Space Storage Inc.

Extra Space Storage Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust, and a member of the S&P 500. As of June 30, 2022, the Company owned and/or operated 2,177 self-storage properties, which comprise approximately 1.6 million units and approximately 168.0 million square feet of rentable storage space offering customers conveniently located and secure storage units across the country, including boat storage, RV storage and business storage. The Company is the second largest owner and/or operator of self-storage properties in the United States and is the largest self-storage management company in the United States.

For more information, please visit www.extraspace.com

SOURCE Extra Space Storage Inc.
With the Border Ablaze, 66 National and Local Talk Hosts Gather on Capitol Hill to Hold President Biden's and Congress' Feet to the Fire

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During its first year and a half in office, the Biden-Harris administration has created an unprecedented border, immigration, national security, public health, and humanitarian crisis along our southern border. Some 5 million illegal entries have been recorded since the president was sworn in, and an estimated 2.3 million have either been released into the country or eluded apprehension. At the same time, a record flow of lethal drugs is pouring across the same open border.

On September 21st and 22nd, 66 national and local talk radio hosts will broadcast live in Washington, D.C., at the Federation for American Immigration Reform's (FAIR) 15th Hold Their Feet to the Fire radio row in what has become the largest annual gathering of talk hosts in the country. The two-day event will focus on the failed immigration policies of the Biden-Harris administration and the Schumer-Pelosi-led Congress, holding them both accountable.

"The Biden-Harris administration has not only taken a torch to every aspect of U.S. immigration policy and law, with disastrous results, they are blatantly lying to the American public. Just this week, Vice President Harris claimed on national television that our borders are secure," charged Bob Dane, executive director of FAIR. "Sadly, the ideologically-driven mainstream news outlets refuse to report the extent of the damage the Biden-Harris administration has wrought on the American public. The American public knows it is being lied to, and the purpose of Hold Their Feet to the Fire is to make sure that the American people have the information they need to hold the administration and Congress accountable for their reckless and politically-driven policies by blanketing the nation's radio airwaves."

This year's Hold Their Feet to the Fire radio row will take place on the roof deck of 400 North Capitol Street, home to many of the nation's leading news organizations. Credentialed media are welcome to attend and speak to the dozens of radio hosts, members of Congress, immigration policy experts, law enforcement officials, and others who are participating.

When:

Wednesday September 21 and Thursday September 22 from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm.

Where:

The roof deck of 400 North Capitol Street on Capitol Hill. Look for signs in the lobby directing to a special reception desk. No RSVP required.

Who:

66 national and local talk radio hosts

Dozens of members of Congress

Former federal immigration enforcement officials

Dozens of sheriffs from across the country

Immigration policy experts

Angel Families and border residents

Contacts:

Ron Kovach 219.983.2964, [email protected]

Ira Mehlman 213.700.0407, [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fastbase Inc. (OTC: FBSE), one of the leading web analytics and data providers in the world, has released the following shareholder update:

HEMED Holdings

The company controls, via ownership of preferred shares, Trustfeed Corp. (OTC: HEMED) and is diligently building out the software capabilities of the company. It is in talks to recruit additional software developers to build out Trustfeed.com. All software being built is proprietary and not licensed through any other company, allowing us to keep all revenues derived from the software built.

New Features in WebLeads 8.0

Our proprietary software, WebLeads 8.0, is being developed further and over the course of the last year has additional features. The application now integrates with Google. This year, Google allowed Fastbase to extract additional data from website visitors. This includes faster delivery of data and tracking of data from website visitors over the past 5 years. Other features updated on the Fastbase WebLeads 8.0 application include integration with Firebase, Google Ads, Intercom, Salesforce (CRM), Slack, Zoho, and Trello.

IR and Marketing Update

Last month, the company retained Cervitude IR to assist with investor relations, marketing, and advertising. The company has begun investor awareness outreach to market makers and private family offices focused on OTC investments. In addition, Cervitude IR is spearheading a social media marketing campaign that include content creation, social media engagement, PPC ads, and interviews with social media influencers for Fastbase, Inc. (OTC:FBSE)

WebLeads 8.0 Traction & Growth

Our subscriber numbers have continued to grow with WebLeads 8.0. Web domains that have signed up now have topped over 130,000 unique URLs, which represent over 1,300,000 website visitors. The software is currently being utilized in over 110 countries. Client companies utilizing the software application include United Parcel Service (UPS), Nestle, Hellman's, Panasonic, Kickstarter, Ford, and Coca Cola.

Company & Shareholder Meetups

The company's CEO, Rasmus Refer, will begin investor meetups starting at the end of November 2022 and continue into 2023. Investor meetup locations for Fastbase, Inc will include Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Sweden, The United States, Dubai, and China. The purpose of these meetups is to continue an open dialogue with Fastbase shareholders and increase transparency.

About Fastbase, Inc.

Fastbase Inc. is a Nevada-registered web and data company that synthesizes Big Data to provide business insights faster and at a large scale. The company offers a growing suite of business solutions to support B2B lead acquisition, marketing, and sales, to provide business data processing and to support companies with intelligent data supply. Fastbase's international lead acquisitions suite gathers and displays detailed information on website visitors, including the name of the company, contact information, email addresses and LinkedIn profiles. Fastbase's success has been facilitated by its seamless integration with Google Analytics. Trustfeed is the most recent of Fastbase's software developments and disrupting the community-based consumer review site paradigm. It is a company and product review site that was designed to accurately reflects users' real experiences and show trusted reviews that are helpful to consumers, to sellers and the public. Fastbase data can be utilized with CRM systems and sales and marketing applications, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Mailchimp. Fastbase customers that use Google Analytics can easily access a detailed list of their website visitors for the past 24 months. Fastbase provides a listing of companies searching for specific products, services or businesses and gives B2B marketers a much better chance of creating a prospective sale or helping determine if marketing efforts are effective. Fastbase's Global Media unit is responsible for monitoring the huge demand for data information/intelligence services to support B2B businesses and incubating leading-edge solutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements regarding projected business performance, operating results, financial condition, and other aspects of the company, expressed by such language as "expected," "anticipated," "projected" and "forecasted." These statements may also include estimates of the pace of customer adoption, customer usage and software development. Please be advised that such statements are estimates only and there is no assurance that the results stated or implied by forward-looking statements will be realized by the company. Forward-looking statements may be based on management assumptions that prove to be wrong. The Company's predictions may not be realized for a variety of reasons, including due to competition, customer sales cycles, and engineering or technical issues, among others. The Company and its business are subject to substantial risks and potential events beyond its control that would cause material differences between predicted results and actual results, including the company incurring operating losses and experiencing unexpected material adverse events.

Fastbase Inc.

140 Broadway, 46th Floor

10005 New York, United States

email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fastbasec

https://www.fastbase.com

SOURCE Fastbase
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal district court dismissed all charges against Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless in the "Fat Leonard" bribery and corruption case after federal prosecutors opted not to retry him after a four-month jury trial ended in mistrial for Rear Admiral Loveless, the sole defendant who was not convicted out of the 34 defendants charged by the United States Department of Justice. The remaining four out of five defendants who went to trial with Rear Admiral Loveless were convicted on all charges on June 29, 2022. The so-called "Fat Leonard" case has been widely described as the largest corruption scandal in United States Navy history.

Partners Thomas P. O'Brien and Ivy A. Wang of Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP (EGC) tried this case alongside partner Daniel Prince and other attorneys from Paul Hastings LLP.

"We are pleased that the charges against Rear Admiral Loveless have now been dismissed following the jury mistrial in June, and the multi-year nightmare for our client is finally over," stated O'Brien. "This is absolutely the correct result based on the complete lack of evidence of criminal wrongdoing presented during the four-month long trial."

The jury trial, which was one of the longest federal criminal jury trials in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, has recently resurfaced in the news following media reports that foreign military contractor Leonard Glenn "Fat Leonard" Francis escaped house arrest and is currently on the run. An international search for the fugitive is ongoing.

This was O'Brien and Wang's second significant federal white-collar trial victory in less than a year. In December 2021, O'Brien and Wang successfully acquitted Dr. Mirali Zarrabi on all counts after a three-month federal jury trial regarding a $355 million insurance fraud scheme in the 1-800-GET-THIN Lap-Band surgery business. The two other defendants in that case were convicted on all counts.

About Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP:

EGC is recognized as one of the top litigation and trial firms in the country, with offices in Century City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. Whether plaintiff or defendant, individual, Fortune 500 corporation or entrepreneur, clients call upon EGC when seeking litigation counsel of the highest quality, creativity, dedication, and ethics.

SOURCE Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ZAPPA'S TIMELESS TOP 40 HIT, CO-WRITTEN WITH AND FEATURING DAUGHTER MOON UNIT ZAPPA, MARKED WITH ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO, DANCE REMIX BY FLUX PAVILION, AND "VALLEY GIRL"-THEMED MERCH

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Valley Girl," Frank Zappa's sardonic, GRAMMY-nominated Top 40 hit co-written with and featuring his then teenage daughter Moon Unit Zappa offering up the "totally bitchin'" local slang of the day over a gonzo riff set to an energetic beat. Released in 1982, the satirical track  which poked fun at the teen culture of Southern California's San Fernando Valley  became the innovative artist's biggest hit in the U.S. and inadvertently popularized "Valspeak" across the nation while capturing the zeitgeist of the day.

Frank Zappa's timeless, satirical tune "Valley Girl," co-written and featuring his then-teeange daughter Moon Unit Zappa, like, totally turns 40.

To celebrate this enduring father-daughter collaboration turned cultural phenomenon, Zappa Records/UMe has released the first-ever music video for "Valley Girl," courtesy of the award-winning animation studio, Fantoons. Inspired by '80s cartoons, the animated video is chock full of Easter Eggs from across Zappa's peerless and prolific career.

Watch "Valley Girl" here: https://zappa.lnk.to/ValleyGirlVideoPR

To accompany the video, a new collection of "Valley Girl"-inspired merch, featuring graphics and imagery from the video on a t-shirt, tank and hat, is now available, alongside the recently released evergreen Zappa line at Zappa.com.

"Valley Girl" merch: https://store.zappa.com/collections/valley-girl

Zappa merch: https://store.zappa.com/collections/zappa-collection

Later this year, "Valley Girl" will also receive a fresh remix from British DJ, producer, and EDM star, and longtime Zappa fan, Flux Pavillion, who has previously worked alongside M.I.A., Dillon Francis, Marshmello, Steve Aoki, and many others.

When 14-year-old Moon first approached Frank Zappa about a collaboration, her only goal was to spend more time with her legendary father. For the better part of three decades, the elder Zappa had gained near-mythic status through his work as a boundary-pushing musician, a prolific composer and producer, a guitar virtuoso, and a prominent activist. By the early '80s, however, Zappa was a family man, who spent much of his time at his home studio when he wasn't touring. His children  Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva  meanwhile, had few rules, other than to not disturb their father when he was at work.

Craving a sense of normalcy and quality time with her dad, Moon slipped a note under Frank's studio door. "Up until now I have been trying to stay out of your way while you record. However, I have come to the conclusion that I would love to sing on your album," it read. In early 1982, not long before he embarked on a European tour, Frank took his daughter up on her offer, waking her up at 3 AM to record vocals over a 4/4 beat and guitar riff that he and drummer Chad Wackerman had laid down (both of which were remarkably conventional for the offbeat artist). The teen gave it her all, improvising her best "Encino accent" and impersonating the inane idioms of her Los Angeles peers. Adding additional instrumentation from bassist Scott Thunes, plus a sardonically catchy chorus, Frank Zappa unwittingly created an anthem for the early '80s.

Initially, the acetate was shared exclusively with local rock station KROQ-FM, where Moon gave an interview, introducing the track. The song was an instant hit and soon rival stations were playing bootlegged recordings of it. It would be months, however, until "Valley Girl" was officially releasedfirst as a track on Frank's album, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, which dropped in Mayand later as a 7-inch single, which arrived in stores on August 30.

By September, "Valley Girl" had become a cultural phenomenon, reaching No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 12 on the Top Tracks chart (now known as the Mainstream Rock chart), and No. 18 on the Canadian pop chart. The song, which marked Zappa's sole U.S. Top 40 hit, drove Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch up the album charts, where it peaked at No. 23. The following year, "Valley Girl" earned the Zappas a GRAMMY nod for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Despite the ironic nature of "Valley Girl," the single spawned a variety of themed merchandise, including posters, dolls, cosmetics, and clothing, and inspired teens around the globe to embrace phrases like "totally bitchin'," "gag me with a spoon," and "barf me out!"

Frank wasn't thrilled with the public's response to the song, telling Billboard, "People think 'Valley Girl' is a happy kind of song, but it isn't. I've always hated the Valley. It's a most depressing place. It just goes to show that the American public loves to celebrate the infantile."

Moon, on the other hand, loved making her dad laugh, collaborating artistically and spending rare one-on-one time with him, even if it meant being uncomfortably thrust into the global spotlight so young. Moon looks forward to the new ways people will connect with the iconic character she created that the world continues to love.

zappa.com

facebook.com/zappa

twitter.com/zappa

# # #

SOURCE Zappa Records/UMe
JERSEY CITY, N.J., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announced the publication of a market research report titled " Global Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market By Type(Gastrointestinal Endotherapy, (ERCP Devices, Gastrointestinal Stents (Esophageal Stents, Biliary Stents, Pancreatic Stents), Balloon Dilators, Ultrasound Endoscopes, Biopsy Devices (Biopsy Forceps, Polypectomy Snares, Other Biopsy Devices), Hemostasis Devices, Retrieval Devices, Others), Gastrointestinal Endoscopes and Endoscopic Systems (Gastrointestinal Videoscopes (Gastroscopes, Colonoscopes, Duodenoscopes, Sigmoidoscopes, Enteroscopes, Anoscopes), Visualization Systems, Capsule Endoscopes), End-User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Others)- Market Outlook and Industry Analysis 2030" According to company's newest research, the global gastrointestinal endoscopy market is worth US$ 14.09 Billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach US$ 23.08 Billion in 2030, with a promising CAGR of 5.98% between 2022 and 2030.

In recent years, endoscopic technology has improved significantly and become a vital aspect of clinical gastroenterology. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a type of endoscopic technique that allows doctors to examine the digestive system by inserting a long, flexible, illuminated device called an endoscope either through the rectum or the throat. The oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, pancreas, and bile ducts may be evaluated and treated with these endoscopic techniques. Modern endoscopy has shown to be immensely valuable in many fields of medicine because of the fact that it entails relatively few risks, produces detailed images, and is rapid to do. In the last two decades, the use of endoscopy for both diagnostic evaluation and screening has expanded dramatically. Also, Numerous improvements have broadened the endoscopic indications.

Get Sample copy of the Global Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market Report at https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/1361

The rising demand for single-use endoscopes such as duodenoscopes, gastroscopes, and colonoscopes, the rising demand for capsule endoscopy, and the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence into the industry are among the enormous opportunities in the global gastrointestinal endoscopy market. The development of endoscopes that only need to be used once, the rising demand for minimally invasive procedures, and the increasing number of new products introduced by market players are predicted to contribute to the expansion of the market throughout the forecast period. In addition, the increasing incidence of gastrointestinal disorders is predicted to drive up market demand, and technological developments in endoscopic treatments are forecasted to impact the commercial environment significantly.

Market expansion for gastrointestinal endoscopies will be stymied by factors such as the high price of procedures, unfavourable healthcare trends, and inadequate reimbursement. Nonetheless, the gastrointestinal endoscopy market will have several opportunities for growth throughout the forecast period because of the growing healthcare markets in developing countries and the advancement of gastrointestinal endoscopic technologies.

North America held the largest revenue share in 2021. The introduction of Innovative endoscopic equipment will boost industry growth in North America. In addition, the increasing prevalence of gastrointestinal illnesses, cancer, and other chronic conditions, as well as the rising demand for slightly invasive procedures, will increase North America's global market share.

The key players operating in gastrointestinal endoscopy Market are Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic plc, KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG, Ambu A/S, Teleflex Incorporated, HOYA Corporation, Olympus Corporation, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Cook Group Inc, SonoScape Medical Corp., EndoMed Systems GmbH, CapsoVision, Inc., HuiZhou Xzing Technology Co., Ltd., Endogene Ltd., Envaste Limited and other prominent players of the market.

Key Market Developments:

In Aug 2022 , Medtronic announced that the GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is now available. The module is a game-changing solution that uses deep learning algorithms and real-time data. It helps doctors find and treat colorectal cancer by giving them a better view of the colon during a colonoscopy.





, Medtronic announced that the GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is now available. The module is a game-changing solution that uses deep learning algorithms and real-time data. It helps doctors find and treat colorectal cancer by giving them a better view of the colon during a colonoscopy. In Mar 2022 , Fujifilm will work with Gastro Care Partners to bring the best endoscopic imaging solutions to GI practices in Colorado . Peak Gastroenterology Associates, which is part of the GCP network and is the largest gastroenterology practise in southern Colorado , has installed Fujifilm's GI portfolio, which includes the 700 Series Colonoscopes and the ELUXEO Endoscopic Imaging System, in its Colorado Springs -based Front Range Endoscopy Center and Surgical Center of Peak Endoscopy.





Fujifilm will work with Gastro Care Partners to bring the best endoscopic imaging solutions to GI practices in . Peak Gastroenterology Associates, which is part of the GCP network and is the largest gastroenterology practise in southern , has installed Fujifilm's GI portfolio, which includes the 700 Series Colonoscopes and the ELUXEO Endoscopic Imaging System, in its -based Front Range Endoscopy Center and Surgical Center of Peak Endoscopy. In Feb 2022 , Ambu announced that the FDA approved their Ambu aScopeTM Gastro and Ambu aBoxTM 2 Single-Use Gastroscope and Next-Generation Display Unit. Ambu's solution is a good choice for customers who want to do gastroscopies in a wide range of care settings because of its advanced technology, portability, and low cost. This is because reusable endoscopes have some problems that this solution solves.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/1361

Market Segmentation

Global Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Type, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

1. Gastrointestinal Endotherapy

ERCP Devices

Gastrointestinal Stents

Esophageal Stents



BiliaryStents



Pancreatic Stents

Balloon Dilators

Ultrasound Endoscopes

Biopsy Devices

Biopsy Forceps



Polypectomy Snares



Other Biopsy Devices

Hemostasis Devices

Retrieval Devices

Others

2. Gastrointestinal Endoscopes and Endoscopic Systems

Gastrointestinal Videoscopes

Gastroscopes



Colonoscopes



Duodenoscopes



Sigmoidoscopes



Enteroscopes



Anoscopes

Visualization Systems

Capsule Endoscopes

Global Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by End-User, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Others

Global Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Region, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

North America Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Country, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

U.S.

Canada

Europe Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Country, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

Russia

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Country, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

India

China

Japan

South Korea

Australia & New Zealand

Latin America Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Country, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Market, by Country, 2022-2030 Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (No. of Units)

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Why should buy this report:

To receive a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for the global gastrointestinal endoscopy market

To receive an industry overview and future trends of the gastrointestinal endoscopy market

To analyze the global gastrointestinal endoscopy market drivers and challenges

To get information on the global gastrointestinal endoscopy market size value (US$ Mn) and volume (No. of Units) forecast to 2030

To get information on investments, mergers & acquisitions in the global gastrointestinal endoscopy industry

For More Information @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/1361

Other Related Reports Published by InsightAce Analytic:

Global Duodenoscopes Market

Global Capsule Endoscopy Market

Global Endoscope Cleaning Swab 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 a 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

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SOURCE InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd
DUBLIN, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Hybrid Train Market by Propulsion Type (Electro Diesel, Battery Operated, Hydrogen, CNG, LNG, and Solar), Application (Passenger and Freight), Operating Speed (>100 km/h, 100-200 km/h, <200 km/h), Battery Technology and Region - Global Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global hybrid train market size is projected to reach 745 units by 2030, from an estimated 470 units in 2022, at a CAGR of 5.9%.

The battery powered segment is expected to be the second-fastest propulsion segment in the forecast.

The battery-powered train propulsion has a powertrain that consists of different motors and batteries. These batteries can be charged either by overhead wires or at charging stations. The battery-powered trains are efficient as they have the advantage of lower installation and operating costs than conventional diesel trains. These trains are also noiseless in operation and do not have exhaust, which fulfills the need for emission-free railway operations.

These trains are 80-90% efficient when it comes to recyclability. Generally, Lithium-Ion batteries are used in battery-powered trains around the world. For instance, In January 2021, BNSF and Wabtec Corporation is working on the future potential of battery-electric locomotives and they begin testing between Barstow and Stockton, California.

The freight segment is expected to be the fastest-growing application segment during the forecast period.

Freight transportation accounts for the fastest market in the hybrid train market owing to the increase in freight transportation by rail especially in Europe. For instance, in June 2022, CRRC (China) announced HXN6 hybrid locomotives, which can reduce fuel consumption by 30% to 50%, reduce exhaust emission by 40% to 80%, and reduce the noise impact time of the diesel engine by more than 80%. the HXN6 hybrid locomotive also has a very strong traction performance. Under the shunting operation condition of a single-locomotive, it can haul more than 10,000 tons of cargo.

Also, due to the benefit of cost-effective and efficient transportation of passengers accounts for the largest market in 2022 owing to several cities that are implementing new rail infrastructure projects with the aim of reducing road congestion and providing an affordable means of transportation at an intercity as well as intracity level. Increasing urbanization and the growing demand for increased connectivity, comfort, reliability, and safety will boost the demand for hybrid trains.

As of 2022, most of the hybrid train projects or operations are related to the passenger segment, as freight transportation requires powerful trains and hybrid train technologies are still in their initial stage to be able to cater to the freight transport demand. For instance, in September 2021, Alstom's Coradia iLint train, the first in the world to be powered by hydrogen is deployed in France for passenger transportation. Considering these developments hybrid train market will provide growth opportunities in near future.

Increasing demand for rapid transportation and advancement in hybrid technologies will drive the above 200 km/h segment.

Electric propulsion is principally used for achieving more than 200 km/h speed. Thus, operational trains having more than 200 km/h speed are propelled by electric propulsion and are powered by dual propulsion. Currently, hybrid trains operating at speeds above 200 km/h account for a less share. The consistent advancement in train technologies is expected to push the growth of hybrid trains with a speed of more than 200 km/h in the coming years. The rapid technological developments in the railway industry are encouraging train manufacturers to invest more in R&D, which is driving the hybrid train market.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Demand for Energy-Efficient and Less Polluting Train Operations

Benefits of Hybrid Trains Over Conventional Diesel Trains

Rising Demand for Energy-Efficient Transport

Restraints

High Development Cost and Complexities in Technologies and Related Infrastructure

Refurbishment of Existing Trains

Opportunities

Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Locomotives

Development of Battery Operated Trains

Development of Solar Power Trains

Increasing Railway Operations in Industrial and Mining Activities

Challenges

Requirement of High R&D Investments

High Cost of Charging Infrastructure and Replacement

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Hybrid Train Market, by Battery Technology

7 Hybrid Train Market, by Application

8 Hybrid Train Market, by Operating Speed

9 Hybrid Train Market, by Propulsion

10 Hybrid Train Market, by Region

11 Competitive Landscape

12 Company Profiles

13 Analyst's Recommendations

14 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

ABB

Alstom

Ballard

Bnsf

Chart Industries

Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles (CAF)

CRRC

Cummins

DB Cargo

Etihad Rail

Hitachi

Hyundai Rotem Company

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Renfe Operadora

Rolls-Royce

Siemens

Sinara Transport Machines

Skoda Transportation

SNCF

Stadler Rail Ag

The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd.

Toshiba

Vivarail

Wabtec Corporation (Ge Transportation)

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Military Robots Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global military robots market size reached US$ 15.4 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 29.7 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 11.57% during 2021-2027.

Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



A military robot refers to a human-operated or automated mechanical device that is used for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities on land, water and air. The robots are specifically configured for military functions and are equipped with global positioning systems (GPS), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems and fiber optics tethers to transform, receive and forward information to various endpoints.

They are also used for operations involving search and rescue, combat support, transportation, mine clearance and firefighting. Some of the commonly used military robots, such as Unmanned Security Vehicles (USVs), are equipped with sensors, video and thermal cameras, microphones and two-way radios. They provide backup against heavy artillery and can also be used to rescue injured soldiers or troops from the battlefield.



The market is primarily being driven by an alarming increase in terrorism across the globe. In line with this, the growing requirement for efficient military robots that can perform hazardous tasks and can be deployed in life-threatening situations to minimize the casualties of soldiers is further facilitating the demand for military robots. Significant advancements in robotics and automation technologies are acting as another major growth-inducing factor. For instance, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled the production of military robots with advanced monitoring, targeting and information gathering systems.



Governments of both emerging and developed nations are investing significantly to improve their existing security infrastructure. Initiatives are continually being undertaken to equip air, marine and land forces with advanced security solutions, such as wheeled, tracked and legged robots, wearable robots, Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs) and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Other factors, including increasing investments in the defense sector and the implementation of various military modernization programs, are projected to drive the market in the coming years.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Bae Systems, Boston Dynamics, Cobham Plc, Elbit Systems Ltd., Endeavor Robotics (iRobot), General Dynamics Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Qinetiq, Saab AB, etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

1. What was the size of the global military robots market in 2021?

2. What is the expected growth rate of the global military robots market during 2022-2027?

3. What are the key factors driving the global military robots market?

4. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global military robots market?

5. What is the breakup of the global military robots market based on the platform?

6. What is the breakup of the global military robots market based on the application?

7. What is the breakup of the global military robots market based on mode of operation?

8. What are the key regions in the global military robots market?

9. Who are the key players/companies in the global military robots market?



Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Military Robots Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Platform

6.1 Land Robots

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Major Types

6.1.2.1 Wheeled

6.1.2.2 Tracked

6.1.2.3 Legged

6.1.2.4 Wearable

6.1.3 Market Forecast

6.2 Marine Robots

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Major Types

6.2.2.1 Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)

6.2.2.2 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

6.2.2.3 Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs)

6.2.3 Market Forecast

6.3 Airborne Robots

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Major Types

6.3.2.1 Small UAV

6.3.2.2 Strategic UAV

6.3.2.3 Tactical UAV

6.3.2.4 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)

6.3.3 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Application

7.1 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Search and Rescue

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Combat Support

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Transportation

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 EOD

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Mine Clearance

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast

7.7 Firefighting

7.7.1 Market Trends

7.7.2 Market Forecast

7.8 Others

7.8.1 Market Trends

7.8.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Mode of Operation

8.1 Human Operated

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Autonomous

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis

12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Indicators



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Bae Systems

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.2 Boston Dynamics

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.3 Cobham Plc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4 Elbit Systems Ltd.

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.5 Endeavor Robotics (iRobot)

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6 General Dynamics Corporation

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 Lockheed Martin Corporation

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7.3 Financials

14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.8 Northrop Grumman Corporation

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8.3 Financials

14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.9 Qinetiq

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.10 Saab AB

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Scintillator Market (2022-2027) by Composition of Material, Application, End Product, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Scintillator Market is estimated to be USD 597.14 Mn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 779.7 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.48%.

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Scintillator Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.

As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Amcrys, Applied Scintillation Technologies, Crydet, Hitachi Metals, Mirion Technologies, Rexon, Saint Gobain, etc.

Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Scintillator Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Scintillator Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Scintillator Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Report Description

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increasing Demand of Existing and New Radiological Medical Applications

4.1.2 Increase in Safety Concerns in the Wake of Fukushima Disaster

4.1.3 Increasing Investments for Radiation Monitoring in Homeland Security

4.1.4 Increasing Demand for Low Cost and High Performance Scintillators

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Availability of Alternative Such as Radiation Conversion Technologies

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Growing Need for Neutron Detection Alternative to Helium-3

4.3.2 Proposed Increase in the Number of Nuclear Power Plants

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Lack of Availability of Skilled People

5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis

6 Global Scintillator Market, By Composition of Material

6.1 Introduction

6.2 In-Organic Scintillator

6.2.1 Alkali Halides

6.2.1.1 Thallium Doped Sodium Iodide: NAI(TL)

6.2.1.2 Thallium Doped Cesium Iodide: CSI(TL)

6.2.1.3 Sodium Doped Cesium Iodide: CSI(Na

6.2.1.4 UN-Doped Cesium Iodide: Csi

6.2.1.5 Europium Doped LII Or LII(EU)

6.2.2 Oxide Based Scintillators

6.2.2.1 Bismuth Germanate (BI4GE3O12 Or BGO)

6.2.2.2 Gadolinium Silicate GD2SIO5 (CE) Or (GSO)

6.2.2.3 Cadmium Tungstate (CDWO4 Or CWO)

6.2.2.4 Lead Tungstate (PBWO4 Or PWO)

6.2.3 Other Inorganic Scintillators

6.2.3.1 Glass Scintillators: (Cerium Activated Lithium Silicate)

6.2.3.2 Cerium Activated Lanthanum Bromide

6.3 Organic Scintillator

6.3.1 Single Crystal

6.3.2 Liquid Scintillators

6.3.3 Plastic Scintillators

7 Global Scintillator Market, By Application

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Healthcare

7.3 Homeland Security

7.4 Nuclear Power Plants

7.5 Industrial Application

8 Global Scintillator Market, By End Product

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Personal Or Pocket Size Instruments

8.2.1 Non Self-Reading Dosimeters

8.2.1.1 Film Badges

8.2.1.2 Thermo-Luminescent Dosimeters (TLD)

8.2.1.3 Optically Stimulated Luminescence (Osl) Dosimeter

8.2.2 Self-Reading Dosimeters

8.3 Hand-Held Instruments

8.3.1 Radio-Isotope Identification Devices (RIID)

8.3.2 Survey Meter

8.3.3 Spectrometer

8.4 Fixed, Installed, and Automatic Instruments

8.4.1 Contamination Monitors

8.4.2 Portal Monitor

8.4.3 Non Portable Spectrometer

8.4.4 Medical Imaging Devices

9 Americas' Scintillator Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas

10 Europe's Scintillator Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe

11 Middle East and Africa's Scintillator Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA

12 APAC's Scintillator Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific

13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements

14 Company Profiles

14.1 Amcrys

14.2 Ametek

14.3 Applied Scintillation Technologies

14.4 Crydet

14.5 Fluent Wave

14.6 Hamamatsu Photonics

14.7 Hitachi Metals

14.8 Ludlum Measurements

14.9 ME Taylor Engineering

14.10 Mirion Technologies

14.11 Radiation Monitoring Devices

14.12 Rexon

14.13 Saint Gobain

15 Appendix

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SEATTLE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the global stem cell therapy market is estimated to be valued at US$ 15,075.5 million in 2022 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 21.2% during the forecast period (2022-2030).

Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Stem Cell Therapy Market:

Major players operating in market are focusing on adopting inorganic strategies like collaboration for developing new products and expanding their product portfolio of Stem Cell Therapy Company. For instance, in May 2022, Be Biopharma, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, collaborated with National Resilience, Inc., a biotech company, to advance initial programs in Be Bio's rare disease pipeline. Be Bio's proprietary engineered B Cell Medicines (BeCM) platform is harnessing the power of the human B cell to create a new class of autologous and allogeneic cellular medicines that durably and redosably produce therapeutic proteins in vivo without toxic pre-conditioning.

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Key Market Takeaways:

Global stem cell therapy market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 21.2% during the forecast period due to the increasing adoption of inorganic strategies such as agreements and collaboration by the key players in market. For instance, in April 2022, Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology and healthcare company, signed agreement with Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical company, for the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of CAR-NK cells that target certain solid tumor-associated antigens. Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. and Merck & Co. originally entered into a collaboration and exclusive license agreement in January 2021 for the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of CAR-NK cells that target certain solid tumor-associated antigens. The collaboration leverages Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc.'s off-the-shelf allogeneic NK cell manufacturing platform, along with its proprietary CAR-NK technology, and includes two CAR-NK programs with an option for a third, none of which are in Artiva's current or planned pipeline.

Among cell source, the adult stem cells segment is expected to dominate the segment growth over the forecast period, owing to technology advancement in stem cell therapy and product launches by the market players. For instance, in October 2020, Therapeutic Solutions International, a biotechnology company, announced the launching of a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, and multicenter, multination, clinical trial of 128 patients with COVID-19 associated lung failure. The study comprised of two groups, JadiCell treatment group and control group. The primary end point of the study was comparing the proportion of patients alive and free of respiratory failure at Day 60 after treatment with JadiCells as compared with placebo. The Jadi Cell product, which belongs to the MSC family of cells, is a unique adult stem cell, which produces higher levels of therapeutic factors compared with other stem cells.

Key players operating in the global stem cell therapy market include Magellan, Medipost Co., Ltd, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., Kolon TissueGene, Inc., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Anterogen Co. Ltd., Pharmicell Co., Inc., and Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.

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Detailed Segmentation:

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market, By Cell Source:

Adult Stem Cells



Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells



Embryonic Stem Cells



Others

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market, By Application:

Musculoskeletal Disorders



Wounds and Injuries



Cancer



Autoimmune disorders



Others

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market, By Region:



North America



By Country:





U.S.







Canada



Europe



By Country:





U.K.







Germany







Italy







France







Spain







Russia







Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



By Country:





China







India







Japan







ASEAN







Australia







South Korea







Rest of Asia Pacific



Latin America



By Country:





Brazil







Mexico







Argentina







Rest of Latin America



Middle East & Africa



By Country:





GCC Countries







Israel







South Africa







Rest of Middle East & Africa

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Find related trending report below:

Adipose Derived Stem Cell Therapy Market, by Cell Type (Allogeneic Stem Cells and Autologous Stem Cells), by Product Type (Cell lines and Culture Media), by Application (Therapeutic Application, Research Application, and Other Applications), by End User (Cell & Tissue Banks, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Organizations, and Research & Academic Organizations), and by Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2022-2028

About Us:

Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients.

Contact Us:

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SOURCE Coherent Market Insights
BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from Thursday to Friday. The summit attracted international attention as it took place at a special time. How to interpret the significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Central Asia? Why has the SCO become a model of successful regional cooperation? Global Times invited four experts from Russia and Central Asian countries to share their views.

Anton Bugayenko, chief expert of the Chinese and Asian studies program under the Institute of World Economy and Politics in Kazakhstan

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Central Asia comes as significant changes are taking place in the political environment and the socio-economic sphere of countries in the region. Central Asia and China are interested in joint development, and the current global turbulence has pushed both sides to cooperate closer with each other.

Kazakhstan is where President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) back in 2013. Kazakhstan's leadership is positive about the results of cooperation under the BRI. Kazakhstan has received notable dividends from participating in the BRI. In particular, it increased the diversification of the economy by shoring up the manufacturing industry. The diversification of Kazakh exports has also increased through the supply of non-oil goods to the Chinese market, from rolled steel and ore to agricultural products. With the help of Chinese investment, Kazakh authorities are addressing the development of less economically developed provinces.

Oleg Ivanov, deputy head of the International and National Security Department, Diplomatic Academy, Moscow.

The SCO promotes wide cooperation and security based on common interests and international law. Therefore, countries neighboring the SCO do not feel threatened when more countries join the organization. Willingness of more countries to join as members indicates that the organization is becoming more and more attractive and is growing.

The SCO is a vivid example of diversity of the international community, where different countries find common ground for mutually beneficial cooperation. The SCO summit is sure to be a clear evidence that evolving multipolar world has a non-Western strong pillar that the world community can rely on.

Sheradil Baktygulov, an independent political analyst based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

International cooperation is based on multilateral institutions and the SCO is a model of successful regional cooperation. The SCO has managed to unite countries with different cultural and civilizational codes, and different foreign policy guidelines and models of national development. In a short historical period, the SCO has come a long way, becoming an integral element of the modern global political and economic world order.

The SCO makes all decisions on the consensus base. It doesn't matter how big a territory or economy of this or that country is. The matter is goodwill to mutually benefiting cooperation on a wide range of real world issues.

The SCO introduces the goodwill approaches. The human values, solid international legal base, good relations among countries, good relations among peoples represent some examples of goodwill approaches. Thus the SCO is providing new opportunities to all interested countries in mutually benefiting economic growth. And none of the member states dictates to another what should be done.

Farkhod Tolipov, director of the Non-Governmental Research Institution "Knowledge Caravan," Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The SCO can make its important and tangible contribution to mitigating conflicts by, for example, strengthening peace and security in its own "zone of responsibility."

For example, two members of the SCO - India and Pakistan - are in cleavage and conflict over Kashmir. If SCO strategically manages to really contribute to mitigation of this territorial dispute, it would be a strong example for other countries and regions of dealing with conflict-prone issues.

Moreover, SCO is better positioned for realization of multiple projects on activation of cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural-humanitarian and other spheres. From its inception, the SCO has served as a forum for mobilization of member-states for multi-faceted cooperation. We can argue that it helped to nurture and prepare environment for what is today called Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In other words, Shanghai Spirit is on the background of BRI; and success of the latter will be linked to a great extent to the success and efficiency of the former.

Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1275267.shtml

SOURCE Global Times
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you know the Gluten-Free Beer Market size is expected to grow by USD 9.36 billion during the forecast period of 2021-2026? Technavio's latest report on the gluten-free beer market is segmented by Type and Geography is curated by covering all market trends, regional outlook, competitive landscape, and comprehensive analysis of business needs & impeccable growth strategies.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Gluten-free Beer Market 2022-2026

All major aspects that include a detailed analysis of market overview, market drivers, opportunities, and potential applications are covered. Both qualitative & quantitative analyses are focused in a better way helping you with decision-making strategies. Free Sample Report Available for Gluten-free Beer Market!

Gluten-free Beer Market Vendors

ALT Brew

Anheuser Busch InBev SA

Bards Brewing LLC

Brasserie de Brunehaut SA

Brasseurs Du Monde

Brewery Rickoli

BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC

Dohler GmbH

Duck Foot Brewing Co.

Epic Brewing Co.

Ground Breaker Brewing and Gastropub

Holidaily Brewing Co.

IIpswich Ale Brewery

Joseph James Brewing Co.

The gluten-free beer market will be affected by the growing influence of online retailing. Apart from this, other market trends include the adoption of innovative techniques and the use of new ingredients, the rising trend of buying gluten-free products, and the increasing purchasing power of consumers. Buy Sample Report.

Gluten-free Beer Market Split

By Type

SCR



BMQOGFI

By Geography

North America



Europe



APAC



South America



The Middle East and Africa

The market analysis is done on the basis of regional distribution helping us to utilize & make performance estimations for the international market over the period from 20221-2026. The gluten-free beer market research report shed light on the foremost regions: North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. Download Sample Report.

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What was the size of the global gluten-free beer industry by value?

What will be the size of the global gluten-free beer industry in 2026?

What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the global gluten-free beer industry?

How has the industry performed over the last five years?

What are the main segments that make up the global gluten-free beer market?

The gluten-free beer market research report presents critical information and factual data about the gluten-free beer industry, with an overall statistical study of this market based on market drivers, market limitations, and its future prospects. The widespread trends and opportunities are also taken into consideration in the gluten-free beer market study.

Related Reports:

Scotch Whisky Market by Product, Distribution Channel, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The scotch whisky market share is expected to increase by 209.49 million liters from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.36%.

Port Wine Market by Distribution Channel and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The port wine market share is expected to increase to USD 157.04 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 3.13%.

Gluten-free Beer Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 13.78% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 9.36 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 18.14 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 41% Key consumer countries US, Canada, UK, Germany, and Spain Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled ALT Brew, Anheuser Busch InBev SA, Bards Brewing LLC, Brasserie de Brunehaut SA, Brasseurs Du Monde, Brewery Rickoli, BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC, Dohler GmbH, Duck Foot Brewing Co., Epic Brewing Co., Ground Breaker Brewing and Gastropub, Holidaily Brewing Co., IIpswich Ale Brewery, Joseph James Brewing Co., Koninklijke DSM NV, New Belgium Brewing Co. Inc., New Planet Beer Co., and Stone Brewing 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 "Consumer Staples" Research Reports

Table of Content:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



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 between2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Chart on 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 Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 SCR - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on SCR - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on SCR - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on SCR - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on SCR - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 BMQOGFI - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on BMQOGFI - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on BMQOGFI - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on BMQOGFI - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on BMQOGFI - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 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 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 56: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 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 (%)

7.12 Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Data Table on Spain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 80: Chart on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 81: Data Table on Spain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 82: 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 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 87: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 ALT Brew

Exhibit 89: ALT Brew - Overview



Exhibit 90: ALT Brew - Product / Service



Exhibit 91: ALT Brew - Key offerings

10.4 Anheuser Busch InBev SA

Exhibit 92: Anheuser Busch InBev SA - Overview



Exhibit 93: Anheuser Busch InBev SA - Business segments



Exhibit 94: Anheuser Busch InBev SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 95: Anheuser Busch InBev SA - Segment focus

10.5 Bards Brewing LLC

Exhibit 96: Bards Brewing LLC - Overview



Exhibit 97: Bards Brewing LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 98: Bards Brewing LLC - Key offerings

10.6 Brasserie de Brunehaut SA

Exhibit 99: Brasserie de Brunehaut SA - Overview



Exhibit 100: Brasserie de Brunehaut SA - Product / Service



Exhibit 101: Brasserie de Brunehaut SA - Key offerings

10.7 Brasseurs Du Monde

Exhibit 102: Brasseurs Du Monde - Overview



Exhibit 103: Brasseurs Du Monde - Product / Service



Exhibit 104: Brasseurs Du Monde - Key offerings

10.8 BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC

Exhibit 105: BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC - Overview



Exhibit 106: BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 107: BURNING BROTHERS BREWING LLC - Key offerings

10.9 Epic Brewing Co.

Exhibit 108: Epic Brewing Co. - Overview



Exhibit 109: Epic Brewing Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: Epic Brewing Co. - Key offerings

10.10 Holidaily Brewing Co.

Exhibit 111: Holidaily Brewing Co. - Overview



Exhibit 112: Holidaily Brewing Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 113: Holidaily Brewing Co. - Key offerings

10.11 IIpswich Ale Brewery

Exhibit 114: IIpswich Ale Brewery - Overview



Exhibit 115: IIpswich Ale Brewery - Product / Service



Exhibit 116: IIpswich Ale Brewery - Key offerings

10.12 New Planet Beer Co.

Exhibit 117: New Planet Beer Co. - Overview



Exhibit 118: New Planet Beer Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 119: New Planet Beer Co. - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 120: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 121: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 122: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 123: Research methodology



Exhibit 124: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 125: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 126: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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NOIDA, India, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the Social and Emotional Learning Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 22% from 2022-2028 reaching over USD 8 billion by 2028. The analysis has been segmented into Components (Solution and Services); Deployment Mode (Cloud and On-Premises); End-User (Preschool, Elementary School, Middle & High School); Region/Country.

Click here to view the Report Description & TOC

The Social and Emotional Learning market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the Social and Emotional Learning market. The Social and Emotional Learning market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the Social and Emotional Learning market at the global and regional levels.

Request for Sample Pages

https://univdatos.com/get-a-free-sample-form-php/?product_id=24333

Market Overview

Social and emotional learning (SEL) describes the mindsets, skills, attitudes, and feelings that help students succeed in school, career, and life, such as a growth mindset, grit, and sense of belonging at school. Social-emotional learning is an important part of a well-rounded education. Research shows that SEL is an important lever for boosting academic achievement. Positive social-emotional skills are also correlated with improved attendance and reduced disciplinary incidents. Factors such as A faster pace of living and a shift to urban environments mean people need to engage with new ways of thinking and working and new people. Aging and more diverse populations and the dismantling of traditional social networks place additional emphasis on people's sense of trust, cooperation, and compassion driving the need for social and emotional learning.

Social and emotional learning positively influences and catering the interest of policymakers and researchers. Many Social and emotional skills have been shown to influence many important life outcomes, but also to influence the development and use of cognitive skills. Coupled with increased awareness of their malleability, and their growing relevance for the future world, these factors are driving the market size of SEL.

Click here to view the Report Description & TOC

https://univdatos.com/report/social-and-emotional-learning-market/

The global Social and Emotional Learning market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated.

Based on components, the social and emotional learning market is segmented into solutions (SEL platform and SEL assessment tool), and services (consulting, deployment and integration, and training and support). Service category to witness higher CAGR during the forecast period. SEL service providers assist educational stakeholders in efficiently using SEL solutions. Services aim at training and developing expertise, providing timely upgradations for the software or platform, and helping customers integrate their software or platform with other educational solutions.

On the basis of deployment mode, the social and emotional learning market is bifurcated into cloud and on-premises. Among these, the cloud segment to hold a significant share in the market in 2020. As one SEL solution does not exist that can develop social and emotional skills rather advancing SEL will require sustained effort from a multifaceted ecosystem and to overcome the barriers that slow the development of SEL worldwide which escalated the need for cloud deployment.

Based on End-User, the social and emotional learning market has been classified into preschool, elementary school, middle & high school. The pres-school category is to witness higher adoption of social and emotional learning during the forecast period. As pre-school presents an important opportunity to support children's social and emotional development. Also, social and emotional learning programs help to improve child health and educational outcomes.

Have a Look at the Chapters - https://univdatos.com/report/social-and-emotional-learning-market/

Social and Emotional Learning Market Geographical Segmentation Includes:

North America ( United States , Canada , and Rest of North America )

( , , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Spain , Italy , France , and the Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , and the Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , Australia , and the Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , , and the Rest of ) Rest of the World

APAC is anticipated to grow at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the rising government initiatives to promote the digital infrastructure and the growing proliferation of distance education and/or e-learning solutions. In addition, the presence of the highest number of leading manufacturers such as Panorama Education, Illuminate Education, and Committee for Children are majorly acting as catalyzing factors for the market development.

The major players targeting the market include

Aperture Education LLC

Committee For children

Emotional ABCs

Averi Inc.

Purpose prep. Academy

Rethink Ed

Social express Inc.

Everyday speech

Nearpod

Peekapak

Competitive Landscape

The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the Social and Emotional Learning Market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition.

Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include:

What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the Social and Emotional Learning market?

Which factors are influencing the Social and Emotional Learning market over the forecast period?

What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the Social and Emotional Learning market?

Which factors are propelling and restraining the Social and Emotional Learning market?

What are the demanding global regions of the Social and Emotional Learning market?

What will be the global market size in the upcoming years?

What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies?

We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs.

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Social and Emotional Learning Market Report Coverage

Report Attribute Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of over 22% Market size 2028 USD 8 billion Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region APAC to witness highest CAGR in Global Social and Emotional Learning Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, and Australia Companies profiled Aperture Education LLC, Committee For children, Emotional ABCs, Averi Inc., Purpose prep. Academ, Rethink Ed, Social express Inc., Everyday speech, Nearpod, and Peekapak. Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Porter's Five Forces Analysis; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Components; By Deployment Mode; By End-User; By Region/Country

About UnivDatos Market Insights

UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients.

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UnivDatos Market Insights

Ankita Gupta

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SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights
Gundry MD's Support of charity: water Has Funded Over 250 Clean Water Projects, Providing Clean Water to Over 37,000 People in Ethiopia, Nepal, Uganda, and Madagascar

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gundry MD TM, a wellness brand of food and supplements founded by top cardiothoracic surgeon and nutrition pioneer Dr. Steven Gundry, announces the progress of their ongoing sponsorship of charity: water . Since 2016, Gundry MD has supported charity: water to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. Nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide live without clean water. Of this number, the majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. charity: water's approach isn't just to build water projects but to keep these projects sustainable so that clean water can keep flowing for years to come.

charity: water is a nonprofit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.

Gundry MD's support of charity: water has funded 255 water projects across Ethiopia, Nepal, Uganda, and Madagascar. Their donations of over $2 million toward these water projects have had a total impact of serving 37,096 people.

"Nothing is more important to our health and longevity than having clean water to drink," said Dr. Steven Gundry, founder of Gundry MD "The important work that charity: water is doing helps to change so many lives and preserve communities, and I couldn't be more proud of our Gundry MD's sponsorship of this incredible organization."

Dr. Steven Gundry and Gundry MD are committed to continuing their support of charity: water and helping to bring clean drinking water to the millions of people worldwide that do not have access to it. The majority live in secluded areas, where the water is often contaminated and carries diseases that kill more people each year than all forms of violence, including war. By supporting charity: water, Gundry MD helps give these families access to clean water that allows for better health, increased access to food, more time for children's education, and a growing local economy.

About charity: water

charity: water is a nonprofit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. Built on a transparent foundation, 100 percent of public donations collected by charity: water go to clean water initiatives and they work alongside strong local partners to build and maintain water projects. charity: water was created in 2006, and since then they have helped more than 15 million people gain access to clean water. To learn more about charity: water please visit charitywater.org

About Gundry MD

Founded in 2015 by heart surgeon, nutrition pioneer and medical-device inventor Dr. Steven Gundry, Gundry MD is dedicated to providing cutting-edge solutions to its users by using science-backed ingredients to offer metabolism support, energy, smooth, easy digestion, and a youthful-feeling mind and body. These amazing results all begin with feeding your body powerful nutrients like polyphenols, a powerful health supporter. Based on his many years of research on nutrition, Dr. Gundry helps create every Gundry MD product. Best-selling Gundry MD products include Total Restore , Bio Complete 3 , Energy Renew , MCT Wellness , and Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil. All Gundry MD products come with a 90-day refund guarantee if you are not satisfied. For more information about Gundry MD, visit www.gundrymd.com or @gundrymd on Instagram and Facebook.

Gundry MD Press Contact

Dana Lewis

[email protected]

SOURCE Gundry MD
The 20-day trial of advanced biofuel achieved a decrease in lifecycle emissions compared to marine gas oil

SEATTLE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line completed the cruise industry's first multiweek test of biofuels on board Volendam at Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The 20-day test was conducted in partnership with GoodFuels, a leading producer and supplier of sustainable biofuels for the transportation industry, and Wartsila, a global leader in power and propulsion technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine market.

"We were excited to have this opportunity to test a next-generation fuel resource on a Holland America Line ship..." Tweet this Holland America Line completed the cruise industrys first multiweek test of biofuels on board Volendam at Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, in partnership with GoodFuels, a leading producer and supplier of sustainable biofuels for the transportation industry, and Wartsila, a leader in power and propulsion technologies for the marine market. According to GoodFuels, there was a 78% decrease in lifecycle CO2 emissions during the final 15 days of trial compared to marine gas oil emissions.

The assessment was completed September 7. In the first five days of the test the ship used a mix of 30% biofuel and 70% marine gas oil (MGO) in one of its main auxiliary engines. For the final 15 days of testing, the ship used 100% biofuel. According to GoodFuels, there was a 78% decrease in lifecycle CO2 emissions during the final 15 days of trial compared to marine gas oil emissions.

"We were excited to have this opportunity to test a next-generation fuel resource on a Holland America Line ship, and we are very encouraged by the results," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "As part of our commitment to sustainability, we have always looked for cutting-edge solutions to environmental challenges that will help us meet Carnival Corporation's sustainability goals over the coming decades."

Dutch-flagged Volendam was selected for the test since it was located at the Port of Rotterdam, one of the global ports where GoodFuels operates the infrastructure necessary to provide biofuel waterside fueling services. There is no significant difference for the ship's team members in handling regular fuel oil versus biofuel. The use of a "drop-in" biofuel such as the one tested on Volendam requires no shipboard refitting or special equipment.

What Are Biofuels?

The advanced biofuel is derived from feedstocks that are certified as 100% waste or residue, with no land-use issues and no competition with food production or deforestation.

"Marine biofuel is already the biggest low carbon marine fuel in the world and we expect usage to rise sharply to 10% of total volume by 2030," said Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO and founder of GoodFuels

"Our extensive work in testing alternative marine fuels is a central part of our efforts to shape viable decarbonisation options for our customers," said Ricardo Opperman, managing director of Wartsila North America Inc. "We are continuously developing our engine technology to accept and retain operational and environmental efficiency levels with various future fuels, including biofuels. These sea trials with 100% biofuel will be especially important  for Carnival Corporation, for Goodfuels, for Wartsila, and for the industry as a whole."

Supporting Corporate Sustainability

Holland America Line is the first Carnival Corporation brand to run a long-term 100% biofuel shipboard test. Carnival Corporation's German brand AIDA also partnered with Goodfuels in July to run a blended biofuel test on board AIDAprima in Rotterdam. While biofuels have been tested on large diesel engines at shoreside research facilities and on a few cargo ships, these represented the first live tests on working cruise ships.

The two brands' biofuel tests support the overall environmental mission, goals and aspirations of Carnival Corporation. Those include achieving a 40% reduction in carbon per available lower-berth-day by 2030; expanding its alternative fuels strategy across its liquefied natural gas (LNG) program and battery, fuel cell and biofuel capabilities; delivering a 50% reduction in absolute air emissions of particulate matter by 2030; and the aspiration to achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the Holland America Blog. You can also access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line has been exploring the world for 150 years with expertly crafted itineraries, extraordinary service and genuine connections to the destinations. Offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience, its fleet visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world and has shared the thrill of Alaska for 75 years  longer than any other cruise line. Holland America Line's 11 vessels feature a diverse range of enriching activities and amenities focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from a Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

About GoodFuels

GoodFuels is a global pioneer in sustainable marine fuels, with offices in Europe and Singapore. The Netherlands-headquartered company has created a one-stop-shop for marine industry customers, integrating the entire supply chain for sustainable marine biofuels. From feedstock to tank, GoodFuels' proposition covers elements of sourcing feedstock and ensuring its 100% sustainability, the production and refining, the global distribution, quality assurance, and marketing programs with ports, governments, and cargo owners. GoodFuels is part of the GoodNRG Group, which is active under various labels and companies in sales, marketing, trading, R&D, and production of truly sustainable decarbonization solutions for the global transport industry. Learn more about GoodFuels at goodfuels.com.

Wartsila Marine Power in brief

Wartsila Marine Power leads the industry in its journey towards a decarbonised and sustainable future. Our broad portfolio of engines, propulsion systems, hybrid technology, and integrated powertrain systems delivers the efficiency, reliability, safety, and environmental performance needed to support our customers. Our offering includes performance-based agreements, lifecycle solutions, and an unrivalled global network of maritime expertise. Learn more at www.wartsila.com/marine.

CONTACT: Bill Zucker, Erik Elvejord PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890 EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Holland America Line
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lancome today announced a new partnership with Grammy and eight-time Latin Grammy-Award winning recording artist Rosalia for the brand's La vie est belle fragrance. "La vie est belle" translates to life is beautiful, and Rosalia's avant-garde style and musical prowess embodies her vision of la vie est belle, or in her native Spanish, la vida es bella. Through this partnership, Rosalia showcases the La vie est belle message: "Life is what you make of it  Make it Beautiful."

In time for the US leg of her first ever global tour MOTOMAMI WORLD TOUR  Lancome has partnered with Rosalia to bring her iconic style to La vie est belle  the signature fragrance by Lancome.

"At Lancome we believe that happiness is a powerful source of beauty and Rosalia, through her remarkable talent and music, brings happiness to millions of people every day," says Giovanni Valentini, General Manager Lancome USA. "As we welcome Rosalia as a partner of La vie est belle, we hope to encourage our Lancome community to always think that life is what you make of it, make it beautiful. And we are very excited to work with Rosalia for this US partnership and spreading this simple yet inspiring message to all her fans."

Rosalia does it differently. Never one to stick to the mold, her brand is entirely unique to her warmth, spirit, style, and deep love of her culture. Rosalia is building her own unique life, and it is indeed belle.

"Ever since I first smelled La vie est belle, I loved it! Fragrance has such a strong sensorial attraction for me  it immediately reminds me of the many happy moments throughout my life. Life is a succession of moments, and everything is connected. If you want to find beauty in life, you have the power to find it. For that reason, I couldn't be prouder to partner with Lancome on this MOTOMAMI adventure," says Rosalia. "I am also thrilled that Lancome will come along on this journey with me and offering my fans a cool experience when they come to my shows in the US!"

As part of the partnership, Rosalia will be featured in a series of content on social platforms and in U.S. media campaigns. Lancome will also join Rosalia on her tour in September and October in select cities across the United States to offer her fans an engaging pop-up experience allowing the Rosalia community the opportunity to share how they are living la vida es bella. In addition, Lancome will offer concert tickets to select locations and bottles of La vie est belle eau de parfum signed by Rosalia via a sweepstakes on the brand's social media platforms.

About Lancome

Founded in 1935 by the visionary pioneer Armand Petitjean, with the wish of spreading the spirit and taste of French elegance around the world, Lancome immediately embodied the essence of beauty. More than ever before, the brand aims to offer every woman the possibility to blossom and embrace her beauty and femininity whatever her age or skin color. Lancome is present in 135 countries, with about 20,000 beauty advisers in as many points of sale offering sophisticated services and iconic products to an international clientele. Lancome successfully combines scientific expertise, and an intuitive understanding of women's needs to produce major innovations, unique and complementary between skincare, makeup, and perfume. Lancome affirms that happiness is the most attractive beauty. To embody that, the brand has chosen charismatic and fully accomplished women such as Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Lily Collins, Isabella Rossellini, Zendaya Coleman and Amanda Seyfried.

For more information, please visit www.Lancome-usa.com or follow us Instagram @Lancome Official, on Twitter @Lancome USA, and on Facebook @Lancome US

About Rosalia

Rosalia is a transformational multi-genre music artist who has quickly "leapt to the forefront of the global pop landscape" on the strength of her innovative musical fusions and distinctive style. She has repeatedly shattered barriers for both female and Spanish language artists, while being widely hailed for her musicianship in and out of the studio. Welcomed as "a boundary-breaking modern masterpiece  that has resonated like a shockwave," Rosalia's milestone breakout album "El Mal Querer" meshed an innovative fusion of classic Flamenco and other timeless music styles of Spain, with her phenomenal vocal capability and strong influences from industrial visual arts, female empowerment, fashion and choreography. Highlights of the album's universal acclaim saw Rosalia garner her first GRAMMY Award, the historic first-ever Best New Artist Grammy nomination for a Spanish language artist, eight Latin Grammys, including Album of the Year, and placement on numerous Best of year and Best of Decade lists. In 2022, Rosalia released her landmark album MOTOMAMI which she wrote, performed, recorded and executive produced  extending her foundational sound into a more global sonic canvas with elements of contemporary Latin-American rhythms. R&B, hip-hop, hints of jazz and electronic beats. The album's highly-anticipated arrival was met with rapturous critical and commercial acclaim, as press around the world quickly dubbed MOTOMAMI, "a visionary masterpiece as provocative and risky as it is creativethe most thrilling, forward-thinking music we'll hear all year[and] one of the most ambitious albums of the decade  regardless of genre". As the fall of 2022 begins, MOTOMAMI continues to be 'the #1 critically acclaimed album of the year' according to Metacritic, and Rosalia has launched her game-changing "MOTOMAMI WORLD TOUR - which has already been cited as 'A Tremendous, absolutely overwhelming, and full-fledged trip to the future a perfectly calibrated show [proving] she can conquer the world singing in Spanish, [and is] going to put an end to the Anglo-Saxon hegemony of world pop."

SOURCE Lancome USA
FREDERICTON, NB, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Introhive, the fastest-growing AI-powered customer intelligence solution, today announced a partnership with OpenFin, the operating system (OS) for enterprise productivity, empowering joint financial services customers on their workspaces and driving productivity.

Introhive allows the automatic extraction of valuable data, surfacing it to salespeople and offering intelligence about their customers, helping firms to grow revenues, shorten sales cycles and find new sales opportunities.

With OpenFin, Introhive pushes intelligence, saving Sales teams time they would have spent pulling data themselves. Tweet this

The partnership will enable joint customers to gain even more valuable and actionable insights, making them more accessible, automated and directly embedded in workflows. In the data arms race, sales can easily identify the next best action and are immediately able to perform that action.

OpenFin's web-based OS has become the de facto standard in financial services for powering next-generation applications, digital experiences and employee productivity at enterprise level, for both staff and clients at enterprise scale. The software is now used at more than 3,800 banks, wealth and asset management firms in more than 60 countries. With OpenFin, Introhive pushes intelligence, saving the sales team time they would have spent pulling relevant data themselves. This results in improved productivity and efficiency for end users, leading to better commercial results and more empowered employees. This in turn benefits firms in financial services and across all industries and fosters further innovation by all involved.

We are proud to join forces with a leader in the financial services space. Our partnership, which combines our class-leading platforms to help our mutual customers truly know their customers by providing easily digestible, accessible and actionable data through the OpenFin interface or directly in Salesforce CRM said Alan Panezic , Chief Product Office, Introhive. "Our sophisticated AI-powered platform frees salespeople to build relationships and experience peak performance enabling them to focus on what matters most  building relationships with their valued customers."

Introhive's end-to-end platform will help institutions using OpenFin to increase new cross-sell revenue opportunities and improve sales teams and customer experience, all while decreasing time to close business.

"Our partnership with Introhive strengthens our offering by providing a connected experience with no silos. By empowering users in their workspace with the best possible tools for productivity we can help them get the most out of data through integration and synthesis. This has a powerfully positive impact through better, smarter conversations which improve speed to sale," said Mazy Dar CEO, OpenFin. "Introhive's customer intelligence insights and OpenFin's elevated workspaces use AI to put the hard work in, so our customers don't have to and can focus on their client relationships to grow their portfolios"

This partnership will help capture all relevant data by providing customer intelligence that many firms do not have today in CRM or available in a transparent way across business units. By showing interactions across the firm, silos are broken down and the next best actions are crystal clear.

To learn more about this exciting partnership, email: [email protected] or visit us at Dreamforce, Booth #214

About Introhive

Introhive is the fastest-growing AI-powered customer intelligence solution, with the single largest deployment of its kind in the world. Trusted by some of the world's most recognizable brands, including PwC, Clark Nexsen, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, CBRE, Colliers International, and Plante Moran, the company has been recognized with 2019, 2020 and 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Canada Awards, 2020 and 2021 Deloitte Fast 500 North America Awards, 2020 and 2021 MarTech Breakthrough Awards, and is Great Place to Work certified in Canada. Introhive's AI-powered SaaS platform seeks to enable organizations to realize the full value of their relationships across the business and to leverage untapped data to drive revenues and increase productivity while simultaneously improving the customer experience. Introhive has grown to 350+ employees with 10 global office locations, supporting 250,000+ customers in over 90 different countries around the world. Learn more at www.introhive.ai

About OpenFin

Move Fast. Break Nothing. OpenFin is The Operating System of Finance, enabling app distribution, workspace management and workflow automation. Used by 90% of global financial institutions, OpenFin deploys more than 3,500 desktop applications to more than 3,800 buy-side and sell-side firms. OpenFin investors include Bain Capital Ventures, Barclays, CME Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, HSBC, ING Ventures, J.P. Morgan, NYCA Partners, Pivot Investment Partners, Standard Chartered and Wells Fargo Strategic Capital among others. The company is based in New York with an office in London and a presence in Hong Kong and Singapore.

https://www.openfin.co/

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Introhive

Angela Ferreira

[email protected]

OpenFin

Mitra Roknabadi

[email protected]

SOURCE OpenFin
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa and LONDON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ITA Group, a global leader in corporate engagement solutions, has announced its acquisition of employee engagement and experiential learning company NKD.

With an office in London, England, and a global associate network across five continents, NKD provides clients around the world with next-generation employee engagement and experiential learning solutions across key service areas, including strategic consulting, leadership development, employee engagement and onboarding, communications, performance management, culture change, DEI and skills development.

"We're excited to add NKD's experiential learning capabilities to our solutions," said Brent Vander Waal, ITA Group's President & CEO. "NKD's in-person, virtual and digital learning experiences are a great complement to our existing services and will further enhance engagement of employees, channel partners and customers to help address our clients' biggest business challenges. NKD's skills are a natural extension of our solutions, and we look forward to serving our clients even better with NKD's offerings. We saw the business fit right away and, as we got to know NKD's team, we appreciated the culture fit between our companies as well."

ITA Group, Inc.along with subsidiaries Hartmann Studios, Chadwick Martin Bailey and now NKDpartners with global brands to craft unique business strategies and experiences that create connections, motivate audiences and drive purposeful change. With the addition of NKD to the ITA Group family of companies, leading global brands can strategically embed custom learning and development initiatives into their employee, channel partner and customer engagement programs to drive increased engagement and performance. This positions all of ITA Group, its solutions and clients for the future metaverse where most training and development will take place. Additionally, ITA Group in-country support services are expanded greatly, providing culturally relevant strategy and program servicing around the globe.

According to NKD's Board Chair Sue Stoneman, "We've always had big ambitions at NKD to make the world of work better. As part of ITA Group, our combined expertise gives us the opportunity to accelerate our dream to play a leading role in shaping the employee engagement space of the future."

About NKD

NKD makes the world of work better by aligning and engaging individuals and teams to supercharge business performance. With their team of 50 creatives, consultants, trainers and behavioral psychologistsplus a global associate network of NKD-trained consultants (spanning five continents and speaking 18 different languages) NKD supports some of the world's largest global brands and has delivered solutions in 220 countries and territories and 42 languages to transform the everyday working experience of over one million people. NKD offers custom-crafted learning and development solutions to take on any business challenge and also offers a ready-to-go, off-the-shelf curriculum, culture and digital transformation challenges. For more information, visit nkd.co.uk.

About ITA Group

ITA Group delivers custom-crafted global engagement solutions that motivate and inspire employees, channel partners and customers. With operations globally and throughout the U.S., ITA Group infuses strategies proven to fuel advocacy and drive business results for some of the world's biggest brands. Find out more at itagroup.com.

SOURCE ITA Group
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- J INTS BIO announced the poster presentation of its novel, orally administered 4th generation EGFR-TKI 'JIN-A02' at the ESMO 2022, that showed high potency of JIN-A02 against both cis and trans isomers of C797S mutation. This year's edition of the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO 2022) was held in Paris, France from 9th to 13th September.

Professor Cho, Byoung Chul, poster presentation of further preclinical data of its Novel Oral 4th Generation EGFR-TKI JIN-A02 at the 2022 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Paris, France (ESMO 2022)

Even though EGFR-TKI have improved treatment outcomes of patients with EGFR mutant NSCLC, resistance inevitably emerges with disease progression and often with CNS metastasis. C797S mutation is one of the most common on-target resistance mutation after the use of 3rd generation TKIs such as Osimertinib. 'JIN-A02' is a novel 4th generation EGFR-TKI, which is highly selective and potent against C797S double and triple mutations, with high BBB penetrance and intracranial efficacy.

The allelic context in which this C797S mutation is acquired, cis or trans isomers, have significant implications for treatment outcomes. This is especially so when C797S positive tumor are in cis form together with T790M mutation. In such situations, there are no available treatments.

J INTS BIO believes that JIN-A02 will be pivotal in the treatment of patients with EGFR mutant NSCLC harboring C797S double or triple mutations, regardless of allelic context. And the company is expecting the Phase I/IIa clinical study for JIN-A02 to start recruitment before the end of this year.

About J INTS BIO

J INTS BIO is a bio company specialized in developing innovative anti-cancer and orphan drugs to realize the goal of changing lives and improving health for patients around the world. J INTS BIO's teams have prior multi-year experience in multinational pharmaceutical companies and CROs and track records in medical, regulatory affairs, drug discovery and development.

About 'JIN-A02'

'JIN-A02' is a novel orally administered 4th Generation EGFR TKI targeting C797S mutations in NSCLC. Although 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation EGFR TKIs have been used with some success, recurrence occurs in most patients including 3rd Generation TKIs such as Osimertinib. Currently, there are no approved therapies for patients who developed EGFR C797S mutations due to the use of 3rd Generation EGFR TKIs and with the high propensity of these cancers to metastasize to the brain, there is an urgent need to develop an effective drug with high blood-brain barrier permeability. 'JIN-A02', a novel oral EGFR TKI, which is effective against C797S double and triple mutations and have a high brain penetrance, is therefore expected to become the most promising Best-in-Class 4th-generation EGFR TKI in NSCLC patients with limited or no viable treatment options.

SOURCE J INTS BIO
On 16 September, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the international community in celebrating the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, also known as World Ozone Day. This year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and OzonAction are calling for global action under the theme Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation protecting life on earth.

This celebration is aimed at raising awareness of the broader impact the Montreal Protocol can have on climate change and the need for concerted action, partnerships and global cooperation to address climate challenges, if we want to protect life on earth for future generations. World Ozone Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and sheds light on the international instruments that support this effort.

As the treaty turns 35 on World Ozone Day, it is worth remembering how the Montreal Protocol ended one of the biggest threats ever faced by humanity as a whole: the depletion of the ozone layer. When the world found out that ozone-depleting gases used in aerosols and cooling were creating a hole in the sky, key players came together and showed how multilateralism and effective global cooperation could have a concrete impact on phasing out these gases, allowing the ozone layer to regenerate and shield humanity from the suns ultraviolet radiation.

Under the Montreal Protocol, groups of chemicals are classified according to the chemical family and are listed in annexes to the Protocol. The Protocol requires the control of nearly 100 chemicals, in several categories. For each group or annex of chemicals, the Treaty sets out a timetable for the phase-out of production and consumption of those substances, with the aim of eventually eliminating them completely.

On this day, the WCO reaffirms its support to its United Nations (UN) partners and to the Customs community in implementing the Montreal Protocol and its most recent Amendment (the Kigali Amendment). The effective implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Montreal Protocol, addressing specific environmental problems at national, regional and global levels, is essential to guarantee that products being traded are safe both for human health and the environment.

The WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, points out that by consistently conducting border checks on the compliance of environmentally sensitive goods with the provisions of MEAs, Customs officers play a vital role in protecting life on earth, adding that there is no doubt that, when performed on a global scale and in coordination, these efforts to phase out ozone-depleting substances will have a multiplying effect. They will also contribute meaningfully to the achievement of UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 3 which is aimed at ensuring global health and promoting well-being for all.

As part of their mission to protect people and the environment, frontline Customs officers must prevent and detect the illegal trade in ozone depleting substances (ODS). To support them in this mission, the WCO, in cooperation with OzonAction and the Green Customs Initiative partners, provides training and guidance to Customs around the world, enhancing Customs officers skills and facilitating their access to information so that they can successfully tackle the illegal trade in ODS. The WCO also coordinates global enforcement operations, such as Demeter, targeting illicit ODS shipments.

The success of Customs enforcement efforts in ensuring the consistent implementation of MEAs relies on multilateral cooperation, risk management and the application of technology for data exchange and analytics purposes, as well as on continuous capacity building. By developing a cooperation network and enhancing intelligence gathering and exchange, Customs services are contributing towards global endeavours to protect the planet and its inhabitants.
Consultancy grows team by 20 percent in Q2 as evolution of healthcare accelerates

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. and CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the increasing client demand for organizational optimization and digital strategy, national healthcare strategic communications consulting firm Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, added staff members across all client-facing practices in the second quarter of the year.

"Healthcare providers are facing concerning headwinds today," Jarrard Inc. President David Jarrard said. "The financial landscape is complicated and not particularly favorable to hospitals and health systems, while investors are highly focused on optimizing existing portfolio companies and being selective about new investments. As a result, healthcare organizations of all kinds are working to optimize their teams, make the most out of existing resources and develop creative ways to attract and retain talent. Our new colleagues have been brought to our firm with exactly those mandates in mind."

There can be no waste in healthcare. Strategic efforts must be aligned with tactical work, requiring total integration. Tweet this

Award-winning organizational development strategy expert Kevin Kearns, PsyD, PMP, headlines the new hires, joining as vice president in the firm's National & Academic Health Systems Practice. With a doctorate in organizational psychology, Kearns has an extensive background in leadership development and organizational effectiveness. He previously served in related roles at Kaiser Permanente and the University of Colorado Health System. At Kaiser Permanente, his team's work won multiple Learning Elite Awards from Chief Learning Officer Magazine, along with the publication's editor's award.

The firm also added notable expertise in digital strategy through the hire of Thomas Barbee, associate vice president of Digital Services. Barbee has more than 14 years of experience helping healthcare organizations expand their digital footprint and integrate channels to deliver efficient, consistent messages to help accelerate growth. He most recently served as the national director of digital strategy at Compassion & Choices, a Denver-based hospice care organization. He brings to clients a rich background in integrating digital systems and using business intelligence to inform strategic campaigns.

"A significant element of the optimization we're observing across the industry is cementing the lessons learned through the pandemic in terms of using technology and digital tools as effectively as possible," said Jarrard. "There's no room for waste. Strategic efforts need to be perfectly aligned with the tactical work, requiring new levels of integration, project management and clear communication across teams and with external stakeholders."

Additional new hires are:

Courtney Kelsey , associate vice president, National & Academic Health Systems Practice. Kelsey has nearly a decade of focused experience in strategic healthcare communications, public health, organizational development, complex issue navigation and experience design. She returns to Jarrard Inc. from Dallas -based Baylor Scott & White Health. There, she served as a director of communications, leading communications strategy and execution for the $11 billion system's culture, change, well-being and leader development efforts.

, associate vice president, National & Academic Health Systems Practice. Kelsey has nearly a decade of focused experience in strategic healthcare communications, public health, organizational development, complex issue navigation and experience design. She returns to Jarrard Inc. from -based & White Health. There, she served as a director of communications, leading communications strategy and execution for the system's culture, change, well-being and leader development efforts. Kerry Burke , senior managing advisor, Health Services Practice. Burke is an expert in both internal and corporate communications who has worked across the healthcare industry. Her career includes prior work with business communications at Cigna, internal communications at the Medical University of South Carolina and communications strategy at HCA Healthcare.

, senior managing advisor, Health Services Practice. Burke is an expert in both internal and corporate communications who has worked across the healthcare industry. Her career includes prior work with business communications at Cigna, internal communications at the and communications strategy at HCA Healthcare. Laura Sanders , senior managing advisor, Regional Practice. Sanders brings to Jarrard Inc. more than 15 years of experience in communications strategy for M&A, organizational restructuring and operational changes in healthcare and higher education. Most recently, Sanders served as director of communications for Baton Rouge-based Amedisys.

, senior managing advisor, Regional Practice. Sanders brings to Jarrard Inc. more than 15 years of experience in communications strategy for M&A, organizational restructuring and operational changes in healthcare and higher education. Most recently, Sanders served as director of communications for Baton Rouge-based Amedisys. Courtney Tedesco, RN , MSN , senior managing advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. A clinician with more than 15 years nursing and nurse leadership experience, Tedesco offers clients unique experience driving innovation, efficiency and change. She previously served in various roles at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, including direct leadership of multidisciplinary teams and cross-functional programs.

, senior managing advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. A clinician with more than 15 years nursing and nurse leadership experience, Tedesco offers clients unique experience driving innovation, efficiency and change. She previously served in various roles at The Wexner Medical Center, including direct leadership of multidisciplinary teams and cross-functional programs. Heather Honeycutt , project manager, National & Academic Health Systems Practice. Honeycutt brings deep expertise in operations and project management to the firm's clients and National Practice. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., she served in several roles at Franklin, TN -based Ramsey Solutions, where she led development and execution of events and built and implemented a new HR system, among other projects.

, project manager, National & Academic Health Systems Practice. Honeycutt brings deep expertise in operations and project management to the firm's clients and National Practice. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., she served in several roles at -based Ramsey Solutions, where she led development and execution of events and built and implemented a new HR system, among other projects. Susan Gleiser , managing advisor, Regional Practice. Gleiser most recently served on the Stewardship Communications team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Office of Development, where she created and implemented stewardship plans for donors. Previously, Gleiser served as finance director and call time manager on two U.S. House of Representatives campaigns in southern Illinois .

, managing advisor, Regional Practice. Gleiser most recently served on the Stewardship Communications team at Medical Center's Office of Development, where she created and implemented stewardship plans for donors. Previously, Gleiser served as finance director and call time manager on two U.S. House of Representatives campaigns in southern . Caroline Oakley , senior advisor, Health Services Practice. A specialist in public relations, internal communications, social media and project management, Oakley comes to Jarrard Inc. from TogoRun, a Nashville communications firm specializing in healthcare, nonprofits and medical aesthetics.

, senior advisor, Health Services Practice. A specialist in public relations, internal communications, social media and project management, Oakley comes to Jarrard Inc. from TogoRun, a communications firm specializing in healthcare, nonprofits and medical aesthetics. Elly Woods , senior advisor, Health Services Practice. Woods brings to Jarrard Inc. a background in change management, stakeholder engagement and content development, with an eye towards using communications to drive growth. Previously, she served in the Chicago -based regulatory affairs, advertising and promotion department at AbbVie.

, senior advisor, Health Services Practice. Woods brings to Jarrard Inc. a background in change management, stakeholder engagement and content development, with an eye towards using communications to drive growth. Previously, she served in the -based regulatory affairs, advertising and promotion department at AbbVie. Drew Do , senior graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Do comes to Jarrard Inc. with more than eight years of print and digital design experience across the healthcare, wellness and financial industries. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a creative specialist at Texas Children's Hospital. There, he worked for Texas Children's Health Plan, the hospital's managed care organization, developing strategic campaigns and marketing materials.

, senior graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Do comes to Jarrard Inc. with more than eight years of print and digital design experience across the healthcare, wellness and financial industries. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a creative specialist at Texas Children's Hospital. There, he worked for Texas Children's Health Plan, the hospital's managed care organization, developing strategic campaigns and marketing materials. Savannah Ray , graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Ray is an environmental branding, photography and print and packaging design expert. Previously, she served as lead designer of wallpaper and murals for WallsNeedLove, a Nashville -based wall covering company, and as a packaging designer with Lowe's.

, graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Ray is an environmental branding, photography and print and packaging design expert. Previously, she served as lead designer of wallpaper and murals for WallsNeedLove, a -based wall covering company, and as a packaging designer with Lowe's. Lena Stephens , graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Stephens is an award-winning Nashville -based graphic designer with experience across web and print platforms. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., she received training in user experience/user interface (UI/UX) design, leading to a specialization in website solutions.

, graphic designer, Digital and Design Group. Stephens is an award-winning -based graphic designer with experience across web and print platforms. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., she received training in user experience/user interface (UI/UX) design, leading to a specialization in website solutions. Gladis Valdivia , advisor, National and Academic Health Systems Practice. A specialist in media and legislative research, Valdivia has served in roles across education, non-profit healthcare and government relations. Prior to joining Jarrard Inc., she worked as a strategic communications intern at global CEO advisory firm Teneo.

About Jarrard Inc.

With offices in Nashville, Tenn. and Chicago, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Inc. is a U.S. Top 10 strategic communications consulting firm for the nation's leading healthcare providers experiencing significant change, challenge or opportunity. Founded in 2006, the firm has worked with more than 600 clients in over 45 states and served as a communications advisor on more than $75 billion in announced M&A and partnership transaction communications. The firm specializes in M&A, change management, issue navigation and strategic positioning. Jarrard Inc. is a division of The Chartis Group, one of the nation's leading healthcare advisory firms.

For more information, visit jarrardinc.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Inc
Existing investor SoftBank Group to sell full stake in Kahoot! to General Atlantic

New partnership with global growth investor to further accelerate Kahoot!'s momentum with customer expansion, product roadmap, and commercialization efforts

OSLO, Norway, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahoot!, the global learning and engagement platform company, today announced that General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, has joined its investor base to support the company's next phase of expansion. Existing investor SB Northstar LP, a fund managed by a 100% directly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., partner to Kahoot! since 2020, is selling its full 15% stake in the company to General Atlantic. Upon completion of the transaction, General Atlantic is expected to become Kahoot!'s largest shareholder. With a mission of making learning awesome for millions of people around the world, Kahoot! plans to partner with General Atlantic to accelerate further growth initiatives, drive innovation, and expand its global footprint in homes, schools, and corporations.

Since its founding in 2013, the Kahoot! Group has grown into a multifaceted offering and a portfolio of leading brands at the intersection of digital learning and audience engagement. Since launch, the core Kahoot! service has been used by 8 billion non-unique cumulative participants across the globe. The engagement and learning platform targets customers across diverse demographics and application verticals through Kahoot! at Work, used in 97% of Fortune 500 companies for corporate learning and engagement; Kahoot! at School, used by approximately 9 million teachers in the classroom; Kahoot! at Home & Study, used by more than 18 million users as an at-home gamified learning solution; and Kahoot! Academy, an online creator community and marketplace for educational content. Across verticals, Kahoot! services recorded 28 million active users globally in the last twelve months. Since 2021, the Group also includes Clever, a single sign-on EdTech platform and digital classroom, used by approximately 70% of U.S. K-12 schools. With extensive engagement, learning, and content solutions for home, school, and work, the Kahoot! Group caters to users across North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and MENA.

Eilert Hanoa, CEO of Kahoot!, commented, "We are very grateful to SoftBank for their partnership over the past two years. As Kahoot! continues to pursue its mission to improve lifelong learning by building a leading global learning and engagement platform, we are thrilled to add a partner of General Atlantic's caliber. The team at GA brings deep experience in scaling global education technology and software businesses and positioning market leaders for long-term success, and we look forward to our next phase of momentum in empowering the learning ecosystem around the world."

Chris Caulkin, Managing Director and Head of Technology for EMEA at General Atlantic, continued, "We believe Kahoot! has significant potential for further growth as digital learning solutions continue to be adopted across its work, school, and home markets. With its much-loved brand, product-centric approach, and engaged global user base, Kahoot! is well positioned to scale, and we look forward to supporting Eilert and the full Kahoot! team in the years to come as they reach and engage ever more users worldwide."

Closing remains subject to customary regulatory conditions. Following closing and subject to shareholder approval, Chris Caulkin is expected to join the Board of Directors.

J.P. Morgan served as financial advisor and Wikborg Rein as legal advisor to General Atlantic.

About Kahoot!

Kahoot! is on a mission to make learning awesome! We want to empower everyone, including children, students, and employees to unlock their full learning potential. Our learning platform makes it easy for any individual or corporation to create, share, and host learning sessions that drive compelling engagement. Launched in 2013, Kahoot!'s vision is to build the leading learning platform in the world. Since launch, Kahoot! has hosted hundreds of millions of learning sessions with 8 billion participants (non-unique) in more than 200 countries and regions. The Kahoot! Group includes Clever, the leading US K-12 EdTech learning platform, together with the learning apps DragonBox, Poio, Drops, Actimo, Motimate, and Whiteboard.fi. The Kahoot! Group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in the US, the UK, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Spain and Poland. Kahoot! is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker KAHOT. To learn more, visit us at kahoot.com. Let's play!

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 445 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic currently has over $73 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of June 30, 2022, and more than 215 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stamford and Tel Aviv. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

Company contacts

Kahoot! ASA

Jonas Forslund, Director Investor Relations

[email protected]

Eilert Hanoa, CEO

[email protected]

General Atlantic

Mary Armstrong & Emily Japlon

[email protected]

SOURCE Kahoot!
-- One of the Largest Commercial Payers in the U.S. Expands Access to Phexxi for Women Seeking FDA-Approved, Hormone-Free Contraception --

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (OTCPK: EVFM) today announced another new insurance win that gives millions of additional women access to Phexxi (lactic acid, citric acid, potassium bitartrate) for the prevention of pregnancy.

"Evofem's diligent efforts to expand access to Phexxi nationwide continue to pay off," said Saundra Pelletier, Chief Executive Officer of Evofem. "We are thrilled that another highly respected national-level payer is now covering Phexxi, allowing women to fill their prescriptions immediately. The Phexxi claim approval rate reached a new high for 2022 at more than 72% for the month of July, and we expect this will continue to increase with this and other recent payer wins."

This win, adding nearly four million covered lives, continues Evofem's strong success record with health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to increase a woman's ability to obtain Phexxi. In 2022 alone, Evofem has opened avenues with the following payers to cover Phexxi:

One of the largest PBMs in the U.S.

One of the largest payers in California, with no copay for patients

One of the largest payers in Utah, with no prior authorization

One of the largest payers in Hawaii, with no copay for Phexxi patients

In July of this year, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury released guidance regarding birth control coverage clarifying that group health plans and insurers must cover contraceptives at no cost to individuals. Evofem consistently engages with these payers to ensure they comply with these guidelines in covering Phexxi.

About Phexxi

Phexxi is an on-demand method of birth control used to prevent pregnancy. Phexxi is not effective when used after sex. For more information about Phexxi, talk to your healthcare provider and see full Product Information at www.phexxi.com.

Important Safety Information

Rare cases (0.36%) of bladder and kidney infections have been reported. If you have a history of urinary tract problems that keep coming back, you should not use Phexxi.

Contact your healthcare provider if you are experiencing genitourinary side effects such as vaginal burning, itching, discharge, genital discomfort (including in male partners), yeast infection, urinary tract infection, or bacterial vaginosis.

Phexxi does not protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Please report side effects by contacting Evofem Biosciences toll-free at 1-833-EVFMBIO or contact FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Intended for United States residents only.

About Evofem Biosciences

Evofem Biosciences, Inc. is developing and commercializing innovative products to address unmet needs in women's sexual and reproductive health, including hormone-free, woman-controlled contraception and protection from chlamydia and gonorrhea. The Company's first FDA-approved product, Phexxi (lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate), is a hormone-free, on-demand prescription contraceptive vaginal gel. It comes in a box of 12 pre-filled applicators and is applied 0-60 minutes before each act of sex. The Company expects to report top-line data in October 2022 from its registrational Phase 3 EVOGUARD clinical trial evaluating Phexxi for two potential new indications  prevention of chlamydia and prevention of gonorrhea in women. Learn more at phexxi.com and evofem.com.

Phexxi is a registered trademark of Evofem Biosciences, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, without limitation, statements related to the anticipated impact of the new payer win on Phexxi prescriptions and claim approval rate. Various factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including market and other conditions, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of this press release. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements, or that could impair the value of Evofem Biosciences' assets and business, are disclosed in the Company's SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2022, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on August 12, 2022. and subsequent filings. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by such factors. The Company does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law.

Contacts

Investors:

Amy Raskopf

SVP, Investor Relations

Evofem Biosciences, Inc.

[email protected]

(917) 673-5775

Media:

[email protected]

SOURCE Evofem Biosciences, Inc.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, will hold a conference call to review the company's third quarter 2022 financial results and related matters on November 1, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

To participate in the conference call:

Toll-free calls: 877-883-0383

International calls: 412-902-6506

The conference code is 9206262.

You also may listen to the live audio webcast of the call, in listen-only mode, on Lear's Investor Relations website at ir.lear.com. The webcast replay will be available two hours following the call.

Note: The third quarter 2022 slide presentation will be available on Lear's website before the earnings call begins on November 1, 2022.

SOURCE Lear Corporation
SHANGHAI, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LovelyWholesale ("LW" or "the Company"), an international online e-commerce clothing brand, has formed a co-branded partnership with Daysha Taylor, a member of American rap trio Taylor Girlz, to collaboratively launch a new women's fashion collection. The series will be available on LovelyWholesale's official website and app in September 2022.

Taylor Girlz, a rap, dance, and R&B trio from the United States, is adored by their hoards of fans, and several of their singles have climbed to the top of the charts every year. Their song "Man Thot" has received over 14 million views on their YouTube channel.

"We are fully aware that our customers are passionate, energetic, and confident ladies who often use music to express themselves. The co-branded series with Daysha Taylor combines our customers' beauty of confidence and LW's praise for them," said Monica from LovelyWholesale.

Taylor Girlz's confident and cheerful attitude, as expressed in their songs, as well as their insistence on listening to other voices while not being defined by them, coincides with the message that LovelyWholesale wishes to deliver to everyone.

Women's apparel that comes in a wide range of sizes and styles has always been a priority for LovelyWholesale. The company gathers the most genuine customer feedback through ongoing market research, authentic user reviews, and other sources to continuously iterate and upgrade its products. For instance, LovelyWholesale has recently expanded its plus-size women's apparel lines and updated current size standards based on feedback from numerous actual plus-size women customers, allowing them to choose a more precise size.

LovelyWholesale's head of business, Leo, said, "We hope that ladies of all heights, shapes, and styles will be able to choose clothing from LovelyWholesale that actually fits them, knowing that our care for them exists all the time."

With this in mind, the collaborative lineup created by LovelyWholesale and Taylor Girlz features the simple and versatile cotton-based LW Basic collection, street-style pieces, as well as the classic and stylish denim collection. Customers are attracted to the LW Basic series for its classic style, rich colors, and affordable cost, while considering the street-style items as the full embodiment of the idea that "you can get unique clothing styles at LW." The belief is that everyone can find something for themselves in this fashion collection, regardless of body shape or style.

The collaboration with Taylor Girlz is a brand-new effort for LovelyWholesale. The company plans to work with more friends who share the same philosophy to create more compelling and stylish collections.

About LovelyWholesale:

Founded in 2010, LovelyWholesale supplies more than 10 thousands of types of fashionable clothing, shoes, jewels, sexy lingerie and accessories. The company focuses on providing higher quality products with competitive price to customers all over the world. LovelyWholesale customers know they can trust in us for everything they need from the latest trend-led pieces to celebrity inspired looks, to the everyday wardrobe staples and that ultimate party piece. LovelyWholesale expects that every customer can find their loved style and enjoy shopping here.

LovelyWholesale has factories and warehouses all around the world. With the great advantage of fabric resources and hundreds of fashion buyers, LovelyWholesale can provide customers with the latest fashion trends and affordable prices at first time. Over the past 11 years of operation, LovelyWholesale has become one of the most popular online fashion stores in North America.

To learn more about LovelyWholesale, follow us at lovelywholesale.com and instagram.com/lovelywholesale_online

SOURCE Lovelywholesale
Consumer preference toward food is changing, and preference for nutritionally enriched food is increasing as people are now more concerned about their health. Thistrend drives the growth of the global maize flour market.

PORTLAND, Ore. , Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Maize Flour Market by Type (Yellow Maize Flour, White Maize Flour), by End-user (Commercial, Household), by Distribution Channel (Hypermarkets/Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Online Retail, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031". According to the report, the global maize flour industry generated $32.7 billion in 2021, and is anticipated to generate $51.0 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2031.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/16967

Prime determinants of growth

Consumer preference toward food is changing, and preference for nutritionally enriched is increasing as people are now more concerned about their health. This trend drives the growth of the global maize flour market. Furthermore, rise in incidence of cancer, the rapidly evolving information and software technology, and emerging bioinformatics are considerably contributing toward the market growth. However, people restricting themselves from having gluten products can hinder the maize flour market growth. Conversely, the surge in demand for pasta which is made up of different flours presents new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the global maize flour market, owing to disruptions in the food & beverage industry all across the globe.

The implementation of global lockdown in 2020 led to the closure of restaurant and food chains, which further caused slowdown in the market.

In 2021, consumers' buying behavior changed by their perception of the risk associated with COVID-19. To reduce the risk of infection, consumers preferred online services for acquiring daily essentials. As a result, buying foods from restaurants and hotels was discouraged.

The white maize flour segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on type, the white maize flour segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global maize flour market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is due to its extensive use as filler, binder and thickener in the cookie, pastry and meat industry. Moreover, the yellow maize flour segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.1% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to several health benefits of yellow corn flour such as improved hair growth, protecting heart health, lowering bad cholesterol, and preventing neural tube defects at the time of infant birth.

The commercial segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on end user, the commercial segment accounted for the largest share in 2021, contributing to nearly three-fifths of the global maize flour market, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. Moreover, the same segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 5.0% from 2022 to 2031, owing to the huge demand for maize flour in the food service and food processing industry for the manufacturing of different food & beverage products such as breakfast cereals, sauces, soups and others. The report also identifies the household segment.

The hypermarkets/supermarkets segment to witness fastest growth during the forecast period

Based on end user, the hypermarkets/supermarkets segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 5.5% from 2022 to 2031, due to the wide availability of maize flour products in departmental stores, grocery stores, and retail shops. Hypermarkets/supermarkets such as Walmart, Target, and Cosco provide diverse choices of brands in a single location, making it easy for consumers to discover the appropriate category of maize flour and its products. The report also mentions segments including convenience stores and online retail.

For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/16967

North America to maintain its dominance by 2031

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, accounting for more than one-third of the global maize flour market, and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. Growing concern of people towards health and their rising interest towards cooking drive the market in the region. . Moreover, Europe is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2031. This is attributed to the growing demand for convenient and healthy food products in this region. Other segments analyzed in the report are Asia-Pacific and LAMEA.

Leading Market Players: -

Andersons Food

Archer Daniels Midland

bob's red mill

Bunge

cargill

empresas polar

grain millers inc.

gruma

groupe limagrain

North Dakota Mill

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
MELVILLE, N.Y. and DAVIDSON, N.C., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MSC INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CO. (NYSE: MSM), a premier distributor of Metalworking and Maintenance, Repair and Operations supplies to industrial customers throughout North America, today announced that Martina McIsaac will join the company on Monday, Oct. 3 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, McIsaac will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company's United States and Canada businesses, including Sales, Field Service/Solutions, Category Management, Procurement, Pricing and Supply Chain.

Martina McIsaac

McIsaac will join MSC following a nine-year tenure with Hilti Corporation, a multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets hardware, software and services for the construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing industries. Most recently, she served as Region Head and Chief Executive Officer of Hilti, Inc., leading the North America organization to significantly outperform the market with strong top-line and profit growth. Prior to joining Hilti, McIsaac held a series of progressively responsible leadership roles with Avery Dennison, a Fortune 500 global materials science and manufacturing company. During her 14-year tenure with Avery Dennison, McIsaac served in a range of sales, marketing, business development and operational roles in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Canada and the U.S. prior to being named Vice President and General Manager of the Performance Polymers Division.

McIsaac earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Western University and a master's degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, where she serves on the board of the Folks Center for International Business. An advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, McIsaac is a signatory to the Catalyst CEO Champion for Change pledge, joining other high-profile leaders who are personally committed to advancing women, including women of color, into senior leadership positions. She also chairs the Dallas Habitat for Humanity Women Build, is a member of the Texas Women's Foundation's Economic Leadership Council and serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

"We are delighted to welcome Martina to MSC. She brings strong leadership experience and has displayed outstanding ability to drive growth and success in an inclusive manner. She also has shown a commitment to delivering meaningful solutions and value to customers to improve performance, which aligns well with our purpose and approach to helping manufacturers solve their mission-critical challenges and boost the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations," said Erik Gershwind, President and Chief Executive Officer for MSC.

"With Martina focused on further improving our day-to-day operations, we look forward to producing industry-leading levels of organic growth and profitability, enhancing operational excellence across our organization, and developing a diverse and talented team of future MSC leaders, while preserving and building upon our unique culture and values."

McIsaac added, "I'm thrilled to be joining MSC, which has a rich history of driving innovation in the industrial distribution industry, a highly experienced team of more than 6,500 dedicated associates committed to delivering exceptional customer service, and a vibrant, healthy culture of doing the right thing for all of its stakeholders, including associates, customers, owners and suppliers."

With McIsaac moving into the Chief Operating Officer role, Doug Jones, Executive Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer, will begin transitioning his areas of responsibility to McIsaac in the coming months as part of his planned transition to retirement following a highly successful career with MSC spanning more than two decades. Jones will remain in his full-time role until early 2023, at which time he will move into a part-time advisory role overseeing the completion of several key supply chain initiatives.

"Doug has been a valuable member of MSC's leadership team for more than 20 years, playing a critical role in elevating our operational performance across the entire supply chain lifecycle," Gershwind said. "We are grateful for his outstanding leadership and wish him the very best as he transitions into retirement."

About MSC Industrial Supply Co.

MSC Industrial Supply Co. (NYSE:MSM) is a leading North American distributor of a broad range of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services. We help our customers drive greater productivity, profitability and growth with approximately 2 million products, inventory management and other supply chain solutions, and deep expertise from over 80 years of working with customers across industries. Our experienced team of more than 6,500 associates is dedicated to working side by side with our customers to help drive results for their businesses - from keeping operations running efficiently today to continuously rethinking, retooling, and optimizing for a more productive tomorrow. For more information on MSC, please visit mscdirect.com.

SOURCE MSC Industrial Supply Co.
More to Explore with Innovative New Kid Tech Product

CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today VTech announced the availability of My First Kidi Smartwatch, an engaging puppy companion just for preschoolers that offers an important starting point for learning to tell time and practicing daily routines. This smartwatch joins VTech's popular line of innovative children's electronics that inspire interactive play through technology.

VTech My First Kidi Smartwatch VTech My First Kidi Smartwatch VTech My First Kidi Smartwatch VTech My First Kidi Smartwatch

"My First Kidi Smartwatch is the perfect first smartwatch for kids!" said Andy Keimach, President, VTech Electronics North America. "Kids can learn to tell time and structure their day with routine reminders while also having fun with age-appropriate activities like games and a digital pet."

My First Kidi Smartwatch helps little ones care for themselves and learn about time-telling with a friendly woof-woof in a wrist pet they'll love to care for. Get extra help with potty training by setting 30-, 60- or 90-minute reminders. Keep little smiles healthy with the Brush Your Teeth reminder or get them to sleep on time with a chime that tells them when to get ready for bed. Kids will love taking this digital doggie on all their adventures while learning a little responsibility along the way. Give the pup a name and care for them right on screen. This super-talented pup can even be taught to do 20 tricks and will celebrate with barks and confetti. Explore the Time Master app and choose from 20 digital and analog clock faces. Connect watch-to-watch with a friend who also has a My First Kidi Smartwatch (sold separately) for more games and activities. It is available in blue and purple.

My First Kidi Smartwatch, recommended for ages 3-5 years, retails for $44.99 and is available now at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.vtechkids.com.

About VTech

VTech is a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children. As a pioneer in the learning toy category, VTech develops high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children's development and make learning fun. With a rich 45-year history, VTech has not only established itself as a learning authority but also consistently remains at the forefront of innovation with multiple award-winning products, including prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award winners. The company also has a broad range of award-winning infant, toddler and preschool products available in 28 different languages worldwide, with more than 100 new products introduced every year. In order to further strengthen VTech's position as a learning authority, new products are developed with critical insights from a dedicated team of in-house learning experts.

VTech Electronics North America, L.L.C. is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. VTech Electronics Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong with distribution globally.

For more information about VTech's electronic learning products, visit www.VTechKids.com, www.facebook.com/VTechtoys on Facebook or follow @VTechToys on Twitter.

Media Contact:

Lauren Fagan

Coyne Public Relations

973-588-2000

[email protected]

SOURCE VTech Electronics North America
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide live coverage with commentary of the upcoming Artemis I cryogenic demonstration test beginning at 7:15 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

The demonstration test will allow teams to confirm the repair to a hydrogen leak seen during an early September Artemis I launch attempt, evaluate updated propellant loading procedures, and conduct additional evaluations. The demonstration will conclude when the objectives for the test have been met.

Live coverage of the test will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website. While NASA is airing coverage of the launch, rendezvous, docking, and hatch opening of the Soyuz MS-22 carrying NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio to the International Space Station on NASA's Television's Public Channel, the Artemis I demonstration test will air only on the Media Channel. During all other times, the test will air on both the Public and Media Channels.

The agency also will host a media teleconference to preview the test at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19. Participants include:

Tom Whitmeyer , deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters

, deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development, NASA Headquarters Mike Sarafin , Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters

, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters Jeremy Parsons , deputy manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program, NASA's Kennedy Space Center

, deputy manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program, NASA's Kennedy Space Center John Blevins , chief engineer, Space Launch System Program, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Audio of the media call will stream live on the agency's website at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the event to: [email protected].

Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test. It is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to provide a foundation for human exploration in deep space and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.

For updates, follow along on NASA's Artemis blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis

SOURCE NASA
Inova Health System takes new steps in commitment to combat addiction and substance use disorders

FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Inova Health System released results of a new survey that showed stigma and fear as the key barriers preventing adults in Northern Virginia from seeking treatment from addiction. The survey was launched as part of the fourth year of Act on Addiction, an awareness campaign designed to educate the community on the prevalence of addiction and substance use disorder (SUD) as well as available resources in the area. This year's campaign focuses on creating a dialogue around addiction and broaches the important topic of stigma, taking aim at the fear that keeps many from seeking treatment.

The new survey shows that while three in 10 local adults either suffer from, or know someone who suffers from addiction, nearly half of adults (46%) would be afraid to seek care for substance use disorder and addiction out of fear of being judged. Among those locally who would be hesitant to seek treatment, the top fears listed were family members, employers/employees and friends finding out about the drug or alcohol addiction.

The survey demonstrated a strong proficiency in recognizing the signs of addiction  in fact, 95% of adults feel they know what signs to look for when it comes to addiction, like behavioral changes, changes in physical appearances and difficulty focusing. Yet only 50% of adults say they'd be comfortable having a conversation if they suspected a family member or friend was suffering from addiction.

"Despite the prevalence of addiction in our area, stigma is not only preventing important conversations from happening, but it could also be stopping people from getting potentially life-changing treatment," said Rick Leichtweis, Ph.D., Executive Director of Inova Kellar Center. "Our work is not yet done. These findings only further drive our mission to provide those who are struggling with the resources they need to seek help and equip family members and loved ones with the tools to have those difficult conversations."

First launched in 2019, the Act on Addiction campaign was created as part of a $16 million gift to the Inova Health Foundation from the Hitt family to provide more resources to combat addiction and to drive a community dialogue around the issue. As a next step in Inova's work on this important issue, new leadership will be joining the team to support additional resources and treatment opportunities across the system.

"Each number in these statistics represent the life of an individual, family member, neighbor and friend in our community," said Brett Hitt, co-chairman of HITT Construction. "Our family is proud to join Inova and the Act on Addiction campaign in this mission because no one should feel they need to suffer in silence."

For more information about Act on Addiction, visit www.ActOnAddictionNow.org.

About Inova

Inova is Northern Virginia's leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare  every time, every touch  to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova's 20,000 team members care for patients through more than two million patient visits each year across an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes.

Inova's five hospitals are consistently recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for excellence in healthcare.

Inova is home to Northern Virginia's only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,936 licensed beds. More information about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.

Media Contacts:

Tracy Connell

Inova

703-289-2087

[email protected]

Megan Douthat

BRG Communications

703-739-8373

[email protected]

SOURCE Inova
In June 2020, as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and with the financial support of the Government of Japan, the World Customs Organization (WCO) launched the Project to Improve the Capacity of Developing Countries Customs Administrations to Respond to the Impact of COVID-19, also known as the WCO COVID-19 Project.

The overall purpose is to ensure the security, stability and continuity of global supply chains, while facilitating and expediting the supply of emergency relief goods around the world by enhancing Customs disaster preparedness.
CARLSBAD, N.M., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NextMart, Inc. (the "Company" or "NXMR" - Pink Sheets Alternative Reporting Pink: NXMR)  NXMR would like to announce that the Company's plans on lowering its authorized Common Stock down to 250,000,000 shares of Common Stock in a two-step corporate action process.

The Company currently has 500,000,000 shares of Common Stock authorized (Par Value $0.01). The Company will immediately lower its authorized Common Stock to 300,000,000 shares. The Company is currently in the process of cancelling approximately 68,000,000 shares of Common Stock. Upon these shares of Common Stock being officially cancelled, the Company will lower its authorized Common Stock to 250,000,000.

Kathryn Gavin (CEO of the Company), states" The corporate actions described in this release will lower our authorized common stock from 500,000,000 to 250,000,000 shares of Common Stock. Again, as previously stated on the last lowering of the authorized Common Stock of the Company, these corporate actions are part of our ongoing efforts to restructure the capitalization of the Company to mainly benefit current shareholders and to become attractive to future company acquisitions. These two planned corporate actions will put in place an anti-dilutive, pro market investor common stock structure. It is important to note that when current management took over this Company last year, it had 750,000,000 shares of Common Stock authorized. The net effect of the two proposed corporate actions described in this release will result in the authorized Common Stock of the Company being one-third of what it was less than a year ago."

Forward Looking Statement

Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to NXMR that are based on the beliefs of NXMR's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to NXMR's management. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the NXMR's business prospects, future developments, trends and conditions in the industry and geographical markets in which NXMR operates, its strategies, plans, objectives and goals, its ability to control costs, statements relating to prices, volumes, operations, margins, overall market trends, risk management and exchange rates.

ABOUT US

NextMart, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, is a public quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol "NXMR". Currently, NXMR currently is a shell company with a new management team with plans to become a current alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets. The Company is currently looking for an appropriate business acquisition.

CONTACT:

4602 West Pierce Street

Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220

Company Web Site: https://nextmartcorporation.com/

Emco Oilfield Services, LLC Web Site: https://emcooilfield.com/

Twitter: @CorporationNxmr

SOURCE NextMart, Inc.
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NYSARC Columbia County Chapter ("NYSARC") confirmed today that the firm experienced a data incident in July 2022 and will issue notices to affected individuals and relevant state and federal agencies about the incident.

On July 19, 2022, NYSARC Columbia County Chapter ("NYSARC") detected irregular activity on their systems that was consistent with a typical ransomware attack. Out of an abundance of caution, NYSARC immediately began to remediate the situation including disconnecting systems, engaging data security and privacy experts, contacting law enforcement, and simultaneously beginning an investigation. Due to the complexity of the attack, the investigation is still ongoing; however, out of an abundance of caution, NYSARC is providing this notice.

Based on the information NYSARC generally collects and maintains, names, addresses, date of birth, social security number, and/or other state identification number may potentially be involved. Limited health information for clients may also be impacted. However, the investigation is ongoing and specific details as to what categories of information were involved are not yet available. Note that this describes general categories of information collected and maintained by NYSARC, and it likely includes categories that are not relevant to each individual. As soon as NYSARC is able, individual notification letters will be mailed to affected individuals with further details.

Upon becoming aware of the Incident, NYSARC immediately implemented measures to further improve the security of their systems and practices. NYSARC worked with a leading privacy and security firm to aid in their investigation and response, and is reporting this incident to relevant government agencies. NYSARC also implemented additional security protocols designed to protect their network, email environment, and systems.

The investigation is ongoing and the identities of individuals who were individually affected, if any, is not yet known. However, out of an abundance of caution,NYSARC encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and explanation of benefits forms, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one (1) free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. Additional information and resources are outlined below.

Equifax Experian TransUnion https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/ https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-833-395-6938 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Moreover, information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps an individual can take to protect personal information may be obtained by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or the appropriate state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Individuals can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by calling 1-877-438-4338. Individuals should file a police report if they are a victim of identity theft or fraud. To file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, an individual will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim.

SOURCE NYSARC Columbia County Chapter
The 3rd GENIE Forum to be Held.

A global network of 11 collaborative organizations, including Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development, Jeollabuk-do, JeonjuCity and the National Pension Service

Held in JeonjuHanok Village area for two days, from Sep. 22 (Thu.) to Sep. 23 (Fri.)

(Thu.) to (Fri.) On-site participation available via pre-registration at the official forum website

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeollabuk-do (Governor Kim Kwan-Young) announced that the 3rd GENIE* Forum will be held in the JeonjuHanok Village area, including Lahan Hotel, for two days from Sep. 22 (Thu.) to Sep. 23 (Fri.).

*GENIE: Global Emerging Network In Economy

The 3rd GENIE Forum - http://genieforum.org/eng

The GENIE Forum is a global economic network event hosted by Jeollabuk-do and 11 organizations,* including the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development (Chairman Woo Dong-Ki), Jeonju City (Mayor WooBeom-gi), and the National Pension Service (Chairman Kim Tae-hyun).

* Jeollabuk-do, Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development, Jeonju City, National Pension Service, Korea Productivity Center, Korea Startup Association, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Climate Change Center, World Culture Open, KAIST,Dongnesamchons

This year's GENIE Forum celebrates its third anniversary, organizing and holding two main events (Opening Ceremony, Jeonbuk International Finance Conference) and six related events (Balanced Development Conference, STORAGE DEMODAY, ClimateEnvironment Seminar, 2022 Better Together Challenge, Green Dialogue, and Open Presentation).

The main events of the forum,the Opening Ceremony of the GENIE Forum and the Jeonbuk International Finance Conference (JIFIC), will be held at Lahan Hotel on September 22, and various related events will be held in the JeonjuHanok Village area, including the JeonjuHanbyuk Cultural Center and the Korea Traditional Culture Center.

Members of the GENIE Forum Organizing Committee and heads of major related organizations will gather in the Opening Ceremony, held on Sep. 22 (Thu.) at Lahan Hotel, while global asset management experts will hold discussions under the theme, "The Future of Asset Management and The Role of Regional Finance" during the Jeonbuk International Finance Conference.

Latest global issues such as balanced development, climate change and regional education will be addressed in six related events: Balanced Development Conference (Sep. 22,Giwa&Maru Hall, Lahan Hotel Jeonju), STORAGE DEMODAY (Sep. 23, Lahan Hotel), ClimateEnvironment Seminar (Sep. 23, Korea Traditional Culture Center), 2022 Better Together Challenge (Sep. 23, JeonjuHanbyuk Cultural Center), Open Presentations (Sep. 23, Lahan Hotel) and Green Dialogue (Sep. 23, JeonjuHanok Village area).

All events will be livestreamed via the official YouTube account of the GENIE Forum, and general participants who wish to participate onsite may attend after pre-registration via the GENIE Forum official website (http://www.genieforum.org).

*Naver Blog: https://blog.naver.com/genieforum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GENIEforum2020/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genie_forum/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/%EC%A7%80%EB%8B%88%ED%8F%AC%EB%9F%BC

Jeollabuk-do Governor Kim Kwan-Young, Co-Chairman of the GENIE Forum Organizing Committee, said, "It is meaningful to hold the 3rd GENIE Forum in Jeollabuk-do, which is ready to take a new leap forward as a global financial hub, where experts and scholars leading the global finance and economy will come together. This forum in Jeollabuk-do will offer insights in global economy."

SOURCE The 3rd GENIE Forum
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Femtosecond laser belongs to the category of ultrafast and ultrashort lasers and releases optical pulses every 10-15 seconds. The laser uses ultrashort infrared laser pulses that are applied predictably and precisely with minimal collateral tissue damage, which makes it ideal for highly precise ophthalmic surgeries.

The ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market size is expected to grow by USD 199.54 million from 2021 to 2026. In addition, the growth momentum of the market will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.45% during the forecast period, according to Technavio.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market 2022-2026

Technavio provides a comprehensive report summary describing the market size and forecast along with research methodology. The FREE sample report is available in PDF format

Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market 2022-2026: Scope

The ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market report covers the following areas:

Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market, including Alcon Inc., Bausch Health Co. Inc., Carl Zeiss AG, Clark-MXR Inc., CLASS 5 PHOTONICS GmbH, Ekspla, Fluence sp. z o.o, IMRA America Inc., Johnson and Johnson, KMLabs Inc., LENSAR Inc., Light Conversion UAB, Menlo Systems GmbH, Newport Corp., NKT AS, RPMC Lasers Inc., SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH, Spark Lasers SAS, TOPTICA Photonics AG, and Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG.

Get lifetime access to our Technavio Insights! Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" billed annually at USD 5000

Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

Product

Consumable and Accessories: The consumable and accessories segment will be the largest contributor to market growth during the forecast period. Consumables and accessories are very important in performing ophthalmic femtosecond laser procedures, as most consumables are disposables or single-use devices. Thus, consumables are a recurring revenue. In addition, hospitals and ASCs have long-term contracts with vendors and gain discounts on purchasing consumables. These factors will drive segment growth during the forecast period.



Equipment

Geography

North America : North America will account for 43% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growth of this region is attributed to factors such as improved healthcare support by governments and advances in technology. However, market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. The US and Canada are the key countries for the ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market in North America .

: will account for 43% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growth of this region is attributed to factors such as improved healthcare support by governments and advances in technology. However, market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. The US and are the key countries for the ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market in .

Europe



Asia



Rest Of World (ROW)

Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a FREE PDF Sample Report

Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026

Detailed information on factors that will assist ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of ophthalmic femtosecond lasers market vendors

Related Reports

Ophthalmology Surgical Devices Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The ophthalmology surgical devices market share is expected to increase by USD 3.13 billion from 2021 to 2026.

Medical Devices Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025: The medical devices market share is expected to increase by USD 134.2 billion from 2020 to 2025.

Ophthalmic Femtosecond Lasers Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.45% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 199.54 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.85 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 43% Key consumer countries US, Canada, Germany, UK, and China Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Alcon Inc., Bausch Health Co. Inc., Carl Zeiss AG, Clark-MXR Inc., CLASS 5 PHOTONICS GmbH, Ekspla, Fluence sp. z o.o, IMRA America Inc., Johnson and Johnson, KMLabs Inc., LENSAR Inc., Light Conversion UAB, Menlo Systems GmbH, Newport Corp., NKT AS, RPMC Lasers Inc., SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH, Spark Lasers SAS, TOPTICA Photonics AG, and Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems 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.

Browse Health Care Market Reports

Table Of Contents

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 Product



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 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 Product

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Product

5.3 Consumable and accessories - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Consumable and accessories - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Consumable and accessories - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Consumable and accessories - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Consumable and accessories - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Equipment - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Equipment - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Equipment - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Equipment - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Equipment - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Product ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 52: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 54: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 58: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 61: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 78: 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 79: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 80: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 81: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 82: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 83: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 84: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Alcon Inc.

Exhibit 85: Alcon Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 86: Alcon Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 87: Alcon Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 88: Alcon Inc. - Segment focus

10.4 Bausch Health Co. Inc.

Exhibit 89: Bausch Health Co. Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 90: Bausch Health Co. Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 91: Bausch Health Co. Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 92: Bausch Health Co. Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 93: Bausch Health Co. Inc. - Segment focus

10.5 Carl Zeiss AG

Exhibit 94: Carl Zeiss AG - Overview



Exhibit 95: Carl Zeiss AG - Business segments



Exhibit 96: Carl Zeiss AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 97: Carl Zeiss AG - Segment focus

10.6 Johnson and Johnson

Exhibit 98: Johnson and Johnson - Overview



Exhibit 99: Johnson and Johnson - Business segments



Exhibit 100: Johnson and Johnson - Key news



Exhibit 101: Johnson and Johnson - Key offerings



Exhibit 102: Johnson and Johnson - Segment focus

10.7 KMLabs Inc.

Exhibit 103: KMLabs Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 104: KMLabs Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 105: KMLabs Inc. - Key offerings

10.8 LENSAR Inc.

Exhibit 106: LENSAR Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 107: LENSAR Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 108: LENSAR Inc. - Key offerings

10.9 Menlo Systems GmbH

Exhibit 109: Menlo Systems GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 110: Menlo Systems GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 111: Menlo Systems GmbH - Key offerings

10.10 NKT AS

Exhibit 112: NKT AS - Overview



Exhibit 113: NKT AS - Business segments



Exhibit 114: NKT AS - Key offerings



Exhibit 115: NKT AS - Segment focus

10.11 SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH

Exhibit 116: SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 117: SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 118: SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH - Key offerings

10.12 Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG

Exhibit 119: Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG - Overview



Exhibit 120: Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG - Product / Service



Exhibit 121: Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 122: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 123: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 124: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 125: Research methodology



Exhibit 126: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 127: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 128: 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 YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) announced today that it has revised its previously announced presentation time for the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Leveraged Finance Conference. Matthew Siegel, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is now scheduled to present at the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Leveraged Finance Conference on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time. A live and replay audio webcast will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.OUTFRONTmedia.com.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location, and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

Contacts:

Investors

Media Stephan Bisson

Courtney Richards Investor Relations

Communications & Event Manager (212) 297-6573

(646) 876-9404 [email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.
Her debut single "Deeper" will be released, today, September 16th on all streaming platforms with her NFT Artist Pass release to follow on September 21st

Listen to "Deeper" and Follow all things Amari here:

https://linktr.ee/amariv3rse

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amari comes from CyberBrokers , a first-of-its-kind art collectibles ecosystem centered around 10,001 unique and on-chain CyberBroker NFTs designed by heralded cryptoartist Josie Bellini. Constructed from a community where the world governments had come together to save humanity by moving into the metaverse, Amari of Medina was born. Once in the metaverse her well known NFT materialized and her artistry thrived. As an artist she is inspired by many things. Amari is always taking bits and pieces from all the thrills that she seeks in the world around her, always looking for a deeper meaning and a deeper connection, which ultimately leads to her first single "Deeper."

Player Zero Records introduce Amari. Debut single Deeper released today on all streaming platforms. Tweet this Amari, the first sentient AVA Deeper available now on all streaming platforms.

" Deeper " is written and produced by Sean Myer (Ava Max / Fletcher / Demi Lovato / Ekali ) and is rounded out by a team of strong writers including, Sarah Barrios (Ava Max / Fletcher / Demi Lovato / Ekali) Linnea Sodahl (Zara Larsson, Tove Styrke, Twice, Tinie Tempah and Axwell) and Kevin Fisher ( Fergie / All Time Low / Five Seconds of Summer / Lany / One Republic). Heavily influenced by strong female artists like Halsey and Ellie Goulding, the direction of her sound is best described as top 40's pop with electronic undertones.

Following "Deeper" on DSPs, more will be made available on September 21 via the Amari Artist Pass NFT. It serves as the ticket into the Amari community with access to limited edition Amari merch, special access to artist related IRL and metaverse activations, access to seasonal holders events, activities, and giveaways, voting on creative direction of Artist (i.e. collaborations) and free claim of the Amari one-shot comic and future lore drops.

The mint of the pass will have 2000 total available on Ethereum with some dedicated to the original Player Zero Founders Pass holders.

Player Zero Records is a new Web3 record label which was founded by innovators Digital Arts & Sciences and famed producer Dr. Luke.

Listen to "Deeper" and Follow Amari here

https://linktr.ee/amariv3rse

About PLAYER ZERO

Emerging from a virtual world, Player Zeroa joint venture from web3 collective Digital Arts & Sciences and multi-GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dr. Lukon eintroduces the AVA (Animated Virtual Artist) to entertain music fans in a new reality. AVA's enable limitless multimedia possibilities within virtual worlds, and allow Player Zero to lift the creators behind the scenes (songwriters, producers, digital artists, writers and animators), as well as give fans an opportunity to participate in the creative direction and success of the artists. Follow Player Zero through its music releases, socials, videos, metaverse experiences and NFT drops. Creativity should have no limits.

Web | Instagram | Twitter | Discord

SOURCE Player Zero Records
SAN CARLOS, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Regencor, Inc, a preclinical company in cardiac regeneration announced they are being featured tomorrow on Advancements with Ted Danson on September 17 at 8 PM EST on Bloomberg TV. After the airing of the show the video will be available on Amazon Prime Video and at Vimeo.com/dmgproductions.

Regencor's feature segment will air Nationwide during a half-hour episode of Advancements to millions of television households, reaching approximately 200-million subscribers or more via DISH Network, DIRECTV, and more than 600 independent cable systems. Shining a light on important issues and topics currently impacting society, Advancements covers a number of state-of-the-art technologies and solutions dedicated to transforming the world. Advancements brings vital information to the public in an effort to educate its viewership on significant contributions.

The segment highlights the potential clinical impact of Regencor's discovery of a natural human protein variant that regenerates heart tissue after cardiac injury (heart attack or MI) in established large animal models of acute MI, and heart failure after MI. The Company's technology, published in top-tier scientific journals, will be discussed by three officers of Regencor  Thomas Okarma, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman & Cofounder, Sean Edwards, President & CEO, and Pilar Luiz-Lozano, PhD, CoFounder, and Chief Scientific Officer, who made the initial discovery in her laboratory at Stanford University. In addition, Nabil Dib, MD, FACC, the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Dignity Health and a consultant to Regencor, will comment on how the technology could improve clinical outcomes for the 6.2 million people who suffer a heart attack each year world-wide.

ABOUT REGENCOR

Regencor is a privately held spin-out of Stanford University that has received grant funding from the NIH and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Its lead product is a first-in-class, proprietary biologic that stimulates cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction. The recombinant protein drives the proliferation of heart muscle cells exclusively within the infarct zone, resulting in a substantial reduction in scar volume and the sustained improvement of heart function in large animals with and without comorbidities. The specific parameters of functional improvement reduce the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), which are the traditional outcome measures in randomized clinical trials. The therapeutic is administered by non-invasive subcutaneous delivery and will be the world's first outpatient therapy to restore heart function after myocardial infarction.

To learn more about Regencor, please visit www.regencor.com

SOURCE Regencor, Inc.
MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the beginning of the new school year, Retro Stage, a popular vintage fashion brand, is excited to announce the launch of its Homecoming Collection. This collection features a wide range of stylish and comfortable clothing options that are perfect for the back-to-school season. By offering exclusive discounts, Retro Stage hopes to help students start the school year off confidently.

Retro Stage Launches Homecoming Collection: Back to School, Back to Retro Style

"We look forward to our back-to-school-themed releases every year because they're a meaningful way for us to interact with and get back to the guests we serve," said the Retro Stage team. "Through this tradition, we have the chance to participate in the students' academic year, encouraging them to embrace life and show off their inherent beauty and confidence. We also want to provide students with a variety of options. This is a great opportunity for us."

Retro Stage is committed to providing high-quality, affordable fashion. The Homecoming Collection, which features dresses in various materials and styles, including solid colors, lace, sequins, and velvet, is a shining example of this commitment. With avant-garde designs and trendy colorways, it is perfect for the back-to-school season. In addition, this year's student discount makes the Homecoming Collection more affordable than ever, giving students access to vintage fashion at the best prices. If students are looking to add a touch of vintage glamour to their school wardrobe, be sure to stop by the Retro Stage website and take advantage of their back-to-school promotion.

When it comes to homecoming dances, dressing up is the perfect way to get in the mood for a night of fun. Retro Stage has designed a range of solid-colored dresses for those who prefer simpler attire, from classic black to angelic white, from bold red to elegant green, and even playful, lovely pink. For those who like monochromatic clothing, the unique cuts and silhouettes of these dresses are enough to make the wearer stand out from the crowd.

Other people may prefer a simple but not monochromatic design. Retro Stage's designers have kept this in mind. They combine different prints with soft and delicate lace to create elegant and romantic dresses, allowing people to show off their beauty with ease. One example is the White Daisy Dreamer Vintage Dress, in which the delicate and lifelike daisy print is full of vitality, making it seem as if the wearer is surrounded by the fragrance and elegance of flowers. Similarly, on the Sky Blue Butterfly Swing Dress and Purple Butterfly Lace Swing Dress, colorful butterflies give the wearer an endless sense of wonder as well as a real feeling of being in nature.

In this back-to-school collection, there will also be no shortage of glittery gowns that will grab other students' attention right away. For those who want to try a cute style, wearing a Pink Strawberry Swing Dress or a Pink Star Sequin Swing Dress is an excellent way to express a lively and lovely character; for those who want to highlight their sexy charm, they can start with an Orange Halter Pencil Dress or a Strapless Sequin Dress. The striking colors and delicate designs in these pieces can make the wearer move confidently, whether in ballroom dancing or spinning Charleston.

In addition, there are also dresses made from high-quality velvet and flocked fabric. The velvet dress was once a symbol of nobility that stood out on any occasion. As seen in the Wine Red Velvet Bodycon Vintage Dress, the red velvet, evoking the ancient trends of the Middle Ages, is a declaration of classicism and aristocracy. For a dress that will make the wearer feel like a campus star, look no further than the velvet dress. A dress made from flocked fabric is often more luxurious. As the 1960s Green Floral Vintage Dress and 1950s Heart Mesh Sling Dress show, they have raised, textured surfaces and beautiful, three-dimensional looks, allowing the wearer to be outstanding enough to make a statement confidently at the homecoming dance.

For more information, visit https://www.retro-stage.com/ to browse the Homecoming Dress Collection. Customers can use the discount code STU10 at checkout to receive 10% off on one dress, and they can use STU15 to receive 15% off on two dresses.

About Retro Stage

Retro Stage is a popular vintage fashion brand featuring classic clothing and accessories inspired by the 1920s, 1950s, and 1960s. As a vintage style pioneer, Retro Stage is more than a brand; it's also a way of life that helps every customer explore the history of fashion with chic and glamorous retro style. "Beauty never fades," the Retro Stage team said, "All we want to do is encourage women to seek out a better life for themselves and confidently embrace their natural beauty."

Instagram: @retrostage_official

Facebook: @RetroStageOfficial

TikTok: @retrostage_us

Twitter: @RetroStagecom

YouTube: Retro Stage

SOURCE Retro Stage
Richard Walker brings to Bain his deep expertise on web3, metaverse, digital assets, technology strategy and transformation

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bain & Company announced today that web3 and metaverse expert Richard Walker will join the firm as a partner in the Financial Services practice in the New York office and co-lead the global scaling of Bain's web3 and metaverse services. As a leading thinker and practitioner in this space, Richard brings deep expertise in navigating how web3 has the potential to introduce new opportunities across a variety of sectors. He has deep experience having recently led web3 projects for global banks, regional banks, hedge funds, payments companies and digital asset natives.

Prior to Bain, Richard was practice head for blockchain and digital assets at another global business consulting firm. With nearly 30 years of consulting experience across the Americas and EMEA, much of his work has been serving major financial institutions and helping them with technology and operations strategies to understand and leverage the latest disruptive technology for competitive advantage.

"Web3 is a priority for our clients and has broad implications across sectors," said Bain & Company's Thomas Olsen, global co-lead of the web3 and metaverse practice. "Richard's experience working with blockchain, digital assets and leading web3 projects for multiple financial institutions will help us scale our support to clients as they navigate the opportunities and challenges that web3 can present."

While web3 has the potential to introduce new opportunities, it will also impact cost structures and profit pools. Tokenization, blockchain payment rails and decentralized finance (DeFi) are pushing financial institutions to rethink business models and market structures. Digital rights ownership (NFTs) will enable consumer brands to reimagine loyalty programs, engagement and brand experience. Moreover, the metaverse will change the way people engage with technology and commerce, propelling companies to rethink how they interact with customers in new virtual environments.

"We are enthusiastic about helping our clients unpack the implications that web3 and the metaverse have on their industry and business," said Bain & Company's Gene Rapoport, global co-lead of the web3 and metaverse practice. "Richard has a long track record of helping financial institutions evaluate ways web3 technology could present opportunities and threats, and chart a course for long-term value generation."

In addition to his client work, Richard will be an active member of the Veterans at Bain affinity group. He holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems from Chapman University in Orange, California.

For a complete list of Bain's web3 leaders and services, click here.

Editor's Note: For any questions or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Pinkney at [email protected] or +1 646-562-8102.

About Bain & Company

Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future.

Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today's urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.

SOURCE Bain & Company
BERWYN, Pa., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased Abbott Laboratories ("Abbott" or the "Company") (NYSE: ABT) securities during the period from February 19, 2021 through June 8, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period").

Abbott shareholders may, no later than October 31, 2022, move the Court for appointment as a lead plaintiff of the Class. If you purchased shares of Abbott and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here.

The lawsuit alleges that defendants put profitability ahead of children's safety. During the Class Period, Abbott Laboratories engaged in a scheme to maximize revenues and inflate its stock price while disregarding and then concealing lapses in safety protocols that ultimately were linked to serious infant illnesses and even deaths.

On February 17, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") announced that it was investigating four consumer complaints of infant illness related to powdered infant formula produced by Abbott Laboratories in Sturgis. The FDA stated that it had initiated an onsite inspection at the facility, and to date had found several positive contamination results from environmental samples for a bacteria, Cronobacter sakazakii ("Cronobacter"), linked to infant illnesses and death. On the same day, Abbott Laboratories issued a recall of certain infant formula products, including the popular brands Similac, Alimentum and EleCare, all manufactured in Sturgis. On this news, the price of Abbott Laboratories common stock declined by more than 3%.

Then, on March 22, 2022, the FDA released reports from its three inspections of the Sturgis facility conducted in September 2019, September 2021, and, most recently, between January 31, 2022 and March 18, 2022. The FDA stated that these reports "do not constitute final FDA determinations" of specific violations, but highlighted that during its most recent inspection that (a) Abbott failed to establish process controls "designed to ensure that infant formula does not become adulterated due to the presence of microorganisms in the formula or in the processing environment" and (b) Abbott failed to "ensure that all surfaces that contacted infant formula were maintained to protect infant formula from being contaminated by any source." On this news, Abbott Laboratories' stock price fell by an additional 4%.

On April 28, 2022, the FDA released a redacted copy of a whistleblower complaint sent to the FDA in October 2021, revealing that the issues disclosed in February and March 2022 were actually known to Abbott Laboratories' management far earlier. The whistleblower complaint identified numerous serious examples of misconduct by Abbott Laboratories management at Sturgis, including the falsification of testing records, the release of untested infant formula to the market, efforts to mislead the FDA during its 2019 inspection audit, the continuation of known deficient testing procedures, and an inability to trace products to properly implement recalls of affected pallets of formula. On this news, Abbott Laboratories' stock price fell nearly 4%.

Finally, on June 8, 2022, investors learned that Abbott Laboratories was aware of the whistleblower's formal allegations in early 2021, when it was reported that the FDA whistleblower had filed a complaint in February 2021 with the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety & Health Administration ("OSHA"), and that OSHA delivered that complaint to Abbott Laboratories and the FDA during the same month. On this news, Abbott Laboratories' stock price fell by an additional 3.5%, further damaging investors.

If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than October 31, 2022, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as "lead plaintiff." Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain RM LAW, P.C. or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.

For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at [email protected] or click here. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website by clicking here.

RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide.

CONTACT:

RM LAW, P.C.

Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire

1055 Westlakes Dr., Ste. 300

Berwyn, PA 19312

484-324-6800

844-291-9299

[email protected]

SOURCE RM LAW, P.C.
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STOCKHOLM, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2020 Sandvik AB's Annual General Meeting adopted an instruction regarding the appointment of the Nomination Committee, applicable until the General Meeting resolves otherwise. Pursuant to this instruction the company shall have a Nomination Committee comprised of members appointed by each of the four principal shareholders in terms of votes on the last banking day of August, as well as the Chairman of the Board (convenor).

The Nomination Committee has now been appointed and consists of the following members:

Fredrik Lundberg , AB Industrivarden, Chairman of the Nomination Committee

, AB Industrivarden, Chairman of the Nomination Committee Anna Magnusson , Alecta

, Alecta Marianne Nilsson , Swedbank Robur Funds

, Swedbank Robur Funds Lars Pettersson , Lundbergs

, Lundbergs Johan Molin , Sandvik's Chairman of the Board

The Nomination Committee shall prepare proposals for the 2023 Annual General Meeting regarding the Chairman of the Meeting, number of Board members, fees to be paid to each of the Board members, election of Board members and Board Chairman, remuneration to the auditor and election of auditor and, if necessary, proposal for changes in the instruction to the Nomination Committee.

The Annual General Meeting will be held on April 27, 2023 in Sandviken, Sweden.

Shareholders who wish to present proposals to the Nomination Committee for the 2023 Annual General Meeting can submit them to the Nomination Committee's Secretary Asa Thunman by e-mail: [email protected]. In order for the Nomination Committee to be able to consider submitted proposals in a constructive manner, these should be submitted by January 16, 2023, at the latest.

Stockholm, September 16, 2022

Sandvik AB

Sandvik Group

Sandvik is a global, high-tech engineering group providing solutions that enhance productivity, profitability and sustainability for the manufacturing, mining and infrastructure industries. We are at the forefront of digitalization and focus on optimizing our customers' processes. Our world-leading offering includes equipment, tools, services and digital solutions for machining, mining, rock excavation and rock processing. In 2021 the Group had approximately 39,000 employees and revenues of about 86 billion SEK in about 150 countries within continuing operations.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/sandvik-ab---nomination-committee-for-the-2023-annual-general-meeting,c3632107

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/3632107/1627559.pdf Sandvik AB a" Nomination Committee for the 2023 Annual General Meeting

SOURCE Sandvik
SODERTALJE, Sweden, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scania announces far-reaching measures to decarbonise its supply chain by 2030. Together with Scania's suppliers it has outlined an ambitious industry-leading strategy to eliminate the largest carbon emissions sources from the most common production materials and batteries.

"Once again Scania leads the way in ambitious climate action," says Andreas Foller, Head of Sustainability at Scania. "We were the first in our industry to adopt Science Based carbon reduction Targets and we are now showing the way by decarbonising our supply chain."

Through life cycle analyses, Scania has identified four emission "hotspots"  batteries, steel, aluminium and cast iron  that together constitute approximately 80 percent of carbon emissions arising from production materials.*

In electric vehicles, for example, batteries can account for half of sourcing emissions whereas in combustion engine vehicles, steel has the greatest carbon footprint. These four hotspots are therefore the focus of Scania's supply chain decarbonisation strategy.'

The 2030 target is 100 percent green batteries, 100 percent green steel, 100 percent green aluminium and 100 percent green cast iron in its production. Scania's definition of "green" requires eliminating the main sources of emissions by utilising new technologies, green electricity and/or recycled material. In batteries, for example, access to green energy in production is decisive. In the production of flat steel, replacing coal with green hydrogen is key.

"Scania has ambitious decarbonisation targets for all its activities, including our supply chain sourcing," says John van Rossum, Head of Purchasing at Scania. "We're pleased to note that several of our current and future suppliers are frontrunners in decarbonisation and will collaborate with us to reach the targets."

* The supply chain decarbonisation strategy and targets initially comprises Scania's production in Europe but will gradually be extended to its production in China and Latin America.

For further information, please contact:

Erik Bratthall, Corporate Public and Media Relations Manager, Scania

Phone: +46 76 724 45 27, E-mail: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-to-decarbonise-its-supply-chain-by-2030,c3631796

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/209/3631796/1627551.pdf Scania to decarbonise its supply chain by 2030 https://news.cision.com/scania/i/22072-010-16-7,c3090014 22072-010 16-7

SOURCE Scania
Nationally Televised Special Airs on September 16 and is hosted by Kristen Bell

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last 100 years, Shriners Children's has provided life-changing care to more than 1.5 million children. To celebrate that legacy, the nonprofit health care organization has partnered with Disney and ABC to create a 30-minute special featuring various patient stories and celebrity surprises called "Miracles, Magic & Milestones." The special will begin airing on Friday, September 16, the date when Shriners Children's opened its first location in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1922.

Link to Promo Video: Media-approved image of Kristen Bell with Shriners Childrens patients who will appear in ABC/Disney Special on September 16. Image (L to R): Shriners patients, Alec, Jaxon, Alyssa, Dallin, Landon, Makaila, Natalie and Kristen Bell in the center.

Hosted by Kristen Bell, the special will air on ABC stations throughout the nation. The show includes appearances by Derek Hough (Dancing with the Stars), Jay Bilas (ESPN), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), and a special appearance by Shriners Children's own celebrity spokespatient, Alec, who co-hosts a portion of the show with Bell.

"The ability that Shriners Children's has to give everyone care, no matter what the insurance, no matter what the cost, that kind of thing is really important for me. It's the humanity behind it all," said Bell. "And, the fact that there are real people who pick up the phone for families when you need something, is important."

The fast-paced program features a number of inspiring Shriners Children's patient stories and looks back at how and why the members of the Shriners International fraternity created the health care organization in the early 1920s. It also covers a diversity of conditions the healthcare system specializes in, including cleft lip and palate, burns, and orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis, amputation and prosthetics, arm and hand differences, and limb-lengthening.

"This television event is our opportunity to share our story with the world  the story of how Shriners Children's has been a driving force in shaping pediatric specialty care for 100 years," said Jerry Gantt, chairman of the Board of Trustees. "Our hope is that by sharing our story with such a large audience, we can help more children in more places."

An important portion of the show highlights how the men of Shriners International saw a need to help children and families in the early part of the 20th century, and the bold steps they took to address it.

"To think what started a century ago not only stands today but has evolved to become one of the most respected healthcare networks in the world is beyond amazing," said Kenny Craven, Imperial Potentate. "It's not only a testament to the dedicated men and women who deliver world-class care in all our facilities across the continent but the countless Shriners themselves who continue to fuel our efforts. Without them, we simply wouldn't have the resources and capabilities available to our patients today. That mission and tireless commitment to supporting the health and well-being of every child requiring specialized medical care is the embodiment of selflessness."

In addition to ABC stations, the special will air multiple times on Freeform, National Geographic, and National Geographic Wild and will be available on streaming apps including Hulu.

About Shriners Children's Shriners Children's has been changing lives every day for 100 years through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research, and outstanding medical education. Our health care system provides care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. All care and services are provided regardless of the family's ability to pay. Since opening its first location in 1922, the health care system has treated more than 1.5 million children. To learn more, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.

SOURCE Shriners Children's
VANCOUVER, BC and TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (TSX: AEM) (NYSE: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle") and Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A) (TSX: TECK.B) (NYSE: TECK) ("Teck") announced today that Agnico Eagle has agreed to subscribe for a 50% interest in Minas de San Nicolas, S.A.P.I. de C.V. ("MSN"), a wholly-owned Teck subsidiary which owns the San Nicolas copper-zinc development project located in Zacatecas, Mexico (the "Transaction"). As a result of the Transaction, Teck and Agnico Eagle will become 50/50 joint venture partners at San Nicolas.

"San Nicolas is a high-quality project, located in a leading mining jurisdiction, with high grades, extremely competitive capital intensity, and first quartile costs," said Don Lindsay, President and CEO of Teck. "The opportunity to add the operating and development experience of Agnico Eagle should generate substantial benefits for the project including for all stakeholders throughout the project life cycle."

"This is a unique opportunity to create a long-term partnership between two high quality mining companies working together to de-risk and optimize a world class VMS deposit in a premier mining jurisdiction," added Ammar Al-Joundi, President and CEO of Agnico Eagle. "Agnico Eagle's project development, permitting and construction experience in Mexico, combined with Teck's base metals expertise, operating excellence and marketing leadership, are complementary skillsets and will contribute to the timely and successful development and operation of San Nicolas."

Transaction Highlights

Agnico Eagle will subscribe for US$580 million of MSN shares, giving Agnico Eagle a 50% interest in MSN. The subscription proceeds received from Agnico Eagle will be used by MSN to fund the first US$580 million of post-closing costs with subsequent funding to be contributed according to each partner's ownership percentage. Agnico Eagle's contributions will be made as study and development costs are incurred  there is no up-front payment from Agnico Eagle

of MSN shares, giving Agnico Eagle a 50% interest in MSN. The subscription proceeds received from Agnico Eagle will be used by MSN to fund the first of post-closing costs with subsequent funding to be contributed according to each partner's ownership percentage. Agnico Eagle's contributions will be made as study and development costs are incurred  there is no up-front payment from Agnico Eagle The US$580 million share subscription implies a notional US$290 million acquisition cost to Agnico Eagle for 50% of the San Nicolas project plus the contribution by Agnico Eagle of 50% of the first US$580 million of project costs for its own account

share subscription implies a notional acquisition cost to Agnico Eagle for 50% of the San Nicolas project plus the contribution by Agnico Eagle of 50% of the first of project costs for its own account Agnico Eagle's funding in the first two years is expected to be approximately US$50 million

Establishes a 50/50 joint venture between two Canadian-based global mining leaders each with demonstrated track record of successful joint operations

Governance arrangements with equal representation from Teck and Agnico Eagle, to leverage and implement each shareholder's skillsets

Agnico Eagle to be deemed to be a 50% shareholder in MSN for governance purposes upon closing of the Transaction, which is expected in the first half of 2023

San Nicolas Project Highlights

Located in Zacatecas , a major mining state in Mexico , with significant geological potential and numerous poly-metallic and precious metals opportunities. In addition, Zacatecas has excellent access to infrastructure and a skilled workforce

, a major mining state in , with significant geological potential and numerous poly-metallic and precious metals opportunities. In addition, has excellent access to infrastructure and a skilled workforce San Nicolas is the largest undeveloped volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit ("VHMS") deposit in Mexico and is one of the largest undeveloped VHMS deposits globally. As at December 31, 2021 , Teck estimated San Nicolas to contain 105.2 million tonnes of proven and probable mineral reserves at average grades of 1.12% copper, 1.48% zinc, 0.4 g/t gold and 22 g/t silver, or more than 2.0% on a copper equivalent basis

and is one of the largest undeveloped VHMS deposits globally. As at , Teck estimated San Nicolas to contain 105.2 million tonnes of proven and probable mineral reserves at average grades of 1.12% copper, 1.48% zinc, 0.4 g/t gold and 22 g/t silver, or more than 2.0% on a copper equivalent basis Prefeasibility study completed by Teck in March 2021 describes attractive economics and project parameters:

describes attractive economics and project parameters: The project contemplates a modern truck-and-shovel open pit, processing, and flotation operation



First production expected in 2026, with an estimated mine life of 15 years and meaningful potential for mine life extension and regional exploration upside



Expected to produce 63 thousand tonnes per annum (ktpa) of copper and 147 ktpa of zinc in concentrate over its first five years of production



Average life of mine head grades of 1.13% copper and 1.49% zinc



Average C1 operating costs of US$(0.16) /lb copper and US$0.44 /lb copper over the first five years of production and life of mine, respectively, net of by-products

/lb copper and /lb copper over the first five years of production and life of mine, respectively, net of by-products

US$842 million development capital cost estimate

development capital cost estimate

2.6 year payback and 33% after-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) based on US$3.50 /lb copper and US$1.15 /lb zinc

/lb copper and /lb zinc Teck and Agnico Eagle anticipate that development capital costs could be in the range of US$1,000 million to US$1,100 million , based on current cost environment and estimate accuracy. With development capital costs in this range, and assuming spot prices of approximately US$3.57 /lb copper and US$1.46 /lb zinc, the estimated payback period would be 2.5 to 2.8 years with an estimated after-tax IRR of 33% to 30%.

San Nicolas Study Status

A detailed plan to complete a feasibility study, permitting, and community engagement has been developed, with initial work underway since January 2022. Further, an environmental and social baseline survey, including in-depth archaeological surveys and clearances, was carried out by Teck from 2018 to 2021. Well-developed community engagement and investment programs have resulted in strong support for development from stakeholders near the project and more broadly in Zacatecas.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed early in 2024 with project sanction thereafter subject to receipt of permits.

About the Transaction

Agnico Eagle will subscribe for US$580 million in MSN shares, through a wholly-owned Mexican subsidiary of Agnico Eagle, giving Agnico Eagle a 50% interest in MSN. The subscription proceeds received from Agnico Eagle will be used by MSN to fund the first US$580 million of post-closing costs with subsequent funding to be contributed according to each partner's ownership percentage. Agnico Eagle's contributions will be made as study and development costs are incurred  there is no up-front payment from Agnico Eagle. The US$580 million share subscription implies a notional US$290 million acquisition cost to Agnico Eagle for 50% of the San Nicolas project plus the contribution by Agnico Eagle of 50% of the first US$580 million of project costs for its own account.

Funding requirements beyond this initial subscription amount will be funded by Teck and Agnico Eagle in proportion to their shareholdings in MSN. The shareholders' agreement will include provisions typical in a transaction of this nature, as well as remedies for material breach that include accelerated dilution and forced sale of a defaulting shareholder's ownership interest. For governance purposes, Agnico Eagle will be deemed a 50% shareholder of MSN from closing, regardless of the number of shares that have been issued to Agnico Eagle.

Closing of the Transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent, including receipt of necessary regulatory approvals, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2023.

Additional Information on the San Nicolas Project

For further details on the San Nicolas project, please refer to the Supplemental Information slides in the Investors section of Teck's website (https://www.teck.com/investors/events-&-presentations/presentations-webcasts/supplemental-information-for-investors).

About Teck

As one of Canada's leading mining companies, Teck is committed to responsible mining and mineral development with major business units focused on copper, zinc, and steelmaking coal, as well as investments in energy assets. Copper, zinc, and high-quality steelmaking coal are required for the transition to a low-carbon world. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Teck's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TECK.A and TECK.B and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TECK. Learn more about Teck at www.teck.com or follow @TeckResources .

About Agnico Eagle

Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company, producing precious metals from operations in Canada, Australia, Finland, and Mexico. It has a pipeline of high-quality exploration and development projects in these countries as well as in the United States and Colombia. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. The Company was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information as defined in the Securities Act (Ontario). Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by statements that certain actions, events or results "could", "may", "might", "should", "will" or "would" be taken, occur or achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the expectation that the Transaction will close and the timing of closing; the expectation that the San Nicolas project will be developed into production; the expected timing of first production; the estimated mine life; the expectation that there is meaningful mine life extension and regional exploration potential; the expected ownership interests of Teck and Agnico Eagle in the joint venture at any time; the expected production over the first five years of operation; all San Nicolas project economics included in this news release, including head grades, average C1 operating costs, development capital cost estimate, payback period and IRR; the expectations as to results of the feasibility study, including development capital cost estimate, payback period and IRR; the statement that the project has been de-risked; and timing of project sanction decision.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Teck, Agnico Eagle or the joint venture to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, changes in general economic conditions or commodity prices, unanticipated permitting, development or construction issues including delays in receiving permits or other regulatory approvals, or withdrawal or suspension of permits, unanticipated geotechnical conditions or other factors affecting construction plans and budgets including supplier, transportation, logistics or labour issues, adverse weather or natural disaster, community unrest, access issues, failure of plant and equipment, disruption of financial markets, the accuracy of our mineral estimates (including with respect to size, grade and recoverability) and the geological, operations and price assumptions on which these are based, other circumstances interfering with the closing of the Transaction, including an inability to satisfy the conditions to closing, including receipt of any regulatory approvals and failure by Teck or Agnico Eagle to fund as required by the agreements. Economic projections for the San Nicolas project are presented on a 100% basis and, except as otherwise noted, assume US$3.50/lb copper, US$1.15/lb zinc, US$1,550/oz gold, and US$20/oz silver.

Teck and Agnico Eagle caution you that the foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. Other events or circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated or implied by these forward-looking statements. Certain of these risks are described in more detail in the Annual Information Form of Teck and/or Agnico Eagle and in their respective subsequent quarterly report filings with Canadian securities administrators and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither Teck nor Agnico Eagle assumes the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date of this news release or to revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as maybe required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
The U.S.-based company has partnered with Master Franchisor, Universal Success Enterprises, to bring an authentic Fridays experience to over 75 new locations in South and Southeast Asia

DALLAS, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TGI Fridays announced today the development of 75 new restaurants throughout South and Southeast Asia over the next 10 years in partnership with Master Franchisor Universal Success Enterprises. The deal, which is expected to drive over $500MM in revenue for the U.S.-based company over 10 years, is the most significant development agreement to date for the brand.

TGI Fridays Expands Global Presence in Asia with Most Significant Development Agreement in Company History

This latest development deal is core to TGI Fridays' strategic global expansion strategy  as growth of the casual restaurant category internationally continues to thrive. And with 385 franchised restaurants in over 52 countries  including 22 new locations opening in 2022 alone  the brand's recipe for overseas growth is rooted in its DNA.

"We're thrilled to bring the TGI Fridays brand  and experience  to new markets and consumers in Asia through our expanded partnership with Universal Success Enterprises," said Ray Blanchette, Chief Executive Officer at TGI Fridays. "Universal Success Enterprises is a valued partner  their deep experience in the marketplace and proven track record of excellence with TGI Fridays coupled with our successful local market approach will ensure the brand  and our menu offerings  are relevant to consumers."

TGI Fridays is seeing unmatched growth worldwide  with same-store sales growing at an average of 23% globally  while brands like Pizza Hut and KFC are seeing same-store sales rise to the tune of just 10% according to Restaurant Business . The reason: the brand is leaning into its roots globally providing TGI Fridays favorites like the brand's Big AF Burgers in the Middle East to consumers hungry for iconic American flavors and taste experiences. And the brand's offerings at its 75 new locations will be no exception.

"We're excited to expand the TGI Fridays brand and footprint in South and Southeast Asia," said Prasoon Mukherjee, Chairman, Universal Success Enterprises. "Our deep experience in the hospitality industry, understanding of what consumers in our markets crave, and real estate development expertise uniquely positions Universal Success Enterprises to drive unprecedented growth for the brand. Personally, I began my restaurant career with TGI Fridays over 30 years as a kitchen manager  and am thrilled to be sharing the brand experience with consumers across the region."

Universal Success Enterprises, headquartered in Singapore, is also core to the brand's expansion strategy. The multinational company has a proven track record within the restaurant industry in Asia, introducing new restaurant brands and concepts to the region. Today, the company has 3 TGI Fridays locations in India and previously introduced Outback Steakhouse to key markets in South and Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

About TGI Fridays 

As the world's first casual bar and grill, TGI Fridays is the birthplace of fun, freedom, and celebration, bringing people together to socialize and experience "That Fridays Feeling"  a sense of celebrating the fun in everyday moments, big and small. For over 50 years, Fridays has been lifting spirits around the world with nearly 700 restaurants in 52 countries, serving high-quality, classic American food and iconic drinks backed by authentic and genuine service. Visit www.Fridays.com for more information and join Fridays Rewards. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Universal Success Enterprises, Limited

Headquartered in Singapore with operations in South and Southeast Asia, Universal Success Enterprises' diversified business model includes projects within the real estate development, renewable energy and hospitality industries. Founded in 2000 by Chairman Prasoon Mukherjee, the company is the largest developer of real estate in Eastern India - with more than 10MM square feet of developed properties within the region.

Media Contact:

Abby Mills

On behalf of TGI Fridays

[email protected]

SOURCE TGI Fridays
PRAGUE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Between 7th and 9th September, the fourth ORBIS School was held in Prague. The event was co-hosted by Zentiva in close collaboration with the German company Physiolution and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. Many various lectures and workshops were held during these three days and the participants had a great opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge based on their own research. Part of the program was a visit to Zentiva's R&D department in its Prague site.

ORBIS 2022

ORBIS (Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support) is an international project which is a part of the EU program HORIZON 2020, focused on research and development. ORBIS is a platform that unites universities, research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies from several European countries.

SUPPORTING AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK TO ENHANCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Participants from Ireland, France, Finland, Germany, Poland and Ukraine came to Prague for the ORBIS School. Lectures and workshops at the University of Chemistry and Technology and the Czech Technical University were focused on biopharmaceutical principles and novel techniques or modern bioanalytical methods. The goal of the ORBIS project is to strengthen the connection between academic and industry fields, exchange expert knowledge and create international partnerships across Europe, which can move pharmaceutical research ahead. "Innovations are a crucial part of what we do. At Zentiva, almost 200 employees work in the R&D department. We support young talents and work on strengthening the academia-pharma industry cooperation. Joining the ORBIS project was an ideal opportunity to develop this type of cooperation on an international level. We believe that this kind of partnership is the key to success," says Pavel Sebek, Development Director of Zentiva. "Meeting other experts with different backgrounds is very enriching. It is always interesting to hear about the experience of others and discover new original approaches to R&D. These events are always a great motivation," says Nikita Marinko, a young and talented scientist from Zentiva who took part at this year's ORBIS School and was part of the organizational team that took care of all the participants.

Out of all four ORBIS schools which have been held so far, two of them  the second one and this one (the fourth one)  have been co-organized by Zentiva. In September 2019, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, Zentiva organized the school covering the design of pharmaceutical dosage forms and the manufacturing processes, whereas novel bio-relevant analytical approaches used in the characterization of dosage forms have been covered this September in Prague. Both schools were particularly based on academic findings combined with real-life examples, such applied scientific approaches being appreciated by all participants.

The high number of attendees confirmed the strength of the ORBIS scientific network and focus on innovative approaches to meet currently unmet patient needs.

About ORBIS  Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support (Maria Skodowska-Curie Actions of Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017)

The overarching objective of ORBIS is to form an international and inter-sectoral academic and industrial network. The action is aimed at improving the preclinical pathway of medicine development concentrating on processes and technologies. The goal is to integrate multidisciplinary research by involving the academia and the industry from EU (Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany, and the Czech Republic), EU associated countries (Ukraine) and US. The coordinator of the project is Prof. Janina Lulek from Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland). Find out more at www.orbisproject.eu.

About Zentiva

Zentiva is a producer of high-quality affordable medicines serving patients in Europe and beyond. With a dedicated team of more than 4,700 people and a network of production sites - including flagship sites in Prague, Bucharest, and Ankleshwar - Zentiva strives to be the champion of branded and generic medicines in Europe to better support people's daily healthcare needs. At Zentiva it is our aspiration that healthcare should be a right and not a privilege. More than ever, people need better access to high-quality affordable medicines and healthcare. We work in partnership with physicians, pharmacists, wholesalers, regulators, and governments to provide the everyday solutions that we all depend on. Visit us at www.zentiva.com.

Media contact:

Mounira Lemoui

Head of Communications

ZENTIVA GROUP, a.s.

U Kabelovny 529/16, Dolni Mecholupy, 102 00 Prague 10

Cell: (+420) 727 873 159 / E-mail: [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900560/Zentiva_ORBIS_2022.jpg

SOURCE Zentiva
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The second-ever Global AI Summit concluded today, affirming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's recognition of, and investment in, the rising importance of artificial intelligence (AI). The three-day global event gathered prominent leaders and experts in AI to discuss opportunities and limitations posed by the technology. Hosted by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Summit attracted more than 15,000 participants, and 200+ speakers from over 90 countries.

The Global AI Summit Wraps Up in Riyadh, Reaffirming Saudi Arabias Growing Stake in Shaping the Future of AI (PRNewsfoto/SDAIA)

"We are witnessing the exponential growth of AI and its potential benefits for society today and tomorrow," said H.E. Dr. Esam Alwagait, Director of the National Information Center in Saudi Arabia, said in the closing remarks. "Together, we can build a pioneering model that unlocks the value of data and AI that will propel knowledge-based economies, solve challenges and provide a brighter future for generations."

Highly esteemed business leaders and academic experts spoke at the Summit, including Amin Nasser, CEO of Aramco, Dr. Junaid Bajwa, Chief Medical Scientist of Microsoft Research, Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Kitty Hawk, and Dr. Jurgen Schmidhuber, Director of AI Initiative at KAUST.

While the Summit showcased the potential of AI, it also spurred more immediate action. On opening day, member states of the Digital Cooperation Organization finalized and signed the Riyadh AI Call for Action Declaration, outlining their long-term vision for harnessing AI to benefit people, communities, nations, and the world as a whole. The next day, Saudi Arabia announced it would join the World Bank's Digital Development Partnership, which helps bring AI technologies to developing countries.

Today, the Summit concluded by launching a new joint initiative between SDAIA and Google Cloud aimed at empowering women to occupy roles in AI and machine learning. The program will provide free training to 25,000 women over the course of five years with the goal of increasing the proportion of women working in the field.

In total, more than 40 partnerships and memorandum of understanding were signed at the Summit. These partnerships, together with the conclusion of the Summit, mark the Kingdom's steady progress towards its Vision 2030 goal.

This material is being distributed by Edelman on behalf of Veyron Company, Ltd. a representative for the Saudi Data Artificial Intelligence Agency (SDAIA). Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington D.C.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1901005/SDAIA_Global_AI_Summit.jpg

SOURCE SDAIA
NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. (NYSE: SWZ), a non-diversified registered closed-end investment company (the "Fund"), announced today that the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders was held as scheduled and concluded. Based upon the voting results, 1) Andrew Dakos, Richard Dayan, Phillip F. Goldstein, Gerald Hellerman and Moritz A. Sell were elected as Directors to serve for a one-year term until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his respective successor is duly elected and qualifies and 2) stockholders ratified the selection by the Fund's Board of Directors of Tait, Weller & Baker, LLP as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2022.

About The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.

The Fund (www.swzfund.com) is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies. Its shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "SWZ." The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing generally in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities that are traded on a Swiss stock exchange, traded at the pre-bourse level of one or more Swiss stock exchanges, traded through a market maker or traded over the counter in Switzerland. The Fund also may invest in Swiss equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies that are traded on other major European stock exchanges.

Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. Typically, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.

The Fund is managed by Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.

About Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.

Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. and Schroder Investment Management North America Limited, investment advisors registered with the U.S. SEC, are units of Schroders plc (SDR.L), a global asset management company with approximately $939.2 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2022. Schroder's clients include major financial institutions including banks and insurance companies, as well as local and public authorities, public and private pension funds, endowments and foundations, intermediaries and advisors, as well as high net worth individuals and retail investors. The firm has built one of the largest networks of offices of any dedicated asset management company with more than 500 portfolio managers and analysts covering the world's investment markets, offering a comprehensive range of products and services.

Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. provides asset management products and services to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Schroders plc, a U.K. public company with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Fund's shares in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.

Contact:

Jennifer Brogadir

212-641-3863

SOURCE The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.
DUBLIN, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Crawler Camera System Market (2022-2027) by Component, Application, Vertical, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Crawler Camera System Market is estimated to be USD 216.58 Mn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 424 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.38%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Crawler Camera System Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario.

Some of the companies covered in this report are AM Industrial Group, Cues (SPX Corp), Deep Trekker, Eddyfi Technologies, Envirosight, Fernco, Laveer Engineering (Westinghouse Electric Company), Minicam (Halma Group Company), NDT Technologies, Ratech Electronics, Riezler Inspection Systems, Scanprobe Techniques, Source 1 Environmental, Spectis Robotics, Subsite Electronics, ULC Robotics, Verkada, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Crawler Camera System Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Crawler Camera System Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Crawler Camera System Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Demand from Municipal and Residential Applications

4.1.2 Increasing Government Mandates and Regulations for Pipeline Assessment

4.1.3 Growing Demand for Sewer Inspection Systems

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Fast Battery Drainage of Crawler Camera Systems

4.2.2 High cost associated with manufacturing and maintenance of crawler camera system

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Introduction of Magnetic Crawlers

4.3.2 Big Data Analytics Would ease the Scope of Pipeline Monitoring Systems

4.3.3 Increasing Demand for Pipeline Monitoring Solutions Due to Enhanced Pipeline Infrastructure

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 More Time Required for Data Analytics



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Crawler Camera System Market, By Component

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Hardware

6.2.1 Cameras

6.2.2 Crawlers

6.2.3 Cable Drums

6.2.4 Control Units

6.3 Software

6.4 Services



7 Global Crawler Camera System Market, By Application

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Drain Inspection

7.3 Pipeline Inspection

7.4 Tank, Void, and Cavity/Conduit Inspection



8 Global Crawler Camera System Market, By Vertical

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Residential

8.3 Municipal

8.4 Industrial

8.5 Commercial



9 Americas' Crawler Camera System Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Crawler Camera System Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Crawler Camera System Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Crawler Camera System Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 AM Industrial Group

14.2 Cues (SPX Corp)

14.3 Deep Trekker

14.4 Eddyfi Technologies

14.5 Envirosight

14.6 Fernco

14.7 Laveer Engineering (Westinghouse Electric Company)

14.8 Minicam (Halma Group Company)

14.9 NDT Technologies

14.10 Ratech Electronics

14.11 Riezler Inspection Systems

14.12 Scanprobe Techniques

14.13 Source 1 Environmental

14.14 Spectis Robotics

14.15 Subsite Electronics

14.16 ULC Robotics

14.17 Verkada



15 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/g5c6qx

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy consumer and retail industry press releases from PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the consumer and retail industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest consumer-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNcnsmr on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
Hong Kong: Deputy CS views hygiene black spots

Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing today inspected a joint operation by the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Police against illegal shop front extension black spots in the area around Aberdeen Centre.

Since the Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots was launched in August, relevant departments have conducted cleansing at 460 hygiene black spots and carried out joint operations to remove abandoned vehicles at 45 public rear lanes.

Mr Cheuk said that in the first month of the programme, efforts were focused on tackling hygiene black spots, especially those in rear lanes deposited with a large amount of waste, as well as stepping up cleansing work to remove abandoned vehicles in rear lanes.

The second month of the programme saw the departments concerned stepping up enforcement to combat hygiene black spots with illegal shop front extensions leading to street obstruction, he added.

Joint operations are being mounted in Kwun Tong, Kowloon City, Tsuen Wan, Eastern, Sham Shui Po and Yuen Long in which Police require the shops concerned to remove the obstructions or else the FEHD would remove the items and may instigate prosecution. Police may also apply to the court for forfeiting the unclaimed items.

Mr Cheuk said the relevant sub-task force under the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force at today's meeting endorsed the gradual adoption of the aforesaid enforcement mode in all 18 districts from October.

Compared to the previous practice of issuing fixed penalty notices of $1,500 to persons who cause such obstructions, this enforcement arrangement carries a greater deterrent effect with a higher non-compliance cost for extending business areas illegally, he added.

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Cara Delevingne likes to imagine the late Karl Lagerfeld would wear pieces from the "sustainable, genderless" collection she has launched under his name.

The 30-year-old actress-and-model has designed the size-inclusive capsule CARA LOVES KARL - which includes tailored suits, tuxedo blazers and accessories such as a bumbag and belts - in homage to their lengthy friendship and working relationship.

She said: I am so proud of the collection I have created along with the incredibly talented team at KARL LAGERFELD.

Karl was, and still is, an extremely important influence in my life and Im honoured to have created this collection under his name. I believe that Karl would have been very proud of the sustainable, genderless direction we went with, and I like to imagine he even would have worn some of the pieces himself. I cant wait to see how people wear all the different pieces we created.

Cara recently shared how Lagerfeld taught her to appreciate how "interesting fashion is".

The 'Carnival Row' star admits she "didnt really know that much about fashion" before she started working with the legendary designer, who died in February 2019, aged 85.

She shared: "I didnt really know that much about fashion before I started. I never really gave it that much credit. He taught me so much more about fashion in terms of its possibilities."

Cara has also praised Lagerfeld for giving her the confidence and space that she needed to grow within the fashion industry.

The London-born star - who won the Model of the Year gong at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014 - said: "He really influenced me so much.

"He never told me to do anything specifically, but he allowed me the space to grow, and he would treat me like a friend ... He was so human with me and it made me feel so much more comfortable in myself."

The catwalk star has become much more thoughtful about fashion since she worked with the fashion icon.

She said: "I dont think that people should be judged by what they wear, but when you ask people why they wear what they wear, its a very interesting story. And even if they dont care about what theyre wearing, thats also interesting, too."

The 'Life in a Year' star has also become much more hands-on with her work over recent years.

She said: "It was very important for me to see samples, to be involved as much as possible."
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy financial industry press releases from PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the finance industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNfinance on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy health industry press releases from PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the healthcare industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest health-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNhealth on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
Statement by Education Cannot Wait Director Yasmine Sherif for the Transforming Education Summit

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from across the world are uniting at the UN Secretary-General's Transforming Education Summit to address a global education crisis that threatens to derail decades of development gains and is depriving millions of girls across the world of their inherent human right to access a quality education.

As we mobilize financial resources, listen to the world's youth, identify needs and solutions, and work collectively to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda, we must not forget the 222 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents worldwide. They are left furthest behind and they urgently need our support. Education Cannot Wait's ground-breaking analysis highlights that about 78 million of these crisis-impacted children are out of school, and close to 120 million are in school but not learning. These shocking figures cannot be allowed to represent the 21st century.

Caught in conflicts and protracted crises, displaced by climate change, and fighting to survive in some of the harshest and most inhumane conditions on the planet, these girls and boys need our urgent and unwavering support.

We need to unite in action to deliver on the commitments that will be made at this seminal Summit to ensure girls and boys in places like Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Pakistan, South Sudan, Syria, the Sahel, Ukraine, Yemen and beyond are guaranteed their human right of a 12-year quality education.

This is our commitment to ensure and improve equitable inclusive education and learning outcomes, to protect and improve external financing, to work together in the spirit of multilateral and organizational cooperation to build crisis-resilient education systems, and to scale and mainstream high-impact and evidence-based interventions into results and sustainable impact.

Education Cannot Wait, as the UN's global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, champions these transformational approaches designed to be responsive in the midst of brutal crises by delivering with humanitarian speed and developmental depth to ensure no child or adolescent is left behind.

We urge world leaders to make good on our promises as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, Charlevoix Declaration, Safe Schools Declaration and other international accords, and support us in realizing 222 Million Dreams for an education, and 222 Million Dreams to use that education to make the world a better one than the world in which they suffer today.

SOURCE Education Cannot Wait
Local business donates one-hundred backpacks to local school kids in the community.

CHESAPEAKE, Va., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A record number of families turned out for VA Premier Pawn's Second Annual Back2School Backpack Drive on Saturday, August 20, in Chesapeake. All 100 backpacks were dispersed to local children in the Hampton Roads area within the first 15 minutes of the event's start.

All 100 backpacks were dispersed to local kids at VA Premier Pawn's Second Annual Back2School Backpack Drive in Chesapeake. Local backpack recipients smile for a photo with VA Premier Pawn's owner, Donald Rogers.

The team spent the weeks leading up to the drive collecting school supplies and monetary donations from store customers, and the backpacks were donated by VA Premier Pawn. All 100 backpacks were pre-packed with basic school necessities that would be needed for the upcoming school year.

Many smiling faces of all ages filled the store to receive their backpacks, and everyone enjoyed snacks and refreshments.

The VA Premier Pawn team is already looking forward to next year and are planning to put together a larger number of backpacks in hopes to keep up with the community needs. A special thank you to all of VA Premier Pawn's customers who donated school supplies to support the cause.

More information about future events is available at their website www.vapremierpawn.com, via Facebook page (VAPremierPawn), or by calling 757-488-0383. Donations for next year's drive, tentatively scheduled for August 2023, are currently being accepted.

About VA Premier Pawn:

VA Premier Pawn aims to raise the standard of the pawn industry by striving to leave a legacy of a revolutionized pawn experience while focusing on ethical service, friendly staff, and putting people first.

Media Contact:

Krystle Bono

VA Premier Pawn

757-710-5726

[email protected]

SOURCE VA Premier Pawn
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The AutoSens Award celebrates the best and brightest working at the cutting-edge of innovation in ADAS and autonomous vehicle technology. At the event in Brussels earlier this week, Veoneer and emotion3D were honored with the AutoSens Award in the category Most Innovative In-Cabin Perception Application.

It is a fact that a car crash impacts people in different ways as body factors play a role in accident injury severity. In fact, a female occupant is 73% more likely to suffer from serious injuries than seatbelt-wearing male occupants, according to the University of Virginia. Only when the Restraint Control System can distinguish between the occupant's individual characteristics, optimal protection for everybody can be achieved.

The Smart-RCS uses a touchless 3D imaging sensors to derive precise real-time information about each occupant: situational factors like body position and body crash dynamics as well as body physique, age and sex so that the smart-RCS computes the optimal airbag deployment strategy tailored to each individual occupant.

"We are deeply honored for receiving the AutoSens Award for our Smart-RCS - saving lives when the unthinkable happens, says Jacob Svanberg, CEO of Veoneer.

For more information please contact:

Thomas Jonsson, EVP Communications & IR,

[email protected], tel +46 (0)8 527 762 27

Veoneer HoldCo, LLC. is an automotive technology company, a world leader in active safety and restraint control systems, focused on delivering innovative, best-in-class products and solutions to our customers. Our purpose is to create trust in mobility. Veoneer is a Tier-1 hardware supplier and system integrator with products being part of more than 125 scheduled vehicle launches for 2022. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Veoneer has 6,100 employees in 11 countries. The Company is building on a heritage of close to 70 years of automotive safety development.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/veoneer/r/veoneer-and-emotion3d-recognized-for--most-innovative-in-cabin-perception-application-,c3631934

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/17380/3631934/1627489.pdf Press release (PDF)

SOURCE Veoneer
Wakati Hair HBCU Tour To Stop at FAMU, North Carolina A&T, Howard University and more!

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wakati Hair's HBCU tour is back for a second year! Kicking off after HBCU week, the five-city tour will run from September 16, 2022 through October 15, 2022.

Wakati's HBCU tour is a celebration of homecoming culture, deepening connections with a segment of our consumer base, providing products, resources and education on how to better care for natural tresses by incorporating the four-product line.

Wakati's HBCU tour celebrates homecoming culture providing products & education on how to better care for natural tresses Tweet this Wakati Hosts Second Annual HBCU Tour and Powers Ambitious Girl with Boss Women Media

During the tour, Wakati will also serve as a presenting sponsor for online empowerment and education platform, Boss Women Media's inaugural Ambitious Girl Tour. The Ambitious Girl HBCU Tour 2022 is an event series for college-level Black Women focused on career readiness, financial inclusion, leadership, and networking while providing an empowering community dedicated to inspiring, equipping, and celebrating them as entrepreneurs and thriving corporate queens. The Wakati activation will feature curl refreshing stations, headshots and product giveaways.

Wakati maintains a commitment to HBCUs following their groundbreaking collaboration with the FAMU School of Business and Industry to help launch the product line. "Supporting the Ambitious Girl tour is another way we can continue with our mission to support HBCUs while engaging and empowering students on their natural hair journey,'' said Kenya Foy, Kao Industries.

Wakati HBCU Blowout Tour 2022 Itinerary:

North Carolina A&T "Love The Hair Your Wear" ( Greensboro, NC ) 9.16.22

"Love The Hair Your Wear" ( ) Florida Agricultural Mechanical University (FAMU, Tallahassee, FL ), Ambitious Girl, 9.17. 22

(FAMU, ), Ambitious Girl, 9.17. 22 Black-owned beauty supply pop-ups happening at Rattler Beauty on 9.16.22 (FAMU campus)

(FAMU campus)

Cait The Great Meet and Greet at FAMU

Howard University ( Washington, D.C ), Ambitious Girl, headlined by Kahlanna Barfield Brown 9.24.22

( ), Ambitious Girl, headlined by Kahlanna Barfield Brown Clark University ( Atlanta, GA ), Ambitious Girl, 10.8.22

( ), Ambitious Girl, Beauty supply pop-up at KESHA Beauty



Meet and Greet with Kimberly Cherrell for KESHA pop-up featuring DJ C Devon

for KESHA pop-up featuring DJ C Devon

Cait The Great Meet and Greet

Tennessee State ( Nashville, TN ), Ambitious Girl, 10.15.22

Wakati  is a NEW Kao-owned , hair care brand. Wakati, meaning "time" in Swahili, represents a respect for where your hair has been and an optimism for all the places you want it to go.

After an 8-year long journey and research, and a collaboration with the Historically Black College University (HBCU) Florida Agricultural Mechanical University, (FAMU), Wakati Hair launched in November 2019 on Kao USA's first direct-to-consumer site wakatihair.com . Wakati won Oprah's Beauty Awards in the hair category in 2021 for its patented Water-Activated Advanced conditioner.

Kao USA, known for the iconic Jergens, Biore and John Frieda brands, is revolutionizing the natural hair industry with its newest, patented hair innovation, and Wakati is the first product Kao has produced for consumers with highly textured hair. With Wakati, natural hair is overall more manageable, so naturalistas can spend less time styling and more time enjoying their kinks, curls and coils.

Follow along with the tour on Instagram @wakatihair. To learn more and shop the line, please visit www.wakatihair.com . For interview, product and high-res imagery requests, please contact the publicist.

ABOUT KAO USA INC.

Kao USA Inc. is a leading manufacturer of premium beauty care brands that are recognized around the world for their innovation and quality. The Kao USA Inc. Consumer Products portfolio includes Ban antiperspirants; Jergens and Curel hand and body lotions; Biore facial care; John Frieda Frizz-Ease, Luxurious Volume, Sheer Blonde, Brilliant Brunette, Radiant Red, Precision Foam Colour and Luminous Color Glaze hair care. Founded in 1882, Kao USA Inc. is a member of the Kao Group of companies.

Press Contact: Noire MGMT

Nikki Osei-Barrett

[email protected]

SOURCE Kao USA Inc.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- William Neder, a great critic of the Vatican church, has completed his new book "Religion Catolica": a controversial piece that criticizes the nature of the Catholic religion and its practices. The author details his experiences that made him lose belief in the church. He thinks that a lot of Catholics are being blinded by their belief and he supports this argument with different citations from the scripture.

William Neder

"This book expresses the ideas and experiences of the author, as well as many parishioners who have lost faith in the church, but not in their own spirituality. Narrating the scriptures and opening the guidelines to achieve a more honest and injustice-free existence to achieve a better world using our own intelligence."

Published by Page Publishing, William Neder's straightforward narrative heavily criticized the Catholic church as an institution. The author aims to rectify the church's teachings through this powerful work of his.

It's that kind of read that challenges one's viewpoint.

Readers who wish to experience this interesting work can purchase "Religion Catolica" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors' books, including distribution in the world's largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page's accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.

Foto - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1899373/203129Frontcover.jpg

SOURCE Page Publishing
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WNC, a leading provider of investment, asset management and development services in the affordable housing industry, announced today it has closed WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund 53, L.P. (Corp 53), a low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) fund totaling $153.4 million in equity.

Corp 53 raised the $153.4 million in equity from a total of nine institutional investors. The closure of the fund brings WNC's total equity raise since inception to more than $7 billion.

"WNC has spent more than five decades working alongside investment partners to provide safe, high quality, and affordable housing to families in need across the nation," said WNC Executive Vice President of Investor Relations Christine Cormier. "We are pleased to announce the closing of Fund 53 which raised significant equity that will further our mission to alleviate the affordable housing crisis in our country."

Equity from the fund will be used to construct and renovate more than 1,300 affordable housing units across 16 properties in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Texas and Washington DC. The properties include multifamily and senior housing in urban, suburban and rural areas. Some of the housing units are set aside for special populations including veterans; homeless, formerly homeless or at-risk of homelessness; and mobility, hearing and visually impaired residents.

Corp 53 welcomed three new investors and five new development partners. Included in the projects that will be funded by the fund are RFW Apartments and Junegrass Place. RFW, or Refuge for Women, Apartments in Lancaster, Kentucky, will provide affordable homes for 24 families with a special targeted population of women who have been the victims of sex trafficking, sexual exploitation or domestic abuse. Junegrass Place in Kalispell, Montana, will be comprised of two adjacent properties that will consist of 138 multifamily units and provide several community amenities, including a clubhouse, fitness center, playground, picnic area and walking paths.

The fund will create approximately 2,060 jobs and the aggregate economic impact is expected to generate more than $314 million in local income tax and other government revenue. Out of Corp 53's 1,300 units, 61% are located in difficult to develop areas and/or qualified census tracts and 46% are located in majority minority tracts.

About WNC

WNC, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Irvine, Calif., is a national investor in affordable housing and community development initiatives. The firm has acquired approximately $15.2 billion of assets totaling in excess of 1,700 properties in 48 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. WNC's investor base exceeds 19,500 institutional and retail clients, including Fortune 500 companies, multinational banks, and insurance companies. Additional information is available at www.wncinc.com.

Contact:

Damon Elder

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1377

[email protected]

SOURCE WNC
United Nations, Sep 16 : Vanessa Nakate, a 25-year-old climate activist from Uganda, was appointed as the newest goodwill ambassador of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The appointment took place on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described Nakate as instrumental in redirecting the conversation on climate change to focus on the people most affected by the crisis: the poor and the marginalised.

Nakate has used her platform to advocate for climate justice to include every community, especially those from the most affected places. She founded the 'Rise Up Movement', a platform to elevate the voices of African climate activists, as well as the 'Green Schools Project' to install solar panels in rural Ugandan schools.

"I take this appointment not as a testament to something I have done, but as something that we have done, as a movement of young people," Nakate said on Thursday at a press event to announce her appointment at UN Headquarters in New York.

Russell said Vanessa's work to drive climate action that benefits the communities most affected by the climate crisis aligns directly with UNICEF's mission to drive change for every child.

Globally, nearly 1 billion children -- nearly half the world's 2.2 billion children -- live in one of the 33 countries classified by UNICEF's Children's Climate Risk Index as at "extremely high-risk" of the impact of climate change, which threaten their health, education, and protection, and expose them to deadly diseases. The top 10 countries are all in Africa, according to UNICEF.
Guatemala City, Sep 16 : At least nine people were killed and nearly 20 were injured after a stampede at the end of a concert celebrating Guatemalan Independence Day in the western city of Quetzaltenango, the local Red Cross confirmed.

The incidengt took place on early Thursday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to its reports on social media, the Guatemalan Red Cross and volunteer firefighters "stabilised more than 20 injured people and nine died at the scene." The stampede occurred at one of the exits of the fairgrounds at the end of the outdoor concert, and Guatemalan authorities are investigating the causes.

September 15 marks the 201st anniversary of the independence from Spain of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Prayagraj, Sep 16 : Huge amounts of cash, jewellery and property related documents have been recovered from the sealed room of Mahant Narendra Giri, who committed suicide a year ago.

A three-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on Thursday opened the Mahant's room a year after his death at Baghambari Mutt here.

According to sources, the recovered cash amounted to a whopping Rs 2.5 crore.

The whole act of recovering the items was also videographed by the CBI team.

The room was opened on the plea of Mahant Balbir Giri who had moved the court demanding that all the property and cash inside the mutt is not the case property and hence must be returned.

The court had passed the order following which CBI team in presence of ACM (III) Abhinav Kanojia, ACM (IV) Ganesh Kumar and police circle officer (IV) Rajesh Yadav along with a bank officer took out the cash and jewellery and handed it over to the mutt authorities.

On September 20 last year, Mahant Narendra Giri, 62, the president of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), was found dead at Shri Mutt Baghambari Mutt.

Thereafter, the state government had recommended a CBI probe into the death of the mahant.

The CBI had taken over the case on September 24 lodging an FIR under charges of abetment to suicide against the Mahant's disciple Anand Giri.

After a month of investigation, the probe agency filed a charge sheet, stating that Anand Giri, Adya Tiwari and Sandeep Tiwari had circulated an objectionable audio defaming the reputation of the late mahant and mounted immense mental and psychological pressure on him, forcing him to end his life.

The three were booked under the charges of abetting suicide.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Aiming to facilitate the ease of doing business and reduce compliance burden on small companies, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has revised the threshold for paid up capital for such companies.

The government has taken several measures in the recent past towards ease of doing business and ease of living for the corporations. These included decriminalisation of various provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 & the LLP Act, 2008, extending fast track mergers to startups, incentivising incorporation of One Person Companies (OPCs), etc.

Earlier, definition of small companies under the Companies Act, 2013 was revised by increasing their thresholds for paid up capital from "not exceeding Rs 50 lakh" to "not exceeding Rs 2 crore" and turnover from "not exceeding Rs 2 crore" to "not exceeding Rs 20 crore".

This definition has, now, been further revised by increasing such thresholds for paid up Capital from "not exceeding Rs 2 crore" to "not exceeding Rs 4 crore" and turnover from "not exceeding Rs 20 crore" to "not exceeding Rs 40 crore".

Small companies represent the entrepreneurial aspirations and innovation capabilities of lakhs of citizens and contribute to the growth and employment in a significant manner.

The ministry said that the government has always been committed to taking measures which create a more conducive business environment for law-abiding companies, including reduction of compliance burden on such companies.

Some of the benefits of reduction in compliance burden as a result of the revised definition for small companies include 'No need to prepare cash flow statement as part of financial statement', 'Advantage of preparing and filing an Abridged Annual Return', 'Mandatory rotation of auditor not required' and 'An Auditor of a small company is not required to report on the adequacy of the internal financial controls and its operating effectiveness in the auditor's report.

The benefits also include holding of only two board meetings in a year, annual return of the company can be signed by the company secretary, or where there is no company secretary, by a director of the company and lesser penalties for small companies.
Hyderabad, Sep 16 : City-based CARE Hospitals Group on Thursday announced the first gynecology (hysterectomy) procedure in the Asia-Pacific region, using Medtronic HugoTM robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system.

The procedure was performed by the expert clinical team of CARE Hospitals, led by Padmashree Dr Manjula Anagani at the group's flagship facility located at Banjara Hills here.

The announcement was made in the presence of T Harish Rao, State Minister of Finance, Health, Medical and Family Welfare; Jasdeep Singh, Group CEO of CARE Hospitals; Dr Nikhil Mathur, Group Chief of Medical Services and Mansi Wadhwa Rao, Head of Growth Programmes, Medtronic India.

"Investments in technology enabled healthcare solutions are vital to ensure quality patient care at affordable costs. High quality equipment like robotic systems helps improve accuracy, reduces hospital stay and fasten patient's recovery," said Minister Rao.

Jasdeep Singh, Group CEO, CARE Hospitals said that the hospital has always been at the forefront of providing technology and clinical expertise enabled healthcare solutions to the patient community in both metro and non-metro cities.

"The introduction of the all-new Hugo RAS system from Medtronic is a testament to our pioneering initiatives and perfectly complements the continued efforts of our surgeons in delivering high-quality care to our patients," said Singh.

The patient, a 46-year-old woman, was suffering from prolonged Adenomyosis, a condition that causes the uterus to thicken and enlarge. She underwent a robotic-assisted total hysterectomy procedure where the affected uterus was removed using the Hugo RAS system.

CARE Hospitals Group, the first hospital in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to install this new robotic-assisted surgery system from Medtronic.

"Utilising the new RAS system from Medtronic for hysterectomy, which was APAC's first gynecological procedure, is a testimony to our dedication to provide high-end clinical care. It is a proud moment for all our teams, and we look forward to using this innovative robotic system to expand access to the powerful benefits of minimally invasive surgery to more patients," said Dr Anagani.

"These first cases with the Hugo RAS system are ushering in a new era of robotic-assisted surgery in India and around the globe," said Mansi Wadhwa Rao.

Elaborating about the Advanced Robotic programme, Dr Mathur said that this landmark surgery will open up new opportunities for our team of world-class surgeons to further use the Hugo RAS system in other clinical specialties.

The Hugo RAS system is a modular, multi-quadrant platform designed for a broad range of soft-tissue procedures.

It combines wristed instruments, 3D visualization, and Touch Surgery Enterprise, a cloud-based surgical video capture and management solution, with dedicated support teams.

It is designed to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery -- fewer complications, smaller scars, shorter hospital stays, and a faster return to normal activities.
Budapest, Sep 16 : Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz party slammed the European Parliament (EP) for "being occupied with attacking Hungary even in the midst of the current crises".

"While the people of Europe are suffering from an energy crisis due to the failed Brussels sanctions, the most important thing for the leftist European Parliament, even in this crisis situation, is to attack Hungary," Fidesz said in a statement on Thursday, reacting to a rule-of-law vote in EP against his government earlier in the day.

The EP adopted a report by French MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield on the "Existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the Union is founded".

The vote was 433 in favour, 123 against and 28 abstentions.

The EP resolution, which is a non-binding political statement, stipulates that Hungary can no longer be considered "a full democracy".

The current report does not result in a new procedure, but the EP firmly condemned both the European Commission and the Council, arguing that it was also their responsibility that full democracy in a member state could have been abolished.

It called on both bodies not to transfer money to Hungary's government until the situation improves.

The Commission must decide by September 22 what to do with the conditionality mechanism it launched in April against the government of Hungary.

Based on this mechanism, the transfer of tens of billions of euros in European funds could be denied to Budapest because of rule of law problems.
Los Angeles, Sep 16 : Supermodel Gigi Hadid may have gotten a stamp of approval from her father to date Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

When giving his two cents on the supermodel's rumoured new romance, her father Mohamed Hadid said that he "likes" the 'Titanic' star, reports aceshowbiz.com.

In an interview with Daily Mail, 73-year-old Mohamed told the outlet, "I met Mr. DiCaprio in St. Tropez four or five years ago and he is a very nice man." He further noted, "I liked him." Mohamed added that Gigi and Leonardo "are friends" and that they've "known each other for some time." Of the swirling dating rumours, the famous real estate developer said: "I have not spoken to my daughter about Mr. DiCaprio." "I don't think they are dating, I believe they are just good friends. But I really don't know," Mohamed said.

"While he could not confirm if there's any truth to the romance rumours, the ex-husband of Yolanda Hadid later pointed out, "I don't comment on my daughter's personal relationships. I have no say in who she is dating." Gigi and Leonardo are reportedly dating as the 'Don't Look Up' star is allegedly "pursuing" the 27-year-old beauty following his recent split from Camila Morrone.

Further fueling the romance rumours, the two were spotted getting cozy at a party in New York City on September 10.

Last week, it's reported that while the mom of Khai is flattered by the actor's advances, she isn't looking to jump into anything serious right away.

"Leo's clearly got an interest in Gigi, he's been pursuing her, but she's playing it very cool because dating just isn't a priority for her right now, between her daughter and everything she has going on with work, she has her hands full," a source explained.

More recently, it's said that Gigi and Leo's possible romance is 'upsetting' for Gigi's ex Zayn Malik.

"Zayn still has hopes of reuniting with Gigi, they're on good terms right now for their daughter's sake but he's made it clear he would love another chance with her so all of this news about her and Leo has been upsetting for him," an insider told HollywoodLife.com on September 15.

"Gigi is doing her best to manage it all, but it's definitely stirring up drama on Zayn's side that she's having to deal with."
Firozabad : , Sep 16 (IANS) A government primary school teacher has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the court of additional district and sessions judge for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old boy, seven years ago.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 of which half the amount would go to the child.

According to an FIR, the assault took place on May 14, 2015, when Vijendra Pal Singh allegedly took the child to the school's roof and abused him.

After the boy's family lodged a complaint, an FIR was registered against the teacher at the Narkhi police station under IPC sections 377 (unnatural offences), 507 (criminal intimidation) and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Singh threatened to "beat and kill" the child if he dared to inform anyone about the incident, as per the FIR.

The victim's father had said in his complaint that they got to know about the assault after the child's health started deteriorating.

When the parents questioned the child, he narrated the incident and said that the teacher had been sexually assaulting him for the past several New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday released the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) results.

About 20,000 students have scored 100 percentile in 30 subjects in these examinations taken for admission to undergraduate courses.

According to NTA, the highest number of 100 percentilers were in English at 8,236, followed by Political Science (2,065), Business Studies (1,669), Biology (1,324) and 1,188 Economics.

As many as 2,92,589 students appeared in these examinations from Uttar Pradesh, 1,86,405 from Delhi, while only 583 students from Meghalaya took the exams.

The result has been released on NTA's official website where the students can view and download their marks from. The result of the examination will be available on the website for 90 days.

Notably, the examinations were conducted for admission in 91 universities, including all the central universities of the city. Now that the results are out, the universities and colleges will prepare their cut-off list.

While the series of tests began on July 15, the sixth and final phase was completed on August 30. A total of 14.90 lakh students had registered themselves and around 60 per cent attempted it.

Besides, CUET-UG exams were also conducted in foreign cities like Muscat, Riyadh, Dubai, Manama, Doha, Kathmandu, Sharjah, Singapore and Kuwait.

In India, the tests were conducted in 444 centres spread across 239 cities.

This time, admissions in all central universities, including Delhi University, are based on the CUET scores only. Delhi University is the largest central university in India with about 80 departments under its umbrella. These include postgraduate degree, PhD, certificate courses, degree courses etc.

It has about 79 colleges offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Every year, more than 70,000 students take admissions in these colleges and departments for graduation in science, commerce and humanities.

Among the minority educational institutions, Jamia Millia Islamia has also decided to implement CUET for admission to several undergraduate courses from the current academic session 2022-23.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has ordered St. Stephen's College, Delhi to adopt the admission process on the basis of CUET.

--IANS gcb/shb/days.

The boy's father alleged that he was being pressured by police to compromise with the accused.

Additional district government counsel Sanjeev Sharma said, "The statement of the child in court under CrPC 164 (recording of confessions and statements) played a significant role in the entire matter. On being found guilty, the teacher pleaded in the court for less severe punishment. However, the court observed that he had committed a heinous crime."
Washington, Sep 16 : The Lina Khan-led Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US has announced a new policy to tame gig economy companies and platforms in order to protect all kinds of delivery partners/online cab drivers from unfair contracts, pay and hours.

The FTC approved a new policy by a 3-2 vote, saying that "protecting these workers from unfair, deceptive, and anticompetitive practices is a priority, and the Federal Trade Commission will use its full authority to do so".

It will continue to "capitalise on its broad jurisdiction and interdisciplinary expertise to combat unlawful practices that harm gig workers".

Over the last two years, groups like the Gig Workers Collective are addressing the concerns of delivery partners for companies like DoorDash and Instacart.

But the groups have struggled to make significant industry changes without the legal protections of a conventional union, reports The Verge.

The rapid growth of the gig economy is made possible by the contributions of drivers, shoppers, cleaners, care workers, designers, freelancers, and other workers.

Gig workers are paid in different ways, including weekly, in "batches" after completing multiple gigs, or immediately upon completing a gig (for a fee).

"Many workers are heavily dependent on customer tips. Gig companies may generate revenue from multiple sources, including a 'take rate' (a percentage of customer payments for workers' services), customer fees, and commissions charged to merchants," said the FTC.

Meanwhile, gig companies tightly prescribe and control their workers' tasks in ways "that run counter to the promise of independence and an alternative to traditional jobs".

At the same time, gig companies may use non-transparent algorithms to capture more revenue from customer payments for workers' services than customers or workers understand.

"This dynamic calls for scrutiny of promises gig platforms make, or information they fail to disclose, about the financial proposition of gig work," said the FTC.

Behind the scenes, ever-changing algorithms may dictate core aspects of workers' relationship with a given company's platform, leaving them with an invisible, inscrutable boss.

"Workers have little leverage to demand transparency from gig companies," the FTC added.
Chennai, Sep 16 : A fourth-year student of aeronautical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras was found dead in his hostel room here, said police.

The student, identified as Subhranshu Sarkar and hailing from Odisha, was, according to his classmates, in a state of depression for the past couple of days.

Kotturpuram police told the media persons that the student had not come out of his room since Thursday morning and when his friends knocked at his hostel room by evening, there was no response. When the door was broken open, he was found dead in the room.

The Kotturpuram police were called in and they recovered the body and sent it to Royapettah Government hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered and police investigation has commenced.

IIT- Madras authorities when contacted told IANS that the parents of Subranshu Sarkar have been intimated and that they were on their way to the college campus to retrieve the body.

A fourth year student at IIT-Madras and hailing from Kerala told IANS that the institution has set a high standard for itself in academics and this has led to some students becoming mentally down.
Chamoli/Gopeshwar : , Sep 16 (IANS/ 101Reporters) "Winters were hard on us. We had to walk 5 km each, up and down, to bring oak leaves for our animals. Every blade of grass wilts due to chilly weather, and we have to struggle to find cattle fodder," Hema Rautela, the president of the Mahila Mangal Dal in Uttarakhand's Paini village, tells 101Reporters.

But that was four years ago. Things have changed a lot since then, with an oak forest catering to their needs. "We planted this forest," says Rautela, beaming with pride. "It is just 500m from our village." Farming is the main source of livelihood on the hills of Uttarakhand. In Paini village of Joshimath block in Chamoli district, the farmers mainly cultivate vegetables and pulses. To ensure a good yield, they use animal dung for manure, and hence require a lot of fodder to feed them.

But the limited fodder options led the women of Paini to plant oak saplings on two hectares of forest panchayat land in 2006. Today, the land is a flourishing oak forest that provides the much-needed fodder to farmers.

"The land was lying vacant and was in constant danger of encroachment. So, we women got together and decided to plant around 2,000 oak saplings on two hectares," explains Rautela, who owns three cows that require two to three bundles of grass daily.

The fruits of teamwork The beautiful oak forest is an inspiring example of community involvement and team effort, especially by the women who shoulder the responsibility of fetching fodder for animals in these parts of the country. First, the 70-odd women of the Mahila Mangal Dal brought cow dung manure and water from their homes to plant the saplings. They received help from both the Nanda Devi National Park and the Van Panchayat authorities.

Then began their biggest challenge - of nurturing the saplings and preventing them from wilting. There was also an added danger of the saplings being destroyed by wild animals.

The woman tackled the challenges head-on by dividing themselves and the land into four groups. Each group was responsible for watering the saplings on their patch of land, until they grew into small trees. The national park offered financial assistance for the initiative. To protect the saplings from wild animals, the locals fenced it with metal wires.

Their lovingly tended oak forest was gradually taking root, when another challenge knocked at their doors. In May, all of a sudden, a fire began to rage in a pine forest located near the village. As the fire spread rapidly towards the oak forest, the villagers, including those from the Dal, and the forest department staff rushed in to put it out.

"Soon, we gathered ourselves together and carried water in buckets and containers from our homes. Some people suffered burns, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. The fire could be brought under control only after four to five hours," narrates Paini resident Manmohan Singh.

Also Read: Living inside a wildlife sanctuary, this community marries conservation and co-existence "Whenever there is a fire around our village, it will be in the pine forest as its leaves are highly flammable. The fallen leaves are like a sheet on the ground, and the fire spreads quickly," Singh claims.

According to the information available on the Uttarakhand Forest Department website, this year, a total of 6,601 pine trees were damaged in forest fires, and two lives lost. At least seven persons received injuries while extinguishing it. The monetary loss suffered by the department stands at Rs 89,25,638.

Oak vs pine Besides fodder, the villagers value the oak forest for its myriad uses. According to SP Sati, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at the College of Forestry, Ranichauri, the oak trees help balance carbon dioxide levels in the forest and maintain low soil temperature. "The oak roots are very deep. So, they bind the soil and recharge ground water." Kamla Devi, a Paini resident, points out that the soil around oak trees contains moisture that helps grass grow well in the forest. "We feed oak leaves to livestock, while its wood is used to make agricultural tools. For cooking too, oak wood is better than that of pine, as the latter emits a lot of smoke," she tells 101Reporters.

"Pine wood can only be used for construction, but lisa (resin) extracted from it can be sold. But a methodology set by the forest department should be followed during the process. Hence, locals are not keen on it. In other words, oak is more useful to us than pine," explains Devi.

"While there can be many reasons for fires, their rapid spread in the mountains is due to pine leaves, which act as petrol," Singh insists.

On the other hand, Hem Gairola, founding member of the Himalayan Centre for Community Forestry, Uttarakhand, tells 101Reporters, "The reason for the fires is poor management, not the pine tree. Earlier, there would be a fire line in the pine forests and for this line to work properly, dry leaves were removed from time to time so as to stop the fire from spreading. However, these days, this fire line is not given much attention." Gairola adds that people used pine wood to build their houses earlier, but today they use cement and bricks. Just because humans have reduced their use of pine wood, it cannot be said that pine has no use. "Even today, pine trees have tied down the mountains to prevent landslides. It is fine to plant oak trees, but it should not be done by cutting down pine trees." (The author is a freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
Surat, Sep 16 : A restaurateur was arrested on the charges of serving beef to his customers in place of meat and 60 kg of cow meat was seized from his restaurant Delhi Dastarkhwan in Gujarat's Surat.

Lalgate police station head constable Yajendra Dadubhai said that on September 11, he had received a complaint that beef is being stored and served in Delhi Dastarkhwan restaurant, after which he, along with his team, searched the premises of the restaurant and found six packets of meat, each weighing ten kg.

Surat police sent the seized meat to FSL which confirmed it was cow meat, post which it arrested Sarfaraz Mohammad Wazirkhan late Thursday night.

Police are searching for Ansar, who had supplied the beef.

Slaughter of cow and progeny is strictly prohibited in Gujarat.

A case is registered under various sections of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and IPC sections.
Washington, Sep 16 : Three Arizona State University (ASU) students were accused of making a bomb threat that cleared part of one campus earlier this week, local media reported.

According to the report on Thursday, Trevor Benoit, Peter Fraenkel and Lukas Patton were booked on Tuesday into Maricopa County Jail on a felony charge of interference/disruption of an education institution and misdemeanor offences including false reporting and disorderly conduct in the Monday night disturbance.

Memorial Union and Hassayampa Residential Village were evacuated Monday night as the ASU Police Department searched the grounds and buildings for explosive devices, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Police said that Benoit, 21, and Patton, 18, posted on social media that they'd put a bomb in the student union, while Fraenkel allegedly said he'd put a bomb in the dorms, according to the report.

The probable cause statement on Benoit said he told them he had been drinking and posted the threat to get noticed.

Fraenkel allegedly told police the threat was "a bad joke", the report added.

The report also quoted police as saying that Patton wrote, "it's OK guys we all put the bomb in the MU", responding to Benoit and Fraenkel.

About 400 students were evacuated and directed to the campus fitness centre to wait out the search.

The three suspects were tracked down through the social media platform they used and taken into custody, police said, according to the report.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : A train journey is perfect for anyone looking for a fascinating way to experience southern India. Such trips make a wonderful way to get closer to the rich culture and heritage. Although trains are usually associated with cities, Sripad Vaidya, Co-founder & COO, Confirmtkt handpicked five destinations with wide-reaching scenic beauty that one can marvel at when travelling by train.

Kollam - Sengottai The train journey from Kollam to Sengottai will be a fulfilling experience for travellers who like to explore offbeat places. The railway line connects the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu through these two junction points. Passengers witness several lush green forests, clean & swiftly flowing rivers, and hills throughout the ride. Along the way, they pass a heritage bridge and a national highway built above and below the tracks. Train journey ensures travellers get to see Kerala's natural beauty, making it the most picturesque trip ever.

Ooty to Coonoor People who want to enjoy train travelling near the hilly areas of the south must not miss Ooty to Coonoor train journey. Both of these destinations are popular among visitors for their picture-perfect scenic beauty.

These two hill stations are located in Tamil Nadu and are connected via a special toy train. The tracks connecting Ooty to Coonoor are part of Nilgiri Mountain railways, which have been honoured by UNESCO due to their impeccable uniqueness and raw beauty. The best part of the train journey is it takes passengers through the tea plantations of Ooty and mountains covered with greenery.

Chennai to Rameshwaram This train journey is one-of-a-kind in its own way. Aside from giving a nature trip, it also takes people through a mythological journey. The railway connecting Chennai to Rameshwaram runs over Pamban Bridge, famous as India's first bridge. Natives believe that Pamban Bridge was built by Lord Rama while searching for Goddess Sita, who Ravana abducted. The bridge links the Mandapam region in India with Rameswaram and Pamban Island. Though the rail ride is only 2.2 Km long, its surroundings and religious background make it one of the best life experiences.

Kanyakumari to Trivandrum The train ride between these two destinations in south India is like a slideshow of the rich plantation practices of the country. In this two-hour-long train journey, travellers pass through many luxuriant plantations of green tea, coconut groves and farms of a variety of spices. Take the train ride via Island Express; it covers the natural splendours of the path and gives the opportunity to experience the local life of the south up close.

Best train services for South Indian trips Aside from regular railway expresses, one can sweeten their journey to the south by booking a ride with some renowned train services. These are: . Golden Chariot . Golden Chariot Southern Splendour . Maharajas' Express Southern Jewels . Maharajas' Express Southern Sojourn . Deccan Odyssey Jewels of Deccan.

These trains put the luxury of the passenger as their top priority. The trip package offers private and comfortable accommodation, porterage services, an onboard butler, meals, drinks and snacks free of cost. Travellers also enjoy off-train excursions, WiFi, and even a lounge and bar are part of these luxurious trains' facilities. On some routes, guests can smell the spicy aromas of India and see the mystical waterfalls, lush plantations, and wildlife. Once on the journey, one will truly feel like they have discovered an entirely new continent. Hence, it's time to experience the splendour of south India's train journeys yourself rather than searching for them on the internet.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
Chandigarh, Sep 16 : The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, is causing loss to the exchequer by not issuing invoice to the consumers for eatables sold within trains, a tax consultant said on Friday.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chandigarh-based tax consultant Ajay Jagga said the Supreme Court recently issued notices to the Central government on a plea seeking to plug existing loopholes in the GST system.

The IRCTC, which is selling food in the trains, appears to be a similar entity causing huge loss to the exchequer, he said.

He said he travelled in Shatabdi Express to New Delhi from Chandigarh on Thursday. While travelling, he ordered a cup of tea and paid Rs 20 for this.

Later he asked for an invoice. On his insistence, an invoice of Satyam Caterers Private Ltd was issued.

One cup of tea sold without invoice results in a GST loss of Re 1, he said. "Imagine other items like cold drinks, chocolates and food booked within the train without issuing invoices," Jagga, a former member of the Tax Intelligence Unit, told IANS.

Also, he said, the waiters were charging food amount in the bill but not issuing the invoice to the consumers.

"The working of IRCTC waiters and other staff is causing huge losses to the exchequers. On one hand, we are penalizing shopkeepers for not issuing bills and on the other the IRCTC is not issuing bills and the number of such transactions, pan-India, would be in lakhs everyday," said his letter.

Earlier, in a letter to the Union Finance Minister, he had said the Centre should issue necessary advisory to all states that restaurants should stop charging unjustified extra cost, which was being imposed on consumers for items such as pastry, cake, etc.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 16 : The Kerala unit of the BJP has strongly condemned the removal of a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled 'Modi@20 Dreams Meet Delivery' from the display box at the Calicut University library.

State BJP president K.Surendran said this is a clear case of a "pro-Pakistan" approach by succumbing to the pressure of such anti-national forces.

"The authorities have failed to uphold the dignity of the Constitution and Democratic rights. Modi has not come to power through the backdoor, but has won a swashbuckling victory and retained office in 2019. A book on the Indian PM not being allowed to be displayed is nothing but 'Talibanism'. Strangely, this has happened when the ruling Left speaks so much about the "right to expression. We will not allow this," Surendran asserted.

As a mark of protest, the BJP will organise a book festival in all educational institutions in the state.
analysis

With violent extremists skilfully exploiting digital platforms, Africa should pressure tech companies to deal with terrorism online.

When al-Shabaab attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya in 2013, the group live-blogged the terrifying event on Twitter, taunting the authorities who were struggling to end the siege. It represented a chilling milestone in the weaponisation of social media platforms and demonstrated the audacity and adaptive nature of Africa's armed groups.

Nearly a decade later, terrorist groups in West Africa are fine-tuning their tactics to hijack social media platforms and messaging apps. Parts of the region have been home to the fastest growing and deadliest violent extremists, the Global Terrorism Index reveals. And there's been a steady rise in incidents where social media platforms and messaging apps have become an integral part of extremists' modus operandi.

As the physical and online worlds fuse, many groups, especially al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), are embedding the internet deeper into their operations, according to researchers such as Bulama Bukarti of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. What's more, given their decentralised character, these groups are proving harder to intercept and are achieving a reach online that wouldn't be possible in the physical world.

A recent workshop in Ghana organised by Tech Against Terrorism (TAT) laid out the expansive nature of online terrorist content in West Africa and highlighted strategies to mitigate the risks. TAT is a non-governmental organisation established by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate to forge ties between tech platforms, academia and civil society.

Violent extremist groups in West Africa, especially in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, use the internet to deliver propaganda, recruit, radicalise and incite attacks, and finance and plan their operations.

Incidents are rising in which social media and messaging apps are integral to terrorists' modus operandi

Dr Erin Saltman, former head of Facebook's Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organizations Policy section and now programming leader for the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), a TAT partner, is a prominent voice in this field. She says greater efforts are needed to encourage tech companies to 'prevent and respond' to terrorism online by increasing their transparency and reporting while respecting human rights.

Extremists are now using smaller platforms to circumvent controls aimed at removing terrorist content, says TAT's Anne Craanen, who monitors developments in West Africa. For example, AQIM - arguably the region's most aggressive user of online communication - uses 'beacon' websites to draw internet traffic to smaller sites. It also uses 'aggregators' designed to offer viewers a cluster of links to the same piece of terrorist content, to evade content moderation.

While larger platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp have the resources to offer a degree of content moderation, many smaller operators don't. These are the ones terrorist groups prefer.

Other groups such as the Boko Haram break-away faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), appear to rely on messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram to communicate internally and externally because they prefer these apps' encrypted nature. 'Telegram is becoming the new front line for terrorist groups in Africa,' warns Bukarti. 'On last count, ISWAP had over 50 Facebook and Telegram accounts.' Furthermore, 'there's no scrutiny; nobody seems to care in Africa.'

Extremists are now using smaller platforms to circumvent controls aimed at removing terrorist content

Whether it's about not caring, insufficient research or competing policy priorities, there is little doubt that violent extremist groups in West Africa deploy tech differently.

Before splitting into two factions, Boko Haram was less aggressive in its use of the internet, says Bukarti. Nevertheless, it still enjoys significant user traffic, especially to YouTube sites hailing the group's founder Mohammed Yusuf. Alongside accessible content is paid-for adverts, suggesting that tech companies are 'making money out of terrorist content,' Bukarti claims, as more views boost the platform's revenues. While this may be unintentional, maximising site traffic is part of the business case for internet platforms.

What incentive is there for tech companies to respond? Do commercial imperatives dominate, or can reputation management help encourage responsible use of cyberspace? Bigger players such as Meta (formerly Facebook) have responded to external pressure and developed 'formal processes' and 'dedicated channels' to deal with requests to remove terrorist content, say their policy team. But smaller platforms don't necessarily have the resources to respond in the same way.

Furthermore, while the Global North has been more successful at calling out tech companies after incidents such as the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand attack, there's been much less consumer pressure across Africa. This is possibly because of the 'digital divide', competing policy priorities and a relative lack of awareness on the continent.

The Global North has called out tech companies, but there's been much less consumer pressure across Africa

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TAT has recently launched a knowledge-sharing platform to send out secure alerts when terrorist content is identified. It has also developed outreach and mentoring programmes for smaller internet platforms and governments to build resilience against a growing trend of terrorist content online.

Without a universal instrument to suppress online terrorist activities, groupings such as the Economic Community of West African States are essential to raising awareness and formulating regional counter-measures, says Ghana's National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah. The Global Coalition Against Daesh and other similar initiatives also have a role in Boko Haram-affected countries in Lake Chad Basin, says Institute for Security Studies' Project Manager, Akinola Olojo.

African governments must engage with the tech sector to broaden their knowledge of the context in which terrorist organisations thrive. They should devise rapid responses that adhere to human rights principles - rather than total internet shutdowns, which deprive citizens of their right to freedom of expression.

More than that, they need to make internet use by terrorist groups in Africa matter to the wider world.

Karen Allen, Consultant, ISS Pretoria
New Delhi, Sep 16 : A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials has reached Tihar Jail to interrogate Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain in connection with money laundering case pertaining to excise policy scam, sources said on Friday.

The central agency is currently conducting raids at more than 40 locations across India.

According to the sources, raids that started early on Friday morning, are underway in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR and Nellore.

ED's case is based on the FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI has made Sisodia accused number one in its FIR lodged under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of accounts) of the IPC. The allegations against Sisodia is that liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore.

The licence holders were allegedly given extension according to their own will. The policy rules were made by violating excise rules.

As per the FIR, the liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore by Sisodia and the licence holders were given extension as per their own will.

It also said that Sisodia and a few liquor barons were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees to public servants, who have been accused in the case.

"Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensee post tender," read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : As the legend goes, Negroni was conceived in the heart of Italy as a replacement for the Americano - a classic cocktail with Sweet Vermouth, Red Italian Bitters, topped with Soda Water and garnished with a lemon peel. However, when the Soda Water was exchanged for Gin and the Lemon Peel for an Orange, we get the Negroni.

A classic like the Negroni is surely an acquired taste owing to the cocktail's distinctive bitter palate and is typically had during the "Aperitivo Hour", a ritual in Italy that honours the onset of the night and is consumed as a pre-meal drink to evoke an appetite. Paired with light canapes, there are many variations of a classic Negroni. However, one of the most popular ones is Old Pal, where the gin is substituted for Rye or Whiskey.

With Negroni week on the horizon, Bombay Sapphire and Martini bring you the perfect opportunity to be homebound slightly earlier than usual, in the coming week. Picture being perched amongst your favourite nook, unwinding with a glass that boasts of the bittersweet characteristics of Gin and Vermouth.

Whether you're a purist who appreciates the classics, or someone who inclines a bit towards the experimental side and swaps the "Old Pal" rye with a decadent double-aged scotch whiskey, IANSlife has a recipe for each of you! Classic Negroni

Invented at Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy in 1919. Legend tells that Count Camillo Negroni asked his friend, bartender Forsco Scarselli, to strengthen his Favourite cocktail - the Americano - by replacing the soda water with gin. So a classic was born.

INGREDIENTS . 30ml Martini Rosso . 30ml Martini Fiero . 30ml Bombay Sapphire METHOD

. Combine liquid ingredients in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir.

. Garnish with expressed orange peel.

Old Mate . Twisted Classic Old Mate . A Scottish take on Old Pal typically made with Rye, obviously swaps out for a delicious double-aged Dewar's 12 blended scotch whisky.

INGREDIENTS . 45ml Dewar's 12 . 30ml Martini Extra Dry . 30ml Martini Fiero . Orange twist for garnish METHOD

. Combine ingredients in a rocks glass, add ice and stir. Garnish with an Orange twist.

Rosita Twisted Classic Rosita

. Although Mexico and Italy are thousands of kilometers from each other it is a wonder that Italian bitters and vermouth really compliment so many flavors that tequila can present. In this riff on a Negroni, we use Martini Fiero as it doesn't have quite the dry bitter punch that Campari has so it lets the tequila and vermouth shine in harmony.

INGREDIENTS . 45ml Patron Reposado . 15ml Martini Rosso . 15ml Martini Extra Dry . 15ml Martini Fiero . 10ml CrAme de Cacao . 1 Dash Angostura bitters . Orange twist for garnish METHOD

. Combine ingredients in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir. Garnish with an Orange twist Negroni Sour

Maybe a rich dark and bitter cocktail isn't your ideal match but you want to try new things. Try this; a little lemon juice and (optional) egg white really tones down the bitterness and brings out the floral flavors of the gin and vermouth.

INGREDIENTS . 30ml Bombay Sapphire . 30ml Martini Rosso . 30ml Martini Fiero . 15ml Lemon Juice . 15ml Orange Juice . 1 Egg white (optional) . Lemon twist as garnish METHOD

. Combine ingredients in a shaker, add ice, and shake hard.

. Strain into a large coupe. Garnish with a Lemon twist.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
Chennai, Sep 16 : The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP will gift gold coins to children born on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP state unit has identified RSRM hospital Chennai and all children born at this hospital on September 17, the birthday of the Prime Minister, will be gifted a gold coin. Each gold coin will weigh 2 gm.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, L. Murugan told the media persons that the gold coin will not be a freebie but a welcome gesture for the babies born on the birthday of the Prime Minister.

The BJP Tamil Nadu unit is expecting the delivery of 10 to 15 infants at the RSRM hospital on September 17.

The party will also distribute 720 kg of fish in Chennai. As this is the 72 birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 720 kg of fish will be distributed.

The fish will be distributed in the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Kolathur.

The party national unit has directed the cadres to conduct various programmes to mark the 72nd birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including blood donation camps. However, the party has said that there shall not be any cake-cutting functions or havans to mark the Prime Minister's birthday celebrations.
New Delhi, Sep 16: Barely a month left for the announcement of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is already in poll mode . Now, he awaits the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blow the election bugle at Mandi-his home district on September 24.

Modi will address the Yuva-Sankalp rally of one lakh youths -all in the age below 40 years, first of its kind event.

Yet, before Modi takes the poll command in his hand, all eyes are on Kangra - the state's largest district. On Tuesday, the Chief Minister put-up a massive show of strength at Kangra, an OBC stronghold next to Dharamshala - a landmark foothill town, which is also regarded as the state's second capital, after Shimla. Dharamshala is also popular as the abode of Tibetan Spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama.

One of the biggest pledges Thakur made in Kangra was dedicating BJP's forthcoming victory in the upcoming assembly polls to party veteran Shanta Kumar, who turned 89 a day before Chief Minister reached out to him at Palampur.

Kangra, which has 15 assembly seats, highest literacy ratio and best connectivity of road and air, has remained the strongest fortress of the BJP dominated by Shanta Kumar - a two time Chief Minister and former union minister for half the century. He is one of the surviving old guards of the Jan Sangh and BJP in the country.

Kangra is known for having the oldest serving Royal Dynasty in the world, the Katoch. It's house of 30 per cent of OBC population having considerable impact on at least eight assembly segments.

In the state, where the Congress and BJP have been alternating power after every five years, Kangra has been holding the key to the change. But this, the BJP is talking about "Rivaaj Badaldo" (buck the trend).

This means that the BJP, in order to maintain the trend set by states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Manipur and Goa, have to win Kangra. The party had won 11 out of 15 seats in 2017 elections to make it to power, ousting Virbhadra Singh.

Earlier to this in 2012 polls, the Congress had won 11 seats in Kangra and reduced the BJP to single digit at three with two independents getting elected to the House. Virbhadra Singh romped home alternating the BJP government.

Prior to this, he had to resign from the union cabinet in UPA-II following a corruption case in Shimla. Yet, he became Chief Minister for the sixth time as Kangra and adjoining district of Chamba facilitated his return to power defying all odds, including Congress factionalism and his age. The congress won more than 10 seats in Kangra alone.

The first-time BJP (then Janata Party) swept the Congress out of power in 1977 under Shanta Kumar. The Janta Party had won 13. Shanta Kumar was first erstwhile Jan Sangh leader from Kangra region to become a non-congress Chief Minister.

Another turn around for the BJP was in 1990 when Shanta Kumar again led the party to a massive victory. This time again, the party won 12 seats and BJP's alliance partner Janata Dal wrested three seats in Kangra. Veterans like Kanwar Gurga Chand were among JD winners.

Similarly in 1998, when BJP stormed to power defeating the Congress, the party won 10 seats in Kangra and formed the government under Prem Kumar Dhumal entering into a coalition with Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC)-an outfit led by Pandit Sukh Ram.

In the forthcoming elections, the challenge for Jai Ram Thakur is not only to retain the fortress of Kangra, Thakur's task is clearly cut-out to prove the BJP's popularity in the state and his performance is enough to keep the Congress out of the power as the BJP did in the states like Haryana, Uttarakhand and UP. History is against him. Thus Kangra certainly will play a decisive role, apart from Thakur's home district-Mandi, where the BJP had won nine out of 10 seats in 2017 polls.

There was a setback too in 2021. The BJP lost the Mandi Parliamentary seat to Pratibha Singh, former Chief Minister Virtbhadra Singh's wife in bypoll. Three assembly seats which witnessed byelection also were won by the congress. This is what is making the Congress confident to see its chances of replacing the BJP - the trend of alternating the government will stay on, says Sukhwinder Sukhu, Congress' campaign head.

Nevertheless, BJP is hoping to do well in Kangra.

"The elections are being held under a changed scenario. We have the tallest leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It's due to his leadership, the BJP has won four states defying the 37-yr old history. We have done fairly well for the past four and half years with focus on equitable development of all regions. Kangra particularly has witnessed massive infrastructure development and welfare initiatives," says Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

Thakur recalls the first global investors meeting hosted at Dharamshala which Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended. Modi ji also visited Dharamshala second time when a conference of Chief Secretaries was held. He will be touring the state this month for a rally at Mandi and thereafter will come to Bilaspur to inaugurate Rs 1400 cr AIIMS project. He has given the state Rs 1200 cr. bulk drug park-one of three proposed in the country and now tribal status to Hatee community in Sirmaur-a demand pending for 40 years.

But, this is not where the BJP has odds in Kangra. The gradual erosion of the BJP support in Kangra is attributed to weakening of the party leadership. This helped former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to capitalise in Kangra region and develop a bond with Kangra -also called as new Himachal. He is credited of setting of major government offices, Institutions and strengthening road infrastructure. He set-up a second State assembly complex at Dharamshala and also named it as "second capital."

There were also some of the strong Kangra leaders in the congress like Pt Sant Ram, Sat Mahajan, Viplove Thakur, Chander Kumar and G. S. Bali. The district is quite a mix of Rajput, Brahamin and OBC leaders.

Since Virbhadra Singh hailed from the old Himachal area, representing Rohru, Rampur and Shimla (rural) he took pains to ensure much balanced development of Kangra. Shanta Kumar being a native of Kangra and rose from positions from a panchayat panch to union minister overshadowed all leaders.

Dharamshala-based senior Journalist Naveen Sharma, (Editor, Dainik Jagran) strongly endorses the view that "road to power in Shimla passes through Kangra." This, he says, happens to be a historical fact.

It was Virbhadra Singh who understood it more than any other successor Chief Ministers and out-poured his efforts to see Kangra progressing though he could not bring the Congress back to power, after five year.

"Virbhadra tried to build an emotional relationship with Kangra. Successor BJP Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal also made an effort though not as strong as that of Virbhadra Singh. But, Jai Ram Thakur did not make an effort to replicate Kangra sentiments," Sharma analyses.

The BJP's problems in Kangra are multiple. After Shanta Kumar decided to retire from electoral politics, the party did not groom second line Kangra leadership. Party senior Vipin Parmar, a Shanta loyalist initially inducted as cabinet minister and later made Speaker of the assembly is one seen rising to the horizon yet has a limited out-reach .

Krishan Kapoor, another senior and Shanta loyalist is a sitting Lok Sabha member but feels completely side-lined in the current dispensation of the rule though being a Gaddi leader he has a considerable base.

Looking at gains from the OBC factor, the BJP had Sraveen Chaudhary, a three-time minister. She too has no mass base. Thus, the party has to rope in Pawan Kajal, a sitting Congress MLA (Kangra) to join the party. Chief Minister shared the stage with him first-time on Tuesday when put up a show of strength as BJP leader.

Since 1998, the BJP has not been able to win the Kangra assembly seat-which returned the Congress, BSP and even independents to the House. To get its foothold in this OBC dominant belt, the BJP has got Pawan Kajal-incumbent MLA and Congress' working president join the party. Kajal has a strong connection with his constituents - overwhelmingly the OBC community.

The Congress, on the other hand, is trying to encash on anti-incumbency and 'injustice' with Kangra during Jai Ram Thakur's tenure. But the party finds itself at loss due to the demise of Virbhadra Singh and veteran leader G. S. Bali in 2021 as the BJP banks on its organisational network, huge resource base in hand and Modi's magic to work in the state.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

-- Syndicated from IANS
New Delhi, Sep 16: India continues to work closely with the Central Asian countries in a bid to list its counter-terrorism priorities and concerns, particularly in the South Asia region.

Earlier this week, India and Tajikistan held an important meeting in the field of combating terrorism and extremism with a special focus on countering radicalisation.

At the fourth meeting of the Joint Working Group of India and Tajikistan on Counter-Terrorism held on Tuesday, the delegations from both sides discussed in detail the ways to counter contemporary challenges and threats.

Organised at the level of heads of structural divisions of both external/foreign affairs ministries, the virtual meeting saw representatives of the two countries discuss measures to prevent the financing of terrorism; ensure cyber security; suppression of drug trafficking; information sharing, and capacity building in this area.

Both sides also welcomed the holding of the high-level international conference on 'International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists' in Dushanbe on October 18-19 and intensification of the 'Dushanbe Process' in this context.

The India-Tajikistan meeting was held just before Prime Minister's visit to Samarkand to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

India currently chairs the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and has been focusing on promoting practical cooperation in combating the problem of terrorism in the region.

Ahead of the PM's visit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thursday that the "substance of the discussion" on countering terrorism within the framework of SCO and the handling of the issue has now evolved over a period of years.

"Now, irrespective of what a particular country does on this problem of terrorism, there is deeply held, I would say, understanding and a deep appreciation within the SCO countries of what the nature of this terrorism is, where this problem comes from and most importantly, the need for the SCO countries on their own as also for the SCO structures including in particular RATS to come together and form ways for practical cooperation," said the Foreign Secretary.

Over the past few years, New Delhi has been at the forefront to emphasise that the threat of terrorism is not only growing and expanding at a rapid pace into new areas, particularly in Asia and Africa but is also exacerbated by the exploitation of new and emerging technologies by terrorist groups to achieve their vicious goals.

India has maintained that it has been at the receiving end of state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism for the past several decades with UN-designated terrorist groups such as Lashkar-E-Taiba, Harkat-Ul-Mujahidin, Jaish-I-Mohammad, as well as their aliases and proxies, continue to operate from across the border targeting civilians, security forces, places of worship and critical infrastructure in India.

Several leaders from Central Asia, particularly Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, have also been voicing their concern over the terror sleeper cells getting active in the region after the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The military contingents of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) are also being equipped with modern weapons and equipment to tackle the armed groups on the territory of Afghanistan which continue to threaten the security and stability of the entire Central Asian region.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Panaji, Sep 16 : Goa Police have arrested one octogenarian US citizen for allegedly possessing 12 grams of LSD liquid and 45 grams of MDMA drugs worth Rs 12 lakh.

The arrest was made on Thursday night, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch)Nidhin Valsan told IANS that the accused person has been identified as Giovanni Robert Caso, 83, from America.

He said that the accused person was found in possession of 12 grams of LSD liquid and 45 grams of MDMA at St Michael Wado, Anjuna in North Goa.

Police are further investigating the case.

Since the death of TikTok star and BJP leader Sonali Phogat, who was allegedly given methamphetamine drugs while she was partying in Curlies restaurant in Anjuna-Goa, police have started to crack down on drug trade.

In the first week of September, the Goa Police had arrested five persons for allegedly possessing drugs from Anjuna. Ganja, Charas LSD and Cocaine were seized from them.
Port Of Spain : , Sep 16 (IANS) The Jamaica Tallawahs ended Barbados Royals' winning run with a six-run (DLS) win in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season. Despite the loss, Barbados stayed on top of the league, while Jamaica consolidated their second place.

The Tallawahs won the toss and chose to field first. Imad Wasim got them off to a superb start by bowling two maiden overs and taking three wickets in the powerplay to leave the Royals reeling at 17/3 after six overs. It was South African internationals Quinton de Kock and David Miller who rebuilt the innings for the Royals with an 83-run partnership that took them to 146/6 at the end of their innings.

Jamaica Tallawahs shocked the Royals early with Wasim striking three times within the powerplay, removing Rahkeem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers and Corbin Bosch. But it was de Kock, once again batting lower down the order at four, who led the way with a sublime 74 off just 43 balls, with support from David Miller as the Royals ended up finishing on 146/6.

Coming in for the chase, Brandon King and Amir Jangoo got their team off to a flying start, scoring 50 runs by the fifth over to put the Tallawahs in a commanding position.

Jason Holder took three wickets as the Royals fought back, but it was not enough as the Tallawahs reached 126/5 and won by five wickets (DLS), six runs ahead of the par score.

Tallawahs had a dream start to their chase with King and Jangoo finding the boundary consistently in the powerplay. However, Obed McCoy struck with two wickets, before Holder set up a tense finish by taking three wickets.

In the end, a six from Rovman Powell just before rain fell proved critical, as it meant the Tallawahs finished ahead by six runs on DLS and picked up a five-wicket win.

Brief scores: Barbados Royal 146/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 74, David Miller 34; Imad Wasim 3/14) lost to Jamaica Tallawahs 126/5 in 17 overs (Brandon King 46, Amir Jangoo 29; Jason Holder 3/33) by six runs under DLS.
Kochi, Sep 16 : A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday stayed the transfer order of a lower court judge, who grabbed headlines when he granted anticipatory bail to activist Civic Chandran.

Principle District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode, S. Krishnakumar, had last month held that sexual harassment case would not prima facie stand if the victim was wearing a "sexually provocative dress".

Krishnakumar was looking into the case based on a complaint by a Dalit writer, wherein she alleged that Chandran, who is in his 70s, tried to kiss her on the neck and outraged her modesty.

Soon after this incident, a furore broke out and the lower court judge was transferred as the Presiding Officer of the Labour Court at Kollam.

He then filed a petition before a single bench of the High Court, but the court dismissed the plea observing that the petition (appellant), who is a member of higher judicial service, cannot be said to be prejudiced in any manner for his posting as Presiding Officer of Labour Court, which is a post born from the cadre of District Judge.

It was against this judgement, that the judge filed an appeal petition before the Division Bench of Justice A.K Jayashankaran Nambiar and Justice C.P.Mohammed Nias which stayed the transfer order.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : Addressing the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that as the world faces challenges of economic recovery after the global Covid-19 pandemic, the role of the SCO is very important.

Speaking in Hindi, the Prime Minister said that the bloc contributes to 30 per cent of the global GDP, while 40 per cent of the world's population resides in the member countries.

He went on to say that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the global pandemic have led to disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises.

Hence, the SCO should strive to develop "reliable, resilient and diversified" supply chains in the region, Modi added.

The Prime Minister announced the establishment of a new working group on startups and innovation, adding that the country is also making progress towards becoming a manufacturing hub.

He said that India's economy is expected to grow 7.5 per cent this year, which is the highest among the world's biggest economies.

He also spoke about food security, which he termed as a major challenge, and suggested that the cultivation and consumption of millets could be a possible solution.

The Prime Minister called millets "superfood", adding that it could be a nutritious and low-cost alternative to overcome the food challenge.

Modi went on to say that 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets and "we should consider organizing a 'Millet Food Festival' under SCO".

In his address, he also touted India as one of the most affordable countries for medical and wellness tourism and urged the SCO member nations to cooperate in the field of traditional medicine.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Domestic air traffic in August recorded a strong growth as nearly 1.01 crore passengers travelled during the month in the country as against 67.01 lakh in the same period last year, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday.

As per the latest data released by the aviation regulator, domestic airlines during the first eight months this year carried 770.70 lakh passengers as against 460.45 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 67.38 per cent and monthly growth of 50.96 per cent.

The passenger load factor or occupancy of the airlines remained on the higher side in the range of 70 to 80 per cent. Newly launched Akasa Air marked the occupancy of 52.9 per cent during August.

SpiceJet recorded the highest occupancy of 84.6 per cent while Indigo witnessed 78.3 per cent of passenger load factor. Air India had 73.6 per cent and GoFirst had 81.6 per cent of occupancy during the month.

Industry sources said that the downward trend in the Covid cases in the last couple of weeks have resulted in the restoration of normalcy in the aviation traffic.

Recently, the aviation regulator announced the removal of lower and upper limits on airfares in the country. It was done after discussions on removing the fare bands for domestic airfares among the stakeholders, including the government authorities and airlines. Carriers were of the view that the removal of the pricing caps was required for the full-fledged recovery of domestic air traffic.
analysis

Buildings in Lagos state, Nigeria's economic hub, have in recent years been collapsing in greater numbers than ever. Between 2000 and 2021 the city experienced 167 reported cases, with significant human and economic losses.

The latest data from Lagos State Emergency Management Agency showed that between January and July 2022, Lagos recorded 24 cases of total building collapse, six of partial collapse and one of impending collapse. Eighty-four Lagosians have been killed in building collapse incidents in the last two years.

Ghana's capital, Accra, in contrast, had only eight building collapses between April 2000 and February 2016.

This grim Nigerian data reflects the failure of the Lagos state government to protect its citizens.

Drawing from my previous research, I have identified that high-rise residential buildings make up most of the collapses in Lagos. The reasons include the use of substandard materials and unqualified or unskilled builders.

Other factors include non-adherence to the National Building Code, illegal conversion of existing structures and ineffective monitoring by regulatory agencies.

The recent spate of building collapse in Lagos presents an opportunity for the government to get tough on the construction industry and prevent future incidents. Citizens also have a part to play.

In this article I set out five critical issues I consider indispensable for building safety, stability and sustainability. They are all germane, given the disastrous state of building development in Lagos in the past four years.

1. Test the integrity of all high-rise buildings

The starting point is to recognise that high-rise structures are at the highest risk of collapse. This is due to structural inadequacies and professional ineptitude on the part of the developers.

Previous studies suggested that government didn't implement the recommendations from past integrity tests of buildings in Lagos. This was likely due to a lack of political will to ensure fundamental standards were maintained. It suggests the government might only be paying lip service to building safety.

Urgent and frequent integrity tests of all high-rise buildings in Lagos are needed. Those built more than five years ago are in particular need of testing. A structural integrity test confirms the stability of buildings and determines whether they are fit for people to live in.

Government must also ensure that buildings that are not structurally habitable are either strengthened or demolished immediately.

2. Identify and prosecute offenders

Government must identify and prosecute landowners, investors, consultants, architects, quantity surveyors and engineers involved in previous cases. It must also publish all permits received during those projects and all documents related to safety testing.

This will show its commitment to putting an end to the loss of lives and property. It will also enable a thorough investigation into the causes of building collapses and ensure there are consequences for failures.

It will encourage more responsible practices in the construction industry.

3. Overhaul and restructure agencies and ministries

The recent resignation of the Lagos State Physical Planning and Urban Development commissioner was a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, the agencies and ministries responsible for monitoring the construction process appear overwhelmed and handicapped in enforcing building regulations. This is due to ineffective monitoring, lack of human resources and corruption among officials in charge of building approval.

There is also a serious governance issue that must be addressed. Building control should be a local government responsibility. In Nigeria, however, it falls under the state government. Nigeria currently runs a three-tier federal system comprising federal, state and local governments.

As a result of the constitutional reforms made between the 1970s and 1990s some of these tiers of responsibility were arbitrarily altered. The building control function was transferred from local to state governments.

Thus, a total overhaul and restructuring of all the agencies and ministries responsible for monitoring the construction process is urgently required. This could be done by prosecuting complicit government officials involved in the approval of previous collapsed buildings.

Improved tactics and logistics in monitoring construction could also be deployed.

Building control must be returned to the local governments and they must ensure that they have enough qualified, quality personnel.

4. Integrate governance of the construction industry

Governments, professional bodies and citizens all have essential roles to play in preventing building collapse in Lagos. The starting point is the sensitisation of citizens and building developers by the emergency management agencies and professional bodies. They should focus on the need to obtain planning permission, engage professionals in the construction of their buildings and report cases of illegal construction activities in their community.

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Government must also collaborate with professional bodies and make sure that individuals or building developers consult certified professionals like engineers.

5. Enforce laws and policies

A review of enforcement and building control regulations in Lagos state shows the problem is not inadequacy of relevant laws and monitoring agencies. Rather it's a lack of proper enforcement of building regulations.

The state government must quickly take decisive steps to implement existing building control regulations and measures for transparency and accountability in its processes. Simple but important things like information display boards at construction sites should be enforced. There is also an urgent need for public awareness of the regulatory requirements for buildings. The public should demand transparency from developers and landlords.

Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola, Visiting Scientist at Global Change Institute and Institute for Environment and Human Security, University of the Witwatersrand
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Six persons were rescued while two are still trapped under debris of a house which collapsed in the Jangpura extension area in the national capital on Friday.

According to fire department, they got a call about the house collapse around 12 p.m., after which fire fighters were immediately sent to the spot.

"The fire fighters, who were pressed into service, rescued six persons from the debris. Two more are still trapped. Our rescue operation is on," the fire official said.

Local police have also sent a police team to the spot to assist the fire fighters.

Details are awaited.
Hyderabad, Sep 16 : It is not just her looks but her determination that actor Sonal Chauhan is getting noticed for. The Bollywood actress who is part of highly the anticipated movie, 'The Ghost' starring Nagarjuna, while training for an action scene hurt her foot and was rushed to hospital.

The actress had fractured her foot during her MMA training and was told to avoid any training/action scenes for the next six weeks.

However, the dedicated actor in Sonal persisted despite the difficulties as she knew she didn't have the luxury of time.

She resumed her training and completed her shoot for the action scenes and left everyone impressed on the set with her dedication and professionalism. Interestingly, Sonal also took training for weapons for this film since she plays an interpol officer.
Phnom Penh, Sep 16 : Cambodia registered 1.13 million air travellers during the first eight months of 2022, up almost 600 per cent compared to the same period last year, a senior official said on Friday.

However, the figure represented a 76-percent drop compared to the same period in 2019, the pre-Covid pandemic year, Sin Chansereyvutha, undersecretary of state of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said.

He said some 25 airlines had operated about 15,521 flights to the kingdom's three international airports during the January-August period this year, up 123 per cent compared to the same period last year, reports Xinhua news agency.

He attributed the significant increase to the Southeast Asian nation's full opening of borders to all travellers without quarantine since last November after most of the kingdom's population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

"The gradual rise in the number of passengers and flights is a sign showing that we are returning to the pre-pandemic growth," he told a press conference.

The official said the aviation sector generated 1.7 million direct and indirect jobs, and contributed nearly 17 per cent to the country's total gross domestic product (GDP).

The country attracted more than 740,000 international visitors in the first seven months of 2022, an increase of 560 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Delhi High Court on Friday sought BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay's response to an intervention application moved by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind against his plea challenging the Waqf Act, 1995.

Asking Upadhyay's reply in the matter, a bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium slated the matter for hearing on November 4.

In its plea, the Jamiat argued that on at least two occasions, no less than the Chief Justice of India, himself seemed to have rebuked the petitioner (Upadhyay) for filing frivolous petitions.

In May, the high court had also issued a notice on Upadhyay's PIL challenging the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Act terming it "arbitrary".

His PIL contended that there was no safeguard for Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and other communities to save their properties from inclusion in the list of Waqf issued by Waqf Boards and therefore are discriminated.

It offends Articles 14-15, it said.Petitioner Upadhyay was challenging the vires of S. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14 of the Act, stating these provisions grant special status to Waqf properties denying equal status to Trust, Mutts, Akharas, Societies, and confer unbridled powers to Waqf Boards to register any property as Waqf property.

"If the impugned Act has been made to protect the rights guaranteed under Articles 29-30 then it has to cover all the minorities i.e., followers of Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Bahaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and not only Islam," the plea read.

It further said that states collect around Rs 1 lakh crore from four lakh temples but there were no similar provisions for Hindus.

Thus, the Act offends Article 27.
New Delhi: Former President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, former CJI justice KG Balakrishnan and others launch a book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Qam Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind and Union Minister Anurag Thakur during the launch of a book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, former CJI justice KG Balakrishnan and others during the launch of book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovin being felicitated by Union Minister Anurag Thakur during the launch of a book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IAN Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind and Union Minister Anurag Thakur arrive to attend the launch of a book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind addresses during the launch of a book 'Ambedkar and Modi- Reformers Ideas Performers Implementation', in New Delhi on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Sep 16 : Former President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday released a book titled "Ambedkar and Modi: Reformer's Ideas, Performer's Implementation" here in presence of Union Minister I&B Anurag Thakur, MoS Dr L. Murugan and former Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan.

While speaking at the launch of the book, the former President said that this book is a collection of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's multidimensional ideologies and their works for the nation. Whether this is industrial development, labours' rights, self-reliance, electricity and water resources' development, planning wise development of cities, education or gender equality, this book gives ideological foundation and solid information on these important issues, said Kovind.

The book has been compiled by Bluekraft Digital Foundation and has a foreword by music composer and Rajya Sabha member Ilaiyaraaja. In 12 chapters dealing with domains as varied as infrastructure, education, socio-economic mobility, gender equality, self-reliance and many more -- the book not only presents Ambedkar's vision of India, but also takes into account several achievements of Modi and his government.

"Along with the maker of our constitution, Baba Saheb contributed immensely for the banking, electrification, labour management, revenue sharing system and education system of the country", the former President said while launching the book.

"This book contains 25 pictures which give Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unconditional love and respect to Baba Saheb. PM is perhaps the only leader in the country who organised Samvidhan Gaurav Yatra during the 'Heerak Janti varsh' which was held for the first time after the implementation of the constitution. It is the episode of 2010 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat '', he said.

Baba Saheb had always special emphasis on the development of the cities as he always used to say that the pressure of rising population should be minimised on the agricultural land and modern transformation be carried out in the cities to change the lifestyle. He also used to say the waterways as the pathway for the development which is being characterised by the Narendra Modi government. The Modi government has implemented the vision of Baba Saheb", Kovind added.

With utmost importance to the Jal Jeevan Mission, PM has forwarded the vision of Baba Saheb. It is an example in itself of how the Modi government has linked the vision of Baba Saheb to the common masses, he further added.

"I would like to say that this book is a testimony that PM Modi is a true disciple of Baba Ambedkar", the former President concluded.

"Many people did the work of collecting votes and making statues in the name of Dr Ambedkar. But his vision was for the upliftment of the deprived class, if someone is implementing it step by step on the ground that is Prime Minister Narendra Modi", said union Minister Anurag Thakur while speaking about the book.

The Union minister added further that Dr Ambedkar always believed that industrial development would prove to be a liberator for the underprivileged society. And today be it Make in India or self-reliant India, or PIL schemes, all this work is being done in that direction under the PM Modi government.

"Today we can proudly say that India of Baba Saheb's dreams is today marching with full confidence with the superpowers of the world under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", he said on the occasion.
San Francisco, Sep 16 : Popular video-conferencing app Zoom is now back online after it went down for around an hour on Thursday.

Zoom's status page revealed there was a "major outage" for around an hour, preventing many people from attending meetings. Zoom eventually addressed the outage at 11.37 a.m. ET, according to The Verge.

"We have resolved the issue causing users to be unable to start and join Zoom Meetings," Zoom later said in a status message.

Users saw plenty of "an error occurred" messages, and most weren't able to launch meetings. Zoom's main website, zoom.us, even displayed a 502 gateway error for the majority of the outage.

Most reports showed trouble joining a conference and geographically, outage reports were streaming in from across the US and Europe on DownDetector, media reports said.

While the Zoom outage affected most users, some Zoom accounts were still able to connect using personal logins, but work and school accounts were heavily affected.

Zoom last experienced a major outage for two hours in 2020, with users unable to join meetings and webinars. Zoom eventually deployed a fix and got video calls up and running once again, the report said.
Los Angeles, Sep 16 : Hollywood star Will Smith is apparently not welcome back on "Saturday Night Live". The actor is reportedly being permanently banned after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.

The 'NBC' sketch series is reportedly banning the actor permanently following the Oscars slap, reports aceshowbiz.com.

According to Radar Online, the 'King Richard' star will never be invited back to 'SNL' after what he did to Chris Rock at the March event. The comedian is a former important part of the show, having starred in it from 1990 to 1993.

"Smith will never ever be invited back to 'SNL' after what he did to Chris," a source told the site. "The show is a temple comedian, and no one wants him around anymore."

"Forget hosting, Will won't even be able to get a ticket to sit in the audience anymore. He's not welcome."

The show's producers are allegedly also worried that if Smith comes to the show again, other big celebrities will refuse to join in the future.

"If Will Smith was invited back, 'SNL' would never get another big celebrity ever again," the source explains.

"Stars would rightly boycott the show if he was welcomed inside Studio 8H."

Will slapped Chris at the 2022 Academy Awards in March over the latter's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. He then shouted at the comedian, who was presenting onstage, twice to "keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth!"Will has apologised several times for his behaviour at the live event.

In a video posted in July, the actor said, "It's all fuzzy. I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk. I hate when I let people down. So it hurts, it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."

"And the work I'm trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself," he added. "I'm human and I made a mistake, and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t."However, Rock seemingly didn't accept the apology as he said earlier this month, "F**k your hostage video," during his stand-up show at London's O2 Arena. He went on calling out the Oscar-winning actor saying that Will had managed to do an impersonation of a "perfect man for 30 years" before showing he is "just as ugly as the rest of us."

-- Syndicated from IANS
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on petitions arising out of Delhi High Court split verdict on the issue of marital rape.

A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B.V. Nagarathna said the court will examine the matter, as the position of law has been existing for quite a long time. The bench sought Centre's response on petitions against the May 11 judgment of the Delhi High Court.

Advocate Karuna Nundy, representing All India Democratic Women's Association, submitted that the two judges of the high court have taken different views and they were unanimous that this matter should be decided by the apex court. Nundy emphasized that there was a substantial question of law involved in the matter. The top court decided to club all pending cases and scheduled the matter for further hearing in February, 2023.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan urged the bench to tag along a matter, which is pending since 2018. He cited the plea filed by 'Youth for Equality', seeking a declaration that Explanation 2 to Section 375 that reads as "sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape" is ultra vires Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

On May 11, a bench of justice Rajiv Shakdher and justice C. Hari Shankar expressed different opinions in the judgement on the exception to Section 375 of the IPC, which exempts forceful sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife from the offence of rape.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher supported striking down the contentious law stating that the exemption of the husband from the offence of marital rape is unconstitutional to which Justice Hari Shankar did not agree.

"The impugned provisions in so far as they concern a husband having intercourse with his wife without consent are violative of Article 14 and are therefore struckdown," said justice Shakder.

Petitions filed in the top court sought a direction to strike down of the exception granted to husbands under the Indian rape law. These petitions have been opposed by men's rights groups and others.
Chennai, Sep 16 : The employee unions in the public sector general insurance companies have reiterated their demand for a copy of the Ernst & Young (EY) report on the restructuring of the four companies.

The companies are: The Oriental Insurance Company Limited, National Insurance Company Limited, The New India Assurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company Limited.

According to Girish Khurana National Convener, Joint Forum of Trade Unions and Associations (JFTU), the unions got only the powerpoint presentation from General Insurers' (Public Sector) Association of India (GIPSA) and not the full EY's report.

"Bullet points contained in PPT (powerpoint presentation) reveal no details and we are unable to submit our view-points and suggestions in the matter," Khurana said in a letter to Suchita Gupta, Chairperson GIPSA and Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Insurance.

"In the meanwhile, we find that the Companies are going ahead with their action plan implementation in haste without taking the workforce into confidence on these vital issues. Our Management must appreciate the benefits of consensus and collective prudence rather than unilateral decisions," he said.

The employees are agitated as the National Insurance has started implementing the key performance indicator (KPI) norms.

On Thursday, employees of National Insurance held a demonstration against the implementation of KPIs.

"You will kindly appreciate that such unilateral decisions are bound to vitiate the IR environment and may prove to be counter-productive," Khurana told Gupta.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Rajasthan government to pay Rs 3,000 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid and liquid waste.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice (retd0 Adarsh Kumar Goel, in an order passed on Thursday, said the total compensation is rounded off at Rs 3,000 crore, which may be deposited by the state in a separate ring-fenced account within two months as per directions of the Chief Secretary and utilised for restoration measures.

This compensation amount includes Rs 2,500 crore for gap in the treatment of liquid waste sewage and Rs 555 crore for failure to scientifically-managed solid waste works, rounded off at Rs 3,000 crores The order was passed as per the Supreme Court's directions which is requiring the tribunal to monitor the enforcement of solid and liquid waste management norms.

"We hope in the light of interaction with the Chief Secretary, the state of Rajasthan will take further measures in the matter by innovative approach, stringent monitoring at appropriate level, including at the level of the District Magistrates (who execute the District Environment Plans) and the Chief Secretary, ensuring that the gap in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment is bridged at the earliest, shortening the proposed timelines, adopting alternative/interim measures to the extent and wherever found viable," the green court said in the order.

The order said the state has failed to produce verifiable information with reference to compliance of the orders of the tribunal to develop model cities/towns/villages, having population of more than 1 lakh. This includes Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Pali,Ganganagar, Tonk, Kishangarh, Hanumangarh, Beawar, Dhaulpur, Sawai Madhopur, Churu, Gangapur, Jhunjhunun, Baran, Chittaurgarh, Hindaun, Bhiwadi, Bundi, Nagaur, and Sujangarh.

"Legacy waste sites need to be remediated and reclaimed areas utilised for setting up of waste processing plants so to process day-to-day waste generation," the bench noted.

The order also said, in view of continuing huge gap in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment, it is high time that Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) who have programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), AMRUT - 1 and 2.0 and River Cleaning, appropriately monitor compliance of waste management norms by the states concerned and take remedial action on their part.

Central Funding and state budgetary provisions need to be adequately allocated and apportioned keeping in view of environment compensation which is based on the restoration work estimate. The Union Environment Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board may continue monitoring as per MSW Rules and the Water Act, it said.
analysis

The Woman King is a big-budget Hollywood movie that has been anticipated since 2018, when US star Viola Davis was announced as the lead in the story of the "amazons" of Dahomey. Rising South African star Thuso Mbedu also takes a key role in the film, which has premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is heading to cinemas worldwide.

The action blockbuster is adding to renewed global interest in the historical women warriors of Dahomey, a kingdom that flourished in the 1700s and 1800s in what is today Benin in west Africa. The "amazons" were exceptionally skilful women warriors. They inspired fear and curiosity among locals and foreigners who had come to explore and colonise the territory. Protectors of the king, the anticolonial women warriors are referred to as Agoodjies in Fon, one of Benin's many languages.

The Woman King is not the first time that Dahomey's "amazons" have appeared in Hollywood productions lately. The mighty warriors were featured in the popular TV series Lovecraft Country (in an episode where Hippolyta Freeman, a black woman in pre-civil rights America, experiences a triumphant, cosmic journey of liberation). And there were the Dora Milaje, the Wakanda warriors in the blockbuster film Black Panther. Modelled on the Agoodjie, they are the protectors of Black Panther. Incarnations like these have helped bring the warriors of Dahomey into the popular culture spotlight.

On social media and in reviews the film is being celebrated as an example of "fierce" representations of black womanhood, so unlike dominant popular culture stereotypes. But who were these women - and how does their legacy resonate in Benin today?

A statue is unveiled

A colossal bronze monument called Amazon - created by Chinese sculptor Li Xiangqun - was unveiled in Cotonou in Benin on 30 July, the 62nd anniversary of the country's independence from France. It depicts a young female warrior dressed in a belted tunic and armed with a shotgun and a short sword. Amazon joined two other new monuments erected as symbols of anticolonial resistance.

The statue follows an exhibition about the warriors held in Cotonou in 2018 and a new museum featuring them is expected to open in 2024 in Abomey, the former royal capital of the Dahomey kings.

The government of Benin appears to have tasked them with the dual responsibility of embodying a new female power and reviving national pride. The "amazons" have truly returned.

Who were the warriors?

Much has been written about these legendary women warriors. The explicit comparison to the Amazons, a mythological group of female hunters and soldiers in ancient Greece, was first made by European men encountering the Agoodjie in Dahomey in the 1700s. The "amazon" reference became common by the mid-1800s.

The female warriors encountered by explorers and traders in the Fon (Dahomey) kingdom inspired awe because of their military prowess and perceived gender-bending. Dahomey was one of many kingdoms in an area known as Aja-Yoruba (between present day Togo and south-west Nigeria). Its regional dominance spanned the 1700s and 1800s, when Dahomey went from being a mere supplier of slaves for the African kingdoms of Allada and Hueda (Ouidah) - a prominent port in the transatlantic slave trade - to becoming the main coastal broker.

The women warriors of Dahomey's skills as combatants were admired and feared, all the more so when they were seen as transgressively emulating masculine aggression. They may have been seen as fighting as males. Yet, in the royal palace, their positions were akin to other women - wives, concubines and enslaved women.

The women warriors were not always fighting for the independence of their land. They fought in the various wars that the kings of Dahomey waged against its neighbours. They played an important role in conflicts and raids that led to the enslavement of many Africans. Cudjo Lewis (formerly known as Kossula), "the last survivor of the slave trade in the USA", recalled, in an interview with anthropologist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston, the terrifying attack on his village and the female warriors that robbed him of his freedom.

Return of the queen

A real-life queen has, in the past decade, been restored in both history books and the hearts of Beninese people. Queen Tassi Hangbe reigned from 1716 to 1718 and is sometimes credited as founding the corps.

As a child growing up in Cotonou in the 1980s, I was not as familiar with her as I was with her twin brother and predecessor, King Akaba. For a long time, the rule of Hangbe was presented as a mere regency. One study explains that she wasn't even part of the king's list (the names of the various sovereigns of Dahomey) until the 1900s. Hers is the only female name featured in the dynasty. Hangbe has a complicated history. Her erasure was largely due to the efforts of Agadja, the royal twins' younger brother and Hangbe's successor.

The queen, though, might not have been a warrior or the founder of the "amazons". According to a 1998 study, the institution of female hunters and warriors probably existed before the creation of the Dahomey kingdom in the 1700s. Historians have advanced the theory that Hangbe's twinship with Akaba nonetheless led to a dualistic organisation of men and women across the kingdom. Male officers, for example, had their female counterparts, displaying an ideal of genders completing one another to form a whole.

Hangbe's legacy is now illustrious. The Queen Hangbe Foundation (Fondation Reine Hangbe) proposes to restore the twin sister's place in history and to fight to end violence against women. Although the new statue in Cotonou is rumoured to be inspired by her, the government is clear that the new statue favours no particular kingdom or ethnic group in Benin. Instead, the monument honours the resistance against gender-based violence and is dedicated to past and present Beninese female fighters. Benin has also recently passed a few important laws protecting women and their reproductive rights.

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Disrupting the male order

The Dahomey "amazons" were exceptional, but heroic women warriors, queens and princesses leading armies and resisting colonial expansion existed elsewhere across the continent, such as Queen Nzinga in Angola and Queen Nana Yaa Asantewaa in Ghana. For some African feminists, African women have never been frail and defenceless. The feminisation of the spectacle of violence still presents an exhilarating sense of disruption in an often male-dominated historical order.

Thanks to the hype around The Woman King and the conversations it has begun to ignite, the movie will undoubtedly help to shed more light on the extraordinary legacies of the Agoodjies. Not exotic heroines, mythological figures or comic book characters, but all-too-real combatants of West Africa's "slave coast".

The Woman King will be released in the US on 16 September and in African territories from 24 September

Dominique Somda, Junior research fellow, HUMA (Institute for Humanities in Africa), University of Cape Town
Mumbai, Sep 16 : France's Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs (Miss) Catherine Colonna conferred the 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on scientist-industrialist Dr Swati Piramal, Vice-Chairperson of the Piramal Group, here on Friday, officials said.

The highest French civilian award is in recognition of "Dr Piramal's outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of business and industry, science, medicine, arts and culture, both nationally and internationally", and was conferred on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Earlier, in 2006, she was awarded France's second-highest civilian honour, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite (Knight of the Order of Merit).

Ranked among India's leading scientists and corporate leaders, Dr Piramal's contribution to innovations, new medicines and public health has touched many lives, besides playing a prominent role in encouraging business and industry, innovations, arts and culture between India-France.

In her investiture remarks Colonna recalled Dr Piramal's services both to healthcare and industry, women and public policy and how France recognises her at the highest level as a true friend and driving force to enhance relations between two countries in different sectors.

Accepting the honour, Dr Piramal said she was humbled by the honour and termed it a recognitio of the efforts of all her colleagues in the Piramal Group, which has a long relationship with France.

Honoured with a Padma Shri, Dr Piramal has championed the cause of women's leadership, developed frameworks and policies to support women in top roles, served as Member of Prime Minister of India Trade Advisory Council, the Scientific Advisory Council, and currently is on the Harvard Global Advisory Council, besides many other activities as the Director of Piramal Foundation.

Incidentally, the Piramal Museum of Art in Mumbai is currently hosting the 'Science Beyond Borders' exhibition this month, curated by the French Institute in India and its partners, showcasing the rich history of scientific cooperation between the two countries.

The expo is part of 'Bonjour India 2022' - major cultural-artistic fest organised by France as part of India's 75th Anniversary of Independence and 75 years of diplomatic relations between India-France.

The Legion of Honour award - created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 - is conferred by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients, and the President of France is the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honour.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : High temperature was reported from the cargo area of an Air India plane operating from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday, and was caused due to a sealed radioactive consignment stowed in cargo hold of the aircraft.

An Air India spokesperson said that it was a normal landing for AI 627 with 72 passengers from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday.

"No priority landing was sought. After landing, high temperature from the cargo hold was reported to be caused from a sealed consignment of radioactive material. The consignment is offloaded and accepted by the consignee," said the spokesperson.

After necessary clearance from regulatory authorities, AI 628 took off from Nagpur and reached Mumbai at 1.30 p.m. with 148 passengers, the spokesperson added.

As per rules, if dangerous goods classified as radioactive material are to be carried in any aircraft to, from or within India, the operator shall ensure that the consignor or the consignee, as the case may be, has written consent of the Central Government to carry such goods under section 16 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.

It is operator's responsibility that packages and overpacks containing dangerous goods and freight containers containing radioactive materials shall be inspected for evidence of leakage or damage before loading on an aircraft or into a unit load device and such packages, overpacks or freight containers shall be loaded and stowed on an aircraft in accordance with the requirements specified in the Technical Instructions.

The rules also say that an aircraft which has been contaminated by radioactive materials shall immediately be taken out of service and not returned to service until the radiation level at any accessible surface and the non-fixed contamination are not more than the values specified in the Technical Instructions.
Chennai, Sep 16 : A Chennai-based pastor who was running an orphanage was arrested by the police for impregnating a teenaged girl. The pastor, Charles (58) had raped the minor girl who was admitted to his orphanage.

The girl delivered the baby in 2021. Charles kept her in the care of a woman at Rajamangalam and told the girl that he would return soon and take her back to the orphanage. The girl waited for the pastor for a year and then filed a police complaint.

The Greater Chennai Police were on the search for the pastor for over a year and he was arrested on Thursday night when he reached the city.

He was charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and also for cheating.

The pastor was produced before the judicial magistrate on Friday and was put under judicial custody.

A senior officer with the Greater Chennai Police told IANS that the police are investigating whether the pastor had sexually exploited other girls in the orphanage too. Police are also probing the bank details of the pastor and the orphanage to ascertain whether he was receiving funds illegally and if the funds are being used for purposes other than running the orphanage.

Sources told IANS that there are 16 minor girls in the orphanage.

Tamil Nadu Social Justice Department has also ordered a probe into the functioning of the orphanage and whether funds are being misused.
Hyderabad, Sep 16 : Telangana Unity Day celebrations began across the state on Friday on the eve of September 17, which marks accession of erstwhile Hyderabad State to the Indian Union.

Rallies were taken out in all Assembly constituencies in the state, kicking off the year-long official celebrations announced by the state government to mark the golden jubilee celebrations.

Ministers, MPs, state legislators and other public representatives addressed the rallies, emphasising the need for unity.

Holding national flags, thousands of students, youth and women participated in the rallies at constituency headquarters. This marked the beginning of three-day celebrations. Various programmes will be organised during the three days.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will unfurl the national flag at the main ceremony to be held on Saturday in Hyderabad. Ministers will hoist the national flag at district headquarters.

It was on September 17, 1948 that then princely State of Hyderabad acceded to Indian Union, 13 months after India gained independence.

The accession followed Operation Polo launched by the Indian Army after then Nizam of Hyderabad had refused to join the Indian Union.

State Home Minister Mahmood Ali, Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials participated in the rally held at People's Plaza on the banks of Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad to mark Telangana Unity Day celebrations Industry and Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao addressed the gathering at Sircilla.

Targeting the BJP, Rama Rao said attempts were being made to incite communal hatred in the peaceful Telangana. He said that an atmosphere of communal hatred is being created by digging up the past and by spewing venom.

The TRS working president was referring to Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations being organised by the BJP.

KTR cautioned people against the designs to create communal divide. He said if people do not remain alert, there was danger of Telangana going back by decades.

He said that struggle was not new to Telangana as the state was achieved after a long fight. He suggested that Union Ministers and BJP leaders visiting Telangana bring funds to the state.

"We have to see if Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is coming to Hyderabad will speak about funds which the Centre owes to the state or instigate people in the name of religion," KTR said.

Amit Shah will be participating in Telangana Liberation Day celebrations being organised by the Union Culture Ministry in Hyderabad on September 17.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Riding on its premium segment offerings, Samsung on Friday said it expect 45 per cent growth in its consumer electronics sales during the festive season.

Mohandeep Singh, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India, told IANS that across its consumer electronics portfolio, "we are expecting a growth of 80 per cent in the premium segment".

"Consumers are back in stores and the festive buying sentiment along with upgrade trend is at an all-time high. We have doubled our retail investment to enhance the shopping experience of our consumers," he added.

In its premium TV business, Samsung expects 45 per cent growth by the end of the festive period.

The company said that the demand for its Neo QLED TVs has seen a 4X growth since last year.

In the UHD segment, Samsung registered a 65 per cent growth in the first half of the year.

Singh said that Samsung is setting up premium products across more stores, training 5,000 small partners and also in-store executives.

As India enters the festive season, online sales during the festive month are expected to reach $11.8 billion, a 28 per cent increase from last year.

In the first festive week, the sales are estimated to reach $5.9 billion, projecting a 28 per cent increase from $4.8 billion last year, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Panaji, Sep 16 : A CBI team arrived in Goa on Friday to conduct a probe into the death of TikTok star and BJP leader Sonali Phogat.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat.

The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.

"I have faith in the Goa police. They are doing investigations in a good way and also have got good clues. But considering the demand of people and her daughter (for a CBI probe), I am recommending for the same," Sawant had said.

Senior police officer told IANS that the CBI team will visit the hotel in Anjuna, where Phogat was staying.

Phogat had come to Goa on August 22 and was staying at the said hotel. Phogat, who felt uneasy that night, was taken to the St. Anthony hospital next morning where she was declared brought dead.

Police on August 26, had arrested Sudhir Sangwan (Phogat's PA) along with Sukwinder Singh in connection with her murder.

Police said that methamphetamine drugs were allegedly given to Phogat, while she was partying in Curlies restaurant in Anjuna. The restaurant co-owner Edwin Nunes and two drug peddlers were also arrested in this case.

Opposition parties in Goa had also demanded a CBI probe into the case.
Itanagar, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, responding to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu's request, has agreed to inaugurate 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project. This is northeast India's largest power plant and the region's first greenfield airport at Itanagar, officials said on Friday.

A official of Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Khandu apprised Modi about the Kameng Hydro Electric Project, executed by the state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) with an estimated cost of around Rs 8,000 crores and about the greenfield airport, commissioned by the Airport Authority of India at a cost of Rs 650 crore.

The Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project is the largest in the northeastern region and it would be a boon for the power sector in the country, especially the northeastern states and provide power for grid stability.

The Chief Minister said that the Director General of Civil Aviation has issued the necessary licence on September 7 to operationalise the greenfield airport, which was recently renamed by the state government as "Donyi Polo Airport".

The Donyi Polo Airport is the first airport in Arunachal Pradesh with capabilities of landing big aircraft, he added.

"With the operationalising of this airport, Arunachal Pradesh would be connected directly with New Delhi. The long - cherished dream of the people of my state to see the state Capital in the air-map of India has ultimately come true," Khandu said in a statement.

The Donyi Polo Airport airport in Itanagar would be Arunachal Pradesh's third airport after Pasighat and Tezu airports, and northeast's 16th airport.
Paris, Sep 16 : The FIA has appointed Natalie Robyn to be the Federation's first-ever CEO, the governing body of world motorsport said in a statement on Friday.

Joining the FIA in the near future, American-born Natalie is a leading international executive with over 15 years of experience in both the automotive and financial sectors. Before joining the FIA, she has held a variety of senior management positions at reputed companies.

In this new role, she will be responsible for the successful operation and financial performance of an integrated and aligned FIA administration, as well as driving the overall strategy to deliver the leadership's vision of reforming the Federation.

Natalie will also develop new commercial growth plans to increase and diversify t'e FIA's revenue streams, ensuring financial stability to provide more resources for our Members.

Commenting on her appointment, Natalie Robyn said, "I am delighted to be appointed the first-ever CEO of the FIA at such an important and exciting time for the Federation. I look forward to working with members, the senior leadership team and the President to deliver their vision of reform and growth with the involvement of all staff." FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, "The appointment of Natalie Robyn as our first-ever CEO is a transformative moment for our Federation. Her extensive experience and leadership will be crucial to improving our finances, governance and operations.

"She has a proven track record of delivering diversification and growth, as well as developing executive leadership capabilities which will be an extremely valuable asset to the FIA and our members and I welcome her to the team"
Berlin, Sep 16 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday sought support of the German Agribusiness Alliance for sustainable development of the agri-food sector to benefit farmers in the state.

German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA) is a business initiative of leading associations and companies in the agri-food sector.

Mann said that the expertise of alliance and its member companies include BASF, Bayer, BayWA, CLAAS, John Deere, VDMA, Covestro, GIZ, ECOCERT Group and EKOSEM-AGRAR could be very useful for the food growers in the state.

During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.

Inviting Germany Agribusinesses to the state, Mann said that the Green Revolution led by Punjab has not only made India self-sufficient in agri production but also a world leader in various commodities.

The Chief Minister added that the state is a leader in cereal production and one of the largest milk producers in India and has state-of-the-art export facilities. He said that the strong infrastructure of the state has made it the preferred investment destination for leading MNCs like Nestle, Danone, Pepsico, Coca Cola, Unilever and Godrej.

The Chief Minister has also asked leading German company Verbio group to explore future collaboration opportunities with the state in the renewable energy sector.

The Chief Minister further said that the Verbio Group has strong association with state as its Indian subsidiary, Verbio India Private Ltd. has recently commissioned one of the largest biofuel (biomethane/bio-CNG) production units in India with 33 TPD (tons per day) of capacity in Sangrur.

He said that the plant will produce biogas by anaerobic digestion process and is a great way to solve the problem of stubble burning.
New York, Sep 16 : Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday visited the prestigious Fifth Avenue store in New York City to greet fans queued up to buy the new iPhone 14 series and Watch Series 8.

Cook, seen wearing the new rugged Apple Watch Ultra, along with Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Jozwiak, applauded the crowd outside the store.

According to AppleInsider, Cook was spotted entering the Store and talking with the staff early in the morning.

Neither Apple nor Cook announced his visit to the New York Apple store.

This is the first iPhone launch that Cook has attended in person in New York City since the pandemic.

In 2019, the Apple CEO visited the Fifth Avenue store for the iPhone 11 launch at the reopening of that store after two years.

Apple has been highlighting the very first buyers at its stores around the world.

The new Apple 14 series and Apple Watch Series 16 went on sale across the globe, including India, on Friday.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are now available in deep purple, silver, gold, and space black in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.

The iPhone 14 Pro models feature the Always-On display, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS via satellite, and an innovative new way to receive notifications and activities with the Dynamic Island.

Apple Watch Series 8 delivers best-in-class health features, including an innovative temperature sensor that enables advanced features for women's health, and Crash Detection for severe car crashes.
The queen heads, such as the one seen in this picture, are particularly impressive

The artifacts were stolen during the colonial era, but Germany agreed to return ones it has in possession to Nigeria. They will be displayed in the Humboldt Forum with information about their contentious heritage.

Dozens of Benin Bronzes that were stolen in Africa during the colonial era will go on display one last time in Berlin from Saturday before being repatriated to Nigeria.

They'll be displayed in the new east wing of the Humboldt Forum in the German capital.

Two rooms in the sprawling museum are being dedicated to the art and the history of the kingdom, an exhibition realized "in close cooperation with partners in Nigeria."

Earlier this year, Germany and Nigeria signed an agreement about the return of 514 objects from the famous Benin Bronzes collection.

About a third of the collection will remain on loan in Berlin for an initial period of 10 years.

Colonizers stole on a grand scale

The valuable artifacts -- sculptures and reliefs made of bronze and brass, as well as works made of ivory, coral and wood -- were stolen from the former Kingdom of Benin by British colonial forces in a brutal punitive expedition in 1897.

The royal palace from pre-colonial times was razed to the ground, and Benin City, in what is now south-western Nigeria, was almost completely destroyed.

Thousands of Benin bronzes, metal plaques and sculptures are now scattered around Europe, but many museums have begun looking at restituting the artworks.

The display in Berlin would include information on the looting, while educational workshops have also been planned around the display.

"When it comes to colonial injustice, I think we're on the right path," said Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees the national museums in the German capital.

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"We're nowhere near the end," Parzinger added, but the museums were open to continuing the journey to a better understanding of the past "together" with international partners.

Some Benin bronzes already displayed in Nigeria

Germany already began repatriating other artifacts to Nigeria earlier this year.

Two Benin bronzes - a 35kg head of an oba, or king and one of a cockerel were returned to Nigeria and went on display in Benin City.

Nigeria was planning to build a museum in Benin City to bring together the works on their return.

Germany is not the only country to begin returning stolen artefacts. In November 2021, France returned 26 artifacts from the royal treasures of Abomey to the country of Benin, next to Nigeria.

Pressure is also growing on the British Museum, which has around 700 bronzes.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

lo/kb (AFP, AP)
New Delhi, Sep 16 : A few hours after the ED statement that it has frozen around Rs 46.67 cr from merchants IDs of different payment gateways in connection with a PMLA case pertaining to Chinese loan apps, Paytm said that a certain amount was frozen by them on the instructions of the ED.

"ED instructed us to freeze certain amount from MIDs of specific merchant entities and none of these funds belong to Paytm or our group companies," Paytm said.

The Enforcement Directorate said that around Rs 46.67 crore was detected and frozen in various bank and virtual accounts.

The federal anti money laundering agency said Rs 33.36 crore was found with Easebuzz Private Limited, Pune, Rs 8.21 crore with Razorpay Software Private Limited, Bengaluru, Rs 1.28 crore with Cashfree Payments India Private Limited, Bengaluru and Rs 1.11 cr with Paytm Payments Services Limited, New Delhi.

Cashfree Payments said that they extended diligent co-operation to the ED operations and were able to provide the required information within a few hours on the day of enquiry.

"The operations and on-boarding processes of Cashfree Payments are fully compliant with existing regulations," a Cashfree Payments' spokesperson said.

Easehuzz said that none of the parties mentioned in the ED's statement belonged to their merchant base.

"The mentioned entities by authorities were only the counterparties of the merchant, who was using our payment gateway and this merchant had been proactively identified and blocked by us much before the investigation had started, as per our internal risk and compliance process," an Easebuzz spokesperson said.

It said that they intend to fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure that their business operations comply with the existing regulations.

Razorpay said that none of the funds which were directed to be frozen by the ED belong to them.

"We proactively blocked all those suspicious entities and funds associated with them, and have shared their details with authorities. None of the funds which have been directed to be frozen by the authorities belong to Razorpay. We would like to reiterate that all our operations and on-boarding processes adhere to the highest standards of governance & regulatory guidelines," said a Razorpay spokesperson.
New Delhi Sep 16 : With an all pervasive sentiment of ABC - Anything But China - in the US, India is increasingly the go to country for American business. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India is in the sweet spot as far as US business is concerned.

"Americans are gung ho about India, the whole world in fact is looking at us, agri goods, services; they want more and more engagement with us. The reasons are clearly identified - political stability, emerging power in tech and design, and vast consumer market place. They are looking at an upside and viewing it as a big opportunity. One particular MNC wants to set up operations in India hiring as many as 200,000 people. The focus areas are semi-conductors, cutting edge R & D and design strengths among others," Goyal told IANS.

So, why this optimism about India? Obviously, India's consumerist culture and growing GDP is a big drawcard. Goyal argued that India's Covid management, vaccine efficiency was seen as a big plus at the WTO round.

"I met ministers from multiple countries and they lavished praise on the entire eco system that India created during the peak Covid years. Moreover, India didn't miss any international commitment in these difficult times. Even our WFH broadband connectivity and its enhanced edge was appreciated. Sometimes, I don't think as Indians we realise our own limitless potential. This is now being captured by foreigners. Yes, India offers cost arbitrage, but they are visualising India at a level that we unable to comprehend. This is in sync with the PM's vision of Vikisat Bharat or a Developed India." Goyal was quick to add that India labour is now most sought-after. He gave the example of a recent visit to textile capital Tirupur where he spoke about how Tirupur could become the next Bangladesh.

He said: "We can do a Bangladesh in textiles, I told them and guess what their response was - send us 50,000 to 100000 people who they can absorb immediately and scale up their operation." "Agreed foreign investors want ease of doing business to be improved, according to him, but equally we have to undertake skilling and upskilling techniques at a rapid pace." Goyal also added that the recent Foxconn-Vedanta deal shows that the competitive spirit between states and this augurs well for the cornerstone of all such investments should be the twin engines of federalism - cooperation and competition.

Equally he said Indian entrepreneurship has flourished in the US with the diaspora doing exemplary work. He added that in the US he spoke extensively to the Indian American community telling them: "India has the advantage of demographic dividend. Our youth, the aspirational people we have in India is the biggest opportunity and each one of them is connected to the world with access to the Internet. As we embark on our journey towards making India a developed nation, it is an important time for us to reflect on where we see India in the next 25 years. The next 25 years of Amrit Kaal, as PM Modi articulated, will define India's growth story. Our goal is to become a $5 trillion economy in the near future."
Guwahati, Sep 16 : The Gauhati High Court on Friday asked Tamil Nadu government to allow the delegation from Assam to inspect within three days elephant Joymala, who was allegedly tortured in a temple there.

Assam sent a four-member team to inspect the situation and bring back the elephant after a video of Joymala in a deplorable situation surfaced over the internet.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urged the state governments to look into the elephant's well-being.

But the team which is lodging in Chennai since September 3, accused the Tamil Nadu government officials for not allowing them to see the elephant.

Following that, the Assam government approached the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday.

The state's advocate general, Devojit Saikia informed that the High Court has also issued notice to Tamil Nadu government to reply to the matter within 15 days. Notices were also issued to Tamil Nadu police, Forest Department, and Union Environment Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government, responding to a PIL filed in Madras High Court said that they will not return the elephant Joymala to Assam.

TN government officers said that there were very few negligible incidents of mistreatment of elephants in the temple reported earlier. But there was no necessity to return Joymala.

They further said: "These elephants have now become accustomed to the temple and returning them will hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees." The PIL was filed by N. Sivaganesan, a field scientist on wildlife conservation.

Earlier, an officer of the four-member delegation claimed that the Tamil Nadu government did not even agree to hold a discussion with the officials from Assam for the custody of Joymala.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the sidelines of SCO summit on Friday.

"Today's era isn't of war & I've spoken to you about it on the call. Today we'll get the opportunity to talk about how can we progress on the path of peace. India-Russia have stayed together for several decades," he said in his meeting with the Russian leader.

They also discussed bilateral issues and trade.

President Putin also extended his best wishes to Modi ahead of his birthday on Saturday.

After his meeting with Erdogan, he tweeted: "Met President @RTErdoganAand reviewed the full range of bilateral relations between India and Turkey including ways to deepen economic linkages for the benefit of our people".

The MEA said that the leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanging views on regional and global developments, they also discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Instead of "harassing" everyone with CBI and ED, the Centre should do some positive and good work for the nation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday.

"I think the Centre should do some good work... How will the nation progress, if positive work is not being done. The whole nation is being harassed by the CBI and ED. How will the country move further in such situations," Kejriwal asserted while asking the Centre to arrest those who are involved in wrongdoing.

"I failed to understand what the liquor scam is about. Earlier, they alleged that this is a Rs 1.5 lakh crore scam. How can it be a scam of Rs 1.5 lakh crore when the whole budget of Delhi is Rs 70,000 crore only?," Delhi Chief Minister asked while addressing a media briefing here.

He further said that "someone said this is a scam of Rs 8,000 crore, someone said it is Rs 1,100 crore while the Lieutenant Governor claimed that it is a scam of Rs 144 crore. And CBI in its FIR has said the scam of Rs 1 crore".

Not even a single penny (linked to corruption) was found when Manish Sisodia's residence was raided. "Even they didn't get anything in the locker".

On the recent "sting" video released by the BJP, Kejriwal said, "Sisodia has already said that he is ready to produce all videos to the probe agency and they should investigate the matter by Monday. If anything is suspicious and wrong, arrest him else apologise."
Kolkata, Sep 16 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order in the contempt of court petition filed against Enforcement Directorate (ED) by Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of Trinamool Congress's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Gambhir had been interrogated by the ED in connection with the agency's ongoing enquiry in the multi-crore coal smuggling scam.

In her petition filed before the single-judge bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, she alleged that the ED, by stopping her from traveling to Bangkok on the night of September 10, had resorted to contempt of court by violating an earlier order of the same bench that stayed the Central agency from taking a strong action against her client till further orders.

However, Justice Bhattacharya refused to accept the argument of Gambhir's counsel, saying that this bar on letting her board a flight to Bangkok can be "a matter of inconvenience" but under no circumstances, was it "a strong action".

Thereafter Justice Bhattacharya refused to pass any interim order in the matter and said that any order will only be passed after hearing the central agencies involved in the matter. Legal experts feel that this means that the bar on her overseas visit without the permission of the central agency remains until further orders are passed in the matter.

Gambhir's counsel, Shaptangshu Basu informed the court that the ailing mother of his client stays in Bangkok and hence, she might have to go there. However, the ED's counsel, Billwadal Bhattacharya informed the bench that the summons to Gambhir has been sent by the Union Revenue Secretary and he needs more time to present his case in detail before the bench.

The next hearing in the matter is scheduled on September 28.

--IANS src/vd

A
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Karnataka government, challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment, which struck down provisions of law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games.

Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, A.M Singhvi, and Shyam Divan, represented the gaming companies' associations, submitted before a bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian that the issue was whether it was game of skill or chance or gambling.

The Karnataka government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue and cited filing of 28,000 cases in the last three years, while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming to maintain public order. It further argued that people have died by suicide and the online gaming has ruined many families, therefore it was necessary to deal with its ill effects.

The state government's plea said: "The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 made criminalised wagering, betting or risking money on the unknown result of an event." On February 14 this year, the high court struck down the government's ban and the legal provision which criminalised playing games of skill, including online games, and betting.

The top court issued notice to online gaming industry body All India Gaming Federation and skill-based gaming firms. It directed to tag this matter with a similar matter, where the Tamil Nadu government has challenged the judgment by the Madras High Court.

The Karnataka High Court had said that the Act was unconstitutional and there cannot be any ban on online games of skill. The state government contended before the apex court that the high court had grossly erred in not taking into account the material produced by it in connection with cases registered by the police authorities.
Hyderabad, Sep 16 : For the first time in its history, the AIMIM organised celebrations to mark Hyderabad State's integration with the Indian Union.

The party organised a massive 'Tiranga' bike rally in the old city of Hyderabad on the eve of September 17.

Led by AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, hundreds of people participated in the rally from Eidgah Mir Alam to Teegal Kunat crossroads.

Owaisi later hoisted the national flag and addressed the gathering. Party's MLAs, corporators, other leaders, and workers participated in the rally.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has called for celebrating September 17 as national integration day.

Owaisi, in his speech, hit back at the RSS and the BJP, which call his AIMIM as the party of 'razakars', or the supporters of Nizam who were opposed to Hyderabad State's accession to the Indian Union. He reiterated that 'razakars' left the country and those who were loyal to the country chose to live here. "Razakars have gone to Pakistan, wafadars (loyalists) have remained in India," he said.

"We do not need a loyalty certificate from the RSS and the BJP as both were not there in India's first freedom struggle in 1857 and at the time of Hyderabad's integration with India," he said.

Owaisi also made it clear that he was not an inheritor of Qasim Razvi, who had migrated to Pakistan after Hyderabad's accession to India.

Razvi was president of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and he wanted Hyderabad State to be merged with Pakistan. MIM was banned after Hyderabad State acceded to India following India's military action aOperation Polo'.

"This is Abdul Wahid Owaisi's party which has always had an unwavering belief in the Constitution of India," he said.

Abdul Wahid Owaisi was Asaduddin Owaisi's grandfather, who revived MIM with a new constitution.

MIM was originally founded in 1927 to promote the socio-economic and educational development of Muslims.

Owaisi said old wounds should not be re-opened. He quoted Sunderlal Commission's report which revealed that 40,000 people were killed in the 'Police Action' as Operation Polo was popularly called.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government is also celebrating September 17 this year as national unity day. The three-day celebrations began across the state on Friday with massive rallies and processions led by ministers, MPs and other leaders.

The national unity day celebrations by the TRS and the AIMIM are seen as counter to Hyderabad Liberation Day being celebrated by the BJP.

The Union Culture Ministry is organiszing a parade in Hyderabad on Saturday, which will be addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Taking exception to the use of word liberation, the AIMIM and the TRS have decided to organise the celebrations as national unity or national integration day.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, discussions between the two leaders, apart from centering around issues pertaining to bilateral cooperation, also focussed on energy security, global food security and availability of fertilisers in the context of the challenges emanating from the current geo-political situation.

The meeting between Modi and Putin assumes significance in the context of Russian crude forming a significant 13 per cent share of India's overall oil import basket, amid increased supplies from there.

Meanwhile, the statement further said that the leaders appreciated the sustained momentum in bilateral ties, including contacts at various levels.

"President Putin expressed appreciation for Prime Minister's video-message at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok earlier this month," the statement said.

In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for an early cessation of hostilities and the need for dialogue and diplomacy.

This was the first meeting of both leaders this year, which marks the 75th anniversary year of establishment of diplomatic relations. They agreed to remain in touch, the statement said.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Expressing his disappointment at not being invited to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra, senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh on Friday said it seems that the party doesn't need him anymore.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Dr Singh said: "I have not been invited for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. For some years, I feel separated from the party. Neither I am in any committee of the party nor has the party consulted me for some years. A rift has taken place between me and the party. However, I have been into the party for my whole life, but it seems that they don't need me now more." "I have seen a lot in this world, so it doesn't hurt me anymore. I have got many things through the Congress. But, a time comes when the people around you think that there is no need," he added.

"There is no contact, nobody asks me anything." Asked about the exit of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Singh, who is from the erstwhile royal family of Jammu and Kashmir, said that it will have an impact and the party will suffer.

The Congress launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir on September 7. Rahul Gandhi is leading the yatra that will cover over 3,750 km through 12 states and reach its destination at Kashmir in 150 days.

Meanwhile, the Congress hinted on Thursday that the party may also plan a similar Yatra from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh next year.
Efforts to reinforce and leverage the infrastructure built to end AIDS can optimize the health impact and sustainability of the response to COVID-19. Zimbabwe, November 2019.

opinion

Geneva  Next week, taking place alongside the UN General Assembly, President Biden hosts a financing summit in New York of such importance that it will determine if millions of people live, will shape the world around us for years to come and will set the future direction of global health. At least $18 billion is needed to fund the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

A successful replenishment of the Global Fund will help strengthen the fight against three of today's deadliest diseases and build more resilient national health systems capable of withstanding tomorrow's shocks.

The funding needs are particularly urgent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused such severe disruption to the delivery of essential healthcare, including HIV treatment, prevention and care services.

The latest data from UNAIDS has revealed a global faltering response to HIV, compounded by a continued decline in resources. Around 650 000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses last year, with tuberculosis remaining a major cause of death among people living with HIV.

There were also 1.5 million new HIV infections--over one million more than the global target set. New infections fell by only 3.6% between 2020-2021, the smallest annual decline since 2016. New infections increased in 38 countries.

Infections continue to occur disproportionately among young women and adolescent girls aged 15--24, with a new infection every two minutes. The gendered HIV impact, particularly for young African women and girls, has taken place amidst severe disruption to HIV treatment and prevention services, millions of girls forced out of school, and spikes in teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence.

In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women are three times as likely to acquire HIV as adolescent boys and young men. Vulnerable groups of people worldwide such as gay men and other men who have sex with men have also been disproportionately affected during service interruptions.

If we don't more effectively prevent young people from getting HIV now, especially young women and adolescent girls, there will be millions more infections and deaths and the resources needed to end AIDS will increase further.

Stigma and discrimination that drives the epidemic among marginalized and criminalized groups of people must be tackled, including through law reform. And there must be bolder action to ensure that children living with HIV receive antiretroviral therapy as a matter of course--currently just half of HIV positive children are on life-saving treatment.

Giving young people the chance to live requires investment. But international solidarity in the fight against HIV and other global health threats has been fraying. At a time when global leadership and an increase of funding is most needed, too many high-income countries are cutting back aid, and resources for global health are under serious threat.

In 2021, international resources available for HIV were 6% lower than in 2010. Overseas development assistance for HIV from bilateral donors other than the United States of America has plummeted by 57% over the last decade. The HIV response in low- and middle-income countries is US$8 billion short of the amount needed by 2025.

Furthermore, global trade rules are obstructing low- and middle-income countries' production of pandemic-ending medicines, including new and emerging long-acting HIV medicines, and keeping prices unaffordably high.

The United States has already pledged $6 billion to the 7th Global Fund Replenishment but this is contingent on other donors stepping up to fully achieve the $18 billion target. Since it was created in 2001, the Global Fund has saved millions of lives by reducing the impact of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. It must be fully funded to carry out its work--and its partners too.

Recognizing the complementarity between the work of the Global Fund and UNAIDS, the US has also raised its contribution to UNAIDS by $5 million for 2022. UNAIDS is on the ground in countries collecting the data that shapes the HIV response, helping advance the removal of harmful laws and policies and the end of HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and generating an enabling environment where investments can be most effective. Its work is key to maximizing the effectiveness of national programmes financed by the Global Fund.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tuberculosis Africa AIDS By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Member States of the United Nations have made a commitment to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to deliver health and well-being for all, to achieve universal health coverage, and to build a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable world.

We can end AIDS. If we succeed - and the data is clear that we can - it will save millions of lives, be a pivotal moment for a healthier, more secure planet, and be a triumph of international cooperation.

But the investment is needed today. Let's fight for what counts.

Winnie Byanyima is Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Footnote: US President Joe Biden will host the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference on September 21 in New York City. Founded in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is described as a unique financing mechanism that relies on a dynamic partnership among governments, the private sector, and civil society to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria in ways that contribute to strengthening health systems.

IPS UN Bureau

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
Chandigarh, Sep 16 : The Chandigarh Police Cyber Cell has busted an illegal instant loan app racket with the arrest of a Chinese national who was the kingpin and was running the racket with 60 people under him, Superintendent of Police Ketan Bansal said on Friday.

Twenty-one accused, including 34-year-old Chinese national Wan Chengua, have been arrested till date in a 10-day operation spanning across five states.

As per the police investigation, the accused were working on online loan applications i.e. Hugo Loan, Coin Cash, AA Loan, AK Loan, Win Credit. The police have requested Google to delete the applications from Play Store.

It was found that they were using virtual number for contact. "We are trying to trace the origin of these virtual numbers as well as other suspects. The accused were using social media applications - Dingtalk, Wechat and GB Whatsapp. Request to obtain the information about the social media accounts of accused have also been sent to verify the IP details and other information about the suspects of the case," Bansal said.

Most of the arrested people were employees of Gurugram-based PC Finance, having some Chinese nationals on top position. "We have verified the previous facts of PC Finance and found that Peter, Tray and Nicoholson were on the top positions and this company was shut down in 2020. Now they have changed their working method and they are running their syndicate from China and have made Parvej Alam, alias Jitu Bhadan and alias Sonu Bhadana, as boss, who is already arrested, of online loan syndicate." Jeffery Jhu from China, who left India in 2020, is involved in the syndicate and he is managing finance of the online loan application scam.

Arrested accused Anshul Kumar is the main associate of Jhu in India and he is involved in money laundering of about Rs 100 crore.

Also arrested Chinese accused Wan Chengua was working under Jeffery and he paid approximately Rs 35-40 lakh to Kumar, who further delivered the money to Parvej Alam.

The visa and passport of Chengua had expired in 2020.

During the investigation it was revealed that the accused instead of using regular WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram, they were using GB WhatsApp. Similarly, Dingtalk and WeChat applications were used by the fraudsters to commit frauds.

All online loan applications were cheating the money through UPI ID's and they connected with bank accounts. During the investigation some of these accounts were verified and found that transactions in bulk amount are made out in these accounts. Twenty accounts with Rs 50 lakh have been freezed.

It can also assumed that these suspected accounts are involved in money laundering. "We have written to the Enforcement Directorate, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the CBI regarding this. These accounts are opened on the name of companies and enterprises. On verification, some of them were found shell companies and registration has been done by using fake documents," he said.

All accused were produced in a local court on Friday and 18 of them were sent in judicial custody.

DGP Parveer Ranjan met Superintendent of Police Ketan Bansal and DSP (Cyber) A. Venkatesh and appreciated both officers.

He also rewarded the investigation team comprising Inspector Ranjit Singh, Sub-Inspectors K.D. Singh and Parminder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Balwan Singh, Head Constables Rajender Singh, Bahadur Lal, Balwinder Singh, Sunit, Rampal, Gurmeet Singh and Vikas Bastara, Senior Constable Sachin, Constables Pramjeet, Vikas Dahiya, Sonit, Baljeet, Sarvind, Veer Davinder, Ashok, Dinesh, Ombir, Manpreet and Kavita with Rs 75,000 cash and first class certificate for good work.
N00ew Delhi, Sep 16 : Dovetailing the National Logistics Policy to be unveiled on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday with PM GatiShakti, which was announced last year, will create an infrastructural powerhouse to achieve the PM's vision of a developed India.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal outlined the merits of PM's National Master Plan or GatiShakti working in conjunction with the new National Logistics Policy.

Goyal said that there are as many 900 data layers available in India and the process of de-layering has begun for ease of doing business and cutting through bottlenecks. Look at the layers available - from transmission lines to telecom towers, from rivers to railways lines, from highways to wildlife sanctuaries, one has to rapidly scale up and create a robust system that reduces costing, planning, designing, tendering and monitoring by filling in the gaps.

He gave the example of JNPT which for years has been grappling with last mile connectivity issues. Now such logjams will be resolved by optimally utilising these data layers. Cement companies for instance are positive on GatiShakti as they have major last mile connectivity issues.

Now we are providing this last mile connectivity to large cement plants by providing railway lines connectivity through conveyor belts for bulk transportation, packaging and stocking, he said.

With coal this is already happening; what used to take half a day to load a rake has been reduced to two hours, bringing in efficiencies.

He gave the example of bringing the Kashmir Valley closer to the rest of India by building the eye-opening Chenab Valley Bridge, a structural marvel.

GatiShakti envisages the development of modern infrastructure through planning, implementation and monitoring, besides cutting down on time and cost overruns of projects. The Prime Minister has also asked corporates to partner with the government and increase investments and contribute in the development of the country, break departmental silos and bring in more holistic and integrated planning and execution of projects with a view to address the issues of multi-modal and last-mile connectivities.

PM Modi had said, "Infrastructure planning, implementation and monitoring will get a new direction from PM GatiShakti. This will also bring down the time and cost overrun of the projects." The importance of GatiShakti cannot be underscored enough because in 2013-14, the direct capital expenditure of the Government of India was about Rs 2.50 lakh crore, which has increased to Rs 7.5 lakh crore in 2022-23. Strengthening the principle of cooperative federalism, the government has made a provision of Rs 1 lakh crore for the assistance of the states in this year's Budget.

The Prime Minister had added that state governments will be able to use this amount on multimodal infrastructure and other productive assets. The National Master Plan has multiple data layers informing not just the existing and proposed infrastructure but also information about the forest land and available industrial estate. Across India. It's integration at a rapid pace will deliver the dividend.
Kolkata, Sep 16 : Nearly five months after it abandoned its ship that capsized at Berth 5 of Netaji Subhas Docks (NSD) in Kolkata after loading containers, the owners have now sought permission to tow it back to Bangladesh.

This came after the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) in Kolkata went through the trouble of salvaging the ship and the 165 containers that were onboard. Since March 24 this year, SMP has been losing revenue as it wasn't able to use the berth where MV MARINTRUST-01 capsized.

"MV MARINTRUST-01 was plying the Coastal Shipping Route between India and Bangladesh. It loaded containers at NSD on March 24 and then capsized. Some containers remained inside the vessel while others floated around. Initially, Marintrust Ltd of Bangladesh - the owner of the vessel - engaged M/s Gill Marine to salvage MV MARINTRUST-01 and the containers.

"SMP, Kolkata, granted permission for such salvage operations from April 2, as we needed to clear the berth. Due to the urgency we didn't consider an agreement under the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO). However, salvage operations had to be abandoned from April 22 after the owners abandoned the vessel. Only about 30 containers had been salvaged till then," a senior SMP official said.

The port management then explored legal options and salvage operations resumed on July 13, with a BIMCO agreement and Salvor's Liability Insurance in place. MV MARINTRUST-01 was finally set upright and all the 165 containers were salvaged. After this successful operation, Marintrust Ltd - which abandoned the ship - has sought permission to tow it back to Bangladesh.

"A huge amount of claim is pending on the account of the owner of MV MARINTRUST-01 and senior officials of SMP are looking into this. We have not yet finalised the charges. This will include all charges as per the coastal shipping agreement between the two countries and the opportunity loss to the port due to blockage of Berth 5. The ship also requires plying permission from the classification society and the DG Shipping (of both India and Bangladesh) to move out of the berth," the official added.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday directed banks to "professionalise" their decision making boards, making it clear that they cannot be run with a "crony background".

Addressing the 75th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Indian Banks' Association (IBA) in Mumbai, Sitharaman said: "Professionalise your decision-making boards, there is no way banks can any longer run with a crony background, our government has ensured that there are no instructions given or interference made in the functioning of the banks. We need to take professionalism at a faster pace. We are conscious of the need to let the banks be, and let them run by professionals, with a purely banking perspective in mind." She also asked banks to be more tech-savvy and directed the IBA to ensure that their systems are in sync with each other or should be "talking to each other".

"Are you digital savvy? Are your staff digital savvy?" she sought to know from the banking community during the course of her speech.

"Are you comfortable in being a digital institution? How much training goes into this? Do your systems talk to each other? It will be a big missed opportunity if these bridges between banks are not built. IBA should plan to make sure that all systems in all banks, whether private or public, should be talking to each other for the purpose of the customer...." Sitharaman further asked the banks to plan for the next 25 years leading to the year 2047.

"You need to have strategies to meet the aspirations of the youth of India in the next 25 years. You need to make your portfolios so that they are attractive to the young as well and make yourselves accessible to them. Are you communicating to the youth, to women, are you offering products to them?" The Finance Minister said that technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Web3 help a great deal in detecting frauds and tracking wrong money.

"Use of Web3, data analysis, Artificial Intelligence (AI), deep dive into data, all of these should have some coordination by the IBA. Leveraging AI should be an immediate priority for the banks, especially in fraud detection and generating early warning signs about something going wrong," she noted.

Emphasising on the need for the importance of cyber protection for the banks, she sought to know from the association, if they are "all geared to have adequate firewalls? Are you protected against hacking and Black Swan events which bring down your systems?" She further asked the banking sector to play a lead role in realising the dream of a developed India by 2047.

The Finance Minister observed that the next 25 years which the Prime Minister refers to as Amrit Kaal has taken off very well, with the auspicious beginning of India becoming the fifth-largest economy of the world.

"We have so much more to do... The banking industry needs to serve the Amrit Kaal, we have to see how best we can lift ourselves to meet the aspirations of a growing India. The Prime Minister has said that we need to be the developed country we deserve to be, by 2047. It is the banking sector which has to make a big contribution towards this," she said.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : 'Pushpa' star Rashmika Mandanna, who is making her Hindi cinema debut with Amitabh Bachchan and Neena Gupta in 'Goodbye', said her character Tara is the complete opposite of her and also shared anecdotes about working with the Big B.

She said, in fact, that Tara is more like her sister, Shiman, who is 16 years younger to her and demands a rational explanation for all that she's asked to do.

Image Source: IANS News

"I am not at all like Tara, who doesn't believe in rituals and questions everything," Rashmika said in an interview with IANS. "I have great faith in all the rituals and superstitions. I think my sister is more like her. She wants an explanation for everything. Like, why are you doing this or why have I been asked to do this? So, yeah, Tara and my sister are quite similar in this way." She also talked about her bond with her sister. The relationship between them is more like that of a mother and daughter, rather than that of two sisters. Rashmika said: "My sister is very close to me and shares everything about her friends. If she has a fight with them, she tells me about it, not my mother." The 26-year-old actress, who's now also called the 'national crush' post 'Pushpa', said that in the initial days of the shoot she came with her pup because he was she was too small.

Image Source: IANS News

"In the middle of it all, I got to know that she was ill and was stressing out, but the moment the people on the sets got to know about it, they came with a vet," Rashmika said. "This is the energy that we had on the sets. It was extremely special." Talking about her first foray into Hindi cinema, Rashmika told IANS: "I think initially it was very intimidating. But after that, I think it came to a point when we all sort of just blended in so beautifully as a family, even if we're just a couple of actors coming in and performing." On sharing screen space with the Big B, Rashmika said: "I think for me, Bachchan sir was the picture of professionalism. Of course, he has his own aura, but he is most professional and at heart a simple man. The combination is so beautiful." Whenever she would be shooting with the Big B and Neena Gupta, Rashmika used to have one big complaint: "Everyone used to blend in so well and have fun. I would notice this and ask them, 'How do you guys know each other?' And they would said that they had been working together for a long time. That's when I told them that I want to be part of their group." Recalling an incident on the sets, Rashmika said: "We were reading our lines and practising the dialogues as Vikas (Behl) sir wanted the longest cut in one go. Bachchan sir was there, I was there and so were the others. Suddenly, Bachchan sir is like, now I want to go home. Why are we wasting time? I was like, did I say something wrong, because this line was not there in the dialogue. We all used to have a lot of fun like this." Referring to her initial hesitation to take on the role, Rashmika said during her conversation with IANS: "When Vikas sir came with the script I was like, how I am going to do this. I am just a fun- loving and easy-going person and I asked him, 'Have you approached the right person?'. The character is the complete opposite of me, but he showed confidence in me." She continued: "I just got to know that my eyes can emote either sadness or anger, and these are two emotions I can express very well. Right now, I am experimenting with my craft; There's no fun in doing the same thing again and again." Rashmika, who made her acting debut with the 2016 Kannada film 'Kirik Party' and launched in Telugu with 'Chalo' and in Tamil with 'Sulthan', is entering Bollywood with 'Goodbye'.

Directed by Vikas Bahl, and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, the film also features Sunil Grover, Pavail Gulati, Ashish Vidyarthi, Elli AvrRam, Sahil Mehta and Shivin Narang in supporting roles. 'Goodbye' is set to release on October 7.

-- Syndicated from IANS
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Friday conducted raids at four different premises belonging to associates of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, and recovered a gun, live cartridges and cash.

Sources said that the aide of Amanatullah failed to produce a licence for the gun seized in the raid.

"The gun, live cartridges and cash to the tune of Rs 12 lakh have been recovered from the premises of Hamid Ali, an associate of Amanatullah," said the source.

On Thursday, Amanatullah was summoned by the ACB to join the investigation in connection with an ongoing probe into criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by public servants.

Sources said the case is related to alleged corruption in the Waqf Board. As Amanatullah is the chairman of the board, he was made an accused in the case.
Indian Coast Guard rescued 19 crew, i cluding 18 Indians and 1 Ethiopian Captain, from a flooded cargo ship sailing from UAE to New Mangalore Port.. Image Source: IANS News

Indian Coast Guard rescued 19 crew, i cluding 18 Indians and 1 Ethiopian Captain, from a flooded cargo ship sailing from UAE to New Mangalore Port.. Image Source: IANS News

Indian Coast Guard rescued 19 crew, i cluding 18 Indians and 1 Ethiopian Captain, from a flooded cargo ship sailing from UAE to New Mangalore Port.. Image Source: IANS News

Indian Coast Guard rescued 19 crew, i cluding 18 Indians and 1 Ethiopian Captain, from a flooded cargo ship sailing from UAE to New Mangalore Port.. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, Sep 16 : In a swift and coordinated rescue operation, the Indian Coast Guard saved 19 crew members - 18 Indians and the Ethiopian Captain - of a sinking cargo ship, an official said here on Friday.

The Gabon-flagged vessel, MT Parth, was carrying a cargo of 3,911 tonnes of Asphalt Bitumen from Khor Fakkan in UAE to New Mangalore Port.

Around 9.30 a.m., the vessel reported flooding in the Arabian Sea when it was around 41 miles off Ratnagiri coast and the crew sent a distress message to the ICG.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre swung into action and two ICG ships in the vicinity, ICGS Sujeet and ICGS Apoorva, were diverted to the distressed cargo ship, an Advanced Light Helicopter deployed and ship MV Wadi Bani directed to proceed for help.

The ICG also relayed International Safety Net and NAVTEX to alert other merchant vessels in the area.

As the MT Parth was flooding fast and dangerously listing, the crew abandoned the ship expecting it would sink when the MV Wadi Bani Khalid reached the spot around 12.30 pm, along with ICGS Sujeet and the chopper.

The rescue operations are continuing and the owners of the distressed vessel have been asked to take up preventive measures to arrest marine pollution with an emergency towing vessel proceeding to the spot.

Till date, the ICG has saved more than 11,000 lives at sea, or almost one life every other day with quick seamless coordination among various agencies.

--IANS qn/vd

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Kolkata, Sep 16 : A proposal was mooted on Friday evening to name a stretch of land at Kolkata's iconic party hub since pre- independence era, Park Street, after deceased industrialist and founder of Apeejay Surrendra Group, Jit Paul.

Jit Paul is widely believed to be the man who defined Park Street as much as the street defined him and his brother and former chairman of the group, Late Surrendra Paul.

The proposal was mooted at the release of the book Park Street Theke Phire Dekha (Looking back from Park Street), authored by Pulak Kumar Chakraborti, that details the history of Park Street and Jit Paul's association with the street. The book, the cover for which was done by renowned painter, Shuvaprasanna Bhattacharjee was launched on Friday evening at iconic Oxford Bookstores, also in Park Street, by the current chairman of Apeejay Surrendra Group, Karan Paul, who is the son of Surrendra Paul and nephew of Jit Paul.

The West Bengal Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay was the chief guest on the occasion.

During the event, the author issued an appeal to the state administration to consider naming the stretch of land on Park Street encompassing Apeejay House and The Park Hotel as "Paul Square" or "Jit Paul Surrendra Paul Square". A proposal to rename a street in Alipore as "Jit Paul Surrendra Paul Sarani" was also put forward on the occasion.

Commenting about the book, Karan Paul said that the author had done an admirable job of chronicling the history of Park Street and beautifully written about his uncle's life and times. "As he mentions in the book, our uncle and our father's vision had in many ways changed the landscape of Park Street. We as a family are honoured to have been able to contribute significantly to making Park Street the city's go-to destination. The author has done the most admirable job of chronicling the history of Park Street and beautifully written about his life and times. I am sure that it will serve as an important historical document for future generations," he added.

The minister recollected his memories with Jit Paul. "I feel that this book should go to the libraries so that people can learn about the contribution of this family and how a business can be built from scratch and go on to contribute to the growth of the region," he added.

--IANS src/shs

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New Delhi, Sep 16 : Technology is all pervasive. At present, people cannot imagine of any sector without technology and agriculture is no exception. In India the agritech sectors technological innovations are generating investment opportunities by increasing efficiencies and overall productivity.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, recently said the administration is constantly working to improve a lot of the nation's small farmers.

The minister informed that the government has started the work of creating 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO), for which Rs 6,865 crore is being spent. He said that it is being done keeping in mind the 86 per cent of small farmers in the country, who are unable to invest much.

According to India Brand Equity Foundation, from 2017 to 2020, India received around $1 billion in agritech funding. With significant interest from the investors, India ranks third in terms of agritech funding and number of agritech startups. By 2025, Indian agritech companies are likely to witness investments worth $30-35 billion.

The Indian agritech ecosystem has the potential to attract investments of over $10 billion over the next ten years, according to a FICCI-PwC report.

Despite being a pandemic year, investors pumped in more than $500 million in agritech arena in 2020, compared to $248 million in 2019.

"With a significant rise in investment activity and looking at the huge market potential of agritech in India, industry experts estimate that there will be investments of over and above $10 billion in the next ten years," the report said.

It further said the government has been exhibiting its commitment to bring policy reforms in agriculture and allied sector and bolster the agri startup ecosystem. The recently-launched agri reforms are a step in this direction and endeavours to disintermediate the complex agri-supply chain, it observed.

Further, to attract investments and build a robust agri startup ecosystem going ahead, the report said impetus is needed strategic key areas such as infrastructural enablement, product innovation, supporting entrepreneurship and incubation, enhanced co-creations and institutional support.

According to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), agriculture remains a high-priority sector of the Indian economy, accounting for the livelihoods of around 58 per cent of the country's population. It also occupies a prominent position in the global economy and contributes 11.9 per cent of the gross value added (GVA) in global agriculture ($3,320.4 billion), second only to China.

The supply-and-demand analysis for food reflects that in spite of a 50 per cent increase in crop production in the last 10 years, the rate of increase of food production will not be sufficient enough to feed the increasing global population which is projected to reach approximately 10 billion by 2050. Thus, the agriculture industry's productivity needs to be accelerated.

Technology has become critical in driving all major global economies forward. All sectors, including agriculture, are innovating to address complex problems. India, being one of the largest economies in the world, is no exception and witnessing a huge technological transformation since the last two decades. Flagship programmes like 'Digital India' and 'Startup India' have resulted in the country becoming the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, growing at a year-on-year (YoY) rate of 12-15 per cent.

Though agriculture in India is at a transitory juncture, with a focus on integration of technologies for better operations, the sector still faces several challenges across the value chain. These challenges require disruptive interferences which can be provided by technological solutions. The entire system needs to adapt to a holistic approach which can be built upon indigenous and traditional farming knowledge integrated with transformative smart farming practices, including adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques. Adoption of AI technologies will pave the way for higher production with the optimum utilisation of available resources and facilitate predictive analysis, crop health management, enhance quality and traceability, the PwC report stated.

Through the application of technology and innovation in the nation's agriculture sector, the government is encouraging the adoption of smart farming practices. The government is putting into practice the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), which consists of the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), farmers database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology, soil health, and fertility.

Funding for digital agriculture initiatives utilising cutting-edge technologies, including as artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, etc., is provided to state governments under the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) programme. The aim is to achieve rapid development in India through the use of Information & Communication Technology, including Drone technologies that are being adopted nationwide.

To promote the use of Kisan drones, the government is providing Rs 5 lakh subsidy to small and marginal, women and farmers of northeastern states to buy drones.

In a special campaign to assist farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 100 Kisan drones in various cities and towns across India this year to spray pesticides on farmland. The campaign was started for numerous states, including the upcoming elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Goa.

The government is also promoting the use of Kisan drone for crop assessment, digitisation of land records, and spraying of pesticides and nutrients for which provision has also been made in the budget.
Colombo, Sep 16 : Ex-Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has been summoned to appear before the court in a case in which he was named a suspect over the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday attacks carried out by an ISIS-connected local extremist group of suicide bombers, killing 296 people. including 11 Indians, and injuring nearly 600 others.

A Colombo Magistrate issued a notice to Sirisena, who was the Defence Minister when the attacks took place in 2019, asking him to appear before the court on October 14 in connection with a case filed by a priest and a victim of the coordinated blasts that ripped apart three churches and three luxury hotels.

The complainants charged that the former President was responsible for the bomb blasts due to criminal negligence. He has also been accused of not acting to avert the attacks despite repeated warning by the intelligent agencies, including detailed information from the Indian intelligent services.

Lawyers for the complainants argued that Sirisena was the Defence Minister from January 2015 to November 2019, and during this period, the State Intelligent Services (SIS) on several occasions had submitted reports detailing the criminal activities carried out by the mastermind and leader of the suicide bombers, Saharan Hashim, and the National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ).

Spreading the extremist ISIS ideology, Saharan Hashim had delivered talks criticising the Parliament and had stated that those who did not believe in Islam should be massacred, the lawyers said.

Had the former President acted swiftly and arrested Hashim, the disaster could have been averted and loss of lives could have been prevented, it was argued.

Days before the attacks, Sirisena had left the country on a private tour even without appointing an acting Defence Minister, the lawyers pointed out.

The Catholic church has repeatedly accused Sirisena and then Prime Minister and present President Ranil Wickremesingheas, holding them responsible for the attacks due to their negligence.

However, Wickremesinghe as the executive President at present is immune from any law suits against him.

Last week, Wickremesinghe had informed USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who was visiting the island, that the Scotland Yard has been requested to review the investigation reports and reach a final conclusion on the attacks to determine if there was a hidden hand behind the bombings.
opinion

The MPLA's crisis of legitimacy could be sowing the seeds of a revolution against itself.

On 8 September, the facade of democracy in Angola was dealt another near fatal blow. After three decades of elections and a veneer of tolerance for opposition politics and civil society, the nation was shown to be little more than a thinly veiled authoritarian state.

On 24 August, the majority of voters had narrowly rejected the incumbent government. The main opposition UNITA's parallel vote count suggested it had garnered 49.5% of the vote to the ruling MPLA's 48.2%, based on 94% of results sheets from 13,200 polling stations. Nonetheless, the electoral commission - which is controlled by the ruling party - announced that the MPLA had won with 51% to UNITA's 43.9%.

UNITA took the matter to the Constitutional Court, calling for a recount and a comparison of the official results with their own count. They cited widespread irregularities, of which there were many. There were an estimated 2.7 million dead voters on the electoral register, giving the MPLA a buffer to play with numbers and justify different results in specific provinces. And there were questions around the role of the Spanish election logistics company Indra, which has been accused of facilitating fraud in favour of the MPLA in previous elections.

There were also clear cases of creating an unlevel playing field and opacity in the process. The state media, for example, allocated the 90% of its coverage to the MPLA. Meanwhile, the electoral commission made two key changes that contravened electoral law just a week before the election. The first was to remove the total number of voters from result sheets, making it easier to alter the numbers. The second was to restrict access to the national tally centre to just five electoral commissioners and a "technical group", thus denying admission to other commissioners along with the press and civil society.

Angola's constitutional court - another purportedly neutral institution heavily influenced by the MPLA - took just two weeks to consider the case before dismissing UNITA's claims. In that time, the judges did not ask for a verification of the results nor for the electoral commission to show its result sheets or explain how it tallied the result. A conclave of ten justices failed to respect the most fundamental role which is the respect for public probity. They violated their own constitution.

Sowing the seeds of revolution

Today, on 15 September, President Joao Lourenco will be sworn in for a second term. He will take the oath in a capital under siege. One of the remarkable outcomes of the election was UNITA's victory in Luanda, which represents a third of the electorate. Urbanites, the educated youth, and even many former MPLA supporters voted for the opposition there.

It is through fear of protests in Luanda therefore that the government has deployed the military, police, and presidential guard along strategic arteries. Interestingly, much of the security forces' rank and file seem to have voted for the opposition if results near barracks are a reliable indication.

Nonetheless, columns of armoured police vehicles and Russian-made kamaze trucks now line the streets in key suburbs. In neighbourhoods that voted for the opposition like Rocha Pinto, Samba, Zango, Viana and Cazenga, the presence of security forces is bringing back memories of the civil war and the political massacres of 1977 and 1992. Yet not even in the worst years of the war did Luanda have the entire security apparatus on display for public intimidation rather than public safety. Elsewhere, activists have been threatened or arrested by the stasi-like Service for Criminal investigation (SIC) and the intelligence service SINSE. And on social media meanwhile, alleged lists of opposition leaders meant for elimination are circulating.

This is not a new scenario. Several authoritarian regimes in Africa and beyond have subverted democratic processes and then mobilised security forces to eliminate peaceful contestation in the aftermath. Often, this prefigures a further descent into chaos in the years following, fuelled by misgovernance and unaddressed injustices.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Angola Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Understood this way, the MPLA's stealing of the 2022 election only secures it more power in the immediate term. The ruling party, in power since 1975, is increasingly unpopular and, by subverting the popular will so brazenly, seen as increasingly illegitimate. This would be dangerous for a regime at any time, but at a moment of worsening economic conditions and growing food insecurity, the MPLA could find it is sowing the seeds of a revolution against itself.

Paula Cristina Roque is the author of Governing in the Shadows Angola's Securitised State (African Arguments/Hurst, 2021). She has been an adviser on sub-Saharan Africa for the Crisis Management Initiative, a senior analyst for Southern Africa with the International Crisis Group, and a senior researcher with the Institute for Security Studies.
New Delhi, Sep 16 : In 1997, an ex-Merchant Navy personnel met with an accident which led to an amputation of right upper limb below the elbow. In July 2019, the Punjab and Haryana High Court awarded him Rs 14.82 lakh compensation, but unsatisfied with the amount and unfazed with a long-drawn legal battle, he moved the Supreme Court, which bumped the compensation by over 400 per cent and awarded him Rs 62.35 Lakh with 7.5 percent annual interest.

On Friday, a bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Krishna Murari said: "In view of the above and for the reasons stated above, the present appeal succeeds in part. The impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court is modified and it is ordered that the appellant herein - injured - claimant shall be entitled to a total sum of Rs. 62,35,000 with 7.5 per cent interest per annum from the date of filing of the claim petition till realization." The high court had awarded Rs 25,000 only towards pain, shock, and suffering, though the right hand below elbow of the claimant was amputated. The bench noted that during prolonged hospitalisation, he was operated five times and he was shifted to Medical College and Hospital at Rohtak and thereafter to Jaipur Golden Hospital, New Delhi, where he remained admitted from January 3 to January 21, 1997.

The high court had awarded the future economic loss considering the loss of income at Rs 18,000/per month.

The top court said it is required to be noted that the appellant was serving in the Merchant Navy and his salary at the relevant time was $1,000 and his right hand below elbow was amputated resulting in 70 per cent disability in the right arm.

As the high court had observed that the claimant can still earn something, the court said: "However, it is required to be noted that the claimant will not be able to do any work in the Merchant Navy. The High Court also observed that in the Merchant Navy, usually the job is for six months in a year. The said observation is absolutely without any basis." Frowning on the HC's observations, the top court said that it cannot be said that the claimant would do nothing for the rest of six months and the high court did not consider the future rise in income.

"Under the circumstances and in the facts and circumstances of the case, the High Court ought to have awarded the future economic loss considering the loss of income at least at Rs 30,000 per month. Therefore, the total loss comes to Rs 57,60,000 (30,000x12x16)," it said.

It also awarded the petitioner Rs 4 lakh towards pain, shock, and suffering.

In his plea, the appellant had claimed a compensation of Rs 1.02 crore under different heads.
Kolkata, Sep 16 : The LGBTQ (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer) rights activists on Friday staged a peaceful demonstration in Kolkata's Kalighat area, barely 200m away from the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, protesting against Trinamool Congress spokesman Kunal Ghosh's comments equating 'homosexuality' with 'perversion'.

On Thursday, while taking a jibe at leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvenbdu Adhikari, Ghosh had said that one leader, who is a 'homosexual' and 'pervert', tried to approach one of his bodyguards with his perverse sexual advances and later that bodyguard was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Protesting against Ghosh's remarks, a group of queer activists under the leadership of former member of the West Bengal Transgender Development Board, Ranjita Sinha, gathered near the Chief Minister's residence on Friday afternoon.

Sinha told mediapersons that Ghosh's comment is a grave insult to the people belonging to the LGBTQ community.

"Such comments are inacceptable from a person who represents a political party as its spokesperson. As a party spokesman, he should speak on behalf of all the communities. There is a transgender development board in the state. But it has just remained in paper and has not taken any step for the development and welfare of the queer community people. In such a situation, such comments from Kunal Ghosh have rubbed salt in the wound," Sinha said.

She added that they would also send a deputation to the Chief Minister on this count.

"I would like to use this opportunity to raise a demand to the Chief Minister to consider reservation for eligible people from the community in fresh state government recruitments," Sinha said.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi met at the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

This was their first meeting since President Raisi assumed office in 2021 and the two leaders discussed many important issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship, and expressed their desire for strengthening the relationship further.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India-Iran bilateral ties are marked by historic and civilisational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.

The two leaders reviewed the progress in the development of the Shahid Behesti terminal, Chabahar Port and underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of regional connectivity.

The two leaders also discussed international and regional developments including Afghanistan. The Prime Minister reiterated India's priorities of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and the need for a representative and inclusive political dispensation in support of a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan.

President Raisi briefed the Prime Minister on the status of the JCPOA negotiations.

The Prime Minister extended an invitation to President Raisi to visit India at his earliest convenience.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 16 : Cash amounting to Rs 58 lakh was seized during a raid in a lodge in Kantabanji town of Odisha's Bolangir district and seven persons arrested, a police official said on Friday.

After getting information from a reliable source, a police team conducted a raid in Shree Annapurna lodge at Parshuram Chowk of the town last midnight and seized the cash, which was allegedly brought for gambling, Kantabanji sub-divisional police officer Hrusikesh Meher said.

"We have seized playing cards along with other materials used for gambling. All the seven arrested persons are from outside Odisha," he said.

Police said that they are investigating how thy arrested accused got such a huge amount of cash.

However, lodge manager Purna Chandan denied the allegation of gambling in the lodge.
Patna, Sep 16 : Union Minister of State for Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar for not providing fertilisers to farmers despite an adequate supply from the Centre.

The black-marketing of fertilisers is taking place on a large scale, and this is the main reason why farmers of Bihar are not getting the fertilisers, he said.

"We regularly have meetings of states on every Tuesday to discuss the quantity of fertilisers being given to states. Bihar's Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh recently sent a letter to us, demanding an adequate amount of fertilisers. We replied that the fertilisers were released adequately.

"The details of what Singh demanded and what the Centre has released every month are in the public domain. Due to the black market, it is not reaching the actual farmers. The Nitish Kumar government has failed to prevent black marketing of fertilisers," Khuba said.

"Centre is taking every measure to make the state 'Atma Nirbhar'. Barauni fertiliser factory will be open in the next 2 weeks and PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the facility in the month of October," he added.
Shillong, Sep 16 : Succumbing to the protests and pressure from Church bodies, NGOs, local and national parties over the issuance of temporary licences to run three casinos, the Meghalaya government has backtracked on the contentious move.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday said that the government would first try to take the people into confidence before casinos are set up in the state.

However, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 would remain in force to regularise the existing gaming or jackpot parlours in Shillong and different parts of the state, as they have been functioning without any regulation for many years, he said.

Sangma said: "We thought if a gaming zone far from the city can be established to earn substantial revenue for catering to the needs of the teachers, schools and hospitals. We had estimated to earn Rs 500 crore annually from this sector to overcome the difficulty arising out of the ban on mining." Responding to the requests and demands from the churches and other organisations to reconsider the casino plan, the government has stopped the process to start casinos in the state, he stated.

Many organisations, including the Joint Action Committee Against Casino (JACAC), Hynniewtrep Youth Council, Khasi Jaintia Christian Leaders' Forum, traditional heads of Ri-Bhoi district, Trinamool Congress besides the Meghalaya United Christian Forum had protested against the government's casino move.

The JACAC has called a public meeting in Nongpoh on September 23 to decide on the further course of action on the issue.

Meghalaya Taxation Minister James P.K. Sangma, who is also the elder brother of the Chief Minister, told the Assembly on Monday that temporary licences were issued to set up three casinos in the state.

"The government issued temporary licences to set up three casinos to provide additional attractions to the tourists, visiting the state from other states," he had said.

"There are huge competitions to attract the tourists. The other northeastern states have a similar topography like Meghalaya and the states also have historical and archaeological sites. To attract the tourists, we have to give them some additional amusement." Though for the past 20-25 years, traditional gambling has been going on in the state with usual archery games being betted upon on a daily basis, the state government doesn't earn any revenue from this informal betting.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : Russia is prepared to provide 300,000 tonnes of fertilisers currently amassed at EU ports due to Western sanctions to developing nations free of charge, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, media reports said.

Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the Russian leader said he had discussed agricultural export issues with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, RT reported.

"The day before yesterday I informed Mr. Guterres that 300,000 tons of Russian fertilisers had piled up in the European Union's seaports," Putin said, adding that Moscow is "ready to give them to developing countries for free", and that such deliveries would be instrumental in alleviating the global food crisis, RT reported.

In late July, Moscow and Kiev had signed a deal unblocking Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea at UN-brokered talks in Istanbul. The agreement is also supposed to allow Russia to deliver fertilisers and food goods to global markets. However, Russian officials have repeatedly criticized the West for not honouring the deal.

While Putin welcomed the decision to allow Russian fertilisers into the EU, he criticised Brussels for only allowing the bloc's member states to buy them.

"It turns out that only they could purchase our fertilisers. What about the developing countries, the poorest countries of the world," he asked.

Putin asked the UN Secretariat to leverage the EU Commission so that "not in words, but in deeds, [it] demands the removal of these discriminatory restrictions against developing countries" by allowing Russian fertilisers to reach emerging markets, RT reported.

On Thursday, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said that the "illegal unilateral sanctions" the West has imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict are still blocking the export of Russian food products and fertilisers to global markets despite earlier agreements.

He also accused EU officials of "selfishness, cynicism and hypocrisy" for prohibiting European carriers from transporting Russian fertilisers to Africa, Asia or Latin America, while allowing deliveries to EU countries, RT reported.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Kohima, Sep 16 : BJP President J.P. Nadda, who was on a two-day visit to Nagaland to gear up the party for next year's Assembly elections, held a series of meetings with the state BJP leaders and its allies, besides visiting a church here on Friday.

Accompanied by state BJP President Temjen Imna Along and MP Phangnon Konyak, Nadda visited the Mary Help of Christians Cathedral in Kohima and requested the clergymen to plant saplings.

Nagaland being a Christian-majority state, the 16 feet high carved wood crucifix of the church, established in 1989, has one of Asia's largest crosses.

"It has been a great opportunity to visit the Cathedral. Really impressed with the arrangements for worship of God," the BJP leader wrote in the visitors' book of the cathedral.

Nadda then attended the all-important BJP core committee meeting and addressed the party functionaries of Nagaland.

He also chaired a meeting of BJP legislators and took part in a combined meeting of the leaders of BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

With 42 legislators, the NDPP leads the opposition-less Nagaland government where the BJP with 12 members has been a junior partner since 2018.

The deliberations of the meetings were not yet disclosed by the state party leaders.

Nadda also took part in a special cultural show hosted by Chief Minister and one of NDPP's top leaders, Neiphiu Rio.

The BJP President then flew to Dimapur, Nagalnd's main commercial city, where he along with Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton and Temjen Imna Along led a colourful road show arranged by many well-decorated auto-rickshaws.

The road show ended at a resort in the Chumoukedima area, where Nadda attended a meeting of intellectuals and professionals from the state.

Though the solution to the Naga political issue is the top most topic in Nagaland and the state government and all political parties have been demanding to resolve the decades old issue before the elections next year, the BJP leader did not talk much on the all important issue.

While addressing a public rally at Old Riphyim in Wokha district on Thursday, Nadda had said that since 2015, work is going on to resolve the Naga political issue, just like the various accords signed in other northeastern states.

The BJP President had said: "There are certain issues of the Naga political talks. We are working on those. Peace accords were signed with militant outfits in Assam and Tripura. We are going to solve the Assam-Meghalaya border issue."
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury seeking a direction for a probe into the sale of 47 per cent stake in Metro Dairy Ltd by the West Bengal government.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Krishna Murari observed that the procedure, which was adopted by the state government, was correct and transparent.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Congress leader, submitted that the state government did not follow the regulations in connection with the sale of assets and pointed out that the government took a wrong decision.

To this, the top court said: "They took a right decision. In the share market, it happens as the prices go up on a day and come down on another day. Auctioning is the prudent decision." Singh submitted the procedure required setting up a committee that would recommend disinvestment and the ways for going for it. However, the bench was not convinced with his arguments. After hearing arguments, the top court declined to interfere with the findings of the Calcutta High Court and dismissed the plea.

The Calcutta High Court had, on June 13, dismissed the plea by Chowdhury asking for probing the stake sale.

Chowdhury had alleged the state government sold its stake in Metro Dairy at a very low price. He alleged that the state government did not follow a transparent process.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO tourism and cultural capital during 2022-2023 at the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO summit, which is the first in-person meeting of the regional group in two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The nomination of Varanasi as the first ever SCO tourism and cultural capital will promote tourism, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and the SCO member countries. It also underlines India's ancient civilisational links with the member states of SCO, especially the Central Asian republics," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Under the framework of this major cultural outreach programme, a number of events will be hosted in Varanasi during 2022-23, for which guests will be invited from the SCO member states. These events are expected to attract Indologists, scholars, authors, musicians, artists, photo journalists, travel bloggers apart from the invited guests.

The regulations for nominating SCO tourism and cultural capital were adopted at the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021 with an objective to promote cooperation between the SCO member states in the field of culture and tourism.
Nairobi  Kenya Airways has announced the demise of a passenger who developed breathing difficulties while boarding the flight.

The flight which was scheduled to depart for Mombasa at 1900hrs Wednesday evening was still on ground at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) when the said passenger passed away.

The passenger was pronounced dead by personnel at the airport before the aircraft took off.

"We convey our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time," said KQ.

This become the third death the national carrier is reporting in less than 30 days.

KQ reported the death of a 66-year-old man on September 2, who too died after developing breathing complications while on board.

He was headed to Nairobi from New York when he developed complications, compelling the flight to land in Morocco for him to get medical attention when he was announced dead.

The first case involved a passenger who died on August 2022 onboard, forcing the flight to make an emergency landing in Casablanca.

The airline said the passenger had fallen ill while onboard.
Samarkand, Sep 16 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on Ukraines "counter-offensive" and warned about consequences for Kievs attempts to stage "terror attacks", media reports said.

So far, Moscow has shown "restraint" in its reaction, but that may change, the President warned on Friday at a press conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is currently underway, RT reported.

"The special military operation is not a warning of some sort, but a special military operation. We're witnessing attempts to stage terror attacks, attempts to damage our civilian infrastructure. We respond to this with restraint, but only for the time being," Putin said.

While the President did not specify which strikes he referred to, over the past week, Russian military has targeted several power plants and river dams across Ukraine, RT reported.

The President also touched upon the ongoing counter-offensive launched by the Ukrainian military, already celebrated as a great success by Kiev and its Western handlers.

Before drawing any conclusions, one should wait and see "how it ends", Putin suggested, RT reported.

Current attempts to push for a unipolar world "have taken an absolutely ugly form lately, which the overwhelming majority of nations of the planet find unacceptable", Putin had said on Thursday, RT reported.

The remark came as he met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, Sep 16 : The government on Friday cut windfall tax levied on locally- produced crude oil from Rs 13,300 per tonne to Rs 10,500 per tonne.

The government also cut tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) exports to Rs 8.50 per litre from Rs 9 per litre, according to a gazette notification.

Similarly, cess on export of diesel was slashed to Rs 6.50 per litre from Rs 13.50 per litre.

The decision came after the fifth fortnightly review of windfall taxes conducted by the Centre.

The notification will come into force from September 17.
Bengaluru, Sep 16 : The Karnataka government will celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Saturday by launching a 15-day health campaign focusing on screening and creating awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Starting Saturday, the campaign will culminate on October 2 on Gandhi Jayanti.

State Health Minister K. Sudhakar said the initiative, which will be launched in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, is aimed at creating awareness among the people about non-communicable diseases, from children to elderly citizens.

Speaking during a video conference with district health officers and top officials of the Health and Medical Education Department on Friday, Sudhakar gave instructions to the officials to focus on screening of various health parameters and diseases during the 15-day campaign at all health facilities, from primary health sub-centres to super-speciality hospitals.

The campaign will also push for children's vaccination, increase the rate of vaccination for the booster dose of Covid-19 which is currently at 20 per cent, encourage blood and organ donation, distribute Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka cards and raise awareness about the importance of general check-ups and regular testing for non-communicable diseases.

"There is very little awareness among people about many diseases, government schemes and testing facilities at PHCs. A person might feel that he is fit, but awareness needs to be created so that people get tested for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Awareness must also be created about the facilities provided by the government at the health centres," Sudhakar said.

Sudhakar also instructed the officials to ensure that people are screened for NCDs during the 15-day campaign. Additionally, he told the officials to set targets for each ASHA worker to convince and bring in people to get screened for each disease.
Patna, Sep 16 : The family of the arrested prime accused in the Begusarai shootout incident on Friday met BJP MP Rakesh Sinha and sought justice for him.

The parents and brother of Keshav alias Nagwa met Sinha at the protest site in Begusarai and alleged that the local police are framing him.

They also claimed that Keshav alias Nagwa was sitting at a roadside eatery when the shootings took place, and presented CCTV footage showing him sitting there and talking on the mobile phone.

His mother alleged a sub-inspector named Rajiv Ranjan used to penalise him every time any incident took place in Begusarai.

After the meeting, Sinha assured them that he will talk to police officials of the district and ensure a proper investigation.

Meanwhile, Begusarai SP Yogendra Kumar said Keshav alias Nagwa was the main conspirator, and was instructing the shooters. He was in touch with the accused as was established through technical investigation and call records of shooters and Keshav alias Nagwa.

Besides him, Begusarai police also arrested three more accused, named Chunchun, Sumit, and Youraj. Kumar also said that the two more shooters are absconding. They will be nabbed soon.

The Begusarai serial shootout incident occurred on September 13 when four bikers killed one person and injured 10 others across the district.
Moscow, Sep 17 : In the Russia-China relationship, it feels more and more that Russia is the junior partner.

This is an increasingly unequal relationship. Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which has not gone according to plan, has weakened Russia, BBC reported.

The Kremlin admits that the Russian army has suffered "significant losses", while Western sanctions are putting the economy under intense pressure.

In the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Samarkand on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Putin conceded that China has "questions and concerns" about the situation in Ukraine. It was an unexpected admission, by the Kremlin, that Russia's so-called special military operation is causing some anxiety in Beijing.

Having burned bridges with the West and sparked an energy war with Europe, Putin is attempting a pivot east. He's hoping to reorient the Russian economy and find new markets for Russian oil and gas, BBC reported.

"The hope is that this pivot will work and will have credible dividends for Russia. But I don't see this happening," said Sergey Radchenko, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

"What Russia needs ultimately in the West: Its technology, its markets. It's very difficult to change the direction of gas flows. The Soviet Union and Russia spent decades building networks of pipelines to Europe and that's where the physical infrastructure is. It's very difficult to reorient Russian energy markets towards Asia." With Vladimir Putin, the Russian pendulum has firmly swung to the east, BBC reported,

That's hardly surprising: His decision to invade Ukraine has left Russia a pariah in the West and his country battered by Western sanctions.

US President Joe Biden has called Putin a "murderous dictator"; UK Prime Minister Liz Truss previously dubbed him "a desperate rogue operator".

Xi, however, uses quite different language. "My dear old friend!" exclaimed Xi Jinping.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Samarkand, Sep 17 : The meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday adopted the 'Samarkand Declaration', as well as agreeing on several decisions for closer ties in various fields.

The declaration underlined that "new approaches are required to promote more equitable and effective international cooperation and sustainable economic development" and that the member states "reaffirm their commitment to a more representative, democratic, just and multipolar world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law, multilateralism, equal, common, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security, multicultural and civilisational diversity, mutual benefit and equal cooperation among states with a central coordinating role for the UN".

Among the decisions agreed by the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States were: 1. A Comprehensive Action Plan for 2023-2027 for implementation of provisions of the Treaty on Long-Term Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation among the members.

2. Concept of Cooperation of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states to develop interconnectivity and create efficient transport corridors.

3. Improvement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization activities.

4. Regulations on the Honorary Title of Goodwill Ambassador of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

5. Signing the Memorandum of Commitment of the Islamic Republic of Iran to become a member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

6. Launching the procedure of admitting the Republic of Belarus as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

7. Granting the Republic of Maldives the status of Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner.

8. Granting the Kingdom of Bahrain the status of Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner.

9. Granting the Republic of the Union of Myanmar the status of Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner.

10. Granting the United Arab Emirates the status of Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner.

11. Granting the State of Kuwait the status of Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner.

12 Declaring Varanasi, Republic of India, as the Tourist and Cultural Capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2022-2023.

13. Signing the Memorandum between the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2023-2027).

14 Approval of the report of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretary-General on Shanghai Cooperation Organization activities for the period from September 2021 to September 2022.

15. Approval of the Report of the Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure on the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure in 2021.

16. Termination of decisions of the Council of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.

17. Agreement between the Governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on development of cooperation in the field of tourism.

18. Memorandum between authorized bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states on cooperation in museum affairs.

19. Agreement between the authorised bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on cooperation in the field of plant quarantine.

20. Programme of cooperation between authorised bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the use of renewable energy sources.

21. Programme to stimulate industrial cooperation between the business communities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.

22. Cooperation Programme between authorised bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on Digital Literacy Development.

23. Programme of cooperation between authorised bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on development of Artificial Intelligence.

24. Roadmap on cooperation between medical organisations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

25. Action Plan for SCO member states' scientific and technical cooperation in priority areas (2022-2025).

26. Concept of cooperation of Ministries of Health of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the field of Telemedicine.

27. The concept of interaction between authorised bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the field of "smart" agriculture and agro-innovation.
Yangon, Sep 17 : Eighty per cent of people infected with Covid-19 in Myanmar between January 28 and September 7 are unvaccinated against the virus, the country's Health Ministry said.

Myanmar has confirmed more than 80,000 new cases of Covid-19, and more than 130 new deaths from Covid-19 during the country's fourth Covid-19 wave which started at the end of January this year, official data showed.

The total number of infections from January 28 until September 7 included 80 per cent of people who were not vaccinated, 15.9 per cent of people who received the first doses of the vaccine, 4 per cent of people who were fully vaccinated and 0.1 per cent of people who received booster shots, the Health Ministry added on Friday.

The death toll from Covid-19 during the period consisted of 84.1 per cent of people who were not vaccinated and who got only the first dose, 14.4 per cent of people who were fully vaccinated and 1.5 per cent of people who received booster shots, the Ministry said.

As Covid-19 infection was on the rise again in the country starting from August, its health authorities have urged people to receive booster shots and abide by the health guidelines issued by the Ministry to curb the resurgence of Covid-19 infections, Xinhua news agency reported.

In August, the country also reported Covid-19 cases with Omicron BA.2.75, BA.2.76, BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants after detecting the people who returned from abroad.

"The vaccinated people can boost immunity against Covid-19 and reduce death risks," Tun Min, Deputy Director-General of the Health Ministry's Yangon Regional Health Department, has told reporters.

Myanmar has already vaccinated more than 36.9 million people, or nearly more than 66 per cent of its total population, for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, official data showed.

The figures comprised more than 30.4 million people aged 18 years and above and more than 6.5 million people aged under 18-years-old, it said.

Yangon region saw the highest number of Covid-19 infections, followed by Kayin state and Mandalay region in the second place and third place respectively, its figures showed.

Countries, including China, Russia, India and Thailand, have donated Covid-19 vaccines to Myanmar, and China has been the top donor of Covid-19 vaccines to Myanmar throughout the pandemic.

Myanmar has recorded 618,303 Covid-19 infections in total since the beginning of the pandemic in the country in March 2020.

The death toll from Covid-19 in the country remained unchanged at 19,444 on Friday, and a total of 594,984 Covid-19 patients have been recovered and discharged from hospitals in the country as of Friday, official data showed.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Sep 17 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he is aware of India's concerns over his country's conflict with Ukraine, and wanted the war to end.

During the bilateral meeting between both the leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand, Putin was quoted on Friday as saying, "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there." The Russian President said this after Modi told him that "today's time is not the time for war".

This was the first face-to-face meeting between Modi and Putin after Russia had attacked Ukraine in February this year.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Guwahati, Sep 17 : Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh announced here on Friday that the party would launch the 'Assam Jodo Yatra', the Assam version of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', on November 1.

He also said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will not succeed in derailing the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"No matter how much Sarma tries to influence the party MLAs, Congress will not stop. We don't care if any MLA leaves the party like Sarma had done in the past," Ramesh said.

He added that Sarma should stop thinking about the Congress and concentrate on working for the welfare of Assam.

Sarma had earlier criticised Rahul Gandhi and advised him to launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Pakistan, stating that Congress was responsible for the Partition of the country.

In this context, Ramesh told mediapersons that the country has been divided under the BJP rule.

"The country is facing tremendous economic inequality, social polarisation, and centralisation of power, which have created massive divisions among various sections of the society," he said.

"Today, people are divided over religion, culture and even food habits. The powers of the state governments have been snatched by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)," Ramesh claimed.

The senior party leader also dropped a hint about the Congress' plan to launch the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat next year.
Tehran, Sep 17 : Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said to make progress in the ongoing nuclear talks, the removal of US sanctions on Iran should be accompanied by guarantees and the resolution of safeguards issues, official IRNA news agency reported.

He made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera news channel in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on Thursday evening, stressing the Iranian government is determined to protect the rights of its people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking of possible direct talks with the US, Raisi on Friday added that "direct negotiations with the US on a (possible) nuclear deal is of no use, and the US should take trust-building measures with Iran".

The Iranian President questioned Washington's recent move to impose fresh anti-Iran sanctions, saying that if the US is seeking an agreement with Iran, "why does it impose new sanctions amidst the nuclear negotiations?" Over the past week, Washington has announced sanctions on a number of Iranian nationals and companies as well as the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear programme in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. The latest round of the nuclear talks was held in the Austrian capital in early August after a five-month hiatus.

On August 8, the EU put forward its final text of the draft decision on reviving the JCPOA. Iran and the US later indirectly exchanged views on the EU proposal in a process that has failed to produce any favourable outcome.
Karongi, Rwanda  19 and pregnant Nyiranzavugimana Florence, despondent from her family and community's rejection, found a source of much-needed hope and safety net through communication.

Imbuto Foundation, supported by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), conducts regular parent-adolescent communication (PAC) forums that bring together first-time young mothers and their parents. The dialogues are centered on how to give better support to teenage mothers. Additionally, the Foundation carries out conversations to prevent gender-based violence and subsequent unintended pregnancies, and explores options for sustainable sources of income for the young mothers.

Vulnerability at a crucial time

Teenage pregnancy increases the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women, trapping them into a cycle of poverty. Teenage mothers face financial challenges as they do not have any jobs and not equipped to handle parental responsibilities.

Most often teenage mothers have financial constraints as they are unemployed and burdened with premature responsibilities of child-rearing at an early age. This is what happened to Nyiranzavugimana. At 19, she found herself pregnant, and was immediately rejected by her parents and family.

With the Imbuto Foundation, she participated in training sessions that helped her to reconnect with her parents and get the moral support she desperately needed.

After regular attendance, Nyiranzavugimana said, "My takeaway from the training was that what happened to us should not put an end to our dreams. I reunited with my parents and continued to attend PAC regular meetings with them."

These forums contribute to restoring teen mothers' hope and resilience. The high quality of family communication between young mothers and their parents is a supportive resource that helps the young women get back on their feet after an unplanned pregnancy.

Standing tall

It is Wednesday morning, a sunny day in Karongi, and Nyiranzavugimana under a yellow umbrella that provided some shade, was busy running her mobile money service.

Every day, with her two-year old son in tow, Nyiranzavugimana heads to her usual spot and runs her small business, which has become a source of income and pride for her and her family.

"I have a a small business and earning a little money to feed my lovely boy. I am glad that with this job I am able to take care of myself, my child and even my parents," she added.

To start up her business, Nyiranzavugimana saved money from the transportation fee from the training she attended. "I had the opportunity to participate in a four-day training by Imbuto Foundation where we were given a small allowance. I saved the money instead. Afterward my parents supported me with some additional money, and I immediately started a small business selling bananas and avocados."

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A few months later, her business grew and Nyiranzavugimana's dreams went beyond selling bananas and avocados.

After she saved more money, she wanted to try new business opportunities and after a bit of research, she shifted to providing mobile money services, which was more profitable.

Today, Nyiranzavugimana is an agent of a telecommunication company where she provides mobile money services in Bwishyura town. She said she no longer relies on her parents or others, and she can provide for her and her child's needs.

Nyiranzavugimana is also walking tall and more confident with each day especially with a more mature perspective and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health.
RiRi Rum to be introduced as part of The 3rd Bevco's Celebrity Brand Division with Rorrey Fenty

The 3rd Bevco, Inc. announced today it has signed a letter of intent with Mr. Rorrey Fenty to act as a senior strategic consultant for its newly launched Celebrity Brand Division. See the filed copy of the full LOI in the link below. Mr. Fenty is a successful entrepreneur and rapper and is also the younger brother of global superstar and music icon Robyn (Rihanna) Fenty.

Mr. Fenty plans to bring his deep connections within the celebrity community and his knowledge of luxury lifestyle brands to The 3rd Bevco team. Mr. Fenty will make introductions to A-list celebrities for potential partnerships and provide his expertise on how to best present the brand offering itself.

Perhaps the most exciting area of focus in this new division is the potential to develop an exclusive Barbados-distilled rum called RiRi, with Mr. Fenty's sister Rihanna as a partner.

Barbados is the birthplace of Rum and the birthplace of the Fenty family. The RiRi Brand promises to honor both, and bring a bold, superior quality Rum to the world.

Over the next three weeks, The 3rd Bevco and Mr. Fenty will work to finalize and sign the formal consulting agreement and begin building the new Celebrity Brand Division of The 3rd Bevco.

The 3rd Bevco is currently qualified for a public offering via The Regulation A+ exemption. Both accredited and non-accredited investors are welcome to invest.

For more information on The 3rd Bevco and its Reg A+ offering, please visit http://www.the3rdbevcoipo.com. To read the official 1k filing of the LOI at the SEC website, click here.

AN OFFERING STATEMENT REGARDING THIS OFFERING HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SEC. THE SEC HAS QUALIFIED THAT OFFERING STATEMENT, WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THE COMPANY MAY MAKE SALES OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED BY THE OFFERING STATEMENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SEC HAS APPROVED, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFERING STATEMENT. THE OFFERING CIRCULAR THAT IS PART OF THAT OFFERING STATEMENT IS FOUND HERE:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1819117/000121390022048721/ea164555-1ua_the3rdbevco.htm

YOU SHOULD READ THE OFFERING CIRCULAR BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT.
Keystone Natural Holdings We are proud of the work we have done at KNH. We invested significantly to expand KNHs brand presence, manufacturing capacity, product development capabilities, and leadership team to provide a broad range of healthy, innovative plant-based food products for grocery, club & food service customers.

Keystone Capital has signed a definitive agreement for House Foods Holding USA (House Foods) to acquire 100% of Keystone Natural Holdings, LLC (KNH), a leading manufacturer of tofu and plant-based foods in North America. The proposed transaction is expected to close by the end of September 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Through this acquisition, House Foods will expand its portfolio of value-added tofu and plant-based food products and accelerate its US market expansion plans. The combined company will have eight manufacturing facilities across North America.

Keystone Capital established the KNH platform by acquiring Natures Soy in 2016, a regional plant-based food manufacturer focused on the ethnic channel. Through three strategic add-on acquisitions, KNH significantly expanded its product offering and channel reach. In 2019, KNH invested in a new manufacturing facility in Folcroft, Pennsylvania to capitalize on organic growth opportunities. The sale of KNH represents another successful outcome for Keystone Capital within its Food & Consumer investment efforts.

We are proud of the work we have done at Keystone Natural Holdings, said Chaoran Jin, Managing Director of Keystone Capital. During our partnership, we invested significantly to expand KNHs brand presence, manufacturing capacity, product development capabilities, as well as the leadership team in order to provide a broad range of healthy, innovative plant-based food products for grocery, club, and food service customers. We are extremely appreciative of the hard work, dedication, and commitment from the KNH management team in building a market leading business. We wish them the best for their new chapter with House Foods.

Kenny Sung, Chief Executive Officer of KNH, who will continue to lead KNH, added, Keystone Capital has been a great partner to work with, helping us successfully expand into additional strategic segments, which has positioned us to better serve our retail and food service customers in the ethnic and mainstream channel. With Keystone Capitals help, we have integrated three add-on acquisitions, which has broadened our core market and accelerated our growth. We look forward to working with House Foods to continue our growth trajectory.

Whipstitch Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor to KNH in the transaction. DLA Piper provided legal services to KNH and Keystone Capital.

###

ABOUT KEYSTONE CAPITAL

Keystone Capital is a private investment firm based in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1994, its mission is to invest in and build a portfolio of exceptionally high quality, mid-sized businesses that are leaders in their markets. Keystone is differentiated by its investment of personal capital and investment horizon flexibility which has led to a distinguished track record of entering into true long-term operating partnerships with the professional management teams of its companies.

ABOUT KEYSTONE NATURAL HOLDINGS

Keystone Natural Holdings is a leading plant-based, better-for-you food company with operations in the United States and Canada. The companys authentic and health-conscious products from storied brands, such as Natures Soy, Franklin Farms, and Superior Natural are proudly sold through mainstream and ethnic channels via retail, mass market, natural, specialty, and food service outlets. The company continues to actively pursue strategic acquisitions to further expand its portfolio of innovative products and better serve consumers seeking alternative proteins for all meal occasions.

ABOUT HOUSE FOODS GROUP

House Foods Group Inc. is a Japanese foodservice company headquartered in Tokyo and Osaka. House Foods was founded in 1913 as an herbal medicines and pharmaceuticals company, and over its 109-year history has grown into one of the largest Japanese suppliers of curries, spices, and other foodservice products, with over $2.3 billion in global revenue and over 6,100 employees. House Foods business in the United States (House Foods America, a subsidiary of House Foods Holding USA Inc.) is a leading supplier of water-packed tofu and related tofu products with over 100 million units sold annually across North America and Europe. House Foods America was established in 1983 and currently operates two manufacturing facilities in the United States with over 340 total employees.

Contact Information

Chaoran Jin, Managing Director, Keystone Capital

312-219-7976

cjin@keystonecapital.com [cjin@keystonecapital.com __title__ null]

Brian Chung, CFO, Keystone Capital

312-219-7975

bchung@keystonecapital.com [bchung@keystonecapital.com __title__ null]

Michael Weston, Senior Associate, Keystone Capital

312-219-7982

mailto:mweston@keystonecapital.com [mweston@keystonecapital.com __title__ null]
Victorias passion for learning and her attention to detail have already proven her to be an invaluable asset to the Product Team, recalls Product Manager, Briony Smith.

Electric Symphony Media is overjoyed to welcome a new team member, Victoria Favorito, who joins the Product team as a Product Coordinator!

Victoria joined ESM as a Product Coordinator this past August. Victoria graduated from Elon University in 2022 with a degree in Strategic Communications and Marketing. Her previous experience includes multiple internships in fashion public relations where she broadened her skills in social media management, research, writing, and client relations. Additionally, Victoria was a member and VP of Elons softball club, where she played for 2 years and helped organize the teams schedule. We are certain that Victorias previous experience - both in her tenacity as an athlete and her professional experience in media and marketing - will make her a great addition to the ESM team.

I could not be more excited to join the product team at ESM, Victoria notes. In just the short amount of time that I have been here, I have met the most talented and most kind team members and I could not be more grateful to be a part of such a well rounded and empowering company. I have learned more about digital advertising in the last few days than Id ever imagined and I look forward to being a strong asset on the product team.

Within her first month, Victoria will be acclimating to all of ESM products across the programmatic, digital, social, and traditional ecosystems. The first few weeks will consist of various training courses as part of ESMs onboarding program, that provide an understanding of key aspects of our agency, including who we are, our various teams, the services we provide, and the great businesses and brands we work with. Also in the coming weeks, Victoria will begin to shadow members of the Product team, and obtain hands-on experience within the products the team uses daily to activate campaigns like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. With Victorias professional background and familiarity in managing social media accounts, reporting, multi-tasking across different projects, and working collaboratively with teams, we know she will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic Product Coordinator role.

In such a short period of time, the team has quickly noticed Victoria to be curious and hardworking; she also brings an amazing energy to the larger team. We look forward to seeing her learn and flourish with us at ESM.

Victorias passion for learning and her attention to detail have already proven her to be an invaluable asset to the Product Team, recalls Product Manager, Briony Smith. As our team continues to grow and evolve, we are looking forward to how her unique perspective and her drive to uncover new insights will let us drive continuing and new value for our clients.

ESM is a media partner that helps brands and agencies uncover unique value in marketing investments. We believe the most successful media campaigns interweave the art of past experience with the science of data analytics. ESM offers end to end media planning, activation, and reporting services. The agencys tech stack provides a connective thread across all channels, but as a team we emphasize the importance human experience plays in predicting outcomes. Whether its traditional, digital, or emerging media, the knowledge ESM has gained from running campaigns that are large, small, geographically diverse, with different KPIs, goals, and assets gives us a strong library of learnings to apply to future activity.
Two of the Midwests standout trial attorneys have joined forces to form a new law firm.

Nikki Cannezzaro and Michelle Marvel launched Cannezzaro Marvel LLC, a litigation boutique that provides representation for personal injury and wrongful death; trucking and motor vehicle accidents; dangerous property, medical and drug injuries; defective products; and mediation.

LITIGATION LEADERSHIP

The two bring a well-rounded set of experience to the new venture, as both women are seasoned trial lawyers who have approached litigation from multiple perspectives:



Cannezzaro, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, spent more than 20 years defending complex personal injury matters, often working for or with insurance companies; prior to entering private practice, she was a law clerk at the Missouri Court of Appeals.

Marvel was most recently a partner at Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader, where she represented plaintiffs in some of the regions most high-profile personal injury matters. She began her career defending medical malpractice, commercial and construction claims.

Clients of the new firm benefit from this diverse experience  plaintiff, defense, judiciary and insurer  through advocates who can effectively anticipate defensive strategies, present to the courts, and negotiate with insurance companies.

THE WOMAN-OWNED DIFFERENCE

Cannezzaro Marvel is among the few personal injury law firms, both in the Midwest and nationwide, to be owned and led by women.

Indeed, according to a study by the American Bar Association, in personal injury cases, only 21 percent of first-chair lawyers are women. That negatively affects the women who experience serious accidents  and who may feel more comfortable with a woman advocate.

Cannezzaro Marvel addresses this issue by combining empathy and approachability with significant litigation savvy from lawyers who have worked with and against some of the best litigators in the country.

MEDIATION PROBLEM-SOLVING

The lack of female representation in litigation is not confined to the courtroom; according to another report by the American Bar Association, the number of women serving as neutrals in alternative dispute resolution is under 15 percent.

In addition to representing clients in mediation, Cannezzaro and Marvel will serve as mediators in relevant litigation matters, including disputes involving personal injury, trucking and motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, insurance claims and more.

Cannezzaro Marvels physical office is located on Kansas Citys Country Club Plaza at 4717 Grand Avenue, Suite 130. More information about the firm is available at http://www.cmlawkc.com.
Dempton Consulting Group, a digital transformation leader in Canada, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement with US-based Norton Staffing Inc. (NSI), a boutique IT staff augmentation company located in St-Louis, Missouri. By joining forces, the group will have enhanced capabilities to help clients achieve their business and digital transformation goals.

This deal is part of our North American growth strategy and will allow us to reach our objectives sooner than expected, said Jean-Francois Sauve, Demptons founder, and CEO. Mr. Sauve continues: We immediately connected well with everyone on the NSI team, as we share the same core values and are all dedicated to build strong personal relationships with customers and create win-win situations for all.

NSI President Christina Norton, who will continue to play an important role in the organization, is thrilled about the future: Our team is so excited to be joining a high integrity group like Dempton. This will help NSI get to the next level and provide an enhanced focus on technology expertise for our clients on a global scale.

About Norton Staffing Inc.

Norton Staffing is an information technology Staffing firm dedicated to quality, integrity-based business practices.

http://www.nortonstaffing.com

About Dempton Consulting Group

Dempton Consulting Group is a leader in the digital transformation field. The company helps organizations succeed in their transformation initiatives by providing governance, strategies, and expertise to achieve clients vision and objectives.

http://www.dempton.com
"We developed a warranty-type product so patients could access medical benefits within days of experiencing a complication. In addition, CoverWell by InjectSure covers both the client and provider within 60 days from each procedure, replacing stress and worry with confidence and peace of mind.

CoverWell by InjectSure, the wellness, spa and beauty industries first ever per-treatment insurance, was officially launched at the recent Florida Spa Association event in Key Largo. This revolutionary pay-per-procedure insurance protects the client, the business and its licensed practitioners against the inherent risks of common cosmetic and wellness procedures not covered by health, general liability and malpractice insurance.

CoverWell is backed by Universal Casualty and Inter Insurance Agency Services, Ltd. in all 50 states. This simple, affordable insurance product was meticulously developed over eight years by personal injury attorney, Patrick Tighe, and board-certified plastic surgeon, Daniel Kapp, M.D., who saw both patients and businesses suffer as a result of medical complications from aesthetic procedures.

The policy is paid for by the client at the time of service and the client and business become co-insureds, receiving coverage up to 60 days after the procedure for up to $125,000 in corrective care costs. Averaging just 4% of the cost of a treatment, CoverWell can easily be bundled into the cost of any service, while keeping prices competitive.

Consumers are accustomed to checking a box to add extra rental car or flight insurance or having the option to add an extended warranty for a new appliance. But until now, they could only take a leap of faith that all would be well when opting for face and body enhancements.

We know that the vast majority of skin and body care procedures are trouble free, explains Tighe. But the little-known reality is that if something goes wrong or there is a bad reaction from a procedure, there has always only been one option for remediation. Sue the establishment for malpractice and wait on average 24 months for the suit to be tried and settled, which most often results in pain and suffering to the client, a lost customer and a serious chance of reputational damage to the business.

Meanwhile, the nature of these injuries is that they need immediate care to mitigate the damages, but the client must pay up front for any repairs or treatment. To help solve this vexing issue, we developed a warranty-type product so patients could access medical benefits within days of experiencing a complication. In addition, CoverWell by InjectSure covers both the client and provider within 60 days from each procedure, replacing stress and worry with confidence and peace of mind.

Few business owners realize that health and general liability insurance will not cover a complication from a bad reaction or mishap with a cosmetic or spa treatment. Malpractice/professional liability insurance will seldom cover a complication until or unless the injured client hires a lawyer and sues the spa, salon or practitioner.

Businesses that have hesitated to add another source of revenue by offering medical aesthetic services due to potential risk can now have the confidence to move forward with CoverWell. Consumers and businesses not only benefit but also doctors, nurses and licensed practitioners including estheticians, massage therapists, dentists, acupuncturists, eyelash techs, tattoo artists, and more.

Some of the medical aesthetic and skin and body enhancement procedures covered by this new, value-added insurance include:

COSMETIC INJECTABLES AND DERMAL FILLERS

Restylane  Radiesse  Botox  Juvederm  Sculptra  Dysport  Belotero  Bellafill  Alle

BODY CONTOURING

CoolSculpting  Cooltone RF/US Skin Tightening  UltraShape  VelaShape  TruSculpt  Zerona  EmScuplt  BTL Vanquish  Liposonix  Emtone

LASER TREATMENTS

IPL  Fractional Lasers  Laser Hair Removal  Erbium Laser  Pulse-Dye Lasers

SPA AND WELLNESS TREATMENTS

Body Wraps  Acupuncture  Hydrotherapy  Moxibustion  Massage  IV Therapy  Colonics  Cryotherapy

BEAUTY AND BODY ART

Eyelash Extensions  Permanent Makeup  Tattooing  Piercing

SKINCARE TREATMENTS

PRP  Microneedling  Hydrafacial  Chemical Peel

SEXUAL HEALTH

Emsella  MonaLisa Touch  MOJO Therapy  Vaginal Rejuvenation

Interested businesses are invited to contact info@injectsure.com to set up a free consultation.
Matt Kochanski (left) and Jaysen Eisengrein (right) I am humbled and excited to have such industry innovators and strategic thinkers join our already impressive growing group of retired HHS-OIG Special Agents, which started with Eric Rubenstein and Wade McFaul.

Advize Health LLC, a national healthcare consulting company offering high quality solutions and tech-enabled services, announced today the addition of two foremost retired law enforcement officers and prior senior leaders of the Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) East and West Coast. Jaysen Eisengrein, former Senior Vice President of UPIC Western Jurisdiction and Matt Kochanski, former Program Director, of UPIC Northeast Jurisdiction.

Program integrity efforts are led by CEO Jeanmarie Loria, along with other Directors and Senior Managers, many of whom are former Office of Inspector General Investigators, Special Agents in Charge, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Investigators, and senior investigators and managers of commercial health plan Special Investigation Units (SIU). Through Advizes industry-leading staff augmentation services, clients gain a partner to drive industry best practices and increase quality while reducing costs and risk.

Since 2002, Advizes stellar reputation has created relationships and partnerships across the healthcare market segment continuum, from government to private industry, said Jeanmarie Loria, CEO. I am humbled and excited to have such industry innovators and strategic thinkers join our already impressive growing group of retired HHS-OIG Special Agents, which started with Eric Rubenstein and Wade McFaul.

Eisengrein has over 40 years of experience fighting fraud, waste, and abuse through investigation and audit of complex financial and health programs, particularly relating to Medicare and Medicaid. As Special Agent in Charge of the Special Investigations Branch at the Office of Inspector Generals Office of Investigations (Washington, DC, headquarters), Eisengrein managed and handled the most complex and politically sensitive criminal, civil, and administrative investigations. In his previous position with the UPIC, Eisengrein developed and led the CMS Medicaid Integrity contracts across 34 states and the District of Columbia. Most recently, Eisengrein implemented and led UPIC West, which mitigates Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse for all settings of care and provider types across 13 Western states and 3 Pacific territories through investigation and audit of paid claims.

Kochanski has three decades of experience in program integrity, including over 25 years in the Office of Inspector General community with Health and Human Services (HHS) and NASA. Kochanski investigated or directed hundreds of investigations resulting in criminal convictions and the return of hundreds of millions of dollars to the impacted programs. As the Program Director of the Northeastern UPIC, he directed the administration of a multi-million dollar contract that spans 12 States and multiple Federal and State health care programs.

Advize is extremely passionate about reducing the cost of healthcare and prides itself on providing our clients with the best possible results for all lines of business, including fraud, waste, and abuse, says Charlie Meyer, Sr. Director of Healthcare Fraud and Abuse. We are able to do this by continuing to add industry leading subject matter experts like Matt and Jaysen to the Advize team. They are tremendous individuals both professionally and personally that have spent most of their careers combatting healthcare fraud and abuse. Matt and Jaysen are highly skilled in conducting healthcare fraud investigations, especially in the Medicaid and Medicare space, along with their expert ability to review and evaluate a health plans program integrity effectiveness. We are really excited to add them to the team and continuing to provide the highest level of quality to our clients.
We believe an investment and partnership with CPC will position us for long-term stability and continued growth well into the future, explained John Hornberger, CEO of CSI

CPC, LLC, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Component Sourcing International (CSI), based in Charlotte, NC, from the companys current management team and Argosy Capital. Founded in 1982, CSI offers global supply chain solutions, as it specializes in world-class global sourcing, engineering, quality assurance, and inventory management of highly engineered components for industrial manufacturers. The company will continue to be led by its current management team, many of whom continue as owners.

CSI is the second acquisition for CPC, LLC, a company formed to buy, build, and hold businesses with a long-term, indefinite, time horizon. Its been clear from our first conversation that CSIs focus on quality and its unique controls around it allows CSI to provide a differentiated service for companies seeking a partner to manage their complicated supply chains. As new owners, we are buying this business to build it and keep it for the long term, with no intention to sell in the foreseeable future, much less the typical 5 to 7-year time horizon typical for Private Equity Groups, commented Wiley Curran, Chairman of CPC.

We believe an investment and partnership with CPC will position us for long-term stability and continued growth well into the future, explained John Hornberger, CEO of CSI. John believes the acquisition brings resources and expertise laser-focused on technology, product differentiation and nothing less than world-class processes within the organization. John shared that our Team deeply aligns with CPC on the keys to success, and I am excited to continue to be an owner in the future of this great business.

About CPC

CPC makes long term investments and is organized as a company, not around funds like many traditional Private Equity firms. The structure that enables CPC to implement what we believe to be the best strategies to create defensible, long-term value aligning the incentives of shareholders, management, and all stakeholders in CPCs businesses. Sustainable competitive advantage derives from long-term investments in innovation, workforce development, the adoption of new technologies, and supply chain improvements.

CPC has many unique traits that we believe differentiates it from traditional private equity firms. CPC is owned by large family offices and successful entrepreneurs that are collectively aligned around long-term decision making and wealth creation. CPC was formed from the merging of Curran Companies and C3 Capitals management teams. CPC seeks to deploy at least $500MM into lower middle market businesses over the next five years. It does not use enterprise leverage to fund acquisitions, instead focusing management teams to excel in what CPC calls the Five Key Battles: People, Systems and Processes, Execution, Customer Intimacy, and Product Leadership. Prior to forming CPC, the management team has invested in over 100 businesses covering a wide variety of industries. CPCs website can be found at https://www.cpc.llc and any inquiries can be directed to abutler@cpc.llc.

About CSI

Founded in 1982 as Asia America Corporation, CSI has evolved into a world-class global sourcing and supply chain management leader. CSI is known for its unique and committed approach to quality management, for being an expert partner for international purchasing and product engineering, and for their ability to solve extremely complex customer challenges. In addition to its Industrial portfolio, CSI also owns AllTech Pro branded products, which are sold to heavy construction original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors, CSI Bathware, and Great Grabz branded products, which are sold to bathtub OEMs, general contractors, Division 10 and end users, and Earths Natural Alternative branded products, which are sold throughout online e-commerce channels. John Hornberger, CEO of CSI, has been with the organization for over 20 years. John is deeply committed to ensuring a long-term, personal partnership with every customer and vendor that works with the company, no matter their size.

XLCS Partners provided sell-side representation for CSI. Polsinelli and Cozen OConnor provided legal representation for the buyer and seller, respectively.

This document was prepared by CPC Management, LLC for the benefit and internal use of the party to whom it is directly addressed and delivered. None of the materials, nor any content, may be altered in any way, transmitted to, copied, reproduced or distributed in any format in whole or in part to any other party without the express written consent of the Manager, which manages CPC, LLC.

This document does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to purchase or issue interests in or any security or investment product. Any such offer or solicitation will only be made pursuant to a Confidential Private Placement Memorandum (together with any supplements thereto, the Memorandum) and the relevant subscription documents, which will be furnished to qualified investors on a confidential basis at their request for their consideration in connection with the offering. Any decision by an investor to invest in the securities described herein should be made after a careful review of the Memorandum, the conduct of such investigations as an investor deems necessary or appropriate and after consultation with legal, accounting, tax and other advisors in order to make an independent determination of the suitability and consequences of an investment in the securities
2022 Roaring Twenties award from SC Biz News We continue to be grateful for the support of our loyal clients and wonderful REALTORS who go above and beyond to deliver the best in every transaction

Charleston-based boutique real estate firm, The Cassina Group, has been named one of the 40 high-growth companies in South Carolina. The company received the 2022 Roaring Twenties award from SC Biz News, which celebrates the states forty fastest-growing companies. It is the fifth time The Cassina Group has received the award.

We are so honored to have been recognized by SC Biz News as one of South Carolinas fastest-growing companies, said Owen Tyler, managing broker and partner of The Cassina Group. We continue to be grateful for the support of our loyal clients and wonderful REALTORS who go above and beyond to deliver the best in every transaction.

The Cassina Group continually serves as a leader in the Charleston real estate market, a particularly impressive feat given that the boutique firm has just 40 REALTORS. The Roaring Twenties award recognizes the companys growth in 2021, a year in which Cassina closed over $586 million in sales, representing a 52% increase over their unprecedented 2020 sales volume.

For more information on The Cassina Group, please visit CassinaGroup.com.

About The Cassina Group

The Cassina Group is a boutique real estate brokerage with offices in Mount Pleasant, SC, and Charleston, SC. The firm is managed by Owen Tyler, partner and managing broker, and founding partners Jimmy Dye and Robertson Allen. Recent awards include top honors from Charleston Magazine, Inc. 5000, T3 Sixty, and SC Biz News. For more information, visit http://www.CassinaGroup.com or call 843-628-0008.
Utilizing member feedback to power retention and provide better experiences is paramount in the new competitive environment for credit unions  and having an innovative tool to help makes a difference.

CUNA, the Credit Union National Association, has selected Sogolytics to demonstrate SogoCX, their state-of-the-art customer experience management software, during the Speed Rounds at the 2022 CUNA Operations & Member Experience Council and CUNA Technology Council Conference in Las Vegas. Speed Rounds are live, fast-paced, high-impact product demonstrations of innovative technology solutions that help drive credit unions forward. Selection is competitive and few solutions are chosen for this showcase.

Were obviously excited about this opportunity, shared Director of Sales Ian Crowley, who will present the live demo on September 22. Its a great chance to connect with the credit union community and share our experience in improving member experience.

Crowley highlighted that learning from and growing with partners in the credit union space has been instrumental in the development of a unique offering for credit unions. Sogolytics is dedicated to supporting retention and growth in the credit union industry with automation, member journey mapping, integrations, and other experience management tools. SogoCX, designed to focus on member experience, is a powerful and robust platform that reimagines collecting and acting on member feedback at every touchpoint, enabling credit unions to improve member experience, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Utilizing member feedback to power retention and provide better experiences is paramount in the new competitive environment for credit unions  and having an innovative tool to help makes a difference, said Laurie Flanders, VP of Strategic Sales at Sogolytics. The world of banking for credit unions is changing as their footprint is growing larger, and handling member experiences is our focus in order to help make smarter resource investments for improved returns and experiences.

In addition to selection for the live demo rounds, Sogolytics will also be represented in a key breakout session: On September 23, Laurie Flanders will present on why credit union members might switch to a competitor and what credit unions can do to avoid this. When credit unions play to their strengths and adopt the right strategies, says Flanders, they can overcome the challenges they face when competing with legacy banks  such as the perception of more innovative tech, ease of doing business, or better customer support  allowing them to retain existing members while attracting new ones. The session will highlight examples of how some credit unions have effectively utilized member feedback to power their retention strategies.

Crowley and Flanders invite attendees to learn more about Sogolytics during the Speed Rounds on September 22, join the breakout session on September 23, and stop by the Sogolytics booth throughout the event, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas September 21-24.

About Sogolytics

Founded on the belief that better data leads to better decisions, Sogolytics, formerly SoGoSurvey, is on a mission to help make that data accessible to more teams. From customer experience initiatives to employee engagement and all points between, Sogolytics enables organizations to collect the feedback they need to make a difference while having their back every step of the way. Learn more at sogolytics.com.
The 60,000 barrels per day Port Harcourt Refinery was shut in March 2019 for the first phase of repair works.

The Nigerian government on Wednesday said the country's biggest refinery will become functional by December.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the federal executive council meeting held Wednesday.

The 60,000 barrels per day Port Harcourt Refinery was shut in March 2019 for the first phase of repair works after the government secured the service of Italy's Maire Tecnimont to handle the scoping of the refinery complex, with oil major Eni appointed as a technical adviser.

In 2021, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said repairs had started after the federal executive council approved $1.5 billion for the project.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Sylva said the rehabilitation of the refineries is ongoing.

"As we said earlier, the old refinery in Port Harcourt, which is about 60,000 barrels per day capacity, will be functional by December and, of course, we still have some time in the contracting time to conclude the rest of the Port Harcourt refineries," Mr Sylva said.

He said works in the Kaduna and Warri refineries are also progressing well.

"We will soon be embarking on an inspection visit and some of you journalists will be able to go with us to ascertain for yourselves what the extent of work is," he said.

Reacting to a question on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the minister said "The CNG development, it's very much in progress.

"That is part of the promises we made, part of the things we want to put in place before the removal of subsidy. Subsidy has still not been removed because some of these conditions that were agreed upon have not been met and we're definitely working assiduously to ensure that all the facilities are in place, the pumping stations and the conversion kits.

"I can assure you that work is going on very much in that regard. We may not be in a position to announce exactly what we are doing now or where we are, but I can assure you that work is very much ongoing," he said.
Opus 2 and Maxwell Chambers Martin Coen, Chief Executive Officer at Opus 2, said:"We are proud of our close relationship and collaboration with Maxwell Chambers Singapore. We look forward to continuing to build on that partnership to drive innovation and transformation in arbitration proceedings."

Opus 2 congratulates Ban Jiun Ean on his appointment as Chief Executive of Maxwell Chambers Singapore and looks forward to building on the successful partnership and collaboration in Asia-Pacific.

Opus 2, the leader in cloud-based solutions for the legal sector, and Maxwell Chambers, the Singapore-based, integrated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Complex, celebrate seven years of successful partnership and collaboration delivering innovation and transformation in international ADR proceedings. Together, they have enabled hundreds of law firms globally to conduct hassle-free hearings and take advantage of technology to modernise arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Opus 2 and Maxwell Chambers established a partnership in 2016 to offer the multi-award-winning Opus 2 Hearings solution that uniquely combines the shared electronic bundle, evidence presentation (EPE) and Realtime Transcription in a single connected solution. The relationship was strengthened when Opus 2 moved its Asia-Pacific headquarters to become a founding tenant when Maxwell Chambers Suites launched in 2019. The move provided clients with more streamlined support for ongoing proceedings at Maxwell Chambers powered by Opus 2. In 2020, the companies joined forces to rapidly deliver successful virtual and hybrid hearings, providing a secure, seamless solution that combined video conferencing capabilities with Opus 2 Hearings. Maxwell Chambers and Opus 2 have also jointly led the way to develop best practices, build awareness and educate the international arbitration community on successfully adapting to conduct modern, efficient, and hassle-free in-person, hybrid or virtual hearings.

Reflecting on the successful partnership, Ban Jiun Ean, Chief Executive Officer at Maxwell Chambers Singapore, said:

"Our partners are essential in enabling us to offer best-in-class technology and services to our clients. In Opus 2, we have a partner that has not only pioneered the use of technology in dispute hearings but also continuously innovates to modernise ADR proceedings for our clients and us."

Martin Coen, Chief Executive Officer at Opus 2, said:

"We are proud of our close relationship and collaboration with Maxwell Chambers Singapore. We look forward to continuing to build on that partnership to drive innovation and transformation in arbitration proceedings."

Rachel Foxton, Head of Asia-Pacific at Opus 2, said:

"We express our warm thanks to the team at Maxwell Chambers, for their support and close collaboration, which have been essential to our successful and long-standing relationship."

-Ends -

About Maxwell Chambers

Maxwell Chambers is the worlds first integrated dispute resolution complex with best-in-class hearing facilities, the company offers a full suite of digital hearing solutions and support services, providing an end-to-end seamless solution for ADR users. Maxwell Chambers supports complex multi-party, multi-jurisdiction hearings via physical, hybrid or virtual settings 24/7 across the globe. Today, Maxwell Chambers is home to a number of ADR organisations, including the ICC Court of Arbitration, Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC).

About Opus 2

Opus 2 provides game-changing, cloud-based legal technology and services that enable law firms to build the connected digital practices of tomorrow, today. Our solutions allow firms to transform at a pace that fits their business needs, to streamline and connect the different stakeholders end-to-end and deliver greater efficiency, collaboration and insight. Powered by Opus 2, law firms worldwide are delivering innovative, solution-based services that bring their teams, clients and third parties together in a single connected space, so lawyers can focus on what matters most  creating value, differentiation and deeper client engagement. http://www.opus2.com.
Hoffmann Family of Companies logo This exclusive agreement with Smucker is a unique, once in-a-lifetimeopportunity, to leverage our independent strengths for a mutual opportunity and future together. We are honored and very excited to be doing this with The J.M. Smucker Co., Geoff Hoffmann, Co-CEO Hoffmann Family of Companies.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies, a multi-vertical family-owned company with more than 90 brands, through a new subsidiary of Stans Coffee and Food Service, has signed a definitive agreement with The J.M. Smucker Co. to exclusively service and expand Rowland Coffee Roasters more than 1,400 current direct store delivery (DSD) clients in the state of Florida for an initial term of 10 years. The agreement includes the physical assets of the Rowland Coffee

Roasters DSD business, the management of sales of the Cafe Bustelo and Pilon brands for DSD customers in the Florida market and the transition of employees to Hoffmann.

Purchased in 2011 by The J.M. Smucker Co., the Rowland Coffee Roasters business dates back to 1865 and is the producer of leading Latin coffee brands Cafe Bustelo and Pilon coffee, which are currently available in retail stores nationwide and in DSD channels in Florida. This agreement seeks to expand the DSD whole bean offering to additional locations throughout Florida.

Stans Coffee and Food Service offers locally roasted coffee, paper goods, and dry food products throughout the state of Florida, including restaurants, large country clubs, resorts, health care and offices. The addition of offering Cafe Bustelo and Pilon coffee will further expand access for consumers to these outstanding brands, said Bob Payne, President Stans Coffee and Food Services.

The exclusive agreement with the Hoffmann Family of Companies will be an exciting expansion, exposing the brands to more direct store customers and clients. Cafe Bustelo, ranked a top-10 coffee brand and a leading espresso brand in the U.S., and Pilon coffee are part of the ever-growing Latin market, which currently makes up nearly a fifth of the U.S. consumer market.

This exclusive agreement with Smucker is a unique, once in-a-lifetime opportunity, to leverage our independent strengths for a mutual opportunity and future together. We are honored and very excited to be doing this with The J.M. Smucker Co., said Geoff Hoffmann, Co-CEO Hoffmann Family of Companies.

Upon close of the transaction, Stans Coffee will begin the immediate expansion of the Rowland Coffee Roasters brands through its existing DSD clients and channels, while looking to expand further to new customers and clients throughout all of Florida.
We all hope that this video and song will help raise awareness around the globe and raise funds for organizations that are dedicated to supporting womens rights and their reproductive freedom, says Tracy Blackman

In the historic tradition of using music to fuel collective action, longtime musical collaborators and bandmates Tracy Blackman and Tina Bean Blaine  performing together as 2TSpark  announce the release of their song Its My Body on September 17. Featuring Carlos Santana on guitar and Cindy Blackman Santana on drums, the anthem is an impassioned, world-fusion rallying call for womens reproductive rights.

We all hope that this video and song will help raise awareness around the globe and raise funds for organizations that are dedicated to supporting womens rights and their reproductive freedom, says Tracy. After Bean and I recorded the song, with Vicki Randle on backing vocals, my sister Cindy heard it and said she'd put down drum parts. Then my brother-in-law Carlos heard the song. He loved it, couldn't stop playing it. Then he said he wanted to play on it, and the project took off from there.

We wrote Its My Body during a marimba jam in response to the Texas abortion ban that passed in September 2021, Bean says. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we felt an urgency to share this message.

Performing on Its My Body is Tracy Blackman (Tracy Blackman & Friends, DCuCKOO, The Easy Rider Project) on lead vocals, marimba, Tina Bean Blaine (DCuCKOO, Haunted by Waters, Maze Daiko) on marimba, percussion, and backing vocals, Vicki Randle (The Tonight Show, Mavis Staples, Skip the Needle) on backing vocals, Cindy Blackman Santana (Lenny Kravitz, Santana) on drums, Carlos Santana on guitar, and Angeline Saris (Narada Michael Walden, Zepparella) on bass.

Proceeds from sales of the song, available through Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, and many other music services when it drops on September 17th, will benefit NARAL Pro Choice America, National Network of Abortion Funds, NOW (National Organization of Women), and Planned Parenthood.

About the Recording:

2TSparks marimba, djembe, udu, and vocal tracks were recorded using ProTools in Beans studio in Alameda, California, where Vicki Randle joined them to provide additional vocals. Session files were sent to Studio A in Las Vegas to record the guitar and drums respectively performed by Carlos Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana. From there, the tracks went back to the Bay Area, where Angeline Saris added her bass guitar, bringing it all together. Jim Reitzel (head engineer for Narada Michael Waldens Tarpan Studios) oversaw the mix. Video artist Pons Maar produced the video.
The International Dispute Resolution Centre Martin Coen, Chief Executive Officer at Opus 2 said:"We have led in hearing room design for dispute resolution for the past decade. We are delighted to be working with the IDRC to continue to drive innovation in hearing rooms as the market continues to embrace hybrid hearings."

The International Dispute Resolution Centre in London, a leading global dispute resolution centre, and Opus 2, the leader in cloud-based solutions for the legal sector, have today announced a joint venture to fit out a state-of-the-art flagship hearing room in IDRCs dispute resolution centre in London. The purpose-built hearing room will deliver the highest quality, connected experience for all participants in a hearing.

IDRC and Opus 2 have pioneered technology to deliver some of the most advanced and modern hearing facilities for international arbitration for the last decade. On average, 300+ hearings are conducted yearly at the IDRC using Opus 2 Hearings, which uniquely integrates the transcription, evidence presentation and shared bundles in a single connected solution to provide a seamless experience for all users in the venue and joining remotely.

The new flagship hearing room at IDRC's new premises in London will feature bespoke designs for furniture, layout and hardware designed and developed by Opus 2 to deliver the highest quality experience for participants in the room. In addition to the seamless experience of using Opus 2 Hearings, parties will benefit from clear sight lines, state of the art audio and the versatility of a purpose-built space with integrated screens and customisable views.

Damian Hickman, Chief Executive Officer at IDRC, said:

"We are excited to once again lead the way in modernising and enhancing the hearing room experience with our partner, Opus 2."

Martin Coen, Chief Executive Officer at Opus 2 said:

"We have led in hearing room design for dispute resolution for the past decade. We are delighted to be working with the IDRC to continue to drive innovation in hearing rooms as the market continues to embrace hybrid hearings."

The new hearing room will be available from 2023. For more information on IDRC and their facilities, visit http://www.idrc.co.uk. For more information about Opus 2 Hearings, visit http://www.opus2.com/hearings.

-Ends-

About IDRC

Established in 2000 and now located in an enviable position overlooking the iconic St. Pauls Cathedral- the IDRC is one of the worlds leading global facilities at which to conduct arbitrations and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution. For more information, visit http://www.idrc.co.uk

About Opus 2

Opus 2 provides game-changing, cloud-based legal technology and services that enable law firms to build the connected digital practices of tomorrow, today. Our solutions allow firms to transform at a pace that fits their business needs, to streamline and connect the different stakeholders end-to-end and deliver greater efficiency, collaboration and insight. Powered by Opus 2, law firms worldwide are delivering innovative, solution-based services that bring their teams, clients and third parties together in a single connected space, so lawyers can focus on what matters most  creating value, differentiation and deeper client engagement. http://www.opus2.com.
By improving our management of data, JTC is allowing us to put more focus on the project level, said Richard Kent, President of Avistone. Relying on their accounting and administrative expertise will help us provide a better experience for our investors.

JTC has entered into an agreement to provide fund administration services for Avistones Strategic Fund I. JTC will lend its industry-leading technology, data management, world-class service and expertise to the funds portfolio of investments.

Founded in 2013, Avistone is a commercial real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition and operation of multi-tenant industrial and hotel properties. To date, Avistone has acquired and managed more than 4 million square feet of flex/industrial properties and more than 380 hotel rooms in California, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and Florida.

Avistones Strategic Fund I is focused on acquiring hotels in major leisure and business travel markets, with a specific eye on seasonality. Targeting a 3-5 year investment holding period, the fund currently has 3 hotels and a $50-$100 million target raise.

JTC Americas, the North American arm of worldwide financial services leader JTC, delivers purpose-built, scalable technology-driven solutions for private equity funds. Offering an award-winning investor portal with 24/7 access, customizable solutions, and a global reach, JTC enables funds of all sizes to achieve greater efficiency, reduced operational risk, and higher investor confidence.

Prior to working with JTC, Avistone had performed all fund accounting functions in-house, resulting in massive Excel spreadsheets to keep track of hundreds of investors and a lot of lost time and resources. Thanks to JTCs data-first aggregation methods that employ artificial intelligence to integrate data faster, Avistone can focus on the project level while leaving accounting functions to JTCs experts.

By improving our management of data, JTC is allowing us to put more focus on the project level, said Richard Kent, President of Avistone. Relying on their accounting and administrative expertise will help us provide a better experience for our investors.

Avistones real estate focus and meticulous investment strategy make them perfect for JTCs PE fund administration solution, said Reid Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Director of JTC Americas. Were ready to apply our industry-leading technology to improve investor relations and help their back-office functions run smoothly while they focus on finding quality properties and generating competitive returns.

To learn more about JTC Americas Private Equity fund administration solution, please visit jtcamericas.com/private-equity.

About JTC Americas

JTC Americas is the North American division of JTC Group, a publicly listed, global professional services business with over 1,300 employees across 30 offices and a 34-year track record providing fund, corporate and private client services. Every JTC employee is an owner of the business, and this cultural element helps align our corporate interests with those of our stakeholders.

JTC Americas is the industry leader in Specialty Financial Administration, providing purpose-built solutions to markets characterized by high administrative and regulatory complexity, elevated transaction security needs, and challenging compliance requirements. This includes tax-advantaged investments (1031 Exchange, Delaware Statutory Trust), impact & ESG (EB-5, Opportunity Zones), and alternative investments in the U.S. and abroad (AIFM, ManCo, fund of funds). Combining these specialized, technology-based solutions with JTC Groups global reach, JTC Americas provides an unprecedented level of support and scalability for clients of all sizes.

To learn more, visit JTCAmericas.com.
"Its heartening to see that Americans continue to value the work of the United Nations, in Ukraine and across the world.

Better World Campaign President Peter Yeo issued the following statement on new polling results, as the 77th United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York City:

During a year when the impact of Russias war in Ukraine has been felt throughout the world, American support for the United Nations is on the rise. The UNs favorability rose to 62% in 2022, up from 56% in 2021.

The poll, conducted earlier this month by the bipartisan team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Better World Campaign, also showed a significant increase in support for the UNs operations in Ukraine when the scope of that work is presented to voters. Initially, a majority of voters (52%) said the UN is playing an important role in Ukraine. After hearing 7 types of assistance the UN has provided or is currently providing, 63% considered the UNs work important --an 11-point jump. When asked to choose the most important UN functions in Ukraine, establishing humanitarian safe zones and delivering aid was rated the UNs most important function, followed by caring for refugees, and monitoring Ukraines nuclear facilities.

More than 6 in 10 Americans believe that the U.S. should be paying its UN dues on time and in full, a finding consistent with past years. 69% agree that the UN is an organization still needed today, unchanged from 2021.

The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the complex global challenges facing our world today, like growing food insecurity and global health threats. Its heartening to see that Americans continue to value the work of the United Nations, in Ukraine and across the world.

The national telephone poll (76% cell phones) was conducted September 1-8, 2022 and surveyed N=800 registered voters; 39% identify as Republicans and 39% identify as Democrats. 20% of those surveyed were unaffiliated or independent. The poll has a margin of error of +/-3.46 percent unless otherwise noted.

Executive Summary: https://betterworldcampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/220530-BWC-UNF-National-Survey-Key-Findings-Memo-Final.pdf

Full Results: https://betterworldcampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/220530-National-Omni-UNF-Interview-Schedule-FINAL-PRESS.pdf

About the Better World Campaign

The Better World Campaign, an initiative of the Better World Fund, works to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the United Nations. It encourages U.S. leadership to enhance the UNs ability to carry out its invaluable international work on behalf of peace, progress, freedom, and justice. For more information, visit betterworldcampaign.org.
BOCA Communications, an award-winning digital PR agency for B2B high-tech and MedTech innovators, shares that BOCA Founder and CEO Kathleen Shanahan will be the guest speaker for this Fridays #FridayForum live interview series, hosted by PRSA of Silicon Valley. The event brings together leaders in the public relations industry to share their experiences with an interactive audience via Facebook Live and other social channels. This weeks theme is Own Your Own Business, Create Your Own Future. Shanahan will discuss her journey and how it has led her to where she is today.

Previous #FridayForum speakers have included Margot Edelman, Heather Craft, Meghan Fintland, and Rae DAgnillo, among others. #FridayForum podcasts are available on Buzzsprout, Apple and Spotify.

What: PRSA Silicon Valley #FridayForum live interview series

Who: Moderated by PRSA Silicon Valley President Vanessa Yanez and featuring BOCA CEO and Founder Kathleen Shanahan

When: Friday, September 16, 2022, 11 a.m. PST - 12 p.m. PST

Where: Online via PRSA Silicon Valleys LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube channels.

Event Details: #FridayForum is a weekly virtual event hosted by PRSA of Silicon Valley. Each week, a guest is invited to participate in an interactive industry team meeting where they can speak about their experiences in the public relations world and beyond. Audience members will have an opportunity to interact and engage with speakers as well as ask questions.

For this weeks How I Got Here series, Shanahan will be speaking on the theme Own Your Own Business, Create Your Own Future. As CEO and founder of BOCA Communications, a leading digital communications agency that caters to B2B high-tech and MedTech brands, Shanahan is proud of her take-no-prisoners attitude and the fact that she created a PR agency that operates like a demand-generation agency.

Most recently, BOCA rolled out a new education curriculum, BOCA Elevate, to support its concept of thinking like a demand-generation agency. With BOCA Elevate, BOCA strengthens its commitment to providing next-level client service by educating every BOCA employee on digital PR, inbound marketing, and RevOps (Revenue Operations) concepts related to marketing communications.

About Kathleen Shanahan

A California native with an entrepreneurial spirit, Shanahan is the CEO and founder of BOCA Communications. Before turning her efforts to BOCA, which debuted in 2008, Shanahan worked as a vice president at Eastwick, now Hotwire, and Schwartz MSL. She also oversaw global corporate communications for Wind River Systems, where she worked alongside the CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, and other executives to set corporate and product strategies. Shanahan, with other Wind River executives, underwent a category-creation exercise and successfully transitioned the company from a midmarket embedded systems software organization to a billion-dollar brand delivering device software optimization.

Shanahan is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and holds two bachelors  one in the History of Art and the other in History.

About BOCA Communications

BOCA Communications is an award-winning digital public relations agency that caters to B2B high-tech and MedTech innovators. BOCA integrates inbound marketing and RevOps principles into its overall offering, which helps marketers reach their goals and drive business impact. Its services include category creation, creative campaign development, high-impact content creation, and measurable insight that builds brands, drives profitability, and ultimately grows business.

BOCAs client base includes companies in the B2B high-tech, BioTech, and MedTech industries, from VC-backed innovators to global publicly traded companies. The BOCA team comprises a diverse group of tenacious and dedicated professionals whose number-one priority is client satisfaction. BOCA is headquartered in San Francisco with a virtual workforce spread across the United States. Additional information can be found at BOCA.com.

Media contact:

Taylor Byers

bocabeat@bocacommunications.com
2022 McLaren GT The vehicle has a starting price of $219,690.

Customers at McLaren Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, can now get their hands on the 2022 McLaren GT Pioneer. This two-door coupe comes with a four-liter engine with seven-speed automatic transmission.

The vehicle has the following features-



Jet black leather interior

Power adjust heated memory seats

Power adjust memory steering column

Leather steering wheel

Electromagnetic roof

Front and rear parking sensors

Backup camera and more.

The vehicle has a starting price of $219,690. Prospective buyers can trade in their old vehicle and use the value obtained to purchase the 2022 McLaren GT Pioneer. Customers can also apply for an auto loan at the dealership online. They are required to fill out an online application form and submit it. The dealership will work with various banks and lending organizations to tailor a loan package that is suitable for the customers. After their desired loan amount is approved, customers are free to buy a vehicle of their choice.

All interested parties are encouraged to visit https://www.mclarenchicago.com/ or call 312-635-6482 for more information. They can also visit the dealership at 645 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL.
Students in St. John the Baptist Parish's Jump Start Summers Program took their newly acquired GIS knowledge to the open-ended sky on an interactive field trip (photo by L'Observateur). We know that by offering a GIS Industry-Based Certification, we can develop students into lifelong learners who will be able to live, compete, and successfully function in a global society. -- Fran Harvey

Students in St. John the Baptist Parish's Jump Start Summers Program took their newly acquired Geographic Information Systems (GIS) knowledge to the open-ended sky on an interactive field trip to the Executive Regional Airport in Reserve this summer. After learning about the practical applications of GIS technology through the Baton Rouge-based Global Geospatial Institute (GGI), the trip gave the students hands-on experience in the growing field as pilots guided them through a pre-flight briefing and offered them the experience of a lifetime behind the wheel of an aircraft.

Due to GGI's extensive and successful outreach, GIS educational opportunities are on the rise in Louisiana. The non-profit's initiatives teach students to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and display spatial or geographical data. St. John's Jump Start Summers program is the latest partnership in a long list of GGI's educational opportunities. In the past, GGI has partnered with the Louisiana Geographic Educators Alliance, the City of Baton Rouge, Mighty Maps Institute, and area high school and middle schools to immerse students in the world and technology of GIS.

A trailblazer in GIS education, GGI offers the only accredited program approved by the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council to teach students GIS technology in an industry-based certification program. Students who complete a one-semester course in GIS can earn an industry-based certification and can work as GIS Assistants or Technicians. Further GIS experience can lead to jobs in fields ranging from criminal justice to disaster management to travel and tourism.

GGI works directly with K-12 students at their schools to demonstrate the real-world applications of GIS technology and Remote Sensing (RS) science. Working with approximately 42 Louisiana school districts and their students, teachers, and educators to foster GIS opportunities, GGI participates in numerous high school career nights. Some of these career nights, such as the one at Lamar Dixon, where over 1000 students attended and learned about GIS IBCs, reveal the tremendous interest in this technology. GGI participates annually at Southeastern Louisiana University's STEM Fest. In addition, GGI participated in STEM Day at River Parishes Community College, an event co-sponsored by Girl Scouts Louisiana East. At this event, 54 girl scouts experienced a college environment and participated in hands-on activities featuring Esri StoryMaps, science, technology, engineering, and math. Activities included virtual welding, environmental science, and geographic information system technology.

GGI understands that high school programs succeed best when GIS has been introduced at an early age. "Middle school is an ideal time to incorporate a robust GIS program to help young minds develop critical thinking, project-based learning and service learning, all strong components of spatial thinking and the multidisciplinary aspects that GIS has to offer," GGI Founder and Director Fran Harvey said, "One of GGI's popular middle school projects is with the Mighty Maps Institute, a core foundational professional development service that teaches educators how to utilize the ArcGIS technology platform and begins with lesson plans for 3rd graders." Recently, GGI partnered with Esri, a global leader in location intelligence, so that students could explore a range of other subjects using ArcGIS Storymap technology. Esri supports GGI's educational initiatives by holding the ArcGIS Online Competition for US High Schools and Middle schools. This year, Louisiana's middle school entry, Maya Trutschi, Caddo Middle School, was the national winner in the middle school category. States that participated were awarded $100 to the five best high schools and five best middle schools in their respective. states.

Students who have completed the GIS Entry Level Course from Global Geospatial Institute can take the GIS Entry Level Technician Certification exam online. Agriculture Education Services and Technology, Inc., through Florida Farm Bureau, administers the exam.

As part of GGI's industry partner relationship, the institute helps students earn internship opportunities with their industry partners. The internships are in several WIC-approved high-demand industry sectors such as Information Technology, Transportation, and Logistics. According to the Louisiana Department of Education's "Louisiana Believes" website, these internships are identified as Career Development Fund (CDF) Qualifying Internships.

Harvey said students get hands-on experience and career training through this program that isn't available elsewhere. "We really like the model for several reasons. It's intensive, but they are in a lab environment, which is what's best for learning and improving GIS skills. They end up offering peer support to each other, which is really valuable and what we like to see," Harvey said. "The field trip to Port of South airport is one example of how the program tries to immerse students in an interactive environment with plenty of peer support. A special thank you to the GIS Jump Start Program Coordinator, Shannon Magee, and Facilitator, Beverly Reed, who were instrumental in setting up and organizing this field trip."

Parental involvement had positively influenced the program's success over the years. Because the program has high standards, including a prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or higher and a strict attendance policy, the student makes a commitment to succeed. "We know that by offering a GIS Industry-Based Certification, we can develop students into lifelong learners who will be able to live, compete, and successfully function in a global society. Students must arrive at the lab on time or risk being kicked out of the program," Harvey said. "Our students want to be in class, they are serious about learning, and it shows. Ms. Magee goes to great lengths to attract students to the program and to clearly communicate the expectations of the program to the interested students and their parents. This level of involvement from a district coordinator makes all the difference in the summer program being a success."

About GGI

GGI performs educational outreach as the only accredited entity approved by Louisiana Workforce Investment Council to educate Louisiana students for an Industry-Based Certification program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GGI's education initiatives include partnerships with the Louisiana Geographic Educators Alliance, the city of Baton Rouge, and the Mighty Maps Institute. The organization's goal is to place GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) technology in the hands of as many students as possible.
Hamilton is proud to continue our Isuzu territory expansion and support customers in New Mexico, said Brad Borchers, President of Hamilton Power.

Hamilton Power Solutions is pleased to announce the expansion of our Southwest-based distribution territory that will now include the state of New Mexico for Isuzu Diesel Engines.

This territory expands the footprint of Hamilton in the Southwest and builds on an already strong relationship with Isuzu Diesel in North America. It will be supported by our experienced team across the organization.

Hamilton is proud to continue our Isuzu territory expansion and support customers in New Mexico, said Brad Borchers, President, Hamilton Power. Weve invested heavily into our diesel engine distribution strategy by adding parts, service, engineering, and training resources to our team and will continue to invest to better support the great customers in our new territory.

Isuzu continues to deliver the most reliable, eco-friendly, durable, and technologically advanced products in the industry with world-class customer service in new areas through Hamilton in North America, said Ken Martin, Executive Director, Sales & Supply Chain, Isuzu. Hamiltons expansion for us into Michigan and now New Mexico is compatible with our strategy to add additional support to these growing markets and provide a level of service that our customers appreciate.

About Hamilton Power Solutions

Hamilton is a distributor for Deutz, Isuzu, and Scania industrial diesel engines and drivetrain solution provider for the off-highway industry. With locations in Sun Prairie, WI and Portland, OR, and a network of over 120 authorized dealers across our territory, we provide comprehensive sales, service & engineering support to customers ranging from off-highway equipment OEMs to end-users operating the critical-need equipment powered by the product we design, build & support. Additional information about Hamilton Power Solutions can be found online at http://www.hamiltonpower.com.

About Isuzu Diesel

Isuzu Diesel -- Isuzu Motors America, LLCs PowerTrain Division -- is known for its reliable, eco-friendly, durable, and technologically advanced diesel and alternative fuel engines and power units. Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, Isuzu Diesel is the distributor of Isuzu diesel and alternative fuel engines in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Isuzu Motors America, LLC is a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Limited, one of the worlds largest manufacturers of diesel engines. Additional information about Isuzu products can be found on the following websites: http://www.isuzuengines.com and http://www.IsuzuREDTech.com.
On this year's International Day of Democracy, 15 September, there isn't much to celebrate in a region where coups are just the top of the iceberg.

West Africa's crisis of democracy doesn't stand in a vacuum, though. It is part of a global trend and mirrors the competition between Western promoted liberal democracy on the one hand, and autocratic models of governance that display some level of economic performance on the other hand. In this regard, President Talon's open stance for authoritarianism as a "necessary sacrifice" for economic development resonates with a popular argument that takes China, Russia, Turkey or Rwanda as examples to follow.

In a 30 August encounter with France's top business association, President Patrice Talon of Benin signaled clear reservations about democratic norms and values. Moving away from the classic pretence of politicians, he told his audience he had no intention to "uphold democratic expression" as this could "lead to anarchy", and described "authoritarian measures" as "necessary" to ensure the country's economic development.

These statements have raised alarm in Benin, a country once considered a model of democratic transition in West Africa. They resonate with long-standing concerns over democratic backsliding, consistently voiced by the national civil society and political actors since Talon's first election in 2016. In six years, a combination of institutional and legal reforms has checkered the country's balance of power, with the election of a unicolor National Assembly, the suppression of dissident voices, and unprecedented shrinking of basic workers' rights.

At the regional level, though, Talon's comments haven't triggered much of an outcry. They hardly stand out in a West African neighbourhood that is undergoing a profound crisis of democracy. As the world celebrates International Day of Democracy, this 15 September, stakeholders in the region have much to reflect upon.

The return of military coups in Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Guinea (September 2021) and Burkina Faso (January 2022) is but the top of the iceberg. Many of these coups received, at least initially, significant levels of popular support in capital cities and beyond, reflecting citizen's disenchantment with the facade democratic systems that have failed to deliver better governance or public goods.

In Mali, three decades of ineffective governance since the 1991, and the ousting of Moussa Traore's military regime, have equated democracy with poor government performance and elite state capture in the eyes of many. Unreliable electoral processes have made matters worse by undermining citizens' trust in elections as an accountability mechanism, while reinforcing the sense that a democratic fool's game is holding the people hostage to a corrupt few.

After the 2020 coup, which followed yet another electoral crisis, the international community's insistence on speedy elections, above all else, reflected a failure to appreciate the disillusion of Malians with empty-shell elections and contributed to stirring them further away from democratic preference. In May this year, an opinion survey conducted in urban centres across the country found that only 3% of respondents wanted the transitional authorities to prioritise elections. Variations based on respondents' geographic locations or levels of education were nominal, but the gap, with dominant opinion among Mali's Western partners, is abyssal.

In Guinea, former President Alpha Conde's constitutional tweaking to remain in power for a third term provided the platform for the September 2021 military takeover. A similar move by Cote d'Ivoire's Alassane Ouattara was more successful, as he managed to secure a third term. Despite domestic outcries, neither attempt was challenged by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The organisation's protocols for democracy and good governance condemn unconstitutional changes of government, such as military coups, but not constitutional manipulations by incumbents willing to overstay in power. This apparent double-standard weakens ECOWAS' moral high-ground when it comes to enforcing democratic norms and values in the region.

Across the region, confiscation of the political space by the executive branch of governments is compounded by shrinking freedoms of speech and of the press. Military transitions in Mali and Guinea have both asserted firm grips on public narratives over the countries' political and security situations, using public and social media, and arresting individuals with dissonant voices.

In 2015, one year after former President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compare was forced out of office, following the attempt to change the constitution to further extend his 27-year rule, the regional bloc considered formally restricting presidential terms across its member states. But Togo and Gambia, both led by multi-mandate heads of state at that time, vetoed the reform.

The banalisation of the third - or more - presidential terms is symptomatic of executive aggrandisement, another trait of democratic backsliding. Two of West Africa's democratic flagship countries could be next: Benin and Senegal.

Consistent with his recent statements, Benin's President Talon has embarked on a meticulous crusade to unravel the country's democratic space, using terrorism-related charges to imprison political opponents, placing loyals at the head of key institutions, and erecting political barriers to stop opposition parties from running for office. This resulted in the election of a mono-color National Assembly in 2021, which he could easily manipulate to grab a third term in 2026.

Senegal, the other beacon of democracy in the region and the only West African state that has never experienced a military coup since independence, could also be on the hook. In 2012, Macky Sall became president by beating in the polls a predecessor who tried to seek a third mandate. Yet, he doesn't exclude trying his luck for the same goal in 2024. The recent election of a majority opposition parliament makes such an attempt more difficult, but not impossible.

Across the region, confiscation of the political space by the executive branch of governments is compounded by shrinking freedoms of speech and of the press. Military transitions in Mali and Guinea have both asserted firm grips on public narratives over the countries' political and security situations, using public and social media, and arresting individuals with dissonant voices. Foreign involvement in state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and the outright banishment of critical media houses further raise the alarm.

Concerns over slimming the civic space and democratic fragility exist, even in countries under civilian rule. Some have described Niger as a new beacon of democratic stability in the region after the country's first peaceful transfer of power from one elected president to the other in April 2021. But it was a close call, as the country escaped a coup attempt on the eve of President Bazoum's inauguration, and human rights defenders continue to voice concerns over the shrinking freedom of assembly in the country.

Fundamental evolutions in political cultures are necessary to restore inclusion and participation as cardinal values. These evolutions must translate in more productive economic dividends and improved access to basic social services for the people. Only by effectively delivering more quality government will democracy overcome the narrative that depicts it as impotent or a luxury that only rich countries can afford.

As earlier ISS research showed, ruling elites have also used financial and political barriers to monopolise the polls. Electoral legislation that requires aspirants to present expensive deposits or gather endorsements from ruling party members have become common place, either in Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, or Senegal. Under the guise of consolidating the overcrowded landscape of political parties, they effectively foster a culture of exclusion and consolidate ruling party hegemony.

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West Africa's crisis of democracy doesn't stand in a vacuum, though. It is part of a global trend and mirrors the competition between Western promoted liberal democracy on the one hand, and autocratic models of governance that display some level of economic performance on the other hand. In this regard, President Talon's open stance for authoritarianism as a "necessary sacrifice" for economic development resonates with a popular argument that takes China, Russia, Turkey or Rwanda as examples to follow.

Restoring the faith of West Africans in democracy will take more than the procedural practice of umpteenth elections and outraged condemnations from liberal countries. To win back opinions, democracy must deliver. Responsive governance must follow formal elections and produce tangible improvements in people's lives.

Fundamental evolutions in political cultures are necessary to restore inclusion and participation as cardinal values. These evolutions must translate in more productive economic dividends and improved access to basic social services for the people. Only by effectively delivering more quality government will democracy overcome the narrative that depicts it as impotent or a luxury that only rich countries can afford.

Regional organisations can help by displaying consistency in their support for democratic norms and values. This requires taking as firm stances against constitutional manipulations as against military takeovers.

International promoters of liberal democracies should also refrain from blanket assumptions of 'coups contagions' that minimise the specify of national circumstances. The tools rulers use to erode democracy might be circulating across the region, but the root causes why it works are invariably grounded in unique national contexts.

Ornella Moderan, an independent researcher, writes from Bamako, Mali.
In the wake of efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Congress has introduced bipartisan legislation that would update the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Lawmakers are seeking to establish clear directives on who can submit a states electors, the role of the vice president in presiding over the electoral count, and limitations on the ability of state legislatures to override a states popular vote.

With the flurry of legislation and a Pew Research Poll showing increasing support for selecting the president by nationwide popular vote, the A-Mark Foundations deep dive into the origins and function of the Electoral College offers a starting point for the discussion, available at electoralcollegeinfo.org. A new A-Mark quiz on the electoral college helps people understand just how much they know about it.

Although the term Electoral College does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, the elector concept is covered in Article II, Section 1.

Electors are apportioned by population. But an analysis of state population vs. the number of electoral votes shows that some states have more representation than others. Each of Wisconsins three electoral votes corresponds to 189,433 people, amounting to 258% of the national average. Californians get the least state elector power because the state has 678,945 people per electoral vote, which is 72% of the national average.

One reason that people debate the legitimacy of the Electoral College is that five candidates have won the presidency despite losing the popular vote (8.5% of US presidential elections): John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, Benjamin Harrison in 1888, George W. Bush in 2000, and Donald Trump in 2016.

In addition to an overview of how the Electoral College was established, the A-Mark Foundations website explores rules for electors, pros and cons of using this method, alternative voting options, and laws on faithless electors (electors who do not cast a vote as pledged).

The A-Mark Foundation is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) private operating foundation that has researched, funded, and disseminated factual reports to advance education, discussion, and debate since 1997. A full roster of the Foundations research may be found at amarkfoundation.org, including its website examining the 2020 presidential election.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against HDMC Holdings, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against HDMC Holdings, LLC alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against HDMC Holdings, LLC is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court, Case No. CIVSB2215762. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, HDMC Holdings, LLC allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, (f) failed to provide wages when due, and (g) failed to pay sick pay wages, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  201-204, 226, 226.7, 233, 246, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

According to the lawsuit filed, HDMC Holdings, LLC allegedly failed to accurately record Plaintiff and California Class Members' full time worked. Employees submitted to mandatory drug testing, among other testing, as a condition of employment. Employees were working off the clock while submitting to mandatory testing. Additionally, Plaintiff's off-duty meal breaks were occasionally interrupted by work assignments.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against HDMC Holdings, LLC, 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.

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Lance Lamons had an awakening that made him realize that all things have consciousness and anyone can, if they awaken to that side of themselves, have a relationship with any place, thing or condition. He wanted to share this experience with whoever might find it and poetry seemed to be the perfect venue. It is for this reason he releases Play with the Moon: A Collection of New Age Poems (published by AuthorHouse).

A collection of new age poetry conveys the idea that there is an invisible essence in all things that is mysterious and friendly, this book seeks to reveal between the lines a message of inspired eternality and some of the moody drifting along the way. It has an approach of underlining aliveness in all things and yet acknowledges the waves of time that may cause other experiences. Each time the book is read, it will reveal deeper levels of meaning. It also has an element of whimsy and playfulness.

An excerpt from the poem Flame of Spirit reads:

Initiating spirit draws the flame,

Arousing flames through soul,

Like a burning star beside me

Letting the afflatus glow.

This book looks at a part of human consciousness that remains hidden in most but is what all of us are truly seeking, rather we know it or not,Lamons says. When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, he answers, I want readers to discover what the poems mean to them. Just as all things are alive so poems can interact with people. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/843861-play-with-the-moon

Play with the Moon: A Collection of New Age Poems

By Lance Lamons

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 178 pages | ISBN 9781665565127

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 178 pages | ISBN 9781665565134

E-Book | 178 pages | ISBN 9781665565141

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Coming from a small town in southern California, Lance Lamons went through high school, the military and then opened a business that collapsed due to unseen circumstances. After that, he made his way into the corporate management world and then lived in Hawaii for many years. It was a very normal life with family and friends but along the way, something very unusual happened. He met a modern-day mystic that changed his life forever. Poetry and literature seemed to be the last thing that would manifest yet something from within started edging its way to the surface. One day, while living in the mountains, he was driving in the snow and was stopped by a herd of elk crossing the road that went on and on and on, seemly to never stop. Where did they all come from, he wondered? It seemed to be an endless flow of life. From that point, poems and literature began to pour forth and after 30 years of writing, it is about time to share them with the world.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 833-262-8899.
While assessing significant issues of today, Steve Soderlind ponders several enduring questions. Does prosperity thrive best with minimal, timid government? Can a new social norm, more devoted to justice and less to unfettered liberty, lead to a workable political consensus? Might a blossoming of fresh thinking bring America back to the table of respectful compromise? Soderlind wanted to provide a relatively balanced view of justice and prosperity in light of these important questions and it is for this reason he writes Better Prosperity: On Justice and Affluence in America (published by Archway Publishing).

This timely and thoughtful volume tracks the American experiment with special attention to justice and prosperity. Its wide-ranging survey begins with historical notes and culminates with reflections on 21st century chaos and confusion. Lies, fabrications, and simplistic thinking now complicate and confuse the nation  to the despair of millions. In that light, this essay imagines frontiers of justice, based on truth and intelligence that might kindle a workable consensus and a brighter era of affluence. Referencing germane insights from economics, sociology, psychology, and social choice, the issue is whether justice and prosperity might come together in a virtuous cycle. Soderlind is cautiously hopeful, noting barriers and obstructions that are likely to threaten any such blossoming.

The 21st century found the nation increasingly polarized over job losses, abortion, immigration, and race. Millions of Americans faced epidemics of addiction, obesity, violence, and infectious COVID-19. And, as if that were not enough, several long-term threats prodded: rising seas, destructive fires, and unprecedented storms. America became fertile ground for social tensions and people are deeply concerned about Americas future, often despairing and confused by the predicaments at hand. This book is readable and thoughtful as it speaks the major issues of our day, Soderlind says.

When asked what he wants readers to take way from the book, Soderlind answers, As a primer, this book surveys a vast territory, spotting grand features and encouraging deeper investigation. It clearly urges a new political consensus more inclined to justice that preserves the Constitution and its aspiration to form a perfect Union. I hope that readers will appreciate the portrait, questions, and prompts as they investigate in more depth. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/840925-better-prosperity

Better Prosperity: On Justice and Affluence in America

By Steve Soderlind

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 272 pages | ISBN 9781665727341

Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 272 pages | ISBN 9781665727358

E-Book | 272 pages | ISBN 9781665727365

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Steve Soderlind is professor emeritus at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. Over 40-some years of teaching, he specialized in urban and regional economics, history of economic thought, and social choice. He also led international travel studies and taught across the curriculum in statistics, great works, and history of science. His degrees include a B.A. in mathematics and economics from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957.
Dr. Paul Dionne

NJ Top Dentist, Dr. Paul L. Dionne specializes in general dentistry and full-mouth rehabilitation at his practice, Glen Ridge Dental Arts & North Jersey Dental Sleep Medicine.

Recently, Dr. Dionne became a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dentists who are Diplomates of the ABDSM have demonstrated that they have the skills and knowledge essential for the delivery of excellent patient care.

According to the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, The ABDSM believes higher standards for dental sleep medicine translate into better care for patients and greater accountability. The ABDSM credential is widely recognized as the gold standard for excellence in dental sleep medicine.

Dr. Paul L. Dionnes dental practice is founded on the beliefs of active listening and communication with patients. Both of these key principles help Dr. Dionne cultivate strong relationships so he can serve patients to the best of his ability.

Dr. Dionne is also community-oriented and located across the street from Mountainside Medical Hospital, where he serves on the staff overseeing dental residents.

To learn more about Dr. Paul L. Dionne, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-dentists/paulldionnedmd/

About Us

NJ Top Dentists is a division of NJ Top Docs. NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted.

NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment.

For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
The markets significant shift to remote or hybrid work is one of the top challenges many organizations face today. My partners are in a great position to help their customers navigate through this change with managed cloud solutions from RapidScale.

RapidScale, a Cox Business company, welcomed LisaMarie Lancer to the company as a cloud solutions consultant for Florida. Lancer is responsible for supporting and consulting with agents in her region, helping to drive more cloud opportunities to accelerate their businesses. She will be reporting to Director of Sales, East Brian Baker, and will play an instrumental role in helping channel agents deliver innovative cloud solutions to their customers and meet the IT needs of organizations.

A tech veteran and seasoned sales leader, Lancer has over 15 years of extensive experience in partner relations, IT consulting, and solution sales. She has technical expertise in networking, virtualization, and enterprise software. Prior to RapidScale, Lancer held sales director and manager roles at prestigious companies including Accenture, Global Communication Networks, Splunk, and Citrix. She has an excellent track record for building solid relationships with her partners and customers, always bringing value to each step in the sales process from discovery, evaluation and configuration to implementation and onboarding. Her skills in sales operations, strategic partnerships, and sales enablement will greatly help existing and emerging partners in her region.

Im looking forward to what LisaMarie will bring to the table for her partners, said Baker. The success shes had in her career demonstrates that she can quickly understand her customers needs and seek a solution that best fits their business. Were thrilled to have a sales leader of her caliber join our team.

The markets significant shift to remote or hybrid work is one of the top challenges many organizations face today. My partners are in a great position to help their customers navigate through this change with managed cloud solutions from RapidScale, said Lancer. Im excited to be a part of an innovative team that is dedicated to helping partners accelerate their cloud businesses.

About RapidScale

For IT and business leaders looking to scale, secure, and simplify their IT, RapidScale, a Cox Business Company, is the next-generation managed cloud services provider that aggregates best-in-class cloud technology under a single management portal, enabling IT to accomplish more and providing an exceptional end-user experience. By delivering simple and secure access to company data and applications from anywhere, any time, on any device, RapidScale sets itself apart from other cloud providers through its team of technology experts, award-winning end-user customer support, flexible co-management options, and easy-to-use management portal. For more information on RapidScale, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.

About Cox Business

Cox Communications owns Cox Business and is a facilities-based provider of voice, video, and data solutions for commercial customers. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at http://www.cox.com.

The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business, provides voice, data, and video services for more than 355,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including health care providers, K12 and higher education; financial institutions; and federal, state and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top-tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. For more information, please visit http://www.coxbusiness.com.

Media Contact

Nikki Salazar

RapidScale, a Cox Business Company

nikki.salazar@rapidscale.net
Bringing political ideology into clinical practice puts providers in a position of having to violate the most basic standard of care, which is to do no harm.

A Viewpoint published in JAMA Pediatrics asserts that the numerous bills filed in 2021 and 2022 seeking to block access to gender-affirming care for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents have far-reaching repercussions for clinicians who work in gender-affirming care and for the broader medical community. The potential effects on clinicians include decline in personal health and well-being in addition to professional implications ranging from loss of licensure and income to criminal prosecution. The broader medical community faces the prospect of seeing fewer clinicians enter the field of transgender health as well as a sharp reduction in the current workforce dedicated to providing gender-affirming care.

Much of the response to these bills, which includes advocacy to defeat them, rightly focuses on the devastating effects they are having on TGD youth and their families, said senior author Dr. Alex S. Keuroghlian, who directs the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Gender Identity Program. In addition, the potential for personal and professional harm to clinicians is significant and should also be a part of this conversation.

The professional implications of these bans, and the hostile climate they foster, includes harassment and threats of violence. Other professional concerns include the potential for criminal prosecution if clinical practice violates the legal bans on gender-affirming care, the need to hire legal counsel to ensure that clinical care is provided within legal boundaries, potential loss of professional licensure, and loss of income for having to curtail clinical practice or close it altogether.

The greatest effect on clinicians, however, is the moral distress engendered by being constrained from providing care that follows widely accepted pediatric guidelines and knowing that the failure to provide care will likely result in acute mental health crises among their patients.

Bringing political ideology into clinical practice puts providers in a position of having to violate the most basic standard of care, which is to do no harm, added Keuroghlian. Following these laws will require clinicians to violate professional codes of ethics and take action that will almost surely harm the health of their young patients.

This push to block access to gender-affirming care may cause some clinicians to leave the field of transgender care altogether and discourage current medical and nursing students, residents, fellows, and other trainees from pursuing careers in transgender health, said lead author Allysa Warling, B.A. of Harvard Medical School.

The Viewpoint offered three actions to mitigate the potential damage of bills and laws that seek to block access to gender-affirming care:



Standardize training in gender-affirming care across undergraduate and graduate medical education and all health care professional curricula;

Disseminate comprehensive, evidence-based clinical guidelines for increasing access to adolescent gender-affirming care; and

Advocate for protection of adolescent gender-affirming care through state and federal policies beyond the necessary, yet insufficient, statements by health care professional associations.

Clinician-Level Implications of Bans on Gender-Affirming Medical Care for Youth in the US was published online by JAMA Pediatrics on August 8, 2022. It is available here.


Ricky LezAma wanted people to wake up from a dream that is not even theirs, to stop believing in the lies edged in their brains for so many years, and to start to live their own dreams and fulfill their destiny. It is for this reason he writes From the Tent: A Spiritual Journey (published by Balboa Press), the spiritual journey of an ordinary person in the 21st century who has great aspirations to create something wonderful, especially to obtain the power to create miracles, things society considers exceptions and not the norm.

During a time of great despair, hardship, and loneliness, LezAma finds himself in a tent in the mountains, alone and surrounded by wilderness. One fateful day, he becomes trapped during an unexpected blizzard. While completely buried in snow, he thinks he will soon take his last breath. However, as life flashes before his eyes, he has an epiphany.

LezAma realizes he has not been living his own life. He has been pursuing dreams not his own but, instead, dreams dictated to him by society and his own ego. The fake, empty dreams he has created have led him down a path of sadness, fear, depression, and anxiety, leaving him stranded and alone in the storm. With this insight, the pressure that has controlled his life ceases, and he knows what he must do next.

This book is a fascinating story and adventure that offers deep spiritual truths that will enhance the readers journey through life. The experience and methodology of the author and the philosophy and advice from famous spiritual leaders provide many thought-provoking chapters filled with reflections about life and advice for better understanding ones place in this world, LezAma says.

From the Tent: A Spiritual Journey takes readers through the vastness of new physical and spiritual realms of wonder and wisdom. This book aims to bring unity between people and access to the unseen side of our duality. LezAmas story will help people discover their true purpose and live a life of joy, abundance, faith, and love, regardless of their past or present circumstances. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/840190-from-the-tent

From the Tent: A Spiritual Journey

By Ricky LezAma

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 184 pages | ISBN 9798765230091

Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 184 pages | ISBN 9798765230084

E-Book | 184 pages | ISBN 9798765230077

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Ricky LezAma grew up living a free spirited upbringing by the ocean. At the age of 16, he moved to Colorado where he undertook a new path of spiritual liberation and realization. His life mission is to inspire and empower others to transform their thoughts and beliefs. To help them to live with joy, inner peace, love, and faith to fulfill their dreams and destiny. LezAma is a kindred spirit that transformed his life when he encountered a powerful voice and a presence in the mountains of Utah. He is guided with patience and great love through a process of awareness, faith, and awakening. He has used this new knowledge to conquer his own struggles and to help thousands of people to discover their inner selves and to connect with the infinite creating force that exists inside them.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc.  a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 844-682-1282 today.
Kuldip Verma, CEO & Founder of Vermaland

Vermaland, a leading Phoenix-based land banking and residential land development company is leading the way in solar power development throughout the Valley and announced that as of today, the company has development contracts on 16 solar farm sites with several solar power developers, totaling nearly 10,000 acres.

Since 2007, Vermaland has been aggressively marketing its properties to solar power developers.

Our search for land throughout Western Arizona is an active and persistent endeavor, as our sites have made so much rapid progress in recent years, said Kuldip Verma, founder and CEO of Vermaland. Once completed, the projects will produce approximately 2,000 megawatts of electrical power, the equivalent to providing electricity to 400,000 homes. We have plans to double this capacity over the next few years.

Verma and his team recently completed five different deals in the West Valley and Southeast Valley. Each deal ranges from 700 to 3,000 acres in size. In addition to these solar deals, Vermaland is actively searching for land totaling 320 acres or more, however, in their search, they are noticing the decline in available land.

As Phoenix continues to grow, we are looking for new opportunities to prioritize land in Western Arizona, said Verma. However, despite the amount of vacant land, the search has proven to be a limited endeavor as there is a limited supply of land that is actually available for purchase.

Vermaland has been a wholesale buyer and seller of land for more than 20 years, owning thousands of acres of land in the Metro Phoenix area. In addition to several solar projects, Vermaland most recently completed a gated community of homes in the White Tank Mountains off Highway 303 and Dunlap Avenue. Their next occupancies for solar farms will accompany their wish to ethically provide electricity and advocate for the benefit of solar living.

For more information about Vermaland, please visit https://vermaland.com.

ABOUT VERMALAND

Founded in 2001 by Kuldip Verma, Vermaland is a land banking and land development company based in Phoenix. The majority of their land holdings are located in Maricopa County in areas west of Downtown Phoenix, including Tonopah, Harquahala Valley, Gila Bend, and Hyder. They currently have the largest holdings of 50 to 1,200-acre parcels in Metro Phoenix. Vermaland offers land options for residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, solar, and other renewable projects. Verma and his team have also donated $20 million in land and cash to the Vermaland Charity Foundation. For more information, visit https://vermaland.com.
Click here for old website
The group also alleged that a court case has been initiated to force INEC to stop the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the coming general elections.

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has raised the alarm over alleged plots to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters register.

At a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the coalition said the plots had been perfected in 21 states under the leadership of governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in favour of the party.

It also alleged that a court case has been initiated to force INEC to stop the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the coming general elections.

To back his claims, the CUPP spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, presented a copy of the suit filed at the Owerri Federal High Court on 24 August and copies of voters register with questionable names.

Mr Ugochinyere questioned the usage of passport photographs of long dead persons, names, gender and age of thousands of registered voters on copies of the register shown to camera.

While PREMIUM TIMES can report the process to clean up the INEC registration data is ongoing, many of the names culled from the voter register presented by the CUPP are not Nigerians but from countries like Cameroon, Togo, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Zambia, among others.

Mr Ugochinyere also presented instances where pictures of a male registered voters carry names of female voters and vice-versa. He linked the development to compromised staff of the INEC in Imo State and urged the commission to fish them out before the elections.

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"Significant among the discoveries in the register is the fact that the majority of the foreign names were all born in 1983 despite whether their photographs showed they were old or young.

"Many people were also shown to have been born between 1900 and 1914 yet their photographs were those of young people.

"Equally, many male photos had their gender written as female and vice versa," Mr Ugochinyere said while showing documents to back up his claims.

He claimed that if the electoral fraud allegedly plotted by unnamed top officials of the ruling party fails, there may be a call for the suspension of the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

"The intelligence CUPP intercepted which has led to the discovery of the suit filed seeking to nullify the BVAS and exposure of the massive compromise in the voters register cannot be wrong now that the third leg of the plot is to sack the INEC Chairman through a suspension as the plotters know they cannot get the required numbers from the National Assembly for an outright sack.

"We call on international partners, local and international observer groups, civil society and the general public to help it and protect democracy as the success of any of these plots will erode the integrity and credibility of the electoral process and deny Nigerians the sovereign right to freely choose their leaders," he said.

Telephone calls to the INEC's spokesperson, Festus Okoye, to clarify INEC position on the allegation leveled against its staff in Imo State were not answered.
Library Futures has a new home: the upstart independent advocacy initiative to support the mission of libraries in the digital realm has joined New York Universitys Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy, part of NYU Law School.

In a release announcing the move, NYU officials said Library Futures work is deeply connected to existing initiatives at the Engelberg Center, including work on understanding the nature of ownership of digital goods, as well as an array of open access initiatives.

Library Futures has done insightful, impactful work in the digital library space, including projects related to controlled digital lending, electronic repair, privacy in libraries, and more, reads the NYU release. They are a community of passionate experts, practitioners, and thinkers operating on the leading edge of the evolving library world. We look forward to expanding that work, and integrating it with current and future projects here at the Engelberg Center.

As part of the move, Library Futures executive director Jennie Rose Halperin will become the Director of the Library Futures Project at the Engelberg Center, and Kyle K. Courtney will join the Center as a Library Futures Fellow. Existing Library Futures Board members will continue to serve as an advisory board for the initiative.

Together with the Engelberg Center, including Executive Director Michael Weinberg and Co-Director Jason Schultz, we are doubling down on our strategy, bringing continued focus and direction to our work and a new energy fueled by the community, Halperin wrote in a post announcing the move. The Engelberg Center is a unique environment for scholars to examine the key drivers of innovation as well as the law and policy that best support innovation. As part of this merger, we will join a community of practitioners, scholars, students, and researchers working together to further knowledge and policy in the service of the public good.

Library Futures officially launched in January, 2021 to advance a research and programmatic agenda dedicated to ensuring that libraries will continue to provide open, non-discriminatory access to information to benefit the general learning, research, and intellectual enrichment of the public. Among the group's priorities it advocates for less restrictive licensing agreements for e-media and e-books and for policies that would enable libraries to continue to fulfill the traditional roles libraries have played in the analog world in the digital space.
Nairobi  Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is back in the country days after he took a vacation with his family to 'reflect and heal' after the shocking loss during the August 9 election.

Odinga who was away in Zanzibar jetted back to the country Thursday to attend the swearing in of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.

"I have been out of the country; I went to recuperate in the spice Island of Zanzibar. I took my wife, children and grandchildren also to go heal after the shock they got as a family," he said.

This was the first appearance of the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya flag bearer in the polls following the unanimous Supreme Court verdict that upheld the victory of President William Ruto.

While congratulating the newly sworn in Mombasa Governor, Odinga hailed the coastal residents for overwhelmingly voting for the Azimio candidate despite the postponement of the election that would have interfered with the election outcome.

"The Mombasa election and that of Kakamega was deliberately left behind like our lawyers said in court so they could have a trial after the rigging. People of Mombasa have showed they are truly Azimio and this is the pride that we have," Odinga noted.

The Azimio team filed a petition at the apex court challenging the victory of President-Elect William Ruto but it was dismissed in its entirety on grounds that it lacked merit.

The Martha Koome-led bench, in its unanimous ruling, stated that part of the evidence presented by the Azimio brigade was "hot air," and had set the court on a wild goose chase.

The court dismissed all the nine issues they had structured in the consolidated petition, challenging President-Elect William Ruto's win.

The verdict dealt a significant blow to the Azimio team, whose leader Raila Odinga was hoping the judges would nullify the results of the August 9, 2022, hotly contested presidential election.
Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins are set to co-anchor a new morning show for CNN.

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The announcement for the as-yet-untitled program was made Thursday by CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht.

The show is slated to premiere later this year.

"There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program," said Licht in a statement.

"They are each uniquely intelligent, reliable and compelling; together they have a rare and palpable chemistry. Combined with CNN's resources and global newsgathering capabilities, we will offer a smart, bold and refreshing way to start the day."

The new show will mean the end of the nightly program, Don Lemon Tonight.

"The last eight years have been an incredible ride. I've had the opportunity to work with one of the best show teams in the business, but it's time to shake things up. I am so appreciative of the Don Lemon Tonight team, my wonderful, loyal viewers and everyone who has believed in me," said Lemon.

"I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this and I'm honored by his belief in me. It's going to be a thrill to take on this challenge with Poppy and Kaitlan. I'll get to work with two of my dearest friends. Set your alarms folks, because we're going to have a lot of fun."

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Harlow is currently an anchor of CNN Newsroom from 9-11 a.m. and host of the CNN podcast Boss Files.

Collins, who joined the network in 2017, became CNN's youngest chief White House correspondent at 29 years old last year.

Licht took over the network in May and has been shaking up the staff and schedule.

White House correspondent John Harwood left CNN earlier this month and the network canceled Brian Stelter's weekly media-analysis show, Reliable Sources.

CNN fixtures Chris Cuomo and Jeffrey Toobin also recently saw their last days at the network.
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Nairobi  Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Leader Raila Odinga has lashed out at the Judiciary for what he termed as 'issuing threats' to Kenyans over their reaction on the unanimous ruling upholding President William Ruto victory.

Odinga while attending the inauguration of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir stated that they will not be cowed to push for reforms in Judiciary including sending the 7-judge bench home.

"If they become rogue, we have power as the people of Republic of Kenya to reform them and send them home," he stated.

"We can lead a one million march to the Judiciary to tell them, go home and they would have no option but go home," he said shortly after jetting back to the country from Zanzibar.

The Former Prime Minister asserted that the Azimio Camp will not be bulldozed to silence for disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling on the consolidated petition which he termed as judicial thuggery.

"The Judiciary should not threaten and blackmail the people of this country after they have done the messes they have done. We respect but don't agree and we have a right not to agree bad ruling of the Judiciary," Odinga stated.

Odinga maintained that the country will not be drawn back to the Kanu era whether citizens are muzzled to silence over what he termed as outright injustice.

"Hii ruling ilikuwa shenzi,it was not based on any law.We are not going to accept this kind of things and as a people of Kenya we will not be cowed. Nyayo tried it but we resisted him,"he averred.

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"We will not allow another dictator to come in this country or Judiciary to become a dictator. We will protect our freedom," he added.

While congratulated the newly sworn in Mombasa Governor, Odinga hailed the coastal residents for overwhelmingly voting for the Azimio candidate despite the postponement of the election that would have interfered with the election outcome.

"The Mombasa election and that of Kakamega was deliberately left behind like our lawyers said in court so they could have a trial after the rigging. People of Mombasa have showed they are truly Azimio and this is the pride that we have," Odinga noted.

The Azimio team had filed a petition at the apex court challenging the victory of President-Elect William Ruto but it was dismissed in its entirety on grounds that it lacked merit.

The Martha Koome-led bench, in its unanimous ruling, ruled that part of the evidence presented by the Azimio brigade was "hot air," and had set the court on a wild goose chase.

The court dismissed all the nine issues they had structured in the consolidated petition, challenging President-Elect William Ruto's win.

The verdict dealt a significant blow to the Azimio team, whose leader Raila Odinga was hoping the judges would nullify the results of the August 9, 2022, hotly contested presidential election.

"We will talk, the constitution of this country gives power to the people of Kenya and all other people exercising power are exercising donated power."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Martha's Vineyard with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants
On Sept. 15, The William released a statement on its website once again delaying move-in for its tenants. The Red & Black reached out to tenants and families of tenants and asked if they wanted to give testimonies on their experience. This is what six had to say.
Nairobi  The United States Government has appointed renown Kenyan social entrepreneur Dr. Kennedy Odede to the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The all-powerful ACVFA was first established in the aftermath of World War II and has existed longer than USAID itself, playing an important role in shaping the United States' approach to international development.

Over many decades, the committee has evolved to play a key role in fostering cooperation between the US government and a range of NGOs, and it has provided a platform for civil society to engage with USAID and help inform its approach to US foreign assistance.

It is another major feather in Dr. Odede's cap and the appointment comes less than two years after the Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco) founder and CEO hosted USAID boss Samantha Power at the inaugural World Communities Forum (WCF) where he shared with her, alongside other global leaders, how his focus on community-driven change has seen his organisation impact over 2.5 million slum dwellers in Kenya through various causes.

The forum brought together high-profile development experts such as Chelsea Clinton, Darren Walker, Dr Oby Ezekwesili and Cecile Richards who listened and learnt about grassroots solutions from community-based leaders while inspiring a localisation revolution to decolonise development.

It is at the forum that Dr. Odede challenged Power and the other leaders to invest more in community-led solutions and as a result, the USAID has committed 25 per cent of its resources to local orgainsations with a promise to do more.

Power, who was impressed with Dr. Odede's work that has changed the lives of slum dwellers in Kenya through various causes such access to health, water, community advocacy platforms, education and leadership development for women and girls, promised to follow the Shofco boss' lead and responded with the huge resource allocation.

The all-powerful committee, which will serve for three years, has membership from leading experts representing NGOs, private sector, academia and civil society drawn from across the globe.

"The committee's new membership is comprised of internationally recognised leaders representing a broad range of sectors who will support the Agency's mission and goals by advising on key development challenges and priorities. The Committee will be chaired by Nisha Biswal, Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce," said Power in her statement confirming the appointments.

USAID is an independent American agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 billion (Sh3.2 trillion), USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all US foreign assistance, the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms.

The appointment expands Dr. Odede's global network to champion his pet subject of how partnerships between the government and community-led organisations can help end poverty within Kenyan and African slums while achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr. Odede shared this when he joined a panel of eminent persons at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in May 2022 to discuss how to eliminate global poverty.

He has been urging the national and local governments, private sector, NGOs as well as global leaders to invest in community-led solutions if the world has to achieve substantiable development.

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His tenacity and persistence over the subject was vindicated in June 2022 when Shofcos' community-driven change became a model for global NGOs following a case study conducted by Bridgespan Group which had a close-up look at on-the-ground approaches that make the Kenyan organisation tick.

Shofco stood out among the other NGOs around the world with Bridgespan concluding that their model of community-driven change has achieved impact that lasts because the community feels a sense of ownership.

Bridgespan Group is guiding the philanthropic choices of many leading donors, including MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation among others.

Dr. Odede founded Shofco in 2004 in Kibera slums in Nairobi and it has now expanded to 16 counties across Kenya, serving over 2.5 million people directly.
Barbara Guerrero, a school librarian at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School in Townshend, is going to be retiring, but before she does, she is working on scanning in pieces of ephemera relating to the history of the school.
interview

Female policy makers in Rwanda and three other African countries stand a chance to benefit from the ongoing Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship organized by the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the programme targets mid-career African women in the policy field to catalyze the design and implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies across the African continent.

Participants get customized training in mentoring, leadership, negotiation skills, and integrating gender in policy that enable them to advance policy reforms that can enable women and men smallholders to participate equally and benefit from opportunities in the agricultural sector.

We caught up with AWARD's DirectorDr. Susan Kaaria who spoke to us broadly on the role of female researchers and why they are the hope for the continent.

What role does your organization play in ensuring that African women researchers deliver in the field of science and agriculture research?

Although our mandate and interventions have evolved over the years, AWARD was originally founded (in 2008) as an initiative that sought to widen the pipeline of women in leadership of agricultural research and development. The global gender gap in agricultural production is well known.

We see the gender gap persisting across the entire agricultural research and development sector, with women researchers constituting less than a quarter of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent) and only seven percent of these are in leadership positions.

It is therefore not just paramount but urgent that we do something to plug that yawning gap. One of our goals at AWARD is to support women to not only become outstanding scientists but also effective leaders of agricultural research and development agendas.

Through our flagship AWARD Fellowship, we offer tailored career development fellowships to competitively selected women researchers to enhance their leadership and scientific skills. The AWARD Fellowship has offered unparalleled opportunities to women researchers in Africa, cultivating a growing pool of women to be (a) effective within institutions supporting the agricultural research and development; (b) effective across a range of research disciplines serving the sector; (c) responsive to gender issues; and (d) technically competent to generate innovations needed by rural smallholders, most of whom are women.

Our model in the Fellowships emphasizes intergenerational learning and continental collaborations, ensuring that our research systems benefit from the wealth knowledge and talent available on the continent and beyond.

The uniqueness of AWARD's holistic career-development programs results in sharpened skills in research and publishing, mentoring, team management, and leadership, all conducted with a gender lens.

Part of the organization's objective is to have a whole cadre of capable and influential scientists leading critical innovation in agricultural research. Has this been achieved?

To date, a total of 1,691 researchers from 40 countries have benefitted from our Fellowships in various capacities as either Fellows, Mentors, or Fellows' Mentees. Our largest community of beneficiaries is in Nigeria, followed by Kenya and Ethiopia.

We are seeing AWARD Fellows make remarkable contributions as researchers and grow in their careers to lead agricultural and natural resource management research and innovation across the continent. AWARD Fellows have grown to become vice chancellors and deputy vice chancellors of leading universities, top female scientists leading research agendas and policies on the continent.

Looking beyond the individuals to strengthening institutions has prompted us to invest in coalescing our growing alumni into country chapters through which we can foster concerted efforts towards transformative changes within the countries. We now have 11 country chapters established and registered in 11 countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The Malawi country chapter, for instance, has excellent collaborations with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

How is your organization addressing the challenges brought about by Climate change and how it is affecting agriculture in the Eastern African region?

Africa, and particularly its smallholder farming systems, is disproportionately affected (negatively) by climate change; for instance, while Africa contributes less than 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it stands on the frontline of the economic and social consequences of climate change.

As global temperatures continue to rise, the more costly and dangerous the impacts - from flooded homes and deadly heat waves to disrupted supply chains and crop failure. These changes are already undermining global efforts to reduce poverty and for Africa to transform its agriculture and feed its growing population.

We urgently need to ramp up efforts to adapt to the changing climate in Africa. Research and innovation are key tools that will enable the creation of suitable sustainable solutions. However, it is paramount that the solutions address the needs and priorities of the diverse agricultural-dependent communities in Africa.

More fundamentally, Africa cannot afford to outsource its solutions and we must look to the next generation of young researchers to provide home-grown solutions. Africa must develop its own scientific capacity to address the increasingly complex challenges we face in a changing climate. That is why through the One Planet Fellowship, we are building a robust pipeline of highly connected, inter-generational scientists leading climate change research in Africa. We are investing in building cross-continental, intergenerational, and cross-disciplinary networks of scientists. The One Planet Fellowships is also catalyzing north-south and south-south research collaborations focusing on climate change and resilient food systems and supporting African researchers to contribute to the global climate change agenda.

Further, climate change has gendered impacts, and researchers must learn how to use a gender lens as they develop solutions. Through the One Planet Fellowship, which was inspired by our flagship AWARD Fellowship, we are supporting African scientists to focus on the multi-dimensional impacts of climate change while identifying and developing innovative solutions that effectively respond to the challenges, needs, and priorities of men and women smallholders across the continent.

We know that Africa has no shortage of talent. There are African researchers doing ground-breaking research and we want to change the narrative. Our motivation is to support them to connect, communicate and convince various stakeholders and decision makers.

We are already seeing Kenyan and Tanzanian scientists, participating in the One Planet Fellowship, contributing to the global body of knowledge on gender and climate change.

How does your organization support women to play a major role in agriculture?

It is critical that we pay attention to the systemic barriers that perpetuate structural inequalities and hinder women from optimally participating and benefiting from agriculture. Successful interventions require tailored programs responding to specific gaps observed to impede women's participation and progress into leadership.

Many of the bottlenecks that impede women's participation in research and research leadership are at the individual level, organizational level, and the enabling environment. Addressing the systemic barriers require interventions aimed at different parts of the system. AWARD's interventions occur at these three levels.

At the individual level, we need to build women's visibility, capabilities, and confidence, allowing them to strengthen their research skills and professional survival skills. Mentoring is one of the tools that has been proven to be effective in build a pool of confident and capable women in science. The AWARD mentoring model is one way through which we support women to access skills and networks to enhance their visibility and access to opportunities.

More importantly, the burden cannot be left to women alone, because women are not the problem. We need to ensure that everyone appreciates the challenge and is well equipped to contribute toward bridging the gap, including identifying male champions to lead the initiatives.

At the organizational, level research institutes need to thoroughly review their policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that the environment supports male and female researchers. One way of achieving this is through gender lenses to examine staffing structures and expectations for early career researchers with more workload and reward structures.

At the enabling environment level, AWARD is addressing system-level changes related to policy, frameworks, strategies, institutional setup, allocation of resources, and adoption of technologies and practices. We are building an enabling environment for gender responsiveness to become an embedded cultural norm and practice in the African ARD by growing the awareness of gender issues into policies, programs, and accountability mechanisms.

Do you believe Africa has what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with the rest of the world regarding research?

We have brilliant researchers on the continent. We just need to pay more attention to research funding, to support agricultural research, which remains a critical prerequisite for achieving balanced agricultural growth in Africa.

We also need to develop technologies that respond to the needs of the smallholder men and women farmers while building their ability to adopt new technologies that lead to the transformation of the continent's food system. That is why we are keen on championing gender-responsive agricultural research and development. Gender analysis is a key tool in our toolbox which allows us to understand how different types of men and women are positioned differently across agricultural value chains.

At AWARD we appreciate the critical role that research institutions play in shaping African agriculture. That is why we are continuously investing in African scientists and their institutions to deliver and influence innovative, sustainable, gender-responsive agricultural research and development. Through our institutional engagement initiatives, we are working with African research and development institutions to strengthen their research systems.

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We support African ARD institutions to prioritize and embrace gender responsiveness in both policy and practice. We work with selected partner institutions to grow their capacity to conduct gender-responsive agricultural research by leveraging the talents of gender-diverse research teams, and by strengthening capacity to integrate gender in research, design, implementation, and dissemination.

What should we look forward to from AWARD in the next few years?

It has been exciting to scale the learnings from the flagship AWARD Fellowship into the novel One Planet Fellowship and now the Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship. GRASP Fellowship has given us an entry point into addressing policy issues.

We know that policy reforms can eliminate gender-based discrimination and promote equal access to resources, services, technologies, markets, and opportunities, allowing women and men to equally participate in and benefit from opportunities in the agri-food systems.

This is also the first time an AWARD initiative will focus squarely on policy, building on our successful initiatives to increase gender-responsive research and level the playing field to benefit women and men. Through this Fellowship, we aim to grow a pool of confident and capable African women who can lead policy changes to improve the livelihoods of smallholder women and men farmers.

We are motivated to continue working with institutions and supporting researchers and other actors to co-create solutions.

2015 Fellow Marguerite Niyibituronsa in the Food Microbiology Lab at Campus Kortrijk, Ghent University in Belgium. Photo: Courtesy.

2015 Fellow - Marguerite Niyibituronsa at the UGent Belgium bioanalysis lab

About Dr Susan Kaaria

She is the Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). She recently joined AWARD from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy where she was the Team Leader for Gender.

About AWARD

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) works toward inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for Africa by strengthening the production and dissemination of more gender-responsive agricultural research and innovation. We invest in African scientists, research institutions, and agribusinesses so that they can deliver agricultural innovations that better respond to the needs and priorities of a diversity of women and men across Africa's agricultural value chains. AWARD is hosted by the World Agroforestry based in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya.
M&T Bank is still working through customer account-related complaints and questions following the a merger with People's United Bank and inclusion of all accounts in a new combined banking platform.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
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Michael J Hogan is a retired state employee and vice chair of the VSECU Board of Directors. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
The president explained that out of the 286 foreign nationals presented with certificates of Nigerian Citizenship, 208 received certificates for Naturalization, while 78 got certificates by Registration.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja awarded Nigerian citizenship to 286 nationals, urging them to be good citizens of the country to enjoy all the rights and privileges bestowed on them.

"You have pledged your allegiance to Nigeria. When you give your love and loyalty to Nigeria, she returns her love and loyalty to you," the president told the awardees during an event at the State House.

The president explained that out of the 286 foreign nationals presented with certificates of Nigerian Citizenship, 208 received certificates for Naturalization, while 78 got certificates by Registration.

He urged them to make positive and useful contributions to the advancement, progress and well-being of the different communities they reside, adding that as citizens they must be in accord with the national ethics and code of conduct.

"You are expected to abide by the Ideals and Institution of the Nigerian National Flag, Anthem, Pledge and respect for all Constituted Authorities.

"All those concerned with Immigration matters are to offer our new citizens quick legal identification. Also, their Local Governments should assist with their integration in the local community to enable them enjoy all the entitlements of a Nigerian citizen," he said.

In exercising the constitutional powers conferred on him, by Chapter III Sections 25-31 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the president told the new citizens that Nigeria is a nation united by the principles of opportunity, equality, and liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.

"No matter where you come from, or what faith you practice, this country is now your country. Our history is now your history, and our traditions are now your traditions. Nigeria is your home and pride and joy."In line with our transformational ideals of strict adherence to due process and transparent procedures, the Ministry of Interior ensured that only deserving persons were recommended to the Federal Executive Council to be conferred with Nigerian citizenship."

President Buhari recounted that the federal government in 2020 adopted the National Action Plan to eradicate statelessness and accordingly, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, inaugurated the High-level Steering Committee to Eradicate Statelessness in Nigeria by 2024.

"This ceremony, therefore, is a further demonstration of the federal government's commitment and determination to remove as many people as possible from statelessness.

"In this regard, I will like to reiterate our commitment to the strategic role Nigeria plays in the comity of nations, in its unwavering quest for greater human integration, towards ensuring peace and prosperity."

Welcoming the new Nigerians, the Minister of Interior in his speech entitled "The more the merrier", said the beneficiaries were from the United States, Europe, the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Oceania and Africa, who have seen the good in Nigeria.

"Without any doubt, Nigeria is a great nation, richly endowed and blessed with great people. Smart people continue to flock to our country to do business with us," Mr Aregbesola said, adding that Nigeria would continue to welcome every qualified citizenship applicant.

The minister described the conferment ceremony as a celebration of the oneness of the human race, consistent with the mandate of the ministry and the Buhari administration to lay a solid socio-economic and political foundation that will thrust Nigeria into one of the top 20 economies in the world.

"To achieve this lofty vision, the government is determined to encourage and attract foreign investors, high-net-worth individuals, highly-skilled individuals and people with rare talents and strategic competencies into our country, " he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore, read citations of select beneficiaries who received certificates and symbols of citizenship from President Buhari.

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They are Kathryn Teresa Barrera, an American citizen; Albert Alos Rovira, a Spanish citizen; Giuseppe Bellini, an Italian citizen; Nasra Ali, a Kenyan; John Okwii, a Ugandan and Oumar Adoun, a Chadian citizen.

Speaking on behalf of the new citizens, Ms Barrera, who arrived in Nigeria in 1974 at age 24, thanked the president and staff of the Ministry of Interior for making their dreams come true.

The 72-year-old Nigerian-American is the proprietress of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Mother and Children Welfare Association, a caregiver of orphans and vulnerable children including children living with HIV/AIDS.

She currently lives with 20 children and young adults in training and in the university, according to the citation read by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)
A recent investigation by Safeguard Defenders reveals the growth of a process known as 'persuasion to return'

A screenshot of a video shows members of the Qingtian Overseas Chinese Service Center Madrid trying to persuade a criminal suspect to return to China. The man's relative in China was summoned by authorities to join the video meeting, sitting beside officials and with a nametag saying Family Representative."

China is carrying out illegal, transnational policing operations across five continents, targeting overseas critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for harassment, threats against their families back home and "persuasion" techniques to get them to go back, according to a recent report.

Chinese police are currently running at least 54 "overseas police service centers" in foreign countries, some of which work with law enforcement back home to run operations on foreign soil, the Sept. 13 report from Safeguard Defenders said.

Initially started as a pilot scheme by police in Qingtian county, Zhejiang province in 2019, the overseas stations were ostensibly set up to help Chinese nationals overseas with administrative tasks, the report said.

"But they also serve a far more sinister and wholly illegal purpose," the report said. "Some official anecdotes of official operations explicitly cite the active involvement of Hometown Associations on the ground in tracking and pursuing targets indicated by [police or public prosecutors in China]."

Hometown associations are community based groups of people from the same town in China, and are connected to the hierarchy of the CCP's United Front Work Department, which runs outreach and influence operations both in China and overseas.

One of the key operations the service centers are involved in is the "persuasion to return" process, in which pressure is brought to bear on activists overseas using threats and retaliation against their loved ones back in China.

"In the mere fifteen months between April 2021 and July 2022 alone ... a staggering number of 230,000 Chinese nationals were returned to face potential criminal charges in China through these methods, which often include threats and harassment to family members back home or directly to the target abroad either through online or physical means," Safeguard Defenders said.

The "persuasion to return" campaign was rolled out as a pilot project across 10 provinces in 2018, and official guidelines include denying targets' children the right to an education in China, or targeting their family members for harassment.

"The combination of an absolute absence of minimal judicial safeguards for the target and the association by guilt methods employed on their families, as well as the illegal methods adopted to circumvent official international cooperation mechanisms and the use of United Front Work-related organizations abroad to aid in such efforts, pose a most grave risk to the international rule of law and territorial sovereignty," the report found.

Nine 'forbidden' countries

People living in any of the nine "forbidden" countries for Chinese nationals, which include Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia.

"People who have no urgent need to travel to or stay in those countries are required to return to China as soon as possible," the report said.

While there is no official breakdown of where the 230,000 individuals were returned from, the majority appear to hail from the banned countries, with some 54,000 people "persuaded" to return from Myanmar between January and September 2021 alone.

It is likely that the pilot scheme will now be rolled out globally, Safeguard Defenders said, adding that Chinese state media have already reported that overseas police service stations actively assisted Chinese police in persuasion to return activities in Spain and Serbia.

The report found 54 physical overseas service stations in 30 countries across five continents set up by Fuzhou and Qingtian counties, although other police departments may also be operating more stations not found by the investigation.

Safeguard Defenders researcher Chen Yanting told RFA that the "persuasion to return" process basically uses family members as hostages, making it hard for them to find jobs or for their children to attend school.

"This is like a presumption of guilt ... [and] with private coercion used on anyone who doesn't want to return," Chen said.

Chen cited the case of a Chinese national who ran a burger restaurant in Cambodia.

"[He] was inexplicably asked by the police in his hometown to return to China, but he refused. So the police went to the outside of his mother's house to spray it with the label 'house of a fraud suspect' and even cut off the water and electricity," Chen said.

"These measures are being carried out in a number of coastal provinces."

A screenshot of a video shows members of the Qingtian Overseas Chinese Service Station Madrid trying to persuade a criminal suspect to return to China. Credit: Safeguard Defenders Overseas operations

An employee who answered the phone at one of the overseas service centers set up by the Fuzhou police said they accept tip-offs from members of the public.

"We carry out online intelligence gathering [and] we take police reports ... from overseas Chinese," the employee said.

"We have definitely detained some people, although I can't guarantee that we always manage to catch them."

Shih Yi-hsiang, head of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, said the report should act as an urgent warning to governments around the world that the Chinese state is carrying out operations overseas.

"[We want to know] if it's possible for them to use those powers to target overseas dissidents or anyone wanted by the Chinese government," Shih said.

"Is there a risk that Taiwanese and Hong Kongers in the nine [banned] countries could be affected?"

Hong Kong has seen a mass wave of migration following a citywide crackdown on dissent in the wake of the 2019 protest movement, while Taiwan is a democratic country that has never been ruled by the CCP, nor formed part of the People's Republic of China, which nonetheless claims its territory and nationals as its own.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Statist policies, repression are predicted with Mao as the model for Xi's consolidation of personal power.

People stand in front of images of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing , Sept. 4, 2022.

As the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) marks the 46th anniversary of the death of its late leader Mao Zedong, concerns are being raised in some quarters that current leader Xi Jinping is hoping to emulate the Great Helmsman's supreme status in the party hierarchy.

At the CCP's 20th National Congress on Oct. 16, Xi will be seeking an unprecedented third term in office, after amending the constitution to abolish presidential term limits in 2018.

The move comes amid growing fears of a Mao-style personality cult around Xi, as institutions and political figures compete to show the utmost loyalty to Xi and his personal brand of political ideology.

Cai Xia, a former professor at the CCP's party school now living in exile, said Xi has angered many in the ranks of the ruling party, who feel he has abandoned the more collective style of leadership established after the death of late supreme leader Deng Xiaoping.

"Xi, a devoted student of Mao and just as eager to leave his mark on history, has worked to establish his absolute power," Cai wrote in a recent analysis in Foreign Policy magazine. "

And because previous reforms failed to place real checks and balances on the party leader, he has succeeded," she wrote. "Now, as under Mao, China is a one-man show."

Cai said she was unable to schedule an interview when contacted by RFA about the article.

Deng Yuwen, a former newspaper editor for a CCP party school publication, said Xi is certainly drawing on Mao's legacy as he consolidates his personal power.

"He wants to portray himself as another Mao Zedong, and portray himself as a kind of god to replace Mao Zedong among the people, but this is actually impossible," Deng told RFA.

"This kind of personality cult is an officially sponsored form of worship, so everyone knows they're just going through the motions," Deng said.

"Just because someone shouts 'Long live Xi!' in public, doesn't mean they're going to be shouting that in private," Deng said. "It's just pretend."

Books by Chinese President Xi Jinping are set out on display at a booth at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair in Hong Kong, July 17, 2021. Credit: AFP Third term for Xi

Chen Kuide, executive chairman of the Princeton China Society, said Xi's approach isn't without risk, however.

"There is a group of people who have gained political and economic benefits since Xi came to power, but there aren't actually very many of them," Chen said.

"They also lack the political clout of the other factions."

"They just have a lot more power in the party and hold their posts because of Xi Jinping," he said.

Xi is widely expected to secure a third five-year leadership term at the 20th party congress in October, cementing his status as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

The CCP will amend its constitution next month during a leadership reshuffle held over five years, according to a report on Friday from state news agency Xinhua.

The Politburo of the CCP's Central Committee discussed the draft amendment to the party charter, the agency reported, but gave no specific details.

Reuters quoted political analysts as saying that the amendment could shorten the title of Xi's personal brand of ideology to "Xi Jinping Thought," which would bring it closer in status to "Mao Zedong Thought" in the popular consciousness, the agency said.

Other possible changes could see the establishment of Xi as the "core" of the party, and his ideas as its guiding principles, or the reinstatement of the post of party chairman, which was abolished in 1982, it said.

'Stealth infighting'

The party constitution can only be amended during a CCP National Congress, which takes place every five years.

According to Cai, "stealth infighting" in party ranks will likely intensify, with possible arrests and trials of more high-ranking officials as his critics seek to leak more information unfavorable to the Chinese leader.

She said that, if successful, Xi is likely to take a third term as a mandate to carry out further steps on his "national rejuvenation" plan for China.

"Xi will double down on his statist economic policies," Cai predicted. "To maintain his grip on power, he will continue to preemptively eliminate any potential rivals and tighten social control, making China look increasingly like North Korea."

"An emboldened Xi may well accelerate his militarization of disputed areas of the South China Sea and try to forcibly take over Taiwan," she warned. "As he continues Chinas quest for dominance, he will further its isolation from the rest of the world."

She said the most likely threat to Xis rule would result from a Chinese defeat in an invasion of the democratic island of Taiwan.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
They were among 300 seeking shelter in a monastery in Moebye township.

A woman injured by military artillery shelling at Mway Taw monastery in Moebye township on Sept. 16.

Rescue teams and locals say shelling by junta forces killed two men and two young sisters in Shan States Moebye township on Friday.

The four were among around 300 people who had sought refuge in the townships Mway Taw Monastery.

A shell hit the monastery at around 6 a.m. Friday, killing the two men in their fifties and two sisters aged seven and 10. The four died on the spot and nine others were critically injured, an official of the Moebye Rescue Team (MRT) told RFA.

The sound of heavy artillery shelling could be heard last night and a shell landed at the monastery this morning, said the man, who did not want to be named for safety reasons.

When people hear the sound of gunfire and shelling here they hide in the monastery and churches as they think they are safe hiding places.

The names of the dead and injured have not been released due to concerns over the safety of their family members.

The injured, one woman and eight men, are undergoing medical treatment, the MRT official said.

There had been fierce fighting between junta troops and Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) in Moebye in early September but it had eased since Monday.

Moebye resident Thit Sar told RFA he thought military council forces targeted the monastery because they knew people were sheltering there.

There has been no fighting these days. I dont know why they are not satisfied, he said.

Then they fired artillery shells. I think it was a deliberate shot.

The Moebye PDF issued a warning Thursday, telling people to be careful as junta troops were shelling the township in order to take control of it.

RFA phoned Aung Win Oo, the State Administration Councils Spokesman for Kayah State, directly across the border from Moebye township, but he did not answer.

On Sept. 9, a five-year-old child was killed and a man was injured in Moebye during a military airstrike by junta forces.

Karenni Civil Organizations announced on Thursday, that more than 100 homes had been flattened by heavy artillery fire in Moebye on Sept. 9 alone.

According to a Progressive Karenni Peoples Force (PKPF) statement on Sept. 1 a total of 322 civilians had been killed across Kayah state, along with Moebye and Pekon in Shan State, in the 19 months since the military coup.

The PKPF said 151 members of Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) and 1,499 junta troops were killed in the fighting and 1,180 homes and 25 religious buildings were destroyed by the military.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday in Abuja, awarded Nigerian citizenship to 286 foreign nationals, urging them to be good citizens of the country to enjoy all the rights and privileges bestowed on them.

"You have pledged your allegiance to Nigeria. When you give your love and loyalty to Nigeria, she returns her love and loyalty to you," the President told the beneficiaries during an event at the State House.

The President explained that out of the 286 foreign nationals presented with certificates of Nigerian Citizenship, 208 received certificates for Naturalisation, while 78 got certificates for Registration.

According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari urged them to make positive and useful contributions to the advancement, progress and well-being of the different communities they reside, adding that as citizens they must be in accord with the national ethics and code of conduct.

"You are expected to abide by the Ideals and Institution of the Nigerian National Flag, Anthem, Pledge and respect for all Constituted Authorities.

"All those concerned with Immigration matters are to offer our new citizens quick legal identification. Also, their Local Governments should assist with their integration in the local community to enable them enjoy all the entitlements of a Nigerian citizen," Buhari said.

In exercising the constitutional powers conferred on him, by Chapter III, Sections 25-31 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the President told the new citizens that Nigeria is a nation united by the principles of opportunity, equality, and liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.

"No matter where you come from, or what faith you practice, this country is now your country. Our history is now your history, and our traditions are now your traditions. Nigeria is your home and pride and joy.

"In line with our transformational ideals of strict adherence to due process and transparent procedures, the Ministry of Interior ensured that only deserving persons were recommended to the Federal Executive Council to be conferred with Nigerian citizenship," he added.

President Buhari recounted that the Federal Government in 2020 adopted the National Action Plan to eradicate statelessness and accordingly, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, inaugurated the High-level Steering Committee to Eradicate Statelessness in Nigeria by 2024.

"This ceremony therefore is a further demonstration of the Federal Government's commitment and determination to remove as many people as possible from statelessness.

"In this regard, I will like to reiterate our commitment to the strategic role Nigeria plays in the comity of nations, in its unwavering quest for greater human integration, towards ensuring peace and prosperity," he noted.

Welcoming the new Nigerians, the Minister of Interior in his speech entitled, "The more the merrier", said the beneficiaries were from the United States, Europe, the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Oceania and Africa, who have seen the good in Nigeria.

"Without any doubt, Nigeria is a great nation, richly endowed and blessed with great people. Smart people continue to flock to our country to do business with us," Aregbesola said, adding that Nigeria would continue to welcome every qualified citizenship applicant.

The Minister described the conferment ceremony as a celebration of the oneness of the human race, consistent with the mandate of the Ministry and the Buhari administration to lay a solid socio-economic and political foundation that will thrust Nigeria into one of the top 20 economies in the world.

"To achieve this lofty vision, the government is determined to encourage and attract foreign investors, high-net worth individuals, highly-skilled individuals and people with rare talents and strategic competencies into our country," Aregbesola said.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, read citations of select beneficiaries who received certificates and symbols of citizenship from President Buhari.

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They are Mrs. Kathryn Teresa Barrera, an American citizen, Professor Albert Alos Rovira, a Spanish citizen, Mr. Giuseppe Bellini, an Italian citizen, Dr. Nasra Ali, a Kenyan, Rev. Prof. John Brown Okwii, a Ugandan and Prof. Oumar Al-Moubarak Adoun, a Chadian citizen.

Speaking on behalf of the new citizens, Barrera, who arrived Nigeria in 1974 at age 24, thanked the President, staff of the Ministry of Interior for making their dreams come true.

The 72-year old Nigerian-American is the proprietress of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mother and Children Welfare Association, caregiver of orphans and vulnerable children including children living with HIV/AIDS.

She currently lives with 20 children and young adults in training and in University, according to the citation read by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
Zaw Myo Win and Khin Myo Nwe both died shortly after their arrest in recent weeks.

Zaw Myo Win, NLD party secretary of the Uttara Thiri township, in an undated photo.

An official from Myanmars deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) and one of the partys supporters have died in two separate incidents in recent weeks while in the custody of junta authorities, friends and family members told RFA Burmese on Friday.

Zaw Myo Win, NLD party secretary for Uttara Thiri township in the capital Naypyidaw, and Khin Myo Nwe, an NLD party supporter from Yangon regions Twantay township, both died shortly after their arrest, sources said.

Zaw Myo Win, also known as Ko Gyi, died on Sept. 13 in Mandalay regions Pyin Oo Lwin township, a party member close to his family told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

He had been in hiding for some time. The army said they shot him when he tried to flee on a motorcycle, the party member said.

What we know is he was arrested when [police and soldiers] were checking guest lists [at peoples homes].  We heard the tragic news that he died after being arrested there. We havent been able to get his body back either.

The party member told RFA that only Zaw Myo Wins phone, registration card, and some personal items were returned to the family.

Fellow party members described the party secretary as a core member of the NLD  [who] carried out the party's work with devotion and said he was known as a friend of the people.

Zaw Myo Win had been hiding in Pyin Oo Lwin township since shortly after the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021, coup, they said.

Interrogation death

Similarly, Khin Myo Nwe, a 44-year-old NLD supporter from Yangons Zee Phyu Kone village, was arrested in the regions Twantay township on Aug. 27 and died during interrogation two days later, a resident of the town told RFA.

She fell unconscious during a brutal interrogation and died soon after arriving at the hospital, said the resident, who declined to be named, citing fear of reprisal.

She was one of about 30 people who were arrested on suspicion by police following the killing of six people from the [Zee Phyu Kone village] administrator's office.

The six were killed when unknown gunmen fired at their car as it returned from the Twantay Township Administration Office on Aug. 22. Khin Myo Nwe was among the residents of Zee Phyu Kone who were later taken into custody by the military for questioning, the resident said.

Khin Myo Nwe was not an NLD member but supported the partys mandate following its landslide victory in Myanmars November 2020 election, they added.

As of Friday, the junta had yet to issue any statements regarding the two deaths in custody.

According to Thailands Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, security forces in Myanmar have killed 2,276 civilians and arrested more than 15,500 since last years coup, mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Tibetans are meanwhile held in quarantine facilities without medical care or proper sanitation, sources say.

Ajho Penpa is shown (left), with a COVID quarantine facility in Toelung shown at right.

Three Tibetans have recently died from COVID-19 as the virus continues to spread across Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region and local netizens complain of harsh and unsanitary quarantine procedures, RFA has learned.

Sources in Tibet and in exile identified the dead as Penpa Tsering from Lhasa Toelung Dechen (in Chinese, Duilongdeqing); Ajho Penpa from Shigatse (Rikaze); and an unidentified Tibetan in Gyantse (Jiangzi).

All three died at home after failing to receive timely medical care, sources told RFA. They died because they did not get the treatment they needed on time," one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Penpa Tsering, 62, was a doctor by profession and had lived in India, but was unable to return after traveling to Tibet in 2005 to visit relatives, RFAs source said.

After getting COVID, he experienced a severe cough and body aches, which led to his death at home," the source said.

In Shigatse, Ajho Penpas family was not allowed to burn his body for six days, a Tibetan living in exile said, citing contacts in the TAR. But local Chinese staff eventually came to take his body away. A sign that read 'COVID positive family' was then hung outside their door.

The Chinese government has not reported a single death due to COVID in the TAR region, the source said. But we believe that many Tibetans have died, and the authorities are confining people together in quarantine facilities whether they are COVID positive or not.

Chinese authorities imposed a lockdown 31 days ago in Lhasa as COVID numbers there and across China continue to climb, with government sources reporting 16,327 cases of infection in the TAR alone by Thursday.

Tibetan netizens meanwhile say the lockdown order came leaving them no time to prepare, with people in many cases left short of food. Finding treatment for COVID-positive patients has also proven difficult, sources say.

Tibetans posting videos on Chinese social media platforms have criticized quarantine facilities, saying they lack provisions for sanitation and that medical staff often fail to wash their hands after conducting tests.

Others posted photos and videos of infected people left standing for hours in the streets of Lhasa because authorities cannot quickly transport them to designated facilities.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has confirmed she will visit Armenia this weekend after the worst fighting in two years between Armenia and Azerbaijan left more than 200 dead.

Pelosi confirmed the trip after the Armenian Defense Ministry said a truce with Azerbaijan appeared to be holding.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, she said she would travel on September 17 with a delegation that includes Representative Jackie Speier (Democrat-California), who is of Armenian descent.

"Tomorrow we are visiting Armenia because we received an invitation from the Armenians a long time ago. I wouldn't want to discuss the details of the visit, because when we travel, we don't want to be targeted, so I wouldn't want to say anything in advance," Pelosi said.

Pelosi said the trip was planned before the recent escalation of violence on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The Armenian Defense Ministry earlier on September 16 said the "situation was unchanged" at the border following a deadly flare-up in fighting linked to a decades-old dispute between the Caucasus neighbors over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"As of [9 a.m.] on September 16, no change in the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has been recorded, said the ministry's press secretary, Aram Torosian.

The clashes that had erupted on September 13 -- the worst since the two sides fought a war in 2020 -- ended "thanks to the international involvement" overnight on September 15, Armenia's Security Council said, after earlier failed attempts by Russia to broker a truce.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan, telling him the conflict had stabilized.

"Border conflicts happen. Unfortunately, they have been associated with numerous casualties on both sides, but the main thing is that we have managed to stabilize the situation and shift it to a peaceful course," Aliyev said.

Putin said it was good that the conflict had de-escalated, but that the situation was still tense.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on September 16 announced an updated death toll from this week's clashes with Azerbaijan, saying the number of the dead had risen from 105 to at least 135.



"For the moment, the number of dead is 135," Pashinian told a cabinet meeting.

"Unfortunately it is not the final figure. There are also many wounded."

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on September 15 that a total of 71 of its servicemen had been killed during clashes this week on the border with Armenia, updating a previous death toll of 50.

The United States and the United Nations on September 15 welcomed the cease-fire.

"We welcome the cessation of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia and will continue to work with the parties to seek to cement it," tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.



In a later tweet, Blinken said that he discussed the situation in a phone call with Pashinian. "I offered my condolences for the loss of life in the recent fighting," Blinken wrote.

Both sides have blamed each other for starting the recent hostilities, with Armenia accusing Azerbaijan of an unprovoked attack that reached into Armenian territory and Baku saying it was responding to shelling by Armenian forces.

Before the cease-fire was announced, Pashinian said Azerbaijani forces had struck and seized several Armenian settlements along their shared border and in territory beyond Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku said it was responding to "provocations" by the Armenian side.

Baku and Yerevan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for years. Armenian-backed separatists seized the mainly Armenian-populated region from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people.

The two sides fought another war that lasted six weeks in late 2020 and killed an estimated 6,000 people before a Russia-brokered cease-fire, resulting in Armenia losing control over parts of the region and seven adjacent districts.

Under the cease-fire Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers. Russia moved quickly to negotiate an end to the latest hostilities, but a renewal of the cease-fire has failed to hold.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized a decision not to invite Russia to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as "deeply immoral" and "blasphemous" toward the late monarch's memory.

Buckingham Palace announced on September 15 that certain nations, including Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan, Burma, and Syria, were not invited to the state funeral for Elizabeth, who died on September 8 at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the decision not to invite Russia was "particularly blasphemous" toward Queen Elizabeth's memory.

"We see this British attempt to use the national tragedy, which has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, for geopolitical purposes to settle scores with our country...as deeply immoral," Zakharova said in a statement.

Relations between Britain and Russia have sunk to new lows over Russians full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of condolence to King Charles III after the palace announced the queens passing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on September 14 when asked whether Moscow had received an invitation to attend the funeral.

"The president had no original plans to take part in any memorial or any other ceremonies," Peskov said.

Separately, a group of British legislators who have been blacklisted by China expressed concerns that China has been invited to the queens funeral.

Conservative lawmaker Tim Loughton told the BBC on September 15 the invitation to China should be rescinded, citing the countrys human rights abuses and treatment of Uyghurs in its western region of Xinjiang.

Britain "can't possibly have official representatives of the Chinese government attending such an important occasion," Loughton said.

It is not clear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently attending a summit in Uzbekistan, will attend the state funeral.

U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Emperor Naruhito are among the world leaders who have confirmed their attendance at the funeral on September 19.

Organizer Edward Fitzalan-Howard on September 15 revealed some of the plans for the first state funeral in Britain since that of Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.

"It is our aim and belief that...the next few days will unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths, while fulfilling Her Majesty and her family's wishes to pay a fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign," Fitzalan-Howard said.

More than 2,000 guests are expected to pack historic Westminster Abbey at 11 a.m. local time for a church service dedicated to her life and reign. The queen is to be buried alongside her husband, Prince Philip, in Windsor Castle following the state funeral.

On the first of four days that the queen's coffin is to lie in state at Britain's Parliament, thousands of mourners on September 15 waited up to nine hours in line for the chance to file past the coffin and pay respects to the late queen.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, TASS, and Reuters
Deadly explosions have rocked office buildings used by Russian-imposed authorities in the occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Luhansk, killing two separatist prosecutors and other officials.

One explosion on September 16 hit the building of the de facto Prosecutor-General's Office of the so-called "Luhansk people's republic" in Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk, parts of which have been under the control of Kremlin-backed separatists since 2014.

Pro-Russian media reports say separatist de facto Prosecutor-General Sergei Gorenko and his deputy were killed by the blast. According to the reports, an explosive device detonated in Gorenko's office in the regional capital, Luhansk, which is located far from the front line.

Russian-appointed Luhansk administrator Leonid Pasechnik in a post on Telegram blamed Kyiv for the attack and called Ukraine a "terrorist state" under its current leadership.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter the deaths were either the result of organized crime or a Russian purge of witnesses to "war crimes" in the area.

In a separate attack, Kirill Stremousov, the Russia-appointed deputy governor of Ukraine's Kherson region, said the building of the region's administration was hit by a missile fired by Ukrainian armed forces on September 16. Kyiv has not commented on the statement.

Another Russian-appointed official in Kherson said the chief of the labor department was wounded and her driver killed in the attack.

Stremousov said the missile hit the building as Russia-imposed leaders of the region's districts, towns, and cities were holding a meeting.

Video taken after the explosion showed the building had suffered heavy damage.

Serhiy Khlan, deputy chief of the Kherson regional council in exile, told RFE/RL that the building was a "decision-making center" for the occupation administration.

He also said a meeting was taking place at the time of the attack, and as a result of the explosion, "many Russian soldiers and collaborators died." He said, however, that there was no official data on the victims.

Kherson has been under Russian armed forces' control since March, just weeks after the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine.

In another attack in southern Ukraine, Russian-installed officials said two local officials had been killed overnight in a "double murder" that they also blamed on Ukraine.

Oleg Boyko, the de facto deputy head of the administration of the port town of Berdyansk, and his wife, Lyudmila, who headed a commission preparing a referendum on whether the Zaporizhzhya region should join Russia, were killed in their garage, the city administration said.

There were no further details on the circumstances of the deaths, which could not be independently verified.
Iranians are continuing to protest the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody two weeks ago despite government warnings that a harsh crackdown will continue.

Videos posted on social media showed demonstrations taking place in several cities across the country on the evening of September 29 and the morning of September 30.

The latest wave of protests in Iran was sparked by the death Mahsa Amini on September 16 after she was detained by the morality police for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab, or headscarf.

Activists and relatives say Amini was killed as a result of blows to the head by police, while the authorities claim she died of a heart attack, a rare event for someone her age.

News of her death struck a nerve in a country already wracked by social unrest over poor living conditions and economic hardships exacerbated by crippling U.S. economic sanctions in response to Iran's nuclear program.

Protests have erupted in more than 80 cities to denounce state violence against women and demand greater rights, freedom, and justice for women. Many of the protesters have also called for an end to the Islamic republic.

Police have responded harshly. Iran Human Rights, an Oslo-based rights organization, said 83 people, including children, have been killed during the two-weeks of protest.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on September 30 that nine foreigners had been arrested in connection with the protests.

Those arrested include citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden, state news agency IRNA reported. It was not immediately clear if they held dual citizenship.

The violent response, however, has not stopped Iranians, including popular figures, from taking to the streets in protest or voicing their anger on social media.

On the evening of September 29, protesters gathered in the northeastern city of Mashhad, according to posts on social media. An officer can be seen firing at least twice at the demonstrators, thought it did not appear that anyone was hurt.

The same evening, young people in the northern city of Rasht gathered to chant anti-government slogans, according to another video.

Meanwhile, protesters can be seen running in the central city of Kerman on the evening of September 29 as gunshots ring out.

Security forces reportedly tried to prevent protesters from gathering in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on September 30. In videos published online, women in Ahvaz can be seen chanting slogans against the government without headscarves.

Iranian media reported on September 29 that Hossein Mahini, the retired captain of Iranian soccer giant Persepolis FC, has been arrested on charges of "encouraging riots and sympathizing with the enemy" after he posted content on social media in support of the protesters.

Actress Katayon Riahi, one of the first Iranian celebrities to have removed her hijab in protest of Amini's death, reportedly fled before police showed up at her home to arrest her.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda. With reporting by AP
Eight people have been stabbed by unknown assailants in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, the latest in a series of assaults against clerics and religious people around the country.

The Rokna news website quoted the police chief of Shiraz as saying that the attack, carried out by a 32-year-old man, occurred after the end of a prayer ceremony at the Haj Abbas Mosque in Shiraz on September 16.



No further details were immediately available.



There has been an increase in reports of attacks on clerics and religious people in various parts of Iran in recent months, which coincides with rising tensions among the population over worsening living conditions.



Among them, a member of the Basij in the southern city of Kazeroon died on September 1 after being stabbed by a 15-year-old.



In July, a young Iranian cleric named Mojtaba Hosseini was stabbed several times in the back while giving a sermon in the city of Karaj, while the same month, an imam was injured in an assassination attempt by an assailant passing by on a motorcycle in Isfahan.



Among other incidents, two imams were attacked by unknown assailants in the central Iranian city of Qom.



Mohammad Taghi Fazel Meybodi, a senior member of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, said earlier that many clerics and seminary students didn't appear in public gatherings because of the "teasing or cursing" they hear from people.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
The death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman three days after she was taken into police custody for allegedly breaking the country's hijab rules has sparked strong reactions both domestically and internationally.

Doctors on September 16 declared Mahsa Amini dead after she showed no brain activity since falling into a coma after being admitted to the hospital, sources told RFE/RLs Radio Farda.



Eyewitnesses to her arrest told journalists that Amini appeared to have been beaten inside the morality police van while being taken to the detention center.



The report of Amini's death sparked protests in Tehran. Videos posted on social media showed protesters chanting "Death to the dictator" -- a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- as drivers honked their car horns in a Tehran square near the hospital where Amini was treated.

The White House on September 16 called Amini's death "unforgivable."

"We are deeply concerned by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was reportedly beaten in custody by Iran's morality police. Her death is unforgivable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for such human right abuses," President Joe Biden's national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Twitter.

Robert Malley, the U.S. envoy for Iran who is involved in efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, said those responsible for her death must be held accountable.



"Mahsa Amini's death after injuries sustained in custody for an 'improper' hijab is appalling," he said on Twitter. "Iran must end its violence against women for exercising their fundamental rights."



Amnesty International also reacted, calling for an investigation into the suspicious death.



"The so-called 'morality police' in Tehran arbitrarily arrested her three days before her death while enforcing the country's abusive, degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws. All agents and officials responsible must face justice," the human rights group added.



Amini had traveled from the western Iranian province of Kurdistan to Tehran to meet relatives when she was arrested on September 13.



A few hours after her arrest, her family was informed that Amini had been hospitalized.

Mojgan Amini, Mahsa's mother, told RFE/RL in an interview shortly before the news of her daughter's death that her family has filed a complaint with the Tehran police.

"My daughter was in perfect health before her arrest," she said.

The media center of the Tehran police department has denied eyewitness claims that Amini was beaten, saying she was transferred to one of the police departments in Tehran for "justification and education" about the hijab when she "suddenly suffered a heart problem."

Amini's death also provoked widespread reaction in social networks.

American actress Leah Remini asked her followers to join her in sharing Mahsa's name and story.

"The fact that she was arrested for the improper wearing of the hijab makes it even more horrifying," Remini said in a tweet.

Some Iranian lawmakers have also criticized the behavior of police over the incident, while President Ebrahim Raisi has asked the interior minister to investigate the case.

In a statement on September 16, Tehran police insisted "there was no physical encounter" between officers and Amini.

Police said Amini had suffered a heart attack after being taken to the station to be "educated.

Closed-circuit television footage carried by state TV appeared to show a woman identified as Amini falling over after getting up from her seat to speak to an official at a police station. RFE/RL could not verify the video.

Asghar Farhadi, the well-known film director, wrote on Instagram that in the face of the "endless cruelty" of the authorities, "we have put ourselves to sleep."

The notorious Guidance Patrols, or morality police, have become increasingly active and violent. Videos have emerged on social media appearing to show officers detaining women, forcing them into vans, and whisking them away.

The hijab -- the head covering worn by Muslim women -- became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls over the age of 9 after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Many Iranian women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Dozens have been killed on both sides in border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that involved heavy artillery along disputed areas and a reported drone attack on a village in Tajikistan.

The reports about heavy casualties came after the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan early on September 16 said they had agreed to a cease-fire and ordered their troops to withdraw as reports of clashes raised security concerns in Central Asia.



The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said 24 people were killed and 87 wounded in the clashes. It said early on September 17 that five injured children were among the wounded and that they had been sent to Bishkek for treatment.



The head of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, said that the shooting had stopped but the situation remained critical. He said the losses were mainly among military personnel.



The report of deaths and injuries on the Kyrgyz side came after a mosque in the village of Ovchi-Qalacha in the Bobojan Ghafurov district was hit by a Kyrgyz drone on the evening of September 16, according to multiple sources and a video sent to RFE/RL's Tajik Service.



Ahror Nematov, a resident of Ovchi-Qalacha, told RFE/RL that dozens were killed and injured.



A local official at the scene confirmed the attack on the mosque but said he did not have time to talk.



"We are evacuating the population from here," he said.

WATCH: Fresh clashes erupted at the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on September 16, with both sides accusing each other of using heavy weaponry in fighting that has killed at least three people and wounded dozens over three days.



The news agency Asia-Plus confirmed on Telegram that a group of residents had been hit in an attack by a Kyrgyz drone.



"After the news about the cease-fire, the residents took to the streets, and at this time, the shot of a Kyrgyz drone hit the crowd," residents told the agency.



Six bodies can be seen in a video purportedly shot in the aftermath of the attack. The video was sent by a local resident to RFE/RL.

A local journalist in the Soghd region confirmed that the footage was filmed in Ovchi-Qalacha. The same information about the drone attack was published on Facebook with an announcement warning people not to go into the streets in crowds.



Tajik authorities blamed the Kyrgyz side, which they said "started firing again" and "using drones against the population and social infrastructures."



According to two sources, drones also were used in the Khoja A'lo district in Isfara on the evening of September 16.



There was no comment from the Kyrgyz side about the Tajik claims.



Kyrgyz presidential spokesman Erbol Sultanbaev said that President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon, discussed the situation while attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in neighboring Uzbekistan.



They agreed to a cease-fire and said a joint commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the border should continue its work. Clashes over the poorly demarcated border are frequent, often flaring up and escalating quickly.



Japarov later flew to Bishkek, where he chaired an extraordinary session of the Security Council focusing on the situation along the border.



The Kyrgyz Border Service said earlier that fighting continued despite the cease-fire agreement.



"Violating the reached agreements, the Tajik side renewed gunfire at Kyrgyz border guards' positions in the settlements of Kulundu and Jany-Jer in the Leilek district," the border service said, adding that the Tajik side used multiple rocket launchers against positions in the Batken district.



Border issues in Central Asia stem to a large extent from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between ethnic groups whose settlements were often located amidst those of other ethnicities.



Both countries still host Russian military bases, and Moscow again on September 16 called for a halt in the fighting.



The Kyrgyz border guard service has accused Tajik forces of using tanks, armored personnel carriers, and mortars.



The service also said the Tajik side early on September 16 had shelled suburbs of the regional capital, Batken, and areas close to the city's airport, damaging or fully destroying civil infrastructure.



Tajikistan, in turn, accused Kyrgyz forces of bombarding an outpost and seven villages with "heavy weaponry" in the same area.



A civilian was killed and three injured, authorities in the Tajik city of Isfara said.



Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken Province, which borders Tajikistan's northern Sughd region and features a Tajik exclave, Vorukh, has been a key hotspot in recent conflicts. Tajikistan does not consider Vorukh as an exclave as it believes parts of the disputed segment of the border near it are Tajik territory.



Almost half of the 970-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border has yet to be demarcated, leading to repeated tensions and sporadic deadly clashes since the two countries gained independence three decades ago.

With reporting by Reuters
The pipeline will originate from Brass and terminate at North of Morocco, where it will be connected to the existing Maghreb European Pipeline that goes to Spain.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Thursday signed agreements on the gas pipeline project with the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines of Morocco and the ECOWAS Commission.

NNPCL in a statement said the two countries and ECOWAS executed the Memorandum of Understanding agreement on the project in a ceremony held at Hotel Sofitel in the Moroccan Capital.

It said it is a significant step in fulfilling the federal government's drive toward harnessing Nigeria's abundant gas resources.

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline was proposed in a December 2016 agreement between the NNPC and the Moroccan Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (National Board of Hydrocarbons and Mines).

The Federal Executive Council in June authorised the NNPC to enter into an agreement with ECOWAS for the construction of the pipeline.

The government says the gas pipeline, designed to be 7,000km long, will reduce gas flaring in Nigeria and encourage the diversification of energy resources in the country while cutting down poverty through the creation of more job opportunities.

It will further encourage utilisation of gas in the sub-region for cooking, and discourage desertification.

The pipeline will originate from Brass Island (Nigeria) and terminate at North of Morocco, where it will be connected to the existing Maghreb European Pipeline (MEP) that originates from Algeria (via Morocco), all the way to Spain.

Once completed, the project will supply about three billion standard cubic feet of gas per day (3bscfd) along the West African Coast from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d' Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania to Morocco.

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Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, described the development as a very important milestone in the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project in which all the key stakeholders in the project have come together to reaffirm their commitment to delivering on the project.

Mr Kyari said the project will also create wealth, and improve the standard of living of people in countries in the African region.

"Some of the benefits include the creation of wealth and improvement in the standard of living, integration of the economies within the region, mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission," he said.

He noted that the NNPC will facilitate the continuous supply of gas and provide other enablers such as the required land for the first compressor station for the pipeline to be deployed in Nigeria which is among the thirteen stations earmarked along the pipeline route.

"NNPC is well-positioned to progress the project by leveraging its experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as its vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria," Mr Kyari said.

He said the government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco stand to benefit immeasurably from the execution of the project which extends beyond the supply of gas to energize the countries along the route.

"Signing the agreement on behalf of Nigeria was the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mallam Mele Kyari; while Dr Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Morocco's National Office for Hydrocarbons & Mines (ONHYM) signed on behalf of her country. Mr Sediko Douka, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization signed on behalf of the sub-regional organisation," it said.
The speed and efficiency of Ukraine's counteroffensive in the northeastern region of Kharkiv came as a stunning surprise to the Russian military. Ukraine went to great lengths to keep its counteroffensive secret, including deliberately deceiving Russian forces about its military maneuvers. RFE/RL spoke to some of the soldiers involved, who described their tactics.
Western diplomats have reacted with shock to the discovery of a mass burial site and evidence of torture in Izyum days after the city was retaken from Russian forces during Ukraine's successful offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The diplomats said Russia must be held accountable after officials indicated that most victims at the burial site were civilians.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter that the news of the mass burial site in Izyum "should reinforce our collective resolve to hold Russia accountable for its atrocities and to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its homeland and liberate its citizens suffering horribly under Russia's forces."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia was behaving "horrifically" and was likely responsible for war crimes, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union was "deeply shocked" at the discovery of the graves.

"We condemn these atrocities in the strongest possible terms," Borrell said in a statement. "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has been leaving a trail of blood and destruction across Ukraine."

French President Emmanuel Macron added his voice to the outcry, saying that what happened in Izyum were atrocities.



"I condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed in Izyum, Ukraine, under Russian occupation," Macron said on Twitter. Those responsible "will have to answer for their acts. There is no peace without justice."

WATCH: RFE/RL's Maryan Kushnir visited the site and spoke with a missing-persons officer about the process of identifying victims. Subsequent exhumations uncovered bodies with ropes tied around their hands.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said at least 440 bodies had been found at the site in Izyum.

The grim discovery prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to again call on the international community to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

"Russia has already become the biggest source of terrorism in the world, and no other terrorist power leaves behind so many deaths. This must be recognized legally. The world must act. Russia must be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism," Zelenskiy said in a statement on Telegram.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said 99 percent of the bodies exhumed so far showed signs of violent death.

"There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck," he said on Telegram.

He added that about 200 law enforcement officers were working at the site, and the bodies will be sent for forensic examination to determine the exact cause of death.

Ukrainian police chief Ihor Klymenko said that based on preliminary findings, most of the people buried at the site were civilians.



Asked if the Izyum site contained mainly civilians or soldiers, Klymenko told a news conference: "On a preliminary estimate, civilians. Although we have information that there are soldiers there too, we haven't recovered a single one yet."

Klymenko also said several torture sites were found in the newly liberated areas.

"I can talk about the presence of at least 10 torture centers in settlements" in the Kharkiv region, he said.

He said "two torture centers were found in Balaklia," a town in the northeast.

Thousands of Russian soldiers fled Izyum last week after occupying the city and using it as a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region. They left behind large amounts of ammunition and equipment.

Klymenko also said 204 criminal cases investigating possible war crimes committed by Russian forces had been opened over the past week.

The UN human rights office said it would send a team to Izyum, and the human rights group Amnesty International said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed "our darkest fears."

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the discovery of the graves. Moscow has previously denied targeting civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first public comments on the war since Ukraine's counteroffensive after he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.

Speaking on September 16, Putin vowed to press on with the war and said the "liberation" of Ukraine's entire eastern Donbas region remained Russia's main military goal.

"We aren't in a rush," Putin said, adding that Russia had only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine. He also commented publicly for the first time on Kyiv's recent military push in the northeast.

"The Kyiv authorities announced that they have launched and are conducting an active counteroffensive operation. Well, let's see how it develops, how it ends up," Putin said.

He also warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the country's infrastructure. Referring to recent strikes on a reservoir dam in Kryviy Rih and electricity supplies in the Kharkiv region, Putin said: "Let's assume they're a warning. If the situation continues to develop like this, then the response will be more serious."

Putin also said Russia was gradually taking control of new areas of Ukraine.

Putin also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Erdogan told the assembled leaders that efforts were being made "to finalize the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy as soon as possible."

Putin told Erdogan, who helped broker a deal struck in July to export grain and other commodities through Ukraine's Black Sea ports, that Moscow was interested in building closer ties with Ankara and ready to "significantly increase" all exports to the country.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces repelled three Russian attacks north of the city of Donetsk, the military's General Staff said in a Facebook post.

Sea-based missiles also targeted areas of the Odesa region but were destroyed by antiaircraft units, it said.

Russian forces had launched attacks on several settlements on the Kharkiv front line, the Ukrainian military said.

In its daily intelligence bulletin, the British Defense Ministry said on September 16 that after more than six months of war, "the impact of Russia's manpower challenge has become increasingly severe," prompting Kremlin-linked Russian private military company Vagner Group to attempt recruiting Russian convicts for service in Ukraine "since at least July."

The British intelligence bulletin said convicts were being offered commutation of their sentences as well as cash incentives.

The bulletin said Russian military academies are shortening training courses and bringing cadets graduation dates forward. "This is almost certainly so cadets can be deployed to support the Ukraine operation," it said.

Late on September 15 the White House announced an additional $600 million in military aid for Ukraine as the United States moves to support Kyiv's counteroffensive.

A White House memo said U.S. President Joe Biden would use his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows him to authorize the transfer of weapons from U.S. stocks.

The Defense Department said the aid consists of equipment and services, as well as training.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
The school, however, urged the students to maintain law and order within the campus.

Hours after students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, locked the school gate in protest against the institution's ban on commercial vehicles and motorcycles on campus; the management reversed the action.

I.T Agboola, the Registrar of the institution, announced the reversal in a memo dated 15th September.

"This is to explain that the ban on students' vehicles and motorcycles entering the campuses of the polytechnic is completely lifted," the memo stated.

"In view of the above, students vehicles and motorcycles are now allowed into the campuses, however, they should maintain law and order."

Earlier on Thursday, the students had shut the school gate in protest against the hardship inflicted on them by the ban.

They occupied the school entrance and prevented the lecturers and other staff of the polytechnic from accessing their offices.

They also demanded the immediate suspension of the school's Chief Security Officer, alleging that he has "no leadership quality to head the polytechnic security unit."

They carried placards with inscriptions such as "CSO must go", "Our cars should move freely", "enough is enough CSO" among others.

Adepoju Olusegun, President of the Student Union Government, who led the protest, said students of the polytechnic are fed up with the hardship they go through on transportation.

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Mr Olusegun demanded an immediate lift of the ban on students' vehicles and commercial motorcycles.

The union president also demanded a constant power supply on campus, adequate maintenance of hostel buildings and replacement of faulty appliances in classrooms

"We want total lift of the ban on students' vehicles and commercial motorcycles, 24/7 illumination on campuses that was paid outrageously for, adequate maintenance of school hostels and replacement of faulty appliances," he said.

The student leader also urged the polytechnic management to involve the students in the decision on policies and development of the institution.

But Shola Lawal, the Polytechnic Public Relations Officer, had said the ban was due to the insecurity challenges facing the country.
No reason has been given for Mr Dikio's sack.

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Barry Ndiomu, a retired major general, as the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Mr Ndiomu replaces Milland Dikio, a retired colonel.

A presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, announced Mr Ndiomu's appointment in a press statement he issued on Thursday evening. No reason has been given for Mr Dikio's sack.

Mr Ndiomu hails from Odoni in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was admitted to the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of 29th Regular Combatant Course, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1983.

He held several command and staff appointments in the course of his military career before he retired in December 2017.

"Gen Ndiomu also trained as a lawyer, and is an alumnus of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Badagry, Harvard Kennedy School, and George C Marshall Centre for European Security Studies, among others," the statement said.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established by President Musa Yar'Adua's administration in 2009 as part of the government's measures to reduce militancy in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Its aim was to persuade militants to give up their arms for amnesty and reintegration.

Thirty-thousand former militants had been enrolled into the programme so far. Sixty-five per cent of them are currently under training, while 65 per cent have been successfully reintegrated, according to the information on the programme's website.

About 113 former militants had been helped to secure employment in maritime, welding and fabrication companies at home and abroad, then chairman of the amnesty programme, Kingsley Kuku, had said in 2012.

Godwin Abbe, a retired major general and former military administrator of Akwa Ibom State, was the first chairman of the programme from 2009 to 2010.
The Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC) joined other civil society groups from the African continent to dialogue on safeguarding and strengthening the role of civil society organisations in human and environmental health in Africa.

The groups met at the 6th Annual Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa (AROCSA) conference in Dakar, Senegal.

In a statement signed by the dRPC's country director, Dr Judith-Ann Walker, the conference brought civil society groups from across the continent to discuss and proffer solutions to tackle the impact of practices, challenges and policies and how they are impacting on the continent's human and environmental spaces.

In his keynote address at the conference, Professor Mamuoda Ndiaye of the University of Dakar, called on African civil society organisations to deepen the public health policy advocacy capacities and strategies.

"African civil society organisations are urged to ensure that governments shift health funding sources away from aid and loans and toward innovative domestic funding sources that prioritise health... .To achieve this goal, African civil society organisations (CSOs) need help strengthening their policy and budget advocacy skills." he said

In her presentation, the director family health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Salam Anas Ibrahim, stated that: "Through a series of strategic engagements and partnerships, PAS has contributed to the launch of important policy documents such as the family planning Blueprint, FP2030 agenda, the Task shifting, and Task sharing policy and supported the implementation of maternal and child health interventions both at the National and subnational level"

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On their part, the PACFaH@Scale NGO leaders at the session (from Alumni Association of the National Institute AANI-Lagos and Medical Women Association of Nigeria Kano) put on record the project's contribution to capacity development of their organisations, positioning these civil society groups to take up leadership roles in the policy advocacy space.

The conference ended on a high note with closing remarks from a leading Nigerian scholar on civil society in Africa, Professor Eghosa E. Osaghae whose scholarly reflections were complemented by a call to action by African civil society organisations present.

These groups called on national governments and regional bodies to put in place new and more meaningful structures to include civil society in decision making platforms.

This, they argued would facilitate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3, the Health goal. Participants also called on national governments to integrate the rich and robust data generated by civil society groups into the decision making process on public health policy in Africa.
The Azura Power Plant in Edo State consistently generates 452 megawatts (MW) daily to the national grid and pays over 40 per cent of its energy invoice receipt to the government for gas and loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The Managing Director of Azura, Mr Edu Okeke, stated this on Thursday at the plant while clarifying a $30 million monthly invoice payment from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET).

The House of Representative Committee on Finance recently queried the payment. But Mr Okeke said five GenCos that have active 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with NBET "Get capacity charge and energy charge, and not only Azura."

He said, "About 40 per cent of the payment goes back to the government as loan repayment to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the Bank of Industry (BoI); part to the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), NNPC Ltd through its Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and its partner Seplat Energy."

Okeke said the only difference in Azura's payment promptly to recover the $900 million investment is the World Bank's Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG), enabling the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to augment whatever NBET gets from the Distribution Companies (DisCos) monthly to make up 100% of its invoice.

"We pay them from this invoice when we collect the money monthly, and we pay our taxes regularly; so we get $30m in but naira from NBET monthly as our payment but 40% goes back to the government by way of gas and loan repayment."

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On how the Ministry of Finance may stop intervention in paying Azura, the GenCo boss said: "The problem is about the DisCos and the government needs to tackle it so that the sector's liquidity will improve."

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari's administration for concluding the Azura financing process. "We are grateful to this administration because they came in, investigated the Azura project process and they cleared it and gave us a legal opinion."

According to him, the financiers include the Development Finance Institutions (DFI) of the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the World Bank.

He said upon receiving the legal opinion around October 2015 by the solicitor general, construction began on January 4, 2016, was supposed to be 36 months.

"But because of the efficiency of the project, we finished eight months ahead of the completion timeline, which was in May 2018. That was when the commercial operation started. And finishing eight months ahead of time was the first of such in Nigeria and without variation of contract."
As hundreds of Heads of State and Government prepare to fly into New York for the General Debate of the new General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on them to bring hope to a fractured world, and increase efforts to fight the climate crisis.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Guterres promised to address the many challenging issues facing the planet, in his speech next week to the General Assembly, which will also contain concrete recommendations for lasting solutions, and a call to action.

The UN chief began by recalling the devastation he witnessed on his recent trip to flood-hit Pakistan, which he described as a window into a "future of permanent and ubiquitous climate chaos on an unimaginable scale".

Mr. Guterres, who is from Portugal, noted that the flooding covers an area three times the size of his homeland.

In typically uncompromising language, he lambasted the global response to the climate crisis as inadequate, unjust and, at its heart, a betrayal. "Whether it's Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, small islands or Least Developed Countries, the world's most vulnerable - who did nothing to cause this crisis - are paying a horrific price for decades of intransigence by big emitters".

G20 must lead the way

Targeting the leaders of the world's wealthiest nations, the UN chief reminded them that they are responsible for the vast majority of climate-related emissions and, even though they are also heavily impacted by record droughts, fires and floods, climate action in response, appears to be on life-support.

He wondered aloud if the reaction would be different if one third of G20 countries, rather than Pakistan, were currently underwater.

All countries need to cut emissions every year - with the G20, as the leading emitters, leading the way, Mr. Guterres told correspondents in New York - until the global temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Returning to the example of Pakistan, Mr. Guterres insisted that the country, and other climate hotspots, need flood-resilient infrastructure now, arguing that at least half of all climate finance, must go to adaptation and climate resilience.

That funding, he said, must come from the leading economies.

"Lower the temperature -- now", he said. "Don't flood the world today; don't drown it tomorrow."

Real risk of multiple famines

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The UN has hailed the success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has enabled food and fertilizer supplies to finally leave war-torn Ukrainian ports, and played a part in reducing global food prices, as they reached record highs following Russia's invasion.

However, there is still a real risk of multiple famines this year, Mr. Guterres warned.

Global hunger was already rising before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and has never recovered. Many countries are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis, which is hitting the poorest people and communities hardest, and the rights of women and girls worldwide, are going into reverse.

The Secretary-General pointed out that, at a time of high geopolitical tensions, a lack of action to halt the climate crisis will have severe knock-on effects, such as mass migration and increased instability.

Mr. Guterres slammed the actions of populist politicians who, he said, are showing "a shocking disregard for the poorest and most vulnerable in our world", pitting people against one another, employing discrimination, misinformation, and hate speech.

"This year's General Debate must be about providing hope", concluded Mr. Guterres. "That hope can only come through the dialogue and debate that are the beating heart of the United Nations".
One of the centrepieces of the opening week of the new General Assembly session is an event aimed at focusing fresh attention on the global crisis surrounding learning, and proposing solutions to make education fit for the Twenty-First Century. Ahead of the event, UN News spoke to Leonardo Garnier, the Special Advisor charged with making the Transforming Education Summit a success.

Many education experts worry that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold damage to the education prospects of children around the world, exacerbating problems of falling standards that already existed, with millions of children receiving minimal, inadequate education, or no education at all.

In the days before the Transforming Education Summit, UN News met Leonardo Garnier, an academic and former education minister in Costa Rica, who was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as Special Advisor for the Summit.

He explained why going back to the old ways of teaching is not an option, and how the UN can help to bring fresh ideas to classrooms around the world and raise educational standards for children everywhere.

UN News The UN is tackling so many big geopolitical issues right now, such as the climate crisis, the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Why has education been chosen as key theme this year?

Leonardo Garnier It's precisely the right time to do it, because when there's an economic slowdown, what usually happens is that education goes under the table: it ceases to be a priority. Governments need money, and they stop spending on education.

The problem here is that the damage this causes is only apparent after several years. If you take the Eighties education crisis, it wasn't until the Nineties and 2000s that you started to see how countries had lost out because of a lack of educational investment.

Millions of children were left out of school because of the pandemic. But the pandemic also brought out what had been happening for years, because many of those who were in school were not really learning properly.

UN News Talk us through the 1980s educational crisis. What happened, and what were the consequences?

Leonardo Garnier What you saw in many parts of the world was stagflation, and a huge reduction in education budgets. Enrolment rates fell, teacher numbers fell, and many children missed out on education, particularly high school education.

And what that meant is that, in many countries, only around half the labour force finished primary school. When you look at increasing poverty, and increasing inequality in many countries, it is very difficult not to relate that to the reduced educational opportunities of the Eighties and Nineties.

UN News Do you think that what we're seeing now is going to potentially lead to a repeat of that situation?

Leonardo Garnier That could happen. From 2000 to 2018 we saw increases in school enrolment rates in most countries, and in educational investment. From then on, educational budgets started to be reduced, and then the pandemic hit.

And then what you have is really two years in which education stopped in many countries, alongside an economic crisis. So yes, there is a risk that, instead of recovering from the pandemic, we could be in an even worse position than we were in 2019.

What the Secretary General is saying is that we have to protect education from this big hit, and recover what we lost in this pandemic. But we actually have to go further.

With SDG 4 [the Sustainable Development Goal to improve access to quality education for all], the UN and global community have set themselves very ambitious targets.

You might think that everybody should have the right to education but, if we keep doing things as they were being done prior to the pandemic, we won't get there.

At the Transforming Education Summit, we want to send the message that, if we really want every young person in this planet to have the right to a quality education, we have to do things differently.

We have to transform schools, the way teachers teach, the way we use digital resources, and the way we finance education.

UN News What is your vision for an education system that is fit for the Twenty-First Century?

Leonardo Garnier It has to do with the content, with what we teach and the relevance of education.

On one side, we need the fundamental building blocks of education - literacy, numeracy, scientific thinking - but we also need what some people have called the Twenty-First Century skills. Social skills, problem solving skills.

Teachers need to impart knowledge by sparking curiosity, helping students to solve problems and guiding students through the learning process. But, to do that, teachers need better training, better working conditions, and better wages, because in many countries, the pay for teachers is very low.

They need to understand that their authority does not come from merely having more information than their students, but from their experience and capacity to lead the learning process.

In any labour activity, productivity results in part from the tools we use. When we talk about education, we've been using the same tools for around 400 years! With the digital revolution, teachers and learners could have access to much more creative tools for teaching and learning.

At the Summit, we're saying that digital resources are what economists call a public good: they require a lot of investment to be produced, and they are not cheap, but once they are produced, everybody could use them.

We want digital learning resources to be transformed into public goods, so that every country can share their own resources with other countries. For example, teachers from Argentina could share content with teachers from Spain; Egypt has a lovely digital education project that could be shared with many other Arab countries.

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The potential is there, but we need to bring everything together into a partnership for digital learning resources. This is something else that we are calling for at the Summit.

The Transforming Education Summit
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, has said that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project will create wealth, and improve the standard of living of countries within the African region.

He stated this on Thursday during the signing ceremony of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Memoranda of Understanding among NNPC, ONHYM (the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines of Morocco) and ECOWAS; NNPC, ONHYM and SMH; and NNPC, ONHYM and PETROSEN in Morocco.

He said, "As you are aware, our countries stand to benefit immeasurably from the execution of the project which extends beyond the supply of gas to energize the countries along the route.

"Some of the benefits include creation of wealth and improvement in standard of living, integration of the economies within the region, mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission."

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and was conceived during the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016.

It will also assist in supplying gas to Morocco, 13 ECOWAS countries and Europe, and integration of the economies of the Sub-region.

The pipeline is a 48 Inch X 5,300 Km (Offshore from Brass Island-Nigeria to Dakhla-Morocco) and 56" X 1,700 Km (onshore from Dakhla-Morocco to MEP), with a total length of about over 7,000km and about 13 compressor stations.

The pipeline begins from Brass Island (Nigeria) and terminates at North of Morocco, and connects to existing Maghreb European Pipeline (MEP) which is from Algeria (via Morocco) to Spain.

During the signing of a previous agreement in 2018, the both countries said the underwater project could take 25 years to finish. More so, Offshore Technology, a global energy player on its website in June 2022 said the project cost is estimated at $25 billion and would transport about 5,400 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Morocco. Already, the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development have committed nearly $60 million to the project.
Kate Beaton

(photo: Stephen Rankin)

Canadian graphics creator Kate Beaton drew international praise for her bestseller Hark! A Vagrant! series in which she humorously, cleverly showcased famous figures. She pivots from the historical to the personal in a deeply revealing memoir, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (Drawn & Quarterly, $39.95, reviewed in this issue), about working as one of very few women in the male-dominated oil fields of Alberta, Canada. In immersive black, white and blue-tinted panels, Beaton bears powerful witness to desperate adversity and redeeming humanity with sharp candor--and unexpected, but gratifyingly welcome humor.

Some 15 years have passed since the events of Ducks. Your Drawn & Quarterly publisher, Peggy Burns, mentioned that this was six years in the making--and that it went through many incarnations: quick Twitter comics, a script, thumbnails, vignettes, until reaching this outcome. What prompted this creative pivot from your comicalseries to memoir?

I had been sort of winding down on Hark! A Vagrant. It had been going on for a long time. I think it was ending even before I realized it was because I was busy finding myself, doing other things and I was starting to look elsewhere. So it came to a natural end while I was working on Ducks.

To be honest, my sister [Becky] got sick. When she got sick, the heart for making Hark! A Vagrant just fell out of me. I didn't feel like writing jokes. So that was the end of that. I was glad I had Ducks already in motion, a project that I had to keep going. If I hadn't, I might have just totally fallen apart.

I noticed your loving mention of Becky on the Hark! A Vagrant online archives: "I'd like to dedicate this archive to my sister Becky Beaton, who we lost in 2018, and who always believed in me."

How do I put this... at the end, well, she was so tied up with the reason I was ending [the series], so a dedication just seemed fitting there. She was the first person I ever made comics with. A long time ago...

This is also your first long-form project. Could you talk about how this creative process differed from that of your previous work?

Yeah, it was very very different. I was so comfortable in what I had been doing before, so I didn't have a lot of confidence [with the new format] and I did a lot of second guessing. Even though I had confidence in what I was making, I found myself taking big steps forward and then looking at what I made and thinking, "Is this any good, or...." Whereas before I could be very sure of what I was doing, I had to approach [Ducks] very methodically. I wrote everything out, then went over everything again and again. I didn't use thumbnails. After I had something written down, I would look at each section with new eyes. I feel like the work went through the wringer quite a few times before it finally was good enough to put into finished panels.

I was always trying to make sure I was doing the work the right way. I didn't want to be working on something so long that was so important to me and get it wrong. I tried to look up how other people do graphic novels--and discovered that everyone does their work differently.

Speaking of your previous work, Hark! A Vagrant debuted on the web when you were in the oil sands. Some of that backstory is included in Ducks. Would you share a bit more about its provenance?

I drew comics for my school paper when I was at university and I enjoyed that. But when I went to the oil sands, I stopped drawing, pretty much for the first full year, because there was nowhere to put it, there was no point. You'll notice in Ducks that the first year was especially harsh. And I felt that. I lost myself in all that.

Then I went to Victoria for a year to take a break. I worked at a museum and I started to feel like myself again and started drawing in earnest. Then I had to go back--I went to Albian Sands, an oil-mining site. I would go home to my little camp room and draw. I had Internet there, and I would go on LiveJournal to be with other cartoonists I was beginning to meet online. They had a little community, and I was feeling like a part of that. I would draw my comics and the next morning I'd get on the big photocopier at work, then post [my work] online. I could feel like myself, feel like I had something just for me. It was a real saving grace in a place where people did not see me for who I was. Comics gave me this avenue to a part of myself that had been lost and I was very grateful.

Ducks begins with a poignant tribute to your hometown, Cape Breton, which you felt you had to leave in 2005. Now you're finally back! I saw the pictures of your youngest son, Charlie, and of the ducks--both your book and the adorable waddling kind--on your Twitter feed. Did you always intend to return?

I never pictured myself coming back and I never pictured myself living anywhere else, either. It was always a big open-ended question. I grew up knowing that almost everyone leaves. But where you go, though, was always like, "well, I just don't know." I was in Toronto, I was in New York, I was in different places, but they never felt like home. When I was in my 20s, I pictured myself having a family but when I tried to picture where that family might be, I wasn't ever sure. I had spent so much time being away from home, feeling like away was the place that I had to be because that's how we grew up, being told we had to find a better life away.

I came home in 2015, just to try it out. I was feeling very done with Toronto, so I thought I'll try home. And then my sister got sick--again. She was here, she had cancer. She was sick for three years. She didn't get better, so I just stayed. And then I met my husband. It wasn't so much a conscious decision that I was going to stay here. But once I got home, it just seemed like the right place to be.

Speaking of the literary Ducks, I saw your "As good as promo videos get" tweet, in which you tell your toddler, "This book is too old for you, it's not for Charlie." Who might be your ideal audience? What are some reactions you hope for?

It's funny because I've had this one copy for the longest time, and it's going around to my relatives and they're all "hmmmm." They're all reading the same very personal book, and they all like it. I'm glad. Friends are like, "That's not my ideal audience," but it is. It's anyone--honestly, it is anyone... who's not a child.

And the reaction I could hope for is, I think, that it's a book about empathy--and that empathy could be for just about any character in the book. Of course, the main character is myself and readers are dropped into the story through my eyes. But the scope of experiences that you see was as wide a net as I could make it so that you have an idea of other people's lives, to show how much of a grey area life is. That understanding, that's what I hope for.

Because your curious groupies must know, what might we expect next?

I have some picture book stuff that I've been working on. My publishers have been so patient with me because I keep having babies. Nothing puts a halt on a project like having another baby: "How's that book coming?" "Well, I'm pregnant... again." But my publishers have been so wonderful and supportive. I couldn't ask for better publishers in the children's book world, or the graphic novels world.

I think that I'd like to steer away from memoirs next because I've been drawing myself quite a bit. I would like to do something new with comics that isn't gag humor and that isn't memoir. I'm looking at possibly fiction but keeping the themes that are important to me. I'm poking around with that, so we'll see how well I do. If it's no good, then nobody gets to see it. If it's any good, you will. --Terry Hong
Page Content

The question of who provides workers' compensation insurance in employerstaffing company relationships is handled in different ways. Frequently, the staffing company will provide workers' compensation coverage for all individuals provided to the client company.

Issues sometimes arise related to the client company's and staffing company's liability under a joint-employer theory for adverse employment actions involving workers provided by the staffing company to the employer. A Texas appellate court recently examined the scope of joint-employer liability in the workers' compensation retaliation context.

Background

An employer had contracted with various staffing agencies to supply temporary contract personnel. The employer provided workers' compensation coverage for its permanent employees. The staffing company provided workers' compensation coverage for the temporary workers assigned to work with the employer.

A dispute arose when a temporary worker left work because the tasks assigned to her were too physically demanding. After she left, the employer directed the staffing company to end her assignment. The next day, the temporary worker reported to work and claimed that she had been injured on the job the day before.

Following the termination of her employment, the temporary worker sued both the temporary staffing company and the employer under Chapter 451 of the Texas Labor Code, claiming workers' compensation retaliation.

The employer moved for summary judgment on the grounds that it could not be liable under Chapter 451 because it had not provided workers' compensation coverage to the staffing company worker. The trial court denied the motion, but permitted the employer to immediately pursue a permissive appeal on the question of whether it could be liable for worker's compensation discrimination, since it had not provided workers' compensation coverage to the temporary worker.

Appellate Court's Analysis

In analyzing the issue on appeal, the appellate court focused on language in Chapter 451, allowing a retaliation claim against a person who discharges or discriminates against an employee because the employee has filed a workers' compensation claim in good faith. The court observed that previous Texas Supreme Court cases had limited the scope of the term "person" under the law by excluding "employers that are nonsubscribers to the Texas Workers' Compensation Act" from the definition of "person."

Relying on the logic of a Fifth Circuit case that had addressed a similar question involving a similar factual scenario, the appellate court noted that it was not enough to be a workers' compensation subscriber for liability to arise under Chapter 451. There must also be an employer-employee relationship involved for liability under Chapter 451 to attach.

Further, the employer must have provided the coverage to that particular worker. Relying on this reasoning, the appellate court determined that, since the employer had not provided workers' compensation coverage to the temporary worker, she could not maintain a cause of action under Chapter 451 against the employer.

The temporary worker specifically argued that liability could extend to the client company because the staffing company and client company were joint employers. The court, however, determined that the joint-employer issue was irrelevant because the pertinent issue concerned whether the client company had provided workers' compensation coverage for the temporary worker. Since the client company was not the subscriber responsible for covering the temporary worker, the argument concerning joint employment failed.

Key Takeaways

This decision provides guidance with regard to liability under Chapter 451 in situations involving an employer and a staffing company. The decision provides that for liability under Chapter 451 to attach, a direct nexus must exist between the entity that provides the workers' compensation insurance coverage for the injured individual and the injured individual, and a joint-employer relationship will not provide a substitute for the actual purchase of insurance coverage.

Despite this determination, there remain outstanding issues not specifically addressed in the case. The court did not have to address a situation in which a staffing company provides workers' compensation insurance coverage and includes the client company on the certificate of insurance as an additional insured. The court also did not address joint-enterprise liability because the issue had not been properly raised at trial. The court also observed that the temporary worker had not been left without a remedy, as she might have common law claims against the employer, including for allegedly providing false information that injures another.

Lawrence D. Smith is an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in San Antonio.  2022. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Conflict and drought have led to food shortages in many parts of Somalia (file photo).

As risks of conflict-induced famine and widespread food insecurity continue to rise, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator urged the Security Council on Thursday to address the interlinked crises, and work towards establishing lasting peace in affected regions.

Humanitarian Affairs chief Martin Griffiths recalled previous warnings over the impact of conflict in Ethiopia,

Somalia

He spoke about his recent trip to Somalia, where more than 200,000 people are currently at risk of famine - a figure expected to reach 300,000 by November - "with millions more" on the verge of starvation.

Recent humanitarian assessments have identified hundreds of thousands of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, or phase 5 of the Integrated Phase Classification system - the ultimate, most devastating stage.

Hunger is used as a tactic of war - UN Emergency Relief Coordinator

"It simply doesn't get any worse than that", said the OCHA chief, noting that widespread suffering comes down to the direct and indirect impact of conflict and "the behaviour of the fighting parties".

'Tactic of war'

Mr. Griffiths observed that "a similar pattern recurs in each context", outlining how civilians are killed and injured; families forcibly displaced; market and work access disrupted; food stocks looted; while overall economic decline renders food out of reach for the vulnerable.

"In the most extreme cases, fighting parties have deliberately cut off access to the commercial supplies and essential services that civilians rely on to survive," he stated.

"Hunger is used as a tactic of war".

While humanitarians have extended "relief lifelines", interference, harassment and attacks often bar access to those in need.

"Humanitarians will stay and deliver, but the conditions in some contexts are unacceptable," said the OCHA chief.

Driving hunger

Meanwhile, drought, rising global commodity prices, and the impacts of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war are also compounding food insecurity and misery.

And people in South Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Somalia are "quite literally on the front lines of climate change" as they confront droughts, floods, desertification and water scarcity.

Snapshots

More than seven years of armed conflict in Yemen has wreaked havoc and left some 19 million people acutely food insecure.

"An estimated 160,000 people are facing catastrophe, and 538,000 children are severely malnourished," the Relief Coordinator said, warning that funding gaps may worsen the situation".

Last year, South Sudan was one of the most dangerous places to be an aid worker, with 319 violent incidents targeting humanitarian personnel and assets.

Meanwhile, more than 13 million people across Afar, Amhara and Tigray in Ethiopia, need life-saving food assistance.

While improvements in delivering humanitarian assistance were seen in northern Ethiopia, "the resumption of hostilities in recent weeks is undoing recent progress," he said.

Turning to northeast Nigeria, the UN projects that 4.1 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity in the conflict-affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, including 588,000 people who already faced emergency levels between June and August - almost half of whom were unreachable for humanitarian assistance.

"Food security assessments could not be conducted in these areas, but we fear that some people may already be in the catastrophe level and risk death," he said.

Taking action

The humanitarian chief reminded ambassadors that actions can be taken, beginning with leaving no stone unturned in pursuing "peaceful and negotiated resolutions" to conflicts and other violent situations.

Secondly, States and armed groups must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to ensure unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief.

Mr. Griffiths also highlighted climate change as an issue "central to peace and security" both now "and indeed decades ahead".

He implored all Member States to prioritize "a longer-term approach and ensure a substantial proportion of funding - as grants, not loans - for climate adaptation and mitigation".

"Time is not on our side", he concluded.

Time is not on our side - UN Emergency Relief Coordinator

Fanning the flames

Having just returned from a trip to Central America, World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley saw firsthand how conflict is "adding fire to the flames" of what is already a severe hunger crisis.

From the arduous Darien Gap crossing point, to Guatemala, he recounted "tragic stories" from people migrating north "through sheer desperation".

"The impact of the climate crisis and COVID's ongoing ripple-effects have already exhausted many families' ability to cope," he said.

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"People feel they have nothing left - they can stay and starve, or leave and risk death for the chance of a better future".

'Unprecedented' global emergency

The WFP chief argued that under threat of growing mass starvation and famine, "we are facing a global emergency of unprecedented magnitude".

And since the Ukraine conflict began, "a wave of hunger has turned into "a tsunami", he continued, noting that up to 345 million people in 82 countries are "moving towards starvation".

"This is a record high - now more than 2.5 times the number of acutely food insecure people before the pandemic began".

Mr. Beasley presented staggering statistics on the dire situation faced by hundreds of millions around the world.

As raging conflicts push millions of "blameless civilians ever closer to starvation and famine," he asked the Council to "show the humanitarian leadership the world urgently needs right now and... break the vicious cycle of hunger and conflict, which is fuelling a global food insecurity crisis that threatens to spin out of control".

"The hungry people of the world are counting on us to do the right thing - and we must not let them down," concluded Mr. Beasley.
High-speed 5G services will be rolled out in many parts of the country, including Odisha, very soon, Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.

Interacting with reporters in Puri, Vaishnaw said that Odisha will get 5G service in the very first phase.

Asked about any impact of the 5G radiation on human beings, he said: "The amount of radiation it will give forth is 10 times less than the radiation norms set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). So, no one should worry about it."

Earlier, Vaishnaw had asked the telecom service providers to be ready with the 5G launch post the issuance of spectrum allocation letters.

During his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the 5G services will be launched in India soon.

Meanwhile, Vaishnaw, who is also the Railways Minister, has asked the railway officials to construct a foot over bridge (FOB) at Birapratappur near Chandanpur in Puri district.

During his visit to Birapratappur village, the villagers complained before Vaishnaw that school children are facing a lot of difficulties while crossing the railway tracks.

The entire village is divided by train lines. During festivals too, people were facing difficulties to pull the chariot of the village temple across the railway lines. Apart from this, the day-to-day activities of villagers were being hampered.

On this grievance by villagers, he on spot directed them to construct the FOB with ramp facility for the convenience of the villagers.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone: Adani Ports will enhance Haldia Dock's capacity in Bengal as its subsidiary HDC Bulk Terminal has signed concession agreement with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for mechanisation of Berth No. 2 at Haldia port. The special purpose vehicle between HDC Bulk Terminal and Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port formed to implement the project will get the rights to design, build, finance, operate, maintain and manage the bulk terminal with a capacity of 3.74 million tonnes per annum for a concession period of 30 years at the Haldia Dock Complex.

Tata Power: Subsidiary Tata Power Solar Systems has received contract worth Rs 612 crore to set up 100 MW ground mounted project for SJVN in Gujarat. The project will get commissioned within 11 months from the date of receiving the letter of award.

PVR: Plenty Private Equity FII I sold 7,62,499 equity shares (1.24 percent stake) in the company via open market transactions at an average price of Rs 1,877.14 per share, and Plenty Private Equity Fund I offloaded 10,76,259 shares (1.76 percent stake) at an average price of Rs 1,887.04 per share. They together held 6.02 percent stake in the company as of June 2022. Gray Birch Investment exited the company by selling 22,06,743 equity shares at an average price of Rs 1,871.18 per share.

MTAR Technologies: The company has received orders worth about Rs 540 crore in clean energy segment including civil nuclear power.

Future Lifestyle Fashions: Investor Pioneer Investment Fund has sold 3.98 lakh equity shares or 0.2 percent stake in the company via open market transactions on September 14-15. With this, its shareholding in the company stands reduced to 2.44 percent, up from 2.64 percent earlier.

UPL: The agrochemical company in joint venture with CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions, a Mumbai-based renewable energy company, to establish a hybrid solar-wind energy power plant in Gujarat. The joint venture will set-up and operate a hybrid captive power plant with a capacity of 28.05 MW of solar power and 33 MW of wind power.

Career Point: The Reserve Bank of India has issued No Objection Letter (NOC) for merger of Srajan Capital (NBFC) with Career Point (Non-NBFC) under the Scheme of Arrangement. Srajan Capital is a subsidiary of Career Point.

Trigyn Technologies: Subsidiary Trigyn Technologies, Inc has received an enterprise task order agreement for providing citywide systems integration services, Class I, from the City of New York (City), Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications. The order is for six years.

Indo Borax & Chemicals: The company said the board of directors proposed to install a new plant at existing plant location at Pithampur for manufacturing of boric acid derivatives and related products. The project will be funded by internal accruals.
Oracles cloud business is growing in the triple digits in India on strong demand from private and public sector enterprises, a senior executive said.

India is the second largest centre for the US-based tech company with about 40,000 employees.

we are witnessing extremely great momentum for cloud in India, said Kapil Makhija, vice president - technology cloud business, Oracle India.

The company is doing well in the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) market, he added.

Cloud technology has done significantly well, and Oracles India business has been a strong growth engine for the company  with the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) unit clocking over 100% growth for the third year in a row, Makhija said.

Earlier this year, OCI launched an OCI Dedicated Region, which allows it to offer public cloud services to customers on their premises.

In the last eight months, we have catered to more cloud projects than we have in the last three years  across the private and public sectors. This momentum indicates the value that OCI has brought to customers as a result of speed of execution, performance, scalability and cost savings, he said.

Oracle announced its first quarter results earlier this week.

Globally, it reported a revenue of $11.8 billion, up 23% in constant currency terms, while IaaS revenue was up 58% in constant currency at $0.9 billion.

Oracle continues to hire and focus on training people, not only within the organisation, but also across the client and partner networks, as well as students and the developer community, Makhija said.

Oracle has trained about 100,000 people on Cloud skills in India in the last 18 months, he added.

The company is currently building out a team that would not only support customers during the cloud migration phase, but also train their people on the skills needed.

We are also helping our customers to hire the right resources so that the projects can be successful, he said.

Oracle has two cloud regions, in Mumbai and Hyderabad, that are empanelled by the IT ministry.

These are running at full capacity with the company having doubled its cloud customer base in the last few years.

Makhija said Oracle would focus on the public sector, banking, financial services and insurance, manufacturing and IT/IT Enabled Services companies going forward.

Oracle currently works with over 15,000 customers in India across large, medium and small enterprises.
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Air New Zealand has ruled out a multi-billion dollar merger deal with Virgin Australia, amid mounting speculation that private equity giant Bain Capital could bring the number two carrier and Qantas rival back to the ASX boards as soon as next year.

New Zealands flag carrier, which owned a 19.99 per cent stake in Virgin between 2011 and 2016, issued a statement to the ASX and NZX on Friday, stating that it was not in any discussions with any airlines about mergers.

Air New Zealand confirms that it has not been approached, and is not in discussion with any parties, regarding a potential merger transaction, the airlines chair, Dame Therese Walsh, said in the statement. Air New Zealand remains in compliance with its NZX continous disclosure obligations.

Air New Zealand and Regional Express have rejected media speculation Virgin Australia is considering a merger aquisition. Credit:James Alcock

Virgin collapsed in 2020 when flights were grounded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bain beat out a host of private equity funds to buy the airline out of voluntary administration for $3.5 billion in November 2020. Media and market speculation is mounting that Bain could look to list Virgin on the ASX as soon as 2023, in what would be a highly anticipated sharemarket float.
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint to de-escalate border tensions.

China is concerned about the recent armed conflicts and casualties in the border areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Maintaining regional peace and stability is in the common interests of the two countries, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We call on the two countries to exercise restraint, persist in resolving problems and differences through political dialogue, and take measures to avoid further escalation of the situation," he said.

Geng called on the two sides, which have agreed on a new cease-fire agreement after three days of fighting, to abide by this agreement in a common effort to ease the situation.

The normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is inseparable from the proper settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. China supports the resolution of differences through political dialogue and hopes that all parties will find a proper settlement as soon as possible in line with universally recognized international law and norms governing international relations, he said.

China welcomes and supports the November 2020 cease-fire brokered by Russia, and will continue to support positive progress to be made on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, he said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are inseparable neighbors. Maintaining stable bilateral relations and developing forward-looking friendly cooperation is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, but also conducive to peace and stability of the whole region, said Geng.

"We hope and believe that both countries have full political wisdom in their possession and are able to resolve problems and differences through dialogue and consultation, restore peace and stability and achieve common security. China is willing to work with the international community to make constructive efforts in easing the situation," he said.
The PDP on Thursday released a total of 326 persons as members of the campaign team.

Nigeria's main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has named the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, as the Director General of its 2023 Presidential Campaign Organization (PCO). The party also named the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, as the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

The party has Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate in the election slated for 25 February, next year. Atiku was the country's vice president between 1999 and 2007.

Mr Tambuwal was earlier in the week rumoured to have stepped down as the chairman of the party's governors' forum amidst the internal crisis rocking the party.

With Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State at the forefront, the crisis rocking the party has been tied to the imbalance in sharing of party positions, a reason there has been calls for the removal of Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman for a southern person.

Both Messrs Ayu and Atiku are from the north.

The PDP, in a document released on Thursday, by its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, listed a total of 326 persons as members of the campaign team.

According to Mr Bature, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, was appointed as the Vice Chairman (North) of the PCC.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was appointed as the Vice Chairman (South) of the same council.

Liye Imoke and Adewale Oladipo have also been appointed as Deputy Director General Operations and Administration respectively.

Both Raymond Dokpesi and Okwesilieze Nwodo are to serve in the capacity of Deputy DG Technical and Systems and Research and Strategy respectively.

Mr Wike and other governors of the party are members of the team.
Signature restaurants and upmarket bars are returning to the Sydney CBD as landlords investigate leasing options to entice staff back to the office longer than three days a week, while also helping to bring the city back to life.

Building owners see the new offerings as the front door to their properties, and are prepared to include higher incentives into the rental contracts as added attraction. This is evidenced by the success of The Bentley at 27 OConnell Street and Neil Perrys Rockpool Bar & Grill at 66 Hunter Street.

The Speakeasy Group has leased a restaurant and bar space at Beneficial House, 285 George Street, part of Brookfield Place, Sydney

The pandemic had an enormous impact on the food and beverage industry, in particular the Sydney CBD market, but there is evidence of an accelerated momentum in the city, despite the still half-empty office towers.

One of the latest deals in Sydneys Wynyard Lane is a lease by the Speakeasy Groups for a moody speakeasy bar and new restaurant concept at Brookfield Place Sydney.
After getting a standing ovation for my intellect [at the talk just hours prior], no one was actually there to protect my personhood ... This is not about gender. Its actually about humanity. This is part of the story Vaid-Menon will be telling on Saturday night, during a keynote address at Sydneys Festival of Dangerous Ideas in which they plan to offer forgiveness to their attacker and explain the broader need for society to embrace expressions of gender beyond the idea of man and woman. If I had prioritised fear over love  I could have been that man on the train, Vaid-Menon says. Credit:Eva Schwank That doesnt mean theyre suggesting everyone should be non-binary, or that theres anything wrong with being a man or a woman. But rather, they say, its about acknowledging there are many ways of being and everyone is equally deserving of love and respect. That includes men who dont feel theyre masculine enough, women who dont feel theyre feminine enough, and  whatever camp he falls into  the man who assaulted Vaid-Menon on the tram.

[Gender is a construct which can] make us feel woefully inadequate, Vaid-Menon says. If youre assigned male at birth, for instance, society says that you have to be emotionless  that you can only prove your legitimacy through your displays of power and control. Loading Instead of working against the gender binary and those gender norms, [many people] misdirect their legitimate anger and grief against queer and, especially, trans people. As trans people, they go on, we have a unique point of view to teach the world that transformation is possible because weve worked through our own self-hatred. If I had prioritised fear over love [towards myself and others]  I could have been that man on the train. Its taken a number of years  and a fair amount of therapy  for the author to arrive at this place of compassion. And they expect their Australian tour, which includes comedy/poetry shows in most of our major cities, to be a particularly emotional one.

Trans and gender-nonconforming people anticipate violence everywhere we go. And its getting worse, they say. Every restaurant, every street, every city, every school, every place that I go, people harass me ... And my story is one of millions. Im just privileged enough to have the platform to say it. But that doesnt mean its going to be a solemn affair. Vaid-Menon says their shows are an equal measure of grief and loss, as well as joy and triumph and theyve been particularly drawn to stand-up comedy lately as a lot of famous comics [have been] peddling transphobia. [Transphobic people] think theres something funny about what we look like, when the really funny thing is how they act  like, why they are so obsessed? they say. You could be spending your entire day playing Mario Kart. And instead, youre insulting strangers online. Right now, people think that trans people are curmudgeonly  snowflakes who are self-indulgent and hyperemotional  and that we cant take a joke. I wanted to show that not only can we take a joke, but we can do it better than you.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Of all the qualities that have come to define Disneys Star Wars television shows, what stands out is the effortless way they weave in and out of the established canon. A show like Andor may feel relatively new, but characters such as the famed rebel leader Mon Mothma, take us back to the Star Wars we grew up with. Genevieve OReilly, the Irish-Australian actress who plays Mon Mothma, seems to conjure the regal power of her predecessor, actress Caroline Blakiston, who played the character almost 40 years ago in the third chapter of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi. In the new series Andor, the younger Mon Mothma appears in the infancy of the Empire, as an influential senator helping to build the foundations of what will become the good guys of the entire Star Wars saga, the Rebel Alliance. And OReillys task - taking on a part played previously by another actor - is not new to Star Wars. Ewan McGregor was tasked in the film prequels and the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi with the job of playing the younger Sir Alec Guinness. While it runs contrary to an actors nature to simply imitate, McGregor has said he had to let Guinnesss performance in. OReilly agrees. Mon Mothma, now played by Genevieve OReilly in Andor, has been a fan favourite ever since she ordered the attack on the Death Star. Credit:Lucasfilm Caroline Blakiston is always there, says the 45-year-old NIDA graduate. Ive played this character in different iterations over the last number of years, but I always go back to Carolines performance in Return of the Jedi at the very beginning. I dont go back to it too often, but at the beginning, before I start my work, I go back to her. Caroline originated the character, and she created something really special with not very much [scene time], OReilly says. She had such a weight to her. There was a pain at her core. And yet, she was this really iconic leader, female leader, and I feel like I have a responsibility to the character and also to Caroline and to George Lucas who created her all those years ago.

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In a sense, the notion of Mon Mothma as a great female leader is impactful, but it owes an almost immeasurable debt to the earlier work of Carrie Fisher, whose performance as Princess Leia Organa, the senator of Alderaan captured by Darth Vader in the original 1977 film Star Wars, was dazzling. Princess Leia was, for many, the original female action hero. You cant underestimate the impact that Carrie Fishers portrayal of Princess Leia had on modern cultural cinema and storytelling, OReilly says. The older I get, the more important it is. When I think of what she did, particularly when I think of Return of the Jedi, in regards to her, that she was fighting, that she was on the ground; as a kid, that was the woman I saw. It is a debt owed by a number of key female parts in the Star Wars cycles, not just Princess Leia and Mon Mothma, but also Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) was first revealed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, when he teamed up with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Theyre quite different, but they are women who are on the battlefield, OReilly says. For Mon Mothma, her battlefield is the senate. She is a voice for diplomacy. She is a voice for political solution. She is trying to affect change within a very male-dominated, empirical structure. She is trying to use words. Shes trying to gather allies. She is trying to oppose an ever-looming autocracy. We know where it goes. We know its a wrestle. We know there will be massive pitfalls. We know its not going to be easy. In that sense, OReilly says, Andor is an inherently political story, set in the shadow of the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. Each of the live-action pieces have their own identity, and this piece led by Diego as Cassian Andor, who as we know in [the film] Rogue One, I introduced him as, This is Cassian Andor from Rebel Intelligence, so we know this is a spy thriller. We know it is about espionage and political intrigue, but if you look at the trailer, its also unafraid to be explosive and gritty and dirty.

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Critically, Andor dials back the clock. There are touchpoints in Rogue One, snapshots for every character, little moments of truth of who they are, little pieces and shards that go back to who they were, say writer/producer Tony Gilroy. And the pieces that we had for Cassian were that hed been in the revolution since he was six years old. Hed been fighting since he was six years old. We know that at the end of [Rogue One], he says, My God, if we dont go out and make this final effort, then all of the things that Ive done, all the horrible things that Ive done for the rebellion, theyll be for naught. Itll be useless. So we know theres a very dark period. Gilroy says there were tiny navigational points in Rogue One that built from to create Cassian Andors story. It felt very important, particularly for a story where youre taking somebody on a five-year journey, to really, really be fully invested in their complete story, from origin and, as we know in Rogue One, to the end, he says. So the responsibility to have an abundant, real, important backstory was obvious. Tony Gilroy, who created Andor, on set with Diego Luna. It was a gift to start with the conclusion of the story - the events of Rogue One, which dovetail into the Skywalker family Star Wars trilogies - and then map it backwards, says Gilroy. This is about these huge titanic forces that are manipulating peoples lives, forcing them to make decisions. The story of revolution and what it really means is very complicated. Its very interesting to delve into as a writer, Gilroy says. By the time we get to Rogue One, whats great about building this show back in reverse and seeing the preceding four years is that a lot of scenes in Rogue One are going to take a deeper significance and a deeper resonance. That is not a happy moment for him. But there are so many things that will have been sacrificed along the way and so many regular people that have made just epic decisions about which way theyre gonna go and what theyre gonna give.

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The larger question, for the shows star Diego Luna, is how much the audience can balance what it thinks it knows about Cassian Andor against a show that is going to constantly place him in high-stakes jeopardy. Im going to challenge everything you think about Cassian, Luna says. Everything that made sense when you were watching [Rogue One] is now going to be challenged. I do have that in mind. I know where it ends, and I can be very creative about how to get there. It triggers a different part of your creativity, when you start backwards. As an audience, not as an actor, theres nothing I like the most than going to see big shows about historical moments where I get to see whats in between what I know. To me, it celebrates, in a way, and it challenges audiences in a very special way. Its like you know this is possible. You know someone is capable of this. Well, Im going to tell you something, you dont know about what triggered that and, to me, that is when storytelling becomes fascinating. Forest Whitaker returns as Saw Gerrera is Andor. THE WHOS WHO AND WHATS WHAT OF ANDOR Who is Cassian Andor? Cassian is a human soldier and, later, intelligence officer, who became a hero of the Rebel Alliance after he played a pivotal role in obtaining the plans to the Death Star, helping to destroy the planet-busting space station in the events of the films Rogue One and Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. The new series Andor is set five years before those historic events, so here we meet Cassian when he is still unformed, a kid from the wrong side of the galactic tracks trying to find his way in the galaxy. Wait, I never saw Star Wars. What you got? OK, its a long story but, in brief, the story of Star Wars is the story of a crumbling and over-governed Republic that is eventually overtaken by the charisma of a single senator, Sheev Palpatine, who reorganises the government into the First Galactic Empire and proceeds to cast a long and sinister shadow across the galaxy. Against him are the Rebel Alliance and, later, the Skywalker family of Star Wars fame. Andor is set in the infancy of the Empire, as the galaxy is slowly being to kneel under its boot heel.

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Just not cricket New Zealand finally gets revenge for the underarm scandal (All Blacks extend Bledisloe heartache, September 16). Elliott Savdie, Rushcutters Bay The only thing better than flogging the Wallabies regularly is squeaking home in controversial circumstances and then listening to the whingeing of their supporters about how they were robbed. They should heed the Ukrainian saying and Crimea River. Chris Roylance, Paddington (Qld) Rugby as a game used to be played by two teams against each other. Now it is a game between two teams and the referee. David Cahill, Northwood Was the decision from the French referee final revenge for the submarine saga? Andrew Krisenthal, Blaxland

Money matters My choice to replace the Queen on our $5 note is Eddie Mabo (Letters, September 16). Mary Holmes, Currumbin Waters (Qld) Eddie Mabo Credit:Jim McEwan We cannot replace the $1 and $2 coins. How would we release a supermarket trolley? Bob Liddelow, Avalon What irks me is those businesses that adopt the no cash, cards only policy, then impose a card processing surcharge. Alan Morley, Berry

Off the mark with comment about missed opportunity David Crowe (Bridge too far? Why PM is tetchy, September 16) may be a little premature in his assertion that we will run out of time to become a republic. Some people need to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth. It is the end of an era. King Charles has hardly begun his reign. It may become more obvious to more people that after a short period of mourning and a few missteps from the new monarch, that it is time for a change. Our prime minister is showing respect, as he should. Perhaps it is more about how the argument for change is framed, and that Charles is not as popular as his mother. Geoff Nilon, Mascot David Crowe opines that Labor tacticians regret not moving faster on the national anti-corruption commission. The keyword is moving: the government is actually moving and cannot prevent the death of the monarch. Has Crowe already forgotten the past nine years, when pretty much nothing moved at all, especially on this issue? David Mansford, Concord David Crowe is off the mark referring to Anthony Albaneses missed opportunity and timidity. Crowe seems to argue the Albanese government, realising the death of the Queen could happen at any time, should have had in place immediate plans to implement some process to move Australia forward to becoming a republic. Further, Crowe is very critical of Albanese for his reluctance to initiate discussion right now on the subject of the republic. Crowe appears to have forgotten Albanese previously stated that discussion around becoming a republic was a second-term issue. Secondly, at a time of emotions and over the top media coverage, there was neither the space nor inclination across the community for the seriousness of discourse on the republic. Ross Butler, Rodd Point What Crowe calls timidity in Albanese, I call necessary caution. It is clear he will find it difficult to get referendums up, let alone through, on the Voice and the republic. Lack of bipartisan support spells failure for referendums, and he might have to contend with an opportunistic Dutton-led opposition that will have a vested interest in him failing. He will also have to hasten slowly if he is to convince more than half of the electorate that such long-hoped-for changes are beneficial. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Second chances Charles Sturt University is to give some students a second chance to pass examinations (Failing uni students get second try, September 16). When I was at Sydney University in the 1950s some students who failed a subject first time round were given a second chance by way of examinations known as posts or gentlemens exams (It would have to be gentleperson these days, I suppose). So, the old becomes new again. Alan Templeman, Wyoming When I was a uni student in the 1960s I must have been one of those seriously failing students. We had only a final examination to determine whether we could show sufficient knowledge and understanding to pass each subject. In each of my three years at university I must have scored just below 50 per cent in a subject because each year I was granted a post exam. It gave me another four weeks to study and cram in that subject before we sat yet another three-hour examination. I think the rule was that you could not continue a subject to the next level if youd had a post exam. But, I did finish my studies, thanks to these measures, and enjoyed a teaching career for the next 40 years. Mia David, Wollongong Worldly goods Yvon Chouinard Credit:The New York Times

Patagonias 83-year-old founder and owner Yvon Chouinard (Reluctant billionaire tears up the capitalist rulebook, September 16) has set a magnificent example for King Charles III and Pope Francis as we reach a catastrophic tipping point in climate and biodiversity. As defenders of the Christian faith, both these leaders might return to the teaching of Christ Jesus and divest themselves of their obscene wealth and assets for the greater good, as Chouinard has done. It would be good for the planet and good for humanity. Maralyn Lawson, Greenwich Game, set, match Tennis will never be the same now Roger Federer has announced his retirement (Roger Federer to retire from tennis after Laver Cup, smh.com.au, September 15). With another great, Serena Williams, having likewise departed after the recent US Open it will leave tennis fans all over the world acknowledging that perhaps never again, except for Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, will icons such as these dominate grand slam tournaments. Forty-one-year-old Roger Federers 24-year tennis career has seen him win 20 grand slams, and both he and Williams will go down in history as among the greatest players in the world. Eric Palm, Gympie (Qld) Dont forget Assange While the Australian royal-watching press are in London for the funeral of the Queen, could they find the time to ask the new British prime minister or even our new King for the life of an outstanding subject of our own, Julian Assange? Penny Rosier, North Epping

Moving ceremony Say what you like about the Poms, nobody does pomp and circumstance better. John Grinter, Katoomba I have watched all the coverage of the death of her majesty and found it all very moving. However, if I have to listen to another mention of the MonAARCH I will scream. The English pronounce it as MONuk , though usually they prefer to simply say The Queen. Tricia White, Wahroonga Grief and goodness While not disputing the magnificent achievements and selfless service of Queen Elizabeth, the question must be asked as to how much obsequious fawning is enough for a country like Australia, and how many streets, buildings, suburbs and malls need to be named after her (Letters, September 16)? Our major city streets are already named in servile complaisance after British monarchs and long-dead English politicians, many of whom have tenuous, if any link, to us (Castlereagh is a prime example). Our sense of national pride should allow us to name our thoroughfares and public spaces for our own. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl

Many grieve the Queens passing as she was a perfect role model for generations of loyal subjects. As a wife, mother, sovereign, grandmother, etc she more than did her duty. As thousands file past her coffin, the grief of all ages representing many countries and ethnic groups was clearly evident. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach It seems to me that those grieving for the Queen are grieving for the passing of a significant period of their own lives, in which news and information and gossip about her played such a large role. Gabi Duigu, Cammeray Postscript Of course, it was no great surprise that this weeks inbox was full of letters about the late Queen and subjects related to her. There were letters of sadness about her death, memories of people who had met her or even stood in the street just to see her passing by on a tour, or whod waved a flag or been a schoolchild set to sing for her. Happy memories for the most part, thoughts to be treasured about being a little part of history.

Many other writers had strong feelings about whether Australia should have a public holiday in her memory, and whether Sydneys new plaza should be named after her.

There was also robust discussion about whether Her Majestys death meant it was time to discuss a republic, and, as always, the thorny questions about what form it should take.

The feeling was, generally, that Australia would one day be a republic, but first there will be great discussion about the details that need to be ironed out, especially regarding a head of state.

However, lest you think it was all Queen, all week, there were other subjects. There were many heartfelt letters of farewell for the Indigenous elder, actor and artist Jack Charles.

Decentralisation reared its head again, and brought letters of scorn from those who remembered the grand plans and great failures of previous attempts.

Plans for the remodelling of Dulwich Hill brought a flood of correspondence from residents, and others, furious about the idea and defending the areas current charms, saying it would be ruined by the governments ideas about high-rise buildings lowering over the train lines.

Harriet Veitch, acting letters editor To submit a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
A Sydney man who would never win employee of the year has been found guilty of murdering his boss almost three decades ago.

Kubilay Kilincer, 60, had denied violently attacking Hasan Dastan in his Esy Auto Dismantlers business on the morning of December 11, 1995.

Kubilay Kilincer has been convicted of the 1995 murder of his boss Hasan Dastan. Credit:Facebook

Dastan was found dead in a pool of blood lying partially under a car within the Blacktown premises.

A metal pipe was shoved six centimetres into his mouth and his severe head injuries were consistent with an attack using a bloodied sledgehammer that lay nearby.
A manual review of Melissa Caddicks mobile phone showed a potential pin data point on her Uber account at Sydney Airport at 12.45am on Friday, November 13, 2020, the inquest into her disappearance and presumed death has heard.

The inquest has previously heard that later that day Caddicks husband Anthony Koletti, 40, reported his wifes disappearance to the police. He said his wife had vanished in the early hours of the previous day, November 12, but gave three different times as to when he had last seen her.

Melissa Caddick disappeared on November 12, 2020.

Hours before her disappearance, Caddicks Dover Heights home was raided by the Federal Police acting on behalf of the corporate regulator, ASIC, relating to a $23 million Ponzi scheme Caddick, 49, had been running since 2012. Most of her victims were family and friends.

Her right shoe, containing her partial remains, washed up on a remote beach on the NSW south coast in February 2021, three months after she was last seen.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Fleeing from the Vietnam war in the 1970s, living in refugee camps and growing up helping at his parents restaurant in Sydney, Luke Nguyen is proud to share a new menu in the heart of Brisbanes CBD. After all, its a city he believes strongly rivals Sydney and Melbournes food culture. He walks in to Fat Noodle at Treasury Brisbane to greet his guests with a warm smile. He is in his black culinary uniform, his hair is slicked back, his modern, thick frame on his glasses not hiding the friendliness of his eyes as he introduces himself. Thank you for coming, he says as he announces the new menu and shares his background story. My family is from Vietnam and my father was in the Vietnam War fighting against communism before we fled in the 70s and came to live in Australia. Ive lived in multiple refugee camps as a young boy ... my parents had a restaurant in Cabramatta in Sydney, serving five dishes that they did really well.

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Everyone knew it was great food, terrible service, but great food, he jokes. Nguyen says helping at his parents restaurant sparked a fire in him to pursue a culinary career. And that passion remains aflame: from a childhood spent in a restaurant with five dishes, hes now the proud owner of five restaurants. At 10 years of age, I thought, wow, I really like this. I fell in love with it and always knew from then on I wanted to be a chef, he said. Salt and pepper tofu cubes that melt in your mouth. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia Nguyen opened his first restaurant Red Lantern in Darlinghurst before opening others, including Fat Noodle at Treasury Brisbane in Brisbane, which will mark its 10th anniversary on December 12. This new menu will take you on a journey from Malaysia to China, back to Vietnam and finally a nod to French colonisation with a dessert, he says.

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Fat Noodle represents street food and this menu is all about our travels in south-east Asia. My team and I travel to learn and immerse ourselves in cuisine and culture. The menu begins with Vietnamese rice paper rolls with tiger prawns and a homemade hoisin dipping sauce, a row of citrus-cured salmon and salt and pepper tofu cubes that melt in your mouth. Nguyen explains the dishes being served at the restaurant this month. The Malaysian street food prawn laksa, slow-cooked beef massaman curry, Vietnamese caramelised barramundi, fried rice is then served. The new menu at Fat Noodle this month. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia Coconut prawns with a salad, which will be added to the menu once Fat Noodles 10th birthday is celebrated, is a surprise taster before a coconut creme caramel with Vietnamese coffee and crumble brings the lunch event to an end. Nguyen leaves the dining area to a bar-style seating space in the restaurant, politely letting staff know he will sit for a few minutes to answer questions.

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His warm smile never falters. Nguyen reflects on the food scene in Brisbane, from the very beginning of inspecting the space at Treasury Brisbane for Fat Noodle. Every dish has a story, its about sharing that history, and thats what everybody does here at Fat Noodle, he says. When I checked out this location I thought, wow, what a great opportunity because there werent a lot of restaurants like it around and I thought if we do an incredible job, we could be so busy and theres not a lot of competition. Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia And its been great. However, I have noticed in the past five or six years in Brisbane, this dining scene is awesome. Theres so many great restaurants cooking incredible food and every time Im here I think Sydney and Melbourne watch out, because Brisbane is up there.

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Nguyen says precincts such as Howard Smith Wharves and the coming Queens Wharf are putting Brisbane on the map. Its an exciting time to be in Brisbane. The food is very diverse now, he says. A few minutes are spent discussing the state of hospitality in Australia and without hesitation, Nguyen vouches for international chefs. Loading Australia needs to open up the country to more people from around the world and to make it easier to get working visas, he says. If you look at our team here, front house and back of house, a lot of them are from international countries. During COVID-19 and lockdowns, JobKeeper didnt really apply to a lot of international workers unfortunately, so the majority had to go back home.

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Air pollution has emerged as a small but important risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline, experts say  and Australia probably has a false sense of security about how clean our air is.

One of Australias leading dementia epidemiologists says she would no longer live on a busy road after watching the science linking air pollution and dementia strengthen over the past two decades.

Professor Kaarin Anstey. Credit:Nick Moir

Shes even come to worry about cyclists pedalling along the side of highways.

All the observational studies keep showing a cognitive decline is associated with high levels of air pollution, says Professor Kaarin Anstey, director of the University of NSW Ageing Futures Institute and senior principal research scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia. There has been study after study.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on September 15, 2022.

Johannesburg, South Africa  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House Friday, with trade, energy, and security all on the agenda. What's not officially on the program, but will likely be discussed, analysts say, are the two democracies' differences over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ramaphosa's first visit to the White House comes as the Biden administration seeks to re-engage with Africa in the wake of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent visit to the continent, during which he launched Washington's new Africa strategy.

During the trip in August, Blinken stressed that the U.S. sees Africa as an equal partner.

However, at their meeting in Pretoria, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor accused Western nations of "bullying" Africa in trying to get countries to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.

Bob Wekesa, director of the African Center for the Study of the United States at South Africa's University of Witwatersrand, said the differences between the two countries were evident at the two top diplomats' talks.

"At that meeting it was very clear that South Africa and the U.S. were on different paths and trajectories as regards many issues," he said.

Wekesa said Ukraine will likely come up again when Biden and Ramaphosa meet Friday and predicted the two leaders will have a "difficult" discussion on the issue.

"The U.S., having taken a very clear position on supporting Ukraine, to kind of eject Russian forces from Ukraine, will be lobbying South Africa quite hard to kind of change [its] tune," he said.

South Africa abstained from a U.N. vote earlier this year to condemn Russia's invasion. Afterward, Biden phoned Ramaphosa. A White House statement after the call said Biden had "emphasized the need for a clear, unified international response to Russian aggression in Ukraine."

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Steven Gruzd, head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Program at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said Ramaphosa and Biden will discuss other issues as well, but added that the Ukraine topic cannot be avoided.

"On the agenda will be trade and investment, issues like climate change and food security, energy, peace and security in Africa, and of course what's not officially on the agenda but will certainly be talked about is the war in Ukraine and the differing positions of South Africa and the U.S. on that particular conflict," he said.

Gruzd said he thought the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and is now being considered by the Senate, would also come up in the two leaders' conversation.

African countries see the act, which would sanction nations that trade with Russia, as an attempt to punish them for not voting with the U.S. on Ukraine.

In December, Biden is set to host the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington.
A 49-year-old vigilante who allegedly jumped in her car and chased two teenage boys accused of stealing a motorbike, resulting in a collision which sent the two teens to hospital, did not appear in person for her first court hearing on Friday.

Debbie Bute was listed to face Joondalup Magistrates Court, charged with two counts of driving dangerously and causing bodily harm in circumstances of aggravation.

Kathy Penny said she was frustrated Debbie Bute, who allegedly chased her son through Hillarys after he allegedly stole her motorbike, did not appear in court. Credit:Holly Thompson

But her lawyer told the court she had received advice informing her she did not need to attend in person.

The magistrate said he would accept this on the basis of a misunderstanding but said Bute would need to come next time as she was on bail. Her case was remanded until October 21 for legal advice.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, an avowed republican, stood in tight-lipped observance as the British national anthem was played outside Parliament House. He says now is a time to pay tribute to the life of Elizabeth II, not debate our system of government. While few would argue with the PM about this, debate is happening nonetheless. There has always been this tension in Australia and the tension point is, of course, when the monarch dies, particularly such a long-serving one, Keneally tells The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. It is a pious hope that the conversation wont come back, but it is the next paragraph. If you talk for more than two sentences about the monarch then it comes up again. Author and Australian Republican Movement co-founder Thomas Keneally. Credit:David Mariuz Australia is one of 14 Commonwealth realms outside Britain. Republican sentiment is strongest across the nations of the English-speaking Caribbean, where Britains slave trade persisted well into the 19th century. Barbados split from the monarchy last year and the governments of Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda have flagged their intention to do the same. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she hopes to see a republic in her lifetime but shifting to one isnt on her agenda. In Canada, the constitutional bar for severing ties with the monarchy is set even higher than it is here. It requires amendment by unanimous consent: the support of both houses of parliament and all 10 provinces.

In Australia, republicans and monarchists alike have long understood that once the Queen died, the simmering argument over Australias constitutional arrangements would come to a boil again. Malcolm Turnbull, the former Australian Republic Movement chairman who led the failed 1999 referendum campaign, declared six years ago that we would never see a republic while Elizabeth reigned. Loading Now that the Queen is dead, the republic will return to the national political conversation, but in substantially altered form and context. Key figures involved in the push for a republic and constitutional recognition of our First Nations people acknowledge that, although proposals for a Voice to Parliament and an Australian head of state must be decided by separate referenda questions likely to be held years apart, the two issues are fundamentally entwined. Keneally says recognising the tower of history and human occupation that existed before 1788 is crucially important and a necessary step towards preparing Australia for a republic. This is a significant development in the republican movement since 1999 when, according to Yawuru man Peter Yu, the concerns of First Nations people were barely paid lip service.

Professor Yu, through his previous leadership of the Kimberley Land Council, cut his teeth in the fiercely contested native title debates of the 1990s and is today Vice-President (First Nations) at the Australian National University and a member of the prime ministers advisory group on the Voice to Parliament. He sees the Voice, a truth-telling commission, treaty and eventually, a republic, as progressive steps on Australias path towards a modern, social democracy. We are on that journey and we have been on it for some time, he says. Peter Yu, a member of the prime ministers advisory group for the Voice to Parliament says reconciliation and an Australian republic are now connected. Credit:Enrique Ascui It is an agenda of immense ambition and one the Albanese government is committed to, one step at a time. Albanese and Aboriginal leaders are alive to the risks associated with blurring the campaigns required to build consensus for constitutional recognition of First Nations people and removing the Crown from the constitution. The PM was emphatic this week that only the Voice would go to a referendum in this term of parliament. I couldnt envisage a circumstance where we changed our head of state to an Australian head of state but still didnt recognise First Nations people in our constitution, he told ABC TV. Dr Jackie Huggins, a Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru woman who is also a member of the advisory group on the Voice, says this is the correct order. It will allow First Nations people to be heard on the question of the republic; a foundational consideration in any debate about sovereignty.

I was involved in that process of looking at a republic referendum leading into 1999, and it was very white bread, she says. Now it could be more informed, one would hope, which would give the campaign more gravitas. Im pretty optimistic that will happen. Loading University of Sydney Professor Mark McKenna says that in the decade leading up to the 1999 vote, the republic and reconciliation movements ran in parallel, with almost no communication between the two. What we effectively said back then was: Look, our republic matters more than your exclusion from the constitution. Now, we can see how wrong that was. Phil Cleary, an outspoken member of the direct election camp that helped sink the Australian Republican Movements preferred minimalist model at the last referendum, agrees that the Voice, if established, will have a big role to play in any future republican campaign. He also argues Australia cannot fully reconcile with its First Nations people unless it severs its links to the institution ultimately responsible for their dispossession. He says Australias ceremonial response to the Queens death, particularly the juxtaposition of welcome to country ceremonies with minutes of silence and renditions of the British national anthem, exposed contradictions that can only be resolved through constitutional change.

We cant institute an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and turn a blind eye to the wrongs that began with the Crowns act of dispossession and flowed into every fabric of Indigenous life, Cleary says. Its inevitable that the Queens death will generate a conversation about how we marry the Voice to a new parliament free of that old empire. Wiradjuri and Wailwan lawyer Teela Reid says if Australia is to become a republic, these are conversations we need to have. You cant talk republic without understanding what we are putting on the table. If you are going to engage in that dialogue around a republic you have to have an equal conversation with First Nations people about what that means to us. The Voice is just one part of reframing that relationship. University of Sydney First Nations lawyer in residence Teela Reid. Credit:Steven Siewert. The ARM is maintaining what its chair Peter FitzSimons describes as a dignified silence while the Queen is commemorated and mourned. Earlier in the week, he momentarily broke that silence on Twitter to point out that, given the visceral public reaction to the Queens death, it was right and respectful that the ARM takes a very brief pause. Once its campaign resumes, it is likely the ARM will formally throw its support behind the Voice. What does the public response to the Queens death tell us about the prospects of Australia becoming a republic? Professor David Flint, a monarchist who helped lead the no campaign in 1999, says the loss expressed by so many Australians suggests there will never be another referendum on a republic, let alone a successful one. Mark Latham, a strong supporter of a republic when he led the Labor Party, believes the cause is now dead for a generation, if not longer.

Social researcher Rebecca Huntley, who was 23 years old when she campaigned for the republic in 1999, offers a different take on the public mood. She [the Queen] was the wallpaper of our lives, that wallpaper you have as a kid, she says. It is incredibly familiar, you probably dont even see it, you know it has to go but when it does, it sparks a whole lot of unexpected trauma and nostalgia. Huntley points out that, although many people are exhausted from dealing with COVID and, perhaps, overwhelmed by climate, energy and geostrategic challenges facing Australia and its place in the world, the election of so many teal independents at this years federal election shows there is an appetite to challenge and improve our political culture and institutions. Social researcher Rebecca Huntley says: If we are going to have these conversations ... lets really have them. Credit:Nick Moir In 1999 there was a minimalist model where we werent going to talk about the quality of our democracy, we are not going to talk about First Nations people and their fight for justice and reconciliation and truth, we are just going to have the teeniest, tiniest model because we think it is going to be successful, she says. There is now a sense that if we are going to have these conversations, which are going to be polarising and difficult, lets really have them. It would seem extraordinary to have a conversation about becoming a republic that doesnt engage in larger questions about the quality of our institutions and democracy.
A Roy Morgan Research SMS poll on Monday of 1012 people found 60 per cent favoured Australia remaining a monarchy, and 40 per cent supported a move to a republic with an elected president. Loading Backing for the status quo was higher among women and older people. A discount factor might apply to a poll this week, but the long-term trend is revealing. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said more Australians have wanted to remain a monarchy than become a republic consistently since November 2010.

Before that, there was a consistent majority in favour of becoming a republic from 1994 to 2008, she said. In the public mind, a main reason for keeping the present system seems to be the if it isnt broken, dont fix it argument. People have become apathetic. Once the republic debate was seriously re-ignited, though, apathy would turn into sharp division. For those seeking change, the wicked problem would become  as it was in 1999  the model. The planned model in 1999 had a president appointed by two-thirds of the federal parliament. That would ensure bipartisanship and enable minimum alteration to the detail of the constitutional arrangements.

But some republicans wanted the president popularly elected, and this split helped kill the referendum. In the years since, support for popular election has only grown, to the point where it is almost impossible to envisage the public voting for a non-elected model. Loading The Australian Republic Movement has proposed a model in which the public would choose from a list of candidates nominated by federal, state and territory parliaments. Its easy to understand why the public, in this age of political distrust, would favour an elected rather than an appointed presidency. But it is a model fraught with challenges. An elected president would have his or her own mandate from the voters. This would mean the powers of the president would need to be very carefully codified, and this is difficult.

The issue of powers is central because of the nature of the federal parliamentary system, in which the Senate can block supply, as happened in 1975, which led to the governor-general using his reserve powers to sack the prime minister. Governor-General David Hurley meeting the Queen in 2016, when he was governor of NSW. Credit:Getty More broadly and less dramatically, an elected president  especially a popular figure who wanted to assert themselves  could come to be seen as an alternative source of authority to the prime minister. Groups with grievances against the government could get publicity by making appeals to the president. And how would an election for president be conducted? What sort of issues would candidates campaign on? Or would they not be allowed to campaign, but simply run on their CVs? While many commentators see dangers in setting up a potentially competing source of authority, John Quiggin, from The University of Queensland, has the opposite view. He argues that the current system gives the prime minister too much power, and this power has been increasingly abused in Australia and other Westminster systems.

Quiggin dismisses the suggestion a president with their own authority deriving from the people could become too powerful. Loading The parliamentary republic with which we share the most history, the Republic of Ireland, has an elected president, and the system has worked very well. Even though candidates for president have been supported by political parties, they appear not to have acted as partisans in office, and have left the running of the country to the PM, Quiggin wrote on his blog this week. Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson suggests a more radical course, asking: Do we need a head of state at all? Criticising Governor-General David Hurley in relation to Scott Morrisons power grab of multiple ministries, Robertson writes: If the governor-general is to be no more than a cipher for the prime minister, why not write him  and the royal family  out of the Constitution entirely?

Our elected leader could be sworn in by the chief justice  as in America  and the democratic process can be left to resolve itself according to accepted Westminster conventions subject to any necessary supervision by the High Court. Loading Well, that would be a budget saving  but its not an option wed see on the Albanese governments agenda. The attitude of the opposition would be critical to the chances of a republic referendum succeeding. Liberals are split over a republic. I dont agree with a republic, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton declared on Thursday. Of course in a second Labor term there could well be another Liberal leader. Although Thistlethwaite is quiet at the moment, he was expansive in an interview this masthead published days before the queens death.

I think youve got to have the Australian people involved at every stage, he said. It might involve a plebiscite. It might involve some form of constitutional commission or convention. He said the Voice should come first because thats the great injustice in our Constitution. If we can right that wrong with a referendum the next natural progression is [] shouldnt we have one of our own as head of state? Its time for the kids to grow up and leave home. Thistlethwaite did not speculate about where things might stand if the wrong was not righted. Michelle Grattan is professorial fellow at the University of Canberra. This article was first published on The Conversation.
Japans diplomatic representative in Queensland was warned of planned changes to the states coal royalty scheme two weeks before they were announced as part of the budget.

The new detail comes as Treasurer Cameron Dick prepares for a week-long Asia Pacific trade mission set to include meetings with resource sector figures in the country  the states largest export market.

The Queensland Resources Council and Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami have campaigned hard against the coal royalty changes and perceived lack of consultation. Credit:Glenn Campbell

Coal mining companies and even the Japanese ambassador to Australia have criticised the state for what has been described as a lack of consultation on the changes.

After a decade-long royalty freeze and soaring prices, the government announced two new higher tiers in its June 21 budget  while leaving existing levels as they were  to ensure a share of coal super profits.
London: The government department that oversees Britains state-run healthcare system is confronting a number of urgent problems: too many unfilled positions for doctors and nurses, too many patients waiting for treatment, too many ageing hospitals  and, according to a new directive, too many commas.

The Department of Health and Social Care, which is under new leadership after Liz Truss became prime minister this month, has told its employees to avoid using the Oxford comma  the contentious second comma in a series like A, B, and C.

British Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary Therese Coffey arrives in Downing Street for the first cabinet meeting after Liz Truss took office as the new prime minister. Credit:Getty Images

The guidance, which also told employees to be positive and to avoid jargon in their communications, was issued to hundreds of employees. The existence of the guidance, which was confirmed by the department, was first reported by the Financial Times.

Union representatives expressed frustration at the guidance from the department, which is now headed by Therese Coffey, one of the new prime ministers top allies. The department not only oversees the National Health Service but played a crucial role in co-ordinating the countrys response to the coronavirus pandemic.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prisoners at the Pointe Blanche Prison found maggots in their breakfast on Thursday morning.

Two videos sent to SMN News showed that maggots are inside their breakfast.

Some of the prisoners who contacted SMN News said the prison is in deplorable condition which creates a healthy and hygienic.

It is imperative that the Prison management looks into this matter as well as the Minister of Justice.

          

Point Blanche, Sint Maarten  Management of the Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention (HVB) has taken note of two videos published by SMN News on Thursday, September 15, 2022, allegedly indicating that maggots were found in the cereal of inmates of the Point Blanche Prison. The management of HVB hereby debunks these videos published by SMN News and makes the following announcement.

HVB serves breakfast to inmates, however, cereal is not one of the food items served to prisoners from its kitchen. Porridge is the only food item served at breakfast to the inmates. As such, there is absolutely no way that cereal that was infested with maggots was served at breakfast to the inmates. Inmates can purchase cereal from the canteen, however, this is done as a personal choice and not received as a food item served directly from the prisons kitchen. The Point Blanche Prison cannot be held responsible for the length of time an inmate keeps a food item in their prison cell unused to the point where it could acquire maggots.

Minister of Justice. Anna Richardson
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday and Mrs. Marie Louise Holiday received Governor-Designate Mr. Ajamu Baly and his wife Mrs. Janique Baly at the Cabinet of the Governor as they prepare to pass the torch.

The Holidays extended a warm welcome to the Balys and the four posed for a photo before Governor Holiday led the group into the Governors chambers. There they discussed transition activities, relevant matters regarding the function, and shared experiences.

A Governors Transition Committee has been installed comprised of the Director of the Cabinet of the Governor, the Secretary General of Parliament, and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers to prepare the transition process. The transition process will consist of activities in honor of the service of the outgoing Governor and of the welcome of the incoming Governor. On October 4, 2022, there will be a special meeting of the Council of Ministers to bid Governor Holiday farewell. That will be followed on October 5, 2022, by a special solemn meeting of Parliament where Governor Holiday will deliver his farewell address to the population. The meeting will be preceded by a church service at the Philipsburg Methodist Church, which will be open to the public. On September 6, there will be a farewell reception in honor of Governor Holiday. And the public will have an opportunity to bid farewell to Governor Holiday during a public event on October 9, 2022.

Mr. Ajamu Baly will succeed Governor Eugene Holiday on October 10, 2022, in a special solemn meeting of Parliament where he will accept the function as Governor of Sint Maarten. The meeting will be preceded by a church service at the Catholic Church in Philipsburg, which will be open to the public. Mr. Ajamu Baly will serve as the second Governor of Sint Maarten.
The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) yesterday signed agreements for the expansion of its diagnostics and oncology programme through the Healthcare Development and Investment Company (NHDIC).

The eight collocation agreements in total will include lease and collaboration agreements with three Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) and three state governments under phase one of the expansion.

The state governments are Enugu, Kaduna and Kwara states while the selected, medical centres include Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi and Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.

Other FMCs include the Federal Medical Centre Asaba, Delta, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom and University College Hospital Board of Management, Oyo state.

According to the organisation, the event was attended by the Managing Director, NSIA, Uche Orji, the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Cecilia Ezeilo as well as representatives of governors of Kwara, Kaduna states and Medical Directors of the Teaching Hospitals.

The broader goal of the programme, it said, is to establish, in two phases, a portfolio of 23 diagnostic centres, seven catheterisation labs and two oncology centres across Nigeria.

Pursuant to the agreements, NSIA said that funds will be deployed to build, equip, maintain, and operate catheterisation labs in Kwara, Oyo, Sokoto, Bauchi and Delta states.

In addition, it stated that it will build, equip, maintain, and operate private modern medical diagnostic centres in Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Sokoto, Bauchi and Delta states; and build, equip, maintain, and operate an oncology centre for advanced radiotherapy treatment

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Each centre, it said, will run as a joint venture between NSIA and the respective tertiary hospital to ensure timely and efficient delivery of services.

The investments are expected to build new and upgrade these institutions to modern medical centres and significantly enhance Nigeria's ability to treat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), it said.

Speaking at the event, the NSIA boss said the investments will provide access to advanced healthcare services for the benefit of lower-income families with limited access to care

He said the programme was created having identified critical infrastructure gaps through a comprehensive assessment of the sector.

Furthermore, he noted that the move aligns with the NSIA's NHDIC strategy to invest in the sector through the establishment of diagnostic centres and tertiary healthcare centres.

According to Orji, the enhanced diagnostic capabilities will improve medical intervention in the country and in the respective catchment areas of the partner federal teaching hospitals.

When these centres become operational, he said they will deliver additional development impact for Nigerians through the provision of high-quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare

The proposed projects present a disruptive healthcare strategy, as it will bring about the provision of high quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to the local market, as well as development/training on the required clinical resources in Nigeria and bring quality healthcare to many
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The planned Saturday, September 17, free breast exams, and health screenings have been canceled due to the anticipated passing of Tropical Storm Fiona over the weekend.



The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) will be contacting all participants who were registered for September 17 and will provide them with another appointment date.



Appointments are still available for the following dates: October 22nd, November 12th, and November 26th.



Women aged 18 and older who are interested in the screening program should mark their calendars.



Persons are requested to make an appointment by contacting: 721-545-2298 ext. 404 2357 or

Emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Persons can also contact CPS at 914 for assistance.
PHILIPSBURG(DCOMM):--- Tropical Storm Fiona continues on its track towards the Leeward Islands. Sint Maarten remains under a Tropical Storm Warning.

According to the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS), Tropical Storm Fiona on Friday morning at 11:30 AM was located approximately 284 miles southeast of Sint Maarten. The storm has moved a little further to the south and has reduced in strength overnight and is currently on a westward track at 14 miles per hour. With the current forecast track, the center of Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to pass 100 miles southwest of Sint Maarten on Saturday morning. The country is still expected to receive tropical storm force winds later today, including rainfall which may be accompanied by thunderstorms.

Residents should remain vigilant and calm while continuing to make the necessary preparations for anticipated tropical storm conditions and staying up to date on the latest developments regarding the storm via official announcements and publications made via government mediums. Residents in areas prone to flooding or near the coast should finalize preparation to protect life and property.

Business Closures, Public Transportation

Due to the approach of Tropical Storm Fiona, with respect to the safety of the public and employees of businesses, the Council of Ministers upon the advice of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has taken the following decision:

1. All Businesses with the exception of essential services must be closed by 2:00 PM

2. The following essential services are allowed to remain open until 5:00 PM:

Supermarkets/Grocery Stores

Gas Stations

Bar and Restaurants

Hardware Stores

Pharmacies (concerns the sale of medicines/medical products)

Stores located at the airport and port

Funeral parlors

Bakeries selling pastries, milk, and milk products

Hotels, guesthouses and stores, and restaurants located on the property are exempted from the above prohibition and are allowed to remain open.

3. Public transportation including car rentals is allowed to operate until 6:00 PM.

Storm Shelter

The John Larmonie Center, Pondfill, Philipsburg is a designated storm/hurricane shelter for those who need a shelter to ride out the storm. The shelter will open at 4:00 PM under the authority of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6. ESF-6 will further advise on the need for more shelters as the situation develops. For those making use of the shelter at the John Larmonie Center, please walk with water, snacks, toiletries, and any medication that you use. Displaced and homeless persons can also make use of the shelter.

Public Safety & Security

Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate on Friday evening. The Acting Chief of Police requests all persons to be off the road network by 6:00 PM Friday as a precautionary safety measure.

Residents and the business community are advised to continue to pay keen attention to weather reports from the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten in the coming hours in order to be able to take the appropriate action when called upon to do so by the ODM/Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Landfill Closure Update

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure (VROMI) announces that due to the approach of Tropical Storm Fiona, the landfills will close at 5:00 PM until further notice.

Government contractors have been requested to clear household garbage bins in all districts and deposit household waste at the landfills prior to this closing time.

The Next Update

There will be another update at 6:00 PM on Friday from the Prime Minister via Facebook Live @SXMGOV and SXMGOV Radio 107.9 FM with respect to the approach of Tropical Storm Fiona.

Prime Minister Jacobs encourages all residents to continue preparations, avoid panic buying, look out for the most vulnerable in their families and communities and lend a helping hand to those in need if possible. As a country, we know that weather conditions can change and therefore are always hopeful and pray for the best while being prepared for the worst, Prime Minister Jacobs added.

Hurricane Season Helpful Preparatory Information

The community is urged to learn more about hurricane hazards and how to prepare for a storm/hurricane strike by visiting the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your Hurricane Season Readiness Guide and Hurricane Tracking Chart.

Listen to the Government Radio station  SXMGOV 107.9FM - for official information and news before, during, and after a hurricane.

For official weather-related information, check out the website of the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com or visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/
The hurricane relief exercise that Defense is holding in the Caribbean region from September 15 to September 27, has been temporarily changed to actual deployment on the Windward Islands. The local authorities of Saba and St. Eustatius have made a request to Defense to provide military assistance in connection with the passage of storm Fiona. A lot of rain and strong gusts of wind are expected, resulting in a high degree of expected damage and nuisance. During deployment, the Defense acts together with local security partners.

Saba has asked the Ministry of Defense to support them in clearing areas and clearing roads. There is also a need for possible support with minor repairs, both before and after the storm passage. Saba has a limited infrastructure, which makes it important to clear roads quickly for the emergency services already present. More than 30 marines and a military nurse from the Royal Netherlands Navy are present.

Dutch soldiers will also provide military assistance on St. Eustatius in the form of possible emergency aid. Due to the expected rain and wind, there is a risk of damage to buildings and therefore also a potential danger for the inhabitants. What can become a particularly big problem on the island are mudslides, flooding, and landslides. Here too, Defense can make a difference with the marines already present and provide the island with possible emergency aid. The defense will provide an advisor for the disaster staff to ensure smooth cooperation between the local authorities and Defense. In addition, more than 30 marines will act in partnership with the police and the fire brigade where necessary to perform various tasks.

There is currently no concrete need for military assistance on Sint Maarten, but the units are ready to carry out any requests. If no deployment is required from Defense on Sint Maarten, the exercise program will be resumed. The soldiers to be deployed are already present on the islands because of training for providing emergency response to a hurricane passage, called the 'Windward Express'. When the situation permits, the units from Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten will resume (parts of) the training. Supporting the local authorities is one of the main tasks of Defense in the Caribbean Region.
Uranium Energy Corp Expands Wyoming Hub and Spoke ISR Platform with Additional Resources and Filing of S-K 1300 Report

br />This filing marks the largest S-K 1300 uranium resources reported in the United States combining UECa?s recently acquired Uranium One Americas, Inc. (aU1Aa) and Anfield Energy assets together with the Reno Creek Project.

The Irigaray Processing Plant is the Hub central to eleven satellite In-Situ Recovery (ISR) projects across the Powder River Basin (aPRBa) and Great Divide Basin (aGDBa), four of which are fully permitted, including Reno Creek.

Total Measured and Indicated Resources disclosed across the assets are 66,198,200 lbs. with 58,460,000 tons grading 0.069% U3O8 (not weighted).

Total Inferred Resources disclosed across the assets are 15,053,700 lbs. with 10,859,000 tons grading 0.064% U3O8.

Combined with South Texas Hub & Spoke ISR Platform, UEC controls over 75,000,000 lbs of Measured and Indicated resources and 25,000,000 lbs of Inferred resources

Uranium Energy CorpA (NYSE American: UEC; aUECa or the aCompanya  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/uranium-energy-corp/ ) is pleased to announce that it has filed a Technical Report Summary (aTRSa) on EDGAR disclosing updated mineral resources for the Companya?s Wyoming ISR Hub and Spoke Project (the aProjecta).

Background:

As a U.S. domestic and domiciled company, UEC is now reporting all mineral resources in accordance with Item 1302 of Regulation S-K (aS-K 1300a);

S-K 1300 was adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the aSECa) to modernize mineral property disclosure requirements for mining registrants and to align U.S. disclosure requirements more closely for mineral properties with current industry and global regulatory standards; and

The mineral resource estimates set forth in this TRS for Charlie, Clarkson Hill, Nine Mile and Red Rim have not previously been reported under the S-K 1300 format. The remaining resources were reported on April 5, 2022.

The TRS was prepared under S-K 1300 and was filed on September 14, 2022 with the SEC through EDGAR on Form 8-K and is also available on SEDAR as a aMaterial Documenta filed on September 14, 2022. The TRS was prepared on behalf of the Company by WWC Engineering, of Sheridan, Wyoming.

Amir Adnani, President and CEO, stated: aUECa?s Wyoming Hub and Spoke Platform holds the largest resource base of fully permitted In-Situ Recovery (aISRa) projects in the United States.A Todaya?s resource report is the culmination of multiple acquisitions wea?ve successfully completed since 2017 to fulfill a strategic objective of U.S. uranium leadership. Wyoming is an integral component of the overall strategy as a proven mining-friendly jurisdiction with over 230 million pounds of historic production and containing the largest in-situ recovery amenable uranium deposits in the Western Hemisphere.A UECa?s ~66M pounds of measured and indicated resources and the ~15M pounds of inferred resources outlined in the TRS filing represent one of the largest S-K 1300 resource summaries completed and filed to date. These considerable permitted Wyoming resources, coupled with our Texas permitted projects, positions UEC to lead the resurgence of U.S. uranium production.A At a time of unprecedented geopolitical events and risks, fully permitted and low-cost ISR projects in the United States will be critical to reducing dependency on Russia while strengthening national and energy security interests of America.a

About the Wyoming Asset Hub and Spoke In-Situ Recovery Project

The Project consists of 12 Project areas as shown below.

Christensen Ranch and Irigaray (Willow Creek):A The Willow Creek area is comprised of the Irigaray and Christensen Ranch Projects. Christensen Ranch is currently under care and maintenance by the Company and Irigaray is operating in a toll processing capacity.A The Project is located in the PRB in Campbell and Johnson Counties.A The Irigaray Central Processing Plant is the hub of the Project and is fully licensed, as is the Christensen Ranch satellite plant.

Moore Ranch:A The Moore Ranch Project is fully permitted and was previously developed by Conoco in the early 1980s.A The Project is located in the PRB in Campbell County.

Reno Creek:A The Reno Creek Project is fully permitted and was primarily developed by Rocky Mountain Energy in the 1980s. The project is located in the PRB in Campbell County.A See the Companya?s release dated February 9, 2022.

Ludeman:A The Ludeman Project is fully permitted, is located in the South Powder River Basin (aSPRBa) in Converse County, and is comprised of the former Leuenberger, North Platte and Peterson projects developed in the late 1970a?s by various other operators.A Two ISR pilot plant operations were previously carried out at the Leuenberger and North Platte properties. Most of the Project area was held by Power Resources (Cameco) until 2003, after which Energy Metals (precursor to U1A) acquired the properties.

Allemand a Ross:A The Allemand-Ross Project is located in Converse County within the SPRB.A The Project was originally drilled and developed by Conoco beginning in the late 1960s. The mineralized trends are northerly extensions of those at Camecoa?s Smith Ranch/Highland Uranium Project.

Barge:A The Barge Project is located in Converse County in the SPRB.A It is near the site of the former Bear Creek Uranium Mine operated by Rocky Mountain Energy in the 1970s and 80s. The majority of the mineralization is within deeper trends not developed previously.

Jab/West Jab:A The Jab Project is located in the Greater Green River Basin (aGGRBa) in Sweetwater County.A The Project area was extensively explored during the 1970s through the mid-1980s with the principal exploratory work and drilling completed by Union Carbide Corporation and Western Nuclear Corporation.A In 2006 and 2007, U1A conducted exploratory and verification drilling on portions of the Project.

Charlie: A The Charlie Project is a state mineral lease that is 90% surrounded by UECa?s Christensen Ranch permit and wellfield operations.A The Charlie Project ore body is well defined and is a continuation of UECa?s ore body located between Mine Unit 8 and Mine Unit 10 at Christensen Ranch.A A Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Permit to Mine exists for the Charlie Project which UEC intends to update to current standards for ISR mining and incorporate the Project as two additional Mine Units of the Christensen Ranch Project.

Clarkson Hill:A Clarkson Hill is located on the southern edge of the Wind River Basin, 26 miles from Casper in Natrona County.A Roll-front type uranium mineralization was discovered at Clarkson Hill during the 1950s, but the property was more extensively explored from the 1970s through the mid-80s. Most of this work was completed by Minerals Exploration Company, a subsidiary of Union Oil.A

Nine Mile:A The Nine Mile Project is located in the southwestern portion of the PRB just north of Casper. A Uranium mineralization exists in typical Wyoming roll front systems within sandstones of the upper Cretaceous Teapot Sandstone of the Mesa Verde formation.A The property was previously developed by Rocky Mountain Energy in the late 70s through the early 80s and was ISR pilot tested at that time.A Energy Metals initiated delineation drilling in Wyoming on this property in September 2006.

Red Rim:A The Red Rim Project was formerly developed by Union Carbide, Wold Uranium and Union Pacific Minerals.A Mineralization is in the Tertiary Fort Union formation within the GGRB.A Three Fort Union sandstone zones host roll front mineralization and the strike is projected at up to fifteen miles.

Resource Disclosure

Mineral resources were estimated separately for each of the Project areas.

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed by WWC Engineering, a consultant to the Company, and by Dayton A. Lewis, P.G., Vice President Resource Development a Wyoming, for the Company, being a qualified third party firm and a Qualified Person under Item 1302 of Regulation S-K.

About Uranium Energy Corp

Uranium Energy Corp is the fastest growing supplier of the fuel for green energy transition to a low carbon future. UEC is the largest, diversified North American focused uranium company, advancing the next generation of low-cost, environmentally friendly In-Situ Recovery (ISR) mining uranium projects inA the United StatesA and high-grade conventional projects inA Canada. The Company has two production-ready ISR hub and spoke platforms inA South TexasA andA Wyoming, anchored by fully licensed and operational central processing plants. UEC also has seven U.S. ISR uranium projects with all their major permits in place. Additionally, the Company has diversified uranium holdings including: (1) one of the largest physical uranium portfolios of U.S. warehoused U3O8; (2) a major equity stake in Uranium Royalty Corp., the only royalty company in the sector; and (3) a pipeline of resource stage uranium projects. The Company\-s operations are managed by professionals with decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes aforward-looking statementsa as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian securities 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 aexpectsa or adoes not expecta, ais expecteda, aanticipatesa or adoes not anticipatea, aplans, aestimatesa or aintendsa, or stating that certain actions, events or results amaya, acoulda, awoulda, amighta or awilla be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as aforward-looking statementsa. 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, 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. Many of these factors are beyond the Companya?s ability to control or predict. 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. 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.
Li-Metal Selected to Participate in Autotech Business Mission to California 2022

Li-Metal Corp. (CSE: LIM) (OTCQB: LIMFF) (FSE: 5ZO) (aLi-Metala or athe Companya  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/li-metal-corp/ ), a leading developer of lithium metal anode and lithium metal technologies critical for next-generation batteries, today announced it has been selected by the Government of Canada to participate in the upcoming Autotech Business Mission to California 2022 taking place September 18 to September 23. The mission will provide participating companies access to potential U.S. investors, customers and strategic partners, in addition to brokering introductions to sector experts and the auto-tech ecosystem in San Francisco-Bay Area and Los Angeles.

aWe are delighted to be selected by the Government of Canada to participate in a key industry event,a said Mr. Jastrzebski. aWe look forward to exchanging ideas for ramping up production of cost-efficient, safe and sustainable batteries as we continue to advance our lithium metal and lithium metal anode production technologies and explore strategic partnerships to further the build-out of a North American next-generation battery supply chain.a

The Autotech Business Mission to California 2022 features Canadaa?s most innovative technology companies in the automotive industry. The event provides a unique opportunity for Canadian companies with proven technology and continued market traction to connect with key industry participants. For more information, please visit https://www.ontario.ca/tradecalendar/autotech-business-mission-california-2022.

About Li-Metal Corp.

Li-Metal is a Canadian-based company developing lithium metal anodes and lithium metal production technologies for use in next-generation batteries. Our production methods are significantly more sustainable than existing products and offer lighter, more energy-dense and safer batteries that are critical to tomorrowa?s electric vehicles. For more information, visit: www.li-metal.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains aforward-looking informationa within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as aexpectsa, aanticipatesa, abelievesa, aprojectsa, aplansa and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the Companya?s strategic plans are forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the development of the business of the Company will be completed as described above. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

Li-Metal Investor Contact:

Salisha Ilyas

ir@li-metal.com

Tel: +1 647 795 1653

Li-Metal Media Contact:

Harry Nicholas

Li-MetalPR@icrinc.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch
Victoria Gold: Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate at Raven 1.1 Million Gold Ounces at 1.7 g/t

Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX-VGCX) (aVictoriaa or the aCompanya)  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/victoria-gold-corp/  is pleased to report the inaugural Mineral Resource Estimate (aMREa) for the Raven Gold Deposit, located approximately 15 kilometers (akma) east of the Eagle Gold Mine. The MRE was undertaken by the Company with the assistance of Independent QP, Marc Jutras, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., Principal, Ginto Consulting Inc. The MRE represents the culmination of diamond drilling and surface exploration programs conducted on the Raven target through 2021. Results from the ongoing 2022 drill program at Raven have not been included in this maiden resource and will be incorporated into subsequent resource updates.

The Initial MRE comprises a total Inferred Mineral Resource of 1,070,239 ?ounces of gold for the near-surface Raven Deposit.

aRaven is a new discovery made by our team in 2018 through geophysics, geochemistry, prospecting, trenching, and drilling along the contact of the Nugget intrusive, 15 kilometers east of Eagle.A Follow-up exploration was hampered by COVID, yet in three exploration seasons we have identified a significant Resourcea, stated John McConnell, President & CEO. aIn 2022, we have carried out Victoriaa?s largest ever exploration program, with 25,000 meters of drilling planned to expand Raven along strike and at depth.a

A supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com within 45 ?days of

this press release. ?

Mineral Resource Estimate Discussion

The drill hole database utilized for this MRE utilizes 78 diamond drill holes collared between August 2018 and September 2021 and is comprised of 11,956 assays from 18,217 meters (ama) of drilling. A Additionally, 55 surface trenches with 3,464 assays and 7,443m of sampling were included in establishing the MRE.

A geologic model of the Raven Massive Sulphide Veins (aMSVa) was created as a wireframe for the Raven deposit by Victoria based on interpretation and measurements of the Raven veins geologic controls, including veins identified in drillholes and surface exposures, structural measurements from oriented core and surface trenches as well as high-grade gold analytical values. For the purposes of the estimation, this MSV domain was treated as a hard boundary to restrict the influence of the high-grade assays within this domain. Three separate grade shell domains within the Lower Grade (aLGa) unit were built: above 0.2 g/t Au, 0.6 g/t Au and 4.0 g/t Au, respectively, for the MRE.

Original Au assays were composited to 1.3m as it is the most common sampling length within the MSV. Overall, 19,757 composites were generated with 1,591 composites within the MSV unit, 3,273 composites within the LG unit above 0.2 g/t Au, 3,709 composites within the LG unit above 0.6 g/t, and 491 composites within the LG unit above 4.0 g/t Au.

The high-grade gold outliers of the 1.3m composites were capped to 25.0 g/t Au for the MSV, 5.0 g/t Au for the LG > 0.2 g/t Au domain, 6.0 g/t Au for the LG > 0.6 g/t Au domain, and 21.0 g/t Au for the LG > 4.0 g/t Au domain.

Statistics conducted on the capped composites showed lognormal distributions with reasonably well-behaved gold grade distributions.

The spatial continuity of the gold grades was examined with a variographic study. Results showed main orientations of gold grade continuity along the strike of the deposit oriented approximately east-west and along the dip of the deposit at a 65A towards north. Ranges of gold grade continuity for the MSV were approximately 60m along strike and 44m down dip, while for the LG zone they were approximately 50m along strike and 40m down dip.

Gold grade estimates were estimated with an ordinary kriging technique, within each of the 4 domains which were each treated as hard boundary domains, into an orthogonal block model. The block model was discretized on 5.0m x 5.0m x 5.0m parent blocks and sub-blocked to 0.5m x 0.5m x 0.5m blocks. A minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 samples were used to calculate a grade estimate for each block. A two-pass estimation approach was used with the first pass having a search ellipsoid oriented and dimensioned to the second range of the variograms and the second pass having a search ellipsoid dimensioned to twice the second range of the variograms. A

The Mineral Resource was classified as Inferred. The tonnage was calculated with a specific gravity value of 4.50 for the MSV and of 2.65 for the other LG domains. The mineral resource was constrained within a pit shell optimized from a Lerchs-Grossman algorithm with the following parameters: US$ 1,700/oz Au, US$ 1.50/t mining, US$ 2.00/t processing, US$ 2.50 G&A, 90% recovery and 45A pit slope.

The Mineral Resources are presented at various gold-grade cut-offs for each domain and for the entire Raven deposit below in Tables 2 through 4.

2022 Exploration Update

Victoria initiated its 2022 Dublin Gulch exploration program in late-May and currently has four drills on site with over 20,000m of drilling in 76 holes completed to date. This campaign is heavily focused on Raven where the footprint of mineralized intercepts has been extended approximately 325m east of the extents defined by the 2021 drilling.

Qualified Person

The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared byA Marc Jutras, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., Principal, Ginto Consulting Inc., an independent Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 (aNI 43-101a) and Mr. Jutras has approved the disclosure herein.A

Quality Assurance, Quality Control Measures andA Data Verification

All reported analytical work was conducted using industry standard procedures, including quality assurance/quality control (aQA/QCa) programs which utilized the inclusion of certified standards duplicates and blanks into the Raven sample stream with analyses conducted by certified independent analytical laboratories for all diamond drill and surface trench assays. The qualified persons detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data.

A comprehensive system of standards, duplicates and analytical blanks, was applied in all Victoria drilling programs and resultant data was monitored as chemical assay data were received. All control samples were within accuracy and precision thresholds required to meet data quality standards. Control samples represented approximately 10% of samples submitted to analytical laboratories.

All geological data in the Raven MRE was verified by Ginto Consulting Inc. (aGintoa), to the extent possible, as accurate and all geological information was reviewed and confirmed. Ginto conducted site visits to Raven in 2018, 2020 and 2021, where Victoriaa?s drilling, logging, sampling, shipment and core preservation procedures were observed; additionally, during these visits drill core was physically inspected. Ginto confirms that Victoriaa? analytical sampling and QA/QC procedures provides adequate verification of the data and accepts exploration activities to have been conducted within accordance to the guidelines of NIA 43-101.

Analytical Methods

All core samples were split on-site at Victoriaa?s core processing facilities. Once split, half samples were placed into core boxes with the remaining half sealed in sample bags after one part of a three-part sample tag was inserted into the bags containing the specific sample. Samples were delivered by Victoria staff, or a dedicated expediter, to an ISO compliant preparatory laboratory where samples were prepared and then shipped to an analytical laboratory for pulverization and final chemical analysis.

About Raven

Raven represents a potentially high-grade, on-surface gold deposit that lies at the extreme Southeast contact of the Nugget intrusive stock with the surrounding Hyland Group metasedimentary package. This large, approximately 3km by 2km, medium to coarse grained granodiorite stock of Cretaceous age represents the second largest intrusive body on the Dublin Gulch property (second only the Dublin Gulch stock that hosts the Eagle Gold Mine). The Nugget stock is highly prospective to host Eagle-style sheeted vein mineralization, and the vast majority of the > 5 square km stock remains untested.

Drilling at Raven from the 2018 through 2021 field seasons have repeatedly returned high-grade gold intersections accompanied by prolific visible gold occurrences along a major and consistently mineralized shear-zone corridor which has grown from an area covered only by the initial 2018 trenches to 1.2km after drilling in 2021 and remains open for expansion.A

About the Dublin Gulch Property

Victoria Gold\-s 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property (the aPropertya) is situated in central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year-round, and is located within Yukon Energy\-s electrical grid. The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company\-s Eagle Gold Mine.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed \forward-looking statements\. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Victoria, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking information, including any information related to Victoria\-s strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as aplana, aexpecta, abudgeta, atargeta, aprojecta, aintenda, abelievea, aanticipatea, aestimatea and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions amaya, awilla, acoulda or ashoulda occur, and includes any guidance and forecasts set out herein (including, but not limited to, production and operational guidance of the Corporation). In order to give such forward-looking information, the Corporation has made certain assumptions about the its business, operations, the economy and the mineral exploration industry in general, in particular in light of the impact of the novel coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease (aCOVID-19a) on each of the foregoing. In this respect, the Corporation has assumed that production levels will remain consistent with managementa?s expectations, contracted parties provide goods and services on agreed timeframes, equipment works as anticipated, required regulatory approvals are received, no unusual geological or technical problems occur, no material adverse change in the price of gold occurs and no significant events occur outside of the Corporation\-s normal course of business. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information. These factors include the impact of general business and economic conditions, risks related to COVID-19 on the Company, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, anticipated metal production, fluctuating metal prices, currency exchange rates, estimated ore grades, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in Victoria\-s corporate resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in development and production time frames, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainty of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, higher prices for fuel, steel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, final pricing for metal sales, unanticipated results of future studies, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, requirements for additional capital, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, limitations on insurance coverage and timing and possible outcomes of pending litigation and labour disputes, risks related to remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure, fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations. Although Victoria has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding Victoria\-s expected financial and operational performance and Victoria\-s plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. All forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof, as the case may be, and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management of the Corporation as at the date hereof. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information contained herein and the documents incorporated by reference herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.
Electricity workers in Nigeria have criticised the distribution companies (Discos) and the generation companies (Gencos) over the continuous poor power supply in the country after privatisation and handing over the distribution and generation arm of the power sector to new owners.

The Zonal Organising Secretary (Liaison), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Kolade Ayodele, specifically told journalists that the new owners of the power assets, whom he described as "hustlers" deceived the federal government into giving them N2 trillion intervention to them.

He said rather than being an intervention fund as claimed by the government and the power firms, the N2 trillion intervention fund was the companies' way of collecting back the money the paid to acquire the assets in 2013.

Alleging that the private operators have continued to impoverish Nigerians and have contributed poorly to the power sector, leaving the country pillaged, Ayodele called for the government to immediately reverse the privatisation of the nation's power sector,

Noting that despite recognisable improvements in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) of 7,000 megawatts, he said the generation output had now dwindled below 5,000MW.

The union fingered the activities of the new owners as part of the reasons the power sector has gone almost comatose and the impoverishment of the average worker in the sector.

Ayodele said Nigerians should also be worried as electricity tariffs continued to rise without commensurate service delivery.

"Despite improvement in the wheeling capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which is still Federal Government-owned to over 7,000MW, the generation output has been dwindling below 5,000MW.

"Alas! the 'hustlers' who deceived the federal government into paying almost N2 trillion subvention to the owners of the new companies since privatisation, are being used to call the union names in order to exploit Nigerians and sustain the current comatose situation. Their mission is simply to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it, while they keep smiling to the banks," he stated.

Ayodele explained that since the privatisation of Nigeria's power sector in October 2013, the NUEE had been in the fore-front of speaking out on behalf of the Nigerian people.

Stating that it was an undeniable truth that the power sector privatisation had not added any value to the lives of the ordinary Nigerians, Ayodele noted that the entire exercise, which he described as a charade, had not brought any meaningful impact or improvement to the sector.

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According to him, the exercise has rather led the nation to a huge setback, pointing out that the infrastructural development by the new business owners in the power sector has almost gone comatose while the socio-economic status of the average worker in the sector has continued to decline amid prevailing harsh economic conditions.

"The same equipment inherited from pre-privatisation have remained what drives the sector as there are no visible attempts by the Gencos and Discos to upgrade and expand their capacities/networks.

"Nigerians were deceived into believing that the 'harvestors' had the financial/technical muscles to improve power generation and distribution to Nigerians. Can Nigerians be told today that this purpose has been achieved?

"The answer was echoed in the print/electronic media by members of the National Assembly who even called for the total reversal of the entire process," the NUEE official alleged.
Adeniyi Adewole Wasiu, a contemporary figurative sculptor and studio artist, enjoys modeling with clay and fiberglass casting, and also accentuates his subjects with a lavish use of colour. Sometimes, he'd start his day with introspection, and later, generally reflect on life's complexities and contradictions.

"I refer to my works as hybrid sculptures, where I have animal heads juxtaposed on human bodies," he began during a preview of his works alongside ten other artists at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He explores themes of human and animal characterisation as the window to the subject matters of humanity.

The on-group show tagged "The Crossroads" exhibition which runs until October 7, at The Wheatbaker Hotel has unleashed the creative energy of 11 young talents. Curated by Majid Biggar of SMO Contemporary Art, The Crossroads is made up of thirty-three paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed-media works by Adeniyi Adewole, Ashiata Shaibu, The Creatus, Boluwatife Lawal, Christopher Samuel Idowu, Kevwe Eru, David Ibukun Oniyide, Francis Nwajiaku Uche, Odia Odibo, Ikenna Obinka and Victor Sonoiki.

The works delve into the mindscapes of young talent as they grapple with critical decisions in the midst of tense socio-economic global and local realities which have a pivotal impact on their futures.

Ashiata Shaibu and Adeniyi Adewole interrogate the subject of freedom highlighting coming-of-age struggles with self-expression and self-actualization. The works by Kevwe Eru, David Ibukun Oniyide, and Victor Sonoiki delve into the global mental health crisis facing youth on an individual and communal level.

Boluwatife Lawal, Samuel Idowu, Francis Nwajiaku Uche and Ikenna Obinka explore culture, identity and human connections by analyzing how history and politics shape our daily experience, and the conflicts and contradictions resulting from these realities.

The pensive gazes on Christopher Samuel Idowu and Odia Odibo's subjects point at uncertainty and introspection that are associated with life changing decisions. Idowu's aged palette highlights the importance of each moment, while Odia's lush white beards give his subjects a sense of quiet maturity.

Boluwatife Lawal, Francis Nwajiaku Uche and Ikenna Obinka use their art to explore culture, identity and human connections by analyzing how history and politics shape our daily experience, and the conflicts and contradictions resulting from these realities. Lawal uses swirls of vibrant colour to represent the synergy and cooperation between two beings, while Obinka's portraits stare back defiantly in the face of societal oppression.

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Nwajiaku Uche fuses traditional Igbo and Catholic iconography to examine the parallels between historical and modern realities.

Odibo Odiabhehor Joseph, a protegee of George Edozie visualises some human challenges and recreates them on canvas while the Edo State-born, Kevwe Eru chose to explore her interest in the creative arts with photography as her first medium of expression, but over the years, she has fused it with digital art and other media inspired by the sciences, spirituality, nature and the human form.

Paul Kavanagh, the General Manager, The Wheatbaker Hotel said, "The Wheatbaker is delighted to continue to be an important platform for showcasing young talent in Africa."

"Over the past decade our walls have provided artists the opportunity of using their creativity to question and demand for better options. The Wheatbaker continues to provide a safe space for our youth to lead the way."
Geneva (Switzerland), September 15, 2022 (SPS) - The Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara has called on the International Human Rights Council (IHRC) to avoid using double standards concerning the application of International law in Western Sahara and to give a priority to the situation of its occupied territories.

In a speech delivered by the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, on behalf of the Group, before the IHRC, he called on the newly appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Turk, to consider and give a priority to the issue of occupied Western Sahara, recalling that nearly two years have passed since the resumption of armed conflict in Western Sahara, while OHCHR remains silent about the systematic violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by Moroccan authorities against Sahrawi civilians.

The Geneva Group expressed its deep concern about the illegal use of drones by the Morocco, targeting Sahrawi and foreign civilians, as well as livestock in Western Sahara, and denounced the lack of an independent international investigation into these crimes so far.

Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, reiterated the Group's concern about the repression practiced by the Moroccan occupation forces against the Sahrawi civilians in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, in particular human rights defenders, journalists and political prisoners, which imposed a state of absolute blackout on the occupied territories.

He also denounced the Moroccan continuing obstacles that led to the cancellation of the scheduled visit of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the UN to Western Sahara Mr. Staffan de Mistura, which clearly contributes to delaying the process of decolonization of Western Sahara and prolonging the continued illegal plunder of the natural resources of the Sahrawi people.

The Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara once again appealed to the Moroccan authorities to respect the internationally recognized legal status of the territory of Western Sahara and the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence, in accordance with international law, the Charter and resolutions of the UN.

The Geneva Group drew attention to the content of the UN Security Councils call, which called on the Kingdom of Morocco to enhance cooperation with the High Commissioner by facilitating visits to the region and resuming negotiations without preconditions and in good faith, so that the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, which was established On September 1991, guaranteeing the free exercise of a fundamental right of peoples, which is the right to self-determination.

It also called on the International Human Rights Council to pay special attention to the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, and to stand on the massive violations of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

SPS 110 TRA
Accused of stock theft in 2020, Abulele Kwindana was killed. More than two years later, no-one has been charged with his murder.

Abulele Kwindana from Tsilithwa village in Eastern Cape Qumbu town, was only 19 years old when he was accused of stock theft. The traditional court in his village took a decision to kill him. The cattle were later found, but Kwindana was dead. And more than two years later, no-one has been arrested.

Community Head Xolelo Libala told this reporter that a decision to kill Abulele was taken in his home, where traditional court hearings take place.

According to Libala, the grade 11 learner from Qumbu Technical High School had been accused of stock theft. Abulele had been looking after the cattle of a relative, Luthando Kwindana, who reported to the traditional court that his cattle were missing.

Sinazo Kwindana said her son had been looking after the cattle because it was his duty as a boy.

That was in March 2020.

Libala said a community meeting was called, attended only by the men in the village. Abulele had been presented as a suspect. "The boy was questioned," said Libala.

He said Abulele was beaten and told to go and find the cattle. Asked by GroundUp what proof there was that Abulele stole the cattle, Libala said: "His grandfather told us that he is the suspect and the boy himself said he knows where the cows are and asked to be given time to fetch them. We gave him a week but he failed to bring back the cows. Another meeting was then called and a decision for him to be killed was taken," said Libala.

Libala said if the questioners feel a person is not telling the truth they beat him.

He said Abulele had been taken to bushes nearby and killed. Libala said he had not been present at the time.

The cattle were later found locked in one of the old rondavels in the village.

Abulele's mother Sinazo, who was in Cape Town at the time, said: "When the first beating occurred I advised him to report the matter to the police. He promised to go in the morning but on that morning it was raining. The police station is very far. There are no taxis going there, so people walk."

She said Abulele told her he would go to the bushes to continue with the search for the cattle.

"On the day he was killed, I called him in the morning. I asked him if he had found the missing cows. He told me that he had looked everywhere and he couldn't find them. He told me he was going to school because he had missed a few tests while he went to look for the cows, but he promised to go look for the cows again after school," she said.

Sinazo Kwindana said she heard after a week that her son had been killed.

"I called him that afternoon and his phone rang with no response. The next morning his phone went straight to voicemail," she said. "It never crossed my mind that he was killed. We only thought he went to look for the cows, that he could not find them, and now he was scared to go home."

Sinazo Kwindana said she asked her sister to go report Abulele missing at Sulenkama police station and she herself returned to the Eastern Cape. "The police investigation was very slow. I would wake up so early in the morning, going around the village with no help from the community members. Only his teachers supported me," she said.

She said days later her sister received a private call telling her that Abulele had been killed and his body was in the bushes.

"My son died a very painful death for something he didn't do. They tied him to a tree, then made a fire under his feets. His lower body was burnt. He was found a week later," she said.

She opened a case in 2020. But until now no-one has been charged with the killing.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Thembinkosi Kinana said some people had been arrested shortly after the killing but later released. He said the docket was taken to Mthatha for a decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyhali said he could not comment.

Libala said he had given police the names of people who had attended the meetings and the minutes of the meetings. "But nothing ever came of the investigation," he said.

"That is why people are taking law into their own hands."

Luthando Kwindana denied that he had suspected Abulele to be behind the stock theft.

"I told Libala that my cows were missing, then some of the community members said they saw Abulele with them," he said.

Asked why he had not called the police, after being present at the meeting where the decision to kill Abulele had been taken, he said: "We don't have police here. We reported a number of theft cases to that Sulenkama police station. None of them were solved."

Nolundi Luwaya, director of the Land and Accountability Research Centre in Cape Town, which has opposed the Traditional Courts Bill, said the killing of Abulele was a crime and those involved must be arrested.

Luwaya said traditional courts could only take certain decisions and hear certain cases. Depending on how many cattle were stolen, cases of stock theft could be heard in a traditional court, she said. But if someone is found guilty, "the traditional court is only allowed to fine the person. Not the beating and the killing.".

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LARC is one of several organisations that have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign into law the Traditional Courts Bill, which has been passed by Parliament. The organisations say that though useful changes have been made to the bill since it was first aired in 2008, it still "has the potential to perpetuate abuses and leaves rural people vulnerable to bad practices by presiding officers of traditional courts". In a statement, the 22 individuals and organisations protested against the removal of the "opt-out" clause in the Bill which would allow people to opt out of the jurisdiction of traditional courts in favour of another court.

"For over a decade, rural people have made it clear to Parliament they will be locked into the jurisdiction of a traditional leader and a traditional court without any choice if the Bill failed to include an explicit opt-out provision," they said. "Some of these traditional leaders are not recognised by rural communities as they were imposed over them during apartheid."

The exclusion of an "opt-out" provision "is an affront to rural people who have consistently demanded that their constitutional and customary rights be protected."
The Romanian Maltese Relief Service, together with Zabola Estate, is organizing a charity ball on Saturday at Mikes Castle in Zabala, a unique location in Transylvania, made available by the family of Gregor Roy Chowdhury, informs a press release of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta sent to AGERPRES.

"The Zabola ball means more than a beautiful event, in a fairytale place in the heart of Transylvania. Its purpose is to bring together friends, collaborators, people who, regardless of citizenship, understand that it is not enough to wish for peace, harmony, well-being, for all these we need the involvement of each of us. If we want good, then we must do good. The world we live in is the reflection of each of us. Giving love, compassion, empathy to your fellow men means to seed trust in the other. A hand extended to those who need help is not just a simple gesture, it represents hope, and SAMR (Romanian Maltese Relief Service) offers all the outstretched hands needed to give people the confidence that together we can be stronger, better," said the ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Roberto Musneci, as quoted in the press release, Agerpres informs.

The patrons of the ball, Gregor and Pauline Basu Roy Chowdhury de Ulpur, the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Romania, Roberto Musneci, and his wife, Marialaura Ciampoli, together with the president of the Romanian Maltese Relief Service (SAMR), Denes Mihaly, the honorary president, Puskas Balint, and Secretary General Tischler Ferenc, will try to collect as many funds as possible for people in need.

The funds collected at the Maltese Ball will provide hope and a better life to the elderly, vulnerable people and victims of the war in Ukraine, the organizers say.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, the volunteers of the Romanian Maltese Relief Service, the non-profit organization of the Sovereign Order in Romania, organized support camps in three main locations: Sighetu Marmatiei, Siret and Satu Mare.

Heated tents, medical assistance, psychological assistance were provided, especially for children who arrive traumatized by the situation in Ukraine, as well as food, medicine and beds.

The Sovereign Order of Malta has had diplomatic relations with Romania for 90 years, under the motto "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequim Pauperum", offering constant support to forgotten or excluded members of society, victims of the war in Ukraine and all those in need.
The Chief of the Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, is participating, from Friday to Sunday, in the meeting of the Military Committee of NATO, in the format of the Chiefs of Defense, organized in Estonia, in Tallinn, a press release from the ministry reads.

The heads of Defense will hold discussions regarding the evolution of the security environment, the implementation of the decisions adopted at the NATO Summit in Madrid, as well as the ongoing missions and operations of the Alliance.

Another topic is the promotion of diversification and innovation within the structure of allied forces, in support of multi-domain operations and digitization, Agerpres informs.

The heads of Defense from Sweden and Finland are participating for the first time as guests at the meeting in the capital of Estonia.
The princeps edition of the Bible from Bucharest, printed in 1688, under the patronage of ruling prince Serban Cantacuzino, can be seen in the exhibition "From Tepes to Brancusi - 5 centuries of history and culture in the Romanian space", which will open on Friday at ARCUB - The Gabroveni Inn.

The event is organized by ARCUB in the context of the 563rd anniversary of the first attestation of the Capital and is part of the Bucharest Days series of events.

The exhibition can be visited until October 22, from Tuesday to Sunday, between 12:00 and 20:00. For the first time, rare pieces from the Emilian Radu collections will be presented, as well as treasured objects from the heritage of the National History Museum of Romania, Agerpres informs.

The Bucharest public is invited to discover important exhibits about the history of the city, such as the princeps edition of the Bible from Bucharest, the Greek-Romanian Gospel from Bucharest (edited and printed by Antim Ivireanul in 1693 in the Metropolitan Printing House of Bucharest, under the patronage of ruling prince Constantin Brancoveanu ) and the princeps edition of the New Testament from Bucharest (1703).

"The exhibition is completed by three masterpieces of medieval culture in the heritage of the National History Museum of Romania, exhibits classified in the treasure category. Extremely precious due to their age and content, the Tetraevangelium of St. Pious Nicodemus and the Tetraevangelium of St. Pious Spyridon are the first manuscripts copied by famous scholars from Romania and Moldova. The third exhibit from the MNIR heritage is the Altemberger Codex, which includes the rights and obligations of the Saxons in the period 1481-1700," ARCUB informs.

The exhibition will present two representations of ruler Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), one from the 15th century and one from the 20th century.

According to ARCUB, the main attraction of the exhibition is the historical 'dialogue' between the portrait engraved from 1491 of the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes and the famous work Dracula, created almost 500 years later, by the pop artist Andy Warhol.

The international and contemporary dimension of the exhibition is completed by the Romanian image captured by the surrealist artist Man Ray in 1922 in a photograph of the French actress of Romanian origin Genica Athanasiou, two decades before La Blouse Roumaine by Matisse, a drawing of a future monument of Eve signed by Brancusi, exhibited in the international premiere, but also documents and photographs of the Romanian Royal House, mentions the quoted source.
The total number of H1 2022 non-resident tourists staying in tourist accommodation establishments in Romania was 630,500, in the first semester of this year, with their expenses amounting to 1.647 billion lei, on average approximately 2,612.3 lei/person, according to a press statement released by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on Friday.

Travel for a private purpose was the main reason for the stay of 50.3% of the non-resident tourists arriving in Romania, with their expenses making up 46.8% of the total expenses.Also, professional and business trips were the second reason for the stay of 49.7% of non-resident tourists arriving in Romania, with their expenses making up 53.2% of the total.Of the total expenses for private purposes, accommodation expenses were 44.9%, then shopping expenses at 15.5% and restaurants and bars 15.3%. At the same time, out of the expenses for business trips, accommodation expenses made up 49.6%, with the expenses in restaurants and bars at 18.6% and those for shopping at 14.6%.The number of non-resident tourists staying in private accommodation establishments was 28,100, and their expenses in Romania 18.2 million lei. Of the total number of non-resident tourists staying in private accommodation establishments, 77.4% mentioned private purposes for their trip , and 22.6% professional purposes.In Q2 2022, the total number of non-resident tourists staying in tourist accommodation establishments was 398,000, with their expenses amounting to 1.073 billion lei (on average approximately 2,697.9 lei/person). Travel for a particular purpose represented the main reason for the stay of 51.9% of the non-resident tourists arriving in Romania, with their expenses making up 48.4% of the total expenses.Professional and business trips represented the second main reason for the stay of 48.1% of the non-resident tourists arriving in Romania, with their expenses being 51.6% of the total expenses.The main means of transport used to travel in Romania was the airplane, used by 74.4% of the total number of tourists. AGERPRES
The Patriarch of Romania sent a message for the National Conference of the Support Centres for Pregnant Women. The 6th edition of the biannual event is held in Bucharest, Romania, between September 12-13, 2022.

Patriarch Daniel emphasised that we are all called to become the hands of Gods merciful love for unborn children, according to basilica.ro.

Full text:

We are called to become the hands of Gods merciful love for the unborn children

Bucharests Association for Pregnant Women and Family Support has organised for three years its biannual National Conference of the Support Centres for Pregnant Women. The goal of this event is to foster the exchange of experience and mutual enrichment in fulfilling a work which is not easy and which is primarily based on solidarity both with its beneficiaries and among those called to fulfil it.

The association has established specialized centres which offer professional services of support for mothers in pregnancy crisis and their unborn children, and it aims to share its experience with all those willing to work on the greatest good: saving mothers souls and childrens lives.

The activity of these centres is a concrete example of communion and fulfilment of the divine will, because we, as Christians, see each human person who has been conceived as part of Gods will to work good deeds into the world.

Our Church has recently celebrated the Nativity of the Mother of God, who has been essential in Gods plan of building the Kingdom of Heaven together with man.

The Mother of God gave birth to our Saviour Jesus Christ, despite the fact that she was not married and had devoted herself to spiritual matters. Yet, to the angel who announced that she would conceive from the heavenly Father and through the power of the Holy Spirit, she resolutely answered: Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38).

This shows us that the Mother of God conquered her hesitation and her worries by faithfully abandoning herself to divine providence.

Moreover, the conception and birth of the Holy Virgin Mary from elderly barren parents also show us that every child who comes into the world is fundamentally the fruit of a spiritual work: that of partaking in the life-giving gift which comes exclusively from God, being sourced from the love of the Holy Trinity, and is offered to people.

Thus, Christ discreetly protects the conceiving and birth of every child, who comes into the world after being conceived through the gift of God.

For Christians, giving birth to children never reduces the woman to a purely biological reality; on the contrary, it proves her spiritual force, which resides in her capacity for sacrificial love.

Our pro-life actions become the expression of Gods merciful love and providence and remind the woman of her unique power and vocation: that of giving life.

Yet, most often, overwhelmed by the difficulties they are confronted with, parents  and especially single mothers  do not find it easy to accept the child as a heavenly gift. Then we are entrusted with the mission of restoring their faith in God by becoming ourselves His merciful and loving hands.

When the childs father does not stand by the pregnant woman to protect her in the most vulnerable moment of her life, when the extended family of the professional environment put great pressure on her to give up the baby in her womb, the woman needs us to stand by her. Our extended hand and our gifts for women in pregnancy crisis rebuild these parents trust in God and in people and fulfil Gods plan for the salvation of the world.

The two crisis pregnancy centres established by the Association for Pregnant Women and Family Support are part of an international network whose members benefit from the decade-long American expertise in this field. In the United States, there are hundreds of big abortion clinics.

Meanwhile, there are thousands of crisis pregnancy centres: only in the latest five years, they saved more than 800,000 American children, whose mothers received the support they needed. This experience shows that our involvement counts and it needs to become systematic and professional.

Some dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox Church have created pregnancy support centres, but continuous effort is needed to bring help to mothers in difficulty from every county of Romania.

At present, such centres are functional in only 16 of the 41 counties of Romania and not all are at an optimal development level.

There are many ways in which we can become Gods hands of merciful love into the world. But helping a child to be born is the most generous deed of Christian love, because it does not save only the childrens bodies, but also their souls for the Kingdom of Heaven  and, with them, their mothers souls, by giving them back their hope.

At the same time, it is a work which redeems us as a community, a work in which individualism is surmounted through an exercise of solidarity according to Gods will.

On this occasion, we wish to express our gratitude to all who help, in word or deed, this work of supporting women in pregnancy crisis.

We also welcome and bless the efforts made by the Romanian organizers of this conference and the professional support offered by their guests from across the ocean, by sharing their experience.

With appreciation and fatherly blessings,

 Daniel

Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Solidarity with Ukraine has been an absolute priority to Romania, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Friday at the Bucharest Security Conference.

He added that Russia brought its war to Europe and the US as well through manipulation and a food crisis."Russia has already brought its war into our homes. Here in Europe, in the US, in the consolidated democracies, through propaganda, manipulation, misinformation, cyber-attacks and last but not least a food crisis. We have to acknowledge the reality of Russia's attempts to use energy and food supplies in support of its aggressive policies. Russian aggression has led to massive food security challenges as it has significantly disrupted Ukraine's agricultural season. Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports has disrupted grain exports, exacerbating thus the food crisis in important areas around the world," said Ciuca.He added that Romania activated its own support mechanisms."In recent months, Romania has put into action its own national direct support mechanisms, alongside the assistance of our partners and allies. The crisis generated by Russia is also an opportunity for the transatlantic community to support a long-term global recalibration of supply chains, of trade connections and strategic partnerships," added the prime minister.He said that the Black Sea proved its strategic relevance "more than ever," and Romania became an important transit country for grain from Ukraine.According to Ciuca, maintaining European solidarity and unity "remains an essential element in mounting an adequate response to Russian aggression.""The hybrid campaigns conducted by Russia related to the war are not limited either to Ukraine, or to Western countries. These are manipulation operations on a global scale and must be approached as such," said Ciuca.Ciuca also emphasised the importance of the resilience of the EU and NATO neighbours."The resistance of Ukarine's armed forces and civil society against Russian aggression is a demonstration of the crucial importance of military and societal resilience in the face of external challenges," he said. AGERPRES
Romania co-chairs, at the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis, the thematic line "Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession" within the Transforming Education Summit - TES, due to take place from Friday to Monday, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, informed the Presidential Administration.

At the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis, Romania co-chairs thematic line 3 (AT 3) - "Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession". In this endeavor, Romania collaborated with Nigeria, UNESCO and the International Labor Organization, and the resulting thematic report is available at https://transformingeducationsummit.sdg4education2030.org.

"As a natural continuation of the importance that the President of Romania attaches to the teaching career, Romania will host, within TES, alongside the same partners, on September 17, 2022 (TES Solutions Day), a session on the topic of 'Teachers at the heart of education! Call for action on teacher policies and social dialogue to transform the teaching profession'," says the Presidential Administration, Agerpres informs.

According to the cited source, presidential advisor Ligia Deca will present the "Educated Romania" project, as an example of good practice on the development of public policies in an inclusive way, which emphasizes the teaching career in the reforms necessary for the transformation of education.

During Monday's session dedicated to the heads of state and government, President Klaus Iohannis will send a video message on the occasion of a round table of the leaders present at the Summit. The message will detail a series of commitments made by Romania in the field of education, in line with the objectives of TES.

"The Transforming Education Summit is a unique opportunity to raise the level in discussions about the future of education, to affirm national commitments under Objective 4 of Sustainable Development and to generate increased public involvement in this field. Moreover, the vision of the UN Secretary General, launched on this occasion, will constitute, together with the reports of thematic actions, the examples of good practice and the national commitments, a basis for discussion for the preparation of the UN Summit of the Future," mentions the Presidential Administration.
A student writes on a blackboard at the Souza Gare school in the Littoral region, Cameroon. The school hosts displaced children who have fled the violence in the North-West and South-West regions.

Mbouda, Cameroon  Officials in Cameroon say armed separatists have chased several thousand children from schools just days after the students returned to classrooms for the first time in years. Troops sent to restore school security in the western regions say they have killed at least 13 rebels in clashes over the last month.

Cameroon's military says separatist attacks this month on western villages, mostly on schools, sent thousands of schoolchildren, teachers and villagers fleeing for safety.

Lingalla Prudence is among students who on Monday fled Kumbo, an English-speaking town in the Northwest Region. The separatist conflict has disrupted her education so often that the 21-year-old, who should be in college, is still trying to finish high school.

"We were in school, and some people brought guns and chased us out of the school and kidnapped some teachers and all the children are out of school," she said.

Teachers' associations say the anglophone rebels are targeting state schools, which they view as a tool of the French-speaking majority's rule. But they are also attacking religious and private schools.

Joe Tiemuncho, coordinator of the Parent-Teachers Association for Presbyterian schools in Cameroon, said separatist attacks and threats have shut down scores of schools that had reopened, some for the first time in years, when the school year started on September 5.

"Many schools have shut down given the intimidations that are coming from separatist fighters," he said. "Teachers, learners and school managers are afraid to get into full-swing activities because it is unpredictable, you can't say what will happen in the next few minutes. Some teachers have even had their arms amputated. Students have been kidnapped and they [fighters] continue to kidnap teachers, students and others asking for ransom."

Cameroonian military spokespersons weren't allowed to speak with reporters on a trip to the area, but they did confirm that hundreds of troops were deployed to restore security so classes can resume.

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The military says the separatists also declared a lockdown in the English-speaking western regions that paralyzed trade. Separatists that declared the lockdown say it is in response to a government ban on community schools that the rebels control.

Capo Daniel, a self-declared deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), one of the largest rebel groups in Cameroon, said the ADF is not in favor of the lockdown called by other rebel factions.

"Misguided forces that are imposing this lockdown target [on] innocent civilians who have largely rejected this lockdown. So, for the most part, our people stay at home out of fear," he said. "It is the responsibility of everybody who speaks for the Ambazonia liberation movement to ensure our students access community schools, religious schools and private schools that have been allowed and authorized by us to open."

Cameroon in August closed more than 200 community schools that rebels said they controlled.

The military says in the past week troops killed at least 13 rebels during clashes in the towns of Kumbo, Oku and Ndop.

Rebel spokesman Daniel confirmed their fighters were killed and said they also killed government troops.

Cameroon's military did not confirm any fatalities but said a few troops were wounded.

Cameroon's anglophone rebels want to create a breakaway state they call Ambazonia, separate from Cameroon's French-speaking majority. The U.N. says the rebel conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than a half-million since fighting broke out in 2017.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union's executive branch unveiled plans Friday for new laws that it said would help protect media freedom and independence in the 27-nation bloc at a time of mounting concern about the dangers of political influence in several member countries.

Spurred into action allegations of state spying on reporters, the use of political pressure on news outlets and the placing of advertising to peddle influence, the European Commission said the EU needs a European Media Freedom Act.

We see a lot of worrying trends regarding media in Europe, and its not only a matter of one or two countries, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told reporters in Brussels. She said the proposed legislation is needed for the times we live in, not for the times we would like to live in.

The commission has criticized the governments of Hungary, Poland and Slovenia in recent years for trying to pressure their national media. But EU officials say they see the risk of political influence in more than 20 member countries.

We need to establish clear principles: No journalist should be spied on because of their job. No public media should be turned into propaganda channel, Jourova said.

The main thrust of the new act is to protect media outlets from governments attempting to determine what they can publish or broadcast, and to prevent countries from spying on media workers.

The legislation also aims to ensure stable funding of public service media and to make media ownership more transparent.

The proposal would only take effect once it has been debated and endorsed by EU member countries and the European Parliament.

The centerpiece of the legislation would create an independent body, made up of national media authorities, to issue opinions on national measures and decisions affecting media markets and media market ownership. But the opinions of the European Board for Media Services would not be binding on national authorities.

Jourova rejected suggestions that the board would be answerable to the European Commission or serve as an oversight body that itself keeps tabs on what reporters and editors are doing.

We are not going to regulate the media themselves, but the space for media, she said.

The act would ban the use of spyware against journalists and their families, with exceptions only for investigations of crimes such as terrorism, child abuse or murder. Journalists would have the right to judicial protection, and countries would set up an independent authority to handle complaints.

The allocation of state advertising to media would also be made more transparent. Officials say that 21 countries are at medium to high risk of misusing advertising revenue to influence editors and journalists.

The plan is the commissions second recent foray into the media world. On Sept. 6, it launched a consortium of 18 European news agencies to carry out independent reporting on EU affairs. The European Newsroom benefits from around 1.8 million euros ($1.8 million) in EU funding.
A local real estate investment firm has sold a collection of warehouses in two separate deals to investors in Edwardsville and Cincinnati.

Maryland Heights-based Bamboo Equity Partners sold three industrial properties to Fireside Financial, a Metro East investment firm. Those properties  11147 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights; 865 Hoff Road in OFallon, Missouri; and 3080 Elm Pointe Drive in St. Charles  are all triple net properties where the tenant is responsible for more expenses that an owner would otherwise cover like property taxes, insurance premiums and maintenance costs.

Its great real estate with great yields, said Dan Dokovic, managing principal of Bamboo.

Dokovic declined to disclose a sales price, citing a confidentiality clause with Fireside Financial. Fireside did not respond to a request for comment.

In a separate deal, Bamboo sold a series of small industrial buildings, at 9461-9601 Dielman Rock Island Industrial Drive in Olivette, to Cincinnati-based Riverside Realty Capital for around $4 million.

Dokovic said those properties offer industrial space as small as 1,000 square feet per unit, a challenging footprint to find.
Rich Ledbetter was promoted to CEO of Guarantee Electrical as part of a multi-year leadership succession plan.

Ledbetter, who previously served as chief operating officer, succeeds Rick Oertli, who will continue in his role as chairman of the board. Emily Martin was named chief operating officer, and Dave Gralike remains president.

The 120-year-old national electrical construction firm employs about 200 staff and 800 team members in the field. It has offices in Missouri, Illinois, Colorado and California.

Ledbetter, who earned a bachelors degree from Texas Christian University, first joined Guarantee Electrical in 1998 as vice president of business development, before leaving in 2002 to grow Castle Contracting, in which he was co-owner. He returned to Guarantee in 2020 as COO, with a two-year transition to succeed Oertli as CEO.
Sarah Kendzior would like to destigmatize the word conspiracy.

There are actual conspiracies, like Jan. 6, she says. It wasnt transparent. By nature it was a plot.

In an odd way, the writers belief that there are conspirators in this country is also a reassurance. She wants average folk who suspect malfeasance to know they arent crazy.

Im trying to alert people to whats going on.

Kendzior, 44, lives in University City with her family, including children who are 15 and 11. During the COVID pandemic she wrote her third book, a collection of essays called They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent. It was released Tuesday.

Review: Real conspiracy or imagined? St. Louis' Sarah Kendzior writes about US betrayals "They Knew" is a volume of improbable and seemingly impossible tales of hidden connections in the worlds of politics, government and public affairs.

It was written in a strange, cloistered, traumatic environment, she says. Hopefully, it will stand the test of time. At least its a product of its time.

Shes also the co-host of the podcast Gaslit Nation, which continues some of the themes of her book: Americans are regularly lied to by powerful people in government and other institutions who often go easy on other well-off or powerful executives, political donors and the like.

One example is the Supreme Court: The power of the Supreme Court is overwhelming. (Recent) decisions are clearly aimed at plutocrats and extremists and their desires.

In They Knew, Kendzior defines a conspiracy as an agreement of powerful actors to secretly carry out a plan that protects their own interests, often to the detriment of the public good.

When observers see evidence of such plans, they often come up with theories to explain them. This doesnt mean conspiracy theories are accurate, she writes, but they can be sincere expressions of the search for the truth.

Theres nothing inherently wrong with coming up with theories to explain bad acts unless youre making up evidence, inventing things, lying, creating propaganda and weaponizing it against innocent people, she says, talking recently from her home.

She points to malevolent actors like Alex Jones, a far-right radio show host who has been found guilty in two lawsuits over his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was fake. Other lawsuits are ongoing.

Kendzior says she tries to document her assertions but says that no matter how much you show your work, someone is going to doubt you. I try not to worry about that.

With They Knew, Kendzior has begun her book tour. Her last book, Hiding in Plain Sight, was published in 2020, and the tour was canceled. Shell now be flying on planes for the first time in three years and looks forward to reconnecting with readers (like her half-a-million followers on Twitter).

Kendzior, who grew up in Connecticut, majored in history at Sarah Lawrence College. She earned a masters degree in Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University. In 2006, she and her husband, who works in marketing, moved to St. Louis to be near some of his family and so she could work on her doctorate in anthropology at Washington University. Her dissertation: The Uzbek Opposition in Exile: Diaspora and Dissident Politics in the Digital Age.

Along with that dissertation, she gave birth twice. She laughs when she says that I didnt know the global economy would collapse two years into my Ph.D. program. ... Paying bills was difficult for a while.

Somehow, she successfully segued from studying Uzbekistan to writing about current events and politics, including conspiracies. She started doing features and opinion pieces for Al Jazeera and then other journalism outlets, becoming known for warning that presidential candidate Donald Trump exhibited autocratic tendencies not unlike leaders in the former Soviet Union.

Id been studying autocracy, she says. But I didnt expect to apply what I learned about Uzbekistan to the former host of The Apprentice.

In 2017, after her first book, The View From Flyover Country, came out, an article in the New Republic magazine included Kendzior as one in a trend of left-wing conspiracy theorists, saying she was a good example of confirmation bias, i.e. interpreting new evidence as support for her beliefs.

Im not writing to please people whom I dont respect and who are not actually reading my work, she says. Im writing for the general public.

Her bent toward research is revealed at times when she introduces old evidence as examples similar to more recent conspiracies, such as the case of financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019. Kendzior refers to his alleged suicide because she, like others, doubts Epstein killed himself.

In one essay, she introduces a similar figure who in the 1980s, like Epstein, held parties with the rich and powerful. Also like Epstein, Craig Spence was linked to pedophilia and possible blackmailing of guests after procuring sex for them. Spence, a GOP operative and foreign agent, did not receive much mainstream media coverage during his life. He apparently died by suicide in 1989.

Although media jumped on Epsteins story just before and after his death, Kendzior writes, for decades major outlets likewise shielded the public from a blockbuster case involving spies, celebrities, politicians and rape.

Her ire and concerns often center on not just a lack of mainstream media coverage of crime, but also on powerful people who dont pursue obvious corruption.

I try to ask questions, she says. Heres some disturbing evidence; I think we should know more about it. Heres the way it has been covered up.

Kendzior isnt talking about people like the QAnon conspiracy follower who wore a fur-and-horn headdress to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Authors are back in business with live St. Louis events to promote fall books Among writers promoting books this fall in St. Louis are Andrew Sean Greer, Taylor Jenkins Reid, George Saunders and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush.

Im not worried about QAnon Shaman and his influence over our political life. I dont see them as ongoing threats to society. (QAnon Shaman, the nickname for Jacob Chansley, received a 41-month sentence for participating in the Capitol riot.)

Rather, she points to former leaders like Steve Bannon, the aide to President Trump recently charged with money laundering and conspiracy, or to Michael Flynn, former national security adviser and a QAnon promoter.

I do see people like Michael Flynn, a registered foreign agent, as an actual danger. She wishes the FBI would investigate the top people connected with things like Jan. 6: Thats more effective than going after foot soldiers and pawns who got wrapped up into a bad situation.

Kendzior also worries about dark money in politics: Dark money is a great example of a conspiracy. We know its happening. We know there are wealthy, powerful donors flooding campaigns. But do we know who they are? No. Do we know how they operate? No.

Despite, or because of, her desire for real conspiracies to be taken seriously, one of Kendziors current concerns is her youngest childs exposure to lies and propaganda online and other inappropriate things.

I want him to have intellectual freedom, she says. But its hard for parents to keep up.

When she travels with her family, Kendzior makes it a point to stop at historical sites and explain their relevance.
When Pennsylvania State University junior Nick Ribaudo got an email last month saying that a fellow student had tested positive for monkeypox, his first thought was, "Oh boy, here we go again."

Several U.S. colleges have confirmed cases of the virus, raising concerns as students return to campus for the fall semester. That's especially so as many students, like 22-year-old Ribaudo, saw earlier school years cut short or moved online due to COVID-19.

With about 20,000 cases, the U.S. outbreak of monkeypox is the world's biggest, spreading through intimate contact mainly among men who have sex with men. While global rates have shown signs of cooling, dropping 21% in the week ended Aug. 21, concerns about the U.S. outbreak are cresting as students return to school, ready to meet and form new relationships.

Two other Pennsylvania schools  the University of Pittsburgh and West Chester University  reported cases in students, while Bucknell University in Lewisburg reported an infection without specifying whether it was a student, faculty or staff. The West Chester student was identified during the summer term and finished those courses online, a university spokesperson said in an email.

Monkeypox doesn't spread like infections that are harbored in sexual fluids, yet it's often transmitted though close, intimate contact with lesions. Sexual activity is relatively common on college campuses, as are close gatherings in communal spaces like bars and parties. Bavarian Nordic A/S makes the only monkeypox vaccine. The shots still aren't widely available at schools, said Rebecca Wurtz, an associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

"Monkeypox is here to stay," Wurtz said. "I think this is one more sexually transmitted infection to be added to the list that people need to be educated about."

While the disease isn't usually life-threatening, there have been deaths reported in other countries. In the U.S., Texas late last month reported a possible monkeypox related death in a person who was severely immune compromised with other chronic health issues. Los Angeles County health officials said Friday they were conducting an autopsy to see if monkeypox infection contributed to the death of a resident.

Mounting, widespread cases are creating anxiety. Washington-based Georgetown University, American University and George Washington University all reported cases of monkeypox within their communities over the summer. Nearby, the University of Maryland reported a suspected infection. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University, some of the state's largest institutions, also confirmed infections. The University of Delaware reported a case in an employee last month and said its health center has testing and is working to acquire vaccine supply.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration requested $4.5 billion in funding to quell the outbreak, with $1.6 billion of that to pay for vaccines and therapies. White House health officials met with college administrators across the country to discuss measures to control the spread of monkeypox on campuses.

For now, colleges say education is paramount to keeping monkeypox at bay. They're advising students to protect themselves by frequently washing their hands, avoiding contact with others who might have the disease, and to self isolate at home if they're showing symptoms.

"Educating the campus community on prevention of monkeypox infection will continue to be the focus of our efforts," said Emilio Carranco, director of the Student Health Center at Texas State University in San Marcos. "Information on prevention, testing and isolation has been provided to all students living on campus."

But there's still uncertainty about how the semester will unfold, and easing the worries of college students will be difficult for colleges and universities, Wurtz said, in part because of the limited supplies of vaccines available to them.

"Are they doing enough? Well, no," she said. "But they're doing as much as they can."
Editor's note: On Sept. 16, 1989, Debbye Turner became the first Miss Missouri to win the title of Miss America. Here is our original coverage from that event.

Debbye Turner's coronation as Miss America came as anything but a surprise to her friends and teachers at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

In Columbia, she's known for her determination, intelligence and deep faith. ''And she's beautiful, of course,'' said Margaret Neimeyer, who was awed last year by Turner's presentation to students at Grant Elementary School in Columbia, where Neimeyer was principal until this fall.

''It was one of the most motivating talks I've ever heard,'' she said. ''Her message was that young people can do almost anything they want to if they are willing to work and stay in school.''

That theme was a fundamental element of Turner's presentation during the pageant, where she told judges that her mission would be ''motivating American youth to excellence.''

''And she believes what she's saying because she herself has worked hard to achieve what she has set forth as objectives,'' said Neimeyer, who met Turner through her husband, Ken Neimeyer, associate dean of the veterinary school.

Turner has finished her third year of that school's doctor of veterinary medicine program. She will complete her final year after her one-year reign as Miss America.

The Neimeyers said they were glued to their television sets late Saturday night, ''absolutely cheering all the way'' as contestants were eliminated one by one.

''Debbye is a good person,'' said Ken Neimeyer. ''She is down to earth, realistic, articulate and goal-oriented.''

He said she ''trained for this pageant like an Olympic athlete,'' rising at 4:30 a.m. to work out, then practicing her presentations and polishing her marimba routine.

''There was no doubt in her mind that her goal was to be Miss America,'' he said. ''I don't think she talked about it a lot, but she had a very big determination to do it.''

Turner lives just on the edge of campus, in a big, red-brick house she shares with eight other students, all members of the Maranatha Campus Ministries, an international gospel faith organization.

''She's an example of a leader,'' said roommate Janet Holman. ''From the time she was 16, she set her sights on Miss America and on being a veterinarian, and she pursued it.''

Turner, a native of Jonesboro, Ark., is a veteran of seven pageants; she placed as runner-up in two Miss Arkansas competitions. She is the first Miss Missouri to win the Miss America Pageant. Holman said that Turner's days were filled with studies, work and pageant competition in the statewide contests, but that she still found time to work with young children in Bible study.

Robert F. Kahrs, dean of the veterinary school, said he was ''proud and happy and a bit teary-eyed.

''Isn't it fantastic?'' he asked.

Turner served as a volunteer in veterinary clinics and worked at McDonald's to pay tuition bills while an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, he said.

''She has an upbeat attitude, innate intelligence and a charming, amiable personality,'' said Kahrs. ''Put that with a work ethic, and you have someone who decides what she's going to do and then does it.

The crowning of Turner, who is black, showed that Americans are accepting blacks on a greater scale, said Ben Johnson, managing editor of the Columbia Missourian and the only black managing editor in Missouri of a non-minority newspaper.

Turner published part of a diary in the paper, which is owned by the university's journalism school but circulates throughout Columbia.

''There's no question that Miss Turner will represent this university, this city and her people with class,'' Johnson said. ''When you think about it, she's going to reach thousands of people . . . millions of people. For so many kids, she will be what they know about black people.''

Before they were famous, the were Mizzou Tigers
ST. LOUIS  The St. Louis Police Departments mental health emergency team did not respond during an hourslong SWAT standoff last week where a man was eventually shot dead, even after friends and advocates told police the man had a documented history of mental health struggles.

Bade Ali Jabir, 61, was killed the afternoon of Sept. 7 in the 1200 block of Hodiamont Avenue when police charged into the residence and shot him after he refused to come out. Police said Jabir charged at an officer with a knife when officers entered the apartment.

We kept asking the lieutenant where (the crisis responders) were at, and he was ignoring everything we were saying, said Lisa LaGrone, a violence prevention worker who was at the complex for most of the standoff.

The Crisis Response Unit places a police officer with specially trained Behavioral Health Response staffers, known as purple shirts, to respond to crisis calls. They respond to mental health calls, but also incidents involving domestic violence, drug overdoses and trespassing, and are equipped to spend time connecting people to social services around the city.

The program was implemented in February 2021 as part of an effort to provide mental health resources and professionals in situations traditionally handled only by officers.

The citys public safety spokesperson, Monte Chambers, confirmed on Friday that the Crisis Response Unit did not respond to the standoff. He did not immediately provide a reason.

LaGrone was called to the apartment in the citys West End neighborhood that morning by a resident. She told the Post-Dispatch her interactions with police at the standoff were disappointing because they did not listen to her or others who told officers Jabir had a history of mental health struggles.

As a staff member at the Organization for Black Struggle, LeGrone is the coordinator for its violence prevention program, Project Haki, in the citys 22nd Ward.

I just think it was preventable because ... lots of people said they were friends and wanted a chance to bring him out, LaGrone said.

LaGrone said shes worked with members of the Crisis Response Unit in prior situations, and they resolved the situations before they became violent.

Her colleague, Veii Kauaria, was also at the complex for the majority of the standoff. He said he never saw any crisis responders and noted that those communicating with Jabir, who immigrated from Sudan about five years ago, told police the man was willing to come out of the apartment if someone he knew would escort him out.

Police said they brought in an Arabic interpreter to communicate with Jabir, but his former case worker, Indran Fernando, told the Post-Dispatch that Jabirs native language was Gaam and that other interpreters often struggled to understand the mans Arabic.

Fernando and about 20 others gathered outside police headquarters Wednesday night to protest the killing and call for body-worn camera footage to be released.

Portions of the standoffs timeline, meanwhile, remain unclear.

Police said they initially received a call at 8:30 a.m. for a burglary at the complex. When they got there, officers said an evicted tenant was refusing to leave. They said after further investigation they learned he had multiple felony warrants.

Neither a Post-Dispatch Sunshine request for calls for service that day nor the Post-Dispatchs calls for service database shows an 8:30 a.m. burglary call.

The first call to the apartment, according to the calls for service log, was at 10:21 a.m. The call was for another officer to meet up at the scene.

Five minutes later, police reported to dispatchers that Jabir had locked himself in the apartment and refused to come out.

An incident report indicates the shooting occurred at 2:30 p.m. and officers called for an evidence technician at 3:12 p.m., according to the call log. In all, about seven shots were fired by officers.

Erika Zaza, an attorney for the police department, denied a request for the audio recordings of those calls citing the states Sunshine Law.
ST. LOUIS  A jury found James Tim Norman guilty on Friday of conspiring to kill his nephew, ending a St. Louis trial full of reality TV stars, life insurance schemes and cash payouts thats captured national attention for the past two weeks.

In the end, the jury found that Norman, 43, orchestrated the murder of his 21-year-old nephew, Andre Montgomery, then attempted to cash out up to $450,000 in a fraudulent life insurance policy he took out on Montgomery.

The two both starred in Welcome to Sweetie Pies, a long-running OWN reality show about the popular soul-food business founded by Robbie Montgomery  Normans mother and Andres grandmother  in the St. Louis area.

Jurors deliberated for more than 17 hours over three days before finding Norman guilty on two federal murder-for-hire counts and one charge of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

Norman held a blank expression as the verdict was read to a courtroom packed with family and friends on both sides of the case. His supporters surrounded his mother right outside the courtroom, sobbing audibly.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Sayler Fleming said motive for the murder plot came down to one thing: Normans greed.

While the evidence was voluminous and overwhelming, Fleming said, Normans plan was relatively straightforward.

Kalyn Griggs, Montgomerys sister, stood with her family in Justice for Andre T-shirts on the courthouse steps after the verdict, calling Norman a monster who her brother feared in the weeks before his death.

The lesson is: I dont care how much money a person got, Griggs said. You cannot underestimate their greed.

Evidence during the trial showed Norman paid $10,000 to an exotic dancer, Terica Ellis, to track his nephews location. Norman then used a friend to pay $5,000 to the shooter, Travell Anthony Hill, after Hill killed Montgomery.

Both Ellis and Hill testified for the prosecution.

Normans defense team made the rare decision in a criminal trial to have Norman testify on his own behalf, telling jurors he was a mentor to his nephew who never wanted to harm him.

Norman broke into tears during more than four hours of testimony, telling the jury he enlisted Ellis and Hill to find his nephew, but not kill him. He said he wanted to confront Montgomery about a recent burglary at his mothers home.

Im extraordinarily surprised and disappointed, said Normans defense attorney Mike Leonard on Friday. I really thought this was a case where the prosecution didnt meet the burden of proof.

Leonard said Norman plans to appeal the verdict. Two witnesses asserted their Fifth Amendment right not to testify, hurting the defense, Leonard argued. The first was Waiel Rebhi Yaghnam, the life insurance agent who worked with Norman to set up Andre Montgomerys policy. Yaghnam pleaded guilty this summer to a wire fraud charge. The second was a friend of Normans who, prosecutors say, told the shooter, Hill, Norman would pay to have Montgomery killed.

Montgomerys sister, Griggs, said Montgomery knew he would be in danger if he went to St. Louis, where he was killed.

He told her just before he left, she said: Im gonna be one of Gods soldiers.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Another unlicensed Christian boarding school in Missouri has shut down, the third to do so in recent months, The Star has learned.

Masters Ranch Girls Academy at Belle Vie, an all-girls school just east of Thayer, in far south-central Missouri, officially closed on Aug. 1, according to a note in the Masters Ranch Summer 2022 newsletter.

The Board of Directors of MRCA recently decided to pause our residential girls program, the note said. During the term of our girls residential program, thirty-two young at-risk women and their families were served. The last student left on July 23, it said.

The school opened on Sept. 15, 2020, for girls ages 12 to 17, one of three Masters Ranch Christian Academy boarding schools in Oregon County. Its companion schools  Masters Ranch Junior High in Myrtle for middle school-age boys and Masters Ranch Christian Academy for older boys, located in Couch  remain in operation.

Masters Ranch Christian Academy founder David Bosley did not respond to The Stars requests for comment. The Masters Ranch at Belle Vies website says this site cant be reached, its Facebook account has been taken down and a Google site says it is permanently closed.

Caitlin Whaley, director of policy and communication for the Missouri Department of Social Services, told The Star this week that someone from Masters Ranch recently told DSS that they will be closing their girls site, however we do not have anything in writing as of today.

DSS told lawmakers last year that it had substantiated 10 reports of neglect at the Masters Ranch for older boys since 2010. The other two Masters Ranch schools did not have any substantiated reports of abuse or neglect, DSS said.

Prompted by stories of abuse at several unlicensed Christian boarding schools in Missouri, legislators successfully pushed for change in the state law last year that implemented some oversight of the facilities. The new law required unlicensed schools to register with the state by Oct. 14, 2021, and to undergo fire and health inspections.

Whaley told The Star on Thursday that Masters Ranch had complied with the requirement to register with the state.

Belle Vie was located in an expansive house that was the site of a former winery.

We offer a loving, relational, and affordable home-like program just for girls with life-controlling issues, its website said. We feature first-class academics, counseling, spiritual support, and counseling to repair the behavioral problems caused by trauma, adoption, family discord, or peer pressure.

Two other Missouri boarding schools, both in Cedar County, have closed since June: Wings of Faith Academy near Stockton  a school for girls  and Legacy Academy Adventures, which is between Stockton and Jerico Springs.

And Circle of Hope Girls Ranch near Humansville closed in September 2020 amid an investigation into abuse allegations. Owners Boyd and Stephanie Householder were charged in 2021 with 99 felony counts of child abuse and neglect, including statutory sodomy, statutory rape, physical abuse and neglect.

All four of the shuttered schools have connections to Agape Boarding School in Cedar County, which currently has 11 substantiated findings of abuse, according to DSS.

Last week, Judge David Munton signed an order for authorities to close Agape and remove students after the Attorney General and DSS filed a petition saying students safety was jeopardized because a current staffer had been placed on the Central Registry for child abuse/neglect for substantiated allegations. But Munton put the order on hold the next morning after it was learned that the staff member had reportedly been fired the day before. A hearing is set for next week.

Boyd Householder trained at Agape before opening Circle of Hope in 2006. Legacy Academy Adventures founder Brent Jackson worked at Agape for 18 years, part of the time as dean of students. And Wings of Faith is considered a sister school to Agape.

Bosley, a church pastor and former corrections officer, also worked for Agape before opening his first Masters Ranch school for boys in 2007. In addition to the three sites he ran in far southern Missouri, Bosley briefly operated a Masters Ranch West boarding school in Prescott, Washington.

That school, which wasnt licensed, was closed in May 2020 as state child welfare workers conducted an investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect. Authorities interviewed 45 to 50 boys and removed eight as part of their investigation. In December of that year, the state obtained an injunction to keep the school closed unless it got licensed. Bosley never reopened it.

As the Washington state investigation was underway, Bosley opened Masters Ranch at Belle Vie back in Missouri.

Bosley, 59, also is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit filed in Washington in February 2021 that accuses two churches where he was the pastor of failing to protect three sisters who say he molested them. The civil suit, filed in the Superior Court of the State of Washington, alleges that the churches knew Bosley was grooming and then sexually abusing the sisters for several years beginning as early as 1996 but did nothing to stop it or protect future victims.

Bosley denied the allegations.

The sisters said it was the opening of Belle Vie that prompted them to file their lawsuit last year. They said they feared that students at the school were at risk of being sexually abused.

2022 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan  Chinas Xi Jinping said on Friday that the world had entered a new period of turbulence and that partners such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central Asian leaders should prevent foreign powers from instigating color revolutions.

Xi, on his first trip outside China since early 2020, told a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the ancient Uzbek Silk Road city of Samarkand that they should support each other to deter foreign meddling.

The world has entered a new period of turbulent change, we must grasp the trend of the times, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and promote the construction of a closer community of destiny with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Xi said.

We should support each others efforts to safeguard security and development interests, prevent external forces from staging color revolutions, and jointly oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries under any pretext.

Xi criticized zero-sum games and bloc politics, a veiled reference to the United States which Beijing has criticized in the past for leaning on allies to counter Chinas spectacular rise to the status of a superpower in waiting.

Putin, Russias paramount leader since 1999, has repeatedly said that the United States is plotting so-called color revolutions similar to those which swept established elites from power in places such as Ukraine.

The United States denies such claims and says they show the paranoid nature of Putins Russia.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraines Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed forces fighting Ukraines armed forces.

Chinas stability-obsessed Communist Party, which is next month likely to give Xi a third leadership term and cement his place as the countrys most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, has in the past warned against so called color revolutions.

Putin and Xi

Xi and Putin last met face-to-face at the opening of the Winter Olympics, when they declared a no limits partnership, backing each other over standoffs on Ukraine and Taiwan with a promise to collaborate more against the West.

At a meeting on Thursday, Putin said he understood that Xi had questions and concerns about the situation in Ukraine but praised Chinas leader for what he said was a balanced position on the conflict.

But there was no sign from Xi that his support for Putin was weakening. Xi did not mention the war in Ukraine.

Xi did stay away from a dinner attended by 11 heads of states in line with his delegations COVID-19 policy, a source in the Uzbek government told Reuters on Friday.

Putin, who has yet to comment in public on a lightning rout of his forces in northeastern Ukraine, said emerging world powers would not accept the Wests attempt to impose its rules on them from outside.

Fundamental transformations have been outlined in world politics and the economy, and they are irreversible, Putin said.

Shanghai sports?

Putin touted the SCO, a security body including Russia, China, India, Pakistan and four former Soviet Central Asian republics, as encompassing half the worlds population and a quarter of global gross domestic product.

For Iran, which is due to be admitted, the SCO is a potential anti-U.S. club: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the body needed to come up with ways to thwart draconian U.S. sanctions.

Leaders spoke on an eclectic mix of topics.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on leaders to address the supply chain crisis while Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke at length about devastating floods and climate change.

As the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan listened to Putin and Xi, a deadly border dispute swiftly escalated towards war before a ceasefire was finally agreed.

Putin even suggested the group should consider staging its own major sporting competition.

His ally Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko suggested dates which would coincide with those of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ryan Woo and Parisa Hafezi.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) say it has shelved its planned strike and will continue its negotiations with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to drive home its demands.

The association's president, Dr Dare Ishaya, gave the assurance on Thursday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

According to Ishaya, the decision was taken on Wednesday during the association's extraordinary National Executive Council's (NEC) meeting.

"When we examined those issues yesterday, we discovered that the 2022 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) had been released and the payment was effected on Tuesday.

"Most of our members have already gotten their alert, the issue of the implementation of the new hazard allowance, we also found out that the Ministry of Finance has approved the release of funds for the payment.

"Having critically examined the situation, the NEC resolved that we should step down the ultimatum that was issued to the government and also reaffirm our commitment to continue to deliver adequate and quality health services to the Nigerian populace."

Ishaya, however, said that the association's NEC would continue the ongoing negotiations with all relevant authorities to ensure that the other unresolved issues were sorted out amicably.

"We do not want to plunge the Nigerian masses into unnecessary hardship because the hardship in the country is already enough for them so we felt that we should not add to the inflictions that the Nigerian masses are passing through.

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"So the resolution of the emergency NEC meeting is that we should suspend our ultimatum and continue negotiations with the Federal Government until the other contentious issues are conclusively resolved."

He added that a communique to that effect would soon be released.

NAN reports that the association had issued several ultimatums to the Federal Government to implement the payment of the new Hazard Allowance and arrears it stipulated as at Dec. 22, 2021.

The said allowance is contained in the circular issued by National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) dated Dec. 22, 2021 with reference number SWC/S/04/S.218/11/406.

Other issues include the payment of the skipping arrears for 2014, 2015 and 2016 to deserving members and consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to members who were deprived since it was implemented.

Also, the immediate review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and other related allowances is in line with the agreed terms from the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

In July 2022 NARD had given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to commence payment of the newly-reviewed Medical Residency Training Fund and hazard allowance, among other demands.

The association threatened an indefinite strike if their demands were not met at the end of the two weeks.

However, the ultimatum was extended by another two weeks on Aug. 21, which elapsed on Sept. 5.

In 2021, they embarked on a strike over the unavailability of medical equipment in public tertiary hospitals and staff welfare for two months, ignoring orders from Industrial Court to call it off.
After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows.

On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words The Storm is Coming. In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trumps final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television.

As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it.

Hes published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didnt know much about QAnon, he couldnt disprove its conspiracy theory.

Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, Is that supposed to be a bad thing?

If I can help save the world from problems, Im willing to do it, Trump said.

Trumps recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a q drop, one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Even when his posts havent referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movements slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios.

Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled WWG1WGA, an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for Where we go one, we go all.

Online, Q adherents basked in Trumps attention.

Yup, haters! wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. Trump re-truthed Q memes. And hell do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!

Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots, a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.

The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group.

These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal, Bloom told the AP on Thursday. Thats why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.

On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has re-truthed them in their bios.

By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that theyve been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnons use of language and symbols.

It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about the storm" as a particularly frightening example.

The storm is coming is shorthand for something really dark that hes not saying out loud, McIntosh said. This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability.

Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense.

Regardless of motive, Bloom said, its a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement.

A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence.

In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election.

Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA.

On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter. A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon.

I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet, she told the newspaper.

The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power.

Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. Thats forced much of the groups activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trumps struggling platform, Truth Social.

Updated at 1:20 p.m.
How many times does Donald Trump have to threaten political violence before his elected Republican supporters finally drum him out of their party? The latest of Trumps many offenses on this front was an interview last week in which he warned that if hes criminally indicted, there will be problems in this country the likes of which perhaps weve never seen before.

When the interviewer, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, suggested that could be taken as an incitement to violence, Trump got coy: Thats not inciting  Im just saying what my opinion is. I dont think the people of this country would stand for it. He added that there would be big problems, big problems.

How subtle.

This is a former president and possible 2024 candidate declaring that hes untouchable by the rule of law, and strongly implying that attempts to hold him accountable would bring a wrath of violence from his supporters. And its not by any stretch the first time he has suggested that violence is an acceptable political tool.

The fact that Trumps latest outrageous comments have gotten relatively little media coverage is an indicator of just how numb the country has become to him saying things that should never come out of a national figures mouth. As bad as it is, in the pantheon of condemnable Trumpisms, its probably not even in the top 10.

The top, of course, was Trumps rhetoric on Jan. 6, 2021, imploring supporters to fight like hell to prevent certification of an election he lost. His supporters soon stormed the Capitol in an effort to do just that.

It was the culmination of a political career that began with nods to violence and has never fully rejected it. In 2015, presidential candidate Trump suggested the way to fight the Islamic State was to target their families  children, in other words. His administration later made good on its vow to crack down on undocumented immigrants by separating families and locking up young children.

After a white-nationalist rally in 2017 killed a young anti-racism protester, Trump drew well-earned criticism for declaring that there were fine people on both sides.

In early 2020, as protests erupted around America over the police killing of George Floyd, Trump tweeted, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. While running for reelection in 2020, Trump declined a chance in the first presidential debate to condemn white-supremacist violence, instead imploring the far-right Proud Boys to stand back and stand by.

The list goes on. These arent aberrations; this is who Trump is. Yet he remains Republicans top pick for the 2024 presidential nomination. Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the states Republican congressional caucus  and the rest of the GOP universe that supposedly reveres law and order  at some point have to draw a line and declare this the outrage that it is.
India elected a new reform-minded government in 2014 that was obsessed with making India less dependent on imported military technology. Increased efforts to develop a domestic weapons development and production capability have failed. In response to this the government made it more difficult to import needed weapons that Indian firms were unable to develop and build. Indian military procurement over the next five years is estimated to be about $130 billion and the government is trying to address the structural problems that have prevented commercial firms from developing military equipment. India is also trying to reduce the power of government weapons development and production operations that have never been able to compete with foreign defense manufacturers.

The major goals of local procurement are to decrease reliance on Russia, which is still the largest supplier of military equipment. At the same time India is the second largest (after Saudi Arabia) importer of weapons in the world and the largest customer for Russian military exports. India has been buying less from Russia since the 1990s. Since the 1960s Russia supplied more and more, often over 80 percent, of Indian weapons imports. In the last decade that has fallen to fifty percent and continues to decline.

The second part of the program to reduce weapons imports is to make it easier for Indian firms to meet the needs of the Indian military. The government issued a list identifying specific weapons and items of military equipment that must be procured locally. Making it mandatory to buy locally has been tried before and led to some spectacular failures, so much so that the government authorized the emergency FTP (Fast Track Procurement) procedures in 2004. With FTP the military could unilaterally buy some items from foreign suppliers. It was assumed that FTP would eliminate the most embarrassing problems with getting the military weapons desperately needed. It was also believed that government efforts to clean up the corruption and other problems with the military procurement process would soon make FTP unnecessary. That has not happened.

FTP is still around to allow the immediate purchase of essential military items without the usual political and procurement delays that can add years, sometimes a decade or more, to obtaining needed items. FTP is still needed because the current confrontation with better equipped Chinese forces on the northern border makes it obvious that all the Chinese weapons and equipment is Chinese-made and clearly more modern. The new Made in India mandates make it more difficult to use FTP. The Indian Air Force believes it will not be able to replace aging jet fighters with local designs in time. The air force will shrink while the politicians come up with more ways to block efforts to fix the problem. This refusal to face reality and actually solve procurement problems is crippling the Indian military.

Meanwhile more Indians ask why China developed a world-class weapons development and production capability in the last few decades while India has not? Mainly its about corruption and decades of India making it difficult for Indians to start and operate profitable firms that could produce consumer goods as well as military equipment. The United States became the largest economy in the world over a century ago by encouraging this entrepreneurship. Many other nations, including those in Europe and East Asia (Japan, South Korea and China) followed that example.

While making it difficult for Indian entrepreneurs, India tried to use government-owned weapons development efforts and defense manufacturers to locally produce weapons. These state-owned organizations were epic failures and continue to develop second-rate weapons or weapons that dont work at all. Recent examples include assault rifles, helicopters and jet fighters. The only successes have been with privately owned firms and that is what the government wants more of. New rules and laws to reduce restrictions on commercial firms are meant to encourage less dependence on imports. As with previous efforts in this area, the goals tend to be more aspirational than actual. Indian government bureaucrats and procurement agencies have become quite effective at protecting their own interests at the expense of commercial firms and the needs of the military. This is a problem in all industrialized nations because that is the nature of government; to use their power to expand. Nations like China and Israel are notably different because China did not begin undergoing the industrial revolution until the 1980s. As usual, that produced spectacular results, which will be eroded over the years as the government expands, often at the expense of successful new firms. That is already happening in China, where the communist government fears the potential political influence of the largest and most successful firms. Israel is a special case because they have been under constant attack by their Moslem neighbors since Israel was founded in 1947. For Israel it has always been a matter of succeeding at developing new weapons or being wiped out.

India is different because it adopted a local form of socialism instead of free-enterprise when modern India was formed in 1948. As a result, India has always had to import most of its weapons. Efforts to change this have failed so far, mainly because of corruption and unwillingness to tolerate competitive and efficient defense industries. That corruption that has been pervasive in India for thousands of years and makes imported weapons from nations willing to pay bribes to Indian government officials more attractive than allowing competitive Indian firms to develop and provide cheaper locally made equipment.

One bit of good news is that this form of corruption has been under heavy attack for more than a decade because of the Internet. Political parties could control mass media and much local news, but not the Internet. Fighting corruption has become enormously popular with voters, who learn that most Western countries supplying weapons to India are often very anti-corruption themselves and much more successful at it. When Russia was supplying over 80 percent of weapons imports, you had a supplier that was a dictatorship and quite comfortable with bribes and payoffs. For more than a decade Russia has been losing sales to Western firms. The culture of corruption still exists in Indian defense procurement, but it is under heavy attack. Even if no bribes were involved when buying foreign weapons, that would not fix the inability to create a competitive Indian weapons industry.

The reason for that has to do with why, for most of the last half century, most Indian weapons came from Russia. There were several reasons for that; politics, price and practicality. The policy was a decision by Indian politicians to be non-aligned during the Cold War. This conflict began just as India became independent from the British Empire. Still resentful towards Britain and the West for two centuries of colonial domination, India officially refused to take sides during the Cold War. Yet its relations with Russia (a communist dictatorship) were much warmer than with the Western democracies. Although India clung to democracy, the educated classes were infatuated with the promise of socialism. For several decades Indians abhorred the Russian form of government (a dictatorship) but admired their socialist approach to running their economy. It wasnt until the 1980s that most Indian politicians admitted that the Russian economic model was all a fraud and not working. For India, this set-in motion the sort of free enterprise policies that China had employed since the 1980s. By then it was too late for India. Decades of attempts to impose government regulation and guidance of the economy had created a huge bureaucracy that could not be easily dismantled because many of these jobs were used by politicians to reward supporters and get reelected.

Then there was the price of Russian weapons. They were cheaper than Western equivalents. This meant more could be spent on bribes and payoffs. Finally, there was practicality. Indias main foes were Pakistan and China. Pakistan had a much smaller population, economy and defense budget than India. Russian weapons were adequate for Pakistan. China was also poorly equipped, until quite recently, and separated from India by the Himalaya Mountains. Under those conditions Russian weapons were just fine for Indian needs.

Since the Cold War ended in 1991 all this has changed. Indian politics has changed and now officially wants to clamp down on the corruption, which everyone admits cripples the economy. Price is still important, but its been noticed that Russian weapons have slipped in quality and effectiveness since the Soviet Union collapsed. Pakistan is even less of a military threat, because Pakistan is even more corrupt and economically crippled than India. China, however, is another matter. China has managed to build a powerful and productive arms industry. All those Russian weapons India has no longer provides any degree of superiority. India needs Western-quality arms to maintain a competitive military for confronting China, but those are more expensive. Its possible to make them in India under license, but the Indian industry has not been able to master high tech sufficiently to make this practical. In short, its no longer practical to tolerate an inefficient domestic defense industry.

Efforts to create domestic defense industries have been crippled by specific portions of the bureaucracy. The worst of these is the DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization). Alas, DRDO became a monumental example of bureaucratic inefficiency, wasting billions of dollars and decades of effort on weapons systems that never quite became operational or when they did, they really weren't. DRDO was created in 1958 to provide government support and guidance for defense related research. But the network of research and manufacturing facilities DRDO established since then were more about patronage and plundering the taxpayers than in actually creating competitive defense industries. Even DRDO efforts to create low-tech weapons (like assault rifles and other infantry equipment) were failures, with sloppiness and inefficiency resulting in very uncompetitive weapons.

Worse, many major DRDO weapons development projects have failed because bad politics ensured that bad ideas kept getting funded, and those efforts rarely produced anything the military found acceptable. For example, the 5.5-ton Dhruv helicopter was in development for two decades before the first one was delivered in 2002. Since then, domestic and foreign users have expressed dissatisfaction. A series of crashes indicated some basic design flaws, which the manufacturer insisted did not exist. Similar situation with locally developed Tejas jet fighter. Indian politicians still cite these two aircraft as examples of successful Indian developed tech. The Indian military has been equally quick to cite these two aircraft as unacceptable and has often succeeded in avoiding accepting more than a token number. Export customers did not exist.

Then there is the effort to develop and build a tank. Many of the problems with the Arjun tank project had to do with nothing more than government ineptitude. The Ministry of Defense was more interested in putting out press releases about how India was becoming self-sufficient in tanks than in attending to the technical details needed to make this happen. The Ministry of Defense crowd has done this sort of thing many times. Moreover, if it isn't incompetence screwing things up, then it's corruption.

Efforts to develop missile systems have also been a long running failure. Work on indigenous missile designs, under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), managed by DRDO has gone on for decades, with no useful weapons to show for it. The most common problems were apparently caused by inept software development. While India has a lot of local talent in this department, creating this kind of specialized military software is very difficult and the best programmers tend to join the growing number of new companies that sell their services or software products to foreigners. Many other Indian engineers and scientists migrate to countries where it is easier to put their skills to good use.

The one exception has been ballistic missiles. Curiously this was seen as a really, really important project and the politicians eventually backed off and let the engineers get on with it. India has world class engineers and scientists, but too many of them have to go overseas to do what they do best because the government does not tolerate being told what works and what doesnt by people who know what they are talking about.

India is determined to develop the capability of designing and building high-tech weapons, something few countries can do. India is following in the footsteps of China and Russia, two nations that still had most of their population living in poverty, while the state concentrated resources to create the technological base needed to build modern weapons. Russia and China have gone farther than India in developing and manufacturing modern weapons. Not as far as Western firms, if only because of the corruption and lawlessness in both those nations. But Russia and China had an advantage of having authoritarian governments. Decisions could get made quickly and decisively. India is a democracy and democracies are messy. Important decisions tend to get kicked down the road rather than taken care of. Chinese leaders openly boast of this as a major reason China has succeeded while India fails.

There have been some new ideas and opportunities. One of the most alluring is the growing number of private firms in India that can handle defense work. Currently non-government Indian firms get about a quarter of the contracts. Foreign defense firms can make deals with these private firms who can then go after Indian defense contracts. But standing in the way are the Indian defense officials. The Indian bureaucrats have a well-deserved reputation of gumming up the works and preventing needful things from getting done. This makes it difficult for private companies, especially when the main customer is the government. Getting rid of DRDO and its 30,000 employees is difficult. Over 20 percent of them are scientists and engineers unable to compete in a free market economy with many of the rest are obstructionist bureaucrats that cripple the efforts of commercial firms competing with DRDO. Eliminating DRDO is extremely unpopular with most politicians. Yet in the last few years senior elected officials have made some decisive moves to end the bureaucratic deadlock. This involved something as simple as ending the ban on former military personnel taking key jobs in the Defense Ministry and shutting down state-owned arms factories with long records of failure.

This situation is tragic and a growing number of Indians realize it. India, a regional superpower and the worlds largest democracy, with a population of over a billion, now finds itself in a very rough neighborhood and military efficiency is becoming a necessity, not just a worthy goal. To deal with that, India has always maintained large armed forces and one of the largest armies (a million troops) on the planet. But keeping these troops equipped, for what is expected of them, has proved to be very difficult. The army keeps falling behind in replacing aging weapons (like artillery) and obtaining new technology (missiles, smart munitions, night vision). Getting the money from the government has been the least of their problems. The biggest hassles are with corruption and failed efforts to develop local weapons production.

The latest government moves to change all that are not revolutionary, but evolutionary. As has long been observed, democracies always do the right thing, but often only after trying everything else. India still has not reached the end of the everything else list.
Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers told investors in a note Friday that semiconductor stocks are "beginning to show signs of bottoming."

While the analyst sees signs that the downside move may be nearing an end, he also stated that the firm is not yet fully confident that there has been a full/appropriate downward reset.

The analyst added that while they have many variables in mind, they think the key high-level areas of focus into the third quarter earnings season will include an increasing propensity for forward backlog compression/cancelations, questions and concerns over the structural sustainability of price increases, consumer weakness, demand drivers, and the resilience of auto/industrial markets.

Meanwhile, Rakers said the firm sees investor sentiment as "increasingly apathetic to whether PCs fall 15-20% y/y at this point (getting closer to the bottom); smartphones weak, but lifting China lock-downs could help create a bottoming into late-2022/1H2023."

"Overall, we continue to believe that the automotive end market within semiconductors can remain stronger-for-longer. During the pandemic, smartphone and PC sales were trending well above the long-term trend line, with the idea that perhaps people were pulling ahead their replacement cadence," wrote Rakers.

"Now, demand is normalizing. However, during the pandemic, and even today, light vehicle production has been anywhere between 15MM (today) to 25MM below the annual trend line (~20-25% below trend line). Unlike the PC and smartphone markets, supply has yet to catch up with demand in automotive," he added.

By Sam Boughedda
Monday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT via Zoom

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The United States District Court for the District of Arizona has confirmed an earlier arbitration judgment of $23 million awarded to AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) against Caremark LLC, a subsidiary of the pharmacy giant CVS, for unfair reimbursement practices.

AHF will host a virtual press conference via Zoom on Monday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT. AHF President Michael Weinstein will deliver remarks on the outcome of the dispute and attorneys representing AHF in Caremark LLC v. AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be on hand to answer questions.

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference.

AHF awarded a $23 million judgment against a CVS subsidiary. WHEN: Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT WHERE: Attend via Zoom: https://ahf-org.zoom.us/j/81109693861 WHO: Michael Weinstein, AHF President

Tom Myers, AHF General Counsel

Andrew Kim, Attorney at Kim Riley Law, representing AHF NEWS DESK NOTE & B-ROLL VISUALS Text of the arbitration decision, Nov. 12, 2021: https://www.aidshealth.org?p=80067

Text of the court ruling confirming the award, Sept. 15, 2022: https://www.aidshealth.org?p=80062

Text of the final judgment in the court case, Sept. 15, 2022: https://www.aidshealth.org?p=80063 MEDIA CONTACTS: Denys Nazarov, Senior Director of Media Relations, AHF (323) 219-1091 | [email protected]



Ged Kenslea, Senior Director of Communications, AHF (323) 791-5526 | [email protected]

Background: In November 2019, AHF filed suit with the American Arbitration Association against Caremark LLC, a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), for breach of agreement and the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The dispute arose from Caremarks unfair practice of charge-backs on prescriptions filled by AHF pharmacies on behalf of insurance prescription plan sponsors such as those covering Medicare Plan D beneficiaries.

As a result of the charge-backs by Caremark, for a number of years AHF was being reimbursed less than what Part D plan sponsors received in prescription reimbursement from public Part D monies. In November 2021, the arbitrator ruled in favor of AHF and ordered Caremark to reimburse AHF nearly $23 million in damages and arbitration expenses. Subsequently, in November 2021 Caremark filed a court motion to vacate or correct the arbitration award, however on Sept. 15, 2022 the United States District Court for the District of Arizona upheld AHFs arbitration award.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 1.6 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005573/en/

Denys Nazarov, Senior Director of Media Relations, AHF

(323) 219-1091 | [email protected]



Ged Kenslea, Senior Director of Communications, AHF

(323) 791-5526 | [email protected]

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of a- (Excellent) of BCBSM, Inc., d/b/a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBSM), and its subsidiary, HMO Minnesota, d/b/a Blue Plus. In addition, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term Issue Credit Rating of bbb+ (Good) of the $250 million 3.79% senior unsecured notes due 2025 issued by BCBSM. Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term ICR of bbb+ (Good) of MII Life Insurance, Incorporated (MII Life). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. All companies are domiciled in Eagan, MN.

The ratings reflect BCBSMs balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

The rating affirmations are based on BCBSMs strong risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Capital and surplus has reported an increasing trend over the past few years as a result of profitable operating and investment performance despite annual dividend payments to the parent holding company. The organization maintains favorable financial flexibility through access to Federal Home Loan Bank advances, bank lines of credit and cash available at the parent company. BCBSMs premium revenue has shown a good growth trend over the past two years and into 2022. The growth is attributed to rate increases and membership growth. Profitability decreased from the prior years results as 2020 operating income was driven largely by the receipt of risk corridor payments owed through the Affordable Care Act for prior years. During the second half of 2021, the company experienced an increase in COVID-19-related health care utilization for testing, treatment and hospitalization costs. BCBSM maintains a strong and leading market position in Minnesota, which has been maintained through brand recognition, strategic relationships with providers and a diversified product portfolio. However, the company operates in a very competitive market and has some geographic limitations to its business as a licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

The ratings of MII Life reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate ERM.

MI Lifes rating affirmations are based on maintenance of an adequate balance sheet strength assessment and strategic importance to BCBSM. In 2021, the company sold its consumer-directed benefits health saving account business. The sale was for all assets, liabilities and units except those related to its voluntary employees beneficiary association (VEBA) business and assets. The company is expected to exit the VEBA business by Dec. 31, 2022, when the remaining agreements end. After which all the remaining business will be medical stop-loss, and run out life insurance and Medicare Part D business. As a result of these transactions, AM Best considers MII Life to have a limited business profile with a concentration in stop-loss insurance as its single line of business.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005371/en/

Jeffrey Lane

Senior Financial Analyst

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5567

[email protected]

Bridget Maehr

Associate Director

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5321

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

[email protected]

Jeff Mango

Managing Director,

Strategy & Communications

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5204

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
DNA Script selected from 250 French companies to receive top award

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DNA Script, a world leader in Enzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS) for DNA on demand, won the Grand Prize Trophy at the 2022 Future Unicorns Awards, whose ceremony took place on September 15, 2022, at the Bourrienne Hotel (Paris). Of the 1400 French companies initially identified for consideration, a jury narrowed them down to 250 that met the criteria, from which DNA Script was selected as the Grand Prize winner.

"DNA Script is honored to receive the Grand Prize Trophy, which recognizes our business and innovation strategy. Biology holds such incredible promise to solve some of mankinds biggest challenges, with applications not just across healthcare but also climate change, food and clean water supply, bio-engineered materials and environmentally friendly chemicals, DNA data storage, and so much more. DNA Scripts mission is to make it easy for researchers to print DNA to accelerate this scientific discovery and the coming bio-revolution, said Xavier Godron, DNA Script co-founder and CTO, in accepting the award on behalf of the company and his co-founders Thomas Ybert, CEO, and Sylvain Gariel, COO. We share this award with the entire DNA Script team, who invest in the company's success daily; with our investors, who have placed their trust in us since the companys inception; and with our customers, who share our vision to accelerate discovery through direct access to in-house DNA printing. We thank the members of the jury as well as their partners Audacia, Caisse d'Epargne, Deloitte, Emlyon Business School, Euronext, Reputation Age and Scope Group for this distinction."

DNA Script won the Biotech and Medtech Future Unicorns Award in 2021, and since then has achieved several milestones. These include completing a $200 million Series C investment round and expanding its global presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan for the sale, distribution and support of its products through distribution agreements. Following the launch of the SYNTAX System, the first commercial product using Enzymatic DNA Synthesis targeted at genomics and molecular biology workflows, in 2021, the company continues to develop their technology and portfolio of products to address DNA supply bottlenecks in life science research, precision therapeutics, biodefense, clinical testing and DNA data storage. The company launched new products earlier this year that enable researchers to develop much more efficiently new diagnostic or research assays, for instance in infectious diseases, personalized oncology fields or spatial biology. Recently the company announced a continued collaboration with the French Defense Innovation Agency, in liaison with the French Armament General Directorate (DGA), to detect and diagnose new pathogens. This collaboration followed a disclosed partnership with Wellcome Leap to accelerate the development of RNA-based products, including messenger RNA vaccines.

The Future Unicorns Trophies aim to identify French companies with strong growth potential that in the next five years can be valued at more than 1 billion. Five sectors are studied, and seven prizes are awarded: BioTech and MedTech, e-Commerce and Advertising, GreenTech and Mobility, Industry 4.0 and SaaS, and AI and Big Data. The selected companies must meet various criteria, including having their headquarters in France, being >5 million since company inception and being an unlisted independent company, among others.

About DNA Script

Founded in 2014, DNA Script is a pioneering life sciences technology company developing a new, faster, more powerful and versatile way to design and manufacture nucleic acids. The company has developed an alternative to traditional DNA synthesis called Enzymatic DNA Synthesis, or EDS, enabling this technology to be accessible to labs with the first benchtop enzymatic synthesis instrument, the SYNTAX System. By putting DNA synthesis back in the lab, DNA Script aims to transform life sciences research through innovative technology that gives researchers unprecedented control and autonomy. www.dnascript.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005403/en/

DNA Script Contact

Joleen Rau

[email protected]

[email protected]

Press Contacts in the US

Seismic

Valerie Enes

415-692-6799

[email protected]

Press Contact in Europe

ALIZE RP

Caroline Carmagnol

06 64 18 99 59

[email protected]

Source: DNA Script
Initial investment in key strategic market enables the Company to provide more comprehensive logistics solutions for customers throughout the Latin American region.

SAO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Emergent Cold Latin America (Emergent Cold LatAm), the fastest-growing refrigerated storage and logistics service provider in Latin America, announced today the acquisition of Bajo Cero Frigorificos, an important cold storage company in Mexico. This acquisition represents Emergent Cold LatAms entry into Mexico, a key market for the Companys regional investment strategy. Fernando Leon Rodriguez, Managing Director of Bajo Cero, will continue to manage the business.

Established in 1999 by J. Fernando Leon Alatorre, Bajo Cero now operates a network of three modern facilities located in the cities of Irapuato, Villagran, and Leon, with a total capacity of more than 37,000 pallet positions, blast freezers, and land for future expansions. These facilities serve an important agricultural area of Mexico, allowing Bajo Cero to consolidate cargo for regional processing plants and packers for important brands in North America and Mexico.

Mexico is the second largest economy and second most populous country in Latin America, with connectivity to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via important port locations. Further, Mexico is an important partner to the United States due to its geographic location, free trade agreements, and central role in the global food trade.

With the addition of Bajo Cero, Emergent LatAm now operates 23 cold storage facilities, with another four facilities under construction, across a total of ten countries.

"We are proud to add Bajo Cero to our regional network, a company known throughout the cold chain market for its excellent customer service, said David Palfenier, President of Emergent Cold LatAm. This transaction is a bold first step for us in this important market.

Mexico is a central part of our Latin America investment strategy due to its size, scale, and attractive export and food consumption trends, said Neal Rider, CEO of Emergent Cold LatAm. We see a unique opportunity to build the most modern and fully integrated refrigerated logistics network third party in Mexico. We are excited to welcome the Bajo Cero team into our growing network, and we look forward to supporting capacity expansion at several warehouses in key locations.

This business combination gives our customers access to a broad network of facilities, as well as new technology, investment capital and cold chain best practices, said Fernando Leon Alatorre, President of Bajo Cero. It is an honor to collaborate with the Emergent Cold LatAm team with the goal of delivering the highest quality service offerings in the marketplace, so many good things to come.

44 Capital Financas Corporativas acted as financial advisor and Creel, Garcia-Cuellar, Aiza y Enriquez acted as legal advisor to Emergent Cold LatAm.

About Emergent Cold LatAm:

Emergent Cold Latin America (www.emergentcoldlatam.com) is building the highest-quality cold chain network to provide end-to-end temperature-controlled logistics solutions to their customers across Latin America. The company was founded to cover the need for modern cold chain solutions in the market and to meet the increasing demand from domestic and global customers. Emergent Cold LatAm currently operates 23 cold storage facilities, more than 500 trucks, and four facilities now under construction to complete a total of 10 countries across Latin America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220914005689/en/

Rafael Rocha - [email protected] - +507 6747-8153

Commercial Vice President

Source: Emergent Cold Latin America
* Says Nigerian youth are world-class innovators

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for robust private sector intervention to drive world-class, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge innovation in the country's higher institutions of learning.

Osinbajo spoke Thursday evening in his keynote remarks at the Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech) N50 billion Endowment Fund Launch in Lagos. He said with the right platforms, young Nigerians would always rise to the stature of national and global challenges, while finding solutions to them through innovation and technology.

The vice president said not only were institutions of higher learning proving ground for best ideas, the birthplaces of innovation, and ground-breaking research, they were also, to all intents and purposes, designed to guide and nurture a society's pathway into the future.

He noted that research and inquiry might lead to revolutionary discovery or lead nowhere.

Osinbajo stated, "How do you fund world-class, relevant, cutting-edge higher education sustainably? The question has even greater resonance in Africa, where public resources are low and the poverty levels put access to quality education beyond the reach of many."

He said Yaba College of Technology was one of the best institutions to use as proof of the concept that could, indeed, develop world-class higher institutions for innovation and research using both private and public-sector finance.

Osinbajo added that the N50 billion ambition of this endowment fund mirrored the vision for the institution and demonstrated its keen awareness of what was truly at stake.

He stated, "We must augment government's finest intentions with our individual and collective desire to see us do better, to see Africa do better; to see our children step into global arenas of enormous and unprecedented opportunities.

"One thing is clear, young Nigerians will always rise to the stature of the challenges the world presents them, and even beyond, if we continue to provide a platform for them to stand on.

"The truth is, we can completely revolutionise our nation's education sector with radical, long-term commitment and investment from the private sector; a win-win situation for all of us eventually. And I trust that this (endowment fund launch) will be a solid start and step in that direction."
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ICR, a leading strategic communications and advisory firm, is pleased to announce that Meaghan Montegari, Managing Director and head of ICR Investor Access, recently appeared on Episode 44 of ICRs Welcome to the Arena podcast.

In this new installment of ICR Industry Reports on the Welcome to the Arena podcast, topics covered include the implementation of MiFID II, the recent shift toward in-house corporate access, and how ICR is using data to power its new investor targeting platform.

ICR and Ms. Montegari recently launched Investor Access to facilitate direct connections between corporate management teams and investors. While many investment banks and broker-dealers have Corporate Access teams that focus on serving the investment community, ICRs Investor Access is solely geared toward the needs of corporate clients. The goal is to facilitate meetings that best suit their long-term goals and objectives.

Welcome to the Arena, hosted by Tom Ryan, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, has featured interviews with CEOs, CFOs, financial analysts, members of the media, investment bankers, private equity executives and others who influence and create value for public and private-equity backed companies. The podcast made its debut in August 2021, airing episodes roughly every two weeks.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

About ICR

Established in 1998, ICR partners with its clients to execute strategic communications and advisory programs that achieve business goals, build awareness and credibility, and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firms highly-differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to approximately 1,000 clients across more than 20 industry groups. ICRs healthcare practice operates under the Westwicke brand (www.westwicke.com). Today, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent communications and advisory firms in North America, maintaining offices in New York, Norwalk, Boston, Baltimore and Beijing. Learn more at www.icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005442/en/

Brian Ruby, ICR, 203-682-8268, [email protected]

Source: ICR
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A group of distinguished Alzheimers disease researchers has affirmed, in a new study published online in the journal Brain, the superiority of the methods that are the basis of C2N Diagnostics new p[hospho]-tau217 ratio test. Currently available as a unique research tool in Alzheimers clinical studies, C2Ns p-tau217 ratio test is nearing completion of development as a clinical lab test that will help healthcare providers better diagnose Alzheimers disease, particularly when combined with amyloid beta (A) measures from C2Ns existing PrecivityAD clinical blood test.

The head-to-head comparison measured the diagnostic performance of 10 different tests that quantify plasma phosphorylated-tau concentrations, including the methods underlying C2Ns p-tau217 ratio blood test, to detect abnormal brain amyloid- status and predict future progression to Alzheimer's dementia. The different tests compared in the round-robin study ranged from using mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to immunoassays to detect one of three phosphorylated tau markers, including p-tau181, p-tau217, and p-tau231.

The article, titled Head-to-head comparison of 10 plasma phospho-tau assays in prodromal Alzheimer's disease, explained that the study involved 135 patients with baseline diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (mean age 72.4 years; 60.7% women) who were followed for an average of 4.9 years. The research team explained that it found that the mass spectrometry-based p-tau217 [from Dr. Bateman at Washington University] exhibited significantly better performance than all other plasma p-tau biomarkers when detecting abnormal A status (AUC = 0.947; pdiff

The C2N p-tau Multi-Analyte Assay (p-tau MAA) blood test, which contains the p-tau217 ratio measurement, is underpinned by the MS assay that Dr. Bateman and his team developed at Washington University. C2N, under a technology transfer agreement with Washington University, optimized those methods and commercialized the p-tau MAA as a Research Use Only tool for use in Alzheimers clinical research. At this years AAIC annual meeting, the company reported its first clinical research experience combining its p-tau217 ratio blood test with its A 42/40 ratio blood test to identify amyloid pathology in individuals with cognitive impairment or dementia. The integration of these two measures into a single score resulted in a test that achieved an AUC performance of 0.96 and accuracy of 90% when compared with quantitative amyloid PET results to identify the presence of brain amyloid plaques.

The researchers from the new round robin study further stated that mass spectrometry-based measures of p-tau217 perform best when identifying mild cognitive impairment patients with abnormal brain A or those who will subsequently progress to Alzheimer's dementia. The results further indicate that the highest performing assays have performance metrics that rival the gold standards of A-PET and CSF. A possible explanation for this may be that MS-based detection methods are highly accurate and potentially more so than immunoassays. Therefore, they could more reliably quantify low abundance proteins like p-tau protein forms and also A in protein-rich matrices such as blood.

Dr. Joel Braunstein, C2N president and CEO, says, This latest research is an important finding that adds to other independent studies that have demonstrated remarkable performance of our proprietary blood testing methods. It is clear from these studies that the specific type of assay used and biomarker measured matters when the goal is to reliably detect brain pathology among individuals experiencing cognitive impairment. This data will enable health care providers to make more informed decisions as they consider which blood-based biomarker tests to incorporate into the memory care of their patients in the future.

About C2N Diagnostics, LLC

C2N Diagnostics is a leader in advanced brain health diagnostics with a vision to bring Clarity Through Innovation. C2N strives to provide exceptional laboratory services and products in the field of brain health. C2Ns biomarker services and products are used for: clinical decision making to improve patient care, including diagnosis and treatment monitoring; maximizing the quality and efficiency of clinical trials that test novel treatments for neurodegeneration; and providing innovative tools to help healthcare researchers better understand novel mechanisms of disease, identify new treatment targets, and conduct important epidemiologic studies to improve global public health. For more information visit www.C2N.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220914005834/en/

MEDIA:

Adam Shapiro

[email protected]

202-427-3603

Source: C2N Diagnostics, LLC
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA releases its solar loan index publication, providing monthly credit trends of securitized residential solar loans.

Click here to view the report.

About KBRA

KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU, and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRAs ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005403/en/

Contacts

Brian Ford, CFA, Managing Director

Structured Finance Research

+1 (646) 731-2329

[email protected]

Brajean Ramos, Senior Analyst

Structured Finance Research

+1 (646) 731-2417

[email protected]

Business Development Contact

Ted Burbage, Managing Director

+1 (646) 731-3325

[email protected]

Source: KBRA
Highlights:

Will design, develop and deploy Advanced Battle Management System Digital Infrastructure

Defines design criteria to lay foundation to enable Air Forces contribution to JADC2

Provides backbone for distributed battle management in multi-domain battlespace

MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The U.S. Department of the Air Forces Rapid Capabilities Office selected L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) as one of five industry partners chartered to design, develop and deploy the digital infrastructure that will enable advanced battle management and command-and-control capabilities for the Air Force and Space Force.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005049/en/

As a member of the Advanced Battle Management Systems Digital Infrastructure Consortium, L3Harris will help define the capabilities and criteria to enable the U.S. Air Forces vision for Joint All-Domain Command and Control. (Graphic: L3Harris)

The newly formed Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Digital Infrastructure Consortium, comprising L3Harris and other competitively selected industry partners, will define requirements and standards to inform the development of the Air Forces ABMS Digital Infrastructure to realize the DoDs Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) vision.

To embolden commanders with information and decision advantage, they need interoperability, which is a priority outcome for the collaborative consortium, said Ross Niebergall, L3Harris Vice President and Chief Technical Officer.

The consortium will address the secure processing, resilient communications, data management and open-architecture design criteria that lays the foundation for enabling the Air Forces Advanced Battle Management System.

Operationalizing the U.S. Air Forces vision for JADC2, ABMS will provide the backbone for distributed battle management in a multi-domain battlespace, bringing advanced capabilities to, and creating a decision advantage over, peer threats for the Air Force and Space Force.

About L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 47,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about radio capabilities and contract and order values are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005049/en/

Jason Simpson

External Communications

[email protected]

603-400-9285

Paul Swiergosz

Corporate Media Relations

[email protected]

321-724-3434

Source: L3Harris Technologies
CHARLESTON, W.Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Starting this fall, students at the University of Charleston, West Virginia (UCWV) will study human anatomy in 3D, with the launch of a dedicated virtual reality (VR) lab, through a partnership with Perspectus, Inc., a Colorado-based virtual and mixed reality technology firm.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915006133/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

We are excited to offer virtual reality technology to enhance student learning, shared University of Charleston President Marty Roth. As soon as we experienced the Perspectus demo, we knew this would be a gamechanger for core courses like Anatomy and Physiology, and in specialized healthcare programs like Nursing, Radiology, and Physician Assistant. The three-dimensional, highly customizable imaging dramatically enhances students depth of understanding. And we can work with our hospital and other healthcare partner organizations to integrate content students will see in their clinical rotations, externships, and other applied learning settings, thereby providing better career preparation.

Completed in August 2022, the UCWV lab is one of the most advanced VR Education Labs in the country, featuring 30 high-powered computers with high resolution headsets to access the Perspectus VR technology. The lab will have a soft launch this fall and eventually be used in multiple programs by Spring 2023, including Biology, Radiologic Science, Nursing and Physician Assistant programs.

Perspectus VR allows users to enter a virtual world where they can manipulate anatomical structures and view them from every angle and enlarged to any size. Layers of muscle, blood vessels, and bones can be added, removed, marked on, or shaded in different colors to show their interrelated parts. Users can also render patient radiology images, such as an MRI or CT scans, to view them in true 3D.

No matter how accurate a textbook or digital image is, there will always be a breakdown in communication and understanding when students are shown two-dimensional versions of three-dimensional structures. Perspectus VR solves this problem by showing images as they appear in nature - eliminating the need to translate the data, says Erick Miranda, Chief Operating Officer of Perspectus. During early testing at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Perspectus VR increased understanding of spatial relationships and anatomical systems for 87% of students.

We are continually exploring the latest technological innovations that can enhance student learning and move our students to the forefront of their area of study, added University of Charleston CIO Scott Terry. With this new VR lab, were not only helping our students build the critical reasoning necessary to provide quality care, were preparing them for a future where technology will improve the access to and quality of healthcare and medicine.

University of Charleston is the largest & fastest-growing private, non-profit institution of higher education in the state of West Virginia. Based in Denver, Colorado, Perspectus, Inc. is the industry leader in VR, using its patented software platform to provide VR solutions to higher education, healthcare and commercial users.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915006133/en/

Erick Miranda- [email protected]

Source: Perspectus, Inc.
A prespecified interim analysis of the ALPHA Phase III trial evaluating danicopan (ALXN2040), an investigational, oral factor D inhibitor, as an add-on to C5 inhibitor therapy ULTOMIRIS (ravulizumab-cwvz) or SOLIRIS (eculizumab) showed positive high-level results in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who experience clinically significant extravascular hemolysis (EVH).

The trial met its primary endpoint of change in hemoglobin from baseline at 12 weeks and key secondary endpoints, including transfusion avoidance and change in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) Fatigue score. Danicopan plus ULTOMIRIS or SOLIRIS demonstrated superiority compared to placebo plus ULTOMIRIS or SOLIRIS for this specific patient population, with statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in hemoglobin levels, transfusion avoidance and FACIT Fatigue scores from baseline.

PNH is a rare and severe blood disorder characterized by the destruction of red blood cells, known as intravascular hemolysis (IVH), and white blood cell and platelet activation that can cause thrombosis (blood clots) and result in organ damage and potentially premature death.1-3

Marc Dunoyer, Chief Executive Officer, Alexion, said: Alexion has relentlessly innovated for the PNH community, pioneering with SOLIRIS, the first treatment for PNH, and establishing ULTOMIRIS as a standard of care. We are proud of our continued innovation to advance new ways of targeting the complement cascade to help address the needs of patients living with this debilitating disease. These are the first positive Phase III results for an oral factor D inhibitor and demonstrate the potential for danicopan add-on therapy to improve signs and symptoms and reduce the need for transfusions for the limited proportion of people living with PNH who experience clinically significant EVH.

Professor Jong-Wook Lee, MD, PhD, Department of Hematology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital of The Catholic University of Korea, and investigator in the ALPHA trial, said: C5 inhibitors are a proven treatment option for patients living with PNH, yet a small percentage may continue to experience anemia and burden of transfusion due to clinically significant EVH, however it is not life-threatening. These data show that danicopan has the potential to resolve clinically significant EVH while allowing patients to remain on standard of care treatment with ULTOMIRIS or SOLIRIS.

Danicopan was generally well tolerated and there were no clinically meaningful differences in safety results observed between the danicopan plus C5 inhibitor group and control group.

Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, will present these data at a forthcoming medical meeting and intends to proceed with regulatory submissions in the coming months.

INDICATION(S) & IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for ULTOMIRIS (ravulizumab-cwvz)

What is ULTOMIRIS?

ULTOMIRIS is a prescription medicine used to treat:

adults and children 1 month of age and older with a disease called Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH).

adults and children 1 month of age and older with a disease called atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). ULTOMIRIS is not used in treating people with Shiga toxin E. coli related hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS).

adults with a disease called generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive.

It is not known if ULTOMIRIS is safe and effective in children younger than 1 month of age.
Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved the fixed-dose combination of Opdualag (nivolumab and relatlimab) for the first-line treatment of advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma in adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older with tumor cell PD-L1 expression < 1%.

The ECs decision is based upon an exploratory analysis of results from the Phase 2/3 RELATIVITY-047 trial in patients with tumor cell expression < 1%, which demonstrated that treatment with the fixed-dose combination of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab and novel LAG-3-blocking antibody relatlimab more than doubled the median progression-free survival (PFS) compared to nivolumab monotherapy  an established standard of care. No new safety events were identified with the combination when compared to nivolumab monotherapy.

Opdualag is now the first approved LAG-3-blocking antibody combination for advanced melanoma in the European Union. The RELATIVITY-047 study demonstrated the important benefit of inhibiting both LAG-3 and PD-L1 with our novel immunotherapy combination, said Samit Hirawat, M.D., executive vice president, chief medical officer, Global Drug Development, Bristol Myers Squibb. This is a continuation of our work in bringing innovative medicines to adults and adolescents living with melanoma. Thank you to all of the patients, researchers and physicians who contributed to these advancements and made todays approval possible.

The EC decision allows for the use of Opdualag for the first-line treatment of adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older with advanced melanoma and tumor cell PD-L1 expression < 1% in all European Union member states*, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

RELATIVITY -047 Efficacy and Safety Results

The indication in the European Union is based upon an exploratory analysis of the RELATIVITY-047 data in patients with tumor cell PD-L1 expression < 1%:

Efficacy: Median PFS was 6.7 months in patients receiving Opdualag (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 4.7 to 12.0); (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.68 (0.53, 0.86)) compared to 3.0 months in patients receiving nivolumab monotherapy (95% CI: 2.8 to 4.5). Median overall survival in the Opdualag arm of the trial has not yet been reached (HR 0.78 (0.59, 1.04)).

(95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 4.7 to 12.0); (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.68 (0.53, 0.86)) compared to 3.0 months in patients receiving nivolumab monotherapy (95% CI: 2.8 to 4.5). Median overall survival in the arm of the trial has not yet been reached (HR 0.78 (0.59, 1.04)). Safety: The most common adverse reactions were fatigue (41%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), rash (29%), arthralgia (26%), diarrhea (26%), pruritus (26%), headache (20%), nausea (19%), cough (16%), decreased appetite (16%), hypothyroidism (16%), abdominal pain (14%), vitiligo (13%), pyrexia (12%), constipation (11%), urinary tract infection (11%), dyspnea (10%), and vomiting (10%). The most common serious adverse reactions were adrenal insufficiency (1.4%), anemia (1.4%), back pain (1.1%), colitis (1.1%), diarrhea (1.1%), myocarditis (1.1%), pneumonia (1.1%), and urinary tract infection (1.1%). The incidence of Grade 3-5 adverse reactions was 43% among patients treated with Opdualag compared to 35% among patients receiving nivolumab monotherapy.

The RELATIVITY-047 trial also met its primary endpoint of PFS in the all-comer population.

*Centralized Marketing Authorization does not include approval in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales).

About RELATIVITY-047

RELATIVITY-047 is a global, randomized, double-blind Phase 2/3 study evaluating the fixed-dose combination of nivolumab and relatlimab versus nivolumab alone in patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Patients were enrolled regardless of tumor cell PD-L1 expression. The trial excluded patients with active autoimmune disease, medical conditions requiring systemic treatment with moderate or high dose corticosteroids or immunosuppressive medications, uveal melanoma, and active or untreated brain or leptomeningeal metastases. The primary endpoint of the trial is progression-free survival (PFS) determined by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST v1.1) in the all-comer population. The secondary endpoints are overall survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR) in the all-comer population. A total of 714 patients were randomized 1:1 to receive a fixed-dose combination of nivolumab (480 mg) and relatlimab (160 mg) or nivolumab (480 mg) by intravenous infusion every four weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent.

About LAG-3

Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is a cell-surface molecule expressed on effector T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) and functions to control T-cell response, activation and growth. Preclinical studies indicate that inhibition of LAG-3 may restore effector function of exhausted T cells and potentially promote an anti-tumor response. Early research demonstrates that targeting LAG-3 in combination with other potentially complementary immune checkpoints may be a key strategy to more effectively potentiate anti-tumor immune activity.

Bristol Myers Squibb is evaluating relatlimab, its LAG-3-blocking antibody, in clinical trials in combination with other agents in a variety of tumor types.

About Melanoma

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) located in the skin. Metastatic melanoma is the deadliest form of the disease and occurs when cancer spreads beyond the surface of the skin to other organs. The incidence of melanoma has been increasing steadily for the last 30 years. In the United States, 106,110 new diagnoses of melanoma and about 7,180 related deaths are estimated for 2021. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2035, melanoma incidence will reach 424,102, with 94,308 related deaths. Melanoma can be mostly treatable when caught in its very early stages; however, survival rates can decrease as the disease progresses.

Bristol Myers Squibb: Creating a Better Future for People with Cancer

Bristol Myers Squibb is inspired by a single vision  transforming patients lives through science. The goal of the companys cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and to make cure a possibility. Building on a legacy across a broad range of cancers that have changed survival expectations for many, Bristol Myers Squibb researchers are exploring new frontiers in personalized medicine, and through innovative digital platforms, are turning data into insights that sharpen their focus. Deep scientific expertise, cutting-edge capabilities and discovery platforms enable the company to look at cancer from every angle. Cancer can have a relentless grasp on many parts of a patients life, and Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to taking actions to address all aspects of care, from diagnosis to survivorship. Because as a leader in cancer care, Bristol Myers Squibb is working to empower all people with cancer to have a better future.

OPDUALAG U.S. INDICATION

Opdualag (nivolumab and relatlimab-rmbw) is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age or older with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDUALAG IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Severe and Fatal Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

Immune-mediated adverse reactions (IMARs) listed herein may not include all possible severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions.

IMARs which may be severe or fatal, can occur in any organ system or tissue. IMARs can occur at any time after starting treatment with a LAG-3 and PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. While IMARs usually manifest during treatment, they can also occur after discontinuation of Opdualag. Early identification and management of IMARs are essential to ensure safe use. Monitor patients closely for symptoms and signs that may be clinical manifestations of underlying IMARs. Evaluate clinical chemistries including liver enzymes, creatinine, and thyroid function at baseline and periodically during treatment. In cases of suspected IMARs, initiate appropriate workup to exclude alternative etiologies, including infection. Institute medical management promptly, including specialty consultation as appropriate.

Withhold or permanently discontinue Opdualag depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In general, if Opdualag requires interruption or discontinuation, administer systemic corticosteroid therapy (1 to 2 mg/kg/day prednisone or equivalent) until improvement to Grade 1 or less. Upon improvement to Grade 1 or less, initiate corticosteroid taper and continue to taper over at least 1 month. Consider administration of other systemic immunosuppressants in patients whose IMARs are not controlled with corticosteroid therapy. Toxicity management guidelines for adverse reactions that do not necessarily require systemic steroids (e.g., endocrinopathies and dermatologic reactions) are discussed below.

Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis, which may be fatal. In patients treated with other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies, the incidence of pneumonitis is higher in patients who have received prior thoracic radiation. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.7% (13/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 3 (0.6%), and Grade 2 (2.3%) adverse reactions. Pneumonitis led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 0.8% and withholding of Opdualag in 1.4% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Colitis

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated colitis, defined as requiring use of corticosteroids and no clear alternate etiology. A common symptom included in the definition of colitis was diarrhea. Cytomegalovirus infection/reactivation has been reported in patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune-mediated colitis. In cases of corticosteroid-refractory colitis, consider repeating infectious workup to exclude alternative etiologies.

Immune-mediated diarrhea or colitis occurred in 7% (24/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (4.5%) adverse reactions. Colitis led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 2% and withholding of Opdualag in 2.8% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Hepatitis

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated hepatitis, defined as requiring the use of corticosteroids and no clear alternate etiology.

Immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 6% (20/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (3.4%), and Grade 2 (1.4%) adverse reactions. Hepatitis led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 1.7% and withholding of Opdualag in 2.3% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies

Opdualag can cause primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency, hypophysitis, thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, which can be present with diabetic ketoacidosis. Withhold or permanently discontinue Opdualag depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

For Grade 2 or higher adrenal insufficiency, initiate symptomatic treatment, including hormone replacement as clinically indicated. In patients receiving Opdualag, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 4.2% (15/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 3 (1.4%) and Grade 2 (2.5%) adverse reactions. Adrenal insufficiency led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 1.1% and withholding of Opdualag in 0.8% of patients.

Hypophysitis can present with acute symptoms associated with mass effect such as headache, photophobia, or visual field defects. Hypophysitis can cause hypopituitarism; initiate hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Hypophysitis occurred in 2.5% (9/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 3 (0.3%) and Grade 2 (1.4%) adverse reactions. Hypophysitis led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 0.3% and withholding of Opdualag in 0.6% of patients.

Thyroiditis can present with or without endocrinopathy. Hypothyroidism can follow hyperthyroidism; initiate hormone replacement or medical management as clinically indicated. Thyroiditis occurred in 2.8% (10/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 2 (1.1%) adverse reactions. Thyroiditis did not lead to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag. Thyroiditis led to withholding of Opdualag in 0.3% of patients. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 6% (22/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 2 (1.4%) adverse reactions. Hyperthyroidism did not lead to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag. Hyperthyroidism led to withholding of Opdualag in 0.3% of patients. Hypothyroidism occurred in 17% (59/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 2 (11%) adverse reactions. Hypothyroidism led to the permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 0.3% and withholding of Opdualag in 2.5% of patients.

Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes; initiate treatment with insulin as clinically indicated. Diabetes occurred in 0.3% (1/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, a Grade 3 (0.3%) adverse reaction, and no cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetes did not lead to the permanent discontinuation or withholding of Opdualag in any patient.

Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated nephritis, which is defined as requiring use of steroids and no clear etiology. In patients receiving Opdualag, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 2% (7/355) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (0.8%) adverse reactions. Immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 0.8% and withholding of Opdualag in 0.6% of patients.

Withhold or permanently discontinue Opdualag depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

Immune-Mediated Dermatologic Adverse Reactions

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis, defined as requiring use of steroids and no clear alternate etiology. Exfoliative dermatitis, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and Drug Rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms has occurred with PD-1/L-1 blocking antibodies. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate non-exfoliative rashes.

Withhold or permanently discontinue Opdualag depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

Immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (33/355) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (3.4%) adverse reactions. Immune-mediated rash did not lead to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag. Immune-mediated rash led to withholding of Opdualag in 1.4% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Myocarditis

Opdualag can cause immune-mediated myocarditis, which is defined as requiring use of steroids and no clear alternate etiology. The diagnosis of immune-mediated myocarditis requires a high index of suspicion. Patients with cardiac or cardio-pulmonary symptoms should be assessed for potential myocarditis. If myocarditis is suspected, withhold dose, promptly initiate high dose steroids (prednisone or methylprednisolone 1 to 2 mg/kg/day) and promptly arrange cardiology consultation with diagnostic workup. If clinically confirmed, permanently discontinue Opdualag for Grade 2-4 myocarditis.

Myocarditis occurred in 1.7% (6/355) of patients receiving Opdualag, including Grade 3 (0.6%), and Grade 2 (1.1%) adverse reactions. Myocarditis led to permanent discontinuation of Opdualag in 1.7% of patients.

Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

The following clinically significant IMARs occurred at an incidence of <1% (unless otherwise noted) in patients who received Opdualag or were reported with the use of other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Severe or fatal cases have been reported for some of these adverse reactions: Cardiac/Vascular: pericarditis, vasculitis; Nervous System: meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and demyelination, myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis (including exacerbation), Guillain-Barre syndrome, nerve paresis, autoimmune neuropathy; Ocular: uveitis, iritis, and other ocular inflammatory toxicities can occur. Some cases can be associated with retinal detachment. Various grades of visual impairment, including blindness, can occur. If uveitis occurs in combination with other IMARs, consider a Vogt-Koyanagi-Haradalike syndrome, as this may require treatment with systemic steroids to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss; Gastrointestinal: pancreatitis including increases in serum amylase and lipase levels, gastritis, duodenitis; Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue: myositis/polymyositis, rhabdomyolysis (and associated sequelae including renal failure), arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica; Endocrine: hypoparathyroidism; Other (Hematologic/Immune): hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), sarcoidosis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, solid organ transplant rejection.

Infusion-Related Reactions

Opdualag can cause severe infusion-related reactions. Discontinue Opdualag in patients with severe or life-threatening infusion-related reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with mild to moderate infusion-related reactions. In patients who received Opdualag as a 60-minute intravenous infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 7% (23/355) of patients.

Complications of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

Fatal and other serious complications can occur in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before or after being treated with a PD-1/PD-L1 receptor blocking antibody. Transplant-related complications include hyperacute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, hepatic veno-occlusive disease after reduced intensity conditioning, and steroid-requiring febrile syndrome (without an identified infectious cause). These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and allogeneic HSCT.

Follow patients closely for evidence of transplant-related complications and intervene promptly. Consider the benefit versus risks of treatment with a PD-1/PD-L1 receptor blocking antibody prior to or after an allogeneic HSCT.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on its mechanism of action and data from animal studies, Opdualag can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Opdualag for at least 5 months after the last dose of Opdualag.

Lactation

There are no data on the presence of Opdualag in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effect on milk production. Because nivolumab and relatlimab may be excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in a breastfed child, advise patients not to breastfeed during treatment with Opdualag and for at least 5 months after the last dose.

Serious Adverse Reactions

In Relativity-047, fatal adverse reaction occurred in 3 (0.8%) patients who were treated with Opdualag; these included hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, acute edema of the lung, and pneumonitis. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients treated with Opdualag. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 1% of patients treated with Opdualag were adrenal insufficiency (1.4%), anemia (1.4%), colitis (1.4%), pneumonia (1.4%), acute myocardial infarction (1.1%), back pain (1.1%), diarrhea (1.1%), myocarditis (1.1%), and pneumonitis (1.1%).

Common Adverse Reactions and Laboratory Abnormalities

The most common adverse reactions reported in 20% of the patients treated with Opdualag were musculoskeletal pain (45%), fatigue (39%), rash (28%), pruritus (25%), and diarrhea (24%).

The most common laboratory abnormalities that occurred in 20% of patients treated with Opdualag were decreased hemoglobin (37%), decreased lymphocytes (32%), increased AST (30%), increased ALT (26%), and decreased sodium (24%).

Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information for OPDUALAG.

OPDIVO U.S. INDICATIONS

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated as neoadjuvant treatment of adult patients with resectable (tumors 4 cm or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (1%) as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab) and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with intermediate or poor risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with cabozantinib, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and brentuximab vedotin or after 3 or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection of UC.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer with residual pathologic disease in adult patients who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum- containing chemotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Severe and Fatal Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

Immune-mediated adverse reactions listed herein may not include all possible severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions.

Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur in any organ system or tissue. While immune-mediated adverse reactions usually manifest during treatment, they can also occur after discontinuation of OPDIVO or YERVOY. Early identification and management are essential to ensure safe use of OPDIVO and YERVOY. Monitor for signs and symptoms that may be clinical manifestations of underlying immune-mediated adverse reactions. Evaluate clinical chemistries including liver enzymes, creatinine, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function at baseline and periodically during treatment with OPDIVO and before each dose of YERVOY. In cases of suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, initiate appropriate workup to exclude alternative etiologies, including infection. Institute medical management promptly, including specialty consultation as appropriate.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In general, if OPDIVO or YERVOY interruption or discontinuation is required, administer systemic corticosteroid therapy (1 to 2 mg/kg/day prednisone or equivalent) until improvement to Grade 1 or less. Upon improvement to Grade 1 or less, initiate corticosteroid taper and continue to taper over at least 1 month. Consider administration of other systemic immunosuppressants in patients whose immune-mediated adverse reactions are not controlled with corticosteroid therapy. Toxicity management guidelines for adverse reactions that do not necessarily require systemic steroids (e.g., endocrinopathies and dermatologic reactions) are discussed below.

Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. The incidence of pneumonitis is higher in patients who have received prior thoracic radiation. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.9%), and Grade 2 (2.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 7% (31/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.0%), and Grade 2 (4.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.9% (26/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.4%) and Grade 2 (2.6%). In NSCLC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 9% (50/576) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.5%), Grade 3 (3.5%), and Grade 2 (4.0%). Four patients (0.7%) died due to pneumonitis.

In Checkmate 205 and 039, pneumonitis, including interstitial lung disease, occurred in 6.0% (16/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 4.9% (13/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO, including Grade 3 (n=1) and Grade 2 (n=12).

Immune-Mediated Colitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated colitis, which may be fatal. A common symptom included in the definition of colitis was diarrhea. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/reactivation has been reported in patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune-mediated colitis. In cases of corticosteroid-refractory colitis, consider repeating infectious workup to exclude alternative etiologies. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.7%) and Grade 2 (1%). Inpatients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 25% (115/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.4%), Grade 3 (14%) and Grade 2 (8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 9% (60/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.4%) and Grade 2 (3.7%).

Immune-Mediated Hepatitis and Hepatotoxicity

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3(1.3%), and Grade 2 (0.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 15% (70/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (2.4%), Grade 3 (11%), and Grade 2(1.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (1.2%), Grade 3 (4.9%), and Grade 2 (0.4%).

OPDIVO in combination with cabozantinib can cause hepatic toxicity with higher frequencies of Grade 3 and 4ALT and AST elevations compared to OPDIVO alone. Consider more frequent monitoring of liver enzymes as compared to when the drugs are administered as single agents. In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, Grades 3 and 4 increased ALT or AST were seen in 11% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency, immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, which can present with diabetic ketoacidosis. Withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). For Grade 2 or higher adrenal insufficiency, initiate symptomatic treatment, including hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Hypophysitis can present with acute symptoms associated with mass effect such as headache, photophobia, or visual field defects. Hypophysitis can cause hypopituitarism; initiate hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Thyroiditis can present with or without endocrinopathy. Hypothyroidism can follow hyperthyroidism; initiate hormone replacement or medical management as clinically indicated. Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes; initiate treatment with insulin as clinically indicated.

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994), including Grade 3(0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenalin sufficiency occurred in 8% (35/456), including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.5%), and Grade 2 (4.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 4.7% (15/320) of patients, including Grade 3 (2.2%) and Grade 2 (1.9%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (0.3%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (42/456), including Grade 3 (2.4%) and Grade 2 (6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 4.4% (29/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, thyroiditis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 2 (0.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, thyroiditis occurred in 2.7% (22/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.5%) and Grade 2 (2.2%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (<0.1%) and Grade 2 (1.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 9% (42/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.9%) and Grade 2 (4.2%). Inpatients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 12% (80/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (4.5%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism occurred in 8% (163/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (4.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 20% (91/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (11%). Inpatients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 18% (122/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (11%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients, including Grade 3(0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.3%), and 2 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, diabetes occurred in 2.7% (15/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (0.3%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated nephritis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.5%), and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated nephritis with renal dysfunction occurred in 4.1% (27/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (1.1%), and Grade 2 (2.2%).

Immune-Mediated Dermatologic Adverse Reactions

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis. Exfoliative dermatitis, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) has occurred with PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids maybe adequate to treat mild to moderate nonexfoliative rashes.

YERVOY can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis, including bullous and exfoliative dermatitis, SJS, TEN, and DRESS. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate non-bullous/exfoliative rashes.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (2.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 28% (127/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.8%) and Grade 2 (10%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 16% (108/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (3.5%) and Grade 2 (4.2%).

Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred at an incidence of <1% (unless otherwise noted) in patients who received OPDIVO monotherapy or OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY or were reported with the use of other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Severe or fatal cases have been reported for some of these adverse reactions: cardiac/vascular: myocarditis, pericarditis, vasculitis; nervous system: meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and demyelination, myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis (including exacerbation), Guillain-Barre syndrome, nerve paresis, autoimmune neuropathy; ocular: uveitis, iritis, and other ocular inflammatory toxicities can occur; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis to include increases in serum amylase and lipase levels, gastritis, duodenitis; musculoskeletal and connective tissue: myositis/polymyositis, rhabdomyolysis, and associated sequelae including renal failure, arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica; endocrine: hypoparathyroidism; other (hematologic/immune): hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH),systemic inflammatory response syndrome, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis),sarcoidosis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, solid organ transplant rejection.

In addition to the immune-mediated adverse reactions listed above, across clinical trials of YERVOY monotherapy or in combination with OPDIVO, the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions, some with fatal outcome, occurred in <1% of patients unless otherwise specified: nervous system: autoimmune neuropathy(2%), myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis, motor dysfunction; cardiovascular: angiopathy, temporal arteritis; ocular: blepharitis, episcleritis, orbital myositis, scleritis; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis (1.3%); other(hematologic/immune):conjunctivitis, cytopenias (2.5%), eosinophilia (2.1%), erythema multiforme, hypersensitivity vasculitis, neurosensory hypoacusis, psoriasis.

Some ocular IMAR cases can be associated with retinal detachment. Various grades of visual impairment, including blindness, can occur. If uveitis occurs in combination with other immune-mediated adverse reactions, consider a Vogt-Koyanagi-Haradalike syndrome, which has been observed in patients receiving OPDIVO and YERVOY, as this may require treatment with systemic corticosteroids to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.

Infusion-Related Reactions

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause severe infusion-related reactions. Discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY in patients with severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In a separate trial in which patients received OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion or a 30-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.2% (8/368) and 2.7% (10/369) of patients, respectively. Additionally, 0.5% (2/368) and 1.4% (5/369) of patients, respectively, experienced adverse reactions within 48 hours of infusion that led to dose delay, permanent discontinuation or withholding of OPDIVO. In melanoma patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients. In HCC patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 8% (4/49) of patients. In RCC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 5.1% (28/547) of patients. In MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 4.2% (5/119) of patients. In MPM patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 12% (37/300) of patients.

Complications of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Fatal and other serious complications can occur in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before or after being treated with OPDIVO or YERVOY. Transplant-related complications include hyperacute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after reduced intensity conditioning, and steroid-requiring febrile syndrome (without an identified infectious cause). These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between OPDIVO or YERVOY and allogeneic HSCT.

Follow patients closely for evidence of transplant-related complications and intervene promptly. Consider the benefit versus risks of treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY prior to or after an allogeneic HSCT.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on its mechanism of action and findings from animal studies, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. The effects of YERVOY are likely to be greater during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY and for at least 5 months after the last dose.

Increased Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma when OPDIVO is Added to a Thalidomide Analogue and Dexamethasone

In randomized clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma, the addition of OPDIVO to a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone resulted in increased mortality. Treatment of patients with multiple myeloma with a PD-1 or PD-L1 blocking antibody in combination with a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone is not recommended outside of controlled clinical trials.

Lactation

There are no data on the presence of OPDIVO or YERVOY in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment and for 5 months after the last dose.

Serious Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyl transferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (74% and 44%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (47% and 18%) or to dosing delays (58% and 36%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 51%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.2%), colitis (10% and 1.9%), and pyrexia (10% and 1.0%). In Checkmate 238, serious adverse reactions occurred in 18% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=452). Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions occurred in 25% of OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452). The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in 2% of OPDIVO-treated patients were diarrhea and increased lipase and amylase. In Checkmate 816, serious adverse reactions occurred in 30% of patients (n=176) who were treated with OPDIVO in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Serious adverse reactions in >2% included pneumonia and vomiting. No fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. In Checkmate 227, serious adverse reactions occurred in 58% of patients (n=576). The most frequent (2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, hepatitis, pulmonary embolism, adrenal insufficiency, and hypophysitis. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.7% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (4 patients), myocarditis, acute kidney injury, shock, hyperglycemia, multi-system organ failure, and renal failure. In Checkmate 9LA, serious adverse reactions occurred in 57% of patients(n=358). The most frequent (>2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea, febrile neutropenia, anemia, acute kidney injury, musculoskeletal pain, dyspnea, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 7 (2%) patients, and included hepatic toxicity, acute renal failure, sepsis, pneumonitis, diarrhea with hypokalemia, and massive hemoptysis in the setting of thrombocytopenia. In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 057, fatal adverse reactions occurred; these included events of infection (7 patients, including one case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia),pulmonary embolism (4 patients), and limbic encephalitis (1 patient). In Checkmate 743, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were pneumonia, pyrexia, diarrhea, pneumonitis, pleural effusion, dyspnea, acute kidney injury, infusion-related reaction, musculoskeletal pain, and pulmonary embolism. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 4 (1.3%) patients and included pneumonitis, acute heart failure, sepsis, and encephalitis. In Checkmate 214, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY(n=547). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were diarrhea, pyrexia, pneumonia, pneumonitis, hypophysitis, acute kidney injury, dyspnea, adrenal insufficiency, and colitis. In Checkmate 9ER, serious adverse reactions occurred in 48% of patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib(n=320). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were diarrhea, pneumonia, pneumonitis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection, and hyponatremia. Fatal intestinal perforations occurred in 3 (0.9%) patients. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO(n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 205 and 039, adverse reactions leading to discontinuation occurred in 7% and dose delays due to adverse reactions occurred in 34% of patients (n=266). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 26% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 1% of patients were pneumonia, infusion-related reaction, pyrexia, colitis or diarrhea, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and rash. Eleven patients died from causes other than disease progression: 3 from adverse reactions within 30 days of the last OPDIVO dose, 2 from infection 8 to 9 months after completing OPDIVO, and 6 from complications of allogeneic HSCT. In Checkmate 141, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, respiratory failure, respiratory tract infection, and sepsis. In Checkmate 275, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were urinary tract infection, sepsis, diarrhea, small intestine obstruction, and general physical health deterioration. In Checkmate 274, serious adverse reactions occurred in 30% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=351). The most frequent serious adverse reaction reported in 2% of patients receiving OPDIVO was urinary tract infection. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (0.6%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients were colitis/diarrhea, hepatic events, abdominal pain, acute kidney injury, pyrexia, and dehydration. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49). Serious adverse reactions reported in 4% of patients were pyrexia, diarrhea, anemia, increased AST, adrenal insufficiency, ascites, esophageal varices hemorrhage, hyponatremia, increased blood bilirubin, and pneumonitis. In Attraction-3, serious adverse reactions occurred in 38% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=209). Serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients who received OPDIVO were pneumonia, esophageal fistula, interstitial lung disease, and pyrexia. The following fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO: interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis (1.4%), pneumonia (1.0%), septic shock (0.5%), esophageal fistula (0.5%), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (0.5%), pulmonary embolism (0.5%), and sudden death (0.5%). In Checkmate 577, serious adverse reactions occurred in 33% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532). A serious adverse reaction reported in 2% of patients who received OPDIVO was pneumonitis. A fatal reaction of myocardial infarction occurred in one patient who received OPDIVO. In Checkmate 648, serious adverse reactions occurred in 62% of patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=310). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients who received OPDIVO with chemotherapy were pneumonia (11%), dysphagia (7%), esophageal stenosis (2.9%), acute kidney injury (2.9%), and pyrexia (2.3%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 5 (1.6%) patients who received OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included pneumonitis, pneumatosis intestinalis, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury. In Checkmate 648, serious adverse reactions occurred in 69% of patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY (n=322). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% who received OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY were pneumonia (10%), pyrexia (4.3%), pneumonitis (4.0%), aspiration pneumonia (3.7%), dysphagia (3.7%), hepatic function abnormal (2.8%), decreased appetite (2.8%), adrenal insufficiency (2.5%), and dehydration (2.5%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 5 (1.6%) patients who received OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY; these included pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In Checkmate 649, serious adverse reactions occurred in 52% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=782). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy were vomiting (3.7%), pneumonia (3.6%), anemia (3.6%), pyrexia (2.8%), diarrhea (2.7%), febrile neutropenia (2.6%), and pneumonitis (2.4%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 16 (2.0%) patients who were treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included pneumonitis (4 patients), febrile neutropenia (2 patients), stroke (2 patients), gastrointestinal toxicity, intestinal mucositis, septic shock, pneumonia, infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, mesenteric vessel thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Common Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine(n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm(n=313) were fatigue (62%), diarrhea (54%), rash (53%), nausea (44%), pyrexia (40%), pruritus (39%),Musculo skeletal pain (32%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), cough (27%), headache (26%), dyspnea (24%), upper respiratory tract infection (23%), arthralgia (21%), and increased transaminases (25%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (40%), musculoskeletal pain (42%), diarrhea (36%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pruritus (27%), upper respiratory tract infection (22%), decreased appetite (22%), headache (22%), constipation (21%), arthralgia (21%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 238, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452) vs ipilimumab-treated patients (n=453) were fatigue (57% vs 55%), diarrhea (37% vs 55%), rash (35% vs 47%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 27%), pruritus (28% vs 37%), headache (23% vs 31%), nausea (23% vs 28%), upper respiratory infection (22% vs 15%), and abdominal pain (21% vs 23%). The most common immune-mediated adverse reactions were rash (16%), diarrhea/colitis (6%), and hepatitis (3%). In Checkmate 816, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus chemotherapy arm (n=176) were nausea (38%), constipation (34%), fatigue (26%), decreased appetite (20%), and rash (20%). In Checkmate 227, the most common (20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (44%), rash (34%), decreased appetite (31%), musculoskeletal pain (27%), diarrhea/colitis (26%), dyspnea (26%), cough (23%), hepatitis (21%), nausea (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 9LA, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (49%), musculoskeletal pain (39%), nausea (32%), diarrhea (31%), rash (30%), decreased appetite (28%), constipation (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 743, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY were fatigue (43%), musculoskeletal pain (38%), rash (34%), diarrhea (32%), dyspnea (27%), nausea (24%),decreased appetite (24%), cough (23%), and pruritus (21%).In Checkmate 214, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients treated with OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547) were fatigue (58%), rash(39%), diarrhea (38%), musculoskeletal pain (37%), pruritus (33%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pyrexia (25%),arthralgia (23%), decreased appetite (21%), dyspnea (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 9ER, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib (n=320) were diarrhea (64%),fatigue (51%), hepatotoxicity (44%), palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (40%), stomatitis (37%), rash (36%), hypertension (36%), hypothyroidism (34%), musculoskeletal pain (33%), decreased appetite (28%),nausea (27%), dysgeusia (24%), abdominal pain (22%), cough (20%) and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were fatigue (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=266) were upper respiratory tract infection (44%), fatigue (39%), cough (36%), diarrhea (33%), pyrexia (29%), musculoskeletal pain (26%), rash (24%), nausea (20%) and pruritus (20%). In Checkmate 141, the most common adverse reactions (10%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236) were cough (14%) and dyspnea (14%) at a higher incidence than investigators choice. In Checkmate 275, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270) were fatigue (46%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), nausea (22%), and decreased appetite (22%). In Checkmate 274, the most common adverse reactions (20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=351) were rash (36%), fatigue (36%), diarrhea (30%), pruritus (30%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), and urinary tract infection (22%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO as a single agent (n=74), the most common adverse reactions (20%) were fatigue (54%), diarrhea (43%), abdominal pain (34%), nausea (34%),vomiting (28%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), cough (26%), pyrexia (24%), rash (23%), constipation (20%), and upper respiratory tract infection (20%).In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), the most common adverse reactions (20%) were fatigue (49%), diarrhea (45%), pyrexia (36%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (30%), pruritus (28%), nausea (26%), rash (25%), decreased appetite (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49), were rash (53%), pruritus (53%), musculoskeletal pain (41%), diarrhea (39%), cough (37%), decreased appetite (35%), fatigue (27%), pyrexia (27%), abdominal pain (22%), headache (22%), nausea (20%), dizziness (20%), hypothyroidism (20%), and weight decreased (20%). In Attraction-3, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=209) were rash (22%) and decreased appetite (21%). In Checkmate 577, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532) were fatigue (34%), diarrhea (29%), nausea (23%), rash (21%), musculoskeletal pain (21%), and cough (20%). In Checkmate 648, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=310) were nausea (65%), decreased appetite (51%), fatigue (47%), constipation (44%), stomatitis (44%), diarrhea (29%), and vomiting (23%). In Checkmate 648, the most common adverse reactions reported in 20% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY were rash (31%), fatigue (28%), pyrexia (23%), nausea (22%), diarrhea (22%), and constipation (20%). In Checkmate 649, the most common adverse reactions (20%) in patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy(n=782) were peripheral neuropathy (53%), nausea (48%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), abdominal pain (27%), constipation (25%), and musculoskeletal pain (20%).

Please see US Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO and YERVOY.

About the Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Collaboration

In 2011, through a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol Myers Squibb expanded its territorial rights to develop and commercialize Opdivo globally, except in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where Ono had retained all rights to the compound at the time. On July 23, 2014, Ono and Bristol Myers Squibb further expanded the companies strategic collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize multiple immunotherapies  as single agents and combination regimens  for patients with cancer in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, that the outcome of pricing and reimbursement negotiations in individual countries in Europe may delay or limit the commercial potential of Opdualag (nivolumab and relatlimab) for the indication described in this release, that any marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use, that continued approval of such combination treatment for such indication described in this release may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials, and whether such combination treatment for such indication described in this release will be commercially successful. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibbs business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibbs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

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Core & Main, Inc. (NYSE: CNM), a leading specialized distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, and related services, announced the upsize and pricing of the previously announced underwritten secondary public offering by certain selling stockholders. The size of the offering increased from the previously announced 10,000,000 shares to an aggregate of 11,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $23.75 per share. The selling stockholders have granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,650,000 shares of Core & Mains Class A common stock. Core & Main is not offering any shares of Class A common stock in the offering and will not receive any proceeds from the offering. The offering is expected to close on September 19, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as the sole underwriter for the offering.

The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and related prospectus. Copies may be obtained from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, telephone: 1-866-471-2526, facsimile: 212-902-9316, or by emailing [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Core & Main

Based in St. Louis, Core & Main is a leading specialized distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, and related services, to municipalities, private water companies and professional contractors across municipal, non-residential and residential end markets nationwide. With approximately 300 locations, the company provides its customers local expertise backed by a national supply chain. Core & Mains 4,100 associates are committed to helping their communities thrive with safe and sustainable infrastructure.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including with respect to the proposed offering. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of Core & Main, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the registration statement for the offering and the preliminary prospectus included therein, as filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.

Core & Main undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915006164/en/

Investor Relations:



Robyn Bradbury, 314-995-9116



[email protected]

Source: Core & Main, Inc.
American electric car maker, Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR) is set to enter the India market after setting up headquarters in Hyderbad. The company is looking to get its first models, the Ocean, and the PEAR into the country soon. The office in Hyderabad will work with the companys facilities in California, USA.

Henrik Fisker, Chairman and CEO, Fisker Inc. said about the announcement, Our expansion into India represents both a strategic market opportunity and a significant boost to our global engineering capabilities. We have already started local hiring in India and expect our new team in Hyderabad to be fully operational and engaged on multiple product programs within weeks. Our talent pool in India will help us pave the way for the launch of Fisker Ocean and Fisker PEAR in India.

Production of the Fisker Ocean is set to begin on November 17, 2022, at the companys facility in Magna Steyr, Graz, Austria. The electric vehicle is available in three options: the Sport, Ultra, and Extreme. Fisker says that deliveries of the PEAR will commence in the primary markets in 2024.

Shares of FSR are up 4% in mid-day trading on Friday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
FILE PHOTO: The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

By Saeed Azhar and Pete Schroeder

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Citigroup has submitted a comprehensive multiyear plan to the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency outlining steps to fix weaknesses in its risk management and internal controls, two sources familiar with matter said.

The plan, which was given to regulators this week, aims to address a 2020 directive from the Fed demanding that the bank correct several "longstanding deficiencies" in its internal controls. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) imposed a $400 million fine on Citi in 2020, citing similar concerns.

The document lays out a multiyear roadmap to rectify problems by the end of 2027 or early 2028, the sources told Reuters. The program includes more detailed steps that the bank will take in the year ahead as it prioritizes fixing its highest risk areas, one of the people said.

The plan outlines how Citi aims to improve its risk infrastructure, data quality and internal governance, the two sources said. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Citigroup was due to submit the plan on Thursday. Reuters is reporting on its submission, expected length and other details that have not previously been revealed.

About 30,000 people, or 13% of the bank's 231,000 employees, are working on the improvements, one of the people said. It has also sought help from outside consultants, the people said.

Citi hopes to make substantial progress to fix its compliance weaknesses faster than is outlined in the plan, potentially allowing it to get out of the penalty box more quickly, the people said.

The Fed declined to comment. The OCC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Citigroup said it has invested significant time and resources into its transformation efforts over the last two years, laying the groundwork for faster and better execution, according to a spokesperson.

"We have taken decisive actions to simplify our firm and we will continue to act with urgency to modernize the bank for the digital age and strengthen our risk and control environment," the company said in a statement. "We are completely committed to the sustainability of this effort and to executing at the level expected of us.

The 2020 Fed consent order does not specifically bar the bank from doing any particular businesses, but the OCC requires the bank to seek its permission before making significant new acquisitions.

The OCC also has authority to implement additional business restrictions or require changes in senior management and the bank's board if the bank not make timely, sufficient progress in complying with the order.

Regulators are expected to provide feedback on the plan over the next few weeks and determine whether the bank needs to make changes.

Gaps in Citigroup's internal controls were highlighted by a botched transfer of nearly $900 million to lenders of struggling cosmetics firm Revlon two years ago. In May, an erroneous trade by Citigroup caused a so-called flash crash in European stocks, Reuters reported exclusively at the time.

TOP PRIORITY

Jane Fraser, Citigroup's chief executive officer, has made it her top priority to fix the regulatory problems. Fraser, the first woman to run a major Wall Street bank, inherited a litany of long-standing problems when she took over from Michael Corbat, who ran the company from 2012 to early 2021.

She has already announced plans to exit Russia in a bid to pare down risky assets and cull consumer businesses in 13 other countries to focus on multinational companies and wealthy clients.

The bank has been beefing up its teams in risk and compliance, hiring rival bankers and former auditors to address the long-standing concern that the banks risk infrastructure lags bigger rivals such as JPMorgan & Chase, which is seen as a market leader, one of the people said.

Citigroup promoted Tom Anderson to become its new chief compliance officer earlier this year after he joined from JPMorgan in 2021.

Citigroup is also ramping up spending on technology that it can use to evaluate its risks and prevent future mistakes, the company said earlier this year.

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar in New York and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Jonathan Oatis)
Luanda  Angolan president of the Republic Joao Lourenco has announced his commitment to address the nation's issues in his second five-year term, which begins Thursday (15), with inclusive governance.

Speaking for the first time as President-elect on Thursday, he promised to work on the stability and consolidation of the Democratic and Rule of Law.

"I will be the President of all Angolans", said Joao Lourenco in his address to some 15,000 people, who joined the heads of State and Government, having reiterated his personal commitment to improving the living conditions and well-being of Angolans. .

In this political cycle, legitimised at the polls, the president said he will continue to be guided by the Constitution and the Laws will be the criterion for decision-making, for the defence and protection of minorities.

The inauguration ceremony of the head of the MPLA list, the winning party in the August 24 general elections, was chaired by the presiding judge of the Constitutional Court, Laurinda Cardoso.

The MPLA and its candidate for President of the Republic, Joao Lourenco, won Angola's fifth elections, after those held in 1992, 2008, 2012 and 2017, with 51.17 percent of the valid votes, electing 124 deputies to the National Assembly.
TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Select Opportunities Income Fund (the Fund) (TSX: BSO.UN) announces a distribution of C$0.15 per unit for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The distribution will be paid on or before October 17, 2022 to holders of record on September 30, 2022.



Eligible holders of the Units (Unitholders) may participate in the Funds Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP), where they may elect to automatically reinvest their dividends in additional Units. Details of the DRIP are available on the Funds website at https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/. Unitholders who wish to participate in the DRIP should contact their investment advisor for further information and to enroll.

Brookfield Public Securities Group LLC (PSG) is registered as an investment fund manager in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and as portfolio manager in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. PSG is an SEC-registered investment adviser and represents the Public Securities platform of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., providing global listed real assets strategies including real estate equities, infrastructure equities, multi-strategy real asset solutions and real asset debt. With over US$25 billion of assets under management as of July 31, 2022, PSG manages separate accounts, registered funds and opportunistic strategies for institutional and individual clients, including financial institutions, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth investors. PSG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately US$750 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2022. For more information, go to https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.

The Fund uses its website as a channel of distribution of company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Fund is routinely posted on and accessible at https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.

For more information, please visit https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/ or contact:

Investor Relations

Tel: (855) 777-8001

Email: [email protected]
SPRUCE GROVE, Alberta, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The innocent lives lost as a result of impaired driving will be honoured this Saturday as their families and friends gather with MADD Canada and special guests for a ceremony of remembrance at the Alberta Memorial Monument for Victims of Impaired Driving.

The Alberta Memorial Monument gives victims families and friends a special place to remember and pay tribute to their loved ones. The striking granite structure, located on the grounds of the Parkland RCMP Detachment in Spruce Grove, is etched with the names of 61 people who died as a result of someones choice to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs, including seven new names added this year.

The Monument was first unveiled in 2021, and was made possible through a partnership with the City of Spruce Grove and the Town of Stony Plain. Media are invited to attend the ceremony of hope and remembrance:

Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022 Time: 1 p.m. Location: Parkland RCMP Headquarters, 91 Campsite Road, Spruce Grove, Alberta Guest Speakers: Spruce Grove Mayor Jeff Acker Edmonton Police Service Deputy Chief Devin Laforce Calgary Police Service Inspector Curtis Olson MADD Canada Chief Executive Officer Steve Sullivan

At this beautiful site, we honour the memories of the innocent victims of impaired driving, and stand in support of their families and friends, said Gillian Phillips, MADD Canada Victim Services Manager for the Western Region. We also stand here united in our dedication to stop impaired driving and the tragic, senseless deaths and injuries it causes.

MADD Canada currently has provincial monuments to honour victims of impairment-related crashes in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Quebec, with plans underway to unveil an Ontario Monument in 2023.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: Gillian Phillips, MADD Canada Victim Services Manager, 1-866-461-4077 or [email protected] Deb Kelly, MADD Canada Communications Manager, 1-800-665-6233, ext 240 or [email protected]

Source: MADD Canada
TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ford government has released its regulations under the euphemistically titled More Beds, Better Care Act (formerly Bill 7) today. The regulations are the details under the legislation to provide new powers to push elderly patients and people with chronic care needs out of hospitals, overriding their right to consent. The hammer that the government intends to use to coerce patients to leave hospital is a charge of $400 per day, or $2,800 per week. According to the Ministers statement yesterday, hospitals will be required to charge patients waiting not only for long-term care, but also for home and community care, the exorbitant fees. Patients can be sent up to 70 km away from the hospital in southern Ontario. In the North, the limit is 150 km, however, if there are no beds available within 150 km, they will be allowed to move patients further away than that*, according to government documents. Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra expressed total outrage at these plans in a press conference today livestreamed and available here: https://www.facebook.com/ontariohealth/videos/1262453651238649

Key Facts:

The chief function of the new law is to give new powers to: Assess a patient without their consent Share that patients personal information with an array of health provider companies (for and non-profit) without their consent Fill in the applications for the patient without their consent Admit a patient into a long-term care home without their consent, including a long-term care home that is far away, has a bad record for care, is not of the patients choice, does not meet their language needs, etc.

In the documents describing the changes by the government, they have expanded the scope of the new law to also cover patients waiting for home and community care as well as long-term care. They did not shrink it despite widespread public opposition. They expanded it. This may result in patients being pushed out of hospital into retirement homes, home waiting for home care that may not materialize, or other facilities or places.

The government documents also make it clear that in the North the 150 km limit is no really a limit, as if there are not beds available, they can push the patient out to a community further away. Since there are no beds available (there are 38,000 people on the LTC wait list) this will happen.

If a patient refuses, they will be charged $400 per day or $2,800 per week.

Fact checker:

Ontario has the fewest hospital beds left of any province in Canada. The downsizing of Ontarios hospitals is not normal. It is extreme, in fact the most extreme in the country. Now, patients  and specifically the frail elderly and those with chronic care needs  are being treated as though they are taking up resources wrongly. This is ageist and immoral. Those patients have the same human rights as all patients. They are not taking up resources, they need care. They have nowhere appropriate to go, not of their choice, but as a result of policy choices, continued by the Ford government, not to rebuild our public hospital capacity.

Hospitals are not only acute care facilities. They have always provided a range of care including chronic care (complex continuing care), palliative care, rehabilitation beds and more. Those services are of equal importance to acute care and it is not in the public interest to allow them to be cut and routinely discounted.

Ontario has funded its hospitals at the lowest rate in Canada for years in a bid to force downsizing. (Virtually every service cut from public hospitals is privatized.) Here is hospital funding by provinces as a proportion of provincial GDP and per person. The Ford government continued this when it got into office. Nothing has been done to restore hospital capacity to something approaching reason.

There is a staffing crisis, commensurate to the hospital staffing crisis, in long-term care and in home care, where these patients are likely to be forced. Despite repeated demands  with concrete recommendations  to get the Ford government to take real action on the staffing crisis the government has downplayed the situation, refusing to call it a crisis, tried to distract, and ultimately held a lot of PR announcements with very little real action. There are a significant number of actions the government could take to deal with the crisis but it has chosen not to spend the money and is now, instead, violating the rights of mostly elderly patients to deal with the crisis that they still are not addressing.

Not all so-called Alternate Level of Care (ALC) are waiting for long-term care. In fact, the minority of ALC patients are waiting for long-term care. A significant block of ALC patients are waiting for hospital beds  complex continuing care (chronic care), rehab, mental health beds and others. A small number are waiting for home care. (Most patients waiting for home care are discharged home, where that care may or may not ever happen.)

Hospitals also provide long-term care beds and have done so for decades. There are significant numbers of closed hospitals and closed hospital beds all across the province that still exist and could be opened if they were funded and staffed. In fact, last year public hospitals built four fast-track long-term care facilities on hospital land. The choice not to address the problems by expanding services are policy choices -- not necessities -- and they reflect the values and priorities of the government and those who lobbied behind the scenes to create the new law and its regulations. Those values and priorities do not accord with the values and priorities of the majority of Ontarians.

Any claim that cultural needs etc. will be taken into account is nonsense. Generally, cultural homes have longer waits than those that do not offer those services. Patients will be forced into the only available beds, which are the ones that are far away or to which people do not want to go, often for good reason.

The claim that the forced moves are temporary and patients will find their way to a LTC home of their preference is also extremely manipulative. Crisis admissions from hospitals always take precedence. The forced move is very likely the last move of the patients life.

Across Canada and internationally we have just seen the devastating effects of isolation from families and loved ones for residents in long-term care during the pandemic. Countless elderly residents failed; they lost health status permanently; they suffered enormously from depression, loneliness, desperation and inadequate care, and many died. This is, we fear, the consequence of this policy for the hundreds, and ultimately thousands of elderly people who will be subjected to this abhorrent coercion.

* The specific language used by the government in their Field Guidance to Home and Community Care Support Services Placement Co-ordinators is:

However, if in these regions there is no suitable LTC home in the applicable radius, or if there are extremely limited vacancies in the available homes within the geographic boundary, the next closest home or homes to the patients preferred location(s) can be selected. [I.e. Beyond the 150 km radius.]

For more information: Natalie Mehra, executive director (416) 230-6402.

Source: Ontario Health Coalition
LYNNWOOD, Wash., Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For over 21 years, as the owner of JL Remodeling based in Lynnwood, WA, Jeff Laurence has had multiple opportunities to contribute his skills to enhance the community he lives in and the world around him. JL Remodeling recently started a non-profit organization, JL Cares. JL Cares allows Jeff and his team to combine their skills with that of their trade partners and others in the community to make a positive impact on people's lives.

JL Remodeling was the primary contractor for the launch of HGTV's Unsellable Houses. "I was blessed and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the success of the first three seasons of Unsellable Houses, working closely with Lyndsay and Leslie over the last four years." He realized that his passion was in helping people, and JL Cares was born.

"I am excited to announce my focus towards the dream of JL Cares, and to devote my time to both JL Remodeling and JL Cares, I have stepped away from being part of the Unsellable Houses Team." - Jeff Laurence, CEO

The mission of both JL Remodeling and JL Cares is to make a positive impact on people's lives. JL Cares is the realization of a dream Jeff has had for over two decades; the merging of skilled labor with serving the community where his remodeling business is located. Jeff and his team invite the community to become part of this amazing journey by visiting the JL Cares website.

Contact Information: Paul Willis Chief Operating Officer [email protected] 425-418-7477

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Image 1: Jeff Laurence Jeff Laurence working on the latest JL Cares project in Everett.

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Attachment

Jeff Laurence Jeff Laurence

Source: JL Remodeling Inc.
HOUSTON, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MRC Global Inc. (NYSE: MRC) will release its third quarter 2022 results on November 8, 2022, after the market closes. In conjunction with the release, the company will host a conference call, which will be webcast, on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Central.

What: MRC Global Third Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call When: Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Central How: Via phone -- Dial 201-689-8261 and ask for the MRC Global call at least 10 minutes prior to the start time, or via webcast -- at http://www.mrcglobal.com

A replay will be available through November 23, 2022, by dialing 201-612-7415 using passcode 13730618#. An archive of the webcast will be available shortly after the call at www.mrcglobal.com for 90 days.

About MRC Global Inc.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, MRC Global (NYSE: MRC) is the leading global distributor of pipe, valves, fittings (PVF) and other infrastructure products and services to diversified end-markets including the gas utilities, downstream, industrial and energy transition, upstream production, and midstream pipeline sectors. With over 100 years of experience, MRC Global has provided customers with innovative supply chain solutions, technical product expertise and a robust digital platform from a worldwide network of 205 locations including valve and engineering centers. The companys unmatched quality assurance program offers over 250,000 SKUs from over 10,000 suppliers, simplifying the supply chain for approximately 10,000 customers. Find out more at www.mrcglobal.com

Contact:

Monica BroughtonInvestor RelationsMRC Global Inc.[email protected]832-308-2847

Source: MRC Global
Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precise Laser Tattoo Removal, an up-and-coming laser tattoo practice in Madison, WI, is hosting its grand opening on Tuesday, September 20th. Precise Laser Tattoo Removal focuses on removing unwanted tattoos and modifying existing tattoos to make room for new art and help people regain confidence in their skin. Precise Laser Tattoo Removal uses the Astanza Trinity laser to deliver safe, fast, and effective treatments and full-spectrum removal results for all skin types.

Precise Laser Tattoo Removal is all about second chances. As beautiful as tattoos are, many dont turn out the way people hope or expect, said Violet Lara, owner. A regretful tattoo can have a huge impact on ones self-esteem, but thanks to laser technology, we can help clients erase their unwanted tattoos for a fresh start or even fade and transform their unwanted ink into something theyll love.

Precise Laser Tattoo Removal uses the Astanza Trinity, a powerful system that combines the power of a Q-switched Nd:YAG and Q-switched ruby laser. Together, these lasers emit three wavelengths for full-spectrum tattoo removal on all multicolored tattoos, including stubborn pigments like bright blues and greens. The Astanza Trinity can safely treat all skin tones, including darker skin types IV through VI.

To celebrate its grand opening, Precise Laser Tattoo Removal is offering 50% off first treatments and 25% off all packages throughout September.

We are super excited for Madison residents to experience the Astanza Trinity at Precise Laser Tattoo Removal, said Seth Fox, Astanza Account Manager. Violet and her team are extremely passionate about changing lives through laser treatment. Not only is the team at Precise extremely welcoming and caring, but theyre also very knowledgeable about the laser process and how to deliver the best results.

About Precise Laser Tattoo Removal

Precise Laser Tattoo Removal is a laser practice that focuses on removing and fading unwanted tattoos. The laser technicians are Certified Laser Specialists (CLS), Laser Safety Officers (LSO), and experts in operating advanced Q-switched technology. They received training from New Look Laser College, the worlds leading tattoo removal training program, and use the industry-leading Astanza Trinity laser to remove all tattoo colors from all skin types.

Precise Laser Tattoo Removal offers free consultations and is located at 5325 Wall Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53718. For more information, call (608) 394-3903, visit http://preciseltr.com/ or follow Precise Laser Tattoo Removal on Instagram and Facebook.

About Astanza Laser

Astanza is the leader in lasers for tattoo removal, hair removal, and additional aesthetic procedures. In addition to delivering cutting-edge medical laser devices such as the Duality, Trinity, MeDioStar, and DermaBlate systems, Astanza offers an unbeatable partnership through The Astanza Experience, which is made of the Business Builder System, 3-Business Day Service Guarantee, and Lifetime Training and Support. Together, these components give Astanza clients a complete range of training, marketing, and business consulting services to achieve success in this growing field. Astanza is an award-winning company that has received several accolades from leading industry organizations, including MyFaceMyBody and Aesthetic Everything. They are also certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked #47 on Fortunes 2022 Best Places to Work in TexasTM and #49 on Fortunes Best Workplaces in Health CareTM.

Astanza Laser is headquartered in Dallas, TX, with customers throughout North America and Europe. For product, investor, or press information, call (800) 364-9010, or visit https://astanzalaser.com/. Connect with Astanza on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Astanza Laser Astanza Laser (800) 364-9010 [email protected]

Source: Astanza Laser
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Search Minerals Inc. (TSXV: SMY | OTCQB: SHCMF) (Search or the Company), is pleased to provide an update on our 2022 exploration programs in Labrador, Canada.

Greg Andrews, President/CEO, comments: We have had a very busy exploration season so far this year. In addition to managing the exploration program, we expanded our exploration team and expanded our facilities and infrastructure in St. Lewis, Labrador. Search renovated its modern office and core shed facilities and built an additional storage shed to manage the increased drill core. We also purchased property in St. Lewis for our 2  six-person trailers which are being utilized for our increased need for local accommodations.

Andrews added; We continue to work toward a feasibility study for the end of 2023, and the Deep Fox drill program should provide a measured resource category as well as expanded indicated and inferred resource for an updated mineral resource calculation expected in 2023.

Deep Fox

The 2022 Deep Fox Exploration Program commenced in early June, following the mobilization of two diamond drilling rigs to St. Lewis, Labrador. The drill program has two main objectives: (i) further define and delineate the Deep Fox mineral resource, to update the mineral resource estimate suitable for a feasibility study, and (ii) collect the necessary geotechnical and hydrogeological data to facilitate an optimized mine planning and design process.

The first month of drilling was helicopter-supported, providing access to areas previously inaccessible due to the steep and rocky nature of the terrain. We have completed the Geotechnical and Hydrogeological drill program which utilized one of the drill rigs. The remainder of the drill program is being completed using the two track-mounted drills. The 2022 Deep Fox program is approximately 60% complete, with a total of 46 drill holes advanced to date. The remainder of the Deep Fox drilling program will focus on ensuring that the area within the currently proposed open pit has been adequately drilled, and that the mineral resource is aligned with the next phase of technical reporting. We are anticipating finishing the drill program by early November.

A summary of the 2 separate drilling initiatives are outlined below:

Mineral Resource Delineation Drilling

46 resource delineation drill holes completed to date (5,229 m);

All resource delineation drill holes have intersected mineralization;

3,437 lithogeochemical samples sent for assay - results pending; and

The drill program is anticipated to be complete by early-November.

Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Drilling

The geotechnical drilling program has been completed;

13 geotechnical drill holes completed (3,362m);

Two Vibrating Wire Piezometers (VWP) have been installed;

Packer tests were conducted in 6 of the geotechnical drill holes;

Samples have been collected for laboratory geophysical testing  results pending;

11 of 13 drill holes intersected mineralization and will contribute to the mineral resource; and

Assay samples have been collected from the mineralized zones.

Fox Meadow

Our exploration team will be carrying out a 200 m channel sampling program designed to extend the mineralized zone to the SE. We will review the possibility of a smaller drill program pending available personnel and funding.

Fox Valley

Exploration efforts in the Fox Valley area have consisted of the building of an access trail to the mineralized area, with the intention of conducting a preliminary assessment of surface mineralization. This trail is complete, exploration in this area will consist of test pitting and channel cutting, and is anticipated to be complete by the end of November.

Red Wine Complex

Our exploration team is planning a two-week helicopter-supported exploration program in the Red Wine area of central Labrador. Exploration will consist of prospecting, mapping, channel cutting, and detailed drone imagery on the Two Tom Lake, Mann #1, Narnia Hill and Merlot prospects. This preliminary program will prepare these REE mineralized zones for a more extensive exploration programs in 2023-2024.

Qualified Person:

Dr. Randy Miller, Ph.D., P.Geo, is the Companys Vice President, Exploration, and is a qualified person (as defined by NI 43-101) and has supervised the preparation of and approved all scientific and technical information herein and has conducted appropriate verification on the underlying data. The Company will endeavor to meet high standards of integrity, transparency, and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological and assay (e.g., REE) data.

About Search Minerals Inc. Led by a proven management team and board of directors, Search is focused on finding and developing Critical Rare Earths Elements (CREE), Zirconium (Zr) and Hafnium (Hf) resources within the emerging Port Hope Simpson  St. Lewis CREE District of South East Labrador. Search controls two deposits (Foxtrot and Deep Fox), two drill ready prospects (Fox Meadow and Silver Fox) and numerous other REE prospects, including Fox Valley, Foxy Lady and Awesome Fox, along a 64 km long belt forming a REE District in Labrador. Search has completed a preliminary economic assessment report for DEEPFOX and FOXTROT. Search is also working on three exploration prospects along the belt which include: FOX MEADOW, SILVER FOX and AWESOME FOX.

Search has continued to optimize our patented Direct Extraction Process technology with the support from the Department of Industry, Energy ad Technology, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and from the Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency. We have completed two pilot plant operations and produced highly purified mixed rare earth carbonate concentrate and mixed REO concentrate for separation and refining. We also recognize the continued support by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for its Junior Exploration Program.

Search Minerals was selected to participate in the Government of Canada Accelerated Growth Service (AGS) initiative, which supports high growth companies. AGS, as a one-stop shop model, provides Search with coordinated access to Government of Canada resources as Search continues to move quickly to production and contribute to the establishment of a stable and secure rare earth element North American and European supply chain.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. "Forward-looking information" in this news release includes information about the Companys exploration plans and the preparation of the PEA and Definitive Feasibility Study, and the timing thereof, and other forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, results of exploration work, the ability to secure any required funding, receipt of all required regulatory approval and the ability to secure the necessary resources to complete the planned exploration work.

The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, and that the Company will receive all required regulatory approvals.

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. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, unless and until required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Greg AndrewsPresident and CEOTel: 604-998-3432E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Search Minerals Inc
TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toubani Resources, Inc. (formerly African Gold Group, Inc.) (TSX-V: TRE, FRA: 3A61) (Toubani Resources or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has lodged a prospectus (Prospectus) with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in relation to its proposed dual listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

A copy of the Prospectus will be available on SEDAR under the Company`s profile. Under the Prospectus, the Company will offer between 27,500,000 and 32,500,000 CHESS Depositary Interests over common shares in the capital of the Company (CDIs) at an issue price of A$0.20 (CAD$0.18 based on the CAD/ASD exchange rate on September 16, 2022) per CDI for gross proceeds between A$5.5 million and A$6.5 million (the Offer). Each CDI will represent a beneficial interest in 1 common share of the Company. The Offer is expected to open on September 19, 2022 with the expected commencement of trading on the ASX to be on or around October 24, 2022.

Leading Australian resource brokers, Canaccord Genuity (Australia) Limited and Foster Stockbroking Pty Ltd (the Managers), have been appointed as Lead Manager and Co-Lead Manager respectively for the ASX listing process. The Managers will receive a capital raising fee of 6% of the total amount raised under the Offer, to be paid in cash upon the issue of CDIs under the Prospectus and will receive between 2,909,883 and 3,034,883 options (the Manager Options) depending on the final size of the Offer. One third of the issued Manager Options will have an exercise price of A$0.20 (CAD$0.18), one third will have an exercise price of A$0.28 (CAD$0.25) and one third will have an exercise price of A$0.30 (CAD$0.27). Each of the Manager Options will have an expiry date of three years from the date of issue.

The net proceeds raised pursuant to the dual listing on the ASX will be used for undertaking systematic exploration activities on the Companys Kobada Project (the "Project"), with the aim of discovering, growing and ultimately developing an economic mineral deposit, and undertaking project development and construction.

The Project is an advanced stage development project located in southern Mali, approximately 126 km south-southwest of the capital city, Bamako, and is situated adjacent to the Niger River and the international border with Guinea. The Kobada Project holds a multi-million-ounce gold Mineral Resource estimate of 1,711 koz @ 0.86 g/t Au (Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource) plus 1,433 koz @ 1.06 g/t Au (Inferred Mineral Resource) and a total Proved and Probable Ore Reserve estimate defined as 45.03 million tonnes of ore at 0.87 g/t Au. The Feasibility Study outlined an average gold production profile of 100,000 oz over the first 10 years (life of mine at 16 years), while delivering strong economics with pre-tax NPV at 5% of US$506 million and an IRR of 45%. Refer to the Prospectus for further details, including the underlying assumptions for the Company's financial forecasts in relation to the Project.1

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 or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

In accordance with section 734(6) of the Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), the Company advises in respect of the offer of CDIs under the Prospectus:

the issuer of the CDIs is Toubani Resources Inc. ARBN 661 082 435;

the Prospectus is available online for Australian residents only at www.toubaniresources.com or by contacting the Company by email at [email protected] ;

; the offer of CDIs will only be made in, or accompanied by, a copy of the Prospectus;

a person should consider the Prospectus in deciding whether to acquire the CDIs;

anyone who wishes to acquire the CDIs will need to complete the application form that will be in, or will accompany, the Prospectus; and

the offer of CDIs under the Prospectus will only be made available to persons receiving the Prospectus in Australia and certain investors in Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Qualified Person

The geological and Mineral Resource information contained in this news release has been verified and approved by Uwe Engelmann, BSc (Zoology & Botany), BSc Hons (Geology), Pri.Sci.Nat. No. 400058/08, MGSSA, a director of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd. Mr. Engelmann is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators.

About Toubani Resources Inc

Toubani Resources is a TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: TRE) listed exploration and development company with a focus on building Africas next mid-tier gold producer. The Company has a highly experienced board and management team with a proven track record in the African mining sector operating mines from development through to production.

Toubani Resources principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali, which is in an advanced stage of development having completed the 2021 definitive feasibility study and is targeting gold production of 100,000 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. For more information regarding Toubani Resources visit our website at www.toubaniresources.com.

For more information:

Danny CallowPresident and Chief Executive Officer +(27) 76 411 3803[email protected]

Daniyal BaizakVice President, Corporate Development +1 (647) 835 9617[email protected]

Cautionary statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the ability of the Company to lodge the Prospectus and complete the Offer, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals for the Offer, the acceptance of the Prospectus by the ASX, the use of the net proceeds received under the Offer, the auger drilling campaign, the expansion of mineral resources and reserves, and drilling and exploration plans of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information 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 statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals from regulatory authorities; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; available infrastructure and supplies; any pandemics and other risks of the mining industry. Although 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. There can be no assurance that such information 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 information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with 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.

1 Technical Report prepared by Senet (Pty) Ltd dated September 29, 2021: NI 43-101 Technical Report  Sulphides Update on Kobada Gold Project in Mali.

Source: Toubani Resources, Inc.
Hillcrest (CSE: HEAT) (OTCQB: HLRTF) (FRA: 7HIA), a clean technology company, addresses the design and mechanical challenges faced by manufacturers in the EV space, which are brought by inverter size and power density. The companys conversion technologies and control systems solutions reduce the size and weight of inverter designs with the potential to disrupt the electrification industry. Enabling switching at higher frequencies with Hillcrests Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) inverter technology can result in a significant increase in power density, partly due to the reduction in the size of capacitors needed and in turn reducing the overall size, weight and cost of an inverter. Hillcrests technology allows for lighter high-efficiency power inverter solutions that reduce overall weight, increase payload, decrease heat production, and boost the vehicles range capability, a recent article reads. Capacitance for a typical EV traction inverter today is between 600 microfarads and 1 millifarad, while the commercial prototype design of the Hillcrest traction inverter contemplates one-fifth to one-tenth of the capacitance Such a significant reduction in capacitor and inverter size and increase in power density, coupled with improved power quality and system reliability, has the potential to disrupt power inverter designs across the automotive space, Hillcrest CTO Ari Berger is quoted as saying.

To view the full article, visit https://ibn.fm/4rMdL

About Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd.

Hillcrest is a clean technology company developing high value, high performance power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected renewable energy systems. From concept to commercialization, Hillcrest is investing in the development of energy solutions that will power a more sustainable and electrified future. Hillcrest is publicly traded on the CSE under the symbol HEAT, on the OTCQB Venture Market as HLRTF and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as 7HIA. For more information, please visit www.HillcrestEnergy.tech.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to HLRTF are available in the companys newsroom at https://ibn.fm/HLRTF

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (FSE: DTC) (OTC Pink: DTCFF) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biotech company actively working on accelerating scientific discoveries and products development against cancer, congratulates the US President Joe Biden for the executive order signed on Monday establishing the Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing initiative to ensure cutting-edge biotechnologies necessary to end cancer as we know it, and other innovations to be developed and manufactured in America.

Sixty years ago, US President John F. Kennedy delivered his Moonshot speech at Rice University, committing to putting a man on the moon and bring him back. This past Monday, US President Biden discussed his vision for another American moonshot: ending cancer as we know it, which includes changing people's lives for the better, improving their health and decreasing the burden of the disease with the aim of cutting cancer-related death by 50% in the next 25 years.

Defence AccumTM is a biotechnology platform that is being extensively developed to enhance and increase the efficacy of any existing drugs against cancer, which is directly in line with the Cancer Moonshot program. The AccumTM technology can be exploited to design a multitude of products including: i) antibody-drug conjugates ("ADCs"), ii) protein/cellular vaccines, and iii) the design of anti-cancer small chemotypes.

The Accum-ADC program

The main clinical focus of ADCs has been in the field of breast cancer. However, the treatment regimen is long (numerous cycles), requires large doses, and the therapeutic response is limited. By re-engineering these ADCs to contain AccumTM moieties, Defence has demonstrated that it is indeed possible to improve the potency of commercially-available ADCs by more than 100 folds. This approach does not only apply to commercially-available ADCs, but Defence is currently working on developing its in-house product using its own proprietary antibody and payloads.

Protein- and cell-based vaccines

In addition to ADCs, Defence applied over the last 2 years, the AccumTM technology in the design of novel vaccines. For instance, the company has shown that it is indeed possible to develop an anti-cervical protein-based vaccine without the use of a mixture of HPV-derived proteins. This vaccine contains one protein (the E7 gene product) and can be used both prophylactically (to protect from cervical cancer) or therapeutically to treat established cervical cancer. Defence has demonstrated pre-clinically that the vaccine synergises with various immune-checkpoint blockers and can lead to a survival rate between 70 and 100%.

Another successful example demonstrating how versatile the AccumTM technology is, consists of using this molecule to develop cellular based vaccines. In fact, the Defence team has engineered a variant of the initial AccumTM molecule, which when admixed to a given antigen, can convert mesenchymal stromal cells into potent antigen presenting cells capable of mounting a powerful anti-cancer response. Pre-clinical results in the context of solid lymphoma should be released shortly. In addition, the vaccine is currently being tested in the context of melanoma as a proof-of-principle for a Phase I trial scheduled in 2023.

The AccuTOXTM program: a new line of anti-cancer therapeutics

Although the goal of using AccumTM is mostly to improve biomolecules accumulation in target cells, this small molecule entity was found to exert anti-cancer effects if delivered alone with being conjugated on other proteins, DNA or RNA molecules. As such, this AccumTM variant known as AccuTOXTM, can induce pre-established lymphoma, melanoma and cervical cancer regression and synergises with immune-checkpoint blockers as well. In addition, the AccuTOXTM was shown to cause DNA damage and trigger immunogenic cell death. As such, an AccuTOXTM-based therapy can not only destroy tumors from the inside, but it can also stimulate an immune response to protect the host from subsequent tumor re-growth.

Accum Drug the UndruggableTM

"Defence Therapeutics is well positioned to prevent cancer and to enhance the efficacy of any drugs against cancer with its versatile technology: a solution looking for a cancer problem. With all the cancer programs in development, Defence is in a strong position to truly make a difference and help to reduce the cancer death rate. We are focussing on prevention and to improving the efficacy of any existing and new treatments against any type of cancers. The AccumTM is truly a plug and play platform technology that can enhance existing cancer treatments," said Sebastien Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics Inc.

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

[email protected]

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/137422
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand on Thursday afternoon.

Xi pointed out that China-Mongolia relations have maintained good momentum of growth, and exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields have achieved good results.

Relations with Mongolia has an important place in China's neighborhood diplomacy, he said, adding that China stands ready to work with the Mongolian side to carry forward traditional friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the spirit of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and take the China-Mongolia comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights.

Xi emphasized that the trend of the world is surging forward, that peace and development are the common aspirations of people of all countries, and that unilateralism, hegemony and the Cold War mentality will eventually be swept away by the trend of history.

China has always been committed to peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and calls for building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

China and Mongolia need to continue to treat each other as friends, support each other and engage in win-win cooperation to set a shining example of relations between neighbors, Xi said.

The two countries, he said, need to strengthen strategic communication and policy coordination, uphold mutual respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect the development paths independently chosen by the two peoples, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, and look after and consolidate the political foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

The Chinese side is ready to work with the Mongolian side to strengthen the exchange of experience on governance, synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the "Prairie Road" initiative, promote the development of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and support Mongolia in achieving better and faster development, he said, adding that China supports Mongolia's "Planting One Billion Trees" plan and is ready to carry out cooperation projects with Mongolia in combating desertification.

Khurelsukh said the traditional friendliness between Mongolia and China is increasingly solidified and that the comprehensive strategic partnership is indeed a fine example for state-to-state relations. Mongolia thanks China for offering COVID-19 assistance, which made important contributions to the health of Mongolian people.

Issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and so on are China's internal affairs, he said, stressing Mongolia staunchly abides by the one-China policy and firmly opposes the interference in China's internal affairs by any country.

Mongolia highly commends China's important contributions to safeguarding world peace and security, and supports the BRI, the GDI and the GSI put forward by China, he said, adding that Mongolia is ready to build stronger synergy between the two countries' development strategies, and enhance bilateral practical cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, railway and environment.

Great achievements have been made in the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and Mongolia is happy for China, he said.

Khurelsukh wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success, and expressed conviction that under the strong leadership of President Xi, China will surely realize the grand goal of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
As Tanzania joins other nations in commemorating World Democracy Day, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has thanked Wananchi for maintaining peace and harmony.

According to a statement released by the State House on Thursday, the Head of State reaffirmed that democracy and human rights are two interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

Additionally, the Head of State said as a way of continuing practicing democracy in the country, the government is working closely with political parties by listening to their demands and solving raised issues.

"Political parties have been demanding to be allowed to continue carrying out political activities, especially holding political rallies with their party members... the task force formed to coordinate stakeholders' views on multi-party democracy has continued to emphasize on allowing political gatherings but it has showed uncertainty on laws and regulations governing the matter," the President stated

However, President Samia advised citizens to wait for views and recommendations of the task force on amendment of law, and regulations and that the statement over the matter will be issued in the near future.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Getchell Gold Corp. (CSE: GTCH) (OTCQB: GGLDF) ("Getchell" or the "Company") announces that the Company has sought and was granted exemptive relief by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") for an amendment to the terms of 1,398,750 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") that were issued pursuant to a non-brokered private placement of units of the Company that closed on September 28, 2020.

The Company proposes to extend the expiry date of the Warrants from September 28, 2022 to September 28, 2023, and amend the exercise price from $0.60 to $0.50. All other terms and conditions of the Warrants remain unchanged. None of these Warrants have been exercised to date. Warrant holders are advised that replacement warrant certificates will not be issued and that the original warrant certificate must be presented to the Company in order to effect the exercise of the Warrants.

None of the warrant holders are related parties to the Company. In accordance with the policies of the CSE, no compensation warrants issued in connection with the prior financing are being extended.

About Getchell Gold Corp.

The Company is a Nevada focused gold and copper exploration company trading on the CSE: GTCH and OTCQB: GGLDF. Getchell Gold is primarily directing its efforts on its most advanced stage asset, Fondaway Canyon, a past gold producer with a significant in-the-ground historic resource estimate. Complementing Getchell's asset portfolio is Dixie Comstock, a past gold producer with a historic resource and two earlier stage exploration projects, Star (Cu-Au-Ag) and Hot Springs Peak (Au). Getchell has the option to acquire 100% of the Fondaway Canyon and Dixie Comstock properties, Churchill County, Nevada.

The Company reiterates that its near-term strategy to advance its assets is not impacted by the COVID-19 Corona virus. The Company continues to monitor the situation and is in compliance with all government guidelines.

For further information please visit the Company's website at www.getchellgold.com or contact the Company at [email protected].

Mr. William Wagener, Chairman & CEO

Getchell Gold Corp.

1-647-249-4798

[email protected]

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the amendment of the Warrants. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of Getchell have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause 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 and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137522
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Hemostemix Inc.(TSXV: HEM) (OTCQB: HMTXF) (FSE: 2VFO) ("Hemostemix" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nadia Giannetti, MD, to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Giannetti received her Medical Degree from McGill University. After training in cardiology at McGill, she went on to pursue a Fellowship in Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at Stanford University in California. She returned to McGill to become an Attending Cardiologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Giannetti, along with her team participates in the care of over 1000 patients with heart failure. She is the former Chief of Cardiology at the McGill University Health Centre (2010-2021). Since 2021, she has been the Associate Physician-in-Chief for the Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, and is the Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Heart Transplant program.

Dr Giannetti is a Clinical Researcher with an interest in personalized therapy for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and optimizing clinical outcomes in patients living with heart failure. She is the co-Principal Investigator of a large initiative looking at the role of stem cells in personalized therapy for cardiomyopathy.

For the past 10 years, Dr. Giannetti has been an active member of the Canadian Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Guidelines. She has led multiple multi-center clinical trials as a local and national principal investigator. She is the Program lead for a large research initiative entitled the Courtois Cardiovascular Signature Program (cvsignature.ca) and the Director of the Courtois Cardiovascular Biorepository.

Dr. Giannetti is very active in the Canadian Heart Failure and Transplant landscape. She is past president of the Canadian Cardiac Transplant Group, has been on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Heart Failure Society and Governance Committee of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. For the past 10 years, she has been an active member of the Canadian Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Committees and has been a co-author on multiple published Canadian Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Guidelines.

"Hemostemix is delighted to welcome Dr. Giannetti to the Scientific Advisory Board, as her stem cell cardiomyopathy clinical research, cardiology practice, and interest in personalized therapy for patients who have dilated cardiomyopathy aligns exactly with ACP-01's therapeutic benefits" stated Thomas Smeenk, CEO. "I look forward to her counsel as we move forward to follow-up the results of three previous heart studies that demonstrate ACP-01 is safe and efficacious as a treatment dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy," Smeenk said.

ABOUT HEMOSTEMIX

Hemostemix is an autologous stem cell therapy company, founded in 2003. A winner of the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, the Company has developed, patented, and is scaling a patient's blood-based stem cell therapeutics platform that includes angiogenic cell precursors, neuronal cell precursor and cardiomyocyte cell precursors. Seven studies including 260 ACP-01 recipients define its safety and efficacy profile as a treatment for heart diseases such as Dilated and Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Angina, and diseases of Ischemia such as Critical Limb Ischemia. The Company owns 91 patents across five patent families. For more information, please visit www.hemostemix.com.

For further information, please contact: Thomas Smeenk, President, CEO & Co-Founder

EM: [email protected] PH: 905-580-4170

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to: an appointment to the Scientific Advisory Board in relation to the lead product ACP-01, and the retrospective study of ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathy, and the commercialization of ACP-01. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects Hemostemix's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Hemostemix and on assumptions Hemostemix believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the underlying value of Hemostemix and its Common Shares; the successful resolution of the litigation that Hemostemix is pursuing or defending (the "Litigation"); the results of ACP-01 research, trials, studies and analyses, including the analysis being equivalent to or better than previous research, trials or studies; the receipt of all required regulatory approvals for research, trials or studies; the level of activity, market acceptance and market trends in the healthcare sector; the economy generally; consumer interest in Hemostemix's services and products; competition and Hemostemix's competitive advantages; and Hemostemix obtaining satisfactory financing to fund Hemostemix's operations including any research, trials or studies, and any Litigation. Forward-looking information is Subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Hemostemix to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the ability of Hemostemix to complete clinical trials, complete a satisfactory analyses and file the results of such analyses to gain regulatory approval of a phase II or phase III clinical trial of ACP-01; potential litigation Hemostemis mayface; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; the actual results of future operations including the actual results of future research, trials or studies; competition; changes in legislation affecting Hemostemix; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; long-term capital requirements and future developments in Hemostemix's markets and the markets in which it expects to compete; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals; and risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures service disruptions, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, disruptions to economic activity and financings, disruptions to supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession or depression;the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on Hemostemix which may include a decreased demand for the services that Hemostemix offers; and a deterioration of financial markets that could limit Hemostemix's ability to obtain external financing. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Hemostemix's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although Hemostemix 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. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of Hemostemix as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, it is Subject to change after such date. However, Hemostemix expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137411
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Iconic Minerals Ltd.(TSXV: ICM) (OTCQB: BVTEF) (FSE: YQGB) (the "Company" or "Iconic")is pleased to provide an update on the 2022 drill program at the Bonnie Claire Lithium Project (the 'Project' or 'Property'), located in Nye County, Nevada. After the completion of the first core hole (BC2201C), the Company upgraded access allowing three drill rigs on the Property.

Iconic Minerals Ltd CEO, Richard Kern, comments: "Over the last year the Company faced permitting delays, and shortages of drill rigs; however, despite these delays, we have successfully retained three drill rigs, which has expedited our exploration program which will be completed before the end of the year as part a Prefeasibility Study".

Drill Hole BC2201C

Core hole BC2201C reached a final vertical depth of 2001 feet (610 meters), which had a piezometer inserted for groundwater study; all samples not collected for engineering use were submitted to ALS in Reno for geochemical analysis. Logging has been completed and two thick zones of dark green claystone usually indicative of lithium-rich sediments, have been identified. Initial assay results are expected within a couple weeks.

Drill Hole BC2202C

Core hole BC2202C is located 1,759 feet (536 meters) west of BC2201C. The hole is further out on the playa than BC2201C to test whether higher grade lithium (+1000 ppm Li) is closer to the surface than holes near the margins of the alluvial cover. As of September 14th, the rig had drilled to 1,443 feet (440 meters) and will drill to a total depth of approximately 2,000 feet (610 meters). Although not logged yet, dark green claystone was encountered within 25 feet (7.6 meters) of the surface.

Drill Hole BC2203C

Close to the completion of BC2201C, a second core rig arrived on site and is set up 1,840 feet (561 meters) south of BC2201C. This drill hole is also located further out on the playa than BC2201C and will also test whether higher grade lithium (+1000 ppm Li) is close to the surface. The hole has been completed to a total depth of 1,998 feet (609 meters). The drill hole is currently being prepared for geophysical logging. The core shows dark green claystone commencing at 17 feet (5 meters) below the surface.

Drill Hole BC2201

This mud/rotary drill rig is on site and has drilled to 80 feet (24 meters) and set casing. Soft ground caused by rare monsoonal thunderstorms delayed deployment of the very large mud/rotary drill rig. Construction of upgraded drill roads over several days finally allowed access to the drill site. This vertical hole will be drilled to a depth of approximately 2000 feet (610 meters) and is located 20 feet (6 meters) from BC2201C. This hole will be geochem sampled and compared with assays from the adjacent core hole (BC2201C). Based on previous drilling, the Company anticipates that the core lithium values may be 10-15% higher than the mud/rotary hole (see Company's Technical Report on the Bonnie Claire Project dated xxx). Once drilling is complete, downhole geophysics will be conducted to determine high permeability zones along with other data. Water samples will be collected and analyzed and Barr Engineering will perform pumping tests on the permeable zones identified. This well will also be used as a water source for future drilling.

Qualified Person

Richard Kern, Certified Professional Geologist, a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Kern is not independent of the Company as he is the Chief Executive Officer of Iconic.

Bonnie Claire Property

The Bonnie Claire Property is located within Sarcobatus Valley, which is approximately 30 km (19 miles) long and 20 km (12 miles) wide. Quartz-rich volcanic tuffs containing anomalous amounts of lithium occur within and adjacent to the valley. Drill results from the salt flat have included lithium values as high as 2550 ppm Li and a 1560 foot (roughly 475 meter) vertical intercept that averaged 1153 ppm Li. The current 43-101 resource from the PEA report for borehole mineable portion of the resource is 3,407 million tonnes grading 1,013 ppm Li or 18,372 million kilograms of lithium carbonate equivalent. (though this is a resource, not a reserve, and has not yet proven economic viability). The gravity low within the valley is 20 km (12 miles) long, and the current estimates of depth to basement rocks range from 600 to 1,200 meters (2,000 to 4,000 feet). The current claim block covers an area of 74 km2 (28.6 mi2) with potential for brine systems and further sediment resources.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

SIGNED: "Richard Kern"

Richard Kern, President and CEO

Contact: Keturah Nathe, VP Corporate Development (604) 336-8614

For further information on Iconic, please visit our website at www.iconicminerals.com. The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedar.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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements with respect to the Option, the Joint Venture, the amount of the Offering, the expected use of proceeds from the Offering and the future business plans and exploration 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: "will", "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that investor interest will be sufficient to close the Offering, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals required for the Option Agreement and the future development of the Company's projects in a timely manner.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, including on the Smith Creek Property, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium and gold, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the business, financial condition and exploration and development activities of the Company, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including of the TSX Venture Exchange in respect of the Option Agreement and the Offering, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management's Discussion and Analysis and filed with the Canadian Securities Authorities. 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.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137445
IFCM Invest - New PAMM platform from IFC Markets

Tortola, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - IFC MARKETS, a fast growing international forex broker with 16 years of history, has announced on August 15th a new service - IFCM Invest, which connects investors with experienced traders.





IFCM Invest PAMM Platform

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8723/137312_cc91255434a75a95_001full.jpg

What is IFCM Invest and how does it work

IFCM Invest is designed for both beginners who can follow experienced traders, copy trades and learn, as well as experienced traders who do not have time to follow the markets, but want their money to work. This is a win-win service for everyone.

In particular, IFCM Invest allows traders to place a certain amount of money with investment managers; successful and experienced traders with their rating and success history. Further, managers trade in Forex market and receive commission and payout in the form of a percentage of profits. Namely Investors receive profit in proportion to the amount invested in the manager's trading.

Investors will be able to create a diversified portfolio of traders, for example, an investor can find from 3 to 5 profitable Managers, invest in their trading activities and, as a result, get an investment portfolio.

Note: the more diversified your portfolio is, the lesser is risk.

IFCM Invest also provides statistics from all Manager's accounts.

Performance chart

Maximum drawdown

Recovery factor

Monthly return

% of loss/profit days and positions

etc.

Why IFCM Invest

IFCM Invest provides an excellent tool for making more profit as a Manager, as the profit will be much higher since the Manager receives a commission from all of his Investors.

The service provides two types of commissions:

Performance fee (percent from net profit)

Volume fee (USD per lot).

About IFC Markets

IFC Markets is an award-winning international Forex & CFD broker with 16 years of experience in the financial markets. It has more than 210,000 clients from 80 countries worldwide. IFC Markets offers its clients a wide range of financial instruments more than 650 (Crypto, ETF, Stocks, Indices, Currency pairs, Metals, Commodities, etc.) and provides online support in 12 languages. Broker has loyal clients based in Iran, Canada, Vietnam, Brazil and many more countries. IFC Markets is an ever evolving experienced forex broker with a number of proprietary innovations, such as GeWorko method and NetTradeX. Was honored with 20 international awards throughout 16 years of hard work. There are also contests, bonus programs and promos that IFC Markets is running on a regular basis. IFC Markets has an exceptional Trading Academy platform for novice and more experienced traders and also works with Forex expert analysts to host educational webinars f.e. Cryptocurrency, Auto-chartist, Forex Educational Courses etc.

____________________________________________________________

IFCMARKETS. CORP. is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands under registration number 669838 and is licensed by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC) to carry out investment business, Certificate No. SIBA/L/14/1073



IFC Markets Ltd is registered under No. LL16237 in the Federal Territory of Labuan (Malaysia) and is licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (license number MB / 20/0049).



CALDOW LIMITED with its registered address at Arch. Leontiou 187, 4th floor, 3020, Limassol, Cyprus is a payment agent of IFC MARKETS LTD incorporated in the Republic of Cyprus under registration number HE 335779.

Media contact:

Contacts

Phone, Great Britain: +442039661649

Phone, Canada: +16136864362

Telegram/WhatsApp:+7 968 067 95 13

[email protected]

Contact Author

Vahe Chobanyan, Yerevan Armenia

+37491205529

[email protected]

https://www.ifcmarkets.com/

Yerevan Armenia

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137312
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 16, 2022) - Myriad Metals Corp.(CSE: MMC) ("Myriad" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a consulting services agreement dated as of the date hereof with Avec Creations Ltd. ("Avec"), an arm's length party. Under the agreement, Avec will assist Myriad in raising investor awareness by presenting Myriad to targeted potential investors and by keeping current and potential investors informed with respect to the Company and its properties.

Avec is a marketing consultancy firm led by Fabi Lara, for public companies looking to gain targeted exposure to investors by leveraging a strong network and effective communication tools. Fabi is well-known in the junior mining and uranium spaces, as the creator of the media channel "The Next Big Rush", and from having appeared as a panelist or speaker at conferences around the world.

The agreement has a one year term and may be terminated at any time following five months from the date hereof by either party on providing 30 days written notice. As compensation for the services to be provided, Myriad will pay Avec a fee of $5,000 per month, $2,500 payable in cash and $2,500 payable in common shares of the Company (each, a "Share"), with each Share having a deemed value of $0.20. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay to Avec an amount equal to 10% of the Company's expenditures on any paid speaking/interview opportunities presented by Avec to the Company and accepted in writing by the Company, in its sole discretion.

Myriad CEO Peter Smith commented that "we are very excited to be working with Fabi and Avec going forward. She has an excellent understanding of the uranium markets and is very well respected in the industry. We are equally excited by her enthusiasm about Myriad and our new project in Niger."

The Company has issued an aggregate of 150,000 Shares to Avec, representing the Share component of the remuneration payable under the agreement over the one year term. The Shares were issued in accordance with applicable securities laws and are subject to a four month hold period in accordance with the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. In addition, the Shares are subject to a contractual lock-up, with 12,500 Shares being released immediately and an additional 12,500 Shares being released each month thereafter. If the agreement is terminated early, then any Shares not released from contractual lock-up will be surrendered by the Contractor and returned to treasury by the Company.

About Myriad

Myriad is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company with an option to earn a 100% interest in over 1,800 km2 of uranium exploration licenses in the Tim Mersoi Basin, Niger. Myriad also has a 50% interest in the Millen Mountain Property located in Nova Scotia, Canada, with the other 50% held by Probe Metals Inc. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) contact the Company by telephone at 778.999.7030, or refer to the Company web-site, at www.myriadmetalscorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Peter Smith, CEO

778.999.7030

###

This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. 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 technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137499
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Beacon Global Strategies (BGS), a leading strategic advisory firm focusing on global public policy, government procurement, and geopolitical risk analysis, announced four new members to its growing team. Mr. Glenn Gerstell, Lieutenant General Michael S. Groen (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.), Mr. Paul Kilbride and Mr. Louis Lauter will bring further depth and breadth to Beacon's market leading practices helping companies navigate national security decisionmaking and emerging trends for disruptive technologies.

"BGS continuously strives to provide the highest quality services to its clients, and that requires working alongside the people with the deepest experience in the areas most relevant to our diverse client base," said Andrew Shapiro, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at BGS. "We are excited to welcome these accomplished individuals, who epitomize this effort. Their strategic insights and unique perspectives are already making real differences for our clients, and we feel fortunate to add them to our ever-growing team of elite leaders."

Glenn S. Gerstell joins BGS as Senior Advisor. Prior to joining BGS, Mr. Gerstell served as the general counsel of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Security Service (CSS) from 2015 to 2020. He has written and spoken widely on issues at the intersections of technology and national security. Prior to joining the NSA, Mr. Gerstell practiced law for almost 40 years at the international law firm of Milbank, LLP, where he focused on the global telecommunications industry, and served as the managing partner of the firm's Washington, D.C., Singapore, and Hong Kong offices. Mr. Gerstell served on the President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which reports to the president and the secretary of homeland security on security threats to the nation's infrastructure, as well as on the District of Columbia Homeland Security Commission. Earlier in his career, he was an adjunct law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and New York Law School. A graduate of New York University and Columbia University School of Law, Mr. Gerstell is a Senior Advisor (Non-Resident) with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) International Security Program, serves on the Future of Encryption Committee for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and is an elected member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the NSA Distinguished Civilian Service Medal.

Lieutenant General Michael S. Groen joins BGS as Senior Advisor and will be supporting the National Security Technology Practice. General Groen (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) served over 36 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career as the Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), where he led the transformation of U.S. Joint warfighting and departmental processes through the integration of Artificial Intelligence. Prior to his role at JAIC, he served in the Intelligence Community through multiple assignments. He served in the National Security Agency overseeing Computer Network Operations, and as the Director of Joint Staff Intelligence (JSJ2), working closely with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency and senior leaders across the Department. He is an experienced Marine commander and multi-tour combat veteran. General Groen is a graduate of Calvin College, and has earned Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Paul Kilbride joins BGS as Vice President. Prior to joining Beacon, Mr. Kilbride served as a Professional Staff Member on the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations  Subcommittee on Defense (HAC-D). In this role, he was responsible for overseeing a portfolio that included the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Geospatial-intelligence Agency (NGA), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and the Military Intelligence Program (MIP). Prior to joining HAC-D, Mr. Kilbride served as a senior program examiner with the Intelligence Programs Branch in the National Security Division of the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). From 2012-2018, he oversaw all aspects of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) budget and, before that, had oversight responsibility for DIA and the MIP. Mr. Kilbride began his career in public service with OMB in 2008 in the Homeland Security Branch, where he oversaw the Federal Emergency Management Agency  to include disaster response, preparedness, and continuity of government activities. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and earned his Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Harris School.

Louis Lauter joins BGS as Vice President. Mr. Lauter joins BGS after serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, where he advised the Secretary of Defense on all legislative matters, supported the confirmation of political appointees and managed congressional engagement across the Department of Defense. Previously Mr. Lauter served in the Obama Administration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs from 2015-2017 as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and the team chief for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, he served as the vice president for congressional and government affairs at CSIS where he led the think tank's outreach to Congress. Before joining CSIS, Mr. Lauter worked for Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and then for Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) where he led the Congressman's work on the House Armed Services Committee and the U.S.-China Working group. Mr. Lauter is a Senior Associate (non-resident) at CSIS. He holds a Master's degree in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington. Mr. Lauter has been awarded both the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.

About Beacon Global Strategies

Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies is a leading strategic advisory firm, with over 70 staff and expert advisors, that provides clients an in-depth understanding of national security decision-making to advance objectives and solve problems in Washington and abroad. The Beacon team brings experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.

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SOURCE Beacon Global Strategies
HILLSDALE, Mich., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: CNBB) (the "Company") today announced that after a comprehensive search, Joseph R. Williams has agreed to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, County National Bank (the "Bank"), which will be effective upon his first day of employment with the Company, anticipated to be in early October, 2022. Mr. Williams is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank.

Mr. Williams stated, "I am excited to join CNB full time. They understand community banking and I am looking forward to serving alongside a great executive team. Our focus will be community impact, employee development, client experience, and shareholder return. I am honored and humbled to be part of a great team and build upon the tremendous foundation that has been developed over the last 88 years."

Mr. Williams becomes the President and CEO of the Company with nearly 40 years of banking experience, most recently with Old National Bank (Acquired United Bank and Trust) where he served as its Lenawee County Market President after serving as President and CEO of United Bank and Trust. Mr. Williams will bring to the chief executive officer role substantial experience and leadership skills in the areas of retail and mortgage banking, commercial credit, financial management, wealth management and franchise growth through market development. Mr. Williams has a long and distinguished history of community service, including the last two years serving as President and CEO of the Lenawee Community Foundation and many other endeavors in the areas of healthcare, youth services and the Kiwanis.

Craig S. Connor, Chairman of the Board of the Company and the Bank, remarked, "Our entire board of directors is so very pleased with the selection of Joe as our new President and CEO. He is a talented, experienced and knowledgeable community banker with a track record of strong leadership, team building, and service to the community. The future for all our stakeholders: customers, employees, communities and shareholders just became a little brighter."

About CNB Community Bancorp Inc.

CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: CNBB) is a one-bank holding company formed in 2005. Its subsidiary bank, County National Bank, is a nationally chartered full-service bank, which has served its local communities since its founding in 1934. CNB Community Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered in Hillsdale, Michigan and through its subsidiary bank offers banking products along with investment management and trust services to communities located throughout South Central Michigan.

Safe Harbor StatementThis news release and other releases and reports issued by the Company may contain "forward-looking statements." The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company is including this statement for purposes of taking advantage of the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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SOURCE CNB Community Bancorp, Inc.
Major tool manufacturer launches dynamic demolition tool line.

SPARKS, Md., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand, releases a new line of demolition products including Flat, Adjustable, and Indexing Pry Bars, Standard and Indexing Nail Pullers, Molding Bars, Wrecking Bars and several Specialty Demolition Tools. These wrecking and demolition tools deliver powerful innovation for easier access in tight spaces, minimized damage to finished areas, and added safety.

According to Ethan Bolderson, Product Manager, this line of demolition tools will make a huge impact on the jobsite.

"When designing these tools, we wanted to address four primary pain points: an inability to get the best leverage that often means having to use multiple pry tools on a single job; dull, unsharpened edges that make it difficult to pry between finished materials; a general lack of durability; and awkward ergonomics, resulting in heavy, uncomfortable prying tools that ultimately lower productivity," says Ethan Bolderson, Product Manager at Crescent Tools. "Each tool from our new Wrecking and Pry Bar lineup is designed to deliver better leverage, has sharp, ground edges to pry tight materials, provides double the durability of other pry tools, and has ergonomic, comfort grips. It's our way of always providing the highest quality and innovation for our core customers."

The new Crescent Wrecking and Pry Bar line is available as individual pieces. To view the full product offering and purchase in-store or online, please visit www.crescenttool.com.

About CrescentCrescent is a premier brand from Apex Tool Group, one of the largest hand tool manufacturers in the world. The product line includes Crescent adjustable wrenches, mechanics hand tools, and power tool accessories, Crescent Wiss snips, scissors, shears, knives and trade tools, Crescent Lufkin measuring tapes, rules, wheels and chalk reels, Crescent Nicholson files and saws, Crescent H.K. Porter heavy-duty cutting products, and Crescent JOBOX on-site, flammable liquid and truck storage products. Visit www.crescenttools.com for more info.

About Apex Tool GroupApex Tool Group, LLC is one of the largest worldwide producers of hand and power tools, tool storage, drill chucks, chain, and electronic soldering products. Apex serves a multitude of global markets, including automotive, aerospace, electronics, energy, hardware, industrial, and consumer retail. For more information, visit www.apextoolgroup.com.

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SOURCE Crescent Tools
Karamo Brown launches free Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training with Aussie microlearning platform EdApp

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Karamo Brown, best known for his role as Culture Expert on Netflix's Queer Eye has teamed up with EdApp by SafetyCulture to help businesses move beyond DEI buzzwords and help workplaces become more inclusive. Businesses and individual learners around the world can now access Karamo's new course  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training with Karamo  and it's available for free.

The course aims to help businesses of all sizes focus on DEI, which is particularly important when you consider that 76% of job seekers and employees say diversity and inclusion training and programs are an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. 83% of millennials reported that they feel more actively engaged with their work when their company supports DEI initiatives and programs and by 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce.

While the business benefits of DEI programs are clear, recent YouGov research commissioned by SafetyCulture found only 30% of frontline workers said they'd received diversity and inclusion training in the last year.

Karamo's course helps learners hold a mirror up to their everyday actions, and understand the necessary steps they can take to keep themselves and their workplaces accountable. The course includes 7 bite-sized focuses on key issues including microaggressions, unconscious bias, and psychological safety at work. It offers tools and tips to help businesses and employees take actionable steps to create a culture where everyone feels included.

Commenting on his partnership with EdApp, Karamo said: "Putting inclusion into practice takes more than a diversity statement. People ask why DEI is so important right now  it's because when you recognize someone's diversity and who they are, that's when they feel they can be their authentic selves and do their best work. I'm hoping everyone taking this course takes away the understanding that creating an inclusive workplace is easy to do, but it does take work. Each of us has to do the work daily to make sure we create a culture where everyone feels included."

Karamo's new course will help the 30,000 global businesses already using the EdApp platform and will be available for free for any new companies or individuals that want to take the course and create more inclusive, equitable and diverse workplaces.

Commenting on EdApp's approach to workplace learning, Darren Winterford, EdApp CEO said:

"DEI is an important space that all companies need and want to improve in. We created this course with Karamo because he is an expert in this space and knows what it takes to make more inclusive workplaces. The course is free because we're big believers in democratizing learning - especially when it comes to such important issues."

"We want to help small to medium-sized businesses provide the same learning and development experiences that bigger organisations offer. We've seen people around the world signing up in droves for expert-led classes that help them progress their personal goals  so why not bring some of that excitement to the workplace?"

Businesses or individuals who are interested in taking the course can do so for free, by signing up here.

About 'Karamo's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training'

Karamo's course includes 7 bite-sized lessons that your team can complete from any device. It outlines how to move beyond buzzwords and create a truly inclusive workplace for all. It covers:

Course Introduction

Defining diversity, equity vs equality, and inclusion

Confronting our own unconscious bias

Spotting and stopping microaggressions

Putting inclusion into practice

How to stand up for others

The importance of psychological safety

Link to behind the scenes footage with Karamo

About Karamo Brown

Karamo is a passionate DEI advocate and has extensive experience working in the LGBTQIA+ space from helping the White House to create legislation supporting LGBT+ youth to being on the advisory board for OutRight International  a global LGBT+ human rights organization.

About EdApp by SafetyCulture

EdApp by SafetyCulture is changing the way the world learns. It's a learning solutions platform, delivering around 70,000 lessons per day across more than 90 countries. EdApp helps organizations around the world deliver an incredible learning and training experience to their teams on the job, and to whatever device works best for them. On a mission to change the way the world learns at work, they're making training more available to everybody, via our free mobile learning platform.

EdApp believes everyone should have access to top-notch learning and training on the job, no matter what the job, or where the job is. And better yet, they're forever free for those who need us to be.

Contact for information or quote. Available 24/7

Phoebe Dunstan

PR ManagerE: [email protected]M: +614 05 009 155

Darren WinterfordCEOE: [email protected]+614 019 253 79

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SOURCE EdApp
SEATTLE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Air's more than 700 pilots, who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), voted to ratify a new agreement aimed at supporting the company's pilots and retaining talent as mainline airlines continue hiring pilots away from regional airlines at record levels. The agreement includes important pay increases and enhancements to retirement benefits. Additional improvements involve commuter policies and instructor benefits.

More than 91% of Horizon pilots voted, and the agreement passed by 99%.

A tentative agreement was reached with the IBT on Sept. 2 and is effective immediately upon today's ratification.

"Horizon Air is proud to serve communities throughout the West  places that we call home. The ongoing industry pilot shortage has put a strain on this service, and it's more critical than ever that we attract and retain our talented pilots," said Joe Sprague, president of Horizon Air. "We are focused on making Horizon the regional carrier of choice for pilots, and this agreement positions us well. I'm grateful to our pilots and to our colleagues at the IBT for their collaboration and hard work in getting to this point. Together, we are positioning Horizon for a strong future."

"In light of recent wage increases across all segments of our industry, significant improvements were necessary for Horizon Air to remain competitive in attracting and retaining pilots," said Horizon pilot and IBT 1224 Executive Council Chairman Henry Simkins. "We identified what was important to our pilot group and worked to implement an approach that will help Horizon Air retain an experienced workforce and attract new talent. We appreciate management's investment in our skilled professionals that continue to safely deliver our wonderful passengers every day."

The pilot shortage and the transition to a single fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft has resulted in a temporary reduction of Horizon's scheduled flying. Nonetheless, Horizon continues to fly to every community we serve. Regional air service provides essential support for economic development and strong local communities. We're committed to ensuring this service remains strong into the future.

The new agreement with Horizon pilots complements other company efforts that are expanding and diversifying the pilot pipeline through investments in the Ascend Pilot Academy and the Pilot Development Program. This is a priority, as Alaska and Horizon estimate the need to hire 500 pilots each year through 2025.

With bases in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, Horizon serves more than 45 cities throughout the Pacific Northwest, California, the Midwest, and British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. Horizon maintains pilot crew bases in Anchorage, Boise, Everett, Medford, Portland, Seattle and Spokane.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We emphasize providing low fares for our guests, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of the oneworld global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

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SOURCE Horizon Air
...As Police kill scores, recover AK-47 rifle, motorcycles

In a fresh attack on Bakiyawa community in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State, terrorists, yesterday killed a businessman identified as Tukur Makeri and abducted several others from the community.

This came as many terrorists were feared killed in Sabuwa LGA of Katsina State, yesterday when a team of police operatives engaged the criminals numbering over 30 in a fierce gun battle.

Vanguard gathered that the bandits, who stormed the Bakiyawa community, besides wounding four other villagers, also looted houses and shops during the uninterrupted operation that lasted for about three hours.

According to Marwan Zayanna, a resident of the community, who spoke to Vanguard, the terrorists stormed the community on over 40 motorcycles and shot sporadically, forcing residents to run helter-skelter, seeking safety.

According to him, "four of the victims wounded are currently receiving treatment at the Katsina Teaching Hospital. The terrorists were very many. It is difficult to state their exact number.

"They took away many people from our village after killing Tukur Makeri, a dealer in agricultural products who had been buried earlier today (yesterday).

Meanwhile, many terrorists were feared killed in Sabuwa LGA, yesterday, during a gun battle with a team of police operatives.

One AK-47 and four operational vehicles used by the terrorists were also recovered from the scene of the attack, Katsina Police spokesman, Gambo Isah, said.

According to him, "over 30 terrorists riding on motorcycles armed with AK-47 rifles, around 2:45 pm on Wednesday, blocked Sabuwa-Mararabar Yakawada road in preparation to rob and kidnap residents in the area before the police foiled the evil plot."
NEW YORK and TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. ("iAnthus" or the "Company") (CSE: IAN) (OTCPK: ITHUF), which owns, operates and partners with regulated cannabis operations across the United States, announces that Marco D'Attanasio has resigned from the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"), effective September 15, 2022. Mr. D'Attanasio joined the Board on June 24, 2022 upon completion of the Company's previously announced recapitalization transaction (the "Recapitalization Transaction").

"On behalf of the entire iAnthus team, we thank Marco for his valuable contributions to the Company. We appreciate the opportunity we had to benefit from Marco's extensive professional background, thorough business acumen and the strategic insights he brought to our board after closing the Recapitalization Transaction," said Robert Galvin, iAnthus Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement dated June 24, 2022 by and among the Company, iAnthus Capital Management, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and certain Investors (as defined therein), the Investor who nominated Mr. D'Attanasio is entitled to designate a successor nominee for appointment to the Board, and the Company is required to cause such nominee to be appointed to the Board. As of the date hereof, such Investor has not nominated a successor nominee, and the Company has not appointed a replacement for Mr. D'Attanasio. A copy of the Investor Rights Agreement is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC's") website at www.sec.gov.

About iAnthus

iAnthus owns and operates licensed cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.iAnthus.com.

COVID-19 Risk Factor

The Company may be impacted by business interruptions resulting from pandemics and public health emergencies, including those related to COVID-19. An outbreak of infectious disease, a pandemic, or a similar public health threat, such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19, or a fear of any of the foregoing could adversely impact the Company by causing operating, manufacturing, supply chain, and project development delays and disruptions, labor shortages, travel, and shipping disruption and shutdowns (including as a result of government regulation and prevention measures). It is unknown whether and how the Company may be affected if such a pandemic persists for an extended period of time, including as a result of the waiver of regulatory requirements or the implementation of emergency regulations to which the Company is subject. Although the Company has been deemed essential and/or has been permitted to continue operating its facilities in the states in which it cultivates, processes, manufactures, and sells cannabis during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no assurance that the Company's operations will continue to be deemed essential and/or will continue to be permitted to operate. The Company may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of its control, which could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results, financial condition, and the trading price of the Company's common shares.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of management, are not guarantees of performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in Company's reports that it files from time to time with the SEC and the Canadian securities regulators which you should review including, but not limited to, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. When used in this news release, words such as "will," could," plan," estimate," expect," intend," may," potential," believe, "should" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's financial performance, business development and results of operations and the nomination and appointment of a replacement/successor director to the Board.

These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or circumstances discussed or reflected in these statements will be achieved or will occur. If such forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by the Company or any other person that it will achieve its objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the SEC has reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

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SOURCE iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA is seeking proposals for sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration as the agency works toward a regular cadence of Moon landings. Through Artemis missions, NASA is preparing to return humans to the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color, for long-term scientific discovery and exploration.

Under the solicitation, Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development, NASA has provided requirements for companies interested in developing and demonstrating astronaut Moon landers. These efforts will pave the way for multiple companies to provide recurring Moon landing services beyond the Artemis III mission, which is planned for no earlier than 2025.

Companies selected under this contract will be required to perform one uncrewed and one crewed lunar landing demonstration. NASA will certify any lander system to meet its requirements prior to the crewed demonstration mission(s).

"Work done under this solicitation, in addition to current lander development and studies taking place, will help build the foundation for long-term deep space exploration," said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "Partnering with American companies to do that work now allows us to leverage NASA's knowledge and expertise to encourage technological innovations for a sustained presence at the Moon."

The final call for proposals comes after NASA incorporated industry feedback on the draft solicitation, released March 31, encouraging companies to send comments to help shape a key component of the agency's human exploration Artemis architecture. NASA also hosted a virtual industry day in April to present an overview of the solicitation and to provide companies an opportunity to ask clarifying questions and provide comments.

NASA's existing contract with SpaceX includes both an uncrewed and a crewed lunar landing demonstration that is part of the Artemis III mission, marking humanity's first return to the Moon in more than 50 years. The agency plans to exercise an option under this contract, known as Option B, asking the company to evolve its current Artemis III Starship Human Landing System design to meet an extended set of requirements for sustaining missions at the Moon and conduct another crewed demonstration landing.

These concurrent sustaining lander development efforts will meet NASA's needs for recurring, long-term access to the lunar surface, such as the ability to dock with Gateway for crew transfer, accommodate an increased crew size, and deliver more mass to the surface.

NASA's Artemis efforts include sending a suite of new science instruments and technology demonstrations to study the Moon, landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and more. The agency will leverage its Artemis experiences and technologies to prepare for the next giant leap  sending astronauts to Mars.

Proposals for the sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration are due Nov. 15.

For more information about this procurement, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nextstep/humanlander4

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SOURCE NASA
DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Statemind, a leading blockchain security auditing firm, announced it's now live. The debut of the new company launch coincided with a major splash across the crypto industry. Statemind discovered a critical vulnerability and prevented an estimated $350M+ in damages, and would have been the third-largest DeFi hack in history according to rekt leaderboard.

Statemind Discovery Spread Across Crypto Development Community

After an independent review of custom precompiles in some of the most popular cryptocurrency protocols, Statemind discovered a critical vulnerability and immediately reported the findings anonymously through ImmuneFi.

Precompiled contracts are a compromise used in the EVM to provide more complex library functions that are not suitable for writing in opcode. They are usually used for complex operations such as encryption, hashing, etc.

Due to demand from the cryptocurrency community, Statemind stepped forward to claim the discovery. The development community expressed gratitude to Statemind for saving each blockchain its reputation  and large sums of money.

Avalanche Vulnerability Worth $350M+ Is The Third-Largest In DeFi History

Victims across Avalanche include Abracadabra at $300M worth of MIM tokens and an additional $3M in user funds; Nereus Finance with nearly $60M in NXUSD tokens; and $100K in funds from SUSHI lending. An unknown impact related to the Boba Network is still being calculated as damages are assessed.

Due to the significant complexity and associated losses prevented, the vulnerability is ranked the third-largest in DeFi history when compared to the damages done by similar vulnerabilities. Statemind is proud to have contributed to protecting the cryptocurrency community and ensuring the highest standards in code across the industry.

With proactive code review, blockchain security auditing can save blockchain developers substantial headaches and costs. Current Statemind clients include LIDO, 1INCH, and Yearn. Finance. Users can rest assured that the client's code is clean of any critical issues and that funds are safe.

About Statemind

Statemind has more than 100,000 LoC worth of Solidity and Vyper experience. Combined, the blockchain security auditing firm has secured over $10B in TVL.

To learn about Statemind, visit the statemind.io website or follow Statemind on Twitter.

Contacts:King Eezzy, [email protected]Alsu Irkabaeva, [email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900906/Statemind.jpg

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SOURCE Statemind
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the progress America has made throughout its history, race relations continues to be a plaguing theme for the nation. Award-winning author Jack Lessenberry's provocative book, Reason vs. Racism: A Newspaper Family, Race and Justice, provides an inside look at how one family approached racism in America through journalism. Lessenberry has written for the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Vanity Fair.

Centered around a newspaper family, Reason vs. Racism is the fascinating story of the Block family and how they dealt with race and fairness over the years, covering issues such as slavery, Jim Crow, the newspaper's relationship with Abraham Lincoln, and more. Highlighted in the book are stories about undercover work to expose racism, and even a politician involved with the Klu Klux Klan.

The Block family and Block Communications (owner of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Toledo Blade, and several other entities) wanted to take an honest look at how they handled race relations through their publications. So, they charged investigative writer Jack Lessenberry with the task of researching and examining their history. Lessenberry didn't gloss over his findings; he shares the raw truth in his riveting accounts in the book.

Released in 2020, this book is still a must-read for 2022/23 as this nation goes through a current period of heightened racial awareness and tension.

"I am very concerned about how divided our country is on race. I believe this book provides needed education as it addresses issues of fairness and how our papers have handled stories and hiring practices," says John Block, publisher of the Toledo Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "In our current environment, our hope is to create meaningful dialogue around race in America."

Reason vs. Racism: A Newspaper Family, Race and Justice is available on Amazon.

About Block Communications:

Block Communications, Inc., (BCI) is a 118-year-old privately held diversified media holding company headquartered in Toledo, OH. It has primary operations in cable television, newspaper publishing, high-speed Internet and residential telephone services. Publications owned by Block Communications, Inc. include The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Toledo Blade.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reason-vs-racism-new-book-unveils-hidden-history-of-race-relations-and-the-newspaper-industry-301626503.html

SOURCE Block Communications
PRAGUE, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Between 7th and 9th September, the fourth ORBIS School was held in Prague. The event was co-hosted by Zentiva in close collaboration with the German company Physiolution and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. Many various lectures and workshops were held during these three days and the participants had a great opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge based on their own research. Part of the program was a visit to Zentiva's R&D department in its Prague site.

ORBIS (Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support) is an international project which is a part of the EU program HORIZON 2020, focused on research and development. ORBIS is a platform that unites universities, research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies from several European countries.

SUPPORTING AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK TO ENHANCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Participants from Ireland, France, Finland, Germany, Poland and Ukraine came to Prague for the ORBIS School. Lectures and workshops at the University of Chemistry and Technology and the Czech Technical University were focused on biopharmaceutical principles and novel techniques or modern bioanalytical methods. The goal of the ORBIS project is to strengthen the connection between academic and industry fields, exchange expert knowledge and create international partnerships across Europe, which can move pharmaceutical research ahead. "Innovations are a crucial part of what we do. At Zentiva, almost 200 employees work in the R&D department. We support young talents and work on strengthening the academia-pharma industry cooperation. Joining the ORBIS project was an ideal opportunity to develop this type of cooperation on an international level. We believe that this kind of partnership is the key to success," says Pavel Sebek, Development Director of Zentiva. "Meeting other experts with different backgrounds is very enriching. It is always interesting to hear about the experience of others and discover new original approaches to R&D. These events are always a great motivation," says Nikita Marinko, a young and talented scientist from Zentiva who took part at this year's ORBIS School and was part of the organizational team that took care of all the participants.

Out of all four ORBIS schools which have been held so far, two of them  the second one and this one (the fourth one)  have been co-organized by Zentiva. In September 2019, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, Zentiva organized the school covering the design of pharmaceutical dosage forms and the manufacturing processes, whereas novel bio-relevant analytical approaches used in the characterization of dosage forms have been covered this September in Prague. Both schools were particularly based on academic findings combined with real-life examples, such applied scientific approaches being appreciated by all participants.

The high number of attendees confirmed the strength of the ORBIS scientific network and focus on innovative approaches to meet currently unmet patient needs.

About ORBIS  Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support (Maria Skodowska-Curie Actions of Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017)

The overarching objective of ORBIS is to form an international and inter-sectoral academic and industrial network. The action is aimed at improving the preclinical pathway of medicine development concentrating on processes and technologies. The goal is to integrate multidisciplinary research by involving the academia and the industry from EU (Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany, and the Czech Republic), EU associated countries (Ukraine) and US. The coordinator of the project is Prof. Janina Lulek from Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland). Find out more at www.orbisproject.eu.

About Zentiva

Zentiva is a producer of high-quality affordable medicines serving patients in Europe and beyond. With a dedicated team of more than 4,700 people and a network of production sites - including flagship sites in Prague, Bucharest, and Ankleshwar - Zentiva strives to be the champion of branded and generic medicines in Europe to better support people's daily healthcare needs. At Zentiva it is our aspiration that healthcare should be a right and not a privilege. More than ever, people need better access to high-quality affordable medicines and healthcare. We work in partnership with physicians, pharmacists, wholesalers, regulators, and governments to provide the everyday solutions that we all depend on. Visit us at www.zentiva.com.

Media contact:

Mounira LemouiHead of CommunicationsZENTIVA GROUP, a.s.U Kabelovny 529/16, Dolni Mecholupy, 102 00 Prague 10Cell: (+420) 727 873 159 / E-mail: [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900560/Zentiva_ORBIS_2022.jpg

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SOURCE Zentiva
Statement by Education Cannot Wait Direct Yasmine Sherif for the Transforming Education Summit

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from across the world are uniting at the UN Secretary-General's Transforming Education Summit to address a global education crisis that threatens to derail decades of development gains and is depriving millions of girls across the world of their inherent human rights.

As we mobilize resources, listen to the world's youth, identify new solutions and work collectively to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda, we must not forget the 222 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents worldwide that urgently need our support. Education Cannot Wait's ground-breaking analysis highlights that about 78 million of these crisis-impacted children are out of school, and close to 120 million are in school but not learning.

Caught in conflicts and protracted crises, displaced by climate change, and fighting to survive in some of the harshest and most inhumane conditions on the planet, these girls and boys need our urgent support.

We need to unite in action to deliver on the commitments that will be made at this seminal Summit to ensure girls and boys in places like Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Pakistan, South Sudan, Syria, the Sahel, Ukraine, Yemen and beyond are guaranteed their human rights to 12 years of quality education.

This is our commitment to improve equitable inclusive education access and learning outcomes, to protect and improve external financing, to work together in the spirit of international cooperation to build crisis-resilient education systems, and to scale and mainstream high-impact and evidence-based interventions into policy and programming efforts.

Education Cannot Wait, as the UN's global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, champions these transformational approaches by delivering with humanitarian speed and developmental depth to ensure no child is left behind.

We urge world leaders to make good on our promises as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, Charlevoix Declaration, Safe Schools Declaration and other international accords, and support us in realizing 222 Million Dreams for an education, and 222 Million Dreams for a better world.###

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SOURCE Education Cannot Wait
HOUSTON, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International Studies Professor and East Asia Scholar Dr. Hans Stockton has started a new professional chapter taking on a newly expanded leadership role as Associate Vice President for International Relations and Engagement at University of St. Thomas. The development of this post coincides with UST's launching of its eight-year strategic plan "Greater Things." Two of the four focal points of that plan are to leverage international partnerships and be known worldwide for innovative Catholic education.

Expanding a Bridge for Global Connection

In his new role, Stockton will expand upon UST's long tradition of serving as a bridge of encounter and dialogue that connects the UST campus and the world.

"We will accomplish this by more deeply cultivating current international relationships, establishing new relationships and engaging the UST campus and community," he said. "Central to this will be securing the resources to serve our international students and making an international experience possible for all Celts."

Creating a Convenient Resource for Students and Faculty

Along with creating this position to raise UST's profile globally, the University combined the Office of International Student and Scholar Services with the UST Study Abroad Office. The result is a new Office of International Services & Study Abroad located in Crooker Hall.

"Students and faculty will have a one-stop shop to visit for assistance on matters of international partnerships, studies abroad and student and faculty mobility," Stockton said.

"A big part of my job is to increase the number and variety of international partnerships such that students and faculty from any discipline will have options. At the same time, we want to increase the opportunities for international students to study at UST."

Capitalizing on a Legacy of Experience and Accomplishments

Over his 20-year tenure beginning in 2002, Stockton taught and served in many administrative roles, including director of study abroad for ten years, as well as the director of UST's Center for International Studies for ten years.

"I became Study Abroad director in summer 2001," he said. "My second month as director was the 9/11 attacks, so that was an intense start to my new position."

As an international studies scholar, Stockton's research, teaching and professional development place him in the best possible vantage point for expanding international relations. His expertise, talents and resources for this engagement encompass a robust global network of universities, scholars and governments, well-developed entrepreneurial and cross-cultural communication skills, and the ability to speak to and connect with diverse international audiences.

Leveraging his East Asia expertise, he was the founding director of UST's Taiwan & East Asia Studies Program from 2017-2022 and founding director of the Mandarin Center of UST & WZU from 2021- 2022.

"Joining him on the international recruiting side is Ryan Konkright, who is a natural fit to rounding out Hans' team," Vice President for Marketing and Admissions Student Services Jeff Olsen said. Konkright has served the University as Director of Admissions for several years. Dora Zhang, director of International Student and Scholar Services, is also on Stockton's team.

Moving Forward: Excited and Grateful

"The support and mentoring over two decades by faculty and staff colleagues, various UST administrators and community friends gave me the confidence to engage the wide world around UST and garner some successes," he said. "Equally important have been generations of Celts who contributed their energies and talents to our international initiatives. As Center director, I had the pleasure of negotiating a variety of international memorandums of understanding. Also, I hosted a wide-range of visitors from partner universities, local and foreign governments, local consular corps and international companies.

"I'm excited and thankful for this new opportunity to commit full time to building international education and relationships for UST," Stockton said, "but stepping away from the Center after two decades has been an adjustment. My faculty and staff colleagues, students and alumni will continue to hold a special place in my heart."

For more information about the International Relations and Engagement Office at University of St. Thomas, contact [email protected]

About University of St. Thomas

University of St. Thomas is a comprehensive university, grounded in the liberal arts. Committed to the unity of all knowledge, UST offers programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional, and skills-based disciplines. Graduates of the University of St. Thomas think critically, communicate effectively, succeed professionally and lead ethically.

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SOURCE University of St. Thomas-Houston
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K



REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of September 2022.

Commission File Number: 001-39071

ADC Therapeutics SA

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Biopole

Route de la Corniche 3B

1066 Epalinges

Switzerland

(Address of principal executive office)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:

Form 20-F  Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): 

ADC Therapeutics and Sobi Announce ZYNLONTA  (loncastuximab tesirine) Receives Positive CHMP Opinion in Europe for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Approval decision expected in 4Q 2022

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 16, 2022  ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT) and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending the marketing authorization of ZYNLONTA  (loncastuximab tesirine) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The positive opinion from the CHMP is now referred to the European Commission for an approval decision.

Earlier this year, ADC Therapeutics announced an exclusive license agreement with Sobi to develop and commercialize ZYNLONTA for all hematologic and solid tumor indications in Europe and select international territories.

The opinion is based on data from LOTIS-2, a large (n=145) Phase 2 multinational, single-arm clinical trial of ZYNLONTA for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL following two or more prior lines of systemic therapy. In April 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of ZYNLONTA as the first CD19-targeted antibody drug conjugate (ADC) as a single-agent treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL after two or more lines of systemic therapy. In September 2021, the European Commission granted Orphan Drug Designation to ZYNLONTA for the treatment of DLBCL.

ADC Therapeutics has an exclusive license agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) for the development and commercialization of ZYNLONTA for all hematologic and solid tumor indications in Japan. In addition, Overland ADCT BioPharma, a joint venture formed by Overland Pharmaceuticals and ADC Therapeutics, is working to develop and commercialize ZYNLONTA in greater China and Singapore. Overland ADCT BioPharma is now conducting a registrational pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of ZYNLONTA in relapsed or refractory DLBCL in China.

About ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl)

ZYNLONTA is a CD19-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC). Once bound to a CD19-expressing cell, ZYNLONTA is internalized by the cell, where enzymes release a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload. The potent payload binds to DNA minor groove with little distortion, remaining less visible to DNA repair mechanisms. This ultimately results in cell cycle arrest and tumor cell death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including DLBCL not otherwise specified, DLBCL arising from low-grade lymphoma and also high-grade B-cell lymphoma. The trial included a broad spectrum of heavily pre-treated patients (median three prior lines of therapy) with difficult-to-treat disease, including patients who did not respond to first-line therapy, patients refractory to all prior lines of therapy, patients with double/triple hit genetics and patients who had stem cell transplant and CAR-T therapy prior to their treatment with ZYNLONTA. This indication is approved by the FDA under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

ZYNLONTA is also being evaluated as a therapeutic option in combination studies in other B-cell malignancies and earlier lines of therapy.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company improving the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary PBD-based ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large b-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents. Cami (camidanlumab tesirine) is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 trial for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and in a Phase 1b clinical trial for various advanced solid tumors. In addition to ZYNLONTA and Cami, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopole), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey.

ZYNLONTA is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA.

ADC Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, cash runway, business and commercial strategy, market opportunities, products and product candidates, research pipeline, ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory submissions and approvals, projected revenues and expenses and the timing of revenues and expenses, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to

reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This Report on Form 6-K shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the registration statements on Form F-3 (Registration Nos. 333-267293 and 333-267295) of ADC Therapeutics SA and to be a part thereof from the date on which this report is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Two rounds of tests in June and July confirmed the presence of toxic organic compounds in wastewater from this bases treatment facility, according to the city of Yokosuka.

Levels of PFOS and PFOA in samples of discharged water in July exceeded the limit  50 parts per trillion  imposed by the Japanese government, according to the news release.

U.S. Forces Japan, under the bilateral agreement Japan Environmental Governing Standards, has a 50 parts per trillion limit on drinking water but no established limit for wastewater.

Samples taken by the U.S. military on July 6 found combined concentrations of 15 parts per trillion at the entrance of the treatment plant and 112 parts per trillion in samples from the plants discharged water, according to the release.

A sample from Tokyo Bay taken June 30 by the South Kanto Defense Bureau found the chemicals in combined concentrations of 3.3 parts per trillion, well below the limit, according to a Sept. 12 news release from the city. A sample taken further away from shore showed a concentration of 1.6 parts per trillion.

Tests in May first showed that an unusual foam at the treatment plant contained trace levels of PFOA and PFOS.

Officials at the treatment plant discovered the foam on May 4 and two surveys on May 9 found PFOS and PFOA in combined concentrations of 112 parts per trillion and 57 parts per trillion.

Yokosuka Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji on Sept. 12 expressed concerns with the June and July results during a video conference with base officials and urged them to take corrective measures as soon as possible.

"We cannot help to believe that the discharging of more-than-standard value of PFOS and such from the base has become continuous," he said, according to the release.

PFOS and PFOA are found in firefighting foam, aircraft grease, water-repellent materials and other products that use fluorine chemicals. Studies involving lab animals show exposure to PFOA increases the risk of certain tumors, according to the American Cancer Society.

Studies involving human exposure to the chemicals show that in some cases it can lead to reproductive issues, developmental issues in children, increase risk of cancer and other health effects, according to a March 16 news release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Since discovering the two toxins in its wastewater, the base has removed all firefighting foam containing the chemicals and is installing a granular activated carbon filter, according to Cmdr. Katie Cerezo, spokeswoman for Naval Forces Japan.

We will continue to sample the wastewater plant regularly until the cause has been identified and resolved, she said in an email Thursday. We are committed to protecting the safety and health of the community and the environment and will continue our efforts to identify the cause of the release.

The base most recently tested the wastewater on Aug. 29 and will continue to work within the established process between the two governments to release the results, Cerezo said.
It is the 15th September (Nyankaaga) and its the 78th birthday of the old man with a hat. It has been God that has protected me all this time and blessed the NRM to be able to realize a lot of achievements. God has also blessed my family in all these years.

I thank Maama Janet for looking after the children when we were fighting. I salute the NRM fraternity for their support, as well as saluting all Ugandans for whatever good work they are doing.

My appeal to all Ugandans, again, is that each and every adult should strive to be either a wealth and job- creator or a worker if you still have the energy (not too old- e.g. 90 years and above)

The sectors for wealth and jobs creation, as I normally tell you, are:

1. Commercial agriculture with ekibaro (cura, aimar, otita)

2. Legal mining and manufacturing;

3. Services; and

4. ICT

The fifth sector, which is not so much a wealth creation sector but has some limited number of jobs, is the Public Service (the Civil Service, the Army, the Police, the Prisons, the Judiciary, the Local Governments, the Teaching Service and the Political class).

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These are competitive but they are limited- only 480,000 when I last checked. Hence, it is the other 4 sectors that have the answers for wealth & job creation. The Government has put mechanisms to support individuals that want to enter or grow their efforts in these four sectors.

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There is money in UDB for manufacturing and agriculture and some of the services ; PDM money for the Saccos in small-scale commercial agriculture; and emyooga funds at the Constituency level for enterprises that, mainly, need skills.

Targeting the Ugandan, the East African, the African, and the global markets, we cannot go wrong if we follow this advice.

In the coming weeks, I will address you on the issue of the environment, which is the other crucial issue.

With these efforts, as I start tackling the 79th year of my tenancy here on Earth, I will feel satisfied that the 62 Years of my struggle and that of my colleagues for the social-economic transformation of our people have not been in vain.

This is for the adults. How about the children? Those who are in school should concentrate on their studies, do sports, avoid risky behavior in their lives, and help their parents to do family work during the holidays.

They should be acquainted with Patriotism and Pan- Africanism. I hope the Patriotism Secretariat is active with the schools.

If all the still active adults engage in wealth and jobs creation as advised above, they will be able to look after the children- school and pre- school better.
The first of up to seven Australian MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drones was rolled out during a ceremony Wednesday in California.

The drone, made by U.S. aerospace company Northrop Grumman, will complement Australias P-8 Poseidon manned surveillance planes when it enters service in 2024, the Australian Defence Department said in a statement on the day of the unveiling.

Australia announced plans to buy the Triton in 2014. It is a maritime version of Americas largest unmanned aircraft, the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

The U.S. Navy operates Tritons out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and deployed some of the drones to Misawa Air Base in northeast Japan last summer.

Australia has one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world, encompassing vast swathes of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Its proximity to developing nations in Southeast Asia means authorities there must grapple with issues such as terrorism and human traffickers operating in small boats.

The Triton provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over ocean and coastal regions, according to Northrop Grumman.

The aircraft can fly over 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 10 miles, with an operational range of 8,200 nautical miles, the companys website states.

The Triton looks like the Global Hawk, which has seen extensive service in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the resemblance is skin deep.

The front edges of the aircrafts wings have been toughened to withstand bird strikes, while its electronics are designed to withstand power surges from lightning. The Tritons stiff wings allow them to dive below 10,000 feet to get a closer look at floating targets.

The Australian drones are part of a partnership with the U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman said in a statement coinciding with the Tritons unveiling.

The U.S. and Australian defense forces will be able to share data collected by their respective Tritons, the company said.

The partnership will support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles, the Royal Australian Air Force capability chief, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, said in the Australian statement.

Once in service, the remotely piloted High Altitude Long Endurance aerial system will significantly enhance our ability to persistently patrol Australias north and north-western approaches, in the south-west Pacific and south to Antarctica, he said.

Once delivered, the Tritons will be primarily based at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory while being controlled from facilities at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia, according to the statement.
U.S. Marine Corps stealth fighter pilots and support crew honed the skills theyll need to operate far from home while training last month at one of Australias most isolated military bases.

Sixty Marines and six F-35B Lightning II fighters from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, operated out of Royal Australian Air Force Base Curtin, 1,000 miles north of Perth in Western Australia.

The austere base, which has no units permanently assigned to it, is 1,800 miles from Singapore.

The Marine aviators also flew in the Pitch Black air power exercise involving 17 nations between Aug. 19 and Sept. 8.

Two weeks before they got to RAAF Curtin, Australian troops arrived there and set up a mess hall, medical facility, and command post, said Maj. Colton Bowser, who commanded a detachment in Australia from Marine Aircraft Group 12, also based at MCAS Iwakuni.

The bare bones facility, according to the Australian air force, includes a 10,000-foot runway that has been open since 1988.

The Marines who went there in mid-August were practicing expeditionary advanced basing operations, Bowser, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., said by phone Tuesday.

We were rehearsing to operate from an austere bare base, he said.

Expeditionary advanced base operations involve sending hard-to-target units into austere, temporary locations such as islands of the Western Pacific, from which they may block an adversary or resupply friendly forces, according to the Marine Corps.

The Iwakuni Marines have incorporated advanced basing operations in all their training this year, including a detachment sent to Guam while deployed to the USS Tripoli earlier this summer, Bowser said.

Six F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 121 and 242, also from MCAS Iwakuni, operated from RAAF Curtin Aug. 23-25.

To support the jets, a pair of KC-130 tankers from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, also from Iwakuni, flew troops and equipment from the Northern Territory to RAAF Curtin.

Members of Marine Support Squadron 171 arrived on the aircraft Aug. 21 along with equipment to set up a forward arming and refueling point, Bowser said.

The Marines established a small command post and communication links to the fighters as well as their headquarters back at RAAF Tindal, 200 miles south of Darwin, he said.

The Marines short-takeoff, vertical landing F-35Bs flew missions from RAAF Curtin and linked up with Australian conventional takeoff and landing F-35As flying out of RAAF Darwin, Bowser said.

Jets from both countries gassed up at the refueling and arming point on RAAF Curtin during the training, he said.

The Marines didnt have time to explore Western Australia, although they visited Derby, the town of just over 3,000 near RAAF Curtin, Bowser said.

The terrain was flatter than the Northern Territory and it was more austere, he said.

Members of Marine Rotational Force  Darwin trained at nearby Yampi Sound Training Area earlier in August.
Azerbaijan and Armenia reported that a truce appeared to be holding after border clashes that killed more than 200 troops on both sides in the worst fighting between the Caucasus neighbors since a 2020 war.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the situation remained "very tense" in separate calls with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, his office said Friday. The death toll among Armenian troops in this week's fighting has risen to 135, with many others wounded, Pashinyan told a government meeting.

Azerbaijan on Friday reported 77 deaths among its forces. Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov on Thursday spoke by phone with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl, while Azerbaijan's army chief also held talks with his Turkish counterpart.

Armenia and Azerbaijan blame each other for starting the fighting that began in the early hours of Tuesday and spiraled into the worst confrontation since a 44-day war over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 that killed thousands of soldiers on both sides until Putin brokered a truce.

While Azerbaijan and Armenia have held talks to try to delineate their common border and open up transport routes as part of the cease-fire accord, they have yet to reach a final peace agreement.

The two countries should negotiate a peace treaty without "artificial delays," including on mutual recognition of their territorial integrity, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Friday at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan. He's due to meet Putin for talks on the sidelines of the summit.

Azerbaijani forces have advanced as much as 4.7 miles into Armenia's territory as a result of the fighting, the head of the Armenian armed forces told foreign envoys during a visit Friday to the southern city of Jermuk.

Blinken has assumed a key role in the effort to end the clashes and secure a permanent cease-fire, a senior State Department official said Thursday, asking not to be identified discussing the diplomatic overtures. While a truce is in place, the official said much more must be done to address the causes of the conflict and put in place a formal peace process.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel to Armenia at the weekend in a show of support, Politico reported Thursday, citing two people familiar with the plan that it didn't identify.

A fact-finding mission from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization is in Armenia after Pashinyan formally invoked the defense pact and requested assistance from Moscow and other former Soviet republics to protect its sovereignty.

"Armenia's position is that Azerbaijan should withdraw its military forces from the territory of Armenia," he told the government meeting.
WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the U.S. claim that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine amid reports that Ukrainian forces had uncovered a mass grave in the city of Izyum, while again pushing back against pressure to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Reports of a mass grave in the retaken city of Izyum are "part, horrifically, of a continuum, an ongoing story," Blinken told reporters at a briefing. "Whenever we see the Russian tide recede from the parts of Ukraine that it's occupied, we see what's left in its wake."

He said it was important for Ukraine and its partners "to build the evidence and document the atrocities that have been committed  and in many instances, these amount to war crimes."

Blinken's comments echoed remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Friday that the Kremlin must be held accountable for war crimes. Ukraine's defense ministry said investigators had discovered some 440 unmarked burial spots in Izyum after Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops from the area in a recent counteroffensive.

Zelenskyy made an unannounced visit to Izyum on Wednesday and raised the Ukrainian flag, making a show of Kyiv's resolve in recapturing most of the region and pressing southeast toward Donbas.

In March, Blinken said the U.S. government assessed Russia was committing war crimes in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegation, saying in that purported scenes of atrocities were staged or faked by Ukrainian forces after Russian soldiers left.

Blinken again pushed back against the idea of designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism  an idea that is gaining bipartisan support in Congress. Blinken reiterated his stance that current sanctions already achieve the same result and a designation could have unintended consequences.

He said the administration is working with Congress on another way forward.

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Bluntly challenged by Indian Prime Minister Nerandra Modi over the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that Russia would strive to stop the conflict "as soon as possible" but then blamed Ukraine for refusing to negotiate, though Putin ordered the invasion and his troops are still occupying a large swath of Ukrainian territory.

Putin's remarks came during an appearance with Modi, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they are attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

In a stunning public rebuke, Modi told Putin: "Today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this."

Modi's remark, as the two leaders sat in front of journalists and cameras, came a day after Putin acknowledged he had heard "concerns and questions" about the war from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Responding to Modi, Putin said: "I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, about your concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its abandonment of the negotiation process, declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, as they say, 'on the battlefield.' Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there."

Russia has been hit hard by Western sanctions over the war and has been relying on continued trade with India and China, including sales of oil and natural gas, as a financial lifeline.

The questions and criticism from Xi and Modi are just the latest pressure on the Russian president.

In recent days, Russia has suffered steep military setbacks in recent days as a Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed Russian occupying troops out of the northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukraine is push forward with that offensive and has called on allies to supply additional weapons in hopes of tipping the war decisively in its favor.

Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, and his troops initially tried to seize Kyiv, the capital, with the intent of toppling the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. That failed, as Ukrainian forces pushed the Russians into a messy retreat.

Russia has suffered tens of thousands of casualties and the war increasingly looks unwinnable. Many analysts say that despite Ukraine's recent gains, the fighting could go on for months if not years.

Russia and India for years have enjoyed a close bilateral cooperation but, as with China, Putin's decision to invade Ukraine has tested the relationship.

On Friday, Moscow suffered addition setbacks as it continues to lose its military footing in eastern and southeastern Ukraine. At least five pro-Russian officials working in occupied Ukrainian territories died as a result of explosions and strikes, which Moscow blamed on Kyiv.
The United States on Thursday strictly limited the export of fentanyl and related chemicals to Russia, saying that they may be useful as chemical weapons to support Russias military aggression.

The Commerce Department said sales to Russia of the powerful opiate will now require a U.S. government license. The rule also applies to exports to Belarus, whose leadership supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fentanyl is widely known in the United States as an illicit street drug that has caused thousands of overdose deaths in recent years. But it also has legal uses as a prescription painkiller. It is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Commerce Department didnt respond to questions about why it took the step. But the move brings the United States in line with the European Union, which controlled fentanyl and related drug exports to Russia in June, saying that the substances have been used as toxic chemicals . . . in the past by Russia.

In 2002, Russian special forces used a gaseous form of fentanyl as a knockout agent before storming a theater where hostages were being held. The gas allowed the agents to enter and kill the Chechen militants who had taken hundreds of people hostage, but the powerful narcotic also killed more than 100 of the hostages.

Russian officials at the time wouldnt identify the type of gas used, saying only that it was a nonlethal anesthetic. But U.S. officials said that tests done by U.S. embassy doctors on Americans present during the hostage-taking indicated that the gas was fentanyl.

The new U.S. export controls also apply to the precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl and to a group of compounds closely related to fentanyl.

The measure was one of a list of additional sanctions and export controls the United States adopted on Thursday in relation to Russia. It slapped new controls on the export of quantum computing technology to Russia. It also sanctioned additional executives in Russias financial sector.

And it adopted new sanctions on people it accused of supporting Putins war in Ukraine and committing human rights abuses, including Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov; a Russian neo-Nazi militia allegedly fighting in Ukraine, and a Russian official who the United States said has led Russias efforts to deport tens of thousands of Ukrainian children.
Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region (file image).

Addis Abeba  In a statement it released last night, the European Union (EU) said said it regretted that "the two drone airstrikes that hit Mekelle", the capital of Tigray regional state on 14 on 13 September "endanger, once again, the very fragile hope for peace in Ethiopia."

EU's statement came following two drone airstrikes on Wednesday 14 September morning in Mekelle city in an area called Dagim Amsal killing 10 civilians and injuring 14 more, according to Kibrom Gebreselassie, Chief Executive Director, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Associate Professor of Surgery, Cardiovascular and thoracic Surgeon at Mekelle University.

Similar airstrikes on Tuesday damaged the transmission lines of the local TV station, Dimtsi Weyane, according to the regional state affiliated broadcaster, which also said the damages forced it to discontinue its regular broadcasting and relocate to a temporary studio. Another airstrike inflicted damage to Mekelle University Adi-Haki Campus, the University said.

The federal government has not yet commented on both drone airstrikes.

The EU further cautioned that "the blockade of humanitarian aid since the renewed fighting adds to the already huge serious and costly toll on civilian life, economy and development of the country. The role of Eritrea continues to impede ongoing efforts towards peace in Ethiopia."

On 03 September, the U.S. government condemned "Eritrea's reentry" into Ethiopia's renewed militarized hostilities Similarly, members of the U.N. appointed International Commission of Human Rights Experts said Eritrean troops were "engaged in hostilities," and cautioned "the conflict risks spreading to other states."

Along with the African Union (AU) and the U.S. government, the EU was among the first to recognize the announcement on Sunday 11 September by the Tigray regional state government of it stance that it was "prepared to participate in a robust peace process under the auspices of the Africa Union," as well as its readiness "to abide by an immediate and mutually agreed cessation of hostilities in order to create a conducive atmosphere."

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The announcement "should have opened an opportunity to end hostilities, reach a negotiated permanent ceasefire agreement and engage in direct talks," the EU said, adding "peace talks are the only way forward. No time should be lost in making the new Ethiopian year a peaceful one."

The block said it encourages both the federal and Tigrayan authorities "to immediately seize this opportunity to end hostilities and reach a negotiated permanent ceasefire agreement", and pledged, once again, its "support to the AU-led process and its readiness to actively engage in it, in coordination with international partners." AS
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has begun talks with top House Republicans on how to coordinate investigations across committees if the party is successful in taking over the House next year.

He has encouraged ranking Republicans on committees to send letters to agencies throughout the Biden administration, asking that they turn over or preserve documents, with more than 500 requests issued already.

He has also started holding regular training sessions for members and staff. One session held earlier this summer for House GOP attorneys, titled "Oversight Education Series: Investigations 101," laid out strategies for how such probes should be run. Last month, he held another that covered "how to conduct detailed depositions" in accordance with House rules.

Roughly two months before midterm elections that may hand the GOP control of the House, McCarthy and other Republicans are well into mapping out an expansive list of probes that will translate the party's grievances with Democratic policies and hot-button figures into investigative priorities.

House Republicans have so far pledged to investigate President Joe Biden's son Hunter's business dealings and art sales, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden administration's military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origins of the novel coronavirus, coronavirus-related school closures, the administration's deliberations over weapons sales to Ukraine, and the spending of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Most recently, in the wake of widespread Republican outrage over the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, McCarthy vowed to investigate the Justice Department.

"Attorney General Garland: preserve your documents and clear your calendar," McCarthy tweeted the day of the FBI search, suggesting his intent to subpoena Merrick Garland over what he called the Justice Department's "intolerable state of weaponized politicization."

The California Republican has been open about his ambition to ascend to the post of House speaker. But after four years in the minority, two impeachments of President Donald Trump, and a presidency embroiled in oversight investigations, McCarthy and some of his top allies are already facing a challenge to keep apace with members' hunger to satisfy the base's zest for retribution. His decisions related to Republicans' investigative targets will need to be championed by members of his conference eager to motivate voters with evidence of investigative action, underscoring his tenuous path to the speakership.

McCarthy's efforts to shepherd the conference toward various investigative priorities have conspicuously failed to include targets being championed by some of the loudest voices in the party. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., for example, issued a letter signed by 10 other Republicans earlier this summer calling on House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., to "investigate the potential illegal activities revealed in the documentary film 2000 Mules." And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., introduced articles of impeachment against Biden on his first full day in office. Neither member is likely to have investigative authority in the 118th Congress.

"We're not going to pick and choose just because somebody has power," McCarthy said earlier this year regarding calls to impeach Biden. "We're going to uphold the law. At any time, if someone breaks the law and the ramification becomes impeachment, we would move towards that. But we're not going to use it for political purposes."

McCarthy also has been cool to his members' calls for investigations into Trump's baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, according to people familiar with his thinking - an issue that puts him out of step with Trump, the far-right flank of the House GOP conference, and a vast slate of election-denying GOP candidates vying for a congressional seat. But he was bullish on the latest object of ire for the base, vowing to investigate the country's top law enforcement agency after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago.

Just before leaving for August recess, McCarthy declined to say whether investigating the results of the 2020 election was on his oversight agenda, instead listing the economy, cost of living, price of gasoline, origins of the coronavirus and a handful of other items as investigative priorities if the GOP regains the majority. McCarthy also has been reticent to throw his support behind a counter-probe of the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 and the lawmakers involved in that effort, according to people familiar with his thinking, and is wary of giving more oxygen to proponents of the "big lie."

"You can be concerned about election integrity without going full Sidney Powell," said a senior House GOP aide who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, name-checking the attorney who advised Trump on reversing the outcome of the 2020 election.

Committee assignments loom large

If Republicans take the House, McCarthy will be expected to make a number of other determinations that will shape the trajectory of GOP investigations - and the power of election deniers in the conference who have demanded plum committee assignments.

"This is the 'do something' Fox News crowd," said a second senior GOP aide. "They just want scalps. They want [Democrats] to be subpoenaed, kicked off of a committee, and someone to be impeached. McCarthy is going to have to make a decision like that very early."

One of those key decisions will be who leads several powerful House committees.

After McCarthy was elected minority leader in 2018, he helped cement his relationship with Trump loyalists and House Freedom Caucus members, who are broadly aligned in their support of Trump and his top priorities, by appointing Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to lead the House Oversight Committee. Freedom Caucus members have started floating Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., according to people familiar with the discussions, to fill the top open spot on the House Homeland Security Committee.

If Republicans take back the House, Jordan is set to occupy the party's top spot on the House Judiciary Committee, which is uniquely equipped to investigate the executive branch. However, McCarthy would not say whether he would ultimately support Bishop to lead a committee that would handle investigations into the Southern border - a major priority for Republicans.

"There are multiple candidates running and the steering committee for the 118th Congress will decide that," a McCarthy aide said in a statement.

The House Freedom Caucus is already trying to lessen the role House GOP leadership plays in picking the powerful committee chairs. One proposal, first reported by the Washington Examiner, outlines a set of rule changes that would give rank-and-file members more power, including a reshuffling of the Steering Committee, by adding more "regional representatives" to the group that chooses which members sit on which committees.

"The Steering Committee makes nearly all decisions on committee assignments for House Republicans, but its makeup does not reflect all House Republicans, and instead it is packed with party leaders and their close allies," a memo outlining the proposal reads. "As a result, decisions are made based on who is loyal to leadership and who delivers the most fundraising - not who is best qualified."

Investigative framework has begun

Even without the subpoena power that comes with holding the majority, Republican lawmakers have started laying the groundwork for investigations.

The ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas, hired an investigator last fall who prepared a preliminary report on the Biden administration's oft-criticized exit from Afghanistan. The 120-page interim report released last month alleged that the Biden administration failed to adequately prepare for the withdrawal and evacuate many Afghan allies who supported U.S. troops.

The report also lays out the minority's intent to subpoena the State Department for documents and interviews if Republicans win back the majority in November.

"Thirteen U.S. service members died during the Afghanistan evacuation and hundreds of American citizens and tens of thousands of our Afghan partners were left behind," McCaul said in a statement. "But Congress has struggled since last year to get information from the State Department about what led to this failure. I want to make it clear to our veterans and to the Americans who were abandoned in the country - I will not let up until we get answers and people are held accountable."

Jordan previewed his investigative agenda during a hearing this summer that featured testimony from Justice Department official Matthew Olsen, quizzing Olsen on whether the FBI targeted outspoken parents who protested coronavirus policies at school board meetings and whether the Justice Department has padded the number of domestic violent extremism cases. Jordan's committee is also likely to have jurisdiction over the potential impeachment of Mayorkas and some of the most important investigative priorities for the party.

"That will help frame up the 2024 race, when I hope and I think, President Trump is going to run again and we need to make sure that he wins," Jordan said during an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference this summer.

House Republicans have also intensified probes into Hunter Biden, who is being investigated by the FBI over whether he properly reported income from his business dealings.

Long a target for the right, the renewed scrutiny of Hunter Biden is viewed as a political boon for the House GOP conference - especially ahead of November midterms. "Our base wants us to look at Hunter Biden," a senior GOP aide said.

Rep. James Comer, Ky., the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, has sent letters to banks and the Treasury Department requesting financial records related to the president's son and his business associates, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Comer has vowed to investigate whether Hunter Biden's international business dealings created conflicts for his father when he was a U.S. senator, vice president or presidential candidate. An investigation conducted by The Washington Post into Hunter Biden's dealings with a Chinese energy conglomerate did not find evidence that his father personally benefited.

"This Republican obsession with Hunter Biden is a Fox News talking point," said a Democratic aide who works on investigations and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. "Unlike former president Trump and his family, who used their senior White House positions to advance their own financial interests - and whom Republicans have blindly defended - Hunter Biden is a private citizen who is not a member of the administration. Republicans' hypocrisy is not lost on the American people."

McCarthy is also likely create a select committee on China - a continuation of the work of the Republican-led congressional task force investigating China formed by McCarthy in 2020. The task force was initially designed to be bipartisan before Democrats ultimately opted not to join.

White House preparing for probes

While the White House publicly maintains it has not made any assumptions about the midterm elections, the White House Counsel's Office has staffed up in advance of the potential onslaught of oversight investigations.

The counsel's office poached the top lawyer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Richard Sauber, to oversee responses to subpoenas and oversight efforts, and Ian Sams joined the counsel's office as a spokesperson focused on responding to congressional investigations earlier this year. The office is likely to add more staff.

"As we have since the transition, we are ensuring the White House is prepared for the issues we are facing or will face in the future, and we have built and continue to build a strong legal team to conduct our work and serve the public and the President," Sams said in a statement.

If Republicans have learned anything from the House Jan. 6 select committee, it's the value in creating such a panel with members chosen by the speaker to conduct investigations on a particular topic or subject.

The approach may also highlight the bubbling schism in the conference as GOP firebrands angle to assume more prominent roles in the party's major investigations if the majority flips. For example, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Fla., told Breitbart News in an interview last month that there have been discussions about creating a select committee to investigate the Biden family - even as Comer, who is poised to lead the Oversight Committee, has been laying the groundwork to investigate Hunter Biden.

Like Biggs and Greene, Gaetz also lacks investigative authority.

"The House Oversight Committee has expansive oversight authority under House rules," a Republican Oversight Committee aide said in response to Gaetz's comments. "Next Congress, Oversight Committee Republicans will continue their investigation into the Biden family's suspicious business dealings using the power of the gavel to get answers for the American people."
WASHINGTON  Warning that "this venom and violence cannot be the story of our time," President Joe Biden convened an array of civil, government and faith leaders at the White House on Thursday, hoping to ignite a society-wide effort to tamp down on violence sparked by hate.

Biden's keynote at the White House's United We Stand summit was aimed at combating the kind of hate-fueled violence that has scarred communities including El Paso, Buffalo and Orlando in recent years, and that the president warned can also stem from political divisiveness.

"There are core values that should bring us together as Americans," Biden told a crowd gathered in the East Room. "One of them is standing together against hate, racism, bigotry and violence that has long plagued our nation."

Biden said the themes of Thursday's event are at the center of his presidency. He has long said that the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017 - and President Donald Trump's comments about there being "very fine people on both sides" - was "a wake-up call for us as a country" and inspired him to launch a third bid for the presidency. He has also blasted Republicans who participated in or condoned the Capitol riot as "MAGA Republicans" whose beliefs are dangerous and antithetical to American values.

"Unfortunately, such hateful violence and threats are not new to America," he said. "There's a through line of hate, from massacres of Indigenous people and the original sin of slavery, the terror of the [Ku Klux Klan] and then anti-immigration policies against the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Mexicans - so much of it is laced through our history."

Still, as the midterm elections approach and Biden has sought to draw a line of demarcation between Democrats and Republicans, he has been accused of contributing to the divisiveness. At a speech in Philadelphia, Biden labeled some members of the opposition party "MAGA Republicans" reminiscent of fascists.

"Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal," he said in the prime-time speech on the "battle for the soul of the nation." "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said at the time that Biden was "slandering tens of millions of Americans as fascists." And many Republican leaders have questioned how Biden can claim to unite the country by branding a large group of Americans as a threat to democracy.

Other critics have said that while the president routinely mentions the need to stand against hate-fueled violence, he has put forth few cogent actions to quell it.

"States need support from the federal government to respond to white nationalism and political violence, including clear condemnation of the anti-Semitic 'great replacement' conspiracy theory and policies that tackle this threat head-on," the Western States Center, a nonprofit that works to promote progressive policy change, wrote in an open letter to the administration in advance of the summit.

Thursday's day-long event featured survivors of hate-centered violence, mayors and other civic leaders, members of the clergy, and a former member of a hate group. Before his keynote, Biden was introduced by Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, who was killed by a man who plowed his vehicle into a crowd of counterprotesters during the White supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

"Her murder resonated around the world, but the hate did not begin nor end there," Bro said. "White supremacist organizers have worked for months here to create a culture of hate and dissidence with numerous rallies, marches and visits in Charlottesville." One of the rallies, Bro said, happened just months after Heyer was killed.

In conjunction with Thursday's event, the White House announced new initiatives and collaborations that it says will allow cultural institutions, schools and law enforcement agencies to better combat hate-fueled violence. Biden also called on Congress to pass part of his budget proposal that would increase funding to protect houses of worship from violence. And he said Congress should hold social media companies accountable for allowing hate speech to spread unchecked on their platforms.

Eric Ward, senior adviser at the Western States Center, said the summit was a good first step, but he emphasized that the fight to stem hate crimes has been going on in some American communities for years. The infusion of presidential support was helpful, but cities and towns need additional resources to make progress.

"We should all understand that local communities are already out there. Local governments are already out there around the country, attempting to build responses. What they need is support," Ward told The Washington Post. "If Portland, Oregon, had received that type of assistance or coordination in 2017, in these early days, I don't think that we'd be telling the stories about Portland, Oregon, that we are telling today."

Biden characterized Thursday's effort as a first step and said the White House should also invest in programs that help communities inoculate themselves against such violence, including "training election officials who really have become a target of political violence," particularly volunteers from minority groups who "appear to be on the receiving end of more aggressive intimidation."

He said the federal government should also invest in criminal justice information-sharing against perpetrators of hate crimes, who often travel across city and state lines to commit crimes.

When questioned at Thursday's White House news briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the summit was not a panacea.

"Clearly, we believe these deliverables, this rundown of actions that I've provided, is a first step to getting us to a place where we're dealing with real issues, where we're addressing hate-fueled violence in these communities that we see."

She also defended Biden's words about "MAGA Republicans," saying the president's statements reflect the opinions of the bulk of Americans who oppose political violence.

"The president is hosting this event to highlight that the vast majority of Americans, despite our myriad differences, are united in opposition to hate-fueled violence," she said. "This is a core American value that is shared by people of all faiths."

In the Philadelphia speech, and in statements afterward, Biden sought to differentiate between mainstream Republicans and those who embrace extreme ideologies. "Not every Republican - not even a majority of Republicans - are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology."

The Biden Justice Department has boosted federal hate-crime prosecutions under Attorney General Merrick Garland, filing 20 cases in the first half of this year, a pace that eclipses any single year of the Obama or Trump administrations. Although Biden has emphasized that he would not seek to influence the Justice Department, officials have held the prosecutions up as a way to show that his administration is addressing hate crimes.

Bro said much more needs to be done, especially because the voices of divisiveness are still active, even in the place where her daughter was killed.

"To this day, white supremacist stickers are often placed at the site of the murder and on the University of Virginia campus along with recruitment fliers," Bro said.

"We're here to share our experiences and our strategies to combat hate," she said. "But it must continue beyond today. Governments, corporations, communities and organizations must continue to move forward in ways that pull us all together. We must shine the light of truth, justice and equity on this issue, and reject those who want us to live in fear of our fellow man."

The Washington Post's David Nakamura contributed to this report.
A federal judge dismissed all charges against a retired Navy rear admiral implicated in a corruption scandal that saw dozens convicted over dealings with a now-on-the-run Malaysian businessman who defrauded the service of at least $35 million.

On Thursday, Judge Janis Sammartino of the U.S. Southern District of California granted prosecutors motion to dismiss charges of conspiracy, bribery and fraud against Bruce Loveless, according to court documents.

The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning Loveless cannot be tried again on the same charges in federal court.

Loveless was one of five former Navy officials on trial earlier this year for accepting luxury hotel stays, expensive dinners, fancy wine and cigars, prostitution services and other gifts from military contractor Leonard Glenn Fat Leonard Francis, court documents show.

In June, jurors deadlocked and did not reach a verdict on the charges against Loveless but convicted former Navy Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman and former Cmdr. Mario Herrera of conspiracy, bribery and fraud.

Lausman also was convicted of obstruction of justice.

Tom OBrien, an attorney for the firm that represented Loveless, said dismissal of the charges was the correct result based on the complete lack of evidence of criminal wrongdoing presented during the four-month-long trial, according to a USNI News report Thursday.

Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribing military officials to obtain classified and unclassified information to benefit his Singapore-based business, Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd., ultimately allowing him to overcharge the service at least $35 million for servicing ships.

The bribery scheme took place from 2006 to 2014, mostly targeting Navy officials and others associated with U.S. 7th Fleet.

Francis was under house arrest and scheduled for sentencing later this month. But nearly two weeks ago, he cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and left his Southern California home, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sept. 6.

Federal officials have offered a $40,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, a Sept. 10 Associated Press report said.

Of 34 military officials charged by federal prosecutors in the case, four were convicted at trial and 29 pleaded guilty, according to the USNI News report.

Dozens more were investigated, and some, including three rear admirals censured in 2015, received administrative punishments.
ATLANTA  The prosecutor investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia said this week that her team has heard credible allegations that serious crimes have been committed and that she believes some individuals may see jail time.

"The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences," Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis told The Washington Post.

No decision will be made for months on whether there will be indictments - and, most notably, if Trump himself will face charges. At least 17 people have been notified they are targets of the criminal investigation, meaning they could eventually face charges. And more targets will be added to the list soon, Willis said in an interview Tuesday in her Atlanta office.

Willis would not discuss any of the targets by name and has not said if she's willing to charge the former president. Trump could be called to appear as a witness before the special grand jury that was convened this spring as part of the investigation, Willis said Tuesday.

"A decision is going to have to be made," she said on whether to seek Trump's testimony, "and I imagine it's going to be made late this fall."

So far, the group of known targets includes former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and the state's 16 would-be Trump electors who created unofficial documents proclaiming Trump as the winner of Georgia's electoral votes, even though he lost the state. Lawyers for Giuliani and the electors have denied any wrongdoing. Lawyers for the electors say their clients followed the law and made clear they met as a contingency measure as they waited for a court to rule on a challenge to the Georgia vote.

Trump said during a Thursday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he hasn't received any target letters "at all" in ongoing criminal investigations. He denied involvement in the multistate plan by Republicans to send the names of Trump electors to Washington, but said such alternate elector slates were "very common."

The Fulton County investigation is far from the only inquiry into Trump's conduct around the 2020 election. The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 has looked extensively at the electors scheme and other matters. The Justice Department is investigating Trump's actions related to the election as part of a federal grand jury probe.

In addition to investigating the Trump electors' actions, Willis is looking at potential criminal wrongdoing in calls Trump and his allies made to Georgia officials, false statements made to lawmakers, harassment of election officials and the tampering of election systems in one county in southern Georgia.

Willis said she anticipates wrapping up the fact-finding stage of the inquiry before the end of the year, even as she continues to expand its reach. She said the probe will stop public activities, such as calling witnesses, for the month leading to the general election. When the special grand jury has finished hearing from witnesses, it is expected to provide Willis with a report that could include recommendations for indictments. She will then decide which individuals, if any, to charge.

Willis's open and frank assessment is unusual for a prosecutor, as such high-profile investigations are often shrouded in secrecy. Her approach in this inquiry has drawn criticism from some in the legal community, and it contrasts with the general reticence of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Willis said she believes transparency is a requirement of her job.

Her latest comments come as Republicans in Georgia - including the state's governor - have complained that her investigation is politically motivated, a claim Willis, a Democrat, denies.

She noted that there was no grand jury activity during the period of the state's primary election this spring and that she plans a similar quiet period starting Oct. 7 in advance of the November midterms.

"I didn't want people to claim that this was some political stunt that we were doing to impact the election," she said.

Willis said that the special grand jury has interviewed about 65 percent of the dozens of witnesses whose testimony has been sought by prosecutors.

"I'm pleased with where it is. I think we're moving along at a really good speed," Willis said, adding she was not concerned that some witnesses, including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), have resisted appearing before the grand jury.

"We are going to be done calling witnesses by the end of this year. Period," she said.

The probe has already seen appearances from many high-profile witnesses, including Giuliani, who was informed last month that he is a target.

Giuliani's lawyer, Robert Costello, declined to comment on Willis's latest remarks.

In addition to Giuliani, Willis has notified 16 would-be Trump electors from Georgia that they, too, are targets of the probe. In the past, lawyers for some of the electors suggested their clients would have cooperated with the inquiry had Willis not identified them as targets. The lawyers declined to comment on Willis's latest remarks.

In the interview, Willis said she fleetingly hoped she would not have to open the 2020 election inquiry at all. She had been in office only a couple of days in early January 2021 when news reports from The Post and others described Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) urging him to "find" additional votes to overcome Joe Biden's lead in Georgia.

Willis said she quickly realized she would have to investigate the alleged election interference. "I understood that if this occurred in Fulton County, it is serious enough that it needed to be looked at," she said.

Since then, Willis's probe has grown and represents - along with a ramped up federal inquiry - a serious threat that criminal charges could be brought against Trump and his allies.

Trump has criticized Willis on social media as a "young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat ... who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden and Corrupt places in the USA."

Willis says she is undeterred by such criticism and by the regular threats directed against her.

Court filings and interviews indicate her team continues to examine several key themes. First, they are pursuing whether there were violations of Georgia law prohibiting false statements to government officials. Those statutes could apply to Giuliani and other Trump campaign advisers who cited evidence - later debunked - of widespread election fraud when speaking to Georgia legislative committees.

Second, Willis is examining the calls made by Trump and others to Georgia officials after the election. In court filings, Willis has cited a Georgia statute prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud.

Third, prosecutors have been pursuing the effort to send the names of would-be Trump electors from Georgia to Washington. Prosecutors are interested in whether sending official Trump electors from battleground states was part of an organized effort to give Vice President Mike Pence a reason to declare that the outcome of the election was in doubt when he presided over the congressional counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021.

Two weeks ago, Willis filed a petition seeking testimony from Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer who worked closely with Giuliani during the post- election period. The petition said Epshteyn "possesses unique knowledge" of "efforts by the Trump Campaign to submit false certificates of vote to former vice president Michael Pence and others."

Last week, Epshteyn and Giuliani were among those named in a federal subpoena seeking information about the plan to submit slates of would-be Trump electors from Georgia and other states.

Willis in recent weeks has added new items to her investigative agenda, including seeking detailed information about threats made to an election worker.

In December 2020, according to her court filings, Trump allies pressured and threatened Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County elections worker. Willis declined to comment on recent filings related to pressure on Freeman except to say: "I hate a bully. Obviously, I think we would find it offensive to bully an election official to influence an election."

Finally, Willis has expanded her probe to investigate whether election systems were improperly breached in Coffee County, Ga. That interest was initially disclosed in documents seeking testimony from Sidney Powell, a lawyer who worked for the Trump campaign after the 2020 election.

The Post was the first to report on the effort by Powell and other Trump allies to copy Coffee County's restricted election systems data. The effort occurred as Trump allies focused publicly on voting machines, making the case that they were part of a plot to rig the election for Biden.

Willis's petition for an appearance by Powell noted that, in addition to Coffee County, there is evidence indicating that Powell was "involved in similar efforts in Michigan and Nevada" during the same time that the Coffee County elections systems were supposedly breached. Powell did not respond to a request for comment.

Willis has suggested that this complex of activity - from organizing Trump electors to making false statements to applying pressure on local election officials - could be prosecuted under Georgia's conspiracy and anti-racketeering laws.

State anti-racketeering laws, known as Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or RICO, were enacted decades ago as a legal tool to fight organized crime. Georgia's RICO statute has been used by Willis and others to prosecute an array of high-profile cases. In 2014, Willis was one of the lead prosecutors securing convictions and guilty pleas from 30 Atlanta public school teachers and administrators implicated in a scandal to cheat on student tests.

"The RICO statute allows you to tell jurors the full story" of a complex conspiracy, Willis said Tuesday, noting that Georgia law permits investigation of seemingly disparate acts even those that happen outside of a prosecutor's home county. "It's a great statute for prosecutors," she said.

The Washington Post's Alice Crites, Jon Swain and Emma Brown contributed to this report.
Addis Abeba  The African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking a shared commitment to expand their partnership in public health. Through this Memorandum, the French development agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), will provide a grant amounting to 2.4 million euros under two pillars, devoted to supporting Africa CDC's mandate in Africa's public health, particularly in emergency preparedness and response.

The first portion of the grant will support the development and strengthening of the Africa CDC Health Economics Unit (HEU) over a period of two years, through the recruitment of staff and facilitate the creation of a framework for collaboration in the field of health economics across the continent. With Africa CDC championing the continental response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to support the HEU in its areas of work with the expertise required for evidence-based policies and programs.

The second part aims at improving COVID-19 vaccination coverage in targeted countries and strengthening national and regional institutional capacity for addressing health challenges.

Since mid-2021, Africa CDC has been supporting vaccination activities across Africa through the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) program around four pillars: purchasing vaccine doses; supporting the deployment of vaccines; strengthening manufacturing of human vaccines and building institutional capacity. Under the current MoU and as part of the SLL program, Africa CDC and AFD, in partnership with Amref Health Africa, will invest in locally-led action - including Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and support national vaccination strategies to intensify vaccination roll out and increase uptake.

Through this Memorandum, Africa CDC and AFD express their commitment towards joining efforts in helping countries strengthen their public health and laboratory systems. The two organizations pledged to maintain close collaboration for the achievement of the health and development objectives of the African Union beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Dispatch
The alleged abuse was said to have occurred during the mid 1970s when the complainant was a pupil at the school and aged in his teens.

A man who claimed he was sexually abused by a Catholic Priest almost 50 years ago has settled his High Court damages action for 350,000.

In his judgement on Friday Mr Justice Garrett Simons approved the settlement of the now 60-year-old man personal injuries claim, who currently resides in the UK, against The Sacred Heart Missionary Education Trust and his alleged abuser.

The case was settled by the Trust, without an admission of liability by either of the defendants.

The man claimed that he was sexually abused by a priest who taught at a secondary school operated by the Trust.

The alleged abuse was said to have occurred during the mid 1970s when the complainant was a pupil at the school and aged in his teens.

As a result of the alleged abuse the man had sued the defendants seeking damages for the personal injuries, he claims he suffered.

The claims were denied, and the action had been opposed on grounds including that the claim against the defendants was statue barred.

The Trust also argued that it was not vicariously liable for any actions alleged committed by the priest.

The Trust had further claimed that the fact the man had been sexually abused by other persons not associated with the school had also to be taken into account.

It argued that these abusers were "concurrent wrongdoers" and that is failure to pursue them had legal consequences.

Due to a medical condition which causes the man to struggle with his memory and attention, he cannot be identified for legal reasons.

In his decision the judge said that settlement had come before him because the man lacks the capacity to provide instructions in respect of his claim or manage his own affairs.

The man is currently detained at a mental health facility in England, and the subject of various orders made by the English courts, the judge noted.

As a result of his medical condition, which became problematic after he launched his personal injury action, his proceedings were amended and were eventually brought on his behalf by his 'next friend' which in this case was his sister.

In approving the settlement Mr Justice Simons said that had the case gone to trial there was "a strong likelihood" the action would have been dismissed.

The Judge said that it appeared that the claim was statute barred, and because of the plaintiff's mental health he was not competent to provide sworn evidence in the proceedings.

Given the circumstances the settlement was an excellent one from the plaintiff's perspective, the judge said, adding that there was no realistic prospect of the man getting a larger sum that what has been offered had the case gone to trial.

The settlement, the judge directed, is to be paid to the English local authority charged with managing the man's affairs.
The cases were brought before Dublin District Court yesterday by gardai from the capitals J district, where 22 men and five women were charged with some 37 offences arising from 29 alleged incidents at shops in the area.

Some of the accused had their cases adjourned yesterday to consider pleas while others pleaded guilty and were sentenced.

The garda district covers the Clontarf, Howth and Raheny areas in north Dublin.

Among those appearing before Judge Bryan Smyth today was Stephen Gaffney (30) of Westpark, Artane, who is charged with stealing 70 worth of detergent from Centra, Rosemount Avenue, Artane. The theft is alleged to have happened on January 24 this year.

The judge adjourned his case to a date in October, for the accused to decide how he intends to plead.

Stephen Leech (39) of Glencarrig, Sutton appeared in court charged with stealing sushi and two kettle bells from Supervalu, Sutton Cross on January 19. His case was also adjourned for consideration of a plea.

Dylan Mills (20) of Hampton Wood Square, St Magarets Road, Finglas is charged with stealing 5 worth of eggs from Centra, Killester Avenue on January 19 last year, and another 5 worth of eggs from the same shop on January 25, 2021.

Garda Sean White said Mr Mills was allegedly identified on CCTV and the property was not recovered. The accuseds solicitor said he had a positive defence to the charges which were also adjourned.

Gary OBrien (36) of Greencastle Crescent, Coolock, pleaded guilty to theft of 136 worth of alcohol from Circle K, Bull Wall, Clontarf Road on October 4 last year.

The prosecuting garda said OBrien put the alcohol into a bag and passed all points of payment. He had 249 previous convictions.

OBrien was homeless at the time and in a very desperate situation, his solicitor Conor Ruane said. He was already serving another sentence when he appeared in court.

Judge Smyth jailed him for two months, concurrent.

According to gardai, the overall initiative placed increased emphasis on business and retail outlets who were the victims of crime." Some 15 of the alleged offenders are from the Clontarf sub-district, with 11 from Raheny and three from Howth.

As well as theft, other accused are charged with criminal damage and burglary affecting the business sector.

Gardai reassessed historical reports of crimes to identify suspects in retail settings, a spokesperson said.

"This operation focuses on increased collaboration and cooperation with the business community in Raheny, Clontarf and Howth through increased engagement with Raheny Business Association," Superintendent David Kennedy of the J District said.

"Ultimately, this approach will promote crime awareness and enhance our relationships with the business community in the J District. I encourage all businesses to continue to report criminal matters to An Garda Siochana and to continue work collaboratively with us in the detection and prevention of crimes against the retail sector."
Tallaght is shattered. I among them. We as a community are heartsore

The cortege makes its way to the cemetery following the funeral of Lisa Cash and twin siblings Chelsea and Christy Cawley who died in an attack last Saturday night. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

Margaret Cash McDonagh, mother of the three victims is consoled as her children's remains are put into the horse drawn carriage. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

As a chink of sunlight shone down on the funeral procession of Lisa, Chelsea and Christy  mourners reached out their hands to touch the snow-white coffins in a final farewell.

It was a poignant example of how the community of Tallaght will continue to uplift and carry a family so bereft and broken that they simply cant fathom a way forward.

Hundreds of people stood in sombre silence, spilling out onto the grounds and streets surrounding St Aidans Church in Brookfield, Tallaght, struggling to understand this inconceivable loss.

Just last week, eight-year-old twins, Christy and Chelsea, were settling back into primary school, while 18-year-old Lisa was creating TikTok videos and spending time with friends  her entire life stretching out before her.

Last Friday morning, just six days after their lives were cruelly cut short in a fatal stabbing, their grief-stricken mother, Margaret, prepared to bury three of her children in the knowledge that life would never be the same again.

Margaret Cash McDonagh pictured at St. Aidan's Church, Brookfield Tallaght at the funeral of Lisa Cash and twin siblings Chelsea and Christy Cawley. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

The words of Fr Paul ODriscoll, who is chaplain of the Dublin Travelling community and who led the Funeral Mass perfectly encapsulated the thick fog of grief that hung heavy in the air.

Bereft of words, all of us hold the same question: How could this be happening?

As young mothers cradled their small babies close and grown men wept openly, it was an unspoken question asked by all, how could this be happening?

Three horse-drawn carriages lay in wait as the siblings were carried from the small church while one of Lisas favourite Elvis Presley songs was played from outdoor speakers.

Mourners pictured at St. Aidan's Church, Brookfield Tallaght at the funeral of Lisa Cash and twin siblings Chelsea and Christy Cawley. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

There were ragged sobs as the lyrics: There must be lights burning brighter somewhere, got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue washed over the crowd as the coffins filed past.

As dozens of schoolchildren lined up to say their final goodbyes to their friends, each one wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of their classmates with the caption: our little angels the community learned of the siblings unending love for one another.

Displaying remarkable poise, Lisas two best friends spoke of the unbreakable bond between the three youngsters.

Before the congregation, Natasha Kavanagh said:

Twins Chelsea and Christy Cawley (aged 8), and their older sister Lisa Cash (18)

Lisa, my heart is completely broken, make sure you keep the twins safe up there. They were your whole life, you were always with them and when you werent you never stopped talking about them.

Just minutes from the church where the three siblings lay, is the place they once called home.

Flowers, candles and wreaths adorn their home at Rossfield Avenue as people continue to come out in their droves to pay their respects.

The windows remain boarded up but that cannot contain the shocking events that took place last weekend while Lisa was babysitting her younger siblings. Nor can it contain the sorrow that is reverberating across the nation.

Tallaght is shattered. I among them. We as a community are heartsore as we grieve for the three innocents who lived a whisper of a life before their time here was so cruelly and violently snuffed out.

The three white coffins are carried from church after funeral Mass. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

There are no answers, and there is no comfort.

But however short-lived their beautiful lives may have been, we cannot underestimate the robust impact they have made on their community.

Testament to this are the many coffee mornings, neighbourly words of comfort, prayer services and shrines that have lit up the west Dublin suburb.

While the local neighbourhood rallied around the family in the days since the terrible events to support the childrens mother and their 14-year-old brother who was also injured in the incident, a vigil held on Monday saw hundreds of balloons released in memory of the three angels.

Support services were also put in place at the schools the children had attended and in the local community centre to allow people to express their shock and heartache.

The cortege makes its way to the cemetery following the funeral of Lisa Cash and twin siblings Chelsea and Christy Cawley who died in an attack last Saturday night. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin   Colin Keegan

Most awe-inspiring is a fundraiser in aid of the family which has raised a staggering 66,230.

More than 1,000 people have made donations to the fundraiser that initially had a target of 5,000.

And yet in spite of this tragedy and the outpouring of support from the hardworking people in the community, there continues to be a barrage of vitriol spewed online about Tallaght and the people that live here.

On Twitter and across social media, some people have denigrated the place that I have proudly called home for the past 33 years.

For the family of Lisa, Christy and Chelsea Tallaght has proven once more that in true hardship comes true community.

And every last one of us will continue to hold Lisa, Chelsea and Christy in our hearts and hope that they are flying higher in a sky more blue.
The definition of a republic is to oppose a monarch and the existence of a monarch

A local councillor has called on Donegal County Council to ignore a request from the Department of the Taoiseach to fly flags at half-fast on the morning of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

The request was made to Donegal County Council and sent on to all departments including local councillors.

The request reads: "I would appreciate if you could arrange for the flying, at half-mast, of the National Flag from all buildings, if any, under your control equipped with a permanent flagpole on Monday, September 19, the day of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

"Please note that if the EU flag is also flown from your building, this should be taken down while the National Flag is at half-mast.

"If you have a National Flag that is illuminated, it should be similarly half-masted on the day and then returned to full mast the following morning."

However, the request has sparked outrage, with local Independent county councillor Michael Mac Giolla Easbuig contacting both the Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Liam Blaney and Chief Executive Officer of Donegal County Council, John McLaughlin about the issue.

He said he will be lobbying other councillors with a view to supporting him on his stance to ignore the request from the Taoiseach's Department.

Councillor Mac Giolla Easbuig said: "You'd think the government would have learned their lesson when they tried to honour the Black and Tans?

"The Queen of England had reigned for 70 years and overseen the slaughter of so many as the head of the British Army with their battle cry - for Queen and Country. They have invaded scores of countries, from Africa to Asia.

"And now this council and country want to fly a flag at half mast for an individual who honoured the very commander who murdered innocents on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday and also overseen a British military who were heavily involved in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings?

"The Dublin Government defines itself, the 26 counties, as a Republic. The definition of a republic is to oppose a monarch and the existence of a monarch. The families of those who have lost loved ones at the hands of the British military will today be outraged at this idea.

"Also the idea that this woman was just a public figure like a nice old granny holding the hands with Paddington Bear is a very naive perception of her," he said.

He also said he would be very interested in hearing from the stance of Donegal's representatives in Leinster House on the proposal.

"The ideology of republicanism is as equal today as it was in 1916," he added.
At the beginning of this month, the State-owned supplier announced that it would push up prices for consumers, its fifth price rise since the beginning of 2021

ESB Group has insisted its massive 357m profits in the first half of the year cannot be used to stop its subsidiary Electric Ireland pushing up bills for households.

The profits have been described as obscene by an Opposition spokesperson.

The company says its generation and its supply business, known as Electric Ireland, are required to operate separately. This means increased profits from the generation of electricity cannot influence the prices charged to customers buying it from Electric Ireland.

The retail business, which was rebranded to Electric Ireland in 2012, currently supplies electricity, gas and energy services to over 1.2 million households and 95,000 businesses across the island of Ireland.

At the beginning of this month, the State-owned supplier announced that it would push up prices for consumers, its fifth price rise since the beginning of 2021.

Residential electricity bills will rise by 26.7pc from the start of next month, while residential gas bills will rise by 37.5pc.

This is expected to add 446 a year to the average household bill, with gas prices expected to increase by 516 as a result of the price hikes.

Commenting at the time, Electric Ireland said that there had been unprecedented increases in wholesale gas prices of over 700pc in the past year, adding that prices have risen by over 200pc since June this year alone.

For the first six months of this year, ESB reported operating profit before exceptional items of 357m for the six months ended 30 June.

This marked a decline of 6m from the first half of 2021.

ESB also recorded a profit after tax after exceptional items of 390m, up from 128m in the same period last year.

The semi-State attributed the decrease in operating profit to regulated network tariff changes, losses incurred in ESBs Customer Solutions business and foreign exchange movements.

Geraldine Heavey, ESBs chief financial officer, said: Volatility and high wholesale market prices continue to be a feature of energy markets in 2022.

ESB added that this reduction in profits was offset at a group level to a large extent by higher energy margins in its generation business.

It said that its generation and supply businesses are required to operate separately so increased profits from its generation business cannot be used to offset costs incurred by Electric Ireland.

Revenue and other operating income for the six months to June 30 was 3.68m, up from 2.15bn in the first half of 2021, according to interim results.

The company, which has around 8,000 employees, invested 532m in energy infrastructure in the first half of 2022.

This provides the basis for continued strong investment in energy infrastructure to decarbonise electricity, improve resilience and empower customers in line with our 2040 Net Zero Strategy, Ms Heavey added.

Sinn Fein climate spokesperson Darren ORourke ESB said that the obscene profits highlighted a need for total reform of the energy sector and accused Energy Minister Eamon Ryan of sitting on his hands".

Businesses are on the brink of closure and households are living in fear of the next bill, so people will be understandably livid to hear the ESB is making 2m profit per day, while also hiking prices at Electric Ireland, the Meath East TD said.

The government has a number of options to tackle the underlying issues contributing to the out-of-control electricity costs, but so far they have done nothing.

In fact, when EU proposals to decouple gas from electricity prices came before the European Energy Council in October 2021, Minister Ryan actively opposed reform.

He said that since then other countries had taken unilateral action, but Minister Ryan seems to be just crossing his fingers that Europe comes up with a solution soon for him.

Mr ORourke added: Currently, the ESB is not permitted to use group profits to limit, freeze or decrease prices at Electric Ireland. Given the scale of the crisis this is something that must be urgently changed. The rule book was not designed for the current emergency.

People are also rightly asking why renewable energy producers here are permitted to sell renewable generated electricity for the same price as gas-generated electricity.

While renewable energy projects contracted under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme are required to refund the excess price they are getting for their electricity via the PSO, this is not the case for the vast majority of renewables here.

Most of our wind, solar, hydro and biogas projects are contracted under the older Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) schemes, which allows these companies to keep the difference in the market price they are selling electricity for, versus the original price in their contract. This is resulting in huge profits for these energy companies.

A legislative change could cap this price and ensure these renewable energy generators sell electricity at their actual affordable contracted rate.

His party also called for a price cap on electricity ahead of the winter and a windfall tax on energy companies.

The Minister clearly has a host of options at his disposal, so he needs to stop treating energy companies with kid gloves. He needs to stop sitting on his hands and take action now to help households and businesses, Mr ORourke said.
Care for woman would cost the State up to 1,500 per week if she was in residential care

The matter was raised by Sinn Fein TD Pat Buckley of Cork East during Topical Questions/Issues on Wednesday evening.

An east Cork mother of a severely disabled adult daughter was offered a Carers Allowance weekly payment of 4.50 following an assessment by the State, her local Sinn Fein TD Pat Buckley told the Dail this week.

The woman, whom he identified as Margaret, had a partner living in her house but he only contributed towards the daily bills rather than the care costs for Margarets 36-year-old daughter, a woman who is deaf and mute as well as being registered blind and autistic.

According to Deputy Buckley, Margarets daughter is the only person in Ireland to be registered as a sufferer of Fraser Syndrom, an extremely rare illness. Margaret wrote to Deputy Buckley recently to explain her situation.

"She explains how she does the hardest job in the world rearing her disabled daughter, which is extremely demanding and a thankless job. Her day starts at 5.30 a.m., showering dressing, brushing her daughter's hair and tying her shoes.

"Margaret's daughter is 36 years and she has spent those 36 years as her sole carer. Margaret fractured her pelvis in 2016 and had to give up work.

She ended up riding a bike for a year so that she could take her daughter on her very important routine daily walks. In February, Margaret had an operation but had to discharge herself the same day to care for her daughter.

"If her daughter was in residential care, it would cost the State around 1,000 to 1,500 a week to care for her.

Deputy Buckley told his Dail colleagues that the State offered just 4.50 per week following a means test of Margaret.

Margaret wrote that she actually thought she was a good mother but the State had made her feel worthless.

"She says it is an insult to her and to others who give up their lives and freedom to look after their disabled children.

The TD explained that Margaret and her partner or ex partner were living two separate lives but were being means as if they were together.

"That means that poor mother has literally nothing. Her sole job is to care for her daughter, he said. To get that news from the Department would break your soul.

I know the woman personally. I see her anytime, and it does not matter what time of year it is, she has to take her daughter out for a walk. It is one of the simplest things.

"She feels so worthless. She said she did not want to come to me and she did not want to complain but it was such a measly amount.

"She tried to explain to the Department that the husband, or ex-husband, despite being at the same address, only supports the daily household bills.

That lady does not have the opportunity to earn money.

"She is entitled to a Carer's Allowance, but because it is means tested including the husband's income, the State has decided to give her 4.50.

The TD said that the letter Margaret received informing her of the amount of the Carers Allowance she would received contained no information as getting an inspector to come to her home to do a proper assessment.

Pat Buckley TD, Sinn Fein, Cork East

"There has to be a mechanism where a person can, first of all, talk to a human being in any Department, where he or she has an opportunity to come in front of a board or somebody to explain his or her real-life story, to prove it, and to ask that it be looked on with empathy in order that the assessor can see he or she did not realise the situation.

That happens. My biggest problem is that I raised it with the Minister directly and I have not had any response  I am very disappointed with that  and I have nowhere for this woman to turn to fight her case for herself and her child.

"That is why I raise it tonight. I do not expect a magic answer from the Minister of State tonight, but at least once it is on the record we can come back and revisit it.

Malcolm Noonan, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, responded to the story told by Deputy Buckley and described Margarets situation as very challenging. He said however that, on June 2, a total of 262 million was paid to 121,000 Carers Allowance recipients.

"I know these statistics are of no use to the mother the Deputy mentioned, said Minister Noonan, who pledged to bring the matter to the attention of the responsible minister.

Deputy Buckley responded to Minister Noonan and said that there was an avenue of hope in that the Department did provide a social welfare inspector.

When the information comes back from the Department, it outlines the deadline for appeal but does not state that the person has opportunities if his or her circumstances are different. I welcome that. I got more than I expected because, I suppose, I am a realist.

"This woman wanted to stand up because she suspected that there were other affected parents around the country.

She told me that at her age, she should not be worrying about it but that a measly bloody 4.50 a week was an absolute insult. She asked how many more people this was happening to and said she wanted to stand up and fight, not only for her child but also for other families to set a precedent.

"At least I can ring that woman tomorrow and say we can possibly set up a meeting with the social welfare inspector.
Minister McEntee confirmed that since 2012, a total of 106 prisoners have died in prison with an additional 66 dying while on temporary release

Another high profile prison death this year was that of Sameer Syed

The number of prisoners to die in Irish jails to date this year at 15 is almost double the total of eight prison deaths for the 12 months of 2021, new figures show.

The 15 to have died in prison so far this year include Robert OConnor (34) of Snowdrop Walk, Darndale, north Dublin who passed away in hospital in early August, a number of days after he was attacked by other inmates at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.

Mr OConnors death is now the subject of a Garda murder investigation.

Another high profile prison death this year was that of Sameer Syed (38) of Grosvenor Lodge, Rathmines, Dublin 6 in June.

Mr Syed was found dead in his cell at the Midlands prison one week before he was due to stand trial for the murder of his wife, Seema Banu (37) and their children, Asfira Riza, (11), and Faizan Syed, (6) in October 2020.

All deaths in prison are the subject of investigations by the Inspector of Prisons, who publishes reports on its findings that also include recommendations.

In figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD (FG) to Deputy Peadar Toibin (Aontu), the Minister confirmed that in addition to the 15 deaths to have occurred in prison this year, one other prisoner died on temporary release.

Minister McEntee confirmed that since 2012, a total of 106 prisoners have died in prison with an additional 66 dying while on temporary release. A further two deaths occurred of prisoners during that period who were unlawfully at large.

In the annual figures provided by Minister McEntee, there was only one other year where 15 deaths in custody were recorded and that was seven years ago, in 2015.

The total of 15 for the first eight and a half months this year compares to eight last year, eight in 2020, 14 in 2019, nine in 2018, 10 in 2017, five in 2016, 15 in 2015, eight in 2014, nine in 2013 and five in 2012.

Inquests are pending in 51 of the 106 prison deaths but where cause has been determined, the figures show that 15 deaths took place due to suicide.

Eighteen deaths occurred due to natural causes while misadventure was the cause of 11 deaths.

Unlawful killing was the cause of just one death while open verdicts were recorded in six deaths with narrative verdicts recorded in four deaths.

In her written Dail reply to Deputy Toibin, Minister McEntee stated that since April 2012, all deaths in custody are also subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons.

Minister McEntee stated: Further, the Prison Service has a robust, internal review mechanism which assesses the circumstances of a death in custody, highlights accountability and actions taken in relation to the incident, and outlines lessons learned.

She added: This outcome review is reported to the Irish Prison Service National Suicide and Harm Prevention Steering Group, which is chaired by the Director General.

Minister McEntee also stated that the circumstances of each death in custody and incident of self-harm are also examined by a suicide prevention group in each institution.

She wrote: The groups are chaired by the Prison Governor and include representatives from the various services including; Prison Doctor, Psychiatry, Psychology, Chaplaincy, Probation, Education, and Prison staff.

Minister McEnee said: The Groups are required to meet quarterly, or more often if necessary. Their examinations fully cover the background and circumstances of each death.

"Their objective is to identify, where possible, measures which might be implemented to contribute to a reduction in the risk of deaths in the future.
Even for me, I was put in an all-Travellers class in school, deliberately segregated from the other kids

The Irish star told The Hollywood Reporter about growing up as a Traveller ahead of his brand new film The Black Guelph premiering at Oldenburg Film Festival on Friday September 16.

I come from an Irish Travellers background. I dont know if youre aware of us, but we really stem from the old Gaelic Ireland, and we still hold on to a lot of the old ancient kind of ways, he began.

We were traditionally nomadic, but we were forced to assimilate by the Irish state. The state went to war with Travellers almost.

Every single institution discriminated against us, he said.

Even for me, I was put in an all-Travellers class in school, deliberately segregated from the other kids. And because they thought we were stupid, and couldnt read, we were given colouring books instead of actually being taught.

My grandfather went to Letterfrack, which was like the Alcatraz of Industrial Schools, the worst of the worst. It was right on the edge of the coast, in Galway, and it was so rugged and hard to get there, you knew youd never escape, he said.

Explaining the title of his film, which follows small-time drug dealer Kanto, and his long-absent father Cormac, Connors said: The Black Guelph were a group of people in ancient Italy who wanted to uphold the power of the Pope.

Anyone who opposed them was either massacred or banished, like Virgil, the great poet who inspired Dantes Inferno, from which we also take inspiration in this film.

What we are really saying with the title is that the Black Guelph is Ireland. Ireland decided to protect the power of its institutions over the interests of its people, he continued, adding: And Ireland continues to do that in different ways.

Discussing his struggles to shoot the movie, Connors said filming took place in January 2021, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland.

Then we had the lockdown. We couldnt get costumes, props. It was freezing in January.

The actors were ready to walk off set. Covid took up about a third of our budget.

We had to come back, five months later, for reshoots. We shot 145 pages in 21 days. With 156 set-ups. It was crazy, he said.

Im super excited to finally just get the film out there because its been so long in the works

Ive worked a year and a half on this and didnt get paid a cent, with no other work coming in and putting all my money into this, he added.
Addis Abeba  Immigration authorities in Zambia have deported 44 irregular migrants to Ethiopia, a spokesperson told Zambian media. Namati Nshinka, the Public Relations Officer of the Immigration Department, however, said one of the migrants died at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Monday, as the group was preparing to board a plane. The news reports didn't disclose the name of the diseased.

Zambian media quoting the spokesperson said the 20-year-old Ethiopian national collapsed and was pronounced dead by medical personnel based at the airport. "The cause of death is yet to be determined. The other 43 were successfully removed from the country," Namati said.

According to him, the deportation brings the total number of Ethiopians removed from Zambia between 08 and 12 September this year alone to 107.

Namati expressed his concerns that irregular immigrants from countries in the Horn of Africa, assisted by human traffickers and smugglers, have continued to undertake dangerous journeys in search of greener pastures.

In June this year, more than 500 Ethiopian migrants who were stranded in Malawi expressed their wishes to return to their country and were issued with travel documents by Ethiopian authorities, according to a verification exercise conducted by the Ethiopian authorities with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The IOM said that Malawi is a country of transit located on the overland route to South Africa, also known as the 'Southern Route'. The route is mainly used by irregular migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia looking to find economic opportunities as far down as Cape Town. Hence, they have to travel through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe or Mozambique before entering South Africa.

The migrants are often exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse, both in transit countries and at destination, the IOM said.

In 2015, Zambian Police in Serenje intercepted a truck carrying 100 Ethiopian irregular immigrants who were hidden behind bags of dry lake sardines locally known as kapenta. The truck, which was seized at Kanona police check point on Great North Road in Central Province, was, from Nakonde to an unknown destination within Zambia.

In 2017, Zambia released some 150 Ethiopian migrants aged between 15 and 38 and had been detained after they received a presidential pardon. They had been detained in Zambia for between one and five years and were serving various immigration-related sentences in prisons across the country, according to Zambian media reports. AS
In a complete turnaround, the Detroit artist has made his debut on the chart due to his verse on a popular gospel rap song featured on DJ Khaled's latest album

The bad boy of rap, Eminem, whose previous songs have featured references to drug-taking and fantasies about killing his ex-wife has hit the top of the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.

In a complete turnaround, the Detroit artist has made his debut on the chart due to his verse on a popular gospel rap song featured on DJ Khaled's latest album.

Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers III, has made a career of topping mainstream charts with his shock-factor lyrics as well as his vivid storytelling.

But now the 49-year-old has teamed up with Kanye West and DJ Khaled, a professing Muslim, for a remix of West's gospel song, Use This Gospel.

Originally featured on West's Jesus Is King album, the remix appears on DJ Khaled's new studio album, God Did.

Produced by Dr Dre, Use This Gospel reached No 1 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, making it the first time Eminem made an appearance on the chart in his almost 30-year career.

West, who in recent years has professed to become a Christian, is no stranger to Billboard's Christian music-focused charts.

His 2019 album Jesus Is King debuted at the peak of the Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums on its first week of release.

He became the first artist to have ten of his album's songs occupy each spot in the top 10 in both the Hot Christian Songs and Hot Gospel Songs charts.

And the original version of Use This Gospel featuring Clipse and Kenny G was one of these tracks.

In Use This Gospel (Remix), Eminem raps about Satan and how God has been helping him.

"I'm holding on, but I don't know if I can take it much longer/Today's the day that I put all of my trust and faith in You, Father/Please let this hate make me stronger 'fore they turn on me like a zombie.

Later he adds: So my Savior I call on to rescue me from these depths of despairs/So these demons better step because He is my shepherd/I'm armed with Jesus, my weapon is prayer.

Eminem concludes his verse by saying: "Bible at my side like a rifle with a God-given gift/Every single day I thank God for/That's why I pay so much homage/Praises to Jesus, I'll always."

Justin Sarachik, Editor-in-Chief of Rapzilla, a Christian hip hop online magazine and website, wrote: "It was shocking to see Eminem on a gospel rap track.

"What was even more surprising is that he didn't say anything controversial or blasphemous. He just rapped about God.

Eminem actually confessed to being a Christian on a song on his first album Infinite, which was released before his major label debut The Slim Shady LP.

"But in the midst of this insanity, I've found my Christianity through God and there's a wish he granted me," raps Eminem on It's Ok.

He showed me how to cope with this stress and hope for the best, instead of moping depressed."

According to the Christian Today website, the rapper has admitted in interviews that he prays on a regular basis, "but still releases music laced with profanity and sexually explicit lyrics".

"Many hip-hop artists claim to be Christians and still put out music that is offensive to many believers," the website reported.
Rotorua's regional tourism organisation has launched a new tool to help would-be visitors avoid mixed-use emergency housing motels.

RotoruaNZ, formerly known as Rotorua Economic Development or Destination Rotorua, has created a dashboard, available on its website that provides an overview of different types of commercial accommodation available in Rotorua.

It comes as the agency reports visitor numbers in the district have lifted, averaging about 10,000 visitors a day throughout August - a lift from 7000 a day at the same time last year. There were about 700 international visitors a day in August.

RotoruaNZ research and insights manager Justin Kimberley says the status of facilities has become more important with the advent of mixed-use accommodation, where visitors may share facilities with those staying for emergency housing.

"We wanted to give potential visitors the ability to find out which accommodation providers were visitor economy only and which were emergency housing after hearing feedback from customers that they had been caught out.

"This information provides visitors with the ability to be confident the accommodation they are booking isn't a mixed-use provider.

"We want visitors to have the best possible experience in Rotorua and believe mixed use motels do not deliver this.

"We try to keep this data as up-to-date as possible based on our information sources."

He says as things are "fluid" in the emergency housing area, the agency welcomes feedback on data that may not be accurate.

The dashboard, which was completed in partnership with tourism data specialists AIC, also provides information on pricing, star ratings and operating status, as well as an estimate of the number of rooms available in the city.

RotoruaNZ research and insights manager Justin Kimberley. Photo / Supplied / RotoruaNZ.

Kimberley says the capacity information is important for those organising events in the district, and providing an easily accessible one-stop resource on capacity was one of the main reasons for creating the dashboard.

"We are also working on a version to include Airbnb and Bookabach properties to get a complete overview of all accommodation options in Rotorua. This will be released in the coming weeks."

The dashboard is available on the RotoruaNZ website under the "insights" section, and a "simpler" list had also been created, which Kimberley said was "a bit easier to navigate".

He says the dashboard is best viewed on a computer.

Kimberley says RotoruaNZ's data, based on accommodation bookings and a "packed event calendar", as well as the continued return of international visitors, suggests it will be "a very busy summer for Rotorua".

RotoruaNZ is a Rotorua Lakes Council-controlled organisation and is both a regional tourism organisation and a regional economic development agency.

Polynesian Spa is one of the city's many tourism offerings. Photo / Supplied / RotoruaNZ.

Online reviews of mixed-use motels spoke of "terrible" and "nightmare" experiences, including police visits, alleged drug users and facilities unsafe for families to use.

One review alleged someone knocking on their door late at night wishing to "score" drugs.

Others say they had not discovered the accommodation was a mixed-use facility until arrival.

They say they planned on checking the use of motels before booking accommodation in New Zealand.

-Local Democracy Reporting is public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air.
Its been a three-and-a-half year wait, but Taurangas medical mission ship  the MV YWAM KOHA  is now on her maiden deployment in Fiji.

The ship left in July, arriving in Suva where the crew were joined by doctors, nurses, dentists and paramedical people who had flown in, increasing crew numbers to around 30 people.

On arrival, the ship played host to some gatherings, before beginning work in the north of the district around August 6.

Outreach cycles

YWAM Ships Aotearoa Ltd managing director Marty Emmett says there are four medical/dental outreach cycles planned with the first one being medical, and the other three focusing on providing a dental service, with local Fijian dentists as well as NZ dentists joining the ships mission.

Three of the outreach cycles will be 12-14 days and one of them will be shorter, says Marty.

The week of August 15, in Suva, we completed our first medical outreach. Fijian dentists worked on the ship using the containerised dental units on board. The medical team worked onshore, partnering with local medical professionals.

In that first week, 390 primary health patients were seen, 60 dental patients were treated, 67 teeth extracted, 121 toothbrushes and toothpaste given out, with six volunteer Fijian dentists involved.

Although dental services are the key focus, a small medical team on board is working in partnership with local Fijian health workers to assess the primary health needs in each village and collate an accurate picture of what can be done. This will then inform what medical programmes and services YWAM will deliver in future.

The second medical outreach, which ran from August 29-September 12, focused on Visago, the area immediately north of Labasa, working in partnership with local health workers.

Extra special

This one has been extra special for us. Its our first time serving isolated communities in the Pacific. Weve served nearly a dozen villages, both coastal and on small islands in the Namuka district of northern Fiji.

In the second outreach, 188 people were seen by the medical team, there were 207 dental patients, 115 restorations, 411 tooth extractions, 553 people given a toothbrush and toothpaste, and 394 people received oral health education.

The team is excited to present 42 boxes of medical supplies donated from businesses in Tauranga, says Marty.

This donation will provide the Visago Nurses Station with much-needed supplies to enable them to serve their people for the coming months. IRFA and Main Street Pharmacy were instrumental in securing these medical supplies.

Neglected health checks

Marty says during the last two years of the Covid pandemic, many health checks like blood pressure checks, have been neglected.

After the first three outreaches have been carried out just north of Nabasa, the fourth outreach will be working with Fijis Ministry of Health, with the goal to build trust between the ships medical team and local Fiji health services.

The last cycle ends in October, and the ship will return to New Zealand  and is due arrive back in Tauranga early-November.

The crew will come back, debrief, learn so we can plan for the future.

The return voyage is also timed to escape the cyclone season. And Marty acknowledges that out of sight, out of mind isnt helpful for keeping the ships mission to the forefront of the minds of Tauranga locals.

Help from NZ

Anyone who would like to be a part of helping fuel the YWAM KOHA to deliver necessary dental and primary health services to the outer islands of Fiji is invited to donate on the ships Givealittle page at: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ywam-koha-deployment-2022
No injuries have been reported by a crash in Tauranga city this morning.

A damaged car was blocking the middle of the Harrington Street and Willow Street intersection, after police were called to the crash at about 8.15am.

A police spokesperson says two vehicles were involved in the crash.

Cars were able to get past and the drivers involved were swapping details.

A reporter at the scene says road cones have been placed around the damaged car, but no diversions have been set in place.

One person at the scene, who works at a business near the crash site, says he had not seen what happened, but came out to help.

The owner of the damaged vehicle appeared unharmed and did not wish to comment about how the crash incident occurred.
Tributes are flowing for a Tauranga man described as a media pioneer.

Sun Media co-owner and director Brian Rogers passed away this week, following a five year battle with cancer.

Following news of his death, people have shared their memories and thoughts of Brian, aka Roger Rabbits.

Former National Party leader Simon Bridges  a contributor to The Weekend Sun for many years in his capacity as MP for Tauranga  paid tribute to Rogers laugh-out-loud but cutting style.

Brian was an independent media pioneer who managed to be hugely successful in the business year after year when many others couldnt, says Simon.

This was through business savvy, providing readers with what they wanted - as radical as that was - and his wicked sense of humour. His Rogers Rabbits column was often laugh-out-loud funny while cutting all at once.

Brian was also a guy with a fiercely strong sense of justice. While not everyone would always agree with him, he knew where he stood and would stand his ground on things that mattered.

He was also a strong family man and my heart goes out to them right now. We will all miss him.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller has also penned a regular column for The Weekend Sun, and hails Brian for showcasing the best of us through local journalism.

Brian was a man who loved his community, says Todd.

He was passionate about giving a voice to our successes, challenges, wisdom and idiosyncrasies.

He was particularly interested in the often overlooked stories of locals showcasing the best of us. He was a smart businessman who loved his community and had a very witty sense of life. I miss his Rogers Rabbitings.

He will be missed, and my deepest condolences go to Claire and their wider family.

The Weekend Sun became a regular winner at the annual New Zealand Community Newspaper Association awards across various categories, and president David Mackenzie recognises the part Rogers played in producing such consistency.

Brian was a stalwart of independent community newspapers and the role that they play.

He was a loyal supporter of the association and active in many ways.

To have the initiative to start a paper like The Weekend Sun from nothing, and to build it up to what it is today with the loyal following that it has, needs to be recognised, as does Brians focus, dedication and passion.

Its the love and the energy from both Brian and Claire that has kept the paper going. In a challenging time for the industry it has continued to thrive. My deepest condolences go to Claire and her family.

Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley called Brian an incredibly strong supporter of small businesses across the Bay of Plenty.

Along with his wife Claire, he was committed to sharing knowledge with business owners, while also putting a spotlight on up-and-coming businesses to recognise their local journeys. What started as a humble media outlet has won various national awards for its journalism and commitment to telling local stories. Brian will be celebrated for following his passion and turning it into the successful business that so many people have come to love and enjoy.

As well as his role in local journalism, Brian was a qualified skipper, a keen musician and a frequent fisherman and kayaker in the waters of the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.

A service for Brian will be held at The Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 215 Devonport Rd, Tauranga, on Saturday, September 24, at 2pm.

For Livestreaming Link please contact don@legacyfunerals.co.nz

Communications to the Rogers Family, c/o Box 3136, Greerton, Tauranga 3142.

-Additional reporting by Dan Sheridan/Stuff.
An ombudsmans investigation into complaints about the exclusion and expulsion of students at Taurangas Bethlehem College has found the boards decision-making process was unreasonable.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshiers findings released this week relate to complaints about disciplinary action against five students in the first half of 2020.

The Government watchdog found the schools record-keeping was inadequate and the boards decision-making process was unreasonable.

The state integrated Christian college said they have taken full responsibility for the issues identified by the ombudsman and apologised to the students and their families.

Two investigations were conducted by Judge Boshier; the first relates to the decision of the school board to exclude a student on the basis of gross misconduct following the decision of the principal to suspend the student due to continual disobedience.

The second concerned the decision of the board to expel a group of students from Bethlehem College on the basis of gross misconduct. This centred on incidents involving truancy and alcohol, amongst other matters.

Exclusion is the formal removal of a student under 16 from a school and the requirement they are enrolled elsewhere. Expulsion is the formal removal of a student over 16 with optional enrolment elsewhere.

Ministry of Education guidelines enable principals to suspend a student if they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that there has been gross misconduct, continual disobedience or there is a risk of serious harm if the student continues to attend school.

The schools board must then meet within a seven-day period to consider the suspension.

With the first investigation the primary issues of concern included disobedience/disrespect, and the students conduct towards other students.

The student had been previously disciplined for cannabis use and vaping, but this was not a significant factor in the exclusion decision, according to the Ombudsmans report.

In March 2020, the student was issued a warning and the need for a behaviour support plan was noted, but not followed-up by the college.

Leading up to the students exclusion in July, around a dozen disciplinary type incidents were reported on their pastoral record, with three of these incidents involving conduct towards other students.

A report about an incident in July triggered the students suspension on the basis of continual disobedience. However, the Board went on to exclude the student on the basis of gross misconduct.

The Ministry of Education defined gross misconduct as misconduct that is striking and reprehensible to a high degree.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier Photo: Cameron Burnell/Stuff.

Boshier identified significant gaps in the information about the students alleged misbehaviour in the documentation provided by the board.

The decision to exclude the student on a different ground than which they had been suspended was not explained.

The Ombudsman therefore surmised that the board had likely intended to expel the student on the basis of continual disobedience.

The Ministry of Education guidelines state the decision to exclude a student is only to be made in circumstances that justify the most serious response.

It highlights that exclusion should be proportionate to the behaviour in question.

The ombudsman considered that the decision of the board to exclude the student was disproportionate to the nature of the allegations.

Information from the students teachers indicated their behaviour in class had improved since being disciplined earlier in the year for cannabis use, said the decision.

The Ombudsman found it hard to "square these reports" with the boards position that the student had been continually disrespectful and defiant towards teachers.

The pastoral record showed only three specific incidents that could be construed as relevant leading up to the suspension, involving conduct towards fellow students, none of which the school had regarded as serious when they occurred.

The Ombudsman recommended the board formally apologise to the student and their parents, offer to re-enrol them at Bethlehem College, attach a copy of his opinion to the students exclusion record and review its record-keeping policies regarding disciplinary matters.

The second investigation involving a group of students was centred on incidents relating to truancy, alcohol and other unspecified matters.

The Ombudsman focused his investigation on the decision by the board to exclude/expel the students, and the documentation of its decision-making.

According to the decision the omission of the board to keep adequate records was seen as a fundamental flaw of its decision-making process.

There were no records to confirm that the board had undertaken an independent review of the principals suspension decision or adequately considered the circumstances.

Given the clear expectation that school boards clearly and comprehensively document their decision-making in this area, the Ombudsman regarded this as a significant failure.

There was also nothing to confirm that the board was presented with all the information required to make a decision on the exclusion/expulsion of the students.

This meant that the board was not in a position to make an informed decision based on the relevant factors, the decision concluded.

The Ombudsman also recommended the board formally apologise to the students and their families and attach a copy of his decision and the apology to their exclusion/expulsion records.

He also recommended the board publish information about the investigations and his findings in the college newsletter. As well as state that parents may complain to the Ombudsman if they have complaints about the board.

Bethlehem College board chair Paul Shakes confirmed the Ombudsmans findings related to disciplinary action against five students in the first half of 2020.

Shakes told Local Democracy Reporting the investigation, and their own internal review, identified some necessary improvements in their disciplinary process.

We have taken full responsibility for the issues the Ombudsman identified, and we have already accepted and implemented all his recommendations, he said.

This included apologising to the students and their families. We have also made other changes to ensure our policies, procedures and professional development are more robust moving forward.

We take our obligations to all students very seriously and all disciplinary action requires consideration of the student/s involved, including the impact on their educational outcomes and wellbeing, as well as the safety and wellbeing of our other students.

These findings are the latest issue that have put the school in the spotlight in recent months after an alleged bullying incident in June.

A group of students were taking part in the International Day of Silence against bullying when they were allegedly targeted by other students from the college.

In response to the allegations Shakes said the school immediately began an in-depth investigation into the claims, and reviewed CCTV footage as well as interviewing students.

The school was also under fire after it was revealed it had included a belief in its Statement of Special Character that marriage was between a man and a woman.

At the time, Shakes said: As part of implementing our schools Christian special character, we strive to provide a loving and caring environment for all students, and we take seriously our duty to provide every child entrusted to us with the greatest level of care and protection.

We think our Christian beliefs actually support and enhance the health and wellbeing of our students. As our most recent Education Review Office report notes, our special Christian character contributes to a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging for students.

Bethlehem College has since removed the point on marriage from the statement after the Ministry of Education asked it to.



Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Khartoum  While Sudan has postponed the start of the new school year to October 2, as more than 600 schools are affected by the heavy rainfall of last month, UNICEF and Save the Children reported that nearly seven million children in Sudan are not going to school.

The Sudanese Ministry of Education yesterday announced the postponement of the start of the new school year from September 18 to October 2, due to the circumstances in a large number of states affected by torrential rains and floods.

Education Minister Mahmoud Sirelkhatim El Houry said that 623 schools have been affected during this year's rainy season.

About 6.9 million girls and boys, one in three school-aged children, however, do not go to school in Sudan, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the international aid organisation Save the Children in Sudan said in a joint press statement on Monday.

"A further 12 million will have their school years heavily interrupted by a lack of sufficient teachers, infrastructure, and an enabling learning environment to make them reach their full potential," the statement reads.

"With the exacerbating socio-economic situation, recurring conflicts, and prolonged COVID-19 school closures, once children drop out of school, the chances of girls and boys returning to school are low. Girls are especially vulnerable: evidence suggests that the economic crisis is deepening gender inequalities in Sudan, especially among adolescent girls.

"To prevent further learning loss, reopening of schools, and offering alternative education opportunities for children who missed many years of school is a top priority," the organisations say. "Without urgent action, the learning crisis in Sudan will become a generational catastrophe."

UNICEF and Save the Children further point to the rapidly increasing figures of "learning poverty" in the world.

They therefore call on the Sudanese government "to reopen schools as soon as possible, keep the schools open for the entire academic year, ensure no schools are occupied by armed actors, and facilitate additional alternative education opportunities to make sure no child is left behind.

"We call on all stakeholders - foremost the Government - to ensure sufficient funding for education is available, including for teacher salaries and school feeding programmes."
A mother in Wajir, Kenya brings her child to a health centre to be weighed (file photo).

press release

Less than 18 days of fossil fuel companies' profits would cover the entire UN humanitarian appeal for 2022

Ten of the world's worst climate hotspots - those with the highest number of UN appeals driven by extreme weather events - have suffered a 123% rise in acute hunger over just the past six years, according to an Oxfam report published today.

Gabriela Bucher, Oxfam International Executive Director, said: "Climate change is no longer a ticking bomb, it is exploding before our eyes. It is making extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones, and floods - which have increased five-fold over the past 50 years - more frequent and more deadly."

The brief - Hunger in a heating world- found that those 10 climate hotspots - Somalia, Haiti, Djibouti, Kenya, Niger, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe - have repeatedly been battered by extreme weather over the last two decades. Today, 48 million people across those countries suffer acute hunger (up from 21 million in 2016), and 18 million people of them are on the brink of starvation.

"For millions of people already pummelled down by ongoing conflict, widening inequalities, and economic crises, repeated climate shocks are becoming a backbreaker. The onslaught of climate disasters is now outpacing poor people's ability to cope, pushing them deeper into severe hunger," said Bucher.

For example:

Somalia is facing its worst drought on record, and famine is expected to unfold in two of its districts: Baidoa and Burhakaba. One million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the drought. The country ranks 172nd out of 182 countries in terms of its readiness to cope with climate change.

In Kenya, the current drought has killed nearly 2.5 million livestock and left 2.4 million people hungry, including hundreds of thousands of children severely malnourished.

In Niger, 2.6 million people are facing acute hunger today (up 767 percent from 2016). Cereal production has crashed by nearly 40 percent, as frequent climatic shocks on top of ongoing conflict have made harvesting increasingly difficult. Production of staple foods such as millet and sorghum could plummet even further by 25 percent if global warming surpasses 2C.

Burkina Faso has seen a staggering 1350 percent rise in hunger since 2016, with more than 3.4 million people in extreme hunger as of June 2022 due to armed conflict and worsening desertification of crop and pastoral lands. Global warming above 2C would likely decrease cereal yields like millet and sorghum by 15-25%.

In Guatemala, a severe drought has contributed to the loss of close to 80 percent of the maize harvest and devastated coffee plantations.

"We spent almost eight days with hardly any food," says Mariana Lopez, a mother living in Naranjo in Guatemala's Dry Corridor. Persistent drought forced her to sell her land.

Climate-fuelled hunger is a stark demonstration of global inequality. Countries that are least responsible for the climate crisis are suffering most from its impact and are also the least resourced to cope with it. Collectively responsible for just 0.13 per cent of global carbon emissions, the 10 climate hotspots sit in the bottom third of countries least ready for climate change.

In contrast, polluting industrialized nations such as those of the G20 - which control 80 percent of the world's economy - are together responsible for over three-quarters of the world's carbon emissions.

Leaders of these nations continue to support mega-rich polluting companies that are often big supporters of their political campaigns. Fossil fuel companies' daily profits have averaged $2.8 billion over the last 50 years. Less than 18 days of those profits would fund the entire UN humanitarian appeal for 2022 of $49 billion.

Important policy changes are equally needed to address the double crisis of climate and hunger. Unless massive and immediate action is taken, hunger will continue to spiral.

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"Ahead of UN General Assembly meetings this week, and COP 27 in November, leaders, especially of rich polluting countries, must live up to their promises to cut emissions. They must pay for adaptation measures and loss and damage in low-income countries, as well as immediately inject lifesaving funds to meet the UN appeal to respond to the most impacted countries.

"We cannot fix the climate crisis without fixing the systemic inequalities in our food and energy systems. Increasing taxation on super polluters could easily cover the cost. Just 1% of the fossil fuel companies' average annual profit would generate $10 billion, enough to cover most of the shortfall in funding the UN humanitarian food security appeal," Bucher said.

Cancelling debt can also help governments free up resources to invest in climate mitigation.

"Rich and most polluting nations have a moral responsibility to compensate low-income countries most impacted by the climate crisis. This is an ethical obligation, not charity," said Bucher.
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As poorer countries suffer the most from extreme weather, the charity has slammed major polluting countries in the West over a "stark demonstration of global inequality."

The number of people facing acute hunger has more than doubled in the world's climate change hotspots, according to an Oxfam report released on Friday.

The report found that extreme hunger has risen by 123% over the past six years in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia and Zimbabwe -- the ten countries with the highest number of United Nations aid appeals driven by extreme weather events.

Across these countries, 48 million people are estimated to suffer from acute hunger, which is defined as hunger resulting from a shock and causing risks to lives and livelihoods. In 2018, that figure was 21 million people.

"Climate change is no longer a ticking bomb, it is exploding before our eyes," Oxfam's international chief Gabriela Bucher said.

"It is making extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones, and floods -- which have increased five-fold over the past 50 years -- more frequent and more deadly."

Appeal for international action to combat climate-related hunger

Oxfam said climate-fueled hunger is a "stark demonstration of global inequality" because the least-polluting countries are the most affected by droughts, floods and other extreme weather events.

Bucher said Western countries could forgive debt to free up resources in affected countries, and should also help pay to tackle climate-fueled hunger globally.

"They must pay for adaptation measures and loss-and-damage in low-income countries, as well as immediately inject lifesaving funds to meet the UN appeal to respond to the most impacted countries," Bucher said.

The UN humanitarian appeal for 2022 comes to $49 billion, which Oxfam noted was equivalent to less than 18 days of profit for fossil fuel companies, when looking at average daily profits over the last 50 years.

(AFP, dpa)
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State police as asking for the public's help in locating Shia Silverhatband, 16, of Taos County. Silverhatband is Native American, 5'2" tall, weighs approximately 150 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
analysis

Deforestation has been an issue of global concern for many years. Deforestation is a major environmental concern because of its adverse effects on ecological sustainability, agricultural productivity and overall quality of life of the people. As populations increase, there is a higher demand for both forest products and forest lands for development activities. The Food and Agricultural Organization reports that only 4 billion hectares of the 6 billion hectares of forest that existed about 8,000 years ago are now available globally. Recent estimates by the FAO suggests that, globally, nearly 10 million hectares of forest was lost between 2015-2020.

World leaders have attempted to address this issue through global conventions and goals, including the sustainable development goals.Unfortunately, these substantial global committments and investments in addressing deforestation have not been effective.

Ghana is one of the countries that has lost forest cover at a high rate. Between 1990 and 2000, Ghana lost about 135,000 hectares of forest annually. From 2001 to 2021, Ghana lost 1.4 million hectares of tree cover, representing a 20% decrease in tree cover since 2000.

Global Forest Watch (GFW) reports that Ghana lost 60% of its primary rainforest in 2018, which was the highest in the world.

One third of Ghana's land area of 238,500 km2 was forest at the start of the 1900s but now forest covers only 35.1% of the country . Forest resources are important in Ghana because most rural livelihoods are dependent on it for food and ecological balance.

The causes of the loss of forest cover are many. They include human activities such as logging, illegal mining and unsustainable farming practices.

The government of Ghana has over the years implemented a number of policies and programmes to reduce deforestation. Still, it has remained a major environmental problem. Programmes were poorly planned and carried out. They lacked sufficient logistics, funding and political commitment. Policies changed as governments did.

In 2018, Ghana launched the Youth in Afforestation programme. Its aim was to restore degraded forest cover through reforestation, rehabilitation and protection. The programme also sought to create jobs for some unemployed youth in Ghana. The plan was to employ 65,000 young people to plant about 10 million tree seedlings of different varieties across Ghana within two years, with the option of an extension based on satisfactory results.

Little research has been done on the Youth in Afforestation programme. We did our research to provide information about what the programme had contributed to forest resources management. Our assessment of its prospects and challenges could be a guide for any necessary reforms to achieve the programme's objectives.

In short, we found that the afforestation programme did create jobs in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors of the economy and help to conserve the natural environment. But there's a need to minimise political interference and ensure that the requisite human, logistical and financial resources are in place. Otherwise the progress won't be sustained.

Youth in Afforestation

The current government of Ghana introduced the Youth in Afforestation programme in 2018. Its challenges include financial, logistical, institutional and forest governance issues.

It has employed over 40,000 recruits since 2018. They are engaged in planting, tending, weeding, and thinning trees. But there are serious concerns about the sustainability of these jobs, because sustainable funding wasn't planned. As per the initial plan, the youths engaged in the programme were to be employed for a period of two years, with the possibility of an extension contingent on satisfactory outcomes.

Most of the forest districts exceeded their targets from 2018 to 2019. Put together, 67.4 million seedlings were planted as part of the programme. This must be interpreted with caution, though, because it did not take into account the seedling survival rates. We found that the programme established about 525 hectares of forest in 2018 and 788 hectares in 2019. Put together, the programme restored about 1,313 hectares of forested areas within two years of its implementation. This indicates that the programme has been effective in restoring the country's lost forest cover.

Other afforestation programmes in sub-Saharan Africa have been much more efficient. For example, the African Union's Green Wall initiative rehabilitated 3 million hectares of land in Burkina Faso from 2007 to 2019 and 15 million hectares of degraded land in Ethiopia. The same initiative led to the restoration of 5 million hectares of land in Nigeria and Niger.

The lack of sustainable funding resulting from change of governments and a lack of political commitment has led to other problems such as inadequate logistics and untimely payment of salaries to employees. We interviewed beneficiaries of the programme and found that 40% of recruits and supervisors complained about inadequate logistics. Delayed salaries were a complaint among 38% of the beneficiaries interviewed.

Political interference appeared to be the major institutional and forest governance issue confronting the sustainable implementation of the Youth in Afforestation Programme.

The Forest Services Division is the implementing agency for the programme and is responsible for supervising the recruits. But the division is not involved in recruiting field officers. That's done by the Youth Employment Agency, whose head is appointed by the ruling party. Also, 60% of the field officers interviewed said they got their appointments through their members of parliament, most of whom were members of the ruling party.

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The politicised nature of the implementation process threaten its sustainability, especially when there is a change in government.

Way forward

The rapid depletion of forest resource continues to threaten sustainable economic, social, and ecological development in Ghana. The current forest restoration strategy adopted by the government through the Youth in afforestation Programme is unsustainable. To move it from rhetoric to reality, there is a need to reduce political interference and put the necessary human, logistical and financial resources in place.

The current approach should shift to a community-based and voluntary approach to forest restoration and conservation. This has been shown to work in the Philippines, for example, where students at elementary and high school and college plant 10 trees as a graduation requirement. This initiative has resulted in 175 million new tree seedlings being planted every year in the country .

Kwadwo Nketia Sarpong Kumankuma,a graduate student at the University of Stavanger and Ata Yeboah Senior co-authored this article

Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

Owusu Amponsah, Senior Lecturer, Department of planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian



Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 10,370 Thanked: 21,824 Times

Re: Pics: Accidents in India Quote: tazmaan Originally Posted by Both are equally at fault. ... Quote: for_cars1 Originally Posted by ... 100% of the fault is with the Bus driver. ...



The overtaking bus driver is indeed wrong to be doing so in the face of oncoming traffic. This does not make him responsible for the idiot coming suddenly from the blind spot immediately behind the oncoming bus.



On top of all the other lessons mentioned by others, is the bad habit of treating immediately behind (tailgating, in fact) as the position from which to overtake. This is common in drivers of cars, bikes and others. It is especially a big no-no when there is no visibility through a large vehicle.



The biker is moving out into the unknown, and it turned lethal. How stupid is that, when, from further behind, he could have moved slightly right to check the oncoming traffic etc. From that position he could have got out of the way and would be alive.



This, coupled with the completely ignorant failure to see a vehicle moving out of its line and ask himself why ended his young life.



Those are the two most salient points, according to me. Other things, including the faulty driving of others, are the incidental things. I disagree strongly.The overtaking bus driver is indeed wrong to be doing so in the face of oncoming traffic. This does not make him responsible for the idiot coming suddenly from the blind spot immediately behind the oncoming bus.On top of all the other lessons mentioned by others, is the bad habit of treating(tailgating, in fact) as the position from which to overtake. This is common in drivers of cars, bikes and others. It is especially a big no-no when there is no visibility through a large vehicle.The biker is moving out into the unknown, and it turned lethal. How stupid is that, when, from further behind, he could have moved slightly right tothe oncoming traffic etc. From that position he could have got out of the way and would be alive.This, coupled with the completely ignorant failure to see a vehicle moving out of its line andended his young life.Those are the two most salient points, according to me. Other things, including the faulty driving of others, are the incidental things.
Highly anticipated: We're now a mere five days away from the event gamers are hotly anticipating: Nvidia's unveiling of the RTX 4000 graphics cards. Adding more fuel to the hype machine, team green has posted a couple of new teasers for the GeForce Beyond event, including one with a mystery code that could reveal some Lovelace specs.

The Nvidia GeForce Twitter account's latest teaser for Project Beyond shows a PC setup with dual monitors and plenty of the company's iconic green colors splashed across the keyboard, monitor stand, and even the cup. There's also a glowing green Holocron in the corner.

This number will self destruct....#ProjectBeyond

9.20.22

8AM PDT pic.twitter.com/CQDSkBwshz  NVIDIA GeForce (@NVIDIAGeForce) September 14, 2022

The camera pans in on a sticky note attached to one of the monitors, bringing into focus a sequence of numbers: (208) 629-7538. What these represent isn't clear, but there are plenty of theories.

The '629' in the center of the string could be the AD102 GPU's die size. This was rumored to be 628mm squared, suggesting the actual figure is 1mm larger than thought. The second number, 7538, is more than likely the number of transistors. We've heard the RTX 4090 will feature 75 billion transistors, so the specific figure could be 75.38 billion.

Finally, there's the '208' at the beginning of the code. This one is baffling people, but the most likely explanation is that the GPU offers 2.08x more performance than the GA102 found in the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080. Again, previous rumors have pointed to the RTX 4090 offering around twice the performance of the current-gen card.

A second teaser trailer features the same desk with a piece of paper next to the PC. Zooming in shows it to be a "Diagram for the computation by the Engine of the Numbers of Bernoulli," created for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine by none other than Ada Lovelace in 1843. While it's pretty apparent what Project Beyond will be about, this is essentially the first time Nvidia has confirmed that the event will revolve around the Lovelace architecture.

The latest RTX 4000 rumors claim the RTX 4090 will launch first in October, the same month we might also see three refreshed Ampere cards. It's also thought Nvidia will announce this card alongside two versions of the RTX 4080 (16GB and 12GB), rather than an RTX 4070. We'll find out for sure on Tuesday September 20 at 8am PT/ 11am ET.
What just happened? Uber is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has compromised many of its internal systems, giving the hacker, who says he is just 18 years old, almost complete access to the company's network. The breach is thought to be as bad as or worse than the 2016 incident that exposed the details of 57 million customers.

The New York Times reports that the hacker used a common social engineering technique to access Uber's systems. He sent a text message to one of the ride-hailing giant's employees claiming to be a corporate IT person. The worker was persuaded to hand over their password, granting the perpetrator access to Uber's network.

The hacker provided screenshots of Uber's internal systems to the NYT as proof of his successful attack. He told the publication that he is 18 years old and had been working on his cybersecurity skills for several years, adding that Uber's weak security prompted him to compromise its network.

Once he had access, the hacker sent a Slack message to employees that read: "I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach." It listed several compromised databases and appeared to call for Uber drivers to receive higher pay. Uber took its internal Slack and engineering systems offline earlier today as it investigated the breach.

Sam Curry, a security engineer at Yuga Labs who corresponded with the hacker, said the person has full admin access to Uber's Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud services. "It seems like maybe they're this kid who got into Uber and doesn't know what to do with it, and is having the time of his life," Curry said.

In an official statement, Uber wrote: "We are currently responding to a cybersecurity incident. We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available."

Besides his age, little is known about the hacker, though it's speculated that he is British; an employee said he used the word "wankers," and he may go by the username 'teapots2022.' He also accessed Uber's HackerOne vulnerability bug bounty account and left comments on several report tickets.

From an Uber employee:



Feel free to share but please don't credit me: at Uber, we got an "URGENT" email from IT security saying to stop using Slack. Now anytime I request a website, I am taken to a REDACTED page with a pornographic image and the message "F*** you wankers."  Sam Curry (@samwcyo) September 16, 2022

According to Acronis' CISO Kevin Reed, the hacker accessed production systems, corporate EDR (endpoint detection and response) console, and Uber's Slack management interface. It's still unclear how he bypassed the 2FA after stealing the Uber employee's password, and we still don't know if customer information has been accessed.

The breach is being compared to the 2016 incident in which the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of 50 million Uber customers, along with the personal details of 7 million drivers, were stolen. Uber paid the hackers responsible $100,000 to delete the data and stop the incident from becoming public knowledge, and it concealed the breach for over a year. The company had to pay a $148 million settlement for the hack and its failure to disclose what happened.
Highly anticipated: Another third-party RTX 4000-series graphics card appears to have leaked ahead of Nvidia's official Lovelace reveal next week. As with the previous Zotac model, this Galax Serious Gaming/SG card is a four-slot/three-fan monster, though it's possible to add a fourth fan if you feel the need.

Galax North America tweeted a teaser for a new Serious Gaming, or SG, productthe cheapest brand in its line of cards. There isn't much in the tweet besides the logo, but VideoCardz claims to have some renders.

The actual model of the card isn't named, but it's hard to imagine it being anything other than the RTX 4090, given the size and four-slot design. The SG card has three fans on the front, and, as with previous cards carrying the SG name, there's the option to add a fourth fan on the back using the company's 1-Clip technology.

The SG card has a 16-pin (12VHPWR) connector in the middle, which can deliver 600W across 12 rails, four times as much as an 8-pin connector. There's also the usual array of RGB, including some snazzy lighting on the back fan.

The card's packaging doesn't give much away, though one of the hooded top-wearing figures that Galax uses for its RTX 3000 series is now wearing what could be a trademark-infringing Squid Game-style mask.

Last week we saw what is likely to be Zotac's RTX 4090. It also has a four-slot design and a 16-pin PCIe Gen 5.0 (12VPWHR) connector, though its skateboard-like shape is proving divisive.

Nvidia's GeForce Twitter account posted a couple of tweets yesterday to increase the hype around its Project Beyond RTX 4000 reveal on September 20. One of these marks the first time Nvidia has officially confirmed the Lovelace architecture name, while the other hinted at the AD102 GPU having a 629mm squared die size, 75 billion transistors, and more than twice the performance of the GA102 found in the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080.
The new iPhone 14 was released earlier today, and one of the biggest changes to the device is that it has no physical Nano SIM Card slot on either side of the device. One of the biggest rumors before for the new smartphone from Apple is that it would no longer feature the SIM slot for physical cards, something which the public saw in person, earlier today.

Apple's iPhone 14 No Longer Features a Physical SIM Card Slot

(Photo : Apple)

The Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro technical specifications no longer feature the beloved physical nano SIM card slot for the device, with its sides having no openings for the tray. It means that the new smartphone will no longer need any physical SIM cards to insert into it, all relying on its eSIM technology as unveiled at the showcase earlier today.

Of course, this confuses many users now, as the previous iPhone 13 models have the Dual SIM capabilities of both the physical SIM card and eSIM for its cellular connection use.

Future owners of the new iPhone 14 lineup will still get Dual eSIM support, meaning that users may register up to two numbers of the device for their communication needs. However, they would have to switch to use one at a time, something similar to the previous setup with physical SIMs.

Read Also: Apple Announces Release Date for iOS16, Expect Customizable Lock Screen and Unsending Messages

How to Migrate to eSIM for the iPhone 14?

According to Apple, users would need to secure a carrier company that supports the eSIM availability from their services.

In the United States, these companies all support eSIMs for the iPhone's use:

Users would have to contact their telco manufacturer for their migration to eSIM, and this may take hours to days before getting their new cellular information for the new iPhone 14.

Apple's eSIM Feature

Back in previous outings of the iPhone, the company marketed it as a device that may feature a dual SIM setup for the use of multiple accounts on a single smartphone. Of course, this confused some users and buyers of the Apple smartphone, seeing as the iPhone XR through iPhone 13 all featured a single SIM card slot.

However, through the years, it is known that this second SIM card slot was for the eSIM, with one physical card on the nano SIM slot, and the other may be registered through the iPhone's Contacts app or Settings.

Now, instead of the same setup for the iPhone 14, users meet the version of the Apple smartphone that features no physical SIM card slots at all.

It all started with a rumor that the new iPhone 14 will no longer feature any openings on its side for a physical nano SIM card, and eventually, it is a leak that came true for this release of the device. It changes a lot for the iPhone lineup, especially as most of those that will need to adjust to these are its users that still center on the use of a physical SIM.

Nevertheless, it is not that intricate in terms of the process, but it may take several hours to days before issuing a new eSIM.

Related Article: iPhone 14 to Come with 'All Day' Battery Life: Apple Says Up to 80 Hours of Audio Playback

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
MIT warned that the NASA James Webb Space Telescope might be too advanced for data interpretation.

(Photo : Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (C) and Senior Project Scientist John Mather (R) answer questions from the media about the James Webb Space Telescope (rear) November 2, 2016 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This giant space telescope is indeed the most efficient tool of the international space union when it comes to capturing heavenly body images.

Previously, many people became very excited after NASA posted deeper space images captured by JWST. The detailed photos were enough to make your jaw drop.

But, it seems like being too advanced has its downsides.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a new study to explain why James Webb Space Telescope can lead to data misinterpretation.

MIT Says NASA James Webb May Be Too Advanced

MIT worked together with other universities, such as Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Tomsk State University, and other educational institutions, to publish their new study.

(Photo : Photo by NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI via Getty Images)

In this handout photo provided by NASA, a landscape of mountains and valleys speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula, on July 12, 2022 in space.

Also Read: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Snaps A Perfect Shot of an 'Einstein Ring'

The latest research, "The impending opacity challenge in exoplanet atmospheric characterization" was published in the Nature Astronomy journal on Sept. 15.

Based on their findings, NASA's JWST may be too advanced for the space organization's existing decoding tools.

CNET reported that the James Webb Space Telescope is a zero-to-100 scope upgrade. But, data misinterpretation can happen if the dataset decoding tools are not enhanced to zero-to-100 as well.

Traditional Decoding Tools are Outdated?

MIT News explained that the traditional tools used to decode light-based signals might not be good enough to decode JWST's datasets efficiently.

Because of this, MIT experts claimed that an order of magnitude may misinterpret the temperature, pressure, and elemental composition of captured space objects.

"There is a scientifically significant difference between a compound like water being present at 5 percent versus 25 percent, which current models cannot differentiate," explained Julien de Wit, the co-leader of MIT's new study.

If you want to learn more about the latest findings of MIT regarding NASA's JWST, you can visit this link.

In other stories, JWST's first-ever exoplanet image was captured, setting a new historical milestone.

On the other hand, the new USPS NASA James Webb stamp was launched.

For more news updates about the James Webb Space Telescope and other advanced NASA space tools, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Captures the Sharpest, Most Detailed Image of the Orion Nebula

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Written by Griffin Davis

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Editor's Note: We updated the story to avoid confusion.

Telehealth startup Done has a similar fate with Cerebral as DEA investigates them for prescribing ADHD medication. Done said in a statement that it is willing to comply.

As part of the ongoing crackdown on mental health companies that prescribe controlled substances that contain stimulants like Adderall and addictive painkillers like OxyContin through telemedicine, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating telehealth startup Done, a telehealth startup that prescribes ADHD medication like Adderall.

DEA Goes After Telehealth Companies

According to The Wall Street Journal, the DEA's investigation of Done and Cerebral is part of the agency's ongoing crackdown on mental health companies using telemedicine to prescribe substances such as Adderall and OxyContin.

Done told The Wall Street Journal that it had not had any direct contact from the DEA, but it said they are willing to comply with all applicable laws and regulations needed for the investigation.

DEA's investigation of Cerebral is due to its prescribing practices. Back in May, the company announced it would stop prescribing drugs in the category that includes stimulants like Adderall and addictive painkillers OxyContin.

Also Read: OxyContin's 12-Hour Dosing May Up Drug Abuse Risk: How To Recognize And Prevent Opioid Addiction

How Has The Pandemic Opened Opportunity to Telemedicine Companies?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic - when restrictions had not been lifted - patients needed to see doctors in person to prescribe controlled substances. However, some rules have been changed because of the COVID-19 public health emergency. With that, telehealth companies found an opportunity to exist.

During the pandemic, TikTok has risen its popularity, and these companies used this platform to advertise. Many ad contents suggest

it was easy to get a diagnosis and medication for conditions like ADHD. Some clinicians working on telemedicine platforms were worried about making the controlled substances too accessible. They also felt pressured to prescribe the medications to the patients despite the fact that some medications require thorough doctors' checkups before prescribing.

Doctors Express Their Concern

According to The Verge, the rise of the telehealth industry made some doctors worried. One of the concerns is patients losing a tool to treat addiction. Also, by making the controlled substance too accessible through telemedicine, it may open an opportunity for doctors to distribute medications for opioid-use disorder.

"It's very easy for these things to kind of get grouped together in people's minds and then also in policy," Shoshana Aronowitz, a health services researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Verge. Aronowitz is a family nurse practitioner, community-engaged health services researcher, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health at Penn Nursing. She provides substance-use disorder treatment in Philadelphia.

Connection to Opioid Addiction

Opioid overdoses have reached epidemic proportions in the US, with thousands of people dying yearly. This has prompted the DEA to investigate telehealth companies to see if they've followed the proper procedures for prescribing controlled substances to patients.

Despite the backlash, a recent study shows that telehealth companies helped lower opioid overdoses in the United States.

According to Politico, telehealth companies encouraged people struggling with opioid addiction to stay in treatment longer, lowering their risk of dying from an overdose.

The study was published online on Aug. 31 in JAMA Psychiatry. The researchers recorded 176,000 Medicare beneficiaries from 2018 to 2021.

The analysis looked at telehealth services, medications for opioid use disorder, and treated overdoses among patients starting a new round of care before the COVID-19 pandemic happened compared to those during the pandemic.

It shows that patients in the pandemic group were more likely to receive telehealth services and were more likely to receive medications for opioid addiction.

It is unclear if telehealth companies will still be allowed to continue their operations now that the COVID-19 restrictions have eased up.

The latest move from the DEA, which is responsible for the regulations of controlled substances, shows that the agency is still scrutinizing the telehealth industry.

Related Article: New York Senate Outlines Plan To Combat Heroin, Opioid Abuse

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Written by Sophie Webster

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Meta has fixed the annoying Instagram Stories default sound change after iOS users voiced out their disappointments.

(Photo : Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)

This picture taken on September 28, 2020 shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone, in Toulouse, southwestern France. - The Instagram group will, in early October 2020, celebrate its ten-year anniversary. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP)

For the past few years, the IG Stories on iPhones don't automatically play sound, especially when the iOS device is on silent mode.

However, Meta seems to have changed the photo app after iPhone users said that the IG stories sound automatic turns on.

Newsweek reported that the Google searchers for "how to turn off Instagram stories sound" increased by around 300% in just a single day.

But, the tech giant firm decided to revert the default sound as many consumers shared their frustrations.

Instagram Stories Default Sound Removed from iOS!

According to 9To5Mac's latest report, the Instagram Stories sound is now back to normal. This means that iPhone user can now mute their IG Stories, allowing them to enjoy a quiet experience.

(Photo : Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

A photo taken on March 14, 2022, shows the US social network Instagram logo on a smartphone screen in Moscow. - Instagram was inaccessible in Russia on March 14 after Moscow accused its parent company Meta of allowing calls for violence against Russians, including the military, on its platforms.

Also Read: Instagram Reels Users Receive Low Engagement as per Leaks, Far Behind its Rival TikTok

Meta released the Instagram update to fix the issue on Sept. 15. Instead of automatically playing the sound, the audio of the IG Stories is now muted by default.

As of writing, Meta hasn't confirmed if the issue was a bug or a new feature. No matter what the case is, it's a good thing that the tech giant firm fixed the problem.

Was It an Instagram Bug?

Various experts concluded that the default sound on Instagram Stories was an effort made by meta to make the "Reels vs Stories" behavior more consistent.

Of course, Instagram Reels will automatically play the audio since they are videos. However, IG Stories are a combination of photos and videos.

This is why many consumers complain whenever their IG Stories sound automatically turns on.

If you are still having this problem, the best thing you can do is visit your Apple App Store and search for the Instagram app.

After that, update the application and see if the problem has been fixed.

Recently, the Instagram Repost feature was allegedly being tested for selected users.

Meanwhile, the Instagram Shopping page is reportedly being removed by Meta.

For more news updates about Instagram and other popular social media apps, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Instagram Announces Testing for Recommended Posts Customization, Including "Not Interested" Button on Explore

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Tesla will soon release a succession of the FSD's updated versions of the beta that will expand the testing program and bring its versions to more users of the platform. Elon Musk said that version 10.69.2.1 is coming for people with lower safety scores, particularly those above 80, arriving shortly after the upcoming Tesla AI Day showcase.

The tech CEO also claimed that the next version of the beta will arrive soon after, with 10.69.3 also arriving.

Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.2.1 Coming After AI Day for Lower Safety Scores

(Photo : VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Elon Musk announced via Twitter that a new version for the beta release 10.69.2 is coming, adding another number to its designation with 10.69.2.1 rolling out after the company's showcase.

This new version of the FSD will focus on a better drive for all, but what is more important is that this is expanding to those with safety scores of 80 and up.

Previously, the FSD Beta 10.69 was only released to selected users and its succeeding release arrived for those with high safety scores. Additionally, it only arrived for 100,000 users.

This new release will change the narrative and head-on for other users of the EV, making it more available for others eligible for the service.

Read Also: Tesla Cyberwhistle Now Available But Elon Musk Says You Need to Pay in Doge-How's the Performance?

Beta expanding to safety scores above 80 after 10.69.2.1 goes out  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 15, 2022

Tesla FSD Beta 10.69.3 will Follow the Company's Release

The top billionaire also teased a new update from the company which will follow this release, particularly with the FSD beta version 10.69.3 arriving soon after its AI day release to lower safety scores.

The Full-Self Driving feature is expanding for all, and it is taking its features to many users for their experience of the system, delivering an autonomous drive for all.

Tesla FSD Beta 10.69

Musk and Tesla seem intent to keep the ball rolling for the FSD Beta version 10.69 for quite some time, as the system number keeps on expanding instead of transitioning to the next designation in line. Usually, updates from the company would change numbers already, but the v10.69 which was released last August is getting its extension for availability.

Musk is a known avid meme supporter, as well as modern pop culture references which he also brings upon Tesla's systems, particularly with the arrival of games via the infotainment system of its EVs. It is a significant addition to the system as it allows drivers to play games when the car is parked, a massive feature that is unique to the company.

Shortly after 10.69's exclusive release, two versions of the wide release came for all, and it only focused on selected 100,000 users of the system with good safety scores.

However, in this new release of the company, it is expanding more to other users with lower safety scores, particularly those with higher than 80 and below 98, a notable shift from its requirements. Users would only have to wait after AI day to get the new update and be eligible for an upgrade for the driving system.

Related Article: Tesla Accused of Making Deceptive Claims About its Full-Self Driving Technology

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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5G phone shipments are now slightly ahead of 4G mobile devices for the first time since the former saw the light of day roughly three years ago.

An analyst points out that while 5G devices surpass their older sibling by a minuscule lead, it still shows how the trend is going these days.

(Photo : PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

A man talks on a mobile phone as he walks past a store of French telecom group Orange advertising the 5G service on its shop window, in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on February 23, 2021.

5G Phone Shipments vs. 4G Devices

As per the latest report by CNET, the shipments of 5G smartphones globally have exceeded the performance of 4G phones.

The milestone for 5G phones comes roughly three years since the next-generation wireless connection debuted in flagship smartphones.

According to a report from GSM Arena, the first-ever 5G phone to make it to launch is none other than the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.

While other phone makers have been teasing their fair share of 5G offering, the South Korean phone maker won the race, albeit with its slightly delayed launch. And as such, the first 5G smartphone debuted last April 2019.

And since then, it appears that the sales of 5G phones have been trying hard to catch up with their 4G counterparts. But it is only in the second quarter of 2022 that the decline of 4G phone shipments and the rise of 5G devices have met along the way.

5G Phones Now Surpasses 4G Device Shipments

The research vice president and partner of Counterpoint, Neil Shah, shared a graph on Twitter showing the decline of 4G phone shipments since 5G debuted in 2019.

At first glance, it looks like 5G and 4G mobile devices had a tie at global shipments in the second quarter of this year.

But upon profusely looking closer, 5G won over 4G for the first time, at least in phone shipments globally.

CNET dishes out the numbers. 5G phones now take 49.9% slice of the pie in the global smartphone shipments, whereas its 4G counterpart only holds 49.7% share for the 2022 second quarter.

Read Also: Airtel to Launch 5G Connection in Several Cities in India in October | What to Expect

5G Smartphones Dominate the Market

Well, the latest data shows that more and more people are getting their hands on the newest smartphone offerings.

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Attendees examine a brand new iPhone 14 Pro during an Apple special event on September 07, 2022 in Cupertino, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the new iPhone 14 as well as new versions of the Apple Watch, including the Apple Watch SE, a low-cost version of the popular timepiece that will start at $249.

But it is worth mentioning that there are not many 4G options anymore - except if you opt to buy a phone that still comes with a keypad.

In fact, the budget-friendly iPhone SE now rocks the next-generation connection. Samsung's affordable Galaxy A32 5G --- as its name suggests --- readily supports it as well. The mid-range Google Pixel 6a also comes with it.

Related Article: iPhone 13 Hack 2022: How to Turn Off 5G and Switch Your Phone Back to 4G

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Written by Teejay Boris

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To most Ghanaians the name Aisha Huang is synonymous with illegal mining or galamsey.

This is because in 2017, this Chinese woman was arrested for engaging in galamsey and put before court but in 2018 the whole world was informed that Aisha was out of the country.

The information then was that prosecutors had filed nolle prosequi to discontinue her trial leaving the court with no option than to discharge Ms Huang and her four alleged Chinese accomplices.

Hardly did Ghanaians imagine Aisha would dream of coming back to Ghana, but the Chinese woman, tagged as 'Galamsey Queen' was reported arrested in Kumasi, on September 2, this year by National Security operatives.

She and her three accomplices have been arraigned at a circuit court in Accra for sale and purchase of minerals without licence and mining without licence where they have pleaded not guilty and have been remanded, meaning their trial continues.

Now, there are controversies relating to Aisha's leaving the country in 2018 and her return this year.

In spite of the government providing documented evidence from the Ghana Immigration Service that Aisha was, indeed, repatriated, the prosecutors in the current case on Wednesday stated that she sneaked out of country to avoid the earlier prosecution.

Besides, some people are asking questions as to who aided her leaving the country, avoiding any reference to the evidence of repatriation provided by the government.

Some opposition politicians have even gone further to claim that Aisha Huang is a bankroller of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that government officials aided both her 2018 exit and return this year.

They add that the claim of her repatriation was a hoax and that she had been shielded to live in the country since 2018.

The latest of all the controversies is that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he was "not sure" if Aisha Huang was "deported or fled" the country.

However, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has clarified the matter that Aisha was actually repatriated and not deported.

A lawyer as he is, Mr Oppong Nkrumah is careful about his choice of words.

Deportation generally is sending back or banishing someone to his or her country for undesirable acts in the host country, typically the commission of crime.

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Repatriation, on the other hand, is the process of helping someone return to his or her country or elsewhere under certain favourable conditions.

Whatever the controversies are, the Information Minister says what is most important now is the prosecution of Aisha and her accomplices and given the appropriate sanctions, if found guilty.

The Ghanaian Times shares this position and so wishes to call on the whole nation to remain calm and wait for the verdict of the court, while they support the war on galamsey.

Ghana now has become a country of talkers who dwell on unproductive issues to the neglect of what would help the country to progress.

At a time the state is fighting galamsey, is it not better to pray that the prosecution would get evidence to adduce against the suspects and have the court sanction them rather than churning out propaganda and other fruitless noises?

Why should one little Chinese galamseyer be given the centre stage in public discourse at a time there are more important issues undermining the welfare of citizens which must be called to attention?
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 outperforms Apple iPhone 14's chip performance, rumors about the Qualcomm flagship system on chip (SOC) boldly predicted ahead of its launch late this year.

Now that Apple has introduced its new iPhone 14 with an A16 chip, rumors claim that the go-to Android chip, the Snapdragon Gen 2, has what it takes to crash its performance.



(Photo : GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

A guest takes a selfie with her smartphone during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid on April 8, 2021.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. iPhone 14 Chip

As per the latest report by Android Central, the rumored Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is potentially getting the shimmer of the spotlight sometime in November as Qualcomm hosts its Snapdragon Summit event.

The well-known leaker on the Chinese microblogging site, Weibo, known as Digital Chat Station, shared some astounding details regarding the next-generation Qualcomm chipset.

The Weibo leaker shares that the new Snapdragon chip provides an impressive GPU performance. Thus, it should make future Android smartphones perform better overall usage, but most importantly in high-graphics tasks like gaming.

Digital Chat Station also suggests that the upcoming flagship chip could potentially trample what the new iPhone offers in terms of GPU. If the latest leak is to be believed, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is looking to crash the GPU power of the new A16 chip, which powers the high-end iPhone 14.

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: A view of the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are displayed during an Apple special event on September 07, 2022 in Cupertino, California. Apple unveiled the new iPhone 14 as well as new versions of the Apple Watch, including the Apple Watch SE, a low-cost version of the popular timepiece that will start st $249.

According to a report by Notebook Check, the new A16 Bionic chip of Apple easily outperforms the single-core performance of the current Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The disparity between the two is pretty far at roughly 40%.

Meanwhile, in terms of GPU benchmark numbers, the iPhone 14 Pro chip impressively shows a 28% improvement in performance than the A15 Bionic. It is worth pointing out that the latter powers both the standard iPhone 14 and the new iPhone 14 Plus variant.

Read Also: Apple iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Bionic, Mac's M3 Chips Are Reportedly Using TSMC 3nm Process

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Gen 2: What We Know So Far

On top of that, the early leak has it that the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 debuts with two options, introducing an additional performance variant.

(Photo : EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Qualcomm President and COO Steve Mollenkopf takes part in a ceremony to unveil LG's new smart phone, the LG G2, during a global launch event in New York, August 7, 2013.

Digital Chat Station discloses that the renowned chip maker, which powers most high-end Android devices, is looking to offer two variants of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

The other version is set to offer "ultra-high frequency" once it starts powering Android phones by 2023.

Android Central notes that the new Snapdragon 8 variant reaches better clock speeds than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen. The "ultra-high frequency" chip is rumored to go as high as 3.5GHz. It sure is an improvement from the 3.2Ghz clock speeds of Qualcomm chip that latest flagships offer.

Related Article: Qualcomm Snapdragon Chips Mostly Power $300+ Smartphones | MediaTek Tops Cheaper Devices

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is brimming with wondrous snapshots of the universe. Royal Observatory Greenwich held the contest, and this year's winners and contestants delighted us with these beautiful astrophotographs.

The results of the competition were reported first by CBC News. Let's take a deep dive into a few Astronomy Photographer of the Year award winners from this year with the following pictures.

Comet Leonard in Raging Blue

Gerald Rhemann is the overall award winner for the comet Leonard photograph shown above, which G.J. Leonard found on January 3, 2021. The comet traveled close to the Earth in December of last year.

Comets are icy and dusty objects that travel around the sun. Comets, sometimes known as "dirty snowballs," can lengthen and brighten their tails as they get closer to the sun.

Moons of Jupiter

According to CBC News, Damian Peach is an expert astrophotographer who primarily shoots photographs of Jupiter and Saturn. He was a runner-up in the category for planets, comets, and asteroids.

In August 2021, he photographed Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, as well as its three largest moons, Ganymede, Io, and Europa.

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter, a storm that has been raging over the planet for at least 400 years, is also visible in the photo.

Green-Lit River

The aurora category's runner-up was Canadian Fred Bailey. On September 1, 2021, he photographed the beauty of the northern lights over Cameron River, close to Yellowknife.

He merely used a camera with an 18-mm lens and a 15-second exposure to take this magnificent photo.

Cosmic Rose

Comet 4P/Faye was photographed by Lionel Majzik in front of the Lower Nebula, also known as Sh2-261, located in the constellation Orion. This image received high praise in the category of planets, comets, and asteroids.

He captured this rose-shaped nebula with the comet appearing to be the stem using a remote telescope from Mayhill, New Mexico.

Aurora's Wings

This picture by Alexander Stepanenko was also highly praised in the Aurora category. On Jan. 15, he captured an almost angelic-like aurora against a cloudless sky near Murmansk, Russia. Fun fact: this exposure only lasted for 1.6 seconds!

Read also: 'New Era in Astronomy': NASA James Webb Space Telescope's New Stunning Images and The Stories Behind Them

The Enchanting Sombrero Galaxy

Many astrophotographers have a favorite object: the Sombrero Galaxy. Michael Petrasko, Muir Evenden, and Utkarsh Mishra worked together to create this stunning picture. The photos were taken on May 5, 2021, from Pie Town, New Mexico.

With faint dusty star streams that were produced when a smaller galaxy collided with our Milky Way Galaxy, Sombrero appears to be suspended in a jewel box of stars. Rightfully so, this photograph was the Galaxies category winner.

Related Article: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's Best Images for May 2022!

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Chrome's Incognito mode for Android now locks shameful private browsing tabs.

The new handy feature of the mobile web browser enables users to employ their fingerprints to hide Incognito tabs from pesky lurkers.

(Photo : Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: In this photo illustration, A thumbprint is displayed on a mobile phone while the Google logo is displayed on a computer monitor on August 09, 2017 in London, England.



Google Chrome Now Locks Incognito Tabs

According to the latest report by 9to5 Google, the renowned search engine has had a similar feature for the iPhone version of its apps.

Google iOS apps sport a so-called Privacy Screen function that lets users require either Touch or Face ID to access apps like Chrome or Drive.

And this time, the tech giant is also bringing it to Android users, particularly on the Google Chrome browser.

The online media outlet reports that Chrome on Android gains a new handy function that lets users lock their private browsing sessions while on Incognito mode.

How Does the New Incognito Lock Feature Work

The new feature automatically triggers once a Chrome user exits the app. From there, all their Incognito tabs would now require authentication to be accessible.

And as such, when users try to open the browser once again, a nearly blank screen welcomes them. It only shows the Incognito icon and two options below.

The buttons on the lower part of the screen allow users to choose between "Unlock Incognito" and "See other tabs" options.

(Photo : Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)

A person holds an iphone showing the app for Google chrome search engine. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday January 3, 2020.

I

f you opt for the "Unlock Incognito" route, the app would require you to provide your fingerprint to access private tabs. A prompt would then explain that it is required to "verify it's you."

Aside from the fingerprint option, there is also a way to "Use PIN." However, it is slightly hidden on the lower-left side of the screen.

According to a report by Android Authority, the new private tab lock feature is not enabled right off the bat. In fact, users still need to turn on the function manually.

To do so, go straight ahead to the "Privacy and Security" settings and toggle the "Lock Incognito tabs when you leave Chrome."

Read Also: Google Chrome Hack: New Update Released, but Windows, Android Users Still at Risk

Google Has Yet to Roll Out Incognito Lock to All Chrome Users

It is worth noting that the privacy feature has yet to roll out officially. But there is an easy way to get your hands on it right away.

9to5 Google notes that the screen lock feature on Incognito is now available via Chrome flag.

To try it out ahead of its general release, enter this on the address or search bar of Chrome on Android: chrome://flags/#incognito-reauthentication-for-android.

Related Article: Google Chrome for iOS: Better Security, Discover Feed, and MORE-Better than Safari?

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An autoimmune disease remains a puzzle waiting to be solved by scientists. Over the past years, health experts kept thinking of ways to treat it, yet no one has succeeded in finding a solution to this condition.

Recently, German researchers have arrived at an effective technique to combat this disease. Through special cell therapy, lupus patients can finally have a glimmer of hope to experience improvements in their bodies.

How Does Lupus Affect One's Body?

(Photo : Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The researchers say that a new cell therapy shows a "phenomenal" improvement in the condition of lupus patients.

According to Wired, people with lupus can experience a myriad of symptoms, including organ damage, skin problems, fatigue, and more. Naturally, the body's immune system fights the viruses by attacking them. This happens when a person has inflammation or infection in the body.

However, in the case of lupus, body protection could not detect the difference between the person's cells and the ones that invade the body.

So, what happens is that the auto bodies tend to self-attack the tissues and organs. Instead of doing good, it only does harm the affected person.

Because it's so hard to diagnose, experts continue to seek ways to treat lupus. Its symptoms are seen to be similar to other diseases, such as rashes on the face.

In some cases, it can be triggered by certain situations, such as taking drugs, being exposed to sunlight, and infection.

CART-T Therapy Could Treat Lupus

According to a report by Science.org, a method in the form of CART-T (chimeric antigen receptor T) therapy has shown some improvements among patients with lupus.

Betty Diamond, an immunologist from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, said that the trial had produced "phenomenal" results. Although the approach is effective, she believes the research needs more experiments to prove its guaranteed safety for autoimmune disease patients.

Speaking of the method, the process involves taking T-cells from a patient. The researchers will conduct genetic engineering to modify the cells. This will later destroy the harmful cells in the body.

The T-cells are not thrown away after the process. Instead, it will be injected once again into the patient.

Before CAR-T therapy became a treatment for autoimmune diseases, it was first used for cancer treatment. For the past decade, doctors have been utilizing it to get rid of lymphoma and leukemia.

Indeed, this novel cell therapy is effective, but the researchers have some concerns. T-cells tend to be destructive to cytokines. When these molecules are destroyed, the patient will experience a complication in the form of inflammation.

In short, some experts think this approach might harm the patients more than eliminate the symptoms.

The trial notes that the therapy treated five patients with lupus. After less than four months, the B-cell production took place, and this time, the autoantibodies faded away from the body.

Related Article: 400,000 Canadians May Unknowingly Have This Autoimmune Disorder

Autoimmune Drugs Are Not Enough

The study proves that the available drugs are not enough to ease up the symptoms of a lupus patient.

The treatment, meanwhile, was seen to be a promising breakthrough in the field of health.

"This impressive study adds to the growing body of evidence that CAR-T therapy may be a therapeutic option for diseases beyond cancer, including autoimmune disorders such as lupus," Jonathan Epstein, executive vice dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine said in an email.

In other news, scientists created a device that can help stroke survivors have a sensation on their limbs once again.

Read Also: DEA is Investigating Telehealth Companies Done and Cerebral Over its Prescribing Practices

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Similar to their stance on the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger, the British competition regulator blocked Meta's acquisition of the 'Gif search engine' in 2021. The Competition and Markets Authority is concerned that Meta's plotted purchase of Giphy will significantly reduce competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom.

Giphy Pushes Meta Takeover

According to CNBC, Facebook shut down Giphy's advertising services at the time of the merger. This led to the assumption that Facebook (now Meta) would disrupt the online advertising market. According to the CMA, this is cause for concern, especially given that Facebook controls nearly half of the 7 billion ($9.4 billion) display ad market in the United Kingdom.

Over the course of a few years, both Meta and Giphy have filed their appeals to overturn the CMA's remittal. Meta announced in 2020 that it would consider all available options for repealing the inquiry panel's decision.

Gifs are Now Cringe Says Giphy

In a Giphy filing submitted to the CMA on Aug 9, the online database raised an intriguing point to persuade market watchdogs to approve the long-delayed Meta buyout. When entering into transactions, especially acquisitions, companies frequently worry about their public image and valuation. In an attempt to restart the Meta takeover, Giphy told authorities they were out of date.

According to The Guardian, Giphy's valuation has dropped by $200 million since its peak in 2016, and, more importantly, its core offering appears to be going obsolete. The American search engine company implied to authorities that the use of gifs had decreased overall in the last decade. Giphy also noted a lack of enthusiasm and declining interest among its users and content partners.

Read Also: YouTube Shorts Enables 'Reply to Comments with a Video' Feature Similar to TikTok | Here's How You Can Do It

Gifs are undeniably an internet artifact that will never be removed from the face of the Internet. This type of media file, which contains short looping videos with no audio, is one of the pillars of today's Internet culture. Giphy was at its peak in the 2010s, when memes were encapsulated in these short videos and added to websites to paint some form of visual communication.

To back up these claims, the online gif database attached a Vice article titled "GIFs Are For Boomers Now, Sorry," and a link to a now-deleted tweet referencing the same statement. "The humble image file was once everywhere," according to the Vice article, "it's increasingly falling out of favor among young internet users."

According to Giphy's filing, fewer content creators see the value in GIFs, and between Oct 2020 and May 2022, fewer GIFs were uploaded to GIPHY overall. Furthermore, between Oct. 2022 and May 2022, GIPHY saw a decline in the number of accounts made by content partners.

Simply put, Giphy told CMA that no company other than Meta is interested in buying the Gif factory. The tech giant's resources can help Giphy retain staff and revive its competitive capability.

Related Article: Best Giphy Alternatives for iPhone Users Dismayed by Recent $400 Million Deal with Facebook

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The iPhone satellite provider, Globalstar, is now asking the Federal Communications Commission to reject SpaceX's request to have 2.4GHz spectrum access for its Starlink internet service.

(Photo : Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) headquarters on January 28, 2021 in Hawthorne, California. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP)

Ever since the giant independent aerospace company started sending its Starlink cube satellites into space in 2019, it has been trying to acquire access to more spectrum levels.

Because of this, broadband service providers shared their concerns as the Starlink satellite can affect their internet services.

Now, Globalstar finally voiced its concern regarding the recent request of SpaceX.

iPhone Satellite Provider Wants FCC to Reject SpaceX's Request

According to PC Mag's latest report, Globalstar sent a public filing to FCC on Thursday, Sept. 15.

(Photo : Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveils the company's new manned spacecraft, The Dragon V2, designed to carry astronauts into space during a news conference on May 29, 2014, in Hawthorne, California. The private spaceflight company has been flying unmanned capsules to the Space Station delivering cargo for the past two years.

Also Read: Starlink for Public Schools, Rural Areas-Pilot Project Now Aims to Service Several States

In the document, the company asked the communications regulator to reject the request of SpaceX regarding the access to 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum bands.

"The Commission should reject this request, which lacks sufficient technical justification, contradicts settled Commission precedent, and jeopardizes important public interest-enhancing services," said Globalstar.

The American satellite communications provider added that giving SpaceX's Starlink access to the mentioned spectrum levels can affect its emergency services.

Globalstar's complaint was filed after it integrated its satellite connectivity to the latest iPhone 14 units.

Globalstar's Service Picked by Apple

Recently, SpaceNews reported that Apple is expected to be the biggest client of Globalstar. The giant iPhone maker announced its new partnership with the satellite communications company on Sept. 7.

Apple said that collaborating with Globalstar will allow it to take advantage of the firm's satellite messaging services, especially since the latest iPhone 14 has the so-called "Emergency SOS" feature.

As of press time, Apple fans are still waiting for the arrival of the new Globalstar-powered emergency function of iPhone 14. The gadget developer said the Emergency SOS feature is expected to roll out as early as November.

With the expansion of Globalstar's technology on Apple smartphones, it's not surprising that it became concerned about Starlink's additional spectrum access request.

In other news, SpaceX Starlink satellites are expected to integrate T-Mobile's mid-band PCS spectrum.

On the other hand, the partnership between T-Mobile and SpaceX was confirmed.

For more news updates about the issue of Globalstar and SpaceX, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Starlink Deploys 46 Satellites with SpaceX's 32nd Mission-Internet Service Present in 36 Countries

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Written by Griffin Davis

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
President of the Republic, H E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, has made two appointments at the Airport Authority (LAA) and, at the same time, effecting a dismissal at the entity.

An Executive Mansion press release issued Wednesday has said

Those appointed today, September 14, 2022 are Mr. Musa Shannon as Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors and Mr. Akoi Sowogie as Acting Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services.

President Weah expressed hope that the two appointees will justify the confidence he has reposed in them.

Meanwhile, President Weah has dismissed, with immediate effect, Madam Paula Fares Harvey, Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services of the LAA for administrative reasons.

He thanked Madam Harvey for her service to the entity.
Ghana is ranked 4th in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with the highest private savings, a report by the International Monetary Fund on "Private Savings and COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa' by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)" has disclosed.

Despite the challenges facing the economy, the report stated that private savings in Ghana grew from about 24 per cent in 2019 to about 30 per cent in 2022.

Again, oil exporting and middle-income countries such as Ghana, are the highest savers in the region.

The report further added that private disposable income in the country had gone up considerably.

"The private saving rate in SSA has increased during the last two decades to an average rate of 17.3 per cent in 2019 from 11.5 per cent in 1983.

However, there is significant heterogeneity across the SSA countries. Oil exporters and middle-income countries (MICs) are the highest savers in the region. Private saving rates, as expected, are particularly low in fragile states and low-income countries (LICs)," it pointed out.

The World Bank in its recent Global Findex Report said though the share of adults in Ghana having an account at a financial institution remained mostly stagnant since 2017, mobile money account ownership increased to 60 per cent from 39 per cent in 2017.

Again, the July 2022 Banking Sector Development Report by the Bank of Ghana also revealed that deposits recorded a robust growth of 19.1 per cent to 131.3 billion as of the end of June this year, albeit lower than the growth recorded a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Gabon is the number one country in Sub-Saharan Africa with the largest private savings of about 34 per cent.
"All citizens must be an active part in the construction of a different country," President Gustavo Petro said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that "binding regional dialogues" would begin on Friday. Through this mechanism, his administration will define the National Development Plan whose main objective is to achieve "Total Peace" in this South American country.

"Transforming Colombia into a country living in total peace is not the government's exclusive task... Total peace is everyone's task," he said on Wednesday during a speech to the nation.

"This Presidency was born from the popular will and the popular will will give birth to our administration's most important document: the National Development Plan, a roadmap that will guide the State's action in the next 4 years," Petro pointed out.

"The Colombian society will not remain passive in the face of historical injustice. All citizens must be an active part in the construction of a different country."

Colombia confirms that FARC dissident Ivan Marquez is alive and intends to join the peace talks https://t.co/HOzPDKc5CI  Awutar.com (@AwutarMedia) September 15, 2022

Petro proposes the complete pacification of his country, which is an ambitious task given that it implies negotiating with multiple illegal armed groups operating in Colombian territory.

One of the first big tasks towards the country's full pacification will be to reach an agreement between the Colombian state and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

His administration will also have to negotiate with the dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and with paramilitary groups linked to drug trafficking.

The first binding regional dialogue will take place in Turbaco in the department of Bolivar, where Petro will explore a methodology defined by the National Planning Department to collect citizen proposals.
The delirious series of Theo James in which he goes out naked almost all the time and of which (almost) nobody talks
Parliament's influential and powerful committee, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is failing to meet due to leadership wrangles in the opposition Democractic Progressive Party (DPP), triggering concerns of failure by parliament for checks and balances on government.

The Committee has not met for three weeks as two DPP factions have taken each other to court over the committee leadership.

This follows a court battle between Shadric Namalomba who is on Professor Peter Mutharika faction and was Chairperson for the committee and Zomba Chisi legislator Mark Botomani who is on Kondwani Nankhumwa faction and was recently elected Chairperson of the committee.

Namalomba obtained a court injunction stopping the Speaker of the National Assembly from recognizing Botomani as Chairperson and stopping him from performing his duties.

Though the Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has moved to challenge the injunction obtained by Namalomba.

Parliament has since postponed indefinitely all PAC meetings.

Namalomba has faulted the Speaker for disregarding a court order that reinstated him on the position of Chairperson.

He has since described what is happening as sad saying PAC was supposed to meet Secretary to President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba but this has failed due to the leadership battle.

Ian Mwenye, Parliament spokespersons said he cannot comment on the matter since it is in court.
Kampala, Uganda  Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has ordered students residing in Lumumba Hall of residence to immediately vacate and pave way for its renovation.

A section of students had stayed in Lumumba hall to finish their recess period but in a letter dated September, 12th 2022 by the Vice Chancellor addressed to the dean of students, Prof. Nawangwe ordered that all students who are still in the hall should be relocated to other halls of residence to create space for renovation.

"The purpose of this letter is to communicate to you the management's decision and guide as follows; Lumumba hall should be closed with immediate effect to pave the way for renovation. Government-sponsored continuing students currently accommodated in Lumumba Hall should be relocated to the other halls of residence," part of the letter reads.

"By copy of this letter, the chief security officer is requested to secure vacant possession of Lumumba Hall to pave way for smooth handover of the premises to the contractor," another part of the letter reads.

The Vice-chancellor further said that said the decision was taken after a meeting by the University Central management committee. "At the University central management committee meeting held on September 12, 2022, it was agreed upon to commence the urgent renovation of halls of residence starting with Lumumba Hall", part of the letter reads.

Some of the students who remained behind to accomplish their recess period as required by their respective courses will now have to leave. When our reporter reached Lumumba Hall, some of the students had vacated the hall while others were still keeping around.

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Speaking to URN, one of the students called Jonathan Opolot doing a bachelor of Medicine and surgery said the relocation came with some complexity because rooms in the University hall already have occupants.

He explained that the occupants of the rooms at University hall left many of their equipment and they were left with limited space to accommodate those who are being transferred.

For many years, several concerns have been raised about the state of halls of residence at the University. In 2019, Members of Parliament on the Education committee during their visit to the university as part of the probe over the impasse at Makerere that saw two weeks-long student protest against the 15% cumulative tuition increment, were shocked over the poor state of the students' halls of residence on campus.

The MPs noted that the students' halls of residence are completely dilapidated and recommended a complete renovation. In Lumumba Hall alone, Block C has been closed since 2006 when it was cordoned off due to its poor state, but its renovation has been pending up to date. Before its closure, it was accommodating close to 200 students.

The warden could not speak to our reporter about the state of the hall by the time of this closure. However according to the University website; "the hall accommodates about 752 students, with 241 double rooms and 2 open block."

Lumumba hall which was opened in 1971 is one of the nine halls of residence that The university has of which six are for males and the remaining three are for females.
Police investigate a car which appears to have several bullet holes near the driver's side door as UL and Lafayette Police investigate the area near Reinhardt Drive and Bertrand Drive outside the UL-Lafayette Track and Field Complex following a report of shots fired Tuesday, August 16, 2022, in Lafayette, La. UL Police spokesman Lt. Billy Abrams said that one person was injured and transported to the hospital.
Katuna, Uganda  Top cabinet ministers have been shocked at the rotting state of Uganda's newly constructed one-stop border post of Katuna while the Rwanda side Gatuna is sparkling and meticulously maintained.

Stunned by the disintegrating though yet-to-be-completed Ugandan side compared to the crisp, well-maintained Rwanda side, the embarrassed ministers angrily quizzed the Proprietors of Amugoli General Enterprises Limited, the construction company contracted to upgrade Katuna one-stop border over failure to complete works the cracks and leakages in the 'finished' parts.

After handing over phase one of the 10 Billion Shilling One-Stop Border Post administration block to Uganda Revenue Authority in June 2020, the company in the same year received 6 Billion Shillings from the government to start phase II of fencing the gazetted no-mans-land, tarmacking the road and the parking space.

However, to date, phase II is yet to be completed. The contractor has not yet completed tarmacking part of the parking space. The contractor is also still opening the exit road to Rwanda.

Ministers Rebecca Kadaga for East African Community Affairs, Katumba Wamala for Works and Transport, Jim Muhwezi for Security and Raphael Magyezi for Local Government on Wednesday made an impromptu visit to the border to investigate why works are "taking forever" to reach completion despite many years elapsing after awarding of the contract.

The impromptu visit stems from the cabinet resolution that was held on July 25 this year where government officials expressed anger over the delay in works to get completed without reason.

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While at the border, the government officials were also shocked on finding that even the already tarmacked part of the parking yard developing deep cracks as well. They also wondered why the verandah of the already completed One Stop Border Post block was leaking on the wall and part of the roof.

The angry ministers grilled Amugoli General Enterprises Limited's proprietors to explain why works are not complete up to this time.

The contractor was also tasked to explain what is causing cracks on the already tarmacked part has already developed cracks before completion. The ministers argued that the Ugandan side of the border is becoming a shame since the Rwandan side of Gatuna was completed and looks very neat.

In response, Amugoli General Enterprises Limited proprietors led by Engineer Robert Joseph Oriono Eyatu attributed the cause of cracks on the already tarmacked part to border re-opening in February this year.

They argued that when the border re-opened, trucks started stepping on the concrete that had not yet gained strength. They say that trucks started crossing on the concrete three days after laying it, instead of after 28 days required for it to fully gain strength.

The company officials begged for six more months to complete the remaining work.

The ministers agreed to give the contractor a contract extension of six more months to complete the works and rectify defects on the block that was handed over in phase one.
During a tour of the West Jefferson High School with coronavirus precautions it can be seen that each desk in the classroom has a grey or red sticker on the top corner in Harvey, La. Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Each period, students will be asked to alternate their use of desks and to clean them off after each class. The school is scheduled to open on August 26. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Gov. John Bel Edwards gets one of the latest COVID-19 booster shots, this one from Pfizer-BioNTech, administered by LSU Health registered nurse Julie Robicheaux just after getting his yearly flu shot at Our Lady of the Lake North Clinic on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge.
Eenhana  The Oukwanyama Traditional Authority has called on the government to support its idea for a legal framework to protect indigenous plants and herbs.

This was presented by Efraim Weyulu, the traditional leader of the Eenhana District during the annual meeting of the Council of Traditional Leaders, recently held at Eenhana.

During his presentation, Weyulu highlighted the importance of plants and herbs with potential cures for various diseases.

"Okadimeti is used in cooking meat contaminated by anthrax. Namudinga, nowadays known as Dingila, can cure a broad range of illnesses. Omuhanguti is used for tapeworm control in human and livestock and Omunghudi for the cure of flu and cold," he stressed.

He said during the Covid-19 pandemic, the herbs were widely used and perhaps saved lives, and people recovered.

"The indigenous plant task team focused more on plants with commercial potential in the cosmetics industry, targeting some plants like eemheke, manketi kernel, marula fruits, baobab fruits and kalahari melon seeds. These plants and others are listed as commercial plants with their products found in local and world markets," Weyulu stated.

According to OTA, Namibia is rich in medicinal plants and herbal resources, which people have depended on for cure and treatment of various ailments.

He stated through the utilisation of these herbs, people have built vast indigenous technical knowledge over the years.

However, Weyulu mentioned that OTA is concerned with the current practice of the destruction of these plants through development activities and the absence of enforcement of the regulation that is meant to ensure equitable access benefit and sharing.

"Lack of investment in the value addition of these resources and overharvesting is leading to further depletion of species in our environment if no control measure is put in place," he said.

Weyulu also added the increasing get-rich-quick mentality among the people is also concerning OTA.
Over the past three decades, the internet and smartphones have gradually worn down the sharp dividing line between work and home.

It is not just a matter of taking files home. The number of people who work from home regularly has jumped dramatically since the pandemic.

About 41 per cent of employed people regularly worked from home in August 2020, according to the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, up from only 32 per cent in 2019.

This technology-induced change is a godsend to many because it saves them hours of commuting time and gives them more choice over working hours.

Evidence from Britain suggests that people typically devote an extra 21 minutes to exercise for each hour they on commuting.
The abrupt announcement from SBS on Thursday that Nyunggai Warren Mundine was quitting his board position as non-executive director midway through a five-year term raised a few eyebrows. Warren Mundine is reaching for the Sky. Credit:Shakespeare Mundine, a former ALP national president turned Liberal candidate and conservative talking head, told CBD it wasnt a case of differences of opinion with the public broadcaster  although hed previously been in strife for breaching its social media policy over rude tweets  but simply because his workload was getting out of hand. I love SBS, its doing great work, he said. But because of my conflicting time commitments, it became unmanageable for me to continue my work as director.

Those commitments include the kind of work that made Mundines appointment by the Morrison government back in 2020 so contentious in the first place. Hes chair of the Conservative Political Action Conference, set to hit Sydney next month, and a regular conservative political pundit on Sky News. Looks like hes got a little more time for all that now. STRICTLY POLITICS A moderate fuss is being made this weekend for the 30th anniversary of the Australian classic Strictly Ballroom, and why wouldnt it? Baz Luhrmanns eye-catching directorial debut cost about $3.5 million but grossed more than $80 million worldwide, was a critical as well as a commercial hit and a watershed moment for homegrown cinema.

Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice in Strictly Ballroom. Credit:Alamy An encore screening of the digitally enhanced Strictly on Friday night at the National Film and Sound Archives in Canberra, with in-person appearances from stars Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice, sold out quickly, prompting the archive to show the movie again on Sunday. Closer to home, Mercurio has also helped put on a screening of the digitally enhanced version at Dromanas grand old drive-in, also on Sunday. The star says that everyone and anyone is welcome at the drive-in, but the event might not be everybodys cup of tea on the traditionally conservative Mornington Peninsula as its a fundraiser for the state election campaigns of Mercurio and Labor MP Chris Brayne, as the two contest the seats of Mornington and Napean for Daniel Andrews ALP. Is nothing above politics any more?

SERIOUS MATTERS Speaking of Dan Andrews and his bid for a third term as premier, Labor unveiled its campaign slogan on Thursday. ALP central in Docklands has decided that Doing What Matters is the best bet as a winning message this November. The merits of campaign slogans usually get judged after the votes have been counted, with the safety of hindsight, although the state Liberals attempt at a cut-through line  Get Back in Control  for the last poll in 2018 was derided as a stinker from the get-go. All the same, CBD took a sharp intake of breath on Wednesday as Labors zinger triggered flashbacks to the federal Liberals The Things That Matter campaign back in the 1990s that hastened the train-wreck end to Alexander Downers leadership after his infamous the things that batter quip proved that domestic violence gags are never OK. Labors new effort looks just a little too close for comfort.

ROBO SERVICES Bless Services Australia, the artist formerly known as the Department of Social Security, which looks after welfare payments. The whole country seems to have noticed that Scott Morrison isnt in the Lodge any more, but not the part of Services Australia that goes by the Orwellian name of the freedom of information legal team. Not everyone got the memo that Scott Morrison is no longer prime minister. Credit:Andrew Meares There, in response to a freedom-of-information appeal to the Information Commissioner, a lawyer identifying themselves only as Spencer has dedicated nine pages to arguing why a report by consultants at KPMG into robo-debts unwinding shouldnt be made public.

Never mind that the original report, which was previously released to this masthead with heavy redactions, only had two body pages. Services Australia clearly didnt get the memo that Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese have ordered the most thorough and most public examination possible of the whole sorry robo-debt saga, in which millions was unlawfully ripped from the countrys poorest. Thatd be a royal commission, presided over by former QLD court supremo Catherine Holmes, to get to the bottom (and some political mileage) of the debacle presided over variously by Scott Morrison, Christian Porter and Stuart Robert. Theres every chance itll publish the document that were trying to get our hands on in unredacted form. But according to Services Australias submissions to the Australian Information Commissioner, which will decide whether to release the document, if the report is unveiled then government will be in jeopardy. An inhibition of frankness and candour will break out among bureaucrats (and consultants who have increasingly taken their jobs). And here we were thinking that both were paid taxpayer cash to provide unvarnished advice to government, come what may. Silly us.
The cost of years of delay was that the rot got worse. When, in 1995, Transparency International published its first global corruption rankings, Australia was rated the seventh-cleanest country in the world. Its ranking last year? Eighteenth. And its slide was accelerating. But there also was advantage in the lag. Every state and territory set up its own anti-corruption agency in the meantime. Their experiences illuminated the problems that the national parliament now seeks to avoid. The MP for Indi, Helen Haines. Credit:Simon Dallinger The government doesnt plan to make the text public until it has presented it to its own caucus members the day before, on Tuesday the 27th. After so long in the making, Jacqui Lambie reckons theres no need to rush it: You cant eat a half-cooked chook. A delay of a few months would be perfectly understandable, says the senator for Tasmania, herself a staunch advocate for a commission.

But we have quite a lot of information already about what it would look like. And Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says the chook is well done and ready to serve. He set out the seven design principles in a speech a couple of weeks ago. First, the proposed National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) would operate independently of government, says Dreyfus. Second, it would have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corruption across the Commonwealth public sector. Third, it would have the power to investigate ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, public servants, statutory office holders, and contractors. Fourth, it would have discretion to commence inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals from anyone, including anonymous referrals. Next, the commission would be able to investigate both criminal and non-criminal corrupt conduct, and conduct occurring before or after its establishment. Sixth, it would have the power to hold public hearings where it is in the public interest to do so. Finally, a Parliamentary Joint Committee will oversee the commission and will be empowered to require the commission to provide information about its work, according to Dreyfus, providing oversight and transparency. Dreyfus has spent years debating and thinking about this, and hes consulted closely with independent MPs and senators. So its no surprise that the parliaments leading independent voice on an anti-corruption commission, Helen Haines, is in full-throated support of these seven design principles.

Im confident that the seven fundamental design principles are sound, she tells me. Theyre essential to a commission that is independent and powerful. Loading But she has pointed questions for Dreyfus on six features of what she calls the design architecture. Haines is seen inside and outside the parliament as something like a patron saint of parliamentary integrity, so her opinion carries weight. Albanese made plain this week that he doesnt need the vote of independent MPs  including Haines  to carry his bill in the House, where the government wields an absolute majority. But he still needs to persuade the crossbench in the Senate in the event that the Liberals oppose the bill. If hes smart, hell work hard to win Haines blessing. And shes not yet convinced its ready to serve: If the chook is not cooked properly, the moment you put it in your mouth it will taste bad. Its actually bad for your health.

Democracy salmonella, anyone? Haines outstanding concerns? One is funding. She wants to protect the NACCs budget from malicious cuts by a future government. Shes come up with the idea of a parliamentary budget inspector who can make recommendations about the agencys funding needs. But this clashes with a basic principle. A parliament cant bind a future parliament. Any mechanism put in place that attempts to bind a future parliament can always be undone by a future parliament. The governments plan offers an alternative: the parliamentary oversight committee would have the power to make recommendations on the funding and resources needs of an NACC. In reality, the commissions best protection probably would be public opinion. The Liberals malicious pursuit of the ABCs budget comes to mind. This ultimately damaged the Coalition more than it hurt the ABC. A second Haines concern is about the parliamentary oversight committee  whos to be on it? Unsurprisingly, Haines, a member of the crossbench, wants the committee to include crossbenchers. She has been given no assurances. But it would be a wise move by the government to include the crossbenches and, on this, Im informed that wisdom will prevail.

Third on Haines list is whistleblowing. She wants any witnesses who come forward to the NACC to be protected from reprisals and actively supported. Shes called for one of the NACCs deputy commissioners to be assigned the function of whistleblower protection commissioner. But the governments bill wont address this because its committed to a separate process for protecting whistleblowers. The former Integrity Commissioner Philip Moss delivered his review of the failures of Australias whistleblower laws in 2016. The Coalition promised to act on his recommendations to reform the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Surprise! It never did. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Dreyfus intends to act on this separately to the NACC bill. Haines will need to be reassured on this, a fundamental concern. Fourth on Haines list is that she wants the NACC to be able to initiate its own investigations, at its own instigation, especially targeting pork-barrel schemes and rorts. On this, so-called grey zone corruption, her thoughts are as one with the governments. The Albanese governments bill would indeed give the commission power to start its own investigations, and political abuse of taxpayer funds would fit within the definition of corruption to be included in the bill.

Sports rorts and car pork, for instance, would make legitimate targets for an anti-corruption commission. As Haines says, this element of corruption really chimes with the man on the street. And with former Coalition ministers, perhaps? We all know who were talking about, Haines replies pointedly. Fifth on the Haines list: Would the commission have the scope to investigate people other than public officials  business people or union officials, for example? The answer is yes. If a business person or union boss is involved in corrupt conduct with a politician or public servant, theyd be fair game. This should also satisfy Peter Duttons demand  that an anti-corruption commission is needed to police the relationship between crooked union officials and Labor politicians. Finally, Haines wants the NACC to have a pro-active role in educating officials, MPs and the wider public about integrity. On this, the government is open-minded but is inclined to think its best left to the NACC itself to decide how, and how much, educational work it should do. In all, it seems the government and crossbench recipes for cooking the chook are broadly similar, with differences at the margin. The government bill will go to a parliamentary inquiry before going to a vote, but with the intention that an NACC should be legislated, funded and setting up by the middle of next year.
Melissa Caddick was surprised, shocked, embarrassed by police presence on the day her house was raided in connection to a major fraud probe, the inquest into her disappearance and presumed death has heard.

Federal police agent Amelia Griffin said that officers from the corporate regulator ASIC, assisted by the federal police, arrived at the Dover Heights home at 6.07am November 11, 2020 and that Caddick opened the door.

Throughout that day Griffin accompanied Caddick around the house as officers executed a search warrant relating to the Ponzi scheme Caddick, 49, had been running since 2012.

Caddick defrauded her victims, who were largely family and friends, of more than $23 million.
The cost of splitting Sydneys Inner West Council back into three municipalities has been estimated at more than $150 million over 10 years, according to a business case prepared for the council that critics argue is biased.

Councillors voted in February to form a business case for the de-merger after 62 per cent of residents supported reverting to Marrickville, Leichhardt and Ashfield councils in a poll at last years local government elections. Labor, which holds an eight-person majority on the inner-city council, committed to abiding by the result.

The Inner West Council takes in the former Marrickville, Leichhardt and Ashfield councils. Credit:Anna Kucera

But independent councillor John Stamolis said the 900-page draft business case, prepared by consultants Morrison Low, showed the councils utter desperation to try and stop the demerger.

Council was set the task for providing a strong and positive case for demerging, and they have not done that, he said. The report is absolutely bizarre, 900 pages is absurd, and I believe the council is conflicted.
Tapping into unused student accommodation, granny flat rentals, and a statewide tax on Airbnbs. These are among just some moves now under way, or up for discussion, to tackle Queenslands housing crunch.

Calls for action from across property and social service groups reached a coordinated peak this week, delivering an urgent roundtable convened by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday.

Fridays housing roundtable meeting, attended by 40 people including representatives from government, along with the private and community sectors.

Thirty stakeholders from industry bodies to mayors, along with five government ministers and their department heads, ended up around the table for the two-hour session the state opposition had urged against becoming a talkfest.

While the announcements which followed may not have met the calls of the LNP, others including the Property Council and Queensland Council of Social Services labelled the event fantastic or an important step.
With Ukraines hospitals desperate for more medical equipment, this Aussie is organising supplies  and an eclectic band of volunteers to get them there.

September 16, 2022

by David Crowe
Zanzibar  ZANZIBAR President Hussein Mwinyi has insisted that more efforts were still needed to help Zanzibar tackle water shortage.

He said this on Wednesday, when officiating at the opening of the 'Zanzibar Water Conference (ZaWAC), to discuss plans to tackle water shortages in the Isles, where tourism is a mainstay in addition to services provision, spices and seaweed farming.

He said success of the conference would come up with plans that help Zanzibar remain on track to beat shortage of the precious liquid.

"Water is important for all creatures, and also in achieving development goals. We need to have a reliable source of water," Dr Mwinyi said, saying that research indicates climate change is responsible for the water shortage and increasing temperature.

Commenting on the ZaWAC theme "Sustainable maintenance of underground water resources in changing climate, Dr Mwinyi said it reflects the community's need to take care of water sources, recognising the effects of climate change.

Zanzibar Minister for Water, Energy, and Minerals Mr Shaibu Hassan Kaduara said at the conference that the gathering of experts in the water sector was timely, as the ministry struggles to end water shortage in the archipelago.

"Water shortages in the country not only affect people; the crisis also has an effect on development," Kaduara said.

He thanked joint efforts by development partners including the Global Water Partnership Tanzania, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Groundwater Management Institution, University of Dar es Salaam and the Netherlands IHE-Delft.

Principal Secretary of the Ministry Mr Joseph Kilangi informed the audience that the conference was a continuation of 'Water Africa Conference' held in March 2022, to address water problems facing most countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

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"We had some projects in the past such as drilling and water supply project (2013-2018) supported by China, Zanzibar urban and rural water supply and sanitation (2009-2013), supported by African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Ras-Al Khaimah's Water supply system urban and rural area (2019-2020), but we still face the problem," Kilangi said.

He attributes water shortage in Zanzibar to lack of general guidelines in implementation of water plans, inadequate research in water sector, lack of priority areas in water sector, and lack of guidelines in soliciting funds for implementation of water projects.

Mr Kilangi said the ongoing efforts to solve water shortage was among priorities of ruling party CCM manifesto for 2020/2025 which directs research on the realities of the groundwater resources, for present and future uses.

With this in mind, Mr Kilangi said, the government has taken efforts to implement the plan by establishing direct collaborations with International Research-related Institutions that will assist in preparing some of the studies outlined in the programme. The institutions are "Ruden Ass" of Norway and "KfW" of Germany.
University of Queensland emeritus professor Clive Moore, one of Australias foremost experts on Solomon Islands, describes Sogavare as intelligent and energetic but also emotional, quite paranoid and self-serving. Sogavare, according to Moore, has no problems with destroying the basic principles on which the nation is founded if necessary to remain in power. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in Beijing in 2019. Credit:AP Despite Sogavares broadsides against Australia and disturbing signs of a drift away from democracy in the Solomons, Albanese will welcome his counterpart to Canberra for an official visit next month. The unstated but undeniable mission: to stop him moving any closer to Beijing. Albanese this week also offered to fly Sogavare and other Pacific leaders to Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral on the governments VIP jet. Sogavare declined, with the Solomon Islands governor-general taking up the offer instead.

Anthony Bergin, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says: Sogavare is a master of playing us like a fiddle. Hes demonstrated hes very skillful at manipulating other countries, including Australia. Sogavare is keeping other important nations off balance as well. In August, he offended US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman by skipping a scheduled appearance at a commemoration service for the 80th anniversary of the Guadalcanal campaign, a crucial Pacific battle in WWII. Soon after, Sogavare instituted a moratorium on foreign naval vessels docking in Solomon Islands, including US Navy ships. Australia was exempted from the temporary ban. Batley, now a distinguished policy fellow at the Australian National University, says Sogavare is occupying a fair bit of Canberras bandwidth with his provocations and policy shifts. Its a significant achievement given he leads a nation of just 750,000 people, around half the population of Adelaide. But the Solomons proximity to Australia, and its blossoming relationship with Beijing, makes Sogavare impossible to ignore. We have major national interests at stake in our relationship with the Solomon Islands, Batley says.

Even though Sogavare insists he has no plans to allow a Chinese military base in his country, Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat posted in Honiara, says: The current trend of Solomons relationship with China is one of the biggest concerns for Australia in the Pacific. Now a research fellow at the Lowy Institute, Sora says: Its very concerning because it is introducing China as a security actor in the Pacific. It draws the Pacific into that global geopolitical contest between the US and China in a way it had previously been shielded from. Sogavare opposed the RAMSI intervention force as an attempt to re-colonise Solomon Islands. Credit: The current difficulties are just the latest chapter in Sogavares tumultuous relationship with Australia. Sogavare regularly spoke out against the Australian-led RAMSI peacekeeping mission, seeing it as an infringement on his nations sovereignty. In 2007, he expelled Australias high commissioner in Honiara, Patrick Cole, declaring him persona non grata and accusing him of meddling in local politics. Then-foreign minister Alexander Downer stood by Cole and described Sogavares behaviour as eccentric. Former Solomon Islands politician Alfred Sasako has suggested there is a mystical element behind Sogavares apparent antagonism towards Australia. In 2007 Sasako claimed Sogavare told him several years earlier he had been visited by the spirit of a deceased prime minister who warned him that Australia couldnt be trusted.

The Australian government is an important foreign aid contributor to Solomon Islands and is helping pay for next years Pacific Games. Canberra deployed troops and police officers to the country last November at Sogavares request when riots broke out in Honiara. Nevertheless, Sogavare has bristled at Australian politicians describing his country as being in Australias backyard. The backyard, he told the Solomon Islands parliament earlier this year, is where rubbish is collected and burned and where we relieve ourselves. Australian army soldiers talk with local citizens in Honiara in November last year. Credit:Australian Defence The recent transformation in the Solomons relationship with China has been more dramatic and, to many, alarming. In three years he has taken Solomon Islands from the most Taiwan-friendly nation in the Pacific to the most pro-China, Bergin says. Until 2019, Solomon Islands was one of the few nations in the world that diplomatically recognised Taiwan rather than Beijing  a result, critics said, of aggressive chequebook diplomacy from Taiwan. Then Sogavares government flipped and decided to recognise Beijing instead.

In a recent program, the ABCs Four Corners alleged that Chinese-funded bribes to Solomon Islands politicians had been used to shore up Sogavares numbers in the parliament before a no-confidence vote last year. China is keeping this government together, Ruth Liloqula, Transparency Internationals Solomon Islands head, told the ABC. We all assume that China is remotely controlling the government and Solomon Islands affairs. Sogavare signed the condolence book for Queen Elizabeth this week but has declined to go the funeral. Credit:AP The Sogavare government angrily denied the report. The Solomons shift towards China has coincided with troubling signs for media freedom and democracy. Last month the government took tighter control of the state-owned Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, a decision opponents say was aimed at censoring the news.

Then there was the delay in the scheduled four-yearly elections, a move approved by the Solomon Islands parliament last week. In the lead-up to the vote, Wong appeared on ABC Radio and spoke about the governments offer to help pay for the elections, prompting a furious response from Sogavare. Some foreign policy observers believed it was Wongs first notable mistake since Labor formed government in May. There was a not lot of value in making that offer public, a former senior diplomat says, describing it as a smart alec move given Sogavare was determined to delay the poll and had the numbers in parliament to do so. Penny Wong may have made her first wrong move as foreign affairs minister in revealing the Australian offer to fund Solomon Islands elections. Credit:Joe Armao In an unusually strident criticism of Wong, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the government was right to offer financial assistance but the execution of that offer appears to have been woefully undertaken. Bergin, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says he wishes the Albanese government would take a tougher line on Sogavare. Australia, he argues, should have made funding for the Pacific Games conditional on its elections being held as scheduled. Im buggered if I know why were hosting him in Canberra, he adds.
I was repeatedly denied entry, while researching my Queen Victoria biography, on the grounds that I had not written a biography before, nor royal history. I then discovered a friend from a womans magazine had been allowed in without question. It was not until the then governor-general, Quentin Bryce, and her official secretary, Stephen Brady, argued my case that I was allowed in. There is no consistency, no transparency, no obligation to be fair. Loading These archives are not considered public records, even though so many are directly related to political affairs. Surely these documents should follow the same rules as the UK National Archives, with specified time periods for release such as 30 or 50 years. I was thrilled to climb the 100 stone stairs to the top of a tower in Windsor Castle to where the archives are kept, but stunned when royal archivists tried to censor my draft manuscript. The parts they wanted cut out were from Queen Victorias doctors records, which I found in Scotland, not in the archives, and which contained compelling evidence of her love for John Brown. I was tied up with lawyers on three continents for months. Now that the era of a new monarch begins, questions from those who value history will grow louder. Will some of the constraints around Queen Victorias records loosen now?

Why are the files on her spirited daughter, Princess Louise, still closed? Where are the full records of the royal familys links with the Third Reich? What of the records about George Vs son Prince John, who battled mental illness and epilepsy, and was sent to a farm? When will we be able to see papers regarding the abdication crisis caused by King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson? What could we learn about attitudes to Indigenous people, and a failure to reckon with the ugly legacy of colonialism? Loading Also, why are the wills of royal family members kept secret in perpetuity? Couldnt they be made public after a period, especially given the legal basis for their secrecy is slender at best? It took 10 years of legal wrangling before The Guardian won a case to release Prince Charles correspondence with ministers in 2004-5, under the Freedom of Information Act  which was then quickly amended to ensure an absolute exemption for the Queen and her heir from such requests.

These letters, known as the spider memos because of the then princes spiralling handwriting, revealed that our current King had personally lobbied the Blair government over a wide range of matters, from the Iraq war to illegal fishing of the Patagonian toothfish and alternative herbal medicines. The Guardian described them as self-indulgence on an industrial scale. Given the claims that Charles intended to make heartfelt interventions in national life as king, surely this is important to know. In Australia, after years of legal struggle, historian Jenny Hocking won a court case to gain access to the palace letters between governor-general Sir John Kerr and the Queens private secretary, Sir Martin Charteris, before Kerr dismissed Gough Whitlam in 1975. The letters showed Charteris knew of Kerrs plan and did nothing to discourage him. At the core of this matter was whether these documents could be classed as personal. Hocking challenged this assumption and convinced the High Court that, given this was correspondence between a governor-general and his Queen about a constitutional crisis, surely this was a professional discussion between two people at the apex of our system. Hocking now hopes this finding will have repercussions across the Commonwealth, pulling more important historical records into the light, and shifting the idea that anything to do with royals should be routinely removed from public archives. She told me: All official communication between palace and PM should be treated no different to cabinet papers  the personal label is sophistry. Similarly, historian Andrew Lownie fought in courts for four years to secure the release, earlier this year, of the diaries of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, which had been public but were closed after it was determined they contained references to the royal family. It cost him 400,000 ($A684,000).

Loading So what and who are we protecting? As The Guardian said: It is an unacceptable anomaly that the gatekeepers of documents relating to affairs of state should apparently be mainly concerned with concealing them from the public gaze  The ambiguity around the monarch as a private person is used either to justify banning access entirely, or as a way of legitimising a scrutiny by the palace that more or less amounts to a right of censorship. The perception at least is that access is usually granted only to those writers who can be relied upon to pass friendly judgments. This is a deliberate and unacceptable attempt to thwart genuine academic endeavour. The royal family receives large amounts of public money, which for most people is justified by their public work. But that does not mean that their history can be sheltered from the public gaze. What is at stake here is not so much tradition or convention, but a desire for truth and accuracy, to ensure beliefs and assertions about our history are rooted in evidence and fact, not sycophancy and guesswork.
Daytime Emmy Award winner Carolyn Hennesy has done it all as an actress. She has not only spent considerable time treading the boards in her native California, but she has worked consistently in film and television for the past 30 years, earning awards and acclaim for her work on such shows as Studio City, The Bay, and, especially, the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, where she co-stars as hotshot defense attorney Diane Miller.

On September 10, Hennesy returned to the stage in world premiere of The Secret World of Archy & Mehitabel at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Adapted for the stage by Dan Gilvezan, this unusual show brings the beloved New York Evening Sun columns by journalist Don Marquis  featuring a poetical cockroach and a fun-loving alley cat (played here by Hennesy) -- to theatrical life.

TheaterMania recently spoke to Hennesy about the play, her theatrical background and future stage ambitions, and her portrayal of Port Charles' smartest lawyer.

Dan Gilvezan and Carolyn Hennesy star in The Secret World of Archy & Mehitabel, adapted by Gilvezan from the stories of Don Marquis.

( Bill Dow)

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you become involved in the project?

I've known Dan and his wife for many years. He has loved the work of Don Marquis for a long time and, when he finally wrote the play, he thought I'd be the right choice to play the character of Mehitabel. I read the script and it was wonderful writing with wonderful source material  these articles are a fascinating and still timely commentary on the human condition  and a character you can't pass up. So I said yes!

I don't think most of your TV fans know about your stage background. Can you tell me about it?

I was basically raised on stage. I studied at RADA and ACT, and I've worked here with every company from Interact to Theatre West to the Acme Comedy Theater. Being in front of an audience is the most important thing to me. Doing Terrence McNally's Master Class at the Garry Marshall Theatre in 2017, for which I won an Ovation Award as Best Lead Actress in a Play, was truly a life-changing experience. I felt like Maria Callas inhabited me. But with my TV and film work, doing stage work has sometimes been unworkable.

It sounds like you always wanted to act. Is that true?

Yes, from the age of 4. I remember walking onto set of the movie Fantastic Voyage [ed. note: for which her father, production designer Dale Hennesy, won the Oscar] and thinking "I don't know what happens in this big dark room, but whatever is going on in that the pool of light over there, I am doing forever." I am so lucky my dad was supportive of my choice. Although he died when I was 19, to this day, I always want to make my dad proud whatever I do.

Did you ever consider leaving L.A.?

Of course. I thought about going to New York, but I had a family here in the film industry [ed. note: her aunt is the actress Barbra Rush] and the idea of going to New York and being a gypsy or maybe even starving was too scary. I knew New York can be cruel. And then at a certain point, I thought I'll do it when I become a famous film star. That hasn't happened, but I still want to do Broadway!

Carolyn Hennesy plays an alley cat in The Secret World of Archy & Mehitabel at Whitefire Theatre.

( Bill Dow)

What shows would you want to do?

Well, I can't really dance to save my life; I used to skip dance class when I was school because I was ashamed. But I can sing; I am actually a belter. There's a chance I may get to do Dede in The Prom at the San Diego Musical Theatre fairly soon. That would be a boatload of fun. Anyway, I would love to do Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard since it is my all-time favorite movie. I can sing Defying Gravity beautifully in my car, but honestly, I think I'd be a really good Madame Morrible in Wicked. And then of course there's Lady Macbeth or anything by Tennessee Williams.

Lastly, let's talk a little about "General Hospital." Your character is a big fan favorite. Do you understand why?

Yes, Diane brings the comedy, and she lets you, the viewer, catch your breath between all the drama and realize it's not so serious. When I hear from fans, they also acknowledge what I affirm since I first got on GH: Diane is the one character who can say anything to anyone. I get to say everything that the audience wants to scream at these characters. They love having that connection.

I have to tell you, as an attorney, I think you're a very convincing lawyer. How do you prepare for that?

Honestly, most of the writers know how to write Diane, so its easy. But the best litigators, like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, know that it's their job to convince a jury, and if they act like they believe in their client, that comes through to the jury. Like acting, it's a performance. Still, I probably could be a good lawyer and maybe in the next chapter of my life, I'll go to law school. For now, though, I just try to steer clear of lawyers.
Monrovia  FrontPageAfrica has been informed that SN Brussels, the only western airline flying into Europe with connections to the United States of America may be forced to suspend its services over a malfunctioning navigation system at the Roberts International Airport.

Information gathered by this paper has it that the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) has sanctioned the Roberts International Airport (RIA) over the malfunctioning navigation system and has given a three-month ultimatum for the repair of the equipment.

SN Brussels has often been forced to land using its own navigation without the aid of the airport's navigation - something which puts the plane, passengers and the airport in danger.

Belgian laws prohibit its flights from landing in countries that do not have a functioning navigation system.

FrontPageAfrica also gathered that another piece of equipment, The Localizer - a piece of equipment stationed at the end of the runway near the sea has not been functioning for the past three months.

This is a developing story. Full Details coming up in our Friday, September 16, 2022 print and online edition.
press release

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, on Thursday said the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project will create wealth, and improve the standard of living of countries with the African region.

Mr Kyari said this during the signing ceremony of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project Memoranda of Understanding.

The agreements were between

NNPC, ONHYM and ECOWAS;

NNPC, ONHYM and SMH; and

NNPC, ONHYM and PETROSEN

ONHYM is the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines of Morocco.

At the event which was held in Morocco, Mr Kyari said the gas pipeline project will also help in the mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission.

He described the event as a very important milestone in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project as it reaffirms the commitment of stakeholders to deliver on the project.

He explained further that the NNPC is well positioned to progress the project by leveraging on its experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as the country's vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

From inception of the project to this stage, Mr Kyari said concerted efforts have been made by the Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco which led to the very commendable achievements recorded.

He expressed appreciation to King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Muhammadu Buhari for entrusting NNPC Ltd with this strategic project.

He said, "As you are aware, our countries stand to benefit immeasurably from the execution of the project which extends beyond the supply of gas to energize the countries along the route.

"Some of the benefits include creation of wealth and improvement in standard of living, integration of the economies within the region, mitigation against desertification and other benefits that will accrue as a result of reduction in carbon emission.

"I am glad to say that NNPC is well positioned to progress the project by leveraging our experience and technical capabilities ranging from gas production, processing, transmission and marketing as well as our vast experience in executing major gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

"On our part, NNPC Limited will facilitate the continuous supply of gas provide other enablers such as the required land for the first compressor station for the pipeline to be deployed in Nigeria which is among the thirteen stations earmarked along the pipeline route.

"On behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I would like to thank you all as we continue to strengthen our partnership for the benefit of our countries."

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and was conceived during the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016.

The NMGP Project is aimed at monetization of Nigeria's abundant natural gas resources, thereby generating additional revenue for the Country, diversification of Nigeria's gas export routes and elimination of gas flaring.

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It will also assist in supplying gas to Morocco, 13 ECOWAS countries and Europe, integration of the economies of the Sub-region,

improvement of living standards of people of the Sub-region, creation of wealth and poverty alleviation, assisting in the fight against desertification through sustainable and reliable gas supply as well as providing avenue for other countries along the pipeline route to develop and export their gas.

The pipeline is a 48 Inch X 5,300 Km (Offshore from Barss Island-Nigeria to Dakhla-Morocco) and 56" X 1,700 Km (onshore from Dakhla-Morocco to MEP), with a total length of about over 7,000 Km and about thirteen Compressor Stations.

The pipeline will originate from Brass Island (Nigeria) and terminates at North of Morocco, where it will be connected to the existing Maghreb European Pipeline (MEP) that originates from Algeria (via Morocco) to Spain.
Chinese soldiers carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

INCHEON, South Korea, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday returned to China the remains and belongings of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The ninth repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by a Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, and South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon as well as officials with the defense ministry.

During the ceremony, representatives of China and South Korea signed a handover document.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covered the coffins of the martyrs with China's national flag before the Chinese side held a memorial service.

The Chinese honor guards escorted the coffins to an air force plane, which will take the fallen heroes back home.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said China and South Korea have jointly carried out the handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea for nine consecutive years and returned in total the remains of 913 Chinese soldiers to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and in the spirit of friendship and practical cooperation.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea, Chang said the handover of the remains of the martyrs is an important symbol of the development of China-South Korea relations having kept pace with the times.

The Chinese side appreciated the related efforts made by the South Korean side and will further deepen the pragmatic and friendly coordination with the South Korean side and promote the protection work of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea, so as to bring the remains of more martyrs back to their motherland at an early date, Chang added.
The state government sold over 100 confiscated vehicles.

The Lagos State Taskforce has auctioned 134 vehicles confiscated for various traffic offences.

Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Taskforce spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that the enforcement team in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice "auctioned 134 forfeited and abandoned vehicles at the Taskforce compound in Alausa, Ikeja."

Mr Abdulraheem said the vehicles were seized for various traffic offences ranging from driving on one-way to willful obstruction of traffic flow across various parts of the state.

The exercise, he said, was witnessed by members of the public.

The Taskforce chairperson, Shola Jejeloye, said that he does not determine the fate of seized vehicles.

"My role as a police officer is to carry out enforcement exercises, one of which is confiscation of vehicles for traffic offences, and handing them over to the mobile court for judgement. I don't determine the fate or outcome of any vehicle brought before the magistrate in court," Mr Jejeloye was quoted as saying.

"Some of the cars being auctioned here were confiscated for obstruction of traffic which only attracts a fine but some people never showed up to claim these cars that's why they have been forfeited to the State Government after the stipulated period and then auctioned."

Mr Jejeloye urged members of the public to desist from committing crime or traffic offences "as no one would be spared if found wanting."

He warned that this exercise would serve as a deterrent to other road users who flout traffic law, adding that they would be made to face the consequences.

At the event, the Lagos State Special Offenses Mobile Court, coordinator, Arinola Ogbara-Banjoko, described the exercise as "seamless and well organised." He said that all the vehicles on display had gone through due process of the court of law before being forfeited to the state government for varying offences.
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Cape Town 

Update as at 16h30 SAST

Western Cape Calls for Dedicated Team to Tackle Kidnappings

Western Cape authorities are calling for a dedicated unit to help tackle kidnappings. The City of Cape Town said that it was no longer leaving it up to the police alone to try and solve kidnappings. Authorities in the metro say they have been in consultation with an international group that specialises in kidnappings and extortion, Eye Witness News reports. The police ministry and SAPS, yesterday provided an update on kidnapping investigations in the province. Mayoral Committee Member JP Smith said the city is exploring ways to become better equipped to protect our citizens.

Public Works Sends Land Expropriation Bill Back to Parliament

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee has finally sent the contentious Expropriation Bill, with amendments, back to Parliament. The Expropriation Bill (B23-2020) reviews the apartheid-era Expropriation Act 63 of 1975 and ensures that expropriation laws fall in line with the Constitution. It clarifies instances where expropriation may take place and on what basis, IOL reports.

Load Shedding Stage 4 Continues Until Sunday

Eskom will be extending Stage 4 load shedding until Sunday at 5am due to the breakdown of generating units at the Kriel, Majuba and Tutuka power stations. The power utility had initially said load shedding would run until 10pm on Saturday.

IFP Members March to City Press Newspaper Offices

Inkatha Freedom Party members are marching to the City Press offices in Pretoria to protest against an article on former IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, written by editor, Mondle Makhanya. The holds-barred article said Buthelezi never owned up to his role in the mass killings orchestrated in the KwaZulu-Natal region during and after the apartheid era.

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Flying To and From Belgium a Boost for Tourism

Efforts to make South Africa more attractive to international travellers have received yet another boost. Air Belgium has joined a growing list of international airlines offering direct flights to the country. The Brussels-based airline has launched two routes to South Africa. Belgium is is South Africa's sixth largest trading partner and South Africa expects more European tourists to visit its shores with these flights.

Transactions at Scrapyards Under Scrutiny as Cape Town Bleeds From Vandalism, Theft

Cape Town has lost R3.4 million in two previous months to rampant vandalism and theft of metals and cables that are usually sold to scrap dealers. Now, Trade, Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel announced that his department is planning draft legislation to ban the use of cash in the scrap metals trade. Vandals make use of loadshedding time and the middle of the night to remove power connections from individual homes, IOL reports.
opinion

Reading through one of my respected columnists, Dr. Reuben Abati's article on: "The New NNPC", published on July 19, 2022, I shudder to note that there is, indeed, nothing new about the newly fashioned NNPC Limited Company.

We are told in NNPC Limited MISSION and VISION statements that it is a dynamic global energy company with business and operations across the entire spectrum of the energy value chain; the same NNPC which had these paraphernalia since its creation in 1977 and yet whose potentials for self-sustaining locally refined petroleum products have remained unexploited. And whose few and archaic refineries are a source of concern; badly administered and with a turn-around-maintenance profile that has continued to gulp huge cash flows with nothing to show for it.

And that the new NNPC Limited is focused on energy transition while ensuring domestic energy security is something that piques the mind. Can anyone in this country attest to this mission statement as a truism? What with the epileptic petroleum products supply, solely dependent on importation of finished petroleum products, ranging from PMS, diesel and other products? What with the unaffordable prices of these products?

What with the careless abandonment of our refineries, some of which are situated far far away from where the rich mineral resources are found, for political and self-seeking reasons. Why then insult the sensibilities of Nigerians with a mission statement lifted from other well organised and profitable world renowned oil and gas conglomerates whose systems are run efficiently and work perfectly well in the sustenance of domestic and external energy security needs.

The function of the NNPC Limited, we are told, is to harness oil and gas reserves for sustainable national development, with no reference, whatsoever, to the economic and financial sustenance and development of Nigeria's Niger Delta region, the base of these rich mineral resources, from where oil and gas exploration and exploitation began since 1956 up until now, and whose proceeds make Nigeria the so-called Giant of Africa.

While the oil producing communities of the Niger Delta wallow in abject poverty and deficient of infrastructural development by reason of neglect and obnoxious, archaic and strangulating petroleum and land laws, other parts of the country are dry and clean with wealth and massive infrastructural development, courtesy of the rich oil and gas resources and their proceeds.

Dr. Abati, in his article had pointed out that "those who believe that the oil and gas that come from their soil in the Niger Delta is theirs see no reason why anyone, any group or any region that does not produce oil and gas should benefit from other people's endowments in a 'supposedly federal system'".

It is interesting to note that Abati inferred to the fact that Nigeria is running a federal system of government even though he is well aware that the 'Supposed Federal System' is run as a unitary and at best, dictatorial in every sense of the word, when it comes to the administration, appropriation and misappropriation of the rich oil and gas resources of the Niger Delta.

A move unabashedly carried out for over 66 years, since oil and gas exploration and exploitation began in 1956. The rape of Oloibiri oil fields and its wilful abandonment still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of the Niger Deltans and infuriating enough to tell the ruling oligarchy and her willing collaborators that: "Enough is enough".

That Abati, with his vast knowledge and understanding of politics of participation in Nigeria is unable to adequately position the rightful clamour for self-determination and resource control hinged on True Fiscal Federalism by Niger Deltans, is to say the least, unfortunate. Niger Deltans' love for the unity and indivisibility of the Nigerian State has never been in doubt, right from its formative stages in the London Lancaster House debates for Nigeria's independence through to its independence in 1960 and its republican status in 1963, and even during the unfortunate Nigerian civil war, up until now.

The region has remained the stabilising force for the continued unity, peace and prosperity of the nation. The region still remains the anchor for Nigeria's political and economic stability and strength. That, Niger Delta rich oil and gas, and palm oil, timber and other resources were major sources of Nigeria's financial wealth and economic muscle from pre-independence up until now is not in doubt.

To insult the sensibilities of loyal and committed Niger Deltans for their enormous contributions to the political and economic transformation and stability of the Nigerian State gives the impression that the region's sacrifices mean little or nothing to the Nigerian State.

The people of the Niger Delta, and I believe, the so-called minorities spread across the Middle-Belt are merely asking for good conscience and Justice in the governance of the Nigerian State; to evoke best international practices in good governance under a people's Constitution that should be fair, just and workable in protecting all shades and coloration in the present Nigerian State. Nigeria, we must be sincere to admit, is still a work in progress in terms of our development and growth into real nationhood.

The Nigerian Government should be told in unmistaken terms that Niger Deltans see the new brand that is NNPC Limited as putting new wine into old bottles. The Bible itself says that: "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out and the bottles perish"- Matthew 9:17.

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The new NNPC Limited at best is still a glorified parastatal of government which would be castrated by politics and self-seeking politicians and their allies, home and abroad. I have no doubt in my mind that graft within its polity and all that has strangulated the old NNPC and made it a woeful failure in the effective dispensation or communication of its functions to the Nigerian State would still be the order of the day in spite of its newness. This is not the way to usher a new era of growth in the NNPC.

For instance, let's take a look at the share-holding status of the new NNPC Limited. The shareholders are: (a) The Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, and the Nigerian Treasury. All of these are government entities. Is it not ridiculous, therefore, that these two entities of government represent the over 200 million Nigerian population in its shareholding stake?

Abati's call, however, for a deep reform of the new NNPC Limited, I believe, comes to the rescue, for the people's overall benefit or interest. It is a step that should be pursued with vigour and vitality for the new NNPC's aspiration for good success as a limited liability company.

Ekiye, Publisher of EnvironmentWatch, wrote from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
A boy navigates online learning resources provided by his school on March 23, 2020. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

141 Arrested for Online Child Sex Abuse Nets Across Southern California

LOS ANGELESA five-county enforcement effort targeting internet crimes against children netted 141 arrests, authorities said Sept. 14.

Operation Protect the Innocent was conducted Sept. 6-12 by personnel from the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes more than five dozen law enforcement agencies, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

The task force, led by the LAPD, covers Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, and the recent enforcement effort coincided with childrens return to school in many jurisdictions, according to the LAPD.

The task force receives cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that involve the possession, distribution, and manufacturing of child sexual abuse material, and the sexual exploitation of children through the internet.

At a news conference Wednesday morning outside LAPD headquarters, the police departments chief Michel Moore was accompanied by the leaders of numerous law enforcement organizations involved in the operation.

In 2019, the Los Angeles task force  received 8,525 cyber tip leads [of] online and other sources of suspected child abuse, of child sexual abuse material, Moore said. In 2020 that number had grown to more than 24,000, nearly three times.

This year, in 2022, already by Sept. 12, we have exceeded 25,000 tips and leads, Moore said. These cyber tip reports we believe will reach in excess of 36,000 by the end of this year.

Moore urged parents and caregivers to send tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or to Los Angeles Crime Stoppers.

During the operation, task force personnel also conducted compliance checks on those required to register as sex offenders, with a nexus to internet crimes, the police department said.

Multiple residential search warrants were served throughout the five counties, in addition, to arrest warrants, which focused on child predators, police said.

Officials released the following details of the 141 arrests:

One hundred and ten people were arrested on suspicion of possession, distribution, or manufacturing of child pornography.

Ten people were arrested for alleged parole violations.

Eight people were arrested for alleged probation violations.

Six people were arrested for alleged sexual abuse of child/oral copulation.

Three people were arrested for alleged disorderly conduct.

Two people were arrested for alleged statuary rape.

Two people were arrested for alleged pimping.

While we will continue to investigate, we are looking for parents and caregivers partnership in our endeavor, the police department said.

Parents are used to seeing children with an electronic device in their hands. Most of the time this enriches our childrens lives and helps with their education; however, parents and caregivers have to know that there can be danger awaiting their children on the internet, the department continued.

Parents and caregivers were urged to visit NetSmartzs website for age-appropriate educational activities for children and adults.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was developed in 1998 by the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The goal is to assist local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with investigating internet-related crimes against youth.

As the lead agency, the unit is responsible for a federal grant through the juvenile justice office and a state grant through the California Governors Office of Emergency Services.
Nairobi  Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has held a rare meeting with Azimio leader Raila Odinga, days after the long-time Opposition leader suffered humiliating defeat in the presidential election won by William Ruto.

Pictures shared on social media show Gachagua and Raila holding a meeting, but no details were provided.

"We have tremendous respect for our senior citizens. I was delighted this morning to have a tete a tete with our senior citizen former Prime Minister Rt Hon Raila Amolo Odinga in Mombasa," Gachagua wrote on his Face book Account.

Gachagua was heading back to Nairobi after officiating the Council of Governors induction while Odinga was heading to Machakos County for Azimio Parliamentary group meeting after attending the inaugural celebration of swearing in of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.

Odinga was away in Zanzibar jetted back to the country on Thursday to attend the swearing in of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir after taking vacation to reflect and heal.

"I have been out of the country; I went to recuperate in the spice Island of Zanzibar. I took my wife, children and grandchildren also to go heal after the shock they got as a family," he said.

This was the first appearance of the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya flag bearer in the polls following the unanimous Supreme Court verdict that upheld the victory of President William Ruto.

While congratulating the newly sworn in Mombasa Governor, Odinga hailed the coastal residents for overwhelmingly voting for the Azimio candidate despite the postponement of the election that would have interfered with the election outcome.

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"The Mombasa election and that of Kakamega was deliberately left behind like our lawyers said in court so they could have a trial after the rigging. People of Mombasa have showed they are truly Azimio and this is the pride that we have," Odinga noted.

Odinga while attending the inauguration of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir stated that they will not be cowed to push for reforms in Judiciary including sending the 7-judge bench home.

"If they become rogue, we have power as the people of Republic of Kenya to reform them and send them home," he stated.

"We can lead a one million march to the Judiciary to tell them, go home and they would have no option but go home," he said shortly after jetting back to the country from Zanzibar.

The Former Prime Minister asserted that the Azimio Camp will not be bulldozed to silence for disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling on the consolidated petition which he termed as judicial thuggery.

"The Judiciary should not threaten and blackmail the people of this country after they have done the messes they have done. We respect but don't agree and we have a right not to agree bad ruling of the Judiciary," Odinga stated.

Odinga maintained that the country will not be drawn back to the Kanu era whether citizens are muzzled to silence over what he termed as outright injustice.

"Hii ruling ilikuwa shenzi,it was not based on any law. We are not going to accept this kind of things and as a people of Kenya we will not be cowed. Nyayo tried it but we resisted him," he averred.

"We will not allow another dictator to come in this country or Judiciary to become a dictator. We will protect our freedom," he added.
President Joe Biden speaks at the United We Stand Summit in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 15, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

18 AGs Call on Biden to Classify Illicit Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong are leading a multistate, bipartisan effort urging President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).

I first called for President Biden to take swift action in July and call fentanyl what it is  a weapon of mass destruction, Moody said. Now, I am leading a bipartisan coalition of 18 attorneys general demanding the president take action now, declare fentanyl a WMD and join us in our fight to prevent the death and destruction caused by this highly-lethal substance from getting even worse.

In July, Moody called on the president to designate fentanyl as a WMD but she hasnt heard back. Now 17 attorneys general, both Republicans and Democrats, are joining her.

Treating this solely as a narcotics control problem has failed to curb the proliferation of increasing quantities of chemicals that can cause a mass casualty event. Your own DEA Administrator has called fentanyl the deadliest threat [the DEA] ha[s] ever seen. We should treat it as suchthus bold action must be taken, the AGs wrote.

We must not sit idly by until a terrorist chooses to inflict harm using this substance on a large group of Americansour countrymen are already dying from this poison. We cannot wait for tragedy to strike when proactive steps can be taken now to preserve American lives. We urge you, take immediate and decisive action and declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

Due to the low cost of producing fentanyl and its inherent lethality and vast availability, they argue it would be an ideal choice for bad actors to use as a chemical weapon.

We are aware of scenarios that different federal and state agencies have considered utilizing and causing mass casualty events, they write. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is needed to kill an adult, and it can easily be placed in other substances.  In addition to different government agencies looking at fentanyl related scenarios, fentanyl has already been used as a weaponthe Russian army used it to end a hostage crisis two decades ago, killing more than 120 hostages in the process.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, a WMD is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.

According to a February 2019 memo written by DHS Assistant Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction James McDonnell, fentanyls high toxicity and increasing availability are attractive to threat actors seeking non conventional materials for a chemical weapons attack, Task & Purpose first reported.

The illicit drug is pouring through the southern border at an alarming rate and in alarming amounts, the AGs argue.

In July alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 2,100 pounds of illicit fentanyl. In fiscal 2021, CBP agents seized 11,200 pounds of fentanyl. So far in fiscal 2022, theyve seized 10,600 pounds.

Some of the approximately 1 million fake pills containing fentanyl that were seized when agents served a search warrant at a home in Inglewood, Calif., on July 5, 2022. (Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)

Two milligrams, the weight of a mosquito, is lethal. A teaspoon holds about 5,000 milligrams, enough to kill 2,500 people. One pound of fentanyl, or 453,592 milligrams, could kill 226,796 people.

In both fiscal years so far, CBP agents have confiscated enough fentanyl to kill nearly 5 billion people.

Texas DPS also has seized more than 340.5 million lethal doses, enough to kill the entire population of the United States.

At a multi-law enforcement security briefing held in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Moody met with former federal drug officials, Families Against Fentanyl and law enforcement leaders to discuss the growing threat of fentanyl facing the United States.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death of adults in the United States between the ages of 18 and 45. In 2020, 77 percent of all teen overdose deaths involved fentanyl, according to a study published by JAMA.

Attorneys General from Arkansas, Guam, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia signed the letter.
2 Police Officers Stabbed in Central London but Scotland Yard Rules out Terrorism

Two police officers were stabbed as they patrolled in Leicester Square in central London early on Friday morning.

The Metropolitan Police said the incident, which took place around 6 a.m., was not believed to be linked to terrorism.

The two officers were attacked by a man, who was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said a Taser had been deployed to enable officers to subdue the attacker, a man in his 20s, who is now in custody.

Both officersone male and one femalewere treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital but neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told a press briefing police do not believe the incident was terror-related or linked to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

He said, It shows that we have brave colleagues across the UK responding to calls and incidents day in and day out.

Cundy said a knife had been recovered and he could not comment on the incident while an investigation was under way.

It is not clear if the attack was linked to recent demonstrations against the police which followed the Sept. 5 shooting of an unarmed black rapper, Chris Kaba, in south London.

Mayor of London Condemns Utterly Appalling Attack

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, condemned the attack and wrote on Twitter: This attack on serving police officers in Soho overnight is utterly appalling. These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country.

Khan added: My thoughts and prayers are with them, their loved ones and police colleagues following this disgraceful attack. Our police officers run towards danger to protect others and keep us safe and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

He said he had spoken to the Mets new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who took up the role on Monday, about this awful incident.

Khan said he hoped the person responsible would feel the full force of the law and added, Attacks against the police will not be tolerated and any perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted.

Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted in from other parts of the country to help the Metropolitan Police during the Queens lying-in-state and in the run-up to the Royal funeral on Monday.

But the two injured officers, both attached to the Mets Central West Command Unit, were carrying out routine duties and were not part of the wider policing operation, the Met said in a later statement.

Attacks on police officers have risen in recent years. In the year ending March 2021 there were almost 37,000 assaults on police officers in England and Wales, an increase of 21 percent on the previous year.

In 2019 PC Stuart Outten was attacked with a machete in Leyton, east London, while performing a traffic stop.

His attacker, Muhammad Rodwan, 56, was jailed for 16 years in January 2020.

PA Media contributed to this report.
2 Teens Arrested in Probe of Fentanyl Overdoses at High School in Hollywood

HOLLYWOODA 15-year-old boy was arrested Thursday on suspicion of manslaughter for allegedly selling a fentanyl-laced drug to a pair of Bernstein High School studentsone of whom diedwhile a 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly peddling drugs to a third student in nearby Lexington Park.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said the 15-year-old suspect allegedly sold the narcotic to two 15-year-old girls on the Bernstein campus, causing both of them to overdose. One of them, identified by the coroners office as Melanie Ramos, died on the floor of a girls bathroom on the campus Tuesday night.

The suspect was arrested Thursday morning in the Hollywood area. Moore said he lives with his grandmother, and police who searched their residence found other pills in his possession.

The second suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was not arrested in connection with Ramos death, Moore said, but is believed to be associated with the 15- year-old suspect in that case. The chief said both suspects are students at APEX Academy charter school, located on the campus of Bernstein High School.

Neither suspect was identified due to their ages. Moore said there were four victims who suffered overdoses from a series of related drug sales  which date back to Aug. 26  though the fourth victim was given Narcan and has not come forward. He added that the arrests happened swiftly because the surviving 15-year-old girl was able to help police identify who she purchased the drugs from.

At a news briefing Thursday at LAPD headquarters, city officials said that the suspects were likely part of a larger drug operation.

These two individuals are simply transferring and soldiering this distribution, Moore said. There is a drug operation behind this.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said that he was not just interested in the final distributors of the pill that pedaled this death.

We want to go up that chain, and anybody thats involved in the distribution of this, the manufacturing of this, Garcetti said. Those who are enabling the dealers that allowed this to happen: This will not end well for you.

The 16-year-old suspect was being booked on suspicion of narcotics sales for allegedly selling drugs to the student at Lexington Park. Authorities said earlier that at least two students suffered apparent overdoses at Lexington Park Tuesday night, the same evening Ramos died at Bernstein High School.

According to police and Los Angeles Unified School District officials, the situation unfolded around 8 p.m. Tuesday, when a man went to Bernstein high, 1309 N. Wilton Place, in search of his stepdaughter, who had not returned from school.

He found his stepdaughter suffering from apparent overdose symptoms, although she was still conscious and was able to tell him that one of her friends was in a girls bathroom, officials said. The man and a school employee found the other girlRamosunresponsive in the bathroom, where she died. The other girl is still hospitalized.

Investigators subsequently learned of possibly two other overdoses involving students that occurred at nearby Lexington Park on Tuesday night. Police said one of those victims apparently received the anti-overdose medication Narcan at the scene and left, and has not come forward to police or been identified.

Moore said Ramos and her friend purchased at least one pill they thought was the pain killer Percocet from the 15-year-old suspect at Bernstein High School. The drug is believed to have been laced with the deadly synthetic drug fentanyl, although testing was still being performed to identify the narcotic, Moore said.

Classes have continued at Bernstein, although counselors have been available to students and staff.

Anyone with additional information was asked to contact West Bureau Homicide investigators at 213-382-9470 or 877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho went to Bernstein High Wednesday morning to meet with the dead girls family. He lashed out at the scourge of drugs being sold to teen students at Lexington Park. He indicated that as many as six other students may have suffered from overdoses in recent weeks stemming from drugs purchased at the park.

Lexington Park is two blocks away from this school, Carvalho said. Meaning Lexington Park is two blocks away from literally hundreds of teenagers.

He decried the death of Ramos, a 15-year-old girl who perished at this school on the coldness of a bathroom floor.

That should not be the case, not in this school. Not in any school in Los Angeles or across our country, he said. But thats the situation were facing.

Lexington Park was closed Wednesday while the investigation unfolded.

At the briefing Thursday, Carvalho stressed that the community should not conclude that Bernstein High is a bad school.

No, Bernstein is a regular school, facing the same challenges as many other schools, Carvalho said.

Carvalho pledged to mount a very, very aggressive awareness campaign with parents and students to let them know of the potential deadly consequences of just popping a pill to get a cheap high.

Los Angeles Councilman Mitch OFarrell, who represents Hollywood, said that very, very bad adults were responsible. OFarrell also visited the school Wednesday, speaking with faculty and students whom he described as grief-stricken and traumatized. He said it would take weeks and months for people affected to work through the tragedy.

Were going to figure this one out, OFarrell said. But how many other tragedies do we not have our arms around because of the widespread distribution and access, and, really, inexpensive ability to have drugs laced with fentanyl?
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), right, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) speak with reporters in Washington in October 2019, three years before redistricting pitted the two representatives with more than 60 years combined Congressional experience against each other in New Yorks Aug. 23 primaries. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

2022 Midterms: More House Incumbents Ousted in Primaries Than Any Cycle in Decades

Fifteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives lost during the recently completed primaries for the 2022 midterm election cycle, nearly double those who were denied renominations in 2020 and the highest number of sitting lawmakers ousted by party rivals in decades.

The incumbents include nine Republicans and six Democrats. That number tops the 14 House members who were unseated in 1992 primarieswhich presaged 1994s midterm conservative capture of the House that led to Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) becoming speakerand the 13 voted out in the 2012 primaries, when Tea Party activists rattled the GOP.

The losses by incumbents in primary races arent necessarily evidence of an emerging anti-incumbent trend but confirm that sitting House members and senators rarely lose reelection bids.

U.S. House and Senate incumbents have a 90-percent plus reelection rate, including 94.72 percent in this years primaries, according to analyses by OpenSecrets.org.

House incumbents were reelected at a 94.7 percent clip in 2020, 91 percent in 2018, 96.7 percent in 2016, 95.4 in 2014, 89.8 in 2012, and 85.4 percent in 2010, OpenSecrets.org indicated. The chambers lowest reelection rate in the past 50 or so years was 85 percent in 1970.

Senate incumbents were reelected at an 83.9 rate in 2020, 84.4 percent clip in 2018, and 93.1 percent in 2016. The chambers lowest reelection rate in recent history, 55 percent, occurred in 1980, when Republicans flipped 12 seats to gain control of the Senate for the first time since 1955, according to OpenSecrets.org.

All 435 U.S. House seats and 34 U.S. Senate seats20 held by Republicans, 14 by Democratsare on the Nov. 8 ballot. Democrats have a 221-212 advantage in the House with Republicans favored to flip at least five seats to gain control of the chamber. The Senate is split 50-50, with Democrats in the majority because Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaking vote; both parties believe they can win an outright majority in the November general election.

Candidate Numbers

According to analyses by the Brookings Institutes Primaries Project and elections analytic site FiveThirtyEight, when the 2022 midterm cycle began in Texas in March, 2,362 people had filed to run as candidates in 600-plus U.S. House party primaries and 241 as candidates in 50-plus primaries for the 34 U.S. Senate seats.

Now that voters in Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire cast their ballots in the last of 48 state 2022 primaries on Sept. 13, fewer than 1,000 of those 2,600-plus candidates are still campaigning.

There are now about 950 candidates from all parties seeking the 435 House seats and about 100 candidates running for the 34 U.S. Senate seats, including 34 Republicans, 33 Democrats, 20 Libertarians, and assorted third-party candidates, according to FiveThirtyEight.

In Senate primaries across the country, 91 Democrats ran in 23 party preliminaries and exactly 150 Republicans competed in 25 primaries. Nineteen of 31 incumbents running, including 10 Democrats, advanced without primary challenges.

Democrats arent running a candidate in Utahs Senate race, but are backing independent Evan McMullins campaign against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Three of 14 incumbent DemocratsSens. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevadaare engaged in tossup races against GOP challengers.

Three of the 20 Senate seats held by Republicans, including two being vacated by retiring senators in Ohio and Pennsylvania, are up for grabs, with incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) the most endangered of the chambers sitting Republicans.

While only 38 percent of incumbent senators on Novembers ballot faced primary tests, more than 64 percent of sitting House members running for reelection had to win primaries to earn their general election berths, according to Brookings Institutes Primaries Project.

More than 100 House incumbents advanced without a primary challenge, but 284 others were primaried, with 15 failing to be renominated while nearly 95 percent won, often easily.

Census Redistricting

As in 2002 and 2012, when double-digit incumbents lost renomination races, the 2022 primaries followed post-2020 census reapportionment that altered more than 360 of the Houses 435 districts.

Across the nation, census redistricting essentially baked in advantages for incumbents, making 94 percent of U.S. House districts safe for one party or the other. The Cook Political Report rates just 31 House races as competitive.

Also as a result of redistricting, incumbents in six redrawn districtseight Democrats and four Republicanswere pitted against each other, including two sets of incumbents in Illinois.

Among House members defeated in incumbent-on-incumbent primaries is Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who lost to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.)both have more than 30 years of experience in the Houseand Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), who lost to Trump-endorsed Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.).

Republican Enthusiasm

In sifting through the data accumulated from nearly 700 House and Senate primaries over the past seven months, Brookings Institute Primaries Project coordinator Elaine Kamarck, founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management, notes that Republican enthusiasm entering the 2022 midterms is evident, based on the number of GOP candidates seeking federal office.

Of the 2,362 candidates who ran in congressional primaries across 48 states82 more than ran in 2020nearly 60 percent, or 1,397, were Republicans.

Using candidates own self-identification in assessing the political tenor of the nearly 1,400 GOP and 1,000 Democratic congressional candidates, the Brookings Institute analysis shows Republican voters electing more conservative candidates and Democratic voters preferring to place centrists on their ballots.

Kamarck in a Sept. 7 analysis said there is a trend in more incumbents being challenged in primaries by party rivals, but the fact that few succeed remains a constant.

Only 25 percent of Democratic Congress members and 20 percent of sitting Republican House members were challenged in 2004s primaries. Since 2010, the ratio has been about 50 percent, with 64 percent being tested this year, according to Brookings Institute.

Kamarck writes, This trend is testament to the increasing polarization of our politics, the increasing strength of factions within each political party, and the realization that contesting primaries was a very cost-effective way of changing political parties.
A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington on Aug. 3, 2007. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

5 Officers Injured in Unexpected Explosion During FBI Bomb Training in Pennsylvania

Five bomb technicians have been injured after a device unexpectedly detonated Thursday during an FBI live explosives response training for the Philadelphia field office, officials said.

FBI Philadelphia was holding the response training at the State Correctional Institution Phoenix, a prison in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, when the incident occurred, the agency said in a statement on Twitter.

Officers from multiple agencies, including individuals from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, and FBI Philadelphia field office were injured during the explosion, the statement said.

All of the injured officers were taken to a local hospital for treatment, officials said, and an investigation into the incident has been launched by the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police.

A total of three bomb technicians with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, a bomb technician with the Pennsylvania State Police, and a bomb technician with the FBI Philadelphia field office were wounded, a spokesperson with the FBI Philadelphia field office told NBC News.

The spokesperson did not provide further details regarding their conditions.

Montgomery County provided an update on the injured personnel on Thursday and said that the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety had responded to the scene to provide assistance.

Incidents Like This Are Rare

The update said that one of the injured bomb technicians, a 14-year member of the sheriffs department, was airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Hospital for treatment, while two other longtime sheriffs department bomb technicians were taken to Paoli Hospital where they are both receiving treatment.

Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) said in a statement on Twitter that the PSP bomb technician had suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The accident occurred shortly before 10 a.m., according to local reports.

A prison spokesperson told 6abc that staff from the Montgomery County Bomb Squad were installing an explosive device for a later class when it prematurely exploded.

Video footage obtained by 6abc showed a vehicle in the middle of a large field on the prison grounds that appeared to be completely charred and medical helicopters flying overhead.

Authorities told the local news station that operations at the prison were not impacted by the incident.

Jackie Hickey, a retired bomb technician for the Los Angeles Police Department and part of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, told 6abc that such training incidents are rare but investigators will likely discover what caused the device to unexpectedly detonate.

I worry for the techs that were injured, Hickey said. Theres a lot of damage that occurs in an explosion, especially a vehicle. It has metal glass and a lot of debris that will come from that explosion.
On August 31, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna respectively.

Both vaccines target the original virus strain, as well as the latest prevalent strains of Omicronthe BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. These strains are currently responsible for almost all new cases of COVID-19 infection in the United States.

Modernas new bivalent booster has been authorized for use among people aged 18 years or older, while Pfizers booster has been approved for persons aged 12 years or older.

All Safety Data Rests on Just 8 Mice

I was surprised to see this piece of news, because no clinical data related to these two BA.4/5 bivalent vaccines could be found.

For instance, in terms of clinical trials, for Modernas new Omicron boosters, there are only data on one-month serum neutralizing antibodies for the BA1 bivalent vaccine (not the approved BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine), and no data on the clinical protection rates. The approved BA.4/5 vaccine, on the other hand, has had no human trial so far. And their animal trial data have not been made public, either.

The FDAs authorization of a vaccine containing the BA.4/5 subvariants based on partial data from another vaccine containing the BA.1 subvariants mRNA sequence is baffling.

Regarding the new Pfizer vaccine, an article published in the Science Magazine revealed that data from only eight mice vaccinated with the BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine as the third dose were available at the June FDA meeting. However, these data hadnt been made public when the Pfizer BA.4/5 bivalent vaccine was approved by the FDA.

This is quite unusual, for such a new type of vaccine, one that has been newly applied in response to such a rapidly changing virus.

In response, the FDA stated that during a pandemic, if they wait for all the data to come in, they would miss the opportunity to save people.

FDA officials also compared the production of COVID-19 vaccines with the approach of updating the annual flu vaccines and concluded that all the evidence supported their decision.

2 Major Risks Are Associated With Designing New Booster Vaccines

Although the FDAs starting point and intentions appear to be good, they do not make up for the lack of scientific evidence. Scientists have long been concerned about the uncertainty of COVID vaccine design in light of the fast mutation of new Omicron subvariants.

1. Fast Mutation of Virus Strains Renders Vaccine Design Difficult

For example, an article published in June 2022 in the journal Nature pointed out that rapidly mutating variants further complicate vaccine updates. Emerging variants and erratic immune responses mean that it is still difficult to determine what a new vaccine should be like.

The graph below shows the rapid changes in the Omicron subvariants. Back in March 2022, there was a lot of interest in BA.1, and it was assumed that BA.1 was a problem that people would be dealing with in the future.

However, circumstances changed with the passage of time. The Omicron virus strain has been producing one new generation almost every two months, and currently, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants account for over 90 percent of new infections.

In fact, virologists were previously very concerned about the SARS-CoV-2 viruss rapid mutation. They believed that it was quite possible that a completely new variant would pop up from one of the SARS-CoV-2 family tree branches. If the upcoming vaccines were based on the original Omicron BA.1 subvariant, it was likely that the prevalent Omicron strains would be different when they are administered later in 2022.

Unfortunately, this scenario became true.

Furthermore, scientists have also warned that updating COVID-19 vaccines is not as simple as just swapping the mRNA based on the genetic material of the old virus strain and replacing it with the mRNA of another variant.

To give a laymans example, when making clothes, you can cut off part of the fabric and patch it up with a new piece of fabric. However, this is not the case with updating vaccines.

Any biological phenomenon that involves the human body and can change its structure and/or function is complex, multidimensional, and multifaceted.

If a new SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA sequence is added directly to the original vaccine platform and administered into the body, will the desired effect occur?

2. Risk of ADE Effect, With the Vaccine Aggravating the Infection

We are afraid that the consequences would be much more complex than people may think. One of the key reasons is that vaccine-induced antibodies are not one single type but rather a heterogeneous group of proteins. There are good and bad antibodies.

When the mRNA vaccine enters the body, the bodys immune system can generate various antibodies against the full-length fragment of the mRNA of the spike protein.

The neutralizing antibodies are protective and bind tightly to the spike proteins on the surface of the virus and thus surround the virus. Surrounded viruses will be removed by immune cells successfully.

Therefore, neutralizing antibodies are good antibodies and are tested for potency in phase III clinical trials of the vaccines.

However, there are antibodies that, instead of protecting the individual against infection, actually promote infection. These bad antibodies also bind to proteins on the surface of the virus, but rather loosely, so that they do not have the power to assist in the removal of the virus. Instead, they assist in the entry of the virus into the bodys cells through some mechanisms, thus enhancing the viral infection. And this is called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).

ADE has an effect of promoting infection rather than protecting against infection.

It can be said that the vaccine produces protective antibodies when injected into the body, which is the ideal state. However, the actual situation can produce different antibodies, both good and bad ones, acting as a double-edged sword.

ADE has been found to be present in more than 40 viruses. It was first found in the dengue virus and later found in SARS and MERS.

3 Pieces of Experimental Evidence of the ADE Effect

Several scholars have published articles in various authoritative journals discussing the possible ADE risks induced by the development of new COVID-19 vaccines.

A review published in 2020 in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases summarized the mechanisms of the ADE in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this review, a total of five potential ADE mechanisms were identified and discussed including the binding of antibody Fc fragments to cellular surface receptors and complement activation.

A 2020 article in the journal Nature Microbiology suggested two consequences of ADE: increased viral infection and exacerbation of the disease after infection.

The two papers mentioned above are theoretical discussions. So what is the experimental evidence for the ADE?

The SARS vaccine development is a wonderful example. After the SARS outbreak took place in 2003, people started to study SARS vaccines. And as a result, researchers found the ADE effect in in vitro, primate, and human experiments.

Due to the ADE effect, the development of SARS vaccines eventually failed.

Example 1: ADE Infection in Mice

Dr. Gary Nabel from the Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health analyzed the impact of the spike proteins of different SARS virus strains on the ADE effect in 2004.

They injected some mice with the spike proteins of SARS virus strains Urbani and SZ3, and two different viral chimeras, SU and US.

In total, there were only 17 amino acid differences in these spike protein fragments, of which only five amino acid differences were found in the receptor binding regions of these fragments.

The results of the neutralizing antibody experiments revealed that the antibodies produced in the mice after being induced by the virus strain Urbanis spike protein fragments acted as a neutralizer. That is, this is the production of the aforementioned good antibodies, and they protect normal cells from infection, as shown by the leftmost column in the graph below.

If the viral strain Urbani is altered by introducing a spike receptor binding region from another viral strain SZ3, it will form a chimeric virus US. The originally generated antibodies produced by the old virus strain (Urbani) in mice would no longer act as a neutralizing agent. Instead, they have an ADE effect. That is, the antibodies not only have no protective effect, but they also enhance the infection of cells by the mutated virus, as shown by the longest upside down column in the graph.

This is a similar situation for COVID. When the COVID-19 vaccines based on Wuhan strain in early 2020 were applied globally since 2021, the antibodies generated to that old strain did not necessarily protect people against the newly mutated SARS-CoV-2 viruses but may rather enhance those later mutants of alpha, gamma, delta, or omicron.

Example 2: ADE Infection in SARS Patients

Another is an in vitro cell experiment conducted by scholars from Japan and China.

The researchers used the antibody-containing sera from SARS patients in their study. It was found that antibodies produced against certain antigenic fragments had the ability to neutralize the virus and effectively prevent infection, while some fragment-induced antibodies would enhance infection in in vitro studies.

As shown in the below graph, the blue bars represent the ability of different antibodies to prevent the virus from entering cells. Therefore, the leftmost antibody is protective of the cells. However, the two other antibodies not only had no protective power, but they also promoted viral infection of cells, which is the ADE phenomenon.

Example 3: ADE of Pathology

In the third study using rhesus monkeys, the investigators administered SARS-inactivated vaccine intramuscularly to the monkeys with a booster injection on day 14. The SARS virus was dropped into the nasal cavity of the animals on day 14 after the booster injection.

The animals were then executed after six days, and their lung tissues were collected for testing to determine if the vaccine was protective of the animals.

As it turned out, after post-vaccination exposure to the virus, protected monkeys had slightly widened lung septum, with no significant abnormalities.

After post-vaccination exposure to the virus, the monkeys experiencing the ADE effect had widened lung septum, pulmonary septal rupture, macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration, intra-alveolar fibrin, and edema.

Unvaccinated and SARS-infected monkeys had widened lung septum, and visible macrophage infiltration with alveolar epithelial hyperplasia.

This study provides pathological evidence for the occurrence of the ADE phenomenon in primates exposed to the SARS virus after vaccination.

New Bivalent Omicron Booster Vaccines May Increase the Risk of ADE Effect

Based on the research evidence, it is clear that when the virus mutates, especially after the mutation of the receptor-binding region of the viral spike protein, the antibodies produced by using it to immunize animals may not block the virus from entering the cells. Rather, unfavorable effects of enhanced infection or increased disease severity occur instead.

For instance, viruses originally enter cells through only one gate, the ACE2 receptor. However, these variant viral antibodies open a side door for these viruses to infect human cells through other means.

Even if it was not easy for a certain virus to invade human cells, with the assistance of these bad antibodies, the viral infection becomes easier.

The most common mutated region is the RBD receptor binding region, and it is also the main mutated part of BA.1, BA.4, and BA.5 subvariants.

All the above information answers our key question: After a virus mutates, the mutated virus gene cannot be simply replaced to make a new vaccine that can be widely used in a population.

This is because the antibodies produced after the viral gene change are very complex, and the bad antibodies play the opposite of the intended role. Therefore, the development of a new vaccine has to be studied and analyzed to determine what type of antibodies the vaccine induces and whether there will be a promotion of viral infection.

So making a new vaccine is not simply a matter of replacing the contents with the mRNA of the BA.4/5 subvariants.

If the newly authorized vaccines are widely used in a population, by the time the next wave of virus variants becomes prevalent, the new variants are likely to be different again from the current BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Some of the anti-BA.4 and BA.5 antibodies that remain in the human body may bind to some of the spike proteins on the surface of the new variants and play a neutralizing role. However, it is also possible that some other antibodies play a role in enhancing the infection of the new variants.

The concentration of neutralizing antibodies is one side of the coin. There is another side: the ADE effect, which needs to be carefully weighed.

In fact, this risk has always existed, because the SARS-CoV-2 virus has always been changing, and people have been receiving vaccination with the vaccines against the outdated virus variants of 2020.

To date, regarding the ADE risk, we have not seen any vaccine company publicly state that they have done experiments to exclude the risks of ADE and found that their vaccines do not induce ADE phenomenon involving the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants.

On the contrary, we often see some clinical data, or epidemiological survey data, where some countries with high rates of vaccination have seen an increase in infection rates instead of a decrease.

A study published in 2021 in the European Journal of Epidemiology examined the relationship between the percentage of the population that are fully vaccinated (i.e. two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines) and new COVID-19 cases across 68 countries and 2,947 counties in the United States.

The findings were surprising.

Those countries with higher rates of full vaccination had higher rather than lower rates of COVID-19 cases per 1 million people in the past seven days, in comparison with countries with low rates of full vaccination.

Lets take a look at two examples.

Israel has a full vaccination rate of over 60 percent. It has 6,224 new COVID-19 cases per 1 million people, the highest number of all the 68 countries. In Vietnam and South Africa, where the full vaccination rate is 10 percent, the number of new infections per 1 million was 820 and 870, respectively.

This data should in fact lead people to reflect on whether it is possible that the antibodies produced after vaccination may cause ADE to increase the risk of infection.

The new Omicron vaccines will be widely used in the population, so we cannot ignore the experimental exploration of the ADE effect. This is because it is a major issue that affects the lives and health of so many people.

Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Comparable to the Influenza Vaccines?

Some people may ask: the influenza virus has different strains every year, and the influenza vaccine is updated every year and developed at a rapid pace. So can the concept of influenza vaccine development be applied to the development of the COVID-19 vaccines?

My answer is no, although FDA officials have a different answer for this.

First, the influenza vaccines have been on the market since 1945. The influenza vaccines use two technical routes, inactivated and attenuated vaccines, and the technical platform is relatively mature, which belongs to the traditional vaccine development approach.

In contrast, the existing COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which are a relatively new type of vaccines. The known damages of mRNA vaccines to the human body include damage to mitochondria, suppression of the immune system, damage to the repair mechanism of DNA, and damage to the blood system.

The mRNA vaccines were widely used in humans for the first time during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Second, the flu vaccine annual immunization program is not necessarily a gold standard for people to cope with ever-changing viruses.

People seem to be used to being vaccinated every year by a new flu jab made based on the predicted new strain. But how effective is the flu vaccine used every year?

In a comprehensive analysis published in The Lancet in 2012, the effectiveness of influenza vaccine in protecting adults was 59 percent.

How effective are the flu vaccines today?

According to the interim analysis data on the CDC website, influenza vaccine effectiveness was only 34 to 35 percent from 2021 to 2022, far below the WHO requirement of a basic minimum of 50 percent for vaccine protection.

A study in Medical Virology found the same ADE phenomenon for the flu vaccines. The relationship between the decreased protection rate and the ADE phenomenon induced by vaccination should be examined.

What Should be Included in the Assessment of Vaccine Risks by Regulatory Agencies?

The SARS-CoV 2 virus is changing so rapidly, and vaccine designs are mostly using the novel mRNA vaccine platform. Going forward, it should be emphasized that it will be critical for regulators to assess the risk of ADE in animal studies and clinical vaccine studies.

In addition to ADE, another complication risk is enhanced respiratory disease (ERD), a mechanism associated with ADE, and it has been observed in animal studies of SARS and MERS vaccines.

While manufacturing new vaccines, in addition to in vitro cytology experiments and human studies to check the titer of neutralizing antibodies, other relevant immune parameters (e.g. T-cell response and cytokine profile) have to be examined to check whether or not they point to the desired Th1-biased immune response.

It is necessary to use different animal models to detect ADE/ERD related risks to evaluate the safety of a new COVID-19 vaccine. All the above tests are possible before human vaccine trials are performed. All data should also be made public. This current practice of blindly pushing vaccine booster shots without the necessary safety risk assessment may bring health risks to people who receive vaccines in the future. We do not want these things to happen, so these potential adverse events need to be prevented beforehand.

Making vaccines is not a matter as simple as putting together matching puzzle pieces.

References

https://www.science.org/content/article/omicron-booster-shots-are-coming-lots-questions

https://www.axios.com/2022/06/29/covid-vaccine-strategy-murky-fda-experts

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971220307311

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-00789-5

https://journals.asm.org/doi/epdf/10.1128/JVI.76.6.2827-2834.2002?src=getftr

https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.0409065102

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00006#

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8481107/

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70295-X/fulltext

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/2021-2022.html

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmv.1890360312

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.
A new survey says 87 percent of Canadian professors describe their political views as left-leaning, compared to 9 percent who characterized themselves as right-leaning. (Shutterstock)

87 Percent of Canadian Professors Lean Left, Study Shows

40 percent of right-leaning professors said they face a 'hostile work environment'

A new paper released by a Canadian think tank suggests the vast majority of the countrys professors identify as left-leaning on the political spectrum, while 40 percent of professors on the right said they face a hostile work environment.

The findings were published by the Macdonald Laurier Institute on Sept. 15 in a paper titled, The Viewpoint Diversity Crisis at Canadian universities: Political Homogeneity, Self-Censorship, and Threats to Academic Freedom.

To gather data for the study, researchers surveyed professors as well as the general public from March 3 to 17.

Among professors, 87 percent described their political views as left-leaning, compared to 9 percent who characterized themselves as right-leaning.

Just over 76 percent of professors surveyed said they voted for the Liberals or NDP in the 2021 federal election, with another 11 percent voting for the Green Party or Bloc Quebecois, totalling 87 percent support for left-leaning parties. By comparison, around 60 percent of the general public voted for these parties in the last election.

Meanwhile, only 9 percent of professors voted for the Conservatives or Peoples Party, compared to around 39 percent of the general public.

Chart of findings by a Leger survey adapted from the MLI paper The Viewpoint Diversity Crisis at Canadian Universities. (Macdonald Laurier Institute)

Our survey shows that Canadian universities are seriously deficient in viewpoint diversity and have instead become politically homogenous institutions, said the authors, professors Christopher Dummitt and Zachary Patterson. Dummitt is a professor of Canadian history at Trent University and Patterson is an associate professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering at Concordia University.

Self-Censorship

When surveyed on whether the professors would be concerned if their political opinions became publicly known, almost 88 percent of left-leaning professors were either not very worried or not worried at all, whereas 44 percent of right-leaning professors were somewhat or very worried about facing negative consequences if colleagues, students, or others on campus learned of their political opinions.

Forty percent of right-leaning professors said they feel like they face a hostile work environment.

Among the right-leaning professors, 57 percent said they have censored themselves in universities out of fear of negative consequences while 34 percent of all professors admitted to self-censoring due to fear of repercussions.

This level of fear and hostile climate should raise a red flag about freedom of speech at universities, the authors said.

[P]rofessors provided a range of examples and scenarios in which they have kept silent on topics from changing the way they teach, and avoiding topics altogether, to even changing their research career in order to avoid possible negative repercussions.

In addition, between 32 percent and 34 percent of professors said they would be willing to limit academic freedom and cancel their colleagues out of a commitment to their political views on social justice.

Recommendations

Dummitt and Patterson said that the campus monoculture diminishes the quality of education and that external intervention is necessary to reverse the trend.

Organizations filled with like-minded individuals often fall prey to some of the most dangerous forms of conformity, they wrote.

They are likely to make significant errors in the absence of a diverse array of information, and the sameness of those within the organization leads to overconfidence by the majority and self-censorship by those who might be inclined to disagree.

In their recommendations to address the issue, the authors suggest an Academic Freedom Act to tie provincial funding for post-secondary institutions to their adherence to fundamental principles that protect academic freedom.

They also suggest measures to enshrine institutional neutrality on partisan or controversial issues, the elimination of political loyalty tests from research funding and hiring, legislation that prevents unions from discriminating on the basis of politics, and the promotion of a culture of academic freedom at universities.

We need to trust that universities are places where different perspectives can be aired openly and collegially, fostering the highest quality debate on pressing issues, the paper said.

The paper also said the professors viewed the purpose of university somewhat differently from the public.

Half of the public surveyed ranked preparing students for the workforce as the top priority and another 29 percent placed it second. Meanwhile, 76 percent of professors ranked workforce preparation as a third or fourth place priority and favoured educating students and research. Social justice was the lowest priority for both the public and professors.
Racing across 1,000 miles of Alaska wilderness in a dogsled requires Brent Sass to train his dogs and his mind to be relentlessly determined

Attitude is everything for Brent Sass, winner of the 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Always a challenging event, it was particularly harrowing this year.

Sass said he went through what he describes as mental warfare to bring his team across the finish line first in 2022, triumphing despite being blown off-course by a mammoth blizzard on the last leg. He credits his passion for the sport, a close relationship with his dogs, leadership skills, and an unwavering positive attitudebut most of all, he credits his dogs with keeping him honest.

You cant really fake attitude with them, he said. The dogs can see right through most anything. So you truly have to be excited and happy about what youre doing. If youre in a bad mood, they are, too. When youre happy, the dogs are happy, and when the dogs are happy, you can pretty much get through any conditions.

Brent Sass raised the dogs on his sled team from puppies and has formed a special bond with them. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

The strong bond between Sass and his dogs allowed them to triumph over seemingly insurmountable challenges. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

Established in 1973, the Iditarod winds through roughly 1,000 miles of wilderness from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Teams of up to 14 dogs pull sleds for 8 to 15 daysit actually took up to 20 days in the early yearsthrough blizzards, white-outs, and the generally rough terrain of wild Alaska with possible wind chills of minus 100Fin a good year. The weather for the 50th anniversary 2022 race was so fierce that three mushers (drivers of a dogsled) were forced to take shelter, despite resulting penalties.

Into the Wild

Sass experienced a crash that could have ended the race for him during a harrowing blizzard. We were having a blast, until we were on a side-hill and the wind gusted up real high and it caught me, he said. I got top-heavy and we just tumbled down off the trail into the abyss. The dogs were dragged down with him. Finally, everything stopped and the dogs immediately hunkered down. Drifts are already coming over the top of them and I knew theyd be wondering what to do.

He looked up and realized he had lost sight of the trail. At that point, I turned on the sleds handlebar headlight so I could see the sled, because if you walked away 10 feet, the sled was gone. With the light on, he walked farther and spotted a reflector on a trail marker. The sled was pretty far off the trail, but I had been pounding my foot into the hardpack [compacted snow] so that I had some bit of trail that I could follow.

Pink and Slater take a rest during the race. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

With the trail found, his next focus was to tend to the dogs, calming them while cleaning their eyes and muzzles of snow and ice buildup. Through the chaos, I was talking to the dogs to reassure them. I got them all stood up, dragged the gangline [a central line that connects the sled to the dogs tuglines] around, and got the sled turned around so we were pointed towards where I had found the trail, and we resumed the race.

While 2022 was his first Iditarod win, he is a three-time champion of the Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile dogsled race, and placed third and fourth in the 2021 and 2020 Iditarod races, respectively. With this years Iditarod title, that makes him one of only six people to win both 1,000-mile races. Over 21 years of mushing, Sass said he has learned the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, no matter what, as his bad mood can cause the dogs to sour. After experiencing a breakdown in the 2016 race, he developed a new mantraRun your own racewhich he had tattooed on his body, along with Attitude is everything, Pain is inevitablesuffering is optional, Livin on the edge, and Believe.

When not racing, he owns and operates Wild and Free Mushing, which breeds, raises, and trains Alaskan huskies for long-distance races. He also guides expeditions into the Arctic wilderness. He described himself as professional dog musher/dog dad/wilderness guide/gold miner/equipment operator/cabin builder/landlord.

Sass with his lead dogs, Slater (L) and Morello, at the completion of the 2022 Iditarod race. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

A Real Connection

When he was 8 years old, his grandparents visited Alaska, bringing back photos of mountains and rivers that greatly inspired Sass. He told his parents he would go to Alaska when he grew up. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he skied on the cross-country ski team his first year.

In 2001, he purchased land in Goldstream Valley, just outside of Fairbanks, and started building rental cabins. After two summers, he had six cabins. One day, as he was working on the cabins, he saw a dog team go by. A light went off in my head, and I knew I wanted to do that, he said. Ive never let that dream get away.

He followed the dog team to talk to the musher, who told him to come back in a week. When I did, he handed me a 5-week-old puppy that I named Silver, he recalled. Little did I know, that dog would change my life. Over the next several years, I built more cabins and collected more dogs from the newspapers free items ad section, which advertised dogs for adoption.

(Courtesy of Brent Sass)

Happy humans make happy dogs. Sass learned early on the importance of keeping a positive attitude. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

His goal was to assemble a team of dogs that could pull him through the wilderness. It was a motley crew led by Silver, an old Alaskan husky named Brent, a Mackenzie River husky, a Saint Bernard/husky mix, and another big husky named Leer.

Around this time, he applied for a job at a kennel, having no idea it was owned by five-time Iditarod winner Susan Butcher and Yukon Quest champion David Monson. The job turned into an amazing mentorship for Sass. In addition to learning from Butcher and Monson how to raise and train dogs, Sass began studying other racers, their moves, and their dogs, eventually opening his own breeding operation. Though Silver was bigger than the standard race dog, he was extremely smart and mentally strong; he became Sasss main breeding stud. Sass ran tours by giving sled rides to paying visitors in order to fund his races.

I named the kennel Wild and Free Mushing after a song by Hobo Jim, the Alaska state balladeer, Sass said. Wild and Free is a song about a guy who follows his own path, making it the perfect name for my kennel.

Silver, who passed away at the age of 18 three years ago, was the foundation of Sasss breeding program. The canine is the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather of 80 percent of the kennels pups. The dogs are everything, he said. Sass has raised all 50 dogs that he currently has in his kennel. I bond with each dog, and the relationships that I build with these dogs is what makes it possible for us to compete at the high level required by these races. Sass is a great example of what can be accomplished by an individual who seizes upon a dream and seizes upon his every waking hour to make it come true.

Sass behind an IditaRider, the winner of the annual bid for a short sled ride at the ceremonial start of the race. (Courtesy of Brent Sass)

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Enjoy the coastal casual lifestyle of Florida's west coast

Said to have once been a summer retreat owned by the pop band ABBA, this custom waterfront residence in the Tierra Verde islands community has direct access to Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. On the market for the first time in almost four decades, the home is listed for $3.5 million.

This six-bedroom, four full- and two half-bath home is located on a large wooded corner lot inside the sought-after Tierra Verde community. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

This one-of-a-kind 4,527 square foot home, built in 1982, is a great example of Floridas relaxed west coast lifestyle. Situated on a large waterfront corner lot, the house has a two-sided mirror design, each end featuring a main floor owners suite, a loft, and two bedrooms separated by a shared bathroom. Entering from the arching circular drive, the center of the six-bedroom, six-bath home is a vast social space with two-story vaulted ceilings, a stone fireplace, a kitchen, and an inviting Florida room overlooking the bay. Theres also a den, a library, an office, an inside utility room, and plenty of closet space.

The homes bedrooms provide resort-quality amenities in a relaxed, private setting. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

Outside, the owners and guests enjoy a true waterfront paradise in a lush tropical setting beneath a canopy of mature oak trees. The pool is ideal for sunny days or cool nighttime dips, and the lounging area looks out over a picturesque southern backdrop. Two separate two-car garages, electric shutters, a private dock, and other practical features round out this very well-equipped residence. The property has recently been improved with a new roof with skylights, a three-zone HVAC system, and other updates inside and out.

The spacious Florida room features a whirlpool, social and dining space overlooking the pool and Tampa Bay beyond. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

Located in the desirable Tierra Verde area, the property is just a few minutes by boat or car from historic and scenic Fort DeSoto Park, with miles of unspoiled beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. This part of Florida, which was once home to Native Americans and pirates, became one of the areas most coveted addresses when bridges were built to connect it to the mainland in 1962. Today, residents can enjoy the Marina Resort, Tierra Verde Marina, Egmont Key, and easy access to downtown St. Petersburg and its business district, restaurants, and attractions, including the Salvador Dali museum.

The residence features an arching circular drive cut through mature oaks, accented by the portico at the double entry. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

Tierra Verde Waterfront

873 2nd Avenue South, Tierra Verde, Florida

$3,500,000

Six bedrooms, Six baths

4,527 square feet

0.62 acres

 Waterfront, Desirable Community

 Florida-Style pool home

 Convenient Location

Agent

Premier Sothebys International Realty

Lisa Farmer  Global Real Estate Advisor

+1 727-200-2176

The large social space has a grand stone fireplace and convenient access to the rest of the home at the end of a double-entry stairway. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

The well-equipped gourmet kitchen is adjacent to the main living area. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

The bathrooms are all lovely yet practical, ideal for the active Florida lifestyle. This is a house meant to be lived in. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

This bedroom features a simple yet elegant design highlighted by a beautiful rattan bed. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)

A view of the property looking out over the canal leading to Tampa Bay and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. (Courtesy of Bear Karry Productions)
Absolutely Dobbs Was Worth It

Commentary

Conventional D.C. wisdom says Republicans are about to pay a heavy political price for supporting the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. The prospects of a red wave election are deteriorating. An invisible army of women are flocking to register to vote. Dobbs has fired up Democrats. President Joe Bidens fortunes, miserable only a few months ago, have suddenly turned around. The Economist says that cheering on Dobbs was one of the worst political decisions of recent memory.

Even if all of this were true, and Im highly skeptical it is, cheering on the Dobbs decision was completely worth it. Just as cheering the overturning of Dred Scott v. Sanford or Schenck v. United States was worth it. Not everything is about short-term partisan gain.

You might also cheer because if someone had told you 10, or even five, years ago that Roe would be overturned, you wouldnt have believed them. Roe has been treated as a sacred text for over 50 years, not only by the press but by most of our institutions. The right to terminate life for conveniences sake had been irrecoverably tethered to feminism and progress. For millions, it probably remains the only SCOTUS decision they can name. And once the left procures a new right, it rarely relinquishes it. The prospect of there being six justices willing to uphold the Constitution in the face of this immense pressure was improbable, to say the least.

So, yes, cheer.

And, surely, once Roe was overturned, there would be a tumultuous political upheaval with a massive price tag? Even if we accept everything were hearing about the political fallout over Dobbs, the blowback is quite underwhelming. If a two-point swing in the presidential approval rating during a midterm election is the price for overturning Roe, then it was maybe the greatest bargain in history.

Just because Dobbs was worth celebrating doesnt mean Republicans shouldnt have been better prepared for the probable outcome. It always amazes me how timid and ineffective Republicans are at making the pro-life case, which makes me suspect many of them are unhappy that pro-life legislation is no longer just a theoretical proposition.

Full bans, without exemptions in cases of rape and incesteven if it is morally consistentare probably never going to be popular nationally. But most Republican-run states allow for some level of first-trimester abortions, a position more in line with the mainstream than the Democrats maximalist position on abortion on demand, for any reason, until birth, funded by the taxpayers.

Few on the left, of course, need to worry about the consequences of their radical position because they are almost never asked to defend it. But, if, say, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the presidential nominee in 2024, he will be defending Floridas 15-week ban against Bidens NARAL-endorsed extremism. Im not sure that works out exactly how Democrats imagine.

Democrats have been fooling themselves with faulty and push polling for years. Even if we conceded the tepid swing in national momentum toward Democrats is real, it could be attributable to any number of issues, including an easing of high gas prices. Yet I keep reading stories about how abortion has put Republican control of the Senate in jeopardy.

The GOP may or may not win back the SenateIm no prognosticatorbut which specific Senate race has turned on Dobbs? In Pennsylvania, where even the Democratic Partys existing senator still pretends to be pro-life, polls show Dr. Mehmet Oz tightening the race against John Fetterman. Herschel Walker seems to be gaining on Raphael Warnock. As is Adam Laxalt on Cortez Masto.

The evidence that Dobbs has been a critical factor in undermining Republican fortunes is unconvincing in other areas as well. A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that only 8 percent of Democrats view the end of national abortion rights as their most important issue. Most other polling comes to similar conclusions. Were any of these people going to vote for Republicans to begin with? Conservative enthusiasm remains high. Historically, midterms during the first term of a new president are tough on any administration. Despite the White Houses risible contention that the economy is humming, few people buy it. A new Marist poll finds that 62 percent of Americans believe were in a recession. The economy is, by far, the top concern of voters.

After decades of indoctrination on abortion rights, its also almost surely the case that a majority of Americans was under the impression that overturning Roe would mean a national ban on abortion. One recent poll found that 52 percent of registered Democrats still believe the Supreme Court outlawed abortions in the United States. The realization that this isnt so may also temper any outrage over Dobbs. Then again, even if it didnt, it would be worth it.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has dismissed speculations that over 10 million fresh registrants may have been added to the current voters' register by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in an effort to manipulate next year's general elections.

National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye, in a statement, said the commission is still in the process of cleaning up fresh registration data obtained during the last Continuous Voter Registration, CVR.

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, had at a news conference displayed extracts of the National Voters' register, which it claimed were part of at least 10 million fake registrations done by the APC.

It said the names were sourced from both within and outside Nigeria including some African countries such as Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Togo, Guinea, Gambia and countries outside Africa including Jamaica, Brazil and New Zealand.

However, Okoye recalled that on July 31 2022, the Commission suspended the CVR to commence supplemental activities that will culminate in the integration of new registrants into the final Register of Voters for the 2023 general elections.

He said: "it is important to reiterate that no new registrant has been added to the Register of Voters for the 2023 General Election or will be included until these supplemental activities have been completed in line with the law.

"For the avoidance of doubt, we restate the main components of these activities. First, the Commission is conducting a comprehensive Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, cleanup of the registration data by scrutinising every record. Based on the Electoral Act 2022, any record that does not meet all the criteria for inclusion as stipulated in Section 10, including the appearance in person by the registrant at the registration venue with proof of identity, age and nationality and our business rules requirements of adequate number of fingerprints and clear pictures will be invalidated."

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Okoye added that in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, after the ABIS and cleanup, the Commission shall appoint a period of seven days during which the register will be published for scrutiny by the public for objections and complaints.

"It is only after the cleanup and claims and objections have been completed that the final register will be published.

The Commission will continue to provide the public with updates on the progress of these processes, as we did through our Press Release of September 12 2022.

"The ABIS for the period of registration between 15th January and 31st July is being concluded presently, and the outcome in terms of multiple and ineligible records will be made public. For instance, in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, where the Commission allegedly registered ineligible persons, 3,316 ineligible registrants have so far been invalidated and the process is still ongoing.

"We appeal to the public to await the Commission's display of the register for claims and objections to raise any concerns that they may have about the registration. We reiterate that our ABIS is robust and will detect practically all the ineligible records for removal", he added.
Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet, president of the Truth for Health Foundation, in a recent interview on EpochTVs Crossroads program on Aug. 15, 2022. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times)

Adverse Effects of mRNA Vaccines Were Known Before COVID-19: Medical Doctor

Complications and adverse reactions occurring after administering mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been anticipated by doctors based on data and studies going back 15 years, said Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet.

When the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, it was already known that the toxicity of the spike protein and the toxicity of another component of the vaccine could cause complications such as inflammation, blood clots, and disruption of the immune system, Vliet said in a recent interview for EpochTVs Crossroads program.

Over the first six months after the rollout of COVID-19 shots, I had a whole gamut of patients with all kinds of problems they had not had before, she said, adding that the only common denominator of these cases was that they all had the COVID-19 vaccines.

Vliet runs an independent medical practice.

Most of these people are people that have been my patients for 20 or 25 years. I even have some that Ive seen for 30 years. And I knew their medical history, she said.

Among disorders that Vliet observed in her patients were cognitive issues, memory loss, brain fog, mini strokes, dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, and falling episodes.

The doctor mentioned two of her patients, a couple in their 70s who were healthy and fit and exercised regularly, walking 7 miles a day. They got the COVID-19 shot so they could travel to see their children and grandchildren.

Since then, the womans heart arrhythmia has been out of control and the man began having falling episodes that resulted in a broken hip, Vliet said.

Dr. Peter McCullough in New York on Dec. 24, 2021. (Jack Wang/The Epoch Times)

Treating COVID-19

Vliet said that in her medical practice, she abides by a basic principle she learned in medical school: If what youre doing is working, keep doing it. If what youre doing isnt working, stop doing it.

And if the patient has new health problems, right after youve given them a treatment or a medicine or a shot, then consider that as the connecting link, she said.

Those principles are common sense. Its basic medicine 101  and its been true my whole career.

Doctors generally stop administering a medicine when a patient shows side effects that they didnt have before, to see if those reactions resolve, Vliet said. The same is true with any vaccine.

Ive seen patients over my career whove had adverse reactions to all the different vaccines, Vliet said, adding that she herself has had vaccines in the past and has not experienced any adverse reactions.

Ive recommended them appropriately for patients over my career. But there are also times when vaccines simply arent needed. COVID was one of those.

COVID-19 was not a lethal illness for those under 50 with no medical comorbidities, Vliet said. And for those over 50 or with medical comorbidities, Vliet used early treatment, and the disease was very treatable, she said.

Dr. Vladimir Zelenko. (Courtesy of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation)

Vliet said she used a combination of older, safer medicines recommended by Drs. Vladimir Zelenko and Peter McCullough beginning in March 2020.

I didnt have any of my patients go in the hospital. I didnt have anyone die, she said. She did have some older patients with diabetes, obesity, and other medical conditions who were pretty sick with COVID-19, but she kept them out of the hospital with an aggressive combination of drug therapies recommended by McCullough.

So vaccines are not always the answer to every problem, she said, adding that for COVID-19, the best answer was early treatment.

But the government and the political agenda suppressed and persecuted doctors who were treating patients early with older and safer medicines, Vliet said.

Zelenko, a practicing physician in Monroe, New York, had treated 3,000 patients with COVID-19 symptoms with the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and zinc sulfate, and only three of his patients with high-risk conditions died, Dr. Joseph Mercola wrote for The Epoch Times.

McCullough, a cardiologist, internist, epidemiologist, and advocate of COVID-19 early treatment co-authored two scientific papers on the topic of early treatment of COVID-19, and the second one became the basis for a home treatment guide, Mercola wrote.

How to Treat Vaccine Injuries

To help people suffering from vaccine injuries, the Truth for Health Foundation prepared an educational booklet explaining vaccine adverse reactions and treatment options, said Vliet, who also works pro bono as the president and CEO of the foundation.

The treatments include a combination of prescription medications, nutraceuticals, supplements, foods, neuroprotection, immune boosters, and also lifestyle changes, Vliet said, adding that she uses this combination approach to treat her patients, with positive results.

One of the foundational medicines that has had enormous benefits for the patients Im treating, for example, is hydroxychloroquine, Vliet said, because its anti-inflammatory, its an immune modulator, its anti-viral.

Weve never in the history of the vaccination program worldwide, had an experimental shot that crosses the blood-brain barrier, gets into the brain itself, and the nervous system, Vliet said.

These COVID gene therapy shots do that, she said. They also cross the placental barrier  so its understandable why these experimental gene therapy shots are causing so much damage to developing babies in the womb, to the brain, and central nervous system in children and adults.

Since doctors understand the mechanism of how the vaccines work, they can use existing medicines to treat adverse effects, Vliet explained.

Lawsuits

The Truth for Health Foundation is filing two lawsuits in federal court over the unlawful orders and mandates for experimental products, Vliet said.

All of the testing, masking, and vaccine products are emergency use authorization only. None of them are FDA approved for COVID. That means it is illegal to mandate any of these EUA products.

Recently, health care workers reached a $10 million settlement against their employer over the COVID-19 shot mandate, Vliet said. Private employers do not have the same liability protection that the government and the vaccine manufacturers do, she explained.

That case has opened the door for thousands more lawsuits against the private employers that have implemented these mandates and cost people their jobs, she said.

About a dozen workers at NorthShore University Health System in Illinois filed the suit in October 2021, arguing that the facility was illegally refusing religious exemptions to the mandate. In July, the litigants agreed to settle this case.

Under the settlements terms, NorthShore will pay $10.3 million into a settlement fund for workers affected by its mandatespecifically, workers who asked for religious accommodation and were denied and either received a vaccine to avoid termination or were fired or resigned from their employment. About 473 workers fit under that category.

The company has also agreed to rehire any employees who were fired for not getting vaccinated due to their religious beliefs.

Reporting Vaccine Injuries

There is a government system to collect data about adverse reactions to all vaccines called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), but inputting data into the system is complicated and time consuming.

Moreover, only about 10 percent of all vaccine adverse events are reported in VAERS, as estimated in 2012 by Harvard researchers, despite the fact that entering data about adverse incidents can be done by anyone and health professionals are required to report certain types of side effects, Vliet said.

Therefore the Truth for Health Foundation has created its proprietary Citizens Vaccine Injury Reporting System, where people can easily and quickly report their injury even from a mobile device, Vliet said.

Once the data is accumulated, the foundations medical advisory panel of scientists, physicians, and epidemiologists will help to analyze the data, and reports produced based on the collected data will be made public, Vliet said.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Ella Kietlinska Reporter Follow Ella Kietlinska is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. and world politics.
The House floor before a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Arizona Takes Center Stage in Race for US Senate Control

Political vitriol is at a fever pitch around the country as the race for control of Congress enters the final stretch.

In the U.S. Senate, 35 seats out of 100 are up for re-election on Nov. 8, with Democrats currently controlling 14 of those seats and Republicans controlling 21.

Fifteen of the 35 seats up for re-election are considered Solid Republican by the Cook Political Reportnine are Solid Democrat; three on each side lean D and R, and one is Likely R. Only four are considered a toss-up.

These toss-up seats have drawn the nations eyes as theyll determine who controls the U.S. Senate going into 2023. One of those seats is in Arizona, where Republican candidate Blake Masters hopes to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.

Fight for Control

Right now, Democrats control 48 Senate seats, and Republicans control 50. However, there are two independent seats, and they caucus with Democrats, effectively dividing the Senate 50/50 and giving Vice President Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote. She votes with the Democrats, giving Democrats a working majority.

Because the margin of control is razor-thin, if Republicans net just one of the toss-up seats on Nov. 8, theyll gain control of the Senate with 51 seats. For Democrats to solidify their Senate control, theyll need to successfully flip a Leans R or Likely R seat.

From 1952 to just before the 2020 elections, Arizona was considered a reliably Red state despite Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) defeating incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) in 2018. In 2016, Donald Trump won the state by 3.6 percentage points.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington on the evening of Aug. 6, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

But in 2020, President Joe Biden won the state of Arizona by 0.3 percentage points. And in a November 2020 special election, Kelly successfully defeated incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) by 2.4 percent.

Despite the more recent power switch, three independent election forecasters rate the upcoming Arizona Senate election as a toss-up, with Masters and Kelly duking it out in the polls. Emerson College Polling on Sep. 9 showed Kelly at 47 percent, Masters at 45 percent, and five percent of voters were undecided.

Marc Victor, a Libertarian, is also running for Arizonas Senate seat, but hes considered a long shot.

Kelly vs. Masters

According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Kellys campaign has trounced Masters in both contributions and spending.

Kelly raised just over $54.14 million and spent close to $30.8 million, while Masters raised just under $5 million and spent just over $3.4 million. Kelly contributed nothing from his personal funds, while Masters contributed just under $14,100.

Part of the above discrepancy in financing is because up until Aug. 2, Masters ran in Arizonas primary against four other contenders, while Kelly ran unopposed.

For the Republican primary, Jim Lamon raised over $15 million in donations, according to the FEC, Mark Brnovich raised just under $3.1 million, Michael McGuire raised just under $2.5 million, and Justin Olson raised $318,570.

Republican candidate for Senate Blake Masters speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the Whiskey Roads Restaurant & Bar in Tucson, Arizona, on July 31, 2022 (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

But Lamons dominating contributions and spending werent enough to defeat Masters. On Aug. 2, Trump-backed Masters won the Republican nomination with 39 percent of the vote. Second-place finisher Lamon received 28.8 percent.

To bolster Masters, on Sep. 12, the Sentinel Action Fund, an independent conservative Super PAC and partner organization of Heritage Action for America, announced $5 million for Masters. It also officially endorsed Masters for Arizonas U.S. Senate Seat.

Blake Masters will always put America first and never stop fighting for the people of Arizona. We are thrilled to endorse his candidacy and announce a new $5 million commitment to help fight back against the radical Lefts agenda embodied by Senator Mark Kelly, Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund, said in a press release.

In 2020, Kellys campaign focused on bipartisanship and a willingness to work across the aisle. In 2021, Axios rated him the most bipartisan Senate Democratic Freshman as 28.3 percent of the bills he introduced had an opposite-party sponsor.

Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks to supporters during the Election Night event at Hotel Congress in Tucson, Arizona, on Nov. 3, 2020. (Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images)

On the other hand, FiveThirtyEight reported Kelly voted in line with President Bidens position 94.4 percent of the time, and voted for partisan measures that increased Affordable Care Act Subsidies, expanded firearm regulations, and supported vaccine mandates. He also advocated establishing a commission to investigate Jan. 6, voiced support for Build Back Better, and wanted to get rid of the filibuster.

Masters, on the other hand, is a political newcomer as he hasnt held elected office before. However, he worked on President Trumps transition team in 2016. He said on his website that he saw firsthand how deep The Swamp really is and how establishment forces immediately tried to undermine President Trumps MAGA agenda.

According to his campaign website, Masters is running to help fix a broken Washington and declining America. His position doesnt promise bipartisanship and echoes Trumps approach of taking on not only progressive ideology but also compromised RINO Republicans.

America is in decline and the world is a dangerous place. Blake uniquely understands the modern threats that we face.

At home, we see an unholy alliance between Big Government, Big Tech, and Big Business, who collude to wreak havoc on our economy, destroy our border, impose their radically liberal ideology on our culture, and censor any dissent.

The Epoch Times reached out to both Kelly and Masters and is waiting to hear back.
A health worker prepares a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Montreal on March 15, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)

Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Expert Calls on Authorities to Suspend Provisional Approval Status Granted to COVID-19 Vaccines

Transparency and Independent Oversight is Needed

MELBOURNE, AustraliaA clinical trials and pharmaceutical regulation affairs expert has urged Australias Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to suspend the provisional approval status granted to COVID-19 vaccines and declared Australias drug adverse event reporting system broken.

This comes after the TGA reported 135,978 cases of total adverse events following COVID-19 immunisations to Sept. 4. The TGA has also identified 13 reports where the cause of death was linked to vaccinations from the 937 reports it received and reviewed.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Australian Medical Professionals Society (AMPS) named Reclaiming Medicine in Melbourne on Sept. 10, Dr. Phillip Altmana veteran and expert in the areas of clinical medical research and pharmaceutical drug regulatory affairs in Australiasaid the number of cases could be higher.

Because we have a broken adverse drug reaction recording system, and because of underreportingwhich is admitted by the TGAwe really do not know the real number of deaths caused by these vaccines, he said.

In his report (pdf) titled The Time of COVID, Altman argues that the problem with Australias Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN) is that its system involves voluntary reporting and that most doctors are reluctant to report adverse drug reactions to vaccines due to fear of being accused by health regulators, namely the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (AHPRA), of being anti-vax.

Due to health regulators and the pressure to adhere to the safe COVID vaccine only narrative, doctors are often reluctant to admit to the possibility that the COVID vaccines are causing serious injury and death, he said.

Additionally, Altman told The Epoch Times that the reporting process is subjective, and the individuals involved in ascribing causality are generally heavily conflicted insofar as their jobs and careers are linked to the vaccine industry.

In response, a TGA spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that inclusion in the DAEN does not mean that the details of the event have been confirmed, or that the event has been determined to be related to a medicine or a vaccine.

In most cases the causal relationship is not certain and the adverse event could be related to other factors, the spokesperson said.

Additionally, the spokesperson said that health professionals in NSW, Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT are required under public health legislation to notify adverse events following immunisation to their state or territory health department. Further agreements between the Commonwealth and GPs required a commitment from GPs to report all adverse events to the TGA, the spokeperson said.

Meanwhile, though patients can also report their adverse effects to the TGA, there may be a lack of awareness on reporting outlets. Also, the TGAs website stated that not all reports to the TGA will be made public on the DAEN.

The TGA listed that if the adverse event is determined to not be related to the medicine/vaccine (for example, the adverse event is explained by other causes), then the report may not be included.

There appears to be a heavy bias in underreporting deaths caused by the vaccines, Altman said.

Since 1974, Dr. Altman has worked primarily within the Australian pharmaceutical industry in relation to clinical trial design, management and reporting with obtaining new drug approvals; he has also worked with the Secretary of the Department of Health and the TGA.

He said countries such as the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have all moved to pull back their vaccine recommendations due to safety concerns, but not Australia.

After 18 months of use, worldwide use, we are seeing the highest rates of death and serious adverse events ever associated with any drug released in history, he said, adding that cases of deaths, cancers, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and neurological diseases that are associated with the vaccine have risen significantly around the world.

Neurological Diseases

Many studies have associated neurological diseases with the COVID-19 vaccination.

A pre-print study co-authored by Dr. Jean-Claude Perez, the late Nobel Laureate Prof. Luc Montagnier, and Dr. Claire Moret-Chalmain documented 26 cases of Creutz-feldt Jakobs Disease (CJD) with mRNA COVID-19 injections.

CJD is a fatal and incurable disease that progressively kills all the brain cells of the person affected. It is very rare and affects about 1 to 2 people out of 1 million every year.

Perez told The Epoch Times that symptoms for these people appeared on average, within 11.38 days after mRNA vaccination, and most passed away within a few months after symptoms started to appear.

In an email dated June 6, 2022, Perez wrote that all of the patients have since died.

Other studies on rare neurological conditions such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO) have also emerged in individuals vaccinated with mRNA injections. It is a relapsing disease that kills cells in the central nervous system and can be physically debilitating.

One study told of a patient who developed constant, shooting, 10 out of 10 upper back pain in between her shoulder blades that radiated to her arms and lower chest two days after her first Moderna shot.

Both Pfizer and Moderna did not respond to requests to comment from The Epoch Times.

Provisional Approval Status of COVID-19 Vaccines in Australia

Provisional Approval is a relatively new data regulatory pathway introduced into the Therapeutic Goods Act in 2018.

This pathway provides access to new medicines, including vaccines, where the TGA determines that early availability of the medicine outweighs the inherent risks despite additional information still being required.

The manufacturer is required by the TGA to submit additional safety and efficacy data over a defined period to answer specific important outstanding safety and efficacy issues not completed or concluded before the product is Provisionally Approved.

The current provisionally approved COVID-19 vaccines are Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Spikevax (Moderna), COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (J&J), and Comirnaty (Pfizer).

Products released under Provisional Approval cannot be considered fully evaluated, the Altman report states.

Under these circumstances and because there is pending or outstanding safety and efficacy data to be generated and evaluated, it is premature to declare such drugs safe and effective, and the use of these agents needs to be constantly under review in light of emerging safety data to reassess the risk versus any perceived benefit.

However, the TGA spokesperson accused Altmans report for containing numerous inaccuracies and significant misinterpretations of information about the safety of the provisionally approved COVID-19 vaccines.

Even though the decision to provisionally approve these vaccines was made on the basis of short-term efficacy and safety data, the data submitted to support the quality, safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines showed a positive benefit-risk ratio. Waiting for data to establish the duration of protection would not have allowed these vaccines to have been available.

In a June 2019 statement, the TGA said that it uses the provisional approval pathway when a new medicine is a promising treatment for a serious or life-threatening condition.

To ensure the safety of provisionally approved medicines, the TGA says it guarantees that available evidence shows that the benefits of the medicine outweigh any risks, all applications for approval include a plan on how the drug company will conduct more research on the medicines safety and efficacy, monitor the medicine more closely so that any issues are identified, and limit, suspend or cancel the approval if there are major patient safety concerns.

Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States

A recent study re-evaluating Pfizer and Modernas clinical data for emergency use authorization (EUA) resulted in findings contradictory to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The authors found that though the number of adverse events between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups was similar, the vaccinated people had an increased risk of experiencing multiple adverse events, which the authors observed to be significant.

While the FDA found balanced and without meaningful imbalances in differences between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated people in the Pfizer (pdf) and the Moderna (pdf) studies, the authors found that vaccinated individuals in the Pfizer study had a 36 percent greater risk of serious adverse events.

For Moderna, the vaccinated people had a six percent increased risk of serious adverse events.

The authors argued that the differences in results are because the FDA evaluated data differently.

While the authors only examined adverse events in vaccinated individuals who were given two doses with at least two months of the post-vaccine interval before follow-up, the FDA also added people who were only given one dose or had a shorter period of follow-up.

This allowed them to add an extra 5,666 people to the combined (Pfizer and Moderna) group of individuals who were vaccinated without adverse effects. This meant that a shorter follow-up period would be given to many of the people accounted for and will most likely increase the number of people who showed no adverse effects.

Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events, the authors wrote.

Combined, the mRNA vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told The Epoch Times via email that the agency disagrees with the papers conclusions.

Read More Vaccinated at Higher Risk of Serious Adverse Events: Reanalysis of Original Trial Data

Based on the agencys thorough evaluation of the safety and effectiveness data for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the ongoing safety surveillance of the vaccines, we continue to find their benefits far outweigh their risks in preventing COVID-19, including its most serious outcomes of hospitalization and death, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Australias TGA states that deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare and that most deaths are caused by those with underlying diseases.

When a vaccine is given in that same population, the link between the vaccine and death is usually coincidentalnot caused by the vaccine. These deaths are carefully reviewed for whether vaccines could be the cause, and for the vast majority, that is not the case, the TGA website states.

Further, a study published by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) states that of the three million Australians who reported any adverse reactions 0-3 days after vaccination from Feb. 22 to Feb. 30, 35.9 percent reported one or more adverse reactions after the first Pfizer dose, while 54.7 percent reported having one or more adverse reactions after the first AstraZeneca dose.

Local pain, fatigue, headache, and myalgia were the most frequently reported symptoms, the MJA study states.

In the largest published postmarketing analysis of the safety of Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca), adverse events were more frequently reported by people with underlying medical conditions, including a history of anaphylaxis, the study states.

Australias Reporting System

Altman said that if Australias adverse drug reaction reporting system is not fixed, then the provisional approval system needs to be removed.

You cannot have a broken adverse drug reporting system at the same time release drugs that have significant safety concerns, Altman said.

He added that no Australian is safe without an efficient DAEN system and that transparency and independent oversight is needed.

In response, the TGA said that its adverse reporting system is just one source of information it uses for safety monitoring; it also reviews published medical literature, reports and analyses submitted by sponsors, and works closely with regulators around the world to share information from vaccination programs.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Henry Jom Follow Henry Jom is an Australian based reporter covering local Australia news. Contact him at henry.jom@epochtimes.com.au.
President Joe Biden delivers a keynote speech at the United We Stand Summit at the White House in Washington, Sept. 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Asks Congress to End Social Media Immunity at White House Summit on Hate-Fueled Violence

Multiple initiatives to combat 'hate-fueled violence,' racism, and extremism announced at summit

At a summit at the White House on Thursday to address hate-fueled violence, President Joe Biden denounced white supremacists and urged lawmakers in Congress to end special immunity for social media companies.

Biden also called on Americans at large to speak out against racism and extremism at the event, dubbed the United We Stand summit, which was attended by bipartisan local leaders, experts, and survivors of hate-based violent attacks.

The event sought to counter the destructive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety, mobilize diverse sectors of society and communities across the country to these dangers, and put forward a shared, inclusive, bipartisan vision for a more united America, the Biden administration said on the summit events website.

All forms of hate fueled by violence have no place in America, the president said at Thursdays summit, recalling various attacks, including a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016, and another at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York earlier this year.

White supremacists will not have the last word, Biden said, without mentioning any other groups that have incited violence and hate in the United States in recent years.

Biden briefly mentioned the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was breached, saying that the event didnt reflect who we are as a nation.

He contended that the United States has long had a through line of hate against minority groups and that politics and the media have given it too much oxygen in recent years.

The Democrat said he wants Congress to hold social media companies accountable for spreading hate. The remarks received a standing ovation from attendees.

Im calling on Congress to get rid of special immunity for social media companies and impose much stronger transparency requirements on all of them, Biden said, alluding to Section 230.

Publishers can be held liable for any content they post, while social media platforms are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that shields online companies from liability related to content posted by users. In particular, part of the law states that no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.

The Biden administration has repeatedly called for revoking Section 230 and has also supported ramping up anti-trust and transparency enforcement on technology companies, some of which currently allow users to post anonymously.

The FBI said in 2021 that hate crimes in the United States hit a 12-year high in 2020, the latest available data. The Department of Justice has said it would increase efforts to counter it.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a keynote speech at the United We Stand Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Multiple Initiatives

The Biden administration on Thursday announced what appears to be a plethora of initiatives from the public and private sectors to address hate-motivated violence.

This included a $1 billion investment to be pushed by a group of philanthropists called New Pluralists to have funders support a 10-year effort to build a culture of respect, belonging and collaboration in communities and organizations across America and stand behind the essential work of courageous uniters, healers, and bridgers.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced at the summit that all 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices would work on a United Against Hate initiative over 2023.

Earlier this year, our U.S. Attorneys Offices for Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the Eastern District of Washington completed United Against Hate pilot programs, he said. And today, I am pleased to announce that this initiative will expand to 16 more U.S. Attorneys offices and will launch in all 94 U.S. Attorneys offices within the next year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Treasurys Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence is developing a website of key reports and resources on financing domestic violent extremism to help inform the public and private sectors.

Treasury will also undertake strategic engagement with regional financial institutions across the United States to discuss risks associated with financing domestic violent extremism, and hold a workshop with virtual currency firms on domestic violent extremist use of virtual assets, the Biden administration announced.

Tech Companies Act

The summit at the White House also featured announcements from four tech companiesYouTube, Twitch, Microsoft, and Metaof actions theyre taking to combat violent extremism online.

The Biden administration said that but advancements in digital technologies, including social media and other online platforms, have also led to unintended consequences. The unintended consequences included the spread of violent extremist ideologies and mobilization to violencefor which the technology sector must bear responsibility.

Americans know how the internet can fuel hate, misogyny, and abuse with spillover effects that threaten the safety of our communities offline, it added.

YouTube said that among other actions, it will remove content glorifying violent acts for the purpose of inspiring others to commit harm, fundraise, or recruit, even if the creators of such content are not related to a designated terrorist group.

Meta, formerly Facebook, will engage in a new research partnership with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC). The research will analyze trends in violent extremism and tools that help communities combat it.

Twitch, a live-streaming platform owned by Amazon, is set to release a new tool to accelerate its ongoing commitment to deterring hate. The tool empowers its streamers and their communities to help counter hate and harassment and further individualize the safety experience of their channels. There were no specifics announced about the new tool.

The company will also be launching new community education initiatives on topics including identifying harmful misinformation and deterring hateful violence, the Biden administration announced.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is expanding its application of violence detection and prevention artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools and using gaming to build empathy in young people.

Microsoft has developed some AI/ML tools that can help detect credible threats of violence or to public safety, and will make these tools more basic and affordable so that schools and smaller organizations can use them to assist in violence prevention.

Microsoft is also developing a new experience for Minecraft: Education Editiona game-based platform for creative learning to help students, families and educators learn ways to build a better and safer online and offline world through respect, empathy, trust and safety.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bidens Failures Undermine US Deterrence of China: Gordon Chang

The American deterrence of the Chinese regime has been breaking down following President Joe Bidens humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan and calamitous failure to stop Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, according to Gordon Chang, China analyst and author.

These two failures confirm in Chinese minds that the Biden administration is incompetent, according to Chang.

Beijings perception makes this one of the most dangerous moments in history, Chang said in an email to The Epoch Times.

Meanwhile, in Changs opinion, Biden still insists on engagement with China, which shows his fundamental failure to understand Xi Jinping and Chinese communism.

He [Biden] like other engagers, assumes that a strong Communist Party is in the interest of the United States. By now, it is apparent that Xi Jinpings China is dangerous and engagement has failed, but Biden apparently has not noticed, Chang said.

At the same time, Xi is actively preparing militarily for a move against the island of Taiwan, which the regime deems part of its territory, Chang said.

Escalating Aggression

Beijing is in the midst of the fastest military buildup since the Second World War and the Communist Party is mobilizing civilian society for battle, he said.

Chang pointed to Chinas drone incursion into Taiwans airspace over the Shi Islet on Sept. 1, ignoring several flares and warning shots, saying that it is particularly ominous and signals Xis preparation to make an aggressive move.

Xi may not intend to start a war, but he is doing things that can lead to conflict, he said.

Reinforcing Power

Domestically, Chang said, Xi has been in full swing to tighten social control and prolong his power.

Xi Jinping has reversed decades of the loosening of social controls, and his China is fast moving back toward totalitarianism, the expert said.

He [Xi] believes the Communist Party must have absolute control of society and that he must have absolute control of the Party.

Chang believes Xi will further push the regime towards totalitarianism as long as he is the head of the Chinese Communist Party.

Given the fact that China has fallen into a devastating state with a failing economy, businesses in prolonged debt, and worsening food shortages, among other issues, Chang expects that a change in who will rule the Party will occur.

Throughout Chinese history the most unlikely of leaders at the most unlikely of times have risen up and taken control of the country. It could happen any time now, especially because China is falling apart, he said.

You would expect that someone among 1.41 billion people thinks he or she can do better, Chang said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment but had not received a reply before publication.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho during a bilateral meeting at Department of State in Washington, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Jose Luis Magana / POOL /AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken Announces $600 Million in Military Aid for Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced that the United States will send a further $600 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine.

The latest drawdown of U.S. military inventory is the 21st authorized by Blinken since September last year.

Together with our Allies and partners, we are delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraines forces are utilizing so effectively as they continue their successful counter-offensive against Russias invasion, Blinken said in a statement.

The shipment of additional military equipment, arms, and munitions from the U.S. Department of Defense will add to U.S. assets already sent to Ukraine.

This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to approximately $15.8 billion since the beginning of this Administration, Blinken said.

A destroyed school in Verbivka, recently recaptured from Russia by the Ukrainian army in a lightning counter-offensive, in eastern Ukraine, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future. The United States is providing Ukraine military assistance alongside our Allies and partners from more than 50 countries to support its defense, Blinken added.

He said that President Joe Biden has been clear that the United States will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraines hand at the negotiating table when the time is right, he said.

Western Military Aid Crucial for Peace in Europe

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who regularly calls for stronger support from Western allies, on Thursday spoke of the need for military aid to Ukraine.

In general, supporting Ukraine with weapons, ammunition and finances is crucial for peace in Europe. The better support we have, the sooner this war will end, he said in a statement.

This week two U.S. senators introduced a bi-partisan bill to declare the Russian government a state sponsor of terrorism. This is something called for by Zelenskyy, who has decried the freedom that some Russians have to travel to Europe amid the war.

He noted in a video message that European countries providing visas to Russians dont know if theyre allowing entry to someone who has committed war crimes against Ukrainians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks next to the president of the European Commission (unseen) during a press conference following their talks in Kyiv on Sept. 15, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy said on Friday that a mass grave had been discovered in the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region.

The necessary procedural actions have already begun there. There should be more informationclear, verified information tomorrow, he said.

Tomorrow there will be Ukrainian and international journalists in Izyum. We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum  Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for that.

During a press conference while in Mexico on Monday, Blinken praised Ukraine for making significant progress against Russian forces in the countrys northeast. He said this was aided by U.S. support and the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Ukrainian people.
A woman cast her vote at a polling station during the Brazilian general elections, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 7, 2018. (Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Brazilians Really Trust in Their Electronic Voting Machines?

Commentary

Brazil has a federal electoral tribunal where its judges are endowed with a high degree of power. They create rules, decide on electoral disputes, and even supervise the finances of electoral campaigns. Under Article 121 of the Brazilian Constitution, decisions of this tribunal cannot be appealed unless they are contrary to the Constitution.

This powerful electoral tribunal is composed of seven members. Three are elected by a secret vote among judges of the Supreme Court, and two others are elected by secret vote among Superior Court of Justice judges. The remaining two are appointed by the president of the Republic among six lawyers nominated by Supreme Court judges.

Electoral court judges in Brazil have been subject to considerable criticism because of their controversial actions over the last three years. President Jair Bolsonaro complains that these unelected judges always speak against his government.

On Feb. 19, the then presiding judge of the federal electoral tribunal, Luis Roberto Barroso, spoke at the Texas University Law School on the topic of Ditching a President. Thirty days earlier, he had already delivered a talk at the University of Chicago, where the actions of his electoral court were described as a warfare operation.

This sort of war operation, according to Barroso, was made possible through immediate responses to questions on the validity of the electronic voting system, cooperation with major social media platforms, establishing alliances with major fact-checkers, and social education focused on identifying fake news.

An illustration picture shows a smartphone screen displaying the phrase Fake News in front of a desktop screen showing several news and research reports about fake news and disinformation related to the upcoming Brazilian presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images)

Paper Ballots More Reliable Than Electronic Voting Machines

On June 25, Barroso addressed the Brazil Forum UK at the University of Oxford. There, he expressed displeasure about the fact that far too many Brazilians appear to have WhatsApp as a primary source of information. According to him, the use of social media is not desirable because it causes the spread of information that is not filtered by professional journalists.

When he started to advocate for the reliability of electronic voting machines, he was promptly interrupted by two Brazilian students from Oxford who consider these machines unrealiable. Like millions of other Brazilians, they believe that using printable and auditable paper ballots is a far better guarantee of electoral transparency.

Democratic elections require independent verification that a) all balloting choices have been recorded as intended and b) vote totals have been reliably and indisputably created from the same material examined by the voters.

With paper-based voting, at least voters can actually see people counting the ballots. But if the process becomes entirely electronic, then accurate audits are practically impossible, thus making it harder to verify the reliability of results.

For example, votes that are cast using these voting machines must be stored in a safe storage or placed in computer storage.

However, according to Doug Jonges, professor of computer science at the University of Iowa: All direct recording electronic machines have been required to contain redundant storage, but this redundant storage is not an independent record of the votes because it is created by the same software that created the original record. As a result, the multiple files are of limited use to check the correctness of the software.

About seven years ago, two German citizens actually challenged the constitutionality of electronic voting before that nations Constitutional Court. The decision by the German Constitutional Court stressed the need for absolute transparency in the electoral process, which is not possible if the process is restricted to specialist technical knowledge.

Therefore, the court concluded that the complementary examination by the electoral bodies and the general public could only be made possible through physical vote records in addition to electronic storage.

Can Brazil Return to Voting on Paper?

Arguably, electronic voting systems are not as secure as paper-based systems because there is always the potential for hackers to tamper with the results. Indeed, electronic voting machines appear to contain numerous weaknesses in controls designed to protect the system.

Touch-screen voting machines are particularly susceptible whenever they rely on outdated technology.

According to Ellen Theisen, CEO of the Vote-PAD Company, because the sensors in touchscreen voting machines can be easily knocked out of alignment by shock and vibration, such machines may ultimately misinterpret a voters intent (pdf).

This is why most developed countries still use analogical voting and counting (paper ballots and physical ballot boxes made of canvas, plastic, and other materials).

Electoral Court officials prepare electronic voting machines for Brazils general election, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sept. 19, 2018. (Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images)

For Aviel Rubin, director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the use of electronic voting machines is flawed and easy to manipulate.

According to Rebecca Mercuri, president of Notable Software (pdf),

A Voter Verified Paper Ballot (VVPB) provides an auditable way to assure voters that their ballots will be available to be counted  Without VVPB, there is no way to independently audit the election results. Equipment failures, configurations, and programming errors have resulted in costly election recalls and disputes that could have been prevented with VVPB.

The next presidential election in Brazil is scheduled to be held on Oct. 2, 2022. With the current electronic system, however, there is no absolute guarantee that citizens votes are exactly what they have cast in the ballot box, and simply because there is no actual physical register for each vote cast electronically.

In other words, Brazilian citizens are simply unable to confirm whether their votes are cast properly. Of course, if the electoral process were done on paper ballots, then counting of votes would be made entirely public via the direct participation of electoral inspectors and voluntary delegates, so that any suspicion of possible electoral fraud would be dramatically reduced.

With a presidential election looming, is there any hope for electoral transparency in Brazil?

Read Part 2 here.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Augusto Zimmermann Follow Augusto Zimmermann is professor and head of law at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education in Perth. He is also president of the Western Australian (WA) Legal Theory Association, editor-in-chief of The Western Australian Jurist, and served as a member of WA's law reform commission from 2012 to 2017. Zimmermann has authored numerous books, including "Direito Constitucional Brasileiro," "Western Legal Theory," and "Christian Foundations of the Common Law."
Deputy chief of Mission of Canadian embassy Jim Nickel speaks to journalists and diplomats at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 11, 2021. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)

Canadas Acting Envoy in Beijing to Go to Taiwan for New Appointment

Canadas acting envoy in Beijing will be sent to Taiwan to take on the unofficial role of ambassador to the self-ruled island amid its rising tensions with China, says a report by Globe and Mail.

Jim Nickel, charge daffaires in Beijing, has been appointed by Ottawa to become the next executive director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, whose mission is to represent Canadas interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.

Canadas current policy with Taiwan does not acknowledge its sovereignty and does not maintain official diplomatic relations with it.

News of Nickel replacing diplomat Jordan Reeves was first reported by the Globe on Sept. 15, based on information from two Canadian officials and a source in the Taiwanese government. The media outlet said it is not identifying the three as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

The Epoch Times reached out to Global Affairs for confirmation but didnt hear back by publication time.

Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China, says the arrangement for Nickel to take on the new role is a good move by the federal government.

Its a good move because Jim will be one of the more senior guys weve sent to Taipei, and because of his experience in Beijing, I think he will be an important person to provide advice back to Ottawa, he told the Globe.

Saint-Jacques said Nickels experience as a diplomat will enable him to provide vital intelligence on Chinas aggression against Taiwan, as well as strategic input into the Indo-Pacific strategy needed by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

Beijings Threats

Beijing has long considered Taiwan to be a breakaway province, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country. Since March 2019, the Chinese regime has been ramping up military aggression in Taiwan, sending military aircraft into the islands Air Defense Identification Zone.

In August, the regime launched live-fire exercises off Taiwans coast in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to the self-ruled island on Aug. 23. The drills included missile strikes on targets in the seas north and south of the island in an echo of the last major Chinese military drills in 1995 and 1996 aimed at intimidating Taiwans leaders and voters.

On Aug. 24, the communist state issued a statement warning it would take forceful measures if Canada interfered in Taiwan, a week after it emerged that a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians was planning to visit the island later this year to explore trade opportunities.

We urge the Canadian side to abide by the One China principle and respect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement.

The threats came after Liberal MP Judy Sgro, who heads the Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, said on Aug. 16 that she and her fellow members were planning to visit Taiwan in October.

In response to Beijings warning, Sgro said at the time the trip would focus on trade and that the lawmakers intent was not to disrupt and cause problems for Taiwan or with China.

In an interview with the Globe, Sgro acknowledged that the Chinese Embassy had lodged a formal complaint against them but said Canadian MPs would not bend to Beijing.

[China] have complained before and I know they have complained this time but I dont think we should be bullied by anybody, she said.

We are enhancing democracy and respect for democracy and building relationships. We are not going there to comment on what China does.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A new supply chain crisis is averted. Union workers will now vote on a tentative deal with rail companies.

Former President Donald Trump is warning of big problems if hes indicted. He also shares how such a development could affect whether he runs for president again.

A new report says that the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border will cost billions in tax dollars. RJ Hauman from the Federation for American Immigration Reform shares his thoughts.

How deeply does social media impact Americas security? At a Senate hearing, TikToks CEO couldnt answer one question.

The military has quietly rolled back punishment for Navy SEALs refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, but others are still battling what they call an unlawful mandate. A Space Force whistleblower and former colonel join us to weigh in.

Is the COVID-19 pandemic finally coming to an end? The head of the WHO says we arent there yet, but the end is in sight.

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The White House is comparing Republican governors sending away illegal immigrants to human smugglers.

An attorney representing Navy SEALs and members of the Air Force joins us to discuss the ongoing battle against what they call unconstitutional COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Its time for lawmakers to fund the government for 2023. And some Republicanshopeful of taking control of Congress soonare pressuring leadership to delay. Theyre looking to defund some of Bidens agenda.

The Chinese Communist Party is sanctioning two top U.S. executives after their companies entered a potential deal to sell arms to Taiwan. They announced the sanctions Friday.

Russias Vladimir Putin and Chinas Xi Jinping have gathered in person for the first time since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. What might this mean for global stability? Professor Robert Destro weighs in.

Soon you can renew your passport from home. The U.S. State Department plans to roll out an online renewal system.

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"Many people are calling for change but this is not the time for a revolution. We need to first get back to a fair system where things work, elections are genuinely free and fair and institutions are independent. Once we have done that, we can talk about a real change."

This week, we talk to Covilen Narsinghen, president of the Mauritius Global Diaspora (MGD), who is on a visit to Mauritius where he has met all the leaders of opposition parties. What has transpired from his meetings? What is the pulse of the population as he visited every nook and cranny of the island and talked to people from rural and urban areas? Can opposition political parties work together? Read on...

You are here for family reasons but also, as a political observer and president of the Mauritius Global Diaspora, to look at the situation on the ground. What is the mood of the people, according to you?

The mood in general is very sad. Just to give you an example, I went to the pharmacy to buy some medicines and I saw a lady returning some of the medicines to the pharmacist as she didn't have enough money to pay for the full bill.

Do you mean people are hard up?

Yes. They have reached the lowest I have seen.

In terms of what?

Economically, many people don't have money to eat, buy the essentials like medication etc. The prices have soared to unprecedented levels. What is even sadder is that people can't even complain as they are so scared of retaliation.

As far as prices are concerned, isn't it the situation the world over?

It is a global phenomenon. In many countries in Europe and elsewhere, prices are soaring. However, when money is limited, you don't take more loans for more white elephants and expect to improve the situation. The government is extending the tramway to Cote d'Or for example, but people are dying of cancer.

Why? Whatever happened to our hospitals?

To begin with, there is no PET scan! Only private clinics have a PET scan. So if you don't have money, you die. Even medication is scarce. There are long queues for medication. On the other hand, we are putting money in a tramway to go to Cote d'Or. Tell me if the tramway is more important.

But the money for the tramway is coming from India. It's a grant...

It's not a grant. It's a loan. And even if it were a grant, we could use it for things which are essential to improving the quality of life of our compatriots. And talking about grants and loans from India, we also have the right to know what is happening in Agalega. Pravind Jugnauth is the prime minister. He is not the owner of Mauritius. Why should such deals be done in secrecy?

As the president of the Mauritius Global Diaspora, what are the feelings of the diaspora that you are in contact with?

Whether in the UK, France, Canada or anywhere else, Mauritians abroad are very concerned. I have spent 17 years outside the country and it is the first time I have seen the diaspora protesting. Over here, people have stopped protesting because they are afraid. And when people start being afraid of the government, that is a clear sign of autocracy.

The idea some people have is that the diaspora have left the country and they now have no legitimacy to criticise what is going on. How do you react to that?

If you look at the money coming in from the diaspora in foreign currency, you will realise how much we are contributing to the country, though it is not tangible and people can't readily see that contribution. Our interests and hearts are in this country and many of us would like to come back when the situation is better. So it is not fair to think that just because we left and maybe took on another nationality, we have lost our rights in our own country. We continue to contribute with money, experience and ideas. This is why the Mauritius Global Diaspora are united in thinking that the opposition has to come together to be able to oust this government.

"It is not fair to think that just because we left and maybe took on another nationality, we have lost our rights in our own country. We continue to contribute with money, experience and ideas. This is why the Mauritius Global Diaspora are united in thinking that the opposition has to come together to be able to oust this government."

How will you help towards that? You can't even vote, can you?

Yes, but we have a great influence though sharing of ideas. Here people are scared of talking. We don't live here so we can talk and we have nothing to fear. We also organise debates and invite politicians and other personalities to participate. Considering the vote, if I happen to be here and I am on the electoral register, I can vote. Of course, not everyone can afford to do that. That's why I think it high time political leaders thought about granting the right to vote to the diaspora.

How would that work out in practice? I mean in which constituency would you vote?

I think that's a very interesting question and many people have talked about it. There are many examples we can follow. We could follow the French example where they have what we call "un depute outre-mer", who can then sit in parliament. There are other ways that electoral experts like Rama Sithanen have suggested in the past. If political leaders are willing to bring that change, they could further the discussions and come up with a proposal in their manifesto for the next election.

And would you trust embassies enough to vote there and expect them to be neutral in handling the ballots in the current state of affairs?

I think that's a very good point. Knowing what many of the nominees of this government stand for, the answer is I wouldn't trust them to handle my vote. Even in Mauritius there is the perception that there were irregularities in the last election. Nobody has forgotten the T-square and how neatly those ballot papers had been stacked up.

But the Supreme Court didn't find anything wrong with the last elections so far, judging from the outcome of the petitions heard so far...

With all due respect to the Supreme Court and the judgments rendered so far, in law you have to have evidence and I think there was not enough evidence to support some of the claims.

But if there is not enough evidence, there is no case, is there?

Yes, but it's hard to find evidence when the government has the upper hand and has its nominees everywhere, including on the Electoral Supervisory Commission. That in itself is a travesty of the system. We also know that the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation played a very biased role. I don't know what the strategy of the Suren Dayal's legal team [They are about to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council - Ed] is so we will have to wait and see.

What are the main points the Mauritius Global Diaspora is interested in fighting for?

We are interested in talking about the independence of institutions, the right to vote, the Freedom of Information Act, which is key to the media industry and citizens.

How is it though? Even if a bill was presented in parliament tomorrow and became an act of law, all the government will likely do is place a political nominee at the head of the institution that the law will have created and s/he will stymie anyone seeking information until the issue has been forgotten about.

That is why we are stressing the independence of institutions and the process of nominations.

Political nominations are not new. We have had political nominations throughout our political history. But we saw a Labour government, for example, renew the mandate of former President Cassam Uteem, who had been a member of the MMM and was nominated by the party to the position. We have had Navin Ramgoolam nominate Jean Claude de l'Estrac, who describes himself as his "most intimate enemy" on the Indian Ocean Commission etc. What has gone wrong?

Well, there are political nominees and political nominees. If we want to show that we mean business and we want to stop corruption, we have to nominate people from abroad.

We have such nominees at the Integrity Reporting Agency and the Mauritius Revenue Authority, for example. What is different there?

This is a new culture that came with the MSM. We need a change in the mind-set. We need to appoint competent people who have already proven their competence and give institutions the independence required to carry out their work without fear or favour. That will have to come with a change of government.

How is the new government going to get to power? Right now, the opposition is scattered all over the place and is even at times shooting at each other, isn't it?

It is rather sad. I have talked to several political leaders. They all need to find a consensus. Many people are calling for change but this is not the time for a revolution. We need to first get back to a fair system where things work, elections are genuinely free and fair and institutions are independent. Once we have done that, we can talk about a real change. To do that, only diamond cut diamond. Let's be honest about that. If people want to work for their country, they should work towards that.

Last time there was a coalition between the Labour Party and the MMM, both parties registered their worst score ever. How is that different today even if you added the PMSD and smaller parties to the equation?

Last time, the context was different. First, there was l'usure du pouvoir of Dr Navin Ramgoolam. Then there was a very strong media, including social media, where Sir Anerood Jugnauth was all over the place talking about locking up Dr Navin Ramgoolam for having had someone killed in police custody etc. Everyone was also made to believe that Dr Ramgoolam had bought a private jet etc. And all the lies worked. I am sure many people today realise that they made a mistake. I have never seen a worse government ever. Nepotism, corruption, incompetence, opacity, mismanagement, you mention it, they are the worst at it.

After your conversation with opposition political leaders, do you think there is a chance for this so called 'united opposition front' to face the next election together?

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After my meeting with all the opposition leaders, I have no doubt that one way or the other, they will come to their good senses and put their ego aside to oust this totalitarian government. I am sure good sense will prevail.

How do you think the electorate in the rural areas would react to a united front even if there was one?

My opinion, having been north, south east and west of the country is that there is a sense of fear even in rural areas and that people are not expressing their views or intentions openly. The fear that has been instilled in citizens is such that they are terrified of being arrested by the police that is acting a bit like the gestapo and Tonton Makoute. My feeling is that they will accept a united opposition as they know it is the last resort.

Roshi Bhadain seems to have attracted a large crowd at his last meeting. Do you see him as a challenger to Pravind Jugnauth in the current state of affairs?

Roshi Bhadain means well for this country. I have talked to him and asked him why he wants to become the prime minister and not someone from a bigger party or from another ethnic group. He wants to portray change but any change has to be communicated properly and without any hypocrisy. The crowd he attracted at his meeting, though with picnics and transport, is from all over the country. However, to be the challenger of Pravind Jugnauth in the current state of affairs is going to be very tough. He has a bright future if he joins the other leaders and waits for his turn. In the current situation, he can't be a challenger to Pravind Jugnauth. The country is not ready yet. We need to change the electoral system first.

The MMM and PMSD seem to have accepted that Navin Ramgoolam lead the opposition for the next general election. Privately, however, they don't quite agree that he should stay on for five years. What do you think?

Navin Ramgoolam is a wise man. And so are the other two leaders. I am sure he will be able to work together with the MMM and the PMSD towards their replacement respectively. I think they will come to agree and compromise to sort out the mess we are in. They owe it to us.

You have one foot in politics as the leader of the MGD. Have you decided which political party?

Right now, I am here as the president of the MGD to support the leaders of the opposition to oust this government. I will canvass the diaspora to canvass their families to oust this government. That is the only thing I am currently focused on.
Azerbaijanian servicemen cross the ArmenianAzerbaijani border and approach the Armenian positions in a still from video released on Sept. 13, 2022. (Armenian Defense Ministry via AP)

Cease-Fire Holds Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, ArmeniaA cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan held Thursday following two days of fighting that killed 176 soldiers from both sides.

Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenias Security Council, said the truce brokered thanks to international mediation took effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday. A previous cease-fire that Russia brokered Tuesday had quickly failed.

Armenias Defense Ministry said late Thursday that the situation on the border with Azerbaijan has been quiet since the cease-fire started and no violations were reported. There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price welcomed the parties continued adherence to the ceasefire.

We continue to engage and encourage the work needed to reach a lasting peace again, there can be no military solution to this, he said.

The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities in nearly two years.

Armenia and Azerbaijan traded blame for the shelling, with Armenian authorities accusing Baku of unprovoked aggression and Azerbaijani officials saying their country was responding to Armenian attacks.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that 105 of his countrys soldiers had been killed since fighting erupted early Tuesday, while Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said Thursday it had lost 71.

The ex-Soviet countries have been locked in a decades-old conflict over NagornoKarabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Moscow expects Armenia and Azerbaijan to abide by all the agreements of the cease-fire.

We are in close contact with both countries so as to arrive at a sustainable cease-fire and the return of Azerbaijani and Armenian military to their positions of origin, the Russian ambassador said.

He said that ways of lowering tensions were discussed in Russian President Vladimir Putins call with Pashinyan and conversations between top diplomats of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and the defense ministers of Russia and Armenia.

Putin is also scheduled to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand.

At the council meeting, Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of starting the latest fighting.

During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed broad swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories held by Armenian forces. More than 6,700 people died in the fighting, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement. Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers under the deal.

Pashinyan said his government has asked Russia for military support amid the latest fighting under a friendship treaty and also requested assistance from the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Yerevans plea for help has put the Kremlin in a precarious position as it has sought to maintain close relations with Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, and also develop warm ties with energy-rich Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday, Pashinyan told lawmakers that Armenia is ready to recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity in a future peace treaty, provided that it relinquishes control of areas in Armenia its forces have seized.

We want to sign a document, for which many people will criticize and denounce us and call us traitors, and they may even decide to remove us from office, but we would be grateful if Armenia gets a lasting peace and security as a result of it, Pashinyan said.

Some in the opposition saw the statement as a sign of Pashinyans readiness to cave in to Azerbaijani demands and recognize Azerbaijans sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. Crowds of angry protesters quickly descended on the governments headquarters, accusing Pashinyan of treason. Protests were also held in other Armenian cities.

Thousands of opposition supporters rallied again late Thursday in front of the countrys parliament, calling for Pashinyan to be impeached. One opposition leader, Karin Tonoyan, urged protesters to start blockading government buildings on Friday and also issued a call for a nationwide strike.

By Avet Demourian
Children Missing Full Nights Sleep a Week Because of Social Media Use: Study

Young children are losing out on the equivalent of a full nights sleep a week because their bedtime routines are being delayed by increased social media use, according to new research.

Researchers from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, studied social media use and sleep quality in 60 schoolchildren aged 10 to 11 and found that on average they were only sleeping 8.7 hours a night when they should be getting a recommended 9 to 12 hours.

This amounted to one night of sleep missed a week.

The study also found that kids were experiencing higher levels of FOMO, or fear of missing out, anxiety, and bad sleep.

Impact

Conducted as schools started to reopen after COVID-19 lockdowns, the research asked Leicester children about their bedtime routines to judge their sleep quality, and found that the more time they spent on social media, the worse their quality of sleep.

The researchers claim that Sorcha Newbys study, which is currently under peer review, is the first to examine the role of social media use and sleep quality in pre-teens.

Almost 70 percent of the children reported spending more than four hours a day on social media. Just over 66 percent said they used social media in the two hours before bed, and 12.5 percent said they used it in the middle of the night or when they should be asleep.

TikTok was the most popular app at 89 percent; 84 percent said they used Snapchat; 87.5 percent used YouTube; and 57 percent used Instagram.

A large majority (89.3 percent) of the schoolchildren involved in the study said they used a mobile phone. Just over 55 percent said they used a tablet; 23 percent said they used a computer; and 9 percent said they used a smartwatch.

Double-edged Sword

Ben Carter, reader in medical statistics at Kings College London, has written highly-cited papers (pdf) looking into problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes among children and young people. He has also recently published a study that looked into how an app for NHS workers offered an improvement in mental health and well-being.

Carter told The Epoch Times that the vast majority of evidence that has been presented where people are using devices later in the day suggests that they lead to an interruption in circadian rhythm, one of the biggest predictors of poor sleep.

The FOMO totally buys into that argument, he said. They are using the devices, they are engaging with whatever they are seeing, and it is that that is keeping them up at night, added Carter.

We do know that all children have all access to devices. What we do know is that at one end of the scale there is a link to harm, but we dont know the extent of that, he said.

In his upcoming research, he said that 12 percent of children in a study are not just saying they have a problem, they are asking for help.

He added that teachers have told him that mobile devices are a double-edged sword.

A device can be an incredibly helpful learning tool for children and it also has massive positives. You can look through literature and there will be untold stories of devices keeping children and adolescents connected during the time of the pandemic. Though for balance, there would be likely some harm in those with the most problematic usage, he added.

FOMO

Speaking about the study at the British Science Festival in Leicester on Wednesday, John Shaw, a lecturer at De Montfort University in the psychology division, said, This is quite terrifying when you think about the level of engagement that theyre having.

I suppose it is that knock-on effect on sleep and what that means for the children in terms of their cognitive development and really their social development as well because if they are always online, what does that mean for them with their in-person socialisation? added Shaw.

Because if youre constantly worrying about what is going on online and youre not there, thats going to have effects, but with the FOMO and anxiety, we saw kids who are on social media more have increased anxiety levels, and it is just spiralling, he said.

On reported higher levels of FOMO and anxiety affecting sleep, Shaw said that this has an impact on their cognitive and biological development.

When they sleep its very important for emotion processing and memory consolidation, creativity, and problem-solving. When youre not getting enough sleep, those processes dont get a chance to occur. When it comes to biological processes during sleep, when we enter slow-wave sleep, our body rests, recovers, releases growth hormone, he added.

Theyre still growing, thats why younger people tend to get more sleep than adults because they are going through biological changes, said Shaw.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Military personnel stand next to Harpoon A-84, anti-ship missiles and AIM-120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles prepared for weapons loading drills in front of an F16V fighter jet at the Hualien Airbase in Taiwan, on Aug. 17, 2022. Taiwan is staging military exercises to show its ability to resist Chinese pressure to accept Beijing's political control over the island. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

China Sanctions CEOs of US Arms Firms Over Sales to Taiwan

The Chinese regime said on Sept. 16 that it is sanctioning top executives of two U.S. arms firms in retaliation for recently selling arms to Taiwan.

The sanctions were imposed on Gregory J. Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and Theodore Colbert, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, for the involvement of their companies in the deal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular briefing on Friday.

The move came after the State Department on Sept. 2 approved a potential $1.1 billion sale of military equipment to Taiwan. The package includes 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, of which the principal contractors are Boeing Defense, a division of Boeing, and Raytheon, respectively.

Ning did not provide details on what the sanctions entailed or how they would be enforced. Previous sanctions on Western individuals have barred them from entering China or doing business there. Such restrictions are unlikely to significantly affect Hayes or Colbert.

The Chinese regime routinely reacts aggressively and punitively against U.S. measures in support of Taiwan, a self-ruled island that the regime considers to be its own and if necessary, to be taken by force. Taiwan, however, has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party and has been a separate entity for more than 70 years.

In August, in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) trip to Taiwanthe highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taipei in 25 yearsthe regime launched its largest-ever military drills around the island, launched cyberattacks on Taiwanese infrastructure, slapped import bans on Taiwan products, canceled military communications with the United States, and suspended cooperation with Washington in several areas including climate.

The Chinese regime also slapped unspecified sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation for her visit.

The United States is Taiwans largest arms supplier and is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

The Chinese regime has previously sanctioned Raytheon, Boeing Defense, and unspecified individuals involved in arms sales to Taiwan. But Fridays announcement marks the first time China has named individuals from those companies as targeted by sanctions.

Earlier this week, a Senate committee approved a key bill that would significantly boost U.S. support for Taiwan. It includes $4.5 billion in additional security assistance over four years and support of Taipeis participation in international organizations.

While the move drew protest from Beijing, bipartisan lawmakers hailed the legislation, which they said was needed to solidify the United States relationship with Taiwan.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) said that the bill was a vital step in ensuring that Taiwan could maintain its defenses and deter a possible invasion by forces of the Chinese Communist Party.

We have to make sure that Taiwan is completely able to defend itself, its able to have a strong economy, and that its not going to be bullied by [China], which they try to do all the time, Chabot told NTD, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, on Sept. 14.

The Taiwan bill is likely to be folded into a larger piece of legislation expected to pass later this year, such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual bill setting policy for the Department of Defense.

The Epoch Times reached out to Boeing, Raytheon, and the State Department for comment but did not receive a reply before publication time.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre, in Westminster Hall, London, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Odd Andersen/PA Media)

Chinese Delegation Barred From Viewing Queens Coffin in UK Parliament

An official delegation from China has reportedly been banned from attending Queen Elizabeth IIs lying in state in Londons Westminster Hall.

According to Politico and the BBC, House of Commons authorities have refused to allow representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime to set foot in the hall, which is part of the parliamentary premises.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to deny Chinese officials access to the hall as British lawmakers remain sanctioned by the Chinese regime, a parliamentary source told the PA news agency.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle during a commemorative ceremony and laying of wreaths at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates, in London, on March 14, 2022. (Yui Mok  WPA Pool / Getty Images)

A House of Commons spokesman said, we do not comment on security matters.

Downing Street also declined to comment. Asked about Prime Minister Liz Trusss view on the issue, a Number 10 spokesperson said: Admission to Parliament is a matter for Parliament.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing in Beijing that she had not yet seen the report.

But she said, As the host, the United Kingdom should uphold diplomatic protocols and proper manners to guests.

Extraordinary

The Chinese regime imposed sanctions in March 2021 on seven UK parliamentarians for speaking out against Beijings treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

Six months later, Sir Lindsay and his counterpart in the House of Lords, Lord McFall, blocked the Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang from visiting Parliament, arguing it would not be appropriate while British parliamentarians remain sanctioned.

Some of the sanctioned UK lawmakers have been raising concerns about the Chinese delegations possible presence at the Queens funeral, saying it was extraordinary they had received an invite.

Former Conservative Party leader, MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith speaking at a rally commemorating the two-year anniversary of Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement in London on June 12, 2021. (Yanning Qi/The Epoch Times)

In a letter to the speakers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, senior Conservative MPs Tim Loughton and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, crossbench peer Lord David Alton, and Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy said they were greatly concerned to hear that the government of China has been invited to attend the state funeral next week, despite other countries Russia, Belarus and Myanmar being excluded.

Given that the United Kingdom Parliament has voted to recognise the genocide committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghur people it is extraordinary that the architects of that genocide should be treated in any more favourable way than those countries who have been barred, they said.

Contentious Guest List

In the letter, the parliamentarians said they had also written to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to express their concerns.

In response to the letter, a spokesman for the prime minister said it is for Buckingham Palace to set out the guest list after taking advice from the foreign office, which, according to convention, invites representatives from nations with which Britain has diplomatic relations.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan on Thursday, is not scheduled to attend the Westminster Abbey funeral on Monday, instead sending his deputy, Wang Qishan.

According to the BBC, the UK government hasnt sent invitations to Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine.

Burma, also known as Myanmar, hasnt been sent an invitation either because of a breakdown in diplomatic relations following last years military coup.

Representatives from Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan are also not on the guest list, and North Korea, Iran, and Nicaragua have only been invited to send ambassadors, the BBC reported.

PA Media and Reuters contributed to this report.
Romanian gulag survivor Dan Novacovici has some invaluable insight regarding the current state of the world: He recognizes all the glaring signs of a communist agenda and began to realize several years ago that communism was being implanted openly in the United States.

The 85-year-old Washington, D.C., resident was a political prisoner in Romania during its post-World War II communist era; being the son of a general in the kings army didnt help matters. In fact, Dans father was a special forces commander and right-hand man for the last king of Romania, Michael I, who was forced to abdicate the throne in 1947 after being unsuccessful in pushing back against Soviet invasion.

Aside from this family connection to someone the communists deemed an enemy of the people, Dan was found to be a member of an anti-communist poetry group.

He was sent to two gulags and reached the point of near death under extreme torture and starvation. Fortuitously, he survived and eventually escaped to France, later immigrating to the United States with his wife, Emilia, and daughter, Anca, thinking that the United States would be the last country in which communism would come.

Dan Novacovici with his wife, Emilia, in 2022. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Dan Novacovicis father, Ticu, who was a colonel in the Romanian military. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

I never thought it would come here in my generation, Dan told The Epoch Times. It started, I believe, in 1948every university has a communism club.

Dan pointed to the way things are repeated in the same messaging across multiple media outlets, and the fear that is created with this pandemic, as all-too-familiar, telltale signs of a communist-infiltrated media and government. The sentence structure and the way things are presented right now in the media is the same as in communism, he said.

I cant point to a specific document that lists the phrases, but I recognize them from communism.  Phrases about how they care about people, about the future, but specifically the way it is phrasedthat they do it for the good of the people. Sosanctions are for your health, we are thinking about you and your loved ones.

He added that encouraging separation between family members and friends is also a classic communist approach, highlighting its occurrence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All in all, despite the overthrow of communism throughout the Eastern Bloc in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the gulag survivor holds that the threat of world communism prevails. I see it approaching in the West, he said, and slowly gaining ground worldwide.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Dan details his extraordinary journey, from witnessing the beginnings of communism in his home country, opposing it, and surviving under tyranny; to escaping and becoming an advocate for safeguards against the spread of communism in the United States.

When the Communists Came

Dan Novacovici, now a husband, father, and grandfather, was 8 years old when the Russian communists took over Romania in 1944.

When the communists came, my father took us to a place near Pitesti, about 100 kilometers outside of Bucharest, to keep us safe, he said, referring to a 100-hectare farm estate owned by his great-aunt.

I remember the Russians came in on horseback and, discovering one of my great-aunts horses, Dolina, which was a racehorse, they took [it] for themselves. They killed the dogs; went into the house, looked for alcohol, found 10 to 15 bottles  they drank them all. They found my dads uniform and decorations and said, this man killed a lot of Russians.

The Russian officers took two horses, but killed one when she wouldnt let them ride her.

Dan Novacovici (L) and his mother, Lucia (riding racehorse Dolina), on his great-aunts 100-hectare farm estate outside of Bucharest in 1944. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Dan Novacovici (R) with his parents and siblings on his great-aunts estate in Beneasa, outside of Bucharest, circa 1945. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

By 1948, the communists had taken his great-aunts estate and placed her under house arrest in a little house in Pitesti, where she had to sign a sheet every day that that is where she was, Dan said.

Meanwhile, Dan returned to Bucharest with his sister, Doina, and brother, Doru. His mother, Lucia, a high school teacher of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, died when Dan was only 13 years old.

At the high school, they changed the principal to the cleaning lady, Dan said. The first thing, the cleaning lady met with all the teachers and told them to sweep all the classrooms and that she will be checking on them. My mother was so upset, she got breast cancer and she died at 39 years old.

Life Under Communism

When Dans father, Ticu, left the army at the end of the war in 1945, he started a construction company with work in Bucharest rebuilding the National Assemblythe equivalent of the Senate. Working under supervision of traditionalist figure Mihail Sadoveanu, who was then president of the National Assembly, Ticu was given only two months to remodel the buildings great hall, which Sadoveanu feared was too short a time.

Sadoveanu showed him a gun and said, If its not done in two months and the Russians walk through here, you can kill me first, then kill yourself, because they will kill us if its not done, Dan said.

In school, everyone had to take classes about Marxism and Leninism. The teachers werent allowed to say anything except what was written on their scriptadapted locally, Dan said. The script, he added, explained how society worked and that the bourgeoisie was the the class that exploited others  the enemy of the people.

Ticu and Lucia Novacovici, Dans parents. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Dan Novacovici (R) as a child, with his mother and siblings. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Colleagues in high school were kicked out because their parents were exploiters  one of my professors knew Russian and helped a lot of kids to not get kicked out; he taught students to say that their parents werent in the exploiter class, he said. Still, one of Dans classmates got expelled for having a parent who worked in management at an American company.

Students were forced to sing communist songs, and there were also gangs who beat up on kids who were deemed as belonging to the wrong class. I had a teacher who taught us to sing a Marxist song. It was about hatred for the ruling classto beat up and kill the ruling class, he said. There was a guy in my class whose nickname was Tarzanhe was a bully and bullied anyone in the exploiting class.

To get into construction college in Bucharest, Dan had to compete against 20 or so others by completing a written and oral exam whose results were separated between those of the working class and those of the bourgeoisiethe middle classso they could be assessed differently. About 8 to 10 percent of those 20 students were considered bourgeoisie, while the other 90 percent were in the working class. In that 10 percent, you had to get a 9.5 to 10 grade; the others were admitted when they had a grade 4 or higher, he said.

Sometimes, even if a student did well in an exam, grades were given based on orders, such as in the case of Dans sister. Doina took a written math exam, she got a 9; at the oral exam, they kicked her out because she was the daughter of a former colonel; banditshes not allowed to go to college, he said.

Dan Novacovici (R) with his brother, Doru, and sister, Doina. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Family members turning against each other was not uncommon. Dans adoptive brother, Gigi, whom Ticu adopted toward the end of the war, eventually became a socialist and turned against his adoptive father, despite everything hed done for him. He was about 12 years older than me, around 21 years old in 1944, Dan said of Gigi. He accused my father of being an exploiting capitalist.

In recalling how Ticu had come to initially adopt the boy, Dan said his father was on his way home one day when he came upon a homeless kid on a wooden box; he had no parents. Ticu provided him with a home, food, and lodging. He later made him the boss of his construction company and he also sent him to school. He even went to college, since he was considered a peasant worker, Dan said.

The Fight for Freedom

Near the end of high school, around 1952, Dan and Doru, along with a group of friends, started an anti-communist poetry group. They would meet every week at his place, turn off the lights, have someone guard the door, and go into one of the rooms to discuss poems and novellas.

Dan Novacovici at age 16, in 1952. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

During this time, his father was working on the borderin charge of protecting Bucharest, since hed been reactivated in the military and reappointed as coloneland was gone for two to three years. He returned in 1956 when the Hungarian revolution came and echoed in Romania. He said to his sons: Make sure you dont do anything and dont speak with anyone, because there are a lot of people who are trying to get you because youre my kids.

However, Dan, his brother, and the others began putting notes in peoples mailboxes to encourage unity against the communists and to help keep up the morale. I assured them that the Americans will come and free us, Dan said. I didnt use the typewriter, because [the communists] followed exactly the model of the typewriters. They couldnt write by hand either, lest they be tracked by their handwriting, so they used rubber stamps from kids games.

There was a 14-year-old kid who was sent to jail by his father, who came to be the one to sentence his child, he said, indicating how imperative it was to not be found out, even by potentially disloyal family members. The Russians left, but everyone was still in charge.

An anti-communist resistance movement had formed in Romania in the late 1940s and held out for the most part until the mid 1950s; armed men took to the mountains, taking refuge in caves, to fight against the communist regime. Dan and his friends would go hiking to drop supplies and guns off to them. But the mountain men were killed, Dan said, when a Romanian prisoner of the Russian communists became part of the Securitatethe secret policeand was tasked with hunting the men down.

Dan Novacovici and his friends take a trip to the Fagaras Mountains to bring supplies to men of the anti-communist resistance movement who were hiding in caves in the mountainous region, circa 19481950. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

He dressed as a priest and he went to the villages saying he wanted to help the mountain folks, Dan said. Those people trusted him and would tell him where people were hiding. He would send groups to kill them directly. He was counter information, so he was also spying on the spies. In Romania, he could arrest anyone and get him killedup to the level of ministers.

Dans small poetry society was similarly tricked when a communist informant nuzzled his way into the group after theyd put feelers out for more members in hopes of extending their group.

One of the ones in the group, who was a great writer, Paul, was a former legionary, Dan said. In principle, legionaries were nationalists and loved their country, so we assumed that he would be on our side. He was the traitor.

Members of the group had recruited Paul believing that as an ultra-nationalist and religious man whod been jailed for standing up to the communists, hed be the last person to rat people out. He had all the names of the groups members and their planned actions, which he gave to the Securitate. In 1959, Dan and the others were arrested.

[We] found out after that, Paul, when he originally went to jail, was freed on the condition that he would give away 8 to 10 people by the end of the yearor else he would be sent back to jail, Dan said.

Dan Novacovici and his friends during a trip to the Fagaras Mountains, circa 19481950. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Dan Novacovici and his friends during a trip to the Fagaras Mountains, circa 19481950. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

The Gulags

Dan was 23 when he was arrested in October 1959, and in February 1960, he was sentenced to 5 years of forced labor followed by 5 more years of no civil rights. I was condemned for planned crimes against the social order, he said. But before his sentencing, the torture had already begun.

I was put in a room and sat in a corner  in the other corner was an interrogator. Then they start with the interrogationBandit, did you do this?if you said no, he would beat you up, then he would ring the bell and two others would come and take you to the next room and beat you up. If, when that was done, you could walk, they would put you back in the cell; if not, they would throw you on a blanket and drag you back to the cell.

That first day after his arrest, the interrogator beat him so much that he lost most of his top and bottom teeth, with only two or three still left and the rest dangling from their nerves. The pain was so much that I didnt feel the rest of the beatings that day, Dan said.

Periodically, they were taken out of their cells to be interrogated and beaten, and they werent allowed to speak to each other. When his sentencing was finalized, he was to be sent to Jilava prison to be processed.

Before leaving, they called me in and they asked me to share if I heard anyone speaking negatively about them in jail, and if I agreed, I would be back in college in two to three weeks, he said. I said, I wouldnt remember if I heard anything, and the guy said, no problem, you can just tell [on] your colleague. I said I couldnt do that.

Following four months at Jilavaa fort established by King Carol I of Romania to protect Bucharest that had now been transformed into a prison by the Russian communistsDan was sent to Luciu Giurgeni on the Danube river, and put on a boat called Girond, a floating gulag.

Dan Novacovici (L) at age 27, with his father and sister, a few months after being freed from the gulags in 1963. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

We would have forced labor, in the rice fields from morning until night, with leaches that clung on to us while we worked, he said.

One time, Dan made a mistake when a guard asked him to lift a hatch in the barracks; he was supposed to slide it across, not lift it. The guard took me and beat me up, then put me in isolationa metal box with no window, he said. I couldnt eat or drink. I stayed [there] three days.

After about two to three months, everyone on the boat was sent to Gradina, in Balta Brailei. It was another gulag. Each person had to dig out 10 cubic meters of dirt each day and, with a wheelbarrow, transport it all up to the pier. By the end of the day, everyone was so tired that we linked arms to be able to walk back, Dan said.

The guards monitored each prisoner to make sure they achieved the quota of dirt each day. The persons who didnt [achieve the quota] would stay at the door when they came back at the end of the day; they would take off their clothes, sit down, and get beaten with braided wire, he said.

Eventually, Dan dropped to a weight of 64 pounds (29 kilograms) and was transferred to a working group of older people and people who were expected to die soon. A fellow in the group, Titu, once attempted to bring food to Dan, but Titu was caught and got beaten up by the guards.

Freedom in America

Dan was freed from the gulag after an international convention held in the spring of 1963 obliged Romania to send political prisoners home. They said, Youre free, you cant talk about anything you did, youre free to do whatever you want, Dan recalled the gulags guards saying. No obligation, you just cant talk about what happened, At the time he was released, he had a shaved head and a mustache so long that it wrapped around his ears.

Ten years later, in 1973, Dan married Emilia, and their daughter was born soon after.

Dan Novacovici and his wife, Emilia, on their wedding day in 1973. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

In 1980, determined to expose communisms true face to the world but unable to do so from within Romania, which was still under Soviet rule, he decided to leave the country. The family immigrated to France as political refugees. There, Dan joined a prisoners-of-war organization in Paris and successfully lobbied the European Union (EU) to prevent a deal that would allow Romania to export its food.

There were stocks of meat, pork, and cheese from Romania that was getting ready for massive export, he said. A country who has cartels for foodmeaning that the food was rationedshould not be able to sell to the EU when they are not giving that food to their own people. As a result of Dans efforts, the food stocks were placed in the Romanian markets.

Dan Novacovici on his terrace in Bucharest, Romania, not long before leaving for France, in 1980. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Dan Novacovici with his wife, Emilia, and daughter, Anca, in France, circa 1982. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

In 1983, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Princeton, New Jersey, where Dan started a residential construction and inspection business. He immediately began working on helping to free Romanians from communism, and since then has done everything in his power to expose the evils of communist ideology.

From 1984 to about 1995, he wrote almost daily for various Romanian newspapers. I had my own column in a Romanian New York newspaper in which I provided information about people who were in prison so that people could find their families, he said. Communism took everyone at night and they disappeared and no one knew where they were after.

Dan helped create and was the U.S. representative for the Worldwide Union of Free Romanians. He was also instrumental in getting Romania into NATO, and has been a huge support to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), helping the organization educate the world about what communism really is and telling his story in a moving video.

Dan Novacovici (R) with his wife at the fourth congress of the Worldwide Union of Free Romanians, held in Romania for the first time in 1994. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

Today, Dan calls on all Americans and the worlds people to wake up and see the evidence all around that communism is right here in the West. There are too many people who are financially involved and dont think far ahead to the repercussions of following the party line, he said.

The creation of the Ministry of Truth and a disinformation section of Homeland Security is also clearly suppressing freedom of speech. In social media, [people are] being de-platformed for saying things that dont agree with the main narrative. The declaration that Republicans are terrorists by the Democrats makes you scared to speak out or say that youre Republican.  Attorneys change the laws in various states to fit the narrative  the definitions of basic words are being changed to fit the narrative.

Whenever some truth is stated, Dan said, an opposing piece of media shows up providing a bit of truth, then falsifying the rest. And then, theres technology to follow you and track your information and data. It is much easier than under the old-school communism, where they sent people to your house to bug the phone, he said. Now, large companies do it and share it with the government.

Dan Novacovici. (Courtesy of Dan Novacovici)

What advice does the gulag survivor have for his fellow Americans and the rest of the world? Dont listen to mainstream media, he says. Most of it across the West says the same thing using the same words; that is not coincidence, it is brainwashing.  Ask questions and do your own researchcheck multiple sources. This closed mindset has been introduced and is working very wellthere is no room for discussion or disagreement; everything is politicized.

Communism is a cancer on humanity. Its a cancer that is moving quickly. You can only stop it by thinking, logically, what is good for peoplenot what someone tells you is good, but what you think is good for you.
The logos of mobile apps Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Messenger displayed on a tablet on Oct. 1, 2019. (AFP via Getty Images/Denis Charlet)

Access to Criminal Data Expected to Grow Under US-Australia Cloud Sharing Treaty

Requests to access the electronic data of alleged criminals are expected to increase under a cloud data sharing treaty made between Australia and the United States.

Under the Australia-US CLOUD Act Agreement, which was signed between the two countries on Dec. 15, 2021, Australian and U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies will be allowed timely access of data on serious crimes from alleged criminals, including in cases of child sexual abuse, ransomware attacks, terrorism, and the sabotage of critical infrastructure over the internet.

In March 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the Clarifying Unlawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act, which allows both foreign and US investigators to obtain access to electronic data held by communication service providers, such as Google, Facebook, Apple and messaging apps.

Speaking at a public hearing on Sept. 14, Andrew Warne, the Attorney-Generals first assistant secretary for the Electronic Surveillance and Law Enforcement Policy Division, said the treaty would expedite the process of obtaining data from the U.S.

Currently, requests that are made through the existing mutual legal assistance avenue can take more than 12 months to be approved.

I dont think we can understate the positive impact that were expecting this to have on criminal investigations, Warne said.

The new IPO under the Telecommunications Act will enable a designated authority in Australia to issue requests directly to U.S. providers without a request being reviewed by U.S. government agencies and courts and vice versa.

Warne said that using an IPO via the designated authority to a US provider could actually reduce the response time to just hours.

[Companies] dont quite think thats quite realistic, but we do think it will reduce it to days or weeks, rather than months or years, he said.

Warnes said that currently, only the absolute top, top end most serious cases were going ahead and that under the new treaty, more cases would be heard in court.

The biggest thing that gets missed here sometimes is its the investigations that arent happening, Warnes said, adding that at present, officers with big caseloads might move on when they realise they require mutual legal assistance as part of their investigation.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said: This Agreement paves the way for more efficient cross-border transfers of data between the United States and Australia so that our governments can more effectively counter serious crime, including terrorism while adhering to the privacy and civil liberties values that we both share.

However, permission would be needed from the Australian government if evidence was to be used in a case that resulted in the death penalty, and Australian agencies cannot target a US citizen, the public hearing committee was told.

Concerns and Safeguards

Critics also remain concerned about data protection and the reach of U.S. intelligence agencies into Australia.

But Warnes said very few requests were expected from the U.S., and all work must be justified.

The Department of Home Affairs states that the agreement ensures Australias commitment to human rights, civil liberties, the rule of law, principles of non-discrimination and the protection of privacy.

Theres multiple checks and balances in this agreement, he said.

Orders for data must be specific and tied to the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of serious crime.

It cant be a bulk-data fishing exercise, that is not at all what is contemplated, he said.

He said there must be a target person or target account, whether its Google, Facebook, Apple or messaging apps.

Australia was the second country after the United Kingdom to sign an agreement with the US to access data.

The treaty must be reviewed by the Australian parliament and the US Congress before it enters into force, which is expected by the end of 2022.

AAP contributed to this report.
Denying Access to Energy: The New Normal?

Commentary

Whether its a hot Colorado summer or a cold United Kingdom winter, the misery of green policies becomes an everyday reality as hapless consumers are denied access to energy. When state lawmakers and energy providers choose to increase renewable technologies in their energy mix, the inevitable results are grid instability, power shortages, higher prices, and a whole lot of blackout-driven chaos.

Is this the new normal that the governing elites of our world want us to embrace? Then we must accept the denial of a basic necessity in modern societyaffordable and available energy.

In Colorado, energy demand peaked on Aug. 30 due to soaring temperatures. The Epoch Times reports that more than 22,000 Xcel Energy customers in Colorado were greeted with the message energy emergency on their smart thermostats, preventing them from reducing the temperature below 78 degrees.

Xcel said that this affected only customers who signed up for a special rewards program that gives cash incentives to consumers, who are free to opt out of it. While the voluntary nature of the program makes it less than authoritarian, the mindset of our energy masters is unsettling, nonetheless.

The truth is that Xcels rationing of energy is not a weather problem, but rather a result of the utilitys embrace of the foolishness of replacing economical and plentiful fossil fuels with so-called renewable energy sources that are ill-suited for making electricity for large populations.

More of the same can be expected, according to The Colorado Sun: Xcel plans to double its renewable energy generation by 2030. Itll cost consumers $8 billion to do it. Big new solar and wind projects are planned to get Xcel Energy to 80 percent renewable generation in Colorado. This will leave millions with unreliable power supplies.

In one recent week in green-obsessed California, natural gas provided most of the states demand in the evening hours because its renewables cant keep up with demand. For those unaware, California had the 10th-largest increase (48.75 percent) in renewable energy production between 2014 and 2019. The state received the third most funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for renewable energy from 2004 to 2021, when it received $557.8 million in federal dollars. No state has more incentives and policies geared toward renewables than California, which has 170.

So, what we have is a threat of millions of customers across the country heading toward energy shortages because of their providers aversion to fossil fuels and willful blindness to the risks of sacrificing energy security to a faux climate emergency.

But this is not just a U.S. problem. In 2017, citizens in many Chinese provinces were unable to get coal for winter heating because of a policy that required a reduction in use of the fuel. The South China Morning Post reported that shivering villagers in northern China resorted to burning corn cobs and wood scraps. In the UK, insufficient heating in homes for the elderly due to the high cost of energy was linked to excess deaths.

In Africa, the continents biggest funder of developmental projectsthe African Development Bankhas stopped supporting coal projects that are needed to spur economic growth and alleviate crushing poverty in many countries.

Perhaps most disturbing is that the misbegotten global movement to decarbonize the energy sector is still in its infancy. Given the pain already inflicted on consumers, a fully developed energy transition will impose a dearth of energy of unimaginable proportions. In regions like many in Africa, this means that economic growth will be stopped before it starts. In developed countries, citizens will take giant steps backward in lifestyle and some will sink into poverty.

Humankind has made great strides at great costs during the past few centuries to reach the current state of energy abundance that civilization enjoys. Elite policy makers are reversing this progress by denying people the energy they need to prosper and even to survive.

From RealClearWire

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sept. 16 said that there could be more flights containing illegal immigrants to other locations after he sent around 50 to Marthas Vineyard. Nearly 50 members of Congress are calling on the Department of Defense to end its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, citing concerns about the militarys readiness for combat.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Unite and Win Rally in support of Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano at the Wyndham Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Aug. 19, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

DeSantis Says Hes Considering More Flights With Illegal Immigrants

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said that there could be more flights containing illegal immigrants to other locations after he sent around 50 to the wealthy enclave of Marthas Vineyard.

Obviously theres going to be buses like Texas is doing and there may be some more flights containing illegal aliens, DeSantis told a news conference in Florida.

The Republican governor did not say whether he would send more to Marthas Vineyard, a Massachusetts island that has long been favored by the wealthy and powerful as a vacation spot.

Theres a whole bunch of other places, he said. But I would say that all were trying to do is offer transport to sanctuary jurisdictions that are free to the to the alien but certainly not mandatory.

In that way theyre able to go and these sanctuary jurisdictions can put their money where their mouth is they can provide the resources, they can do all of that, DeSantis continued. And then once that happens, the chance of folks coming to Florida is probably very, very low. So thats why were doing it and I think I think were gonna continue to do it.

On Thursday, DeSantis drew Democrat outrage by sending two planes filled with illegal aliensmany of whom were Venezuelansto the island. The state of Massachusetts on Friday activated its National Guard and within hours sent the aliens to a military base at Cape Cod.

For months now, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent buses filled with illegal immigrants from the TexasMexico border to New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The Democrat leaders of those jurisdictions have said their municipalities cannot handle the influx of people, while some have declared emergencies or have requested assistance from the Department of Defense.

But those leaders have not mentioned the massive influx of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico since the Biden administration rescinded numerous Trump-era immigration rules, including ending funding for a border wall and the remain in Mexico policy. Instead, theyve directed their animus toward Abbott, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and other Republicans.

Illegal immigrants from Venezuela stand outside St. Andrews Church in Edgartown, Marthas Vineyard, Mass., on Sept.14, 2022. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette/Handout via Reuters)

Political Fight

The White House on Friday, meanwhile, suggested that Abbott and DeSantis are engaging in human smuggling and using illegal immigrants for political purposes. Also Thursday, Texas sent buses filled with people who crossed into the United States to Vice President Kamala Harriss official residence in Washington.

These were children, they were moms, they were fleeing communism, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday, possibly referring to the socialist government of Venezuela. And what did Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like cattle in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.

Cubans escaping the countrys communist regime often try to apply for asylum in the United States to escape political persecution, and Florida has a significant Cuban-American population. Reports have indicated that the illegal immigrants sent by DeSantis to Massachusetts were of Venezuelan origin.

But on Friday, DeSantis contended that its actually the Biden administration that is using illegal aliens as political pawns.

Whats not humane is what Biden is doing. Hes given a false promise [that] the border [is] open, luring people to come here for political purposes, and then basically cutting these people loose and leaving them high and dry, he said.

Last month, the Federation for American Immigration Reform found that illegal immigration has skyrocketed under the Biden administration, with nearly 5 million people illegally entering the United States in the past year and a half. The group blamed the administrations policies as well as its decision to reverse several Trump-era immigration rules.

Jannis Falkenstern contributed to this report.
Did American Colonizers Create Slavery in the New World?

Commentary

For anyone who needs to brush up on their knowledge of American history, particularly claims made in the 1619 Project, I highly recommend watching one of the latest episodes on EpochTV The Shortcomings of Jamestown the second in a three-part series entitled The American Story.

In this episode The Shortcomings of Jamestown, host Timothy Barton, president of WallBuilders; and Jonathan Richie, Assistant Director of the American Journey Experience; tell the true story of the colony at Jamestown. Most of what Columbus explored was in Central and South America, however, the colonies in North America are what would establish and eventually become the United States. Although Columbus discovers the New World in 1492, the Jamestown colony and the colonization by Englishmen were not founded until 1607, over a hundred years later. Richie reads interesting writings of the day which address this gap, citing that the Reformation in Europe resulted in the people who moved to America wanting to escape religious persecution.

In large part, most of the colonies were founded on religious grounds for religious reasons. The idea was to create a religious colony where people could go and be tolerated and propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jamestown was built with this intent. They wanted to provide a place where people could go and enjoy religious and civil labor on a larger scale. We might look back and say they should have done more or expanded it further, says Richie, but for the time and the context of that world civilization, its a step in the right direction, where theyre expanding freedom to more people, in a more meaningful way than it had ever been done. He says this was the entire idea behind what led to the colonization of Jamestown and eventually Plymouth.

Jamestown, John Smith, and Pocahontas

The EpochTV episode tells the fascinating story of John Smith and Pocahontas, who saved his life after his men were killed by natives and he was about to be killed as well. She negotiated his freedom and also led delegations to provide the Jamestown people with the resources they needed while they were trying to provide for themselves and learn how to navigate the new world. This treaty relationship is important to note. John Smith eventually becomes the governor of Jamestown, while the relationship between Jamestown and the natives was good. However, there were some issues among the English at Jamestown, many of whom starved and died. Due to a lack of work ethic, John Smith made new rules for the colony that those who did not work did not eat. There was an explosion shortly after these rules were established and John Smith was injured and sent back to England to recover. Many at the time thought it was an intentional event meant to kill Smith or get him out of the way. Leaving Jamestown without a leader, or at least a leader who kept them in check, Jamestown began digressing.

The Shortcomings of Jamestown | The American Story Episode 1

Asking for too many resources from the native Americans, the natives eventually had to say no. The colonizers experienced starvation that winter and lost much of their numbers. They ate their livestock, pets, etc. and they even dug up the dead bodies of those who had died, and often turned on each other and ate one another. After this, some of the natives began raiding them, and there were some residents of Jamestown who were captured and held as prisoners of war in these native camps. The governor of Jamestown at the time decided they needed to get their people and resources back.

To accomplish this, the governor paid a native American chief of another tribe to kidnap Pocahontas for them to hold as a prisoner and use for a prisoner exchange. The colonizers did use her to negotiate and get their people and goods back, however, this was not an honorable act for the people of Jamestown to do.

What About the 1619 Project?

Despite the many shortcomings of Jamestown, some positive things did come out of it as well. In 1619, the first legislative body of the new world meets in Jamestown, with some of the seeds of the American ideas growing. In recent years, what we know as the 1619 Project, is what is being told as the beginning of America for a different reason entirely. In 1619, according to the New York Post article, a pirate ship lands in America and unloads what the article claims is the first African American people to land in North America as slaves. Its important to note that the African northern slave trade started around the 1500s, and in North America, there were already Spanish and french colonies that both participated actively in the slave trade. The whole idea behind the 1619 Project is just completely historically false because there were already African slaves in what later became the continental United States, prior to 1619, explains Richie, saying you can go back to even 1526 to find examples. He shows primary source historical documents proving the 1619 narrative is false. The narrative is that America created and was built on slavery, America fought a revolution to keep the institution of slavery, among other accusations. Historically, its not that America didnt participate in the slave trade or slavery, says Barton, its just that the way the story is being told is not historically accurate given the context or even original documents.

Its also important to note that chattel slavery wasnt legal in America at the time. Slaves were sold as indentured servants, which is significantly different than slaves. Indentured servants were integrated into the colony with the same legal standing as white indentured servants, they would work for an allotted period of time and then be freed, oftentimes given land, property, clothes, and set up to have their own life in the colonies. Interestingly, one of the first historical figures credited for establishing chattel slavery in America was believed to have been one of those indentured servants and was himself an African American, Anthony Johnson. He landed with the ship in 1619 and eventually earned his freedom, became a landowner, and began purchasing indentured servants himself. In a civil suit, Johnson won the perpetual ownership of another African man in the 1650s. This is a very seminal moment because it is the first time that weve been able to identify in the history of America that somebody is made a perpetual lifetime slave, not for committing an actual crime, its in a civil suit, says Richie, emphasizing it was also over a black man owning another black man.

Today we hear the Jamestown people were evil, and if looking at the facts, Barton says there are a lot of issues. However, to rewrite history to paint a people group as bad is simply lying to promote a specific agenda. The EpochTV episode also shows artifacts of weapons that Africans would use to capture other Africans and sell them into slavery. Referring to slavery, Barton says This was something that was certainly an evil around the world, and today when people say that America is evil because of this, Americans certainly participated in some really bad and evil things, but America was not the originator or instigator of this moment that is portrayed in the 1619 project.



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International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, has arrived in Washington ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with President Joseph Biden, which will take place on 16 September at the White House.

Pandor is scheduled to address the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) today (14 September 2022).

"The CFR is a think-tank, non-partisan organisation, which serves government officials, business executives, journalists, educators, students, civil and religious leaders, and other interested parties to better understand the world and foreign policy choices faced by the United States and other countries," the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said on Wednesday.

Some of the high-profile people, who have recently addressed the CFR, according to the department, include Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi; French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian; Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Foreign Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland.

On Thursday, 15 September 2022, Pandor will then have a bilateral meeting with her US counterpart, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

According to DIRCO, South Africa and the US enjoy historic and cordial relations.

"The US is a major export market for South Africa, a significant source of foreign direct investment (FDI), technology transfer, development assistance and tourism."

Trade and investment relations take place under the auspices of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants duty-free and quota-free access to the US market for value-added products, and has created jobs in both countries.

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Over the years, the department said two-way trade between South Africa and the US has been on the increase.

America is South Africa's third largest trading partner after China and the European Union, with more than 600 US companies operating within SA borders.

In 2021, the United States ranked as the second largest destination for South Africa's exports globally.

"South African firms have also become significant foreign investors in the United States. Investments from South Africa into the United States are on the increase, with the United States accounting for 17.4% of total South African outward FDI to the world, according to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition," the department said.
Dick Heller, plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Heller v. District of Columbia, gestures while holding his newly approved gun permit at the District of Columbia Police Department, in Washington, on Aug. 18, 2008. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

District of Columbia Repeals Gun Ammo Limit in Bid to Settle Second Amendment Lawsuit

The District of Columbia has gotten rid of its regulation limiting how much ammunition a concealed-carry handgun permit holder may carry after a local resident sued it in federal court.

This marks the second time in under a year that the local government in the nations capital city has been forced to amend its gun laws after being sued by Dick Heller, a civil rights activist whose multiple lawsuits have advanced the cause of Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia and throughout the nation.

A previous lawsuit Heller brought against the D.C. government resulted in the Supreme Courts landmark 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller that held that the Second Amendment protects the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation. Two years later, the high court ruled in McDonald v. City of Chicago that this right is fully applicable to the States.

In the lawsuit filed on June 30 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Heller argued that a D.C. regulation preventing holders of concealed pistol carry licenses from carrying more than 20 rounds of ammunition at a time was unconstitutional. Such a limit violates the U.S. Constitution because there is no historical precedent for it, and it interferes with the right of a concealed carrier to properly use a firearm for self-defense in any public confrontations that may arise, according to the lawsuit, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

The legal action was one of many filed nationwide after the 63 ruling by the Supreme Court on June 23 in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which recognized a constitutional right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. Importantly, the ruling found that gun restrictions must be deeply rooted in American history if they are to survive constitutional scrutiny.

On Sept. 14, Robert J. Contee III, chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, gave notice (pdf) to the court that on an emergency basis he had repealed the Districts ban on carrying more than 20 rounds, The Reload, a firearms policy and politics publication, reported.

The policy change heads off a pending injunction request against the regulation that Heller was pursuing under the new legal standards articulated in the Bruen decision.

On review of these developments, this regulation, its enforcement history, and in consideration of other regulations that govern concealed-carry licensees, the Chief has determined that emergency rulemaking action is prudent and necessary for the immediate preservation of the welfare of District residents and to enable the District to avoid accruing liability for attorney fees in legal challenges, Contee wrote in the legal filing.

The decision to unload the ammo regulation was not surprising, Heller told The Reload. The surprise was the speed at which this complaint was dispelled.

He described the Districts gun restrictions as arbitrary and irrational and argued they served to ensure bad guys can prey on unprotected residents.

According to The Reload, the regulatory change will impact all gun owners licensed to carry a firearm in the District by immediately removing the previous 20-round cap that had governed licensed gun owners since the mid-1970s. Licensed gun owners will now be free to carry as much spare ammunition as they wish, provided that it meets the Districts other ammunition regulations. The rule change does not impact the Districts 10-round limit on magazine capacity.

George L. Lyon Jr. of Arsenal Attorneys, who represents Heller and the other plaintiffs in the current lawsuit, previously told The Epoch Times that a person should be able to carry the amount of ammunition that you believe you need in order to protect yourself, and that may vary.

Lyon is also representing plaintiffs in another lawsuit launched by gun owners in the nations capital who want to be allowed to carry firearms on the Metro, the regions crime-ridden public transit system.

In November 2021, the District again backed down when faced with litigation initiated by Heller, according to The Reload. The D.C. Council voted to amend its ghost gun ban at the suggestion of D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat. The term ghost gun is a pejorative term generally used by gun control activists to describe homemade firearms that lack serial numbers.

Meanwhile, Stephen Gutowski, founder and editor of The Reload, quipped that the D.C. government should probably just consult with Dick Heller before they propose new gun restrictions.

They keep caving to him before he can even beat them in court, Gutowski wrote on Twitter.

The Epoch Times reached out to Attorney General Racine for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
Not only did new research show that two COVID-19 shots offered basically no protection but also that natural immunity lasts longer and is superior to multiple COVID-19 shots.

When everyone has to sacrifice themselves for others, then everyones autonomy is violated  including that of the most vulnerable. The COVID vaccination campaign is a glaring example of this. Many who got the shots are still getting sick, many have been injured or died from the side effects, while those who refused to comply lost their jobs and, in some areas, cant even enter a store. Everyone has lost protection rather than gained it

But unless everyone has bodily autonomy, no one has bodily autonomy, and without it, everyone, including the most vulnerable, are put at risk. Hence, the rationale to protect the vulnerable falls apart unless everyone is allowed to make their own decisions

Throughout the pandemic, governments, employers, NGOs and media have argued that the social responsibility to protect others is so paramount that it negates all other considerations

Authoritarian rulers claim to act from deep concern for public health and the greater good of society. Historically, however, invoking the greater good principle has always been about disenfranchising citizens in order to consolidate and concentrate power

The basis for forcing an experimental gene therapy on everyone was that it would end the COVID pandemic by preventing infection and spread. Real-world reality has since proven this to be a false justification

Government officials, public health officials, media and a whole host of other talking heads that parrot official talking points have repeatedly lied to us. We knew this, but now  without apology  theyre all starting to admit it by subtly changing the narrative.

As noted by comedian Jimmy Dore in the August 3, 2022, episode of The Jimmy Dore Show (video above):

This story is very close to my heart, because it exonerates me. Theyve been lying about COVID, theyve been lying about the vaccines, theyve been lying about herd immunity, theyve been lying about natural immunity, theyve been lying about masks.

Theyve been lying about children  theyve been lying about everything! Whod have thunk the government and Big Pharma would lie to us? For profit? I am flummoxed. I am beside myself with slack-jawedness.

Now, Theyre Eating Their Own Words

He goes on to review specific examples, such as President Biden claiming Youre not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations. Or Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said When they are vaccinated, they can feel safe they are not going to get infected.

Or Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who stated, If youve done the right thing and gotten vaccinated, you deserve the freedom to be safe from COVID-19. (Word salad aside  can you deserve freedom to be safe from an infection?  nevertheless, he makes the point that you supposedly wont get COVID if you got the jab.)

Vice President Kamala Harris said, If you are vaccinated, you are protected. Daniel Andrews, premier in Victoria, Canada, claimed that with three doses, you would be prevented not only from serious illness, but from getting this virus, this Omicron variant, and therefore giving it to others.

Victoria chief health officer professor Brett Sutton, who got the AstraZeneca jab, insisted it was a very effective vaccine that reduced risk of transmission. Every one of these officials has now contracted COVID, some two or three times.

We Knew the Shots Were Leaky

A primary objection to vaccine mandates was, as Dore points out, that a leaky vaccine  one that doesnt actually prevent infection and spread  cannot protect anyone other than the one getting the shot. So, the argument that COVID jab refusers were killing people was false. The notion that getting the jab would protect people around you was rubbish.

These were lies, Dore says, they were not making a mistake. They were lying. Whats the incentive for lying about an injection that clearly cannot do what you say it can? Dore suggests they were lying on behalf of their donors  Pfizer, Moderna, et. al. Of course, the National Institutes of Health,1,2 for example, also owns patents related to these jabs, so they make money from them directly.

So, with the truth now being self-evident, why arent media asking why Fauci, Biden, Harris, Trudeau and the rest were spreading misinformation? Wheres the follow-up? And where are the apologies? Rachel Maddow, would you like to revise this proven-untrue statement, made on The Rachel Maddow Show?

Instead of the virus being able to hop from person to person to person, spreading and spreading  now we KNOW that the vaccines work well enough; that the virus STOPS with every vaccinated person.

A vaccinated person gets exposed to the virus, the virus does not infect them, the virus can then not use that person to go anywhere else. It cannot use a vaccination person as a host to get more people. That means the vaccines will get us to the end of this.

This propaganda did not age well, and thats putting it mildly. Now, theyre trying to sidestep the landmines of truth  real-world realities  and claim that the shots were never intended to prevent infection, it was always about preventing serious illness and keeping you out of the hospital. But the statements quoted above, which is just a small sampling, prove otherwise.

The very basis and justification for forcing an experimental gene therapy on everyone was that it would end the pandemic by preventing infection and spread. People lost their jobs over that fraudulent justification. Friendships have been lost and family ties broken because people believed the propaganda that said if you dont get the shot, you dont care about others. Your very presence could be lethal to them. So, if you care about others, you will get the shot.

Do Authoritarians Care About You?

That brings us to a more important question, and that is, do these authoritarians actually care about any of us? They claim the reason for their actions is their deep concern for public health and the good of society. But is that really the case? Or is it just a PR strategy?

After all, coming out and saying you want to reduce the population by some percentage, or eliminate the financial drain by the elderly and the handicapped, isnt going to encourage compliance with the strategies intended to bring about those effects, is it. It would make more sense to tell people to comply for their own good, and the good of others. Then, the intended effect  depopulation  is brought about by voluntary sacrifice.

Totalitarianism as Care

In Totalitarianism as Care,'3 political commentator Elena Louisa Lange dissects the biomedical regimes moral imperative to protect the vulnerable, which in 2020, for the first time, came to mean that everyone, regardless of personal risk, had to isolate, wear a mask and get an experimental gene therapy, regardless of the price in bodily integrity and autonomy.

The lefts pretense of protecting the vulnerable is not only politically and socially corrosive. It also rests, philosophically, on an indefensible and authoritarian rationale.  Elena Louisa Lange

In a show of solidarity never before seen, hundreds of companies changed their logos and brand slogans to promote the COVID jabs. Political parties, schools, media, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) also told us to just get the jab  or else. The following extract from Langes article is a bit longer than usual, but the expanded context is what makes Langes point clear. Beyond this, I recommend reading her article in its entirety:4

The rhetoric of vulnerability and care bullied the masses into accepting a string of human- and civil-rights violations, such as being imprisoned in our own homes, the oxymoronic social distancing, masking, and, above all, mandated vaccinations unprecedented in their severity and global scale.

Yet the lefts pretense of protecting the vulnerable is not only politically and socially corrosive. It also rests, philosophically, on an indefensible and authoritarian rationale.

The exclusive attention given to the abstract framework of vulnerability and solidarity, community and care  always for others, never for oneself  served to disguise the loss of income and psychological damage caused by large-scale civil-rights suspensions 

The idea of vulnerability as a guiding political principle of the left goes back to the birth of social-democratic and labor parties in the early 20th century. It was the working class that needed protection from the cruel vicissitudes of the market 

But since the emergence of the neoliberal consensus in the 1970s, a remarkable shift has taken place  It is no longer the working class  but specific identity groups, the racially marginalized and the sexually excluded, who became vulnerable subjects 

What really cemented the PMC [professional-managerial class] lefts rise to power, however, was a more fundamental epistemic shift. The left  usually busy declaring everything to be a social construct, suddenly proclaimed the novel coronavirus to be a natural phenomenon, a challenge by uncontrollable natural forces  the virus was to be seen as a self-acting agent with its own subjective intent, motives, even political agenda.

This fetishistic inversion  ascribing autonomous powers to a lifeless thing  legitimated technocratic solutions like lockdowns and the feverishly promoted mass vaccinations, no matter the social costs. Moreover, turning the virus into an intentional agent shifted the blame for suicides and domestic violence, the loss of income, and extreme police violence against protesters, away from the politicians and bureaucrats, and onto nature.

A pathogen  is only as severe as the social response to it. If the response, justified as an objective constraint of the virus, is more lethal than the cause, then we are dealing with a disastrous fallacy 

[V]ulnerability in the PMCs imagination had to be shifted from vulnerable groups in the precise sense (the elderly, children, precarious service workers, etc.) to an undifferentiated whole under constant attack from the enemies of civil society, which happened to be the professionals own political enemies.

This move conveniently enabled the identification of the fight against the virus with the fight against fascism, conflating questions of medical hygiene with those of social hygiene.

The vocal denunciation of critics of the biopolitical security state as right-wingers, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, and so on was only legible, and consequential, against the backdrop of this conflation, for it put the question of the defeat of the virus on par with the victory of the left.

Transhistorical Rationale of Civil-Rights Violations

How are vulnerable people protected by the destruction of lives and livelihoods, and the removal of basic civil rights and Constitutional freedoms? Our authoritarian leaders have yet to explain this self-defeating rationale. All we get is Orwellian double-speak, where war is peace and slavery is freedom.

Lange points out that once you go beyond political motives, the argument against forced vaccinations tells us a lot about the transhistorical rationale of civil-rights violations by the state.

Throughout history, the driving objective of power-hungry elites is the disenfranchisement of ordinary citizens. And how do you disenfranchise people? By taking away basic rights, such as the right to drink a cup of coffee or eat a meal youre willing and able to pay for in a restaurant, lest you first submit to medical experimentation.

And how do you get people to submit to medical experimentation? By shaming them as egotists who care nothing for society. In a fiery speech, 23-year-old Green Member of the German Bundestag, Emilia Fester (quoted in full by Lange), argued that:

It is not mandated vaccination that is the imposition, but no mandated vaccination  an imposition for the solidarity-based majority  Getting vaccinated can no longer be an individual decision!5

Violation of Physical Boundaries Protects No One

Throughout the pandemic, governments, employers, NGOs and media have argued that the social responsibility to protect others is so paramount that it negates all other considerations. According to them, one individuals freedom and bodily autonomy ends where the freedom and autonomy of another begins.

Rather than being sovereign individuals who make decisions for ourselves, we are to view ourselves as links in a never-ending chain, where every decision you make will impact the people around you, and if your decision has even so much as the potential to restrict their freedom and autonomy  such as, for example, if you make them sick so they cant work or socialize  then you dont have the right to make that decision.

As noted by Lange, the moral imposition can be summarized as: Give up your bodily integrity to protect the bodily integrity of others. But rather than protecting others, the end result is the opposite, because it creates infinite regress.

In other words, if I give up my bodily integrity for you, then you have to give up yours for others, who also have to give up theirs, and so on. So, in the end, no one has the right to, ever, say no to anything, even if whats asked might cause injury or death.

Since theres no backstop, and everyone has to sacrifice themselves for others, no one is actually protected. Instead, everyones at risk. Everyones autonomy has been violated  including that of the most vulnerable. The COVID vaccination campaign is a glaring example of this.

Many who got the shots are still getting sick, many have been injured or died from the side effects, while those who refused to comply lost their jobs and, in some areas, cant even enter a store. Everyone has lost rather than gained, and in more ways than one.

Bodily Integrity for All Is the Best Protection

Not only does the demand of self-sacrifice for others put the most vulnerable at risk of injury and death, since they too must roll the dice with risky medical interventions in order to protect others, but it also eliminates our moral ability to defend and protect the physical autonomy of others. If we cannot defend our own boundaries, how can we defend the boundaries of others?

Sadly, we now have real-world examples of where this all leads. Children and adults in need of organ transplants, for example, are being denied life-saving procedures for lack of COVID injection, even though the shot is more likely to kill them than protect anyone around them (supposedly the already COVID-jabbed and boosted hospital staff). Weve entered a state of such massive moral degradation that it hardly seems human anymore.

The only way to actually protect people and minimize harm is by allowing everyone to do what they think is best for themselves. As noted by Lange:6

In consequence, either there is general physical autonomy for each and every single individual, implying mutual respect for ones physical boundaries, or there is none. The violation of physical boundaries  is never in the interest of the vulnerable, because the protection of bodily integrity itself is already the best guarantee for the protection of others, as well as oneself: It is, in fact, the only guarantee of physical protection for everyone.

This becomes even more apparent in the COVID case when we consider that the vaccinated can be infected and can infect others, and, therefore, potentially hurt them. In this sense, the logical framework for COVID mass vaccinations in the name of vulnerability is self-defeating.

Social Care Narrative Is About Consolidation of Power

One of the key take-home messages in Langes article is that this social care and responsibility for others paradigm is a ploy used to consolidate power. In her words:7

In sum, the claim to protect the vulnerable is the more or less direct demand to yield to political disenfranchisement under the guise of the honorable project of care  The lefts political project of protecting the vulnerable is nothing short of window-dressing authoritarianism.

The authoritarians dont actually care about people and their health. Anyone can realize this simply by analyzing their actions, rather than their words. They care about controlling people as a means to gain more power. Of course, the more power they get, the more they need to control you, lest you rise up and strip them of that power.

The hallmark call of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes is to serve the greater good by sacrificing selfhood. Everything is about the collective. Theres no room for individuality. In my interview with psychologist Mattias Desmet, he explains the psychology of totalitarianism, and the conditions that precede the rise of totalitarian systems.

The same care narrative is also being used to prop up the climate emergency. Were now told we have to sacrifice our standard of living because we have a responsibility for others and for the earth. We have to rein in our personal carbon footprint because pollution is deadly, and if you dont, youre  again  responsible for widespread death.

While pollution is a reality that needs to be addressed, the solutions the totalitarian cabal is offering is a gigantic scam designed to disempower and control everyone but the ones at the very top of the power pyramid, while accomplishing little in terms of producing a cleaner environment.

Originally published September 16, 2022 on Mercola.com
Early Super Release During Pandemic Causes Australians to Stay Unemployed Longer: Study

A new study has revealed that allowing Australians to access their superannuation early during the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their return to work and hurt the governments budget.

Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) studied the effects of early pension withdrawal policies by examining the behaviour of over half a million Australians during the pandemic.

They found that among those withdrawing from their super accounts at the most acute phase of the pandemic, between April and June 2020, there was a 32 percent lower exit rate from unemployment benefits within the first six months and 14 percent within a year.

And among those tapping into their retirement funds between July and August 2020, there was a 33 percent lower exit from the unemployment benefit system within the first nine months and 14 percent within 15 months.

Withdrawers Stay Unemployed Seven Weeks Longer

Overall, the study found that withdrawers stayed unemployed for about seven weeks longer on average than those who did not.

ABC reported that while ANU searchers suspected many people might have been waiting longer to look for a higher-paying job, they did not find any evidence to support that speculation.

We looked at the wages people made once they were eventually re-employed and found those who did not withdraw super and went back to work earlier had higher wages, ANU professor and research co-author Robert Breunig said.

It does not seem like people used that money to spend longer looking for a better job.

A general view of an Australian government welfare centre, Cetrelink, in Melbourne, Australia, on March 29, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

In March 2020, the previous Coalition government announced the COVID-19 early release scheme, which allowed individuals affected by COVID-19 to withdraw up to $20,000 (US$13,400) from their super accounts in two instalments: $10,000 between April and June and a further $10,000 between July and December 2020.

Data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority showed that super funds received 4.9 million withdrawing applications throughout the scheme. As of Jan. 31, 98 percent of the applications were paid with a total value of $36.4 billion.

In addition, the average payment made by super funds was $7,638, with 95 percent of the payments processed within one to five business days.

The Schemes Financial Impacts on Governments Budget

While the scheme helped Australians relieve their financial stress during the challenging period, ANU researchers found that early withdrawals had an adverse impact on the federal budget.

In particular, the cost of additional unemployment benefits that the government had to pay to the 162,000 withdrawers examined in the study amounted to $580 million.

The figure would be many times higher if applied to everyone withdrawing super early, not to mention the up-front costs spent by the government to process the withdrawals.

Breunig said while it was too soon to figure out the impacts of the scheme in the long term, the study suggested that it should not be reintroduced in the future.

Even during a pandemic, giving free money to people who are not working tends to make them stay out of employment longer, he said, as reported by ABC.

Because people withdrew so much more money than the government thought, and because they stayed out of work longer, which cost the government unemployment benefits. This is actually a very expensive project.

Its not something you would probably want to repeat.
Migrants cross the border to El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on May 19, 2022. (Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images)

El Paso to Spend $2 Million Sending Illegal Immigrants Away From City

The city of El Paso, Texas, has approved $2 million to be spent over the next 16 months to send illegal immigrants to other cities.

On Sept. 12, the El Paso City Council ratified a services contract with Gogo Charters LLC for transporting illegal immigrants. The company has already received $411,000 from the city, Border Report said, citing a presentation to the council. Over 550 illegal immigrants who were released from the custody of federal immigration have been bused out of El Paso. Buses from Sun Metro, the public transportation provider of El Paso, have been transporting illegal immigrants to bus stations, the citys airport, and shelters.

El Paso City Manager Tony Gonzalez called the immigrant situation an emergency and highlighted that the city does not have money set aside to deal with these particular circumstances.

Speaking before the council, Gonzalez made it clear that the $2 million only allows them to spend funds for using the services provided by Gogo Charters.

Last month, Mario DAgostino, the deputy city manager of El Paso, stated that the city receives reimbursement from the federal government for the money it spends on transporting illegal immigrants to other places.

The task of transporting illegal immigrants is carried out by the citys Office of Emergency Management. In a statement obtained by El Paso Matters, DAgostino said that such expenses are reimbursable through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, the reimbursements can take up to six months.

Responding to Federal Actions

Laura Cruz Acosta, Citys Strategic Communications Director. in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times said that El Paso administrators are striving to provide a humane response to the crisis even as the federal government continues to release hundreds of migrants on City streets on a daily basis.

After processing the illegal immigrants at the citys Migrant Welcome Center, they were provided with food, water, basic healthcare services, communications services, shelter and transportation. As of Friday afternoon, OEM has sponsored a total of 54 charter buses (51 to New York City and 3 to Chicago) since Aug. 23, 2022. The destinations are the preferred destination for those without any means to travel, Acosta said.

The travel costs to transport illegals are being covered through FEMAs emergency food and shelter grant on a reimbursement basis, and since the end of last month, El Paso has spent over $800,000 in transportation alone, according to Acosta. The contract with Gogo Charters are for 16 months.

This is not a political issue; this is a humanitarian issue that has become a local crisis for our community.

Rising Alien Numbers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seen a massive jump in illegal immigrants trying to get into the United States via the El Paso border sector.

According to the latest data from the agency, border officials at El Paso encountered 228,951 illegal immigrants in the 2022 fiscal year until July, which is a 46.9 percent increase from the 155,883 encounters during the same period in the 2021 fiscal year.

There was a 50.7 percent jump in single adult illegal immigrants and a 12.9 percent increase in unaccompanied minors in this period.

The increased influx of illegal immigrants has turned the city into something resembling a third-world country, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) told the New York Post.

Since local shelters are at capacity, many illegal immigrants now sleep on the streets, with little access to bathrooms. Residents of El Paso told ABC 7 that the smell of human waste has now become overwhelming.

In a Sept. 15 Twitter post, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that two buses of illegal immigrants have been sent to the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

VP [Kamala] Harris claims our border is secure & denies the crisis. Were sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border, he said.
Workers check Spiderman dolls assembled at the production line of Dongguan Da Lang Wealthwise Plastic Factory in Dongguan, China, on Sept. 4, 2007. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

Everything Is Bitter: Chinese Phrase Circulates on Social Media Under Zero-COVID

Zero-COVID policy ruins China's position as the world's factory

Everything is bitter, but Paris is sweeter is the English translation of a Chinese phrase circulating on Chinese social media, reflecting the Chinese peoples hardship under the ruling communist regimes lengthy Zero-COVID policy.

Zero-COVID is a policy of lockdowns enacted on entire cities and regions even when there are only a few cases of COVID-19.

The phrase expresses support for a famous western bakery chain, Paris Baguette, which provided affordable bread to hungry Shanghai residents in Aprilthe hardest period of food shortage during the lockdown. But the bakery was fined 585,000 yuan (about $84,000) by the citys market supervisor because allegedly the production license did not match the actual sales location.

The zero-COVID policy is destroying the countrys status as the worlds factory, with large numbers of companies going bankrupt and large numbers of people suddenly losing their jobs.

In the first half of 2022, a total of 460,000 companies declared bankruptcy across China, and approximately 3.1 million individual business owners deregistered their companies, according to Zheng Yuhuang, a marketing professor at the Institute of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University.

Chinese Manufacturing Hubs Crippled by Zero-COVID

This year has seen many enterprises in Guangdong close. It is the main manufacturing province in China.

Alco Electronics, a producer of small electronic devices such as notebooks, tablet PCs, and stereos, announced on Aug. 30 that it would close its production line in Dongguan in Guangdong Province the next day. It said its export business had been crippled since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. Almost 600 people were affected by the closure.

A similar closure notice issued on Aug. 29 came from Goodway Electrical, a prestigious home appliance brand. The company was a Hong Kong-based electrical goods manufacturer that had been operating in Shenzhen for 38 years.

Goodway Electrical produced electric irons, ovens, electric fans, rice cookers, vacuum cleaners, and other home appliances, and its clients covered more than 50 countries around the world.

Dongguan is also an important processing base for Chinese garments, textiles, toys, chemical materials, and other products.

In August, Kaishan Toys, a Hong Kong-owned toy manufacturer, announced that it would close its Dongguan factory after a decline in orders and payroll difficulties.

On Aug. 30, Dongguan Hongpeng Textile Company issued a notice to furlough employees until next February, citing a supply chain shortage caused by the pandemic.

The day before, another knitwear company in Dongguan, Kaiwei Knitting Clothing, also closed.

Chinese laborers work at a garment factory in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, China, on May 4, 2005. (China Photos/Getty Images)

In March, Nanzha International Stationery, a Hong Kong-owned company in Dongguan, announced the closure of its business due to the impact of the pandemic.

The Guangdong provincial authority in August released a 14th Five-Year (20212025) plan for the manufacturing industry, listing Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan as key industry cluster bases.

Dongguans electronic information manufacturing industry had a total output of nearly 1 trillion yuan ($143.8 billion) in 2020. Most of the zero-COVID lockdowns began later.

Plants operations were suspended from time to time due to logistical disruptions and raw material shortages following the implementation of strict anti-epidemic measures in Shanghai and its neighboring provinces, another major economic and manufacturing hub in China.

Foreign Companies Withdrawing From China

As of Sept. 2, at least 33 cities remained in partial or complete zero-COVID lockdown, as reported by the BBC.

Ongoing mandatory quarantine and frequent massive testing are encouraging foreign companies to get more serious about moving out of China, according to a report released by A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm.

The report found that as many as 92 percent of participating CEOs expressed positive attitudes about reshoring to the United States; 79 percent of executives in the manufacturing sector said they have already moved some business back to the United States or plan to do so within the next three years; 15 percent are evaluating similar plans.

In an April interview with The Market, a Swiss media, Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said that China is losing its reputation as the worlds best sourcing destination and that for the first time he is seeing some companies looking to other Asian countries for sourcing.
Stephen Broderick enters the 299th District Courtroom to plead guilty and receive a sentence for the 2021 murder of his ex-wife, Amanda Broderick, teenage stepdaughter Alyssa Broderick and his stepdaughter's boyfriend, Willie Simmons III, in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Ex-deputy Gets Life in Prison for Killing Ex-Wife, Stepdaughter, Man

AUSTIN, TexasA former Texas sheriffs deputy has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for killing his ex-wife, teenage stepdaughter and the stepdaughters boyfriend.

Former Travis County sheriffs deputy Stephen Broderick, 42, was automatically sentenced after pleading guilty to capital murder Tuesday in Austin in the 2021 deaths of ex-wife Amanda Broderick, 35; stepdaughter Alyssa Broderick, 17; and Willie Simmons III, 18. Broderick rammed his vehicle into ex-wifes vehicle and shot dead all three people inside.

Prosecutors set aside a possible death penalty in exchange for the guilty plea.

The ex-deputy killed the three during a custody visit with his son, whom he didnt shoot. Stephen Broderick was free on bond at the time of the shooting after being charged the year before with the sexual assault of a child and losing his job as a result.

Stephen Broderick was ordered to wear a GPS tracking device, but state District Judge Karen Sage ordered the removal of the device five months after his release, the Austin AmericanStatesman reported. Prosecutors dropped the sexual assault charge as part of Brodericks plea deal. Amanda and Alyssa Brodericks family said the dismissal denied justice to Alyssa, who was the victim of the sexual assault.

299th District Court Judge Karen Sage asks defendant Stephen Broderick for his plea as to the murder charges before him, in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

But prosecutors said they doubted they could obtain a conviction on the charge because the victim was dead.

Sage, who passed the sentence on Broderick, expressed sympathy with their anger.

I wish I could bring you justice, Sage said. But the truth is, the loss youre suffering, theres nothing I can do to make that loss go away. Its the best we can do in the system we have, and its never enough. My heart goes out to you. Three beautiful, wonderful peopleI see their lives shine on through all of you. I hope that at some point you can find some peace.
A view of the exposed riverbed of the Yangtze river in Chongqing, China on August 17, 2022. (cnsphoto via Reuters)

Extreme Weather in China Exacerbates Global Supply Chain Turbulence

The extreme weather in August has triggered another round of factory shutdown in China. The record high temperatures and drought around the Yangtze River basin led to industrial power outages in southwestern Sichuan Province, and affected the supply chains of many photovoltaic, automotive battery, and material supplies companies.

The current wave of power cuts in Sichuan, which began on Aug. 15, was initially set to last six days, but then twice extended to 15 days.

Silicon supply is expected to be more affected by power outages as polysilicon producers will need at least 10-15 days from shutdown to resumption and then to full capacity. The China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) predicts that Chinas polysilicon production in August will be 8 percent lower than expected.

Photovoltaic (PV) giants are currently centered in Sichuan. Industry leading enterprises like Tongwei Group, Jinko Solar, GCL Poly, and Beijing JYT Corporation have set up PV production bases in the province.

China accounted for 80 percent of global polysilicon production and 97 percent of the worlds silicon wafer production capacity in 2021, according to a July 6 report by the International Energy Agency. By 2023, nearly half of Chinas polysilicon production capacity will come from Leshan City, Sichuan, according to the Chinese authorities estimates.

Sichuans effective silicon capacity accounts for about 16 percent of Chinas total, according to Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Network (SMM). In July, Sichuan produced 65,600 tonnes of silicon, or 21 percent of Chinas total supply.

According to a CSC Financial report in August, power outages caused by the drought mainly affected the two silicon production lines at Tongweis Yongxiang plant in Leshan, which can produce about 100,000 tons of silicon a year, and GCL Polys 30,000-tons-a-year production line at its Leshan plant. In addition, Tongweis silicon wafer production lines at Meishan, Shuangliu, and Jintang in the province were also affected, with a combined annual wafer capacity of about 65 gigawatts.

Other major impacts have occurred on the automotive, battery, and material supply chain.

Lithium is one of the most important raw materials for automotive battery production. Sichuan, a key province for lithium compound production in China, has the largest reserves of spodumene in the country and accounts for nearly 30 percent of Chinas total production capacity. With its rich lithium resources and preferential electricity pricing policy, Sichuan has attracted a large number of manufacturers of power batteries and battery materials in the past few years.

Both Ningde Times, Teslas main battery supplier and the worlds largest power battery manufacturer, and BYD have large power battery production bases in Yibin City, Sichuan Province and Bishan District, Chongqing Municipality respectively.

Chinese lithium giant Tianqi Lithium has a factory in Suining City in the province. Ganfeng Lithium, another lithium giant, has also signed an agreement to build a lithium compound production base in Xuanhan County of the province. Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group is one of the main manufacturers of lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate in China. The province is also home to Shengxin lithium, Tianyi lithium, and others.

According to the Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Network (SMM), the first six-day power outage alone led to a reduction of 1,120 tons of lithium carbonate, 1,690 tons of lithium hydroxide, and 500 tons of lithium battery ternary materials in August, accounting for 3 percent, 8 percent, and 1 percent of the industry respectively.

The industrial power outages in Sichuan have already affected the supply and shipment of parts from Teslas Gigafactory in Shanghai and SAIC Motor. To solve the problem, the two factories sent letters to Sichuan authorities asking for priority to be given to their suppliers.

Toyota and Volkswagens joint venture plant in the capital Chengdu also suffered power cuts and was forced to halt production. Toyotas Chengdu plant was forced to start its internal generators for to continue production.

The influence of the electronic manufacturing industry in Sichuan and Chongqing goes beyond China. YiMagazine reported that the electronic information industry in the Chengdu-Chongqing region now accounts for one-third of the worlds manufacturers. At present, one out of every three laptops and one out of every 10 mobile phones in the world comes from Chongqing, and 70 percent of the worlds iPads and nearly 20 percent of the worlds laptops are produced in Chengdu.

Impact of the Drought in Sichuan

Sichuan is unique in two ways: it has a high reliance on hydropower, and a concentration of high energy-consuming enterprises.

The regime began slashing coal capacity in 2016 to limit coal production in all provinces. In Sichuan Province, the authorities used its abundant water resources to create a hydropowered Sichuan.

Driven by relevant policies, the energy structure of Sichuan has become increasingly monopolist. At present, the installed hydropower capacity has accounted for 80 percent of the total installed capacity in the province, while coal-dependent thermal power plants are basically reduced to backup power plants for peak regulating. However, in the event of prolonged and extremely dry weather, such as occurred this summer, a shortage of electricity generation will occur.

In addition, photovoltaic and lithium compound production are all energy-intensive industries. In order to achieve a low-carbon production process in these industries, the authorities have been directing companies to concentrate in provinces such as Sichuan, which is rich in hydropower (green electricity) in recent years.

Ouyang Minggao, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at the World Power Battery Congress on July 21 that it is urgent to manufacture key materials for power batteries with low carbonization, and the solution is to use green electricity. Therefore, the trend of Chinas power battery industry is to move to areas that have green power, and especially Sichuan.

The Sichuan authorities have also attracted a large number of battery material enterprises with a significant price discount. Suining City, for example, offers lithium battery and material manufacturers a preferential tariff of no more than 0.35 yuan per KWh ($0.05 per KWh), which is about half the price of industrial electricity in eastern China.

However, the energy structure that relies heavily on hydropower and the layout of high-energy-consuming industries that use green power intensively has revealed potential problems during years of super drought.

When more extreme weather events occur, global industrial chains could be disrupted more frequently.

A new report shows that the frequency of droughts around the world has increased dramatically over the past two decades. According to the United Nations report Drought in Numbers 2022 released in May, although droughts account for only 15 percent of natural disasters, the frequency and duration of droughts worldwide have increased by almost one third since 2000. From 1998 to 2017, droughts caused an estimated $124 billion in global economic losses.
A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta in front of displayed Google logo on Nov. 2, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Facebook Launches High Court Appeal Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Facebook will launch an appeal at the High Court after it was alleged to have breached over 311,000 Australian Facebook users privacy.

It comes after the Federal Court rejected the social media giants claim it does not carry business in Australia or store Australian information.

In early 2020, the Australian information watchdog launched legal action against U.S.-based Facebook Inc, now known as Meta, and Facebook Ireland over alleged serious and/or repeated interferences with privacy.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner alleged that Australians personal data were exposed to the risk of being disclosed to Cambridge Analytica through Facebooks This is your digital life app and used for purposes including political profiling well outside users expectations.

Cambridge Analytica was a British consulting firm harvesting users data, including those of up to 87 million Facebook users, to support political campaigns. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2018 following the data-sharing scandal.

Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott

Facebooks default settings facilitated the disclosure of personal information, including sensitive information, at the expense of privacy, said Angelene Falk, Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner in a statement in March, 2020.

We consider the design of the Facebook platform meant that users were unable to exercise reasonable choice and control about how their personal information was disclosed.

But the social media platform denied the claims that it collected or stored Australians personal information.

Facebooks lawyer, Noel Hutley SC, said Facebook Inc didnt have a commercial presence in Australia or a contract with Australian users, and therefore the Federal Courts judgement that Facebook is involved in doing business in Australia is incorrect.

Instead, he said, Australians had commercial ties with Facebook Ireland, which runs all operations outside of the United States.

In response, AIC lawyer, Ruth Higgins SC, said Facebook Inc receives revenue from Facebook Ireland for the data processes it provides, which therefore established a commercial relationship.

These activities were integral to Facebook Incs commercial pursuits, she said.

FILE  The Facebook app is shown on a smartphone in Surfside, Fla., April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Australian Consumer Watchdog also Sues Facebook

In March 2022, Facebook was also taken to court by an Australian consumer watchdog over alleged engagement in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by publishing scam ads featuring prominent Australian public figures.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged that Facebook aided or abetted ads promoting investment in cryptocurrency featuring big names like David Koch, Dick Smith or Andrew Forrest.

The ads led users to a fake news article with quotes attributed to those public figures who said they never endorsed them. Users were then contacted by scammers who pressured them into depositing in fake money-making schemes.

The essence of our case is that Meta is responsible for these ads that it publishes on its platform, the ACCC chair, Rod Sims, said.

It is a key part of Metas business to enable advertisers to target users who are most likely to click on the link in an ad to visit the ads landing page, using Facebook algorithms. Those visits to landing pages from ads generate substantial revenue for Facebook.
(L-R) Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, attend a briefing on the administration's CCP virus response in the press briefing room of the White House in Washington on March 2, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Fauci Clearly Misled Congress Over COVID-19 Origins: Former CDC Director

The former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who has long suspected the hypothesis that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory, said that he believes White House adviser Anthony Fauci misled Congress about controversial gain-of-function research.

Dr. Robert Redfield asserted in a new interview that everyone had to agree to the narrative pushed by Fauci and other health officials that the virus came from a wet market in Wuhan in 2019 and not the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In an interview in early 2021 with CNN, Redfield, a longtime virologist, said the virus emerged from the lab, later sparking death threats against him and his family from prominent scientists.

And Fauci may have overplayed his hand when he was so aggressive with Congress, saying that he was never involved in funding gain of function research, said Redfield, referring to the controversial research to genetically alter an organism to enhance certain biological functions including transmissibility. Theres too much evidence thats just not true.

Fauci knows that hes funded this research. He also knows that he misled Congress. Theyre in protection mode, he told Paul Thackers Disinformation Chronicle newsletter for Substack.

During hearings, Fauci has clashed with several Republican lawmakers and namely, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) over whether his agency provided funding to a third-party group to carry out gain-of-function research at the Wuhan laboratory.

In 2021, Fauci told a congressional panel that the National Institutes of Health did not provide money to researchers in Wuhan. However, documents released later that year revealed the agency funded gain-of-function research in China on bat coronaviruses.

Yes, he clearly misled Congress, Redfield said. And then he went over the top taking on Rand Paul and others in an offensive way for a public servant. Tony and I are friends, but we dont agree on this at all.

Nature of the Beast

Last summer, when asked about the research, Fauci denied that he lied before Congress.

Sen. Paul, I have never lied before the Congress and I do not retract that statement. This paper that you are referring to was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain of function, Fauci told Paul.

Sen. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly, and I want to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about, he added during a July Senate hearing.

In the interview, Redfield also noted that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the early stages of the pandemic made a decision to put Fauci out in the public, and it was never the (Trump) White House blocking us at CDC from publicly addressing the pandemic. It was HHS.

Over the coming months and now years, Fauci essentially becomes the federal governments public face on COVID-19. In that span, Fauci has given likely hundreds of interviews to different media outlets, including local broadcasters.

Republicans have criticized him for recommending masking, lockdowns, school closures, and vaccine mandates while simultaneously making dire predictions on the trajectory of COVID-19. Several GOP lawmakers, including Paul, have said they plan on investigating Fauci after the 2022 midterms.

The whole thing is scientific arrogance. There was an arrogance that they could contain this, that it wouldnt escape it, Redfield said. I worked with the Chinese CDC for many years while in the military and while at the University of Maryland. And viruses get out of labs. Thats just the nature of the beast.

The National Intelligence Council last year released an assessment on the origins of COIVD-19, reporting that the 17-agency intelligence community remains divided on the most likely origin of the virus. Some officials believe that natural exposure to an infected animal sparked it, while others believe it was a laboratory-associated incident, according to the report.

The Epoch Times has contacted the National Institutes of Health for comment.
FBI Makes 6,000 Arrests, Seizes Firearms in Summer-Long Operation

FBI agents arrested about 6,000 alleged violent criminals across the United States over the past four months and have seized more than 2,700 firearms and large quantities of fentanyl, the bureau announced Tuesday.

Violent crime is on the minds of a lot of Americans right now and top of mind for police chiefs and sheriffs, who constantly tell me that the rising rate of gun and gang violence is one of their most important and difficult challenges, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a video message about the operation.

The FBI, which has faced increasing criticism about its targeting of former President Donald Trump and his supporters, said that its agents and local law enforcement officials arrested nearly 6,000 alleged violent criminals and gang members. It also seized more than 2,700 firearms connected to criminal conduct.

Those operations were carried out in California, Texas, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs arrested 28 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Eastside Playboys street gang for alleged federal racketeering, firearms, and narcotics charges, the FBI said in providing an example. The task force seized approximately 47 firearms, almost 200 kilograms of methamphetamine, 27 kilograms of cocaine, more than 13 kilograms of fentanyl, and more than seven kilograms of heroin.

The agency also said its gang task force executed 16 federal search warrants targeting prison and street gangs around Albuquerque, New Mexico. They seized more than one million fentanyl pills, 142 pounds of methamphetamine, 37 firearms, nine ballistic vests, two hand grenades, and $1.8 million in cash, the bureau said.

Rise in Crime

It comes as the average murder rate across the United States hit 6.9 murders per 100,000 people in 2021, or the highest figure its been in more than 20 years. Drug overdose deaths, at the same time, have spiked to more than 107,000 nationwide in 2021, setting an all-time record, according to federal data.

Some critics, meanwhile, have said that Democrat-sponsored policies targeting bail reform have allowed repeat offenders back on the streets.

New York state changed its bail laws in response to outcry over prisoners accused of minor crimes being held in jail for extended periods while awaiting trial because they couldnt afford to pay bail. But some law enforcement officials warned that people released back to the streets would commit new crimes.

A record-setting spate of homicides in Albuquerque has ratcheted up pressure on New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, including from some fellow Democrats. The first-term governor has joined efforts to ban pretrial release for certain violent crimes, though some legislators in her own party have balked at rolling back reforms that largely ended money bail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After the birth of his first child, a Florida firefighter re-created a meaningful, multi-generational family photo with his baby girl and his dad to honor his late grandfather, who was featured in the original picture.

Firefighter and paramedic Michael Haworth, 24, was born and raised in Ocala, Florida. He married his wife, Jerrica, in October 2020 and the couple welcomed their first child, Monroe, in May 2022.

She is the first grandchild and great-grandchild on both sides of the family, Michael told The Epoch Times. Needless to say, she was welcomed with many hugs, kisses, and gifts.

Michael Sr. and Kenneth with Michael Jr. in his arms. (Courtesy of Michael Todd Haworth)

A few days after Monroes birth, Michael had the idea to re-create a special photo that was taken at Munroe Regional Medical Center shortly after he himself was born.

In the photo, Michaels father, an electrician also named Michael, sits beside his late grandfather Kenneth, a cabinet builder, who is holding newborn Michael in his arms.

My dad was 30 years old, and I believe my grandfather was around 55, Michael said. Ive held on to the original for a long time, especially after my grandfather passed away in 2016 from cancer. It is a very special photo to me.

Michael Jr. and Michael Sr. with Monroe. (Courtesy of Michael Todd Haworth)

Re-creating the precious moment, 23 years later, with a new addition in their arms, everyone in the family was so happy and excited.

The image is very sentimental and is a personal tribute to my grandfather, Michael said.

Michaels family shared a video of the photo shoot on Instagram, where it amassed a huge response from netizens.

The firefighter said: I never knew how much it would blow up on social media with the millions of views it has received. The comments on the video are hilarious, as well; the majority are aimed toward my father and how he is an ageless wonder and a fox, to quote a few!

Michael with his wife, Jerrica, and their daughter, Monroe. (Courtesy of Michael Todd Haworth)

Michael, his father, and his late grandfather had long shared a special bond. Kenneth would take Michael to their local race track, formerly known as the Ocala International Speedway, for Friday night races. Michael Sr. would take him hunting, a sport the pair enjoy to this day.

Now that Michael is a father himself, he is relishing the experience of watching his baby girl grow.

My daughter is almost 4 months old and is such a bundle of joy, he said. She is always so happy and loves to chat, even though she isnt saying anything distinguishable.

Reflecting on the video montage of the re-creation of the multi-generational photo, Michael said: The original purpose of the video was just to be creative and chase a past social media trend, but through it, I have gained such a desire to cherish the now, as well as to never let go of the past with all the memories that it holds.

It would be something special to re-create the photo again with future generations.

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
Florida GOP Files Complaint After Candidate Denied Entry to Televised Debate Over Vaccination Status

Florida GOP on Thursday filed a complaint asking the states health department to take action after a Central Florida TV station denied a Republican congressional candidate entry to a TV studio and canceled a political debate over his vaccination status.

The decision by WESH-2 News to cancel the Congressional District 9 debate because of a candidates vaccination status is discriminatory, unlawful, and will not be ignored, Florida GOP said in a statement.

WESH-2 released a statement on the day the debate was canceled confirming that it denied entry to Republican district nine candidate Scotty Moore based on its debate rules and vaccine requirements.

Benjamin J. Gibson, a lawyer for Florida GOP, says this is in violation of section 381.00316 of the Florida Statutes, which states, in part, that a business entity may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination.

We ask that you immediately investigate WESH-2s COVID policy, and if it is found to be in violation of Florida law, take appropriate action, Gibson said in a letter to Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson (pdf).

The Republican candidate for Floridas district nine and his opponent were invited by WESH-2, a local television station located in Central Florida and owned by Hearst Television, to take part in a congressional candidate debate at its Winter Park television studios to take place on Sept. 8.

As part of our commitment to election coverage, WESH 2 has hosted a debate series during the primary and general election cycles for years, WESH-2 said in a statement on Sept. 8.

Debate Cancelled Over Vaccination Status

Days after inviting the candidates, WESH-2 provided Moores campaign with its parent companys COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to Gibson.

On September 8, Mr. Moore and his campaign staff arrived at the WESH-2 Winter Park television studios. Employees of WESH-2 gave Mr. Moore and his campaign staff health questionnaires, which asked whether Mr. Moore was fully vaccinated according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, Gibson said in the letter.

Mr. Moore answered the question in the negative, as did one member of his campaign team. After reviewing Mr. Moores answer to the health questionnaire, WESH-2 denied Mr. Moore entry to its television studios and refused to allow him to participate in the in-person debate.

A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, on April 15, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In response to statements by Moore at the time, WESH-2 issued a public statement saying it is committed to providing in-depth coverage of Central Florida races and confirming that it canceled the debate.

During the primary season this year, we have hosted 12 debates. The latest debate for the general election that we hope to bring you is for U.S. House District 9, between Incumbent Democrat Darren Soto and Republican challenger Scotty Moore, WESH-2 said.

That debate was set to be recorded here at the WESH 2 studios this morning. The debate rules and vaccine requirements were defined and provided to Mr. Moore and his team well in advance, the Sept. 8 statement reads.

According to Gibson, Moore requested to be given a rapid COVID-19 test in order to participate in the in-person debate, but was not accommodated. Further to this, the Republican asked if the debate could be held outdoors, but this reasonable accommodation was also denied, Gibson said.

Instead, WESH-2 canceled the debate and posted on its website that Mr. Moore did not meet WESH-2s vaccination requirements, Gibson added. WESH-2 only offered to hold the debate virtually, which Mr. Moore did not accept due to the severe limitations of virtual debates and the discriminatory nature in which this offer was made solely based on his personal vaccination status.

Vaccination Status not Relevant in Late 2022

Gibson noted that many businesses, including doctors offices, had done away with lockdown-era rules and allowed entry to people who had not received a jab.

We are now in the latter half of 2022, and many private businesses and even doctors offices around the State of Florida routinely permit entry to persons who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he said.

Gibson said WESH-2 and Hearst Television could be fined $5,000 for each individual and separate violation of section 381.00316(4) and (6), Florida Statutes, and Rule 64-8.001, Florida Administrative Code.

Moore released a statement after Florida GOP filed its complaint with the Florida health department.

It is absurd that in the latter half of 2022, woke corporate media companies and the like are trying to continue forcing draconian COVID-19 measures on Floridians and in the process are breaking Florida law, and discriminating against one political party over another, Moore said in a statement.

Over two and a half years ago Governor [Ron] DeSantis made it clear that vaccine passports and COVID requirements would not be welcome in the state of Florida.

The Epoch Times contacted WESH-2 and Hearst Television for comment.
Industrial facilities of the PCK oil refinery are pictured in Schwedt/Oder, Germany, May 9, 2022. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Germany Seizes Control of Russian-Owned Oil Refineries

German officials said Friday that Berlin has taken control of three Russian-owned refineries located in Germany in a scramble to shore up energy security before the planned embargo on oil imports from Russia kicks in and further squeezes energy supplies.

Germanys Economy Ministry said in a statement on Sept. 16 that Rosneft Deutschland GmbH and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH will be put under the administration of Germanys Federal Network Agency.

With the move, German authorities will also assume control of Rosnefts shares in three refineriesPCK Schwedt, MiRo (Karlsruhe), and Bayernoil (Vohburg), the ministry said.

Rosneft Deutschland is one of the biggest oil-processing companies in Germany, holding a total of around 12 percent of German oil refining capacity.

The takeover counters the impending risk to the security of the energy supply, and lays a key foundation stone for the maintenance and future of the Schwedt operation, the ministry said. Schwedt supplies some 90 percent of Berlins fuel.

Tanks for crude oil are seen at the PCK refinery, in Schwedt, Germany, on May 3, 2022. (Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)

European Scramble to Bolster Energy Security

The decision to seize control of Rosneft Deutschland is Germanys latest attempt to stabilize the energy market, which has been rocked by disruptions stemming from Western sanctions on Russian energy and Moscows retaliation by curbing flows.

Russian energy firm Gazproms move to suspend gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of August highlighted the prospect of gas shortages to generate electricity and heat households as winter approaches.

The German government said this week it would boost lending to companies at risk of being impacted by soaring gas prices.

Industrial facilities of PCK Raffinerie oil refinery in Schwedt/Oder, Germany, on March 8, 2022. (Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo/Reuters)

In It for the Long Haul

Governments across Europe have been racing to secure fuel deliveries and bolster their power providers and as they intensify sanctions on the continents major energy supplier, Russia, over its invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union has declared it would ban Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, even without an alternative source of cheap energy.

We are in it for the long haul, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sept. 14.

Russia has retaliated to Western sanctions by reducing gas flows and has threatened a complete cutoff, sending prices soaring and raising the prospect of energy rationing in Europe this winter.

In a bid to shield European consumers from soaring energy prices, Brussels has proposed windfall levies on energy firms that seek to raise $140 billion.

The emergency proposal, announced by the European Commission on Sept. 14, would also require EU member states to cut overall electricity usage by 10 percent and impose a 5 percent mandatory reduction during peak hours.
Governor Gavin Newsom signs CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment) Court into law alongside state and local leaders and stakeholders in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2022. (Courtesy of Office of Governor Gavin Newsom)

Gov. Newsom OKs CARE Act to Put Severely Mentally Ill People Into Treatment

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act into law Sept. 14, creating Californias first court-mandated mental health and substance abuse treatment program for those with severe mental illness or drug addiction.

With folks that are struggling with [being on the] schizophrenia spectrum, with psychosis disorders, they need help, they need intervention, Newsom said during a Sept. 16 press conference. Sometimes thats tough. [The CARE Court program] is a balanced approach to refer [patients], to evaluate [their conditions], to create a care plan [and] due process, and to ultimately enjoy success.

Senate Bill 1338, authored by Sens. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), received bipartisan support from state legislators at the end of August before it was sent to the governors desk.

The crisis is playing out on our streets and Californians want an answer to the crisis of conscience we all feel when we see this suffering firsthand, Eggman said during the press conference.

To qualify for the program, individuals referred by family or peers must be over the age of 18, suffering from a mental illness or other psychotic disorder apparent in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disordersa mental health evaluation guideline created by the American Psychiatric Association.

Those who are suffering from substance abuse can be referred to the program as well.

Through a civil court evaluation, individuals deemed unable to make decisions for themselves will be covered by a one-year crisis intervention program, with extensions for an additional year available. The program can provide short-term stabilization medications, recovery support, and connection with social services and housing.

Court-ordered stabilization medicationsantipsychotic drugs that can reduce symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, according to the bill textcannot be forcibly administered when a patient fails to cooperate.

Individuals must also meet other criteria to prove their inability to function on their own in order to qualify for the program.

They cant live safely in a community without supervision and their conditions are worsening.

They need services and support to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would result in grave disability or serious harm to themselves or others.

The bill requires the Counties of Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne and the City and County of San Francisco to implement the program beginning Oct. 1, 2023and the remaining counties should start no later than Dec. 1, 2024.

Courts can fine local governments up to $1,000 a day for non-compliance after the December 2024 deadline.

The program is supported by the states $15.3 billion in funding to tackle homelessness and $11.6 billion annually in mental health services, according to the governors office.

The move comes as California has been struggling with its sprawling homelessness, as more than 160,000 people are homeless according to the 2020 count as reported by the states Continuums of Care.

This year, Newsom allocated an extra $2 billion on top of last years $12 billion budget to provide additional housing for the homeless.

Regarding the mental health aspect of the homeless problem, Newsom said officials have been playing in the margins and have made modest reforms, like Lauras Lawwhich requires each county to offer court-ordered mental health treatment for those suffering from serious mental illness but only when the illness leads to psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, or violent behavior.

The law was amended in 2020 to make it mandatory for county governments unless they pass a resolution to opt out, but it is still less inclusive due to its stricter criteria.

We changed the paradigm by creating a brand new approach, not reforming the old system, [but] designing a new system, Newsom said.

More than a hundred business organizations, chambers of commerce, municipalities, and mayors in major cities plagued by homelessness and drug addictionincluding Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diegolargely applauded the bills passage. The California Medical Association and California Professional Firefighters Association also supported the bill.

The creation of CARE Courts by SB 1338 represents a thoughtful approach to addressing the behavioral health crisis we are witnessing on our streets and getting people connected with the care they need earlier, officials from the City and County of San Diego wrote, as quoted by an Aug. 25 senate floor bill analysis. It appropriately recognizes the continuum of care that this small but highly visible segment of the population with significant mental health disorders deserve.

Dozens of organizationsincluding the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and Western Center on Law and Povertyand homeless housing advocacy groups opposed the bill.

CARE Court expands an already problematic system into a framework of coerced, court-ordered mental health treatment that goes back to the countrys horrific history of ableism and subjecting disabled people to being a separate class, the Disability Rights Californias Sept. 14 statement read.
A health worker prepares a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Montreal on March 15, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)

Health Authorities Strongly Advise Against Two COVID-19 Treatments

Global health authorities have issued strong recommendations against the use of two antibody therapies in patients with COVID-19, reversing previous conditional recommendations that endorsed their use.

The recommendation against the use of two therapiessotrovimab and casirivimab-imdevimabcame as part of an update to the World Health Organizations (WHO) so-called living guideline on COVID-19 drugs, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The two drugs, which were developed early in the pandemic, work by binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralizing the ability of the virus to infect cells. However, recent evidence shows that sotrovimab and casirivimab-imdevimab are unlikely to be effective against currently spreading COVID-19 variants.

Todays strong recommendation replaces previous conditional recommendations for their use and is based on emerging evidence from laboratory studies that these drugs are not likely to work against currently circulating variants, such as omicron, BMJ said in a statement.

The recommendation to advise against the use of the two therapies in COVID-19 patients was made by the WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts.

After weighing up all the evidence, the panel judged that almost all well informed patients would not choose to receive sotrovimab or casirivimab-imdevimab, BMJ said.

Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at Kings College London, told Reuters that the WHO recommendation is rather late in coming, given that that U.S. health regulators began to question the effectiveness of sotrovimab in February and pulled it from the U.S. market in April.

Now WHO has issued this recommendation, it will be interesting to see how many other countries align with it, she told the outlet.

In January, the FDA revised its policy on the use of casirivimab-imdevimab, limiting its use to a smaller group of patients, citing findings showing that it was less effective against Omicron.

European regulators continue to recommend the use of both therapies.

Remdesivir in Crosshairs

In the same guideline update, the WHO panel recommended against the use of antibody therapeutic remdesivir in patients with critical cases of COVID-19. At the same time, they made a conditional recommendation for the use of remdesivir in cases of severe infections with the virus.

New trial data provided sufficiently trustworthy evidence to demonstrate benefits in patients with severe COVID-19, but not critical COVID-19, BMJ said.

The recommendation against the use of remdesivir in critical COVID-19 infections was based on a randomised trial involving over 7,000 patients. The study found 34 more deaths per 1,000 patients in cases of critical COVID-19 when remdesivir was administered. By contrast, the trial showed 13 fewer deaths per 1,000 patients when the drug was given to patients with only a severe infection.

Meanwhile, three hospitals in California face lawsuits alleging they treated COVID-19 patients with remdesivir without receiving informed consent.

The lawsuits were filed on behalf of a dozen or so families who allege that the hospitals engaged in medical deception and failed to provide informed consent in regards to the potential side effects, such as kidney failure.
Former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 31, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

Here Is What We Know About the Special Master Named to Review Trumps Mar-a-Lago Documents

U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie will serve as the independent arbiter to review documents that were taken from former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago home, according to a federal judges order on Thursday.

Dearie, 79, was the only candidate for the special master role that both Trumps team and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed on. In a separate order, Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the DOJ to stop its review of the materials that were taken from Trumps Florida residence last month, while the DOJ has indicated it will appeal.

With the order, Dearie will review all of the materials seized during the FBI raid and will have to verify documents in a property inventory to reflect the property seized. The judge also is tasked with carrying out a privilege review of the items that were taken and has to inform the court if there are privilege disputes between the parties.

Dearie was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 for New York. He retired in 2011 and is now a senior judge in the district.

Dearie was the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He became the chief judge of the Eastern District from 2007 to 2011, and he remains an active judge on senior status.

Notably, he served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court for several years. He was one of several judges who approved warrants for the FBIs surveillance targeting former Trump aide Carter Page in 2016 as part of the bureaus Crossfire Hurricane investigation, which triggered Trumps allegations of malfeasance against the federal law enforcement agency.

Federal investigators ultimately determined that an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, altered an email to support the surveillance application. After pleading guilty, Clinesmith received a sentence of 12 months probation; he was ultimately spared prison time.

An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago home after FBI agents raided it, in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2022. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

A separate judge released more portions of the affidavit used to secure the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, showing that some of the documents seized at Trumps home were labeled FISA, indicating they relate to information that was derived from foreign sources. Its not clear if those documents pertained to the Page investigation, though Trump and a former top aide of his, Kash Patel, have indicated that he declassified records relating to Crossfire Hurricane.

Praise

After the special master ruling Thursday, Dearie was praised by lawyers who had argued cases in front of him.

The judge is one of the few judges who both sides want to appear in front of. He is held in the highest regard by attorneys. Hes someone who actually listens to the lawyers and considers what they have to say before he makes a decision, Lindsay Gerdes, a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor, told Politico.

He works incredibly well with parties, but doesnt tolerate nonsense, Richard Garbarini of Garbarini Fitzgerald P.C. told the news outlet. He will not allow parties, or attorneys, to play games, or play fast-and-loose with the rules.

Before Thursdays order, the DOJ had proposed Barbara Jones, a Clinton appointee and former federal judge, and former federal appeals court judge Thomas Griffith. Trumps team, meanwhile, also proposed Florida-based attorney Thomas Huck.

Trumps lawyers objected to both the DOJs submissions, while government prosecutors objected to Huck but agreed with the Dearie proposal.

At the same time, while the DOJ submitted its picks in the special master case, it simultaneously asked Judge Cannon to throw out the order. Prosecutors argued that a special master is unnecessary because the DOJs filter team already carried out a preliminary review of the Mar-a-Lago documents, while the order would impede its investigation of Trump.
How regular GIs troubleshot and took out German fortifications during the Normandy Invasion

By the evening of June 6, 1944, American, Canadian, and British forces had carved a toehold on the beaches of Normandy in northern Francethe beginning of the end of Nazi domination of Europe. Yet as the Allied soldiers scrambled up the shingle beach and burst over the cliffs and bluffs overlooking the five landing beaches, they ran up against an unanticipated obstacle: the landscape of Normandy itself.

Northern France, like most of Europe, has been continuously occupied by humanity for millennia, and the picturesque, gentle, rolling hills and small, wooded groves of northern France have long been divided into cultivated fields. The terrain as a whole, traditionally called bocage, is traced by idyllic sunken lanes, and ancient hedgerows, some centuries old, flank these lanes. Hedgesdutifully and carefully tended by generations of farmers as a natural fence for livestockcan rise 10 or more feet into the air, and the thorny branches and brambles interlace so effectively as to prevent the passage of a determined bull or goat, let alone a man.

But the Germans had prepared for this moment.

Soldier makes a plowshare to affix to a tank for plowing hedgerows in Normandy. (Public domain)

Czech hedgehogs on the Atlantic Wall in the vicinity of Calais, France. They were deployed by the

Nazis to stop tanks from penetrating their defenses. (German Federal Archive (CC BY-SA 3.0, CreativeCommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0))

Natural Fortresses

Stephen Ambrose, in his seminal work Citizen Soldiers, recounted how there were 14 hedge-lined fields per kilometer, each of which met the roads at irregular angles and often had only a single entrance. The Germans had turned many of the tens of thousands of hedgerows in Normandy into veritable fortresses, bristling with machine guns and mortars.

Whats worse, American combat doctrine simply fell apart in the narrow, leafy confines of the sunken lanes between hedgerows. Tanks couldnt communicate with infantry, and flanking maneuvers or attempts to bypass the strongpoints met pre-sited artillery or mortar fire. Even American air powerby this point ascendant over the bloodied Luftwaffeproved less effective than expected when faced with the dizzying maze of fields and woods that concealed German positions. It seemed that Allied forces would simply have to slog through.

An aerial view of the pierhead and breakwater at Arromanches in Normandy. (Public domain)

Can-Do and Make-Do

But the American characterforged in the can-do attitude of the frontierdidnt lend itself well to resignation. The ranks of the American armed forces swelled with GIs from every walk of life from coast to coast, and without needing direction or commands from officers, they started working the problem from the lowliest private on up. Perhaps it was a New Jersey machinists son, or a mechanic from the Bronx, who first thought to weld bulldozer blades to the front of the M4 Sherman, the main tank available to Allied forces. They worked well: a good head of steam down a sunken lane and a Sherman could pierce its way through the hedge, its main turret barking at the German machine gun emplacements exposed in enfilade.

But with bulldozer blades in short supply, and orders out to ship all command could find to the Western Front, the men on the front line had to innovate again. A Sgt. Curtis Culin was credited with developing what amounted to a giant lawnmower blade, the Culin Cutter, which he ingeniously crafted from the very Czech hedgehogsanti-tank steel joists, often fitted with minesthat the Germans had placed on the beaches to foil Allied tank landings.

But while many of the tanks were eventually outfitted with these and other makeshift hedge-cutters, the soldiers needed even more power to defeat the sturdiest hedge fortresses.

A Culin hedgerow cutter made from German blocks (landing obstructions) is affixed to a light tank. (Public domain)

Perhaps next it was a miner, fresh from the mine shafts of Idahos Silver Valley, who repurposed explosives into hedge-clearing charges. The blasts easily flattened sections of hedge, but Ambrose recounts that while two 50-pound charges could successfully clear a hole large enough for a Sherman to pass, clearing hedgerows in this fashion would take at least 17 tons of explosives per mile, a tall order to swallow even for the well-equipped American forces.

But then, a stroke of genius. Maybe then it was a farmers son from Nebraska or Kansas who hit upon the perfect blend of the Culin Cutter and high explosives: welded pipes, several feet long, sticking from the front of the Sherman, like two enormous hay tines. The men developed a system, practiced on field after field: The Sherman would smash into the side of the hedgerow, penetrating deep into the earthen embankment under the hedge, and then reverse, leaving pilot holes almost like youd find in a mine. The combat engineers would race forward under fire and shove a charge into each hole, sometimes fitted inside empty artillery shells and rammed into the holes like in the barrel of a Civil War cannon. All would retreat to a safe distance and detonate the charges, then rush through the gap, mopping up resistance, followed by a brief respite before continuing forward to the next.

Aerial views of the hedgerows in Normandy, 1944. (Brevort (CC BY 2.0, CreativeCommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0))

Other Innovative Strategies

Not only did the men on the ground develop new strategies, but elsewhere the American spirit for innovation refused to resign itself to the slog. Air crews, frustrated at their inability to communicate fully with the boys on the front line, started to experiment with direct radio communication with tanks and their infantry support, bringing punishing air superiority down on the foe with precision. And the logistical wonder of the Mulberry harborsvast ports and breakwaters transported across the Channel and built in a matter of days after the successful landingsbrought a nearly endless stream of new materiel and the fresh men to make use of it. After a few weeks of bitter fighting, the last of the hedgerow fortresses fell to Allied forces, and American-built tanks streamed across northern France in the heady excitement of the breakout from the sea. Paris soon saw liberation, and the crumbling Third Reichs doom was assured.

In Eisenhowers famous pre-dawn speech, transmitted to the men about to undertake what he called the Great Crusade of Operation Overlord on June 6, he emphasized the great reserves of trained fighting men and superiority in weapons and munitions of war available to help America and her allies win through to nothing less than full Victory. Yet he very well could have pointed as well to the greatest asset of all: the innovative spirit of the American GI, fighting on foreign shores to share with all the gift of freedom.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Every aspiring entrepreneur who wants to launch their business and get funding needs to know how to package and present a company to a potential audience and investors. A compelling presentation shows how well you understand your project and its development. According to Crunchbase, in 2021, startups raised $201 billion in investments during the initial stage of their launch. These statistics show that investors are interested in financing new projects and are ready to consider existing ideas. To get funding and successfully launch your business, you need to know what it takes to create an attractive presentation for potential investors.

What You Need to Do for a Successful Startup Presentation

Even if novice entrepreneurs have a brilliant business idea, this does not mean they will receive funding. More than 500,000 companies are created annually in the United States, but less than 1,000 per year may be of interest to venture capitalists. Therefore, to allow your project to develop and increase profits, you must prepare for a meeting with potential investors.

1. Deep Market Analysis

Most investors want to finance a project that targets a large market to allow the business to scale. To do this, startup founders need to analyze how many potential customers the product has, how much they can pay, and how their number changes over time.

In startup presentations, the market assessment is often underestimated or overestimated. This is because entrepreneurs do not have access to specific data or an experienced economist in the state. If you also face this task, pay attention to external sources with a good business reputation (reports of large analytical and consulting companies) or contact a specialist to confirm the statistics from the Internet.

2. Drawing Up a Financial Business Model

After successfully analyzing the market and receiving up-to-date data, you must draw up a financial business model. Again, you need to approach this task carefully since the investor is primarily interested in this.

Startup founders can build a financial model based on their assumptions and data, but the approval of a professional must support such a theory. It is an expert in the field of finance who will be able to create a competent model, which will include the following:

Competitive field;

Up-to-date market data;

Niche trends;

Realistic calculations.

Investors interested in the project will carefully check each conclusion reflected in the financial report. For them to be confident in the numbers and see the companys future, it is necessary to have relevant specialists in your field.

3. Objective Assessment of the Team

The startups profitability depends not only on its owners but also on employees who work within the company. So during the project presentation, do not forget to tell investors about your teams expertise:

Whether they have already participated in similar projects.

What successes have they achieved in the past?

Whether they demonstrate creativity and initiative at the moment and so on.

The same goes for the startup owners themselves. Funders need to know whether they have experience building a successful business and leading a team, specialized education, and a reputation in the market. Add reviews from customers about yourself and references from past jobs to your presentation.

4. Following Digital Technologies

If you have decided to launch your business in 2022, then you are probably aware of the crisis. Due to the pandemic, almost all companies had to go online to avoid losing consumers. Since the decision to digitize had to be made in the shortest possible period, business owners did not have time to test their ideas and lost a lot of resources. The specialists found a solution that helps entrepreneurs try their concept in practice, attract a potential audience and show the product to investors.

MVP is a reliable way to test your hypothesis before funding the development of a full-fledged product. This software will solve the following tasks:

Correctly identify the target audience;

Check the functions that are in doubt;

Show gaps in development;

Mitigate potential risks.

Since each startup occupies its specific niche, MVP can adapt to any project. For example, Dropbox used a short video for its minimal viable product, where it told consumers how the future software would work. When the startup received a positive response, its owners created one of the most popular file hostings.

Sometimes companies spend years trying to prove that a hypothesis is wrong. A study by CB Insights found that a lack of market demand causes 42 percent of startup failures. MVP helps ensure that the product is in need or abandons an unprofitable idea on time. MVP helps ensure that the product is in demand or promptly leaves an unprofitable idea.

To test your ideas and get investment, you must create an MVP and implement your product or services essential features. This way, you will attract new clients and fund and earn money for further development.

5. Communication With Other Entrepreneurs

To prepare competitors and investors for the fact that a new product will soon enter the market, you must constantly be present in the circles of the same entrepreneurs and specialists in your niche. These can be forums, business accelerators, development programs, etc. This presence will help you learn about modern companies trends and digital technologies. It is a chance to meet industry experts and invite them to join your team. This experience will simplify the presentation preparation and introduce you to potential investors even before the launch of the MVP. Bringing the project to the market will be recognizable and get more responses than if you did not leave the office.

What Should Be a Good Presentation for Investors

Properly presenting your startup is an essential skill for every aspiring entrepreneur. Through this skill, projects find investors, attract co-founders, select excellent staff, and, ultimately, bring their idea to perfection. A good idea presentation will include the following points:

Startup name and logo.

Problems and solutions.

Description of the value.

Competitive advantage.

Business model.

Marketing plan.

Analysis of competitors.

Leadership and team.

Financial forecasts and critical indicators.

Current status: achievements, timeline, capital consumption.

A good presentation should concisely summarize the investors most important data. Therefore, the defining characteristics of a good presentation are brevity, a clear description of the benefit, a vital visual component, and many facts.

Use a minimum of text support to present your project to potential investors to end with a successful deal. Instead, add specific numbers, product or service visuals, and infographics to your slides. Remember that information during the report must be structured and not overloaded with unnecessary details.

To stand out from other funding candidates, you need to collect all the relevant data regarding your business in advance and test the product or service with potential customers. It will show investors that you are committed to further development and scaling of the project, and with a high probability, you will be able to bring them the profit they are counting on.

By Elina Nazarova

The Epoch Times Copyright  2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
A view of the main lobby of building BV200, during a tour of Google's new Bay View Campus in Mountain View, California, U.S., on May 16, 2022. (Peter DaSilva/Reuters)

Indonesia Antitrust Agency Launches Probe of Google App Payments

JAKARTAIndonesias anti-trust agency (KPPU) said on Thursday it is investigating potential unfair business practices by Google over the use of proprietary payment services for its software distribution platform Google Play Store.

The move follows similar investigations by antitrust regulators globally involving Alphabet Incs Google.

KPPU suspects that Google has conducted an abuse using its dominant position, conditional sales and discriminatory practices in digital application distribution in Indonesia, it said in a statement.

An initial investigation found that since June 1 Indonesian app developers had been required to use Googles payment system, which charges a 15 percent to 30 percent fee, the KPPU said.

The amount charged by Google Pay Billing is much higher than other services, which cost under 5 percent before the requirement took effect, it said.

If apps did not comply, they risked being removed from Google Play Store, it added.

KPPU said Google controlled a 93 percent market share in the country of 270 million people which has a fast growing digital economy.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in other countries where it has faced similar probes the company has argued that its service fee helps keep Android free, giving developers the tools and global platform to access billions of consumers around the world.

Google has been fined more than 8 billion euros ($7.99 billion) by the European Union in the last decade for anti-competitive practices related to its price comparison service, Android mobile operating system and advertising service.

A top European court upheld a ruling on Wednesday that it broke competition rules and fined the company a record 4.1 billion euros.

South Koreas telecommunications regulator said in August it planned an investigation into app store operators, including Google, over suspected violations of in-app payment law.

Seoul passed legislation last year dubbed the anti-Google law, which bans major app store operators from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

KPPU will conduct the investigation over the next 60 days and an official said if Google is found to have breached anti-monopoly laws it could be fined a maximum of 50 percent of net profit gained during the period.

($1 = 1.0007 euros)

By Stefanno Sulaiman
A person wearing a white mask with tears of blood takes part in a protest march of ethnic Uyghurs asking for the European Union to call upon China to respect human rights in the Chinese Xinjiang region and ask for the closure of "re-education center" where Uighurs are detained, during a demonstration around the EU institutions in Brussels on April 27, 2018. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

IPAC Alliance To Campaign Globally Against CCP on Human Rights Violations

Politicians from around the world have agreed to campaign worldwide for the imposition of sanctions on Chinese human rights abusers under a multinational plan.

The decision is part of the latest plan of action in response to the behaviour of Beijing from the global Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which held its annual summit in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 12-14.

The communique addresses different areas of policy relating to the PRC (Peoples Republic of China), calling for greater support for Taiwan and moving critical supply chains away from the PRC, reads a statement of the Alliance.

Split into sections addressing human rights, safeguarding the international rules-based order, Hong Kong, Taiwan, strengthening democracy, and support for Ukraine, the document seeks to provide a high-level blueprint for parliamentary campaigning worldwide.

Founded on June 4, 2020, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre after the outbreak of COVID-19, the IPAC is comprised of 200 MPs from 23 countries who seek to shape policy and discussion on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The IPAC members want governments to sanction CCP officials and entities that violate human rights, including those that have committed mass atrocities in the Uyghur region of Xinjiang and implemented state-run repression in Hong Kong.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to raise awareness of human rights abuses globally, published an article on Sept. 13 urging the Australian government to sanction Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Chinas Xinjiang region.

Support from Bipartisan Aussie Legislators

The communique was adopted unanimously with over 60 policymakers attending from 30 countries, including 7 Australian legislators, and a bipartisan delegation of the nation.

Senator James Paterson of the centre-right Liberal Party before a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Sept. 5, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Liberal senator James Paterson, an IPAC co-chair and the shadow minister for cyber security & countering foreign interference, said the document sets out a clear pathway to help democracies resist coercion and intimidation from Beijing.

Only by acting together can we hope to preserve and maintain the values we hold so dear, and which were paid for by the sacrifices of previous generations, Paterson said.

We leave the summit stronger than ever, determined to continue and deepen collaboration within this extraordinary network, and determined to implement this important communique in each of our countries.

Australia passed its Magnitsky legislation in December 2021, which enables the government to sanction foreign officials who abuse human rights, engage in corrupt practices, or threaten Australias national security. The legislation was pushed by late Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching, a founding member of IPAC.

The IPAC members also agreed to push their governments to consider economic sanctions against the CCP to deter its military operations in Taiwan.

Economic and political measures, including meaningful sanctions, should be considered to deter military escalation and to ensure trade and other exchanges with Taiwan continue unimpeded, reads the communique.

A Navy Force helicopter under the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese army takes part in military exercises in the waters around Taiwan, at an undisclosed location, on Aug. 8, 2022. (Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via Reuters)

No one wants to see conflict  What we want is a peaceful pathway, Daily Telegraph reported Labor MP Peter Khalil, also a co-chair of IPAC and the head of Australias Committee Secretary Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, as saying so.

Any evolution of Taiwans status has got to be peaceful through dialogue, he said.

Khalil praised IPACs crucial role in protecting common democratic values, warning that Russias current invasion of Ukraine is very representative of the contest right before our eyes.

This is really a question about what kind of world we want to live in, he said.

Other Australian legislators who signed the document include Liberal frontbenchers Claire Chandler and Andrew Hastie, Labor senator Deborah ONeill and Hugh Mc Dermott, as well as Greens MP Cassy OConnor.
In this special episode of Kashs Corner, New York Times best-selling author Lee Smith guest hosts with Jan Jekielek and dives into new John Durham filings in the Igor Danchenko case.

Wait a minutethe FBI had this guy under a counterintelligence investigation, and then they hire him as a confidential human source?

Danchenko was the subject of an FBI investigation from 2009 to 2011 for apparently talking to a Brookings Institution coworker about selling classified information for money. According to a new filing in the Danchenko case, the FBI signed Danchenko on as a paid confidential human source in March 2017.

According to Lee Smith, the FBI has outsourced its lies, and John Durham should go after the agency to hold to account the people behind Russiagate and the Mar-a-Lago raidscandals that Lee Smith views as intrinsically connected.

They bury their corruption, and they make it impossible for people to ask questions. And then they turn it around on the people who are asking questions, saying, Oh, no, no no. Youre the problem. Youre the one whos going to get people killed, says Lee Smith.

In 2017, Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) was accused of endangering sources after demanding documents from the DOJ, and a recent New York Times article suggests that documents at Mar-a-Lago could compromise human intelligence sources.

Will Igor Danchenko ultimately be acquitted like Michael Sussmann? Did DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz know Danchenko was an FBI confidential source when he put out his 2019 report?

The scandal grows larger and larger the more information we have, says Lee Smith.

Subscribe to the American Thought Leaders newsletter so you never miss an episode.

BUY Jan 6 DVD: https://www.epochtv.shop/product-page/dvd-the-real-story-of-january-6, Promo Code Kash for 20% off.

* Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List.

Jan Jekielek:

Hey, everyone. Weve got something really special for you today. Kash is off the grid for a while. So, we got our mutual friend Lee Smith, who is the author of the Plot Against the President, and the Permanent Coup, to join us and guest host for the day.

Lee Smith:

Hey, everybody. Welcome to Kashs Corner.

Mr. Jekielek:

Lee, its so fitting that you would be the one to be guest hosting today, because I actually became aware of Kash Patel and his role in all of this through your book, the Plot Against the President. And it really was you, I believe, who connected us at the beginning.

Mr. Smith:

Im very happy to hear that. Its been an immensely profitable relationship for you and Kash and The Epoch Times. With all the information that you guys provide, and the insight that the show provides, you really launched Kash as a media superstar. You see him on Truth Social with hundreds of thousands of followers. I have to say, Im really surprised. But every time I look at the stuff that hes postingits brilliant, informative, and a lot of fun. So, I couldnt be happier to have been the person who introduced the two of you.

Mr. Jekielek:

When you read the Plot Against the President, you can see how Kash really understood how the DOJ worked. And the thing that really made an impression on me was that he really figured out how to depose these witnesses in ways that they could not say that they really knew nothing about Russia collusion. That set the stage for unraveling RussiaGate.

Mr. Smith:

Yes, that was one of the really important parts of writing the book and telling the story. I dont know that authors necessarily have favorite lines or favorite passages from their book. Theres a part where Kash is talking about the investigation that he and former Congressman Nunes and Jack Langer and those guys set up over at the House Intelligence Committee. Kash says, It was our thing. Just look at how they named it Objective Medusa. You can see the amount of effort that these guys put into getting to the bottom of different issues that were plaguing the Department of Justice at the time. Tragically, it seems to have only gotten much worse with our federal law enforcement authorities. Yet, with Kashs insight into the DOJ and the FBI, he also expresses profound respect for the people who are really doing the jobs. And for the people who are not, he is rightly contemptuous of them on behalf of the American public for deceiving Americans and hurting the country.

Mr. Jekielek:

I want to talk about two things today. One of them is this new filing from John Durham on the Danchenko case. There were some wild revelations in there. And at the same time, many of us at this point agree that this Mar-a-Lago raid was an extension of the original RussiaGate, for which John Durham is seeking some accountability. And theres a whole series of new events that are transpiring which seem to be deeply connected. Actually, youve been writing about this, but lets start with this Danchenko filing. Lee, after you read this filing, what did you think?

Mr. Smith:

Its pretty amazing that the first thing that our social media sleuths pointed out was that Igor Danchenko, who is now on trial in October, was a confidential human source for the FBI. The most astonishing thing was they made him a confidential human source after they knew he had been lying. He was the primary subsource for Christopher Steeles now notorious dossier reports alleging Donald Trumps connections to Russia. And at the time, many of us knew it was absolute garbage.

Danchenko was the person who was feeding Steele a lot of this nonsense. The FBI, when they first interviewed Danchenko in January, 2017, walked a lot of it back saying, Yes, I was exaggerating, or, It was bar talk. Nonetheless, the FBI decided to make him a confidential human source, which meant a couple of different things. The first thing it meant was they were paying him. They had him on the payroll, which meant the U.S. taxpayer was paying for this guy who had lied to help frame a presidential candidate who became the president of the United States. In January of 2017, Donald Trump was president of the United States. And they hired the guy who was behind the lies, and who had obtained a warrant to spy on his campaign. Its mind-boggling.

Mr. Jekielek:

Let me just jump in. This guy told them he was lying?

Mr. Smith:

Yes. He said hed been exaggerating. He said, Yes, I think Steele misunderstood this, or, It was bar talk. Of course, the FBI at that point kept investigating Donald Trump. They would have Carter Page under a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. The last renewal was at the end of June. So, they were spying on the Trump circle. It appears they were collecting the electronic communications of the Trump circle into the early fall of 2017. So, its pretty astonishing. That is what really stood out for most of the people who were going through this new filing. Now I will say that one of the issues that a lot of people have raised, and that certainly struck me when I first saw it, was the way that John Durham has shaped this case. It is the same way he shaped the Michael Sussmann case as well, where Sussmann was acquitted of lying to the FBI.

To set that case up, Durham had to frame it so that Michael Sussmann came in and lied to the FBI, and the FBI was the party that had been deceived, that was the sucker or the patsy. Hes doing the same thing with the Danchenko trial. He has charged Danchenko with numerous counts of lying to the FBI. There is a question, and this is something, Jan, you and I have been speaking about for for years now. Most of the viewers of Kashs Corner are incredibly well read in on the whole subject. Our general assessment is that the FBI knew very well that Danchenko was making this stuff up, as was Christopher Steele. Because in fact, the FBI had outsourced their lies to contractors.

We now find out they wound up paying these contractors like Igor Danchenko. But I dont know enough about this. Well have to see when Kash comes back and talk about the different legal issues that this may raise. A lot of people are wondering, Is John Durham ever going to turn his attention to the FBI? Because if hes making them out to be the patsy again, and that they were lied to by Igor Danchenko, and they were really operating in good faith, a lot of people are going to be more than disappointed. Theyre going to look at this as though it was a cover-up. If its protecting the FBI, and just going after people like Sussmann and Danchenko, its going to raise a lot of questions.

Mr. Jekielek:

Let me ask this. I realize we cant really dig into the legalities of this because neither of us are legal experts. Couldnt he simply be trying to establish that he lied to the FBI which is a crime, and this is the way to hold him accountable? Whether the FBI was willingly taking the lies or encouraging them would be a separate issue.

Mr. Smith:

Thats the hope, that hes using this as an instrument to get Danchenko convicted and be able to build on this, and then go after the FBI. Maybe Igor Danchenko has so much pressure on him that hell feel compelled to talk and give up different officials at the FBI and Clinton campaign. Thats the hope. What looks so strange about this is heres the basic setup, and this is information that we knew about before. But its information that Durham now wants to introduce into the trial of Danchenko. Danchenko was actually under a counterintelligence investigation by the FBI in 2010. Youre right, Jan, we shouldnt jump the gun here.

Neither of us are lawyers, and we should really rely on Kash for this stuff. Well get his information soon. But if it was me and theyre charging my client, I would say, Wait a minute. The FBI had my guy under counterintelligence investigation and then they hire him as a confidential human source. And now youre telling me the problem here is that my guy was lying to the FBI? Theres something going on at FBI headquarters, and youre looking to hang my guy out to dry? Thats not the problem. The problem is at FBI headquarters. My guy should walk. Thats how I see it, because the story is pretty weird, that the FBI was fooled. How were they fooled? They had a counterintelligence investigation on the guy. They found out he was not a Russian agent or not working on behalf of Russia at the time.

The story is, We found out that this guy we once suspected of being a spy is the one feeding all this information, but now we know hes not telling the truth. Now were going to make him a confidential human source. Boy, that sure smells bad. And we know what these Washington juries are like. Theyre ringing up January 6 prisoners for insanely ludicrous charges. They let Michael Sussmann walk. Are they going to let Igor Danchenko walk as well? So, this most recent filing raises a lot of interesting questions about Durhams case. It also points to corruption at the FBI. Jan, you and I have been looking at this for so long, but there are still things that happen that surprise me. Maybe its just because they are more disgusting than previous things. But yes, this is pretty bad.

Mr. Jekielek:

There is one thing you havent talked about yet which is critical. What are the implications from the perspective of Michael Horowitz, who is trying to figure out what is happening here. He is doing an internal investigation of the FBI. What are the implications for someone like Danchenko actually being a confidential human source, for people that are trying to do these internal investigations?

Mr. Smith:

Yes. Thats a very good question. I asked that question yesterday on social media looking for legal advice. I said that Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General at the Department of Justice, wrote that very long and informative report in December, 2019. At that point, he knew that Igor Danchenko was a confidential human source, the primary subsource for the dossier that had now been brought into the FBI. Thats a big question. If Horowitz did know that, I wouldnt say it entirely vitiates that Inspector Generals report, but it certainly compromises it. And if he didnt know, that points to more deception at the FBI. Its just mind-boggling, because the more and more clarity that we think that were getting, the more details that we think were getting, theres so much more to know than we possibly could have imagined.

I was speaking to one of the guys from the investigation team of former Congressman Nunes. He said, Look, is everyone who was involved in this a confidential human source? Whats going on? I remember having a conversation with a foreign correspondent whod actually been based in Moscow about three years ago. He actually knows something about the Russians. He knows something about Russian organized crime. And he also knew something about the former Wall Street Journal reporters, Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch who set up this garbage. He said, To me this looks like a huge catastrophe, and it wouldnt surprise me if this is all made up by FBI confidential human sources. So, who knows if that will be the next shoe to drop. Well find out that a whole bunch of sources and a whole bunch of people who were feeding stuff into the dossier, and who were sending people in and out of the FBI, were also confidential human sources of the FBI.

Mr. Jekielek:

Of course, Steele was one of these confidential human sources. And we have Halper, and we have Joffe. As their information came up, they became very important figures. But the fact that they were designated as these confidential human sources made them very difficult to scrutinize. People say this is the reason that they were recruited, because it doesnt seem to make any sense to make someone like Danchenko a confidential human source. You know hes lying. You know hes not really a Russian agent, because you ran that counterintelligence on him. How is he supposed to be a confidential source? Maybe you want to keep him out of scrutiny. Thats the theory.

Mr. Smith:

Thats the thing, they want to bury him. They want to bury Igor Danchenko. They didnt want people asking questions. Back in May, 2018, during the investigation that Kash was leading, Objective Medusa, they were asking different questions. They were asking for different documents from the Department of Justice. And what was the DOJs response? They started leaking to the press. They started freaking out and saying, Nunes and Patel are going to get people killed. Theyre asking questions about confidential human sources. So thats what they do with the confidential human sources, they use them to bury their corruption and they make it impossible for people to ask questions. And then they turn it around on the people who are asking questions, saying, No, you are the problem. Youre the one whos going to get people killed.

By the way, I dont know if we want to go there right away but its worth reminding viewers that this is a lot of the language were hearing right now around the Mar-a-Lago raid. You might have seen Senator Mark Warner talking about, Yes, these documents that Trump has are going to get people killed. And so, weve heard a lot of the language about confidential human sources. They say they may be listed in documents that former President Trump may have had around Mar-a-Lago. Thats why a lot of people think that theres a connection between the Mar-a-Lago raid and RussiaGate.

Mr. Jekielek:

You have a really fascinating theory around this, and I want to jump into that in a moment. Before we go there, lets talk about this finding and how Durham has built his case. Essentially, Danchenko said one of his subsources was this guy Sergei Millian, who was vilified. Attempts were made to destroy his life. It turns out that Millian had nothing to do with any of this. He was shocked to discover that had even been associated with this whole thing in the first place.

Mr. Smith:

Its a really heartbreaking story. Early on, Sergei Millians reported role in this was very confusing. This was a function of Fusion GPS and the FBI screwing around, so that Sergei Millian looked guilty. It was even hard for a lot of reporters with the mainstream press who were reporting this story to figure out what Sergeis role was. I remember reading the book that Simpson and Fritsch wrote, and they alerted an ABC News producer to the existence of Sergei Millian. They set Sergei up. It wasnt just the FBI. Fusion GPS also set up Sergei Millian. They put him in front of the cameras on ABC News. This is a heartbreaking story. Sergei and I trade messages, and he tells his story very honestly. He is understandably very suspicious about the bad people who have done bad things to him.

In the Durham filing, they note that Sergei is not going to return to the United States to testify, because hes worried for his safety, the safety of his family, and he also doesnt trust the FBI, for good reason. Wherever Sergei is, hes doing great. Hes doing great right now. Hes living his life well, but remember what happened here. As a young person he had an opportunity to come to the United States and succeed. And he did. He first landed in Atlanta. The guy went out and did everything. He worked as a translator. He came over for a hotel fellowship. He started his own organization, the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. He was a real go-getter. And finally, he became an American citizen.

Its just such a beautiful immigrant story about a guy who looks at America from abroad, and this is what he wants. He comes and hes a hardworking guy and hes so successful and what do they do? Federal law enforcement, and the prestige media set this guy up. They frame him as a spy, and they do incredible damage to his life. One of the things that I keep telling Sergei whenever were in communication, Boy, I hope this is all over soon. I want to take you out to dinner and well all go around and just celebrate that youre back here in your country. Because its a heartbreaking story, and God bless, Sergei. Hes such a good guy and has such a strong character and is such a great American. I hope he comes back to his country soon.

Mr. Jekielek:

Durham makes a strong case in this filing that Danchenko was lying, especially around Sergei Millian. He also has as a witness the guy who allegedly provided the pee tape information, whos saying this has nothing to do with anything. Thats my paraphrase.

Mr. Smith:

Yes. This is a clerk at the Moscow Ritz Hotel. The filing says that he doesnt speak Russian. Hes a German guy, which makes sense. They have a lot of international travelers coming in and out of fancy hotels like that. But yes, apparently hes going to testify at the trial, which should be great, because it will dispel the biggest myth. Of course, this was how they sold the whole dossier. Its actually kind of a fascinating communications plan, because the underlying message is that Trump was colluding with Russia, that it was well-organized conspiracy with the Kremlin. Thats the message that got the spy warrant on the Trump team. But how did it get everyones attention? It got everyones attention by talking about the pee tape.

Clearly, it was just a communications strategy. This had nothing to do with law enforcement, and had nothing to do with counterintelligence. It had to do with selling it to the press, selling it to the public, and getting their attention. Then, there was another play going on behind the scenes. This same document that was out there smearing Donald Trump was also a document that was used to get a warrant to spy on American citizens. That was just terrible.

Mr. Jekielek:

Lee, you and Kash brought me over to this view that the whole Mar-a-Lago thing is an extension of RussiaGate. You have a very interesting theory about what exactly they were looking for and why.

Mr. Smith:

It really was Kash, because Kash was saying, Yes, thats what these clowns are looking for. When I say clowns, Im probably quoting Kash directly. At first, when I first saw news of the raid, my immediate impression was, Obviously, its going to be about January 6th stuff, because thats what theyre trying to do. Theyre trying to roll up all the January 6th defendants and Donald Trump into a seditious conspiracy and whatever other nonsense theyre making up. That was my earliest assumption. But then I heard Kash continue to say, No. I believe this is about RussiaGate documents. So, I laid the timeline out and theyre responding to different things that Kash was saying.

They are misinterpreting what Kash was saying, but theyre also hearing what they want to hear. Thats part of what prompted them to move on Mar-a-Lago. Also, if you look at the different press reports, especially from the New York Times, which carried water for that crossfire hurricane team for their RussiaGate investigators, if you look at the language that theyre using around this, its all RussiaGate language. And thats what I meant before, going back to that moment in May, 2018, when the DOJ and the FBI are freaking out about confidential human sources, and that at the time was referring to Stefan Halper. Of course, we know that Stefan Halperis is not really a confidential human source. The guy was a political operative and hes out there trying to set up everyone, including Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and Svetlana Lokhova.

Thats who they are protecting. But again, this is a lot of the language I am seeing. I dont like to send anyone back to the New York Times or Washington Post at this point. But as youre reading through the reports, pay attention to that stuff about confidential human sources and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants, because you see this in lots of the reporting. Your audience, Jan, and Kashs audience will know better than anyone else what this language is referring to. Its referring to RussiaGate. The idea that Donald Trump has documents referring to other confidential human sources, and that hes got a stash of papers on confidential human sources or is collecting FISA warrants is preposterous. Theres only one case that involved FISA warrants and confidential human sources that is of interest to the 45th president of the United States, and that is RussiaGate material.

Mr. Jekielek:

You alluded to the fact that the people orchestrating Mar-a-Lago raid were misreading what Kash was saying about the documents, but it wasnt really clear. Can you explain what happened there?

Mr. Smith:

In a May 5th interview with Breitbart, they asked Kash to comment on reports that Donald Trump had classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. To the audience, if you have time, check out my article at Tablet magazine from a couple of weeks ago. I have all the links there and you can follow it closely. In the Breitbart interview Kash said, No, this is not true. Donald Trump does not have classified documents there. And then he made another comment which is often lost. He said, Look, the president declassified a whole bunch of different documents. Some of these had to do with RussiaGate, the first impeachment related to Ukraine, and a whole bunch of other things that are of vast interest to the American people. So, what is plausible is that FBI and DOJ listening to that interview are thinking thats what Trump has down at Mar-a-Lago, because the two different statements got mixed up.

The question was about Mar-a-Lago. Then Kash transitioned into saying, Look, regarding the documents, the president has full declassification authority. He said, No, he didnt have stuff at Mar-a-Lago that was classified. And then he went off again on a somewhat parallel track, saying he declassified a whole bunch of stuff. Again, its possible the FBI understood Donald Trump had these RussiaGate documents or these documents related to RussiaGate at Mar-a-Lago. Then, there was another situation, and this is equally dense. Donald Trump appointed Kash and John Solomon to be his representatives to the National Archives, because they wanted these RussiaGate documents.

Kash and Solomon eventually found out that the Archives did not have a record of those documents. I think what happened was is that the FBI felt that Donald Trump had these documents, because none of those RussiaGate documents were in the 15 boxes that went to the National Archives in January. Its a little confusing and a little dense, but again, if you go back and check out that article, I explain it clearly. But the important thing is the timeline, and the likelihood that the FBI was listening to what Kash and John Solomon were saying, and they misunderstood it. And thats why theyre on the hunt for RussiaGate documents.

Mr. Jekielek:

According to Kash, about 60 per cent of these RussiaGate-related documents that were declassified are already available, but 40 per cent are not. At the end of the Trump administration, Mark Meadows was going to release these. The FBI or the DOJ cited privacy concerns. So, he passed these over to the DOJ. At that point, they essentially disappeared right into the ether, so to speak.

Mr. Smith:

Yes.

Mr. Jekielek:

With the intention that they were never to be seen again. It makes me wonder, what is in these documents? I really want to know. And of course, both Kash and Devin Nunes are very serious about their treatment of classified information. So, theyre not sharing it.

Mr. Smith:

Yes, definitely not. Its like the scene of the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. When they take the Ark, perhaps the most precious possession in world history, they hide it away and the point is no one will ever see it again. That was the idea at the DOJ, Were going to take these documents, and were going to file them next to the Ark of the Covenant, and no one will ever see these documents again. Certainly, we hope the next Republican White House will make these documents available, just as Donald Trump wanted to make them available to the American public, so we can understand what the FBI and DOJ was up to at that point. Jan, one of the things that you and I have often spoken about is that this has been going on for so long, its like were always playing catch-up.

Were talking about documents here, about things that happened six years ago. And look at whats going on now. Now we want to know what was going on with Mar-a-Lago. Whats behind the decision for that raid? What are the documents behind it? And theres a reason that Mar-a-Lago looks a lot like RussiaGate. Remember the affidavit that was released about two weeks ago? It was so heavily redacted that it reminded us of the heavily redacted FISA warrant on Carter Page. Were seeing all these duplications. The reason it looks like RussiaGate is because it is RussiaGate. But we keep moving along, and we keep pushing along. Thanks to people like Kash and Devin we now have some information and some transparency to start with. We hope that John Durham will provide more. Certainly, the information hes giving us will help with transparency, but I think people want accountability.

Thats what the American public wants. The people who broke the law, and the people who violated the trust of the American public who the FBI and DOJ are responsible for protecting, if they violated our trust, if they broke the law, they have to be held accountable. What have we seen instead? Weve seen a six-year-long campaign of defending themselves and avoiding accountability. Thats why they made Igor Danchenko a confidential human source. Not because he had any useful information, but to protect him. Again, the more information we get, the scandal keeps growing larger and larger.

Mr. Jekielek:

Lee, its time for our shout-out.

Mr. Smith:

I love the fact that you and Kash do this every week. I find it really moving. Im so honored that I get to do it this week. This weeks shout-out goes to the RussiaGate corner of Twitter. These guys have been amazing. Ive learned so much from them, Jan. I know you have too, we all have. Its just amazing to see people who not only gather information, but they disseminate information to help educate their fellow Americans. Im going to shout-out as many names as I can remember. There has to be 30 or 40 people who have been doing great research for the last four, five years. Were going to start with some of the guys who are also with the Epoch TV team, Hans Mahncke and Jeff Carlson. Thank you.

I also want to shout-out to Masseurs Ghost. He was one of the first people, if not the first person who understood how Sergei Millian was being framed. Hes great. We have Fool Nelson, a legal mind, a savant, and a genius. Fantastic. Steven McIntyre, goes under the handle Climate Audit. Let me see, there is Walkafyre and Rising_Serpent. The other one that I really want to make sure I name is Sham_Infinite, because Sham is going to get mad if I dont remember his name. The other person I have a big shout-out for is my man, Undercover_Uber. We havent seen him in so long, but the stuff that he was producing on RussiaGate was just amazing. So we love you Undercover_Uber, come back soon. And again, a big shout-out to the RussiaGate corner of Twitter. You guys are the best. If I forgot some of your names, go ahead and give me a hard time, but you should be on Truth Social anyway. Well see you next time on Kashs Corner.

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Laval University Professor Suspended for Child COVID Vaccination Criticism Faces New Disciplinary Threat

A Quebec university professor of infectious diseases who was suspended during the summer for calling into question the need to vaccinate children against COVID-19 is facing a new disciplinary threat for similar comments he made on a radio show while under suspension.

Patrick Provost, a full professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Laval University, was suspended for eight weeks without pay in June by his employer for comments he made in December 2021.

Provost had said during a public event that the risks of vaccinating children against COVID-19 were greater than the benefits.

While on suspension in mid-July, Provost made similar comments during an interview with Quebec radio station CHOI 98.1 Radio X.

The effectiveness of vaccines is negative in Quebec since December 2021 (the government deleted this data from its reporting not long after). This means you have more risk to get infected if youre vaccinated, Provost wrote in a Facebook post commenting on his appearance on the show.

Its quite the opposite of a traditional vaccine. Why choose vaccination?

Provost was addressing a common theme across provinces where COVID-19 data by vaccination status has been removed from public view. When still available, Ontario data, for example, suggested that individuals who received a booster were getting infected at twice the rate per 100,000 people as the unvaccinated or those who received two doses.

Ontario COVID-19 case data per 100,000 people by vaccination status as shown on the now-discontinued Ontario COVID-19 data website on June 6, 2022. The province has since stopped displaying this data. (Ontario COVID-19 data website/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Health Canada says that evidence indicates that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of the disease. The statement is not stratified by age group.

Following Provosts radio appearance, an individual submitted a complaint through the universitys security denunciation portal, according to files obtained by The Epoch Times.

Decidedly, your professor didnt learn from his suspension, doubling down with a disinformation interview, says the complaint. Especially when he says the vaccine is worse than the disease for children and that theyre not even a vector, among other things.

On Aug. 4, the university sent a letter telling Provost it deemed the complaint admissible on the grounds it contains an explanation of the accusations, the accusations are related to the teaching functions of the professor, the complaint was signed and dated, and it identifies the respondent.

The letter said that if the complaint is valid, Provost would have broken university policies such as not respecting academic freedom, lacking rigour, or not sharing research results in a responsible manner.

The letter, signed by vice-dean of human resources and finance Andre Darveau, outlines the steps to process the complaint, including meeting with Provost to hear his version of events and a potential investigation by a committee.

Provost told The Epoch Times in an email that the current process is identical to the previous one that led to his suspension. He says he expects a harsher suspension or dismissal.

Laval University will accept any kind of complaint to get rid of me They found a way to do it by following the same recipe says Provost.

Academic Freedom

Laval University spokesperson Andree-Anne Stewart told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that she would not comment on Provosts personal file.

Stewart said the university leans upon the two fundamental principles of the right to academic freedom and freedom of expression to accomplish its mission.

She also highlighted the provinces new law on academic freedom adopted in June, which requires universities to put in place dedicated committees. Stewart said establishing such a committee is in the works.

Provost said that his academic freedom has not been respected.

Beyond my position against the vaccination of children for COVID-19, its the issue of academic freedom thats in danger, he says.

Patrick Provost, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Laval University. (Courtesy of Patrick Provost)

Union Backing

Provost has had the backing of his SPUL union on the issue since his first run-in with the administration.

For the latest dispute, SPUL lawyers from the Poudrier Bradet cabinet sent a cease-and-desist letter to Laval Vice-Dean Darveau on Aug. 29 highlighting procedural issues in the way the complaint was submitted.

The lawyers argue the denunciation portal, which is for security-related matters, cannot be used to signal an academic issue. The plaintiff did not sign his complaint, nor did he spell his name correctly.

A review of the family name by The Epoch Times shows two mistakes or typos.

The lawyers are casting doubt on the authenticity of the complaint.

Lawyers also argued that a labour arbitrator has already been appointed to assess the summer suspension, and that Provost filed a psychological harassment grievance on Aug. 25 over the universitys Aug. 4 letter.

University lawyers from the Cain Lamarre cabinet replied on Sept. 1, reiterating the institutions position that the complaint is admissible and its demand to have Provost deliver his version of events in a meeting. It also acknowledged the grievance filed by Provost.

Rest assured that our client is attentive to respecting the entirety of its legal obligations in this regard, says the letter from Cain Lamarre.

Conscientious Objections

Laval University suspended another professor under similar circumstances earlier this year.

Nicolas Derome, a professor of molecular biology, also questioned the need to vaccinate children during a public talk in November 2021.

Derome had presented data showing children are at low risk of COVID-19 complications.

The under-20-years of age category accounts for 0.0 percent of COVID deaths in Quebec as of Sept. 14, according to official data.

Since their suspension, Derome, Provost, and others have co-authored an article published in a medical journal arguing that a conscientious objection to mRNA injections is valid based on the unknown dose and biodistribution of the product.

Unlike a drug produced in a pharmaceutical factory and formulated at a known dose and a well-defined protein product profile, the mRNA vaccine acts as a pro-drug encoding for the viral Spike protein of the virus to be produced by our own cells; both the dose and the quality of the proteins produced are unknown, wrote the authors in the article published on Aug. 23 in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research.

We also ignore the distribution of the lipid nanoparticles carrying this mRNA in our body. We consider that the conscientious objection raised by the above considerations is a reason enough to refuse mRNA vaccines or similar technologies as a preventive treatment against COVID-19.

While vaccination of all children over 6 months old with mRNA shots is encouraged by Health Canada, other jurisdictions have started to change their approach.

The UK National Health Service (NHS) says that children who turned 5 after Sept. 1 can only get a COVID-19 vaccine if theyre at high risk due to a health condition or a weakened immune system, or if they live with someone whos immunocompromised.

Denmark has stopped COVID vaccination of the under-18 since July, saying a very limited number of high-risk individuals could still receive it following the assessment of a doctor.

Denmark has also stopped recommending the injections for those under 50, saying only those above that age and with special circumstances will be offered vaccination.
The Gold Rush is long since over, but visitors to Dahlonega, Georgia, strike it rich with hiking, wine tastings, festivals, and more

Nearly two centuries after deer hunter Benjamin Parks tripped over a rock in the mountains of North Georgia and cast his eyes upon its glitter, setting off Americas first major gold rush, an increasing number of visitors are discovering other types of riches in the picturesque community of Dahlonegajust one hour north of Atlanta and near the terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

Many of these riches are natural: shafts of sunlight that pierce shimmering fall colors; cozy wooded dells; rich soil that nourishes a growing cluster of vineyards; 120 waterfalls. Others are man-made, including a downtown on the National Register of Historic Places brimming with period architecture, performance venues, art galleries, 16 restaurants, a well-stocked general store, and a gold museum. Architectural Digest called Dahlonega one of the 25 Best Small Towns in America.

Historic downtown of Dahlonega. (Courtesy of DISCOVER DAHLONEGA)

(Georgia Dept of Economic Development)

Over the past three decades, Dahlonega has been a magnet for visitors clamoring to explore the outdoors, enjoy a wide variety of music, or sample wines at more than a half-dozen vineyards within 20 minutes of one another, said Sam McDuffie, director of tourism for the city. And with that growing interest has come an increasing number of festivals that beckon travelers throughout the year: the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in April, inspired by a cub that climbed a sycamore tree in the town square; the Dahlonega Arts & Wine Festival in May, with wine tasting and jazz; Gold Rush Days in October, a family-oriented arts and crafts event that draws 200,000 people; and Old-Fashioned Christmas, spanning six weeks starting the day after Thanksgiving. Tens of thousands of Christmas lights are around the square,  all white lights, McDuffie said, with carriage rides and a parade. Hollywood has come calling, too, with two Christmas-themed movies shot around town.

Wine country begins just outside of Dahlonega. Thats where Matthew Garner, general manager of Montaluce Winery & Restaurant, can be seen most days leading visitors on a 1.8-mile hike that begins with a look at the winery and proceeds to a jaunt through the vineyard, into the woods and up the Etowah River as he briefs his guests on the areas gold rush roots and how wine-making arrived in the Deep South. Afterward, theres a tasting session, with fly-fishing along the Etowah always an option. For those wishing a longer stay, four Tuscan-style villas are available for rent.

Springtime blooms in Dahlonega. (Courtesy of DISCOVER DAHLONEGA)

A mine tour takes visitors 200 feet underground to experience life as a miner at the turn of the 20th century. (Courtesy of DISCOVER DAHLONEGA)

Visitors can try their hands at gold panning. (Courtesy of DISCOVER DAHLONEGA)

Our warmer climate allows for a longer growing season, and that longer growing season allows us to develop some complex flavors, Garner said. In 2018, eight area wineries received the coveted American Viticultural Area designation linking the characteristics of their wines to the regions geography, a major boon in putting the wines of the Peach State on the map.

But with all that the region has to offer, Dahlonegas story still rests squarely on the lore of the Gold Rush. That narrative is told with fervor by Dathan Harbert, general manager of Consolidated Gold Mine, a restored mine that is open to visitors seven days a week.

The Montaluce restaurant serves dishes made with seasonal ingredients sourced directly from local farms and paired with handcrafted wines. (Courtesy of Montaluce Winery & Restaurant)

(Courtesy of Montaluce Winery & Restaurant)

After word spread of Benjamin Parkss discovery of gold, some 15,000 prospectors descended upon the areas hills in 1829, hitting the rivers and streams with their pans and accelerating state and federal efforts to remove indigenous Cherokees from the land on which gold hid. It dont take very long for the river beds to get worked down and become what we call dry, Harbert said. Twenty years later, these same miners heard, Oh, theres easy gold in California, he added. Most of those guys came back to Dahlonega just as broke as they were when they left.

A bagpipe performance at the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival. (Courtesy of DISCOVER DAHLONEGA)

Instead of panning, prospectors decided they could work the mountains using the process of hydraulic mining: shooting large streams of water onto the mountainsides to bring material down to sift. When they got down to bare rock, they noticed veins of quartz that contained gold and decided to tunnel into the mountainside. To get in on the action, in 1898, a group of Northern investors founded Consolidated Gold Mining, the largest crushed-rock extraction operation east of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, they only lasted until 1906, and the mine ended up going bankrupt and selling, Harbert said.

The Montaluce Winery in Dahlonega, Ga. (Courtesy of Montaluce Winery & Restaurant)

Cane Creek Falls, a scenic waterfall in Dahlonega. (Jack Anthony)

After a second, failed attempt to make good at the same site in the 1980s, the mine was converted into a tourist destination. Today, guides lead visitors through a tunnel carved out more than a century ago. Recently, working with an engineering firm, Consolidated Gold Mine developed a three-dimensional map of subterranean features that no one has ever seen. Two tunnel spurs were discovered and will be opened to the public in the months ahead.

Dahlonega, it seems, is a place that many more out-of-towners are discovering for reasons that go beyond getting rich quick.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.

A previous version of this article had a photo caption that misidentified the winery in a photo. American Essence regrets the error.
Man Accused of Sexual Assault in Multiple States Is Illegal Alien With Prior Deportations

A man who was arrested last week on accusations of terrorizing women and girls on a number of occasions along a popular walking trail in Virginia is an illegal alien who was previously deported, according to officials.

Juan Rodriguez Alfaro, 42, indecently exposed himself and touched the genitals of multiple females on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Herndon, Maggie DeBoard, chief of the Herndon Police Department (HPD), said during a Sept. 11 press briefing.

Rodriguez Alfaro exposed himself and was engaging in obscene sexual behaviors and grabbed the victims genitals before fleeing the area, Deboard said.

In an update on the case, the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced on Monday that Rodriguez Alfaro had an outstanding warrant for attempted rape and sexual assault for an incident that happened last year in New York. He is facing multiple charges, including obscene sexual display and battery.

On Sept. 8, fugitive detectives arrested the man at a business in Herndon for the warrants, police said. He was taken to an adult detention center and is being held without bond.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told FOX 5 DC that Rodriguez Alfaro is an illegal alien from Honduras who has been previously deported three times, adding that the suspect may be connected to a string of at least 21 different sexual assault incidents, mainly along the popular walking trail in Virginia.

The law enforcement agency said it has filed a detainer with the FCPD so ICE would be alerted in the event Rodriguez Alfaro might be released from their custody, according to the network. The local police department has adopted policies of not cooperating with ICE.

A sketch of Juan Rodriguez Alfaro, 42, to help capture him. (Courtesy of Fairfax County Police Department)

Investigators in Herndon obtained video evidence from one of Rodriguez Alfaros victims that shows an indecent exposure incident on Aug. 14 near Woodland Grove Place. In the footage, the suspect approached the victim on the trail bare from the waist down. He then started touching his genitals before running away.

Several days later, detectives executed a search warrant at Rodriguez Alfaros home in Herndon, where evidence was collected that linked the man to three additional incidents.

Since he was arrested, detectives obtained additional charges stemming from these incidents to include indecent exposure, peeping, unlawful entry, and two counts of obscene sexual display, investigators said.

Tom Corso, a Suffolk County detective assigned to the U.S. Marshals task force, told FOX 5 DC that Rodriguez Alfaro also attacked a New York woman, who is the wife of a law enforcement official, in October 2021. The woman was able to fight him off.

Rodriguez Alfaro is facing additional charges in that case, which include attempted rape and sexual abuse, Corso told the network.

Corso noted that investigators believe Rodriguez Alfaro was living in Suffolk County at the time of the attempted rape, but fled the area, making stops in Boston and Maryland before settling in Herndon.

From NTD News
Illegal immigrants gather, after being flown in from Texas on a flight funded by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Sept. 15, 2022. (Vineyard Gazette/Handout via Reuters)

Marthas Vineyard Homelessness Director Says Illegal Immigrants Have to Move Somewhere Else

Lisa Belcastro, the director of the Harbor Homes shelter on Marthas Vineyard, said the Massachusetts island is in a housing crisis and cannot permanently deal with 50 illegal immigrants who were sent there by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In a video with reporters on Thursday, Belcastro said that at some point in time they have to move somewhere else because the islandoften visited by the wealthy and powerfulhas a problem with housing.

We certainly dont have housing, were in a housing crisis as we are on this island. We cant house everyone here who lives here and works here. We dont have housing for 50 more people, she said.

After her comments were published on social media, Belcastros remarks were panned by some political commentators as they claimed hypocrisy.

We literally have everything we need. I mean we need for all of our guests to get the help they need to be in this country and safe and housing, Belcastro added. Thats not something that we can do here at the shelter, right? Were a stop-gap. This is an emergency shelter. We are not long-term care.

A spokesperson for Harbor Homes told The Epoch Times Friday that Belcastro had worked in conjunction with Community Services and various inter-faith churches to mobilize a shelter and coordinate volunteer services for the illegal immigrants.

They were provided with housing, food, clothing, and medical services, the spokesperson added. Despite the affordable housing crisis facing Marthas Vineyard, the migrants were welcomed and cared for by the community.

DeSantis Responds

Belcastro then criticized DeSantis, a Republican, for sending the illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard.

But DeSantis and other Republican governors say the surge of illegal immigration is largely due to the Biden administrations policies. The White House, he said, is refusing to secure the U.S.Mexico border.

We take what is happening at the southern border very seriously, unlike some, and unlike the President of the United States, who has refused to lift a finger to secure that border, DeSantis said during a press event Thursday. Youve had millions and millions of people pouring across illegally; record amount of fentanyl coming into our country; it is absolutely killing Americans in record numbers; of course you have criminal aliens.

Just the sheer number of people, its not the way you run a country, he declared, adding a significant number of peoplenot just illegal immigrantswant to move to Florida.

The governor added that because of the desire to move to Florida, his message to them is that we are not a sanctuary state, and its better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, adding the state will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures.

Meanwhile, he charged the Biden administration is secretly flying illegal immigrants from the U.S.Mexico border to other parts of the country.

And all of those people in D.C. and New York were beating their chests when Trump was president, saying they were so proud to be sanctuary jurisdictions, saying how bad it was to have a secure border, DeSantis said. The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they all of a sudden go berserk and theyre so upset that this is happening. It just shows you their virtue-signaling is a fraud.
Illegal immigrants gather, after being flown in from Texas on a flight funded by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Sept. 15, 2022. (Vineyard Gazette/Handout via Reuters)

Massachusetts Gov. Activates National Guard, Sends Marthas Vineyard Illegal Immigrants to Military Base

The Massachusetts governors office announced Friday that dozens of illegal immigrants who were transported to Marthas Vineyard will be taken to a military base in Cape Cod, while some members of the National Guard will be activated.

The move comes as video footage and photos show the illegal aliensof mostly Venezuelan descentbeing transported on several buses from the St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Marthas Vineyard, a Massachusetts island that is popular among the rich and powerful Democrats.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers office announced Friday that it is going to mobilize 125 members of the National Guard and said that families and individuals will be housed at the Joint Base Cape Cod.

We are grateful to the providers, volunteers, and local officials that stepped up on Marthas Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals, Baker said in a statement. Our administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs.

The move by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, sparked outrage among left-wing commentators and pundits on social media. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, claimed the Department of Justice should investigate DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on human trafficking charges busing illegal immigrants.

But DeSantis argued Thursday that the Biden administration has failed in its duty to secure the border, while Abbott said that New York City, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are suitable locations for illegal immigrants due to their sanctuary city status. After the Marthas Vineyard deployment, few Democrats made mention of the crisis thats emerged along the U.S.Mexico border or the White Houses immigration policies.

America Knows These Problems

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) told Fox Business that he believes DeSantis decision to send two flights of illegal aliens to Marthas Vineyard will help highlight problems with the southern border.

I will tell you, House Republicans have highlighted all the problems, and I think America knows these problems, Gonzales, who represents Texass 23rd Congressional District, told the outlet Friday. I say now its time for House Republicans to show action. Were going to win back the majority here in November.

The White House, meanwhile, criticized DeSantiss move to bus illegal aliens to Marthas Vineyard and Abbotts recent decision to send buses of illegal immigrants to Vice President Kamala Harriss residence in Washington.

The children  deserve better than being left on the streets of D.C. or being left in Marthas Vineyard, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

A report last month issued by the Federation for American Immigration Reform found that illegal immigration has skyrocketed under the Biden administration, with nearly 5 million people illegally entering the United States in the past year and a half. The group blamed the administrations policies as well as its decision to reverse several Trump-era immigration rules.

Roughly the equivalent of the entire population of Ireland has illegally entered the United States in the 18 months President Biden has been in office, with many being released into American communities, the group wrote in August, attacking the White House for having no willingness to enforce our laws.
A seven-cubit quantum device is seen at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, on Feb. 27, 2018. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

Media Mischaracterising AUKUS and Ignoring Benefits: Defence Experts

Media outlets have mischaracterised the AUKUS deal and focused too much on the challenges of helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines while ignoring the significant technology exchange between the three allies, according to defence experts at a recent Hudson Institute panel discussion.

Australian Senator Andrew Hastie joined the Institutes Asia-Pacific Security Chair Patrick Cronin, a former submariner and expert Bryan Clark, as well as moderator Peter Rough.

Cronin took aim at Australian media for focusing too much on issues like capability gaps, money wastage, alienating options for dealing with China, and suggesting AUKUS would result in Australia becoming an adjunct to the U.S. Navy.

While there is some validity to these points  it completely misses the fact that America is taking a big gamble on Australia. Were not talking about just any technology transfer  were talking not just about nuclear propulsion, but about technology writ large, he said.

Are we going to get ahead of it? Are we going to harness it? At the university level, or governments and militaries? Or are we not going to do that, were going to cede that ground?

AUKUS Just Formalising Existing Relationship

Meanwhile, Clark said AUKUS simply institutionalised several decades-long arrangements between Australia, the UK, and the U.S., particularly in the area of undersea warfare.

Sometimes it misses the fact that this is something thats been going on for a while now, and weve actually taken it and codified it in a way thats going to allow us to get a lot more benefit for the next decade.

In fact, Senator Hastie said he had been telling young Australians to be ready to be involved in AUKUS over the next 20 years.

AUKUS was formed between Australias Scott Morrison, the UKs Boris Johnson, and U.S. President Joe Biden.

In Australia, AUKUS has been subject to partisan media scrutinydue to it being a centre-right Liberal Party projectwhich has seen extensive coverage of the difficulties and lengthy timelines around the countrys acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Read More No More Reviews: Veteran Affairs Advocate Says Defence Force Needs Overhaul

Formed in September 2021, AUKUS was created to counteract rising aggression from Beijing in the Indo-Pacific regionalthough the three countrys leaders did not express this directly.

While the centrepiece of AUKUS has been the transfer of top-secret nuclear propulsion technology to Australia, the trilateral pact encompasses cooperation across a range of other fields including quantum technology, artificial intelligence, undersea capabilities (including underwater drones), hypersonic weapons, and cyber.

Work Underway Amid US-China Competition

Clark said defence personnel were pushing hard to develop undersea technologies because it is a perceived weakness of the Peoples Liberation ArmyNavy.

Further, he said Australia would be critical as part of the United States Prompt Global Strike program that will allow its military to hit targets anywhere in the world within one hour.

That would potentially be something that could be put in Australia, or co-developed with Australia, that would enable us to have a counter-strike capability from Australia. One of the challenges I think Australia has today is the inability to threaten China with a retaliatory response for Chinas coercive behaviour, he said.

Id say unmanned technologies are another big area of cooperation. Theres already efforts underway to sell large, undersea vehicles that are unmanned to Australia  theres the Loyal Wingman [drone] program underway right now with the Australian Air Force.
A National Guard officer stands guard in the Agujita area in Coahuila state, Mexico, on Aug. 7, 2022. (Julio Cesar Aguilar/AFP via Getty Images)

More than 120 Migrants Found in Abandoned Truck in Mexican Town Bordering Texas

The Mexican National Guard on Wednesday recovered 121 migrants, including several minors, in the back of an abandoned semi-trailer truck in a northern Mexican town bordering Texas, according to a report.

National Guards went to the place and had contact with the vehicle, dry box type, parked on the shoulder of the road, the security body said in a statement, EFE news agency reported.

Upon approaching, they realized that the operator was not there and they heard screams coming from inside the vehicle, according to the unit.

A citizen alerted authorities on Wednesday about the semi-trailer and complained that the vehicle was badly parked on the side of the Matehuala-Saltillo highway in the border state of Nuevo Leon.

The migrantsoriginating from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Cubawere given medical attention and water before being transferred to a migration center to carry out further procedures, and where appropriate, assist with their return.

The discovery comes around the same time U.S. officials unveiled indictments this week of a lucrative human smuggling operation that allegedly included moving illegal aliens in suitcases and water tanks from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Illegal immigrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States are seen after the truck they were being transported in was interdicted by law enforcement officers in Laredo, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Department of Justice/Handout via Reuters)

Illegal immigrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States are seen inside wooden boxes in Laredo, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Department of Justice/Handout via Reuters)

Eight people, including American citizens, were indicted for their roles in smuggling hundreds of people, some hidden in wooden crates on tractor-trailers with little ventilation, according to U.S. officials and related court documents.

U.S. prosecutors identified Erminia Serrano Piedra, a 31-year-old Texas resident known as Boss Lady, as the leader of the operation, which they said generated at least millions of dollars.

Serrano Piedra deposited more than $1.3 million in two bank accounts between December 2017 and August 2021, but reported only $120,000 to financial institutions, prosecutors alleged in a pretrial motion unsealed on Tuesday.

At a news conference in Washington on Tuesday, U.S. officials with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said alleged smugglers were indifferent to human life and concerned only with profits.

They have become increasingly intertwined with the cartels and there is increasing evidence of the abuse, exploitation, and violence they perpetrate on migrants, said John Tien, DHS deputy secretary. For too long they have acted with seeming impunity.

The latest discovery/interception of tractor-trailers comes just months after one of the deadliest immigrant smuggling attempts in U.S. history, in which 53 illegal immigrants who were being smuggled in the back of a tractor-trailer were found dead in San Antonio, Texas, in June.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses parliament following an escalation in hostilities over the Nagorno-Karabakh region along the border of Armenia with Azerbaijan, in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Tigran Mehrabyan/PAN Photo via Reuters)

More Than 200 Killed in Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Clashes: Officials

More than 200 service personnel were killed in border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, according to new figures from both countries on Friday.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan blame each other for the fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh regionthe deadliest clashes between them since a six-week war in 2020 left thousands dead.

Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said 135 Armenian personnel were killed, the Interfax news agency reported from a session of Armenias parliament, up from a tally earlier this week of 105.

Azerbaijan said 77 of its personnel had diedup from Thursdays tally of 71. Both countries had said the figures would likely rise.

The two sides have fought for decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but, until a war in 2020, populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians.

Armenia says Azerbaijans forces this week attacked and seized settlements inside Armenia, beyond Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan says it was responding to provocations by the Armenian side.

A ceasefire, brokered by Moscow, ended the latest fighting late Wednesday night, but the situation on the border remains tense, Pashinyan said on Friday.

Russia, a military ally of Armenia which also strives for friendly relations with Azerbaijan, said it would pressure both countries to pull their forces back to where they were before this weeks conflict broke out.
The ExoMars 2016 lifts off on a Proton-M rocket in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 14, 2016. One of the scientific objectives of the collaboration between the European Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency is to search for signs of past and present life on Mars. (Stephane Corvaja/ESA via Getty Images)

Moving to Mars: Researchers Investigate Whats Possible Using New Model

Experts in space medicine from the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a mathematical model to evaluate the impact that space travel to Mars would have on the human body.

The lead author of the paper, Lex van Loon, a Research Fellow from the ANU Medical School, said in a news release that with the advent of space travel trips to Mars inspire many concerns on the health front due to the lengthy exposure to microgravity, often called zero gravity.

Van Loon said that prolonged time in zero gravity combined with subjection to the damaging radiation emitted by the Sun, has a potential to cause fundamental changes to the human body. An example of which is the changes to the human bodys blood vessel structure and reduction in heart muscles that occur when a person lives in zero-gravity for extended periods like a six to seven-month journey to Mars.

To investigate the changes, the researchers at ANU simulated the effect that prolonged exposure to zero gravity would have on the cardiovascular system the heart, blood and blood vessels. This information then allowed them to generate the model, which the researchers foresee as being able to serve as an important tool in figuring out how to land people on the surface of Mars as it can be used to assess the effect that both short and long-duration space travel has on the human body.

The Gandolfi 2 spacesuit outside the SHEE (Self-Deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments) during the Moonwalk projects first Mars mission simulation in the town of Minas de Riotinto, Spain, on April 22, 2016. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images)

Zero Gravity Adversely Affects the Human Body

Co-author Dr Emma Tucker, a medical doctor, astrophysicist and Research Fellow at ANU, said that in zero gravity, the heart becomes lazy because it doesnt have to work as hard to pump blood around the body. In an environment with near no gravity, the heart does not have to overcome gravity to pump the blood up.

When youre on Earth, gravity is pulling fluid to the bottom half of our body, which is why some people find their legs begin to swell up toward the end of the day, Tucker said.

But when you go into space that gravitational pull disappears, which means the fluid shifts to the top half of your body, and that triggers a response that fools the body into thinking theres too much fluid.

As a result, you start going to the toilet a lot, you start getting rid of extra fluid, you dont feel thirsty, and you dont drink as much, which means you become dehydrated in space.

She said the effect of zero gravity is why astronauts are seen fainting on the news when they return to upright movement on Earth.

This is quite a common occurrence as a result of space travel, and the longer youre in space, the more likely you are to collapse when you return to gravity.

The purpose of our model is to predict, with great accuracy, whether an astronaut can safely arrive on Mars without fainting. We believe its possible.

Fainting Is a Critical Issue in Space Exploration

Astronauts must be able to perform their duties without immediate assistance from support crews, because there is a communication delay in relaying messages between Mars and Earth.

According to NASA, a radio signal from Mars normally takes around five to 20 minutes to reach Earth, depending on the position of the planets. Van Loon said that the duration of the delay is dependent on the planets alignment with the Sun.

The planets orbit the sun at different speeds, Earth completes one orbit in around 365 days, while Mars takes around 687 days, during this orbit the two planets move closer and further away from each other as they move around.

If an astronaut faints when they first step out of the spacecraft or if theres a medical emergency, theyll be nobody on Mars to help them, Van Loon said.

This is why we must be absolutely certain the astronaut is fit to fly and can adapt to Mars gravitational field. They must be able to operate effectively and efficiently with minimal support during those crucial first few minutes.

In an email to The Epoch Times, Van Loon said that fainting itself is not that problematic.

However, he said that because fainting causes falling, which increases the risk of unpredictable health issues, and because there is a complete absence of medical support, it is important to predict the degree to which an astronaut could lose consciousness.

A photo of Mars taken on March 10, 1997. (Nasa/Getty Images)

Making The Model

A validated clinical mathematical model was used as the base model, Van Loon said.

This base model is used extensively in (earth-based) medicine by medical doctors to simulate, predict and teach complex physiological processes.

He said that to estimate the parameters of the model, data from NASA, which regarded astronauts that went to and from space, was used.

Last, the model was validated against reported data of standing tests in astronauts.

The model is accurate for the requirements we set during the development. That is; cardiovascular physiology, performing a stand test, different levels of gravity, and space travel.

Obviously, this does not cover the entire scope of health-related issues that come with space travel (i.e. radiation and other organ systems).

In 2019, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre discovered that daily exercise could help to prevent the loss of heart muscle for astronauts in space.

Multiple studies show that these exercise protocols are important countermeasures to keep the cardiovascular system in shape, Van Loon said.

Women turn out to be more precise in sticking to these kinds of protocols and therefore have less trouble returning to Earth. We did, for the Mars simulation, assumed the person to stick to a strict exercise protocol.

Expanding the Models Abilities

Although the data used to establish the parameters of the model was collected from middle-aged and well-trained astronauts, the researchers intend to expand the models abilities to provide a more comprehensive picture of what space travel would do to the everyday person.

To accomplish this, they plan to simulate the impact that prolonged space travel would have on comparatively unhealthy people who have pre-existing heart conditions.

Van Loon said that due to the rise of commercial space flight agencies, such as Space X and Blue Origin, there are growing opportunities for people, who are not necessarily healthy, to experience space travel, including potential commercial space flights to Mars.

The team aims to address this situation by using the models to predict whether a person is healthy enough to travel to the Red Planet.
National Suicide by Education

Commentary

Its true that children are our future, for good or ill, depending on their education. Ill-educate children, as we are doing in the United States and Canada, and the result will be cultural decay, social breakdown, and political decline.

We now teach our children that our country is illegitimate, based on genocide and racism, and is systemically evil. Will this lead the next generation to love or despise their country? Who will volunteer for the military, to risk their lives to protect their evil country? When generals assert that the military is racist and sexist, homophobic and transphobic, and harbors white supremacists and domestic terrorists, who will volunteer for the military, to risk their lives to protect their country? Recruitment for the military in both the United States and Canada is severely down, and no one can figure out how to increase it.

We teach our children that our society is divided between helpless victims and cruel oppressors. BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) and females are all and everywhere oppressed, and whites and males, Christians and Jews, and (astonishingly) Asians are privileged, evil villains. Children learn to fear and hate their fellow citizens of other races, sexes, religions, and ethnicities. What kind of society will we have when we teach children that race hatred, sexism, and ethno-supremacy are justified and virtuous?

Children are taught that speaking and writing correct English is racist, and so they must not learn correct English. Math too is racist, when really, there are no correct answers, and to deny that two plus two can equal anything is oppressive. The demand for correct answers, logic, and scientific proof are sins of whiteness that must be eradicated from the socially just society. Thus, it isnt a weakness that American children perform poorly on international tests of reading, math, and science, but a demonstration of virtue, of social justice.

When schools teach the counterfactual lie that police every day murder innocent black and brown people, a lie refuted by every serious study, is it a surprise that police are viewed by black and brown children with fear and hatred? The constant insults and attacks on police by BIPOC children as well as adults are a predictable result of such inculcation. So too is the low morale of police in almost all urban jurisdictions, their unwillingness to engage in proactive policing, the flood of resignations, early retirements, transfers to rural jurisdictions, and suicides, and the lack of recruits to fill the large gaps in almost every urban police force. Its no surprise that the crime rate has shot up in every urban jurisdiction.

Race and gender disparities in academic participation and performance are explained by one and only one possible factor: racist and sexist discrimination. The other likely causesfamily weakness in single-parent homes, community pathologies, and individual choicesmay not be mentioned or investigated. In this way, disparities in participation or performance are deemed illegitimate, and therefore must be wiped out in order to achieve equity, that is, equal results among census categories of the population, and social justice. Thus, poor performers are victims, and measures must be taken to ensure that outcomes are the same. This is done by giving preferences to underperforming BIPOC pupils and students, canceling accelerated programs for which they do not qualify, canceling examinations in which they do poorly, and setting aside performance standards. Programs in which females are underrepresented must prioritize recruiting females through special preferences and benefits.

BIPOC pupils and students are taught that their academic participation and performance is not their responsibility, but the responsibility of others who victimize them, and who owe them preference, benefits, and reparations. This is the perfect pedagogical plan for destroying individual motivation and a sense of responsibility. Theres always someone else to blame.

In order to advance equity, based on demographic representation of race, sex, ethnicity, etc., alternative criteria for judgment, such as individual achievement, merit, and potential, are denounced as, you know, racist, and rejected. So recruitment to academia, science, media, professions, and government will be of the demographically underrepresented, not of the most capable candidates. The foundation of this plan is the racism of low expectations, assuming that people from BIPOC categories could never make it on merit. This guarantees mediocrity or complete incompetence throughout our institutions: in medical care, scholarship and teaching, engineering, the press, law, and governance. The consequent trajectory is a societal decline and decay.

Female pupils and students are taught that they are being excluded due to sexist discrimination. This counterfactual claim ignores the reality that females are the majority in universities and in most schools and programs. Those few programs where they are not, in spite of all of the heavy recruitingphysical sciences, mathematics, computer scienceis a result of the choices of females who prefer to enter other fields. Yet females are continually told that they are victims of sexist discrimination. And male pupils and students are told that non-existent female victimhood is their fault.

Given the understanding that reason, logic, the search for evidence and correct answers, and science are taught as features of oppressive whiteness, it should come as no surprise that schools discourage students from basing their understandings on scientific facts. A particular focus of teaching from kindergarten through graduate studies is the rejection of biology and its knowledge of biological factors in human life. Biological sex is now taught to be irrelevant to human life; the only thing that counts is ones feelings about gender.

Children are taught that they can be any of a hundred genders that they choose. Some teachers groom children to be supporters and allies of LGBTQ+, and to join in wherever they choose. Some children who are uncomfortable with their sex or confused about it are in some schools recruited into the trans community. Schools funnel pupils to sex transition clinics run by people, who still call themselves doctors, where children are subjected to life-changing chemical treatments and surgical mutilation in the futile effort to transform children from their biological sex to a replica of the other.

What devious force brought all of this cultural destruction into being? Who injected this destructive poison into our educational system? The source, of course, is our universities. They were taken over by grievance studies advanced by various particular interest groups. First and most decisive were the feminists who established womens and gender studies to advance what they defined as the narrow interests of women. They adopted the Marxist model of society divided into two warring classes; in place of the proletariat versus the bourgeoisie, they defined the conflicting classes as females versus the patriarchy, all men. The feminists inspired queer studies and LGBTQ+ activism. Black studies, Latinx studies, and Asian studies all championed their races in alleged conflict with the other races. Universities no longer were about what can we learn about the world and its people, but about what you could do through propaganda and activism to advance the narrow interests of your category.

All of these activisms were absorbed in social science and humanities programs, often by joint appointed professors with one or another grievance study. Administrators were either activists themselves or were won over and instituted social justice measures of diversity, equity, and inclusion, hiring diversity officers to police the staff and students to ensure that no wrong think was allowed to flourish. Faculties of education, being weak in academic content and lax in pursuing that, adopted grievance theory with a vengeance, and trained their students, the future school administrators and teachers, in the most radical forms of grievance activism. The faculties of education have contaminated our K-12 schools and made them what they are now.

My modest suggestion would be to abolish faculties of education entirely, defund the social science and humanities, disband all grievance programs, fire all diversity officers, and ensure that, in the United States, the First Amendment, and in Canada the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was respected in all educational institutions that receive federal funding. These measures might stem the galloping damage that is being done to our societies by our increasingly lunatic educational systems.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A soldier watches another soldier receive his COVID-19 vaccination from Army Preventive Medical Services in Fort Knox, Ky., on Sept. 9, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Nearly 50 Members of Congress Call on Pentagon to End Military Vaccine Mandate

Nearly 50 Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), have called on the Department of Defense (DOD) to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for military members, citing concerns over the mandates impact on the readiness of the U.S. armed forces.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin dated Sept. 15 (pdf), the lawmakers, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), expressed their grave concerns over the impact of the mandate, particularly with regard to the U.S. Army.

As a result of your mandate, eight percent of the Armys approximately 1 million soldiers face expulsion, Army recruiters cannot meet their FY22 target, and the Army has cut its projected FY23 end strength by 12,000 soldiers, they wrote.

Referring to Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the lawmakers noted that the U.S. military currently faces a self-imposed readiness crisis.

Citing sparse data from the Department of the Army, they noted that at least 40,000 National Guardsmen, 20,000 Army Reservists, and at least 15,000 Active Army Soldiers havent yet received a COVID-19 vaccine and subsequently face being discharged from service.

The Department of Defenses own Covid response page indicates that approximately 900,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated out of the 1 million soldiers in the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, the letter reads.

The lawmakers pointed to testimony delivered in July by Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Joseph Martin before the House Armed Services Committee. During that testimony, Martin said that less than 20,000 people were facing discharge for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, much less than the initial figures that officials had provided.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on July 14, 2022. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Inquiries Remain Unanswered

However, lawmakers in their letter to the DOD noted that the Army hasnt published official data pertaining to the number of unvaccinated service members in months.

The opaqueness of the Department continues to frustrate Members of Congress attempting to perform oversight of the Executive Branch, they wrote, noting that their repeated inquiries remain unanswered.

The Republicans also pointed to the thousands of servicemembers that have been left in limbo while they await a formal judgment regarding their medical exemptions to the vaccine.

Some have waited for nearly a year to learn if they will be forcibly discharged for their sincerely held religious beliefs or medical concerns, the letter reads.

Furthermore, according to current Army policy, even those few soldiers who receive permanent exemptions will be treated as second-class soldiers for the rest of their careerseach of them requires approval from the Undersecretary of the Army to travel, change assignments, or even attend training courses away from their home station.

According to U.S Army fragmentary orders published by Fox News, the Army has barred unvaccinated soldiers from official travel unless they receive the undersecretarys approval.

The Department has abused the trust and good faith of loyal servicemembers by handling vaccine exemptions in a sluggish and disingenuous manner, the letter reads.

They then questioned who would replace the roughly 75,000 soldiers if they were to be discharged from the Army. Martin said in July that if a shortfall in Army troop size were to persist, it could have an impact on readiness.

A military member prepares a COVID-19 vaccine in Fort Knox, Ky., on Sept. 9, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Service Member Shortfall

Citing Army Secretary Christine Wormuths interview with NBC News earlier this year in which she noted that the Army has only met 52 percent of its recruiting goal for the fiscal year 2022, the lawmakers asked, How will it recruit another 75,000 troops beyond its annual target to account for vaccine-related discharges?

In that same interview, Wormuth said she believes that the Army would end up roughly 12,000 to 15,000 recruits short this year.

The data is now clear. The Department of Defenses Covid vaccine mandate is deleterious to readiness and the militarys ability to fight and win wars, the lawmakers wrote. The vaccine provides negligible benefit to the young, fit members of our Armed Forces, and the mandates imposition is clearly affecting the Departments ability to sustain combat formations and recruit future talent.

We urge you to immediately revoke your Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all servicemembers, civilian personnel, and contractors and re-instate those who have already been discharged.

As of July 1, under the Biden administrations vaccine mandate, members of the Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve who arent vaccinated and dont have an approved exemption are unable to participate in federally funded drills and training and wont receive pay or retirement credit.

Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate has been in place across the entire military since last year, and the White House has defended the move, stating that mass vaccination will help stem the spread of the virus.

Department of Defense officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel inspect debris, which the Philippine Space Agency said has markings of the Long March 5B (CZ-5B) Chinese rocket that was launched on July 24, 2022 after it was found in waters off Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro province, Philippines, on Aug. 2, 2022, in a handout photo. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

No Sighting in Northern Philippines of Chinese Rocket Debris

MANILA, PhilippinesPhilippine officials have warned of possible danger to aircraft and ships from debris from a new Chinese rocket launch that might fall in northern Philippine waters, authorities said Thursday, adding no debris has been sighted so far.

The Philippine Space Agency said the Chinese regimes Long March 7A rocket was launched Tuesday night from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan island. That prompted the agency to notify Philippine authorities of potential danger in two offshore areas where the debris could crash down.

The possible drop zones were 71 kilometers (44 miles) off Burgos town in Ilocos Norte province and 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Santa Ana town in Cagayan province, the space agency said, citing information from a notice to pilots released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Rocket parts that detach before reaching space should by design fall back offshore less than an hour after a rocket launch, Philippine Space Agency spokesperson Tricia Zafra said.

So far, no sighting. We continue to seek out reports, Zafra told The Associated Press. Hopefully, no injuries or damage related to it.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines warned Wednesday in a notice to pilots about the possible danger posed by the debris in the two northern Philippine offshore areas.

While debris from CZ-7A is unlikely to fall on land features or inhabited areas in the Philippine territory, falling debris still poses a considerable threat to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zones, the Philippine Space Agency said in a statement Tuesday.

People gather at the beach as they watch the Long March 5B Y3 carrier rocket, carrying Wentian lab module, lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang in southern Chinas Hainan Province on July 24, 2022. (Zhang Liyun/Xinhua via AP)

In July, the core stage debris of a Long March 5B rocket that was launched by the Chinese regime landed in Philippine waters in an uncontrolled reentry, the agency said. No damage or injuries were reported.

Fishermen at the time found a torn metal sheet showing part of the Chinese flag and a marking of the Long March 5B rocket in the West Philippine Sea about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off Mamburao town in Occidental Mindoro province, according to the space agency, using the Philippine name for a part of the South China Sea closer to its western coast.

The agency asked the public on Tuesday to immediately inform authorities if suspected floating debris is sighted at sea and warned people against retrieving or coming in close contact with such materials.

Manilas space agency says its working with the Department of Foreign Affairs to push for the Philippine ratification of two U.N. treaties, including one that promotes accountability among nations for possible damage or injuries arising from the launching of objects such as satellites to space.

The Chinese regime has faced criticism for allowing rocket stages to fall to Earth uncontrolled at least twice before. NASA accused Beijing last year of failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris after parts of a Chinese rocket landed in the Indian Ocean.

The countrys first space station, Tiangong-1, crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2016 after Beijing confirmed it lost control. An 18-ton rocket fell uncontrolled in May 2020.

The Chinese regime also faced criticism after using a missile to destroy one of its defunct weather satellites in 2007, creating a field of debris that other governments said might jeopardize other satellites.

By Jim Gomez
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore speaks during a press conference at RCMP F Division Headquarters in Regina on Sept. 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Michael Bell)

Not a TV Drama: Sask. RCMP Awaiting Probe Into Stabbing Suspect Death in Custody

The head of the Saskatchewan RCMP is defending the limited information she provided about the in-custody death of a suspect in a series of stabbings earlier this month on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon.

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore says it is a complex investigation, not a TV drama where police will have all of the answers by the end of the episode.

She says it is important RCMP wait for an independent investigation to be completed before making assumptions on how Myles Sandersons died, and that any speculation could undermine that investigation.

Blackmore says the police who arrested Sanderson are trained experts in their field, but are not medical experts or pathologists.

Police have said Sanderson, who was 32, died in police custody on Sept. 7 after going into medical distress shortly after his arrest, but a cause of death has yet to be released.

Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson, who was found dead near one the crime scenes, were wanted for the killings of 10 people and for injuring 18 others during the attacks on Sept. 4.

An independent investigation has since begun into the death of Myles Sanderson by the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team.

Independent oversight of police actions is critical to public trust and confidence in the actions of police officers. This is exactly the reason why I was limited in what I could say when I spoke with the media on Sept. 7, Blackmore said Thursday in a statement.

I am confident both investigating bodies understand the public interest in this case and will be working to release information as soon as they are able.
View of the toroidal chamber-magnetic (Tokamak) of the Joint European Torus (JET) at the Culham Science Centre. The JET is the largest fusion device in the world and European physicians managed to sustain 16 megawatts of energy for one second in 1997. (AFP/Getty Images)

Optimism in US Senate on Future Benefits of Fusion Energy

'Real shot' at having fusion power on grid by early 2030s: expert

Fusion energy experts spanning the government, academia, and the private sector testified on the prospects of fusion research before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Sept. 15.

We believe we have a real shot at commercial fusion power plants on the grid starting in the early 2030s, said Bob Mumgaard, CEO of the private fusion firm Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

A 2022 Fusion Industry Association survey found that the sector has attracted more than $4.7 billion in private investment, marking a rise of more than $2.8 billion in just one year.

Todays nuclear plants are based on nuclear fissionin other words, harnessing the energy created from splitting heavy atoms, such as uranium.

Fusion Versus Fission

Fusion energy, by contrast, is produced when the nuclei of two light atoms come together to form a larger atom.

The fusion reaction that scientists consider most promising involves two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. Together, they can be fused into helium.

For that to happen, however, the two gases must be heated to more than 180 million degrees Fahrenheit. As temperatures rise, the gases turn into plasma: a loose jumble of positively charged nuclei and negatively charged electrons. This form of matter may sound exotic, but it makes up more than 99 percent of the visible universe.

Fusion researchers can keep that plasma in place with magnetic fields.

ITER, a massive international collaboration that includes the United States, is carrying out the largest such magnetic confinement experiment.

Fusion is mighty enough to power the stars; its how our own sun pumps out heat and light.

Nuclear fusion yields more energy than nuclear fission without producing any long-lasting radioactive waste. Like fission, it doesnt produce any greenhouse gases.

Shortages of tritium have raised concerns about the viability of deuteriumtritium fusion.

In order to breed tritium, we need lithium, said Scott Hsu, lead fusion coordinator for the Department of Energy, in his Sept. 15 testimony.

Even still, the advantages of fusion can leave its boosters breathless.

Committee Chair Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told his colleagues he thinks fusion energy may help bring about world peace, while ranking Republican member Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said, Theres an old saying about fusion. They say its 30 years away and always will be. But I believe thats no longer the case.

Rapid Advances Fuel Hope

The committees optimism is rooted in recent scientific breakthroughs.

A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created the first burning plasma in 2020 and 2021. That burning plasma is one in which most heat in the plasma comes from fusion reactions themselves.

In Aug. 2021, Lawrence Livermore researchers achieved ignition. That means the energy coming from the fusion reaction exceeded the energy injected into it.

The Joint European Torus (JET) in the United Kingdom also set a new benchmark. It produced 59 megajoules of energy, more than twice the previous record it set in 1997 when it let loose 22 megajoules of energy.

Fusion energy is not yet at the stage to satisfy the need for abundant clean energy. However, we know that fusion has the potential to provide that energy for millennia, said Tim Luce, head of science and operations for ITER.

While fusion has long enjoyed international collaboration and should continue to do so, make no mistake, fusion is now also an international competition, said Hsu.

Speakers emphasized the bold decadal vision for fusion energy, the basis of a March summit of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Energy. Hsu was appointed to his current role at that meeting.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked about the safety of fusion energy.

Hsu noted that large quantities of tritium should be subject to secure containment.

The total level of radioactive waste from a typical fusion power station will be about 1,000 times lower than from a fission station, said Steven Cowley, director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Is This Really Going to Happen?

Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) had a simpler question, based on decades of promises made but not always kept by Big Science: Is this really going to happen?

Luce replied that much of the scientific knowledge is already there.

Where we need the next frontier is technology. Thats where the mystery is and where the investment needs to be, he added.

Pressed on the same question by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Mumgaard said the variety of technological approaches being explored as well as the multi-billion dollar scale of private sector investment suggest that real progress has been made.

We havent yet seen the flight. But weve seen people gliding, he said, likening the push for fusion to the race for heavier-than-air flight.

Experts Defend International Collaboration

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) asked the experts how they might defend investments in ITER, given that it may be progressing slowly and increasing in cost.

The US pays 9 percent of construction [and] 13 percent of operations. They get 100 percent of the outcome. So, if they were to do that themselves, they would have to pay 100 percent, said ITERs Luce, who added that the project is already underway.

Commonwealth Fusions Mumgaard had his own answer, one referencing the positive contributions of a somewhat troubled legacy company: Just because we have Boeing doesnt mean we stop building wind tunnels in the public program.

Princetons Cowley told Cassidy that ITER would allow researchers to closely study whats happening in the fusion reaction.

More experimental work could lead to other innovations, he said, citing the potential for insights that could scale fusion reactors down in size.

In the end, its going to be a question of, Is the performance good enough to make the electricity cheap enough? And we dont know the answer to that yet, he added.

Geopolitical Implications

Barrasso asked Luce whether China and Russia should be permitted to continue participating in international fusion research, given their increasing bellicosity on the world stage.

Luce said fusion research has traditionally offered a peaceful common ground for otherwise hostile countries.

There is no weaponization potential for magnetic confinement fusion, he added.

Cowley testified that China is presently the United States greatest competitor in fusion research, echoing Hsus remarks on the competitive nature of the field.

China is putting a lot of money into the technology aspect, he said.

The limits of the United States restrictive nuclear regulatory framework also came into focus.

Asked by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) about other countries advantages when it comes to fusion research, Luce spoke of Frances relatively innovation-focused approach to nuclear regulation.

ITER is headquartered in Saint-Paul-les-Durance, France.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) asked Hsu whether advances in batteries, combined with more solar power, could be enough to eliminate the need for fusion.

What I keep coming back to is we need more than 500, 600 exajoules of carbon-free energy per year by mid-century. Frankly, I dont know how were going to supply that without more sources, Hsu replied.
G | 3h | Drama, Comedy | 1971

Legend has it that studio executives, apparently unaware that director Norman Jewison was Christian, met him to discuss their film Fiddler on the Roof (1971). Upon hearing of their ambitious musical, Jewison said, You know Im not Jewish, right? A wink and a nudge has followed the film ever since, but a twinkle in the eye came first.

It all started with the early 20th-century tragicomic stories by Sholem Aleichem, often called the Jewish Mark Twain. Aleichems series, Tevye and his Daughters, inspired the lesser-known, and decidedly dark, American-Yiddish film, Tevye (1939), and later, playwright Joseph Steins book. Stein clarified that his story is universal because its about characters who just happened to be Jewish.

The 1964 stage musical that followed turned it into a hit on the back of Jerry Bocks superb music and Sheldon Harnicks lyrics.

The story reflects human yearnings of any age and time. Amidst tumultuous change in Imperial Russia, a poor milkman, Tevye (Chaim Topol) and his wife Golde (Norma Crane), Jewish villagers from Anatevka, yearn for stability and prosperity.

Tevyes family prays before sitting down to a Passover meal in Tsarist Russia, in Fiddler on the Roof. (MovieStillsDB)

Three grown-up daughters (Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava) of the familys five girls leave their parental home to set up new families. The girls seemingly defy tradition, by choosing grooms for themselves. Their choices test their parents red lines on conformity, class, and religion: One grooms poorer than they are, anothers a rabble-rouser, and yet anothers not even Jewish.

Getting Tradition Right

Some critics argue that the movie places circumstance above custom, and pragmatism above tradition. Thats too sweeping. In many ways, it does the opposite, by questioning lazy ideas about tradition.

At first, Tevyes and Goldes understanding of tradition is rudimentary, along the lines of the how of living: how to sleep, how to eat, how to wear clothes, how to keep your head covered to show devotion to God.

Then, they wise up to the truth. As the story unfolds, tradition turns out to be more vital than a who must do what and when list. Its about the how of life itself: how to love, how to celebrate, how to let go. They learn that tradition isnt received knowledge, but received wisdom. Not a mere ordering of custom and practice, but a higher form, an ordering of values, with love and truth at the summit.

The films point is not that love is greater than tradition, but that love, expressed through the traditional institutions of marriage, the family, or religion, is the highest tradition there is. Understood correctly, tradition helps us to distinguish and choose whats better between what heals and what harms, what unites and what divides. Only then can we discern whats less useful and can be replaced from what merely needs to be contextualized, refreshed, then retained.

Far from being anti-family, the girls emulate their parents: upholding marriage and family as a model. Theyre marrying and starting new families that, they know, will be centered around love and truth.

Sure, the film includes a dismantling of some old, inequitable traditions, and an embrace of new, egalitarian ones. But this dismantling isnt always being done to Tevye and his family; theyre doing it, too, to themselves, to others. Theyre not passive objects, but active agents in the drama of tradition.

Tevye abhors the idea of a dowry and shows it. He re-awakens affection within his 25-year-old marriage, instead of accepting apathy in an arranged partnership as inevitable.

With Golde, Tevye discovers that their parents wish that theyd learn to love each other wasnt meant only for their wedding day, but as a signpost every day of their married lives. And that marriage doesnt imply love, any more than living-in does. Living as a couple doesnt make a couple. Only love does that.

Chaim Topol as Tevye and Norma Crane as Golde, his wife, raise three daughter in changing times of Tsarist Russia in Fiddler on the Roof. (MovieStillsDB)

Tevye recognizes that keeping his word isnt only about a spoken promise like, say, offering young Tzeitel in marriage to the affluent-but-aged Wolf, just to keep a promise. Its also about an unspoken promise, to prepare his daughter for happiness, not just to protect her from hunger or humiliation.

At a wedding party, when Hodels suitor Perchik pulls down the customary cord separating men from women, and invites her to dance, it isnt long before Tevye cheekily invites Golde to dance.

Chavas suitor Fyedka tells his buddies to stop harassing her, to show her respect. Bullying girls may be the default for boys his age, but Fyedka replaces their tradition (of indulgence) with his (of restraint).

First, Tevye sympathizes with Tzeitels choice of poor-but-young Motel over Goldes preferred son-in-law, Wolf. Then, Golde supports Chavas choice of non-Jew Fyedka over Tevyes preference for a Jewish son-in-law.

Far from exposing it as dying, dead or static, the film hints at tradition being a dynamic, living, breathing thing. In spite of its brooding themes, funny lines are strewn all throughout the film, like colorful prayer shawls.

Remarkably for such a male-dominated, heavily-bearded landscape, Tevyes girls, villagers yet, are among the bravest changemakers.

Rosalind Harris as Tzeitel, the oldest daughter, and Leonard Frey as Motel Kamzoil, the tailor, Tzeitels eventual husband, pledge their troth in Fiddler on the Roof. (MovieStillsDB)

At home, the girls sing their fantasies (and fears) about prospective grooms, knowing how poverty limits their choices as brides. They needle each other about having to put up with older, unattractive, uncouth men:

Chava! I found him,

Will you be a lucky bride?

Hes handsome, hes tall;

That is, from side to side.

But hes a nice man, a good catch.

Right? Right!

Russian-Jewish painter Marc Chagalls oil painting, The Fiddler (1913) inspired the motif of a fiddler on a roof, a metaphor for the precarious lives of marginalized communities. Trivia fans and cinephiles will want to seek out Daniel Raims new documentary Fiddlers Journey to the Big Screen (2022).

A Musical That Falls Short of Its Music

Worthy as they are, Jewisons visual ambition and achievement fall short of John Williamss majestic adaptation and orchestration of Bocks music. Its not Jewisons fault that this gap exists, but there you are.

Williams writes the four-minute cadenza played during the opening credits, several crucial transitions and extended set pieces. Short of re-writing it, he reimagines, expands, and elevates the original score to a stratospheric level. Whats more, hes supported by virtuoso violinist Isaac Stern.

Try this: Listen to the soundtrack with no accompanying visuals. Every track summons stirring images of life, death, love, joy, sorrow, fear, daring, hope, and despair. Instantly, you sense a simultaneity, an all-at-once-ness. You feel several emotions, often mid-sentence, in a single song.

Now, do you get that epic sense from Jewisons scenes on screen? Not intensely enough. Not consistently enough. There are flashes of Jewisons cinematic brilliance that do justice to some tracks, but ultimately too few of them. The choreography of Do You Love Me? is tender and intimate, The Wedding Celebration/Bottle Dance appears lively enough and Tevyes Dream is fun.

What of other tracks, as they appear on screen? As music and lyrics from seven tracks reach your ears, they conjure entire worlds: Tradition, Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Sabbath Prayer, Sunrise, Sunset, If I Were A Rich Man, Far From The Home I Love, or To Life. But when Jewisons images reach your eyes, theres too little of that effervescence, that depth. For a play? Those images do more than justice. For a movie? Theyre a little dull.

Chaim Topol as Tevye, patriarch of a poor Jewish family in Tsarist Russia, learns about tradition in Fiddler on the Roof. (MovieStillsDB)

The entire cast is fabulous, but Topol (only in his mid-30s at the time) is outstanding. His melancholic playfulness as Tevye stays with you long after the closing credits have rolled. Topols voice is deeper and carries more gravitas, his pace of delivery is slower and his diction and intonation immeasurably more colorful and more weathered than Zero Mostels (Tevye in the 1964 stage play).

In a comical inversion of tradition, Tevye winks at ancient Jewish custom that discourages lay folk from calling Gods name, never mind chatting Him up. With not a mediatory rabbi in sight, Tevye nudges us, the audience, then chats conspiratorially with God, the way hed grumble or gossip with a childhood friend. Its in this charming spiritual intimacy that he finds the insight and forbearance, as a fiddler, to play lifes tunes. How else do you think he gets that twinkle in his eye?

Poster for Fiddler on the Roof, a film by Norman Jewison that tells the story of a poor Jewish family amidst tumultuous change in Imperial Russia. (MovieStillsDB)

Fiddler on the Roof

Director: Norman Jewison

Starring: Chaim Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh

MPAA Rating: G

Running Time: 3 hours

Release Date: Nov. 3, 1971

Rated: 4 stars out of 5
(L-R) Conservative Leader Eric Duhaime, Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade, Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Parti-Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, CAQ Leader Francois Legault, and moderator Pierre Brunei stand on the set prior to the leaders debate in Montreal, on Thursday, September 15, 2022. (Martin Chevalier/The Canadian Press)

Quebec Election: Legault and Duhaime Spar on Pandemic Management in First Debate

Quebec Premier Francois Legault defended his management of the pandemic during the first leaders debate on Sept. 15, as he faced accusations from Conservative Leader Eric Duhaime that the premier had treated Quebecers like children.

Were not going to treat people like children like Legault did for two years, said Duhaime, whose support is boosted by people displeased with the harsh restrictions the province imposed starting in 2020.

Im going to talk to Quebecs population like theyre responsible adults. Were going to protect the most vulnerable, but were going to let people live their lives.

Legault responded that he took no pleasure in imposing measures.

I didnt get into politics to close businesses and impose masks. I did that to save lives, he said.

The premier rose his voice and accused Duhaime of being irresponsible and said hed been firing shots in the bottom of the boat with his pandemic criticism.

Duhaime retorted that whats irresponsible is not using science to manage the crisis.

Can you tell us today on what scientific study you relied to impose curfews in Quebec? he said.

Legault didnt mention a particular study, but said the measure reduced contacts and hence transmission.

Quebec was the only province to impose curfews and did so twice and over multiple months, with people not being allowed to take solo walks outside at night.

Environment

The debate, moderated by retired anchor Pierre Bruneau from television station TVA, opened on the environment theme.

Bruneau showed his colours early on by asking whether Quebec should prioritize protecting businesses or the health of individuals when it comes to pollution.

Legault answered that health comes first but a balance must be found.

The premier was challenged by most other party leaders on the issue of climate policies, though he has committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has banned oil and gas exploitation in Quebec.

Legault attacked the Parti quebecois (PQ) plan to increase taxes on hydrocarbons, asking by how much they would raise the price of gasoline.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon defended the tax would only be imposed on the profits of oil companies. St-Pierre Plamondon left out the probability that this added cost to companies would be passed down to the consumer.

While most parties argued about who would be greener, Duhaime wondered if anyone was actually thinking about what sacrifices Quebecers would need to make to meet the targets, how many businesses would close and how driving habits would need to change.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, leader of Quebec solidaire, said Legault and Duhaime are trying to scare people with taxes and having to make sacrifices, and instead Quebecers should make a societal choice to become one of the greenest places in the world.

Duhaime is the only leader with a pro-oil and gas position and he was targeted for it by Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade.

You want to bring us back to 1950, Anglade said.

Duhaime told Anglade her promotion of green energy is virtue-signalling since the world still needs and runs on hydrocarbons.

Violent Crime

On the issue of violent crime, which has escalated in Montreal with regular shootings, St-Pierre Plamondon said the problem was lack of control at the borders.

His solution is to call for a referendum on Quebecs separation, so that the province can take control of its borders to prevent gun smuggling from the U.S.

Legault remarked that this was not a short-term solution to the issue of crimes committed with firearms.

Nadeau-Dubois said more investments should be made in community services and social workers to free police officers from calls related to mental health.

His claim that a third of calls to the citys 911 service are related to mental health was fact-checked by La Presse, which said the number was actually 8 percent.

Anglade said prevention is key, and suggested that for every dollar invested in enforcement there should be a dollar invested in prevention.

Duhaime took a pro-police stand, calling for not heeding calls to defund the police and to stop police-bashing. He said officers need more leeway to be able to do their job properly.

Other topics covered during the debate were the health system, languages, and immigration.

The next debate will take place on Sept. 22. Quebecers will go to the polls on Oct. 3.
The coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest for the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, London, on Sept. 14, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Queens Funeral Will Be Largest Single Policing Event in Londons History

The man leading the security operation surrounding the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday has said it will be the largest single policing event the Metropolitan Police has ever conducted.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told a press briefing on Friday that 2,000 police officers from outside London would be in the capital to support the Met and he said: It will be the largest single policing event the Met has ever conducted. Larger than the 2012 Olympics and the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Dozens of world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Frances President Emmanuel Macron, will be joining Britains new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, at the state funeral for the monarch who ruled over Britain for more than 70 years.

The Queen died aged 96 on Sept. 8 and tens of thousands of people are expected in London when her funeral takes place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, which has been declared a bank holiday.

Cundy said: We are implementing a well-planned and hugely complex police operation which is supported by officers from forces all over the UK. Tens of thousands of members of the public have been paying their respects and our priority is to ensure there is a safe and secure set of events.

He said the funeral would be supported by firearms officers, dog handlers, a marine unit, and the Special Escort Group, and he said the police had already deployed 34 kilometres (21 miles) of safety barriers in central London.

Cundy said so far there had been 34 arrests in connection with the lying-in-state but he said none of those involved anti-monarchist protesters.

Following complaints earlier this week about possible infringements on free speech, Cundy said: We have ensured all our officers understand that people have a right to protest and our response will be proportionate and balanced. We will only take action where it is absolutely necessary.

Balancing Freedom of Expression With Dignity of Event

The Assistant Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Tim de Meyer, told the same briefing: We are well-practised and know we have to balance the right of freedom of expression with the dignity of the event.

De Meyer said Thames Valley Police would ensure the committal of the Queens body to the crypt at Windsor Castle was safe, proper, and dignified.

Hundreds of world leaders and other VIPs are expected to attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey before the coffin is taken along a special route to Wellington Arch, near Hyde Park Corner, where it will be transferred to a vehicle to be transported to Windsor.

Cundy was also asked if he was concerned about armed bodyguards protecting foreign leaders.

Specialist officers from the Met and other forces are well-versed in engaging with world leaders and their protection teams. I cant go into details, he replied.

Queen Elizabeth II stands with Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as the troops march past during the Queens Birthday Parade, the Trooping the Colour, as part of Queen Elizabeth IIs platinum jubilee celebrations, in London, on June 2, 2022. (Chris Jackson /pool/AFP via Getty Images)

In response to a question from The Epoch Times about the dangers of overcrowding in the area around Westminster Abbey, Cundy said: First and foremost our priority is keeping people safe. The wider operation, of which policing is a part, will be constantly looking and assessing crowds and numbers and watching out for surging and crushing.

He said police commanders in the CCTV control room would be constantly monitoring the crowds and would take steps to ensure areas did not become dangerously overcrowded.

De Meyer said Thames Valley Police would be deploying airport-style screening arches to check for weapons but he insisted they would ensure a sensible balance to allow crowds to flow and not become frustrated.

Cundy said they were very mindful of the threat of drones and he said 11 individuals had been spoken to about using drones in London, after a no-fly zone was installed across the whole capital by the Civil Aviation Authority.

But when he was asked if the police would be using drones and facial recognition technology, he said it would be wholly inappropriate to answer, considering it was a security operation.

Earlier this week 14 campaign groups wrote to the new Commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley, urging him to stop using live facial recognition technology.

Cundy and de Meyer both urged the general public to be vigilant and speak to a police officer if they notice anything out of the ordinary on Monday or in the days running up to the funeral.
Journalists and activists stage a protest calling to defend press freedom in suburban Quezon City in Metro Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 19, 2018. (Jes Aznar/Getty Images)

Rights Groups Worry Over Philippines Ban of Subversive Literary Books

A state commission in the Philippines has ordered to ban five books deemed to have subversive contents, drawing outcry from human rights groups who viewed the move as repression of free speech.

The Commission on the Filipino Language (KWF) issued a memorandum in August calling for a halt to the distribution of the books in schools and libraries, which allegedly contain anti-Marcos and anti-Duterte contents.

KWF accused its chairman, Arthur Casanova, of approving and entering into contracts without the boards knowledge and demanded that he be held accountable, local media PhilStar reported on Aug. 14.

The commission demanded that the publications cease, citing their violations of the anti-terrorism act, and criticized Casanova for inciting rebellion by allowing the books to be published.

Casanova denied the accusations and said the five books passed through the KWF review process and the usual scrutiny that all publications must go through.

The allegations that these books are subversive is a dangerous accusation which may already be stepping on the boundaries of freedom of expression and academic freedom, he said in a statement on Facebook.

Casanova said he was willing to divulge any information at the proper forum and urged authorities to investigate the allegations against him.

I am also calling on the proper authorities, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Anti-Terrorism Council, to look into these allegations and see for themselves that they are baseless and malicious, he added.

NTF-ELCAC is a task force formed by the Philippine government in 2018 to raise awareness about the communist rebellion in the country.

Books Banned for Communist Material

One of the KWF commissioners who signed the memorandum, Benjamin Mendillo, said on Aug. 15 that the five books contain references to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA).

NTF-ELCAC is not yet in the picture, but on our own, we have reviewed the text and we have found evidence, explicit idealism, ideology, CPP-NPA taglines, he said, local media Inquirer.net reported.

Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of the human rights group Karapatan, called the KWF ban shameless and idiotic acts, saying that it sets a dangerous precedent in the exercise of academic freedom.

Those responsible for these acts are deranged individuals who use their platforms or their previous or current association with the NTF-ELCAC to deny the public with much-needed literature and materials encouraging thinking and knowledge on Filipino history and language, she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, more than 30 culture and educational departments issued a joint statement on Aug. 12 denouncing the KWFs order to cease publications of 17 books that were perceived as subversive or anti-government.

Many books, be it in Filipino or English, will certainly cite or quote materials from various references, including those from groups considered by the government as subversive or revolutionary, they said, according to PhilStar.

The agencies called for the immediate abolition of NTF-ELCAC and other red-tagging entities that curtail the peoples right to information, right to free expression, and academic freedom.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on March 29, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Rubio, Gonzales Introduce Legislation to Punish Distributing Deadly Fentanyl as Felony Murder

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) introduced legislation on Thursday that makes the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death punishable by federal felony murder charges.

This comes as the crisis on the southern border continues to plague the country under the Biden administration.

Known as the Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act (pdf), the bill amends the U.S. code, to punish the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death as felony murder. Such an offense is equivalent to premeditated murder.

Whoever is guilty of murder in the first degree by distributing fentanyl shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for life, reads the bill.

The bill comes as the synthetic opioid becomes the leading cause of overdose death among Americans aged 18-45 and as drug dealers increasingly target children and young people with candy-colored, yet potentially deadly fentanyl pills. The highly addictive pain killer is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, as just 2 milligrams can be fatal depending on a persons body size, tolerance, and past usage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl overdoses accounted for over 71,000 death in 2021, up from about 58,000 in 2020, with an even sharper increase expected in 2022.

The Faces of Fentanyl wall, which displays photos of Americans who died from a fentanyl overdose, at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in Arlington, Va., on July 13, 2022. (Agnes Bun/AFP via Getty Images)

Fentanyl is killing Americans at a record high. This deadly drug is widespread throughout our country and has left no community untouched. This bill would make drug dealers pay the price for selling deadly fentanyl, Rubio said in a Sept. 15 press release.

On that same day in Los Angeles, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter for allegedly selling a fentanyl-laced drug to a pair of Bernstein High School studentsone of whom diedwhile a 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly peddling drugs to a student in a nearby park.

Also joining Rubio are 13 Republican co-sponsors, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).

Border Security

The majority of fentanyl is made in China or synthesized from precursor chemicals supplied from China. Its then smuggled to the United States either directly or via the U.S.Mexico border.

Fentanyl is being smuggled through our southern border at record levels, said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) who introduced companion legislation in the House, noting cartels are eyeing the young.

With the Biden Administration failing to resolve this national security crisis, it is time for Congress to take matters into its own hands, he said.

As President Joe Biden presided over the largest number of apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the border, data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that border agents seized 2,130 pounds of fentanyl in July, more than three times than was intercepted in June, and topping the previous monthly record of nearly 1,300 pounds set in April.

It nearly equals the total amount of fentanyl confiscated throughout 2019.

A fatal dose of fentanyl (2mg) is displayed next to a penny. (DEA)

Senators denounced the Biden administrations failure to secure the border that led to the fentanyl epidemic.

For too long, people have suffered addiction and death because of this evil drug that is pouring across Joe Bidens open southern border, Scott said in a statement, urging the immediate passage of the bill.

Last month, border patrol agents arrested two U.S. citizens and seized 340 packages of fentanyl pills near Gila Bend, Arizona, weighing a total of 187 pounds, which can kill up to 42 million people.

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
VIENNA, Sept. 16 -- A meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on September 15 discussed the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation as a standalone, formal agenda item. At the meeting, the member states expressed grave concerns over "seven issues" regarding trilateral cooperation proposed by China.

Wang Qun, Chinas Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, said the nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia is a downright practice of nuclear proliferation as it involves the illegal transfer of nuclear materials. However, the three countries have been beating around the bush about the proliferation nature of their deal and trying to mislead the international community by confusing right and wrong. To refute their fallacies, China listed seven issues regarding the trilateral nuclear deal, which were echoed and endorsed by the IAEA members.

First, the three countries have been trying to cover up the fact that their nuclear submarine cooperation involves the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials with the excuse of naval reactor, which, however, is essentially a practice of nuclear proliferation.

Second, the three countries are trying to confuse the matters of military activities within a countrys sovereignty and nuclear proliferation. Their nuclear submarine cooperation is not as simple as a sovereign state independently developing nuclear materials used in military submarines. It is the first time that nuclear weapon states blatantly, directly transfer tons of nuclear weapon materials to a non-nuclear weapon state. These are two very different things.

Third, the three countries ploy to mislead the public with the rhetoric that nuclear materials are stocked in the reactor and cannot be directly used to make nuclear weapons wont work. The linchpin of the problem with the cooperation lies in nuclear proliferation, not how to dispose of the nuclear materials. Given its proliferation nature, the trilateral deal wont reduce the risk against nuclear security and safeguards, as well as the danger of nuclear proliferation.

Fourth, the three countries, especially Australia, violated the obligation of the declaration provided in IAEAs Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and relevant protocols. In the past year since it officially announced the trilateral deal, Australia has not once made any substantive report to the IAEA, which is a violation of its safeguards obligation.

Fifth, the three countries have flagrantly, without authorization, engaged with IAEA Secretariat to directly determine relevant safeguards. Their nuclear submarine cooperation has set a bad example of nuclear proliferation, which is beyond the current scope of safeguards. Therefore, a solution to it must be discussed and determined by all IAEA members, each having a say in it.

Sixth, the three countries have harmed IAEAs function and authority in preventing nuclear proliferation and hijacked the Secretariat to engage in activities prohibited by the Statute of IAEA. They attempted to coerce the Secretariat into exempting their nuclear submarine cooperation from the safeguards. Then, with their majority seats, they can force the Board of Governors to adopt their deal and consequently legitimize the proliferating practice. China supports IAEA in strictly implementing Article 2 of the Statute, namely relevant budget shall not be used for any activity that supports any military purpose.

Seventh, the three countries, on the grounds that no cooperation scheme has been finalized yet, refuse to report to IAEA the substantive progress on their cooperation, so the Director General and Secretariat are unable to make a substantive report to the Board of Governors on the deal or perform the reporting obligation provided in the Statute.

These are the seven issues about the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation, said Wang Qun, noting that if we just allow them to make a fake report to IAEA about their nuclear submarine cooperation and hijack the Secretariat to become the Trojan Horse helping them whitewash their proliferating practice and exempt their cooperation from the safeguards, that will seriously damage the common interests of the international community, including the Secretariat and all IAEA members.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist while walking to a vehicle outside of Trump Tower in New York City on Aug. 10, 2022. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

Judge Names Special Master to Review FBI Raid Documents, Rejects DOJ Criminal Probe Request

Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed (pdf) a senior Brooklyn federal judge to serve as special master to independently review documents the FBI seized from former President Donald Trumps Florida estate.

U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie will serve as an independent arbiter in the case, tasked with deciding whether any of the seized documents are privileged and should be off limits to federal investigators.

Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020, also rejected the Department of Justices (DOJ) bid to revive its criminal investigation into classified documents seized during the unprecedented raid at Mar-a-Lago last month. The matter is expected to move quickly to an appeals court, and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.

The DOJ said in a court filing (pdf) on Monday that Dearie has substantial judicial experience in cases involving national security and privilege concerns to qualify him for the special master role, but that it opposed private attorney Paul Huck, the other candidate proposed by Trumps lawyers.

Lawyers for Trump opposed Barbara S. Jones and Thomas B. Griffith, two retired federal judges whom the DOJ proposed to be the special master.

Republican President Ronald Reagan appointed Dearie to the federal bench in Brooklyn in 1986, where he was chief judge of that court from 2007 to 2011. Before that, he served as U.S. attorney there. He now serves as a semi-retired senior judge.

Dearie served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court between 2011 and 2019. That court reviews warrant applications from the U.S. government on matters of national security.

Special Master Duties

As part of his review of all the seized materials, Dearie is tasked with verifying that the property identified in the Detailed Property Inventory represents the full and accurate extent of the property seized, which may include obtaining sworn affidavits from DOJ personnel, according to court documents.

Dearie is also tasked with conducting a privilege review of the seized documents and making recommendations to the court about any disputes between the parties. He is furthermore assigned to identify personal documents and items, as well as presidential records, and make recommendations to the court about any categorization disputes.

He will also evaluate any claims by Trumps lawyers for the return of property under Rule 41(g) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and carry out any additional duties assigned by the court pursuant to subsequent orders.

Trump and his lawyers have been critical of the DOJs opposition to the court appointing a special master to review documents seized by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago.

The DOJ previously argued that Trump lacked standing to ask for the appointment of a special master, as well as the return of property that was not within the scope of the search warrant and injunctive relief, because the records belong to the government and that the 45th president doesnt have a valid claim to executive privilege because the DOJ is within the executive branch.

In ruling in favor of Trumps request for a special master, Cannon rejected DOJ arguments that the records belong to the government and that because Trump is no longer president he cannot claim executive privilege.

Trump has maintained he did no wrong in how he handled classified materials. He has repeatedly stated that, as president, he had a standing declassification order on materials that left the Oval Office and were taken to Mar-a-Lago.

The former Republican president has accused the FBI of targeting him for political reasons as he mulls running for president again in 2024.
CEO of Royal Dutch Shell Ben van Beurden speaks at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on June 21, 2017. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool Photo via AP)

Shell CEO to Step Down as Oil Giant Shifts Energy Focus

LONDONShell CEO Ben van Beurden is stepping down at the end of 2022 after nine years in charge, the energy giant said Thursday, a change that comes as oil and natural gas companies are under pressure to shift away from fossil fuels even as they see soaring profits from high energy prices.

Taking over Jan. 1 is Wael Sawan, a Lebanese-Canadian who has worked for Shell for 25 years and is now director of integrated gas, renewables, and energy solutions. The choice signals the focus of the London-based company to take what it calls a leading role in the energy transition.

Im looking forward to channeling the pioneering spirit and passion of our incredible people to rise to the immense challenges, and grasp the opportunities presented by the energy transition, said Sawan, who has been a member of Shells executive committee for three years.

Natural gas prices have soared as Russia has curbed supplies to Europe, where an energy crisis is forcing governments to institute conservation measures and go back to coal and oil despite climate goals to ensure the lights stay on this winter.

Volatile oil prices soared above $120 per barrel in June, pushing gasoline prices at the pump to record highs in the United States. Crude has since fallen below $90.

That has translated to record profits for energy companies at a time when households and businesses are getting stung by rising costs. Some European governments have approved taxes on excess profits of energy companies to help households and businesses, and the European Unions executive Commission proposed Wednesday a similar levy on electricity producers across the 27-nation bloc.

In late July, Shell posted record profits of $11.5 billion for a second straight quarter. That was up from $5.5 billion in the same three-month period last year, despite a hit worth billions from pulling out of Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Formerly known as Dutch Royal Shell, the company late last year left the Netherlands and consolidated its headquarters in London as it simplified its archaic corporate structure.

It has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 by investing in renewable energy, restoring forests, and taking other steps.

Last year, the Hague District Court ordered Shell to cut carbon emissions 45 percent by 2030.
South Carolina Day Care Workers Arrested for Allegedly Stuffing Ice Pack Inside Childs Clothes

Two women working at a day care center in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, were arrested on Sept. 13 for allegedly putting an ice pack inside a childs clothing.

Police arrested Kimberly McCall and Joy Lashway for knowingly and intentionally inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering to a minor child by putting the ice pack inside the clothing, according to Fox News.

The alleged incident took place at Excel Academy in Fountain Inn on Aug. 24.

Speaking to WYFF News 4, the father of a child who attended the academy said that teachers used to put ice packs inside childrens pants to keep them awake. This was done to ensure that the kids did not sleep during playtime and instead all took their naps at the same time.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services received a complaint about Excel Academy on Aug. 30. The department is working with law enforcement in the investigation.

In a Sept. 12 Facebook post, Excel Academy said that the institution is not immune to the baffling actions of its staff. The post went on to claim that a former employee was spreading inaccurate information and lying to staff members and parents in order to discredit their business.

On the advice of our attorney, we are asking that anyone who feels pressured by or harassed by this former employee, to please speak to us to get the accurate, honest truth to any matter pertaining to our center and staff, the post said.

Other Day Care Crimes

There have been several high profile crimes involving day care workers allegedly abusing children in recent months. In June 2022, a day care owner from the New York City borough of the Bronx was indicted for allegedly sexually assaulting a boy who attended the facility.

In May 2022, four day care employees in Tennessee were arrested for allegedly giving sleeping medication to children without receiving consent from their parents. Police said the practice had been going on for three years.

In August 2021, a female day care owner in Colorado was found guilty of child abuse and other charges after she kept 26 children hidden in the basement of her home even though she was only licensed to have six children in her care. She was sentenced to six years behind bars.

According to federal law, child care providers are required to submit requests for background checks for each member working at the facility, and employees at the centers have to complete background checks at least once every five years.

A comprehensive background check will involve investigating whether the day care worker is listed in the state criminal and sex offender registries, National Sex Offender Registry run by the Department of Justice, state child abuse and neglect registry.
Police tape surrounds a scene associated with a suspicious death at another property on Farmer Crescent in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, on Sept. 21, 2012. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

South Korea Arrests Woman Over Alleged Murder of Her Children in New Zealand

South Korean police on Thursday arrested a woman accused of murdering her two children, whose bodies were discovered in two suitcases bought at an auction in New Zealand.

The National Police Agency said the suspect is a South Korean woman in her 40s with New Zealand citizenship. Her spouse died of sickness in New Zealand, Yonhap News Agency reported.

She was arrested in Ulsan for the murder of her two children, aged seven and 10, in 2018 in Auckland. The bodies of the children were found by a family who purchased the suitcases on Aug. 11.

Police said the suspect fled to South Korea after the alleged murder and has been hiding ever since. She will face extradition screening in Seoul High Court and New Zealand will have to submit a request for her extradition, police said.

I didnt do it, the woman said to reporters while she was being escorted by police.

Her arrest came as New Zealand police requested the assistance of South Korean police to locate the suspect.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua told New Zealand media on Aug. 18 that the children were believed to have been dead for a number of years.

Authorities said the family who purchased the suitcases were not related to their deaths.

Rebecca Zhu contributed to this report.
How the adoration and devotion of first lady Julia Dent Grant helped bolster the confidence of our nations 18th president

Slavery, distance, family animosity, and a war conspired against Julia Dents courtship and then marriage to Ulysses S. Grant, but she soldiered on steadfastly.

Julia Dent Grant traveled to be with her husband, Ulysses, more than 10,000 miles during the four years of the Civil War4,000 of those during the first year alone. Carriages, ferries, and trains carried her to his encampments, some of which were dangerously close to the front lines. Sometimes, their four children came with her; sometimes, she made the dangerous journeys alone. And almost always, she took meals with the officers, who were said to appreciate her sprightly nature and genial presence.

Illustration for Harpers New Monthly Magazine of then-general Grant, Julia, and Jesse. (Public domain)

An Unusual Match

That Julia Dent would have even married Ulysses S. Grant went against mid-19th-century social mores and common sense. Julia was the daughter of a War of 1812 veteran and wealthy plantation owner who owned slaves and upheld pro-slavery political views; Grant was the son of an austere Ohioan Methodist tanner who supported the abolitionist movement. She grew up attending elaborate balls; he was raised forbidden to dance. She was polished and well-read, having attended a finishing school in St. Louis for seven years; he was an unassuming, natural equestrian with aspirations to be a math professor. She had a congenital lazy eye and a stout figure, and she thus requested photos taken of her in profile only; he was ruggedly handsome, maintained a fit frame, and looked squarely into a cameras lens.

Rare frontfacing photograph of Julia from the Mathew Brady Studio, 1864. (Public domain)

Yet Ulysses met Julia through his West Point roommate and friend, Fred Dent, Julias brother. Meeting the family at their White Haven plantation outside of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1844 opened a Pandoras box. According to biographer Ron Chernows Grant, Ulysses would be forced to straddle two incompatible worlds: the enterprising free labor economy of the North and the regressive world of southern slavery.

Steadfast and True

After enduring an arduous four years of separation during their engagement, due to his obligations in the Mexican War, the couple married in 1848. During the next few years, they were together on military bases, bore another long parting when he was stationed at a remote spot on the Pacific coast, and became parents. And from 1854, when Grant resigned from the Army, until the Civil War began and he re-entered military life, Julia demonstrated what was described as an incurable optimism while Ulysses struggled to determine his livelihood through farming, rent collecting, business, and other occupations.

Chernow wrote, Julia doted on Ulysses, who beamed as he soaked in her bottomless adoration. She fussed over his unkempt hair, whiskers, and clothing. Your father is perfection, she instructed their children. I just want to make sure others see this too. For Julia, he was simply a superman, capable of wondrous feats.

Julia wrote in 1848 about the Mexican War years, My soldier lover was in and about Mexico for four years, including the war. Every mail brought me a letter. Every one of them full of sweet nothings, love and war, and now and then some pressed leaves and flowers.

Grant and Julia (seated left of center) pose alongside their guides and porters at the Karnak Temple Complex near the ancient city of Thebes, January 1878. (Public domain)

Additionally, Chernow said, From early on, she believed in him more than he believed in himself and was more ambitious for him as well. She bolstered his confidence, soothed his wounds, and pierced through his shyness until he learned to count on her constant strength.

At the encampments, Ulysses would often take Julia into his confidence, spreading maps out before her and encouraging her to ask questions about the battle plans.

The stark contrast from slave-owning fathers daughter to generals wife was painfully evident when she spent her days, after returning from the front, with her children at her family home, White Haven. Though she wrote about cherishing her time with family, she resented the pro-Confederate opinions of her father and area neighbors. She wrote about her summer of 1863 as not a happy one because neighbors were all Southern in sentiment and could not believe that I was not; no matter how earnestly I denied it,  [and my father] argued and argued constantly upon the constitutionality of secession.

Portrait of Julia by American photographer Mathew Benjamin Brady, circa 1880. (Public domain)

At the White House

From all accounts, Julia was just as conscientious and attentive as a first lady as she was as a generals wife. In the same spirit as Martha Washington, she presided over once-a-week receptions for the general public, with her only requirements being that ladies wore hats and men left weapons at home. She was also a gracious host to many visiting dignitaries. At the same time, she sought to bring recognition to the role of wives whose husbands served in the diplomatic corps, the Cabinet, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

In Ulyssess last year as president, in 1877, the couple traveled around the world and were celebrated at every stop. Educational information at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site at White Haven lauds Julias devotion to her husbandand vice versaand cites the union as a great American love story that lasted 37 years of marriage and longer as a devoted couple. In fact, a month after her husbands death in 1885, William Sherman, Ulyssess long-time friend and fellow compatriot during the Civil War, wrote to Julia, extolling her: You were as true as the needle to the thread, in poverty as in health, in adversity as in exaltation.

Julia survived Ulysses by 17 years and became friends with first ladies Frances Cleveland, Caroline Harrison, and Edith Roosevelt. She wrote in 1889 that she found comfort in writing about her life, especially the life she shared with Ulysses. The children said I had found a fad at last. But it wasnt a fad; it was a joy. It was living again the life that had been so sweet to me.

Illustration of White Haven, Mo., as it appeared in the 1850s during Grants time living on the estate. (Public domain)

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Taiwan Says Beauty Queen Excluded From Malaysian Event Stage Due to Chinas Interference

Taiwans government on Wednesday accused China of exerting pressure on Malaysian technology event organizers to block a Taiwanese beauty queen from waving the self-ruled islands national flag onstage.

The incident happened during the World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) opening ceremony, which featured contestants from the Miss Asia Global Pageant greeting attendees in their native language and waving their national flags onstage.

Taoyuan Department of Information Technology director-general Karen Yu said that Miss Taiwan, Kao Man-jung, was stopped by WCIT event handlers just as she was ready to go onstage.

In a video posted by Yu on Facebook, Kao was seen crying after being instructed by event organizers to stay in the audience.

Yu said that Taiwanese delegates chanted Taiwan Go to make attendees aware of Kaos presence at the event.

WCIT organizers apologized to Kao and said that they were told not to let her go onstage at the last minute, according to Yu. They did not specify why the last-minute change, but Yu said the reasons are well known to everyone.

Chinas unreasonable suppression is unbearable for democratic countries, and we still have a long way to go. We must continue to work hard with our friends in democratic countries, Yu stated.

Chinas Suppression Disgust Taiwanese

Taiwans Foreign Affairs Ministry later issued a statement condemning China for meddling in the event and urged its representative office in Malaysia to lodge a complaint against the event organizers.

China pressured the Malaysian organizers to forbid Miss Kao from waving our national flag onstage, it said, adding that Chinas suppression will only disgust Taiwanese people and the international community.

The ministry expressed its support for Kao and urged other Taiwanese to speak out for their island nation in the international arena through their own expertise.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent democratic country, and the people of Taiwan have the right to display their own countrys flag in the international arena, it added.

Organizers Obliged to One China Policy

Sean Seah, the organizing chairman of WCIT, said the decision to ban Kao from waving Taiwans national flag at the event was made because Malaysia strictly follows the One China policy, which recognizes Taiwan as part of China.

Seah said that WCIT must honor Malaysias pledge to China as it was a national event. Malaysia struck an agreement with the Chinese regime in 1974 stating that the country recognizes there is only one China.

Running a global event like this, we are bound by guidelines. We are unable to take any position on this, Seah told local media Free Malaysia Today.

The WCIT was held in the Malaysian state of Penang and will run until Sept. 17, involving thousands of delegates from 60 countries.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland. The Chinese Communist regime began its largest military drills near Taiwan in August following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to the island.
Texas Parole Board Rejects Posthumous Pardon for George Floyd

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has rejected a request to have George Floyd be granted a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug arrest.

The board had initially recommended the pardon to Gov. Greg Abbott in October 2021, but reversed its decision in December 2021, citing procedural errors in its recommendation and saying it needed to reconsider more than a third of a group of 67 clemency applications it had sent to the governor.

The board said on Sept. 15 in a letter to Allison Mathis, Floyds attorney, with the Harris County Public Defenders Office in Houston, The Members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (Board) have reconsidered their initial decision concerning your clients application for a Full Pardon and/or Pardon for Innocence.

After a full and careful review of the application and other information filed with the application, a majority of the Board decided not to recommend a Full Pardon and/or Pardon for Innocence on 09/14/2022, the letter continues. Your client is eligible to re-apply for a Full Pardon two years from the above date.

The parole board didnt share any specific reason for the denial.

Floyd died in Minnesota in May 2020 while in police custody at the citys Third Police Precinct for a separate incident. He had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill at a store. Minneapolis Police said at the time that officers were responding to a report of forgery when the suspect physically resisted officers. The statement said that Floyd died after suffering medical distress.

Mathis had asked the parole board for a posthumous pardon in April 2021, over a 2004 minor drug conviction Floyd received in Houston, Texas. Floyd had been arrested after he was discovered with less than half a gram of crack cocaine. Gerald Goines, the police officer who had arrested Floyd, alleged that Floyd had provided the cocaine to an unnamed person. Floyd later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 months in state prison.

Goines, who is no longer a police officer, is currently facing two counts of felony murder and other charges in state and federal court over a deadly 2019 drug raid that killed a couple in their late 50sDennis Tuttle and wife Rhogena Nicholas. Prosecutors alleged that he lied or fabricated information to obtain the warrant to search the couples home. Goines case history is now under scrutiny after prosecutors have since also accused him of having fabricated informants in other cases.

Goines manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants, Mathis wrote when first petitioning for Floyds clemency in April.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said on Sept. 15: We supported George Floyds pardon because we do not have confidence in the integrity of his conviction. We support clemency because it is appropriate.

Goines continues to assert his innocence and his lawyer is fighting the charges. About 150 drug convictions tied to Goines have since been dismissed by prosecutors. Earlier in September, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered that a fifth conviction tied to Goines be overturned.

This combination of file photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office shows (L-R) Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, in Minnesota, Minn., on June 3, 2020. (Hennepin County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Officers Convicted Over Floyds Death

Four former officers have since been convicted over the death of Floyd in May 2020, which sparked nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who had held his knee against on Floyds neck during the arrest for almost nine minutes, was convicted in April 2021 of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges in connection to Floyds death. He was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison in June 2021 on the state convictions.

Chauvin later pleaded guilty in December 2021 to violating Floyds civil rights and came to a plea agreement for the federal charges. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison in July. The federal sentence is being served concurrently with the state sentence. Chauvin is incarcerated in federal prison.

Three other officers from the Minneapolis Police Department were present at Floyds arrest in May 2020: J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao. During the arrest, Kueng knelt on Floyds back, Lane restrained Floyds lower body, and Thao was standing nearby to work the crowd that had gathered near the scene.

The trio were convicted by a jury in federal court on Feb. 24 of violating Floyds civil rights by not coming to his aid. Thao and Lane were also convicted of failing to intervene with Chauvin. Lane was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and to two years of supervised release. Thao was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, and Kueng was sentenced to three years in prison.

Separately, Lane reached a plea agreement for state charges he faced in relation to Floyds death. He pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, and prosecutors dropped one count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder. His sentencing in state court is set for Sept. 21.

Meanwhile, court proceedings for Kueng and Thao related to their state charges have been delayed until Jan. 5, 2023. They are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyds death. The two officers told a judge in August they had rejected plea deals that would have given them prison sentences of three years. The deals would have meant that prosecutors would drop the charge of aiding and abetting murder, and the state sentence would be served concurrently with the federal sentences. The two will now face trial starting in October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thieves are seen looting stores at the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, Calif., on May 30, 2020. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Growing Threat of Organized Retail Crime

The massive wave of retail thefts in the United States over the past two years have become a major challenge for both the retail industry and law enforcement.

Weakened law enforcement policies and lesser penalties for these criminal bandit gangs have hit a critical juncture, as crime in the United States has hit proportions not seen in three decades.

The number of increasingly professional organized retail crime (ORC) rings and their frequent attacks have reached crisis scale, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) in a Sept. 14 report.

These crimes have hurt thousands of businesses and have contributed to higher prices for consumers and loss of key retailers in many communities, as countless stores have closed to due to lack of security.

The factors contributing to retail shrink have multiplied in recent years, and organized retail crime is a burgeoning threat within the retail industry, said Mark Meadows, NRF vice president for research development and industry analysis.

These highly sophisticated criminal rings jeopardize employee and customer safety and disrupt store operations. Retailers are bolstering security efforts to counteract these increasingly dangerous and aggressive criminal activities.

A Spike in Organized Thievery

According to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey, issued by NRF, the total loss of stolen goods hit $94.5 billion by the end of 2021, up from losses of $90.8 billion in 2020.

The NRF found that the average shrink rate in losses for 2021 was 1.44 percent, a slight decline from the previous two years, but comparable to the five-year average of 1.5 percent.

Acts of fraud are being reported across all venues, ranging from brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce, and omni-channel platforms since 2020.

A sudden increase store violence is another growing area of concern, such as random attacks on store personnel, robberies, and ORC gangs.

The majority of surveyed retailers reported a 89.3 percent increase in violence and a 73.2 percent uptick in shoplifting.

The reported incidents of both ORC and employee theft rose 71.4 percent, much of it involving organized crime or for the gangs own benefit.

The NRF said that respondents reported that ORC robberies have risen 26.5 percent since the onset of the pandemic.

The most targeted store items fall under the acronym CRAVED: concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable.

Items under CRAVED include apparel, health and beauty, electronics/appliances, accessories, food and beverage, footwear, home furnishings and housewares, home improvement, eyewear, office supplies, infant care, and toys.

In search of solutions, retailers are boosting spending on theft-prevention measures.

The NRF survey showed that 60.3 percent of retailers are increasing their security budgets.

At least 52.4 percent are increasing their investments in technology, such as radio frequency identification tags and readers, computerized security scanners, and license plate-recognition devices.

We are seeing more and more, particularly, organized retail crime, said Corrie Barry, Best Buys CEO, in late 2021 to the NY Post.

You can see that pressure in our financials. And more importantly, frankly, you can see that pressure with our associates. Its traumatizing, she said.

Radical Crime Policies and Recidivism

Wealthy liberal enclaves throughout the country with district attorneys thought of as soft on crime appear to be the regions most affected by the crime wave and which has only grown worse since the pandemic.

The top five metropolitan areas affected by store bandit gangs in the past year were the Californian cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland; New York; Houston, Texas; and Miami, Florida.

Retailers across the country are calling for stronger legislation, especially at the federal and state level, along with better enforcement of existing laws to quell increasing acts of violence and theft, which are hurting their survival.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce demanded earlier this year that Congress take action to address the rise of ORC crimes, calling them a national emergency.

Retail theft is becoming a national crisis, hurting businesses in every state and the communities they serve, said Neil Bradley, the U.S. Chamber of Commerces chief policy officer, in a letter to Congress in March.

We call on policymakers to tackle this problem head-on before it gets further out of control. No store should have to close because of theft.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva blamed radical Democrats and prosecutors, saying that they live in this woke palace where theyre not affected by the policies, but the average person IS impacted by them.
How John Jay, the first chief justice and contributor to the Federalist Papers, helped establish the foundation of American democracy

In 1782, John Jay traveled to Paris with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to discuss peace terms with the British. He, in particular, fought for British recognition of the United States and for all of the land east of the Mississippi, doubling the size of the nation. But doubling the nation was only a fraction of his contributions to establish, solidify, and ensure the safety of the newborn country.

While in Paris, and with the help of his wife, he befriended the Marquis de Lafayette, Angelica Schuyler, and other important figures living in France. These ties were vital to the relationship between the United States and France, the young countrys only ally during the Revolution. Jay prevented France and Great Britain from having their own secret negotiations that would have put fledgling America at a great disadvantage. After the negotiations in Paris, Jay and his family returned to New York, where he helped build the United States government.

The Jay Legacy for America

Three generations of the Jay family embodied the quintessential American ideals, none more so than John. John Jay was born in New York in 1745. His grandfather had come to America seeking freedom from religious persecution in France, and he built a life for himself as a merchant. Jays father continued in the trade, building his wealth and providing for his family, succeeding in the American dream. John Jay would continue this legacy through many years of service to the fledgling United States of America.

Jay grew up in New York and attended Kings College, now Columbia University. He graduated with a law degree, but he did not practice law for very long. In 1774, Jay was elected to represent New York in the First Continental Congress, the same year he married Sarah Livingston. Much like Benjamin Franklin, Jay first strove for peace and negotiation with Great Britain. However, as war became inevitable, Jay chose loyalty to the interests of the United States and dedicated himself to its freedom. Early in the Revolution, he served as president of the Second Continental Congress, the provisional government for the 13 Colonies.

As a Diplomat

In 1779, Jay made a perilous journey to Spain with his wife. Horrible storms required their ship to stop in the Caribbean for repairs; then, a British ship chased after them, attempting to kidnap Jay as they approached the Spanish coast. He had been chosen as the diplomat to Spain, seeking financial aid for the Revolutionary War. However, he had little success garnering support from the Spanish government, a monarchy that did not want to support revolution, which might ultimately be turned against it. So dire was the situation in America that Jays not winning the support of Spain meant that his salary could not be paid. Yet he did not complain and remained dedicated to his work, asking only enough for him and his wife to live in their modest Madrid apartment.

John Jay by Gilbert Stuart, 1794. (Public domain)

In 1794, Jay was sent back across the Atlantic to negotiate with the British once more. They were not upholding agreements made at the end of the Revolution, such as to vacate North American bases in the United States and to cease blocking American exports. The British Royal Navy had also captured and forced many American merchants into service while at sea. People on both sides of the Atlantic were ready to go back to war to settle these debates. Jays Treaty, as it is known colloquially, only addressed a few of those issues. He failed to make any progress on British impressment of American sailors and even granted the British the ability to take French goods off American ships without payment. The treaty was, therefore, widely unpopular with the public, who believed Jay had been too lenient with Britain.

Afterward, Jays popularity plummeted. However, Jays negotiations, supported by George Washington, provided temporary appeasement with the British and allowed the United States time to recover from the Revolutionary War and establish itself in the world. This valuable time allowed the nation to prepare for what would eventually become the War of 1812, when unaddressed disagreements with Great Britain would once again be settled with violence.

Laying the Groundwork for the Constitution and Judiciary Powers

Between missions abroad, in 1787, Jay wrote five of the Federalist Papers supporting the ratification of the Constitution. The first four papers he contributed all concerned the same topic: dangers from foreign force and influence. In these articles, Jay argued against Americans who saw the inefficiency of the Articles of Confederation and wanted to dissolve the United States into individual nations. He believed that to do so was a waste of the lives lost fighting for freedom in the Revolution. Using his experience as a diplomat, Jay wrote about the vulnerability of individual states to foreign attacks and relations. In his mind, a united country was the only way to ensure enough power to withstand the well-established European monarchies.

1894 lithograph of the first eight chief justices of the United States: John Jay, John Rutledge, Oliver Ellsworth, John Marshall, Roger Brook Taney, Salmon Portland Chase, Morrison R. Waite, and Melville W. Fuller. (Everett Collection/ Shutterstock)

Jay further served his country as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court. Appointed in 1789 by George Washington, Jay heard only four cases, but he set many of the precedents for the Supreme Court. For example, he allowed circuit court clerks to write writs of error in addition to Supreme Court clerks. He refused to provide any formal advice to members of the executive or legislative branches, reinforcing the separation of powers in government. Additionally, he promoted judicial review, which is the ability of the court to judge whether a policy or action of the government aligns with the Constitution. Any action declared unconstitutional can then be nullified and corrected. The same case in which Jay established judicial review, Chisolm v. Georgia, also established that cases against individual states by citizens are subject to federal jurisdiction.

One precedent not set by Jay was the notion that Supreme Court justices serve for life. While this statement can be found in the Constitution, Jay resigned from the position in 1795, after only six years on the bench, in order to become the governor of New York. He was elected governor while out of the country, negotiating in London. When John Adams was elected president, he once again offered Jay the position of chief justice, but Jay turned it down. Much like George Washington, Jay did not wish for or attempt to hold on to power. While in the New York office, Jay abolished slavery in the state. Later in his life, he would argue against slavery in the new state of Missouri or any other territory applying for statehood.

In 1801, John Jay retired for good and moved to a farm with his family. His wife passed away the next year, and Jay spent the rest of his days enjoying country life with his many children and grandchildren until his death in 1829. He did not want anything too elaborate for his funeral. Instead, Jay wished for his children to give $200 (about $5,000 today) to a deserving widow or orphan. While he is not the most well-known Founding Father, Jays varied and patriotic life is remembered through the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, John Jay High School, and a Columbia University residence hall bearing his name.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
The Paradox of Control: Safety Mania, Mob Dynamics, and Dehumanization in the Age of COVID

If you dont conform to the irrationality, to the hysteria, says writer Charles Eisenstein, then you become the enemy, the traitors, the nonconformists, and the taboo-breakers.

In a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek and Charles Eisenstein discuss ideas from The Coronation, his new collection of essays exploring the ideologies and dynamics of safety and social control, especially in the age of COVID.

Jan Jekielek: Your first essay in The Coronation is about the Zika virus, where you write, All the ideological machinery was already in place for the transition that began in 2020 to a fully medicalized society. What are you saying here?

Charles Eisenstein: I wrote Zika and the Mentality of Control in 2017. It turned out that the Zika virus wasnt scary enough for them to actually implement a lot of policies. My son was going to a school camp, and everyone was going to sleep in a tent and be outdoors for two days. They canceled it because New England had two cases of Zika virus. That was more important to authorities than having children get to know each other and being out in nature.

This is the mentality where everything is subjugated to the litmus test of Is it safe or not? Could you get sick or not? and how you should live your life to minimize that risk. That whole mentality was already well developed by 2017. The conditions for COVID hysteria are not new.

If you hold safety as being of paramount importance, then you can use it to justify anything, and thats exactly what we saw. That was the justification for the suspension of civil liberties. But theres no clause in the Bill of Rights that says, Except if the authorities declare an emergency, Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

So, to protect our safety its OK to suspend civil liberties, to keep children indoors, and close off the playgrounds. Its OK to prohibit handshakes and hugs, choirs and Little League games, and everything else defined as nonessential. Im not saying that safety is unimportant, and Im happy to prolong my life. But its for a reason; its so that I can live. Its not so I can exist in a bubble in some half-alive hell until I die.

That mythology of well-being and security says that human destiny lies in a program of control. This is the belief that humans are the only source of intelligence in the universe, which gives us the duty to impose order onto the world. And this pathology as expressed in the COVID hysteria indicates we are on the brink of a deep revolution.

Mr. Jekielek: The authorities say, Wear masks, get vaccinated, and youre a good person. This propaganda stems from what youre describing.

Mr. Eisenstein: If I wear a mask, then Ill be safe conforms to the ideology of control. And heres another thing: When something disrupts our illusion of control, people panic, and they want something done. The authorities come under pressure. So they do what is familiar to them and to the public, which is to issue mandates and go to war against something.

A lot of unconscious psychosocial forces are at work here. Its totally irrational, but people do irrational things all the time. And if you dont conform to the irrationality, to the hysteria, then you become the enemy, the traitors, the nonconformists, and the taboo-breakers.

You could say the same thing about witch hunts. This is the pattern of unifying violence, when everybody turns on a sacrificial subclass of victims or scapegoats. We see this dynamic even today. I noticed it in grade school. Did you have a weird kid in your class?

Mr. Jekielek: Always.

Mr. Eisenstein: In our class, he was Kent, and Kent had cooties. Who decided Kent had cooties? Who knows? But nobody wanted to associate with him, because if you did, then youd be the weird kid, too. A couple of loudmouths gleefully accused Kent of being weird, and then there were the enthusiastic who joined in the name-calling. Then there was the silent majority, the kids who said, I dont necessarily think Kent is weird, but if everyone says so, they must be right. And then there were the silent doubters who felt sorry for Kent. This was me. I didnt speak up for him, because then I would be ostracized as well. So I kept silent. And our silence creates an illusion of unanimity.

This is a powerful, psychological disposition that fascists and totalitarians exploit to control society.

Mr. Jekielek: One thing that has stunned me over the past three-odd years is the realization of how important the idea of belonging is to humans.

Mr. Eisenstein: Part of the crisis of our civilization is a crisis of belonging. It comes from our dissociation from community, place, and nature. Ordinarily, we get a sense of identity from our relationships. Today, these relationships have shrunk to the nuclear family and to the superficial relationships of the workplace or the suburban neighborhood. For most of our lives, were immersed in a sea of strangers. We dont have a sense of belonging like an indigenous villager, or a medieval peasant, or even someone living in a small town in the 19th century.

Then, you were surrounded by a matrix of stories that gave you the sense of being at home in the world. Today, we dont have that, so were vulnerable to substitutes like membership in an internet opinion tribe or a political ideology. Everybody is dividing the world into good guys and bad guys. Now, Im not saying that theres no such thing as a virus, or that viruses cant make people sick. But when that is the exclusive lens, this good-versus-evil lens, we end up fighting an endless war, which includes totalitarian control over society.

Mr. Jekielek: This passage from one of your essays really jumped out at me: What makes you crazy is to be an agent of your own gaslighting. It starts with outward conformity, when you say and do things that contradict your truth. You might have good reasons to uphold the pretense: to avoid shaming and ostracism, to be accepted, to keep your job. But unless you can hold a place of truth within you that is inviolate, the show soon becomes real. You forget the boundary between true and false, and the bandits breach the walls. They run amok as you retreat to the inner sanctuary, the seat of the soul. Finally, they usurp that too, and you become a fugitive in your own castle. That is what I mean by insanity.

Mr. Eisenstein: Yes, you become a fugitive in your own castle, dodging all the negative voices that tell you youre crazy, naive, and irresponsible. Theyre overwhelming, and theyve taken over the throne, but youre still in the castle skulking around, searching for something to save you from banishment. I definitely went through some dark periods like that, but I finally listened to my inner revulsion and began writing. The masks always bothered me more than the vaccines. The dehumanization was just so dystopian. I didnt want my children living in a world where masking became normalized.

Thats what pushed me over the edge to say things I knew would get me in trouble. Thats when I published Mob Morality and the Unvaxxed.

Mr. Jekielek: Its an explosive essay.

Mr. Eisenstein: Basically, it says the unvaccinated are fast becoming the new dehumanized subclass associated with contagion, the enemy that must be controlled or removed from society. Theyre not fully deserving of life and liberty because theyre putting us all at risk.

We have to look at this pattern, because who knows what the next invocation toward mob violence will be? Who are we going to dehumanize next?

Mr. Jekielek: You mention dehumanization just now. I believe you see this as something that humans do, which is a real foundational problem.

Mr. Eisenstein: Its one of the deepest lies of the human condition. Anytime you dehumanize somebody, youre not in truth. The truth about human beings is that they are divine souls and children of God, however you want to articulate it. They are a full sacred consciousness looking from different eyes.

COVID showed us what we were choosing. It said, If you continue on this path, here is what society will look like. The surveillance, the censorship, the lockdowns, and the mandates were a preview of a future where we subscribe to the story of control. We were shown that so that we could choose, intentionally and consciously. We have a very clear choice right now.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Jan Jekielek Senior Editor Follow Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, "American Thought Leaders." Jans career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as website chief editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film "Finding Manny."
The puffy-edged, custardy-centered pancake is an foolproof favorite at the breakfast table

If ever a breakfast food had a flair for dramatics, it would be the Dutch baby pancake. You pour a thin, eggy batter into a skillet and tuck it into a hot oven. In 10 minutes or so, the pancake bakes, puffs up like a popover, and then falls just about the time it hits the table. It makes for a spectacular brunch dish, and the quick rise-and-fall never fails to delight guests.

The origins of the dish and, specifically, its name are relatively obscure and difficult to pinpoint. Some evidence suggests that its an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, while others point to a turn-of-the-century cafe in Seattle. The truth, as is often the case, may lie somewhere in between.

An Immigrant Story

One thing we do know is that a Dutch baby isnt Dutch at all; rather, its German-American. A close cousin of German-style pancakes, such as pfannkuchen and apfelpfannkuchen (a version that contains apples), the Dutch baby began its ascent to popularity around the same time as the phonograph and lightbulb were inventedand right about the time when German immigrants flocked to the United States in hopes of a better life.

While many 18th-century Germans fled the religious persecution of their home country and settled in Pennsylvania, German immigration to America peaked in the late 19th century. Instead of fleeing religious persecution as earlier immigrants had done, hundreds of thousands of farming families were displaced by geo-political conflict with Tsarist Russia. Most of these newer immigrants found a home in the midwest, where their skill in growing wheat helped to cement the region as the breadbasket of America.

Both the Pennsylvania Dutch and newer immigrants brought their recipes with themincluding this pancake, which would soon become interwoven with modern-day brunch culture.

Growing Popularity

Some of the earliest recipes for the dish were published in the late 19th century. These recipes typically feature a thin, egg-rich batter made with a scant amount of flour and plenty of milk that was poured into a hot, buttered pan and baked until puffed.

Before long, the pancakes, which are simple to make, began appearing on breakfast menus in hotels. It was regularly featured on the breakfast menu of San Franciscos St. Francis Hotel, a favorite destination of turn-of-the-century famous artists, socialites, and politicians such as Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan. While the St. Francis Hotels chef served the pancakes with stewed prunes, most recipes called for serving them with sugar, syrup, or jelly.

At this time, most recipes still referred to them as German pancakes, which raises the question of how, exactly, the name Dutch baby originated. While some people suggest that they earned their name as a reference to the Pennsylvania Dutch, the most likely story points to the Pacific Northwest and a small, family-run restaurant called Mancas Cafe.

A New Name

In 1899, Victor Manca gathered his family and moved from Utah to Seattle, where he opened a small cafe. Among the many dishes that he offered was a custardy, puffed pancake. According to the familys story, Victors young daughter called the pancakes Dutch babies because she couldnt pronounce Deutsch, the German word for German. The name stuck.

The restaurant remained successful and served the pancakes for decades. In 1960, Sunset Magazine featured the restaurant and the pancake recipe in its February issue. The German-American classic found a new audience of hungry cooks under its brand-new name.

Making It at Home

With its dramatic presentation, it might seem that the Dutch baby pancake is complicated or fussy. Its not. Rather, its one of the easiest recipes you can make and requires none of the repetitive, painstaking flipping that individual flapjacks need.

You start by whisking together a batter of eggs, milk, and flour with a little salt until it becomes smooth with the consistency of heavy cream. The oldest recipes stop here, but newer versions typically include sugar for sweetness and flavorings such as cinnamon or vanilla.

After mixing the batter, youll warm butter in a hot, cast iron skillet until it froths and foams. Then, you pour in the batter. Once the edges begin to bubble, put the skillet into a preheated oven and bake it for about 10 minutes, until it puffs and the edges of the pancake pull away from the skillet. Serve it right away. A squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar are always popular.

Many recipes also incorporate fruit, specifically apples, recalling the original German dish apfelpfannkuchen from which the Dutch baby originates. Modern interpretations can also include savory adaptations featuring cheese, herbs, and tomatoes.

Regardless of what you add or what you call it, this simple, custardy pancake is easy to make and easy to lovejust get it to the table fast.

RECIPE: Apple Dutch Baby Pancake
A life-affirming poet transformed grief into beauty

Henry Wadsworth Longfellows popularity among average Americans of his day is something contemporary poets dream about. An international celebrity, he dispensed pre-signed autographs to the many fans who visited his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hoping to meet the author of Paul Reveres Ride and The Song of Hiawatha. His work is famous for his placid optimism, and critics today often deride it as shallow. But beneath the surface of the galloping meters and charming imagery lies an undercurrent of melancholyeven of profundity. His love life served as an inspiration to his verse, and when his two marriages ended in tragedy, he coped with despair by creating some of the most life-affirming poetry ever written.

First Love

In 1831, Longfellow, age 24, married Mary Potter, the beautiful and well-educated daughter of a Boston judge. He was drawn to her pure heart and guileless disposition, and Mary, too, was smitten. Longfellow was aspiring toward his boyhood dream of becoming a professional writer but struggled to find his literary voice. It was Mary who influenced his decision to resume writing poetry, a youthful practice that had fallen into neglect since he became a professor at Bowdoin College.

Longfellows birthplace, located on the corner of Hancock and Fore streets in Portland, Maine, was demolished in 1955. (Public domain)

Portrait of Longfellow by his son Ernest, 1876. (Public domain)

The couple enjoyed four happy years together. Then, in 1835, while traveling Europe, Mary suffered a miscarriage and died from the resulting infection. Henry was devastated. He expressed a desire to be with her in heaven, and he wrote a friend that when standing over her grave, he imagined seeing my own tomb. He spent the next several years tinkering with a poem that channeled his sorrow into verse. The result, Footsteps of Angels, is about a lonely, grieving narrator who is visited by deceased acquaintances. One of them, a Being Beauteous, consoles him with the knowledge that she has found a final resting place:

With a slow and noiseless footstep

Comes that messenger divine,

Takes the vacant chair beside me,

Lays her gentle hand in mine.

And she sits and gazes at me

With those deep and tender eyes,

Like the stars, so still and saint-like,

Looking downward from the skies.

Uttered not, yet comprehended,

Is the spirits voiceless prayer,

Soft rebukes, in blessings ended,

Breathing from her lips of air.

It was around this time that Longfellow also wrote a series of psalms, as he called thempoems symbolizing an acceptance of Marys death. The first piece, entitled A Psalm of Life, includes many lines that have become popular phrases: Life is but an empty dream, Let the dead Past bury its dead, Footprints on the sands of time, and Learn to labor and to wait. The poem established Longfellows voice and was an instant success.

A Second Chance at Happiness

Nine months after Marys untimely death, Longfellow met Frances Fanny Appleton. He accompanied her family through the Swiss Alps as they talked about art and literature. Henry was quite taken with the rare, sweet woman and her sophisticated mind. But while Fanny admired his erudition and enjoyed his conversation, she did not consider him more than a friend. He was persistent, however, courting her with increasing anguish after their return to New England. Friends expressed concern about Longfellows well-being, commenting on his pale and low-spirited appearance. Henry poured his feelings out into a novel, Hyperion, about an American touring Europe who unsuccessfully tries wooing a charming female with qualities strikingly similar to Fanny Appletons. Fanny was unimpressed when she read it, and it was not until 1843seven years after Longfellow began courting herthat she agreed to marry him.

Chalk portrait of Fanny Longfellow, 1859, by Samuel Worcester Rowse, which is referenced in Henrys poem The Cross of Snow. (Public domain)

The years that followed were the happiest of Longfellows life. Nicholas Basbaness recent biography of Longfellow, Cross of Snow, includes selections of previously unpublished letters to detail the couples intimate relationship. As she was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Henrys marriage to Fanny brought him material comfort as well as intellectual companionship. Fanny, a skilled artist and writer herself, assisted him in many of his creative projects. In a love sonnet, The Evening Star, he paid tribute to My best and gentlest lady. She even served as the muse behind the love stories in his longer narrative poems Evangeline and The Courtship of Miles Standish. The couple had six children together and thrived in their Brattle Street mansion for nearly 20 years.

Then tragedy struck. On July 10, 1861, Fanny was sitting at a candlelit table, sealing an envelope with hot wax, when her muslin dress caught fire. The billowy dresses in fashion at the time, which often used horsehair as a fabric stiffener, were highly flammable. She ran toward the study, awaking Henry from a nap. He tried hugging her to snuff out the flames, but her hooped petticoat prevented this by acting as an air duct. Henrys own hands and face were badly burned. After he put out the fire with a small throw rug, she was carried upstairs. A doctor arrived and administered ether to ease her suffering. Fanny died the next morning.

Formerly his wife Fannys office, this room served as Longfellows personal study from the mid-1840s until his death in 1882. (Public domain)

Upon completion of his portrait by Eastman Johnson in 1846, Longfellow recorded in his journal, All delighted with his portrait, thinking it the best ever made of me. (Public domain)

Longfellows son later recalled him lying in bed for days afterward, holding up his poor bandaged hands and murmuring, Oh, why could I not save her? Though he had become one of the worlds most famous authors, he found himself unable to write. When he did take up a pen again, he focused his energy on translating Dantes Divine Comedy. Growing a long beard to hide his facial scars, he took on the appearance of a prophet. Many years passed before he could bring himself to reflect on the event in a sonnet.

The Cross of Snow

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,

A gentle facethe face of one long dead

Looks at me from the wall, where round its head

The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.

Here in this room she died, and soul more white

Never through martyrdom of fire was led

To its repose; nor can in books be read

The legend of a life more benedight.

There is a mountain in the distant West

That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines

Displays a cross of snow upon its side.

Such is the cross I wear upon my breast

These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes

And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

Painted plaster bust of Longfellow by sculptor Samuel James Kitson, 1879. (Public domain)

The poem is dated July 10, 1879: exactly 18 years after the day of Fannys death, which was itself three days before what would have been the couples 18th wedding anniversary and was instead her funeral. The Cross of Snow references two works of art: in the first stanza, Fannys portrait by Samuel Rowse, in the second a landscape by Thomas Moran. Longfellow brings the two images together in a deeply moving way. After writing the sonnet, he placed it in an envelope among his private papers. When he died three years later, his brother Samuel discovered the poem and published it in a biography he wrote about Henry. The Cross of Snow belies Longfellows critical reputation as a poet of superficial optimism, and it is proof that great beauty can be born of terrible misfortune.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
A Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning (C), during military drills in the South China Sea, in an aerial photo taken on Jan. 2, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Though Fearful of China, Southeast Asia Still Prefers to Go It Alone

Commentary

When the noted writer and philosopherand ardent atheistVoltaire lay dying, a priest was supposed to have attempted a deathbed conversion; but when the priest urged him to renounce Satan, Voltaire replied, Now is not the time to be making enemies.

I felt a similar experience when I attended a pair of back-to-back conferences last month in Vietnam and Indonesia. Both meetings brought together foreign policy and national security experts from the United States and these two countries to discuss how Southeast Asia and Washington could expand cooperation in the face of growing Chinese aggression in the region, particularly in the South China Sea.

In particular, the conferences posed scenarios in which China took increasingly belligerent actions in the region, threatening the security of these two countries. The United States, in turn, offered these countries the opportunity to forge closer ties with Washington and to join forces to openly oppose a common foe.

Surprisingly, to many of us American participants, the response from the Vietnamese and the Indonesians was a polite no thanks. Many Indonesian and Vietnamese participants welcomed the opportunity to acquire U.S. weapons or receive U.S. intelligence. Still, they then said that if there were any problems with the Chinese, they would handle it on their own and definitely not in alliance with the United States.

This attitude would hardly shock anyone with deep exposure to the Southeast Asian mindset. Notoriously independent, almost to the point of being bloody-minded, nations in the region are keen to keep both Beijing and Washington at arms length, engaging them on an ad hoc basis when it suits their national interests.

Even supposed allies of the United States, such as Thailand and the Philippines, tend to go their own way more often than not. In a way, it is reminiscent of the ohne mich (count me out) protest movement in West Germany in the early 1950s. Supporters of this movement wanted to be neither in NATO nor the Warsaw Pact but apart from it all.

For the most part, Southeast Asia still believes it can, through various regional security infrastructures, draw in Beijing and make it a responsible player. The most important of these is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pose for a group photo during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Feb. 17, 2022. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images)

ASEAN is at the center of several regional forums for promoting security and good relations within the region and dealing with actual or potential disputes. Premier among these is the biannual ASEAN summit, a meeting of the member states heads of government during which they discuss and resolve regional issues. This summit usually includes additional security-building dialogues with other countries outside ASEAN, such as China, Japan, and South Korea (ASEAN+3). ASEAN+3 is intended to create a forum for Southeast and Northeast Asia to come together to deal with economic, financial, and nontraditional security issues (such as infectious diseases and transnational crime) in the region.

ASEAN also conducts the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The ARF includes all of the ASEAN members, plus Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and the United States. The ARF is a principal forum for security dialogue in Asia, complementing various bilateral dialogues.

Additionally, ASEAN is the lead organizer of the East Asia Summit (EAS), a pan-Asian regional community-building forum held annually by the leaders of 18 countries: the 10 ASEAN member states, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States.

In addition to meetings and forums, ASEAN has taken the lead in practical initiatives to promote regional security and reduce tensions. In 1995, for example, ASEAN member states signed the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty. This treaty bans all nuclear weapons in the region and obligates its members not to develop, manufacture, or otherwise acquire, possess, or have control over nuclear weapons.

Ultimately, ASEAN is about Southeast Asia controlling its own destiny. It welcomes U.S. weaponry but not U.S. political-military entanglements. In the first place, there is genuine concern that Washington would not keep its promises, leaving any regional partners and allies out in the cold. And indeed, there is cause for doubting U.S. commitments, especially given that the past two or three U.S. presidents havent done a very good job articulating and inaugurating a credible U.S. Asia policy.

At the same time, the Southeast Asians (or at least the Vietnamese and Indonesians attending the conferences) were adamant that they could and would stand up to China on their own. Offers of an alliance almost seemed to insult their capacities for defending themselves.

For any individual Southeast Asian country to think it can counter China militarily on its own might be appealing on a strictly national level, but it also borders on hubris (or even delusional). In any event, it is unlikely that the United States, unless it can seriously step up its game in Southeast Asia and show that it can keep its promises, will make much headway in lining up partners to oppose China. Until then, ohne mich.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tory Leadership a Resounding Win for Poilievre, but Can He Prevail in a Federal Election?

News Analysis

Pierre Poilievre may have scored a resounding win in the Conservative leadership race, but whether he can win in a federal election as late as three years away is less certain.

Don Desserud, political science professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, believes Poilievres chances hinge on two factors.

One, the distribution of votes. Increasing his support out West wont give him more seats. He needs support in Ontario, he said in an interview.

Two, whether he scares Liberal and NDP supporters enough for them to turn up in big numbers and vote for their party. Hes counting on them staying home as well and believesperhaps correctlythat Liberal and NDP support is tepid at best.

Poilievre motivated more than 311,000 people to buy Conservative Party memberships before the June cutoff. Often, many people attending his rallies reported having voted for other parties besides the Tories in the past, including the NDP. Geoffrey Hale, political science professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, says Poilievres leadership campaign demonstrated his ability to rally people across Canada to his leadership.

Mr. Poilievre won the most comprehensive victory of any Conservative leadership candidate, including Stephen Harper, since the formation of the new party in 2003. Winning 330 of 338 ridings, most by sizeable margins, and 68 percent of the available points provided him with a broad, deep mandate across the country, demonstrating not just impressive organizing skills but widespread appeal among new and existing members, Hale told The Epoch Times.

Its his party and he has earned the right to shape it according to his prioritiessubject of course to the realities of electoral politics.

Scott Bennett, a political science professor at Carleton University, believes the 43-year-old Carleton MP has a shot if he builds bridges in Central Canada.

His critics will say that he cant win in Toronto and Quebec. However, I think he may make some inroads in Quebec if he can form an alliance with the provincial Conservatives there. They have similar views on the direction of government. Alliances with provincial PCs in Ontario will also be important, Bennett said in an interview.

The ground is shifting a bit in terms of public preferences. There is a wave of first-time voters who will nod and smile at the leftist agendas of many politicians, but privately they are very cautious, perhaps even prudent, in their view of virtue-signalling celebrity politicians and the many performative gestures of those who manage some of our major institutions. There may be surprising opportunities for gains among the young for a Conservative Party.

Malcolm Bird, associate professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg, believes that Canadians may be thirsting for change from the Liberal government, and that the NDP is poorly positioned to benefit.

I definitely think theres a lot of dissatisfaction with Mr. Trudeau and what hes doing and what hes not doing. Hes not really saying much. The government of Mr. Trudeau, from my view, is starting to look more and more lame-duckish, Bird told The Epoch Times.

The working folks are being left behind here, and the NDP is failing because its oriented towards urban people, urban middle-class educated profs, lawyer, government people, not necessarily factory people.

Challenge and Opportunity

Bird says an issue that could hinder Poilievre is that conservatives dont always get enough of a chance to make their case due to negative labelling, such as being accused of being a Nazi or a fascist or of promoting hate.

Lots of mud will be thrown [to paint him as a] right-wing populist person, but really hes talking about pretty basic meat-and-potatoes stuff like wages, taxes, jobs, wealth-creation, individual freedoms.

But former political strategist Tom Flanagan says Poilievre is a hard target.

Hes made himself pretty well bulletproof on all the hot-button social issues, Flanagan said.

You can dredge up stuff from the past, and they will try for sure, but its his recent performance I think that gives him a lot of protection.

Flanagan sees parallels between the current circumstances and the late 1970s. Voters turned to the leadership of Margret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the United States, both of whom were visionary and fiscally conservative, though controversial.

[Poilievres] message is a positive message of economics. He has succeeded in creating a sense of novelty and energy. I think that comes from taking risks in his campaign, [such as] by going after the Bank of Canada, he said.

It made the media sit up and take notice. Everybody condemned him for it, but they had to report it. It was overdue. The bank did not do its job, and Poilievre grabbed that and ran with it. I think hes been very successful.
Peiter Mudge Zatko, former head of security at Twitter, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Sept. 13, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Twitter Whistleblower Reveals No Other Choice: Congress Must Act to Protect Data Privacy

Commentary

Hacker and network security specialist Peiter Mudge Zatko testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about allegations in his whistleblower report last month.

The Senate hearing arose from intense concerns that Twitter executives have failed in their responsibility to protect user data. In his whistleblower report, Zatko detailed a systemic lack of institutional concern for users data privacy or platform security throughout his tenure as the social media companys security chief.

Persisting throughout the Senate hearing was a bipartisan strand of disappointment, as if Twitter were a long-treasured American manufacturer just recently succumbed to poor leadership.

But Americans should examine whether there ever was a perch from which Twitter fell to cause this disappointment in the companys utter lack of concern for any outcome besides profit.

Senators may rightly express shock at the absence of internal security policies at Twitter, but much of that shock should be directed at the lawmakers who allowed an oligarchy to grow in Silicon Valley.

If the testimony of Zatko, better known as Mudge, is not enough to compel lawmakers in Congress to turn over the tables inside the temple of Silicon Valley, then America needs new lawmakers.

The World Economic Forums maxim Youll own nothing and be happy is already true on Twitter. Mudges responses to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) revealed that over 4,000 Twitter employees enjoy unrestricted access to the application.

This means that 4,000 unvetted employees could observe private messages, hijack accounts, and observe every scroll or click on Twitters platform.

Your Twitter account is not your own, and every action you take on it is subject to the whims of a Silicon Valley engineer. Or a Twitter account, because of unchecked platform controls, could belong to an agent of the Chinese Communist Party with this access.

Because of Mudges testimony, we know of at least one Chinese spy who worked at Twitter. Whether the foreign agent was Chinese, Indian, or a Saudi is immaterial to the question of how unaccountable a critical public utility is to the interests and well-being of the American people.

Mudge made clear to senators that Twitter wasnt compelled to scrutinize the threat of foreign interference, because its profit interest was found in lax regulatory control. Congress should change this dynamic for Twitter and the rest of Silicon Valley.

Herein lies the fundamental flaw of the expectation that the free market is the best way to confront the oligarchy of Big Tech. Security measures for corporate data are difficult to implement and require a heavy financial and personnel investment.

In response to a line of questioning by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mudge expressed hope that Twitters executives would adhere to more responsible security practices.

But hope, unfortunately, isnt enough to counter the demands for unrestricted access to data in the name of efficient, profitable commercial surveillance.

Twitter and its California tech partners see Americans as users in the same way that the drug cartels see American teenagers as users. Twitter can take advantage of and manipulate us for profit and ideology.

As a result of Mudges whistleblower report, we no longer can claim to be surprised. Tech giants will act to subjugate an entire class of Americans unless compelled not to do so by the fullest extent of the law.

Tech policy-by-hope has failed us, and we also should stop hoping for entrepreneur Elon Musk, or any other billionaire white knight, to salvage a critical tech common carrier for the rest of us. Its clear that Musk is doing everything he can not to buy Twitter, despite shareholders voting to approve the companys sale at the price he offered.

While Musk owning Twitter might make for a platform more friendly to free speech, he would face significant institutional opposition to meaningful reform, while still allowing the peoples representatives to avoid real accountability.

The rot Musk would have to expose is so deep that Twitter doesnt even have a testing environment for the platform. This means that every software update is tested on real Twitter users, as opposed to a practice environment where engineers could verify functionality before widespread deployment.

Quite literally, Americans are a science experiment for the bizarre worldviews of engineers who have no legal duty to the common good.

Many might miss the significance of this, but any person with experience developing software knows that the absence of a testing environment for new features is an irresponsible, childish exposure of Twitters business and operations.

Congress should pursue all-encompassing tech legislation that includes anti-trust measures, speech protections, data privacy, and child protection. Later, we will get to the details of what this bill should include.

Regardless, corporate officeholders should be personally liable for breaking the laws that elected representatives write. As Peiter Mudge Zatko outlined to the Senate committee, corporate fines are meaningless.

It is past time we hold decision-makers in these Silicon Valley conglomerates personally accountable for dereliction of duty as leaders of common carriers that are so central to the American way of life.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Navy veteran Brandon Williams is the Republican nominee for New York's 22nd Congressional District in November 2022. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Williams Campaign.)

2 Navy Veterans Set to Square Off in NY Congressional Race

A former Navy intelligence officer and tech entrepreneur and a Navy veteran are set to face off in the Nov. 8 race to represent New Yorks 22nd Congressional District, which includes Syracuse and surrounding areas.

Democrat Francis Conole, a former adviser to two defense secretaries, won a narrow victory in his primary. His Republican opponent, Brandon Williams, a tech specialist and former submarine missile officer, upset businessman Steve Wells, who was supported by most of the party establishment.

Real Clear Politics rates the November race a toss-up.

With the states court-ordered redistricting, District 22 became more favorable to Democrats, taking in more of the blue Syracuse urban area as well as Utica to the east.

District 22 Rep. Claudia Tenney, the Republican who represented Utica, Rome, and Binghamton and had won by only 109 votes, chose not to run in the new district. Instead, she won the GOP primary in the sprawling 24th District. More favorable for the GOP, it takes in some of Tenneys current district and stretches along Western New Yorks Lake Ontario shore, avoiding the Rochester metro area.

U.S. Naval Academy graduate Francis Conole is the Democratic nominee for New Yorks 22nd Congressional District in November 2022. (Photo courtesy of Francis Conole Campaign.)

Current District 24 Rep. John Katko is retiring. The former federal prosecutor was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Katko didnt endorse anyone in the Republican primary, but many of his staffers worked for Wells, according to Syracuse.com.

The state Conservative Party, whose cross-endorsement Republicans often seek, refused to support Katko for reelection and has endorsed Williams.

The turbulent redistricting process concluded in May, only a month before New Yorks regularly scheduled primary. A court, deeming the Democratic legislatures map too slanted toward Democrats, assigned a judge as special master to draw a new one.

The new map made the state much more competitive for Republicans, according to Shawn Donahue, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo.

District 22s new alignment and that of the upstate area were about as favorable as the Democrats could have hoped for.

They could have had small blue areas like Binghamton or Ithaca or Utica stranded in a sea of red, but they didnt, he told The Epoch Times in August.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), one of three congressional incumbents seeking reelection in the states Aug. 23 primaries, chose to move to District 24 from District 22 after redistricting. Here she casts her ballot in New Hartford, N.Y., in 2020. (Heather Ainsworth/AP Photo)

The map triggered many last-minute moves among congressional candidates, and the state postponed congressional primaries until August 23.

Conole ran a well-financed primary campaign, raising more than $1 million, including $500,000 from the Protect Our Future PAC, whose stated goals are preparing for and preventing another pandemic. That committee has received nearly all of its $27 million in funding from Samuel Bankman-Fried, the founder and CEO of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. Conole also got the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Despite significant support, he won the primary by less than 1,000 votes over Air Force veteran Sarah Klee Hood, who raised only $132,000. Hood, who was cross-endorsed by New Yorks Working Families Party, took two of the districts countiesOneida, where Utica sits, and Madison. But Conole won Onondaga County, where Syracuse lies with almost two-thirds of the districts population, and the districts sliver of Oswego County.

Conservative Republicans rallied around Williams, a software entrepreneur and truffle farmer who won an upset 5841 victory over Wells, a food service company owner. Wells was supported by GOP leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Elise Stefanik, her partys third-ranking House member as chair of the House Republican Conference. Stefanik represents the neighboring congressional district covering most of New Yorks North Country.

One of only 10 Republicans in the House to vote for Donald Trumps second impeachment, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) isnt seeking reelection. Here he speaks to reporters in Washington on April 14, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Wells raised almost $691,000, most of it his own money, more than three times the $214,000 for Williams, who also mostly self-funded his campaign. According to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, the Republican Congressional Leadership Fund spent nearly $300,000 on the race the week before the primary. More than $101,000 went to support Wells and almost $184,000 to oppose Williams.

Syracuse.com reported the RCLFs spending even more, an ad blitz of $1 million at the end of the campaign, and said Williams was outspent by Wells, 6 to 1.

Williamss website bills the Texas native and Navy veteran who came with his wife to Central New York in 2010 as a Conservative outsider, proven fighter and A patriot, not a politician. He served as a strategic missile officer aboard the submarine USS Georgia on six patrols in the Pacific. His websites logo incorporates a submarine into its graphics. He notes that his wife is the daughter of an Army officer and decorated Vietnam vet.

Stephanie grew up on Army bases and experienced first-hand the threat of Communism while her father was stationed in Germany on the front lines of the Cold War, it states.

The couple started an agribusiness in the Finger Lakes and a software business in Silicon Valley.

Williams has taken aim at woke policies toward law enforcement in cities such as New York and Los Angeles and at critical race theory curricula in public schools.

Were going to get this ship pointed in the right direction, Williams told his supporters on primary night. Our nation is under attack by the radical left.

Conole, at his own victory party on Aug. 23, described Williams as extreme.

Hes extreme on his policies and his positions. And if Ive heard anything, especially here in Central New York, its that Americans are so tired of the extremes, Canole said.

Conole grew up in the Syracuse area. His grandfather was the only Democratic sheriff in Onondaga Countys history. According to his website, Conole graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy three months before 9/11, served in the Iraq War, and worked in the Pentagon as an adviser to Defense secretaries Ash Carter and Jim Mattis.
Uber Investigating Computer System Hack That Compromised Internal Systems

Uber said on Thursday that it is responding to a cybersecurity incident after a hacker reportedly breached the raid-hailing companys network and compromised a number of its internal systems.

We are currently responding to a cybersecurity incident. We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available, the company said in a statement on Twitter.

Uber did not provide further details regarding the cybersecurity incident, however, The New York Times, which first reported the incident, said that a hacker managed to gain access to the companys office messaging app Slack and used it to post a message to Uber employees.

I announce I am a hacker and uber has suffered a data breach, the message reportedly read.

According to the publication, Uber promptly took several of its internal communications and engineering systems offline while it launched an investigation into the extent of the breach.

Screenshots of the incident obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post showed the hacker claiming to have access to a number of Ubers internal systems and corporate networks.

According to the Washington Post, the hacker was prompted to conduct a security breach due to Ubers treatment of its drivers.

Ubers labor practices have repeatedly come under fire; the company designates its drivers as contractors, meaning they are not entitled to increased worker rights, protections, and other benefits.

Uber vehicles line up at the new LAX-it ride-hail passenger pickup lot at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles on Nov. 6, 2019. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Simple Text Message

The individual claiming to be behind the security breach told The New York Times that they had simply sent a text message to an Uber worker pretending to be a corporate IT person and were promptly provided with a password that allowed them to gain wide-reaching access to Ubers systems.

Rachel Tobac, the CEO of SocialProof Security, which helps train firms on how to defend against cyber criminals, wrote on Twitter that there has been a major increase in SMS phishing of late.

SMS phishing is one of the many methods used by scam artists to lure people into handing over their personal or financial information via text message or other mobile messaging services like WhatsApp.

The person who claimed they just hacked Uber is saying their method was:  Send SMS phish to Uber worker as IT Support  Steal credentials  Access Slack & internal systems, Tobac wrote.

The expert hacker added that there has been a rise in SMS-based phishing because its working and becoming increasingly well documented by attackers, and there are now kits that make it easier to develop attacks to steal passwords and MFA codes.

She added that a Fast Identity Online (FIDO) key, which uses things like fingerprint login and two-factor login to identify users, likely would have helped to prevent Ubers latest incident.

The Epoch Times has contacted Uber for comment.

Meanwhile, California-based Slack told Reuters in a statement that it was investigating the breach but that it had not found any evidence suggesting a vulnerability to its platform.

Uber is a valued customer, and we are here to help them if they need us, Slack, which is owned by Salesforce Inc, said.
Nicholas Burns, professor of the practice of diplomacy and international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, testifies before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee in Washington, on June 28, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

US Ambassador to China Stands in Line on the Streets of Shanghai for COVID-19 Test

His post drew complaints from netizens about China's strict COVID-19 controls

U.S. Ambassador to China Nicolas Burns recent posts on Twitter have drawn much attention worldwide, including those who bypassed the Great Firewall in mainland China to leave comments on his post.

One of his most shared posts on Twitter was him standing in a queue in the streets of Shanghai on Sept. 1, waiting for a COVID-19 swab test.

Screen capture of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicolas Burns Twitter post on Sept. 1, 2022. (Screenshot)

Hundreds of Chinese left comments on his post, complaining about the misery they had experienced from the daily COVID-19 tests in China. Meanwhile, many debated whether Burns should have diplomatic immunity to avoid the tests, pointing out that they never see Chinese officials stand in line on the street for COVID-19 tests.

Among the comments was Shanghai Daily, a state-owned media, which said: Mr. Ambassador, please remember to test twice within three days upon your arrival in Shanghai.

A screen capture of Shanghai Daily, a Chinese state media, responding to U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns Twitter post. (Screenshot)

Shanghai Dailys comment had drawn much criticism from Chinese netizens, such as A laughing stock of the world and Disgraceful! How dare you show off this shame here?

Despite that, Burns replied to Shanghai Daily with thanks and said: Ive tested twice here in Shanghai the last two days. Happy to do our part.

Qu Kai, a Japan-based current affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times that Burns Twitter post is a political expression, an indirect way for the United States to say we stand with the general public in China while responding to the CCPs information warfare.

Disclosing how silly these absurd and contradictory policies can slam the CCP  and it is much better than making statements or issuing reports, as it is difficult for the CCP to rebuff, Qu said.

On Sept. 2, Burns re-posted on Twitter a press statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding a United Nations report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

A screen capture of Ambassador Nicholas Burns re-posting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkens post on Chinas human rights issues. (Screenshot)

[UN HumanRights] recently released a report on the Human Rights Situation in Xinjiang [that] lays out the PRCs human rights violations and abuses in unnerving detail. We call on the PRC to immediately cease committing these atrocities, Burns post reads.

The U.S. embassy in Beijing also posted the press statement on WeChat and Weibo, the two dominant Chinese social media platforms. However, those posts were censored, according to Burns post on Sept. 7.

Likewise, in early June, Blinkens China Policy speech was censored by Chinese platforms.

Burns was nominated to his current post by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2021. He was sworn in on Jan. 25, ending a 17-month vacancy in the U.S. ambassadorship to China.

Burns has appeared quite active on Twitter. He now has more than 500 posts since obtaining his official Twitter account in February.
The streets of downtown Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, on Dec. 6, 2021. (Mavis Podokolo/AFP via Getty Images)

US Loses Key Foothold in the Pacific as China Gains Control of Solomon Islands

News Analysis

The Solomon Islands, a strategic Pacific nation, is slipping deeper into communist Chinas orbit.

On Aug. 29, the government of the Solomon Islands notified U.S. officials that they had suspended visits by U.S. and other foreign military vessels. The news came after both a U.S. Coast Guard ship and a British Royal Naval ship were denied approval to dock at the Solomon Islands.

These latest developments are fanning fears that the Pacific Island nation is turning away from the United States and moving closer to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

On April 20, just days before a U.S. delegation was scheduled to arrive in the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced that the country had signed a security agreement with China. The pact was condemned by local opposition leader Matthew Wale, who said that the agreement was not in the countrys best interests and threatened national unity.

Kurt Campbell, the White Houses Indo-Pacific coordinator, said the pact gave China an inroad in the Pacific. The pact also became a source of worry for the governments of other Pacific island nations that feared the Solomon Islands might allow China to install a military base. New Zealands foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, said the agreement was unwelcomed and unnecessary. Only 1,000 miles away, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also spoke out in opposition to the pact declaring, We dont want our own little Cuba off our coast.

Beijing denies wanting to have a foothold in the Pacific or build a military base in the Solomon Islands. However, according to Wale, the pact would allow China to deploy troops to the island to protect Chinese citizens, personnel, and investment projects. Wale saw no security benefit for his country, which already has agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

In November 2021, responding to a request by Sogavare, Australian troops were deployed to the nations capital city Honiara to quell riots targeted at the government and Chinese businesses. Much of the tensions between Sogavares government and the people were over the prime ministers decision in 2019 to rescind political recognition of Taiwan in favor of China. Angry protesters burned down numerous buildings in Chinatown. And Wale issued a call for Sogavare to resign.

Debris lies on the street outside damaged shops in Chinatown, Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Nov. 26, 2021. Tightening security bonds between China and the Solomon Islands were raising fears on March 25, 2022, that China could increase its military presence in a region, which is on Australias doorstep. (Piringi Charley/AP Photo)

Sogavare said the security pact with China was necessary to augment the countrys police capabilities and to better handle riots such as those in November 2021. In August 2022, the CCP sent officers to conduct training for the Solomon Islands police.

Daniel Suidani, the premier of Malaita Province, the countrys most populous island, has been an ongoing opponent of the countrys pro-CCP policies. Suidani maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan while officially rejecting any Chinese investment in his province. Throughout the pandemic, Malaita received COVID-19 aid from Taiwan, and the Taiwanese flag was prominently displayed at public events in the province.

In May 2021, Suidani was granted permission by the government of Taiwan to receive medical treatment in Taipei. He remained in the country for five months despite official protests by the Chinese embassy in Honiara, which issued a statement saying, China firmly opposes any official contacts in any form between Taiwan and any officials from countries having diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China.

The Pacific island nations are crucial to the U.S. Indo-Pacific defense plans, which are coordinated with Australia, New Zealand, and other allies. It was a blow to the United States, Taiwan, and other democratic nations when Kiribati and the Solomon Islands switched their recognition to China in 2019.

The Pacific island countries of Palau, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu are among the 13 nations still recognizing the independence of Taiwan. The CCP is courting the remaining friends of Taiwan by offering aid and police and military training.

In May, China presented 10 pacific nations with a broad economic and security deal called the China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision. This included increased law enforcement cooperation and police training. The agreement was rejected, but the CCP seems intent on winning over more support in the region and stifling U.S. efforts to maintain naval superiority.
United States Marines register their details as they queue to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Hansen in Kin, Japan, on April 28, 2021. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

US Marine Corps Quietly Changes COVID-19 Vaccine Policy

The U.S. Marine Corps issued guidance to roll back its strict punishments for service members who are seeking COVID-19 vaccine exemptions.

In guidance posted online on Sept. 14, the Marine Corps will not enforce any order to accept COVID-19 vaccination, administratively separate, or retaliate against Marines in the class for asserting statutory rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

That guidance was changed following a recent federal court order that temporarily blocked the Marines from taking action against individuals who seek a religious exemption. The latest guidance posted by the Marines made reference to that order, which was handed down in August.

Involuntary administrative separation processing of class members for refusing COVID-19 vaccination is suspended, the memo also said, while it directs commanders to pause all administrative actions related to the involuntary separation of a class member, regardless of the current status of the separation process.

Listing several examples, the Marine guidance added that no orders will be given to receive the vaccine, no counselings will be issued for refusing the vaccine, no administrative separation boards will be conducted, and no discharges will be issued.

If the Florida judges order is vacated or expires, the Marines may still enforce punishment against those who dont meet the COVID-19 vaccine requirement, a spokesperson told Fox News. Last year, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin issued an order that mandated vaccinations for all members of the armed service.

The Marine Corps is aware of the class-wide preliminary injunction issued by a District Court judge for the Middle District of Florida preventing the Marine Corps from enforcing any order to accept the COVID-19 vaccine or administratively separating Marines who refused to receive the COVID vaccine after their religious accommodation appeal was denied, Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jay Hernandez told the outlet.

Recruitment Down

In recent months, reports have indicated that every branch of the U.S. military is struggling to find new recruits, triggering warnings from some members of Congress.

Some have flagged the Pentagons strict vaccine requirement while others have said it is because of the slow creep of woke diversity trainings and mandates into the military. And others say that high U.S. obesity rates may be a contributing factor, and others note that the pay is not adequate.

We are on the cusp of a military recruiting crisis, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) told Politico in July. When Republicans take control of Congress in a few months, he added, averting the recruiting crisis will be a top priority of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army ranger, told the outlet that the Pentagon should promise more money in the form of enlistment incentives and bonuses.
Who Owns the California State Legislature?

Commentary

There is only one answer to this question: Public sector unions. Anyone who argues otherwise is either misinformed or has a personal or professional motivation to delude themselves and others.

Before offering evidence of the financial power of public sector unions, consider the power these unions wield that is not explicitly financial. These unions operate the machinery of government, with everything that implies.

Public sector union members staff the countless local, regional, and state bureaucracies that businesses depend on to obtain building permits and business permits. Among the functions of these bureaucracies is the power to enforce regulations, review mandatory reports from businesses, and conduct inspections. It only takes a few union zealots within these bureaucracies to decide to target any business that contributes to a politician or a cause that the union opposes.

The teachers union influencesmany would say they controlwhat is taught in public schools. This means their political ideology and political agenda is marketed to children from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade and into public colleges and universities. Throughout their childhood and youth, Californias public school students are indoctrinated to support public sector unions and the political agenda they promote.

Make no mistake about the nature of the public sector union political agenda; it is inherently leftist. The bigger and more intrusive government becomes, the more unionized government workers are hired, and the more membership dues these unions collect.

The union influence is perennial. Politicians may oversee the administrative apparatus of government, but politicians come and go. If a politician opposes public sector union policies, they are targeted for defeat in the next election. By the time a politician has learned how things are run in Sacramento, they are termed out. But the union leadership remains intact.

Unions Financial Influence

Which brings us to the financial clout these unions wield. A study conducted a few years ago by the California Policy Center found that public sector unions collect and spend nearly $1.0 billion per year. About one-third of that money is used explicitly for political campaigns at all levels of state and local government, which is over $600 million to spread around every two-year election cycle. Thats a lot, even in a state as big as California. And on top of that $600 million, additional funds are spent on lobbying, get-out-the-vote efforts, and massive public education campaigns that dont qualify as reportable political advocacy but invariably carry a message and a goal.

Public sector unions in California are also overwhelmingly partisan, and this may be one of the root causes of California becoming a one-party state. The respected nonpartisan political news website Cal Matters recently published two articles, one covering interesting races this November for the State Assembly, and one covering races for the State Senate. What they did not cover, however, was the role of union money in supporting Democrats.

For example, they covered 13 Assembly races. For the most part, they chose the races that are considered competitive. Of those 13 competitive races, four were between two Democrats, and one was between two Republicans. That leaves eight close Assembly races this November where a candidate from each major party is pitted against the other.

It is a relatively easy, if tedious, exercise to view who the donors are to these candidates. On the California Secretary of State website there is a database, updated every few months, that shows campaign donations by candidate. From a review of the races in the eight competitive Assembly Districts identified by Cal Matters7, 22, 27, 40, 47, 70, 74, and 76it was clear that public sector unions are heavily biased in favor of supporting Democratic candidates. The data is unambiguous.

Simply by sorting the contributions by amounts, using spreadsheets that can be downloaded from the California Secretary of States website, of the top 20 contributors for each candidate, the Democratic candidates got almost all of the union money. For example, when totaling the 20 top contributions to each of these eight Democratic candidates, you have a total of 160 donations. For those Democrats, 108 of the donations, or 68 percent, were from unions, almost all of them public sector unions.

Pilar Schiavo, running as a Democrat in the 40th Assembly District, received all 20 of her top 20 donations from unions. The Democrat getting the fewest donations from unions was Ken Cooley with seven union donations in his top 20, but another five of his top 20 were from the California Democratic Party. In most all cases, not only was union money heavily represented in their top 20 donations, but those donations were the biggest donations, appearing at the top of the list. Esmeralda Soria, for example, running for the 27th Assembly District, only got 9 of her top 20 from unions, but they were the top nine.

When it comes to union campaign support, Republican Assembly Candidates dont do nearly as well. In the same eight races, they got a grand total of 6 donations in their top 20, or slightly less than 4 percent. Of those 6, there were 4 going to one candidate, Juan Alanis, the GOP candidate running in the 22nd Assembly District.

The story in the California Senate elections is the same. Cal Matters identified eight interesting Senate races. Half of them feature a Democrat running against another Democrat. Of the other four, with 80 top 20 donor slots to gauge, the unions filled 40 of them. For the four Republican candidates, only four of the 80 top 20 donations came from unions, just 5 percent, and all 4 went to Roger Niello, a veteran politician who is taking money from prison guard and police unions.

In general, the Democrats got donations from public sector unions, other Democratic campaigns, the Democratic party, and big individual contributorscertain individual names popped up repeatedly. The Republicans, on the other hand, had fewer individuals making big contributions, less party money, and instead took money from business interests.

Unions vs. Business

One might hope that money from business interests would counteract unions. It doesnt. Business money goes to incumbents regardless of their party. Serious money from business only surfaces when they face an existential threat, such as the Uber and Lyft fight against AB 5, the independent contractor legislation. But in that case, these businesses didnt try to correct the flaws in AB 5 for everyone victimized by it, but only sought to carve out an exception for themselves.

In reviewing donations in these races featured by Cal Matters, businesses under threat, such as Californias overregulated and water-starved agriculture industry, were supporting candidates they thought might help them survive. But businesses in California have not unified to challenge public sector union power, and in most cases have in fact forged a symbiotic detente with them.

When poring over a lot of data, usually if theres a pattern, it becomes obvious. The trope frequently heard from unions is that they protect Californians from predatory businesses and wealthy dark money. But the reality is different. The perpetual flow of union money, sourced from the paychecks of public employees, is not matched by a perpetual flow from any opposing source.

Candidates that want to challenge the political agenda of unions have to raise their money one donation at a time. It has to be made voluntarily, once, then in the next cycle they start again from scratch. They have to convince big donors over and over that they can win, that the donor will not be alone and get targeted, and that theyll actually be able to do anything, anyway, in a legislature that is dominated by union-controlled politicians.

When it comes to getting elected to the California State Legislature, with rare exceptions, if you have union support, you win, and if you dont, you lose.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) logo is pictured on a wall in New York on Dec. 5, 2013. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Woman Charged With Fake Bomb Threat of Boston Childrens Hospital For Providing Trans Surgeries

A woman from Westfield, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged on Thursday after she allegedly made a false bomb threat against the Boston Childrens Hospital.

The hospital received the threat via phone on Aug. 30, with the caller claiming that there is a bomb on the way to the hospital, you better evacuate everybody you sickos, according to a Sept. 15 press release by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The hospital and surrounding areas were put on lockdown and a bomb squad was dispatched. However, no explosive devices were found.

Law enforcement officials linked the callers phone number to 37-year-old Catherine Leavy. During a search of her home, officials found the phone used to make the threat.

The woman now faces fines of up to $250,000 and a prison term of up to 10 years. Her detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16.

Boston Childrens Hospital has drawn backlash for pushing transgender surgeries for children. According to an archive of the hospitals webpage detailing the surgery, 17-year-olds were eligible for vaginoplasty.

A video posted to the hospitals YouTube channel in April talked about gender-affirming hysterectomies, according to a Breitbart report. Some hysterectomy procedures involve the removal of ovaries. The video is no longer publicly available.

After the video went viral, the hospital clarified that genital surgeries will only be performed on individuals aged 18 and older. The hospital also modified its webpage, stating that only those who are 18 years old can undergo vaginoplasty.

However, the hospital offers chest surgery for children aged 15 years and above if they fulfill certain conditions, one of them being if they submit a letter from a nurse or a medical doctor stating that they have persistent, well documented, gender dysphoria.

Transgender Identity, Banning Trans Surgeries For Minors

In another video, Dr. Jeremi Carswell, the Director of the Gender Multispeciality Service at the hospital, insists that children know that they are transgender from the moment they have any ability to express themselves.

She lists actions like refusing a haircut, standing or refusing to stand to urinate, trying on siblings clothing, and playing with the toys of the opposite gender as indications of a child possibly being transgender.

According to a Breitbart report, Carswell has received money from Endo Pharmaceuticalswhich manufactures puberty blockersas compensation for consulting on behalf of the company.

In December 2021, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated an investigation into Endo Pharmaceuticals for allegedly advertising puberty blockers for unapproved uses without revealing the potential risks of these drugs to parents or children.

Some Republican states are taking a stand against the promotion of transgenderism among children. Last month, the Florida Board of Medicine voted to move forward with a plan that will bar doctors from providing transgender treatments and puberty blockers to citizens under the age of 18.

Speaking to the board, pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Quentin Van Meter pointed out that countries like the UK, Finland, and Sweden have halted transgender treatment for youths.

They found that there was far more harm than any benefit in allowing these children to receive any kind of medical intervention, Van Meter said. There are approximately 127,000 children throughout the U.S. that are receiving gender-affirming treatment.
The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 14, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Yeshiva University Vows to Continue Fight Against Forced Recognition of LGBT Campus Club

Yeshiva University has vowed to continue fighting in litigation over who should have the power to determine which campus groups it recognizes, after the Supreme Court on Sept. 14 unexpectedly lifted an order that had allowed the university to refuse to accept an LGBT group based on the schools religious beliefs.

Founded in 1897, the Orthodox Jewish university in New York describes itself in court documents as the worlds premier Torah-based institution of higher education.

The word yeshiva itself refers to a traditional Jewish religious school.

Recognizing the LGBT student organization, YU Pride Alliance, would violate its religious teachings, the school argues.

In June, Judge Lynn Kotler of the 1st Judicial District of the New York Supreme Court, a Democrat, ruled that the university wasnt a bona fide religious corporation because its organizing documents do not expressly indicate that Yeshiva has a religious purpose.

This meant the school wasnt exempt from the public accommodation provisions of the New York City Human Rights Law, which forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and that Yeshiva was, therefore, required to recognize the club.

On Sept. 9, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees emergency applications from New York, unilaterally put Kotlers ruling on hold at the request of Yeshiva University.

She provided no reasons for her decision in the application known as Yeshiva University v. YU Pride Alliance (court file No. 22A184).

But on Sept. 14, the full Supreme Court suggested that the application had been brought prematurely since the lawsuit was still before the lower courts.

The high court reversed the stay in a 54 unsigned order without prejudice to applicants again seeking relief from this Court if, upon properly seeking expedited review and interim relief from the New York courts, applicants receive neither.

The application, the order continues, is denied because it appears that applicants have at least two further avenues for expedited or interim state court relief.

Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, told The Epoch Times that the school will continue to fight for its religious freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment.

Every faith-based university in the country has the right to work with its students, including its LGBT students, to establish the clubs, places, and spaces that fit within its faith tradition, Berman said in an emailed statement.

Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination. The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief, and we will follow their instructions.

At the same time, as our commitment to and love for our LGBT students are unshakeable, we continue to extend our hand in invitation to work together to create a more inclusive campus life consistent with our Torah values.

Yeshivas attorney, Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said he accepted the high courts decision.

Today the Supreme Court instructed Yeshiva University to make an additional effort to get the New York courts to grant them emergency relief and made clear that if that protection is not provided, they can return to the Supreme Court to seek its protection again, he said. We will follow the courts instruction.

Previously, Baxter denounced Kotlers ruling as an unprecedented intrusion into the autonomy of a religious organization and a gross violation of the First Amendment.

Katie Rosenfeld, a lawyer for the YU Pride Alliance group, lauded the Supreme Courts withdrawal of the stay.

This Supreme Court decision is a victory for Yeshiva University students who are simply seeking basic rights that are uncontested at peer universities, Rosenfeld said, as previously reported by The Epoch Times.

A majority of the Supreme Court has ruled that this case must go through the normal state process, rejecting the university administrations unprecedented, premature, and harmful rush to the highest federal court in the country.

Justice Samuel Alito disagreed with the Sept. 14 order, and his dissenting opinion was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Alito stated that Yeshiva would likely win if its case came before [the Supreme Court].

Does the First Amendment permit a State to force a Jewish school to instruct its students in accordance with an interpretation of Torah that the school, after careful study, has concluded is incorrect? Alito wrote.

The answer to that question is surely no.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to the free exercise of religion, and if that provision means anything, it prohibits a State from enforcing its own preferred interpretation of Holy Scripture.

Yet that is exactly what New York has done in this case, and it is disappointing that a majority of this Court refuses to provide relief.
International Monetary Fund logo outside the headquarters building during the IMF/World Bank spring meeting in Washington on April 20, 2018. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

Zambias Bondholders Slam IMF Debt Relief Targets as Arbitrary

LONDONZambias international bondholders have criticized the International Monetary Funds debt restructuring framework as arbitrary and for excluding the countrys domestic debt.

Zambia has been in default for almost two years and an IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis published last week called for its debt-service-to-exports ratio to be cut to a 140 percent threshold from 153 percent quickly and to 84 percent by 2027.

Now, all of a sudden, they have an arbitrary 84 percent number, said Kevin Daly, head of emerging market debt at Abrdn, who chairs a committee of bondholders estimated to hold around 45 percent of Zambias $3 billion worth of international market debt.

How did you arrive at that number? Its such a different figure than the [140 percent] threshold, he told Reuters, calling on the IMF to meet with bondholders, who have complained of being left out of the loop as the IMF and bilateral creditors worked out a plan.

An IMF spokesperson said it would brief Zambias creditors on economic forecasts and policies and denied the 84 percent debt-to-exports ratio target was arbitrary.

The target is firmly grounded in the IMF-WB Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries, they said in emailed comments. It is consistent with a level of external debt-to-exports for country having space to absorb shocks.

Zambias much-delayed debt restructuring is seen by analysts as a test case for what are expected to be a spate of defaults in poorer countries that have borrowed heavily not only in the capital markets but also from countries including China.

David Malpass, president of the World Bank, the IMFs sister organization, said last week that a deep debt reduction of 45 percent in net present value (NPV) terms  is essential.

Relief of that magnitude would not be acceptable [to] creditors, including Chinese lenders, Daly said.

He declined to say what other bondholders would agree to, but said that from his perspective, If it was something more in the  2030 percent range, I think that would be acceptable.

A bond recovery value of $65 to $75, with an exit yield of 1112 percent was realistic, he said.
Natural resources play a fundamental role in the socio-economic survival and development of any human society. Right from prehistory, classical, dark, middle, and down to the present information age of world civilisation, humans have continued to exploit and exercise their ancestral and legal rights over the natural resources domiciled in their respective geographical territories for the primary purpose of surviving economically either as individuals or groups. As natural resources have given human societies economic hope and social relevance, it has also resulted in the clash of human interests which is responsible for the tensions being experienced in many societies around the world today. Nigeria like many other African states is endowed with vast natural resources of high commercial value which can be found in multiple locations across the country. These include petroleum, natural gas, solid minerals, and precious metals, and arable lands. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audit report of 2012 claimed that there are about 40 different kinds of solid minerals and precious metals buried in Nigerias soil waiting to be exploited with their commercial value estimated to run into hundreds of trillions of dollars. The Northern part of Nigeria was reported to house 70 per cent of them. Also, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) as of May 2022 put the countrys crude oil reserve at 37.046 billion barrels and natural gas reserve at 208.62 trillion cubic feet. In addition, the country has an arable land area of 34 million hectares: 6.5 million hectares for permanent crops, and 28.6 million hectares of meadows and pastures .

The glorious days

During the early days of independence, scholars and public affairs analysts projected Nigeria to be among the super nations of the world considering the vast natural resources available to her and their economic value. According to a Professor of International Relations, Sheriff Folarin , Nigerians at independence were high flyers in intellectual and educational endeavours, business, international diplomacy, and in military and political leadership. The Nigerian government embarked on many flamboyant diplomatic and military missions particularly on the African continent in an attempt to decolonise African territories under colonial rule and restore peace in troubled states of the continent. Also, within this period, Nigeria scaled up its industrialisation efforts. Attesting to the enormous national wealth under the control of the federal government of Nigeria then, the BBC reported that the Nigerian former military Head, General Yakubu Gowon, during the oil boom of the 1970s publicly claimed that Nigeria's problem was not money but how to spend it.

The problem

Unfortunately, decades after General Yakubu Gowon's statement, money has become Nigerias problem. This is evident in the incessant borrowing by the national and federating states' government from domestic and foreign sources to support public revenue shortfalls and fulfil government expenditure obligations. Nigeria like many other developing countries of Africa is facing numerous socio-economic challenges. The World Bank reported that in 2018, 40 per cent of Nigerians (83 million people) lived below the poverty line, while another 25 percent (53 million) were vulnerable. The number of Nigerians living below the international poverty line according to the institution is expected to rise by 12 million between 2019 and 2023, if adequate measures are not adopted to address the countrys socio-economic challenges. This has further worsened Nigerias security condition as the country was recently ranked 75th out of 141 countries surveyed on the 2022 global safety perception index of Lloyds Register Foundation Safety Perceptions Index (SPI), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. This is in addition to other numerous social challenges especially the mass migration of citizens to other countries of the world in search of greener pastures.

Petroleum or crude oil is one of the natural resources Nigeria has in large quantity and the countrys biggest export commodity to the international market. It replaced agriculture, solid minerals, and manufacturing as the mainstay of Nigerias economy since its discovery and exploitation ( Dutch disease ). However, the enormous wealth of petroleum that nature has bequeathed to the Nigerian state has not improved the economic condition of the country and the general well-being of the majority of the citizens ( Nigerian disease ). Unlike Nigeria, countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates among others have used their oil wealth to transform their national life, especially in the area of human capital development and modern infrastructural development within the last few decades. These countries have become destinations of tourism and business investment for people across the world. Given this, one begins to wonder what these countries have done and are doing differently to record these success stories that Nigeria has not done and is not doing. Scholars and opinion experts, however, have attributed this difference to leadership and corruption.

Corruption is a global phenomenon, but there is doubt that it is the major challenge to effective political leadership and meaningful national development across sectors and sub-sectors in Nigeria. One of the sectors in which corruption is ladened is the petroleum sub-sector of the Nigerian economy. For decades, Nigerians are yet to see the economic benefits of petroleum because of the monumental corruption going on in the sector. Given the problems facing Nigerias petroleum sectors such as the inability of the country to refine her petroleum locally as a result of the lack of political will and corruption among the political class, to the massive corruption surrounding petroleum subsidy and the diversion of imported and subsidised petroleum products to neighbouring countries by power elites for more economic gains. The issue of crude oil theft in Nigeria has become a monster that is not only threatening the economic survival and stability of Nigeria, but ridiculing the image of the country before the international community. In view of this ugly scenario, three questions come to mind. First, what is the economic cost of crude oil theft to Nigeria? Second, who are those behind crude oil theft in Nigeria? And thirdly, what effort is the Nigerian government making to stop the problem of crude theft?

The COVID-19 pandemic crippled the global economy as a result of the suspension of internal and cross-border economic and social activities across the globe by governments to contain the spread of the virus. The Nigerian economy which is largely dependent on crude oil export was not spared from the economic holocaust as the price of crude in the international market crashed to an all-time low.This led to budget readjustment at different times. With global economies trying to recover in the post-COVID-19 era and the price of crude oil appreciating significantly in the international oil market, the problem of crude oil theft has remained an incurable and uncontrollable disease that is crippling the Nigerian petro-economy.Different reports have surfaced on how Nigeria continues to lose millions of barrels of crude oil to the tune of millions and billions of American dollars to theft and sabotage. This type of organised crime is as old as the Nigerian petroleum sector.

Crude oil theft in Nigerias oil-producing region of Niger Delta has become a common scenario just as the illegal refining of stolen crude in different creeks of the region. A report by the Stakeholder Democracy Network revealed that crude oil theft cartels in the Niger Delta illegally tap from the transportation pipelines of licensed Multinational Oil Companies who carry out the actual crude oil drilling operations at the point of transporting the crude from one point to another. The report further stated that the installation of pipes by the cartel to the pipelines of Multinational Oil Companies is done with great skill using skilled welders who can successfully install taps, both on dry land and underwater. Many of these skilled welders were reported to be former contractors for Multinational Oil Companies and are now formally unemployed. This operation is believed to be mostly carried out at night. The stolen crude is transported from their point of tapping through the creeks using boats to points of commercialisation. The Stakeholder Democracy Network reported that a bulk of the stolen crude, up to 75 per cent is transported to oil tankers waiting off the coast for national, regional,and possibly, international markets while the remaining quantitiesare supplied to illegal refineries camps scattered around the creeks of the Niger Delta. All these activities are to the economic loss of the Nigerian state and continue to pose a threat to the economic future of the country, if allowed to continue.

The economic cost of crude oil theft to Nigeria

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in its audit report revealed that Nigeria in 2018, lost about 53.28 million barrels of crude to oil theft. In 2019, the agency reported that the country lost 42.25 million barrels of crude oil to oil theft, valued at $2.77 billion. In 2020 which was the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Nigeria lost $1.63 billion to crude oil theft at a time the average price of crude oil was at $41.65 per barrel. This amounted to 6.10 per cent of the year's total budgeted production. The figures rose in 2021, as Nigeria was reported to have lost $4 billion to crude oil theft on the benchmark of daily theft of 200,000 barrels of crude oil. In 2022, the condition seems to be getting gloomier. Between January and July of 2022, Nigeria was reported to have lost an average of 437,000 barrels of oil each day to criminal cartels who illicitly tap pipelines onshore and offshore in the Niger Delta region. This estimated daily quantity of stolen crude oil ifcalculated using the current official exchange rate (at N430 to the American dollar) is worth more than $10 billion . This amount is more than what is needed financially to end the lingering strike action by staff of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, which has resulted in the abysmal performance of tertiary education in the country.

This economic sabotage continues to affect the ability of the federal government to meet up with its financial obligations, particularly in the area of debt servicing and repayment, fuel subsidy, execution of various capital projects, and the ability of the country to save. The estimated total revenue from oil and gas to the federal government of Nigeria was put at N9.37 trillion for the entire 2022 fiscal yearand projected expenditure at N17.32 trillion. However, the Minister of Finance Mrs. Ahmed Zainab during the summary of the fiscal performance for the first quarter of 2022 noted that the federal government's total revenue for the quarter was N1.63 trillion, 49 per cent of the N3.32 trillion projected revenue for the quarter. Out of the realised N1.63 trillion as revenue to the federal government, actual spending as of April 30th was N4.72 trillion as debt servicing gulped N1.94 trillion, N1.26 trillion for personnel costs, including pensions, and N773.63 billion for capital expenditure.

Given the foregoing, it is therefore evident that the cost of debt servicing in the first quarter of 2022 exceeded government revenue. The economic nightmare of Nigeria is further complicated by the transformation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) into a public limited liability company now known as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). The implication of this is that the government can no longer subsidise the activities of NNPC Limited as it regards subsidy payment under the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021 as it has become a profit-making organisation.

Furthermore, the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed have stated that the Federal Government of Nigeriais proposing a total expenditure of N19.76 trillion for the 2023 financial year at a projected crude oil price of $70 per barrel, and a projected daily crude oil production of 1.69 million barrels per day at an exchange rate of N435.57 per dollar. The 2023 budgetary expenditure reflects an increase of 15.37 per cent from that of 2023.The Minister claimed that the budgetary expenditure may get up to N12.42 trillion if the government should keep petroleum subsidy for the entire 2023 fiscal cycle as against June of 2023 which it is proposing as the deadline for the end of fuel subsidy because of the financial stress it has on the economy. However, the projected deficit based on the initial expenditure is put at N11.30 trillion, a 54 per cent increase from that of the 2022 budget estimated deficit. Fuel subsidy is also projected to gulp around N6.7trillion for the whole of 2023 or N3.36trillion for half of the year. The deficit is expected to be financed through domestic and foreign borrowings further compounding the already complicated debt servicingproblem of Nigeria. These economic challenges facing the country are issues that could have been avoided or minimised to the lowestlevel, if the monster problem of crude oil theft and associated criminalities going on within the Nigerian petroleum sector hadbeen addressed by committed political leadership as they should.

Unmasking the crude oil theft cartel

In view of the grave implications crude oil theft poses to the economic survival and sustainability of Nigeria now and in the near future, the million-dollar questions many Nigerians are asking arewho are those behind crude oil theft in Nigeria? and what is the government doing to end this menace? According to Stakeholder Democracy Network, crude oil theft and illegal oil refining in the Niger Delta region have grown so blatant and coordinated involving local communities, government officers, oil workers, and security agencies, that it is now challenging to properly categorise the sabotage as a crime. The Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria/Mid Africa Business Unit, Richard Kennedy during the 2022 Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference held in Abuja revealed that the problem of crude oil theft has nothing to do with host communities' issues and should not be confused with it. According to him, crude oil theft is an organised crime involving many stakeholders, and the actual financial loss to Nigeria is far beyond what is officially reported in the news media. From the angle of thegovernment, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, Mele Kyari, in August of2022 publicly claimed that high placed Nigerians, including religious, community leaders, and government officials, were fully involved in crude oil theft. He lamented that illegal petroleum products pipelines were connected to Churches and Mosques. President Muhammadu Buhari has equally lamented the ugly incident. Since the government we elected to solve our national problems is grieving before the citizens over an issue they ought to have taken care of, what then is our hope?

Logically, no stolen crude oil can leave the territory of Nigeria without the help of uniformed officers of the state with the constitutional mandate to monitor the entry and exit of persons and goods in line with the established rules. It has been argued that the biggest advantage of oil theft cartels operating in Nigeria is the involvement of the countrys uniformed men charged with the responsibility of protecting the resources of the state in criminal enterprise. A report in the Vanguard newspaper claimed that security agents under the instruction of their superiors provide security to vessels carrying stolen crude out of the country's territorial waterways to ready customers with foreign collaborators. It also revealed that security operatives who mount patrol on waterways also collect levies from small-scale oil thieves. This has resulted in many security officers lobbying to serve in such lucrative beat and make returns to their superior officers who facilitated their posting.

Similarly, a 2015 report from the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) revealed that JTF members comprising of the Nigerian Military (Land, Maritime, and Air), Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) are actively involved in crude oil theft in the Niger Delta as they provide security to local oil thieves during their installation of taps that divert crude oil from pipelines, collect transportation taxes for vehicles transporting oil and demand regional security payments from illegal oil refineries for ongoing protection. Transparency International also claimed that many reports have accused the Nigerian armed forces of enabling and benefitting from crude oil theft and illegal refining. TI stated that security officials turn a blind eye to the illegal activities of crude oil thieves and protect them from their rivals at extraction points in exchange for financial benefits. In another event, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, in 2019 publicly alleged that senior military officials are sponsoring oil bunkering in his state. However, the leadership of the countrys security agencies have always denied and debunked these allegations.

Oil companies operating in the Niger Delta have at some points been associated with the scandal going on in Nigerias petroleum sector as regards crude oil theft. In 2013, the Special Assistant to the President on Amnesty, Kingsley Kuku, accused oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region of being aware of their Nigerian employees engaging in oil theft but did nothing to stop it. Mr. Kuku argued that the process of illegally extracting crude oil from the pipelines in the coastal areas requires highly technical and mechanical expertise which ordinary Nigerians or residents of the oil-producing communities of Niger Delta do not have. AiteoExploration and Production Company, an indigenous oil companyformed last year, accused the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) of short-changing it 1,022,029 barrels of crude, while using the Bonny Crude Export Terminal operated by SPDC between 2016 and 2018 after it acquired OML 29 for US$2.4 billion following SPDCs 2015 divestment of its 45 per cent stake from the asset. However, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) described the allegations of involvement in oil theft at its Bonny Crude Export Terminal as misleading.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited formerly known as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is one of the most politicised institutions in Nigeria considering the key role it plays in the Nigerian economy particularly in overseeing operations of the Nigerian petroleum industry. Given this, members of the Nigerian public have continued to question the transparency of the institutions activities given the numerous scandals being recorded in the Nigerian petroleum industry. It is on record that the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu was charged withfinancial corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Correspondingly, the current Group Managing Director (GMD) Mela Kyari on the assumption of office in 2019 admitted that there is corruption in the NNPC. Consideringthe incessant nature of crude oil theft ravaging the Nigerian petroleum industry, the NNPC as the regulatory body of the sectorcannot be exempted from what is happenings.

Chatham House report of 2013 revealed what they called the white collar branch of oil theft in Nigeria. This allegedly involves pumping illegally obtained oil onto tankers already loading at export terminals or siphoning crude from terminal storage tanks onto trucksand bills of lading (B/L) and other shipping and corporate documents may be falsified to paper over the theft. The report concluded that what happens around the export terminals is contested and largely hidden from outsiders.

Also, a report by Vanguard newspaper revealed the role of oil workers in crude oil theft. The report stated that oil bunkering cartels are collaborating with officials in the petroleum sector tosteal crude directly from major crude oil pipelines in the Niger Delta, as they provide crude oil thieves with the accurate time and duration of crude oil pumping to different terminals and the exact pipelines they will be going through. This enables the oil thieves to be better prepared and successful in their illegal operations. However, these insiders cannot be part of this criminal enterprise without being direct beneficiaries.

What is the government doing?

In view of the foregoing, it is no longer in doubt that crude oil theft is an organised crime involving stakeholders from different strata of the Nigerian society and the petroleum industry with a specialstructure of execution. As complex and coordinated as crude oil theft is in Nigeria, the onus is on the federal government by the virtue of its exclusive control of natural resources to proffer lasting solutions to it and save the country from the financial bleeding the act has caused it. However, the political and administrative will to act by the leaders concerned is a challenge. The present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015 with three key mandates  ending insecurity, improving the economy, and combating corruption. While the government claim to have made progress in these areas, some parts of the Nigerian public argue that the performance of the Buhari-led federal government in tackling insecurity, improving the economy, and fighting corruptionare below what it is claiming. Assessing the administrations performance in tackling crude oil theft using its three key mandate areas, it is fair to say that Buharis administration is below the bar. There is a poor security system for the countrys oil installations which makes it easy for thieves to illegally tap them. Security personnel who are sent to protect oil installations are compromised by crude oil thieves. High-ranking state actors in collaboration with other none state actors are actively involved in sponsoring crude oil theft, but have not been exposed and punished by the government. In all, the activities of oil thieves continue to hurt and weaken the Nigerian economy to the point that the country is dependent on financial borrowings to support a large scale of her annual budget.

One critical question that comes to mind is; why has the Nigerian government failed to deploy modern technology to monitor all the operations within its petroleum industry like other big oil-producing nations of the world of which the Saudi Arabia Aramco and Abu Dhabi ADNOC in the United Arab Emirates are good examples?This will reduce to the lowest or possibly end the large quantity of crude oil worth humongous amounts financially lost to oil theft.Regrettably, Nigerias total daily crude production up to the present time is largely based on a manual estimate.

In 2017, the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, told pressmen that from 2019, the Federal Governmentin collaboration with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)would begin tracking Nigerias crude oil using the Information Technology (IT) platform that would enable the government to account for every quantity of the commodity produced in the country, thereby ending the manual estimate regime. Unluckily, the minister with such a brilliant idea and many more on how to transform the Nigerian petroleum sector to be transparent and accountable to the people was not reappointed in the second term of the administration. A few years after, the old system of manual estimation which aids crude oil theft daily continues to be in use as the country continues to suffer huge financial losses. Last year, the executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mr. Ogbonnaya Orji during a courtesy visit to Mansur Liman, Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) said that the exact quantity of crude oil produced in Nigeria is still unknown as a result of the absence of meters at wellheads and the inability to monitor deep offshore fields. In many cases, there have been discrepancies between the daily crude oil production estimate of NEITI and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

As the Federal Government of Nigeria is reluctant in deploying efficient modern technology that will aid its manpower to monitor effectively all the operations within its petroleum industry for the economic benefit of the country in the midst of dwindling national revenue, it has employed the service of non-state actors to protect oil installations in the Niger Delta from the sabotage of oil thieves. Recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria awarded a multi-billion-naira pipeline surveillance contract to a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo. The actual worth of the contract was reportedly put at N48 billion per year (N4 billion per month). The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited chief executive officer Mr. Mele Kyari amid public reactions to the news explained during the 49th session of the state house briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that it was not the first time that individuals within the Niger Delta region were awarded contracts for pipeline surveillance. He also stated that the present decision was necessitated by the need for Nigeria to hire private contractors to man its oil pipeline network nationwide due to massive oil theft.

However, the concern about such a government decision is itseconomic rationality considering the financial state of the country which requires prudent spending, and the fact that we have security personnel that can deliver on the same assignment with lesser resources spent. Another concern is how sustainable is the practiceconsidering the capitalist nature of mercenaries which expose the state to their financial blackmail. This is already building up as it was reported in the media that militant groups within the Niger Delta region are threatening to make the surveillance contract ineffectual because of their anger that the federal government leftthem out of the luscious contract. In all, the Nigerian people are the ones at loss as financial resources that would have been used to advance public good keep finding their ways into private pockets. Therefore, crude oil theft has become a sweet apple that those whohave tasted refused to let go of. In this era that technology hasprovided smart solutions to almost all human problems, one may not be completely out of place to say that the thriving enterprise ofcrude oil theft in a bleeding economy such as Nigeria, is an economic conspiracy of the Nigerian elites suffering from predatory material resource accumulation syndrome against the ordinary people over the commonwealth of the nation.

What should be done?

Going forward, the focus should be on what needs to be done to correct this ugly narrative. Interestingly, the solution we seek is in the problem and that is Leadership. Institutions do not function on their own, it is humans that give life to them. The difference between progressive and retrogressive societies are the quality, commitment to standards, and transparency of human beings manning their public and private institutions. It is therefore fair to say that leadership determines the rise and fall of any society. To turn around the ugly trend in the Nigerian petroleum industry as it regards crude oil theft, the country needs quality, committed and transparent political and administrative leadership. Politically, Nigerians must elect into positions of public leadership people of proven character and good track record, who are not afraid to make tough decisions that will be in the interest of the general public and stand by those decisions until they materialised, no matter the storm. The selection of these political leaders by the people must be based on their ability to deliver on their national assignment to the people and not on the petty issue of ethno-religious identity. The right choice of political leaders will reflect on the quality of individuals appointed to head different government ministries, agencies, and parastatals and the work ethics they will bring on board. A quality, committed and transparent political leadership will ensure that the right people are selected to manage the Nigerian petroleum industry and the best of modern technology are deployed to monitor and give accurate account to the public of every single activity within the industry. Interestingly, the 2023 general elections are around the corner and it will serve as an avenue for the Nigerian people to fix what they considered a problem to them. There is a saying that the leadership of every society is a reflection of who the people are. As the 2023 general elections draw closer, the question is how are we the Nigerian citizens shaping the politics for the politicians to follow? Are we still holding onto the traditional politics of ethno-religious bias or are we making the election and politics issues-based, where the problems of Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion, location, or social status, will be the focus?
A member of the Nigerian Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW) at Garki Local Government Area of Jigawa State has reportedly been shot by some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service on Border Drill Number 16.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Public Relations Officer, CSC Adamu Shehu, on Thursday.

The NSCDC said the member was allegedly hit by a stray bullet of the customs operatives that were pursuing suspected smugglers.

Shehu said the victim identified as Abdurrahman Mohammed was dusting off his car outside Garki Motor Park when he saw a fast approaching vehicle of Nigeria Customs Service with No.16 boldly written on it.

Daily trust reported that the customs operatives suddenly stopped and one of them shot him despite the plea of a soldier.

The Spokesperson added that the customs men immediately fled the scene.

Meanwhile, the victim was lucky to have survived the attack as the bullet only brushed his stomach, leaving behind the wound treated at the Garki General Hospital.

The Public Relations Officer of the Kano-Jigawa zone of the Nigeria Customs was yet to react to the incident despite calls put to his phone number.
If there is any occurrence that further supports the belief that in Nigerias public leadership corridors, once a direction is chosen, instead of examining the process meticulously and setting the right course; one that will allow us to overcome storm and reach safety before we can progress and achieve our goals, many of our leaders obstinately persist with the execution of such plans regardless of need for a minor or major shift in circumstance, it is the recent insistence by Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) that the ongoing demolition of illegal structures in Kuje Area Council was designed to curb insecurity.

The explanation was given when they appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Area Councils, to respond to a petition by victims of the demolition. Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) Coordinator Umar Shaibu said the exercise was undertaken by the administration to quickly respond to identified threats to national security, peace and order.

While the declaration by Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) authority looks good in principle, it more than anything else shows a bunch that is not ready to study history, study the actions of their predecessors, to see how they conducted themselves in order to discover that evictions option is not the solution to insecurity but can only aggravate the situation as it renders victims homeless, destitute, and vulnerable to violence, theft and rape.

There is glaring evidence that supports the above assertion.

It will be recalled that demolition/forced eviction gained entrance into the nation's leadership lexicon in July 1990 when Raji Rasaki in his capacity as Military Governor of Lagos State for yet to be identified reasons destroyed Maroko. Over 300,000 people that inhabited Maroko then were reportedly affected.

About nine years after the Maroko experience, democracy came on board. But contrary to that expectation, even the dawn of democracy in May 1999, did not bring a shift in paradigm as successive democratically elected governors beginning with- Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu (May 1999 to 2007, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), 2007 to 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode (2015 to 2019) and presently Mr. Babajide Sanwolu, stuck to the practice.

But the more the Government forcefully evicts residents, the more it leads to further proliferation of more slum and blighted communities in the state.

Another instance, Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in the name of restoration of the Abuja Master plan, going by reports demolished no fewer than 200 buildings in the FCT and thousands in the satellite towns, which left many families stranded and unable to regain their balance till date.

Sounding impenitent over his tenure, the former minister said in his 627-page book tiled 'Accidental Civil Servant': For me restoring order in the chaos that we found in many aspect of living in Abuja at the time, was simply consistent with my personal philosophy in life, a preference for rules and orderliness- a burden that I needed to discharge personally so I could sleep well at night. It was without question worth giving four years of my life pursuing. Therefore, I have no regrets for attempting to do what we did. We did what we believed was right at the time.

But the question that begs for an answer from El Rufai is; since after that wanton demolition and thoughtless disruption of peoples means of livelihood, has the Abuja Master Plan truly been restored? If yes, why is the present administration still pushing for demolition and forced eviction? Is that not a sign that demolition/forced eviction is only but a prescription that only addresses the effect of an ailment while leaving the root cause to thrive?

Broadly speaking, the above sad account is a symbol of governments that are unmindful of, or consciously decided to flagrantly ignore global framework on physical planning of livable neighborhood, slum upgrade and urban regeneration.

To buttress this claim, lets cast a glance at how a similar slum challenge was creatively handled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, without displacement or eviction of the original occupants.

Instead of removing the favelas,- a people initially considered/described as illegal occupants, many of the governments policies were made to focus more on improving the infrastructure of the people/the area. The Inter-American Development Bank for example, funded a US$180 million slum to neighborhood project in 1995, which sought to integrate existing favelas into the fabric of the city through infrastructure upgrading and service development. The project involved 253,000 residents in 73 favela neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. When a favela was selected, a master plan for upgrades was drafted and community organizations were contacted and asked to provide their input. When the final plan was approved, incentive plans were implemented for hiring construction companies that employed local community workers.

From Brazil to Spain and South Africa, the story and experience is the same.

Comparatively, when one juxtaposes the above accounts as recorded in Brazil, with that of Abuja and the July 1990 Marokos experience, there exists a gully of difference. Essentially, aside from the imperative of drawing useful lessons from Brazil experience, why the above examples are important is that here in Nigeria, each time the government wants to achieve this heinous objective (forced eviction/demolition), they tag the targeted community as highly populated urban residential area consisting decrepit housing units in a situation of deteriorated or incomplete infrastructures.

Relevant government agencies are in the habit of pushing this argument as if infrastructural provision is the responsibility of the masses.

For me, the truth is that for us to stop dislocating families through forced eviction that interrupt citizens means of livelihood, and in its place, engineer sustainable development in ways that protects the present and the rights of the future generations, and most particularly help enthrone an organized and livable environment for the citizens of the state, I think that what Nigerian governments is doing in the name of urban renewal/upgrade/regeneration is not the best way of turning Slum to Neighborhood

If not, why must a state wait for her citizens to build in unapproved places before moving in with their bulldozers for demolition/eviction? Why do public office officers in the country find it difficult nipping illegal constructions/unapproved buildings in the bud, but convenient to demolish after construction? Which one is easier and more cost effective; taking proactive steps that prevent Nigerians from building in unauthorized places, or deploying states resources to effect demolition of structures built in the full glare of the Government? Most importantly and strategically, as a government, which one is the most noble and dignifying option; being reactive or proactive?

While answers to the above questions are awaited, this piece thinks in the interim that there is a spirit behind this penchant for forced eviction by public office holders in the country.



Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), A Lagos-Based Non Governmental Organization (NGO).And could be reached via [email protected] /08032725374.






General Paul Agge, a former Niger Delta Ex-Agitator and Current National Cordinator, South South Wing Of Ex-Agitators (SSWA), has hailed President Muhammadu Buharis recent removal of Col. Milland Dikkio rtd, as the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and Special Adviser to the President, and the appointment of Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd) as his replacement.

This was contained in a statement dated Thursday September 15, 2022, which was personally signed by him and made available to GbaramatuVoice.

According to the statement, President Buhari Muhammadu Buhari latest action has again portrayed him in good light as a listening president. This fact becomes evident as Dikkio continued stay in that position would amounted nothing other than a burden and clog in the will of progress to the well intentioned presidential amnesty programm.

Agge said; we are particularly happy that Mr. President listened to our ceaselss call for Dikkios removal.

Recall that I have in a similar statement issued a while ago stated that Col. Dikkio stay is been characterized by much words without action and therefore should be removed.

Continuing, he stressed that in the past few years of Dikkios administration as interim Presidential Amnesty Boss, he turned the programme to a platform for delivering of lectures that were irrelevant to the targeted beneficiaries. Amnesty programme under his watch has witnessed a high level of nepotism and favoritism. Dikkio only trained those that are close to him or recommended by his friend and associated. He abandoned youths from the creeks of Niger delta region who are supposed to be real beneficiaries. Dikkios removal is a right step taken in the right direction.

History will always presents Dikio as the worst Coordinator the office has ever had, he concluded.

While congratulating Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd ) as the New Amnesty Boss, Agge expressed hope that the Odoni , Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State- born, and Nigerian Defence Academy 29th Regular Combatant Course trained ex soldier will deliver in his new responsibility.

You must learn from the mistake of his predecessors. You must have both listening ears and disposition. You must not ignore the Niger Delta youths who are the real beneficiaries of the programme peace can reign in the region. These teaming youths must be trained, retrained and empowered. If you are able to achieve this objective, it will definitely ensure lasting peace in the region. Agge advised.
The world has a brand new Monarch, he is the latest to ascend the tried and tested traditional throne of British Monarchy. King Charles the 111 , the king of England, and his wife, Camellia, are the new royalties.

King Charles at 73, was the oldest heir apparent to the throne in British history. He waited over 70 years to ascend the throne of his forebears, the throne of one of the world's most powerful, and enduring monarchies. He is the King of England and 14 other commonwealth realms.

King Charles late mother, Queen Elizabeth the 11, reigned for exactly 70 years, during which time a lot of developments took place in her Empire. Coincidentally, the Queen was on the African soil, during her trip to Kenya when she received the sad news of the passage of her father, King George the VI.

As the Queen, Elizabeth was the head of government during the colonial Africa and was the chief signatory to her Empire's wars, looting and neocolonialism. Colonialism was cruel. It remains a scare, infact, many view it as a perpetual wound. Africa was bought, beaten, and broken during the colonial times.

How did slave trade and colonialism impact on Africa negatively? Slavery aided the colonial masters in their bid to colonize Africa and subsequent resources exploitation, which they institutionalized under their imperial government. Slavery and colonialism is alleged to have laid the foundation for post colonial conflicts in Africa. The human impact of the slave trade is unimaginable.

Again, why does the British Monarchy continue to confound, excite and elicit awe?

The British Monarchy remains hugely relevant in United Kingdom, and beyond. What makes it so?

Queen Elizabeth was a very dynamic ruler. Even though she is steeped in tradition, she was able to move with world trend and carried both the monarchy and everyone along. She seriously resisted the temptations of interfering with government procedures and processes.

She was a symbol of stability, she lead with dignity and kept reinventing the monarchy.

Opinions remain divided on the expectations from King Charles 111. Some think he is not charismatic like the mother and may not be able to inspire fellowship from his subjects, and around the world.

Critics claim he interfered too much, and radically too, on government matters as the Prince of Wales and they fear he may not be able to purge himself of such tendencies.

Significantly, there has been great monarchies that has been swept away or aside by the forces of change, democracy, referendum, military coup, revolution, etc.

A monarch rules or reigns over a kingdom or empire, he holds preeminent position or power, he is a single ruler, usually a king or queen. There are absolute and constitutional monarchy.

There are 44 monarchies in the world today. 13 of them are in Asia, 12 are in Europe, 10 are in North America, 6 are in Oceanic and 3 are in Africa. However, there are only 29 monarchs recognized as head of nations. Of the 29, 4 are absolute while the rest 25 are constitutional monarchs .

Twenty nine monarchs rule over these twenty nine counties.... Andorra, Barahan, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Denmark, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Leichesternn, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Neither Lands, Norway, Oman, Samoa , Saudi Arabia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga , United Kingdom, and Vatican city.

Oman, Swaziland, Saudi Arabia and Vatican city practice absolute monarchy and their heads are absolute monarchs. They head the state and head the government. They keep power for life or abdication.

In Africa, only Swaziland, now known as Eswatini has an absolute monarch. The king of Eswatini is absolute, he rules without bounds. The kings of Morocco and Lesotho, the other two monarchies in Africa, are bound by laws and customs.

In Africa as elsewhere around the world, there are sub regional monarchs. Some notable Nigeria monarchs are: The Obi of Onitsha, The Sultan of Sokoto, The Asagba of Asaba, The Oba of Benin, The Olu of Warri, The Emir of Kano. Every town or autonomous community has a traditional ruler or king.

Interestingly, the royal institution in Nigeria has lost considerable power and influence. Although most monarchs still perform useful religious functions that includes, settling land matters, minor chieftaincy issues and other not too serious misunderstandings amongst their subjects. Practically, sovereign government and monarchy seems an insurmountable contradiction in Africa and Nigeria with many critics suggesting it's scrapping. They believe monarchs are symbolic heads with no real powers.

The example of Nigeria s Governor Wike of Rivers State is still fresh . The governor on National television chided and ridiculed a king in his State, addressing him as a " small boy".

" You are wearing something that is bigger than you.... Uthman Dan Fodio clothes. Look at this small boy", the governor ripped into the mortified and crestfallen royal father, provoking laughter and excitement from his captive audience.

Mohammadu Sanusi 11, born into Fulani royalty, became the Governor of Nigeria's Central Bank, from where he ascended the throne of his forefathers as Emir of Kano. Sanusi will be later deposed as Emir by the State Governor. He was accused of arrogance and " total disrespect", and banished to Nasarawa State.

Beyond the high handedness of government leadership over traditional leadership in Africa, there are so much to learn by our royal fathers from the fallen British monarch and her monarchy.

Traditional rulers must perpetually exhibit Trustworthiness, Relevance, Stability and Be Impactful.

Queen Elizabeth was able to navigate Britain from a Colonial monarchy to a Modern one.

Long lived the Queen.

Long live the King!


Boy killed after homemade gun goes off in class

BANG BUA THONG: A 15-year-old boy was killed when a homemade pen gun went off accidentally in a classroom at a Nonthaburi school, in an incident that students and teachers initially tried to blame on a computer explosion.

accidentsdeath

By Bangkok Post

Friday 16 September 2022, 12:45PM

Medics administer CPR on an injured student following an incident inside a computer classroom at Wat Lad Pla Duk School in Nonthaburi yesterday (Sept 15) afternoon. The boy was later pronounced dead, and a classmate confessed to having accidentally discharged a homemade pen gun. Photo: supplied

The incident took place yesterday afternoon (Sept 15) in a computer classroom at Wat Lad Pla Duk School in tambon Bang Rak Pattana of Bang Bua Thong district, said Pol Capt Saiyon Thongtha, a duty officer at the Bang Bua Thong police station.

The student, identified later as Noppasil Ngamsud, sustained serious injuries to his face including a wound about 3-4 centimetres deep near his left eyebrow. Medics who rushed to the scene administered CPR but were unable to save his life, reports the Bangkok Post.

The initial investigation focused on the new computers in the classroom after students and a teacher told police they had heard an explosion. The keyboard at the desk where Noppasil was sitting was damaged and some keycaps had gone flying. But officers could find no other signs of damage to any of the 10 computers.

Sasina Rakpan, a computer teacher, told police the explosion occurred around 1:30pm, shortly after a group of Matthayom Suksa 3 (Grade 9) students sat down for their class. She immediately ran to check and found one bloodied student lying unconscious. She asked other students to alert teachers to call police and rescue workers.

Kraiwit Methavoraphan, 15, who had been sitting next to the victim, said the explosion occurred about 10 minutes after Noppasil turned off his computer. He said he did not smell any burning odour or hear anything suspicious beforehand.

Kraiwit said the loud explosion left him with a ringing in his ears. Another classmate who had been sitting on the left side of the victim was hit by something and was slightly hurt, he said.

Speculation about a computer explosion even prompted one reporter to contact the company that supplied the units the school had purchased. A spokesman said it was highly unlikely that a keyboard connected by a USB cable could cause the damage described.

However, Pol Col Phumthat Khositwanitpong, the deputy police chief of Nonthaburi, was not convinced by the statements given by teachers and students. He ordered investigators to check the wounds of the dead student and they found traces of a bullet that had struck his eye.

During subsequent questioning, one student later confessed that he had taken a homemade pen gun to school and it had discharged accidentally in the classroom, said a police source.

Paweena Ngamsud, the mother of the dead student, went to the school with two relatives. They burst into tears when seeing the body.

Ms Paweena, 35, said Noppasil was her only child, was good with computers and never caused any trouble to the family. He rarely stayed overnight at the houses of his friends. He often stayed with his grandmother in the house, said the tearful mother.

She said she was awaiting further information from forensic police regarding the death of her son.
Cannabis bill riles coalition

BANGKOK: Relations among the governments coalition partners have become strained due to a cannabis and hemp bill, with the Bhumjaithai Party slamming its withdrawal from parliament as being politically motivated.

Cannabispolitics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 16 September 2022, 02:30PM

An official of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization shows a bottle of CBD oil during a press tour on the merits of cannabis at its plant in Pathum Thani province last month. Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb

On Wednesday (Sept 14), the much-touted bill was suspended pending revision of its contents which lawmakers viewed as being overly loose and potentially exposing young people to danger, reports the Bangkok Post.

The House of Representatives voted 198 to 136 with 12 abstentions to withdraw the bill for improvements despite objections from Bhumjaithai, which sponsored the legislation. The bill authorises the use of cannabis and hemp for medicinal and research purposes.

Critics were concerned its contents failed to guarantee full protection for young people and sanctioned the recreational use of the drug.

Public Health Minister and Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday this was not unexpected. The bill will give one party [Bhumjaithai] an advantage over several other parties so I could see this coming a mile away, he said.

He insisted the contents of the bill include feedback from the public and said it was scrutinised by a House committee made up of both the government and opposition blocs, as well as medical experts.

Asked if the withdrawal of the bill would strain relations among coalition parties, Anutin said: If that is to happen, so be it. But we are confident people will benefit from the bill.

From now on, if any issues related to cannabis arise, go for parties that are trying to delay it - Pheu Thai, the Democrats and Palang Pracharath, said Anutin, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Asked whether the bill will likely be passed before the current parliaments tenure ends next March, he said: Ask those who have delayed it It is obvious how the political game is playing out.

Anutin tried to quell fears of a lack of adequate control of cannabis use following the bills suspension, saying the public health ministerial regulations are already in place to control its use.

He said if the bill cannot become law before the parliaments tenure ends, Bhumjaithai will continue to push for its passage in the next election.

Before the previous general election, Bhumjaithai promised to decriminalise cannabis for medicinal and economic reasons.

Anutin also delivered a speech at an annual academic conference of the Public Health Ministry in Songkhla province yesterday.

An unseemly incident occurred in the House. The cannabis and hemp bill, which had already been improved by a House committee, was withdrawn and those who supported the removal claimed they wanted it to be more carefully considered, he said.

I wonder why the revised bill was no better than the original. It is clear the issue has been politicised.

With many people starting to benefit from the cannabis policy and the election approaching, it is understandable that opponent groups are acting with a political purpose, Anutin said.

Responding to criticism from Bhumjaithai, Democrat Party MP for Trang Satit Wongnongtaey insisted the Democrat Party did not oppose the bill.

The Democrats did not strike a deal with any parties before the vote... Even though the bill was withdrawn, it can be resubmitted to parliament in November. The benefits to the public and young people must be taken into account, he said.

Wanwichit Boonprong, a political scientist at Rangsit University, said cracks are appearing in the coalition as the stakes are high for Bhumjaithai and the Democrats in the next election, particularly in the South.

Bhumjaithai has thrown down the gauntlet to the Democrats as Anutin said he has his sights set on winning a landslide in the South, the Democrats traditional stronghold, Mr Wanwichit said.

Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at King Prajadhipoks Institute, said if the bill is enacted, Bhumjaithai will challenge government and opposition parties in the next poll.
IMT-GT keeps trade flowing

PHUKET: Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith chaired the conclusion of the 28th IndonesiaMalaysiaThailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Ministerial Meeting in Phuket today (Sept 16), praising the three countries involved for paving the way for economic development in the region.

economics

By The Phuket News

Friday 16 September 2022, 06:03PM

Photo: PR Phuket

The event, at Saii Laguna Phuket, began on Tuesday (Sept 13) with talks held between the participating nations throughout the week.

Joining the event today were Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Dato Sri Mustapa Bin Mohamed, Minister to the Malaysian Prime Ministers Office.

Also present were Ahmed M Saeed, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank; Chze Cheen Lim, Director of the ASEAN Connectivity Division at the ASEAN Secretariat Office; and Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDB) in Thailand.

Mr Arkhom praised the progress made during the international economic conference to develop a sharp edge network to connect seamlessly., improve rules to support each other, take into account environmental sustainability and upgrading the potential of workers, which is an important factor in the development of the sub-region.

The Finance Minister highlighted six main takeaways from the week-long conference.

Under the Physical Connectivity Projects (PCPs), 36 projects with a total value of over US$57 billion (approximately B2.1 trillion) were agreed to, including construction of a road linking the Sadao and Bukit Kayuhitam with a customs checkpoint; construction of the second Kolok River Bridge (Su-ngai Kolok-Rantao Panyang) and a new bridge between Tak Bai and Bangalan Kubo; and improving the motorway from Hat Yai to Sadao.

Other projects discussed included Phuket Airport Development Phase 2 and the construction of the double-track railway from Hat Yai to Padang Besar.

The three countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on rubber industry cooperation. For decades, Thailand has been the worlds biggest producer of rubber, growing 35% of the worlds natural rubber supply in 2019. Malaysia and Indonesia are both also vital producers of rubber on the global market.

The MoU was to jointly formulate policies and strategic directions in driving the tyre industry, to strengthen the value chain of the rubber industry and to strengthen the capacity of the rubber production among the three countries.

Thailands interests in holding this meeting are to facilitate private investors to invest in the rubber, palm oil and halal food industries. The Memorandum of Understanding on the Rubber City Project and the Rubber Industry Cooperation in the IMT-GT sub-region will result in facilitating business operations. and distribution of income to rubber farmers, Mr Arkhom noted.

The IMT-GT event this week also saw India become the first country outside the tripartite to join the IMT-GT Development Partnership. The three countries will jointly formulate an action plan with India on key goals based on specialised knowledge.

The MoU also aims to expand cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, the ASEAN Secretariat and other development partners to create strong economic growth of the sub-region together, Mr Arkhom said.

The three IMT-GT program ministers also approved a five-year implementation plan for 2022-2026.

This will be under Vision 2036, which will be the framework for the development of the IMT-GT subregion with a focus on energy and food security, digital transformation development of special economic zones, industrial development, cooperation with development partners and all sectors, sustainable tourism driven by the private sector, and balanced growth while reducing inequality and developing more efficient operating mechanisms, Mr Arkhom explained.

TOURISM

The results of the IMT-GT Business Council have supported the Instructor Training Program to elevate community tourism into the digital economy, Mr Arkhom said.

This is a project that benefits SME tourism entrepreneurs by using digital technology as a management aid, and will strengthen SME entrepreneurs to turn around the tourism business sector, he said.

BEST OF THREE

Mr Arkhom called for three major developments to be driven forward to help develop the economy, as follows:

Accelerating the development and extension of projects to support unified tourism; Focusing on the production of high-value agricultural and processed agricultural products such as rubber and palm oil; and Developing a halal certification system to be accepted by the world market.

Indonesia will host the 29th IMT-GT Ministerial Meeting, IMT-GT Roadmap and other related meetings in 2023.
Phuket Commerce Office launches mobile cheap goods fair

PHUKET: The Phuket Commerce Office has launched a series of mobile markets offering household necessities at cheap prices to help people cope with the impact of high inflation on essential consumables.

economics

By The Phuket News

Friday 16 September 2022, 10:38AM

The mobile market series, branded as the Lot 20 markets, were launched at the Phuket Commerce Office in Phuket Town on Wednesday (Sept 16).

This will help alleviate the burden of living expenses for the people of Phuket in a situation where the price of goods has increased, said Phuket Provincial Palad (Chief Administrative Officer) Somprat Prabsongkram at the event.

The Lot 20 markets were the Phuket version of a nationwide campaign launched by the Commerce Department, explained Phuket Commerce Chief Woranit Aphiratjirawong.

The markets will be set up at six locations each day, but will move to different locations throughout the 60 days of the campaign, until Nov 12, Ms Woranit said.

The markets will be open from 9am to 5pm, she added.

The first six locations where the markets were set up for Wednesday through to today (Sept 14-16) are in front of the Phuket Provincial Commercial Office in Phuket Town and at the Sapam School in Koh Kaew; in front of Kathu Municipality and in front of Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor); at the Phu Yai baans house in Moo 4 Baan Don Tambon Thepkrasattri and in front of Mukarram Mosque in Cherng Talay.

More than 80 consumer products will be sold to the public at cheap prices, including fresh produce, dry food, condiments, body wash products, laundry products and other necessities, Ms Woranit said.

Most people have come to buy pork, fresh chicken, eggs, vegetable oil and rice because they are much cheaper than at the markets, and most of them are smiling and happy that there is a project to help alleviate the burden of rising costs during this period, she added.

Those who are interested can follow the points of sale on the Phuket Provincial Commercial Office Facebook page, she said.
Woman sentenced to death for poisoning children

BANGKOK: A woman was handed the death penalty yesterday (Sept 15) for poisoning her two children, including one count of murder, and posting images of them looking sick online to solicit donations.

crimedeath

By Bangkok Post

Friday 16 September 2022, 11:31AM

Photo: Bangkok Post.

The Criminal Court sentenced Nattiwan Rakkunjet to death after her indictment was recommended by prosecutors, reports the Bangkok Post.

The court was told Nattiwan adopted one of the children, a girl then aged 4, on April 22, 2015. From the time of her adoption, Nattiwan fed the girl with food laced with mildly corrosive liquid. Over time, the girl became gravely ill and vomited blood caused by damage to her gastrointestinal tract. She was often admitted to hospital and died on Aug 12, 2019.

Nattiwan also gave poisoned meals to her own son beginning when he was 2 years old in September 2017 until May 2020. He too developed a critical illness.

She took photos of the children being sick and posted them on her Facebook account to draw online donations, which she received in large quantities.

Nattiwan was arrested on May 18, 2020.

She was charged and found guilty of human trafficking for using children to solicit donations, murder and attempted murder, committing fraud and putting fraudulent information into a computer system.

She confessed on account of the overwhelming evidence against her and for that reason, her confession was not considered grounds for a reduced sentence, according to the court. The court also ordered Nattiwan to return B42,000 worth of donations she received while the mobile phones she bought with the donations were confiscated.
FILE - A Boeing 737 Max jet prepares to land at Boeing Field following a test flight in Seattle, Sept. 30, 2020. Boeing officials said Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, that they will find new buyers for Boeing 737 Max jets that were built for Chinese airlines but cannot be delivered because China's aviation regulator has not cleared the plane to fly after two deadly crashes.
Job Title: Business Support Assistant (Resilience Strategy) Fresh Graduate No Experience UN Jobs

Organisation: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About US:

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the worlds largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their lives. On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. The organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to food and contribute to lasting solutions, especially in many of the worlds most remote and fragile areas.

Job Summary: The Uganda Country Office is in process of developing a resilience strategy to provide guidance and coherence to activities the country and area offices develop along this thematic area. The UGCO is committed to supporting WFPs transition from doer to enabler and the resilience strategy will clarify expectations around that objective as well as provide direction to units at CO and AO levels. This internship will provide administrative support for the various activities planned to develop and deliver the resilience strategy.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Activity 3 manager the intern will support the following:

Working closely with SP&R staff and external consultants. support and coordinate consultative meetings and workshops with the WFP country office, area offices and external partners

Support documentation of meeting and workshop discussions including drafting minutes, and ensuring they are channeled to the appropriate staff for recordkeeping.

Support WFP and consultants with the development of plans, meeting agendas and other as needed.

Support external consultants to obtain documents for literature review

Prepare periodic progress updates

Any other duties or tasks required by supervisor









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations UN World Food Programme (WFP) Business Support Assistant (Resilience Strategy) job placement must hold a Bachelors degree in social sciences, business administration or related field

Demonstrable energy and enthusiasm to work in a demanding environment

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Experience with Microsoft Office

Time management and critical thinking skills

Good organization and planning skills

Ability to work both independently and in a team environment

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English, including strong writing skills

How to Apply:

All candidates who wish to join the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the aforementioned capacity should apply online at the online portal link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 23rd September 2022

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
ABBY BUTREMOVIC, Wheeler Volleyball, Sophomore; Butremovic had 23 digs as Wheeler beat Montville in three sets for its second victory of the season.

KATIE ANBARI, Stonington, Field Hockey, Sophomore; Anbari scored with 57 seconds remaining for the games only goal, lifting the Bears past East Lyme. Anbari leads the team in goals with four this season.

RACHEL FEDERICO, Westerly, Volleyball, Senior; Federico had nine kills, six digs and served for two aces in a win over Mt. Hope. Westerly was unbeaten in Division II through Sept. 24.

MYLES PRICE, Chariho Football, Senior, Price returned a lateral from teammate Collin Fitts on a punt return for the winning touchdown on the games final play to lift the Chargers over Coventry. Price ran about 25 yards across the width of the field after receiving the ball from Fitts.

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AstraZeneca shares surged today after its Covid-19 antibody treatment got the green light from EU regulators.

The FTSE 100 drugs giant said the European Medicines Agency has endorsed the use of Evusheld as a treatment for adults and teenagers with the virus.

Earlier this year, EMA had allowed AstraZeneca to market the drug only for the prevention of Covid. It is already available in a majority of countries in Europe for that purpose.

Japan is the only country so far to have approved Evusheld for both prevention and cure of C19

It works by giving people with compromised immune systems, who can't make their own virus-fighting antibodies, some protection against Covid.

However, following successful trials, EMA said the drug could also be used to treat those infected with the virus who 'do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of progressing to severe Covid-19'.

The regulator's recommendations are usually followed by the European Commission when it takes a final decision on drug approvals.

AstraZeneca shares rose 3 per cent in morning trade on Friday, but by market close they were flat at 101.22

Last month, Japan became the first country to approve Evusheld for both prevention and treatment of Covid-19.

'Regulatory submissions are progressing for both prevention and treatment indications around the world,' AZ said.

The group is relying on Evusheld to help offset slowing sales of its Covid vaccine.

The drug, which was first launched in December, helped it rake in $914million (803million) in sales in the first half of the year.

Separately today, the EMA also endorsed AstraZeneca and partner Sanofi's experimental drug for respiratory diseases.

The regulator said Beyfortus could be marketed in Europe for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths globally each year in toddlers and the elderly.
A large majority of European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday to condemn damage to democracy in Hungary under veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban, stepping up pressure on the bloc to cut funding for the ex-communist country.

Citing corruption risks, the European Commission is expected to recommend later this week suspending billions earmarked for Budapest from the blocs 1.1 trillion euro ($1.1 trillion) shared budget for 2021-27.

That would be the first such EU move under its new financial sanction dubbed cash for democracy and agreed two years ago precisely in response to Orban, as well as his allies in Poland, rowing back on liberal democratic tenets inside the bloc.

On Thursday, the European Parliament voted 433 in favour and 123 against to adopt a report declaring the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values on which the (European) Union is founded.

The situation has deteriorated such that Hungary has become an electoral autocracy' rather than a democracy, the chamber said in a statement.

In response, Orbans ruling Fidesz party said the EU parliament was more interested in bashing Hungary than tackling an economic crisis caused by surging energy costs aggravated by by Russias war in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Moscow.

It is astounding that even in the current crisis the leftist majority of the European Parliament keeps busy only with attacking Hungary, Fidesz said in a statement.

The left in Brussels wants to punish Hungary over and over again and withhold the funds due for our country.

Orban has been locked for years in acrimonious feuds with the EU, which Hungary joined in 2004, over the rights of migrants, gays and women, as well as the independence of the judiciary, media and academia.

The self-styled illiberal crusader denies, however, that Hungary is any more corrupt than other nations in the 27-nation bloc.

The European Commission has already blocked some 6 billion euros due for Budapest from the blocs separate COVID economic stimulus package, citing insufficient anti-graft safeguards in Hungarys public procurement.

Funds worth as much as a tenth of Hungarys GDP could be at stake should other EU members approve the expected recommendation by the Commission, a prospect that has weighed on the Hungarian forint, central Europes worst-performing currency.

Budapest has come under pressure in recent weeks to strike a deal with Brussels and unlock funding for Hungarys ailing economy, and Orbans government has promised to create a new anti-graft agency.

Member countries have three months to decide on the Commissions recommendation and they could limit the punishment if they found Budapests actions in the meantime convincing.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he understood Chinas Xi Jinping had concerns about the situation in Ukraine, a surprise acknowledgement of friction with Beijing over the war after a week of stunning Russian losses on the ground.

Since Russias invasion, China has trod a careful line, criticising Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign.

We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, Putin told Xi at their first meeting since the war began.

We understand your questions and concern about this. During todays meeting, we will of course explain our position.

Xi did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks, nor was it mentioned in a Chinese readout of their meeting, which took place in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of a regional summit.

Beijings support is widely seen as essential for Moscow, which needs markets for its energy exports and sources to import high tech goods as it faces sanctions imposed by the West.

The last time the two men met they signed a no limits friendship agreement between their two countries. Three weeks later, Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Russian presidents comments suggested a Chinese shift towards a more critical stance, in private at least. Ian Bremmer, political science professor at Columbia University, said they were the first public sign of Putin recognizing pressure to back down.

Russia has become a pariah to the G7 because of their invasion. China wants no part of that, he wrote on Twitter, referring to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.

White House spokesman John Kirby said China should reject Russias invasion: The whole world should be lined up against what Mr Putin is doing, Kirby told CNN. This is not the time for any kind of business as usual with Mr Putin.

BY YOUR SIDE

In Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy where she told him Ukraines accession process to the European Union was well on track.

Its impressive to see the speed, the determination, the preciness with which you are progressing, she said.

We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are giving when they lose their homes or they cry for their beloved ones We will never be able to compensate what you do with your fight for democracy, for humanity, for the respect of the international rule of law. But you have your European friends by your side as long as it takes, she said.

After a week of the fastest Ukrainian gains since the wars early weeks, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces were now fortifying defences and it would be hard for Kyivs troops to maintain the pace of their advance.

Putin has yet to publicly comment on the setback suffered by his forces after Ukrainian troops made a rapid armoured thrust through the front line last week. Russian troops have abandoned dozens of tanks and other armoured vehicles in haste.

Kyiv says it recaptured more than 8,000 sq km (3000 sq miles), nearly equivalent to the size of the island of Cyprus. The speed of the advance has lifted Ukrainian morale, pleased Western backers who have provided arms, intelligence and training, and raised hopes of further significant gains before the winter sets in.

Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Ukraines eastern Luhansk region, said it would still be a tough fight to wrest control of his region back from Russia, which recognises it as an independent state controlled by separatists.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraines national security and defence council, said in an online post: We should avoid euphoria. There is still a lot of work to be done to liberate our lands, and Russia has a large number of weapons.

There was no let-up either in Russias daily missiles strikes on Ukraine, a day after it fired cruise missiles at a reservoir dam near Kryvyi Rih, Presidents Zelenskiys hometown.

Authorities in the city of Kharkiv said Russian shells had hit a high-pressure gas pipeline, while a rescue operation was underway in the city of Bakhmut with four people suspected to be trapped under rubble after a strike, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk regional governor, said.

Russian forces had launched attacks on several settlements on the Kharkiv frontline in the past 24 hours, the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces said on Thursday.

But Britains defence ministry said in an update that Ukraines forces were continuing to consolidate their control of newly liberated land in the region.

The United States on Thursday imposed new sanctions on 22 individuals and two entities that had facilitated Russias war in Ukraine, the Treasury Department said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier warned Washington to tread carefully, saying any decision to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles for U.S.-made HIMARS systems would cross a red line and make the United States a direct party to the conflict.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Swedens outgoing Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has handed in her resignation to the speaker of parliament, she said on Thursday, paving the way for a change of government.

The speaker is now expected to give the head of Swedens Moderate Party, Ulf Kristersson, a mandate to form a new government after Sundays general election, which gave the right-wing bloc a majority.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Ukrainian authorities found a mass grave containing 440 bodies in the northeastern town of Izium that was recaptured from Russian forces days ago, officials said, including some people killed by shelling and air strikes.

Thousands of Russian troops fled Izium last weekend after occupying the city and using it as a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region. They left behind large amounts of ammunition and equipment.

Mass graves are being discovered in Izium after liberation from the (Russians), with the largest burial site holding 440 unmarked graves, the Ukrainian defence ministry tweeted.

Serhiy Bolvinov, the chief police investigator for Kharkiv region, told Sky News: Some died because of artillery fire  some died because of air strikes.

Reuters could not immediately verify the Ukrainian reports and there was no immediate comment from Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who visited Izium on Wednesday, compared the discovery to alleged war crimes by Russian forces against civilians in Bucha, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, in the early stages of war.

Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible, Zelenskiy said in a video address late on Thursday.

Russia has denied targeting civilians or committing war crimes.

SHELLING

After a week of rapid Ukrainian gains in the northeast, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces were fortifying defences and it would be hard to maintain the pace of the advance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment publicly on the setback suffered by his forces this month. Ukrainian officials say 9,000 sq km (3,400 sq miles) have been retaken, territory about the size of the island of Cyprus.

Reuters video from the eastern town of Kupiansk, a key supply hub which Ukrainian forces recaptured last week, showed many buildings had been damaged or burned out.

No electricity, no communications  if there were communications we could at least talk to family. If only there hadnt been all this bombing with everyone in their basements, said one man.

The speed of the advance has bolstered Ukrainian morale and given it some success to show its Western allies as it seeks more weapons to sustain its defence.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new $600 million arms package to help Ukraine, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and artillery rounds. The United States has sent about $15.1 billion dollars in security assistance to Kyiv since Russias Feb 24. invasion.

Russians forces shelled Kharkiv city and other towns in the region on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

More than 90 missiles and artillery shells also targeted a region on the border with Russia, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, governor of Sumy region, said.

On the Russian side, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russias Belgorod region, said the Ukrainian army shelled the town of Valuyki near the border.

Anti-aircraft defences went into action but there is some destruction on the ground, he said on Telegram. This included a power substation put out of commission and private homes and vehicles set on fire.

Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.

CHINAS CONCERNS ABOUT UKRAINE

Russias Putin said on Thursday he understood Chinas leader Xi Jinping had concerns about the crisis in Ukraine, a surprise acknowledgement of friction with Beijing over the war.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, China has trod a careful line, criticising Western sanctions against Moscow but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign.

We understand your questions and concern about this. During todays meeting, we will of course explain our position, Putin told Xi in Uzbekistan at their first meeting since the war began.

Xi did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks, nor was it mentioned in a Chinese account of the meeting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later told reporters the talks with China had been excellent.

The last time Putin and Xi met they signed a no limits friendship agreement between their countries. Three weeks later, Russia invaded Ukraine in what it called a special military operation to disarm its smaller neighbour.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of an unprovoked war of aggression.

MORALLY ACCEPTABLE

Pope Francis said it was morally legitimate for nations to supply weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself.

This is a political decision which it can be moral, morally acceptable, if it is done under conditions of morality, Francis told reporters while travelling from a trip to Kazakhstan.

Francis also urged the Kyiv government to be open to eventual dialogue, even though it may smell because it would be difficult for the Ukrainian side.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Hundreds of people have gathered in Co Meath to protest against the HSE proposal to close the emergency department in Navans Our Ladys hospital.

The HSE plans to change the hospital to a model 2 facility, which will see the intensive care unit and small emergency department close and a 24/7 medical assessment unit and injuries unit take their place.

The move has sparked fury and prompted protests in the county, with many describing the proposal as a disaster.

The closure of the A&E would see critically ill patients taken to the emergency department in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.

D-day has arrived. One day your life may depend on it.People power will Save our A&Es.Will you make a stand today?Protest 1pm Primary Care Centre.Kells, Co Meath.Today. pic.twitter.com/RSR7NlY6HS  Peadar Toibin (@Toibin1) September 16, 2022

The HSE has said Navan hospital will still see around 80% of the 25-30 patients it currently sees daily through these units, but more specialised care will be diverted to hospitals such as Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda in Co Louth.

Politicians have raised concerns about the proposal, including the Minister for Justice and Meath East TD Helen McEntee.

The protest in Kells was led by two hearses as protesters claimed the closure will cause deaths.

Aontu leader Peadar Toibin, who has spearheaded the Save Navan Hospital campaign, said the hospital is the most important piece of health infrastructure in the county.

Mr Toibin told PA news agency: People are really frustrated.

No matter who you are, at some stage in your life you will need an A&E and need fast access to that A&E, whether its an accident or ill health.

The A&E already processes when over 20,000 people on an annual basis and it offers much faster and safer access, in terms of timescale, then any of the A&Es around.

The context of this whole debate is that we are in an unprecedented A&E crisis in terms of wait times.

Never before have people had to wait so long to get health treatment in an A&E.

The average waiting times for patients in Kells is 12 hours at the moment and indeed the Navan A&E is actually under fierce pressure.

Its out the door chock-a-block currently, so the idea of closing capacity in an A&E capacity crisis is just ludicrous.

Were demanding that the HSE carry out a proper investigation, a cost-benefit analysis of what it would take to make Navan A&E amongst the safest A&Es in the country, so that they can continue to function safely in the future.

He also said the closure will shift a threat to health to Drogheda.

Mr Toibin said that people will be forced to travel for over an hour to reach the A&E in Drogheda.

In June this year, a number of consultants in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital wrote a letter to the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, warning him of a risk to patient safety if the hospital is not properly resourced.

The specialists called for an independent review of what is needed in the hospital before critically ill patients are diverted to Drogheda from Navan.

James Galligan, from Meath, was among those who attended the protest.

I wouldnt be standing here today only for Navan accident and emergency, he said.

Years ago I had a motorbike accident and I had a bleed on the brain, I was unconscious for a fortnight, and under went emergency surgery.

If I had to go anywhere else I wouldnt be here today.

I was given little chance of survival.

Everyone wanted me moved out of Navan to go to Dublin but I was told that I was in the safest place and I am here to prove that.

Its so important for Navan A&E to stay open.

There are so many new houses being built in the locality and it is essential to us.

The feeling here is that some people say if they are going to do it, they will do it, but we have to fight it.

Nothing else is gained if you do not fight for it.

We need the A&E in Navan, and its crazy to downgrade it.

Deirdre Butler, from Kells, also attended the protest on Friday.

The hospital in Navan saved my life.

I got a bad dog bite years ago and I had to be operated on.

I was very lucky that Navan hospital was there.

If that hospital was to close I dont know how I would have made it.

I owe my life to them. It would be a total disaster if they closed the A&E.

The other hospital wont be able to cope.

If I had to go to Drogheda hospital I would have to get a bus to Kells, up to Navan then over to Drogheda.

Theres no transport going from here (Kells) to Drogheda.
The worlds leading hydrogen trade fair, Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe, is the largest conference and exhibition exclusively dedicated to discussing advanced technologies for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. The event will take place at Messe Bremen, Germany, on October 19-20, 2022.

The trade fair and conference will host 325+ exhibitors, 150+ speakers and five conference tracks. Among the companies exhibiting and/or speaking are Equinor, BP, Bramble Energy, Thyssenkrupp, Aramco, Johnson Matthey and E.ON.

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Exhibitors at Hydrogen Technology Expo will showcase the latest innovative technology across the hydrogen supply chain, including engineering solutions, advanced materials, manufacturing equipment, infrastructure, and test and evaluation tools and services to finally commercialize hydrogen as a mainstream provider of clean, renewable energy.

Current global conditions will see hydrogen become an essential part of the renewable energy mix and ensure long-term energy security in Europe and beyond, said Mike Robinson, CEO of event organizer Trans-Global Events. New technologies and investments have seen a recent gold rush around the potential of green hydrogen. We are very excited to see the events rapid growth, which will act as a valuable opportunity for several industries to find out how hydrogen can decarbonize their sector.

Government agencies, nonprofits and associations working toward increasing the share of hydrogen in the energy mix  both for environmental reasons and to secure energy supply  will also be present.Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe is strategically located in Bremen, where the German government has invested 30m (US$29.9m) to establish the city as a hydrogen hub, according to an article published on September 5, 2022, by FuelCellsWorks.

I want to make Germany a hydrogen republic, commented Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German Federal Minister of Education and Research. After all, we will have to supply our industry with energy in a climate-neutral and reliable manner in the future. In doing so, we want to become independent of individual countries and, above all, work with partners who share our values.

As a country of innovation, we now have the opportunity to make hydrogen technologies the next leading German export. The Bremen region and the HyBit project [Hydrogen for Bremens industrial transformation] in particular can make an important contribution here, as research and industry work hand in hand. The hydrogen economy is being tested on a small scale for the entire country. Thats why we are supporting this special project with a total of 30m.

Launched in October last year amid the global pandemic, the event attracted 3,000 people and has grown to be the biggest expo in the world dedicated to the fast-emerging hydrogen sector.

During the pandemic, we saw unprecedented demand from companies serving the hydrogen sector who wanted a dedicated in-person trade fair to present new solutions that can help propel hydrogen as a mainstream source of renewable energy, said Robinson.

Governments worldwide have revealed ambitious hydrogen strategies as they race to achieve net zero and secure their energy supply amid the current energy crisis, with the UK and the EU also announcing hydrogen subsidy plans.

Hydrogen can be a game-changer for Europe, said European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in her State of the European Union 2022 address on September 14.

Von der Leyen also announced an investment of 3bn (US$2.99bn) in a new European Hydrogen Bank to enable the EU to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen every year by 2030.
The GOP's nominee for Nevada governor says he would fight against a national abortion ban if the U.S. Congress were to pass it
So we must take take Guido as authoritative when it reports tonight that 'Victoria Hewson is leaving the IEA to join the Foreign Office as a SpAd, focusing on Northern Ireland.'

When Liz Truss's press secretary was asked for a list of the new Prime Minister's advisors earlier this month, journalists were told that ' you can refer to the Guido Fawkes website .'

In her work at the Institute for Economic Affairs, a longstanding Thatcherite think-tank, Hewson initially gave a qualified welcome to the Northern Ireland protocol in Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. Her first briefing on the agreement argued that 'although the DUP oppose it, it could be considered to be a negotiating win for the UK, as it is very non-standard for the EU.'

Like the Johnson Government itself, Hewson regarded the protocol as preferable to Theresa May's backstop proposal, but went on to baulk at actually implementing it.

In an IEA report on the issue this May, Hewson blamed EU intransigence for the standoff over Northern Ireland:

Its rigidity brings into question whether averting risks to the single market is its priority, or if it is not in fact using the Protocol as leverage to procure regulatory alignment from the UK or in pursuit of other tactical priorities. Certainly, the EU would see the very fact of derogating so significantly from its border controls at one border of the single market as a loss to the integrity of the single market. Such risks could, however, be more proportionately addressed by actions on the EU side  such as by light checks on goods moving from Ireland to the rest of the EU, as suggested by Bennett and Vines (2022).

This shows that six years since the Brexit referendum, influential British analysts are still putting the cart before the horse. Avoiding a trade border with the EU is Ireland's central objective in the negotiations, along with preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland. From an Irish point of view, Hewson is presenting the threat as the solution.

It is this Irish position which drives the EU's commitment to the protocol, the reverse of the conspiracy theory which sees Ireland as a Trojan horse for Brussels' designs on the UK.

It would be grossly unfair to imposie a trade border between Ireland and the EU because of a British decision to leave the union. Fairness doesn't always determine outcomes in international relations. However, brexiteers have continually under-estimated the leverage which membership give smaller countries inside the EU over larger ones outside. Recognising this dynamic, seen for example in the relationship between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus, would mean conceding that EU membership can have advantages.

The logic of the May paper is one in which British non-implementation forces the imposition an inter-EU border on Ireland. The inter-governmental nature of the EU makes it much more likely that kicking the can down the road means waiting the Truss government out.
For those who are new to the area . . . This alleged dirty cop has been at the center of controversy and protest for about five years.



Today, reportedly, he was nabbed by the feds in a case that is far more important than whatever the My Pillow guy was up to at Hardee's . . . Check-it . . .



"Golubski worked for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for 35 years, retiring as a captain in 2010. For years, he has been the subject of allegations that he terrorized Black residents of the city, sexually assaulted women and exchanged drugs for information in order to clear cases."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Federal grand jury indicts Kansas City cop who allegedly 'exploited and terrorized' Black residents for decades | CNN Federal authorities in Kansas on Thursday arrested a retired homicide detective from the Kansas City police department on charges that he kidnapped and sexually assaulted two women decades ago. The charges against Roger Golubski stem from a years-long grand jury probe first disclosed by CNN in October.

Former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski arrested by FBI, charged with sexual assault and kidnapping Golubski worked for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for 35 years, retiring as a captain in 2010. For years, he has been the subject of allegations that he terrorized Black residents of the city, sexually assaulted women and exchanged drugs for information in order to clear cases.

Timeline leading up to former KCK detective Golubski's arrest KANSAS CITY, Kan. - A damning indictment against former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski details incidents of sexual assault, sexual abuse and attempted kidnapping while he was on the job. A grand jury filed the indictment Wednesday, and Golubski faces six counts of deprivation of civil rights for offenses dating back to at least 1998.

Ex-KCK police detective accused of corruption, sexual exploitation enters not guilty plea A former detective for Kansas City, Kansas, police appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon in Topeka on six charges relating to sexual assault of two women as well attempted kidnapping.Roger Golubski had his attorney enter an initial plea of not guilty.

A Kansas City (Kansas) Cop Sexually Assaulted 'Countless' Black Women and Girls, None of Whom Can Sue Him Two women who were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a retired Kansas City detective aren't able to pursue legal claims against him, as the state's statute of limitations on sexual assault-10 years after the assault-has expired. Now, in a horrifying feature published by the Kansas City Star, the women are telling their respective stories about Roger Golubski.

Former U.S. Attorney explains why feds got involved in Roger Golubski case KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A former U.S. Attorney says Roger Golubski previously ducked state and local indictments, and that is why the Federal Bureau of Investigation got involved in his case. Golubski, a former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective, is accused of using his role in law enforcement to violate the civil rights of at least two victims. Steve McAllister, a former U.S.

Former KCKPD Detective Roger Golubski arrested by FBI on accusations of aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping A former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective accused of corruption and sexual exploitation was taken into custody Thursday morning by federal authorities.Officials with the FBI confirm former Detective Roger Golubski was taken into custody without incident at his home in Edwardsville, Kansas.

'Put this super-predator away': Victims cheer arrest of former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Ophelia Williams was taking her granddaughter to school Thursday morning when her cell phone rang. It was a female FBI agent she knew. "She just said, 'Ophelia,'" William recalled. "I was like, 'Why are you calling me so early in the morning?

Alleged victim of Roger Golubski 'relieved' over his arrest KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski was arrested Thursday at his Edwardsville home by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The former detective is accused of using his power in law enforcement to rape women. He was charged with six counts of deprivation of civil rights.

Bittersweet celebration for people calling for former KCK detective's arrest KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Thursday brought exactly the news that many people thought would never come, even though they had been praying for it for decades. "She said, 'I have good news to tell you," said Ophelia Williams, talking about the early-morning call from an FBI Agent she'd been working with.

What we know about the FBI arrest of a former KCKPD detective A federal grand jury indicted former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski on Thursday on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. Golubski worked for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department for 35 years, retiring as a captain in 2010.

Developing . . .
Here at TKC we always that this scenario was unlikely . . .

A statement about the case . . .

"Police executed search warrants, according to court records, at the defendants home and business. At his business, police found a print out from the Jackson County property tax database. It showed the victims home address. An Olympus audio recorder with a recording was recovered. The first part of the recording captured a court hearing that the defendant attended in November 2017. But after the hearing, the recorder continued to run. Later, the defendant talked to his employee about a .17 caliber rifle and about killing the victim."



TV follow-up revealed . . .

"While executing a search warrant at Jungermans home, an Olympus audio recorder was found on a bathroom counter, court documents state. Investigators obtained a piggyback search warrant for the recorder, and reviewed its contents."

And so . . .

THIS TOILET TAPE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE MIGHT KEEP JUNGERMAN BEHIND BARS FOR THE LAST 4-6 MONTHS OF HIS LIFE!!!

For those of us who believe in a just, kinda and loving Creator . . . I guess all of that makes more sense than his mobile phone spying on him . . . That's just crazy conspiracy talk.



And so we check a newsman blogger sharing his conclusions with just a bit of police blame banter ahead of an anti-climax and yet another reason to not get too hung up about material possessions and money.

Check-it . . .



After listening to the defense and prosecution arguments on the point, Judge John Torrence said he believed the defense had clearly demonstrated that some law enforcement officers and perhaps the former prosecutor had been sloppy, but he added: There was nothing nefarious about it. I think it was just laziness.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

A powerful case despite "sloppy" police work On Oct. 16 and 17, 2017, a computer at David Jungerman's business and another at his Raytown home were used in about 30 Google searches relating to .22 caliber rifles, .17 caliber rifles and the comparative deadliness of the two. The next week, on Oct. 25, lawyer Thomas Pickert was shot in the head with...

Jurors hear audio recording in David Jungerman trial Jurors heard an audio recording in David Jungerman's murder trial that will play a key role in this case. They also heard from the case detective.Jungerman is accused of killing attorney Tom Pickert outside Pickert's Brookside home in 2017.

Developing . . .
For late night denizens, insomniacs and early birds, once again, we share HYPERLOCAL notes for just a bit of late night clicking on topics ranging from the inspirational to public safety . . .



Check www.TonysKansasCity.com news gathering . . .

Tech Trouble Teachable Moment

Security breach hits communications app used by Kansas City-area school districts KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A communications app used in school districts across the nation, including here in the Kansas City area, was hit with a security breach that affected multiple individual accounts. The Seesaw app is used as a place where teachers can post assignments, talk with parents, post class pictures or a place where parents can post their child's work.

Here's How To Help NEXTGEN

How to get involved with a charter school board Charter school boards arent elected by the public, but they do have to follow requirements for open meetings and access to documents.

Comeback After Plague

St. Joseph Medical Center rebuilds after pandemic and staffing shortages By Colette Panchot Attracting and retaining qualified healthcare workers is a challenge for healthcare organizations around the country, and Chief Executive Officer Jodi Fincher calls 2022 "a rebuilding year" for St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. She says the staffing shortage was aggravated during the pandemic when healthcare workers began leaving the hospital setting to work in less acute-care settings.

Show-Me Local Testimony Against Internets Scammers

Missouri woman warns of job scam targeting community groups, bank accounts SUGARCREEK TOWNSHIP, Mo. - In the two years since the pandemic - money lost to online scammers has nearly doubled. One Jackson County woman knows that all too well. Social Catfish published its State of Scams report Wednesday analyzing FBI and FTC scam reports. After spending time online, Susan Strauss has called them both.

Pizza Dude Lives Dream

Veteran entrepreneur finds security in pizza, opening new Rosati's in south Overland Park Bob Ring sold his homegrown company of 25 years, then got a job delivering pizzas. All part of the recipe for the longtime Kansas City businessman who - despite his decades of experience - initially found banks hesitant to lend to him during the pandemic as he worked to open his own pizzeria in Johnson County.

Show-Me Ballot Questions

Missouri Ponders the Power of the People Here's what it takes for average citizens to change public policy in Missouri. It takes about an hour of standing outside in all weather conditions and talking to strangers for one person to gather eight to 10 signatures. About 30,000 hours of the signature gathering must take place across the state to ensure a ballot initiative can be put before Missouri voters.

NextGen Voters Earn Face Time

Young Kansas voters embrace political power in fight to preserve democracy - Kansas Reflector TOPEKA - Isabella Vermooten is the kind of person who "literally went through and pestered everyone in my contacts" until they showed her evidence they were registered to vote. The 18-year-old from Lawrence was eager to cast a ballot for the first time in the Aug.

Missouri Against Amazaon?!?

Hundreds of Amazon workers in Missouri speak out for better pay and conditions: 'We were unsafe' More than 350 workers at the fulfillment center in St. Charles signed a petition seeking an increase in pay, raises for employees after training for additional roles and an end to a three-year cap on wage increases. The group's organizers say Amazon's "toxic culture" has led to safety issues.

Northland Collision Postscript

Woman killed after being hit by dump truck at Zona Rosa shopping center KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 24-year-old woman died after being hit by a Kenworth T880 dump truck at the Zona Rosa shopping center early Tuesday afternoon. According to Kansas City, Missouri, police, the woman was hit in front of an Old Navy while returning to work from lunch.

Kansas City Performance Explored

KCRep Infuses Captivatingly Original Choices Into a Classic 'Twelfth Night' - KC STUDIO With their latest production of Shakespeare's beloved and oft-produced "Twelfth Night," puts up a show that feels solidly classic while also wholly original.

On The Wrong Track???

Excelsior Springs residents share concerns about possible rail system merge EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. - On Wednesday, the Excelsior Springs community expressed their concerns at a public meeting about the possible merging of rail lines Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Residents within Excelsior Springs feel like they are getting spiked by the merging of the two rail lines.

Practical Teachable Moments

BoysGrow Farm Fest fundraiser helps city teens learn vocational skills BoysGrow Farm is holding its annual fundraiser Farm Fest on Sunday, September 18, from noon to 3 pm at the farm located near Raymore, Activities include a pepper eating contest, pony rides, fishing, archery, petting zoo, face painting, games and more.

Taco Celebration

Fiesta Hispana, Tour de Bier spice up the Downtown scene this weekend - Downtown Council of Kansas City Fiesta Hispana returns this weekend; KC Ballet presents New Dance Partners; KC Symphony opens its classical season with Copland's Third Symphony; live theater lights up 3 stages; MAYA exhibition continues; plus live music throughout the Big Town.

Cowtown Community Support

Kansas girl fighting brain cancer experiences 1st Chiefs game KANSAS CITY, Mo - An Independence, Kansas, girl is crossing items off her bucket list, including attending her first Chiefs game. Doctors told 14-year-old Olivia Andrews she only has months to live, just one year after her initial diagnosis. "It's scary because that's life changing," Andrews said "It was really scary, but I keep pushing myself to get other kids motivated."

Clever Baker Stays Winning

KC fan makes 'punt cakes' for Chiefs Kingdom KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Gheia Turk has loved the Chiefs as long as she can remember, and now she's pouring her passion for Kansas City's team right into the batter of her "KC Punt Cakes." She started Tasty Bundts , her baking venture, during the pandemic.

Street Level Tribute

Kansas City police detail street closures for Len Dawson's funeral on Friday Kansas City police have released a list of streets that will be closed Friday morning for Len Dawson's funeral service.The memorial service, which is open to the public, is being held at the Country Club Christian Church at 6101 Ward Parkway at 11 a.m.Police said they will begin closing the following streets at 9:30 a.m.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
A better title for this post . . .

Newspaper Hates Republican & The Bible



Their explanation actually offers an appropriate historical perspective and another sign (not from above) that election season is underway . . .



Hawleys views must be resisted, and his fumbling theocracy rejected. Hes at the forefront of a dangerous, growing movement: White Christian nationalism is overtaking the Republican Party, endangering religious freedom for everyone.



We are a revolutionary nation precisely because we are heirs of the revolution of the Bible, Hawley said. No. Our constitutional government, and therefore our nation, isnt based on the Bible, or any religious text.



While most of the nations founders generally believed in a creator, they were skeptics about the Bibles potential influence on secular government. Many were deists who believed in a God who created free thought, and did not interfere in the affairs of men and women. Revolutionary writer Thomas Paine attacked the Bible relentlessly. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, literally used a razor on the New Testament, taking out parts he thought were based on superstition or nonsense.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
A rare moment of grace and human decency emerges today.

Contrast her thoughtful words with the ranting of politicos who champion bike lanes as the solution to every traffic problem.



Here's the word . . .



Police officers arrested Fields on Tuesday. Two days later, Meg Criniere said she forgives Fields.



"We've been recipients of lots of grace, lots of forgiveness. It only seems fitting in this moment to give that back to somebody else," Meg Criniere said.



There are multiple ongoing fundraisers for the Criniere Family, including a GoFundMe page, which has already raised in excess of $200,000.



"We've seen radical generosity. We've had people step in and pay off my house, pay off my cars, put a new roof on my house. It's been above and beyond just shocking generosity. I think God is going to take care of us," Meg Criniere said.



She also said Fields' arrest brought back her initial feelings of shock, pain and fear following the fatal crash.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Widow of hit-and-run victim forgives woman accused of crime The widow of a hit-and-run victim said she forgives the woman accused of killing her husband and leaving the scene of the fatal crash.With her church playground as the backdrop and three of her 10 children by her side, Meg Criniere discussed the aftermath of her husband Charles' death.On Aug.

Widow of Kansas City bicyclist killed in hit-and-run speaks out KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The wife of a Kansas City bicyclist killed in a hit-and-run crash late last month speaks out for the first time about her husband and the recent developments in his case. Charlie Criniere was riding his bike near Longview Lake when he was hit and left for dead.

Developing . . .
Ontarios Superior Court has upheld Seneca Colleges COVID-19 vaccination mandate after two unvaccinated students sought an injunction so they could attend classes and complete their programs
Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on September 2, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou-14 astronaut Liu Yang (L) returning to the space station lab module Wentian after completing extravehicular activities (EVAs). /Xinhua

China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts, or taikonauts, will conduct their second extravehicular activities (EVAs) at a proper time in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The three crew members were sent to the space station on June 5 for a six-month mission. They've been living and working in orbit for over 100 days now.

The trio successfully completed the first EVAs from the airlock cabin of the Wentian lab module on September 2, which lasted about seven hours.

Since then, they have recovered from the first EVAs, completed the testing and operation of the robotic arm, and prepared for the second spacewalk.

They have also been conducting scientific experiments in fields such as space material research and plant cultivation.

At present, the Shenzhou-14 taikonauts are in a good condition, and the space station combination - composed of the Tianhe core module, the Wentian lab module, the Shenzhou-14 spaceship and the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft - is running stably and is suitable for the second EVAs, the CMSA said.
Toronto walking tour examines historic St. John's Ward neighbourhood through the lives of four resilient women

"The Women of the Ward walking tour examines the area through the lens of the lives of four resilient women," writes John Lorinc
Book ahead to secure spot: Here's your guide to visiting Algonquin and other Ontario parks to see changing fall colours
Your money went on assistance to the poor and vulnerable. That's the message Minister of Soc
Ukraine needs effective air defense and anti-missile defense, but there are not too many countries in the world that can help Ukraine protect its sky. Dialogue is currently underway with these governments.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky made the relevant statement at a joint meeting with journalists in Kyiv alongside Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We are determined to work with France, Italy, and Germany on this issue. I am up for serious work, but I have not yet received a positive response from Israel. In fact, in the end, there are not so many countries that are able to ensure a no-fly zone for you and me from the point of view of air defenses. The issue should be resolved around these five countries," Zelensky said.

Read also: Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Kirovohrad region

According to the president, positive results are seen in negotiations with German partners regarding the supply of NASAMS and IRIS-T. "We expect several systems. So far we haven't received any. The same from the USA. We are awaiting them. Thank you for supporting this process. We are expecting NASAMS as well," Zelensky said.

According to the Ukrainian leader, now Ukraine should create safe conditions for its citizens, so that they are not afraid to return to their Motherland from the countries where they found shelter after fleeing from the war unleashed by Russia.

Zelensky focused on the current state of Ukraines infrastructure from the perspective of the security situation in the country. "First of all, it is possible to quickly reconstruct the educational infrastructure, places where people would return, where children should go, like schools, etc. In areas where there is no such possibility and schools have not yet been rebuilt or reconstructed, there should be an online education format everywhere. In addition to schools, there are also universities, kindergartens, etc. We understand that there is a possibility of quick renovation  we also talked about this  that we need money.

I have already personally appealed to Congress and President Biden, as well as to the European Commission, to Ms. Ursula von der Leyen with such a request. There is money that we need this year, there is a second tranche that we need next year," he said.

At the same time, the president has no doubt that Ukrainians will eventually return home.

"It seems to me that there is no need to look for internal motivation among Ukrainians. They love their country and want to come home," he is convinced.

The president added that at the meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, he discussed continued pressure on the Russian Federation in the wake of the upcoming 8th package of sanctions. "We talked about the details of the future package and things were interested in. In general, we had a good meeting," said the head of state.

As reported, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived on a visit to the Ukrainian capital on Thursday, September 15.

President Volodymyr Zelensky conferred her with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, 1st degree.
Ukraine has gained certain successes on the battlefield thanks to its brave defenders and weapons provided by international partners, but to achieve further gains, specific assistance is still needed.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the issue at a joint press meeting in Kyiv with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"It must be said that specific actions on the battlefield are specific operations supported by specific weapons. And thats not to mention the courage of our Armed Forces because we can see their result," Zelensky said.

Read also: European Commisson chief says all EU countries should send military equipment to Ukraine

He noted that the country needs heavy military equipment, as well as effective air defense and anti-missile defense systems, but there are not too many countries that can help the nation close the sky. The president added that currently there are positive results in negotiations with German partners regarding the supply of NASAMS and IRIS-T, but the process is developing not as quickly as Ukraine needs.

Of course, the head of state added, he would like all countries that are able to provide heavy equipment to Ukraine, including the United States of America, as well as Germany and some European states, to open up such an opportunity. "We are grateful for all the help theyre providing us, for all the help to strengthen our Armed Forces, but Id like to emphasize that what is happening today, for example, in Kharkiv regoin, where there are some positive developments, is thanks to the Armed Forces and the things that we received specifically, the ones we had specifically requested. However, we did not get all (of what wed requested - ed.). It is very important that U.S. support us, if there is such an opportunity, with what we need," Zelensky said.

At the same time, the president emphasized that it is no secret that Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure.

"Regarding the shelling of the Karachun district in Kryvyi Rih, where there were Russian missile attacks, strikes on the dam, etc. We understand that there are no military units there which they would hit," he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, Russian cruise missiles struck the hydrotechnical facilities in Kryvyi Rih. As a result of the damage inflicted, the water level in the Inhulets River rose by up to 2 meters.

On Thursday, September 15, the enemy launched another missile attack on Kryvyi Rih.
The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which includes 35 UN countries, adopted a resolution demanding that Russia end its occupation of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

This was reported by Reuters, according to Ukrinform.

The resolution states that Russia should "immediately cease all actions against, and at, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and any other nuclear facility in Ukraine."

The resolution adds that Russia's occupation of the ZNPP significantly increases the risk of a nuclear accident. Ukrainian personnel continue to operate the station in conditions that the IAEA called are threatening the safety of the facility.

The document was submitted for consideration by the IAEA's highest decision-making body at the initiative of Canada and Poland on behalf of Ukraine, which is not a member of the Council of Governing Organizations.

The resolution was supported by 26 states, while only two  Russia and China  spoke against it. Seven countries abstained.

As reported by Ukrinform, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia, by seizing the ZNPP, seeks to disrupt Ukraines energy balance ahead of winter and prevent power exports to the European Union in order to further increase its prices.
Ukraine should be provided with all the weapons it needs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

According to Ukrinform, she said this in an interview with Germany's Bild news outlet.

"If they say they need battle tanks, then we should take it seriously and deliver them. Ukraine knows exactly what it needs to protect life and defend itself. [] I am in favor of the European states delivering what Ukraine actually needs. After all, the Ukrainians are proving that they can defend themselves if they have the right military means," von der Leyen said.

She recalled that Ukrainians are "fighting this fight for all of us." Democracy must win so it's so important that the country gets all the weapons it needs, she added.

According to her, Ukraine also urgently needs financial support.

"On average, they need five billion a month to maintain the essentials, to pay for the hospitals, the schools, the soldiers or, for example, to keep the police running, that's also important in this war. That's where the EU plays a very big role," she said.

Von der Leyen said she was firmly convinced that Ukraine will win the war, because "Ukraine has tremendous motivation." "They know what they're fighting for. And friends around the world are doing everything to ensure that Ukraine gets the right weapon systems," she said.

"It's important to me that Putin has to lose this war and have to take responsibility for his actions," she said.

Von der Leyen visited Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on Thursday, September 15. She held meetings with the country's leadership.
A projectile struck a building in the center of Kherson, where both the so-called "government" of the invaders and the "military-civilian administration" were located.

Serhiy Khlan, a deputy of the Kherson Regional Council, said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

"In Kherson, [a projectile] hit a courts building, where the so-called government of the occupiers and the military-civilian administration of the traitors were located," the report reads.

Each such hit brings the victory closer, noted the regional council deputy.

Khlan also called on Kherson residents not to walk near the facilities where the invaders are located.

According to Kherson political scientist Volodymyr Molchanov, this is the building where, before the Russian occupation of the city, the court of appeals had been located.

Kherson residents shared a video on social networks from the scene of the incident.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed further defense cooperation with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto.

Informed President of Finland Sauli Niinisto about the current situation on the frontline. Discussed further defense cooperation between Ukraine and Finland Expressed gratitude for the help provided. The issue of visa restrictions for the citizens of the Russian Federation was touched upon, Zelensky posted on Twitter.

As reported, Finland seized assets of Russian nationals under EU sanctions totaling around 189 million euros.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen discussed the integration of Ukraine into the European Union internal market, the Ukrainian electricity export, and Ukraines restoration at a meeting in Kyiv.

"I am grateful that the European Union and Mrs. President support us undisputably. This gives us firm confidence in our strength and our victory," Shmyhal said, the Government portal informs.

The Head of Government thanked the President of the European Commission for yet another visit to Ukraine during a full-scale war as a great sign of active cooperation between Ukraine and the EU on the way to full-fledged membership.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine and the President of the European Commission discussed the future bilateral cooperation and support for Ukraine in the coming year. The Head of Government thanked for the financial and military assistance that the European Union had provided to Ukraine.

Moreover, the parties touched upon the continued strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia and the restoration of Ukraine. According to the Prime Minister, a shared vision of the platform and reconstruction of our country will be presented at a conference in Germany in October.

Shmyhal and von der Leyen agreed to cooperate on the export of electricity from Ukraine to EU countries and discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). "We have to find a solution to demilitarize the plant and the territories around it," said the Head of the Government.

Among other things, the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the President of the European Commission discussed the integration of Ukraine into the EU internal market, in particular into the European free roaming zone, as well as customs cooperation issues.

Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, congratulated Ukraine on its military successes in the east of the country and announced that the European Union would provide Ukraine with EUR 100 million to restore schools destroyed by Russian shelling.

As reported, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on a visit on Thursday, September 15.

The President of Ukraine awarded Ursula von der Leyen the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st degree.

Photo credit: Government portal

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Since the agreement between Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the UN on the transportation of grain from Ukraine entered into force, 149 vessels with 3.4 million tonnes of agricultural products have left Ukrainian seaports.

According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine said this in a Facebook post.

"A total of 149 ships with agricultural products left Ukrainian ports for countries in Asia, Europe and Africa," the report reads.

It is noted that on September 16, four vessels carrying 69,600 tonnes of agricultural products left the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.

In total, 3.4 million tonnes of agricultural products have been exported from Ukraine through seaports since the agreement entered into force.

As Ukrinform reported, on July 22, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations signed an agreement unblocking grain exports from three Ukrainian ports  Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.

The first ship loaded with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa on August 1.

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Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has held a meeting with the heads of foreign diplomatic missions, dedicated to Ukraines accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the establishment of an ad hoc criminal tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by the heads of the embassies of the United States, France, Canada, Italy, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and the EU Delegation to Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Initially, Yermak noted the positive news that had recently been coming from the front and thanked the partner countries for the help provided to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the war against Russia.

At the same time, Yermak noted that, even amid the full-scale war, Ukraine is making progress in terms of reforms.

Yermak reminded that Ukraine seeks to join the OECD and the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions. Ukraines application for the OECD membership will be considered at the meeting of the OECD Council at the end of September 2022, and the official request to join the OECD Working Group should be considered at its meeting on October 10-14, 2022.

Yermak asked the diplomats to promote their countries support for the relevant decisions.

Thanks to its unique experience in supporting the post-war reconstruction process, the OECD should act as one of the key international players during the reconstruction of Ukraine. But, it is important for us not just to restore the Ukrainian economy after the war. We strive to build an extremely successful democratic country, Yermak said.

In his words, participation and membership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery is also very important to Ukraine, because the country is working hard to make processes in its public and private sectors as transparent and accountable as possible.

Post-war Ukraine should become extremely attractive for investments. For this purpose, every investor must be sure that his legal rights and interests are protected. Therefore, we are working on strengthening anti-corruption institutions, reforming the justice system, strengthening all law enforcement agencies, Yermak noted.

United States Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink expressed her support for Ukraines desire for membership in the OECD and the OECD Working Group on Bribery.

I believe that this is a very positive signal regarding Ukraines commitment to fighting corruption and continuing reforms. This will be an important signal for international investors, in particular the American business community, Brink said.

Yermak also briefed the heads of foreign diplomatic missions on Ukraines initiative to establish an ad hoc criminal tribunal, the mandate of which will extend exclusively to prosecute the crime of aggression.

We call on your countries to support this idea, because the crime of aggression must not go unpunished. The crime of aggression, for which the world did not have the courage to punish Russia in 2008, when it came to Georgia. The crime of aggression that the world ignored, when Russia came to Crimea and eastern Ukraine, Yermak stressed.

Yermak mentioned that yesterday another mass burial of innocent people, tortured and killed, was found in the city of Izium, liberated from Russian occupiers.

All these war crimes must be investigated and every guilty person must be punished. In addition, this is another argument for recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, Yermak emphasized.

According to Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Smyrnov, specific persons are guilty of the crime of aggression, and its legal proof is as simple as possible and does not require complex examinations and numerous interrogations.

Smyrnov noted that the Ukrainian side is finalizing the draft international agreement on establishing such tribunal to start negotiations on its signing.

Answering the question of Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk, Smyrnov said that Ukraine is in favor of creating a tribunal based on an open international treaty, which various civilized countries will join.

Its key for Ukraine that this tribunal be as authoritative as possible from the very beginning. And this requires the support of your countries, Smyrnov added.

Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza stressed the importance of bringing to justice those responsible for the horrific crimes committed during Russias war against Ukraine.

Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins said that France would support Ukraine in the investigation of war crimes by sending relevant specialists in the near future.

Yermak noted the importance of such assistance to ensure that all relevant actions take place quickly, since new and new crimes are discovered with the liberation of the occupied territories.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said there is no split in the military and political leadership of the country.

The General Staff said this in a statement posted to Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

It said the Ukrainian Defense Forces, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, are doing everything possible to liberate Ukrainian land from Russian occupation and deter the aggressor.

"We are guided by the principle of unity of command and do not allow divisions within the military team. Any political speculations surrounding specific actions in one direction or another and a frankly provocative attempt to involve the higher military and political leadership of the state are unacceptable," the statement said.

At the same time, the General Staff asked bloggers not to spread false information. "We absolutely should not talk about non-existent conflicts today, which affect our capabilities and consolidation. Once again: there's no need to talk about things that don't exist and that lead to public misunderstanding," the statement said.

The General Staff also added that a lot has already been done to protect the country, but there is still more work ahead, which requires mutual understanding, trust and respect. "From a soldier who at this moment is liberating another Ukrainian settlement or holding his section of the front, the command staff working on the development of specific plans, to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, we are united by a common goal of defeating the sworn enemy," the General Staff said.

Zelensky earlier denied a conflict between the Office of the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, stating that everyone is currently working in the same team.
The sanctions against the Russian Federation, which have been imposed by the United States, have the same effect as recognizing the country as a state sponsor of terrorism, but the United States will continue to discuss this issue at the internal level.

The relevant statement was made by United States Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink in an interview during Ukraines nationwide telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Brink, the United States is implementing numerous measures associated with recognizing the country as a state sponsor of terrorism. For example, the sanctions imposed against the Russian leadership, banks and companies have the same effect, immobilizing Russias economy and reducing Russias capability to continue this war.

Brink noted the U.S. Department of State does not disclose internal communication on various issues, including such recognition. But, the United States will continue to implement the aforementioned measures and discuss the above issue at the internal level.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

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Published September 16, 2022

CAPTION:Students from ULMs MLS program recently attended the national ASCLS annual meeting. Pictured left to right: Lauren Gregory, Sara Seiler, Noor Farhat

MONROE, LA  Three students, Lauren Gregory, Sara Seiler, and Noor Farhat, from ULMs Medical Laboratory Science program had the incredible opportunity to attend the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) Joint Annual Meeting this past summer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from June 26th to June 30th.

The Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) allows for professionals to gather and share their knowledge of the laboratory field. Many individuals anticipate JAM year-round, and all three ULM students were grateful for the chance to attend such an extraordinary event.

ASCLS furthered my passion for this profession, and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet such an amazing and supportive community, said Noor Farhat. It was a heartwarming experience that I will cherish for years to come. I am forever thankful to my professors for the encouragement and support they provided, she added. Farhat is the Louisiana Student Forum Chair of Developing Professionals and served as a Louisiana delegate at the ASCLS House of Delegates meeting.

At the annual awards ceremony, Sara Seiler received an ASCLS Travel Grant from the 2021-2022 President of ASCLS, Hassan Aziz. Seiler remarked, I feel so honored to have received a travel grant from this organization. ASCLS welcomes all members to attend JAM every year, and it was an experience that Ill never forget. We are so thankful to our faculty here at ULM for encouraging us to get involved in ASCLS and making this trip happen for us.

Lauren Gregory was able to network with potential employers and gain connections with future job opportunities. She stated, JAM allowed me to meet laboratory professionals from various regions of ASCLS. I have plans to push my boundaries and further my career outside of Louisiana, and the people I had the pleasure of meeting helped me get one step closer to achieving this career goal.

ASCLS comprises approximately 9,000 medical laboratory professionals, students, and educators across the nation that function to advance the profession. As laboratory personnel, they provide high complexity testing on patient samples to detect, diagnose, and treat diseases. ASCLS and the regional constituent societies advocate for laboratory professionals and represent their interests to legislators and regulators.

Attending the ASCLS meeting and representing the ULM MLS program at the national level was an opportunity of a lifetime for these three students said Debbie Wisenor, ULM MLS faculty and student society advisor.

To learn more about ULMs Medical Laboratory Science program, visit: https://www.ulm.edu/mls
Texas State graduate student Abagail Milam speaks at the Texas State Walkout Rally next to Texas State's Youth Democratic Socialists of America, Thursday, on Aug. 25, 2022, on The Quad.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2022) Bulgaria has reached an agreement on the delivery of one US tanker with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in October, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reports.

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who formally resigned in late June, secured LNG shipments from the United States through April 2023, but the new caretaker government had to confirm the deal before August 19.

BNR reported on Friday, citing Acting Minister of Energy Rosen Hristov, that Bulgaria managed to negotiate a slot for the unloading of one LNG tanker in Turkey and accepted the offer of the American natural gas company Cheniere Energy for the delivery of one tanker in October.

According to BNR, Bulgaria will not be able to receive two US tankers in November and December, as it is not able to provide storage space for their unloading at an affordable price. Sofia continues negotiations on gas supplies for October, November and December, the radio station specified.

At the start of this month, Hristov said that Bulgaria was considering the possibility of resuming gas supplies from Russian energy giant Gazprom.

The situation with gas supplies in Bulgaria escalated at the end of April, when Gazprom stopped deliveries to the country due to non-payment in rubles under a new scheme introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Cardiff, United Kingdom, Sept 16 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :King Charles III heads to Wales Friday for the last of his visits to the four nations of the United Kingdom as preparations for the queen's state funeral gather pace.

With queues to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lying in state reaching over four miles (6.4 kilometres) long, Charles and his three siblings -- Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward -- were due to hold a family vigil in front of the coffin.

The so-called Vigil of the Princes, with all four royals in ceremonial military uniform, will last for 15 minutes from 1830 GMT.

British officials on Thursday pledged "a fitting tribute" to the queen, who died last Thursday at the age of 96 after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne.

Her death has triggered an outpouring of emotion, with tens of thousands queueing for hours to pay their respects to the late monarch.

Charles, until last week the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history, was due to fly by helicopter to Cardiff early on Friday.

A spokesman for the king said he had a "lifelong commitment to the country's people" and would have a private audience with the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford during his visit.

The king was "resilient and hard working" despite his loss, and "focused on leading the family, the nation and realm and the Commonwealth in mourning for Queen Elizabeth II", the spokesman added.
Buenos Aires, Sept 16 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :The gunman who tried to shoot Argentina's Vice President Cristina Kirchner in the face was formally charged Thursday with attempted homicide, as was his girlfriend, court documents showed.

Fernando Sabag Montiel, 35, was caught on stunning video pointing a pistol at Kirchner from close range as she greeted supporters outside her home on September 1.

After Montiel's weapon failed to go off -- for reasons still unknown -- he was overpowered and arrested, while his girlfriend Brenda Uliarte, 23, was arrested three days later.

The judge leading the case, Maria Capuchetti, issued charges of attempted aggravated homicide with premeditation against Sabag Montiel and Uliarte, who will remain in police custody, according to court documents seen by AFP.

Judge Capuchetti has yet to issue charges against two of the couple's acquaintances -- Agustina Diaz, 21, and Gabriel Carrizo, 27 -- who were both arrested earlier this week.

Authorities had said earlier that there was evidence of "planning and prior agreement" between Montiel and Uliarte, though their motives have not yet been clearly established.

The investigation has been based primarily on analysis of the suspects' social media accounts, computers and phones. They paid particular attention to the fact that Kirchner's supporters gathered near her house every night.

This "was studied in detail by the two (defendants) to choose the right time for the attack," Capuchetti said.

Although the pair have not been shown to be politically radical, Montiel did have tattoos of neo-Nazi symbols.

Uliarte showed clear hostility towards Kirchner online, saying in one message: "I sent (someone) to kill Cristina." Kirchner, the 69-year-old former president, enjoys a loyal support base among followers of the center-left Peronist movement.

But she is disliked in equal measure by the political opposition, and is at the center of a heated corruption trial from her time in office.

The day after the attack, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in several Argentine cities to show her support.

Kirchner spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since the attempt on her life, during a meeting in the Argentine Senate with priests and nuns working in the slums around the capital.

"I feel that I am alive thanks to God and the Virgin" Mary, she said.

She also said that Pope Francis, who is Argentine himself, had called her after the attack to express his support.

Argentina's highly polarized politics have been at the center of debate since the attack, with politicians from both sides blaming each other for fomenting a "climate of hate."
HARBIN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang saw its foreign trade in goods grow 30.7 percent year on year to 167.15 billion Yuan (about 24.12 billion U.S. Dollars) in the first eight months of 2022, according to local customs.

In the January-August period, Heilongjiang's imports rose 35 percent year on year to 135.43 billion yuan, while its exports grew 15 percent to 31.72 billion yuan, data from Harbin Customs showed.

During the period, the province's trade with countries along the Belt and Road hit 131.

87 billion yuan, up 38.9 percent year on year, accounting for 78.9 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume. Its trade with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rose 26.7 percent to 14.54 billion yuan.

The province saw robust growth in the export of labor-intensive and agricultural products, while imports of iron ore and mechanical and electrical products also surged in the same period.
London, Sept 16 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :The outpouring of tributes in the week since Queen Elizabeth II's death has underlined her status as a figure of constancy, straddling two centuries of seismic social, political and technological change.

From world leaders to ordinary people, they recognise the central part Britain's longest-serving monarch has played in national life -- and as a global figure -- for 70 years.

And in the many tributes, what the queen came to represent -- old-fashioned values of dutiful, selfless public service -- seem to be mourned too as much as her loss.

"Queen Elizabeth's was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing," her eldest son -- now King Charles III -- said, the day after she died on September 8, aged 96.

"Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you... a deep sense of gratitude for the more than 70 years in which my mother, as queen, served the people of so many nations." Princess Anne, who accompanied the queen's coffin from her Scottish Highland home at Balmoral to Edinburgh and back to London, also acknowledged her mother's pivotal place in the national psyche.

"Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting," she said.

"We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted." Hundreds of thousands of people -- most of whom never met Queen Elizabeth -- have lined the streets to pay their last respects.

More still are expected to file past her coffin as it lies in state before her state funeral at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday.

- Memories and farewells - Queen Elizabeth enjoyed going out to meet the public and felt she had to be seen to be believed -- something her tall hats and bright outfits aided, given her short stature.

Since her death, people who met the queen have recounted fleeting handshakes and passing smiles, to chance encounters and lengthy interactions.

Soldiers who served in her uniform have queued to give a final salute to their former commander-in-chief.

On Wednesday, applause rang out before her coffin passed the statue of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill, the first of her 15 prime ministers.

Floral tributes and messages have sprung up at royal palaces around Britain, and mourners have arranged the flowers themselves in London's Green Park, creating heart shapes and spelling out "Thank You".

Many messages have been written by children, for whom the post-World War II privations when Queen Elizabeth succeeded her father in 1952 will be the childhood memories of their own grand or great-grandparents.

One image that has circulated widely online has been of the queen walking away hand in hand with Paddington Bear, accompanied by one of her beloved Corgi dogs.

"I've done my duties, Paddington," it reads. "Please take me to my husband." Prince Philip, whom she described as her "constant strength and guide", died in April last year, aged 99.

His death -- and the image of the queen sitting alone at his funeral due to Covid-19 regulations -- jolted Britons into realising her long reign was nearing a close.

Since then, she gradually became more frail and pulled out of public engagements but rallied enough to take part in Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June to mark her 70 years on the throne.

But her final appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony with Charles, his eldest son Prince William and his eldest son Prince George left little doubt she was passing the crown to future generations.

- 'Reassuring presence' - The queen carried on her duties until two days before she died, appointing new British Prime Minister Liz Truss on September 6.

Her final public statement came on September 7. As queen of Canada, she sent a message of sympathy for victims of the Saskatchewan stabbings.

Her death the next day was sudden, even if the palace did indicate the end was near with a rare health bulletin six hours before the announcement.

Praise poured in from The Vatican to the United Nations for a woman who came to the throne in the aftermath of World War II, as the Cold War began.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called her a "reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change" as world leaders from Mao Zedong and Nikita Krushchev to Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama came and went -- but she stayed in place.

John Major, her oldest surviving prime minister, said she "embodied the heart and soul of our nation", reflecting a view of her as a link between the past and the present -- and her passing as the end of an era for Britain and the world.

"Grief is the price we pay for love," said US President Joe Biden, reciting her poignant words from the days after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
ISTANBUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :A massive fire broke out at a high-rise commercial building in southern China on Friday, local media reported.

Flames ripped through multiple floors of the building in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, public broadcaster CGTN reported.

Videos and images showed thick smoke billowing from several floors.

Reports suggest the blaze has been extinguished, but there is no word yet on casualties or the extent of the damage.
London, Sept 16 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday will be the culmination of decades of meticulous planning.

Here is how the day will unfold: - Return to the abbey - The last time Westminster Abbey was used for a monarch's funeral was for King George II in 1760.

Since then, the preferred church has been St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle but Elizabeth opted for a larger venue.

On the morning of the funeral, the lying in state -- begun at Westminster Hall in parliament on Wednesday -- will continue until 6:30 am (0530 GMT).

At 6:30 am, the doors will close in preparation for the transfer of the coffin to the nearby abbey.

- Gun carriage - Shortly after 10:35 am a bearer party will lift the coffin from the catafalque, a raised platform, and carry it to the state gun carriage which will be waiting outside the North Door of Westminster Hall.

The state gun carriage is a field gun carriage held by the Royal Navy since 1901, when it was withdrawn from active service for the funeral of Queen Victoria.

It was also used for the funerals of kings Edward VII, George V, the queen's father George VI, wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was the last viceroy of British-ruled India.

It will be drawn by 142 junior enlisted sailors -- naval ratings -- rather than horses and will set off at 10:44 am.

The queen's eldest son and successor, King Charles III, will lead members of the royal family walking behind the coffin to the West Gate of Westminster Abbey, arriving at 10:52 am.

The funeral, conducted by the Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby giving the sermon, will start at 11:00 am.

Towards the end of the service at around 11:55 am, the Last Post bugle call will sound, followed by a two-minute silence.

London Heathrow Airport said flights would be stopped into and out of the airport 15 minutes before and after the silence.

The service will close with the national anthem and a Lament, a musical expression of grief, at around noon.

- Major security operation - Westminster Abbey can hold up to 2,200 people.

Those present in the congregation will include family members, Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss, senior politicians, former premiers, and more than 100 kings, queens and heads of state and other VIPs.

Invitations are expected to be sent to representatives of all countries with which Britain has diplomatic relations.

The palace has not released a formal guest list.

Russia and Belarus have not been invited because of the war in Ukraine, diplomatic sources said this week.

Military-run Myanmar and isolated North Korea have also not been invited, with no attendance either by representatives from Syria, Venezuela or Taliban-run Afghanistan.

- Journey to Windsor - At 12:15 pm, the coffin will be drawn on the gun carriage, followed on foot by members of the royal family led by the king, to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner near Buckingham Palace, from where it will continue to Windsor by royal hearse.

The hearse will arrive at Windsor at 3:06 pm and make its way to the castle via the Long Walk avenue, again with flights stopped, as the castle is on the flight path into and out of Heathrow.

The king and senior members of the royal family will join the procession on foot from the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle at around 3:40 pm before the cortege halts at the chapel at 3:53 pm.

The televised committal service starts at 4:00 pm.

Monday's committal service is expected to be attended by at least 800 people, most of whom will not have been at the abbey.

They will include past and present staff members who worked for the queen.

At the end of the service the coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault as the queen's piper plays a lament from the doorway and the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces the blessing.

"God Save the King" will be sung and the service ends.

- Final resting place - A private burial service will be held at 7:30 pm.

The queen's final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, which is an annexe to the main chapel, alongside her husband Prince Philip.

The queen's mother and father -- King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the queen mother -- were interred there with the ashes of her younger sister Princess Margaret.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Friday hosted briefings on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for resident diplomatic missions of several countries from East and Central Asia and the Middle East

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :The Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Friday hosted briefings on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for resident diplomatic missions of several countries from East and Central Asia and the middle East.

Chaired by the Additional Secretary (Asia-Pacific), two rounds of briefings were convened on September 15 and 16, 2022. The panel of experts also included senior officials of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and the board of Investment.

In her briefing, the Additional Secretary shared the underlying vision of CPEC, which was based on Pakistan's desire for connectivity and interest in deepening linkages with Central Asia, the Middle East and the East Asian region.

She emphasized that CPEC had added a new dimension in the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, which was based on mutual understanding and respect. Pakistan welcomes development partners and enterprises from around the world to strengthen investment and trade linkages and consider opportunities in Special Economic Zones (SEZ).

Thanking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant government departments for the briefing, the participating diplomatic missions underscored abiding mutual interest in enhancing economic cooperation.
Ambassador of Germany Alfred Grannas called on Senator Saleem Mandviwala here at his office on Thursday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :Ambassador of Germany Alfred Grannas called on Senator Saleem Mandviwala here at his office on Thursday.

During the meeting, both sides discussed matters of mutual interest, including parliamentary interaction between the members of parliaments and trade between the two countries, said a press release.

The ambassador said Germany was concerned regarding the flood situation in Pakistan. His country had already donated medical equipment and food supplies, and would reconsider giving more help in collaboration with the United Nations in the coming weeks, he added.
Multi-dimensional Strategic Relations

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Both Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Samarkand.

SAMARKAND: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Sept 16th, 2022) Pakistan and Turkiye have decided to continue high-level exchanges to further enhance the multi-dimensional strategic relations between the two countries.

The decision was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Samarkand.

The Prime Minister extended his gratitude to President Erdogan and to the people of Turkiye for their solidarity and generous support in the wake of devastating floods in Pakistan, caused by climate change.

Highlighting close fraternal ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of various bilateral institutional mechanisms, in particular the High-level Strategic Cooperation Council, which serves as the leadership-level platform to provide strategic direction to this abiding partnership.

While welcoming the recent signing of Trade in Goods agreement between both countries, the Prime Minister expressed the confidence that optimal utilization of the agreement would boost bilateral trade and act as a catalyst in further cementing bilateral economic and investment relations.
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SAMARKAND (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) , Sep 16 (APP):The presidents of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Mongolia on Friday seconded the proposal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an action plan by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for Pakistan to overcome the impact of climate change.

PM Sharif in his address at the Heads of State meeting of SCO had drawn the attention of the member states to the disaster Pakistan was facing as a result of climate change despite the country's less than one percent contribution to carbon emissions.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that the proposal of the prime minister of Pakistan needed to be taken up at the level of the Organization.

Mirziyoyev, who hosted the SCO summit, urged the member states to help Pakistan overcome the catastrophic damage caused by flash floods.

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh fully endorsed the suggestion made by Prime Minister Sharif at the SCO platform.

In his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called upon the member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to come up with Pakistan-specific programmes on climate change as the country faced the devastating impact of the global natural phenomenon.

"This climatic injustice has befallen us despite the fact that our carbon emission is less than one percent," the prime minister said.

The prime minister's call to the SCO members came in the wake of the recent flash floods in Pakistan that wreaked havoc with the livelihood and infrastructure across the country.

He mentioned that Pakistan was braving the disaster of floods, where hill torrents and massive rains killed 1,400 people including 400 children while millions of houses were damaged partially or completely.

"I earnestly appeal to all of you that let the SCO stand up and take steps against this devastation through sustainable programmes," he said.

PM Sharif said the country never faced such level of climate-induced catastrophe in its history that inflicted disaster upon human lives, infrastructure, livestock, and crops.

He stressed the dire need for assistance from the international community to help Pakistan overcome the problems in the wake of floods, including relief, rehabilitation, and control of water-borne diseases.

"In view of the massive disaster, I would be very honest to urge this forum to extend assistance to Pakistan and chalk out plans regarding climate change for our future generations," he said.
Ninety-nine percent of exhumed bodies had signs of violent death, Ukraine's regional administration head said Friday of the mass burial site discovered after Kyiv's forces recaptured the east Ukrainian town of Izyum

Kyiv, Ukraine, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2022 ) :Ninety-nine percent of exhumed bodies had signs of violent death, Ukraine's regional administration head said Friday of the mass burial site discovered after Kyiv's forces recaptured the east Ukrainian town of Izyum.

"Among the bodies that were exhumed today, 99 percent showed signs of violent death," Oleg Synegubov, head of Kharkiv regional administration, said on social media.

"There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck," he added.

"Obviously, these people were tortured and executed.

" Earlier Friday, AFP journalists saw that at least one of the bodies uncovered at the burial site in a forest outside Izyum had bound hands.

It was not clear, given the condition of the body, whether the victim was wearing civilian clothes or a military uniform.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Russia after officials began exhuming bodies from the site.

"Russia leaves only death and suffering. Murderers. Torturers," Zelensky said in a statement on social media, adding that children were among the more than 400 bodies discovered.
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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor ahead of an upcoming bilateral meeting of South African President and US President Joe Biden on Friday, State Department spokesperson Ned price said.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today in Washington, DC, with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, ahead of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting at the White House with President Biden on September 16," Price said a statement said on Thursday.

The two officials discussed ways to continue collaboration following the successful US-South Africa Strategic Dialogue held in Pretoria last month, the statement said.

Blinken and Pandor also reviewed the US and South African priorities for the upcoming UN General Assembly High-Level Week, the release added.

During a meeting on Friday, Biden and Ramaphosa are expected to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, climate change, food security, energy and peace and security.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2022) The US Defense Department's decision to make changes in its Taiwan policy may send the wrong signal to China, Politico reported on Friday, citing lawmakers and former officials.

The changes include moving the Defense Department's Taiwan portfolio under authority of its office responsible for China, the report said. However, the experts noted in the report that the move raises questions amid potential tensions in the region.

Pulling Taiwan back into a portfolio dominated by China sends the wrong signal to Beijing - that they can dictate the United States' relationship with the island democracy, or worse, that it will facilitate consultation with Beijing on the US approach to Taiwan's security needs, the report cited US Senator Dan Sullivan as saying.

Sullivan insisted that diluting the United States' focus on supporting Taiwan is a "really bad idea," the report said.

The Defense Department explained that the change is of a bureaucratic character and was designed to increase internal efficiency, the report said.

Historically, both China and Taiwan were under the purview of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia.

However, in 2019 the Trump administration created a special office focused only on China.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia in the Trump administration, Heino Klinck, has warned that Beijing will not look at this as a coincidence, the report said.

Klinck has said he thinks the United States is unintentionally signaling that its relationship with Taiwan is a subset of its relationship with mainland China, the report said.

Randy Schriver, who led the Defense Department's Asia policy under the Trump administration, has warned that such a move will show that Taiwan becomes a "subset" due to its size relative to China.

Traditionally, Taiwan has been viewed as a problem to manage in the China context and this is a return to that, the report quoted Schriver as saying.

The changes will have not only policy but practical implications as well because remaining under the Defense Department's East Asia office would show Taiwan that it is still among other US partners in the region, including Japan and Australia, the report said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for a shake-up of the world order as they met with Asian leaders Friday for a summit challenging Western influence

Samarkand, Uzbekistan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for a shake-up of the world order as they met with Asian leaders Friday for a summit challenging Western influence.

The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan brought Putin and Xi together with the leaders of SCO members India, Pakistan, and four Central Asian nations, as well as the presidents of Iran and Turkey.

Putin and Xi met on Thursday for their first face-to-face talks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and on the Chinese leader's first trip abroad since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

The summit has been put forward as an alternative to "Western-centric organisations", at a time of increasing pressure on Moscow over Ukraine and growing anger in Beijing over US support for Taiwan.

Xi told leaders at the summit that it was time to reshape the international system and "abandon zero-sum games and bloc politics".

Leaders should "work together to promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction," Xi said.

Putin hailed the growing influence of countries outside the West, slamming what he called "instruments of protectionism, illegal sanctions and economic selfishness".

"The growing role of new centres of power who cooperate with each other... is becoming more and more clear," Putin said.

- Talks with Turkey - The summit has been Putin's first major international outing since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February, sparking a conflict that has left thousands dead and seen Russia hit with waves of economic sanctions.

Xi on Thursday said China was willing to work with Russia to support "each other's core interests", though Putin admitted that Beijing had "concerns" about the situation in Ukraine that he would address.

The SCO -- which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- was set up in 2001 as a political, economic and security organisation to rival Western institutions.

In a sign that the bloc is far from fully united, clashes escalated along the borders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on Friday, with both sides accusing the other of responsibility and of using heavy weapons.

Putin was due later Friday to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been a key broker in deals between Russia and Ukraine on issues like grain shipments.

Erdogan told leaders at the summit that efforts were being made "to finalise the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy as soon as possible".

Xi met with Erdogan on Friday, calling for more "political mutual trust" between the two countries and pushing for more cooperation on his signature Belt and Road global trade initiative.

Xi was also set to have his first face-to-face discussion with Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Friday, after Raisi met Putin on Thursday.

- US, Taiwan raise concerns - For Xi, the summit was an opportunity to shore up his credentials as a global statesman ahead of a pivotal congress of the ruling Communist Party in October, where he is widely expected to secure an unprecedented third term as president.

For Putin, it was a chance to show that he is not fully isolated on the global scene, at a time when his forces in Ukraine are facing major battlefield setbacks.

Other nations sounded alarm about deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing.

US State Department spokesman Ned price said China and Russia "share a vision for the world that is starkly at odds with the vision that's at the centre of the international system, the vision that has been at the centre of the international system for the past eight decades."He also took note of Putin's mention of Chinese "concerns" about Ukraine in his talks with Xi, suggesting the "striking" admission showed Moscow did not have Beijing's full support for its military campaign.

Taiwan's foreign ministry meanwhile said the two countries were inflicting harm on "international peace, stability, democracy and freedom".
BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) Four Kyrgyz soldiers suffered wounds in armed clashes on the border with Tajikistan, the administration of the Kyrgyz region of Batken said on Friday.

"According to preliminary information, four servicemen were wounded," the administration's spokesperson said.

According to the press office of the border guard of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National, the Tajik side attacked Kyrgyz positions along the entire length of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border on Friday morning.
Hungary is ready to make concessions to Brussels regarding necessary reforms to avoid funding cuts by the EU for "breaching rule of law," Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Tibor Navracsics said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) Hungary is ready to make concessions to Brussels regarding necessary reforms to avoid funding cuts by the EU for "breaching rule of law," Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Tibor Navracsics said on Friday.

The EU parliament voted on Thursday in favor of a report calling for the European Council's decision to recognize the existence of a "clear risk" of Hungary breaching EU values. European lawmakers voiced concerns over the functioning of the Hungarian constitutional and electoral systems, independence of the judiciary, corruption, and Budapest's observance of human rights. The parliament recommended reducing funding for Hungary as part of the economic recovery plan.

"We are open to all options. We can negotiate," Navracsics was quoted by the Financial Times as saying.

The minister added that there was consensus on the anti-corruption authority in Hungary, which could serve as proof of Budapest's willingness to deliver on its promises.

The minister also stated that he was hopeful Hungary and Brussels would manage to agree on financing by November, and it would be "completely understandable" if the EU demanded monitoring to make sure that Budapest sticks to its commitments amid lack of trust between the sides.

Hungary should receive around 22 billion Euros ($22 billion) as part of the EU budget for the period of 2021-2027, according to the Financial Times. It is also planning to get extra seven billion euros ($7 billion) of grants, with some billions more in loans under the recovery fund.

In July 2020, the leaders of EU countries agreed to introduce the NextGenerationEU instrument, a 750-billion-euro ($750 billion) rescue fund aimed at helping EU member states mitigate the economic effects of COVID-19 restrictions. These are separate from the EU budget of 1.082 trillion euro for the period of 2021-2027, recently approved by the EU Parliament.
BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) The heads of the Kyrgyz and Tajik special services are negotiating the situation on the border, due to which the intensity of shooting in the conflict zone has decreased, the press service of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security told Sputnik on Friday.

"Negotiations are currently underway between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the issue of a ceasefire ... The heads of the countries' national security committees) participating in the negotiations," the committee said, adding that "due to this, the intensity of shooting is declining."
Japan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Takei Shunsuke visited the embassy of Pakistan here on Thursday and expressed condolences on behalf of the government of Japan, on losses in devastating floods in Pakistan

TOKYO, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Sep, 2022 ) :Japan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Takei Shunsuke visited the embassy of Pakistan here on Thursday and expressed condolences on behalf of the government of Japan, on losses in devastating floods in Pakistan.

During a meeting with Pakistan's Charge d' Affaires Ismat Hassan Sial, he expressed grief and sympathy on the loss of precious lives and displacement of millions in Pakistan during the torrential rains.

Besides flood related matters, various issues on bilateral matters were also discussed during the meeting.

To express solidarity on behalf of the Government of Hyogo Prefecture of Japan, Imago Motohiko, Director General, Hyogo Prefectural Government, also visited the embassy of Pakistan.

He pledged a donation of Japanese Yen One million for flood affectees.

Ismat Hassan expressed gratitude for the sympathy and donation by the government of Hyogo Prefecture. Further ways of enhancing future relations were also discussed.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) The Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed a note of protest to the representatives of Tajikistan in connection with the escalation of the situation on the border, the ministry's representative told Sputnik on Friday.

"In the building of the ministry, the Tajik side was given a note of protest regarding the illegal and destructive actions of the Tajik side," the representative said.
BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2022) Twenty-four citizens of Kyrgyzstan were killed on Friday in border clashes with Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Health Ministry told Sputnik.

"According to operative information, the bodies of 24 people have been received by health care organizations in the Batken Region," the ministry's spokesperson said.

It was earlier reported that 87 Kyrgyz citizens were wounded as a result of the conflict.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) Latvian authorities have no canonical rights to intervene in religious life and make decisions over the church, retired Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) Jerome (Shaw) told Sputnik on Thursday.

Last week, the Latvian Seijm promptly approved amendments to the law, proposed by the country's president, Egils Levits, that declared the Latvian Orthodox Church autocephalous (independent). The amendments to the law on the Latvian Orthodox Church, making it totally independent from any other church outside Latvia, primarily the Russian one.

"Such a decision as what international denomination a local church may belong to, is not up to the government. It has no canonical authority to do so," Bishop Jerome said.

The bishop also said while the religious believers, most of whom in today's Latvia are Orthodox Christians, must keep their religion within the four walls of their church, the government is free to interfere with church life.

"The fact that the local Church authorities were afraid to go against the Latvian state, does not suggest that the government of that country allows its citizens any real religious freedom," the bishop said.

The newly adopted rules require the Latvian Orthodox Church to notify the Chancery of the President by October 1 of the appointment of the Head of the church, metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops.

By October 31, the Church has to align its statutes with the amendments made to the Law on the status of the church.

Asked about the separation of the state and the church, Bishop Jerome, an American, who was born in the US in the 1940s, called it "the double standard galore."

"First of all, 'separation of church and state,' which started in the 13 colonies at the time of separation from England, was supposed to mean that there was no, unique, state church, which some of the 13 Colonies had prior to that decision. It was supposed to mean, first of all, that anyone could practice whatever religion they wanted (and almost everyone did), but despite that, for close to 200 years the US was still considered a 'Christian country,'" he said.

Recalling his childhood, the hierarch said that every day in the school was starting with the Lord's prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and then students sang the national anthem.

"But the 'separation of church and state' was supposed to mean that religious groups did not interfere with the government - and that the government did not interfere with church life," the bishop added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the approval of such amendments to the law on the Latvian Orthodox Church would not be left without consequences.
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) The number of threats reported against members of US Federal law enforcement following the FBI's raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence is "stunning," US Senator Dick Durbin said on Thursday.

"I asked today for a briefing from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security on the question of the threats to our federal law enforcement, most recently since the Mar-a-Lago search," Durbin said during a press conference. "It's stunning, the number of threats that have been cataloged and indexed since the August 8 search of Mar-a-Lago."

While the biggest threat to federal law enforcement remains international drug organizations, so-called "domestic violent extremists" are second on the list and on the rise, according to Durbin.

Such individuals include those "questioning government, questioning authority and threatening (law enforcement's) lives in the process," Durbin said.

Last month, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago as part of an investigation into potential mishandling of sensitive presidential records. Trump has condemned the probe and raid as a weaponization of the US justice system against him as well as his aides and supporters.

Trump's legal team and government prosecutors are currently arguing in court over review of the seized materials, with both sides requesting a different neutral "special master" to examine the case evidence.
Poland signed a contract with South Korea to buy 48 FA-50 light fighter jets, with the first 12 aircraft to be delivered to Poland next year, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) Poland signed a contract with South Korea to buy 48 FA-50 light fighter jets, with the first 12 aircraft to be delivered to Poland next year, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Friday.

The contract is part of a broader five billion zloty ($13.7 billion) arms deal reached by the two countries earlier in the year.

"Until now, the pilots of this airbase (23rd Air Base) have been using post-Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets. We all understand that the further use of this weaponry has no prospects," Blaszczak said during the signing ceremony at the 23rd Air Base in Minsk Mazowiecki.

The first 12 jets are to be delivered to Poland next year, while in November, Polish pilots will head to South Korea for training, according to the minister.

After the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February, Poland began increasing its defense spending. The country adopted a law in March that aims to boost its defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product in 2023, which would be one of the highest shares among NATO countries.
SAMARKAND (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) The member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have called for increasing the effectiveness of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and reforming it, according to the Samarkand declaration signed on Friday.

"The member states call for more effective WTO as a key forum for discussing the international trade agenda and adopting the rules of the multilateral trading system," the document read, noting the need for an inclusive reform as soon as possible.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) Senior US defense officials met with South Korean Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beomchul to discuss the defense posture on the Korean Peninsula and ways to deepen science and technology cooperation, the Pentagon said in a press release.

"Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks met with the Republic of Korea Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beomchul today at the Pentagon. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-ROK Alliance and the mutual commitment to maintaining a strong combined defense posture. They also discussed the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and committed to continuing regional cooperation that upholds a free and open Indo-Pacific," the release said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the vice minister also met the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Heidi Shyu.

The officials agreed that deepening science and technology cooperation is an integral part of "deterrence and a robust defense posture on the Korean Peninsula," the release said.

Also on Wednesday, Shin met with Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Sustainment, William LaPlante, to discuss the ROK's interest in pursuing a Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement between the two countries, according to the release.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Wednesday discussed North Korea's nuclear program with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during a phone conversation, the Yonhap news agency reported. During the talks, the South Korean top diplomat stressed that the world community must convey an "unequivocal" message to Pyongyang over its missile and nuclear program.
The leaders of South Africa and the United States called Friday for close cooperation on health, security and climate, as President Joe Biden puts a new focus on African powers after their reluctance to take on Russia

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2022 ) :The leaders of South Africa and the United States called Friday for close cooperation on health, security and climate, as President Joe Biden puts a new focus on African powers after their reluctance to take on Russia.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was set to meet President Joe Biden weeks after Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid his own trip to South Africa and promised that the United States will do more to listen to Africa.

Starting his visit over breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris, Ramaphosa voiced gratitude to the United States for its "considerable support" on the Covid pandemic as the Biden administration donates 1.1 billion vaccine doses around the world.

"The visit really is about strengthening the relationship between South Africa and the United States," Ramaphosa said, adding that Washington had a "key role" to play on security issues across Africa.

Harris hailed the leadership of Ramaphosa -- who is under growing pressure at home over a scandal -- and said she would discuss working together on fighting climate change, a key priority for the Biden administration.

"I cannot emphasize enough how important the relationship between our countries is to the people of the United States both in terms of our security and our prosperity," she said.

Like other developing nations, South Africa -- whose eastern Mpumalanga province has one of the world's largest concentrations of coal -- argues that industrialized nations should bear the brunt of efforts to cut emissions due to their historic responsibility for climate change.

Wealthy nations at last year's Glasgow climate conference promised $8.5 billion of financing to South Africa to transition away from coal.

- 'Histories' behind Russia stance - Successive US administrations have focused much of their energy in Africa on countering the growing influence of China, which has become the continent's dominant trading partner.

But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered a new front in the battle for influence in Africa, where many nations have been reluctant to embrace the West in its campaign to punish and pressure Moscow.

South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor denied being neutral but said "there are reasons for the perspectives that exist and one should never, I think, try to pretend that there aren't histories." She pointed to the former Soviet Union's championing of anti-apartheid forces compared with periods of Western cooperation with South Africa's former white supremacist regime.

"I think we've been fairly clear, in our view, that war doesn't assist anyone and that we believe the inhumane actions we have seen against the people of Ukraine can't be defended by anybody," she said this week at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

"But what we have said is that a lot of the public statements that are made by leading politicians are not assisting in ameliorating the situation, because the first prize must be to achieve peace." The United States has sought to highlight the invasion's role in soaring food prices, as Ukraine was one of Africa's largest suppliers of grain.

Russia has sought to blame food scarcities on Western sanctions, an argument dismissed by the United States, which says it is not restricting agricultural or humanitarian shipments.

South Africa's top diplomat broke with the usual polite bipartisanship of foreign dignitaries visiting Washington, not mincing words on Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who notoriously referred to nations in the developing world with an epithet.

"We relate very well, I think probably better, with the Democrats than the Republicans," she said. "You will recall how President Trump described Africa and no one has apologized for that as yet."Trump was the first US president in decades not to visit sub-Saharan Africa. Biden has not yet visited but has pledged a renewed interest, including with a summit of African leaders planned in Washington this December.
The United States is in talks with Suriname to send Afghans held at a US base in Kosovo to the small South American nation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2022) The United States is in talks with Suriname to send Afghans held at a US base in Kosovo to the small South American nation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources.

The US wants Suriname to take in the Afghans who failed to meet entry requirements for admission to the US.

Suriname's Ambassador to the United States, Marten Schalkwijk, confirmed that the discussions are ongoing, noting that they are at an early stage.

"We are considering it ... In general, Suriname is a country where people can adapt quickly," he said, as quoted in the report.

The State Department declined to comment on any talks with Suriname, the report said.

"The State Department is in regular discussion with allies and partners about finding durable, safe, voluntary resettlement solutions for Afghans who do not have a path to the US. I won't get into the specifics of conversations with any one country," a department spokesperson said.

In total, the US evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan on the eve of the Taliban's (under UN sanctions for terrorism) return to power.
In Conversation with State Department Diplomat-in-Residence: Paid Student Internships Info Session

Fri, 09/16/2022 - 16:12pm | By: Ivonne Kawas

The University of Southern Mississippis (USM) School of Social Science and Global Studies will welcome J. Nathan Bland, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomat-in-Residence for the Central South, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, who will discuss his journey at the State Department, paid internships, and fellowships.

The info session is open to all majors and will be held on September 21, 2022 from 1010:50 a.m. in LAB 109 on the Hattiesburg Campus.

Diplomat Bland noted that earlier this year, Congress provided funding for the State Department to run new paid internship programs. This is of significant impact for students who may have

previously found it difficult to participate in an internship due to the incurred expenses when pursuing an unpaid or volunteer opportunity.

The compensated internships offered by the State Department can provide our students at USM with impactful opportunities that can lead to full-time employment, said Dr. Edward Sayre, director of the School of School of Social Science and Global Studies. These opportunities not only provide students with insight into the business of foreign policy and diplomacy, but also equips them with skills that can be applied to other sectors.

Some of the new paid programs Bland will discuss during the info session include: the Colin Powell Leadership Program, focused on recruiting highly motivated students from a variety of backgrounds who aspire to and possess the potential to become future civil service leaders at the State Department, and the Paid Summer 2023 Internships, focused on offering students the opportunity to work in U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the world, as well as in various bureaus located in Washington, D.C. and at Department offices around the U.S.

As a Diplomat-in-Residence at Tulane University, Bland is responsible for recruiting students for possible careers in the State Department. In addition to this, Bland also participates in information sessions, career panels and career fairs where he represents the State Department.

Bland was born in Germany and spent most of his younger years in Leesville, La. by the Fort Polk military base with both parents working for the U.S. military. His family is from Lafayette, La. and Tunica, Miss., and he attended Louisiana College where he studied business prior to attending Seton Hall Universitys School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

Here are some of the State Departments student programs and general application deadlines:

S. Foreign Service Internship Program: Application period is closed.

Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship: Open now until - Feb. 3, 2023

Rangel Graduate Fellowship: Open now until Sept. 22

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship: Open now until Sept. 29

Colin Powell Leadership Program: Opens mid-late Sept. (NEW)

Paid Summer 2023 Internship: Opens in Nov. (NEW)

William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship: This Fall (TBD) (NEW)

If you have questions about the info session or are interested in learning more about connecting with the Diplomat-in-Residence for the Central South to discuss the application process contact Cara Wilson at Cara.WilsonFREEMississippi.

Additional Resource:

Learn more about each program.
Southern Invitational Choral Conference Sings In Hattiesburg

Fri, 09/16/2022 - 16:21pm | By: Mike Lopinto

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) presents the 19th annual Southern Invitational Choral Conference (SICC), Monday, Sept. 19 and Tuesday, Sept. 20. Featuring world renowned guest clinicians, the annual event finds more than 800 high school and community college students flocking to participate in this pinnacle event for the Gulf South.

Public performances include a Southern Miss Showcase concert, Monday at 7:15 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium and the SICC Honor Choirs Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Main Street Baptist Church. The events are free, and the public is invited.

Doctor Gregory Fuller, PhD, Director of Choral Activities, states this event is about building and supporting the regional choral community.

This years clinicians include professor of choral conducting at the University of North Texas, Kristina Caswell MacMullen, who has conducted All-State and honors choirs in over 30 states and provinces; native Mississippian, Jabarie Glass, who is an assistant professor of music and the associate director of choral studies in the School of Music at the University of South Carolina; and Director of choral activities at the Northwest Mississippi Community College, J. Reese Norris, has served in several leadership capacities for state-level NAfME and ACDA, and at the division level for ACDA.

This event allows students to participate in intense rehearsals and high-quality performances. Students will have the opportunity to audition for choral scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year at the prestigious Southern Miss School of Music. Auditions are open to all high school seniors and community college students who attend SICC and are intending on becoming music majors.

SICC allows individuals to connect with other people who love what you love, and to work with national clinicians right in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Fuller continued.

Each high school is invited to bring eight freshman/sophomore student as well as up to eight junior/senior students. Community colleges are invited to bring three or four balanced SATB quartets for the community college honor choir. The students selected are excellent sight-readers, have good vocal technique, and display exemplary rehearsal behavior. This conference is also open to teachers and allows them to receive continuing education units for attending.

Fuller expressed that this is event is unique because students are only asked to arrive with nothing prepared in advance.

For more information, visit usm.edu/choirs.
Worshipers hold a funeral for those who died in the deadly blaze (AFP or licensors)

Pope Francis offers his condolences to the Coptic Orthodox Church in the wake of a fire at a church in Giza, Egypt, which killed at least 41 people, including a bishop and several children.

By Devin Watkins

A deadly blaze broke out during Mass on Sunday in the Coptic Orthodox church of Abu Sefein in Giza, killing at least 41 people.

Bishop Abdul Bahkit was among those who died, along with many children.

Pope Francis sent his condolences to Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, on Thursday, in a telegram signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

The Pope said he was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic event, especially the death of the bishop and the many children.

Pope Francis offered his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to the injured and those affected by this tragedy.

He also entrusted the victims and their families to the merciful love of almighty God and invoked upon all consolation and strength in the Lord.

A view of the damage caused to the church building

Electrical fire

Egypts Interior Ministry said the fire started in the second-floor air conditioning as a result of an electrical malfunction.

Smoke inhalation was the main cause of death, according to the ministry. Witnesses said the fire blocked the churchs main entrance, leading to a stampede.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi tweeted his condolences for the victims.

I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their Lord in one of his houses of worship, he said.

A funeral was held for the dead at a cemetery later on Sunday in Giza, which lies across the Nile River from Cairo and is Egypts second-largest city.
Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states before the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO at the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. Xi attended the restricted session here on Friday. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday attended here the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The meeting was chaired by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and attended by leaders of SCO member states including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The leaders exchanged views on SCO development and major international and regional issues bearing on the political and economic situation in the region.

At 9:55 a.m. local time, Xi and leaders of other SCO member states arrived at the Samarkand Congress Center and received warm welcome from Mirziyoyev.

The leaders took a group photo before the restricted session started.

In his statement, Xi spoke highly of Uzbekistan's hard work and important contribution to preparing for the Samarkand summit and advancing SCO's development under its presidency.

Xi pointed out that since the founding of the SCO more than twenty years ago, it has upheld the Shanghai Spirit and succeeded in exploring a new path for the development of international organizations. There is much we can draw on from its rich practices, he said.

It is important to forge political trust, Xi said, adding that guided by the vision of forging enduring friendship and peace among the SCO member states, the member states respect each other's core interests and choice of development path and support each other in achieving peace, stability, development and rejuvenation.

Noting that it is important to pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said that the SCO member states accommodate each other's interests, stay true to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, enhance synergy between our respective development strategies, and keep to the path of win-win cooperation toward common prosperity.

It is important to treat each other as equals, the Chinese president said, adding that the SCO member states are committed to the principle of equality among all countries regardless of their size, consensus-based decision-making, and addressing issues through friendly consultations. The SCO member states reject the practice of the strong bullying the weak or the big bullying the small, he noted.

Noting that it is important to advocate openness and inclusiveness, Xi said that the SCO member states stand for harmonious coexistence and mutual learning between different countries, nations and cultures, dialogue between civilizations and seeking common ground while shelving differences. We are ready to establish partnership and develop win-win cooperation with other countries and international organizations that share our vision, he said.

Xi stressed that the world today is not a peaceful place. Rivalry between two sets of policy choices -- unity or division, cooperation or confrontation -- is getting more acute. This brings shocks to world peace and stability and is detrimental to the long-term development of the region.

In the face of the complex situation, Xi urged the SCO member states to keep the SCO on the right course, deepen cooperation in various fields, and continue to foster a favorable environment for the development and rejuvenation of member states.

Xi outlined several priorities going forward.

First, staying committed to the Shanghai Spirit and enhancing solidarity and cooperation. It is important that the SCO stay true to its founding mission, increase mutual trust, and join forces to cope with the complex changes in the external environment. Member states need to continue to support each other on matters concerning each other's core interests and major concerns and serve as a strong backing for each other's development and rejuvenation.

Second, maintaining strategic independence and safeguarding regional stability. Member states need to advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and reject any attempt to create bloc confrontation and damage regional stability. Bearing in mind the security needs of countries in the region, they should build consensus on security cooperation, and work together to protect sustained stability and security in the region. The SCO should enhance its law enforcement cooperation and prevent terrorist and extremist forces from jeopardizing regional security.

Third, pursuing inclusiveness and shared benefits in promoting development cooperation. Member states should actively promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, ensure the stable and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains, and encourage the orderly flow of resources and factors of production, so as to realize greater economic integration and development in the region. They should redouble efforts to promote complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and other national development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives to stimulate the dynamism for growth in participating countries.

Fourth, advancing the SCO expansion process and strengthening SCO institutions. An increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. This fully demonstrates the power of SCO's vision and the widely shared confidence in its future. The SCO should seize the opportunity and step up its work to expand the ranks of cooperation and augment the effective force for international equity and justice.

Xi noted that the Communist Party of China would soon convene its 20th National Congress to draw up a blueprint for China's development in the next stage, adding that no matter what changes may take place in the international landscape, China will remain firm in its commitment to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and continue to see the SCO as a priority in its diplomacy.

China stands ready to draw on its own development to contribute to the development of countries in the region and to a better life for the people in the countries, Xi said.

Wang Yi was present at the event.
Pope Francis arrives in Rome on Thursday afternoon at the end of his 38th Apostolic Journey abroad, which took him to Kazakhstan for the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

At the end of his 3-day Apostolic Journey to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Pope Francis returned to Rome from the Central Asian nation on Thursday afternoon.

The papal plane took off from the Nur-Sultan International Airport at 5:17 PM local time and touched down at Rome's Fiumicino Airport at 8:01 PM Rome time.



The Popes departure was preceded by a departure ceremony at the airport, where the Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, officially bade him farwell.

The Holy Father has spent the last three days visiting the Kazakh capital, which was the venue for the 7th Congress of leaders of World and Traditional Religions which took place from 14 -15 September.

The Pope participated in the Interfaith Congress and addressed participants during the opening and plenary session on Wednesday and the closing session on Thursday.

The journey also presented the Pope the opportunity to meet with Kazakh authorities, members of the clergy and the faithful.

A high-point of his visit was the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by the Holy Father at the Expo grounds on Wednesday.
Pope Francis returns to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for her maternal protection during his just-concluded Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan.

By Devin Watkins

As is his custom, Pope Francis paid a visit to the ancient icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani on Friday morning, a day after returning to Rome from his Apostolic Journey to Kazakhstan.

According to the Holy See Pres Office, the Pope traveled by car to the Basilica of St. Mary Major "to pray before the icon" of Our Lady, before returning to the Vatican.

The Holy Father spent the last 3 days in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, where he met with religious leaders from across the globe in Nur-Sultan and offered his closeness to the country's small Catholic community.

The papal plane touched down at Rome's Fiumicino Airport on Thursday evening.

Pope's thoughts on his visit

Aboard the flight, Pope Francis told journalists that he was plesantly surprised by Kazakhstan and its people.

"It is such a large country, with nineteen million people  unbelievable. Very disciplined, and beautiful," he said. "With so much beauty: the architecture of the city is well-balanced, well-arranged. A modern city, a city I would perhaps say of the future."

He also spoke highly of the "important" work of the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which he attended on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Pope said a great many faiths were represented, offering a privileged space for dialogue. "At the table, you could see that everyone was talking and listening to each other with respect," he told reporters.

Pope Francis also praised the enthusiasm and joy of Catholics in Kazakhstan, as well as their efforts to coexist as a tiny minority in the country - less than 1 percent of the population.

"Their coexistence with Muslims is something that is being worked on quite a bit," he said, "and we are going forward, not only in Kazakhstan."
Afghan insurgent group leader Ahmad Massoud on Friday urged the diaspora to unite to find a political solution to end Taliban rule, describing his appeal as the beginning of a new phase.

Massoud, who heads the National Resistance Front (NRF), an armed group waging an insurgency in Afghanistan's northern Panjshir Valley, said it was time to try to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table.

"We want to unify the diaspora ... and slowly expand the dialogue and reach to the point where we have a road map for the future of Afghanistan," he told a conference in Vienna.

"We are in the very beginning of a new phase," he said.

The Vienna conference brought together some 30 Taliban opponents, mostly living in exile.

Many groups recently formed outside Afghanistan were not happy with the current state of affairs inside the country, Massoud said, adding it was time to overcome differences and "heal the wounds."

The Taliban's takeover after U.S.-led forces withdrew last year has set back women's rights and created fertile ground for terrorist groups, he said.

Massoud is the son of legendary anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.

The elder Massoud, known as the Lion of Panjshir, was assassinated in 2001 by al-Qaida, two days before the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

His son has since picked up the mantle against Taliban forces, repeatedly denouncing the Islamist regime as illegitimate.

NRF forces announced an offensive against the Taliban in May, and fighting has flared up again this month.

"Our aim has never been to strengthen the war but to end the war," Massoud said, calling for international support at a time where global attention is focused on Ukraine.

On Tuesday the Taliban said their forces had killed at least 40 NRF fighters.

A day later, the Islamist group said it was looking into a video circulating on social media that the NRF says shows some of its fighters being executed.

"This is unacceptable, and this is against all international laws," Massoud said.
At a White House summit Thursday aimed at combating division and hate-fueled violence throughout the United States, President Joe Biden railed against white supremacists and urged the nation to overcome its "toxic" political division.

The United We Stand Summit brought together local leaders, civil rights organizations, experts and community groups. The event honors communities that have experienced hate-based violence, the White House said.

Such violence includes a spate of mass shootings targeting places linked to specific groups: a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in 2012, a gay nightclub in Florida in 2016, and Asian spas in Georgia in 2021. Also noted: a shooting targeting Mexicans at a Texas supermarket in 2019 and one singling out Black people at a New York supermarket in May.

Kicking off the summit, Vice President Kamala Harris said the country is facing an "epidemic" of hate-fueled violence. "We have seen our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones attacked simply because of who they are or where they pray," she said.

In his remarks, Biden recounted the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which he said was why he ran for office.

"White supremacists will not have the last word, and this venom and violence cannot be the story of our time," he said, urging the nation to choose "hope, unity and optimism" over "fear and division and hate."

Toxic division

A recent Economist and YouGov poll showed that 66% of Americans believed that political divisions in this country had gotten worse since the beginning of 2021, and 62% expected an increase in political divisions in the coming years.

Biden acknowledged the "toxic division" the country is facing.

"Hate-fueled violence is born in the fertile soil of a toxic division," he said. "We won't solve the problem by going after the extreme fringes alone. We have to confront the ways in which our toxic division fuels this crisis for all of us. Our differences certainly don't turn a fellow American into a sworn enemy."

His critics argue that Biden himself is fanning the flames of division as he ramps up attacks in recent weeks against so-called MAGA Republicans, invoking harsh political rhetoric that includes accusing them of "semi-fascism." MAGA is an acronym for "Make America Great Again," former President Donald Trump's well-known 2016 campaign slogan, which now is used to refer to his hard-core followers.

"If he wants to find the main cause of division in America today, he should look in the mirror," tweeted Republican Senator Tom Cotton.

Earlier this month, Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia warning of the dangers MAGA Republicans pose to democracy and how Trump's "extreme ideology" threatens the "very foundation of our republic."

An Ipsos/Reuters poll conducted after the Philadelphia speech showed that more than half (59%) of Americans believed his speech would only serve to further divide the country, while 41% believed it would unite it.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not directly respond when asked about criticism that Biden is fomenting division.

"The president is hosting this event to highlight that the vast majority of Americans, despite our myriad of differences, are united in opposition to hate-fueled violence," she said.

While 84% of Americans polled in the Ipsos survey said political violence was unacceptable, many are becoming more disillusioned about the prospect of national unity. The Economist and YouGov poll showed 60% anticipated an increase in political violence, with 57% saying it was likely to culminate in a civil war.

Increase in hate crimes

According to the FBI's 2020 Hate Crime Statistics, the most recent data available, the overall number of reported incidents increased by 949 from 2019. Law enforcement agencies reported 8,263 criminal incidents in 2020, as determined by submitted reports, and the number of victims exceeded 11,000. Of the victims, 62% were targeted because of the offenders' bias toward their race, ethnicity or ancestry, which continues to be the largest bias motivation category.

Many factors contribute to the increase in hate crimes, including pandemic-related stress and hostile political rhetoric, said Phyllis Gerstenfeld, professor of criminal justice at California State University, Stanislaus and author of Hate Crimes: Causes, Controls, and Controversies.

"When people hear leaders openly spouting white supremacist material, that can inspire some people to threats and to violence," she told VOA. "That's been a major factor for the last six years, where we hear mainstream politicians saying things that are completely in line with what white supremacists and other extremists are saying.

The administration is launching initiatives to strengthen resources for schools, law enforcement agencies and cultural institutions to prevent and respond to hate-fueled violence and foster dialogue in communities. It is partnering with philanthropic and community organizations, as well as technology companies, including YouTube, Twitch, Microsoft and Meta, which are announcing actions to prevent hate-fueled violence.

Since there's very little research on the best way to prevent hate crimes, it will be difficult to determine whether the administration's actions will make a difference, Gerstenfeld said. Still, it was important for the president to use his bully pulpit to call out bigotry, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, who participated in the event.

Levin told VOA the summit was a good opportunity to scale up expertise from local community advocates to high government officials.

"The key is sustaining these efforts at the local level and assisting these communities with state and federal guidance when necessary."
Botswana has announced it will cull more than 10,000 cattle in the country's northeast in a bid to fight an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. One of Africa's largest beef producers, Botswana was forced in August to halt beef exports over the virus, including to the lucrative European Union.

Assistant Minister for Agriculture Molebatsi Molebatsi said the decision to kill affected livestock was taken following consultations with disease control experts.

"The decision to depopulate is the one we have taken," Molebatsi said. "We took the decision after consultation with experts. We don't want any traces of the virus to remain or to have any further viral circulation."

Molebatsi said 19,000 cattle are in the affected zone, which is near the Zimbabwe border, and more than 10,000 will be slaughtered. Some goats and sheep will also be culled.

Veterinarian Mbatshi Mazwinduma said culling means farmers must be compensated.

"It comes at a great cost because it means people have to be compensated," Mazwinduma said. "And there is also environmental issues of animals that have been slaughtered ... on how do you dispose of them safely."

Mazwinduma said in disease control, there should be certain considerations, particularly for the affected farmers.

"When you are trying to control the disease, you have to consider the economic, social and often political impact. Politically speaking, remember at times you are going to be slaughtering animals that belong to farmers, and you might push them further into abject poverty," Mazwinduma said. "Most of the time, the compensation of animals that are slaughtered is nowhere near the equivalent value if they were to sell them at the market."

Bose Sethupa, a farmer from the affected region, said while the livelihoods of many people will be affected, the government has to contain the disease.

"It is a good move to try and contain the spread of the disease, but at the same time, it is not too good to the farmers because the government compensation is lower than the value of what the farmer will be having," Sethupa said. "But apart from that ... the move is good. It is truly meant to protect the export market, which is very key to our economy."

Roughly half of Botswana's beef exports  or about 9,000 tons  are sent to the EU each year.


Chinese President Xi Jinping called Friday on members of a central Asian regional grouping, which includes Russia and Iran, to work together to prevent external forces from promoting what he called "color revolutions"  popular, pro-democracy uprisings in their countries.

Xi made the comments in Uzbekistan on the second day of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security group led by China and Russia.

In his speech, Xi said members should support efforts each country has made to safeguard its own security and development interests and work to prevent outsiders from instigating a color revolution.

Xi offered to train 2,000 police officers to set up a regional counterterrorism training center and to strengthen law enforcement capacity building among member nations.

Observers believe Xi was referencing Western efforts to promote pro-democracy movements that have toppled other authoritarian regimes over the years.

The SCO is made up of permanent members China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was established in 2001 as a political, economic and security organization to counter Western institutions.

The summit was also Xis first overseas trip since the COVID-19 pandemic and his first in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in February, days before Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

The two leaders met Thursday on the sidelines of the summit and pledged support for one another. Putin assailed what he characterized as the American-dominated unipolar world that he sees Russia and China jointly aligned against. Xi told Putin that China is willing to work with Russia to demonstrate the responsibility of a major country and inject stability into a turbulent world.

In comments to VOA, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the partnership between Russia and China is based on mutual convenience.

He said, These two countries are not, like, best of friends. I mean, they have a relationship, obviously, but it is not built on a whole heck of a lot of mutual trust and confidence. Kirby said the U.S. is going to continue to keep lines of communication open with China.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Media groups seeking to take over smaller rivals will have to make sure that their deals ensure media pluralism and safeguard editorial independence under draft rules announced by the European Commission on Friday.

The Media Freedom Act (MFA) is part of the European Union's strategy to prevent political interference in media outlets and spying on journalists. It also requires state advertising to media service providers to be transparent and non-discriminatory.

The proposed rules come amid worries about media freedom in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia and foreign interference in countries holding national elections.

"Democracy will work only if journalists have the means and the necessary protection to keep in check those in power and those with power, be it political or economic actors,"

Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told a news conference.

"This law should be seen as a piece of a broader puzzle. It is part of our efforts to protect democracy at large and to bring some order in our digital information space," she said.

The rules will apply to TV and radio broadcasters, on-demand audiovisual media services, press publications and very large online platforms and providers of video-sharing platforms.

They will need to be thrashed out with EU countries and lawmakers before they can become law in a process likely to take a year or more.

The proposed rules require regulators to examine whether the merging companies would remain economically sustainable if there was no deal.

There are safeguards against the use of spyware against media, journalists and their families. The EU executive and a new European Board for Media Services can offer their opinions on whether the two criteria have been met.
North Korea has put itself in a dangerous situation by ruling out denuclearization and legalizing the use of its nuclear weapons preemptively to strike against adversaries that threaten its leadership, according to experts.

Pyongyang prioritizes regime survival, and North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, the country's rubber-stamp parliament, legitimized on September 8 the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons "automatically" if its leadership or command and control centers are threatened.

The same day, leader Kim Jong Un outlined in a speech that the law stipulating the justifiable use of nuclear weapons made North Korea's position as a nuclear state "irreversible" unless the world, as well as political and military situations on the Korean Peninsula, changed, according to the state media KCNA.

Kim said he will "never give up" his nuclear weapons and ruled out negotiations for denuclearization. His assertion came weeks after his powerful sister Kim Yo Jong rejected a proposal by Seoul to provide aid in return for denuclearization, saying "No one barters its destiny for corn cake."

Experts said Pyongyang's official declaration of its preemptive intent made the regime more vulnerable as its nuclear strike would be met by a counterstrike by the U.S.

"The United States has actually been perfectly clear about what would happen to North Korea if it ever used a nuclear weapon," said Bruce Bennett, a defense analyst at the RAND Corporation.

"The 2018 nuclear posture review says that if North Korea uses a nuclear weapon, the regime will not survive. Since survival is the regime's number one objective, this is an effective deterrent objective if the U.S. is serious about implementing it," continued Bennett.

The U.S. assessed that Pyongyang's "expansive nuclear and missile programs suggest the potential of nuclear first use in support of conventional operations," according to the report issued four years ago.

The posture review continued, "Our deterrent strategy for North Korea makes clear that any North Korean nuclear attack against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime."

David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, said Washington and Seoul "must make sure the regime knows the use of weapons of mass destruction will result in its destruction." He continued, "The recent message from the South Korean spokesman demonstrates strategic reassurance and strategic resolve."

Moon Hong Sik, South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesperson, said Tuesday, North Korea's use of nuclear weapons would put the regime on the "path of self-destruction" facing "overwhelming response" by Washington and Seoul.

VOA Korean contacted the Permanent Mission of North Korea to the United Nations in New York for a response to the experts' assessment of the new law but did not receive a response.

Pretext for preemption

Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, said North Korea might have made its intent to use nuclear weapons official to bolster its stance against Seoul's "decapitation strategy" aimed at Pyongyang leadership.

In July, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced it would create a Strategic Command by 2024 to oversee its "kill chain" strategy and the military assets to implement it.

The kill chain is Seoul's preemptive strategy to strike North Korea's leadership and key military centers if it detects Pyongyang is about to launch an attack against South Korea.

Joseph DeTrani, who served as the special envoy for the six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea, said Seoul's new stance on enhanced deterrence could also have "motivated" Pyongyang to include preemptive nuclear response.

During the summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in May, the two agreed to reactivate the bilateral Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG).

The EDSCG was launched in 2016 to discuss and implement military options to deter aggression by North Korea, including the use of U.S. nuclear weapons to defend South Korea.

On Friday, Washington and Seoul will hold the first EDSCG meeting since 2018.

On Aug. 17, U.S. and South Korean defense officials concluded the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) and issued a joint statement announcing an option to deploy U.S. strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula if North Korea conducted a nuclear test.

Strategic assets include aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines and strategic bombers.

Washington and Seoul have been assessing whether North Korea is preparing for what would be its seventh nuclear test after detecting preparatory activities at its main Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea, said, "With the ROK's recent reference to its 'kill chain' strategy and the ongoing U.S.-ROK discussion of 'strategic assets,' we can also view the new DPRK law and Kim Jong Un's speech as a response to those developments."

South Korea's official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Revere continued, "But it is important to remember that North Korea's nuclear weapons strategy has been evolving in this direction for many years. The ROK and U.S. actions merely provided a convenient pretext for this move by Pyongyang."

Denuclearization dead but ultimate goal

Experts said North Korea's new nuclear law and Kim's continuing refusal to relinquish his nuclear arsenal have made pursuing diplomacy for denuclearization more difficult. Talks have remained stalled since 2019, and Pyongyang countered any moves to resume them with 19 weapons tests this year.

Revere said, "Denuclearization is almost certainly a dead issue, and the North Koreans have just bluntly reminded us of that."

Revere added, "Policy makers would be wise now to focus on ways to make the cost to North Korea of its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons truly unbearable."

However, he continued, "The U.S. and the ROK should continue to pursue the ultimate goal of denuclearization, since giving up that goal would play into the hand of a North Korea which seeks 'acceptance' of its nuclear status."

DeTraini said, "Policy toward North Korea should not change, and indeed, it would be a mistake to accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state."
Republican governors expanded their tactic of sending migrants to Democratic strongholds without warning, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the Washington home of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington in recent months, but the latest moves  which included two surprise flights to Martha's Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida  reached a new level that critics derided as inhumane.

Upon arrival in Martha's Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama has a home, the migrants who are predominantly from Venezuela were provided with meals, shelter, health care and information about where to find work.

The vacation island south of Boston, whose year-round residents include many blue-collar workers, appeared to absorb the dozens of arrivals without a hitch.

"We are a community that comes together to support immigrants," said State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who represents the area.

Lawyers for Civil Rights, based in Boston, said it was providing free legal services and investigating whether Florida's governor may have violated human trafficking laws if it turns out any migrants were sent against their will or duped into taking the flights.

The president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Domingo Garcia, said that some of the migrants sent on buses from Texas to Washington were tricked  an allegation that AP has not confirmed and that officials in Texas and Arizona have denied.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office didn't answer questions about where migrants boarded planes and how they were coaxed into making the trip.

Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr told The Vineyard Gazette that one plane originated in San Antonio, Texas, raising questions about whether the migrants ever set foot in Florida. Flight tracking data shows a flight originated in San Antonio, stopped in Crestview, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, before landing in Martha's Vineyard.

The two buses of migrants from Texas that arrived early Thursday outside Harris' residence at the United States Naval Observatory carried more than 100 migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela.

"The Biden-Harris administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years," said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is up for reelection and has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into making border security a signature issue.

After migrants seeking asylum cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they are processed in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility along the border and enter the country legally pending the outcome of their cases in immigration court.

Republicans say Biden's policies encourage migrants to vanish into the U.S.; Democrats argue the Trump-era policy of forcing migrants to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico was inhumane.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that federal officials were not told in advance by the Republican governors who sent the migrants to Massachusetts and Washington.

"We're talking about children, we're talking about families who were promised a home, promised a job, put on a bus and driven to a place that they do not know," said Jean-Pierre.

Abbott has bused 7,900 migrants to Washington since April, later sending 2,200 to New York and 300 to Chicago. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has bused more than 1,800 migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary.

DeSantis appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha's Vineyard, whose harbor towns that are home to about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for large influxes of migrants.

Texas and Florida have infuriated officials in destination cities by failing to provide passenger rosters, estimated times of arrival and other information that would make it easier to prepare. In contrast, Arizona has coordinated with officials in other cities.

President Joe Biden is facing the same challenges as earlier presidents: a dysfunctional asylum system in the United States, and economic and social conditions that are prompting people from dozens of countries to flee.

U.S. authorities stopped migrants crossing from Mexico about 2 million times from October through July, up nearly 50% from the same period a year earlier.
Kenya's President William Ruto has appointed his predecessor, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, as a peace envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

As president, Kenyatta was previously involved in peace efforts in both countries, which are dealing with resurgent rebels and ongoing war. While Kenyatta's new role as peace envoy has been welcomed, analysts say mediation in the DRC and Ethiopia will be no small challenge.

Ruto said Kenyatta accepted the task and will be working on behalf of Kenya.

Kenneth Ombongi, a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said continuity is vital in finding a peaceful solution to a conflict.

[Kenyatta] comes into it with some level of continuity which is important for dealing with delicate issues that touch on peace, reconciliation, and also post-conflict development thats extremely important, Ombongi said. He comes with a very clear memory of what has been going on and what the development has been.

In April, Kenyatta hosted DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and some rebel groups operating in the east of the country for peace talks. East African Community leaders subsequently agreed to deploy regional troops to the eastern DRC in a bid to restore normalcy in the region.

In November last year, Kenyatta visited Ethiopia to work on peace efforts and bring together the government and rebel group Tigray Peoples Liberation Front in the country's north.

Professor Chacha Nyaigotti Chacha, an expert in diplomacy and international relations, said Kenya stands to benefit from the peace efforts its undertaking in the region.

This is a national, regional and international assignment and it's important that assignment is undertaken because when these countries neighboring Kenya in the East Africa Community region, as well as the Horn region, when they are peaceful, then Kenya is also peaceful and Kenya can, for example, derive a lot of gains especially as far as trade, communication and transport are concerned, Chacha said.

Ombongi said Kenyatta will likely get a cool reception from countries that didnt like his foreign policy when he was president, especially Ethiopia.

The relationship between Addis Ababa and Nairobi has been what we describe in archaic language ish ish, he said. So he will face certain challenges but of course, there is a possibility that his status as a senior statesman can very easily actually work to his advantage.

Calls for peace in the DRC and Ethiopia have grown, but the warring factions have yet to agree on the issues to be discussed or who will chair the peace process.

Chacha said Kenyatta will deal with rigid warring sides that are not afraid to walk out of the peace process and continue with the armed conflict.

The challenges he will face are going to be challenges of the groupings in these countries that there is an antagonistic grouping of some who are belligerent, he said. They usually agree to talk but sometimes they dont fulfill their commitment to ensuring that they can return to the peaceful coexistence in their countries."

The U.S. government and the European Union have welcomed the appointment of Kenyatta and said they are ready to support the efforts to bring lasting peace to the two countries.
As capitals in Central Asia roll out the red carpet for Chinas top official this week, a growing network of key lawmakers from 28 nations and the European Union, major powers among them, believe the treatment for President Xi Jinping should be anything but.



The already abysmal human rights record of the [Peoples Republic of China] government is deteriorating further still, read a joint communique issued Wednesday at the conclusion of the second summit held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).



The PRC government continues to deny its citizens freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion, while practicing mass surveillance, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances against opponents to its rule, it said.



The IPAC summit was attended by more than 60 lawmakers who flew to Washington from around the world. Since IPAC was founded in June 2020, its member delegations have more than tripled, bringing together legislators from five continents.

Beijing has often accused the United States of being behind any pushback against its growing global influence. But a quick look at IPACs membership shows that among the groups 29 delegations, Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia and the European Union all are better represented. The Swedish and Irish delegations also equal the American one.



The group, now featuring nearly 300 lawmakers, held its first summit in Rome last year.



Though each countrys lawmakers decided to join IPAC for slightly nuanced reasons, a common thread runs through their decisions and their commitment to IPACs joint plan of action, Iain Duncan Smith, a key lawmaker in the British Parliament, told VOA.



Were all together on this simple basis: that we consider the nature of China, the growth of China, the power of China, the military ambition of China, as threatening, said Smith, a one-time British Conservative Party leader.



He founded IPAC with his Labor Party colleague, Helena Kennedy, one of Britains most distinguished lawyers and a prominent human rights campaigner.



Each member delegation is led by two co-chairs, one from the left, one from the right, Smith said, believing such a format reflects the nature of democratic societies and forms the basis for the groups strength and resilience.



He maintained that to counter Chinese state power, that strength and resilience will be needed.



Single greatest threat



I think China poses the single greatest threat to the liberal order and the free market because they have built up  thanks hugely to massive investments from the West  the worlds second-largest economy and, who knows, maybe could become the worlds largest economy soon, so that makes them much more potent in a way than Russia, Smith said.



Secondly, I see the two together, he continued. Because I see totalitarian states as a threat to the liberal order, and China is probably the most significant of them.

Catalin Tanita, a co-chair of the Romanian delegation in IPAC, also worries more about China than Russia, despite the latters unprovoked war in Ukraine. We dont need another Russian-style player with ten times the economic power, he tweeted.



Smith sees China as having improved on the original Soviet model by realizing that it needed a growing economy to fund its growing military, policing and foreign influence operations.



Our problem is we helped them do this without thinking further than a few days as to what the consequences would be every time we get them to build things, to sell us things, he said, adding that during these transactions, we become more dependent on them, and less likely to challenge them. I think we have to reverse that.



What makes China a top concern, Smith said, is that it not only practices a style of government widely viewed as authoritarian or even totalitarian, but it also sees itself as an example that others should follow. And thats the threat, he said.



Smith said his groups central message to their own and like-minded governments is, Dont enable them further, dont enrich them further, dont give them more tools, as weve seen what theyve done with the money and the tools they have.
President Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom remain jailed in Russia, the White House announced Thursday.

"He wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day, on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Thursday's press briefing at the White House.

The separate meetings are to be the first in-person encounter between Biden and the families and are taking place amid sustained but so far unsuccessful efforts by the administration to secure the Americans' release. The administration said in July that it had made a "substantial proposal" to get them home, but despite plans for the White House meetings, there is no sign a breakthrough is imminent.

"While I would love to say that the purpose of this meeting is to inform the families that the Russians have accepted our offer and we are bringing their loved ones home  that is not what we're seeing in these negotiations at this time," Jean-Pierre said.

She added: "The Russians should accept our offer. The Russians should accept our offer today."

Griner has been held in Russia since February on drug-related charges. She was sentenced last month to nine years in prison after pleading guilty and has appealed the punishment. Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage-related charges that he and his family say are false. The U.S. government regards both as wrongfully detained, placing their cases with the office of its top hostage negotiator.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of announcing two months ago that the administration had made a substantial proposal to Russia. Since then, U.S officials have continued to press that offer in hopes of getting serious negotiations underway, and have been following up through the same channel that produced an April prisoner swap that brought Marine veteran Trevor Reed home from Russia, said a senior administration official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in advance of Thursday's formal announcement.

The negotiations, already strained because of tense relations between Washington and Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have also been complicated by Russia's apparent resistance to the proposal the Americans put on the table.

The Russians, who have indicated that they are open to negotiations but have chided the Americans to conduct them in private, have come back with suggestions that are not within the administration's ability to deliver, said the administration official, declining to elaborate.

The administration has not provided specifics about its proposal, but a person familiar with the matter previously confirmed it had offered to release Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer who is imprisoned in the U.S. and who has long been sought by Moscow. It is also possible that, in the interests of symmetry, Russia might insist on having two of its citizens released from prison.

Biden spoke by phone in July with Griner's wife, Cherelle, and with Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, but both families have also requested in-person meetings. On Friday, Biden plans to speak at the White House with Cherelle Griner and with the player's agent in one meeting and with Elizabeth Whelan in the other, according to the official.

The meetings are being done separately so as to ensure that each family has private time with the president. But the fact that they are happening on the same day shows the extent to which the two cases have become intertwined since the only deal that is presumably palatable to the U.S. is one that gets both Americans  a famous WNBA player and a Michigan man who until recently was little known to the public  home together at the same time,

In the past several months, representatives of both families have expressed frustration over what they perceived as a lack of aggressive action and coordination from the administration.

Cherelle Griner, for instance, told The Associated Press in an interview in June that she was dismayed after the failure of a phone call from her wife that was supposed to have been patched through by the American Embassy in Moscow left the couple unable to connect on their fourth anniversary.

Whelan's relatives have sought to keep attention on his case, anxious that it has been overshadowed in the public eye by the focus on the far more prominent Griner  a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time WNBA all-star. They also conveyed disappointment when Whelan, despite having been held in Russia since December 2018, was not included in a prisoner swap last April that brought home Reed.

Friday's meetings were scheduled before news broke this week of an unconnected trip to Russia by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has been a veteran emissary in hostage and detainee cases. Administration officials reacted coolly to that trip, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying Wednesday that dialogue with Russia outside the "established channel" risks hindering efforts to get Griner and Whelan home.

Administration officials say work on hostage and detainee cases persists regardless of whether a family receives a meeting with the president, though there is also no question such an encounter can help establish a meaningful connection.

Biden met in the Oval Office in March with Reed's parents after the Texas couple stood with a large sign outside the White House calling for their son's release. The following month, he returned home.
Gunmen killed three soldiers in an ambush in the southern Philippines on Thursday in violence that coincided with the president's visit to the region to pledge support for a 2014 peace deal with Muslim rebels that has eased decades of fighting.

There was no indication the attack on the soldiers in the island province of Basilan was connected to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attendance at a ceremony with former Muslim rebel leaders in another southern province.

But the midday killings underscored the complex security issues the newly elected leader faces.

A group of soldiers was walking to replace other troops ending their shift at an outpost in Al-Barka town in Basilan when about seven men opened fire and killed three of them, provincial military commander Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway said.

Other soldiers returned fire in a brief clash, but the attackers fled as army reinforcements approached, Gobway said.

The attackers were from a band of outlaws that are separate from the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent Muslim militant group that still has a presence in Basilan despite years of battle setbacks, Gobway told reporters.

Troops were pursuing the attackers, he said.

Not far from Basilan, Marcos Jr., who took office in June, spoke in Cotabato city and pledged continuing support to former Muslim rebel leaders who are now helping govern an autonomous Muslim region under the 2014 peace pact. Regular elections in the five-province region, called Bangsamoro, are to be held after a transition period ending in 2025.

The peace pact involves the largest Muslim rebel group in the south of the largely Roman Catholic nation, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Thousands of its fighters are in a years-long process of giving up their firearms in exchange for livelihood support as they try to return to normal lives.

However, smaller militant groups, including the Abu Sayyaf, have continued to fight the government and wage sporadic attacks, especially in impoverished rural regions with weak law enforcement and many firearms.
Kyrgyzstan accused Tajikistan of fresh shelling late on Friday despite a ceasefire deal reached by the two countries' presidents, as a deadly border conflict forced thousands of people to evacuate.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon agreed to order a ceasefire and troop pullback in a meeting in Uzbekistan on Friday, the Kyrgyz president's office said.

The former Soviet republics, both of which are Russia's allies, earlier accused each other of restarting fighting in a disputed area that has left at least three dead and dozens wounded.

The ceasefire was set to take effect from 16.00 local time (10.00 GMT), Kyrgyz border guards said in a statement. Tajik authorities confirmed that the agreement had been reached.

The Kyrgyz side, however, said two of its villages were shelled again after the agreement took effect.

Earlier on Friday, Moscow urged a cessation of hostilities.

Kyrgyzstan has said that Tajik forces using tanks, armored personnel carriers and mortars entered at least one Kyrgyz village and shelled the airport of the Kyrgyz town of Batken and adjacent areas.

About 18,500 people have already left the area, Russia's RIA news agency cited the Red Cross as saying.

In turn, Tajikistan accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling an outpost and seven villages with "heavy weaponry" in the same area, which is famous for its jigsaw-puzzle political and ethnic geography and became the site of similar hostilities last year, also nearly leading to a war.

A civilian was killed and three injured, authorities in the Tajik city of Isfara said. Two Tajik border guards were killed earlier this week.

Kyrgyzstan reported one dead and 55 wounded on Friday in its southern Batken province which borders Tajikistan's northern Sughd region and features a Tajik exclave, Vorukh, a key hotspot in recent conflicts.

Japarov and Rakhmon both attended a regional security and cooperation summit in Uzbekistan on Friday. Neither mentioned the conflict in their speeches at the event where Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders were present.

Clashes over the poorly demarcated border are frequent, but usually de-escalate quickly.

Soviet legacy

Border issues in Central Asia stem to a large extent from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between ethnic groups whose settlements were often located amidst those of other ethnicities.

Both countries host Russian military bases.

Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace focusing on Central Asia, said the remote, agricultural villages at the center of the dispute are not economically significant, but that both sides have given it an exaggerated political significance.

Umarov said that governments in both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have come to rely on what he called "populist, nationalist rhetoric" that made an exchange of territory aimed at ending the conflict impossible.

Another Central Asia analyst, Alexander Knyazev, said the sides showed no will to resolve the conflict peacefully and the mutual territorial claims provoked aggressive attitudes on all levels.

He said only third-party peacekeepers could prevent further conflicts by establishing a demilitarized zone in the area.
Mali's military government has called Ivory Coast's request for a regional meeting on Ivorian troops detained in Mali since July "intimidation" and "blackmail." Ivory Coast accuses Mali of holding its troops hostage.

The Mali governments official statement says that it is "in no way concerned by" Ivory Coasts request to hold a meeting with regional bloc ECOWAS over the detained troops.

The statement was read on state television station ORTM by government spokesperson and interim Prime Minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, and posted to the station's Facebook page.

Maiga said the transitional government, while reiterating its attachment to peace, security and age-old good neighborly relations, specifies that for the respect of its sovereignty, its national security, and the interests of its people, it will yield to neither blackmail nor intimidation.

Ivory Coasts National Security Council published a statement Wednesday requesting an ECOWAS meeting and accusing Mali of taking the soldiers hostage.

The 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast arrived at the Bamako airport in July as support for a U.N. contingent. Mali arrested the soldiers, accusing them of being "mercenaries."

Olivier Salgado, former spokesperson for the U.N. mission to Mali, MINUSMA, was expelled from the country after he tweeted that the U.N. had notified Mali of the soldiers arrival.

Malis military government maintained in Thursdays statement that the troops "arrived in Mali in possession of weapons and munitions of war, without a mission order or authorization, while concealing their identities and their real professions as well as the precise purpose of their presence on Malian soil."

Three female soldiers were freed earlier this month, leaving 46 troops still in custody.

Malian interim President Assimi Goita said last week that Malian political figures fleeing prosecution by the military government have been given asylum in Ivory Coast, and that he was seeking a mutually beneficial solution to the diplomatic crisis.

Tensions between Mali and ECOWAS have been high this year, with ECOWAS imposing sanctions on Mali in January over an election delay. Sanctions were lifted in July when Mali set an election date for 2024.

France backed the sanctions, and in August withdrew all of its troops after almost a decade over concerns that Mali is working with Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group.
A Mexican army general has been detained in connection with the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, the government said Thursday, the latest arrest in a case that generated international condemnation.

The general, who commanded a battalion in the area of southern Mexico where the incident occurred, is one of three suspects detained, Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejia told reporters.

He did not identify the suspects but said the other two were also military personnel.

Prosecutors announced last month that arrest warrants had been issued for more than 80 suspects in the case, including 20 military personnel, 44 police officers and 14 cartel members.

The same day, former Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, who led a controversial investigation into the mass disappearance, was detained on charges of forced disappearance, torture and obstruction of justice.

The case is one of the worst human rights tragedies in Mexico, where a spiral of drug-related violence has left more than 100,000 people missing.

Before they went missing, the teaching students had commandeered buses in the southern state of Guerrero to travel to a demonstration in Mexico City.

Investigators said the students were detained by corrupt police and handed over to a drug cartel that mistook them for members of a rival gang, but exactly what happened to them is disputed.

According to an official report presented in 2015 by the government of then-President Enrique Pena Nieto, cartel members killed the students and incinerated their remains at a garbage dump.

Relatives, independent experts and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights rejected those conclusions.

A truth commission tasked by the government last month to investigate the atrocity branded the case a "state crime" involving agents of various institutions. It said that military personnel bore "clear responsibility," either directly or through negligence.

So far, the remains of only three victims have been identified.
Pakistani engineers and soldiers cleared a key highway Thursday to enable aid workers to speed supplies to survivors of devastating floods that have left hundreds of thousands homeless and killed 1,508 people, the majority of them women and children.

Traffic between the flood-hit city of Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, and the southern Sindh province had been suspended for weeks after floods damaged the key highway. The blockage had forced the military to deliver aid to victims by helicopters and boats.

As they reopened the route, engineers in Baluchistan also restored the power supply for millions, according to a government statement. And the disaster's deadly toll became clearer, with the United Nations' children agency saying Thursday that 528 children were among those killed in the floods.

The National Flood Response and Coordination Centre said this summer's monsoons and the flooding  the worst-ever deluge in living memory  destroyed 390 bridges and washed away more than 12,000 kilometers of roads across the country. The inundation of roads affected the government's response to the floods, and people complained they were still waiting, weeks later, for the government's help.

The crisis has affected more than 33 million people, damaged 1.8 million houses and displaced at least half a million people who are still living in tents and makeshift homes, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. At one point, a third of the country's territory was submerged under flood water.

But the government in a statement Thursday insisted there was no shortage of food in Pakistan and that plans are being drawn up for imports of certain food items.

Initially, Pakistan estimated that the floods caused $10 billion in damages, but now several economists say the cost of the damages is more like $30 billion. That's five times more than what Pakistan's government will get under the 2019 bailout signed with the International Monetary Fund.

So far, 100 flights from different countries and international aid agencies have delivered the much-needed supplies, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The U.N. weeks ago urged the international community to generously help in relief, rescue and rehabilitation work.

On Wednesday, the U.N. resident coordinator in Pakistan, Julien Harneis, told reporters that the member states had so far committed $150 million in response to an emergency appeal for $160 million. So far, he said, $38 million pledges from the world community had been converted into assistance for Pakistan.

On Thursday, Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, the representative of the World Health Organization in Pakistan, handed over medical equipment and medicines for flood victims to the provincial Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, the country's province worst hit by the floods.

Mahipala said at a news conference that he had visited flood-affected areas where the WHO's staff was on the ground, providing medical camps and mobile medical clinics. He said WHO will soon provide more aid, vehicles and boats to the Sindh government so that officials could use them to reach flood victims in remote areas.

Also, WHO has for the past several weeks been helping Pakistan in tackling the outbreak of waterborne and other diseases among flood victims in Sindh and elsewhere in the country.

The impoverished nation is diverting funds allocated for development projects to help flood victims. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif this week promised the country's homeless people that the government will ensure they are paid to rebuild and return to their lives. With winter just weeks away, displaced people living in tents are worried about their future.
The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Friday she plans to make a weekend visit to Armenia, where a cease-fire held for a second day after an outburst of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan that killed more than 200 troops from both sides.

Pelosi told reporters in Berlin she would travel to Armenia on Saturday with a delegation that includes Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., who is of Armenian descent. Pelosi declined to give further details about the trip, saying that traveling members of the Congress "don't like to be a target."

"In any case, it is all about human rights and respecting the dignity and worth of every person," she said.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the situation on the border with Azerbaijan has remained quiet since the cease-fire took effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday, and no violations were reported.

The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities in nearly two years.

Speaking in parliament Friday, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that at least 135 Armenian troops were killed in the fighting, revising his earlier statement that 105 died in combat. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said Friday it had lost 77.

Edvard Asryan, the chief of the General Staff of the Armenian armed forces, said at a briefing for foreign ambassadors in Yerevan that the Azerbaijani forces had forged 7.5 kilometers into Armenian territory near the town of Jermuk, a spa resort in southern Armenia.

Asryan said that the Azerbaijani troops also went 1-2 kilometers into Armenian territory near the village of Nerkin Hand in the Syunik province and the village of Shorja in the Gegharkunik province.

He noted that the Azerbaijani forces have remained in those areas.

The ex-Soviet countries have been locked in a decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed broad swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories held by Armenian forces. More than 6,700 people died in the fighting, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement. Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers under the deal.



Pashinyan said his government has asked Russia for military support amid the latest fighting under a friendship treaty, and also requested assistance from the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization. The security grouping of ex-Soviet nations responded by deploying a team of top officials to Armenia.

Pashinyan called Russian President Vladimir Putin when the hostilities erupted, and they had another call Friday to discuss the situation.

Yerevan's plea for help has put the Kremlin in a precarious position as it has sought to maintain close relations with Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, and also develop warm ties with energy-rich Azerbaijan.

Putin on Friday is scheduled to meet with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand. The Russian leader is also set to have talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has strongly backed Azerbaijan.

Speaking at the summit, Aliyev accused Armenia of "a large-scale military provocation" that derailed efforts to negotiate a peace treaty. "The Armenian provocation has dealt a heavy blow to the process of normalizing ties between our countries," Aliyev said.

Pashinyan told lawmakers earlier this week that Armenia is ready to recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in a future peace treaty, provided that it relinquishes control of areas in Armenia its forces have seized.

The opposition saw the statement as a sign of Pashinyan's readiness to submit to Azerbaijani demands and recognize Azerbaijan's sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Thousands of angry protesters besieged the government's headquarters and the country's parliament during the past two days, accusing Pashinyan of treason. Protests were also held in other Armenian cities.
A U.N. report warns the right to privacy is under siege as an increasing number of governments are using spyware to keep tabs on their people.

The U.N. human rights office said urgent steps are needed to address the spread of spyware. It noted many governments are using modern digital networked technologies to monitor, control and oppress their populations. U.N. officials say the technologies must be reined in and regulated in accord with international human rights laws and standards.

Human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell said the report details how surveillance tools such as the Pegasus software can turn most smartphones into 24-hour surveillance devices. She said the encroachment into peoples privacy is very concerning.

For example, the smartphones that people have, they can be made into devices that actually offer people insights into what we do, where we go, who we meet with, what we say, she said. And that is a very, very powerful tool indeed, which is precisely why we are making these very strong calls in this report today.

Human rights organizations have accused countries like China of building a vast surveillance and security system to keep close watch on their populations.

The U.N. report does not name the countries that use digital surveillance technologies. However, Throssell notes more than 500 companies reportedly have developed, marketed and sold such spyware to governments. She said governmental authorities often falsify their reasons for acquiring such digital technology.

While such spyware tools are purportedly deployed to combat terrorism and crime, they have often been used for illegitimate reasons, Throssell said. For example, to clamp down on critical or dissenting views and on those who express them including journalists, opposition political figures and human rights defenders.

U.N. officials are calling for a moratorium on the use and sale of hacking tools until adequate safeguards to protect human rights are in place. They warn the right to privacy is more at risk now than ever and action is needed now to stop the abuse.
Caught between the Taliban's gender politics and a lack of foreign funding, the public education sector in Afghanistan faces the risk of collapse, aid agencies warn.

At least $1.5 billion is required annually to keep public schools open for millions of students, to pay salaries and provide other essential educational resources, but the war-torn country is unable to provide that amount on its own.

Facing international sanctions, Afghanistan's de facto Taliban government has set a national budget of about $2.6 billion this year, which already suffers from a nearly $500 million deficit.

"Approximately 187,000 teachers will need salary support to avoid a total collapse of the education system," Ashiqullah Mandozai, a spokesperson for Save the Children in Afghanistan, told VOA.

"The new MoE [Ministry of Education] has indicated that they can only pay salaries for 30% of the current work force, which underlines a precarious position for public infrastructure without development funding," Mandozai said.

Foreign donors have stopped development funding for Afghanistan, including to the public education sector, since the Taliban seized power last year but have maintained humanitarian assistance, mostly to avert mass hunger in the country.

Donors also strongly disagree with the Taliban's educational policies, particularly with the closure of secondary schools for girls.

"Between the Taliban's bad politics and a lack of donor funding, Afghanistan's education system is being decimated," said Ghulam Mohammad Fida, director of Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow, a California-based nongovernmental organization.

The U.N. says Afghanistan's education system has been devastated by decades of sustained armed conflicts, and almost 4 million Afghan children are already deprived of schooling.

In January and February, the U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) paid Afghan teachers a support salary of $100 per person but stopped the payments after the Taliban reneged on their pledge to reopen secondary schools for girls in March.

"The system is undoubtedly strained, and the increased demand for education across the country will require additional support to ensure that children are able to access learning," Joe English, a UNICEF spokesperson, told VOA.

Schools closed, transformed

Secondary schools for girls in most parts of Afghanistan have been closed for more than a year as Taliban authorities say they are waiting for a verdict from religious scholars on the reopening of schools for all girls.

Despite widespread domestic and international condemnation, the Taliban have not indicated when or whether these schools will reopen.

"Depriving girls of secondary education translates to a loss of at least $500 million to the Afghan economy in the last 12 months," UNICEF said last month.

Moreover, the Taliban are increasingly transforming public schools into religious seminaries by overhauling the educational curriculum, hiring clerics as teachers and principals, and discouraging female participation in the educational system.

The "USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development] also expressed concern about the conversion of public school buildings, specifically technical and vocational education and training centers and teacher-training colleges, to madrassas. Hours of instruction allocated to religious studies have also reportedly been increased during the quarter," the U.S. government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported to Congress in July.

Senior Taliban officials, such as the minister for higher education, have publicly berated modern education and have vowed for a strict Islamization of Afghanistan's educational system.

Made up entirely of male Islamic clerics, the Taliban's de facto government has failed to earn recognition from any country in the world as it faces universal condemnation for its extremist policies.

In response, Taliban leaders say they are accountable only to God and that the leadership will never budge on its pure Islamic governance.
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The death of Britains Queen Elizabeth II has sparked renewed debate in many Commonwealth countries  most of them former British colonies  about their future ties to the monarchy. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
The death of Britains Queen Elizabeth II last week has sparked renewed debate in many Commonwealth countries, most of them former British colonies, about their future ties to the monarchy.

Britain wasnt alone in proclaiming a new king upon the death of Elizabeth. Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica are among 14 other nations where King Charles III is the new head of state. Echoing the ceremonies in London, proclamation ceremonies were held in several capitals, from Nassau in the Bahamas to Suva in Fiji.

Fifty-six countries are members of the Commonwealth, an association of mostly former British colonies. In 2018, the organization agreed to appoint Charles as its head upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, prompting anger among some members, especially in the Caribbean.

The death of Queen Elizabeth absolutely will mark a turning point, said Sonjah Stanley Niaah of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, in an interview with VOA on Wednesday.

Many countries have really been considering their own role, their own place in the commonwealth. And I think that now that Queen Elizabeth has passed, there is going to be certainly more of a move to disassociate themselves from the commonwealth, Niaah said.

Republicanism

Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, an avowed republican who was elected in May, wants a referendum on removing the British monarch as head of state in the next parliament.

Its not appropriate now  to talk about constitutional change. What is appropriate right now is to commemorate the life of service of Queen Elizabeth II, Albanese told reporters this week.

Antigua and Barbuda, as well as St. Lucia, both in the Caribbean, have expressed similar plans. For the first time, the government of the Bahamas this week said such a referendum was possible.

The only challenge with us moving to a republic is that I can't, as much as I would wish to do so, I can't do it without you all to consent. I would have to have a referendum and hear what the people have to say to me  it is our people who will have to decide, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said September 9.

A poll taken in August, before the queens death, showed that 56% of Jamaicans are in favor of removing the British monarch as head of state.

In November last year, the Caribbean Island of Barbados became a republic, severing ties with the British monarchy. Guy Hewitt, a former high commissioner to the U.K., told VOA he did not believe the Barbadian people disliked the monarchy.

I make the point that Barbados journey to a republic was not a rejection of the queen or of monarchy, but more so an affirmation of a right toward self-determination, Hewitt said.

New members

This year Togo and Gabon, both former French colonies in Africa, joined the Commonwealth  evidence the organization is not in decline, Hewitt said.

What we have seen is in the post-independence era, rather than the commonwealth getting smaller, it's actually getting bigger. Charles, as the new head of the commonwealth, worked closely with his mother as the Prince of Wales, traveled extensively around the commonwealth in his own right, championing causes like sustainable development and environmental protection, Hewitt said.

It has started to feel somewhat antiquated, and it may be that King Charles is able to inject - as his mother did - some dynamism some new direction and a new sense of purpose for the Commonwealth of nations, Hewitt added.

Slavery

Intrinsic to the debate is the legacy of colonial rule. Britain and other European nations enslaved millions of Africans until the 19th century, forcing them to work on plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas. Critics argue the monarchys wealth is partly based on profits from the slave trade.

This commonwealth of nations, that wealth belongs to England. That wealth is something we never shared in. So, for us in Jamaica, the monarchy is a harsh reminder of our unfortunate past, Bert Samuels of the Reparation Council of Jamaica told Associated Press.

The monarchy has expressed sorrow over colonial abuses, but Britain has not formally apologized. Visiting Jamaica earlier this year, Prince William addressed the issue at a gala dinner hosted by Jamaican governor-general. Slavery was abhorrent, and it should never have happened, William told the audience.

Reparations

That does not go far enough, said Sonjah Stanley Niaah of the University of the West Indies. An apology is necessary. We must see remorse and we must see a time when reparations become important in the ways in which we move forward as former colonies.

There is a critical mass of us in in the former colonies who are aware that a relationship in terms of the Commonwealth means very little to the real day-to-day conditions of persons who dwell in these countries. And so, I think that there is more awareness about reparatory justice, there is more awareness about the role that that slavery still plays in today's society, Niaah told VOA.

That apology should come from the British government, Hewitt said.

Yes, there is a need for those colonial powers to take responsibility for what they have done. But in the case of the head of the Commonwealth or the king of the United Kingdom and its other realms, that is not their constitutional responsibility.

The discussion around reparations is not one that I think can be taken to the doorstep of Buckingham Palace. It is one that has to be taken to Downing Street, Hewitt said.

Some of the information in this report came from Reuters and Associated Press.
The European Commission, the legislative arm of the European Union, released a 60-page proposal Wednesday that would ban products made by forced labor, a measure to stop goods tainted with forced labor from entering and exiting the unions market.

The proposed regulation was published one year after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduced the initiative in her 2021 State of the Union speech.

The proposal covers all products, namely those made in the EU for domestic consumption and exports, and imported goods, without targeting specific companies or industries, the European Commission said in a statement.

The release of the proposal follows a new U.S. law called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which bans products made with forced labor from Xinjiang, a western Uyghur region in China. Enforcement of the U.S. legislation began in June.

The details

While the European Commissions forced labor proposal is generally similar to the U.S. law, it does not specify a region such as Xinjiang. Instead, the proposal is much broader and applies to all products made globally, including from within the EUs borders.

Some critics say the European version is weak because it lacks a clear procedure for an entire industry, and it does not have a targeted regional ban, said Koen Stoop, EU representative of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.

The draft text raises concern about whether the proposal is meaningfully drafted to address state-imposed forced labor (such as Uyghur forced labor), Stoop told VOA in an email. We hope amendments will be made to strengthen the regulation.

The proposal seeks to address the problem of forced labor globally, stating, The use of forced labor is widespread in the world. It is estimated that about 27.6 million people were in forced labor in 2021.

This proposal will make a real difference in tackling modern-day slavery, which affects millions of people around the globe. Our aim is to eliminate all products made with forced labor from the EU market, irrespective of where they have been made. Our ban will apply to domestic products, exports and imports alike, said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commissions executive vice president and commissioner for trade.

Lengthy process

Rights groups expect the legislative process from proposal to adoption to be a lengthy one since the European Parliament and the council need to agree on a final text.

There is no time limit on the first reading at the Parliament and council, so it depends on how fast they can reach an agreement, both amongst and between themselves, Stoop told VOA. This usually takes at least a year. But even when the law is adopted, it will take two years to enter into force. So, taken together, it will take at least three years for the ban to start being enforced.

Each EU member state will implement the law by assessing forced labor risks based on many different sources of information.

These may include submissions from civil society, a database of forced labor risks focusing on specific products and geographic areas, and the due diligence that companies carry out, stated the European Commission.

Competent authorities and customs will work hand in hand to make the system robust. We have sought to minimize the administrative burden for businesses, with a tailor-made approach for small and midsized enterprises, Dombrovskis said. We will also further deepen our cooperation with our global partners and with international organizations.

China and forced labor accusations

While China is not singled out by the EU proposal, the United States, the United Nations and rights groups have accused China of using Uyghur forced labor and have said Beijings treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang constitutes crimes against humanity. Rights groups hope the European Commissions proposal will specifically address Uyghur forced labor.

We're certainly encouraged by steps taken by the commission, and we want to see a proposal that's up for the task when it comes to combating forced labor in the Uyghur region, Peter Irwin, senior program officer for advocacy and communications at the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, told VOA in an email. The law needs to include procedures to compel companies to remove this kind of state-imposed forced labor from their supply chains.

China has repeatedly denied accusations of forced labor as U.S.-propagated lies of the century designed to use criticism over Xinjiang to contain China.

On Thursday, in response to the EU proposal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing, Theres no so-called 'forced labor' in China. We firmly oppose using the so-called forced labor or any Xinjiang-related issue to interfere in Chinas internal affairs.

Activists outside China, however, see the proposal as a boon for Uyghurs who live in China.

This resolution adds to the growing economic pressure on the Chinese government to dismantle its system of state-sponsored forced labor in the Uyghur region, as well as to end corporate complicity in these abuses, said Jewher Ilham, forced labor project coordinator at the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium.

By banning products made with forced labor, Ilham told VOA, the EU aligns its market with global standards and other legislatures.
Baltimore prosecutors asked a judge on Wednesday to vacate Adnan Syed's conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee  a case that was chronicled in the hit podcast "Serial."

Baltimore's state's attorney filed a motion in circuit court, saying a lengthy investigation conducted with the defense had uncovered new evidence that could undermine the conviction of Syed, Lee's former boyfriend.

"The motion filed today supports a new trial for Syed based on a nearly year-long investigation that revealed undisclosed and newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data," State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's office said in a news release.

Syed, 42, has maintained his innocence for decades and captured the attention of millions in 2014 when the debut season of the "Serial" podcast focused on the case and raised doubts about some of the evidence, including cellphone tower data.

Prosecutors on Wednesday said they weren't asserting that Syed is innocent, but they lacked confidence "in the integrity of the conviction" and recommended he be released on his own recognizance or bail.

"We believe that keeping Mr. Syed detained as we continue to investigate the case with everything that we know now, when we do not have confidence in results of the first trial, would be unjust," Mosby added.

The state's attorney's office said if the court grants its motion, it would effectively put Syed in a new trial status, and his convictions would be vacated, but the case would remain active.

"Whether the State ultimately continues with a trial in this matter or dismisses the charges will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation," the state's attorney's office said.

Prosecutors said a reinvestigation of the case revealed evidence regarding the possible involvement of two alternative suspects other than Syed. The two suspects may be involved individually or may be involved together, the state's attorney's office said.

One of the suspects had threatened Lee, saying "he would make her (Ms. Lee) disappear. He would kill her," according to the filing.

"Given the stunning lack of reliable evidence implicating Mr. Syed, coupled with increasing evidence pointing to other suspects, this unjust conviction cannot stand," said Assistant Public Defender Erica Suter, Syed's attorney and director of the Innocence Project Clinic. "Mr. Syed is grateful that this information has finally seen the light of day and looks forward to his day in court."

The suspects were known persons at the time of the original investigation and were not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense, prosecutors said.

The investigation also found a separate document from the original trial file, in which a different person relayed information that can be viewed as a motive for that same suspect to harm the victim, prosecutors said. The information about the threat and motives to harm could have provided a basis for the defense and was not disclosed to the trial nor the post-conviction defense counsel, the state's attorney's office said.

Prosecutors also said new information revealed that one of the suspects was convicted of attacking a woman in her vehicle, and that one of the suspects was convicted of engaging in serial rape and sexual assault.

The state's attorney's office declined to release information about the suspects, due to the ongoing investigation.

Prosecutors also noted unreliable cellphone data used during Syed's court case to corroborate his whereabouts on the day of the crime. The notice on the records specifically advised that the billing locations for incoming calls "would not be considered reliable information for location."

"Evidence proved that the State should not have relied on the incoming call evidence," the state's attorney's office said.

Syed has served more than 20 years in prison for the strangling of Lee, who was 18 at the time. Her body was found weeks later buried in a Baltimore park.

More than a decade later, the popular "Serial" podcast revealed little-known evidence and attracted millions of listeners, shattering podcast-streaming and downloading records.

In 2016, a lower court ordered a retrial for Syed on grounds that his attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, who died in 2004, didn't contact an alibi witness and provided ineffective counsel.

But after a series of appeals, Maryland's highest court in 2019 denied a new trial in a 4-3 opinion. The Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that Syed's legal counsel was deficient in failing to investigate an alibi witness, but it disagreed that the deficiency prejudiced the case. The court said Syed waived his ineffective counsel claim.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Syed's case in 2019.
A survey in South Africa shows more than half of graduates are considering moving to another country because of few opportunities at home. Business Unity South Africa, which represents the private sector, says they are seeing the lowest levels of confidence in the country's future since World War II.

The survey was conducted by the Social Research Foundation which calls itself a start-up think tank. Its director Frans Cronje dismissed social media criticism, which said it is funded by the main opposition Democratic Alliance Party.

Cronje says they are privately funded and not affiliated with any organization. He says his pollsters surveyed just over 3,000 people.

On the question of emigration, what it identifies is that roughly a quarter of adult South Africans are considering emigration and that figure rises pretty steeply as you go to the top echelons of the skills base," he said. So, university graduates figure comes in at around 50 percent and also top earners.

Cronje says the emigration figures are in line with other public opinion research the foundation has recently conducted.

And this is all very consistent with broader public opinion based on South Africa, which shows that in response to tough economic circumstances and an increasingly troubling outlook towards the political future of the country, levels of concern about the long-term future have hit rates that I havent seen in 20 years of doing this stuff.

Joshua Jacobs has been looking for a job since graduating from college last year. He is considering emigrating to Vietnam or South Korea to teach English, even though it is not what he studied.

Its quite dire at the moment. It doesnt look like theres an opportunity, said Jacobs. I have a few friends who have already gone over and, based on what they are experiencing, it seems like way more viable than being here.

Jacobs says he studied for three years and graduated with a degree in human resources management last year.

Ive been looking more or less in my field, but no luck there, he said. It is a weird position that Im in. Because when I started studying, the market was a bit better in terms of HR, whereas now it doesnt seem like theres the same opportunities. The ones that there are, the pay has decreased and the experience needed has now increased.

Bonang Mohale, president of Business Unity South Africa, says he thinks its regrettable when a country cannot hold onto the future workers in whom its invested so much.

He asks, what will happen if graduates leave in droves?

The economy is already on its knees. It will further exacerbate the condition.

The Social Research Foundation is planning follow-up research.
Afghanistans Taliban Friday denounced the U.S. decision to transfer $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves to a Swiss-based trust fund, declaring it an illegal venture and vowing to impose financial penalties on entities that facilitate it.

Washington said Wednesday it would move the previously frozen financial assets into the newly created Afghan fund in Switzerland to be used to help stabilize the Afghan economy, but the ruling Islamist Taliban will have no role in disbursement.

The Taliban Foreign Affairs Ministry attacked the plan, calling it unacceptable and a violation of international norms. It renewed the demand for the U.S. to unfreeze the reserves and lift financial sanctions to allow Afghan traders access to the international banking systems to help improve the poverty-stricken countrys economy.

If the reserves are disbursed without taking into consideration legitimate demands of the Afghans, the Islamic Emirate will be forced to impose fines against, and ban activities of, all individuals, institutions and companies that facilitate this illegal venture and seek to misuse the central bank reserves for humanitarian and other purposes, the ministry said.

The Taliban, who retook control of Afghanistan a year ago, call their all-male government an Islamic emirate, but the outside world has not recognized it because of human rights and terrorism-related concerns.

The United States froze $7 billion of Afghanistans financial reserves in New York immediately after the Islamist group seized power in August 2021, when the internationally backed Kabul government security forces collapsed in the face of the then-insurgent Taliban, and all American as well as NATO troops withdrew from the country. About $2 billion in additional Afghan funds are held in several other Western countries.

In February, President Joe Biden authorized the release of half of the frozen reserves and left the rest for 9/11 victims to pursue through ongoing litigation.

The Afghan Fund will protect, preserve, and make targeted disbursements of that $3.5 billion to help provide greater stability to the Afghan economy. The Taliban are not a part of the Afghan Fund, and robust safeguards have been put in place to prevent the funds from being used for illicit activity, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday.

Washington has said the fund, managed by a board of trustees, could pay for critical electricity imports, debt payments to international financial institutions, fund the printing of new currency and ensure Afghanistan remains eligible for development aid.

U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a letter that sending the money to Afghanistans central bank would put the funds at risk of not being used for the benefit of the Afghan people.

Taliban authorities argue they repeatedly have made it clear in direct talks with U.S. officials their readiness to open the Afghan central bank to third-party monitoring of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing programs. Dozens of Taliban leaders are under international sanctions and two hold top positions in the central bank.

Chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA that his government, through sustained meetings with U.S. officials over the past year, has practically demonstrated the Taliban are addressing U.S. concerns so the two sides can turn the page of confrontation and normalize ties.

But from their side unfortunately, we have not seen any positive reaction so far, Mujahid said.

China also has criticized the U.S. move, saying the frozen funds are the national property of Afghanistan and the live-saving money of the people there.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, while addressing a news conference Thursday, urged Washington to fully unfreeze the Afghan assets and lift unilateral sanctions on the country.

They should have been returned to Afghanistan in full at once, should have been handled independently by Afghanistan itself and should have been used to improve peoples livelihood and advance peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan without hindrance, she said.

The Taliban have barred teenage girls from returning to school across most of Afghanistan and ordered female staff in many government departments to stay home. Women also are required to cover their faces in public and are not supposed to travel beyond 70 kilometers unless accompanied by a male relative.

The Taliban have rejected international calls for removing the school ban and easing restrictions on women, saying their polices are in line with Afghan culture and Islamic law.

The U.N. has warned that the isolation of Afghan financial systems and other sanctions have pushed the national economy to the brink of a collapse, deepening an already bad humanitarian crisis in the country of about 40 million people. More than half of them face acute hunger, according to aid groups.
The state of Massachusetts transported migrants off the wealthy island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Friday morning, in response to an unusual move by Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis to fly them there from the border state of Texas.

About 50 migrants, including some half-dozen children, boarded buses to head to the ferry to Cape Cod, leaving some of the island residents who volunteered to shelter them in a church for two nights in tears.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, said the migrants would be housed temporarily at a Cape Cod military base, organized by state emergency officials.

"I want them to have a good life," said Lisa Belcastro, who helped organize cots and supplies at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, which sits among expensive white-clapboard homes in Edgartown. "I want them to come to America and be embraced. They all want to work."

The migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard as part of an escalating effort by Republican governors to call attention to what they view as Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden's failure to secure the U.S.-Mexico border amid record attempted crossings.

DeSantis, who is running for reelection in November, has taken credit for transporting the migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, though the legal basis for the Florida government to round up migrants in a different state remained unclear.

U.S. government attorneys are exploring possible litigation around the efforts by the governors to move migrants north, a Biden administration official told Reuters.

The flights follow a busing scheme by the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona that has sent more than 10,000 migrants to the Democrat-controlled cities of Washington, New York and Chicago since April.

Immigration is a motivating issue for Republican voters, and the party has sought to focus attention on that issue in the run-up to November 8 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress and key governorships.

The White House has decried the efforts, saying migrants were being used in a political stunt.

U.S. border agents have made 1.8 million arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border since last October. Many migrants are immediately expelled to Mexico or other countries under a COVID-19 pandemic policy. But some nationalities, including Venezuelans, cannot be expelled because Mexico will not accept them.

The migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard said they had recently been admitted into the United States on humanitarian parole after fleeing Venezuela, and had been staying at a shelter in San Antonio, Texas, when they were approached by a woman who identified herself as Perla.

The woman persuaded them to board the flights by misleading them into thinking they were heading to Boston and would be provided shelter and assistance finding work for three months, they said. Many said they told the flight organizers they had appointments with immigration authorities they needed to attend in other cities but were told not to worry, said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, a group in Boston assisting the migrants.

Rallying to help

Martha's Vineyard is home to about 20,000 year-round residents and is known as a vacation spot for affluent liberals like former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

The migrants arrived without notice on chartered flights Wednesday that landed at the island's small airport.

Residents lined up at a table to donate money, toiletries and toys for the migrants. A local thrift shop donated clean clothes. Local restaurants took turns organizing meals and a Spanish-language Mass was organized at St. Andrews. Pro-bono lawyers flew in to help the migrants with paperwork and immigration cases.

Chris Stern, a writer who married his wife at the church in 1990, was among those who stopped by to donate.

"I think that they're using real people as political pawns, almost as a sarcastic joke," he said. "It's a cruel way to treat people in a difficult situation."
The rape, murder and hanging from a tree of two lower caste Hindu Dalit sisters in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has sparked outrage and shock across India.

The bodies of the sisters, 15 and 17, were found hanging from a tree Wednesday evening in the district of Lakhimpur-Kheri. The girls were raped and strangled to death, post-mortem reports confirmed.

According to the police, the girls were in a relationship with two of the six accused men  in early their 20s -- and they left their village voluntarily with some of the accused on their motorcycles. They were taken to a sugarcane field where they were raped before being strangled to death, the police said.

After they were raped "the girls insisted that two of the men marry them," Sanjeev Suman, the police chief of the district, told reporters Thursday.

"The men refused to marry them and they got into a heated argument. Then they strangled the sisters to death," he said.

"After murdering them, the accused men hung their bodies from a tree, using one of their dupattas [stoles], make their deaths appear like suicide."

All the six accused five Muslim and one Hindu  have been arrested, and two of them confessed to the crime, Suman added.

Although the police said that the girls left their village with the accused willingly, their family alleged that they were kidnapped by the men.

Police handed over the bodies of the girls to their family, who buried them in the village Thursday.

Angry villagers blocked a nearby main road and protested against the rape and killings of the Dalit sisters. The girls' family has demanded about $125,000 and a government job as compensation from the government.

Living at the bottom of a highly discriminatory Hindu hierarchy Dalits routinely face prejudice and violence. In 2020, the gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl by some high-caste Hindus in Hathras, another district in Uttar Pradesh, sparked massive public outrage.

India's National Crime Record Bureau recently reported that last year saw a 19% increase in rape cases in the country compared to 2020. Agency data also shows a 45% rise in reported rapes of Dalits between 2015 and 2020.

According to several estimates, based on government data, only 1% to 3% of India's rapes are reported, meaning the number of sexual violence cases against women may be many times the government figures. Critics say that despite new anti-rape laws that mandate stricter punishments, sexual crimes against women continue to rise in India.

The government has promised "exemplary" punishment for the perpetrators in the Lakhimpur-Kheri case.

Brajesh Pathak, deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters, "We will see that the punishments in the case are handed out in a way that the souls of the coming generations of the perpetrators will also shiver."

Many have demanded capital punishment for the culprits in the case on social media, and the girls' father said he wants the "strictest punishment" for the culprits.

"They hanged my daughters. We want all six of them to be hanged, too," he said.
Parts of northeastern Ukraine are starting to yield evidence of a brutal Russian occupation, according to investigators who have regained access following Kyivs recent successful counteroffensive.

Investigators announced Friday that they had found at least 10 "torture centers" as well as a mass grave containing about 450 bodies near the just recaptured city of Izium.

Officials said the total number of victims in Izium had yet to be determined but that many of the bodies had broken limbs and some were buried with ropes around their necks.

The world must see what the Russian army left behind  another mass burial of murdered people, children and adults, civilians and military, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video with English translation that his office posted Friday on social media.

Even entire families are buried there, he said, adding that even though the exhumation of the remains was still just getting underway, there was growing evidence of Russian abuse.

The world should know that Russia leaves such traces of atrocities, traces of terror everywhere in the occupied territories, Zelenskyy added.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians or committing war crimes, but the United Nations said Friday that it wanted to send its own team to investigate the site near Izium and determine the circumstances of the deaths.

The United States on Friday acknowledged seeing the reports of the alleged atrocities and renewed its pledge to help Ukraine make sure the incidents are documented and that the findings are shared with international investigators.

Russian leadership has not only approved but participated in atrocities against the civilian population of Ukraine  everything from airstrikes on hospitals to actual on-the-ground war crimes against the men and women and their children, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told VOA Friday.

The brutality that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has visited upon Ukraine, and Ukrainians, has been there almost since the very beginning, he added.

Putins resolve

Putin did not respond directly Friday to the allegations of additional Russian atrocities near Izium, instead warning that Russias military would not back down.

"The Kyiv authorities announced that they have launched and are conducting an active counteroffensive operation. Well, let's see how it develops, how it ends up," Putin said during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Separately, senior U.S. intelligence and military officials cautioned that Ukraine and its allies need to take Putin at his word regarding the fighting.

I don't think we should underestimate either Putin's adherence to his original objective here, which was to control Ukraine  or his risk appetite, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director David Cohen told a security conference just outside Washington.

Its not over, added Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

If you look at most of the efforts undergone in the military domain by Russia over the last 100 years, they normally start poorly, and they become a learning organization and they adjust, Whitworth said. Theyve got a possible adjustment in store, and well have to see what comes next.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon official said Monday that Ukraines military was consolidating its gains in the north, in the Kharkiv oblast, after retaking significant territory, while Ukrainian forces to the south were continuing to press ahead with an offensive there.

Certainly, weve seen the Ukrainians have some success, the Pentagon press secretary, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, told reporters. "But we do anticipate that this will continue to be a very tough fight, and the only thing that could shorten it would be if the Russians decided to do the right thing and withdraw.

President Joe Biden announced late Thursday a $600 million arms package for Ukraine, the 21st time the Defense Department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine.

The U.S. has sent about $15.1 billion in security assistance to the Kyiv government since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Continued fighting

Meanwhile, a series of apparent targeted attacks against pro-Russian officials in occupied territories continued with a blast in the Russian-held city of Lugansk. The separatist administration's top prosecutor and his deputy were killed, pro-Moscow authorities said.

"Today, Prosecutor General Sergei Gorenko and his deputy, Ekaterina Steglenko, died as a result of a terrorist act," the press service of the leader of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, said on Telegram. He added that the attack "showed that Kyiv's regime had crossed all possible limits."

Two other pro-Moscow officials were killed overnight in the southern port city of Berdyansk, according to pro-Russia local authorities.

Ukraine has said it will target "collaborators" who work for or with Russian-installed administrations in towns occupied by Russia.

Kyiv says it has taken back more than 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) of territory occupied by Russia in the east and south of the country since the beginning of September.

VOA's White House Correspondent Anita Powell, State Department Correspondent Nike Ching and Dora Mekouar contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to have negotiated a cease-fire in the past day, pausing fighting that has reportedly killed more than 170 troops on both sides since fighting erupted earlier this week.

Armenian officials announced the cease-fire starting Wednesday in a television broadcast. There has been no confirmation from Azerbaijans government.

"We welcome the cessation of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia and will continue to work with the parties to seek to cement it," tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.

The renewed fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia has stoked fears of further military escalation in the decades-old conflict. Experts warn the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis facing Europe might complicate peace efforts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both former Soviet Union republics in the Caucasus, have accused each other of restarting violence that has been the worst fighting in two years.

Armenia said Azerbaijani forces shelled towns and villages along the border, forcing its military to respond. Azerbaijans military argued its infrastructure was first targeted by Armenia.

Both militaries have reported heavy casualties, but the exact numbers have not been verified by independent sources.

Russia, which is a close ally of Armenia, called for restraint and quickly brokered a cease-fire after the outbreak of hostilities. But it failed to hold with clashes across the border continuing the next day.

Frozen conflict

The two neighbors have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians supported by Yerevan since a six-year war that ended in 1994.

The last time they fought was in 2020. Azerbaijan reclaimed significant territory in Nagorno-Karabakh during that war which also lasted six weeks and came to an end with a cease-fire brokered by Russia.

With no comprehensive peace treaty to the satisfaction of the warring sides, despite years-long efforts, the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has remained unresolved to this day.

Thats why many scholars describe it as a frozen conflict, which is usually characterized by sporadic skirmishes that could potentially restart the war at any moment, thus creating uncertainty and instability.

Reason behind renewed fighting

New clashes came at a time when Russia, the traditional broker between Azerbaijan and Armenia, is struggling in its effort to militarily subdue Ukraine.

Armenia is in a military alliance with Russia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is composed of former Soviet nations. The country is home to a Russian military base. Russia also has close ties with oil-rich Azerbaijan.

On Tuesday, Blinken spoke to the leaders of both countries by phone, urging them to cease hostilities and stressing that the U.S. and Western partners would push for an immediate halt to fighting and a peace settlement.

Blinken expressed his concern over the shelling in Armenia during those calls, according to a statement by State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

The spokesperson reiterated to journalists during Wednesdays briefing that they are particularly disturbed by continued reports of civilians being harmed inside Armenia.

The Biden administration also dispatched its senior adviser for the Caucasus, Ambassador Philip Reeker, to the region.

For our part, we do remain deeply engaged. Ambassador Reeker met with President Aliyev yesterday in Baku. We remain committed to doing all we can to promote a peaceful and prosperous future for the South Caucasus, Price said.

Experts tell VOA that the latest fighting has included not just Nagorno-Karabakh as in previous exchanges, but also reported shelling inside Armenia.

This represents a serious escalation that has brought immediate international attention, including calls from Secretary of State Blinken to the leaders of both countries, said Max Hoffman, senior director of the national security program at the Center for American Progress.

Pointing to the shift in momentum on the battlefield in Ukraine that appears to be working against Russia, he argued that Azerbaijan is trying to take advantage of Russias perceived diminished ability to intervene forcefully, and press the Armenians into handing over territories more rapidly.

Laurence Broers, who has more than 20 years experience as a researcher of conflicts in the South Caucasus, agrees. In written comments to VOA, the associate fellow with Chatham House in London described it as Azerbaijan seeking to enforce its vision of a peace agreement.

Bakus natural gas leverage

Azerbaijan is rich in oil and natural gas resources. According to its country profile on International Energy Agencys website, Azerbaijan has an estimated 1.3 trillion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves.

Russia has recently reduced gas supplies to parts of Europe through the Nord-Stream 1 pipeline in retaliation against Western economic sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clinched a deal with Azerbaijan in July to double the gas supply to Europe by 2027 saying, this will help compensate for cuts in supplies of Russian gas.

Baku recently said it plans to increase natural gas exports to Europe by 30% this year as the European Union strives to reduce its energy dependence on Russia amid the Ukraine war.

Experts tell VOA that the agreement between Baku and Brussels affirmed Azerbaijans role as a reliable EU partner.

But the country is also pursuing policies that could benefit Moscow. Azerbaijan news media reported last week that Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan signed the Baku Declaration, a trilateral cooperation deal on logistics, to affirm their commitment to the International North-South Transport Corridor.

The goal of the project is said to attract the cargo flows from India, Iran and Persian Gulf nations through Russian territory to Europe.

The deal is symbolic for Russias interests in the sense that it provides alternative connectivity for Moscow given the collapse of its Western vectors and markets, said Broers of Chatham House in written comments to VOA.

Turkeys position

Turkey has close cultural and ethnic ties with Azerbaijan. Baku used Turkish-made armed drones in the war in 2020, when Azerbaijan reclaimed large swaths of land in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey does not have diplomatic relations with its other neighbor, Armenia, and the border between the two countries has remained closed since 1993, when Ankara sealed it in support of Azerbaijan during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey and Armenia are also at odds over mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. Armenia and some other countries, including the United States, recognize the events of 1915 as genocide.

Ankara continued to support Baku after recent clashes, accusing Armenia of provocations.

Security analyst Max Hoffman says the six-week war in 2020 was a victory for Turkey in the sense that it boosted the countrys image at home and the reputation of Turkish drones to markets abroad. Turkeys Bayraktar drones are also used by the Ukrainian army against Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at a rally in Ankara on Wednesday, warned that Armenias attitude towards Azerbaijan would have consequences.

He accused Armenia of violating the agreement reached after the fighting in 2020.

Risks for the wider region

Experts predict that even if the renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia subside, more will be likely to follow.

There is no effective deterrent to the use of force in the South Caucasus today. The regions security architecture is in crisis, Boers told VOA, warning that the conflict in the South Caucasus could see other regional actors such as Russia and Turkey get dragged into the fighting.

A wider conflict could become quite anarchic once the conflicting interests of Russia, Turkey, Iran and regional states are taken into consideration, he said.

Although broader recognition of a mutual interest in regional stability could lead to a brokered diplomatic resolution, Boers suggested, that would require all actors to take a pragmatic, strategic approach to their relations.

We are not seeing that, he told VOA.

This story originated in VOAs Turkish Service.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, is releasing $100 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to assist millions of people in what it calls forgotten emergencies.

OCHA reports money for 11 humanitarian operations in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East has dried up, putting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people at risk.

The United Nations says it needs $49.5 billion this year to assist 204 million people threatened by conflict, climate shocks, hunger and forced displacement.

To date, only $17.6 billion of this total amount has been received. While this is a large amount of money, OCHA deputy spokesman Jens Laerke said the funding gap is nearly $32 billion, the largest it has ever been.

He said the release of $100 million is meant to shrink this critical funding gap and address the problem head on.

It may seem like a drop in the bucket and if you look at it from that perspective, it is a drop in the bucket, he said. But, the CERF funds, a key criterion is it has to go to lifesaving projects. So, it is the worst of the worst that we are trying to address with the CERF funding. And I guarantee you, for those whose lives are hanging by a thread, it means something.

Laerke said the consequences for hundreds of millions of vulnerable people will be many and very severe, if money to assist them at this time of greatest need is not forthcoming.

That can range from loss of life to victims of or survivors of gender-based violence who receive no support, he said. Children who do not get the vaccines that they need and so on and so forth.

Laerke said the $100 million will help scale up lifesaving operations in the 11 countries, which include Yemen, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Venezuela.

He noted that CERF has allocated a record $250 million dollars so far this year to countries that are in a desperate state, but largely overlooked.
A federal judge on Thursday appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter and review records seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Florida home last month.

In her order, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon refused a Justice Department request to lift her temporary prohibition on the department's use of the roughly 100 classified records that were taken during the August 8 search. She also granted the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, access to the entire tranche of documents seized from the property even though the department had said the arbiter shouldn't be permitted to inspect the classified records.

The Justice Department is expected to contest the judge's order to a federal appeals court. It had given Cannon until Thursday to put on hold her order barring the continued review of classified records and said it would ask the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene if she did not do so then.

A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately return a message Thursday evening.

The selection of Dearie, a former federal prosecutor who for years served as the chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, came after both the Justice Department and Trump's lawyers made clear that they would be satisfied with his appointment as a so-called special master.

In that role, Dearie will be responsible for reviewing the documents taken during the search of Mar-a-Lago and segregating out any that may be covered by claims of privilege. It is not clear how long the work will take but the special master process has already delayed the investigation, with Cannon directing the Justice Department to temporarily pause core aspects of its probe.

The Justice Department is investigating the storing of top-secret materials and other classified documents at the Florida property after Trump left office. The FBI says it recovered more than 11,000 documents from the home during its search, including roughly 100 with classification markings.

Trump's lawyers had asked last month for a judge to name a special master to do an independent review of the records and segregate any that may be covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. The Justice Department argued the appointment was unnecessary, saying it had already done its own review and Trump had no right to raise executive privilege claims that ordinarily permit the president to withhold certain information from the public and Congress.

Dearie served as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York from 1982 to 1986, at which point he was appointed to the federal bench by then-President Ronald Reagan. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes Justice Department wiretap applications in investigations involving suspected agents of a foreign power.
Tens of thousands of mourners lined up through the night and into the day Thursday to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall.

Aerial video in London showed the mourners lining the banks of the Thames River and across the Tower Bridge, stretching an estimated 5.6 kilometers. Officials expect 750,000 people to pay their respects before the queen's official funeral on Monday.

The hall will be open 23 hours a day for visitors and will be guarded by soldiers from the royal household.

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Buckingham Palace Thursday released the official order of service for events leading up to and after Mondays state funeral. On Friday, King Charles III and his siblings will hold a vigil at their mothers coffin for 15 minutes in Westminster Hall, as they did earlier this week when it lay in St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.

About 2,000 guests, including visiting heads of state and other dignitaries, are expected for Mondays service at Westminster Abbey. Immediately after, two minutes of silence will be observed across Britain, giving Britons a chance to pay their final respects to the late monarch.

Elizabeths coffin will then be transported from the abbey through the historic heart of London to Wellington Arch near Buckingham Palace on a horse-drawn gun carriage, with Charles and other royals walking behind.

Photo Gallery:

In Photos: Solemn Procession of Queen Elizabeth's Coffin to Westminster Hall

The coffin will then be driven in the state hearse to Windsor for a committal service at St. Georges Chapel near Windsor Castle.

Later in the day, members of the royal family will hold a private burial service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where the queen will be interred with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

Elizabeth died September 8 at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, a place she cherished and where Charles became king.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse
In a tweet on Thursday evening, Minsa stated that cases were reported in Metropolitan Lima (1,620), Lima Provinces (20), Callao (138), La Libertad (105), Arequipa (79), Ucayali (14), Cusco (11), Ica (12), Piura (9), Lambayeque (9), Loreto (7), Tacna (7), Ancash (6), San Martin (5), Madre de Dios (3), Junin (3), Huanuco (3), Cajamarca (2), and Puno (1).

Minsa reported 1,558 hospital discharges. Besides, all patients received medical care and are being monitored, as contacts are identified.

The ministry encouraged the population to call line 113, extension 6, or go to the nearest health facility in case they have symptoms like rashes or skin lesions.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans from animals. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder.

Transmission

Animal-to-person transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected wild animals such as rodents and primates from Africa.

Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects.

How to avoid infection

- Avoid contact.

- Wash your hands.

- Wear a facemask.

- Isolate yourself if you have symptoms.

?? El Ministerio de Salud informa que 1558 personas han sido dadas de alta por #ViruelaDelMono y se han detectado 39 casos nuevos. Todos vienen recibiendo asistencia medica y se viene realizando seguimiento a sus contactos. pic.twitter.com/dZGaKeHs7A
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Every day, dozens of oil tankers cross the narrow waterway. Its a linchpin of global trade. Shut it down and gasoline prices spike everywhere. Right now, geopolitical tension is high, and the navies of many great powers have warships patrolling it. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight If you think were talking about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, youre not remotely close.

No  welcome to the frigid waters of the Danish straits, the narrow waterway overlooked by Copenhagen that links the Baltic Sea to the North Sea and the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They matter now because they are a key conduit for Russian crude and refined oil products into global markets, making it a chokepoint for the Kremlins finances.

Its where geography, history, and politics are clashing.

The straits, at one point just 4 kilometers (2  miles) wide, are at risk of being ensnared in a tussle between the US and Europe on one side and Russia on the other.

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In early December, new European Union rules will make it illegal to provide maritime services to anyone exporting Russian crude  even to third countries. But the straits are a difficult passage: Storms are common, the waters are shallow, the coast rocky, and submerged sandbanks often move with the currents, reducing draft unexpectedly. Thats why the Danish government, and the United Nations International Maritime Organization, strongly recommend  although dont require  every vessel, particularly oil tankers, to hire a Danish pilot for the crossing.

In theory, the new rules could keep Danish pilots from boarding tankers full of Russian crude, perhaps preventing them from sailing into the high seas. In Washington, officials have quietly flagged that risk as a reason why third countries  say, China and India  should accept the G7 oil price cap on Russian oil, allowing them to continue using the pilots.The reality is a bit more complicated.To understand it, one must delve into history, starting with the Treaty for the Redemption of the Sound Dues, signed in Copenhagen in 1857, which regulates to this day navigation through the straits. It says that Denmark should supervise the pilotage service through the straits, in effect creating an obligation to provide the service, according to Danish officials. I asked the Danish Maritime Authority whether the EU sanctions will prohibit the provision of pilots to tankers full of Russian oil. In an emailed statement, it said: Vessels enjoy the right of innocent passage through the Danish Straits, as defined by international law. Furthermore, Denmark is required to make pilots available to ships in innocent passage.There is no obligation on ships to make use of pilotage services when exercising the right of innocent passage, it added, insisting however that both the Danish government and the IMO, of which Russia has been a member since 1958, highly recommend the use of pilotage services.In the statement, the Danish Maritime Authority added: In conclusion, Denmark cannot prevent oil tankers from passing from the Baltic Sea to the high seas.

Copenhagen may ultimately reconsider its position, but its current approach seems right. Using the pilotage service to try to institute a de facto blockade on Russian oil exports would be wrong  and dangerous. European and US officials are right to try to strangle Russian oil revenue. Oil exports are financing President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, and helping him to sustain local support for his regime. But there are other, and better, ways to achieve that objective without jeopardizing maritime safety. The EU sanctions package, which will stop buyers of Russian oil from using the European financial sector and its oil tankers, is the way to go. As with the vessels that shuttle sanctioned Iranian and Venezuelan crude, Russian oil is increasingly moving into the worlds ghost fleet  rusting old tankers, flagged in countries with little appetite for safety inspections, and increasingly insured by dubious newly created operations. The owners are opaque shell companies. The crews are badly paid and often untrained. If Copenhagen were to refuse pilots to Russian oil tankers, the vessels would still be able to sail through the straits, exercising their international right of innocent passage, but at a much greater risk of a collision or, worse, even an oil spill.

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Withdrawing the pilotage service in the dangerous waters of the straits is playing, ahem, Russian roulette. The last thing we need to add to the already high cost  in lives and property  of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is something like the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in the Baltic.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. A former reporter for Bloomberg News and commodities editor at the Financial Times, he is coauthor of The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earths Resources.

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The foot soldiers of Europes wartime economy are on the move. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week paid tribute to those coping courageously with the effects of Russian gas shutoffs, citing Italian industrial workers who are now starting their shifts before dawn, when energy is cheaper. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Yet if theres one modern-day Rosie the Riveter who could end up striking a blow against Russian President Vladimir Putin this winter, its the industrial welders, pipe fitters and assorted metal bashers tasked with getting a series of Frances aging nuclear power plants back online by 2023.

The job is a high-stakes one: 32 out of 56 reactors are offline, with about a dozen down due to corrosion problems. The outage has an economic cost of 29 billion euros ($29 billion) in lost earnings for soon-to-be-nationalized utility Electricite de France SA. But it has global ramifications too, depriving Europe and France of a fully functioning 61.4-gigawatt capacity of carbon-free electricity, exacerbating the effects of a natural gas crunch and sowing seeds of division among allies.

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The repairs are fraught with challenges, with widespread skepticism on whether they will happen quickly or easily given the dearth of workers and materials. On top of the global staffing shortages exposed by Covid-19, welding in a nuclear power plant has its own skills, training and rules to follow due to the radiation risks. And its supply chain  including Italian factories making required piping materials  is under its own pressure from the energy crisis.

Given the urgent need for energy, the temptation might be to relax some of the red tape and maybe even delay certain repairs to get on with pumping electricity, especially if safety risks arent all at the same degree.

But even in wartime, these are repairs that shouldnt be put off. Mark Hibbs, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peaces Nuclear Policy Program, notes that Frances great talent was in producing nuclear plants at scale based on the same design. Its urgent that doesnt become a downside if replicated failures cascade across the grid.

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Theres also a broader need for the nuclear industry to regain credibility after a string of high-profile cost overruns and delays, including EDFs next-generation Flamanville plant thats more than a decade late. The longer plants stay closed, the easier it is for Green parties to criticize the sectors cost and safety record despite its zero-emissions technology.

France should pull every lever available to get these repairs done and ease Europes energy crunch. It has opened a welding school called Hefais, a play on mythical god-of-the-forge Hephaestus, to train more workers. Talent has been brought in from eastern Europe, the Nordics and beyond to join the effort  rather like when this summers forest fires saw resources fly in from elsewhere.

One difficulty in training new industrial workers is overcoming the perception that this is unrewarding, difficult and low-value work  a challenge felt by many sectors after Covid-19. One obvious area is pay: Frederic Guimbal, chief executive officer of Groupe Fregate, says that current high demand for welders means the usual salary of roughly 3,000 euros a month may need to increase as a result. Considering the French state wants to pay the next CEO of EDF more than 450,000 euros annually to attract the best talent for a vital yet often thankless job, the same logic should apply.

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Once the repairs are over and EDFs nuclear output is back to an acceptable level, a long-term debate on the role of nuclear will be necessary. If the industry has lost talent over the years, its also because of the image over the years of a sector without a future  with the Fukushima accident in 2011 pushing some countries like Germany to exit it altogether. That now looks like a mistake, as even Germany seems to recognize, but were still a long way from Charles de Gaulles promotion of nuclear as tomorrows tech.

Although EDF and French President Emmanuel Macron clearly want to seize the opportunity of a new nuclear renaissance to meet climate targets and to secure energy independence, these are multi-decade plans that can run into short-term obstacles. Macron himself, under pressure from the Greens, once promoted nuclear cutbacks and closed Frances oldest plant in 2020. And EDFs flagship European Pressurized Reactor, originally a symbol of Franco-German expertise, has since become a symbol of French political meddling and infighting among elite engineers.

That will come later. For now, the entire focus should be on firing up reactors. Maybe, in the future, von der Leyen will be talking up nuclear in her speeches  not only as an energy source that helps Europe reach its net-zero goals, but as a geopolitical defense against Putin. And, of course, the value of the welders in wartime.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering digital currencies, the European Union and France. Previously, he was a reporter for Reuters and Forbes.

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More than 15,000 nurses in Minnesota who staged a three-day strike this week arent just fighting for better pay and working conditions, theyre battling to secure public support  especially as evidence mounts that patients will die in their absence. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight A centurys worth of sentimental blather about nursing as selfless womens work has left Americans ill-equipped to grasp the severity of the current crisis, which has already fueled numerous nursing strikes before this weeks walkout. The history can help us understand why, unlike workers at Amazon.com or Starbucks Corp., nurses must confront decades of sexist attitudes that have condemned them for being anything other than tireless, self-sacrificing caregivers.

The modern nursing profession originated in the 19th century, when women volunteered to tend wounded soldiers during the Civil War. These first female forays into medicine helped pave the way for more formal nurse training schools in the decades after the war ended.

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These new programs focused exclusively on training women. Though men had served as nurses during the Civil War as well, almost all the new schools refused admission to men. Nursing had become womans work.

Typically, hospitals would set up adjacent schools for their female students. These women received most of their training on the job in the hospitals, serving as free student labor while living as dependents in dormitories that were run like convents.

When these apprentice nurses finished their program of study after two or three years, most went into private nursing, serving individuals in the comfort of their own homes. Very few went to work full time in hospitals because most of the work there was done by students.

This arrangement helped cement a public perception that nursing was less a conventional job and career than a selfless endeavor akin to motherhood. Indeed, many left their jobs when they married and had children.

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Strikes were rare. The reliance on transient, unpaid student labor kept militancy to a minimum. So, too, did the fact that the nations burgeoning nursing schools  nearly two thousand in number by 1929  guaranteed a surfeit of labor. In some cities in this era, 10% of female workers listed nursing as their vocation.

All of this collapsed in the Great Depression, when most families could no longer afford private nursing. Professional associations  particularly the American Nurses Association, or ANA  sought to address the problem by closing substandard schools and limiting the number of students. Equally important was a campaign to have hospitals hire former private nurses as part of their permanent staff.

This reform made nursing much more like other jobs. But the ANA continued to pay homage to the principle that female nurses must be selfless, giving creatures. In 1933, it opposed the eight-hour workday, claiming that an arbitrary limitation on the hours of work violates the whole spirit of nursing.

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The rise of a permanent, but poorly paid and overworked cadre of hospital nurses challenged this quaint notion. In 1937, the first real nurse strikes erupted in hospitals in New York and New Jersey, raising the specter of full-scale unionization.

Once again, the ANA and its allies fought these developments. An editorial published in the American Journal of Nursing in 1938 declared that the nurse as a professional and giver of comfort is in fundamental conflict with struggling for reasonable working conditions and economic security. Or as one pithy summary of the ANAs position put it: A nurses union would be almost, if not quite, as absurd as a mothers union.

So in 1942, as World War II put unprecedented strain on nurses, state organizations took the lead, with the California State Nursing Association in the vanguard. The group became the collective bargaining agent for Californias nurses, successfully winning them a pay raise.

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In the postwar era, the idea that nurses might engage in collective bargaining via state associations gained grudging acceptance, largely because the ANA found it preferable to the alternative: unionization.

Then in 1947, Congress muddied the waters when it inadvertently exempted workers at non-profits  in other words, many hospitals  from engaging in collective bargaining. The Taft-Hartley Act also meant that nurses were excluded from unemployment insurance, minimum wage laws, and disability benefits.

The second-rate status of nurses proved difficult to fix. In the popular imagination, the typical nurse was a young, attractive woman working for a bit before marriage and motherhood. It was less a job than a calling.

In reality, more women as well as some men were choosing nursing as a lifelong career. Eventually, a series of nursing strikes in the late 1960s opened the door to amending the Taft-Hartley Act, despite the fact that polls from the time found that only 29% of Americans believed that nurses should be permitted to strike. By 1974, Congress permitted nurses in non-profit settings to engage in collective bargaining.

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Since that time, nursing has become much more like a conventional career and has attracted a growing number of both men and women. But not enough to satisfy demand for the work.

Staffing shortages and intolerable working conditions are now leading to more strikes such as the one in Minnesota. Given that peoples lives are at stake, it may prove tempting to try to force nurses back to work. But the harsh reality is that patients are going to die anyway if the nursing shortage persists. And fixing that will require a significant expansion of nursing schools, subsidies to hospitals and other financial assistance  in other words, a great deal more than appeals to imaginary incarnations of Florence Nightingale.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, is coauthor of Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance.

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Its time for leaders and citizens in all developed countries  from the US to Europe, Asia and Australia  to ask themselves wrenching questions about migration. Answering honestly will take us far out of our comfort zones, challenging the way we define ourselves as individuals and societies. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Heres an opening question: Are Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis, the Republican governors of Texas and Florida, moral analogs to Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, or Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the strongman president of Turkey?

That may seem far-fetched, but it isnt. Lukashenko and Erdogan have used some of the most vulnerable human beings in the world  refugees from the Middle East  as pawns in their games against perceived political enemies in the European Union. Erdogan has prodded migrants to cross Turkeys land and sea borders with Greece. Lukashenko has flown refugees to Belarus before herding them toward Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

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Abbott and DeSantis are doing something similar. In their games, Venezuelans and other Latin Americans assume the role of Syrians or Afghans. And liberal blue states such as New York, Illinois or Massachusetts, and sanctuary cities such as New York or Washington, DC, play the part of the EU.

Abbott, facing a surge in undocumented migrants from south of the border, has put thousands of them  men, women and children  on buses, fares paid, to New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. He even had one busload dropped off at the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris. DeSantis has organized two planes to bring migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard in deep-blue Massachusetts.

The unsurprising chaos at the receiving end  at Port Authority in New York and other spots  reminds me of scenes I witnessed in Germany in 2015-16, during the refugee crisis. Volunteers do their best to provide water, food, toys and basic orientation to befuddled  and sometimes traumatized  arrivals. But as the numbers grow and order breaks down, the helpers are overwhelmed. So are local governments.

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And that  from the vantage point of Abbott and DeSantis, or Lukashenko and Erdogan  is the point. They want to call the moralizing, bleeding-heart liberals bluff. Dont lecture us about treating aliens humanely, theyre saying. See how you get on with them.

The truth is that nobody gets on, not really, once refugee numbers get too big. Thats why Eric Adams, New York Citys mayor, this week in effect sued for peace. With some 11,000 migrants arriving just since May, the citys vaunted system of sheltering anybody in need, regardless of status, is near a breaking point, he said. It may become impossible to find beds for all.

Adams admission also reminded me of 2015 in Germany. As hundreds of thousands of Syrians, Afghans and others were showing up, then-President Joachim Gauck stated the obvious. This is our dilemma, he said: We want to help. Our hearts are wide. But our capabilities are finite.

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To make that universal dilemma clearer, it helps to exaggerate the scale. Imagine a generally good society  ours. It views itself as tolerant, open and welcoming to strangers, especially those in need of asylum. One year, a woman shows up with her babies. Theyve been bombed out of their homes by an evil dictator. Without hesitating, our whole country embraces her. Before long the woman has integrated into her host society  shes become one of us.

A few years later, more refugees ask for asylum. But this time theres a billion of them. Some have, again, been bombed out by evil dictators, others are starving because climate change has made their formerly arable continent barren, seeding wars instead of crops. But we cant embrace them, because we cant integrate a billion as we embraced one. If we tried, wed forfeit our own society  wed stop being us.

The migrant crises in the real world have so far been somewhere between these extremes. The problem is we dont know, and cant agree, where on that spectrum we are. And that ambiguity leads to polarization and political backlashes.

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Almost all European countries nowadays have far-right populist parties whose rhetoric ranges from merely anti-immigrant to downright xenophobic. In places such as Hungary and Poland theyre in power; in Italy and elsewhere they could soon be. They do well whenever parts of the electorate feel anxious  about their wallets, safety or way of life  amid the ominous presence of large numbers of exotic-looking foreigners. (When refugees look less exotic, like the Ukrainians whove fled to Poland, the backlash tends to be manageable.)

As alienation spreads, open societies, such as Denmark, run the risk of closing in both law and mind. Sweden is another example. In its election last week, the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party with neo-Nazi roots, soared to come in second, after a campaign largely focused on immigrants and their putative role in rampant gang shootings.

But a productive debate about migration can start only after society rejects the simplistic pseudo-answers given by the extremists on both sides.

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The do-gooders would love to pretend that we have a moral duty to keep our societies and borders completely open, limits be damned. With that stance, theyre naively choosing  as the German sociologist Max Weber famously put it  conviction over responsibility. When an influx of migrants reaches a certain threshold, a society loses cohesion, becomes polarized and dysfunctional. Its bad policy to ignore this limit.

The tough-talking builders of walls and fences, by contrast, want us to forget that closing borders necessarily means closing our hearts too. In the 1940s, it meant abandoning Jews to their fate in the Holocaust. Today, it means pushing dinghies back into the Aegean Sea  and then dealing with the bodies of dead children washed up on beaches. It requires aiming water cannon through barbed wire at moms and their babies. It means becoming societies and individuals we dont want to be.

If, however, we reject the simplistic answers on both sides, we can stop acting like one anothers caricatures and confront the big question. In 2022, the world has more than 100 million refugees. This number will keep growing, owing to climate change and all the wars and famines it will cause. What are we going to do about it?

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We cant let them all in; nor can we lock them all out and pretend not to notice what happens next. In an ideal world, wed talk about how to solve the problems that cause migration, starting with climate change. And wed explore ways for countries, parties, leaders and citizens to work together to help refugees as best we can. It wouldnt be Hungary against Germany or Texas against New York; itd be all of us searching for solutions.

None of that is possible as long as populists caring only about the next election nab headlines with cheap stunts that dehumanize and weaponize the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. If we ever want to find answers to the global challenge of migration, we must start by punishing the cynicism displayed by the likes of Erdogan, Lukashenko, Abbott and DeSantis. And then well have to ask ourselves those wrenching questions.

More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion:

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Stop Calling Everything You Disagree With  Anti-Democratic: Tyler Cowen

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Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

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Rivals for centuries, China and Russia now have a partnership that has no limits, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin said in early February. The energy, military and political ties nurtured over the past decade between the worlds two most powerful authoritarian states  both of which aim to upend at least parts of the US-dominated, post-Cold War order  have aroused growing concern among democratic leaders from Washington to Tokyo. Just weeks after the joint statement, when Russia invaded Ukraine, China refused to condemn the move. Still, the support Beijing has shown its ally since has proved something short of boundless.

1. What pushed China and Russia closer?

The rapprochement was driven by a common alienation from America that deepened after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and became increasingly overt after the 2008 financial crisis, which originated in the US. Both states concluded that the meltdown would undercut faith globally in the US economic and political model. They increased ties cautiously until 2014, when Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula triggered sanctions and a definitive break between Russia and the wider West. That forced Moscow to look for new partners and especially new markets for its energy exports. China was a good fit, proving a massive and fast-growing buyer of Russian commodities and weapons. The two states also share a deep hostility toward US alliances in what they consider their own rightful spheres of influence. For Russia, thats the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe; for China, its Washingtons network of bilateral defense treaties in the Indo-Pacific region. Though short of a formal, treaty-based alliance, the partnership between China and Russia has been enhanced by a strong personal bond between Putin and Xi.

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2. Why the bromance between the two leaders?

Products of tough childhoods, both men have evinced a determination to crush dissent at home and restore their nations to greatness, ending their perceived humiliation by the US and Europe. They have met more than 30 times, making dumplings together in Tianjin and pancakes in Vladivostok. In 2019, Xi called Putin his best friend. In a joint statement in February, they spelled out their shared contempt for Western ideas of democracy. They defined democracy without reference to elections, independent courts or free media and said it was about economic development, with all models for public political participation equally valid.

3. Whats the history between the two states?

In the 1800s, Russia was among European powers that imposed so-called unequal treaties on Chinas Qing dynasty, including one ceding the territory where the Russian city Vladivostok sits today. Relations improved dramatically for a short period after Mao Zedong led Chinas Communist Party to power in 1949, finding a natural ally in Josef Stalin. But Mao opposed the political reforms known as de-Stalinization that followed the Soviet leaders 1953 death and, in 1961, he split from Moscow. In 1969, the two countries fought a brief border war over disputed territories and, in 1972, China did the unthinkable by turning toward the US. It wasnt until the mid-1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev took charge in the Kremlin, that relations began to thaw again.

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4. What can they offer each other now?

Since 2014, Russia has sold China some of its most advanced weapons systems, including $5 billion worth of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems and SU-35 attack jets. Within two months of Crimeas annexation, Russias Gazprom PJSC signed a deal it said was worth about $400 billion to supply China with natural gas through a pipeline called the Power of Siberia. A second pipeline deal has been struck since. In addition, the two countries have increasingly coordinated their positions at the United Nations Security Council, where both wield vetoes.

5. What worries the democratic powers?

The growing cooperation between China and Russia has led some policy makers in the US to fear that the country could be forced to fight wars on two fronts, for example if Russia were to threaten an American ally in Europe to distract the US during a confrontation with China over Taiwan. US Senator Jim Inhofe argued last year that, adjusted for purchasing power parity, the two nations combined spend more on defense than the US. Theres a wider concern that the combination of economic, military and political muscle the two can muster is emboldening other world leaders with autocratic tendencies, undermining confidence in democracy as a political system, and threatening the version of the rules-based international order promoted by the US and its allies since the end of the Cold War.

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6. How has the war in Ukraine played in the relationship?

China avoided criticizing the invasion, blamed the US and NATO for the conflict, and bought Russian oil that was being shunned by some other countries, indirectly funding Moscows war machine. But Xi proved reluctant to unequivocally back the war or help Russia cushion the financial impact of US and European Union sanctions. In September, after the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since the invasion, Putin went so far as to acknowledge that China had questions and concerns about it. With a gross domestic product almost eight times the size of Russias, China has substantially more at stake in a global economy thats still dominated by the US and other developed democracies.

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A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in the Horn of Africa, which is in the grip of its worst drought in at least four decades. More than 20 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are struggling to find enough to eat, and over 1 million have fled their homes, according to the United Nations. With forecasters seeing a high risk of rains failing for a fifth consecutive season and aid flows falling short of whats needed, the region is at risk of a famine thats on a par with -- or even worse than -- one that Ethiopia experienced in the 1980s and claimed an estimated 1 million lives.

1. How dire is the situation?

Malnourishment is already widespread, especially among children, millions of whom need treatment. Millions of head of livestock have died, vast swathes of cropland have been decimated and rural communities have been torn apart as families migrate in search of food and grazing. Many parents cant afford to keep their children in school, drop-out rates have soared and there are reports of girls as young as nine being married off for dowry payments or to ease economic pressure on households. The UNs emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said hed seen starving babies who were too weak to cry when he visited Somalia in September. The UN expects a famine to be formally declared in parts of Somalia in the last quarter of 2022. The classification is assigned to areas where at least a fifth of households face an extreme lack of food, at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition and at least two out of every 10,000 people die daily from starvation or a combination of hunger and disease.

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2. Whats the backdrop?

Climate change has resulted in extreme weather patterns, and nations across Africa have increasingly been contending with drought and flash floods. The coronavirus pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine have compounded the continents woes, making it more expensive and difficult to obtain supplies of food, fuel and fertilizer. Food prices have since eased, but relief has yet to filter through to most consumers. While Europe, parts of the US and other regions are also experiencing severe droughts, they are better equipped to deal with the fallout than cash-strapped African nations.

3. Are there other contributing factors?

Locusts, which thrive in hot and dry conditions, have wiped out crops across large parts of eastern Africa. Somalia and Ethiopia have also been contending with internal conflict thats disrupted farming and made it dangerous to distribute aid. In Somalia, militant group al-Shabaab has been trying to topple the government since 2006 and impose its version of Islamic law. And in Ethiopia, the government and rebels from the northern Tigray region fought a civil war that dragged on for more than 16 months before a truce was agreed in March. Fighting flared again in September, raising fears of a return to all-out war. Kenya held presidential elections in August that may have diverted some attention away from the drought.

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4. Who has been trying to help?

The US says it gave more than $6.6 billion in humanitarian and food assistance to Africa in the first seven months of 2022, which would make it the single biggest donor. The European Union, Canada, Sweden, Germany and the UK were also leading contributors. Kenyas government has introduced corn and fuel subsidies but says it cant afford to maintain them indefinitely. While Somalia needs $1.5 billion to help 7 million needy people -- almost half the population -- only 70% of that had been pledged by mid-September, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The shortfall was even bigger for Ethiopia, with just 40% of the $3.1 billion thats required to help 20 million people committed.

5. What about the rest of the continent?

Several other sub-Saharan countries are confronting hunger crises of their own, among them South Sudan, Sudan, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The International Monetary Fund estimated in September that at least 123 million people across the region, or 12% of the population, wont be able to meet their minimum food consumption needs, an increase of 28 million over just two years. Contributing factors included soaring food prices, depressed incomes, extreme weather events, insecurity and disruption of supply chains.

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The surge in atom activism comes as countries again reassess their attitudes toward the power source, in the face of climate change and war.
Canciller Cesar Landa: Saludo la decision del Congreso de la Republica de autorizar el viaje del Presidente Pedro Castillo a la Asamblea General de la ONU, decision que fortalece la imagen internacional del Peru y la continuidad de nuestra politica exterior. pic.twitter.com/7st9oRKYNA
Uber Technologies Inc said on Thursday it was investigating a cybersecurity incident, after a report that its network was breached and the company had to shut several internal communications and engineering systems.

A hacker compromised an employees workplace messaging app Slack and used it to send a message to Uber employees announcing that the company had suffered a data breach, according to a New York Times report on Thursday that cited an Uber spokesperson.

Uber says it is responding to an unspecified cybersecurity incident.

It appeared that the hacker was later able to gain access to other internal systems, posting an explicit photo on an internal information page for employees, the report added.

It seems like theyve compromised a lot of stuff, said Sam Curry, an engineer with Yuga Labs who communicated with the hacker. That includes complete access to the Amazon and Google-hosted cloud environments where Uber stores its source code and customer data, he said.
As Europe battles to keep the lights on this winter, leaders across Europe have begun framing the energy stand-off with Russia as an epic struggle between good and evil.

It is about autocracy against democracy, said Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commissions president, in her annual address. Her rhetoric, a far cry from past calls for diplomacy, is the latest example of hardening European attitudes amid signs the tide may finally be turning - on and off the battlefield in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is losing leverage in his energy stand-off with Europe. Credit:AP

With Kyivs soldiers pushing back the Russian invaders and the European Union comfortably exceeding targets for gas storage, academics and experts say that - although the coming months will be among the hardest in living memory - Vladimir Putin no longer holds the leverage he once did over the Continents gas supplies.

The Russian president has mercilessly throttled flows into Europe this summer, pushing up household energy bills and forcing governments to announce support packages of an unprecedented scale to protect consumers. But after playing many of his strongest cards in the stand-off with EU leaders, who have supported Ukraine and sanctioned Russia, Putins weaponisation of gas is now at risk of spectacularly backfiring, according to John Lough, an associate fellow at Chatham House.
Of more concern, however, was the missed opportunity this week. Albanese was ready to unveil the National Anti-Corruption Commission to the Labor caucus on Tuesday and put the bill to parliament soon afterwards. The law was drafted, the speeches ready. In fact, everything was so ready that the bill could have been introduced last week. Now the tacticians can only regret not moving faster. But what else could Albanese do? Every step in the response to the death of the Queen was set out in a secret plan  codenamed London Bridge  that was drafted over many years. One of those drafts, leaked to one of my colleagues, set out exactly what happened this week. Loading The December 2021 document, called version 09, said parliament would be adjourned without debate if news of the death came during a sitting week. Parliament would not resume until D+15 in the timetable  that is, two weeks later. This would follow the precedent of 1952. When King George VI died on February 6 that year, then prime minister Robert Menzies informed the House of Representatives at 9.50pm and the House adjourned. It met the next morning for brief condolences before suspending for 10 days. What if Albanese had broken with this convention? Imagine the consequences if he had modified the plan to remove the suspension of parliament. The draft would have been leaked, his changes would have been revealed and the headlines would have screamed that the Labor leader had cheapened the mourning for the Queen. He had to follow the steps dictated by others.

And he was right to show respect for the system. The conventions cannot be avoided. The only way to break with the protocol is to break with the monarchy. Albanese is being cautious for a reason, of course. The central calculation is that the argument for a republic will not be won by making it a divisive issue this week or next. The assistant minister for a republic, Matt Thistlethwaite, is in hiding. When I asked his press secretary for the Labor policy on a republic, I was told to check with the prime ministers office instead. After winning government with just 32.6 per cent of the primary vote, Albanese is making the effort to appeal to those who thought Labor too progressive, even if this means silencing his own ministers. He has made sure this week to talk to commercial broadcasters  all the TV networks, plus radio hosts such as Neil Mitchell, Kyle Sandilands, Jackio O, Dave Hughes  so more Australians get to know him as the Labor leader who will not rock the boat. The republic policy is this: Labor supports and will work towards establishing an Australian republic with an Australian head of state. At the 2019 election, by contrast, Labor pledged funding for a two-step process: first, a plebiscite on whether to have one; second, a referendum on the model. The current pledge is vague; because it is vague, it is weak. Albanese has put a priority on the Voice and has strong support within his party for a principled decision to put recognition for First Australians, and their welfare, ahead of the republic. Progress is slow, however, and ministers have realised they need more time to build the case for change. A vote by November 2023 looks essential because anything later would drag the issue closer to the next election.

The referendum on the Voice is a forbidding mountain to climb. Two of the most prominent Indigenous women in parliament, Lidia Thorpe from the Greens and Jacinta Price from the Liberals, object to the Voice for different reasons. If they cannot agree, why should the rest of Australia? The need for bipartisan support is urgent. What if the Voice fails? The republic would be there on the horizon, too difficult to attempt. Loading Australians who want both achievements, the Voice and a republic, can only hope Labor has chosen the right sequence. The next five years will be a decisive period in the republic debate because the passing of Queen Elizabeth is a natural moment to move on from the past and decide a different future, yet there is no sign of any ambition in Canberra to embark on change. While there is a rational explanation for this timidity, it leads to a rational conclusion. Labor is unready for the moment and may, therefore, miss the moment. The day that everyone knew would arrive has finally come and the party of the republic needs more time to prepare.
New research has confirmed there is a large demographic of silent environmentalists in Australia, and more needs to be done to harness them in efforts to protect the environment.

A study by researchers from the University of Queensland surveyed 2100 people across Australia, trying to get a more accurate picture of peoples thoughts on the environment.

The UQ research found many people who would not identify as environmentalists were just as if not more likely to engage in environmental activities like tree planting. Credit:Jesse Collins

Lead researcher, UQ PhD candidate Nicola Sockhill, said they found that while there was a group of people who identified as environmentalists, there was another group who did not identify that way but still showed concern for the environment and conservation efforts.

This is actually something that hasnt really been investigated in a scientific way before now, we wanted to find out peoples attitudes towards nature and how that influenced their pro-environmental behaviours, she said.
London: Londons police force says two officers have been hospitalised after being stabbed in central London early Friday.

The Metropolitan Police force says officers encountered a man with a knife in the Leicester Square area, a busy tourist hub, about 6am local time (3pm AEST).

Forensics officers and police at the scene in Shaftesbury Avenue, where two male police officers were stabbed. Credit:PA

The force says both officers are in the hospital.

Video posted on social media showed the busy square cordoned off with a large police presence.
El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores reafirma la voluntad soberana del Gobierno del Peru de renovar sus relaciones diplomaticas con la Republica Arabe Democratica Saharaui, de conformidad con el Comunicado Oficial del 8 de septiembre de 2021.https://t.co/0spp0uiu2T
Kyiv: Ukrainian authorities have found a mass grave of more than 440 bodies in the eastern city of Izium that was recaptured from Russian forces, a regional police official said on Thursday, adding that some people had been killed by shelling and air strikes.

Serhiy Bolvinov, the chief police investigator for Kharkiv region, told Sky News that forensic investigations would be carried out on every body.

Oleg Kotenko, the commissioner for issues of missing persons under special circumstances, looks at the unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine. Credit:AP

I can say it is one of the largest burial sites in a big town in liberated [areas] ... 440 bodies were buried in one place, Bolvinov said.

Some died because of artillery fire ... some died because of air strikes, he said. Thousands of Russian troops fled Izium at the weekend.
Its not your imagination. Life really is noisier than its ever been.

Even if 2020s lockdown orders brought a temporary break from the cacophony, the trajectory of the modern world seems inexorable: more cars on the roads, planes in the skies, whirring drones, pinging gadgetry, buzzy open-plan offices and squawking TVs embedded in petrol pumps and taxi seats.

Too much noise.

The US National Park Service estimates that noise pollution in the US increases two- to three-fold every 30 years. Fire engine sirens  a good proxy for the loudness of surrounding soundscapes  are up to six times louder than they were a century ago. The World Health Organisation estimates that roughly 65 per cent of Europeans live with noise levels that are hazardous to health.

And its not just auditory noise. Its informational noise, too. The average person in the United States consumes at least five times more information on any given day than she did a generation ago. Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt speculated in 2010 that every two days, we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilisation up until 2003. The leading experts in the science of human attention say we simply cant process anything near the standard modern levels of mental stimulation.
10:30 | Lima, Sep. 16.

EU Ambassador to Peru Gaspar Frontini reported that it is a document which has been negotiated for several years, adding that it is now nearing completion.





"We hope to be able to sign it promptly," he told Andina news agency





According to the diplomat, Peru's experience in peacekeeping missions with the United Nations has been taken into consideration the most for this step.





Similarly, there is the fact that Peru is and has been, in many spheres, a partner and ally of the EU for multilateral affairs, he said.





For example, the envoy referred to the 2030 Agenda , the defense of multilateralism, and the situation between Russia and Ukraine.





"Peru has earned a position due to respect for international law, non-aggression, and the integrity of the countries' territories, just as the European Union did," he recalled.





Moreover, Ambassador Frontini announced that another agreement is about to be signed with Peru so as to strengthen dialogue mechanisms with the EU.
RTHK: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan clash over border

The ex-Soviet republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Central Asia accused each other on Friday of breaching a ceasefire intended to end deadly border clashes.

The two sides had agreed a halt to fighting and Kyrgyzstan said the countries' leaders had met and decided to withdraw their forces after clashes broke out along their disputed border.

Fighting regularly flares up between the two mountainous and poor countries that share a 970 kilometre-long border, with around half of the frontier contested.

In 2021, unprecedented clashes between the two sides killed 50 people.

The latest violence, which had revived fears of an all-out conflict, had already forced thousands to flee their homes.

But the ceasefire deal was in tatters on Friday after each side accused the other of using heavy weapons to target homes, border posts or civilian infrastructure along border areas.

Kyrgyzstan said Tajik forces had fired on the southwest frontier region of Batken with rocket launchers and opened fire on border guard posts.

A Tajikistan government news portal, citing its border guard service, said Kyrgyz forces were reinforcing their positions and had opened fire on three border villages.

The meeting between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Uzbekistan came as Russia offered to mediate.

Moscow called for "urgent" measures to halt the fighting, which has killed several people and wounded dozens more.

Russia's foreign ministry offered to hold talks with the countries, urging both sides to take "urgent measures" to find a political solution.

The Kyrgyz presidency said in a statement that the leaders had "agreed to instruct the relevant structures to cease fire and withdraw forces and assets from the line of contact".

They gave the orders after officials in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, said security chiefs in the two states had agreed to a ceasefire beginning at 1000 GMT Friday.

During their meeting in the eastern Uzbek city of Samarkand, the two leaders also agreed to speed up work of a commission tasked with clearing up the border disagreements, the Kyrgyz statement said.

Some 19,000 people have been evacuated in Kyrgyzstan from volatile border regions, a regional branch of the Red Crescent said.

Bishkek accused Tajikistan's forces of having fired rockets early Friday on the city of Batken -- with a population of around 30,000 people -- and near the regional airport.

Kyrgyzstan said Friday morning that "violent clashes" had broken out "along the entire perimeter" of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the Batken region.

It accused Tajikistan of using heavy weapons, including jets, but said its forces were repelling the attacks, "making it impossible for them to capture settlements in Kyrgyzstan".

The health ministry said 59 people had been injured, and medical facilities in the border region of Batken had been put on alert. It appealed to local people to donate blood.

Tajikistan meanwhile accused Kyrgyz forces of the "intensive" shelling of homes and civilian infrastructure. It has not released details of casualties.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing official sources, however reported that one Tajik border guard had been killed and three more wounded.

The latest fighting has raised fears of yet another conflict in the ex-Soviet region. Already this week, clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have left more than 200 dead.

Further west, meanwhile, Ukraine claimed sweeping gains this week in a counter-offensive against Russia's invasion.

Japarov and Rahmon were seen together in official images distributed during the summit of leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Regional power brokers Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi have described it as an alternative to Western-led international organisations. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
" " Male pot-bellied seahorses have large fleshy pouches where embryos develop during pregnancy. Charlotte Bleijenberg/Shutterstock

Normally, female animals give birth to young  not males. It's just the way animals have always done it. However, the rule is almost always proven by its exception, and seahorses are the lucky winners of this particular exception. Seahorse men are the mamas.

Seahorses, seadragons and pipefishes are small marine fishes in the family Syngnathidae that have the unusual habit of leaving the gestation of their young to the males. They do this in a uterus-like pouch  complete with a placenta!  found in their tails.

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You might be wondering why a male seahorse is male if he has a uterus and placenta. He might be an anomaly, but just like other male animals on planet Earth, male seahorses produce sperm instead of eggs. The female seahorse impregnates the male by inserting her eggs into a pouch on the front of his tail, into which he releases sperm to fertilize the eggs and incubate the babies for 24 days. Researchers have found they even provide them with oxygen and nutrients during this time, not unlike mammalian and some reptilian mothers.

An Australian research team has discovered the mechanism that allows male mothers to trigger the process of labor and birth. In a September 2022 study published in the journal Placenta, the researchers from the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle reported that Syngnathid dads labor and give birth in a way that's very different from other moms.

Female labor and birth is driven primarily by the hormone oxytocin, which contracts the smooth muscles of the uterus to push the babies out. Smooth muscle tissue works involuntarily, while skeletal muscles can flex and relax when the brain tells it to, which is why you can flex your calf muscle on command but women go into labor without trying.

The research team found the muscle tissue of the seahorse brood pouch did not respond to the fish version of oxytocin, but also that the pouch itself contained very little smooth muscle tissue. Instead, they found the male seahorse has three small bones at the opening of the brood pouch where the anal fin attaches to skeltal muscles. Female seahorses have very small or nonexistent anal fins, but they're more prominent in males.

It turns out the anal fin and skeletal muscles that power it is a key to the mystery of seahorse birth, as they play a role in both mating and labor for the seahorse. During courtship, the male seahorse does a little situp-style dance, crunching and expanding his abdomen to let water into his brood pouch. He does the same thing when he goes into labor, pressing and relaxing his abdomen until his thousands of little babies spew forth.

Instead of smooth muscle running the seahorse birthing show, it's the skeletal muscles of the anal fin that contract to open the brood pouch of the male seahorse. More study is required to test whether the fathers consciously make the contractions happen, or if the skeletal muscles somehow override their normal rules and contract on their own.

Now That's Interesting A seahorse father can give birth to as many as 2,000 babies at a time. Scientist think the reason the males give birth instead of the females is because seahorse babies are often eaten by prey and so having the male give birth allows the female to create more eggs to be fertilized without having to wait to give birth herself. Sharing the labor ensures survival of the species.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

- Monocacy Development will demolish an existing structure and put up a new building with 55 apartments and retail space on the first floor at 128 E. Third St. in Bethlehem.

- The Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission approved materials and designs for ArtsQuest's new cultural center at 25 W. Third St. in the city.

- The gangster-themed restaurant Capo & Co. in Emmaus held a ribbon-cutting last week for its speakeasy-style bar and restaurant.

- An attraction that started in downtown Easton may go global, as Crayola said it has reached a licensing agreement for at least five more Crayola Experience venues over the next five years.

- Curaleaf marijuana dispensary has taken the place of the old Chess N Checkers bar on Airport Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.

- Ms. Velvet's Cafe held a ribbon-cutting last week for the new restaurant in honor of owner Carlos Marrero's sister Ruby, who died in 2017 after a hit-and-run accident.

- Pressed Bouquet, which preserves flowers in a variety of forms, recently held a ribbon-cutting with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

- The Bethlehem Township Board of Supervisors approved the subdivision plan for River Hills, a Kay Builders plan for 44 single-family dwellings and 36 multi-family units on 29 acres near Shannon Avenue.

- Bethlehem City Council delayed a decision on the certificate of appropriateness for Skyline West, a plan is for 40 apartments in a five-story building overlooking Monocacy Creek and the city's Moravian industrial quarter.

- The Pocono Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for Ideal Property Management, a manager of vacation rental properties.

- The Palmerton branch of KeyBank on Delaware Avenue and the Sellersville branch on Main Street will close Dec. 2 as KeyBank and other companies move toward online finance.

- The Quakertown-area theater Regal Cinemas in Richland Township has closed after its parent company, Cineworld, filed for bankruptcy.

- Saint Rocco's Treats, a Pipersville-based gourmet kitchen for dogs, will hold a ribbon-cutting Friday, Oct. 14 from noon to 1 p.m., in conjunction with the Upper Bucks County Chamber of Commerce.

- Two diners on Route 22 in Warren County caught fire on the same day: Catch 22 and Key City Diner.

- After 22 years, the casual restaurant Sullivan's on the Main in Phillipsburg has been sold.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag Michael Roth condemned the latest attack of Azerbaijan on Armenias territories.

Good that with the negotiating efforts of the United States and the European Union a ceasefire has been achieved. I condemn the Azerbaijani attack on Armenias state territories. This decades-long conflict must be solved through peaceful negotiations, not by weapons. Azerbaijan obviously, taking advantage of Russias weakness, is trying to push forward its territorial interests. We should not leave Armenia on Russia. The EU should take the role of a leader in the establishment of peace and support the democracy of Armenia the Bundestag lawmaker said on Twitter.

On September 13, starting at 00:05, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a major military attack in several directions against Armenia, primarily using artillery and UAVs. 105 Armenian troops were killed and 6 civilians were wounded in the Azerbaijani attack.

On September 14 Armenias Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that ceasefire has been reached thanks to the involvement of the international community.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Cloudy, breezy, and cool with a bit of rain or some times of drizzle, especially in the afternoon..

Tonight

Cloudy and brisk with a few showers remaining or a touch of drizzle.
MOSCOW (AP)  Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan traded blame for fighting on the border Friday that killed at least 24 people, wounded dozens and prompted a mass evacuation.

Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said early Saturday that 24 bodies had been delivered to hospitals in the Batken region that borders Tajikistan. An additional 87 people were wounded, the ministry said.

Clashes on the border that began earlier this week grew into large-scale fighting Friday involving tanks, artillery and rocket launchers. As part of the shelling, Tajik forces struck the regional capital, Batken, with rockets.

Kyrgyzstan's Emergencies Ministry said 136,000 people were evacuated from the area engulfed by the fighting.

It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the fighting on the tense border between the two former Soviet Central Asian neighbors. An attempt to establish a cease-fire quickly failed and artillery shelling resumed later in the day.

Border guard chiefs of the two countries met around midnight and agreed to create a joint monitoring group work to help end hostilities. It wasn't immediately clear whether the meeting had any effect on the fighting.

In 2021, a dispute over water rights and the installation of surveillance cameras by Tajikistan led to clashes near the border that killed at least 55 people.

According to the Kyrgyz border service, Friday's fighting erupted early in the morning, when Tajik forces first fired at Kyrgyz border guards. As tensions mounted, the border service accused Tajikistan of using mortars, tanks and armored vehicles to shell Kyrgyzstan's positions, targeting an airport near the border with multiple rocket launchers and destroying civilian infrastructure.

Tajik border officials, meanwhile, charged that the Kyrgyz forces subjected Tajik border villages to intensive mortar bombardment and shelling from all types of available heavy weapons and firearms. Tajik authorities said that they proposed negotiations and a cease-fire, but that Kyrgyz troops reportedly ignored the offers.

The Kyrgyz border service later issued a statement saying the two countries security chiefs had agreed to cease hostilities starting at 4 p.m., but the truce failed almost immediately.

The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Sadyr Zhaparov and Emomali Rakhmon, met Friday at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan. According to a statement on Zhaparov's website, the two leaders discussed the border situation and agreed to task the relevant authorities with pulling back troops and stopping the fighting.

Kyrgyz media said Zhaparov returned to Kyrgyzstan from the Uzbek city of Samarkand and immediately gathered the country's Security Council for a meeting.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Faced with a decline in the number of corporate criminal prosecutions over the last decade, a top Justice Department official on Thursday unveiled new sweeteners for companies that cooperate with the government and a $250 million Congressional budget request to expand its work.

Every division that prosecutes corporate crime must now develop programs to incentivize companies to report misconduct, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a speech at New York University Law School. In some cases, no one will have to plead guilty to criminal charges if the violation was self-reported and the company fixed it.

The Justice Departments top priority is prosecuting individuals who commit corporate crime, she said. She pointed to companies like Theranos, whose disgraced CEO Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on felony counts earlier this year.

We will hold those who break the law accountable, regardless of their position, status, or seniority, Monaco said.

Companies will also be required to come forward more quickly with evidence of suspected misdeeds to get leniency, and could eventually be rewarded for clawing back money from executives that break the law.

The new policies include alluring carrots for companies, but if they're not accompanied by the stick of increased enforcement they may not have a big impact, so the $250 million request is a key piece, said Julian Andre, a former federal prosecutor who is now in private practice with the Los Angeles-based firm McDermott Will and Emery.

Corporate prosecutions are still declining, he said. Until the DOJ devotes substantial additional resources to pursuing these time-intensive and complex investigations ... many companies may still decide that voluntary disclosures are not in its best interests.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraine's latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the country's vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

Speaking to reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Putin said the liberation of Ukraine's entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal and that he sees no need to revise it.

We arent in a rush, the Russian leader said, adding that Moscow has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Some hard-line politicians and military bloggers have urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraine's example and order a broad mobilization to beef up the ranks, lamenting Russia's manpower shortage.

Russia was forced to pull back its forces from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week after a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine's move to reclaim control of several Russian-occupied cities and villages marked the largest military setback for Moscow since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early in the war.

In his first comment on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin said: Lets see how it develops and how it ends.

He noted that Ukraine has tried to strike civilian infrastructure in Russia and we so far have responded with restraint, but just yet.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin said.

Just recently, the Russian armed forces have delivered a couple of impactful strikes, he said in an apparent reference to Russian attacks earlier this week on power plants in northern Ukraine and a dam in the south. Let's consider those as warning strikes."

He alleged, without offering specifics, that Ukraine has attempted to launch attacks near our nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants, adding that we will retaliate if they fail to understand that such methods are unacceptable."

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure in areas near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

Putin also sought Friday to assuage Indias concern about the conflict in Ukraine, telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Moscow wants to see a quick end to the fighting and alleging that Ukrainian officials wont negotiate.

I know your stand on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you have repeatedly voiced, the Russian leader told Modi. We will do all we can to end that as quickly as possible. Regrettably, the other side, the leadership of Ukraine, has rejected the negotiations process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, on the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it's Russia that allegedly doesnt want to negotiate in earnest. He also has insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for talks.

Putin's remarks during the talks with Modi echoed comments the Russian leader made during Thursday's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when Putin thanked him for his governments balanced position on the Ukraine war, while adding that he was ready to discuss Chinas unspecified concerns about Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Putin said he and Xi discussed what we should do in the current conditions to efficiently counter unlawful restrictions imposed by the West. The European Union, the United States and other Western nations have put sanctions on Russian energy due to the war in Ukraine.

Xi, in a statement released by his government, expressed support for Russias core interests but also interest in working together to inject stability into world affairs. Chinas relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India have been strained by disputes about technology, security, human rights and territory.

Zhang Lihua, an international relations expert at Tsinghua University, said the reference to stability is mainly related to China-U.S. relations, adding that the United States has been using all means to suppress China, which forced China to seek cooperation with Russia."

China and India have refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine while increasing their purchases of Russian oil and gas, helping Moscow offset the financial restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

Putin also met Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss bolstering economic cooperation and regional issues, including a July deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to resume from the countrys Black Sea ports.

Speaking at the Uzbekistan summit on Friday, Xi warned his Central Asian neighbors not to allow outsiders to destabilize them. The warning reflects Beijings anxiety that Western support for democracy and human rights activists is a plot to undermine Xis ruling Communist Party and other authoritarian governments.

We should prevent external forces from instigating a color revolution, Xi said in a speech to the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member nations, referring to protests that toppled unpopular regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.

Xi offered to train 2,000 police officers, to set up a regional counterterrorism training center and to strengthen law enforcement capacity building. He did not elaborate.

His comments echoed longtime Russian grievances about the color-coded democratic uprisings in several ex-Soviet nations that the Kremlin viewed as instigated by the U.S. and its allies.

Xi is promoting a Global Security Initiative announced in April following the formation of the Quad by the U.S., Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijings more assertive foreign policy. U.S. officials complain it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscows actions in Ukraine.

Central Asia is part of Chinas multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and China as a counterweight to U.S. influence. The group also includes India, Pakistan and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is on track to receive full membership.

Follow all AP stories about the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP)  Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Friday.

The site near the northeastern city of Izium, recently recaptured from Russian forces, appears to be one of the largest discovered in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy spoke in a video he rushed out just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. He said more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims was not yet known.

Digging in the rain, workers hauled body after body out of the sandy soil in a misty pine forest near Izium. Protected by head-to-toe suits and rubber gloves, they gently felt through the decomposing remains of the victims clothing, seemingly looking for identifying items.

Associated Press journalists who visited the site saw graves marked with simple wooden crosses. Some of the markers bore peoples names and had flowers hanging from them.

Before digging, investigators with metal detectors scanned the site for explosives, and soldiers strung red and white plastic tape between the trees.

Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found near Iziums Pishchanske cemetery after being tortured, shot or killed by artillery shelling.

He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In another sign of possible torture, one man was found with his hands tied, according to Serhiy Bohdan, the head of Kharikiv police investigations, and Ukraines commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

Ukrainian authorities warned that their investigation was just beginning, and the scale of the killings could rise dramatically.

The harsh reality indicates that the number of dead in Izium may be many times higher than the Bucha tragedy, Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said on Telegram.

Bucha is a Kyiv suburb where authorities have said 458 bodies were found after a 33-day Russian occupation. Authorities say they have uncovered the bodies of more than 1,300 people elsewhere, many in mass graves in the Kyiv-area forest.

Zelenskyy, who visited the Izium area Wednesday, said the discoveries showed again the need for world leaders to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Meanwhile, in his first public comments on Ukraine's recent battlefield gains, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the war and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the countrys vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious, Putin told reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan.

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure sites near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

The liberation of Ukraines entire eastern Donbas region remained Russias main military goal, Putin said.

We arent in a rush, he said, adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Some hard-line Russian politicians and military bloggers have lamented manpower shortages and urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraines example and order broad mobilization to beef up the ranks.

Ukrainian forces gained access to the site near Izium after recapturing the city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a lighting advance that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. Ukrainian officials also found evidence of torture elsewhere in the region.

The U.N. human rights office said it would investigate, and the human rights group Amnesty International said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed our darkest fears.

For every unlawful killing or other war crime, there must be justice and reparation for victims and their families and a fair trial and accountability for suspected perpetrators, said Marie Struthers, the group's director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Most of the people buried at the site were believed to be civilians, but a marker on one mass grave said it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian officials distanced themselves from responsibility for the site.

The Khariv region's Russian-installed governor, Vitaly Ganchev, told Russia's state-run Tass news agency that Ukrainian, not Russian, forces were responsible for civilian casualties in Izium. Tass also quoted a member of Russia's parliament, Alexander Malkevich, claiming that Ukrainian troops had abandoned their dead, so Russian forces buried them.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the war continued to claim lives and wreak destruction.

 Ukraines presidential office said Russian shelling killed five civilians and wounded 18 in a 24-hour span. Missile strikes were also reported, with Zelenskyys hometown of Kryvyi Rih among the targets for a third consecutive day Friday. Air raid sirens howled in the capital, Kyiv.

 More killings targeting pro-Russian separatist officials were reported in areas under their control. Separatist authorities said a blast killed the prosecutor-general and his deputy of the self-proclaimed republic in the Luhansk region. Moscow-backed authorities said two Russian-installed officials were also killed in Berdyansk, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region occupied earlier in the war. And local authorities reported three people were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on an administrative building in Russian-occupied Kherson.

 To bolster the Ukrainian offensive, the Biden administration announced another $600 million package of military aid.

Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building, some of whom he pulled out of rubble with my own hands.

Izium was a key supply hub for Russian forces until they withdrew in recent days. Izium city council member Maksym Strelnikov told reporters that hundreds of people had died during the fighting and after Russia seized the town in March. Many couldnt be properly buried, he said.

His claims could not be immediately verified, but similar scenes have played out in other cities Russian forces captured, including Mariupol.

Ukraines national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, said torture chambers have been found in the Kharkiv region's recaptured towns and villages. The claim could not be independently verified.

Seven Sri Lankan students who fell into Russian hands in Kupiansk, also in the Kharkiv region, have also said that they were held and mistreated, he said.

They are scared, they were abused, Klymenko said. They include a woman who can barely speak and two people with torn toe nails.

This story has been updated to correct that seven, not six, Sri Lankan students said they fell into Russian hands.

Associated Press journalists Hanna Arhirova and Jon Gambrell in Kyiv and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed reporting.

Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
READING, Pa.  The Berks County commissioners, during their election board meeting on Thursday, voted unanimously to revise the county policy on mail-in drop boxes to require a deputy sheriff to question voters about whether they are depositing their own ballot in a drop box.

Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach said he recommended the revision to the policy to be consistent with what occurs at the election office.

"I continue to look and listen to concerns around the election integrity process, and I think we were doing everything with the mail-in drop boxes exactly the same as a person that would bring their ballot into the election office, with one exception," Leinbach explained. "When a person comes into the election office and they have a single ballot, they are asked 'Is this your ballot?' And if they say no, they're told that they have to get an affirmation form signed or have the individual that has that ballot bring that in. I became aware that our sheriff's deputies do not ask that question, and I believe they need to ask that question."

A sheriff deputy is posted at each drop box during the time voters have access to drop off ballots.

The revision of the policy also includes a clarification that the two election services officers who open and close the drop boxes each day must consist of one election services official and a deputy sheriff.

The commissioners said that has been the practice, but that the policy did not reflect the detail of one deputy sheriff.

Leinbach said one of the problems with mail-in drop boxes is that the state does not have any rules as to how they are managed.

"They are managed 67 different ways in 67 counties, and there are zero rules (from the state)," Leinbach said. "So, this is Berks County's addition."

During public comment, Brecknock Township resident Jane Beck questioned the commissioners about the status of the vacant election services director position.

"There are so many threats to election officials everywhere, at all levels," Beck said. "Who might be willing to even try to take on the job? Is there anyone in our office with the experience that would be stepping up?"

"It's frightening to be this close to an incredibly important election with that office being empty," she added.

Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt said the board has decided not to pursue hiring an election services director at this time because of the timeliness of the general election.

But Barnhardt said four managers within the election office are capable of running the election.

"We felt it was incumbent upon us not to create much more issue with bringing in somebody brand new to election services," Barnhardt said.

In early August, the commissioners announced in a brief statement that Paiger Riegner had resigned from the position of county elections director after just five months on the job.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the debates around Armenias appeal to the UN Security Council during their telephone conversation, the PMs Office said.

Prime Minister Pashinyan once again highlighted the importance of international communitys proper response to what is happening.

The PM presented details about the current situation caused by the latest aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenias sovereign territory. He said that despite the relative calm on the border, the situation remains very tense.

In turn the US Secretary of State extended his condolences over the loss of lives in the military actions and reiterated the US readiness to contribute to peace and dialogue.
READING, Pa.  It was a key stop on a tour touting higher education reform.

"We are absolutely humbled that he would select Reading Area Community College to visit," said Susan Looney, RACC's president.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona  and his 'school' bus of sorts  traveled to RACC's campus to talk with Keystone Education Yields Success, 'KEYS' members, about how the assistance program changed their lives.

"I'm really proud of the program," Cardona said. "I want to see more of this so we can have more access across the country to higher education."

For one emotional KEYS student  there are things she had to learn  before she began to learn.

"You need to know the country, you need to know the language, you need to find a place," said Mayra Del Toro, a RACC student.

The visit was timely, with higher education issues on the national stage, like making community college free...

"We know that higher education here in the commonwealth is exceedingly more expensive, and we know that community colleges are the bedrock of folks being able to get out of the lower and middle class into higher economic classes," said state Rep. Manny Guzman, a Berks County Democrat.

...and millions of students on the verge of receiving thousands in student loan forgiveness.

For those who oppose it?

"Look. Let them hear those stories," Cardona said. "Let them sit in that room and tell me that these colleges are not working. The president is looking double Pell by 2029."

How we educate  and pay to educate  beyond high school is on the minds of voters as the midterm elections approach.

"This just strengthened my resolve to fight, to make sure that, so that students have access to higher education," Cardona said.

"They give me the opportunity to improve in my life and in my skills," Del Toro explained. "In the quality of the life for my kids and my families."
READING, Pa.  The Reading Public Museum has had a pair of 16th-century stained glass panels in its collection for nearly 90 years, but little was known about their history. That is, until now.

The panels were on display at the museum until 2012, when they were removed for renovations to the Arms and Armor Gallery. At that time, they were described as "sixteenth century Baumgartner panels from Nuremberg" with the artist unknown and the patron identified only by his last name, according to the museum.

Fast forward a decade, to early 2022, when the museum was preparing to reintroduce the panels. It took on the task of trying to learn more about them.

The museum already knew that before it purchased the panels in 1933, they were owned by American financier Thomas Fortune Ryan, sold to him by prominent New York art dealers, the Duveen Brothers. Before that, they were part of Rodolphe Kann's collection in Paris.

As the museum moved forward with its research, it learned that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had in its collection a pair of similar panels, attributed to Bavarian court painter Hans Wertinger and inscribed with the Baumgartner family name and Kann provenance.

The museum then turned to Catharine Ingersoll, an associate professor of art history at Virginia Military Institute, whose research focuses on southern German visual and material culture in the late medieval and Renaissance periods.

Ingersoll told the museum that its panels were likely made by Hans Wertinger alone or with his workshop in Landshut, Germany, and completed in 1524. She said they were commissioned by Peter Baumgartner and his wife, Anna von Trenbach, for their family burial chapel in the parish church in Mining, Austria.

The museum said it learned its panels would have been two of at least seven total stained and painted windows adorning the choir and family chapel in the Mining parish church. Others are now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection in New York (St. John the Baptist standing behind donor Hanns Baumgartner and his family and St. George standing behind kneeling donor Jorig Baumgartner and his family) and the Bavarian National Museum's collection in Munich.

The first panel, comprising the left side of the pairing, depicts Dr. Peter Baumgartner as patron, kneeling in pious devotion at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Below the image is a hand-lettered inscription reading "Petter Baumgarter Beder Recht Doctor (Peter Baumgartner doctor of both laws)," and the date "1524."

Baumgartner was born circa 1450 and became a professor of canonical law and a doctor of civil law. One of his most notable contributions is his authorship of the 1516 Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian purity law for beer.

Baumgartner married Anna von Trenbach in 1496. Her likeness is portrayed in the second panel, kneeling before the Virgin and Christ Child with the inscription "Anna geboren von Trenbach sei gemahel (Anna nee von Trenbach his wife)." The young men pictured behind Peter and Anna remain unidentified, but are speculated to be either their biological sons or Baumgartner's nephews (Hanns and Jorig Baumgartner), who inherited their uncle's estate upon his death a year after the windows were created.

"The Reading Public Museum is thrilled to present these incredible windows along with their full story for the first time, just shy of 500 years after they were created," said Ashley J. Houston, the museum's collections manager and registrar, who led the research effort. "The panels have always been admired at The Museum for their craftsmanship, quality, and detail. Our newly-found knowledge allows us to place the windows in the larger context of history, Renaissance art patronage, and Wertinger's oeuvre, which will only serve to enrich our visitor's understanding and appreciation of them here at RPM."

The panels are now on display in custom-built light boxes in the museum's second-floor European Gallery. They are accompanied by text detailing their newly discovered history and attribution.
ALLENTOWN, Pa.  We're not even through the first month of the new school year, and there are already more school safety concerns, as three schools in the Allentown School District went on lockdown for a few hours Thursday morning.

Police said they arrested someone with a loaded gun in a park near the schools on Linden Street and locked the schools down as a precautionary measure.

For Mahina Depeine, a freshman at William Allen High, Thursday was a long day. She said it all started with an announcement around 9:05 a.m.

"We were told to be in a regular lockdown," she said. "At first, I just thought, like maybe, it was so that people don't skip class, but then they kept on, like, repeating the announcement. So I started thinking that maybe it was something else."

Depeine said her school was locked down for about two hours Thursday morning.

"My class didn't know what was happening at all," she said.

William Allen High was one of three schools on lockdown, along with Raub Middle School and Union Terrace Elementary School.

"We kept on hearing things of, like, something happened at a park nearby or, like, something with a shooting," Depeine said. "I was worried and confused."

Allentown police later explained that, around 9 a.m., they located a juvenile with a loaded semi-automatic handgun at West Park, close to the high school. Police took the person into custody.

Families picking up their young ones from Union Terrace Elementary said they appreciated the precautions.

Joengie Escalera was there, picking up some of her five nieces and nephews of different ages and grades across the Allentown School District.

"You don't know what's going on," she said. "The shooter can be in the building or outside of the building. [You] just never know."

Even so, it's a school year in Lehigh County that's already seen a school shooting threat shutter Parkland School District buildings for two days.

"I don't want to become callous to it," parent Mark Radio said. "It's worrisome, but you hear about it too often, and you're becoming used to it."

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania State Police told 69 News they're beefing up security in schools across the state this year.

Many families said a small precautionary lockdown can cause big concern.

"You know, with all the shootings that happen in the past," Escalera said, "you just go into panic mode."

The Allentown Police Department said the incident is under investigation. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Allentown Police criminal investigation division by calling 610-437-7721 or by submitting an anonymous tip through the Allentown Police Tip411 app.
L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa.  The Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners granted preliminary/final land development plan approval of a 71,250-square-foot logistics facility at 7991 Quarry Road on a 12-acre site Thursday night at the township building.

The plan includes the construction of a 4,000-square-foot office and an attached 6,000-square-foot shop. The proposal  submitted by Avery Quinn Group  further includes 86 trailer storage spaces, 72 trailer loading spaces and 70 parking spaces with an additional 15 in reserve.

The site itself is in a former quarry that was filled in over time. Plans call for underground water retention. The area is zoned Highway Industrial-Spring Creek.

Currently, site access is gained through an easement off Quarry Road and crossing over the railroad tracks. This access must be maintained until alternate road access is provided at the proposed development at Spring Creek. Developers have proposed two full-movement access drives from the future Sauerkraut Lane extension, which is under construction presently.

Plans for the extension indicate the site is served by a single driveway aligned directly opposite the driveway for the property along the south side of the Sauerkraut Lane extension. With two proposed driveways, the east driveway presents "a potential left turn conflict," with left turns into the property on the south side of the Sauerkraut Lane extension, according to Andreas Heinrich, a principal with Heinrich & Klein Associates engineering.

Previously, the township informed the applicant to receive a certificate of occupancy, the Sauerkraut Lane extension must be complete to the township's satisfaction and open for thru traffic.

The Fields at Brookside

In other business, commissioners granted preliminary/final subdivision plan approval to The Fields at Brookside, a residential development consisting of 66 single-family homes by Kay Builders and Brookside Country Club. The applicant plans to subdivide a 200-acre tract into one parcel containing 18.5 acres with the country club retaining the balance.

The land development activity is actually occurring in the neighboring Borough of Macungie, not Lower Macungie Township. However, the development will require frontage improvements along Willow Lane in Lower Macungie. The applicant plans to reconfigure the existing country club access from Willow Lane. They also will develop a loop road which connects to Country Club Drive, exiting onto Brookside Road.
EASTON, Pa.  Northampton County Council passed ordinances Thursday seeking bids for a study of salaries, and a review of the operation of the Gracedale Nursing Home.

County Executive Lamont McClure opposes both plans. He did not attend council's meeting Thursday. Both ordinances passed 8-0, providing a two-vote buffer to override a veto. Five of nine council votes are needed to pass an ordinance, and six to override a veto.

No commitment to spending money was made Thursday; the votes merely authorized requests for proposals from "qualified bidders."

The pay study would look at comparable compensation and benefits at other counties, and in similar organizations in the region.

"We are supposed to do one from time to time, and the last time we did it was 2007, so it is beyond time that we did it," Commissioner John Cusick said (councilmembers are known as commissioners).

Commissioner Ron Heckman said county employees should not necessarily expect big changes: "The expectations of a study sometimes outweigh the realities of a study."

Council President Lori Vargo Heffner noted that council earlier passed a resolution seeking bids for a study, but that did not move forward, so council had to pass an ordinance.

The vote for the pay study was unanimous, supported by Vargo Heffner, Cusick, Heckman, John Goffredo, Thomas Giovanni, Kerry Myers, Tara Zrinski and John Brown. Kevin Lott was absent.

McClure has said a less expensive option is available.

The unanimous vote for the Gracedale study seeks an outside review of all aspects of the Upper Nazareth Township nursing home's operations.

Gracedale suffered a staff shortage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading its administration to cut admissions so the home had enough workers to care for residents.

Earlier this year, McClure proposed a plan to use $15 million of federal pandemic-relief aid to, as he put it, "save Gracedale." The home is the refuge of last resort for some elderly and infirm residents.

The home has bounced back, and the study is a waste of money, McClure said earlier. Council disagrees.

"I'm all for going in and doing whatever we have to do to make sure we're on point," Myers said.

Cusick raised the issue of what is the appropriate capacity of the home, currently set at 688, though it has about 400 residents. The 688-person limit is based on having four people in a room, which Cusick said is no longer an industry standard. He also said that the federal COVID-19 funding is not something that will be available in the future.

Vargo Heffner said the county needs an objective, outside look at the home.

"It's not here to bash the staff in any way," she said. Vargo Heffner said the council supports the home and wants a look at it from an independent point of view.

Council also voted 8-0 to raise the salary of the county controller to $85,000 from $65,000. The controller is an elected fiscal watchdog who monitors spending and oversees audits. That higher salary will not take effect until the completion of Richard "Bucky" Szulborski's term.

The commissioners grappled with the thorny issue of raising pay for their position, although that too will not take effect during current terms. The vote to raise pay to $12,500 from $9,500 passed 6-2, with Zrinski and Goffredo in opposition.

Council then discussed raising the executive's salary to $120,000 from $85,000. At 41%, that was deemed to be too big of an increase, and an increase to $105,000, or 24%, was settled on. That vote passed 6-2, with Zrinski and Brown, a former county executive, opposed.

Myers and Cusick said the job pays too little for an executive with a half-billion dollar budget, and Giovanni said the executive ranks No. 50 on a scale of county compensation.

"No matter what we come up with, the county executive is going to veto it again," Myers noted. Six votes is enough to override a veto, assuming no commissioners change their vote.

The commissioners also discussed the need for court reporters for about a half-hour.

The next County Council meeting will be Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. on the third floor of the government center in Easton. The meeting will also be livestreamed.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The site of the former Allentown State Hospital could soon be under development if a $5.5 million sale to City Center is approved by lawmakers.

Sen. Pat Browne submitted the land conveyance bill earlier this week. The proposal caught some state and local lawmakers off guard, but all say they want to make sure whatever is developed on the land is what's best for Allentown.

Senate Bill 1328 would allow City Center Investment Corporation to buy the 195-acre property.

Browne and Rep. Mike Schlossberg issued a joint statement: "After an open bidding process and a review of available options, the Allentown State Hospital Committee decided to convey the site to the most successful developer in Allentown's modern history."

City Center President J.B. Reilly also issued a statement, saying: "Once approved, we will immediately start working with City planners to develop a project that creates various housing options, public green space, retail, jobs and local tax revenue for the City and Allentown School District."

The bill took many Allentown leaders like Joshua Siegel and CeCe Gerlach by surprise.

"There hadn't been a great deal of news on the state hospital until we saw this bill sort of materialize. I think my biggest thought ultimately is that I just want to see this property get back on the tax rolls," Siegel said.

Both City Council members say while City Center has been an asset to Allentown's redevelopment, the city will use its zoning power to make sure the development best serves the city's residents and gives them a voice in the process.

"I will not vote on anything in regards to that property unless there are public meetings, not just one in the middle of the day but multiple opportunities for members of the public," Gerlach said.

Gerlach says she has some concerns about gentrification on the city's east side, so she will insist on a community benefits agreement as part of the development.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Two lawmakers will host a town hall about the new Pennsylvania Marijuana Pardon Project on Friday.

Representatives Mike Schlossberg and Peter Schweyer will meet with people at Resurrected Life Community Church in Allentown at 3 p.m.

They say the Pardon Project will give people convicted of low-level marijuana offenses a chance to clear their record.

Applications are available on the state website through September 30th.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The site of the former Allentown State Hospital may soon be sold.

A deal appears to be in the works for the state government to sell the 195-acre property along the Allentown-Bethlehem border to a prominent local developer.

The bill, posted on the state website, says the 195-acre property would be sold for $5.5 million to the City Center Investment Corporation, which is responsible for numerous redevelopment projects in downtown Allentown.

The legislation was introduced by Sen. Pat Browne on Wednesday without any announcement of the potential deal.

The bill will need to make its way through the state Legislature and then must be signed by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Back in 2019, Wolf signed legislation allowing for the demolition and sale of the iconic hospital. That law created a competitive bidding process for the sale of the property. It's unclear how many bids were submitted to the state.

We've reached out to Browne for more on the deal, but have yet to hear back.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone talk with President of France Emmanuel Macron, the PMs Office said.

Pashinyan presented details about the current situation caused by the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia. He stated that despite the relative calm on the border, the situation remains very tense.

Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed the readiness to contribute to dialogue and peace.

The sides also touched upon the UN Security Council meeting convened based on Armenias appeal. PM Pashinyan highlighted the importance of a proper response by the international community to what is happening.
A lawsuit challenging a ban on fracking operations in the Delaware River Basin has been rejected by a federal court.

Pennsylvania Republicans sought to overturn the ban set by the Delaware River Basin Commission.

Supporters say the fracking ban protects the drinking water for millions of Pennsylvanians.

Opponents argue the ban has a negative effect on energy supplies and the economies of municipalities that stand to benefit from fracking.
STROUD TWP., Pa. - The jury is now deliberating in a Monroe County homicide trial.

Randy Halterman is charged with shooting two intruders in his home and killing one of them, but he says he's innocent under Pennsylvania's Castle Doctrine.

Halterman entered the courtroom Friday to hear closing arguments in his homicide trial. Halterman's defense characterized the shooting victims, Chasity Frailey and Adam Schultz, as serial burglars, showing text messages where they talked about robbing other properties. The defense said those messages also show they were trying to get burglary tools, like a crowbar.

The defense pointed to damage on Halterman's front door as evidence it was pried open, and months after the shooting, a crowbar was found in the house. The defense also said Halterman was afraid for his life when he discovered Frailey and Schultz in his Stroud Township home, leading him to shoot them.

But the prosecution disagreed, arguing Halterman had a pattern of behavior, documented in multiple police responses to his property for burglaries in the past, where he didn't want the intruders to get away alive. In one previous case in 2019, he fired at intruders while on the phone with 911, and was going to chase them until the dispatcher talked him down. The prosecution described Halterman's home as a "trap" the night of January 19, 2021 when Schultz and Frailey went to his property. They said the door was slightly open, the house appeared abandoned, and despite the two making noise, he didn't talk to them or call 911 before shooting them.

The judge directed the jurors to consider the Pennsylvania Castle Doctrine, which means Halterman could be found innocent if the jury agrees Schultz and Frailey broke in, and Halterman was afraid for his life. Halterman is charged with homicide, attempted homicide, and aggravated assault.

We have no timeline for how long it could take the jury to come to a verdict.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - A Pennsylvania House sub-committee met Thursday to discuss the possible impeachment of a Schuylkill County Commissioner.

Four women who work in the county courthouse accuse Commissioner George Halcovage of sexual harassment. They filed a lawsuit in federal court last year.

Much of Thursday's meeting in Harrisburg was in private.

But on Monday, there will be another meeting, in which the subcommittee will vote whether to recommend to the full House that Halcovage be impeached.

Halcovage denies the allegations.
SKIPPACK TWP., Pa. - Multiple bomb technicians were injured Thursday after an explosion that happened during a training exercise at a state prison in Skippack Township, Montgomery County.

FBI Philadelphia was holding explosives response training at SCI Phoenix for law enforcement partners Thursday morning when a live training device unexpectedly detonated, wounding bomb technicians from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, Pennsylvania State Police, and FBI Philadelphia, according to a statement from the FBI.

Three Montgomery County Sheriffs Deputies were among the injured, according to a news release from the county. One of the deputies was injured and airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Hospital for treatment. Two other deputies from the county were injured and being treated at Paoli Hospital.

A Pennsylvania State Police trooper and an FBI agent were also injured in the blast. There's no word on their condition at this time.

A large police presence swarmed the prison, and video showed two medical helicopters at the scene. There was also a charred car on the prison grounds.

The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police will jointly investigate the cause of the detonation.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden met Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, the first face-to-face encounter that the president has had with the relatives.

In a statement after the meetings, which were held separately, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden stressed to the families his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely.

He asked after the well-being of Elizabeth and Cherelle and their respective families during this painful time," Jean-Pierre said. The President appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Brittney and Paul from those who love them most, and acknowledged that every minute they are being held is a minute too long.

Still, administration officials have said the meetings were not an indication that negotiations with Russia for their release have reached a breakthrough.

Earlier Friday, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that Russia has not responded to what administration officials have called a substantial and serious offer to secure Griner and Whelan's release.

The president is not going to let up, Kirby told reporters. He's confident that this is going to remain in the forefront of his mind and his team's mind, and they're going to continue to work as hard as they can.

Griner has been held in Russia since February on drug-related charges. She was sentenced last month to nine years in prison after pleading guilty and has appealed the punishment. Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage-related charges that he and his family say are false. The U.S. government regards both as wrongfully detained, placing their cases with the office of its top hostage negotiator.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of announcing two months ago that the administration had made a substantial proposal to Russia. Though he did not elaborate on the proposal, a person familiar with the matter has said the U.S. has offered to release convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The administration carried out a prisoner swap last April, with Moscow releasing Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for the U.S. releasing a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Jake Sullivan, the president's national security adviser, participated in both meetings. Biden sat down with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan. Then the president met with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, as well as the player's agent, Lindsay Colas, according to the White House.

Cherelle Griner thanked Biden for the meeting in a statement late Friday.

It was an honor to speak with him directly about the Brittney we know and love, and to thank him for the Administrations efforts to secure her release." she said. Ive felt every minute of the grueling seven months without her. I look forward to the day my wife is back home.
TOKYO  Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako left for Britain on Saturday to attend Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral to pay respects to her and the British royal family who considered as a model for Japans monarchy in modern history.

The decision for the emperor and empress to attend the queens funeral underscores the importance and the deep bond between the royal families. Traditionally, a Japanese emperor stays away from funerals except for those of their own parents because of a cultural belief based in the Shinto religion that considers death impure.

Former Emperor Akihito, as crown prince, attended the Queens 1953 coronation and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Queen Elizabeth visited Japan in 1975.

Naruhito and Masakos trip to Britain is their first as the Emperor and Empress. The Queens invitation for them to visit following Naruhitos 2019 ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

 Queen's death is a reminder of the UK's World War II generation

 Stories of UKs disappearing World War II generation

 What to know about the queens lying in state

 Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen

 New Zealand republic debate complicated by Maori treaty

 Charles history with US presidents: Hes met 10 of past 14

 In Hong Kong, public grief over queen doubles as dissent

 Palace reveals details of queens state funeral on Monday

 Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

LONDON  King Charles III and his three siblings have stood vigil around their mothers coffin as it lies in state at Westminster Hall in London

Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood with their backs to the flag-draped coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, their heads bowed.

Members of the public who had lined up for hours to pay their last respects continued to file past as the royals stood vigil in the historic event.

On Saturday, the queens eight grandchildren will hold a similar vigil.

LONDON  The line organized by British authorities for people to view Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin as she lies in state has reopened after being closed for more than seven hours due to a surge in numbers.

But officials said Friday afternoon that people may have to stand in line for more than 24 hours before reaching Westminster Hall.

And they say that it will be cold during the night.

The line was about 5 miles (8 kilometers) long, snaking along the banks of the River Thames.

Authorities laid on more than 500 portable toilets, while around 1,000 stewards and marshals were on duty at any given time.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects before Mondays state funeral.

ISTANBUL  Planeloads of Turkish carnations are headed to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral next Monday.

Flower producers in southern Turkey are working to meet high demand for the event in London.

Turkish Cargo said Friday that after the queens death last week orders for flowers shot up by 90%. Suppliers chose air transport over trucks to cope with demand and deliver on time.

The cargo company said more than 500,000 flower stems, weighing around 13 metric tons, are being sent to London.

Turkey is a major exporter of cut flowers, principally carnations, to Europe.

CARDIFF, Wales  King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have encountered the Royal Welsh goat.

As they left Cardiff Castle on a visit to Wales on Friday, the royal couple passed by the official mascot of the Third Battalion of The Royal Welsh.

The goat is known as Lance Corporal Shenkin IV. The furry white goat, which has metal tips on its horns, has its own Twitter account and Facebook page.

King Charles appeared to share a joke about the military mascot with his wife.

LONDON  Soccer great David Beckham has joined the miles-long queue of people waiting to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state.

People spotted the former England captain in the line of mourners near Britains Houses of Parliament at lunchtime on Friday. He is believed to have joined the queue at 2 a.m. and to have lined up for more than 10 hours with thousands of others.

Officials temporarily halted people joining the back of the line on Friday after a park at the farthest end became full. People who arrived were directed to holding areas and slowly allowed to join the queue.

The queen is due to lie in state at Westminster Hall in Parliament until Monday morning, when her funeral will be held at nearby Westminster Abbey.

CARDIFF, Wales  King Charles III has spoken of his late mothers love of Wales as he addressed the Welsh parliament.

Charles is wrapping up his tour of the four nations of the U.K. with a visit to Cardiff, following previous trips to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

He told members of the parliament, or Senedd, on Friday that Wales could not have been closer to my mothers heart.

He said he felt immense gratitude for the privilege of serving for decades as Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the heir to the throne. Prince William now has that title.

Charles said: I am resolved to honor that selfless example, in the spirit of the words by which I have always tried to live my own life: Ich Dien, I Serve.

The king and Camilla, the queen consort, were greeted by cheering crowds in Cardiff  and by a handful of anti-monarchy protesters. Some carried the flag of Owain Glyndwr, a medieval leader who was Prince of Wales before the title was taken by the English Crown after the English conquest of Wales in the 14th century.

CARDIFF, Wales  King Charles III has spoken in Welsh during a visit to Cardiff.

The new monarch addressed the Welsh parliament, called the Senedd, on Friday after receiving its condolences on the death last week of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Before acceding to the throne, Charles was the Prince of Wales and often used a smattering of Welsh in official speeches after taking lessons.

Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, received a warm welcome in Cardiff. Schoolchildren squealed with excitement and waved Welsh flags, the crowds cheered, and there were shouts of God save the king as the royal couple greeted well-wishers.

The events ran later as King Charles prepared to visit Cardiffs 2000-year-old castle, where the Welsh flag hung at half-staff.

LONDON  London police say Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral on Monday will be the largest single policing event the force has ever handled.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said Friday that the massive police operation surpasses even the 2012 Olympics, which were held in the British capital, and the celebrations earlier this year of the queens 70 years on the throne.

As a single event this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend, he said.

The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense, he added.

Royalty and heads of state from around the world are expected to be among the 2,000 people attending the funeral service.

LONDON  British Prime Minister Liz Truss will hold one-on-one meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and several other world leaders who are flying to London for the queens funeral.

The prime ministers office says Truss and Biden are due to meet Sunday at the prime ministers 10 Downing St. office. They previously met when Truss was British foreign secretary.

Truss has been prime minister for just 10 days, and the start of her term has been upended by the queens death last week, which has put everyday politics on hold.

The funeral on Monday will provide her first chance to meet with other leaders. Truss is also meeting Sunday at Downing St. with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish President Andrzej Duda.

On Saturday, she is due to meet the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the governments Chevening country residence outside London.

VATICAN CITY  The Vatican says the Holy Sees foreign minister will represent Pope Francis at the funeral in London on Monday of Queen Elizabeth II.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief written statement Friday that Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, who is secretary for relations with states and international organizations, would attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Gallagher, a career diplomat, is a native of Liverpool in northwest England.

CARDIFF, Wales  King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have arrived in Wales for an official visit.

They went Friday to a service at Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff.

They were later due at the Welsh parliament and Cardiff castle.

For more than 50 years up to his mother Queen Elizabeth IIs death last week, Charles was the Prince of Wales  a title that has now passed to his son, Prince William.

The royal couple previously visited to Scotland and Northern Ireland, the other nations making up the United Kingdom, following last weeks death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96.

Later Friday, the new king is scheduled to receive faith leaders at Buckingham Palace in London before joining his siblings for a vigil around the queens coffin in Westminster Hall.

LONDON  All eight of Queen Elizabeth IIs grandchildren will stand vigil beside her coffin on Saturday as it lies in state at Westminster Hall.

Officials said Friday that King Charles IIIs sons, Prince William and his brother Prince Harry, will attend the 15-minute vigil.

William, who is heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, will be in uniform.

Also attending will be Princes Annes children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and the children of Prince Edward, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

The ceremony will follow a vigil by the queens four children on Friday evening.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their last respects by filing past the coffin during the lying-in-state, which began Wednesday and concludes Monday, the day of the queens funeral.

LONDON  People are being told not to join the line to view Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin after a surge in numbers.

British officials said Friday morning that the organized line was at capacity and no one will be allowed to join it for at least six hours.

The line stretched for 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Parliament to Southwark Park in south London.

People at the back of the line faced a 14-hour wait to reach the front.

The government says the park is now full and entry to the queue is being paused.

It said: Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.

LONDON  Geopolitics is intruding in the somber pageantry surrounding the Queen Elizabeth IIs death amid a reported spat between British and Chinese officials.

A report Friday said that a Chinese delegation has been barred from visiting the historic hall in Parliament where the queen is lying in state.

The con text is that the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. has been banned from Parliament for a year after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year for speaking out against Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority in the far-west Xinjiang region.

The office of House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle declined to comment on the report in Politico of the Chinese delegation being barred from visiting the queens coffin at the Houses of Parliament.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not seen the report, but said that as host of the queens funeral, the U.K. should follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests.

A Chinese delegation is expected to attend the queens funeral on Monday, which is in Westminster Abbey rather than in Parliament. Organizers of the funeral have not published a guest list and it is unclear who from China might attend.

LONDON  Thousands of mourners are standing in line for at least 14 hours to see Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin while she lies in state in London.

Authorities said Friday the designated line was about 5 miles (8 kilometers) long, snaking along the banks of the River Thames, with more than 500 portable toilets available and some 1,000 stewards and marshals working at any given time.

Preparations are continuing for the queens state funeral in the British capital on Monday, when royalty and heads of state from around the world are expected to be among the 2,000 people attending the service in Westminster Abbey.

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, were due to visit Wales on Friday.

They were due in Cardiff for a service at Llandaff cathedral, later going to the Welsh parliament and Cardiff castle.

They previously visited to Scotland and Northern Ireland, the other nations making up the United Kingdom.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican authorities have arrested a retired general and three other members of the army for alleged connection to the disappearance of 43 students in southern Mexico in 2014, the government announced Thursday.

Assistant Public Safety Secretary Ricardo Mejia said that among those arrested was the former officer who commanded the army base in the Guerrero state city of Iguala in September 2014, when the students from a radical teachers college were abducted.

Mejia said a fourth arrest was expected soon, and later a government official with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter confirmed that another member of the army had been arrested.

Mejia did not give names of those arrested, but the commander of the Iguala base at that time was Jose Rodriguez Perez, then a colonel. Barely a year after the students' disappearances and with the missing students' families already raising suspicions about military involvement and demanding access to the base, Rodriguez was promoted to brigadier general.

The government official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that Rodriguez was arrested and said he was being held at a military installation. The source would say about the others arrested only that two were officers and the third was an enlisted soldier.

Last month, a government truth commission re-investigating the case issued a report that named Rodriguez as being allegedly responsible for the disappearance of six of the students.

Interior Undersecretary Alejandro Encinas, who led the commission, said last month that six of the missing students were allegedly kept alive in a warehouse for days then turned over to Rodriguez who ordered them killed.

The report had called the disappearances a state crime, emphasizing that authorities had been closely monitoring the students from the teachers college at Ayotzinapa from the time they left their campus through their abduction by local police in the town of Iguala that night. A soldier who had infiltrated the school was among the abducted students, and Encinas asserted the army did not follow its own protocols and try to rescue him.

There is also information corroborated with emergency 089 telephone calls where allegedly six of the 43 disappeared students were held during several days and alive in what they call the old warehouse and from there were turned over to the colonel, Encinas said. Allegedly the six students were alive for as many as four days after the events and were killed and disappeared on orders of the colonel, allegedly the then Col. Jose Rodriguez Perez.

Numerous government and independent investigations have failed to reach a single conclusive narrative about what happened to the 43 students, but it appears that local police pulled the students off several buses in Iguala that night and turned them over to a drug gang. The motive remains unclear. Their bodies have never been found, though fragments of burned bone have been matched to three of the students.

The role of the army in the students disappearance has long been a source of tension between the families and the government. From the beginning, there were questions about the militarys knowledge of what happened and its possible involvement. The students parents demanded for years that they be allowed to search the army base in Iguala. It was not until 2019 that they were given access along with Encinas and the Truth Commission.

Shortly after the truth commission report, the Attorney Generals Office announced 83 arrest orders, 20 for members of the military. Then federal agents arrested Jesus Murillo Karam, who was attorney general at the time.

Doubts had been growing in the weeks since the arrest orders were announced because no arrests had been announced. The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has also formed a closer public bond with the military than any in recent memory.

The president pushed to shift the newly created National Guard under full military authority and his allies in congress are trying to extend the time for the military to continue a policing role in the streets to 2028.

On Thursday, Mejia also dismissed any suggestion that Jose Luis Abarca, who was mayor of Iguala at the time, would be released from prison after a judge absolved him of responsibility for the students abduction based on a lack of evidence. Even without the aggravated kidnapping charge, Abarca still faces other charges for organized crime and money laundering, and Mejia said the judges latest decision would be challenged. The judge similarly absolved 19 others, including the man who was Igualas police at the time.

The Miguel Agustin Pro Human Rights Center and other nongovernmental organizations that have supported the families of the students said in a joint statement Thursday that the government had so far not notified the families of the case against Rodriguez nor the charges he would face.

They said that if the prosecution of Rodriguez did advance on solid evidence it could be very relevant for holding the military accountable. The statement noted that there was abundant evidence about the collusion of soldiers from the Iguala base with organized crime.

The organizations also called on authorities to appeal the judges decision absolving Abarca and others. They said the ruling was the result of poor work by the Attorney Generals Office that originally brought the charges, including the extensive use of torture which led much of the evidence to be excluded.
LONDON (AP)  A surging tide of people  ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham  have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament. The government also warned that overnight temperatures will be cold.

The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening. A baby's cry was the only sound.

Those who came often bowed before the coffin or made a sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals shining in the spotlights, offered sharp salutes. Some people wept. Many hugged one another as they stepped away, proud to have spent hours in line to offer a tribute, even if it lasted only a few moments.

Beckham was spotted in the line of mourners near Britains Houses of Parliament at lunchtime Friday. He's believed to have joined the queue at 2 a.m. and to have lined up for more than 10 hours. Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly to the coffin before moving out of Westminster Hall.

We have been lucky as a nation to have had someone who has led us the way her majesty has led us, for the amount of time, with kindness, with caring and always reassurance," Beckham said. "I think thats the one thing that we all felt safe and we will continue that with the royal family. But I think her majesty was someone special and will be missed, not just by everyone in our country but everyone around the world.

Helena Larsen, 76, arrived just too late at the park to get into the line.

We have literally got here and they have shut it in front of us, she said, adding that she would likely hang around until the gates were reopened.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said viewing the queen's coffin lying in state was an unforgettable experience.

Youre in Westminster Hall in her presence, with a crown on top of her coffin, and its incredibly emotional," he told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Chinese officials reportedly was barred from visiting the historic hall in the Houses of Parliament where the late queen's coffin is lying, as geopolitics cast a shadow over the solemn pageantry.

The Chinese ambassador to the U.K. has been banned from Parliament for a year after Beijing sanctioned seven British legislators last year for speaking out against Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority in the far-west Xinjiang region.

The offices of Prime Minister Liz Truss and of House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle declined to comment Friday on a report by news outlet Politico saying the Chinese delegation would not be allowed into Westminster Hall.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not seen the Politico report but that as host of the queen's funeral, the U.K. government should follow the diplomatic protocols and proper manners to receive guests.

A Chinese delegation is expected to attend the queen's Monday funeral, which is in Westminster Abbey and not Parliament. Organizers of the funeral have not published a guest list.

After a day out of the public eye, King Charles III flew to Wales on Friday on the final leg of his tour of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.

Charles, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a prayer service in honor of his late mother. After it, he and Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted crowds of wellwishers, including flag-waving schoolchildren, as people chanted God save the king!

A small group protested his visit, with one person holding up a banner saying: King? No thanks.

The king later traveled to the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, to receive condolences from legislators. He told them that Wales could not have been closer to my mothers heart.

Charles said he felt immense gratitude for the privilege of serving for decades as Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the heir to the throne. His eldest son Prince William now has that title.

Charles returned to London to stand vigil at his mothers coffin in the evening with his three siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Before the vigil, Edward said the royal family had been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect (for) our dear mama.

On Saturday, all eight of Queen Elizabeth IIs grandchildren are expected to stand vigil beside her coffin.

Charles' sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will attend along with Princess Annes children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and the two children of Prince Edward  Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

William, who after his grandmother's death is now the heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, will be in uniform.

Most senior royals hold honorary military roles and have worn uniforms to commemorate the queen. Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a British army officer, wore civilian clothes during the procession of the queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace because he is no longer a working member of the royal family. He and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.

The king, however, has requested that both William and Harry wear their military uniforms at the Westminster Hall vigil.

London police said the queen's state funeral on Monday will be the largest single policing event the force has ever handled, surpassing even the 2012 Summer Olympics and the queen's Platinum Jubilee in June celebrating her 70 years on the throne.

The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense, said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundyhe.

Renata Brio and Jeffrey Schaeffer in London contributed.

Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia has denied parole to convicted sniper killer Lee Boyd Malvo, ruling that he is still a risk to the community two decades after he and his partner terrorized the Washington, D.C., region with a series of random shootings.

Malvo was 17 when he and John Allen Muhammad shot and killed 10 people and wounded three others over a three-week span in October 2002. Multiple other victims were shot and killed across the country in the prior months as the duo made their way to the nation's capital region from Washington state.

Malvo was convicted of capital murder in Virginia and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But a series of Supreme Court rulings and a change in Virginia law gave Malvo the opportunity to seek parole after serving nearly 20 years in custody.

The Virginia Parole Board rejected his request on Aug. 30, finding that Malvo remains a risk to the community and should serve more of his sentence before being released on parole, state records of Parole Board decisions for August show.

Release at this time would diminish seriousness of crime; Serious nature and circumstances of your offense(s), the Parole Board wrote.

Malvos accomplice, John Allen Muhammad, was executed in Virginia in 2009. Malvo, now 37, was sentenced to life without parole for the three Virginia killings. But after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, two federal courts found that Malvo was entitled to new sentencing hearings. The Virginia legislature also passed a law in 2020 that gave juvenile offenders an opportunity to seek parole after serving 20 years.

Malvo was a 15-year-old from Jamaica who had been sent to live in Antigua when he met the much older Muhammad. Muhammad trained and indoctrinated Malvo, and in 2002 the pair embarked on a nationwide killing spree that ended with the 10 slayings in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Trial testimony indicated the shootings were a plan for Muhammad to regain custody of his children by killing his ex-wife and making her death appear to be a result of random violence.

Malvo is serving his sentence at the super maximum-security Red Onion State Prison in Virginia.

Even if Malvo had been granted parole in Virginia, he also received a life prison sentence in Maryland for crimes in the neighboring state. Last month, Maryland's highest court ruled that Malvo must be resentenced for his crimes there.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. As of September 16, the verified number of Armenian troops who were killed in the latest Azerbaijani attack is 135, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting today.

Unfortunately, we know that this number is not the final one. We also have many wounded, the PM said.

The PM proposed the Cabinet members to pay tribute to the memory of all victims with a moment of silence.

On September 13, starting at 00:05, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a major military attack in several directions against Armenia, primarily using artillery and UAVs.

On September 14 Armenias Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that ceasefire has been reached thanks to the involvement of the international community.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal judge on Thursday appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at former President Donald Trumps Florida home, and refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review the entire tranche of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. In the meantime, she continued to block the department from using for its investigation roughly 100 documents marked as classified that were seized.

The sharply worded order from Cannon, a Trump appointee, will almost certainly slow the pace of the investigation and set the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. The department had given Cannon until Thursday to put on hold her order pausing investigators' review of classified records while the special master completes his work. The department said it would ask the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene if she did not do so by then.

The Justice Department did not immediately comment on Thursday's ruling.

Cannon, who last week granted the Trump team's request for a special master over the objections of the Justice Department, made clear in her Thursday order that she was not prepared to blindly accept the government's characterizations of the documents, saying evenhanded procedure does not demand unquestioning trust in the determinations of the Department of Justice.

She turned aside the department's position that Trump could not have any ownership interests in the documents, and said she was receptive to the possibility that the former president could raise valid claims of privilege over at least some of the records. She noted ongoing disagreements between the two sides about the proper designation of the seized materials and the legal implications flowing from those designations.

The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Governments conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion, she wrote.

The selection of Dearie, a former federal prosecutor who for years served as the chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, came after both the Justice Department and Trumps lawyers made clear they would be satisfied with his appointment as a so-called special master.

As special master, Dearie will be responsible for reviewing the entire inventory of documents taken during the search of Mar-a-Lago  the FBI says it recovered about 11,000 documents from the home during its search, including roughly 100 with classification markings  and segregating out any that may be covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. He is also tasked with identifying any personal materials of Trump's that should possibly be returned to him.

The Justice Department said last week that it did not believe that the special master should inspect records with classified markings or evaluate the former president's claims of privilege. Cannon rejected both positions Thursday, directing the special master to prioritize in his review the documents marked as classified, and thereafter consider prompt adjustments to the Courts Orders as necessary." She set a deadline of Nov. 30 for the special master to complete the work.

The Justice Department has been investigating for months the hoarding of top-secret materials and other classified documents at the Florida property after Trump left office. Citing national security concerns, it has said its investigation would be harmed if the judge did not quickly lift her block on the department from continuing to make use of the classified records in its probe.

Cannon rejected that idea Thursday, saying there has been no actual suggestion by the Government of any identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from Plaintiffs allegedly unlawful retention of the seized property.

She added, Instead, and unfortunately, the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.

She also said nothing in her order barred the department from conducting investigations or bringing charges based on anything other than the actual content of the seized materials, saying investigators were welcome to interview witnesses and collect information about the movement and storage of seized materials.

Trumps lawyers had asked last month for a judge to name a special master to do an independent review of the records and filter out any that may be covered by claims of privilege. The Justice Department argued the appointment was unnecessary, saying it had already done its own review and Trump had no right to raise executive privilege claims that ordinarily permit the president to withhold certain information from the public and Congress.

Cannon disagreed and directed both sides to name potential candidates for the role.

The Trump team recommended either Dearie or a Florida lawyer for the job. The Justice Department said Monday that, in addition to the two retired judges whose names it submitted, it would also be satisfied with a Dearie appointment.

Dearie served as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York from 1982 to 1986, at which point he was appointed to the federal bench by then-President Ronald Reagan. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes Justice Department wiretap applications in investigations involving suspected agents of a foreign power.

Dearie was chief judge of the district from 2007 to 2011, when he took senior status. But the Justice Department has said he remains active and had indicated to officials that he was available for the position and could work expeditiously if appointed to it.

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP)  Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who is on trial in Connecticut for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre a hoax, continued Friday to describe the proceedings as a kangaroo court from his Infowars studio in Texas.

Jones' commentary became a focus of testimony on the fourth day of the trial, with a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families questioning a corporate representative for Jones' Infowars brand about how seriously the company was taking the trial.

The lawyer, Christopher Mattei, showed the jury a photo he said was of an Infowars webpage, depicting the judge in the trial with lasers shooting out of her eyes.

On a scale of one to 10, how seriously is Infowars taking this trial, Mattei asked the corporate representative, Brittany Paz.

Ten. It's serious to me, Paz responded.

The exchange occurred as Jones prepares to attend the trial in Waterbury next week and the judge, Barbara Bellis, considers a request by the families' lawyers to limit what Jones and his lawyer can say and argue in court. Jones is expected to testify,, but it's not clear yet when.

They are pretending to the world that its an actual trial, but Im guilty when I get there and I cant say Im innocent, Jones said on his Infowars web show Friday. Everybody fundamentally knows thats a fraud.

Jones and his Free Speech Systems company are on trial in a lawsuit brought by an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and relatives of eight of the 20 first-graders and six educators killed in the December 2012 massacre in Newtown. They say Jones inflicted emotional and psychological harm on them, and they have been threatened and harassed by Jones followers.

Jones has already been found liable for spreading the myth that the shooting never happened, and the six-member jury will be deciding how much he and his company should pay the plaintiffs in damages.

In a motion filed Thursday, the families' lawyers asked Bellis for several limitations on what Jones and his lawyer, Norman Pattis, can say and argue at the trial, including barring them from alleging that holding Jones and Free Speech Systems accountable for their actions offends the First Amendment.

Pattis outlined Jones' defense in a motion filed Friday in response to the families' motion.

The defendants have argued, and intend to argue, that the plaintiffs have motives, biases and interest in exaggerating their claims against the defendants, to wit: their interest in gun control regulation and their hostility to Mr. Jones, Pattis wrote.

Pattis also said Jones is challenging the amount of any damages to be awarded and is focusing on the families' motives for overstating their damages: to wit: their desire to silence Alex Jones not just because he harmed them, but because they find his politics and political affiliations repugnant.

Pattis added, Mr. Jones conspiracy theory may by offensive to some, and ridiculous to others, but he has not gained millions of listeners by compelling people to tune in. He speaks a language that many Americans seem prepared to accept.

Mattei has showed the jury evidence that Jones' viewership and sales of products such as nutritional supplements and clothing on his website soared around the times he talked about the Sandy Hook shooting, suggesting Jones was profiting off the shooting.

Pattis countered in court Friday that the jury should be allowed to hear that Jones believes there is a conspiracy to take guns away and enslave people.

They have put before this jury the theory that Jones merchandizes fear for the sake of making a buck, Pattis said. Our claim is that he recognizes the fear of the people and makes a dollar to support that premise.

Last month, a jury in Texas awarded the parents of one of the slain Sandy Hook children nearly $50 million in a similar lawsuit against Jones and his company over the hoax claims. Jones also faces a third trial in Texas later this year over how much he should pay the parents of another child killed in the shooting.

The Connecticut trial is expected to resume Tuesday with the judge indicating she will decide then whether to further limit what the defense may argue when it comes to the worth of Jones' holdings.

Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this story from Connecticut
Four new productions have been revealed for the Hampstead Theatre's ongoing season.

Artistic director Roxana Silbert said: "Our autumn/winter season celebrates Hampstead Theatre's cosmopolitan roots with a range of international playwrights from Scotland to the USA, Northern Ireland to France and some great homegrown talent in between.

"Stephen Karam's The Humans was playing at Hampstead when I was applying for the job of artistic director and I was blown away by it. So it's a privilege to be producing Sons of the Prophet directed by the brilliant Bijan Sheibani. Meanwhile our Downstairs Christmas show The Art of Illusion by Alexis Michalik has been playing in Paris since 2014, having won a clutch of Molieres, and started off in a studio not unlike ours.

"One of the joys of running a new writing theatre is seeing writers develop and I'm delighted that having produced her first ever play, Either, and following a highly successful run of her second play The Animal Kingdom, we will be producing Ruby Thomas' first Main House show Linck and Mulhahan.

"And following the tradition of the studio being a launching pad for playwrights, we are introducing Michael John O'Neill to London audiences with his first full length play Akedah."

Karam's play, making its European premiere, runs from Friday 2 December until Saturday 14 January and is directed by Bijan Sheibani. It follows a gay American-Lebanese Maronite Christian in rural Pennsylvania and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 2012. Casting and creatives are to be revealed.

After this, the main stage will host the world premiere of Ruby Thomas' Linck and Mulhahn. Directed by Owen Horsley, the 18th century Prussian love story runs from Friday 27 January to Saturday 4 March 2023.

In the downstairs space, Alexis Michalik will bring his award-winning play The Art of Illusion to the theatre from 17 December to 28 January. After this will come Michael John O'Neill's Akedah, which won the Bruntwood Prize Original New Voice Award in 2019. It runs from 10 February to 18 March.
Heathers the Musical is, in many ways, coming full circle. After first appearing in a well-received production off-Broadway, it sailed to the UK, receiving a vast array of amends including new numbers, design and staging. Now bouncing back across the pond in its shiny newest form, Heathers is ready for a digital renaissance on streaming platform Roku. Like a musical turnball set, the cult classic has swung from screen to stage and now back to the screen.

For the uninitiated, the plot follows a dysfunctional high school, Westerburg, where social angst and teenage intransigence rule the day. Think Olivia Rodrigo but with the sourness dialled up to 17. At the eye of the social sh*t-storm are the Heathers  three masochistic girls who have the school's eco-system tied around their perfectly manicured fingers. That is, until the idealistic outcast Veronica ("This could be beautiful", she wishfully ruminates as she watches her classmates in the opening number) starts amassing something of a bodycount through a series of unexpected hijinks and a forbidden romance with a local fan of fulmination .

Our opinions on Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy's show have already been laid out in pretty fantastic detail by two WOS critics before (in 2018 and 2021)  so the key question here is: does the musical preserve everything that made it tick on stage now that it has been immortalised in recorded form?

Casting wise, the production makes the admirable choice to stick, for the most part, to the company that had already been appearing in the show at The Other Palace (the musical has been playing at the Victoria venue since November 2021). Unlike filmed musicals such as Waitress or Kinky Boots, who brought back major stars to lead their pro-shots, Heathers lets emerging talent take centre stage.

So let's move onto performances: the f***-you badassery of the croquet mallet-wielding, primary-colour obsessed, blazer-repping socialites all sharing the same name seamlessly transitions to film  with a trio of great performances coming from Maddison Firth, Vivian Panka and Teleri Hughes. All get their moments in the spotlight, from Firth's pitch-perfect snide snobbery to Hughes' naive effervescence. It's Panka who does a magnificent job bringing down the house with "Never Shut Up Again" in act two.

The story is, at its heart, a girl-meets-Guy Fawkes wannabe  and it lives and dies, in every sense of the word, on this explosive romance. Ailsa Davidson channels the superb aspects of Winona Ryder's film turn as Veronica, dry wit giving way to disturbed wildness as her entire world seems set to go up in a whiff of smoke.

Teenage heartthrob JD casts every possible shade of wallow, so it's exciting when hit performer Simon Gordon gets to let lose with more comedic moments, including the fleeting yet fantastically funny fist fight with macho vestiphobes Kurt and Ram.

Andy Fickman's direction favours wide shots - broadening the intimate stage at The Other Palace and giving the company a larger canvas to work with. It allows the big ensemble numbers to pop, with a smaller selection of close-ups peppered throughout adding greater dynamism and flare.

Where a lot of filmed shows, like Hamilton or Come From Away, sit their audiences in the dark, Heathers decides to bathe them in a soft purple light and cuts back to them regularly- they become a constant, vocal presence. It's a savvy choice for a musical that has been buoyed by its fandom - cosplaying, lyric-chanting and repeat-attending. It's the reason the show won a Best Musical WhatsOnStage Award, and the reason it has endured with such unquenchable verve and vim. It's in North America for now, but its UK release can't be following far behind.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The rebuilding of the 1st floor of the entrance buildings left side at the University Hospital have been completed. The necessity of improving the building conditions arose after the 44-day War due to the increase in the number of wounded being treated at the Soldier's Home. On the 1st floor, where rehabilitation treatment is planned, the soldiers will have the opportunity to undergo physiotherapy and other kinds of treatment. Benefactor Mikayel Vardanyan donated 120 million AMD for the renovation of the new department.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. State Minister of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan presented the non-negotiable benchmark truths for the people and authorities of the Republic.

There are non-negotiable benchmark truths for the people and authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, in particular:

Issues related to the future of Artsakh should be decided primarily by the Armenians of Artsakh, where the role of the entire Armenian people is also important given the exclusive role of Artsakh for the Armenian nation and statehood. The Azerbaijani-Artsakh conflict should be settled on the basis of the full realization and recognition of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, with the aim of achieving international recognition of independence. Any status within Azerbaijan is unacceptable and impossible, because:

Historically, Artsakh is exclusively the homeland of the Armenian people, and Azerbaijanis cannot usurp it by falsifying history;

The people of Artsakh have been self-determined in favor of building a free and independent state and we are the ones who decide our destiny;

The centuries-old Turkish-Azerbaijani genocidal policy towards Armenians and especially the continuous and growing anti-Armenian policy of the last decades, simply existentially excludes any status of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.
Nearly seven decades after the first successful organ transplant occurred in Boston, the U.S. has marked its one millionth transplant, the most of any country.

Last Friday, the United Network for Organ Sharing reported the milestone operation, which follows 2021s record breaking 40,000+ transplants in a single year.

I think its absolutely amazing. Its wonderful, says Anja Drogseth, ICU nurse and donation liaison for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse. Organ donation only started in the 1950s and only really ramped up in the early 2000s. There are more people in need every day, so I think its really great we continue to escalate the number of donors we have.

According to organdonor.gov, nearly 106,000 people are on the U.S. waitlist for a donated organ, with another person added every nine seconds. Each day, 17 people will die from not having a transplant in time.

The need is huge, says Drogseth.

(At Mayo in La Crosse), we mostly deal with the donation side of things, the people who are willing to give that gift of organs, that gift of life, Drogseth says. And its hugely emotional. One donor can save eight lives. ... Its humbling and a beautiful thing.

Actual transplant operations through Mayo are performed at its Rochester hospital, or at Mayo locations in Arizona and Florida  enterprise wide, 1,742 transplants were completed in 2021. Recovery and rehabilitation programs for post-op patients are available at Mayo La Crosse.

Gundersen Health System also works with donors and in May was honored by the University of Wisconsin Organ and Tissue Donation with the Bronze Award of Hope, which measures the percent of medically eligible donors who ultimately donate (true conversion rate) and the number of organs per donor that are recovered and suitable for donation. The bronze award is bestowed on hospitals that reach an organs transplanted per donor rate of 3.25. To achieve gold, that metric, plus a 75% true conversion rate, must be met.

Gundersen was further honored with the Donn Dexter Physician Excellence Award, given to surgeon Dr. Christine Waller for her advocacy on behalf of donors and their families, and an Excellence in Tissue Donation award, which is given to Versiti partner hospitals that have a 60% or greater consent rate. The tissues of one person can improve 75 lives.

While kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs  followed by liver, heart and lung  faces, hands and more can potentially be transplanted.

We save lives, but we also enhance lives. There are millions of people on dialysis (for whom) a kidney can mean they can go back to work, Drogseth says. We can do skin, tendon and bone grafts that can help athletes, that can help anyone get back on the field or back on their feet.

At Mayo, Drogseth says, donor families are invited to attend donation ceremonies, participate in honor walks or have the donation flag raised.

To pay our respects and say thank you for that gift  the biggest gift anyone can give. And its just selfless and humbling and really we aspire to be like that to make the choices that these families and patients make, Drogseth says.

Having worked with donor recipients, Drogseth says the gratitude is immense. If both parties consent, patients can converse with the family of their donor.

They are there because someone else isnt, Drogseth says of recipients. (For them) its just appreciation and thankfulness.

Individuals can register as organ donors at the DMV, or via registerme.org or https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up.
The Winona Area Public Schools board Thursday rejected four companys bids for the districts heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) project at Jefferson Elementary and Washington-Kosciusko Elementary.

The bids from Brennan Construction in Winona, Fowler and Hammer in La Crosse, Market and Johnson in La Crosse and Weiser Brothers in La Crescent were the only bids received by the deadline.

It was recommended by Wold Architects and Engineers that the bids be rejected because all four were above the amount budgeted for the project.

The lowest total bid for the work at both schools provided to the district, given by Market and Johnson, was $21,531,000.

Last year, though, the board voted to issue bonds for this project in the amount of $16,070,000, which will be paid over 15 years.

The project estimate cost included in this bond is $15,367,340  with the amount meant to cover the installation of geothermal HVAC systems in both of the elementary schools.

The district and Wold are now looking at different options that will allow this project to be completed within budget.
LONDON (AP)  Two minutes of silence will be observed across the United Kingdom at the end of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday giving the public across the nation a chance to pay their respects to the late monarch.

Buckingham Palace released details Thursday of the state funeral of the queen who died Sept. 8 at age 96 and private interment later Monday.

On Friday evening, King Charles III and his siblings will stand vigil at their mother's coffin for 15 minutes as it lies in state at the 900-year-old Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament. Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward also stood vigil with the coffin when it lay in St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh earlier this week.

After the state funeral, attended by some 2,000 guests, including visiting heads of state and other dignitaries, Elizabeth's coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch near Buckingham Palace on a horse-drawn gun carriage with Charles and other royals walking behind.

The coffin will then be driven in the state hearse to Windsor for a committal service at St. George's Chapel near Windsor Castle, where the coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault and the sovereign's piper will play a lament, the Archbishop of Canterbury will pronounce the blessing and the congregation will sing "God Save The King."

Members of the royal family will then hold a private burial service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where the queen will be interred with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Right from the beginning of military operations the units of the Armenian Armed Forces, conducting positional fights against the adversary, were repelling the attacks of the Azerbaijani forces, Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Eduard Asryan said during the meeting with the representatives of diplomatic representations accredited in Armenia in Jermuk.

During the day, also taking into account the superiority of the enemys units, we have lost several combat positions in some directions, which served a base for the adversary to be able to infiltrate deep into our defense with hundreds and more of its units.

As a result of actions of our units, in some directions, including in the direction of Jermuk and south-eastern, other eastern directions of Armenia, the enemy was pushed back to their initial positions. What I have presented in terms of the enemys advance in the direction of Jermuk has started overnight September 12-13 and continued until the establishment of the ceasefire. Before the military operations, the enemys distance from Jermuk town to the border has been 11-12km, but now the adversary is 4.5km away, he said.
A large stretch of highway from Madison to near the Dells area is being studied for possible upgrades.

On Sept. 14, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) held a public meeting regarding issues and possible solutions for a 67-mile corridor on Interstate 39/90/94 from Madison to the southern portion of Juneau County.

Problems such as deteriorating pavement and bridges, flooding history, traffic congestion, and outdated lane configurations leading to a high volume of crashes are highlights of the WisDOTs plan for a potential project.

The department held the meeting at the Wintergreen Conference Center in Lake Delton. It also held a similar event at Yahara Elementary School in DeForest on Sept. 13.

This corridor has some aging infrastructure, said Dan Schave, a WisDOT Major Studies Supervisor. It was originally built in the 60s. Pretty old bridges and pavement along the corridor. We have frequent congestion issues, which leads to a lot of safety issues, especially during our peak periods on Fridays and Sundays.

Any project to stem from the study would not change the corridor route. Added lanes along the corridor and on exit ramps are major possibilities, according to WisDOT officials. No new sections have been explored yet.

Those two days present especially high traffic volume during the summer months, often with travelers going to and coming from Wisconsin Dells. The proposed corridor stretches from I-39/90s intersection with U.S. Highways 12 and 18 (Beltline Highway) in Madison to Juneau County between the Dells area and Lyndon Station.

Schave also discussed sustainability issues in the area where I-39 splits from the concurrency near Portage. He mentioned a large flood in 2008 that caused a full interstate closure, multiple flood-related shutdowns, as well as sandbagging operations to combat flooding in 2018. There have been six notable floods in the past 30 years along the corridor.

Pavement conditions have also gotten progressively worse, and have been exacerbated by the increased amount of freight vehicles stemming from the spike in e-commerce purchases following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Truck volumes along the 67-mile corridor increased 12% to 16% from 2019 to 2021.

This interstate corridor is vitally important to the state, said Schave, adding that over $100 billion in freight passes through it annually.

Intersections that have carried high accident volumes along the corridor include the one with U.S. Highway 151 in Madison, the I-39 split, and the Dells area intersections with Highway 12 and Wisconsin Highway 13.

A potential project could add two new interchanges near the Madison area, with one on Interstate 94 just east of the Badger interchange (interchange between I-94, I-39/90, and Wisconsin Highway 30), and the other just north of it on I-39/90/94. Fifteen interchanges would be evaluated for safety and ability to accommodate current and future traffic demand.

Schave is optimistic that the department understands what the 67-mile corridor needs in order to improve the infrastructure and traffic flow, as well as decrease the risks of accidents and flooding shutdowns.

The corridor includes a long bridge over the Wisconsin River in Columbia County just before I-39 splits from the concurrent highway. That bridge will be replaced by two separate bridges with traffic in both directions. This project is receiving $80 million in federal funding, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

$80M awarded to state to replace interstate bridge The Interstate 39/90/94 bridge that spans the Wisconsin River is set to be replaced by two s

The department will have input from citizens of communities near and along the corridor, businesses, public works departments, law enforcement agencies, municipal and county governments, state government, and tribes.

Anybody that is affected or impacted, both close to the interstate and also those who are impacted away from the interstate but utilize the interstate as a means of business, said Frank Pritzlaff, a WisDOT project manager. Weve got excess of 23% trucks, so thats a large population.

Pritzlaff added that various environmental organizations such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are also heavily involved with project planning.

We are trying to reach out to everybody that we can, he said.

Possible consequences of no project

A main point of the study was to emphasize what could result if the study, which is slated to last through 2024, does not move forward as a project.

WisDOT anticipates that 86 bridge structures would require replacement or significant construction within the next 30 years, as well as 16 possible pavement maintenance/rehabilitation projects.

If you did those individually, you would have a lot more impact with the traveling public and, likely, more costly in the long run, said Schave regarding the potential bridge projects.

Nearly all of the bridges along the corridor will require maintenance or replacement before 2040, according to WisDOT. The many bridge projects, along with the projected concrete work needed with no official project, could cause severe delays, even in rural areas.

Schave said that a full project on the corridor would be more cost-effective. He said that the pavement projects would require the department to seek contracts every year, which he said adds up because of contractors needs to redistribute their equipment each time.

Night construction would mitigate and even eliminate delays in the Madison and Dells areas, but is more costly and dangerous, as well as not possible in some areas along the corridor.

The department made future traffic calculations prior to the public meeting and determined that the entire corridor would have much more congestion by 2050 if no project results from the study.

Study schedule

The study began in May, when the department began collecting data and developing project purpose and need, as well as alternatives for various situations, including no project. The scoping process for a potential project will happen during the upcoming winter.

In 2023, more alternatives will be developed and the department will begin analyzing the studied area with regard to possible environmental impacts of a project. WisDOT will also hold two more public involvement meetings during the year.

More public involvement and a May public hearing are slated for 2024, as well as a completed environmental analysis. The department hopes to have a project in place by the end of 2024.

There will be three total public involvement meetings, including the ones on Sep. 13 and 14.
Isaiah Martinez-Phillips, 21, was in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday, charged for the Aug. 3 shooting death of Romelle Miller, 28, of Racine.

Sitting in the front row, side-by-side, was Miller's brother, Joseph Hamilton, and Isaiahs uncle, Michael Martinez, surrounded by loved ones from both families. The two families have long been close and see themselves as one family. They supported each other through the funeral of Miller, and now through the court hearings for Martinez-Phillips.

This was an accidental shooting ... Isaiah does not deserve to be treated like a criminal, Hamilton told The Journal Times, defending the man accused of killing his brother.
Dale Kortesmaki is a 54-year-old Chippewa Falls resident who lives in a tiny house behind Landmark Christian Church. The church hosts a couple of tiny houses for the housing insecure.

I am a resident of a tiny house. I was released from prison a little over a year ago now, he said. Basically, they put me out in a hotel for 30 days, and Im from the area and my paper is from the area and theres no home or no shelters.

Kortesmaki met Mike Cohoon last year. Cohoon helps oversee Hope Village tiny houses community.

Mike helped me get into a tiny house program which has been a very big blessing. Ive also worked the program. I had four things I personally wanted to work at to change my life mentally, physically, spiritually and financially. Thats as basic as I could get it and keep it so I wouldnt go down rabbit holes, he said. So if I keep it that way, thats everything that the whole village program pushes towards and helps you obtain.

Kortesmaki said hed decided to get his life back on track after serving time in prison. He knew he had a long road ahead of him  trying to find employment, stability and staying sober were some terrifying goals at the time, he said.

Before going to jail hed run a successful trim carpentry construction company for 16 years. But he drank, he said. And when he drank he became a different person. When and his ex-wife divorced, he said he went through a very difficult time.

I was very lost and broken, he said. I just needed someone to believe in me and give me a chance.

Kortesmaki said he believes the Lord brought him to Hope Village.

I have a lot of violence in my record. When I drink I become a totally different person. So looking at that, its hard to, you know, thats how people look at you, he said.

I have a record so that people would not rent to me basically. So its been a challenge.

He said hes been trying to make better choices and to not repeat past mistakes.

When I met Mike Cohoon, he took the time to hear my short story and direct me to the right resources that I needed to get my life back together. I had to have an interview with Mike to explain that that aint me, you know? That is me in some rough times, and Ive been through them. I did do this, he said. However, Im ready to make a change in my life. And I needed someone to trust me and believe in me. And Michael was there and he heard me speaking from my heart.

Kortesmaki said living at the Hope Village Tiny Houses has been great, providing him with a sense of security and stability.

It has taught me self-worth and accountability, he said.

I used to think homelessness, poverty and food insecurity happened to people who just made bad decisions or didnt want to put in the work, but its not true at all. These issues can happen to anyone and at any time. They are people who just need help for one reason or another. It shouldnt matter why or how they ended up in their situation.

Kortesmaki said he hopes to continue to be a good person. For him that means serving others, volunteering and sharing his story.

This is an achievement, an accomplishment, and hes given me that chance. The last thing I want to do is disappoint him or let him down. And I want to be able to be an inspiration to others that are out there and that are in this scenario, he said.

Hope Village provided Kortesmaki with the tools, support, information, guidance and love that he needed to be successful, he said.

Ive been able to get a good paying job. I like that I can also pay my bills and help me save (money). There are so many things that have improved in my life with the help of Hope Village. Im learning to live life fully and work through daily challenges as they arise, he said.

Kortesmaki said he doesnt want to mislead people. The tiny houses program is work. Theres a lot of personal responsibility and initiative attached to living there.

I make it sound easy because I want it really bad. But there is structure behind all the village work. Theres help. Theres guidance. Theres a program that you need to do and follow, he said. Its not easy all the time, but its just like you got to work at AA or NA. Its just as life saving. He said.

Kortesmaki is working to transfer out of state to live closer to his daughter. He plans to move out of the tiny house as soon as he has all his papers in order to leave the state legally.

I will be forever grateful for Hope Village. I needed someone to believe in me when I didnt even believe in myself, and Hope Village was that beacon of light.
I wish I didnt feel obligated to write about the subject of this column, but every time I turn on my TV, Im bombarded by lies and misrepresentations. The lies are constantly spewed in the campaign ads for Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, whos running against Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes to keep his seat in Congress, and Tim Michels whos running to replace Gov. Tony Evers. Those ads are some of the most dishonest Ive ever seen, yet these candidates willfully spew and approve them.

Im convinced they believe their supporters are too ignorant to know how to fact check and distinguish truth from lies. Do they think none of them have the internet and are unable to find the truth, or do they think their supporters are too lazy to do that and would rather be spoon-fed lies? Beats me.

Both Johnson and Michels are claiming their opponents, Barnes and Evers, are in favor of defunding the police. They must think their supporters dont know how to enter Gov. Evers and funding for law enforcement in the internet search bar. Or else they really hope they dont. Because if they do that and click enter, a long list of credible references pop up that all show Evers has approved at least $100 million in additional funding for Wisconsin law enforcement. But Johnson and Michels arent the only ones lying about this.

On July 29, Maddie Anderson, a spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association, issued a statement that said, Wisconsin families are desperate for a leader whose top priority is keeping their communities safe. Instead, Governor Tony Evers gave counties the green light to defund Wisconsins police departments. Yep. The big shot Republicans in the state think their fellow Republicans are stupid, too.

The Republican National Senatorial Committee and the Republican candidates here in Wisconsin are also claiming Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes wants to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency because Barnes was photographed holding a t-shirt that said, Abolish ICE. They dont mention that he was just handed the shirt at an event where many protested the Donald Trump policy of separating children from their immigrant parents when they reached the border. Barnes has never claimed he wants to defund ICE, and has repeatedly denied it, but the Republicans wont admit that. On Aug. 29, PolitiFact deemed the accusation mostly false, and backed up that conclusion with actual facts.

Michels is also claiming that Gov. Evers has a job-killing agenda. Uh, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workplace Development, Wisconsins unemployment rate in April was 2.8 percent, tying the record low set in March and 0.8 percentage points below the 3.6% national unemployment rate for April. And for July, the last month listed, it was at 3%.

Everywhere you go there are help wanted signs, but I imagine Michels hopes his supporters ignore them as well as the actual numbers of employed Wisconsinites. Again, he must believe those supporters are so dim-witted that they believe his claim that Evers has a job-killing agenda.

Then theres his accusation that Evers doesnt care about education. That one actually made me choke. Until Evers was elected governor, his entire adult life was spent in education: as a teacher, principal, district superintendent, and deputy superintendent of the state Department of Public Instruction. Then, in 2009, he was elected to be the superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction, a position for which he was elected two more times. Wikipedia has a long list of his lifetime educational achievements. Meanwhile, I wonder when Michels last entered a public-school classroom.

At least Sen. Johnson admits theres a worker shortage. Its been widely reported that, to solve the problem, hes proposed that seniors get out of retirement and go back to work. Thats in addition to his vote in 2013, for a budget proposal that included raising the age to receive Social Security from 65 to 70. Just because hes rich and doesnt need Social Security, he apparently feels other seniors dont, either and that theyre all able to work full-time until theyre 70. Talk about being out of touch.

And speaking of being out of touch, Republican lawmakers and conservative Supreme Court justices here in Wisconsin saw nothing wrong with a law that said nobody could have help marking or returning their ballot. That would include people like my sister who had cerebral palsy and, though she was very intelligent, couldnt mark a ballot let alone return one by herself. Thankfully, a federal judge recently ruled that disabled Wisconsin voters can receive assistance this November  no thanks to Republican lawmakers or the biased, Republican-friendly justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Remember all this when you vote.
Worlds leading thinkers debate inequality

"We can improve the quality of life if we focus on what works  education, strong institutions, robust legal, social and fiscal systems." - Piketty

Arguably the worlds most prominent economist on inequality, Professor Thomas Piketty, opened the Wits School of Economics and Finances (SEFs) virtual centenary event, presenting critical ideas for understanding the complexity of global inequality, and solutions for meaningful and lasting economic and social change.

Noting that the theme of Wits 100th birthday is inequality, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Climate, Sustainability and Inequality, Professor Imraan Valodia welcomed Piketty as the keynote speaker, particularly because Piketty has likely done more to reveal the nature of inequality than any other person.

The French-born Pikettys latest book, A Brief History of Equality, presents a short, sweeping and optimistic history of human progress toward equality. The book dives deeply into capitalism, colonialism, slavery, and the welfare state and their implications for inequality. But the seemingly intractable nature of inequality, notably in countries like South Africa, is not (as history has shown) insurmountable. We can improve the quality of life for billions of people if we focus on what works  education, strong institutions, robust legal, social and fiscal systems  to make global equality a reality, said Piketty.

Piketty advises against further nationalism and tribalism in the face of one of humanitys greatest challenges, and suggests reparations (of rich countries to previous colonies), progressive taxation, and greater distribution of wealth. In his book, he focuses on participatory socialism, which requires power sharing and greater voting rights held by employees.

Piketty also supports the potential for a progressive wealth tax and a universal basic income grant in South Africa. However, he notes that the push for redistribution of income (via income taxes and grants) has received more attention than the redistribution of wealth (inheritance and assets), which is a major source of inequality. Options to address wealth inequality include land reform and a minimum inheritance for all people at age 25 financed by a progressive wealth and inheritance tax. This would allow young people to avoid accumulating overwhelming debt and to and improve bargaining power for workers.

The richest 10% own 60-80% of the worlds wealth and the bottom poor own less than 5%. This could change with the inclusion of a universal basic income, he noted.

Piketty further argued that a reduction in emissions will have to come with a reduction in economic inequality. We cannot expect the poorest 50% who contribute a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the richest 10% to pay the price of decarbonisation. He suggested a progressive carbon tax as a policy tool to tackle this issue.

Acknowledging the international scale of inequality, Piketty proposes a transformation of the international tax system such that a minimum tax is levied upon multinational corporations in tax havens; this money is then redistributed to countries in the global South. Piketty argued that every country in the world should receive a share of tax revenues coming from the most prosperous and powerful economic actors in the world, including multinational corporations and global billionaires, in proportion to the population of each country.

We must remember that were in this together. All people should have the ability to feel in control and have agency over their lives, he said.

Trade as an instrument for inclusion

A panel discussion followed Pikettys presentation. The illustrious panel, selected to mark the SEFs centenary event 100 Years of Economics, comprised Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Trudi Makhaya, economic advisor to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Dr Kenneth Creamer in the SEF, Professor Liberty Mncube in the SEF, and Professor Dorrit Posel in the SEF.

Okonjo-Iweala, who is the first woman, and first African to lead the World Trade Organisation, explained that trade should be an instrument of inclusion, and a powerful way of changing Africas fortune would be to double its share of global trade. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement, for instance, would create a powerhouse continental market for goods and services, boosting investment and innovation.

Professor Posel noted that currently, Africa contributes only a tiny share (about 3%) to global trade. In addition, the continents exports mainly raw materials which are then manufactured elsewhere. An example is the exporting of raw shea butter from Africa, with value then added off the continent. This has been an ongoing concern and further concentrates wealth in developed economies.

Rebuilding trust in South Africas public and private institutions

All panellists agreed that there is a trust deficit in South Africa in large part owing to systemic corruption and state capture. We have lost so much to corruption, said Okonjo-Iweala, and so we have to go back to the drawing board about how to fight it.

She noted the importance of institutional transparency, particularly in procurement processes.

Importantly, we need two things: technology and prosecution. This is what defeats corruption. We need to have strong legal systems to prosecute individuals and entities, and robust technology to strengthen our systems overall, she said.

Makhaya said that trust can be achieved incrementally, and that the private sector has a responsibility to acknowledge its culpability.

Looking forward, Makhaya spoke about the importance of boosting small businesses in South Africa, while Professor Mncube noted that anti-competitive market behaviour undermines growth and investment. In South Africa, investment to boost trade, employment and, growth are at an historic low, said Creamer. The government must therefore double its investment. So should the private sector, he said.
CALS Quarterly Issue 18

Read the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter and catch up on our recent highlights expanding the agency of communities to hold the powerful to account

One of the key pillars that informs all our work at CALS is expanding the agency of marginalised actors. We believe strongly that it is not enough for civil society organisations to try to ensure those in power uphold human rights, but that part of our mission is to support the very people experiencing violations first hand to hold the state and private sector to account. In trying to achieve a truly just and equal society, these people must be at the centre of efforts to exercise their own rights.



Over the last few months, we have been very pleased to see many of our community clients and partners doing just that. Representatives from five villages in the Sekhukhune area recently welcomed Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Petitions for a site inspection of their water sources, following a successful petition and hearing in Parliament. Likewise, last month saw representatives from the Seraleng community handing over a petition to Anglo American calling on them to fulfil their promises to deliver proper housing to former mine workers.



The teams at CALS are continuing to run community capacitation workshops around the country from Kgomo-Kgomo to Magojaneng, unpacking the laws on everything from housing and evictions to traditional leadership to social and labour plans. In October, we also plan host the launch of an updated mining community toolkit. Our aim, as always, is to ensure communities themselves are able to have a better understanding of the laws and processes available to them to engage with and hold the state and private sector accountable.



Finally, we have a number of milestones to celebrate. CALS is pleased to welcome two new outstanding in-house counsel to our team: Jatheen Bhima and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane. We are also very proud of our own Thandeka Kathi, named one of this years Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. Busisiwe Kamolane-Kgadima and Thuli Zulu graduated recently with Masters of Laws degrees from Wits University and the University of Pretoria respectively.



Click the image below to read more about our recent highlights.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. During the meeting with representatives of foreign embassies accredited in Armenia in Jermuk town, the Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Edward Asryan presented in which directions the Azerbaijani forces advanced into Armenias sovereign territory during the latest attack.

The depth of infiltration of the adversary in the direction of Jermuk, as well as the front is 8-8.5km, the successes of the adversarys units in other five directions cannot be compared with the depth of their infiltration in the direction of Jermuk. In the direction of Nerkin Hand and Shorzha, the adversary advanced 1-1.5km, and in the direction of Ishkhanasar  0.5km. In other sections the adversary was pushed back, he said.
WATERLOO  A documentary about the journeys of American war resisters fleeing to Canada to avoid U.S.-led conflict in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan will get its first non-festival screening in Waterloo and Toronto later this month.

Safe Haven is an 80-minute documentary by U.S.-based filmmaker Lisa Molomot and Alison Mountz, a Laurier professor in Geography as well as Laurier Research Chair in Global Migration. They have teamed up with alumnus Shiva Mohan (PhD, 21) to present the film at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the CIGI Auditorium in Waterloo, and at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Revue Cinema in Toronto. Both screenings will be followed by Q&As with the film collaborators and some of the films subjects.

The war resisters represent two generations of Americans who headed north to Canada to flee war.

So many people were offered safe haven in Canada during the war in Vietnam, but most of the resisters who came more recently were turned down, said Mountz. The film follows the different experiences of people who migrated and also the social movements that arose in Canada and across the border to support their resistance to war.

In 2020, Mountz and Molomot began showing Safe Haven at film festivals across North America, but their promotional plans were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Safe Haven has been picked up by New Day Films, a distribution collective founded by women filmmakers. The film will be available through New Day and the video-on-demand platform Kanopy, and will continue to show at festivals across the U.S.

Leah Main, who fled north with her husband so he could avoid being sent to war in Vietnam, arrived in Canada in 1967. She said the reasons they came centred around safety and integrity.

Safety for my draft-eligible husband whose conscientious objector application had been denied. Safety for myself as I was actively helping men to resist or refuse the draft. Safety for any male children I might ever have. Integrity in not participating in a vile war; integrity in sensing a direction the country was heading that I could not support. I have never, for even a moment, regretted the move, said Main.

Dean Walcott, a war resister who did two tours in Iraq as a U.S. Marine before fleeing to Canada, said he hopes the documentary can serve as a warning to our elected leaders.

When you declare war on some place, or on some people, you had better make sure you know what you're sending your sons and daughters into, said Walcott.

As war continues around the globe, the question of what roles governments will play in relation to these wars is crucial, said Mountz. Will they participate? Will they provide safe haven? Our film shows that these roles change historically and can never be taken for granted, making this a timely resource and platform for dialogue.

The screenings and Q&As were funded by a workshop grant from the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Tickets for the Toronto event can be purchased online.

Register for the free Waterloo event online.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has called on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take immediate action to stop all military assistance to Azerbaijan, which invaded Armenia this week and continues to ethnically cleanse indigenous Armenians from their Artsakh homeland, ANCA reports.

In a strongly worded letter sent on the eve of Speaker Pelosis visit to Armenia, ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian explained, a halt to U.S. aid to Azerbaijan would also meaningfully challenge our State Departments deeply flawed policy of answering every act of Azerbaijani aggression with generic calls upon all parties to refrain from violence. This failed policy of false parity is as destructive as it is dangerous, emboldening the aggressor and abandoning their victims. Hamparian continued, even more broadly, cutting off aid to Azerbaijan, in addition to protecting Armenians and promoting peace, would reinforce Americas commitment to centering human rights as a core tenet of our foreign policy.

Speaking for the Armenian community and coalition partners, Hamparian urged the Speaker to take concrete legislative action to secure enactment of stand-alone legislation, provisions in the FY23 State-Foreign Operations bill, the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act, or other legislative measures, repealing the Presidents authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, and/or statutorily prohibiting any funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the U.S. Congress to be provided to or for the Government of Azerbaijan for U.S. military or security programs.

The full text of the letter is available here.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday afternoon at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Azerbaijan. China supports Azerbaijan's development path independently chosen by its people. The two sides need to view and plan for bilateral relations from a strategic height, increase strategic mutual trust, strengthen mutual support, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and work for steady, in-depth and practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Xi stressed that at the moment the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes. The more complex the situation is, the greater the need for the international community to strengthen solidarity and coordination. China welcomes Azerbaijan to join China in implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). The two sides need to expand trade, improve the trade mix, increase the number of China-Europe Express freight train services, and ensure unimpeded international supply chains.

Xi expressed confidence that the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Azerbaijan enjoys broad prospects. The two sides need to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepen the friendship between the two peoples. China supports Azerbaijan in conducting cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), to work together for security, stability, development and prosperity in the region.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and China are true strategic partners, that the two sides maintain close communication in international affairs, and that bilateral cooperation is advancing steadily. Azerbaijan thanks China for providing COVID-19 vaccines, which fully demonstrates the spirit of solidarity that China has always advocated. Azerbaijan will take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation in various fields.

He said that Azerbaijan adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, firmly opposes any actions that interfere in China's internal affairs or split China, and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests. The Azerbaijani side supports the GSI and GDI proposed by the Chinese side, and will actively engage in Belt and Road cooperation with the Chinese side.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

(Source: Xinhua)
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday afternoon met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

The two presidents decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi underscored that since China and Belarus established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, the relations between the two countries have been continuously strengthened and upgraded, with solid progress in all-round cooperation.

The upgrading of China-Belarus relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership is a historic leap in bilateral relations, Xi said.

China is ready to work with Belarus to increase mutual political support, unleash the potential of cooperation in various fields, promote greater progress in China-Belarus relations and deliver more benefits to the two peoples, he added.

Xi stressed that China highly commends the firm support Belarus has always given China on issues concerning China's core interests. China firmly supports Belarus in taking a development path suited to its national conditions and opposes external forces' interference in Belarus' domestic affairs under any pretext.

China is ready to work with Belarus to promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, and safeguard international fairness and justice, Xi said.

China will maintain close exchanges with Belarus, carry out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation in investment, economy and trade and other fields, and develop a green, smart, eco-friendly and digitally advanced China-Belarus Industrial Park, he said.

The two sides need to continue to make the year of China-Belarus local cooperation a success and carry out joint training of university talents. China will continue to provide support and assistance to Belarus in its COVID-19 response, he said.

Lukashenko said for many countries including Belarus, China is a highly reliable partner. The upgrade of Belarus-China relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership is fully aligned with the strong growth and potential needs of bilateral relations.

Belarus is unswervingly committed to deepening relations with China. Belarus firmly supports China's development and growth of strength, China's national reunification and China's position on core issues such as Taiwan-related issues, Lukashenko said.

Belarus will always stand shoulder to shoulder with China and be its most reliable friend. The Belarusian side is ready to learn more from China's successful development experience, and strengthen bilateral practical cooperation across the board, he said.

Belarus supports a series of important initiatives put forward by China, and hopes to closely cooperate with China within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Lukashenko wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success.

After the meeting, the two sides issued the joint statement on establishing all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Belarus and signed cooperation documents in such areas as science and technology, judiciary, agriculture and e-commerce.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

(Source: Xinhua)
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday.

The two heads of state said that bearing in mind the long-term development of China-Uzbekistan relations and the future welfare of their people, the two countries will expand mutually beneficial cooperation, cement their friendship and partnership, and implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level.

The meeting took place at the newly built International Conference Center, which was ingeniously designed and magnificent, on a refreshing autumn day as the sun shone brightly on Samarkand.

At 9:45 a.m. local time, Xi arrived in a motorcade at the center where he was warmly received by Mirziyoyev as he exited the car. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi walked to the square outside the north entrance through the central hall featuring both traditional Uzbek patterns and modern design.

Mirziyoyev held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi. The two heads of state stood on the podium as the military band played the national anthems of China and Uzbekistan. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi inspected the honor guard. They introduced to each other their accompanying officials and watched the parade of the honor guard together.

Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks.

Xi pointed out that over the past 30 years of their diplomatic relations, China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits.

The two countries have kept deepening their strategic mutual trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, fully promoted their lasting friendship and elevated China-Uzbekistan relations to the new height of a comprehensive strategic partnership, creating strong impetus for their common development and prosperity, Xi said.

As a good friend, a good partner and a good brother, China firmly supports Uzbekistan in following a development path compatible with its national conditions, supports its efforts to uphold national independence, sovereignty, security and social stability, and opposes interference by any forces in its internal affairs, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and jointly usher in a better future, he said.

Xi emphasized that China and Uzbekistan should firmly support each other on issues concerning national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and other core interests, move faster to synergize their development strategies and promote common development.

The two sides need to accelerate the bilateral cooperation and make it even more fruitful, Xi said, adding that it is important to scale up cooperation on trade and investment, and step up collaboration on digital economy and green development.

Uzbekistan is welcome to take an active part in the China International Import Expo to share in more of the development opportunities brought by China's massive market, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to improve the Eurasian transcontinental transport corridors and make an early start in constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, he said.

The two sides need to expand energy cooperation, jointly ensure the safe operation of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline and extend cooperation to new energy, with a view to fostering a new pattern of all-dimensional energy cooperation, Xi said.

The two sides need to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in areas including education, culture, tourism, sub-national exchanges, environmental protection and archaeology, he said, adding that China supports and will actively take part in Uzbekistan's initiative of "year of culture and art between the people of Central Asian countries and China."

The two sides also need to work together to speed up the establishment of culture centers in each other's country and the building of a Luban Workshop, and communicate the facts of the China-Uzbekistan friendship in the new era, so as to lay a solid public and societal foundation for the sustained and sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations, Xi said.

Young people from Uzbekistan are welcome to study Chinese in China, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to carry out healthcare, vaccine and pharmaceutical cooperation with Uzbekistan, and support the building of vaccine production centers in Uzbekistan.

The two sides need to enhance cooperation on poverty alleviation, and inspire and support each other in promoting growth and improving livelihoods, he said.

Noting that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each other's security and stability, Xi said that China is ready to work more closely with Uzbekistan to firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, firmly safeguard domestic stability and firmly defend the security interests of the region.

China appreciates Uzbekistan's important contributions to the success of the SCO Samarkand Summit and is ready to work with Uzbekistan to promote the steady and sustained development of the SCO, Xi said.

Xi said that China will work with Uzbekistan and other regional countries to strengthen the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism and open up broader space for the cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

China will also work with Uzbekistan to actively implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), uphold the common interests of developing countries and contribute to building a more just and equitable international governance system, he said.

For his part, Mirziyoyev noted that under the wise leadership of President Xi, China has made remarkable achievements in its development, and the friendly people of China are making firm strides toward realizing the Chinese Dream.

He wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a full success.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, Mirziyoyev pointed out that Xi's historic state visit to Uzbekistan will certainly consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, chart the course for future cooperation, and elevate the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height featuring new vitality and new prospect.

China is a reliable friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan-China relations fully embody the principle of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan appreciates China's valuable support for its national development and fight against COVID-19.

Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on matters concerning its core interests including those related to Taiwan and Xinjiang, and will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner worthy of China's trust, he said.

Uzbekistan would like to learn from China's poverty alleviation experience, continue participating actively in the Belt and Road cooperation, advance the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, and enhance cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, investment, natural gas, new energy, agricultural infrastructure, culture, sub-national ties and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan fully supports the GDI and the GSI proposed by China, and appreciates China's strong support for Uzbekistan's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He also expressed readiness to work more closely with China within the SCO, C+C5, and "BRICS Plus" mechanisms, to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and to jointly safeguard regional security and stability.

Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Relevant departments of the two governments signed multiple cooperation documents covering agriculture, digital economy, green development, culture, sub-national cooperation and media.

During the visit, Chinese, Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

After the official talks, Mirziyoyev held a banquet for Xi, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on matters of shared interest.

Following the banquet, Mirziyoyev invited Xi to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center. Together, the two heads of state earthed up and watered the seedling. A symbol of longevity, the oak tree signifies that China-Uzbekistan friendship will thrive and endure.

Xi pointed out that although this may not be a long visit, he had productive discussions with Mirziyoyev and achieved fruitful outcomes.

The world faces many new risks and challenges that require their collective response, Xi said, expressing his readiness to stay in communication with Mirziyoyev to promote sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations.

Describing President Xi as his respected elder brother, Mirziyoyev said he always benefits from their meetings. He noted the fruitful outcomes of this historic visit which will point the way for Uzbekistan-China relations and expressed his expectation to maintain close exchanges with Xi.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the relevant events.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. [Xinhua/Ding Haitao]

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand welcome ceremony held by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in a motorcade at the International Conference Center where he was warmly received by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he exits the car in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

(Source: Xinhua)
Thomas W. Pauken II

Photo taken of the White House and stop sign in Washington, D.C., United States, August 4, 2022. /Xinhua

Editor's note: Thomas W. Pauken II is the author of "U.S. vs China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal," a consultant on Asia-Pacific affairs and a geopolitical commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On Tuesday, China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) issued a groundbreaking report that disclosed more details about the prior alleged cyber attacks conducted by the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Chinese targets, including Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, which is "a research-focused institution with disciplines in aeronautics and marine technology engineering" and affiliated with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), according to media reports.

The NSA-led cyber attacks appear to have been ongoing for over 10 years while 45 nations and regions around the world were targeted in the cyber espionage surveillance campaigns. U.S.-friendly countries should also be alarmed. As reported by Xinhua, the NSA's TAO (Tailored Access Operations) hacker's unit had targeted 32 systems in Japan, 30 in South Korea, 16 in Germany while Sweden, Poland and Ukraine were also hit hard.

The world is learning with grave concerns how Washington has developed extensive IT (information technology) cyber espionage networks to track and attempt to sabotage China's IT infrastructure, as well as targeting its allied nations.

Nonetheless, such efforts will not only fail but fan more fears that the U.S. can't be a trusted member of the global cyber community. And what's more disconcerting is that Washington no longer cares about protecting its reputation as a proper role model for so-called rules-based governance.

Logo of National Security Agency (NSA) hangs at Threat Operations Center inside the NSA in Washington suburb, Fort Meade, Maryland, United States, January 25, 2006. /CFP

Knowing the details

The NSA is believed to have stolen about 140 gigabytes of vital data from Northwestern Polytechnical University, while using "41 types of cyber weapons" to infect computers and mobile devices with malware, including Trojans, Bvp47, SuctionChar among others. Allegedly, more than 10,000 cyber attacks were connected to it.

Apparently, SuctionChar is very insidious since the malware can steal accounts and passwords by utilizing remote management to embark on file transfers on targeted servers, according to the CVERC report that was released in collaboration with the Chinese cyber security vendor, Beijing Qi an Pangu Laboratory Technology.

"Suctionchar can run stealthily on target servers, monitor in real-time users' input on the terminal program of the operating system console, and intercept all kinds of user names and passwords," according to the report, which also revealed that these credentials were used to breach other servers and network devices.

The Suctionchar serves as a crucial backdoor tool developed by the Equation Group, which reportedly was linked to TAO. The NSA's cyber espionage activities should set off alarm bells. Washington has hired teams of hackers and they are pushing forward on unprecedented cyber attacks that could literally destroy major IT infrastructure networks across the globe.

Should the NSA's TAO expand its activities, no country will be safe. This is one of the reasons why Beijing is publicly condemning it. China's Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said at an earlier press conference:

"Security of the cyberspace is a common issue facing all countries in the world. As the country that possesses the most powerful cyber technologies and capabilities, the U.S. should immediately stop using its prowess as an advantage to conduct theft and attacks against other countries, [and] responsibly participate in global cyberspace governance and play a constructive role in defending cybersecurity."

Washington Post's weird rebuttal

So far, the Biden administration has failed to respond to China's accusations, while not publicly denying such claims either. Washington has not shown any shame or made attempts to cover up as well.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post, a newspaper that is largely supportive of the U.S. foreign policy agenda that favors 'American exceptionalism' ambitions, published last Friday an article entitled, "China's complaints about U.S. spying are laughable to many." The author, Tim Starks, wrote with some awkward phrases such as "'No, duh,' China keeps alleging the U.S. is hacking it, confusing cyber analysts."

In case the reader is unfamiliar, the Online Slang Dictionary defines "no duh" as "a sarcastic response used when someone states the obvious."

So, the Washington Post has reaffirmed long-held suspicions about the NSA's worldwide cyber espionage activities and mocking any naive person who thought otherwise. The Washington Post goes on to say, "alleged targets like (last) week's Northwestern Polytechnical University are what most nations would consider 'fair game' for government-to-government espionage."

The Washington Post argues that the NSA's cyber espionage activities are morally justified, claiming that governments hold a sovereign right to spy on each other. Although, the Washington Post is the same newspaper that frequently denounces China over cyber espionage allegations.

The newspaper is acting very hypocritical after the NSA gets exposed as a rampant cyber spy on the world stage. The logic being: the U.S. can commit acts of villainy just because the U.S. is on our team. But this argument conflicts with the U.S. government calling for all nations to comply with a "rules-based world order." One would expect the U.S. to follow the same rules that Washington applies on other nations.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan says the remarks of representatives of several countries made yesterday during the emergency session of the UN Security Council are mostly satisfactory.

During the UN Security Council session representatives of a number of countries talked about the disasters, humanitarian and military consequences happening in the territory of Armenia, as well as the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I can only say that very important messages were made for us, he told Armenpress.

Asked whether the UN Security Council will adopt a resolution based on the results of the discussion, the deputy FM said that this issue is currently being discussed.

On September 13, starting at 00:05, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a major military attack in several directions against Armenia, primarily using artillery and UAVs. 135 Armenian troops were killed and 6 civilians were wounded in the Azerbaijani attack.

On September 14 Armenias Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that ceasefire has been reached thanks to the involvement of the international community.

The situation caused by the Azerbaijani attack on Armenia was discussed on September 14 at the closed meeting of the UN Securtiy Council, initiated by France. On September 15, the UN Security Council held an open discussion, which was convened based on the letter sent by the Permanent Representative of Armenia to UN to the President of the UN Security Council.
Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard, is transferring ownership of the company after nearly 50 years into two entities that will help fight the climate crisis.
Former Royal Harpist to play specially composed piece to mark King Charles visit to Wales

Former Royal Harpist Claire Jones will play a specially composed piece to mark The Kings first visit to Wales on Friday.

Ms Jones will play the piece as Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort make their way through the Senedd to hear a motion of condolence.

The piece, titled Gorymdaith ir Frenin Siarl (A Procession for King Charles) was written by Claires husband, Chris Marshall.

The King and Queen Consort will be greeted by the Senedds Llywydd and the First Minister when they arrive in Cardiff this lunchtime.

Two harps will play to mark the occasion with Cerys Rees and Nia Evans joining Ms Jones.

Award winning harpist Claire Jones said: I very much look forward to performing for King Charles and his family again when they visit Wales.

It was such a privilege to be his Official Harpist for 4 years and during that time I performed over 180 times for the Royal Family including one to one for Her Majesty the Queen and for many state occasions for Her Majesty over the years.

The performance at the Senedd will be a very special moment as I perform my husbands music for His Majesty King Charles.

Composer Chris Marshall said: I am truly honoured to compose this special work for such a momentous occasion, the arrival of King Charles III in Wales.

The music is a stately, sombre procession which represents the ascension of the Monarch to the Throne.

Ms Jonesis a former Official Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales 2007-11. She became a household name for her esteemed performance at the Royal Wedding in 2011 for the new HRH Prince and Princess of Wales.

Claire regularly performs as a soloist with some of the worlds leading orchestras and has topped the classical charts with many of her albums in collaboration with her husband composer Chris Marshall.

The composition is by renowned Welsh composer Chris Marshall, whose work has been performed internationally on TV, radio and by many of the Worlds leading orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and international festivals including the Welsh Proms, Llangollen and in Europe and America.
Llywydd extends warm welcome and sincerest condolences to King

The King has visited Wales for the first time this afternoon, and following a service in Llandaff Cathedral he headed to the Senedd.

The Senedd had assembled to present a Motion of Condolence to the King.

A Motion of Condolence is a public expression of sympathy that takes place after the death of an important figure.

During an extraordinary session of the Senedd on Sunday, September 11th, MSs agreed the following motion of condolence without a vote:

That this Senedd expresses its deep sadness at the death of Her Majesty The Queen and offers its sincere condolences to His Majesty The King and other Members of the Royal Family. We recognise Her Majestys enduring commitment to public service and duty, including her support for many Welsh charities and organisations, and her lifelong association with Wales and its people.

The speech was delivered bilingually with this English interpretation provided by the Senedd, along with the images above and below.

The Llywydd of the Senedd, The Right Hon. Elin Jones MS, said, 

Your Majesties, Senedd Members, Guests. On behalf of the entire Senedd, I would like to extend a warm welcome to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort on your first visit to the Senedd since the Queens sad passing. We extend our warmest condolences to you and your family. We welcome your Majesties to our Senedd today and we offer our sincerest condolences on the sad death of your mother, the Queen. We know that so many of the people we represent have been saddened, even shaken, by her loss and hold you and your family in their hearts and prayers at this time. As we meet here today to offer our motion of condolence, it is poignant for us to think that the Queens final visit to Wales was only 11 months ago at the official opening of our sixth Senedd. The Queen was on fine form that day. Many members shared their anecdotes of that visit when we met to pay tribute to the Queen and discussed our motion of condolence in the Senedd on Sunday. And as she left us, eleven months ago, I hope that Her Majesty carried with her the beaming smile of Ffion Gwyther, the last person she met that day in Wales, the young actor from Furnace Llanelli, who smiled broadly as she handed the Queen a posy. The stories and tributes paid by members to the Queen when we convened on Sunday were warm and witty. As you may imagine, there were many mentions of corgis  her constant, lifelong Welsh companions. Corgi, a Welsh word. Literally small dog. And of course the members here representing Pembrokeshire were particularly keen to champion her preference for the Pembrokeshire corgi. And the member for Ceredigion, me, was silent, and ever so slightly jealous, of the Queens choice of the Pembrokeshire corgi over the Cardiganshire corgi. The Queen was with us for each of the six official openings of this Senedd  and on each occasion, she noted the growth of our powers and the actions that we had taken on behalf of the people of Wales. She respected this Senedd as an expression of the democratic will of the people of Wales. The Queen was with us in 1999 for the opening of our first fledgling Assembly. She has shared our journey of devolution. She partook in each of our 6 openings, commenting each time on the development of our powers and in becoming a national parliament Senedd Cymru. The Queen respected this Parliament because she respected the democratic choices of the people of Wales. She saw us come of age and was interested in our next steps. From Glyndwrs first Senedd of the fifteenth century in Machynlleth to the one in which we are gathered today, our story is old but our democracy is young and ambitious. It is my sincere hope that the modern relationship between this Senedd, this country and the Royal Family will be rooted in respect and sustained by understanding. The story of our land, our nation, is a long one, but the story of our Senedd is new and modern. Our eyes are on the future, and I am confident that our co-operation with you, the King, and with the royal family, will reflect that. And as we remember today the Queens enduring commitment to our parliament, we also look forward to the Kings future association with the Senedd and our work on behalf of the people of Wales. I now invite the First Minister to present the Motion of Condolence to His Majesty the King.

The Motion of Condolences was presented bilingually by the First Minister Mark Drakeford MS, followed by a reply from His Majesty The King in both languages.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Head of the Border Guard Department of the Russian Federal Security Service in Armenia, Lieutenant - General Roman Golubitski briefed Chief of CSTO Joint Staff Anatoly Sidorov on the current situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the CSTO Telegram account said.

The situation in the responsibility zone of the Russian Border Guard Department in Armenia is stable but tense. As of today, of course, the calmest sections are the Armenian-Turkish and the Armenian-Iranian borders, he said, adding that they are seeking to ensure the border security in all directions in cooperation with the Armenian Armed Forces and local authorities.
What to expect during King Charles and Queen Consorts visit to Wales

King Charles III and The Queen Consort will visit Wales today to receive a Motion of Condolence from Members of the Senedd.

The visit is part of a day of Royal engagements in the Capital, which also include a Service of Reflection at Llandaff Cathedral and a reception at Cardiff Castle.

It will culminate a week of royal engagements across the UK, with the King and Queens Consort visiting Scotland and Northern Ireland for similar ceremonies.

Before visiting the castle The King and the Queen Consort will be joined by an invited congregation at a morning service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen at Llandaff Cathedral.

Following the service the party will travel to the Senedd in the afternoon to receive a Motion of Condolence from the First Minister.

Members of the Welsh Youth Parliament and pupils from a local Cardiff primary school will be amongst some of the first people to meet them during the first visit to Wales.

Finally, they will attend a reception at the Cardiff Castle where the King will also hold a private audience with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford MS, and the Llywydd of the Senedd, Rt Hon. Elin Jones MS.

From there Royal Party motorcade will drive along St Mary Street enroute to Cardiff Castle, where it is expected large crowds will gather in advance of their arrival.

It is expected that his visit to Wales capital city will end with The King and The Queen Consort greeting members of the public in the Castle grounds before departing.

Multiple road closures are in place across Cardiff, with huge crowds of people from across Wales expected to visit the capital for a glimpse of the new King and Queen Consort.

There are also temporary airspace restrictions in place in Cardiff for the royal visit.

Restrictions between 6am & 8pm on Friday apply to all aircraft, including drones being used for any purpose.

South Wales Police have warned that breaches of the law could result in prosecution and seizure of equipment.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine said in a statement that despite the situation they continued working normally during the week and continue doing so by maintaining safety precautions. All plants of the company continue working uninterruptedly.

An emergency situation headquarters is functioning in the company.

All internal structures of the ZCMC are ready to take rapid and effective measures in accordance with standard operating procedures, the company said.

On September 13, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a major attack on Armenia from several directions, bombarding both military and civilian infrastructures with rocket-artillery and drone strikes.

Azerbaijan halted its attack in the evening of September 14 after a ceasefire was reached thanks to the involvement of the international community.
Educators at Seattle Public Schools and their supporters are outraged that the strike by Seattle teachers was shut down Tuesday by the Seattle Education Association (SEA) before a tentative agreement (TA) was reached. Teachers were ordered back to school and have been working without a contract since Wednesday.

Seattle teachers on the picket line before the shutdown of the strike. [Photo: WSWS]

We still have not received a full agreement. Everyone is feeling very betrayed, wrote one special education teacher to the WSWS.

The strike was ended by means of an antidemocratic maneuver by the SEA, which declared a TA had been reached late Monday evening and called a vote to end the strike on Tuesday. The vote ran roughshod over an earlier resolution passed by the rank and file to stay on strike until teachers had time to study and then vote on the complete TA. While it passed 57 percent to 43 percent, many teachers have expressed concerns with the legitimacy of the vote, which was done online and entirely controlled by the SEA, with no rank-and-file oversight.

We had a major issue with people having access to the meeting, the teacher continued. I really don't think that all of the members were given an opportunity to vote.

Another SPS teacher expressed concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has been a major concern of teachers, but is not addressed at all in any of the summaries of the contract provided by the SEA. I am deeply concerned about COVID-19 in the fall. Many educators got sick and were unable to work, and many students had cases as well.

As someone teaching in a diverse south Seattle community, I am deeply concerned for the many grandparents and older relatives living in multi-generational immigrant households, as well as the long-term health of my students and their families  Our new contract does not offer any COVID sick leave protection (one of the few bare minimum accommodations by the district during last year). The implicit messaging from the district is that educators are all expected to get COVID eventually and that we should suck it up and do it for our students, because they know that many educators are willing to make that sacrifice and we are disposable to them.

He also commented on the ongoing struggle by 100,000 railroad workers, who are outraged at the attempts by the unions to sabotage their struggle in collusion with the rail corporations and the Biden administration. I can express nothing but support for the rail workers, who are the backbone of our economy and make our society function. Labor, from workers, is what sustains life and societynot bosses and capital.

Even if our leadership does not always represent us, our collective labor has power and we amplify that when we support each other in the struggle. I hope that the railroad workers stand strong, and know that many teachers of the Seattle Public School district support their struggle.

The need to unite the struggles of all sections of the working class was further underscored by the sellout of a strike by 110 teachers at the Eatonville School District, just south of Tacoma, by the Eatonville Education Association. As with the recent strike by teachers in nearby Kent, the unions are determined to isolate the struggles of teachers district by district so as to not challenge the Democratic Party apparatus that dominates Washington state.

Teachers also spoke on the broader issues they are facing. They went on strike September 7 demanding better staffing ratios, especially for special education and multilingual students, as well as for better pay, in particular for paraeducators and support staff, who make less than $20 an hour. Teachers report having to drive from Tacoma, about an hour away, because they cannot afford to live in the district in which they teach.

We must consider what it means to adequately serve students, another teacher commented, a theme expressed again and again during the strike. English language learners and students with special needs need consistency and the district does nothing to retain these teachers. There is a massive turnover rate. The support staff is so important. Its the heart and soul of the school. They cant afford to live in Seattle.

I couldnt tell you how many unfilled positions we had last year. Its incredibly stressful. The students are the ones who suffer. These proposals by the district are a slap in students faces. How do you explain to students why teachers are leaving? Students become close to teachers and changes in staffing are terrible for students mental health.

Another special education access teacher we spoke with said she understood that there is a rainy-day fund that SPS has accumulated during the pandemic. Well, its raining! she said, There definitely is a broader issue of needing more money for public education, but also spending the money that we already have more appropriately. Like on the actual people working in the schools instead of people higher up in the district who dont have day-to-day interactions with the students. We should be funding the people who have the biggest impact on students.

There has also been a great deal of support for the teachers from the broader working class. On social media, one local Seattle resident commented about Tuesdays vote, 57 [percent] is not a strong show of support, and honestly makes me concerned for the mental health of teachers. A parent wrote, I support continuing the strike until everyone has a chance to read the full agreement and vote on it. I don't trust SPS at ALL and the best lever you've got right now is to NOT suspend the strike.

A supporter of Seattle teachers in their strike and fellow educator told the WSWS, It makes no sense to give up a bargaining position when you dont know exactly what youll be signing up for. A summary wont be good enough. SEA must allow ample time for all members to read and understand the full proposed agreement. Vote NO!
The two men found guilty last month in a Grand Rapids federal courtroom of plotting to kidnap and kill the Governor of Michigan filed a motion on September 6 seeking a new trial.

Attorneys for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were convicted on August 23 in their second jury trial on kidnapping charges, filed a request for a hearing to examine allegations of misconduct by a juror as well as judicial bias by US District Court Judge Robert Jonker.

In their motion for a Remmer hearinga special court proceeding to determine if credible evidence exists that a juror was prejudiced against the defendantsattorneys Christopher Gibbons representing Fox and Joshua Blanchard representing Croft said the juror was eager to be on the jury and had decided to convict before any evidence was presented at trial.

Among the accusations made in the motion, which was unsealed on September 8, are statements from co-workers who had heard that the juror said they had it out for the defendants and planned to hang them if picked to sit on the jury. The name and gender of the juror has not been disclosed.

The unsealed filing reveals that, on the day Fox and Croft were found guilty, defense lawyers dispatched a private investigator, Gary Gaudard, to the workplace of the juror to question co-workers about what had been said and by whom. Although the individual who originally claimed to have heard the juror express bias toward the defendants has gone silent, other co-workers spoke to the investigator about what they heard second-hand.

After a four-week trial and less than two days of deliberations, the Grand Rapids jury found the two men guilty on conspiracy to kidnap and weapons of mass destruction charges. Fox, 39, from Wyoming, Michigan, and Croft, 46, from Bear, Delaware, are facing sentences of life in prison.

The trial of Fox and Croft, their second following an earlier one which ended in a hung jury, included testimony from multiple FBI informants and two others, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who had pleaded guilty to participating in the kidnapping plot in the first trial.

The group of right-wing plotters, which also included Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris who were acquitted in the first trial, had met numerous times in the summer and fall of 2020 to train and organize the kidnapping of the governor. These preparations included plans for multiple scenarios to take the governor hostage, put her on trial and execute her or take her out into the middle of Lake Michigan in a boat and leave her there to die, or have her transported by helicopter to the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

While the defense maintained that Fox and Croft were hapless, pot-smoking losers who had been manipulated and entrapped by FBI agents, the jury agreed with prosecutors that the two men and the others were motivated by hatred of Governor Whitmer and sought to make an example of her. The defense said the men were big talkers who would never have gone through with their schemes; the evidence showed the kidnappers were motivated by violent opposition to the limited stay-at-home orders imposed by the Michigan government during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although Judge Jonker explicitly prohibited the presentation of evidence during the trial regarding the open encouragement of fascist violence in Michigan and elsewhere in the US by the Republican Party in 2020, the testimony revealed that the defendantswho were members and supporters of the right-wing militia group Wolverine Watchmenwanted to spark chaos and a civil war in the US that would ensure Donald Trump remained in office as president prior to the November 2020 elections.

Issues concerning the jury emerged early in the August trial when the defense lawyers received a tip from a co-worker that the juror in question had been telling people at work that they hoped to be selected for the second Whitmer kidnapping trial and intended to ensure a conviction. That evening, the lawyers informed the judge of the report and requested to interview the juror. Judge Jonker refused and instead met with the juror privately in his chambers, along with two staffers.

During the interview, the juror denied telling co-workers that Fox and Croft were guilty, and Judge Jonker accepted that the juror was not biased and the trial would proceed. In permitting the juror to remain in the trial, the judge explained that the tipster refused to identify the person who had said they heard the alleged statements from the juror first-hand.

The motion filed by attorneys for Fox and Croft included new claims by co-workers that the juror was far-left leaning, said the defendants were guilty no matter what and had texted a family member during jury deliberations that a verdict had been reached but had not been announced yet.

The private investigator is quoted in the motion stating that the tipster has a fear of negative employment consequences if he continued to talk about the kidnapping trial verdict. The tipster also said, if he is compelled to talk about [the juror], he will now say that he does not know anything, according to the investigator.

Attorneys Gibbons and Blanchard maintain that if Judge Jonker had granted a Remmer hearing during the trial, the tipster would have been willing to speak or could have been compelled to divulge more information. The legal basis of the juror misconduct allegation is that the defendants Sixth Amendment rights were violated, the motion says, which guarantees a trial by an impartial jury.

The Remmer hearing request concludes with the claim that the defendants were denied the ability to prove juror bias, stating, The Court has placed the defendants in a classic Catch-22. The Court denied the defendants an opportunity to participate in the questioning of the juror and has ordered that the defendants may not contact the jurors following the verdict.

The defense lawyers also argue that a new trial for Fox and Croft is warranted, based on the misconduct of and the appearance of judicial bias which impacted the proceedings. Time limits were placed on cross-examination of government witnesses, the judge belittled, interrupted and criticized the defense in front of the jury and referred to defense arguments as crap while the jury was on a break, the motion states.

Fox and Croft are scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Two thousand Kaiser Permanente mental health employees in Northern California have been striking for five weeks against inhumane working conditions and severe understaffing, which limits their patients' access to mental health care.



Mental health workers have shown their determination to fight these intolerable conditions, but without strike pay, workers are growing increasingly concerned about how they can continue to make ends meet in one of the most expensive areas of the country.

Striking Kaiser mental health workers in Northern California, August 17, 2022. [Photo: WSWS]

This is the third strike by Kaiser mental health workers since 2015. One former Kaiser therapist told WSWS reporters last week, Were having a heat waveimagine spending your day marching around picketing and chanting in 100+ degree weather without any idea when youll be financially secure again. Yes, Kaiser is one of the better paying places, but it comes at a massive cost. I would have to budget my annual income minus a few thousand dollars here or there for inevitable strikes.

Rather than support workers with strike benefits, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) has responded by organizing donation-based hardship funds, planning picnics and breakfasts and parading various Democratic Party politicians to the picket line for photo-ops.

The NUHW recently celebrated the disbursement of $160,000 raised in the general Northern California hardship fund to the various locations which would amount to an insulting $80 per mental health worker if distributed equally.

While workers are being starved and isolated on the picket line, there have been no serious or detailed updates on the state of negotiations released on the NUHW website. Nor has the NUHW done anything to rally its additional 14,000 members across the country.

In the same hospital system another 20,000 northern California Kaiser nurses' have been engaged in contract struggles since June and, as of August 31, have been working under an expired contract. These Kaiser nurses, members of the California Nurses Association (CNA), are determined to fight to improve their wages and conditions in a healthcare system that has been brought to the brink of collapse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CNA called a two-hour informational picket in response to the growing frustration and anger of its members as contract negotiations dragged on without results. In the unions press release not a single reference was made to the strike of mental health workers.

The Kaiser nurses are well aware of the struggle of their brothers and sisters in the mental health departments. Nurses too, face the repercussions of an underfunded and overburdened mental health system.

Not only do nurses and other healthcare workers require prompt and effective care as a result of overwork and second hand trauma, but nurses also struggle to manage patients with untreated or undertreated mental illness.

While working short-staffed, nurses are pushed to manage a patients severe behavioral problems, screen and watch patients who are suicidal and risk their own safety treating patients who can have angry or violent outbursts.

While Kaiser nurses are facing similarly exhausting and unmanageable workloads, the CNA is having its members cross the picket lines of the mental health workers every day.

Kaiser health care workers must understand that they face a battle on two fronts. They are fighting against the largest health care non-profit in the country and the corporate-backed politicians who defend it. At the same time, they are in a fight against the pro-company health care unions, which are allied with the Democratic Party and integrated into Kaisers management structure through the corporatist bodies such as the Labor Management Partnership. Nurses and mental health workers should review the experience of Kaiser struggles in2021 in which 50,000 Kaiser workers on the West Coast and Hawaii were betrayed by dozens of unions.

Kaiser workers are not fighting alone. There is a growing upsurge of unrest among health care workers, who are being pushed to the breaking point by exhausting patient loads and working hours.

Earlier this week, 15,000 Minnesota nurses conducted a three-day strike in one of the largest private health care strikes in US history. In Pennsylvania, 700 nurses and other workers in 14 nursing homes just ended a week-long strike over poor pay, dangerous working conditions and low staffing across the states nursing homes. An additional 6,300 nurses and staff at Kaleida Health in western New York are voting for a strike authorization this week and 6,200 nurses at Michigan Medicine are fighting to strike against the wishes of the Michigan Nurses Association.

These struggles are not emerging out of nowhere but are in response to the continued siphoning of funding away from patient care and into the pockets of giant hospital chains, insurance companies and others that dominate every aspect of the healthcare system under capitalism. This failing system leaves health care out of reach for millions and public health infrastructure buckling. The COVID-19 pandemic faces little resistance from an already distressed health care system and is allowed to spread unchecked through communities leaving health care workers battered and exhausted in the wake of its continued surges.

The NUHW and the CNA continue to usher support behind the Democratic Party, pointing to various politicians and Senate bills as the answer to health care workers struggles. This is the same party that has overseen the ending of basic public health measures, allowing COVID to rip through their hospitals, killing thousands of health care workers. First Trump and then Biden pushed the bi-partisan herd immunity policy and campaigned to reopen schools. More than one million have died unnecessarily and millions more are suffering from Long Covid to protect the profits and stock portfolios of the financial elite.

The Kaiser unions, including those such as the CNA, Operating Engineers (OE), and NUHW, are inextricably linked to the Democratic Party. According to federal LM-2 filings for 2021, the IUOE, CNA and NUHW each contributed $13.5 million, $7.8 million and $1.4 million, respectively on political donations, which largely consisted of members of the Democratic Party. Regardless of these large contributions, neither the CNA nor the NUHW paid any strike money in that year.

These unions make empty pleas to Democratic Party politicians to stop Kaiser's exploitation of its employees, despite the fact that the health system that Kaiser's cost-cutting methods are bringing into place is exactly the one that the Democratic Party wants. In 2010, Democratic President Barack Obama pointed to Kaiser as the model for his so-called health-care reform. Kaiser is essentially the blueprint for how the Democratic Party envisions all health care for the working class to be in the near future.

Kaiser mental health workers are taking a stand for all health care workers, and for all workers. They are fighting for workers across all industries to have access to high quality, affordable health care and for the safety and well being of the population to take precedence over the fortunes of the wealthy elite. But for this struggle to succeed it must grow by uniting with workers who are striking or fighting back across all industries.

This means forming a rank-and-file strike committee and uniting mental health workers at every hospital in order to establish direct lines of communication with other Kaiser workers, Sutter, Stanford, University of California and other nurses, to build up support for statewide strike action.

Committees of rank-and-file workers will provide a way for nurses to break through the sabotage of the pro-corporate union apparatus and assert the power of health care workers on the floors of the hospitals and clinics.

For more information and for discussion on rank-and-file committees, contact us by filling out the form below.
The latest cluster of meetings tackled several topics, including implementation periods for a future agreement on e-commerce, in particular for developing and least developed countries, access to online platforms and competition in electronic commerce. The negotiators continued to seek convergence on topics such as cyber security, privacy, telecommunications services, electronic invoicing and electronic transaction frameworks. Two more clusters of meetings will take place in October and November, with co-convenors aiming to issue a more streamlined negotiating text towards the end of this year.

A stocktaking session looked at several proposals that have not yet attracted universal support from participants in the negotiations. The proposals were examined to help their proponents decide how to take these proposals forward. Following the withdrawal of proposals from single proponents in July, a further proposal was withdrawn in September due to lack of support. The co-convenors commended members for their flexibility in this regard.

Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki (Japan), co-convenor of the initiative and chair of the plenary meetings this year, underlined the huge potential of e-commerce for the global economy. He said: Remote product and service providers should benefit from the multilateral rules of these negotiations. We would like to enhance our efforts towards the end of this year to achieve satisfactory results and move further on.

Ambassador Yamazaki welcomed the participation of capital-based officials in the negotiations and encouraged members to send officials to upcoming meetings in October and November.

Looking at the next phase of the negotiations, Ambassador George Mina (Australia), co-convenor, said by the end of the year the initiative aimed to conclude talks on the majority of issues remaining. We still think this is within reach, he said, but it is going to require us all to buckle down and show the kind of compromise that we have seen throughout the last year and a half.

Ambassador Mina added: This will require members to energize in those areas where no convergence has been reached and pull back where it has become clear there is not enough support. This requires senior officials' and political engagement in the coming weeks.

Underlining the importance of the negotiations, he said: The foundation for all activity on digital trade in the future is going to come from here. So it is vital that we continue this momentum and it is vital to continue with the contribution that our teams and leadership are all making.

Ambassador Mina noted that after the next three sessions organised before the end of the year, the co-convenors will issue a revised consolidated text, which will allow members to work in 2023 towards the finalisation of these negotiations. That is within our reach by 2023 if we can keep this momentum up, he concluded.

Speaking on behalf of Ambassador Hung Seng Tan, co-convenor of the initiative, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Singapore, Darry Leong, noted the initiative is very close to cleaning up text on electronic invoicing, electronic transaction frameworks and cyber security. He said: As the runway is getting shorter, it is important to set a roadmap to chart our path forward. The objective is to set critical milestones and a concrete plan to address outstanding issues in the negotiations.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The CSTO mission led by the Chief of the Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov continues working in Armenia.

The CSTO said in a statement that Sidorov met with Lt. General Roman Golubitsky in Armenia, the Head of the Russian FSS Border Guards in Armenia. A comprehensive discussion on the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the measures aimed at resolving it took place.

The same day , the Colonel-General held a meeting with Russian Ambassador in Armenia Sergey Kopirkyn. Ambassador Kopirkyn said that In Yerevan, special importance is given to the CSTO mission and there is hope that the CSTO will play an important role in stabilizing the situation and taking measures for preventing escalation.

Colonel-General Sidorov also met with the Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan yesterday.

The CSTO mission is expected to develop proposals on de-escalating the situation.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The latest events on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border have nothing to do with Karabakh, according to President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

The latest event has nothing to do with Karabakh, thats an entirely different area on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We really regret the loss of life, Putin told reporters.

On September 13, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a major attack on Armenia from several directions, bombarding both military and civilian infrastructures with rocket-artillery and drone strikes.

Azerbaijan halted its attack in the evening of September 14 after a ceasefire was reached.
The tactical team of the CSTO Joint Staff led by the Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov arrived to Armenia in the evening of September 15 to conduct a monitoring mission, Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said in a statement.

September 16, 2022, 09:05 CSTO monitoring task force led by Chief of Joint Staff arrives in Armenia

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: I held a meeting with Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov the same day. I briefed him on the situation resulting from the large-scale aggression by Azerbaijan on September 13 and assigned the objectives of the upcoming monitoring. I expressed hope that the group will conduct effective work and will present to the CSTO Collective Security Council a detailed and accurate report on the situation, Papikyan said, adding that the CSTO team will work in the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces and in combat action regions.



On September 13, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a major attack on Armenia from several directions, bombarding both military and civilian infrastructures with rocket-artillery and drone strikes.



105 Armenian troops were killed and 6 civilians were wounded. Azerbaijan halted its attack in the evening of September 14 after a ceasefire was reached.
In flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, at least 7 identified Prisoners of War have been captured by Azerbaijan, with video evidence suggesting there could be more captives, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN H.E. Mher Margaryan said in his speech at the UN Security Council meeting.

September 16, 2022, 09:11 At least 7 identified PoWs captured by Azerbaijan in flagrant violation of Geneva Conventions

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: In the early hours of 13 September, Azerbaijan initiated a major military offensive targeting the eastern and south-eastern regions of Armenia with the use of a wide range of weaponry, including artillery and combat UAVs. The offensive took lives of 105 people, left dozens wounded, dozens missing, and inflicted various forms of material damage, including upon the civilian settlements and infrastructure. The scale of destruction and the intensity of shelling is so high, that, at the moment, we have only initial figures. Around 200 homes of civilians have suffered serious damage, with more than 60 of them completely destroyed.



For a few consecutive days, a number of densely populated towns of Armenia, including Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis, Kapan and Sotk came under heavy fire. The latest reports indicate that the offensive has displaced at least 2750 people in Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik Provinces, which include 370 children and 55 persons with disabilities among those displaced. The shelling of the resort town of Jermuk, which has absolutely no military targets is nothing short of war crime, and so are the strikes against the Kechut water reservoir, with potentially catastrophic human toll and environmental impact.



In flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, at least 7 identified Prisoners of War have been captured, with video evidence suggesting there could be more captives held by Azerbaijan. The offensive targeted journalists, both local and foreign, who were carrying out their work covering the events, Margaryan said in part.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone talk with President of France Emmanuel Macron, the PMs Office said.

September 16, 2022, 11:08 Pashinyan, Macron hold telephone talk

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 16, ARTSAKHPRESS: Pashinyan presented details about the current situation caused by the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia. He stated that despite the relative calm on the border, the situation remains very tense.

Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed the readiness to contribute to dialogue and peace.

The sides also touched upon the UN Security Council meeting convened based on Armenias appeal. PM Pashinyan highlighted the importance of a proper response by the international community to what is happening.
Cows feed at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview. The state has a goal of reducing methane emissions by 40% by 2030. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

11:01 a.m. Sept. 16, 2022: An earlier version of this article misspelled California Air Resources Board spokesperson David Clegerns name as Clergen.



Michael Oostens grandparents were dairy farmers in the Netherlands and immigrated to California in the 1920s, starting their own dairy farm in Paramount in 1945 before relocating to bigger farms in Artesia and Bellflower.

In the early 1970s, they moved their farm to Chino, but decided to sell it in 2001 to a trucking company next to an Amazon warehouse, which was built on land comprised of two other dairy farms.

Oosten, who for 18 years has owned Marvo Holsteins  a dairy farm in the unincorporated Riverside County area of Lakeview that supplies milk to Land O'Lakes  said dairy farming has declined in California since the industry's peak in 2008. The industry has been hurt by shrinking real estate in Southern California, more affordable land in other states, rigorous permitting processes and the shortage of water and other natural resources.

"Economics is the biggest driver of farmers leaving to go out of state," Oosten said. "Milk pricing tends to be very competitive in other states; the feed prices are lower and the regulatory environment is better."

Real estate, in particular, has played a significant role in more dairies choosing to leave California, he said.

Michael Oosten at his family's dairy farm in Lakeview, an unincorporated area of Riverside County. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

"As urban expansion came in and got close to the farm, developers would come in and buy the land and convert it into housing or commercial buildings," he said. "That's the progression of what's happened in the California dairy industry. More recently in the last 20 years, a lot of people have started to move out of state."

Marvo Holsteins is one of about 1,200 dairies left in California, a significant drop from the roughly 2,100 farms in 2001 and 20,000 farms in 1950, according to Michael Boccadoro, executive director of sustainability nonprofit Dairy Cares.

Although the number of dairies in the state has declined by 94% in the last 70 years, farmers have been able to make up for the difference through increased milk production and improved cow comfort and breeding, Boccadoro said.

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The idea that were building new dairies or increasing production in California is a nonstarter, he said. We havent built a new dairy in six to seven years. Its just not a good place if youre getting into the milk production business.





The state went from housing about 1.88 million dairy cows in 2008 to about 1.72 million today  a decrease of about 160,000 cows in 14 years, Boccadoro said. The number of cows in the state has reduced by about half a percent to 1% every year.

Instead of staying in California, dairy cows are being shipped to Texas, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Kansas  states not typically known for their dairy production. Boccadoro said a shrinking demand for fluid milk and increased demand for cheese, yogurt, butter, whey protein and other milk-related products have pushed milk production to the Midwestern states. Demand for dairy has increased by 200% since the pandemic began in 2020.

Cows pass through a cooling shower after being milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Historically, cows needed to be close to the market because it was a fresh milk market and milk has a short shelf life of about two weeks, so there was a lot of milk production on the West Coast and East Coast, he said. With the new products in demand, the dairy sector is seeing milk production move to the middle parts of the country because of the longer shelf life of the products.

Closer proximity to new manufacturing sites also has driven cows out of California. Hilmar Cheese Co. opened a facility in Texas, with another cheese and whey manufacturing plant in the works in Kansas. Last fall, Leprino Foods, another major dairy manufacturing company, announced it was building a new facility in Lubbock, Texas.

Another big question plaguing dairy farmers is whether they'll see climate change regulations in the next few years and what effects they could have.

In 2016, California lawmakers passed the state's Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction law, known as SB 1383, setting a 2030 goal to reduce methane emissions from the dairy and livestock industries by 40% below 2013 levels, which amounts to about 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. If the California Air Resources Board determines in 2024 that the dairy industry isnt on track for hitting its target, it can start implementing regulations to limit emissions.

Oosten said potential regulations could entail requiring dairies to install anaerobic digesters  devices that control the decomposition of manure and convert methane into clean energy  as well as using feed additives to help reduce methane produced by cows through belching.

"There's that fear in California in that if we start making mandates and regulations, then we start losing our incentive funding, we start losing our options and we start losing farms," he said. "Some of them might go out of business, which would be a travesty for that family. ... The other thing that's going to happen is they're going to pick up, leave and go out of state. The methane still gets produced; they don't have to deal with [mandates] over there and that's the 'leakage' that we talked about."

Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive of Western United Dairies, a trade organization that represents the majority of milk produced in California, agreed that the state is better off from a global climate perspective if more dairy farmers stay in California.

Cows are milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm in Lakeview. California has a goal of reducing methane emissions from the dairy industry. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Californias exporting methane to different locations, which means processing and manufacturing is also leaving, which was the states revenue source for providing green products, she said. It was designed to be a reward system, but if we dont make them here in California, theyre definitely going to make them somewhere else.

Dairy industry concerns about the air rules were reported in August by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

But David Clegern, a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board, said environmental regulations have little to do with the cow exodus from California because it isn't even allowed to submit one for approval until 2024.

Cattle prices are very high right now, and jumped quite a bit this summer, so there may be more of a market drive there, Clegernsaid.

Staff members are in the initial stages of developing a regulation on methane emissions by speaking with community members and working groups, according to Clegern.

We wont start until we have an actual regulation, he said. It takes a couple years to get through the public processes and the legislative and other regulatory tests. We have to make sure its not interfering with federal regulations and it scientifically makes sense and it can be done in a reasonable and not-too-expensive way.

Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, emphasized the importance of reducing methane, a short-lived climate pollutant that lasts in the atmosphere for about 12 years and has 80 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide.

In addition to the climate change impact, there are also major local pollution impacts from these huge factory farm operations, including the methane itself that contributes to smog, which is already well above legal levels in the San Joaquin Valley," he said. "The South Coast Air Basin and the San Joaquin Valley Air District are the two places in the country with the worst air pollution, and thats where Californias dairy industry is.

Magavern expressed skepticism that potential regulations are driving cows out of the state.

I have been watching them lobby over the last 20 years and oppose every measure that would get them to reduce the pollution theyre emitting in California," he said of diary farms. "Theyre resisting everything, and now theyre complaining when theyre not even being regulated is telltale."

Cows are milked at Marvo Holsteins dairy farm. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

According to a report by the California Air Resources Board released this spring, the dairy and livestock sector  which accounts for more than half of the state's methane emissions  has reduced its annual emissions by just over half. Dairy farmers will have to continue modifying manure management systems, decreasing livestock populations and using digesters in order to meet the 2030 goal.

But not everyone is thrilled with the dairy digesters. Genevieve Amsalem, research and policy director of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, said dairy farms contribute to half of the particulate matter pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. The digesters, she said, are creating ammonia, which in turn causes air pollution and endangers public health.

By installing a dairy digester, youre using state money to institutionalize this practice and setting it in stone, she said. Thats a big concern that the state is institutionalizing these environmental catastrophes.

Citing the high cost of digesters  it takes about $6 million to install one at a 2,000-cow farm  and the fact that his farms dont use as much water because they house their cows outside, Oosten said hes in talks with digester companies and isnt opposed to the idea of implementing them. As one of the incentives for reducing methane emissions, the state's Dairy Digester Research & Development Program covers a portion of the costs of a digester while dairy farmers pay for the rest.

Oosten said that his farms sell about 30% to 35% of their milking herd, comprised of about 2,500 cows, every year for beef and that his livestock size has been relatively stable despite the consolidation of his family's farms over the years.

Were not throwing animals out of the state just to get rid of them, he said. Its based on economics and wherever dairies are the most profitable.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Pandora is toxic. Without an oxygen mask, a human on the faraway moon will die in four minutes. What a lovely place to asphyxiate, though: Think electro-Eden after a deep cleaning. By night the green rainforests shine with dangly neon foliage, and the moss lights up to the touch. Mountains float. See the bird-like insects with helicopter wings, see the noble hammerhead rhinos. It's supposed to be dangerous, but it looks like a vacation, one you could never enjoy even if it existed. Rewatching 2009's Avatar rewards close attention to this fundamental paradox: Here is a very nice, very lovely, very anti-human movie.

The year is 2154. Earth is an offscreen mystery. American-sounding First Recon grunts swap war stories about Venezuela and Nigeria, and some corporation can mobilize a private military across solar systems. That's it for specifics. The one scene set Earthside sets quite a mood, when Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) watches himself incinerated. It's only his twin brother's corpse, but Jake's own past feels burned away, beyond the never-explained battle damage that left him in a wheelchair.

All Avatar needs you to know is something bad happened to Jake  and his planet. "There's no green there," Jake warns Pandora's oversoul. "They killed their mother." He's already distancing himself, and his story ends triumphantly when he self-emancipates from his own human body. Cultural memory sillies up James Cameron's epic: the FernGully jokes, the questionable space-race politics, the blue natives. But the film features the single most chilling science-fiction line he's ever written. "The aliens went back to their dying world," Jake narrates near the end. He's talking about us.

AVATAR

Everett Collection Sam Worthington in 'Avatar'

After four whole phases of Marvel passed during delayed release dates, Avatar: The Way of Water will arrive in December. The first film returns to theaters next Friday. It's a bizarre rewatch, and weirder than it needs to be. The story isn't not Pocahontas, with Jake as the goofball outsider learning indigenous wisdom from tribal princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). In theory, he struggles internally between two sides. Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) represents Jake's military past and Earth First humanity. But when Jake transfers his consciousness into a Na'vi body, Neytiri beckons toward a vast world, and the "energy that flows through all living things." He rides a pterodactyl, and then a dragon.

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So the choice is: muscle-bound jerk who never goes outside vs. gorgeous cool warrior offering flight lessons. That non-conflict extends to individual character dynamics. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) warms to jock-y Jake even though she knows he's feeding Quaritch intel. Norm (Joel David Moore) gets bummed when Jake steals his role as chief inter-species diplomat, but they're always pals. Tsu'tey (Laz Alonso) is Neytiri's promised husband  so it should cause problems when she mates with Jake instead. (In the immortal words of Grace: "Oh s---!") Forgiveness comes quick, and the romantic triangle unites against the Sky People. These sound like mistakes I'm complaining about, but filmmakers overrate plot and underrate how much people enjoy hanging out inside a movie. Thirteen years before we ruined the word from overuse, Avatar was happy to be a vibe.

No digital effects age well for long, or is that just my opinion? With all due respect to Cameron's side hustle as a CGI prophet, I prefer The Terminator's ancient jagged-skullbone prosthetics to anything on Pandora. But there are very recent, ludicrously expensive special effects that already look worse than Avatar. The director maintained his run-and-gun sensibility in the performance-capture wilderness. Notice how almost every individual shot moves constantly, with multiple planes of action flowing together through who-knows-how-many disparate elements of filming and post-production. Because the movie is so colorful, it looks better (and more recent) than a host of grimcore super-odysseys that followed it. Lately CGI landscapes have gotten worse on big-budget TV, which over-depend on LED walls and repetitive staging to fill in flat worlds. When the Na'vi scale the Hallelujah mountains, you feel stratospheres.

CCH Pounder plays Neytiri's mother. Wes Studi is her father. So all the major Na'vi performers are people of color, while the chief authoritarian Earthers are stern Lang and weaselly Giovanni Ribisi. Whatever your thoughts on the aboriginal allegory, there's a clarity in this casting. It's common to align Avatar with the destruction of indigenous American societies, but the movie works fine a parable for any white-western cultural assault. Actually, at this point the movie probably reads better as a Middle East meditation, with "unobtainium" filling in for oil and much talk about a "pre-emptive attack" and a "shock-and-awe campaign."

So the real-world parallels are obvious  but was Avatar ever about the real world? The other central paradox here is how Cameron, the adventurer-environmentalist who loves the ocean, could only create this hyper-naturalist vision inside his machines. He's always been a heavy-artillery romantic, so it's a statement of purpose when Jake-Neytiri's hot mating night gets rudely awakened by a tank. Cameron himself seems to consider the performance-capture tech as a mechanism for rehumanizing, bringing the movements and emotions of performers into alien characters. But it's telling, I think, that Dr. Augustine describes Pandora as "a global network," which the Na'vi use to "upload and download data." Pandora may symbolize an unpolluted Earth, but that sounds precisely like the internet. For all the teasing about the Na'vi's erogenous brain tails, that organic connection clearly reflects a digital sensibility. When Jake "connects" with a steed, or a tree, or even Neytiri, it's a spiritual act of peer-to-peer content-sharing. Imagine if the internet was real!

The idea of "global network" as a fundamentally positive thing is, unfortunately, the most 2009 thing about Avatar. Now we're in history's flux vortex. And somewhere in the general terror of the last several years, I decided I was very excited about the upcoming Avatars. During bleak times, it was nice to think of James Cameron working away in his own distant galaxy, boldly claiming mid-2020s release windows when the world could collapse tomorrow.

And his saga  at least its first part  sanctifies the joy of escape as an act of redemptive moral rebellion. Jake's life on Pandora is often described as a dream. The climactic thrill is that he never has to wake up. The Way of Water may deepen these themes, or set off in a new direction. I'm optimistic that Jake and Neytiri's family includes a human kid, because the best Avatar scenes clash the different worlds together: human and Na'vi, real performer and performance-captured CGI, gray high-tech and rainbow forest. Yes, there are the epic battles when when Shoulder-Mech killers battle the Na'vi cavalry. But I'm also talking about the late moment, calm, sweet, and odd, when gigantic Neytiri cradles teeny human Jake in her lap.

A few pure CGI scenes can be weightless, and I don't think I ever noticed the whole Austin Powers game the movie plays with Na'vi private parts, draping immobile necklaces over nipples and carefully obscuring butts with tails. The patter ("Who'd you expect, numbnuts?") sounds retro  more 1950s than 2150s  but that's an additive flavor. If the screenplay is sentimental, it's also inventing a whole new flavor of fatalistic sincerity. Jake starts to look pale, unshaven, half-starved. He's spending too much time avatar-ing around, leaving his human self declining in a (coffin-shaped) dream pod. Another science-fiction story might use this opportunity to make some point about getting lost in fantasy or technology. "Life out there is the true world," he says, "And in here is the dream." He could be a drug addict. But Avatar's complex message is that Jake should leave humanity behind. His body is a caterpillar husk. All hail the blue flesh.

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The Pentagon has made administrative changes in how it handles Taiwan policy, a shift that lawmakers and former officials say sends the wrong signal to Beijing as the Chinese military steps up drills around the self-ruled island.

The move  which involves placing the Taiwan portfolio under the office responsible for China policy  could provide a new line of attack among President Joe Bidens opponents who claim he is weak on China.

The changes come as officials are increasingly worried about Beijings aggression toward Taiwan, particularly after a crisis erupted in the Taiwan Strait in August after China launched unprecedented military exercises, including sending missiles over the island, in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taipei.

Anything that dilutes Americas focus on helping Taiwan to defend itself is a really bad idea, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) told POLITICO. Pulling Taiwan back into a portfolio dominated by China sends the wrong signal to Beijing  that they can dictate our relationship with the island democracy. Or worse, it will facilitate consultation with Beijing on our approach to Taiwans security needs.



The Defense Department says the move is a bureaucratic change designed to increase internal efficiency within the agencys policy shop.

But the timing of the move, coming just weeks after a tense standoff in the Taiwan Strait, could not be worse, critics say.

The Chinese will not interpret this as a coincidence, said Heino Klinck, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for East Asia in the Trump administration. I think unintentionally or perhaps naively, we are signaling that our relationship with Taiwan is a subset of our relationship with mainland China.



Prior to the Trump administration, both China and Taiwan were under the purview of the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for East Asia , along with nations such as Japan, South Korea and Australia. In June 2019, the Pentagon created an office focused solely on China , a move that experts hailed at the time as putting the necessary focus on Beijing.

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But now, the Pentagon is moving the Taiwan desk out from under the East Asia office and into the portfolio of the newly created deputy assistant secretary of Defense for China, Michael Chase, a Defense Department spokesperson confirmed.

This bureaucratic move will increase efficiency and harmonize efforts within OUSD Policy. Moreover, it aligns staff and leadership with the bureaucratic structures at other executive branch agencies, including the State Department, said spokesperson John Supple. In no way does this shift reflect a change in our one-China policy, our commitment to allies and partners, or focus on preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.

But within the China portfolio, Taiwan will inevitably get less attention, said Randy Schriver, the former head of Asia policy at the Pentagon during the Trump administration.

Its almost inevitable given Chinas size that Taiwan becomes a subset, Schriver said. Traditionally, Taiwan has been viewed as a problem to manage in the China context and this is a return to that.

Beijing will likely look favorably on the move, because it looks like Taiwan is a part of China, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said for years he intends to reunify the mainland with Taiwan, and he has not ruled out using force to do so. The U.S. military assessed in 2021 that China could invade Taiwan by 2027, an explosive scenario that would likely embroil the U.S. Navy as well as Pacific nations.

The United States policy on Taiwan is deliberately ambiguous, although Biden has said the U.S. would come to the islands defense if it is attacked. The official government position continues to support a One China policy and does not recognize Taiwan as a separate nation, but Washington backs Taipei with arms sales for self-defense.

The Biden administration recently asked Congress to approve an estimated $1.1 billion weapons sale to Taiwan that includes 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles  the first since the military exercises in the strait. But critics say more is needed.

My concern is that again we are unintentionally messaging both mainland Taiwan and the region writ large and globally that in the wake of Speaker Pelosis visit and in the wake of what many are referring to as the fourth Taiwan Strait crisis, we are making policy adjustments, policy changes that favor Chinese positions, Klinck said.

The move has practical implications as well as policy ones. Organizationally, it makes more sense for Taiwan to remain under the East Asia office with responsibility for Japan and Australia, all countries with which the U.S. has strong military relations, said Eric Sayers, a former senior adviser to U.S. Pacific Command and now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

It also makes more sense to align allies and partners under a single deputy assistant secretary, and leave the China office to focus its energies on Beijing, he said.

I trust Elys judgment here, Sayers said, referring to Ely Ratner, the Pentagons assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific affairs, who is responsible for both the China and East Asia offices. But I also think its a good oversight question for Congress to be asking.
As some of you may know from trees on your property or near where you live, the areas hemlock trees are weakened and dying. The cause is an invasive foreign insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid. This insect is tiny, about the size of an aphid, but in large numbers they kill their hemlock host. This pest is spreading north throughout the East Coast hemlock forests, and we now know that the HWA is well-established in the hemlocks that guard the Owasco Lake watershed.

The loss of hemlock trees would be devastating to water quality. Hemlocks are the third most common tree in our area and make up much of the forest along shorelines, gorges and streams. Their shallow, branching root systems allow them to grow in steep terrain, help protect against erosion, and filter out nutrients carried in runoff that enters the lake. Their shade also helps cool the water temperatures, which is beneficial to fish and a deterrent to harmful algal blooms in the lake.

Researchers at Cornell University have found that in Oregon and Washington state, the HWA is held in biological check by several types of predators. They have determined that importing those predators to the East Coast hemlocks has no undesirable impact, and the plan is to build up predator insect populations on our side of the continent to achieve a biological balance with the HWA. That could take 10 or more years.

In the nearer term, however, our only defense is targeted application of insecticide, sprayed by qualified professionals on the lower trunk or injected into the tree trunk. The Owasco Watershed Lake Association has provided volunteers that physically survey and identify watershed-critical hemlocks showing signs of HWA infestation. Qualified professionals then treat the identified trees. Private donations and a U.S. Forest Service grant pay for the treatments. All OWLA time and travel is donated. Given the pace of the HWA spread, we have just 2022 and maybe 2023 to act.

In early 2021 Dana Hall, then-president of OWLA, spoke at a weekly meeting of the Auburn Rotary Club regarding efforts by OWLA and other organizations to slow the spread of this invasive species. As a result, the Rotary Club decided they needed to assist the HWA effort by educating the community and increasing donations. The club formed a subcommittee lead by Paul Barrus, and the joint HWA Project was mobilized.

Since then, the Auburn and Moravia Rotary Clubs and have donated $3,500 directly to the HWA effort, and with additional funds the Auburn Rotary Club has launched an education campaign. The education campaign, aimed at all ages, has several parts, including a program that invited Auburn Enlarged City School District students to express what it would be like if a healthy Owasco Lake did not exist. Over 35 students submitted artwork and literature depicting the effect on their lives and to the community if Owasco Lake was no longer available as we know it. Eight winners were chosen at random to receive $25 gift cards to Tom Thumb and Green Shutters. The student entries were on display at Seymour Library through July 22, and at the Auburn Rotary Club's Party in the Park on July 23 and 24.

The education campaign also includes pamphlets developed by the Auburn Rotary Club committee for distribution throughout the community. The pamphlets describe the effects the HWA could have on the watershed, how to spot and report infestations, and the respective treatments available. One-thousand pamphlets have been printed and distributed throughout the county, and include a tear-off section to send in a donation.

In addition to these educational efforts, the Rotary Clubs launched a fundraising campaign. The Auburn and Moravia Rotary Clubs purchased and distributed 100 coin canisters to area businesses to collect donations through Labor Day weekend. The Auburn Rotary Club also funded a marketing campaign through The Citizen and on auburnpub.com to increase awareness and donations to the HWA Project.

To date, over 7,800 watershed-critical trees have been treated, but there are many, many more to go. More donations mean more trees can be treated. Please donate to help us raise funds to save the hemlocks  one tree at a time. Visit owla.org/hwa for more information.
American Hustle filmmaker David O. Russell is back with the 20th Century Studios and New Regency detective story Amsterdam. The film follows a trio of friends who have promised to have each others backs and then get blamed for a mysterious murder. The movie then follows their efforts to uncover the truth, which turns out to be a hard-hitting American historical moment.

The cast alone is drawing heads for Amsterdam. The plot finds itself partially rooted in a true story. Director David O. Russel, who also directed Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

Heres everything we know about Amsterdam:

The films release date moved up to October 7

Originally slated for November 4, 2022, Amsterdam will now hit theaters almost a full month earlier on Oct. 7.

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Its got Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington and even Taylor Swift

The trio of friends  doctor, lawyer and nurse  are portrayed by Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie, respectively. But the ensemble does not stop there, as is customary of many of Russells films. The big ensemble energy continues with names like Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Robert De Niro, Taylor Swift, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola and Mike Meyers.

The film comes from director David O. Russell

This is Russells first movie since 2015s Joy, which followed a hot streak that began with The Fighter (2010 and continued through Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013). Russell also wrote and produced the film, and hes been nominated for five Oscars.

The period film is partially based on a true story

Set in the 1930s, the films trailer hints back at wartime for the two men in the friend group. The trailer also teases that A lot of this actually happened. Three friends altered the course of American history. The films summary hints that the three friends uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history after witnessing, becoming suspects of and then attempting to solve a murder. Its described as a fascinating and richly intricate tale that weaves historical fact with fiction for a timely, cinematic experience.

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Russell enlisted a legendary cinematographer

Amsterdam is also notable in that its shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki, who is the only cinematographer in history to win three Oscars in a row. He won for Gravity (2013), Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015). This is Lubezkis first film since The Revenant.

Watch the trailer below:
Gov. Ron DeSantis defends Florida's migrant relocation program at a news conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept.16, 2022.

DAYTONA BEACH  Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Friday to continue his relocation program for migrants who cross the southern United States border into Texas.

Speaking in an aircraft hangar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, DeSantis defended the $12 million relocation program that ensued with Florida chartering a plane to fly 48 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Wednesday. On Friday, the governor basked in laughter and applause from about 200 supporters in attendance.

"So the governor of California (Gavin Newsom) sent a letter to the Department of Justice saying, 'You need to prosecute Texas and Florida governors,' and all I can say is I think his hair gel is interfering with his brain cells," DeSantis said.

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Liberals have called the Martha's Vineyard flight inhumane, but DeSantis argues President Joe Biden's immigration policies represent the real inhumanity.

He described them as having "really negative implications for not just border communities but in communities across the country."

"I think there needs to be accountability and we need to make sure that people know," he said. "Do people stand for secure borders or do they want to make sure that Florida is not going to be a sanctuary state?"

DeSantis, who's asking voters for a second term, has faced sharp criticism in recent days, including from his Democratic rival, Charlie Crist, who has said the Martha's Vineyard flight "is a clear indicator he'll cross any and all moral boundaries to reach his personal political goals."

Crist, on Twitter Friday, said he filed a public records request seeking documents related to the flights and said he is "demanding that the DeSantis Administration explain why and how he trafficked human beings as a political stunt."

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During the news conference, DeSantis addressed questions about whether transporting migrants from Texas to Massachusetts met the intent of lawmakers when they included the $12 million in funding last spring.

The budget item states the money is to be used "to facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens out of Florida."

"'We've done stuff in the Panhandle, but what we've found is we haven't seen any major movements of people into Florida, like big caravans. He said "it's hard" for Florida to identify migrants when they arrive in cars, two or three at a time, so going to Texas to divert them is justified, he said.

One of the state lawmakers who shared the stage with DeSantis on Friday, Rep. Tom Leek, an Ormond Beach Republican, had no issue with the way DeSantis was spending the money.

"I think that qualifies," he said.

Not what DeSantis expected

DeSantis admitted what he anticipated  that Florida would be dealing with "midnight flights" and busloads of migrants being dropped off by the federal government  hasn't come to pass.

Gov. Ron DeSantis visits with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students crowded along a fence line after holding a news conference on the Daytona Beach campus on Friday.

"I initially, when I asked for the money, thought that Biden was going to be busing. Because, you know, he has sent midnight flights all across this country," DeSantis said.

The migrants who were flown to Martha's Vineyard were asylum seekers from countries such as Venezuela, where they were fleeing political persecution and severe economic conditions.

They made their way through Central America and Mexico to the U.S. border, where they crossed and entered U.S. Customs and Border Protection offices to make asylum claims. While those claims await processing, they are allowed to stay in the United States, frequently without money or shelter.

Steering migrants to 'sanctuary states'

"They are left, high and dry," DeSantis said. "A lot of them are trying to hitchhike. Some of them will pay smugglers to try and bring them into different states including the state of Florida, and so our view is you gotta' deal with it at the source. And if they're intending to come to Florida, or many of them are intending to come to Florida, that's our best way to make sure that they end up in a sanctuary."

Florida, he said, is not a "sanctuary state."

However, DeSantis denied Florida's borders are closed to asylum-seeking migrants who have been let into the United States by immigration officials.

"No, no, no. We have a lot of refugees. We have people that come to Florida from Cuba, they end up in the Keys and they're seeking asylum and a lot of them have valid claims, but I think what's happening is the asylum process is being abused (by migrants at the southern border) because they're trained by activist groups to claim asylum."

On Thursday, Biden said Florida's move was un-American.

"Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props," Biden said.

DeSantis said Friday he was "perplexed" to hear that Biden was "scrambling to get his cabinet together to try to address the fact that you have governors who are helping to relocate illegal aliens."

"The president didn't scramble to get his cabinet together when we had millions of people illegally pouring across the Southern border. He didn't scramble to get his cabinet together when we had... 53 migrants die in some trailer in Texas because they were neglected by the federal government," DeSantis said.

"It's only when you have 50 illegal aliens end up in very wealthy, rich enclave that (Biden) decides to scramble on this," he said.

About 200 people crowded an airport hangar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach on Friday to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis speak.

DeSantis was asked how many of the migrants on the flight started in Crestview. He didn't answer directly, but vowed to continue the program.

"There's also going to be buses and there will likely be more flights, but I'll tell you this: The Legislature gave me $12 million," he said. "We're going to spend every penny of that to make sure that we're protecting the people of the state of Florida."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeSantis: Expect more Florida-funded migrant rides to sanctuary states
IndyCar drivers remember Queen

God save our gracious Queen. Long live our noble Queen. God save the Queen!

MONTEREY, California  When she ascended to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father, George VI on February 6, 1952, these are the words that every member of the vast British Commonwealth knew as their national anthem.

The official coronation was June 2, 1953, and Queen Elizabeth oversaw a vast British Empire. Through colonization of lands around the world, it was once said, The sun never sets on the British Empire because somewhere around the world, a nation or a territory was under British control.

That is why the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, has such a profound effect on many drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series.

She was a wonderful woman, four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti told NBC Sports. That is the best way to describe her, an absolutely wonderful woman.

Franchitti is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and part of the United Kingdom, which also includes England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

But there are 15 countries part of the British Commonwealth including Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Soloman Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

From 1841 to 1997, Hong Kong was a colony and under British Rule before it agreed to return the massive city to China. South Africa was a British colony until 1961.

The NTT IndyCar Series includes drivers Scott McLaughlin of Christchurch, New Zealand; Scott Dixon of Auckland, New Zealand; Will Power of Toowoomba, Australia; Callum Ilott of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Jack Harvey of Bassingham, United Kingdom, Stefan Wilson of Sheffield, United Kingdom and Devlin DeFrancesco and Dalton Kellett from Toronto, Canada.

Though each nation has a soverign government, Queen Elizabeth II served as the official head of state.

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Upon her death, it was the first time those drivers of those respective lands never have had a queen as their official head of state.

Heartbreaking  RIP to Her Majesty The Queen  She was everything that makes us proud to be  Our Queen, forever! https://t.co/KJSVgCtujJ  Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey45) September 8, 2022

Ilott, 23, is among one of the younger drivers in IndyCar. The member of Juncos Hollinger Racing spoke of the magnitude of the moment.

For me and my mum, she was a symbol of our country, Ilott said. She was an icon of what we are, to be British. She was the most British person there was. As a country, her loss is super sad and touched me in ways I couldnt think of before.

Its weird because you would see her on the paper notes, on the coins, you would see her on TV every Christmas day. It was support for the country we will miss very dearly.

The Monarchy and the Royal Family are one of the things that make the British Empire and the United Kingdom so unique.

Attend an NHL game in Canada, and the Queens photo hangs high above the ice in the arena.

Heres the simple way with the monarchy, they are there in times of need, Ilott said. The country is run by the government itself, but if there is ever anarchy or something, they can step in and take over.

They are always there. The background support for everyone, whether it is emotional, its quite personal to a lot of people in the UK.

They are the face of me, the face of the country, the face of the flag and for quite a lot of world whether people like it or not.

Arrow McLaren SP is an IndyCar team that has majority control by McLaren, a racing and automotive brand that was founded by New Zealands Bruce McLaren. The McLaren Formula One team is based in Woking, England.

The McLaren Technology Centre was officially opened by the Queen back in 2004, and the team expressed its sadness.

The team at McLaren Racing mourn the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whilst also remembering her incredible reign. Our thoughts are with The Royal Family and people around the world during this terribly sad time.

Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II 1926  2022 pic.twitter.com/lGSTqAPI5s  McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 8, 2022

Her Majestys death has had an even bigger impact on teams and drivers in Formula One. But many of IndyCars top drivers are among the millions mourning the loss of the Queen, who was such a vital part of their culture.

The United Kingdoms period of official lasts for 10 days though her funeral Monday, Sept. 19.

With the Queens passing, her son, King Charles III, has ascended to the throne.

God save our gracious King. Long live our noble King. God save the King!

Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500

IndyCar drivers from British Commonwealth mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II originally appeared on NBCSports.com
ABC

One of the worst things about Donald Trump is all of his dummy mini-mes, Jimmy Kimmel said during his monologue Thursday night. All of these elastic-pants governors who are pulling their own little stunts to excite the stupid.

In this case, the late-night host was talking about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who sent two planes full of migrants to Marthas Vineyard as well as Texas Governor Greg Abbott who delivered two busloads to Vice President Kamala Harris doorstep.

This is a thing theyre doing now, Kimmel explained, using taxpayer money to ship these poor people looking for a better life to random places around the United States and then they laugh about it, they think its funny.

Then, after admonishing a craven Fox News reporter for sticking a microphone in a migrant childs faceand refusing to attempt a translationKimmel continued to lambaste this little hate-cation that DeSantis set up on Marthas Vineyard.

Daily Shows Trevor Noah Destroys Racist Little Mermaid Haters

While DeSantis predicted that the minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door they all of a sudden go berserk, the people of that Massachusetts island actually rallied together to provide them food, clothing, and shelter.

They showed them the spirit of America, Kimmel remarked before comparing DeSantis to that guy you went to high school with who desperately wanted to be prom king but he didnt have any charisma so instead he just pulled the fire alarm and ruined the dance for everybody.

For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast.

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EXCLUSIVE: New York-based arthouse distributor KimStim has acquired all North American rights to Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsukas third feature film, Stonewalling, which recently premiered in the Giornate Degli Autori section of this years Venice film festival.

Part of a trilogy that focus on the struggles of young women in contemporary China, the Chinese-language film revolves around a womans journey dealing with an unplanned pregnancy in the hyper-competitive, TikTok-influenced, gig economy world of urban China.

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The cast of the film is headed by Yao Honggui and also includes Liu Long, Xiao Zilong, Huang Xiaoxiong and Liu Gang. Wife-and-husband duo Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka previously directed Egg And Stone and Foolish Bird, also starring Yao Honggui.

Following its Venice premiere, Stonewalling is screening at Toronto International Film Festival before moving on to the New York and BFI London film festivals. KimStim is planning to release the film theatrically in early 2023.

Stonewalling is presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Collection (HKIFF Collection), a festivals and distribution initiative under HKIFFs industry arm.

The deal for North American rights was negotiated by KimStims Ian Stimler with the collections representative Pearl Chan of Good Move Media.

Stonewalling is a fascinating and at times damming look at the crushing societal forces on young people in China, especially in the realms of female bodily autonomy and economic opportunities, said Stimler.

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Click here to read the full article.
New reported cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico this month inched below 28 cases per 100,000 for the first time since May, and the state's top health official said Thursday it could indicate "we are getting over the BA.5 hump."

Cases declined sharply over two weeks, with 1,657 documented last week alone.

The omicron subvariant known as BA.5 is associated with 95 percent of New Mexico's current known case count, which does not account for positive home-based tests. Acting state health secretary Dr. David Scrase said the reported cases may account for just 25 percent of the actual total. Health officials delivered the updates during a livestreamed news conference.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 "community level" map, which assesses county-level COVID-19 vulnerability based on case data, hospital admissions and available beds, showed all 33 New Mexico counties at low to medium risk.

New Mexico Human Services Secretary David Scrase looks at an N-95 mask on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Santa Fe, N.M. as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the end of an indoor mask mandate in the state.

Based on CDC's rubric, in six "yellow" counties  Rio Arriba, Taos, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, McKinley and Hidalgo  high-quality masks such as N95s are recommended in indoor public settings for those at high risk of severe illness.

Community transmission data indicated that COVID-19 spread was still moderate to high in 94 percent of the state by county level. However, Scrase characterized case severity with the BA.5 subvariant as far less lethal than previous variants that drove deadly waves of illness that overwhelmed hospitals throughout the state in 2020 and 2021.

Emphasizing the point, deaths from COVID-19 had slowed to 12 reported in the last two weeks while hospitalizations for the disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, have been at a plateau through the summer with a slowly decreasing trend since July, per data from the New Mexico Department of Health. On Thursday, 81 were reported hospitalized in the state.

Staying 'up to date' on vaccines

Earlier this month, New Mexico received its first shipments of a new COVID-19 vaccine specifically targeting the virus' omicron variant, and on Thursday acting state epidemiologist Dr. Laura Parajon said over 7,000 doses had been administered.

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A man swabs his nose as part of a COVID-19 test on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Las Cruces, N.M.

Health officials are urging residents to be "up to date" with COVID-19 vaccinations, meaning one has received the primary course of vaccine and the newest booster. Scrase clarified that while one may have received a booster as recently as a month ago, they would not be considered up to date until they received the omicron booster a minimum of 60 days from a previous booster.

Following this, Scrase again predicted that vaccine research seemed to be evolving to a point where SARS-CoV-2 would be managed with periodic new boosters in a "flu-shot-like approach." However, he also confirmed that COVID-19 is not yet exhibited seasonal ebbs and flows like flu.

While distribution of vaccines has continued to shift more to pharmacies and individual provider settings, appointments can still be made through the health department at www.VaccineNM.org.

Additionally, the Aging and Long Term Services Department is rolling out a campaign to boost the elderly, especially residents of long-term care settings, with the new vaccine.

Katrina Otrum-Lopez, Aging and Long-Term Services cabinet secretary.

ALTS Secretary Katrina Hotrum-Lopez said her agency was organizing an effort to deliver the new vaccine alongside flu shots in 236 assisted living facilities and 36 nursing homes, and hosting public drive-thru vaccination events at senior centers around the state.

Monkeypox, polio and West Nile virus

Parajon reported that in the current monkeypox outbreak, 33 cases had been confirmed in New Mexico, with only one case requiring hospitalization. Since July, 1,749 people had received an initial dose of monkeypox vaccine and 179 had received the second dose.

The vaccine is available for those at the highest risk of getting the disease, which is spread through physical contact with someone who is positive for the virus. CDC data reports that a majority of cases in the 2022 outbreak have been among men who have spread it via sexual contact with other men, but emphasizes that anyone can acquire the disease regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

There were 23,117 cases and a single fatality reported in the United States as of Thursday.

She also reported, in response to recent news that New York State had confirmed its first case of polio in a decade, that no cases of polio had been identified in New Mexico, and that indeed the state was seventh highest in the U.S. for full vaccination against the viral illness.

She cautioned, however, that vaccination participation in general had taken a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, attributable in part to a period where public schools were closed and other limitations on access to healthcare settings. The return of poliovirus elsewhere was presented as a warning.

"We thought we had mostly eradicated it in the United States," Parajon said, "but if we're not vaccinated, polio, which mostly affects children, can actually cause one out of 200 children to actually become paralyzed. ... We don't want to have kids become paralyzed for a disease that we can actually prevent."

West Nile virus, on the other hand, is a recurring disease in New Mexico, transmitted mainly by mosquito bites. Parajon reported three human cases and one animal case this year as Thursday's conference. The illness may include fever, skin rash, body aches, nausea and other symptoms.

Others are reading:

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico COVID-19 cases decrease as state rolls out new booster shots
The roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Wednesday were then transported to Cape Cod on Friday, where they will have access to food, shelter and emergency services, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers office said.

The migrants were due to be brought to an emergency shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, which served as an alternative medical care site during the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a shelter for displaced Louisiana residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

We are grateful to the providers, volunteers and local officials that stepped up on Marthas Vineyard over the past few days to provide immediate services to these individuals, Baker, a Republican, said in a statement. Our administration has been working across state government to develop a plan to ensure these individuals will have access to the services they need going forward, and Joint Base Cape Cod is well equipped to serve these needs.

The migrants arrival on Martha's Vineyard came as a surprise to the island community, known as a popular vacation spot for the wealthy and political elite, including former President Barack Obama. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, later confirmed he was behind the move.

Although their travel to Massachusetts was facilitated by DeSantis, the migrants who arrived on Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday came from Texas. The DeSantis administration paid an aviation company, Vertol Systems Company Inc., $615,000 to transport the migrants from San Antonio to the exclusive vacation enclave. The Republican-led Florida Legislature had previously approved $12 million to go toward moving migrants out of Florida to other states, a fact DeSantis highlighted during a press conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Friday.

The legislature gave me $12 million, we are going to spend every penny of that to make sure that were protecting the people in the state of Florida, DeSantis said.

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Taryn Fenske, communications director for DeSantis, said on Friday: States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden administrations open border policies."

Upon arrival, many of the migrants said they did not know where they were and some said they had been misled with the promise of expedited work permits and other support. DeSantis disputed this on Friday, saying the migrants boarded the planes voluntarily after signing release forms, and that they were handed packets with maps of Marthas Vineyard, so it was obvious that thats where they were going.

President Joe Biden condemned the move , calling it a political stunt.

Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props. What theyre doing is simply wrong, he said Thursday at a gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

At her Friday press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was critical of DeSantis and Greg Abbott, another Republican governor who has bussed migrants in the U.S. from Texas to cities including Washington, New York and Chicago. Those governors, Jean-Pierre said, treated [the migrants] like chattel in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.

In an appearance on Fox News Friday, Abbott defended his actions, saying, What weve done in the state of Texas is follow the law to the T to make sure that everything that weve done comports with the federal law. We receive written authorization by everybody that we transport that they agree to exactly what we are doing.

Jean-Pierre struck a sharply different tone. These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo-op? she said. Because these governors care more about creating political theater than creating actual solutions to help.

She also called on Republicans to support Bidens immigration reform bill , which has floundered in Congress.

Gary Fineout contributed to this report.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Armenia after a clash along its border with Azerbaijan killed 200 people.

A fragile ceasefire between the two countries held for a second day on Friday after the outburst of violence on the border, according to the Associated Press.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that at least 135 troops were killed in the fighting. Azerbaijans Defence Ministry said it had lost 71.

The two countries are engaged in a conflict over who controls the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is part of Azerbaijan but ethnic Armenian forces have controlled since 1994.

Ms Pelosi confirmed that she would make the visit during a press conference in Berlin at the G7 Speakers Summit and said it was because of a standing invitation from Armenia. She noted how President Joe Biden recently declared that Turkey indeed committed genocide against Armenians.

And this is a major human rights challenge, and we have finally accomplished it, she said. And we're proud of President Biden for his role in all of this.

Ms Pelosi said she did not know that her record was public but a reporter overheard her discussing it.

So I won't be discussing the details of the visit, she said. You'll see that when we get there. But it's  Im stunned because when Members travel, we don't like to be a target. So we don't like any advance  of coming except, at some point, something of this nature. And so I hope that I have not endangered my colleagues by your question.

This would not be the first controversial trip Ms Pelosi has taken this year. Last month, Ms Pelosi visited Taiwan, which courted criticism from the Peoples Republic of China.
Since the Queens death was announced, the new Prince and Princess of Wales have viewed floral tributes in Windsor and at Sandringham as well as attending a moving service ahead of the Queens Lying in State. And today, they arrived at the Army Training Centre in the village of Pirbright to meet with Commonwealth troops deployed to the UK for Mondays State Funeral.

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood - Getty Images

The royal couple arrived at the centre, which is about 30 miles west of London, at about 3:30 p.m. UK time to meet with some of the troops. Soldiers from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have gathered at Pirbright to rehearse their roles in the ceremony, and William and Kate were there to thank them for the part they are playing in the Queens funeral.

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood - Getty Images

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood - Getty Images

The visit came as it was announced that approximately 6,000 service personnel from all three branches of the Armed Forces and from across the Commonwealth will be involved in the processions before and after Mondays funeral. The Queens coffin will be pulled on the State Ceremonial Gun Carriage by members of the Royal Navy, a tradition since the 1901 funeral of Queen Victoria. Royal Canadian Mounted Policeor Mounties as they are knownwill lead the procession through London after the service from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images

Meanwhile today, the King and Queen Consort visited Wales, the final stop on their tour of the United Kingdom since he took to the throne. They attended a service of prayer and reflection at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff before receiving a motion of condolences at Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, then meeting members of the public at Cardiff Castle. Just as Queen Elizabeth was the longest-serving British monarch, Charles was the longest-serving Prince of Wales, a title he was given aged nine in 1958.

Tomorrow, Prince William will be joined by his brother Harry and their six cousins as the Queens eight grandchildren out a vigil around her coffin. William will be at the head with Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, while Harry will be at the foot of the coffin alongside Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Lady Louise and her brother James, Viscount Severn, will be either side of the middle of the coffin. Prince Harry, who lost his honorary military positions after stepping back as a working royal, will wear military uniform for this one event but will be in morning dress for the funeral.

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City

 Daiquan M. Taylor, 18, 30 Gaylord St., Auburn, was charged Sept. 12 with unauthorized use of a vehicle.

 Donald R. Flynn, 50, 13 Rock Ave., Auburn, was charged Sept. 12 with third-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument

 Steven T. Nowak, 24, 71 Walnut St., Auburn, was charged Sept. 13 with petit larceny.

 Ratasha J. Carpenter, 28, 61 Perry St., Auburn, was charged Sept. 13 with fourth-degree criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child.

 Steven F. Squires, 35, 74 Fitch Ave., Auburn, was charged Sept. 15 with possession of a mislabeled dangerous substance, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

 Ronald A. Newman, 77, 305 N. Marvine Ave., Auburn, was charged Sept. 14 with third-degree grand larceny, third-degree welfare fraud, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and misuse of food stamps.

 Cody J. Church, 18, 32 Frazee St., Auburn, was charged Sept. 15 with criminal obstruction of breathing and first-degree criminal contempt.

 Stephanie F. Kuti, 35, 1721 Seneca Trail, Waterloo, was charged Sept. 15 with petit larceny.

 Jamie E. Thompson, 28, transient, Geneva, was charged Sept. 15 with petit larceny.

 Tylor J. McCracken, 23, 62 Seymour St., Auburn, was charged Sept. 15 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

County

 George G. Shuttleworth, 41, 370 Guypark Ave., Amsterdam, was charged Sept. 15 with third-degree burglary, fourth-degree grand larceny and petit larceny.

State

 Dennis J. Schafer, 57, Auburn, was charged Sept. 14 with promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child.

 Claude E. Zirbel, 44, Moravia, was charged Sept. 14 with second-degree criminal contempt.

 Trevor D. Anthony, 29, Sterling, was charged Sept. 14 with petit larceny.
Prime Minister Liz Truss will meet a number of world leaders ahead of the Queens funeral (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

Liz Truss is to meet a number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau when they visit Britain for the Queens funeral.

Downing Street on Friday detailed the head-to-heads confirmed so far for the Prime Minister this weekend, ahead of the state funeral.

She will meet privately with her counterparts from Australia and New Zealand, Anthony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern, at the Governments Chevening country residence on Saturday, a No 10 spokesperson said.

On Sunday, she will meet Mr Martin, Mr Trudeau, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Mr Biden at Downing Street.

Ms Truss has met Mr Biden as foreign secretary but this will be their first meeting since she became Prime Minister.

It will take place against a backdrop of disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol and difficulties working towards a trade deal with the White House.

The protocol is also likely to come up when she speaks to Mr Martin amid strained relations between the two countries over post-Brexit arrangements.

The head-to-head with Mr Biden, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Trusss visit to the UN General Assembly next week although No 10 did not rule out another bilateral there.

In a phone conversation with His Majesty King Charles III last night, I expressed Frances condolences on the death of his mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I will attend the funeral in London on Monday.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2022

It is likely that the summit in New York will be where Ms Truss meets French President Emmanuel Macron, rather than during his visit to the UK.

Mr Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his countrys condolences in a call to the King.

He tweeted about the unbreakable ties between France and the UK as he promised to strengthen the relationship between the UK and France by following the path of the late Queen.

Story continues

A meeting between the pair could be a chance for Ms Truss to clear up where their relationship stands after she sparked controversy by saying the jurys out over whether Mr Macron is a friend or foe during her campaign to become Tory leader.

I'll simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern

Ms Truss and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also understood to be arranging a meeting while both attend the UN summit, where they are expected to discuss the dispute between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Truss is not expected to meet Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan, who is set to attend the state funeral on Monday instead of leader Xi Jinping.

Chinas official delegation is expected to be barred from attending the Queens lying in state in Westminster Hall by the Commons Speaker, while seven MPs and peers remain sanctioned by Beijing.

No 10 earlier declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up.

Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Ministers country residence of Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit.

As well as her head-to-heads with world leaders on Sunday, Ms Truss will have an audience with the King before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace.

Ms Ardern will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister before the Queens funeral.

The New Zealand prime minister confirmed the meetings but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will share the sorrow that New Zealand has with the new monarch.

Ill simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences, the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, thats first and foremost.

Ms Ardern also said the Queens death and new King will be the focus of conversation when she and Ms Truss meet.

She said she will also likely discuss Ukraine and the UKs free trade agreement with New Zealand.

I am sure we will also transact our relationship as well, but it is all within the context of the week of mourning that the UK is currently in, she said.

At the Palaces invitation, 10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the Prime Minister and Governor-General on September 19.



Here's more about who they are:



(1/11)  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 13, 2022

As a member of the Commonwealth, New Zealand will bring 10 additional guests from the community, including the Maori King, Tuheitia Paki, according to a Foreign Office source.

Around 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey  which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Uzbekistan on Friday morning for a meeting with Russias President Vladimir Putin there this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with President Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italys President Sergio Mattarella and Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending.

But Downing Street declined to confirm reports that Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska, President Volodymyr Zelenskys wife, will travel to the funeral.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London for what will be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in place of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Invitations to the Queens funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine.

Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has also been excluded, as has Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday compared the actions of two Republican governors who sent migrants to Democrat-run cities to that of smugglers, the latest jab in an increasingly fraught back-and-forth over the issue of migration and the southern border.

Jean-Pierre took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) after they put migrants on buses and planes and sent them to Washington, D.C., Massachusetts and Chicago. She accused the governors of luring more than 100 asylum-seekers, including children, under false promises that they would receive shelter and benefits.

These were children, they were moms, they were fleeing communism, Jean-Pierre said. And what did Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like cattle in a cruel, premeditated political stunt.

She argued it was a clear stunt because DeSantis, whose state does not border Mexico, arranged to fly the migrants to Massachusetts and did not alert authorities there of their impending arrival.

These vulnerable migrants were reportedly misled about where they were headed  misled about what they would be provided when they arrived, promised shelter, refuge, benefits and more, Jean-Pierre said. These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo op. Because these governors care more about creating political theater than creating actual solutions to help folks who are fleeing communism.

DeSantis flew two planes of migrants to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts on Wednesday. Abbott has repeatedly made similar moves, including sending two buses of migrants to Vice President Harriss residence in Washington that arrived on Thursday.

Republicans have argued the Biden administration has mismanaged the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, leading to a major influx of migrants flowing into the country. In sending some migrants to blue states, GOP governors have argued those areas should take on some of the responsibility of caring for them.

White House officials have insisted that they inherited a broken immigration system that is still being rebuilt after the pandemic. Democrats have widely condemned the governors actions as pure politics and potentially harmful to the individuals being sent across the country.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Sony Pictures The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, is now playing in theaters, and much like past historical actioners like Braveheart or Gladiator, those who venture out to see the film will likely be wondering how much of it is rooted in fact.

John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Adrienne Warren and others star alongside Davis in the story of West African women warriors who take no husbands and serve in their positions for a lifetime to protect their nation.

Davis character is based on a real life historic figure named General Nanisca, and in the film she trains new recruits alongside Izogie (Lynch) and Amenza (Atim). Headstrong new recruit Nawi (Mbedu) and her peers Fumbe (Masali Baduza) and Ode (Adrienne Warren) challenge their elder superiors with new battle tactics, thoughts and principles.

So is The Woman King a true story? The short answer is yes, the film derives from real historical events and accounts, but only so much reliable source material was available. Heres the real history behind the film.

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The Woman King Film Review: Viola Davis Rules in Fresh and Meaningful Action Film

There Was a Soldier Named Nanisca, and Another Named Nawi

The character that Davis plays, General Nanisca, is largely fictional but may be rooted in fact. According to Smithsonian Magazine, a French naval officer did write an account of a teenage recruit to the woman army named Nanisca. In the French officers account, Nanisca walked jauntily up to [a prisoner bound in a basket], swung her sword three times with both hands, then calmly cut the last flesh that attached the head to the trunk. The man observing her also wrote that she then squeezed the blood off her weapon and swallowed it.

The Nanisca in this historical account supposedly died in battle three months later. Smithsonian also recounts a story of a woman named Nawi.

King Ghezo Ruled from 1818 to 1858

John Boyega in The Woman King (Tristar)

John Boyegas character King Ghezo (sometimes spelled Gezo) is also based on a historical figure. According to BBC Travel, Ghezo was responsible for incorporating the group named after the Greek mythological Amazons into his army during his reign of the Kingdom of Dahomey, the capital of which was Abomey. Dahomey was a West African empire that lasted from 1625 to 1894.

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The empire land can be found in todays Benin on the coast between Nigeria and Togo on the African continent. BBC Travel also says Abomey, the former capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey and now a thriving city in southern Benin.

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The Agojie Can Be Traced to the Dahomey Amazons, and Teams of Female Hunters Known as Gbeto

Time Magazine suggests a theory that roots the Dahomey soldiers to regiments existing in 17th century regiments of female soldiers called gbeto. These teams have also been said to be recruited from among the Kings many wives. Time highlights Sylvia Serbins The Women Soldiers of Dahomey, which says that categorization of the warriors and their names were based on a womans weapons expertise and her assigned unit. The King was always surrounded by armed women in public and private life and by the end of the 19th century, around 4000 women, who began training as teenagers, were among the Dahomey military ranks. Another source Time used includes Henrik Clarkes essay on African Warrior Queens: Black Women of Antiquity.

The Dahomey Amazons Also Inspired the Dora Milaje in Marvels Black Panther

The highly skilled all-female warriors in Marvels Black Panther (and previously in the comics) known as the Dora Milaje drew inspiration from the same group of Dahomey Amazons, named so by the French in comparison to the mythological women warriors. Time cites the first introduction of the Dora Milaje to the Black Panther comic by Christopher Priest, who took over as the series lead writer in 1998. In the fictional world of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje serve as the kings female bodyguards, and they are led by Okoye (Danai Gurira), who will reprise her role in the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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Supreme Court Issues Orders And Releases Opinions - Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

An LGBTQ+ student organization at Yeshiva University is delaying its fight with the university after the school paused all undergraduate club activities in an effort to avoid a court order to recognize the LGBTQ+ club.

YU Pride Alliance said Wednesday it will allow a stay on the court order while the lawsuit continues in New York appellate courts if the school agrees to allow student club activities to resume, but called it a painful and difficult decision.

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We are agreeing to this stay while the case moves through the New York courts because we do not want YU to punish our fellow by ending all student activities while it circumvents its responsibilities, YU Pride Alliance tells Rolling Stone in a statement. YU is attempting to hold all of its students hostage while it deploys manipulative legal tactics, all in an effort to avoid treating our club equally.

On September 14, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from Yeshiva University to stay a lower court order requiring the New York school to officially recognize YU Pride Alliance, an on-campus group supporting students in the LGBTQ+ community. As a Jewish university, Yeshiva has argued that the schools reading of the Torah prohibits the clubs acceptance and is a protected position under freedom of religion.

Rather than abide by the rulings, all official student clubs at Yeshiva were put on pause. Officials from the administration did not tell students when a decision would be reached, according to The Commentator, the school newspaper.

Considering the upcoming Chagim [holy days], the university will hold off on all undergraduate club activities while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the U.S. Supreme Court to protect YUs religious freedom, a university email shared by The Commentator reads.

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The Commentator also reported that the school is considering dissolving all clubs and student organizations rather than officially recognizing the group  a decision that has left the future of the clubs in flux.

Every faith-based university in the country has the right to work with its students, including its LGBTQ students, to establish the clubs, places and spaces that fit within its faith tradition. Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination, a Yeshiva spokesperson said in a statement Friday. The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief and we will follow their instructions. At the same time, as our commitment to and love for our LGBTQ students are unshakeable, we continue to extend our hand in invitation to work together to create a more inclusive campus life consistent with our Torah values.

The YU Pride Alliance called the canceling of clubs an attempt to divide the student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers. But the continued battle between the club and the school has had a much wider impact than the walls of the campus. An open letter to the school, signed by over 1,000 YU alumni and 200 faculty members, called Yeshivas refusal and continued legal action distressing to the schools larger community and implored the school to work together with the LGBTQ+ group to come to a conclusion everyone can accept.

YU accepted us as students, YU collects the same tuition from us as everyone else, and we will not be second-class citizens, YU Pride tells Rolling Stone. We hope that YU will eventually accept our group for what it is: a safe place for discussion and support that LGBTQ+ students need on the YU campus to thrive.

Even if YU Pride Alliance is victorious in a state ruling, it is not the final say on the case, as the university is allowed to return to the Supreme Court after they receive a ruling in state courts.

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Political fallout continued Friday as Democrats and Republicans sounded off about the transportation of migrants from border states to cities and areas run by Democrats.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, escalated their months-long effort to push migrants to Democratic areas by sending approximately 100 migrants to Martha's Vineyard and near Vice President Kamala Harris's Washington residence.

Republicans are cheering the move while President Joe Biden and Democrats condemn it as a heartless political stunt.

The feud underscores the political headache immigration poses for the Biden administration this midterm election cycle amid an influx of asylum seekers.

"All we're trying to do is offer transport to sanctuary jurisdictions, free to the alien, but certainly not mandatory," DeSantis said at a press conference on Friday. "And that way they're able to go and these sanctuary jurisdictions can put their money where their mouth is."

MORE: GOP leaders seek base-driving narratives: The Note

DeSantis acknowledged that the migrants he flew to Martha's Vineyard were from Texas, not Florida, but claimed many had their sights set on making their way to his state. He also promised more migrant vans would be sent as he plans to use all the money in the state budget for this relocation program.

"I have $12 million for us to use and so we are going to use it and you're gonna see more and more," DeSantis said. "I'm going to make sure that we exhaust all those funds."

PHOTO: Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses attendees during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, July 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP, FILE)

The White House, meanwhile, continued to fire back at Republicans who they say are interfering with the federal process for managing migrants and even putting them at risk.

"These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo op?" press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during Friday's press briefing.

Press sec. Karine Jean-Pierre excoriates GOP governors DeSantis, Abbott over migrant relocations, calling the move "the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers." https://t.co/BLjjXefXrc pic.twitter.com/lqWlnOSybX  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 16, 2022

Reporting on the ground this week painted a confusing and chaotic situation as local officials said they received no notice that the migrants were being transported. Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr told ABC News' Brad Mielke that one migrant he spoke to "referred to a feeling of essentially being kidnapped."

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Jean-Pierre cited reports from NPR and other outlets stating migrants thought they were being transported to other cities, not Martha's Vineyard or northwestern Washington.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has formally asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether DeSantis broke any criminal or civil violations of federal law.

Charlie Crist, Florida's Democratic nominee for governor, is filing a Sunshine Law request for all emails, texts and all forms of internal communication regarding DeSantis's decision to fly migrants to the island south of Cape Cod.

MORE: Buses and planes carrying migrants arrive in liberal states without warning

Jean-Pierre repeatedly deflected questions about a potential legal response from the administration, stating any decision would come from the Department of Justice -- which has yet to publicly comment on this issue.

PHOTO: Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds the daily press briefing at the White House, Sept. 16, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

DeSantis and Abbott both denied Friday that migrants were misled.

"These are voluntary transportation that they're signing up for," DeSantis said. "But they're given a good ride, they're given everything  What's not humane is what Biden is doing. He's false given a false promise that the borders open, luring people out here for political purposes, and then basically cutting these people loose and leaving them high and dry."

The White House has defended the administration's work on immigration challenges so far, stating they inherited a broken system from the Trump administration.

President Biden, speaking at a gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Thursday night, said his administration was dedicated to finding a solution but offered no concrete steps to further alleviate the situation.

"We're committed to fixing the immigration system," Biden said. "Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props. What they're doing is simply wrong."

- ABC News' Miles Cohen, Quinn Owen and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

DeSantis, White House trade more fire over migrant drop-offs originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
WASHINGTON  A new bipartisan bill to give Afghans in America a pathway to permanent residency stands a slim chance of winning enough Republican support to become law in the near future.

The U.S. brought in tens of thousands of people as part of its hasty retreat from Afghanistan last year but has not said that they can stay.

The Afghan Adjustment Act, introduced in August by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) with three Republican co-sponsors, would create a path to permanent residency for more than 77,000 Afghans who have arrived in the U.S. since last summer.

Giving our Afghan allies  many of whom worked alongside our U.S. Military  a chance to apply for permanent legal status is the right and necessary thing to do, Klobuchar told HuffPost in a statement. This bipartisan legislation will provide Afghans who submit to additional vetting a green card to live and work in the United States.

The bill would also expand eligibility for so-called special immigrant visas to other at-risk groups still in Afghanistan, such as certain former members of the Afghan armed forces.

These people have no place to go, bill co-sponsor Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told HuffPost. Their country has fallen into hell.

But Graham acknowledged that it would be difficult to win over enough Republicans to get the bill through the Senate, saying his colleagues have a legitimate concern that Afghan nationals could pose a security risk.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), for instance, argued that President Joe Bidens administration failed to vet the 80,000 Afghans admitted to the U.S. last year. A Defense Department report from February said its records on 50 Afghan evacuees indicated potentially significant security concerns.

I think we need to start by finding out whos here and what their background is, and making sure people around the country know where these people went to, Scott told HuffPost.

As Novembers midterm elections approach, Republicans have been more hostile toward immigrants in general, with some describing them as invaders pouring through an insecure southern border. GOP governors have even sent buses and planes full of migrants to Democratic-led cities as a political stunt.

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In August 2021, the Biden administration used a measure known as humanitarian parole to allow Afghans to enter the U.S. for a two-year period. Officials ran evacuees fingerprints and records through criminal and terrorism databases at military installations in Europe and the Middle East.

Parole is not recognized as an immigration status, and it offers no road to permanent residency. The main options for Afghans are asylum and special immigrant status, but these can be complicated and costly to attain.

The Biden administration announced in March that Afghans would be eligible for temporary protected status, preventing them from having to return to unsafe conditions, but TPS does not guarantee permanent residency.

Advocates of the Afghan Adjustment Act  who point to the fact that Afghans in the U.S. could lose eligibility for humanitarian parole or temporary protected status next year and potentially face deportation  are optimistic about the bills prospects.

Even if we run out of time this month, we have other opportunities to get this done, said Chris Purdy, the director of Veterans for American Ideals and Outreach at the nonprofit Human Rights First. Passing this bill is a major priority for members in both houses. And every time weve brought this to Congress, weve gotten more and more supporters. Passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act is not a matter of if; its a matter of when.

There has been less violence in Afghanistan since the U.S. finished its withdrawal last summer, but the ruling Taliban reportedly still target former members of the military and government officials, despite a declared amnesty. The government is accused of persecuting minority groups and imprisoning and torturing journalists, while women face restrictive new laws. The country is also experiencing an economic crisis, which is primarily the result of frozen assets in the United States, as well as other factors such as drought.

Still, the near future is unlikely to see a critical mass of support for protecting Afghan evacuees, and Republicans could take control of one or both chambers of Congress next year, which would make this even more difficult.

I just wish we could all agree, conceptually, that the people who are here have no place to go back, and they were involved in a war that we were involved in for 20 years and how we treat them will say a lot about how people will fight with us in the future, Graham said.

On Thursday, a small number of supporters rallied for the bill outside of Congress.

Many of those we are advocating for, if not all, have made the ultimate sacrifice by putting their lives in danger protecting democracy and helping our men and women in uniform, Jawaid Kotwal, an Afghan American, told Huffpost.

So we owe it to them. We did it in the past, for Vietnamese and Kurds. So its the moral responsibility of the U.S. government to protect these people, and those who have already made it, to give them a pathway and road map towards citizenship.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision to transport dozens of Venezuelan migrants to the elite Massachusetts enclave of Martha's Vineyard unannounced achieved its unspoken purpose of riling up the left.

But the stunt could have unplanned ramifications for DeSantis and the GOP writ large, experts told USA TODAY.

"At first blush, (DeSantis' decision to send the migrants) is dehumanizing and deceptive propaganda without much in the way of rational policy formulation or meaningful engagement with the federal government," said Mark Schlakman, an immigration law professor at Florida State University who served as an immigration consultant to President George W. Bush's administration. This actually has the potential to backfire in a very substantial way.

A group of about 50 Venezuelan migrants were flown from Texas to Marthas Vineyard this week on two charter flights for which DeSantis has taken credit. USA TODAY later learned the migrants were told they would be met with well-paying jobs, free housing and transportation once they got off the planes. Instead, when the migrants arrived, Massachusetts officials were surprised and unprepared, with no such promises in sight.

False hope: Migrants were promised jobs, free housing before being taken to Martha's Vineyard

A spokesperson for DeSantis said the migrants relocation was part of the governor's "promise to drop off undocumented migrants in progressive states."

DeSantis: 'More flights' likely

More flights to send Venezuelan immigrants to out-of-state sanctuary communities will be coming, DeSantis said.

There's also going to be buses, and there will likely be more flights, he said in Daytona Beach. But I'll tell you this, the Legislature gave me $12 million. We're going to spend every penny of that to make sure that we're protecting the people of the state of Florida.

The governor was referring to $12 million the Florida Legislature appropriated this year to cover the cost of transporting migrants out of Florida if they are apprehended at the border and brought to the state.

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Immigrants gather with their belongings outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Wednesday Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday flew two planes of immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, escalating a tactic by Republican governors to draw attention to what they consider to be the Biden administration's failed border policies. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via AP)

The tactic to fly migrants north shows DeSantis is caught between two imperatives, says William LeoGrande, a government professor at American University with expertise in U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America: On one hand, the Florida GOP wants to cultivate the Venezuelan American vote. But on the other hand, DeSantis and the broader GOP see immigration as a "wedge issue."

"Right now, DeSantis is opting to focus on the wedge issue, even at the expense of Venezuelan Americans," LeoGrande said

DeSantis migrant move: Why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard?

Venezuela has been governed by a socialist government since 1999. As politics there became increasingly polarized under former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and now Nicolas Maduro, more Venezuelans are emigrating to the U.S.

While the population of Venezuelan Americans is much smaller  and less politically powerful  than Florida's influential Cuban American population, the community has grown by at least 54% since 2015, making it one of the fastest-growing Latino groups in the U.S.

Growing clout of Venezuelan Americans

"(Venezuelan Americans) have become not a huge voting bloc, but a very active voting bloc," LeoGrande said. "I think what the Florida Republican Party is trying to do is re-create the Cuban American phenomenon. That is to say, get in early and build political links to this exile community, which is what they did with the Cuban Americans (which) has been very successful."

Cuban American playbook: Venezuelans are a growing Latino group in the US. Can they recreate the Cuban American voter playbook?

The Biden administration, encouraged by Florida lawmakers, has also tried to woo Venezuelan-American voters.

Last year, the administration granted 343,000 Venezuelans already in the United States Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, in March 2021. It allows them the chance to legally live and work in the country for 18 months. It has since been extended to March, 10, 2024.

Many of those Cuban and Venezuelan migrants who achieved U.S. citizenship vote for American Republicans, who promote a right-wing anti-socialist Latin American policy that resonates with those voters.

Florida Republicans and the national party have poured significant resources into courting Venezuelan American voters.

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside a church on Sept. 14, 2022, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. Local leaders say two plane landings here appear to be carrying Venezuelan nationals sent to Massachusetts by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have advocated for the Biden administration to crack down on the activities of Venezuela's government, and Rubio's office in March helped migrants from Venezuela, as well as Haiti and Ukraine, apply for temporary protected status. Plus, the Republican National Committee last year opened a Hispanic Community Center in Doral, Fla., a city inhabited by a large Venezuelan population.

Yet following DeSantis' migrant relocation in Martha's Vineyard, Florida's GOP congressional lawmakers have mostly kept quiet on social media.

"Going silent or not weighing in  just letting that dust settle, so to speak  is not exactly bold leadership, Schlakman said. It seems to be valuing propaganda above the life circumstances of, in this case, the Venezuelans and other people who are fleeing persecution from many other places in the world."

In response to USA TODAY's request for comment, Scott said that DeSantis sending migrants north was his way of drawing attention to the border crisis' effect on Florida, himself advocating for securing the border.

"Secure the border and have an immigration policy that works," Scott said, criticizing President Joe Biden's border policy, in an audio clip sent by his office. "We have got to have an immigration policy that people who want to live our dream can come here."

A 'deeply cynical ploy'

Rubio on Friday defended DeSantis' action, suggesting purported failures in U.S. immigration policy are the bigger problem.

What was wrong in Marthas Vineyard is about a small, like minuscule fraction of the problem being carried by just a handful of states, said Rubio, a Miami-area Republican whose parents emigrated from Cuba, during an appearance in West Palm Beach. Most states are taking on 90% of the burden of uncontrolled illegal immigration.

Rubio and several Florida U.S. House members did not return USA TODAY's requests for comment.

More: Migrants were promised jobs, free housing to transport them to Martha's Vineyard, advocates say

The migrant relocation and subsequent silence from Republican lawmakers could have ramifications for the state's Republican leaders who are counting on the Venezuelan vote less than two months away from November's midterm elections.

"Is is this kind of action by DeSantis enough to pull them away from that Republican identification?" LeoGrande said. "Probably not. I think DeSantis is wagering that it will not.

Relocation redux: Reverse Freedom Riders: Cape Cod migrant crisis evokes 60-year-old memories of similar ploy

"But it might it might lead some Venezuelan Americans to say, 'Well, a pox on both your houses. I don't want to vote for either of these parties. And for some Venezuelans who came to the United States and are not from a wealthy background ... it's possible that they might be attracted by some of the Democrats' support for social programs."

The issue could play a role in DeSantis' bigger plans, which many suspect includes a 2024 presidential run.

The Florida governor is among the top Republican names for potential presidential contenders in 2024, and one of a handful thought to pose a serious challenge to former President Donald Trump, should he choose to run again. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has also sent migrants to safe haven states, has also been floated as a potential 2024 presidential contender.

"Gov. Abbott has gotten a lot of press attention out of bussing migrants north to blue states, and I think DeSantis wanted to get in on the action  after all, they're potential rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination," LeoGrande said. "I also think he was enjoying trolling the Democrats, or 'owning the libs,' so to say."

"But it's a deeply cynical ploy," he added, "using men, women and children as as political pawns to score media points."

Contributing: Rebecca Morin, David Jackson, USA TODAY Florida Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Migrant relocation to Martha's Vineyard could dent DeSantis' ambitions
The menu board at Marion

Harvard Wang

There are moments in Melbourne, when you're sitting at a charming sidewalk table with a glass of wine in hand, looking out over a cobblestone streetscape, that you might imagine you're in Europe. My hometown is an amalgamation of dozens of cultures, but the sidewalk cafes and casual wine bars of Italy have perhaps shaped the city and its restaurants most thoroughly. After World War I, Melbourne became a preferred destination for Italian immigrants who brought their penchant for sidewalk wine-drinking with them. We're still reaping the benefits. We are also constantly evolving. While you can still grab a glass of Chianti at the 87-year-old Jimmy Watson's on Lygon StreetMelbourne's answer to Little Italythe wine bar scene in the city is evolving as fast as the broader viniculture of Australia.

Sometimes, that does mean hewing close to the European ideal, as with Geralds Bar on leafy Rathdowne Street, its storefront full of vintage ephemera. Geralds has a sister bar in San Sebastian, Spain, and much of the food is influenced by that connection: baccala with potato bread, Basque cheesecake. The wine list is broad and mostly European, with a by-the-glass list that changes nightly.

About 10 blocks south is the acclaimed Carlton Wine Room, a brighter, larger version of the classic Melbourne wine bar. The kitchen turns out fresh, modern Australian snacks, and the list is broad enough to cover any number of tastes. One of the owners is Andrew Joy, a local winemaker who has found great success with his Little Ra Ra label, a lovely example of funky natural winemaking.

Bar manager Josh Begbie and head chef Zackary Leon Furst in front of Bar Liberty

Dominic Xavier

Another place to explore exciting Australian pet-nats and skin-contact whites is Bar Liberty in Fitzroylook for the spray-painted sign. This intimate but fun wine bar was originally opened by a former sommelier at Attica, one of Australia's best restaurants, and the list is split between exciting newer Australian winemakers and European labels. (There's a particular affection for wines from Jura.)

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Also in Fitzroy is Marion, which offers fantastic people-watching from its window seats that face trendy Gertrude Street. The list here shares the cellar with next-door fine diner Cutler & Co. (both are owned by Andrew McConnell, one of the city's most respected chefs), meaning Marion guests have access to close to 450 bottles, including unicorns, local gems, back vintages, and accessible varieties. The food menu caters to just about any whim, from sardines on toast to a whole lobster.

Our latest wine bar evolution is sustainability, demonstrated most brilliantly at Parcs. Opened in April of this year by the team behind Sunda and Arutwo of the city's most inventive Southeast Asian restaurantsthe emphasis here is on reducing waste in the food, and the wine list is low-intervention-focused. Upon opening, chef Dennis Yong's "umami e pepe" became instantly iconic, the dish a play on cacio e pepe using hokkien noodles and miso made from stale bread.

Besha Rodell is a columnist for The New York Times and the chief restaurant reviewer for Melbourne's The Age newspaper.
MPV

(CNN) -- Since the beginning of the monkeypox outbreak, scientists and activists have pushed for the name of the virus and the disease to be changed to something "non-discriminatory" and "non-stigmatizing."

Public health experts have worried that stigma could steer people away from getting tested and vaccinated. A new name can help slow the spread of the disease, they say, but it needs to come quickly.

Globally, nearly 60,000 cases have been identified, placing the name "monkeypox" in individuals' medical files. The World Health Organization's director-general promised in June that a change in the name was coming "as soon as possible," and WHO said it was working with experts to change the name of the virus, its variants and the disease it causes.

But that was months ago.

How a virus gets its name

Typically, the scientist who isolates a virus gets to suggest a name. The naming of the species is the responsibility of WHO's International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Scientists have been calling this virus "monkeypox" for 64 years.

In 1958, researcher Preben von Magnus and his team in Copenhagen, Denmark, discovered two outbreaks of a "pox-like disease" in a colony of crab-eating macaque monkeys that their lab used for polio vaccine production and research.

The first human case of monkeypox wasn't documented until 1970. Scientists discovered a case in a 9-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The child recovered from the monkeypox infection but died six days later from measles. After that, cases of the painful disease were documented in West and Central Africa.

Cases in other places were almost all linked to travel, according to the CDC. But in 2018, the agency noted that over the previous decade, more human cases had been reported in countries that had not seen the disease in several decades. This emergence, it said, was a "global health security concern."

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The global push for the name change started this year, when an outbreak took off in countries where monkeypox was not commonly found.

New names for old viruses

The naming process had already been underway to reconsider the names of all orthopoxvirus species, WHO said in an email to CNN, including cowpox, horsepox, camelpox, raccoonpox and skunkpox, as well as monkeypox.

According to WHO taxonomy committee member Colin McInnes, the panel has a mandate to bring "virus species nomenclature into line with the way that most other forms of life are named."

Traditionally, poxviruses were named after the animal in which the disease was first spotted, but that created some inconsistencies, he said.

Monkeypox probably didn't start in monkeys. Its origin is still unknown. The virus can be found in several other kinds of animals like Gambian giant rats, dormice and a couple of species of squirrels.

McInnes, who is deputy director and principal scientist with the Moredun Group, which develops vaccines and tests for livestock and other animals, studies squirrelpox -- which also may be in line for a name change. He has been looking into the feasibility of producing a vaccine against the virus, which can be fatal for red squirrels in the UK.

The current species known as "monkeypox virus" and the others would then be renamed to "orthopoxvirus 'something,' " he said in an email to CNN.

"It is the 'something' that is currently being debated," McInnes wrote.

He said some scientists would prefer that the monkeypox name be kept in order to retain the link to 50 years of published research. Others would like a totally different name.

The WHO committee has until June 2023 to suggest changes.

In August, WHO announced that a group of experts had come up with new names for the clades, or variants, of monkeypox. Prior to more modern conventions about names, scientists would name a variant for the region where it emerged and was circulating.

Now, to remove any stigma that comes with naming a disease for a region or country, the Congo Basin clade will be called clade I. The former West African clade is clade II. A subvariant, clade IIb, is what is primarily in circulation in the current outbreak.

Dangerous stigma

Many scientists say WHO needs to work with more urgency.

In July, after weeks had gone by no action, the New York City health commissioner sent a letter to WHO, urging it to "act in this moment before it is too late." It cited "growing concern for the potentially devastating and stigmatizing effects that the messaging around the 'monkeypox' virus can have on these already vulnerable communities."

Since the outbreak has largely affected gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, stigma has been an ongoing concern for WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus," Tedros said when he declared monkeypox a global health emergency in July.

In the US, the virus is disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic people, according to the CDC. Local public health data also shows that fewer members of either community are getting the monkeypox vaccine.

Experts are concerned that in addition to the barriers that make access to any kind of health care difficult, some people may not get the vaccine or get tested because of the stigma associated with the disease.

Dozens of suggestions

In the WHO 2015 naming conventions, the organization encouraged those who name diseases to avoid places, names, occupations and animals due to stigmatization.

In August, WHO encouraged people who want to propose new names for monkeypox to submit suggestions to its website. More than 180 ideas have been suggested, some with a wide mix of creative explanations.

Some -- like lopox, ovidpox, mixypox and roxypox -- had no explanation.

A handful -- like rodentpox, bonopox and alaskapox -- may have been facetious.

Johanna Vogl, who submitted "greypox," wrote that the name "refers to a phenotypic mark of the disease, greyish blisters and is not associated with human skin color nor a location, group or animal."

Other suggestions come with more robust scientific explanations. Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor in emergency medicine at Harvard, suggested changing the name to opoxid-22.

"While the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak is not a novel pathogen, I propose that due to its designation as a public health emergency of international concern, renaming it is warranted," Faust wrote in his proposal. He added that although this particular lineage of the virus seems to have originated before 2022, using this year may "limit confusion."

Opoxid-22 reflects what's known about the virus while removing "monkey" from the name.

Faust said he was bothered by the inaccuracy of the monkeypox name and the stigma it conveyed. But he said he submitted the name when he was waiting for some other work to finish.

"Honestly, I was just procrastinating," Faust said.

He said that if WHO picked his name, it could help more people seek treatment, testing and care.

"This is important," Faust said. "The right name should sound dry, technical, boring, so people aren't afraid to say that they have that problem, right?"

Rossi Hassad, a professor of research and statistics at Mercy College and a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, submitted a few names including zpox-22, zopox-22, zovid-22, hpox22 and hpi-22.

His proposal argues that given the uncertainty over where the virus originated, a more general name derived from a zoonosis -- meaning a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans -- would eliminate the word "monkey" and be more inclusive.

Adding "22" would reflect the year in which scientists learned about this "outbreak with unusual and worrisome human-to-human transmission," the proposal says.

Hassad said he was motivated to submit names because the word "monkey" can carry a lot of negative connotations.

"It has been used in racial and racist slurs against certain groups. I think it will be disingenuous not to recognize the damage that that word has done," he said. "It is also scientifically incorrect. It's a misnomer. If we want to be scientific, we have to be correct."

'A day late and a dollar short'

Some US health departments aren't waiting for WHO, but the change is inconsistent.

San Francisco's Department of Health calls it MPX. Chicago's calls it MPV. Other cities hit hard by the outbreak, including Houston, New York City and Philadelphia, have stuck with the traditional name, as has the CDC.

Daniel Driffin, an HIV patient advocate and a consultant with NMAC, a national organization that works for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic, said he hopes the name will change. At the same time, he is disappointed that it wasn't until this outbreak, when people outside of Africa were widely affected, that the pushing for the change started.

"It's a name steeped in racism. It's a day late and a dollar short. But I support the change and think it will help," Driffin said. "Think about the populations who will continue to be impacted disproportionately with this disease. It's been Black and brown folks, so if we can strip racist oppressive tendencies from the nomenclature, I think we have to do that."

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John Williams had just a few days notice that the Queen of England would be visiting the middle school where he was principal.

While the monarchs stop on her 10-day U.S. tour totaled less than an hour, the memories have lasted a lifetime.

John Williams, the former principal of Booker T. Washington Middle School with Queen Elizabeth II in this photo from 1991 in Miami, Florida.

They say everybodys entitled to 15 minutes of fame in their life. Well, I had 45 minutes of fame, Williams said Friday.

Williams recounted that day 31 years ago following Queen Elizabeth IIs death on Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace

Queen Elizabeth updates: King Charles makes William, Kate Prince and Princess of Wales

I was saddened by the passing of the queen. All of us are going to go sooner or later, but she was a wonderful, exciting person. An exciting leader. It meant a lot to not just the United Kingdom, not just Britain, the Commonwealth, but to the world, he said.

Queen Elizabeth's first visit to Florida

John H. Williams, former principal of Booker T. Washington Middle School in Miami-Dade County. Photo provided by John H. Williams.

The 1991 trip would be the queens ninth visit to the United States, but her first to Florida. She arrived with her husband, the late Prince Philip, in Miami by plane on a Friday afternoon in May. The motorcade then shuttled her to Booker T. Washington Middle School in Overtown.

Williams, a Pahokee native, had been principal for almost three years. He wasnt sure at the time why his school was selected, but he was elated nonetheless.

Booker T. Washington originally was the first Miami-Dade County high school open to Black students back in the 1920s. It became a middle school in the 1960s when the county desegregated schools.

Williams attended an all-Black school growing up: East Lake High School in Palm Beach County, where he was senior class president.

The idea that a Black person (from the) poor country would come up in such (a way) that the queen would visit his school is kind of amazing, he said.

Leading up to the queens visit, hallways received a fresh coat of paint, new sod was laid out and a red carpet was readied for the grand entrance, according to news reports at the time.

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Williams wore a dark gray suit jacket, blue tie and a special pin that signified he could approach the queen. The then-65-year-old monarch wore a blue floral dress with a matching boater hat, white gloves and strings of pearls.

Queen watched marching band, history of Miami pageant

The queen witnessed a 10-minute performance by the schools 135-member marching band, which played high-energy popular hits such as Johnny Gills Rub You the Right Way and C+C Music Factorys Gonna Make You Sweat, as well as the patriotic Rule Britannia and Oh Happy Day, according to news reports.

She also watched a whirlwind 18-minute pageant called Magic City, which covered the history of Miami. The queen sat between Williams and then-county Mayor Steve Clark.

Queen Elizabeth visits to Florida: Miami wristwatches, crystal palm tree from Tampa among welcome gifts

Royals in town: Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry visits to Palm Beach County

Williams said he was nervous before her visit, but that speaking to her melted away any anxiety.

Shes an excellent conversationalist. She was able to take a common person, a commoner like me, and make me feel at ease. There was no tension, and I feel that was her communication skills, he said.

With three decades having passed, Williams said he didnt remember everything he and the queen spoke about, but her calm and commanding presence left an impression.

One thing she said that took him by surprise was how she viewed her royal role.

She saw being queen as a job. Just like I would go to my job as principal, she went to do her job being queen, but she was actually queen 24/7, he said.

Williams and the queen walked the campus, with Prince Philip, the schools superintendent and the county mayor just behind.

For the rest of the day, everybody was excited. It was hard to get the kids calmed down after that, he said.

Williams shook hands with presidents Ford, Reagan, Carter

Later that day, Williams and his wife were invited to a reception on the queens 412-foot royal yacht Britannia. Williams said he shook hands with three former presidents: Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Also in attendance were then-Gov. Lawton Chiles, U.S. Sens. Bob Graham and Connie Mack, and Jeb Bush, according to a report from United Press International.

At the time, Williams didn't care for the taste of fish, but after trying salmon on the queens yacht, he fell in love with it, he said. He and his wife left before the dinner meant for the real dignitaries, he said.

The queen would leave Miami that night for a cruise around the Florida Keys before heading to Tampa on the next stop of her U.S. tour. There, she gave Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf an honorary knighthood, who headed Central Command and had led the first Gulf War campaign to oust invading Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pahokee native recounts Queen Elizabeth II's quick trip to Florida and Miami school
Sept. 16, 1992

With the two county jail inmates who escaped Thursday night returned to their cells, county officials are beginning to raise disturbing questions that may point to faulty jail workmanship and slack inmate supervision at the Sennett facility.

Concerns about the construction of the $5 million jail  which has been broken out of twice since it opened in late 1988  and the performance of guards charged with monitoring the whereabouts of the inmates are being raised by Sheriff Peter Pinckney and county legislators.

Yesterday, the sheriff met with the guards and deputies on duty Thursday night, when two men scampered out of a broken window in one of the men's cell. In addition, Pinckney was scheduled to meet with officials from the state Commission on Corrections, which monitors New York's correctional facilities and investigates most escapes.

On Monday, the sheriff met with executives from MRB Group, the jail's architect and designer, and Hope Agricultural Products, which installed the jail's windows. Both meetings were an attempt to understand how the two were able to escape.
With the premiere of Peacocks Vampire Academy, school is officially back in session at St. Vladimirs. And whether your knowledge of the franchise stems from Richelle Meads original book series, or from the 2014 film adaptation, youll be surprised to discover that the fabled institution has undergone a few changes.

Yes, the school remains a training ground for human-vampire hybrids known as dhampir, as well as full-blooded vampires of the spell casting variety known as moroi. But you wont find it in the great state of Montana, like in the books, nor would you have to travel all the way to Pennsylvania to visit the vampires royal court.

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One thing that will be a surprise for fans is that, not only is the show not set in Montana or Pennsylvania, but its in this beautiful, epic setting because we were able to shoot it in Spain, co-showrunner Marguerite MacIntyre tells TVLine. So you get all this visual candy, plus the whole world comes together in one dominion. Nothing is separate anymore. Its a cool way to tell the story.

The shows international scope also extends to its diverse cast. As co-showrunner Julie Plec explains, No one told us that we needed to have uniform accents or any kind of cultural uniformity. They let us celebrate casting from all over the world, letting these actors be their true, authentic selves, rather than just casting based on what it says the character looks like in the books.

Vampire Academy Changes Explained

Another key change involves the storys main characters, best friends Lissa Dragomir (played by Daniela Nieves) and Rose Hathaway (Sisi Stringer). The relationship between this princess and her guardian-in-training remains the heart of Vampire Academy, but the show wont necessarily present their story in the way you think youre supposed to see it.

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So much of Rose and Lissas friendship  what they experienced growing up, the things they saw, the trauma that happened to them, the losses they suffered  was told as part of their backstory, Plec says. The first thing we did was ask, Why would we want to tell that as a memory when we could watch it happen in real time? So we backed up the beginning of the story in the context of the girls friendship, while still doing other elements of the story that were specific to the first book.

Vampire Academy Movie

As for the ill-fated Vampire Academy movie  whose cast included the likes of Claire Foy, Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan and Dominic Sherwood  Plec says she didnt bother watching it while developing this TV adaptation.

With complete respect to the filmmakers who made the movie, I took great umbrage with the company that decided to market it like Mean Girls with vampires. I mentally boycotted the movie as a fan of the books, so I never saw it. Once we decided to do the show, I chose to remain pure and not see where they succeeded or failed, so we could build the show the way we really wanted to.

The first four episodes of Vampire Academy are now available to stream on Peacock. Weigh in via our polls below, then drop a comment with your full review of the TV adaptation.

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The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week has raised questions regarding the ownership of the worlds largest known clear-cut diamond.

The Great Star of Africa, otherwise known as Cullinan I, is currently mounted on the late sovereigns royal scepter but originally hails from South Africa. The 530-carat diamond was presented to King Edward VII in 1907, two years after it was discovered in a private mine in Cullinan. Many South Africans view Britains acquisition of the jewel as illegitimate and are calling for the British royal family to return it to the country, as reported by CNN.



The Cullinan Diamond must be returned to South Africa with immediate effect, activist Thanduxolo Sabelo told local media. The minerals of our country and other countries continue to benefit Britain at the expense of our people.



According to the Royal Collection Trust, the original gem was the size of a human heart and weighed around 3,106 carats. It was sent to Asscher of Amsterdam in 1908 and cut into nine large stones and 96 smaller pieces. According to the Royal Asscher, the largest of the stones was purchased by South Africas Transvaal government while it was under British rule and presented to King Edward VII as a birthday gift. It was subsequently set in the kings scepter. The second largest cut stone, known as the Smaller Star of Africa, was mounted in the Imperial Crown.

More from Robb Report

A miner holds the Cullinan Diamond shortly after it was found.

University of South Africa professor of African politics Everisto Benyera rejects that narrative and argues that colonial transactions are illegitimate and immoral.



Our narrative is that the whole Transvaal and Union of South Africa governments and the concomitant mining syndicates were illegal, Benyera told CNN. Receiving a stolen diamond does not exonerate the receiver.



The death of Britains longest-serving monarch has sparked conversations about colonialism and the way it has affected different countries. Member of the South African parliament Vuyolwethu Zungula urged his country to demand reparations for all the harm done by Britain and demand the return of all the gold, diamonds stolen by Britain.



More than 6,000 people have signed a petition asking for the Great Star of Africa to be returned and displayed in a South African museum.

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While the United States has regained all the jobs it lost early in the pandemic, New York City is lagging behind.

According to the most recent employment data, the city is still missing 176,000 jobs, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Thats the slowest recovery of any major metro area in the countryand its affecting the hospitality and retail sectors more than any others.

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The real damage here is that many of the industries with the most accessible jobs are the ones that are still struggling to fully recover, Jonathan Bowles, the executive director of the Center for an Urban Future think tank, told the Times.

Despite New York being abuzz in a way it hasnt been since the early days of 2020, groups that helped the hospitality and retail businesses thrive havent yet come back fully, including international tourists, business travelers and commuters. Because of that, jobs like office cleaner and bartender are still seeing overall losses. In fact, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union told the Times that there are 1,250 fewer office cleaners in the city compared with before the pandemic.

And even this summer, in places like hotels and restaurants, job growth slowed compared with just a year ago, according to an analysis cited in The New York Times. In contrast, the technology, health care and finance sectors all saw employment increase.

Because of the job losses, some former employees from the hospitality and retail industries are hoping to transition into roles in other sectors where they can work remotely. Others have gone back to school with the hopes of attaining advanced degrees.

Some, however, have been able to restart their previous jobs, and are happy to be back in the business. Im excited to be going back to work, getting back to my normal life and becoming more stable, Ilialy Santos, a room attendant at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square, told the newspaper. Her hotel is just reopening this month after closing in March 2020, giving her the chance to return.

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As tourism and travel continue to rebound, hopefully that becomes the case for more and more workers who are itching to get back to their former employers.

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A major Florida sheriff who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis after a high school massacre appears to have lied when he didn't disclose in his job application that he fatally shot another teenager when he was 14 and that he had used LSD, the state ethics commission found Wednesday.

Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony will now face a public hearing on the accusations or he could pursue a settlement. The ethics commission could recommend that Tony be removed by DeSantis, fined or censured. The hearing has not been scheduled.

The commission overruled a finding by its advocate, Melody Hadley, who concluded that Tony's actions had not violated state statutes. Tony's attorney, Stephen Webster, called the nine-member commission's decision unprecedented.

While disappointed in the Commissions action, my client looks forward to a swift finding of innocence, Webster said in a statement.

DeSantis appointed Tony sheriff of Florida's second most-populous county in January 2019, just days after taking office. He had fired Tonys predecessor, Scott Israel, for his alleged mishandling of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in February 2018, a decision that was upheld by the Florida Senate.

DeSantis' press office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. DeSantis recently suspended four members of the Broward school board after a grand jury found they had not properly overseen security improvements related to the school shooting.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report issued earlier this year said Tony repeatedly lied on his police applications, including failing to disclose that he fatally shot an 18-year-old neighbor during a 1993 fight at his family's Philadelphia home. Tony was found to have acted in self-defense and acquitted, but the applications required the disclosure of all criminal arrests no matter the court decision.

Tony's attorneys have argued that under Pennsylvania law, juveniles are not charged with crimes but acts of delinquency," so he has no criminal arrests. The shooting was uncovered in 2020 by the Florida Bulldog news website.

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Before becoming sheriff, Tony was hired by the suburban Coral Springs Police Department in 2005. State investigators found that he also falsely answered no on that department's hiring questionnaire when asked Have you ever injured or caused the death of another person? and Were you ever in a fight involving a weapon?

He worked his way up to sergeant before resigning in 2016 to run a police consulting firm that specialized in active shooter training. DeSantis appointed him on the recommendation of the father of a Stoneman Douglas victim who knew Tony from the gym where they both worked out. The vetting process was completed in a day.

The investigation found that in 2003, Tony answered truthfully that he had once used LSD as a teenager when he applied for a job with the Tallahassee Police Department, his first law enforcement application. After that admission caused his rejection, investigators found that on subsequent police applications, Tony answered no when asked if he had ever used or handled hallucinogenic drugs.

Investigators say Tony also repeatedly lied on police and Florida drivers license applications by answering no when asked if his license was ever suspended. Pennsylvania suspended his license in 1996 for failing to pay traffic tickets. Tony last answered no to that question in 2019 when he applied for a new license shortly after he became sheriff.

In the August 2020 Democratic primary, Tony defeated his predecessor, Israel, who was trying to get his job back. That November, Tony easily defeated his Republican opponent in the general election to win a four-year term.
Former President Trump suggested to his aides that the United States could trade Puerto Rico to Denmark for Greenland while he was president, according to a new book from two reporters.

The New York Times journalist Peter Baker and The New Yorker magazine journalist Susan Glasser revealed in their book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, that Trumps plan to buy Greenland came from Ronald Lauder, a New York cosmetics heir who had known Trump since college.

Baker wrote in an article on Wednesday that Lauder discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland with Trump from the early days of his presidency, and Lauder offered to serve as a back channel to negotiate with Denmark, which owns Greenland.

Reports in 2019 revealed Trumps interest in purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, and that some of his advisers supported it while others dismissed it as a fascination.

John Bolton, who was serving as national security adviser at the time, directed his aide Fiona Hill to form a team to consider ideas to acquire Greenland, Baker reported. Bolton believed increasing U.S. presence in Greenland made sense to oppose Chinese influence in the Arctic region, but buying it outright was not feasible.

Trump continued to press for acquiring the island, the worlds largest, suggesting that the U.S. take federal money away from Puerto Rico to buy Greenland or trade the two islands.

Trump said in an interview for the book that the idea to buy Greenland was his own idea.

I love maps. And I always said: Look at the size of this. Its massive. That should be part of the United States, Trump reportedly said.

Denmarks prime minister rejected the idea of selling Greenland to the U.S., calling it absurd.

The Trump administration faced strong criticism for its response after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, with local officials slamming the White House at the time for being slow to respond.

A former Department of Homeland Security official said in 2020 that Trump called Puerto Rico dirty and asked to trade it for Greenland after officials visited the island following the hurricane.

Trump did not immediately return a request from The Hill for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Artesia police officials said they were frustrated that Loretta Mae Williams, last seen in 2017, has yet to been found as her missing person case remains active.

Williams was last seen on Oct. 24, 2017 in Artesia. She was 71 at the time of her disappearance and will turn 77 in December, according to information from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (DPS).

It has frustrated us. To have someone missing and not know or find their whereabouts is very frustrating to us as detectives, said Artesia Police Cmdr. David Rodriguez.

More:Artesia woman last seen in Eddy County in 2017 still missing nearly five years later

He thought officers may have had a break in 2018 when State police and Artesia police found her Hyundai Accent north of Roswell in an arroyo.

The victim appeared to have been driving the vehicle into open country and it appeared the vehicle came to a stop in the place it was found due to rugged terrain, Rodriguez said.

It appeared she may have exited the vehicle. She was never found, he added.

Rodriguez said Artesia detectives have followed up on tips she was spotted in certain places.

Loretta Mae Williams was possibly sighted in Artesia two weeks after she was reported missing.

We received and reviewed video of a hotel Williams had been staying in. The video showed Williams to what appeared to be in a pleasant mood, nothing indicated that she was forced to do anything against her will and she did not seem under duress, he said.

Williams is one of the 143 New Mexicans considered missing since 2022, according to information from World Population Review. More than 500,000 people went missing in the United States in 2021, per World Population Review data with nearly 480,000 found.

More:Missing NMMI teenage cadet found safe 800 miles from Roswell in Kansas

Jeffery Wayne McWhorter of Carlsbad was among the missing until his Carlsbad Police Department Spokesperson Capt. Jesse Rodriguez said McWhorters body and vehicle were found near a campground in the Gila National Forest in June, weeks after he was reported missing.

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Rodriguez said McWhorters body was sent to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) who confirmed his identification to family members.

The cause of McWhorters death was not released by OMI Spokesperson Carly Newlands.

Despite the tragedy, it's closure that Williams' family has yet to receive, as Rodriguez urged anyone with possible information on Williams whereabouts to call the Artesia Police Department at 575-746-5000 or New Mexico State Police Missing Persons Hotline at 1-800-457-3463.

Why do people go missing?

Rodriguez said Williams was known to leave home and travel without telling anyone.

Other people that go missing range from a person who may suffer from dementia or Alzheimers, kidnapping, sex trafficking (or) family issues, he said.

More:State Police investigate death of Carlsbad man found on U.S. 82 Highway near Artesia

There is a wide variety of answers as to why someone may go missing, and each case is different, Rodriguez added.

He said once law enforcement receives notification of a missing person - adult, senior or child - a series of alerts are issued.

Silver Alerts are advisories noting when an individual who is 50 years old or older who may have irreversible deterioration intellectual faculties has gone missing, according to DPS.

Florida Silver Alert

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defined Amber Alerts as emergency bulletins after a child 17 or younger is abducted. Amber Alerts are issued when a law enforcement agency believes the child is in imminent danger of serious injury or death, according to DOJ.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Search continues for Loretta Mae Williams last seen in Artesia
The Memphis man charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji was denied bail in court.

Bradley Robert Dawson, 38, was charged for allegedly murdering his newlywed wife Christe Chen, 36, at the Turtle Island Resort in the Yasawa Islands on July 9.

Chen, who worked as a pharmacist, was found dead inside the bathroom of their bungalow. Her remains had to be cremated in Fiji due to the severity of her injuries.

According to prosecutors, Dawson brutally beat his wife during a drunken argument. He then fled to Matacawalevu Island, where he was arrested two days later.

More from NextShark: Vancouver authorities seek help identifying suspect in unprovoked attack against teen girl

Last month, Dawson pleaded not guilty to the charge in the High Court of Lautoka. On Wednesday, High Court Judge Riyaz Hamza reportedly denied him bail during a hearing.

The judge also denied Dawsons two Fijian sponsors because lawyers could not prove that the women had known him long enough. Dawson plans to appeal the bond denial at his court appearance on Sept. 26, according to his lawyer Iqbal Khan.

Khan previously told the court that Dawson is willing to surrender his passport and linger in Fiji while awaiting his trial, which could reportedly begin as early as 2023.

More from NextShark: South Korean authorities investigating the alleged assault of Chinese student in Busan

Featured Image via ABC24 Memphis (left), Christe Dawson (right)

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North Korea on Friday called the new United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in the country a puppet of the United States and slammed the experts inaugural statement on the hardships faced by North Koreans.

We had already made clear our principled stand that we neither recognise nor deal with any special rapporteur who is merely a puppet of the US, an unnamed spokesperson from North Koreas foreign ministry said in a statement, according to state news agency KCNA.

The statement comes as Elizabeth Salmon, the UN special rapporteur on the Norths human rights, is making her first visit to South Korea this week to meet officials, activists and North Korean defectors since her appointment last month.

Ms Salmon said North Koreans were facing new and more serious hardships after the hermit kingdom rolled out severe pandemic-related restrictions. The suffering of its 26 million people was compounded as they were already facing decades-long abuses, Ms Salmon said, urging that these should not be neglected.

Ms Salmon called for more decisively mobilised international solidarity on human rights in North Korea, which will protect civilians.

However, Pyongyang delivered a sharp rebuttal to the UN special rapporteur and said that it will not put up with a plot led by the US to overthrow the countrys political system in the garb of human rights issues.

The North accused the UN diplomat of displaying ignorance and biased vision and slammed the official for making unpardonable reckless remarks encroaching upon our inviolable system and sovereign rights in Seoul.

We know well that the US deeply stretches out its tentacles on [her] back, the Norths statement added, accusing Washington of using Ms Salmon.

It added: The human rights racket of the US and other hostile forces has nothing to do with the guarantee of true human rights and is nothing but the most politicised hostile means for tarnishing the dignified image of [North Korea].

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[North Korea] will never pardon the US and its vassal forces human rights racket ... which is aimed at overthrowing its social system, the spokesperson added.

Pyongyang has said it will never recognise or deal with any special rapporteur appointed by the UN to assess the human rights issue in the Korean nation.

Ms Salmons predecessors were never allowed access to North Korea. Experts have said that this obstruction by North Korea has prevented external efforts made to find independent information on human rights abuses in the country.

Additional reporting by agencies
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP)  Pope Francis said Thursday the Vatican was in contact with the Nicaraguan government about its crackdown on the Catholic Church and hoped at the very least that nuns from Mother Teresas Sisters of Charity religious order would be allowed to return to operations in the country.

Francis said he didnt understand the governments actions: it has forced out the Vatican ambassador, closed the Sisters of Charity local operation and placed a bishop under house arrest. But Francis stressed that the Vatican was not prepared to sever contact or relations with the Nicaraguan government.

There is dialogue. That doesnt mean we approve of everything the government is doing, or disapprove of it. There is dialogue, he said. When theres dialogue it means we must resolve problems. In this moment, there are problems.

Speaking while traveling home from a trip to Kazakhstan, Francis termed Managuas expulsion of Ambassador Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag a serious diplomatic incident, especially since the ambassador was very capable diplomat, who has recently been appointed to head the Vaticans embassy in West Africa.

Francis said he hoped at least the Sisters of Charity could return.

These women are great revolutionaries, of the Gospel. They arent making war against anyone. Actually, we all need them. One cannot understand this gesture. But we hope they can go back.

The Vatican has been exceedingly measured in its public reaction to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortegas crackdown, limiting itself to a statement of concern after Sommertag was forced out as the Holy See's ambassador and then again last month when Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez was put under house arrest.

Vatican officials have said they havent wanted to escalate the conflict by publicly admonishing Ortegas administration. Sommertags appointment in West Africa creates a formal opening in the Vaticans Managua embassy that the Vatican would presumably seek to fill with someone else if the Ortega government approves his credentials.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Win McNamee/Getty

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has ruled in favor of one of former President Donald Trumps special master picks, appointing Raymond Dearie to review the trove of documents seized by the FBI at Trumps Mar-a-Lago home.

The Florida judge also denied the Department of Justices motion for a partial stay to allow DOJ continued access to at least 100 documents marked classified.

The Court remains firmly of the view that appointment of a special master to conduct a review of the seized materials, accompanied by a temporary injunction to avoid unwarranted use and disclosure of potentially privileged and/or personal materials, is fully consonant with the foregoing principles and with the need to ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under unprecedented circumstances, Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, writes.

Last month, Trumps team asked that an independent third party be placed in charge of reviewing the 11,000 seized documents to ascertain whether any were protected by executive privilege or attorney-client privilege when removed in the Aug. 8 search.

The Justice Department opposed the request, but when Judge Cannon ruled in favor of a special master, it agreed to Trumps pick, 78-year-old Dearie, as an appropriate choice.

The 60-Day Rule Doesnt Exist. Its Time to Charge Trump Now.

Judge Dearie is a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York and served as chief judge of the court from 2007 to 2011. He was appointed as a judge by Ronald Reagan in 1986.

He previously approved a warrant for the FBI to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page during the Russia investigation, though he is understood to have a stellar reputation and is highly regarded by Trump and his team.

Cannon gave the special master a Nov. 30 deadline to finish his review of the potentially privileged documents, which is more than a month after the DOJs request for an Oct. 17 deadline. She noted that date was subject to modification if necessary as proposed by the special master.

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The extended deadline is likely to be a setback for the DOJs investigation into whether the former president unlawfully kept national defense records or hindered repeated attempts by the government to retrieve them.

The Justice Department has indicated it will appeal, which could see the case taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. According to The New York Times, top officials were meeting Thursday night to discuss the timing of their filing.

In her 10-page ruling, Judge Cannon questioned the DOJs claims that the records it is attempting to reviewin particular, 100 documents marked as classifiedcontain such urgent sensitive information that could place the country in peril and requests further review from the special master.

She said there has been no actual suggestion by the Government of any identifiable emergency or imminent disclosure of classified information arising from Plaintiffs [Trumps] allegedly unlawful retention of the seized property.

Instead, and unfortunately she said, the unwarranted disclosures that float in the background have been leaks to the media after the underlying seizure.

Cannon denied the DOJs request to exempt the 100 documents from the review and to lift restrictions on DOJ from using the classified materials seized during the search to further its criminal investigation into the handling of sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.

She said she would not accept the DOJs brief that the documents remain classified as fact without a review from the special master and asked that he prioritize them first and thereafter consider prompt adjustments to the Courts Orders as necessary.

The temporary ban, however, does not restrict the Government from conducting investigations or bringing charges based on anything other than the actual content of the seized materials; from questioning witnesses and obtaining other information about the movement and storage of seized materials, including documents marked as classified, without discussion of their contents.

Trump has asserted publicly that he declassified all the records before the FBI search.

The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Governments conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion, Cannon writes, noting there are documented instances giving rise to concerns about the Governments ability to properly categorize and screen materials.

Trump Lied About Secret Service Concerns to Throw Off New York AG

Cannons order appointing a special master says Trump must pay the full cost of the review, despite a previous plea from his lawyers to split the bill. Plaintiff shall bear 100% of the professional fees and expenses of the special master and any professionals, support staff, and expert consultants engaged at the special masters request, the order reads.

She also said both parties must fully cooperate with the Special Master in the performance of their duties but the court reserves the right to remove the special master.

Dearie has already accepted the role in a signed filing.

On Thursday, Trump warned of big problems if he was indicted over the mishandling of the documents, warning conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that there would be problems in this country the likes of which perhaps weve never seen before.

I dont think the people of the United States would stand for it, he said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Hundreds of Ugandans attended a memorial service Thursday in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, a somber ceremony that underscored affection for the departed British monarch in this East African country.

Speakers in the Anglican cathedral in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, included Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo, who paid tribute to the queen as an "endearing leader.

She wasn't the queen of England alone," she said. "She was the queen of all of us in the Commonwealth.

The Rev. Jonathan Kisawuzi, the cathedral's dean, spoke of the queen's faith, courage and direction in her 70-year reign. We will remember her always, he said.

Uganda is one of the 56 member states of the Commonwealth, a group of mostly former British colonies that now includes others, such as Rwanda, that were not part of the British Empire.

Elizabeth is fondly remembered among Ugandans, who recall her attendance in Kampala of the 2007 Commonwealth summit.

It was a great occasion for Uganda, Eunice Okullo, a political activist who was among those attending Thursday's memorial service, said of the queen's visit 15 years ago. She ate Ugandan foods  that's what they told us.

Others spoke of the queen's ability to connect with the people she had met.

Much as we are mourning, we are also celebrating the queen's achievements," said retired prisons commissioner Mary Kaddu. We are celebrating her life.

The queen, who died Sept. 8, will get a state funeral Monday at Westminster Abbey in London.
The Vietnamese consulate in Cambodia has been receiving dozens of rescue requests from victims of human trafficking as rescue efforts face several challenges.

Amid the ongoing human trafficking crisis in Cambodia, the Vietnamese consulate in Sihanoukville has been receiving numerous calls from victims on a daily basis.

Recently calls have been coming day and night and constantly. We dont dare turn off our phones, Consul General Vu Ngoc Ly told VnExpress.

The consulate has been collaborating with Cambodian authorities to carry out joint operations in rescuing Vietnamese individuals who have been lured and held captive by human traffickers.

More from NextShark: Illinois signs law that would make it first state to require Asian American history lessons

The crime syndicates operating in Cambodia have targeted individuals from Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. Thousands of people are lured by traffickers promising them easy jobs with high wages, when in reality, they are exploited and held as prisoners.

The consulate cooperated with the local police and rescued 270 workers trapped in the facility. All of them were Vietnamese, but only around 50 of them had papers, while the rest had traveled to Cambodia illegally, Ly said.

According to Ly, one major issue that rescuers face is incomprehensive information given by victims.

More from NextShark: Suspects ordered to stand trial for murder and robbery of Asian senior, 75, in Oakland

Many messages only have names and ages, along with pictures of personal ID cards. Family members only know that they traveled to Cambodia or were residing in Sihanoukville, but do not know where exactly they are, Ly told VnExpress. Some do send GPS data, but they only show an area with five or six buildings; we don't know for sure in which building they are.

Colonel Khong Ngoc Oanh of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Securitys Criminal Police Department reportedly noted that several trafficking groups operate in deep forests under the guise of being legitimate companies.

Story continues

The Cambodian police need exact address information before they can deploy officers. Ly also noted that the amount of Vietnamese people coming to Cambodia illegally is on the rise, and they eventually become victims of forced labor.

More from NextShark: Japan Grows Mini Bronchi to Test COVID-19 Drug

Every time we get one person out, another two or three get in, he said.

Victims are asked by traffickers to sign contracts and are given quotas. When contracts are breached or quotas are not met, they are beaten or ordered to pay compensation. They can only return home if they pay the captors a ransom of up to $30,000.

Last week, authorities rescued 118 Malaysians and 50 Filipinos who were lured to Cambodia through online scamming and catfishing between January and September this year.

More from NextShark: Mother of teen viciously punched at basketball game calls for attacker's mother to be arrested

Since COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, many victims have been sold into slavery in areas like Sihanoukville and Preah Sihanouk since late last year. Ly said it is important to educate people, especially those who lack access to information, about the dangers behind easy jobs with high pay in foreign countries.

Featured Image via Tim Tebow Foundation
(Adds Yoon comment in paragraphs 7,8)

By Josh Smith

SEOUL, Sept 16 (Reuters) - China's top legislator, Li Zhanshu, called on Friday for more cooperation with South Korea on cutting-edge technologies and supply chain issues.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, was speaking in Seoul after meeting his South Korean counterpart, parliament speaker Kim Jin-pyo.

Li was also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is seeking to maintain economic ties with Beijing while strengthening his country's relationship with the United States.

"We support both sides deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, accelerating the second-phase negotiations for the free trade agreement, boosting cooperation in the high-tech sector, and smoothly and stably managing the supply and industrial chains to achieve high-quality development," Li said at a joint news conference with Kim, speaking through a translator.

The two sides agreed "to manage and handle sensitive issues under the spirit of respecting each other's core interests and issues of important interest," Li said, without elaborating.

Beijing has been critical of South Korea hosting a U.S. anti-missile battery called THAAD, and Seoul has faced increasing pressure from Washington to speak up on issues such as Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

Yoon told Li at their separate meeting that both sides should foster closer communication to ensure that the THAAD issue does not "pose a hurdle" to bilateral ties, Yoon's office said in a statement.

Yoon conveyed his invitation for Chinese President Xi Jinping to Seoul, and Li also expressed hopes for Yoon's visit to China, the statement said.

Kim told the news conference that he also supported accelerating trade talks, and called on China to play a constructive role in peace in the region.

"Yoon is clearly trying to stabilise Korea's relations with China - but not at the expense of its relationship with the United States," said Go Myong-Hyun, of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.

Story continues

"The continued visits by high-ranking Chinese officials indicate that China, too, doesn't want to allow its relations with Seoul to deteriorate further," he added.

Li's visit comes amid an uproar in South Korea over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, recently signed by President Joe Biden.

South Korea says the act, which excludes electric vehicles (EVs) assembled outside of North America from tax credits in the United States, violates the spirit of the countries' economic and security alliance, which Biden had pledged to strengthen.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong in Washington on Thursday to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including forming a "consultative mechanism" to engage with Seoul as the Inflation Reduction Act is implemented, the State Department said in a statement. (Reporting by Josh Smith. Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Joori Roh, and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
(Adds Taiwan Foreign Ministry comment, context)

BRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Members of the European Parliament backed a resolution on Thursday that condemned China's live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and called for closer ties between the European Union and Taipei.

The EU assembly said in a statement that the resolution, backed in a vote by 424 lawmakers with 14 against and 46 abstentions, also demanded that Beijing refrain from measures that could destabilise the Taiwan Strait and regional security.

China deployed scores of planes and fired live missiles near Taiwan last month after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a solidarity trip to the self-ruled island.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry welcomed the resolution and expressed its thanks for the support, saying the move demonstrated high-level and cross-party concern for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

China, which sees Taiwan as one of its provinces and has long said it reserves the right to take the island by force, says its differences with Taipei are an internal affair.

Taiwan's democratically-elected government strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims, and says only the island's 23 million people can decide its future.

Noting Taiwan's strategic trade position and its leading role in the global supply chain of key high-tech sectors, including for semiconductors, the European Parliament resolution called on the EU to strengthen its relations with the island.

It welcomed Lithuania's plan to open a trade representation office in Taipei and said EU countries without a trade office there should follow its example.

With the addition of Lithuania, 16 EU member states now have offices in Taiwan.

The EU also has representation in Taipei through the European Economic and Trade Office which operates as a de facto embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. (Writing by John Chalmers; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
When she moved to Abilene in 1997, Delores "Dee" Moore thought she'd only be here for a year or so.

Instead, Moore devoted decades to her career at Abilene's Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas  and countless volunteer hours to her community.

That long-term dedication, still ongoing, is why Moore was recognized by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce as Abilenes 2022 Outstanding Citizen of the Year at its annual Membership Meeting and Awards Celebration.

Presented to Moore Thursday by Abilene City Councilwoman Donna Albus, 2016's winner, the award has been given yearly since 1946 to a person or persons who has made a palpable impact on the city, nominees submitted by individuals and organizations.

"I am never at a loss for words, but I am right now," she said in her acceptance speech. "You all have no idea. This is an honor. I love Abilene. Abilene has adopted and embraced me. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to work in this city. You have so much to be proud of."

Not only did the award surprise the 2007 top citizen winner for the Abilene Black Chamber of Commerce, members of her family emerged to surprise here and add to the celebration on stage.

Moore is the first Black resident of Abilene, female or male, to be honored individually with this award.

"I think the citizen of the year is just based on your merits," she said. "Who you are and what you do.

"Now it's open to everyone and anyone. As everything should be."

In 2019, Mike Hernandez was the first Hispanic to received the citizen honor.

Since 1946, nine women now have been honored individually, with five more selected with their husbands.

More:Chamber honors Hernandez with annual top citizen award

Her reaction

As Albus played the guess-who-is-the-2022-top-citizen game, providing clues as the winner, Moore wondered who here twin might be.

"As they went along, I was like, 'Somebody is almost matching me,'" she said, smiling. Hints about the winner working for Blue Cross Blue Shield and graduating from Dallas Baptist were close to giving it away.

Story continues

"I was getting a clue," she said.

Finally, Albus waved at Moore, who knew it was her, and told her to get on up to the podium.

"I didn't know what to do," she said of sitting in her seat while others rose to clap. "I was sitting there thinking, 'Yeah, she said Dee Moore. I can't tell you. It's unbelievable."

In accepting the award, she told the crowd she was trying not to cry. She made it through without tears.

"You have no idea," she said after being presented her award on how she felt. "I love this city. It adopted me. I came here for just a little while and I'm still here. And it's because I love this city. I love the community, I love the people and I love the vision on where we want to go."

Moore said she gives as much of her time as she can, "but I know there are people who go far beyond me."

Making a better place

Mary Ross, executive director of Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas, praised Moore's honesty and genuine nature, among several reasons she nominated her for the Chamber's honor.

"She's not just doing something to get attention or just seems like the right thing to do," Ross said. "She's doing it because she genuinely believes that it's something of value, and she really wants to make Abilene a better place."

It also helps, Ross joked, that Moore apparently has a hard time saying no to just about anyone because of the sheer number of organizations for which she has volunteered.

"Dee is kind of the person that's everywhere all the time," she said, little changing upon her retirement  even though Moore apparently joked at the time she'd planned to just sleep in.

"She is just this person who is kind of the epitome of a volunteer, even though she had an incredibly busy work schedule," Ross said. "(She) is just this incredible person who has a constant willingness to volunteer and give her time and resources, and she has always been someone you could count on."

Blue Cross

Moore came to Abilene in 1997, when Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas opened its offices here.

She had 47-year career with the company, rising from a keypunch operator in Dallas to a claims examiner to vice president of the company's federal employee program.

Moore earned a bachelors degree in business from Dallas Baptist University and a masters in organizational management from the University of Phoenix, all while working at BCBS.

In a 2017 story in the Reporter-News about her retirement, Moore said someone told her that if she lived in Abilene for five years, "I'd never want to leave."

More:Dee Moore ends 47-year BCBSTX career

"They were right," she said.

Getting to know you

When Beverly Cokonougher started with Blue Cross 24 years ago, what impressed her about Moore was that even though she was one of the senior employees in the building, she always took time to be personable.

"When you have ... 900 employees that work there, you're not going to be on a first name basis," she said.

But when one would run into Moore, even outside of work, "she would make it a point to speak to you."

"She knew from your face that you worked at Blue Cross," Cokonougher said. "... And most of the time  I don't know how she did it  she knew your name. That to me just speaks to the kind of person she is. She loves people, and she cares about people."

The company, which celebrated its 25th anniversary here in February, now has about 1,100 employees.

Leaving a legacy

Deborah Ice started 25 years ago at Blue Cross and is now director of the business' federal employee program.

She said Moore was her first boss at the company, serving as a leader and a still-active role model.

Moore carries with her a sense of personal accountability, Ice said, and made it clear personal connections are important to her.

"She would make her rounds in the office, and she would talk to the staff," she recalled. "She would comment on their family pictures, and she just took a personal interest in people as a person, not just as an employee."

Moore's talent for communicating with staff and her interpersonal communications serves as a model for her own work, Ice said, as did her former boss "setting the pace" for the importance of community service.

"She didn't just talk the talk, she walked the walk," she said. "One of the things I remember her saying at one point early on was, 'You can't complain about things going on if you're not willing to be involved and have a say in those things.' Don't complain about it if you're not going to be willing to stand up and do anything about it, basically, was her philosophy."

Those values are things Ice has carried with her, she said.

"I want to make sure that I make those folks feel feel important as a person, not just as an employee," Ice said, along with Moore's desire to be active in the community and make a wider difference.

Volunteer's volunteer

Ross said Moore doesn't just show up when she volunteers, she comes ready to make a difference.

"(You) understand and value folks who actually show up and contribute," she said. "And knowing her personally, she's just honestly a delightful person. She has a great sense of humor, and she's fun to be around."

Moore's seemingly endless energy has translated into real-world results for groups such as Abilene Black Chamber of Commerce, Abilene chamber, Abilene March of Dimes, Alliance for Women and Children, American Heart Association, Betty Hardwick Center; Big Brothers Big Sisters, Big Country CASA, Day Nursery of Abilene, Development Corporation of Abilene, Hendrick Bioethics Committee, Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene, aylor County Child Advocacy Center and United Way of Abilene.

And retiring hasn't slowed her down, her fans say.

Most recently, she teamed up with the Chamber, bringing forth a grant opportunity from the U.S. Small Business Administration to pilot a Community Navigator Program.

The program provides training resources to underserved and underrepresented entrepreneurs. Abilene was one of 51 communities nationwide to receive the grant, and one of only two in Texas.

Servant's heart

While Abilene is Moore's adopted hometown, she does like to travel, with favorite destinations the Canary Islands, Brazil, Cayman Islands and Bahamas.

Moore has one daughter, Kelli McDonald, married to son-in-law, Damion, and two grandsons, Grayson and Ian.

Kelli McDonald, who lives in Grapevine, said seeing her mother's drive to "go after whatever she desired to accomplish" helped her learn to follow her own goals.

"I've seen that model my whole life with her," she said.

She also has seen her mother's "servant's heart," she said, and her involvement in everything from church to manifold community outreaches, which made her an outstanding choice for the award.

She also has seen her willingness to give selflessly to others, McDonald said.

The greatest present her mother gave her?

Learning how to be present, McDonald said, whether in the community or at home.

"Her strength is admirable, and I desire the same for my childrens children," she said. "When I think about my mother, I think heart of gold. I think selfless. I think legacy."

Deep reflection

Ice said Moore's investment of time and heart is a reflection for others of what they can be.

"We're all busy, and we can all make excuses," she said. "But Dee never did. She never made excuses. She's always made time for the things that are important to her."

It's never just about putting her name on a list, or just filling a seat, Ice said.

"Dee brings her whole self," she said. "She's genuinely there to make a difference."- Greg Jaklewicz contributed to this report.

Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

Other award winners

Excellence in Agriculture  Dr. Kelsi Mangrem, Holland Hearing Center, sponsored by Taylor Telecom.

Redcoat of the Year  Jessica Andrade, Primerica, sponsored by Fullerton & Associates - CPA.

Hispanic Business Council Champion  Pete Leija, Hitman Hog Trapping & Coyote, sponsored by Black Plumbing.

Corporate Star Award  Enprotec / Hibbs & Todd, Inc., sponsored by Hendrick Health

Leadership Abilene Alumni Award  Patty Fuentes, First Financial Bank. sponsored by Coleman County State Bank.

Military Affairs Committee Award  Mindi Nagy, Abilene Country Club, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Nonprofit of the Year Award  Cancer Services Network, sponsored by First Financial Bank.

Mark Rogers Young Professional of the Year  Elizabeth Wallace, McMahon Surovik & Suttle, P.C., sponsored by AbiMar Foods.

Chairmans Award  Scott Dueser, First Financial Bank; Norman Archibald, Hendrick Health, sponsored by The Grace Museum.

Abilene's Outstanding Citizens

1946: Roscoe Blankenship

1947: Nib Shaw

1948: Ed Stewart Sr.

1949: D.H. Jeffries

1950: Malcolm Meek

1951: C.M. Caldwell

1952: W. P.Wright Sr.

1953: J C. Hunter Jr.

1954: Howard McMahon

1955: Ethel Fielder

1956: French Robertson

1957: Morgan Jones Jr.

1958: Walter Johnson

1959: Cal Young

1960: Oliver Howard

1961: Arch Batjer

1962: Gilbert Pechacek

1963: Bob Tiffany

1964: C. E. (Sonny) Bentley

1965: Bryan Bradbury

1966: Ralph Hooks

1967: John A. Wright

1968: A. B. (Stormy) Shelton

1969: Oscar Rose

1970: Mack Eplen

1971: Rolf Hardy

1972: Fred Lee Hughes

1973: Harold Crawford

1974: Ed Wishcamper

1975: Rupert Richardson

1976 : Grover Nelson

1977: Bill Terry

1978: Bob Springer

1979: Syd Niblo

1980: Elbert E. Hall

1981: John Stevens

1982: Robert Deegan

1983: Dick Bowen

1984: Amber Cree

1985: William P. Wright Jr.

1986: Thomas Kim

1987: James D. Tittle

1988: Harwell Barber

1990: H.C. Zachry

1991: Frank Puckett

1992: Michael C. Waters

1993: Billye Proctor-Shaw

1994: Peggy Beckham

1995: Grady Barr

1996: Dian Graves Owen

1997: Wayne Roy

1998: Joe Canon

1999: Gary McCaleb

2000: Julia Jones Matthews

2001: Dyess AFB Family

2002: Jesse Fletcher

2003: Kenneth T. Murphy

2004: Celia Davis

2005: Gail and Joe Russey

2006: Kathy and Jim Webster

2007: Royce Money

2008: Bill Senter

2009: F. Scott Dueser

2010: Tucker S. Bridwell

2011: Joe Crawford

2012: Kenneth L. Burgess Sr.

2013: Glenn A. Dromgoole

2014: Becky and Jack Rentz

2015: Dick Spalding

2016: Donna Albus

2017: Norm Archibald

2018: Tim Lancaster

2019: Mike Hernandez

2020: Larry and Mary Gill

2021: Lale and Dr. B.J. Estes

2022: Dee Moore

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Dee Moore honored as Chamber's Citizen of the Year Thursday
SAN FRANCISCOToday, NakedSword Originals drops its latest DVD release, Islas Canarias, shot and directed by NakedSword Originals director Marc MacNamara. NakedSword, known for shooting in exotic locations around the world, traveled to the Canary Islands to shoot ten European models in paradise. Islas Canarias is now available on DVD for wholesale and retail customers worldwide and available for download exclusively at the Falcon | NakedSword Store: store.falconstudios.com .



The ten European performers featured in Islas Canarias include Austin Sugar, Valentin Amour, Sir Peter, Craig Marks, Bastian Karim, Sam Steiner, Apolo Adrii, Oskar Ivan, Logan Moore, and Johnny Viper.

Press materials state, "Watch these stunning men make their way around the island, as they explore the sights, and make plenty of time for some unforgettable 100 percent bareback action." They continued, "When you see first-hand how these European heartthrobs are erupting on a daily basis, its easy to see why the volcanic islands of Islas Canarias have such an explosive reputation."



President of Falcon I NakedSword, Tim Valenti says of the latest release: Our outdoor movies set in exotic locations always do well with customers. NakedSword director Marc MacNamara really created something special with Islas Canarias, which is full of beautiful European men, some weve never shot before, having incredible outdoor sex in the magical Canary Islands."



Retailers can now stock their shelves with Islas Canarias, now available for wholesale and retail purchase.

For DVD retail and wholesale purchasing, contact John Gunderson ([email protected]). Contact Toby J Morris ([email protected]) with any additional inquiries.
Two bus-loads of migrants from Central and South America arrive outside Vice President Kamala Harris's residence at the Naval Observatory early in the morning in Washington, DC, USA, 15 September 2022. Texas Governor Greg Abbott bussed the migrants, which numbered between 75 and 100 people, from Eagle Pass, Texas to the VP's residence. Gov Abbott busses migrants to Vice President Harris's house in DC, Washington, USA - 15 Sep 2022

JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Gov Abbott busses migrants to Vice President Harris's house in DC

Critics are slamming Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott for transporting migrants from their home states to liberal areas in an effort to make a point about the Biden administration's border policies. But as criticism continues to swirl, some are suggesting the moves could flout human trafficking laws.

Earlier this week, Florida Gov. DeSantis announced he had sent two planes of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. On Thursday, Texas Gov. Abbott claimed responsibility for a similar stunt in which two buses of migrants arrived at the US Naval Observatory  Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington, D.C. and others arrived in Chicago.

RELATED: Ron DeSantis Takes Credit for Sending Planes of Migrants to Martha's Vineyard

Now, some are questioning the tactics used to get the migrants to leave, with NPR reporting that the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard were told they were traveling to Boston and lured into boarding the plane with promises of expedited work papers.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said on Wednesday that state authorities were looking into whether there was any "criminal liability" involved in the transport of migrants to Chicago, deeming the transport a political "stunt."

Martha's Vineyard, MA - September 15: Students from the Marthas Vineyard Regional High School AP Spanish class help deliver food to St Andrews Episcopal Church. Two planes of migrants from Venezuela arrived suddenly Wednesday night on Martha's Vineyard. The students served as translators for the migrants.

Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Marthas Vineyard Migrants

"I'm not going to mince words here: The governor of Texas is forcing on New York and D.C. and Chicago and potentially other places a needlessly last minute and complex process that is a heartless display of politics over people," Pritzker said, the Chicago-Tribune reports. "Why not give reasonable notice? Why send these folks only to blue cities or blue states? Why isn't Abbott sending refugees to Mississippi or Oklahoma or Idaho? This is about politics for him."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

While Abbott's office told the Tribune the migrants had signed waivers indicating they were willingly boarding the buses, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she believed "that they have been misled and the only option for them that they've been presented to by the folks in Texas is a free bus ride, because they're not providing any other option."

Story continues

A Venezuelan migrant is led onto a bus at St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Marthaas Vineyard. A group of migrants was flown to the island from Texas earlier this week, leaving them stranded. They are here being transferred to a Cape Cod military base.

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty A Venezuelan migrant is led onto a bus at St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Marthaas Vineyard. A group of migrants was flown to the island from Texas earlier this week, leaving them stranded. They are here being transferred to a Cape Cod military base

Pritzer echoed those concerns, saying "We are still examining and interviewing the folks who have come to Illinois and listening to their stories about whether or not they willingly got on these buses, knew where they were going, were given the information," the Tribune reports.

DeSantis' office told CNN in a statement that he sent the migrants out of Florida because they could be better taken care of elsewhere.

"States like Massachusetts, New York, and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden Administration's open border policies," the statement read.
(Bloomberg) --

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A Dubai court has ordered Sanjay Shah, his wife, and companies tied to the hedge fund trader to repay Denmark more than 4.6 billion dirhams ($1.26 billion).

The appeals court overturned a prior ruling this week saying Shah must pay the sum with 5% interest from the day of the decision. The Danish tax agency, which confirmed the ruling, said it is satisfied with the decision of the appellate court against one of the central players in the fraud committed against Denmark.

Denmark has sought to claw back more than $2 billion that authorities said it was defrauded out of by networks of bankers, lawyers and others. Shah was named as the mastermind of the scheme in which pension plans filed for tax returns to which they werent entitled, because they never paid the taxes to begin with. Shah, a British national, has always maintained his innocence.

Jack Irvine, a spokesman for Shah, said that his lawyers intend to lodge an appeal. OGH Legal, which acted for the Danish tax authority, declined to comment. Dubai publication The National reported the ruling on Thursday.

The other parties in the case include Shahs wife, Usha, and his firm Solo Capital Partners Ltd.

The judgment comes just days after another court ruled Shah shouldnt be extradited to Denmark to face charges in connection with the cum-ex case. Denmark and the United Arab Emirates signed an extradition deal in March, with Shahs handover being one of the main purposes.

Dubais attorney general is appealing the decision, the emirates media office said Friday.

(Updates with moves to appeal extradition halt in final paragraph.)

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Pickford is currently out with a thigh injury (PA)

Frank Lampard has urged the injured Jordan Pickford not to try and come back from injury too quickly and jeopardise his chances of going to the World Cup after joking that the goalkeeper would play for England on one quad if he could.

Pickford will miss his countrys last two games before the World Cup, the Nations League meetings with Italy and Germany, with a thigh injury he sustained in the Merseyside derby.

Lampard hopes Pickford will be fit for Evertons first match after the international break, away at Southampton, and has been in talks with Gareth Southgate and the player himself about managing his return.

He said: Jordan would go and play on one quad for England in a friendly next week. We have to be sure that we do the right thing.

I have spoken to Gareth about it and our physios and Englands physios are in conjunction together, talking about it to make sure we do the right thing for Jordan.

And the right thing for Jordan is the right thing for Everton and England. We just have to rehab it well. Hopefully it will be in the next two or three weeks and he will be back, its as simple as that. We wouldnt take any risks with him.

If we did, it would affect our batch of games up to the winter break. If you were to re-injure the quad, it would obviously affect his run up to the World Cup. So we are being very careful with that. We are working with Jordan and England.

He is keen, he is really keen. I learnt as a player the negatives of that. I re-injured my quad a few times, trying to push my physio to get me back quicker.

Im now more experienced, so I can be on the other hand and make sure he does it in the right way. The experts are the physios. Hes keen but he is very mature. He wants to play but we will find the right way.
orlando rowing team

A child is missing in Orlando, Florida near Lake Fairview after a lightning strike injured several members of a youth rowing club team during its practice.

On Thursday, five middle school-aged students, part of the non-profit North Orlando Rowing Club, were in a boat practicing on the lake when lightning struck in the area around 5:50 p.m. and the boat capsized.

Of the five students, four made it to safety. Authorities are still searching for the other.

The missing child's name, nor the names of the other children, were not released by officials.

Jenny DeSantis, a public information officer for the City of Orlando Fire Department, told PEOPLE in a statement that the Orlando Fire Department, its dive team and Orlando Police Department all responded to the incident, working with the Orange County Fire Rescue, Seminole County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Sheriff's Office all night and through the morning hours to search for the child.

"At around 5:30 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit arrived on-site with two boats equipped with sonar to support OFD in the search for the missing student," DeSantis said in her statement. "Orlando Police also remain on scene at this time."

One of the rescued students was transported to AdventHealth Orlando, a local hospital, according to officials, while three other students were assessed on scene for treatment and released without transport.

RELATED: Woman Says Being the Sole Survivor of Deadly Lightning Strike Near White House Doesn't 'Feel Good'

A Fox 35 Orlando reporter noted early Friday morning on Twitter that dive teams had not yet clarified whether they were conducting a "rescue" or "recovery" operation.

The Orlando Fire Department is "going to use every diver that we have to see if we can locate the missing child," Orlando Fire Department Executive Deputy Chief Ian Davis said during a press conference, according to CNN.

"If I have fresh divers, I'm going to keep on searching," he added.

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RELATED: Lightning Strike Kills Florida Mom Waiting to Pick Up Her Child from School: Reports

Four lightning strikes occurred in the area near Lake Fairview between 5:46 and 6 p.m. Thursday, according to CNN.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Florida the United States' "lightning capital," with more than 2,000 lightning injuries incurred over the last 50 years.

17 people in the U.S. had died due to lightning strikes in 2022 as of Sept. 13, according to the National Weather Service.
Sep. 16A 31-year-old year old Hawaii man has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of stalking teenagers online and distributing child pornography.

Gerardo Javier Montes entered his not guilty plea in District Court in St. Louis, Mo., on Wednesday. On July 27 he was indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of attempted production of child pornography and one count of cyberstalking.

Montes was arrested in Hawaii on July 29 and arrived in St. Louis Tuesday before appearing in court.

An indictment alleged that Montes distributed child pornography online on Dec. 8. Also, between Dec. 6 and Jan. 15, he allegedly tried to persuade a 14-year-old girl from Missouri to send him nude photos of herself by threatening to post nude photos of her that he already had, which he did.

He also allegedly targeted a 17-year-old girl in Oklahoma, a 16-year-old girl in Texas, a 13-year-old girl in Hawaii, a 26-year-old girl in California and other, still-unidentified minors.

Montes allegedly found some of his targets online, in chat rooms or messaging boards discussing suicide or depression and pretended to be a girl to get other girls to send him child sex abuse material, according to a pre-trial detention motion.
Taiwans Foreign Ministry condemned organizers at the 2022 World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WCIT) in Penang, Malaysia, for stopping beauty queen Kao Man-jung from waving the islands flag and joining other pageant contestants on stage.

Photos and video, shared by Taoyuan Department of Information Technology Director-General Karen Yu on Facebook, show the Taiwanese beauty queen visibly upset and in tears during the opening ceremony of the WCIT on Tuesday.

She is one of over 40 contestants in the running to become the next Miss Asia Global on Sept. 18.

More from NextShark: Coffee shop owner in Taiwan hangs banner warning customers over 18 not to call her auntie

In a statement on Wednesday, Taiwans Foreign Ministry accused China of putting pressure on the event organizers, calling the country a bully.

[The incident] highlights how the totalitarian government of the Chinese Communist Party continues to oppress Taiwanese people with cruel acts and forces the international community to accept its one-sided claims and lies, the ministry wrote. The Taiwanese people have the right to show their own flag and their identity internationally.

WCIT organizers later apologized to Kao, claiming that they could not allow her to go on stage because of a last-minute change, Yu wrote.

More from NextShark: Chinese movie depicting Korean speed skaters as cheating bullies called 'violation of the Olympic spirit'

Malaysia strictly follows the one-China policy, and since this is a national event, we are obliged to follow and protect the countrys pledge in supporting the policy, Sean Seah, the events organizing chairman, told Free Malaysia Today. Running a global event like this, we are bound by guidelines. We are unable to take any position on this.

Featured Image via Karen Yu

More from NextShark: MI6 chief thanks China for 'free publicity' from bizarre 'James Pond' spoof aimed at Western intelligence

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A Chinese unmanned Mars mission has successfully mapped the entirety of the Red Planet
The suspect in a 50-year-old cold murder case is a former Nevada deputy attorney, police said.

Tudor Chirila, now 77, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing 19-year-old Nancy Elaine Anderson to death on 7 January 1972, local TV station Hawaii News Now first reported. She had at least 60 stab wounds in her neck, chest, and abdomen when she was found inside her Honolulu apartment.

Police were only able to positively match Mr Chirilas DNA with the one retrieved from the crime scene after his son, John Chirila, of California, consented to a swab sample earlier this year. The department was then able to obtain a warrant for Mr Chirilas DNA that was served on 6 September.

He reportedly attempted suicide on 8 September. Mr Chirila, who now lives in Nevada, was arrested in Reno on Wednesday and is waiting for extradition to Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

Mr Chirila served as a deputy attorney in the 1970s and made an unsuccessful bid for the Nevada Supreme Court in 1994, the Reno Gazette reported. According to the outlet, he was also accused of tying up his girlfriend in an attempt to rape and kidnap her in 1995, but the charges were eventually dropped.

Nancy Elaine Anderson was stabbed to death in 1972 (HPD)

Mr Chirila, a longtime attorney in Reno, Carson City and the Lake Tahoe area, was also the president of a company used as a front for a brothel that defrauded the government in bankruptcy proceedings. He testified in court for the prosecution.

Anderson, who had moved to Hawaii from Michigan, was found by her roommate, who was sleeping in their Waikiki apartment at the time of the killing.

The woman told police she was taking a nap before she found the body and said she had seen Anderson with two male salesmen hours before.

Her body was found by her roomate inside their Waikiki apartment (HPD)

The salesmen, Andersons past boyfriends and the building manager were interrogated and their DNA was tested but none matched the one found at the scene. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) exhausted investigative leads and the case went cold.

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In 2020, HPD partnered with a Virginia-based lab to create a profile with DNA retrieved from the scene.

According to the rendering, the suspect was of southern and southeastern European heritage, brown or hazel eyes and brown or black hair.

HPD had exhausted investigative efforts before asking Parabon NanoLabs to create a prediction of the suspects physical appearance at the time of the crime (HPD)

The next year they received a tip about Mr Chirila. Although the department was initially unable to test Mr Chirilas DNA, his son agreed to provide his. A search warrant was obtained for Mr Chirilas DNA on 1 September, and a positive match came back eleven days later.

Mr Chirila was booked into Washoe County Jail without bail.
The French expert from the EDHEC Business School exchanges views on factors driving Thailand to embrace changes.

BANGKOK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Innovation Agency or NIA, a public organization under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, hosted the Thailand Global Innovation Forum 2022 (TGIF 2022) under the concept of "Thailand towards the Top 30 Global Innovation Nations" to drive Thailand towards being a "Nation of Innovation" and to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the NIA becoming a public organization. It was honored by Dr Rene Rohrbeck, a professor of Innovation and Change and the Director of the Center for Predicting the Future from the EDHEC Business School, a leading business school in France, who gave a speech entitled "Global Foresight: the Future of an Innovation Nation." There was also a forum to exchange views on the issue of the "Global Innovation Index (GII): Thailand's Innovation on a Global Stage" from representatives of leading national organizations.

Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, NIA Director in TGIF 2022

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Soranit Siltham, Chairman of National Innovation Agency NIA, said that September 2, 2022 marked the 13th anniversary of the establishment of NIA as a public organization, said previously, NIA was positioned as System Integrator that strengthened the country's innovation system and connected all stakeholders under the Thai innovation system and was the key driver of scientific system research and innovation for the country.

In the beginning, NIA focused on funding SMEs to build innovative businesses. Subsequently it focused on building an ecosystem for innovation by all sectors, especially the Start-up Ecosystem, and when Thailand has a new social player that plays a role in innovation, the NIA provides support for the creation of social innovation businesses in all regions of the country including the development of innovation potential on the basis of deep technology (Deep Tech). This is to increase capabilities for the economy, for society and for the national environment to prepare for and to cope with change in the future, especially to drive the three major economic systems of the country. These changes are:

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The foundation economy that strengthens communities and areas; For the economy to be sustainable and to support the efficient use of resources and for the preservation of the environment and; For a creative economy that is knowledge-based and originates from intellectual property and research studies that are connected to the basic culture, history and the accumulation of the knowledge by Thai society.

Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, NIA Director, revealed that the NIA had transformed its role from being a System Integrator to become a "Focal Facilitator" for innovation under four strategies, making the Thai innovation system open for an increasing number of businesses that have innovation capabilities at critical mass levels that make changes for the country by developing co-operation, both at the national and international levels, and create opportunities for universal access to resources and support.

The second strategy is to transform the financial system of Thailand's innovation by connecting the sources of innovation funding in order to create a financial system that facilitates innovation development and makes it accessible, enabling innovative businesses to generate growth and to have an impact on society.

The third strategy is to build an information system to drive innovation by promoting the use of innovation data to support evidence-based strategic decision-making by policymakers and entrepreneurs in the creation and development of innovation.

The fourth strategy is to become a high-performance organization that is ready for change and which creates sustainable growth by transforming to a digital organization, embracing management standards and human resource development.

"Hence, by driving the country to enhance its innovation capabilities towards becoming a "Nation of Innovation" that is ready to grow and which can create innovations that can drive the economy, society and the environment there is a need to focus on six key issues. These are: 1) The Government needs to be a "sandbox" and an accelerator of innovation; 2) Innovation investment needs to be stimulated and connected to the utilization of research; 3) Activities of financial market innovations and financial markets need to be stimulated and a database needs to be built; 4) The number of innovation-based enterprises for business structure revolution needs to be increased; 5) The registration and utilization of patents for adding value to products and services needs to be stimulated; and 6) the number of bases for creativity and culture needs to be increased," Dr Pun-Arj added.

Dr Rene Rohrbeck, Professor of Strategy and Director of the chair on "Foresight, Innovation and Transformation at the EDHEC Business School in France, said there were four factors that had driven Thailand to change. These are: 1) Thailand 4.0, from product manufacturing to technology promotion, especially the four core technologies, being biotechnology, nanotechnology, advanced material technology and digital technology. The second factor was the expansion of international trade services with a change from depending on tourism alone to it becoming a professional service that indirectly trades through the value chain and which is expected to expand exponentially in the next 10 years. The third factor is the drive towards an innovation and knowledge-driven economy. An organization needs employees who have graduated in manufacturing, social sciences and IT along with quality career guidance services and policies are required that stimulate the demand for high-level skills in the labor market. While the fourth factor is sustainability and a green economy which comes with a smaller number of workers and which places more emphasis on quality work which will make "green products" more expensive.

"For organizations to cope with change, they need to be prepared using the "Future Fitness Model," which is a model preparing for the future. It consists of perceiving, which explores the signs of change to prepare for the challenges that arise in order to reduce response time and to speed up decision-making and to experiment, and probing which entails solving problems with existing resources and having the ability to predict the future which is necessary in order to be prepared in order to be able to cope with the changes appropriately which should provide training and preparation for management-level employees, especially in order to create change at the industrial level and the ecosystem. Positive change must be "human" and driven through co-operation between leaders and a strong network of partners. Most important is the feeling of being an innovator because it is considered hard work and may not be rewarded immediately. Therefore, you should ensure that you will be happy and have fun with creative things," Dr Rene concluded.

SOURCE The National Innovation Agency (NIA), Thailand
(Bloomberg) -- Oil settled at its third weekly loss as mounting evidence of an economic slowdown overshadows supply-risk concerns.

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West Texas Intermediate futures settled at $85.11 a barrel, down 1.9% from the prior week. Hotter-than-expected inflation figures fanned expectations that more interest-rate hikes will crimp growth, while a warning from FedEx Corp. Friday was seen as proof that the US economy has started slowing.

This was the week that energy traders started to believe that the US economy is headed for a rough patch, said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda. Global recession fears are becoming the consensus view and that is troubling for the short-term crude demand outlook.

Nonetheless, the potential for more supply disruptions from Russia remains a risk, while Chinas economic data suggested stimulus measures there were having some success ramping up demand. Taken together with OPECs recent moves to support prices, traders said they see $85 a barrel as basic footing for the oil market.

Global oil consumption is being threatened by a darkening economic outlook. A hawkish US Federal Reserve, the risk of a recession in Europe due to a severe energy crisis, and Chinas continued Covid-19 lockdowns are all adding pressure to the commodity. Diesel prices -- often correlated to the global growth outlook -- have slumped this week and several banks have cautioned on the outlook.

Also restraining oil price gains, the Bloomberg dollar gauge traded near a record this week on the outlook for tighter monetary policy. A rising greenback makes commodities more expensive for buyers outside of the US.

Despite the more ominous economic picture, Russian supply disruptions remained a wildcard in oil markets. In an effort to stave off a looming energy crisis this winter stemming from curtailed Russian flows, Germany seized the local unit of Russian oil major Rosneft PJSC, including stakes in three refineries.

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One of the plants, PCK Schwedt, is now preparing for potential retaliation from Russia such as short-term restrictions in the crude supplied via the Cold War-era Druzhba pipeline.

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Phoenix Suns vice chairman Jahm Najafi released an open letter on Thursday calling for the teams majority owner Robert Sarver to resign after he was suspended in response to an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct.

In accordance with my commitment to helping eradicate any form of racism, sexism and bias, as Vice Chairman of the Phoenix Suns, I am calling for the resignation of Robert Sarver, wrote Najafi in the letter published by The Arizona Republic.

I have no choice but to speak up on behalf of the hundreds of you who have been impacted by your interactions with Robert Sarver and the resulting investigation of his conduct.

The NBA investigation into Sarver, which culminated in a one-year suspension from his ownership and a fine of $10 million, found that the businessman had engaged in misogynistic and racist conduct in the workplace.

Najafi noted that the report found that Sarver used the N-word multiple times and regularly made demeaning and sexually harassing comments toward women.

There should be zero tolerance for discriminatory actions of any level, in any setting, let alone a professional one, Najafi wrote.

The vice chairman added that Sarvers position as owner of the team should not excuse him for exhibiting harmful behavior.

I cannot in good judgment sit back and allow our children and future generations of fans to think that this behavior is tolerated because of wealth and privilege, continued Najafi.

While I have no interest in becoming the managing partner, I will work tirelessly to ensure the next team steward treats all stakeholders with dignity, professionalism and respect.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University celebrated its 30th anniversary Wednesday with a reception and presentation from Dine water activist Nicole Horseherder.

Tonight we come to pay homage and say thank you for 30 years of being here, for 30 years of serving tribal communities throughout the entire country, Anne Marie Chischilly, NAUs vice president for the Office of Native American Initiatives and former ITEP director, said during the celebration.

She said ITEP has served more than 95% of the 574 tribes across the United States in its three decades of existence so far.

ITEP was founded in 1992 by Virgil Masayesva and Bill Auberle in response to a request from Hopi tribal elders concerned about the regions air quality.

According to its website, ITEP was created to act as a catalyst among tribal governments, research and technical resources at NAU, various federal, state and local governments, and the private sector, in support of environmental protection of Native American natural resources.

The institutes mission is to strengthen tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships and policy-based services.

Chischilly said the institute has key values: listening to tribes, respecting tribal sovereignty, and commitments to both service and learning.

Those are really the four things that we look at when were going out and traveling out to tribes -- to really look at how were respecting the tribes and their knowledges and their cultures and traditional ways of life, she said.

ITEP is currently led by interim director Mehrdad Khabiti and associate interim director Nikki Cooley.

Among the institutes programs and initiatives are the biannual Status of Tribes and Climate Change (STACC) report, first published in 2019 and a variety of conferences and trainings. It also provides learning opportunities through student internships and K-12 STEM programs. According to a release, it brings in more than $3 million in grant funding each year.

ITEP also works directly with tribes on environmental issues, including air-quality management, water quality, adaptation to climate change and waste management, among others.

We strive to positively impact tribal communities through learning from and teaching others, Chischilly said. Paramount to our work is service to tribes, tribal environmental professionals, students and educatorsm and we are especially committed to future generations.

ITEPs 30th anniversary event came in partnership with the 16th biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau and Southwest Region, which took place at the university on Monday and ran through Wednesday.

The conference is a forum for resource managers and researchers to discuss findings and management needs of the area.

Meant to be an evening of inspirational hope through action," the ceremony came after a reception featuring music from Hopi musician and artist Ed Kabotie.

Horseherder, who is the executive director of To Nizhoni Ani (Sacred Water Speaks), spoke at Thursdays keynote, telling stories of her life and experiences in water conservation. She included efforts she has been involved in to preserve the Navajo Aquifer on Black Mesa, and ongoing reclamation and recovery work.

I realized through this work that all movements are needed, she said. "That us as enviros and people who sometimes get called radical, all those voices are needed. We need people who can get angry, who can march, we need people to chain themselves to equipment. And then we need people who are very good at diplomacy, we need people who consider cross table leadership and can really hash out things.

More information about ITEP is available at www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Home/. A recording of the celebration and keynote can be found on its Facebook page.
In future summers, the edges of the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk could have a new, larger look.

Multiple plans are in the works to build hotels in Rehoboth Beach, one of Delaware's most popular destinations that keeps getting busier. In the coming years, when beachgoers look back on the avenue from the sand, there will likely be more oceanfront balconies and windows than one-story shops.

Two projects could shake up the end of the boardwalk. The longtime owner of the Candy Kitchen corner wants to build a 100-plus room building there in the image of a mid-20th century hotel. Across the avenue, Grotto Pizza is taking over the former Dolle's with plans for a restaurant and hotel.

Elsewhere on Rehoboth Avenue, a motel is being renovated into a boutique hotel. A court battle will decide whether an office strip is replaced by another hotel.

As the beaches begin to roll into their "shoulder season"  between the elbow-to-elbow boardwalk traffic of summer and the quiet winter  here's a look at where those projects stand.

A rendering of the proposed Bellhaven hotel along the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk.

Bellhaven Hotel

Longtime owners of one of Rehoboth Beachs most prime locations have plans to build a four-story luxury hotel.

The project is a new version of the Bellhaven hotel at the south corner of Rehoboth Avenue and the boardwalk opposite the former Dolles. The Papajohn family has owned the property since the late 1930s. Their original Bellhaven stood at the site for decades before it was damaged by the Great Storm of 1962 and later taken down. Its now home to several stores and restaurants including Candy Kitchen, The Ice Cream store and Grotto Pizza.

A historic image of the Bellhaven Hotel at the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. The hotel was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1962.

In November, the Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment granted a variance to allow the property to be developed at a greater floor-area ratio than permitted by city code, one of the first steps toward gaining approval for the project. That variance is now being challenged in court by Francis Markert, a Rehoboth Beach resident who has served on several city boards.

More than 100 residents last year signed a letter opposing the variance request. The letter argued the hotel would have an adverse impact on the town because its size goes against Rehoboth Beachs character and would open the flood gates for further expansion in commercial areas and increased hotel density.

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PREVIOUS REPORTING: Boardwalk hotel modeled after historic Rehoboth Beach landmark clears major hurdle

The court held an oral argument on Aug. 30. A judge has not yet ruled on the case.

The Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk is shown in 2019.

The next step for the Papajohns is a hearing before the Planning Commission. Alex Papajohn said they've continued engineering the project and are waiting to be placed on the commission's schedule to present the latest version of their plan as the court case plays out.

The plan presented last year called for 116 rooms with balconies, a zero-edge pool, a conference center, an exercise room and underground parking. There would be ground-floor retail replacing some of the stores displaced by the hotels construction.

The higher floor-area ratio allows the Papajohns to include higher-class amenities such as the balconies, conference center and retail, they said. Without the variance, the Papajohns said they would have to build a generic boxed-shape hotel with more rooms and fewer amenities.

The historic Dolles sign is taken down from the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. Owner Tom Ibach (far left) looks on.

Boutique hotel at the former Dolle's

Grotto Pizza is taking over the iconic corner where Dolle's orange script sign had long christened the Rehoboth Beach sky.

Almost a year before the classic Dolle's sign came down, Grotto Pizza bought the property at 1 Rehoboth Ave. and the boardwalk with plans to move its Baltimore Avenue restaurant there. Now, it also wants to build a boutique hotel with underground parking in the same block.

The iconic Dolle's sign, that has stood for many years at Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, was removed in December. It has been relocated to the Rehoboth Museum.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: Big changes are coming to Rehoboth Boardwalk's iconic corner. How Grotto is playing a role

Lynne Coan, communications specialist for Rehoboth Beach, said a concept plan has been submitted for the property. It could go to the Planning Commission in the coming weeks.

Right now, the area Grotto Pizza is redeveloping includes the former Dolles building, a single-story retail space, the North Boardwalk Grotto Pizza restaurant and the closed Sirocco Hotel.

Jeff Gosnear, vice president of Grotto Pizza, has said the hotel would complement other hotels near the boardwalk. Grotto Pizza has not shared specific details about the project.

330 Rehoboth Ave.

A multiyear effort to build a hotel at the gateway to Rehoboth Avenue is now in the hands of the Delaware Chancery Court.

Plans for a four-story, 90-room hotel with street-level and underground parking at 330 Rehoboth Ave. have been before the city of Rehoboth Beach since early 2019. The property is perhaps best known as the former home of the Seahorse restaurant. It's now offices with an adjacent parking lot.

The property is split into two zoning classifications: about half is zoned for commercial use and about half is zoned for residential use. The residential area is used for parking.

When the Planning Commission reviewed the property in 2019, it found two possible routes for the development. The developers could seek variances to continue using the residential zoned parcel for parking as part of the hotel plan or request the residential zoned parcel be rezoned to commercial.

The developers say the Planning Commission supported the zoning change to make the project simpler.

The project stalled because of an ownership-related dispute. Once 330 Hospitality LLC, a partnership between Gallo Realty and Lockwood Design and Construction as reported by the Cape Gazette, took ownership of the application returned to the Planning Commission in May 2021. After several hearings, the Planning Commission in December recommended denying the rezoning. The city commissioners voted against the rezoning by a 5-2 vote in March.

330 Hospitality LLC is now arguing in a lawsuit against the city and members of the Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners that they relied on "good faith" to pursue the rezoning, and the reasons shared for denying the application were flawed.

A hearing on the city's motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Sandcastle Motel

Harvey, Hanna and Associates are redeveloping the Sandcastle Motel at Rehoboth Avenue and Second Street.

It's a $5 million renovation project that will transform the motel into a boutique hotel with an upscale southern European-themed restaurant, the Delaware Business Times reported. It will have 60 rooms, the same number as the motel.

Rehoboth Beach allowed some demolition work this summer. The city code prohibits demolition of structures over 750 square feet from May 15 to Sept. 15.

Like knowing what stores, restaurants and developments are coming and going in Delaware? Join our Facebook group What's Going There in Delaware and subscribe to our What's Going There in Delaware newsletter.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rehoboth Beach boardwalk could have hotels at Dolle's and Candy Kitchen
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RICHMOND, Ind.  A Richmond man with six methamphetamine-related convictions now faces dealing cases after he was reportedly found with more than 27 grams of methamphetamine.

Angel Steven Nunez, 27, of the 100 block of North West E Street, remained Thursday in Wayne County's jail with a $35,000 bond after appearing by Zoom for a Wednesday initial court hearing. He is charged with Level 2 felony dealing methamphetamine and misdemeanor driving with a suspended license. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office also accuses him of being a habitual offender.

During the initial hearing, Mark Cox was appointed Nunez's defense attorney, and a trial was scheduled for Dec. 26.

It's the second case Nunez faces in Superior Court 2. He was accused in January of Level 5 felony dealing methamphetamine. Nunez was free because he posted $2,000 cash to satisfy a $20,000 bond in that case, which is scheduled for an Oct. 24 trial.

Nunez has six previous convictions for felony possession of methamphetamine, as well as felony convictions for possession of cocaine, possession of a syringe and maintaining a common nuisance. He has five previous misdemeanor convictions for license-related driving offenses: three for driving with a suspended license and two for driving without ever obtaining a license.

Nunez was arrested Sept. 11 after a Richmond Police Department officer saw him driving and knew he did not have a valid license. Nunez, who was driving a passenger's Ford Focus, was stopped on Ratliff Street, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The car's owner consented to officers searching the Focus, the affidavit said. A plastic bag containing a digital scale and a case with three smaller bags of methamphetamine was found beneath the driver's seat. The bags contained 12.44 grams, 7.70 grams and 7.28 grams of methamphetamine to total 27.45 grams.

Nunez's dealing charge was enhanced to a Level 2 felony because more than 10 grams was located.

A Level 2 felony carries a 17-year advisory sentence and a sentencing range of 10 to 30 years as established by the Indiana legislature. A Level 5 felony conviction's advisory sentence is three years with a range of one to six years.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond man with 6 previous meth convictions now has 2 dealing cases
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Vancouver-based Trevali Mining Corp.s chief executive Ricus Grimbeek resigned, days after a court in Burkina Faso found two employees connected to the Canadian firm guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a flash flood in April killed eight miners at the companys Perkoa mine in the West African nation.

In addition to Grimbeek, who joined the company in April 2019, Trevalis chief operating officer Derek du Preez and its director Dan Isserow also resigned, the company said in a press release on Sept. 16.

Trevali also said that the Supreme Court of British Columbia has approved Trevalis application for a sales and investment solicitation process (SISP) for its wholly owned Caribou Mine in New Brunswick and its 90 per cent interest in the Rosh Pinah Mine in Namibia.

An SISP is a court-supervised process under the Companies Creditor Protection Act (CCAA) through which companies are marketed to prospective purchasers or an investment is sought. Trevali had filed for creditor protection under the CCAA in August.

With the SISP order obtained and the sales process underway  the board and Mr. Grimbeek determined that it was the appropriate time for him to step away from Trevali, the press release said.

Flash floods caused by unseasonal rainfall breached the Perkoa mine on April 16, and the company spent the next two months pumping out about 137 million litres of water.

The bodies of the eight workers were discovered during the cleanup operation between mid-May and mid-June. Initially, Trevali said it hoped the missing workers would be found in the mines refuge chamber; however, the chamber was found intact and empty once the rescue team reached the room located more than 500 metres below the surface in mid-May.

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On Sept. 14, a Burkina Faso court sentenced two Trevali managers, who were detained last month, to suspended sentences. The companys Perkoa mine manager was fined US$3,000 and given a 24-month prison sentence, and a manager from Byrnecut Offshore Pty. Ltd., the companys mining contractor, was handed a 12-month sentence.

The manslaughter charges exacerbated a difficult period for Trevali, which is focused on producing zinc, a metal Canada has included in its list of critical minerals and required for the nations push towards a sustainable economy.

Earlier this month, the company said its common shares would be de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange from Oct. 3. The trading of its shares has been suspended since Aug. 22, when the company filed an application for creditor protection under the CCAA.

Trevali failed to make a mandatory $7.5-million prepayment on its revolving credit facility in mid-August, analysts said. In addition, its entire credit facility is set to mature on Sept. 18.

The Perkoa mine is located about 120 kilometres away from the capital city of Ouagadougou in the Sanguie province of Burkina Faso. The country has been battling an insurgency for seven years, which has led to the deaths of at least 2,000 people and compelled nearly two million to leave their homes.
Uber was hacked, and it had to take its internal messaging service and engineering systems offline to investigate the incident, according to The New York Times. Sources who talked to the publication said employees were instructed not to go on Slack, where the bad actor had posted a message that read "I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach" (along with a bunch of emoji) before it was pulled offline. In a tweet confirming the breach, the company said that it's currently responding to a cybersecurity incident and that it's now in touch with law enforcement.

We are currently responding to a cybersecurity incident. We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available.  Uber Comms (@Uber_Comms) September 16, 2022

The company didn't say what exactly the hacker was able to access and if user data was compromised. The Times says the hacker's Slack message also listed databases they claim they were able to infiltrate, though. And based on screenshots seen by The Washington Post, the bad actor boasted about being able to gather internal code and messaging data. An Uber spokesperson explained that the bad actor was able to post on the company Slack after compromising a worker's account. They then gained access to Uber's other internal systems and posted an explicit photo on an internal page.

Bug bounty hunter and security researcher Sam Curry tweeted information reportedly from an Uber employee that could be about that explicit photo:

From an Uber employee:



Feel free to share but please dont credit me: at Uber, we got an URGENT email from IT security saying to stop using Slack. Now anytime I request a website, I am taken to a REDACTED page with a pornographic image and the message F*** you wankers.  Sam Curry (@samwcyo) September 16, 2022

Uber admitting the incident and getting in touch with authorities shortly after it happened is a massive departure from how it handled the data breach it suffered back in 2016. The company hid that attack for a year and instead of reporting the incident, it paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the information they stole. Former Uber security chief Joseph Sullivan was fired and eventually charged with obstruction of justice for the role he played in the coverup, though his lawyers argued that he was used as a scapegoat. Uber settled with the Justice Department for failing to disclose the breach in July this year.
'Werewolf killer' ordered to stay off social media after dating profile is found 4 years following slaying

A Virginia man who once suffered a psychiatric break and killed a merchant believing he was a werewolf was ordered to stay off social media Thursday after he appeared to gloss over his violent past in an online dating profile.

Pankaj Bhasin, who is free on conditional release after he spent three years in a mental health facility, recently had a Facebook dating profile that called himself "an easy going adventurer who believes in universal connection who is recently getting back from two years of travel," NBC Washington reported this week.

Alexandria Circuit Court Chief Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler told Bhasin, 38, on Thursday to stay off social media as long as he's on conditional release. But he will be allowed to keep using LinkedIn as he looks for a job, NBC Washington reported.

Back in the summer of 2018, Bhasin stabbed Bradford Jackson more than 50 times, leaving behind a gruesome scene inside Window Universe in Alexandria, police said.

Bhasin claimed he had suffered a psychiatric break when he killed Jackson, 65, a stranger he believed was a werewolf. After a mistrial, when jurors leaned toward acquittal, prosecutors agreed to a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity, leading to a three-year stint at a mental health facility.

Bhasin's recently uncovered dating profile unnerved Sarah Bryen, 37, a friend of Jackson's who flagged the social media presence to authorities.

"It's deceptive," Bryen told NBC News on Thursday. "I mean, when you meet someone online, you never know who you're going out on date with for the most part. It could be a guy who stabbed someone 53 times."

Bryen said she was at a loss for words after she spotted Bhasin's very normal profiles.

"He got out way sooner than anyone expected, and I don't know what went through my mind [after she saw Bhasin's social media presence] other than 'Whoa,'" Bryen said.

Bhasin's attorney, Peter Greenspun, declined to specifically discuss the case outside court. He said in statement to NBC News: "Mr. Bhasin is not on any social media or dating sites. He has and will continue to follow all the directions of the City of Alexandria Circuit Court."

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Greenspun said Bhasin is "doing extremely well" and working "hard with his treatment team." He acknowledged that his client's freedom could still be "understandably" upsetting to Jackson's friends and loved ones.

"None of this diminishes in any manner the tragedy of the death of Bradford Jackson and the overwhelming loss to his many family members and friends," Greenspun said.

"Mr. Bhasin has expressed his remorse for Mr. Jackson and those who knew him in every setting possible, including in his treatment. While those expressions may, understandably, not be enough for those who are suffering, it is sincere and constant and has been an important part of his recovery."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Artist's impression of the Gogo fish

Researchers have discovered a 380-million-year-old heart preserved inside a fossilised prehistoric fish.

They say the specimen captures a key moment in the evolution of the blood-pumping organ found in all back-boned animals, including humans.

The heart belonged to a fish known as the Gogo, which is now extinct.

The "jaw-dropping" discovery, published in the journal Science, was made in Western Australia.

The lead scientist, Prof Kate Trinajstic from Curtin University in Perth told BBC News about the moment she and her colleagues realised that they had made the biggest discovery of their lives.

"We were crowded around the computer and recognised that we had a heart and pretty much couldn't believe it! It was incredibly exciting," she said.

The fish are perfectly preserved in boulders found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Usually, it is bones rather than soft tissues that are turned into fossils - but at this location in Kimberley, known as the Gogo rock formation - minerals have preserved many of the fish's internal organs, including the liver, stomach, intestine and heart.

"This is a crucial moment in our own evolution," said Prof Trinajstic.

"It shows the body plan that we have evolved very early on, and we see this for the very first time in these fossils."

Her collaborator, Prof John Long from Flinders University in Adelaide, described the find as "a mind-boggling, jaw-dropping discovery".

"We have never known anything about the soft organs of animals this old, until now," he said.

The Gogo fish's heart had two chambers, one above the other, which went on to evolve into the human heart

The Gogo fish is the first of a class of prehistoric fish called placoderms. These were the first fish to have jaws and teeth. Before them, fishes were no bigger than 30cm, but placoderms could grow up to 29.5ft (9m) in length.

Placoderms were the planet's dominant life form for 60 million years, existing more than 100 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the Earth.

Scans of the Gogo fish fossil showed that its heart was more complex than expected for these primitive fish. It had two chambers one on top of each other, similar in structure to the human heart.

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The researchers suggest this made the animal's heart more efficient and was the critical step that transformed it from a slow-moving fish to a fast-moving predator.

The researchers scanned inside the boulders to discover a liver, stomach, intestines and a heart, shown in red

"This was the way they could up the ante and become a voracious predator," said Prof Long.

The other important observation was that the heart was much more forward in the body than those of more primitive fish.

This position is thought to have been associated with the development of the Gogo fish's neck and made space for the development of lungs further down the evolutionary line.

A fossil of the head of a Gogo fish with large eye sockets

Dr Zerina Johanson of the Natural History Museum, London, who is a world leader in placoderms, and is independent of Prof Trinajstic's team, described the research as an "extremely important discovery" that helps to explain why the human body is the way it is today.

"A lot of the things you see we still have in our own bodies; jaws and teeth, for example. We have the first appearance of the front fins and the fins at the back, which eventually evolved into our arms and legs.

"There are many things going on in these placoderms that we see evolving to ourselves today such as the neck, the shape and arrangement of the heart and its position in the body."

The discovery fills in an important step in the evolution of life on Earth, according to Dr Martin Brazeau, a placoderm expert at Imperial College London, who is also independent of the Australian research team.

"It's really exciting to see this result," he told BBC News.

"The fishes that my colleagues and I are studying are part of our evolution. This is part of the evolution of humans and other animals that live on land and the fishes that live in the sea today."

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An unidentified man places a rosary on a memorial to a 26-year-old man who was fatally shot outside El Asadero Bar & Grill in Yakima Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Yakima police responding to a call for a fight found the man, who later died at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Santiago Ochoas reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund . For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com.
Jasper Kenzo Sundeens reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund . For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com.
Read the full transcript of Donald Tusks M100 Media Award gala speech below:

***

Dear Wladimir, Dear Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Mayor, Dear Madam President Osmani, Madam Ambassador of the United States, distinguished guests,

It was with great satisfaction that I accepted Wladimir Klitschkos offer to deliver a laudation in honor of the heroic Ukrainian people honored by the hosts of today's ceremony.

REKLAMA

As a Pole, as a friend and ally of Ukraine since the first days of its independence, as a declared European and a Westerner, a Westerner in terms of political values, I have the duty and the right to speak loudly and unequivocally about Ukraine's heroic struggle, about Russia's crimes committed every day of this war, about Europe's attitude, and about the importance of this war for the future of us all: from Kyiv to Lisbon. For our freedom and our security.

As noted by Timothy Snyder, this war will probably lay down the rules of politics and geopolitics for the entire 21st century and will decide the fate of democracy as such. Today, we pay tribute to heroic Ukraine, not only touched by its suffering and courage but also aware of the stakes of this war for all of us. The stakes are so high that we must talk about our role in this historical confrontation really honestly. Ukraine, as the last days have shown, has a chance to win this war, but it requires much greater support from Europe, and in particular from the largest and richest countries such as Germany.

And it is not only about symbolic support, warm words, awards, and distinctions, but about weapons, ammunition, planes, and tanks. There is no, let me emphasize, no reason why countries such as Germany, France, or Italy should get involved in helping Ukraine less than the United States, Poland, or the Baltic states. Putin attacked Ukraine, but it is simultaneously an attack on the entire democratic international community. Today, only those who are politically blind can deny the fact that Russia has long been at war with NATO and the European Union through various measures. The weakening of the North Atlantic Alliance, interfering in elections and amplifying social conflicts both in Europe and the United States, involvement in Brexit, are just examples of Russias large-scale political sabotage. The breakdown of the unity within the European Union is undoubtedly one of the Kremlins priorities.

REKLAMA

Therefore, politically, we have no choice but to unequivocally stand on the side of Ukraine.

In the moral dimension, the matter is even more obvious. There hasnt been such a black-and-white conflict for a long time, a conflict where the boundary between good and evil would be so clear. You know who is the aggressor and who is the victim here. Attempts to relativize this issue seem, to be frank, simply disgusting.

European politicians across the continent, also here in Berlin, who are looking for some symmetry, some historical and economic justification for remaining inactive or neutral, should be aware that if the aid from all Western countries- and I am talking especially about arms supplies  would be faster and bigger, many children would not have died in Ukraine, many women would not have been raped and murdered, many fewer cities, hospitals, and kindergartens would be bombed.

REKLAMA

When I hear that Europe and Germany should have listened to Poland or the Baltic states about Kremlins aggressive policy many years ago, I, unfortunately, feel bitter satisfaction. Yes, we were right in 2008, when I was the Polish Prime Minister, to persuade you to admit Ukraine to NATO. And we were right when we warned you about the terrible geopolitical consequences of Nord Stream 2, or when I tried in 2014, after Russias first attack on Ukraine, to convince the Germans, French, and Italians to join the European energy union, which could make Europe independent from the Russian gas dictate. But we cannot turn back time, so lets do now what we can and what must be done.

We are talking about an immediate increase in the supply of weapons, including heavy weaponry, for Ukraine. Political guarantees for Ukraines full membership in the European Union as soon as possible once the war is over. Let us return to the issue of Ukraines NATO membership and real security guarantees for Kyiv in the future. Let us maintain the full unity of the European Union, the United States, and NATO in our policy of sanctions against Russia.

Not so long ago, we could still hear voices, including here in your country, saying that Germany cannot openly declare its support for Ukraine because of the memory of Russian World War II victims. And yet, World War II began with Germany's and Stalinist Russia's invasion of Poland, and the greatest victims of that war were the Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian people, and, of course, the Jewish people living in these countries.

If the sense of guilt and responsibility for the Second World War should oblige Germans to do anything today, it is first and foremost to commit themselves unequivocally and fully to stand on the side of Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor. And to take a serious and honest approach to reparations for those who paid the greatest price for the madness of Nazism. I say these words as a politician who has for years been involved in the process of Polish-German reconciliation and in the process of building a common Europe; after all, not as your opponent.

All arguments: moral, political, historical, and civilizational make us today side with Ukraine and its heroic defenders. Personally, and I am telling you this from the very bottom of my heart, I am very proud of my compatriots, who from the first days set an example for the entire world on how to behave in the face of this historical challenge.

I am also proud that today I am among the good-willed people who all without exception repeat the words: Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!

***

Every day, 400 journalists at Gazeta Wyborcza write verified, fact-checked stories about Polish politics and society, keeping a critical eye on the ruling camps persistent assault on democratic values and the rule of law; the growing cultural tension between religious fundamentalism and human rights; and the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine. Our journalists are on the front lines in 32 Polish cities, reporting from the streets, hospitals, and courtrooms about issues that move public opinion.

We decided to make our service available to everyone free of charge in order to provide access to high quality journalism for expats and English speakers interested in Polish affairs.

The access to information should be equal for all.
After nine years of working with the Coconino County Sheriffs Office, Cpl. Ben Waibel has his dream job.

He is the first K-9 handler the county has had on patrol for about six years, and he takes obvious pride in his partner, Dex.

Dex is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, and hes skilled at sniffing out narcotics. Hes also trained to find suspects and protect his partner and fellow officers.

He met Waibel in January in Riverside, California, after a long journey from the Netherlands.

He had a stressful trip coming overseas to the United States and were not the only people that tested him. So hes giving various tests and scenarios from different agencies whether theyre military or police which is stressful for the dog. Its a whirlwind, Waibel said.

Now the two are settling into their routine and have already been instrumental in several drug seizures.

K-9 officers are matched to their two-legged partners. The needs of the community the pair will be policing are taken into consideration, but theyre also paired with personalities in mind. Some of the the success of their team so far might be due in part to their similarities.

I would say stubbornness," Waibel said when asked what he and his brown, furry partner have in common. "I think in a way thats kind of what makes me good at certain things. Im stubborn in that I want to be the best officer that I can be."

Sitting in a chair beside his partner just like a person, Dex panted as if in agreement.

I had a plan to become a K-9 handler.  Im stubborn in that I want to be the best I can be at that in order to get where I want to be," Waibel said. "I think hes very similar. He has a super-high drive. Hes stubborn to get what he wants. Im figuring out that game, to get his stubbornness harnessed in a way that also benefits us.

Sheriff's office spokesperson Jon Paxton said that competition was stiff for the new K-9 deputy position. It was Waibels passion and perseverance that won out in the end.

Were just happy to have the K-9 back, Paxton said. Weve always had a K-9 so ... were very happy all those things got to come together because it is such a useful tool and a great partner.

The community has shown support of the new deputy, too. Locals Mark and Melody Stephenson approached the sheriffs office with a desire to assist the new team. They donated a brand-new specialty vest for Dex.

The vest is manufactured by a company called K-9 Storm, but it shouldnt be mistaken for the weighted vests pet owners might purchase to keep their animals calm during thunderstorms. Its bulletproof, stabproof and tactical.

This tool could save Deputy Dex's life some day.

Our donor and K-9s of Valor worked together to get these vests. Its actually custom-fitted to Dex, so they actually send you out a fitting vest thats got all these weird color dots all over it, and you fit it, send a bunch of pictures back to them showing all the different angles, Waibel explained.

Modeling the green tactical vest, Dex is attentive. A foot skidding on the floor causes him to stop panting and stare unblinkingly at the source of the sound. His black ears stand up.

His focus and drive, Waibel said, mean he has the makings of a great doggie deputy.

I love getting to do what I get to do, whether thats training with him or just getting some energy out by throwing a toy for him; thats part of my workday right now, he said.

With the additional safety equipment, Weibal is even more excited about the future, and happy to face it with a partner thats always with him on patrol.
Budapest police announced the arrest yesterday of two Italians, two Bulgarians and one Spaniard who had come to Budapest to spray-paint graffiti on metro carriages.

On the nights of September 9-11, three of the suspects broke into the premises of the Budapest transport company in the 10th and 11th Districts and sprayed graffiti on the metro carriages, causing damage exceeding Ft 1 million.



Police arrested a 26-year-old Italian man, a 28-year-old Italian woman and a 29-year-old Spanish man on September 11 in connection with these incidents.



Spray paint and gloves were found in their car, and when their hotel room was searched, ten memory cards containing photos taken at the locations of the vandalism were seized.



Also on September 11, a 17- and a 20-year-old Bulgarian were caught in the act at in a subway system area in the Fourth District.



They caused roughly Ft 200,000 worth of damage with their spray-painting.



The culprits had filmed themselves prying open a ventilation door, climbing in, and then fleeing when they were disturbed by the security guards. The footage ends with their capture by police.



Photo courtesy: police.hu
Hungarys ruling Fidesz party blasted the European Parliament for still busily attacking Hungary even amid the current crisis, after the EP voted to approve the Hungary rule-of-law report on Thursday.

The European Parliament on Thursday passed a report on the state of the rule of law in Hungary. According to the report approved with 433 votes in favour, 123 against and 28 abstentions, European Union values are under threat in Hungary, and the country can no longer be considered a full democracy.



Fidesz said in a statement: The people of Europe are enduring an energy crisis thanks to Brussels failed sanctions, yet the left-wing European Parliaments priority, even so, is to attack Hungary.



Brussels wants to punish Hungary  and withhold the money that is due to the country, it added.



Fidesz attributed the EP vote to the governments refusal to allow illegal migrants into Hungary and LGBTQ propaganda into schools, as well as its opposition to Brussels sanctions that have caused the energy crisis.



Referring to Hungarian MEP Klara Dobrev, the statement decried Hungarian left-wing MEPs led by Ms. Gyurcsany for working against their own country.



European Union values are under threat in Hungary

The report says democracy and fundamental rights in Hungary had further deteriorated through the deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government since the EP launched the Article 7 procedure against the country in 2018.



The protection of EU values enshrined in the blocs founding treaties have deteriorated since 2018, the report said, adding that the situation had been exacerbated by EU inaction.



The lack of decisive EU action, it said, had contributed to the emergence of a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.



The report said the state of Hungarys justice system, corruption, conflicts of interest and human rights remained key concerns, as did the functioning of the countrys constitutional and electoral system and freedom of expression, including media pluralism.



It also lists academic and religious freedom, freedom of association, the right to equal treatment, including LGBTQ rights, minority rights, the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees as problematic areas.



The report calls on the European Commission to make full use of all tools at its disposal, especially the mechanism in the EU budget linking funding to the rule of law, to remedy the situation.



The MEPs who backed the report also urged the EC not to approve Hungarys post-pandemic recovery plan until the country has fully complied with all relevant European Semester recommendations and implemented all the relevant judgements of the EU court and the European Court of Human Rights.

They also called on the executive body to exclude Hungary from funding cohesion programmes where there is suspicion of the misuse of EU funds or rule-of-law violations.

Also, EU funds should be distributed through local governments rather than government organisations, they said.
A new, single-jab coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, of which Hungary has so far received 109,000 doses, will be first used as a booster for vaccinated health-care workers, according to koronavirus.gov.hu.

The vaccine will be available for the Hungarian public from next week. Government offices are also assessing demand in care homes, it said.



Hungary has ordered 9.5 million doses of the vaccine in a European Union purchase programme launched in wake of the spread of the Omicron variant.



It is expected to receive 3 million doses this year and 6.5 million in 2023. Of the latter, 1.5 million doses will be optimised for children, the website said.





MTI Photo
YORK  Expectant parents are often concerned about health and safety as they plan for the arrival of their little one: whats the crash test rating of this car seat? Is this infant swing linked to SIDS? Which formula is the highest quality?

New research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska  Lincoln with the help of local NRDs explores one additional safety factor would-be parents in Nebraska must consider: is the water they are drinking during pregnancy safe?

This latest study shows that in areas of Nebraska where birth defect prevalence is high, water contamination from common agricultural chemicals (nitrate and atrazine) are also high. The study shows that water quality concerns in Nebraska are closely tied to both birth defects and miscarriage.

The BackgroundAccording to the studys authors, birth defects annually affect approximately 3% of all babies born in the United States. In Nebraska, the number is substantially higher. Between 2011 and 2015, about 6%of all babies born in Nebraska (24,965) had at least one birth defect. Some of these infants had multiple birth defects, so the total number of birth defects reported for that period was 45,134. Causes for birth defects are complicated and most involve multiple factors, including genetic, behavioral and environmental conditions.

Exposure to some anthropogenic (human caused) environmental toxins has been linked to birth defects, including atrazine and nitrates, which are widely used in agriculture for pest control and fertilizer, respectively. With agriculture extensively practiced in Nebraska, these agrichemicals are used intensively in row crop agriculture across the state. Both nitrates and atrazine are found in local waterways and groundwater across much of Nebraska. Additionally, these human-introduced contaminants can lead to the mobilization of naturally occurring elements, resulting in further contamination of drinking water sources. For example, elevated concentrations of nitrates have been correlated with the mobilization of naturally occurring uranium in the High Plains Aquifer. Moderate to high arsenic concentrations have been found in Nebraska as well. Other studies have shown that uranium and arsenic are also potential risk factors for birth defects.

The StudyThe recent study from UNMC took a unique approach to studying the connection between these various toxins in water and birth defects in the state. First, the researchers looked at all live births reported in Nebraska during a 20-year period and mapped the locations of prevalence of birth defects. The study further focused in on watersheds (the drainage area around a river) with at least 100 live births in the 20-year period. They organized the study around watershed areas rather than traditional geographic boundaries such as county lines or zip codes, as they were looking at water quality metrics specifically. The study considered two areas of the state with above average rates of reported birth defects at the watershed level within the Lower Elkhorn and Upper Big Blue Natural Resources Districts. Researchers from the university and NRD staff collected and tested water samples from domestic wells in 2021 and 2022 in those watersheds and tracked concentrations of nitrate, atrazine, uranium, and arsenic. Parental behavioral data including tobacco use, diabetes and maternal age were also compared in the study.

For the sake of the study, it was assumed that current water contaminant levels were similar to levels consumed by the expectant parents in the 20-year period studied. The assumption is supported by data that shows agricultural activities and practices have been steady or increasing for many decades in Nebraska.

The Findings

More than 80% of Nebraska watersheds have birth defect rates that are above the national average. There are a few hot spots in the state where the rate is even higher. Study authors observed that several clusters of birth defect locations also have high average nitrate and/or atrazine levels. These levels are above the MCL, or the maximum contaminant level considered safe by the federal EPA. Since tests were not taken at the time of pregnancy, exact individual level exposure to nitrate and other contaminants was not measured for this study.

What this data shows is that in areas of Nebraska where these contaminants in groundwater are increased, there is a higher prevalence of birth defects.

Researchers found that nitrates and atrazine were detected across the included watersheds in varying amounts. Groundwater nitrate concentration ranged from very low (.56 mg/L) to extremely high (97.21 mg/L). For reference, the MCL for safe drinking water is 10 mg/L of nitrate. Groundwater atrazine concentrations ranged from 0.00 to 11.23 mg/L. The MCL for atrazine is 3 mg/L.

The findings of the current research corroborate many other studies that reported a positive association between relatively higher nitrate concentration in drinking water and the occurrence of birth defects. In fact, the study found that though the MCL for nitrate in drinking water set by the EPA is 10 mg/L, watersheds with nitrate concentration above 6.94 mg/L had higher prevalence of birth defects compared to the reference group. For atrazine, the study showed an increase in birth defects with any concentration above zero. When additional risk factors, including the presence of mobilized arsenic and uranium are included, higher nitrate concentration reduced the rate of birth defects potentially because it instead increased rates of miscarriage, the authors hypothesize. This is based on four previous studies that suggest an association between maternal exposure to these compounds in drinking water and the occurrence of spontaneous abortion.

This most recent study builds on previous research showing that women with a drinking water nitrate concentration about 10 mg/L (the EPA recommended maximum contamination level) had four times greater likelihood of a child with a birth defect than their counterparts whose water supplies had a nitrate concentration at or below 10 mg/L. More concerning, another study found a significant increase in the incidence of birth defects connected to expectant parents drinking water with nitrate levels of 1-5.56 mg/L (well below the MCL) compared to less than 1 mg/L after controlling for other variables and risk factors.

The current study suggests that chronic exposure to nitrate and atrazine, even at amounts below current standards, may result in birth defects. Additionally, exposure to uranium and arsenic mobilized in drinking water supplies by nitrates may increase the risk of pregnancy loss.

What now?

Domestic well users in Nebraska are responsible for maintaining the integrity of their own water supply. They should have it tested annually for contaminants  a process that residents of the Upper Big Blue NRD can do for free through its walk-in water testing program (which tests for nitrates and bacteria) and at-home test kits (which test for nitrate, nitrite, and phosphorus). However, this doesnt go far enough, say UNMC study authors who recommend continuous monitoring of private well water by state agencies to ensure contaminants are at a safe level. Currently there is no regulatory agency tasked with performing such monitoring on domestic wells, as there is on municipal wells.

The researchers further recommend that domestic well users whose water tests above the maximum contaminant level for the elements mentioned in the study be provided with a home filtration system or an alternative water source. Currently, there is a small amount of funding available from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for Nebraskans who have domestic wells that test beyond 10 mg/L for nitrate. The funding allows individuals to install reverse osmosis systems in their homes, but it is up to the individual to seek out this funding, install, and maintain the system. There is additional funding available through this program for municipalities in Nebraska to access large scale reverse osmosis solutions as well.

The final recommendation from the study is for Nebraskas agricultural producers to improve their practices to reduce the prevalence of groundwater and surface water contamination. The Upper Big Blue NRD has several programs available to producers to assist in this goal, from funding for cover crops to irrigation improvement to buffer strips. The Upper Big Blue NRD invites all district producers to reach out to district staff today to get started improving their operation to more actively protect the purity of the water we all share.
An Indore-bound IndiGo flight made an emergency landing at Chakeri Airport in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after the engine of the aircraft suffered a technical failure. However, IndiGo has arranged another aircraft for the passengers to continue with their journey to Indore. As reported by ANI, a technical snag cropped up on the aircraft, which resulted in the emergency landing that averted a major crisis. This was a chartered flight, which was carrying cricketers to Indore, after the road safety cricket series got over on September 15. However, another chartered flight was arranged to fly cricketers to Indore.

An IndiGO aircraft bound to Indore grounded at Kanpur airport due to a technical snag. An alternate aircraft has been arranged for passengers: IndiGO pic.twitter.com/0UblJWrJbU  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

The incident also disturbed the take-off and landing schedules of other flights. Another flight coming from Mumbai had to wait for a long time to land in Kanpur, as the runway got occupied by the IndiGo flight. Also, passengers set to fly to Bengaluru and Mumbai got agitated as their flights were cancelled. Also, a discussion on making them fly via the Lucknow airport is also being considered.

Well, this is the second incident to be reported today, as a Cochin-bound Air India Express flight suffered a technical glitch, resulting in billowing smoke, forcing the occupants to evacuate the flight via emergency slides.

Also read - France cancels over half the total flights due to air traffic controller strike

"A DGCA official said that during taxiing for takeoff, engine number two experienced smoke and fire. An appropriate Checklist was completed after the incident. Slides were deployed, and all passengers and Crew were evacuated on the taxiway and all of them were safe, and no injuries reported," said the official, adding that passengers have been transported to the terminal building.

Based on the reports, the Indian aviation watchdog authority DGCA will probe the incident while alternate arrangements are being made for the passengers to bring them from Muscat to Cochin.
The Boeing 737 Max jets that were built for Chinese airlines cannot be delivered since the plane has not been given the all-clear to fly following two catastrophic crashes by China's aviation regulator; according to company officials, it will find other buyers. Boeing anticipates that the action will help reduce the inventory of undeliverable Max jets that were amassed while the aircraft were grounded globally. China, which was formerly Boeing's biggest market for the Max, and the aircraft manufacturer could become tenser as a result of the decision.

Arlington, Va.-based Boeing had 290 undelivered 737s in inventory as of June 30, with about half of them earmarked for China, company officials said. Boeing's hopes were raised last December when China's aviation regulator took a major step toward letting airlines resume using the Max. In February, Chinese airlines ran flight tests. But the Civil Aviation Administration of China has not taken the final steps to allow Max flights and deliveries to resume, which Boeing officials blame on COVID-19 lockdowns.

Meanwhile, the company was running out of patience. "We have deferred decisions on those planes for a long time. We can't defer that decision forever, "Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said Thursday. "So we will begin to re-market some of those airplanes that were otherwise earmarked for our Chinese customers."

Also read: Man wrongly tags India's Aviation Ministry for 'unfair' Apple iPad pricing, check what happens NEXT

China "is an important market," and Boeing did not make the decision lightly, West said during a Morgan Stanley investor conference. But he expressed confidence that Boeing can find new buyers for the planes, which list at $100 million and up, although airlines routinely get deep discounts.

China is the last major market where the Max is still awaiting approval to fly. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approved changes Boeing made to the plane in late 2020, and regulators in Europe, Canada, and Brazil have followed suit. The importance of the Chinese market to Boeing was underscored in July when China's three largest airlines ordered nearly 300 planes from its European rival Airbus.

With inputs PTI
A charter cargo flight operating a Boeing 747 with special tiger livery that landed in Namibia on September 15 to bring back Cheetah to India after 70 years under the Project Cheetah will now land at the Gwalior Airport. The flight was earlier supposed to land in Jaipur on September 17. From Gwalior, IAF operated Boeing Chinook helicopters will take the Cheetah to the KUNO National Park in Sheopur, said SP Yadav, Project Cheetah chief. PM Narendra Modi will release Cheetahs in their new home in Madhya Pradesh on his birthday on September 17.

The Cheetah Reintroduction Project is first-of-its-kind transcontinental mission under which a total of eight Namibian Cheetahs will be brought back to the Indian territory after being extinct for over 70 years. Five female and three male cheetahs will head for India in a customized Boeing 747-400 jumbo aircraft from Namibia's capital Windhoek, travelling overnight and reaching Gwalior on the morning of Saturday, September 17.

A special bird touches down in the Land of the Brave to carry goodwill ambassadors to the Land of the Tiger.#AmritMahotsav #IndiaNamibia pic.twitter.com/vmV0ffBncO September 14, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release eight cheetahs being brought from Namibia into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The large carnivore got completely wiped out from India due to their use for coursing, sport hunting, overhunting, and habitat loss. "A special bird touches down in the Land of the Brave to carry goodwill ambassadors to the Land of the Tiger," the High Commission of India in Windhoek tweeted.

The government declared the cheetah extinct in the country in 1952. Starting in the 1970s, the efforts of the Indian government to re-establish the species in its historical ranges in the country led to the signing of a pact with Namibia, which is donating the first eight individuals to launch the Cheetah reintroduction programme, on July 20 this year.

They will then be flown to their new home -- Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh -- in helicopters. According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), an international not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Namibia and dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild, the five female cheetahs are aged between two years and five years, and the male cheetahs are aged between 4.5 years and 5.5 years.

In-flight safety of Cheetahs

According to the CCF, the aircraft bringing the cheetahs to India has been modified to allow cages to be secured in the main cabin but will still allow vets to have full access to the cats during the flight. The aircraft is an ultra-long range jet capable of flying for up to 16 hours and so can fly directly from Namibia to India without a stop to refuel, an important consideration for the well-being of the cheetahs, it said.

Eight officials and experts will oversee the Namibian cheetahs during the mission, including Prashant Agrawal, High Commissioner of India to Namibia, Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, chief scientist for Project Cheetah and Dean of Wildlife Institute of India; Sanath Krishna Muliya, veterinarian, Union Environment Ministry; Laurie Marker, CCF Founder, and Executive Director; Eli Walker, CCF conservation biologist and cheetah specialist; Barthelemy Batalli, CCF data manager and Ana Basto, CCF veterinarian.

With agencies inputs
More than 100 flights to London's Heathrow Airport will be cancelled on Monday "to avoid noise" during Queen Elizabeth's funeral. 15% of the 12,000 flights scheduled to take off or land on Monday, September 19, will be impacted, the west London airport announced, according to Sky News. According to the article, British Airways, the airline most impacted, will cancel 100 short-haul flights as a result of the limitations. The two-minute national silence will be observed as the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey draws to a close just before noon, Heathrow announced earlier.

No flights will be allowed to take off or land from 15 minutes before the silence starts until 15 minutes after it ends. Departures and arrivals will also be halted during the arrival of the funeral cortege and procession at Windsor Castle and diverted around the castle during the private family service on Monday night.

A Heathrow spokesman said: "Heathrow, Nats (the air traffic control provider), and airlines are supporting the ceremonial aspects for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the committal service at Windsor Castle on Monday.

Also read: Project Cheetah update: Flight from Namibia to land in Gwalior on September 17

"As a mark of respect, operations to and from the airport will be subject to appropriate changes in order to avoid noise disruption at certain locations at specific times on Monday," the spokesman was quoted as saying. Some flights in and out of Heathrow Airport were disrupted on Wednesday afternoon in order to ensure silence over central London during the procession transporting the Queen's coffin to Westminster Hall.

On Wednesday, the BBC reported that non-standard aircraft, including drones flying below 2,500ft (760m), are banned from flying over central London until after the funeral on September 19. In a tweet, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it would "take enforcement action against anyone using a drone without permission." There will be an additional central London and Windsor restriction issued in due course, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said. Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 at her Balmoral Castle summer residence in Scotland on September 8.

With inputs from PTI
Bengaluru: CEO and founder of KEN web Rohin Dharmakumar has recently shared a twitter post in which he was comparing the prices of 1 hour Uber metro ride to Bengaluru airport from 1.5 flight to Mumbai. The comparison was shocking as the prices having not much difference. He even shared the screenshots of the prices showing on the apps.

A ~1 hour Uber to Bengaluru airport costs 60-130% the price of a ~1.5 hour flight to Mumbai  Rohin Dharmakumar (@r0h1n) September 12, 2022

Commenting on the post, a twitter user wrote, I had the posted the same looting from both ola & Uber auto services as well, where they promise to coat around 30 INR for 2 kms, but it's a joke in Bengaluru.

While some other users were commenting to take a bus ride to Bengaluru airport which is way cheaper than cabs and takes less time. One user wrote, You can reach city from the airport for just 10 (Rupees TEN only). Whatever you are paying for the taxi is the convenience charge. Second best option is BMTC Vayu Vajra Volvo buses.
New Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday urged women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to take up leadership roles in large numbers. Addressing a women directors' conclave at the BSE headquarters here, she said there is not enough number of women leaders in the corporate world because they are saddled by an inherent feeling that they need to prove themselves time and again to be in the leadership role. And the only way out is mentoring, and more women to become board members.

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According to data, the average number of women on boards of domestic companies was 1.03, and 58 per cent of them are independent directors, while 42 per cent are non-independent, she said. Urging corporates to have more females on their boards, she said globally it has been proved that companies with more women leaders on their boards are more profitable and more inclusive.

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Data show that companies with women on their boards turn in more profit, the finance minister said, adding, "If you want profit, get us in. You cannot ignore us anymore." Underlining the existing regulatory framework on the presence of women director on the boards of large listed companies, the minister said, while the overall number of women directors has increased gradually, there are still several companies, including public sector banks and undertakings, which don't have a single women director, and are still paying penalty.

So now it's up to the companies concerned to walk the talk. The government cannot put pressure on companies any more to get more women on boards. It has to come from the corporate world and from within the society itself, Sitharaman said.

She also admitted that there is a need to widen the pool of female corporate leaders as today many of them are on the board of multiple companies. The minister also said the Nifty 50 companies often hire the same women to their boards. "Fourteen women hold five-to-six directorships across NSE-listed companies, while seven hold seven directorships each -- that is a very revealing number. It doesn't have to be so concentrated," she said.

She said, the ministry of corporate affairs is keeping a watch over companies attempts to evade the provisions of the companies law with respect to the appointment of women directors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, born on September 17, 1950, is celebrating his 72nd birthday today (Saturday, September 17, 2022). Narendra Modi took the oath for the first time as the Prime Minister of the country on 26 May 2014. Modi yet again became the PM, taking oath for the second time in May 2019. The Modi government has launched over two dozen people-centric schemes ever since coming to power.

On PM Modi's 72nd birthday, here is looking at 10 flagship schemes launched by the Narendra Modi government that has help to accelerate the pace of reform and transform the lives of people in the country.

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was announced by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on 15th August 2014. While launching the programme on 28th August, the Prime Minister had described the occasion as a festival to celebrate the liberation of the poor from a vicious cycle. Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner. As of August 2021 data, more than 43.04 crore beneficiaries were banked under PMJDY since inception, amounting to Rs. 146,231 crore.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched on May 01, 2016 while the Ujjwala 2.0 was launched on August 10, 2021. Through PMUY, the government aimed to safeguard the health of women and children by providing them with clean cooking fuelfuel. Under the scheme, Deposit-free LPG connection is given to the eligible household with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection. Free of cost first LPG refill and gas stove is provided for the first time by public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). As per government estimate in 2022, LPG coverage has improved to 104.1 percent in 2022 as compared to 62 percent in 2016. Over 9 crore deposit-free LPG connections have been distributed under PMUY in last 6 years.

Startup India

Startup India, the flagship initiative was launched by the Modi Government in January 2016. The aim to launch Startup India was to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and startups in the country that would drive economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. The Government through this initiative aimed to empower startups to grow through innovation and design. Data as per April 2022 showed that Startups have grown from 471 in 2016 to 72,993 in 2022.

Standup India scheme

Modi government also launched the Standup India scheme in April 2016 to promote entrepreneurship at grassroot level focusing on economic empowerment and job creation. The objective of Stand-Up India is to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, to help them in starting a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or the trading sector and activities allied to agriculture. It aims to facilitate bank loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) between Rs.10 lakh to Rs.1 Crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) and one woman per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise in trading, services or manufacturing sector. Data as per April 2022 showed that more than Rs 30,160 crore loans sanctioned to over 1,33,995 accounts under Stand-Up India Scheme in 6 years.

PM-KISAN Scheme

PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme launched on 24th February, 2019 to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers. Financial benefit of Rs 6000 per year in three equal installments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. The scheme was initially meant for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) having landholding upto 2 hectares but scope of the scheme was extended to cover all landholding farmers with effect from 01.06.2019.

Atal Pension Yojana

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is the flagship social security scheme of the Narendra Modi government. Launched on May 9, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the APY aims at delivering old age income security particularly to the workers in the unorganised sector. APY can be subscribed by any Indian citizen in the age group of 18-40 years having a bank account. APY is a government scheme administered by PFRDA through NPS architecture. The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. Therefore, minimum period of contribution by the subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more. First, it provides a minimum guaranteed pension ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 on attaining 60 years of age. Secondly the amount of pension is guaranteed for lifetime to spouse on death of the subscriber. Third, in the event of death of both the subscriber and the spouse, entire pension corpus is paid to the nominee. APY has pre-defined monthly contributions. Under the APY, the subscribers would receive the fixed pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs. 2000 per month, Rs. 3000 per month, Rs. 4000 per month, Rs. 5000 per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would vary on the age of joining the APY.

Prime Minister Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi Scheme

Prime Minister Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on June 01, 2020 for providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. In April this year, the CCEA approved the continuation of lending under the PM SVANidhi beyond March 2022 till December 2024, with focus on enhanced collateral free affordable loan corpus, increased adoption of digital transactions and holistic socio-economic development of the Street Vendors and their families.

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th April, 2015, for providing loans up to Rs. 10 Lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises. Under PMMY loans are provided up to Rs. 10 Lakh through Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) viz; Banks, Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Micro Financial Institutions (MFIs), other financial intermediaries, in three categories namely, Shishu, Kishore and Tarun which signifies the stage of growth or development and funding needs of the borrowers.

Shishu : covering loans up to Rs. 50,000

Kishore : covering loans above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 5 lakh

Tarun : covering loans above Rs. 5 lakh and up to Rs. 10 lakh

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) are two schemes launched in 2015 by the Modi government that aims to provided affordable insurance and security to people. PMJJBY and PMSBY provide access to low cost life/accidental insurance cover to the people. PMJJBY is a one-year life insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death due to any reason. Individuals in the age group of 18-50 years having a savings bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme. People who join the scheme before completing 50 years of age can continue to have the risk of life covered up to age of 55 years upon payment of premium. Life cover of Rs. 2 Lakh in case of death due to any reason against a premium of Rs. 330/- per annum.

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). PMSBY is a one-year accidental insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death or disability due to accident. Individuals in the age group of 18-70 years having a savings bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme. Accidental death cum disability cover of Rs.2 lakh (Rs.1 lakh in case of partial disability) for death or disability due to an accident.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme

The sovereign gold bond scheme was launched in November 2015, with an objective to reduce the demand for physical gold and shift a part of the domestic savings -- used for the purchase of gold -- into financial savings. Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme are government securities denominated in grams of gold. They are substitutes for holding physical gold. Investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity. The Bond is issued by Reserve Bank on behalf of Government of India. The Bonds are restricted for sale to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.
New Delhi: Dahan-Raakan ka Rahasya is a supernatural thriller and a story of conflict currently available on Disney Plus Hotstar.

In the Hotstar Specials, which introduce a sinister narrative of myths and superstition to the rural town of Shilaspura, actor Tisca Chopra plays an IAS officer. The locals worry that a long-standing curse will be fulfilled when a mining project endangers the land's holiness, which may theoretically result in the eradication of humanity from the planet. The nine-episode series, which premiered on September 16th, combines drama, action, and thriller in an unprecedented way.

Heres a look at five reasons why one should not miss the series on Disney Plus Hotstar:

Disney Plus Hotstars first supernatural thriller Dahan

Shilaspura is the setting for the first supernatural thriller on Hotstar, where superstitions and myths are prevalent. With murders, riddles, and paranormal activity at every turn, this drama grabs viewers with intrigue and excitement. The programme explores society's values and challenges its characters to confront their worst fears.

A war between the modern world and the traditional

A battle will undoubtedly break out between the modern world's superstitions and myths and the promise of advancement and growth when it knocks on Shilaspura's door. Through his skillful storytelling, filmmaker Vikrant Pawar expertly captures the intricacies.

A womans journey to uncover the truth

The show stars Tisca Chopra, an incredibly gifted actor, as a fearless IAS officer who is on a quest to discover Shilaspura's dark secrets in order to allow its residents to be ultimately touched by the modern world. Avani fights against all odds to present a mysterious character to viewers, while having a tense relationship with her son and being the target of corruption accusations. In this series, Tisca Chopra gives one of her most remarkable performances.



The story of a cursed villages survival

One doesn't often come across an old, cursed settlement known as "The Land of The Dead," where people live in constant terror of death. Myths state that any damage to the famed Ghatotkach village temple in Shilaspura will cause chaos on earth and the extinction of the human race.

A cast that dazzles

A cast of actors with exceptional talent, including well-known and seasoned performers like Tisca Chopra, Rajesh Tailang, Mukesh Tiwari, and Saurabh Shukla, as well as up-and-coming performers like Ankur Nayyar, Rohan Joshi, and Lehar Khan, supports Dahan.
Top Homeopathy pharma company Burnett Homeopathy Pvt Ltd organizes the most prestigious World Health Summit in Dubai with an aim to promote Homoeopathy treatment across India and world.

The event aimed to showcase to the world the usefulness of Homoeopathy in the treatment of any health issue. Various homoeopathic doctors and practitioners participated in the mega event to support the initiative of Burnett Homeopathy Pvt Ltd to treat everyone harmlessly and effectively from not only India but all around the world. The event was a huge success as a lot of homoeopathy enthusiasts participated with full energy and confidence.

'The Pride of Homoeopathy' World Health Summit was organized in Dubai on 29th August 2022 under the supervision of Dr Nitish Chandra Dubey.

Also, Burnett Homeopathy Pvt Ltd felicitated homoeopathic doctors from all across the world who have been contributing to the field.

Though this system of medicine was born in Germany, but now it has become an integral part of the Indian system of medicine where most of us are aware of the positive side of the Homoeopathic treatment, said Dr Nitish Chandra Dubey, CMD, Burnett Homeopathy Pvt Ltd

India is now one of the leaders in the field where we have many amazing doctors who are making the homoeopathic fraternity proud. And here we are celebrating each one of them," he added.

Actress Mandira Bedi, who graced the event, said: "My secret of fitness is homoeopathy. I would like to congratulate Dr Nitish for organizing such an event".

Politicians and celebrities like Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Renu Devi, Aviral Shashwat, S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Azharuddin, Vikrant Gupta, and many more, were also a part of the event to encourage homoeopathy on the world stage.
Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said his party and Muslims do not need any loyalty certificates from the RSS and BJP and they can throw them in dustbins. Owaisi's AIMIM took out a 'tiranga yatra' after the prayers, as part of National Integration Day commemorating September 17.

Addressing the gathering after the rally, Owaisi, in an oblique reference to the BJP and RSS, said those who did not shed even a single drop of sweat for the independence of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, are now calling it Liberation day.

AIMIM and Muslims, Hindus and Dalits who lost their lives on this land do not need loyalty certificates from RSS or BJP and you throw them in the dustbin, he said.

Also Read: Amit Shah to kick off Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations, distribute equipment to Divyangs on PM's birthday

Relation with Turrebaaz Khan and Maulvi Allaudin

Owaisi asserted that the AIMIM has nothing to do with Qasim Rizvi, the head of the Razaakar army (private militia organised to support the Nizam rule), but carries the legacy of Turrebaaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin, who lost their lives fighting the British.

Today Hyderabad is observing #NationalIntegrationDay on the anniversary of erstwhile Hyderabad state's merger with Union of India. We offered our Friday namaz & started a tiranga bike rally. There will also be a public meeting, before the rally, he tweeted.

Hours after the Centre announced that it would celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had on September 3 written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking him to use the phrase National Integration Day rather than mere liberation.

The struggles of the people of the erstwhile Hyderabad state against colonialism, feudalism and autocracy are a symbol of national integration rather than merely a case of liberation of a piece of land, he added.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will kick off Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations on Saturday and distribute equipment to Divyangs in a `Sewa Karyakram` organised in Hyderabad on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s birthday. For his day-long visit to Hyderabad, the Home Minister will leave from the national capital this evening and arrive at Hyderabad Airport by 9:30 pm. On Saturday, Amit Shah will attend Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations at 8 am at Parade Ground, Hyderabad.

In 1948, the first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel unfurled the Tricolour after Hyderabad merged with the Indian Union. Now, 75 years later, Home Minister Amit Shah will hoist the national flag and kick off Hyderabad Liberation celebrations as we shed the vestiges of our colonial past and baggage. The erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, under Nizam`s rule, was annexed into the Union of India following a military action codenamed `Operation Polo`, which culminated on September 17, 1948.

In another event named `Sewa Karyakram` on PM Modi`s birthday, the Home Minister will take part in the distribution of equipment to the Divyangs and the distribution of toilet cleaning machines in government schools and community hostels around 1.30 pm at the classic function hall in Hyderabad.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modis Birthday: BJP makes plans to celebrate Unity in Diversity, Atma Nirbhar Bharat and much more

The Home Minister will also interact with Divyangs. As PM Modi will turn 72 this week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced to organise various programmes under "Seva Pakhwada" across the country from September 17 to October 2 to mark his birthday tomorrow.

PM Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, a small and nondescript town in North Gujarat`s Mehsana district.

Also Read: Amit Shah to attend Centre's 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' event on Sep 17, meet Telangana BJP leaders

Later in the day, the Home Minister will take part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Shaheed Smarak at National Police Academy in Hyderabad at 3 pm. Hyderabad Liberation Day is usually celebrated on September 17 to remember the rebellion and the subsequent police action which led to the freedom of Hyderabad state from the Nizam`s rule on September 17, 1948.

Hyderabad was under Nizam`s rule and the police had launched the campaign for its liberation with the name `Operation Polo` which ended on September 17, 1948. The year-long celebrations of Hyderabad Liberation Day will take place from September 17, 2022, to September 17, 2023, as a part of Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Kota: A 35-year-old man set himself ablaze outside a police station in Kota allegedly over their inaction regarding his complaint against a local Congress party councillor. According to police, earlier this month Radhyashyam Meena, a labourer, had approached his ward councillor Hariom Suman for a document required by his daughter in her school. The councillor allegedly did not help him which led to a scuffle between the two. He entered the Nayapura police station in Kota city with petrol-soaked clothes at around 8.10 pm on Thursday and set himself on fire with a match stick, Nayapura circle inspector (CI) Bhupendra Singh said.

Meena sustained over 40 per cent burn injuries and was referred to SMS hospital in Jaipur in critical condition and is undergoing treatment there, he said.

Three constables, Parmeshwar, Shyamsunder and Prakesh present around the spot swung into action and doused the fire with the help of blankets, he said.

Meanwhile, taking action in the matter, Kota Superintendent of Police Kesar Singh Shekhawat on Friday ordered to send CI Bhupendra to the police line.

Two separate complaints were lodged by both the parties and an investigation was taken up, however, no FIR was filed, police said. Refuting allegations of inaction in the matter, the CI said, "The inquiry into both the matters was underway and statements of both the parties were also recorded."

Assistant Superintendent of Police (headquarter) Rajesh Mill said FIRs have been lodged on both the complaints and a departmental probe has been initiated in the matter. A DSP rank official was deputed as an investigating officer in the matter and strict action would be taken against those found guilty, he said.

Meanwhile, BJP workers on Friday led a protest march in the city and burnt an effigy of the district and police administration for failing to take action against the Congress party ward councillor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held talks on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). During the meet, PM Modi told Putin, "Excellency, I know today's time is not a time for war."

Putin congratulated India for assuming the presidency the following year. Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO 2022 whereas India will be the next chair of the SCO. Uzbekistan`s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed PM Modi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit.

It is the first meeting between the two leaders after the Ukraine conflict broke out in February this year.

It is learnt that the two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.

India has not yet criticised Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has been pushing for resolution of the crisis through dialogue.
New Delhi: In a major embarrassment for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday arrested ruling AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with a graft case. According to ANI, the ACB Delhi arrested Khan in connection with the Delhi Wakf Board corruption case on the basis of the recovery of incriminating material and evidence against him during the searches conducted today.

ACB Delhi arrests AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with Delhi Wakf Board corruption case on the basis of the recovery of incriminating material and evidence against him during the searches conducted today. pic.twitter.com/9aC8OvKLLs  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

The ACB is probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment in the Delhi Waqf Board, which Khan heads as the chairman. The ACB on Friday conducted searches at Khan's house and other premises linked to him and seized Rs 24 lakh as well as two unlicensed weapons, the officials said.

In Delhi Waqf Board corruption case, Anti-Corruption Branch conducted raids at various places related to Delhi AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan&his business partners. A total of Rs 24 lakh in cash,2 illegal arms & ammunition recovered from 2 of his associates,earlier today: ACB officials pic.twitter.com/1mu2bYNNJi September 16, 2022

The ACB issued a notice to Khan on Thursday for questioning in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act case registered in 2020. The Okhla MLA was called for questioning at 12 pm on Friday.

Khan, the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had tweeted about the notice, claiming he has been summoned as he built a new Waqf board office. A senior official said the searches were conducted on Friday at the house of Khan and his other locations. A total of Rs 24 lakh in cash, two unlicensed weapon and some cartridges were seized, the official said.

Earlier, the ACB had written to the Lieutenant Governor's Secretariat demanding that Khan be removed as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman for allegedly hampering a probe by "bullying" witnesses in a case against him.
BTEUP 2022: Board of Technical Education Uttar Pradesh, BTEUP Even Semester Result 2022 is likely to be declared very soon for many candidates. All candidates who participated in the most recent tests will soon be able to view their BTE second semester results, BTE fourth semester results, and so forth. BTE Results will be posted on the official website, bteup.ac.in, as soon as they are made public.

The announcement of the BTEUP Even Semester Results 2022 will only be done online, on the official website. Candidates are now reminded that no specific date for the release of these results has been declared by BTEUP. They are, however, expected soon, according to local media reports.

BTEUP Even Sem Results 2022: Heres how to check

- Candidates must visit the official website of Board of Technical Education Uttar Pradesh - bteup.ac.in.

- On the homepage, click on Examination Results link and then click on the Even Sem Results link.

- A new page would open where you have to enter your login credentials, as asked.

- Your BTE UP 2nd sem/4th sem or any other Even Semester results will be displayed.

- Download and print a copy of it for future reference.

Candidates are advised to keep a check here and on the official website for updates on BTEUP Even Semester Result 2022. Students will need their login information, particularly the information from their admit card, to check these results.
A Chennai-based pastor, who was running an orphanage, was arrested by the police for impregnating a teenaged girl. The pastor, Charles (58) had raped the minor girl, who was admitted to his orphanage.

The girl delivered the baby in 2021. Charles kept her in the care of a woman at Rajamangalam and told the girl that he would return soon and take her back to the orphanage. The girl waited for the pastor for a year and then filed a police complaint.

The Greater Chennai Police were on the search for the pastor for over a year and he was arrested on Thursday night when he reached the city.

He was charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and also for cheating.

The pastor was produced before the judicial magistrate on Friday and was put under judicial custody.

A senior officer with the Greater Chennai Police told IANS that the police are investigating whether the pastor had sexually exploited other girls in the orphanage too. Police are also probing the bank details of the pastor and the orphanage to ascertain whether he was receiving funds illegally and if the funds are being used for purposes other than running the orphanage.

Sources told IANS that there are 16 minor girls in the orphanage.

Tamil Nadu Social Justice Department has also ordered a probe into the functioning of the orphanage and whether funds are being misused.
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday accused BJP and RSS of giving communal colour to the alleged rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri and demanded that justice delivery in the case be fast-tracked. The Opposition party also demanded the Narendra Modi government should implement the SC/ST Act with "full force".

Two teenage sisters were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field located about a kilometre from their house in Lakhimpur Kheri's Nighasan police station limits Wednesday. Six people were arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged rape and killing of the two girls.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here, the party's Scheduled Caste department head Rajesh Lilothia said the alleged rape and murder of the two sisters should not be seen as an isolated incident and alleged that atrocities against Dalits have been rising.

Also Read: Lakhimpur Kheri case: Minor sisters were RAPED, STRANGULATED, says post-mortem report

The National Crime Records Bureau data revealed that 70,818 cases of atrocities against Dalits are pending investigation till 2021, he said. "On one hand, big claims are made that the Modi government is working for the welfare of Dalits on the other hand there are these statistics," Lilothia said. He also accused the RSS and BJP of giving communal colour to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

"The Congress demands justice from the UP government for the family of the victims. It also demands that the Modi government should implement the SC/ST Act with full force," Lilothia said. The Congress leader also accused the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of not providing justice in the 2020 Hathras rape case.

Also Read: Lakhimpur Kheri rape-murder case: 'HANG THE CULPRITS,' demands father of deceased minor girls

According to Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman, the preliminary probe has revealed that the girls had left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail. All the six accused have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days, the SP said. The girl's mother had earlier alleged that they were abducted.

"Junaid and Sohail have confessed to strangling the girls after raping them," the police officer said.

He said both were in a relationship with the two sisters, who insisted on marriage, after which they were strangled. The others arrested were identified as Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu.
New Delhi: A group of retired bureaucrats has written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, asking it to initiate proceedings to withdraw the recognition of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and cancel its symbol for violation of the code of conduct by inducing public servants to work for his party in Gujarat. The retired bureaucrats sought action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as well.

Former Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary, M Madan Gopal said that a group of retired bureaucrats wrote to ECI over the matter citing a violation of section 1A of the election symbols (reservation and allotment) order by AAP.

"Whatever he (Kejriwal) spoke in Rajkot during a press conference was very wrong. We who believe in Constitution got disturbed. Such an unbalanced and controversial statement that too from a chief minister of a state (is not expected)," he said.

56 retired bureaucrats submit letter to ECI on Arvind Kejriwal pc in Rajkot, Gujarat



Statement made by (Delhi CM) Kejriwal in press conference in Rajkot almost 20 days back, disturbed a lot of people who believed in constitution: M Madan Gopal, ex Addl Chief Secy of Karnataka pic.twitter.com/emJk5gI8P0 September 16, 2022

"Canvassing is his right before elections. His appeal to drivers and conductors of public transport corporations and police personnel to work for a particular party is very wrong. Public servants are not supposed to canvass for a political party. We have a code of conduct and our allegiance is with the Constitution of India. This precedence is not good for democratic processes," said the former bureaucrat.

Former Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary also stated that Arvind Kejriwal, who has himself been a government official, is much aware of the "Dos and Don`ts". He added that speaking irresponsibly in a press conference, even after being an ex-government official, is very wrong. Gopal said the irresponsible behaviour by the political parties during canvassing is not good.

"This is not good for public servants. We retired bureaucrats made a complaint seeking a model of conduct," he said.

"Those officers who firmly believe in the rule of the law and provisions of the Constitution of India, we appealed to the Election Commission against the violation of rules by political parties. Election Commission should give notice and take strict actions against these political parties before it becomes a trend," he added.

Earlier, on Thursday, Fifty-six retired bureaucrats wrote to ECI seeking action against Arvind Kejriwal alleging that AAP convenor had induced public servants to work for the party during a press conference in Gujarat on September 3. Former IAS, IFS and other services` officers are signatories to the letter.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: A first look of the cheetahs that will be brought from Namibia to India was shared by news agency ANI on Twitter on Friday (September 16, 2022). The one-minute-long video, posted on Twitter, shows two cheetahs resting under a tree.

#WATCH | First look of Cheetahs that will be brought from Namibia to India on 17th September at KUNO National Park, in Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/HOjexYWtE6  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

Madhya Pradesh's Kuno-Palpur National Park (KPNP) is all set to welcome eight Cheetahs, which will be brought to the country on a special cargo flight. A female cheetah and two brothers who hunt together as a team are among the eight big cats that will be part of the reintroduction project.

The eight cheetahs - five females and three males will be brought from Namibia's capital Windhoek to Gwalior airport in a customised Boeing 747-400 aircraft, officials have said earlier.

A day before the scheduled arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia, the authorities revealed that the landing destination of the special cargo plane carrying these felines has been changed - from Jaipur in Rajasthan to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.

These cheetahs will be flown to Gwalior early on Saturday morning, from where they will be carried in a special helicopter to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release three of them into the park's quarantine enclosures, an official said.

"PM Modi will release two Cheetahs from enclosure number one and after that about 70 metres away, which is the second enclosure, will release another Cheetah. The remaining Cheetah will be released in their respective quarantine areas made for them," ANI quoted SP Yadav as saying.

The large carnivore were declared extinct in India in 1952. They got completely wiped out from India due to their use for coursing, sport hunting, over-hunting and habitat loss.

The last cheetah in India died in 1947 in Korea district in present day Chhattisgarh, which was earlier part of Madhya Pradesh.

The 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' was conceived in 2009 and a plan to introduce the big cat by November last year in KNP suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

(With agency inputs)
Ahmedabad: A court in Ahmedabad on Friday sentenced Gujarat Congress's working president and MLA Jignesh Mevani and 18 others to six months simple imprisonment in a 2016 case of rioting.

The case was related to a road blockade agitation staged by Mevani and his associates. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate P N Goswami, who also imposed a fine on Mevani and others, suspended their sentence till October 17 to enable them to file appeals.

The case was registered against Mevani and 19 others at the University police station here in 2016 for staging a road blockade to press their demand that an under-construction building of the law department of Gujarat University be named for Dr B R Ambedkar.

The First Information Report was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly) and 147 (rioting) as well as sections of the Gujarat Police Act. One of the accused died during the pendency of the case. Mevani, a prominent Dalit leader, won the 2017 Assembly election as an independent with the support of Congress.

The party later made him a working president of its Gujarat unit.
New Delhi: India-Bhutan border gates at Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu along the Assam frontier are set to reopen for tourists from September 23 after a two-and-half-year hiatus induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. As the Covid-19 cases have now subsided, the respective governments have decided to reopen the India-Bhutan border from September 23.

"Government of Bhutan has officially announced that the international border with India will be opened on Sept 23 as Covid cases have subsided. We prepare to open the border and give visitors a good experience, said Tashi Penjore, the Himalayan kingdom`s Director (law and order) of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.

"Over the last two-and-half years, many officials on both sides have changed and we were not able to meet and establish friendship and person-to-person contacts which are essential for people residing along the border areas of the two countries. We look forward to more such visits," he added.

The decision comes after a general meeting was held in the regional headquarters of Sashastra Seema Bal located at Chaprakata in the Bongaigaon district of Assam between Tashi Panjore along with the Commandant of the 15th Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal and in-charge of Regional Headquarters Neeraj Chand and all the SSB officials.

During that meeting, the neighbouring country Bhutan closed the India-Bhutan international gate for COVID in 2019. Now, almost 4 years later the borders will be reopened on September 23, 2022.

Tashi Penjore, Director of Law and Order Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bhutan, Deputy Commissioner of Bhutan, Superintendent of Police, and several officers were present at SSB Headquarters today regarding the same subject.

(With agency inputs)
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will take up a 15-day health campaign starting from Saturday, which happens to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, till October 2, said State Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday. The initiative aims to create awareness among the people of Karnataka starting from children to the elders, Sudhakar said in a statement. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will inaugurate the campaign at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, the Minister said.

During the campaign, he added that screening of various health parameters and diseases will be covered at healthcare facilities starting from primary health sub-centres to super-speciality hospitals. Various tests will be carried out including anaemia, thyroid, audiometry, cataract and other non-communicable diseases.

Additionally, the campaign will push to vaccinate children, increase the rate of vaccination for the booster dose of COVID-19 which is currently at 20 per cent, encourage blood donation and organ donation pledges, distribute Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka cards and raise awareness about the importance of general check-ups and regular testing for non-communicable diseases, the Minister said.

"There is very little awareness among people about many diseases, government schemes and testing facilities at PHCs. A person might feel that he/she is fit just by appearance, but, awareness needs to be created that he/she needs to get tested for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension," Sudhakar said.

During the 15-day period, it has been targeted to distribute one crore Ayushman Bharat cards, the Minister said adding, currently, 35 lakh cards have been distributed in Karnataka.
Mumbai: In a swift and coordinated rescue operation, the Indian Coast Guard saved 19 crew members - 18 Indians and the Ethiopian Captain - of a sinking cargo ship, an official said here on Friday. The Gabon-flagged vessel, MT Parth, was carrying a cargo of 3,911 tonnes of Asphalt Bitumen from Khor Fakkan in UAE to New Mangalore Port. Around 9.30 a.m., the vessel reported flooding in the Arabian Sea when it was around 41 miles off Ratnagiri coast and the crew sent a distress message to the ICG.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre swung into action and two ICG ships in the vicinity, ICGS Sujeet and ICGS Apoorva, were diverted to the distressed cargo ship, an Advanced Light Helicopter deployed and the ship MV Wadi Bani was directed to proceed for help.

Also Read: BOAT with WEAPONS found in Raigad belongs to Australian; Maharashtra govt says 'No TERROR...

The ICG also relayed International Safety Net and NAVTEX to alert other merchant vessels in the area. As the MT Parth was flooding fast and dangerously listing, the crew abandoned the ship expecting it would sink when the MV Wadi Bani Khalid reached the spot around 12.30 pm, along with ICGS Sujeet and the chopper.

The rescue operations are continuing and the owners of the distressed vessel have been asked to take up preventive measures to arrest marine pollution with an emergency towing vessel proceeding to the spot. Till date, the ICG has saved more than 11,000 lives at sea, or almost one life every other day with quick seamless coordination among various agencies.
New Delhi: The Delhi Police has told the High Court that Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair`s 2018 tweet against a particular religious community was "highly provocative and done deliberately" which is more than sufficient to incite feelings of hatred among people. The police also told the court that the seized computer devices of Zubair are under analysis with the Forensic Science Laboratory in the national capital. The police submitted that the journalist can move the lower court to get them back on completion of the analysis.

"During police custody remand, one laptop, two invoices and one hard disk have been recovered from the residence of accused Mohd. Zubair on the basis of disclosure statement which are admissible under Section 27 of Indian Evidence Act, which are to be looked upon at the time of trial," the police said in its affidavit.

The police also said "Mohd. Zubair had remained non cooperative during the investigation. He also disclosed that he has asked his family to dispose off his equipment including his mobile phone and laptop in case he is arrested/apprehended by police."

Also Read: https://zeenews.india.com/india/delhi-based-businessman-behind-alt-news-mohammed-zubairs-arrest-says-police-2504108.html

Zubair was charged under the Indian Penal Code`s Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) for one of his objectionable tweets.

As per the FIR, Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading `Hanuman hotel` instead of `Honeymoon hotel`. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel".

"Transmission and publication of such posts have been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with the intent to provoke breach of peace," read the FIR.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda has formed a five-member committee, led by former Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh and present Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, former Information and Broadcasting minister and Lok Sabha MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Lok Sabha MP Aparajita Sarangi, Rajya Sabha MP Sameer Umrao and former parliamentarian Sunil Jakhar, to probe violence against the party workers in West Bengal during the recent Nabanna Chalo march.

The probe committee members have been asked to investigate the situation on the ground level and probe what led to the violence in Kolkata. The panel, which will submit its report to the party`s national president, will also demand the state government take action against the accused, sources told ANI.

Notably, the BJP carried out a massive protest march, `Nabanna Abhijan`, to the state secretariat where a clash broke out between BJP workers and police inside the Bolpur railway station as police tried to stop the workers from leaving for Kolkata to participate in the Nabanna Chalo march on Tuesday.

Also read: 'TMC is full of corrupt leaders, will give ED list of 100 MLAs with disproportionate assets': Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata Police detained several leaders including Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and MP Locket Chatterjee, ahead of the BJP's protest march to state secretariat `Nabanna` on Tuesday. BJP leaders were detained from Hastings in Kolkata when they were leading the Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan. Suvendu Adhikari, Locket Chatterjee and BJP leader Rahul Sinha were taken to Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar.

Also read: 'Lady Kim of BENGAL': Suvendu compares Mamata with supreme leader of North Korea during Nabanna Campaign

The violence has erupted into a political row. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the BJP of indulging in violence during protests against her government and said that action would be taken against those creating nuisance.

Mamata Banerjee said, "People were harassed and public properties vandalised and destroyed. You can`t have goons and bombs brought in, in the name of protests. Remember, police and fringe elements cannot go together. No anti-social activity will get any cover under the garb of politics, the police will take action if that happens," claiming that BJP had brought workers from other states for the protests.

Defending the police action against the protestors, Mamata said, "The police officers could have fired in the air, but they were very measured in their response. This cannot happen, you cannot book trains and bring people from other states to create a nuisance in Bengal," adding that she was not against democratic protests.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee reportedly said that he would have shot the protesters in the head, had he been present at the site.

Reacting to Abhishek Banerjee's statement, BJP leader Amit Malaviya said, "This murderous thug is more than just Mamata Banerjee`s nephew. He holds unconstitutional sway over her government. If she has the guts, let the brutal sentiment of fascism, latent in his statement, reflect in the lethal action of the WB Police. She would not survive the wrath of the people after."

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sought a report from the West Bengal Home Secretary over the BJP's `Nabanna Abhijan` by September 19, directing the Police not to illegally detain any person while ensuring that there is no damage to public property.

(With ANI Inputs)
In his political career spanning over five decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has achieved several firsts. His policies, often criticised at face value, have went on to strengthen Indias ties with other countries on one hand, and improve the lives of countrymen on the other. And as Modi turns 72 on Saturday, let us have a look at some extraordinary and some little-known facts about our PM.

Modi was the first PM to be born in independent India and is the longest serving PM from outside the Congress. He also has the distinction of being the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat  from October 2001 to May 2014.

In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi led the BJP to record wins, securing absolute majority on both occasions. The last time a political party secured absolute majority was in 1984  the Congress after Indira Gandhis assassination. He revolutionised the use of technology and social media in his campaigns, forcing other parties to follow suit.

Modi repealed 1,200 obsolete laws in his first three years as PM against 1,300 such laws repealed by previous governments in 64 years. Under him, 18,000 villages without electricity even 70 years after Independence were electrified.

PM Modi has been conferred the highest civilian honour of Saudi Arabia  King Abdulaziz Sash. He has also been conferred the top awards of Russia (Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called), UAE (Zayed Medal), Afghanistan (Amir Amanullah Khan Award), Palestine (Grand Collar of the State of Palestine) and Maldives (Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen). In 2018, he received the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize for his contribution to peace and development.

Modis call for marking International Day of Yoga received overwhelming response at the UN. In a first, 177 countries came together and passed the resolution to declare June 21 as International Day of Yoga.

Modi was introduced to the RSS when he was only eight years old. His teachers describe him as a gifted debater, with interest in theatre. As a child, Modi was also fond of swimming.

When RSS was banned during Emergency, Modi went underground and travelled in disguise of a monk or Sikh. He printed pamphlets and organised demonstrations. He was also involved in creating a network of safehouses for anti-government activists and raising funds for them.

After his success in organising LK Advanis Rath Yatra and MM Joshis Ekta Yatra, Modi took a break from politics in 1992 due to a rift with Shankersinh Vaghela. He returned to active politics in 1994 at Advanis insistence.

During his second stint as Gujarat CM, Modi cracked down on Sangh affiliates Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad to check their increasing influence. He also ordered the demolition of 200 temples in Gandhinagar that further distanced him from the VHP.

As CM, Modi was credited with reviving groundwater, and subsequently agriculture, in Gujarat. By December 2008, some five lakh structures were built, of which over one lakh were check dams that helped recharge aquifers below them. Over half of the 112 tehsils that had depleted water tables in 2004 had regained normal groundwater levels by 2010. As a result, the states production of cotton increased to become the largest in India.


Narendra Modi turns 72: The Modi government has emphasized the rapid transformation of the education sector, with a concentration on basic, secondary, and medical education. The Modi administration has announced the opening of new IITs, IIMs, IIITs, NITs, and NIDs since 2014. Since 2014, a new IIT or IIM has been established each year. There are currently 20 IIMs and 23 IITs located throughout the nation. Since 2014, two new colleges and one new university have been established every day. As a result, there are now significantly more students enrolled in higher education.

India had 723 universities in 2014, which would increase to 1,043 by 2020. In the same time period, the number of colleges increased from 36,634 to 42,343. The number of students enrolled in higher education rose from 3.45 crore in 2016 to 3.85 crore by 2020. In addition to this, Ladakh now has its own central university, the first forensic university, and 22 new universities have been established throughout the Northeast. A rail and transport university has also been established.

In 2021, a record 71 Indian universities were included in the World University Rankings, up from 63 the previous year. According to the QS World University Rankings, three Indian universities (IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, and IISc Bengaluru) were among the top 200. The improvement of primary education is receiving a lot of attention. The infrastructure of schools, including power, libraries, girls' restrooms, and medical check-ups in schools, has improved along with the student-teacher ratio. Since 2015, there have been 8,700 Atal Tinkering Labs established. Girls' gross enrollment in higher education increased by 18% between 2015 and 2020.

The quality of medical education is increasing rapidly. Post-graduate seats have expanded by 80%, while MBBS seats have increased by 53% to increase accessibility. Six additional AIIMS have already begun operations, and 16 more are planned. The Academic Bank of Credit, which will offer multiple admission and exit alternatives for students in higher education, first-year engineering programmes in regional languages, and standards for the internationalisation of higher education, were highlighted in a PMO release from last year.

Along with SAFAL (Structured Assessment For Analysing Learning Levels), a competency-based assessment framework for Grades 3, 5, and 8 in CBSE schools, Vidya Pravesh, a three-month play-based school preparation module for Grade 1 students, Indian Sign Language as a subject at the secondary level, Nishtha 2.0, an integrated programme of teacher training designed by NCERT, and an artificial intelligence website are also among the initiatives that will be unveiled. Scholarships and student exchange programmes with other nations have also been implemented.

New implementations in Education Sector
Samarkand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Samarkand during which they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors. The two leaders are in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand to attend the SCO summit.

"PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors. @trpresidency pic.twitter.com/R6KMI518h9  PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 16, 2022

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the two leaders had "useful discussions" during the meeting. "Leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanged views on regional & global developments," he tweeted.

Useful discussions between PM @narendramodi and President @RTErdogan of Turkiye in Samarkand.



Leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanged views on regional & global developments. pic.twitter.com/v1oqAMIdsB September 16, 2022

The Turkish President, a close ally of Pakistan, had repeatedly referred to the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly sessions. India in the past termed his remarks as "completely unacceptable", saying Turkiye should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. Turkiye is a dialogue partner. Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.
From an ordinary RSS worker to Prime Minister of the worlds largest democracy, Narendra Damodardas Modis life has been one of struggle and conviction, and an inspiration for billions. Hailing from a humble background, he rose through the ranks through sheer hard work, combining tradition with modernism like never before. Born and schooled in Gujarats Vadnagar, it is said Modi left home in his teens and lived with sadhus across the country for months. He was associated with the RSS since a tender age, which shaped his philosophies in life. And as Modi turns 72, heres a snapshot of the political career of a man who put India on the world map.

Emergency Era

In 1972, as per reports, Modi helped set up a unit of the RSS students wing ABVP in Ahmedabad. Two years later, he emerged as a firebrand leader through the anti-corruption Navnirman agitation. He was then appointed general secretary of the RSS-backed Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti, which was coordinating opposition to Emergency in the state. After RSS was banned, Modi went underground and travelled in disguise. But as the ban was lifted, he went on to take bigger responsibilities within the organisation.

Ram Mandir Movement

Modi entered mainstream politics in 1987. He joined the BJP and organised its campaign for the Ahmedabad civic elections, which the party won. He was promoted to general secretary (organisation) of the Gujarat unit within a year. In 1990, Modi was named member of the BJPs National Election Committee for successfully organising the Somnath-Ayodhya Rath Yatra of then BJP chief LK Advani, and the Kanyakumari-Kashmir Ekta Yatra of Murli Manohar Joshi.

Consolidating Gujarat

In 1995, BJP came to power in Gujarat, and the state has remained its stronghold since. Modi was appointed BJP national secretary that year and elevated to general secretary in 1998, a position he held till 2001. He was credited with ending factionalism in Gujarat BJP between supporters of Shankersinh Vaghela and Keshubhai Patel.

Appointment as Gujarat CM

In 2001, Modi was chosen to replace then Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel due to his failing health and poor public image following the Bhuj earthquake. Modi, who had earlier refused to be deputy CM, was appointed by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and sworn in on October 7, 2001. He was elected to the assembly in a bypoll on February 24, 2002.

Gujarat Riots

On February 27, 2002, a train carrying kar sevaks from Ayodhya was set ablaze by a Muslim mob in Godhra, killing dozens of Hindu pilgrims, including women and children. Riots broke out across the state, killing hundreds of people from both communities. Cases were filed against Modi alleging his personal involvement in the violence. In 2005, the US even denied him a diplomatic visa. Years later, all the cases were shut by the Supreme Court.

VIDEO LINK: Happy Birthday PM Modi: A timeline of his eventful political career in 60 seconds

10 Years: 2002-2012

Under Modi, BJP won every subsequent election in Gujarat by a landslide. It won 127 of the 182 seats in 2002; 117 in 2017; and 115 in 2012. Modi was lauded for his development model, with industries and business booming in Gujarat and the state performing well on all development indices.

Making History in 2014

Modi established himself as the PM candidate by the 2014 general elections. He faced opposition from Advani, but with most leaders backing him, the BJP campaigned across India with Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkaar slogans. The BJP crossed majority on its own, bagging 282 seats  the highest it ever won. Modi himself won in both constituencies  Vadodara and Varanasi.

Global Diplomacy

Between 2014 and 2019, Modi travelled to several countries to build diplomatic, economic and defence ties. In 2015, he made a surprise visit to Pakistan and met then PM Nawaz Sharif. Two years later, he became the first Indian PM to visit Israel. He introduced revolutionary economic reforms such as demonetisation on November 8, 2016, and GST on July 1, 2017.

Addressing Core Hindutva Issues

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections once again imposed Modis supremacy on Indias political turf, as the NDA won a whopping 353 seats in the 543-member Parliament. The first few months of his second term saw legislations criminalising triple talaq, abrogating Article 370 and introducing CAA, and the Supreme Court verdict in favour of Ram temple at Ayodhya.

India During Covid

Since 2019, the Covid pandemic put India, and the world, under severe distress, with the economy broken and health infrastructure overstretched. Under Modis leadership, India did not rely on foreign help but developed its own vaccines. Various socio-economic policies ensured that the poor received aid and the economy crawled back on track.

National Security

The surgical strike of September 2016, Balakot airstrike of February 2019 and Galwan clashes of May 2020 were turning points in Indias military history. Back home, the ruthless crackdown on terror and corruption reinforced Modis image as a nationalist with scant regard for consequences.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 17, 2022) turned 72. Born on September 17, 1950, in a small town in Gujarat, Modi is the first ever Prime Minister to be born after Independence. PM Modi, who started his second term in office in May 2019, is also the longest-serving Chief Minister of Gujarat with his term spanning from October 2001 to May 2014. During his tenure as PM, he has paid special attention to India's rich history and culture, and has also taken numerous initiatives to free the country of the "colonial mindset".

Here's a look at some of the steps that PM Narendra Modi has taken to shed the baggage of colonial legacy and colonial symbols in the last eight years.
Kollam: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (September 16) resumed his party's Bharat Jodo yatra along with senior party leaders and hundreds of workers after a day's rest from Polayathodu in Kollam district of Kerala. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, VD Satheesan, AICC general secretary in charge of Organisation, K C Venugopal, senior Congress leaders, Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, RSP leader N K Premachandran among others seen walking beside Rahul Gandhi, said a PTI report.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Rahul Gandhi will interact with the cashew workers, entrepreneurs, and the party allies during the halt of the yatra at Neendakara in the district. Ramesh tweeted, "After a day of well-earned rest, #BharatJodoYatra resumed from Kollam today at 6:45 am. It'll cover 13 km this morning and halt at Neendakara on the seashore. Interactions with cashew workers, cashew entrepreneurs, trade union and leaders of RSP & Forward Block in the afternoon."

It may be noted that the Yatra will enter Alappuzha on September 17 and pass through Ernakulam district on September 21 and 22 and reach Thrissur on September 23. It will traverse through Palakkad on September 26 and 27 and enter Malappuram on September 28. Notably, September 23 would be another day of rest after marching for seven days.

We're on 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' some on Europe Jodo Yatra: Congress

Facing criticism from the CPI(M) over the route of its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and the time it would be spending in Kerala, the Congress on Thursday took a dig at the Left party over its leaders' proposed foreign trip, saying they are engaged in Europe Jodo Yatra.

Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary in charge of communications, told reporters in Kollam, "Ours is Bharat Jodo Yatra and not Europe Jodo Yatra which some parties that criticise Congress party are engaged in right now." He termed the CPI(M) as the 'A' team of the BJP, referring to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as 'Mundu Modi' and said both of them, in Kerala, were identical.

Jairam Ramesh alleged, "In fact, CPI(M) allied with the BJP in 1989 to defeat the Congress," adding that if the Left party wants to support the Congress, it is welcome to do so. "But, this yatra is not for opposition unity. It is for strengthening the Congress and without Congress, you cannot have an opposition unity. It is the only party which has never allied with BJP. So far, everyone has been trying to weaken the Congress. We will not allow it to happen. In Kerala, CPI(M) is doing its best to encourage BJP and weaken the Congress," he added.

Ramesh did not spare the BJP either by accusing it of dividing the country for a long time, adding "They (BJP) have been doing 'Bharat-Todo' for a long time. Now they are doing 'Congress-Todo' and what is happening in Goa is an example of the diversion the BJP is trying to create. One day container, another day t-shirt, another day shoes and then Goa. They will do it everyday to divert people's attention from the yatra due to the response it is receiving."

He also addressed the accusation against the Congress of avoiding BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and spending less time in Uttar Pradesh when it was devoting 18 days in Kerala, saying "Yatra is going through Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana where Congress is fighting BJP. Anyone who says we are not going through States where Congress is fighting BJP does not know full details of the yatra."

Ramesh said it would take a minimum of 90 days to walk from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu to Gujarat and by then elections in that State, as well as Himachal Pradesh, would be over, adding "So, even if superman with a 56-inch chest, you know whom I am referring to, were to walk, he will take 90 days at least to reach Gujarat from Kanyakumari."

On the issue of Congress not being able to retain its senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad or those like the 8 MLAs in Goa, Ramesh said two types of people are leaving the party, those who have benefitted from it and those vulnerable to central investigating agencies. On Azad's exit from the party, Ramesh said, "People will leave. But for every Ghulam Nabi Azad, there are 50 V T Balrams (KPCC vice-president) -- youngsters with political experience wedded to Congress ideology. So, I am not worried when such big names leave. The sooner they leave, the better."

The 150-day-long foot march was launched from Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will cover 12 states and two Union territories. The Yatra, which entered Kerala on September 10 evening, would traverse through the state covering 450 km, touching seven districts over a period of 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1.

(With PTI Inputs)
Samarkand [Uzbekistan]: The city of Samarkand is all decked up with colourful lights as the SCO Heads of State arrive in the Uzbekistan capital to review the groupings activities and discuss prospects for future cooperation. Fireworks were displayed in Samarkand as leaders from various countries arrived for the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that will commence on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Samarkand in Uzbekistan on Thursday evening to participate in the SCO Heads of State Summit.

The leaders received warm hospitality from Uzbekistan, the current chair of SCO 2022. They were seen enjoying themselves before they get down to business to tackle the most crucial current global challenges on Friday. Experiencing the delight of music and food the leaders strolled through the city of Samarkand leisurely enjoying the city`s rich culture.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were among other leaders who were spotted touring the city ahead of the first in-person meeting of the SCO Heads of State.

Also read: SCO Summit: PM Modi likely to meet Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan

India will assume the SCO`s rotational annual presidency at the Samarkand Summit`s end. This is the first in-person SCO Summit after the Covid pandemic hit the world. The last in-person SCO Heads of State Summit was held in Bishkek in June 2019.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six "Dialogue Partners" (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). The Shanghai Five, formed in 1996, became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001 with the inclusion of Uzbekistan.

Also read: Even friendly countries now look at Pak as country with begging bowl: Sharif

With India and Pakistan entering the grouping in 2017 and the decision to admit Tehran as a full member in 2021, SCO became one of the largest multilateral organisations, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global GDP and 40 per cent of the world`s population.
Samarkand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Samarkand on Thursday night, will attend the first in-person summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in two years in the historic Uzbek city here on Friday. The summit of the eight-member grouping will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders from the Central Asian countries.

PM Modi will deliberate on major regional security challenges and issues like trade, investment and energy supplies. On the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi. He met Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand. pic.twitter.com/uwxxpyd2Qj  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

PM Modi also posed for a group photograph at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and central Asian leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev & other leaders pose for a group photograph at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO ) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand pic.twitter.com/RaTuXFhS3J  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

In a pre-departure statement, PM Modi said, "At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation," adding "Under the Uzbek chairship, a number of decisions for mutual cooperation are likely to be adopted in areas of trade, economy, culture and tourism."

Prime Minister Modi said that he was also looking forward to meeting Uzbek President Mirziyoyev, adding "I fondly recall his visit to India in 2018. He also graced the Vibrant Gujarat Summit as Guest of Honour in 2019. In addition, I will hold bilateral meetings with some of the other leaders attending the summit."

There is no confirmation over his possible bilateral with Chinese President Xi and Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif, amidst a chill in the bilateral ties with both countries.

When asked if Modi and Xi will have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters in New Delhi, "We will keep you fully apprised when the Prime Minister's schedule of bilateral meetings unfolds." Kwatra also said the Prime Minister's participation in the summit was a reflection of the importance that India attaches to the SCO and its goals.

Notably, the SCO summit in Samarkand will have two sessions -- one restricted session which is only meant for the SCO member states and then there will be an extended session that is likely to see the participation of the observers and the special invitees of the chair country.

Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.

The SCO is holding its first in-person summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented such high-level gatherings. The summit of the eight-nation influential grouping is taking place amid the growing geo-political turmoil largely triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China's aggressive military posturing in the Taiwan Strait.

(With PTI Inputs)
Samarkand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world is overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic and cited that several disruptions occurred in the global supply chain due to the Covid-19 and Ukraine crisis. He said, "We are focussing on people-centric development model. We are supporting innovation in every sector. Today there are more than 70,000 start-ups and over 100 unicorns in our country," adding "We want to transform India into a manufacturing hub." while addressing the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand on Friday.

The Prime Minister said that "Indias economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5% this year. I'm glad that ours is one of the fastest growing economies among the largest economies of the world."

Indias economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5% this year. I'm glad that ours is one of the fastest growing economies among the largest economies of the world: PM Narendra Modi at the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand pic.twitter.com/IDm4JgRSlL  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

"In April 2022, WHO inaugurated its Global Centre for Traditional Medicines in Gujarat. This was the first and only global center by WHO for traditional treatment. India will take an initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicines," PM Modi at the SCO Summit.

In April 2022, WHO inaugurated its Global Centre for Traditional Medicines in Gujarat. This was the first & only global center by WHO for traditional treatment. India will take an initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicines: PM at the SCO Summit in Samarkand pic.twitter.com/39XevIJyGb  ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2022

The Prime Minister also called upon SCO member states to give transit access to each other and pitched for boosting connectivity for ensuring resilient supply chains for the region. PM Modi's call for providing transit access comes amid Pakistan's reluctance to give India such facilities for sending goods to war-torn Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister said that India supports mutual trust and cooperation among SCO countries, adding "The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises."

"The SCO should strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. For this, better connectivity will be required, as well as it will also be important that we all give full rights of transit to each other," he said.

Prior to his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) deliberated on the regional security situation and ways to enhance trade and connectivity at the annual summit of the grouping.

It is for the first time Modi and Xi came face-to-face at the summit in this historic Uzbek city since the start of the border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh around 28 months back. The summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries.

Ahead of the deliberations at the restricted format of the summit, leaders of the permanent members of the grouping posed for a group photo at Samarkand's Congress Centre. At the venue of the summit, Modi was warmly greeted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. "President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan welcomed PM@narendramodi to the Congress Centre in Samarkand for the 22nd SCO Summit. India has been working closely with Uzbekistan towards the success of their Chairship," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

In another tweet, Bagchi said, "PM @narendramodi joins the leaders of SCO Member States for discussions on topical, regional and international issues, including regional peace and security, trade and connectivity, culture and tourism."

(With ANI/PTI Inputs)
Telangana: Telangana schools, colleges, and all educational institutions will remain closed today, September 17, 2022, to celebrate Telangana National Integration Day. The official orders were issued in the name of the Government of Telangana on September 16, 2022 announcing the General Holiday hereby closure of all educational institutions and government offices. All educational institutions including Private, Aided and Government will remain shut on Saturday.

The official statement stated: "The Government hereby declare General Holiday on 17.09.2022 (Saturday) for the Government Offices, all educational institutions (Private, Aided and Government) located in the Telangana State on the occasion of "Telangana Jateeya Samalkyata Dinotsavam".

Telangana government announced to organise the 'Telangana National Integration Diamond jubilee celebrations for three days beginning from today that is Friday to celebrate the merger of the erstwhile Hyderabad State under Nizam rule with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948. Students and youth today conducted rallies in the Assembly constituency headquarters in Telangana.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday urged people not to resort to violent measures to deal with stray dog menace in the state and said beating, poisoning and tying up the canines on the streets will not solve the problem.

"Indulging in such acts is unacceptable," he said. Speaking on the measures being taken by the government to deal with the issue, the CM also appealed to the public to protect domestic dogs and not leave them on the streets.

"This problem cannot be solved by killing the dogs. Registration of pet dogs will be made mandatory in the state. Panchayat will provide registration certificates within three days after completion of vaccination of domestic dogs," he told reporters here.

Vijayan noted that an intensive vaccination drive for stray dogs has already begun in most of the local government bodies in the state. It has already been decided to hold an intensive vaccine campaign that will last till October 20.

As many as 21 deaths due to rabies were reported in the state so far this year out of which 15 had not received the anti-rabies vaccine (IDRV) and immunoglobulin (ERIG). A field-level investigation has been completed to ascertain the cause of all 21 deaths. An expert committee was appointed to investigate all the deaths in detail, he added.
A skydiving accident reportedly killed one and injured another Thursday afternoon at the Crete Municipal Airport, where SkyDive Atlas offers what its website describes as "the only professional tandem skydiving operation in the state of Nebraska."

According to the Crete News, one customer was killed in the incident and an instructor was injured.

In a message to the Journal Star, Sean Tillery, who owns SkyDive Atlas, offered thoughts to affected families.

"We are very sad and our hearts and thoughts go out to the families," he wrote.

Tillery said the company will cooperate with any local or federal investigations into the incident.

In response to follow-up questions on Thursday's wind conditions and whether the company was still offering dives Friday, Tillery said, "We are all grieving."

Crete Police Chief Steve Hensel did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday, and a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a call or email.
TS PGECET 2022: Telangana State Council of Higher Education, TSCHE has released an official notice regarding the TS PGECET 2022 Counselling dates. Candidates who have made the shortlist must submit scanned copies of their original documents and certificates in order to use web choices and take part in the initial counselling process. In order to facilitate admission to applicants for the ME, MTech, MPhar, Pharm D, and MArch programmes provided by several institutions in the state of Telangana for the academic session 202223, TSCHE is managing the PGECET 2022 counselling process on behalf of Osmania University.

TS PGECET Counselling 2022: How To Register

Visit the official website -- tsche.ac.in

Click on the 'TS PGECET Counselling' link

Log in and register online by filling the application form as instructed

Pay the PGECET 2022 counselling fee in online mode

Select the preferred college and course and submit the application form

Download the confirmation page for further reference.

A total of 11,931 students have been shortlisted for the TS PGECET 2022 counselling procedure, according to the TSCHE statement. Around 9131 places are available for admission, and 232 universities in the state are taking part in the counselling process. From August 2 to August 5, Osmania University hosted the TS PGECET 2022. On September 3, the TS PGECET results were released.
Samarkand: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he fully ''understands the concerns'' raised by him while also noting that ''Ukraine wants war'' and has refused to be part of negotiations to end several months of military conflict between the two nations. President Putin told PM Modi on the sidelines of the SCO meeting that he was aware of India's concerns over the Ukraine conflict and that Russia will do everything possible to end it as soon as possible.

"I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine. I know about your concerns. I know that you share these concerns and we all want an end to all of these as soon as possible," Putin said in his televised opening remarks at the meeting.

The Russian President said Ukraine has refused to engage in the negotiation process and it wants to achieve its "objectives on the battlefield militarily." "We will keep you abreast of everything that is happening over there," Putin conveyed to PM Modi.

PM Modi earlier pushed Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying "today's era is not of war" even as he called for finding ways to address the global food and energy security crisis.

PM Modi also underlined the importance of democracy, dialogue and diplomacy during a bilateral meeting with Putin that took place on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this Silk Road city.

"Today the biggest worry before the world, especially developing countries, is food security, fuel security, fertilisers. We must find ways to these problems and you will also have to consider them. We will get an opportunity to talk about these issues," Modi said in his opening remarks.

In response, Putin told PM Modi that Ukraine has refused to engage in the negotiation process and it wants to achieve its "objectives on the battlefield militarily." "We will keep you abreast of everything that is happening over there," Putin conveyed to PM Modi.

Following the meeting, PM Modi described the talks as "wonderful". "Had a wonderful meeting with President Putin. We got the opportunity to discuss furthering India-Russia cooperation in sectors such as trade, energy, defence and more. We also discussed other bilateral and global issues," he tweeted.

In his opening remarks, President Putin said the ties between India and Russia continued to develop "very rapidly" and both sides are actively engaged on international platforms on key issues. "It is important that we constantly coordinate our positions," he said.

In his remarks, PM Modi flagged concerns over food security, energy security, and fertiliser supplies and said "we must find ways and you will also have to consider it." The prime minister said he is thankful to Russia and Ukraine for facilitating the rescue of Indian students from various areas of Ukraine in the initial phase of the conflict.

In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers. India's crude oil imports from Russia have jumped over 50 times since April and now it makes up for 10 per cent of all crude bought from overseas.

Last month, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov said Russia appreciates India for not supporting attempts to isolate it in multilateral forums and that bilateral trade between the two countries is on an upswing. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: At least nine people were killed in a wall collapse incident in Lucknow's Dilkusha area due to heavy rains, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia on Friday (September 16, 2022). In the last 24 hours, nine people have died and as many as two were injured in a wall collapse due to heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradeshs capital.

All injured in the accident were rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment, where doctors informed them that their condition is stable.

"Several ambulances were sent to the spot and all bodies were brought here at different times, 9 were brought dead to us while 2 injured were brought as well. Those injured are stable," said Dr Anand Ojha, Director of Lucknow Civil hospital.

After the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead. Additionally, instructions were given to give relief amounts to all the dead from the disaster relief fund.

The chief minister has also instructed to release a relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased people. He also instructed for proper treatment of all the injured.

Meanwhile, Lucknow has been witnessing water logging problems in many parts due to heavy rainfall. Commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected waterlogging issues after heavy rain lashed the city. An alert was also issued by the district administration for the possibility of heavy rains till September 17.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow Commissioner Roshan Jacob inspects waterlogging issues after heavy rain lashes city



Visuals from the area surrounding Engineering College, Jankipuram & riverfront colony pic.twitter.com/1JHMMJ7xUj  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 16, 2022

"In view of this, all the people should take full precaution. Beware of old dilapidated buildings. Leave for outside when it is absolutely necessary. Avoid going to crowded and traffic jam areas. Stay away from open sewers, electric wires and poles," the officials said.

Following the #heavyrains that have been lashing #Lucknow since the past 24-hours, the district administration, early on Friday, announced the closure of all schools in #UttarPradesh's state capital, Met Department officials said. pic.twitter.com/QfpJYZW4xH  IANS (@ians_india) September 16, 2022

"Due to heavy rains, all the government, semi-government and private schools have been asked to remain closed in urban and rural areas," the order by DM Surya Pal Gangwar said.

The district administration asked people to contact Lucknow Municipal Corporation Control Room for any civic problem like water logging, tree fall etc.

The administration advised people to drink boiled drinking water and get bleaching powder and chlorine tablets from the nearest health centre.

The administration directed all government hospitals, PHC and CHC to be on high alert.

(With agency inputs)
HYDERABAD: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday strongly objected to the use of word liberation as part of the National Integration Day commemoration on Saturday, September 17. Referring to the BJP, the AIMIM MP said, The word liberation is wrong. Hyderabad was and will remain an integral part of India. It should be celebrated as Integration Day.

In view of the Centres announcement that it would celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 3, asking him to use the phrase National Integration Day rather than mere liberation.

The struggles of the people of the erstwhile Hyderabad state against colonialism, feudalism and autocracy are a symbol of national integration rather than merely a case of liberation of a piece of land, he added.

The Hyderabad MP, who held a Tiranga rally earlier in the day, said his party and Muslims do not need any loyalty certificates from the RSS and BJP and they can throw it in dustbins. The 'Tiranga Yatra' was taken out after Friday prayers, as part of National Integration Day' celebrations.

Addressing the gathering after the rally, Owaisi, in an oblique reference to the BJP and RSS, said those who did not shed even a single drop of sweat for the independence of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, are now calling it Liberation Day.

AIMIM and Muslims, Hindus and Dalits who lost their lives on this land do not need loyalty certificates from RSS or BJP and You throw them in the dustbin, he said.

Today Hyderabad is observing #NationalIntegrationDay on the anniversary of erstwhile Hyderabad state's merger with Union of India. We offered our Friday namaz & started a Tiranga bike rally. There will also be a public meeting before the rally, he tweeted.

Owaisi asserted that the AIMIM has nothing to do with Qasim Rizvi, the head of the Razaakar army (private militia organised to support the Nizam rule), but carries the legacy of Turrebaaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin, who lost their lives fighting the British.
New Delhi: Aryan Khan is blessing us all with his frequent appearances and we are not complaining. SRK's son was spotted at the Mumbai airport recently and with his adorable 'salaam,' he is taking over the internet.

Aryan has a massive fan following on social media as he keeps sharing his amazing pictures with fans and they absolutely love it. Recently, he was snapped by the paps at Mumbai airport and fans are going all gaga over his gestures.

In the video shared by the paps, he can be seen accepting a rose from one of his fans. Also, he later greeted the person with a salaam. Fans are having a meltdown with all the adorable gestures of Aryan.

Fans flooded the comment section with heart-eye and love emojis. One wrote, "National crush of today," the other one admired his walk and commented, " That walk (heart-eye emoji.)"

Aryan was given a clean chit, a few months back, from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in last year`s drugs-on-cruise case. The NCB had filed a 6,000-page charge sheet against 14 accused in the cruise drug bust case on May 27, which excludes the name of five others including Aryan, who were earlier arrested in the case.

They did not file any complaint against Aryan and five others in the alleged cruise drug bust case due to a lack of 'sufficient' evidence.
New Delhi: Conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar's Rs 200 crore money laundering case seems to have opened a can of worms where more names of Bollywood actresses have popped up. After Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi were grilled by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police recently, it has been reported that Bigg Boss fame Nikki Tamboli, Chahat Khanna, Sophia Singh, and Arusha Patil met Chandrashekhar in the jail premises and he introduced himself as a producer of the southern film industry.

On Thursday EOW questioned Nora Fatehi in connection with her relations and the gifts which she got from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar who is in Tihar jail in a case of extortion of Rs 200 crore. According to ANI, Special commissioner of police, EOW, Ravinder Yadav said that her brother-in-law had got a BMW from Chandrashekhar in 2021.

On Wednesday, EOW had also grilled Bollywood diva Jacqueline Fernandez for eight hours at its office in connection with the case. But both the actors have no direct connection with this case.

Special Commissioner of Police (EOW) Ravindra Yadav told ANI that Sukesh would try to influence the Bollywood actresses as he was having a huge wealth of properties which he acquired through extortion.

Delhi Police sleuths had called three persons today for questioning: Nora Fatehi, her brother-in-law Mehboob aka Bobby Khan and Pinky Irani.

Irani is a person who approached Fatehi for gifts on the direction of Chandrashekhar. She was called to participate in an event at the studio in Chennai owned by Chandrashekar's wife Lena Maria, last year. In the event, Fatehi was offered a BMW car and a participation fee in the event. Fatehi, during questioning, said that she refused to take that gift, however, she told that they should give it to her brother-in-law Mehboob alias Bobby.

Mehboob, who is a native of Morocco, mostly lives in Mumbai and works in the Bollywood industry. He had also directed the movie "Leela ek Paheli" in which Sunny Leone played a lead role. Mehboob recognised Pinky Irani today during the questioning.

Sources said Pinky Irani's code word was 'Angel'. She introduced herself to Nora with the code name Angel. EOW officers said that she would often ignore Chandrashekar as he repeatedly tried to approach her through Irani. Today, we called Fatehi, Irani and Mehboob and confronted each other. We also recorded their statements separately," said an officer.

Meanwhile, EOW has also recovered a super bike, Ducati, costing around Rs 8 lakh from Prashant who is the manager of Fernandez. This bike was gifted by Chandrashekhar to Prashant.

According to sources, Jaqueline was so convinced and influenced by Chandrashekhar that she would call him "man of her dreams" and was thinking of marrying him. Nora never met Chandershekhar. She had talked with him through Whatsapp, twice, source said.

While speaking to ANI, Ravinder Yadav said, "There is more trouble for Jaqueline as she did not cut ties with Sukesh even after knowing his criminal antecedents. But Nora did disconnect herself once she suspected that something is fishy."

In today's questioning contradictions were cleared that BMW was kept by brother-in-law of Nora as Nora refused to receive the gift Nora is also likely to turn witness in Delhi police case but the investigation is still on.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: For the economical welfare and support of the citizens of the country, there are many such schemes going on, whose direct benefits are being extended to far-flung villages apart from the cities. For instance, free or cheap ration to BPL card holders, and subsidised diesel for farmers.

Following suit, a scheme is also run by the Central Government for the farmers, whose name is Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Under this scheme, while helping the farmers financially, 6 thousand rupees are given to them annually. (Also Read: LIC Saral Pension Yojana: Pay single premium, get every month Rs 50,000 for a lifetime)

This money is sent to the bank account of the farmers in three installments of Rs 2 thousand each at an interval of every four months. So far, 11 installments of money have been sent to the accounts of 10 crore farmers. At this point of time, crores of farmers who have applied to this scheme, are eagerly waiting for the 12th installment. (Also Read: Public Provident Fund: Invest Rs 100 per day in PPF, get Rs 25 lakh at the time of retirement; Check details here)

Wondering to know the status of the 12th installment? Here are all the details regarding this whether you will be able to get the benefit of installment or not. If yes, then when? So let's find out.

The central government is going to transfer this money to your account soon. According to the latest update, the installment is going to come into the account of farmers in the next 2 weeks.

How to check the status of the 12th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana?

- Visit the official website pmkisan.gov.in

- Click on the 'Farmers Corner' option.

- Click on the option of 'Beneficiary Status.'

- Select any one option from your Aadhar number, or bank account.

- Fill up the appropriate number.

- Click on the option of 'Get Data'.

After going through these steps, you will get your transactions detail.

Apart from this, you can call the toll-free number 155261 to know the status of the application. Here also you will get information about your installment.
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 September 16, 2022

B61YCTNH4PV3

FFBCAC836MAC

FFBCLY4LNC4B

WOJJAFV3TU5E

FFBCLLP5S98AW

4ST1ZTBE2RP9

WLSGJXS5KFYR

FFPLFMSJDKEL

FFTILM659NZB

ESX24ADSM4K

3IBBMSL7AK8G

FFPLNZUWMALS

YXY3EGTLHGJX

(Also read: Shocking! Ex-Amazon Web Services engineer hacked data of 10 crore customers)

How to Redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, September 16, 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)
London: The UK has refused permission for a high-level Chinese government delegation to attend Queen Elizabeth's Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall within the Parliament complex before the funeral at Westminster Abbey here on September 19, according to UK media reports on Friday.

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is said to have refused a request for access to Westminster Hall due to Chinese sanctions against five British members of Parliament and two peers for accusing Beijing of mistreating its Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, Politico' and the BBC have reported.

While the House of Commons said it did not comment on security matters, the media reports claimed that China would have a presence at the funeral but not be allowed into the Parliament building.

As Westminster Hall forms part of the parliamentary estate, it is under the control of the Commons and the Lords Speakers. The move is likely to further strain UK-China relations, which have been under some pressure in recent times.

According to reports, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping as Head of State of a country with which the UK has diplomatic relations. It is thought that the vice-president, Wang Qishan, will be sent in his place along with a Chinese delegation.

The latest development comes after the sanctioned MPs had raised objections about the Chinese President being invited to the funeral at all.

In March last year, China had sanctioned nine individuals and four organisations in the UK in retaliation after Britain imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in its Xinjiang province.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, as well as Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat, Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton and Nusrat Ghani are among those sanctioned as they and their families were banned from entering Chinese territory.

"You cannot have a Golden Age, normal relations, with a country that has now been exposed as committing the sorts of atrocities it has, not least the genocide against the Uighurs, the oppression going on in Tibet for the last 60/70 years, and now what we see going on in Hong Kong as well," Loughton told the BBC.

The sanctioned MPs had sent a letter to the Parliament Speakers earlier this week to seek assurances that representatives from Beijing would not be allowed onto the parliamentary estate. They had also raised objections in a letter to the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly.

Downing Street has said that it is a convention that countries with which the UK has diplomatic relations should be invited to state funerals. Three national governments have not been invited to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II over the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.

Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on several senior Chinese following rights abuse allegations against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group.

China has detained Uighurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged. China has rejected those charges.


Nearly eight months to the day after Billings 15-year-old Khoen Parker was shot and killed, five people have been charged in connection to his death.

The charges came after more than three dozen Billings police officers and detectives waded through false statements, misinformation spread online, and alleged attempts to destroy evidence. Three adults and two teenagers are implicated in the January shooting and an elaborate effort to conceal the truth from investigators, according to court documents.

Most of the youths involved minimized their involvement or knowledge about the events or lied to the detectives either in their initial statements or throughout the investigation, Yellowstone County prosecutors alleged in documents filed in district court Tuesday.

A 16-year-old, identified as A.G., has been charged in Yellowstone County District Court with negligent homicide. Police allege the suspect fired the shot that killed Parker. Charging documents also detail allegations he and his four codefendants lied to police during their investigation. (The Billings Gazette generally doesn't identify minors involved in crimes.)

A.G. appeared before District Judge Ashley Harada on Thursday via teleconference, where she set his bond at $100,000. He was the second of three codefendants scheduled for detention hearings. Family and friends of Parker and the accused filled the courtroom.

Billings police responded to a report of gunfire in the early hours of Jan. 16, 2022 on the 400 block of Constitution Avenue in the Heights. About 10 minutes later, Billings Clinic staff called police saying they were treating a teenager, Parker, who was dropped off with a gunshot wound. Hospital staff pronounced Parker dead that same morning.

A witness told police Parker was shot during a fight between two groups of teenagers in a parking lot near Castle Rock park. Police found several spent bullet casings in the parking lot. Residents in the area directed officers to a home on the 500 block of Constitution Avenue where they suspected the teens had fled.

Investigators initially spoke with several people at the house, and in the ensuing months made an exhaustive effort to piece together the events leading up to the shooting, and its fallout.

Many false leads were investigated, including leads made to the High Tide Casino, which offered a cash reward for information, and fake Facebook accounts disseminating false informationDuring the course of the investigation, numerous search warrants were executed, including warrants for [19] different Snapchat user accounts, [10] cellular phones and three residences, County prosecutors wrote in charging documents.

A group of teens goaded a second group into a fight that night, court records said. The second group included Parker and A.G. Also in the second group were Jerral Lee Brady and Jesse Ray Myers, both of whom would later be charged in connection to the shooting. A 16-year-old girl, E., was allegedly the main point-of-contact between the two groups as they antagonized one another into fighting. They agreed to meet in the parking lot near Castle Rock park.

When the groups converged on the lot, according to charging documents, someone in A.G., Brady and Myers group had a firearm. The other group arrived carrying loaded BB guns. Evidence gathered by investigators does not indicate how the violence began, but a brawl ensued.

A third group pulled up to the scene in an SUV. Several adults were in the vehicle who tried to stop the fighting. Among them was George Robert Medina. He allegedly brought a loaded handgun, and fired two rounds into the air. In an interview later with police, Medina said he was attempting to end the melee.

Five more rounds erupted immediately after, court records said, from a different weapon. Two more shots followed. Everyone fled the parking lot. One vehicle, driven by a 16-year-old, took Parker to a hospital. A second vehicle, allegedly with Brady at the wheel, followed. Also in the second vehicle were A.G., E. and Myers. Only one person, who went unnamed in court documents, stayed with Parker at Billings Clinic. Most of the others spent the rest of the night at a house party.

During a search of the parking lot, investigators gathered two empty .45-caliber cartridges matched to the gun fired by Medina. They also found seven empty 9mm rounds. Parkers cause of death was later determined to be due to a 9mm striking the asphalt of the parking lot, then ricocheting and hitting him in the side. Investigators have not recovered a 9mm firearm that can be linked to the shooting, according to court documents.

E.s father reported his 9mm Sig Sauer missing about a week before the shooting. In an interview with Billings police, he allegedly told officers his daughter let two people steal the handgun during a party at his home while he was out of town. Both were later involved in the parking lot fight. That gun has not been found.

Charging documents allege A.G. stole the handgun belonging to E.s father, and lied to police during his initial interview when he said he never left the vehicle throughout the fight in January. In a subsequent interview, court documents said, he admitted to grabbing the handgun from the center console and getting out of the Bradys vehicle. After the shooting, A.G. said, he threw the gun under the car seat.

A search of a Google history linked to A.G. in Dec. 2021 showed he allegedly looked up HotGunz Stolen Gun Search Results, stolen gun tracker, and what can a 9mm round do to you. Later that same month, according to court documents, his Google history showed multiple searches related to a Sig Sauer P226, the same firearm reported stolen by E.s father.

A.G. is facing a total of five charges for his alleged role in the parking lot fight and shooting of parker. Along with negligent homicide, he faces counts of tampering with or fabricating evidence, and misdemeanor counts of theft, riot and obstructing a peace officer.

Myers, who was 17 at the time, allegedly messaged A.G. on Jan. 14 to bring a gun in case of opps, using a slang term for police. He also told police in his first interview that he stayed in Bradys vehicle during the fight. In the hours after the shooting, he allegedly messaged A.G., just say we went with jarrel [Brady] and met up with other ppl bc thats a y what we did.

Police searched Myers home Feb. 22. In his bedroom, they allegedly found a box of 9mm Luger ammunition, consistent with the spent rounds found in the parking lot. That same day, he admitted to lying to law enforcement during his first interview, court documents said. He then told officers he saw A.G. grab a gun from the center console of Bradys vehicle before the fight, but he did not know what A.G. did with it.

Myers, now 18, was charged with one felony count of obstruction of justice, and misdemeanor counts of riot and obstructing a peace officer. Because the alleged offenses occurred before his 18th birthday, he is being charged in juvenile court. He denied the counts during his appearance Wednesday.

He was charged as an adult in August of this year with two counts of criminal endangerment, with a weapons enhancement. Prosecutors allege he fired several rounds from a Glock in Lake Elmo State Park, causing two people to fear for their safety. Myers has since pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Brady is alleged to have lied to officers during their investigation into Parkers death, and deleted messages on his phone that were relevant to the investigation. He told police nobody in his vehicle had a gun. He is facing charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing an officer and riot.

Officers asked E. for her phone the morning Parker was shot, and several times after, court documents said. She would later say she lost her phone. Records of Snapchat conversations between E. and Myers allegedly showed the two conspiring to delete any evidence of their involvement in the fight, and crafting alibies to tell police. My dad said that his gun was used to kill someone, E. allegedly wrote to Myers on Jan. 17. He responded with tell andy so he hides that mf somewhere.

Charges filed against E. include obstruction of justice, solicitation for tampering with evidence and tampering with physical evidence. She was also charged with misdemeanor riot, theft and obstructing a peace officer.

Police spoke with 36-year-old Juel Rebecca Graham days after the shooting. She allegedly told officers E.s phone was smashed, with a hole driven through it. When police still wanted to see E.s phone, Graham said it had been thrown away and that E. was using her old phone.

During a search in March, E. allegedly admitted she lied about losing her old phone. Police seized two phones: one belonging to E., who apparently was still using her old phone, and one belonging to Graham.

Graham is accused of assisting E. in concealing her phone from police, and faces one count of obstructing justice by accountability.

In court Thursday, Myers, A.G. and E. appeared while in custody. Judge Harada set Myers bond at $50,000, and E.s at $75,000. Graham, who was booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility on Wednesday, is scheduled for arraignment Friday. A $5,000 warrant has been issued for Bradys arrest.

The investigation into Parker's death is one of at least eight homicide cases opened by the Billings Police Department so far this year. Of those eight homicide cases, three of which involved men shot dead by police, two have led to criminal charges. Last week, two people were arrested and charged in connection to the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man in North Park.
Cooler temps on the horizon are just an excuse to get out and explore the Billings area. Here's some highlights from the upcoming week.

Hoof-It with a Historian: Grave Side Stories

On Friday, Sept. 16 at 10 p.m, get an early jump on spooky season with this historic tour. Join the Western Heritage Center for a walk through Billings Mountview Cemetery located on Central Avenue. Learn about the original layout of Billings first cemetery, hear some of our past citizens stories, and view the historic mausoleum. This popular tour begins at Mountview Cemetery, near Veterans area, off of Central Avenue. Call 256-6809 if you need directions. Tour is $10, and free for children six and under.

Artxpbl featuring Arc Dance Collective at the Billings Public Library

On Friday, Sept. 16 in the Community Room at 6 p.m., The Billings Public Library will host Arc: a Montana Dance Collective for a special preview of its upcoming show. Based in Billings, the formally trained dance company's mission is to ignite inquiry, inspire change, and connect people through dance-making and creative practices. Performance is free and open to all.

'Tinker Bell' at NOVA Center for the Performing Arts

You might think you've seen Peter Pan, but until you've heard Tinker Bell's side of the story, you haven't heard the whole tale. Learn the other half at NOVA's "Tinker Bell." Performances are Sept, 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. each night, as well as a Sunday matinee on Sept. 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. each day. Tickets are $10 for senior, military and students, and $16 for everyone else, and available at novabillings.org.

MINT Film Festival

Billings' big event of the weekend is the Montana International Film Festival (MINT), with a series of films and events throughout town. Check out the full schedule at mintfilmfestival.org. A $75 VIP pass available at mint2022.eventive.org gets you into everything, as well as two after-parties, or showings are individually priced.

Adventures in Music (Featuring the Science of Sound) at Billings Public Library

The musicians of the Billings Symphony invite all children and their parents to enjoy a morning at the Billings Public Library to take part in a musical instrument Petting Zoo. Learn and try all the instruments in the orchestra. Petting Zoo is at 9:30 a.m., lan to stay for the Science of Sound immediately following at 11:30 a.m., featuring the Billings Symphony percussionists as they guide us through an entertaining and interactive journey through sound.

P.E.A.K.S. Fall BrewFest at ZooMontana

The 5th annual P.E.A.K.S. BrewFest is at ZooMontana on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 3-7 p.m. There will be a corn hole tournament, music, food trucks and live and silent auctions, to go along with the local craft beers, ciders and wines. Tickets are $30 and available at peaksbillings.com, with proceeds going to cancer patients and their families in the Billings area.

The Magic of Jay Owenhouse at Alberta Bair Theater

The Bozeman based illusionist Jay Owenhouse is bringing his magic show to the Alberta Bair Theater on Saturday, Sept. 17. There are two shows, one at 4 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $57-$67 and are available at albertabairtheater.org.

Nate Schweber Author Event at Billings Public Library

Head to the library on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m. for an author talk from Nate Schweber, who will discuss "This America of Ours," his book about the forgotten story of a progressive alliance that altered the course of twentieth-century history and saved American wildernessand our countrys most fundamental idealsfrom ruin.

B.o.B. at the Pub Station

Rapper B.o.B., known his his stratospheric 2010 hit "Airplanes," is bringing his Better than Drugs Tour to Billings for a show at the Pub Station on Saturday, Sept. 18 . Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 at thepubstation.com.

Ballads and Bossanovas: Elizabeth Adcock and Gary Behm Concert at the Art House

Guitarist Elizabeth Adcock and clarinetist Gary Behm present a concert of music at the Art House on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. They'll play songs by Duke Ellington and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Both Adcock and Behm have performed frequently in Billings as well as across Montana and the Northwest. Tickets are $15, and $5 for students at arthousebillings.com.

Charles Finn and Barbara Michelman Author Event at Billings Public Library

Poet Charles Finn and photographer Barbara Michelman will discuss their new work "On a Benediction of Wind" at the Library on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6:30. There will be a Q&A session following the event and a book signing. Books will be available to purchase.

Comedian Ed Hill at Last Chance Cider

Fresh off the release of his one-hour special "Candy and Smiley," Ed Hill is coming to Billings from Vancouver, BC for one night only on Thursday, Sept. 22. Show is at Last Chance Pub and Cider Mill, and starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door, or $20 in advance at eventbrite.com.

Keeara Rhodes reception and artist talk at Yellowstone Art Museum

Keeara Rhodes will discuss her multimedia exhibition "The Shape of a Corner" on Thursday, Sept. 22. Reception at 5 p.m., artist talk at 6:30 p.m. Museum admission is free every Thursday from 5-8 p.m.

And more live music

Craft Local's night on Friday, Sept. 16 starts with AIJA at 7 p.m., 1 Second to Go at 8 p.m. and Stranded By Choice at 9 p.m. $5 cover at the door, all ages.

Forrest Michael Guptill and 808Escape are bringing country into Kirks' on Friday from 7-9 p.m. $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

Cimarron (Father/Daughter Duo) play the Squire Lounge on Friday at 8 p.m.

Dylan Petit brings his unique brand of Americana to the Yellowstone Cellars and Winery on Friday at 8 p.m. No cover, all ages.

Billings' own Short Change headline the Thirsty Street Garage on Friday at 8 p.m., $10 at the door or at thirstystreet.com.

Catch some psychedelic electricana from Bubba Fett, with Emma and the Ledge opening, at Craft Local on Saturday, Sept. 17. Show starts at 7 p.m., $5 cover, all ages.

The Teccas are back in Billings on Saturday for a show at the Thirsty Street Garage at 7 p.m.

Tracy Nitschlke will sing covers and originals at the Yellowstone Cellars and Winery on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Cimarron Band are at Heights VFW on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 2-6 p.m.

Dylan Petit is all over this week, and he'll be headlining Songwriter Night at Craft Local on Wednesday, Sept 21 at 6 p.m.
U.S Rep. Matt Rosendale blasted BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning as a tree-spiking eco terrorist on Thursday in a rant about President Joe Bidens political appointees, though observers say Manning wouldnt have qualified for the job without Rosendales early votes.

Rosendale in a House Natural Resources Committee targeted Manning as a Biden appointee of questionable background, then launched into a mischaracterization of the Bureau of Land Management directors role in a 1989 tree-spiking incident when she was in her 20s.

Stone-Manning, as a young environmentalist in Missoula, had mailed a letter to federal officials informing them of tree spiking in an Idaho timber stand slated for logging. The spikes can wreck chainsaws and severely injure loggers. The mere possibility of spikes is enough to shut down a logging operation. She later testified against two men convicted of spiking trees in exchange for legal immunity. Stone-Manning was never charged. The men involved say Stone-Manning sent the letter but wasnt part of the spiking or the planning of the event.

Stone-Manning has answered questions about the incident for a decade as she advanced through government jobs. She is a former staffer for Sen. Jon Tester, a chief of staff for former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and a past director of Montanas Department of Environmental Quality. Its the DEQ gig that required the approval of Montanas state senators in 2013, among them Matt Rosendale, who listened to the Stone-Manning saga as a member of the Legislatures Senate Natural Resources Committee, and then voted for her. And, he voted for Stone-Manning again on the Senate floor.

Heres how Stone-Manning explained the incident to Rosendales committee in 2013: A rather disturbed person who was not a student handed me a letter one day on campus and said, would you mail this letter? I had no idea if what was in the letter was factually true or not. I had no idea if there was a tree sale in northern Idaho that had been spiked, or not. But the fact that it could have been, led me to mail that letter because I did not want anybody to get hurt. The person who gave me that letter was, frankly, frightening. So, I mailed the letter and didn't say much about it.

As a result of my testimony, I helped put the person who in fact had spiked those trees and subsequently committed an act of domestic violence, I helped put him in prison, Stone-Manning said. Though present, Rosendale wasnt one of the legislators to question Manning.

By the time Stone-Manning was being vetted by U.S. Senate for the BLM directorship, the story was more focused. The man who gave her the letter, James Blount, was no stranger. Still, one man sentenced for the incident , Jeff Fairchild, told the Washington Post ahead of Mannings confirmation that her role was to deliver the letter only. Blount and Fairchild were sentenced to prison the tree spiking.

Rosendale on Thursday characterized Stone-Manning as a tree spiker: "We've got a BLM director, Stone-Manning, who is an eco-terrorist who was arrested for life threatening tree spiking tactics in order to halt duly authorized timber sales and operations. When a bandsaw in a sawmill hits a tree that's been spiked, that band saw becomes unraveled and bounces around from the high speeds it was traveling and can take the lives of everybody who was standing anywhere near. That's the kind of a crime that she was arrested for.

Rosendale went on to question whether Stone-Manning was in cahoots with a BLM lessee that had been granted changes to long-established grazing practices. He seemed to be talking about the latest grazing practices authorized for the American Prairie which runs bison on a several hundred thousand acres in north-central Montana. Ranchers in the region are vehemently opposed to American Prairie and the bison. Republican elected officials from former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg to Gov. Greg Gianforte have led that opposition for a decade.

Asked about Rosendales reversal on supporting Stone-Manning, spokesman Jonathan Eberle said the details of the tree-spiking incident presented during the directors U.S. Senate confirmations were new to Rosendale.

During Manning's U.S. Senate confirmation hearings, information came to light that she made a plea bargain agreement with law enforcement to be absolved of her crimes. This information was not brought forward in 2013, Eberle said.

A transcript of the 2013 hearing for Montana Senate Natural Resources confirms that an agreement for legal immunity wasnt mentioned. However, there wasnt a plea agreement. Manning never entered a plea and was never charged.

Its very unlikely Stone-Manning would have been considered for BLM director without her tenure as Montanas top environmental regulator, which Rosendale approved.

"Matt Rosendale was right when he backed Tracy to run DEQ, said Chris Saeger, who briefly worked at DEQ during Stone-Mannings tenure. She is highly qualified, fair and cares about bringing diverse interests to the table to compromise about natural resource management. Unfortunately, today was just the latest example of how his combative extremism is hurting Montana. Since going to Washington, he's embarrassed us at every turn while turning a blind eye to the bread-and-butter issues we expect our leaders to focus on."

Saeger is probably best known for his work watchdogging The Department of Interior for Western Values Project, a liberal public lands group. At one point, Saeger was in the running to hold the record for the most freedom of information requests to DOI. WVP was a persistent thorn in the side of Ryan Zinke. Those were rough days for former President Donald Trumps Department of Interior. Throughout Trumps tenure, the Bureau of Land Management was without an appointed director. There were interim directors who couldnt get confirmed by a Republican-controlled Senate.
The state health department director on Thursday issued a statement indicating he would not immediately comply with an order from a Billings judge to follow a 2017 rule allowing transgender Montanans to update their birth certificates using a form.

Though Yellowstone County Judge Michael Moses said in a rare bench order earlier in the morning that the 2017 rules "are the rules that will apply during the course of this litigation," Montana Department of Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the department would keep their September rule in effect. Moses' order also said the rule recently finalized by the department could not be enforced.

The administrative rule, which the Department of Public Health and Human Services adopted Sept. 10, said vital records could be amended only if the sex designation "was listed incorrectly on the original birth certificate due to a data entry error." The rule did not allow the certificate to be amended "based on gender transition, gender identity or change of gender."

The department thoroughly evaluated the judges vague April 2022 decision and crafted our final rule to be consistent with the decision. Its unfortunate that the judges ruling today does not square with his vague April decision. The 2022 final rule that the department issued on Sept. 9 remains in effect, and we are carefully considering next steps," Brereton said in an emailed statement.

A department spokesperson said in an email seeking clarification that "the department is awaiting a written order from todays hearing, and carefully considering next steps."

"There is no such order in place at this time. The court acknowledged that it could not address the 2022 final rule and, therefore, could not invalidate it," spokesperson Jon Ebelt wrote.

Moses issued his order from the bench.

The dispute comes after the state Legislature in 2021 passed a law to require gender-affirming surgery and petition to a court to be able to update a birth certificate. Moses put a temporary halt to the law in April. Following Moses' preliminary injunction, the state issued an emergency rule in May, which the department finalized last week even after strong opposition during a June hearing.

In issuing his order from the bench, Moses said Thursday that "the preliminary injunction has always enjoined all aspects of (the law passed in 2021) and it cannot be circumvented by departmental action."

Moses' order from the bench is part of a lawsuit filed last year where the ACLU of Montana sued the state on behalf of two transgender Montanans over the 2021 law. The lawsuit is on behalf of Amelia Marquez, a Billings resident, and a trans man identified as John Doe in court proceedings. It is against the state of Montana; Gov. Greg Gianforte; the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, which handles birth certificates; and department Director Adam Meier. Meier has since left the position and was replaced by Brereton.

Moses on Thursday also disputed the state's assertion his original injunction was not clear. That April order read, in part, that the state was blocked from "enforcing any aspect of SB 280 (the 2021 law)."

"The department was enjoined in all aspects from (enforcing the law) and decided to pass rules anyway, claiming that they have the power to do whatever they want, notwithstanding an order. That really is unacceptable," Moses said. "And so my order was not unclear. It was clear as a bell. It said 'all aspects.'"

He continued: "This court's preliminary injunction is not to be violated pending the outcome of this case. It's as simple as that."

Akilah Lane, a lawyer for ACLU of Montana, said the characterization of Moses order as vague is just false.

It could not be any clearer that today the court said that the department's 2022 final rule is unenforceable and that the department must  revert to the status quo, which in this case is the procedures in the 2017 rule, Lane said

Moses on Thursday morning stopped short of holding the state in contempt for issuing the emergency rule and then finalizing it, something the plaintiffs suggested in their June motion to seek clarification when the state enacted the rule in spite of the preliminary injunction.

"If we are simply going to circumvent orders of the court where the court finds, preliminarily, a violation of the Constitution, that's not what justice is all about. That's not what our government is all about. Our government is about ... figuring out what the right thing to do is and critically important is everybody having a say, and we haven't had a say yet."

The 2017 rule was issued by the administration of former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, with opposition from Republican state lawmakers.

Plaintiff Marquez on Thursday evening said she was first ecstatic to see Moses' ruling. After the department's statement, she first felt furious and then disgusted.

"To know that the administration is currently playing games with my life and the lives of other transgender Montanans, really the only feeling that I can put around it is disgust. I know my home, my birthplace, we're better than that," Marquez said. "It's a matter of nobody should feel as though they're above the law, and that's definitely what the current administration is making it feel like."

Marquez said that the roadblocks in place for her to be able to update her birth certificate means she worries about the possibility of someone asking for the document as part of a job application and or other process, forcing her to have to out herself in a situation where that might not be safe.

Before Brereton's statement, plaintiffs in the case issued a statement welcoming Moses' order.

Were thankful the court saw the states discriminatory new rule for what it was: a desperate effort to circumvent the judicial process and target transgender Montanans," the statement from the ACLU of Montana, the ACLU Foundation LGBTQ & HIV Project and Nixon Peabody LLP read. Forcing anyone to carry documents that contradict their identity is unjust and unconstitutional, and such a rule marks transgender people for further mistreatment and discrimination. Well continue to fight this baseless law until no transgender person is denied this fundamental right.

The state Department of Justice, which is defending the state of Montana, was critical of Moses' order.

Judge Moses mischaracterized the words of his own order, the parties motives, and the state of the law. His behavior today revealed his extreme prejudice, and his ruling continues the pattern of first determining his desired political outcome and then creating a justification for it," wrote Kyler Nerison, communications director for the department.

A Republican state lawmaker also took aim at Moses in a statement issued after the ruling.

Like clockwork, Judge Moses issued yet another predetermined order in favor of liberal plaintiffs without thoroughly engaging with the legal issues at hand," said Sen. Greg Hertz of Polson. Hertz made claims of "improper judicial activism aligned with Democrat operatives."
After 34 years of selling flags, poles and flag auxiliary items, Fred and Patti Verzani have decided to call it quits, or, as they may put it: it is time to take in the flag.

The owners of Montana Flag and Pole on Last Chance Gulch in Helena said its time to retire. They have had little luck in selling their business, so they plan to have a liquidation sale and close.

Weve been trying to sell since early spring and there have been no takers so it is time to retire, Patti said Monday. Its bittersweet.

Fred said the 829 N. Last Chance Gulch business remains for sale, but if its not sold by the end of the month, they will have a final sale in October.

The Verzanis, who are both 74, said they originally got into the business after supplying flags for the Montana centennial celebration in 1989. They said they decorated inside and outside of the Capitol.

They liked it so much, they decided to continue it as business.

Patti noted husband Fred is a veteran.

We are very patriotic, she said.

The Verzanis said they not only helped customers buy flags, but also provided information on what size they need, what size pole and other material.

We have just tried to educate people all these years, Patti said.

They said business has grown in the past few years with more veteran memorials sprouting up all over the state.

Their favorite projects remain the Old Glory flag in Helenas Memorial Park, which consists of a 115-foot pole with a 30-by-50-foot flag, and a 125-foot pole on the Crow Agency, also with a 30-by-50 flag.

Patti said the store sells a hearty variety of flags, all made in the United States, including state of Montana flags, U.S. flags, military and Canadian flags and all of the tribal flags. They have a whole wall of decorative banners, windsocks, Cat, Griz and Carroll flags, angle brackets to put on a house, memorial cases for flags and solar light flag poles.

And with the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, British flags were a hot-ticket item.

People are very surprised at the products available Fred said. They are always amazed what they see.

They said the business is for sale for $175,000 and that does not include the building, which will be sold separately.

The Verzanis are not optimistic a sale will take place, adding that people today do not want to buy businesses and that young people are definitely not interested in owning this type of retail business, Fred said.

Patti said she had a customer who came in said if she was not retired, "I would buy and keep it going.

They note they are the only retail flag company in the state and in the region. And they realize their closing will leave a void.

Fred has a lot of customers that he keeps their flags looking good, Patti said. Theres a lot of service, and I think that is what the people who come in here have said, What are we going to do?

They note they are especially concerned about the tribal nations who rely heavily on the store for flags. They also note their flags and poles are used at Montana schools, various cities, rodeos, cemeteries and rest areas.

Ray Read, director of the Montana Military Museum, calls the business a jewel waiting to happen and adds if he was 10 years younger he would buy it himself.

He said he has been out knocking on doors looking for someone to buy it. Read said Montana Flag and Pole services the museum, which is now trying to purchase and store as many materials as it can.

He said Montana winds are especially tough on flags, adding some last only two to three months.

Its a silly thing that we cant find someone to pick it up and run with it, he said.

The Montana Department of Administration and General Services Division has been a customer of Montana Flag and Pole for many years.

While we routinely use multiple suppliers for flags, we will seek a new supplier for poles, officials said in an email. DOA will miss the professional relationship that we have with Fred. His institutional knowledge of flags and flag protocol will be difficult to replace.

Another customer bemoaned the stores demise.

Its a sad thing. I dont where Im going to buy (my) stuff, said Fred Anaya, a customer since 2008.

He said he has bought flags and poles from the Verzanis.

Its got what I need, Anaya said. Hes friendly and knowledgeable.

He said he was upset the store is closing, but I aint got no control.

Anaya said he has purchased two sets of flags, which will buy him two years until he figures out where he will buy from next.

Its going to be a loss, but we all got to retire, he said.

The Verzanis said they plan on spending their remaining weeks at the store reaching out to cities, towns and other loyal customers to make sure they have enough flags and other related supplies to get by for a few months when they are not here.

They say they plan to remain in Helena and smile as they talk about how they can drive around town and have a memory or story about many of the flags they see.

Fred Verzani beams when he speaks of a grandson who seems to have picked up the family zeal.

"(He) enjoys spotting the flags," he said.
A legislative committee voted Wednesday to draft a bill that could provide long-term funding for suicide prevention efforts in Wyoming, a move that mental health advocates say is encouraging in the face of the state's suicide crisis.

The Joint Revenue Committees draft bill would create a trust fund to pay for the states 24/7 suicide hotline and other suicide prevention efforts. The fund would hold assets that the state would manage and distribute on behalf of those in charge of the hotline. The money that would be available to pay for the suicide prevention hotline would come out of the investment returns from those assets, and the state would pay for the initial pot of money from its general fund.

Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, estimated that the amount needed for the fund would be roughly $30 million in order for it to generate enough returns to pay for the suicide prevention services.

In 2020, there was a suicide every 11 minutes in the U.S., according to Andi Summerville, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers. And for the past three years, Wyoming has had the highest suicide rates in the country. Each suicide costs Wyoming about $1.3 million in medical costs and lifetime work loss, Summerville said.

Wyoming Business Alliance President Cindy Delancey spoke to the latter, saying that suicide, in addition to being a health and mental health crisis, has now become a business crisis.

Every day, I hear from my members (that) Wyoming being number one in the country for suicide rate makes it even harder to attract and retain a workforce, she said.

Wyoming was the last state in the country to bring in a local suicide prevention call center, according to Summerville. In 2020, the state awarded a contract to the Central Wyoming Counseling Center in Casper to start the states first. Wyoming LifeLine in Greybull independently started another hotline soon after.

But even then, the two call centers combined only offered part-time coverage for Wyoming residents. Calls made to the centers after hours were directed to the national suicide prevention lifeline, meaning someone out of state usually answered.

Earlier this year, the Legislature appropriated $2.1 million in COVID relief funds plus $400,000 in general-fund money to get a statewide 24/7 suicide hotline going and pay for it over the next two years. The relief funds still haven't been distributed, and the call center in Casper has only gotten some of the $400,000.

Nevertheless, the call centers were able to get other funding while they waited for that money, and suicide lifeline services in Wyoming became available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in July. Later that month, a new 988 number for suicide prevention hotlines also rolled out nationally. The previous number, (800) 273-TALK (8255), still works too, and people can also text WYO to 307-741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.

Summerville said the centers are currently handling about 500 calls per month. She added that its not unusual to get several calls a week that require an active rescue.

Getting 24/7 lifeline services going was a big step. But now the challenge is finding a way to fund the hotlines over the long-haul, and that's what lawmakers and advocates are trying to tackle this interim session.

Summerville initially asked the committee to consider drafting a bill that would charge a fee on phone lines when people called the suicide prevention hotline. But some people didn't like that idea because phone systems can change, and they said it could put a burden on providers and the people paying for the service.

So instead of putting that in the bill, lawmakers decided to try for a trust fund instead, an alternative that Summerville told the Star-Tribune would "certainly provide a stable base of revenue" to keep the 24/7 hotline going.

The committee will look at the first draft of the bill at its next meeting in November.
KALISPELL  The Montana GOP changed its platform recently and removed an important passage, hoping Montanans wouldnt notice: We support the individual rights of Montana tribal citizens as guaranteed by the Montana constitution.

Within weeks of the removal of this passage, and issuing the new authoritarian approved State Platform, leaders within the Montana GOP started saying the quiet part out loud.

At a North Central Pachyderm meeting, Ed Butcher, the developer of the legistats loyalty scorecard that is now mandated by the MTGOP in its new platform, publicly expressed his disdain for Native Montanans who happen to be American Indian.

According to the Havre Daily News, Butcher remarked American Indian legislators always vote for welfare, and said while there were two he respected very much, most legislators from reservations are unintelligent.

"I won't mention the other names that are room-temperature IQs," he said. "The reservation doesn't necessarily always send their best and brightest."

This from a guy lovingly embraced by the MTGOP as a leader in determining whether a Republican legislator is Republican enough to serve Montana under the Republican brand.

According to Butcher, American Indians, by virtue of being American Indians, are dumb. He believes and is flanked by the state GOP through the deliberate deletion of any acknowledgement of the constitutional guarantees afforded our Native American population, that American Indians are not worthy of serving in the Montana Legislature because of their race.

Supported in this endeavor to eliminate American Indians from our ranks is Brad Tschida, the current Montana GOP Executive Committee secretary and former Republican House Majority leader.

Tschida publicly told the Montana Redistricting Commission (notably chaired by a Montana American Indian woman) that Native Americans are over-represented in the Montana Legislature. Of course, the fact that this statement is patently false did not dissuade Tschida from proclaiming it, now that the Montana GOP gave the authoritarians among us permission to spew their racist vitriol publicly.

The truth is, Native Montanans  both American Indian and those of us born and raised here  are grossly under-represented in the Montana Legislature and in leadership of the Montana GOP. This gross under-representation of people who know Montana, embrace her history, and love this state reflects the infiltration of out-of-state-authoritarians wishing to change who we are and discard our history.

We shouldnt be surprised.

Montana GOP leadership exalted the defaming rants of charlatan Jordan Hall through his blog the Montana Daily Gazette, going so far as to award Hall with a truth in journalism award at a Montana GOP statewide event. It follows that since it was an American Indian that successfully sued Hall for defamation, that in solidarity with Hall the Montana GOP would strike back by removing its acknowledgment of the constitutional guarantees given Montana Native Americans.

This intentional rescission of traditional Republican values from the state platform comes notwithstanding the fact that the National Platform condemns racism in all forms and the last Republican president did more to reduce the inequities in race-based incarceration than any Democrat president has.

As a Republican woman, I used to think the state GOP leaderships silence on these shenanigans was simply cowardice. But we now know its worse than cowardice.

The intentional removal of a key passage is consent to racism. The desecration of Republican and Montana values is literally happening before our eyes; when the Montana GOP alienates American Indians, they alienate all Montanans, including Republicans who adhere to traditional Republican principles.

What used to be the party of the Constitution is now a shell of its former self, shunning Montanas constitutional guarantees afforded Montana Native Americans. The new Montana GOP has assured the departure of run-of-the-mill conservatives  including American Indian conservatives  by eschewing traditional Montana Republicans for racist authoritarian charlatans.

At the rate the Montana GOP is going, the Democrat Party, which has no message and no bench, could run a paper bag for office and be assured its election.
So ever since I interviewed Forrie J. Smith (Lloyd) and Cole Hauser (Rip), both from the hit television series "Yellowstone" three or four years ago, Ive gotten to know Forrie quite well because weve also done a lot of charity events together.

Of course, Forries fame has grown over time, and he has had to adjust to being recognized just about everywhere he goes. And that has caused him to ponder his new public status quite a bit, where he takes on that "why me?" attitude and one day he said to me: You know Kevin, fame and fortune mean absolutely nothing if youre not doing things to help, from the heart.

Fact is, he says a lot of real commonsense things quite often because, if the Good Lord gave him one particular gift its the ability to take the complicated and make it sound a whole lot less complicated in his pure, uncomplicated cowboy kind of way.

But its one thing to say it and another thing to live it and guess what? Hes living it.

And how do I know? Because he called me this past weekend and said, Who do we know in Baker, Montana? I named a few people and then he said, Good because I want to put on a charity event there.

Now, to accurately tell this story weve got to take a few steps backward. You see, in 2021 we were in Miles City, Montana, at the Bucking Horse Sale in May and Forrie signed autographs for a couple hundred people in their park near downtown prior to a charity event.

And in the midst of those people was a young girl from Baker who came forward and gave him a prewritten letter that brought tears to his eyes.

As it turns out, shes a foster child and just wasnt blessed with a lot of the same things you and I have. So Forrie has stayed in touch with her and encouraged her to work hard in school and make something of her life, and she has done really well.

But now her foster parents, whom she loves, have been hit with serious health and resulting financial issues and Forries immediate response is, Ive got to help them out. And thats the reason for initiating a charity event this Friday night.

Forrie has convinced some folks to fly him into Baker from taping on the set of "Yellowstone Friday afternoon on a private plane, free of charge. And then, thanks to a lot of help from Shawn Wiseman in Baker, therell be a meet and greet with Forrie at a bar in Baker called Thee Garage and Steakhouse starting at 5 p.m.

In addition, a very good North Dakota band called NOVA has committed to playing that night at Thee Garage for free. And now social media is blowing up, with plenty of excitement building.

Thats what you call doing things to help, from the heart. And if youve ever wondered where tidal waves come from, the fact is, they start with people who do things to help, from their heart.

So hopefully Forries efforts, which are for a very good cause, help reduce the pain of a very tough situation. And at the same time teach a young lady about all the love that surrounds her.

If you want to help you can send a contribution to the Sons of the American Legion Post 35, P.O. Box 1039, Baker, MT 593130. And mark it for Ann and Cory Efta.
Bismarck's Roosevelt Elementary is one of three North Dakota schools recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2022.

Roosevelt, Linton Public School in Emmons County southeast of Bismarck, and Larimore Elementary in Grand Forks County in northeastern North Dakota are among 297 schools honored nationwide. The recognition is based on a schools overall academic performance or its progress in closing achievement gaps among various student groups, such as those that share gender, race or learning ability characteristics.

As our country continues to recover from the pandemic, we know that our future will only be as strong as the education we provide to all of our children," U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement Friday. "Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional and mental health needs.

Roosevelt Principal Brenda Beiswenger said in a statement that "We have put a focus on teaming specifically in the area of literacy, which has paid off in our academic success. We have also been innovative in promoting a sense of belonging for all, which allows for students to feel safe and take risks."

Linton Elementary Principal Erin Huber said This is an opportunity to show we stand for more than the court and the field. All of those things are great, but all of the work our teachers do, and our kids do, in the classroom, the Blue Ribbon School celebrates that.

Roosevelt has 120 students, Linton 241 and Larimore 211, according to the federal Education Department. State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said the honored schools are "among the very best in the country." Gov. Doug Burgum said the recognition "speaks to the hard work, passion and dedication that these exceptional students, teachers and administrators bring to their schools every day and the innovative approaches to teaching and learning being adopted and applied in classrooms across North Dakota.

Representatives from Bismarck Public Schools will attend an in-person award ceremony in November in Washington, D.C.
Its been a rough couple of years for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facing a barrage of criticism for repeatedly mishandling its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently monkeypox, the agency has acknowledged it failed and needs to change.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has tapped North Dakota native Mary Wakefield  an Obama administration veteran and nurse  to helm a major revamp of the sprawling agency and its multibillion-dollar budget. Making the changes will require winning over wary career CDC scientists, combative members of Congress, and a general public that in many cases has stopped looking to the agency for guidance.

If she cant fix it, shell say, Its not fixable, heres why, and heres what needs to be done next, said Eileen Sullivan-Marx, dean of the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, who has known Wakefield professionally for decades.

Other former colleagues said Wakefields experience as a nurse, congressional staffer, policy wonk and administrator give her the perspective and leadership tools to rise to the occasion, even as they acknowledged the magnitude of the job ahead.

Wakefield was born in Devils Lake in 1954, and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Mary in Bismarck. She earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to her various roles in academia and in other areas, she has held chief of staff positions with former North Dakota U.S. Sens. Quentin Burdick and Kent Conrad.

She has high standards, and shell expect people to perform, said Brad Gibbens, a former employee and the acting director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, a center that Wakefield once led. Shes very fair, but you need to know what youre doing.

Wakefield will have to navigate rough waters in the wake of a series of missteps by the agency. The CDC botched the COVID-19 testing rollout early in the pandemic, issued confusing guidance on prevention measures such as masking and quarantining, and has been slow to release scientific findings on the fast-moving coronavirus.

Walensky has stressed that, as part of the reset, she wants the CDC to give Americans clear, accurate and timely guidance on community health threats.

I am confident that the appointment of Mary Wakefield will be instrumental in accomplishing our goals to modernize and optimize CDC, Walensky said in a written statement. It is clear that Mary is an action-oriented leader who can lead effective change.

Following an internal audit, Walensky announced plans to restructure how the agency communicates with the public, to eliminate bureaucratic redundancies, and to help the CDC better interact with other parts of the federal government.

Wakefields first day on the job was in mid-August. She declined to speak to KHN for this article, but those who know her painted a rich picture of her management philosophy and style.

NYUs Sullivan-Marx said Wakefields experience as a nurse makes her well suited to solve the complex set of problems facing the CDC, which she compared to a patient in need of stabilization.

When you look at someone in a bed in intensive care, all you see are beeps and lines and monitors going off  people moving in and out like a train station, said Sullivan-Marx. The nurse is central to that for the patient, pulling all of that together.

Sullivan-Marx also said Wakefields perspective as a front-line health care worker could help the CDC better understand how clinicians will receive and interpret its guidelines and recommendations.

For most of the Obama administration, Wakefield led the Health Resources and Services Administration. HRSA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for a wide portfolio of programs  those that serve people living with HIV, provide compensation for people injured by vaccination, and document disciplinary action against health care providers.

Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called Wakefield a change agent who was able to win the trust of HRSA staff members, many of whom are full-time employees, not political appointees.

Folks understood that they were there before she came in and theyd be there after she left, Sebelius said. They had to be convinced that she was a good leader and they were going to follow her. Thats pretty significant, that she did so well in that agency.

Sebelius said such experience could be helpful to Wakefield at the CDC, which employs just over 12,000 people, some of whom could be skeptical of changes. COVID-19 was a serious stress test for the CDC, leaving some staffers wondering if it had lost its way.

Sebelius also noted as a plus Wakefields experience working with the CDC as acting deputy secretary of HHS. She was nominated to be deputy secretary but never confirmed because of political squabbles over abortion.

Details about changes coming at the CDC are still trickling out, though top brass have said theyll need the support of Congress to implement them.

Sheila Burke, head of public policy at the law firm Baker Donelson, got to know Wakefield while working in Congress. She said Wakefields experience on Capitol Hill will come in handy when dealing with lawmakers who sit on committees that oversee the CDC.

Shell be keenly aware of the role of the members who care deeply about these issues, Burke said.

Top health officials have had a hard time justifying the federal governments pandemic response to certain members of Congress. Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administrations lead medical adviser, who will soon step down, faced intense questioning from legislators on several occasions.

I think shes uniquely positioned to understand how you navigate that relationship, Burke said of Wakefield.
A Maddock woman accused of causing a rabies scare by bringing a wild raccoon into a local bar says her family is "traumatized" by her arrest and the euthanizing of the animal the family was nursing back to health.

Erin Christensen, 38, said she is hoping to pay for an attorney through a GoFundMe "Justice for Rocky" page that has been set up to help her. She did not specify to the Tribune what she would consider justice.

It's illegal under North Dakota Board of Animal Health laws to keep a wild raccoon. Law officers allege Christensen brought one into the Maddock Bar on Sept. 6. Authorities don't believe it came in close contact with any bar patrons, but the incident prompted the state Health and Human Services Department to issue a warning about potential rabies exposure.

Christensen was arrested on Wednesday after officials with the Benson County Sheriff's Office and the state Game and Fish Department executed search warrants at three residences in and near Maddock, one of which was hers. Game and Fish Enforcement Division Chief Scott Winkelman has said it appeared that Christensen tried to evade authorities who were searching for her and the raccoon. The animal was killed so it could be tested for disease.

Christensen said "Police brought a battering ram to break down the front door of the house," and that "The amount of manpower used to find and kill Rocky ... is impressive. A shock-and-awe campaign."

Christensen said her family found the raccoon on the side of a road about three months ago, and initially did not disturb it because they thought its mother might still be nearby. She said that the next day it was apparent the animal had been abandoned, so her family decided to save it from certain death and rehabilitate it to the wild.

"He was still being bottle fed, and he was learning how to forage food that we would place around trees and obstacles," she said.

Christensen believes authorities could have observed the raccoon rather than immediately killed it.

"My children are devastated and inconsolable," she said. "They cried for hours, yesterday. No good deed goes unpunished; clearly that is a harsh lesson for young people to learn."

Health and Human Services has stressed that rabies "is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate." The agency stressed that anyone in the bar who might have had contact with the animal should talk to a doctor "as soon as possible." Deputy State Veterinarian Beth Carlson said the raccoon was delivered to the North Dakota State University veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and testing began Thursday.

Christensen said the raccoon showed no signs of illness, and that her family was only "trying to be good stewards of nature by caring for Rocky."

"He was only starving, lonely, and afraid," she said. "He had three good months with my family. Were sad that he will no longer grow into his raccoonness."

Christensen was arrested on charges of giving false information to law enforcement and tampering with evidence, and for a Game and Fish violation of unlawfully possessing a furbearer. Formal charges still were not filed late Friday afternoon. The arresting charges are misdemeanors that together would carry a maximum punishment of a couple of years in jail and fines totaling $7,500. Christensen is free on $1,500 bond.

Maddock is a town of about 500 people in Benson County, about halfway between Carrington and Rugby.
A North Dakota man who prosecutors say intentionally ran over an 18-year-old at a street dance has been charged with murder. Shannon Brandt was initially charged with criminal vehicular homicide in the Sept. 18 killing of Cayler Ellingson. But that charge has been dropped and prosecutors announced the upgraded charge against the 41-year-old on Friday. Brandt is also charged with leaving the scene of a crash. Brandt initially told authorities that there had been a political argument and that Ellingson was part of a Republican extremist group. But investigators say the case is not political. A man who knows the family has said Ellingson was not a political person.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  The South Dakota Highway Patrol is struggling with a shortage of officers after over two dozen left the agency this year, the head of the department told state lawmakers Thursday.

The departures leave the highway patrol's force short 22 troopers, which is nearly 10% of the force, Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price told the Legislature's Appropriations Committee. Even with a recent pay raise approved by Gov. Kristi Noem, the highway patrol's starting pay has lagged behind other law enforcement agencies in the state's largest cities and counties.

The shortage comes despite the Republican governor's attempts to recruit officers from across the country with promises that the state supports law enforcement officers. The highway patrol has lost 27 officers so far this year  more than any in the previous six years.

Price told lawmakers he hoped that a $1.50 hourly wage increase would alleviate the shortages. But he added its likely that we will lose more in the next four months because of the way things have lined up.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike questioned Price aggressively at times Thursday. He pointed out that in exit interviews, departing officers cite either pay or benefits as their reason for leaving 39% of the time.

We take this low-wage strategy, and then we are surprised that we have hiring and retention challenges, state Sen. Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, said.

The appropriations committee pressed Price to return to the Legislature with a plan for addressing the troopers' departures.

We are in this crisis mode, said Republican Sen. Jean Hunhoff as she challenged Price to come up with ways to retain officers.
An overly wet spring in North Dakota this year replenished drought-ravaged wetlands at a record pace, setting the stage for what should be a good fall duck flight in the state for hunters.

Dry conditions are reemerging in the state, however, and that's a concern for wildlife officials as waterfowl hunting begins.

North Dakotas two-day youth waterfowl weekend is Saturday and Sunday, along with a special season for veterans and active military personnel.

Licensed resident and nonresident youth waterfowl hunters 15 and younger, and veterans and members of the armed forces on active duty may hunt ducks, geese, coots and mergansers statewide.

The daily bag limit and species restrictions are the same as for the regular duck and goose seasons, which begin Sept. 24 for resident hunters and Oct. 1 for nonresidents. However, the additional two blue-winged teal allowed during the first 16 days of the regular season are not allowed during this weekend.

Water in wetlands

Summer 2021 in North Dakota was marked by severe, extreme and even exceptional drought, creating a parched landscape in prime waterfowl production areas.

But this past spring changed that in a hurry. North Dakota logged its second-wettest April on record, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. Bismarck set four precipitation records during two April storms that the National Weather Service deemed "historic," among them the snowiest April on record in the city, with nearly 22 inches. Numerous other records were set around the state, as well.

Wetland conditions across North Dakota varied from good to excellent in May, according to the state Game and Fish Department. The wetland index skyrocketed 616% -- marking the largest single-year percentage increase on record.

The fall duck flight is expected to be about 26% above last year, based on observations from the departments annual mid-July duck production survey.

The number of broods observed was up 36% from 2021, and 5% above the 1965-2021 average. The average brood size was 7.2 ducklings, up 11% from last year. The long-term average is 7.0 ducklings per brood.

Migratory Game Bird Management Supervisor Mike Szymanski cautioned that the state is drying out as summer wanes. This week's U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that 84% of North Dakota is in some form of drought, up from 28% last week and from 1% two months ago.

Wetland habitat conditions in the state have dried up substantially from a very wet spring and continued to dry through August, Szymanski said. Our September wetland survey will shed some light on just how much weve dried up.

That survey, being conducted now, will assess wetland conditions heading into the regular waterfowl hunting season.

Other seasons

Other hunting seasons in North Dakota kick off this weekend, starting with the 9 -day deer hunting season for licensed youth that begins at noon Friday and runs through Sept. 25.

Residents who are 11, 12 or 13 this year can hunt statewide for antlerless white-tailed deer. Resident deer gun hunters who are 14 or 15 this year can hunt statewide with a youth season license for any deer, except for antlered mule deer in units 3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F, where a special license is required.

Hunting hours after opening day are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Each youth hunter must be under direct supervision of an adult. The adult is prohibited from carrying a gun or bow. Orange clothing is required for hunters and mentors.

North Dakotas sandhill crane season opens Saturday and runs through Nov. 13.

Limits are three daily and nine in possession in Unit 1 (west of U.S. Highway 281), and two daily and six in possession in Unit 2 (east of the highway). Shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to 2 p.m. each day.

Hunters are urged to use caution and identify birds to prevent shooting at endangered whooping cranes as they begin their fall migration.
"I had no idea what she was thinking."

-- Cindy Smith, bartender at the Maddock Bar, where a woman brought a raccoon and prompted a rabies warning by state health officials.

q q q

I was told in the termination letter that Im an excellent prosecutor but they dont believe I can do my job.

-- Assistant Morton County States Attorney Gabrielle Goter, after being fired following an investigation into allegations that she created a hostile work environment.

q q q

We were below industry averages as far as spills are concerned and this is one of those events that were going to use to continue to make ourselves better as a group. Were also going to absolutely clean this up to the best of our ability. We take these kinds of things very seriously, and were going to take care of this.

-- Zavanna CEO David Hodges, after a company pipeline spilled more than 400,000 gallons of oilfield wastewater northeast of Williston, with contamination entering a tributary of the Missouri River and causing some fish to die.

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Im the only guy at the coal mine who has one and when I bought it I kinda looked at it like job security.

-- Hazen coal miner Sutton Goodman, who owns a Tesla electric vehicle.

q q q

Its become kind of a contentious kind of negotiation, if you will.

-- Dmitriy Chernyak, city finance director for Bismarck, which is asking Burleigh County to increase funding for Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health.

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"Teaching critical race theory does nothing but add fuel to a fire of fake racism that long ago should have been extinguished."

-- Rep. Bill Tveit, R-Hazen, during a public hearing on proposed state rules implementing North Dakota's public K-12 school ban of the academic theory.

q q q

"We've made a problem out of nothing, because what this really is, is an attack on our queer kids and kids that are Black, Indigenous, people of color."

-- Minot State University student Zayden Bartosh, who gives diversity trainings, blasting those who target critical race theory.

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"I dont think we can really predict how long this downward trend will continue. Although we have had fall COVID peaks the last two years, we are not really sure just how seasonal COVID will be."

-- State Medical Services Section Chief Kirby Kruger, on a drop in COVID-19 cases in North Dakota in recent weeks.

q q q

"I've rarely heard about an issue more than I heard about that in two weeks."

-- Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, on farmer complaints about new highway safety delineator posts impacting wide farm equipment. The state Transportation Department is making a change.

q q q

People should be aware of the increase in mosquitoes spreading West Nile virus and take proper precautions to protect themselves from bites.

-- State Epidemiologist Amanda Bakken, as West Nile cases increase in North Dakota.

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Everything worked from a backup standpoint.

-- Michael Dannenfelzer, communications director for Bismarck-based Central Dakota Communications, after emergency calls had to be routed to backup systems for several hours Monday due to a 911 outage in North Dakota.
For years, Africa has dominated the podium in the bad healthcare Olympics. For reference, the average cost for an established patient and Medicare recipient to make one visit to a family practice in Pennsylvania (where I live) is approximately $88the cost of less than a weeks worth of groceries. Yet for years, men and women living in most Sub-Saharan African countries couldnt afford half that per year, to say nothing of medication or surgeries or vaccinations.

Yet since the start of the 21st century, there has been dramatic change: The African healthcare sector that struggled to pay annually half the cost of a typical American doctors visit for each of its citizens is now worth $66 billion. Nations like Japan are pouring tens of millions of dollars into African systems to help alleviate the effects of food shortages and healthcare disruptions caused by COVID-19. And most importantly, the African healthy life expectancy has increased by almost two decades on average.

Lets take a moment to think about that last one in specific termsits too important and beautiful to be just a statistic on a page. The average Rwandan born in 2000 would have seen only 41 years of healthy life. But a baby born in Rwanda in 2019 could look forward to 60 years of healthy life. Thats almost 20 more years of family, community, and all the things that make life amazing. There is no negative side to that piece of newspeople in the poorest continent on Earth are living longer lives and are less burdened by disease, and are enjoying massively increased access to health services. In popular terms, thats a miracle. Its a miracle lifting millions out of disease-ridden poverty into the hope of something bettersomething close to the pursuit of happiness we in the West have preached for centuries.

How can we explain this good news? Why is it that poor populations are living longer, better lives? Social scientist Arthur Brooks went looking for the root causes of the massive global decline in poverty in the past 200 years. He found five: globalization, free trade, property rights, rule of law, and entrepreneurship. Its not difficult to see how all five converged in Africa and contributed to Africas rise. Scholars at the liberal Brookings Institute note that globalization, the bete noir of so many neo-nationalists, has increased demand for African products and aided in knowledge transfer, resulting in improved living conditions. Free trade, according to the World Bank, could boost Africas economies and lift 50 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035. James Robinson of the conservative Hoover Institution argues that securing African property rights is also key to stabilizing countries ability to expand economies and pursue progress. Regarding the rule of law, the American Bar Association has launched initiatives in Uganda and Tanzania to implement judicial reform and improve rights for women. In addition, Africa is seeing a rise in entrepreneurship in countries like Nigeria, where recent GDP growth has been informed by innovation in areas like information communication, transportation, and manufacturing.

Its not foreign aid packages that are enabling millions of our fellow human beings to live richer and healthier lives, although charity and aid undoubtedly have their place. Its the free enterprise system thats doing this; its innovation and entrepreneurship and capitalism thats doing this. We dont have to be naive, pretending capitalism is free of flaws or that the system isnt affected by inherent human selfishness. But it would be similarly naive to pretend hat capitalism hasnt been a God-given tool thats done truly amazing things. In fact, excepting the gospel of Jesus Christ, Id argue that nothing has done more for the poor and the marginalized than the influence of the free enterprise system. To quote Barack Obama, Capitalism has been the greatest driver of prosperity and opportunity the world has ever seen. That is true, and right now free enterprise is bettering life for millions of the least of these. Its cause for rejoicing, as well as appreciation for those within the free enterprise system whove helped affect this miracle and gratitude to the God who planned it all for His glory.
Yes, having a big name in science will help get your paper published, an unusually robust new study confirms. Just 10% of reviewers of a test paper recommended acceptance when the sole listed author was obscurebut 59% endorsed the same manuscript when it carried the name of a Nobel laureate.

The study, which involved recruiting hundreds of researchers to review an economics manuscript, is incredible, says Mario Malicki, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and editor-in-chief of Research Integrity and Peer Review , who was not involved in the research. It is the largest randomized controlled trial we have seen on publication bias.

For years, scientists have griped about the Matthew effect, a term coined in 1968 by sociologists Robert Merton and Harriet Zuckerman to describe how high-status researchersthose who already have many citations and grants, for exampletend to get disproportionately more of the same. (The name comes from a parable about abundance in the biblical Gospel of Matthew.)

But efforts to document such bias often had weaknesses, such as a small sample size or lack of randomization. To avoid those problems, a team led by Jurgen Huber of the University of Innsbruck emailed some 3300 researchers, asking whether they would review an economics study prepared for a real journal. The study had two authors, both at Chapman University: Vernon Smith, a 2002 Nobel laureate in economics who last year had more than 54,000 citations listed on Google Scholar; and Sabiou Inoua, one of Smiths former Ph.D. students, who last year had just 42 citations. The potential peer reviewers were sent one of three descriptions of the paper: One named only Smith, listing him as the corresponding author; another, only Inoua; and a third, no author.

Ultimately, 821 researchers agreed to review, the team reported last week at the International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication in Chicago. (The results also appeared in a preprint posted last month on the SSRN server.) Smiths prominence appeared to sway the responses: Of the researchers given just his name, 38.5% accepted the invitation to review; the figures were 30.7% for those given no name and 28.5% for those given just Inouas.

The team then took a second step to avoid bias in their own study. They focused on the 313 willing reviewers who had initially received no authors name and randomly assigned them to review one of three manuscripts, one listing only Smith, another just Inoua, and a third with no authors. (The team also informed the reviewers that their evaluations would be part of an experiment that involved more than a few invited peer reviews, instead of the usual two or threebut did not reveal the study design.)

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The manuscript credited to Smith won the highest marks from reviewers, who lauded it for including new information and conclusions supported by data. And 24% of those who reviewed the version with no authors recommended accepting it (outright or with minor revisions), more than double the share that endorsed the version credited to Inoua alone. (Smith and Inoua are revising the paper, which they later posted as a preprint, for publication in a journal.)

The stark disparity might not surprise many researchers. But it is troubling, an author of the new study told the peer-review congress. Identical work should not be evaluated differently depending on who wrote it, said Christian Konig-Kersting, a behavioral economist at Innsbruck. Because that makes it especially hard for younger and unknown researchers to get their foot in the door in the academic process.

The authors couldnt rule out that discrimination based on perceptions of race or geographic origin shaped some reviewer decisions. Smiths name is American sounding and he is white, Konig-Kersting noted, whereas Inoua is a citizen of Niger and dark skinned.

Researchers who study bias in publishing have suggested double-blind reviewsin which the identities of both authors and reviewers are maskedmight reduce the Matthew effect. But that tactic might not work, Konig-Kersting told the congress, given that reviewers can often identify authors from a preprint or conference presentation.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk rocked the crypto market in 2021 when he said his company would no longer accept bitcoin for vehicle purchases. His reasoning had to do with the large amount of fossil fuel-generated energy that's required to mine cryptocurrency. Musk has since taken a new tack, delivering Tesla Megapack batteries to a Texas bitcoin mining facility in May.

Bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin and other popular cryptos reached record highs in 2021, as did crypto-reliant NFTs, raising concerns about the increasing amount of energy needed to mine the coins. As the crypto markets crashed in 2022, crypto mining continued to consume roughly as much power as Argentina and to have a carbon footprint equivalent to that of Greece, according to a research report titled "Revisiting bitcoin's carbon footprint," published in February. As the energy bill for crypto mining rises, so does the amount of carbon and waste, adding to the growing climate crisis.

Here's what you need to know about crypto mining and its energy uses.

What is crypto mining?

When bitcoins are traded, computers across the globe race to complete a computation that creates a 64-digit hexadecimal number, or hash, for that bitcoin. This hash goes into a public ledger so anyone can confirm that the transaction for that particular bitcoin happened. The computer that solves the computation first gets a reward of 6.2 bitcoins, or about $134,000 at current prices.

Other cryptocurrencies and NFTs use similar mining technologies, contributing to the overall energy usage.

What is a crypto mining rig?

It's a barebones computer with multiple graphics cards, or GPUs, instead of the single-card standard, and it does the work to complete a computation. Rigs usually use powerful GPUs from Nvidia and AMD to handle calculations and require high-wattage power supplies. The popularity of mining led to a shortage of graphics cards, which in turn caused their values to rise.

A crypto mining farm in Nadvoitsy, Russia. Getty Images

Why is crypto mining so energy-intensive?

For starters, graphics cards on mining rigs work 24 hours a day. That takes up a lot more power than browsing the internet. A rig with three GPUs can consume 1,000 watts of power or more when it's running, the equivalent of having a medium-size window AC unit turned on.

Crypto mining businesses can have hundreds or even thousands of rigs in one location. A mining center in Kazakhstan is equipped to run 50,000 mining rigs, and another mining farm in China has a monthly electricity bill of more than $1 million as it mines 750 bitcoins a month.

Not only do rigs take up power, they also generate heat. The more rigs you have, the hotter it gets. If you don't want your rigs to melt, you need some cooling. Many mining rigs have multiple built-in computer fans. But if you have multiple rigs, the room quickly gets hot, requiring external cooling. Small operations, like those run by individuals, can get by with a typical standing fan. Mining centers, however, need a lot more cooling, which in turn requires even more electricity.

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How much energy does mining take?

The Digiconomist's Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index estimated that one bitcoin transaction takes 1,449 kWh to complete, or the equivalent of approximately 50 days of power for the average US household.

To put that into money terms, the average cost per kWh in the US is close to 12 cents. That means a bitcoin transaction would generate approximately an energy bill of $173.

Bitcoin mining uses around as much energy as Argentina, according to the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, and at that annualized level of 131.26 terawatt-hours, crypto mining would be in the top 30 of countries based on energy consumption.

Energy consumption for bitcoin mining was at its highest at the end of 2021 and the early months of 2022, consuming more than 200 terawatt-hours.

A wall of mining rigs in Quebec, Canada. Getty Images

Why is using so much energy bad for the environment?

Fossil fuels account for more than 60% of the energy sources in the US. A majority of that percentage is natural gas and a minority is coal. The carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuels is released into the atmosphere, where it absorbs heat from the sun and causes the greenhouse effect.

As mining rigs consume more energy, nearby power plants must produce more electricity to compensate, which raises the likelihood that more fossil fuels will be used. States that have struggling coal power plants, such as Montana, New York and Kentucky, are trying to cash in by wooing crypto mining companies.

There's also the issue of electronic waste. This can include broken computers, wires and other equipment no longer needed by the mining facility. Bitcoin mining's electronic waste is 34 kilotons, or comparable to the amount produced by the Netherlands.

What's being done about this energy problem?

Not much. The 3rd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study from the University of Cambridge found that 70% of miners based their decision on what coin to mine on the daily reward amount. Energy consumption made up only 30% of their choice.

Access to renewable energy at a low price, however, attracts crypto miners. China's Sichuan Province has the country's second-largest number of miners due to its abundance of cheap hydroelectric power. Its rainy season helps to generate so much energy that cities are looking for blockchain firms to relocate in order to avoid wasting power. Due to worries about energy shortages, China cracked down on bitcoin mining facilities in late 2021, but the farms went underground and rebounded.

The operators of ethereum, the second most popular and energy-consuming blockchain behind bitcoin, are doing something to change the amount of energy its miners consume. Ethereum 2.0 is an upgrade being tested now. Instead of computers trying to solve computations -- referred to as proof-of-work protocol -- computers will be randomly selected to create blocks for the blockchain, while computers that weren't selected will validate those blocks created.

To ensure miners do their job, each miner has to stake 32 ether coins, which is equivalent to $47,000, hence the term for this protocol: proof of stake. This change should reduce the amount of energy needed for ethereum mining by 99.95%. Ethereum is set to transition to the new protocol on Sept. 19, but that date is not final.

What other cryptos are more energy-efficient than bitcoin?

A growing number of coins -- there are more than 19,000 of them -- use the proof-of-stake protocol that ethereum 2.0 will transition to, resulting in a drop in power consumption.

Cardano, for example, uses its own proof-of-stake protocol and consumed 6 gigawatt-hours in 2021. Chia is another coin with a low-energy approach called the proof-of-space protocol. Instead of requiring intensive computation, Chia requires farmers to allocate space on a computer's hard drive, called "plots," that will be called upon by the blockchain based on certain factors.
https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/french-media-two-ukrainian-women-assaulted-in-southern-france

Two Ukrainian women from Izium residing in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin were allegedly beaten by a Russian man after playing Ukrainian music loudly on their phone, according to the French Nice-Matin news outlet. The Ukrainian Embassy in France condemned the attack and said it is monitoring the situation.

https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/attacker-of-2-ukrainian-women-in-france-was-ukrainian-not-russian

Attacker of 2 Ukrainian women in France was Ukrainian, not Russian This item is part of our running news digest by The Kyiv Independent news desk

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"Again, again." Those two words are the bane of almost every parent's existence. As soon as they discover the concept of language, children immediately learn how to weaponize it against their parents. "Again, again" is probably the worst weapon in their limited arsenal because it isn't employed with malicious intent. When your child asks you to play Baby Shark for the 90th time, you must remember that it's not personal; they genuinely like the song. If it were personal, you might have to re-evaluate your relationship with your offspring.

In Oklahoma, an inmate was forced to listen to Baby Shark on loop as a form of cruel punishment at the hands of employees in the county jail. The prisoner, John Basco, sought restitution by suing the county for the torture. However, Basco, taken in on a different charge, was found dead in his jail cell last Sunday.
According to the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), "Patient care and workers suffer because of the private equity business model."

These two phrases are vital for anyone who is spending time in the hospital, visiting a primary care doctor, or who is concerned with the long-term consequences of short-term care decisions. Consider them, share them, memorize them, and perhaps use them in your everyday interactions with health care providers.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) explains that "continuity of care is concerned with quality of care over time. It is the process by which the patient and his/her physician-led care team are cooperatively involved in ongoing health care management toward the shared goal of high quality, cost-effective medical care. Continuity of care is rooted in a long-term patient-physician partnership in which the physician knows the patient's history from experience and can integrate new information and decisions from a whole-person perspective efficiently without extensive investigation or record review. Continuity of care is facilitated by a physician-led, team-based approach to health care. It reduces fragmentation of care and thus improves patient safety and quality of care." The AAFP is "one of the largest national medical organizations, with nearly 131,400 family physician members in 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam, as well as internationally."

The Patient's Bill of Rights is actually about two related health care issues. First, patient's rights when in the hospital; and second, the rights given under the Affordable Health Care Act, particularly with regards to access to coverage. The hospital patient's bill of 15 rights was first adopted by the American Hospital Association (AHA) in 1973, with revisions made in 1992.

From the introduction to the AHA Patient's Bill of Rights: "As the setting for the provision of health services, hospitals must provide a foundation for understanding and respecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, their families, physicians, and other caregivers. Hospitals must ensure a health care ethic that respects the role of patients in decision-making about treatment choices and other aspects of their care. Hospitals must be sensitive to cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, age, gender, and other differences as well as the needs of persons with disabilities."

As the American Patient's Rights Association (APRA) points out, "Americans have few legal patient rights." Continuity of care and a Patient's Bill of Rights can provide an informed refusal when disagreeing or questioning the health care one is receiving, or advocating for fair access to treatment and care.

These now-memorized phrases can be reworded as questions: How does this diagnosis impact the continuity of care? Or, if you have a new doctor: "Doctor, can you communicate with my previous physician or specialist to maintain continuity of care?" If you are leaving the hospital, consider telling your doctor that your most important goal is to maintain continuity of care.

If you are staying at the hospital and you have a question that you need answered, and you do not feel heard, you can always ask for a copy of the Patient's Bill of Rights. Click here for a list of the Patient's Bill of 15 Rights.

Self-advocacy and/or advocacy from family members can help health care professionals do their jobs even better. Professionals who are overworked and underpaid a characterization of much of the capitalist health care system, particularly as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of the impact that investment banking firms have had on health care. According to the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) , "Patient care and workers suffer because of the private equity business model." Click here for a full report on the impact of profit based cultures and logics on public health, "Private Equity in Healthcare: Profits before Patients and Workers."
Ingram Micro won approval Friday for $2.62 million in tax breaks from the Amherst Industrial Development Agency for a $13.6 million investment in a pair of Amherst facilities that might otherwise have gone to Miami.

The California-based technology services company, the only tenant in 200,000 square feet of office space at 1759 Wehrle Drive, is negotiating to buy and renovate the two buildings that it leases from owner Orion Amherst NY. Those buildings at Wehrle and Youngs Road house 1,670 local employees.

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The company also was evaluating options elsewhere, including in Miami, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Greer, S.C. According to an economic analysis conducted by consultants at CBRE, the investment in Amherst would cost $4.8 million more over 10 years than in Miami  where Ingram Micro has sales and support functions  so company officials wanted to seek incentives from the Amherst IDA to offset that before making a decision. The company said it has also been talking with Empire State Development Corp. and other entities.

The Amherst IDA approved an incentives package that includes $1.77 million in property tax breaks, $743,750 in sales tax abatement and $105,000 in mortgage-recording tax breaks. But the project's tax benefits, according to the IDA, would total $111.7 million in new income taxes, $38 million in sales taxes and $634,693 in property taxes, while retaining a $125 million annual payroll.

If Ingram Micro proceeds, work would begin in January, with completion by April 2026.

Ingram Micro has had a presence in Amherst for over 30 years, and began construction in 1991 on the first of two phases of its first building, in a $9.6 million project that retained 247 jobs. It bought 395 Youngs in 1997 for $5.3 million, to set up a training center, and invested $11 million in new equipment and renovations to Wehrle in 2013.

The company, which supports 170,000 customers in about 200 countries, was acquired in 2021 by private-equity firm Platinum Equity.
When the Goo Goo Dolls come home to perform on Sept. 24 at KeyBank Center  the band's first Buffalo show since prior to the pandemic  it will be riding a wave that commenced with the early August release of Chaos in Bloom, and carried the band through the first part of a highly successful tour that will continue with more dates to come in 2023. Adding further fuel to the Goos fire, in late August, Spotify announced that the bands 1998 hit Iris had officially reached 1 billion streams on its platform alone.

Both a critical and a commercial success, the new album was written and recorded in Woodstock, where John Rzeznik and Robby Takac holed up for the better part of 18 months, honing the songs and indulging in their prowess as a live ensemble. For the first time in the bands career, Rzeznik acted as producer, overseeing a collection of songs that turned the anxiety of the age into rousing and ultimately uplifting alt-rock gems, all tracked with an emphasis on organic band interplay.

I spoke with Rzeznik and Takac during their tour stop in Grand Rapids, Mich., and they shared their thoughts on topics including the return to touring, post-pandemic culture shock, the new album and their continued relevance to a fan base that now includes multiple generations.

Before the touring industry went into shutdown, youd been touring consistently since you were teenagers. How tough was it to sit still for so long?

John Rzeznik: It has definitely been pretty amazing to be out after not being out for so long. It was hard to adjust to not being able to tour. And now, its hard to adjust to getting back into it. Because its pretty physically demanding.

Robby Takac: This tour feels awesome because you can feel the joy. At first, there was still a tentative feel. But I dont think people have that anymore. And you can really feel the joy that people are finding in being together.

Was there also a bit of culture shock, after being hunkered down for so long, to be out there and seeing people mingling together as if nothing had ever happened?

JR: I think its largely positive, that were all together again. I mean, I dont know whats going on medically. Thats the interesting thing about this particular disease. After a while, everyone was just like, Whatever, I dont care! Youll see some masks in the audience, but most of the time, you dont. At first, that was very strange for me. But people were craving it so badly, just being together. Humans are pack animals. And the last couple years really screwed a lot of people up. Its going to take a little while to see what the longer-term effects of the pandemic are going to be. But it certainly is good to be out there. You value something even more when its been denied you.

RT: We have no idea yet how what weve been through is going to affect us. That was a generational shutdown, man. You could definitely feel a creative blossoming during that time, though. Theres so much out there, so much content. I know a lot of people think of things like TikTok as the pariah, but I really feel like it brought music into the fold again, for a second. Im singing songs to myself again. For the Goo Goo Dolls  we have like 23 million impressions on TikTok right now, for Iris. And we didnt even put anything on there ourselves. Now, all of these kids are showing up to our shows. Its crazy! But you know why its happening? Because John wrote a damn awesome song. And it endured.

Guitar-based rock music is not the biggest thing in the mainstream these days. But youre still out there headlining shows in front of an audience that knows and loves your music, including the material from the new album.

RT: Social media has something to do with it. And the pandemic made people hungrier for live music. Also, our music has been in a lot of peoples lives for a long time, so maybe its a bit like chicken soup for the soul? And of course, generationally speaking, people are enjoying sharing musical experiences with their kids.

Add to that the fact that we made a great record, in my opinion. Once again, John wrote some great songs and pulled this record over the finish line, and it sounds amazing.

Chaos in Bloom deals with heavy stuff, but it also sounds like youre having a lot of fun. Was this due to the circumstances surrounding the making of it? Clearly, its a different process, producing an album by yourself in Woodstock, compared to working with multiple producers in Los Angeles.

JR: I decided I didnt want a producer this time, although I wound up getting some help in the end, finishing it. Otherwise, Id probably still be working on it. It got to the point where all the music was done and it was arranged the way I wanted it, but I found myself standing at the microphone and realizing, Man, I dont know how to produce my own vocals. So thats when I got together with Greg Wattenberg and he helped me with that, because hes incredibly good at it.

RT: Without the pandemic, I dont think any of this wouldve happened. I dont think wed have found ourselves alone together in a church in Woodstock working on songs if things hadnt been the way they were. And we played a lot when we were there. There was a lot of playing live and working things out together. It just felt right.

It seems that no one has money to make records with multiple musicians on them, because no one is making money from selling records anymore. So why make an album like "Chaos in Bloom," that you clearly deeply cared about making?

JR: Thats right! I just had a two-hour talk about this very topic with my manager. Its very strange. With streaming services, the artists and the writer, they really dont make a lot of money. Its like your album becomes a loss-leader. You used to tour to support your album. Now, you make an album to support your tour. I mean, it took over a year and a half to make this record. A lot of artists just put out a single every few months. I thought about that, and I was like, How can you do that? How does that create a consistent body of work? I think our audience appreciates an entire album. So thats a good reason to do it.

Did making the record help you deal with emotions surrounding the pandemic?

JR: The themes of this record are anxiety and uncertainty. I dont know whats going on, man. What a weird time. It feels like were coming out of a fever dream. I remember in the middle of the pandemic, driving from New Jersey where I live up to Buffalo, and absolutely no one being around on the highway, and putting a mask on and pumping gas with a rubber glove on, and thinking, What the hell is going on? And slowly coming out of that, trying to come back from all that isolation, I feel socially awkward sometimes.

Its going to take a while. But you know what? I think were gonna be OK.

PREVIEW

The Goo Goo Dolls

7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at KeyBank Center. Tickets are $38 to $278 (Ticketmaster)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained neck and head injuries after being slammed to the ground Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, and was stretchered from the field. The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in all his extremities after being taken by stretcher from the field and to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The Dolphins said after their 27-15 loss to the Bengals that Tagovailoa was expected to be released from the hospital and fly home with the team. Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa sustained a concussion when was chased down and sacked by Josh Tupou with about six minutes left in the first half. He remained down for more than seven minutes before being loaded on a backboard and removed via stretcher.
DETROIT (AP)  A judge has found key parts of Michigans newborn blood-testing program unconstitutional in a challenge by four parents who raised concerns about how leftover samples are used long after screening for rare diseases.

The lawsuit is not a class action. But the decision this week is likely to have an impact on how the state maintains millions of dried blood spots and makes them available for outside research.

Research with newborn blood spots occurs in other states, too.

Michigan undoubtedly has some level of interest in detecting rare blood diseases in its infant population, U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington said. But ... defendants post-testing conduct is not necessary to effectuate that interest because the health of the child is no longer at stake.

At the states direction, Michigan hospitals routinely prick the heels of newborns to draw blood to check for more than 50 diseases, a longstanding practice across the U.S. Leftover blood spots are sent to the Michigan Neonatal Biobank in Detroit for safekeeping. Scientists can pay a fee to use them for various research projects.

Since 2010, Michigan must have permission from parents to use spots for outside research. But attorney Phil Ellison argued that the program still violates constitutional protections against searches and seizures and might not be fully understood by parents who are given a form soon after the rigors of childbirth.

Ellison said the consent form and a related brochure are vague, making no reference, for example, to the state collecting fees from scientists for research.

Indeed, the forms state explicitly that the DBS will be used by the state lab. In other words, there is no evidence of plaintiff-parents informed consent to sell the DBS, the judge said in a 32-page opinion, using an acronym for dried blood spots.

Ludington ruled in favor of the four parents on more than a dozen issues, including long-term storage and use of blood spots by private parties. He set some points aside for a future trial.

The judge didn't come up with a remedy. But he suggested the state could avoid future conflicts by simply creating a detailed form with a series of checkboxes for parents to consider.

This case isnt about stopping the newborn screening program, Ellison told The Associated Press. Its to put the scope of participation in the hands of moms and dads as opposed to the government or a government bureaucrat. ... Moms and dads have to be fully informed and make intelligent decisions. The current practice doesnt meet that."

The state Department of Health and Human Services did not comment Thursday or Friday. Earlier this year, at a separate stage of the case, the state agreed to destroy more than 3 million blood spots stored in Lansing, but millions more remain under state control.

The health department has defended the program. It emphasizes that no spots are stored for research unless parents give permission. Spots also can be destroyed upon request, though the number of people who have taken that step is small.

A code  not someones name  is attached to blood spots that are stored in Detroit, making privacy risk during research very low, according to the state.

Research with blood spots occurs in other states, including California, New York and Minnesota where they can be kept for decades.

In 2009, Texas agreed to destroy millions of newborn blood spots that were stored without consent. Spots obtained since 2012 now are destroyed after two years unless Texas parents agree to have them maintained longer for research.

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A Cheektowaga teenager was arraigned on kidnapping and other felony charges Thursday in Cheektowaga Town Court in connection with a carjacking, as well as an attempted carjacking, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said 18-year-old Josue Lubala was armed with a knife when he abducted a woman and her 2-year-old child by forcing her into the passenger seat of her vehicle at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday near Harlem Road and Greenleaf Lane. The victim was allegedly accosted by Lubala as she was about to leave Cheektowaga Town Park with her child.

Lubala drove to Wick Street where he allowed the woman and toddler to get out of the car before he drove off in the stolen vehicle, prosecutors alleged.

At 9:27 a.m. a day later, Lubala confronted a second woman as she was was sitting in the front passenger seat of her vehicle in the parking lot near the Alexander Community Center at Cheektowaga Town Park, prosecutors said. Lubala allegedly entered through the drivers side and attempted to kidnap the victim by threatening her with a knife. She jumped from the vehicle and ran for help. A witness called 911 to report the incident and Cheektowaga police arrested Lubala on Walden Avenue after a brief chase.

In the first case, Lubala was arraigned on felony charges of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree robbery and fourth-degree grand larceny, and a misdemeanor charge of second-degree menacing, prosecutors said.

In the second incident, he was arraigned on felony charges of first-degree attempted robbery and second-degree attempted kidnapping, and misdemeanor charges of second-degree menacing and fourth-degree criminal possession of weapon.

Lubala is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday for a felony hearing. He was remanded without bail.
Chautauqua County prosecutors want to keep the names of potential witnesses to last month's stabbing of author Salman Rushdie from the man charged in the attack because of concerns for the witnesses' safety.

A judge on Friday ordered prosecutors to turn over witness information to the accused man's lawyers.

County Judge David W. Foley ordered District Attorney Jason L. Schmidt's office to provide Hadi Matar's defense team with names and contact information of potential witnesses whose identity they want to have shielded from Matar.

At least for now, the defense attorneys may not share the information with Matar, the judge ordered.

Foley scheduled a hearing for Wednesday afternoon on the prosecution's request to shield witness information from Matar until closer to the start of a trial.

The judge's decision was a small victory for Matar's defense and will allow them to "meaningfully participate" in the hearing, public defender Nathaniel L. Barone II said.

Prosecutors want to keep the information from Matar because of concerns for witness safety, the district attorney has said.

Matar, though held without bail, has access to phone calls and both remote and in-person visits, Schmidt said Friday.

Prosecutors have asked for the identifying and contact information about all "factual" witnesses to be kept from Matar until seven days before the start of a trial.

Prosecutors also want the courtroom closed to the public at next week's hearing and defense attorneys excluded from listening to testimony expected to be presented that they say supports their argument for keeping the information from the defendant. There remains an ongoing state and federal investigation, the district attorney said.

He expects he is going to be revealing "certain aspects of the ongoing investigation" during the hearing.

In court on Friday, Schmidt said he knows of "several specific individuals" whose identity he is seeking to protect, "but beyond that there are potentially hundreds of others, if not thousands of other witnesses." Based on the volume of material turned over by state police, it would be "difficult to identify everybody at this point," Schmidt told the judge.

Foley told Schmidt he will have the opportunity to seek additional orders in the future if witnesses are discovered later.

"I'm not going to enter some sort of global, catch-all order," Foley said.

State law allows prosecutors to obtain rulings from judges, known as protective orders, that prevent certain information, including the names of witnesses, from being shared by defense attorneys with their clients.

Matar, 24, of Fairview, N.J., is accused of attacking Rushdie with a knife Aug. 12 near the start of an event at Chautauqua Institution. Rushdie suffered multiple stab wounds to the stomach and chest, as well as wounds to his eye, hand and thigh, authorities have said.

Matar has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and second degree assault.

The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini put a $3 million bounty on Rushdie's head after the publication of his 1988 book, "The Satanic Verses," which depicted the prophet Muhammad in ways the hardline leaders found offensive.

In an interview with the New York Post after his arrest, Matar praised Iran's ayatollah and said he was surprised Rushdie survived the attack.

Barone, who has opposed the issuance of any protective order, has said the prosecution's assertion that witnesses face a potential threat is "complete speculation."

Schmidt again on Friday told the judge he has more than just the fatwa on Rushdie issued more than 30 years ago as the basis for his concerns.

Foley on Friday did not rule on the request from prosecutors to extend the deadline for turning over evidence to the defense.
An 18-year-old Buffalo man has been charged with murder for his suspected role in a double slaying last month in a Town of Tonawanda apartment building, police reported Friday.

Town of Tonawanda police arrested Jamire Woods on Thursday night following an investigation into the fatal shooting of two people on Aug. 28 in an apartment at 703 Parker Blvd., at Kenmore Avenue.

The shooting happened about 9:40 p.m. Antoyn Williams, 51, of Buffalo, and Kristina Perez, 36, of Hinsdale in Cattaraugus County, were declared dead at the scene.

A third, unidentified shooting victim was taken to an unspecified hospital, police said at the time. This victim, a 56-year-old man, was critically injured but is expected to survive, police and prosecutors said.

Woods is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree criminal use of a firearm and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. Woods is accused of using an illegal gun in the shooting.

Town police took Woods into custody with the help of Buffalo police. He was arraigned Friday afternoon in Tonawanda Town Court.

Town police did not say how they linked Woods to the triple shooting.

Police Chief James P. Stauffiger said detectives still are investigating a motive for the crime. He added police do believe another person was involved in the shooting but said he couldn't comment further to avoid compromising the investigation.

If convicted on all counts, Woods faces up to 50 years in prison, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said. He is set to return to court on Thursday for a felony hearing and is being held without bail.

Correction: Jamire Woods' first name was spelled incorrectly in a earlier version of this article.
Two Buffalo men who were passengers in a vehicle that struck a state trooper after driving through a blockade during a 2020 protest for racial justice are both going to prison.

Semaj Pigram, 27, and Walter Stewart, 30, were sentenced Thursday to 85 months and 58 months in prison, respectively, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Each man pleaded guilty in federal court to having been a felon illegally in possession of a firearm and ammunition in several incidents, prosecutors said.

The first incident was on April 5, 2020, on Burgard Place, where a victim was shot in the forearm with a 9 mm pistol. Pigram and Stewart admitted they fired shots.

Then came a June 1, 2020, incident at the protest on Bailey Avenue during which Pigram admitted he fired shots from the back seat of a vehicle into the ground or the air. Stewart was also a passenger.

The vehicle was operated by 33-year-old Deyanna J. Davis, who police alleged drove through a police line and caused Trooper Ronald Ensminger Jr. to suffer a broken leg and shattered pelvis.

Troopers recovered the pistol from the vehicle, and ballistics analysis later determined that the weapon was the same one used in the shooting on April 5.

Davis, who saw a federal gun charge against her dismissed in April, is awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree assault in Erie County Court.

The third incident was the June 24, 2020, recovery of ammunition from Pigram's home on Peace Street by police executing a search warrant.

Both Pigram and Stewart are legally prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of prior felony convictions in Erie County Court, according to prosecutors.
On the night of July 10, three women picked up Brenden Benoit, 25, of the Town of Boston and brought him to a wooded area off Heltz Road in Lake View.

There, according to police and prosecutors, three men lay in wait.

It was a plot they had devised over the previous several days, said Erie County Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty "to lure the victim out in the open."

Then, Benoit was stabbed and left to bleed to death and the three men and three women returned to their apartment in the Village of Hamburg, where prosecutors say they burned physical evidence to try to conceal what they had done.

On Friday, Jared M. Adamski, 26, of Hamburg, who authorities say was the one who stabbed Benoit four times, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence, both felonies. He had been remanded in jail since his arrest in July.

He appeared before Erie County Judge James Bargnesi to face arraignment.

Also appearing before Bargnesi were Harrison J. Drozen, 20, who has since moved to North Carolina, and Kaleigh A. Skybyk-Schuh, 19, both of the Village of Hamburg. They were also indicted by a grand jury. Like Adamski, Drozen was charged with second-degree murder and tampering. Skybyk-Schuh was charged with first-degree manslaughter and tampering.

They had been arrested previously but were out after posting bail. The judge had set a $100,000 cash/bond or $200,000 partially secured bond for both.

On Friday, they were remanded along with Adamski. Court officers handcuffed both and led them into the holding area next to the courtroom.

Also indicted were Connor E. Krone, 22, and Elexus Dean, 20, of the Village of Hamburg who will be arraigned over the next few days. The grand jury didn't indict the third suspect, Larissa C. Smith, 18, of the Town of Hamburg who was initially arrested. DA John Flynn said her case is still under investigation.

In arguing for the judge to remand Drozen and Skybyk-Schuh, Haggerty, of the DA's homicide bureau, described some of the allegations.

"They chose a secluded spot far away from any potential witnesses and far away from anyone who could have helped the victim," Haggerty said in court. He is prosecuting the case with Assistant District Attorney Gina M. Gramaglia of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau.

He said Skybyk-Schuh drove Benoit in the vehicle, with the two other women and brought him to the location.

There, three men "ambushed" Benoit, Haggerty said. One of the men allegedly punched Benoit who went back into the car to try to escape. Then, prosecutors say, Jared M. Adamski pulled out a knife.

"Jared Adamski plunged his knife in the victim four times and dragged him out to a clearing to bleed out in the middle of nowhere," Haggerty told Bargnesi.

Benoit was found dead about 1:45 a.m.

In the meantime, the six "sped away to the apartment that they shared," Haggerty said.

"They gathered up bloody evidence including personal effects of the victim and burned them in an effort to conceal their crimes," Haggerty said.

During the investigation, police found a knife that they believe was thrown from the vehicle, Flynn later said in an interview.

Haggerty argued that the three defendants should all be held in jail while awaiting trial because of the seriousness of the charges as well as their alleged attempt to destroy evidence.

The defendants' attorneys did not offer their own arguments, noting that the case is expected to be transferred to a different judge.

Defense attorney Herbert Greenman, who is representing Drozen, noted that the prosecution had allowed Drozen and Skybyk-Schuh to appear in court to turn themselves in rather than be arrested and taken into custody.

In July after the six men and women were arrested, the mother of one of those criminally charged in Benoit's death said it happened in the same area where Benoit previously sexually assaulted her daughter. The alleged previous assault did not come up during Friday's court proceeding or their initial appearance in Hamburg Town Court.

The mother told reporters in July that her daughter had been sexually assaulted by Benoit on July 2 in the same area where Benoit died, raising the possibility that Benoit was assaulted in retaliation. She said her daughter had filed a police report about the assault. The mother, however, denied her daughter had lured him to the woods.

None of the defense attorneys commented after the proceedings.
Demolition of the Great Northern grain elevator started Friday morning, adding urgency to a preservation organization's bid for a temporary restraining order from an appellate court judge to block crews from tearing down any more of it.

"Whats going on here is terrible," said preservationist Tim Tielman as he watched from across Ganson Street the demolition crew's work.

Tielman, the executive director for the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture, said the organization would press a legal appeal before the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court's Fourth Department in Rochester.

"We are still going to go ahead with the appeal, and we hope to get a temporary restraining order to stop the demolition," he said. "This thing is 400 feet long. Its 140 feet wide. It is built like a tank. And at the end of business today, we hope to get a stop put on this. That building can continue to stand. And maybe it can stand as a monument of citizens saving Buffalos heritage when our leadership wouldnt.

"Hopefully a judge issues a temporary restraining order," Tielman said.

Even if the demolition crew works through the day, enough of the grain elevator would remain to make the appeal worthwhile, he said.

"This thing can stand even at the end of the day, even if theres three bins left on the south end," he said.

Earlier this week, Catherine Amdur, the Buffalo commissioner of permit and inspection services, said the start of demolition would soon start.

The demolition process could take up to eight months, she said.

The grain elevator is owned by Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., commonly known as ADM, a multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation headquartered in Chicago.

"The Great Northern Elevator constitutes a safety hazard and is beyond repair, a reality that has been clear to us, the City of Buffalo, and a court in its rulings upholding the citys demolition permit," according to an ADM statement on Friday. "As a result of these rulings, the citys emergency demolition order is in full effect, and we are continuing to move forward with safely dismantling the facility."

A few dozen people protesting the demolition were at the site as the company began using a 165-foot excavator with a lobster claw to take down more of the brick-clad north wall where a Dec. 11 windstorm tore a large hole in the structure. That damage to the north wall prompted James Comerford, then-commissioner of permit and inspection services, to allow an emergency demolition six days later.

The preservation organization has since waged a legal effort to prevent the grain elevator's demolition.

Tielman noted the demolition plan ADM filed with City Hall called for first tearing down the north wall, followed by taking out the bins.

The demolition crew, however, ripped into one of the cylinder bins while also tearing down the north wall that had shrouded the bins.

"If youre asking if a lot of this is occurring because of spite, you know, I dont know how else to describe it," Tielman said.

With preservation groups rallying support for the grain elevator and taking legal steps to save it, "I thought it could be saved," said Beth Tauke, an associate professor of architecture at the University at Buffalo, who watched the start of the demolition work.

"The fact that it actually is the transition between the various technologies of grain elevators is why Im so interested in saving it," she said. "It is recognized by scholars and architects worldwide as being globally significant. And it seems like we in the local community dont get how important it really is."

Gregory Delaney, a clinical assistant professor in UB's Department of Architecture, said an emergency demolition order should not have been sufficient to allow its demolition.

"Theres no ethical reason why this should not have gone through the Preservation Board and through other checks within City Hall and our government that represents us," he said.

"This building is important in a very unique way that is not just about architecture, not just about engineering, not just about culture, not just about memory," Delaney said. "Its about all of the above, and that really, really rare in buildings, that it taps into so many important histories for so many different and diverse people."

State Supreme Court Justice Emilio Colaiacovo on Thursday dismissed a July 5 court case in which he denied a temporary restraining order to block demolition of the Great Northern grain elevator. That dismissal opened the door for the preservation group to appeal to the appellate court.

Tielman called the wait for Colaiacovo's dismissal an issue his organization will bring up in its appeal.

The demolition started a day after the judge dismissed the case, a small window of time for the organization to submit an appeal. The dismissal could have come earlier, giving the organization a chance to get a temporary restraining order before the demolition equipment arrived, he said.

"Now we have two issues," Tielman said. "We had the issue of the grain elevator. Not being able to appeal by an effective judicial blockade on appealing it was a violation of our constitutional rights."

The Great Northern is the last brick-box grain elevator with steel bins in North America, and is considered by preservationists to be an indelible part of Buffalo's waterfront heritage.

Frank Kowsky, SUNY Buffalo State emeritus professor of art history, said earlier this year that the demolition of the Great Northern would be the most significant architectural loss in Buffalo in over 70 years.

"It would be the worst loss since the loss of the Larkin Administration Building," Kowsky said, citing the Frank Lloyd Wright building demolished in 1950.

Douglas Jemal, who has called the Great Northern "a gem," made a public offer in January of $100,000 to ADM toward its stabilization. He also offered to pay for outside structural engineers to examine the abandoned grain elevator and render an independent judgment on its condition

"I think it was a gallant fight and it could have been saved and it should have been saved, but it's not my decision at the end of the day," Jemal said.

Anthony Barker, president of Local 36G of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco workers and grain millers, which early on had hoped to help save the structure, also expressed disappointment.

The Campaign for Greater Buffalo has argued that Comerford failed to understand the building's engineering, mistakenly concluding the hole in the north wall endangered the entire elevator instead of functioning as a curtain wall, with everything else supported by the structure's steel frame.

Tielman said the only two parties that have been inside the Great Northern to document and evaluate its architecture and engineering are the Historic American Engineering Record, the nation's official repository of information on significant engineering achievements, and Reyner Banham, the internationally renowned architectural historian who was dean of the UB School of Architecture.

"Both concluded that the Great Northern's brick wall was for weather-proofing and provides no significant structural support," Tielman said.

Colaiacovo ruled in favor of upholding Comerford's decision twice  on Jan. 5 and again on July 5.

"The records show the commissioner's methodical, collaborative and comprehensive process undertaken to evaluate the building after the December 2021 collapse was anything but arbitrary," Colaiacovo wrote in the July 5 ruling. "Instead, it was quite rational under the circumstances, and this court, again, will not disturb it."

Amdur said this week that she supported her predecessor's decision to issue an emergency demolition. She said she has no misgivings with the decision despite the property still being intact 10 months later.

"It's not the popular thing to do, but it's the right thing to do, and I still stand behind his decision," Amdur told The News. "Above all else, we have to keep the public safe."
"She checked in with each individual family and to just talk to us and see how we're doing and how we're coping," said Zeneta Everhart, whose son survived the deadly rampage. "She wanted to tell us that the White House, the administration, is working for us right now."
In the end, its a kind of thievery. Legalized and whitewashed, but federal seizure laws still amount to taking what isnt yours without due process. Congress needs to reconsider this overly broad authority.

A seizure like that occurred at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport three years ago when federal agents seized $16,037 from a 19-year-old who had that cash in a carry-on bag. Critics  a federal judge prominently among them  accused the government of relying on racial tropes in using the civil forfeiture law to seize the money from Nazier L. McFadden of Rochester. McFadden, who was killed a year later, was Black.

Why did law enforcement jump to the conclusion that the money came from drugs? U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo wrote in rebuking the government and ordering the money returned. Would the outcome have been different if a 19-year-old white man had attempted to travel with $16,037 in his billfold? Would that man even have been questioned?

Its a fair question and, with it, Vilardo identified the most disturbing aspect of the case. If this wasnt racial profiling, it was a spot-on imitation. For that, this young man was summarily relieved of more than $16,000.

But if selective enforcement is the worst aspect of this case, its not the only defect of civil forfeiture laws, which allow the government to seize assets on the belief that they are associated with crime  in this case, the drug trade. To regain them costs requires time and money  often lots of it.

The government believed  or, at least, said it believed  that McFaddens money came from illegal drugs and its fair to note that those suspicious werent cut from whole cloth.

McFadden told officers he had the money his life savings, he said  because he was planning to move to California. But he had just the one bag and bought the ticket only minutes before boarding.

Later, he said about $5,000 of the total was given to him by a friend to give to another friend in California. Most of the money was in $20 bills, a denomination often found in street-level drug sales. He smelled of marijuana and admitted to smoking it on occasion.

So, sure, agents antennas went up. They had questions. But questions arent proof and suspicions arent evidence. Nevertheless, they seized the money under a law that doesnt require proof of a crime, leaving it up to McFadden to try to reclaim the money. Typically, that happens in a civil proceeding in which the government must link the cash to narcotics trafficking by a preponderance of the evidence, the judicial systems lowest standard of proof.

Agents couldnt even do that. Prosecutors failed to link McFadden to any criminal activity whatsoever, Vilardo said  drug trafficking included. He didnt have a criminal record. Agents saw a wad of money, thought it suspicious and treated this young Black man as a hoodlum. Vilardo poked holes in each of the governments suspicions.

Unless the government appeals  it shouldnt bother  McFaddens estate will get the money back, but less one-third, the contingency fee of the attorney who acted on his behalf. So: McFadden lost the money for no defensible reason, died before he could get it back and his estate lost a third to recover what should never have been taken. Why?

Law enforcement agents say the federal civil forfeiture law is a valuable tool for interdicting drug crime, and it may well be. A former prosecutor who handled those cases in this area, Richard D. Kaufman, said in 2020 that the law has helped law enforcement interrupt shipments of drug proceeds and the movement of money to buy drugs. Thats plainly of use.

But, if this procedure is to be continued, it needs to be better defined and constrained. We could do a lot about other crimes, too, if police could just throw people in prison and make them prove their innocence. But thats not what American justice allows.

Congress need to act and we see no reason why Western New Yorks delegation  Reps. Brian Higgins, Chris Jacobs and Joseph Sempolinski  shouldnt take the lead. This is  or should be  a nonpartisan issue. Indeed, conservatives such as columnist George Will have railed against civil forfeiture laws that make a mockery of American justice.

This case is a siren. Its time to respond.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
The August 22 edition of the Economist magazine describes the originalism being used by Conservative Supreme Court justices. My conclusion is that these justices are making decisions based on the knowledge that existed when our democracy was young.

I disagree with these originalism justices. Humans are always developing new knowledge and the key is to use this knowledge in a responsible manner.

One important new knowledge is what happens during pregnancy.

Another is why our climate is changing.

Another is how to supply sophisticated handheld assault weapons to our well-regulated militias.

Another is how to supply sophisticated handheld assault weapons to our citizens including those who are law-abiding.

Michael F. Patterson

Clarence Center
WNY colleges and universities find rankings to celebrate in U.S. News list

The University at Buffalo is celebrating being in the top 40 public universities in the nation, coming in at 38th  same as last year  in the U.S. News 2022-23 Best Colleges rankings released this week.

Hilbert College in Hamburg is heralding its ranking at No. 2 in boosting students Social Mobility (second to No. 1 Boricua College in New York City, a school devoted to helping Hispanic students succeed).

SUNY Fredonia State's release proclaims its ranking at 17th in the category of Top Public Universities in the North, a region that includes nearly 200 four-year universities in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, the release says.

Depending how you search the rankings of an all-time high 1,500 four-year colleges and universities in 17 different categories U.S. News examined this year, pretty much every school in the report can find something to crow about.

And depending how you spin them, the rankings are either the last word on everything higher education or just another tool students can use to determine the best school for them.

Schools that move up in the rankings from year to year tend to publicly highlight that fact. Schools that dont, dont.

For instance, Stony Brook University in Long Island is happily sharing its ranking at No. 77 among national universities  a significant jump of 16 places from a year ago  and its rise up seven spots to No. 31 among public universities.

Its also the first time Stony Brook is the top-ranked public university in New York State without tying with another university, Stony Brook's release says.

Newsdays coverage referred to Stony Brook as the SUNY systems flagship university  even though Gov. Kathy Hochul named two SUNY flagships this year: Stony Brook and UB .

UB, by contrast, noted its placement at No. 89 on this years U.S. News list of best national universities, both public and private, an improvement of four spots from last year.

UB also came in 56th among Best Colleges for Veterans. A UB release that delved into the finer points revealed it also reached No. 65 among undergraduate computer science programs, an improvement of 17 spots from last year, and No. 67 on the list of undergraduate nursing programs, an improvement of nine spots from the previous year.

Among other potentially noteworthy rankings in this years report:

St. Bonaventure University came in 20th out of 181 Regional Universities North, ninth in Best Value Schools and 63rd in Top Performers in Social Mobility.

Canisius College is 22nd in Regional Universities North (a tie with Elizabethtown College in Pa.), ninth in Best Colleges for Veterans and 6th in undergraduate teaching (a tie with The College of New Jersey in Ervine, N.J.), a category that reflects its emphasis on undergraduate research.

Niagara University ranked 33rd in Regional Universities North, 14th in Best Colleges for Veterans and fifth in Best Value.

SUNY Buffalo State is ranked 40th among top public schools, 113th in Regional Universities North (out of 181 ranked) and 34th in social mobility, prompting praise from Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner.

Buffalo States continual high ranking on social mobility reflects the colleges effort to lift up low-income and first-generation students into the middle class and beyond, she said in Buffalo State's release. This is a part of the Buffalo State mission that Im particularly proud of.

Sometimes it's enough just to make the list. Daemen University placed 331st out of 440 National Universities  and sees that glass as half full. The school announced that for the fourth consecutive year, the university has been ranked among the top institutions of higher learning in the country, earning a spot on the U.S. News and World Report 2022-23 Best National Universities list.

Daemen also did the numbers and declared it is one of only three institutions in the Buffalo-Niagara region to be included on the National Universities list  and one of only 28 ranked in New York State.

While U.S. News list is considered the most influential in the college rankings, some question the methodology, data supplied by the schools and weight given to the various categories.

In a speech last month, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the U.S. News rankings tend to stress reputation over results.

Too often, our best-resourced schools are chasing rankings that mean little on measures that truly count: college completion, economic mobility, narrowing gaps in access to opportunity for all Americans, Cardona said. That system of ranking is a joke.

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy  from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

THE LATEST

Recent news tied to Buffalo Niagara's economy

M&T Bank is taking heat from the attorney general in Connecticut over issues it faced during the switchover to its customer service systems following its acquisition of People's United Bank.

SUNY-Erie Community College is taking steps to move away from a workplace resource management system that school officials say doesn't suit its needs.

A North Tonawanda housing project is getting nearly $5 million in tax breaks from the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency.

A top executive at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is calling for more funding for cancer screening programs.

The Perry projects in downtown Buffalo are in line for a major makeover that will replace boarded-up buildings with new apartments.

Plans to renovate and expand the Eliza Quick boarding house are being scaled back.

A city panel has approved demolitions that are needed to clear the way for the Main Street Lofts project.

More than 200 jobs could be coming to the former Dresser-Rand plant in Olean.

Four more local nursing homes have reached deals with their unionized workers, leaving only two of the 12 facilities that were threatening to hold five-day strikes without agreements.

Unionized workers at Kaleida Health are taking a high-stakes vote this week on whether to authorize a strike as contract talks continue.

New Mercy Hospital president Marty Boryszak says the hospital's recovery and success will be about progress. "It's going to take time," he says.

ICYMI

Five reads on the Buffalo Niagara economy

The Buffalo Niagara job market got back on track during August, with hiring resuming at its fastest pace since March and easing concerns that surfaced after the July jobs report showed a loss of jobs across the region.

2. Pickup in WNY housing inventory means more opportunity and time for buyers. Homebuyers in Western New York are starting to breathe easier and take more time before making their decisions, now that there are more homes for sale on the market and less need for them to act quickly. But they still can't dawdle. And it doesn't mean they're getting a deal on houses, which are now priced much higher than they would have been a year or two ago.

2. Why so many apartments? Buffalo area seeing an explosion of growth. From the Elmwood Village and Allentown to South Buffalo and the West Side, from Tonawanda and Amherst to Orchard Park and Hamburg, developers are putting up new apartment buildings or converting old industrial warehouses and offices. The apartments are highly desirable  with new units filling up almost as soon as they come online.

3. A remote possibility: living in Buffalo, working for out-of-town employers. The pandemic has opened up job possibilities that were relatively uncommon before spring 2020, like working from home for a company far from the Buffalo Niagara region. It's a welcome twist on the all-too-familiar story of local workers finding jobs elsewhere.

4. Spotlight on the economy: Slow growth in average pay in Buffalo Niagara region. After spiking during the Covid-19 pandemic, the earnings of Buffalo Niagara workers have settled back into slow-growth mode.

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.

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(Adds Google statement paragraph 8 & 9)

JAKARTA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Indonesia's anti-trust agency (KPPU) said on Thursday it is investigating potential unfair business practices by Google over the use of proprietary payment services for its software distribution platform Google Play Store.

The move follows similar investigations by antitrust regulators globally involving Alphabet Inc's Google.

"KPPU suspects that Google has conducted an abuse using its dominant position, conditional sales and discriminatory practices in digital application distribution in Indonesia," it said in a statement.

An initial investigation found that since June 1 Indonesian app developers had been required to use Google's payment system, which charges a 15% to 30% fee, the KPPU said.

The amount charged by Google Pay Billing is much higher than other services, which cost under 5% before the requirement took effect, it said.

If apps did not comply, they risked being removed from Google Play Store, it added.

KPPU said Google controlled a 93% market share in the country of 270 million people which has a fast growing digital economy.

Google in a response on Friday said earlier this month it had rolled out the next phase of its user choice billing pilot in Indonesia, allowing developers to offer users an alternative billing system alongside Google Plays billing system.

"We look forward to working with the KPPU to demonstrate how Google Play supports developers," a Google spokesperson said in an email response.

Google has been fined more than 8 billion euros ($7.99 billion) by the European Union in the last decade for anti-competitive practices related to its price comparison service, Android mobile operating system and advertising service.

A top European court upheld a ruling on Wednesday that it broke competition rules and fined the company a record 4.1 billion euros.

South Korea's telecommunications regulator said in August it planned an investigation into app store operators, including Google, over suspected violations of in-app payment law.

Seoul passed legislation last year dubbed the "anti-Google" law, which bans major app store operators from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

KPPU will conduct the investigation over the next 60 days and an official said if Google is found to have breached anti-monopoly laws it could be fined a maximum of 50% of net profit gained during the period. ($1 = 1.0007 euros) (Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Fanny Poktin in Singapore; Editing by Gayatri Suroyo and Ed Davies)
AKROPOLIS GROUP UAB

Akropolis Group, UAB invites investors, analysts, and other stakeholders to join the webinar dedicated to presentation of group's financial results of the first half-year 2022, scheduled on 27th September, 2022 at 13:00 (EEST). The presentation will be held in English.



During the webinar, Manfredas Darguzis, CEO and Gabriele Saponaite, CFO of Akropolis Group, UAB will introduce the group's financial results of the first half-year 2022. After the presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to ask relevant questions. Due to limited webinar time, we encourage participants to submit their questions in the registration form or send them before the start of the webinar to emilija.ivanauskaite@nasdaq.com .

To join the webinar, please register via the following link: https://nasdaq.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9Zb6HltoSEupdiLb_kjUuA

Contacts:

Email: IR@akropolis.lt

Internet webpage: www.akropolis.eu

Address: Ozo st. 25, Vilnius, Lithuania

For more information:



Dominykas Mertinas

Head of Marketing and Communication Department

AKROPOLIS GROUP, UAB

+370 64027001

dominykas.mertinas@akropolis.lt




For India in general and the Sikh community in particular, 1984 is a particularly emotive year, including for musician and actor Diljit Dosanjh, the star of Netflix film Jogi.

In June 1984, the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered an army operation against separatist militants at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a holy location for Sikhs, that was criticized by many in the community. In October, Gandhis Sikh bodyguards assassinated her, leading to ant-Sikh riots across northern India, with the countrys capital Delhi as its epicenter.

More from Variety

The happenings of 1984 left deep and enduring scars on the Sikh community and the events have been depicted in film and television over the years. In Jogi, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar (Sultan), Dosanjh plays the titular Jogi who takes it upon himself to heroically save his family and neighbors as politically-backed riot mobs in Delhi, including childhood friends from other communities, systematically target Sikhs during the 1984 riots.

For Dosanjh, the year is particularly emotive because he was born in 1984, a few months before the cataclysmic events of June and October, and grew up hearing stories about that time. One of the pivotal moments in Dosanjhs career is Punjab 1984 (2014) about the events of the year.

There are many untold stories from that time, pertaining to the Sikh community in Delhi, Punjab and Kolkata, and every time I mention that I was born in 1984, everyone has their own stories, Dosanjh told Variety. Stories from that era have not been told and if there is an opportunity to tell them with a good team and platform, I do it.

Story continues

Dosanjh feels that the emotions and the pain conveyed in Jogi will connect with Netflix audiences around the world given that almost every country has had its own history of oppression.

Already a superstar of Punjabi-language cinema, Dosanjhs breakthrough role in the Hindi-language Bollywood industry was Udta Punjab (2016), revolving around drug abuse in the state of Punjab. He has done several successful Bollywood films since. Dosanjh says that in the Punjabi-language industry he has carte blanche and decides on the subject matter of his films, whereas in Bollywood he waits for offers and makes an informed choice.

Despite his enormous success as an actor, music remains the first love for Dosanjh. He is one of Punjabi musics biggest stars and has recorded 13 studio albums. His 2020 album G.O.A.T. went to No. 1 on on Billboards Top Triller global chart and went Top 20 in Canada. His track Lover, from the Moonchild Era album, has generated more than 70 million views on YouTube.

Music is no. 1 for me, it is my priority. The pleasure I get from a hit film, I get from composing a new song, whether it is a hit or not, says Dosanjh, whose Born to Shine world concert tour kicked off in Canada and the U.S. in June and July and continued in the U.K. in August.

Earlier this year, Dosanjh signed with Warner Music to amplify his global music career and has recorded with Canadian rapper Tory Lanez and Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz. Peaches, his single with the U.K.s Anne-Marie was released earlier this month.

Jogi, also starring Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub (Tandav) and Kumud Mishra (Article 15) is now streaming on Netflix.

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Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both appeared in public this week (Photo: Getty)

Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both appeared in public this week (Photo: Getty)

Ukraines successful counteroffensive over recent days has led the news when it comes to Russias ongoing war.

Ukraine alleges its troops have reclaimed approximately 8,000 square km, a figure which is yet to be verified by the West, its not all been good news for the invaded nation.

There was a recent discovery of a mass grave in the liberated city of Izyum, and Vladimir Putin is still attempting to rescue his reputation and win the war by any means possible.

Heres what you need to know.

(Photo: PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images)

(Photo: PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images)

1. Whats happening in the north-east of Ukraine?

In just five days, Ukraine managed to push Russian troops out of areas it had previously seized.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, the quantity of reclaimed land is the equivalent to the gains the whole of the Russian Army made between April and September.

The think tank claimed: Russian forces in eastern Ukraine will likely struggle to hold their defensive lines if Ukrainian forces continue to push farther east.

Ukraine is still moving forward with its counteroffensives across the east, pressuring both Russian positions and logistics lines in eastern Kharkiv, northern Luhansk, and eastern Donetsk Oblasts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during flag hoisting ceremony in Izium after the Ukrainian forces took control of the city from the Russian forces in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Wednesday (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during flag hoisting ceremony in Izium after the Ukrainian forces took control of the city from the Russian forces in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Wednesday (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

2. Why is Izium in the news?

While plenty of towns and cities were liberated, Izium has hit the headlines because Ukrainian troops discovered a horrifying mass grave near the town this week.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since accused Russia of leaving death everywhere after troops claimed they had discovered more than 440 bodies buried in a forest.

Wooden crosses mark the locations of various bodies, and a few contain names and dates.

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The chief police investigator for the Kharkiv region, Serhiy Bolvinov, claimed that some of these people may have died to due shelling and airstrikes, others from a lack of healthcare.

The exact circumstances of their deaths have yet to be determined. Most of the bodies are believed to be civilians.

Bolvinov compared it to the massacres seen in Bucha and Mariupol. Russians also killed more than 1,400 people in the Kyiv region (including Bucha) when trying to seize the capital.

The president also suggested it was time for the world to hold Russia to real account for this war  but the Kremlin refuses to accept any responsibility for the atrocities, denying any war crime accusations and civilian targeting.

Ukraine plans to examine each body forensically after exhuming them, and metal detectors are trying to find any hidden explosives within the forest.

A mass burial was found in Izyum, Kharkiv region. Necessary procedures have already begun. All bodies will be exhumed and sent for forensic examination. Expect more information tomorrow.



Russia is a murderer country. A state sponsor of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/7pKTrYvlUF  Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) September 15, 2022

3. Whats happening with the sanctions?

The US added new sanctions to 31 companies in the Russian technology sector, including space and technology companies on Thursday.

The GRU intelligence agency, and a top economic adviser to Putin, Maxim Oreshkin, were also sanctioned.

While this does not sound like a large deal as Russia is already facing a pile of sanctions from the west, these particular restrictions will prevent Russia from modernising its army  again, giving Ukraine the upper hand in battle.

Russias defence sector is struggling to rebuild after the success of Ukraines counteroffensive, too.

The United States continues to hold the Russian government to account for its war against Ukraine, explained US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

Those designated today  from perpetrators of violence to an official facilitating the purposeful removal of children from Ukraine  provide examples of the behaviour that has become synonymous with the government of Russias unprovoked war, he said.

At least 46 countries have imposed sanctions on Russia since it started being aggressive towards Ukraine back in February. According to Al Jazeera, this makes it the most sanctioned country in the world.

4. Is Russia getting desperate?

Vladimir Putin went to visit his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week, and he appeared to tell Xi that Russia understands your questions and concerns.

This prompted pundits to wonder if that meant China was worried about Putins success  even though China is actually only propping up Russia by still buying energy.

Fossil fuel exportation is a major source for Russia, but most of its buyers in Europe are weaning themselves off it  meaning a major blow to Putins economy.

Russia is also becoming increasingly isolated on the world stage, as seen by the absence of an invitation to Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral this week.

This is remarkable. Xi is not supporting Putin. No weapons, no ammo, no chips, no real words of solidarity. Just a willingness to buy Russian energy at very discounted prices. https://t.co/dk7fZcgL5l  Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 15, 2022

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.

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Queen Elizabeth's death has triggered a range of reactions from members of Canada's African diaspora. For some, she will forever be tied to the grievous harms suffered by Africans during centuries of slavery and colonialism.

According to the U.K.'s national archives, "Britain was one of the most successful slave-trading countries. Together with Portugal, the two countries accounted for about 70 per cent of all Africans transported to the Americas."

That history, and Britain's ensuing intervention in Africa, has elicited strong criticism of the monarchy.

"Her personal fortune was built on slavery and colonization, death [and] genocide," said Rinaldo Walcott, a professor at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on Black cultural studies.

"The Queen and the monarchy represent to me the ongoing brutal history of colonization." - Rinaldo Walcott, professor of Black cultural studies

Turgut Yeter/CBC

"Almost any Black nation in the world that has been touched by the British Empire continues to be at the bottom of every global measure possible," Walcott adds. "At the same time, these same countries and their peoples  everything has been extracted from them."

South African far-left political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters released a public letter after the Queen's death stating they do not mourn the monarch because "her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in [South Africa] and Africa's history."

The letter noted the dispossession of land and resources experienced by Africans during Britain's colonial rule across the continent.

It was also the British Royal Family that sanctioned the actions of Cecil John Rhodes, who plundered this country, Zimbabwe and Zambia," read the statement.

Rhodes, a British-born South African, was an imperialist, businessman and politician during the reign of Queen Victoria. He founded the De Beers diamond firm in 1888, and he played an instrumental role in the late 19th-century seizure of vast swaths of land.

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Rhodes saw the English as a master race, and his policies are viewed as having paved the way for apartheid in South Africa.

'Colonialism isn't a single event'

Sharon Nyangweso, who is originally from Kenya, said the social and economic effects of colonialism are still being felt in Africa today.

"Sometimes when people think about colonialism ... they think of it as a historical thing that is played out in a Game of Thrones type situation. But my father was born when Kenya was a colony," she said.

Anne M. Patterson

"Colonialism isn't a single event. It is a system that we are still navigating and reeling from. We all have stories like that of my great-grandmother who educated her children, her daughter specifically, in the dark of night because they weren't allowed to go to the colonial schools."

Nyangweso also points to the treatment of anti-colonialists in Kenya as an example of Britain's violent legacy in the East African country. In the 1940s, nationalists had pushed Britain for political rights and land reforms.

But thousands of Kenyans were detained and killed during the Mau Mau revolt against British rule in the 1950s. In 2013, the U.K. government agreed to pay about $30 million Cdn to Kenyans abused and tortured by British colonial forces during the uprising.

Others say they 'mourn the Queen'

Still, some Africans in Canada remain steadfast in their devotion to the Queen and are lamenting her death.

"Most Ghanaians I talk to, most of them are heartbroken," said Ghanaian-Canadian Thomas Adu.

Turgut Yeter/CBC

Britain played an important role in shaping Ghana, Adu says, and the African country's connection to England as a member of the Commonwealth is a source of pride.

"A lot of teachers [in Ghana] came from the U.K., so we had a lot of assistance from Britain," said Adu.

"If I had my way I would like to go to Buckingham Palace and mourn the Queen."
President Emmanuel Macron says France will begin debating a bill on asylum and immigration at the start of 2023 to put an end to "an absurd policy" he considers "inefficient and inhumane".

Macron told a meeting of prefects on Thursday that existing policies involved putting women and men who arrive in France and "who are in the greatest misery into poor neighbourhoods.

He said this was ineffective because we find ourselves with more foreign people in a difficult situation than many of our neighbours, and inhumane because this pressure means they are too often badly received".

Macron called for asylum seekers to be distributed around the country, especially to areas where population levels are dropping.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the anti-immigration National Rally, was not swayed.

"Emmanuel Macron wants to distribute illegal immigrants in rural areas. We consider they should go home," she tweeted on Friday. "We will oppose this new madness."

Selective immigration

Macron also promised to improve the effectiveness of policies on deportation for illegal aliens, and said France needed to make the granting of visas more conditional on the spirit of cooperation to take back illegal foreigners, starting with those who disturb public order.

During his recent trip to Algeria, Macron and his counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune paved the way for relaxing the visa regime between the two countries, in exchange for increased cooperation from Algiers in the fight against illegal immigration.

Aurore Berge, the head of Macrons Renaissance group at the National Assembly, said on Friday that France should have "a sovereign policy" on immigration and should be able to decide "who we want to welcome.

Questioned about "selective immigration" on Cnews TV, she said that "all French people are in favour of it".

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No need for new law

The existing law on immigration, introduced in 2018, was designed to accelerate asylum procedures by cutting down the maximum processing time from 120 to 90 days after entering France.

It also aimed to make it easier to deport those whose claims were turned down.

France Terre dAsile, a non-profit working with asylum seekers and migrants, said France didnt need a new law to better welcome foreigners" but agreed the 2018 law needed to be evaluated.

There's an "urgent" need to guarantee asylum seekers a real and dignified welcome and to stop the absurdities and hypocrisy, Helene Soupios-David, part of France Terre dAsiles legal team, told France Info.

The majority of asylum seekers arriving in Paris had lived on the streets at some point, she said.

We need to change the conditions of integration, allow them to learn French as soon as possible, have unimpeded access to the job market.

"All of this is more linked to administrative obstacles or lack of means, rather than legislation."
CALGARY  WestJet is suspending a number of routes out of Halifax this winter.

The Calgary-based carrier will suspend flights between Halifax and Montreal as of Oct. 28.

Flights between Halifax and Sydney, N.S. will be suspended as of Nov. 15 and service routes between Halifax and Ottawa and Halifax and St. John's N.L. will end Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, respectively.

Non-stop flights from Halifax to Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto will remain in service throughout the winter, the airline said.

On Nov. 15, WestJet flights between Fredericton and Toronto, Charlottetown and Toronto and Quebec City and Toronto will be also be suspended, as confirmed earlier this summer.

Earlier this summer, WestJet announced it plans to focus its future investments on Western Canada, where it has a large portion of the market share.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press
Liz Truss hopes to hold a private meeting with Joe Biden when the US President visits Britain for the Queens funeral.

Their first meeting since she became Prime Minister would take place against a backdrop of disputes over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol and difficulties working towards a trade deal with the White House.

Downing Street is set to confirm who she will be meeting on Friday, but a number of head-to-heads with visiting world leaders are due to take place between No 10 and the Chevening country residence over the weekend.

In a phone conversation with His Majesty King Charles III last night, I expressed Frances condolences on the death of his mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I will attend the funeral in London on Monday.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2022

She is not expected to meet Chinese vice-president Wang Qishan, who is set to attend the state funeral on Monday instead of leader Xi Jinping.

Several hundred dignitaries from around the world will be in London to pay their respects to the Queen, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.

No 10 declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There wont be formal bilaterals in the way we normally recognise them.

But we will have a significant number of world leaders, heads of state in the country. She will be meeting a small proportion of those over the weekend.

These will be opportunities to discuss memories of Her Majesty, but in some instances it will be the first time theyve met since she became Prime Minister.

At the Palaces invitation, 10 Australians who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II alongside the Prime Minister and Governor-General on September 19. Here's more about who they are: (1/11)  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 13, 2022

A UK meeting with the US President, who will attend the funeral with First Lady Jill Biden, would ease the pressure on Ms Trusss expected visit to New York for a UN summit next week.

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Chevening will be used as one base for meetings rather than the Prime Ministers country residence of Chequers, which was undergoing what has been described as routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his attendance at the funeral after offering his countrys condolences in a call to the King.

Mr Macron tweeted about the unbreakable ties between France and the UK, as he promised to strengthen the relationship between the UK and France by following the path of the late Queen.

It was unclear whether he will be among the world leaders Ms Truss will meet, but if they do it would be a chance for her to clear up where their relationship stands.

During her campaign to become Tory leader she sparked controversy by saying the jurys out over whether Mr Macron is a friend or foe.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed his attendance (Steve Parsons/PA)

There have also been suggestions she could speak to Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on the margins of the funeral, amid strained relations between the two countries over the continuing row about the Northern Ireland Protocol.

About 500 dignitaries from around the world will head to London for the state funeral.

They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey  the historic church which can hold about 2,000 people  at 11am on Monday.

Representatives from the Commonwealth realms  the nations which had the Queen as head of state  will also be able to attend the committal service in Windsor Castle.

Male dignitaries at the funeral will be advised to wear morning dress or dark lounge suits with a black tie, with dark day dresses and hats for female mourners.

National dress may also be worn while serving military officers can wear ceremonial uniforms without swords.

The leaders of most Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the funeral, with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying she will make the nearly 24-hour journey with a delegation of five others.

Her Canadian and Australian counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Anthony Albanese, have also confirmed their attendance.

But Indias prime minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to talk to Russias Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan this week, is not expected to come to the UK, with president Droupadi Murmu being dispatched instead.

There have been suggestions Ms Truss will speak with Irish premier Micheal Martin on the margins of the Queens funeral, amid tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol (Liam McBurney/PA)

Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italys President Sergio Mattarella and Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro are among those attending, along with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

King Felipe of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia, are among the European royals who will attend.

Emperor Naruhito of Japan is also set to travel to London, in what would be his first overseas trip since ascending the throne in 2019.

Local media reported that Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend in the place of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Invitations to the Queens funeral have not been sent to Russia or Belarus against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine. Taliban-ruled Afghanistan was also being excluded, as was Syria and Myanmar.

The seating plan, which could prove to be highly complicated due to the various protocol and political issues thrown up by a gathering of this size, is yet to be finalised.
About 18 years ago, Bryon and Mary Forney took a chance on opening diesel engine repair shop Forney Repair LLC in David City. In 2004, Bryon was still relearning how to walk after losing his leg a few years earlier but persevered.

Now, Forney Repair has received the 2022 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics for a company with five to 10 employees in the Lincoln and greater Nebraska area.

The Torch Awards recognize businesses that have made a commitment to honest and ethical business practices, as well as customer service excellence, according to the BBBs website. Businesses are judged on their character, culture, customer service and community engagement.

Additionally, businesses must have certain accreditations to be eligible for the award.

In order to get this, you have to have the bronze accredited business award. You have to have the HDA truck award which is heavy duty approved, that's code of ethics, Bryon said. And then we have to have so many years of winning the honor roll  since we've been open, we've always been on the honor roll.

The shop  which provides a wide variety of services for diesel, gas and race engines  has a variety of customers from all over, many being truckers.

Forney Repair stays busy with a steady stream of customers, but the road to its current success wasnt easy.

Bryon had an at-home accident in 1997 that damaged his leg. He experienced a lot of complications, including immune issues and a staph infection. After 20-something surgeries, his leg was amputated in 2001.

He had trouble finding employment after the loss of his leg.

Nobody would take a chance, Mary recalled. Everybody said 'you're a liability with one leg' and Bryon's like 'what am I going to do?' I'm like 'we need to do our own.'

The Forneys opened their business in 2004. They were located in town for a while before moving out to their current location, 3380 Mn Road, in 2009.

When we opened our business in 2004, it was kind of scary for Mary and I. We exhausted all our money, nowhere to go, nobody hiring because of one leg, Bryon said.

Bryon added he was still learning to use his prosthetic leg at the time and he had misgivings on whether they could make the business work.

There were doubts in my mind several times, if we were going even be able to make this go, Bryon said. A lot of pain and then learning how to walk. I taught myself to walk by going back to work.

Yet, losing his leg also gave him a different outlook on life. Also, Mary noted, he is fully mobile without it; he had limited mobility prior to the amputation.

It used to be it was about work, money, toys, money, work, Bryon said. When I gave up the leg, it wasn't about that anymore. It's about life itself. And I reflected that into the business.

According to Bryon, the business is centered on being a "straight shooter."

I was raised old school, he explained. What I mean by that is, is be honest, be professional, be upfront. Some people like to hear the real deal, and some people don't. It is paid off for us to just let people know what they have, what it's going cost.

Also, a lot of what they do is treat people like what they are  people.

We'll take them to the motel, we'll take them to eat, he added. We've even had a couple of them, where they would come to our house and sleep in their semis at our house and [wed] take care of them. They appreciate that. So there's a lot more to it than just the diesel work.

And truck drivers, just like everybody else, are just out there making a living.

The way that we run our business is, we're not here to make that million dollars. We're here to make a living and take care of people, Bryon said.

The Forneys and their three employees will be receiving their award in Omaha on Sept. 21.

We're going to close, take the guys with us, Mary said. We couldn't do it without them.

They also gave thanks to friend Gina Barlean who helped them with the application process. Mary noted their application included several reviews from customers.

Notably, Bryon said his doctor who treated his leg is also coming to the awards ceremony. The couple said theyve been getting calls from customers and trucking companies to congratulate them on their award.

The ethics torch award for Mary and I, that's a big, big, big achievement, Bryon said. It's something in my lifetime that I would have never even dreamt of because you have to have reviews and ratings that high. But you have to have everything behind that. We're very proud of it.
That was the word in late July when Kristen Rowe, director of destination marketing, gave a report on the status of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp., which draws most of its funding from hotel tax revenue.

To see that were almost at the same occupancy and above in average daily rate and revenue per available room is good news, Rowe said. It means the hotels are recovering.

The average year-to-date occupancy rate was 53% of available rooms in 2022, up 16.7% from 2021, but down 0.75% from 2019, the peak performance year before the onset of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the average daily rate per room among county hotels was $89.20, up 18% from 2021, but only 2.8% from 2019. Year-to-date, the revenue per room averages $47.27, which is 37% higher than 2021, but only 2% higher than the 2019 peak year.

Representatives from the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau have talked with colleagues in tourism bureaus in nearby counties, said Aaron Jumper, public relations manager. They were looking at our numbers. We dont have a big attraction, but our numbers were just as good, if not better, than theirs. It was surprising.

COVID-related travel restrictions put the squeeze on hotel tax revenue and forced the bureau to change its marketing strategy, Rowe said. Instead of spending money to draw visitors from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the focus shifted to offering greater support to local businesses and their continued survival.

For a while, the rules were changing every other day, especially for restaurants, Rowe said. They were hit the hardest with the regulations, but we still had our team.

Messages were posted on social media sites encouraging residents to frequent their favorite store or restaurant. The local focus made fiscal sense and set the stage for the recovery effort to bring overnight visitors back to Cumberland County.

We really pushed the tourism perspective  spend more time in your own backyard, Jumper said. If you want to get away from the four walls of your house, have a little bit of different scenery locally. We pushed that because we saw that people were not traveling to their normal vacations so we continued to support local businesses.

Much of the effort was helped along by the diversity of tourism assets available in Cumberland County, Rowe said. Were not reliant on one major attraction. Were able to shift and be flexible.

We have a lot of the outdoors, said Gary Scicchitano, CAEDC interim executive administrator. Even during COVID, people could fish or tube the Yellow Breeches [Creek].

The Appalachian Trail runs through Cumberland County and there are three state parks in which to spread out and practice social distancing. It got to the point where we had to work with our outdoor partners, Rowe said. They were having problems with trail maintenance.

Over the years, the bureau has focused more of its marketing efforts on promoting Cumberland County as a weekend destination, Rowe said. There has also been a focus on the off-season when hotels tend to draw less occupancy, she said.

What the hotels are asking us is that they dont need help during a car show or Dickinson College graduation, Rowe said. Were a weekend getaway. Were not a beach vacation where you can go seven to 10 days.
The condition of a Carlisle man injured in an afternoon apartment fire Thursday remains unknown, Carlisle Fire Chief Randy O'Donnell said.

Cumberland Goodwill EMS transported the man, whose identity has not been released, from his apartment on the 100 block of A Street in Carlisle with burn injuries after a fire broke out around 3 p.m.

O'Donnell said the man has since been flown to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The center's website states that it contains "specialized centers for burn treatment."

The man was home alone at the time of the fire, O'Donnell said, though it's unknown if he lived by himself.

The building houses six apartments. Approximately 10 residents, six or seven adults and about three children, have been displaced, O'Donnell said. No one remains in the building, which was condemned Thursday afternoon until repairs can be made, and the displaced people are receiving assistance from the Red Cross, he said.

O'Donnell said responding crews rescued a father and toddler from a third floor apartment.

"When the fire department arrived, it extended a ladder and assisted them to the ground and they were not injured," he said.

A report from the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety listed New Kingstown, Citizen, Carlisle Barracks, North Middleton, Union, Carlisle Fire & Rescue and Friendship Hose as the responding fire departments. The Carlisle Police Department and Cumberland Goodwill EMS were also on the scene.

Police reported the fire originated in the kitchen of the man's first-floor apartment and said it was accidental, caused by unattended cooking.

O'Donnell said the fire was contained to the kitchen, a small adjacent room and the hallway, though the rest of the building sustained "substantial smoke damage."

Police said the damage is estimated at $75,000.

Posted at 9:15 on Cumberlink:

A Carlisle resident suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out in an apartment Thursday afternoon, Carlisle police said.

Police and fire officials responded to the 100 block of A Street at 2:53 p.m. Thursday for an apartment fire.

Arriving units discovered the blaze in a first floor apartment, police said. An investigation revealed that the fire started in the kitchen of the apartment.

Police attributed the cause of the fire to "unattended cooking" and said it was accidental.

The tenant of the apartment was transported to the hospital for burn injuries.

About 10 other tenants were displaced and assisted by Red Cross, police said.

Damages are estimated at $75,000, police said.
FRIENDSVILLE, Md.  A proposal to expand a network of biking and hiking trails through western Maryland has triggered intense opposition among hikers, whitewater rafters and other outdoor enthusiasts who might otherwise cheer the idea.

And that's because the project  pushed by two conservative Republican state lawmakers from Garrett County and a group called Garrett Trails  would route the permanent two-way paths through the heart of the scenic Youghiogheny River.

Supporters  including Garrett Trails, a nonprofit organization led by resort, lodging, local government and other recreational business interests  say the Youghiogheny canyon trail would bring greater public access to a gorgeous piece of Appalachian landscape and boost the region's struggling economy, especially once it's linked to the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail running from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. Eventually, the Youghiogheny trail would also connect to a planned Eastern Continental Divide Loop in western Maryland.

"I can't kayak that river anymore  I'm past my prime being able to enjoy that  but I would certainly enjoy hiking up and down that river, and I think a lot of people would," said Rob Hammond. Hammond, a security systems consultant, said when he was living in Cleveland, he used to run the Youghiogheny rapids once a month or so and came to love the area so much he moved to Garrett County.

"This is a public river," he said, "and we should have access to it."

Opponents say the proposal would violate a landmark 1968 Maryland law that led to the designation of the Youghiogheny (pronounced YOCK-uh-gain-ee) as the state's only wild and scenic river. They also argue that building durable two-lane trails along the Yough, as the river is often known, for multitudes of visitors will inevitably destroy the primitive beauty that has survived until now precisely because of its rugged, secluded nature.

"I feel that it would make an economic impact because it would go through an amazing area. However, that amazing area would be changed forever," said Eric Harder, the nonprofit Mountain Watershed Association's Youghiogheny Riverkeeper. "A wild and primitive place is somewhere that's inaccessible to normal human traffic."

The debate comes as the nation's state and federal parks have strained to handle huge crowds driven outdoors during the pandemic. And it's taken on additional urgency after the Maryland General Assembly tucked $4.7 million in project funding into the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) budget in what opponents say was deft legislative maneuvering by the project's backers with little transparency or public comment.

"I have a lot of questions, and I feel like my biggest issue with this is the misinformation or lack of information from the get-go," said Molly Rikhye, who owns property in the river valley and voiced her opposition at a recent town hall. "This was just kind of sprung on everybody all at once."

The controversy also has raised not only familiar questions about how to open public access to natural resources while still preserving them, but also questions about the meaning of terms such as "natural" or "primitive."

"They've gone after the wildest place in Maryland," said Steve Storck, a former executive director at Garrett Trails who left the nonprofit in a dispute with its executive board over running a trail through the Yough corridor. "That's the issue."

Storck has also become his former employer's biggest critic, saying Garrett Trails has operated on behalf of businesses and local governments that would profit from the trail network without the requisite transparency that public entities require.

Michael M. Dreisbach, the nonprofit board's president, says it's no secret that the organization has been pushing for trails in the Youghiogheny River for about 15 years.

"There is nothing that precludes a trail in the Yough river canyon, period," said Dreisbach, who with his wife owns the Savage River Lodge, a resort embedded inside state forest land where cabins go for as much as $315 a night. Besides the lodge, which was listed for sale for a time for $7.9 million, the Dreisbachs own other businesses, too, including the Cornucopia Cafe in Grantsville. Dreisbach said that, if anything, several opponents, such as rafting guides and property owners, have a vested interest in keeping people out.

"And at this point, it's almost a moot story anymore because you only got a couple people that are constantly opposed to everything you do," said Dreisbach, a self-described Blue Dog Democrat who is also on the ballot this year for a seat in the Maryland Senate.

The Youghiogheny River is the only western Maryland river that doesn't flow south  hence, its Algonkian name meaning "stream flowing in a contrary direction."

The river runs 135 miles from its source on Backbone Mountain in West Virginia, dropping into steep rocky canyons over a 4-mile stretch in Maryland before emptying into the Monongahela River outside Pittsburgh. Its course includes Maryland's largest waterfall and twisting whitewater rapids that rank among the most difficult in the eastern United States.

Over the years, the Yough valley also has supported logging and mining, including an old small-gauge railroad whose trail bed has been mostly reclaimed by nature. Its forests shelter 15 plant and 11 animal species that the DNR says are considered threatened or endangered.

In 1968, Maryland's General Assembly passed the Scenic and Wild Rivers Act  co-sponsored by House Majority Leader Rep. Steny H. Hoyer when he was a state senator  that initially listed five rivers. Eventually, the Youghiogheny became the first and only one to receive the designation, with a portion between Miller's Run and Friendsville gaining further protection as a "wild river" in 1976. (Congress also considered adding the Yough to the federal roster of wild and scenic rivers but did not.)

By law, DNR has responsibility to manage and protect the Yough, including sections where regulations require that its "primitive" natural state remain intact and "inaccessible except by trail."

But what constitutes a "trail" is also key to the debate. Opponents of the Yough canyon trail argue that only a rudimentary foot path fits within the law's intent; supporters say a durable trail  perhaps covered with gravel and able accommodate two-way traffic for bicycles, hikers and perhaps even wheelchairs  would qualify, too.

To that end, Sen. George C. Edwards and Del. Wendell R. Beitzel  who secured funds for the Yough trail after consulting with Garrett Trails  said legal counsel with the General Assembly's Department of Legislative Services advised them that the trail proposed by Garrett Trails would not violate the law. Both said the opinion was not obtained in writing.

The two lawmakers recently called a town hall to explain their efforts to obtain the $4.7 million in funding to build two trails from Sang Run to Kendall Trail and from Swallow Falls to Sang Run.

About 60 people attended, all but three of whom spoke against the project.

"Personally, I'm for trails," said Roger Zbel, owner of Precision Rafting who's been leading groups through the river's whitewater for 42 years. "I mountain bike, I hike, I do it all. But I'm really against a trail going up in the wild and scenic corridor."

Others argued that, especially at a time when climate change has shown the powerful impact of human activity on the environment, there ought to be places crowds of people shouldn't go. Some suggested that preservation can bring its economic benefits. Several expressed hope that DNR Secretary Jean Haddaway-Riccio would reject the Yough trail as her predecessor, Joseph P. Gill, did in 2014.

Gill, in a letter dated June 12, 2014, and addressed to Beitzel and Edwards, said Garrett Trails' plan, which included large bridges, would damage the Yough's scenic canyon, violate its protective law and probably run afoul of other state and federal environmental laws.

Haddaway-Riccio, noting that neither the governor nor DNR had requested the trail funds, suggested that her agency would take a very cautious look at the plan.

"We are not opposed to exploring and considering expansion of trails in the region," Haddaway-Riccio said in a statement provided by a DNR spokesman, adding that the agency would also have to take into account the river's protected status.

"The provision of the law, along with terrain challenges, will likely result in the need to adjust the location of the trails and develop design features that would work in this corridor or seek solutions for these trails outside the corridor," she said.

Harder, the Youghiogheny Riverkeeper, said a new biking and hiking trail that extends the larger western Maryland network but runs outside the Yough canyon would be the way to go.

"We're not anti-trail  we actually manage our own bike trail," Harder said. "We just think this is the wrong location for it."
In the hours after roughly 50 migrants touched down on Marthas Vineyard in two planes sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the islands community  still jarred by the unexpected arrival  rushed to help the newcomers.

We received food, we received clothes, we received  different things, so much so that weve had to relocated that donation drop-off spot to the fire department, Edgartown, Massachusetts, town administrator James Hagerty told CNN Wednesday.

Town officials even had to post on social media that they didnt need more donations, Hagerty added, as items continued to pour in.

I think thats a testament to the community of the island and its a testament to the citizens of Edgartown, its a testament to everything thats going on now, he said.

Weve been through Covid, weve been through hurricanes, weve been through this, weve been through a lot of things imaginable for a small community and every one of those weve risen up as the Vineyard, cause were resilient, Hagerty said. We take care of our own, we take care of the community, we help people out.

Volunteers help serve food to the recently arrived migrants. - Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

The town is no stranger to large population influxes. Located off the coast of Massachusetts, the island of Marthas Vineyard  home to Edgartown and several other municipalities  is known as a posh summer destination for wealthy vacationers.

While the towns winter population is a couple hundred people, it jumps up to several thousand during the hotter months when they welcome summer tourists, Hagerty said.

An estimated year-round island population of around 20,000 can balloon to more than 100,000 during peak tourism season.

But the challenge with this weeks arrival of migrants was that they were unexpected, the town administrator said, and that it all happened so last minute.

In addition to the donations, the towns on the island as well as community-based and nonprofit groups are helping in the effort to care for the migrants and offer them shelter, food and care, according to a Facebook post from the Dukes County government.

Story continues

We are grateful to the many local and neighboring community members who have reached out with offers of support, county officials wrote in the post.

Now, Hagerty said, the biggest help that town officials need is financial: the migrants have a variety of needs, including relocating to a different city in the US and getting the transportation to make it there.

Were trying to handle it as best as we can, Hagerty said. The needs are diverse and financial support would best facilitate a lot of those diversities.

The arrival is the latest move in a series of actions by Republican governors to transport migrants to northern liberal cities and states in order to protest the Biden administrations policies at the southern border.

Also this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he sent two buses of migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris residence in the nations capital, and the Thursday arrival surprised unsuspecting volunteers. Democratic leaders denounced the moves and the White House press secretary called the actions cruel, premeditated political stunts.

CNNs Nicki Brown contributed to this report.

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Rina Sawayama fitting in pop music - Credit: Timothy Norris/Getty Images

Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Gwen Stefani helped bona fide pop star Rina Sawayama connect  and fit in  with her white classmates after her family immigrated to London from Japan. In a new interview with Them, the Hold the Girl star shared how the music allowed her to connect with her peers before being fluent in English.

Pop was a way to fit in, she told Them. If youre new to that school or whatever, it can really connect you to the rest of the students. She said shed sometimes create imaginary girl groups to connect with her classmates at the Catholic school she attended.

More from Rolling Stone

It was also through her own pop music  and her new album Hold the Girl  that Sawayama found healing for her inner child, whom she says was gaslit into not believing in [her] own truth. Her experiences as a queer woman and child of immigrants also translated onto much of the record.

Sawayama spoke about her track Send My Love to John, inspired by a real-life experience of a queer friend who wasnt immediately accepted by their family. With it, Sawayama wanted to give an empathetic view of parents who immigrated to America and wish so many things for their child that never worked out.

I hope that song can set a lot of people free, in terms of the people who have never said sorry to them or who will never see them for the beautiful human being that they are, she said. I think theres a lot of people who carry that with them, [feeling like] they represent embarrassment or shame to others. I think those people deserve a sorry.

Sawayama says the LP is her way of infiltrating therapy into pop music. Its providing healing for herself but also for those who listen.

The idea of, where do I start and where [other people] begin is something that Ive only really truly learned recently, Sawayama said. I think when you spend your whole life trying to make other people happy, whether its your parents or school or this societal notion of whats good [] you genuinely forget what you want to do. What makes you happy? What are your values? I think this record overall is about finding out what those boundaries are.

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A Rolling Stone review of Hold the Girl by Rob Sheffield praised the musician for her ability to marry so many different sonics on a still-cohesive LP.

It seems the isolation of lockdown made her bolder about looking inside herself. The most exciting thing about Hold the Girl is that you cant even guess where Sawayama might go next. Shes a cultural-pastiche artist on so many different levels, Sheffield writes. But these songs make it clear that Sawayama can blast off into any future she wants.

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Click here to read the full article.
A Park Hills man is accused of attempting to entice a child to engage in sexual conduct in Washington County. The felony case was filed a day after the man pleaded not guilty to sodomy and child molestation charges in St. Francois County.

Kyle Jacob Henslee, 23, of Park Hills, was charged in Washington County on Sept. 8 with attempted enticement of a child (actor 21 years of age or older and child less than 15 years of age).

According to a probable cause statement from the Potosi Police Department, Henslee communicated with a 13-year-old female in February through Facebook Messenger earlier this year. During the alleged conversations between Henslee and the teen, the man reportedly asked the juvenile if she wanted to be his girlfriend.

The report states the teen questioned Henslee because the two are related, but he told her that no one needed to know about them. The girl also reportedly mentioned the age gap between her and Henslee; however, he allegedly said "no one needed to know, to keep it a secret."

Henslee reportedly communicated to the girl that they could make plans to see each other. He allegedly told her that he would figure out how to meet and told her to trust him.

Henslee was booked at the Washington County Jail on Tuesday, and his bond was set at $75,000. At the time of his arrest, the man had been free on a $150,000 surety bond posted on Sept. 9 in St. Francois County, where he faces separate charges.

The St. Francois County case against Henslee was filed on May 25 and includes two counts of first-degree child molestation, statutory sodomy/attempt - deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, and statutory sodomy/attempt - deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old - aggravated sexual offense.

The four-count indictment was filed after a different child reported multiple alleged instances of sexual assault over a period of more than two years.

According to a probable cause statement from the Park Hills Police Department, a girl under the age of 13 reported through her mother that Henslee had committed multiple sexual assaults "over a long period." The child reportedly reiterated the sexual assault claims during an interview at the Children's Advocacy Center.

The report states the child mentioned at least four separate instances. The alleged criminal interactions were reported to have happened between November 2019 and May of this year, according to court filings.

Authorities reported that Henslee subsequently admitted to law enforcement that he had committed the alleged acts but placed the blame on the victim.
On Wednesday, students at Special Acres School received a visit from a couple of employees of the Park Hills branch of First State Community Bank (FSCB). They were there to teach students about money and financial literacy under the Impact Initiative.

In addition to the lesson, the branch also donated items the school needed. Each classroom had made a wishlist and the bank purchased some of those items. Items purchased included large gym mats, a tricycle, different communication resources for various students, educational materials to help teach life skills, items for arts and crafts, and gait belts to help in transferring and walking with students. The bank also provided snacks and drinks to some of the classes.

Special Acres School is a member of the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, and has a focus on creating a safe environment, while also providing equal opportunities for individual growth, education, and independence for students. The K-12 school takes in students up to the age of 21. All students attending the school are from local school districts.

Kelly Linck, one of the teachers at Special Acres, said First State Community Banks kindness is a huge blessing to the students and classes at the school. Linck has been with the school 14 years, and said the school has been around long before she joined.

Everybody knows about the public schools, but they dont necessarily know about us, explained Linck. So thats why we also felt very thankful the bank recognized us.

This year is Kaytlyn Harrisons first year doing the bank's Impact Initiative, but knew she wanted to include Special Acres in some way as she has a personal connection to the school. Her sister had attended the school.

She tried public school and it just wasnt good for her, and when she came to Special Acres they did nothing but take phenomenal care of her, explained Harrison. And so I want to give back to them for giving to the kids they give to.

Harrison was joined by Miranda Berry, also of FSCB, as the two taught Lincks class about money, including how many coins add up to a dollar, while also learning how to save money using a piggy bank. They used a coloring page featuring a piggy bank. The students also showed off what they had learned.

At the end of the lesson, the kids received a cup featuring the FSCB logo, as well as a pair of sunglasses and a bracelet.
The Fourth Annual Missouri Vietnam Wall Run is set for today and Saturday, and a stretch of the ride includes the Fredericktown area. Hosted by the Veterans in Defense of Liberty and the Liberty Riders of America, as well as the Bikers on the Square in Perryville, the event is held annually on the weekend of National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

The ride begins in three locations: Springfield, St. Louis, and Olney, Illinois and ends at the Missouri National Veterans Memorial in Perryville. The memorial is a full-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., and was completed in November of 2018. Tonight, riders will attend a candlelight vigil starting at 7 p.m.

There is no charge for the ride, and anyone who wishes to join can do so at any point along the route.

Tonight, the Springfield route will enter Fredericktown at 3 p.m. for a 30-minute fuel stop at the Fredericktown Walmart. The ride will continue onto Perryville and arrive at 4:15 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. riders will meet and depart from the Super 8 in Perryville and ride to the POW/MIA Candlelight Vigil at the Missouri National Veterans Memorial. The vigil starts at 7 p.m., and is expected to last half an hour. The welcome Center and museum will be open from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday at 11 a.m. is the Fredericktown Rendezvous, which include the Parade of Honor. Riders will meet at the Fredericktown Walmart and depart at noon to head back toward Perryville. At 1 p.m. the ride will arrive in Perryville Town Square for an official ceremony to honor veterans. This years honorees include the last living Medal of Honor recipient in Missouri, Donald Doc Ballard, Retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Clark, a POW from the Vietnam War.

The Saluting Marine Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers will also be in attendance. Chambers received the nickname for being known to stand at attention in the middle of motorcycle traffic during Rolling Thunder demonstrations in Washington D.C., and has done so since 2001.

At 3 p.m. Saturday, the ride will be escorted to the wall by local law enforcement, and at 4 p.m. the Bikers on the Square bike rally starts at the Perryville Town Square.

This year marks the 10th annual Bikers on the Square event, and a portion of all proceeds will benefit Camp Hope and Missouris Veterans Memorial. The event features live music, food, vendors, a burnout contest, a Ride in Bike show in which the top bike receives $500 for Best of Show. There will be a sky lantern ceremony for veterans at dusk.

Live music include Dazed n Confused STL from 7 to 11 p.m. tonight, and on Saturday Infringement plays 3 to 7 p.m., while Pyromaniac takes the stage at 8 p.m.

For more information about the ride, go to https://www.missourivietnamwallrun.org/ or follow the Facebook page Missouri Vietnam Wall Run. For more information about the Bikes on the Square, follow the Facebook page Bikers on the Square for Veterans.
The Albany train station is looking a little different lately, and travelers are taking notice. Parallel to the train track along chain link fencing marks the site of construction of the Amtrak station.

The project marks a national effort to make transportation more accessible and follow compliance with the American Disabilities Act, said Dan Valley, District manager of the Pacific Northwest stations. It follows suit with other stations in Oregon that have made the changes already, such as in Salem, he added.

The Amtrak station will have higher raised platforms that will eliminate the need for lifts used for individuals with mobility devices or who have a difficult time stepping on.

Valley calls it a more permanent solution.

Right now, Amtrak uses ramp lifts that the crew uses as well as mechanical lifts and hydraulic lifts that appear like an elevator raising, he said. But those can take time to use, and have weight limits, he added.

The new platform could be more time efficient.

Its not just for people with mobility devices, Valley said. Those who carry a lot of luggage they have to wheel will have an easier time boarding.

The project is expected to be completed in the next three months, Valley said.

In the meantime, the construction marks a visual obstruction. Valley doesnt think the construction should be too hindering. It might add an extra walk as Amtrak riders navigate the barricade. But for some first-time travelers, the construction can be a little confusing.

Visiting from Portland, Alison Quinlan didnt know where exactly to go, she said.

Im just following where the crowd is, hoping Im in the right spot, she said.

But for frequent travelers, the construction doesnt pose any obstruction. Nairne Dickey, from Newport, has ridden the Amtrak over 50 times and says it is her favorite way to travel.

She says she has a relative who is disabled so she pays attention to accessibility and welcomes the change in the platform. But she thinks its already the most accessible public transportation.

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Public transit is often crowded and can be stressful, Dickson said. Theres a lot of room and its very quiet, she added.

For Denise Jenkins, who rides the Amtrak to visit her mother in Albany, it's an opportunity for elderly passengers to have an easier time boarding.

"I've recently helped a woman who was struggling," she said,"I think the change is great."
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock wants to apply a strategy aimed at reducing crime in "hot spots" to the city's behavioral health challenges, arguing that focusing resources on areas in Denver  he specifically noted downtown  experiencing higher prevalence of drug overdose and violence is a smart approach.

The program is part of Denver's most ambitious budget proposal to date  a record $3.75 billion spending plan that earmarks nearly $45 million for mental health services, staff and treatment facilities.

The budget allocates $700,000 for a new public "health hot spot" program.

Hancock's office said it is modeled after the city's "successful, data-driven public safety hot spot work."

"This effort will concentrate resources in areas of our community experiencing higher public health harms such as drug overdoses, encampments and violence," his office said in a news release, adding that, coupled with additional resources, "these investments will allow us to take a more pro-active approach to help people who are in crisis on our streets, particularly in and around downtown."

Hancock's budget proposal unveiled earlier this week includes $36.5 million in federal pandemic relief money to expand the city's existing mental health programs and $8 million from the national opioid settlement to pay service providers and increase capacity at treatment facilities.

"My 2023 budget proposal prioritizes investments in community health and safety support and other resources specifically tailored to our most vulnerable populations," Hancock said in his budget memo.

Of the $36.5 million in pandemic relief money, Hancock said he wants to allocate $20 million to expand the city's behavioral health provider network, and "cover behavioral health services for people living with HIV, particularly people of color."

Partnership to target hotspots

Hancock's behavioral health "hot spot" program would see nearly $650,000 invested in the following areas:

$155,600 to create two outreach coordinator positions

$44,300 to increase service supplies to support added positions

$45,000 for the one-time purchase of a vehicle to support outreach

$255,700 to create three therapist positions

$142,100 to add two emergency medical technicians.

Additionally, Hancock seeks to pair the pilot program with $180,000 investment for a new fire department emergency medical unit and $900,000 to fund a complex-case outreach team. He said his goal in doing this is "to ensure that those in crisis are met with a public health, rather than a police response."

Youth mental health

Hancock's proposed budget also targets Colorado's youth after noting a rapid increase in adolescents reporting "poor" mental health.

The 2021 State of Mental Health in America Report ranked Colorado No. 42  among the worst end of the spectrum  on prevalence of mental illness and access to care for young people. Preliminary data from the 2022 report shows youth mental health levels rebounding, and the state ranks 13th overall. But Colorado ranks dead last in mental health for adults, according to the report, which looked at adults with mental illness who are uninsured and those cognitive disabilities but could not a doctor because of the cost of care.

In order to keep Denver's young people on the right track, Hancock asked $1.6 million for youth mental services and $1.5 million for out of school time programming. He also earmarked $6 million to increase food security and access.

Last year, Denver Public Schools served more than 100,000 meals as part of the Tasty Food Program, a drop from 2020 levels that school officials said was due to the lingering effects the COVID-19 Pandemic. Food and meals are distributed through the Summer Foods Service Program and the At-Risk After School Meals Program.

"These programs work towards the goal of increasing student engagement, as well as reducing childhood hunger and obesity for Denvers children and youth," Hancock's budget memo says.

According to the the city's Office of Children's Affairs, $5.1 million was appropriated last year for activities, such as health initiatives, youth development and after school programs.

Hancock is requesting this total budget increase by a little more than half-a-million dollars. These changes include:

$2.1 million for after school and summer programs (a $7,070 increase)

$1.2 million for youth violence prevention (a $41,322 increase)

$316,665 for health initiatives (a $99,665 increase)

$322,579 for youth development (a $91,317 increase).

Caring for Denver Fund

The budget also provides for The Caring for Denver Fund under the Caring for Denver Foundation.

Started via a voter approved ballot measure in 2018, the Caring for Denver Foundation, which falls under the city's Department of Public Health and Environment, seeks to grow "community-informed solutions, dismantling stigma, and turning the communitys desire to help into action" as strategies to tackle mental health and substance abuse.

Funded by city sales tax revenue, the organization received $46.4 million for this year. Hancock's recommends increasing its funding by 6.9% to a total of $49.5 million.

All told, Hancock is requesting to reduce the health department's spending by about 1.23%. His proposal includes:

$741,619 in behavioral health spending (a 12.25% decrease)

$778,965 in health promotion spending (a 19.5% increase)

$598,168 in public health and wellness spending (no change)

2.4 million in support team assistance response spending (a 43.8% decrease).

Additionally, the mayor's budget seeks to continue providing $67,300 in mental health awareness training, a grant that was in place last year.

The city council is set to review the mayor's proposal several times, with hearings streamed live and scheduled for Sept. 23 and 26-30. The city council will conduct working sessions on Oct. 6 and 7, and by Oct. 11, councilmembers expect to send the amended budget back to the mayor, and on Oct. 24, members of the public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

The council will vote on Hancock's budget on Nov. 7.
RTHK: Martha's Vineyard migrants to be housed in base

Fifty or so migrants sent to the wealthy island of Martha's Vineyard in the northeastern United States as part of a political battle over immigration will be temporarily housed at a military base not far from there, the governor of Massachusetts said Friday.

The migrants, mostly Venezuelans and including children, arrived on Wednesday at Martha's Vineyard, a Democratic stronghold and popular vacation spot for the country's political elite.

They had been put on board flights from Texas which the Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, says he chartered.

Despite local mobilisation to help the new arrivals, the island is "not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation, and state officials developed a plan to deliver a comprehensive humanitarian response," said a statement from the administration of Governor Charlie Baker.

On Friday, the state authorities offered to move the migrants, on a voluntary basis, to temporary accommodation at the nearby Joint Base Cape Cod.

"Families will not be separated," the statement said, noting that the base had previously served as an emergency shelter and that the migrants would have access to care and legal services.

According to local media, the migrants were on their way to the base by midday Friday.

Some of them had said they had not known they were being sent to an island.

Local Democrat legislator Julian Cyr called for an investigation.

"Whether or not this meets the legal threshold for human trafficking, this meets the moral threshold of human trafficking," he told local television, adding that he hoped the Department of Justice would look into the incident.

Sending migrants to Democratic strongholds has become a political cudgel for the American right as a means of denouncing President Joe Biden's immigration policy, which they say has allowed undocumented migrants to cross the border with Mexico in large numbers.

It is also a way to try to place immigration at the centre of the campaign for the mid-term elections in November.

On Thursday morning, two buses carrying migrants arrived near the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, DC, a place chosen on purpose because she is overseeing the explosive issue of immigration for the White House. They had been sent by Texas' Republican Governor Greg Abbott. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-09-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 11:00PM

By Abe Friedtanzer

Its much easier to expose a lie in todays technology-driven world than it was in past centuries, when something that seemed supernatural or inexplicable might have been taken at face value rather than properly investigated. The Wonder, based on the novel by Room screenwriter Emma Donoghue, centers on an eleven-year-old girl in Ireland who hasnt eaten in four months yet somehow remains alive and well, and the town committee that brings in an observer with the apparent purpose of verifying some sort of divine intervention rather than unveiling a deception

There are many notable names involved in this project, which comes to Netflix in December. Sebastian Lelio, who previously made Gloria, Disobedience, and the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, has directing duties. Cinematographer Ari Wegner, responsible for last years visually striking The Power of the Dog, returns with another stark period piece that makes excellent use of the sparse nature of its sets and the intensity of its characters. And in the lead role is Florence Pugh, whose other new film Dont Worry Darling has earned her considerable press recently.

There is an air of mystery that permeates this film, one that makes it seem like at any moment it could turn into a horror movie where young Anna (Kila Lord Cassidy) is shown to be demonically possessed. But, throughout it all, Pughs Lib, an English nurse, is certain that there must be something logical to explain how Anna is able to not eat and still survive. The councils determination to believe that it is the work of a higher power and their unwillingness to listen to Libs science-based approach is vaguely reminiscent of present-day election deniers who cite the lack of evidence that the election wasnt rigged as definitive proof that it was.

This films moodiness and intrigue are its strongest assets. Its wonderful to see Pugh in any role, but this part is considerably drier than her charismatic turns in Little Women, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. After seeing him in The Souvenir, its hard to accept that Tom Burkes prying journalist, who has returned to his hometown to cover this sensational story, may actually not harbor malicious motivations. The ensemble also includes brief appearances from a handful of recognizable Irish talent, including Niamh Algar, Brian F. OByrne, David Wilmot, and Ciaran Hinds, all of whom could have used more screen time. A strange framing device casts the films events in a slightly different light, but its content remains sufficiently captivating. B

The Wonder is screening in the Special Presentations category at TIFF and will debut on Netflix on December 7th.
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has ordered the implementation of the countrys universal service fund (USF) within a reasonable timeframe.

CommsUpdate reports that the fund was created in October 2002 via framework law No. 013/2002 with the goal of delivering mobile connectivity to the majority of the countrys population. It accrues funds via a 3% levy on operator revenue  and these funds have thus far not been utilised.

Tshisekedi argues that this inaction has made effective management of the funds impossible, and has now ordered that the money be used to finance infrastructure initiatives to enable widespread and affordable access to ICT that reflects the current configuration of the digital ecosystem.
NEWTON  Newton Elementary School is one of five schools in the state and 297 nationally named a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School, according to a list of honorees released by the United States Department of Education Friday.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my honor to announce that this morning in Washington, D.C., the United States Department of Education announced that Newton Elementary School in the Dale County School System is a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School award winner, said Dale County Schools Superintendent Ben Baker at a news conference held Friday morning in the NES gym.

This national recognition is given to elite schools across the United States based on a schools overall academic performance, Baker said. This historic accomplishment will go down as one of the greatest achievements in the history of the Dale County School System.

I applaud the 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for creating vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school communities where students can learn, grow, reach their potential, and achieve their dreams, said Baker, reading from a statement made by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona when the list of as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022 was release to the public. Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students lives.

Cheers and applause erupted from the nearly 300 students and school personnel attending the press conference in the NES gymnasium when the award was announced. Receiving this national award is a direct result of outstanding employees of Newton School, Baker said. It takes everybody, including the community, to reach this level of achievement.

I would like to give credit where credit is due, Baker said, calling to the podium NES former principal Patrick Reed, who now serves as special needs coordinator for Dale County Schools. He is the man who created the climate and culture for this great success, Baker said.

Boys and girls, you have just made history, Reed said to the more than 250 of his former pupils seated cross legged on the gym floor. I am proud of each one of you. The biggest credit goes to the faculty and staff, he said, asking them to stand and be recognized.

Reed said that he has been asked what the schools recipe for success is. Its simple, he said. Its faith, hope, and love. Its that simple.

Reed said that each morning there are people strategically stationed throughout the campus. They are there for the sole purpose of greeting each student individually, instilling in them a truth and that is that You are loved when you are here.

That establishes faith in each child that each adult in this school loves them, Reed said. Every adult here instills hope in each child because each child knows they are loved.

That dovetails into love, Reed said. When you love a child, and kids are experts at this, they can tell if you truly love them. The adults here show these kids they are loved.

Baker said a delegation will travel to the nations capital in November to accept the award.

Other Alabama schools named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools are the Walter Jackson Elementary School, Decatur City School District; Elberta Elementary School, Baldwin County Public School District; Moody Elementary School, St. Clair County School District; and, Piedmont Elementary School, Piedmont City School District.
Dothan has been awarded $12.5 million in grant and low-interest loan money to replace old water mains that have served their usefulness.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) announced Thursday that it is awarding $348 million in grants and loans to repair and upgrade crumbling, malfunctioning, and overwhelmed water and sewer systems around the state. More funding is expected to be announced in the coming months.

According to ADEM, the funding announced Thursday will benefit residents in nearly three-quarters of the states counties.

Earlier this year, the Alabama Legislature approved spending $225 million of the states allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to help public water and sewer systems with the greatest infrastructure needs as well as individual residents in need of water or sewer services.

ADEM is supplementing the $225 million with other federal and state funds. The department expects to receive $765 million over the next five years  including $137 million in 2022  from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress last year. ADEM plans to combine that with $111 million in grants and loans through the State Revolving Fund.

ADEM expects to commit $473 million this year to water and sewer systems.

Along with Dothan, Columbia was awarded $1.36 million for water projects, and Ashford received $826,332 for water upgrades.

Dothan Utilities Director Billy Mayes said that of the money Dothan has been awarded, $2.5 million is in grant money while about $10 million will be in the form of a low-interest loan. The Dothan City Commission will vote on whether to accept the funding during its Tuesday meeting.

Mayes said anything the city can get in form of grant money will help extend the work it can do to upgrade antiquated cast iron, galvanized, and PVC lines used for the citys drinking water system.

Dothan residents, Mayes said, have dealt with red water issues since the 1980s. The city flushes the system to alleviate problems in certain areas and have replaced old water lines over the years.

Theyll have yellow or red water or odor in their water, Mayes said. The galvanized pipe is way past its useful life; its got to go.

The ADEM award involves an area in the Woodland community starting around Hartford Highway and Fortner Street and extending to Oates Street, West Selma Street, Stadium Street, Park Avenue and the Ross Clark Circle. The city has already replaced some of the older drinking water lines in the Woodland area, and Mayes said the ADEM award will help them finish in the area.

This is a way to get it done faster, Mayes said. With the grant and the low-interest loan, it gives us a way to get quite a bit done in a faster stretch.

Another project area involves old PVC lines in the Traders Hill area (where the Ford dealership is located) along and inside the Ross Clark Circle. That project area stretches from Traders Hill to East Main as well as work from East Main to Cottonwood Highway, back to Park Avenue and Hartford Highway.

Thats some of your main arteries for the city and for our customers, and to have problems with that creates problems not only for residential but it creates economic problems for our industries, Mayes said.

Nearly half of the states 1,061 public water and sewer systems statewide submitted requests for projects totaling more than $3.2 billion, according to ADEMs news release. As of Sept. 15, ADEM had awarded funding to systems in at least 48 of Alabamas 67 counties.

South Alabama counties with systems receiving funding include Mobile, Baldwin, Houston, Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe and Clarke.

The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System was awarded $64.25 million  one the largest awards  for sewer work and drinking water projects. Like Dothan, the Mobile award is mostly in the form of low-interest loans.

ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said the grants and loans represent an unprecedented investment in the states public water and sewer system. Funds, he said, are going to communities with the most critical needs and that would not otherwise be able to afford the repairs and upgrades on their own.

ADEM created the website alabamawaterprojects.com to provide the public with information and regular updates on grant applications and awards. The site includes links to lists of the water and sewer systems that have applied for grants and loans, as well as those systems that already have been awarded funding.

LeFleur said the recipients chosen so far are just the first round of grants and loans to be awarded by ADEM.

We make no pretense that we can satisfy all the water and sewer infrastructure needs in the state of Alabama, he said. The billions of dollars in requests we have received total several times the amount of money we have available. Projects we are not able to fund this year will be considered for funding in future years.
SPS expects 1,100 exhibitors after three-year absence

The SPS (Smart Production Solutions) automation megashow will return to its Nuremberg venue in Germany in November for its first physical show since 2019, with the organisers hoping to attract around 1,100 exhibitors, compared to the 1,585 in 2019. Last year, the exhibition had to be cancelled at the last minute because of soaring Covid rates in Bavaria.

Despite the reduced number of stands, the show will still occupy 13 halls  two fewer than in 2019. All of the major exhibitors are said to be returning and some have even opted for larger stands in 2022 than in previous years. But the show - taking place from 8-10 November  will be missing more than 100 exhibitors that it has previously attracted from China because of continuing travel restrictions from that country.

The exhibition has moved from its previous dates at the end of the November to earlier in the month  and will move permanently to a mid-month slot in future years. The organisers believe that if the 2021 show had been scheduled for two weeks earlier, it would have gone ahead. They want to minimise the risk of coinciding with a winter surge in Covid infections in future.

About 340 exhibitors are expected from outside Germany, representing 31% of the total.

In the first live SPS show since Brexit, the number of British-based exhibitors has dropped from 17 to 7  and most of those attending are not UK-owned. But the organisers point out that some UK companies will be present on the stands of their parent or partner companies based in other countries.

The online SPS on Air event which was established during the pandemic will return in 2022, giving people anywhere in the world access before, during and after the physical event. A digital pre-heat event with technical presentations and product previews will take place in the week before the exhibition and will be open to SPS ticket-holders.

Siemens will occupy an entire hall at the 2022 SPS show as it has in previous years

During the show, the SPS Live Studio will offer presentations and panel discussions on topics such as drives, digital transformation, safety and security, robot integration, smart sensors and artificial intelligence. Participants can also use the digital platform to initiate contacts and arrange appointments both on-site and digitally, network with each other, and find contacts for automation queries.

SPS on Air will remain online for a few days after the end of the event. An on-demand media library and much of the recorded lecture program will be available until November 15, 2022. This will give those who visited the show in person the opportunity to view presentations afterwards or to establish contacts with digital participants worldwide.

SPS vice-president Sylke Schulz-Metzner says that the experience of the past few years has shown that digital events cannot replace physical fairs. Visitors want to talk to people in person, and they want to be able to touch, feel and see. We are very happy that we can run this years event again physically, she says, while continuing to offer an online option.

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Dead clams are seen near a beach of Thai Binh Province following the sinking of a oil-carrying vessel about 10 km away, September 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu

Thousands of tons of clams in northern Vietnam's Thai Binh Province have died after an oil-carrying vessel sunk.

Over the past week, dozens of families in Thai Do Commune, Thai Thuy District, could not sit still as their clams, which were close to being harvested, kept dying. The smell of death spread over 10 kilometers along Con Den Beach.

While local authorities have yet to provide an official explanation for the clams' death, it coincided with the moment when the Ha An 01 vessel, which carried over 1,000 tons of oil, sunk on Sept. 8 while anchored about 10 kilometers from the site where the clams were raised.

Nguyen The Luyen, from Tien Hai District, said that just one day after the vessel sank, the clams began to die. The fields where they lived, spanning hundreds of hectares, were full of oil stains. A week after the incident, the smell of oil was still strong; their stains painting black streaks across the sands.

In 2006, Luyen and 10 other families in Tien Hai District went to Thai Do Commune to rent a field to raise clams, totaling 63 hectares. Now most of the clams have died, and those who survived could not be sold since the smell of oil has already contaminated them.

"We tried cooking them up, but we couldn't eat them due to the oil smell," Luyen said.

With over 60 hectares worth of clams affected, Luyen and neighboring families estimated a loss of around VND22 billion ($929,447).

He said around 100 tons of clams could be harvested per hectare. A kilogram of clams could be sold at VND10,000-11,000.

Economic damage however was not the only consequence. Farmers fear the environment might have also been affected by the oil.

Vu Dinh Ngai, from Thai Do Commune, came back empty-handed when he checked the fields for shrimp and fish. Ever since the clams died, other species have avoided the area.

The oil might have latched onto the mud and the surface, meaning even the clams who survived will not be able to grow, while future generations of clams would also be heavily impacted.

"It would take at least two more years before clams could be raised in the impacted area. For now, cleaning up the dead clams is also a major problem, because every hectare would require at least 90 people to clean, costing about VND27 million," Ngai said.

The Thai Do Peoples Committee said there are around 504 hectares of fields with dead clams. Chairman Ta Ngoc Khoi said samples have been sent for testing to evaluate the damage caused.

There are around 106 families raising clams in Thai Do, totaling over 1,000 hectares of clam fields. A total 400 hectares were supposed to be harvested, both for domestic consumption and to be sold to China.
Multiple $100 notes, painted in black, are found by HCMC customs at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Photo courtesy of HCMC customs

Two passengers have been caught at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat airport trying to take what looks like US$100 dollar notes painted black on a flight to Thailand.

Ho Chi Minh City Customs on Friday said they found the notes, totaling "over one million U.S. dollars," inside two suitcases belonging to two Vietnamese, aged 50 and 46. They were going to fly to Thailands Bangkok on the VJ803 flight.

"These are real dollars being painted black. However, in order to verify this, we would need to wait for authorities," a source said.

An investigation is ongoing.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic have discussed the opportunities to expand ties between business circles of the two countries, Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during a meeting between representatives of Azerbaijan's Export and Investment Promotion Agency (AZPROMO) and Czech Ambassador Milan Sedlacek.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the opportunities to increase the export of products.

Moreover, AZPROMO Head Yusif Abdullayev briefed the ambassador about the activities of the agency and its main objectives.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 29, 1993. Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic cooperate in different spheres of the economy. Around 30 companies with the Czech capital operate in Azerbaijan. The Czech Republic had invested $37.2 million in Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijans investment in the Czech Republic amounted to $48.2 million during the period from 1995 to 2021.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic amounted to $307.4 million in 2021.
Speeding car crashes into house in northern Vietnam

By The Quynh September 15, 2022 | 07:12 pm PT

A car with a "training" sign lost control and crashed into a house in the northern province of Bac Giang, almost hitting two children waiting to cross the street.
The handover ceremony of the remains of a U.S. soldier in Hanoi, Sept. 16, 2022. Photo by U.S. Embassy in Vietnam

Vietnam returned the remains of an American soldier to U.S. representatives at a handover ceremony in Hanoi Friday.

The remains handed over were found during the 148th search operation carried out from August to September 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

They were examined by Vietnamese and American forensic experts in Hanoi, who concluded that they might be related to a U.S. soldier missing during the Vietnam War.

It was the 159th handover since 1973.

The remains will be sent to Hawaii, U.S. for further verification.

The search for the remains of U.S. soldiers missing in the Vietnam War is a humanitarian operation jointly carried out by the governments of Vietnam and the U.S.
Terrorism continues to threaten countless lives and livelihoods across Africa. Indeed, just last month, the Al-Shabaab terrorist group laid siege to the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, in an attack that killed 30 people and left 117 injured.



The United States continues to assist its African partners to build and sustain capable, professional, and accountable military and civilian security services to prevent and counter terrorist threats, said U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations. He welcomed further collaboration with Somalia, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and its troop contributors, and the members of the Security Council, to address better the al-Shabaab threat and enable Somalia to take more responsibility for its own security.



At the same time across Africa, ISIS and al-Qaida continue to exploit conflict, governance failure, political turmoil, socioeconomic inequalities, and grievances to attract followers and resources, as well as to incite and organize terrorist attacks, noted Ambassador DeLaurentis.

He urged the international community to augment the efforts of vulnerable populations to reject these appeals to violent extremism. Indeed, a recent UN report warned that this threat is increasing across various areas of the African continent. ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates continue to exploit Africas standing conflicts and grievances to bolster their illicit activities, providing them heightened lethality.



Terrorist groups are also beginning to employ new and emerging technologies, including unmanned aerial systems. These are exploited by terrorist groups to facilitate attacks, conduct intelligence, and develop propaganda.

The United States is committed to continuing its Counterterrorism-Unmanned Aerial Systems capacity-building efforts and appreciates Kenyas dedication to this mission. There has been an increase in terrorist use of unmanned aerial systems and multi-use technologies to threaten soft targets, and the United States looks forward to continuing cooperation with Kenya against these efforts.



The international community must remain united in its commitment to stamp out the scourge of terrorist organizations such as ISIS, al-Qaida, and al-Shabaab as they threaten peace and security in too many places in Africa and beyond.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Austin Tice in Syria. Tice was abducted in August 2012 while working as a free-lance journalist and photographer. In a statement, President Joe Biden said Tice put the truth above himself and traveled to Syria to show the world the real cost of war.



On the 10th anniversary, President Biden called on Syria to end this and help us bring him home. So far, that call has gone unanswered. The Syrian government has, according to the State Department, refused to acknowledge its detention of Tice despite President Bidens assertion that the U.S. government knows with certainty that Tice has been held by the Syrian government.



The lack of answers contributes to what Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the unfathomable ordeal of the Tice family. Yet the Tice Family is not alone. Families of at least 102,000 men, women, and children that the Syrian Network for Human Rights has reported as disappeared in Syria since the 2011 civil war suffer from not knowing their loved ones fates or whereabouts. Nearly every Syrian family is impacted by this issue, whether those missing are the result of acts of the Assad regime, ISIS, or other parties to the conflict.



And Syria is far from alone as a country from which tens of thousands have been forcibly disappeared from their family and community in recent years. As Amnesty International notes, Disappearances now happen in every region in the world and in a wide range of contexts. They are commonly carried out in internal conflicts, particularly by governments trying to repress political opponents or by armed opposition groups.



On August 30, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance, Secretary Blinken deplored what he called this egregious violation of human rights prohibited under international law. . .The United States, he declared in a statement, renews its commitment to addressing enforced disappearance and calls on governments around the world to put an end to this practice, hold those responsible to account, reveal the whereabouts or fate of loved ones who have been disappeared, and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons.
The United States continues to urge the implementation of the internationally recognized nuclear safety and security standards at Ukraines Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, seized by Russian forces on March 4th.



We support continued, unhindered, and safe [International Atomic Energy Agency, or] IAEA access to the facility, said U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations. To that end, it is essential that Russia allow Ukrainian operators to implement any and all measures the IAEA team and Ukrainian operators deem important for the safe and secure operation of the plant to decrease the risk of a nuclear incident.



The United States supports Ukraines call for the demilitarization of the area surrounding the Zaporizhzhia facility. Russia has no right to expose the world to unnecessary risk and the possibility of nuclear catastrophe, declared Ambassador DeLaurentis.



Every armed conflict in or around the plant, which seem to be occurring almost daily, increases the risk of a nuclear incident. Recent shelling in the area once again led to the disconnection of an external power line, putting at risk the plants safe operations. Ambassador DeLaurentis urge(ed) Russia to end all military operations at or near Ukraines nuclear facilities and to return full control to Ukraine.



The plant and the electricity it produces belong to Ukraine. Any attempt by Russia to disconnect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from Ukraine and redirect the power it generates toward Russia would be highly provocative, selfish, and short-sighted, warned Ambassador DeLaurentis. We reject all efforts by Russia to use Ukraines electric grid as a pawn in this unjustified war and Ukraines nuclear power plant as a military shield or deployment site.



The Russian Federation must end its reckless behavior and immediately withdraw its troops, not only from the area surrounding Zaporizhzhia, but from all of Ukraine, urged Ambassador DeLaurentis.



As the toll of this conflict on civilians grows ever higher, it is time for Russia to silence its guns, withdraw from Ukraine, and embrace diplomacy. It is incumbent on Russia to respect Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, as the UN Charter requires.
The United States is determined to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon. President Joe Biden has repeatedly made that clear. He has also made clear he believes the best way to achieve that goal is through diplomacy.



Since April 2021, the United States has engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran with the aim of a mutual return to full implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA. The United States exited the deal under then-President Donald Trump in 2018, and since then Irans breakout time to produce enough material for a nuclear weapon, should it choose to do so, has been dramatically reduced from about a year prior to the U.S. exit from the deal to a matter of weeks or less today. In an interview on Al Arabiya, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby emphasized that regardless of whether a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA is ultimately achieved, the United States is fully prepared to counter Irans destabilizing activities in the region, which have continued to escalate since the U.S. left the JCPOA in 2018.



With or without a [nuclear] deal, were going to defend our national security interests, said NSC Coordinator Kirby. We can do that economically, with sanctions that still stay in place. And we can do that militarily in terms of defending our people and our facilities.



The United States would prefer not to take such steps, said Mr. Kirby. Iran has some decisions it has to make. Not just with respect to the [nuclear] deal on the table, but what kind of future they want to see for themselves going forward in the region.



Mr. Kirby noted that Irans leaders are the ones supporting terrorist networks. They are the ones threatening maritime traffic. They are the ones contributing to destabilization on the political forefront inside the Middle East. And they can make some decisions on their own to stop doing those kinds of things. And they would not face the kind of pressure theyre going to get from the United States and other countries, economically and militarily.
Charlotte R. Froncak-Ruiz, 28, of Salt Lake City was arrested Sept. 11, 2022, at Salt Lake County Jail for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Bail: $5,000

Christian O. Garcia-Saucedo, 26, of Elko was arrested Sept. 9, 2022, at Great Basin Granite for taking or possession vehicle without owners consent. Bail: $2,500

Lillian R. Honeycutt, 42, of Rohnert Park, California was arrested Sept. 10, 2022, at Argent Avenue and Mountain City Highway for two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hypodermic device, and drug paraphernalia. Bail: $11,780

Taylor R. Miller, 31, of Elko was arrested Sept. 11, 2022, at 2110 Pinion Road for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime and felony possession of a controlled substance. Bail: $6,000

Armando Sanchez, 25, of Elko was arrested Sept. 9, 2022, at 1021 Court St. for violation of probation, two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia.

Jacob W. Toombs, 23, of Spring Creek was arrested Sept. 9, 2022, at Elko County Courthouse on a state prison hold.

Shawn A. Jeffers, 40, of Elko was arrested Sept. 12, 2022, on Interstate 80 for driving under the influence, license plates improperly displayed, two counts of owning or possessing a gun by a prohibited person, two counts of possession of a hypodermic device, and three counts of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $45,445

Kaylee A. Sharlow, 26, of Elko was arrested Sept. 14, 2022, at 458 Gypsum Drive on a felony warrant for two counts of battery by a prisoner, and for violation of probation or condition of suspended sentence.

Jordan S. Largey, 20, of Provo, Utah was arrested Sept. 15, 2022, for violation of probation or condition of suspended sentence.

Susan M. Peterson, 41, of Atascadero, California was arrested Sept. 15, 2022, at Weber County Jail for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime.
ELKO  The suspect in a multi-state manhunt and crime spree that involved thefts in Elko County has been identified by Oregon State Police.

Jamie L. Cochran, 42, was arrested Thursday in the Fremont National Forest east of Lakeview, Oregon. He has spent time in West Virginia and Utah but is currently transient, officials said.

Cochran is believed to have burglarized a daycare in Salt Lake City on Sunday, where he stole a van that was driven through the fence of the daycare. The stolen van was later located in Elko.

On Tuesday he is believed to have stolen a quad ATV that was driven to a residence where a home invasion robbery was committed east of Elko, Oregon officials said. The Elko County Sheriffs Office said it is also believed that he discharged a firearm into a parked, abandoned vehicle on Interstate 80 near mile marker 31.

After a manhunt that continued overnight, an orange 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup was reported stolen from a residence in Ryndon on Wednesday morning. The pickup was spotted in Humboldt County but law enforcement called off the chase when the driver exceeded 100 mph into head-on traffic.

The pickup was seen Wednesday night at Denio Junction where the driver attempted to get fuel. The Humboldt County Sherriffs Office responded to the remote area near the Oregon border.

Lake County Sheriffs Office deputies and Oregon State Troopers responded on Highway 140 toward Nevada, and located the vehicle just east of Adel, Oregon. The suspect immediately began eluding officers and drove off road onto private farm fields. Deputies and troopers lost sight of the vehicle a short time later.

Additional troopers were called into the area. The ground search was assisted by an Oregon State Police airplane, a helicopter and airplane from the California Highway Patrol, as well as a helicopter from the Washoe County Sheriffs Office. The ground search involved more than 50 officers from multiple jurisdictions, but they were unable to locate the suspect.

Shortly after noon Thursday, Cochran was taken into custody by an Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife sergeant, a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer, and a Bureau of Land Management ranger. The stolen pickup was found in the McDowell Creek area, west of Plush, Oregon, about six miles from where Cochran was located.

He was armed with a stolen handgun when arrested, Oregon State Police said.

Elko County is in the process of obtaining an extradition warrant to have Cochran returned to Nevada to face charges.

He is being held in Oregons Lake County Jail, where additional charges of felony eluding an officer, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and firearm theft are pending.

A surveillance image of the suspect was released at one point during the manhunt. No mugshot was available because Oregon enacted a law this year to restrict their release except under special circumstances.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Russia's Krasnodar region have discussed the development of trade and economic partnership, Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during a business meeting held between the entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan and Russia's Krasnodar region. The meeting, organized by Azerbaijan's Export and Investment Promotion Agency (AZPROMO), was attended by entrepreneurs from both countries working in agriculture, the food industry, ICT, construction, trade, packaging, etc.

The meeting presented information about the favorable business and investment environment created in Azerbaijan.

Emphasizing the importance of expanding ties between the business circles of both countries and the existing potential in mentioned areas, the participants noted the contribution of business meetings to the development of bilateral relations. In addition, they exchanged views about the relations between the two countries' business communities, and entrepreneurs from both countries made presentations.

The event continued in the format of bilateral meetings between entrepreneurs.

Azerbaijan and Russia cooperate in different sectors, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. Over 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.

Azerbaijan's investments in the Russian economy have exceeded $1.2 billion, with the majority of the investments being in the non-oil sector. In addition, Russian investments in Azerbaijan's economy totaled $6.3 billion with $5 billion in the oil sector and $1.3 billion in non-oil sectors.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.9 billion in 2021, making Russia Azerbaijans third-largest partner.
ELKO  A man who evaded law enforcement three times and committed multiple crimes in northeastern Nevada is no longer on the run.

Oregon State Patrol has advised the suspect has been located and is in custody, the Elko County Sheriffs Office reported Thursday afternoon.

Further details and the mans identity were not immediately available.

The unidentified suspect fled west from the Elko area on Interstate 80, driving a pickup that was stolen Wednesday morning in Ryndon. Law enforcement called off the chase in Humboldt County when the driver exceeded 100 mph into head-on traffic, according to the Elko County Sheriffs Office.

The 2001 Dodge pickup was seen Wednesday night at Denio Junction where the driver attempted to get fuel. The Humboldt County Sherriffs Office responded to the remote area while the Elko County Sheriffs Office coordinated with multiple agencies in an attempt to apprehend the armed suspect.

The stolen pickup was seen in the area of Lakeview, Oregon and again the vehicle began to elude police, stated the Elko sheriffs office.

The pickup and small trailer had been stolen shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday from a residence on Durango Drive in Ryndon, a day after the suspect fled from state troopers. The trailer was later recovered in Elko.

The manhunt began Tuesday after Nevada State Police troopers began a pursuit of a suspect driving a white van with unmatched Utah plates, both of which were determined to have been stolen.

The suspect abandoned the van near River Ranch, then stole a gray ATV and burglarized a couple of residences in that area, stated the sheriffs office.

It is believed that he discharged a firearm into a parked, abandoned vehicle on Interstate 80 near mile marker 31.
A former deputy Nevada attorney general has been arrested in Reno as a suspect in a 1972 homicide in Hawaii. Seventy-seven-year-old Tudor Chirila Jr. was being held Thursday in the Washoe County Jail without bail on a fugitive charge. He once ran for the state Supreme Court and later was affiliated with the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel. Honolulu police accuse him of second-degree murder, saying DNA evidence links him to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Nancy Anderson in her Waikiki apartment 50 years ago. In March, police say they used a DNA sample to identify Chirila's son the biological child of a DNA sample found at the crime scene.
RENO (AP)  Nevadas GOP governor nominee said Thursday he would fight against a national abortion ban if congress were to pass one.

Its the vote of the people within the state of Nevada, and I will support that, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who is anti-abortion, said in a press gaggle next to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin after the two spent the day campaigning across the state. That is an issue that doesnt need to be in politics.

Nevada voters codified the right to abortion up to 24 weeks into law in a 1990 referendum vote. Any order to place more restrictions on abortion would have to come from a vote of the people, not the state legislature, unlike in many other states.

Earlier this week, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a near-total abortion ban after 15 weeks. The legislation undermined many GOP candidates arguments this summer that the future of abortion rights in the U.S. would be decided by individual states.

Lombardo maintained that the decision should be up to Nevada voters, not politicians. He has long campaigned as an anti-abortion governor who would respect the states 1990 referendum vote.

Im Catholic and pro-life. But in Nevada, the right to an abortion is codified in law, and only Nevada voters can change that, he has said in previous statements.

Still, a nationwide abortion ban would supersede Nevada law. It is unclear what avenues Lombardo would take to fight against the congressional mandate if it were to happen.

Lombardos announcement came in contrast to some Republicans who have shied away or supported Sen. Lindsay Grahams proposed 15-week ban. Republican Congressional candidate April Becker, from Nevadas 3rd congressional district, is pro-life except for instances of rape and incest. But she told NBC News this week that she would vote against a nationwide abortion ban, calling it unconstitutional for Congress to regulate abortion.

Also on Thursday, New Mexicos Republican governor nominee proposed a statewide referendum that could place new limitations on abortion access.

In the days following the Supreme Courts decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, Nevada Gov. Sisolak signed an executive order saying that Nevada will not assist other states that try to prosecute residents who travel to Nevada for abortions. It also ensures medical boards and commissions that oversee medical licenses do not discipline or disqualify doctors who provide abortions.

Though he has stepped back from when he said he would overturn the executive order, Lombardo has maintained that he would look at it from the lens of being a pro-life governor.

After Thursday's rally, Sisolak spokesperson Natalie Gould released a statement saying Joe Lombardo is lying.

Lombardo and Youngkin spent the day holding events in both Las Vegas and Reno, where the Virginia governor evoked his own high-profile victory a year ago at events in both Reno and Las Vegas.

Lombardo attacked Nevadas Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak on education, crime and his closing of nonessential businesses during COVID-19. He talked of further diversifying Nevadas economy, more power for school decision-making to parents and expanding charter schools.

This was a movement, Youngkin said of his victory later on. And that movement is here now. Its your turn.
ELY (AP)  The reward has grown to $10,000 as authorities continue to search for the killer or killers of five wild horses shot last fall in eastern Nevada bout 70 miles west of the Utah line.

Four horses, including one with an aborted fetus attached, were found dead within 600 yards of each other on Nov. 16 in Jakes Valley about 30 miles west of Ely and 2 miles south of U.S. Highway 50.

A fifth horse was still alive but wounded so severely it had to be euthanized, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said.

The bureau announced on Thursday the American Wild Horse Campaign was adding $5,000 to the $5,000 reward the agency earlier offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the horses' deaths.

We hope that increasing this reward will help lead to an arrest and conviction for this cruelty, said Holly Gann Bice, director of government relations for the campaign.

The horses, with ages ranging from about 18 months to six years, were killed on or about the day a member of the public reported their discovery on Nov. 16, the bureau said.

Anyone with information should call the BLM's crime hotline at 775-861-6550.
China reaffirmed its resolution of achieving the goals of a CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality on Thursday, as the Ministry of Ecology and Environment noted achievements and progress that the country has made on building a "beautiful China" in the past decade.

Minister Huang Runqiu told Thursday's press conference that "to achieve carbon-peaking and carbon-neutrality is to address outstanding problems of resource and environmental constraints and realize the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. Therefore, we are determined to achieve the goals."

This is also a solemn commitment to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and China will make good on that promise, Huang said, reaffirming China's aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Even recent heat waves and drought in this country will not scupper those goals, said Huang.

Over the past 10 years, "green" has increasingly become a clear backdrop for high-quality economic and social development, with China's carbon emissions intensity dropping by 34.4 percent, reversing the trend of rapid growth in carbon dioxide emissions, Huang noted at the meeting.

The minister said that China also has steadily adjusted its energy structures, and constantly optimized and upgraded industrial structures. The share of coal in primary energy consumption dropped from 68.5 percent to 56 percent last year, and the share of non-fossil energy consumption increased by 6.9 percentage points to 16.6 percent.

China's contributions in promoting global low-carbon development are obvious to all. China's effort in boosting the new-energy industry reflects the unshakable determination of the Chinese government in achieving its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China is heading toward its goal on carbon neutrality steadily. This is in stark contrast with the attitudes of some European countries that have chosen to row back on their climate goals, having already returned or are planning to return to coal to generate electricity, after feeling the pinch from an energy crisis.

Western countries' return to coal, in addition to rich countries' reluctance to take real actions to help poorer countries, will cast a large shadow on the upcoming 2022 COP27 UN climate summit to be held in Egypt, November this year, Lin noted.

Observers said that dealing with climate change is the most important issue for the next 40 years and it cannot be done without a global effort, calling on some Western countries to strengthen cooperation in the new-energy industry and stop setting limits on China's new-energy products.

Summarizing China's achievements in climate change, Huang said in the past decade, the country has witnessed the optimization of environmental protection regulations and supervision, and it also sought out a high-quality green development path and became deeply engaged in global biodiversity governance.

For example, the National People's Congress Standing Committee has amended 25 laws related to the environment, covering air, water, soil, solid waste and noise pollution, as well as the protection of the Yangtze River, wetlands and black earth.

With more than 30 environment-related laws, China has formed a legal system that can comprehensively, effectively and strictly protect the environment.

On air quality, Huang said that the national average concentration of PM2.5 fell from 46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015 to 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020 and further to 30 micrograms per cubic meter last year.

In addition, days with good air quality accounted for 87.5 percent of 2021, up 6.3 percentage points from 2015, making China the nation with the greatest air-quality improvement worldwide, according to the minister.

Huang said Beijing is an example of China's success in improving air quality in recent years, citing statistics that the number of days with heavy pollution in Beijing dropped from 58 in 2013 to eight in 2021, and there are only two days with heavy pollution so far in 2022 in the city.

"Blue skies are now no longer a luxury for the city," he said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's expansion testifies to the popularity of its principles and concepts, and it will continue to welcome more countries' participation, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said recently.

Zhang told China Daily that many nations have expressed strong interest in joining the organization, which decided to admit Iran last year.

The group was founded with six members in 2001 and has since expanded to eight, in addition to four observer states and six dialogue partners. Around 10 countries have voiced aspirations to join or upgrade their statuses within the group.

Zhang, who became secretary-general in January, said he looks forward to members passing a memorandum on Iran's obligations to obtain member status at the SCO Samarkand Summit in Uzbekistan.

Belarus has also presented a formal membership request, which indicates that Minsk recognizes the organization's values and principles, he said, adding that the SCO is discussing the nation's request.

"Many (other) countries have also expressed hope that they can become a member, observer state or dialogue partner," he said.

"With more countries joining, we look forward to the SCO playing more important roles in safeguarding regional security and stability, enlarging the cake of common interests among member states and promoting the development of global governance toward a more equitable and reasonable direction," he said.

The official underscored that the SCO is an open organization that welcomes the inclusion of any country that agrees with the Shanghai Spirit and abides by the organization's charter.

This year's summit opened amid the 20th anniversary of the signing of its charter and the 15th anniversary of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

Zhang said the Shanghai Spirit promotes multilateralism and embodies the values member states share.

"Its essence is that state-to-state relations must be built on the foundation of equality, mutual respect, consideration of respective interests and concerns, win-win cooperation and mutual recognition of the right to choose social and political development paths," he explained.

Zhang also underscored the Shanghai Spirit as the core component to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.

He explained that the SCO's original founding aspiration  safeguarding regional security and stability  remains its priority.

"Security cooperation can only be strengthened and cannot be weakened," he said.

"This has been a common chorus I have heard when visiting member states this year."

The organization has forged a host of security agreements to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, and has organized nearly a dozen joint counterterrorism drills.

Afghanistan's security is another agenda priority. The SCO will proactively work to reinforce the country's constructive role and improve its security capacity, he said.

Zhang said the organization will remain committed to improving its security cooperation mechanisms and bolster cooperation to combat drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime.

Member states' collaboration has expanded from security to include such fields as green energy, the digital economy and poverty alleviation. The SCO plans to further prioritize cooperation in such areas as transportation, energy, finance, investment, agriculture, information technology, innovation and sustainable development, he said.
Singaporean Deputy PM hails VSIP model (Photo: TPO)

The visit aimed to study more about VSIP's presence and contribution to Vietnam's industrialization development; as well as the success of the VSIP model, from the first VSIP project in Binh Duong to the latest project, VSIP III, which has just been built on the basis of applying smart and sustainable innovations.

VSIP I Binh Duong, established in 1996, was the first project on the basis of friendship and economic cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore.

Up to now, there have been three VSIP projects in Binh Duong, attracting nearly 600 investors from more than 22 countries and territories with a total investment capital of over USD8.6 billion, creating 150,000 jobs for workers.

In particular, VSIP III with an area of 1,000 hectares marks a new milestone for VSIP Joint Venture as it implements a strategic transformation towards smarter and more sustainable development. It has been designed to integrate smart technology in activities in the industrial park. Up to now, there have been many outstanding projects registered for investment, including a project of more than USD1 billion of LEGO Group, USD100 million project of Pandora Group, and more than 40 domestic and foreign corporations and companies interested in investing in the park.

Currently, Singapore is also the 4th largest investor in VSIP Binh Duong, with 56 projects worth a total investment capital of USD1.1 billion. This visit by Mr. Heng Swee Keat affirmed VSIP as a symbol of Singapores effective investment projects in Vietnam, and the important contribution of the joint venture in strengthening the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership./.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Hoang Giang speaking at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Hoang Giang said that the Party, State and people of Vietnam have made constant efforts to protect national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, as well as citizens right to freedom, happiness and prosperity since the country gained independence on September 2, 1945.

He added that Vietnam has also joined hands with the international community to deal with global issues such as post-COVID-19 recovery, poverty reduction, climate change response and fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Vietnam gives priority to promoting gender equality, empowerment for women and protection of vulnerable groups, prevention of gender-based violence and discrimination, especially in the process of dealing with urgent global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change, which are also Vietnams major priorities when running for a seat at the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure, he emphasized.

According to him, in 2021 and the first half of 2022, Vietnam maintained socio-economic stability. It is stepping up transition to digital economy, innovation, green and sustainable growth, harmonising economic development with environment protection and ensuring welfare for citizens.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Delegation of Vietnam in Geneva, stressed that Vietnam always upholds and supports multilateralism, the UN Charter and international law; promotes international cooperation to cope with global challenges more effectively.

She said that Vietnam is ready to contribute more to the UNs activities and running for a seat at the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure.

She reiterated Vietnams commitment to making further contributions at the UN and bolstering more effective cooperation with the UN for the cause of national construction and defence, and for peace, cooperation and development in the world.

At the ceremony, participants also enjoyed traditional music performance and dishes of Vietnam./.
Photo exhibition about people and landscapes of Vietnam at the event (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thi Bich Thao said the event aims to raise mutual understanding and exchanges between the people of the two countries via popularising Vietnam, including its culture, food and people to the European nation.

She affirmed that culture and tourism are promising cooperation fields in their bilateral comprehensive partnership, and asked for similar activities to be held in other Hungarian localities.

According to Mayor of District 3 Kiss Laszlo, the event will help local people better understand about the Vietnamese community living there, thus opening up the prospects of bilateral collaboration.

During the Vietnam Culture Week 2022, participants have an opportunity to enjoy music performances, ao dai (traditional dress) shows and traditional dishes of Vietnam as well as a photo exhibition on Vietnam- the S-shaped country.

During a working session with the Vietnamese ambassador, Mr. Laszlo affirmed that District 3 is ready to welcome Vietnamese delegations and coordinate with the Vietnamese side in organising such cultural events.

He committed his support for the Vietnamese community living there, and hoped to establish twinning ties with a Vietnamese locality./.
People visit a booth at the 34th edition of Sahara Expo, or the International Agricultural Exhibition for Africa and the Middle East, in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 11, 2022. The expo attracted more than 250 brands of various agriculture-related products such as tractors, weed cutting machines, irrigation systems, as well as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Over 150 companies from more than 20 countries are displaying their agricultural products and machinery at an international agricultural expo held in Egypt's capital Cairo from Sept. 11-14.

The 34th edition of Sahara Expo, or the International Agricultural Exhibition for Africa and the Middle East, attracts more than 250 brands of various agriculture-related products such as tractors, weed cutting machines, irrigation systems, as well as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals.

Agriculture has been a key field in Egypt since ancient times, said Hany Khafagy, general manager of Informa Markets, the organizing company of the expo, noting that the sector contributes 15 percent of Egypt's gross domestic product and employs 25 percent of the country's workforce.

Egypt exports more than 350 kinds of agricultural products to over 150 countries across the world, and is among the world's top exporters of citrus, dates and other crops.

"The expo provides a big opportunity for local and foreign companies to meet and do business together. It's a good chance to learn about new products, whether from Europe or China, without having to travel abroad," said Ahmed Fouad, a marketing official with Tractors and Engineering Co., a company at the expo that features tractors and cutting tools.

Among the overseas exhibitors are companies from China, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, France, India and Jordan.

One of the Chinese exhibitors is agrochemical company Rainbow, whose products include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, bio-pesticides and plant growth regulators, with a presence in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Zhang Kailin, Rainbow's general manager for North Africa and the Middle East region, saw the expo as a good opportunity to promote the company and its products in the region.

He said that the distinguished relations between China and Egypt provide "big support" for the company that just opened its office in Egypt last year.

"The Egyptian people are very friendly. We visited agencies and farms and had friendly talks with all the people we met. Good relations between China and Egypt will give us big support to do business here," Zhang told Xinhua.

Jacek Grad, head of the foreign trade office of Polish Investment and Trade Agency, said that the expo offers "the best platform to meet potential partners in Egypt and to grow our network in the agricultural sector," adding that there's a growing interest among Egyptians in Polish agricultural technologies.

Visitors coming to the expo include agricultural producers, businessmen, consultants, engineers, researchers, students and farmers. Khafagy, the organizer, said they expected about 25,000 visitors this year.

People visit a booth at the 34th edition of Sahara Expo, or the International Agricultural Exhibition for Africa and the Middle East, in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 11, 2022. The expo attracted more than 250 brands of various agriculture-related products such as tractors, weed cutting machines, irrigation systems, as well as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Editor: WXY
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and a number of Turkic-speaking countries have signed a number of cooperation documents within the international Karabakh business forum in Shusha, Azernews reports.

Among the signed agreements are those on the creation of a business union between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, a roadmap for business development between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as two memorandums of cooperation between Azerbaijan's Association of Women Entrepreneurship Development and Turkic organizations.

Turkic-speaking countries interested in restoration of Azerbaijan's liberated lands

Speaking at the business forum, the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye Mustafa Rifat stated that all Turkic-speaking countries are interested in participating in the restoration of Azerbaijan's liberated lands.

Noting that the region has a great potential for implementation of projects in logistics, transport, energy, and renewable energy fields, he stated that there are no doubts that this region will rapidly develop, and attract tourists and businessmen.

"To achieve these goals, the heads of Turkic states and businessmen will provide the necessary support to Azerbaijan. The implementation of the Zangazur corridor will create great opportunities for the Turkic-speaking states to transport products through the liberated territories of Azerbaijan," he said.

He also mentioned that their organization has a number of projects aimed at facilitating trade, adding that their implementation is expected in the near future.

"Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as you know, plan to reach a trade turnover of $15 billion a year. The countries are actively working in this direction and they are confident that the goal will be achieved," he said.

OTS is ready to participate in the restoration of Azerbaijan's liberated lands

The Organization of Turkic States is ready to participate in the restoration process of Azerbaijan's liberated lands, the organization's Secretary-General Bahgdad Amreyev said. He stated that during his visit, he repeatedly discussed both at the level of the head of state and ministries, the cooperation in the field of restoration of the liberated territories.

"Today we see a huge amount of work that needs to be done to return the former internally displaced persons of Azerbaijan. We are also pleased to see how Azerbaijan is actively and rapidly restoring these territories, and we are interested in participating in these works," he said.

Moreover, Bahgdad Amreyev added that the opening of the Zangazur corridor has a huge potential for cooperation between the countries of the region.

Uzbekistan interested in transport, and logistics projects in Azerbaijan's liberated lands

Uzbekistan is ready to expand its partnership with Turkic-speaking states, including in the restoration of Azerbaijan's liberated territories, Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry Deputy Chairman Farhodjon Toshpulatov said.

He underlined that his country is interested in projects in transport and logistics, the innovative industry, as well as the energy sector, including renewable energy sources.

Zangazur corridor has the potential for boosting trade within OTS

Speaking at the forum, Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Sahib Mammadov said that the Zangazur corridor has considerable potential for boosting trade within OTS.

Emphasizing Azerbaijan's great contribution to enhancing trade and economic relations of the OTS member countries, he noted that it is a major cooperation area between the Turkic-speaking states.

"Today, the trade turnover of the Turkic-speaking countries equals $5 billion, out of which 15 percent falls on Azerbaijan," he said.

Recalling that Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity as a result of the second Karabakh war in 2020, he underlined that all member states of the organization supported and continue to support Azerbaijan, which testifies to the country's strategic collaboration with the Organization of Turkic Speaking States.

The deputy minister also noted that Azerbaijan is experiencing great difficulties in clearing its territories from landmines.

"We have constructed new highways, laid power lines, and many other infrastructures. Azerbaijan is interested in foreign investments. We are creating favorable conditions to engage investors in Karabakh projects. The region is being restored and developed in accordance with modern standards. We embolden entrepreneurs who eye setting up their enterprise in the economic zones of Karabakh," he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday.

The two heads of state said that bearing in mind the long-term development of China-Uzbekistan relations and the future welfare of their people, the two countries will expand mutually beneficial cooperation, cement their friendship and partnership, and implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level.

The meeting took place at the newly built International Conference Center, which was ingeniously designed and magnificent, on a refreshing autumn day as the sun shone brightly on Samarkand.

At 9:45 a.m. local time, Xi arrived in a motorcade at the center where he was warmly received by Mirziyoyev as he exited the car. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi walked to the square outside the north entrance through the central hall featuring both traditional Uzbek patterns and modern design.

Mirziyoyev held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi. The two heads of state stood on the podium as the military band played the national anthems of China and Uzbekistan. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi inspected the honor guard. They introduced to each other their accompanying officials and watched the parade of the honor guard together.

Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks.

Xi pointed out that over the past 30 years of their diplomatic relations, China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits.

The two countries have kept deepening their strategic mutual trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, fully promoted their lasting friendship and elevated China-Uzbekistan relations to the new height of a comprehensive strategic partnership, creating strong impetus for their common development and prosperity, Xi said.

As a good friend, a good partner and a good brother, China firmly supports Uzbekistan in following a development path compatible with its national conditions, supports its efforts to uphold national independence, sovereignty, security and social stability, and opposes interference by any forces in its internal affairs, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and jointly usher in a better future, he said.

Xi emphasized that China and Uzbekistan should firmly support each other on issues concerning national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and other core interests, move faster to synergize their development strategies and promote common development.

The two sides need to accelerate the bilateral cooperation and make it even more fruitful, Xi said, adding that it is important to scale up cooperation on trade and investment, and step up collaboration on digital economy and green development.

Uzbekistan is welcome to take an active part in the China International Import Expo to share in more of the development opportunities brought by China's massive market, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to improve the Eurasian transcontinental transport corridors and make an early start in constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, he said.

The two sides need to expand energy cooperation, jointly ensure the safe operation of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline and extend cooperation to new energy, with a view to fostering a new pattern of all-dimensional energy cooperation, Xi said.

The two sides need to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in areas including education, culture, tourism, sub-national exchanges, environmental protection and archaeology, he said, adding that China supports and will actively take part in Uzbekistan's initiative of "year of culture and art between the people of Central Asian countries and China."

The two sides also need to work together to speed up the establishment of culture centers in each other's country and the building of a Luban Workshop, and communicate the facts of the China-Uzbekistan friendship in the new era, so as to lay a solid public and societal foundation for the sustained and sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations, Xi said.

Young people from Uzbekistan are welcome to study Chinese in China, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to carry out healthcare, vaccine and pharmaceutical cooperation with Uzbekistan, and support the building of vaccine production centers in Uzbekistan.

The two sides need to enhance cooperation on poverty alleviation, and inspire and support each other in promoting growth and improving livelihoods, he said.

Noting that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each other's security and stability, Xi said that China is ready to work more closely with Uzbekistan to firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, firmly safeguard domestic stability and firmly defend the security interests of the region.

China appreciates Uzbekistan's important contributions to the success of the SCO Samarkand Summit and is ready to work with Uzbekistan to promote the steady and sustained development of the SCO, Xi said.

Xi said that China will work with Uzbekistan and other regional countries to strengthen the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism and open up broader space for the cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

China will also work with Uzbekistan to actively implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), uphold the common interests of developing countries and contribute to building a more just and equitable international governance system, he said.

For his part, Mirziyoyev noted that under the wise leadership of President Xi, China has made remarkable achievements in its development, and the friendly people of China are making firm strides toward realizing the Chinese Dream.

He wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a full success.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, Mirziyoyev pointed out that Xi's historic state visit to Uzbekistan will certainly consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, chart the course for future cooperation, and elevate the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height featuring new vitality and new prospect.

China is a reliable friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan-China relations fully embody the principle of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan appreciates China's valuable support for its national development and fight against COVID-19.

Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on matters concerning its core interests including those related to Taiwan and Xinjiang, and will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner worthy of China's trust, he said.

Uzbekistan would like to learn from China's poverty alleviation experience, continue participating actively in the Belt and Road cooperation, advance the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, and enhance cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, investment, natural gas, new energy, agricultural infrastructure, culture, sub-national ties and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan fully supports the GDI and the GSI proposed by China, and appreciates China's strong support for Uzbekistan's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He also expressed readiness to work more closely with China within the SCO, C+C5, and "BRICS Plus" mechanisms, to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and to jointly safeguard regional security and stability.

Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Relevant departments of the two governments signed multiple cooperation documents covering agriculture, digital economy, green development, culture, sub-national cooperation and media.

During the visit, Chinese, Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

After the official talks, Mirziyoyev held a banquet for Xi, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on matters of shared interest.

Following the banquet, Mirziyoyev invited Xi to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center. Together, the two heads of state earthed up and watered the seedling. A symbol of longevity, the oak tree signifies that China-Uzbekistan friendship will thrive and endure.

Xi pointed out that although this may not be a long visit, he had productive discussions with Mirziyoyev and achieved fruitful outcomes.

The world faces many new risks and challenges that require their collective response, Xi said, expressing his readiness to stay in communication with Mirziyoyev to promote sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations.

Describing President Xi as his respected elder brother, Mirziyoyev said he always benefits from their meetings. He noted the fruitful outcomes of this historic visit which will point the way for Uzbekistan-China relations and expressed his expectation to maintain close exchanges with Xi.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the relevant events. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand welcome ceremony held by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in a motorcade at the International Conference Center where he was warmly received by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he exits the car in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Editor: JYZ
A car runs on a road in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 12, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

A man rides past a logo of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 12, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

Vehicles run on a road in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 13, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

Editor: JYZ
Markus Hofmuller (L) and Uwe Brutzer work at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

CHANGSHA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, ushered in a moment of leisure in the afternoon.

The new manager Markus Hofmuller was in a heated discussion about the upcoming test of new bakers scheduled in a week. Yet the room is strangely quiet, as most employees here are deaf and mute, and the manager is communicating in sign language.

Bach's Bakery, situated on a small lane in the city, was founded by a German couple Uwe Brutzer and Dorothee Brutzer.

The couple came to Changsha in 2002 to work for a charitable project for deaf-mute children funded by a German non-governmental charitable organization.

"It's better to teach someone fishing than give them a fish," the couple said. So, they turned their attention to German pastry, and in 2011, the "silent bakery" was born, opening its doors to provide the deaf-mute community with a new means of financial independence.

"We named the shop after Johann Sebastian Bach, a well-known German composer. We hoped to make the best-baked goods, just like Bach composed the best music," said Uwe Brutzer in a previous interview with Women of China.

Over the past 11 years, Bach's Bakery trained 25 hearing-impaired bakers, many of whom have graduated and pursued careers as bakers.

Due to their old age, the couple chose to return to Germany late last year and published a shop transfer notice.

A relay of love began here. Markus Hofmuller, 45, who is also a German, officially took over the bakery in May this year.

Markus Hofmuller has a doctorate in Sinology from Leipzig University in Germany, and his wife is from north China's Tianjin Municipality. In 2019, the couple, along with their two daughters, settled down in Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

When the notice was released, Markus Hofmuller had just finished his teaching work at a primary school in Yinchuan. "I've always been more interested in food and crafts, and it made perfect sense to teach hearing-impaired people how to make bread," he said.

After getting in touch with Uwe Brutzer and traveling to Changsha for an on-site visit, Markus Hofmuller decided to move to Changsha with his entire family in March.

"As soon as I walked into the bakery, I was attracted by the warm, cozy atmosphere of the shop and decided to take it over," he said.

The torch has now been transferred to Markus Hofmuller and he has to learn to make pastries from scratch, sign language and run a store.

"I'm actually the student, and even the two current apprentices came to the bakery before me," Markus Hofmuller said on a lighter note.

The bakery will continue to hire and train deaf-mute bakers in order to provide them with new career opportunities.

"We have to train a few new bakers every year, which I think is the core work of our shop," said Markus Hofmuller, noting that he considers himself a manager rather than the owner of the bakery.

"There are now many vocational education schools in China that specialize in training people with disabilities, and once they've mastered their skills, they have equal job opportunities as any other able-bodied people," Uwe Brutzer said.

Bach's Bakery has not expanded over the years, and Markus Hofmuller intends to continue running the bakery in this current form.

"Although it's small, Bach's Bakery is now a brand for the hearing-impaired community," he said, adding that it is also a role model for other companies that hearing-impaired employees are focused, efficient and have great potential.

"That's what it is all about running the shop, it brings more possibilities to the lives of people with hearing difficulties, and allows society to have more awareness and acceptance of the disabled," he added. 

Hearing-impaired bakers communicate in sign language at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Markus Hofmuller (L) and Uwe Brutzer make pastries at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Hearing-impaired bakers make pastries at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Markus Hofmuller (R) and Uwe Brutzer pose for a photo in front of Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Markus Hofmuller (L) and Uwe Brutzer work at Bach's Bakery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

Editor: JYZ
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, on Thursday afternoon at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi underscored the strong impetus and resilience of the cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trilateral cooperation has never stopped, and the achievements made should be recognized, he said, adding that the three countries fought the pandemic together, sending medical supplies to each other at the earliest time possible, sharing anti-epidemic experience without reservation, and jointly protecting the life and health of their people.

The three countries, Xi said, had online discussions to keep the momentum of exchanges, and the hearts of their people were brought even closer.

Cooperation on joint COVID-19 prevention and control in the border areas was carried out to keep economic and trade interactions steady and smooth, he said, adding that notable progress was made in the development of international road transportation along the Asian Highway Network connecting the three countries.

Xi put forth a four-point proposal on furthering China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation: First, keep the trilateral cooperation in the right direction. It is important to deepen political mutual trust, increase mutual support, respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs.

Second, upgrade cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly build a platform of cooperation against risks and challenges and a platform of growth that helps unleash the potential of development.

Third, follow through on the common understanding reached on the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, support the neighboring regions in deepening cooperation in economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, tourism and other fields, and continue to build high-quality platforms for the exchanges of business communities of the three countries.

Fourth, work for more outcomes in trilateral cooperation and support the expansion of settlement in local currencies in mutual trade. Russian and Mongolian financial institutions are welcome to join the RMB Cross-border Interbank Payment System to build a strong bulwark of financial security in the region.

Putin said that Russia-China-Mongolia trilateral cooperation has made significant progress, and, with its mutually beneficial nature, adds value to the development of their mutual relations.

As close neighbors, he said, the three countries should give each other understanding and support, and consolidate and promote trilateral cooperation across the board.

The three countries should encourage and support their entrepreneurs to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for more substantial progress in cooperation in areas such as transport, logistics, cross-border transportation, energy, high and new technology, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Khurelsukh said that the development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with China and Russia is a diplomatic priority for Mongolia.

Given the complex international situation, it is all the more important to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Mongolia, China and Russia, he said.

The Mongolian side, he said, is ready to strengthen communication with China and Russia and jointly work for progress in both bilateral and trilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment, energy, railway, tourism and other areas.

The three countries confirmed the extension of the Outline of the Development Plan on Establishing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor by five years, officially launched the feasibility study on the upgrading and development of the central-route railway of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Editor: JYZ
UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Miroslav Jenca (C), speaks at a Security Council meeting on tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sept. 15, 2022. Jenca on Thursday stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Miroslav Jenca, on Thursday stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

The international community must remain fully committed to a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and spare no effort to de-escalate the current tensions, bring the parties back to the negotiating table and help them achieve peace and stability in the region, said Jenca.

In the immediate term, the parties must abide by their obligations to fully implement the November 2020 cease-fire brokered by Russia, he told the Security Council in a briefing.

"We urge them to return to the negotiating table and take steps toward the signing of a lasting peace treaty. It will be important that a similar unified message come from the Security Council for the parties to focus on a diplomatic solution," he said.

On Monday evening, the authorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan reported heavy fighting on their international border. According to reports, heavy artillery, drones and large-caliber weapons were used. The exchange of fire reportedly continued through Tuesday and Wednesday, said Jenca.

On Wednesday evening, it was announced that a cease-fire had been agreed, he said.

Earlier this week, the Armenian Defense Ministry stated that the Azerbaijani side was targeting Armenian military positions, as well as civilian infrastructure, in the Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions of the country. Armenia reported 105 of its servicemen killed and six civilians wounded as of Wednesday night, noted Jenca.

While Armenia called the events a deliberate attack, Azerbaijan countered that they were "retaliatory measures" made in response to provocations from Armenia. Azerbaijan, for its part, reported 71 servicemen killed and two civilians wounded, he said.

The United Nations is not in a position to verify or confirm the specifics of these reports, said Jenca. "We remain deeply concerned, however, over this dangerous escalation, including its possible impact on civilians, and have urged the sides to take immediate and concrete steps to de-escalate tensions."

The fighting this week was the latest and the largest in a series of incidents since 2020. It highlights the fact that the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to encounter serious obstacles. This escalation also underscores the urgent need for the parties to move forward in the ongoing process of delimitation and demarcation within the framework of mutual recognition of their territorial integrity and sovereignty. The United Nations urges the parties to take advantage of this important mechanism as an essential step toward alleviating tensions at the border, said Jenca.

This week's events are also a stark reminder that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan also have the potential to destabilize the region. They highlight the need for all actors, in the region and beyond, to act constructively and to press the sides to work for a peaceful settlement, he said. 

Editor: JYZ
Head of Presidential Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Valeriy Zaluzhny held a phone conversation with the U.S. President's National Security Advisor Jacob Sullivan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley as part of the ongoing dialogue, the press service of the Presidents Office said.

The parties discussed the actions Ukrainian side is taking to de-occupy its territories. Sullivan and Milley congratulated Ukraine on the successful counter-offensive operation in Kharkiv region, resulting in liberation of almost 400 towns and villages. The interlocutors discussed in detail the provision and needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to continue the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories, a message published on the president's website on Thursday evening reads.

In addition, Yermak emphasized the Russian missile terror attacks against civilian infrastructure on the Ukrainian territory. He said, Ukraine should get reliable security guarantees ASAP to prevent further aggression.

Also, Yermak and Zaluzhny thanked the USA, President Joseph Biden, Congress and the American people for supporting Ukraine in its struggle for independence and freedom of the whole of Europe.
Reznikov after conversation with his Latvian counterpart: Additional military support on its way

After a conversation with Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said that additional military assistance for Ukraine is on the way.

I had a conversation with my colleague and a great friend of Ukraine, Latvian Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Pabriks. Latvia is one of the top military donors for Ukraine per capita. Thank you, friends, for being with us at these difficult times. More military support is on its way from Latvia, Reznikov said on Twitter Friday.
New package of US military assistance to Ukraine is $600 mln, total amount of Western countries' obligations exceeds EUR 36 bln

US President Joe Biden has ordered a new $600 million military aid package for Ukraine, the White House said.

In total, Western countries, in response to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, pledged to provide military assistance to Ukraine for EUR36.1 billion, follows from the data of the German Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

"Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the president, I am authorizing our 21st drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since September 2021. This $600 million drawdown includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories. This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to approximately $15.8 billion since the beginning of this administration," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

According to the Pentagon, capabilities in this package include additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); 36,000 105mm artillery rounds; 1,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds; four counter-artillery radars; four trucks and eight trailers to transport heavy equipment; Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems; mine clearing equipment; claymore anti-personnel munitions; demolition munitions and equipment; small arms and ammunition; night vision devices, cold weather gear, and other field equipment.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy has calculated that all Western countries have pledged to provide military assistance to Ukraine for EUR36.1 billion. According to its data, the ten largest suppliers of arms and military equipment are the United States (EUR 25 billion), Great Britain (EUR 4.03 billion), Poland (EUR 1.8 billion), Germany (EUR 1.2 billion), Canada (EUR 930 million), the Czech Republic (EUR 340 million), Latvia (EUR 250 million), Australia (EUR 250 million), Estonia (EUR 250 million), and France (EUR 230 million).
Nova Poshta has invested UAH 50 million in the restoration of branches in the de-occupied cities of Kharkiv region, in particular, the matter concerns about 29 branches, which the company is going to return to work within the next two weeks.

"Most of the branches are very damaged. To restore them, Nova Poshta has already allocated UAH 50 million. The company plans to reopen 14 branches this week, another 15 next week, so that residents can receive humanitarian assistance from charitable foundations, parcels, etc.," the companys press service said.

According to the release, in settlements where there is still no electricity and there is no way to quickly restore stationary branches, Nova Poshta opens mobile branches with a Starlink module and a generator for residents. This solution allows local residents to connect to the Internet for free and recharge their gadgets.

Until the end of September, Nova Poshta is going to open another 50 service points in the villages of Kharkiv region.

As specified in the release, there are 170 branches of Nova Poshta in 149 settlements in the region in the liberated territories.

Nova Poshta is the largest participant in the Ukrainian logistics market: its network includes 10,000 branches and 13,000 parcel terminals throughout Ukraine. The number of shipments for 2021 exceeded 372 million. In addition, the non-banking financial institution NovaPay provides money transfer and electronic money transactions services. In 2021, some 388 million transactions were carried out.
Belgium to provide Ukraine with new package of military assistance, incl machine guns and ammunition

The Belgian Federal government will approve on Friday the allocation of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine to counter Russia's military aggression, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said in an interview with L'Echo ezine.

The minister said that after the military aid had already been provided to Kyiv for EUR 45 million, this time Belgium will allocate a package for EUR 12 million, including the supply of large-caliber machine guns and ammunition.

"We will also send non-lethal materials for winter, helmets, spare equipment, surveillance equipment. At the beginning of 2023, we will supply ambulances and trucks for medical purposes," Dedonder explained.

She noted that Belgium is ready to provide assistance in maritime and land mine clearance. For this purpose, Ukrainian servicemen were trained.

Belgium has received 45 wounded at the front and seriously ill Ukrainians in its medical institutions, the head of the Belgian Defense Ministry added.
By Trend

Serbias state-owned power utility company EPS agreed with Azerbaijan over the purchase of 2,600 MWh of electricity, said Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Mining and Energy, Zorana Mihajlovic, Trend reports.

Mihajlovic told Reuters that Belgrade is now in talks with Turkiye over the transmission of that electricity.

She noted that Serbia is also discussing additional electricity imports from Hungary.

The electricity production in Azerbaijan increased by 2.6 percent from January through August 2022. Around 19115.7 billion kWh of electricity was produced in the reporting period. The share of exports accounted for 14.06 billion kWh, imports - 94.3 million kWh of electricity.
Head of the National Police of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko states that there were 10 places in the territory of Kharkiv region where the occupiers tortured Ukrainians.

At a briefing in Kyiv on Friday, Klymenko said that over the past week, Ukrainian law enforcement officers have opened 204 criminal proceedings related to war crimes committed by the occupiers.

"Today I can talk about the presence of at least 10 torture chambers in the territory of settlements (Kharkiv region) and two torture chambers in Balakliya," Klymenko said.

He noted that one of them was on the territory of Balakliya police department.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, together with First Lady Olena Zelenska and Deputy head of the Presidents Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko visited two educational institutions in Irpin, said head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration Oleskiy Kuleba.

In particular, the President of the European Commission visited Lyceum No. 3, where thirty attacks of enemy ammunition were recorded, the institution was destroyed by 75%.

"I am convinced that life will be there soon. For example, as in Irpin school No. 17, where the President of the European Commission also visited. This institution is an example of how together you can quickly and efficiently rebuild a school and organize the educational process in war conditions. Special thanks to the UNICEF team who joined the repairs and equipped the shelter. The storage holds 500 children," he wrote on the Telegram channel.

Kuleba thanked Ursula von der Leyen for her personal visit and constant support of Ukraine.
The destruction of the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine is the essence of the so-called "special military operation" of the Russian Federation, as Russians are beginning to understand the doom of their army, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Presidents Office, said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

"The basic element of this war is systemic strikes against civilian targets. To cause significant panic moods and create the most difficult living conditions. Nevertheless, the deliberate strikes of the Russian Federation on critical infrastructure facilities did not become something unexpected. As we approach the cold weather and tactical defeats along the front line increase, Russia will follow the scenario of creating an energy apocalypse, about which our intelligence agencies warned initially," he said.

According to him, "by attacking thermal power plants and dams, Russia pursues several basic goals: forcing Ukraine to negotiate and make territorial concessions by terrorizing the population, as well as distracting its own society from discussing the defeats of the Russian army at the front and criticizing the Russian military and political leadership for extremely ineffective decisions."

"However, it is obvious that Ukraine categorically does not accept ultimatums ... Our goals for today are fixed by public consensus  the total expulsion of the Russian army, the liberation of all its territories, large-scale reparations and no less large-scale legal prosecutions of Russian war criminals in different jurisdictions," Podoliak said.
Ukraine's partners are not yet ready to "close the sky" and introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, however, in the case of an effective counteroffensive, the situation may change, according to Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

"Despite the fantasies connected with Bandera of the Russian Defense Ministry, our air defense effectively shoots down Russian missiles. This is the key. Although it is important to understand something else: any air defense system can be equipped with a large simultaneous number of missiles. On the day of the attack on Kharkiv TPP, our Air Forces shot down nine out of 11 missiles," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

"Unfortunately, there is still no such readiness to directly and categorically close the sky and introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Unfortunately. Despite the evidence of a grown anti-humanistic component in Russian actions. To some extent, our partners are still afraid of a direct clash with the Russian Federation," he said.

However, according to him, "a little more effective counteroffensive and the situation will finally change."

But what our partners can help us with right now is air defense and missile defense systems. In any modification. NASAMS and IRIS-T have already been agreed. But we need more, faster and already yesterday. I believe that Russia's demonstrative strikes on thermal power plants and hydraulic engineering will dramatically accelerate the process of transferring these systems to us," he said.

Answering a question about a possible "humanitarian mission" of NATO in Ukraine, Podoliak noted that "indirectly, the humanitarian protection operation is already underway."

"We receive equipment, capabilities, data, all the tools for the effective destruction of the occupation army. Slower than we would like, but nevertheless," he said.

"We are not really asking anyone to fight for us and our freedom. All we need today is the right volumes of specific weapons and ammunition in the most timely deliveries," the adviser to the head of the President's Office said.
Hydraulic structures have been seriously damaged as a result of another missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, the emergency services are cleaning up the aftermath, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Valentyn Reznichenko has said.

"Kryvyi Rih again under enemy fire. The Russian forces aimed their missiles at the critical infrastructure. The hydraulic structures were seriously damaged. The rescuers and emergency services are already cleaning up the aftermath of the 'arrivals'. They doing their best to prevent a manmade disaster. Another missile terror We are working. No panic," he said on the Telegram channel.
Ukrainian air defense shot down a Russian missile over Uman during the latest air raid, there is minor damage to several non-residential buildings, people were not injured, head of Cherkasy regional military administration Ihor Taburets said.

"During the last air raid in Uman, air defense went off. Fortunately, people were not injured. There are minor damage to several non-residential buildings and an emergency shutdown of power supply facilities. Soon their work will be resumed," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
Ukrainian forces continue counter-offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, increasing pressure on Russian positions and logistics lines in eastern Kharkiv, northern Luhansk and eastern Donetsk regions, according to a September 15 report by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

ISW, citing a Russian source, writes that Ukrainian forces deploy bases and artillery positions throughout Kharkiv region, including in Hrianykivka on the east bank of the Oskil River near the P79 highway, and Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups cross the Oskil River from time to time in unidentified areas. In addition, Ukrainian troops continued counter-offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, creating conditions for penetration deep into the Russian rear in the east of Kharkiv and west of Luhansk regions. A Russian source claimed that Ukrainian forces drove Russian troops out of Sosnove on the northern bank of the Siversky Donets River, and Russian troops may have withdrawn from Studenok immediately west of Sosnove to avoid encirclement.

"Russian forces in eastern Ukraine will likely struggle to hold their defensive lines if Ukrainian forces continue to push farther east," the report says.

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck rear areas in occupied Luhansk region, including Lysychansk, Svitlodarsk, Perevalsk, and Kadiyivka. In turn, Russian troops carried out limited ground attacks and are strengthening their positions on the eastern axis, in particular, the Russian Federation has strengthened its positions in the city of Lyman, Donetsk region, ISW reported.

The Institute for the Study of War notes that there is no official confirmation that Ukrainian forces liberated the village of Kyselivka northwest of Kherson, but they reported that the Russians had mined roads in the village. "Ukrainian officials did not report changes in Russian troop composition, but social media footage showed a Tuva region flag in Beryslav, which likely indicates that Russian forces are continuing to reinforce northern Kherson Oblast with regionally formed volunteer units," the report says.

Occupation officials and bloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces had landed on the Kinburn Spit.

The Kremlin is responding to the defeat around Kharkiv region by doubling down on crypto mobilization rather than creating conditions for general mobilization. "Kremlin officials and state media had not previously made country-wide recruitment calls but had instead tasked local officials and outlets to generate forces ostensibly on their own initiative... The Kremlin has likely abandoned its efforts to shield select federal subjects from recruitment drives, which may increase social tensions... Several groups in the republics of Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tyva, and Yakytia [Republic of Sakha] are publicly opposed to the Kremlin's emphasis on recruitment on an ethnic basis," the report says.

"The Kremlin has almost certainly drained a large proportion of the forces originally stationed in Russian bases in former Soviet states since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February, likely weakening Russian influence in those states," ISW says.
UN to send mission to mass grave site in Izium  media

The United Nations will soon send a mission of the UN human rights monitoring agency to de-occupied Izium and its environs, CNN reports, citing its own UN source.

"The war crimes investigation team may follow after that, the source said," the report notes.

Their specific destination remains "unclear" at this time, the journalists say.

Earlier it was reported that in de-occupied Izium, Kharkiv region, legal proceedings began in relation to the mass graves of people found there.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on world politicians and all international organizations to legally recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism after the discovery of mass graves in Izium.

"You've seen Bucha, Mariupol, now Izium. How much longer can this go on? How many more places like this must Russian terrorists create before the world stops them? Today I'm speaking to everyone  America and Europe, politicians, the UN and all international organizations, leaders of states and every person who values life. Today there is only one thing missing: recognition of the truth, recognition of Russia as a sponsor of terrorism," Zelensky said in a video message.

According to him, Russia has already become the biggest source of terrorism in the world.

"No other terrorist force leaves behind so many deaths. This must be recognized legally. We must act. If there is no such recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, it will be a betrayal of everyone who was killed by Russian forces, who was tortured, who was buried in numerous mass graves throughout the territory that Russian soldiers had entered ... Russia must be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism. Otherwise, its terror cannot be stopped," he said.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi wished new Italian PM Giorgia Meloni success in leading Italy toward prosperity and a bright future" in a message to congratulate the country's first-ever woman prime minister on her party's victory in the general elections last week.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkish National Defense Ministry has released a film in support of Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

"We are brothers, one nation, two states. On the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation, we salute the heroic Azerbaijani Army and our noble Azerbaijani brothers, who resolutely suppressed the aggressive and provocative actions of Armenia!" the ministry stressed.

Meanwhile, the 'Iron Fist' is in effect, said Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagchi, alluding to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's speech against Armenian claims to Karabakh during an event marking Baku's independence in 1918.

He emphasized that thanks to the heroic warriors, a major victory was accomplished in the second Karabakh war, and Karabakh was liberated from the Armenian occupation after nearly 30 years.

"Today there are martyrs who gave their lives for their Motherland. May Allah rest their souls," Bagchi said.

Furthermore, European Parliament Member Tomasz Poreba said that taking an objective stance on the armed hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia is necessary.

"We need to be objective about our position when it comes to the clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For a long time Armenia has been a close ally of Russia (with all predictable consequences) while Azerbaijan continued to be always a loyal and strategic friend to Poland and the West," he wrote on Twitter.

On September 15, Azerbaijan marks the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from the occupation of Armenian and Bolshevik units by the Caucasus Islamic Army.

The Caucasus Islamic Army led by Turkish commander Nuru Pasha together with the newly-formed Azerbaijani National Army and volunteers liberated Baku from the Armenian and Bolshevik occupation on September 15 in 1918. Following the liberation, Baku was declared the capital of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, which became the first democratic republic in the Muslim East.

In all, 1,132 fighters of the Caucasus Islamic Army were martyred during the liberation of Baku.




Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Sunday with officials to follow up on projects aiming to boost agriculture exports, increase livestock and fish production, and establish collection centres

Egypt's agriculture exports in 2021 increased by 14 percent, compared to 2020, Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir said on Sunday, noting that Egypt is ranked first in the world for citrus fruit exports.

The minister's remarks were made during a meeting with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly that touched upon projects aiming to boost agriculture exports, increase livestock and fish production, and establish dairy collection centres.

During the meeting, the agriculture minister explained that Egypt exports 350 different agriculture products to more than 150 world countries, said Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

Qusair reviewed the new system for automating and coding farms across the country, with the aim of preparing a detailed digital map of export farms.

This digital map provides a complete database on farms with the use of the most advanced methods, including raising the coordinates of farms using GPS, Qusair said.

It also offers technical recommendations for good agricultural practices, as well as special standards for countries importing Egyptian agricultural crops, the agriculture minister added.

The agriculture minister briefed the president on his ministry's strategy for increasing fish production from fish farms, through maximizing the benefit from Egypt's natural lakes, especially the Manzala and Bardawil lakes.

Concerning the livestock production, the president issued directives to expand the breeding of milk and meat-intensive breeds for their economic return on breeders and farmers, the spokesman noted.



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Lebanon's lawmakers designated incumbent Prime Minister Najib Mikati to form a new government Thursday, more than a month after parliamentary elections that yielded no clear majority.

The 66-year-old billionaire, who had been widely expected to keep his job, secured 54 votes during parliamentary consultations, giving him a clear edge over other potential nominees.

President Michel Aoun subsequently asked him to form a new government, a task analysts fear could take weeks, if not months, despite the economic emergency facing the country.

By convention, Lebanon's prime ministerial position is reserved for a Sunni Muslim, the presidency goes to a Maronite Christian and the post of speaker to a Shiite Muslim.

His nearest rival for the position of prime minister-designate was former ambassador to the United Nations Nawaf Salam, who only received 25 votes.

Most of the deputies in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament chose not to designate any candidate.

The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, whose political alliance lost the clear majority it had in the previous parliament, threw its weight behind Mikati.

The Tripoli native, who is the richest man in bankrupt Lebanon, has already headed three governments since 2005.

Analysts expect him to struggle to reach a deal for a fourth administration. The current cabinet was formed in September last year after a 13-month wait.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping's first trip overseas since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic will overlap with a visit by Pope Francis to Kazakhstan, although the Vatican says there are no plans for them to meet.

Xi's state visit Wednesday comes just weeks ahead of an all-important political meeting in China where he is expected to take a third term as he cements his grip on power. The pope is in Kazakhstan until Thursday for a state visit and an interfaith congress of world religious leaders.

Asked during his flight to Kazakhstan about a possible meeting with Xi, the pope said, ``I don't have any news about this. But I am always ready to go to China.''

The two have been in the same vicinity before and not met, including New York for the United nations General Assembly in 2015 and Xi's visit to Italy in 2019.

The Vatican and China are due to renew their 2018 deal on bishop nominations at the end of this month. A Vatican delegation recently returned from Beijing, and Holy See officials expect the deal to be continued.

Here's a look at Beijing's complicated relationship with the Vatican and the conditions that worshippers face in China.

WHAT IS CHINA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VATICAN?

China does not have diplomatic relations with Vatican, ever since the ruling Communist Party required Roman Catholics in China to sever ties with the Vatican in the 1950s. For decades, people could worship only in churches affiliated with the party-controlled Patriotic Catholic Association.

The Association follows Vatican doctrine and sends theologians to Rome for study sessions, but the ruling party rejects any role for the pope in picking bishops in China or managing churches.

The two sides reached an agreement in 2018 that gave the Holy See the final say over bishops proposed by Beijing, but details have never been released. Francis has said the process involves a dialogue, but that he has the final say.

Beijing had long insisted that it must approve appointments as a matter of its national sovereignty. The Vatican has insisted on the pope's divine authority to choose the successors of Christ's apostles.

Vatican officials have said if the Vatican didn't hammer out something new, there was a risk of the Catholic Church in China becoming irrevocably split.

Vatican City, of which the pope is head of state, is the last European government to maintain ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy the Communist Party claims as part of its territory. Any agreement to establish formal ties with Beijing would likely require the Vatican to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan and endorse the party's claim to the island.

HOW HAS THE BEIJING-VATICAN RELATIONSHIP CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS?

Vatican officials have said they hope the 2018 deal will lead to improvements in the conditions for the Chinese Catholic community and not just focus on bishop nominations.

The deal has brought China and the Vatican closer together in the past four years, said Chang Chia-lin, a professor of religious studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

``In the future, if China agrees to let the pope make a visit, I think the possibility for Vatican-China to establish diplomatic relations will deepen,'' Chang said.

Despite the closer ties, Catholics practicing outside state churches face great pressure and harassment. Rights groups have criticized the deal, saying the costs outweighed whatever benefits have been brought.

Joseph Zen, a prominent Catholic cardinal in Hong Kong who had been a staunch critic of China's Communist Party, was arrested in May as part of a crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The Vatican issued a statement of concern _ a rarity given its delicate relationship with Beijing.

``It seems likely that in order to maintain the positive diplomacy required to continue with the Sino-Vatican agreement, the Vatican has been unwilling to condemn the Chinese government's ongoing crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs and the human rights crackdown in Hong Kong - even when it has affected prominent Catholics like Cardinal Zen,'' said William Nee, the Research and Advocacy Coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

An estimated one million or more Uyghurs and others from predominantly Muslim ethnic groups were held in internment camps in the western Xinjiang region in what the U.N.'s human rights body said may amount to ``crimes against humanity.''

WHAT IS THE SITUATION FOR CHRISTIANS IN CHINA?

Under Xi, China has launched a crackdown on Christianity in recent years, part of an overall tightening on religious freedoms that has also affected worshippers of Islam and, to a lesser extent, Buddhism and Daoism.

Tens of millions of Chinese Roman Catholics as well as Christians had worshipped for decades in informal ``house churches`` and their presence was tolerated.

But China's drive to ``Sinicize'' religion and give ultimate control to the Communist Party rather than a religious leader has led to informal churches coming under intense pressure to shut down. Christian worshippers have seen their churches raided, while facing interrogations and surveillance. Police have arrested pastors and priests associated with these churches.

Some, like the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, have fled overseas in order to practice their version of their religion.

Despite the crackdown, the number of Catholics and believers of other Christian denominations have grown over the past few decades, experts say.

``In China, an ordinary Christian, or Catholic, they have limited religious freedom. They can go to the church for Mass and prayer, and this so-called limited religious freedom, and it's under the church which is controlled by the Communist Party,'' said Chang.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and leaders from India and Central Asian nations headed to Uzbekistan on Thursday for a summit of a security group formed by Beijing and Moscow as a counterweight to U.S. influence.

The meeting of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization comes at a time when Putin is isolated abroad following his invasion of Ukraine. Beijing's relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India are strained by disputes over technology, security and territory.

The event in the ancient sultanate of Samarkand is part of Xi's first foreign trip since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic 2 1/2 years ago, underscoring Beijing's desire to assert itself as a regional power.

Xi was greeted at the Samarkand airport by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. Musicians played a fanfare on karnays, a traditional wind instrument that resembles a long trumpet.

Putin and Xi were due to meet one-on-one and discuss Ukraine, according to the Russian president's foreign affairs adviser.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to arrive Thursday, according to his government, though there was no indication whether he might meet separately with Xi or Putin.

Chinese-Indian relations are strained due to clashes between soldiers from the two sides in a dispute over a border in a remote area of the Himalayas.

Other SCO governments include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Observers include Iran and Afghanistan.

The Chinese leader is promoting a ``Global Security Initiative'' announced in April following the formation of the Quad by Washington, Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijing's more assertive foreign policy. Xi has given few details, but U.S. officials complain it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

The region is part of China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

China's economic inroads into Central Asia have fueled unease in Russia, which sees the region as its sphere of influence. Kazakhstan and its neighbors are trying to attract Chinese investment without upsetting Moscow.

Xi made a one-day visit Wednesday to Kazakhstan en route to Uzbekistan.

Pope Francis was in Kazakhstan at the same time as Xi, but they didn't meet.

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Egypts Foreign Minister and President-Designate of the 27th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) Sameh Shoukry called for enhancing collaborative action to confront climate change.

Egypts vision for the annual conference  which will be held in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November  focuses on the quick and efficient implementation of climate pledges and on-the-ground initiatives, Shoukry noted.

Shoukry made his remarks Thursday as he participated virtually in the opening session of Arab Regional Forum to Finance Climate Action held by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

He also stressed the necessity of turning pledges and agreements into partnerships that create real success stories in dealing with climate change.

The president-designate stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between the five regional commissions of the UN Economic and Social Council and the Egyptian presidency of the COP27, especially with regard to reducing carbon emissions that cause climate change and providing the necessary funding for countering climate change.

The forum in Beirut is the fourth of five regional meetings launched by Egypt's presidency of COP27, UN regional commissions, high-level champions, and Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) to prepare for COP27.

Minister of Planning Hala El-Said, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, and Amina Mohamed, UN deputy secretary-general, are participating in the meeting.

Additionally, Mahmoud Mohieldin, the UN climate change high-level champion for Egypt and UN special envoy on financing 2030 sustainable development agenda, delivered his speech at the event earlier in the day.

Mohieldin said cooperation between Arab countries can help overcome challenges and achieve climate targets, adding that he expects that the Arab forum will result in effective and applicable regional projects that can be financed.

Hopes are pinned on COP27 to turn climate-related pledges into action to help facilitate the transition to green energy in order to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change as per the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement  adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt  came into effect in 2016 with the aim of limiting the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Climate finance has been debated at every COP meeting since, as developed countries have failed to meet their promise to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation measures.

Egypt is set to announce a set of presidential initiatives in the spheres of food, water and energy during COP27.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday for his ``balanced'' approach to the Ukrainian crisis and blasted Washington's ``ugly`` policies at a meeting that followed a major setback for Moscow on the battlefield.

Speaking at the start of talks with Xi in Uzbekistan, Putin said he was ready to discuss unspecified ``concerns'' by China about Ukraine.

``We highly appreciate the well-balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis,'' Putin said, facing Xi across a long table.

``We understand your questions and your concerns in this regard, and we certainly will offer a detailed explanation of our stand on this issue during today's meeting, even though we already talked about it earlier,'' he added.

The two met on the sidelines of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization that includes India, Pakistan and four ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia. The security alliance was created as a counterweight to U.S. influence.

A Chinese government statement issued after the meeting didn't specifically mention Ukraine, but said Xi promised ``strong support'' to Russia's ``core interests.'' While the statement gave no details, Beijing uses ``core interests'' to describe issues such as national sovereignty and the ruling Communist Party's claim to Taiwan, over which it is willing to go to war.

Speaking after the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the assessments of the international situation by Moscow and Beijing ``fully coincide. We don't have any differences.''

He added that both countries ``will continue coordinating our actions, including at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.''

Lavrov described the talks as ``excellent,'' saying they were ``very businesslike and concrete, involving a discussion of tasks for various ministries and agencies.''

Xi's government, which said it had a ``no-limits'' friendship with Moscow before the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, has refused to criticize Russia's military actions. Beijing and India are buying more Russian oil and gas, which helps Moscow offset Western sanctions imposed over the invasion.

Observers say Russia will likely grow increasingly reliant on China as a market for its oil and gas as the West moves to establish a price cap on Russian energy resources and potentially cut their imports altogether.

In trying to strengthen an alliance with China, Moscow has strongly backed Beijing amid tensions with the U.S. that followed a recent visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

``We condemn the provocations of the U.S. and its satellites in the Taiwan Strait,'' Putin told Xi.

Along with Russian's attack on Ukraine, the summit is taking place against the backdrop of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan not far from Uzbekistan, as well as strains in China's relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India due to disputes over technology, security and territory.

Speaking at the start of his one-on-one talks with Xi, Putin blasted efforts by the United States and its allies to dominate global affairs.

``Attempts to create a unipolar world have recently taken an absolutely ugly shape. They are absolutely unacceptable for the vast majority of countries on the globe,'' he said in opening remarks.

``The tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability,'' Putin said. ``We jointly stand for forming a just, democratic and multipolar world based on international law and the central role of the United Nations, not rules invented by some who try to enforce them on others without explaining what they are.''

Xi was more careful, saying that ``in the face of changes in the world, times and history, China is willing to work with Russia to reflect the responsibility of a major country, play a leading role and inject stability into a troubled and interconnected world.''

Beijing is anxious about the impact of volatile oil prices and economic uncertainty due to the prolonged fighting.

The meeting came after Russia was forced to pull back its forces from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week amid a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine regaining control of several Russian-occupied cities and villages represented Moscow's largest setback since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early in the war.

The SCO summit in the ancient city of Samarkand is part of Xi's first foreign trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic 2 1/2 years ago, underscoring Beijing's desire to assert itself as a regional power.

Putin also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose country is on track to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Raisi said Moscow and Tehran were finalizing a major treaty that would bring their relations to a ``strategic level.''

He and Putin both criticized the U.S. at the start of their meeting. Raisi accused the U.S. of breaching its obligations under Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. Putin gibed American officials, saying ``They are masters of their word -- they give it and then take it back whenever they want.''

The Russian leader also met with Central Asian leaders and planned a session with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

There was no indication whether Modi would meet Xi. Relations between India and China are strained due to clashes between the countries' soldiers from a border dispute involving a remote area of the Himalayas.

Putin also is scheduled for a one-on-one meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan have the status of ``dialogue partners'' with the SCO.

Earlier this week, Azerbaijan and Armenia engaged in cross-border shelling that killed 176 troops on both sides, the most serious hostilities in nearly two years between the decades-long adversaries. The fighting has put Moscow, which has tried to maintain close ties with both countries, in a precarious position.

Putin's meeting with Erdogan will be closely watched for their statements on Ukraine and a July deal brokered by Turkey and the U.N. to clear the way for exports of grain and other agricultural products that were stuck at Ukraine's Black Sea ports after the invasion.

The Chinese leader is promoting a ``Global Security Initiative'' announced in April following the formation of the Quad by the U.S., Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijing's more assertive foreign policy. Xi has given few details, but U.S. officials complain it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

The region is part of China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

On Thursday, Xi met with President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan and said Beijing supports the ``early operation'' of a planned railway linking China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

China's economic inroads into Central Asia have fueled unease in Russia, which sees the region as its sphere of influence.

Xi visited Kazakhstan on Wednesday en route to Uzbekistan. Pope Francis was in Kazakhstan, but they didn't meet.

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Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that his country will not give in to "US bullying" in their first ever face-to-face meeting.

"The Islamic republic of Iran will not back down in any way in the face of US bullying," Raisi said according to a presidency statement, referring to Washington's sanctions on Tehran, mostly for its nuclear program.

The meeting, on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan, comes days after the European Union warned that negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers are at a "stalemate".

China is one of the key members of the multilateral dialogue -- alongside France, Germany, Britain, Russia and the United States -- that is trying to revive the troubled 2015 nuclear deal.

"Despite all the enmities, the Islamic republic of Iran has never been stopped and will never be, and has been able to continue its path of progress and development," Raisi added.

The Iranian president also called for strengthening economic relations with China in the fields of "oil and energy, transit, agriculture, trade and investment."

Raisi also thanked China for supporting Iran's bid to gain full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

During his speech at the summit, Raisi said that "undoubtedly, US unilateralism seeks to hold countries back from their independent development path".

"The SCO needs to adopt new solutions and special measures to deal with unilateralism and cruel sanctions including forming lasting trade between the organisation's member states," he added.

Iran, one of four SCO observer states, applied for full membership in 2008, but its bid was slowed by UN and US sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.

Several SCO members did not want a country under international sanctions in their ranks -- a situation that now applies to Russia as well.

At a conference in Tajikistan in September last year, members of the bloc endorsed Iran's future membership.

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a twitter post on Wednesday that he had signed documents in Samarkand pertaining to Iran's membership.

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Ukraine said Friday it had counted some 450 graves at a site near Izyum after recapturing the strategic eastern city from the Russians, a discovery that Kyiv likened to atrocities seen in Bucha and Mariupol.

After recovering swathes of territory in a lightning counter-offensive in the east, the Ukrainian authorities also said they had discovered at least 10 "torture centres" around the Kharkiv region. Police chief Igor Klymenko said two of the sites were found in northeastern Balakliya.

Ukrainian officials said some 450 graves had been counted at a single site near Izyum.

"This is just one of the mass burial sites discovered near Izyum. In the occupied territories, rampant terror, violence, torture and mass murders have been reigning for months," senior presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said.

The United Nations in Geneva said it wanted to send a team to determine the circumstances of the deaths.

At a location near Izyum, AFP journalists saw graves topped with crosses and marked with numbers, with one inscription reading: "Ukrainian army, 17 people. Izyum morgue."

A regional police official, Sergei Botvinov, told Sky News that an Izyum burial site held corpses that included people killed by shooting or in shelling.

Russia has been accused of carrying out attacks on civilians that amount to possible war crimes, particularly in towns outside the capital of Kyiv.

Dozens of civilians bearing signs of extrajudicial killings were found in places like Bucha, outside Kyiv, after they were recaptured by Ukraine's forces earlier this year.

German military revamp

The grim discoveries have coincided with fresh developments on the international front, including a White House announcement of a new package of up to $600 million in military aid for Ukraine.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the United States has provided Kyiv with more than $15 billion in military support, including long-range precision rocket systems.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that Europe must shoulder far more of NATO's burden as he branded President Vladimir Putin's Russia the "biggest threat" currently posed to the alliance.

"NATO remains responsible for the collective defence of the entire alliance with a focus on Europe. Credible deterrence remains the core element," Scholz said at an army congress.

Germany was ready to take on a leading role in ensuring Europe's security, Scholz said, vowing to turn the country's armed forces into the "best equipped" on the continent.

Haunted by two world wars, Germany has always trod lightly and quietly on the world stage when it comes to conflicts and armament.

'New centres of power'

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday visited Kyiv for discussions with Ukraine's leaders about "getting our economies and people closer".

"You'll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes," von der Leyen told a news conference with Zelensky.

Kyiv gained European Union candidacy status in June, angering Moscow which has tried to retain political and military influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

Many EU members have joined the US in supplying Kyiv with advanced weapons, enabling its forces this month to push the Russians out of thousands of square kilometres (miles) of territory.

EU countries have also hit Russia with economic penalties.

Berlin on Friday took control of the German operations of Russian oil firm Rosneft to secure energy supplies disrupted by the invasion.

Rosneft's German subsidiaries, which account for about 12 percent of oil refining capacity in the country, were placed under trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency, the economy ministry said.

The seizures come as Germany is scrambling to wean itself off its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Moscow has stopped natural gas deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meanwhile called for a shake-up of the world order as they met with Asian leaders for a summit challenging Western influence.

Putin hailed what he called the growing influence of "new centres of power" at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan.

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Yasmine Fouad, Egypts environment minister and envoy for the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), reiterated to the world that Africa bears the brunt of the climate change crisis despite accouting for a tiny fraction of global greenhouse emissions.

Fouads remarks came during her speech at the 18th session of the African Ministers of Environment Conference (AMCEN) in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, according to a statement released by the environment ministry on Friday.

Fouad noted that 20 percent of the continents population live in countries that are in the top 10 most vulnerable to climate change.

Fouad added that 172.3 million Africans were affected by drought and 43 million were affected by floods between 2010 and 2022.

African countries are the most affected by food insecurity and water scarcity, she added.

Climate change is expected to push an additional 78 million people to chronic hunger by 2050, more than half of them in sub-Saharan Africa, she said.

Adaptation is the top priority for Africa and Egypt, she stressed.

"The Egyptian government has been exerting enormous efforts to address climate change challenges and include climate-related dimensions in its national plans across all sectors."

It is important for us as the COP27 president to bring back balance between adaptation and mitigation, she added.

Egypt is set to host the COP27 in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh from 6-18 November.

Cairo has vowed to address African interests incombating climate change at the conference in Sharm El-Sheikh.

At the COP27, Egypt aims to ensure the turning of climate-related pledges into action to help facilitate the transition to green energy by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change as per the Paris Agreement.

The presidency of COP27 is pushing a comprehensive group of initiatives that focus on developing countries priorities, especially in Africa, Fouad stressed.

"For the first time, COP27 initiatives are built on an inclusive process of global consultations, with six out of the thirteen initiatives focused on Africa mainly and an additional two focused on Africa in their targets," she added.

For example, Fouad explained that the Fair and Affordable Energy Transition initiative has been designed to combine the efforts of the African countries that are working to accelerate their energy transitions, serving as a reference point for them and development finance partners alike.

This initiative aims to address the reality where 598 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity and 930 million do not have access to clean cooking fuels.

Fouad said that the Waste 50 initiative aims to addresses the waste management crisis in Africa by 2050 as less than 10 percent of the solid waste generated in the continent is recycled.

The minister stated that Africa is expected to witness displacement and migration of up to 85.7 million people in the absence of measures to contain climate change.

Fouad reviewed the role of Friends of Greening National Budgets in Africa and Developing Countries in supporting governments to create an enabling environment for the private sector towards the transition to a low-carbon economy capable of adapting to climate change.

She also highlighted that the biodiversity initiative that will form nature-based solutions (NbS), saying many issues facing the entire continent will be addressed at COP27 such as marine life, marine pollution, ecosystem restoration and conservation, in addition to combatting desertification.

"We call COP27 a COP for Implementation. We as COP president, seek to maintain global ambition for climate action, the minister said.

The Paris Agreement  adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt  came into effect in 2016 with the aim of limiting the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Climate finance has been debated at every COP meeting since, as developed countries have failed to meet their promise to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation measures.

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China recorded its first case of monkeypox on Friday in a person who had recently entered the country, officials said

Health authorities in the southwestern city of Chongqing said the person displayed symptoms while undergoing quarantine for Covid-19.

Under China's zero-Covid policy, people entering the country must typically complete between one and two weeks of isolation on arrival.

The monkeypox patient was diagnosed after developing symptoms including a skin rash, the city health commission said in a report, categorising the case as an "imported infection".

The patient "is undergoing centralised isolation at a designated hospital and is in a stable condition", the report said.

Because the patient had been immediately isolated upon entering the city, "there are no traces of social transmission, and the risk of transmission is low", it said.

Last week, Hong Kong logged its first monkeypox case in a 30-year-old man who showed symptoms while undergoing the city's three-day Covid quarantine period for arrivals.

The patient had no contact with the community, according to a health official, who said the risk of Hong Kongers getting infected was "very low".

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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping in Samarkand.

During the meeting, President Xi Jinping conveyed his congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and China, as well as the establishment of the New Azerbaijan Party. The head of state said that the relations between Azerbaijan and China were of the nature of strategic partnership and were developing at a high level. We highly appreciate the importance you are attaching to the development of relations between Azerbaijan and China. We support the comprehensive development of our relations at the strategic level, Xi Jinping said.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that he was very pleased to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, noting that he remembered their previous meetings, especially his visit to the People's Republic of China to attend the One Belt, One Road Forum in 2019. President Ilham Aliyev also pointed out that the relations between Azerbaijan and China were of the nature of strategic partnership, adding that the two countries cooperated successfully in a number of areas.

President Ilham Aliyev also expressed his gratitude to President Xi Jinping for his congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the New Azerbaijan Party, noting that there were very good relations between the ruling parties of the two countries. Indicating that the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan-China diplomatic relations was celebrated with successful results, the head of state said that very beneficial and fruitful cooperation had been established between the two countries in all fields.

President Ilham Aliyev said he appreciated China's support for Azerbaijan in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the fact that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to start the vaccination process thanks to vaccines purchased from China as a demonstration of solidarity.

The President of Azerbaijan said there were great prospects for cooperation and partnership within the Middle Corridor and One Belt, One Road projects. The head of state said that Azerbaijan was playing an important part in the transport processes between China and Europe, adding that the countrys transport and logistical capabilities were of great importance in international cargo transportation. Azerbaijan fully supports the increase of train and other cargo transportation from China to Europe and vice versa.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan was carrying out large-scale reconstruction work in the territories liberated from occupation. Many Chinese companies had also applied for participation in these operations. Azerbaijan supports an active involvement of Chinese companies in these projects.

President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping stated that his country supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and noted that China appreciated the support Azerbaijan had shown for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of China. Chairman Xi Jinping stated that non-interference in the affairs of states was an important principle.

President Ilham Aliyev mentioned that Azerbaijan always supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of China, that China's unequivocal support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was always highly appreciated, and expressed his gratitude to President Xi Jinping for that. The President of Azerbaijan specifically noted that the non-interference in the internal affairs of states was one of the priority principles for Azerbaijan. The head of state pointed out that Azerbaijan always supported the supremacy of norms and principles of international law, and emphasized that Azerbaijan had been working in this direction as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement since 2019. President Ilham Aliyev stated that territorial integrity was a fundamental principle of international law and must be respected by all.

The head of state noted the importance of increasing inter-city relations, student exchange, as well as cooperation in the field of tourism, as a component of cooperation in the humanitarian field. The President of Azerbaijan said he was confident that after the pandemic was completely over, the tourist exchange between the two countries would be restored to the level before COVID-19. The head of state reiterated that China was a friend and strategic partner for Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, the sides also pointed out great prospects for the development of Azerbaijan-China economic and trade relations, increasing trade, promoting investment, and cooperation in energy, agriculture, transport, logistics, e-commerce, automobile transportation and other fields, increasing student exchange, and stepping up direct relations between the cities of the two countries.

The heads of state noted that joint efforts would continue to be made for the deepening and further development of bilateral relations.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and the EU Commissioner for Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen co-wrote about the need to take collective action on education and make concrete funding commitments, ahead of the Transforming Education Summit on Monday.

As parents, teachers and students got ready for a return to school this autumn, few were thinking of the fact that across the world, education is in deep crisis. This is a slow and often unseen crisis, but its impacts affect us all. At the upcoming UN Summit on Transforming Education, world leaders have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take decisive action. The United Nations and the European Union now call on all member states to deliver much-needed commitments to ensure that all girls and boys can access, enjoy and benefit from a meaningful, modern, high-quality education. Their rights and our collective futures depend on it.

Education is the most powerful and transformative tool we have to empower girls and boys with hope, skills and opportunity for their future. It also paves the way for solving many of todays global challenges. However, in many parts, poverty and inequality still have a major influence over school attendance and learning achievement. And right across the world, education systems are struggling to equip learners with the values, skills and knowledge needed to thrive in our rapidly changing world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing crisis and the global funding gap for education has increased significantly. Even before the pandemic, governments were spending less than half of the needed sum on education. Since then, two in three governments have cut their education budgets while some international donors have announced their intention to reduce aid to education.

Collective action on future-oriented learning and education financing is urgent, if we want to recover pandemic-related learning losses and ensure that children and young people everywhere are able to access their right to education as enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Investing in education has a transformative impact across the Sustainable Development Goals. It advances gender equality: educated girls are more likely to participate in the decisions that most affect them, to live longer, healthier lives, and to earn higher incomes. It makes a major contribution to national development: every euro spent on education can generate 1015 euros in economic growth. And by nurturing informed, empowered citizens, it can help countries to tackle major challenges such as climate change, social breakdown, conflict, gender-based violence and more.

The European Union is significantly increasing its investment in education in partner countries. The EU will dedicate more than 10% of its international partnerships budget, representing over 6 billion euros, towards global education.

Now we need others to do likewise. The UN Secretary-General is calling on all government leaders and all actors, including private sector and civil society, as part of a global mobilisation, to make concrete commitments to increase funding for education, from all sources.

At the Transforming Education Summit, the representatives of all countries and partners face a moment of truth: now is the time to collectively fill the investment gap to tackle the global education crisis. Now is the time to invest in learning recovering and help put the SDGs back on track, thereby sowing the seeds for transformation of our education systems, so that education better prepares learners to contribute to a more inclusive, peaceful, sustainable and just future, leaving no one behind.

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The 38th edition of Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries (AMCFF) this October aims to highlight comedic films and the actors who infuse them with joy

The AMCFF is scheduled to take place between 5 and 10 October.

Earlier in September, the festival revealed the poster for its upcoming edition. Designed by caricaturist Amr Fahmy, the poster is a satirical presentation of a number of Egyptian comedians and aims to highlight those who are responsible for creating so much joy through cinema.

Bearing the name of the film actor Mahmoud Hemeida, the festival will include several tributes, including to the actress Donia Samir Ghanem, to her father, the great late comedian Samir Ghanem and his wife, late artist Dalal Abdel-Aziz.

The festival will also celebrate the first Egyptian woman cinematographer Abya Farid, who died 40 years ago, as well as the renowned Egyptian director Mohamed Abdel-Aziz.

Samir Sabri will also be honoured for his long artistic career that has included singing, theater and dance. A tribute will also be paid to the French star Marianne Borgo for her cinematographic career.

On Wednesday, the management revealed yet another filmmaker to be celebrated during the upcoming edition: Wagih El-Leithy, a producer and distributor who hails from the large family of film producers that includes his older brothers Mamdouh El-Leity (also scriptwriter), Gamal El-Leithy, and Ihab El-Leithy. Their uncle Amr El-Leithy worked in the media.

One of the oldest film festivals in Egypt, the AMCFF is an annual event organised by the Egyptian Association for Film Writers and Critics, under the auspices of the ministries of culture, information, and tourism, and focuses on the cultural riches of the Mediterranean Basin.

The detailed schedule of the festival is yet to be revealed.

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The Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and a team of researchers from the Office of the Yanbian Korean Nationality Autonomous Prefecture Commission for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments excavated 14 ancient tombs in the Helong region of Jilin Province dating back to the Balhae era. They published their findings in the latest issue of the journal "Chinese Archeology" published by the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A crown ornament bearing a striking resemblance to a Koguryo crown has been unearthed at a royal tomb of the Balhae Kingdom, while an epitaph states that the buried individual is an empress. The find by Chinese government researchers directly contradicts claims by the country's Northeast Project that the Balhae Kingdom was a province of the Tang Dynasty.

The tomb appears to have been created between the late 8th and early 9th century, the heyday of the Balhae Kingdom, and is located in the same area where the tomb of Princess Jung-hyo of the third Balhae King Mun-wang was found in 1980. The Chinese discovered the tombs between 2004 and 2005 as they prepared to register the grounds as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but this is the first time the results have been revealed.

Prof. Song Ki-ho of Seoul National University, who recently checked the report, said Tuesday, "The fact that the title 'empress' is used on the epitaph is evidence that Balhae was an empire rather than a regional province of China, while observations of the tomb's pattern and relics clearly show Balhae was a successor to the Koguryo Kingdom." Prof. Lee Han-sang of Daejeon University said, "The gold ornament depicting a three-stranded bird's wing is a valuable piece of evidence demonstrating how Koguryo's traditional crowns were passed on to Balhae."

The Northeast Project is by many here seen as an attempt by China to coopt early Korean history with claims that the Three Kingdoms were variously vassal states or autonomous Chinese provinces.
At least two archaeological sites from the ancient Korean kingdoms of Koguryo and Balhae have been included along what China claims is a newly discovered section of the Great Wall that runs to the east coast of China.

Lee Sung-jae of the Northeast Asian History Foundation told a forum on Tuesday that the remains announced a week ago by Tong Mingkang, deputy chief of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, apparently include fortress walls from Koguryo and Balhae in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.

Lee said a section of the Great Wall in China's Liaoning Province was also in fact part of the early history of Koguryo, but there is room for disagreement on that portion because it was built by China's Han Dynasty.

"We have not been able to obtain official documents from China's SACH but checked the information on a website related to the institute," Lee said. SACH announced last Tuesday that the Great Wall is even longer than previously thought and stretches 21,196 km from the Uighur region in the west to Heilongjiang Province in the east, with some 43,721 remnants.

Prof. Hong Seung-hyun at Sookmyung Women's University warned, "We need to pay attention to the resurgence of the view among Chinese scholars since 1994 that the wall signifies China's boundaries. The problem is that Chinese research into the remnants of the wall is being pursued without transparency and is not being verified properly. But it's increasingly being used for political gains, and we haven't responded properly."
India's ambitions to create a domestic semiconductor manufacturing capability got a boost with this week's announcement of a $ 19.5 billion investment by Taiwanese electronic company Foxconn and local conglomerate Vedanta.

The companies will set up manufacturing facilities for producing the chips in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat. The plants are expected to be operational by 2024.

Modi called the agreement an important step in "accelerating India's semi-conductor manufacturing ambitions" in a tweet Tuesday following the announcement.

India has joined the global race to make the chips at the heart of modern electronic devices from smartphones to cars, but for which there have been global shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain constraints. India announced a $10 billion economic package in December to attract semiconductor makers as it looks to become a production hub for the critical components. It has also promised to expand incentives.

So far manufacturers in a small number of East Asian countries, led by China, Taiwan and South Korea, have supplied most of the world's semiconductors. Several countries now want to reduce their dependence on global supply chains in critical technologies after the pandemic as well as Russia's war in Ukraine and growing tensions between Western countries and China highlighted the risks of relying on limited sources of production.

"There are growing concerns of economic wars in the future and overdependence on China, especially for crucial components. So, India is trying to emerge as a production hub for semiconductors," Sreeram Chaulia, dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs. "The government believes that India can fill a niche as some countries and companies look to alternatives to China," he told VOA.
The hall will be open 23 hours a day for visitors and will be guarded by soldiers from the royal household.

Aerial video in London showed the mourners lining the banks of the Thames River and across the Tower Bridge, stretching an estimated 5.6 kilometers. Officials expect 750,000 people to pay their respects before the queen's official funeral on Monday.

Tens of thousands of mourners lined up through the night and into the day Thursday to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall.

Buckingham Palace Thursday released the official order of service for events leading up to and after Monday's state funeral. On Friday, King Charles III and his siblings will hold a vigil at their mother's coffin for 15 minutes in Westminster Hall, as they did earlier this week when it lay in St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

About 2,000 guests, including visiting heads of state and other dignitaries, are expected for Monday's service at Westminster Abbey. Immediately after, two minutes of silence will be observed across Britain, giving Britons a chance to pay their final respects to the late monarch.

Elizabeth's coffin will then be transported from the abbey through the historic heart of London to Wellington Arch near Buckingham Palace on a horse-drawn gun carriage, with Charles and other royals walking behind. The coffin will then be driven in the state hearse to Windsor for a committal service at St. George's Chapel near Windsor Castle.

Later in the day, members of the royal family will hold a private burial service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where the queen will be interred with her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

Elizabeth died Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, a place she cherished and where Charles became king.
Additional sanctions were levied on Kadyrov, who already had been blacklisted by the U.S. since 2017. The new blacklist also targets three of Kadyrov's wives and three of his adult daughters.

The top American diplomat said those targeted include major Russian defense entities, key advanced-technology firms that support Russia's defense industrial base and financial infrastructure, a Russian military intelligence agency and individuals linked to human rights abuses.

"The United States continues to hold the Russian government to account for its war against Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The U.S. on Thursday imposed new economic sanctions on an array of Russians, including some that it accused of stealing Ukrainian grain, an official who allegedly has directed the deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, and relatives of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Blinken said Maria Lvova-Belova was sanctioned for her efforts to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. He said the sanctions targeted "key Russia-installed authority figures in Ukrainian territories currently controlled by the Russian military," along with 31 defense, technology and electronics entities, "to further constrain Russia's advanced technology industries and their contribution to Russia's defense industrial base."

Blinken said those targeted included 22 Russian proxy officials, including five that have overseen the seizure or theft of hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets held by those blacklisted and prohibits U.S. individuals or companies from doing business with them.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for talks that she said would include "getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses" toward membership in the European Union. Ukraine applied to join the EU in late February, days after Russia launched its invasion. The EU granted Ukraine candidacy status in June.

Zelenskyy used part of his latest nightly address to criticize Russian cruise missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, which he said hit a reservoir dam with "no military value" that hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on.

The Ukrainian leader also said almost the entire Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine is "de-occupied" after Ukrainian forces took back large areas in a counteroffensive in the past two weeks. The gains included retaking the city of Izium where Zelenskyy traveled Wednesday to meet with soldiers and thank them for their efforts.

"Ukrainian forces continue to consolidate their control of newly liberated areas of Kharkiv Oblast," Britain's defense ministry said Thursday. "Russian forces have largely withdrawn from the area west of the Oskil River."
Volkswagen launched its ID.4 all-electric SUV in Korea on Thursday.

The new vehicle is the carmaker's first SUV based on its EV platform, known as MEB.

The German carmaker has sold 182,600 units of the flagship EV globally through the first half of this year, since its release in September 2020.

It is expected to compete with Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6 in the Korean market.
The National Museum of China is removing a chronology of Korean history in an exhibition that pointedly omits the ancient kingdoms of Koguryo and Balhae after an official Korean protest.

Some Chinese historians have tried over the last decades to co-opt early Korean history as Chinese, but the state museum made the decision after the Korean Foreign Ministry lodged a complaint saying the omission is an "an issue vital to the identity of the Korean people."

"China notified us officially that the controversial display at the exhibition will be removed," the ministry said Thursday, adding the museum said omission "was not intentional." China also promised to avoid a repeat of such incidents through communication between the two countries.

Beijing also reiterated a promise made in 2004 not to distort the history of Koguryo. The two sides will now discuss whether to display a new chronology that includes the two ancient kingdoms.
President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

It will be Yoon's first summit with Kishida and the first Korea-Japan summit in two years and 10 months, although the two briefly shook hands during the NATO summit in Spain in June.

The two leaders are expected to talk about a range of divisive issues including compensation for Korean victims of forced labor during World War II and Japanese curbs on some hi-tech exports to Korea.

Yoon will also sit down with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters on Thursday that Seoul has agreed the bilateral summits and is now fine-tuning the schedule with Washington and Tokyo.

Yoon leave for London on Sunday to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II before flying to New York, where he delivers a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 20.
By Azernews

By Fuad Muxtar-Aqbabali

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is visiting Uzbekistans Samarkand to partake in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Prior to the summit, where the leaders of the SCO member nations are slated to attend amid the protracted and disastrous Russian war in Ukraine, the latest deadly clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, to name a few, President Ilham Aliyevs presence is crucial in terms of updating the nations allies and opponents about the unfolding developments in the South Caucasus.

This is doubly vital when official Yerevan is desisting from Bakus tenacious calls for ending nearly 30-year-long enmity by hammering out a long-desired peace treaty that would be conducive to the regions return to a peaceful life and economic prosperity. However, Armenias constant provocations and reluctance to sign a peace deal as envisaged under agreements signed with Azerbaijan indicate that peace will not soon come to the region.

Armenia, in an attempt to derail the outcome of the fourth Brussels meeting with Azerbaijan, resorted yet to another provocation on the border on the night leading to September 13, in which Azerbaijan lost 71 troops in defense of the nations territorial integrity.

In his turn, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament on September 14 that his nations losses amounted to 105 servicemen, whereas Azerbaijans statement about its readiness to unilaterally hand over 100 slain bodies to Yerevan indicates that their losses are much higher than claimed.

In Samarkand, the Azerbaijani president will meet Russias Vladimir Putin to discuss the fresh clashes with Armenia, where Moscow has two military bases and played a crucial role in rescuing Armenia from a complete defeat of Azerbaijan in November 2020.

"Tomorrow a conversation will take place with President Aliyev. Of course, it will also be at the top of the agenda," TASS said, citing Peskov. The presidential spokesperson recalled that Vladimir Putin had already held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"The day before, there was a conversation between the president and prime minister Pashinyan, quite a long one," he added without divulging details. He also noted that the Kremlin-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) had decided to send an inspection group to the region to prepare a report for the CSTO heads of state.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has decided to skip the SCO summit over border fighting with Azerbaijan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Samarkand in Uzbekistan in view of the current situation, Armenpress quoted the governments press office as saying.

In the wake of the outbreak of the fighting on the night leading to 13 September, Yerevan asked CSTO for assistance in resolving the situation. The Armenian foreign minister opined that a CSTO mission chaired by Secretary-General Stanislav Zas would arrive in Armenia on 15 September to assess the situation on the ground.

Armenias disastrous defeat in the Second Karabakh War has led to a qualitatively new situation in the region and Azerbaijan has reached the conditional border with Armenia and any military provocation or sabotage causes fierce battles directly near the Armenian territory.

Pashinyan, at every opportunity, unfoundedly declares his readiness for peace but de facto he wants to avenge. Neither in Moscow nor in Brussels did the parties come close to signing agreements on unblocking communications and opening the long-awaited Zangazur Corridor.

Armenia is also in no hurry with the withdrawal of illegal formations from the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers. At the talks, Pashinyan takes a cynical and ambiguous position: without refuting any of the settlement principles put forward by Azerbaijan, Pashinyan de facto torpedoes the implementation of the main agreements.

With great difficulty, overcoming enormous resistance, the government of Azerbaijan managed to achieve the implementation of the most important clause of the Moscow agreement on the liberation of Lacin.

The tough position of the Azerbaijani leadership, primarily President Ilham Aliyev, who discussed the situation with the chiefs of the power-wielding bodies the day before, is quite expected. Aliyev has repeatedly and publicly warned Pashinyan and the Armenian society cultivating militant revanchism about the unpredictable grave consequences of the disastrous policy of whipping up the confrontation.

The Armenian prime minister hoped that his government will be able to impose its political agenda on Azerbaijan with the tactics of military intimidation. Pashinyans hopes to internationalize the post-conflict situation, involving the CSTO, France, and its Western allies in a new round of hostilities also backfired.

The efforts of Armenia and its Diaspora to rally international support ended in a fiasco - a complete fiasco! Armenia has not only lost strategic heights along the border, but also the border military infrastructure created after the 2020 war.

The new air defense system delivered immediately after the war from Russia was razed to the ground. Another bitter defeat caused an internal political flurry and a new wave of protests in Yerevan. The Karabakh agenda has again given way to internal political conflicts.
Admission quotas for universities and vocational colleges in the provinces and capital region will be cut by 16,197 over the next three years as the younger population dwindles.

The government now pays universities and colleges if they volunteer to cut their admission quotas because many less scrupulous commercial institutions want as many students as they can get. On Thursday, the Education Ministry pledged W140 billion to universities and colleges that reduce their student quota further (US$1=W1,394).

Last year, the government asked 233 universities and colleges that had passed the fundamental performance assessment if they would cut their student quota. But only 55 universities and 41 technical colleges agreed to reduce their quota by a total of 7,991 and 8,206.

The government also accepted plans to transfer their undergraduate quota to graduate or lifelong learning programs.

Universities and colleges in the south -- Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province -- made the biggest cuts with 4,407 students. Next came the Chungcheong provinces (4,325), Jeolla provinces and Jeju (2,825), Daegu, North Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces (2,687), and the capital region (1,953).

A whopping 88 percent of the cuts were from schools outside the capital region as they already had difficulties recruiting new students.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 17:06 | All, Japan

Japan on Friday approved the venues for the Group of Seven ministerial meetings next year. The G-7 summit is scheduled to be held in Hiroshima, one of the two Japanese cities devastated by atomic bombs in the closing days of World War II.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida represents a constituency in the western Japan city.

The following is a list of the 14 venues for the G-7 ministerial meetings.

*

Foreign -- Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture

Finance -- Niigata, Niigata Prefecture

Science, technology -- Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Gender equality -- Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture

Internal affairs, security -- Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture

Digital technology -- Gunma Prefecture

Trade -- Osaka Prefecture

Education -- Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures

Health -- Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture

Labor, employment -- Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture

Agriculture -- Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture

Climate, energy, environment -- Sapporo, Hokkaido

Transport -- Shima, Mie Prefecture

Urban -- Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture
KYODO NEWS - Sep 17, 2022 - 02:30 | All, Japan

Japan under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejected a North Korean proposal to return two Japanese men, including a victim of abductions by Pyongyang, in around 2014 and 2015, sources involved in the negotiations said Friday.

Tokyo turned down the proposal by Pyongyang, fearing that the nuclear-armed country could try to end the long-standing issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the sources.

It is the first revelation that North Korea had sounded out the government of Abe, who adopted a hard-line stance toward Pyongyang by putting "maximum pressure" on the nation to temporarily return victims of the abductions.

In 2014, North Korea made an agreement with Japan to investigate the abductions, although Pyongyang later broke the promise.

Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic ties. The Japanese government recognizes 17 nationals as having been abducted by North Korea, and the issue has prevented the two countries from starting talks on the normalization of bilateral relations.

Five abductees were brought back to Japan in 2002 after then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang and held a historic summit with late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 17 that year.

The two men were Minoru Tanaka, who is on the government list as having been abducted by North Korea, and Tatsumitsu Kaneda, one of more than 800 possible abductees, the sources said.

Pyongyang had claimed that among the remaining 12 abductees, eight had died and the other "four" never entered the nation, but it explained "three," excluding Tanaka, never entered the country when North Korea proposed the return of the two men.

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the first-ever Japan-North Korea summit.

Under the Pyongyang Declaration, signed by Koizumi and Kim, the two Asian nations agreed to make "every possible effort for an early normalization of the relations," while Japan vowed to extend economic cooperation to North Korea after ties were normalized.

Koizumi received words of apology for the abductions from Kim. Abe accompanied Koizumi to North Korea as a deputy chief Cabinet secretary.

The government of Abe, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again for eight years through 2020, rejected North Korea's proposal on the grounds that accepting it would allow Pyongyang to terminate negotiations on the abduction issue, the sources said.

There was also concern that the two men could go back to North Korea soon even if they returned to their home country, as they might have been unwilling to settle down in Japan, the sources added.

"We thought it was an unacceptable proposal," one of the sources said.

While North Korea has said the abduction issue has already been resolved, Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, called tackling the matter his "life's work."

The Abe family's association with the issue goes back decades. In 1988, when the parents of a university student, who went missing in Europe and was believed to have been abducted by Pyongyang, visited the office of Abe's father, former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe.

In May 2014, Japan and North Korea reached an accord in Stockholm for negotiations toward the settlement of the abduction issue, in principle. Japan relaxed its sanctions on Pyongyang, which, in turn, promised a full-scale investigation into it.

But North Korea repeatedly postponed reporting the results of its investigation. The nation then disbanded its investigative team and suspended the probe after Japan levied further sanctions in February 2016 in reaction to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 15, 2022 - 19:15 | All, World

A Senate committee on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at significantly enhancing U.S. support to Taiwan, including through billions of dollars in security assistance, amid China's increasing pressure on the self-ruled island.

The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden said it welcomes the bipartisan backing for Taiwan and wants to work with Congress to strengthen it further. But it reacted with caution to the bill, which is sure to anger China if it becomes legislation.

"It's going to go through multiple processes before it reaches an end. So we're going to let that go through," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters prior to the bill's passage through the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. She did not respond to questions seeking confirmation on whether Biden personally supports the bill.

Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary. It has been vocal in opposition to any actions it regards as interference in China's "internal affairs."

The Taiwan Policy Act would allocate $4.5 billion in security assistance to Taiwan over four years and sets up a broad economic sanctions regime on China over hostile actions against the island, Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the committee, said in a press release.

The Democratic lawmaker emphasized that the bill's primary focus is "deterrence and on enhancing Taiwan's capabilities" and that it is clear that the United States "does not seek war or increased tensions with Beijing."

Taiwan's Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang said the U.S. Senate had demonstrated bipartisan support for Taiwan through the bill's passage.

"Taiwan's position has always been not yielding to pressure and not acting recklessly when we get support," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing is "firmly opposed to" the bill and has made a "serious demarche" to Washington, claiming the legislation violates the one-China principle and constitutes interference in the Asian country's internal affairs.

Mao urged Congress to stop advancing deliberations on the bill, saying it will "greatly shake the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and cause extremely serious consequences" to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

When the bill was introduced in June, Menendez called it the "most comprehensive restructuring" of U.S. policy towards Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.

Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979 after the United States switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Under the act, the United States maintains substantive though unofficial ties with Taiwan and supplies the island with arms and spare parts to enable it to sustain sufficient self-defense capabilities.

The U.S. government, meanwhile, has maintained an ambiguous position regarding the use of military force in response to any potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, a policy known as "strategic ambiguity."

The policy is intended not only to deter China from using force against Taiwan but also to dissuade Taiwan from seeking independence, as neither Beijing nor Taipei can feel certain the United States would intervene to defend the island should a military conflict arise.

Among other issues, the Taiwan Policy Act also calls for Taiwan to be designated as a "major non-NATO ally," which, according to the State Department homepage, provides countries with certain benefits in security cooperation and other areas.

The status, however, does not entail any security commitments to the designated country, unlike members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the department said.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 12:50 | World, All, Japan

North Korea has criticized Japan for actions it says nullify the historic 2002 Pyongyang Declaration, under which the two countries agreed to make efforts toward normalizing ties, state-run media said Friday ahead of the 20th anniversary of the accord's signing.

Song Il Ho, North Korea's ambassador responsible for negotiations to normalize the relationship with Japan, said in a statement Thursday that Tokyo has rendered the accord "null and void" due to sanctions linked to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs and "pushed the bilateral ties to the lowest ebb of confrontation," the report said.

The envoy also reiterated the issue of abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s has been "already resolved" in the statement issued before Saturday's anniversary, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Song stressed that the prospect for a shift in bilateral ties "entirely depends on the attitude of the Japanese government," apparently calling for Tokyo to alter its stance.

It is believed to be the first time the envoy has categorized the declaration as "null and void." North Korean state media made a similar reference in 2008, but the country's government has continued to deem the accord valid.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference in Tokyo that Japan's policy of aiming for normalization of diplomatic ties with North Korea based on the Pyongyang Declaration "remains unchanged," while avoiding commenting directly on Song's comments.

During a historic visit to North Korea by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Sept. 17, 2002, then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il admitted that his nation had abducted Japanese nationals. Five were repatriated the following month.

The Pyongyang Declaration also stipulates that Japan will extend economic cooperation to the North after ties are normalized. But bilateral relations subsequently deteriorated as a rift deepened over the issue of other abductees.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno lamented Friday the fact that none of the remaining abductees have been repatriated and pledged Tokyo's "utmost efforts" to get them back quickly.

Like a number of his predecessors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to resolve the abduction issue and said he is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions.

Matsuno also said at a press conference Japan can "never tolerate" the North's nuclear and missile development programs as they threaten the peace and security of the international community and pledged close coordination with the United States and South Korea in seeking denuclearization.

Song condemned Japan for using the 2002 declaration "for its dirty political purposes" of solving the abduction issue as well as curbing the North's nuclear and missile development "by denying the nature and essence of the bilateral ties."

Tokyo has "dramatized the 'story of threat' from" North Korea and "escalated military muscles for aggression under that pretext, thereby seriously harassing regional peace and stability," the envoy claimed.

"The Japanese government can never shirk the responsibility for its perfidious acts about the declaration," he said.

Japan claims that 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korean agents and suspects Pyongyang was involved in many more disappearances. The North urges Japan to atone for its past military occupation and colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
By Rachael Bayliss-Chan, KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 19:02 | World, All

As the AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, Britain and the United States marked its first anniversary this week, Australian defense officials have stressed that the "optimal pathway" to acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under the pact is taking shape.

But concerns remain over a potential capability gap in the country's submarine force as its current aging conventional submarines are expected to reach their retirement before the new boats can be delivered.

The officials have flagged an announcement early next year on the type of ship the country will use and how any capability gap will be handled.

The AUKUS partnership, announced on Sept. 15, 2021, came in response to increasing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific and has widely been viewed as a move to counter China's growing influence in the region.

Around 50 officials from the United States and Britain were in Australia this week for talks with the country's Nuclear Powered Submarine Task Force, as it nears the end of an 18-month study to determine which boat Australia will pick -- an American or British design, or some kind of hybrid -- the Guardian Australia reported.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a briefing to local media this week that Canberra is on track to make initial announcements based on the study in the first part of 2023.

The minister all but ruled out the possibility of a uniquely Australian class of submarines, however, saying it will be "advantageous" for Australia to choose a submarine design that will also be in service with other navies, the Australian Associated Press reported.

"It's obviously much better if you are operating a platform which other countries operate as there is a shared experience and a shared industrial base to sustain it," Marles said. "It would be better if we're in a position where what we're doing is genuinely a trilateral effort," he added, according to The Australian newspaper.

But the first nuclear-powered submarine is not expected to hit Australian waters until at least 2040, and a viable capability is not expected for another 10 years, thereby creating the potential for a capability gap in the country's submarine force.

Speaking to reporters in the nation's capital in August, Marles said his mind "is completely open" about what Australia must do to deal with any capability gap, with options such as building an interim conventional submarine or buying new boats "off the shelf" from U.S. or British production lines on the table.

However, hopes of buying a submarine from one of the AUKUS partners have been all but dashed by senior officials from both countries. The U.S. Navy's Strategic Submarines Program executive officer, Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, said in August that any additional construction added to the U.S. production line would be detrimental to the country's defense needs.

Similarly, Britain's defense secretary, Ben Wallace, told reporters this month that the country is not in a position to provide Australia with one of its Astute-class submarines.

Marcus Hellyer, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a defense-policy think tank, warns that if Australia were to seek an interim conventional submarine capability, the tight timeframe for delivery means options are limited and will have challenges, whether it be an evolution of the current Collins-class boats or one of the foreign conventional designs available.

"We don't have all of the options we would like at this point in time because we've essentially spent the last 13 years getting even further away from having new submarines than when we started this journey in 2009," Hellyer said, noting that a defense white paper released that year had already identified a need for a greater submarine capability.

With senior defense figures and former Navy personnel split on the best path forward, it remains unclear how Australia will seek to plug the gap. An announcement on any measures is expected alongside the initial procurement decisions slated for March.

One thing that is certain for Hellyer is that the capability gap already exists and will only get worse as Australia's strategic circumstances worsen in the future.

The timeline for delivering new submarines in Australia has been delayed by changing pursuits under successive former prime ministers. In 2016, a leadership change ended the progression toward a deal with Japan and saw the French company Naval Group win the bid for the now-axed Attack-class submarine program.

As Australia now looks to make up a lost decade in its pursuit of new submarines, the next year will be pivotal as the three AUKUS partners move from the consultation phase to the implementation of the controversial partnership.

But with the anticipated date for delivery of the ships remaining well in the future, the three countries will have to work closely over the coming decades to counter China's growing military presence in the region.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 22:35 | All, Japan

A Japanese court on Friday ordered the government to pay 1.65 million yen ($11,500) in damages to the bereaved family of a Cameroonian man who died while being detained in an immigration control facility in eastern Japan.

The mother of the man, who died aged 43 in the Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, in March 2014, had demanded that the government pay 10 million yen in damages, alleging that immigration officials failed to send him to a medical institution despite his claims of ill health.

The ruling "confirmed that it is but natural to send someone who is suffering to the hospital," said the defense counsel, describing it as a "breakthrough" that the court determined the state had the duty of care over the man.

In handing down the judgment, the Mito District Court ruled the immigration bureau failed to carry out its duty, saying it should have sent the man to a hospital immediately.

But Presiding Judge Masahiko Abe ruled out linking the bureau's actions to the man's death. "As the man's health had rapidly deteriorated, it does not necessarily mean he might have been saved if he had been taken immediately to a hospital," he said.

The plaintiff's side will consider appealing the case, while the Justice Ministry said it will look into the ruling and take the appropriate action.

In a March 2022 hearing, Abe had recommended that the two sides reach an out-of-court settlement.

According to the ruling, the Cameroonian man was detained by the center in November 2013 after he was refused entry into the country at Narita airport outside Tokyo a month earlier.

He was reported to have health issues, including diabetes, and on March 27, 2014, he was transferred to a recuperation room monitored by a security camera after complaining of feeling unwell.

Although he underwent a medical examination in the facility, his condition worsened until his death days later, on March 30.

Until authorities found him in cardiopulmonary arrest, he had not been seen by any doctor outside the facility, nor had he been sent by ambulance to a hospital, the ruling said.

Security camera footage taken the night before his death showed the man falling from his bed to the floor and crying out, "I'm dying."

The man's bereaved family maintained that the immigration agency's response to his illness was illegal, while the national government sought the case's dismissal arguing the response was appropriate.

The government had said that leaving the judgment on dispatching detainees by ambulance to staff without medical knowledge is difficult, and even if the man had been transported from the facility, he still might not have been saved.

Treatment of foreign nationals detained at Japanese immigration facilities has come under increased scrutiny in recent years.

In March 2021, 33-year-old Sri Lankan Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali died in a Nagoya detention facility after complaining of ill health, including vomiting and stomachaches, for around a month.

Her family members say it is clear she would have lived if immigration bureau officials had given her appropriate care.

Her death contributed to a backlash that culminated in the government shelving in May 2021 revisions to the immigration law, which included measures to make it easier to deport asylum seekers.

Plans to resubmit the bill in the Diet session in the fall have also been abandoned, government sources said earlier.

Wishma's family is also seeking damages from the government over her death. Her sisters filed a complaint in August seeking an independent review of the Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office's decision not to prosecute 13 people working at the facility when she died.

Prosecutors said they could not make a conclusion on her cause of death or establish a causal link between her treatment and her death.

Shoichi Ibusuki, a defense lawyer representing her family, said the ruling regarding the Cameroonian man was the "first-ever ruling that found the immigration facility responsible for a death."

Related coverage:

Sri Lankan family seeks Japan panel review over detainee's death
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 08:00 | All, World, Japan

Japan is considering building an evacuation shelter for residents on a remote island in Okinawa in the event of a military contingency near the country's southwestern Nansei Islands chain or Taiwan, government sources said Thursday.

The need for such a facility comes as Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been expanding the scale of deployment on the southern island prefecture's remote islands, with Yonaguni just about 110 kilometers away from Taiwan, amid China's military buildup.

The government has deemed it necessary to provide the shelter, given that there are no such facilities on the islands, according to the sources.

Tensions have recently grown near Taiwan following a visit in early August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the third highest-ranking U.S. official, to the self-ruled democratic island China views as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

A Taiwan contingency is particularly concerning for Japan, a U.S. ally, given the proximity of its southwestern islands, including the Senkakus. Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly intruded into Japanese waters near the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed islets in the East China Sea.

Further measures on protecting citizens during contingencies are expected to be included in Japan's National Security Strategy, which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aims to update by the end of this year to deal with the region's increasingly challenging security environment.

It would be the first revision of the long-term security and diplomacy policy guideline since it was adopted in 2013.

The Cabinet Secretariat has requested a budget for fiscal 2023 starting next April to conduct a survey on the specifications for a shelter able to withstand military attacks.

In the next few years, the government will decide whether to build the shelter, as well as when to do so, in line with the wishes of local governments, according to the sources.

"As China continues to take coercive actions, the construction of facilities in case of an emergency is essential," one of the sources said.

Evacuating residents from remote islands is time-consuming. According to an estimate based on the civil protection law, it would take almost 10 days to airlift a total of 65,000 people including residents and tourists from islands belonging to the city of Ishigaki and the town of Taketomi, both near Taiwan, by commercial aircraft.

In July, a group of municipalities in Okinawa demanded that the prefectural government take steps to help evacuate citizens in the event of a contingency.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 11:34 | All, Japan

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi remains missing after her abduction by North Korean agents aged 13 in 1977, has expressed her frustration with the Japanese government 20 years after a historic bilateral summit that saw the return of other abductees.

Tokyo officially lists 17 Japanese nationals as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five of them were returned after then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with North Korea's Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Sept. 17, 2002, the first-ever summit between the two countries in the absence of diplomatic ties.

The five returnees were Yasushi Chimura, his wife Fukie, Kaoru Hasuike, his wife Yukiko and Hitomi Soga. Of the remaining 12, North Korea claims eight have already died, including Megumi, and four never entered the country, a claim rejected by Japan.

"I am frustrated as the Japanese government is inactive and not trying to save them," said Yokota, 86, in a recent interview with Kyodo News and other news organizations.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to resolve the abduction issue and said he is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions. There have been no signs of progress, with Pyongyang conducting a series of missile launches and reportedly preparing for another nuclear test.

With November marking 45 years since Megumi was abducted on her way home from school in Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast, Yokota said, "It is awful. To have to keep waiting is like living in hell, and it is agonizing."

After decades of efforts to bring her daughter back from the reclusive state, including speeches across Japan, Yokota's husband Shigeru, who had long led a group of abductees' families, died in 2020 aged 87.

"He devoted everything to Megumi. I have been praying, saying I will work hard too," she said.

The couple met with Kim Eun Gyong, who was born to Megumi and Kim Young Nam, a South Korean abducted by North Korea, as well as Kim Eun Gyong's daughter in Mongolia in March 2014.

"My great-grandchild looked very much like Megumi when she was little and I could not put my feelings into words. The meeting was a joy to my husband, and I am grateful it was held," she said.

The following July, Pyongyang set up a panel to reopen an investigation into the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents, in exchange for Japan easing sanctions on the country.

But Japan reimposed the sanctions after a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests by North Korea, which resulted in Pyongyang disbanding the investigation panel in February 2016.

North Korea has since asserted that the abduction issue has been resolved.

Seeking help to resolve the abduction issue, Yokota has met with four U.S. presidents including incumbent Joe Biden, but she said in the end it is up to Japan to bring about a change in the situation.

"Even when the presidents vow help, nothing will move forward unless the Japanese government acts," Yokota said.

In addition to arranging a summit, Yokota called on the Japanese government to select a team for negotiations with North Korea.

"Unless we act, we won't hear anything" regarding how Kim Jong Un views the abduction and other issues related to Japan, she added.

As years have passed without a breakthrough, many of the abductees' relatives are now elderly, raising concern that little time is left for them to be reunited with their loved ones.

Yokota said she has been walking more slowly since suffering a fall.

"I have to be in good health or else I won't be able to welcome (Megumi) back," she said.

Asked by a reporter if she had any words for her daughter, Yokota said, "God is looking at us, and he shall give us that chance."
KYODO NEWS - Sep 16, 2022 - 19:30 | Sports, All

Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, a star in China, will attend an event to be held in Tokyo later this month to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic ties, the head of the organizer said Friday.

Japan's double Olympic champion Hanyu, who retired from competition in July, is also popular in China. During the Beijing Olympics earlier this year, the country's media repeatedly reported about Hanyu fever at home.

Hanyu is a "youngster who is loved much both in China and Japan" and "acts as a role model for young people," Jiang Xiaosong, who heads the organizing committee of events related to the anniversary, said at a press conference in Tokyo.

The figure skater, who became the youngest recipient of the Japanese government's People's Honor Award at age 23 in 2018, is set to appear at the event scheduled to take place in the evening of Sept. 29.

But the organizer stopped short of revealing what Hanyu will do at the event, saying only that he "will not give a figure skating performance."

Hanyu has drawn attention in China since 2014, when he had a bloody collision with a Chinese skater during the official practice before winning the silver medal at the Cup of China in Shanghai.

In February this year, Chinese fans were upset as his eight-year reign as Olympic champion had ended in Beijing.

At the event, Zhang Hina, a young Chinese player of "erhu," the nation's instrument like a violin, is slated to play music. Japanese violinist Ikuko Kawai and Hideki Togi, a musician of ancient Japanese court music "gagaku," also plan to perform.

Ahead of the evening event in late September, symposiums on topics such as environment, medical care and tourism will be held in Tokyo, according to the organizer.

Toshihiro Nikai, known as a pro-China veteran politician of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, would be among those expected to participate in one of them.

"Relations between the governments of Japan and China as well as people of the two nations are not that good now, but precisely because of that, we have to do something for a better relationship as Japan and China are neighboring countries," Jiang said.

On Sept. 29, meanwhile, the Japan Business Federation, the nation's most powerful business lobby better known as Keidanren, and groups dedicated to promoting Japan-China friendship will organize another event at a Tokyo hotel.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is likely to take part in the event, a source close to the matter said.

Related coverage:

Figure skating: Yuzuru Hanyu at peace with his past, future, and fans

Yuzuru Hanyu eager to continue pursuit of figure skating perfection

Only praise, gratitude for Yuzuru Hanyu after retirement announcement
By Trend

Footage of the destruction of one of the major military bases of Armenia has been released, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

According to the ministry, the military base was located near Zod village in the Basarkechar region and posed a direct threat to Kalbajar.

Since the night of September 12, the armed forces of Armenia have carried out a large-scale provocation in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, Lachin and Zangilan directions of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. In response to this provocation, the Azerbaijani army inflicted crushing blows on the positions of the enemy, areas of concentration of his troops and weapons.




Venezuelan oil sector workers and government supporters hold a banner of Petroleum of Venezuela (PDVSA) during a march to commemorate the International Labor Day in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, on May 1, 2017. (Xinhua/AVN/Gregorio Teran)

Venezuela produced 723,000 bpd during the month, 94,000 bpd more than what the country reported in July, according to direct OPEC sources.

CARACAS, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's oil production rose in August by between 6,000 and 94,000 barrels per day (bpd), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said in a monthly report released Tuesday.

Venezuela produced 723,000 bpd during the month, 94,000 bpd more than what the country reported in July, according to direct OPEC sources.

Secondary sources placed Venezuela's output in August at 678,000 barrels of crude oil per day, or 6,000 more than July's output of 672,000 bpd.

In either case, OPEC pointed out that this year the South American country's oil production is well above the average registered in 2021.

Last year, again according to secondary sources, Venezuela saw average production of 555,000 bpd, while OPEC placed its production at 636,000 bpd.

Venezuela's oil output, however, remained below the levels seen in the first quarter of the year.

Oil has traditionally been Venezuela's main source of foreign revenue, but in recent years exports have dropped significantly, a fact that the government blames on U.S.-imposed sanctions. 
PRAGUE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic's defense spending could reach 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2024, a year earlier than previously planned, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said here on Thursday.

According to Fiala, it will not be easy to reach this goal from the point of view of the budget and the Ministry of Defense's capacities.

This year, the ministry manages a budget of 89 billion Czech crowns (3.64 billion U.S. dollars). The Czech News Agency said if 2 percent of GDP is to be spent on defense in 2024, the budget would have to be raised "by some 30 billion crowns next year and again in the following year."

Fiala said that the ministry has suffered from long-term underfunding, which has posed problems to the army's modernization schedule, but that his government has taken steps in recent months to move the process forward.

These include acquisition projects, such as talks with Sweden to acquire CV90 combat vehicles and with the United States on the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.

In its policy statement unveiled in January, the government promised to commit 2 percent of GDP to defense spending by 2025.

As per a 2006 agreement, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are obliged to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense in order to maintain the alliance's military readiness. (1 crown = 0.041 U.S. dollars) 
The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were casketed in South Korea on Thursday to be sent back to their homeland.





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China has built "green oxygen bars" with recreational facilities along the Qinghai-Tibet railway on plateau regions to help railway workers adjust to the harsh environment.





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A car runs on a road in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 12, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

A man rides past a logo of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 12, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

Vehicles run on a road in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 13, 2022.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Samarkand. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday.

The two heads of state said that bearing in mind the long-term development of China-Uzbekistan relations and the future welfare of their people, the two countries will expand mutually beneficial cooperation, cement their friendship and partnership, and implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level.

The meeting took place at the newly built International Conference Center, which was ingeniously designed and magnificent, on a refreshing autumn day as the sun shone brightly on Samarkand.

At 9:45 a.m. local time, Xi arrived in a motorcade at the center where he was warmly received by Mirziyoyev as he exited the car. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi walked to the square outside the north entrance through the central hall featuring both traditional Uzbek patterns and modern design.

Mirziyoyev held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi. The two heads of state stood on the podium as the military band played the national anthems of China and Uzbekistan. Accompanied by Mirziyoyev, Xi inspected the honor guard. They introduced to each other their accompanying officials and watched the parade of the honor guard together.

Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks.

Xi pointed out that over the past 30 years of their diplomatic relations, China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits.

The two countries have kept deepening their strategic mutual trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, fully promoted their lasting friendship and elevated China-Uzbekistan relations to the new height of a comprehensive strategic partnership, creating strong impetus for their common development and prosperity, Xi said.

As a good friend, a good partner and a good brother, China firmly supports Uzbekistan in following a development path compatible with its national conditions, supports its efforts to uphold national independence, sovereignty, security and social stability, and opposes interference by any forces in its internal affairs, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and jointly usher in a better future, he said.

Xi emphasized that China and Uzbekistan should firmly support each other on issues concerning national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and other core interests, move faster to synergize their development strategies and promote common development.

The two sides need to accelerate the bilateral cooperation and make it even more fruitful, Xi said, adding that it is important to scale up cooperation on trade and investment, and step up collaboration on digital economy and green development.

Uzbekistan is welcome to take an active part in the China International Import Expo to share in more of the development opportunities brought by China's massive market, he said.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to improve the Eurasian transcontinental transport corridors and make an early start in constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, he said.

The two sides need to expand energy cooperation, jointly ensure the safe operation of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline and extend cooperation to new energy, with a view to fostering a new pattern of all-dimensional energy cooperation, Xi said.

The two sides need to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in areas including education, culture, tourism, sub-national exchanges, environmental protection and archaeology, he said, adding that China supports and will actively take part in Uzbekistan's initiative of "year of culture and art between the people of Central Asian countries and China."

The two sides also need to work together to speed up the establishment of culture centers in each other's country and the building of a Luban Workshop, and communicate the facts of the China-Uzbekistan friendship in the new era, so as to lay a solid public and societal foundation for the sustained and sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations, Xi said.

Young people from Uzbekistan are welcome to study Chinese in China, Xi said, adding that the Chinese side will continue to carry out healthcare, vaccine and pharmaceutical cooperation with Uzbekistan, and support the building of vaccine production centers in Uzbekistan.

The two sides need to enhance cooperation on poverty alleviation, and inspire and support each other in promoting growth and improving livelihoods, he said.

Noting that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each other's security and stability, Xi said that China is ready to work more closely with Uzbekistan to firmly oppose external interference in internal affairs, firmly safeguard domestic stability and firmly defend the security interests of the region.

China appreciates Uzbekistan's important contributions to the success of the SCO Samarkand Summit and is ready to work with Uzbekistan to promote the steady and sustained development of the SCO, Xi said.

Xi said that China will work with Uzbekistan and other regional countries to strengthen the China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting mechanism and open up broader space for the cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

China will also work with Uzbekistan to actively implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), uphold the common interests of developing countries and contribute to building a more just and equitable international governance system, he said.

For his part, Mirziyoyev noted that under the wise leadership of President Xi, China has made remarkable achievements in its development, and the friendly people of China are making firm strides toward realizing the Chinese Dream.

He wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a full success.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, Mirziyoyev pointed out that Xi's historic state visit to Uzbekistan will certainly consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries, chart the course for future cooperation, and elevate the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height featuring new vitality and new prospect.

China is a reliable friend and comprehensive strategic partner of Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan-China relations fully embody the principle of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan appreciates China's valuable support for its national development and fight against COVID-19.

Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on matters concerning its core interests including those related to Taiwan and Xinjiang, and will always be a good neighbor, good friend and good partner worthy of China's trust, he said.

Uzbekistan would like to learn from China's poverty alleviation experience, continue participating actively in the Belt and Road cooperation, advance the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, and enhance cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, investment, natural gas, new energy, agricultural infrastructure, culture, sub-national ties and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan fully supports the GDI and the GSI proposed by China, and appreciates China's strong support for Uzbekistan's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He also expressed readiness to work more closely with China within the SCO, C+C5, and "BRICS Plus" mechanisms, to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and to jointly safeguard regional security and stability.

Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Relevant departments of the two governments signed multiple cooperation documents covering agriculture, digital economy, green development, culture, sub-national cooperation and media.

During the visit, Chinese, Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

After the official talks, Mirziyoyev held a banquet for Xi, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on matters of shared interest.

Following the banquet, Mirziyoyev invited Xi to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center. Together, the two heads of state earthed up and watered the seedling. A symbol of longevity, the oak tree signifies that China-Uzbekistan friendship will thrive and endure.

Xi pointed out that although this may not be a long visit, he had productive discussions with Mirziyoyev and achieved fruitful outcomes.

The world faces many new risks and challenges that require their collective response, Xi said, expressing his readiness to stay in communication with Mirziyoyev to promote sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations.

Describing President Xi as his respected elder brother, Mirziyoyev said he always benefits from their meetings. He noted the fruitful outcomes of this historic visit which will point the way for Uzbekistan-China relations and expressed his expectation to maintain close exchanges with Xi.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the relevant events. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand welcome ceremony held by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Following the welcome ceremony, the two heads of state held official talks. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to jointly plant an oak tree at the square outside the north entrance of the International Conference Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in a motorcade at the International Conference Center where he was warmly received by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he exits the car in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. Xi held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- One scorching summer day in August, a group of high-energy physicists installed a strange array of experimental equipment on the roof of a high-school in the eastern Chinese city of Taizhou.

The devices, including a plastic scintillator, a photoconductive detector and a photomultiplier, are not the ordinary sort of apparatus found in a school laboratory. They're capable of detecting cosmic rays from outer space, gathering data for an important frontier area of scientific research.

The tiny observatory installed at Jiangyan Middle School is part of a network called Campus Cosmic-ray Observation Collaboration (CCOC) that allows high-school and undergraduate students in China to understand the mysterious phenomenon of radiation from deep space. Research on such rays may help decode the origins of the universe, solar activities and the Earth's space environment.

He Huihai, who led a technical group for the project, is also a scientist working at the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), one of the country's key national science and technology infrastructure facilities.

LHAASO, which is under construction in southwest China's Sichuan Province, has already detected a dozen ultra-high-energy cosmic accelerators within the Milky Way, a find that could revolutionize our understanding of the galaxy.

Cosmic rays, along with neutrinos and gravitational waves, have become a new tool for physicists and astronomers to unravel the secrets of the universe. Now, young amateurs have started to join in.

The campus apparatus is a simplified version of LHAASO, constructed on identical principles, said He, a professor at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in an interview with Xinhua.

He said that cosmic-ray detection is quite suitable for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education since it links minuscule particles with the infinite universe, and those cosmic events directly affect our solar system and planet.

On April 11, 2016, Beijing Dongzhimen Middle School, supported by IHEP, launched the first high-school cosmic-ray detector in China. In the following three years, a group of students from the school participated in the annual International Universe Day events, presenting their findings on how the intensity of the extensive atmospheric shower of cosmic rays changes with zenith angles.

He's team is working to bring more high schools in by making the project more accessible, both financially and technically.

The observatory at Dongzhimen cost about 500,000 yuan (72,145 U.S. dollars), a sum that is not affordable to some schools that lack the funding of those in Beijing, said He. However, they have managed to reduce costs by streamlining the technology. Now, schools can build such a facility with some 350,000 yuan.

One characteristic LHAASO component known as a Water Cherenkov Detector Array, which works to collect charged particles, has been replaced by water buckets.

Jiangyan school at Taizhou and Shijiazhuang No. 1 High School in north China's Hebei Province have already built their own facilities, and more schools are on the waiting list to join.

Also, the scientists have developed an Excel-based data processing program to help with the abstruse math usually employed in professional scientific research.

"The data we acquire, previously analyzed with calculus, are made to be processed with the geometry taught in the high school," said He. "Our aim is to arouse the scientific curiosity of teenagers, rather than making them stand in awe."

He and his group have devised a curriculum on cosmic rays so that students can design and conduct experiments using the facility on their own, and then verify their hypotheses through data analysis.

Although most of their findings have actually been discovered before multiple times within the scientific community, said He, the project is a good way to cultivate the scientific spirit and the desire for discovery among teenagers through frontier research that is not yet found in textbooks.

The project also enables students to make valuable finds of their own.

He cited solar activity, as an example. The solar magnetic field, solar flares and coronal mass ejections can cause havoc to the Earth by creating catastrophic space weather, but the space authorities have trouble detecting all signals from space, providing an opening for amateur detection to play its part.

Now, the scientists are trying to expand the network to create better collaboration. "Stations with a range of different longitudes, latitudes and elevations could bring about a more accurate observation for a single cosmic-ray event," said He.

Four observatories at Tibet University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Hebei Normal University and Southwest Jiaotong University are now part of the CCOC, according to He.

He is hoping to upgrade the collaborative network into a platform that may produce significant finds in the future. 




ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Experts and policymakers have commended the existing linkage between China and Africa in the use of solar energy technologies.

Speaking to Xinhua recently, Ajay Mathur, director general of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), underscored China's involvement and huge potential in terms of realizing Africa's quest for solar energy development.

"There is the greatest linkage that exists between the Chinese manufacturers of solar energy technology and the African users of that technology," Mathur said.

Highlighting that the global experience in the development of solar mini-grids is limited, Mathur called on international companies to focus on off-grid photovoltaic power station projects in Africa so that people living in rural and remote areas of the continent would get light.

"China is the largest supplier of solar energy equipment across the world and in Africa in particular," said the director general, noting that many solar panels and batteries being used in Africa are of Chinese origin.

According to the director general, the African region is blessed with unlimited potential for renewable energy, including abundant solar energy.

Mathur, however, said despite high technological potential in Africa and the pressing need for accelerated adoption of solar systems, there has not been a uniform deployment due to financial constraints and inappropriateness of technologies being used in the continent.

"We are working towards mobilizing 1 trillion U.S. dollars of investment for a massive deployment of solar energy technologies and expanding solar markets in the continent," said Mathur.

According to the director general, the ISA is facilitating diverse solutions including solar water pumps and solar parks, and creating mechanisms for blended finance.

The ISA held its 4th Regional Committee Meeting in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, in late August, bringing together African energy ministers to discuss ways of bringing long-term solutions to energy shortages in Africa using solar energy resources.

Ethiopian State Minister of Energy Sultan Wali said there are 25 solar energy projects being undertaken by China Electric Power Equipment & Technology Co., Ltd. in different parts of Ethiopia with funding obtained from the World Bank.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Energy, Chinese companies have undertaken off-grid photovoltaic (PV) power station projects in the country's Somali and Gambella regional states, eventually helping thousands of people get access to electricity.

"The involvement of China in renewable energy development in Ethiopia is very large. Ethiopia is making use of Chinese technology and manpower to develop its renewable energy resources" Wali told Xinhua.

The 4th Regional Committee Meeting featured a discussion with the private sector focusing on manufacturing, electric mobility based on solar, mini-grids, solar pumps, and other productive use applications.

The meeting highlighted that with the right interventions, planned approach, and support of the leadership, Africa can move toward providing electricity to 600 million people while supporting economic growth, jobs, and a safe and healthy environment in the region.





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XI'AN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhannur Niyazbekova obtained her doctorate from the Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) this summer. She decided to remain at the university in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to undertake postdoctoral research.

Hailing from Kazakhstan, the young woman said she would visit her Chinese "grandmother" Zhang Kaizhi in Zhenba County from time to time.

Niyazbekova and Zhang met each other during a practical activity at the university. Niyazbekova now refers to the Chinese woman as "Grandma," who she said is always reminiscent of her own grandmother back at home.

"My Chinese grandmother works for a sheep farm. She contacts me when she has problems with the sheep. Sometimes, I remind her and the villagers to take good care of the sanitation of the sheep pens to prevent diseases," Niyazbekova said.

Niyazbekova is among more than 600 students from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states who have studied at NWAFU since 2007. These international students have not only acquired knowledge in their classrooms, but have also learned from the grassroots organizations they have visited across the province -- from Yan'an, a former revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China, to farmlands and farmers' homes.

Niyazbekova said she hopes to promote the friendship between China and her motherland, and contribute to the common development of the two countries with what she had learned in China.

Last year, a rural revitalization supporting group of international students was established at NWAFU. Pakistani student Mansoor Ahmed Koondar is the head of the group.

Koondar previously taught English in Heyang County, where he won praise from local teachers and students.

"Students here have improved in their English language. What's more important is that they are no longer shy, and are eager to acquire new knowledge and explore the outside world," he said.

Koondar has witnessed the huge changes in China's rural areas, thanks to the country's rural revitalization strategy.

"I would like to contribute to the development of rural education in my country in the future," he added.

For students from SCO member states who cannot travel to China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NWAFU has offered online courses and opened overseas agricultural science and technology demonstration parks.

In 2021, NWAFU joined hands with 19 universities from eight SCO member states to launch the SCO Agricultural Universities Alliance.

"The university will give full play to China's advantages in agriculture and agricultural higher education, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with SCO member states in the field," said Wu Pute, president of NWAFU. 
The photo, taken on Sept. 15, 2022, shows the opening ceremony of the first training camp of the Center of Innovation and Maritime Excellence in Djibouti City, Djibouti. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

The first training camp of the Center of Innovation and Maritime Excellence, supported by Chinese companies, was opened Thursday in Djibouti.

DJIBOUTI CITY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The first training camp of the Center of Innovation and Maritime Excellence, supported by Chinese companies, was opened Thursday in Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti, with the theme featuring "Digital innovation and cross-border e-commerce."

Nearly 30 trainees from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda were selected to participate in the eight-day training program in Djibouti City. During this period, these young Africans will learn about company operation through lessons, thematic lectures, and seminars from Chinese and African experts, as well as visit the Doraleh Multi-purpose Port and the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone built by Chinese enterprises.

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh spoke highly of the importance of education and training in the cooperation between Djibouti and China. The establishment of the center "is undoubtedly a new step" in Djibouti-China cooperation, the president said in a video message at the opening ceremony.

Trainees of the first training camp of the Center of Innovation and Maritime Excellence and others pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony in Djibouti City, Djibouti, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)



The country's Minister of Higher Education Mohamed Ahmed Nabil said the project provides Djiboutian youth, and African youth in general, with the opportunity to master innovative tools for e-commerce, which is in progress in Africa.

Chinese Ambassador to Djibouti Hu Bin said China highlights the promotion of African youth entrepreneurship and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises as priority targets, adding that the center is part of laudable pragmatic measures to carry out the objectives of capacity building and human exchange envisaged in the nine programs announced during the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Dakar, capital of Senegal last November.

The center is a non-profit capacity-building project aimed at enhancing the leadership and entrepreneurship of Djiboutian and East African youth, contributing to the "Djibouti Vision 2035" to promote private sector innovations and self-employment. Funded by China Merchants Foundation and operated by Djibouti Chinese Enterprise Association, it is planned to be a platform to provide services like training, mentoring, and networking.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

On September 14, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar discussed urgent actions to address the tension between Yerevan and Baku.

The discussion took place during Klaar's visit to Baku.

During the conversation, Bayramov informed Klaar about the death of Azerbaijani servicemen while suppressing the latest provocations committed by Armenia in the border districts. He also emphasized that the Azerbaijani Army's retaliatory measures were only targeted at military facilities.

Moreover, the minister noted that Armenia's provocations grossly violate the EU Council-brokered trilateral statements and agreements signed by the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders, as well as damaged mediation efforts. He stressed that the Armenian armed detachments have not been completely withdrawn from the Azerbaijani territory, despite its obligations.

Further, the Azerbaijani minister added that Armenia infringed upon the ceasefire agreement and continues shelling Azerbaijani positions in spite of international calls and Azerbaijan's intention of a humanitarian ceasefire.

In turn, Klaar outlined the need to end the clashes and stabilize the situation. He stressed the importance to resume the normalization process and negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Klaar also stressed that the EU is ready to create conditions for bilateral meetings between the two countries.

Furthermore, the sides exchanged views on other regional issues.

Earlier, the EU representative met with President Ilham Aliyev to discuss the regional tensions.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.

The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities. As a result, 71 armed forces personnel were killed, the ministry said.

The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.

As of September 14, the Armenian government reported 105 losses among military personnel.
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Friday signed and released here the Samarkand declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO also released a number of statements and documents on safeguarding global food security, international energy security, addressing climate change, and maintaining a secure, stable and diversified supply chain. 
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Pakistan need to continue to firmly support each other, and build stronger synergy between their development strategies, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif here Friday morning.

The two countries also need to give full play to the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and ensure the smooth construction and operation of major projects, Xi said. 
LONDON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Despite legal action from the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK) said on Thursday that it will continue with its pause on border checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"I can confirm we have received a reply from the UK. We will now analyze the reply before deciding on the next steps," European Commission spokesperson for EU-UK affairs Daniel Ferrie said on Thursday.

The Commission launched infringement procedures against the UK in June and July for not complying with the Northern Ireland Protocol, the rules governing post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Under the protocol, Northern Ireland is part of British customs territory but is subject to the EU's customs code, value-added tax rules and single market rules for goods.

However, a de facto Irish Sea border was thus created between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, meaning goods transported to and from Northern Ireland are subject to border controls.

This has elicited firm opposition from Northern Ireland's pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party, causing political chaos.

In mid-June, the UK unilaterally introduced a bill to change key parts of the protocol, including removing unnecessary costs and paperwork for businesses trading within the UK and allowing businesses to have the choice of placing goods on the market in Northern Ireland according to either UK or EU goods rules.

Launching the infringement procedures then, the Commission said if the UK does not reply within two months, it will consider taking the UK to the EU Court of Justice. In August, the deadline was extended by one month. 
Experts and policymakers have commended the existing linkage between China and Africa in the use of solar energy technologies.



ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Experts and policymakers have commended the existing linkage between China and Africa in the use of solar energy technologies.

Speaking to Xinhua recently, Ajay Mathur, director general of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), underscored China's involvement and huge potential in terms of realizing Africa's quest for solar energy development.

"There is the greatest linkage that exists between the Chinese manufacturers of solar energy technology and the African users of that technology," Mathur said.

Highlighting that the global experience in the development of solar mini-grids is limited, Mathur called on international companies to focus on off-grid photovoltaic power station projects in Africa so that people living in rural and remote areas of the continent would get light.

"China is the largest supplier of solar energy equipment across the world and in Africa in particular," said the director general, noting that many solar panels and batteries being used in Africa are of Chinese origin.

The file photo, taken on Feb. 15, 2019, shows the China-financed solar power plant Garissa Solar in Garissa County, Kenya. (Xinhua)

According to the director general, the African region is blessed with unlimited potential for renewable energy, including abundant solar energy.

Mathur, however, said despite high technological potential in Africa and the pressing need for accelerated adoption of solar systems, there has not been a uniform deployment due to financial constraints and inappropriateness of technologies being used in the continent.

"We are working towards mobilizing 1 trillion U.S. dollars of investment for a massive deployment of solar energy technologies and expanding solar markets in the continent," said Mathur.

According to the director general, the ISA is facilitating diverse solutions including solar water pumps and solar parks, and creating mechanisms for blended finance.



The ISA held its 4th Regional Committee Meeting in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, in late August, bringing together African energy ministers to discuss ways of bringing long-term solutions to energy shortages in Africa using solar energy resources.

Ethiopian State Minister of Energy Sultan Wali said there are 25 solar energy projects being undertaken by China Electric Power Equipment & Technology Co., Ltd. in different parts of Ethiopia with funding obtained from the World Bank.

The file photo, taken on June 2, 2022, shows Sakai photovoltaic power plant in Bimbo, near Bangui, in Central African Republic. (Tianjin Electric Power Construction/Handout via Xinhua)

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Energy, Chinese companies have undertaken off-grid photovoltaic (PV) power station projects in the country's Somali and Gambella regional states, eventually helping thousands of people get access to electricity.

"The involvement of China in renewable energy development in Ethiopia is very large. Ethiopia is making use of Chinese technology and manpower to develop its renewable energy resources" Wali told Xinhua.

The 4th Regional Committee Meeting featured a discussion with the private sector focusing on manufacturing, electric mobility based on solar, mini-grids, solar pumps, and other productive use applications.

The meeting highlighted that with the right interventions, planned approach, and support of the leadership, Africa can move toward providing electricity to 600 million people while supporting economic growth, jobs, and a safe and healthy environment in the region.
The 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Observers say, after 21 years of growth, the SCO has evolved into a strong pillar of regional peace and security, as well as a major force for international equity and justice.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




HARBIN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang saw its foreign trade in goods grow 30.7 percent year on year to 167.15 billion yuan (about 24.12 billion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of 2022, according to local customs.

In the January-August period, Heilongjiang's imports rose 35 percent year on year to 135.43 billion yuan, while its exports grew 15 percent to 31.72 billion yuan, data from Harbin Customs showed.

During the period, the province's trade with countries along the Belt and Road hit 131.87 billion yuan, up 38.9 percent year on year, accounting for 78.9 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume. Its trade with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rose 26.7 percent to 14.54 billion yuan.

The province saw robust growth in the export of labor-intensive and agricultural products, while imports of iron ore and mechanical and electrical products also surged in the same period. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday afternoon at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Azerbaijan. China supports Azerbaijan's development path independently chosen by its people. The two sides need to view and plan for bilateral relations from a strategic height, increase strategic mutual trust, strengthen mutual support, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and work for steady, in-depth and practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Xi stressed that at the moment the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes. The more complex the situation is, the greater the need for the international community to strengthen solidarity and coordination. China welcomes Azerbaijan to join China in implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). The two sides need to expand trade, improve the trade mix, increase the number of China-Europe Express freight train services, and ensure unimpeded international supply chains.

Xi expressed confidence that the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Azerbaijan enjoys broad prospects. The two sides need to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepen the friendship between the two peoples. China supports Azerbaijan in conducting cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), to work together for security, stability, development and prosperity in the region.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and China are true strategic partners, that the two sides maintain close communication in international affairs, and that bilateral cooperation is advancing steadily. Azerbaijan thanks China for providing COVID-19 vaccines, which fully demonstrates the spirit of solidarity that China has always advocated. Azerbaijan will take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation in various fields.

He said that Azerbaijan adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, firmly opposes any actions that interfere in China's internal affairs or split China, and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests. The Azerbaijani side supports the GSI and GDI proposed by the Chinese side, and will actively engage in Belt and Road cooperation with the Chinese side.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and other officials attended the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to keep the SCO on the right course, deepen cooperation in various fields, and continue to foster a favorable environment for the development and rejuvenation of member states.

Xi made the remarks when attending the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

In his speech, Xi called on the SCO member states to stay committed to the Shanghai Spirit and enhance solidarity and cooperation, maintain strategic independence and safeguard regional stability, pursue inclusiveness and shared benefits in promoting development cooperation, and advance the SCO expansion process and strengthen SCO institutions. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping holds the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, on Thursday afternoon at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand.

Xi underscored the strong impetus and resilience of the cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trilateral cooperation has never stopped, and the achievements made should be recognized, he said, adding that the three countries fought the pandemic together, sending medical supplies to each other at the earliest time possible, sharing anti-epidemic experience without reservation, and jointly protecting the life and health of their people.

The three countries, Xi said, had online discussions to keep the momentum of exchanges, and the hearts of their people were brought even closer.

Cooperation on joint COVID-19 prevention and control in the border areas was carried out to keep economic and trade interactions steady and smooth, he said, adding that notable progress was made in the development of international road transportation along the Asian Highway Network connecting the three countries.

Xi put forth a four-point proposal on furthering China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation: First, keep the trilateral cooperation in the right direction. It is important to deepen political mutual trust, increase mutual support, respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs.

Second, upgrade cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly build a platform of cooperation against risks and challenges and a platform of growth that helps unleash the potential of development.

Third, follow through on the common understanding reached on the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, support the neighboring regions in deepening cooperation in economy and trade, people-to-people exchanges, tourism and other fields, and continue to build high-quality platforms for the exchanges of business communities of the three countries.

Fourth, work for more outcomes in trilateral cooperation and support the expansion of settlement in local currencies in mutual trade. Russian and Mongolian financial institutions are welcome to join the RMB Cross-border Interbank Payment System to build a strong bulwark of financial security in the region.

Putin said that Russia-China-Mongolia trilateral cooperation has made significant progress, and, with its mutually beneficial nature, adds value to the development of their mutual relations.

As close neighbors, he said, the three countries should give each other understanding and support, and consolidate and promote trilateral cooperation across the board.

The three countries should encourage and support their entrepreneurs to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for more substantial progress in cooperation in areas such as transport, logistics, cross-border transportation, energy, high and new technology, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Khurelsukh said that the development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with China and Russia is a diplomatic priority for Mongolia.

Given the complex international situation, it is all the more important to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Mongolia, China and Russia, he said.

The Mongolian side, he said, is ready to strengthen communication with China and Russia and jointly work for progress in both bilateral and trilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment, energy, railway, tourism and other areas.

The three countries confirmed the extension of the Outline of the Development Plan on Establishing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor by five years, officially launched the feasibility study on the upgrading and development of the central-route railway of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, at the Forumlar Majmuasi Complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
New models to be displayed at Vietnam Motor Show 2022

The Vietnam Motor Show 2022 will officially take place in Ho Chi Minh City on October 26 with the participation of 14 auto brands, motorcycle manufacturers and several popular brands from the supporting industry.











This information was unveiled at a press conference held by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) and Vietnam Genuine Automobile Importers (VIVA).



According to organisers, 14 auto brands have to date confirmed their participation in the event, including Audi, Brabus, Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Morgan, MG, RAM, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.



At the Vietnam Motor Show 2022, each brand is expected to introduce several of their outstanding models featuring cutting-edge technologies, in an attempt to create diverse and attractive experiences for visitors.



Most notably, leading automaker Morgan plans to display two of its newest models - Morgan Plus Four and Morgan Plus Six - for the first time at the event.



Other brands such as MG, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo will also introduce their new auto models using environmentally friendly technologies.



Automakers will also exhibit other means of transport such as trucks, large displacement motorcycles, and electric vehicles.



The expo is scheduled to run through until October 30 and is expected to attract more than 180,000 visitors.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has provided a full list of Armenias military equipment destroyed in the latest border clashes, Azernews reports.

As a result of the counter-measures by the Azerbaijani army units, two S-300 5N63 IYR radars, three S-300 5P85 BG launchers in Goris region and Novruzlu (Kakhnut) settlement directions, as well as two S-125 RTS-125 radars of the Armenian armed forces in Basarkechar region and Ashagi Garanlig (Martuni) settlement directions were destroyed.

As of September 16, the Armenian government reported 135 losses.

The Armenian armed forces' air defense system was also destroyed in the indicated direction. Furthermore, the enemy's Zhitel electronic warfare (EW) system, up to 20 guns and howitzers, over 10 mortars, as well as a total of 32 vehicles, six of which with weapons, were rendered harmless.

Additionally, three KAMAZ, one Ural, and a UAZ-3962 military vehicle with ammunition, as well as three units of engineering equipment, three mortars, an Igla-S portable anti-aircraft missile system, 135 different assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, 20 boxes of hand grenades, two optical devices, two communication equipment, and over 14,500 pieces of ammunition owned by the Armenian armed forces, were seized as trophies.

In total, the Azerbaijani army has gained control of 53 enemy combat positions, two mortar fire positions, and a substantial number of dominating heights, as well as the permanent deployment of the 538th Separate Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade in the Zod direction, the starting positions of the 2 S-300 and 2- x S-125 divisions.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.

The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities. As a result, 71 armed forces personnel were killed, the ministry detailed.

The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territory and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.




Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains and belongings of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were returned to China on Friday from South Korea in the ninth repatriation of its kind since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

SHENYANG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Escorted by two Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets, a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, at around 11 a.m.

This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014.

Around 400 representatives from central and local authorities, the military, veterans of the war, family members of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs and students attended a ceremony at the airport to welcome the remains of the soldiers.

Following the event, the remains were escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held on Saturday.

The remains of 825 soldiers returned from the ROK and were laid to rest in the cemetery between 2014 and 2021. 

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains and belongings of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were returned to China on Friday from South Korea in the ninth repatriation of its kind since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs is escorted by two Chinese fighter jets in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs arrives at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs is honored with a water salute after landing at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Belongings left behind by Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Chinese People's Volunteers veterans (front row) take part in a ceremony at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs is honored with a water salute after landing at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers are seen during a ceremony at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A soldier is seen during a ceremony at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs is escorted by two Chinese fighter jets in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers are seen during a ceremony at the Taoxian international airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 16, 2022. The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea returned to China on Friday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). This is the ninth such repatriation since 2014. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
SUN CITY, South Africa, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's tourism has rebounded because of the collaboration between government and private sectors, said the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

The TBCSA chairperson, Blacky Komani made the remarks at Sun City, in the North West Province while speaking at the Leadership Conference. The conference started on Sept. 14 and ended on Friday. He said the partnership between government and private sector during COVID-19 should be cemented to grow the sector and surpass the set targets.

"Our current performance as a sector is now at about 85 percent of 2019. Understanding that some of our key source markets have been slow to recover -- domestic travel is still strong. Our quick recovery is assisted by the passion that our industry is known for," says Komani.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Fish Mahlalela, said that the government and private sectors have to work together to address the challenges the industry faces. The country has to improve on infrastructure and address crime to help tourism to grow.

Mahlalela said that "we must not fear each other, we must not see each other with suspicion. For this sector to expand, there has to be a working partnership between the private and public sectors, and all spheres of government to create an enabling environment for exponential growth. For us to continue to be an anchor for employment and economic growth, we have to work together and this conference is indeed about driving this very sentiment and spirit."

He pointed out that the government would soon start consultations on the 1996 Tourism White Paper and solicit inputs on how to grow the sector.

The Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said that the government is committed to creating some conducive environment for tourism to thrive. He called for the private sector to work with the government to grow the tourism sector.

In the past two days, government and tourism role players discussed how to make tourism grow and how to strengthen public-private partnerships. The TBCSA CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, said the tourism sector has revised the 2030 arrivals target to lower, from 20 million to 15.6 million. 
Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2022 shows visitors at a China-theme book exhibition and A Better Eco-village International Youth Art Exhibition held in New Zealand's Waipa District, which will run until Sept. 19. (Xinhua/Lu Huaiqian)

The exhibitions will serve as a cultural bridge between China and New Zealand, said Jim Mylchreest, mayor of Waipa District.

WELLINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Books and paintings lovers in New Zealand indulged themselves in the over 2,000 books from China and more than 200 paintings drawn by Chinese and New Zealand children at a China-theme book exhibition in New Zealand's Waipa District on Thursday.

As one of a series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand, the book exhibition, which coincides with A Better Eco-village International Youth Art Exhibition, included 217 pieces of artwork that have been collected from 40 cities in China.

There are also 15 paintings from New Zealand-based artists. All the artwork has been completed by children, said organizer Jackson Rao, chair of New Zealand Culture and Arts Foundation.

Dandi Wang, curator of the book exhibition and president of Prime Media New Zealand, said the exhibition included more than 2,000 English language books with themes ranging from political theory, medical information to Chinese traditional cultural practices.

Dave Bromwich, former president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society, has been to China for over 50 times. He said these two exhibitions represented "a very very good insight into Chinese culture."

"The wisdom of China has been expressed in the books there and you can easily trace it through from 2,000 years ago to the wisdom that has been expressed in China today."

Bromwich encouraged New Zealanders to pick up one of those books and start to understand it.

"Because it's become more and more important that New Zealanders do make an effort to understand China, not from a western perspective, but from a Chinese perspective, and then we will truly have a mutual respect and mutual understanding," he added.

The exhibition also included a range of children's books and a selection of poems.

Xiao Yewen, acting Chinese consul-general in Auckland, noting that China is a publishing powerhouse in the world, said "China and New Zealand enjoy good momentum in literary exchanges and cooperation. Both national libraries established efficient cooperative mechanism in organizing exhibitions, digital library cooperation, ancient books protection and resource sharing."

"As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, I believe there will be nothing better than a well-organized book exhibition that will further promote understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and Kiwis," Xiao said.

Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2022 shows Ye Su, minister-counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand (L, front), and Dave Bromwich, former president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (R,front) at a China-theme book exhibition and A Better Eco-village International Youth Art Exhibition held in New Zealand's Waipa District, which will run until Sept. 19. (Xinhua/Lu Huaiqian)

Ye Su, minister-counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, said he was deeply impressed by the works on display by the young talents.

They used their painting brushes to describe the world in their eyes, and the vision for a more beautiful, friendly and sustainable future of the global village, said Ye.

"In this particular way, they transcend the geographical and language barriers, and set up a new bridge of friendship between China and New Zealand, which make them young ambassadors of the new era," he said.

Ye believed the wide variety of books at the exhibition will enable more New Zealanders to better feel, read and understand China, which will help enhance mutual understanding between the two countries.

Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2022 shows Jim Mylchreest (1st R), mayor of Waipa District, Xiao Yewen (2nd L), acting Chinese consul-general in Auckland, and Jackson Rao (3rd L), chair of New Zealand Culture and Arts Foundation, at a China-theme book exhibition and A Better Eco-village International Youth Art Exhibition held in New Zealand's Waipa District, which will run until Sept. 19. (Xinhua/Lu Huaiqian)

Jim Mylchreest, mayor of Waipa District, believed the exhibitions will serve as a culture bridge between China and New Zealand.

"The 50-year celebration of our joint relationship is a milestone and something that we do need to work on together to make sure that we have got mutual understanding and with that understanding I think will grow a better relationship, and not only with China but across the world," said the mayor.

Both exhibitions will run until Sept. 19. The books will be donated to local libraries and schools, and the paintings will be given to local children's hospitals and children's rehabilitation institutions. 
A migrant bus from Texas arrives at the Port Authority terminal in New York, the United States, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Photo by Emma Li/Xinhua)

U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican governors Thursday evening over the relocation of migrants, saying that they are "playing politics with human beings, using them as props."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Discord between U.S. Republicans and Democrats is exploding over migrants sent from the country's southern border states to cities in the northeast.

Two buses from Texas dropped off over 100 migrants outside U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has chartered buses to transport migrants from Texas to the U.S. capital since April, said that the latest group of individuals came from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.

A Republican, Abbott accused U.S. President Joe Biden and his deputy, Harris, of "ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years."

Biden, a Democrat, criticized Abbott and other Republican governors Thursday evening over the relocation of migrants, saying that they are "playing politics with human beings, using them as props."

"What they're doing is simply wrong," Biden told attendees at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Gala. "It's reckless. And we have a process in place to manage migrants at the border."

Abbott added New York City and Chicago as additional drop-off locations last month. His "busing strategy" has sent over 10,000 migrants to what Republicans call "sanctuary cities."

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has made a similar move and bused thousands of migrants to states and cities run by Democrats over the past few months.

Migrants arrive at the Port Authority terminal in New York, the United States, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Photo by Emma Li/Xinhua)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, another Republican, sent two planes of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts, on Wednesday.

"In Florida, we take what is happening at the southern border seriously," DeSantis tweeted Thursday. "We are not a sanctuary state, and we will gladly facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants to sanctuary jurisdictions."

Massachusett Governor Charlie Baker announced on Friday a new shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod "for the approximately 50 migrants who arrived in Martha's Vineyard this week."

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, took a shot at DeSantis over the flights of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, tweeting on Thursday that "exploiting vulnerable people for political stunts is repulsive and cruel."

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried have suggested separately that they would ask the U.S. Department of Justice to look into DeSantis over the migrants sent to Massachusetts.

U.S. federal agents have made about 1.82 million arrests at the country's southern border so far this fiscal year, according to figures released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month. 
A NIO electric car is seen in a battery swap station during a ceremony of the shipment of the first battery swap station produced by the NIO Power Europe Plant in Biatorbagy, Hungary, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

NIO will supply battery swap stations to its entire European network from the new 10,000 square meter plant located in Biatorbagy, 20 km west of Budapest.

BIATORBAGY, Hungary, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker NIO celebrated here on Friday the shipment of the first battery swap station produced by the NIO Power Europe Plant, the company's first overseas plant, to Germany.

NIO will supply battery swap stations to its entire European network from the new 10,000 square meter plant located in Biatorbagy, 20 km west of Budapest.

Officials attend a ribbon cutting during a ceremony of the shipment of the first battery swap station produced by the NIO Power Europe Plant in Biatorbagy, Hungary, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of NIO, said the new world-class facility will support NIO's commitment to installing 1,000 battery swap stations outside China by 2025. It will also be a pioneering research and development (R&D) center for NIO Power Europe and will serve as the company's training, operations and maintenance center.

Qin said that host country Hungary's inclusive and positive environment for investment and cooperation has guaranteed the new plant's smooth operation.

Hungary has become a major actor in battery manufacturing, Tamas Menczer, state secretary for bilateral relations at the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said.

Menczer also said that the country has also become a leader in the "new automotive era." Currently, 20 settlements in Hungary host battery plants built mostly by Asian investors.

Tamas Menczer, state secretary for bilateral relations at Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, speaks at a ceremony of the shipment of the first battery swap station produced by the NIO Power Europe Plant in Biatorbagy, Hungary, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Hao)

Liu Bo, minister counselor for economic and commercial at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Hungary, said that Hungary has always provided a stable policy background and a good business environment for foreign investments, and recalled that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in Chinese investment in Hungary has been "surprising."

In 2020, for the first time China became the leading investor in Hungary, according to Liu.

He also said that the investment in the NIO plant was made possible by the new platforms for trade and investment opened by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Liu said he hoped that China and Hungary would find new ways to cooperate in green development projects and added that more Chinese companies and investors would start doing business in Hungary.

In the second half of this year, NIO's comprehensive power services and vehicle products will become available in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, according to a company statement. 
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing Friday midnight after wrapping up attendance to the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi; and He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission, returned to Beijing on the same plane.

On Friday afternoon local time, Xi headed straight to the airport after concluding his attendance to the SCO Samarkand summit. He was seen off by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outside the summit's venue and Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov at the airport. 
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's automotive export logged a double-digit growth last month due to solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, government data showed Friday.

The country's car shipment soared 35.9 percent over the year to 4.12 billion U.S. dollars in August, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The number of exported vehicles was 168,155 in August, up 29.1 percent from a year earlier.

Export for eco-friendly vehicles spiked 45.7 percent to 1.22 billion dollars last month, keeping an upward trend for the 20th consecutive month.

The proportion of eco-friendly vehicles shipment to the total car export was 29.6 percent in August.

Demand for locally-made vehicles from North America surged 66.8 percent to 2.03 billion dollars last month, logging the highest August figure in the market.

Automotive sale in the local market added 1.0 percent from a year earlier to 131,638 units in August, marking the first rebound in 19 months on the back of higher demand for foreign luxury models.

The number of cars manufactured in domestic factories was 284,361 in August, up 21.0 percent from a year earlier. 
Chinese soldiers carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

INCHEON, South Korea, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday returned to China the remains and belongings of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The ninth repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by a Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, and South Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon as well as officials with the defense ministry.

During the ceremony, representatives of China and South Korea signed a handover document.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covered the coffins of the martyrs with China's national flag before the Chinese side held a memorial service.

The Chinese honor guards escorted the coffins to an air force plane, which will take the fallen heroes back home.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said China and South Korea have jointly carried out the handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea for nine consecutive years and returned in total the remains of 913 Chinese soldiers to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and in the spirit of friendship and practical cooperation.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea, Chang said the handover of the remains of the martyrs is an important symbol of the development of China-South Korea relations having kept pace with the times.

The Chinese side appreciated the related efforts made by the South Korean side and will further deepen the pragmatic and friendly coordination with the South Korean side and promote the protection work of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs in South Korea, so as to bring the remains of more martyrs back to their motherland at an early date, Chang added. 

Chinese soldiers prepare to carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers prepare to carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers (left row) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers salute to coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A Chinese soldier (L) receives a coffin containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyr killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A Chinese soldier carries a coffin containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyr killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers prepare to carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers (left row) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers carry to a plane coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming (R) covers the coffins of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs with China's national flag during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Chinese soldiers (L) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and four others injured on Friday after a passenger vehicle overturned in Chaman city of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, local media reported.

According to the reports, the accident took place on Murdakarez road of the city due to brake failure.

The victims were shifted to a local hospital, local media said, adding that all the deceased were children.

Among the injured, two passengers were in critical condition.

Road accidents happen in Pakistan, mainly due to poorly maintained vehicles, dilapidated roads as well as negligence of road safety measures. 
CANBERRA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced funding for the nation's first large-scale hydrogen plant.

ARENA on Friday approved 47.5 million Australian dollars (31.9 million U.S. dollars) in funding for the company -- ENGIE Renewables Australia's hydrogen and ammonia project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA).

Plans for the project, construction of which will begin in October, including a 10 megawatt (MW) electrolyzer to produce renewable hydrogen and an 18 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system to power it.

Once completed in 2024, the electrolyzer will be capable of producing up to 640 tonnes of renewable hydrogen every year, making it one of the world's largest plants, according to a media release of the ARENA.

Chris Bowen, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, said the project would help Australia become a "hydrogen exporting powerhouse".

"As we move to a more renewable economy, hydrogen will become an increasingly important part of our energy mix, and will be important in supporting industrial and hard-to-abate sectors," he told reporters.

Electrolyzers use energy to split water into its composite parts -- hydrogen and oxygen.

The hydrogen produced can then be used for electricity generation, zero-emissions transport fuel, or as a feedstock for chemicals such as ammonia.

That produced at ENGIE's Yuri project will supply hydrogen and electricity to the neighboring ammonia facility.

"The Yuri project is Australia's first really substantial renewable hydrogen project, and it is one of the largest so far in the world," ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said in a media release.

"Renewable hydrogen will be vital to reducing emissions in so-called hard-to-abate sectors. It is also a huge export opportunity for Australia to provide clean energy and emissions-free materials to the rest of the world. This is going to be important if we are to achieve zero net emissions in the decades ahead." 
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Armenians have started massive wildfires in Azerbaijans Khojaly District, which is temporarily controlled by the Russian peacekeepers, Azernews reports, citing the local media.

The fire could be observed from the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the Azerbaijani army positions, as well as from various villages of the liberated Agdam District.

Previously, illegal Armenian immigrants committed similar crimes in Azerbaijan's Lachin District prior to their evacuation of the city and nearby towns under the Trilateral Declarations, signed on November 10, 2020, by the Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Russian leaders.

Following the completion of the new road bypassing Lachin, Azerbaijan has demanded Armenia leave the unlawfully occupied city and adjacent settlements by August 25.

Armenians performed the same procedures before departing Azerbaijan's Kalbajar District, which was agreed to be handed over to Azerbaijan in line with the trilateral statement by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders on November 10, 2020.




ISLAMABAD, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar has said that the Pakistan-Iran Pishin Border Market is expected to open in the coming month, which will help promote free trade between the two countries.

The minister made the remarks during a meeting here with Iran's parliamentary delegation, according to the ministry's statement released on Thursday evening.

The border market's construction has been completed and its inauguration is on the cards, while work on the other three border markets including in Gabd, Rimdan, and Kohak will start soon, he said.

Qamar said that a total of 12 border markets were proposed to increase the trade volume between the two countries, out of which nine have been mutually approved, adding that there will be trade activities through these border markets under a barter system.

There is a dire need to increase the trade of petroleum and gas, the minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

During the meeting, Malek Fazeli, head of the Iranian parliamentary delegation, said that Pakistan and Iran are neighboring countries with a common border of around 900 km at which mutual trade as well as the movement of people continues throughout the year.

Fazeli expressed hope that there will be an increase in trade between the two countries, according to the statement. 
BERLIN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- French manufacturer Alstom was attempting to set a new distance record with its CoradiaiLint hydrogen-powered train on Thursday. The train started from the state of Lower Saxony in the north of Germany and was heading towards Bavaria in the south.

The goal was to achieve a range of 1,000 kilometers on a single tank of hydrogen, according to Alstom. The new hydrogen trains are designed to cover approximately that distance.

"I am on the train and can confirm firsthand that the journey has gone very well so far," Joern Bischoff, external communications director Germany at Alstom, told Xinhua on Thursday. "We will reach the 1,000-kilometer mark shortly before Muehldorf in Bavaria."

"However, we will continue driving afterwards until we run out of hydrogen," Bischoff said. At the end of the journey, the train would be transferred to Berlin, where visitors would be able to take a tour as part of the InnoTrans trade fair.

At the end of August, the world's first passenger train network powered by hydrogen was launched in Lower Saxony, with the CoradiaiLint replacing diesel trains.

The total cost of the project was around 93 million euros (93 million U.S. dollars), according to the local transport authority of Lower Saxony.

"This project is a role model worldwide," Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil said. "As a state of renewable energies, we are thus setting a milestone on the path to climate neutrality in the transport sector." (1 euro = 1 U.S. dollar) 
Russians use Iranian combat drone in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 16 September, 12:02 PM Wreckage of an Iranian drone (Photo:National Police)

Russian troops has once again used Iranian attack drones, this time to attack the city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency reported on Sept. 15.

Read also: Iran says it refused to supply drones to Russia

The wreckage of a Shahed-136 drone (Russian marking Geran-2) was found after the strike on Sept. 15.

In the photo published by the National Police, a Mado M550 engine can be seen, which usually remains intact after an explosion.

Read also: Iranian Ayatollah parrots Kremlin propaganda

The use of Iranian drones was first reported on Sept. 13, after the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Shahed-136 UAV in Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast.

Video of day

Earlier, CNN reported that Russia had purchased and received an initial batch of Iranian combat drones. This information was later confirmed by the White House.

Read also: Diane Francis How Putin weaponized the slayer of economies

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, in its Aug. 2 update, reported that Iran could send a batch of drones to Russia for "field tests" and can count on receiving Russian military jet fighters, Su-35s, in exchange. The researchers referred to a U.S. OSINT account on Twitter, which quoted anonymous Iranian sources.

Back in July, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced that Tehran planned to deliver up to several hundred drones, including those capable of carrying weapons, to Russia on an expedited timeline.

Help NV continue reporting on the Russian invasion



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Russia attacks Kherson in false flag, U.S. Senate introduced Russian terrorism bill, and Hungary no longer a democracy 16 September, 03:00 PM

Newsletter by Romeo Kokriatski, Managing Editor, New Voice of Ukraine Friday, September 16th, 2022

 Russian troops have conducted another false flag attack, this time by shelling a neighborhood in occupied Kherson.

The attack took place in the Tavriysky neighborhood, according to Kherson Regional Council deputy chair Yuri Sobolevsky. He said that there may have been casualties as a result of the shelling and denied Ukrainian involvement. The Armed Forces of Ukraine did not engage with that area of the city during this period of time! In addition, the analysis of the location of the events and the speed with which their propagandists arrived at the scene of the tragedy speak of a provocation, he said.

Video of day

 A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and Republican Lindsey Graham, the co-sponsors of the bill, say adoption of the bill will be convincing evidence of the support of the United States and other U.S. allies for Kyiv. However, U.S. President Joe Biden has said that his administration is against such a designation for Russia, as it may have unintended consequences for U.S. allies.

 Russias financial sector has been devastated by sanctions.

At least hundreds of billions of dollars have already been forfeited in direct losses from the sanctions regime, reported Bloomberg, referring to an estimate presented in an internal Russian Finance Ministry document. The estimate  which notes there have been significant hits to the stock market, bank capital as well as $300 billion in foreign-exchange reserves being frozen by the restrictions  was included in a presentation for a top-level meeting of Russian officials on responding to sanctions held last month.

 Meanwhile, Sergey Aleksashenko, former Russian Deputy Finance Minister and former First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Russian Central Bank, told NV that Russia will not be able to sell gas intended for sale to Europe to other consumers  worsening Russias economic woes.

 President Zelenskyy has been involved in a car accident in Kyiv.

The President is said to have been uninjured in the accident, while the driver who hit the Presidents vehicle was treated on-site by medical personnel and transferred to an ambulance.

 The U.S. and EU are attempting to pressure Turkish banks into abandoning Russias replacement payment system.

According to the Financial Times, The United States and EU are increasing pressure on Turkey over concerns that the country's banking sector is a potential loophole through which Russia can evade sanctions. In total, five large Turkish banks are connected to Russias Mir payment system Vakfbank, Ziraat Bank, Is Bank, DenizBank and Halkbank.

 The Ukrainian government has provided tips for a avoiding forced mobilization in occupied territory.

First of all, Ukrainians are urged, if possible, to inform the National Information Bureau about cases of forced mobilization in the temporarily occupied territories. This can be done by calling the hotline 1648 or +38 (044) 287 81 65 for calls from abroad. It is also possible to use the agencys website and chatbots on Viber and Telegram.

 The European Parliament calls Hungary an electoral autocracy.

In a statement, the EP condemned "the deliberate and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government to undermine European values, singling out the actions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Additionally, the lack of decisive action by the EU contributed to the emergence of a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" in Hungary, the EP affirmed.

 The days long read: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on todays fractured world.

In a speech at UN headquarters, the Secretary-General lays out his perspective of a world unable and unwilling to rise the global challenges faced by all.

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Home  Lifestyle  People  Kishor Kayastha: An old studio owners son has a new dream of elevating photography as an art in Nepal

Kishor Kayastha has been in the photography field for over three decades. Photo courtesy: Kishor Kayastha

Working in the darkroom of his family-owned photo studio, Kishor Kayastha always dreamed about being the countrys best photographer. But, determination alone was not going to make it happen. To fulfil his dream, he worked hard.

At a time when there were hardly any photography books, he used the knowledge given to him by his mother and practised day and night. He took notes, planned his shots and pushed boundaries to get to where he is today.

His shots are meticulous. They have a certain symmetry that can only be found in paintings. They are raw, they are rugged but they are beautiful. For someone who sought to be the best, Kishor Kayastha has been able to do just that and stake his claim as the best in Nepal.

I feel lucky that I found my passion in my childhood. I had the aim to be the best and have always worked towards being the best, he says.

Now in his 40s, Kishor Kayastha has the same energy and passion as he had in his early teens as he continues to reinvent himself. While he feels that there are people in the country that want him to retire, he says retirement has not even crossed his mind as he wants to continue to push boundaries and create art through this lens.

The little studio boy

For most of his early teens, Kishor Kayastha worked in the studio helping his parents develop prints. As he was doing that, he became obsessed with photography. The idea of creating something made him happy and when he shot his first photograph, a passport-size photo, there was no turning back.

My parents were away and an aunt I knew needed the photo soon, so I clicked it, developed it and gave it to her, he says.

His parents were shocked, but having seen his love for the art they allowed him to work in the studio despite knowing there was not much scope in the profession. His mother even took him along as she shot weddings and other events in and around Bhaktapur in the late 80s.

By his late teens, Kishor Kayastha had drawn a knack for photography. Having seen his mothers self-portraits always fascinated him. The lowkey images where his mother played with lighting always made him curious and he too started to shoot playing with lights.

The early dream

Kayastha is a self-taught photographer. Photo courtesy: Kishor Kayastha

It was around then that he started to dream about getting better. He was not interested in school and started to manifest being the best photographer in the country. Being subject to constant bullying, all he wanted as a child was to prove to his bullies how great he could be.

Around grade six, he started roaming around the streets of Bhaktapur with his camera. He started visualising photographs differently. He started using the golden ratio and started to play with lines in his photographs.

I was doing more maths than photography at one point.

Just as Kishor Kayastha was getting better, he came across a magazine called Soviet Bhumi which had pictures of architecture in the then Soviet Union. That inspired him to take pictures of the monuments in his home town in Bhaktapur.

As he was very religious, he shot a lot of temples at the start. Along with that, he also clicked pictures of mothers with their children. This, he says, was mostly because of his love for his mother.

During the start of my career, I planned a lot before I shot. The objects and people in my frame are there because I wanted them to be there.

He says before he shot, he wanted to put himself on the peoples shoulders. And maybe that is what brings life to his photos.

Photography as an art

For most of his career, Kishor Kayastha shot because he loved doing it. But in 2000, when he held his first exhibition, a lot changed for him as all his photographs were bought.

I didnt know people would pay that much for a photograph that changed a lot of things in my life.

He recalls how he bought the equipment he always wanted with the money he earnt through the exhibition.

I had to lie and use a wide angle lens to click a picture of Swayambhu I always wanted. I was over the moon when I finally got my own wide-angle lens, says Kayastha.

Kishor Kayastha also gives a lot of credit to his work to artists like Picasso and Van Gogh among others. He spent hours in libraries going through paintings by these great artists and learning how to visualise art. That is why most of his pictures are like art as they have emotion, they have graphics, and in some, there is even a story.

Following his exhibition, he got different commercial work. He also started to shoot for the ECS magazine where he was applauded for his fashion shoots.

If I recall well, one of my best photos during my childhood was the fashion when I asked my sister to put on my suit and shot her using different lighting. When ECS asked me to do it, I enjoyed doing it. People started to applaud it and I became the countrys best fashion photographer.

Assertion of the worth

For most of his career, Kishor Kayastha shot because he loved doing it. But in 2000, when he held his first exhibition, a lot changed for him as all his photographs were bought. Photo courtesy: Kishor Kayastha

But, it has not been all rosy. There have been a lot of challenges for Kishor Kayastha. Despite being the best, he has failed to get work due to his high fees; the bank has come in and taken away his car as self-doubt nearly broke him.

Despite all that, he did not give up. He knew his worth he always has as he continued to grind and look for projects not just in Nepal but abroad too.

I dont want to lower my cost because that would be untrue to myself and my art.

But, not getting work in Nepal does pose different questions to him. Kishor Kayastha often asks himself if he is good enough or if he is too expensive. While doing so, he does recall his early life and how a boy from a simple family changed the way people shoot fashion in Nepal.

Before me, fashion shoots were like soft porn, but I wanted to change that and portrayed women as powerful figures because we need to respect them, he says.

From an early age, Kishor Kayastha has always believed in his ability to make pictures. He often tells people that he does not take pictures, he makes them. Given how he has shot some pictures, his statement holds true.

For him, the frame is a blank canvas where he paints his art. But, not everyone sees his art in the same way and he believes that it is an issue in modern society.

Around 90 per cent of youth today dont know how to appreciate art. They dont go to museums or art galleries. How will they appreciate art? Its impossible, Kishor Kayastha says.
A senior officer from the French Ministry of Interiors Central Office for the Repression of Violence against Persons (OCRVP), Raphael Pairon, trains Nepali investigators to fight the online sexual exploitation of children, in Kathmandu, in September 2022. Photo: French Embassy

Kathmandu, September 16

A senior officer from the French Ministry of Interiors Central Office for the Repression of Violence against Persons (OCRVP), Raphael Pairon, provided training on the fight against online sexual exploitation of children to about 20 Nepali investigators.

The participants came from various police departments, including the Cyber Bureau, the Central Investigation Bureau, and the Women, Children and Senior Citizen Service Directorate.

The French Embassy in Kathmandu says the training was held from Monday (September 12) to Friday (September 16).

Practical exercises were carried out to put the Nepali investigators in situations who showed great reactivity and solid knowledge.

On the occasion, the embassys Deputy Chief of Mission Leela Devaradjalou said further training opportunities in matters of civil security/mountain search and rescue could be explored in Nepal next.

This third training of its kind comes in the context of long-standing cooperation between Nepali and French authorities in the fight against child abuse, the embassy says in its statement.
Farm incomes in 2021 were much higher than the year before leading to stronger financial positions on Illinois farms. The Farm Financial Standards Council has identified several key measures to analyze the financial strength of a farm business. These measures are in the areas of liquidity, solvency, profitability, and financial efficiency. The averages for these key measures for 2,159 Illinois farms enrolled in Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) can be found in Table 1. These measures are also calculated by farm type. Due to the effects that weather and other outside factors may have on a farm business for any one year, it is better to monitor these measures over time and to identify trends than it is to rely too heavily on these measures for any one year when making business decisions. More detail and in-depth analysis of these financial characteristics can be found in Financial Characteristics of Illinois Farms, published by FBFM and the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois.

Liquidity is an assessment of a farms ability to meet current cash-flow needs. The amount of working capital and the current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) are two measures of liquidity. The average amount of working capital as of December 31 for the 2,159 farms was $486,846, up 47 percent from $330,649 a year earlier. Hog farms had the greatest working capital, averaging $534,916, while dairy farms had the least, averaging $137,830. Most of the assets of a dairy farmthe dairy herd, buildings, and landare noncurrent assets. The average current ratio for all the farms was 3.19, up from 2.42 a year ago. Grain farms recorded the highest (most healthy) current ratio, and hog farms the lowest. The 2021 current ratio was the highest on recent record with 2012 being at 3.07.

Solvency is a measure of the farms overall financial strength and risk-taking ability. The average net worth of the 2,159 farms at the end of 2021 was $3,745,893, up from $3,258,983 the year before. Average farm and non-farm incomes in 2021 were well above family living requirements, thus enabling net worth increases. Hog farms had the highest net worth, followed by grain farms, with dairy farms recording the lowest. The debt-to-farm equity and debt-to-farm asset indicators show how debt capital is combined with equity capital. This is useful in looking at the risk exposure of the business. The average debt-to-farm asset percentage for all farms was 19.3. The debt-to-farm asset percentage ranged from 19.1 for grain farms to 33.3 for hog farms. The average debt-to-farm asset level of 18.2 from 2012 was at its lowest level for at least 20 years.

A measure of a farms profitability is useful in examining its ability to meet family living demands and retire term debt. It is also useful in measuring the farms ability to utilize assets and equity to generate income. The average return on farm assets for the 2,159 farms was 7.8 percent, up from 4.3 percent a year earlier. Hog farms recorded the highest returns, averaging 9.8 percent, while dairy farms recorded the lowest, averaging 1.1 percent. Return on farm equity in 2021 ranged from 13.2 percent for hog farms to 1.0 percent for dairy farms. The average was 9.3 percent, up from 4.5 percent in 2020.

The interest, operating, and depreciation expense ratios relate these various expense categories as a percentage of the value of farm production. The farm operating income ratio measures the return to labor, capital, and management as a percentage of the value of farm production. These measures can be used to evaluate the financial efficiency of the farm business. The interestexpense ratio averaged 1.9 percent for the 2,159 farms, ranging from 1.9 percent for grain farms to 5.4 percent for beef farms. The 1.9 percent was down from 2.9 percent in 2020. The 2021 figure of 1.9 percent was tied with 2012 being the lowest since at least 1995. The farm operating income ratio ranged from a high of 34.0 percent for grain farms to 23.0 percent for dairy farms. The average for all farms in 2021 was 33.6 percent, up from 22.7 percent in 2020. The 2017 through 2021 5-year average farm operating income ratio is 17.5 percent. The 2021 farm operating income ratio was well above the 5-year average.

The author would like to acknowledge that data used in this study comes from the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) Association. Without Illinois FBFM, information as comprehensive and accurate as this would not be available for educational purposes. FBFM, which consists of 5,000+ farmers and 70 professional field staff, is a not-for-profit organization available to all farm operators in Illinois. FBFM field staff provide on-farm counsel along with recordkeeping, farm financial management, business entity planning and income tax management. For more information, please contact our office located on the campus of the University of Illinois in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at 217-333-8346 or visit the FBFM website at www.fbfm.org.

A video representation of this and other 2021 results can be found on the farmdoc YouTube channel at https://go.illinois.edu/FBFM2021
AltruBio Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AltruBio Inc. (AltruBio or the Company), a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of immunological diseases with high unmet medical needs, today announced that AltruBio President and CEO Dr. Judy Chou will speak on The Next Wave of Targeted Therapies at the Longwood Healthcare Leaders Fall Webconference on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.



Details about the presentation are as follows:



Session: THE NEXT WAVE OF TARGETED THERAPIES

Presenter: Judy Chou, Ph.D., President and CEO

Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Time: 10:40 a.m. ET

Registration: Here

About Longwood Healthcare Leaders:

Longwood Healthcare Leaders meetings bring together leading biotech and pharma CEOs, heads of R&D, top academics, and healthcare investors for off-the-record discussions to drive transparency and collaboration in order to accelerate the translation of discoveries into medicines to help patients. Substantial donations enabled by these meetings benefit several charities.

To learn more about the event, view the agenda, and request an invitation, visit www.longwoodhealthcareleaders.com.

Meetings are invitation-only. To request an invitation or recommend a colleague, email julie@longwoodfund.com.

About AltruBio Inc.

AltruBio is a privately held biotechnology company headquartered in San Francisco that is focused on developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of immunological diseases with high unmet medical needs. The company has leveraged its deep understanding of the role PSGL-1 plays as an immune checkpoint regulator protein to develop a platform for T-cell mediated immunological diseases. Its first-generation molecule, neihulizumab (ALTB-168), an immune checkpoint agonist antibody targeting PSGL-1/CD162 has achieved proof of mechanism in four autoimmune and inflammatory diseases including ulcerative colitis, steroid refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD), psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis. The next-generation PSGL-1 agonist ALTB-268 is a tetravalent version of ALTB-168 and has demonstrated high potency via the same mechanism, which makes it suitable for subcutaneous administration in the proven indications and is advancing toward IND for multiple autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

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Note on Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as expects, believes, intends, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. Specifically, there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, such as the Company's ability to raise additional capital, and risks related to the Company's ability to initiate, and enroll patients in, planned clinical trials. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments, except as required by law.

Contacts

AltruBio Inc:

+1-415-655-6603

+886-2-2627-2707

info@altrubio.com

Media Contact:

Darren Opland, PhD

LifeSci Communications

+1-646-627-8387

darren@lifescicomms.com




BlueWeave Consulting and Research Pvt Ltd

New Delhi, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market size is expanding at an impressive growth rate during the forecast period, mainly due to increasing application of the AI technology in various fintech solutions across a huge number of small and medium-sized business organizations worldwide.



BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated the size of Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market at USD 10.14 billion in 2021 & forecasts Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market size to expand at a robust CAGR of 15.8% between 2022 and 2028 reaching USD 28.11 billion at the end of the period in analysis. As the financial sector was the first one to use AI for client segmentation, fraud detection, credit scoring, etc., its impact on fintech has been astounding in the recent years. The growth of small and medium-sized firms worldwide is one of the main factors influencing the market expansion.

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market - Technology Advancements

In July 2021, a joint venture between Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Foxconn Industrial Internet developed the Gloria AI Edge Box. It aims to increase the use of innovative smart applications. The new system processes 70 trillion activities every second. Microsoft Corporation collaborated with Darktrace Holdings Limited, a UK-based provider of cyber security AI, to develop self-learning AI that can identify vulnerabilities at the quickest machine speed. The companies' partnership offers top-notch protection against modern cyber-attacks.

Request for Sample Report @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/artificial-intelligence-in-fintech-market/report-sample

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market - Rising Demand

The expansion of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI), education, energy, utilities, government and public sector, healthcare, and life sciences, manufacturing, retail and e-commerce, telecommunications, and IT industries has a direct impact on the AI market's growth rate. The rapidly evolving customer demand for real-time information, the rapidly increasing demand for process automation among various banking and financial organizations, and the growing demand for payment and lending personalization in the BFSI sector are all having a significant impact on the growth of AI in the fintech market in the coming years. The rapid expansion of the fintech industry has been facilitated by improvements in mobile and internet communication technology.

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The market is expanding as a result of the financial institutions' increased need for process automation. On the other hand, cognitive process automation helps AI carry out trickier automation processes. Fintech has made extensive use of AI and machine learning (ML), and as a result, it has grown to be a crucial component of financial services. There will be high potential for market expansion as small- and medium-sized businesses, particularly those in developing countries, become more aware of the advantages of cloud-based firewalls. The Czech Republic Finance Ministry, for instance, launched a project in May 2022 to maximize the potential of fintech apps and data used in financial services in the country. The ministry is responsible for economic policy, revenue services, insurance, government budget, banking, and security. The European Union supported the project, which was carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in cooperation with the European Commission's DG REFORM-Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support.

Please Visit the Press Release: https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/press-release/artificial-intelligence-in-fintech-market-set-to-boom-reaching-usd-28-11-billion-by-2028

Segmental Information

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market - By Deployment

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market by deployment is segmented as on-Premises and cloud. The on-premises segment was estimated to hold a major market share in 2021, as on-Premises deployment enables businesses to implement software or services on the hardware or infrastructure of a financial institution. However, from 2022 to 2028, the cloud segment is expected to grow at a faster CAGR, mainly due to AI-based algorithms that identify current norms, generate suggestions, and learn from historical data in a cloud environment. Cloud computing and AI can increase output, efficiency, and digital security in data handling and authenticity. This automated method also gets rid of human errors in data processing. AI that is deployed in the cloud analyzes past data, adjusts based on it, offers recommendations, and assesses current patterns.

Regional Insights

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market by region is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to hold the highest market share, mainly due to the high importance placed on R&D-based innovations in the industrialized economies of the United States and Canada. These areas have the most competitive and quickly evolving AI markets in Fintech. However, Asia Pacific (APAC) is forecast to grow at the highest rate during the period in analysis owing to continuous innovations in AI technology and the quick growth of local businesses.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the need for AI in the healthcare sector. Numerous tools and models are provided by the technology to enhance the capabilities of traditional analytics and decision-making. Prediction, diagnosis, and treatment consequently become more precise and successful. For instance, according to the January 2022 study report, researchers from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute found that Machine Learning (ML) models could help with public health decision-making during the pandemic. However, COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns delayed the expansion of Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market, as many retailers are still facing problems. Many stores used point-of-sale financing alternatives for future development. Merchants use up-to-date information for underwriting that is similar to a bank account. However, these businesses use AI-based algorithms to deduce user behavior from transactions or product purchases.

Dont miss the business opportunity in the Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Mar ket . Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape for the AI market in fintech includes companies financials, revenue generated market potential, investments in R&D, new market initiatives, global presence, production sites and facilities, production capacities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launches, product width and breadth, and application dominance. The data points mentioned above primarily concern the fintech market companies' AI-related focus. Top companies active in the AI in fintech market include LargeML, Inc. (US) and FICO Cisco Systems, Inc. (US).

Recent Developments







The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) deal between IBM and Fenergo, a supplier of digital transformation, customer journey, and client lifecycle management (CLM) solutions for financial institutions, was signed in April 2020. In the following month, Sentifi AG expanded its alternative data-based analytics to identify investment possibilities and manage risks. With the help of Sentifi's new analytics platform, investors can now identify outliers in their portfolios as well as spot sector outliers, industry outliers, ESG events that could have an impact on asset price, and investing themes that are trending in real-time.

Scope of the Report

Attributes Details Years Considered Historical Data  20182021 Base Year  2021 Estimated Year - 2022 Forecast  20222028 Facts Covered Revenues in USD Billion Market Coverage North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Product Service/Segmentation By Component (Solutions, Services), By Deployment Mode, By Application, By End User, By Region Key Players Microsoft, Google LLC, Salesforce, Inc., IBM Corp., Amelia US LLC, Nuance Communications Inc., ComplyAdvantage.com, Narrative Science, Affirm Inc., Upstart Network Inc., Instructure Inc., Intel Corporation, Inbenta Technologies, Amazon Web Services, and Oracle Corporation





By Component

Solution

Software Tools Data Discovery Data Quality Data Governance Data Visualization

Platforms

Services Managed Services Professional Services

.By Deployment

Cloud

On-Premises

By Application

Virtual Assistant

Business Analytics & Reporting

Customer Behavioral Analytics

Fraud Detection

Quantitative & Asset Management

By End User

Stock Trading Firms

Hedge Funds

Retail Banking

Investment Banking

Others

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa







Please Find Below Some New Reports:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech Market - Global Size, Share, Trend Analysis, Opportunity and Forecast Report, 20182028

Asia-Pacific Digital Payments Market - Size, Share, Trend Analysis, Opportunity and Forecast Report, 20182028

UK Motor Insurance Market- Size, Share, Analysis, Opportunity and Forecast Report, 2018-2028

India Used Car Loan Market - Size, Share, Trend Analysis, Opportunity and Forecast Report, 20182028

India Microfinance Market - Size, Share, Trend Analysis, Opportunity and Forecast Report, 20182028

About Us

BlueWeave Consulting provides comprehensive Market Intelligence (MI) Solutions to businesses regarding various products and services online and offline. We offer all-inclusive market research reports by analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data to boost the performance of your business solutions. BWC has built its reputation from scratch by delivering quality inputs and nourishing long-lasting relationships with its clients. We are one of the promising digital MI solutions companies providing agile assistance to make your business endeavors successful.

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BEIJING, Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a report from CRI Online:

The site of the event. Photo by Lei Qijun

The 10th Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation (hereinafter referred to as "the Forum") was held in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on September 15.

The Ministry of Science and Technology highlighted a number of landmark projects at this year's event. The China-ASEAN Sci-Tech Innovation Upgrading Project was unveiled for the first time as an important step in enhancing the sci-tech cooperation between China and ASEAN members. In addition, the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Special Action was launched with 1,000 new technologies selected nationwide concerning key industries in the economic and social development of ASEAN countries. The first centralized release of these advanced and applicable technologies in sustainable fields will go a long way in fostering growth throughout ASEAN countries. As the first domestic technology transfer cooperation mechanism for ASEAN, the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Alliance was established during the Forum. Furthermore, the first China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and ASEAN debuted at the event, in tandem with the opening ceremony of China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Camp.

With a focus on digital technology and the healthcare sector, the Forum, themed Explore Sci-Tech Cooperation for a Shared Better Home, organized a series of events, including the opening ceremony of the Forum and the main session, the 4th 10+3 Young Scientists Forum, the 19th China-ASEAN Expo Advanced Technology Exhibition, the China-ASEAN Digital Technology Promotion and Matchmaking Conference, and the Belt and Road Technology Transfer Synergy Promotion Conference. The goal of the Forum is to gather together some of the region's brightest minds and brainstorm in order to create a scientific blueprint for the next steps that need to be taken and make a contribution to the building of a close-knit China-ASEAN innovation community.

SOURCE CRI Online
A summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states has today kicked off in Samarkand.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and other heads of state and government who attend the Summit.

The heads of state and government then posed together for a group photo.

The expanded meeting of the Summit then kicked off.

Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev greeted the heads of state and government who attend the Summit.

The President of Azerbaijan made a speech at the event.

Other heads of state and government also addressed the Summit.

***

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.

Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCOs priorities also include regional development.

After 21 years, the organization has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development but also a major force for international equity and justice.

The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005. In April 2010, the UN and SCO Secretariats signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation.

Over the years, the SCO has established strong partnerships with the host of influential organizations, including UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Office on Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six Dialogue Partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkiye).

The SCO Secretariat, based in Beijing, is the main permanent executive body of the SCO. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General Zhang Ming.

The SCO Secretariat coordinates the activity of the SCO and provides informational, analytical, legal, organizational and technical support.

The SCO calls for observing the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, providing a new platform and model for multilateral cooperation to improve global governance.

Uzbekistan is the current chair of SCO. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attends the SCO Summit in Samarkand as a guest of honor at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

to be updated














Start a business in Thailand - the top developing country in Southeast Asia today

BANGKOK, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, you can take your first step more easily with the Thai smart device market by:

Becoming a distribution partner of the leading smart home brand in Vietnam with 10 years of experience

Confidently providing comprehensive smart home solutions from lighting, cameras, switches to sensors and smart curtains

Taking advantage of our available international partner networks

Visit Lumis exhibition booth at LED Expo Thailand to seize the opportunity to be market leader

Meet Lumi Vietnam in Bangkok to work with us to plan the most effective business:

Date: September 21-22-23, 2022

Venue: Booth G7-8, Hall 8, IMPACT Exhibition Center, Bangkok, Thailand

Why is exploring the smart device business in Thailand a golden opportunity?

Statista estimates that the Thai smarthome market in 2022 will have a total revenue of 149.3 million USD, and by 2026, this number will be more than 300 million USD. The average number of smarthome households is 4.6 million homes by 2026. Although the total market revenue is not the leading in Southeast Asia, the Thai smarthome market has the largest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the region.

Smart lighting - an essential piece of smarthome: the potential to shine

In the smarthome ecosystem, smart lighting is an important system that plays a core role and creates a significant value of a comfortable life of 4.0 technology standard.

According to a report from Research and Markets, the global smart lighting market is forecast to reach $10.76 billion by 2022 and $27.27 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 20.4%. With a growth rate of 22.4% during 2020-2030, Asia is the fastest growing region in the world for the smart lighting industry. This incredible growth is due to low labor costs and the availability of raw materials.

Currently, Thailand is a middle-income country with a high GDP growth rate, ranking 8th in Asia and 2nd in Southeast Asia in particular. Additionally, the proportion of smartphone users in Thailand is slightly higher than that of Southeast Asia (about 79% of the population in 2022). With the increasing number of smartphones, users will be more familiar with applications on their phones connecting with surrounding devices, which is the basis for smarthome to penetrate the market more easily.

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Thailand with its dynamism and ability to keep up with the trends promises to be a prosperous destination for technology products such as smarthome or smart lighting.

Overcoming barriers, initially exploring the million-dollar market

Thailand is an open environment for anyone who wants to start or expand a new technology business in Southeast Asia. However, businesses providing smarthome and smart lighting solutions may face many challenges when entering this market. Sourcing quality products and building a commercialization process are obvious difficulties.

Why is Lumi your potential partner?

10 years of experience as a leading company in the smarthome industry in Vietnam with a system of 150 distributors nationwide

High-class products that meet international standards such as CE and Quacert certifications, easy construction, quick and professional warranty

Comprehensive support from technical training to marketing resources and commercializing process

Strong international sales network, partnerships with India, Cambodia, Korea and Singapore

Successfully completed projects in Thailand such as Life Asoke Hype - a luxury condominium with 1253 apartments and the Pleno project with 30 mansions in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi

Don't miss the opportunity to explore the million-dollar market and increase your income in 2022. Contact now for more valuable:

Phone: (+84) 976796471 - International Sales Director (Mr. David)

Email: info@lumi.vn

SOURCE Lumi Vietnam
Filmed in Georgia is a weekly column by Frank Hotchkiss, the Savannah author of Playing with Fire at local bookstores and on Amazon. Contact Frank with recommendations for future film reviews at online@savannahnow.com.

Any Savannahian interested in the film business would do well to start at Leopolds Ice Cream on Broughton Street.

Not just because the ice cream is delicious and the walls are decorated with movie posters from films tied to Leopolds owner, Stratton Leopold, but because you just might run into Stratton himself scooping behind the counter.

He stumbled into film making at the beginning of his adult life and never left, and his knowledge of it seems encyclopedic.

Previous Filmed in Georgia: Robert Mitchum's history with Chatham County law influenced 'Cape Fear' role

Other Filmed in Georgia columns: First major Hollywood production rowed into 'dangerous' Okefenokee Swamp

In photos: Leopold's Ice Cream celebrates 103 years in Savannah

Stratton Leopold at his flagship store, Leopold's Ice Cream, located on Broughton Street.

A direct-speaking man with a delightful patrician air, he is happy to share his experience of being everything from a location manager to executive producer of major films like "The Generals Daughter," and "The Sum of All Fears."

In the course of these and other films, Stratton has befriended a long list of A-listers including Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames and James Woods. John Travolta is among his favorites.

Travolta is a fun guy, he says today. He loves people.

Travolta in Savannah: 'The General's Daughter' is so-so, but a great example of Savannah's beauty

Travolta is something of a Savannah fan, it seems. Once, Stratton was in London on a film project and got a message from the Broughton store. It was a picture of Travolta trying to be incognito in a skull cap. Apparently the server, concentrating on scooping his order without looking up, said, You sound like John Travolta. Then she looked up and the cat was out of the bag. You ARE John Travolta!

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Travolta is something of a foodie it turns out. Leopolds was a natural place for him to be.

Simon West, left, director of "The General's Daughter" rehearses a scene with John Travolta and John Benjamin Hickey where the two men walk through Madison Square talking. Bob Morris photo.

Despite family concerns, Leopold heads to Hollywood

How in the world did a young man from Savannah  a long way from Hollywood  end up in the film business?

Strattons mother thought it was a terrible idea, and wouldnt speak to him about it for years. She wanted him to become a doctor.

When his father, head of the Leopold family ice cream business, died early, Stratton came home to help out, but he had been bitten by show business  theater to be specific. He spent several years in New York pursuing that career, but without great success. Then he moved to Atlanta, and an unexpected call changed his life, although he didnt know it at the time.

Filmed in Georgia: 'Deliverance' helped put state on the Hollywood map  for good or bad

A friend of a friend asked him to track down a local agent to cast an upcoming film. No one was available. Then you do it, the person said. Ill walk you through what to do, and she did.

After that, one thing led to another and he moved up the film production ladder until he ended up in Los Angeles. He eventually had nearly 60 film and television credits to his name and was made an executive vice president at Paramount Pictures.

Boy Scouts Ja'Karii Fegans and Ayden Boston recite the Pledge of Allegiance Thursday during the 2021 kickoff for the annual "I Pledge Project" at Leopold's on Broughton Street. Children 12 and under can recite the Pledge of Allegiance from memory to be rewarded with a free childs scoop of ice cream.

But Stratton is a man on two tracks. The second is following the family tradition and making really great ice cream. He is also a creative marketer. Leopolds annually says Thank You for Your Patriotism and gives any child 12 or under (accompanied by an adult) who recites the Pledge of Allegiance from memory, a free childs scoop of super-premium, homemade ice cream.

Leopolds Ice Cream is now more than a century old. Founded in Savannah in 1919 by three immigrant brothers from Greece named George, Peter and Basil, the ice cream parlor still offers its original signature flavors, and has expanded to include seasonal and even vegan ice cream flavors.

More: Savannahs ice cream staple Leopolds celebrates 100 years with award-winning book

Strattons father Peter passed down the tradition of making super-premium, handmade ice cream to Stratton, his youngest son. Frequently rated among the countrys best ice cream shops, the 1930s vintage ice cream parlor has won numerous national and international accolades. In addition to its Creamery location in downtown Savannah and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Leopolds Ice Cream offers catering and nationwide shipping.

Soon there may be a new Leopolds location near the corner of Gwinnett and Habersham where the first parlor originally stood  but thats just a rumor to date. Heres hoping 

Leopold and his wife, Mary, are a treasure trove of celebrity trivia and vignettes.

Stories from the set

Filming "The Wolfman" for Universal, Anthony Hopkins (now Sir Anthony) had the Wolfman costume head on to shoot some incidental scenes  and took a break to lap up Leopolds Ice Cream that Stratton had provided. Unfortunately, no photo of the event is available.

He recalled shooting "Blood in Blood Out" by director Taylor Hackford at San Quentin, an enormous state prison in San Francisco with some 6,000 prisoners in residence. Cut-cut-cut was Hackfords habitual way of stopping filming a scene. The prisoners found that hilarious and began shouting cut-cut-cut at every opportunity, to Hackfords irritation.

Filmed in Georgia: Clint Eastwood loves the state, making Augusta a prime location for 'The Mule'

When filming "The Sum of All Fears" in Montreal, the thermometer dipped 30 below zero, so cold that even Russsian actors from Moscow they were complaining.

Morgan Freeman, left, and Ben Affleck in 'The Sum of All Fears'

Working on "Baron Munchausen," when Sean Connery backed out of a key role for scheduling reasons, director Terry Gilliam told Stratton, Then get me Robin Williams.

Leopold hopped on a plane from Rome to San Francisco, where Williams lived in the Castro District, to meet with Williams, who listened and agreed to take a part in the film. Coincidentally, Williams ended up giving Stratton a ride in his VW Vanagon when Stratton needed to go to another meeting. Stratton marveled at Williamss spontaneity and creativity.

'A place for the people': Mammoth teeth, movie stars, controversies mark 50 years of Lake Mayer

He was amazing. He would see a street sign and do three minutes on it.

Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam

Generals Daughter was shot in part at Lebanon Plantation near Savannah, owned by Howard and Mary Morrison. Stratton and Howard were lifelong friends, having attended second grade together at Massie School.

It was a pretty big company and the Morrisons had just redecorated the plantation house to a tee with detail worthy of Architectural Digest. During the shoot we got word that a giant storm was about to hit Savannah. All hell broke loose with wind and sheets of rain and flooding and mud everywhere. We even had to get the generator wires out of the water.

Filmed in Georgia: 'My Cousin Vinny' brings the mob to Alabama, a.k.a. Jasper County, Ga.

The Morrisons, very cordial and Savannah-like, invited the entire crew  80 or 90 people  inside for shelter, muddy boots and all.

Asked what luminaries come in to the Broughton Street store now and then to partake of Leopolds rich-rich ice cream, Stratton didnt miss a beat.

Ben Affleck, Sandra Bullock talk between takes in front of Federal Building on Wright Square. Bob Morris photo.

Ben Affleck, Liev Schrieber, James Cromwell  who loves the vegan ice cream  and John Travolta, of course. For the sake of privacy, they always sit in a booth with their backs to the aisle. While happy to have them, they dont get any other special treatment, and stand in line just like everyone else.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Movies filmed in Georgia: Ben Affleck, John Travolta fans of Savannah
Were getting toward the tail end of the year, and its time to start deciding just how to allocate the portfolio for a solid year-end return. In a recent note from JPMorgan, focused on the energy sector, 5-star analyst Arun Jayaram recommended oil and gas producers as likely to beat the overall markets going forward.

Getting quickly to the bottom line, Jayaram states, "We remain fans of the longer-term story for natural gas driven by a growing global demand for low cost U.S. gas exports."

With this in mind, we took a closer look at two energy stocks that have gotten the thumbs-up from the JPM expert. In fact, Jayaram is not the only one singing these stocks praises. According to the TipRanks platform, they are rated as Strong Buys by the rest of the analyst community.

Permian Resources (PR)

First up is Permian Resources, a Texas-based E&P operating in the Delaware Basin. Permian was formed this year through the merger-of-equals transaction between Centennial Resource Development and Colgate Energy. Permian Resources emerged from that merger as the largest pure-play E&P firm operating in the Delaware. Permians productive assets include 180,000 net lease acres and 40,000 royalty acres; these holdings generated 137,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, evenly divided between oil and gas products.

Permian Resources assets are highly valuable, and the companys production translated to high revenues and earnings in the recently reported 2Q22. The top line came in at $472.7 million, more than doubling year-over-year from $232.6 million. Earnings, reported at $193.1 million, generated a diluted EPS of 60 cents. This was a strong turnaround from 2Q21, which saw a 9-cent quarterly EPS loss.

This company is currently operating an 8-rig drilling program, but has detailed a 2023 development plan that specifies starting with 7 active rigs. Permians plans include improving its operational efficiencies, and the company is targeting $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion in free cash flow for the full year 2023.

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Jayaram, in his JPM report, points out Permians free cash flow and production growth as key points for investors, saying of the company: We expect PR to deliver an attractive combination of significant cash return paired with differentiated volume growth while trading a turn below peers on 2023 DACF and at a premium on FCF metrics. PR established a $0.20 per share annual base dividend and will return at least 50% of post-dividend FCF to shareholders beginning in 2Q22."

"PR also ranks in the top quartile of our updated JPM Forced Ranker, which places the heaviest weighting on cash return and FCF generation, what we view as the most important metrics for investors. We estimate that PR is set to return 10% of market cap to shareholders in 2023 while also delivering oil volume growth of 10%," Jayaram added.

Quantifying his position, Jayaram gives PR an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating, with a $12 price target that implies ~56% upside for the next 12 months. (To watch Jayarams track record, click here)

Overall, Permian gets a Strong Buy consensus rating from the Street, based on 8 analyst reviews that include 7 Buys over 1 Hold. The shares are selling for $7.66, and their average price target of $10.86 suggests a 35% one-year upside. (See PR stock forecast on TipRanks)

EOG Resources (EOG)

The second stock well look at, EOG, is one of the largest E&Ps on the North American hydrocarbon scene. The company has a market cap exceeding $71 billion, and operates in some of the continents richest oil and gas regions. EOG has production activities in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, in such big-name areas as Eagle Ford, Permian, Anadarko, and Barnett. The company is also operational in the DJ Basin of Colorado, the Powder River basin of Wyoming, and the Williston Basin on the North Dakota-Montana border. EOG even operates in the Caribbean, with activities in the offshore Columbus Basin near the island of Trinidad.

All of this has pushed EOGs revenues to record levels. The company reported a total of $7.4 billion at the top line in 2Q22, the most recent reported, after quarterly production of 920.7 MBoed. Adjusted net income for the second quarter came to $1.6 billion, with an adjusted EPS of $2.74. On the balance sheet, EOG reported slightly over $5 billion in total debt, and some $3 billion in cash and liquid assets.

EOG has seen 8 consecutive quarters of sequential revenue increases. Earnings have been more volatile, but the Q2 EPS was up 58% y/y.

Summarizing EOG for investors, Jayaram writes: We continue to view EOG as a long-term core holding in the space given its premium drilling strategy that is poised to support differentiated returns on capital assuming mid-cycle pricing or better. One of the key themes has been the differentiated performance of E&Ps that are accelerating the return of cash to equity holders. Cash return to equity holders has been rewarded more than debt reduction, which is favoring companies with strong balance sheets such as EOG.

The JPM analyst gives EOG an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating, and his price target, which he set at $156, indicates his confidence in a 28% upside in the coming year. (To watch Jayarams track record, click here)

Wall Street clearly agrees with Jayaram that this stock is a Buy proposition  the 14 analyst reviews on file include 12 Buys and 2 Holds. The shares are trading at $121.42, and the $150.29 average price target implies ~24% upside going forward. (See EOG stock forecast on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for energy stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
FOXO Commences its Inaugural Managing General Agency ("MGA") Relationship with a Full Suite of Life Insurance Products Bundled with the FOXO Longevity Report

FOXO Technologies Inc. to Trade on the NYSE American Under the Ticker Symbols "FOXO" Beginning Friday, September 16th

MINNEAPOLIS & HOUSTON, September 16, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FOXO Technologies Inc. ("FOXO" or the "Company"), a technology platform company whose products and services seek to address long-standing, core problems within the life insurance industry through epigenetic longevity science, today announced the completion of its business combination (the "Business Combination") with Delwinds Insurance Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: DWIN) ("Delwinds"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

The products and services FOXO is developing combine longevity science with life insurance to: (i) support consumer health and wellness engagement, and (ii) simplify the consumer underwriting journey.

The combined company will operate under the name "FOXO Technologies Inc.," and will be led by Chief Executive Officer Jon Sabes. Commencing at the open of trading on September 16, 2022, FOXOs Class A common stock are expected to trade on the NYSE American exchange under the symbol "FOXO". FOXOs warrants will continue to trade on the NYSE exchange under the symbol "FOXO WS", and it is anticipated that trading of the warrants will move to the NYSE American exchange shortly. Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, each outstanding unit of Delwinds was automatically separated into one share of Delwinds Class A common stock and one half of one Delwinds warrant and each share of Delwinds class A common stock and each whole warrant of Delwinds was exchanged for one FOXO common share and one FOXO warrant, exercisable into shares of FOXO Class A common stock, respectively. The warrant exercise price for each FOXO warrant is $11.50.

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The transaction was approved by Delwinds stockholders at its special meeting held on September 14, 2022. Over 91% of the votes cast on the business combination proposal at the special meeting were cast in favor of approving the business combination.

"The completion of this merger is a significant step forward in our mission to make healthy longevity fundamental to the promise of every life insurance policy sold," said Jon Sabes, Founder and CEO of FOXO. "Our entry into the public markets strengthens our ability to commercialize our molecular biomarkers of health, aging and mortality with epigenetic technology. The recent signing of our inaugural MGA agreement with the Assurity Life Insurance Company1 allows www.FOXOLife.com to begin marketing and selling a full suite of life insurance products with our FOXO Longevity Report. The Business Combination also occurs as we prepare to complete research that we expect will lead to the opportunity to introduce new saliva-based underwriting protocols next year. These two initiatives represent critical milestones towards our overall goals. We are grateful for the support of the Delwinds leadership team and stockholders throughout this transaction and are more committed than ever to providing lasting value to our customers, our stockholders, and our partners."

Andrew J. Poole, Chairman and CEO of Delwinds commented: "With this milestone concluded, FOXO has a number of pivotal developments ahead, including its pioneering application of epigenetic science to measure human health and longevity through molecular biomarkers and commercializing saliva-based underwriting technology for the life insurance industry. Having had the opportunity to work closely with the FOXO team these past months, our belief in FOXOs value proposition and market opportunity have only grown."

Additional details on the business combination can be found in Delwinds Proxy Statement/Prospectus relating to the business combination.

Advisors

Cantor Fitzgerald acted as Capital Markets Advisors to Delwinds. Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole LLP acted as legal advisor to Delwinds. Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP and Stinson LLP acted as legal advisors to FOXO.

About FOXO Technologies Inc. ("FOXO")

FOXO is a technology platform company focused on commercializing longevity science through products and services that serve the life insurance industry. FOXO's epigenetic technology applies AI to DNA methylation to identify molecular biomarkers of human health and aging. FOXO seeks to modernize the life insurance industry by simplifying the consumer underwriting journey with saliva-based biomarkers and enhancing life insurances consumer value proposition with the FOXO Longevity Report. For more information about FOXO, visit www.foxotechnologies.com. For more information about FOXO Life, visit www.foxolife.com. For investor information and updates, visit https://foxotechnologies.com/investors/.

About Delwinds Insurance Acquisition Corp. ("Delwinds")

Delwinds is a special purpose blank check company formed to effectuate a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a "business combination"). Delwinds Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Andrew J. Poole. For more information on Delwinds, visit www.delwinds.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release are not historical facts and 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," 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, regarding the Companys strategy, future operations, and prospects are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management of the Company and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which the Company operates, variations in operating performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting the Companys business; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction; the risk that FOXO has a history of losses and the Company may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future; the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities; potential inability of the Company to establish or maintain the managing general agency, insurance carrier or other relationships required to advance its goals or to achieve its commercialization and development plans; the enforceability of the Companys intellectual property, including its patents and the potential infringement on the intellectual property rights of other; the risk of downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive biotechnology industry or in the markets or industries in which the Companys prospective customers operate, including the highly regulated insurance industry; the approval of the NYSE to list for trading FOXOs warrants on the NYSE American exchange and those factors discussed in Delwinds Registration Statement on Form S-4, under the heading "Risk Factors," and other documents Delwinds has filed, or the Company will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that the Company does not presently know, or that the Company currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect the Companys expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Companys assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

1 Assurity is a marketing name for the mutual holding company Assurity Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Those subsidiaries include but are not limited to: Assurity Life Insurance Company and Assurity Life Insurance Company of New York. Insurance products and services are offered by Assurity Life Insurance Company in all states except New York. In New York, insurance products and services are offered by Assurity Life Insurance Company of New York, Albany, NY. Product availability, features and rates may vary by state.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220916005070/en/

Contacts

Investor Relations

Cody Slach, Matthew Hausch

Gateway Investor Relations

(949) 574-3860

FOXO@gatewayir.com

Media & Public Relations

ASTRSK PR

foxo@astrskpr.com
Open to All Families Interested in a College Prep Education

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Meadows School will host its annual All-School Preview Day on October 12, 2022, at 4 p.m. on the school's 40-acre campus in Summerlin. This event is for families with preschool through high school aged children interested in enrolling for the 2023-24 school year.

The Meadows School in Las Vegas, NV (PRNewsfoto/The Meadows School)

The Meadows All-School Preview Day is held once a year. It is an open-house style event with select scheduled activities. Throughout the two-hour event, prospective families can expect to learn about The Meadows School's history, it's top-tier academic programs, robust athletics offerings, creative arts, and more. Faculty and staff from all of the school's four divisions (Beginning School, ages 3-5; Lower School, grades K-5; Middle School, grades 6-8; Upper School, grades 9-12) will be available to answer questions and showcase classrooms. Student ambassadors will offer campus tours and there will be a performance by Upper School students.

To attend The Meadows School Annual Preview Day, families can RSVP at www.themeadowsschool.org/preview.

About The Meadows School

The Meadows School is a non-profit, independent college preparatory day school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. With over 930 students in grades pre-k through twelfth, highly trained faculty work with students in all phases of their academic journey to help them push beyond their perceived limits. This, coupled with top-flight athletics and arts programs, allows The Meadows to provide students with the skill set they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world as citizens of a global society. To learn more about this comprehensive independent school, please visit www.themeadowsschool.org.

Media Contact

Lauren Walker

Director of Marketing & Communications

The Meadows School

lwalker@themeadowsschool.org

702-797-5912

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-meadows-school-in-southern-nevada-hosts-annual-preview-day-301625890.html

SOURCE The Meadows School
Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Net Asset Value

Middlefield Canadian Income PCC

Middlefield Canadian Income - GBP PC

(a protected cell company incorporated in Jersey with registration number 93546)

Legal Entity Identifier: 2138007ENW3JEJXC8658

Net Asset Value

As at the close of business on 15 September 2022 the estimated unaudited Net Asset Value per share was 147.98 pence (including accrued income).

Investments in the Company's portfolio have been valued on a closing price basis.

Enquiries:

JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited

01534 700 000




Signed an MOU on September 7 for the Sarawak H2biscus Green Hydrogen Project to supply hydroelectric-power-based renewable power.

The four companies and Sarawak Energy aims to produce green hydrogen from 2027 by conducting joint research to find a stable power supply for hydrogen production and completing the feasibility study by this year.

"If the discussion on the power supply is successfully progressed, the H2biscus project will be the hub of hydrogen supply in Asia", said Byeong-og Yoo, Senior Executive Vice President.

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- POSCO Holdings will cooperate with Samsung Engineering, Lotte Chemical, Malaysian Sarawak Economic Development Corporation Energy, and Malaysian Sarawak Energy for Green Hydrogen Business for Sarawak's green H2 business.

On September 7, POSCO Holdings signed an MOU about cooperation on supplying hydroelectric-based renewable power for the Malaysia Sarawak H2biscus Green Hydrogen Project with Samsung Engineering, Lotte Chemical, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation Energy, and Malaysian Sarawak Energy.

On September 7, POSCO Holdings signed an MOU about cooperation on supplying hydroelectric-based renewable power for the Malaysia Sarawak H2biscus Green Hydrogen Project with Samsung Engineering, Lotte Chemical, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation Energy, and Malaysian Sarawak Energy.

This January, POSCO Holdings, Samsung Engineering, and Lotte Chemical signed an MOU with SEDC Energy to build a partnership for the Sarawak green hydrogen project. This time, the new MOU signing for the collaboration of renewable power supply with Sarawak Energy is expected to boost the Sarawak hydrogen project.

With the MOU signed, the five parties agreed to conduct joint research for a stable power supply under the H2biscus project, which will use min. 900MW of power, and check the preparations for substation, power line, and other infrastructural facilities. Based on the result of the co-research, the ongoing feasibility study will be finalized by this year, aiming to start production of green H2 from the end of 2027.

The green hydrogen produced from the Sarawak project will amount to 200,000 tons. Except for 7,000 tons used in Malaysia, the rest of the H2 will be moved to Korea in the form of ammonia, which is expected to help the country facilitate the national H2 economy and achieve the carbon neutrality goal. In particular, POSCO Holdings, Samsung Engineering, and Lotte Chemical will continue to develop green H2 projects overseas to take the lead in introducing green hydrogen to Korea.

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Besides, POSCO GROUP is actively taking action to secure differentiated business capabilities and technological prowess over the entire hydrogen value chain from H2 production, transport, storage, and usage. While participating in multiple outstanding projects of green H2 output in Australia and the Middle East, POSCO is also focusing on its capabilities in high-temperature electrolysis technology (producing H2 through electrolysis of water at high temperatures) and ammonia decomposition technology (producing H2 by reforming ammonia). POSCO GROUP aims to grow into the nation's biggest H2 player with the highest demand and supply by equipping itself with the production system for 7 million tons of H2 by 2050, at home and abroad.

Cision

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SOURCE POSCO Holdings
Sampo plc

SAMPO PLC STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 16 September 2022 at 8:40 am

Sampo plc: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 5 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)

Sampo plc (business code 0142213-3) has received a disclosure under Chapter 9, Section 5 of the Securities Markets Act, according to which the number of Sampo A shares (ISIN: FI009003305) and voting rights owned directly or indirectly by BlackRock, Inc. (USA tax ID 32-0174421) and its funds decreased on 14 September 2022 below five (5) per cent of Sampo plc's total stock and votes.

Sampo's share capital comprises 533,261,351 shares, of which 533,061,351 are A shares and 200,000 are B shares. Each A share entitles its holder to one (1) vote and each B share to five (5) votes. Thus, the total number of votes is 534,061,351.

Total positions of BlackRock, Inc and its funds subject to the notification:

% of shares and voting rights (total of A) % of shares and voting rights through financial instruments (total of B) Total of both in % (A+B) Resulting situation on the date on which threshold was crossed or reached 4.99% shares



4.98% voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights 5.05% shares



5.04% voting rights Positions of previous notification (if applicable) 5.01% shares



5.00% voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights 5.07% shares



5.06% voting rights

Notified details of the resulting situation on the date on which the threshold was crossed:

A: Shares and voting rights:

Class/type of shares

ISIN code Number of shares and voting rights % of shares and voting rights Direct

(SMA 9:5) Indirect

(SMA 9:6 and 9:7) Direct

(SMA 9:5) Indirect

(SMA 9:6 and 9:7) FI0009003305 26,631,669 shares



26,631,669 voting rights 4.99% shares



4.98% voting rights SUBTOTAL A 26,631,669 shares



26,631,669 voting rights 4.99% shares



4.98% voting rights

B: Financial instruments according to SMA 9:6a:

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Type of financial

instrument Expiration date Exercise/

Conversion Period Physical or

cash settlement Number of shares

and voting rights % of shares and

voting rights American Depository Receipt (US79588J1025) N/A N/A Physical 256,680 shares



256,680 voting rights 0.04% shares



0.04% voting rights Securities Lent N/A N/A Physical 4,194 shares



4,194 voting rights 0.00% shares



0.00% voting rights CFD N/A N/A Cash 44,409 shares



44,409 voting rights 0.00% shares



0.00% voting rights SUBTOTAL B 305,283 shares



305,283 voting rights 0.05% shares



0.05% voting rights

SAMPO PLC

Sami Taipalus

Head of Investor Relations

tel. +358 10 516 0030

Distribution:

Nasdaq Helsinki

London stock exchange

The principal media

Financial Supervisory Authority

www.sampo.com




An outgoing district attorney was condemned Thursday by fellow prosecutors "for engaging in conduct not authorized by law" and for his "lack of candor and honesty" about it.

Paul Smith, the district attorney of Seminole, Hughes and Pontotoc counties, called the decision by the District Attorneys Council disappointing.

Smith, 62, came under fire for taking a second full-time job in August teaching at Holdenville High School even though he is still DA until January. He quit the teaching job after the online news site NonDoc reported about it.

Paul Smith

The District Attorneys Council voted 4-0 to condemn Smith, who apologized for taking the job but denied being dishonest.

"I regret that there was a tsunami of disapproval. I didn't anticipate that because I was doing both jobs," he said.

He acknowledged Thursday that he initially agreed to be at the school from 8:05 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. daily. "I didn't think that there was anything inappropriate about it," he said. "I love teaching. I love impacting those kids. I think I did during the seven days I was in the classroom."

He insisted he was an adjunct teacher and was still doing his duties as district attorney. "I came in early and I worked late," he said of his DA job. "And nobody can point to one meeting, one court appearance, one email, one call, one anything that I didn't do."

Smith is a longtime prosecutor who was appointed district attorney of Seminole, Hughes and Pontotoc counties in 2017. He was elected to the position in 2018, even though best-selling novelist John Grisham supported his opponent. He chose not to run for reelection this year and plans to teach again in the spring.

The condemnation does not keep him from completing his final months in office. It is essentially only a black mark on his record but could impact him politically if he decides to run for public office again.

The District Attorneys Council is a state agency that handles finances for the state's prosecutors. In charge of council decisions currently are Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, three other DAs and Assistant Attorney General Dane Towery.

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Prater called for the condemnation. He alleged Smith was dishonest with the public, the media, the District Attorneys Council and the Attorney General's Office.

Prater said a number of prosecutors, and judges, across the state teach classes after hours a couple of times a week. "That is the general understanding of the definition of 'adjunct,'" Prater said.

He told Smith "when your office is open, you've got the responsibility to be there or at least be available."

"And if you're full-time teaching a bunch of kids in a history class or government class or whatever it was, there's no way you can be operating and performing the constitutional duties that you have as a district attorney," Prater said.

"You took another state job, taking another state paycheck, paying into another pension system, when you should have been sitting in your office being the DA. And then when you were asking people about whether ... it was authorized or not, you were not truthful with them initially."

Erik Johnson, the incoming district attorney for Seminole, Hughes and Pontotoc counties, told NonDoc, "I definitely think it's wrong."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma DA condemned for taking teaching job while still in office
(Adds the arrival of Flex Ranger, updates the arrival date for Al Mafyar) Sept 16 (Reuters) - The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (L). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). For the Reuters LNG guide, click here: LNG TANKER CAPACITY in EXPECTED ARRIVAL FROM PORT cubic metres BRITAIN Cool Runner 158,000 Sept. 17 United States South Hook Umm Slal 261,000 Sept. 21 Qatar South Hook Gaslog HongKong 174,000 Sept. 22 United States Isle of Grain Golar Penguin 155,000 Sept. 22 United States Dragon Al Mafyar 261,000 Sept. 23^ Qatar South Hook BW Pavilion Leeara 162,000 Sept. 25 United States Isle of Grain BW Pavilionaranthera 171,000 Sept. 30 United States Isle of Grain Golar Glacier 162,000 Oct. 10 United States South Hook BELGIUM Arctic Princess 145,000 Sept. 17 Norway Zeebrugge Fraiha LNG 206,000 Sept. 22 Qatar Zeebrugge Al Mafyar 261,000 Sept. 23 Qatar Zeebrugge Simaisma 143,000 Sept. 25 Qatar Zeebrugge Al Sheehaniya 206,000 Sept. 30 Qatar Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS Flex Ranger 174,000 Sept. 16 (A) Egypt Gate Elisa Larus 174,000 Sept. 16 United States Gate Golar Penguin 155,000 Sept. 17 United States Gate SK Resolute 180,000 Sept. 21 United States Gate British Listener 174,000 Sept. 23 United States Gate Maria Energy 174,000 Sept. 23 United States Gate Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin)
By Trend

President of the Brazilian Association of International Relations Fabina Jeyhan standing up for Azerbaijan's fair position, appealed to the international community in this regard, Trend reports via the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan.




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Dublin, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Thailand Medical Device Market Outlook to 2026F" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Thailand medical device market is expected to grow at a double digit CAGR from 2021-2026F, with imports contributing majority of the market revenues.

The creation of a world-class healthcare sector is a top priority for the Thailand and the healthcare sector is expected to advance and expand significantly in the next few years which will support the growth of Medical Device Market in the country.

Aging population along with increase in number of hospitals and clinics, increase in total healthcare expenditure by the government and increase in medical tourism in the country are going to impact the demand for medical devices in the positive manner.

Thailand Medical Device Market Overview and Size:

Thailand recorded the 5.0% population growth rate over the last 7 years, with highest population concentrated in Bangkok. Majority of the healthcare facilities are concentrated in Bangkok and other central regions of the Thailand. The country has a comprehensive, government-funded health service and a rapidly developing private health sector, which is one of the major pillar of the industry.

Universal Coverage Card is the most used insurance in Thailand. Social Security (SSS) is followed by Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS). Private insurance contributed 7.33% to the total insurances in Thailand. Diabetes and lung cancer causes most death in Indonesia.

Competitive Landscape in the Thailand Medical Devices Market:

The competition scenario in Thailand medical devices market is highly concentrated for Orthopedic Product and Diagnostics imaging market and moderately concentrated due to the presence of large number of international companies and local distributors leading to dilution of market share.

The international companies distribute their products through authorized distributors located across the country. GE, Siemens, Philips, Canon and Fujifilm are the major companies operating in the Thailand Medical Device market.

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Meditop, Mind medical and R.X. Company are few top distributors in Thailand. The major competitive parameters include product portfolio, price, and after sales and warranty and technology

Thailand Medical Device Market Segmentation:

Imports have accounted for majority of the revenue share in Thailand Medical Device Market in 2020. The imports are largely related to more sophisticated medical and surgical instruments and infrastructure.

Distributor Mediated Sales have accounted for majority of the revenue in Thailand Medical Device Market in 2021. Majority of the international companies hire distributors in Thailand through which it sells the medical devices to hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and other non-residential customers.

Medical Consumables have accounted for the largest share of of the revenue in Thailand Medical Devices market in 2021, followed by Diagnostic Reagents and cardiac devices.

Syringes, Needles and Catheters, Surgical Gloves and Intravenous Admin Sets contributed more than 50.0% revenue in 2021. The COVID-19 outbreak and increasing hospital admissions across the country have significantly increased the demand for medical disposables.

CT Scans contributed the highest revenue share in 2021 followed by X Ray Based Products, Ultrasound and MRI. The CT Scan segment witnessed the fastest growth since they are one of the primary diagnostic tools for COVID-19 patients.

In Thailand the production of medical devices are exported to other parts of the world which contributes 70% of the overall production.

Thailand's key export markets are the United States, followed by Japan, the Netherlands, and Germany. Most of the manufacturers and exporters in Thailand are foreign-owned companies that export the items back to their home countries, e.g. Japan, the United States and France.

Oxygen Concentrators contributed highest revenue share in 2020. The Thailand population has high risk of exposures to occupational and environmental factors that lead to illnesses such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Hospital Beds with Mechanical Fittings and Dentists' Chairs contributed highest revenue share in 2021. Increasing number of hospitals and lifestyle diseases along with operations on morbidly obese patients is increasing by more than 18.6K cases a year and Increasing incidences of chronic diseases and a rise in geriatric population is driving growth.

Implants and Artificial Body parts have accounted for largest revenue share in the Thailand medical devices market in 2021. Frequent road accidents (~About 20,000 people die in road accidents each year, or about 56 deaths a day) and injuries driving the auxiliary devices market.

Dental Appliances contributed the highest revenue and contributed 20.0% of the overall revenue in 2021. Oral implant surgery, products for sensitive teeth and gum are some of the major areas in dental care which led to demand of these equipment's.

Hospitals along with Clinics and Diagnostic Lab Centers contribute majority of the market revenue in Thailand Medical Devices Market in 2021. Consumer and provider attitudes toward telehealth have improved since the post-COVID-19 era. Virtual healthcare and business models are evolving, moving from purely "virtual urgent care" to a range of services enabling integration of telehealth with other virtual health solutions, and hybrid virtual/in-person care models.

Regulatory Framework in Thailand Medical Device Market

Government Support Towards Medical Device Sector

Incentives Given By Thailand Board of Investment

Regulatory Process for Medical Device

Medical Device-Specific Regulatory Process

Market Opportunity and Analyst Recommendation

Market Opportunity Analysis for Medical Devices in the Thailand

Recommendation for Medical Device Manufacturers

Case Study of China and Ireland Medical Device Industry

Market Attractiveness for Medical Device Companies

Market Entry Strategy in Thailand Medical Device Industry

Competitive Landscape in Thailand Medical Device Market

Overview of Competition in Thailand Medical Devices Market

Product Heat Map for Major Companies in Thailand Medical Devices Market

Strengths and Weakness of Major Manufacturers in Thailand Medical Devices Market

Market shares for Major Brands present in the Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital Furniture, Dialysis Equipment, Auxiliary Devices and Orthopaedic Products

Cross-Comparison of Major Distributors in Thailand Medical Devices Market

Companies Covered

Local Manufacturing Companies

Nipro (Thailand)

Hoya Optics

Kawasumi Laboratories

Meditop

GE Medical Systems (Thailand)

Eyebiz Laboratory (Thailand)

Emerald Nonwovens International

Infus Medical (Thailand)

M.E. Meditek

Distributor Companies

MindMedical

Unitech Healthcare Co. Ltd.

R.X. Company

Kha Bangkok

MedTech

Med Global

Bangkok Unitrade

MDE Thai

Pacific Healthcare MediTop

CMC Biotech

Techno Medical

Saintmed

Winnergy Medical

Xovic Co. Ltd.

Gateway Healthcare Co. Ltd.

Medical intensive care co. ltd

Thai hospital products co. ltd

iCare medical co ltd

DKSH (Thailand) co. ltd

BJC Healthcare

Prime medical co. ltd

MP Med group

MDC (Thailand)

Siam pharmaceutical

Key Segments Covered

Time Period Captured in the Report:

Historical Period - 2016-2021

Forecast Period -2021-2026F

By Type of Business Activity

Import

Local Production

By Mode of Selling

Distributor Mediated

Direct Sales

By Type of Device

Medical Consumables

Diagnostic Imaging Products

Respiratory Products

Dental and Orthopedic Products

Cardiac Device

Hospital Furniture

Auxiliary Devices

Ophthalmic Devices

Dialysis Machine

Others

By Type of Medical Consumable

Indoor surgical Gloves and Masks

Syringes, Needles and Catheters

Intravenous Administration Set

Sutures and catgut

Infusion Pumps

Ostomy

Bandages, Dressings and Others

By Type of Diagnostic Imaging Product

CT Scan

X-ray Based Products

Ultrasound

MRI

Electro diagnostic apparatus (Functional Examination)

ECG

Others

By Type of Cardiac Device

Angioplasty Device

Cardiac Rhythm Management

ICD

Implants

Pacemakers

Heart-Lung Machines

Others

By Type of Respiratory Products

Oxygen Concentrator

Nebulizers

Humidifier

Ventilators

Airway Pressure devices

Others

By Type of Hospital Furniture

Hospital Beds with Mechanical Fittings and Dentists' Chairs

Operating Tables

Examination Tables

Medical, surgical, dental or veterinary furniture

Others

By Type of Auxiliary Product

Hearing Aids

Artificial body parts (excluding artificial teeth and joints)

Others

By Type of Dental and Orthopedic Products

Orthopedic Appliances

Artificial teeth and dental fittings

Dental appliances

Surgical Belts

Trusses

Crutches

Others

By Type of End-Users

Hospitals

Clinics

Labs and Others

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1ra4kp

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




SEIU Local 2

Workers at three private liquor stores unionized with SEIU Local 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Workers at two unionized Berezan liquor stores will be receiving a 9.76% wage increase following a mediation at the BC Labour Relations Board Thursday that settled a complaint filed by the Service Employees International Union Local 2.



The wage increase will be retroactive to September 1, which was the date a wage increase was implemented at seven other Berezan stores.

Winning this settlement is a step in the direction of transparency and fairness, said Clair Poule a supervisor at the Port Moody location. These values are super important in any team effort, and some of the larger goals we are hoping to achieve through collective bargaining. It is common for supervisors to be non-management employees in the sector.

The settlement also requires the company to post the notice at all the non-unionized stores in a conspicuous location and send an email to all employees advising them that the Kelowna and Port Moody stores will be receiving the same increase.

Berezan Hospitality Group operates nine liquor stores across BC as well as a ski resort, casinos and other businesses. Three liquor store locations won their union with SEIU Local 2 in August and early September.

Following the unionization of the first two stores - Kelowna and Port Moody  Berezan Management extended a 9.76% increase to all the non-unionized locations, which took effect on September 1.

In response, SEIU Local 2 filed an Unfair Labour Practice at the BC Labour Relations Board, alleging that the timing of these wage increases, and exclusion of the unionized workers, was discriminatory to the unionized stores and meant to discourage the non-unionized employees from joining SEIU.

Nonetheless, just one day after the wage increases took effect, workers at a third location in Surrey filed to unionize with SEIU.

Making sure that workers across the company are treated fairly in terms of the wage increase is important, but issues like safety, procedure, favouritism, adequate staffing and others remain. We look forward to discussing these unresolved matters in bargaining, said Cody Dilullo at the Kelowna location.

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Moving forward, I hope that Berezan accepts the outcome of unionization and collaborates with their employees to improve the workplace for everyone, said Marissa Iacobucci, an employee at the Port Moody location. We hope that Berezan locations and other liquor stores recognize the significance of this win and continue to advocate for themselves without fear.

SEIU local 2 represents workers across British Columbia in the liquor production, distribution and retail industry including Mission Hill Winery, Westgate Liquor Store, Molson-Coors Beverage Company, Turning Point Brewery, Granville Island, and Okanagan Springs.

Contact: Chester Duggan

cduggan@seiulocal2.ca

236-333-1376








Illustration of the upcoming USF Sarasota-Manatee student housing building.

The University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus is finally going to get student housing.

The state university system's Board of Governors voted unanimously Wednesday for a plan to build a student housing complex on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. The complex, which is set to open in the fall of 2024, will be about 100,000 square feet and house about 200 students, according to a news release.

There will be 70 two-person bedrooms and 60 one-person bedrooms in one-, two- and four-bedroom apartment-style configurations. The lower levels of the building will have a bookstore, dining and study spaces.

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The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus is set to get its first on-campus student housing.

A two-person dorm-room-style unit will tentatively cost $1,170 per person per month, according to the summary sent to the Board of Governors. Meanwhile, the two- and four-person apartment-style units will cost $1,550 and $1,416 per month, respectively.

The building will be along Seagate Drive west of the Crosley Campus Center, and construction will start "in the coming months."

"The new housing and student center is crucial to supporting the growth of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus, USF President Rhea Law said in a statement. This new project will allow the campus to strengthen the overall student experience as it continues expanding its academic program offerings in high-demand fields."

Proposed housing rates for USF Sarasota-Manatee's upcoming student housing building.

Budget approved: Sarasota School Board approves $1.4 billion budget. Reduced tax rate approved in 3-2 vote

Pay raise: Manatee School Board approves teacher pay increase, $15 minimum wage

Construction is expected to cost about $39 million, and USF will contribute $16.5 million immediately, per the release. The remaining cost will be funded through the sale of bonds, $200,000 per year in activity and service fees, and revenue from USF Housing.

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The announcement of student housing comes as the Florida Legislature approved funding this year for a 75,000-square-foot nursing/STEM building on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. The STEM and student housing buildings will add to a campus that, as of now, has only one building.

At other USF St. Petersburg, the construction of on-campus housing in 2020 helped grow and transform the campus from a commuter school to a more traditional four-year university.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: USF Sarasota-Manatee plans to add student housing
An armed robber got away with an undisclosed amount of money after threatening a teller at a credit union in King George County on Thursday afternoon, police said.

King George Sheriffs Office 1st Sgt. Kecia Wharton said the robbery took place at 3:16 p.m. at InFirst Federal Credit Union in the Dahlgren area. A man entered the credit union wearing a mask and passed a note to a teller demanding cash while displaying a firearm. The robber was described only as a white male.

After getting the money, the robber fled in an unknown direction, Wharton said. Deputies and detectives surrounded the area and a police dog was brought in to attempt a track, but the suspect was not found. No one was injured.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriffs Offices Criminal Investigative Division at 540/775-4188.
A Colonial Beach man who killed his former friend during an argument outside a party two years ago was ordered Friday to serve 17 years in prison.

Malcolm Jamal Epps, 32, shot and killed 33-year-old Alfonso C. Wilson of Kinsale on Aug. 22, 2020, in the parking lot of the Riverwood Apartment complex in Colonial Beach. Epps immediately admitted shooting Wilson and was taken into custody at the scene.

He pled guilty Friday in Westmoreland Circuit Court to second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to a total of 43 years with 26 years suspended.

Commonwealths Attorney Julia Sichol said Wilsons mother accepted the plea agreement because it meant a juvenile witness would not have to testify and because her son would have wanted her to forgive Epps. The mother also presented a lengthy and emotional victim impact statement in which she wrote about the trauma her sons death has caused many people.

According to the evidence, Wilson lived with Epps until about a month before he was killed. Epps girlfriend also lived in the home, and she and Wilson got into a disagreement about him not contributing to the rent. On the day of the shooting, she would not let Wilson into the apartment because she claimed he had disrespected her.

Epps told police that Wilson had been drinking heavily that day and was upset because Wilsons girlfriend had just suffered a miscarriage. Epps said he had seen Wilson with a gun about 30 minutes prior to the shooting.

Just prior to the shooting, the two men got into a physical altercation. Epps story was that Wilsons gun fell out of his pocket when he was slammed onto the trunk of a car.

Sichol said Epps reported that he grabbed the gun and told Wilson he was going to put it somewhere. Wilson responded that he was going to get another gun, but turned around and said to Epps, [Expletive] you man, I dont need no damn gun.

Epps said he shot Wilson after the victim took a swing at him. He told police he felt threatened because Wilson had pulled a gun on him earlier.

He said the two men continued to argue after he shot Wilson in the stomach, and someone called 911 after Wilson collapsed. He was rushed to Mary Washington Hospital, where he died.

A juvenile witness told police that Wilson and Epps were arguing in the breezeway, possibly about money. He said the two men fought, but the fight didnt last long and the men appeared to have made up.

Suddenly, another man came out of nowhere and punched Wilson in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. That man is known as Blade.

The juvenile said that Epps then took the gun from Wilsons waistband. He said Epps shot Wilson after Wilson asked him to return his gun.

Why did you do that? the boy was quoted as shouting before running back into an apartment.

Another witness told police that when she asked Epps what had happened, he told her that [expletive] disrespected me, so I shot him with his own [expletive]. She said she saw Epps walking around the parking lot ejecting bullets from the gun before throwing the gun into a storm drain.

Blade was later identified by police, Sichol said. He denied hitting Wilson and claimed he was inside when the shooting occurred.

Attorney Anna Lindemann represented Epps. She said self-defense and manslaughter arguments would have been presented had the case gone to trial.
ATTORNEY GENERAL Jason

Miyares last week announced

the formation of an Election Integrity Unit, and Virginians are right to be suspicious.

The commonwealths elections have been safe and secure. Cases of election fraud are exceedingly rare. So why would Miyares assign 20 lawyers in his overworked, overstretched staff to a non-existent issue?

Sadly, Virginia knows why. And its not to protect the integrity of Virginia elections.

Miyares announced last week the launch of a new unit within his office to investigate and prosecute violations of Virginia election law, work with the election community throughout the year to ensure uniformity and legality in application of election laws, and work with law enforcement to ensure legality and purity in elections.

That sounds rather innocuous were it not for similar efforts led by other Republican attorneys general or extremist elections officers who have used such initiatives to undermine elections rather than to foster trust in them.

Around the country, GOP office holders, candidates, and party propagandists continue to sow doubt about American elections, using baseless claims about the 2020 presidential vote to advance a false narrative about its trustworthiness.

They have no evidence to support these assertions and judgeseven those appointed by former President Donald Trumphave thrown out every legal filing related to them. So outlandish are these lawsuits that some of the lawyers responsible for bringing them face disbarment.

Still they persist, seeking to gain or assert control over elections so that they can put their thumbs on the scale in the future.

Their intent isnt election integrity, but rather election manipulation. If they win an election, it is a fair and just outcome. If they lose, it can only be due to their opponents cheating.

Virginia saw this first hand last year. As the governors race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin narrowed in October, state Sen. Amanda Chase, a Youngkin campaign surrogate, claimed during a rally that she had evidence Democrats were working to steal the election.

When then-Attorney General Mark Herring asked for evidence of these crimes, Chase could not produce any. Chase later proposed spending $70 million for a bogus forensic audit of Virginias 2020 electiona bill that thankfully only received four votes (state Sen. Jen Kiggans was one of the four).

That Chase is among those now cheering Miyares proposal speaks volumes about its purpose and legitimacy.

Then there is a question of resource allocation.

In February, Miyares pleaded with the General Assembly for additional staffing, saying that his office was unable to keep pace with the number of criminal appeals following the jurisdictional expansion of the Virginia Court of Appeals.

At the time, Miyares said he needed another 75 staffers. That it came after the AG fired 30 staff, including 17 lawyers, after taking office only to request money to hire staff surely raised lawmakers eyebrows.

But Miyares office is now apparently so flush with resources that he can task 20 lawyers to a vanity project to tackle a nonexistent problem. That is informative as lawmakers consider future staff and funding requests.

In other states, these sort of election units have focused exclusively on Democratic strongholds and those with high concentrations of minority voters. In the commonwealth, that would mean Richmond, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

It is therefore worth remembering Virginias ugly and regrettable history of disenfranchising people of color, using literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and poll taxes, as well as intimidation, threats, and violence to keep minority voters from casting ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the commonwealths poll tax only 56 years ago.

That is the backdrop before which this Election Integrity Unit comes into view. It is a solution in search of a problem and, rather than inspire confidence in our democratic process, it is far more likely to undermine public conference.

That is cynical. It is wasteful. And it is wrong.

Adapted from the VirginianPilot
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution urges Americans to reflect on the United States Constitution during this months annual observance in honor this foundational document of national governance.

The DAR initiated the observance in 1955, when the service organization petitioned the U.S. Congress to dedicate Sept. 1723 of each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution, and on Aug. 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915. The celebrations goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of Americas great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.

We are so proud DAR led the way in making Constitution Week an official commemoration and our members enthusiastically promote the celebration annually in communities across the country by erecting community displays, sponsoring municipal proclamations, ringing bells and staging programs to raise awareness of the Constitutions tenets and importance, DAR President General Pamela Rouse Wright said in a press release. We encourage all citizens to join us in celebrating this powerful document that is so important to American history and to reflect on the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of American citizens past and present.

DAR has been the foremost advocate for the awareness, promotion and celebration of Constitution Week. The annual observance provides innumerable opportunities for educational initiatives and community outreach, two mission areas of crucial importance to the national society. By fostering knowledge of, and appreciation for, the Constitution and the inalienable rights it affords to all Americans, DAR helps to keep alive the memory of the men and women who secured our nations foundational liberties.

One of the largest patriotic womens organizations in the world, DAR has 190,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters across the country and several foreign countries. DAR members promote historic preservation, education and patriotism via commemorative events, scholarships and educational initiatives, citizenship programs, service to veterans, meaningful community service and more. For additional information about DAR and its relevant mission, visit dar.org.
Betty Ditter and Bev Thomsen have great memories of Faith United Methodist Church in Hooper.

Ditter remembers going to Vacation Bible School at the church as a kid. The weeklong event took place in the summer.

Unlike todays churches, which host morning-only sessions, the church had sessions that lasted all day.

We brought our lunches and we played ball at the school playground at noon, said Ditter, now of Fremont.

For a country kid, it was a treat.

I loved it, Ditter said. I got to be in town all week.

Six generations of Ditters family have been church members, dating back to Peter Lueninghoener in 1874. Ditter explains the familys longtime church connection.

We wanted to continue our history and heritage there, she said.

This month, the congregation will celebrate lots of history, when the church observes its 150th anniversary. The public is invited to a brunch, starting at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, in the church at 303 Maple St.

The worship service starts at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Lew Skinner of Lincoln speaking. Skinner, now retired, grew up in the church, comprised of three pioneer congregations  Bethel United Methodist, Clark Creek Evangelical Church and United Brethren Church of Winslow.

Hooper United Methodist Church was established by the Rev. George DeLaMatyr in 1872  even before the town of Hooper was incorporated in 1876.

The first meeting place was in a railroad depot.

Members certainly needed their faith during the hard years from 1873 to 1878, when church history records that grasshoppers came in vast armies to devour all vegetation.

A devastating flood stretched from bluff to bluff in 1873.

Old church records indicate Methodists and Presbyterians may have worshiped in the same building during those tough years with each congregation having its own pastor.

Thereafter, the Methodist church would observe many milestones. The congregation erected a building for $3,200 in 1884. Members continued making improvements to their building, including a new pulpit and pews in 1947 and stained glass windows in 1952.

Church mergers occurred in the late 1960s and the congregation became Faith United Methodist Church in 1969.

In 1980, the congregation built a new sanctuary, adding an education unit in the early 1990s.

Throughout the years, generations of members have had baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals in the church.

And there have been a variety of activities.

In the 1960s, the church hosted box social fundraisers.

The women prepared a lunch for two in a box and decorated the box fancily and then they were auctioned off, Ditter said. You and the person who bought the box would eat lunch together at the church and it raised money for the church.

Christmas has long been a special time for the church.

Ditter remembers a Live Nativity that took place during the 1970s.

It was very cold for people standing there, Ditter said.

An old newspaper article states that youth portrayed Mary, Joseph, an angel, shepherds and Wise Men from the Christmas story. Local people constructed the manger scene and arranged a loud speaker system that broadcast Christmas carols.

Ditter said the scene included sheep, a cow and a horse. Youth playing Mary and Joseph rode the horse to Hooper along its Main Street en route to the church.

Thomsen recalls years when Lester Jensen handed out apples at the Christmas Eve service.

And she recounted a Christmas that occurred sometime after the year 2000.

At the time, the church had a lay leader named Dorothy Smith. The pastor wasnt able to be at the church one Christmas Eve and asked Smith and one of her friends to line up a program for the service.

They wrote a song. They wrote a play. They got all this stuff together. They made the backdrop, Thomsen said.

But light flurries on the day of Dec. 24 turned into 15 inches of snow.

Smith and her friend never got to have their play.

One holiday observance still takes place today, however.

We still have our Christmas party at Camp Fontanelle, Thomsen said. Calvary Methodist in Fremont joins us and we have a singalong.

In earlier times, the church had groups for younger people.

Thomsen said her daughters, Martha, Melinda and Diane, remember the childrens Rainbow Climbers and the youth group. Ditters daughter, Lisa Johnson, was also part of the groups.

One year, the youth had a Rock-a-Thon during which kids raised money by taking pledges for how long they could rock in a rocking chair. Kids took turns rocking in the chair. While one kid rocked, the others worked on making Easter breakfast for about 50 people and planned the sunrise service.

Kids could sleep at the church during the overnight event. Girls slept in one Sunday school room and boys in another.

Dinie Jensen, the Rainbow Climbers and youth sponsor, slept outside the doors so they couldnt sneak out, Thomsen said.

Money raised from the Rock-A-Thon went to missions.

Another time, kids laid pennies next to each other on a sidewalk  enough for a block. Those pennies went to missions, too. One time they collected Nickels for Nigeria.

The group had womens evening groups. Thomsen recalls when they made neck pillows for dialysis patients. They served a meal at the Open Door Mission in Omaha and prepared and served a meal for whats now called the Care Corps LifeHouse shelter.

Years ago, the church fellowship hall was used for two classes of first-graders for a year when Logan View needed more classroom space. The fellowship hall has been a place for meetings, receptions, family gatherings and many blood drives.

Ditter and Thomsen enjoy their church.

Weve been together for years and we know each other well, Ditter said, adding that they welcome newcomers.

They appreciate Pastor Klint Stewart.

Pastor Klint is a very good minister, Thomsen said. His (sermon) topics are very timely.

He adds humor to his sermons as well.

The women said the church is a welcoming place where people laugh and learn.

We hope to grow, Thomsen said, and serve others more.
Taliban officials say Afghans are not ready to see girls pursue an education. But protests by the Afghan people say otherwise.

After recently opened girls' schools in an eastern province were suddenly closed again, and a top Taliban official flatly stated that Afghan elders do not back education for girls over the age of 16, citizens are openly expressing their disagreement.

In a rare display of defiance under the Taliban, schoolgirls, women, and even Afghan elders are openly demonstrating their support for girls' education in social-media posts and street protests across the country.

The effort aims to raise awareness about the discrimination faced by girls and women after a year of Taliban rule, and has highlighted the extremist group's failure to live up to its promises not to return to its brutal reign of the 1990s.

The message being sent to Afghanistan's new rulers is spelled out clearly on the placards held by the protesters: "Girls have the right to go to school and university!"; "Education for women is obligatory"; and "I want my children and grandchildren to go to school."

The issue of girls' education, which has been somewhat overshadowed by humanitarian and economic crises as Afghans transition to life under the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islam, returned to the forefront after a decision to reopen girls' schools in the eastern province of Paktia was suddenly reversed this week.

The schools in Paktia's Gardez and Chamkani districts were reopened in early September for girls above sixth grade on the recommendation of tribal elders and school principals, and in contrast to the restrictions imposed around most of the country since the Taliban regained power in August 2021.

But the schools were reportedly closed on September 10, leading to an outcry from rights groups and educators in Afghanistan and abroad and to immediate street protests by schoolgirls in Paktia.

The authorities were quick to note that it was not a government decision, but Taliban Education Minister Noorullah Munir added fuel to the fire when he suggested during a visit in the southern province of Uruzgan that the people were not behind the idea of education for girls.

"If you go out of the Uruzgan market and ask the elders...you will understand," Munir said on September 11 when asked by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi about his position on girls' education.

"Ask at the mosque what percentage of men with white beards and what percentage of people are willing to send their 16-year-old daughters to school, and you won't need to ask me anymore. In this regard, we are trying to create conditions so that people don't protest, and basic education can begin."

If the comments were intended to diminish the resolve of protesters, however, it did not work.

Aminullah, a father of three girls who provided only his first name, explains why he feels the Taliban's restrictions are wrong. "I don't agree with the words of the Taliban's education minister," he said. "I have three daughters who should be in the eighth, ninth, and 12th grade, but all of them have been denied an education. We are 100 percent in favor of opening schools. We want the girls to have a better future."

Social-media postings showing individual and group protests by Afghans around the country illustrate that the people's desire to see girls return to school is not isolated to Paktia.

One Twitter post showed a line of men in Kabul Province, which includes the capital, demanding that girls' schools be reopened.

In the southern city of Kandahar, a video posted to the Twitter page of Pen Path, a local NGO that campaigns for girls' education, showed Afghan men and women of all ages chanting their support for the idea.

"People want girls' schools! The people have been patient for one year. They can't be patient anymore. They want schools for their daughters and sisters," read another Pen Path post.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has taken a two-track approach to the issue, initially saying that it was unclear why girls' schools had been reopened in Paktia, and then saying that an investigation was under way to determine who closed them.

Mujahid said shortly after the reopening of the schools was announced by the head of the provincial culture and information department in Paktia that "whenever [girls'] schools are allowed to reopen, they will be opened simultaneously in all provinces."

Education was banned for girls above the sixth grade shortly after the Taliban returned to power last year, raising alarms that the new government was reintroducing restrictions against girls and women despite its pledges that it would be more moderate than it was during its first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

During that period, which ended when U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban regime, women were prevented from working or seeking an education, were required to cover themselves from head to toe, and were not allowed to have direct contact with males other than direct relatives.

Amid international criticism over the reimposition of restrictions on girls' educations as well as restrictions on womens appearances, freedom of movement, and right to work, the Taliban has opened the issue of educating girls for debate by a gathering of hand-picked religious scholars and vowed to take steps to reintroduce education for girls.

The Education Ministry said months ago that it sent a plan to reopen girls' schools nationwide to the Taliban leadership, but no action has been taken.

In March, the Taliban dramatically backtracked on its pledge to reopen high schools for girls. It came after repeated promises to allow all girls access to education, a key demand from the international community for any future recognition of the Taliban-led government.

In the meantime, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 3 million girls in Afghanistan are being deprived of an education.

Heather Barr, associate director for the women's rights division of Human Rights Watch, says that the closure of girls' schools in Paktia conflicts with the Taliban's promises to reopen them. "It means that the Taliban have no plans to allow girls to go to school," Barr told RFE/RL. "And with this action, a horrible and terrible future will unfold for Afghan women and girls and all Afghans in general, because a country cannot grow when half of its population is illiterate."

Matiullah Wisa, the head of Pen Path, says the decision to close the girls' schools in Paktia let down many Afghans.

"Fathers are disappointed. People are disappointed. People expect schools from the government," Wisa said. "It's an unfair decision. People are left in the dark."
Colorado Springs police detectives have no doubt who killed 17-year-old Colorado Springs high school student Riley Whitelaw.

"Who do you believe was responsible for the death of Riley Whitelaw?" prosecuting attorney Anthony Gioia asked Detective Stephen Aulino, one of three witnesses called to testify by the prosecution on Friday.

"Joshua Johnson," Aulino responded.

Aulino wasn't alone in that line of thinking, either.

"Do you believe anyone else could have committed this murder?" Gioia asked Detective Michael Lee, referring to Johnson.

"No," Lee responded.

On Friday morning, more than 70 people gathered in an El Paso County courtroom with at least 25 more joining virtually to watch the preliminary hearing for Johnson, who is accused of killing his teenage Walgreens co-worker, Whitelaw, in June.

During the four-hour hearing, the prosecuting attorneys had witnesses outline evidence that they believe show probable cause to continue pursuing first-degree murder charges against Johnson.

On the evening of June 11, Whitelaw was found dead inside the breakroom of a Walgreens at 6820 Centennial Blvd. on Colorado Springs' northwest side, having suffered injuries to her neck.

According to an affidavit acquired by The Gazette, Whitelaw had made complaints to her manager at Walgreens about Johnson, 28, more than a year before her death, saying he was making advances towards her that made Whitelaw uncomfortable, something that was brought up several times in court on Friday.

Three witnesses were called by the prosecution, and each provided evidence the prosecution believes points to Johnson as Whitelaw's killer. Additionally, new details about the crime emerged during testimony.

Aulino during his testimony discussed his interview with Johnson after he was arrested outside Trinidad a few hours after Whitelaw's body was found in the Walgreens breakroom.

Johnson told Aulino that he hadn't killed Whitelaw, but that he walked into the breakroom and discovered "a mysterious man ... with blue eyes that had a gray tint" stabbing Whitelaw.

Johnson claimed to Aulino that this man attacked Johnson after he entered the breakroom, and after suffering scratches to his face and arms he ran. When Aulino asked Johnson why he didn't call the police, he stated that he was scared, and that the mysterious attacker "knew his address."

Aulino told the court that he believed Johnson was describing a man who is friends with Johnson's manager at Walgreens, who was at the store earlier that day. When the man was in the store, about three hours before Whitelaw's death, Johnson told his co-workers that he thought he was "suspicious."

Police investigated the man and found video footage that proved he was at work at the time Whitelaw was killed, Aulino told the court. However, Johnson's defense attorney Deana O'Riley during cross-examination asked Aulino if Johnson ever explicitly said he was talking about that specific man, which Aulino said "no."

Aulino said that Johnson did not have an explanation for the bloody clothes that were found at his home on the bathroom floor or for why he attempted to shave off his hair.

Detective Rebecca Joines further described for the court what was found at the scene of Whitelaw's death.

Joines said that a Gerber multitool was found on the floor of the breakroom with the knife extension sticking out covered in blood. Joines also said that in a storage room near the breakroom police found Johnson's nametag, radio and face mask on the floor.

Police searched the locker belonging to Johnson and found a sheet of paper with the address, locker combination, phone number and Social Security number for Whitelaw and Whitelaw's boyfriend.

Several detectives testified that Whitelaw's boyfriend, who was working at the same Walgreens as both Whitelaw and Johnson for approximately four months, caused Johnson to become "jealous" and "salty."

Pictures were also shown to Judge Eric Bentley  but not the rest of the court  of the autopsy, where Aulino described the extent of the attack Whitelaw suffered. The autopsy report acquired by The Gazette states that Whitelaw suffered 42 wounds from a single-edged knife.

Despite hearing from all three of the prosecution's witnesses on Friday, Bentley was unable to give a verdict on the hearing because the defense attorney who was responsible for the cross-examination of Detective Lee was not able to be in court Friday.

As a result, the cross-examination of Lee and the verdict from Bentley will come on Wednesday.

If Bentley determines that the prosecution can move forward with pursuing charges against Johnson, a date for Johnson to announce a plea could be entered.

Additionally, if Bentley sides with the prosecution, Johnson will continue to be held in El Paso County jail with no possibility of bond.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani Diaspora in the Scandinavian countries has urged international organizations to take practical steps against Armenias anti-Azerbaijani provocations on the state border, Azernews reports.

We once again call on international organizations and institutions to take practical steps at an international level to prevent such attacks, while at the same time intensifying efforts to urge Armenia to put its revanchist ideas to rest and make peace," the statement said.

Members of the Azerbaijani community in Finland and Norway voiced grave worry over another blow inflicted by Yerevan on the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace negotiations, requesting that the international community increase pressure on Armenia to halt its confrontational stance.

The diaspora emphasized that in the late hours of September 12, 2022, units of the Armenian armed forces mined the areas between the Azerbaijani army positions and the supply roads, and shelled certain Azerbaijan army positions in the direction of Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts using various types of weapons, including mortars. As a result, there were losses among Azerbaijani military personnel, as well as the damage was inflicted on the military infrastructure.

We regret to inform you that this was not Armenias first provocative response to the peacemaking process initiated by Azerbaijan. Armenia is stalling the settlement process under various pretexts, is showing a destructive position in peace talks under the guise of the international community, is not responding to a peace agenda, and is not withdrawing its armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan in defiance of the Trilateral Declaration and agreements reached, is continuing planting mines in the Azerbaijani lands, including Lachin city recently, and put forward new conditions regarding the opening of transport communications and routes. The above-mentioned facts prove once again that Armenia is not interested in the peace processes and is ready to harm the peace process, the statement stresses.

It was recalled that hundreds of individuals have been victims of landmines and other explosive devices laid by Armenia since the conclusion of the conflict, with tens of them losing their lives.

Members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Finland and Norway reaffirmed that Azerbaijan's countermeasures in reaction to the provocation by the Armenian armed forces are confined to activities focused on military targets.

The goal of these activities is to protect Azerbaijan's state boundaries, ensure the safety of civilian employees engaging in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, and put an end to Armenian aggression. The information published by Armenia concerning the supposed targeting of civilian targets, and infrastructure by the Azerbaijani army is false and is nothing more than disinformation made by Armenian.

Armenia's military and political leadership bear full responsibility for the provocation, confrontation, and losses, the statement emphasizes.

The diaspora members underlined that Armenia's actions are incompatible with the path of normalization and peace. Despite Armenia's persistent attacks, the Azerbaijani government is undertaking extensive rebuilding and construction activity in the freed territory. This once again demonstrates that Armenia obstructs the peace process in every manner imaginable.
Joshua Johnson, the man accused of killing 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw, is set to appear in court for his preliminary hearing Friday morning.

Johnson, 28, is accused of having stabbed and killed his Walgreens coworker, Whitelaw, on June 11. The coroner's report obtained by The Gazette states that Whitelaw suffered 42 wounds from a single-edged knife.

The preliminary hearing slated for Friday morning will see Judge Eric Bentley reviewing evidence from the prosecution to determine if they can continue pursuing first-degree murder charges against Johnson.

Follow @ZachNDupont on Twitter for updates from court.

Johnson has not appeared in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court since Tuesday, June 21 for his first appearance.

If Bentley determines that the prosecution can move forward with pursuing charges against Johnson, a date for Johnson to announce a plea could be entered.

On the evening of June 11, Whitelaw was found dead inside the breakroom of a Colorado Springs Walgreens at 6820 Centennial Blvd., having suffered injuries to her neck.

The following day, Johnson was arrested more than 100 miles from Colorado Springs by Colorado State Patrol with scratches on his face and hands, which Johnson said he got from having been attacked at a Walgreens in Colorado Springs, according to an affidavit.

According to the same affidavit, Whitelaw had made complaints to her manager at Walgreens about Johnson more than a year before her death, saying he was making advances towards her that made Whitelaw uncomfortable.

Several weeks before her death, Whitelaw had requested different hours so she would no longer have to work with Johnson, according to the affidavit. However, when Whitelaw asked for additional hours, she was told it would require her to work with Johnson.

Johnson was returned to Colorado Springs after he was found by state troopers and stated to police that at one time he had a crush on Whitelaw but didnt anymore, and that he was in the breakroom and fell in the blood. After falling, Johnson said, he went home to change clothes.
When school resumed in Colorado Springs last month, two districts began their 2022-2023 academic year under new leadership. One district promoted its new leader from within; the other hired a new superintendent after a nationwide search.

Michael Gaal of District 11 and Peter Hilts of District 49 assumed leadership of their districts in June and July, respectively.

Gaal is an Air Force Academy graduate and retired Air Force officer who has served in several educational leadership positions around the country, including chief operating officer for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan; chief of staff at Oakland Unified School District; and deputy chancellor of innovation and systems improvement at District of Columbia Public Schools.

After a nationwide search, D-11 unanimously selected Gaal from a pool of three finalists. Hilts, who was serving as D-49s chief education officer at the time, was one of the finalists for the D-11 job.

Hilts has been a fixture in Colorado Springs education for two decades. After spending 10 years in leadership roles at The Classical Academy, he joined D-49 in 2013. As D-49s chief education officer, he shared leadership duties with two other top administrators: a chief business officer and a chief operations officer.

In July, business chief Brett Ridgway and operations chief Pedro Almeida resigned, leaving Hilts as the sole remaining member of the districts three-chief leadership team. On July 13, the school board unanimously voted to appoint Hilts as its chief executive officer, contracting with him to organize and lead the administrative team.

Gaal and Hilts have both taken over districts that have seen a recent shakeup in leadership. Both D-11 and D-49 have conservative-majority school boards after last Novembers election. Almost immediately, D-11s new board members questioned the efficacy of, and necessity for, the equity and inclusion initiatives authored by previous superintendent Michael Thomas. In March, Thomas and the district mutually agreed to part ways.

In D-49, the ideologically divided school board has led to contentious meetings, which Ridgway and Almeida both mentioned as part of the reason they resigned.

Hilts referred to the board members disagreements as healthy debate and said the board tends to pull together on the decisions that matter most.

Weve had several months now with multiple unanimous decisions that followed healthy debate and robust public input, Hilts said. Thats what Ive seen. Ive seen our board making informed decisions  often unanimously, but not always  that they believe are in the best interest of the district.

D-49s biggest challenge, Hilts said, to continue to deliver quality education while meeting the evolving needs of a growing community.

I think the pressure to respond to community identity, community politics, community culture  those pressures are higher than ever, he said. I believe handling those pressures while delivering consistently great education  hybrid, blended, online, work-based, college preparatory, and traditional  all simultaneously  is a great challenge, and its what inspires me to keep getting better.

The districts enrollment, currently at about 25,000, continues to grow every year, according to Hilts, a school-choice advocate. One of his priorities will be to ensure that staffing and academic programs grow at a rate commensurate with the student population.

On the one hand, we have been the fastest-growing school district in the state of Colorado, and at the same time, we have consistently improved our academic performance. That means were getting better academically even while we are adding new families, and students, and staff, and building schools.

Hilts said that, over the next few years, he expects improvements in school performance and local transparency. He also said D-49 is poised to become a state leader in school pathways.

Were going to lead the way in terms of concurrent enrollment, work-based learning, college and career preparation, he said. I will put our (school pathway) options up against any district in Colorado, including districts that are five times our size, with far more resources."

Gaal assumes leadership of a district whose primary challenge is declining enrollment. D-11 has lost an average of 1,000 students per year over the past four years, officials said.

Reversing the enrollment trend will begin with reestablishing trust, internally and externally, according to Gaal.

Trust is the most fundamental part of any single relationship, and this is a relationship game, he said. If we dont have trust, then were never going to be able to get anywhere. So I think youll see me out and about. Ill shake hands, Ill listen to you when youre happy with what were doing, and Ill be listening and taking notes when youre not happy with what were doing.

Achievement gaps were a major point of emphasis for Gaals predecessor, Michael Thomas. The recently released Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) scores suggest the gaps remain. In English language arts, 43.9% of white students in D-11 met or exceeded standards, compared with 22.6% of Black students and 24.2% of Hispanic students. In math, 10.7% of Black students and 14.8% of Hispanic students met or surpassed expectations, compared with 32.6% of white students in the district.

Gaal said he is confident in the districts ability to close those gaps.

I understand that there are segments of our community, particularly in District 11, that require more resources and more attention, he said. Those gaps will be closed under this leadership. How that was measured in the past is not necessarily mine to evaluate. Mine is to implement programs so that we deliver on it pushing forward.

D-11s new superintendent began his tenure with a 90-day look, listen and learn tour, he said. Gaal has evaluated the district, is encouraged by what he has seen, and is ready to get to work, he said.

We need to stem the loss of children from the district. We have to get after that immediately, he said. Were not going to wait a year and a half to come up with a plan. Theres no time for that; theres urgency.

Ive seen the report card that went out in the last year or so, on our failure to educate all students. I see that were 158th, and those are numbers that we want to be able to turn around. I know that we can turn them around, Gaal said.
Letecia Stauchs case is again in limbo after a judge on Thursday said he needed more input from law enforcement and health professionals on safety concerns surrounding Stauchs second sanity evaluation before moving closer to setting a trial date.

The further delay comes just weeks after another inconclusive status conference on Aug. 25, when Stauch most recently appeared in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court. During that hearing, Judge Gregory Werner said he had received the highly anticipated results of Stauchs previous mental health evaluation, conducted by the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, that found her sane at the time of her alleged killing of 11-year-old stepson Gannon Stauch.

But during that hearing, Stauchs defense attorneys said they planned to challenge CMHIPs findings and requested that a new evaluation be conducted by an out-of-state psychiatrist. They also asked that Stauch remain at CMHIP while the new evaluation is being conducted, and that she wear an electroencephalographic (EEG) monitor for 72 hours during the exam.

District Attorney Michael Allen and team, Stauchs defense attorneys (Josh Tolini and Will Cook) and Gannons family are here in the courtroom. Judge Werner and Letecia Stauch are still absent. Stauch is accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch, in 2020.  Brooke Nevins (@brooke_nevins) September 15, 2022

EEG monitors are wrapped around a patients head to gather and monitor brain-wave data.

Stauch has been awaiting trial for more than two years on charges of killing her stepson, Gannon, in January 2020. Delays have occurred, in part, due to the need for the mental health evaluation; initially, Stauch pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her, but in February she was granted permission by Werner to change her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.

During the Aug. 25 hearing, prosecutors raised concern that CMHIP might refuse to hold Stauch while an outside professional conducts her next evaluation. Werner said Stauchs attorneys would have to work personally with the hospital to reach an agreement, and scheduled them to update the court on the hospitals decision on Thursday.

But CMHIP has not responded to the defenses multiple phone calls and attempts to get its help, said Josh Tolini, one of Stauchs attorneys.

Though Tolini offered the El Paso County jail or Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo as alternative locations able to house Stauch during the evaluation, Werner said he was not ready to order the evaluation until he had more information on how the EEG monitor would impact potential diagnosis as well as the chances that the device would yield a definitive sanity result.

He also said he wanted more input from law enforcement officers on what their security and safety concerns are for Stauch and those around her during the evaluation.

Stauch faces a second case in which she is accused of attempting to escape from the El Paso County jail in May 2020. She also apparently tried to resist appearing in court Thursday, delaying the hearing by nearly an hour.

We had a conversation a while back about you needing to be here, and what it would look like if you (refuse), Werner said to Stauch directly at the end of the hearing. He said he has ordered deputies to use all force reasonably necessary to make sure Stauch leaves the jail on court days."

One thing you do not have a choice about going forward is whether youre going to appear, he told Stauch.

In a rare outburst from the defendant, Stauch said she did not refuse court but refused to go without hygiene, before telling a nearby deputy that they cant refuse toilet paper to inmates and complained that the transport van lacked air conditioning. Her attorneys and the deputy escorted her out of the courtroom.

Werner scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Oct. 13, when he expects to hear from the county jail commander, other law enforcement agents and the defense team about their security concerns and the effectiveness of the EEG monitor.

Tolini also said he plans to subpoena one of CMHIPs doctors to provide information on whether the state hospital will house Stauch during her second exam.

Stauch was arrested in South Carolina in March 2020 and has been in jail since then after she was extradited back to Colorado. In addition to a murder charge, Stauch faces charges of child abuse and tampering with evidence. If convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison.
An August shooting at The New Havana bar and restaurant on Colorado Springs' east side stemmed from a confrontation over an vehicle crash in the parking lot, according to an affidavit.

Oscar Yamil Palomares Jovet and Jose Noriega DeMarco are accused of shooting Juan Gutierrez outside The New Havana in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 21, according to the affidavit.

The incident began just after 2 a.m. as DeMarco, 28, and his girlfriend were attempting to leave The New Havana and a black BMW driven by Gutierrez backed into the front of DeMarco's car, the affidavit said.

DeMarco positioned his car to block Gutierrez from leaving and then he and his girlfriend confronted Gutierrez, 21, who was driving "recklessly" in the parking lot, according to a statement by DeMarco.

While out of the car, DeMarco's girlfriend claimed she was hit in the hip by Gutierrez's car, and shortly afterward DeMarco and Jovet, 30, a friend who had been at The New Havana with him, shot at Gutierrez, the affidavit said.

A friend of Gutierrez's who had been at the bar with him said he witnessed the two men, later confirmed to be Jovet and DeMarco, "empty the clip" at Gutierrez.

DeMarco was detained by a security guard at the scene while Jovet left, according to the affidavit. During an interview with detectives after the shooting, summarized within the affidavit, DeMarco said he fired into the vehicle of Gutierrez three times because "he felt in fear for his life as well as (his girlfriend's life)."

However, a security guard who was a witness to the shooting, told police Gutierrez was unarmed and attempting to flee the area, according to the affidavit.

DeMarco's girlfriend told police her boyfriend "always carries a gun in case of incidents and was also drinking during the evening," the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Gutierrez's injuries left him with "substantial risk of death." The injuries suffered by DeMarco's girlfriend when she was hit by the car were considered not to be "serious bodily injury."

The specifics of both injuries were redacted from the affidavit.

When Gutierrez was released from the hospital on Sept. 2 he told detectives he could not recall any details of the incident except for leaving New Havana, according to the affidavit.

The Aug. 21 shooting at The New Havana was the second shooting there that weekend. At around 2 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, 37-year-old Glenn Fruster was shot and killed outside bar and restaurant.

Carnel Davis, 41, was arrested in the shooting and faces first-degree murder charges in 4th Judicial District Court.

Jovet and DeMarco are both facing first-degree attempted murder charges in the shooting. Attempted first-degree murder is a Class 2 felony and carries a prison sentence of 16 to 48 years when serious bodily injury comes as a result, according to Colorado statutes.

According to court records, Jovet was arrested Sept. 13 and was released when he posted a $50,000 bond. Court records show that a warrant remains active for DeMarco.

Jovet is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Sept. 22. There are no court dates scheduled for DeMarco.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemns the military provocation of the Armenian Armed Forces along the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In a message, the secretariat calls upon Armenia to fulfill its obligations in accordance with the trilateral statement signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on 10 November 2020, as well as the agreements reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and withdraw the illegal armed detachments from the territory of Azerbaijan.

Recalling the resolution adopted by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers at its 48th session in Islamabad, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on 22-23 March 2022, the General Secretariat further calls for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the basis of mutual recognition of and respect for each others sovereignty, territorial integrity, and internationally recognized borders.

Further, OIC extends deep condolences to the families of the martyrs, the government, and the people of Azerbaijan over the loss of lives and wishes a speedy recovery for the injured.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.

The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities.

The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territory and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The US Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) will provide more mine detection dogs to Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency (ANAMA).

The relevant agreement was reached between the agencies as part of the ANAMA Chairman Vugar Suleymanovs visit to the USA.

During the meeting between the ANAMA delegation and the MLI officials, the sides exchanged views on further long-term successful cooperation, as well as agreed on sending an additional number of specially trained demining dogs by MLI to support the humanitarian demining operations conducted in Azerbaijan. The organization expressed satisfaction with the long-term successful cooperation with ANAMA.

Moreover, the delegation led by Suleymanov held a series of meetings with relevant organizations operating in the United States. Along with a meeting with leading congressmen held in the US Marshall Legacy Institute, Suleymanov also met with the representatives of Mines Advisory Group America as well as, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the Department of Defense, the World Bank, the US State Department, and the House of Representatives.

During the meetings of the delegation with the US State Department, the leaders of the House of Representatives and congressmen, Suleymanov briefed the opposing party on the huge pollution of Azerbaijan's liberated lands with explosive devices, as well as their impediment to reconstruction activities and the return of former IDPs.

The meeting also addressed the question of boosting the United States' existing support for humanitarian demining operations in Azerbaijan.

At the meeting with representatives of the American Mine Advisory Group, ideas were exchanged on the expansion of existing cooperation, including the testing of new innovative technologies and equipment in Azerbaijan.

During the delegation's meeting at the World Bank, interest was expressed in utilizing ANAMA's valued expertise in other impacted countries, as well as giving possible support to the Agency's demining activities.

The coordination and management model implemented by Azerbaijan in the field of restoration and reconstruction was discussed in detail, and its dynamic and efficient activity was underlined.
Presenters march in with the 469 flags to be presented to families at the annual IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2022. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
An independent audit of El Paso County's June 28 primary election showed the local all-mail ballot system worked and demonstrates "high-level accuracy," Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman said Thursday, refuting national claims that similar voting systems are largely fraudulent.

The results of an additional independent review conducted by ClearAudit were within a fraction  0.01%  of official results tabulated by the Dominion Voting System the county uses, Broerman said. The results show how highly accurate the Dominion system is, he said.

"It demonstrates to our (residents) once again that they should have confidence in our election results," Broerman said.

A comparison of audited results to those tabulated by the county's voting system showed a difference of no more than a few votes in several notable local contests.

In the Republican race for El Paso County coroner, incumbent Dr. Leon Kelly, who won the party's nomination in the primary election, had two more votes than were reported by Dominion. His challenger, Dr. Rae Ann Weber, earned four additional votes.

Steve Schleiker and Peter Lupia each earned two additional votes in the GOP race for clerk and recorder. Schleiker won the party's nomination.

Republican sheriff's candidate Joe Roybal had two fewer votes than were reported by Dominion. Todd Watkins had three fewer votes and there was no change in the number of votes Greg Maxwell earned.

Republican Secretary of State candidate Pam Anderson earned one more vote, while Tina Peters and Mike O'Donnell each had two additional votes.

View the entirety of the independent audit results on the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office's website, clerkandrecorder.elpasoco.com/elections/2022-records-results. Click on the "ClearAudit Report" link.

Variability among results is due to each voting system's tabulation methodology, Broerman said Thursday. Both systems have different ways of determining if an oval is marked, he said. Dominion counts the number of pixels filled in the oval next to a candidate's name on a ballot, while ClearAudit tabulates results by comparing the contrast between the white ballot and the dark ink used to fill it out.

The independent audit of El Paso County's primary election results was not required by federal or state law and is part of efforts the clerk's office is taking to reassure voters election results and processes are trustworthy, Broerman said in a news release Thursday.

"Our office had this audit conducted to provide one more level of transparency to voters," Broerman said in the release. His office has also conducted voluntary audits for elections held in 2020 and 2021.

The audit cost $50,000 to complete, funded by designated monies in the clerk's annual approved budget, Broerman said in an interview with The Gazette.

Since the 2020 general election, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have criticized mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that mail balloting is fraudulent. Local and state leaders in Colorado and elsewhere have refuted these claims.

Of the 150,163 ballots cast in the June 28 primary in El Paso County, almost all  148,252  were cast via mail, according to figures provided by the Clerk and Recorder's Office Thursday. There were 1,911 in-person voters in the primary election, with 1,455 of them voting in-person on Election Day.

"You hear people talking about wanting to return to voting in-person on Election Day, but only 1.2% of people did that," Broerman told The Gazette. "(Ninety-eight) percent of people in the primary election said, 'We like the convenience of voting by mail-ballot.' I think that speaks highly for our system of voting here in Colorado."

Last month, El Paso County also completed discretionary recounts in the Republican county coroner and clerk and recorder races, as well as the secretary of state and Senate District 9 races.

The candidates who requested the recounts  including Peters, the embattled Mesa County Clerk who was indicted this year on 10 counts related to accusations she tampered with election equipment there  had repeated election conspiracy theories and originally called for the recount to be conducted by hand, which is not permitted by state law. Recounts must be done using the same form of tabulation used to count the original votes  by machine  Colorado election rules state.

Certified recount results show the June 28 primary election outcomes remain the same.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia hasn't been demarcated, and therefore it's hard to talk about any violation of the border, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi said.

According to Tleuberdi, the primary task is to resume the work of the joint commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

"We are ready to share our experience. Since we have demarcated our border along the entire perimeter of the land and even sea border, the demarcation is almost completed with all states except Russia. Demarcation with Russia will probably take us another two-three years," he said.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry stated that as a chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, it welcomes the achievement of a peace treaty and an end to the escalation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.

The ministry noted that the only right way to solve problems in the current situation would be peaceful negotiations and consultations on the basis of international law and within the framework of previously reached agreements.

Similarly, Tajikistan urged the sides to resolve the situation on the border through diplomacy.

Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda said this while speaking at an extraordinary online session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

He expressed the concern of the Tajik side about the escalation of the situation on the border, and stressed that "it is important to prevent further aggravation of the situation and return to the solution of problems through the political and diplomatic channels as soon as possible".

The head of the Tajik Cabinet expressed confidence that the only way to ensure peace and stability in the region is the effective use of the means of dialogue based on the adopted documents.

Additionally, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic means, expressing Kyrgyzstan's extreme concern about the escalation.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.

The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities.

The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.
Authorities responded to a call Friday morning of a body found in rural Worth County.

According to Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank, a resident called to report they had discovered a body in the Shell Rock River while on a regular morning walk near the intersection of 390th Street and Raven Avenue, southeast of Kensett.

Fank said the deceased is a female and that a tattoo on her body was aiding in identifying her. He believed an identification would be forthcoming.

The area in which the woman was found was a shallow portion of the river with no trail access to the water. Fank said it was not yet determined how long the woman had been in the river, but he did not believe her body had traveled downstream.

Fank said the woman's body was being transported to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy, and the Department of Criminal Investigation was called to assist in the investigation.

The Department of Natural Resources could be seen kayaking the general area of the discovery, looking for additional evidence. A drone was also deployed by the sheriff's office to observe and take photos of the area.

Iowa State Patrol and Worth County Emergency Management also assisted at the scene.
SIOUX CITY  Two Woodbury County landowners are challenging the constitutionality of a state law that permits surveyors for a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline to enter their property.

William and Vicki Hulse, of Moville, filed a counterclaim in Woodbury County District Court on Sept. 7, asking a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and void. They also are seeking an injunction prohibiting agents of Navigator Heartland Greenway from entering their property until the constitutionality issue has been decided.

They argue that Iowa Code 479B.15, which grants pipeline companies right of entry to private land to survey and examine it to determine a pipeline's depth and route, does not require just compensation to the landowner, "which amounts to an unlawful taking in violation of Iowa's Takings Clause" and runs counter to the Iowa Constitution's protection of landowner property rights from "unwarranted government intrusions."

The challenge is in response to a Navigator lawsuit in which the Dallas-based company is seeking an injunction to stop the Hulses from denying its agents access to survey their land, which lies in the proposed pipeline's route. The lawsuit also asks for the sheriff's office to ensure access is provided.

In its suit, filed in August in Woodbury County District Court, Navigator says the Hulses have twice refused to grant a land agent access to their rural Woodbury County property.

District Judge Jeffrey Neary has scheduled a hearing for Monday to hear arguments on the injunction. The Hulses' lawyer, Brian Jorde, of Omaha, on Wednesday filed a request to continue the hearing to a later date. No hearings have been scheduled on the counterclaim.

Navigator has filed a similar lawsuit in Clay County against Sioux Rapids resident Martin Koenig and two against landowners in eastern Iowa's Butler County. The company says Koenig has denied entry to his property three times and in one instance his spouse threatened to "let the dog go" on agents attempting to enter their land to survey it.

Jorde has filed counterclaims similar to the one filed for the Hulses in Clay County and one of the Butler County cases.

Navigator has proposed a $3 billion, 1,300-mile pipeline that would collect carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and fertilizer processors in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois, convert it to liquid form and transport it under high pressure to a site in Illinois, where it would be pumped thousands of feet beneath the surface.

The pipeline would run approximately 900 miles through 36 Iowa counties, including Woodbury, Clay and Butler counties. Other Siouxland counties include Plymouth, Lyon, Osceola, O'Brien, Cherokee, Dickinson and Buena Vista in Iowa and Dakota, Dixon and Wayne counties in Nebraska.

It's one of two carbon pipelines proposed to run through the area.

As required by law, Navigator has held informational meetings in all counties in the pipeline's path, a step that opens up land along the route to company surveyors, who must first provide 10 days' notice to landowners. The law says the entry for surveys is not trespassing and may be aided by an injunction. The company must pay for any damages caused by the survey.

In the counterclaims, Jorde says the law is unconstitutional because the state constitution says "private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation first being made." The code section that grants survey rights "fails to justly compensate landowners for the entry-right granted to pipeline companies for purposes of surveying a private landowner's land," the counterclaim says.

That code section also conflicts with another code section that requires pipeline companies to pay for the right of entry onto private land, the claim says.

The Navigator pipeline and one proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions that would run through 30 Iowa counties, including Woodbury and other Northwest Iowa counties, have encountered opposition from numerous landowners and elected officials.

Pipeline opponents say the pipelines are unsafe, and many landowners oppose the use of eminent domain, which would allow the pipeline companies to use their land if they do not voluntarily grant easements for the pipelines to run beneath their property.

Officials with both pipeline companies have said the pipeline would pump millions of dollars in property tax revenues into Iowa and add value to ethanol produced at facilities that have agreed to provide gas to the pipeline. The pipelines also would remove millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually, benefiting the environment, the companies have said.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The Libertarian Party of Virginia has voted to dissolve itself amid disagreements with the party's national direction, but some are questioning whether the vote was legitimate.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the vote was taken during a virtual board meeting on Sunday.

Holly Ward, the party's chair, said she voted to dissolve the organization because she didn't believe it would be able to run high-quality candidates for office owing to some of the statements coming from Libertarian officials nationwide.

Ward cited several examples, including a social media post from the national party calling social justice a Marxist lie and a tweet from the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire stating: All Republicans want to do about wokeness is whine. Libertarians have a solution: Repeal the Civil Rights Act.

I am certainly not going to be a fraud and take members money and promise them something and not be able to deliver, and Im certainly not going to deliver candidates who believe in repealing the Civil Rights Act, she said.

Ward said she heard from national party representatives that legal action might be taken against the Virginia chapter, but she doesnt believe theres any basis for litigation.

In a statement, the Libertarian National Committees chair, Angela McArdle, said the group has not yet acknowledged the disaffiliation because of questions over the legitimacy of the vote.

"Based on what I know so far, the LPVAs board did not have the procedural or legal authority to disaffiliate or dissolve without a vote of the membership, McArdle wrote.
Sep. 13GREENSBORO  As a teenager, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona learned skills for working on cars as part of the automotive studies program at his high school.

Cardona wound up pursuing a career as an elementary school teacher and later principal and administrator, but he appreciated having that training as another potential option, another door open.

During stops in Greensboro on Monday, Cardona had a chance to spotlight local efforts in both teacher preparation and technical trades training.

At N.C. A&T, Cardona and first lady Jill Biden met with School of Education students and spoke at a rally in the atrium of the new Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research and Innovation Complex. Cardona later continued on to GTCC's Greensboro campus on Wendover Avenue, where he toured a series of hands-on classrooms, including those in HVAC and electronics, and spoke with students.

Cardona and Biden made a stop in Knoxville on Monday morning before flying into Greensboro. From here, Cardona is continuing by bus and hitting communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The tour, he said Monday, is meant to highlight what's working well in education across the United States.

A&T, he said, "hit our radar" because the university's School of Education is growing while many other such programs are not. Meanwhile, he said, A&T is also the country's largest HBCU, boasts some impressive facilities and has a culture that "all colleges wish they had."

"We saw an HBCU that's strong and a technical community college that's strong, so we chose to start here," he said.

At A&T, Cardona and Biden shared a stage with Jayden Seay, a sophomore elementary education student who talked about his experiences in a majority-minority school where he said he was one of the few students of color to take honors courses, leading to a feeling of having to prove himself. Seay said he had only three Black teachers during his whole K-12 experience, but those teachers had an impact in inspiring and encouraging him, and leading him to pursue following in their footsteps.

"Unfortunately, many students in our country struggle with issues of belonging in school," he said. "Teachers make a difference."

Biden, who teaches at a community college, spoke about the sense of possibility she feels with each new school year and the need to "recruit, respect and retain" teachers of "every single background."

"We have to come to places like North Carolina A&T and say, 'we need you,'" she said.

At GTCC, where he was emphasizing and learning about pathways from high school to careers, Cardona spent much of his time asking questions  first of instructors, administrators and students and later of a group of students from a variety of programs and majors who assembled for a chat.

One of those was Niyah Webb, who is studying engineering and sciences.

"I just felt very appreciative that someone from the United States staff  we'll call it  presidential staff, came out to actually listen to what the students had to say," she said.

Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter.

(c)2022 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)

Visit the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) at www.news-record.com
GREENSBORO  A woman kidnapper thought to actively avoiding supervision has been found.

Exactly where Ndenezsia Monique Lancaster has been  and how she was located  remain a mystery.

On Monday, the state victim notification system issued a warning after Lancaster, 25, stopped reporting to her probation officer in Alamance County, according to the North Carolina Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification.

Late Thursday, the state issued another notification  this time, saying Lancaster "has been located."

Lancaster, held on a $1 million bond in 2019 after her arrest, was convicted in August 2020 of abduction of a child and sentenced to a minimum of 16 months in prison.

She was released from prison in February 2021 after serving her sentence in the disappearance of Ahlora Lindiment, who became the focus of a national manhunt and was later found alive.

Lancaster was seen walking away from a Phillips Avenue playground with the young girl in broad daylight.
WASHINGTON  When a government document mysteriously appeared earlier this week in the highest profile case in the federal court system, it had the hallmarks of another explosive storyline in the Justice Departments investigation into classified records stored at former President Donald Trumps Florida estate.

The document purported to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, claimed that the agency had seized sensitive documents related to last months search at Mar-a-Lago and included a warrant ordering CNN to preserve leaked tax records.

The document remained late Thursday on the court docket, but it is a clear fabrication. A review of dozens of court records and interviews by The Associated Press suggest the document originated with a serial forger behind bars at a federal prison complex in North Carolina.

The incident also suggests that the court clerk was easily tricked into believing it was real, landing the document on the public docket in the Mar-a-Lago search warrant case. It also highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. court system and raises questions about the courts vetting of documents that purport to be official records.

The document first appeared on the courts docket late Monday afternoon and was marked as a MOTION to Intervene by U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The document, sprinkled with spelling and syntax errors, read, The U.S. Department of Treasury through the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service have arrested Seized Federal Securities containing sensitive documents which are subject to the Defendant Sealed Search Warrant by the F.B.I. arrest.

It cited a federal statute for collecting financial records in federal investigations. The document also included the two supposed warrants, one that claimed to be sent to CNN in Atlanta and another to a towing company in Michigan.

Those supposed warrants, though, are identical to paperwork filed in another case in federal court in Georgia brought by an inmate at the prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina. The case was thrown out, as were the array of other frivolous lawsuits the man has filed from his prison cell.

The man has been in custody for several years since he was found not competent to stand trial after an arrest for planting a fake explosive outside the Guardian Building, a skyscraper in Detroit. Since his incarceration, he has filed a range of lawsuits and has impersonated the Treasury Department, claimed to be a federal trustee and claimed to be a lawyer for the Justice Department, a review of court records shows.

In the Georgia case, the man alleged that Trump and others had acquired millions of un- redacted classified tax returns and other sensitive financial data, bank records and accounts of banking and tax transactions of several million Americans and federal government agencies, court documents show.

The judge in that case called his suit fanatic and delusional, saying there was no way to discern any cognizable claim from the incoherent filings.

The man has repeatedly impersonated federal officials in court records and has placed tax liens on judges using his false paperwork, two people familiar with the matter told the AP. Because of his history as a forger, his mail is supposed to be subjected to additional scrutiny from the Bureau of Prisons.

Its unclear how the documents  the fake motion and the phony warrants  ended up at the court clerks office at the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A photocopy of an envelope, included in the filing, shows it was sent to the court with a printed return address of the Treasury Departments headquarters in Washington. But a postmark shows a Michigan ZIP code, and a tracking number on the envelope shows it was mailed Sept. 9 from Clinton Township, Michigan, the inmates hometown.

The AP is not identifying the inmate by name because he has a documented history of mental illness and has not been charged with a crime related to the filing.

There is simply nothing indicating that he has any authorization to act on behalf of the United States, the judge in the Georgia case wrote.

But despite the clear warning signs  including a stamp noting the Georgia case number on the phony warrants  the filing still made its way onto the docket.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Treasury Department would not comment. They declined to answer on the record when asked if the document was false and why the government had not addressed it.

Representatives in the court clerks office and the magistrate judge overseeing the search warrant case did not respond to requests for comment.
By Trend

The statements of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian armed forces about that several Azerbaijani Army units got surrounded, is a lie, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

"The Azerbaijani Army has taken full control over the operational situation. Azerbaijan has the strategic initiative and advantage. We call on Armenia to strengthen the ceasefire agreement rather than spreading disinformation," the ministry said.
Joe Biden wants to beat cancer.

In this autumn of our discontent, that headline could become an easy target for snark and sarcasm.

But not so fast.

Why not choose a bold initiative that most of us can get behind, red, blue and in between?

Were guessing that even Tucker Carlson would agree that cancer is a bad thing.

And better yet, why not make North Carolina a key player in Bidens cancer moonshot campaign? More on that later.

On Monday Biden stressed again his desire to defeat cancer with the minds and muscle of the entire country behind such an effort.

Cancer does not discriminate red and blue, Biden said in a speech at the Kennedy Presidential Library. It doesnt care if youre a Republican or a Democrat. Beating cancer is something we can do together.

The date and setting for the speech were not insignificant. John F. Kennedy made his famous moonshot speech 60 years ago on Sept. 12 to press his case for putting U.S. astronauts on the moon. (Spoiler alert: Like curing cancer, it wasnt easy. But it got done.)

The cancer moonshot initiative itself is not new. The concept dates back to 2016, during Bidens days as Barack Obamas vice president. This weeks announcement was a reboot of sorts, for a cause that resonates personally with him. His son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.

Adding substance to the presidents rhetoric, the White House earlier had announced that Dr. Renee Wegrzyn would be appointed the head of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new agency established by Biden in February to focus on health and biomedical research, including cancer, Alzheimers disease and diabetes.

Further, Biden said he is issuing a new executive order that launches a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative to help support efforts to end cancer.

Specifically, the president has set a goal of cutting the U.S. death rate from cancer by at least 50% by the year 2047. The initiative also aims to improve the experience of people and their families who are living with and surviving cancer, the White House said in a statement.

As for North Carolina, it is one of several states that are expected to vie for the new agency, ARPA-H, including California, Massachusetts and Texas.

A coalition of more than 30 universities, hospitals and other organizations say North Carolinas growing biotech industry makes it an ideal location for ARPA-H. Gov. Roy Cooper and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders also have expressed their support.

North Carolinas interest in Bidens cancer initiative is not a recent development, nor is Bidens interest in North Carolina. In 2016, Vice President Biden visited Duke Cancer Institute and the Duke University School of Medicine to discuss the original launch of the cancer moonshot. Biden also touted the formidable presence the Research Triangle, where major universities, biotechnology companies and federal research agencies have collaborated for decades.

During his visit, Biden met with Paul Modrich, Ph.D., who shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with UNC-Chapel Hills Dr. Aziz Sancar, whose research in DNA repair could be instrumental in advancing cancer treatment.

Congress will decide whether ARPA-H will be a separate agency, or if it will be housed in the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

Meanwhile, curing division among Americans seems almost as hard these days as curing cancer. Remember, Americans could not unify in the face of a pandemic that has taken more than 1 million lives in this nation.

Then again, life was no crystal stair in 1962, either, when John F. Kennedy exhorted Americans to go to the moon, precisely because it was hard.

Already the Russians had beaten America into space in 1961.

In January of 1962, an unmanned NASA probe had missed the moon by 22,000 miles.

During that same year, James Meredith registered as the first Black student at the University of Mississippi, but had to be escorted by federal marshals.

One of the 10 worst U.S. storms in the 20th century, on Ash Wednesday, killed 40, injured more than 1,000, and wreaked hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in six states.

An American Airlines Boeing 707 crashed on takeoff at New York International Airport, killing all 95 crew members and passengers.

The war raged on in Vietnam.

And then there was the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war.

Kennedy reached for the stars anyway.

We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, Kennedy said, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.Sadly, we have known the ravages of cancer for so long, and so many of us, like the president, have been touched personally by the disease.

Why not the shoot for the moon and at least try to come together against it?
Honoring the men and women who have been held captive, and pressing for a full accounting for those who remain missing, is a sacred mission of our organization, said Jim Troiola, at the 43rd annual Prisoner of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day event at Memorial Park in Helena on Friday.

Troiola, who is the American Legions national commander, said during the rain-soaked ceremony that the "value of this program is to keep this issue at the top of all our agendas and reminding the media, our leaders and the public to never forget these heroic men and women.

He told the story of the late Air Force Col. George Bud Day, who was twice captured by the enemy.

A veteran of World War II and Korea, Col. Day broke his arm in three places and strained his knee while ejecting from his F-100 over Vietnam, recounted the commander.

He was taken prisoner immediately, but after interrogation and severe torture, he escaped into the jungle, surviving on berries and frogs. Day was captured again a couple weeks later by a Viet Cong patrol, being wounded in the leg and hand by gunfire.

The commander read Days Medal of Honor citation: Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy.

Col. Days conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.

Troiola said Days experience is a reminder of the hell our POWs endured, and to remember how many Gold Star Families are still waiting to hear what exactly happened to their veteran who never made it home.

The event was supported by the Fort William Henry Harrison Museum Foundation of Montana; the Military Museum; the American Legion Post No. 2 (Lewis & Clark) Voiture 718, 40 & 8 Society; L&C Veterans Memorial Foundation; and veterans at large.

Vincent J. Jim Troiola is a life member of American Legion Post 1682 in Rockland County, New York. He spent five years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves from 1969-74, completing a tour aboard the USS Nitro, an auxiliary ammunition ship, while attaining the rank of Boatswains Mate petty officer third class.

Troilola has served in many offices at every level of the American Legion. He was elected department (state) commander of New York for 2010-11, and chaired several national commissions. From 2016-17, Troiola served as national vice commander.

He was elected national commander of the nations largest veteran service organization three weeks ago, during the American Legions 103rd national convention.

Jim spent his entire working career in the automotive service industry, starting out as a parts manager at a local Chevrolet dealership and working his way up to director of service and parts at a New York metro Mercedes Benz outfit.

Shortly after retiring in 2017, Troiola began driving a school bus for the Falmouth School District.

The American Legion treasures its relationship with the National League of POW/MIA Families, he concluded on Friday. We support the efforts of organizations that are looking for answers Many have gone missing in countries that are still hostile to us.

But the American Legion will continue to press. We owe it  to all men and women that we send into harms way

Next came the reading of 53 names of Montana POW/MIAs by those who gathered at the veterans' memorial.

Following the ceremony, Troiolas itinerary consisted of visits to Fort Harrisons Montana National Guard, the Veterans Administration, Montana Military Museum, and Gov. Greg Gianfortes office at the Montana Capitol.

His discussion agenda includes the America Legions Be The One program, to reduce the epidemic of veteran suicide.

Curt Synness, a USNR veteran, can be reached at 406-594-2878 or curt52synness@gmail.com. Hes also on Twitter @curtsynness_IR
Longtime Montana Libertarian candidate Roger Roots was revealed by Politico on Thursday to have taken a research role in the legal defense of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.

Although not named in Rhodes' court documents, Politico uncovered Roots' name in the metadata in a recent filing, according to Thursday's report.

Rhodes and four co-defendants of the far-right extremist Oath Keepers group are scheduled to go to trial later this month on seditious conspiracy charges for their roles on Jan. 6, 2021, when Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's victory over the former president. Earlier this month, Rhodes, through attorney Ed Tarpley, tried to remove his lawyers from the case and delay that trial so a new legal team could prepare for the proceedings.

The federal judge in Rhodes' case rejected the motion to scrap his legal team and delay the trial; it was in that motion that the national news outlet discovered Roots involvement in the case.

The level of Roots' direct involvement with Rhodes and the Oath Keepers organization is not fully clear. Tarpley told Politico he had responded to a call for assistance with Rhodes' legal defense, but said Roots had not taken an active role. In a May Facebook post, Roots said he and Rhodes were acquainted in law school when they were both presidents of the student Federalist Society chapters at their respective universities.

He said in the post that the Oath Keepers' leader "is in a jam and I feel a sense that we need to rally in his behalf (or at least rally against the injustice he is currently facing)."

Roots has had a long presence in Montana politics. He has ran for office each year since 2012 under the Libertarian banner, but never prevailed. In 2020 he ran in the State Auditor's race and did so as a candidate for Supreme Court Clerk in 2018. In 2016 and 2012 he ran for Montana Secretary of State. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

Most recently Roots in June took third in a three-way primary for the Libertarian nomination for Montana's eastern Congressional seat, gathering 526 votes.

A month earlier, Roots, a Livingston resident, said in a social media post that he believes Rhodes is "totally innocent."

Reached by email on Thursday, Roots declined an interview unless this reporter would furnish an editorial from one of Lee Montana's newspapers that has "criticized the concept of government control or the existence of a government program."

Throughout his attempted political career, Roots has had to explain away racist views expressed in his past. He was terminated as a staffer on Conrad Burns' 1994 reelection campaign for his "unsavory associations with white supremacist activists," and was known as an associate of former Ku Klux Klan member John Abarr, who has himself made bids for public office. Roots admitted to subscribing to the works of Adolf Hitler and "all kinds of racist materials" in a 2014 interview but said he had since disavowed those views.

Politico reported on Thursday that some of Roots' former students at Macon State College in Georgia described him as having abandoned his earlier racist views.

A call to the Montana Libertarian Party was not returned Thursday.

News on Thursday of Roots' connection to the Oath Keepers' trial is second revelation of a Montanan with ties to the extremist group in the last week. A week earlier, the Missoulian reported on an Anti-Defamation League report that found Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel had previously held a membership with the Oath Keepers, although he said he had disengaged with the organization "many years" ago.
The Montana Department of Agriculture did not fully comply with reporting requirements in 2020 after an online phishing scam led to the theft of more than $344,000 and another attempted theft was thwarted prior to an exchange of $1,000 in funds, a legislative audit report has found.

The Montana Legislative Audit Division released a financial compliance report on the department this month. Auditors identified three issues with accounting or reporting practices and issued recommendations to address those concerns.

The department concurred with all three recommendations.

In October 2020, a scammer impersonating a grant recipient obtained $344,000 in an email phishing attack. A phishing attack occurs when a scammer purports to be a different person or entity conducting legitimate business in an effort to trick the victim into providing money or information.

The department notified its chief attorney, then-Gov. Steve Bullocks office and the Department of Administrations Tort Defense and State Financial Services Division.

The hacker attempted to receive two grant payments from the department, the audit states. The department was able to stop the first payment, but not the second. The Department of Administration modified state policy in response to this situation.

A separate phishing scam occurred in April of 2020. In that incident a state employee purchased $1,000 in gift cards, later becoming suspicious and informing a supervisor. The gift cards were refunded, according to the audit.

Auditors found that the department did not fully comply with state law in response to the scams. The law requires notification of both the attorney general and legislative auditor in writing, upon the discovery of any theft, actual or suspected, involving state money or property under that agencys control for which the agency is responsible.

In both cases, the legislative auditor was not notified. Department of Administration officials did notify the attorney general of the October phishing scam and theft. Agriculture officials told auditors they contacted the attorney general as well.

Department of Justice spokesperson Kyler Nerison said Friday the scam was classified as a "business email compromise scam," described similarly to a phishing attack. He provided a link to the FBI's website, which calls the scam "one of the most financially damaging online crimes." An investigation remains open into the theft with DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation, he said.

The agencies told auditors they did not believe notification was necessary for the April phishing attack because it was not successful.

Auditors countered that state law also requires the notification whenever theft is suspected, and recommended the agency comply with theft reporting requirements.

Auditors also found issues with accounting in the departments grant account for its wheat and barley program. Finally, antiquated software failed to flag overpayments for certain permits and licenses, and refunds were only issued if requested in writing. Auditors recommended changes to correct those issues.

In an August letter accompanying the audit, department Director Christy Clark concurs with the audits findings and recommendations.

Prior to this calendar year-end, we intend to put revised department policies into place to ensure these oversights are not repeated in the future, she wrote. The Department Of Agriculture is committed to complying with state laws and accounting policies, as well as strengthening our internal controls.

The Daily Montanan was first to report on the audit.
The 2021-2022 end-of-the-year summative assessment scores for Montana were released this week.

The summative assessment measures math and reading, or English Language Arts (ELA), proficiency in grades three through eight and 11. It is required through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The 2021-2022 school year differed in that the federal Department of Education did not issue any waivers for the end-of-the-year summative assessment scores.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 98.2% of Montana students in grades three through eight participated in the reading assessment. Of those students, 46.1% were at or above proficient and 53.9% were below the proficient level for their grade. For 2020-21, 46.4% were at or above proficient.

In the 2021-22 school year, 96.7% of Montana students in grades three through eight participated in the math assessment. Of those students, 36.5% were at or above proficient and 63.5% were below the proficient level for their grade. For 2020-2021, 35.6% were at or above the proficient level.

National scores are submitted to the federal Department of Education in December, so it will be a few months until people can see how Montana students compared to the national average for the end-of-the-year summative assessments in math reading.

For the 2021-2022 school year, 90.5% of Montana high school juniors completed the reading portion and 91.9% completed the math portion of the ACT. Montanas average score was 18.6 out of 36, which is below the traditional national average score of 22.

Under the new admission requirements adopted by the Montana Board of Regents as of May 27, 2021, students no longer need to provide their ACT or SAT scores for admission.

I am proud of the resiliency our Montana students have shown through the school closures and uncertainties of COVID, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said in a press release. We have work to do to increase math skills throughout our state. I am focusing on opening our state math standards that havent been revised in over ten years. I am also creating math innovation zones that will increase our teachers confidence in teaching math so that our Montana students can achieve educational excellence. This fall, the new innovative MAST pilot program will launch in participating fifth and seventh grade Montana classrooms to more accurately measure student learning in Montana which will lead the way to student success.
Six Illinois stores are among those the troubled home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond has slated to close nationwide.

The Illinois stores set to close are in Gurnee, Schaumburg, Fairview Heights, Carbondale, Bourbonnais and Joliet.

The company said in August it would shutter about 150 stores and reduce its workforce by 20%. It did not share information about which stores would close at the time but has since posted a list of 56 stores set to close on its website.

The retailer has 26 locations in Illinois, according to its online store locator, including one in Chicago. The company said in May it had a total of 955 stores including 769 namesake locations, 135 Buy Buy Baby stores and 51 stores under the names Harmon, Harmon Face Values or Face Values.

Shares of the New Jersey-based retailer lost nearly a quarter of their value upon the August announcement, and the company said it expected a decline in comparable sales of 26% in the second quarter.

Chief Operating Officer John Hartmann is leaving and the company is eliminating his position. In August, the company said it was still searching for a permanent CEO.

In mid-August, Chewy Inc. co-founder and billionaire Ryan Cohen sold his entire stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he bought only months before.
Filling open job positions is one of the most challenging tasks facing organizations.

Go by retailers, factories and restaurants to see the plethora of now hiring and help wanted signs. Signing bonuses are offered. Businesses are attempting to get attention in glaring ways, between billboards and cars that are traveling advertisements.

We shouldnt expect anything different from police departments attempting to fill positions.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police surveyed Illinois police departments, and among respondents, 60% said they are not fully staffed. Nearly 2 in 10 agencies (19%) have a current shortage of more than 10% of what they are authorized to have. Half of the 895 officers hired in 2020 and 2021 combined were lateral hires, meaning they were already fully trained and working for a different agency.

One agency in the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police reported a typical number of 100 applicants 20 years ago. That same agency had only 15 at its test in 2021. Of those, only four passed, and of those four, two failed either the psych exam or background check. Reports abound of individuals registering for tests, but not showing up to take them.

Chicago did not respond to the survey. But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, at the end of August, the Chicago Police Department reported 975 vacancies for patrol officers and 105 empty detective positions.

Thats in a city whose violence is a flashpoint for discussions about guns, funding and policies. Might some of Chicagos violence be blamed on the police force being 1,000 officers short of plans?

Decatur isnt 1,000 officers short, but it might as well be. While Decatur has a training center, dozens of cities with larger or comparable populations seek officers. When departments arent hiring officers away from one another, theyre competing for attention. Attracting candidates takes some tricks and some out-of-the-ordinary thinking.

Residency requirements are a challenge, even in the best of times. At this point, most employers dont have the luxury of demanding their employees live in specific locations. At a time when 50- or 100-mile commutes are standard, or at least allowed often, does it really matter what part of the worlds real estate a Decatur police officer occupies?

Up until recently, it certainly did. The requirement that police officers live within the city limits has long been an area of debate. There are solid arguments to each position. A police officer needs to know the community in which they work. Citizens feel more comfortable with officers they see and get to know. The Coffee with a Cop outreach program was one of the many interrupted by COVID.

But the shortage of officers must be addressed. Police around the country face canceled vacations and days off along with 12-hour shifts. Thats a recipe for burnout and early retirement or just quitting.

Previously, all officers hired after May 1, 2013, had to live within Macon County or in a municipality that extends into Macon County. The relaxation of this requirement to living within 40 miles of police department headquarters is scheduled to sunset on Jan. 1, 2027.

African American community leaders raised their concerns with the Decatur City Council before a vote on the changes. Some concerns were perfectly legitimate, specifically the desire to keep police local and improve minority representation on the force.

But complaints like there are "plenty of candidates, African American or Hispanic" in the city fall flat. If they're around, why aren't they applying? And remember that even a flood of applicants would have to undergo training and a background check.

The unfortunate phrase "slave catchers" was also uttered during the public comment portion of the council meeting.

A suggestion that out-of-town officers do something in the community to show they're invested in being guardians of a town is reasonable. But if other cities don't make similar demands, Decatur remains at a disadvantage.

Police Chief Shane Brandel said the department was facing a "crisis" when it came to staffing. With 13 vacancies, the city is almost 10% shy of filling its staffing budget. That percentage is even worse than Chicago's. That shortage also hits the department's budget hard thanks to extensive overtime.

Brandel acknowledged that the department "is not where I want it to be in terms of accurately reflecting the community," and asked for patience for four years.

City manager Scot Wrighton said he is "absolutely committed to residency," and added, "I have had to come to grips with the fact that that preference for residency that I've had my entire career has to be weighed against the practical necessity of making sure that our ranks are as full as we can possibly get them."

Crises and emergencies require special handling. Expanding the area of living possibilities for potential officers is preferable to an ongoing shortage and continued overwork by the force.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Sunshine and a few clouds. High 88F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Attorney Bruce H. Russell, II, of Abingdon, Virginia, has been selected as a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation.

The foundation supports projects throughout the commonwealth that facilitate access to justice, promote an appreciation and understanding of the rule of law, and provide law-related education in support of these ideals. Fellows are recognized as leaders in the profession, not just in their practices but in their communities, and comprise a group of more than 600 of the best and brightest legal practitioners, committed to the highest ideals of the law and to the concept of the citizen lawyer.

Nominees are put forth confidentially by their peers, and voted upon by a blue-ribbon panel of distinguished practitioners. Russell will be inducted at the Virginia Bar Associations annual meeting in Williamsburg this coming January.

Having practiced in his native Southwest Virginia for more than 20 years, most of which he has spent in private practice in his offices in Abingdon, Lebanon, and Tazewell counties, Russell currently serves as president of the Russell County Bar, the 28th Circuit Criminal Defense Bar, and the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers Alliance.

He is also on the board of the Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society, sits on the Virginia Bar Associations Boyd-Graves Commission, and represents the 28th Circuit on the Virginia State Bar Council. He lives in Abingdon, Virginia, with his wife, Shannon, their sons, Clark and Eamon, and their four dogs.
By Trend

A total of 135 people have been killed in border clashes with Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said, Trend reports via Armenian media.

He added that the death toll continues to be updated.

During the night of September 12, the Armenian armed forces units committed large-scale provocations in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border.
The Northeast Regional Health Office in Tennessee announced updated COVID-19 booster is now available at the local health departments.

All individuals over the age of 12 years are eligible to receive an updated COVID-19 booster if they have completed the primary series and it has been at least two months since their last COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination remains the best protection we have against COVID-19, said Medical Director of the Northeast Regional Health Offices, Dr. David Kirschke. Anyone eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including the updated booster dose, should do so.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to talk with their health care providers regarding vaccination for themselves and their children.
Catawba County Schools held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new $29.3 million Maiden Elementary School on Thursday morning.

The community groundbreaking celebration was held at the school site at 201 N. Main Ave. on the running track of the current school, Catawba County Schools said in a news release.

The original three-story Maiden Elementary School building, which no longer exists, opened in 1926. Parts of the current Maiden Elementary facilities, such as the gym, date to 1928. The primary portion of the building is 1950s-era construction. Additions to the school were made in the 1960s and 1970s, with offices, the media center and classroom space added in 1988, the district said.

Construction of the new 93,000 square foot school is expected to start in the fall. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dan Moore said it typically takes 18 to 24 months to complete a school of the planned size, the district said.

During a ceremonial speech, Catawba County Schools Superintendent Matt Stover said, Memories dont fade, but buildings do, and we are super excited to match the outside to the inside  that of excellence for our students and staff.

The celebration concluded with distinguished guests and dignitaries taking turns breaking ground with ceremonial Maiden blue shovels and the singing of the Maiden Elementary School song, the district said.

Guests at the event included Catawba County Schools Board of Education members, Catawba County Commissioners, the county manager and Maiden town officials. Also in attendance were current and former district and school personnel, as well as the students and staff of Maiden Elementary, the district said.

During the ceremony, Maiden Elementary School Principal Shannon Plemmons said it is an exciting time for students, staff and the town of Maiden.
HICKORY  The 2022 Footcandle Film Festival will be held between Sept. 21 and Sept. 25, marking the eighth year of the festival bringing films from around the world to the area and hosting discussion with the filmmakers that made them.

The 2022 festival will offer both in-person film screenings at the Hickory Community Theatre in downtown Hickory along with virtual, online opportunities to view many of the selections.

A complete list of the films, their descriptions and trailers can be found on the festival website (www.footcandlefilmfestival.com).

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, the festival will start with the Youth International Film Festival event co-hosted with the Greater Hickory International Council. This free event will screen several short films from different countries, all with an intended audience of children ages 9 to 14 and their families. This years film selections were chosen from over 650 film submissions and represent a variety of countries and cultures through both live-action and animated story-telling.

On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Footcandle Film Festival, in partnership with The Visiting Writers Series of Lenoir-Rhyne University, will host a special Screenwriting Competition Award Event. Scripts for potential films were submitted by writers across the country and a committee reviewed them and selected two winners for this years awards. The winners of this years competition will receive their award at a special event that evening at 7 p.m. in the Belk Centrum at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The event will consist of the winning authors discussing their work, a table reading of portions of their scripts, and question-and-answer sessions. The event is free and open to the public.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the festival will be showing films that were submitted from filmmakers around the world and selected by the festival screening panel. Over 300 films were submitted for consideration for this years festival and 35 were selected for this years event. The films are a mixture of narrative and documentaries as well as feature-length and short films.

All films over the weekend will be shown at in-person screenings at the Hickory Community Theater in downtown Hickory and then made available the following day online for viewers to enjoy on their home computers, internet streaming devices, or smart TV sets.

Many of the filmmakers will be joining the festival either in-person or virtually throughout the weekend to discuss their work with attendees in question-and-answer sessions. The discussions will be held during the in-person screenings but will be recorded and available for online attendees to watch throughout the festival weekend.

At 7 p.m. on Sunday there will be a closing awards ceremony at the Hickory Community Theater where winners from the weekend festival will be announced. There will be eight awards presented at this years awards ceremony determined by a combination of panels of judges and audience voting. The event will also announce the recipients of the 2022 Footcandle Filmmaker Grants which are awarded to help fund upcoming North Carolina-based film projects.

Tickets can be purchased for any of the individual films or attendees can purchase a festival pass that allow them to attend any of the festival films. The Youth International Film Festival event, Scriptwriting Competition Award Event and the closing awards ceremony are all free and open to the public.

Tickets are now on sale for the general public by visiting www.footcandlefilmfestival.com and clicking the link on the home page to view the schedule, view the selections, and purchase tickets or passes. Tickets can be purchased with credit or debit cards; taxes and credit card charges will apply. Tickets will remain on sale up through the weekend of the film festival.

The Footcandle Film Society has been screening and facilitating discussions on films in western North Carolina since its inception in 2008. Through monthly film screenings, discussions, partnerships with various international and educational organizations, the film society has built a community of over 600 members that support film efforts in the region.

For any questions about the festival, contact the film society at info@footcandle.org or visit the festivals website at www.footcandlefilmfestival.com.
As a Reddit post makes its internet rounds, teaching thousands about a purple-blue kind of honey that bees in North Carolina make, people are asking the same question:

How can I get some of it?

The answer is both mysterious and disappointing: Many of the lucky beekeepers whose bees have produced purple (or blue) honey in the past arent sure theyll ever get it again. Thankfully, a few beekeepers in the area still have teeny jars of the colorful honey  which range from being harvested a few months to a few years ago  for sale.

The honey is a head-scratcher, and beekeepers and apiculturists are torn on what gives the sweet stuff its special hue. Suspected reasons range from acidic soil to kudzu flowers to sourwood trees.

But they agree that (a) purple or blue honey comes sporadically with no tried-and-true telltale signs that its coming, and (b) the color is natural.

Christi Henthorn, president of the Granville County Beekeepers, got purple honey in 2017 in Oxford for the first time, and she hasnt seen it since.

Its not a consistent product, and there is usually not a lot available, Henthorn said. I only heard of people getting it once randomly and then not again. I dont think I know of a single person who has gotten lucky twice!

A handful of lucky beekeepers have experienced the honey more than once, though not on a regular schedule.

David Auman, president of the Richmond County Beekeepers Association, gets a little bit of the stuff each year, but needs to wait a few years to get the unique honey in large batches that hes able to separate, jar and sell.

He keeps two or three hives at a time, though hell surprisingly only get purple honey in one of them, he said.

Where to buy purple, blue honey in North Carolina

 Zombees Honey of NC: Whitney Barnes, who co-owns Zombees Honey of NC with her husband in Timberlake, saw purple honey for the first time in 2017. It was the first time shed ever learned bees in the area could do such a thing.

It was so fun. I went to these group meetings in the area with my honey, and other people did the same thing. Because when I told them about it, they said, You too? I thought I was the only one! she said. I tried to put together a database of who got it, but it wasnt a big list. Maybe six names total  just to show you how rare it is when it hits.

Barnes got the honey again in 2018, and lots of it this time. She jarred it in two-ounce containers and sold some that year. Her bees havent made purple honey since, but she still has some of those earlier jars for sale.

To buy Barnes purple honey, you can visit Zombees Honey on Facebook and contact the shop to make your purchase.

Note: Over time, purple and blue honey loses its vibrancy. Buying purple or blue honey thats a few years old will look darker brown, though you can still see the candy-esque hues, Barnes said.

The rarity alone makes the purchase worth it, whether the honey is still a vibrant purple or not, Barnes said.

Its so unique and rare  thats why I dont rush to sell it. And thats why I sell in small batches, just so people can try it, she said. It doesnt taste like any honey youve ever had.

 Dees Bees Apiary: Donald Dees, owner of Dees Bees Apiary in the Sandhills, sees a little bit of blue in his hives each year.

Every year, my honey has blue traces in it, Dees said. But to get it out in harvestable amounts that are exclusively blue honey, you need 25% or 50% of the frame to be solid blue. That only happens every few years  could be five or 10.

When the Reddit post went viral, making its way onto some North Carolina social media pages, Dees was getting call after call for the stuff.

Everyone wanted some. Ive been going to the retail stores that sell my blue honey to get some jars off the shelf and ship them out to people, he said. He still has a few pounds left, and he sells them in tiny increments so more people have the chance to try it.

To buy Dees blue honey, visit deesbeesapiary.com and contact the shop to make your purchase.
Friday, September 16

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, September 17

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot Dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union Street S, are offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call in orders are welcomed. 704-782-1785.

Sunday, Sept. 18

Royal Oaks United Methodist Church is having a free spaghetti dinner at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. the St. James Mens Choir will sing. The church is located at 1020 Kansas St., Kannapolis.

Monday, September 19

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, September 20

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St. Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

Historic Cabarrus Association's 2022 Annual Meeting is a free public event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Davis Theater in Concord's historic 1876 Courthouse at 65 Union Street South. Dr. Gary Freeze will speak on the origins of the textile industry in Cabarrus County. Refreshments included. Parking is available at the parking deck on Corbin Ave. SE. To register, call 704-920-2465 or e-mail historiccabarrus@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 21

The Farmers Market @ Rocky River Presbyterian Church is from 3 to 6 p.m. on the front lawn of the church located at 7940 Rocky River Road, Concord. Enjoy the freshest produce, sweets, breads, and honey along with craft and food vendors. Details here: https://rockyriver.org/ministries/the-farmers-market

The Cabarrus Senior Center Photo Club is alive and clicking away. If you like taking photos, come join the members on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cabarrus Senior Center, 331 Corban Ave. SE, Concord, and share your photographic creativity. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or strictly amateur, all are welcome.

Thursday, September 22

Kannapolis Farmers Market is open from 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance Street and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, spices, crafts, and prepared foods and sauces.

Epworth UMCs famous hot dogs and taco soup, 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. 1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. For free delivery call 704-786-5500.

Friday, September 23

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, September 24

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot Dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union Street S, are offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call in orders are welcomed. 704-782-1785.

Concord Wildlife Alliance, the local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, is hosting a Kids in Nature Day from 9 a.m. until noon at Woodlands Discovery, 8755 Poplar Tent Road. The event is free and open to all area families.

Monday, September 26

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, September 27

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St. Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary will hold its first General Meeting of the business calendar year at The Salvation Army of Cabarrus County headquarters at 216 Patterson Ave SE, Concord, NC 28025. Socializing and refreshments begin at 9:30 a.m. prior to the meeting at 10. Existing members, prospective members, or if you're simply interested in what the Women's Auxiliary is all about, you are welcome! There will be pre-owned books available for sale, with proceeds to be used to buy new books for the Christmas Angel Tree project. The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary functions as a fund raising and volunteer service group in support of The Salvation Army's programs and activities in the community. Please plan to wear a mask.

Wednesday, September 28

The Farmers Market @ Rocky River Presbyterian Church is from 3 to 6 p.m. on the front lawn of the church located at 7940 Rocky River Road, Concord. Enjoy the freshest produce, sweets, breads, and honey along with craft and food vendors. Details here: https://rockyriver.org/ministries/the-farmers-market.

Thursday, September 29

Epworth UMCs famous hot dogs and taco soup, 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. 1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. For free delivery call 704-786-5500.

Friday, September 30

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, October 1

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot Dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union Street S, are offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call in orders are welcomed. 704-782-1785.

Monday, October 3

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, October 4

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St. Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

Wednesday, October 5

The Cabarrus Senior Center Photo Club is alive and clicking away. If you like taking photos, come join the members on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cabarrus Senior Center, 331 Corban Ave. SE, Concord, and share your photographic creativity. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or strictly amateur, all are welcome.

Thursday, October 6

Epworth UMCs famous hot dogs and taco soup, 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. 1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. For free delivery call 704-786-5500.

Friday, October 7

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, October 8

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot Dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union Street S, are offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call in orders are welcomed. 704-782-1785.

Concord Wildlife Alliance, the local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, is hosting a Kids in Nature Day from 9 a.m. until noon at Woodlands Discovery, 8755 Poplar Tent Road. The event is free and open to all area families.

2022 Community Connections presented by Cabarrus Recovery Alliance will be held from 3-7 p.m. Find you path to recovery at the resource and education event at Atrium Ballpark, 210 Oak Ave., Kannapolis. For more information and support, visit cabarrusreccoveryalliane.org.

Monday, October 10

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, October 11

TOPS #437 (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (weigh-in begins at 9:30 a.m.) at Lakeview Baptist Church, 2532 Lane St. Kannapolis. Visitors are welcome.

Thursday, October 13

Epworth UMCs famous hot dogs and taco soup, 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. 1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. For free delivery call 704-786-5500.

Friday, October 14

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, October 15

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Hot Dogs at Center United Methodist Church at 1119 Union Street S, are offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dine in and take out. Call in orders are welcomed. 704-782-1785.

Got news or events?

Does your community group or nonprofit agency have an upcoming event that would be of interest to the public? Email it to mplemmons@independenttribune.com.
From officials in the destination cities, meanwhile, there has been a torrent of condemnation. New York Mayor Eric Adams blasted the governors as "cowards" for sending away people "who are looking for help." Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot denounced Abbott as "racist and xenophobic." US Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, called the policy "cruel and inhumane."

All of it has added up to the spectacle of politicians at their worst: While lawmakers in Congress refuse to address the cause of the chaos at the border  the lack of more options to immigrate legally  state and city officials are busy trying to score points at the expense of hapless asylum seekers.

Or so I thought until I read Jasmine Aguilera's account in Time magazine, which reported on the busing of migrants from the perspective of the migrants themselves.

Far from regarding their state-organized travel as "cruel and inhumane," Aguilera found, those she talked to considered it a stroke of good fortune. She interviewed 15 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and Honduras before they boarded one of the buses in Del Rio, Texas, and after they arrived in Washington two days later. They told her "they were thrilled for the option of free transportation, and were surprised to learn that Abbott's intentions were less about accommodating them than inconveniencing his political opponents."

If Texas and Arizona counted on the buses heading north to "sway the federal government to toughen immigration policy, they so far have been unsuccessful," Aguilera wrote. "But in the process, they've provided a service to thousands of migrants seeking homes in the United States."

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She found the same reaction when she spoke with another group of migrants on a bus out of Yuma, Ariz. Among them was a family of five from Peru, who left their homeland in July after the mother, Jennifer, was threatened by violent gang members. They headed to America hoping to connect with relatives in Boston. After their frightening ordeal in Peru, Jennifer told Time, "a safe, free bus that would take her family closer [to] Boston was a 'blessing.'"

Other journalists have come to similar conclusions. The Washington Post noted that "those who board the buses appear to do so willingly, with no sign of anyone ... being forced or tricked," and reported that "for many of those who have accepted the rides ... the buses have turned into a welcomed pipeline." The Dallas Morning News quoted one thankful migrant who took the bus to Washington. "I consider it true humanitarian aid," Victor Rodriguez told a reporter. "[I]t allows migrants who have no money, like me, to arrive or get closer to our destination.... My life starts now."
Aviation Expo 2022 opens in Hanoi, showcases new technologies, models

More than 50 domestic and foreign aviation firms participated in the Vietnam International Aviation Expo 2022 which kicked off in Hanoi on September 15.













Vietnam International Aviation Expo 2022 opens in Hanoi on September 15. (Photo: Congthuong.vn)



Themed Sustainable development for a bright future, the expo will showcase a variety of advanced aviation equipment, technologies, and modern aircraft models from many countries around the world.



It will also include conferences and seminars relating to key topics such as the aviation markets outlook moving into the post COVID-19 period, employee retention, future aviation trends, and the latest technologies.



Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan stressed that the launch of the expo marked the strong recovery of the Vietnamese aviation industry following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.



The event provides a prime opportunity for businesses to exchange and boost co-operation in the field of aviation, and helps to promote images of the local aviation industry, as well as the land and people of Vietnam internationally, Tuan noted.



According to details given by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the first half of this year saw the countrys aviation market welcome 23.3 million passengers, a rise of over 74.2% compared to the same period from 2021. Of the figure, domestic passengers amounted to 20.8 million, up 58.4% year on year.



Most notably, the total number of seats reached over 6.5 million, ranking second in Southeast Asia behind only Indonesia.



The Vietnamese aviation industry is widely considered to have great potential for strong development moving forward. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietnam will be the fifth fastest-growing aviation market in the world, reaching 150 million passengers by 2035.
By Trend

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed to a ceasefire, Trend reports citing the State Border Guard Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan.

The heads of the State Committees for National Security of Kyrgyzstan - Kamchybek Tashiev and Tajikistan - Saimumin Yatimov agreed on a ceasefire at 16:00 (GMT+6).

The aggravation on the border between the two countries began on September 14, 2022. The situation on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan escalated again on the morning of September 16, armed clashes took place along the entire perimeter.
PARIS  L&A Family Farms is celebrating its Eastern Illinois University roots in a special way.

Visitors to the farm can enjoy an EIU corn mze.

"I think there were eight of us total in our family that are all graduates of Eastern so we just kind of wanted to reach out to them and do something since that was our university that we went to," said Brian Lau, owner of L&A Family Farms.

In the middle of a seemingly endless pattern of diagonal twists and turns, the design prominently spells #EIU and incorporates Eastern Illinois Universitys mark. Those familiar with EIUs logo know the mark features one of the universitys most-recognized symbols  Old Main, often referred to as the castle.

This is the fourth year the farm has created a design inside the maze and the second year the design has been sponsored. EIU is this year's sponsor. Indiana State University sponsored the 2021 maze design.

The main corn maze will open Saturday, Sept. 17. The design also includes an expansion of a spookier attraction first offered last year. A separate maze has been cut into the layout thatll serve as a haunted corn maze that will be open select Friday and Saturday nights through October.

Lau said the intricate designs are created with the help of an outside company.

"The company that designs our mazes for us, we give them a concept and they actually lay it out on a computer and then it's all mowed into the cornfield after the corn is up and growing, with a mower on a skid steer loader," Lau said. "And it's all done by GPS."

Agritourism is not new for the farm, dating back to 2004. In 2016, the farm offered its first sunflower maze then added a pick your own pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides, concessions and other family-oriented activities in 2019.

Lau said they did not know how popular agritourism would be at the farm until they began offering their well-known attractions.

"I didn't realize the scope of how much that would take off, we had a lot of visitors coming to the farm," Lau said. "So we kind of got into more of the agritourism side of the business where now we're inviting guests into the farm to not only do the entertaining things like the corn mazes and the sunflower mazes, and that kind of stuff, but also to promote our other products that we raise."

This year, the farm is excited to share their annual corn maze in addition to their other fall activities.

"Once they come out of the maze, they like seeing the picture, the design, so having having one professionally done seems to work well for us," Lau said.

While farming is still the main focus of the business, the agritourism gives the farm a chance to reach more people and show them how L&A operates. Lau said he enjoys being able to share that aspect with visitors.

"It gives people a hands on experience to see how the farm is being maintained because you can kind of write any kind of words on a website but this way we have accountability because people can actually come out and see this is how we're raising the animals, what the farm looks like," Lau said. "It gives us some more accountability."

Lau said he is looking forward to the other events the fall season brings.

"I like the pumpkin side of it. The harvesting of the pumpkins after trying to grow them all summer, it's finally nice to see people enjoying getting to pick those and take the pumpkins home," Lau said. "Then with the corn maze, people tell you that it was really challenging or that they had a lot of fun out there. That's always enjoyable."
Q: I am not online and I would like the address to send King Charles a sympathy letter. Since Charles and Camilla have new titles, how do I address them in the letter?

J.P.

Answer: To answer your question, SAM turned to Debretts, an authority on the British aristocracy, society, and modern manners, since 1769.

Begin the letter to King Charles with Dear Sir and end it with Yours faithfully.

For Queen Camilla, begin the letter with Dear Maam and end it with Yours faithfully.

According to Debretts, one doesnt use pronouns when addressing a royal.

The first time you mention the royal, use His Majesty The King or Her Majesty The Queen.

Afterwards use His or Her Majesty or His or Her Royal Highness.

The cards or letters for King Charles III should be sent to:

The Private Secretary to His Majesty The King

Buckingham Palace

London SW1A 1AA

England

Cards or letters for Queen Camilla should be sent to:

The Private Secretary to Her Majesty The Queen

Buckingham Palace

London SW1A 1AA

England

Q: What kind of caterpillar is this? Its one of the biggest Ive ever seen.

L.R.

Answer: Michael Waldvogel, an entomology associate professor emeritus at N.C. State University, took a look at the picture you sent. He said that the angle made it a difficult to see some of the markings, so he consulted Clyde Sorenson, another entomology professor.

Sorenson said that its a lunar caterpillar.

They are in the group called Saturniid moths or giant silk moths. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of sweet-gum, hickory, walnut and a few other tree species, Waldvogel said.

This time of year, when the caterpillars are grown, they will spin cocoons in leaves. When the leaves fall from the trees, the cocoons will stay on the ground in the leaves until the moth appears next spring.

Q: Is the city of Winston-Salem responsible for maintaining Rolling Knoll Lane? There are parts of this street full of potholes and broken pavement making it very rough to drive on. Are there any plans to repair it in the near future?

J.P.

Answer: There are not any plans right now for repaving Rolling Knoll Lane, which is a city street, according to David Avalos with the City of Winston-Salem Department of Transportation.

If a citizen would like to report a pothole for repair they can call Citylink at 311 and the field office will be notified he said.

Saturday shredding

*Fries Memorial Moravian Church, 251 N. Hawthorne Road, Winston-Salem, will have a community shred day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Shamrock Shredding will be shredding documents on-site in the church parking lot. Donations of $5 per file box or bag are requested. Paper only; no plastic or non-paper trash will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit local youth and family ministries.

*Holy Family Catholic Church, 4820 Kinnamon Road, Clemmons, will have a shredding event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the church parking lot. A donation of $5 per bag is suggested and checks may be made payable to the Knights of Columbus. Paper only and no metal other than staples or paper clips.
Forsyth County remains in the high community category for COVID-19, with the two of the three key metrics getting slightly worse over the past week.

For 11 consecutive weeks  as well as 14 of the past 16 weeks  the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has categorized Forsyth levels as high.

The CDC recommends that people who live in counties with the highest levels wear masks in indoor public spaces, as well as on public transportation, regardless of vaccination status.

The COVID-19 community level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

The CDC listed Forsyth with 238 new cases per every 100,000 people, compared with 241 and 247 in the previous two reports.

The rate of new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 was at 16.2, compared with 15 and 17.8 the previous two reports.

Also, 4.6% of staffed inpatient beds are being used by COVID-19 patients, compared with 4.2% and 4.3% the previous weeks.

There was less community risk level shuffling among the other 13 counties in the Triad and Northwest N.C.

Alleghany, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties remained as well in the high-level category.

In the medium categories are Alamance, Ashe, Davidson, Davie, Watauga and Wilkes.

Guilford, Randolph and Rockingham remained as the regions only counties listed as low.

Overall, there are 28 N.C. counties in the high category, compared with 27 and 31 in the previous two reports.

Forsyth health director Joshua Swift and Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious diseases expert with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, have said the high-level designation could be influenced by outside  rather than inside  factors.

Since Forsyth is a health care system hub for northwest North Carolina, the number of hospitalized COVID patients is inflated.

Forsyth updates

Forsyth was reported with an additional death report, according to Wednesdays COVID-19 dashboard update from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Forsyth has reported 871 COVID-19 related deaths since mid-March 2020.

The weekly DHHS dashboard totals are subject to revision. When newly listed cases and deaths are added retroactively to statewide and county totals, they are attributed to the week in which the positive case is determined.

The case count for the week that ended Sept. 10 was 894, down from a revised 929 in the previous DHHS report.

Of the new reported cases, DHHS said 15.8%, or 141, were people who have had COVID-19 previously, but were re-infected with an omicron subvariant, either BA.5 or BA.4.

Since those subvariants became prevalent in mid-May, Forsyth has seen case numbers of approximately 800 to 1,200 per week.

By comparison, the number of weekly cases in Forsyth during April had fallen below 200.

Forsyth has had 112,094 cases since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March 2020.

Swift and Novant Health Inc. infectious diseases expert Dr. David Priest have stressed that the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory-confirmed cases, and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test.

Monkeypox update

The monkeypox case count in Forsyth has climbed from 17 to 19 in the past week involving only men, Swift said Thursday.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are filled with fluid before scabbing over.

Doctors say monkeypox has thus far spread largely among gay and bisexual men and transgender people.

Its important to remember that anyone in any group of people can get monkeypox, which spreads mostly through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, state Health Secretary Kody Kinsley said.

The Forsyth health department is not releasing any information about infected individuals, citing public-health privacy policies.

County public health officials are doing contact tracing to identity close contacts who may benefit from vaccination.

As of noon Thursday, DHHS reported there are at least 446 confirmed cases in North Carolina.

The DHHS dashboard listed Guilford with between 20 and 49 cases, while Alamance and Randolph have between 3 and 19 cases, and Davie, Davidson, Stokes and Surry have one or two cases.

DHHS has Mecklenburg as the only county with more than 100 cases, while Guilford is joined by Durham and Wake counties with between 20 and 49 cases.

Of the 446 statewide cases, all but 10 involve men, of whom 308, or 69%, were Black, and 107, or 24%, were white.

About 54% of cases, or 243 involve those between the ages of 30 to 49, along with: 168, or 38%, between ages 18 and 29, 33: or 7%, ages 50 and older, and 2, or 1%, ages 17 and younger.

Monkeypox vaccine

The free monkeypox vaccine requires two doses, and it takes 14 days after getting the second dose of Jynneos to reach maximum protection.

The vaccine is available for people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox in the past 14 days; men who have sex with men; and transgender individuals who have had multiple partners in the last 14 days in an area where the virus is spreading.

Swift said Forsyth health department has provided 868 vaccine doses as of Thursday.

Also now eligible are gay or bisexual men or transgender individuals who report any of the following in the last 90 days: having multiple sex partners or anonymous sex; being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection; receiving medications to prevent HIV infection.

People who have already been exposed to monkeypox, but do not have symptoms can be vaccinated to prevent illness or lead to milder symptoms if given within 14 days after exposure.

Swift said the Forsyth health department has implemented a temporary pause on providing first doses to most individuals as it awaits new supplies from DHHS.

The department is reserving its available doses to those eligible for a second dose or those with intimate close contact with an infected person.

Health care experts say that monkeypox has not led to significant hospitalizations or deaths. Swift said he is not aware of any hospital patients involving the 19 Forsyth cases.
A Forsyth County prosecutor has dismissed multiple charges against a Walkertown man accused of selling $5 videos of himself engaging in sexual acts with dogs after the man was indicted in federal court, according to court documents.

Timothy Lewis Blackmon, 43, of Cain Forest Drive had been facing a total of 19 counts of felony crime against nature after he was initially arrested by the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office this past March. He had been in the Forsyth County Jail with bond set at $750,000.

But Assistant District Attorney Mark Parent dismissed all those charges on Aug. 22 because Blackmon was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 25 on two charges  one count of possession of child pornography and a second count alleging that Blackmon knowingly sell, market, advertise, exchange, and distribute a video depicting a man engaging in a sexual act with a dog.

Prosecutors will sometimes dismiss charges when a defendant is indicted in federal court.

Tracy Lynn Abbott, a Stokes County woman who was a co-defendant of Blackmon, pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 in Forsyth Superior Court to two counts of crimes against nature. She received a suspended sentence of three months to 13 months in prison and was placed on 18 months of supervised probation.

At her plea hearing, Parent said that Forsyth County Sheriffs deputies 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 dogs. 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 the man and the man performing a sexual act on another dog, the search warrants alleged.

The user displayed a second device in 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 during the hearing that Abbot had cheated on Blackmon and that Blackmon made her perform the sexual act with the dog as a way to make up for the cheating.

Blackmon is accused of selling videos through the Kik messaging application and using CashApp to collect the money.

According to search warrants, the username Blackmon provided for CashApp was $timblackmon197, and 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 officers.

Forsyth County investigator C.R. King said in the search warrant affidavit that he created an undercover Kik account and joined a live broadcast from the users account. The user talked about videos he posted the night before of his pitbull having sex with a woman he had over as well as him having sex with the woman. The woman is not identified.

The user started talking about selling the videos, and King entered into a private chat with the user, who agreed to send the 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 two dogs who were seized from the Blackmons house were placed in protective custody and then were placed with the Forsyth Humane Society.

Blackmon is in the Forsyth County Jail on a federal retainer, according to the sheriffs offices website. He had been sent to state prison on a safekeeping order because he had tried to harm himself by ingesting foreign objects.

A hearing in U.S. District Court has not yet been scheduled.
Winston-Salem police arrested a man in connection with an armed robbery Thursday at a Zaxbys restaurant on Peters Creek Parkway, authorities said.

Officers responded at 5:14 p.m. to a reported robbery at the restaurant at 3179 Peters Creek Parkway, police said. A caller indicated that a suspect left the business in a gray SUV.

When officers arrived, they saw the suspect vehicle leaving the scene and conducted a traffic stop, police said.

Officers found Alexander Manuel Rios, 24, of Old Lexington Road in Davidson County, Michael James Blevins, 38, of N.C. 109 and a juvenile driver inside the vehicle, police said.

Investigators determined that Rios is a former employee at the restaurant, police said.

Rios is accused of entering the business and stealing an undisclosed amount of money from its safe, police said.

After the restaurants employees confronted Rios who was leaving the business, Rios displayed a handgun and walked out, police said.

Rios then entered a gray Ford Excursion, but officers stopped that vehicle a short distance from the restaurant, police said.

The vehicle was stolen from Davidson County, police said.

Police found illegal drugs, a handgun that was used in the robbery and money inside the vehicle, police said.

Rios is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.

Blevins is charged with various drug offenses, police said. A juvenile petition is being sought the against juvenile driver, charging the juvenile with possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.

Anyone with information about this robbery can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County is on Facebook.

The Text-A-Tip program at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system has a message for the 1,000 or so students who havent shown up to class since the school year started on Aug. 29: We want you back.

To get them back, the school district has contracted with a company to help them find and enroll the missing students. The school board approved the $382,000 contract with Teach Tech U last month.

Their efforts have involved knocking on doors, talking to neighbors and property managers, posting flyers and other methods to locate students, most of whom are older students who quit going to school when they turned 16, the states legal dropout age. Theres also a large number of elementary-aged students who are unaccounted-for this year.

Hope Davis, the founder and chief technology officer for Teach Tech U, said that her team is an extra set of hands that will go into neighborhoods and churches on weekends and evenings to find students, talk to them about re-enrolling and offer support throughout the year if they take that step.

What I would ask the community is to keep an eye out for us and our team, Davis said. We will get to know you. We will be available to you. That is one of our hallmarks.

Davis and school district leaders spoke about the effort to re-enroll missing students at a news conference at Glenn High School on Thursday.

There is some urgency to find as many of the missing students as possible by Sept. 23, the 20th day of the school year. Students who have not set foot in a classroom in the first 20 days are counted as dropouts. School districts report that data to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Fredricca Stokes, the assistant superintendent of student services, said that the importance of finding these missing students doesnt lessen after the 20th day of the school year.

At the beginning of the school year, the district had about 3,000 students it considered missing.

Some of these students have not shown up, Stokes said. We are down to about 1,000 students who we are still looking for.

Stokes appealed to the community to get in touch with the school district if they know a student who has moved away or is no longer in school.

She also encouraged students who have dropped out to reach out to see how the school district can help with a return to school. The school district has mental health counselors, social workers and other resources that can help students and their families or connect them with community resources.

A major reason students drop out is to get a job to help their families.

They may feel too timid to talk to their boss about adjusting hours, said Ronda Mays, the director of family engagement for the school district.

Sometimes our students are afraid to ask those questions of their bosses. They think they wont get hours. But sometimes we have to have that conversation or maybe get a different job if you cant get those hours, she said.

At the end of the 2020-21 school year  a year dominated by remote learning  the school district had 5,000 students it considered missing. By the 20th day of the 2021-22 school year, the district had located all but about 530 students.

Once located, students will be assigned a case manager by Teach Tech U who will follow them to make sure they dont become chronically absent, an indicator that a student may be considering dropping out.

Well follow the students throughout the school year, Davis said. If its six, nine, absences, the process starts again.
Nebraska continued to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country in August.

According to the Nebraska Department of Labor, the state's unemployment rate was 2.1% last month, which was up from 2% in July but down from 2.5% in August 2022.

That ranked third nationally for the month. The national unemployment rate in August was 3.7%.

The department reported that there were 1,029,051 filled jobs in August, down 3,238 compared with July, but up 16,336 from a year ago.

The total number of people employed also rose by more than 16,000 from a year ago.

The number of people listed as unemployed rose in August compared with July, but Labor Commissioner John Albin said that was evidence of "an uptick in new entrants in the labor force.

The unemployment rate in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area also was 2.1% in August, down from 2.3% in both July and August of 2022.

Lincoln's count of filled jobs grew by more than 800 from July to August and by more than 2,700 from a year ago. The number of people employed grew by more than 400 month to month and by nearly 3,800 from a year ago.

The Lincoln area did not show an increase in unemployed people from July to August, although unlike the state data, the local data is not seasonally adjusted.
Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles is a show that shares true crime stories through readings of newspaper articles and interviews with the journalists who reported on the stories.

What you're about to hear is the third episode in a four part series, so if you're new here jump back to the first two parts so you're up to speed.

For this set of episodes we'll be traveling to Wilber, Nebraska, where, in November of 2017, 24-year-old Sydney Loofe left work to go on a second date with someone she met on a dating app, and she never came home.

The events that followed centered around Aubrey Trail and Bailey Boswell, who were eventually convicted in the case, and were bizarre in the way they unfolded on social media and in the courtroom.

The Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald covered the story as it broke and navigated the circus-like atmosphere that developed in the courtroom and in conversations with Aubrey Trail.

The articles, which you'll hear read by Matt McGrath and are linked below in full, have been lightly edited to avoid redundancies, are linked below and if you appreciate what we're doing with this program, we encourage you to invest in local journalism and support whichever newspaper serves your community.

Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles, a product of Lee Enterprises, is produced, recorded, edited and hosted by Chris Lay with articles read and recorded by Matt McGrath.
OhGeesy, 8 p.m. Saturday, Bourbon Theatre. Shoreline Mafia rapper OhGeesy got arrested last week in California for a firearms violation and possession of nonprescribed codeine. Hes bonded out and, apparently, is keeping up his tour schedule, including a Lincoln appearance Saturday. The soft-spoken Mexican-American rapper is known for his subtle braggadocio and hard tracks like Appetizer, which was the centerpiece of last years album GEEZYWORLD.

Megalodon, 8 p.m. Saturday, The Royal Grove. Dubstep standout Megalodon has, since 2008, collaborated with Zeds Dead, Skism and 12th Planet, and gained DJ support from Skrillex. The San Francisco-based producer is known for his impressive chopping style and high-energy sets that make him a live-performance fan favorite.

Flobots, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Bourbon Theatre. Its been years since Denver rap-rockers Flobots have been in Lincoln, but theyre back on Wednesday. The six-man outfit, fronted by rappers Brer Rabbit and Jonny 5, who deliver socially conscious, oft political beat-heavy songs, are best know for their 2008 hit Handlebars, which depicts the rise of a facist leader

Beth Lee with Chris Duarte, 5 p.m. Thursday, Zoo Bar. Austins Beth Lee, a musicians daughter, grew up in the Houston music scene and has been playing her blend of soul, country blues and rock n roll since 2008, solo and with her band, The Breakups, which often includes longtime Zoo Bar favorite Chris Duarte on guitar. Thats wholl be at the Zoo on Thursday for a show that isnt officially part of Lincoln Calling but looks like a festival kickoff.
By Trend

'Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran' railway has a great potential, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the expanded meeting of the Heads of State Council of SCO member states, Trend reports.

"I would like to point separately to the priority vectors of economic cooperation - the transit and transport sector, food and energy security. The adoption of the Concept of Cooperation between the SCO countries on the development of effective economic and transport corridors has been a serious achievement in improving logistical interconnectedness," he stated.

According to him, the matter is about the rail transportation in 'China - Europe' direction and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, as well as plans to build a third railway crossing point on the border of Kazakhstan and China.

"I invite SCO partners to use the opportunities that are opening up in this regard. 'Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran' railway has a serious potential, which opens the shortest route from East Asia to the countries of the Persian Gulf. Transit and transport cooperation between Kazakhstan and the states of Central Asia is developing dynamically," Tokayev said.

According to him, Kazakhstan welcomes the implementation of promising projects aimed at ensuring the interconnectedness of the countries of the region.

"Kazakhstan supports efforts to expand transport routes between Central and South Asia, develop the North-South and East-West trans-Eurasian corridors. In general, we are in favor of creating new and modernizing existing multimodal transport corridors and logistics centers," Tokayev said.
Zach Hammack K-12 education reporter Zach Hammack, a 2018 UNL graduate, has always called Lincoln home. He previously worked as a copy editor at the Journal Star and was a reporting intern in 2017. Now, he covers students, teachers and schools as the newspapers K-12 reporter. Follow Zach Hammack Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Take a bow, Silver Hawks.

After reviving its production of Cyndi Lauper's musical "Kinky Boots" for four more performances, Lincoln Southwest's Theater Department raised more than $18,000 for the Trevor Project, the suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth.

That's more than five times the amount the musical raised during its performances last winter.

"It's pretty cool," said Bob Henrichs, the longtime theater director at Southwest.

Last June, students held two benefit performances in Lincoln before hitting the road to take the main stage at the International Thespian Festival in Bloomington, Indiana.

At the benefit concerts, they doubled the initial $3,000 they had raised last winter and raised more money at a Nebraska high school theater festival. But it was at the prestigious high school theater festival in Indiana that they raised even more  $8,000 in two shows.

"It's mainly those kids from the festival who said, 'Yes, we want to support that,'" Henrichs said.

Southwest chose to raise money for the Trevor Project partly because of the LGBTQ themes in "Kinky Boots," which tells the story of a failing shoe factory saved by the ingenuity of drag queens who make high-heeled boots.

But it was also a way to show support to LGBTQ students in Lincoln who've experienced discrimination and hate, Henrichs said.

"They were in need of the message of this show," he said.

The philanthropy also earned Southwest a shoutout from Lauper herself.

So, what's on the playbill this year?

"White Christmas" this winter and "The Beauty and the Beast" in the spring, two of Henrichs' favorite shows. Which is fitting, because this will be his last year at Southwest, where he's served as theater director since the school opened in 2003.

Before that, he was at Lincoln Southeast for two years and at Hastings for eight.

"There's never a good year to retire because there's always great kids coming up," said Henrichs, 55.

The show must go on first, of course.

This week, Southwest's Theater Department is kicking off the year with its annual Cabaret talent show, featuring singing, acting and dance performances.

Thursday was the first night, but there are still two shows left  on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Southwest. You can buy tickets online at showtix4u.com/event-details/66483.

Gausman faces chamber

Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman has had to make plenty of introductions in his first three months on the job.

On Tuesday, it was business leaders that Gausman got acquainted with at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce's "Face The Chamber" luncheon at the Country Club of Lincoln.

His presentation ran the gamut, from personal anecdotes to pedagogical musings with plenty of comedic levity thrown in. Having a good sense of humor is key in his job.

Gausman also gave some potential insight into the sorts of things the district may target in its next strategic plan, from investing in early childhood education and preschool to increasing career- and college-readiness pathways for high school students.

He also pointed to the need for more lesson plan time, saying that in the U.S., teachers use about 20% of their day to plan, while in other countries that figure is more like 50%.

"It's something I think we're going to have to pay attention to," he said.

Asked about the ongoing teacher shortage, Gausman reiterated his view that Lincoln is better positioned than other districts but not immune from staffing challenges.

He said LPS needs to look outward to organizations and agencies that help connect the district with a diverse pool of applicants, while also looking internally to show children the value of a career in education.

"The solution is in our third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms right now," he said.

Now hiring

Speaking of staffing shortages, LPS is still struggling to fill its ranks in classified positions, especially paraeducators.

A district spokesperson said there are roughly 150 classified positions that need to be filled, from bus drivers to nutrition service workers.

LPS will hold its first of two upcoming interview fairs on Sept. 26 to fill those positions.

The fair will take place at the Don Clifton Professional Learning Center at 710 Hill St. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Things you'll need to bring: email address, Social Security number and driver's license, as well as three references and work history. Background checks are also conducted.

Positions open include bus drivers, transportation paras, health technicians, cooks, custodians and more.

LPS will hold another fair Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Culler Middle School.

For more info, go to home.lps.org/hr/fair/.
The U.S. Department of Education designated two elementary schools in Lincoln as National Blue Ribbon Schools on Friday.

Adams and Humann elementary schools are two of five schools in Nebraska to earn the recognition, which is based on a school's overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups.

The other Blue Ribbon schools in Nebraska are: Johnson-Brock Public School in Nemaha County; Westside Elementary in Norfolk and Omaha Skutt High School.

Through focused work and determination these schools have provided excellent learning environments, despite a number of challenges, to help their students strive to be their best," state Education Commissioner Matthew Blomstedt said in a statement.

The national Blue Ribbon program recognizes both public and private schools who have excelled academically  as measured by state assessments or national tests  or by closing achievement gaps.

Up to 420 schools across the U.S. can be nominated nationally. The number of nominations per state is based on student population.

I am so proud of our staff, students and families, Jeff Rust, Adams Elementary principal said in a news release. Our teachers teach with passion, our staff are dedicated to supporting each child, our students learn with confidence and push themselves each day, and our families are there with us every step of the way.

Adams Elementary, which opened in 2008, is near 27th Street and Pine Lake Road.

Principal Jamie Cook, who moved to Humann from Pershing Elementary this year, said she's seen how school staff overcame the challenges of a pandemic to help students reach new heights academically.

"I witness every day our students pushing themselves and each other to be the best they can be," Cook said.

Humann opened in 1990 near 40th Street and Old Cheney Road.

Adams and Humann are the ninth and 10th LPS schools to earn a Blue Ribbon designation in the 39-year history of the award. Most recently, Lux Middle School (2021) and Pyrtle Elementary (2020) received the designation.

The last time two LPS schools were honored in the same year was 1983, when Lincoln East Junior-Senior High School and Lincoln High were recognized.

The principals of each school will travel to Washington in November to accept the award.
A Nebraska State Patrol trooper arrested an Illinois woman after the trooper found 10 pounds of methamphetamine at an Interstate 80 rest area.

Around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the patrol said, a trooper smelled marijuana when talking to the driver of a Hyundai Accent who was stopped at the eastbound I-80 rest area near York.

A search of the car found a small amount of marijuana and 10 pounds of meth. The meth was concealed inside a suitcase in the car's trunk. Troopers also found a handgun in the Hyundai, the patrol said.

The estimated street value of the meth is just under $40,000.

The 31-year-old driver, of Mount Prospect, Illinois, was arrested and taken to the York County Jail.
One person was killed Thursday afternoon when a pair of skydivers conducting a tandem jump crashed to the ground at the Crete Airport.

In a news release, Crete Police Lt. Gary Young said witnesses reported that the skydivers exited an aircraft operated by Skydive Atlas and their parachute fully deployed. "For unknown reasons, the pair did not sufficiently slow their descent as they approached the ground," Young said.

The man who was killed has not been identified. Romulo Suarez, 56, of Crete, was taken to Bryan West Campus with life-threatening injuries. Police described Suarez as a "experienced parachutist."

In tandem jumps, an experienced parachutist instructor typically is paired with a passenger who signs up and undergoes some limited pre-flight training.

SkyDive Atlas offers what its website describes as "the only professional tandem skydiving operation in the state of Nebraska."

Sean Tillery, who owns SkyDive Atlas, offered thoughts to affected families.

"We are very sad and our hearts and thoughts go out to the families," he wrote.

Tillery said the company will cooperate with the Crete Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration in their investigation of the accident.

In a Facebook post, the Crete News reported that Tillery said "a dust devil" may have contributed in the accident. In Lincoln, 30 miles from the Crete Airport, wind gusts of more than 30 mph were reported between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Two weeks after Nebraska's corrections director and fire marshal announced their imminent resignations, Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed interim replacements to lead both agencies after the current directors depart in October.

Diane Sabatka-Rine will replace Scott Frakes leading the Department of Correctional Services and Doug Hohbein will become interim Fire Marshal, replacing Chris Cantrell, the governor's office announced in a news release Friday.

Both incoming directors will serve for the remainder of Ricketts' term, which will officially end in January following November's gubernatorial election.

Sabatka-Rine's appointment represents a promotion for the 40-year veteran of the prisons system. She will take over Oct. 8.

Sabatka-Rine will become the first woman to lead the state's Department of Correctional Services, the history of which dates back to 1856.

A native of Nebraska and graduate of Wayne State College, she had been serving as the department's chief of operations  the second-in-command under Frakes  since 2018. In that role, she supervised the deputy directors overseeing prisons, programs, administrative services and industries within the department, according to the news release.

Sabatka-Rine has previously served as the warden of three corrections facilities, including the Nebraska State Penitentiary, Lincoln Correctional Center and the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center.

Come October, she will replace Frakes, who inherited a minefield of issues when he was tabbed to lead the department in 2015. He spent more than seven years battling overcrowding and high staff turnover, responded to two deadly riots on his watch and worked to secure millions in funding for pay raises and construction.

Sabatka-Rine, in her interim time, will inherit different issues.

An annual report from the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska's Correctional System issued Thursday indicated that chronic staffing shortages and severe overcrowding have both eased, but health care staffing within the department has dipped to critically low levels.

At the fire marshal's office, Hohbein will lead the agency where he has been second-in-command since 2018.

A Lincoln native who has worked in the agency since staring as a deputy fire marshal in Holdrege in 1985, Hohbein has been the Assistant State Fire Marshal for four years.

Hohbein, who earned a degree in fire protection technology from Southeast Community College, will take over for Cantrell on Oct. 15.

Sabatka-Rine will be paid $183,000; Hohbein will make $95,000.
Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday urged Nebraskans to take advantage of millions of dollars of potential property tax relief that remains available to them through a new state income tax credit on local property taxes paid to support public schools and community colleges.

"We're going to pay 30% of your K-12 and community college tax bill," Ricketts said at a news conference called to spotlight the new opportunity for property tax relief that requires taxpayer action.

State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton said "60% of what can be claimed has been claimed" on state tax forms, but many Nebraskans still may not be aware of the new tax relief opportunity.

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee and the catalyst for enactment of 2022 legislation that will deliver an estimated $3.4 billion of tax relief to Nebraskans through the 2027 tax year, hailed the additional property tax relief provision and suggested there is more to come.

"I think we can do more," Linehan said. "Let's see what more we can do."

Linehan noted that additional property tax relief will also be provided when voter-approved casino gambling begins in Nebraska. Seventy percent of the revenue from a 20% tax on gross gambling revenue will be allocated to local property tax relief.

Ricketts said the purpose of the news conference hailing this year's tax relief package, which already had been widely reported, was to spotlight the state income tax credit on local property taxes paid in order to make sure Nebraska taxpayers take advantage of their new opportunity for property tax relief.

That's the largest piece of $12.7 billion in total tax relief that will be provided to Nebraskans by 2027, the governor said. Some $10 billion of that total represents property tax relief.

"It's up to taxpayers to make sure they take advantage of the income tax credit," Ricketts said.

Fulton said taxpayers will still have three years to claim this year's credit.

Linehan praised the governor and a number of her legislative colleagues, specifically including members of the Revenue Committee, for enactment of LB873 earlier this year.

That tax reduction package will deliver comprehensive tax relief to Nebraskans, including a phased-out end to state income taxation of Social Security benefits.
Supporters of a new Catholic elementary school in Grand Island say theyre delighted with the progress of the campaign so far.
Wisconsin has laws that allow a parent to give up custody of a newborn to certain authorities, no questions asked.

The laws are intended to allow newborns whose parents do not want to raise them be cared for.

They are known as safe haven laws and are in place in some form in all 50 states. The Racine Fire Department is aiming to bring public attention to safe haven laws after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade June 24  which could lead to an increase in unwanted pregnancies not being terminated early.

The laws

If the newborn is unharmed and younger than 72 hours old, they can be left anonymously and without fear of prosecution at any designated safe haven site, which include:

Any staffed law enforcement station.

A fire station.

Hospitals.

Many of these facilities have baby boxes where the newborn can be placed securely away from the elements.

The newborn could also be left with:

A police officer.

Any 911 emergency medical staff person.

A hospital staff member.

The parent does not need to provide any identifying information unless the newborn has been harmed, there is someone else forcing the parent to give up the baby or if the baby was born more than three days prior.

Friday

The Racine Fire Department issued a reminder with information regarding the safe haven laws on Friday, although there have been no recent incidents related to safe haven.

Racine Fire Chief Steve Hansen said in an email that Fridays release was issued just a reminder to the community about the laws governing safe haven, in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which effectively made nearly all abortions illegal in Wisconsin.

The fire department also has new signs at each of its stations noting that they are legal Safe Haven locations.

Infant homicide is most likely to occur on the infants day of birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fire department noted.

The National Safe Haven Alliance reports that more than 4,400 babies have been saved due through safe haven laws, compared to 1,567 babies that were illegally abandoned between 1999 and 2020.
1. Yes. All council members should get a good idea of whats at stake for Fort Hoods future.

2. Yes. Sending a large delegation shows the citys commitment to the Army post.

3. No. Its a waste of taxpayer money. Sending a smaller group would be more efficient.

4. No. Harker Heights and Copperas Cove arent sending anyone. The trip is unnecessary.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say what the value is, before knowing how the conference turns out.

Vote

View Results
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani State Border Service has disclosed the list of servicemen martyred while thwarting the Armenian provocation on the state border on September 12, Azernews reports, citing the agency.

On September 12, the units of the State Border Service delivered crushing blows and eliminated the firing points of the Armenian armed forces in order to prevent the enemys large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border in Zangilan District, the agency said.

The enemy was forced to flee after suffering heavy manpower and military equipment losses, it added.

During the prevention of the Armenian armed forces' provocation against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the following military personnel of the border service displayed personal courage and fell as martyrs by fighting valiantly against the enemy:

Captain Farid Mehbali

Senior ensign Azar Mammadov

Senior ensign Nahid Mammadov

Junior ensign Ulvi Nasirov

Junior ensign Farid Rustamov

Junior ensign Elshan Babazada

Senior sergeant Tabriz Rahimov

Senior sergeant Shamistan Sadigov

We offer our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the martyred military personnel, the agency stressed.
Jim Beam plans to ramp up bourbon production at its largest Kentucky distillery to meet growing global demand in a more than $400 million expansion to be powered by renewable energy.

The project will increase capacity by 50% at the Beam plant in Boston, Kentucky, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the same percentage, Beam Suntory said.

The company behind the top-selling bourbon said Wednesday it reached production capacity at the Boston plant, about 36 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky. The expansion will be used to produce two mainstays  Jim Beam white and black label bourbons  and will mostly support expected sales growth overseas, especially in European and Asian markets, said Carlo Coppola, managing director of the Beam brands.

Jim Beam registered mid-single-digit growth globally in the past two years, the company said.

Mixing renewable energy into crafting whiskey, Beam will use a process that produces renewable natural gas to power the plant, the company said.

Beam Suntory said it entered into an agreement with 3 Rivers Energy Partners to build a facility across the street to convert waste from making bourbon into biogas, which will be treated to renewable natural gas standards and piped directly back to the distillery.

Once the project is completed, expected to be in 2024, the distillery will be 65% powered by renewable natural gas and 35% by fossil-based natural gas, the company said.

This expansion will help ensure we meet future demand for our iconic bourbon in a sustainable way that supports the environment and the local community that has helped build and support Jim Beam, said Beam Suntory President and CEO Albert Baladi.

Beam Suntory, whose products include Kentucky-crafted Makers Mark, said last year it wants to cut its companywide greenhouse gas emissions and water usage in half by 2030. The companys more ambitious goal is to remove more carbon than is emitted from its operations and among its supplier base by 2040. The spirits giant also is committed to planting 500,000 trees annually by 2030, with a goal of planting more trees than are used to make barrels to hold its aging whiskeys.

The new project will create 51 more jobs and includes additional storage warehouses. Bourbon ages in new, charred oak barrels, where it acquires its color and flavor, while stored in warehouses. Most bourbons typically age four to eight years before reaching consumers. Beam's continued growth "reflects the strength of our states signature bourbon industry," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Beam also is fully leveraging its capacity at its distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, where it produces Jim Beam, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek and Legent brands. The two Beam distilleries are about 14 miles apart in central Kentucky. At another distillery that opened last year at Clermont, the company produces such small-batch brands as Bookers, Bakers and Little Book.

The company broadly outlined its Boston plant expansion earlier in the summer, but the announcement Wednesday provided details about production and the use of renewable energy.

Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan, isn't the first maker of bourbon to go green. Last year, spirits giant Diageo opened a carbon-neutral distillery of Bulleit bourbon powered by renewable energy in Lebanon, Kentucky.

Beam's expansion at its Boston distillery comes amid continued rapid growth in the state's $9 billion distilling industry. Kentucky distillers are in the midst of a more than $5 billion capital investment campaign that includes expanding production facilities and warehousing to meet the global thirst for Kentucky bourbon, according to the Kentucky Distillers Association. Kentucky is home to 95% of the worlds bourbon production, the association said.
After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows.

On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words "The Storm is Coming." In QAnon lore, the "storm" refers to Trump's final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television.

As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it.

He's published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn't know much about QAnon, he couldn't disprove its conspiracy theory.

Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, "Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"

"If I can help save the world from problems, I'm willing to do it," Trump said.

Trump's recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a "q drop," one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance.

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Even when his posts haven't referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movement's slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios.

Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled "WWG1WGA," an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for "Where we go one, we go all."

Online, Q adherents basked in Trump's attention.

"Yup, haters!" wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. "Trump re-truthed Q memes. And he'll do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!"

"Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots," a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. "He Re-Truthed This for a Reason."

The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group.

"These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal," Bloom told the AP on Thursday. "That's why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus."

On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has "re-truthed" them in their bios.

By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they've been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon's use of language and symbols.

It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about "the storm" as a particularly frightening example.

"The 'storm is coming' is shorthand for something really dark that he's not saying out loud," McIntosh said. "This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability."

Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense.

Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it's a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement.

A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence.

QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election.

Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA.

Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss.

Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. That's forced much of the group's activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump's struggling platform, Truth Social.
CHICAGO (AP)  Two Chicago police officers face felony charges for allegedly shooting and seriously wounding an unarmed man during a July shootout on the citys southwest side that also wounded a second man, authorities said Friday.

Sgt. Christopher Liakopoulos, 43, and Officer Ruben Reynoso, 42, have been charged with one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and official misconduct, said Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Foxx said the officers were relieved of their police powers on Thursday before they turned themselves in to authorities.

Foxx said both officers are being charged with having fired their shots" that wounded an unarmed 23-year-old man  identified separately Friday through a civil court filing as Miguel Medina  on July 22 in the citys Pilsen neighborhood. That man has since recovered and is cooperating with the investigation, she said.

The victim who was shot and injured in this incident was not in possession of a weapon, nor did he fire a weapon at these two officers, Foxx said during a news conference.

After the shooting, police said in a statement that two officers who had observed four people loitering in front of a closed store stopped to investigate and identified themselves as police.

Police said one of the four in the group then displayed a handgun and an exchange of gunfire ensued in which Medina suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to a hospital in serious condition.

Foxx said that based on a review of the evidence, including video surveillance footage, prosecutors believe the officers involved in this incident did not have provocation or justification to shoot the unarmed" Medina.

The evidence does not support the use of deadly force related to the shooting of the unarmed victim, and was not lawful, Foxx said.

Assistant States Attorney Alyssa Janicki said Friday at the officers' bond hearing that a juvenile and Medina initially approached the unmarked police vehicle when questioned by the officers.

The juvenile ran, but Medina showed both hands to the officers as Reynoso and Liakopoulos both pointed their guns out the vehicles passenger window and started shooting. Medina was shot in the back and leg.

The juvenile, who Janicki said had a gun in a satchel across his chest, kept running before turning and firing shots at the officers who shot back. A pedestrian near the juvenile suffered a grazing wound.

The officers were heading to a morning training course and were in plain clothes at the time of the shooting. Neither had on their police body cameras because they were going to training, Janicki said.

Prosecutors later obtained surveillance video from the area.

After the shooting, Foxx said, the two officers made representations to legal authorities, including the Cook County states attorneys office, that was directly contradicted by the videotaped evidence."

Brian Sexton, Reynosos attorney, said during Friday's hearing that his client was focused on the 17-year-old with the gun and never shot in the direction of Medina.

Sexton said that after Reynoso watched a surveillance video of the shooting, he told the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the states attorneys office that he just didnt remember the shooting.

Tim Grace, Liakopoulos attorney, told the judge that the officers were confronted by an armed assailant who points a gun at them and eventually fires at them.

We are supposed to see if the police officers actions were objectively reasonable, Grace said. We dont use 20/20 hindsight. We dont second-guess. We dont slow down video like the states attorney's office does.

Medina filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against Liakopoulos and the city accusing the officer of using excessive force and battery during their interaction and falsely arresting him afterward.

Medina alleges that he and others were walking when the officers drove up in police vehicle and started questioning the group. Medina says he showed his hands and began walking away when Liakopoulos fired shots at him from the vehicle, striking him several times.

Medina was treated at a hospital for his wounds and then held for several hours at a police station, though he was never charged, according to the lawsuit, which doesn't say how much Medina is seeking and requests a jury trial.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting and has a deadline of Sept. 22 to release materials related to the shooting, including videos, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Representatives from the Lake Geneva Business Improvement District have denied a dentists request to have his office removed from the district because of a state statute.

Mark Braden of Braden Dental Center, 101 Broad St., Suite 203, located on the second floor of Geneva Towers, recently requested that his dental office be removed from the Business Improvement District, because he feels he is paying taxes into the district and not receiving any benefits.

Braden presented his request to the Business Improvement District Board during their Aug. 31 meeting.

The Lake Geneva Business Improvement District is a tax-supported business organization, which was established in 1991 to help improve the appearance of the Downtown area. The district also hosts events and community activities throughout the year to help attract people to Downtown Lake Geneva.

People who own property within the the Business Improvement Districts boundaries help fund the district through property taxes. The city collects the taxes and distributed the money to the Business Improvement District.

The Business Improvement Districts boundaries include from Geneva Street to Wrigley Drive and from Cook Street to Wells Street.

No direct benefit

Braden said he has been paying taxes into the district for about 30 years, but does not feel he is receiving any benefits from being in the district. He said the Business Improvement District benefits commercial businesses but not professional businesses- such as his dental office.

Were talking about all these festivals. I didnt hear anything about a Molar Fest, Braden told the Business Improvement District Board members. The only thing youre doing for me is throwing out candy for Christmas. If youre going to keep all us professionals in the BID, I would expect that you use your money to do something that benefits us.

Alexandria Binanti, marketing manager for Visit Lake Geneva, advised the board members, according to state statute, that business improvement districts are not selective-membership organizations, but membership is based on geographic guidelines.

You have to have a lot of processes to eliminate people who have been in the BID, Binanti said. Those are major amendments that would have to change. Whether you feel a value or not, its still geographical.

Deanna Goodwin, vice president of marketing, communications and development for Visit Lake Geneva, said business improvement district boundaries are determined by the municipalities.

The city defines the geographic boundaries, and any property within that district are the ones that pay the taxes, Goodwin said.

Rules determined by state

Spyro Condos, president of the Business Improvement District Board, said he agrees that Bradens dental office and other professional businesses should not be included in the district, but according to state statute membership is based on geographic boundaries, so his business cannot be removed from the Business Improvement District.

Mark knows how I feel about this. I agree with him, but I cant violate state statute, Condos said. To me, its very specific that we cant do anything because thats the definition.

Braden said he would still like to look into whether his business is located in the districts boundaries since his office is located on the second floor of a building.

He said he would still like the district to do more for the professional businesses.

You should do something specific for our group versus the commercial people, Braden said. I dont know what the BID has done to help us out, but if youre going to take our money, we should get some representation for what our money is going to be used for.

Condos said the purpose of the district is to attract people to the Downtown area, not to any specific businesses.

This is an old argument, because the BID people Downtown say, What does the BID do for us, Condos said. The job is not to bring them into the businesses. The job is to bring them to Lake Geneva. Each person, themselves, market their business to bring them in.

Future ideas discussed

Laura Thompson, vice president of the Business Improvement District Board, said the district officials have considered methods for reducing members property taxes during the past few years.

Dimitri Anagnos, Business Improvement District Board member, said the district has reduced expenses during the past few years. He said the district could reduce the number of events that it hosts to help reduce taxes.

Maybe we just privatize all the events and just use the BID to do a little beautification, Anagnos said. So the charge for everyone is a third of what youre paying now and privatize all these events.

Kristina Tarantino, event director for the Business Improvement District, said the district has published a directory on its website, www.streetsoflakegeneva.com, which lists member businesses including professional businesses.

The directory includes the businesses names, addresses, websites and phone numbers.

This is something we have been working on this year, and we budgeted for this, Tarantino said.
A Waukesha County judge should declare that a federal voter registration form is illegal in Wisconsin because it omits questions and disclaimers required by state law, according to a lawsuit a conservative group filed Thursday against the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

The so-called National Voter Mail Registration Form breaks state law by not asking applicants whether they have felony convictions and doesnt state that falsifying information on it is a felony, according to the lawsuit.

Beyond declaring the voter registration application illegal, a voter represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty wants a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge to require the Elections Commission to rescind its approval of the form.

The lawsuit claims the application to register also violates state law because it doesnt ask whether residents have resided in their election district or ward for 28 days.

Failure to comply with statutory requirements around the creation and use of voter registration forms in Wisconsin hinders uniformity and predictability around the administration of elections and increases the risk of error, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit doesnt request any action against people who already registered with the form.

The voter registration form in question is made available by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency. Many states are required to use the application, but Wisconsin is exempt from that requirement because it has same-day voter registration.

The Elections Commission in its election administration manual lists the form as one of several options available to residents seeking to become voters. Wisconsinites can register to vote online, at the polling place, in their clerks office or by mail through the contested form and other registration forms.

A spokesperson for the Elections Commission declined to comment for this story. The spokesperson did not say about how many people have registered to vote using the form.

The lawsuit claims the form illegally omits a space for election officials to accept the form, a space to list the registrants ward and aldermanic district, an area to specify how election officials received the form and a space to record the serial number on the registrants voter identification card.

Before filing the lawsuit, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty attorney Anthony LoCoco asked the Elections Commission to provide information about the form. He requested an explanation in July for why the commission used the form, saying it wasnt required and violated state law. Absent a legally sufficient explanation for why the commission used the form or the withdrawal of its use, LoCoco said he would commence legal action.

The commission didnt respond substantively until Wednesday, according to the lawsuit, and the response didnt answer LoCocos questions, including when the agency approved the form.

A commission attorney responding to LoCoco said Wednesday that the form has been accepted since at least 2000 and that the Government Accountability Board  the commissions predecessor  discussed the form in 2008.

The email acknowledged that this information was not directly responsive to WILLs request, LoCoco said.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

As Azerbaijan marks the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation, the Turkish embassy honors the memory of the soldiers of the Caucasus Islamic Army.

In this regard, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagchi and embassy staff visited the monument to Turkish soldiers in Baku and paid tribute to the memory of Turkish soldiers, who died during the liberation of the city.

"On the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the liberation of Baku, we came here to honor the memory of the heroic soldiers of the Caucasus Islamic Army. The soldiers of the Ottoman army, who fought against the strongest armies on many fronts of the First World War, also fought shoulder to shoulder with their brothers against the invaders - Bolsheviks and Dashnaks, who gave their lives for the independence of Azerbaijan," Bagci said.

He recalled that the Turkish soldiers fought heroically under Mustafa Kemal Ataturks motto: ??"The joy of Azerbaijan is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow. They are the architects of indestructible relations of brotherhood between Turkiye and Azerbaijan".

The ambassador added that the equality and brotherhood of both countries are built on such solid foundations.

Their sacrifice became a source of inspiration in the liberation of Karabakh, which was under Armenian occupation for almost 30 years. We respectfully honor the memory of all Azerbaijani heroes and martyrs. May their souls rest in peace!" the ambassador noted.

Quoting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs words, Bagchi stressed that the 'Iron Fist' is in place.

Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu congratulated the people of the two nations on the historic liberation.

"We extend our congratulations on the 104th anniversary of Baku's liberation from occupation and honor the memory of our heroic martyrs. Turkiye and Azerbaijan have always been one voice and one heart," the minister wrote on Twitter.

The Caucasus Islamic Army led by Turkish commander Nuru Pasha together with the newly-formed Azerbaijani National Army and volunteers liberated Baku from the Armenian and Bolshevik occupation on September 15 in 1918.

Approximately 8,000 Turkish soldiers and up to 7,000 Azerbaijani local forces were involved in a decisive offensive to free Baku.

News about the liberation of Baku was published in the first issue of Azerbaijan on September 5 in Ganja: "Telegram of the commander of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus led by Nuru Pasha to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: "Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim! At 0900 on September 15, 1918, the city of Baku was liberated by units of our heroic army."

Following the liberation, Baku was declared the capital of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, which became the first democratic republic in the Muslim East.

In all, 1,132 fighters of the Caucasus Islamic Army were martyred during the liberation of Baku.

The liberation of Baku - is an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood. Despite the fact that for 70 years of Soviet power this event was purposefully presented in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers.
Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow Will Be Forced To Respond, Should U.S. Supply Longer-Range Missiles to Kiev

Sept. 15, 2022 (EIRNS)Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova delivered a chilling warning from the Russian government to Washingtons arrogant hotheads, in her weekly press briefing today, according to TASS. The transcript of her response (in Russian) to a question on the Wall Street Journal coverage, is so far only posted to the Russian page of the ministrys website.

TASS quoted her saying:

Should Washington decide to supply longer-range missiles to Kiev, by doing so it will cross a red line and become a direct party to the conflict. Under such a scenario, we will be forced to respond appropriately. We reserve the right to defend our territory by all available means. Possible supplies of missiles to the Kiev regime are identical to a situation in which European countries might host U.S.-made ground-launched missiles, previously banned under the treaty on intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, capable of hitting targets on Russian territory. This is a situation in which we will be forced to respond adequately. I think this is obvious.

Russias Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov had conveyed the same message yesterday, in an interview with Russias RIA Novosti:

Of particular concern is the fact that Ukraine has for many months been soliciting the supply of ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, which are designed to strike targets at a distance of up to 300 km. If Kiev receives such weapons, large Russian cities, as well as industrial and transport infrastructure facilities, will fall into the area of possible destruction.... See how many swastikas and Nazi symbols are on Ukrainian military equipment.... [I]f these warriors have long-range American missiles, they will use them without hesitation in our country. Such a scenario would mean direct involvement of the United States in a military confrontation with Russia.

Let no one shrug off these statements. Russian officials have taken due public note for months that U.S. (and NATO and U.K.) officials are, in fact, running Ukraines war against Russian forces. These warnings, direct and concrete, are of a different character. No official response has yet been heard from the United States. Zakharovas statement is, however, at least being reported by the media.
Putin and Xi Highlight the Russia-China Model for Countries To Rally Around

Sept. 15, 2022 (EIRNS)Chinas President Xi Jinping and Russias President Vladimir Putin met for the first time since their historic February 4, 2022 agreement, signed at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. They enjoyed a prolonged bilateral session in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) annual leaders summit. Desperate geopoliticians, looking for weaknesses in the relationship to play upon, did not have a good day.

After their session, the two appeared together, and Putin opened his comments by excoriating Washingtons reckless provocations over Taiwan: We firmly adhere to the One China principle in practice. We condemn the provocations of the United States and its satellites in the Taiwan Strait. And, in general, the Wests attempts to create a unipolar world have acquired in recent times an absolutely ugly configuration and they are absolutely unacceptable for the overwhelming majority of states on this planet.

Hence, it is critical that

The Russian-Chinese interstate interaction can be regarded as a model. The foreign policy tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability. Together, we support building a just, democratic and multipolar world order based on international rules and the central role of the United Nations, not on certain rules that someone has invented and is attempting to impose on others without even explaining what it is all about.

In particular, it was especially important at the current historical stage

to ensure an all-round strengthening of the SCO as a platform for constructive and productive interaction. The SCO includes countries with different cultural and civilizational traditions, foreign policy goals and national development models. However, building our work on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, respecting each other's sovereignty, and refraining from interfering in internal affairs made it possible for us to make this organization an effective mechanism for multilateral cooperation.

President Xi was likewise enthusiastic, as he was quoted by the Kremlin website: Mr. President, my dear old friend, I am happy to see you again.

In February, we took pleasure in the joint celebration of the beginning of spring and the opening of the Winter Olympics, as well as our discussion of the ambitious plans to expand Sino-Russian relations. Amid the pandemic, we continue to maintain effective strategic contacts, in particular, by way of telephone calls. In the face of ongoing formidable global changes that have never been seen in history, we are ready to work with our Russian colleagues to set an example of what a responsible global power is and assume leadership in order to bring the rapidly changing world onto a path of sustainable and positive development. I would like to take this opportunity and say that I am prepared to exchange views with you on the bilateral agenda, as well as on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

RT also noted Xis assurance: China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil.
Some American businesses have stopped selling lobster because of concerns that fishing methods could harm endangered whales. Several food companies announced they had removed lobster offerings to the public.

The removals came after a conservation group said it had added the American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its red list. It is a list of species to avoid when buying seafood. The organization that makes the list is called Seafood Watch. It is based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in northern California.

Seafood Watch said in a new report that the fishing industry is a danger to North Atlantic right whales. The whales can suffer injury or death when they become trapped in equipment that connects lobster traps to the ocean floor.

The organizations report said that current management measures do not go far enough to prevent such risks and to support efforts to save the whale species.

Thousands of businesses use Seafood Watch's guidelines to make buying decisions. Many have already promised to avoid any products that appear on the red list. A spokesperson for Blue Apron, a New York-based food seller, said the company had already stopped offering a seasonal lobster box before the report came out. The company said all the seafood it currently uses follows Seafood Watch's guidelines.

German meal kit seller HelloFresh also promised shortly after the announcement to stop selling lobster. In a statement, a spokesperson said the company is committed to following the Seafood Watch guidelines.

Seafood Watch rates more than 2,000 seafood products as best choice, good alternative and avoid. The ratings are based on how sustainably the products are harvested or fished.

The organization's guidelines have been influential in the past. It red-listed shrimp fishing operations in the southern state of Louisiana. That action led to increased conservation efforts to better protect sea turtles. The fishery was later removed from the red list.

The lobster fishing industry has been under pressure from Seafood Watch in recent years because of the threat of entanglement in fishing equipment. Experts say there are fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales. Entanglement is one of the two biggest threats they face, scientists and conservation groups say. Another threat is the danger of crashes with ships.

The population of the giant animals was greatly harmed by intensive whaling generations ago. Whale numbers have also decreased in recent years.

Members of the lobster fishing industry disagreed with the Seafood Watch rating. The director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Patrice McCarron, told The Associated Press that no interaction between the lobster industry and right whales had been recorded in the northeastern state in nearly 20 years.

Lobster is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardship practices handed down through generations of lobstermen, McCarron said. She added that this has included strong protections for both the lobster resource and right whales.

American and Canadian lobster fishermen target the same species, the American lobster. This species is popular as live seafood and is also used in processed products such as lobster rolls and lobster ravioli.

A large majority of the world's American lobster is harvested in New England and eastern Canada. The sea creatures are important parts of the economy and the cultural history of those areas.



Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_____________________________________________

Words in This Story

conservation  n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

species  n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

manage  v. to do something or deal with something successfully

kit n. a group of parts that can be put together to make something

alternative  n. one of two or more things that you can choose between

sustainable  adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources

entangle  v. cause to become twisted together

stewardship  n. the way in which a person controls or organizes something



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Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia met Thursday in Uzbekistan. The two leaders are in the country to attend a meeting of eight Asian leaders.

The trip was Xis first since the COVID-19 crisis began in early 2020. Many Chinese are not able to travel because of the countrys zero-COVID policy.

Xi called Putin my old friend as the two men met.

For Putin, the trip comes just days after the Russian army lost wide territory in northeastern Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in late February and the war has caused economic problems throughout the world.

Putin thanked Xi for Chinas position on the conflict, calling it balanced.

But, the Russian leader also spoke of Chinese concerns about the war. He promised to offer, in his words a detailed explanation of Russias position on Ukraine during the meeting.

China and Russia are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO. The other members in the security alliance are India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The group is meeting as fighting in Ukraine reaches its ninth month, fighting renews in Asia between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and tension is high between the U.S. and China after American officials visited Taiwan in August.

The SCO was formed in 2001, partly to answer to the powerful international influence of the United States.

Putin spoke about this influence at the start of his separate meeting with Xi.

He called the effort by the U.S. and its allies to continue their influence around the world ugly and their ideas unacceptable for the vast majority of countries on the globe. Xi said Russia and China want to set an example of responsible world power and play a leading part in a quickly changing world.

During the SCO meeting, China, Russia and Mongolia discussed a pipeline that would send oil from Russia to China.

Russia has supported China in its efforts to influence nations in southeast Asia and pressure Taiwan. Putin said Russia condemned the provocations of the U.S.

Putin also met with leaders from Iran and other nations of the SCO. He will meet with Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.

It is not clear if Xi will speak with Modi of India. The two nations are disputing territory along their borders in the Himalaya mountains.

Other subjects likely to be discussed at the meeting include a global security effort proposed by China as a way to answer a group called the quad, which includes the U.S., Japan, Australia and India.

While Russia and China are working together on some issues, there may still be some tension. One concern for Russia is Chinas growing influence in central Asia. In the past, Russia has been the most influential in that area, which includes countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. China is working to build railways and other trade paths in the area.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.

______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

alliance n. a relationship between people or groups who decide to work together

ugly adj. not attractive; unpleasant

vast adj. great in size or amount

globe n. the earth

provoke v. to cause something to happen; to cause someone to get angry

We want to hear from you. Do you think China and Russia will continue to strengthen their friendship?

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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.

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By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The second Grape and Wine Festival has been postponed amid the death of Azerbaijani servicemen, who became martyrs while preventing another Armenian provocation, Azernews reports.

Some 77 Azerbaijani servicemen had been killed during clashes.

As a mark of respect for the memory of the martyrs, the festival organizers decided to suspend all preparations for the festival.

The 2nd Grape and Wine Festival was to take place in Samaxi on October 1-2.

The project is aimed at promoting viticulture traditions in Azerbaijan, fostering the development of local grape and wine production, boosting wine products export potential, and diversifying tourism opportunities.

The festival program includes grape harvesting and winemaking, enlightening events related to the country's tourism potential, as well as concerts and shows.

The event is co-organized with the support of the State Tourism Agency, the Shamakhi District Executive Authority, and the Regional Development Public Union.
CHICAGO  There is often comfort to be had in the familiar. You can wear that old sweater. Grab a stool at your cozy corner tavern. Order the usual at your favorite restaurant. Call a friend from high school. Or you can pick up a book with the name Scott Turow on the cover. You can do that now, as his latest novel is formally released and sits in piles at your neighborhood bookstore. Piles, ...
Sunday will see the beginning of the much-awaited tripartite meeting between government, employers' representatives, and unions.

Government and employers' representatives spent two and half hours on Thursday in a bipartite meeting to prepare the upcoming tripartite session with unions on Sunday. Reason for the lengthy debate was a thorough discussion of Luxembourg's economy.

Representatives from the different sectors and officials from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) presented their economic analyses. According to Michel Reckinger, president of Luxembourg Employers Association (UEL), both sides are aligned in their estimations that Luxembourg is facing some tough times.

In light of elevated energy prices and the respective implications on construction and industry, UEL strongly advocates for more complex support measures to be put in place over the next 18 months rather than just focusing on the index cut.

Reckinger noted: "It is very clear that we will have to do something substantial to help households and businesses that are struggling to cope. ... But let us first agree on what everyone needs to weather the storm, then we can calculate how much it costs and how to finance it."

Unions present united front

While the UEL president painted a rather bleak picture after the meeting, the country's three major unions expressed unity in face of the crisis.

Nora Back, president of the Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation (OGBL) stated: "The three national representative unions will enter negotiations in unity, we prepared together and will jointly conduct negotiations."

Patrick Dury, president of the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB), noted: "The unions are aligned and we will enter tripartite negotiations united."

Romain Wolff, president of the Civil Service Union (CGFP), stressed the same sentiment: "We will enter negotiations together, jointly, united."



None of the union presidents were willing to convey more insights after the meeting on Wednesday. They explained that they first have to revise the STATEC numbers.

Message of unity from Luxembourg's three major unions (in Luxembourgish)
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Pirates of the Sky performing at Forest Festival

JOEL ANDREWS/The Lufkin Daily News Edwin Perea shows off the bike he performs aerial stunts on as a part of Pirates of the Sky, performing each day of the Texas State Forest Festival at the George H. Henderson Jr. Exposition Center.

Pirates are invading the sky this year at the Texas State Forest Festival.

Pirates of the Sky by The Nerveless Nocks, an aerial act, is performing through Sunday at the George H. Henderson Jr. Expo Center.

Their acts include globe of death, in which the performers ride around on motorcycles, and the high tower act.

Edwin Perea, who plays the good pirate, said his favorite stunt is the motorcycles.

Going in there, its amazing, he said. An adrenaline rush.

There are four people in the act  two of whom are Edwins mom and dad  plus two more to help with lighting, etc. Edwin said they were all born into the circus.

We started when we were very little, he said.

He said there is a lot of practice and training that goes into the acts.

With the motorcycles, its just riding them outside, getting familiar with it and just slowly work your way up the steps in there, he said. And then with the aerial acts, its the same thing. You just start low, doing some things, and then the more comfortable you get, the more comfortable you are doing stuff higher in the air.

He hopes their performance shows people something they have never seen before and said his favorite thing is making people happy.

Just seeing their reactions and everything like that, he said. Its priceless.

The show also includes a little acting, including a bit of the Jack Sparrow running, Edwin said.

After Sunday, they will be done with the pirate show and will return to normal circus costumes.

Edwins mother Vania, who makes her own costumes, said they miss the other outfits, which are more colorful and have different designs.

Now its good, too, but its just pirates, she said. Its not much you can do. But they get excited, too, looking for something really nice and surprising people.

Edwin said the biggest lesson hes learned is getting back up after they fall.

Cause you fall a lot, he said.

Edwin said they try not to think about falling too much.

Just cause you get scared of it, something might happen, he said.

Vania said the public is what keeps them from getting nervous or scared, because they get so excited to see the show and you forget everything in a minute.

And the people get excited or happy or whatever, its the best part, she said.

Vanias favorite act is the globe.

Edwin said they ride in the globe faster than most daredevils. Most people ride about 12 mph, but their group rides about 20 mph.

It makes it more interesting, and the people scream louder, he said.

Vania said the adrenaline is higher, eliciting screams from the excited audience.

We get more excited as they get excited, Edwin said.

The group is originally from Florida, but Edwin said it has traveled everywhere in the United States.

Once youre in the circus, once youre sitting in one spot, its very boring, he said. You want to keep going out.

They get tired of being in the same town after two or three months, Vania said.

She said it was hard when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

All we do is the circus things, so we have to start like normal lives, she said. But we do miss the show, the people. The people, like, love (to) ask you questions about the show and whatever you do, so we miss that.

The group said anyone who wants to do what they do can attend circus school.

On the serious stuff, you kinda need a coach, like someone that knows how to do it to start teaching you how to do it, Edwin said. But like the chairs or stuff, like, normally you can go to circus school. They teach very well there.

Vania said those interested can attend gymnastics school, as well.

But first thing you mainly need is just the style, basically, Edwin said. Just being smooth.

The festival gates open at 5 p.m. today, 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. The Pirates of the Sky performances are at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. today; noon, 3, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday; and noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday. General admission tickets to the festival are $8.
JERUSALEM (AP)  A bloc of Arab parties has split ahead of Israel's fifth elections in less than four years, a move that could dilute the minority's political influence and aid former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power.

The nationalist Balad party said late Thursday it will run separately from the other two parties in the Joint List in the November vote. If it does not meet the minimum threshold, Balad would not enter the next parliament and its votes would essentially be wasted.

The disunity could also dampen overall turnout among Israel's Arab minority, which accounts for 20% of the population.

We really wanted to be here as the Joint List, as we were a year ago," said Ahmad Tibi, a senior member of the bloc, which now includes just two parties. It didnt work out, and thats a shame."

It is a big challenge for all of us, to increase the voter turnout, he added.

Arab parties have helped block Netanyahu from returning to power in recent elections, and in 2020 a combined list of four parties had their best showing yet, winning 15 seats in the 120-member Knesset and emerging as the third largest bloc in the assembly.

Last year, the Islamist Ra'am party broke from the Joint List. It only won four seats, but went on to make history by joining the governing coalition, a first for any Arab faction. Without Ra'am, the Joint List won just six seats in last year's election.

Israel's Arab citizens have close familial ties to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and largely identify with their cause, leading them to be viewed with suspicion by many Jewish Israelis. Arab citizens have made major gains in recent decades, in medicine and other fields, but still face widespread discrimination.

The Nov. 1 elections, like the last four, are expected to be a hard-fought race between former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, and a constellation of parties from across the political spectrum that believe he is unfit to rule.

Israeli elections are contests among multiple political parties, none of which has ever won an outright majority. Would-be prime ministers must assemble coalitions with at least 61 seats in Knesset.

The fracturing of the Joint List would appear to benefit Netanyahu by diluting the influence of his most strident opponents. Netanyahu has long branded Arab leaders as a fifth column, drawing allegations of racism, though he sought Ra'am's support after last year's hard-fought election.

Without the hard-line Balad, the other two parties might be more open to joining a coalition led by the current caretaker prime minister, Yair Lapid, a center-left politician and Netanyahu's main opponent. It's unclear, however, whether Lapid's potential right-wing allies would accept such an alliance.

Asked whether the smaller Joint List would support Lapid as prime minister, Tibi said the issue of recommendations is for later."

Im not even sure well reach that point, he added.

Recent polling predicts a close-fought race between Netanyahu and Lapid, with each political camp struggling to assemble a majority. If both fail, the country would go to elections yet again.
Handfuls of sweet and savory goodness have been putting a smile on the faces of a local shops customers for the past decade.

Chippys Popcorn Creations is celebrating its 10th anniversary at its retail store at 507 Madison St., Beaver Dam. In addition, owners Scott and Linda Chipman are marking their 20th year in the kettle corn business.

The Chipmans said although the time has passed quickly since they first began popping kernels in 2002, the hours they pour into the small business are too many to count.

Its all day, every day, said Scott.

The culinary-trained couple were living in North Carolina and looking for a career change when they were introduced to kettle corn (popcorn sweetened with sugar). Upon tasting the snack for the first time, they ate every last bite of a large sack of the product and decided to take a chance selling it at markets and festivals.

The kettle corn business had its ups and downs in the beginning, and the couple found Midwesterners were more receptive to their flavored popcorn. The Chipmans were drawn to the Beaver Dam area to be near family and purchased a former laundromat on Madison Street initially to house its mobile operation. They worked on recipes and turned it into a gourmet popcorn retail establishment in 2012, offering more than 40 specialty varieties of popcorn.

The Chipmans produce seasonal selections, as well, and guessed that theyve probably made more than 100 varieties of their tasty treats.

Our most popular one here is the Beaver Dam Blend, which is made of Mrs. Chippys caramel corn blended with Wisconsin white cheddar and Chicago-style cheddar.

If you go What: Chippys Pop-In Anniversary Celebration When: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday Where: Chippys Popcorn Creations, 507 Madison St., Beaver Dam

Linda said she still feels passionate about their choice of location for the business.

Were supposed to be planted right here in this community, she said. This part of town has really gotten the shaft for a long time. We are intended to be here to be a voice and steward for this side of town.

Her care and concern for the neighborhood has resulted in her forming a partnership with Laura Goral, manager of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 1022 Madison Street, to introduce the Mad Street Art Initiative.

The pair are hoping to connect communities by adding urban art murals to beautify the area, with a goal of promoting diversity and sharing cultures. A single mural costs approximately $10,000, and they are currently 20% funded.

In celebrating our two business anniversaries, we wanted to highlight and gather more attention to our cause, said Linda.

Chippys Popcorn Creations held a combination party/fundraiser for Beaver Dam Area Chamber Members and the business community Wednesday night, and its community celebration runs Thursday through Saturday.

We invite everyone to POP in for our Anniversary Celebration Days, said Linda. There will be lots of giveaways and fun surprises.

In the spirit of the Chipmans service to their Madison Street neighborhood, a portion of their sales will be earmarked for the Mad Street Art Initiative. Donations will also be accepted.
Madison and Middleton police are seeking to identify and arrest a man who has stolen more than $2,300 in merchandise in recent weeks from Walgreens stores across the West Side of Madison and Middleton.

The man, who is pictured in the photo from surveillance video that accompanies this story, has filled numerous bags with high dollar-value merchandise from the stores and left without paying, Madison police spokesperson Hunter Lisko said in a statement.

The stolen items include Rogaine, teeth whitening strips, over-the-counter allergy medications, and more, Lisko said.

Police ask that anyone with information on the incident contact them at 608-255-2345. Tipsters may remain anonymous by contacting Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or P3Tips.com. Individuals contacting Crime Stoppers can receive a reward of up to $1,000 for tips that lead to an arrest.
An increasing resident population and inadequate staffing at Wisconsins juvenile correctional facilities in northern Wisconsin continue to have a profound impact on daily operations, a court-appointed monitor wrote in her latest assessment of conditions at the schools.

It was the second report in a row in which the monitor, Teresa Abreau, appointed to assess compliance with court orders and make an ongoing assessment of conditions at Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma, found that the facilities are understaffed.

For the second time, the Monitor observed firsthand the lack of available staff at LHS/CLS, the report states. LHS/CLS was in a staffing crisis during this reporting period. Staff vacancies and leaves continue to be high during this reporting period at LHS/CLS and across (the state Department of Corrections.)

DOC, in a statement, highlighted the recent addition of five teachers and three youth counselors, and the graduations of seven counselors from the state Division of Juvenile Corrections Academy. DOC has also expanded efforts to recruit staff, the agency said.

The monitors report, the 14th since 2019, was filed Sept. 9 in U.S. District Court in Madison as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Wisconsin, the Juvenile Law Center and Quarles & Brady law firm that highlighted dangerous conditions and abuse faced by teens at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.

The report covers a period between April and the end of July.

The schools are slated to be closed and replaced by a facility in Milwaukee County under a bill signed into law in April by Gov. Tony Evers. Last month, the Milwaukee Common Council gave initial approval to a site for the facility on the citys north side. The city must still approve zoning changes, and the state will conduct an environmental impact study. The monitors report notes that while the new facility will be an improvement, its still years away.

In the meantime, inadequate staffing levels in the living units present very significant problems for youth and staff, states the report. The current staffing situation is having a profound negative impact on daily operations.

Stuck in rooms

Daily schedules were adjusted to keep the ratio of staff to youth at an effective level, but that led to more youths being confined to their rooms due to staffing levels, not because of behavior problems. Its also resulted in changes to educational settings and overall programming, along with reduced recreation and increased idle time, the monitor said.

The confinements are not ideal, the monitors report concluded, but given the staffing crisis during this reporting period, it does appear to be necessary in many instances.

Still, the ACLU of Wisconsin and Juvenile Law Center said in a statement they are deeply concerned about the room confinements.

This type of prolonged room confinement is at the heart of our original lawsuit against the facilities and cannot reoccur, Kate Burdick, senior attorney at JLC, wrote in a joint statement for JLC and the ACLU. As we know, because their emotional, social and behavioral development is incomplete, confining youth alone in a room can exacerbate pre-existing mental health disorders, causing trauma, depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide and self-harm.

Burdick wrote that its expected the situation will abate this fall as staff vacations end and more staff are hired.

We believe the facility staff are working hard to remedy this issue, and we will continue to closely monitor conditions at both facilities and hope to see dramatic improvements by the October site visit, Burdick wrote.

Hopeful outlook

In a statement, DOC, which operates the facilities, said the report reflects improved youth attitudes, a positive and engaged staff, and an increase in hires that led to August data showing significantly reduced use of operational room confinement, increased recreation time and more education activities taking place in the school building.

It has certainly been difficult on the youth in our care and a challenge for our staff, DOC Secretary Kevin Carr said in the statement. Thankfully, weve been able to ease the burden a bit with recent hires and we have more staff reinforcements on the way.

While the teacher vacancy rate at the schools is lower than in the previous reporting period, the monitor wrote, the vacancy rate for social workers is very high at 75%. Nine of 12 social worker positions were vacant.

This is a critical role that should be made a recruiting priority, the report states. Recruiting in general is still a challenge due to the location of LHS/CLS, uncertainty as to when/if LHS/CLS will close, and for educators, the year-round school calendar and thus, hiring needs to continue.

The population at the schools remained high, reaching 85 inmates in mid-August after a steady climb during the period from April through July. As of Sept. 9, the combined population at the two schools was 83 inmates, according to DOC.

Despite these challenges, leadership, and staff at LHS/CLS continued to remain positive during the site visit and committed to improving conditions of confinement for youth and staff, the monitor wrote.
A man shot and killed by an Adams County sheriffs deputy earlier this month was wanted on felony warrants and brandished a firearm before being shot, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said Thursday.

Bryon Childers, 61, was shot at about 7 p.m. Sept. 6 after Deputy Jacob Bean was dispatched to a call about a person walking along Cumberland Avenue in the town of Strongs Prairie. DOJ said in a news release that Bean discovered Childers was wanted on the warrants, Childers brandished a firearm, and Bean shot him. Childers died at the scene.

Authorities had not previously released the deputys or the dead mans names. DOJ said Bean has been with the Sheriffs Office for six years.

A firearm was recovered at the scene, and Bean was equipped with a body-worn camera, DOJ said. Bean has been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the incident.

Childers has a criminal record in Wisconsin dating back to 2016, according to online court records, and at the time of his death had pending cases for violation of the states sex offender registry, third-offense intoxicated driving and battery, among others.
Madison School District aides, food-service workers, and clerical and security staff would get a $5-an-hour pay bump under a plan pushed by the districts lowest-paid workers and some School Board members that would also leave the district with a projected $7 million structural deficit.

Superintendent Carlton Jenkins recommended the increase in a Thursday memo and the board is scheduled to discuss it Monday. The board already approved a $2 bump last month, and Jenkins proposal would add an additional $3. Raises would go into effect in late October if the board agrees to the plan later this month, and the starting pay rate for educational assistants would increase to more than $21 an hour.

The district would use reserves of about $4.6 million and about $2.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to pay for the raises, but continuing them beyond this school year would require what Jenkins called a strategic budgetary alignment to deal with the structural deficit they would create. Part of that alignment would include repurposing or eliminating 100 open positions, Jenkins said in his memo.

The district has in the past emphasized the importance of not using one-time funds, such as COVID-19 relief money, to plug recurring budget needs because doing so creates a looming fiscal cliff, and officials have bemoaned the Republican-controlled Legislatures decision to include no increase to revenue limits in the current state budget.

Republicans have argued that Wisconsin schools will be getting $2.3 billion from a separate pot of federal COVID relief aid, known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds. Madison is anticipating its share will be roughly $66.7 million.

While the School Board on Aug. 29 approved the $2-per-hour increase on a 6-1 vote, members were conflicted on whether it was feasible to provide the full $5 increase the Madison teachers union, Madison Teachers Inc., has sought.

No one had responded to a request for comment on the proposal sent to the boards email address.

Richard McGregory, district senior executive of staff, responded to the board and Jenkins and other staff that the administration will not be responding to this inquiry because the board has not voted yet.

In July, the board approved a 3% base wage increase for all staff for the coming school year, two-thirds of what was sought by MTI for teachers at the start of negotiations. Teachers also get automatic raises for seniority and degree-attainment on top of that.
The Madison School District quietly rolled out a policy Thursday that prohibited parents and others outside school buildings from sending email to elementary and middle school students, but then reversed course after the Wisconsin State Journal began asking questions about it.

The change was to officially go into effect Friday, but some parents who sent emails to students Thursday found their messages bouncing back. It was to start two weeks into a school year in which a number of schools are for the first time formally prohibiting students from using cellphones in class or while school is in session.

The new email policy was buried at the bottom of an Aug. 30 online newsletter under the heading, Tech Service UpdatesWhat You Need to Know for the 2022-23 School Year, but district spokesperson Tim LeMonds said it was also shared with principals as part of an administrative bulletin and that principals were free to share the policy with students families.

It said that students in 4K through eighth grade would no longer be able to send or receive emails or file-sharing requests from individuals outside of (the Madison School District) domain (@madison.k12.wi.us) or their respective buildings.

The welcome back digital newsletter was emailed to district families on Sept. 2.

In an email Thursday, LeMonds said the policy has been paused.

The district is committed to providing safe communication systems which promote respectful digital citizenship environments for all of our scholars and families, the email said. In consideration of this commitment, (the district) has paused and lifted its recently incorporated safety protocol of restricting external emails to 4K-8 students to allow for broader conversations on the topic and further consideration.

Before this school year, district technical services implemented the practice to strengthen student safety and to protect sensitive and confidential student data, the email said.

It said that school districts around the country have been adopting similar protocols over concerns of student access to gmail accounts and to strengthen their defense against outside parties gaining access to student information.

We look forward to providing you additional information on this and all future student safety protocols in the upcoming months, the email said.

When the protocol was in place, all external emails were restricted for K-8 students.

High school students were never part of the aborted policy. The only change impacting students in grades 9-12 is the ability to email students in grades 4k-8, the newsletter said.

East and La Follette high schools and OKeeffe Middle School are among those that have cracked down on student use of cellphones. The district has not provided a complete list of the schools that have changed their policies and in what ways.

Melissa Salisbury said she occasionally emails her daughter, a sixth-grader at Toki Middle School, to check in or send encouragement.

Salisbury supports the schools new policy limiting cellphone use during the school day and understands the need to limit spam and other unwanted messages, but said cutting off parents ability to email their children went too far.

I want my kid focused on academics and in-person relationships and positive socialization  off of screens, she said. Also, we live in a society where scary things happen in schools. We want to have some way to communicate.

Salisbury called the districts communication of the policy change infuriating.

Just be transparent, she said. Make sure people are aware of that so we can preview that with our kids and have that understanding. It just causes all these little unnecessary hiccups in our lives.

State Journal reporter Chris Hubbuch contributed to this report.
KIMBERLY  Law enforcement officers pursued several possibly armed suspects Thursday afternoon before the suspects ducked into a cornfield at U.S. Highway 30 and 3500 North, known as Red Cap Corner.

Police apprehended some of the suspects and, with the help of drones, continued to look for one other Thursday evening.

Police are still looking for a man believed to be Jeff Day. Day is 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs between 160 and 180 pounds, according to the Kimberly-Hansen Police Department.

Kimberly Police Department, Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office and the Idaho State Police responded to the scene.

Sheriffs Office spokesperson Lori Stewart said the offices SWAT team assisted in the search. Stewart declined to comment further.

The Times-News could not confirm whether Thursdays pursuit was related to the earlier lockdown at Kimberly School District. Parents of students who lived in the area were being asked to take their children home.
TODAYS WORD is audiobook. Example: She downloaded three books to her phone last week to have ready for her drive to Nevada.

THURSDAYS WORD was unabridged. It means (of a text) not cut nor shortened; complete. Example: It was one thing to pay the cost of the unabridged dictionary, but another altogether to pay its delivery fee.

THURSDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: Captain Kangaroo, the longest running childrens television show of its time, was on CBS from 1955 to 1984.

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: Captain Kangaroo had two big changes to its set in 1971. What were they?
Malcolm Pollack recommends the following. I've reproduced it verbatim. It is that good.

...............................

Democrat and former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm gave the following speech in Washington, DC in 2003. Originally published on CAIRCO in 2014.

I have a secret plan to destroy America. If you believe, as many do, that America is too smug, too white bread, too self-satisfied, too rich, lets destroy America. It is not that hard to do. History shows that nations are more fragile than their citizens think. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and they all fall, and that an autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide. Here is my plan:

1. We must first make America a bilingual-bicultural country. History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. One scholar, Seymour Martin Lipset, put it this way: The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension and tragedy. Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with its Basques, Bretons and Corsicans.

2. I would then invent multiculturalism and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal: that there are no cultural differences that are important. I would declare it an article of faith that the black and Hispanic dropout rate is only due to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out-of-bounds.

3. We can make the United States a Hispanic Quebec without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently, The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved, not by tolerance, but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentrically, and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together. I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with a salad bowl metaphor. It is important to insure that we have various cultural sub-groups living in America reinforcing their differences, rather than Americans emphasizing their similarities.

4. Having done all this, I would make our fastest-growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50 percent dropout rate from school.

5. I would then get the big foundations and big business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of victimology. I would get all minorities to think their lack of success was all the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population.

6. I would establish dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity. Diversity is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other  that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together, and we can take advantage of this myopia.

Look at the ancient Greeks. Dorfs World History tells us: The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshiped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, and all Greeks venerated the shrine of Apollo at Delphi. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet, all of these bonds together were not strong enough to overcome two factors  (local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions ) If we can put the emphasis on the pluribus, instead of the unum, we can balkanize America as surely as Kosovo.

7. Then I would place all these subjects off-limits  make it taboo to talk about. I would find a word similar to heretic in the 16th century that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like racist, xenophobe halt argument and conversation. Having made America a bilingual-bicultural country, having established multiculturalism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of victimology, I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra  because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant sympatric and ignore the cumulative impact.

8. Lastly, I would censor Victor Davis Hansons book Mexifornia  this book is dangerous; it exposes my plan to destroy America. So please, please  if you feel that America deserves to be destroyedplease, please  dont buy this book! This guy is on to my plan.
To be more precise, this is a metal sculpture of Sasquatch created by local artist Betty Ballew. She made it out of scrap metal pieces welded together. Ballew said it took six months to create her representation of the legendary half-man, half-ape creature that supposedly lives in the woods around North America.

Marion is, of course, Bigfoots adopted home, complete with a festival in his/her honor.

For years, Ballew has created variety of artwork in different forms. She grew up on the land in Nebo which has been in her family since the 18th century. Ballew has always had an interest in art and her grandmother was an oil painter. She graduated from McDowell High in 1987 and went to work for NBC news in Raleigh. She also ran an advertising agency in Florida.

Ballew later decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her artistic passions. Her father Robert Ballew became ill and needed help running the family farm. He was a welding teacher at McDowell High School and his daughter learned from him how to make metal sculptures. A woman of many talents, shes also illustrated comic books.

Ten years ago, The McDowell News published a feature story about a horse sculpture she created. That life-sized horse is still located on her property along with other metal sculptures she has created.

It was the first piece I ever did and I fell in love with working with scrap materials, she said to The McDowell News recently. When you have a family farm, a lot of stuff collects.

On her property in Nebo, you can see a sculpture she titled It Is What It Is. This work is a metal sphere made out of numerous rings and it can rotate.

Ballew metal Bigfoot statue is the latest of her artworks. She got interested in the Bigfoot phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ballew said she heard about Bigfoot 911, the local group that investigates the weird phenomenon, and of course, the WNC Bigfoot Festival in downtown Marion which has been a huge success.

Ballews best friend got her interested in the Bigfoot phenomenon at the beginning of the COVID pandemic and took her along on some expeditions.

That was when I knew I was hooked, said Ballew. He told me about Bigfoot 911, but my friend was most instrumental in teaching me more.

She started reading Bigfoot lore and became familiar with the many reports of sightings of the alleged creature, both in the Pacific Northwest and closer to home here in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina.

It was interesting about the science of Bigfoot, she said.

She added doing the research made her more intrigued in the phenomenon. If you look at nature, there are new discoveries every day, she said to The McDowell News. Why couldnt there be a Bigfoot? Whether I believe it or not, I am not sure. But it is interesting.

Ballew started working on her idea of what a Bigfoot should look like. The pose is naturally inspired by the famous footage taken in 1967 by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin alongside Bluff Creek in northern California. The image of what is purported to be a female Sasquatch from that short motion picture has become iconic. It has become one of the most analyzed and debated home movies of all time.

Like her other sculptures, it is made entirely of scrap metal. She received donations of scrap from various businesses around Marion and it is also made out of pieces she had on the family farm.

Materials have a memory or an energy attached to it, she said to The McDowell News. If you research Bigfoot, hes sort of down as the keeper of the woods. He doesnt like it when you throw out trash or whatever.

The sculpture is mostly crafted out of steel parts. The eyes are made from old doorknobs. It is welded to a steel base and has a coating of Penetrol so it can stand outside and be exposed to the weather.

Now that her Bigfoot sculpture is completed, Ballew is looking to either sell it or see if a local government would be interested in acquiring it.

He is house broken, so living indoors would be ok too! she posted recently on Facebook.

She said it make a great conversation piece or perfect for a Sasquatch museum, restaurant, bar or wherever.

Most of all, Ballew wants for this artwork to stay in McDowell County. She would love to see it owned by the city of Marion or have it as a centerpiece at the Larry D. Miller Business Complex.

Her next artwork will be a metal statue of a heron that she is making for the Lake James Environmental Association. It will be unveiled at a special event on Saturday, Oct. 8, she said.

For more information, about Betty Ballew and her art, visit http://badbettydesigns.com/ You can also find her on Instagram at bad_betty_designs.
On Tuesday, the Marion City Council will hold its second meeting for September with the Marion East Community Forum.

The City Council will hold its second regular meeting for the month at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the East Marion United Methodist Church, located at 210 Baldwin Ave. The meeting will be held with members of the Marion East Community Forum.

First, the council members will consider the consent agenda. This consists of routine and non-controversial items that can be adopted with one motion of council.

The consent agenda includes approval of: the Sept. 6, regular City Council meeting minutes, adoption of resolution authorizing submission of North Carolina Clean Water State Revolving Fund applications and the revised depot rules and regulations.

Representatives of the Marion Business Association will appear before council. City officials will hear an update on the Pea Vine Trail and listen to a presentation about pavement conditions. Council members will hear a report from the Marion East Community Forum.

The public comment period will follow. This is the time when the public can speak to council about any issue or item not on the agenda.

Council members will consider closing Fort Street for a special event and approve the amended sewer capital improvement plan. They will consider applying for a North Carolina Rural Transformation grant and a resolution of support for the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail.

City Manager Bob Boyette will give his report to council.
A program designed to prevent older adults from falling is returning to McDowell County.

The Community Health and Mobility Partnership (CHAMP) program is returning for a one-day event on Friday, Sept. 23 at the McDowell Senior Center, 100 Spaulding Road in Marion.

CHAMP is a free all-inclusive falls risk screen and assessment provided by professional volunteers, health science students, their college/university faculty, and retired health care professionals. All participants must be registered to be included in the falls risk screening program and will need to bring a list of their current medications for review, according to a news release.

The CHAMP program began in McDowell County in 2009. The purpose of the program is to improve the health of older adults and to decrease their risk of falling, which can result in serious injuries for the elderly. Emphasis is placed on improvements in muscle strength, balance, and mobility by use of an individualized home exercise program based on the Otago Exercise Programme.

The idea for the CHAMP project originated with faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the project became a reality with funding from the Baxter International Foundation, McDowell County government and the UNC Center for Aging and Health. The original academic-community partnership included the UNC Division of Physical Therapy, the UNC School of Nursing, Western Carolina University Department of Physical Therapy, the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI), McDowell County Senior Center and McDowell Technical Community College, as well as representatives from a number of other McDowell agencies and organizations.

CHAMP events are held at community sites such as senior centers and wellness centers that are easily accessible to older adults. At each CHAMP event, older adult participants with concerns about balance and/or mobility undergo comprehensive screening for falls risk factors by a team of health professional students, faculty, and clinicians, including nurses, physical therapists (PTs), and/or physical therapist assistants (PTAs). The screening process includes assessment of medical history, blood pressure, cognition, mood, medications, muscle strength, balance, and mobility. (The one-day CHAMP will not proceed to the remaining details.)

Older adult participants who are found to be at increased risk for falls and appropriate for intervention through CHAMP are given an individualized home exercise program based on the Otago Exercise Programme. This is a set of simple strengthening and balance exercises that older adults can perform safely at home. CHAMP participants are instructed in performance of individualized Otago exercises and scheduled for at least two follow-up CHAMP appointments. At each follow-up, the inter-professional team re-evaluates the participants status and progresses the exercises as appropriate.

Historically CHAMP events were scheduled on Friday each month from March through November, but this year, the local group are only doing a one-day event with referrals made to the participants primary care giver for any needed follow-ups, according to Martha Zimmerman with the N.C. Falls Prevention Coalition.

This year's one-day event has partnerships with the McDowell Senior Center where the event will take place and some of their staff will be assisting. Other partners who are volunteering to make the one-day CHAMP possible are Mission McDowell Hospital rehab staff, the McDowell EMS Community Paramedics, the Prescription Pad of Marion, UNCA's pre-health professional program, several local physical therapists and several local retired registered nurses.

Registration is required and there are now only five or six slots still open for Friday, Sept. 23.

Another community partner is the WNC Falls Prevention Coalition (Senior Center Director Weyland Prebor serves on their advisory council for McDowell County) and Zimmerman, who is currently a co-chair. McDowell County is one of 15 counties in western North Carolina that are part of the WNCFPC including the Southwestern, the Land of the Sky, and Foothills Area Agencies on Aging.

In addition, Sunday, Sept. 18 through Saturday, Sept. 24 is Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a nationwide effort to educate older adults and help them take action to protect their health and independence by preventing falls, according to the news release.

If you or someone you love would like to know their risk for falls, contact the McDowell Senior Center at 659-0823 to schedule your appointment on Friday, Sept. 23. Appointments are being scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the day of the event.
Moroccos National Agency for Mines and Hydrocarbons (ONHYM), Nigerias National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), and the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) signed Thursday in Rabat a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ONHYM Director General Amina Benkhadra highlighted the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipelines potential to boost regional economic integration and reinforce sustainable development in the west African region.

Benkhadra highlighted the NNPCs experience in operating major oil and gas projects, as well as the technical expertise it is bringing to this challenging project.

Energy is essential to all economic development, and gas is the backbone of the energy transition, Benkhadra said, emphasizing Africas significant resource that could be used to accelerate the pace of economic and social development.

She noted that the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, which seeks to provide energy for over 11 African countries, aims to contribute to the development of key sectors, including food security, infrastructure, mining, renewable energy, and human development.

Benkhadra highlighted the objectives the project seeks to achieve, such as accelerating the electrification and energy development, supporting social, industrial, and economic development, promoting regional integration, reducing gas flaring, and exporting gas to Europe.

The gas pipeline is set to boost the electricity generation and resolve the energy accessibility issues in most of the crossed countries, she noted. Benkhadra added that the project is set to benefit more than 500 million people.

The $25 billion project will extend over 1,672 kilometers, connecting Nigerian gas to Europe through Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

For his part, NNPC CEO Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari highlighted that the project will provide the flexibility that is required in the long energy transition journey that every country is facing.

Kyari argued that the project should create prosperity across the continent, notably in the west African sub-region, and potentially in Europe. He added, it is absolutely necessary that we deliver on this project for the benefit of our people and for the global community.

ECOWASs Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalization Sediko Douka also highlighted the importance of the strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas project for the development of the African continent.

The much-touted project was first initiated in 2016 by King Mohammed VI and Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari. It has recently made headlines due to the ongoing war in Ukraine which affected the global energy prices, particularly in Europe, as well as COVID-19 related disruptions.

In addition to promoting regional integration in the west African region, the project is expected to reinforce European energy security. Last month, Benkhadra said that Morocco is in talks with European partners to guarantee financing for the gas pipeline project.
The President-elect of Angola, Joao Lourenco, takes office this Thursday, beginning his second term, in the presence of 12 heads of state and dozens of other representatives, but without the presence of the main opposition leader, who contested the results.

The inauguration ceremony for the leader of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), winner of the August 24 elections, was attended by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the only European country represented at the highest level, and several African heads of state.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

China recorded its first case of monkeypox on Friday in a person who had recently entered the country, officials said.

Health authorities in the southwestern city of Chongqing said the person displayed symptoms while undergoing quarantine for Covid-19.

Under China's zero-Covid policy, people entering the country must typically complete between one and two weeks of isolation on arrival.

The monkeypox patient was diagnosed after developing symptoms including a skin rash, the city health commission said in a report, categorising the case as an "imported infection".

The patient "is undergoing centralised isolation at a designated hospital and is in a stable condition", the report said.

Because the patient had been immediately isolated upon entering the city, "there are no traces of social transmission, and the risk of transmission is low", it said.

Last week, Hong Kong logged its first monkeypox case in a 30-year-old man who showed symptoms while undergoing the city's three-day Covid quarantine period for arrivals.

The patient had no contact with the community, according to a health official, who said the risk of Hong Kongers getting infected was "very low".

Explore further Hong Kong records first monkeypox case

 2022 AFP
Temporal patterns of energy intake among participants in the China Health and Nutrition Study. Credit: Hui Chen et al

Globally, there are approximately 55 million people who suffer from dementia, and the incidence of the disease has steadily increased. The number of affected is expected to triple by 2050, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Dementia affects the quality of life of individuals and adds significant economic burdens to families and society.

Epidemiological studies have shown a correlation between the temporal distribution of energy intake during a day (TPEI) and the risk of various chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. However, evidence regarding the relationship between TPEI and cognitive function at the population level is relatively lacking.

Previous studies in animal models have shown that the disruption in meal timing can cause alterations in clock rhythms in the hippocampus, thereby affecting cognitive function. According to a short-term intervention trial of 96 young adults, dividing equal amounts of food into four meals between 9 am and 3 pm could improve cognitive function compared to eating twice between 9 am and 3 pm. However, long-term study is lacking about the TPEIs and cognitive function.

Recently, Drs Changzheng Yuan and Dongmei Yu at Zhejiang University published a paper in Life Metabolism entitled "Temporal patterns of energy intake and cognitive function and its decline: a community-based cohort study in China."

Based on the China Nutrition Health Survery (CHNS) public database, a total of 3,342 participants were included in this study, who were middle-aged and older adults (mean age 62 years) from nine provinces in China with a baseline age  55 years.

The researchers used: 1) A data-driven k-means algorithm to identify six patterns of TPEIs, including "evenly-distributed" pattern, "breakfast-dominant" pattern, "lunch-dominant" pattern, "dinner-dominant" pattern, "snack-rich" pattern, and "breakfast-skipping" pattern; 2) Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m), comprising immediate and delayed word recalls (20 points), backward counting (2 points), and serial-7 subtraction test (5 points).

The total global cognitive score ranged from 0 to 27, with a higher score representing a better cognitive function; 3) The correlation of TPEIs to cognitive function over 10 years was assessed using linear mixed models (LMMs), which was adjusted for age, gender, residence, total energy, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, household income, education level, and body mass index (BMI).

The result showed that, compared with those with "evenly-distributed" pattern, the long-term cognitive function scores were significantly lower in those who had unbalanced TPEIs, especially those with "breakfast-skipping" pattern. Thus, maintaining balanced TPEIs has potentially positive effects on cognitive health, whereas skipping breakfast may significantly increase the risk of cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of optimal TPEIs in cognitive function.

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More information: Hui Chen et al, Temporal patterns of energy intake and cognitive function and its decline: a community-based cohort study in China, Life Metabolism (2022). Hui Chen et al, Temporal patterns of energy intake and cognitive function and its decline: a community-based cohort study in China,(2022). DOI: 10.1093/lifemeta/loac011

Provided by Higher Education Press
OMU scientists found that changes in skeletal muscle mass were positively correlated with protein intake, suggesting the necessity of adequate protein intake to improve muscle mass after kidney transplantation. Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Conventional wisdom holds that low protein intake is essential for kidney disease patients. However, scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University demonstrated that it might not always be the case with their recent study on the relationship between protein intake and skeletal muscle mass in kidney transplant recipients. Their findings were published in Clinical Nutrition.

Chronic kidney disease patients are known to have induced sarcopenia due to chronic inflammation, hypercatabolism, decreased nutrient intake, and decreased physical activity associated with impaired kidney function. Recovery of renal function due to successful kidney transplantation is able to correct or improve many of those physiological and metabolic abnormalities. As a result, kidney transplant recipients increase skeletal muscle mass after kidney transplantation.

Since excessive protein intake worsens kidney function, it is commonly believed that patients with chronic kidney disease, including kidney transplant recipients, should limit protein intake to protect their kidneys. On the other hand, it has been suggested that severe protein restriction may worsen sarcopenia and adversely affect prognosis.

Since nutrition and exercise therapy are recommended to improve sarcopenia, protein intake is suspected to relate to recovery of skeletal muscle mass after kidney transplantation. However, few studies have examined the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and protein intake in kidney transplant recipients.

Responding to this gap, the research group led by Dr. Akihiro Kosoku, Dr. Tomoaki Iwai, and Professor Junji Uchida at the Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University investigated the relationship between changes in skeletal muscle massmeasured by bioelectrical impedance analysisand protein intake, which was estimated from the urine collected from 64 kidney transplant recipients 12 months after kidney transplantation. The results showed that changes in skeletal muscle mass during this period were positively correlated with protein intake, and that insufficient protein intake resulted in decreased muscle mass.

Dr. Iwai and Dr. Kosoku commented, "To improve the life expectancy of kidney transplant recipients, further research is needed to clarify the optimal protein intake to prevent either deterioration in kidney function or sarcopenia. We hope that nutritional guidance, including protein intake, will lead to improved life expectancy and prognosis."

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More information: Akihiro Kosoku et al, Influence of protein intake on the changes in skeletal muscle mass after kidney transplantation, Clinical Nutrition (2022). Journal information: Clinical Nutrition Akihiro Kosoku et al, Influence of protein intake on the changes in skeletal muscle mass after kidney transplantation,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.07.028

Provided by Osaka Metropolitan University
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

While the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, the U.S. continues to face a national health challengethe effective and equitable care of individuals with Long COVID. While the federal government is responding to this condition, few of their undertakings directly address clinical care and the potential of disability compensation. To ensure the effective and equitable care for millions of affected individuals, a Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researcher is urging the U.S. to commit to creating a National Long COVID Compensation Program (NLCCP).

"It will likely take years to understand the pathophysiology of this disorder, refine objective diagnostic criteria, and develop effective treatments. Many treatments will be tried, some based in biology, others offered by for-profit entities, with limited scientific basis. During this time it will be difficult for individuals to sort fact from fiction and those with financial means will pay for treatments, regardless of documented effectiveness," says Howard C. Bauchner, MD, professor of pediatrics at BUSM.

The CDC estimates that 150 million people in the U.S. have had symptomatic COVID-19 illness. There are additional estimates that as many as 50 percent of people who have had COVID-19 still report symptoms four months following infection. If just five percent ultimately fulfill criteria for Long COVID, 7.5 million individuals would be affected in the U.S. In comparison, each year in the U.S., approximately 1.8 million individuals are diagnosed with cancer and 1.5 million with diabetes.

According to Bauchner, as more contagious variants emerge and objective diagnostic criteria for Long COVID are developed, the number of patients in need of care is expected to change. "Patients with the disease will have mild symptoms to substantial disability and it will be very difficult, particularly in individuals with diseases such as diabetes, or chronic pulmonary or cardiovascular disease, to separate the symptoms of Long COVID from those symptoms that evolve with other diseases," he adds.

In the face of this daunting challenge, Bauchner believes that the U.S. should look to the example of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which was created in 1986 to ensure a stable supply of vaccines, protect vaccine manufactures from liability claims and fairly compensate individuals who had very rare medical consequences associated with vaccines.

"With this model in mind, I recommend that the U.S. create the NLCCP in which several entities could contribute to such a fund, including pharmaceutical and other companies that have reaped substantial profit since the pandemic began; and health and disability insurers, who would benefit from such a program," he says.

While Bauchner admits that such a national program would face challenges, going without one may likely result in individuals not receiving the care they need, disparities in care will inevitably develop, patients will be exposed to ineffective treatments, and staggering costs will be passed on to employers and state and federal governments. "Only a coordinated, national program, could ensure an effective and equitable system of care for patients with Long COVID."

This opinion appears online in the journal Health Affairs.

Explore further Hope for patients with post-COVID syndrome

More information: Howard C. Bauchner et al, It's Time To Create A National Long COVID Compensation Program, Health Affairs (2022). Journal information: Health Affairs Howard C. Bauchner et al, It's Time To Create A National Long COVID Compensation Program,(2022). DOI: 10.1377/forefront.20220914.188014
Credit: National Data on Age Gradients in Well-being Among US Adult

Twenty years ago, life satisfaction surveys of those 18 and older showed the highest readings among America's younger and older adults, with those in between struggling with jobs, families, and other cares of middle life. Now, a Harvard-led study examining a dozen measures of well-being show younger adults tallying the lowest scores of any age group.

Tyler VanderWeele, director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science and senior author of the study published in JAMA Psychiatry, said the results reflect not just a longer-standing mental health crisis among younger Americans that predates and was worsened by the pandemic, but a broader crisis in which they perceive not just their mental but also their physical health, social connectedness, and other measures of flourishing as worse than other age groups. VanderWeele, the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that should grab policymakers' attention.

Q&A: Tyler VanderWeele

GAZETTE: Clearly, they're related, but how is well-being different from mental health?

VANDERWEELE: Obviously, mental health is important. It is important to address issues of anxiety, depression, trauma, suicidality for youth and for adults. Having said that, I think we've neglected broader questions of well-being or flourishing that I understand in very holistic terms as living in a state in which all aspects of one's life are good. That takes into account mental health, physical health, andmore broadlyhappiness, having a sense of meaning and purpose, trying to be a good person, one's social relationships, and the financial, material conditions that sustain these things that people care about.

GAZETTE: The report compares results of a survey earlier this year against a similar study in 2000. What did that survey show about our state of well-being 22 years ago?

VANDERWEELE: A number of studies had found those who were younger and those who were olderif you just looked at happiness and life satisfactiontended to be doing better than those in the middle. The speculation was that those in midlife were struggling more, dealing with young children, maybe also aging parents. Maybe they were at a point in their careers where they were trying to get ahead, possibly even having a midlife crisis. For those who were younger, the statistics from past decades suggested they were happier, maybe with a sense of greater opportunity, fewer responsibilities, more opportunities for social connection.

What was perhaps surprising in earlier surveys was that those who were older were also doing better than those in middle age. Though health problems often emerge with age, people were still happier. Maybe they felt that the struggles of life were resolved, or they had more time to connect socially. There's also some evidence of greater emotional regulation as one ages, greater gratitude for what has taken place. These are averages, obviously, that disguise a lot of variability, but this curve was fairly consistently observed across countries.

GAZETTE: What did you find in your most recent survey?

VANDERWEELE: We were beginning to see this in January 2020, right before the pandemic. But January 2022 was the first time it was just absolutely clear: across every dimension of well-being that we looked athappiness, health, meaning, character, relationships, financial stabilityeach one was strictly increasing with age. Those who are 18 to 25 felt they were worse off across all these dimensions. It was pretty striking, pretty disturbing.

GAZETTE: One thing that stood out to me was that it was true even for physical health. You'd think that would be a lay-up for young people. How do we explain that?

VANDERWEELE: It is powerful. Young people perceive themselves as not being physically healthy. One has to take into account the context of January 2022: We're still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; Omicron has rendered social and communal interactionsonce againvery difficult shortly after there was hope that things would be opening up. Some of this may thus be a sense of physical threat from the pandemic affecting young people more than others. Some of it may be a sense that they're not engaging in the health behaviors that young people think they should be. Perhaps drug and alcohol use were up. It might be a discrepancy between experience and expectations. As a 24-year-old, perhaps here's how I think I should feel physically, and I am just not there. So, all of those things likely come into play, but it is strikingshocking in some waysthat this group's self-reported physical health was so low.

GAZETTE: Loneliness was another area called out in the study.

VANDERWEELE: Social connectedness was reported to be lowest in this group. Taking into account the timing, it's probably not so surprising. There was prior evidence that young adults had been increasing in loneliness, and I think that was really accentuated by the pandemic. What we saw in the pandemic was that, on average, in the United States the sense of social connectedness went down a little bit, and loneliness went up a little bit, though not as much as one might have anticipated. Many people invested more in their families and their close friends, they connected via Zoom or other media with relatives. But the decline was substantial among young people. Those who are older had established relationships and established communities that they could draw upon, but young people at that stage in life are trying to build these relationships and trying to join these communities, and the opportunities to do so were so much more limited.

GAZETTE: Do we have any sense as to causes? Social media has been called out as a villain. The economy?

VANDERWEELE: The data we're working with at present is purely descriptive. It doesn't allow us to get at causes. But piecing together evidence from other studies, one can begin to understand what might be happening. Some of it is financial and economic. Job prospects for young people, in terms of the advancement that was foreseeable and anticipated 40 to 50 years ago, are just not there to the same degree. Debt from education has been weighing heavily on young people. Housing costs in cities are skyrocketing, while studies suggest that the majority of Gen Z wants to own a home but thinks it's absolutely out of reach.

I think social media has contributed to declines in well-being. Past studies indicate that on average, the effects on well-being and mental health are negative, especially in those with high use. And high use is dramatically more common with young adults than others. Also, study after studyours and others'have indicated that family life and participation in religious communities contribute across these aspects of flourishing. And participation in both of those are down substantially.

I think political polarization has had a role in this also. Many people feel: "How can I live in a country like this, where half the people are terrible?" Plus, the last five years have been a pretty turbulent time: the pandemic, Russia and Ukraine, concerns about climate change. We're all confronting this, but older people have had longer periods of relative stability than those in their 20s. The world probably seems like a more threatening place.

GAZETTE: Are there any hints about a path ahead?

VANDERWEELE: Again, not from the survey responses itself, but perhaps from other studies that we and others have done. It's pretty clear that these domains of well-being are interrelated. If you improve on social relationships, you're also more likely to subsequently improve on happiness and health and to find meaning. If you have a sense of meaning, find new purpose, you're likely to become happier and also have better health as well. So we need to work on each of these aspects: We need to promote relationships and communities; we need to address the financial conditions that young people are facing; we need to help them find systems of meaning. We do need to address mental health issues, questions of anxiety and depression, but just doing that isn't going to be enough. The problem is much broader.

We also need to think about economic and health policy. To what extent are we thinking about the common good, not just across political lines but across generational lines? Not just what's going to help us in the next three to five years, but that will shape future generations? We found larger differences across age groups than across groups defined by either gender or race. How can we structure society so that young people have opportunities, and so that their well-being is promoted? How do we get there from here? I don't have all the answers, but it is a pretty important we take this seriously.

More information: Ying Chen et al, National Data on Age Gradients in Well-being Among US Adults, JAMA Psychiatry (2022). Journal information: JAMA Psychiatry Ying Chen et al, National Data on Age Gradients in Well-being Among US Adults,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2473

Provided by Harvard Gazette

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.
FRIDAY, Sept. 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For women with breast cancer, their race may help predict the success of hormone therapy given before surgery.

In a new study, researchers found that Black women treated with hormone therapy before cancer surgery (so-called "neoadjuvant endocrine therapy") may be more likely to benefit from that treatment than white women are if theyre treated at an earlier stage. But they may be less likely to benefit than white women if treated at a later stage of disease.

Our findings suggest that neoadjuvant endocrine therapy alone may not be the best approach in Black women who present with more advanced tumors, said Dr. Veronica Jones, an assistant professor in the division of breast surgery at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.

The research is being presented this week at the American Association for Cancer Research conference, in Philadelphia.

Breast cancers that produce estrogen and progesterone hormone receptors on cancer cells are typically treated with hormone therapy. That treatment can be done before surgery or after surgery. (Before surgery, it's called neoadjuvant therapy.)

These types of cancer comprise about 70% of all breast cancer cases.

Nearly all patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer, regardless of race, are treated with hormone therapy. Yet Black women are four times more likely to die of HR-positive breast cancer than white women, Jones said in an association news release.

We need to better understand if universal endocrine [hormone] therapy is the right approach, especially in a population that suffers a much higher mortality rate, Jones added.

To do that, the researchers studied just over 3,500 white women and 365 Black women who were in the National Cancer Database. All had stage 1 to stage 3 HR-positive breast cancer and had received pre-surgical hormone therapy.

The research team found that at diagnosis, Black women were 1.6 times more likely to have cancer detected in their lymph nodes. They were also 1.5 times more likely to have stage 3 disease, as compared to white women.

Black women also received pre-surgical hormone therapy for longer than their white counterparts. The investigators found that Black patients had a median treatment time of 128 days compared with 114 days for white patients. Black women were 1.5 times more likely to receive this therapy for longer than 24 weeks.

Overall, Black women were almost three times more likely to experience tumor downstaging (meaning the cancer regressed to an earlier stage) or elimination than white women, the results showed.

The investigators found that all of the downstaged tumors were originally diagnosed as stage 1 or 2. However, 0.9% of tumors, most of which were diagnosed as stage 2 or 3, upstaged to stage 4.

For Black women this was more likely to lead to negative outcomes. They were 2.6 times more likely to experience tumor upstaging than white women, the findings showed.

While lower-stage cancers in Black women responded better to endocrine therapy compared to white women, higher-stage cancers in Black women did more poorly in response to endocrine therapy, Jones said, explaining the results. This suggests a different tumor biology that may impact the treatment we give.

There were limitations to the study. Percentages of estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity were unavailable. Also, the database did not include information on how well patients adhered to therapy or how clinical tumor stage was determined.

Studies presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more on breast cancer hormone receptors.

SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research, news release, Sept. 16, 2022

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The Missoula Fire Department received an award from Gov. Greg Gianforte on Thursday.

The Spirit of Montana award recognized Missoula fire's work rescuing a paraglider in July. The award was presented to Capt. Bill Bennett, Capt. Robert Hanneman and Dave Farmer.

"While saving lives is just part of the job, you should take great pride in the work you did that day and do on a daily basis," the governor told the firefighters. "I can tell you I'm proud of it, and Montana owes you its utmost thanks."

On July 16, fire crews were dispatched to Cinnabar Drive. They found a paraglider trapped in a 100-foot-tall Ponderosa tree roughly 70 feet off the ground. The firefighters brought a truck with a tower ladder to reach the treetop. They used a chainsaw to cut through branches and reach the stranded person, who was traumatically injured from the crash.

Call came right away, individual was a student on their second flight so their instructor was on the ground in contact, witnessed the incident, and was able to call 911 immediately," acting battalion chief Bill Bennett said of the incident.

They got the individual out of the tree and out of their paraglide harness and sent them on their way to the local hospital for treatment.

Bennett said the department is appreciative of the governor's award.

Even though it was a unique rescue, the department is always prepared for rescue missions.

These are skills we carry with us 24 hours a day," he said. From the time the call came in to when the glider was safely on the ground was less than an hour.

Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess also attended the ceremony.

Gianfortes Spirit of Montana award recognizes Montanans for their dedication and service in their communities.
The Montana Board of Public Education heard from expert panelists Wednesday as the rulemaking process for school accreditation standards nears its public comment period, which begins in October.

Librarians as well as former school counselors and administrators spoke of their opinions on the rule changes as recommended by the Office of Public Instruction and fielded questions from board members. Later in the afternoon, board members worked on clarifying the language of the revisions.

Overwhelmingly, their comments raised concerns about student-to-staff ratios for positions such as superintendents, principals, librarians and counselors being eliminated from the OPIs recommendations.

I think we need to really pause and think about when were talking about student ratios and staffing of libraries and counselors and administrators, said Dana Carmichael, a panelist and a retired librarian who worked with the Whitefish School District. The ratio is similar to setting a standard for how many students you have in a classroom.

The panelists' worries were loudly echoed by public comment on the matter submitted to the OPIs negotiated rulemaking committee, according to panelist Angela Archuleta, president of the Montana Library Association who is also a librarian at Browning Public Schools.

Archuleta said she read all 1,189 public comments and 1,186 were against removing library ratios and school counselor ratios. Two people submitted comments wondering how they would find someone to serve in those positions to meet accreditation standards and one thanked the committee for their time.

The two women shared their experiences in schools, particularly about the unique programs in areas like filmmaking and other media, that likely would not exist for students without a robust library staff.

Reduced librarian staffing ratios could also have a disproportionately negative impact on students in rural districts, as many smaller communities dont have a public library, Archuleta said.

Our public libraries do not have the resources to cover school libraries too and its not in their mission, nor is it fair to ask them, she said. Maintaining our current ratio is not moving backwards  student ratios give our students more access to books and research, it develops lifelong learners.

Board member Tim Tharpe noted that much of the public concern seems to stem from the impression that school boards across the state would begin slashing library positions if the revisions without ratios make it into state rule. He asked the panelists if they felt that was likely to happen.

I think without a commitment to school librarians and school library budgets, youre not going to see those standards being met, Carmichael said.

Carmichael spoke of an instance when Billings Public School was faced with making difficult budget cuts and librarians were put on the chopping block. The positions were spared because of the current ratios in rule, she said.

Its not because they want to make the choice, its that they have to make the choice, but if we have a quality standard that puts ratios in place and they have to meet that then theyre going to find money or try to figure it out, Archuleta said, adding that she hopes that the Legislature would seek ways to fund our schools better so that we wouldnt be having this conversation.

Panelist Rob Watson, executive director of School Administrators of Montana, shared similar concerns with the lack of ratios for superintendents and principals in the OPIs recommendations.

The recommendation does not stipulate that a district must hire a full-time superintendent or principal, so you could perhaps see a lot more districts that get by with a part-time superintendent where they may have had a full-time superintendent before, he said.

Without the ratios, it would be possible for a large school like Bozeman High to have 3,000 students under one principal.

Throughout the rulemaking process, the OPI has maintained that the intent of the revisions is to offer school districts flexibility to meet state accreditation standards. Watson agreed that flexibilities could be beneficial in some circumstances, but ultimately prefers ratios to be in rule.

I appreciated the ratios, Watson said. If the ratios are not there, I have full confidence that our school boards will still adhere to some ratios, but were a very diverse state, so what has me concerned is we just dont know whats going to happen in every particular community.

Similarly to the hesitations of the librarian panelists, Watson worried that the recommendations could allow districts to see administrative positions as low hanging fruit if they were in a position to make budget cuts.

When it comes to school counselors, panelist Bill Starkey, the executive director of Montana School Counselors Association, offered similar perspectives to those representing administrators and librarians on the panel. Ultimately, he anticipates that student access to school counseling services would decrease over time if ratios are eliminated.

He encouraged the board members to brainstorm other alternatives to allowing districts accreditation flexibility.

The point is, there could be some solutions out there that are right under our noses and rather than just say forget it, were just going to drop the standard, thereby render it no longer a problem. It could be a better solution to say by gosh by golly were going to do whatever it takes to make this gap filled, Starkey said.

But not all of the panelists expressed worries with the proposed rule changes. Heather Jarrett, a superintendent at Reed Point School District, commended the new rules surrounding proficiency-based learning.

Proficiency-based learning is a system of instruction in which students demonstrate that they have learned the knowledge and skills expected of them as they progress through their education.

Its not that far off from a traditional education, but it is a buzzword lately, Jarrett said.

Her district first waded into the learning model about a decade ago with its elementary students and has had an overwhelmingly positive experience. Through it, she saw disinterested students find value in their education and were able to gain proficiency in different ways on their own timeline.

They have then the power to be an excellent learner and our professionals, our teachers, in the room can help them get there in a variety of different ways, Jarrett said.

Public comment on the proposed revisions to school accreditation standards will open on Oct. 7 and will close on Nov. 4. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 31 in Helena.
Completion of the Montana Heritage Center will now likely be in the spring of 2025 instead of 2024, due to construction material delays, state officials said Thursday.

Bruce Whittenberg, former director of the Montana Historical Society, told members of Hometown Helena, a grassroots group, that he had just toured the $81 million center now under construction.

Its really going to be something, he said. It will be a wonderful addition to the state of Montana.

Officials had said earlier they expected the new facility to open in 2024 or early 2025.

Eve Byron, public information officer with the Montana Historical Society, said spring 2025 is the new projected opening date. She added she has heard that Sletten Construction Co. is ahead of schedule. But she added that flexibility was needed when it comes to construction.

The new 66,000-square-foot addition at 225 N. Roberts St. will have expanded galleries, so visitors can see more of the art and artifacts held in trust by the Montana Historical Society. It also will include meeting rooms for up to 300 people and a public cafe.

The heritage centers projected cost has grown from its original price tag of $53 million to $81 million, due to skyrocketing prices for labor, building materials and shortages. Byron said Thursday the projected cost remains at $81 million.

Montana billionaire Dennis Washington and wife, Phyllis, donated $25 million through their foundation to help keep the project on track. They attended the May topping off ceremony and encouraged others to donate as well.

Ground was broken on the center in September 2020, following a nearly 15-year effort to build a new facility. Officials said the current museum was outdated and did not have the room to display the states extensive collections. It is expected to bring in 78,000 more visitors a year and create $7.5 million more in annual tourist spending.

Senate Bill 338, known as the Montana Museums Act of 2020, passed in the final hours of the 2019 legislative session.

Lawmakers increased the statewide accommodations tax -- often called a bed tax as it targets tourists and applies to hotel rooms and campgrounds -- from 3% to 4% to use a portion to pay for the new home for the Montana Historical Society. Not only was it to benefit the creation of a new Heritage Center, it also created a grant program to fund restorations of historical sites and museums across the state.

Whittenberg urged the public to drive by the construction site and see the progress being made on the new center.

Its pretty darn cool, he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference in Rockledge, Florida. Paul HennessyGetty Images

Biden's stimulus may have helped pay for DeSantis' political stunt to fly migrants to Massachusetts.

DeSantis stepped up his campaign to troll liberals ahead of a possible 2024 presidential run.

The stunt sparked outrage among immigration advocates and Democrats.

President Joe Biden's stimulus was so large that it may have had an unintended consequence: helping Fl. Gov. Ron DeSantis finance a political stunt to fly migrants to a wealthy, liberal-leaning slice of Massachusetts.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Florida may have used the interest accrued on the $8.8 billion it received from the federal government under the stimulus to pay for a pair of flights that dropped off around 50 Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

The group of migrants were relocated from Texas and reportedly told they were headed to Boston to find work and housing. But they arrived in Martha's Vineyard, a wealthy enclave where former President Barack Obama has a home. The local community banded together provide the migrants with food and housing.

The stunt from DeSantis sparked outrage from immigration advocates and Democrats who called it a cruel political stunt that amounted to human trafficking. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called on the Department of Justice to investigate whether the migrants were lured with false promises of employment.

The White House and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Florida Department of Transportation overseeing the relocation program didn't immediately respond to a request for comment as well.

Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature designated $12 million to transport unauthorized immigrants to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, often in liberal cities. It remains unclear whether the funds were drawn from the stimulus law in any fashion.

"States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as 'sanctuary states' and support for the Biden administration's open border policies," DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said in a statement to The New York Times.

Story continues

DeSantis is widely viewed to harbor presidential ambitions for 2024. The Florida governor has devoted much time trying to troll Democrats, such as by threatening to send migrants to Biden's home state of Delaware. DeSantis is also moving to stock Florida's school boards with loyalists aligned with his hardline conservative views, Insider's Kimberly Leonard reported.

States and cities were eligible for $350 billion in federal relief under Biden's stimulus law. That pot of money was established with few strings attached, meant to provide state and local officials with plenty of leeway to decide how to spend the money.

The federal aid has been used for a wide range of purposes. For example, some of the aid financed more direct payments at the state level. GOP governors also tapped the federal dollars to hand out tax cuts as well.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Morgantons manufacturing footprint is expected to grow after a local manufacturing company asked the city to help it apply for a building reuse grant.

Project Vette, the codename officials are using for the project, in collaboration with Burke Development Inc., asked the city of Morganton to apply for a $200,000 grant as recommended by the Rural Infrastructure Authority.

The company, which has not been named, is described as a well-established local manufacturing business, and is looking to upgrade its current facility in Morganton.

The upgrade would see an investment of about $6.9 million from the company, and would add 30 new jobs. Alan Wood, president and CEO of BDI, said the average pay for the jobs would be more than $40,000 per year.

If awarded, the grant requires a 5% local match, which would be split between the city and county. That would see each entity paying $5,000 for the match.

Morganton City Council members unanimously voted Monday night at their regular meeting to submit the grant application and provide their share of the local match. Wood said BDI would go before the Burke County Board of Commissioners at their October meeting to ask for their portion of the local match.

In other building news, a six lot subdivision could be coming to Hopewell Road after the council approved a preliminary plat approval for the project.

Mansfield Carolina Holdings proposes six lots along Hopewell Road for a subdivision to be called Mansfield Village. The council approved the preliminary plat, and voted to allow the developer to make a payment in lieu of dedicated open space thats required by the citys zoning ordinance.

The city also received a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for phases I and II of its creek restoration project at Bethel Park.

This grant comes in alongside a $500,000 grant the city already received from the N.C. Land and Water Fund for the restoration, plus $409,107 in matching funds that have been budgeted and $278,203 for in-kind work city employees will perform to assist with the first phase of renovations, according to information The News Herald previously published about the project.

The project will aim to increase stream capacity by building out creek banks to alleviate flooding, something the park is notorious for after periods of heavy rain in the city. Some of that build out is expected to cause some amenities to be relocated, and the city has considered adding additional amenities like shade areas, picnic shelters and workout stations. The PARTF grant will help cover the costs of amenities at the park, said Mayor Ronnie Thompson.

In other news from the meeting, drivers in the city may be glad to hear a few more roads than expected will be resurfaced this year after bids came in under budget.

The city had several resurfacing projects already budgeted for the year with a total of $985,000. However, the lowest bid, from Conover-based J.T. Russell & Sons Inc., came in more than $130,000 under budget.

Instead of cutting off the repaving projects at the amount bid, the city council opted to award the company a contract not to exceed $985,000 and fit in as much more resurfacing as possible while prices are low.

Council members also approved closing an unused portion of Agnes Street and discontinuing pay-per-view services for CoMPAS.

The city council will meet again Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Morganton City Hall.
Because of Medicaid Transformation in North Carolina, it appears there is some confusion about what insurances the Burke County Health Department accepts for vaccines and other services.

But Burke County Health Director Danny Scalise is hoping to clear up the confusion for Medicaid clients.

North Carolina Medicaid Transformation was enacted on July 1 and gives Medicaid recipients the ability to choose a plan from five insurance options. In 2015, the state General Assembly enacted Session Law 2015-245 that allowed the state to contract with insurance companies to manage the Medicaid program.

Now, instead of a Medicaid card, Medicaid recipients have insurance cards with the name of the insurance company managing their care. One of those is United Healthcare.

Scalise said the health department doesnt accept regular United Healthcare insurance but it does accept United Healthcare Medicaid managed care. So essentially, if someone is on Medicaid and has a card from one of the five insurance companies, the health department will accept it, he said.

Under the North Carolina Medicaid Managed Care health plans, the Burke County Health Department accepts the Medicaid insurance plans of Healthy Blue of NC (BCBS), United Healthcare of NC Inc., Wellcare of NC Inc., AmeriHealth Caritas NC Inc., Carolina Complete Health and Partners Health.

Scalise said there has been some confusion over the cards, particularly as parents have been getting their children vaccinated ahead of the start of school. Schools in Burke County started Aug. 29.

The health department said all school-ready vaccines are covered under these plans.

Vaccinations are an important part of back-to-school success and overall health and well-being, the health department said in a release. Vaccine-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.

Scalise said he wants people to understand what insurance they have and clear up any confusion about the Medicaid Transformation. He said the health department will answer any questions people may have about their Medicaid insurance.

For answers to questions about insurance, vaccine eligibility or to schedule vaccinations, call the Burke County Health Department at 828-764-9150. Those interested in signing up for a Medicaid health plan, visit https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/health-plans.
Editor's note: Humanities Montana celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. Throughout the year, its monthly newsletter features Golden Anniversary letters from previous Humanities Montana board members, grantees, speakers, and friends that reflect on what 50 years of Humanities Montana has meant to them and to the state.

Greetings, People of the World:

Well, that is ambitious! And yet, to encounter the humanities in any of its forms is to encounter the world, its histories and cultures, its shameful failures, its extraordinary accomplishments, and its aspirations for the future. No other field so fully explains who and how we are as the humanities. The humanities, and the people dedicated to them, are my loves. So, greetings, my loves.

I didnt expect to become a Humanities Montana board member. I was recruited to finish out a term for a member who unexpectedly had to leave. Once there, however, it was years before the organization was able to pry me loose, and then only after Id stayed as long as technically allowable. Although I was eventually elected vice chair and then chair of the board, my greatest pleasure over the years was working on the grants committee. There, I had the sheer joy of reviewing and helping to select the most creative, innovative, energetic, and sometimes downright pragmatic (all those underfunded museums, essential support for classroom events) applications to fund. Seeing those grant ideas come to fruition always reminded me that our work with Humanities Montana was both short- and long-term, that we were planting seeds for the future, an act that demanded hope from us. The same, I would argue, is true of how we live our lives. I was surrounded by such a wealth of good will, intelligence, humor, and doggedness (in a good way!) from my colleagues during those years, and I will always feel honored to have been given the opportunity to work with them on things that mattered.

It is hard right now to avoid despair when I think of how riven our American culture seems to be, how pumped up on hatred so many people are, when in fact, across America, we agree on much more than we disagree about. Yet even civility (always a low bar anyway, I feel) seems distant, and we are staring down dramatic erosions in democracy and equality before the law. We are also struggling with climate catastrophe, an ongoing pandemic, and more. We need hope and we need action, and Humanities Montana provides both. There is a crucial opportunity for Humanities Montana to act with purpose and courage in the midst of these challenges to creating lives worth living.

With the emphasis on the humanities and our connectedness, Humanities Montana leads by showing what it is to care for the public good and to engage with one another in the public square, as well as to support the growth of the individual. I hope to see more diversity in the board, especially by bringing on younger people and people of differing ethnic and racial backgrounds and sexualities. All of these aspects of diversity enrich that public square and make our lives larger; making a commitment to their representation on the board is essential. Continuing HMs unmatched ability to provide grants and opportunities to learn together in underserved areas of Montana is essential as well. It is likely that these things, which are hard to accomplish even when people of good will are dedicated to realizing them, may well become harder in future political and financial cycles. I see Humanities Montana leading us through some of the dark times ahead, and I welcome, encourage, and support that leadership.
Chinas top legislator has called for cooperation with South Korea in advanced technology and supply chains, as he met South Korean leaders amid concerns that their moves to solidify a military alliance with Washington could hamper Seouls ties with Beijing. Li Zhanshu, one of Chinese President Xi Jinpings closest confidants, made the comments after meeting with his South Korean counterpart. His comments are likely to reflect concerns in Beijing that its intensifying competition with the United States may lead to supply chain disruptions as some U.S. companies shift sourcing and production away from China.
Rampant theft and vandalism are the main reasons why some of South Africas biggest metros dont offer backup power for their traffic lights.

Among the many negative impacts of load-shedding is its ability to frustrate motorists by disrupting the flow of traffic.

This is particularly problematic in major cities like Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town, where a single offline robot can significantly increase commuters travel times.

However, traffic intersections are not heavy power consumers  with the largest LED-powered installations consuming around 450W of power.

That could theoretically be supported by a battery backup costing less than R10,000 at retail, including VAT.

GeeWiz sells 1.5kWh lithium-ion batteries for R6,995 that you can pair with a Mecer inverter for under R3,000.

While that might be expensive when multiplied across all the intersections in the countrys biggest cities, it could curb the impact of load-shedding on productivity if placed strategically at the worst-impacted locations.

Managing director at Innovative Transport Solutions, Jan Coetzee, told MyBroadband that there were already uninterruptible power supplies (UPSes) at many traffic lights in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

It is normally installed at intersections with high traffic volumes  typically where two major arterials intersect, Coetzee said.

Unfortunately, most of these were missing, as criminals know the high street value of this equipment.

The challenge is theft and vandalism, Coetzee said. Typically, the steel boxes to protect the batteries cost more than the batteries.

Having no power running through cables to traffic lights during load-shedding also presents an opportunity for copper cable thieves.

The City of Joburg (CoJ) told MyBroadband that the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) had installed approximately 1,000 UPSes at traffic lights.

However, about 91% of these units were no longer in operation.

[The] majority of them were unfortunately vandalised, and there are approximately only 90 currently working, the CoJ told MyBroadband.

The city said the JRA has published a tender for UPS backup systems that use super-capacitors, which would make them unsuitable for supplying backup to homes, thereby reducing their attractiveness to thieves and vandals.

The city said it would also take care to upgrade the boxes housing the equipment to include new security features.

Tshwanes divisional head for transportation planning, Lourens Swanepoel, said the city had a very similar experience.

In 2012, it launched an experiment to measure the effectiveness of using a solar-and-battery system to power traffic signals at the busy Fountains Valley circle in Groenkloof.

Within three or four days after installation, all infrastructure had sadly been stolen. Needless to say, that was the end of the experiment, Swanepoel said.

Nevertheless, the city followed this up with an attempt to introduce UPS systems at various intersections.

Again, most of the infrastructure  notably batteries and inverters  were stolen and/or vandalised, Swanepoel said.

The 38 UPS systems installed along the A Re Yeng Bus System route from around 2017 to 2018 have had better luck.

These UPS systems are secured and have not been subjected to theft and vandalism, Swanepoel stated.

The City of Cape Towns mayoral committee member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, told MyBroadband that around 70% of all intersections on its road network had UPS systems installed.

Unfortunately, these systems are prone to vandalism and theft, and older systems do not perform well when higher stages of load-shedding are implemented, said Quintas.

That said, the city is constantly upgrading, maintaining and installing UPSs.

The city previously said theft and vandalism of UPS systems at its traffic lights had cost it R6.6 million.

In the 2020 lockdown period alone, it recorded 152 incidents of theft or damage amounting to more than R3 million.

Solar not a good idea

Notably, the CoJ is considering adding solar panels to charge backup systems in areas with a low risk of theft and vandalism.

But Coetzee has maintained his previous stance that solar-powered backup is unfeasible.

The cost for backup batteries with an enclosure varies between R50,000 to R100,000 per site at present, Coetzee said.

If a real vandal-proof enclosure must be constructed, a steel vault with a cost up to R50,000 is required. The batteries, inverter and other electrical equipment makes up the rest of the cost.

Coetzee said one option was to scale down the number of poles and signal heads at traffic intersections to reduce electrical demand and the cost of backup power.

In Europe, there are only traffic signals on the near side of the road. We have signal heads on the near and far sides of the road, he explained.

But he said among the most effective measures to improve traffic flows  including during load-shedding  was to remove unwarranted traffic signals altogether and replace them with mini-roundabouts.

Often a traffic signal is erected because of a perceived improvement in traffic safety, or it is erected too early, before traffic warrants it, Coetzee explained.

Although using pointsmen like those sponsored by Outsurance was also an option, Coetzee said this should be reserved for emergencies.

They work well in certain cases, but result in long delays and unnecessary cost in fuel in others, he said.

Instead, Coetzee said it was the responsibility of government-appointed traffic officials to improve flows.

Vigilant municipal officials, Saps, and other public entities will go a long way to improve the operation of traffic signals, he stated.

Now read: How many Hiluxes you could fill with the amount of diesel Eskom uses in one day
Updated at 4:44 p.m. Thursday  The twice-denied Mayacamas Charter Middle School will likely be coming to downtown Napa, after the California State Board of Education decided Thursday, on a 6-5 vote, that the Napa Valley Unified School District board and the Napa County Office of Education board abused their discretion in denying the school a charter.

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Specifically at issue was the process behind the denial by NVUSD  which is supposed to be fair and impartial"  and that the county office hadnt sufficiently established evidence that the Mayacamas school would substantially undermine programs and services at NVUSD by sapping funding from the district.

The decision was made despite a recommendation from the state Department of Education to uphold the local district decisions, due to a lack of detail and specific citations to the documentary record in the Mayacamas supporters appeal.

By a unanimous vote of the state board, the NCOE was also assigned oversight of the school, which was proposed to serve as a grade 6-8 academy that would operate in the former St. John the Baptist Catholic School building at 983 Napa St. Don Huffman, president of the NCOE board, said in a statement that the board trustees will be reviewing the findings of the state board with legal counsel and staff, and considering next steps.

The decision was the culmination of a four-hour meeting filled with dozens of public comments from people who expressed either support or opposition to the Mayacamas charter school.

Napa County Office of Education rejects petition for Mayacamas charter school The Tuesday vote was the second setback for the proposed charter academy, which the Napa school district vetoed in December.

That included several Napa parents. Kim Smith, for example, said she supported Mayacamas because she believed the district had handled its declining enrollment and finances badly, and that Mayacamas would offer a middle school learning environment not available elsewhere in NVUSD.

Jerry Brown, Californias former governor, also expressed approval for the charter school, arguing that the financial impact on NVUSD wouldnt be significant and that charter schools serve to stimulate public districts by bringing new technology and smaller classes.

This is a great charter; Ive read the report, Brown said. Its sensitive to low-income people and charges of racism are outrageous. The bottom line here is legally, the denials are arbitrary. This is a good school and the county staff noted how valuable it would be.

Many others urged the state board not to approve the charter school.

Clare Crawford, a senior policy advisor with In The Public Interest  a nonprofit research and policy organization thats published several analyses on the financial impacts charter schools have on school districts  said the denials were clearly tough decisions the two school boards were required to take to ensure financial stability. Cassie Mancini, legislative advocate at the California School Employees Association, also argued that petitioners had not offered sufficient evidence to justify overturning the two previous denials.

I will emphasize the board should consider the intent of AB 1505, to give deference to local communities and local decision makers, Mancini said. The abuse of discretion must be so egregious that the charter otherwise would have been granted. That is clearly not the case here.

Several state board members noted the difficulty the decision posed, given that they were operating under a new process established by Assembly Bill 1505. The law restricted the state boards review  which used to be comprehensive  to determining whether abuses of discretion in the processes carried out by local and county school boards justify overturning their decisions.

Napa school board rejects proposed Mayacamas Charter Middle School NVUSD's seven trustees all voted against the petition, which would have created a self-governing middle school in time for the 2022-23 year.

Board member Sharon Olken  director and longtime employee of a charter school network in San Francisco  largely led the charge to overturn the NVUSD and NCOE denials, saying she wasnt convinced it was possible for a charter school to receive a fair and impartial decision from NVUSD, and that she believed there was an element of intimidation in the process toward the Mayacamas petitioners. She noted NVUSDs review of the petition was harsh compared to the NCOEs, which she said led her to suspect the NVUSD process as a whole.

While it is not our job to decide who is right, this difference points to a significant bias, Olken said at the meeting. In my opinion, the district process as a whole was an abuse of discretion.

Olken also cast doubt on the estimated financial impacts the charter school would have  by pulling students, and thus attendance-based funding, from the district.

According to the findings adopted by NUVSD and the county board, the district is projected to see its student population drop 17% over the next 10 years, and Mayacamas would bring about a reduction of 19% instead. The findings state that increased loss would likely exacerbate the need to close more district schools, result in cutbacks to programs and services, and cause the district to reduce its teaching staff by 34 over the first five years of the Mayacamas schools operation, among other cuts.

These assertions seem overstated and intended to intimidate Mayacamas, particularly in this era where theres more funding going to public education, Olken said at the meeting. It is for these reasons that I do feel an abuse of discretion occurred at the county and district levels.

Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the board, said she was empathetic with the fearfulness that messaging around the threat the charter school poses to NVUSD resources could have resulted in. She also noted that the NVUSD and NCOE findings didnt match up, and that there appears to be a need for a new charter middle school given the recent shuttering of former charter River Middle School, which was merged into NVUSD in 2019. (The former campus has now been taken over by Unidos Middle School, a dual-language English-Spanish academy.)

Darling-Hammond also noted that adding the charter school would obviously cause a financial impact to NVUSD  as it would in any other district  but she questioned whether the financial impact would be significant given increased state spending on education.

Some of the other board members expressed that they supported the denial decisions, and the board only fell one vote short of moving forward with affirming those decisions.

This is clearly a decision by both a local district and county board I feel has followed the law, said board member Gabriela Orzco-Gonzalez at the meeting.

Board vice president Cynthia Glover Woods said there were evidently strong feelings and passions on both sides of the issue. But she noted that the board needed to make its decisions based on the documentary record, and not their own opinions about whether or not the charter school was a good idea.

We cannot make our decision based upon whether we agree with the findings or disagree with the findings, or agree with the action or disagree with the action, Glover Woods said at the meeting.
Volunteers from across Napa County are invited to join forces for the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

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Local cleanups are planned at 20 sites countywide, according to the Napa County Resource Conservation District. The campaign will include nine locations in Napa, six in American Canyon and three in the Lake Berryessa area, along with one site each in St. Helena and Calistoga.

People wanting to take part in the cleanup day are asked to:

- avoid participating if they feel ill

- always wear gloves when picking up trash

- bring their own buckets, trash grabbers and gloves if they have them (organizers will have some gear available)

- register for the cleanup in advance, although pre-registration is not required

For more information, contact Ashley Kvitek at 707-690-3117 or Ashley@naparcd.org, or visit naparcd.org/cleanup2022 for registration and a list of cleanup sites.
ST. HELENA  A long list of critical water and sewer projects is lending urgency to an ongoing study that could affect St. Helena customers utility rates in 2023.

The consulting firm Raftelis, which is conducting the study with input from a council-appointed advisory committee, held an open house at the firehouse on Monday and briefed the City Council on Tuesday.

In order to catch up on decades of deferred maintenance, the city needs to increase its annual spending on water projects from $1.1 million to $5.5 million  plus another $1.5 million annually in sewer projects.

The projects funded by the new rates are needs, not wants, Assistant Public Works Director Eric Janzen told the council.

As (infrastructure) ages, we move from being able to repair these facilities to having to replace them at much, much, much greater cost, he said.

Janzen highlighted the urgent need to replace the Bell Canyon intake tower, the only pipe that can transfer water from St. Helenas primary reservoir to the water treatment plant.

State inspectors have deemed the intake tower structurally deficient, Janzen said. If the city doesnt replace it, the state could reduce the amount of water the city can store in Bell Canyon, which would greatly affect the citys water supply.

Other notable projects include maintenance at the water treatment plant and the Holmes Tank on Spring Mountain, improvements to the Napa water connection, and pipes to deliver recycled water from the wastewater treatment plant to Crane Park.

The city has already secured funding to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant so that it can produce recycled water for non-potable use. Recycled water could play a crucial role in maintaining the long-term stability of St. Helenas water supply.

City Manager Anil Comelo acknowledged the communitys concerns about the escalating cost of public works projects.

We should gather data based on what we need to have a stable, safe and well-functioning water and wastewater system, Comelo said. How we fund it  not just in terms of rates but in terms of financing  we can deal with secondarily. The first part is to get the actual cost nailed down.

Those costs will be factored into proposed utility rates that should come before the council later this year.

Raises for city employees

Also on Tuesday, the council approved a three-year contract with the St. Helena Employees Association, which represents 34 city employees.

The contract includes annual cost of living adjustments of 5% in 2022 and 3% to 5% in 2023 and 2024, depending on changes in the consumer price index. It also provides equity adjustments every six months to bring each position within 5% of median market salary for that position.

The new contract will cost an additional $232,415 in the current fiscal year, $202,201 in 2023-2024, and $212,311 in 2024-2025. The costs for the current year were already accounted for in the budget.

Meanwhile, the council approved higher salaries for several filled and unfilled positions  including senior civil engineer, a key position that hasnt attracted any applicants.

The Planning & Building Director will be reclassified as Director of Community Development and tasked with working with the city manager on economic development.

Main/Spring crosswalk

The city will ask Caltrans to move the Main Street crosswalk at Spring Street to the north side of the intersection, install a pedestrian-activated flashing beacon, and construct three-foot bulb-outs at both ends of the new crosswalk.

Caltrans already added new striping and signs at the crosswalk after a pedestrian was hit by a car in May.

Caltrans has also agreed to work with the city on a long-term study of pedestrian safety along the entire Highway 29 corridor from Grayson to Pratt avenues.
According to information published by the U.S. DoD on September 15, 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard Legend class Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) departed Singapore, following the crews second international port call during their months-long Western Pacific deployment to the region. Midgetts crew conducted at-sea operations and subject matter expert exchanges with the Republic of Singapore Navy before the cutter arrived in Singapore.

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USCGC Midgett (WMSL 757) and Singapore Naval ship MSRV Bastion conduct at-sea maneuvering drills within international waters in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. (Picture source: US DoD)

Midgett and the Republic of Singapore Navy Maritime and Security Response Vessel (MSRV) Bastion conducted a passing exercise, maneuvering drills and communication exercises between the two ships within international waters in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. Midgett also embarked Republic of Singapore Navy ship riders to observe Midgetts operations.

Midgetts crew launched the embarked aircrew and MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and the cutters unmanned aerial vehicle during the at-sea operations. The unmanned aerial vehicle was used during an anti-piracy communication exercise to locate and capture imagery of a simulated vessel that was overtaken.

Midgett is operating in support of United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees military operations in the region.

Operating under the tactical control of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, the cutters crew plans to engage in professional and subject matter expert exchanges with regional partners and allies and will patrol and operate as directed during their Western Pacific deployment.

The Coast Guard provides expertise within the mission sets of search and rescue; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; maritime environmental response; maritime security; maritime domain awareness; aviation operations; interoperability; and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

As both a federal law enforcement agency and a branch of the armed forces, the Coast Guard is uniquely positioned to conduct security cooperation operations in support of combatant commanders on all seven continents.

The service routinely provides forces in joint military operations worldwide, including the deployment of cutters, boats, aircraft and deployable specialized forces.

The U.S. Coast Guard has a 150-year enduring role in the Indo-Pacific. The services ongoing deployment of resources to the region directly supports U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives in the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the National Security Strategy.

Since 2019, the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750), Stratton (WMSL 751), Waesche (WMSL 751) and Munro (WMSL 755) have deployed to the Western Pacific.

Commissioned in 2019, Midgett is one of two Coast Guard legend-class national security cutters homeported in Honolulu. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed in excess of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days and can hold a crew of up to 170.

National security cutters feature advanced command and control capabilities, aviation support facilities, stern cutter boat launch and increased endurance for long-range patrols to disrupt threats to national security further offshore.
According to information published by Opex 360 on September 15, 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron offered his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison four submarines despite the AUKUS security pact described as 'a stab in the back' by the former French MFA Le Drian.

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Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and French President Emmanuel Macron. (Picture source: Elysee)

Exactly one year ago, Australia, through its then Prime Minister Scott Morrison, announced its intention to procure nuclear-powered general-purpose attack submarines (SSN) as part of its alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom (AUKUS).

This was to provoke a serious diplomatic crisis with Paris since this decision implied the cancellation of a contract for the delivery of twelve Barracuda class submarines by Naval Group to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

However, with tensions mounting in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia, which has no nuclear industry, is not expected to have an ANS by 2040... And the six Collins-class submarines that the RAN is currently deploying will have reached the end of their potential well before that deadline. Hence the risk of a major capability breakdown in the years to come.

That said, the political situation has since changed in Canberra, following the May general election. For the moment, the new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has not called into question his predecessor's project. Moreover, an agreement was recently signed with the United Kingdom to allow Australian submariners to train on board the Royal Navy's Astute-class submarines.

In addition, the choice of nuclear submarine model to equip the RAN is expected to be announced by Richard Marles, the Australian Minister for Defence, in the first quarter of 2023. And in the United Kingdom, construction of the Astute will end after the delivery of the seventh unit expected by the Royal Navy, with London's priority going to the "Dreadnought" nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine program.

In any case, Mr. Marles' first concern is to avoid a capability breakdown at the RAN. This could involve modernizing the six Collins submarines as part of the LOTE (Life-of-Type Extension) program, which was announced by Peter Dutton, his predecessor. And there is talk of modifying them so that they can carry Tomahawk cruise missiles.

However, given the uncertainty regarding the ANS to be acquired via the AUKUS alliance, Canberra could examine other options, such as the choice of a new model of a 'conventionally' powered submarine.

Sweden's Saab, which designed the Collins, is looking closely at the dossier, as its CEO, Micael Johansson, confirmed in July. According to him, it would be a question of filling the gap between the end of life of the Collins and the potential arrival of the ANS.

South Korea, which has strengthened its military ties with Australia, is lying in wait, assuring that its industry would be able to build conventional propulsion attack submarines of the Dosan Ahn Changho-class (KSS-III) for the RAN within seven years.

And the French would not be outdone. Since becoming Prime Minister, Albanese has been working to renew ties with France. One of his first decisions was to compensate Naval Group, to the tune of 555 million euros, for the cancellation of the submarine contract decided by his predecessor.

And the warming of Franco-Australian relations took concrete form in July, after his meeting with President Macron. On this occasion, it was decided to reset the meters and start again on a new basis.

President Macron even took the opportunity to propose supplying four submarines to Australia. These would be built in Cherbourg and not in Adelaide, as was to be the case for the twelve Barracuda class submarines.

What is really going on, given that Naval Group is already busy building the Suffren class SSNs in Cherbourg while preparing the 3rd generation SSBN program? We should probably know more in November if Mr. Macron confirms the official trip he has planned to make to Australia.
Bloomberg: OPEC+ group to consider cutting oil production by more than 1 million barrels per day

Delegation from Bundestag arrives in Taiwan: China protests

Secretary of Armenian Security Council to go on working visit to Brussels

Afghan authorities disperse women's rally in Herat

Pope appeals to Vladimir Putin to 'stop this spiral of violence and death'

Crown Prince of Kuwait accepts resignation of government after parliamentary elections in country

Armenian FM meets with EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar in Geneva

Former Ombudsman: Armenia must immediately apply to International Criminal Court

Address by Alen Simonyan to National Minorities: You have been and continue to be members of our extended family

Denmark declares gas leakage in damaged Nord Stream 1 pipeline stopped

Ombudsman's Office about video of Armenian soldiers' shooting: We have identified the authenticity of the video

Liz Truss says she should have done more to set stage for her economic plan

Foreign Ministry: Armenia demands clear evaluation of blatant war crimes by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Pashinyan: Armenia will use all available international mechanisms to bring Azerbaijan to justice

Latvian Prime Minister's Party wins parliamentary elections

Marukyan: Azerbaijani political and military authorities must be hold accountable for this and other atrocities

Armenian PM sends congratulatory message on National Minorities Day

Applications to international courts will be filed tomorrow in connection with shooting of Armenian POWs

Bosnia holds presidential and parliamentary elections

Armenian Defense Ministry on video of execution of Armenian POWs: No doubts about authenticity

Le Figaro: International media and authorities verify gruesome video of execution of Armenian POWs by Azerbaijanis

Brazil's presidential and parliamentary elections begin

Toivo Klaar: Another horrible video has emerged of Armenian prisoners of war apparently being executed

Blinken says U.S. will help Ukraine on issue of territories

Defense Ministry: As of 10 am, situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains unchanged

At least 129 killed in stampede at football match in Indonesia

EU leaders to discuss security of their critical infrastructure

Lebanon says it received proposal from US for maritime border agreement with Israel

Italy's Eni works with Gazprom to solve the problem of Russian gas supplies stoppage

Prime Minister: There are problems in relations between OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs

France can supply Ukraine with up to twelve new Caesar howitzers

Over half of Britons think Liz Truss should step down as PM

Kyiv's bid for accelerated NATO membership comes as surprise to Biden administration

Baykar plant in Ukraine to start assembling high-altitude UAV model Bayraktar Akinci

Erdogan sues German MP for calling him cesspool rat

OSCE may send mission to Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Erdogan doesn't rule out meeting with Pashinyan

Armenian Defense Ministry urges to stop collecting food, clothing, money for servicemen

Kuwait government tenders resignation following parliamentary elections

Joint command and staff exercise held during CSTO military exercises in Kazakhstan

Over 30 killed in Iran terrorist attack

Aliyev announces plans to double Azerbaijan natural gas supply to Europe by 2027

Pashinyan: I am confident that Armenia-Cyprus cooperation will continue to be strengthened, expanded

Finland, Sweden, Turkey may discuss NATO membership process this month

Artsakh security council meeting to be held at parliamentary forces proposal

US court orders Iran to pay $34.8M in compensation to late journalists family

Armenian parliament speaker to leave for Moscow

Hurricane Ian death toll exceeds 40 in Florida

Armenian community stages protest ahead of Azerbaijan presidents Bulgaria visit (PHOTOS)

California Governor signs bill declaring April 24 state holiday in remembrance of Armenian Genocide

2 Azerbaijanis severely injured after stepping on landmine in Karabakh

FM: Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan

Turkey does not recognize joining of 4 regions to Russia

South Korea leader threatens with crushing response to North if it uses nuclear weapons

Group of soldiers stage coup in Burkina Faso

Biden signs law providing $12.4bn in additional aid to Ukraine

Japan envoy to Armenia expresses concern about current situation after recent Azerbaijan military aggression

Nicaragua severs diplomatic ties with Netherlands

Armenia PM congratulates on 73rd anniversary of People's Republic of China

World Bank approves additional $530M in aid to Ukraine

Newspaper: Russians getting familiarized with options Armenia is discussing with the West

Armenia soldier, 19, found dead in combat position

Newspaper: Artsakh, Azerbaijan representatives to negotiate with each other?

Italy strengthens naval surveillance and control of pipelines

Russia vetoes UN Security Council draft resolution that does not recognize unification of new territories

In phone conversation with Erdogan, Putin gives principled assessment of sabotage of Nord Streams

First African-American woman to officially join U.S. Supreme Court

Biden warns Putin that he will not get away with annexation of new territories to Russia

U.S. Congress approves $12.3 billion in aid for Ukraine

'Armenian Crossroads': Pashinyan talks about difficulties in unblocking communications with Azerbaijan

Pashinyan: Russian authorities must not take actions which cast doubt on sincerity of official positions

Pashinyan: Next session of delimitation and demarcation working group to be held in November

Nikol Pashinyan does not rule out meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Prague

Blinken: U.S. will take action in UN Security Council to hold Russia accountable for referendums

Defense Ministry: As of 10 pm situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains unchanged

Pashinyan: Statement of Ministry of Defense says Russian Federation, but my statement does not say anything about Russia

Israel says it will not recognize results of referendums on annexation of new territories to Russia

Germany allowed arms exports to Saudi Arabia

Putin speaks at rally-concert on Red Square: We know to whom we owe today

Pashinyan: Nancy Pelosi's visit to Armenia is not anti-Russian

Stoltenberg: Ukraine's admission to NATO requires consent of all members of alliance

Pashinyan about Ter-Petrosyan's proposal: Quite wide range of people are aware of negotiation process

Pashinyan: We don't close door to anyone

Pashinyan: It is impossible to speak of memorial service for era of peace that has not yet begun

Pashinyan: Names of deceased should be published through institutionally planned mechanism

Japan spends record 2.8 trillion yen on interventions in foreign exchange market

Nikol Pashinyan interviews with Public Television

Poghosyan: During global rift, Armenia may have to choose one side

U.S. imposes sanctions against Armenian company Taco LLC for supporting Russia

MFA: Armenia repeatedly proposes mirror withdrawal of troops

US keeps stealing Syrian oil

Zelenskyy: Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia as long as Putin is president

Investigative Committee of Armenia presents number of identified victims of latest enemy aggression

Blinken says U.S. does not and never will recognize legitimacy or results of bogus referendums

US imposes sanctions on companies from China, Belarus and Armenia for supporting Russia

Greek MFA does not recognize accession of new regions to Russia

NBC News: U.S. intends to introduce new sanctions against Russia

Rubinyan: Armenia is not going to discuss any capitulation

Austria cannot support any EU plan to cap gas prices

Zelenskyy: Ukraine is applying for NATO membership on expedited basis
YEREVAN.  Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Questions that assume specific answers were asked yesterday, on September 15, at the [Armenia] Security Council's expanded consultation (which was attended also by the delegation that arrived from Artsakh).

It became known to Zhoghovurd daily that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan assured the participants of the discussion that he has not signed and is not going to sign any document. He conveyed that he will sign a peace agreement only when he is sure and guaranteed that not even a millimeter will be lost from the sovereign territory of Armenia, and the Azerbaijani army will return to its starting positions.

However, the Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] side was not reassured by this statement, but it gave reason to worry and raise a number of questions. It became known to Zhoghovurd daily that the people of Artsakh asked what will happen to Artsakh and the status of Artsakh if the RA sovereign territory is preserved and Pashinyan signs that agreement. Does resolving the RA issues and stepping aside mean abandoning Artsakh? This is the main issue of the people of Artsakh.

In response, Pashinyan noted that a matter of the status of Artsakh was not discussed during the last meeting in Brussels.

Basically, the question by the Artsakh delegation remains pending. Judging by the fact that rallies have been taking place in [Artsakh capital] Stepanakert's Revival Square for days, it can be assumed that the people of Artsakh, nonetheless, still see concern in that ominous agreementin that, after the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan [by Armenia], Artsakh can be viewed in the integrity of Azerbaijan, which is definitely means the loss of Artsakh.
Nearly 60,000 Covid-19 patients discharged on Friday

Nearly 60,000 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital following their full recovery on Friday in Vietnam while the country reported an additional 3,080 new infections, according to the Ministry of Health.















A student is given Covid-19 vaccine in Ha Nam Province





According to the ministry's report, the national caseload has so far increased to 11,454,079.



On September 16, an additional 59,923 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 10.50 million.



On Friday evening, five deaths from Covid-19 were recorded, raising the country's total fatalities to 43,137, accounting for 0.4 per cent of total infections.



By September 16, the country had injected nearly 259 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.



Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 13 chaired a meeting of the national steering committee for Covid-19 prevention and control, highlighting the importance of issuing the Governments Resolution 128 on making Vietnams response to the pandemic more flexible. He said it was key to the work and to socio-economic recovery and development.
Armenia's position is clear and unequivocal that the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces must leave the sovereign territory of Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at Fridays Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia.

"I want to emphasize that it is not only about the events of the last days, but also about the [Azerbaijani] invasion that took place in the Khoznavar area on May 12 last year. This position of Armenia was recorded yesterday during the discussions held at the UN Security Council. Basically, discussions took place at the UN Security Council based on Armenia's petition. Yesterday evening, I had another telephone conversation with President Emmanuel Macron of France, the country presiding over the UN Security Council, and an agreement was reached that the situation shall continue to remain at the focus of the UN Security Council's attention," Pashinyan said.

Presenting the details of this UN Security Council session, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted that this was the second such discussion.

"Two days ago, another discussion took place in a closed mode. The second one, at our insistence, took place in an open mode so that the humanity of the whole world could follow the positions of permanent and non-permanent member countries of the UN Security Council. A document based on the results of the discussion has not been adopted yet. But this shall not downplay the importance of the discussion in any way because, in fact, the international community has taken a very clear positioneven without a documenton the issues.

I will list them now. The vast majority of countries emphasized the inadmissibility of the use of force, the inviolability of the territory of Armenia, the need to return to the positions before the invasion, the term aggression was used many times. That is, there is a very clear perception that this is an aggression, an invasion of the territory of Armenia, that civil infrastructures have been targeted, that the invader must return to the initial positions. Let me say more. In the discussions, many countries have spoken also about the NK [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] conflict, the problem. Basically, I will not exaggerate that the Azerbaijan leadership theory which they are trying to circulatethat there is no NK problem, there is no NKreceived its equivalent opposite reaction from the international community yesterday. This is the positioning of the international community, and we must continue working in this direction," said Mirzoyan.

Also, the Armenian FM expressed his appreciation to the countries that boldly stopped putting a sign of equality between the aggressor and the target of aggression.

"But I must also admit that in the case of separate countries and country, we had higher expectations; and perhaps it is not a secret that in some cases they were not quite met. Allow me not to elaborate further," added Mirzoyan.
President Joe Biden's April 24, 2021 decision to recognize the murder and expulsion of up to 1.5 million Armenians from Turkey as Genocide was long overdue. However, 48 hours later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a gift to his Turkish brethren in Azerbaijan by waiving Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which prohibits direct aid to the Azerbaijani government because of its aggression against Armenians, David Phillips noted in his article on National Interest.

"Biden and Blinken should have known better; appeasement does not work," David Phillips said.

Turkey and Azerbaijan have once again launched an unprovoked attack on Armenia. The New York Times noted, For the first time in 30 years of a largely frozen conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts, Azerbaijan attacked Armenian air defense and artillery systems based inside Armenia. Heavy shelling inside Armenia has been reported, targeting homes and infrastructure, despite denials from Turkey and Azerbaijan and attempts to shift the blame.

Such behavior is not new for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has launched cross-border operations to establish a zone of Turkish influence in former Ottoman territories. Erdogan is pursuing a neo-Ottoman agenda by targeting Kurds in Syria and Iraq, sending troops to Libya and the eastern Mediterranean and using Azerbaijan as a puppet for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan is a Turkic country that is loyal to its "big brother" Turkey. In 2020, Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh ("Artsakh" in Armenian) and committed crimes, including mistreatment of prisoners of war in violation of the Geneva Conventions, as well as a cultural genocide against Armenian churches and religious icons, he said.

The international community handed over peacekeeping operations to Russia and thereby undermined the prospects for peace itself. America's non-interference approach also undermines the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group, which is charged with mediating the conflict. The recent appointment of Philip Reeker, a seasoned diplomat, as co-chair of the Minsk Group is a good step that could revitalize international mediation.

The U.S. has criticized Azerbaijan's recent attacks on Armenia, but words mean little to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev believes that with Turkish support and Turkish weapons, he can attack Armenians without consequences.

In fact, the U.S. rewarded Azerbaijan for its aggression. The West has turned to Azerbaijan, Venezuela and Iran to fill the energy supply gap due to Russia's decision to close the Nord Stream pipeline. Ukraine is Biden's top priority, outweighing other issues, including human rights.

Azerbaijan must pay the price for attacking a sovereign state in violation of international law. The Biden administration can get Aliyev's attention by repealing the Section 907 waiver.

The bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, condemns Azerbaijan's unprovoked attacks on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire." It also demands an end to all aid to Azerbaijan, whose aggression is an attempt to eliminate the centuries-old Christian presence of Armenians in the Caucasus. Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel to Armenia this weekend to express support.

Objective observers in the region are confused by the Biden administration's controversial statements regarding Turkey and Azerbaijan. Armenian-Americans will undoubtedly express their displeasure during the midterm elections if Biden does not take meaningful steps in response to Azerbaijani aggression.

A credible response begins with a repeal of the Section 907 waiver and a significant increase in U.S. aid and presence in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to protect a democratic Armenia. Like the defense of Ukraine, Washington must take steps to prevent Turkish aggression against a sovereign nation and strategic partner.
The German government is ready to revise military export rules that affect joint defense projects, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, Reuters reports.

"Some may be surprised but the German government is prepared to do this," he said in Berlin according to the script of a speech.

Germany is ready to take the lead in ensuring Europe's security, he said. The Bundeswehr must become the foundation of non-nuclear defense in Europe and the best-equipped army in Europe, Scholz said, DW reported.

According to Scholz, this is necessary against the backdrop of the threat from Russia. From Putin's Russia now comes the biggest threat to NATO. Through the war against Ukraine, the heavily armed nuclear power is trying to redraw the borders in Europe. If Russia gets its way, peace in Europe will be permanently lost.

Scholz noted that the German armed forces must return to their fundamental task of defending the country and NATO.

He called on Europe to take significantly more responsibility in NATO and reiterated his pledge that Germany would fulfill its commitment to contribute two percent of its GDP to defense.

Olaf Scholz also called for increased cooperation with NATO partners in the development of new weapons systems. He expressed a willingness to ease Germany's stringent export restrictions, which critics say are hindering the expansion of such cooperation.
NEWS.am is presenting an interview with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso on the banks projects in Armenia, current challenges to Armenias economic development and how the EBRD projects may help Armenia overcome those challenges.

What do you think are the current challenges to Armenias economic development? What needs to be changed to address them?

Having seen the governments 2021-2026 programme, I am delighted to say that its focus on knowledge-based industry and development of value added exports and services is key to Armenias economic development.

This could be achieved through improved infrastructure for better connectivity, energy security through development of renewables, support to small and medium-sized enterprises, better governance standards, diversification of trade partners, but also promotion of tourism.

The plan is very coherent, but it is very important to implement it successfully. The private sector has an important role to play in all these areas and its development is our main focus and objective. We are of course working as well with the public sector. Overall, we aim at supporting our stakeholders in Armenia with our trademark business model of investment combined with policy engagement and technical cooperation.

One of the focus areas for EBRD in Armenia is developing the financial sector and improving access to finance for traditional SMEs and micro-finance lines targeting areas outside Yerevan To what extent has this objective been accomplished? What are the main problems the bank faces and how are they solved?

Yes, developing the financial sector of Armenia, and improving access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises across the country is one of the key pillars of our business in Armenia.

On average, we are investing 100 million annually in Armenian financial institutions, and significant portion of these funds eventually end up with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises via regional branches of our local partner banks.

But the creditworthiness, financial illiteracy and hard currency borrowing remain key challenges when financing regional micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. We have a range of tools to address these challenges, including targeted credit lines with specific emphasis on green and inclusive financing, local currency financing solutions, technical support, but also direct engagement with regional companies through our Advice for Small Businesses (ASB) programme.

We are also working on developing alternative sources of funding and recently engaged with the Central Bank of Armenia to adopt secondary legislation for Crowdfunding Investments. This should further improve access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises who are struggling to borrow from traditional sources.

Another area of focus is improving municipal and urban transport infrastructure. EBRD has given Armenia a $20 million loan to be used to finance the acquisition of up to 100 buses for Yerevan but the buses have not been purchased yet. Does the bank monitor the process, how is it regulated?

We signed the Yerevan bus project in November 2021 under the EBRD Green Cities programme, which aims at supporting municipalities to develop and invest in a coherent program of projects for the green transition, covering several areas of urban development  transport, waste management, water management, etc. The project value is 25 million, of which 20 million is an EBRD loan, and 5 million comes from the E5P (Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership) grant financed by a range of donors, prominently the European Union.

The supply contract for the purchase of buses was signed and first tranches of EBRD Loan grant were disbursed. The project is on track and residents of Yerevan will see these new buses in the streets of the capital in the first half of 2023.

Within the transport infrastructure, the bank has an objective to make reforms including the introduction of integrated transport management and ticketing systems, better parking management, etc. What are the main problems in achieving this goal? Is there any success in this endeavour?

As for the integrated transport management and ticketing, this is a part of the Yerevan bus initiative which, as mentioned above, is financed by the EBRD loan and E5P investment grant currently implemented by the Yerevan municipality, with whom we are engaged in technical cooperation.

We have also provided grant funds for the implementation of New Bus Network, and Corporate Development Programme (CDP) to support the City with the monitoring of bus operations and preparation of the new bus network, including assistance with the development of a public service contracts, corporate business plans, and etc.

If there is a relevant request from the Yerevan municipality, we are ready to provide even more support for further modernisation of the urban transport fleet and relevant systems modernisation.

EBRD also intends to develop agribusiness and high value-added, export-oriented industrial companies. What is Armenias potential in this area and where does it stand now region-wise?

Agricultural sector of Armenia is a significant contributor to the countrys economy. And it also employs the largest share of the population  about the third, which raises a real productivity challenge. This is also true for other countries in the Caucasus.

There is a potential for improvement of the sectors productivity through investments in sustainable technologies, agricultural infrastructure and knowledge transfer. The potential is also there for the introduction of energy and resource efficient technologies. Agriculture accounts for 80% of water withdrawal, pointing to a potential water efficiency issue in the sector.

We are helping to gradually improve the productivity of this sector with sustained financing for investment in relevant technologies to small and medium-sized enterprises. This is done through the branches of our local partner banks across the country.

Improving the regulatory and institutional framework for sustainable energy and the mining sector is another area of focus for EBRD in Armenia. What are the main problems here? Is Armenias Government responsive in addressing them? Is more action needed? Please, elaborate.

Renewables are at the core of our strategy for Armenia. Since 2019, we have been supporting the preparation of up to 105 MW solar capacity, and have committed to finance the first utility scale solar plant.

The governments Energy Sector Development Strategic Plan 2040 includes development of up to 1,000 MW Solar capacity by 2030 and up to 500 MW Wind capacity by 2040. Over the past few years, the government has also improved the public private partnership law.

We stand ready to further support these initiatives, which will undoubtedly increase energy independence of the country and contribute to grow the private sector and attract foreign investments.

The EU and EBRD are expected to provide financial support for the reconstruction and modernization of Meghri border checkpoint. Can you, please, give some updates when the project will be implemented?

Yes, this is a very important project in the Southern region of Syunik, where we have teamed up with the European Union to finance the modernization of the Border Crossing Point.

From what we know, the State Revenue Committee of Armenia is currently in the process of assessing submitted bids. Construction works are expected to start by the end of this year and finish within three years.

Do you plan to meet the prime minister, the president, may be some ministers and representatives of the business sector during the visit? What are the main important issues to discuss?

Yes, I will be meeting the President, the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and other high level dignitaries, but also our existing and potential clients and partners.

We will focus on discussing the challenges to, and opportunities for developing the financial sector, improving transport infrastructure, developing the sustainable energy infrastructure, supporting the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the issues of the corporate governance.

With political leadership of Armenia, we will also discuss the policy reform, and ways to further improve the general investment climate.

Armenia's foreign debt exceeds 60% of its GDP, and by implementing new credit programs, do you not see any risks that the county may have problems in servicing its debt?

After the Covid-19 crisis, public debt levels went up in most of our countries of operations. Armenias fiscal prudence is now necessary to reduce the elevated public debt to safer levels.

But this should not be done at the cost of much needed infrastructure investments, and this years robust economic growth presents an opportunity to address associated risks effectively.
At least ten people were killed and four, including two children, are missing because of heavy rains that hit the Marche region of Italy. At least 50 people were injured, the Italian daily La Repubblica reported.

Among the dead is a man who drowned in his car. In Barbara, an eight-year-old child, whose rescuers are searching for, slipped from his mother's arms, he was washed away by a torrent of water. According to some local publications, the child was later rescued by the fire department near the commune of Ostra.

The areas of Senigallia, in the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro e Urbino on the border with Umbria were hit hardest by the bad weather. The director of civil protection and territorial security for the region, Marche Stefano Stefani, said that in two to three hours, approximately 420 millimeters of rain fell, half of what falls in a year in the region. That said, the possibility that heavy rains will hit the region again in the near future is not ruled out.

In Senigallia, Ancona province, the Misa River began flooding, reaching its maximum limit late Thursday evening, September 15. Authorities have asked local residents to occupy the upper floors of houses, not to go outside and not to use cars. It is specified that now "the river is slowly receding." In turn, the municipality of Cantiano was isolated due to landslides, there are several houses for the elderly. In some areas of the region there is an unstable power supply, as well as problems with telephone lines. Classes have been cancelled in schools in the town of Barbara. More than 300 rescuers are working in Marka, and governors of neighboring regions have offered their assistance.
The introduction of digital technologies in the economy has no alternative today. If we want to have a developed and competitive economy in Armenia and export our products to different markets of the world, it is impossible to do without modern technologies and digital solutions, CEO of Revytech Tigran Simonyan said.

His remarks came during the signing of a cooperation agreement with the world's largest provider of enterprise applications, SAP and SAP Fioneer, a provider of software solutions for financial services.

He noted that the aim of the Revytech company in Armenia, founded a year ago, is to become one of the leading tech companies in Armenia and have a significant role in the global technology market. Besides, along the way, they have powerful partners: SAP and SAP Fioneer.

Simonyan added that now the high level delegation of SAP is in Armenia to get acquainted with the digital transformation agenda of our country and to evaluate their possible contribution to the advancement of Armenia's digital agenda and economic development.

"This is an historic moment for our company. This cooperation is unique for us in its nature. We will introduce leading technologies in the economy of Armenia based on advanced data analysis, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation and other technologies. Also, through our partners, who are present in more than 190 countries, we get the opportunity to export our products to different markets," he noted.

Alexander Metechko, Managing Director of Multi-countries cluster, SAP CEE, expressed hope that Revytech, thanks to its professionalism and experience, as well as its partnership with SAP, will help many Armenian companies in transitioning to the digital economy and becoming more competitive in the global market. He noted that SAP has been working on the Armenian market for over 10 years and today it considers the Armenian market as the most promising because Armenian enterprises are open and ready for innovative solutions. "Today, digital solutions are necessary for faster development and competitiveness of enterprises," he said.

SAP Fioneers Chief executive officer Dirk Kruse said that their delegation will have meetings with representatives of the Armenian banking sector, including representatives of the Central Bank and members of the government, and expect effective cooperation in banking and business software.

Dirk Kruse told reporters that SAP Fioneer offers cloud solutions for international banking, for which they need local partners who are familiar with local market regulations and legislation. And that role was assumed by the Revytech company. He expressed belief that the digitization of enterprises and the banking system in Armenia will lead to an increase in work efficiency. "Based on our experience, especially the introduction of payment systems is quite a serious driving force of the economy, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises," he said.

Alexander Metechko, in turn, noted that it is very important for them to be part of the digitization of the Armenian economy. "We are proud to be part of that strategy together with Revytech and help in its implementation," he said.

Tigran Simonyan added that cooperation with SAP provides wide opportunities because they have leading technologies that are used in European, American, and other markets, but Armenia can also offer innovative solutions, which with the help of SAP can be brought to the world market.

He noted that the target of Revytech are not only banks. "We have specific projects aimed at transforming the financial sector; it is a cloud system for SMEs, which will enable SMEs without any IT infrastructure to activate their business management environment with subscription, as well as interact with the financial system. It is actually a rather large investment project," he said.

During the visit to Armenia, top managers and representatives of SAP and SAP Fioneer companies visited the TUMO center, had meetings with the Central Bank of Armenia, the Ministry of high-tech industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and other governmental agencies and representatives. During the visit, the innovative CLaaS cloud platform (Corporate landscape as a service new business model) in the territory of Armenia designed by SAP, SAP Fioneer, and REVYTECH was presented to the banks and financial institutions of Armenia.
Since early May, cases of monkeypox have been detected in countries around the world that have not historically reported the disease. In July, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global public health emergency.

The outbreak has now spread to 82 countries where the disease is not endemic. Most infections have been reported in the U.S., where more than 9,492 cases have been confirmed. In response, the U.S. declared monkeypox a public health emergency on August 4.

Like smallpox, monkeypox is a type of orthopoxvirus. While it is less deadly and transmissible than smallpox, it can cause a painful rash and other symptoms including fever, body aches and chills. Symptoms can last from two to four weeks.

As of August 9, Georgia is among six states in the U.S. to have reported more than 700 cases of monkeypox, with 749 cases. Most of the cases in Georgia have been reported in Fulton County among men who have sex with men.

Jodie Guest, PhD, professor and vice chair of the department of epidemiology at Emorys Rollins School of Public Health, teamed up with David Holland, MD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and chief clinical officer of the Fulton County Board of Health, to discuss the monkeypox outbreak in Atlanta  including strategies for preventing infection and the safety, efficacy and availability of vaccines.

Their conversation is part of an online video series hosted by Guest, who also leads the Emory COVID-19 Outbreak Response Team, answering questions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other public health topics.

Q: How is monkeypox spreading from person to person during the current outbreak?

A: Based on our epidemiological investigations, it seems to be pretty much exclusively spreading by skin-to-skin contact, says Holland. And not just casual contact  not like a handshake or brushing by somebody at the grocery store  but prolonged, very intimate contact that you might see during sexual activity.

The length of time that someone is connected to someone with monkeypox seems to be really important in the spread of it, says Guest.

Because it is spreading primarily through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, monkeypox infections are much rarer than COVID-19 infections, which spread through airborne droplets and particles.

I think people have maybe been a little bit worried about catching monkeypox at the grocery store or something like that, but that just doesn't seem to be the case, Holland explains, noting that while transmission through droplets has been observed in previous monkeypox outbreaks, it does not seem to be spreading that way in this particular outbreak.

Q: What are the symptoms of monkeypox? When is monkeypox contagious?

A: The most common symptom (and often the first symptom) of monkeypox is a rash. This may be followed by other symptoms including fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, chills, respiratory symptoms and exhaustion.

It's important to note that as far as we can tell, people do not seem to be contagious before the rash or lesions appear, Holland says. That said, the early stages of the lesions can be very small and hard to notice, so I think people may actually be infectious before they know anything is wrong.

Monkeypox lesions may first appear as small bumps that could go unnoticed or be mistaken for a mosquito bite or pimple. They are considered infectious until they scab over and begin to heal.

People who are engaged in the kind of activities that might lead them to be at increased risk of monkeypox might want to be extra careful and on alert for any signs of a rash, Holland says.

Q: Who is eligible for a monkeypox vaccine?

A: Most cases of monkeypox in the current outbreak have been reported among men who have sex with men (MSM), suggesting possible spread through sexual networks. For this reason, MSM who have multiple sexual partners are being prioritized for vaccines, which are limited in supply.

The outbreak in Atlanta is also different from many other U.S. cities, where most cases have been reported among white MSM.

Within Georgia, and in particular within Fulton County, the majority of cases are now among Black men who have sex with men, Holland says. So, we are extra-prioritizing that group with some equity efforts to make sure that vaccines get to where they are needed.

Q: How are monkeypox vaccines being administered in Fulton County?

A: The Fulton County Board of Health is administering monkeypox vaccines as post-exposure prophylaxis and as a form of prevention for individuals who are at high risk of exposure.

We have two allocations of vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile, Holland explains. The first is what we call the immediate post-exposure prophylaxis. These are for individuals who have been identified through a case investigation and contact tracing as people at very high risk of acquiring monkeypox; these would be intimate partners of someone who was diagnosed. Those are individuals that were trying to get vaccinated within four days to actually prevent the infection.

In Fulton County, only individuals named as close personal contacts by someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox are eligible for a vaccine as post-exposure prophylaxis.

The other allocation of vaccine is for expanded post-exposure prophylaxis. It kind of looks a little like pre-exposure prophylaxis, but thats actually not what it is. Its for people who have reported multiple sex partners in the prior 14 days, Holland says.

At some point, there may be enough vaccine that we can start thinking about pre-exposure prophylaxis, but technically everything we're doing is still post-exposure, he adds.

Follow the Fulton County Board of Health on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information about upcoming vaccination events.

Q: Is the monkeypox vaccine safe and effective?

A: The Fulton County Board of Health is administering the Jynneos vaccine, which was developed for the prevention of smallpox but is also licensed for the prevention of monkeypox by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine contains live poxvirus that does not replicate efficiently in human cells and has been proven to be safe in adults.

Studies have shown that the Jynneos vaccine is very, very safe, Holland says.

The Jynneos vaccine regimen consists of two doses administered 28 days apart. The maximum antibody response is reached 14 days after the second dose, but there are no data yet on the effectiveness of the vaccine in humans during the current monkeypox outbreak.

The proof over efficacy of this vaccine against monkeypox has only been done in animals, not in humans, Holland says. There has just been no way  until now  to test how efficacious it is.

In animal models, the vaccine has been shown to prevent monkeypox illness if administered within four days of exposure. If administered within 14 days, the vaccine offers less protection but can still prevent severe illness.

So, you do get some protection, we just dont know yet exactly what the dynamics of that look like, Holland adds. We should know pretty soon, though.

Q: Does someone who recently had monkeypox and recovered need a monkeypox vaccine?

A: As far as we can tell, no, Holland says. Immunity from orthopoxvirus infections appears to be pretty good, so there's no evidence that a vaccine would benefit somebody who's recovered from monkeypox.

That is very different than what we see with our COVID-19 vaccines, Guest notes.

Q: Besides vaccination, how can you lower your risk of getting monkeypox?

A: Theres some really good information on the CDC website about protecting yourself from monkeypox in sexual situations, developed by a team at the CDC in the Division of HIV Prevention, Holland says.

People are going to have sex and people are going to go to parties, and nobody is suggesting that anyone stop doing that, he continues. I would say that to protect yourself, just think carefully about the number of partners that you choose to have and how they're selected.

I think it is always important  for gay men, in particular  to have conversations about risk and protection with their sexual partners, no matter what the environment is, he adds. That said, I'm also very much in favor of making sure that public health interventions are so widely distributed that those conversations no longer become necessary, because everybody has already been able to access the protective modalities that work best for them. Unfortunately, we're just not there yet.

Q: How do you encourage individuals at high risk to take preventative measures to protect themselves and their communities without creating stigma or unfounded fear?

A: Thats a really good question, and the tack that were taking is we are working very closely with our community-based organization (CBO) partners that serve men who have sex with men  organizations that deal with Black MSM, Latino MSM, trans communities, and so forth  and working through them to get the messaging out, says Holland.

It works a lot better that way, because they are trusted messengers, and then it kind of tees us up to be able to launch things like vaccines when they become ready.

Q: Can monkeypox be transmitted through swimming pools?

A: No cases have been traced to swimming pools. As far as we can tell, there's no risk [in pools], Holland says. Theres pretty good evidence that the chlorine or the saltwater  whatever is killing everything else in the pool  would kill the orthopoxviruses, as well.
Story Highlights 81% of Finns and 74% of Swedes approve of NATO's leadership

62% of Finns and 40% of Swedes approve of U.S. leadership

6% of Finns and 2% of Swedes approve of Russian leadership

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With only five member countries still needing to approve their accession, few hurdles remain for Sweden and Finland to become NATO's newest members.

Gallup surveys suggest there are also few hurdles among the publics in these countries, with strong majorities in Finland (81%) and Sweden (74%) approving of the alliance's leadership.

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Surveys in Sweden and Finland took place between April and July 2022, overlapping each country's formal request to join the alliance in mid-May as the war between Ukraine and Russia intensified. Both countries faced warnings from Russia not to pursue membership in the alliance.

Finns' Approval of U.S. Leadership Reaches New High as They Sour on Russia

More than six in 10 Finns express approval of U.S. leadership in 2022, which is up from 52% in 2021 and represents a new high. This new high comes after the Biden administration expressed strong support for Finnish membership in NATO. Before 2010, 30% or less of Finns approved of U.S. leadership. However, from 2010 to 2016, during the administration of President Barack Obama, no less than 45% expressed the same sentiment. In 2017, after Obama left office, Finns' views of U.S. leadership plunged again -- no more than 21% expressed approval from 2017 to 2020.

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Finns' views of Russian leadership are nearly universally negative, with just 6% approving and 92% disapproving. Approval has been this low only once before, when it dropped to 7% after Crimea joined Russia in 2014. No less than 77% of Finns have disapproved of Russia's leadership each year since 2014.

Swedes Mixed on U.S. Leadership, Profoundly Negative on Russia's

Swedes are less ebullient than Finns about U.S. leadership, but they are even more negative about Russia's leadership. In 2022, 40% of Swedes approve of U.S. leadership, down from 52% in 2021. The 2022 approval rating still represents a substantially more positive stance toward U.S. leadership than was seen between 2017 and 2020, when no more than 13% of Swedes approved of U.S. leadership.

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Just 2% of Swedes approve of Russia's leadership in 2022, while 96% disapprove. Russian leadership has not been popular in Sweden over the past two decades. At no point in Gallup's trend have more than 9% of Swedes approved of Russia's leadership.

Bottom Line

Clear majorities of Finns and Swedes approve of NATO's leadership as they are poised to join the alliance's ranks. This could change depending on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. It is likely that both countries are largely positive about NATO as they see membership as a potential security guarantor against potential threats from Russia.

Both Finns and Swedes have seen substantial swings in their approval of U.S. leadership. However, throughout most of the trends in both countries, approval of U.S. leadership has exceeded that of Russian leadership. Given aggressive Russian policies over the past several years, approval of NATO leadership is also likely to exceed that of Russia's in the future.

Editor's note: On Sept. 16, 2022, this article was updated to reflect the accurate number of NATO member countries that still have to approve Finland's and Sweden's membership in the alliance.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
Thirty years ago on Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew made landfall south of Miami as a powerful Category 5 hurricane causing then-record damage and leaving tens of thousands of South Florida residents homeless and without jobs.

Recovery was a gradual effort as many South Miami-Dade residents rebuilt and rekindled a sense of normalitybut for some, returning to their previous level of functioning proved to be more challenging, especially for children.

More than halfway through the 2022 hurricane season, Annette La Greca, distinguished professor of psychology and pediatrics at the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences, shared some tips for caregivers to help children cope before and after a natural disaster. A leading expert on the topic of natural disaster preparation and recovery, she has studied trauma, risk, and resilience in children for more than three decades.

La Grecas research has illustrated how children can feel frightened and confused before and after a disaster. She provides information on how children and adolescents react to disasters, and what can be done to help them cope.

Before a Disaster

Even before a disaster has occurred, and especially during the days leading up to a potential hurricane strike (or wildfire/or flood), children and families may feel very stressed. This is because of the uncertainty about the potential disaster and fears for personal safety. Families may be wondering or discussing whether they need to evacuate, trying to figure out where to go, and deciding what to do to protect their home and possessions. Children may be asking: Will the hurricane strike? Will it be bad? How bad? What can I do to keep safe?

Key signs that a child is stressed before the storm:

Expresses fear or worry about the hurricane/disaster.

Has trouble falling or staying asleep.

Finds it difficult to pay attention and concentrate (as in school).

Is more angry or irritable than usual.

Complains of stomachaches, headaches, or other sick feelings.

After a Disaster

If all goes back to normal after a disaster, children will eventually settle down. But, if they experience a life-threatening situation, such as doors or windows breaking in the place they stayed or seeing someone get hurt, or if they felt like their lives were in danger, they may display a stress reaction. These responses also may occur if the child and family experienced a lot of loss and disruption because of the disastersuch as their home being damaged or destroyed, loss of pets or toys, or school being disrupted.

Children who are stressed after a hurricane would show some of the aforementioned symptoms. But they also may show some of these additional signs of stress:

Worry that another disaster or something bad might happen.

Have repetitive thoughts or dreams about the disaster.

Feel sad and lose interest in things they previously enjoyed.

Feel that people dont understand them.

Feel jumpy and nervous.

Get angry at others more than usual.

It is normal for children and adults to experience multiple signs of stress after a disaster. However, if the feelings do not resolve in a few months, as things get back to normal, they may benefit from seeking professional help.

Tactics for caregivers to help their children manage stress

Keeping lines of communication open is always important. You can encourage children to express how they are feelingeven using emojisor have them write how they are feeling, or ask them directly: How was your day? What was the best thing that happened to you? What was the thing that bothered you most?

Caregivers who are good listeners, and who talk to their children on a regular basis, will find it easy to learn how their children are reacting to a disasterboth before and after the event.

One thing all family members can do is help to prepare their go-to kits for a disaster (i.e., what to take with them if leaving home) and help with preparations around the home. Everyone should participate in creating a family disaster plan and then in implementing the plan, should a disaster threaten to strike.





Once disaster preparations are made, all family members can help by distraction and relaxation. Engage in some family activities. Try to identify some fun things that dont require electricity, like a card game or board game.





Make sure everyone has sufficient batteries to power the devices they use to relax.

Everyone in the family should try to practice good stress management by eating well, getting exercise, and keeping to a regular sleep routine.

Limit TV/social media viewing of disasters for everyone. Nonstop viewing of disaster-related news coverage will just add stress. Get the vital information you need, and then turn off the TV, computer, or device.

More information regarding healthy coping tactics and solutions to special situations can be found in La Grecas book, After the Storm. Download a free copy in both English and Spanish.
Lukashenko thanks Xi for backing at 'difficult time'

Xi Jinping meets Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Photo: Xinhua

Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko has thanked China for its support during "difficult times" at a meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan.



"You have always been not only a solid and reliable friend for us but a serious support in these difficult times," Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Xi, according to Belarus state media.



Belarus has been hit with a wave of Western penalties for acting as a launching pad for Russia's military operation in Ukraine.



"You know as well as I do what times these are," Lukashenko said, according to state news agency, Belta. "We have always supported China on all matters of principle, such as economic growth, unity, integrity of China, the 'One China' policy.



"We are reliable friends. Whatever it may cost us," he added.



Xinhua news agency, meanwhile, reported the two heads of state spoke highly of the achievements made in cooperation in various fields since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties three decades years ago.



The report added the two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, including sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.



Xi's visit to Central Asia is his first trip abroad since the early days of the pandemic.



The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, whose leaders convened in Uzbekistan for the summit, comprises China, India, Pakistan, Russia and Central Asian nations. Belarus is an observer state. (Xinhua/AFP)
Xi calls for a 'fairer' world order

President Xi Jinping told leaders they should "work together to promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction". Photo: Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan clash over border

Kyrgyz volunteers gather outside the government building demanding they be sent to the conflict zone. Photo: AP

The ex-Soviet republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Central Asia accused each other on Friday of breaching a ceasefire intended to end deadly border clashes.



The two sides had agreed a halt to fighting and Kyrgyzstan said the countries' leaders had met and decided to withdraw their forces after clashes broke out along their disputed border.



Fighting regularly flares up between the two mountainous and poor countries that share a 970 kilometre-long border, with around half of the frontier contested.



In 2021, unprecedented clashes between the two sides killed 50 people.



The latest violence, which had revived fears of an all-out conflict, had already forced thousands to flee their homes.



But the ceasefire deal was in tatters on Friday after each side accused the other of using heavy weapons to target homes, border posts or civilian infrastructure along border areas.



Kyrgyzstan said Tajik forces had fired on the southwest frontier region of Batken with rocket launchers and opened fire on border guard posts.



A Tajikistan government news portal, citing its border guard service, said Kyrgyz forces were reinforcing their positions and had opened fire on three border villages.



The meeting between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Uzbekistan came as Russia offered to mediate.



Moscow called for "urgent" measures to halt the fighting, which has killed several people and wounded dozens more.



Russia's foreign ministry offered to hold talks with the countries, urging both sides to take "urgent measures" to find a political solution.



The Kyrgyz presidency said in a statement that the leaders had "agreed to instruct the relevant structures to cease fire and withdraw forces and assets from the line of contact".



They gave the orders after officials in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, said security chiefs in the two states had agreed to a ceasefire beginning at 1000 GMT Friday.



During their meeting in the eastern Uzbek city of Samarkand, the two leaders also agreed to speed up work of a commission tasked with clearing up the border disagreements, the Kyrgyz statement said.



Some 19,000 people have been evacuated in Kyrgyzstan from volatile border regions, a regional branch of the Red Crescent said.



Bishkek accused Tajikistan's forces of having fired rockets early Friday on the city of Batken -- with a population of around 30,000 people -- and near the regional airport.



Kyrgyzstan said Friday morning that "violent clashes" had broken out "along the entire perimeter" of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the Batken region.



It accused Tajikistan of using heavy weapons, including jets, but said its forces were repelling the attacks, "making it impossible for them to capture settlements in Kyrgyzstan".



The health ministry said 59 people had been injured, and medical facilities in the border region of Batken had been put on alert. It appealed to local people to donate blood.



Tajikistan meanwhile accused Kyrgyz forces of the "intensive" shelling of homes and civilian infrastructure. It has not released details of casualties.



Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing official sources, however reported that one Tajik border guard had been killed and three more wounded.



The latest fighting has raised fears of yet another conflict in the ex-Soviet region. Already this week, clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have left more than 200 dead.



Further west, meanwhile, Ukraine claimed sweeping gains this week in a counter-offensive against Russia's invasion.



Japarov and Rahmon were seen together in official images distributed during the summit of leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).



Regional power brokers Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi have described it as an alternative to Western-led international organisations. (AFP)
Illinois Tool Works ITW Technical Pivots with Risk Controls

Source: Stock Traders Daily

Longer Term Trading Plans for ITW

Buy ITW slightly over 174.36 target 193.41 stop loss @ 173.86 Details

The technical summary data tells us to buy ITW near 174.36 with an upside target of 193.41. This data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 173.86 to protect against excessive loss in case the stock begins to move against the trade. 174.36 is the first level of support below 192.495 , and by rule, any test of support is a buy signal. In this case, support 174.36 would be being tested, so a buy signal would exist. Short ITW under 193.41, target 174.36, stop loss @ 193.97 Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ITW as it gets near 193.41 with a downside target of 174.36. We should have a stop loss in place at 193.97though. 193.41 is the first level of resistance above 192.495, and by rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance 193.41 is being tested, so a short signal would exist.

Swing Trading Plans for ITW

Buy ITW slightly over 193.41, target 199.83, Stop Loss @ 192.85 Details

If 193.41 begins to break higher, the technical summary data tells us to buy ITW just slightly over 193.41, with an upside target of 199.83. The data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 192.85 in case the stock turns against the trade. 193.41 is the first level of resistance above 192.495, and by rule, any break above resistance is a buy signal. In this case, 193.41, initial resistance, would be breaking higher, so a buy signal would exist. Because this plan is based on a break of resistance, it is referred to as a Long Resistance Plan. Short ITW near 193.41, target 174.36, Stop Loss @ 193.97. Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ITW if it tests 193.41 with a downside target of 174.36. We should have a stop loss in place at 193.97 though in case the stock begins to move against the trade. By rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance, 193.41, is being tested a short signal would exist. Because this plan is a short plan based on a test of resistance it is referred to as a Short Resistance Plan.

Day Trading Plans for ITW

Buy ITW slightly over 193.41, target 195.76, Stop Loss @ 192.96 Details

If 193.41 begins to break higher, the technical summary data tells us to buy ITW just slightly over 193.41, with an upside target of 195.76. The data also tells us to set a stop loss @ 192.96 in case the stock turns against the trade. 193.41 is the first level of resistance above 192.495, and by rule, any break above resistance is a buy signal. In this case, 193.41, initial resistance, would be breaking higher, so a buy signal would exist. Because this plan is based on a break of resistance, it is referred to as a Long Resistance Plan. Short ITW near 193.41, target 174.36, Stop Loss @ 193.86. Details The technical summary data is suggesting a short of ITW if it tests 193.41 with a downside target of 174.36. We should have a stop loss in place at 193.86 though in case the stock begins to move against the trade. By rule, any test of resistance is a short signal. In this case, if resistance, 193.41, is being tested a short signal would exist. Because this plan is a short plan based on a test of resistance it is referred to as a Short Resistance Plan.

ITW Ratings for September 16:

Term  Near Mid Long Rating Weak Neutral Weak P1 0 0 174.36 P2 195.76 199.83 193.41 P3 200.52 207.87 211.85

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The technical pivots for Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) help you determine how to trade, when to buy, when to sell, and how to control risk.

Warning:

This is a static report, the data below was valid at the time of the publication, but support and resistance levels for ITW change over time, so the report should be updated regularly. Real Time updates are provided to subscribers. Unlimited Real Time Reports.

Subscribers also receive market analysis, stock correlation tools, macroeconomic observations, timing tools, and protection from market crashes using Evitar Corte.

Instructions:

The rules that govern the data in this report are the rules of Technical Analysis. For example, if ITW is testing support buy signals surface, and resistance is the target. Conversely, if resistance is being tested, that is a sign to control risk or short, and support would be the downside target accordingly. In each case, the trigger point is designed to be both an ideal place to enter a position (avoid trading in the middle of a trading channel), and it acts as a level of risk control too.

Swing Trades, Day Trades, and Longer term Trading Plans:

This data is refined to differentiate trading plans for Day Trading, Swing Trading, and Long Term Investing plans for ITW too. All of these are offered below the Summary Table.
She made the remarks while addressing an event on the book 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery' organised by the party's Mumbai unit.

"It's a book which tells how modern-day governance in a complex economy like India can happen, and also how self-made leaders can make a difference because they're committed to the country," minister Sitharaman said.

Speaking about PM Modi's leadership, she said all the schemes for the poor were made available with transparency to the last mile beneficiaries.

"Under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi it is ensured that schemes reach the last mile," Sitharaman added.

"PM Narendra Modi understands technology well and puts it into the system which is why direct benefit system was made available," she added.

The book about prime minister Modi was launched in early May by former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

It may be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 20 years in 2021 as the head of government from becoming Chief Minister to Prime Minister of India. First, he became Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 and remained in that post till he became the Prime Minister of India in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019.

Published by Rupa Publications India, the book is written by eminent intellectuals and writers like Nandan Nilekani, Sudha Murty, Sadguru, P.V. Sindhu, and Amish Tripathi, among others.

The book also elaborates on Modi's model of governance which has touched the lives of a cross-section of the people of the society. (ANI)
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 16 (ANI/PRNewswire): Vasant Classic Garam Masala - a unique combination of 17 healthy spices blended and packed to add freshness, aroma and taste; is fast becoming the first choice of millions of housewives across markets. The Classic Garam Masala from the house of Vasant Masala is the leading spices brand in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and MP. Vasant Masala, the umbrella brand enjoys a legacy of over 80 different spices in the market from the last 50-plus years. The renowned spice brand in the country and world has been making packaged spices in state-of-the-art plants adhering to international standards and BRC norms with certifications that qualify products and packaging from - ISO, FSSAI, SPICE BOARD OF INDIA and AGMARK. On the fast-growing market share and brand popularity, Chandrakant Bhandari, CMD - Vasant Masala Pvt Ltd mentioned, "It's the brand's legacy of 5 decades and immense positive customer feedback for our regular and daily used spices, like - chili, turmeric, coriander, coriander-cumin etc. that continuously inspires us to do innovations like Classic Garam Masala." There is a clear consumer shift and the market for packaged spices is growing fast. Bhandari said, "Post-pandemic housewives' clear focus is on family health and we notice an upward trend for packaged blended spices consumption. Change in work culture pattern with working population opting for Work-From-Home (WFH), more and more households have started trying their culinary skills too. And that has resulted in demand for blended spices." Vasant Classic Garam Masala is a special combination of spices and is being used daily in dal, vegetables, pulses, farsan etc. Besides, it also makes dishes like PavBhaji, Panipuri, Bhel, Samosa, etc even more delicious. "Hence, lovers of delicious and aromatic cuisine chose Vasant Classic Garam Masala as the best, readymade and magic ingredient that adds unique and awesome taste to the food," added Bhandari. Elaborating on the exclusivity of Vasant Classic Garam Masala, he said, "It consists of a special mixture of high-quality spices like Green Coriander, Coriander-cumin, Fennel, Anistar, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Javantri, Nutmeg, Big Cardamom, Chilli, Iodized Salt, Black Salt, Turmeric, Kothgal, Dagadphool etc. We handpick these high-quality spices that are grown in South India, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and do imports too from Nigeria, Colombo, Vietnam and Indonesia for their natural taste and aroma. Besides, these spices are tested by our quality control team in the laboratory by volatile oil scientific method and they are processed as per specified standards." Bhandari further said, "Keeping in mind the choice and purchasing power of different sections of society, we have introduced various packs of 'Vasant Classic Garam Masala' in the market that include 100 gm, 200 gm and 500 gm packs and Rs. 5/-, Rs.10/-, and Rs. 20/- pouch packs, which people can buy according to their requirement. The Classic Garam Masala is available to consumers via the robust distribution channel across the markets of Gujarat, MP and Rajasthan. Notably, Vasant Masala Group's plant at Dehgam, Gujarat houses a state-of-the-art technology-based production facility and R &D centre where various Vasant Masala products and Vasant Classic Garam Masala are produced in strict adherence to the parameters of purity and quality. Such stringent process ensures that the taste, aroma and purity of the spices are maintained throughout the year thus maintaining the brand promise 'Shuddhta Aisi, Mamta Jaisi'." Vasant Masala was founded in 1970 by Bapulal Bhandari as 'Vasant Griha Udyog' in Jhalod, a small village in Gujarat. Millions of families from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other regions as well as overseas have been happily using Vasant Masala products for the last 52 years. The key products of Vasant Masala include basic spices, blended spices, whole spices, powdered spices and hing. 'Vasant Masala' products are also exported to countries like UK, Australia, USA and Africa. Vasant Masala has been accepted by households solely due to its unique quality and popularity. Vasant Masala is always committed to provide best quality spices to its customers. Vasant Masala has become the first choice of every housewife for five decades due to its taste and health benefits. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): Artemis Medicare Services aims to increase its scope of healthcare services in Delhi as it officially unveils a multi-specialty hospital, Artemis Lite within the proverbial neighborhood of New Friends Colony. As a natural extension of its stellar and impeccable medical solutions this facility would be equipped with high and personalized multi-specialty care. The hospital has 40+ beds including two operation theatres, 9-bed ICU, 5-bed day-care chemo suite, 4-bed NICU, labor delivery rooms and multi-specialty wards. Artemis Lite would incorporate more than 15 specialties in addition to routine wellness programs, diagnostic services, preventive care and many other advanced care treatments amongst its line-up. Dr Devlina Chakravarty, Managing Director, Artemis Medicare Services Limited, "In the era of tertiary care, Artemis Lite aims to be a game changer by bringing quality and affordable medical facility to next to your homes. Artemis Lite takes the neighborhood GP model to the next level, providing multi-specialty medical services under one roof to address patient needs. The idea is to provide cost effective medical care in neighborhood localities so that patients do not have to travel far to avail quality medical consultation, treatment, and facilities. The hospital offers personalized touch to patient care and provides end to end medical services with facility for day and night services." "This model can be a big disruptor in healthcare market, with the focus of tertiary care moving back to neighborhood hospitals, providing the bigger hospitals space to focus on severe and critical patient care. With Artemis Lite, we aim to enhance our reach and provide healthcare services to a wider array of patient across Delhi NCR region. And this is just the beginning, we are planning to open almost 40 more such hospitals across the region in the next 5 years," added Dr Devlina Chakravarty, Managing Director, Artemis Medicare Services Limited. Artemis Lite is backed by one of Gurugram's most trusted hospitals, Artemis which was established in 2007. Spread across 9 acres, Artemis Hospitals is a 600-plus-bed, state-of-the-art multi-specialty hospital. It is the first JCI and NABH accredited hospital in Gurugram. Designed as one of the most advanced hospitals in India, Artemis provides a depth of expertise in the spectrum of advanced medical and surgical interventions and a comprehensive mix of inpatient and outpatient services. Artemis has put modern technology in the hands of renowned doctors from across the country and abroad to set new standards in healthcare. The medical practices and procedures followed in the hospital are research-oriented and benchmarked against the best in the world. A top-notch service, in a warm, open patient-centric environment, clubbed with affordability, has made it one of the most revered hospitals in the country. Artemis Lite, a multi-speciality hospital, offering high-end and personalized multi-specialty care to neighborhoods, has been opened on 2nd August, 2022 at A1, New Friends Colony, New Delhi. The hospital has 40+ beds including two operation theatres, 9-bed ICU, 5-bed day-care chemo suite, 4-bed NICU, labor delivery rooms and multi-specialty wards. The hospital will cater to 15 specialties besides offering routine wellness programs, diagnostic services, preventive care and other advanced care treatments, all under one roof. The idea of personalized neighborhood healthcare facilities across the city and beyond takes healthcare into a new realm. It will help us reach out to a wider audience nearer to their home. Artemis Hospitals, established in 2007 and spread across 9 acres, is a 400-plus-bed, state-of-the-art multi-specialty hospital. It is the first JCI and NABH accredited hospital in Gurugram. Designed as one of the most advanced hospitals in India, Artemis provides a depth of expertise in the spectrum of advanced medical and surgical interventions and a comprehensive mix of inpatient and outpatient services. Artemis has put modern technology in the hands of renowned doctors from across the country and abroad to set new standards in healthcare. The medical practices and procedures followed in the hospital are research-oriented and benchmarked against the best in the world. A top-notch service, in a warm, open patient-centric environment, clubbed with affordability, has made it one of the most revered hospitals in the country. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines rose to 101.16 lakh in August 2022 as compared to 67.01 lakh in August 2021.

On a month-on-month basis, domestic air traffic increased by 3 per cent in August 2022. Domestic air traffic in July 2022 stood at 97 lakh. It increased to over 1 crore in August 2022.

IndiGo- India's largest airline flew the largest number of passengers with a market share of 58 per cent.

The Tata Group's airlines including Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India, together had a market share of 24 per cent in August. (ANI)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): House of Hiranandani, India's premium real estate developer, jumped on the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) bandwagon and received an astounding response for its maiden NFT launch. The NFT's titled 'DreamVerse'- under the concept of 'Engineering your dreams' were sold off within minutes after the sale went live. The primary objective of the NFT sale on account of Engineer's Day was to pay tribute to the engineers and architects who have contributed to the unparalleled urban landscapes of the House of Hiranandani. As part of the campaign, the proceeds from the sale of the NFTs will be used to fund the education of needy students at the Bangalore Institute of Technology. A 360-degree communication approach was adopted for the NFT initiative that comprised announcements through social media, NFT influencers, and a strong media presence. The campaign garnered an amazing response on social media with over 15,82,813 Impressions & 14,68,145 reach. Prashin Jhobalia, Vice President - Marketing Strategy at House of Hiranandani said, "The goal of this initiative is to show our appreciation and gratitude to engineers, and we are pleased that the NFTs were sold out within a few minutes of their release. We want students and future engineers to be self-sufficient and masters of their trade. It is a new attempt to inspire young minds with research-based real estate creations and encourage them to work in ways that benefits the society. The goal is to motivate the country's young engineers to make breakthroughs in their fields." NFT owners now have access to exclusive design consultations with some of India's top designers who collaborate with House of Hiranandani. Global NFT sales were USD 3 billion in May 2022, and India is one of the top five most active countries in the NFT segment, with over 1.50 million NFT users in the country. Web3 and Metaverse have enormous potential to address critical real estate issues, and the industry is likely to see massive innovation in using emerging technologies to drive growth in the space. For more information, please visit: www.houseofhiranandani.com. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Friday announced that Patanjali Group will launch at least four initial public offerings (IPOs) in the next five years. Unveiling Patanjali's Vision 2027, a five-year expansion plan, Baba Ramdev said, "Now we are preparing to get listed five Patanjali group companies by floating four IPOs in the next five years." We have resolved to ensure that the contribution of Patanjali is recorded in golden letters when the centenary year of independence is celebrated in 2047. After Patanjali Foods Limited, we aim to bring IPOs of our four other companies - Patanjali Ayurved, Patanjali Wellness, Patanjali Medicine and Patanjali Lifestyle, he said. We have already started working on the action plan to achieve the target of Rs 5 lakh crore market value of these five to-be-listed companies, he said. Baba Ramdev unveiled five visions for the next five years. Along with the movement to make the country self-reliant by promoting Swadeshi, Patanjali is playing a big role in freeing the country from the slavery of Western education introduced by Macaulay and the foreign system of medicines. Patanjali Wellness is providing permanent relief from diseases through Yoga, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and a research-based integrated system of medicines, he said. The government recently launched a scheme of subsidy investment of Rs 11,044 crore through the National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO OP) to make the country self-reliant in edible oils. Complying with the scheme, Patanjali Foods plans to do an Oil Palm plantation on more than 15 lakh acres of land in 55 districts of 11 states of India. Patanjali is conducting this big campaign to remove poverty, malnutrition and unemployment. Patanjali's various schemes will provide additional employment to more than five lakh people, Baba Ramdev informed. Patanjali Foods will be the country's largest company in Oil Palm plantations. Once planted. Oil Palm trees give returns for the next 40 years. With this, the target is to earn annual returns of about Rs 2,000 crore in the next five to seven years. This will help in making the country self-sufficient in edible oils. At present, the turnover of Patanjali group is around Rs 40,000 crore. The target is to make it Rs 1,00,000 crore in the next 5-7 years, Baba Ramdev said. "Our company will play a big role in making India a global economic superpower by becoming the largest FMCG company in the country. We are working on an action plan to reach the level of Rs 5,000 crore EBITA of Patanjali Foods," he said. We are coming up with a new indigenous and righteous (Sattvik) avatar of Multi-Level Marketing at the national level for Natural Nutraceuticals, which will bring health and prosperity to the common man and will provide the right information about healthy nutritional options, Baba Ramdev added. (ANI)
Technology is all pervasive. At present, people cannot imagine of any sector without technology and agriculture is no exception. In India the agritech sectors technological innovations are generating investment opportunities by increasing efficiencies and overall productivity. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, recently said the administration is constantly working to improve a lot of the nation's small farmers. The minister informed that the government has started the work of creating 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO), for which Rs 6,865 crore is being spent. He said that it is being done keeping in mind the 86 per cent of small farmers in the country, who are unable to invest much. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, from 2017 to 2020, India received around $1 billion in agritech funding. With significant interest from the investors, India ranks third in terms of agritech funding and number of agritech startups. By 2025, Indian agritech companies are likely to witness investments worth $30-35 billion. The Indian agritech ecosystem has the potential to attract investments of over $10 billion over the next ten years, according to a FICCI-PwC report. Despite being a pandemic year, investors pumped in more than $500 million in agritech arena in 2020, compared to $248 million in 2019. "With a significant rise in investment activity and looking at the huge market potential of agritech in India, industry experts estimate that there will be investments of over and above $10 billion in the next ten years," the report said. It further said the government has been exhibiting its commitment to bring policy reforms in agriculture and allied sector and bolster the agri startup ecosystem. The recently-launched agri reforms are a step in this direction and endeavours to disintermediate the complex agri-supply chain, it observed. Further, to attract investments and build a robust agri startup ecosystem going ahead, the report said impetus is needed strategic key areas such as infrastructural enablement, product innovation, supporting entrepreneurship and incubation, enhanced co-creations and institutional support. According to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), agriculture remains a high-priority sector of the Indian economy, accounting for the livelihoods of around 58 per cent of the country's population. It also occupies a prominent position in the global economy and contributes 11.9 per cent of the gross value added (GVA) in global agriculture ($3,320.4 billion), second only to China. The supply-and-demand analysis for food reflects that in spite of a 50 per cent increase in crop production in the last 10 years, the rate of increase of food production will not be sufficient enough to feed the increasing global population which is projected to reach approximately 10 billion by 2050. Thus, the agriculture industry's productivity needs to be accelerated. Technology has become critical in driving all major global economies forward. All sectors, including agriculture, are innovating to address complex problems. India, being one of the largest economies in the world, is no exception and witnessing a huge technological transformation since the last two decades. Flagship programmes like Digital India' and Startup India' have resulted in the country becoming the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, growing at a year-on-year (YoY) rate of 1215 per cent. Though agriculture in India is at a transitory juncture, with a focus on integration of technologies for better operations, the sector still faces several challenges across the value chain. These challenges require disruptive interferences which can be provided by technological solutions. The entire system needs to adapt to a holistic approach which can be built upon indigenous and traditional farming knowledge integrated with transformative smart farming practices, including adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques. Adoption of AI technologies will pave the way for higher production with the optimum utilisation of available resources and facilitate predictive analysis, crop health management, enhance quality and traceability, the PwC report stated. Through the application of technology and innovation in the nation's agriculture sector, the government is encouraging the adoption of smart farming practices. The government is putting into practice the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), which consists of the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), farmers database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology, soil health, and fertility. Funding for digital agriculture initiatives utilising cutting-edge technologies, including as artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, etc., is provided to state governments under the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) programme. The aim is to achieve rapid development in India through the use of Information & Communication Technology, including Drone technologies that are being adopted nationwide. To promote the use of Kisan drones, the government is providing Rs 5 lakh subsidy to small and marginal, women and farmers of northeastern states to buy drones. In a special campaign to assist farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 100 Kisan drones in various cities and towns across India this year to spray pesticides on farmland. The campaign was started for numerous states, including the upcoming elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Goa. The government is also promoting the use of Kisan drone for crop assessment, digitisation of land records, and spraying of pesticides and nutrients for which provision has also been made in the budget. --IANS arm/ ( 881 Words) 2022-09-16-21:26:03 (IANS)
Helmed by Tony Goldwyn, the film also stars Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg and newcomer William Fitzgerald.

According to Variety, 'Inappropriate Behavior' follows the story of a successful late-night comedy writer turned not-so-successful stand-up comedian, Max Bernal (Cannavale), who has recently blown up his career and marriage, and moves in with his father (De Niro). When he and his ex-wife Jenna (played by Cannavale's real-life partner, Byrne) disagree about how to care for their 11-year-old autistic son Ezra (played by Fitzgerald), Max decides to kidnap his son and take him on a cross-country epic journey... with comically disastrous results.

Written by Tony Spiridakis, the production of the film is all set to begin later this month.

The release date of the film is still awaited.

Meanwhile, Hollywood star Robert De Niro will soon be seen sharing screen space with himself as the acting legend is set to star in the upcoming gangster drama 'Wise Guys'.

For De Niro, this film is a return to the genre that turned him into a star. Along with 'Goodfellas', he made a name for himself in crime dramas like 'The Godfather Part II', 'Mean Streets' and 'Casino'.

His more recent credits include 'Joker' and Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman', which used extensive digital technology to de-age De Niro and his co-stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

He's re-teaming with Scorsese on Apple's 'Killers of the Flower Moon', a Western crime drama about the 1920 Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation, as per Variety. (ANI)
Elon Musk's college photos were auctioned recently and guess how much those pictures were sold for? Well, the pictures of Elon Musk with his ex-girlfriend from college Jennifer Gwynne were recently at an auction house in the US and the photos were sold for more than Rs 1.3 crores (USD 1,65,000)! According to New York Post, Boston-based RR Auction said that the photos were a collection of never-seen-before photos and "memorabilia" from Musk's college sweetheart Jenifer Gwynne. On Wednesday, Musk changed his Twitter profile photo of one of the photos put on auction. According to New York Post, Musk and Gwynne dated between 1994 and 1995 when they were both studying at the University of Pennsylvania. The online portal further reports that there was a gold necklace with a small green emerald that Elon Musk gave Gwynne for her birthday while they were together and that was sold out for USD 51,000 which converts to an amount just above Rs 40 lacs! There was also a birthday card that was sold at the auction for almost Rs 13 lacs. The birthday card had "Boo-Boo" written on it. There were a total of 18 candid photos, according to New York Post, and each was sold individually. According to the portal, Gwynne and Musk aren't in touch. Talking about Elon Musk's Twitter deal, He is currently engaged in a public battle with Twitter to get out of a USD 44 billion deal to buy the social media company, with a high-stakes October dispute trial looming. Meanwhile, Twitter shareholders on Tuesday approved Tesla chief Elon Musk's USD 44 billion bid to buy the social media platform. The approval to accept Musk's offer of USD 54.20 per share was substantially higher than Twitter's current trading price, below USD 42 was widely expected. Twitter has forged ahead with the deal, despite Musk's attempts to back out because of what he says are problems with the company's business, reported Washington Post. Shareholders gave their assent to the deal on Tuesday, the company said. The vote took place during a short virtual meeting after brief remarks by Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal.A US judge on Wednesday (local time) gave a lifeline to Musk by allowing him to amend his complaint against Twitter but rejected delaying the lawsuit over the disintegration of the billionaire's deal to acquire the social media company. His attorneys had requested to amend his counterclaims after a whistleblower filed a complaint about Twitter's security practices, reported Washington Post. In a mixed ruling, Kathaleen McCormick, the chancellor of the Delaware court, said Musk could add whistleblowing revelations from a Twitter ex-security chief that surfaced in August.But she denied his request to push back the litigation, saying prolonging the suit "would risk further harm to Twitter too great to justify." (ANI)
More than USD 7 million (around INR 59 crores) will be shelled to beef up the security for the Queen's funeral on September 19. According to New York Post, protecting Queen Elizabeth's funeral will be the most expensive single-day operation in UK history, costing over USD 7.5 million. To secure the unprecedented number of foreign leaders, who are expected at the funeral on Monday, the British Mi5 and Mi6 intelligence agencies, London's Metropolitan Police, and the Secret Service will work together. "This is the biggest policing operation that the United Kingdom policing has ever undertaken," New York Post quoted Simon Morgan, a former Royal security officer, as saying. "When you look at the other events, they were big -- the Prince and Prince of Wales' wedding in 2011 was the biggest -- but in comparison to this, you can't compare it," he said. William and Kate's 2011 wedding had heavy police deployment. According to New York Post, Police costs for the 2011 wedding were an estimated USD 7.2 million. London will be covered with heavy security -- from marksmen and observers perched on rooftops and observation points, to police dispersed among the crowd -- with police and intelligence officers anticipating a "substantial threat of terrorism," Morgan said. The online new portal reports that parts of the city are already cordoned off and it's likely that more streets will shut down ahead of the funeral. Despite the fact that 750,000 people are expected to attend the funeral -- considerably more than at Will and Kate's wedding -- Morgan, who currently oversees the London-based, private international security company Trojan Consultancy, predicted that London will essentially "shut down" for the late Queen's memorial. New York Post further reports that extremist environmental activist groups like Extinction Rebellion, which has been organizing large-scale protests across England with the intention of obstructing daily life, are being closely monitored by British authorities. Royal protection has also been given to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who lost their right to taxpayer-funded security when they quit their royal duties. Most dignitaries planning to attend will likely take shared buses, but some, like President Biden, will make their own arrangements. (ANI)
A young Kashmiri musician Noor Mohammad, popularly known as 'Sahil Santoor', hailing from Wathora village of central Kashmir's Budgam district, is an artist who has had a journey of ups and downs. He always had an inclination towards music. During his childhood, two friends of Sahil were learning music from Master Mohammad Ismail Bhat who was a well-known Sufiyana maestro. Sahil joined music classes along with them and felt an inclination towards music. He says, "I started Sufi music with the local instrument of Kashmir, Saaj-e-Kashmir and later till 2012, I played the dholki. Following that, I started playing Santoor." However, Sahil faced many challenges to reach this level and his journey was very difficult. Sahil got a scholarship from Jammu Academy and also got a chance to play Santoor in musical events. He earned another prestigious scholarship in acting from the Centre for Cultural Resource Training (CCRT) in New Delhi. After developing an interest in this art, Sahil did his master's degree from the Music and Fine Arts Department, University of Kashmir. Talking about his struggles, Sahil says, "There were a lot of problems in the beginning. When I initially started learning, I bought a guitar but my brothers did not allow music to be played at home. After that, I took a room on rent and used to keep my instruments there. This went on for 4-5 years." After completing his degree, he has played Santoor in almost all states of the country over the past several years. Following his great performances, he has also received awards and appreciation from all quarters. Sahil has a message from the Kashmiri youth, "I want that the youth of Kashmir learns to play Santoor as it is a Kashmiri instrument and tomorrow, if he goes to other states and country, we can take our culture forward with us. Also, there should be support for it. Whenever I go out of state to perform, I receive a lot of love and respect. Last time, Sajid bhai (music composer) came for a performance and he loved me. He said you are so talented." Sahil can play any Kashmiri folk or Bollywood song on his Santoor and can perform his skills in front of a large audience. People love to listen to the smooth tunes of Santoor. He has been getting positive responses from people and the upcoming months are already booked for different events. Apart from Kashmir, he has also got bookings from Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and other cities in India. Sahil has performed his Santoor at The Lalit Grand Palace hotel in Srinagar and other prominent hotels. Besides, he will also be performing in live concerts. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the right to establish educational institutions is a fundamental right but reasonable restrictions can be imposed by the state only by a law, and not an executive instruction. A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and P.S. Narasimha said: "Since we have held that the right to establish an educational institution is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India, reasonable restrictions on such a right can be imposed only by a law and not by an executive instruction." The top court upheld the various high court verdicts and dismissed the appeal by Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) challenging them. "We are of the view that the division bench of the Bombay High Court, Aurangabad Bench, in the said case, does not lay down the correct position of law. In our view, the view taken by the High Courts of Karnataka, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh lays down the correct position of law," it said. "It is thus clear that though there is a fundamental right to establish educational institutions, the same can be subject to reasonable restrictions, which are found necessary in the general public interest. However, the question that requires to be answered is as to whether the same can be done by executive instructions or not." The top court said merely because an institution has a right to establish an educational institution does not mean that such an application has to be allowed. It added that in a particular area, if there are more than sufficient number of institutions already existing, the Central Council can always take into consideration whether it is necessary or not to increase the number of institutions in such an area. "However, a blanket prohibition on the establishment of pharmacy colleges cannot be imposed by an executive resolution," said the bench. The top court judgment came on a batch of appeals filed by the PCI against three similar but separate verdicts of the high courts of Delhi, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka. The high courts had allowed the pleas of several pharmacy institutions challenging the July 17, 2019 and September 9, 2019, resolutions of the PCI, which had put a moratorium on opening of new pharmacy colleges in the country. "We may observe that there could indeed be a necessity to impose certain restrictions so as to prevent mushrooming growth of pharmacy colleges. Such restrictions may be in the larger general public interest. However, if that has to be done, it has to be done strictly in accordance with law," said the top court. It said if and when such restrictions are imposed by an authority competent to do so, the validity of the same can always be scrutinised on the touchstone of law. "We, therefore, refrain from considering the rival submissions made on that behalf. It is further to be noted that the applications seeking approval for D. Pharm and B. Pharm courses are required to be accompanied by a 'No Objection Certificate (NOC)' from the state government and consent of affiliation from the affiliating bodies. While scrutinizing such applications, the Council can always take into consideration various factors before deciding to allow or reject such applications," said the bench. The PCI resolutions were challenged by several private institutions in the three high courts, and the PCI moved the top court against the high court orders. --IANS ss/vd ( 576 Words) 2022-09-15-22:52:03 (IANS)
'Show courtesy and consideration, listen patiently, be meticulously correct and courteous, rise to receive and see off' -- these are some of the common guidelines issued for civil servants while dealing with Members of Parliament or state legislature. Issuing the consolidated guidelines, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said, "An officer should be meticulously correct and courteous and rise to receive and see off a Member of Parliament/state legislature visiting him. Arrangements may be made to receive the Members of Parliament when, after taking prior appointment, they visit the officer of the Government of India, state government or local government." It may be noted here that recently, a war of words had erupted between BJP Parliamentarian Nishikant Dubey and the District Magistrate of Deoghar. "The officers should not ignore telephonic messages left for them by the Members of Parliament/state legislatures in their absence and should try to contact at the earliest the Member of Parliament/state legislature concerned. These instructions also include SMS and e-mails received on official mobile phones, which also should be replied promptly and on priority," the guidelines said. They also said that any deviation from an appointment made with a Member of Parliament/state legislature must be promptly explained to him to avoid any possible inconvenience. Fresh appointments should be fixed in consultation with him. Also, MPs of the area should invariably be invited to public functions organised by a government office. Proper and comfortable seating arrangements at public functions and proper order of seating on the dais should be made for the members keeping in view the fact that they appear above officers of the rank of secretaries, the DoPT guidelines said. Issuing the guidelines, the DoPT said that any violation of these guidelines will be viewed seriously. "All ministries and departments should ensure that the above basic principles and instructions are followed by all officials concerned, both in letter and spirit. Violations of the guidelines laid down on this subject will be viewed seriously," DoPT said. --IANS kvm/arm ( 353 Words) 2022-09-15-20:12:04 (IANS)
The Tamil Nadu government, in a reply to a PIL filed by the Assam government, told the Madras High Court that it will not return the leased elephants.

The development came a day after the Assam government moved the Gauhati High Court following the reports of torture on elephants and sought the direction to bring back the elephants, especially temple elephant Joymala which the state had given to Tamil Nadu on lease.

This controversy started after the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a video, claiming that Joymala was being subjected to cruelty at a temple in Tamil Nadu.

However, the Tamil Nadu government dined these accusations.

The Ministry of Environment and Forest endorsed Tamil Nadu's claim that Joymala is doing well.

"Several disturbing videos of Joyamala are being circulated on social media recently, but these videos are old. The latest inspection report issued on the matter shows that the elephant is doing well now and is in healthy condition. The present team taking good care of Joymala," the Ministry tweeted.

Meanwhile, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest of the Assam state MK Yadava said that Tamil Nadu, in a letter, admitted that Joymala was tortured but her health is now fine.

Assam claims it had leased nine elephants, including Joymala, to Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
Politics in West Bengal seems to be taking a nasty turn, even stooping to personal abuse including questioning one's sexual orientation, following leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari's refusal to be handled by women police personnel during BJP's protest march to state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday. Ever since a clip of Adhikari's comment to a lady police officer -- "Do not touch my body. You are female and I am male" -- went viral on social media, Trinamool Congress leaders have been using the statement to attack Adhikari on the issue of his sexuality. First, Trinamool national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said on Wednesday that probably the leader of opposition has a 'fascination towards men'. And on Thursday, Trinamool spokesman Kunal Ghosh launched an unprecedented personal attack against Adhikari without naming him, but making it amply clear as to who he was hinting at. "One leader, though I am not naming him and not meaning Suvendu, is a homosexual and pervert. He tried to approach one of his bodyguards with his perverse sexual advances. Later, that bodyguard was killed and the case was passed as a suicide. The police investigation in the matter is stuck in the court. But we have instructed the police to ensure that the family of the bodyguard gets justice," Ghosh said. Reacting to Ghosh's remarks, Adhikari said that it is below his dignity to respond to such comments from a "paid servant" of a "nephew" (Abhishek Banerjee is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee), adding that Ghosh was even imprisoned for around three years because of his alleged involvement in the Saradha chit fund scam. "I hate to reply to a gutter material who was imprisoned for three years," Adhikari said. Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said that such comments show the pathetic cultural background of Ghosh. Meanwhile, queer activists in the city and legal brains have taken strong objection to the comments of Ghosh, where he linked 'homosexuality' with 'perversion'. "Ghosh should think twice before making such derogatory comments linking an entire community. I do not want to get into the political nitty-gritty of the matter. How can he link homosexuality with perversion, especially when the Supreme Court has partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising same-sex relationship between consenting adults," asked senior counsel of the Calcutta High Court, Kaushik Gupta. Pawan Dhall, the founding trustee of Varta Trust, which runs a pan-India Covid-19 service locator dedicated to the people from the queer community, told IANS that such homophobic comments are bound to create doubts about Kunal Ghosh's level of education. "He is fighting a political battle and, in that process, he is making such derogatory personal comments, which not only hurt the person he is attacking, but also the sentiment of the entire queer community. He should have done some homework about the changes in social fabric which are taking place all around us. I think by making such comments, he is damaging the image of the party which he represents," Dhall said. Tirthankar Guha, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at KPC Medical College & Hospital, told IANS that just as a woman protester has the right to refuse being handled by a male police officer, a male protester too has the right to refuse being handled by a woman police officer. "So, on this point, my entire support goes to Suvendu Adhikari, despite the fact that I do not subscribe to his political beliefs. Secondly, as regards Kunal Ghosh's homophobic comments, I feel that as a spokesman of a political party, before making any comment, Ghosh should introspect whether his remarks will hurt the sentiments of an entire community," Guha said. According to city-based queer rights activist Tracy Shivangee Sardar, Ghosh should not forget that many of the voters who vote for the party he represents are from the queer community. "So, he should better be careful while chosing words next time or he will damage the prospects of his own party, as people from not just the queer community, but anyone with minimum sense and sensibility will stay away from his party if repeats such words," Sardar said. --IANS src/arm ( 705 Words) 2022-09-15-20:54:02 (IANS)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda has formed a five-member committee to probe violence against their workers in West Bengal during the recent Nabanna Chalo march. The team will be led by the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh and present Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, former Information and Broadcasting Minister and Lok Sabha MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Lok Sabha member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi, Rajya Sabha MP Sameer Umrao and former parliamentarian Sunil Jakhar. According to the sources, these leaders have been asked to go and investigate the situation on the ground level. They will also investigate what led to the violence in Kolkata. The committee will also demand the state government to take action against the accused. They will submit the report to the party's national president. On Tuesday, the BJP carried out a massive protest march, 'Nabanna Abhijan', to the state secretariat where a clash broke out between BJP workers and police inside the Bolpur railway station as police tried to stop the workers from leaving for Kolkata to participate in the Nabanna Chalo march. Several workers were also detained. "With hundreds of BJP workers heading towards Kolkata to join BJP's Nabanna march via trains, police barricaded paths to railway stations. 20 of our workers were stopped by police near Durgapur railway station. I reached here using other paths," said BJP leader Abhijit Dutta. Kolkata Police also detained Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and MP Locket Chatterjee ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) protest march to state secretariat 'Nabanna' on Tuesday. The violence has erupted into a political row. Accusing the BJP of indulging in violence during protests against her government West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said action would be taken against those creating nuisance. "People were harassed and public properties vandalised and destroyed. You can't have goons and bombs brought in, in the name of protests. Remember, police and fringe elements cannot go together. No anti-social activity will get any cover under the garb of politics, the police will take action if that happens," Banerjee said. Banerjee also claimed that BJP had brought workers from other states for the protests. She also defended the police action against the protestors. "The police officers could have fired in the air, but they were very measured in their response. This cannot happen, you cannot book trains and bring people from other states to create a nuisance in Bengal," she said while adding that she was not against democratic protests. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said that he would have shot the protesters in the head, had he been present at the site. Reacting to the Diamond Harbour MP's statement, BJP leader Amit Malaviya said, "This murderous thug is more than just Mamata Banerjee's nephew. He holds unconstitutional sway over her Government. If she has the guts, let the brutal sentiment of fascism, latent in his statement, reflect in the lethal action of the WB Police. She would not survive the wrath of the people after." Following the matter, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sought a report from the West Bengal Home Secretary over the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'Nabanna Abhijan' by September 19. The High Court further directed the Police not to illegally detain any person and also ensure that there is no damage to public property. BJP leaders were detained from Hastings in Kolkata when they were leading the Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan. Suvendu Adhikari, Locket Chatterjee and BJP leader Rahul Sinha were taken to Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar. (ANI)
The announcement was made by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha following his meeting with a delegation comprising prominent political leaders, members of the Yuva Rajput Sabha, civil society members, head of the J&K transport union, among others, at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

"The government has taken a decision to declare Maharaja Hari Singh Ji's birthday as a public holiday. Maharaja Hari Singh was a great educationist, progressive thinker, social reformer and a towering man of ideas and ideals. The public holiday will be a fitting tribute to Maharaja Hari Singh Ji's rich legacy," Sinha said.

Pertinently, on the direction of the L-G, a four-member committee was constituted by the UT administration earlier this year to examine the public demand regarding declaring Maharaja Hari Singh's birth anniversary as public holiday.

Hari Singh (1895-1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

--IANS zi/arm

( 196 Words)

2022-09-15-21:46:03 (IANS)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now sought the custody of former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is already in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam involving the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The CBI on Thursday made an appeal to a special court of the agency in Kolkata seeking permission to take Chatterjee into custody. The matter will be heard on Friday and Chatterjee will have to be physically present in the court during the hearing. CBI sources said that except once in the beginning of the investigation, the agency did not get any chance to question Chatterjee. In the meantime, CBI has arrested two top former officials of WBSSC as well as three middlemen in connection with the case. "One of the three middlemen arrested is also a relative of Partha Chatterjee. During integration, the five persons arrested by our officers revealed a lot of information about the scam, which clearly point at the role of the former Education Minister in the matter. So, it is necessary to take him into custody for questioning," confirmed a CBI official. On Wednesday, a special ED court had extended the judicial remand of Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee till September 8. State BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said that it is high time that Partha Chatterjee, instead of suffering all alone, reveals more truths about the WBSSC scam, including the names of the other beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the CBI on Thursday conducted raids at six locations of a software firm in Delhi and Kolkata in connection with the teacher recruitment scam. --IANS src/arm ( 291 Words) 2022-09-15-22:24:02 (IANS)
The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested six people in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two teenage Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur Kheri. The two Dalit sisters were found hanging from a tree. "Junaid, Suhail and Hafeezur Rehman were reportedly arrested during an encounter with the local Nighasan police and SWAT team in the Nighasan police station area on Thursday morning. Following their interrogation, the other accused Karimuddin, and Chhotu Gautam was also arrested," Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Prashant Kumar said. As per the police, a 315 bore pistol, 2 live cartridges and an empty shell have been recovered from the main accused Junaid's son Israel. ADG Kumar further said that as soon as the matter came to the notice of the police late in the evening, a team immediately rushed to the spot. "Apart from the local police, IG Range Laxmi Singh from Lucknow was immediately rushed to the spot. Prompt action was taken under the leadership of SP, Lakhimpur, Sanjeev Sinha and raids were conducted at different places to arrest the culprits, he added. The accused have been booked under Sections 302, 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act. This comes a day after the two girls were found hanging from the tree in the Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday. Protests broke out after the news came to light with the father of the deceased demanding justice for his daughters stating that the "culprits should be hanged". He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for one of the family members.My daughters were abducted from the house and then they were raped and murdered. I demand justice, and the culprits should be hanged," said the victim's father. The post-mortem reports confirmed that both girls were raped and strangulated. Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Suman told ANI over the phone citing the report that the two minors were murdered after being raped. "The girls were yesterday lured to farms and raped by Sohail and Junaid. After the girls wanted the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul, and Junaid strangulated and killed them, they then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged the girls for eliminating any proof," SP Sanjeev Suman said. As per Suman, all the accused persons other than Chotu hailed from Lalpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri. All forensic evidence was examined. The post-mortem of the bodies was video graphed and then the bodies were handed over to the family for cremation, the police said. (ANI)
Estranged leader of the AIADMK and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam, said on Thursday that the party would launch an agitation against the state government if people's consent is not taken for the construction of a new airport at Parandur. OPS, as Panneerselvam is popularly known, said in a statement that if people are not willing to give their consent for the construction of the airport at the designated site in Parandur, the project should be shifted to another place. He also came out against the state government on the manner in which a public hearing was conducted on the project. It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu government has offered 3.5 times the market value for taking over land in 13 villages near Parandur in Kancheepuram district for the construction of the airport. The Tamil Nadu government has also said that the land would be acquired for the airport in 'public interest' under the legislation enacted in 2013. The government has also offered alternate land near the proposed airport site to those whose land is being acquired. Government employment will also be provided to the people living in these 13 villages based on their educational qualification. State PWD Minister, E.V. Velu, has also said that the government would consult IIT-Madras regarding the water bodies in the villages. The Tamil Nadu government has proposed a new airport citing reports that the present airport at Meenambakam would not be able to cater to the demand by 2029. Four sites were short listed -- Parandur, Padalam, Pannur and Tiruporur. While Padalam and Tiruporur were dropped as they were close to nuclear establishments, Parandur was considered as the number of houses that would be lost for the construction of the airport would be less than in Pannur. --IANS aal/arm ( 316 Words) 2022-09-15-22:50:02 (IANS)
Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to work with Moscow to take on the responsibilities of "great powers", he told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, RT reported. "China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil," Xi told the Russian President during a leaders' summit at the SCO. Putin likewise praised the "multifaceted ties" the two countries have forged, in particular their trade relationship. Highlighting the exchange of $140 billion in trade with Beijing last year, he noted that the volume had increased 25 per cent in the first half of 2022 and said he hoped the figure could reach $200 billion by the end of the year. The Russian leader affirmed Moscow's support for Beijing's 'One China' policy and condemned "the attempts at provocations by the United States in and around Taiwan. Overall I have to say that attempts at creating a unipolar world have been quite ugly and unacceptable as of late for the majority of the nations on this planet". Putin thanked China for its cooperation on the foreign policy stage. "We highly value the balanced approach of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukrainian crisis," he said. Acknowledging the Chinese may have questions and concerns about the future of the conflict, he pledged to explain everything in detail again, RT reported. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been meeting for over two decades and brings together nearly half the planet's population, encompassing eight states that cover over half the world's territory. --IANS san/ ( 301 Words) 2022-09-15-23:10:02 (IANS)
Chairman of the Congress' Central Election Authority (CEA) Madhusudan Mistry on Thursday said that the resolution passed by the state unit chiefs will not impact Congress' presidential election as it is an independent process. no resolution has any bearing on the process of the election of the new Congress president. "A meeting of all the State Returning Officers related to the election was held on Wednesday where identity cards were given to all our selected delegates. We have generated identity card with QR code for all which will be given to the delegates of all states before September 20," Congress CEA chief further said. He also said that the entire process of the election of the party president is "open" as the party has nothing to hide. "The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will pass resolutions authorising the new Congress president to appoint the party's state chiefs and All India Congress Committee (AICC) delegates, and these resolutions will not affect the presidential poll as this is an independent process," Mistry said. "The Pradesh Returning Officers (PROs) will hold delegate meeting and give the authorisation to choose state presidents, AICC president and also Party president," Mistry said adding that the process will have no bearing on the election of the new Congress president. "Those seeking to file nominations for the AICC president post and the 10 PCC delegates' support from different states to sign on their form can see the list of over 9,000 delegates at the AICC's Central Election Authority's (CEA) office from September 20," Mistry further said. Over 9,000 PCC delegates will carry out the party president's post and with the passing of the resolutions by them, the new president will appoint new PCC, state unit chiefs and AICC delegates. "If more than one candidate files nomination, voting will be held at all Pradesh Committee offices. ID cards that have been issued will have to be carried at the time of voting. Those who do not have photos on their ID cards will have to carry Aadhaar cards," Mistri added. Earlier, five Congress MPs, including Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor, Pradyut Bordoloi and Abdul Khaleque had written a letter to Mistri expressing concern about the "transparency and fairness" of the process for electing the party chief. The MPs, in their letter, said that list of PCC delegates that make up the electoral college be provided to electors and potential candidates and this could be made in a secure manner. (ANI)
Chennai-based Munoth Industries Limited has set up this state-of-the-art facility with an outlay of Rs 165 crores. The facility is located in one of the two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters set up in the temple town by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.

The installed capacity of the plant at present is 270 Mwh and can produce 20,000 cells of 10Ah capacity daily. These cells are used in power banks and this capacity is around 60 per cent of India's present requirement.

Cells for other consumer electronics like Mobile Phones, hearable and wearable devices will also be produced.

"Currently, India imports complete requirements of lithium-ion cells primarily from China, South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The inauguration of this plant will be a step in the direction of realizing Prime Minister Modi's vision of making India the global hub of electronic manufacturing," Chandrasekhar said.

The minister will also visit the Dixon Technologies and United Telelinks facilities located in the two EMCs. He will also address the media after visiting the lithium cell manufacturing facility by Munoth Industries, as per the Ministry of Electronics and IT. (ANI)
The deceased has been identified as Kunhumuhammed (74) who fell in the pothole on the Aluva-Perumbavoor road in the Ernakulam district on August 20 and was undergoing treatment at Kochi's Aluva hospital. He did not regain consciousness since the accident as he had sustained severe injuries in his head.

Following the incident, locals blocked the Aluva-Perumbavoor road and burnt the effigies of Kerala Public Works Department (PWD) Minister PA Muhammad Riyas and Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath.

There are several complaints about the road which was allegedly damaged after one month of renovation. Due to this, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has probed the matter and submitted its report to the Kerala High Court after the Court asked about the road's condition.

Pothole accidents remain a concern in India. The government, in December, informed the Parliament that over 3,500 road accidents occurred in the year 2020 due to potholes.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that 4,775 and 3,564 accidents occurred in the years 2019 and 2020, respectively, due to potholes. (ANI)
Nine people have died and as many as two were injured after a wall collapsed in Lucknow due to heavy rainfall in the area in the last 24 hours. All injured in the accident were rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment, where doctors informed them that their condition is stable. "Several ambulances were sent to the spot and all bodies were brought here at different times, 9 were brought dead to us while 2 injured were brought as well. Those injured are stable," said Dr Anand Ojha, Director of Lucknow Civil hospital. After the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead. Instructions were given to give relief amounts to all the dead from the disaster relief fund. CM Yogi has also instructed to release a relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased people. He also instructed for proper treatment of all the injured. Meanwhile, the city has been witnessing water logging problems in many parts due to heavy rainfall. Commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected waterlogging issues after heavy rain lashed the city. The district administration issued an alert that there is a possibility of heavy rains till September 17. "In view of this, all the people should take full precaution. Beware of old dilapidated buildings. Leave for outside when it is absolutely necessary. Avoid going to crowded and traffic jam areas. Stay away from open sewers, electric wires and poles." The district administration asked people to contact Lucknow Municipal Corporation Control Room for any civic problem like water logging, tree fall etc.The administration advised people to drink boiled drinking water and get bleaching powder and chlorine tablets from the nearest health centre. The administration directed all government hospitals, PHC and CHC to be on high alert. (ANI)
A vegetable shopkeeper was allegedly threatened by Congress workers in Kollam for not contributing Rs 2,000 towards the collection of funds for Bharat Jodo Yatra. S Fawaz, a vegetable shopkeeper in Kollam alleged that Congress workers damaged the weighing machine of the shop and destroyed vegetables. He further alleged that the Congress workers created chaos and attacked the staff of the shop. "A group of Congress workers reached the shop and asked for donations for 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. I gave Rs 500 but they demanded Rs 2,000. They damaged weighing machines and threw away vegetables. They also used abusive language and attacked the staff," Fawaz said. Following the incident, Fawaz filed a complaint at the Kunnicode police station. A case has been registered against Congress workers under sections 447,427 and 506 of the IPC. As Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra entered its eighth day, party leaders led by Rahul Gandhi started the march from Kollam on Friday. The Yatra resumed today after a one-day break on September 15. The yatra completed its seventh day on Wednesday which was started from Navayikkulam in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram. On the seventh day, Rahul Gandhi interacted with students at Chathannur in the Kollam district."As we conclude the first week of Bharat Jodo Yatra today, with the distance covered and souls we connected with, our commitment grew stronger, our goal became clearer, and our family grew larger. This is the power of truth; the power of oneness," the Congress said. The Yatra is in its Kerala leg and would traverse through the state for the next 14 days. The 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states. From Kerala, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north. The Padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day. Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra is to bring Indians together irrespective of religion, community and remind them that this is one country and it will be successful if we stand together and are respectful towards each other. According to Congress, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is being held to combat the divisive politics of the BJP-led Centre and to awaken the people of the country to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation, and political centralization. (ANI)
Maharashtra government has issued a Government Resolution for establishing a Turmeric Research and Training institute named after Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in the Hingoli district of the state. As per the GR issued by Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Department Rs 100 crore will be allotted for the institute. Also, Rs 10 crore will be allotted in the current financial year itself and the remaining amount of Rs 90 crore will be released in installments in the coming financial years. Thackeray, who had been an influential figure in Maharashtra, began his professional career as a cartoonist with the English language daily 'The Free Press Journal' in Mumbai, but left it in 1960 to form his own political weekly 'Marmik'. His political philosophy was largely shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate semantic state. Through Marmik, Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai. In 1966, Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena party to fight for the interests of Maharashtrians in Mumbai's political and professional landscape. Recently the Shiva Sena broke unit two fraction--one led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other by party chief Uddhav Thackeray after the Eknath Shinde's camp MLAs rebelled against Uddhav. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on July 4 won the floor test in the State Assembly on the last day of the two-day special session of the House. In the 288-member House, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence, while 99 voted against it. Three legislators abstained from voting, while Congress's Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar were among those absent during the trust vote. Speaker Rahul Narvekar announced that the trust vote was carried by a majority vote. After the death of a Shiv Sena MLA recently, the current strength of the Assembly is reduced to 287, thus the majority mark is 144. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will kick off Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations on Saturday and distribute equipment to Divyangs in a 'Sewa karyakram' organised in Hyderabad on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday. For his day-long visit to Hyderabad, the Home Minister will leave from the national capital this evening and arrive at Hyderabad Airport by 9:30 pm. On Saturday, the Minister will attend Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations at 8 am at Parade Ground, Hyderabad. In 1948, the first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel unfurled the Tricolour after Hyderabad merged with the Indian Union.Now, 75 years later, Home Minister Amit Shah will hoist the national flag and kick off Hyderabad Liberation celebrations as we shed the vestiges of our colonial past and baggage. The erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, which was under the Nizam's rule, was annexed into the Union of India following a military action codenamed 'Operation Polo', which culminated on September 17, 1948. In another event named as 'Sewa karyakram' on PM Modi's birthday, the Home Minister will take part in the distribution of equipment to the Divyangs as well as the distribution of toilet cleaning machines in government schools and community hostels around 1.30 pm at the Classic function hall in Hyderabad. The Home Minister will also interact with Divyangs. As PM Modi will turn 72 this week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced to organise various programmes under "Seva Pakhwada" across the country from September 17 to October 2 to mark his birthday tomorrow. PM Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, a small and nondescript town in North Gujarat's Mehsana district. Later in the day, the Home Minister will take part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Shaheed Smarak at National Police Academy in Hyderabad at 3 pm. Hyderabad Liberation Day is usually celebrated on September 17 to remember the rebellion and the subsequent police action which led to the freedom of Hyderabad state from the Nizam's rule on September 17, 1948.Hyderabad was under Nizam's rule and the police had launched the campaign for its liberation with the name 'Operation Polo' which ended on September 17, 1948. The year-long celebrations of Hyderabad Liberation Day will take place from September 17, 2022, to September 17, 2023, as a part of Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. (ANI)
Senior Congress leader in Telangana and former Rajya Sabha member V Hanumanth Rao on Friday appealed the state government to re-install the statue of BR Ambedkar which was earlier removed by the municipal authority in 2019 in Punjagutta. "In the year 2019, we had placed a statue of Ambedkar in Punjagutta on April 12 which was removed by the municipal authority the very next morning on April 13, 2019. Later a new statue was also brought which was again removed and placed in one of the police stations in Hyderabad," the Congress leader said while praising the KCR government's decision to name the state's new secretariat in the name of BR Ambedkar. "You are doing a good job by naming the secretariat after Ambedkar and appealing to the central government to name the new parliament after his name is a very good initiative but you are not allowing to put Ambedkar's statue in Punjagutta. This issue should be solved on a priority basis so that a good message is delivered across the state and the country," Hanumath Rao said. Reacting on the demand of Jai Bheem workers and other organisations, Telangana CM KCR has requested that the new parliament building that is being built in the national capital should be put in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar. "Our demand was told by the Congress MLA in the assembly, the municipal minister has totally agreed and passed a resolution asking the central government to put Ambedkar's name to the new Parliament building," he added. At the same time a new secretariat was constructed in Hyderabad and today CM has decided to name the Secretariat after Ambedkar. The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government on Thursday said it has decided to name the new state secretariat complex here after Dr B R Ambedkar. (ANI)
In view of heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours and waterlogging in various parts of the city, the administration issued an advisory for the residents of Lucknow on Friday, advising them to not leave the house until it is indispensable. The necessary guidelines have been issued for the safety and well-being of the residents of Lucknow as there is an alert for more rainfall till September 17. In the advisory, the administration has advised the residents of the city to not leave the house until it is indispensable and to beware of old dilapidated buildings and to avoid going to crowded and traffic jam areas. Residents are also advised to take care of their health and only drink boiled water and also to use bleaching powder and chlorine tablets from the nearest health centre. The advisory also mentioned staying away from open sewers, electric wires and poles and contacting Municipal Corporation Control Room for any civic problem like water logging, tree fall etc. Helpline number 1912 for electrical breakdown etc. In case of any medical emergency, contact the Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow Control Room at 0522-2622080. Also, an integrated Control Command Center number for any other problem was also listed in the advisory--Register a problem on 0522- 4523000. Advising all the government Hospitals, Public and community health centres (PHCs) and (CHCs) and advised all hospitals to stay on high alert. Also ensuring arrangements for treatment of trauma management, snakebite, electric shock and water-borne diseases at your hospitals. Officers and employees posted in emergency services were also advised to be present on duty. Arrangement of medicines, patient vehicles etc, should also be ensured. The Head of Office /Competent Officer of private offices is advised to take appropriate decision regarding declaring a holiday from his level. The advisory was released after nine people died and as many as two were injured after a wall collapsed in Lucknow due to heavy rainfall in the area in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, all injured in the accident were rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment, where doctors informed them that their condition is stable. After the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead. CM Yogi has also instructed to release a relief amount of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased people. He also instructed for proper treatment of all the injured. Instructions were given to give relief amounts to all the dead from the disaster relief fund. In a similar incident in a different district of Uttar Pradesh, three people died after the roof of a kutcha house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Kantha village of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night. According to the police, the incident happened on Thursday night at around 3 am, when four family members were sleeping inside the kutcha house and due to heavy rainfall in the area, it collapsed. The incident killed two sons; Ankit 20 years old, Ankush 4 years old and one daughter Unnati 6 years old. Their mother who was also sleeping inside the room has suffered injuries. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has detected and freezed Rs 46.67 crore kept in various bank accounts and virtual accounts of Easebuzz, Razorpay, Cashfree and Paytm after recent raids in connection with Chinese loan app case, the agency said on Friday. A total of Rs 33.36 crore was found with Easebuzz Private Limited, Pune, Rs 8.21 crore with Razorpay Software Private Limited, Bangalore, Rs 1.28 crore with Cashfree Payments India Private Limited, Bangalore and Rs 1.11 crore with Paytm Payments Services Limited, New Delhi. The ED on Thursday carried out search operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at six business and residential premises in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Lucknow, Gaya and 16 other premises of banks and payment gateways branches and offices in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bangalore in respect of an investigation related to the app-based token named HPZ and related entities. The federal agency initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered on October 8, 2021, filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Cyber Crime Police Station, Kohima, Nagaland. The HPZ Token was an App-Based Token which promised users of large gains against investment by investing in mining machines for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, said the ED. "The modus-operandi of the fraudsters was to first lure the victims to invest in the company on the pretext of doubling their investment through the app HPZ Token." ED said the payments were received from users through UPIs and other various payment gateways and nodal accounts or individuals. The part amount was paid back to the investors and the remaining amount was diverted to various individual and company accounts through different Payment gateways and Banks from where partly it was siphoned off in digital or virtual currencies, said the ED. After that, the ED said, the fraudsters stopped the payments and the website became inaccessible. Investigation revealed that the HPZ token was operated by Lillion Technocab Private Ltd and Shigoo Technology Private Limited, it said. "Shigoo Technology Private Limited was also found linked to various Chinese controlled companies." It was also revealed that various other companies were indulged in receiving funds from the public on the pretext of operating various Apps and Websites for gaming, loan and others. ED suspected the involvement of Jilian Consultants India Pvt Ltd, Gurugram behind various companies involved in these frauds. One such entity, Mad-Elephant Network Technology Private Limited in agreement with X10 Financial Services Limited was operating various loan Apps (Yo-Yo cash, Tufan Rupees, Coco cash etc.). Similarly, Su Hui Technology Private Limited, in agreement with Nimisha Finance India Private Limited had operated Loan Apps. During the search, various incriminating documents were recovered and seized. "Huge balances were found to be maintained in the virtual accounts of the involved entities with payment aggregators. Rs 33.36 crore was found with Easebuzz Private Limited, Pune, Rs 8.21 Crore with Razorpay Software Private Limited, Bangalore, Rs 1.28 Crore with Cashfree Payments India Private Limited, Bangalore and Rs 1.11 Crore with Paytm Payments Services Limited, New Delhi. Around Rs 46.67 crore was detected and freezed in various bank accounts and virtual accounts." (ANI)
"Outer-North district Police has arrested a member of the Neeraj Bawania gang. A bulletproof Scorpio and SUV along with a huge quantity of arms and cartridges have been recovered," Devesh Kumar Mahla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Outer North Delhi said.

According to the DCP, the accused was trying to execute some crime and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will interrogate him in the matter.

More details are awaited. (ANI)
Earlier, the CRPF had been providing 'Z' category security to Sirsa in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi only.

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) took the decision to upgrade Sirsa's security based on recent inputs of threat perception to the BJP leader.

"The security of Manjinder Singh Sirsa has been upgraded from three states to across the country. The security was upgraded after reviewing threat perception," a top government source told ANI requesting anonymity.

This is the second time when Union Home upgraded Sirsa's security within two years.

Earlier in 2021, the Ministry had upgraded the security cover of Sirsa from the 'Y' category security to the 'Z' category days after he joined BJP after leaving Shiromani Akali Dal. Then, Sirsa was provided a 'Z' category security cover in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab states. (ANI)
Earlier on Monday, Mukesh Ambani paid a visit to Shrinathji temple in Rajasthan's Nathdwara.

Reliance Jio is all set to launch high-speed 5G telecom services by Diwali this year in multiple key cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Subsequently, it intends to expand its 5G network to each and every town, tehsil and talukas across the country by December of 2023, which is 18 nearly 18 months from now.

Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani made the announcement while addressing the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting via immersive and interactive metaverse technology.

Jio will deploy the latest version of 5G called standalone 5G. It will invest Rs 2 lakh crore on 5G infrastructure.

Reliance Jio Infocomm has acquired spectrum in 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands in the recently-concluded 5G auctions conducted by the Department of Telecommunications, where the government received around Rs 1.5 lakh worth of bids.

India is gearing up for the rollout of 5G services by October, Union Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said last week.

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network capable of transmitting a large set of data at a very rapid speed.

In comparison to 3G and 4G, 5G has a very low latency which will enhance user experiences in various sectors. Low latency describes the efficiency to process a very high volume of data messages with a minimal delay.

The 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing, among others.

Reliance Jio, Adani group, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea were the four major participants in the spectrum auction. (ANI)
Nagaland Minister of Higher Education and Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along on Thursday welcomed Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda to begin his second-day official tour in the state. The Nagaland Minister took to twitter to express his 'optimism in the day' and wrote, "It is a pleasure and honour to have our Hon'ble National BJP President Shri. @JPNadda Ji at my official residence this morning." 'Had an interaction on certain topics along with 30th Alongtaki Mandal as we warm up to begin his 2nd-day official tour to Nagaland. #OptimisticFriday," he added. Nadda has been on his two-day visit to Nagaland ahead of the state's Assembly elections slated to be held next year. The BJP's national president is scheduled to visit the Baptist Church in Kohima today which will be followed by a meeting with close to 1,800 prominent citizens and intellectuals in Dimapur. He will also hold a meeting with the BJP core committee of the state. Nadda's visit to Nagaland came at a very significant time when the BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) will soon be finalising the number of seats they will be contesting in the next year's Assembly polls. The Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently visited the national capital and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the pending Naga Accord issue. Rio led the 11-member delegation meet with the Home Minister in Delhi on Monday, demanding a final solution to the decades-long pending issue ahead of next year's polls. The sources have said that the Centre asked the Nagaland leadership to convince the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) to resolve the remaining issues that have led to the delay in the Naga peace process. At present, Nagaland is an Opposition-less government. In September last year, the name of the government in Nagaland was altered and the government is now called the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) consisting of NDPP, BJP, Naga People's Front (NPF) and Independent MLAs. The Congress which was ousted in 2018 in the state polls has given a call to all the like-minded parties to come together to oust the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. The election to the 60-member Assembly of Nagaland is expected to take place in February 2023. The Nephiu Rio-led alliance ousted the Congress party in the last elections and NDPP president took oath as CM and BJP leader YV Patton took oath as Deputy Chief Minister. (ANI)
A minor girl was kidnapped from the Wadala area of Mumbai and was raped. A case was registered against the accused, informed the police on Friday. According to the police, a case was registered against the accused under the relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) 376, 323, and 506 and sections of POSCO, for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl from the Wadala area of Mumbai and was then taken to the Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai and raped. On September 5, the victim girl had left her home for college and when the victim girl reached Wadala, the accused brought the Bolero vehicle and forced the victim girl into his car and took her to Pune Expressway where she was raped. FIR was first registered at Kalamboli Police Station on the complaint of the victim girl and then the matter was transferred to Matunga Police Station for investigation, informed the police. Meanwhile, on the complaint of the minor girl, the police started their further investigation by registering a case against the accused. However, the accused is yet to be caught. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday suggested the Central Government for developing a transparent system and a portal to address the grievances of the evacuated medical students from Ukraine. A bench of justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the Centre Government for suggestions came while hearing a batch of pleas filed by Indian students who have been evacuated from Ukraine and seeking permission to continue medical study in India. The court observed that the country cannot accommodate 20,000 students. The court asked the government to share on the portal, information related to fees of medical colleges that the government is proposing as an alternative for the Students who are in their second year and third year and have to complete their studies. The govt counsel said that he needs to take instruction on the suggestion proposed by the government. The court observed that there is a need to coordinate between the students and authorities concerned. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court about the various segments of the students who were evacuated from Ukraine. He also apprised the court about the information relating to the appointment of a liaisoning officer by the govt to deal with the issue. Meanwhile one of the counsels of the petitioner pleaded before the court to declare the evacuated medical students from Ukraine as war victims under international laws of the Geneva Convention. Earlier, the Centre submitted before the Supreme Court that in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC) it has taken proactive measures to assist returnee students from Ukraine but added that transferring these students to colleges in India would seriously hamper the standards of medical education in the country. The Centre apprised the SC that any further relaxation including the prayer-seeking transfer of these returnee students to Medical colleges in India would hamper the standards of medical education. In the affidavit, the Centre said the Government of India in consultation with the NMC, the apex medical education regulatory body in the Country, has taken pro-active measures to assist returnee students from Ukraine while balancing the need to maintain the required standard of medical education in the country. "Any further relaxation in this regard, including the prayer seeking transfer of these returnee students to Medical colleges in India, would not only be dehors the provisions of Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 as well as the regulations made thereunder but would also seriously hamper the standards of medical education in the country," Centre said in the affidavit. The Centre filed the affidavit on a batch of pleas filed by Indian students who have been evacuated from Ukraine and seeking permission to continue medical study in India. The Centre said that till now, no permission has been given by the NMC to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute or university. The Centre said that the provision of the academic mobility program was permitted only for those students who are already undergoing medical education in medical universities of Ukraine and are unable to finish such education because of disruption caused by the undergoing war. It added that aggrieved students have gone to foreign countries for two reasons. Firstly, due to Poor merit in the NEET Exam. Secondly, the affordability of Medical Education in such foreign countries. "It is humbly submitted that in case these students with (a) Poor merit are allowed admission in premier medical colleges in India by default, there may be several litigations from those desirous candidates who could not get seats in these colleges and have taken admission in either lesser known colleges or have been deprived of a seat in medical colleges. Further, in case of affordability, if these candidates are allocated Private Medical Colleges in India, they once again may not be able to afford the fees structure of the concerned institution," the Centre said. The plea was filed by evacuated students, who have sought the urgent indulgence of this court in light of the extraordinary situation which has presented itself in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war crisis which has gravely impeded their education of them. The unfortunate events in Ukraine have led to the evacuation of students and consequently, their education has inevitably come to a stand-still. One of the petitions was filed through advocate Ashwarya Sinha, who said that the education of about 14,000 evacuated Indian students has come to a complete halt as their careers stand to be irreparably jeopardized and their fundamental rights protected under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India have become illusory. The advocate also said the evacuated students including the Petitioners herein are going through immense mental hardship and agony since their entire career hangs in ambiguity and their education has virtually come to a standstill since February 2022, with no foreseeable restoration of peace in the war-torn country. "The unfortunate situation which has transpired in the present case is that the Petitioners are neither in a position to resume their education at their respective institutions in Ukraine nor permitted to continue their education at institutions in India under the present regulations, " the petition said. Therefore, the petitioners have also sought to issue an appropriate direction under Section 45 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, upon the NMC to frame guidelines and SOPs for the migration of Indian medical students who have been evacuated from Ukraine to Indian Medical Colleges as a one time measure in the equivalent academic year. The petition also sought to issue direction upon the Centre to issue necessary directions under Section 46 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019; and an appropriate direction upon the respondents to provide adequate infrastructural/academic and financial support for the continuation of medical education of the evacuated Indian students from Ukraine. The petition also sought to formulate guidelines by exercising jurisdiction conferred under Article 142 of the Constitution of India in light of the extraordinary situation on account of the ongoing war in Ukraine to protect the interests of the evacuated students and their migration to Indian medical colleges. In September National Medical Commission gave its "no-objection" for academic mobility program in respect of Indian medical students who are studying in Ukraine provided that other criteria of Screening Test Regulations 2002 are fulfilled. The mobility program offered by Ukraine has been considered in the Commission in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs, wherein it was intimated that the Academic Mobility Program is a temporary relocation to other universities in different countries globally. However, the degree will be awarded by the parent Ukrainian University. Indian students, who were pursuing medicine in Ukraine and were forced to return back due to the ongoing war with Russia, plead with SC to direct the Centre to declare them war victims so they could avail benefits under International Law. (ANI)
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held border talks with chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has now dialled his Mizoram counterpart to hold another round of talks on the pending Assam-Mizoram border issue. Sources privy to the development told ANI that Sarma who will return to the national capital in the next couple of days is likely to ask his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga to hold a meeting with him to further take forward the initiative to resolve the inter-border dispute issues. A source in the Mizoram Chief Minister's Office said, "The two chief ministers spoke today, however, the timing for the meeting is yet to be confirmed." Sources also informed that the two leaders are likely to have a meeting by themselves and then for further meeting with the Union Home Minister. In November last year, the two CMs met in the presence of Amit Shah in the national capital to discuss the decades-long pending issue. Notbaly, the border dispute had turned violent resulting in the death of seven personnel from the Assam police and injuring several others in July last year. Following this, a couple of rounds of meetings took place between the delegations from Assam and Mizoram to amicably solve this issue. In 1972, Mizoram was made a union territory. However, the UT which was carved out of Assam was made a state in 1987. After initial acceptance of the border with Assam Mizoram gradually began disputing the border. (ANI)